This past SBL in New Orleans I presented a paper so I will simply refer you to that post: SBL Paper: Recovery and Restoration Through Scripture (images). We continue to pray for those lost and those who remain. If you are so inclined, consider supporting the various ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. The Jericho Road Housing Initiative is a particularly powerful and important program.
“The New Egypt”
This is a poem by Robin Becker, the 2010-11 Penn State laureate and professor of English and women’s studies. Well worth the 1:56 it takes to watch and listen.
2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional SBL call for papers
Jeremy Schipper has sent out the call for papers for the 2011 MAR-SBL. I presented last year for the first time at a regional meeting and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was great to meet up with so many “local” scholars and I hope to go again this year. With all due respect to Larry, I would go just to hear Max, she is dynamite! 
Dear Colleagues,
The 2011 Mid-Atlantic Regional SBL call for papers is now available on the SBL website. The meeting will be held jointly with the Mid-Atlantic and New England/Maritimes Regions of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) on March 17-18, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The call contains dates, locations, deadlines, guidelines for preparing and submitting proposals, hotel and registration information, and other important details regarding the meeting. Please follow the link below to access the call:
http://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/2011_MARcall.pdf
We are excited to announce that Dr. Lawrence H. Schiffman, Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, will serve as our plenary speaker and Dr. Maxine Grossman, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, will deliver our presidential address.
Feel free to post this call on department bulletin boards, blogs, websites, etc. Encourage your colleagues to participate. Please note the submission deadline is Dec 6, 2010.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Schipper
Questions for the Dean – Part 1
This is from my other blog and I thought I would share it here as well.
For our Late Night program last week students were asked to fill out cards with their questions for the dean. I was only able to answer a few and we have hundreds! So I thought I would begin answering a few here on the blog. I will start with something easy.
Would you rather go to Dunkin Doughnuts or Starbucks? DD, no question. I no longer drink coffee and the donuts at Starbucks, well, that just isn’t their forté is it?
What do you think is the best thing about Penn State (aside from the Honors College)? I could cite many things including our culture of winning with honors, but it has to be THON. I regularly tell prospective students that they should come to Penn State for THON alone. The fact that we have a top-rate, second-to-none education is a plus as well.
What’s your favorite flavor in Dr. Pepper, out of the 23? You have to know that my father is a die-hard Dr. Pepper man. He went to college around the corner from where it was invented. I have often argued that it is nothing more than carbonated prune juice to which he would reply with a soliloquy about the 23 flavors. I would have to say that, if you make me drink it, it would be the cherry flavor.
Ketchup or mustard? Mayonaise.
Peter Griffin (Family Guy) once let a bird nest in his beard; would you consider doing this? No, personal hygiene is important to me and I am not a cartoon character.
If you were a steak, how would you be cooked? Medium rare, hot on the outside but cool on the inside.
Do Gateway Scholars receive the Schreyer medal at graduation? ABSOLUTELY!
How was your day? So far so good!
This is just a start, I will post more as we go through the semester.
