Solutions — Spring 2021

SOLUTIONS

YEARS OF SOLUTIONS THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE SPRING 2021

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

In 2021 we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the College of Social and Behavioral Science, which was formed in 1970.

In the 1960s, as the University of Utah was expanding student enrollments and transitioning to a prominent university, the large College of Arts and Letters was split into the College of Social and Behavioral Science, College of Science, and the College of Humanities.

Dean William Prokasy (a psychologist) was the first dean of this new college with six subsequent deans (Deans Irwin Altman, Howard Ball, Donna Gelfand, Steven Ott, David Rudd, and Cynthia Berg).

From humble beginnings in the annex, to a new home in Gardner Commons (thanks to the generous support of Carolyn and Kem Gardner), the college has grown to a student enrollment of now over 3717 undergraduate and 438 graduate students.

Our nation and world have experienced so much change in the past 50 years on issues such as the environment, women’s rights, racial justice, the Great Recession, and most recently the pandemic. Throughout the last fifty years, faculty members and students have contributed knowledge on these critical challenges and inspired solutions for those challenges. New programs such as the Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Health, Society, and Policy, and Solutions Scholars, have met the need for interdisciplinary training for our students. Research centers such as NEXUS are bringing scholars together across campus for transformative research.

We look forward to sharing with you some of our research milestones and faculty, student, and staff experiences across these past 50 years.

We invite you to engage in our celebrations throughout 2021-2022 (keep connected at www.csbs.utah.edu) and to join us in our Finish Line Program to support our students to get across the finish line for the next 50 years!

Warmly, Cindy Berg

Cynthia Berg, Ph.D. Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Science Distinguished Professor of Psychology

SOLUTIONS 04

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

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STUDENTS

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RESEARCH

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FACULTY, STAFF & ALUMNI

Visit the CSBS 50th Anniversary Website:

Solutions Contributors: Jacob Burby Communications & Public Relations Andrew Dequiroz Marketing Communications Gaven Neufeld Web Design

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GIVE BACK

Cailey Rohovit Social Media

SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS The Department of Anthropology has played a leading role in developing and applying the theoretical perspective of evolutionary ecology within American anthropology. This fosters a unique context for intradepartmental collaboration involving evolutionary genetics, modern human behavior, and archaeology, and is an important basis for its relatively recent national and international stature. This evolutionary ecological framework has led to significant advances in our understanding of human evolution (e.g., the Grandmother Hypothesis).

In addition, the department has had a long-standing research commitment to understanding the Native American experience in the Intermountain West. This effort is bracketed by the pioneering ethnographic work of Julian Steward in the 1930s to current efforts of faculty to integrate research findings in collaboration with indigenous groups to promote sustainability.

The anthropology department began in the William Stewart building, first erected in 1918 and used as temporary housing for soldiers during World War I.

Students identify fragmentary vertebrate remains at the Zooarchaeology and Field Ecology Field School.

Archaeology Field School, jointly sponsored by the department and the Natural History Museum of Utah, offers the opportunity to learn modern field and lab techniques in an ongoing field research program.

The Department of Anthropology played a leading role in the formation of the Utah Museum of Natural History (now NHMU) and provided its first Director, Professor Jesse Jennings. The establishment of NHMU coincides with the formation of CSBS. Anthropology has maintained a close collaboration with the museum with multiple adjunct appointments—three of our faculty have curator positions at the museum, including Lisbeth Louderback, Tyler Faith and Alexandra Greenwald.

ANTHROPOL 4

Lisbeth Louderback identifies starch grains from ancient tools.

Dr. Jack Broughton’s zooarchaeology laboratory, where animal remains from archaeological contexts are studied, located on the 5th floor of Gardner Commons.

The Department of Anthropology has had seven faculty members elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences: Julian Steward, Jeremy Sabloff, Henry Harpending, Kristen Hawkes, Polly Wiessner, James O’Connell, and Jesse Jennings.

Polly Wiessner with Alo Pitu, master of historical traditions, in Enga Province in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, collecting pre-colonial/precontact history.

Pueblo farmers Dale Toya, Jasmine Felipe, and Bill Edwards, along with Lisbeth Louderback and Bruce Pavlik, examine their harvested solanum jamesii tubers in fall 2019.

Photo courtesy BJ Nicholls/NHMU

James O’Connell, Hadza Camp, North Tanzania Africa, October 1985, takes notes on a food cooking and sharing incident.

Shane Macfarlan does research with local ranchers in Baja California.

Kristen Hawkes in a Hadza camp in northern Tanzania, Africa in October 1985, with a group on return from a tuber collecting trip.

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SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS Over the years, economics students have written dissertations that contribute not only to fields of economics, but also to health sciences, history, finance, and education.

Student success in the job market is a testament to the unique education and research training they receive in the Department of Economics.

Since 2009, the department has graduated more than seventy doctoral students, more than half of which have gone on to tenure-track positions in universities and colleges across the United States and the world.

John H. Short and The Three Worlds of Labor Economics

In the mid-1980s, Dr. John Short, an adjunct professor and benefactor of the economics department, financed a conference at the Snowbird resort that brought in a range of well-known and respected labor economists from a wide range of institutions including the Hoover Institute, the University of Chicago, BYU, UCLA, Washington University, UMASS Amherst, Berkeley, Harvard, the University of Texas, and the New School.

Never before had there been such a collection of Marxist, institutionalist, and neoclassical labor economists that saw things so differently, yet found themselves in the same room. The reasoned discussion led to the creation of a book, The Three Worlds of Labor Economics. This book was a standard reader in labor economics both in the U.S. and overseas. To this day, the department owes a debt of appreciation to John Short. The John H. Short and Mary Wilkes Short Family Foundation funded the NEXUS interdisciplinary space in Gardner Commons.

Jewell Rasmussen and the Western Economic Journal

After earning degrees from Snow College, the University of Utah, and Stanford University, Jewell Rasmussen served as a faculty member in the Department of Economics for 35 years and as department chair for 10 years. Dr. Rasmussen researched state and local finance, which made him a frequent policy consultant to Utah governors and state legislators. He also co-founded The Western Economic Journal (now Economic Inquiry).

To provide ongoing support for students and his department, he established the Jewell J. and LaRue J. Rasmussen Endowed Fund. It was said of him that as chairman “he was responsible for the department’s intellectual diversity, and academic tolerance as well as our fiercely maintained climate of intellectual freedom.” Waldemar & Harriet Rasmussen generously contributed funds for the Jewell J. Rasmussen Classroom, housed in Gardner Commons.

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ECONOMICS The Growing Income Inequality Gap In September of 2018, the Department of Economics hosted a three-day conference called The Great Polarization: Economics, Institutions and Policies in the Age of Inequality led by Rudi von Arnim, associate professor of macroeconomics and international economics. The event welcomed over 300 people and was headlined by Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz for an address called America’s Growing Inequality: Causes and Remedies. Stiglitz explained that unlike other sciences, the laws of economics do change, because people change.

Rudi von Arnim, associate professor of macroeconomics and International economics

Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz

The 2008 Recession On Monday, September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers announced that it would file for bankruptcy, setting in motion the financial panic of the Great Recession. In response, the economics department, in collaboration with the Hinckley Institute and led by Peter Philips, professor of economic history and labor economics, presented a panel discussion on the crisis.

This was probably the most diverse panel to ever comment on the crisis, including a Marxist, a University of Chicago monetary theorist, an economist from the U’s business school, a Goldman Sachs banker, and the chair of the economics department as moderator.

The father of one of the students in the audience was a banker in North Carolina. His son had called him after the panel to bounce what he had learned off his father, who in turn, called Peter Philips and thanked him for the presentation which did two things: He had never before heard his son so interested in his work and the world of banking and finance, and he was impressed with his son being informed on a range of ideas to better understand the crisis.

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SOLUTIONS

FAMILY AND CONSUMER STUDIES DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

Early Beginnings and Changing Challenges In 1975, the modern version of the family and consumer studies department was born from home economics. Colleen Cluff Caputo joined the faculty in the department in 1976, and was active in the evolution of developing an interdisciplinary approach to the program as it evolved into Family Life, serving as department chair in the spring of 1984.

One of the most difficult events for the department was the decision to eliminate the home economics teaching major. The major was one of three offered in the department, but only 3 to 6 students a year graduated from the major. State certification required clothing construction, food preparation, and interior design, which were all low enrollment courses and required large lab space and expensive equipment. This was not a popular decision among home economics colleagues, but ultimately would benefit the department.

Dr. Afesa Adams was the first African American department chair at the University of Utah, and helped pioneer the transition of home economics to the contemporary family and consumer studies department. Dr. Adams became the very first vice president of academic affairs and diversity, initiating the Martin Luther King Jr. and Days of Remembrance activities. She was at the forefront in establishing the Math Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) consortium whose purpose is to increase the number of under-represented women and minorities in those fields. Dr. Adams was a true college treasure, a graduate of the psychology doctoral program, and leader in promoting diversity at the U! In the 1980s the department underwent even more changes, and 1988 brought the last batch of “Family Life” students. Don Herrin helped transition the “how” of family life to “how to feel” about family life.

Colleen Cluff Caputo

Afesa Adams

Don Herrin, University President Ruth Watkins, and FCS Department Chair Lori-Kowalski Jones

The Child and Family Development Center (CFDC) In a collaborative effort with the FCS department, the Child and Family Development Center (CFDC) is a NAEYC accredited Montessori inspired child care center that provides excellent care for children, quality learning experiences for families, and hands-on training to university students.

The center is the oldest child development center west of the Mississippi, and from 2000 to 2010, the CFDC began to offer full-day programming for working families, and embraced a Montessori applied learning model. The design of the CFDC program and physical structure of the classrooms facilitate children, parent, student, and teacher education. The center also provides research opportunities for university faculty and students interested in studying young children and families.

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The FCS Graduate Program

FCS graduate students enjoy a socially-distanced outdoor lunch during the challenging 2020 fall semester.

FCS has a distinctive interdisciplinary approach, and centers on a focus of continual innovation in undergraduate offerings. As a result, the department offered one of the first online majors on campus at the University of Utah.

A master’s degree program was established in Family Ecology, but has since been changed to Human Development and Social Policy. In 2018, the department initiated a Ph.D. degree, which involves intensive research on important policies and issues in the family, community, and social life.

Award-Winning Faculty In 2020, the department became the only department in the College of Social and Behavioral Science with seven winners of the University Distinguished Teaching Award: Rob Mayer, Russ Isabella, Cheryl Wright, Sonia Salari, Marissa Diener, Lori Kowaleski-Jones, and Armando Solorzano.

The Utah Population Database (UPDB) The Utah Population Database (UPDB) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies is one of the world’s richest sources of in-depth information that supports research on genetics, epidemiology, demography, and public health.

Since the mid 1970s, researchers at the University of Utah and other institutions have used the UPDB to identify and study individuals and families that have a higher than normal incidence of cancer or other diseases to analyze patterns of genetic inheritance, and to identify specific genetic mutations. In addition, demographic studies have shown trends in fertility transition and changes in mortality patterns for both infants and adults.

The UPDB is the only database of its kind in the United States, and one of few such resources in the world. The central component of the UPDB is an extensive set of Utah family histories, in which family members are linked to demographic and medical information. Professor Ken Smith directed the UPDB from 2010-2020.

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SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

Mapping the Past

Geographers explore important challenges impacting society and the environment. Our students learn how to identify and solve problems facing communities, at scales ranging from local to global. The environment, people, and their connections studied in geography are essential for understanding complex issues like social inequality, climate change, and environmental hazards.

Here are five significant moments from the history of the Department of Geography.

DIGIT Lab Founded In 1987, Brian Haslam founded the DIGIT Lab as the hub for GIS projects and services at the University of Utah. DIGIT thrives today under the leadership of Dr. Phoebe McNeally, providing both GIS services for a variety of organizations and valuable real-world experience for students. Brian Haslam went on to found Cityworks/Azteca Systems, the leader in GIS and public infrastructure management.

GEOGRAPHY Geography Comes Home to Gardner Commons In 2018, the Department of Geography moved all of its offices and labs to the new Gardner Commons building. Orson Spencer Hall (OSH) was home to the geography offices and classes for nearly 50 years, but many geography labs were located far from OSH. Offices and labs were finally united in the same building.

Gardner Commons was specifically designed with students in mind, hosting 35 classrooms and many collaborative spaces.

Geography faculty break ground at Orson Spencer Hall (OSH) in 1969.

Orson Spencer Hall (OSH)

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Geography Success Story: Dale Quattrochi Dr. Dale Quattrochi was a noted geographer and research scientist with a long career at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. He applied his extensive expertise on thermal infrared remote sensing to public health issues and the urban environment, improving our understanding of urban heat island effects. Dale was a recipient of the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Geography at the University of Utah in 1990.

Don Currey Dr. Donald Currey was a professor in the Department of Geography from 1970 to 2004. Don’s research on the paleohistory of ancient Lake Bonneville examined the full history of the lake from its inception 30,000 years ago, to its current form as the Great Salt Lake.

Don inspired generations of students and scholars, and his legacy continues within the department with a student scholarship and ongoing paleoenvironmental and geomorphology research. The RED (Records of Environment and Disturbance) Lab in the Department of Geography has a current project that was inspired by interactions with Don and continues his tradition of training students on the paleoenvironment of the Bonneville Basin.

New Degrees in GIS Over the past 50 years, Geographic Information Science (GIS) has become a central part of the discipline of geography.

To appeal to students interested in specializing in GIS, the Department of Geography has started two new degree programs in the last decade. The Masters of Science in Geographic Information Science (MSGIS) began in 2013, and the Bachelors of Science in Geographic Information Science (BSGIS) began in 2018. Both degrees are designed to provide the GIS skills needed to further students’ careers.

Don Currey conducts a geography trip to Badwater Basin, California, in 1978.

Geography Faculty, 1998

Chuck Wullstein leads geographers on a hike in 1987.

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SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

Utah’s Department of Political Science has had a number of achievements and major events over the past 50 years.

The Hinckley Institute of Politics Founded in 1965, with U of U Political Science Professor J.D. Williams as its first director, the Hinckley Institute of Politics has shared a wonderful collaborative relationship with the Department of Political Science. The collaboration has served as a venue for educating and inspiring students to actively participate in politics, and cultivate critically-minded citizens to apply their knowledge to address societal and global challenges.

The End of the Cold War The Cold War’s end in the late 1980s and early 1990s created opportunities for new lines of research in political science. It also created openings for scholarly exchange, and the Department of Political Science was no exception. In 1993, 10 members of the department were invited by Moscow State University to present papers based on each member’s research.

Political Research Quarterly and the Western Political Science Association The then Western Political Quarterly (now Political Research Quarterly) was initiated by G. Homer Durham, chairman of the political science department at the University of Utah in 1948. The Western Political Science Association was founded shortly thereafter, also at the initiative of members of the political science department of the University of Utah. The Department of Political Science maintains an active and enriching partnership with the WPSA and continues to help manage the PRQ through today.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE The Maxwell and Wormuth Presidential Chairs The Department of Political Science established two endowed chairs in honor of longtime and prolific political science Professors Neal A. Maxwell and Francis D. Wormuth. Since the 1990s, these endowments have made possible the exchange of ideas from scholars across the world here at the U in the form of panels, seminars, lectures and symposia, and a number of publications in the form of edited volumes, special issues of journals, as well as the Neal A. Maxwell Lecture Series.

Professor Brent Steele, department chair and Wormuth Presidential Chair

Professor Steven Johnston, Maxwell Endowed Presidential Chair

Programs in Public Affairs The Department of Political Science has had a long and productive relationship with the public affairs programs, which include the Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), and the Master of International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE)

Meeting the challenges of 2020 With a global pandemic that necessitated a uniform switch at spring break to online teaching, a fall semester of in-person teaching with many precautions, Black Lives Matter protests, a Vice Presidential debate hosted at the U, a volatile presidential election, and record enrollments, 2020 was an unprecedented year for the Department of Political Science.

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SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The birth of the college in 1970 marked the move for the psychology department from the annex buildings to our current home at the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building. At that time, the floor was raw concrete because of budget shortfalls.

The chair (Irv Altman) asked Clarke Neilson to find a possible solution. Clarke found a carpet dealer who donated scraps to the department. Over the course of a weekend, both faculty and graduate students laid and glued 10 floors of carpet! Each floor had different designs, colors, and was an eyesore of interior design. This impromptu plan also caused a challenge for the university fire marshal!

PSYCHOLOGY DIVERSITY For over 50 years, the psychology department has contributed to the diversity mission of the university. The diversity committee was established in 1967 and for many years held a Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) training grant for diverse undergraduate students funded by the National Institutes of Health, led by Alan Fogel (professor emeritus) and David Sanbonmatsu (professor). In 1998, Paul White (associate professor) and Paul Florsheim (now at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) took roles in leading the SROP program, and the department was awarded the University Diversity Award in 1998, the 2009 Ally Department of the Year from the LGBT Center, and the 2021 CSBS Award for Advancing Equity and Connecting Communities.

Alan Fogel

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David Sanbonmatsu

Paul White

Paul Florsheim

LAUNCHING HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

Timothy Smith

In 1984, the interdisciplinary health program was founded by current faculty member Timothy Smith (distinguished professor) and the late Fred Rhodewalt (professor). It was one of the first programs of its kind, and has grown into a nationally-recognized graduate training program involving faculty from just about every discipline of the department.

Several former graduate students have gone on to receive national early career awards, including Alan Christensen (1990s), Linda Gallo (1990s), and Christopher Fagundes (2000s).

Frederick Rhodewalt

The psychology department has played an important leadership role in the college over the last 50 years as many of our faculty have gone on to serve as dean of the college – Bill Prokasy (19691979), Irwin Altman (1979-1983), Donna Gelfand (1991-1999), David Rudd (2009-2013), and Cindy Berg (2014-present).

Irv Altman in particular has had a profound and continuing influence on psychology, as a scholar in the area of social and environmental psychology; as chair from 1969-1976 during a period of rapid growth in the department, in the college, as dean from 1979-1983, and at the University, as vice president for academic affairs (1983-1987).

Although Irv has retired, the values that he instilled in the department are carried on through the Altman Family Faculty Award that he and his family endowed for a junior to mid-career faculty member demonstrating excellence across all domains of scholarship, teaching, and service.

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SOLUTIONS

DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

OUTSTANDING FACULTY RESEARCH

The Department of Sociology at the University of Utah was established in 1896 and was only the third university in the United States to offer regular courses in the discipline. In the early years, the department was combined with economics, anthropology, and social work, each of which eventually became an independent academic unit.

Sociology is one of the most diverse departments at the university, and over the past 20 years, new faculty members with strong scholarly records have been hired from top U.S. graduate programs. Faculty productivity in terms of research output has remained one of the top records in the nation. Across the 205 sociology departments in the United States, the University of Utah Department of Sociology is ranked 1st in terms of articles per faculty, 7th in citations per faculty, and 7th in scholarly research index, a metric designed to create benchmark standards for the measurement of academic and scholarly quality within and among United States research universities.

SOCIOLOGY FACULTY AWARDS

Brett Clark has won numerous faculty and research awards in a diverse array of areas including Superior Research, Environment and Technology, the American Sociological Association, the Marxist Sociology Book Award, Excellence in Mentoring, the University of Utah, and the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Rebecca Utz has been recognized for awards in Superior Teaching, Research, and Excellence in Mentoring. She has won the University’s Presidential Scholar Award, the Graduate School Distinguished Mentor Award, and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Bethany Everett is the winner of the National American Menopause Society New Investigator Award, as well as the 2019 Superior Research Award from the University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Sarita Gaytán has been awarded with the Best Paper in the Social Sciences, Mexico Section, Latin American Studies Association, and awards in Superior Research from the College of Social and Behavioral Science, University of Utah.

Ming Wen has twice earned award recognition for Superior Research from the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Theresa Martinez has been awarded with numerous Faculty, Research, and Distinguished University Teaching Awards since 1994. Her multiple awards include recognition from the University of Utah Teaching Committee, the Office of the President of the University, Top Professor Awards, Presidential Teaching Awards, Superior Teaching Awards, and many others. Additionally, she has received the distinguished Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Award, and the Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching award from the University of Utah.

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CRIMINOLOGY In 2018, the Department of Sociology began offering a new major in criminology. The major gives students a multidisciplinary understanding of critical issues surrounding crime, preparing them for careers in criminal, juvenile and social justice services, and providing a foundation for graduate study in criminology, criminal justice, other social sciences and law.

“This is a real contribution to the community given the need here,” said Ming Wen, chair of the Department of Sociology. “It serves as an attractive option for students who are interested in the field of criminal justice and want to be closer to networking opportunities where they want to live and work.”

The exploration includes empirical research on crime and criminal behavior, the tools and methods used to study and prevent crime, issues relating to criminal law, offenders, victims and victims’ rights and the agencies involved in the processing and sanctioning of juvenile and adult offenders. Policies surrounding crime and criminal justice that affect individuals, families, and communities are implemented on a daily basis. Crime, and our response to it, continues to be a major issue with far-reaching impacts. A major in Criminology prepares students to deal with these critical issues.

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SOLUTIONS

PROGRA DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

HEALTH, SOCIETY & POLICY

Founded in 1980 by Dr. Seymour Parker from the Department of Anthropology, the Health, Society and Policy program is intended to guide students toward an understanding of the multidimensional character of human health. Students learn that human health is determined not only by things like pathogens, illness, and genetics, but also by lifestyle and behavioral choices, environmental exposures, socioeconomic resources, and cultural affiliation. HSP students learn how institutional levels of influence, such as public policy and access to health care, affect health outcomes and create disparities across the globe and within subgroups of the population. Students culminate this experience in a capstone course where they are exposed to experts within health disciplines and work on a final project to develop a policy proposal to address a real-world issue in our communities.

MPA, MPP, & MIAGE

1976

The University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), and Master of Science in International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE) have been meeting the professional career education needs of Utah citizens since 1976.

Our programs prepare citizens for leadership and management positions in the public and nonprofit sectors and improve the quality of professional leadership and management in government agencies and nonprofit organizations in Utah and beyond. One example of the impact of these programs was strengthening relations between the State of Utah and the Province of Hainan China by creating and operating four Executive MPA program cohorts. The program awarded 102 MPA degrees and maintained relationships with the graduates via topical seminars and virtual outreach.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Impact

Dr. Garth Nelson Jones was a University of Utah alum, a prolific scholar of public administration, and a long-time friend of the program. Over the years, he supported countless MPA students in their studies through stewardship of several fellowships including the Garth Jones & Dalmas Nelson Excellence in Writing Award, the Reed K. & Irene L. Clegg Memorial Fellowship, and the Garth Jones & Marie Clegg-Jones & Family Endowed Fellowship. He was also a frequent guest at MPA events, including the annual Pi Alpha Alpha Banquet. He shared stories, wisdom, and a relentless concern for the well-being and success of students.

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AMS

ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES

Sydney Boogaard Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Health, Society, & Policy

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program has changed dramatically in recent years. The program began in 1994, and the program consisted of only one academic course and an internship course. In the ensuring ten years the program has expanded to include seven ENVST core courses and two ENVST electives, a learning abroad program to Costa Rica, a new name and expanded mission, a new minor, an online version of all core courses, and a variety of student and community service activities.

Sydney Boogaard was a CSBS Ambassador, and an environmental & sustainability studies and health, society, & policy double major. When asked what inspires her to #bethesolution, Sydney said, “We have always done it this way. This is a dangerous saying that I have heard far too often.

I don’t want to continue doing things the way we always have. Why? Because that means we are not improving, not growing, and not ensuring the best possible outcome for our future. I want nothing more than to leave this world knowing I played my part in creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all those that call Earth home.”

Andrew Follett Environmental & Sustainability Studies

Research: Andrew Follett, Bartering the Public Trust: Assessing the Constitutionality of the Utah Lake Restoration Act, published in the 20th edition of the Hinckley Journal of Politics: When Andrew found out about a development proposal to dredge and sterilize the iconic Utah Lake, he transitioned from a focus in watershed science to environmental law as a means of stopping the irresponsible and unsustainable development plan, even transferring to the University of Utah for the purpose of engaging in the Environmental & Sustainability Studies program.

Where the Jordan River’s Water Comes From: Utah’s Jordan River, according to University of Utah Professor Jennifer Follstad Shah, is a hard-working river, supporting a growing population of more than 1 million people. But underneath all of the irrigation canals and reclamation discharge, new research shows, are natural water sources that continue to shape the character of the Jordan River. The study was published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association and funded by the National Science Foundation.

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SOLUTIONS

STUDENTS

SOLUTIONS SCHOLARS In 2018, CSBS launched Solutions Scholars, a two-year cohort program that trains students to be innovators and leaders in addressing social and environmental challenges. Students combine an interdisciplinary class together with research experiences on a specific challenge, and an internship experience. Students have engaged in research on workplace gender equity, refuge housing and social services, and health disparities in indigenous communities. Solution Scholars have made their voices heard by publishing in major news outlets highlighting work on the relationship between air pollution, mental health, and cognitive development and health outcomes.

STUDENT AMBASSADORS CSBS Ambassadors are a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about their studies in CSBS and want to share that passion by connecting with prospective and current students, alumni and donors both in person and through social media. Ambassadors attend and help with campus projects to spread the word about majors and opportunities in CSBS. Ambassadors meet with alumni and donors to help secure gifts that support student scholarships, participate in information sharing with prospective students, and represent the college in recruitment efforts and events.

SANILA MATH

ANGELA PHAM

HADDY BAH

COLBY YOUNG

DIANA YE

STUDENTS TAYLOR YORK

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THANDIWE MSISKA

ODALIS GARCIA

ZAHRA SAIFEE

HANNAH LISONBEE

OLIVIA KAVAPALU

ELIJAH DOW

BEACONS OF EXCELLENCE In 2020 the CSBS Student Success Center was recognized as a 2020 recipient for the University of Utah Beacons of Excellence Award. This well-deserved recognition is bestowed due to the nominations received from several students who described the center as providing “an absolutely transformative educational experience.”

“Our CSBS Student Success Center Advisors take great care to meet our students’ needs in a way that is compassionate and professional, keeping student success front and center,” says Dean Cynthia Berg. The impact of the CSBS Student Success Center has been inspirational to many within the campus community and across the college.

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“The CSBS Student Success Center Advisors take great care to meet our students’ needs in a way that is compassionate and professional, keeping student success front and center.”

-Cynthia Berg, Dean, College of Social & Behavioral Science

CSBS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM In January of 2017, the CSBS Internship Program was launched to provide students with a close connection between their coursework and career-relevant opportunities. Under the direction of Dominique Blanc, the program has grown to provide over 300 students with opportunities for students of broad backgrounds in nonprofits, criminology, GIS, economics, early childhood education, community health, psychology, and more.

Razvan Ionita Economics USDA, Rural Development

Priscilla Tukuafu Family, Community & Human Development Mana Academy

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS: COVID-19 AND 2020 GRADUATION 2020 completely encapsulated the college’s mission of Inspiring Human Solutions to Life’s Challenges.

2020 included a number of challenges, from COVID-19 and the worldwide pandemic completely altering how students studied, to social unrest, hurricane-force winds that destroyed trees and fences across campus, and a 5.7 magnitude earthquake-the largest ever recorded in the valley. 2020 also brought the vice presidential debate to campus, seen by almost 60 million viewers, and the University of Utah being named one of the Top 40 public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

But as challenging as 2020 was, the university awarded more than 10,000 degrees to the Class of 2020.

Persevering, overcoming, and facing challenges with determination and optimism was how the class of 2020 chose to finish out their year. And as a world of uncertainty remains, the students of the College of Social and Behavioral Science continue to #bethesolution in facing tomorrow’s grand challenges.

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SOLUTIONS

RESEARCH

Lazarus Adua, Sociology: The Human Dimensions of Energy Inequality There are significant inequities in the distribution and cost of energy that affect social mobility. One example is the disparity between U.S. rural and urban residence. Lazarus’ Adua, assistant professor in sociology, has found that rural households consistently spend more on residential energy than urban households, although in general they actually use less energy. His finding indicates the existence of an energy cost inequality between rural and urban places, which represents a virtual rural tax limiting social mobility. Since there is no substitute for energy, one of Lazarus’s recommendations is that policymakers should offer some lifeline assistance to rural households if and when energy prices climb substantially.

Richard Medina, Geography: Social Media Mining and Studies of Conspiracy Theories Social media mining has proven to be a valuable method in many research applications, especially in the social sciences. These applications include public health, political sentiment, law enforcement, cultural understanding, and hazards and response, among many others. Rich Medina, associate professor in geography, and his team are constructing a social media mining infrastructure in the geography department’s DIGIT lab as a centralized resource for the expertise and computational support required for this research. This resource will be available for collaborative funded projects throughout the college enabling other fundable studies in new areas that are being exploited by other researchers worldwide. Because of the urgency of the topic, Rich’s initial study will focus on conspiracy theories, and in particular their geography (i.e., locations, diffusion, cultures, and environments).

Lori Kowaleski-Jones, Family and Consumer Studies, and Norm Waitzman, Economics: Connecting low-income Utahns with their federal tax credits Millions of low-to-moderate income households throughout the U.S. are missing out on claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is particularly helpful to families with children. Lori Kowaleski-Jones (family and consumer studies) and Norman Waitzman’s (economics) solution is a project called Connect to Collect (C2C). It aims to increase family health, welfare and income through connecting lowincome families in trusted settings to free tax preparation and ensuring they claim the EITC. In Utah, there is a relatively high 24% non-participation rate for the EITC which translates into approximately 57,000 eligible households that did not receive this benefit, so $66.4 million dollars in direct income assistance was foregone. Such funds would create additional benefits across the lifespan for those families, in terms of health, education, and earnings into the next generation. C2C has partnered with health clinics, K-12 schools, and other trusted institutions to increase take up of the EITC.

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RESEARCH

TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH

Since 2014, CSBS has been involved in five transformative programs fostering interdisciplinary research on areas such as families and health (C-FAHR, Consortium for Families and Health Research), Society, Water, and Climate Extremes (SWC), and Neuroscience, Biodiversity, and Health Economics and Policy.

These programs involve faculty from both the main campus and the health sciences campus and have transformed research across campus on grand challenges of our time.

In 2018, NEXUS was formed to help support these programs and foster additional interdisciplinary research on grand challenges. Generous support from the John H. Short and Mary Wilkes Short Family Charitable Foundation provided the NEXUS Core in Gardner Commons. The NEXUS Pilot Grant Program has funded studies ranging from air pollution to water access, with the support of the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation.

RESEARCH GROUPS Major research groups have convened with the support of NEXUS: The Enabling Researchers Natural Hazards Group and Consortium of Environmental Determinants of Health, the Energy Balance Group who facilitated the launching of the Family, Neighborhoods, and Intergenerational Transmission of Type II Diabetes Risk, the Racial Social Structure and Unequal Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Black Infants, and the Gender-Based Violence Consortium.

These different groups are comprised of multiple researchers from around campus to achieve their respective goals. NEXUS provides the administration, space and the ability to connect and establish groups and pursue further goals.

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NEXUS: The U’s INterdisciplinary EXchange for Utah Science (NEXUS) is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Utah. Dr. Ken Smith, Distinguished Professor of Family and Consumer Studies, serves as the Director of NEXUS. NEXUS welcomes researchers across the University of Utah who desire to collaborate on research projects concerning society’s grand challenges, including: (1) social disparities & physical/mental health (2) climate change, the environment and well-being (3) communicating science to the community (4) suicide/violence (5) families and health (6) opioids

WASATCH FRONT RESEARCH DATA CENTER (WFRDC): The WFRDC is a secure research environment to be used by qualified researchers with approved projects where they can analyze restricted data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies.

Major research institutions along the Wasatch Front, including the University of Utah, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, and departments within the Utah state government are invited to propose RDC studies in demography, population health, economics, and geographic and spatial analysis.

NEXUS LECTURE SERIES: Engaging with our campus community is vital to the mission of NEXUS. Lectures occurred with the Society, Water and Climate Extremes group to bring scholars together with interests in water scarcity. Our sociology sponsored lectures focused on determinants of health and how race affects healthcare. The Dialogue on Disparities series focused on topics such as racial and ethnic inequities in severe maternal morbidity, embedding concepts of diversity and inclusion into academics, impacts of structural inequality and pandemic policies on COVID-19, and public policy research to advance racial equity and racial justice.

SOLUTIONS

FACULTY, STAFF & ALUMNI

FACULTY & STAFF

CSBS Faculty & Staff Awards Each year, the College of Social and Behavioral Science recognizes distinguished faculty and staff within the college who have performed above and beyond their call of duty.

2019-2020 Award Recipients: Superior Teaching Ella Myers (Political Science) Ivan Mendieta-Munoz (Economics) Kristina Rand (Psychology) Superior Research Brett Clark (Sociology) Tyler Faith (Anthropology) Joan Brenner Coltrain (Anthropology) Staff Excellence Kimberly Peterson (Environmental & Sustainability Studies) Kyla Welch (Anthropology) Excellence in Mentoring Brett Clark (Sociology)

2018-2019 Faculty & Staff Awards reception

Staff Council

Formed in 2019, the College of Social and Behavioral Science Staff Council is an Ad Hoc committee which advises the Dean on all staff matters. The council has focused on staff concerns, staff development and retention and the staff role within the college.

The Council acts in an advisory capacity to the Dean. In 2020-2021 the Council was key as staff worked remotely during COVID-19. They conducted crucial surveys to be sure that staff were able to work optimally as they pivoted toward telecommuting. Their work will inform a “new normal” as we transition to hybrid work environments that will enhance staff well-being.

The council was also key in providing feedback on the college’s strategic plan, which will guide future training and hiring practices.

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DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Each year the college’s Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize alumni who have served their communities, excelled professionally, and supported the missions of the college and university. Recipients exhibit integrity, leadership, enthusiasm, and professionalism. As part of commemorating the college’s 50th Anniversary, recent awardees represent each of the college’s past five decades of history.

Sophia DiCaro Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Management and Budget BA, Political Science, Master of Public Administration Sophia M. DiCaro has been appointed as Senior Advisor and Executive Director of Governor Spencer Cox’s Office of Management and Budget. She is currently the chief compliance officer for The Cynosure Group, an investment advisory firm in Salt Lake City. DiCaro spent 15 years with the State of Utah, where she had senior roles in the Governor’s Office. DiCaro served a term in the Utah State House of Representatives, representing northern West Valley City in the Utah State Legislature.

Peter Mouskondis Co-CEO, Nicholas & Company BA, Economics/Family & Consumer Studies Peter Mouskondis is the owner and co-CEO of Nicholas & Company. Peter graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in Economics & Family and Consumer Studies, with a minor in Greek.

Prior to that, Peter began his career at Nicholas & Company at 12 years old. Peter was honored with a Living Legacy Award by the Boys & Girls Club, as well as being named a “Trailblazer” and one of the “40 Under 40” by Utah Business magazine.

Harris H. Simmons Chairman and CEO, Zions Bancorporation BA, Economics Harris H. Simmons is the chairman and chief executive officer of Zions Bancorporation. A native of Salt Lake City, Simmons first worked for Zions in 1970 and has served in a variety of positions over 40 years with the organization. Simmons received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah in 1977, and a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1980. Active in community and industry affairs, Simmons is chairman of the Board of Regents of the Utah System of Higher Education and was named Banker of the Year by American Banker magazine in 2018.

Richard Haskell Associate Professor of Finance, Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business, Westminster College, MS & PhD, Economics Richard Haskell came to the college after a fulfilling career in finance and investments. His research is centered around asset valuation models and methods, and the effects of capital intensity on labor markets.

He teaches higher order finance courses to seniors and graduate students in the Gore School of Business, maintains a teaching appointment in the University of Utah’s Department of Economics, and is the Managing Director of The University Valuation Group, a student-led valuation consultancy.

Julie Burton President, Women’s Media Center BS, Political Science Julie Burton is President of the Women’s Media Center, a feminist organization co-founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem that works to make women visible and powerful in media. As President, Burton leads its advocacy, online and on-air journalism and research, and leadership initiatives to empower women as equal players in media and society. She is widely quoted as an activist and leader and speaks on women’s representation issues in the U.S. and globally. For more than a decade, Burton was on the frontlines of the women’s movement as the youngest CEO of a national pro-choice political action committee, Voters For Choice. She was the Founding Executive Director of Choice USA (now called URGE — Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity), and she has worked to advance opportunities for women at leading advocacy organizations, including People For the American Way, Project Kid Smart, and the National Women’s Law Center.

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SOLUTIONS

GIVE BACK

THE COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE

FINISH LINE FUND CSBS is the largest college on campus, graduating more students than any other college or program. As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, we have launched the Finish Line Fund campaign, an effort to create more scholarship support for our many students.

Our goal is to raise $1,500,000 to help high-need students complete their degrees in a timely fashion. The focus is on juniors and seniors close to the finish line who have needs in the following areas:

GIVE

• Financial need: Members of this group who have financial need often interrupt degree programs in order to work. Additional scholarship support to those close to graduating means they stay in school, accrue less debt, and enter more quickly into the labor market.

• Internships: More than 90% of students in internship placements are juniors and seniors. CSBS has created over 100 internship locations, but most sites are unable to provide stipends, as they involve nonprofit organizations. Providing paid opportunities will encourage more students to seek internships, and students who complete internships often have job offers prior to graduation.

• Emergency Support: Even before the pandemic, a growing number of students were reporting basic needs insecurity. We believe that addressing students’ short-term emergency living needs, thereby allowing them to remain in school, is the best way to ensure their long-term success.

Total undergraduate count: 3755 • 1464 or 39% are seniors • 1089 or 29% are juniors • 1202 or 32% are freshmen or sophomores

CSBS Stats:

Even though 68% of our undergraduates are junior and seniors, this academic year only 193 CSBS scholarships were given to this group, hence the need for the Finish Line Fund!

If you have interest in making a contribution to the Finish Line Fund, please contact Rob Hunsaker, the College’s Director of Development, at rob.hunsaker@utah.edu or visit the Finish Line Fund QR code below.

Learn more by visiting the College of Social and Behavioral Science Finish Line Fund

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Advancement Board: CSBS enjoys the support of so many of our alumni. Alumni regularly speak in classes, mentor students, advocate for the college, provide internship placements, and make generous donations. The college’s Advancement Board is one group that does all of that and more on a regular basis.

This remarkable group of almost 30 alumni and friends, meets four times per year with college leadership, staff and students, helping us advance the college mission. As only one example, the Board accepted the challenge to raise $80,000 each year for the Solutions Scholars program.

To view current and past members of the Advancement Board, visit the Board page on our CSBS website.

If you would like to nominate someone for Board service, please contact Rob Hunsaker, Director of Development, at rob.hunsaker@utah.edu.

CSBS Annual Scholarship Gathering: We celebrate our generous donors and our remarkable students each year at the CSBS Scholarship Celebration.

These two groups eagerly come together for a very personal and interactive experience. Even though the pandemic meant that the 2020 celebration needed to be done virtually, our donors and students still met and made hundreds of meaningful connections.

The virtual format also allowed many new guests to attend who normally can’t because they live outside of Utah.

The life-stories of our scholarship donors vary significantly. While nearly all of our generous donors are either alums of the college or faculty, each has a pay-it-forward story. It’s their personal story that deeply connects our donors to the college, and it’s clear that giving the gift of education is one of the most meaningful investments they can make.

The return on investment for scholarship support is simple and significant. Scholarships help recipients fill gaps between the cost of college and working, taking out loans, or dropping out. Donors understand this and are energized by the lifeline they provide to ambitious students and the impact their gift makes on student success and graduation rates.

A beautiful byproduct of generous donors and students coming together is that students leave very inspired by their donors, and anticipate following in their footsteps by providing scholarship support one day too.

BACK 2019 CSBS Scholarship recipients

2018 CSBS Scholarship recipients

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SOLUTIONS

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