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University of Wyoming Sociology news FALL 2010 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Greetings from the Head of Sociology: Donna Barnes The past year has been very busy. The department hosted a Distinguished Speaker, Dr. Christopher Chase-Dunn. It also launched a national search for a new tenure-track facul- ty member. I am extremely pleased to announce that we succeeded in hiring our top can- didate, Professor Matthew Painter. This newsletter includes additional details on both the Distinguished Speaker program and Professor Painter. The department also excelled this year in terms of the accomplishments of its students. Two of our majors kept in contact with the department in regard to their international experiences, and their adventures are highlighted in this newsletter. Also, a number of our majors excelled academically and in terms of volunteerism, which was reflected in awards and honors bestowed upon them. These students are recognized in the Student News section of this newsletter. In the spring, the department hosted a Graduation and Honors banquet. About 40 students, faculty, and guests were in attendance. Many of our graduating seniors attended, and the occasion to bid farewell to them, as well as to recognize the awards and honors that they had garnered, was appreciated by all. I also have sad news to share. We experienced the loss of one of our colleagues this year. On the evening of December 25th, Associate Professor Margie Zamudio passed away in a tragic accident. Her memorial service was touching, with a number of faculty and students speaking of the impact that she had on their lives. Clips from the memorial service are pos