2005

-------------------------------- LISTED MOST RECENT NEWS FIRST --------------------------------

The Department loses a friend

Akron, November 07, 2005: We are saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Delbert Gibson, who instructed French at both Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin during his academic career. Dr. Gibson in his retirement endowed the Department of Modern Languages with a scholarship fund in memory of his former French instructor, Katharine M. Reed, who was Assistant Professor of French at the University of Akron at the time of his undergraduate studies in the 1920s. Dr. Gibson was 98.

The Delbert Gibson scholarship is awarded every year to a deserving student of French to help defray tuition costs of a language class. The awardees and the Department are grateful for Dr. Gibson's contributions, which also include artwork which brightens the department offices.

Study Abroad programs in France and Spain offered for 2006

Akron, October 11, 2005: Profs. Chris Eustis and Robert Jeantet participated in the annual Study Abroad Fair organized by the Office of International Programs. Prof. Jeantet has directed the Summer Program in the Alps since 1987 and hopes to direct a group next summer in the fifteenth program in Faverges in nineteen years. Prof. Eustis is running the DISSTA program in Valladolid, Spain, for the second consecutive year. Details about the Department's summer study programs can be seen by clicking on the country names : France and Spain

Six students initiated into French honorary society

AKRON, October 7 - The University of Akron's chapter of Pi Delta Phi, the national French honor society, inducted six new members in recognition of their academic accomplishment in the field of French.

The induction ceremony was held in Buchtel Hall's McCollester room, and was attended by the inductees, friends, and other members of the society who reside in the Akron area.

The meeting was addressed by UA graduate and KSU instructor Angela Jumbert, who gave a talk on the opportunities and life-changing impact that the study of French has had upon her life.

The ceremonies closed with the awarding of the Delbert Gibson scholarship to three finalists, Szandra Gonzalez, Adil Orfi, and Elizabeth Bruno.

Modern Languages Faculty participate in annual Majors Mosaic

Akron, October 5, 2005: Members of the Modern Languages Department staffed a table in the Student Union atrium. They were participating in the annual Majors Mosaic, giving students information about major and minor programs of study. Of particular interest to students are the foreign study programs offered by the Department. In the photo at right, faculty are seen with the wealth of brochures that were available for students to inform themselves about the offerings of the Department.

On October 26th, the annual Arts & Sciences "Roundup," specifically aimed at A&S students, will be held in the atrium of the Arts & Sciences building.

Dr. Zanetta receives Outstanding Teacher Award

Akron, May 6: Dr. María Zanetta, Associate Professor of Modern Languages, was honored at the annual Founder's Day Luncheon on May 6, as a recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Teacher Award sponsored by the Alumni Association. Awardees receive $1,000 and a framed certificate. Dr. Zanetta joined the UA faculty in 1995, and has established herself as an outstanding Spanish teacher and scholar who is credited with an "exceptional ability to make the complex comprehensible and to inspire students with her enthusiasm and love of her subject." As a recently certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview tester, she also has played an integral role in enhancing the department's focus on the development of communicative competence in its students. In 2002, Dr. Zanetta received the UA Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences Early Career Research Award, and in 1999 the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences Chair's Award for Early Career Outstanding Achievement. Congratulations María!!! For more information about the event go to http://www.uakron.edu/news/articles/uamain_1254.php

Student receives Auburn Award

Akron, May 4, 2005: Amanda Matousek, an Honors student majoring in Spanish was the winner of the first (2005) Ben Auburn award in Cultural Criticism. Her Senior Honors Project entitled Activismo a través del arte: Reconstruyendo las memorias silenciadas durante la "Guerra Sucia" (Activism Through Art: Reconstructing the Silenced Memories During the "Dirty War"), directed by Dr. Maria Zanetta, was selected by an Awards Committee, appointed by the Director of the Honors Program, which included a majority of undergraduate students and one professor each from the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

Matousek's project focuses on the nation of Argentina between the years of 1976 and 1983, now known simply as the "Dirty War." This psychological war created by the totalitarian military dictatorship consisted of rule by terror and resulted in torture, death, censorship and memory distortion. Argentina has witnessed a growing activism in the recovery of a collective national memory, which includes the identities and stories of the disappeared and killed, often told through various cultural artifacts. In her essay Matousek takes an extensive look at the theme of memory found in the cultural artifacts such as songs, sculptures, poems and films that surfaced during and after this dark period in Argentine history. Through her research, Matousek establishes the argument that each piece, although unique in its presentation and interpretation, represents a weapon of resistance against the "official history" written and reinforced by the military government, which attempts to hide or erase the "true history" experienced by the masses.

Having been selected as the recipient of this award is a great honor since one of the purposes of the award is to "recognize thoughtful analysis and commentary, reflective and careful judgment, and sustained acquisition of knowledge and taste (and to) reward original thinking and expression. It will encourage intellectual risk-taking subjected to public assessment". Congratulations Amanda !!!

The Ben Auburn Award in Cultural Criticism honors the memory of Benjamin Max Joseph Auburn (1972-2000), son of Mark S. and Sandy K. Auburn, brother of David Auburn, and grandson of Norman P. and Kathleen M. Auburn and George and Pearl Korman. Cultural criticism tracks and assesses trends in the arts and aesthetics and ideas of a human society. Limited neither to high culture nor to popular forms, its examples range over all human artistic and intellectual achievement. For more information about the award go to the web site http://www3.uakron.edu/honors/benauburn.html

Student to spend year in Spain as Language Assistant

May 4, 2005: Spanish B.A. graduate and current Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Spanish M.A. program, Laura Kingsbury was selected among many applicants from across the USA and Canada to be Language and Culture Assistant in a High School in Madrid, Spain for the 2005-2006 academic year. Inaugurated this year under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (MEC), the Department of Education of the Autonomous Region of Madrid (CAM), and the Office of Education and Science of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., the program provides participants with a monthly allowance, medical insurance, lunch during the week, paid school holidays, a teacher training course at the beginning of the school year, and an official certificate issued by the Autonomous Government of Madrid.

As a language and culture assistant Laura will have the opportunity to learn about Spanish language and culture and use her experience upon her return to the United States, thus helping to develop cultural understanding between Spain and the United States. At the same time, the program provides Spanish students and teachers of English an opportunity to learn about English language and American or Canadian culture from native speakers. Assistants must be Canadian or U.S. citizens and are responsible for the cost of transportation and lodging. Congratulations Laura!!!! For more information about this program visit the official web site: http://www.sgci.mec.es/usa/ac-cam/index.shtml

Modern Language Faculty member wins Chairs' Award

We are pleased to congratulate Dr. Paul Toth on his receipt of a 2005 Chairs’ Award for Outstanding Achievement in Early Career. Paul was recognized and received a plaque at the annual Arts & Sciences Chairs’ Award Luncheon on Monday the 25th.

Student Receives Maison Française Award

Cleveland, April 24: French Major Maria Verderico was recognized today at a Maison Française de Cleveland ceremony for her performance in the annual Maison Française Essay Competition. Ms. Verderico received a Third Place award for her entry, which she wrote in a timed competition several weeks ago, competing against students from throughout Northeast Ohio. She received her award from Dr. Lucien Aubé and Mrs. Lillian Politella, who have been organizing this contest since its inception in 1976. Ms. Verderico's faculty sponsor, Dr. Maria Adamowicz-Hariasz of the Modern Language Department, was the keynote speaker at the event. ................ (Click here for larger image)................

Modern Languages Students Receive Phi Sigma Alpha Awards

Akron, April 21: Phi Sigma Alpha, Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences' scholastic honorary society, honored five of our students at a reception in the Martin Center. (Click here for larger image)

Drew Schmotzer (French), Renée Rossi (French), Laura Collins (Spanish), Nelliam Fernandez (Spanish) and Jared Miller (Spanish) each received a certificate from Buchtel College's Dean Roger Creel. Drew, Nelliam and Renée are graduating seniors, whereas Laura and Jared, both juniors, are new inductees. The Department is proud of these students and joins the College and University in congratulating them for their scholastic achievement.

Spanish students honored

Akron, April 13: Sigma Delta Pi, the National Hispanic Honor Society, initiated four new members: Laura Collins, Joseph Goebel, Stephen Shaum and Lori Young. These four students were recognized for their love and devoted study of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. Congratulations to them!

Spanish major to represent UA at AAUW Conference in Washington

Akron, March 31 - Spanish major Liz Bugansky has been selected as one of two outstanding undergraduate women scholarship recipients sponsored by UA Senior Vice President & Provost Dr. Elizabeth J. Stroble to represent the University at the American Association of University Women National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, which is to be held in Washington, D.C., on June 2-4, 2005.

UA Student obtains perfect score on Praxis

Akron, March 31 - The Department has just learned that one of our graduate students in Teacher Education, Mrs. Lisa Ong, obtained a perfect score in the January round of national Praxis II exams which tested knowledge of French culture and literature.

Mrs. Ong holds a B.A. degree in French from The University of Akron and was a participant in the Faverges Summer Program in the Alps. She plans a career in teaching.

UA Language Students recognized in Awards Ceremony

Akron, March 17 - Spanish majors and teaching licensure candidates Veronica Bozich, Elicia Castillo, Amanda Matousek and Brandi Stolfo were recognized by the College of Education at a special ceremony on March 17, 2005. Bozich and Castillo earned outstanding scores on the PRAXIS II Content Spanish test.

For this accomplishment, Bozich was presented with an Award of Merit and also a Recognition of Excellence by the Educational Testing Service. Castillo received an Award of Excellence. These students were among the top scorers in the State of Ohio. For their part, Stolfo was awarded a Leone & Franklyn Dickinson Scholarship, and Matousek was the recipient of both a Leone & Franklyn Dickinson Scholarship and a Leory E. Dietz Scholarship. Congratulations to all of these students for their outstanding achievement!

Three Modern Language Students receive OFLA Awards

UA Language Grads present paper at OFLA Conference

UA Foreign Language Educator Receives Award

Columbus, March 10 - Dr. Susan Colville-Hall, Associate Professor of Foreign Language Education and a close collaborator and ally of the Department of Modern Languages, was the recipient of the Ohio foreign Language Association’s 2005 Outstanding Professional Service Award.

Dr. Christopher Eustis, Chair of Modern Languages and fellow OFLA governing board member, coordinated the nomination of Dr. Colville-Hall and presented the award to her during the Awards Luncheon at the joint Central States/OFLA Conference in Columbus, on March 11, 2005.

Summer 2005 study programs in France and Spain to run

AKRON, March 2005 : The Department is pleased to note that student interest in foreign study continues to grow. This coming summer's programs in France and Spain have attracted the largest number of students in their respective histories.

This year, we will be running our fourteenth summer program in Faverges, in the French Alps, and our first-ever program in the Spanish city of Valladolid, following the Department's recent pattern of offering a new venue each year in the Spanish-speaking world. In recent years, the Department has run study programs in Costa Rica, Santander (Spain), and Cuernavaca (Mexico). Information about the Department's summer study abroad programs can be seen on our web pages.