Teaching Excellence Fair Set for Oct. 27

Pitt will hold its annual Teaching Excellence Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 27 in the J.W. Connolly Ballroom, Alumni Hall. Sponsored by the Provost’s Advisory Council on Instructional Excellence and coordinated by Pitt’s Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education (CIDDE), the fair celebrates faculty initiatives and innovations related to teaching and the use of instructional technology.

Recipients of the 2003-04 “Innovation in Education” grant awards will present their prize-winning teaching projects. Also featured will be small-group discussions on using discussion and questioning in the classroom, facilitated by faculty in various disciplines who have been recognized for their teaching excellence.

Throughout the day, informative mini-sessions will be held on a variety of teaching-related topics; there also will be demonstrations of new instructional support software and technical resources, including developing a teaching portfolio, understanding copyright issues when using electronic materials on the Web, using Pitt’s Student Response System for classroom feedback and assessment, and using antiplagiarism software. This year’s fair also includes a discussion with Joseph Grabowski, Pitt associate professor of chemistry, on the Innovation in Education grants program and application process.

For more information and to register, visit CIDDE’s Web site at www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/, or contact Melanie Fox at 412-624-2896 or fox@cidde.pitt.edu.

Work of Islamic Master Calligraphers On Display at WPU

The name Allah, in Arabic script.

Diverse calligraphic art representing distinct regions of the Islamic world will be on display today through Nov. 5 in Pitt’s Kimbo Art Gallery in the William Pitt Union.

The exhibition, titled “Look! This is Love, Islam: A Cultural Experience” includes 35 works created by world-renowned master calligraphers. The exhibition is a project of Cultural Connexion, a nonprofit organization that promotes and preserves Arabic and Islamic arts and cultures while fostering better dialogue between the Arab and Muslim communities of the West.

At 7:30 p.m. tonight, Fawzia Reda, creative director of Cultural Connexion, will give a presentation titled “Islamic Calligraphy and Spirituality.” She will explain how the exhibition’s works reflect the diversity and freedom of artistic expression that characterize the Islamic culture, as well as its spiritual and moral symbolism. According to Reda, the ultimate messages of Islamic calligraphy are harmony, tolerance, and cultural conciliation stemming from mutual recognition, acceptance, and appreciation of differences.

Reda also will lead a discussion on cultural, social, and current events in the Islamic world and in the Middle East at noon Oct. 26 in 4217 Posvar Hall.

For more information about the Pitt exhibition, visit www.cerisnet.org or call Elaine Linn, community relations coordinator for Pitt’s University Center for International Studies (UCIS), at 412-624-4780.

Following Pitt’s Oct. 25 exhibition, the Islamic calligraphy exhibit will be on display at the BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center—411 Third Ave., Cambria City, Johnstown, Pa.—Nov. 7. An opening reception will be held at 5 p.m., featuring delicacies prepared by local Muslim community members and a presentation on Islamic calligraphy and spirituality. An Arabic calligraphy workshop will be given by Mohmoud Qazi Nov. 20. For more information on the Johnstown exhibition, visit www.bottleworks.org.

The Western Pennsylvania exhibitions were made possible by Pitt’s Asian Studies Center and the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies within UCIS, the Pitt Program Council, Pitt Department of Religious Studies, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation.

—Leigh Ann Wojciechowski

Chuck Kinder to Read From New Book Nov. 1

Pitt’s Department of English will host a reading with Chuck Kinder, Pitt associate professor of English, to celebrate the publication of his new book, Last Mountain Dancer: Hard-Earned Lessons in Love, Loss, and Honky-Tonk Outlaw Life (Carroll & Graff, 2004) at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in the University Book Center.

Kinder recently returned to his native West Virginia to write this book, which he will sign during the event.

Kinder is author of three other books:Snakehunter (Knopf, 1973), The Silver Ghost (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979), and Honeymooners: A Cautionary Tale (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2001), which made The New York Times Notable Books for 2001 list. A Pitt professor for 15 years, Kinder is the codirector of Pitt’s Writing Program and is a member of its Graduate Admissions Committee. He has been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and has received a National Endowment for the Arts award for his work.

—Patricia Lomando White

Poet Peter Blair to Give Reading at Pitt

Poet Peter Blair will give a free public reading from his most recent book, The Divine Salt (Autumn House Press, 2003), at noon Oct. 27 in the Pitt Book Center.

Author of the 1999 Washington Prize-winning Last Heat (Word Works, 2000), Blair has worked in a psychiatric ward, and a steel mill, and served three years in the Peace Corps in Thailand. He earned the Ph.D. degree in American literature at the University of Iowa and resides in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife and son.

This event is sponsored by Pitt’s University Book Center and Autumn House Press. For more information, contact Melissa Grube at 412-648-1453.

—Audra Sorman

Meet and Greet Mrs. Rogers and Mr. McFeely

Joanne Rogers and Mr. McFeely, played by actor David Newell of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, will take part in a Meet and Speak at 1 p.m. Oct. 30 in the University of Pittsburgh Book Center.

Wife of the late Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, the former concert pianist Joanne Byrd, will join Newell, in the persona of Mr. McFeely, at the Book Center to sign books, calendars, photos, and the new video Fred Rogers: America’s Favorite Neighbor (2004), narrated by the actor Michael Keaton.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood debuted in 1968 and is the longest-running television show on the Public Broadcasting System.

This event is sponsored by the Pitt Book Center, Hyperion Books, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Family Communications. For more information, contact Melissa Grube at 412-648-1453.

—Audra Sorman

Concord Coalition to Facilitate Election Discussion Tomorrow

The Concord Coalition will visit Pitt tomorrow to lead an interactive discussion about the U.S. presidential election, the national economy, the re-emergence of federal budget deficits, and the government’s priorities.

Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs will host “Congress For A Night—‘Principles & Priorities’ Budget Discussion,” from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 in 3911 Posvar Hall. Corey Davison, Concord Coalition Northeast Regional Director, will facilitate a “Principles & Priorities” budget discussion. The event is free and open to students, the public, and the news media, although RSVPs are requested to be sent to Midwest@concordcoalition.org, as space is limited.

“This discussion will address some of the key questions that have not been asked on the campaign trail,” said Davison. “As part of our series of national discussions about fiscal policy, students and area residents will be able to discuss how they would deal with a $7.4 trillion debt, historically high deficits, and the imminent Baby Boomer retirement if they were in office.”

Working in groups of six to 10, “Principles & Priorities” participants will discuss pros and cons of various spending and tax options and the role of the federal government. “Principles & Priorities” will conclude with a wrap-up discussion of the results from each group and discussions over different groups’ “reelection” chances, handling of the economy, and public policy ramifications.

The Concord Coalition was founded in 1992 by former Senator Warren Rudman (R-N.H.), the late Paul Tsongas, former Democratic senator from Massachusetts, and former Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson. Former Senator Robert Kerrey (D-Neb.) joined Rudman as cochair of the organization in 2002. The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to balanced federal budgets and responsible fiscal policy. The organization does not endorse, support, or oppose specific political parties or candidates for public office.

University Kicks Off United Way Campaign

Pitt’s 2004 United Way fundraising campaign kicked off Oct. 19 and will run through Nov. 24. The campaign goal is $610,000.

Some Pitt-United Way facts and figures:

• Last year, Pitt’s campaign raised $598,143 from 2,198 donors. Faculty and staff pledged $496,111; students raised $80,000; retirees contributed $18,752; and special events brought in $3,280.

• The University’s 2003 overall campaign and the Pitt retirees campaign each received Silver Awards from the United Way for achieving a per-person gift of $50-$99.

• Last year, Pitt raised $252,942 for the Impact Fund, a pool of unrestricted gifts allocated among some 70 United Way agencies. For this year, the University’s United Way steering committee has set a goal of raising Pitt Impact Fund contributions to $273,000.

• Payroll deduction and online pledging are available again this year. The Pitt-United Way web site address is: www.pitt.edu/~united, which provides a link for pledging as well as campaign updates.

• Pitt will hold prize drawings during the campaign on Oct. 29, Nov. 12, and Dec. 3. Participants who return their pledge cards to 500 Craig Hall by noon on the day of a drawing will be eligible for that drawing and future ones. Online pledges received by the deadline are automatically added to the drawing. This year’s grand prize will be airline tickets, awarded at the Dec.3 drawing.

• The University’s Book Center will sponsor a holiday card sale Nov. 1-6, with all proceeds benefiting Pitt’s United Way campaign.