Bluffton University faculty awarded research grants, sabbaticals

Bluffton University faculty members were recently recognized at the annual Dean’s Reception, an academic year-end event honoring faculty who have been awarded grants, sabbaticals and other scholarly endeavors.

The following faculty received summer 2021 Bluffton University Research Center grants, which provide $2,000 and up to $300 for research-related expenses:

·Dr. Perry Bush, professor of history, is researching and writing about the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), which was founded by Bluffton alumnus Baldemar Velasquez.

·Dr. Walt Paquin, professor of social work, will design more integrated projects and learning activities for the Learning in Community.

Bluffton also offers endowed faculty scholarship grants. Each grant provides the equivalent of a six-hour course release over two years.

· Dr. Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, assistant professor of religion, was awarded the Karl Schultz Faculty Scholarship Grant for the 2019-21 academic years. Wyse-Rhodes is working on her next book project, a commentary on the Old Testament Book of Numbers, for the Believers Church Bible Commentary series. 

· Dr. Martina Cucchiara, associate professor of history, was awarded the Naomi E. Lehman Faculty Scholarship Grant for the 2020-22 academic years. She is working on finishing her book titled “Bitter Times: Catholic Sisters in Hitler’s Germany, 1933-1945.”

Three faculty members, meanwhile, have been granted sabbaticals, including:

· Dr. Martina Cucchiara, associate professor of history, has been granted a sabbatical for the full academic year. Cucchiara will begin a new book-length research project on women in Nazi Germany and co-organize/co-host an academic conference in Berlin titled “Women, Religion, and Emotions” in June 2022.

· Dr. Walt Paquin, professor of social work, has been granted a half-time sabbatical spread throughout the academic year. Paquin will focus on strengthening his administrative roles as social work program director and community engagement coordinator for the Learning in Community class.

· Andi Baumgartner, associate professor of art, has been granted a sabbatical for spring semester 2022. His project includes creating a body of art work using drones and a variety of media. He will also explore Camino de Santiago in Spain for a potential cross-cultural experience.