CLASS Notes, April 10, 2019
Dear alumni, donors, colleagues and friends:
The spring semester is winding down, and there is much to celebrate as we are head towards graduation. It's an exciting time of the year, one full of present accomplishments and future promise.
In this edition of CLASS Notes, you can read about some amazing accomplishments of our staff and faculty and learn about some ways that our students and alumni are engaging their communities – whether here in Moscow or in Uganda. Last but not least, we also want to thank all our friends who donated so generously on Vandal Giving Day. We are humbled and grateful for your spirit and commitment to our great college.
I wish you all a wonderful spring season, and thank you so much for your support of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Most sincerely yours,
Sean Quinlan
Dean

Around the College
- Thank you to everyone who participated in Vandal Giving Day on April 2-3. In just 1,889 minutes, CLASS received 86 gifts totaling $9,872. The Vandal Marching Band received 115 gifts totaling $22,027.91, including matching gifts from Doug Gross and Richard Dahl.
- Lionel Hampton School of Music Professor Leonard Garrison received a Faculty Excellence in Advising Award at the NACADA Region 8 Conference in Calgary, Alberta.
- Matthew Fox-Amato, assistant professor of history, has published a new book titled, “Exposing Slavery: Photography, Human Bondage, and the Birth of Modern Visual Politics in America.” The book explores how photography altered the history of American slavery and received a positive review recently in the Wall Street Journal.
Catch up on all the latest news from our CLASSy faculty, students and staff on the CLASS News page, or subscribe to our “Events in CLASS” email.
Resettlement from a Ugandan Refugee Camp
Fredrick Shema, an international studies student from Rwanda, feels a connection to a Ugandan refugee camp that many University of Idaho students probably don’t know exists. The reason: he grew up there. For three weeks during summer 2018, Shema traveled to Uganda to study the perceptions that refugees, the Ugandan government and nonprofit organizations have about resettlement. Read the full story.
CLASS Faculty to be Honored at U of I’s Excellence Awards

On Tuesday, April 23, several College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences faculty will be honored at the University Awards for Excellence, which recognizes and encourages excellence throughout the university.
CLASS would like to congratulate:
- Erin James, Department of English – 2019-2021 University Mid-Career Award
- Jan Johnson, Department of English – Dr. Arthur Maxwell Taylor Excellence in Diversity Award (Faculty)
- Tara MacDonald, Department of English – Excellence in Teaching Award
- Ryanne Pilgeram, Department of Sociology and Anthropology – 2019-2021 University Mid-Career Award
- Rebecca Scofield, Department of History – The Hoffman Award in Teaching Excellence
- Bal Sharma, Department of English – GSSP Faculty Internationalization Award
In addition, we also recognize those who were recently promoted, including:
- Vanessa Sielert, Lionel Hampton School of Music, promoted to the rank of full professor
- Bert Baumgaertner, Department of Politics and Philosophy, promoted to associate professor with tenure
- Kristin Haltinner, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, promoted to associate professor with tenure
- Victoria Arthur, Department of English, promoted to senior instructor
- Barbara Kirchmeier, Department of English, promoted to senior instructor
- Anne Perriguey, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, promoted to senior instructor
Adventure on the High Seas Brings Together Theatre Alumni

“The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire” is an epic adventure with sword-fighting pirates, buried treasure and burning passions. For playwright Ariana Burns ’09, ’12, it’s been a decade in the making. The result is a rollicking world premiere making its debut on the University of Idaho Hartung stage April 19-27. Read the full story.
Dates & Deadlines
- April 19-27: The Three Keys of Captain Hellfire, various times, Hartung Theater
- April 23: Malcolm Renfrew Interdisciplinary Colloquium: Idaho Women Win the Right to Vote by Rebecca Scofield and Kathy Aiken, 12:30 p.m., Idaho Commons Whitewater Room
- April 23 : ACMS: Cantus, 7:30 p.m., Administration Building Auditorium
- May 3-4: “On the Way to the Sawmill” by Marco Magoa, 7:30 p.m., Hartung Theater
- May 7: Short and Sweet Talks featuring CLASS’s Jennifer Ladino, 4-7:30 p.m., IRIC Atrium and webcasted on UI Live
See the complete list of upcoming events and academic deadlines.
Feedback or suggestions? Please send them to class-notes@uidaho.edu.