Department News & Events

At the annual August 2012 meeting of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty, Dean Henry Kurtz awarded Dr. Ruthbeth Finerman a Dunavant University Professorship. This award is given in recognition of exceptional achievement in teaching, scholarship, service, and outreach. Such accomplishments are reflected in the leadership Dr. Finerman provided for the Department of Anthropology's recent celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Master's program in applied anthropology. The reunion surrounding the celebration drew legions of alumni from across the country and from around the Mid-South, and its great success is a testament, in part, to Professor Finerman's vision, energy, and commitment.

Dr. Finerman received her PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1985. She specializes in research and teaching in applied medical anthropology, focusing on family health and caregiving, international health services delivery, medical choice and change, human sexuality and childbirth, ethnomedicine, and mental health. She was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 and has received The University of Memphis Outstanding Young Researcher Award, the University of Memphis Distinguished Teaching Award, the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Thomas Briggs Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Stan Hyland of the University of Memphis has been selected to receive the 2012 Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology. Hyland, a professor of anthropology and head of the School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy at the University, will be honored at the American Anthropological Association's annual meeting in November.

The Kimball Award was initiated by royalties from Applied Anthropology in America, a volume dedicated to Kimball, who taught that "the study of human behavior should be of service to people." The award has been presented every other year since 1984. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the award now provides a $1,000 prize.

The Kimball Award honors exemplary anthropologists for outstanding recent achievements that have contributed to the development of anthropology as an applied science and that have significant impact on public policy. The anthropological contribution may be theoretical or methodological. The impact on public policy may be in any area ¬– domestic or international – including biodiversity, climate change, energy, international relations, medicine, public health, language conservation, education, criminal justice, development, or cultural heritage.

Since joining the U of M in 1976, Hyland has received 30 major honors. His research interests include neighborhood revitalization, community building, social entrepreneurship, and economic development. He has been involved in major community initiatives throughout Shelby County, including Uptown, the University District, College Park, and Lakeland.

"Stan Hyland is truly deserving of the Solon T. Kimball Award," said Dr. Linda Bennett, professor of anthropology and associate dean of graduate programs and research for the College of Arts & Sciences. "He will receive the award for his dedication to addressing economic and social inequalities in the Mid-South. Stan's work as a faculty member at the University of Memphis has unquestionably contributed to 'the development of anthropology as applied sciences' and has had 'important impact on public policy' as the award announcement stipulates."

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