1. BASH AT THE BIG HOUSE SATURDAY

The much-anticipated Bash at the Big House kicks off at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with the unbeaten football Huskies taking on Grand Valley State.This will be the first NCAA Division II game at the Big House in more than 20 years, and organizers hope to beat the attendance record established Sept. 29, 1979, during a game between Pennsylvania teams Shippensburg and Slippery Rock.With last week's win over Saginaw Valley State, Michigan Tech is 9-0 and, for the first time, champion of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Whatever the outcome Saturday, the football Huskies could host their inaugural NCAA playoff game at Sherman Field.Michigan Tech and several other universities also also hope to attract thousands of area youth to the Michigan YES! Expo Saturday at the Crisler Arena, next door to Michigan Stadium. The goal is to generate interest among Michigan's high school and middle school students in careers in science, technology and engineering.Michigan Tech’s volleyball team will also play Grand Valley State on Saturday, at 5 p.m. at Pioneer High School.Michigan Tech's men's basketball team will go up against Michigan the day after Bash at the Big House--Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. in Crisler Arena.

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2. MTU PLACES SECOND IN HEAVY/CIVIL BID COMPETITION

Michigan Tech placed second in the ASC Great Lakes Region III Heavy/Civil Division bid competition held in Downers Grove, Ill. There were six teams competing in Heavy/Civil division, and the winner was a team from Cincinnati that has won the last seven events.The competition requires teams of six students, while essentially locked in their hotel room for 16 hours, to estimate the cost to construct a project. This year’s project was an airport reconstruction in Southern California. The competition simulates the real world pressures of analyzing a project, identifying the risks and then realistically pricing it. Additionally, the students must look at the cash flow of the project, create a schedule, perform quantity takeoff, correctly complete the bid requirements, compare subcontractor quotes, determine equipment production, and complete numerous other tasks.This year’s team consisted of six civil engineering students in the Pavement Enterprise, Mike Momont, Mike Phelps, Dan Larson, Adam Tilly, Erron Peuse and Rob Greene, who met weekly to prepare for the event.After arriving in Downers Grove on Wednesday, the van that they had driven broke down. Being Michigan Tech students, they almost had it fixed before it was towed to the garage. Their last minute preparations also included a bit of UP relaxation as they took a sauna.Without the financial assistance of Kiewit Western Construction Co., Rieth Riley Construction Co., Yalmer Mattila Contracting, Inc., the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Pavement Enterprise, this success would not have been possible. The sponsor of the heavy/civil competition was Granite Construction of Watsonville, Calif.Special thanks go to Jeff Netsch of Kiewit Engineering who spent an evening with the students making suggestions on how to approach heavy/civil projects.“It is extremely gratifying for me to have the opportunity to be involved with students such as these and to compete in an event such as this. They certainly represented the university well,” said Associate Professor Kris Mattila, the team’s advisor.

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3. MICHIGAN TECH AIR FORCE ROTC GIVES CADET HIS WINGS
By Laura Walikainen

As a member of Michigan Technological University's Air Force ROTC, Cadet Ben Williams is flying high both in the air and on the ground.Williams was recently awarded a pilot's slot through the ROTC program. The process for selection was highly competitive, and Williams was one of only seven from MTU Air Force ROTC to receive a slot."It is quite an honor for me," said Williams.Prior to beginning Air Force pilot training, cadets chosen for a slot must learn how to fly. Last summer, the Air Force paid for Williams to earn his private pilot's license from the Aviation Center in Williams' hometown of Ann Arbor. After passing the two-week ground school, Williams had to complete 50 hours of flying that included solo flights, night flying and long distance flights."There were definitely some interesting times during the summer because flying is inherently risky," said Williams. "Once we were flying from Ann Arbor to Lansing and we lost our alternator, so we didn't have any power. We had to turn off all the communication equipment and lights in order to save the battery. We knew that we weren't going to hit anything and that the plane wouldn't crash because the plane can fly without batteries. But we had to land without landing lights. You knew you we close to the ground, but you didn't know how far up you were. It was exciting."Recently Williams returned to Ann Arbor where he passed the final test to earn his private pilot's license."It was a great experience; I'm really thankful to the Air Force for paying for it," Williams said.Williams will graduate from Michigan Tech this December with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He will then be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force."It's been fun. Air Force ROTC has been very good to me," said Williams. "I've been most impressed with the people. I've got a lot of friends and a very supportive cadre."_______________

4. TEACHING ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR FACULTY

Teaching abroad opportunities for MTU faculty are available, the International Programs and Services has announced. Current openings through the University Studies Abroad Consortium include summer 2006, fall 2006 and spring 2007 terms in Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Mexico and Spain. Compensation is provided for both the faculty member and their department. For more information on these opportunities see the "announcement" link at http://www.cie.mtu.edu/SA/Go_Abroad/teaching.htm._______________

5. FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP GRANT APPLICATIONS SOLICITED

Applications for the 2004-05 Faculty Scholarship Grant are being solicited from all eligible faculty members. The application may be accessed on the web at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/research/vpr/internal/faculty.html . Faculty need to submit eight copies of the application to Joanne Polzien, 317A Administration Building, no later than Dec. 11. Faculty may also submit applications electronically and avoid making duplicates by sending them as an attachment to jpolzien@mtu.edu._______________

6. AUDITIONS FOR “STEEL MAGNOLIAS” NOV. 6, 8, 9

Auditions for Michigan Tech's February 2005 production of the hit comedy "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling will take place on Nov. 6, 8 and 9 in McArdle Theatre. Auditions are open to both students and community members, with no preparation or prior experience necessary. Audition times are 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, and 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 8 and 9. "Steel Magnolias" has six characters, all women.Harling's celebration of a close-knit group of friends in a Southern beauty parlor is considered one of the high points of recent American theater. The play became a hit movie in 1989 starring Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Sally Field and Dolly Parton, and is being revived on Broadway this season. The characters are famously warm, lovable, funny, pithy and unforgettable.The play will be performed in the Rozsa Center Feb. 3-4 and 11-12 directed by Associate Professor Debra Bruch (Fine Arts). Evening rehearsals begin on Nov. 10. Bruch emphasizes that auditions are open to everyone, and that no advance knowledge of the play is necessary. She says, "Just come, have fun, focus and be enthusiastic." Those interested in working on the stage crew should attend auditions or contact the director at 487-3281.More information is available from the Fine Arts office, 487-2067._______________

7. CHRISTMAS TREES AVAILABLE FROM FORESTRY CLUB

The MTU Forestry Club and Xi Sigma Pi Honor Society are selling Christmas trees again this year. Orders will be taken through Friday, Nov. 12. Please e-mail melatsch@mtu.edu with your orders or any questions. The group is only taking preorders this year, and they are also asking people to pay for their trees in advance. This can be done in two ways, by sending payment in interoffice mail to Michelle Latsch, MTU Forestry Club/SAF, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, or by seding payment directly to Michelle Latsch, 1042 Summit St., Hancock, MI 49930.Trees will be available for pick-up Dec. 2-4. Delivery to the Houghton/Hancock area will be available for an additional $5.This year's prices for the Douglas fir are $15 for 3-5 ft., $17 for 5-6 ft., $21 for 6-7 ft., $23 for 7-8 ft., $27 for 8-9 ft., $33 for 9-10 ft. and $41 for 10-12 ft.Prices for the balsam fir and blue spruce are $19 for 6-7 ft., $23 for 8-9 ft., $27 for 10 ft., and $33 for 11-12 ft.Prices for the white spruce are $17 for 6-7 ft. and $19 for 8 ft.Balsam fir and white spruce table top trees, which are 4 ft. and under, are $10 each.

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8. CALL FOR WINTER CARNIVAL JUDGES
by Kelly Wesemann, student writer

Blue Key National Honor Fraternity is looking for Michigan Tech faculty and staff, as well as community members, to judge events for Winter Carnival 2005, A Frozen Commotion from the Depths of the Ocean. Each year over 60 judges are needed for the stage review, statue, queen and beards competitions.The judging coordinator and the committee chairperson of the event make the selection of the judges. A committee chairperson may request a judge for a specific event based on past judging experience and corporate sponsorship. Also, Blue Key does their best to assign a judge based on his or her own preference. Judges can have no record of affiliation with a group competing in the division of the event they are judging.

Judging applications can be picked up in the Blue Key office (MUB 106) or are available online at http://www.hu.mtu.edu/%7Ebluekey/ Judging applications are due in the Blue Key office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The following is a list of times, dates and events for which judges are needed.

Saturday, Dec. 4, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.--Stage Review Eliminations
Saturday, Jan. 15, 8 a.m-?--Stage Review Critiques
Thursday, Feb. 10, 3-7 p.m.--Stage Review Early Performance
Thursday, Feb. 10, 7:30-11 p.m.--Stage Review Late Performance
Thursday, Feb. 10, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.--Statues
Saturday, Dec. 4, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.--Queens Preliminary Interviews
Sunday, Dec. 5 (if needed), 10 a.m.-3 p.m.--Queens Preliminary Interviews
Sunday, Jan. 29, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.--Queens Final Interviews
Saturday, Feb. 5, 6:30-10 p.m.--Queens Coronation
Thursday, Feb. 10, 12:30-6 p.m.--Beards Competition
*Please note: Queens final interview judges must also judge the coronation on Saturday, Feb. 5.

All judges will be invited to attend the judges’ breakfast on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 10, in thanks for their participation and hard work in helping make Winter Carnival a success. Please address any questions to Judging Coordinator Brian Reath at bjreath@mtu.edu or 487-2818 or to Community Liaison Committee Chairperson Kelly Wesemann at krwesema@mtu.edu or 487-2818.

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9. BETA GAMMA SIGMA CHAPTER RECOGNIZED AS EXEMPLARY

By receiving the Exemplary Chapter award, Michigan Tech’s Beta Gamma Sigma chapter is being recognized for its high level of success in recruiting top business students into the society. Each year, collegiate chapters extend invitations to the top 7 percent of business juniors, the upper 10 percent of business seniors, and the highest 20 percent of business graduate students. Chapters reporting a 70 percent acceptance rate at both the graduate and undergraduate level and those chapters indicating an 85 percent acceptance rate at one academic level are considered to be exemplary.With Exemplary Chapter status, MTU’s chapter is now eligible to award a $1,000 Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship in the 2005-06 academic year.Of the 417 Beta Gamma Sigma chapters currently established on college and university campuses, only 52 were recognized as Exemplary Chapters in 2004.Founded in 1913, Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society for AACSB International--The Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business. The mission of Beta Gamma Sigma is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business and to foster personal and professional excellence among its members._______________

10. TEACHING AT TECH--HIGHER ED, INC.
by William Kennedy, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Development

The 20th century was one of explosive growth in demand for higher education. At the turn of the 20th century, about 1 percent of American high school grads went on to college. Today that figure stands at about 70 percent. In 1950 there were 190,000 faculty members in the U.S. By 1998, the number of tenured or tenure-track faculty had increased to over one million. The dawn of the 21st century finds supply increasingly exceeding demand in American institutions of higher education. Of the 2,500 four year colleges in the U.S., only about 100 of them refuse more applicants than they accept. In fact, the majority of schools accept more than 80 percent of the students that apply.Higher education is big business and big businesses continue to exist by responding to changes in market demands. Professor James Twitchell writes, "The experience of higher education, all the accessories, the amenities, the aura, have been commercialized, outsourced, franchised, and branded." Across the U.S., as taxpayers have become demonstrably less interested in supporting education, publicly supported colleges and universities have been scrambling to emulate privates in building endowments and embarking on aggressive programs to compete for their share of the diminishing pool of high-potential students.
Twitchell says, "Elite schools are no longer in the education business. They are in the sponsored research and edutainment business…" with more and more schools actively encouraging students to shop around for classes that provide a good fit. Twitchell, a professor of English at the University of Florida, says his school is doubling the size of the student union to accommodate a new food court, ballrooms, a Cineplex, a bowling alley, a hotel, student legal services, a bicycle repair shop, a huge "spiritware" shop (stuff with school logos), an art gallery, video games, an optical shop, a travel agency and an outdoor outfitter. Air-conditioned skyboxes are being added to the football stadium to provide corporate and private donors with exclusive seating and access to alcohol during games. Much of this new construction and an increasing share of unit budgets are being routinely supported by corporate and private largesse with a diminishing share coming from the state subsidies or from student tuition.Twitchell argues that providing students with a consumer-friendly focus may come at the expense of providing them with quality instruction. He says that faculty expressions of concern that the classroom is being "dumbed down" to avoid alienating students are increasingly falling on deaf ears at the administrative levels. Twitchell says elite colleges and universities are no longer in the business of transmitting cultural literacy or the nuanced use of language. Instead, he says, they are being redesigned to create an environment that encourages students to feel smart as they shuffle through their courses and compile the flawless transcript that will guarantee them admission to graduate school. In effect, he says, undergraduate instruction is becoming an extension of K-12 processing.While exclusive privates have raised undergraduate tuition five-fold over the last 30 years, competition for seats has increased dramatically. Harvard's $20 billion endowment allows it to discount its tuition to buy whatever students that it wants. That endowment ensures that the Harvard brand will endure regardless of the nature of the education that students receive there.Second-tier schools may be bankrupting themselves emulating the Ivy Leagues by attempting to buy high-quality students through tuition discounting and then struggling to provide those they buy with country-club amenities. Every two weeks Harvard's endowment produces enough interest to fund its entire undergraduate program. Schools that are forced to compete without such a deep pool of resources do so at their own peril, according to Twitchell.

Twitchell concludes that most schools have "…gone from artisinal guild to department store, from gatekeeper to ticket taker, from page turner to video clicker."
* The Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2004, p. 46

 

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11. A LUSH AND MELODIC SOUND AT THE ROZSA
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment

The Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of Resovia, a town recognized as a regional cultural center, is widely acknowledged to be a national treasure. This world-class ensemble, known throughout Europe for its lush and melodic sound, will be at the Rozsa Center on Friday, Nov. 5, for one performance only at 7:30 p.m. The concert comes to the Rozsa sponsored by the Katherine M. Bosch Endowment, and tickets are on sale at the Rozsa Box Office by calling 487-3200, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., or online at http://tickets.mtu.edu.

Conductor Tadeusz Wojciechowski leads the orchestra in an audience-pleasing program with works by Rossini, Mozart, Schubert, Britten and Beethoven. The first two works, Rossini’s delightful Overture to the Barber of Seville and Mozart’s Serenade: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, are familiar works to many music lovers, but often only certain sections of the works are remembered, and it is always a pleasure to hear the works beautifully performed in their entirety. Schubert’s melodic and expressive Symphony No. 3 in D Major is the third work on the program.

Following the intermission, the orchestra performs Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, and the concert concludes with Beethoven’s splendid Symphony No. 2 in D Major. This piece was written at a time when the composer was coping with his rapidly failing hearing, yet none of the anguish he felt shows in the music, which sparkles with joy and high spirits.

Wojciechowski is sought after as a guest conductor throughout Europe. He has served as music director of the Polish Radio Orchestra and Choir in Cracow and the Polish National Opera in Warsaw and is a frequent guest conductor at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen and Staatsoper in Munich, as well as conducting many of the major orchestras in Poland and abroad, including orchestras in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Slovenia. He has appeared and continues to frequent the podium in some of the most illustrious opera houses--the Metropolitan Opera in New York; Royal Opera Theatres in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm; Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice; and the Teatro Carl Felice in Genoa. He was a general director and artistic director of the National Opera in Warsaw in the years 1995 and 1996.

The Polish Philharmonic Resovia was founded in 1955 and is the resident orchestra of the world-renowned musical festival in Lancut. Based in Resovia, they are known for their concert series in the impressive Philharmonic Hall in Rzeszów and for many performances in Poland’s music centers. The orchestra has recorded for both Polish and international record companies, and its recordings of the Mozart Requiem and Rossini’s Messa di Gloria have received rave reviews.

The Polish Philharmonic Resovia comes to the Rozsa sponsored by the Katherine M. Bosch Endowment and the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs. For further information contact the MTU Great Events Series Office at 487-2844.

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12. THE TROUPE’S FAMILY SHOW THIS FRIDAY

The Troupe, MTU's improv comedy group, presents their annual Family Show on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in McArdle Theatre. The Family Show appeals to students, children and families with skits on superheroes, cartoon characters and 30-second fairy tales, many improvised on the spot using ideas from the audience.

The 12-member Troupe, directed by Associate Professor Sue Stephens (Fine Arts), performs regularly on campus and in area schools and teaches theater workshops for K-12 students.

Tickets for the Nov. 5 show are available free to children aged 8 and under, $3 for all other students, and $5 for the general public, from the Rozsa Center Box Office, 487-3200, or at the door. More information is available from the Fine Arts office, 487-2067.

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13. LECTURE AT THE ROZSA: TEACHING NEW DOGS OLD TRICKS
Submitted by University Cultural Enrichment

Design engineer and internationally renowned technoartist Natalie Jeremijenko visits Michigan Tech on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Her 7:30 p.m. lecture is titled “Teaching New Dogs Old Tricks: New Technology Design and Activism in Times of War.” The lecture is open to the public, and admission is free.

One of America’s leading digital pioneers, Jerimijenko was recently named as one of the top 100 young innovators under 35 by the MIT Technology Review. Formerly the director of the Engineering Design Studio at Yale University, where she developed and implemented new courses in technological innovation, she is now at the University of California at San Diego.

A 1999 Rockefeller Fellow, Jeremijenko attempts to reclaim technology from the idealized, abstract concept of “cyberspace” and apply it to the untidy complications of the real world, often with disturbing results. Through her design explorations she considers questions such as Can information technology look different? What is the role for touchable interfaces? Now that we can talk to things, what do we say? Can we build networked communities around shared material conditions rather than shared interests?

She frequently uses technology to explore social realities. Her projects have included a feral robotic sniffer dog for which she developed a “hobbyist” kit for the adaptation of commercially available robotic dog toys. The kit enables the dogs to behave as if they are sniffing out environmental toxins. Her “One Tree” project is actually one thousand cloned trees. Initially exhibited as plantlets together, the trees were then planted throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The condition of the growing trees reflects the region’s discrepancies in climatic, environmental and socio-economic conditions.

Jeremijenko’s interactive presentation challenges audiences to think about the context of information technology, as she takes a critical look at the way that information technology has been and continues to be politicized. She believes in the democratization of technology and the development of truly open-source communities of information, and makes suggestions as to how we can all participate.

Jerimijenko’s visit to Michigan Tech is sponsored by the Mark Eugene Howard Endowment for Lectures on Art and Technology and is coordinated by the MTU Great Events Series Office, 487-2844.

 

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14. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SEMINAR THURSDAY

The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics will host a graduate seminar presented by Professor Gregory Odegard (MEEM). The presentation, "Modeling and Simulation of Nanostructured Materials," will take place Thursday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. in MEEM 112.

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15. CHEMISTRY COLLOQUIUM FRIDAY

Professor Stephen A. Hackney (Materials Science and Engineering) will present a chemistry colloquium, "Materials Structure and Electrochemical Applications," Friday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. in Chem Sci 101. For more information, contact Haiying Liu, hyliu@mtu.edu, 487-3451.

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15-1/2. LUNCH AND LEARN: DOES STRETCHING PREVENT INJURIES?

On Tuesday, Nov. 9, physical therapist Mark Randell will give a talk, "Does Stretching Prevent Injuries?" at noon in Memorial Union 105.

Randell is a physical therapist for Keweenaw Memorial Rehab and Fitness Center. Show your Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Group 55248 identification card, and be eligible to win some great prizes! Bring your lunch; soft drinks and water will be provided.

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16. WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION: IT'S MORE THAN YOU THINK

Michigan Tech alumna Dorothy "Dot" Proux, a partner with the accounting firm Ernst and Young in Chicago, visits the university Nov. 11 to give two presentations on successful communication in the workplace.

The first, at 1:15 p.m., is geared toward college students preparing for their careers. The second, at 5 p.m., will address communications issues for women. Both will be held in Dow 641.

Proux is the area director of Ernst and Young's Lake Michigan Area State and Local Tax Practice and specializes in multi-state income and franchise taxation. Her clients include mid-size to large manufacturers, retailers and distributors. She has presented lectures on state and local tax issues for varying audiences, including tax practitioners, university students and members of industry.

Proux describes herself as passionate about the need for communication skills in the workplace. At her 1:15 p.m. talk she will discuss how clear communication is particularly important for recent college graduates, who can otherwise find themselves in awkward situations.

For example, new staff members often start their new jobs without understanding their employers' expectations on overtime, she says. Philanthropy--the time employees are expected to volunteer for the community--is also a surprise for many new hires.

At her 5 p.m. presentation, Proux will discuss how women can balance their careers and personal lives, and the importance of networking. "Women network differently from men," she notes, which women can use to their advantage.

She will also discuss different communications styles, and how the style you use can contribute to or hinder your success within an organization.

Proux joined Ernst and Young in 1994 and rose through the ranks to her current position. She graduated from Michigan Tech in 1986 with a BS in Business Administration and is a certified public accountant licensed in Michigan and Illinois.

She is a member of the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois and the Illinois CPA Society, and sits on the board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Both talks are free and open to the public.

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17. GREEK LIFE BROWN BAG LUNCHEON NOV. 10

Assistant Director Jenny Greyerbiehl (Student Life) will present a brown bag luncheon about Greek life on Wednesday, Nov. 10, from
noon to 1 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge.

"Unsure what the difference between Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Chi is? Wondering what Greeks at MTU are involved in? Do you even know what Greek life means? Want to help, but unsure about how to do so? Come learn what Michigan Tech's Greek community is all about at the brown bag lunch, sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs," organizers said.

Refreshments and dessert will be provided.

Please contact Lynda Heinonen in the Student Affairs office if you have any questions at lheinone@mtu.edu or 487-2212.

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18. “UNFIXING THE RACE: CULTURE, IDENTITY, POLICY” LECTURE MONDAY

Associate Professor Gilbert Rodman, from the University of South Florida, will be delivering a guest lecture on Monday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m., in Walker 109.

It's become common for critics and scholars to acknowledge that race is a social construct, but then to engage in argument and analysis that nonetheless treats the existing racial categories as if they were fixed and immutable phenomena. While they may critique popular understandings of what "blackness" or "whiteness" (etc.) means, they cling to the categories themselves with unwarranted tenacity.

This talk examines cultural texts, sites and practices where the existing racial categories mix, merge and/or rub up against each other in ways that unsettle the naturalness of race; the multiple ways that popular media discourses about race actively work to deny the possibility of identities that blend, blur, and/or cross over the existing racial categories; and governmental and institutional policies that function (wittingly or otherwise) to create, maintain, reinforce, and police discrete and mutually exclusive forms of racial categorization.

While avoiding the too easy (and too naive) notion that we can or should simply ignore race completely, this presentation argues that any viable attempt to eradicate racism in the US will require us to abandon the "check one box only" philosophy that has dominated our collective understanding of racial identity, and to radically reconstruct the categories we use to identify ourselves and each other.

Rodman is the author of “Elvis After Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend” (Routledge) and co-editor of “Race in Cyberspace” (Routledge). He has also published articles on cultural studies and media studies in hte Journal of Communication Inquiry, Cultural Studies, and Meaning.

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19. “FIRST PAST THE POST: IMAGINING RACE AFTER NATION” LECTURE FRIDAY

Assistant Professor Margaret Werry from the University of Minnesota will deliver a guest lecture on Friday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. in Walker 109.

The question of representation (political and aesthetic) has always been a vexed one for fourth-world populations, and doubly so under globalization, where the frame that historically enabled recognition and resistance as an ethnic minority--the nation-state--lies in question. This presentation examines contemporary cultural policy in neo-liberal New Zealand, focusing on the cultural strategies and political pitfalls of Maori ethnic formation in a post-national age. It does so through the lens of cultural policy, where ethnic aspirations and global market branding collide on the territory of racial representation in debates over national cinema and tourism.

How are indigenous culture workers understanding and mobilizing race in the context of this changed political landscape? How do their agendas square with the broader neo-liberal project? How do they sit with former goals and strategies of ethnic activism, as well as with current race-focused global trends in the culture industry? Where much contemporary globalization literature examines the flourishing of ethnicity, traditionally conceived, in the mobile geo-political topographies of the global, this paper asks if we need a theory of
post-ethnicity to encompass the challenges faced by fourth world populations in a global age.

Werry has published theater and photography criticism in Essays in Theatre, Modern Drama, and Public Culture. Her current work and
forthcoming publications deal with tourism and heritage policy and cultural performance in the context of neo-liberalism and globalization.