For These College of Liberal Arts Alumni, It Was Love at First Ride

by Camille Elliott
August 17
By: Nick Santangelo"We are about to do what is a very, very unique thing," Temple University Associate Vice President for Student Affairs T.J. Logan told a gathering in Hardwick Hall this afternoon.It was so unique, Temple President Richard M. Englert would say just moments later, "because it's an elevator." But this wasn't just any elevator. This was the one where Eric Schlesinger, CLA '73, first met Shari Rubin in 1972. Ms. Rubin, who passed in August 2017, would later become Mrs. Schlesinger. Today, the elevator was dedicated in her memory with a plaque commemorating her...

The Criminal Justice Department Welcomes Two New Faculty Members

by Criminal Justice Department
August 16
The Criminal Justice Departments is proud to welcome our two newest faculty members, Travis Meyers and Amarat Zaatut. Travis Meyers received his PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Arizona State University and joined the faculty at Temple University this fall. His dissertation examined violence in prison and ways to address and reduce rates of violent misconduct. More specifically, he conducted an evaluation of a restrictive status housing program that serves as an alternative to disciplinary segregation for those who engage in serious violent misconduct within...

In Memoriam: Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon

by Religion Department
August 13
Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon has passed away. Dr. Cannon was a faculty member of the Department of Religion in 1993 and was the first African American woman to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and a leading voice in Womanist Theology. She will be truly missed amongst colleagues, friends and family. You can read more about Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon on the Presbytery of Philadelphia website. 

Krikor Kapeghian, CLA ’92, Wants Students to Look Beyond Their Majors

by Nick Santangelo
August 13
Pictured: Krikor Kapeghian, seated on right, with Temple University students and alumni working as TD Bank interns and associates, respectively. By: Nick Santangelo Taking that first step toward something new and different can seem a little scary. It's easy to get comfortable with the familiar and stick with it. But Krikor Kapeghian, CLA '92, took that first step when he left what he calls the "homogenous" confines of Moorestown, N.J. behind Temple University and North Philly. The ensuing experiences—particularly his time spent as a resident assistant (RA)—were...

A Liberal Arts Education Amplifies Edwin Plotts, CLA '13, in Today's Business Economy

by Nick Santangelo
August 06
By: Nick Santangelo There's a common misconception among many people choosing a college or university that in order to work (and be successful) in the business world, a business degree is a must. And while that's certainly a viable path, it's just one of many. Getting a liberal arts education, for instance, can further your ability to think critically and make strategic decisions by instilling in you a unique worldview. And with businesses increasingly looking to build diverse teams of professionals with varying backgrounds to help them find creative solutions, College of...

Criminal Justice PhD Student Featured in Temple Now

by Criminal Justice Department
August 02
Criminal Justice PhD Student Juwan Bennett was recently featured in Temple Now for his work at the Urban Youth Leadership Academy at Temple. The goal of Urban Youth Leadership Academy is to connect students with mentoring and college access programs they may not access otherwise and to provide them with the skills necessary to navigate those admissions processes.  Read the full article for more information about Juwan's work at the Urban Youth Leadership Academy.  

David Reed, CLA ’07, Stepped Outside His Comfort Zone—and Other Students Should Too

by Nick Santangelo
July 30
By: Nick Santangelo For David Reed, CLA '07, all it took was one class. The Reading, Pa. native knew he wanted to go to school in a big city that wasn't too far from his friends and family but was far enough to feel like a different world from where he grew up. Temple University was "absolutely," the right choice to fit his criteria, he says with the perspective that more than a decade after graduating and enjoying a successful career brings. But even if Temple's College of Liberal Arts (CLA) is as obviously a great fit today as it was back in the aughts, another matter...

PA School Fund Balance Policy Brief – Update 2018

by Camille Elliott
July 25
A policy brief recently published by the Center on Regional Politics provides data on the status of fund balances for Pennsylvania's 500 school districts at the end of fiscal year 2016-17. Although the data show that total reserve funds have increased by about $591 million since 2012-13, from $4.3 billion to $4.9 billion, they also show that the flexible reserves of most districts are within or even below the minimum standards recommended by bond raters and government finance professionals and allowed by state law.The brief summarizes trends for districts, charters, and...

Dr. Mathieu Wimmer receives Prestigious Avenir Award from NIDA

by Neuroscience Program
July 23
Dr. Mathieu Wimmer received the prestigious Avenir (the French word for "future") award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse that provides funding to early-stage investigators who propose highly innovative and potentially transformative studies focused on drug addiction. Dr. Wimmer's project will utilize a multi-generational animal model of opioid addiction to examine the mechanisms underlying addiction susceptibility. The research will focus on the epigenetic processes that contribute to addiction. The ultimate goal of this project is to identify novel avenues to improve...

PA Capital Semester Yields Lifetime Opportunities

by Camille Elliott
July 16
The College Liberal Arts profiled two recent alums of the PA Capital Semester, a full-time internship program housed within the Institute for Public Affairs.Students gain valuable career experience, confidence, and important future connections for life after Temple. The program is open to all majors, and runs every fall and spring semester.Read their stories!

New Issue of Commonwealth Focuses on Opioid Crisis

by Camille Elliott
July 16
The newest issue of Commonwealth: A Journal of Pennsylvania Politics and Policy focuses on the topic of the opioid crisis gripping the nation, and particularly, Pennsylvania.This issue was guest-edited by Mark Nordenberg, Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh, and current Chair of their Institute of Politics.Articles include:- Law Enforcement in the Twenty-First Century: Partnering to Combat the Opioid Overdose Epidemic | Attorney General Josh Shapiro- Drug Overdoses in Pennsylvania: Measuring, Tracking, and Forecasting the Epidemic | Donald S. Burke and Jeanine M...

A Semester in the Capital Produces a Lifetime of Opportunities

by Nick Santangelo
July 13
By: Nick Santangelo As with most things in life, what you get out of your Temple University education is partly based on what you put into it. And if what you want to get out is not only to be prepared for the career you want but also have the experience necessary to make it the career you deserve, then landing a great internship is one of the best ways to make it happen. For many students with majors as diverse as political science, economics, criminal justice, social work and even journalism, the College of Liberal Arts' Pennsylvania Capital Semester program has offered...

Temple University’s Psychology Department Finds the Value in Play

by Nick Santangelo
July 10
By: Nick Santangelo A lot of very smart people have a lot of very smart-sounding ideas about how to improve early childhood education in urban areas. But as an increasing number of parents and experts push back against ideas like adding more homework, eliminating recess and learning more complex skills earlier in life, some new ideas are starting to materialize. Universal preschool is an idea championed by many and one that Philadelphia is working towards making a reality. But children spend just 20 percent of their waking time in school. How should they be spending the...

Get to Know CLA’s Record-Breaking Eight Fulbright Award Winners!

by Nick Santangelo
July 02
By: Nick Santangelo Awarded each year by the U.S. Department of State, Fulbright Awards are merit-based scholarships that fund American students' studies and research abroad. This year, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) set a school record with an astonishing eight students and graduates winning Fulbrights! Barbara Gorka, Temple University's Director of Scholar Development and Fellowships Advising, helped seven of the eight winners work through their applications and secure their awards. In her eyes, each and every winner was more than deserving of the award. "They...

Geography of Hazards Students’ Lasting Message About Climate Equity

by Nick Santangelo
June 25
By: Nick Santangelo A lot of college courses end the same way: students write a paper. The mere mention of that type of assignment is likely sending any students reading this story running for their excuse Rolodexes in search of a reason—any reason—to procrastinate starting their next paper. But whether students love them or just love putting them off, writing research papers is a critical part of the college experience that teaches valuable skills. And yet, writing a paper isn't the only way to conduct research, and it's far from the only vital communication tool in 2018...

Two College of Liberal Arts Students Honored for Research Projects

by Nick Santangelo
June 18
By: Nick Santangelo Each year, Temple University honors the best research projects completed by its undergrad students by awarding $1,000 prizes through the Livingstone Awards. Six students are awarded the prize annually for their outstanding research, and two of this year's winners are from the College of Liberal Arts. Recent graduate Paige Hill—who majored in political science and was Temple's 2018 student commencement speaker—won the Livingstone Award in the Social Sciences for her project, Gender Quotas as Strategy: Exploring the Relationship Among International...

Graduate Student Raciel Cuevas wins Essay Award

by Philosophy Department
June 15
Congratulations to graduate student Raciel Cuevas who has won a Lamar University Center for Philosophical Studies Essay Prize Award, in association with the Rocky Mountain Division of the American Society for Aesthetics, for his paper "Nature's Spoiled Darling: Kant on Genius and Artistic Achievement." He is also the recipient of an Irene H. Chayes Travel Grant and a Rocky Mountain Division Travel Grant to support his participation in the 2018 ASARMD conference.