Faculty Notes Fall-Winter 2007

The Holy Cross College faculty have been very active since May. Here is the report from the Center for Faculty Development.

Steve Miceli

Spent seven days in Louisville, KY, this past June, scoring advanced placement exams in American history for the College Board. More than 325,000 students wrote for the American history exam, and more than 1,000 readers were necessary to score them all. Steve is currently conducting his dissertation research on the immigrant communities in South Bend, IN, after the Civil War.

Sandy Olhund

Sandy is the editor of a book in progress by Dr. Guido J. Braem, noted taxonomist and historian, on the life of Charles Darwin. The book is to be published in 2008 in Brussels, Belgium, in anticipation of the year 2009, the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial of the publication of his Origin of Species. Sandy is an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society, and often gives presentations on orchids. This October, she was a featured speaker at the Annual Speakers’ Day in Miami, FL, sponsored by the South Florida Orchid Society. Her powerpoint presentation was entitled: “Why Be Round? Renantheras, Arachnis, and Paraphalaenopsis.” She was an invited speaker at the Paph Guild in Morro Bay, CA, where she presented a program on “The Identification Confusion of the Long-Tailed Phrags,” based on articles she co-authored with orchid taxonomist Guido Braem, published in France.

Mary Ellen Hedegus

Mary Ellen was recently appointed to the Brain Health Advisory Committee at Memorial Hospital, South Bend, IN. The hospital is in the process of establishing a brain health center and has appointed a steering committee to guide the process.

John Raymer

John has been busy since May chairing a Communication Studies BA committee to create another bachelors of arts degree program at HCC. He has also been working closely with the College of Wooster, which has a nationally recognized Communications degree program. John will also present a revamping of the “Promotions and Tenure” section of the Faculty Handbook that his ad hoc and Faculty Forum Committees worked on over the past two years. He is in his fifth year of offering the evening class SAT Review in English to area high school students and has created a new course in personal journal writing for area residents called Writing My Life Stories offered by the College’s Community Education program offered this fall and next spring. After being asked to teach for the Humanistics Department at Saint Mary’s College this year, John has created his own version of a “Senior Colloquium in Renaissance and Enlightenment Literature” which he is offering to Humanistics majors. Lastly, named to the Dismas House Board of Directors, he is working with his church to provide meals to the Dismas residents and developing community fundraising events for the group—the first being a Bears/Colts bash at a local restaurant.

Winnie Caponigri

A grant was given to Winnie Camponigri by Delta Kappa Gamma International Society to join a group of scientists who are in the process of studying the problems that have developed in California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea. “In 1940 the Salton Sea was a logical place for our military to use in training and high altitude drop tests of inert bombs. Now, urbanization has crept outward and is about to surround the sea. The hazardous material has left the Sea smelly and containing lead and/or depleted uranium. The Navy is involved in the clean-up as is the Salton Sea Authority [SSA]. It will be a long ongoing process—the Sea is a precious ecological resource and can be restored to its past state, but it needs the cooperation of the State, the Navy, and the US government,” Winnie said.

Christopher J. Dreyer, CSC, MS, LCSW

Brother Chris received a $700 grant from Indiana Campus Compact to defray costs for the Spring Break Alternative Trip. He also received a $750 grant from Indiana Campus Compact to assist students in landscaping efforts at Holy Cross College. Brother Chris accompanied Holy Cross College students on a one-week summer volunteer experience to work with the Blackfeet Indians in Montana. And, he accompanied another group of students on a two-week trip to Ghana, West Africa.

Dr. Susan Devetski

Susan, divisional chair of Holy Cross College’s Elementary Education Department, attended the Association of Teacher Educator’s Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, this past spring.

Dianne Reardon

Dianne attended a conference this last summer regarding lay ecclesial ministry.

Don Savoie

From a response to a call for papers from the University of Leeds, Don was invited to give a presentation at the conference, ”A Day in the Life,” a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album, June 19th. The heart of my program was singing and playing “With a Little Help from my Friends” in the blue-eyed soul style associated with Joe Cocker. It was an excellent opportunity: the doors are now open for publication from the event as well as future conferences to attend. Currently, I’m working on American music: a history of rock and roll.” Don has applied for the 2008 Summer Stipends Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities to help fund this endeavor. Additionally, he remains active performing gigs on campus (Notre Dame) and across northern Indiana, southwestern Michigan, and in Chicago, IL.