Abdinnour, Sue: (2019 Professor Incentive Review, FREDS)
I selected this book because Sheryl is a very successful business leader, who broke the glass ceiling and made it to the top leadership of corporate America. All women should read this book, if they are interested in building their careers as well as their families. All men should read it too because it helps them understand how to support women at work. More women at work, and in leadership positions, creates diversity that is proven to help companies and organizations become more successful.
Ahmed, Ikram: (2007 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
Incompressible Flow by Ronald L. Panton
"I selected this book because it was my first graduate text on fluid mechanics: the author -- a WSU alumnus! – also happened to be the instructor. I love his minimalist approach to making the connection between the mathematics and the physics of fluid flow.”
Alagic, Mara: (2019 Promotion to Professor, Education)
The Location of Culture by Homi K. Bhabha
"I selected this book because Bhabha’s work inspires my life-long inquiry into understanding diverse perspectives, my own and perspectives of others, in various interdisciplinary contexts, from my mathematics classrooms to intercultural and global learning settings. The favorite quote from the Location of Culture (p. 55): It is that Third Space, though unrepresentable in itself, which constitutes the discursive conditions of enunciation that ensure that the meaning and symbols of culture have no primordial unity or fixity; that even the same signs can be appropriated, translated, rehistorisized and read anew."
Alexander, Gwendolyn: (2007 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, University Libraries)
Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen
"I selected this book because the author’s philosophy of life made a great impression on me when I was a young woman. Allen fully develops the character Anthony Adverse and those he meets throughout the story. He uses beautiful imagery to make the reader feel as if he/she knows the places and people in the book.”
Allen, Neal: (2017 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Political Science)
The Warren Court and American Politics by Lucas A. Powe
"I selected this book because The Warren Court and American Politics is an example of writing about politics and history that engages both scholars and general readers. My own scholarship on white opposition to Civil Rights in America began with a paragraph in Powe’s book about Brown v. Board of Education which I am still working on fleshing out through archival research.”
Aravinthan, Visvakumar: (2017 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
Reliability of Power Systems by Roy Billington and Ron N. Allan
Asaduzzaman, Abu: (2016 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
"Although there are many parallel programming books in the market, this book provided me all I needed, at the beginning in 2011, to learn/teach multithreaded parallel programming for multicore CPU and many-core GPU systems.”
Askari, Davood: (2019 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, ME)
Shahnameh: The Epic of the Kings: The National Epic of Persia by Ferdowsi
I selected this book because I was always fascinated by the epic poem of Shahnameh, the world’s longest poem. It narrates many captivating mythical and historical stories about the Persian Empire, the wisdom of Persian kings, and several legendary characters, superheroes, and warriors who were invincible.
Asmatulu, Ramazan: (2017 Promotion, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
"I selected this book because it has the recent information on green energy and nanotechnology.”
Azpuru, Dinorah: (2018 Promotion, Political Science)
"I selected this book because it showed me the importance of survey research to understand political culture. This book had an important influence in the type of research that I have conducted since I was in graduate school.”
Azpuru, Dinorah: (2011 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Political Science)
El Señor Presidente by Miguel Angel Asturias
"I selected this book because: It describes the nature of political dictatorship in Latin America. It was written by a famous Guatemalan author who won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1967. I read this novel in high school and it sparked my interest in knowing more about democracy and dictatorship.”
Bagai, Rajiv: (2019 Promotion to Professor, EECS)
"I selected this book because this philosophical fiction book upholds that creativity becomes possible only when people are driven solely by a desire to pursue their own vision, and not by any hunger for the resulting recognition or need for conformity. I was fortunate to get to read this book in my teens, and it has had an everlasting influence."
Baker, Carl: (2022 Promotion to Professor, School of Performing Arts)
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
"There are some things in the world that are indisputable. If you want to know more, read this book."
Baker Schwiethale, Amy: (2014 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, School of Performing Arts)
Tapworks: A Tap Dictionary and Reference Manual by Beverly Fletcher
"I selected this book because it is an excellent resource for students and lovers of tap. I have found it to be the most accurate documentation of the tap dance vocabulary and history.”
Bann, James: (2010 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry)
This book was the first of several non-fiction adventure books that I have read, and was recommended by my then(~1988) good friend Sean Fletcher, who also had a beautiful Sister (Jodie) whom I was very fortunate later on to marry. But this book has by far been the most influential on me, because of the courage that it took to ascend the first 8,000 m peak (before Everest) – by a French expedition lead by Maurice Herzog. Besides being very well written, the images of Herzog crossing ice fields while being carried on the back of a Sherpa (his feet were frost-bitten) will never leave me. It took a tremendous amount of courage for all involved to get to the top, but even more courage to make it back down the mountain and to civilization. And, in a very small way, it reminded me of the tenure process.
Beck, James: (2019 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Bio Sciences)
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
I selected this book because as an undergraduate I read The Selfish Gene during an evolutionary biology reading group, and it straight-up blew my mind. Dawkins boils evolutionary change down to its logical extreme- that the gene, rather than the individual, is the target and unit of natural selection. Although this remains a controversial viewpoint, the logic of Dawkins’ arguments and the clarity of his writing still cut like a knife. In fact, it’s a book I now have students read in my Evolution course (Biology 640).
Beck, Moriah R.: (2022 Promotion to Professor, Department of Chemistry)
Code breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race By Walter Isaacson
"I was actually reading this book as I put together my promotion files last summer (July 2021), but I first heard about CRISPR in my first year or two as a new assistant professor at Wichita State (2011-2012). Since then two women (Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna) have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of these “genetic scissors” and gene editing has taken the scientific world by storm. This book does a great job of describing the complex scientific process as well as the competitive nature of discovery. It also shows the personal side of scientists driven by passion to understand our world and the serious ethical and moral consequences they face in developing such a powerful tool to edit genomes."
Beck, Moriah R.: (2017 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
"I selected this book because everyday life makes me think of this dystopian science fiction book that I read as an undergraduate all the time. As a burgeoning scientist, I loved dissecting the themes of consumerism, the media, genetic engineering, recreational drugs, religion, herd mentality vs individualism and many other socially relevant topics with students from all different disciplines. Brave New World became the topic for my first presentation at a National Collegiate Honors Conference, solidifying my enthusiasm for academic research. While it may seem at times that our culture is moving in the direction of Brave New World, this book forces us to look in the mirror and be reminded of the costs associated with "stability and progress.”
Bergman, Daniel: (2019 Promotion to Professor, Education)
The Ages of the Flash editied by Joseph J. Darowski
"I selected this book because it is part of a series of books by editor Joseph Darowski, who features a different superhero in each volume as a way to examine various cultural issues and social contexts through history. I have used chapters from these books with my First-Year Seminar course, WSUD 102A: Superheroes Go to School. Using examples from comic books, the academic essays provide thorough and thoughtful examinations of historical trends and events in the fields of sociology, education, science, and more.”
Bergman, Daniel: (2013 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction)
The Game of Science Education by Jeffrey Weld
"It features chapters by many leaders in science education, with attention to key research and application to preparing and supporting future and current science educators.”
Bernstorf, Elaine: (2018 Professor Incentive Review, School of Music)
"I selected this book because it represents the work of many of my colleagues as well as my own work in music and literacy.We support each other in our work, and this particular text is the primary publication that evidences our collective community as inclusive music educators and researchers.”
Besthorn, Fred: (2019 Professor Incentive Review, Social Work)
The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture by Wendell Berry
I selected this book because in my view Wendell Berry is one of the great nature writers, essayists and poets of late 20th century America. His work is homespun but deeply probing and insightful. This book particularly impacted me in the early years of my growing environmental advocacy.
Besthorn, Fred: (2013 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, School of Social Work)
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
"This book is about journey—a journey toward faith, intellectual and spiritual honesty and life changing decisions. Merton’s book was very influential in my formative years of development. It was a catalyst for for the evolution of my own intellectual and spiritual journey and spurred my intention to pursue a professional life of service.”
Billingham, Chase: (2019 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Sociology)
The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy by William Julius Wilson
"I selected this book because in my field of urban sociology, no book has been as influential over the past several decades as William Julius Wilson’s The Truly Disadvantaged. This book was a major milestone in the sociological study of urban poverty and racial stratification, and it sparked research, commentary, and debate on issues ranging from deindustrialization and poverty to segregation, social class, and gentrification that continue to this day. Even though The Truly Disadvantaged was published more than 30 years ago, it remains the benchmark against which so much contemporary urban sociological research is evaluated. When I first encountered this book as an undergraduate sociology student at Tulane University in 2004, I knew that this was the career that I wanted to pursue. "
Birondo, Noell: (2016 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Philosophy)
Mind, Value, & Reality by John McDowell
"Published in 1998, Mind, Value, and Reality (Harvard UP) collects some of the most influential philosophical papers written since 1978 by John McDowell, who is currently University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. Many of the essays have been indispensable for my philosophical development—maybe especially McDowell’s ‘Two Sorts of Naturalism’—from an article that I published in graduate school, ‘Aristotle on Illusory Perception,’ to an article that I published this year, ‘Virtue and Prejudice.’”
Birzer, Michael: (2019 Professor Incentive Review, Criminal Justice)
I selected this book because this book was a goldmine, a protocol of sorts, that helped me envision and understand my own work that explores the intersectionality of race and the United States Criminal Justice System.
Birzer, Michael L.: (2007 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, School of Community Affairs)
Hustlers, Beats and Others by Ned Polsky
"I selected this book because Ned Polsky’s classical work in the ethnography of crime and deviance influenced me vastly as a researcher. Polsky’s book inspired me to think of research as more than statistical measurements and that the sure way to really understand crime is to get out into the field and to get as close to the criminal as is reasonable and possible.”
Bohn-Gettler, Catherine: (2013 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Educational and School Psychology)
There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz
"This book follows the lives of two young boys growing up in the violent slums of Chicago. It is a powerful account of the immense challenges they face to simply survive. This book deepened my knowledge of how immense adversity can affect cognition and emotion, and how coping strategies can lead to vastly different outcomes. It also led me to question my assumptions about others’ resources to fulfill basic needs (such as food, safety, and belonging), much less pursue education. The moving account of how some persevere (and how a few even managed to succeed), despite such harsh conditions, inspired me enter the field of educational psychology.”
Bolin, Brien: (2015 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, School of Social Work)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
"I selected this book because: In my graduate programs in sociology, I would often find myself having philosophical discussions with colleagues. One colleague in particular would often reference this book. However, it was not until years later, I read the book. I was completing a Master of Social Work and was required to select several books on spirituality and social work. I recalled the discussions with my colleague and choose this book. As I read the book I begun to associate lessons from my undergraduate education at a small Catholic liberal arts college to the lessons being discussed in the book. My classes on philosophy and logical reasoning seemed to resonate in the words of Pirsig. The book’s exploration of problem solving, science, creativity, philosophy, through the use of analogy, philosophical dialogues intermingled with the descriptions of Montana, and being on a road trip all appealed to me, making this book an all-time favorite of mine.”
Bray, Susan: (2018 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology)
Play Therapy, the Art of the Relationship by Gary Landreth
"I selected this book because it introduced me to a way of being as a counselor and a play therapist. I use the theory, practice, and principles from this book in my counseling, in play therapy sessions, in my teaching, and in my everyday life. It helped move me toward becoming a self-actualized person.”
Brown, Gina: (2017 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Department of Physician Assistant)
Socrates in the City by Eric Metaxas
"This book makes a person think about some of the those big ‘life questions’ in new and different ways. It stimulates critical thinking and stirs up a passion for knowledge, understanding and wisdom – all because, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ - Socrates”
Bukonda, Ngoyi: (2013 Promotion to Professor, Public Health Sciences)
Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett
"I selected this book because its concerns and content connect very well with my teaching responsibilities and scholarly interests. I am concerned about global pandemics, particularly those pandemics that unfold within poor countries. These countries are without strong public health systems and they experience severe health care quality problems. I see myself as a global health student, researcher and teacher. I have assembled and read a wide range of materials on public health issues and systems around the world. I have also done research on some of these issues. My research interests include but they are not limited to commitment to the primary health strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa, access to and distribution of essential medicines, health care quality improvement, HIV prevention and health care entrepreneurship. One of my most recent research initiatives sought to understand and address the transmission of HIV through unsafe medical care in the Congo. I have been teaching a global health issues course. Garret’s book helps me to see health issues from a balcony that provides a more comprehensive, global view to discern patterns of public health issues and initiatives. In this book, Garrett brings her readers into many countries around the world (India, Congo, Russia, United States), revealing how numerous health catastrophes are occurring simultaneously and creating a global health disaster. As a member of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Wichita State University, one of my roles is to raise the level of awareness to and connection with these global health issues. I see my role as a contributor to the education of a new breed of public health professionals who have a broader public health view and who are committed to playing an active role not only in the assessment of local, national and global health issues but also in the design and implementation of effective public health programs that address local, national and global public health issues. In addition to other resources such as Greg Behrman’s book (The Invisible People: How the U.S. has slept through the global AIDS pandemic, the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, Free Press, New York 2004) and Catherine Campbell’s book {"Letting Them Die”, The International African Institute in association with James Currey (Oxford), Indiana University Press (Bloomington & Indianapolis) and Double Storey/a Juta Company (Cape Town)}, Garret’s book has been a valuable resource for me as a global health student, teacher, and researcher.”
Bukonda, Ngoyi: (2011 Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor, Public Health Sciences)
Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett
"I selected this book because its concerns and its content connect very well with my teaching responsibilities and scholarly interests. I am concerned about global pandemics, particularly those pandemics that unfold within poor countries, countries that have not been able to establish stronger public health systems and that have health care quality issues. I identify myself as a global health student, researcher and teacher. I have assembled and I have read a wide range of materials that deal with public health issues and systems. I have done research on some of these issues such as commitment to the primary health strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa, access to essential medicines, health care quality, HIV prevention and health care entrepreneurship. One of my most recent research initiatives seeks to understand and address the transmission of HIV through unsafe medical care in the Congo. I have been teaching a global health issues course. Garret’s book helps me to see health issues from a balcony that gives me a more comprehensive, global view to discern patterns of public health issues and initiatives. In her book, Garrett brings me and her other readers into countries around the world (India, Congo, Russia, United States), revealing how numerous health catastrophes are occurring simultaneously and creating a global health disaster. As a member of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Wichita State University, one of my roles is to raise the level of awareness to and connection with these global health issues. I see my role as a contributor to the education of a new breed of public health professionals who have a broader public health view and who are committed to playing an active role not only in the assessment of local, national and global health issues but also in the design and implementation of effective public health programs that address local, national and global public health issues. In addition to other resources such as Greg Behrman’s book (The Invisible People: How the U.S. has slept through the global AIDS pandemic, the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, Free Press, New York 2004) and Catherine Campbell’s book {"Letting Them Die”, The International African Institute in association with James Currey (Oxford), Indiana University Press (Bloomington & Indianapolis) and Double Storey/a Juta Company (Cape Town)}, Garret’s book has been a valuable resource for me as a global health student, teacher, and researcher.”
