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UM Delves into Ethics to Prepare Students to Debate Society’s Issues

Posted on: May 17th, 2018 by erabadie

New courses and competitions equip participants to engage in civil discussion

MAY 16, 2018 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM

UM Ethics Bowl team member Madison Bandler (second from left), discusses the question, ‘Should the standard of sexual consent be an affirmative verbal yes?’ during the Great Debate of 2018. Photo by Marlee Crawford/Ole Miss Communications

The University of Mississippi Department of Philosophy and Religion has created new classes, and conducts an annual Ethics Bowl and a Great Debate with the goal of equipping students to respectfully grapple with some of life’s most pressing questions.

Specialized ethics classes have become more common at universities around the country over the last 20 years against the backdrop of many high-profile scandals that involve unethical behavior. The department has courses on medical, environmental, professional and business ethics, among others.

Deborah Mower, an associate professor of philosophy, came to UM in 2016 and specializes in moral psychology, applied ethics and public policy, and moral education. Unlike many academic subjects that deal only with professional situations, the curriculum can be applied to all aspects of life, said Mower, whose work is supported by the Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hume Bryant Lectureship in Ethics Endowment.

Deborah Mower, associate professor of philosophy

“Everything is an ethical issue,” Mower said.

Films, books, the legal system and other aspects of our culture all have ethical theories imbued in them, so people pick up a variety of beliefs, but they can become a hodgepodge. Those beliefs don’t all fit together nicely, and in some context, one might apply one principle but ignore it in another situation.

This idiosyncrasy is problematic, Mower said.

The value of an ethics class is not just applying what is learned, but also figuring out how some of your beliefs fit into single coherent theories, she said. Seeing students figure this out is always rewarding, Mower said.

“You always get that moment in the semester when you are teaching them some particular theory and they get this ‘aha!’ look on their face where they’ve realized, ‘I’m a Kantian and I never knew it,’ or, ‘I’m a virtue theorist and I never knew it,’” she said.

Mower also praised the students on the first two UM Ethics Bowls teams, which competed in 2017 and 2018. They spent hours each week practicing, which included being questioned about specific topics by experts and applying their teachings to the answers they gave.

The UM Ethics Bowl participants also held a Great Debate of 2018 earlier this semester.

At the Great Debate, two groups handled the topic “Should the standard of sexual consent be an affirmative verbal ‘yes’?” One team spoke in favor of the “affirmative, verbal ‘yes’” while another spoke against it.

Their presentations were followed by judges’ questions and a question-and-answer session with emphasis on how to address specific claims and arguments civilly for a productive conversation. A reception afterward allowed students to discuss the issue further with attendees.

Madison Bandler, a senior biology major from Decatur, Illinois, completed a fellowship last year in which she worked at the UM Medical Center in Jackson. There, she learned about ethical issues surrounding medicine, which led her to begin taking classes under Mower.

Mower urged her to become involved with the Ethics Bowl, but she wasn’t immediately on board.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds really complicated and intense; I don’t know,’” Bandler said. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to the first practice, but it ended up becoming one of the most influential and inspiring parts of my academic career.”

The team studied issues ranging from quarantines, euthanasia, a ban on Muslims and psychiatrists diagnosing someone with mental illness through television and without seeing them in a clinical setting, which is also known as “the Goldwater rule.” Exploring so many diverse topics with such great depths challenged her.

The coursework and competitions will serve the aspiring physician well, she said.

“I want to go to medical school, so I’ve always had an interest in medicine,” Bandler said. “To mold that with an interest in humanities and ethics is really something I’m passionate about.”

Ethan Davis, a senior philosophy major from Laurel, said he enjoyed the Ethics Bowl and Great Debate for one reason that might sound weird. He believes formal academic debate has grown stale, but the Ethics Bowl offers something new and different.

It is designed to begin a conversation, rather than win an argument. It rewards friendliness and the ability to engage the opposing team’s viewpoint in interesting ways. Ethics Bowl teams can actually agree.

“You find yourself using your response time to say things like, ‘We completely agree with your position, and here are some elements that we think are important that you didn’t get a chance to speak about. Could you elaborate on them?” Davis said.

Samantha Priest, a senior philosophy and psychology major from New Albany, said the Ethics Bowl taught her the importance of listening to other people’s opinions with a charitable mind, with the goal of finding the strongest, most rational interpretation of a speaker’s argument.

“It is not civil to ignore the strong points in another’s argument and focus on the weak points,” Priest said. “Focusing there only causes negative discourse, but being charitable allows for a positive discussion among people who disagree.”

It also drove home the importance of knowing that she not only needs to look at an issue from all perspectives, but also to consider solutions, she said.

“It is not enough to voice an opinion about an issue if the goal is progress,” Priest said. “Progress takes solutions, and the best way to get to progress is start by not only talking about the issues, but figuring out how to solve the issue in the most ethical way possible.”

Philosophy Professor Establishes Plantinga Reading Group at UM

Posted on: April 9th, 2018 by erabadie

APRIL 6, 2018 BY MICHAEL NEWSOM

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has establish a reading group on the works of Alvin Plantinga, one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion. Photo courtesy of Neil A. Manson

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has established a reading group on the works of Alvin Plantinga, one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion. Photo courtesy of Neil A. Manson

Neil A. Manson, University of Mississippi professor of philosophy, has used a grant from the Society of Christian Philosophers to establish a reading group on the works of one of the world’s most influential philosophers of religion.

In 2017, Alvin Plantinga, professor emeritus at Calvin College, won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which came with a $1.4 million award. Past winners of the prize, which honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, include Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

In honor of Plantinga’s achievement, the Society of Christian Philosophers awarded 25 colleges and universities $3,000 grants for 2017-18 for undergraduate reading groups on his works. The fund covers books, food and expenses.

Manson applied for and received one of the grants to establish an Ole Miss reading group, which convened last fall and will continue through April.

“Alvin Plantinga is perhaps the most influential living philosopher of religion,” Manson said. “The offer of a chance to read Plantinga’s works elicited a tremendous and enthusiastic response, with nearly 30 students across the University of Mississippi signing up.”

Select graduate students and other community members were allowed to participate in the group.

The group began with Plantinga’s “Warranted Christian Belief.” Manson said the book is Plantinga’s most thorough statement of the position that has come to be called “Reformed epistemology.” In October, the group also had lunch with Christopher Weaver, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois, who discussed some central objections to Plantinga’s position.

This semester, the group is reading “Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism,” in which Plantinga argues, contrary to popular conceptions, that it is atheism, not theism, that is at odds with modern science.

“The Plantinga reading group has been incredibly informative, thought-provoking and fun,” said Aaron Graham, a recent graduate of the philosophy master’s program from Jackson. “We have enjoyed a guided tour of some of the principal arguments against the rationality of theistic belief, and against theistic belief’s compatibility with science.

“At each turn, Plantinga gave powerful rejoinders to those arguments.”

Manson agrees with Graham’s assessment and added that the university is fortunate to be able to have the experience with Plantinga’s works, thanks to the grant.

“Alvin Plantinga is a bold and brilliant thinker, a trenchant writer, an impeccable practitioner of analytic philosophy and one of the kindest people I have ever met,” Manson said. “He provides a model for how to address profound religious and philosophical disagreements in a civil manner. Reading his work is always enriching and enlightening.”

The reading group will conclude its work at the end of the month. Unused funds will go toward getting students additional books on related topics in the philosophy of religion, Manson said.

UM Departments Collaborate to Host ‘Radical South’ Series

Posted on: April 4th, 2018 by erabadie

Events include lectures, discussions, film screening and more

APRIL 3, 2018 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Mississippi is hosting “The Radical South,” a conversation series this month that explores the complexity of Southern history and identity.

The Isom Center, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement are sponsoring nearly a dozen events, including lectures, debates, screenings and roundtables to expand the community’s understanding about narratives of the South and Southern identity.

“It’s distinctive that the University of Mississippi has brought this emotional conversation to campus so we can have discussions that aren’t reductive,” said Jaime Harker, Isom Center director. “Through this interdisciplinary collaboration, we can contribute as a university to historical depth and knowledge by using actual facts to find out the bigger context. We can all learn from it.”

Here is a full schedule of events:

Tuesday (April 3): The Great Debate: “Should the Standard of Sexual Consent be an Affirmative Verbal Yes?” – 5:30 p.m., Bryant Hall, Room 209. Deborah Mower, associate professor of philosophy, and her students wll moderate a debate about sexual consent, followed by a reception in the Bryant Hall rotunda.

Wednesday (April 4): “New Orleans and the New Southern Food Movement” – Noon, Tupelo Room, Barnard Oberservatory. Catarina Passidomo, assistant professor of Southern Studies and anthropology, will speak about her research interests of social justice, food systems, critical race studies and social movement at a brown bag lunch.

April 9: Invisible Histories Project – 4 p.m., Tupelo Room, Barnard Observatory. Josh Burford, from the Invisible Histories Project in Alabama, will discuss the importance of LGBTQ archives.

April 10: Visiting Documentarian Series – 5:30 p.m., Tupelo Room, Barnard Observatory. Documentarians Emily Yellin and Darius William will talk about their project “Striking Voices,” a multimedia journalism project about the 1968 Memphis sanitation strikers and their families.

April 11: “‘Cautious but Solid Character’: Southern Feminists and the State” – Noon, Tupelo Room, Barnard Observatory. Historian Jennifer Gunter discusses the interactions between feminists and the state from 1966 to 1985 at a brown bag lunch.

April 13: The Future of Labor – 10 a.m., Overby Auditorium. Civil rights era Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader Bob Zellner, United Automobile Workers-Nissan campaign veteran Richard Bensinger and Rose Turner, who organized the Delta catfish workers in the 1990s, will discuss labor issues and the social movement involved.

April 18: Saving Slave Houses – Noon, Tupelo Room, Barnard Observatory. Preservationist Jobie Hill will discuss her research examining slave dwellings and the influence those dwellings had on inhabitants, as well as the importance of preserving slave history.

Mississippi Bicentennial: Emergent Voices, Our Next Chapter of History – 4 p.m., Lamar Hall, Room 404. Blue Magnolia Films spoke with more than 100 diverse community leaders around Mississippi between ages 14 and 91. The Isom Center is hosting a screening of the resulting film, “Celebrating Storytellers,” followed by an interactive discussion with project participants.

April 25: Queer Mississippi: Oral History Presentations and Exhibit – 7 p.m., Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center. Students from a Southern Studies course will share their work that documents local queer histories in the form of film, poetry and performance.

April 26: Ideas on Tap: What Do We Commemorate and Why? – 5:30 p.m., Proud Larry’s. In this partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, a panel discussion featuring Chuck Ross, UM director of African American Studies; Anne Twitty, associate professor of history; Alysia Steele, assistant professor of multiple platform journalism; Cindy Gardner, administrator of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and moderated by Graham Bodie, visiting professor of journalism instruction, will explore how society decides which events and people to commemorate, why we do it and the purpose and implications.

All events are free and open to the public.

UM Students, Staff, Alumni Join Community for MLK Day of Service Activities

Posted on: January 10th, 2018 by erabadie

Volunteers gathering to honor King’s legacy through community engagement

JANUARY 8, 2018 BY EDWIN B. SMITH

Brian Foster, UM assistant professor of sociology and Southern studies, speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2017 MLK Day of Service. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications

University of Mississippi students, staff and community partners are spearheading efforts to promote community engagement and encourage a spirit of service in Lafayette County and Oxford during 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances.

The Lafayette-Oxford-University MLK Day of Service opening ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 15 at the Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center.

Program participants include Katrina Caldwell, UM vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement; Oxford Alderman Ulysses “Coach” Howell; Mike Roberts, of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors; and Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter. The Rev. C. Edward “CJ” Rhodes II, pastor of Mt. Helm Baptist Church of Jackson, will deliver the keynote address.

The Rev. Carroll Edward Rhodes II, pastor of the Mt. Helms Baptist Church in Jackson and a UM alumnus, will deliver the keynote address during the community’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance. Submitted photo

“I am very humbled and honored to be asked to deliver the keynote for such a historic occasion,” said Rhodes, the 23rd and youngest pastor of Jackson’s oldest historically black church. “As we look back on the achievements and sacrifices of Dr. King and others, this generation is challenged to do great things not just for themselves, but for others and the world as well.”

The son of famed civil rights attorney Carroll Rhodes Sr., Rhodes earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from UM in 2004. He continued his education at Duke Divinity School, where he served as vice president of the Black Seminarians Union in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Rhodes serves on the board of the Urban League of Greater Jackson, the Center for Ministry and the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference, and is the former president of the Farish Street/Main Street Project. The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, he also serves as host of “The CJ Rhodes Show” on WRBJ-97.7 FM and is author of “Thy Kingdom Come: Reflections on Pastoral and Prophetic Ministry.”

Following the keynote, awards will be presented to outstanding LOU volunteers in four categories: a community member and one student apiece from the Oxford School District, the Lafayette County School District and the university. All recipients are to be announced at the ceremony.

“The Office of Leadership and Advocacy is proud to work once again, side-by-side with so many excellent community partners,” said Hal Sullivan, coordinator of student affairs programs at UM. “Our goal, in the spirit of Dr. King, is to encourage reflection, action and redefine ‘service’ for this community.”

Other activities scheduled are:

Saturday (Jan. 13):

Second Annual Community Reading of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 5 p.m., Off-Square Books. Readers include members from the LOU community to acknowledge one of King’s most powerful works.

Monday (Jan. 15):

Community breakfast, 8:30 a.m., Second Baptist Church
Opening ceremony and keynote address, 10:30 a.m., Burns-Belfry Museum. Attendees also can participate in activities for children ages 3-10 and listen to recordings of oral histories that illustrate what life was like for north Mississippians during the civil rights era.
Community showing of “The Long Walk Home,” 1:30 p.m., Burns Belfry Museum. A community conversation about the film, hosted by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, follows. Kiese Laymon, UM professor of English, will facilitate discussion about the movie.
Community give-back benefiting the Exchange Club Family Center, 4-9 p.m., Chili’s Bar & Grill.
Community food drive benefitting the Food Pantry, all day, Abundant Truth Salt and Light Ministry in Taylor. Donations can be brought to any of the day’s events.

Ole Miss staff involved in planning of MLK Day of Service events expressed enthusiasm about participating in such a worthy cause.

“We are inspired by the members of the North Mississippi VISTA Project, who are collaborating with the Oxford and Lafayette school districts to offer lessons and activities on the civil rights movement,” said Laura Martin, assistant director of the McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement. “In the spirit of lifting up agents of change, we encourage people in the LOU community to nominate deserving individuals for the MLK Service Awards.”

For more information about MLK Day of Service events, contact ola@olemiss.edu.

UM Museum Unveils 2017 Keepsake Ornament

Posted on: November 27th, 2017 by erabadie

This year’s design features popular 19th century scientific instrument

NOVEMBER 16, 2017 BY STAFF REPORT

The UM Museum’s 2017 keepsake ornament featuring Barlow’s Planetarium is available for purchase. Submitted photo

The University of Mississippi Museum has unveiled its 17th annual keepsake ornament, a design featuring the Barlow’s Planetarium, part of the collection of antique scientific instruments on display at the museum.

The planetarium, also known as an orrery, has a storied history with Ole Miss. Designer Thomas H. Barlow of Lexington, Kentucky, who created and sold several of these instruments to universities and museums throughout the United States, made the university’s orrery in 1854.

The ornaments alternate annually between highlights of the museum’s 20,000-object permanent collection, campus landmarks and sites around Oxford, said Robert Saarnio, museum director.

“This mid-19th century astronomical model occupies a place of great prominence in the museum’s exhibition galleries and is a much-beloved historical artifact of countless museum visitors,” Saarnio said. “All ornament sales proceeds directly support programs of the University Museum, and we are very grateful to those campus and community members for whom these collectibles are eagerly-awaited annual Museum Store offerings.”

In the late 1850s, Chancellor F.A.P. Barnard, who also served as chair and professor of mathematics, astronomy and natural philosophy, purchased the orrery for the university. The orrery and other scientific instruments were used in classrooms and laboratories until they became obsolete in the 1870s.

The planetarium aligns the planets based on a specific date. At the museum, the date is set to Nov. 7 1848, the day the university first opened its doors to students.

The Barlow’s Planetarium commemorative ornament is available for $25, plus tax. It can be purchased in the Museum Store or by phone with a credit card at 662-915-7073. A flat $7 shipping and handling fee will be added to all orders to be shipped within the 48 contiguous states, and all sales are final.

Orders must be placed by Dec. 13 to arrive in time for Christmas Day.

Collectible ornaments from previous years still available in the Museum Store include the Old Skipwith House, Brandt Memory House, Ventress Hall, Lafayette County Courthouse, Oxford City Hall, the Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Jersey, Theora Hamblett House, Theora Hamblett’s “Christmas Trees,” Walk of Champions, Oxford’s Double Decker Bus and the Herakles Neck Amphora. All previous year’s ornaments are $20, plus tax.

Museum members and Friends of the Museum receive a 10 percent discount on all merchandise in the Museum Store.

The University Museum is at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Holiday Hours for the Museum Store are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and 10a.m.-6p.m. Saturdays.
Museum gallery visiting hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.

For information about events and exhibits, visit https://museum.olemiss.edu/.

UM Students, Faculty Take Learning on the Road

Posted on: October 23rd, 2017 by erabadie

Study USA program gearing up for hands-on Wintersession courses in four exciting locales

OCTOBER 18, 2017 BY PAM STARLING

UM geological engineering faculty members Bob Holt, Dennis Powers and Doug Granger visit the Clinton P. Anderson overlook outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, with students during the ‘Geological Engineering Design Field Camp’ course offered through UM’s Study USA program in August. During Wintersession 2018, students will again have opportunities to travel with UM faculty members as they study biology, education, English, gender studies, hospitality management, philosophy, political science and more. Submitted photo

Students during the ‘Geological Engineering Design Field Camp’ course offered through UM’s Study USA program in August. During Wintersession 2018, students will again have opportunities to travel with UM faculty members as they study biology, education, English, gender studies, hospitality management, philosophy, political science and more. Submitted photo

Whether students are capturing biological field samples in nature or capturing the essence of a culture, the eye-opening experience of experiential learning will be on full display through the University of Mississippi’s Study USA Wintersession 2018 classes.

This year’s offerings are: “Writing Gender and Sexuality in the Crescent City” in New Orleans; “Californian STEAM: Microbial Science, Conservation and Society” in Riverside, Monterey Bay and San Francisco, California; “Las Vegas Resort Course” in Las Vegas; and an honors course in “Biomedical Ethics” in Washington, D.C.

New Orleans native Jaime Cantrell is among the UM faculty members leading a Study USA learning adventure in January. A visiting professor of English and faculty affiliate for the university’s Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, she said she wants to share her knowledge of the community and culture with students.

“Like its gumbo, New Orleans is richly diverse,” Cantrell said. “It’s our plan for this course to highlight those transnational, multicultural and indigenous legacies.”

The dual-listed course can be taken for Writing 398 or Gender Studies 395 course credit. Participants will travel to New Orleans Jan. 4-9 and conduct a virtual presentation on Jan. 12.

Cantrell said she hopes the course will prepare students to understand how their university educational experience parallels communities, publics and subcultures outside their learning walls.

“This can be seen where people work together in meaningful, creative and unexpected ways to transform lives and preserve historical and cultural memory,” she said.

Students who are interested in the teaching and exploration of the scientific process have an opportunity to get their hands dirty during the “Californian STEAM” course set Jan. 4-14 in various Californian coastal areas.

“California is a hotbed for both microbial sciences, conservation research and STEM education,” said Erik Hom, UM assistant professor of biology. “This course is looking at how microbes are everywhere and affect all areas of life.”

Hom, along with Renee Cunningham, assistant professor of education, will lead the class in conducting field samples and exploring conservation issues at various Pacific coast locations, including Monterey Bay and Joshua Tree National Park.

Students interested in education, environmental science, biology, premedicine, pharmacy, chemistry, biochemistry, geoscience, ocean sciences and engineering are all encouraged to take part in this course.

Hospitality management and business majors have a chance to learn more about the business of managing resorts and tourism while interacting with industry leaders during the Las Vegas resorts course set for Jan. 3-8.

Led by Jim Taylor, associate professor of hospitality management, the class will offer informative meetings with upper-level management to discuss how various amenities of a resort property add to the overall guest experience.

“Las Vegas is a real-world laboratory for hospitality management,” Taylor said. “Where else can students see a destination that was once a desert and has now become one of the premier convention, vacation and dining locations in the United States?”

Students will learn more about large-scale hotel operations and how lodging components interact with resorts. They will also find out more about how different facets of resorts work together to increase productivity and customer satisfaction.

Students from the UM Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College can dive into ethical theories and principles at work in our nation’s health care system during “Biomedical Ethics,” led by philosophy professor Neil Manson.

The class will meet Jan. 2-6 in Oxford and Jan. 7-13 in Washington, D.C.

“Students will get to meet with experts addressing some of the most interesting issues in medicine right now,” Manson said. “They will be discussing questions like ‘What can we do with a person’s genetic information’ and ‘How should the American health care system be structured?’

“Also, ‘Is medicine just about restoring people to “normal” health, or should we feel free to use medical technologies to enhance human abilities?’”

Manson said he hopes the class helps students learn how to be professional, prepare, ask intelligent questions, overcome their fears and feel comfortable interacting with experts in the workplace.

“I also hope they get some sense of how Washington works – not just the branches of government, but the think tanks and the lobbyists,” Manson added. “Whether or not they aspire to careers in or near government, there is just no substitute for seeing up close how the system works.”

The application deadline for Study USA’s Wintersession 2018 courses is Nov. 9. Some scholarship opportunities are available. For more information, visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/studyaway.

Student Spotlight

Posted on: September 7th, 2017 by erabadie

A look at a few of the 5,327 scholars in the College of Liberal Arts

From left: Dylan Ritter, Miller Richmond, Rachel Anderson, Alex Martin, and Austin Powell.

Rachel Anderson, BA Spanish and BAJ Journalism ’17

The most defining of the rigorous challenges and invaluable opportunities of Rachel’s college experience — producing the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s first bilingual hurricane guide as a public affairs intern, blogging about her semester in Bilbao, Spain, for Study Abroad, interning in Florence, Italy—was competing as a member and leader of UM’s Speech and Debate Team.

“Debate enabled me to further pursue my passion for foreign language and culture. I’ve watched Spanish language competitions, trained in my second language, and introduced international exchange students to the activity. Debating for the university fused my studies, helping me practice my public speaking and poise for broadcast journalism while bolstering my Spanish fluency.”

Alex Martin, BA international studies and mathematics ’17

As managing editor of the University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal — a yearly peer-reviewed publication founded by students for students with a mission to recognize excellent work, Alex recruited articles and was involved in outreach about what publishable research looks like and how undergraduates can get involved in research activities.

“I am interested in pursuing a career in economic research — particularly macroeconomics and international development. As a summer intern in the Office of Economic Policy in the Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC, I liked economic research and analysis in practice. This led me to seek a position at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, where I started work this fall as a research assistant in the Economic Research division.”

Austin Powell, BA philosophy and public policy leadership ’17

Teaching entrepreneurial and leadership development at the Marshall County Correctional Facility provided insight for Austin’s Honors thesis, “Entrepreneurial Correctional Education in the Criminal Justice System,” and will be useful as the Rhodes Scholar finalist pursues a master’s degree in criminology at the University of Oxford in England.

“My goal is to return and raise the quality of life for Mississippians by developing an in-depth understanding of criminology and the criminal justice system, how different entities can become community partners in Mississippi, and how the state can take partial ownership of the solution. My research will focus on the disconnects that lie between empowering offenders in the entrepreneurial class and the reality of low post release employment opportunities.”

Miller Richmond, BA international studies ’17

Miller completed the global health emphasis with a Croft/Honors thesis, “An Investigation of the Integration of Education and Mental Health Treatment into the Care of Diabetes in Syrian Refugee Women,” an expansion of his research abroad—interviews and surveys with refugees, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Jordanian Ministry of Health officials, and doctors. He developed ethnographic research skills studying the health house model in Mississippi with Kate Centellas, Croft associate professor of anthropology and international studies.

“Returning from Jordan, I collaborated with Dr. Centellas; Dr. John Green, director of the Center for Population Studies and associate professor of sociology; and Emma Willoughby (BA liberal studies and sociology ’14) to form a Global Health research group that led to a working paper, ‘Epistemic Prejudice and Health Inequalities: The Case of Mississippi.’”

Dylan Ritter, BS chemistry ’17

One of UM’s six inaugural Stamps Scholars and the American Chemical Society Outstanding Inorganic Chemistry Student, Dylan conducted genetics research at Texas A&M University, in Ireland at a pharmaceutical lab where his performance earned him an opportunity for independent research with a multinational company, and in a lab associated with the University of California at Davis that integrated his earlier work from Texas.

“During those summers, I realized how much I enjoy research and found a new career path in the sciences. The experiences were so rewarding that my post-undergraduate plan shifted from medical school to graduate school for a PhD in biomedical science.”

Melanie Culhane, Jiwon Lee, Alicia Dixon, and Johnnay Holt.

From left: Melanie Culhane, Jiwon Lee, Elizabeth Taylor, Alicia Dixon, and Johnnay Holt.

Melanie Culhane, BM music – vocal performance ’17

A musician and performer active in UM’s choral programs, Opera Theatre, and Living Music Resource, Melanie received first place in the 2016 National Association of Teachers of Singing State Competition Senior Women Category for four musical selections — an Italian aria from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, the French song “Chanson d’amour” by Faure, a German piece by Schumann, and, in English, “I Hate Music” by Bernstein.

“Although I was nervous, I relied on my preparation and the knowledge I had obtained in all of my academic classes and practice sessions, and gave great performances for the judges.”

Alicia Dixon, BA classics and philosophy ’17

Establishing UM’s Archaeological Ethics Bowl team set Alicia’s career path: “Because of this experience, I want to practice Cultural Heritage law.”

“Classics Professor Hilary Becker’s Who Owns the Past? course opened my eyes to issues facing the preservation of antiquities and problems that arise when pieces of the past can be bought and sold. Since then, two fellow students and I have learned what the law says about historic preservation and the standards for ethical excavation, trade, and repatriation. We have debated complex cases to stretch our understanding of how antiquities — and the people they represent — should and should not be treated. A general Ethics Bowl team we started with Philosophy Professor Deborah Mower will continue to compete after we graduate.”

Johnnay Holt, BA political science ’17

“I’m interested in how politics affects our lives, and how it helps create our profound democracy. My political science studies and research have increased and broadened my intellectual capacities to analyze ethical issues, cultural diversity, and service to others through both knowledge based theory and hands on experience. Moreover, being a political science major has fostered and developed within me a firm foundation and greater understanding of the methodology and practices of public policy to guide me as a future law school student.

“My career goal is to one day run for public office and actively meet the needs of my community.”

Jiwon Lee, BM music ’17

The double major in violin and flute performance is principal flute in the University Wind Ensemble, a first violin member of the orchestra, a drum major for The Pride of the South marching band, a member of the basketball pep band, and a featured soloist playing the National Anthem at baseball, basketball, and softball games.

“I am grateful for the experiences I have had at Ole Miss. One could never have dreamed that a little girl from Daejeon, Korea, would be standing in front of thousands of people conducting a college band or playing solos with the University Wind Ensemble. Thank you, Ole Miss family!”

Elizabeth Taylor, BA sociology ’18

As a transfer student from Grayson County College and an international officer of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Elizabeth earned acceptance into the UM Honors College where she is the first person in its junior entry program to receive a Barksdale Award — $5,000 for a dream project of study, research, or humanitarian effort. “In Dublin, Ireland, I interviewed employees of a nonprofit that provides services to survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution. By creating an organizational ethnography of Ruhama, I want to figure out how to create similar nonjudgmental social, psychological, and infrastructure support in the US. I am extremely grateful for the encouragement I have received since transferring to Ole Miss. I would list names, but there are truly too many to count.”

Jessica Richardson, Cellas Hayes, Tiara Mabry, and Ebonee Carpenter.

From left: Jessica Richardson, Cellas Hayes, Thuy Le, Tiara Mabry, and Ebonee Carpenter.

Ebonee Carpenter, BA sociology ’17

Before she transferred from Hillsborough Community College, Ebonee was International President of Phi Theta Kappa honor society for community colleges. Her work at the international level continues at UM with trips to Mexico and Zambia. In Mexico, she helped install water purification units with H2OpenDoors, a project of the Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Foundation. In Zambia, she conducted research on food security, health, and nutrition in a summer field school with Anne Cafer, assistant professor of sociology. The UM Office of Global Engagement and a US State Department Gilman Scholarship supported Carpenter’s field school work.

“The program was a unique opportunity to immerse myself in African culture while conducting research on the impact of food security and education on the growth and social development of local communities.”

Cellas Hayes, BA biology and classics ’19

The summer after Cellas’ freshman year, he traveled to Rome to take Ancient Italy in Context, a month-long classics course. Cellas spent his sophomore summer with scientists at the Bialystok University of Technology in Poland conducting research on fungi in the Bialowieza Forest, one of Europe’s oldest forests and a hotspot of biodiversity. He was one of four UM students accepted for the internship to study in Poland offered by the National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Students program.

“I am ecstatic to compare research differences in the US and Europe and to enhance and expand my education in more ways than just attending class. This university is the university for opportunity and has taught me to be genuine, be relateable, and build my life on being different.”

Thuy Le, BA biochemistry ’17

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer student conducted biomedical research with the UM Medical Center (UMMC) Cancer Institute as a summer scholar. Beyond the internship, Thuy studied drug therapies and their effects on triple negative breast cancer in the UM research laboratories of Yu-Dong Zhou, research associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Dale Nagle, professor of bimolecular sciences.

“The Frate Fellowship in Bioethics and Medical Humanities offered by the UMMC, UM Department of Philosophy and Religion, and Honors College challenged me in ways I never imagined. We discussed food insecurities, social determinants of health, organ transplantation, and dialysis. The controversial topics pushed me out of my comfort zone, and the fellowship taught me the importance of difficult ethical discussions and the emphasis of the humanities in medicine.”

Tiara Mabry, BA psychology and nursing ’17

“My grandmothers work with the mentally handicapped, in a women’s hospital, and for a battered women and children’s shelter. The desire to help others runs deep in my family.”

To continue her family tradition of service and prepare for a career as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Tiara took advantage of the resources offered through UM’s Grove Scholars, an intensive program encouraging and facilitating academic success and job placement among Mississippi resident STEM majors who are also Ole Miss Opportunity Scholars. She developed leadership skills and enhanced her interpersonal skills as Grove Scholars president, Green Grove ambassador, UM NAACP secretary, MOST mentor, and Sigma Gamma Rho sorority vice president.

“Make sure the things you are involved in are the things you are invested in.”

Jessica Richardson, BFA art, imaging arts ’17

The leader of the student-run Clicks Club offering lectures, museum trips, and group photo shoots also developed and led workshops providing technical information on cyanotypes and lighting.

“The Clicks workshop series teaches students of all areas and experience levels about the various aspects of photography. We emphasize hands-on experience while sharing information about other artists to study. My role as president allowed me to hone my networking and organizational skills through planning these workshops, which has helped prepare me for a career in the arts.”

Award-Winning Graduate Students

Each year College of Liberal Arts departments present Graduate Student Achievement Awards at Honors Day. These six represent scholars across the discipline areas housed in the College.

Anna Katherine Black

ANNA KATHERINE BLACK
PhD clinical psychology ’18

Doctoral winner of UM’s Three Minute Thesis Competition challenging graduate students to explain their research in three minutes and using only one slide, Anna Katherine’s dissertation is “An Experimental Manipulation of Fear of Pain in Migraine.”

Recipient of the Research Achievement Award in Psychology, she has four publications in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter in press with Scientific American–Neurology. Black, UM’s Psychological Services Center Assessment Services Coordinator, plans a clinical work career delivering therapy to clients who struggle with mental health difficulties.

Katelyn Dreux

KATELYN DREUX
PhD chemistry ’17

Katelyn’s graduate research experience includes the application of sophisticated quantum mechanical methods to study small, noncovalently bound clusters and also the investigation of physical properties of moderately-sized molecules and clusters of unusual inter- or intra-molecular interactions using density functional theory. Her dissertation is “Probing Atypical Non-covalent Interactions Using Electronic Structure.”

She presented her research results at three regional and national meetings and published four papers during her time at UM.

Josh Green

JOSH GREEN
BA classics and history ’08
MA Southern Studies ’17

Josh’s undergraduate honors thesis on the end of prohibition in Mississippi was so good that The Mississippi Encyclopedia editors asked him to write the essay on the topic for the book.

Josh obtained a law degree from Tulane University and practiced law in New Orleans before returning to Oxford to pursue a master’s in Southern Studies, where he won the first-year paper prize for “Peace and the Unsealing of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission Files.”

Justin “JP” Lawrence

JUSTIN “JP” LAWRENCE
PhD biology ’18

JP works in Biology Professor Brice Noonan’s lab exploring the evolution of warning coloration in poison frogs of the Neotropics. His most recent success securing research funding is an Australian Endeavour Fellowship to spend five months with a new collaborative group in Australia.

JP’s goal is to establish an independent research program focused on the ecology and evolution of aposematic species and the process of speciation.

John Lindbeck

JOHN LINDBECK
PhD history ’18

“Slavery’s Holy Profits: Religion and Capitalism in the Antebellum Lower Mississippi Valley” is John’s dissertation exploring the relationship between capitalist markets, religious faith, and the institution of slavery in the antebellum Southwest.

“I am especially interested in the economic foundations of proslavery evangelical denominations, as well as white Southerners’ faith that God’s Providence guided markets and commercial networks in the slave-based cotton kingdom.”

He presented “Missionary Cotton: Saving Souls in Mississippi’s Cotton Kingdom” at the 2017 Southern Historical Association annual meeting and wrote his master’s thesis on Anti-Mission Baptists, Religious Liberty, and Local Church Autonomy.

Feng Liu

FENG LIU
PhD economics ’18

Feng has developed a new test of predictive accuracy for macroeconomic applications and written elaborate programs to generate results for the new test—working as a full research partner with Economics Professor Walter Mayer and Mathematics Professor Xin Dang. Their paper interpreting the results has been accepted for publication by the International Journal of Forecasting.

As lead author on another paper, Feng simplified Economics Professor John Conlon’s asset-price bubble models—previously the simplest available. “My models have been cited in the Journal of Economic Theory—the top field journal on the subject, the Review of Economic Studies, and Econometrica,” Dr. Conlon said. “And I’m sure that her model will be significantly more influential than mine.”

Religion Course Open to LOU Community

Posted on: August 28th, 2017 by erabadie

Free sessions focus on comparing Christianity and Islam

AUGUST 25, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

Professor Mary Thurlkill will open her religion class to community members this fall. Photo by Robert Jordan Ole Miss Communications

Professor Mary Thurlkill will open her religion class to community members this fall. Photo by Robert Jordan UM Communications

A University of Mississippi professor is opening her fall religion course to people in the Lafayette-Oxford-University community, inviting them to come learn what both the Bible and the Quran teach on several topics.

The class, REL 300: Comparative World Religions: Bible and Quran, meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at various religious establishments across Oxford.

The course is divided into four themes: sacred stories, ritual and performance, community and ethics, and death and afterlife. Mary Thurlkill, associate professor of religion, will discuss what both religious texts say about these topics.

This is the first time Thurlkill has opened the course to the community, but she hopes to try this format more in the future.

“It is one of our department’s main goals to encourage the academic study of religion,” Thurlkill said. “I hope such a class will appeal to a wide range of students interested in learning more about Christianity and Islam.”

She also said she wants to provide an opportunity to learn in a community setting, which she does not often get to do as a medieval historian.

“My natural habitat is a library surrounded by old, arcane texts,” she said. “What better ‘service’ to the community might we offer than an opportunity to engage in such dialogue and conversation?”

Besides Thurlkill’s lectures, the course will include videos and guest speakers.

One of those speakers in September is John Kaltner, religion professor at Rhodes College. Kaltner has published several books on introducing the Quran to readers more familiar with the Bible and will present some of his work about what the texts say about Moses, Abraham, Jesus and other notable figures.

The course will follow the semester schedule for students registered through the university, but it will run 12 weeks for nonstudents.

The first and last meetings of the class will be for Ole Miss students only. However, beginning Aug. 29 through Thanksgiving break, community members can attend the course at no charge. At each meeting, a reception from 5:30 to 6 p.m. will serve as a break for students and an opportunity for fellowship for all participants.

“Community engagement plays an important part in our university’s mission,” said Steven Skultety, associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. “Professor Thurlkill’s innovative class serves as a wonderful example of how faculty in higher education can better serve the citizens of our city and state.”

UM students will complete scholarly readings and assignments as well as design and host an “Interreligious Dialogue Conference” in November, which also will feature guest speakers.

“I have students from a wide range of majors already registered for the class, and I’ve tried to tailor the course a bit to their various skill sets,” she said. “For example, some students will be responsible for marketing and advertising the conference while others will document the sessions and provide podcasts for community groups.”

Space is limited at some of the venues, so community members interested in taking the course should register by contacting Thurlkill at maryt@olemiss.edu or 662-202-7536.

UM Seniors Inducted into Hall of Fame

Posted on: April 10th, 2017 by erabadie

Recipients honored for achievement, service and potential for success

APRIL 7, 2017 BY CHRISTINA STEUBE

The 2017 Hall of Fame inductees are front row ( L to R) Acacia Santos, Leah Gibson, Yujing Zhang, Alex Martin. Back Row (L to R) Austin Dean, Chase Moore, Austin Powell, Miller Richmond, John Brahan, James Roland Markos. Photo by Robert Jordan UM Communications

Ten University of Mississippi seniors have been inducted into the university’s 2016-17 Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors afforded students at UM.

The inductees were honored Friday (April 7) in a ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. A committee in accordance with policy developed by the Associated Student Body chooses Hall of Fame members. Selections are based on academic achievement, community involvement and potential success.

This year’s Hall of Fame members are John Brahan of Hattiesburg; Austin Dean of Hammond, Illinois; Leah Gibson of Starkville; James-Roland Markos of Jackson, Tennessee; Jane Martin of Madison; Chase Moore of Horn Lake; Austin Powell of Corinth; Miller Richmond of Madison; Acacia Santos of Southaven; and Yujing Zhang of Oxford.

“The students who are inducted into the Hall of Fame are leaders, scholars and community servants,” said Mindy Sutton Noss, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students. “Their combined list of accomplishments and contributions to the university community is impressive and inspiring.

“They each leave a legacy at Ole Miss, and I know they will all go on to make a difference in the world around them. I believe we will hear more about the achievements of these individuals throughout their lives.”

The 10 students were among 150 Ole Miss seniors recognized for inclusion in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. They are to be listed in the national publication’s 2017 edition.

Brahan, pursuing a double major in public policy leadership and theatre arts, is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar. He served in several roles over the course of his education, including ASB vice president; director of Greek affairs for RebelTHON, the Miracle Network dance marathon benefitting the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital; and vice president of standards for the Interfraternity Council. Brahan served the community as a Leap Frog tutor and mentor. He’s performed in theatrical productions of “Clybourne Park” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and plans to pursue a career in the entertainment industry upon graduation. His parents are Tammy Kolbo and John Brahan of Hattiesburg.

An integrated marketing communications major, Dean has served as vice president of the Columns Society, an organization of 24 of the top students who serve as official hosts for the university. He also served as vice chairman of the University Judicial Council in the Office of Conflict Resolution and on the board of the directors for The Big Event, the largest community service project at the university. Dean was awarded Excellence in Integrated Marketing Communications and the Christine Wallace Service Award. After graduation, he plans to move to Washington, D.C., to work for a firm focused on running campaigns for legislation and political candidates. His parents are James Dean and Christy Amey of Hammond, Illinois, and Katrina and Tyrone Wilkins of Atwood, Illinois.

Gibson, a journalism major, is a member of the Columns Society and a McLean Institute Innovation Scholar, a distinction awarded to students with interest in entrepreneurship and economic development in Mississippi’s rural communities. She is Miss University 2017. Gibson served as station manager of Rebel Radio at the Student Media Center and special events coordinator of the Black Student Union. After graduation, she will compete in the 60th anniversary Miss Mississippi pageant in June and plans to spend a year traveling abroad. Her ultimate goal is to work as a television host on her own network. Her parents are Kelvin and Tamara Gibson of Starkville.

Markos is completing a triple major in public policy leadership, biological sciences and biochemistry. He is a student director of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar. Markos is president of Sigma Nu fraternity and served as president of the UM Interfraternity Council in 2015. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the UM Undergraduate Research Journal, a yearly, peer-reviewed publication of research articles written by UM undergraduate students. Markos was awarded a Taylor Medal, an award given to fewer than 1 percent of students each year for outstanding scholarship in their field. Upon graduation, Markos will attend the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, to pursue M.D. and Master of Public Health degrees to prepare for a career as a clinical physician. His parents are George and Clare Markos of Jackson, Tennessee.

Martin is double-majoring in international studies and mathematics. She is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies. Martin has served as executive director of The Big Event, managing editor of the UM Undergraduate Research Journal and ASB director of academic affairs. She has been inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and was awarded a Taylor Medal. Martin plans to work as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and pursue a career in economics research. Her parents are Trey and Rebecca Martin and Traci Tigert of Madison.

A business management major and member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Moore founded and served as president of Student Affairs Leaders of Tomorrow. He served in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate achievement program, designed to prepare students for graduate research. Moore also served as student assistant for the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, director of the UM Gospel Choir and an ASB senator. After graduation, Moore plans to attend Ohio State University to pursue a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, with hopes of later earning a doctorate in management. His parents are Milton and Phyllis Moore and the late Nigela Patreece Moore of Horn Lake.

Powell, completing a double major in public policy leadership and philosophy, He served as ASB president during the 2016-17 academic year. He is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and a Trent Lott Institute Scholar, and he was a Rhodes Scholar finalist last spring. Powell also served as assistant director for The Big Event and is a member of the Columns Society. He has been accepted to graduate school at the University of Oxford in England and will pursue a master’s degree in criminology. His parents are Eric and Gwen Powell of Corinth.

Richmond is an international studies major and a member of both the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies. He served as executive co-director of The Big Event and chief of staff for the ASB. Richmond is also a member of the Columns Society and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He also conducted research with Syrian refugees in Jordan while studying abroad during the 2015 fall semester. He plans to continue his work globally in the public health field and attend medical school in the future. His parents are Jim and Jennifer Richmond of Madison.

A mechanical engineering major, Santos is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence. During her time at Ole Miss, she has served has president of the Columns Society, community assistant for the Department of Student Housing and an orientation leader for incoming students. In 2016, Santos was elected Miss Ole Miss by the student body. She also served as committee chair for recruitment and retention for the Black Student Union. After graduation, Santos plans to go to Disney World, catch up on sleep and then attend graduate school at Boston University. Her parents are Paula Santos of Southaven and Francisco Santos Jr. of Bremerton, Washington.

Zhang is a pharmaceutical sciences major and is member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She is a member of the Columns Society, served as RebelTHON director of catering and was a member of the Honors College student senate. Zhang also was awarded a Taylor Medal and inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Upon graduation, she plans to attend the UM School of Pharmacy to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy. Her parents are Darryl Scott and Jinping Stevens of Oxford.

Annual Awards Program Honors UM Faculty and Students

Posted on: March 6th, 2017 by erabadie

HEADWAE recognizes academic achievement, contributions to higher learning

FEBRUARY 28, 2017 BY DYLAN LEWIS

Austin Powell, UM Associated Student Body president, and John Czarnetzky, Ole Miss professor of law, were among those honored at the 30th annual Higher Education Appreciation Day- Working for Academic Excellence program in Jackson. Submitted photo

Austin Powell (left), a senior from Corinth majoring in public policy leadership and philosophy and the UM Associated Student Body president, and John Czarnetzky, UM professor of law, were among those honored at the 30th annual Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence program in Jackson. Submitted photo

University of Mississippi students and faculty were among the honorees at the 30th annual Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence, or HEADWAE, awards program Feb. 21 in Jackson.

Austin Powell, a senior from Corinth majoring in public policy leadership and philosophy, and Ben Carroll, a member of the UM School of Medicine class of 2017, were the university’s student honorees. John Czarnetzky, professor of law, and Dr. David Norris, associate professor of family medicine at the UM Medical Center, were the faculty representatives on the awards program.

“I am surprised and honored,” said Powell, the Associated Student Body president. “I think receiving this honor is a testament for everyone who has believed and supported me because I could not have done any of this by myself.”

Carroll, also a 2016 Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee from Jackson, said it is a great honor to be recognized for his commitment not only to the content of his own education, but also to the future of all students at the UM Medical Center.

“I was excited to meet with students and faculty from around Mississippi who share a similar passion for helping our state’s higher learning communities reach for greater and greater heights,” Carroll said.

Czarnetzky is a four-time professor of the year honoree and the 2016 recipient of the Elsie Hood Award, which is the highest award received for teaching at the university.

“To be invited to participate with similar awardees from higher education institutions throughout Mississippi is an honor and great privilege,” Czarnetzky said.

Norris, a Gold Key Honor Society member, said it is gratifying to have his efforts rewarded.

“For me, this award is a double honor because it comes from my fellow faculty and the administration, and it is always a pleasure to have your peers notice your hard work,” he said.

HEADWAE was established by legislative resolution to honor students and faculty from the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning who have made outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence.

The UM and UMMC honorees were among 62 others from Mississippi’s 34 public and private universities and colleges.

The winners were welcomed by Gov. Phil Bryant at the state Capitol and given a tour of the historic building. They also attended an awards luncheon where Rod Paige, interim president of Jackson State University, gave a keynote address.