The Provost’s Awards Lecture Series is intended to honor and showcase the recipients of the Provost’s Awards and provide them an opportunity to present, share and discuss their work with the campus. Another goal of this series is to raise the level of academic and intellectual discourse among our colleagues, and to further enrich connections with others across the campus.

All lectures are held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Henry Madden Library, Room 2206.

Thursday, March 5

2018-19 – Promising New Faculty
Lisa Bryant, Department of Political Science

"Does Changing How We Vote Actually Change How We Vote? An Examination of the California Voter’s Choice Act in 2018 and Expectations for 2020 and Beyond"

In 2018, California implemented a series of voting reforms under the new Voters Choice Act. Counties were allowed to opt in to the program rather than be required by law. Five counties — Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento and San Mateo — implemented the changes for the 2018 primary and general elections. In 2020, that number increases to 15 counties, comprising over 50% of the voters in California. This presentation discusses effects from the adoption of the Voter Choice Act in 2018 in terms of turnout and voting methods, with a focus on the shift toward vote by mail. Results suggest that many voters do change their behavior in response to election reforms. What does this mean for the future of CA elections?

Thursday, March 12

2018-19 – Outstanding Lecturer
Lisa Anderson, Department of Anthropology

"Cs Get Degrees (Comedy, Connection, Caring, and Currency) and Other Lessons I Have Learned From My Students"

For 10 years, I taught in Fresno State’s First Year Experience (FYE) program. This program was designed to provide first-generation college students potentially at risk of not graduating, with extra mentoring and support. This program “allowed” me to spend more time talking to and getting to know my students on a deeper level than was typical of other courses. I’m certain I learned as much from them as they did from me, and these lessons have made me a better teacher.

Thursday, March 19

2018-19 – Promising New Faculty
Melanie Hernandez, Department of English

"How Mexicans Became Brown: The Flipside of U.S. Whiteness Studies"

Melanie Hernandez will discuss her current research project, which situates U.S.-based Mexican racial formation within the context of whiteness studies. This project tracks the “browning” of Mexicans through the latter half of the 19th century as legal and economic processes working in tandem with seemingly-innocuous cultural ephemera that permeated all areas of daily U.S. life.

Thursday, March 26

2018-19 – Promising New Faculty
Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner, Department of Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education

"What Bugs Me: Working to Improve the Teaching and Learning of Writing"

Students continually enter college not feeling confident as writers, while teachers throughout the K-12 system continually report feeling unprepared to teach writing. Drawing on findings from multiple research projects, Dr. Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner will explore reasons why this is. Additionally, she will discuss her current work at Fresno State, including with the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, to develop teachers’ capacity to teach writing so that they feel better prepared and their students, ultimately, feel more confident as writers.