16 grants support education initiatives

Education initiatives: Bill Frawley with students at Lifefest, held during the fall semester as part of the LIFE (Learning Integrated Freshman Exercise) program Photo by Eric Crossan

Sixteen grants have been awarded in the recent competition for General Education projects. These funds, announced by the Office of the Provost, will support efforts on all General Education initiatives endorsed by the Faculty Senate, including Freshman Year Experience (LIFE and Pathways), Basic Skills, Discovery Learning and Capstone.

The following proposals received funding:

• "Leadership Skills for Careers," Patricia Barber, associate professor, and Richard Bacon, instructor, both food and resource economics, $5,000;
  
  
• "Environments and Cultures in Conflict: A New Pathways Course," John Bartley, assistant professor, biological sciences, University Parallel Program, $13,975;
  
  
• "Case-based Interim Courses to Promote Public Communication Skills for Technical Students," Stephen Bernhardt, Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr. Chair in Writing, and Michael Pearlman, writing staff, both English; Darren O'Neill, civil engineer, Delaware Department of Transportation; Paul Imhoff, assistant professor, and Michael Chajes, professor and chairperson, both civil engineering, $15,000;
  
  
• "Values and the Community: Art, Courts, the Media, Politics, Schools, Sports: A New Pathways Course," Philip Goldstein, professor of English, University Parallel Program, $13,820;
  
  
• "Networked Microscopy for the Introductory Biology Laboratory," Robert Hodson, associate professor, and Steven Skopik, professor, both biological sciences, $5,000;
  
  
• * "Revising Art 315: Issues in Contemporary Art," Rene Marquez, assistant professor, and Mark Franchino, teaching assistant, both art, $12,800;
  
  
• "First-Year Composition Across the Curriculum," Clyde Moneyhun, assistant professor of English, $13,500;
  
  
• "Wellness into the 21st Century: Enhancing a Pathways Course," Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, assistant professor of health and exercise sciences, $4,850;
  
  
• "Rome: From Caesar to Fellini: A New Pathways Course," Lauren Petersen, assistant professor, Linda Pellecchia, associate professor, and David Stone, associate professor, all art history, $15,000;
  
  
• "Redefining Multicultural Education through Community-Based Learning," Heather M. Pleasants, assistant professor, Cris Mayo and Eugene Matusov, assistant professors, all School of Education, $15,000;
  
  
• "University of Delaware Caribbean Steel Band," Harvey Price, assistant professor of music, $15,000;
• "Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning: Contextualized Mathematics," Gilberto Schleiniger, associate professor, Bettyann Daley, manager/preparatory math educator, and Margaret Donlan, preparatory math educator, all mathematical sciences, $14,875;
  
  
• * "Science and Religion: Enhancement of a Pathways Course," Harry Shipman, Annie Jump Cannon Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Jeffrey Jordan, associate professor of philosophy; $5,500;
• "French Theatre Workshop," Deborah Steinberger, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, $5,000;
  
  
• "Discovery Learning: Designing and Documenting the 'Ah-ha' Experience," April Veness, associate professor of geography, $15,000; and
  
  
• "American Race Relations: LIFE Cluster," Raymond Wolters, Thomas Muncy Keith Professor of History, Erica Armstrong, assistant professor of history, and Carole Marks, director of the Black American Studies Program and associate professor of sociology, $5,000.

The grant program continues to attract participation from faculty in various disciplines throughout the University community, Bill Frawley, director of the Office of Undergraduate Studies, said.

The funds awarded support the development of a variety of courses and experiences that address all aspects of the General Education Initiative.

Another competition is expected to take place in fall 2002. Interested faculty members are encouraged to contact Frawley–at 831-3330 or via e-mail at [billf@udel.edu]–to discuss their ideas for proposals for next year.

Information on the General Education Initiative is available via the Office of Undergraduate Studies, at [www.udel.edu/ugs]. Information on the grant program and initiatives can be viewed at [http:// www.udel.edu/cte/genedproposals. htm] and [http://www.udel.edu/ facsen/reports/].

According to Frawley, proposals were reviewed by a faculty committee that worked with and received advice from the University Faculty Senate's Committee on General Education. The committee made its funding recommendations to the Office of the Provost. The review committee consisted of co-chairpersons Frawley and Avron Abraham, associate professor of health and exercise sciences; Deborah Andrews, professor of English; Shuaib Meacham, assistant professor of education; Diane Ferry, associate professor of business administration; William Saylor, associate professor of animal and food sciences; and Douglas Buttrey, associate professor of chemical engineering.