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CAS Student Highlights
CAS Student Highlights
Students Awarded CAS Scholarships for 2022-23
Students Awarded CAS Scholarships for 2022-23
The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that the following students have been awarded CAS scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year. The College congratulates these students on their outstanding records of academic achievement and community leadership.
Ava Leahy
Anne Leach
Erin Crnkovich
Derek Berger
Heather Evans
Odia Kaba
Maliyah McGowan
Eva Long
Karley Misek
Leah Saunders
Jennifer Bennett
Kristina Sweet
Jessica Kwek
Coreena Forstner
Rachel English
Ava Robbins
Emily Alaniz
Eric Marion
Hailee Hull
Marcus Mendez-Gibson
Nicholas Hart
Abby Siegel
Casey Miller
The College is also happy to award Undergraduate Symposium scholarships for 2022-23 to the following students in recognition of their excellent research and creative projects:
Cassandra Anderson
Tristan Burk
Erin Crnkovich
Kaitlyn Dorey
Sophia Emmi
Coreena Forstner
Maya Gaynier
Amber Haley
Cole Heien
Odia Kaba
Brendon Kaniecki
Madison Lambert
Konrad Lautenschlager
Olivia Robinson
Art Schupbach
Camryn Smith
Jacklyn Staffeld
Alex Chumney Receives Goldwater Scholarship
Alex Chumney Receives Goldwater Scholarship
Junior Biology major Alex Chumney was recently awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Alex sat down with EMU Today to talk about her passion for science and how her support system of family, friends, and EMU professors helped get her where she is today.
Alex Chumney, junior Biology major and Goldwater Scholarship recipient
CAS Faculty and Staff Highlights
CAS Faculty and Staff Highlights
Five CAS Instructors Recognized with Faculty and Staff Awards
Five CAS Instructors Recognized with Faculty and Staff Awards
The University has awarded teaching and research awards for 2022 to five CAS instructors.
Two members of the Economics faculty received Ronald Collins Distinguished Faculty Awards. Dr. James Saunoris received the Ronald Collins Research II Award which recognizes the research productivity of a faculty member with six or more years of service at EMU. The author of more than 60 publications in reputable academic journals, Dr. Saunoris also engages in research collaborations with students and serves the Economics field in editorial positions. Dr. Amanda Stype received the Ronald Collins Teaching I Award which recognizes the exceptional teaching of a faculty member with one to five years of teaching experience at EMU. Dr. Stype was recognized for her outstanding classroom teaching as well as her skillful mentoring and advising of students in the Economics Department and in the Honors College.
Two CAS lecturers won the Part-Time Lecturer Distinguished Teaching Award. Biology lecturer Dr. Ashley Wilson was noted for her animated and engaging classroom instruction and for her challenging assignments that gauge comprehension and require critical thinking. Philosophy lecturer Dr. Andrew Antis was recognized for leading lively yet focused discussions and for having inspired many students to pursue further study in philosophy.
Chemistry Professor Dr. Harriet Lindsay was awarded the Excellent Teachers Engaging Alumni Award, which is granted by the Alumni Association in recognition of superior teaching achievement. Dr. Lindsay makes accessible the often-dreaded field of organic chemistry by engaging her students in active learning, most recently with a flipped classroom. She also leads mentorship of student research at EMU as the chair of the Undergraduate Symposium Organizing Committee and as a Faculty Associate for Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Amanda Stype and Dr. James Saunoris
Rita Shah Granted Fulbright Award
Rita Shah Granted Fulbright Award
Dr. Rita Shah, Associate Professor of Criminology, has been granted a Fulbright award. Shah’s award will support research in Australia to understand an attempt to change the incarceration experience. "Specifically, I will analyze the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) in Canberra, which claims to be a human rights-based prison," said Shah. "In studying the design and operation of the prison and the legislation the AMC is based on, this study will discern whether the implementation of human rights principles can lead to change or if the ideals legitimize existing practices." Shah's project utilizes textual analysis, interviews, and photo documentation and focuses on the social and legal construction of correctional systems and structures.
Shah's most recent publications can be found in Crime & Delinquency and Critical Criminology.
Dr. Rita Shah
Robert Erlewine Named Director of EMU's Center for Jewish Studies
Robert Erlewine Named Director of EMU's Center for Jewish Studies
EMU has appointed Robert Erlewine as the new Director of the Center For Jewish Studies. Erlewine joins EMU from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he is a professor of religion and has served as Isaac Funk Endowed Professor in Philosophy since 2020. Prior to that, he was Isaac Funk Endowed Professor in Religion from 2019-2020. He served in several other academic roles at Wesleyan beginning in 2006, including chair of the Religion Department. He was a visiting lecturer in the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College for the summer term of 2019, and began his professional career in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Houston as an adjunct lecturer. Erlewine earned a Ph.D. in religious studies from Rice University, a master's degree in philosophy from Boston College, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Erlewine will hold tenure in the Department of History and Philosophy.
Dr. Robert Erlewine
Beth Currans and Decky Alexander Secure Second Chance Pell Grants for College in Prison Students
Beth Currans and Decky Alexander Secure Second Chance Pell Grants for College in Prison Students
Thanks to the efforts of Women's and Gender Studies Department Head Beth Currans and Professor of Applied Drama Decky Alexander, Eastern Michigan University will provide Second Chance Pell Grants to incarcerated students at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility and the Federal Correctional Institution in Milan. The program extends EMU Pell Grant funding to incarcerated students in the CAS-led College in Prison program, allowing them to enroll in courses leading to bachelor's degrees on-site at the correctional institutions.
Dr. Decky Alexander
Dr. Beth Currans
Tom Kovacs Represents EMU at Countywide Climate Summit
Tom Kovacs Represents EMU at Countywide Climate Summit
Dr. Tom Kovacs (Geography and Geology) was asked by the EMU President's office to represent EMU along with Scott Storrar (Executive Director, Facilities, Planning, Maintenance & Construction) at a countywide climate summit on May 18 at Washtenaw Community College. The goal of the climate summit was to explore working together to better achieve effective community climate action. Attendees included County Commission Chair Sue Shink, Ypsilanti Mayor Lois Richardson, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, Pittsfield Township Supervisor Mandy Grewal, CEO Alonzo Lewis of Trinity Health in Ann Arbor, WCC President Rose Bellanca, and Ann Arbor School Superintendent Jeanice Swift. The meeting opened with a taped address by Lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist who introduced the final version of the MI Healthy Climate Plan that was recently released by the Governor's office.
Dr. Tom Kovacs
CAS Alumni Highlights
CAS Alumni Highlights
Public Administration Alum Gets a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Public Administration Alum Gets a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
CAS alum Greg Mathis (BS Public Administration, '82) has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Since 1999, Mathis has held court on the Emmy-winning Judge Mathis program. On June 19 his new show, Mathis Family Matters, premiered on the E! network. A longtime member of the EMU Black Alumni Chapter and a generous EMU supporter, Mathis was the Winter 2009 Commencement speaker.
Greg Mathis
History Alum Presents Civil War History on WDIV
History Alum Presents Civil War History on WDIV
Sharon Burrell (MA History '18) was featured in a WDIV story about a Juneteenth reenactment of the 102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment at Camp Ward in Detroit. She explained that contrary to the common misconception that freedom was just handed to Black people, Black soldiers played a critical role in the Civil War, and many were killed or wounded fighting to end slavery.
Burrell studied History at EMU after retiring from a career as a microbiologist for the City of Detroit’s Water Department. She teaches history at Rochester University.
Sharon Burrell
CAS Alumni, Faculty, and Students Featured in Eastern Magazine
CAS Alumni, Faculty, and Students Featured in Eastern Magazine
The Summer 2022 Eastern Magazine features several CAS people, including alumni Melinda Wilson (BS Psychology '96), Tricia Stewart Terry (BS Criminal Justice, '96), and Matt Jones (BA History '17, MS Historic Preservation '20). The lead story, about the Creating a Culture of Belonging initiative, highlights the work of Political Science department head Barbara Patrick, English professor Christine Neufeld, and Economics student Odia Kaba. An article on Geography professor Mark Jefferson quotes History professor Jesse Kauffman and Historic Preservation grad student Luis Pena.
Dr. Barbara Patrick
CAS Program Highlights
CAS Program Highlights
Historic Preservation Field School Gives Hands-on Experience at Beaver Island
Historic Preservation Field School Gives Hands-on Experience at Beaver Island
Sixteen Historic Preservation program graduate students and their professors spent eight days on beautiful Beaver Island (off the coast of Charlevoix, Mich.) conducting its annual Historic Preservation field school. Lori Taylor-Blitz, Historic Preservation program alum and Executive Director of the Beaver Island Historical Society, asked program participants to think about how citizens of Charlevoix County might use the long-abandoned 1858 Beaver (Island) Head Lighthouse. The community rallied to help fund the field school, making it possible for the group to travel to the island and stay there. Students worked with Charlevoix County and its commissioners to brainstorm adaptive re-use of the Beaver Head Lighthouse. Then students broke into teams of three to physically assess and repair features on that lighthouse; document and record the various buildings on the Lighthouse site; and inventory and document Beaver Island Historical Society's artifact and archival collections. Participants stayed in rustic cabins at the CMU Biological Station on the island's beautiful eastern shore. The Islanders hosted participants for lunches, dinners, and tours. It was an extraordinary learning laboratory. The Historic Preservation program has promised to return for the next few years.
Students explore the Beaver Island Lighthouse.
Fermentation Science Collaboration Aims to Diversify the Brewing Industry
Fermentation Science Collaboration Aims to Diversify the Brewing Industry
EMU's Fermentation Science program is partnering with Detroit-based breweries and training schools to create opportunities for underrepresented students in the brewing industry through hands-on training experiences, career partnerships, and networking opportunities. Through this collaboration, EMU hopes to create space for new voices and provide a strong foundation for young entrepreneurs to break into the industry.
Fermentation Science students learn the science behind fermentation and brewing.
Low Brass Students Perform at Midwest Regional Conference
Low Brass Students Perform at Midwest Regional Conference
EMU tuba and euphonium students recently performed at the Midwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference at University of Kentucky in Lexington. The students were under the direction of Dr. Brendan Ige, part-time lecturer in the School of Music and Dance.
Dr. Brandon Ige directs EMU tuba and euphonium students.
Fish Lake Provides Cross-disciplinary Research Opportunities for Students
Fish Lake Provides Cross-disciplinary Research Opportunities for Students
Drs. Chris Gellasch and Bill Welsh from Geography and Geology and Dr. Maggie Hanes from Biology have visited EMU's Fish Lake Environmental Education Center nine times since April, and will continue to do so over the summer. They are conducting fieldwork with students on research projects and have started the process of creating detailed GIS-based maps for the property. The research includes a Biology graduate student identifying plant communities in different parts of the property based on hydrologic setting (bog, vernal pools, etc.) and an Environmental Science and Society undergraduate student analyzing groundwater and surface water changes over time in order to assess impacts on these plant communities.
Above: Dr. Chris Gellasch and several students after a day of fieldwork at Fish Lake installing shallow monitoring wells.
Below: Students collect and press plants to document species presence on the property. Specimens will be deposited in the EMU Herbarium. Students have collected well over 100 species of plants since April.
Connect with CAS
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