Fall 2012
September 17, 2012

Dear Alumni and Friends of UK Geography,

Another school year has started with all the fresh and familiar faces. We are thrilled to welcome another large cohort of top notch graduate students this year, both MA and PhD students.  As usual, our dynamic graduate program brings intellectual energy to the seminar room and beyond. We are also pleased that changes to our Undergraduate Major have gained University approval, making the study of Geography at UK more dynamic than ever. This spring, we will launch our first capstone field class for Geography Majors team taught by a political ecologist (Dr. Tad Mutersbaugh) and a geomorphologist (Dr. Alice Turkington).  And in the meantime, faculty and students continue to be recognized for their contributions both nationally and internationally.  In fact, this year two of our faculty members are honored to be Fulbright scholars Finland: Professor Rich Schein is the Fulbright Bicentennial Chair of North American Studies in the Department of World Cultures at the University of Helsinki and Professor Sue Roberts is a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Turku.

A big change in the Department is that all of the faculty offices and most of the TA offices are now on the same floor. We completed our move to the 8th floor of Patterson Office Tower in August, so the school year started with everyone scrambling to put up shelves, find their books, and figure out the new printers.  But I am happy to report that we are humming along once again and enjoying the new digs. For as collegial a Department as we are, having everyone on the same floor is great for hallway conversations and casual office visits.

This year is transitional in terms of Departmental leadership. Sue Roberts completed her four year term as Chair of Geography at the end of June.  Sue did a fantastic job and left the Department in great shape. During her time as Chair, the Department completed strategic hires that deepened and broadened our expertise in Physical Geography and GIS. I am serving as Interim Chair through June 2013, and Rich Schein will take over as the next Chair in July 2013.  If I am not out at a meeting or a class, my door is open, so feel free to stop in anytime.

In the meantime, everyone is hard at work teaching their classes, advising students, arranging fieldtrips, preparing manuscripts, submitting grant proposals, brainstorming about pedagogy, and generally working hard to continue to make UK Geography a site of excellence in every way. I am very proud to be a part of it.

Best wishes,

Anna Secor
(Professor and Interim Chair)