UNIVERSITY FACULTY TAMIU PROF’S LATEST PUBLICATION FOCUSES ON STORIES, LEGACIES OF LAREDOANS Dr. Mehnaaz Momen, TAMIU professor of Public Administration, spent time this Fall presenting her latest publication, Listening to Laredo: A Border City in a Globalized Age throughout Texas, with stops in Austin, Edinburg, San Antonio, and Laredo. In her book, Dr. Momen traces Laredo’s history while examining the city’s ever-changing economic and cultural infrastructure. Through a critical examination, she focuses on the existing interdependence on a sister city across a national boundary and the resilience of a border community that thrives amidst the ever-present challenges of a national narrative centered along the U.S. – México border. The narrative of Momen’s publication focuses on collected oral histories from Laredoans, focusing on the implications of daily life along the U.S. – México border. For Momen, living in a border city offers a myriad of challenges, particularly for those who hold preconceived notions of existing cultural stereotypes. “I want my readers to see Laredo from the eyes of the people who live there by choice. We always hear about the dangers of the border, but the border is fragile, the border is beautiful, and the border is evolving. The border is full of possibilities, especially because it is always a little wild. For the people who live on the border, it was historically an abstract notion that had legal and political restrictions - but did not obstruct cultural and economic exchanges,” Momen explained. Momen has been a member of the TAMIU faculty since 2002. TAMIU PROFESSOR EXPANDS ACADEMIC LEGACY AS ’23 FULBRIGHT U.S. SCHOLAR TO CANADA A TAMIU faculty member has earned among the highest honors in the academic tradition – he’s been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2023 for Canada. Dr. Adam Kozaczka, assistant professor of English for TAMIU’s College of Arts and Sciences, department of Humanities, is the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Arts & Humanities, based at the University of Alberta, a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Kozaczka’s research examines how British and Canadian literary texts represented Canadian frontier communities, especially concerning how British colonial officials administered British law in places distant from Britain. “I’m honored by this selection and thankful for the opportunity to represent TAMIU and Laredo as a Fulbright Scholar. It’s exciting research, and I’m eager to contribute to academic knowledge in this area and to forging new collaborations and friendships in Canada,” Dr. Kozaczka said. TAMIU bears the distinction of having authorization from the 74th Texas Legislature to develop joint degree programs with Mexican and Canadian institutions of higher education. Kozaczka has been a member of the TAMIU faculty since 2019. Born and raised in a bilingual EnglishPolish home in New York State, he earned his Ph.D. in English from Syracuse University Dr. Kozaczka joins an elite group of current, former, and retired TAMIU faculty and students who have been Fulbright Scholars. Among them are Dr. Rafic A. Bachnak, Dr. Susan Berdahl, Dr. Norma E. Cantú, Dr. Stuart H. Davis, Dr. Christian Faltis, Dr. Stanley Green, Dr. Peter Haruna, Dr. Barbara Hong, 17
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzk1Mzc4