Betsy Becker has all the hallmarks of a modern-day adventurer.
She is curious, unafraid and she knows there’s a whole lot of world out there beyond her native Ashland.
Just months after her 2004 graduation from Ashland University, Becker went off to be a stranger in a strange land, yet made it her home. She spoke not one word of its language, yet ended up writing a dictionary.
The 10th Biennial College of Arts & Sciences Symposium Against Indifference will kick off its events on Sept. 18 focusing on the theme of “Liberty & Responsibility.” The fall schedule of events is available online at bit.ly/AgainstIndiffFA19.
The fall events include a “spirited discussion” on alcohol complete with mocktails, two film screenings (Paris to Pittsburgh, Dawnland), a live theatre production of An Enemy of the People with a follow-up panel discussion, poetry readings, and presentations on inequality and violence against women.
The Ashland University in Costa Rica program celebrated its 10 years of collaboration with the Conversa Language School in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, by holding a small celebration that included the planting of a tree on the school grounds.
“We wanted to hold an event to commemorate this 10 years of collaboration and we decided to plant a tree to honor our long-standing relationship with the Conversa Language School,” said Dr. Barb Schmidt-Rinehart, who is AU professor of foreign languages and directs the “AU in Costa Rica” program.
Ashland University senior Elizabeth Grim of Chillicothe, Ohio, was awarded the Dr. Anthony S. Corbiere Scholarship in the sum of $2,500 from the Phi Sigma Iota Foreign Language Honor Society.
“Elizabeth’s scholarship is the largest scholarship from Phi Sigma Iota that an AU student has received,” said Dr. Jennifer Rathbun, professor of Spanish at Ashland University. “As this is a national scholarship, Elizabeth's receipt of the scholarship is indeed an honor and it truly is a testament to the vigor of the Spanish program at AU as well.”
Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences is hosting the 10th annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium that will feature 55 performances, presentations and exhibitions given by 66 students and alumni representing 14 programs of the College of Arts and Sciences. The April 9 symposium is free and open to the public and will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in Myers Convocation Center on the AU campus.
Dr. Dawn Weber, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will provide the welcome and opening remarks. She explains that the symposium follows the format of a professional conference with students presenting original research, performing musical selections, reading original creative writing and exhibiting artwork. Weber said, “CAS undergraduate students continue to make original intellectual and creative contributions to their disciplines early in their careers. We are delighted to share with the public and campus community highlights of the outstanding work being conducted by our students in departments across the fine and performing arts, humanities, natural science and social science disciplines.”
Dr. Barb Schmidt-Rinehart, professor of Foreign Language at Ashland University, will give a talk titled “El Camino De Santiago: The Journey of a Lifetime” on Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will be held in the Ronk Lecture Hall located in the Schar College of Education.
Schmidt-Rinehart will talk about her journey last summer when she walked the last 100 kilometers of the St. James Trail in Northern Spain, a pilgrimage that has been done by people for thousands of years.
Dr. Jennifer Rathbun, professor of foreign languages at Ashland University, will hold a talk and reading from her newly released poetry translation on Monday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m. in the Schar College of Education’s Ronk Lecture Hall. The reading is free and open to the public.
Artepoética Press in New York has just released Dr. Rathbun’s ninth full-length poetry translation of La llama Inclinada/The Inclined Flame by Colombian author Carlos Satizábal. Satizábal will join Dr. Rathbun and participate in the reading.
Ashland University’s Department of Foreign Languages will hold a Tournées Film Festival in October that will feature five recent French films and one classic film. The festival, which is free and open to the public, will take place October 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30 at 7 p.m. in the Ronk Lecture Hall in the Schar College of Education.
The festival, which is presented in collaboration with Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences, was made possible by a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange received by Dr. Richard Gray, associate professor of foreign languages, who organized the festival.
Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences is hosting the ninth annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium that will feature the works of more than 78 students from 16 departments in the College, as well as two alumni.
According to Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer, professor of chemistry, the April 11 symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Myers Convocation Center. The symposium will feature oral presentations, performances, poster presentations and art exhibitions.
Dr. Richard Gray, associate professor of foreign languages at Ashland University, will hold a talk and reading from his upcoming book on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Schar College of Education’s Ronk Lecture Hall.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be introduced and moderated by Dr. Laura Burch, associate professor of the Department of French and Francophone Studies at the College of Wooster. In addition, Gray is scheduled to give an interview on AU’s radio station, WRDL-88.9, at 8:30 a.m. that same day, discussing his book and previewing the evening’s event.
Hugh Howard
Media Relations and Social Media Manager
hhoward4@ashland.edu
office: 419-289-5007
