CLASS Notes, June 12, 2019
Dear alumni, colleagues, donors and friends,
Summer has finally arrived on our campus. The weather has warmed up and the Administration lawn is in full bloom. The hustle-and-bustle of campus has changed perceptibly. While campus may sound quieter with fewer students dashing to classes, the faculty and staff across the university – and especially in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences – are keeping busy behind the scenes.
Summer, for CLASS faculty and staff, is prime work time. The tables turn and our faculty hit the books and start studying. There are trips to the libraries and special collections, work done in archives and hours spent laboring over data sets and lab notes. Articles and essays are drafted, and final touches are put on those book manuscripts or original scores. They continue their service with professional associations and apply for grants and fellowships. Our staff are starting to set the scene for the fall – arranging classroom schedules, finalizing budgets and getting resources ready for the return of students and faculty in August.
And, what is the result? Our approximately 200 faculty and staff keep moving us forward as a college, and most importantly, improves the educational quality for our students. Our staff provide services that aid with advising, internships, career placement and recruitment; and our world-class faculty turn their creative activities into a world-class education for our students. Great scholars make great teachers. Their creative works forms the bedrock upon which our students build their futures.
I’d like to thank all of CLASS’s staff and faculty for all this work that they do. It’s a privilege to serve them in the Dean’s Office. I encourage you to share your stories about our wonderful staff and faculty by emailing them to class-fan@uidaho.edu.
Very truly yours,
Sean
Sean M. Quinlan
Dean

Around the College
- Build yourself a CLASSy summer reading list by including some of the newest works from our CLASS faculty, including “Good Trouble” by Brian Wolf, “Exposing Slavery: Photography, Human Bondage, and the Birth of Modern Visual Politics in America” by Matthew Fox-Amato, or “Using and Curating Archaeological Collections” coedited by Mark Warner. Or, you can check out a list of publications and creative works created by CLASS staff and faculty.
- Craig Miller, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts, directed the new drama “Faceless” by Selina Fillinger at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, California. The play ran from May 17 to June 2, selling out its entire run and receiving tremendous response from the audiences.
- Two faculty members and two students in CLASS were chosen for fellowships with the U of I Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning, a unique partnership between CLASS and the U of I Library.
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.
Curating the Asian American Comparative Collection

In the 1980s, the University of Idaho’s Alfred W. Bowers Laboratory of Anthropology began excavating archaeological sites related to Idaho’s pioneers of Chinese descent. As a U of I graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in history, Priscilla Wegars ’91 recognized the need to preserve the artifacts found at the archaeological sites. With support from the U of I Department of Anthropology, in 1982 Wegars raised enough money to found the Asian American Comparative Collection (AACC). To help ensure continued funding of the AACC, Wegars recently gave U of I a rental property in Moscow, which was sold so that the proceeds could augment the AACC Endowment. Read more.
Integrate and Educate: Inside Out Program Brings Students, Inmates Together

As a group of University of Idaho students from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology make their way to class, they have to exchange their IDs for bright yellow visitor badges. They are escorted through a maze of hallways and several locked doors before they reach their destination: a classroom tucked away inside a prison. For three hours every week, the students sit side-by-side with inmates at the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino as they pursue higher education goals through the Inside Out program. It’s the first time the international program has been offered in the state of Idaho. Read more.
Best Wishes to CLASS Retirees

During the 2018-19 academic year, eight staff and faculty members retired from the University of Idaho. CLASS would like to recognize and thank each of them for the impact they made on generations of Vandal students and alumni. Combined, this retiree group dedicated more than 200 years to the University of Idaho.
- Janice Capel Anderson, Department of Politics and Philosophy
- Alan Gemberling, Lionel Hampton School of Music
- Mary Ann Judge, Department of English
- Irina Kappler-Crookston, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
- William Lund, Department of Politics and Philosophy
- Jean Planagan, CLASS Dean’s Office
- Kurt Queller, Departments of English and Modern Languages and Cultures
- Rebecca Tallent, School of Journalism and Mass Media
Share stories of these retirees at class-fan@uidaho.edu or consider thanking your favorite faculty or staff member by making a gift in their honor online.
Dates & Deadlines
- June 15, 2019 – GOLD Bike Bar Tour, Boise
- June 22, 2019 – Vandal Day at Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton, Colorado
- June 28, 2019 – 34th Annual American Falls Golf Tournament and Picnic, American Falls
- June 30, 2019 – Vandal Night with the Seattle Storm, Seattle, Washington
- July 8, 2019 – Summer Breezes & Sweet Sounds, 7 p.m., U of I Arboretum
See the complete list of upcoming events and academic deadlines.
Feedback or suggestions? Please send them to class-notes@uidaho.edu.