FROM the CHAIR by Howard Aldrich

UNCurrents University of North Carolina Department of Sociology FROM THE CHAIR By Howard Aldrich Sociology did very well in 2005-4, as we were once again nonprofit organizations and associations. They were also rated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top five called upon by local and national media for comments on programs in Sociology in the United States. We accom- current events, such as the war in Iraq and trends in religi- plished this by being professionally osity among youth. active: publishing, engaging in service to the profession, and mentoring our Our fund-raising efforts, begun in junior faculty and graduate students. 2003-4, began to pay off this past year. Faculty members served not only na- At the beginning of this academic year, tionally but also locally, holding many we succeeded in raising enough funds to important offices at UNC-CH. fully establish the Rachel Rosenfeld Teaching Fund and it has now topped In addition to the usual crop of journal $30,000. Donations are still welcome. articles, book chapters, and books, we We also established another fund, the were very active in regional, national, Richard L. Simpson Fund for Sociol- and international professional associa- ogy, which is slowly growing. In Janu- tions. Faculty presented papers at con- ary, we created the Jack W. Daum Fund ferences, and we had one member serv- for Sociology, an endowed fund which ing as president of the Southern Socio- is already fully funded at $25,000. We logical Society and another as Secretary have begun soliciting for a fund to to the American Sociological Associa- honor Emeritus professors from our tion. In addition, other members held department, called the Excellence Fund offices in their national professional (Continued on page 3) organizations, and several served on various national associations’ committees. Inside Summer 2005 We edit three national professional journals here: Social Departmental Development P 2 Forces, the Journal of Health and Social Behavior New Interdisciplinary Course, From the Chair (cont’d) P 3 (sponsored by the American Sociological Association), and Southern Culture. In addition to our three journal editors, Research Highlights P 4 members served on the boards of 25 other professional Journal of Health & Social Behavior P 5 journals, not counting service on our own Social Forces. At the university level, one member won a university New Faculty, JHSB cont’d P 6 teaching award, four were awarded internal research grants, New Staff P 7 and two members were awarded University leaves. Farewells P 8 As before, our department continues to supply directors of Incoming Cohort, Graduate Student Association, Deaths P 9 centers and programs to the University, including the Di- rectors of the Odum Institute, the Center for the Study of Student Awards/Honors, Recent PhD.s P 10 the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, the Carolina Faculty Honors/Awards/Appointments, New Staff cont’d, P 11 Population Center, the Institute on Aging, the Social and Books Published by Faculty, Research Highlights cont’d Economic Justice Minor, and the Management and Society Colloquium Series, Student Colloquium, Faculty Away P 12 Curriculum. Another faculty member is a senior associate dean in the College. Alumni Notes, Archaeological Collection Hosted at Hamilton Hall P 13 Consider a Donation P 14 Faculty were very active this year in public service activi- ties, giving talks to various public, governmental, and other Submit Alumni Notes P 15 DEPARTMENTAL DEVELOPMENT Jack W. Daum Fund during many dinners to clarify a point that was under discussion. To honor my father's memory, I have cre- Penny Daum Aldrich established the Jack W. Daum ated this fund, The Jack W. Daum Fund for Sociol- Fund for Sociology in January 2005 and wrote the ogy, to encourage others to continue to learn and to following explanation for her decision: seek knowledge. I chose UNC because my father was very impressed with the Morehead Scholarships I have always thought of my father, Jack Wolfe which both Steven and Daniel received and which Daum, as a “renaissance man” because he could enabled them to pursue their academic interests and to paint, install small electrical appliances, sew (he actu- travel. ally completed my home economics skirt and apron ——————————————————— projects), create rock gardens, cook, teach, build Development Fund for Sociology cloud chambers, and was always excited to learn Carolina Sociology Fund for Faculty Excellence something new. He By Glen Elder had a terrific sense of humor and was For more than 80 years Carolina Sociology has been very creative, help- regarded as one of the most distinguished programs in ing to design some the country. Through research and publications, un- fabulous school dergraduate teaching, graduate and postdoctoral pro- projects for me! grams, and sponsorship of Social Forces, sociologists He was born in Far at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Rockaway, Long have made their presence felt around the world. Island in 1915 and However, our position is fast becoming more difficult was ready for col- to maintain. The costs of sustaining an internationally lege at 16. He at- prominent program have increased dramatically, tended Johns Hop- whereas public financial support for Carolina has not. kins and graduated The Department of Sociology’s resources are increas- with one Masters in ingly constrained, making it difficult to recruit tal- Philosophy and an- ented faculty. At the same time, our distinguished other in Chemistry. faculty frequently receive job offers from our peer Penny Daum Aldrich Jack W. Daum He loved traveling institutions, often at salary levels Carolina cannot and reading and I am sure I have inherited these match. The Department must increasingly rely on “genes,” as have his grandsons, Steven and Daniel. private funds to recruit and retain those top faculty Daniel remembers “Opa” as "a scholar-gentleman, members who have done so much to build the reputa- who while involved in epoch making history like the tion that Sociology at Carolina enjoys today. Manhattan Project and major advances in chemistry, always saw the world through a lens of humor and Consequently, we are launching a major response to humility. His commitment to his family and his love this pressing need with the “Carolina Sociology Fund for humanity should inspire all of us." for Faculty Excellence.” Steven “recalls lots of visits (once a month for 12 Your involvement will help to ensure the continued years) to Ithaca, NY and Opa's jokes at the dinner excellence of our Department. Our aim is to establish table.” What he remembers most vividly about Opa the Fund with $25,000 and then to strive for an en- was “staying at his apartment in Fort Lee, NJ and dowment of $100,000. We urge you to join this im- watching him stretch and do sit-ups and push-ups in portant effort by making a contribution to the the living-room before going to work in the morning.” “Carolina Sociology Fund for Faculty Excellence,” UNC at Chapel Hill, CB#3210, Hamilton Hall, My father had a life-long interest in learning. I think Chapel Hill NC 27599-3210. we had a direct line to the reference desk at the public library because I can see him phoning the librarians 2 NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE ON POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES—SOCIOLOGY 165 AND GEOGRAPHY 165 Professor Ronald Rindfuss teamed up with his colleague in UNC’s Geography Department, Professor Stephen Walsh, to offer a new interdisciplinary course on population and the environment. The course, designed for juniors and sen- iors, responds to the growing scientific and public recognition that environmental issues, such as deforestation and land degradation, are linked to human behavior, are place specific, and require interdisciplinary approaches. The course, Sociology 165 and Geography 165, brings to- gether social, biophysical and geographic elements to examine environmental change. Students learn about diverse data sources, ranging from satellite images to demographic data, as well as equally diverse theoreti- cal approaches to environmental change. Global issues are addressed, but the course focuses on Thailand and neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Malaysia. Within Thailand, special emphasis is given to Nang Rong district, Buriram province, Northeast Thailand – a district where Rind- fuss and Walsh have been conducting research for more than a decade. Nang Rong was part of the Angkor empire 1,000 years ago. After the A remnant of the Ankor Empire, northeast Thailand collapse of Angkor, few villages remained and most of the landscape reverted to unmanaged forest. During most of the twentieth century it was a frontier, where wild tigers roamed and people moved in from other parts of the region. Today the landscape is primarily settled agriculture and demographically it is characterized by out-migration. The course was first offered fall 2004 and will again be offered fall 2005. Student response has been encouraging. From the Chair (Continued from page 1) for Sociology, with Glen Elder and Ray Mack leading the effort. I encourage you to consider contributing to this fund, as we are still short of our goal of setting it up as an endowed fund. As I noted last year, Sociology has always been responsible for providing the bulk of support for its graduate students. As in previous years, the College provided a little over $100,000 for our instructional budget for graduate students, and the department then raised nearly $500,000 to fully fund our students. In addition, CPC provided support for many other Sociology students. We spent a great deal of time this year reviewing policies for financial support of graduate students. We discussed the guidelines in a series of meetings, and I think the new guidelines will help us use our scarce resources efficiently in the coming years.

Load more