We are pleased to announce that Nick Wantsala joined the Research, Teaching and Services (RTS) Department on March 27 as the technology and equipment specialist for The Desk @ Langsam.
Nick Wantsala
Nick comes to UC…from UC. Nick joined the old Circulation and Multimedia Services Department in 2011 as a student assistant. He was promoted to senior student assistant during his time with the department and helped many fellow student assistants throughout the strategic merge of departments that resulted in The Desk @ Langsam. Nick has interned at Fox19 and was the president of the UC African Students Association. After graduating in 2015 with a degree in communications, Nick joined RTS as a temporary student supervisor, then became the temporary employee for the old equipment assistant position.
As the technology and equipment specialist, Nick will manage daily operations of the circulating equipment collection and the Center for Excellence in eLearning’s faculty and staff mobile technology collection. His primary responsibilities will be the circulation, maintenance, inventory, and the education of and communication with users in relation to these materials. Nick will also be collaborating with librarians working on eLearning and digital literacy, as well as providing user services Monday-Friday at The Desk @ Langsam. He will work with staff in RTS, ILS, the STRC, Library IT, and CEeL to further investigate and curate new technologies and devices that will best aid our students as they engage in cutting edge learning.
It’s that time of year again. Winter is *hopefully* leaving and making room for spring. March brings a lot to look forward to, especially for the Irish-American community. Every year since 1991, the president has declared March to be National Irish Heritage Month. But what does Irish heritage mean? One University Honors class is on a mission to find the answer to that question. It turns out that “to be Irish” means a lot more than having red hair, drinking beer, and being one with a short temper. Led by professor Kevin Grace, along with Debbie Brawn of University Honors, 20 students will travel to Ireland over spring break to get an in-depth look at the country from where so many Americans emigrated. The weeks leading up to the study tour were filled with readings of Irish-American literature, such as Angela’s Ashes and Irish America: Coming Into Clover, as well as the viewing of films and many discussions about what Irish heritage means. 
