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Imri Newsletter, June 2025, International Marian Research Institute

IMRI Newsletter

• Welcome from IMRI director
• Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV
• Marian Studies Spotlight: "Weaving Ways of Knowing Mary"
• "All Things Marian" podcast
• Announcement: Journal of the International Marian Research Institute
• Upcoming events
• Recent events
• Alumni news
• Marian Studies at the University of Dayton
• Recent IMRI publications and presentations
• Call for Marian Fellows
• Save the date: IMRI and IPI anniversary celebration

Graduate Student Sheilah Njoka Awarded Spie Optics And Photonics Scholarship, University Of Dayton

Blog: The Dayton Engineer

Electro-optics and photonics graduate student Sheilah Njoka has been awarded a 2025 Optics and Photonics Scholarship by the Society for Optics & Photonics (SPIE), for potential contributions to optics, photonics or a related field.

Dayton' — Shorthand For Peace, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

In a spacious hangar in the National Museum of the United States Air Force last Sundaynight, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra delivered a stirring performance before worldleaders and guests. As the symphonic music soared in harmony, I thought, “This is anaerospace engineer’s dream to sit among historic planes and listen to classical music."

Ud In The News May 23-30, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Education law expert Charles Russo wrote about a U.S. Supreme Court decision for The Conversation and Catholic World Report. Newsweek sought the expertise of Paul McManamon in UD's Lidar and Optical Communications Institute.

Ud History: Asian American And Pacific Islander Students, Ava Merriman

University Libraries Blog Archive

Ava Merriman ’25 celebrates past students and their achievements.

Ali Carr-Chellman Accepted To The Fulbright Specialist Program, University Of Dayton. School Of Education And Health Sciences

School of Education and Health Sciences Blog Archive

Carr-Chellman will be listed on the roster for three years and can be tapped as a specialist in aspects of education and organizational development.

Around And Around With The Spindle Whorl, Michele Jennings

Marian Library Blog Archive

In conjunction with the Marian Library's exhibit Warp and Weft: Weaving Mary and Identity, workshops showed participants how to spin their own yarn.

Ud Now Publishing African Policy Journal, Maureen Schlangen

University Libraries Blog Archive

For 30 years, volumes of research and analysis on African policy were hiding on library shelves, available only in print. Now available in eCommons, the journal joins nine other active periodicals UD publishes.

Curating Passion, Christina Beis

University Libraries Blog Archive

Students lead the development of a one-of-a-kind collection of popular romance novels.

Cultivating Curiosity And Creativity, University Of Dayton

Blog: The Dayton Engineer

It is crucial for undergraduate engineering programs to equip students with efficient technical skills and to nurture curiosity, encourage meaningful connections and inspire the creation of value.

Ud In The News May 17-23, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The Associated Press, for a story picked up nationwide, and many local and regional media talked to Human Rights Center Executive Director Natalie Hudson about the NATO assembly in Dayton. AP also quoted faculty in other stories distributed widely.

Emphasis On The United Or The States? Entertaining Justice Kavanaugh’S Ross Dissent As A Textualist Reimagination Of Horizontal Federalism Following The Death Of The Dormant Commerce Clause, Aaron N. Kaeser

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ud In The News May 9-16, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The Associated Press, Fox News, The Conversation and outlets in Spain, Canada and Australia sought faculty expertise. Local media highlighted UD's involvement in the Spring 2025 NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Imagining Community Symposium.

Unforeseen Implications Of Assisted Reproductive Technology Post-Dobbs, Isabele M. Castle

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Flyer Pitch Awards Record Prize To Students For Helmet Safety, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The University of Dayton Flyer Pitch competition awarded more than $100,000 to student and community start-ups, with top prizes going to ventures tackling sports safety, supporting underserved youth and reducing wedding costs.

Nigerian Democratization And Internal Party Contest For Leadership, Salihu Moh. Lukman

Journal of African Policy Studies

It was the American journalist and political commentator, Fareed Zakaria, in the book The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, who argued that democratization everywhere is shifting power downward. According to him, the process of democratization goes far beyond politics and result in hierarchies, “breaking down, closed systems, are opening up, and pressures from the masses are now the primary engine of social change. Democracy has gone far from being a form of government to a way of life.” The role of political parties all over the world in facilitating the shift of power to the people …

Modern Peace Keeping In Africa: Lessons From Nigeria, Solomon Hailu

Journal of African Policy Studies

Different approaches to conflict resolution and peacekeeping in African failed states have taken the centre stage of this analysis. These approaches are based not merely on theory or doctrine but on the self-perceived interests of the stakeholders in peacekeeping inside Africa. The Western powers have repeatedly expressed the view that they will not commit their armed forces to resolve African conflicts. The West’s desire to place responsibility on African states, rather than sharing it, will not bring peace in Africa. The reason is that Africans are not ready to shoulder such heavy responsibility without direct Western military involvement in African …

Sars And The Nigerian Youth: Odors From A Decaying System, Toyin Falola

Journal of African Policy Studies

Nigeria is home to a thriving contradiction. Here is a country that celebrates its aspirations to greatness—economic success, food security, accountable governance, territorial integrity, internal security, and improved living standards—sabotaging its young and vibrant population. A pseudo-welfarist democracy, Nigeria's young vibrant 'human capital'—the potentially productive portion of its population—must contend with gross insufficiencies, maladministration, corruption, and intimidation in state-owned and administered facilities. In public infrastructure—stable electricity, good roads, and clean drinking water—and public institutions—schools, hospitals, government agencies, and the security outfits—lies a deep and spreading rot; an insufficiency, inefficiency, and inconsistency that constantly mocks any such aspirations to lofty heights. …

The Influence Of (Post-) Colonial Language Policies On Local Languages In Cameroon: An Acquisition Planning Perspective, Alain Flaubert Takam

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines language policy and planning in favour of minority languages during the colonial era and immediately after. It is based on the observation that local languages in Cameroon do not seem to have the ethnolinguistic vitality necessary for their long-term survival. The situation of these languages begs the following question: Did the promotion strategies of national languages in colonial Cameroon pave the way for language attrition that is observable today or is it the language policy choice of the political authorities in independent Cameroon that has caused this language issue? This paper, which falls within the general framework …

Front Matter, Volume 26, Issue 1, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

The Political Economy Of Pension Reforms: An Analysis Of Policy Design And Practice In Ghana, Michael Kpessa-Whyte

Journal of African Policy Studies

There is a gradual move away in African pension policy from the hitherto predominantly pay-as-you-go social insurance schemes to new social security policies that prioritize private pension. But in African economies where capital market is underdeveloped and private sector is generally fragile, the shift to private pensions has implications for income security of the elderly. This study examines the design and practice of three-tier pension scheme with dual private pillars introduced a little over a decade ago. While discussing the various categories of private pension schemes that operate under the three-tier pension plan, it echoes the view that, the design …

The Plague Of ‘Ghost Workers’: Interrogating Payroll Fraud And Executive-Bureaucratic Conspiracy In Nigeria, Mike Omilusi

Journal of African Policy Studies

Like all forms of corruption, ghost workers present a serious drain on state funds. The Nigerian government has tens of thousands of forged or imaginary names on its payroll. These people inhabit the ranks of Nigeria’s “ghost workers,” who receive pensions from the government without ever working a day. This essay examines the impact of ghost workers on the public wage bill and generally, high cost of governance in Nigeria. It interrogates the renewed efforts of governments at all levels in probing this pattern of fraud, particularly in a period of economic recession. It is submitted in this essay that …

Big Data As Potential Tool For Success In Developing Countries, Jean-Claude Pedjeu, Aurore J. Kamssu, Jeffrey S. Siepke-Sambo

Journal of African Policy Studies

Big data and the computer technology to analyze it are said to be one of the top 10 revolutions in the coming decade. While the developed world is making strides in the use of big data for decision making purposes, the Low-income countries (LIC) or poor countries and some medium-income countries (MIC) or developing countries are lacking behind in their collection and use of digital data to aid decision making. This is especially the case with many businesses and government agencies that have the potential to benefit in their policy designs and implementations from big data. The purpose of this …

Accounting For The Decline Of Service Delivery In Urban Local Authorities: A Survey Of Zimbabwean Cities And Towns, Wenceslaus Mudyanadzo, Makomborero Y. Nzwatu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper presents a review of several factors which account for the decline of service delivery in urban local authorities within Zimbabwe. The study utilised desk research methodology to explore and analyse relevant data which was in government legislation, ministerial statements, public and private media articles, books and journals to come up with the totality of the environment relating directly or indirectly to the decline of service delivery in local authorities (LAs). The evidence cited is based on findings from identified urban local authorities which include Harare, Chitungwiza, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo and Bulawayo City Councils. Themes surrounding the interference in …

Reinventing E-Governance Policy In Local Governments In Southern Nigeria, Robert A. Dibie, Maryam O. Quadri

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the extent to which electronic governance policy has contributed to more efficient service delivery in local governments in southern Nigeria. It also explores how e-governance practices has improved the relationship between citizens and local governments in southern Nigeria. It argues that despite the appropriation of funds for the purchase of computers and other electronic equipment in many local governments in the past three decades, the delivery of services in almost all the local governments under study has not improved. The paper uses data derived from questionnaire survey administered to local government staff in southern Nigeria. Two thousand …

Front Matter, Volume 25, Number 1, Institute On African Policy Studies

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Review: ‘Extreme Cruelty,’ By Judge Steven Dankof, Michael R. Merz

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Urban Fail: The Need For A Capital-Focused Narrative In Federal Urban Economic Policy, Michael Turner

University of Dayton Law Review

This article contains a foreword by Susan Elliott about the presentation of the Susan Newhart Elliott Award for Excellence in Legal Scholarship to author Michael R. Turner and editor Jessica K. Turner.

Pierce And The American Proposition, William E. Thro

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

First-Generation Ud Sinclair Academy Students Celebrate Milestone, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Nearly 60 students are marking a major milestone this spring: completing their associate degrees through the UD Sinclair Academy and preparing to take their next steps at the University of Dayton. Among them are the program’s first Kessler Scholars — students who are the first in their families to pursue a four-year degree.