Women’s and gender studies dept. hosting open social hour 

The women’s and gender studies department is hosting a social hour at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Handwerker Gallery. Students and affiliated faculty from the department will be in attendance, along with the department’s new diversity scholar, Shehnaz Haqqani.

Shehnaz Haqqani joins the women’s and gender studies program this academic year. She is currently teaching Islam and Feminism. In the spring, she will teach Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East. She is finishing her dissertation, “The Islamic Tradition, Islamic Feminism, and Contemporary Muslims’ Engagements with Gender and Sexuality,” as a Ph.D. candidate in the Islamic Studies program at the University of Texas, Austin. Her scholarly work has been published in the “Georgetown Journal of
International Affairs,” the edited volume “Political Muslims: Understanding Youth Resistance in Global Context,” and “On Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, the Internet, and Islamophobia” among other venues. Haqqani earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a masters in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas, Austin.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Carla Golden at
[email protected] or 607-274-3504.

Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble hosting free concert for children  

The Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble is holding a free one-hour concert for children of all ages to learn about jazz.

The performance is at 10 a.m. Sept. 16 in Ford Hall in the Whalen Center for Music. Parents with small children are encouraged to come and stay for the show, even if their kids make noise.

Jazz Ensemble Director Mike Titlebaum said part of the goal is to teach children how to differentiate jazz from other genres of music.

“We aspire to teach about it in a way that’s fun and engaging to kids because we want to build an audience for the music we love so much,” Titlebaum said. “And because so many students in the music school are majoring in Music Education, they are passionate about bringing the music to young people.”

Free parking is available in J Lot by Towers. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Mike Titlebaum at [email protected] or 607-274-1283.

New experimental teaching technology available for faculty   

The Huddlewall is located in Information Technology Service’s Technology Learning Center. The Huddlewall is powered by a Windows 10 desktop and two laser projectors, where several people can work simultaneously on collaborative software made specifically for the board as well as any other Windows application. The TLC, located in Friends 101, is an experimental learning and collaboration space in utilizing a variety of technologies. Laptops, mobile furniture, monitor stations and portable dry-erase boards allow for an incredibly flexible learning space. This experimental space can be reserved for classes and collaborative meetings later this fall.

Faculty members will have an opportunity to preview the emergent learning technologies at open houses held Sept. 12, 13 and 18.

Distinguished Visiting Writers lineup announced for Fall 2017 

The Department of Writing has announced the Fall 2017 lineup of distinguished visiting writers. The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, which runs every semester, brings nationally recognized writers to Ithaca College to offer a public reading and to guest-teach the Visiting Writer’s Workshop, an advanced class that allows students the unique opportunity to learn from some of America’s foremost writers.

Essayist John D’Agata, author of “Halls of Fame,” “About a Mountain,” and “The Lifespan of a Fact,” will host a public reading at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Klingenstein Lounge.

Fiction writer T. Geronimo Johnson is the author of “Welcome to Braggsville” and “Hold It ’Til It Hurts.” He will host a public reading of his work at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Handwerker Gallery.

Poet Saeed Jones is the author of a collection of poems titled “Prelude To Bruise”. He is hosting a public reading at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Handwerker Gallery.

Volunteers needed to interview Ithaca College BOLD applicants   

Faculty and staff are needed to interview BOLD Scholar applicants. Two individuals from the BOLD national office will lead a training program for all evaluators from 3 to 6 p.m. Sept. 21. The interviews of applicants will take place beginning  Sept. 22 in the Emerson Suites. A second round of interviews for those selected for finalist consideration will be held Sept. 23. The  BOLD  Women’s  Leadership Network , created by President Shirley M. Collado in 2016, is an intergenerational initiative focused on cultivating courageous leadership among college women who possess the skills necessary to move discourse forward on some of the most challenging social issues on their campuses and in their communities. The college became the fifth member institution in the network in August.