4/26/13

St. Lawrence Faculty, Staff Chosen to Attend AAC&U Institute

CANTON-Seven St. Lawrence University faculty and staff members have been accepted into the Association for American Colleges and Universities’ Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments to be held July 10-14 at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Those representing St. Lawrence will be Karl Schonberg, associate dean for International and Intercultural Studies, Richard Jenseth, associate professor of film studies, Traci Fordham, co-chair and associate professor of performance and communication arts, Marina Llorente, co-chair and associate professor of modern languages and literatures, John Collins, chair and professor of global studies, Mary Jane Smith, associate professor of history, and Devon Murphy Stein, director of corporate and foundation relations.

The group is going to the institute as part of the work they are doing through a $700,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation for a five-year project, “Crossing Boundaries: Re-envisioning Humanities for the 21st Century.”

They were awarded the grant with the understanding and belief that certain forms of knowledge can no longer be isolated, and that issues confronted today compel us to think across traditional boundaries. In addition, a contemporary liberal arts education requires competency in multiple modes of discourse, with visual and media literacies increasingly as important as oral and textual literacies. “Crossing Boundaries” will enable faculty and staff to become more interdisciplinary, more collaborative and more innovative with regard to where and how students learn.

The Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments is intended for colleges and universities interested in building faculty and departmental leadership for advancement of Essential Learning Outcomes—knowledge of multiple disciplines, inquiry and critical thinking, personal and social responsibility, civic learning, global knowledge and skills, and, particularly, integrative and applied learning.

The AAC&U is a leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career.