Arts & Sciences – UofL News Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:45:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 UofL announces College of Arts & Sciences dean /post/uofltoday/uofl-announces-college-of-arts-sciences-dean/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 14:52:46 +0000 /?p=58257 The University of Louisville announced today it has chosen an administrator dedicated to student success through a solid grounding in a liberal arts education as the new dean of theĚýĚý(´ˇ&˛ąłľ±č;ł§).
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Dayna Touron, associate dean of theĚýĚý(CAS) and psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), will begin July 1, pending approval by the UofL Board of Trustees.
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“The College of Arts & Sciences at UofL empowers students with a greater understanding of the world we live in,” Touron said. “I believe strongly in the teacher-scholar model of higher education and the inclusion of students in a climate of belonging, contemplation, discovery and real-life application. I am very excited to serve as the next dean of this diverse and dynamic college.”
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Founded in 1907, A&S is the largest of UofL’s 12 schools and colleges with more than 70 degree programs and approximately 9,000 students studying humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Its more than 375 full-time faculty receive millions in research grants every year.
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Touron, associate dean of the CAS at the UNCG since 2017, received her bachelor’s degree from Maryville College, her M.S. and Ph.D. from Syracuse University, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a professor of psychology whose research in cognitive psychology focuses on metacognition and memory in older adulthood.Ěý
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While at UNCG, she also has developed women’s leadership programming.
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Touron lives with her son Spencer and daughter Daphne and enjoys kayaking and camping in her free time.Ěý
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UofL students launch online political review /post/uofltoday/uofl-students-launch-online-political-review/ Wed, 13 Oct 2021 14:23:52 +0000 /?p=54713 With politics in the United States seemingly more divided than ever, a group of University of Louisville undergraduate students is focused on closing what it calls “the perception gap” through a nonpartisan online magazine.

The is modeled after the Harvard Political Review, written and published by Harvard undergraduates since 1969.

LPR’s editorial board is made up of UofL undergraduates: junior Julia Mattingly, editor-in-chief; sophomore Nino Owens, managing editor; and associate editors sophomore Alex Reynolds and sophomore Emma Fridy. Mattingly majors in rural health and economics; the other three either major or double-major in political science.

There are also eight staff writers – all undergraduates.

At just 1 year old, LPR is an infant compared to its well-established cousin. But LPR is already tackling the big issues: gun buyback programs; climate change and Appalachia; the minimum wage; hunger; the coronavirus vaccine and white privilege; infrastructure.

“We are not necessarily seeking toĚýchangeĚýanyone’s mind about a particular issue, butĚýopenĚýit to perspectives different from their own,” the magazine’s editors say on its website.

The website, thought to be the first of its kind for UofL, also provides a valuable experiential learning tool for the students, said Laura Moyer, associate professor in the political science department, who is the students’ academic advisor.

“We are lucky to have a student body at UofL that is very engaged with their community and that has a lot of ideas about addressing the major policy issues of the day,” Moyer said. “The Louisville Political Review takes advantage of this talent andĚýhelps students find their voice. This experience lays the foundation for careers in public service, public policy and community engagement – even running for office.”

LPR is looking for additional staff writers and open for individual submissions from graduate students, professors and the general public. Visit .

 

 

 

 

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UofL’s debate and quiz bowl teams roll in spring tournaments /post/uofltoday/uofls-debate-and-quiz-bowl-teams-roll-in-spring-tournaments/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:48:37 +0000 http://www.uoflnews.com/?p=46539 The University of Louisville’s debate team recently placed 20th in the country at the National Debate Tournament. Students Deontrey Yeargin (sophomore, Pan-African Studies) and Jahne Benthall (freshman, Criminal Justice) advanced to the single elimination bracket—a rare accomplishment for a freshman/sophomore duo.

Additionally, Yeargin ranked 26th of 156 total speakers. The team is coached by Tiffany Dillard-Knox, director of debate for the Malcolm X Debate Program and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Communication.

Meanwhile, UofL’s Quiz Bowl team, led by Matt Church (advising) and including students Luke McFarland (Biology), Luke Schroeder (Biology), Mohammed Hindi (Chemistry), Travis Liebert (Psychology), Thomas Rosbottom (Physics) and Zane Sanders (History), won both divisions at the Kentucky Collegiate Quick Recall League tournament at Eastern Kentucky University, which helped them to clinch the season title. This makes 15 of a possible 18 division titles since 2011 for UofL.

The Division I team of Eric Hahnert (Chemical Engineering) and Christian Vennemann (Sport Administration) went 6-0 at the tournament, with wins over EKU (twice), Cumberlands (twice), and Transylvania (twice) to finish first.

The DII team of Emily Beltchev (Bioengineering), Dylan Boone (Chemical Engineering), Luke McFarland (Biology), and Luke Schroeder (Biology) went 6-0 with wins over EKU (twice), Cumberlands (twice), and Jefferson CTC (twice) to finish first.

This year’s DI team includes Eric Hahnert (Chemical Engineering), Mohammed Hindi (Chemistry), Travis Liebert (Psychology), Thomas Rosbottom (Physics), Zane Sanders (History, and Christian Vennemann (Sport Administration). The team finish the league season with a 20-1 record.

This year’s DII team consisted of Emily Beltchev (Bioengineering), Dylan Boone (Chemical Engineering), Luke McFarland (Chemistry), and Luke Schroeder (Biology). The team finished the season with a perfect 19-0 record.

UofL also had four players named to the all-league team. Hahnert and Hindi were named to the Division I All League team. Beltchev and Boone were named to the Division II All League team.

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Chinese language minor gives UofL students new opportunities in globalized world /section/arts-and-humanities/chinese-language-minor-gives-uofl-students-new-opportunities-in-globalized-world/ /section/arts-and-humanities/chinese-language-minor-gives-uofl-students-new-opportunities-in-globalized-world/#respond Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:29:53 +0000 http://uoflnews.com/?p=35509 Of the 7.2 billion people on Earth, 14 percent speak Mandarin Chinese and an additional six percent speak another dialect of Chinese. And there are more than three times as many Chinese speakers as those speaking Spanish, the next most widely spoken language.

Compare that to the number of people studying Mandarin – roughly 30 million worldwide – and it is clear there is a gap to fill. Fortunately for UofL students, there is now that opportunity through the College of Arts & Sciences Classical & Modern Language Department’s Chinese Language minor program.

The program began accepting students for the first time in the fall.Ěý

“One of the main reasons I came to UofL is that I am able to continue to learn Chinese,” said senior Kendall Malone, a Psychological & Brian Sciences major who is also enrolled in the minor program. “I plan on moving to China and bridging my psychology knowledge with my knowledge of Chinese language and culture to work addressing mental health issues there.”

The new Chinese language minor program was added in the fall.

The new language minor took the place of the department’s Chinese Studies minor, focused more on culture and history than language, which was transferred to the Asian Studies program. Now students can immerse themselves in a language-focused curriculum with two full-time faculty members devoted to developing and sustaining the program.

“Our undergraduates are well aware of the importance of the Chinese language — in addition to Chinese history and culture — in today’s globalized economy and diverse environment, and they welcome more opportunities to study it,” said Chinese language professor Li Zeng, director of the new minor program. “We are answering this increased demand by offering a recognized minor rather than just the occasional individualized offerings themselves.”

The Chinese Language minor provides learners of Mandarin Chinese with a standards-based, topically organized curriculum. The program promotes effective communication in Chinese, understanding of the Chinese civilization, and appreciation of global cultural diversity. Through full-fledged coursework from elementary to advanced levels, co-curricular activities, and a summer study abroad trip to China, this program complements majors as diverse as Business, Political Science, Humanities, Engineering, Geography, Medicine and History, among others. The program also opens up an array of scholarship opportunities through partnerships with U.S. government agencies, Chinese institutions, non-profit organizations and businesses.

“Apart from providing educational services for students’ language proficiency to make them better suited to today’s globalized world, this language-focused Chinese minor program also helps increase students’ success in receiving major grants like the Boren and Fulbright Awards, as well as university scholarships,” Prof. Zeng said.

For example, Chinese Studies minor and Speed School of Engineering alumnus Ben Arterburn (’08) received the prestigious Boren Award to pursue studies in China while an undergraduate at UofL. He went on to get an MA in Modern and Contemporary China from Columbia University and now works as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department. Chinese Studies minor and College of Business alumnus Will Scott (’09) was one of only 15 people worldwide accepted into the MA program in Modern Chinese Studies at the University of Oxford in 2009. And senior Calvin Grant, double majoring in Asian Studies and Geography and minoring in Chinese Language, received the World Scholars Scholarship to study Chinese in Beijing before returning to UofL to finish his undergraduate degree, intern at The Crane House and complete his senior thesis.

Even students like Kevin Zheng, who has speaks Mandarin at home with his parents, find formal instruction in the language important for future success.

“I did not learn Chinese in a school environment, which left me with a shaky foundation and not much room to improve,” said Zheng, a Chinese Language minor and Bioengineering major at the Speed School. “Learning it at an academic level helps me use language to understand interactions between people in other cultures, and it can assist me in getting a job in the future as it shows that I am capable and reliable to work with matters that require knowing Chinese.”

Since the establishment of the Chinese Language minor last semester, the program has accepted six students, is processing six more applications, and is continually fielding calls and emails from prospective students. Nationwide, the number of university students studying Chinese has tripled in recent years, according to the Modern Language Association.

 

 

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