Reception Celebrates the Publications of University Authors

Cheng Library hosts its annual reception for University authors as part of Explorations, the extended program dedicated to research, scholarship and creative expression.

Three authors from the College of Education: Prof. Laura Fattal, Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Prof. Jeanne D’Haem, Special Education and Counseling, and Prof. Heejung An, Elementary and Early Childhood Education (left to right).

On April 18, 2017, the David and Lorraine Cheng Library hosted its annual celebration for University authors in the University Commons.  This event honored authors from all five colleges, the library and the University administration.  The celebration was part of Explorations, the extended program dedicated to research, scholarship and creative expression at the University. 

Pamela Theus, Assistant Director for Resource Management at the Cheng Library and Edward Owusu-Ansah, Dean of Cheng Library, welcomed the authors, their colleagues and guests.  In attendance were President Kathleen Waldron and Provost Warren Sandmann.

In her remarks, Pres. Waldron congratulated the University authors on their accomplishments and noted that the depth and breadth of the publications has expanded over the years.  She commented on the active and vibrant scholarship evidenced by the variety of publications on display and thanked the authors for their exceptional work.  She also noted that the members of the University Board of Trustees have taken notice of the superb quality of the writings so successfully accomplished.  

This years’ compilation of publications included a wide representation of interests from academic and administrative departments. Original concepts and creative ideas were presented in the myriad articles and books displayed at the event. 

From the College of Education, Jeanne D’Haem’s book, Inclusion: The Dream and the Reality Inside Special Education, addressed a prevalent concern of parents and teachers. Laura Fattal wrote several articles on visual culture and creativity in elementary and early childhood education, and Heejung An edited a handbook of research on study abroad programs designed for P-12 teachers.

Many faculty continue to publish in their established areas of interest and expertise. Deniz Yucel, Sociology, contributed several articles detailing her research on marriage and the relationships among siblings in a variety of social science journals. He Zhang, Art Dept., continued her research on the religious and Krishna iconography in Khotan carpets, and Liane Robertson, English Dept., furthered her studies on writing and teaching for transfer.

University faculty also collaborated and co-authored articles, among them Corey Basch and Aleksandar Kecojevic of the Public Health Dept. who investigated a variety of health-related issues and conducted content analyses of health information portrayed in popular media. Some faculty addressed pragmatic subjects of interest to the wider public, such as Miryam Wahrman, Biology Dept., who wrote on a pertinent health topic in her new book: The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World. Practical business challenges were discussed in Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Management, the book by the Associate Dean of the Cotsakos College of Business Kathleen J. Barnes.

Many writers expressed creative perspectives, and faculty of the English department were well-represented in this group.  Phillip Cioffari’s novel, The Bronx Kill, is a fictional murder mystery. John Parras contributed two works of fiction to literary magazines, and Brad Gooch researched and wrote a biography on the Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi titled Rumi’s Secret: The Life of the Sufi Poet of Love.  Musician Pete McGuinness published articles in Downbeat Magazine and Alejandro Anreus, Art Dept., contributed an essay to the catalog for an exhibit of the works of artist Raphael Soriano. 

Poetry also comprised a notable portion of the new publications - many written by faculty of the English Dept.  Charlotte Nekola contributed a book of poems titled Della Who, and Bill Wolak submitted two books of poetry accompanied with translations into Romanian. Timothy Liu and Barbara Krasner both contributed several poems to a variety of literary reviews.

University administrators were also among the authors.  Philip Sprayberry, Marketing and Public Relations Department, attended to celebrate his new book, All I Ever Needed Was the Music, a biography of Edward Kleban, the lyricist of the famous Broadway play “A Chorus Line.”

These examples are just a few of the many notable publications compiled in this year’s bibliography which is available online from the Library’s website.  Many of these new books will become part of the Library’s holdings in a special collection in the Paterson Room.

May 02, 2017