October 2008

John Contreni

LA Influentials

What does the National Geographic Channel have to do with Vanderbilt University?

For that matter, what does the Supreme Court of Indiana have to do with the Sara Lee Corp.?

Or Qualcom Business with the Chicago Zoological Society or the Indianapolis Colts with Columbia University?

Give up? These very different organizations - and many more like them - employ the college's alumni and alumnae in positions of significant responsibility.

We've invited former students in the arts, humanities, behavioral sciences, and social sciences who have moved into these organizations to present their stories in the college's LA Influentials GS 300 course. The course aims to put influential graduates of our programs in front of today's students to share how our faculty and curricula helped prepare them for their current careers.

This semester's course has been fascinating and informative - fascinating to listen as our former students relate how they invented and re-invented themselves to build interesting and satisfying careers that none anticipated during their undergraduate years. And informative to listen as our current students query the alums about their professional journeys. It's clear to me that for as often as we recite that a liberal arts degree prepares students for "anything" or for "a world of opportunity," many of our students find it challenging to imagine what that anything or those opportunities might be.

How can we help them?

Sincerely,

John J. Contreni
Justin S. Morrill Dean

October is Experience Liberal Arts month James Earl Jones speaks at Experience Liberal Arts Please take a few minutes to browse the calendar of events. The month will feature more than 45 events that reflect the ongoing coursework and research in our college's 12 departments and 16 interdisciplinary programs. Let's experience Liberal Arts together!

RESEARCH & NEWS

Congress helps politicians hone skills for future careers

The time U.S. senators and representatives spend in Congress can be viewed as similar to the on-the-job training a carpenter or plumber would acquire during an apprenticeship, says a Political Science expert.

Glenn Parker

"What would you do if the very day you were hired, you knew you could be unemployed in as little as two years?" says Glenn R. Parker, a Distinguished professor of Political Science. "Politicians are concerned about what will happen when they leave public office, either through electoral defeat or retirement. Facing these circumstances, they hone their political skills, develop substantive expertise, cultivate bureaucratic contacts and build marketable reputations - all designed to amass what we call human capital - in order to make themselves more attractive to future employers."

Parker surveyed more than 200 former members who served in Congress during the past half century. His findings are published in his new book Capitol Investments: The Marketability of Political Skills. More

Financial crisis taxing on families, relationships

Wall Street's financial woes can affect relationships - both financial and romantic - of people of all ages and incomes, says a Sociologist.

"Economic stress is one of the major sources of family stress," says Viktor Gecas, professor of Sociology and head of the Department of Sociology. "Research shows that this kind of stress can lead to changes in family members and in family dynamics, such as husbands becoming irritable and wives becoming depressed, as well as more extreme problems such as mental health issues, alcoholism, drug abuse and family violence." More

Halloween history haunts today's traditions

While witches, devils and vampires are common Halloween characters, they really have nothing to do with the origins of the holiday, says a Purdue University history professor.

"The origins of Halloween, which goes back more than a thousand years, has a lot to do with fertility, the harvest and the souls of the dead, but not witches, devils or vampires," says Melinda Zook, an associate professor of medieval history. "Like all things in Western civilization, Halloween has its roots in our pagan, Roman and Christian past. It is a complex mixture of various ancient and medieval festivals, customs, rites and traditions." More

New tool to assess speech development in infants, toddlers with hearing impairments

The number of hearing impaired infants and toddlers who are successfully aided by technological devices, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, continues to grow, but there are still unknowns about these children's speaking abilities, according to a Purdue expert.

A new assessment tool, a game-like activity to monitor early auditory-guided speech development in infants and toddlers, is available for speech-language pathologists, said David Ertmer, the tool's co-creator and an associate professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. More

Professor works to explain how people define a 'real job'

How people define what makes a "real job" continues to shift as more young adults pursue entrepreneurial careers, says a Purdue organizational communication expert.

Robin Clair

"Thousands of years ago, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato said that working for another person's profit was deplorable," says Robin Patric Clair, professor of Communication. "Over time that perception shifted, and just a few decades ago, the perceived ideal job was at a corporation. Now, the trend may be shifting again."

Cultural, historical, economic, political and psychological factors influence how people define a real job, says Clair, co-author of Why Work: The Perceptions of a 'Real Job' and the Rhetoric of Work through the Ages. More

United Way and Weed & Seed partnership receives five-year federal grant

The United Way of Greater Lafayette and the Downtown Lafayette Weed & Seed Initiative have been awarded a new federal grant to support individual development accounts (IDAs) for low-income families and individuals in the Weed & Seed community.

JoAnn Miller

The grant is an Assets for Independence (AFI) award from the Office of Community Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

JoAnn Miller, Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and Engagement and the grant proposal's author, said: "Asset building is the most effective way to prevent poverty. The AFI/IDA program will make Lafayette stronger by increasing home ownership and work skills for a number of residents. This is exactly what our community needs at a time when residents express concerns about jobs and the economy." More

Social Web sites can chill friendships, lead to poor health

Too much time spent making "virtual" friends online can freeze out close "real" friendships that do matter, and that may not be good for a person's health, says a Communication expert.

Glenn Sparks

"Reconnecting with college or high school buddies is fine, but too much time spent on these virtual friendships can take away from close, personal relationships that can be gauged by whether you are close enough to someone to allow them refrigerator rights -- free reign of the contents of your refrigerator in your home," says Glenn Sparks, professor of Communication and co-author of Refrigerator Rights: Our Crucial Need for Close Connection. "Research shows the lack of refrigerator rights relationships are harmful to a person's physical and emotional health because of depression and anxiety." More

Art in public buildings does more than paint a pretty picture

Public art, in addition to beauty, plays functional, educational and community-building roles in new buildings, airports and public spaces, says a Purdue expert.

Fabian Winkler

"Incorporating public art has been a steady trend the past decade, in part because of city ordinances and regulations that allocate a specific percentage of new projects to pay for art projects," says Fabian Winkler, an assistant professor in Art and Design. "What continues to change is the type of art. Public art started as mural and static paintings, then evolved to sculpture installations and mobiles, and now, we're moving toward interactive art." More

Presidential candidates vying - quietly - for Latino vote

Immigration issues were a divisive force in the 2004 election, so this year's candidates are taking a quieter, more direct approach to reaching the Latino population, says a Political Scientist.

James McCann

"What we're seeing instead is microtargeting the Latino demographic," says James McCann, a professor of Political Science who is surveying Mexican immigrants regarding political participation and other civic issues.

Instead of mass appeals, commercials and speeches, the candidates are airing Spanish commercials in specific cities with large Latino populations. The Republican and Democratic parties also are reaching Latinos through surrogate leadership and outreach through the local grass-roots levels and politicians. The emphasis on the demographic is there, but it's not visible to everyone." More

Youth with disabilities can swim, play at Pete's Pals program

Children and youths ages 3-18 with physical disabilities can participate in the six-week Pete's Pals program that offers community-based aquatic and motor therapies.

The program is designed to help children become efficient movers in a fun and safe environment, says Susan Flynn, clinical associate professor of Health and Kinesiology. Each participant will be assigned a trained clinician who will guide them through a variety of activities inducing physical fitness to improve muscular strength, endurance and flexibility; body awareness and special orientation; fundamental and motor patterns and sports skills; swimming and water safety skills; and sensory motor activities. Parents also can listen to speakers or participate in a support group during this time. More

Professor organizes scholars to promote studies of religions in China

A Sociology professor is encouraging collaboration between Western and Chinese scholars, as interest continues to grow about religious changes and trends in China.

Fenggang Yang, associate professor of Sociology and director of Purdue's Center on Religion and Chinese Society, is organizing the Beijing Summit on Chinese Spirituality and Society on Oct. 8-10 at Peking University. The event is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. More

Director named for Latin American and Latino Studies

Antonio D. Tillis, an associate professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, has been named the director of the College of Liberal Arts' Latin American and Latino Studies program. The new program and undergraduate minor in Latin American and Latino studies, which was approved by the College of Liberal Arts Faculty Senate in April, will be housed in CLA's Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Antonio Tillis

The 15-credit hour minor will require the "Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies" course. Then students can select other courses that include "Spanish and Latin American Cinema," "Hispanic Women Writers," "The Archaeology of the Ancient Andes" and "History of Mexico." Students also are required to demonstrate advanced oral and written proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese through testing or courses in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. More

In Memoriam

Professor Emeritus of Health and Kinesiology C. Harold "Hal" Veenker of Palo Alto, Calif., formerly of West Lafayette, died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, in Palo Alto, California.

EXPERTS IN THE NEWS

Indiana Business Journal –
Can you give your service away and still make money?
(Jake Jensen, Department of Communication)

The New York Times –
Help for budding couch potatoes
(Alan Smith, Department of Health and Kinesiology)

Washington Observer –
Presidential experts comment on 2008 race
(Bert Rockman, Department of Political Science)

Terre-Haute Tribune –
Academic lesson from Katrina: Love and know thy neighborhood
(Daniel Aldrich, Department of Political Science)

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review –
Flagging economy may propel Obama
(Bert Rockman, Department of Political Science)

Runner's World –
College classes prepare students to go 26.2.
(Mike Flynn, Department of Health and Kinesiology)

Story ideas can be sent to Amy Patterson Neubert at the Purdue News Service, 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu