CoLA _Magazine_12_12_19

The College of Liberal Arts Annual Magazine 2019-2020

“Alone we can do so

little; together we can

do so much.”

- Helen Keller

Table of Contents

CoLA Staff [alphabetical order]

Lee Banda

Academic Resource Planning Director

Eric Bolsterli

Assistant Dean

Elisabeth Cawthon

Dean

Jonikka Davis

Communications Director

Phebe Erwin

Administrative Assistant

Oli Gemechu

Graphic Design Work Study Student

Janet Hazelmyer

Senior Office Assistant

Ami Keller-Garnett

Administrative Assistant

Laura Nation

Financial Officer

Jamie McTigue

Academic Recruiter

Les Riding-In

Assistant Dean

Jacob Singletary

Development Director

Sonja Watson

Associate Dean

Cindy Wilder-Graves

Executive Assistant

Magazine Staff

Jonikka Davis

Editor

Oli Gemechu

Art Director

Jamie McTigue

Layout & Design Consultant

Additional Contributors

David Arditi

Herb Booth

Brayden Garcia

Patricia Healy

Tim Kihneman

Ashley Lemke

The Shorthorn

Claire Thomas

University of Texas at Arlington—

Office of University Advancement

Duy Vu

Amber White

A Note from Dean Elisabeth Cawthon

These are exciting times for the College of Liberal Arts (CoLA). The

achievements of our award-winning faculty and students continue to inspire all

who are dedicated to the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. UTA’s CoLA

faculty have received coveted grants, and our students have been honored

through prestigious awards. Liberal Arts students, staff, and faculty continue

to drive innovative interdisciplinary collaborations that are sure to have

longlasting outcomes. In keeping with the college vision and mission, the theme

for this issue of the CoLA Annual Magazine is Community, Collaboration,

Global Thinking, and Imagination. As the stories here demonstrate, the impact

of UTA’s College of Liberal Arts stretches across the United States, the Amazon

region, Mexico, Japan, and beyond. Please join us in celebrating the central

role that liberal arts play in the world, as well as in the individual lives of our

talented students. Finally, I want to acknowledge our student graphic designer

for collaborating with us on this year’s magazine. Oli Gemechu, who is a Senior

in the Art and Art History Department, has helped us tell these stories so

beautifully.

Mission & Vision

In the College of Liberal Arts (CoLA), we use creative, interdisciplinary

approaches to address the challenges of a complex, global society. CoLA

departments and centers cluster into the social sciences, humanities, and fine

arts. We are comprised of highly skilled faculty and students who are dedicated

to elevating the human condition through research, scholarship, and creative

activity. Throughout the college, we diligently cultivate the following values:

Local Engagement & Global Thinking; Creativity & Innovation; Inclusiveness

& Diversity; Community & Collaboration; Curiosity & Imagination.

2 Evans Named Assistant Professor

3 Austin Receives UT System Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award

5 London-Gray Wins Puffin Grant

6 UTA Day at the Capitol

7 Giberman Selected for National Humanities Center Summer Residency

9 Insights from a Professional Translator/Interpreter

10 Modern Languages Hosts Community Citizenship Clinic

11 UTA Launches Telemundo University

13 Photo Story: Faculty & Students Abroad

15 Local Teens Find their Space within UTA’s Art Community

16 Harp’s New Book Foreshadows 2020 U.S. Presidential Race

17 Garrigus Becomes First UTA Professor Named Carnegie Fellow

19 Zascavage Research to Revolutionize DNA Processing

21 CoLA Kudos Recap: Highlighting Diverse Maverick Achievements

23 Maverick Thespians Re-Enact a Historic Milestone

25 Photo Story: Anthropology Field School Offers Students & Faculty an Opportunity to Explore

27 Art + Art History Alumnae Accept Faculty Appointments

29 2019 Thus Far… The Year at a Glance

31 Linguistics & TESOL PhD Graduates Lead in New Roles

33 Dallas County’s Sheriff Brown Delivers CoLA’s May Commencement Address

35 Insight & Inspiration: A Conversation with Music Industry Studies Director Jamar Jones

37 From a Student’s Point of View: CRCJ’s Forensic Applications of Science & Technology Minor

39 Sledge & Thomas’ Study Highlights Need for Investment in Disaster Response

41 Pre-Law Center: Outlook & Legacy

43 Digital Culture: Download with Arditi

Spencer Evans, UTA Graduate & Lecturer,

Named Assistant Professor at Rhode Island

School of Design

by Patricia Healy

Spencer Evans, adjunct lecturer in drawing and painting

for the Art & Art History Department, and 2017 UTA

Master of Fine Arts degree recipient, recently learned that

he had been selected for a full-time, tenure-track teaching

position at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design

(RISD). RISD is annually recognized as one of the top art

and design programs in the world. In 2018, it was ranked

first among fine art programs in the United States by the

U.S. News and World Report, and third in the world by the

QS World University Rankings.

Sedrick Huckaby, associate professor in the Art & Art

History Department who acted as Evan’s mentor and

graduate committee chair commented, “When (Spencer)

first arrived, he was hoping to further his own art, prepare

to teach at the university level, and broaden his horizons in

art in general. After going through our program, I can say

that he has furthered my concepts of art, strengthened our

school’s program through his teaching, and has broadened

the horizons of UTA's artistic heritage. Though Spencer

Evans is leaving UTA to take on a wonderful position at

RISD, I think we have gained a colleague for life with this

excellent alum. It is an honor to see our former student

serving as tenure-track faculty at such a prestigious

university. Congratulations, Spencer!”

As an artist, Spencer has had many successes in just

a few short years. His paintings have been selected for

exhibition in five solo and fourteen group exhibitions over

the past four years. Recent awards include the McDowell

International Research Grant (2017); the Dorothy Aderholt

Memorial Scholarship Award (Arlington Arts League, 2016

and 2017); the Nasher Sculpture Center Microgrant Finalist

(2017); Art Kudos International Juried Art Competition

and Exhibition Finalist (2015); and the Contemporary Art

Dealers of Dallas Fund Winner (2015 and 2017), to name

just a few.

As an educator, in addition to teaching multiple classes

in drawing and painting at UTA since 2015, Evans has

also presented several notable lectures, presentations and

workshops based on research conducted for his painting

practice at: the Meadows School of Art, Southern Methodist

University, Dallas, TX (2018); the Relationships between

Social Justice Issues in the Black American Community

and Sudan (Research and Mural Project), the United States

Embassy, Khartoum, Sudan (2018); the Nigerian Baptist

Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Oyo, the Nigeria (2017);

the Imago Gallery and Cultural Center, Columbia, MO

(2016); and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort

Worth, TX (2015).

As he prepares to begin the fall 2019 semester as an

assistant professor at RISD, Spencer states, “Leaving UTA

is bittersweet because I credit a great deal of my growth as

a creative intellectual and teacher/mentor to my time here.

The experiences and relationships I fostered at UTA and in

the DFW area are invaluable. I am tremendously blessed

to carry with me the wealth of knowledge and perspective

I have gained from my colleagues and students into the

next step of my life's journey. I look forward to meeting the

challenge that will lead to my next transformation.”

For more information on Spencer Evans,

visit www.spencerevansart.com.

Untitled (My Dear Series)

Spencer Evans, 2016

charcoal & acrylic on paper

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30 in × 22 in

The College of Liberal Arts UT Arlington 2

UT System Board of Regents’

Outstanding

Teaching Award

Recipients

by Herb Booth

Two University of Texas at Arlington faculty

members earned the UT System Board of Regents’

Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes

educators who best exemplify excellence, innovation

and a commitment to student success.

Amy Austin, assistant professor of instruction in

the Modern Languages Department of the College of

Liberal Arts, and Holly Hungerford-Kresser, associate

professor in the Department of Curriculum and

Instruction in the College of Education, are among the

27 faculty members from all 14 UT System academic

and health institutions to receive the honor.

UTA President Vistasp Karbhari said the two

educators exemplify the excellence in teaching and

mentorship that defines faculty at The University of

Texas at Arlington.

“I’m thrilled that Professors Austin and Hungerford-

Kresser are being honored with the Regents’

Outstanding Teaching Award this year,” Karbhari said.

“This is a tremendous recognition of their commitment

to excellence and in truly enabling our students to have

transformative experiences while they are at UTA.

“They join a very distinguished group of faculty

who are setting the bar high for all of us with their

dedication to student learning and success, enablement

of their dreams and ability to mentor students to reach

for the stars and do much more than they thought

possible. I’m extremely proud of these outstanding

faculty and deeply grateful for what they and the rest of

our tremendous faculty are enabling for our students

every single day.”

The $25,000 awards for each recipient are among

the largest in the nation given for outstanding faculty

performance. Winners are chosen based on rigorous

evaluations by students, peer faculty and external

reviewers of teaching performance, who focus on the

candidates’ classroom expertise, curricula quality,

innovative course development and student learning

outcomes.

“These educators are dedicated to continually

looking for new and better ways to inspire students

to learn and succeed,” said Kevin Eltife, UT System

Board of Regents chairman. “And they’re ensuring the

next generation, whether they be teachers, scientists

or health care providers, is armed with passion and

knowledge. Their contributions are immeasurable.”

Overall, the Board of Regents have presented

more than $20 million to more than 700 UT System

educators.

“This awards program is an investment in both

faculty and students, because when it comes to

student success—and subsequently real-world

success—recruiting and retaining great faculty is the

key,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said.

“I’m grateful to the Board of Regents for its continued

commitment to great teaching, and I’m thankful that

these exceptional educators are serving our students

and Texas.”

Amy Austin

Austin, who earned her doctorate in Spanish from

Emory University, specializes in medieval and early

Congratulates

Ms. LaDonna Aiken—Communication

Mr. Gregory Scott Cook—Art + Art History

Dr. Jacqueline Fay—English

Ms. Anne Healy—Theatre Arts

Dr. Cynthia Kilpatrick—Linguistics & TESOL

Mr. Daniel Garcia— Art + Art History

modern peninsular literature. She strives to inspire

students through hands-on, innovative instruction.

Her research focuses on the practices and theories

of medieval reading, mysticism and spiritual

constructions, visual studies, and theater and

spectatorship. Most recently, she co-edited Ramon

Llull and His Legacy (1232-1316) and published

“Love of Language as the Language of Love: Image,

Reading and Translatio Studii et Imperii in Ramon

Llull’s (1232-1316) Arbre de filosofia d’amor (1298)”

in the journal eHumanista.

Holly Hungerford-Kresser

Hungerford-Kresser earned her doctorate in

curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in

language and literacy studies from the University of

Texas. She was originally a high school teacher but

decided she could make a better impact on the field of

education through teacher education, she said.

Her specialty is pedagogy and practice as it

connects to underserved populations in K-12 schools

and higher education. Her research focuses on the

intersection of literacy education and college and

career readiness.

Hungerford-Kresser won the 2018 UTA College of

Education Teaching Award and the 2009 J. Michael

Parker Award from the National Reading Conference.

The 2019 recipients were presented a certificate

and medallion during the Board of Regents meeting

in Austin on Aug. 14. A luncheon was held in their

honor in conjunction with the meeting.

Amy Austin

UTA’s Office of International Education recently selected this group of esteemed faculty to receive pilot grants for the development of faculty-led study abroad programs.

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Student Legislative Ambassadors Enjoy

UTA Day at the Capitol

by Jamie McTigue

Art Lecturer Wins

Puffin Grant

by Jonikka Davis

Billi London-Gray, a 2018 graduate of UTA’s Master

of Fine Arts Intermedia Studio program and a lecturer

in the Department of Art and Art History, has won a

Puffin Foundation grant for her ongoing project,

“The Loop and Saw Choir.”

Her project consists of workshops, jam sessions

and performances in which she collaborates with

volunteers of all ages and abilities to make music and

sound art using musical saws, analog synthesizers,

human voice, homemade instruments and looping

devices.

According to London-Gray, “using unexpected

instruments is a strategy to place the workshops at

the intersection of art and play.” The ultimate purpose

of The Loop and Saw Choir is to break down rightversus-wrong

expectations through the use of littleknown

instruments and improvisation. As art, the

project exemplifies a process of exploration and an

attitude of curiosity, creating a situation in which the

artist both models these aspects and learns them from

the participants.

Darryl Lauster, professor of Art and Art History,

said, “Billi’s prolific achievements in the professional

field have always begun with a constant level of

engagement with and dedication to her community at

a grassroots level.”

London-Gray’s work epitomizes the Department

of Art and Art History’s mission of providing the

intellectual, technical and instructional resources to

support the development of professional artists who

view art making as a process of inquiry and selfdiscovery.

On July 24, following receipt of the award, London-

Gray convened The Loop and Saw Choir with children

at a day camp in her hometown, Wylie, Texas. Her

work aligns with the Puffin Foundation’s mission

to support artists and art initiatives that seek to

transform American society toward a more progressive

democracy with greater appreciation of shared

humanity.

On March 6th, 2019, UTA made its inaugural trip to Austin

to visit with legislators at the Texas State Capitol. Among the

group of Student Legislative Ambassadors were several Liberal

Arts students from disciplines including Political Science and

Pre-Law. The early wake-up call and road trip were well worth

the experience. Students got to shake hands and sit down with

elected officials to discuss issues facing our university and the

campus community. Topics like funding for financial aid and

campus renovations were just some of the issues Ambassadors

brought to the legislators’ attention.

In addition to Mavericks meeting state legislators, UTA’s A

Capella Choir, conducted by associate professor of music and

Director of Choral Activities, Karen Kenaston-French, presented

a program of highlights from their performance at the Texas

Music Educator’s Association Convention. The choir, which is

comprised of 50 singers, included a large number of vocal music

majors.

The hope is for this trip to become an annual occurrence that

serves to continue building and maintaining relationships with

Texas leadership at our state capitol. These esteemed students

made both UTA and the College of Liberal Arts proud and set a

great precedent for future ambassadors.

Visit www.billilondongray.com/lsc for more information about The Loop and Saw Choir.

Visit www.puffinfoundation.org for more information about the Puffin Foundation. The foundation awards projects that

educate the public on topical issues. The Foundation also gives special consideration to communities and school districts

that are underserved by the arts. Additionally, the Foundation focuses on new and emerging artists.

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Professor Daniel Giberman

Selected for

National Humanities Center 2019 Summer Residency

About the National Humanities Center

The National Humanities Center is the world’s only independent institute

dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities. Through its

residential programs for scholars, the Center provides researchers with the resources

necessary to generate new knowledge and to further understanding of all forms of

cultural expression, social interaction, and human thought. Through its education

programs, the Center strengthens teaching on the collegiate and pre-collegiate

levels. Through public engagement intimately linked to its scholarly and educational

programs, the Center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for

their foundational role in a democratic society.

Dr. Daniel Giberman has been selected for

a summer residency at the National Humanities Center.

The four-week program was created to give humanities

scholars the opportunity to launch a new research project

or make significant progress on an existing one.

Giberman, an assistant professor of Philosophy and

Humanities at the University of Texas at Arlington, will

work on a project that explores contemporary analytic

ontology, a branch of metaphysics concerned with the

nature and relations of being. Specifically, his goal is

to develop an innovative, unified solution to a series

of longstanding philosophical problems concerning

resemblance, time, the mind, and the nature of

fundamentality.

Professor Giberman will join a host of humanities

scholars from universities across the country who will

work together this summer in the National Humanities

Center’s facilities in Research Triangle Park, North

Carolina. They will be assisted in their work by the

Center’s team of librarians who draw on resources from

the extensive holdings of surrounding universities, as well

as collections housed in libraries and archives around the

world.

Scholars who have participated in the Center’s programs

have called it an “intellectual nirvana” and have often

remarked that the contemplative space and community

provided by the Center contributed significantly to the

ultimate quality of their work, which includes over 1,500

published books. Through this program, Giberman looks

forward to leveraging the extended research time to build

upon existing content for both his emerging book, as well

as article-length projects on applied topics such as artwork

persistence and social structures. He hopes his work will

help to usher in a new era for humanities, one that will

lead to a richer understanding of the fundamental nature

of not just the world we inhabit, but the kind of world that

we might inhabit.

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Modern Languages Graduate Highlights a

Professional Translator and Interpreter’s

Experiences and Opportunities

by Claire Thomas

UTA’s Modern Languages Department Hosts

Community Citizenship Clinic

by Claire Thomas

The Department of Modern Languages (MODL),

a cornerstone of UT Arlington’s College of Liberal

Arts, hosted their 6th Annual MODL Lecture on How

to Become a Professional Translator and Interpreter

on April 16th, 2019. This yearly event has been

connecting students to professionals in the language

services field, while simultaneously providing them

with valuable career advice in an open and inclusive

campus-based setting, since 2014. This year’s facilitator,

Adriana Cabeza, provided the unique, dual perspective

of former student-current professional.

Cabeza, a UTA graduate who holds a BA in Spanish

for Global Competence and a certification in Spanish

Translation, currently works as Dallas Independent

School District’s Translation Services Department

Coordinator. Even with a demanding workload, she

remains committed to service in the community.

Cabeza currently leads DISD Translation Services’

efforts to communicate important academic

information to non-English speaking parents and

communities. As well, she manages the funds for

multiple grants, ensuring that the highest standards of

compliance and accountability are maintained within

the department. She has also been instrumental in

the development of a tutoring program that services

refugee and newcomer students whose native

languages include Arabic, Burmese, and Swahili.

“Throughout the years, our translation and

interpreting students have had the opportunity to

interact with well-established professionals including

court and medical interpreters, freelancers, project

managers, bilingual editors, and translation company

owners,” said Dr. Alicia Rita Rueda-Acedo, associate

professor of Spanish at UT Arlington. “Often, these

presenters are graduates of the Spanish Translation

and Interpreting programs; they enjoy successful and

lucrative careers, and choose to return to UTA to share

their professional experience with future colleagues in

the field.”

As in years past, the 2019 event drew praise from

attendees and campus stakeholders, alike. The lecture

series was created to give students another path to

achievement beyond academia. Guiding students

to global competency by helping them to achieve

proficiency in a foreign language is a primary goal for

MODL. This, along with teaching students the skills

that allow them to learn in collaborative environments

and work with people from diverse linguistic and

cultural backgrounds encourages participants to

understand and appreciate others’ cultures and

experiences. MODL curricula currently provides

instruction in eight world languages including:

American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French,

German, Korean, Russian, and Spanish.

To learn more about

UTA’s Modern Languages Department

Visit: uta.edu/modl

UTA's Department of Modern Languages (MODL)

and the Center for Mexican American Studies

(CMAS) collaborated with Proyecto Inmigrante

ICS, Inc., to guide newcomers in the immigration

process through a citizenship clinic. The clinic was

hosted by UTA this spring. Not only did campus

visitors benefit, but UTA students also gained

invaluable experience. MODL students

were professionally trained to assist U.S.

Permanent Residents in filing for

U.S. citizenship. They also had the

opportunity to interpret for LEP

applicants; and, all services were

provided free of charge.

Proyecto Inmigrante is a

Texas non-profit organization

accredited by the U.S. Department

of Justice. According to their

mission statement, they are

"committed to serve, educate,

and assist the immigrant community in

matters concerning immigration and education."

Proyecto Inmigrante has offices in the Dallas, Fort

Worth and Wichita Falls. For more information

about their service offering, visit them online: http://

proyectoinmigrante.org/

UTA's CMAS promotes academic

excellence in Mexican American and

Latinx cultures by offering a minor

in Mexican American & Latina/o

Studies. They also serve as a

bridge between UTA and the Latino

community in the Dallas/Fort Worth

Metroplex through various service

and outreach activities. If you would

like to find out more about their

program, explore their website at:

https://www.uta.edu/cmas/

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“TELEMUNDO UNIVERSITY”

TO EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION OF BILINGUAL LOCAL BROADCAST JOURNALISTS

MIRAMAR, FL - (December 5, 2018) - In an effort

to help shape the next generation of bilingual broadcast

and digital journalists and provide them the real work

skills they need to succeed in broadcast newsrooms, the

Telemundo Station Group today announced the launch

of its “Telemundo University” training program for

journalism students at the University of Texas-Arlington

and University of Florida. The group plans to announce

additional partners next year. Telemundo Station Group is

part of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division

of NBCUniversal that includes 40 NBC/Telemundo TV

stations in 28 markets.

Featuring four core study tracks including On-Air

Presentation, Digital Media, Technical Operations, and

Writing/Producing, students participating in “Telemundo

University” receive one-on-one, practical training from

NBC and Telemundo station journalists including news

directors, executive producers, anchors and investigative

reporters. Trainings take place on-campus throughout

the year. Students that successfully complete Telemundo

University can apply and be considered for full-time

positions at any NBCUniversal-owned television station

or NBC and Telemundo news networks. Students are also

mentored/guided by newsroom leaders throughout the

training and post-graduation, as each student navigates job

searches and interviews. This is the first time the Telemundo

Station Group and prominent public research universities

will partner together to provide college students a practical

education program that delivers the skills they need to

succeed in today’s fast-changing media landscape.

“Bilingual reporting has become increasingly important

for reaching local audiences. We’re pleased to have

pioneered a training program with our partners at and

UF that leverages the unique power and reach our NBC/

Telemundo stations have, to help shape future journalists in

our newsrooms,” said Ozzie Martinez, Senior Vice President

of News, Digital and Standards for the Telemundo Station

Group. “We look forward to working with more universities

that are interested in giving aspiring journalists the

experiences they need to jump-start their careers and serve

our communities.”

“We are thrilled to have piloted the Telemundo Station

Group’s training program at our College of Journalism and

Communications. The UF-Telemundo Stations partnership

is an exemplar of collaboration between academy and

industry,” said Mira Lowe, Director of the College’s

Innovation News Center. “New opportunities like this give

our students a competitive edge in the marketplace while

building pipelines to newsrooms.”

“Developing complementary partnerships with industry

leaders has long been a cornerstone of our experiential

learning programs in the Department of Communication at

UT Arlington. The partnership with the Telemundo Station

Group is one that will further enrich our Broadcasting

program and, in particular, the Hispanic Media Initiative

(HMI), founded nine years ago by faculty member Julian

Rodriguez. UTA’s HMI is a groundbreaking 21st century

educational initiative with an impeccable graduation rate,

and we are excited to include Telemundo University as a key

contributor to our students’ professional preparation and

ultimate success,” added Dr. Charla Markham Shaw, Chair

and Associate Professor, Department of Communication at

the University of Texas-Arlington.

Launched in fall 2017 as a pilot program between the

Telemundo Station Group and the University of Florida’s

journalism school, the inaugural Telemundo University

class graduated six students in May 2018, three of which are

currently employed at Telemundo stations in San Antonio,

South Florida and Washington, D.C. as Multimedia

Journalist, Web Editor, and Digital News Associate,

respectively. This fall, Telemundo University welcomed

eight new students from the University of Florida. More

students are expected to enlist in the program when

Telemundo University expands to the University of Texas-

Arlington in early 2019.

Applications for Telemundo University are accepted on

a rolling-basis from junior and senior journalism college

students enrolled at each participating university. The

applications are reviewed by a selection committee that

includes college professors and NBC/Telemundo newsroom

professionals. Students selected for new 2020 training

sessions will be notified of their acceptance to Telemundo

University throughout 2019. Students interested in learning

more about Telemundo University can consult with their

respective advisors at University of Texas-Arlington and

University of Florida.

This new program is part of a series of development

programs created by the NBCUniversal Owned Television

Stations division for its journalists, newsroom, sales and

marketing professionals including the “Reporter and

Producer Development Program” which launched in 2012

and has a 100% success rate in placing on-air reporters

in full-time jobs across NBC/Telemundo-owned stations.

Other development programs include the “Marketing

Promo Producer Program” and the very successful “Sales

Associate Program” which has been in existence for nearly

10 years. Recent initiatives also include the “Sales Support

Development Program” and the “Sales Leadership Track.”

In 2018, a program called “She Leads” was launched for

NBC/Telemundo station employees to provide exposure

and mentoring to female sales leaders. In addition, NBC4/

KNBC and Telemundo 52 / KVEA in Southern California

feature a one-year “Bilingual Digital Editors” program

which provides real work experience to aspiring digital

newsroom professionals who want to advance their careers,

many of which have secured full-time positions at NBC/

Telemundo stations located in top markets.

About Telemundo Station Group

Telemundo Station Group, part of the NBCUniversal

Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal, is

comprised of 28 local television stations in the U.S. and

Puerto Rico. Producing and broadcasting more than

21,000 hours of unique and relevant local content each

year, including award-winning news, public affairs, and

entertainment programming, Telemundo Station Group

serves the largest Hispanic television markets in the country

including Los Angeles, New York, Miami-Fort Lauderdale,

Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, San Antonio, San

Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Harlingen, Orlando, Fresno,

Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Diego, Tampa, Denver,

El Paso, Boston, Las Vegas, Tucson, Hartford, Raleigh, Fort

Myers, Providence, Springfield, Richmond and Puerto Rico.

In addition, Telemundo Station Group operates TeleXitos,

a national multicast network that offers viewers popular

action and adventure television series and feature films in

Spanish. The group also provides support to 50 Telemundo

affiliates across the country and manages dedicated local

websites and applications, as well as a robust digital out-ofhome

operation.

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Faculty And Students

Abroad

13 Annual Magazine


Local Teens

Find their Space within

UT Arlington’s Art Community

by Patricia Healy

Last fall, 85 enthusiastic students representing five regional

high schools gathered at The University of Texas at Arlington

for its Art and Art History Department’s fifth annual Find Your

Space event. The students arrived by the busload, from all over

the area, and convened in The Gallery at UTA for a quick tour

of the artwork on display there, before breaking out into interest

groups and meeting the faculty who would lead their specialized

workshops. Dispersing throughout the art studios, maker spaces

and computer labs of both the Fine Arts Building and the Studio

Art Center, the students began their hands-on adventures in

contemporary art making.

In September, high school visual arts coordinators from

around the metroplex were asked to bring their most passionate,

art-loving students to take part in a morning of specially-created

art and design workshops. The workshops, facilitated by UTA art

department faculty, covered a wide range of techniques intended

to engage students’ imagination and to welcome them to “find

their space” within the university’s art community. Sessions

including Digital Painting, Printmaking, Mixed Media Project:

Drawing and Painting, Experimental Typography and Lettering,

Product Photography, Cyanotype Self Portraits, Fine Art Digital

Printing, Digital Comic Book Art, and Design for Robots:

Making Vinyl Stickers with a CNC plotter were offered, along

with interactive sound and video experimentation workshops

such as The Loop and Chainsaw Choir and the K-Pop Green

Screen music video workshop. In addition, the sculpture and

glass areas collaborated to present an exciting demonstration of

glassblowing and experimental metal foundry work in a session

titled “Fire, Molten Metal, Molten Glass – Oh My!” Faculty

workshop leaders showcased their glass-blowing skills for

attendees.

After an intense morning of creative learning and practice,

the students met in the Studio Art Center courtyard for a pizza

lunch. Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to relax and

compare notes on their experiences before heading back to their

respective schools.

Robert Hower, chair of the Art and Art History Department,

summed up the day’s activities by stating, “Find Your Space is an

excellent opportunity to introduce high school students to the

wide array of possibilities open to them within the University

of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Art and Art History. We

hope the students were inspired by our outstanding faculty and

resources, and will consider joining us here when they begin

their college careers.” Hower shared, “in the meantime, we

enjoyed having them on campus and look forward to welcoming

a new group at next year’s event.”

New Book Foreshadows What

Female US Presidential

Candidates will Face in 2020

by Jonikka Davis

Dr. Dustin Harp, an associate professor of Communication

and Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)

Program at UT Arlington, has written a new book that explores

the expansive and sometimes controversial topics of gender

and politics. The book, Gender in the 2016 US Presidential

Election: Trump, Clinton and Media Discourse, follows a

year’s worth of media—ranging from news to social media

and satire, talk shows and magazines—to illustrate how ideas

about gender intersected with politics during the 2016 US

Presidential election campaign.

Harp’s book offers informed, norm-challenging insight

into our societal struggle to define gender expectations and

roles at a time when women are pushing into typically maledominated

spaces like politics. Within the context of a historic

race for President of the United States, this book raises one

broad question: what do the public-mediated exchanges during

the 2016 presidential campaign say about gender, the cultural

struggle to define and regulate the roles of women and men,

and women’s relationship to power? Harp hopes that answering

this complex question will lead to a deeper understanding of

how and why gender matters culturally, what is expected of

women and men in contemporary American society, and how

gendered ideologies are at odds in a contemporary struggle for

meaning.

Reflecting on the potential impact of the book’s release, Harp

said, “I think people, and particularly women who aspire for

office, can learn a lot from the book about the common tropes

regarding men and women in the political public sphere and

the particular challenges women politicians face.”

Author, Dr. Dustin Harp

UTA Associate Professor—Communication

As preparation for the 2020 US Presidential Election heads into full swing, Harp’s

new release takes a closer look at the politics of gender during the 2016 election.

UT Arlington’s Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program, which fosters the

examination of women and gender through an interdisciplinary lens, offers courses that

explore social norms and the ways in which race, class, nationality and history shape ideas

about women and gender. As author of this book and director of the WGS Program, Harp

has fully embraced her role as a maverick. The impact of her research and commitment are

evidenced, in part, by her regular inclusion as a subject matter expert and panelist on topics

of gender and politics for diverse media platforms.

15 Annual Magazine


UTA History

Professor Named

to 2019 Class of

Andrew Carnegie

Fellows

First UTA Recipient of Prestigious Grant

by Herb Booth

A University of Texas at Arlington professor has been

named to the 2019 class of the prestigious Andrew

Carnegie Fellows Program, the first UTA recipient selected

for this annual program.

John Garrigus, professor of history, is one of 32 scholars

in the 2019 Carnegie class of fellows selected from among

273 nominations, and represents the only fellow selected

from a Texas university this year.

Garrigus is a leading scholar of Atlantic and Caribbean

history who uses archival research and geographic

information systems technology to provide fresh insight

into thousands of mysterious deaths that preceded the

18th-century Haitian revolution—the only successful slave

uprising in modern history. He is also a 2017-18 fellow of

the prestigious National Humanities Center.

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program recipients each

receive a grant of up to $200,000, making it possible for

them to devote significant time to research, writing and

publishing in the humanities and social sciences.

“It is humbling. And it’s a recognition of what The

University of Texas at Arlington has become,” Garrigus

said. “I would not have been considered for this award

before we received the R-1 Carnegie designation.”

UTA first received R-1: Doctoral Universities—Very

High Research Activity status in 2016 from Carnegie

Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is the

definitive list for the top doctoral research universities in

the United States.

During his fellowship, Garrigus plans to continue his

lifelong work on slave life in the Caribbean. Much of his

research has centered on Francois Macandal, a Haitian

burned at the stake by French planters who believed he

had fatally poisoned thousands of slaves, hundreds of

colonists and countless livestock.

Garrigus’ book project—“Macandal is Saved”: Disease,

Conspiracy, and the Coming of the Haitian Revolution—

proves that a generation before Haiti’s successful slave

revolution, the French colony was decimated not by rebel

slaves wielding poison, but by anthrax spores transported

from France in a shipment of mules.

Garrigus believes his research on the Macandal affair will

change the way people think about the Haitian Revolution

that ended slavery there 45 years later.

“I think everyone who lives

in a democracy owes a debt

of gratitude to the Haitian

revolutionaries.”

- John Garrigus

“Twenty years ago, we didn’t understand that. But we’re

learning more and more. With this award, I’ll have the time

to write a general audience book about this fascinating

episode.”

“Professor Garrigus’ scholarship is shedding new light

on Haitian history and the effects of French colonization.

His exacting research is ensuring a better understanding

of the revolution and of aspects related to the human

condition. I’m thrilled that his scholarship has been

recognized through a 2019 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship,”

said President Vistasp Karbhari. “Professor Garrigus

exemplifies the highest levels of excellence that define our

faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and at The University

of Texas at Arlington. Our students gain significantly from

his brilliance in the classroom and as they initiate their own

research.”

The 2019 class of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program

includes recipients from leading institutions across the

United States, including MIT, Columbia, Georgetown,

Harvard, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt

and Northwestern.

Elisabeth Cawthon, dean of the College of Liberal Arts,

said the University is stronger because of contributions

from faculty members such as Garrigus.

“John’s love of Caribbean history shows in his research

and in the classes he teaches,” Cawthon said. “And now the

Carnegie Corporation of New York has chosen to select

John’s work to reward. What an honor. Being singled out by

the Carnegie Corporation of New York is no small feat.”

The overall objective of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows

Program is to offer fresh perspectives on the humanities and

solutions to the urgent issues of today.

The award is for a period of up to two years and its

anticipated result is a book or major study. The program

is the most generous initiative of its kind, providing $32

million in grants to more than 160 fellows since 2015,

according to the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

“Andrew Carnegie believed in education and understood

its influence on the progress of society and mankind. The

Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is an integral part of

carrying out the mission he set for our organization,” said

Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of

New York and president emeritus of Brown University.

“Over the past five years, we at Carnegie have been very

impressed by the quality, range and reach of our fellows’

work. This year is no exception. We salute this year’s class

and all of the applicants for demonstrating the vitality of

American higher education and scholarship.”

For 2019, the Carnegie Corporation of New York received

a total of 273 nominations. Each underwent a preliminary

anonymous evaluation by national experts from relevant

fields. The top proposals were forwarded to a distinguished

panel of 16 jurors, who chose the fellows based on the

quality, originality and potential impact of their proposals,

as well as each scholar’s capacity to communicate the

findings to a broad audience. The jurors are all scholars

and intellectual leaders from some of the world’s leading

educational institutions, foundations and scholarly societies,

and six are either current or former university presidents.

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is a continuation

of the corporation's more than 100- year history of

promoting the advancement and diffusion of knowledge

and understanding by supporting the work of a host of

institutions, causes, organizations and individual scholars.

Each year as part of the nominating process, the heads of

more than 600 institutions, representing universities, think

tanks, publishers and nonprofit organizations nationwide,

are invited to nominate up to two individuals each for the

fellowships.

Garrigus, who came to UTA in 2006, was awarded the

2007 Gilbert Chinard Prize sponsored by the Society

for French Historical Studies. He previously served as

a professor at Jacksonville University and as a visiting

Fulbright professor at the State University of Haiti. He

earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from DePauw

University and both a Master of Arts and Doctor of

Philosophy in history from The Johns Hopkins University.

17 Annual Magazine


Dr. Zascavage’s Research

Revolutionizes DNA Processing

by Jonikka Davis

A UTA criminology and criminal justice assistant

professor will develop and evaluate the potency of

single-molecule sequencing for targeted DNA analysis

under a federal grant.

Zascavage, an assistant professor in the College of

Liberal Arts’ Criminology and Criminal Justice (CRCJ)

Department at The University of Texas at Arlington, is

one of the recipients of the $634,973 National Institute

of Justice grant.

The NIJ is the research, development and evaluation

agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Its mission

is to improve knowledge and understanding of crime

and justice issues through science. It accomplishes this

mission through consistent pursuit of innovation. It is

the leading funding agency for the discipline.

Zascavage’s award for the project, titled “DNA

Typing Strategies via Real-Time Nanopore Sequencing

for Forensic Analyses,” has far-reaching potential

for prompt implementation within the U.S. criminal

justice system.

Zascavage has identified a significant need in the area

of DNA processing technology, and has committed

herself to helping professional analysts deliver reliable

results, even when they must begin with extremely

limited resources.

“Our goals include development of modified strategies that will drastically

reduce the amount of amplification needed to assess samples that are low

quality,” Zascavage said. “We hope to generate full DNA profiles with one to

two cells worth of DNA.”

Zascavage also plans to create something longconsidered

to be lacking in the field—algorithms and

data analysis pipelines that leverage existing knowledge

and align with forensic DNA analysts’ training

requirements.

Patricia Eddings, UTA director of Forensic

Applications of Science and Technology (FAST) and

senior lecturer, said of Zascavage’s recognition, “None

of the disciplines within the field of forensics has seen

the vast improvement and forward thinking that has

been evidenced by the research in DNA technology.

This field continues to provide valuable information

for the civil and criminal justice systems.”

Looking toward the future, Eddings added, “This

cutting edge DNA research will potentially be able to

provide tremendously valuable information in cases

where no DNA could be found in the past. It also

could hold potential for numerous other forensic

applications.”

The award also promotes UTA’s Strategic Plan Bold

Solutions | Global Impact, especially in the areas of

data-driven discovery and improving the human

condition.

“This project is a shining example of the high-level

analytical and statistical work conducted in CRCJ and

the College of Liberal Arts,” said Kent Kerley, professor

and chair of the Criminology and Criminal Justice

Department.

In sharing his excitement about Zascavage receiving

this highly competitive award, Kerley stated, “I expect

that this grant work will lead to important innovations

in crime analysis, which are much needed in our local,

state and federal criminal justice agencies.”

Roxanne Zascavage, Criminology and Criminal Justice Assistant Professor

Photo by Duy Vu, The Shorthorn

Before coming to UTA, Zascavage served as a

postdoctoral associate at the University of North Texas

Health Science Center. Her research interests include

mitochondrial DNA analysis for forensic application

and population studies. She is also a UNTHSC

Institute for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research

Health Science Innovation Award winner.

19 Annual Magazine


CoLA

Kudos Recap

Disability Studies

Music

The UT Arlington Orchestra Strings, conducted by Dr. Clif Evans, recently recorded a video with acclaimed gospel

singer and actor David Mann. The Texas-native has graced the stage in performances of drama, comedy and music,

and when the time came to choose accompaniment, he chose the homegrown BEST. The video will complement his

nationwide tour, this fall. The recording of Mann and UTA student performers has already been spotlighted on his 20-city

U.S. tour.

English

Dr. Cedrick May, an associate professor in the Department of English,

recently won first place in the 2018 ScreenCraft TV Pilot Launch

Competition for his screenplay, “The Guardian.” His award-winning web

series delivers a refreshing perspective on the ever-popular superhero genre.

Please join us in applauding Dr. Mays’ outstanding recognition by one of the

top 10 screenwriting contests in North America.

Dr. Sarah Rose, the director of the UTA Disability

Studies minor and an associate professor of history, was

honored at a recent awards ceremony. She, along with four

UTA programs—the Disability Studies Minor, Office for

Students with Disabilities, Movin’ Mavs Adapted Sports

& Recreation and UTA Libraries’ Texas Disability History

Collection—received the Martha Arbuckle Award. The

prestigious award, presented by the Texas Governor’s

Committee on People with Disabilities, recognizes the

most innovative local committee projects. Read more at:

https://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2018/10/Arbuckle-

Taft-disability-awards.php

Art & Art History

The Disability History Association Board of Directors has

selected No Right to Be Idle: The Invention of Disability,

1840s-1930s (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina

Press, 2017) as its 2018 Outstanding Book Award winner.

The book’s author is CoLA’s own Dr.Sarah Rose, director of

the minor in Disability Studies. Congratulations, Dr. Rose!

Modern Languages

BFA candidate Alex Lozano was recently accepted into

his second international exhibition of the year. On the heels

of surpassing thousands of entries to earn a spot in Japan’s

Toyama Museum of Glass, Lozano’s latest work—chosen for its

exemplary craftsmanship, ingenuity and innovation—will be

showcased in China’s Third Session of Craft Glass Creation &

Design International Competition and Exhibition from October

15th – November 15th. Congratulations, Mr. Lozano!

Associate professor of Spanish, Ignacio Ruiz-Pérez,

has been named the 2018 winner of the Horacio

Zúñiga National Poetry Prize, sponsored by the

Instituto Municipal de Cultura de Toluca (Mexico).

The award includes a $2500 prize and publication of

his book manuscript. Rumor de Primavera Interna

en Sueño Negro is, in Ruiz-Pérez’ own words, "a

reflection on loneliness, love and identity, but also on

the space lost and recovered by memory and poetry."

The award ceremony will take place in Toluca on

November 16th. Congratulations!

21 Annual Magazine


Maverick Thespians

Breathe New Life into a Milestone Historical Moment

by Jonikka Davis

On February 12, 2019, UTA’s College of Liberal Arts

and the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant

County hosted a very special engagement: An Historic

Re-Enactment of a Life-Changing Meeting Between

President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

The program, which boasted outstanding attendance,

included a dramatic presentation, panel discussion

and the presentation of scholarships for both featured

actors, as well as the playwright.

Viewer’s exploration of the milestone meeting

between President Lincoln and Abolitionist-Activist

Douglass was crafted by playwright, poet and actor,

Erin Turner. Turner, who is a distinguished alumna

of CoLA’s English department, penned “Shall Be

Forever Free” especially for the event’s diverse

audience. Her powerful words were made real

by actors D. Aidan Wright who played Abraham

Lincoln, and complemented by Darrion Dockins as

Frederick Douglass. Detra Payne, assistant professor of

Instruction—Theatre Arts, served as director for this

special engagement.

The dramatic presentation was followed by a brief

intermission. The gathered guests were then ushered

into the night’s interactive panel discussion which was

moderated by Texas media pioneer and journalist,

Bob Ray Sanders. He posed thought-provoking and

reflective questions to panelists: retired UTA History

Professor Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney and Chaplain Rich

Stoglin. Stoglin, said of the collaboration, “Indeed,

it was a great evening for American history to be

displayed on a Texas university campus, and especially

during Black History Month. All epitomize the best of

America!”

Playwright, Erin Turner posed with actors D.aiden Wright & Darrion Dockins.

Attendees were captivated during the event.

Immediate right:

Lincoln and Douglass meet

during the play.

Bottom right: Actors

Dockins and Wright pose

with Chaplain Stoglin.

23 Annual Magazine


Photos by Ashley Lemke

CoLA Students and Faculty

in Anthropology Field School

CoLA students, Miranda Berry and Michael

Rivera, pose after screening.

CoLA students, Chris Romo Abigail Key, screen for artifacts. After shovel testing,

they excavated in 1x1 meter squares—the standard archaeological method. They

concluded their dig by mapping all artifacts (larger than a quarter) in place and

water screening to identify smaller artifacts.

UTA/CoLA Alumna Phylicia Way excavates a deep square. Way was an Anthropology major and student participant in the Lemke’s

first Field School in 2016. Upon graduating in 2017, Way served as a teaching assistant. Today, she is an Archaeological Technician at

SWCA Environmental Consultants in Arlington.

(Clockwise from long-sleeved blue shirt) CoLA students Abigail Key and

Miranda Berry, Texas Archaeological Society member Chris Meis, CoLA

students Alex Smith and Justin Elliott Jones, University of Michigan PhD

graduate student in Anthropology and Field School Teaching Assistant Brendan

Nash, and CoLA students Michael Rivera and Chris Romo collectively excavate

their 2x2 meter square block.

CoLA students, Justin Elliott Jones and

Chris Romo, uncover part of a projectile point

(arrowhead) during shovel tests.

25 Annual Magazine


Art + Art History Alumnae

Accept New Faculty Appointments

Sara Rastegarpouyani to Join

Savannah College of Art and Design

MFA alumna and UTA adjunct lecturer in

sculpture Sara Rastegarpouyani has accepted a

full-time teaching position at Savannah College

of Art and Design (SCAD). Sara will be teaching

in the Illustration Program in the School of

Communication Arts at the well-respected art

institution in Savannah, Georgia, beginning Fall

2019.

Ginnie Hsu Welcomed by Syracuse

University

MFA alumna Ginnie Hsu recently accepted a position as

a tenure-track assistant professor at Syracuse University in

upstate New York. Ginnie, a 2016 graduate of the

Art + Art History Department’s MFA Program in visual

communication design, has been teaching at Mississippi

State University since completing her degree at UTA. She

will be teaching illustration in Syracuse’s School of Art at

the prestigious university beginning Fall 2019.

27 Annual Magazine


2019

Year At a Glance

Feburary 12th

Abraham

Lincoln

&

Frederick

Douglass

Re-Enactment

An historical re-enactment of a life-changing

meeting between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick

Douglass

Sp

Student Research

Forum

April 4th

tlight

Spotlight showcases innovative research and original

works by University of Texas at Arlington students with a

major in Liberal Arts

Student Excellence

April 24th

AcCoLAdes is a recognition ceremony for student

recipients of awards and scholarships in the College

of Liberal Arts

Welcome Back

Block Party

Welcome Back Party

August 29th

College of Liberal Arts celebrates the start of

the fall semester

Feburary - March

Continuing the Conversation is a series of events designed

to provide an opportunity for participants to further

explore the reach and impact of immigration and the

refugee experience, a topic highlighted at the annual

Festival of Ideas

Festival of ideas

Continuing The

Conversation

April 6th

CoLAs’ Annual Glass Art Sale showcases and

sells student-made glass art pieces

Glass Sale

May 10th

Accomplished CoLA Alumna Dallas County Sheriff

Marian Brown delivers commencement address

Commencement Cermony

Dallas County Sheriff

Marian Brown

29 Annual Magazine


Linguistics & TESOL PhD Graduates

Lead Language Programs in New Roles

Juliet Huynh Assumes Assistant Professorship at

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Juliet Huynh has accepted a position as an Assistant

Professor in the Department of English at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison starting Fall of 2019. Her new role will

focus on Applied Linguistics.

At UTA, Juliet has taught LING 2371—Language in a

Multicultural USA, a core curriculum course, as well as

one of our online TESOL courses, LING 4327—Second

Language Acquisition.

She has published articles in the Journal of the Southeast

Language Society and in the Journal of Second Language

Studies.

Kristen Fleckenstein Named to Coastal Carolina University

Faculty

Kristen Fleckenstein has accepted a position at Coastal Carolina

University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English. She

plans to focus on Discourse Analysis.

Kristen has taught LING 2371—Language in a Multicultural USA,

a core curriculum course at UTA. She has also completed UTA’s

graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies.

She has published articles in the Proceedings of the 19th Seoul

International Conference on Generative Grammar and in the

Proceedings of the Chicago Linguistics Society.

31 Annual Magazine


Dallas County Sheriff Delivers

UT Arlington’s College of Liberal Arts

May Commencement Address

by Jonikka Davis

Sheriff Brown addresses graduates and guests.

Marian Brown, longtime public servant and current

Dallas County Sheriff presented the University of

Texas at Arlington’s College of Liberal Arts (CoLA)

spring 2019 commencement address on Friday, May

10, 2019, at College Park Center.

Sheriff Brown, a distinguished alumna of the

College of Liberal Arts’ Communication Studies

program, spoke before the nearly 700 graduates

and their families and friends during the ceremony

in which new graduates of departments including

Art +Art History, Communication, Criminology

& Criminal Justice, English, History, Linguistics

& TESOL, Military Science, Modern Languages,

Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology &

Anthropology, and Theatre Arts were recognized.

Articulating a sentiment shared by many faculty,

staff, students, and alumni, Elisabeth Cawthon, dean

of the College of Liberal Arts, said, “We were thrilled

to welcome Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown

to our commencement stage. As a graduate of the

College of Liberal Arts, she represents the realization

of the Maverick dream: academic preparation that

provides an informed foundation for professional—

and community—success.”

Brown, who began her career in law enforcement in

1988 as the first African-American female hired by the

Duncanville Police Department had, over the course

of her decades-long career, risen through the ranks to

be named Assistant Chief of Police in 2007. In 2014,

she retired from the force, but went on to join the

Dallas County Sheriff ’s Department where she served

as Chief Deputy in charge of General Services. Then,

on January 1, 2018, Sheriff Brown was sworn in as

Sheriff of Dallas County, claiming another milestone:

first African-American Sheriff in Dallas County.

Moreover, she is one of only three African-American

female sheriffs in the United States.

Brown has consistently demonstrated a deep

commitment to Dallas County, where she grew up and

attended Dallas public schools. Under her direction,

the Sheriff ’s Department hosts many community

events and offers service programs including free VIN

etching, bicycle-riding safety and lessons for children,

and more. For additional information on their current

program offering, visit the Dallas County Sheriff

office on Facebook and Twitter. Brown’s dedication to

diversity and inclusion initiatives is evidenced by her

department’s partnership with entities like NOBLE,

the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement

Executives. As well, Sheriff Brown and her office have

established an internship program for current college

students and recent graduates. Dr. John Rodriguez,

Dallas County Sheriff

Marian Brown

Sheriff Brown and UTA President Vistasp Karbhari prepare to take the Commencement stage.

Internship Coordinator for UTA’s Department of

Criminology and Criminal Justice, anticipates an

ongoing partnership between the department and the

Dallas County Sheriff ’s office. “This is going to be an

extraordinary bridge toward engagement, education,

and empowerment,” he said, of the collaboration.

33 Annual Magazine


35

Annual Magazine

Insight &

Inspiration:

A Conversation with Professor Jamar Jones,

Director of Music Industry Studies

by Jonikka Davis

What drew you to music?

I was drawn to music as an 80’s kid who watched

lots of television shows that had mesmerizing musical

content. I started playing the piano at age 4, having

access at such an early age provided me a distinct

opportunity to learn. I loved playing those themes,

initially; and, that love has morphed into a career in

music.

What has been the highlight of your musical career?

That’s a difficult question, but I think I’d have to

say the highlight of my career was performing at

the White House during President Obama’s final

concert series, entitled “Love & Happiness.” I had

the opportunity to work with some of my favorite

performers and friends: the Roots, Common, BBD,

Janelle Monae, and Jill Scott, to name a few. It was a

phenomenal moment for me as an artist, as a creative,

as a professional peer, AND as a fan.

Which opportunity are you most proud of, and

why?

Opening for Patti LaBelle at the Kennedy Center

stands out as a proud moment. I played “Rhapsody

in Blue” by Gershwin. I received an overwhelming,

4-minute standing ovation! It was incredibly affirming

and humbling, at the same time. That opportunity

truly inspired me!

About Music Industry Studies

The University of Texas at Arlington offers a Bachelor of Music degree with

emphases in both Music Media and Music Business. These programs are

designed to give students the skills necessary to succeed in the music industry,

and they combine long-established principles of listening and musicality with

new philosophies about equipment and the current music industry. Changes in

curriculum, a brand-new recording studio and new faculty are just a few of the

exciting changes taking place at UT Arlington.

What would you say was the greatest lesson or

experience, from which you learned something that

will forever impact you/your career?

In 2005, I was playing a tribute to Stevie Wonder

with celebrity music director Ricky Minor (of

American Idol and the Tonight Show; Minor has

also served as the Music Director for the Academy

Awards), and I was really nervous. The job that I’d been

assigned was to play all the parts to Stevie’s music, that

make it “Stevie’s music.” Minor noticed my anxiety and

made a statement that will stick with me forever: “It’s

only an illusion that the Super Bowl is different than

any other game you’ve played all season; the game is

the same… (there are) just more people watching.”

That cured my anxiety…fast.

What inspires your creativity most?

My inspiration is a changing dynamic. I’ve been

listening to Igor Stravinsky a lot lately. The reason it

changes so often is I am a man of seasons. I listen to

Beethoven; I listen to Jay-Z. Sometimes my listening—

even my environment and experience—becomes a part

of my process.

I spend time working on films, and then I’ll spend

time on music production. Never am I doing it all at

one time. For me, the inspiration changes with the

season of opportunity.

How long have you been teaching at UTA?

I’ve been at UTA since fall of 2016, when I started as

an adjunct. Now, I’m full-time.

I am so happy to represent the university, in all my

capacities. From teaching Record Label and Studio

Management to leading the Music Industry Studies

program, I am thrilled about the opportunities that lie

ahead.

What is the major point of differentiation in UTA’s

Music Industry Studies program, when compared to

similar programs at other universities?

Collectively, my desire, vision, focus and professional

experience will be the difference-makers for our

students. We offer an expansive network of partners.

Our web of key relationships will help to provide

hands-on experience and educational opportunities

that are sure to come together in a very dynamic

fashion. In the end, graduates of our program will

leave UTA with professional-caliber readiness for the

current demands of the music industry. And, as it

evolves, so shall we.

How does the program’s curriculum prepare

students for careers in the industry?

Our curriculum is structured to incorporate

elements of business and music, built on a liberal

arts foundation. We envision our program becoming

the optimal artist development experience. We’ll

explore—with broad strokes—the art of music, the art

of management, the art of business…and beyond!

When you go to a concert, headliners make up only

3% of the music industry’s top-earners, but there

can be as many as 200-300 people who make that

concert happen. Those people have specialized skills;

they provide essential services, and they are often

compensated accordingly.

Our goal is to ensure that we are preparing students

for successful careers in the industry, no matter the

genre, service category or format they’re passionate

about.

What marketable skills and emerging technology

can program participants expect access to?

We offer training in all the latest digital, audio

technology, including: ProTools, LogicPro, and

Ableton Live. As well, we’ll help students hone “musthave”

skills through our exploration of topics ranging

from how to negotiate contracts and secure ideal

publishing agreements, to brand management and

representation.

Tell me about a lingering myth you’d like to dispel?

A touring musician is not always partying. A music

producer, who is employed by a label to increase

shareholder wealth, does not spend days on end just

hanging out in the studio having a good time. Any

position assumed in the industry is attached to work.

The goal of every industry job is to—above all else—

maximize profits!

Let’s uncover some unexpected benefits of pursuing

this path?

The unexpected benefit for me is being a part of

people’s lives that I never meet. Pursuing a career in

the music industry leads to a dynamic of touching

people’s lives and ultimately feeling great about your

life’s work. That has become my passion. UTA’s Music

Industry Studies program aims to prepare students

for growth and success for the long haul. We look

forward to launching careers. I am confident that many

of tomorrow’s industry tastemakers will begin their

storied journey as a UTA Maverick.


Criminology & Criminal Justice’s

Forensic Applications of Science and Technology (FAST) Minor

From a student’s

by Jonikka Davis

Point of view

Ashley McNeal is a senior biology major who has an

unparalleled love of science. She’s always enjoyed the process of

discovery; exploration and experimentation have long been

key motivators for her educational pursuits. These facts,

however, did not detour her from following her dreams

within the College of Liberal Arts (CoLA).

As a child, McNeal watched lots of Crime Scene

Investigation (CSI) shows on television. She credits

those shows with sparking her initial interest in

forensics. Upon entering college, she chose Biology

as a major, and still feels that it’s a “great fit.” Though

the Biology Department offers an outstanding

biology-based forensics option, there was one

goal that pursuing this degree wouldn’t allow

her to achieve: the in-depth study of criminalistic

forensics through courses like Crime Scene

Investigation, Forensic Impression Evidence, Forensic

Death Investigation and Forensic Hair and Fiber

Identification, to name a few. Enter CoLA.

After a conversation with her Advisor, McNeal

learned that the Criminology and Criminal Justice

Department offered a Forensic Applications of

Science and Technology (FAST) minor. It turned out

to be exactly what she was looking for!

“DNA intrigues me; and, I love the thought of using

“One of the coolest things I’ve discovered is exactly how wrong the television shows are. They suggest that

evidence processing happens instantly, but it takes time (and persistence). Too, the discovery process isn’t

very dramatic, it’s methodical—but mastering them both and uncovering a resolution delivers a sense of

accomplishment that can’t be beat!”

The graduating senior, who has already completed

her minor, will assist Professor Patricia Eddings in

some FAST courses being offered this fall. She looks

forward to sharing her passion for the subject with

fellow Mavericks and asserts that students can look

forward to engaging classes when they take Prof.

Eddings. “She is very, very passionate about what she

does, and it’s always more fun to learn from someone

who loves their job!” As well, students will have

“You would be shocked to know how easily you can leave a

trace. Simply brushing up against something can leave your

DNA. It’s not just about fingerprints…”

In case you missed it.......

it to catch criminals,” McNeal said of her attraction

to field. “All of the techniques used to evaluate

evidence—microscopy and chemical tests—are really

cool. It’s fun to explore the various ways you can

process evidence.”

the unique opportunity to apply what they learn in

the classroom by working mock crime scenes and

analyzing the evidence they supply. This process offers

hands-on experience and a bird’s eye view of exactly

what a career in forensics is all about. According to

McNeal, there are lots of unique and unexpected

things… “some are really dark, some are tremendously

surprising.”

Head up to the 2nd floor of University Hall to see the FAST minor display. It includes information

about the minor, current job listings and some of the projects previous classes have completed.

Ashley McNeal

Major: Biology

Minor: FAST

Classification: Senior

Career Goal: Forensic Biologist

For more information about the new FAST minor, contact The University of Texas

at Arlington Criminology & Criminal Justice Department at 817-272-0318 or the

following:

Prof. Patricia C. Eddings

FAST Director

peddings@uta.edu

Amber Owens

Academic Advisor

amber.owens@uta.edu

37 Annual Magazine


New UTA Study on

Local Volunteer

Disaster Response

adapted from a story by Herb Booth

Data from 2017 Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and California Natural Disasters Highlights Key

Collaboration Gaps and Better Ways to Save

Money, Time and Lives in Future Disasters

After 2017’s record year of billion-dollar disaster

events and additional hurricanes and wildfires during

2018, a new University of Texas at Arlington study

found that inconsistent non-profit resources across

different jurisdictions impacted disaster recovery

efforts, especially in areas that needed it the most.

The UTA study was funded by the National Science

Foundation and is featured in the American Journal

of Public Health. Based on field research in Texas,

Florida, Puerto Rico, and northern and southern

California, the study found that despite inconsistent

resources and coordination problems, non-profits,

religious groups, and businesses provided muchneeded

support and funding.

Daniel Sledge, the study’s co-author and a UTA

associate professor of political science, said: “For

me, the most important aspect of our findings was

the massive variation across counties in terms of

the ability of non-profits to respond to disasters.

This was particularly striking in Puerto Rico, where

many areas simply did not possess the non-profit and

volunteer resources necessary to fill in gaps in what the

government was doing.”

FEMA’s National Response Framework assumes

a crucial role for non-profits, religious groups,

and businesses that are expected to fill in gaps in

government’s ability to respond. About 76 percent of

non-profits surveyed for the study reported that had

they not actively provided community services during

and after the disaster, their services may not have been

provided by someone else. Of those, only 16.9 percent

believed the government might have stepped in and

provided their services had the organizations not been

active.

After surveying 115 non-profits engaged in disaster

response and engaging in 44 hours of interviews, the

study concluded that voluntary organizations active

in disaster, or VOADs, are critical to successful postdisaster

coordination and recovery. VOADs bring

together voluntary groups and representatives from

local and state government agencies to coordinate

actions, share information and target their efforts

during and after disasters.

The study found that these collaborative groups were

most successful when they were already active before a

disaster struck.

In Sonoma County, Calif., local groups began

building a VOAD after the 2017 wildfires but because

it wasn’t active before the disaster, non-profits and

other groups faced serious challenges in coordinating

their responses to the fires.

However, in neighboring Napa County, voluntary

groups reported strong coordination with each

other and local government. As one non-profit

representative said, “the key difference here is that

we had the [VOAD] in place and they [Sonoma]

didn’t.” The county’s VOAD group was launched prior

to the wildfires and was funded by a donation from

the local vintners’ trade association following a 2014

earthquake.

Herschel Thomas, the study’s co-author and UTA

assistant professor of political science, said: “The big

takeaway from our research is that these organizations

need help. They are expected to do extraordinary

things. By funding local Voluntary Organizations

Active in Disasters, the federal government can help to

improve community capability to respond to disaster.”

Scott Robinson, political science department chair

at the University of Oklahoma, researches and is

an expert in disaster politics, public and nonprofit

management, and policy process theory.

Daniel Sledge, left, a UTA associate professor, and Herschel Thomas, a UTA assistant professor, recently published a study about how well nongovernmental

organizations, faith-based organizations and businesses identify and fill gaps in the government’s capacity to respond to a natural disaster.

“Successful disaster and emergency response

requires the participation of diverse organizations

from public to private to nonprofit organizations -

including some that don’t think of themselves as an

emergency response organizations. This research from

Thomas and Sledge illustrates the often unrecognized

contribution of nonprofit and religious organizations.”

Elisabeth Cawthon, dean of UTA’s College of Liberal

Arts, said, “Dr. Thomas and Dr. Sledge demonstrate

a keen understanding of the reactions of community

organizations and policy-makers to environmental

disasters. Through their timely research via the NSF

Rapid Response Grant, Dr. Sledge and Dr. Thomas

showcase CoLA researchers’ skill in identifying

problems and suggesting practical solutions. Dr.

Sledge and Dr. Thomas are to be commended for

their work as individual investigators, as well as their

mentorship of several undergraduate and graduate

students in this important project.”

39 Annual Magazine


CoLA

Pre-Law Center

by Amber White

Looking Ahead

Created in 2012, the CoLA Pre-Law Center initially set out to

help students build a solid foundation in oral advocacy while

accessing a wide range of the resources to make the journey to

law school a bit smoother. Less than a decade later, our students

have excelled in moot court/mock trial competitions across the

country. Our friends and alumni have stepped in and devoted

countless hours to coaching and guiding our students, to ensure

that their individual expertise serve as a springboard for the

success of Mavericks from all walks of life.

The 2018-2019 academic year has been one of tremendous

growth and monumental change for UT-Arlington’s Pre-Law

Center. While the collective effort of our supportive community

helped to shape our vision and aid the Pre-Law Center’s success,

having the actual facilities for a proper mock court room has

proven to be an enduring obstacle for getting to the next level.

Until now, that is…

In December 2018, the Pre-Law Center received a very

generous gift from the Callejo-Botello Foundation, a private,

Dallas-based foundation created by the late Adelfa Callejo.

Originally from South Texas, Callejo was the first Hispanic

woman to graduate with a legal degree from SMU’s Dedman

School of Law. She was also the first Mexican American woman

to practice law in Dallas. Known as a “lion in the courtroom,”

she was both a champion for social justice and an advocate for

the marginalized in society. Sadly, Mrs. Callejo passed away

in January of 2014. The foundation she created, however, has

continued her legacy of making a difference.

At our 5th Annual Pre-Law Achievers Banquet, we were

privileged to have a Callejo-Botello Foundation Board of

Directors member and UTA alumna, Ms. Angel Mata in

attendance to receive our thanks for the foundation’s kind

donation. Ms. Mata graduated from UTA with a degree in

political science; she went on to earn a JD from Southern

Methodist University, and she currently practices law in Dallas.

Work will begin shortly on this new mock court room, and we

anticipate construction to be completed late fall 2019.

Continuing the Legacy of Leadership

We have also had some exceptional achievements in oral

advocacy this year, as our mock trial program’s student

competitors realized some amazing accomplishments.

Competition participants excelled at the Annual Rice

Bowl at Rice University in Houston, TX, the 16th Annual

Noah K. Antony Green and Gold Mock Trial Invitational,

the Annual Collin College-UTA Mock Scrimmage, the

Inaugural Trinity University-UTA Mock Scrimmage, the

2nd Annual Kangaroo Brawl in Sherman, TX, the Derek

Moorhead Invitational Mock at the University of Missouri-

-Kansas City and the UT Dallas Regional AMTA Mock

Trial Tournament. Students competed and won top witness

and attorney honors at several tournaments. In addition to

collecting the most awards of any school competing at the

Kansas City Mock Invitational, Maverick scholars accrued

honors including:

· 2 Top Witness Honors with perfect ranks

· 2 Top Attorney Honors

· Team Spirit of AMTA Award

Our top awardees included Hailey Moore (c/o 2019),

Matthew McCurdy (c/o 2021), Addis Bedilu (c/o 2020)

and Danielle Lowe (c/o 2020). The crowning achievement

for the year was our own Matthew McCurdy claiming the

Most Outstanding Attorney in the Region Award, based

on his perfect 20 out of 20 overall competition score. And,

with McCurdy and others from the winning teams slated

to return in the coming academic year, the 2019-2020

competition season looks incredibly promising.

In addition to the Pre-Law Center’s achievements

in advocacy and the news of the planned courtroom

construction, the program is pleased to announce that a

new Law and Legal Studies minor was recently approved.

The minor is one that will provide students a glimpse into

what law school and law practice look like by allowing

students to take courses in three major categories (oral

advocacy, advanced research and writing, and experiential

learning), as well as with elective credits in several lawrelated

courses. Through our oral advocacy course offering,

students will be able to sit in the driver’s seat of one of the

most revered areas of legal practice – litigation.

The Pre-Law Center will partner with various

organizations to provide students targeted opportunities

through the experiential learning platforms including

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Legal Aid of

Northwest Texas, Arlington-area law firms, and the highlyanticipated

partnership with Proyecto Inmigrante’s Fort

Worth Headquarters. The minor is not only available to

those pursuing Liberal Arts degrees, but to all majors on

campus. Students can expect to see the minor added to the

university’s academic catalog in the 2019-2020 school year,

and they will be able to add the minor in Law and Legal

Studies beginning Fall 2019.

41 Annual Magazine


DIGITAL CULTURE

The Download with Dr. David Arditi

43

During the 2017-18 academic year, the Center for

Theory hosted a colloquium series on digital culture. The

colloquium inspired The Dialectic of Digital Culture,

edited by CoLA faculty members: Dr. David Arditi, of

Sociology and Anthropology, and Dr. Jennifer Miller, of

English. Throughout his career, Arditi has focused much

of his research on digital technology’s impact on culture.

We caught up with him to delve a little deeper into digital

technology and culture.

Q: How are two (seemingly) different concepts,

digital technology and culture, actually intertwined?

A: When we think about technology, we often imagine that

it is created in a vacuum, with a mind of its own. However,

people create technology, and people use technology. For me,

culture is the process through which people make meaning

out of everyday things. At the moment that someone

creates a new piece of technology, they place their cultural

understandings within it. Then, as we begin to use the

technology, we place our own cultural meanings into them.

For instance, look at recorded sound. It didn’t descend from

the sky. The phonograph was initially used to record people’s

voices, so that after they passed away, their voices could

survive. More than a century later, this is not among the

primary reasons we use recorded sound today.

Q: One of the things people often discuss is the

democratic potential of the Internet. How does the

Internet foster democracy?

A: How does the doorbell foster democracy? I say

this because the doorbell is a form of communication

technology: it alerts people when someone is at the door.

It sounds silly to think about how a doorbell promotes

democracy. But almost every time that someone invents a

new communication device, people claim that it will herald a

new era of democracy and equality. From the printing press

to the smartphone, people imagine that these technologies

will facilitate democracy, equality, and freedom. This says

Annual Magazine

more about our state of unfreedom and lack of democracy

than anything because we never seem to achieve democracy.

We should not expect technologies to do anything that

they weren’t created to do. The U.S. Department of Defense

created the Internet to better coordinate military operations,

not to bring Americans democracy.

Q: What do you think is the biggest threat to culture

in the online environment?

A: Where do I start? In all sincerity, the biggest threat

to culture is the loss of privacy. People, especially digital

natives, no longer have an expectation of privacy, and that’s

not just online. We recognize that everything we do can be

traced by corporations, by governments, by our families, and

by our (future) employers. For instance, students use apps

on their phones to track their significant others because they

grew up with their parents tracking their movements with

phones. Or, people assume that their searches can be tracked,

so they don’t search for certain topics. Employees use Fitbits

that communicate to their employers their activities. We

don’t need any of this, and if we went back 30 years, people

would be amazed at how much privacy we gave up.

Q: Most of your research is on music. What do you

see happening to music in the streaming era?

A: Because record labels no longer need to sell an album,

the album is going away. But that seems like the most

obvious point. More importantly, music is more disposable

than ever. Streaming makes it so that people can tune-in to a

generated playlist. They listen to whatever is on that playlist

now. Two months from now, it could be all new music on

that playlist and the listener may not even remember most of

the artists they listened to two months ago. It’s important to

remember, however, that technology didn’t do this. People at

major record labels decided to change the way we listen.

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