Dear Arts and Sciences Alumni and Friends,
I have something different to share here at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. I have come to the decision that the coming year, 2023-24, my fifteenth as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, will be my final year in this position. It is a great honor and blessing to serve in this role for our academic community and I very much look forward to another year as dean, but after some reflection and discernment with my family over the past few months, I believe fifteen years is a good point to transition to whatever may be next.
There are exciting, important and valuable things we are working on together as a university and a college that make it very hard to step away right now. However, I have come to realize that as long as we remain the vibrant institution we are, that will always be true. I will remain deeply dedicated to our goals whatever my role may be. I will serve through the end of next year as the search for the next dean takes place, do everything I can to support the university and the college in transition and continue to move our academic priorities forward with you, then take a sabbatical the following year before returning to the faculty.
I have so many of you to thank for so much and look forward to doing so as we connect over the coming year. The alumni support of the college and our students has been a major factor in the many successes over the years. I do want to thank Provost Martin and President Peñalver for their support of my decision and for the great work they are doing charting the future of the university. The Provost is working now to develop a search committee for the next dean and I expect you will hear more about those efforts in the coming months. But again, thank you, with your support the College of Arts & Sciences will continue to thrive.
With sincerest appreciation and affection for all of you in our community,
David
David V. Powers, PhD
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
The third and final chapter in our ongoing story about Professor Marissa Olivares and her experiences at Seattle University this year. Read the first and second stories.
As she nears her final weeks as Seattle University’s first Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence, Professor Marissa Olivares is balancing a sense of celebration for future plans here in Seattle with deep concern for her family, friends and higher education colleagues at home in Nicaragua.
“My experience at Seattle University has been so memorable. Working with the students has been a joy. I am looking forward to continuing to work in Seattle next year. At the same time, it is very difficult to watch what is happening in my home country.”
This fall, Professor Olivares will begin doctoral studies in International Studies at the University of Washington while working with students at SU, continuing her contributions to Seattle University’s Central America Initiative, and serving as a resident minister for SU’s Xavier House. “I am so pleased that she will have the opportunity to keep working with our students,” said Dr. Serena Cosgrove. “She will also work with me in Central America classes and programming for the Central America Initiative.”
Professor Olivares and Dr. Cosgrove were recently interviewed for an article in America: The Jesuit Review, “With a ‘sham trial’ of a Nicaraguan bishop about to begin, a clampdown on the nation’s Catholic Church continues.” From the article, “…‘All the [civic] spaces are closed in my country,’ Ms. Olivares said. ‘Nobody is saying anything in the media, in the social networks; everybody is shut down because everybody is afraid.’ And now that silencing has extended to the church, she says, a source of frustration to average Nicaraguans. In the past, she says, Nicaraguan clergy stood fearlessly on the side of oppressed people. But now ‘the strong priests are in jail or in exile,’ she concludes.”
The Nicaraguan government has closed 19 private universities and is enforcing strict limitations on curriculum at the public universities. Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), one of Seattle University’s partner universities and where Dr. Olivares teaches, is still open. However, since the government now controls accreditation, technically the university is not accredited. Professor Olivares explained, “The government created a new institution in charge of everything the universities do, what they teach, research, even the movement of faculty and students. The university has to report and ask for permission for a professor to travel outside the country, even if it is personal travel.”
This Spring quarter, Professor Olivares is leading an independent study course, “Women’s Leadership on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua.” Four students are engaged in a reading group about the activism and inclusion of Afro-descendant women on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast, who are often marginalized due to race, class, gender, and location. They are focused on two books that celebrate women’s leadership, resistance, and persistence given the racialized patriarchy of Mestizo nationalism and extractivist capitalist practices that exclude the Caribbean coast and its peoples from the national imagination of country and belonging. The books are Black Autonomy: Race, Gender, and Afro-Nicaraguan Activism by Jennifer Goett and To Defend This Sunrise: Black Women’s Activism and the Authoritarian Turn in Nicaragua by Courtney Desiree Morris. They are also exploring women’s organizing on the Caribbean coast to protest the authoritarian measures being pursued by the current regime.
“I could not teach this class at my home university now,” said Professor Olivares. “Topics like human rights and words like democracy and conflict are prohibited. For example, we had a class at UCA, “Peace and conflict resolution” that is now closed since we talked openly about the history of conflict in Nicaragua.”
Research and student work at private and public universities are also affected. Speaking of a colleague at UCA, Professor Olivares said, “They have had a research project about memories of the hot theme of the environment in the Caribbean Coast on hold for six months. They have to be patient, as it is not a good time to raise the subject and attract attention.” She also points out the effect on students at universities under government control, “They are under stress because all of the time their papers, their essays, their research must reproduce the idea that the country lives in peace, as though nothing has happened. They are basically forced to publish propaganda.”
“The president and vice president of the country have pretty much complete control over the country right now,” added Dr. Cosgrove. “As outlined in the America magazine article, ‘…more than 328,000 people—about 5 percent of the country’s population of 6.7 million—fled Nicaragua last year. The New York Times reports that the number of Nicaraguans seeking asylum in the United States has spiked to the top of U.S. border patrol lists. By the end of November 2022, more than 180,000 Nicaraguans had crossed into the United States—about 60 times as many as the number who sought entry during the same period two years ago.’”
During this interview, when a comment was made about the difficulty of imagining living in this kind of authoritarian regime, with such severe suppression, Dr. Cosgrove agreed how that could be true for many of us Americans. “However, if you look at what is happening in Florida now and the control over higher education, you see that they are using techniques similar to those of the Sandinistas. They are using accrediting processes, putting pressure on publicly appointed university leaders to go along with the idea of not teaching classes about certain things. People are threatened with losing their jobs, so they are scared and not speaking out about what is really going on.”
In the America magazine article, Professor Olivares expressed her sympathy for those unwilling to speak out. “I can’t judge because I’m not in Nicaragua…I am talking freely to you here in the U.S. It’s not easy to speak loudly in Nicaragua,” but “the feeling against this regime is just despair.”
She does have hope for the future. “I have been able to see and learn from Seattle U academic culture and policies and I can imagine the future development for UCA. Also, few UCA professors have earned their PhDs and I look forward to taking my experience back there.”
Rapidly emerging technologies are already reshaping workforce preparation as artificial agents inform, provoke, influence, and facilitate change. The rise of machine learning raises ethical concerns surrounding the values-laden nature of human-to-human knowledge transfer.
Join us for Seattle University’s 2023 Ethics and Technology Conference on June 22, from noon to 5 p.m., when we will hear three perspectives, exploring the role of AI in preparing workers for short- and long-term success, the implications for the shifting educational landscape, and the potential impact of intelligent machines on tomorrow’s workforce. Join the thought-provoking discussion as together we tackle the big question: will intelligent machines take over the jobs of the very workers they train?
Learn more about the speakers and register for this free event here.
This year, we hosted three events:
Thanks to our partnership with Seattle Channel, you can watch them on their "Conversations" website.
Practice. Practice. Practice. Or.... simply register to sing with Dr. Leann Conley-Holcom, SU Director of Choral Activities, in a 5-day choral residency next year!
Dr. Conley-Holcom has been invited by MidAmerica Productions to appear as guest conductor on the historic Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on Memorial Day 2024, leading the New England Symphonic Ensemble and singers from across the country in Taylor Scott Davis’ Magnificat. This piece was recently premiered and recorded by the acclaimed Voces8. It's a stunning and very accessible piece of music. Preview all five movements here. Passionate choral singers are invited to participate, including SU faculty, staff, alumni, and students. You will need to be able to learn the music on your own (practice tracks will be provided!) and pay for the residency and travel. Participants will stay in a beautiful hotel within walking distance of Central Park and Times Square, enjoy social time together including a post-concert cruise around New York Harbor, and have a truly unforgettable musical experience on a historic stage. Interested? Contact Dr. Conley-Holcom by email about the October 1 registration deadline and more information.
We were also thrilled to see Seattle U Choirs performances back in person this year. We were also able to livestream them for our audiences outside of the Seattle area and you can watch the concerts - and past virtual performances - on the Seattle U Choirs YouTube channel.
Having recently recognized Memorial Day, the Seattle University Outreach Center, Veterans Community and Army ROTC are compiling names of alumni, staff and faculty who are Fallen Heroes. Fallen Heroes are those who have served in the military and sacrificed their lives in combat. We are asking for your help to submit names if you know anyone who falls into this category. Once we gather names, we will be honoring them on the Seattle University Fallen Heroes website and in a future on campus monument.
Please send information (including name and graduation year or employment years) or ask questions by email.
Each year, faculty and staff are recognized for contributions to the college and to Seattle University. Congratulations to this year's recipients.
2023 Arts and Sciences Student Executive Council Awards
College Awards
College of Arts and Sciences Dean David V. Powers announced that a record number of A&S faculty have been promoted this year. “I cannot fully express how proud I am of our 33 faculty members for what they have done to reach these important milestones,” he said. “"This year we made significant progress in creating additional opportunity to recognize years of career excellence among our term faculty and that is reflected in these promotions. We also set a record with six tenured faculty promoted to Professor in the same year.”
He also recognized the faculty granted the honorary rank of Emerita/Emeritus upon their retirement from their positions at the university, effective at the conclusion of this academic year. “Thank you to these five dedicated faculty members who have made such positive impacts on our students lives over the years.”
Congratulations to Arts and Sciences faculty who have been granted the honorary rank of Emerita/Emeritus upon their retirement from their positions at the university, effective at the conclusion of this academic year.
Congratulations to our Arts and Sciences colleagues.
Promoted to Full Professor
Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor
Promoted to Teaching Professor
Promoted to Clinical Professor
Promoted to Associate Teaching Professor
Promoted to Associate Clinical Professor
Donna Teevan, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of the Theology and Religious Studies Department, has been named as the Gaffney Endowed Chair for the next two-year appointment from Fall 2023 through Spring 2025.
Sharon Suh, PhD, Professor, Theology and Religious Studies, was named the 2023-2025 recipient of the Patricia Wismer Professorship for Gender and Diversity Studies.
Hilary Hawley, PhD, was named Director of First-Year Academic Engagement.
Jacqueline Helfgott, PhD, Professor, Criminal Justice and Director, Crime and Justice Research Center, received the award for Excellence in Scholarly Activity Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty.
Connie G. Anthony, PhD, Associate Professor, Political Science, conducted an interview with Congressman Adam Smith on US foreign policy, especially the war in Ukraine and its global impact, as part of the Crosscut Festival.
John H. Armstrong, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies. published a letter in the Los Angeles Times about legislation to support urban solar energy, relating findings from his study about the ecosystem implications of urban renewable energy development and opportunities to plan for biodiversity.
Caitlin Carlson, PhD, Chair and Associate Professor, Communication and Media, is the first Kamp Media Law Scholar-in-Residence in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Iowa. During her visit there, she delivered a guest lecture to the course JMC 2600: Freedom of Expression (their undergraduate media law course) and met with faculty and graduate students.
Sarah D. Cate, PhD, Assistant Professor, Political Science, gave an invited talk based on her new book at Connecticut College titled "The Problems with 'Community' Solutions to Mass Incarceration."
Pete Collins, PhD, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensics, attended the signing ceremony in Olympia for the jury diversity legislation with alum Hailey Perkins, MACJ, PhD, who is currently a Court Program Analyst.
Kathleen Cook, PhD, Professor, Psychology, and her colleagues had two papers accepted for the 2023 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. The papers will be published in the Proceedings and be presented in Baltimore, MD in June. The papers, with co-authors, Yen-lin Han, Teodora Rutar Shuman, Greg Mason, and UW’s Jennifer Turns, are Building a culture of “Engineering with Engineers” and Creating effective prompts for “Teaming”. In addition, we will present a workshop on The Sustainability of Change: A Process and Framework.
Serena Cosgrove, PhD, Associate Professor, International Studies, and Marissa Olivares Morales, International Studies faculty and visiting Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, participated in the panel, “Un país cerrado a la investigación social: Reflexiones sobre Libertad académica en Nicaragua” (Closed to research: Reflections about academic freedom in Nicaragua). Marissa presented a paper titled “The Challenges to teaching and researching in Nicaragua” and Serena served as the panel discussant at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) 2023 Congress in Vancouver, Canada. Additionally, Serena organized and facilitated a round table at LASA about higher education under threat in the Americas entitled, “Higher education and the authoritarian turn in the Americas: Academic freedom, university autonomy, and critical thinking under threat.”
Julie Homchick Crowe, PhD, Assistant Professor, Communication and Media, attended the Rhetoric Society of America’s summer institute on Graphic Medicine and Rhetorics of Health in May. In June, she is attending Yale University’s Foundations in Bioethics program through their Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics.
Elizabeth Dale, PhD, Associate Professor, Nonprofit Leadership, presented “Understanding intersectional identity, positionality, and motivations among social justice donors” at the West Coast Nonprofit Data Conference at the University of Oregon in Eugene. She is quoted in the Bloomberg article, "Sexual Harassment Claims Spurred Shakeup Atop José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen."
Program, presented her paper, “Educating for Resilience: Sustaining Social Workers for Career Longevity,” at the European Social Work Conference, held in Prague, Czech Republic, May 22-24, 2023.
Claire Garoutte, Associate Professor, Art, Art History, and Design, worked as Dale Chihuly’s in-house photographer for nearly seven years in the 1990s, and one of her photos is the cover of the new book, “The Boathouse: The Artist’s Studio of Dale Chihuly.”
Elaine Gunnison, PhD, Professor, Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensics, and Director, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, was elected Vice-President of the Western Society of Criminology for 2023-2024.
Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, PhD, Professor, Modern Languages and Women Gender, and Sexuality Studies, will be a featured poet in the Cascadia Poetry Festival in Seattle, October 6 though 8. She will participate in MUROS 2023, an academic conference in Aliante Spain as the closing poet. The conference is May 18 through 20 at Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche in Elche, Spain. She was also interviewed by Matt Sedillo for Poets Cafe on KPFK.
Tanya Hayes, PhD, Professor and Director, Institute of Public Service and Program Director, Environmental Studies, and Felipe Murtinho, PhD, Associate Professor and Director, International Studies, and Associate Appointments, Institute of Public Service and Environmental Studies, published the article “Diagnosing Participation and Inclusion in Collective Decision-Making in the Commons: Lessons from Ecuador” in the International Journal of the Commons. The article aims to understand the governance mechanisms that facilitate more inclusive communal decision-making processes among indigenous communities in Ecuador. The findings reiterate the challenge of gaining full participation, particularly from women, and indicate how the gender makeup of the executive council and leadership training may influence greater inclusion and overall agreement with communal decisions. The article is part of their NSF research project on the use of economic incentives for conservation and sustainable development in Ecuador.
Brittany Heintz Walters, PhD, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, will give a podium presentation at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada titled, "The effect of cognitive load on visual strategy during upper and lower extremity motor tasks across older adults with varying attentional capacity".
Jacqueline Helfgott, PhD, Professor, Criminal Justice and Director, Crime and Justice Research Center, and Elaine Gunnison, PhD, Professor, Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensics, and Director, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, published “Trauma, Psychopathic Traits, and Resilience in Female Post-Prison Reentry Outcomes” in the Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society.
Matthew Hickman, PhD, Professor and Chair, Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics, is quoted in the article and headline of the Times-Picayune/NOLA Advocate article “Louisiana rarely bans police convicted or fired for abuse: 'This has been a failure.'”
Audrey Hudgins, EdD, Clinical Associate Professor, Matteo Ricci Institute, and the transregional research collaboration between Seattle University and Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla was featured in a recent newsletter of the International Association of Jesuit Universities. The research team from Ibero Puebla will travel to Seattle University in May/June 2023 in preparation for its presentation at the Latin American Studies Association 2023 Congress in Vancouver, Canada and its second phase of fieldwork in Wenatchee valley. They will join the team of Seattle University faculty and students associated with the project, Audrey Hudgins, Cullin Egge, Abi Berhane, and Claire Wiener. Marissa Olivares, International Studies faculty and visiting Fulbright scholar, will join the fieldwork component.
Naomi Hume, PhD, Associate Professor, Art, Art History, and Design, participated in the workshop, “Pictorial Techne and Co-operative Processes in Relation to Early Photography,” Karl-Franzens-Universität, Graz / University of Graz, Austria in April. She presented a talk entitled ““Simplicity” in Early Accounts of Nature Printing and Photography.”
Sonora Jha, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Community and Professor, Department of Communication and Media, published an invited essay titled "#MeToo, Masculinity, and Sexual Agency: Emerging Conversations and Representations" in the journal South Asian Review. Dr. Jha was also the featured author at the King County Library System Foundation's Author Salon on May 17, where she was interviewed by Naomi Ishisaka, Assistant Managing Editor for Diversity and Inclusion and the Social Justice Columnist for The Seattle Times.
Hye-Kyung Kang, MSW, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair, Social Work and Director, Master of Social Work, presented a jury-selected paper, “Social justice-focused Mental Health Practice: an Integrative Model for Clinical Social Work” at the European Social Work Conference, held in Prague, Czech Republic, May 22-24, 2023.
Kevin Kyrcka, PsyD, Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Professional Programs and Professor, Psychology, and Eric Severson, PhD, Senior Instructor, Philosophy, published their new book, “The Psychology and Philosophy of Eugene Gendlin: Making Sense of Contemporary Experience.”
Kira Mauseth, PhD, Senior Instructor, Psychology, is quoted extensively in the Bloomberg commentary by F. D. Flam, “Spike in childhood mortality needs nation’s attention,” which has since been published across the country. Read it in the Everett Herald (the original is behind the paywall on Bloomberg.)
Quinton Morris, DMA, Associate Professor, Violin, was selected as “Outstanding Studio Teacher of the Year” by the Washington chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He was honored with an Alumni Achievement Award from Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. He has also been featured in numerous media interviews, including:
Christopher Paul, PhD, Professor, Communication and Media, presented” Why the party needs a blue shell: "An Apologia for Nintendo“ at the the 19th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar.
Jeannette Rodriguez, PhD, Professor: Theology and Religious Studies and Couple and Family Therapy, and Director, Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, presented “Cultural Memory, Resistance, and a Return to ‘Original Instruction’” at the Canadian Theological Society, organized by their Dignity, Equity, and Justice Committee.
Patrick Schoettmer, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor, Political Science, was interviewed for “Filing period ends for Seattle City Council candidacy, 4 empty seats will be filled” for US Times Post. He was also interviewed about the race by KING 5 News.
Benjamin Schultz-Figueroa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Film and Media Studies, received one of the 2023 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Awards from University of California, Santa Cruz.
Mary-Antoinette Smith, PhD, Professor, English, contributed a chapter titled “A Classical Drama of Human Bondage: Recurrent Replications of Supplication, Appeals, and Social Justice Activism from Antiquity to the Present” to the recently published edited volume "Adaptation Before Cinema: Literary and Visual Convergence from Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century" (Palgrave, Studies Adaptation and Visual Culture Series, 2023). She presented a paper titled “A Twist in Expectations: Intersectional Approaches to Adapting Literatures of the Long 18th and 19th Centuries for Diverse Demographics in the Contemporary Classroom” at the annual Western Region Conference on Christianity and Literature (March 2023). Additionally, she has published chapters forthcoming in edited collections titled, respectively, “Back to the Future: Foreshadowed Forewarnings from the Romantic Period Forward” in Romantic Futures: Legacy, Prophecy, Temporality (Routledge, 2024], and “Secular Saint Seacole: Global Doctress Mirabilis and Practitioner of Cura Personalis” in "Between Worlds: Nineteenth-Century Transatlantic Women Writers and Religious Identity" (University of Edinburgh Press: Interventions in Nineteenth-Century American Literature and Culture, 2024).
Maria Tedesco, PhD, Assistant Teaching Professor, Matteo Ricci Institute, published an article titled "Affect, the State, and Political Subjectivity among the Nur Community in Turkey" in the journal Political Theology.
Donna Teevan, PhD, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Theology and Religious Studies, presented a paper, “Lonergan’s Contributions to Thinking about the Role of Theology and Religious Studies at Jesuit Universities,” at the West Coast Methods Institute, which met at Gonzaga University, April 20-22. The Theme of the conference was “Bernard Lonergan and the Crises in Higher Education and Culture.”
Kirsten Moana Thompson, PhD, Professor and Director, Film Studies, and Theiline Pigott-McCone Endowed Chair (2022-24), is serving on the Color in Motion Advisory Board, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, 2021-2024 which is preparing a major color in film exhibition called “Color in Motion” which opens at the Academy Museum, Fall 2024. She published “Report on the 6th International Conference: Color in Film,” held at Kinemathek Lichtspiel, Sep 25-28, 2022, Bern, Switzerland, Color and Film: British Association of Film, Television, and Screen Studies: Special Interest Group(BAFTSS) Oct 2022. Other recent publications include “'Drawn to Life’: Intermedial Promotion in Disney and Cirque du Soleil,” The Animated Environment, Society for Animation Studies Conference, Rowan University, NJ, June 2-16, 2023 and “Hallucinogenic Color in Disney’s Dumbo, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros,” Colour and Film Research Seminar, British Academy of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) 15th June 2023.
Charles M. Tung, PhD, Professor, English, co-edited a special cluster with Sean Grattan (U of Arizona) called “Posthuman Scale and the Care to Come,” available on ASAP/J, the open-access platform of ASAP/Journal (May 3, 2023). Their introduction, “Scalar Care,” reflects on the absence of caring, trajectories of the human-in-relation, and relations after humanism. Tung’s piece, “Scenes of Instruction in Deep Time,” reflects on knowledge transmission mechanisms in North America and the vision of structural care in larger histories and planetary scales.
Rachel Turow, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Psychology, published “Mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion – a clinical psychologist explains how these science-backed practices can improve mental health” on The Conversation.
Gregory Davis, General Studies ’82, was featured in the Seattle Times article “Rainier Beach’s ‘unofficial mayor’ aims to strengthen community for future generations.”
Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, BA Criminal Justice and Spanish, '10 and MACJ ’19, a member of the Port of Seattle commission and vice president with The Northwest Seaport Alliance, co-authored the Seattle Times op-ed, "Protect the viability of Puget Sound’s working waterfronts.”
Paul Johnson, BA Public Administration ’89, was promoted to Vice-President of People Culture and Chief Diversity Officer at Seattle Symphony. While at SU, he played woodwinds and sang in the university chorale.
Gavin Muller, MPA ‘22 was recognized as one of this year's winners for the N. Joseph Cayer Public Administration Best Student Paper Award by the World Social Science Association for his research paper entitled “Foster Children in Hotels: A Qualitative Study on the Decline of Residential Treatment Placements.”
Beth Raas-Bergquist, MFA in Arts Leadership ’10, has a play, “Josh’s Real Funeral,” included in Rain City Project’s upcoming edition of the Manifesto series, "Manifesto Volume Six: Ten to Places.” The 6th edition of the Manifesto Series was edited by A. Rey Pamatmat. His insightful Manifesto discusses the art of short form writing.
Mariah Ribeiro, BA, Art History with Departmental Honors, '19, co-curated an exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery of Dana Claxton's work to coincide with the artist's Monsen Photography Lecture on May 12. Ribeiro is currently a PhD Candidate in Art History at University of Washington and the Graduate Curatorial Assistant at the Henry. Ribeiro's BA honors thesis at SU explored Claxton's work along with other contemporary indigenous artists in relation to the concept of survivance. She was also recently invited to reflect on the work of Kent Monkman in a UW web post to accompany the artist's visit to the university.
Kiyon Ross, BA, Arts Leadership '15, recently named Associate Artistic Director at Pacific Northwest Ballet, choreographed “…throes of increasing wonder” in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary. It was performed as part of PNB’s final repertory program June 2 through 11. Read the Seattle Times story.
Cady Seavey, BS, Kinesiology '22, with faculty Brittany Heintz Walters, PhD, will give a podium presentation of their research titled, "The effect of dual task type on manual dexterity and the association with cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment" at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.
Tre Smith, BA, History ’19, and a Seattle Police officer, is quoted in the Seattle Times Op-Ed “Dressed for success: Helping Black, brown students prepare for their futures.”
Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal VII
The seventh issue of the student research journal has been published. Read about how students and faculty work together to produce the annual publication.
2023 College of Arts and Sciences Student Awards
Amanda Morgan, Interdisciplinary Arts, specialization in Arts Leadership, is featured on arts writer Marcie Sillman’s blog in “The Unstoppable Amanda Morgan.” A soloist with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Amanda is earning her BA through Second Stage, our partnership with the ballet company. She founded Seattle Project, a multi-arts nonprofit featuring work by BIPOC and queer creators.
Brandon Bledsoe, MACJ/Research & Evaluation ’23, Received a Provost Graduate Fellowship to complete his PhD in Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati and will be receiving the Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, & Forensics graduate program 2023 Norm Maleng Academic Excellence and Citizenship Award. The Norm Maleng Academic Excellence & Citizenship Award is awarded to an outstanding graduating student in the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program. The award is named in honor or Norm Maleng, former King County Prosecutor, who for almost 30 years was a vocal advocate for reform in criminal justice and introduced many programs in Seattle related to victim’s rights and drugs. Selection is based upon exceptional graduate work in the classroom and service to the community.
Joshua Bonilla, BS, Forensic Psychology ’23, was accepted into the Columbia University Master of Arts in Counseling Program.
Ashley Dobbs, MACJ/Investigative Criminology ’23, was hired as a Court Operations Associate with the Minnesota Judicial Branch.
Audrey Herold, MFA Arts Leadership student, produced a play called “The Forlornness,” June 2-4 at Bannan Auditorium. Based on primary source diary accounts of a haunting in 1923, “The Forlornness” was workshopped by Dacha Theatre in 2020. Part spooky ghost-story and part poignant & sentimental, ‘The Forlornness' feels like ‘The Woman in Black' by Stephen Mallatratt meets “Mary’s Wedding” by Stephen Massicote. This historical-fiction thriller explores grief, hope and saying “goodbye” before you’re ready,
Katie Kepler, MACJ/Victimology ’23, is in the process of applying for a position as an officer with the Seattle Police Department.
Evelyn Madrid-Fierro, BS, Criminal Justice/Forensic Science ’23, was hired as a Laboratory Technician with Eurofins.
Brandon Bledsoe and Katie Kepler are co-facilitating a spring practicum course, “Restorative Community-Police Dialogue Circles,” with SPD officers Matthew Roberson and Aaron Lucas.
Seattle University Debate Team
Debate coach Jim Hanson reports that the team finished the year on several high notes.
We also hosted four very large tournaments for elementary, middle school, and high school students in March and in May. Schools from throughout the Puget Sound plus Canada and China joined in for great competition. In total, we hosted more than 600 participants at our tournaments.
Still Life: Featuring Artists Philippe Hyojung Kim and Birthe Piontek
Through June 22, Hedreen Gallery. In dialogue, the works of Philippe Hyojung Kim and Birthe Piontek underscore the essential impermanence of our existence through a subversion of the traditional still life. Piontek tells us the nature of the organic is transformation. The disintegration of our nourishment acts as a gentle reminder of our own make-up: flesh will turn to dust. While Kim serves us plastic, prepared to outlast the dinner and the diner. Seemingly, meaningful change may only occur alongside temporality. In this moment of shared instability, we are offered the choice to embrace a state of flux. It’s here we find our humanity. Gallery Curator: Arielle Simmons. Learn more here.
Chloe Rollens: Honors Exhibit
Through June 8, Fine Arts Lobby Gallery.
BFA Photo Exhibition
Through June 8, Vachon Gallery. Featuring: Adolfo Bravo, Kira Daley, Michael Elizabeth, Eva Gugsa, Brian LaMar, Jake Nelson, Annie Reierson, and Nat Silva. Mentored by Claire Garoutte.
Brady Battalion’s Commissioning and End of Year Awards Ceremony
June 10, Pigott Auditorium, 7-8 a.m.: Awards Ceremony; 9-10 a.m.: Commissioning Ceremony. RSVP here.
Commencement
June 12, 11 a.m., undergraduate ceremony, 5 p.m. graduate ceremony, Climate Pledge Arena, Celebrate the Class of 2023. Note that this year commencement is on a Monday instead of the traditional Sunday ceremonies as in years past. Visit the SU Commencement page for related events and details.
Your gift of time, know-how, or financial support helps provide an increased level of excellence that supports students, faculty, research, core programs, and new College initiatives. Your investment inspires others to give, helping raise our profile and reputation in the community.'
Monday, May 6 at 9:00 AM
Wednesday, May 8 at 12:30 PM
Monday, May 13 at 5:00 PM
Tuesday, May 14 at 12:00 PM