Chapman University - PR - Publications - July 20, 2009 Happenings

Feb 9, 2012 59°F/15°C
Quick Links

PUBLIC RELATIONS > Publications > Happenings > July 20, 2009

— Week of July 20, 2009 —

Meet the new dean of Wilkinson College – Dr. Patrick Quinn

He doesn’t carry a cell phone. Would rather talk face-to-face than by e-mail. Likes to run about 5 miles in the evenings. Is an expert on poet Robert Graves. Of course he’s passionate about the beauty and craft of writing. Oh, and one of his kids almost was cast as Harry Potter.

Patrick Quinn, Ph.D., dean of Wilkinson College, doesn’t know Dr. Patrick Quinn, the new dean of Wilkinson College what to make of the fact that he’s gone from Ottawa (Canada) to Oxford (England) to Oxford (Miss.) to Orange – all locations that begin with “O” and are six letters. He’s always been a wanderer and muses that perhaps it started when he was a high school student who desperately wanted to escape his birthplace of Erie, Pa.

“I’ve always had that (wandering) in my blood,” he says. And it shows up in his academic life. Germany, Greece, Iraq, England, Worcester, Mass., all places where he taught. Dr. Quinn completed his B.A. in English and history at University of Guelph, Canada. He received his M.A. in English literature from University of Ottawa, Canada, and his Ph.D., in English literature at the University of Warwick.

He arrived in Orange County July 1 from the University of Mississippi, where he was chair of the Department of English. There, his big push was to elevate the writing program at Ole Miss. “You can’t do well at university unless you can write,” he says. One simple change made under his direction: Reordering the sequence of how some writing courses were taught at Ole Miss.

Chapman University Wilkinson College logo At Chapman, he is looking at connecting the college’s programs with those of other schools and departments on campus. “We really need to rethink what constitutes liberal arts these days,” he says. In some ways, he is looking at how the sciences or law can be tied to writing, music, even history.

He’s done this before. At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Quinn meshed music and engineering to create computer music courses that are now part of the backbone of the curriculum at WPI. He also looked at combining ethics, music, storytelling and interactive gaming into a course. “We tried to use the humanities in general to build a more humanistic approach to gaming.”

That’s what is so exciting to him now. “This is where you can create new, dynamic courses and ideas.”

Joining Dr. Quinn at Chapman is his wife, Angela Tumini, Ph. D., who was an assistant professor of Italian at Ole Miss. At Chapman, Dr. Tumini will work in the Department of Languages as an assistant professor.

Now, if you want to know the story behind Dr. Quinn’s son’s almost-brush-with-Harry Potter fame, you’ll have to ask Dr. Quinn. He’s more than willing to brag about this. You can find him at DeMille Hall until his office in Roosevelt Hall is ready – hopefully by mid-August.

Or, if you’d like to discuss poetry, you might ask him about his favorite Robert Graves poem, Counting the Beats, which he calls “the most beautiful love poem ever written.” CLICK HERE to read.

Military Personnel Law Center receives $2.5 million

The Chapman School of Law’s Military Personnel Law Center and John Eastman

AMVETS Legal Clinic has received a five-year, $2.5 million commitment from the AMVETS Department of California. Chapman School of Law Dean John Eastman attended the AMVETS Department of California annual convention in Ontario, where a check presentation was made for this year’s installment of $500,000 for the center and clinic.

Kyndra K. Rotunda “We are extremely grateful to AMVETS Department of California for this extraordinary commitment and their ongoing support for our center and clinic,” said Kyndra K. Rotunda, director of the Military Personnel Law Center and visiting assistant professor of law at Chapman. Rotunda is a military veteran herself, a former Army JAG Corps officer. “Their generosity will make it possible for our students to continue to meet this vital community need,” she added.

The center opened in January. Second- and third-year Chapman law students work under the supervision of faculty members and private attorneys and provide free legal representation to military veterans, service members and military families.

To read more, CLICK HERE for The Orange County Register's story.

Not just any choir – but Choir of the World!

Congrats to Chapman Conservatory of Music alumnus Justin Miller ‘08, who directs the Westminster Chorus based in Westminster, Calif. The chorus won the top prize, Choir of the World and the Pavarotti Trophy, at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, where it competed July 6-12 in Llangollen, Wales. For those not up on their choirs and competitions, winning at Llangollen is very prestigious.

To see and hear the choir’s winning performance in Wales, CLICK HERE!

And to watch the announcement of the results, CLICK HERE!

Chapman’s Web site: New look and functionality coming!

The cyber wizards have been hard at work this summer, and New Chapman University homepage you’ll soon be seeing the results of their labors in a new look-and-feel for the Chapman Web site. It’s no secret that our Web site has needed some sprucing up, and the changes you’ll be seeing are cosmetic as well as functional. Many of the main navigational links, for example, have been streamlined and made more logical. “Prospective Students,” “New Students,” “Current Students” and “Student Resources,” for example, will all be folded under “Students.” And you’ll also be seeing a gorgeous new facelift for the homepage – see the screenshot! More details in the coming weeks – and watch for the debut of the new look at the beginning of the academic year!

A chance to show ‘em what we’ve got!

Who were all those folks milling about campus last week? High school and university counselors from all over the world. There were about 620 from 70 countries. And all eyes were on Attendees of the Overseas Association of College Admission Counseling, which was held at Chapman University Chapman University, the host of the annual Overseas Association of College Admission Counseling. It was the first time the conference was held in California.

“The biggest coup is to have them here for four days,” said Seaby Rodriguez, associate director of admission and international admission officer. “We can showcase what Chapman does really well. Hopefully when they go home, they will tell students that they visited Chapman and they might want to consider adding it to their list of universities to attend.”

Having the conference here also allows Chapman to talk to people they can’t always get to, such as advisers who live in China or the Middle East, Rodriguez said. “We can get updates about how their schools are developing, what their students are looking for and other trends,” she said.

Nick Edwards ’87, from Ecuador, is a great example. He already has sent Chapman amazing students (Giada Low and Virginia Thomasi) from his high school in Quito, with more on the way, Rodriguez said.

In addition to all of the sessions held on campus, conference attendees also were treated to a welcome reception at Dodge College, tours of the Queen Mary and Downtown Disney and a dodge ball tournament at the Hutton Sports Center.

Free summer concerts at the Piazza

Mark your calendars! It’s almost time for Chapman’s Summer Concert Series of family-oriented live performances on the Wells Fargo Stage in Fahmy Attallah Piazza. The first concert starts July 31 at 6 p.m. with the Orange County Swing Band. On Aug. 14, Surfin’ USA is up. And Aug. 21 – back by popular demand – The Alley Cats.

Bring low-back lawn chairs, blankets and a picnic dinner. We’ll provide the free popcorn, lemonade and coffee. Parking in the Lastinger structure (under the stadium – enter from Walnut Avenue) is also free.

No smoking or barbecue grills on campus. For more information, call 714-997-6681 or visit www.chapman.edu/summerconcerts.

This Week on TV

Dialogue With Doti and Dodge

Dialogue With Doti and Dodge

Tuesday, July 21, 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26, 11 a.m.

“Time Travel is Not Just a Theory” with Paul Davies, Ph.D., world-renown physicist/ philosopher.

Watch episodes of Dialogue With Doti and Dodge and view the show's schedule.

Wednesday, July 22, 8:30 a.m., on KOCE-TV

Matthew Budoff, M.D., explains the latest advances in heart CT scans. Dore Gilbert, M.D., demonstrates cosmetic Botox injections. Show host Larry Santora, M.D., shares the latest information about hormone replacement therapy.

Sunday, July 26, 8:30 a.m., on OC Channel

Nutritionist Erin Macdonald and fourth-grader Laurenz Dodge explore good nutrition choices for children. Georg Eifert, Ph.D., chair, department of psychology, discusses managing severe anxiety. Show host Larry Santora, M.D., explains whether or not people should choose bottled drinks with antioxidants.

The OC Channel, which is a partnership between KOCE and Chapman University, may be viewed on Channel 50.2 on digital television, Channel 235 on Time Warner, Channel 810 on Cox Communications Cable and Channel 470 on Verizon Fios.

Staff & Faculty Notes

Jason Keller, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences, presented an invited seminar titled “Ecosystems in a changing world: peatlands, methane and global change” at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. While at Oak Ridge he also participated in a collaborative research project exploring soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a forest exposed to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since 1998. This project will provide insights into how forest ecosystems will respond to future anthropogenic global change.

Brennan Peterson, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and director of clinical training, presented a paper at the 25^th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Amsterdam. His paper examined the longitudinal impact of partner coping patterns in couples undergoing five years of unsuccessful fertility treatments. The paper won the Clinical Science Award, an honor given to the top scientific paper at the conference. It was the first time that a paper examining the psychological aspects of reproduction won the Clinical Science Award, which carries a cash prize of about $2,800. “Hopefully this will increase physicians’ awareness of this issue because the mental health side of coping with infertility can often get lost in the intensity of the medical treatments,” he said.

Tibor R. Machan, R.C. Hoiles Chair in Business Ethics and Free Enterprise at the Argyros School of Business and Economics, spoke July 5-6 at the FreeMinds ‘09 Conference in Las Vegas on “How is Objectivism Faring in Contemporary Philosophy” and on “Natural Rights in Today's Political Philosophy Climate.” He also spoke July 18 at the 2009 Business & Economics Society International Conference in Kona, Hawaii, on “Has Capitalism Been Invalidated?”

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

Keep up to date on the latest events and news about Chapman University by following ChapmanPR on Twitter. Click on this link to follow: www.twitter.com/chapmanpr

What are you doing this summer?

We’d love to know what you’re up to this summer for Happenings. Great vacation? Pursuing a hobby? Have a new addition to the family? Please send to pr@chapman.edu. (We love photos and videos, so don’t be bashful!)

Chapman winners at the OC Fair! And we thought folks only cared about the weird, fried food at the fair. We found some Chapman staff who entered actual competitions and won! Carole McCarty, secretary, art department, and Heather Stoltzfus, secretary, College of Performing Arts, won third place at the Orange County Fair for their CoPA-themed table setting. The menu was based on the CoPA fall season and the setting featured use of the CoPA logo and colors. The table setting will be on display through July 28 in the Home Arts and Crafts Pavilion. Also, Heather won first place for her homegrown plums and second place for both her tomato sauce and peach preserves.

More OC Fair news? Did you sample the fine culinary delights? Enter a competition? Have family in any fair events? Or perhaps you just spent an interesting day on the grounds. Let us know! Please send to pr@chapman.edu.

Knit wits? A few weeks ago, Diana McCabe, writer for Chapman communications/media, was frantically finishing up her scarf to mail to Scotland as part of a global project. (Yes, she finished it.) Several staff and faculty have since expressed an interest in creating one of those (gasp) old-fashioned knitting circles. Interested in getting together to knit, purl, unravel? Email Diana McCabe or Mary Platt, director of communications, at dmccabe@chapman.edu or platt@chapman.edu.

Classified Ads

For sale: 1992 Toyota Camry. Well-maintained and in good mechanical condition. 275K miles. Great car for student or commuter. $1,300. 310- 892-0248.

Free: To anyone who wants to pick up a 40-pound bag of Science Diet Adult dog food. Purchased several weeks ago. My dog appears to have an allergy to it. Linda X6693

Room for rent: Anaheim Hills, beautiful location & view, cul-de-sac; swimming pool. $750 a month. Available on Aug. 1. 714- 998-1097 or fsmith4design@yahoo.com

For sale: HP Mini1116NR netbook, purchased in April. Includes 2-year Black Tie extended warranty. $400. 714-271-5408

Ideas, suggestions?

We're still learning as we put out the online edition of Happenings. Please send feedback and ideas to pr@chapman.edu. Diana McCabe, new editor of Happenings, loves to meet new people. Give her a call at Ext: 2813 and show her around your area of Chapman or just introduce yourself.

Happenings, Chapman University's faculty and staff newsletter,
is published by the Office of Communications and Media Relations.

Send your Happenings news and feedback to pr@chapman.edu,
or by campus mail to the PR Department.
Include name, department and phone number. Photo submissions accepted.