La Sierra University College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office

Congratulations to the award recipients celebrated at this year's CAS Awards Ceremony!

May 23, 2023
Photos by Kristine Barker

Kristel Tonstad graduated from La Sierra University with an independent major in 2004. She received an MA in Public Policy from Harvard University (2007) and a law degree from the University of Oslo, Norway (2017).

An upcoming performance by award-winning La Sierra music alumnus Anthony Leon.

Recital: Anthony León, Tenor
Event Date/Time: May 25, 2023 (Thu) at 7 PM
Location: Ebell of Los Angeles, Lounge, 743 S Lucerne Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90005
To get tickets, click on the link below.
https://operaleague.org/Calendar/EventId/765/e/recital-anthony-leon-tenor-25-may-2023

Get swept away by American-born Cuban and Colombian tenor Anthony León's captivating voice as he performs with pianist Lucas Nogara at our upcoming recital on Thursday, 25th of May, at 7 pm at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles.

To get tickets, click on the link below.
https://operaleague.org/Calendar/EventId/765/e/recital-anthony-leon-tenor-25-may-2023

The Sabbatical Spotlight series presents...Dr. Nathan Sutter! During his Fall 2022 sabbatical, Dr. Sutter studied dog genome sequences to investigate patterns of SINE insertions. This work occurred in the laboratory of Dr. Elaine Ostrander at the NHGRI, NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Check out this faculty profile on Dr. Giovanni Santos!

Inspired journey: Music director Santos making international inroads as composer - La Sierra News An early career experience performing the original music of a noted big band director struck a chord with Giovanni Santos – 20 years later, while an associate music professor and director at La Sierra University, he has forayed into the world of composition where his own works have been rapidly ga...

The CAS faculty spotlight series presents… Dr.In-Kyeong Kim! Her research focuses on the origin, nature, and developmental changes of physical and spatial knowledge, as well as the accuracy of eyewitness memory and memory in social contexts.

The Sabbatical Spotlight Series presents...Dr. Andrew Howe! During his sabbatical (and after finishing the centennial book for La Sierra's 100th gala celebration), Dr. Howe worked on his manuscript, which centers on eco-criticism, the study of the connections between culture and the environment.

Check out the latest exhibit in the Brandstater Gallery: Inventing an Absence
Open through March 16th

Pieces featured in this post:
Camilla Taylor
Speaking in Unison,
Telling Their Own Lies
Ceramic with glaze, monoprint on found fabric, thread
2020
&
Nathan Huff
Phantom Limbs
Gouache and acrylic on fabriano paper
2019

The CAS Faculty Spotlight presents... Dr. Lloyd Trueblood! Dr. Trueblood is a marine invertebrate physiologist and enjoys researching how organisms handle changes or extreme environments. His research projects aim to help elucidate the impact global warming and, specifically, ocean acidification will have on the marine environment.

Honors is a community of scholars, centered around the program’s personal dorm, South Hall—a home base where students study and socialize. Interested in applying? Applications are considered on a rolling basis.

Karl Burkheimer’s ‘if only’ multi-media exhibit of installation art and photographic pieces will run through December 8th. The Brandstater Gallery is open 12-5pm Mon-Thurs, or by appointment with Tim Musso: [email protected]

Our faculty are doing great things!

Congratulations to one of our amazing Music professors, Dr. David Kendall, on the publication of his new book! The Music of the Spheres in the Western Imagination is available for purchase through Lexington Books.

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series presents... Rodney Vance!

Professor Vance teaches classes such as Storytelling for Fun & Profit and the Production Workshop series. He is the writer, director, & producer of the giant screen film "Napa Valley Dreams," as well as director of the short film "The Butterfly, the Harp and the Timepiece." He’s an active member of the Writers Guild of America, West, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and, MENSA. Mr. Vance has worked as head writer on two multi-award-winning television series: "Lifestyle Magazine" & "The Evidence." He sold or was hired to write several screenplays and stage plays, one of which, "Token," won the Judge’s Choice Award in the Edward Albee International Playwriting Competition. He also wrote a children’s book called "De’Monte Love" published by Visikid Books.

An enthusiastic traveler, Dr. Howe has visited all seven continents, and India was one of her favorite destinations; she began writing Sita and the Prince of Tigers there after she observed the combination of beauty, power, and self-possession of tigers in the wild. The book is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound.org

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series presents... Alex Rowell! Professor Rowell teaches classes such as Introductory Statistics, College Algebra, and the Calculus sequence. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Applied Mathematics from UCR.

Check out these photos from last week's Night of Art and Innovation in Downtown Riverside!

Check out sculptor Karl Burkheimer's installations on display inside and outside of Brandstater Gallery through December 8.

Mr. Burkheimer appears through the support of The Ford Family Foundation. He has exhibited his work around the country and has been the recipient of multiple recognition awards and fellowships.

Oregon artist Burkheimer brings installation exhibit to Brandstater - La Sierra News An Oregon-based sculptor whose work has appeared in shows around the country will present a two-month solo exhibit beginning in October at Brandstater Gallery.

The Spotlight Series presents... Dr. Suzanne Mallery! Drs. Suzanne and Paul Mallery have been working on creating a paper and pencil measure of Faith Development that ties it to meaning-making and allows for more rapid assessment of Fowler's Stages of Faith.

The Sabbatical Spotlight Series presents...
Dr. Lora Geriguis! During her Spring 2022 sabbatical, Dr. Geriguis focused on establishing the logic of her book’s 100-year period of study, namely the examination of how literature and the rise of since influenced each other in the first century following the establishment of the Royal Society for the Improving of Natural Knowledge, England’s first and (now) premier scientific organization. She presented ideas from her book during La Sierra's 2022 Research Emphasis Week and discussed the intersections of culture and science.

Check out the Music Department's events this school year!

2022-2023 Season Visit the post for more.

Happy first day of fall quarter from the College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office!

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series welcomes new professor... Madelyn Vega-Ortiz!

You may be familiar with her from her previous role as La Sierra's Title IX Coordinator. After serving in that capacity for the past few years, she is excited to take on this new role teaching courses like Criminal Law and Introduction to the Criminal Justice System. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Puerto Rico and is currently pursuing an EdD in Administration and Leadership from the School of Education.

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series welcomes new professor... Ledy Ann V. Patel!

Professor Patel is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and earned a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Loma Linda University School of Allied Health Professions. She teaches courses such as Basic Nutrition, Lifestyle Diseases, and Dynamics of Health Education.

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series presents...
Dr. Carlos Parra! Dr. Parra is Chair of the World Languages Department and teaches classes such as Spanish-American Literature and Migrants, Refugees, & Exiles: Policies, Aesthetics, & Representation. His research interests include displacement, belonging, and cultural studies. The photos included are all from his trip to Spain in July.

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series presents... Dr. Ariel Quintana! He is the Director of Choral Studies and teaches classes such as Conducting and Chamber Music. Dr. Quintana is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and has presented his compositions at National & Regional Conventions in 2016, 2018, and 2020.

The CAS Faculty Spotlight Series presents... Dr. Nate Sutter! Professor Sutter teaches classes such as Science and the Future, Biostatistics, and Genetics. He conducts research on the genetic basis of evolutionary and phenotypic change in domestic mammals like dogs and rabbits. He will be conducting research in Dr. Elaine Ostrander's Bethesda, Maryland lab while on Sabbatical this fall.

The Sabbatical Spotlight series presents... Dr. Erin Banks-Kirkham! The idea for this project was born out of work done during her previous sabbatical, which focused on the use of rhetoric to reach women voters in the 1980 campaign for president. When she was in the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library collecting materials, she noticed a number of folders coded and categorized using the term “gay voters.” Thinking this would be an interesting topic for future research, she requested documents sorted with this phrase from the 1976 and 1980 campaign materials, which she then used during her Winter 2022 sabbatical.

Are you an incoming freshman or transfer student interested in a STEM major? Check out the free STEM Bridge program this summer.

STEM BRIDGE 2022 Learn about our new STEM Bridge program for incoming students!

Check it out!

La Sierra University history prof Dr. Alicia Gutierrez-Romine's extensive research and excellent scholarly work is featured in this historical retrospective video/article package published by the Los Angeles Times:
Video: bit.ly/3y2ydF5
Article: lat.ms/3Nz0TLE