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Simpson to attend education summit
President John B. Simpson will be among a select group of fewer than 100 of the nation's leaders in higher education to participate in a U.S. University Presidents Summit, to be held Jan. 5 and 6 in Washington, D.C.
The invitation to the summit was issued by its organizers, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
Attendees will discuss with Rice and Spellings the future of international higher education in the national interest.
UB ranks 11th among 2,700 U.S. accredited universities in international student enrollment.
Emeritus meeting set
A holiday performance by members of Plosion, UB's flute ensemble, will highlight the December meeting of the Emeritus Center, to be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus.
Performing will be Cheryl Gobbetti-Hoffman, adjunct assistant professor of music, and music students Erin Waite and Sabatino Scirri.
The meeting will be open to all members of the UB community.
For further information, contact the Emeritus Center at 829-2271.
Lyle Lovett to appear in CFA
The Center for the Arts will present the Lyle Lovett Acoustic Trio at 8 p.m. Jan. 29 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.
It's been more than 20 years since Lyle Lovett arrived in Nashville with a demo tape hinting of the brilliantly eccentric career to come—a resumé that now includes nine albums, acclaim from the pickiest of critics, a fiercely loyal fan base, sales upwards of 4 million, and even a second calling as a successful Hollywood actor.
Lovett is one of the few artists who emerged from Nashville's whirlwind of experimentation in the mid-1980s to have an enduring, significant and boldly original career.
Music took a back seat until Lovett arrived at Texas A&M University in 1975. The outlaw Texas music scene was in full throttle, fueled by renegade roots artists such as Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Lovett was fascinated by the innovative blend of country, rock and blues, and often joined artists in informal, front-porch guitar pulls where he honed his musicianship. As a journalism student, he wrote about the local music scene for the college paper. He also was indoctrinated in the local music scene by serving as a booking agent for the student coffeehouse.
After releasing three critically acclaimed albums under the direction of Curb/ MCA Nashville, Lovett moved away from country to explore broader styles, including gospel, R&B and folk.
By the millennium, Lovett had become known for acting as well. It began in 1991 when director Robert Altman cast the singer as detective DeLongpre in the film "The Player." He has teamed with Altman four more times—in "Short Cuts" (1993), "Ready to Wear" (1995), "Cookie's Fortune" (1999) and as music composer for "Dr. T. & The Women" (2000).
Tickets for the Lyle Lovett Acoustic Trio are $45, $40, $35 and $20 for students. Tickets are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com.
Scholarship honors father
It took him 16 years of studying part time on nights and weekends while working full time and raising a family to complete his engineering degree at UB, but Felix Smist, B.S. '65, kept at it. To honor his father and help students who experience similar situations, Felix's son, James Smist, B.S. '80, and his wife, Mary, have established the Felix Smist Scholarship at UB with their gift of $30,000.
The Felix Smist Scholarship will pay the tuition, for up to six years, of a part-time student in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
James Smist of McLean, Va., is president of Dean & Company, a management-consulting firm that works with CEOs and senior management on the national and international corporate levels. He was five years old when he attended his father's graduation from UB.
"My father's example made me realize that education is a precious thing," James said. Although he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering, his career developed outside of that field. "The systematic thinking process and quantitative capabilities that I learned in that program have had continuous use for me," he said.
"This scholarship offers a unique opportunity to help a non-traditional student," said Mark Karwan, dean of the engineering school. "We appreciate James Smist and his wife honoring Felix in this way, which will help others who need to work full time while attending school."
The first recipient of the Felix Smist Scholarship is Rachel Marie Styn, executive assistant/system training specialist at Healthcare Solutions WNY LLC, in Cheektowaga. The single parent of 5-year-old Chloe, Styn attends UB part time, working on a degree in electrical engineering.
"I've always been drawn to math and science, so engineering was a natural choice," she said. "My interest in electrical engineering was aroused originally in middle school and further developed in high school once I took physics. My particular area of interest is in cost-efficient and environmentally friendly energy sources."
Blood drives set
The Red Cross will hold several blood drives on the North and South campuses during the month of January.
The drives will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 18 in 105 Harriman Hall, South Campus, and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 17 and 18 in 210 Student Union, North Campus.
Anyone interested in giving blood can call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment.
McDevitt named Fulbright advisor
Patrick McDevitt, assistant professor of history, has been appointed the university's new Fulbright advisor. In this capacity, he will work with the Office of International Education and academic units across the university to recruit and advise UB students interested in applying for Fulbright grants.
McDevitt succeeds Mark A. Ashwill, former director of the World Languages Program, who recently left UB to become director the Vietnam office of the Institute of International Education. Ashwill served as Fulbright Program director from 1998-2005.
In making the appointment, Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education, said he recognized McDevitt's superb qualifications for the role of Fulbright advisor.
"Patrick has direct experience of the Fulbright Student Program, having been awarded a Fulbright grant to New Zealand as a graduating senior at New York University," Dunnett said. "The experience was transformative for him, and led him to pursue a career as an historian and academic.
"Patrick truly recognizes the value of international education and specifically study abroad as a critical dimension of a university education," he added. "Last year, he and Professor Jason Young, a colleague in the Department of History, were awarded a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Internationalization to support an innovative study abroad program they had developed in Haiti."
In summer 2006, McDevitt will direct a new study-abroad program in Cork, Ireland, focusing on areas related to his own current research in Irish history. He is keen to promote opportunities for students to gain meaningful international experience through overseas study.
"Patrick has good ideas for promoting student participation in the Fulbright Program," Dunnett said. "I am confident that he will be successful in increasing the number of Fulbright grants that UB students are awarded each year."
Inquiries about the Fulbright Student Program at UB may be directed to McDevitt at 645-2181, ext. 561, or mcdevitt@buffalo.edu.
Derek Trucks Band to perform
The Center for the Arts will present the Derek Trucks Band at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.
The Derek Trucks Band (DTB), long lauded for astonishing and inventive live performances, will preview songs from its ambitious forthcoming album, "Songlines." The band's first studio album in four years, "Songlines" will be released Feb. 7 on Columbia Records.
The DTB synthesizes genres, melding them together into a freewheeling, yet cohesive whole. Derek Trucks' brilliant slide guitar snakes through the band's tight rhythms, and the DTB's newest member, singer Mike Mattison, delivers earthy, gospel-fueled vocals.
At 26, Trucks is one of the busiest guitarists on the planet. Between the DTB and the Allman Brothers Band, he's on the road more than 300 days a year. Trucks was the youngest guitarist to land on Rolling Stone's recent "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list.
Tickets for the Derek Trucks Band are $27 for the general public and $23 for students. Tickets are available at the CFA box Office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com.
Bridging communication gap in addictions field
Many in the addictions field believe there is a lack of communication between researchers, who study addictions-related issues and develop new treatment interventions, and practitioners, who work with patients in treatment settings delivering therapeutic services every day.
A new study at UB's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) aims to help eliminate that communication gap with a new therapist-training program and a two-way knowledge exchange between researchers and therapists.
The study is supported by a $1.6 million award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Christopher Barrick, a psychologist and RIA research scientist.
"We are developing a state-of-the-science, innovative model to offer clinicians training in substance abuse treatment and intervention skills," Barrick explained. "Designed and refined with community practitioners' practical experiences, impressions and feedback, this clinical resource for therapists will incorporate the Internet and laptop computers we provide. The multimedia format is designed to be easy to use and engaging, with equally effective training for in-person settings and distance-learning situations. Several of the trainings will be offered via UB's distance-learning network, allowing us to reach clinicians throughout the Western New York region."
Barrick's co-investigators on the study include R. Lorraine Collins, RIA senior research scientist and research professor in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, and Nancy Smyth, associate professor and dean of the UB School of Social Work and RIA associate research scientist.
Barrick noted that behavioral couples therapy (BCT)—focusing on relationship issues, the individual satisfaction of the two partners, violence that may be occurring and the basic stability of the partnership—was selected as the training topic for this study.
"The interest expressed by therapists in the community about BCT and its demonstrated effectiveness in substance-abuse treatment makes it a natural choice," he added.