Exciting Things that Happened this Summer (that You Might Have Missed)

Do you know:

~Jen Asimow (Child Development) built and launched a new Web site and exciting blog for Elementary Ed Math teachers–check it out, and then send a link to someone who is one or to someone who knows one or to your kid’s teacher or to your neighbor’s kid’s teacher or to anyone interested in education, elementary schools, mathematics, homeschooling, or the future of the world. Seriously.

~Farah Movahedzadeh (Biology) was chosen to be a Leadership Fellow for SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities), one of only  9 from “a strong group” of 1500 national applicants, according to the announcement. She will serve an 18 month term during which she, “plans to continue to develop and publish about strategies that promote student involvements in SENCER courses early in their academic careers (especially among women and minority students). She will continue in conducting scholarly research and publish the learning activities and teaching strategies that promote SENCER principles in and out-side the classrooms. She will continue to encourage her students to come up with creative ideas and alternative strategies and solutions for SENCER activities that help them not only to learn, but also to present and publish their work.” Congratulations, Farah!

~Kristin Bivens has returned (welcome back!) and Matt Usner has left for greener, wetter fields of glory, off to live with the Beavers (fare thee well, our fine brewing-bass-playing-comp-teaching colleague!), and Amanda welcomed her daughter into the world in June!

~And just in case you missed it somehow, we have a new VP, and John has moved to Wright (and will be missed) and, it should be noted for those who missed it,  there was a bit of a kerfuffle.

Also, elsewhere, the Faculty of the University of Virginia rose up against the Board of Visitors ( also here, here for hilarious, here for the Auden poem linked at the end, here, here, here, and here, titled “What happens when Universities are led by robber barons”). Not only that, but Title IX turned 40 years old, and the Freeh Report was released, documenting the misdeeds of powerful people and serving as the basis for NCAA sanctions at Penn State, followed by lots of commentary.

Meanwhile, a wave of retirements were hitting colleges all across Illinois–polish up those resumes, adjuncts; good gigs await, hopefully!

What did I miss? Put it in the comments…