The 6th annual Obermann Graduate Institute on Public Engagement and the Academy will have three more Graduate Fellows than in past years, thanks to additional funding from the UI Graduate College. This year's co-directors (shown at right), Rachel Williams (GWSS and Art & Art History) and Chuck Connerly (Urban & Regional Planning) will lead a group of students who hail from degree programs as diverse as dentistry and theatre. The Institute offers a competitively selected group of UI graduate students an opportunity to explore how civic engagement can enhance teaching, research, and creative work. It is also a rare opportunity for students to share ideas and experiences with peers they would not otherwise meet. As 2011 Obermann Graduate Fellow Monica Brasile notes, “One of the best things about the Institute is the simple presence of so many passionate people with great ideas and with practical plans to make them a reality.”
The public talk for this year's Institute will be given by Ross Wilburn, Director of Equity at the Iowa City Community School District, on the topic of "Universities and Public School Districts: Challenges and Opportunities for Successful Partnerships" at 7:00 pm in Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library on Thursday, January 12.
2012 Obermann Graduate Fellows
- Jessica Anthony, Dance (CLAS)
- Bryan Asbury, Communication Studies (CLAS)
- Kevin Chamberlain, Art & Art History (CLAS)
- Melody Dworak, Library & Information Sciences (Graduate College)
- Robyn Fennig, Urban & Regional Planning (Graduate College)
- Sara Hanson, Biology (CLAS)
- Lisa Johnson, Art & Art History (CLAS)
- Lenore Maybaum, Language, Literacy & Culture (College of Education)
- Wendy Miller, Art Education (CLAS)
- Josh Miner, English (CLAS)
- Nkechi Onwuameze, Education Policy (College of Education)
- Kira Pasquesi, Education Policy (College of Education)
- Julie Reynolds, Preventative and Community Dentistry (College of Dentistry)
- Jennifer Shook, English (CLAS)
- stef shuster, Sociology (CLAS)
- Maylan Thomas, Theatre Arts (CLAS)
- Sojeong Yoon, Communication Sciences & Disorders (CLAS)
- Eric Zimmer, History (CLAS)