Gigi Causey and Andrew Bowler find out what it feels like to get nominated for an Oscar®.

Watch a video of the “Time Freak” team reacting to the nomination.

“I can’t take it,” Causey said, slamming down her coffee mug in anticipation.

After learning that their film “Time Freak” had received a nomination for Best Live Action Short Film, the husband-and-wife film team screamed, jumped up and down and hugged. Their unscripted reaction, which they recorded for family and friends and uploaded to YouTube, went viral – even landing a spot on “Good Morning America’s” “Play of the Day” segment.

At the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26, the duo will learn the fate of “Time Freak” – one of five films and the only U.S. title – in the running for the live action short film category.

“The road to the Academy Awards has been one of the most intense periods of our lives,” Causey said. “We are trying to manage a balance between celebrating and basking in this honor with trying to generate as many professional opportunities as possible before the winner is announced. Right now, we are all nominees. But on Feb. 26, there will be only one winner in our category, and there’s an 80 percent chance that it won’t be us!”

Embracing the moment

“Time Freak” – which Causey produced and Bowler wrote and directed – is an 11-minute comedy about a time machine and the power of nagging regret. Consumed with remorse, a neurotic inventor creates a time machine and gets lost traveling in his past. The inventor becomes so consumed with perfecting every minute detail of the previous day that he is unable to realize he has the power to do great things.

Visit Time Freak the movie on Facebook.

“First and foremost, we want people to laugh,” Causey said. “But it would be great if they also see beyond the jokes and see a little bit of Stillman – the main character – in all of us.”

Debuting in 2010 at the American Film Institute Fest, “Time Freak” won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short at the Seattle International Film Festival in June 2011.

The Seattle International Film Festival jury called it “… a hilarious, original take on time travel that reminds us all to embrace the moment.”

“Time Freak” also received the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Comedy at the TriMedia Festival, the Best Comedy Short award at the Route 66 Film Festival, the Jury Award for Best Short at the Stony Brook Film Festival and the Best Science Fiction award at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival.

Beginning on Feb. 10, more than 200 theaters began screening the short films nominated for Best Live Action, Best Animation and Best Documentary. For more details and a list of theaters, visit Shorts^HD.

ITunes released the films in February, and they will be available through cable networks’ Movies On Demand via Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision and Cox Communications.

Finding direction

Twenty-one years ago, after declaring a journalism major at the College of Communication, Causey had no idea she would become a filmmaker. Set on becoming a magazine feature writer, she threw herself into her work at The Daily Texan – first as a copy editor and then as a senior reporter.

Production still from “Time Freak.” Actor Michael Nathanson as Stillman, who defends his need to perfect the immediate past.

But after taking required radio-television-film electives, Causey became enchanted with the film world. Through Lindy Laub’s and Shuchi Kothari’s screenwriting classes, Causey found her voice and discipline as a writer. Through one of Professor Nancy Schiesari‘s film classes, she gained the confidence to direct.

“She is so talented and inspiring that I felt obligated to at least try to pitch my project for directing,” Causey said of Schiesari’s class. “Mine was one of the projects selected to be produced, and I believe that set the course of my career in terms of my ambition.”

Her favorite class, though, was Dean Roderick Hart’s Senior Fellows Honors Program course. At least once a year, Causey rereads an essay she wrote in that class. The essay was about “knowing time” – a central theme of Jack Kerouac’s novel, “On the Road.” Built on the notion that there is a fundamental difference between dreaming and hoping, “knowing time” is a theme in Causey’s life, as well.

“Hoping, for me, is rooted in believing that ‘someday’ will come, versus dreaming, which is absent of time; it’s about fantasy and wonderful things that may never come,” Causey said. “In a nutshell, ‘hoping’ takes courage because you have to admit that you want something badly enough to believe it could actually materialize. I like to check in with myself every now and again, making sure I keep more things in the ‘hoping’ category than in the ‘dreaming’ category.”

From New York to Los Angeles

After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1995, Causey worked in the art departments of two low-budget Austin films – Bob Byington’s “Olympia” and George Ratliff’s “Purgatory County.” She also worked at a local video and film production firm, Granite House, where she honed her skills as a production manager.

Gigi Causey and Andrew Bowler at the “Time Freak” screening at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City for friends, cast and crew.

In 1998 Causey moved to New York, where she took a break from production and landed a job as personal assistant to Peter Yarrow of the music group Peter, Paul & Mary. Causey worked with Yarrow for five years, helping him found and manage his nonprofit organization Operation Respect, which promotes anti-bullying programs in schools.

Pining for the film world, Causey accepted a production internship on a low-budget film. Within two years, she worked her way up to coordinating and supervising film production.

Since then, Causey has freelanced as a production supervisor and manager, while nurturing her creative producing and writing skills.

Some of her more notable freelance projects include “Safe House,” which stars Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds; “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” which stars Michael Cera and Kat Dennings; and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

In 2011 after “Time Freak” started succeeding in the film festival circuit, Causey moved with Bowler to Los Angeles so they could commit to their personal projects full time.

Between projects, Causey does not have much time for leisure travel. She has only returned to Austin twice since she left in 1998, but in keeping with the theme of “knowing time,” Causey hopes to visit soon. After all, the hopeful philosophy of “knowing time” is what helped Causey and Bowler make the an Oscar nomination of “Time Freak” a reality.

As director of the Texas Politics Project, Henson studies politics in Texas and the United States, and, with Daron Shaw of the Government Department, co-directs the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Results from the most recent poll and links to the polling archive can be found on the Texas Politics Project website.

Henson is one of dozens of experts at the university who can speak to issues regarding the 2012 elections.

What to watch next:

• Paul Stekler offering his analysis on negative ads and political outcomes.
• Talia Stroud discussing bias in our media choices.
• Jeremi Suri forecasting the Republican presidential primaries.

Government Professor Bruce Buchanan discusses what’s unusual about the Republican primaries, the power of negative advertising to change voter turnout and how the health of the national economy affects Obama’s chances at re-election with James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at The University of Texas at Austin.

Learn more about our faculty experts:

Bruce Buchanan is a professor in the Department of Government. Buchanan specializes in presidential and American politics, American institutions, public policy and political behavior. His books include “The Presidential Experience,” “The Citizen’s Presidency,” “Electing a President” and “Presidential Campaign Quality.”

James Henson is a lecturer in the Department of Government and directs the Texas Politics Project, which seeks to educate students and Texans about state government, politics and history through a dynamic website and speaker series. It also conducts regular statewide issues and political polls. The Texas Politics Project is The University of Texas at Austin’s home for the UT/Texas Tribune Poll, a statewide survey of public opinion on issues and elections in Texas.

Stay tuned for more expert analysis of Elections 2012.

In this audio slideshow, Tina Fernandez, director of the Law School’s Pro Bono Program, describes the work students did recently in Texas colonias to a backdrop of recent images. Colonias are unincorporated subdivisions created by developers for low-income individuals and are often characterized by a lack of basic services. Students met face-to-face with clients to assist with legal issues and applied lessons learned in the classroom to real life, said Fernandez.

Photography by Stephanie Swope/University of Texas School of Law

The Presidential Timeline, a slick, intuitive Web resource created by The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education and their project partners, has digitized resources from all 13 presidential libraries in one spot, and the cache is free and available to anybody with Internet access.

Six years ago the College of Education’s Learning Technology Center (LTC), the National Archives and Records Administration’s presidential libraries, the University of Texas Libraries, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation teamed up to create this unique, easy-to-use learning tool. The site is filled with audio and video clips, photos and documents such as diaries and letters, many of which were available only to scholars before creation of the timeline.

“The Presidential Timeline is the only comprehensive, Web-based resource of its kind, and it’s impressive for several reasons,” said Sherry Field, associate dean for teacher education, student affairs and administration in the College of Education and a social studies education specialist. “One of its main benefits is that anyone, from elementary school students to university academics, can access so many important primary sources. This means that in many cases you can see presidents’ personal thoughts and plans in their own handwriting rather than simply reading newspaper accounts.”

The timeline for each presidency includes information about the president’s life from childhood onward and is built around key events and crises that occurred during that presidency. Curriculum materials for teachers also are provided.

Visit the Presidential Timeline.

“For President Johnson, for example, two key events are the Vietnam War and civil rights reforms,” said Field. “Many of these events and issues that presidents have faced can be difficult topics to teach in history and social studies classes — they’re very complex and there are contradictory opinions about the outcomes. The timeline gives students compelling, reliable primary source materials to explore and interpret so that they can begin to draw their own conclusions about history. Analyzing primary sources also engage and develop students’ higher-level critical thinking skills, preparing them for more rigorous coursework in subsequent grades and then later in college.”

The site debuted in 2007 with 12 exhibits and about 600 digital items, and the center has made numerous additions and refinements since then. Today the project features 42 exhibits and more than 2,200 digital objects, with many more to be added in the next few months. Although George W. Bush’s presidential library — to be housed at Southern Methodist University — won’t open until 2013, the timeline already has more than 200 photos and documents from the library’s collection, illustrating about 100 events in Bush’s life.

In 2009 the timeline project began to host a series of summer teacher institutes. History and social studies teachers from around the country are able to attend and learn how to maximize the timeline’s assets, especially the primary source materials, from experts such as Mark Lawrence, a history scholar at The University of Texas at Austin.

In just the past few months seven new exhibits and more than 300 new objects have been added to the project. Now you can explore exhibits on the:

• catastrophic 1927 Mississippi flood, for which Herbert Hoover coordinated relief efforts
• desegregation of the armed forces under the Truman administration
• U-2 spy plane missions during the Eisenhower presidency
• Oklahoma City bombing during the Clinton presidency
• breakup of the Soviet Union during the George H.W. Bush presidency

In addition to more than 100 new digital objects that were added to the site as part of these exhibits, the Truman and the Nixon libraries recently contributed nearly 200 items. Ten additional exhibits are expected to go live by the end of the summer, including a “cross-administration exhibit” focused on the topic of energy.

“One of the most exciting projects we’re working on is a ‘create your own timeline’ feature,” said Ken Tothero, LTC manager of the timeline project. “It will be released this spring and allows anybody to create a timeline built around almost any subject. You can create one that illustrates and describes your own personal life, one with the history of your hometown on it or one for science class on which you plot the life cycle of a sockeye salmon.

“It’s very easy to use — with a few clicks you create the timeline and then can start adding events. Each event can be given a title and description, and you can add all kinds of digital assets, like photos or audio recordings or video, to the events. It’s easy to see why most everyone who has tried our beta version describes it as fun.”

The timeline was made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as additional funding from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and the University of Texas Libraries.

“Whatever you think of a particular president when he’s in office, that usually alters at least a little bit after his term has ended and some time has passed,” said Paul Resta, the center’s director. “Looking at the photos, videos and documents on the timelines may mean that, for some people, their opinions and conclusions change yet again. Using the timeline, you’ll get to know American presidents in a more entertaining and intimate way than most people have ever been able to experience.”

___________

Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto specializes in campaigns and elections, political marketing, political psychology, immigration, race, ethnicity and gender.

The handsome mariachi singer reminds us that, “it doesn’t matter if we’re from San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Dallas, The Valley, Houston, or El Paso, what matters is that we vote for Obama because his struggle is our struggle.” The Viva Obama ad goes on to show Latino Texans in their homes, at rallies and at their places of work all singing along with the chorus line “Viva Obama.”

The “Viva Obama” ad that aired in the lead up to the 2008 Texas primary is phenomenal and not just because of its chorus line that is near impossible to get out of your head. The ad is so good because it micro-targets down to the sub-sub-group level. The message was directed to a very specific audience, Latino Texans, Tejanos. At the same time, the ad recognized the regional differences among Latino Texans highlighting a nuanced sensitivity, while calling on Tejanos to put aside these differences and come together in support of Barack Obama.

Every election cycle millions of dollars are spent on advertising and in this year’s presidential election the price tag will be well into the billions.  Just in the first couple of weeks of the current presidential primary close to 70 million has been spent on television ads alone. While fortunes are being spent on ads voter participation models have tended to downplay their effectiveness. Political ads are seen as impersonal and void of the personal touch that comes with more direct forms of communication. For example contact through door-to-door canvassing or town halls allows complex information to be conveyed and better tailored to the recipient.

Research has shown that the more direct forms of mobilization do have a greater likelihood of getting people to turnout but they are time and human capital intensive. The limitation of this strategy is that it is costly to directly communicate with all potential voters. The strength of indirect mobilization in the form of ads lies more in the quantity rather than quality of the communication. Per capita, advertisements are a cost effective way to reach individuals. But ads have been seen as marginally effective at best and demobilizing at worst when voters become overwhelmed by the number and negativity of ads.

While political ads do not necessarily create the opportunities for citizens to participate or reduce the costs of registering to vote, they can serve the function of reducing information costs by informing citizens about the political stances and capabilities of the candidates running for office. Ads can also increase the salience of the issues at stake and the relevance of participation. Coupled with direct forms of communication and mobilization political advertisements make for a powerful message medium.

The 2012 election season is promising to be one of the most unpredictable cycles in recent history.

Experts from across The University of Texas at Austin will weigh in here on the politics and the issues.

In the past decade political ads have become much more personalized. Consumer market research and the growth explosion of media outlets have allowed political ads to convey specific messages to specific groups leading to an approximation of the more direct forms of communication. Political strategists no longer have to rely on ads with only a general message that airs one of the three major networks. Ads can now be targeted to speak to Midwest soccer moms that are tuning in to the Lifetime channel at 10 a.m. on weekdays. The message that this ad will convey will be very different than that targeted toward Latino males ages 18 to 29 watching soccer on Univision on a Sunday afternoon. Ultimately both messages are being conveyed through a screen, but today that message speaks much more directly to the viewer.

Karl Rove is the father of political micro-targeting. He relied on rich individual level data from the consumer marketing world to understand the diverse segments within the population. More importantly, Rove elaborated tailored messages to resonate and mobilize different electorates. Since 2000, micro-targeting has become a campaign staple and has only grown in the level of detail it encompasses.

In the 2012 election cycle we will see ads targeted to left-handed political science majors at Big 12 Schools — OK, maybe not quite that specific, but close. One thing is for sure, micro-targeted political ads will clutter our airwaves and our webpages.  And while we may not be thrilled at the message bombardment, we can at least expect the ads we do consume to have our very particular characteristics in mind. The recent incorporation of consumer market data into the field of political advertising has allowed a tad bit more science to influence the art of political advertising.

Victoria’s latest research on political ads appeared in the December 2011 edition of the Journal of Political Marketing.  

What to read next:

• Continued coverage of election 2012 topics and issues on Know

_________________

Name: Bethany Berkeley Gartin
Year: Graduated December 2011
Academic focus: Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
Background: A recent graduate of the School of Social Work, Berkeley Gartin conducted research at the Center for Social Work Research for two years and worked on multiple projects as an undergraduate research assistant. Additionally, Berkeley Gartin worked on an article for the American Journal of Public Health, with Dr. Carol M. Lewis, the associate director for the Center for Social Work Research.

How did you initially get involved in undergraduate research?

I became inspired after taking Social Work Research Methods with Dr. Catherine Cubbin during the spring of 2010. I decided to volunteer on a research project to see if I would be interested in pursuing a research career in the long run. I contacted Dr. Carol M. Lewis at the Center for Social Work Research and started volunteering on the AFL project in February 2010, and was hired as an Undergraduate Research Assistant after several months. Near the end of the project, I was encouraged by others to apply for the undergraduate research fellowship and after the fall semester concluded, I began working on the proposal.

Describe your experience working with Dr. Carol Lewis. How has she inspired you or helped you in your higher learning pursuits?

Dr. Lewis is one of the most inspiring individuals I have ever been given the opportunity to work with. From day one, she was incredibly supportive of my interest in research and provided numerous learning opportunities. She took the time to teach me valuable skills and tools that allowed for steady professional development. She also created challenging and stimulating experiences that enhanced my independent work ethic and responsibility. I admire Dr. Lewis greatly, and can only aspire to achieve what she has in her career thus far — I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to learn from such an amazing and accomplished individual.

Tell us more about your research project. What interested you in understanding and increasing awareness of contraceptive use patterns?

While working as a research assistant with Dr. Carol M. Lewis and Megan Scarborough on the Adolescent Family Life Care Grant Evaluation, I became particularly drawn to the subject. It seemed that most of the research available on adolescent pregnancy had not assessed contraceptive use patterns after the initial pregnancy as potential predictors of rapid repeat births. I had been encouraged to apply for the Undergraduate Research Fellowship and with support, decided to pursue the subject further and examine contraceptive use patterns at a different point in time than had been previously studied in depth.

How has your work in research contributed to an overall enriching academic experience?

Taking time to work on the fellowship, volunteering and working on a couple other research projects kept me very busy — I am a strong believer in demanding schedules playing a role in productivity and motivation. I also found that the challenges provided working on research studies enhanced my ability to think creatively and logically on projects, essays and exams for class. Social work research is incredibly unique and I was able to consistently link research to theory and practice, gain a deeper understanding of Evidence Based Practice and a deeper appreciation for the field of social work through a different lens.

What advice would you give to incoming and current students about getting involved in research?

Do not be afraid to reach out to professors, faculty and research associates to become involved in research. If you think you might be interested in research, try volunteering on a project — the experience is worth the time and effort.

What opportunities have you had to present or publish your research?

I was able to present my research at the Annual Undergraduate Research Bazaar during Research Week 2011. Although not based on my particular study, I worked on an article from the same project data, “Preventing Subsequent Births for Low-income Adolescent Mothers: An Exploratory Investigation of Mediating Factors in Intensive Case Management” with Dr. Carol M. Lewis, Dr. Monica Faulkner and Megan Scarborough at the Center for Social Work Research that has been submitted to the American Journal of Public Health for review and possible publication.

Why do you believe research has played an important role in your undergraduate education?

Research has played an extremely important role in my undergraduate education. In fact, I feel that my time working on research was the most challenging and enlightening and provided the most professional and personal development. Research also became something that defined my undergraduate experience and paved the path for my current career and long-term goals. Additionally, the networking opportunities that were provided were instrumental in maintaining connections with incredible faculty and staff at UT.

Read more stories about undergraduate researchers:

• “Undergraduate research: An eye-opening experience” — November 2011
• “Undergraduate research: Helping define career goals” — October 2011

Faculty will  analyze, examine and provide their perspectives through a series of articles and videos starting with the primaries and taking you through the general election. Check back often, you never know what will happen next.

Watch the most recent video in the series “Independent voter myths, super PACs and more” below:

VIDEOS

Hispanic voters affect GOP strategy

Department of Government faculty member Jason Casellas discusses the impact of Hispanic voters as a growing force on presidential election strategy with James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project. (Originally published Feb. 2.)

Negative ads and political outcomes

In this video, Professor Paul Stekler offers his analysis of political campaign advertisements, focusing on the Republican primaries. Stekler is a nationally recognized documentary filmmaker whose critically acclaimed works focus on state and national campaign politics and elections. (Originally published Feb. 1.)

The rallying cry of Newt Gingrich

Department of Government faculty member Sean Theriault discusses the rise of Newt Gingrich as a viable presidential candidate for the Republican Party with James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at The University of Texas at Austin. (Originally published on Jan. 24.)

Forecasting the Republican presidential primaries

In this video, Professor Jeremi Suri responds to questions about the Republican primary, the presidential election season and the economy. Suri is an expert on U.S. nation-building, modern international relations, contemporary foreign policy and protest and dissident movements. (Originally published Jan. 18.)

The pros and cons of Ron Paul

In this video, Sherri Greenberg discusses the pros and cons of Ron Paul as an electable candidate for the Republican presidential primaries. Greenberg is lecturer and director of the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School.(Originally published Jan. 9.)

Bias in our media choices

In this video, Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud discusses how our political behaviors and attitudes affect our media use. Stroud is an assistant professor of communication studies and assistant director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation.(Originally published Jan. 5.)

ESSAYS and OPINION PIECES from our faculty

Read the most recent essay in the series “Strange politics and the role of journalists” by Journalism Professor Tom Johnson:

Gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson once wrote: “When the going gets weird, the weird go pro.” This has been an election where the weird has become commonplace.

One-time front runner Rick Perry’s poll numbers fell faster than a carrier pigeon carrying a bowling ball because of his “oops” moment when he couldn’t remember he wanted to pull the plug on the Department of Energy. Republicans engaged in anti-capitalist rhetoric when they accused Mitt Romney of being a “vulture capitalist” for eliminating jobs during his years running Bain Capital. The candidates debated the merits of establishing a space colony on the moon and granting it statehood.

But for me the crème de la weird of the election so far didn’t happen on the campaign trail but in The New York Times newsroom.

A few weeks ago, the Times’ public editor asked in a blog entry whether reporters should act as a “truth vigilante.” That is, if a candidate makes a claim that the reporter believes is untrue, can the reporter point this out in a way that is objective and fair? Reaction from readers was swift and damning. Continue reading this story …

Older election-related essays:

• Daniel Hamermesh writes about the consequences of Romney’s proposed minimum wage hike. — Feb. 9
• Jeremi Suri writes about the Florida primary momentum. — Feb. 1
• Texas Enterprise collected reactions from UT faculty members following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech. — Jan. 27
• Jeremi Suri writes about the Republican primaries in “And then there were four.” — Jan. 23

An experienced survey research analyst and political strategist, Shaw serves on the editorial board for American Politics Research. He co-authored the book “Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths about American Voters” and teaches classes in the College of Liberal Arts on Campaigns and Elections, Political Parties, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior and more.

Shaw is one of dozens of experts at the university who can speak to issues regarding the 2012 elections.

What to watch next:

• Paul Stekler offering his analysis on negative ads and political outcomes.
• Talia Stroud discussing bias in our media choices.
• Jeremi Suri forecasting the Republican presidential primaries.

“This award embodies the students’ voices and their appreciation of work done,” said Kathryn Starkes, one of the professors honored this year. “When I was first notified that I had won a Texas Exes Teaching Award for the College of Education, I was humbled. I am a teacher first — always will be — and my students are my biggest priority.”

Clinical Assistant Professor Kathryn Starkes teaches in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the university’s College of Education.Photo: Marsha Miller

Starkes was nominated by students who cited her dedication and enthusiasm, as well as her ability to help students learn and use what they have learned outside of the classroom.

“Her positive energy and motivating lectures make us leave each class period with a new and exciting idea to use in our fieldwork,” said Jackie Grotrian, one of the students who nominated Starkes.

“She has been our rock, our motivation, our mentor, and above all else, an incredible teacher,” said Rachael Andruccioli, a student in her classroom management course.

Starkes is just one of 30 recipients who will be honored with the award this year.

A total of 613 nominations were received, and selection committees from each school and college reviewed the applications, looking for teachers who demonstrate warmth of spirit, concern for society and the individual, and the ability to impart knowledge while challenging students to independent inquiry and creative thought.

The recipients — one professor and one teaching assistant, or assistant instructor, from each school or college — will be presented with their awards at a ceremony on campus in late February. The awards come with a check for $1,000 for professors and $500 for teaching assistants.

This year’s professor honorees are Lois Weinthal, Architecture; Clint Tuttle, Business; Courtney Byrd, Communication; Kathryn Starkes, Education; Jennifer Maynard, Engineering; Scott Kanoff, Fine Arts; Jay Banner, Geosciences; Karen Pavelka, Information; Billie Ellis Jr., Law; Kirsten Bradbury, Liberal Arts; Nicola Davies, Natural Sciences; Megan Pfitzinger Lippe, Nursing; Veronica Young, Pharmacy; Angela Evans, Public Affairs; and Shane Whalley, Social Work.

This year’s graduate instructor honorees are Britni Harvison, Architecture; Vinay Mohan, Business; Kellyn Wieland, Communication; Christian Zúñiga, Education; Ted Junseok Song, Engineering; Rebecca Atkins, Fine Arts; Goodwin Wharton, Geosciences; Jessica Meyerson, Information; Betsy Stukes, Law; Corinne Greiner, Liberal Arts; John Schocken, Natural Sciences; Julie Zuñiga, Nursing; Michael Sandoval, Pharmacy; Justin Baker, Public Affairs; and Isaac Akapnitis, Social Work.