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Alumni Update
February 2023
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From Dean Chris Makaroff
Dear Alumni and Friends:
Although we are only a few weeks into our spring semester, this time of year goes by quickly, and our annual commencement activities will be here before we know it.
I am pleased to announce that this year's CAS Recognition Ceremony speaker is Jay Livingston '94, who majored in Communications and minored in Political Science. Jay is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Shake Shack, which started in 2001 and has rapidly been sweeping the country — and the globe — with over 400 worldwide locations. We will have more about Jay's experiences at Miami as well as his work philosophy and vision in our next newsletter, due in the latter half of the semester.
I'm also proud to mention that Jay will be in good company, joining another esteemed CAS graduate this spring. Nicole Fleetwood '94, from Miami’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies (aka Western College Program) and winner of the 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, will be Miami's commencement speaker in May. As our lead photo suggests, CAS students headed to locations near and far during Winter Term 2023 to bolster their experiential learning and career networking opportunities. As we have discussed in the past, a major focus here in CAS is to help our students better understand how the transferable skills provided through their CAS degrees can be used to solve challenging problems in the private and public sectors. Examples of CAS study abroad/study away programs include Borders and Bridges: An Honors Exploration of the New Europe, Inside Hollywood, Law and Policy in London, and Miami in Oman and UAE. CAS also facilitated numerous preceptorships, internships, and other experiential learning programs this January that took students into hospitals and healthcare centers, courtrooms and law firms, government offices, corporate boardrooms and offices, schools, non-profits, and so much more. Social justice instructor Mark Curnutte's program (highlighted below) is a prime example of these endeavors, whose positive impact is immeasurable.
On behalf of our students, I wish to thank all our faculty, staff, and alumni who helped to make these programs such a resounding success — particularly after the pandemic suspended them for a couple years. It's been heartening to see CAS and Miami flourish again in so many ways.
And of course, if you would like to contribute to our students' experiences — either financially or by providing internships, projects, or mentorship — please reach out to me at cas@MiamiOH.edu or take a look at our Support page. See all of you later this spring.
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|  |  $1.2M award for Project AWARE, managed jointly by Miami’s Ohio School-Based Center of Excellence (SBCOE) via Cricket Meehan at CAS and colleagues at EHS, increases early identification and mental health support for K-12 youth.
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| CAS Student News and Spotlights
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|  Four CAS seniors and two alumni were named semifinalists in the 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Student competition. They will learn the final results this spring. They are: (Row 1) Erin Fetters (Spanish - MA; Latin American Studies), Olivia Kelly (English - Linguistics; Spanish - MA), Colton Powaski (International Studies; Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies).
(Row 2) Sam Ross (Spanish; Premedical Studies), Sinait Sarfino '22 (Diplomacy and Global Politics; East Asian Languages and Cultures), Samantha Shetterly '19 (Spanish; Psychology) | |
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Stories on Undergraduate Student Research
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- Kayla Allen, Elizabeth Coffey, Katie Gabe, Dylan Hruska, Mireille Fouh Mbindi, and Kathryn Yurek were all named recipients of the 2023 Hannon Armstrong Scholarship.
- Tommy Fowler '23 (Data Analytics) was one of two Miami students to advance to the finals for the National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship (NCSAC).
- CAS students from the Social Justice Internship cohort got involved with Cincinnati area food insecurity initiatives at an event sponsored by the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation.
- Students worked with Assistant Professor Andy Rice to create and design a website and video honoring Larry Young '65, one of the founders of Miami's Bridges Program. It was hosted by King Library as part of the Boldly Creative project "Lived Experiences at Miami Through Stories: Race at Miami University." Young, who passed away on April 25, 2022, was a key mentor for dozens of Black students at Miami in the 1960s and 1970s.
- VaLanDria Smith-Lash '23 (Speech Pathology and Audiology) was one of the three winners of Main Street Ventures' 2nd Annual Launch It: Cincy Pitch Competition. She founded Coarse Culture, an all-natural line of plant-based, whipped shea butter products.
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| CAS Alumni News and Spotlights
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- Robert R. Altice, II ’83 took over as chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Indiana on Jan. 1.
- Crystal Bailey ’04 has joined the staff of Selby Gardens in the newly created position of Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel.
- Megan Burkhart ’95 (Psychology), EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Comerica Inc., will assume the role of Senior EVP, Chief Administrative Officer.
- Rita Dove ’73 (English), the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia, received the 2022 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry for lifetime achievement from the Library of Congress.
- Katherine Grady ’10 (International Studies, Political Science) has begun her role as UConn's new Executive Director of Community Engagement and Outreach.
- Taryn Heath ’79 (Public Administration), Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge, is the 2023 president of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association board of trustees. She was sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner '78, a longtime friend.
- Kenneth Merten '83 (Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs) was confirmed by the United States Senate as the next ambassador to Bulgaria.
- Kyle T. Molidor '11 (Political Science, History) was promoted to the firm partnership of Duane Morris LLP as an associate and special counsel.
- Dr. Tamika Nunley '07 (Black World Studies) was selected as one of six finalists for The Huntington’s Shapiro Book Prize. She was selected for her book, At the Threshold of Liberty: Women, Slavery, and Shifting Identities in Washington, D.C.
- Donald J. Robinson-Gay ’99 (Premedical Studies) was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer at Lake City Bank in Milwaukee, WI.
- Prnuv Sharma ’07, ’11 was promoted to the role of vice president of sales at Tucker Powersports.
- Yvette R. Simpson, Esq. ’00 (Political Science, Mass Communication), former Cincinnati City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate, has taken a role with Ulmer & Berne, a downtown Cincinnati law firm, as it named new leadership to oversee its diversity initiatives.
- Janet E. Steele '91, Professor of Biology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, received the Leland Holt/Security Mutual Life Distinguished Faculty award, the most prestigious faculty award at her university.
- Shawn Stevens ’00 has been named Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, where he will oversee the development and execution of all government outreach, advocacy, and communication strategies.
- Matthew Willis ’92 (English, Communications) was appointed as Senior Vice President and General Manager in North America at the Advantage Club.
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| CAS Faculty and Staff News and Spotlights
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|  | Dominik Konkolewicz (Chemistry and Biochemistry, left) has been selected as a University Faculty Scholar. He is joined by Jeffrey Hunger (Psychology), Andrea Kravats (Chemistry and Biochemistry), and Imran Mirza (Physics), who were all named as University Junior Faculty Scholars.
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- Jennifer Bulanda, associate professor of Sociology and Gerontology, was selected to join the 2023 Virtual Exchange Academy through the Stevens Initiative.
- Rodney Coates, professor of Global and Intercultural Studies, appeared on a panel entitled "From Black Health and Wellness to Black Resistance" at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in observation of Black History Month.
- Steven Conn, W.E. Smith Professor of History, wrote the op-ed, "Ron DeSantis and the Specter of Lynne Cheney" for the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Kimberly Hamlin, professor of History and Global and Intercultural Studies, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post about the origins of the rising tide of femicide in the United States.
- Yvette Harris, professor of Psychology, published the book, Children of Color in the Child Welfare System: Psychological Research and Best Practices, with Gloria (Oliver) Carpenter (Ph.D. '05). It stems from their work at Miami's Center for the Study and Support of Children and Families of the Incarcerated.
- Wil Haygood '76, Boadway Distinguished Scholar, was featured in The Miamian as a recipient of Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation's 2022 Distinguished Achievement Award.
- Jeffrey Hunger, assistant professor of Psychology, was cited in the CNET article, "The Obesity Paradox: How Fat Can Be Good for You," which addresses the obesity paradox.
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- Professor of English Katie Johnson's forthcoming book, Racing the Great White Way: a Counter-History of Early 20th Century Broadway, was approved for an NEH Fellowship to participate in the Open Book Program.
- Hongmei Li, associate professor of Media, Journalism, and Film, was quoted in a story about how high school students are turning to micro-influencers to learn about scholarships and college experiences.
- Stephen Norris, Walter E. Havighurst Professor of Russian History, was featured in a Business Insider Q&A regarding speeches delivered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Vaishali Raval, professor of Psychology, received the 2023 Excellence in Internationalization Award from CHRIST University, India. The award was presented during the dinner reception for the international delegates to the 5th International Conference on Counselling, Psychotherapy and Wellness.
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Funded Projects
- Michael Crowder, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and dean of the Graduate School, received over $433K from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for his project, "Machine Learning Approach for Finding Novel Metallo-b-lactamase Inhibitors."
- Cameron Hay Rollins, professor of Anthropology, received continued support of $279K from the Ohio Department of Higher Education for her project, "Finding Recovery: Research and Development to Match People with Substance Use Disorders to Recovery Services in Real Time."
- Dominik Konkolewicz, professor and assistant chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received two research grants. One, "Polymer-Lipid Particles Investigated by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy," is for nearly $428K from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The other, "Macromolecules by Wavelength Controlled Vinyl Ketone Photopolymerization and Photodegradation," is for $450K from the National Science Foundation.
- Andrea Kravats, assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received funding of nearly $310K from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for her project, "Elucidating the Mechanistic Details of the Grp94 Molecular Chaperone through an Integrated Computational and Experimental Approach."
- Rock Mancini, assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was awarded over $319K for his project, "Exploiting Cancer Metabolism and Drug Efflux with Bystander-Assisted Immunotherapy," by the National Cancer Institute. He also received $10K from the U.S. Department of Defense and Montana State University for his project, "Synthesis, characterization and delivery of immune stimulating materials."
- Cricket Meehan and Debora Robison (Psychology) and Kristy Brann (Educational Psychology) were awarded pass-through funds from the Department of Health and Human Services in the amount of over $1.2 million for their project, "Ohio's Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness And Resiliency in Education)."
- Miami's Humanities Center, directed by Professor of English Timothy Melley, was awarded an NEH Infrastructure Challenge grant of $500K for “A New Humanities Hub at Miami University," which creates a renovated space in Bachelor Hall.
- Rick Page, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received funding from the Beckman Foundation in the amount of $156K for his project, "2023 Beckman Scholars Program - Miami University."
- Michael Robinson and Chun Liang in the Department of Biology received over $180K from the National Eye Institute for a project entitled "Regulation of the Lens Transcriptome and Chromatin Architecture by FOXE3."
- Kevin Yehl, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a new award from the PhRMA Foundation in the amount of $100K for "A Generalizable Biomineralization Strategy for Improving Formulation and Delivery of Phage Therapies."
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In Memoriam:
Dr. Judith de Luce, Emeritus Professor and Chair of Classics
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Judith de Luce passed in early February. Although unexpected, her final wishes were carried out meticulously and compassionately. Throughout her life, Judith was surrounded by the enormous network she was constantly creating of friends and people she considered family. Along with her warmth and exuberance (and at times her blue hair!), Judith’s passion for teaching was one of her defining features.
Following her retirement from the Classics department, Judith remained very involved in Miami’s Institute for Learning in Retirement program, excitedly planning courses on topics such as the contemporary mystery novel and Cleopatra. Judith was devoted to service—to her students, to Miami University, and to the field of Classics at large. Many of you will know her from her extensive committee work and the papers she gave at conferences over the years.
Judith was interdisciplinary long before it was fashionable, and she published on topics as wide-ranging as landscape and primate languages. Within Classics, she was at the forefront of women’s studies, and her interests focused largely on aging, gender, and power, as well as her beloved Ovid; a project on the “helpful princess” in classical literature was especially close to her heart.
Judith was a relentless advocate for Classics at Miami, and she remained deeply engaged in the larger Oxford community, not least in the choral ensembles she cherished. Her love of both music and the ancient world were abiding. Just last spring I asked her to help me with an event we were planning on the Medea. The response she gave is one I received many times from her over the years and it is impossible not to hear her voice when recounting it: “This will be fun!”
— Denise McCoskey, Professor of Classics
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100 Bishop Circle • Oxford, OH 45056-1879
513-529-1234 • cas@MiamiOH.edu
© 2023 Miami University. All rights reserved.
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