Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

UA Philosophy Professor Awarded American Philosophical Society Fellowship
UA's Cramer Appointed to Board
UA Professor Second this Year to Receive Guggenheim Fellowship
Department of Modern Languages and Classics Hosts International Colloquium

UA Philosophy Professor Awarded American Philosophical Society Fellowship

Dr. Torin Alter

Dr. Torin Alter, associate professor of philosophy in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a prestigious Sabbatical Fellowship by the American Philosophical Society, the oldest society in the United States devoted to the advancement of scientific and scholarly inquiry. Alter was one of only 20 individuals nationwide to be selected for the fellowship from over 250 applicants.

Established in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the American Philosophical Society was begun to encourage scientific and technological advancement. Early members included doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and merchants interested in science, as well as artisans and tradesmen like Franklin. Today the Society recognizes professionals in the arts and humanities by supporting scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach.

"Universities are able to allow faculty members one semester of leave for research each seven years. This prestigious recognition of excellent scholarship funds a second semester of leave. Professor Alter's work is most deserving of this recognition and the year of research time it provides," said Dr. Robert F. Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Alter will complete his book, "Consciousness, Materialism, and Intentionality" which deals with the philosophy of mind. Alter is examining the connections between consciousness and intentionality. While consciousness refers to what it is like for the person to have an experience, intentionality refers to the mind when it forms representations of things, such as concrete objects. The two were thought to be related by earlier philosophers, but this connection was largely ignored by 20th century philosophers. As part of the fellowship, Alter will also spend six weeks at the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute where elite scholars from across the country will hear from experts in the field of consciousness and intentionality.

Alter holds a bachelor's degree from Hampshire College and a master's and doctorate from the University of California. He joined the UA faculty in 1995.

He will be on sabbatical during the 2002- 2003 academic year.

UA's Cramer Appointed to Board

Dr. Kathleen Cramer

Dr. Kathleen Cramer, associate vice president for student affairs, has been appointed director of Women in Student Affairs Network for Region 3 of the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators. She will serve on the region's board, which is comprised of 11 states and Mexico. In this capacity, she will create opportunities for women to advance in the profession.

Cramer also recently received the John L. Blackburn Award for her work as adviser to Freshman Forum. She was also named Province Adviser of the Year for Omicron Delta Kappa senior honor society.

Cramer has served the University since 1975 in the area of student affairs. She has held numerous positions including director of the Office of Student Life and assistant vice president for student affairs. Cramer received her doctorate in administration and higher education from the University in 1985.

UA Professor Second this Year to Receive Guggenheim Fellowship

A second UA English professor has been named a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow this year. The Guggenheim is one of the most prestigious fellowships for academic achievement in the nation.

Poet Mary Ruefle, visiting associate professor in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, is also one of four professors to be awarded this fellowship at the University in the past five years, all from the department of English.

Simon Guggenheim and his wife established the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1925, in memory of his son. The foundation awards fellowships to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts. In 2001 the organization awarded an average of $36,000 to each of its recipients.

"We are delighted to announce our second Guggenheim Fellow in the last month. To have two Guggenheim Fellows selected in one year only continues the remarkable record our department of English has established in earning these respected awards. Professor Ruefle's recognition by this prestigious organization is well deserved, and we applaud her achievement," said Dr. Robert F. Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ruefle is the author of six books of poetry including her most recent, "Among the Musk Ox People," published in 2002. Her work has been published by The Virginia Quarterly Review, The New England Review¸ The Harvard Review, The American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry 1997 and 2001, among other journals. She is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Whiting Foundation.

Department of Modern Languages and Classics Hosts International Colloquium

Left to right: Dr. William Doty, Dr. Barbara Godorecci, Dr. Maurizio Godorecci, Dr. Theodore Trost, Dr. Metka Zupancic

Pictured left to right are some of the UA faculty involved in the colloquium: Dr. William Doty, Dr. Barbara Godorecci, Dr. Maurizio Godorecci, Dr. Theodore Trost, Dr. Metka Zupancic principal planner of the colloquium.

UA and the department of modern languages and classics recently hosted an international colloquium, "Hermes and Aphrodite in Contemporary Literature and Culture." During the colloquium, scholars from the United States and four other countries, together with UA faculty and graduate students, presented topics on literature, cinema, anthropology and history of religions. The colloquium also included an art exhibit by Kiki Karatheodoris, a storytelling event, and a theater production.

Visit the Web site at http://bama.ua.edu/~mlc/french/hermes.htm. For more information, contact Dr. Metka Zupancic at 348- 5133, or by e-mail at mzupanci@bama.ua.edu.