For the Record provides information about recent professional activities of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent presentations, media mentions, publications, honors and awards include the following:

Presentations

Heinz-Uwe Haus, professor of theatre, has been invited by the National Theater of Cyprus to open the next season with a production of Henrik Ibsen’s play The Lady from the Sea. The drama is seldom performed and will be for the first time staged in Cyprus. In a statement for the Greek media, Haus underlines the “‘use’-value of the dramatic events and the protagonists attitudes  with their portrayals of social alienation and conditioning. They carry worlds inside them, the potential for freedom, for change – and remain trapped in their self-deceptive realities.(…)  Ibsen’s leading women characters demonstrate how we get used to not living out our dreams and fantasies.”

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, delivered a paper on May 18 in Florence, Italy, at a conference jointly sponsored by the North American, British, and Australian Victorian Studies associations. Her presentation, titled "Richard Le Gallienne and a Tale of Two Dantes," concerned the aesthetic influence of both the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri and the Pre-Raphaelite British poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti on the work of Le Gallienne (1866-1947), an important figure in late-Victorian literary circles, especially those around Oscar Wilde. The conference was held at the Villa La Pietra, now owned by New York University.

In the media

On May 18, WVUD-fm's program "Campus Voices" broadcast an interview with Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, and Mark Samuels Lasner, senior research fellow at the UD Library. The topic was "Victorian Passions: Stories from the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection," an exhibition curated by Stetz and on view until June 30 June (9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays) in the Special Collections Gallery on the second floor of UD's Morris Library. This exhibition of highlights from Samuels Lasner's collection of over 9,500 items related to 19th-century British art and literature has been organized to celebrate the donation of that collection to the UD Library, where it will be available to scholars, students and the community. The podcast of their conversation about some of the unique items currently on display can be heard online and the exhibition has its own webpage.

The University of Delaware Library was mentioned as a participant in the School Hill Project in the Newark Post article "Former Residents, Students reminisce about School Hill", May 23, 2017.

Publications

Tony Allen, AS93, 01PhD, is the author of an article in the 41st edition of the National Urban League’s State of Black America publication. The piece, “Much Is Required,” is Allen’s third submission to be featured in the annual journal. His other articles were co-authored by UD doctoral student Darryl Chambers in 2016 and by Leland Ware, the Louis L. Redding Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy, in 2003. Allen, who earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his doctorate in urban affairs and public policy, was the founding president of the Metropolitan Wilmington (Delaware) Urban League and is a member of the UD Board of Trustees.

Honors

Robyn Phillips-Pendleton, associate professor of art and design, has been named to the Norman Rockwell Four Freedoms Advisory Council, which will jury an international traveling exhibition of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings and accompanying contemporary works. The Norman Rockwell Museum National Advisory Board for Enduring Ideal: Rockwell, Roosevelt, and the Four Freedoms includes scholars, artists and museum professionals who offer guidance and expertise relating to the development of the exhibition, its scholarly and artistic content and related programmatic opportunities. National advisers will also contribute essays and didactic content to be published in the exhibition catalogue and referenced within the exhibition.

Patrick Wise, a UD senior majoring in biological sciences and history, has been selected to take part in the highly competitive National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) summer research program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The eight-week Summer Research Experiences program offers 16 undergraduates from universities across the U.S. the opportunity to work in teams with NIMBioS postdoctoral researchers and university faculty on a variety of research projects. The institute is a science synthesis center that explores the interface between math and biology.

Exhibitions

Jim Dessicino, ASMFA15, will have work in a national juried exhibition opening in June at the First Street Gallery in New York City. in NYC 

Heather Ossandon, ASMFA15, has work currently showing at the Cheltenham Arts Center in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.

Peter Williams, professor of art and design, has work included in Prospect.4, the fourth edition of the New Orleans triennial exhibition, which is scheduled to run from Nov. 18 through Feb. 28. A new public work by Kara Walker and a streetcar performance by Derrick Adams are among 30 site-specific projects that aim to bring the art out into the city. Other artists in the site-specific show are Mark Dion, the late Barkley L. Hendricks, Rashid Johnson, Kader Attia, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Alfredo Jaar. This is a high honor for Williams, whose work is gaining national attention for its timely topics and extraordinary painting.  

Awards

Michele Walfred, communications specialist at the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown, was honored with the 2017 Excellence in Service Award.  The award was presented to her at the convocation ceremony held in Newark on May 26 by the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).

The award, which is presented by the college every other year, recognizes professional excellence and superior dedication.  In addition, the recipient receives a $2,000 monetary award with the honor.

“Michele has significantly reached across her unit to provide outstanding service to our college. Her efforts and commitment to promoting our college is exemplary” said Mark Isaacs, director of the Carvel Center.

Walfred has 16 years of service to UD. Isaacs shared in his nomination letter that Walfred began her UD career as a receptionist and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree while, “providing amazing service to our facility as well as our college.”

“In her role as communications specialist, Walfred leads the communication efforts for our Carvel Research and Education Center’s research and extension programs, including Lasher Lab. She does this through numerous venues with a focus on website content, social media, press releases, videography and print media and outreach education in the forms of seminars, workshops and trainings,” Isaacs wrote.

In addition to Walfred’s service across college programs and departments, her involvement with partnerships and outreach across state lines was noted. These included trainings and presentations with the University of Maryland Extension on Annie’s Project, Mid-Atlantic Women in Agriculture, Mid-Atlantic Crop School, regional FFA, and nationally with 4-H and eXtension.org, the latter serving as an Extension Fellow, and Innovation Creative Coach to Extension professionals in Ohio and Oregon.

In 2015, Walfred led a social media campaign on behalf of Delaware 4-H, that resulted in a national First Place award of $10,000, which was used for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for Delaware youth.

“Michele has an exceptional work ethic, working outside the normal work hours including many nights and weekends promoting and marketing our college and UD,” Isaacs said.

In supporting documentation, colleagues praised Walfred as an innovator. “She truly understands that in order to reach the people we serve, we sometimes have to think differently and creatively than we have in the past,” wrote one co-worker.

“Delaware Cooperative Extension outreach has been able to shine through her efforts. Locally she has done YouTube videos, Facebook Live, Flickr, Twitter, advertising with Facebook boosts, Instagram, press releases and UDaily articles to promote our gardening, beginning farmer, ornamental horticulture, production agriculture, and volunteer programs,” wrote another co-worker.

For several years Walfred served as communications chair for the Kent-Sussex Alumni Club, and is a contributing member of the UD’s Delaware Diamonds Society. She has served as chair of Extension’s Delaware State Fair committee and currently chairs the UD Extension Innovation team. She is a current Fellow in Class IV of LEADelaware, an agriculture leadership program. In addition to her degrees, Walfred earned the UD Social Media Strategic Marketing Certificate in 2014. Walfred also serves on the board of the Delaware Press Association.

“Michele exemplifies the type of individual that the college would like to recognize for this award. I can’t think of a more deserving individual,” said Isaacs.

To submit information for inclusion in For the Record, write to ocm@udel.edu.