Lawrence University News

Five members of the Lawrence University faculty have been granted tenure appointments by the college’s Board of Trustees.

Based on recommendations by the faculty Committee on Tenure, Promotion, Reappointment and Equal Employment Opportunity, and President Mark Burstein, tenure was granted to Madera Allan, Ameya Balsekar, Samantha George, Lena Khor and Michael Mizrahi. Each also was promoted to associate professor, except for George, who already held the rank of associate professor.

“I am very excited about the energy, enthusiasm and intelligence of the faculty members who will be starting tenure line positions in the fall of 2015,” said David Burrows, provost and dean of the faculty. “Each brings special skills as both a teacher and a scholar. They will help enhance already strong programs and add to Lawrence’s quality as an institution where students learn and grow as liberally educated persons, ready to lead fulfilling lives and engage successfully with issues of the contemporary world.”

Allan first joined the Lawrence Spanish department in 2008 as an instructor and was given an assistant professor appointment the following year. Her scholarship interests include Medieval and early modern Spanish and Latin American cultural production.

She has presented research at the annual Midwest Modern Language Association convention, the Renaissance Society of America annual meeting and the International Congress on Medieval Studies, among others. A former editorial assistant for Hispanic Review, Allen serves as Lawrence’s faculty advisor for the Associated Colleges of the Midwest study abroad program in Costa Rica.

Allen graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Reed College and earned both a master’s degree and her Ph.D. in Hispanic studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

A specialist in comparative politics and international relations, especially that of Asia, Balsekar joined the Lawrence government department in 2009. He has written about censorship in Colonial and Postcolonial India as well as Indian party politics. He speaks Hindi, Marathi, Konkani and Chinese.

Balsekar graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in development studies and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in comparative politics at Cornell University.

A violinist, George spent nine years as associate concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra before joining the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, first as a visiting assistant professor in 2008 and then as an associate professor in 2009.

She previously held faculty appointments at Idaho State Civic Symphony Summer School for Strings, the Hartford Conservatory of Music, the University of Connecticut and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

George has conducted master classes at numerous Wisconsin high schools as well as colleges around the country. In addition to orchestral positions with the Milwaukee, Colorado and Hartford symphony orchestras, George has performed in concert as guest soloist more than 40 times.

She was recognized with Lawrence’s Young Teacher Award in 2012.

George earned a bachelor’s degree in applied music (violin) and a master of music degree in performance and literature from Eastman School of Music. She holds a Ph.D. in violin performance from the University of Connecticut.

A native of Malaysia, Khor joined the Lawrence English department in 2009. Her scholarship interests include contemporary world Anglophone literature, human rights and humanitarian discourse, literary theory and cultural studies.

She is the author of the book “Human Rights Discourse in a Global Network: Books Beyond Borders” and has contributed articles to numerous journals, including Human Rights Quarterly and Peace Review. In 2013, she was awarded the Kirby Prize for the best article published in South Central Review.

Khor graduated summa cum laude from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in English. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in English at the University of Texas.

Mizrahi, a pianist, joined the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in 2009. His musical interests focus on the piano and chamber music repertoire of the 18th and early 19th centuries as well as new contemporary works.

His debut album, “The Bright Motion” was included on both Time Out New York’s and Time Out Chicago’s list of best classical albums for 2012. He is a founding member of NOW Ensemble, a chamber group devoted to commissioning and performing new music by emerging composers, and the recently disbanded Moët Trio. He also is a member of the New York City-based chamber ensemble Decoda.

Mizrahi is currently co-directing the Fox Valley’s “Music for All: Connecting Musicians and Community” program and has collaborated with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute on several projects, including a series of educational concerts for young children at Carnegie Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and as part of a residency in Merida, Mexico.

In 2013, he was recognized with Lawrence’s Award for Excellence in Creative Activity.

Mizrahi earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and master’s and doctorate degrees at the Yale School of Music.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Due to strong community interest, Lawrence University will host the first of four additional “Introduction to Grant Writing” workshops  Wednesday, June 24,  9-10:30 a.m. in the Seeley G. Mudd Library for area non-profit organizations and other grant-seeking agencies.

Led by members of Lawrence’s grant-writing staff, the hands-on workshops will provide an overview of the grants landscape and basic strategies for identifying potential funding sources. They will also include a demonstration of Foundation Directory Online, which profiles more than 110,000 U.S. grant makers.

Earlier this year, Lawrence became a Funding Information Network (FIN) partner with the Foundation Center of New York. Based in the Mudd library, FIN makes available a wealth of Foundation Center information, including searchable grant and funder databases, proposal writing guides and online access to the center’s grant reference librarians. All of the resources are available to the general public any time the Lawrence library is open.

Other scheduled workshops include:
• Thursday, July 23, 10:30 – noon
• Tuesday, August 11, 10:30 – noon
• Thursday, August 27, 1-2:30 p.m.

Space is limited and registration is required. Additional information about the Funding Information Network at Lawrence, library hours, directions and registration instructions can be found at http://guides.lib.lawrence.edu/funding.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

A documentary film by Lawrence University student Zach Ben-Amots that explores the experiences of African-American students at Lawrence will be shown Thursday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Appleton Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.

The film, “Forgotten History,” grew out of Lawrence’s Civic Life Project, a documentary film class taught by award-winning documentary filmmaker Catherine Tatge ’72, who is serving as an artist-in-residence at Lawrence.

The Civic Life Project was developed by Tatge and her husband, Dominique Lasseur, as an innovative educational tool to challenge each student to learn about civics and democracy in a unique way, discover more about the community in which they reside and find their own individual voice through the creation of a documentary video.

Ben-Amots, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., was inspired to make the film after seeing a presentation by former Appleton educator Ron Dunlap, who discussed the needs of African-American students in the Fox Cities.

Ben-Amots decided to focus his film on the experiences of black students at Lawrence, which dates to 1859 when the first black student arrived on campus. The film features interviews with nine African-American alumni who attended Lawrence between 1969 and  2008.

Wanting to learn more about the relationship between Lawrence and the city of Appleton as regards to diversity led Ben-Amots to the Lawrence archives and the Appleton Public Library, where he spent hours poring over microfilm of past Post-Crescent stories.

The story that emerged from his research was one of students of color living in a predominately white community that is not always as welcoming as it could be to minorities. His interviews with the alumni revealed a wealth of experiences, as well as many of the same hardships.

Following the screening, Amy Ongiri, director of film studies at Lawrence, will facilitate a conversation on the experience of being black at Lawrence and in Appleton.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

Three members of the Lawrence University faculty were recognized for teaching and scholarship excellence Sunday, June 14 at the college’s 166th Commencement.

Dane Richeson, professor of music, received the Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes outstanding performance in the teaching process, including the quest to ensure students reach their full development as individuals, human beings and future leaders of society.

Director of percussion studies, Richeson has established himself as a mentor conversant in the demanding intricacies of both Western classical and world music traditions.

Under this direction, the Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble was recognized with the 2014 Percussive Arts Society’s award for the best World Music Ensemble and was a featured performer at the PAS international convention in Indianapolis last November. In May, Tambo Toké, Lawrence’s Afro-Cuban percussion group, was cited for outstanding performance DownBeat magazine’s annual Student Music Awards competition in the college undergraduate Latin Jazz Ensemble category.

In presenting the award, Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows cited Richeson for his ability “to see in each student the potential for excellence, no matter how undeveloped that potential at first.

“Through encouragement and insistence on high standards, you make that potential grow, and the result is the emergence of an outstanding performer,” said Burrows. “Whether teaching a Bernstein symphony, Brazilian samba, Cuban son or Ewe drumming and dancing, you are clearly an inspiration to us all.”

A versatile percussion virtuoso, Richeson has performed across the United States, Europe and Asia in roles as diverse as solo marimbist, jazz drummer, contemporary chamber and ethnic percussionist. He has played with renowned artists Bobby McFerrin, Gunther Schuller, Lionel Hampton and Dianne Reeves, among others.

“Whether teaching a Bernstein symphony, Brazilian samba, Cuban son or Ewe drumming and dancing, you are clearly an inspiration to us all.”
— Provost David Burrows on Dane Richeson

He has spent time living in Ghana, studying the music and dance of the Ewe people, Matanzas, Cuba, where he studied with the musical director of Los Munequitos de Matanzas, and Salvador, Brazil, studying Bahia drumming traditions.

A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1984, Richeson earned a bachelor of music degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Ithaca College.

Arnold Shober, associate professor of government, received the award for Excellence in Scholarship. Established in 2006, the award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated sustained scholarly excellence for a number of years and whose work exemplifies the ideals of the teacher-scholar.

A specialist in public policy, particularly higher education and K-12 education, as well as local and state government and American political development, Shober joined the faculty in 2006. He is the author of two books, 2010’s “Splintered Accountability: State Governance and Education Reform,” and 2012’s “The Democratic Dilemma of American Education: Out of the Many, One?,” which was praised as a “wonderful and broad overview of the forces shaping American education policy.” He is currently completing a third book that examines the policies and politics surrounding Common Core.

Burrows credited Shober with the ability “to engage in extensive, careful scholarship at an impressive rate that shows every sign of continuing for many decades” in presenting him his award.

“Your focus on education policy is of extreme importance to Lawrence, to the future of the academy and to society in general,” said Burrows. “We all look forward to important contributions for many years to come.”

Shober’s political expertise is called upon frequently by the media. He is a frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio and has served as an election night analyst multiple times on one of the local television stations.

“Your focus on education policy is of extreme importance to Lawrence, to the future of the academy and to society in general,” said Burrows. “We all look forward to important contributions for many years to come.”
— Provost David Burrows on Arnold Shober

He earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in political science and history from Bradley University and his master’s and doctorate degrees in political science from UW-Madison.

Sara Ceballos, assistant professor of music, received the Young Teacher Award in recognition of demonstrated excellence in the classroom and the promise of continued growth.

A musicologist whose scholarship focuses on 17th^– and 18th-century keyboard music, Ceballos joined the Lawrence faculty in 2008.

In honoring her, Burrows praised Ceballos as “a passionate, knowledgeable and inspiring teacher.”

“You set high standards for the quality of your students’ work and they appreciate the substantial improvements in their abilities that result from your insistence on excellence,” said Burrows. “You have been an effective contributor to Lawrence’s Freshman Studies program, where you have adopted creative techniques for enhancing students’ ability to write. You encourage each student to develop as an individual, creating ideas that are unique and following a distinctive, personal path to scholarship and understanding.”

“You set high standards for the quality of your students’ work and they appreciate the substantial improvements in their abilities that result from your insistence on excellence.”
Provost David Burrows on Sara Ceballos

Ceballos, who teaches classes as diverse as “National Identity and the American Musical,” “Spanish Sacred Music of the Golden Age” and “Music and Power Under the Sun King,” graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colby College with a bachelor’s degree in music. She also earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in musicology at UCLA.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.