McAuliffe to discuss Quran in US

On Jan. 30, Jane McAuliffe, the dean of Georgetown College, will discuss “The Quran, A New American Scripture” in Nunemaker Auditorium at 7 p.m. for the first topic of the president’s forum on current issues and controversies.

McAuliffe is an internationally recognized expert on the Quran and will discuss the major themes of the text, as well as references it makes to violence, democracy and the status of women. The lecture will highlight Islam’s recent prominence on the religious scene in America.

Parr receives humanities grant

Associate professor Leslie Parr received a $34,955 grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities for her project “Looking at History: Photography and the American Past,” a free seminar for elementary, middle and high school teachers, administrators and librarians.

The grant will pay for textbooks and a stipend for each participant.

To receive the grant, Parr had to create the institute, explain what she wanted to teach and create a plan for marketing the institute to eligible teachers. This will be Parr’s fourth time teaching a LEH institute.

Chambers new NEA fellow

Associate professor Christopher Chambers received the $25,000 Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts for his novel-in-progress, “Burning Tuscaloosa.”

The fellowship acknowledges writers and encourages new work, and is one of the most prestigious writer fellowships in the country. Chambers said it gives him “acknowledgment and encouragement at a time when I need it, and is something that I will not take for granted.”