April 3, 2008

CBU Offers Free Workshop for High School Students

Christian Brothers University (CBU) is offering a unique opportunity for high school students to participate in a free music and art workshop, entitled Voices From No Man's Land. The workshop is being coordinated by the CBU School of Arts and sponsored by a Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) grant. The workshop will be held April 8 from 3:30_5:30 p.m. in the Buckman Quadrangle on the CBU campus, located at 650 East Parkway South.

World-renowned Ugandan artists, Fred Mutebi and Sam Okello, will conduct a one day hands-on workshop with activities such as talking murals, drum workshops, Ugandan dance, linotypes, and a discussion of the art therapy initiative based in Uganda. Mutebi is best known for his work as an illustrator, graphic and textile designer. Okello is founder of the Hope North Uganda project and appeared in the 2007 film The Last King of Scotland.

High school students interested in pursuing a degree in fine arts or behavioral science are encouraged to attend but space is limited.

For more information and to register for the workshop, visit www2.cbu.edu/cbu/Academics/SchoolofArts (click on Voices From No Man's Land on left). The deadline for registration is April 1st and inquiries should be directed to arts@cbu.edu.

Christian Brothers University Awards Theological Certificates

By Dr. David Gides Director of MACS at CBU

The Master of Arts in Catholic Studies (MACS) Program at Christian Brothers University held its first annual Graduate Certificate awarding ceremony on March 15 in the Sabbatini Lounge on CBU's campus. Seventeen students who have successfully completed three of the first four Certificate in Catholic Theological Foundations. Sister Cathy Galaskiewicz, O.P., Diocesan Director of Catechesis, was also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for her spectacular service to the MACS program.

Dr. Tony Aretz, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Marius Carriere, Dean of the School of Arts, Dr. Paul Haught, Chair of the Religion and Philosophy Department, Dan Messinger, Director of Graduate Programs, Dr. David M. Gides, Director of the MACS, and several of the professors in the program attended the ceremony which was followed by an informational session for potential students.

The MACS Certificate awarding ceremony testifies to the success of the relatively new program, which has as its goal the broadening and deepening of our understanding of Catholicism's rich and diverse tradition through study of theology and the interdisciplinary study of Catholicism's influence in the world. The program offers systematic and critical exploration of the diverse ways in which the Catholic tradition informs theology, culture, institutions, and identity.

The recent addition of three new professors in the Religion and Philosophy Department ensure CBU's ability to meet the goals of the MACS program. Dr. David M. Gides, the program's director, specializes in historical theology and teaches Catholic Thought and Culture Through the Ages and God and the Human Person. Dr. Geoff Miller, a specialist in scripture, teaches Catholic Biblical Studies. Dr. J. Burton Fulmer, a specialist in moral theology, will teach Moral Theology and Catholic Social Ethics. Other well-known professors teaching in the program include Father Albert Kirk, Ph.D., who teaches Catholic Spirituality, Father David Knight, Ph.D., who will be teaching Theology of Sacraments and Worship, and Brother Jeffery Gros, F.S.C., Ph.D. who will be teaching Ecclesiology and Ministry.

The MACS program has a rolling admissions policy whereby students can enter the program as auditors, Certificate- or Master's Degree- seeking students in any semester during Fall, Spring or Summer. Classes generally meet one Saturday per month. This summer's courses include "God and the Human Person" with Dr. David M. Gides and "Moral Theology" with Dr. J. Burton Fulmer.

For more information about this unique and exciting program, call the CBU Graduate Studies Office at 901-321-3291.

Applications and general information are available at www.cbu.edu.

Jubilee School Students Experience World at Memphis Zoo

From the Catholic Schools Office

Dissecting squid, feeding giraffes, and training sea lions is not your normal school day for the average 10-year-old. But for many of the fourth graders who attend Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Memphis that was part of their daily routine while they attended a unique program at the Memphis City Zoo for the past several days.

Thanks to a generous grant received by the Memphis Zoo, students attending the Catholic Jubilee Schools located in urban areas of the city, were able to attend a week-long program called "Academic Explorers" where students received hands on experience with many of the animals at the zoo. The program was designed to provide opportunities for students that they may not otherwise experience. Students studied a different Biome each day as they experienced what life may be like living in these different regions of the world.

A day spent in the desert included learning about plant life, survival skills for the animals, watching a snake to discover how it moves, eats and sheds its skin. The students also learned about giraffes and participated in feeding time with the zoo keepers.

The section about the arctic included learning about whales, polar bears, and penguins. Students wore "blubber suits" and experimented with cold water and learned how the blubber keeps the animals warm. They learned different commands for the sea lions and how they were trained to respond to these commands. They watched the polar bears and grizzly bears in the newest area in the zoo, the Northwest Passage.

Students studying the oceans discovered the sea life at the different levels of the oceans depth and the adaptations that help the creatures to survive. Students then dissected a squid.

Whether the day evolved around the tundra, the arctic, the oceans, or the desert, students participated in an experience of a life time; exploring the world around them in ways that have a much greater impact than watching a movie or reading a book.

Thanks to the generosity of a grant received by the zoo and the educational planning of the Public Programs and Docent Services, Lori Ducey at the Memphis Zoo, students from many of the Catholic Schools will remember their experience for years to come.

"As part of an ongoing effort to improve our curriculum and develop relationships with the community where we live, the Catholic Schools in Memphis are continually striving to incorporate a differentiated learning experience for the students," said Dr. Mary McDonald, Superintendent of Catholic Schools..

"Providing students with an opportunity to understand the relationship with the lessons they receive at school with the world around them and being part of the Academic Explorers is a wonderful way to ensure we achieve those goals," added Dr. McDonald.