Academia has many perks, but few of them are as heavily romanticized as the sabbatical. With a new semester beginning at UVA, which familiar faces should and shouldn’t students expect to see? We’ve picked out a few.
John Quale
Assistant Professor, School of Architecture
Who he is: An instructor of architectural design studios and building technology courses, Quale is best known outside of UVA for initiating and directing the ecoMOD Project. Research focus includes exploring methods of developing sustainable, prefabricated housing.
What he’s doing on leave: Quale has managed to fit two fellowships into one getaway. From now through mid-April, he’ll be a visiting fellow at Downing College at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. After that, he’ll take his family to Japan to commence work as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Tokyo. In an e-mail, Quale wrote that he’ll make a “pit-stop” in Charlottesville between fellowships in April, and that his posting in Tokyo concludes in August.
David A. Martin
Resident Faculty, School of Law
Who he is: A member of the UVA law faculty since 1980, this former editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal and current Warner-Booker Distinguished Professor of International Law teaches a range of subjects, including immigration, constitutional law, and international human rights.
What he’s doing on leave: Since January 2009, Martin has served as Principal Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with no specific return date.
Elizabeth Arkush
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
Who she is: Arkush is an anthropological archaeologist and an expert on Andean South America. When not engaged in recurring fieldwork in Peru’s Lake Titicaca Basin, she teaches upper-level undergraduate and graduate anthropology courses.
What she’s doing on leave: According to a department spokesperson in Brooks Hall, Arkush is returning to Peru to continue her research, which her website describes as “[centering] on the interplay of warfare, political power, social identity, and ritual in the prehispanic Andes.”
John Casey
Literature and Creative Writing Professor, English Department
Who he is: The National Book Award-winning novelist has been a fixture of the UVA Creative Writing program since the mid ’70s. Currently the Henry Hoyns Professor of English, Casey is married to local artist Rosamond Casey.
What he’s doing on leave: Casey is actually resuming his teaching duties this semester after a fall sabbatical, which he used to write the sequel to his acclaimed 1989 novel Spartina, tentatively called Compass Rose. During this time, Casey, a lifelong oarsman, also paddled a canoe nearly 300 miles from Pennsylvania to the Chesapeake Bay, and competed in the 12.5-mile Wye Island Regatta in the double scull event.
Ken Elzinga
Professor, Department of Economics
Who he is: Part of the UVA faculty since 1974 and the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics since 2002, Elzinga is a renowned anti-trust expert whose current research topics include economics of the brewing industry, economics of the firm and congregation, and predatory pricing. Between 1978 and 1995, Elzinga co-authored a popular trio of murder mysteries, featuring a Harvard economist-turned-sleuth. Elzinga is also well known for his involvement in Christian ministry.
What he’s doing on leave: Elzinga is on “research leave,” meaning that only his usual teaching responsibilities are on hiatus. He hasn’t gone anywhere, in other words. When we called, Elzinga was in his office, speaking with students.
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