Editor's Introduction
"Paradox of Possibility"
Speaker: Territa Poole
Occasion: Opening Convocation
Date: August 25, 2022
Dr. Territa Poole, recipient of the Henry H. ‘57 and Joan R. Gibbel Award for Teaching Excellence for 2022, addresses the Class of 2026 at opening convocation by drawing on her past experiences in dealing with personal and academic hardships. Through these hardships, she focuses on possibility as a motivator for personal and academic growth and achievement. Dr. Poole also highlights the importance of challenging personal connections and relationships to aid in the search for possibility. Utmost, she illuminates the need for challenges socially and personally to unlock what is possible.
“Boko Haram, Peace Work, and the Brethren Faith”
Speakers: Dr. Dauda Gava
Occasion: Discussion on Boko Haram
Date: September 22, 2022
Dr. Dauda Gava gives a detailed account of his experiences within Nigeria, specifically Borno State, and the impact Boko Haram has had on them. He outlines important data on Nigeria, getting into religion and politics, while simultaneously describing the war on Christians that is happening there. Dr. Gava also dives into the impact Boko Haram has had on social and religious behaviors in the country. Finally, he explains the pacifist religion of EYN—the Church of the Brethren—and how it has been affected by Boko Haram.
“Mathemalchemy”
Speakers: Dr. Kim Roth and Kathryn Blake
Occasion: Introduction to Juniata College Museum of Art Installation: Mathemalchemy
Date: September 14, 2022
Dr. Kim Roth and Kathryn Blake in this piece, talk about the background and significance of the topic Mathemalchemy. They go into detail about the original creators of this exhibition: Ingrid Daubechies and Dominique Ehrman. Blake then discusses how she was able to bring Mathemalchemy to Juniata College. After various decisions and months of planning, the journey of Tess the Tortoise, the main story line in the exhibit, had been finalized. Ultimately, the experience is to show the combined efforts and collaboration of the arts and sciences bringing together scholars, abilities, and content.
“Mathemalchemy: What it is and how it came to be?”
Speaker: Ingrid Daubchies and Dominique Erhmann
Occasion: Overview of the Juniata College Museum of Art installation: Mathemalchemy
Date: December 03, 2022
In constructing Mathemalchemy, Ingrid Daubchies and Dominique Ehrmann fostered the process to ensure the fruition of the Mathemalchemy installation. Daubchies is the main mathematician that explains the analysis, signals, images, and data of the project. Ehrmann is a fiber and multimedia artist who explains her artistic leadership responsibilities in addition to the creative makeup of various scenes. Along with receiving an insight of the general thought process of the detail within the project, both women highlight how their own personal lives influenced pieces of the installation. With a combination in skills and ideas, these two women ultimately give an overview of the construction of Mathemalchemy and the reasoning behind it.
“A Thread of Hurt: What Will You Weave?”
Speaker: Elizabeth Bailey
Occasion: Bailey Oratorical Contest Speech
Date: February 28, 2023
In her winning speech for Juniata College’s 2023 Bailey Oratorical Contest, Elizabeth Bailey elaborates on her opening question, “What does it mean to be gay?” Bailey shares the challenge a friend, and others, faced when announcing their queerness and argues that we can use our metaphorical spools of thread to weave hope and friendship, rather than hate. Through a very personal account, Bailey reminds us that to be courageous and to be an ally can make the world a safer and more accepting place.
“Amplifying Parent and Guardian Voices When Navigating Special Education Services”
Speaker: Katie E. Hildebrand
Occassion: Bookend Seminar
Date: April 12, 2023
The special education process assesses whether a child or youth has unique needs warranting services. Once eligibility is established, professionals find it straightforward. However, for parents unfamiliar with the terminology, laden with acronyms and legal language, the system can be complex. To ensure children with special needs get appropriate services, parental involvement is crucial, mandated by federal legislation like The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Some parents report under-involvement and barriers, feeling decisions are predetermined. This presentation shares insights on how professionals can better support parents, emphasizing active participation, collaboration, and comprehensive strategies.
“Evaluating Bobby Bonilla Day: A Mathematical Analysis of one of Major League Baseball’s Most Infamous Contracts”
Speaker: Gerald R. Kruse
Occasion: Bookend Seminar
Date: March 8, 2023
Dr. Gerald Kruse shares the highlights of his Spring Sabbatical from 2022, which was marked by several serendipitous events contributing to its success. His achievements during this period include the proposal and design of a new course, MA/CS 341 – Scientific Computing, the redesign of an existing course, CS 330 – Computer Graphics, and the facilitation of the relocation of the IT/CS Compute Cluster from the von Liebig Science Center to the server room in the Brumbaugh Academic Center, accompanied by its reconfiguration.
“Distinction Making Critters: Focus on People”
Speaker: James (Jim) Tuten Ph.D.
Occasion: Beachley Award for Distinguished Service Address, Spring Convocation Ceremony
Date: May 2, 2023
Dr. James H. Tuten, the Dr. Charles R. and Shirley A. Knox Professor of History at Juniata College, discusses the human propensity to make distinctions about one another. He draws on many examples of distinction-making, including some that are personal, to help those in the audience understand the nature of what he defines as Presumptuous Distinction Making. By understanding how and why people tend to make distinctions between one another, he argues, we can learn about the past as well as the present. Dr. Tuten recommends that to become the best kind of “critters,” we need to have a growth mindset and focus on knowing people rather than making distinctions.
“Contested Commitments: Native Self-determination, Kinship, Institutionalization, and Remembering”
Speaker: Susan Burch
Occasion: Indigenous Rights Roundtable
Date: April 24, 2023
Burch explores the profound impact of Canton Asylum, a federal psychiatric institution confining American Indians from 1902 to 1934. Focusing on Elizabeth Faribault's story, a SissetonWahpeton Dakota forcibly committed in 1915, it reveals the institution's erosion of selfdetermination and kinship ties. The exclusive reliance on Western biomedicine perpetuated prejudiced judgments, leading to prolonged detentions. Faribault's daughter, Cora Winona, experienced transinstitutionalization, illustrating a broader pattern of systemic erasure. The narrative underscores the collective violence of Canton Asylum within the context of settler colonialism, connecting it to wider Indigenous struggles.
“Finding Our Way: Shared Perspectives on the Those Who Help Guide Us”
Speakers: Andrew “Andy” Murray, Elizabeth Evans Baker Professor of Peace Studies,
Emeritus, and Anne C. Baker, Trustee Emerita
Occasion: 145th Commencement Ceremony
Date: May 13, 2023
Baker and Murray both emphasize the values instilled by Juniata College. Baker shares her deep family ties to Juniata, dating back to her grandmother's graduation in 1881, and highlights the significance of truth, decency, knowledge, and understanding in fostering a civil society. She advises graduates to stay open to new opportunities and commends the Peace and Conflict Studies Program. Murray reflects on the impact of friendships at Juniata, narrating a story involving an international program that overcame challenges with unexpected connections. The address concludes with reflections on life's journey, invoking the wisdom of the apostle Paul and musician Jerry Jeff Walker.
“Trans-European Effects in Response to the War in Ukraine”
Speaker: Caecilia van Peski
Occasion: The Baker Institute International Symposium: The War in Ukraine
Date: October 22, 2022
Caecilia van Peski in her piece, discusses the instability that has come from this invasion in the Ukraine. She uses a geopolitical specs perspective to look at how this is an entirely masculine war from the politicians involved to the soldiers fighting it. She then looks at how dialogue is an essential factor in how these countries all act with each other and when that link is broken it stops necessary functions of societal wheels to stop turning. Finally, Peski also examines the cultural, militaristic, and academic changes that are happening and will continue to happen due to this war.
“The War in Ukraine: Global Perspectives-Latin America"
Speaker: Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo
Occasion: The Baker Institute International Symposium: The War in Ukraine
Date: October 22, 2022
Faced with the great cultural and political diversity that exists in Latin America, Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo identifies a wide range of political reactions to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Countries such as Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Peru have clearly condemned the invasion. Brazil and Mexico have voted against the invasion while projecting an image of neutrality. El Salvador has also maintained neutrality but supports Russia’s positions. Finally, Bolivia, Cubs, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have supported Russia’s position and criticized the United States and NATO. The different opinions on the invasion reflect the political diversity within Latin America.
“Triumphing Over Injustice: A Daughter's Account of Leadership During the Violent Birth of Bangladesh””
Speaker: Sharmin (Reepi) Ahmad
Occasion: Distinguished Malloy Lecture
Date: February 16, 2023
Sharmin Ahmad is the daughter of Tajuddin Ahmad. He was a political activist that fought for freedom, democracy, and liberty. Due to his continual determination, he served as the first prime minister of Bangladesh. As his daughter, she witnessed a genocide against her people and other violent crimes in the War of Liberation. In this lecture, Ahmad explores stories of heroism and sacrifice, courage and compassion. She also identifies points of leadership and how her father, against all odds, made victory possible.
“The Geopolitical and Geo-Economic Implications of the Ukraine War on Africa: Hard Question and Policy Dilemmas?”
Speaker: Mehari Maru
Occasion: The Baker Institute International Symposium: The War in Ukraine
Date: October 22, 2022
Mehari Maru, in this piece, discusses the implications of the Ukraine War on Africa as a continent along with its individual countries. Some of these implications include food security across the continent, climate change and its effects, water security, and the political power roles of Africa, Ukraine, and Russia. The ways in which the countries of Africa are responding to this crisis and how different these responses look is also detailed by Maru. Finally, Maru discusses voting behavior, and the power Africa holds in the United Nations.
“Gaunt Heroes: Deathly Business in a Civil War”
Speaker: Adriana Gomez-Aiza
Occasion: Bookend Seminar
Date: March 30, 2023
Dr. Adriana Gómez-Aiza discusses the use of images as primary sources in historical studies, focusing on their application beyond written documents and debates among experts regarding their reliability and relevance. The study underscores how photographs from the Fondo Casasola, a significant Mexican archive that safeguards the visual testimonies of the country’s history, depict death, military casualties, and political murder during the Mexican Revolution. It also calls attention to the value of historical photographs across disciplines in understanding and researching human behavior, especially in the context of a liberal arts education, where scholars and students from different disciplines offer diverse perspectives that enrich interpretations of historical events.