October 3, 2003

Faculty/Staff Footnotes

John Biguenet, Robert Hunter Distinguished Professor, will receive the Louisiana Artist Fellowship in literature. He was interviewed by Linda Wertheimer on NPR's "Weekend Edition" about his story "Gregory's Fate" and the anthology in which it appears, French Quarter Fiction, and was featured in an article on new authors in a recent issue of Poets & Writers. His novel, Oyster, and his collection of stories, The Torturer's Apprentice, will be published in French translation by Editions Albin Michel (Paris). His story "Rose" was published in Chinese translation in Writer Magazine. His essay "Notes of a Disaffected Reader: The Origins of Minimalism," will appear in Hungarian translation in Helikon: The Review of General and Comparative Literature in Budapest. He gave a reading of his work and lectured on contemporary fiction at the Indian River Literary Society in Vero Beach, Florida, and at the Royal Highlands Reading Group in Orlando. Biguenet served as a member of the selection panel for the Louisiana State Poet Laureate.

Tim Cahill, assistant professor of religious studies, received a $2,100 grant from Harvard University's Pluralism Project for his proposal "Mapping Religious Diversity in New Orleans." The grant enable two Loyola students to gather data and submit digital images of about two dozen religious centers in the area.

Rebecca Dean joined the Upward Bound Program as an administrative assistant. She was previously employed by the New Orleans Job Corps Recruitment Office and the Morial Convention Center.

The U.S. Department of State sent Henry Gabriel, DeVan Daggett Professor of Law, to Korea to discuss current questions in electronic commerce and the harmonization of international trade law with academic, legal, and business leaders. While there, he served as a visiting lecturer at Kyung Hee University and the Independent Center for American Studies where he conducted seminars on the harmonization of international and American trade laws. He also met with senior officials from the Korean Fair Trade Commission where he gave a presentation and led a discussion on consumer fraud in electronic commerce. He served as the speaker at a meeting of the Korean Electronic Trade Association, an organization made up of leading manufacturers, bankers, and lawyers. He also met with officials from the Daigu Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss current economic conditions in Korea. He was interviewed by the Korea Economic Daily and also met with faculty from Seoul National University, Hanyang University, Jeonju University, Howan University, Kyungpook National University, and Keimyung University to discuss electronic commerce.

Eric B. Gorham, associate professor of political science, will serve as interim provost for teaching, learning, and faculty development. Gorham will replace David Estes while Estes serves as an ACE Fellow at Adelphi University during the 2003-2004 academic year. As interim assistant provost for teaching, learning, and faculty development, Gorham will assist the colleges in their efforts to enhance faculty development and adopt new pedagogy. More specifically, he will be responsible for fostering a learner-centered environment and for promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning. He will work with faculty, department heads, and deans in supporting instructional and curricular innovation, in the planning of the Faculty Center, and in developing grant proposals on behalf of institutional initiatives to enhance teaching and learning.

Professors of Law Bobby Harges and William P. Quigley, Janet Mary Riley Distinguished Professor of Law, co-moderated a panel discussion celebrating a half-century of racial and cultural diversity at the law school. The discussion was a conversation with Norman Francis, L'55, who, in 1952, was the first African-American admitted to the law school. Also participating in the panel discussion were Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, L'54, former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, L'54, and attorney and civil rights activist Lolis Elie, L'59.

Tommy Harold was hired as head women's volleyball coach. Harold played Division I volleyball at St. Francis College in Pennsylvania and graduated from Randolph Macon College in Virginia with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. On the club circuit with Cajunland Volleyball, Harold had eight top 10 finishes including three medals from the USA Volleyball and AAU National Championships. He also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and most recently served as an assistant at Metairie Park Country Day School.

Lynn Vogel Koplitz and co-authors Kevin D. Bay, A'02, Neil DiGiovanni, A'01, and Tulane student Joel T. Mague published an article titled "The influence of weak hydrogen bonds on the properties of 3-cyano-N-methylpyridinium chloride and iodide" in the Journal of Chemical Crystallography. DiGiovanni is in medical school at LSU-Shreveport. Bay is doing research at the University of Arkansas after returning from a teaching position in China.

John Lovett, assistant professor of law, served as the Louisiana reporter on the topic "On the Principle of Legal Certainty versus Discontinuity in the Law" at a conference at LSU Law Center titled "Louisiana Bicentenary: A Fusion of Legal Cultures." In the summer, he presented a paper, "On the Principle of Legal Certainty in the Louisiana Civil Law Tradition: From The Manifesto to the Great Repealing Act and Beyond," as part of the Young Scholars Workshop at the Annual SEALS conference in Amelia Island. An article growing out of both of these presentations will be published in the Louisiana Law Review this year. Lovett's article, "Another Great Debate?: The Ambiguous Relationship Between the Revised Civil Code and Pre-Revision Jurisprudence as Seen Through the Prytania Park Controversy," will be published in the Loyola Law Review.

Kathryn Venturatos Lorio, Leon Sarpy Professor of Law, delivered a talk at a two-day conference titled "Louisiana Bicentenary: A Fusion of Legal Cultures (1803-2003)" at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Her topic was "The Changing Concept of Family and Its Effects on Louisiana Succession Law." She also addressed the New Orleans Paralegal Association at its meeting in the offices of Liskow and Lewis on the topic "The Louisiana Task Force and Legislation Regarding Assisted Reproduction." Lorio's Tucker Lecture, 'The Louisiana Civil Law Tradition: Archaic or Prophetic in the Twenty-First Century?," was published as the lead article in the Louisiana Law Review and appears at 63 La. L. Rev. 1 (2002).

Edward J. McCaughan, associate professor and chair of the sociology department, co-edited with Robert Irwin and Michelle Nasser of Tulane University a new book, The Famous 41: Sexuality and Social Control in Mexico, 1901, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). McCaughan presented a paper titled "Navigating the Labyrinth of Silence: Feminist Artists in Mexico," to a conference on the sociology of art in Paris, France. The paper was published this summer (in Portuguese) by Brazil's leading feminist journal, Revista Estudos Feministas. McCaughan also presented two papers to the international meeting of the Latin American Studies Association in Dallas in March: "Art and the 1968 Student Movement" (co-authored with Loyola student Jeff Guhin, A'03, and "Mexican/Chicano Art, Identity, and Social Movements." McCaughan and Laurie Joyner, associate professor of sociology and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, were awarded a $31,500 grant by the Louisiana Board of Regents for their proposal, "Enhancing Loyola University's Sociology Curriculum to Improve Student Learning and Career Readiness: Specialty Tracks, Service Learning, and Undergraduate Research."

Jonathan McGee, who graduated from Loyola in May with a bachelor's degree in religious studies, was hired as an administrative assistant in the Jesuit Center. While an undergraduate, McGee was involved with the University Programming Board as ideas and issues chair and with Residential Life as a resident assistant.

Vanessa D. Murphree, assistant professor of communications, published "The Student Voice: Purging the Rabies of Racism, 1960-1965" in American Journalism and "The Selling of Civil Rights: The Communication Section of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee" in Journalism History. Murphree also was awarded an Advertising Educational Foundation visiting professorship that allowed her to spend two weeks observing operations at the J. Walter Thompson agency in New York City. The AEF program is designed to build agency and academic relationships and to keep professors abreast of advertising practices.

Vida M. Petronis was hired as a staff counselor/substance abuse prevention coordinator in the Counseling & Career Services Center. Petronis completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Miami. She has experience in working with individuals with eating disorders, depression, and social anxiety as well as in improving adjustment for cancer patients.

William P. Quigley, professor of law, gave a presentation on Catholic Social Teaching and the Amorality of Corporation Law at the Universitas de Deustos in Bibao Spain. He received the Pope Paul VI National Teacher for Peace award from Pax Christi, the international Catholic peace organization. Temple University published Quigley's book Ending Poverty: A Constitutional Right to a Job at a Living Wage. The book discusses myths about poverty and work and proposes that amending the U.S. Constitution so that every person who wants to work can, and every person who works full-time can support themselves and their family and be self-sufficient.

Keli Ralston was hired as the assistant director for residential operations. She has served as interim assistant director since August. She is a graduate of Loyola with a degree in classical studies.

Gerry Rault, professor of law, completed a major expansion and revision of his Louisiana criminal law course materials this summer. Claitor's will publish the material. He addressed the constitutional annex in Bangkok, Thailand, in "Civil Liberties in the United States after 9-11" and was reappointed to the Louisiana Bar Association's Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Peg Reese joined the Boggs Center as director of the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans. She received a juris doctor from the City University of New York School of Law and her bachelor's degree from the New School for Social Research in New York City. Previously, Reese was the executive director of UNITY for the Homeless, a groundbreaking effort in New Orleans that has become a national model of collaboration.

Andrew Romero is the new senior development officer for the College of Arts and Sciences. Romero was assistant director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, where he received his degree.

Professors of Law Jim Viator and Keith Vetter coordinated a one-day seminar on Judicial Reform and the Role of the Teaching of Law in Haiti for 25 members of the Haitian legal profession including the chief justice and members of the Haitian Supreme Court, and the dean and members of the State University of Haiti School of Law faculty.

Lakeisha White joined Department of Human Resources as the employment and training coordinator. White is a recent graduate of University of New Orleans with a bachelor's of science degree in management and management information systems. She has experience in recruiting, payroll, and information systems.

Linda White was hired in the Department of Human Resources as manager of employment and employment relations. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Louisiana State University and is a certified professional in human resources.

Darlene Wolnik joined the Twomey Center's ECOnomics Institute where she will work on its flagship project, the Crescent City Farmers Markets, as well as other exciting outreach activities. She began as a volunteer in 2001. Wolnik has a background in hotel work and retail management in New Orleans, with forays into nonprofit advocacy work focused on consumer rights.