April 6, 2006
Etc: Campus News & Notes
BOY OH BOY: An employment discrimination case brought to the U.S. Supreme Court by UW Law professor Eric Schnapper resulted in the overturning of an appeals court’s decision that he was contesting. The case, Ash et al vs. Tyson Foods Inc., involved a dispute over whether white managers can be sued for referring to black employees as “boys.” The Supreme Court rejected the appeals court’s claim that the term “boy” alone is never evidence of discrimination and said that the appeals court’s standard of judging applicants’ comparative qualifications was faulty.
The decision, one of the first actions with new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, was in favor of petitioners Anthony Ash and John Hithon, former Tyson employees. The two men were passed over for management positions within Tyson by a white manager who called them “boys.” Ash and Hithon were originally awarded $1.75 million by a jury, but a judge threw out that decision. The case has been remanded back to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta and the lower court has been ordered to reconsider the case. The court’s decision can be read at: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-379.pdf
DISTINCTIVE VOICES: Art Professors Michael Spafford, painting, and Jamie Walker, ceramic sculpture, have won Flintridge Foundation Awards for Visual Artists. The awards honor artists from California, Oregon and Washington who work in fine arts and crafts media and whose work demonstrates high artistic merit and a distinctive voice for 20 years or more. Each gets an unrestricted grant of $25,000. Also honored was sculptor and UW alum Lauren Grossman.
EDUCATION LEADER: James Soto Antony, associate professor of education and director of the graduate program in Higher Education, is among 38 college and university senior faculty and administrators selected for The American Council on Education Fellows Program. The ACE Fellows Program is one of the longest-running leadership development programs in the United States and focuses on identifying and preparing senior leadership for the nation’s colleges and universities. Antony will be spending the majority of his fellowship year in the UW president’s and provost’s office. He will also be mentored by presidents at other research universities around the country.
MADAME CHAIRMAN: United Way of King County has announced the election of Sandra Madrid, assistant dean for students and community development at the UW law school, as board chair for 2006-2007. Madrid, the first Hispanic woman to hold the position, has served on the board for nine years and held a variety of positions. United Way of King County is the largest United Way chapter in the United States.
OUT IN SPACE: When the Museum of Flight celebrates the 45th anniversary of the first human space flight and the 25th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch on April 12, three UW professors and one alum will be part of the program. Speakers include Professors Don Brownlee, Astronomy; Adam Bruckner, Aeronautics and Astronautics; James Tillman, Atmospheric Sciences; and UW alumna Bonnie J. Dunbar, a former NASA astronaut. The celebration begins at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $25 per person in advance on www.ticketweb.com and at the Museum Store, or $30 at the door. For information, call 206-764-5720,
REACHING OUT: Julia Parrish, associate professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, is one of 18 academic environmental researchers who have been awarded Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowships for 2006. Fellows receive intensive communication and leadership training to help them deliver scientific information more effectively to policy makers, the media, business leaders and the public. Fellows are chosen for their outstanding scientific qualifications, demonstrated leadership ability and strong interest in communicating science beyond traditional academic audiences.
ALL STAR ADVOCATE: Ed Lazowska, Bill and Melinda Gates Professor of Computer Science & Engineering, was given the Association for Computing Machinery’s Presidential Award “for showing us how to advocate effectively for IT research and advanced education.” Lazowska is one of only seven people to receive the award since it was created in 1985.
VISIT THE POLICE: The UW Police Department will hold its annual open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 12. Visitors will meet the police officers and the staff and have a chance to tour the facility in the Bryant Building. At 2:30 p.m., a ceremony will be held honoring the Officer of the Year and the Employee of the Year. Students, faculty and staff are invited to the open house. Refreshments will be served.
ADVISING THE GUV: Shelly Lundberg, Castor Professor of Economics at the UW and the director of the Center for Research on Families, has been named by Governor Chris Gregoire to the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. The council advises the Governor on state financial matters, including the state budget, tax policy, the issuance of debt and debt management, cash management and other fiscal matters that reflect upon the overall financial condition of the state.
REFERENCE ROCKS: Joseph W. Janes, associate professor and associate dean for academics at The Information School, is the recipient of the Isadore Gilbert Mudge-R.R. Bowker Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association. The award of a citation and $5,000 donated by R.R. Bowker recognizes distinguished contributions to reference librarianship. The honor is named for Isadore Gilbert Mudge who was a reference librarian, and bibliographer at Columbia University.
DIVERSITY CHAMPION: Luis Navarro, MBA Class of 2005 at the UW Bothell and resident of Bothell, was honored recently by the Port of Seattle with the Charles Blood Champion of Diversity Award. The award recognizes outstanding service and leadership in the area of diversity by Port of Seattle employees. Navarro dedicated $1,000 from the award to the Oscar Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress in Costa Rica. Navarro was born in Costa Rica and holds dual citizenship in Costa Rica and the United States.
KUDOS: Buddy D. Ratner, professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering and director of UWEB, has been selected as a member of the Editorial Board of the Institute of Physics’ newest journal, Biomedical Materials.
BLOOMIN’ EARLY: Shoppers will find perennials, shrubs, small trees, herbs, vines and more at the Arboretum Foundation’s Early Bloomers Sale on Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale will be held at the Plant Donations area, just south of the Graham Visitors Center, 2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle. Parking and admission are free; the sale benefits Washington Park Arboretum. For information, go to www.arboretumfoundation.org or call 205-325-4510.
Do you know someone who deserves kudos for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, send that person’s name, title and achievement to uweek@u.washington.edu.
