Lecture preview

Two lectures and a newly appointed dean of Student Affairs will usher in the first week of April on the Carnegie Mellon campus.

The new appointment of the dean of Student Affairs will be announced this morning at 11:30 am in the University Center’s McConomy Auditorium.

The selection process for the position began last April when former Dean of Student Affairs Michael Murphy took the position of associate vice-president. Associate Dean of Student Affairs Jennifer Church took his position last fall and has since served as the campus’s interim dean.

An 18-person selection committee led the search to fill the position, which formally began last fall. Before spring break, three final candidates held forums as a final part in the selection process.

Departments that the new dean will oversee include the Career Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, Health Services, the Office of International Education, the Office of Orientation & First Year Programs, Student Activities, Student Development, and Student Life.

If you missed the announcement today, www.thetartan.org has the updated announcement regarding the new dean.

Also today, Philip Landrigan will speak in a lecture titled “Children’s Health and the Environment — The Problem and the Solution.”

Landrigan is the head of the Department of Community and Preventative Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Children’s Health and the Environment in New York City.
Working with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Landrigan spent 15 years studying the dangers of lead and other toxins to children. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and has worked at Mount Sinai since 1985.

The talk is planned for 4:30 pm today in the Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A. It is part of the University Lecture Series.

Susan Polansky, associate head of modern languages and teaching professor of Hispanic studies at Carnegie Mellon will speak Thursday.

Polansky has taught courses about Spanish language and culture, including “Reflections on Food in the Spanish-Speaking World.” Her research focuses on modern Spanish literature and the development of Spanish teaching tools. Polansky has written several books, including textbooks and articles.

Her lecture “Lessons From Chocolate,” part of the University Lecture Series, will take place at 4:30 pm on Thursday in the Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A.