Clark University Press Releases 2009
Goddard launches space age with historic first on this day in 1926
Goddard’s historic 1st: On this day in 1926
Bland-Lee history lectures to focus on Cold War, hot topics
Prof. Stephens meets lawmakers for Concerned Scientists’ call to action
Students lend hands, minds during spring break
Clark celebrates Olson centenary
Clark SBDC gets 2010 Service for Excellence and Innovation Award
Clark psychologist discusses ‘Marriage Checkup’ book, research on the ‘Rachael Ray’ TV talk show
Clark psychologist discusses ‘Marriage Checkup’ on the ‘Rachael Ray’ TV talk show
Clark psychologist discusses ‘Marriage Checkup’ on the ‘Rachael Ray’ show
Clark psychologist appears on ‘Rachael Ray’
Peapod Squad wins 3rd Beanpot improv title
Mock Trial teams score high at regional tournament hosted here
Mock Trial teams score high at regional tournament
Men’s basketball wins tournament, heads to the NCAAs
Men’s basketball team stuns conference and heads to the NCAAs
Clark honored for exemplary community service
Perkins School president to speak on rights of disabled
Perkins School president to speak on rights of disabled
Steven Rothstein, president of the Perkins School for the Blind, one of the world’s leading institutions for educating the blind and deaf-blind, will present “Individuals with Disabilities: The Next Civil Rights Movement,” as part of Clark University’s Difficult Dialogues program at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, in Tilton Hall at the Higgins University Center. More
Difficult Dialogues Spring Symposium Focuses on Gender
This Spring, Clark’s long-running Difficult Dialogues initiative presents a symposium, “Considering Gender.” Programs will explore what gender is, its biology and the ways we construct it. We engage the volatile and painful concerns that arise in its wake – violence, inequity, intolerance – as well as the subtlety of gendered assumptions. Programs will consider gender in pop culture, its increasingly fluid and ambiguous definition, the questions of power that surround it, both the “hysterical” and the sacred dimensions of sexuality, and ask how one might become more conscious and intentional about the role of gender in our lives and community.
Following is a list of events and films in this symposium:
Conversation Café
“Engendering Ourselves”
Wednesday, Feb. 24
Dana Commons
7 p.m.
History Professor Amy Richter and Associate Dean of Students Jason Zelesky will facilitate this conversation about how gender shapes the structures of the university, the public and private spaces of campus life, and the challenges and opportunities we face as a community.
Lecture
Tuesday, March 2
“Hardwiring and Soft Science: Rethinking Sex in the Brain”
Dana Commons, 2nd Floor Lounge
4:30 p.m.
A familiar story about hormones coursing through the brain before birth is used to explain everything from sexual orientation to gender identity, to why there aren’t more women physicists or more stay-at-home dads. But it turns out that this theory doesn’t fit well with the evidence, and is out of sync with current thinking in biology.
In her forthcoming book, Rebecca Jordan-Young looks at the evidence that sex differences are “hardwired” into the brain. Analyzing virtually every published human study that supports the claims of “brain organization theory,” Jordan-Young reveals that much it fails the standards of science — and the rest of it just doesn’t fit together. Rebecca Jordan-Young is assistant professor of Women’s Studies at Barnard College and a faculty affiliate with the Program in Sexuality, Gender, and Health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Lecture
"Individuals with Disabilities: The Next Civil Rights Movement”
Wednesday, March 3
Tilton Hall, 2nd floor, Higgins University Center, 950 Main St.
4 p.m.
The last half century has witnessed a succession of social movements in the United States aimed at securing equal rights for African-Americans, women, and gays and lesbians. Individuals with disabilities, argues Steven Rothstein, must be the next to claim full equality under law and in society. Rothstein, the President of the Perkins School for the Blind, one of the world’s leading institutions for educating the blind and deaf-blind, will trace the progress that has been made in the twenty years since the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act and set out an agenda for future action. Mr. Rothstein was previously Assistant Commissioner of the State of Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation, and has served on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Education and a variety of local and regional community, non-profit and education organizations. This event is co-sponsored with the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise.
Community Brown Bag Lunch
Thursday, March 4
Dana Commons, 2nd Floor
Noon
Join us for community dialogues over lunch on issues of gender in relationship to parenting, workplace issues and power dynamics, LGBT issues on campus and more. Bring your bag lunch with you; drinks and chips will be provided.
Performance
Thursday, March 18
The Hysterical Alphabet: A Live Audio-Visual Performance produced by Theater Oobleck Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing St.
7 p.m.
The ABCs are seized by a convulsive fit in Terri Kapsalis’ The Hysterical Alphabet, each letter introducing an episode direct from the annals of medical lore. Backed by Danny Thompson’s disquieting film collages and John Corbett’s vinyl manipulations, The Hysterical Alphabet tracks centuries of female malady, disproving the theory that time heals all wombs. Hysteria has an under-recognized four-thousand-year history that deeply inflects our contemporary ideas about gender and illness. Drawn from primary medical writings from ancient Egypt to the present, The Hysterical Alphabet is a condensed history of hysteria that considers it with levity, playfulness, and critical insight.
African American Intellectual Culture Series Lecture
“Ida B. Wells and the Beginning of the Modern Civil Rights Movement”
Thursday, March 25
Dana Commons
7:30 p.m.
The anti-lynching campaign of Ida B. Wells in the late nineteenth century created the foundation of the modern civil rights movement. Professor Paula Giddings of Smith College will discuss how this happened. Her recent book Ida: A Sword Among Lions is a sweeping narrative about a country and a crusader embroiled in the struggle against lynching: a practice that imperiled not only the lives of black men and women, but also a nation based on law and riven by race. Paula J. Giddings is the Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor in Afro-American Studies at Smith College and the author of When and Where I Enter and In Search of Sisterhood.
Exhibit
“Body and Spirit: Paintings by Elli Crocker” (Exhibition runs March 23 through May 23)
Conversation with Artist and others, Tuesday, March 30 at 4:30 p.m.
Opening reception at 5:30 p.m.
Dana Commons, Second floor
As a painter, Elli Crocker engages issues of the body, gender, sexuality, and the relationship of humans to and within the natural world. “I seek to portray that which is sensual, mortal, and animal within us, as well as that which is divine - and these may be inextricably entwined,” said Crocker.
Community Brown Bag Lunch
Thursday, April 1
Dana Commons, second floor
Noon
Join us for community dialogues over lunch on issues of gender in relationship to parenting, workplace issues and power dynamics, LGBT issues on campus and more. Bring your bag lunch with you; drinks and chips will be provided.
African American Intellectual Culture Series
Thursday, April 8
“Pain, Passion & Possibility: Inspired Teaching & Difficult Subjects”
Dana Commons
7:30 p.m.
How do we have difficult conversations on painful subjects such as gender, racial and sexual inequality, discrimination and oppression in ways that enable, connect and empower students and ourselves? Professor Tricia Rose of Brown University will address this issue with particular attention to race and gender by drawing on Rose’s own scholarship, life and 16 years of university teaching.
Lecture
“Take Gender, Add Curiosity about Power, You’ve Got Feminism”
Wednesday, April 21 ** NOTE NEW DATE for this talk
Tilton Hall, 2nd floor, Higgins University Center, 950 Main St.
6:30 p.m.
Cynthia Enloe, research professor in Clark’s International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department, will talk about how feminist looking, thinking and digging makes us smarter. Enloe considers both the causes and consequences of gendered assumptions and gendered actions. Professor Enloe has worked on the interactions of feminism, women, militarized culture, war, politics and globalized economics. Racial, class, ethnic and national identities, and pressures shaping ideas about femininities and masculinities have been common threads throughout her studies.
FILMS
Difficult Dialogues Through Movies
In this series of recent international films, themes of women, food security, education and activism are explored. All films are screened on Monday evenings starting at 7 pm in Dana Commons in the second floor lounge; conversations about the film will follow each screening.
This series is co-sponsored by IDCE (International Development, Community and Environment), Women and Gender Studies, the Clark University Film Society and the Higgins School. It has been curated by Izzet Sengel, IDCE graduate student, in conjunction with John Sarrouf, Assistant Director of the Difficult Dialogue project.
“Die Welle” (The Wave) (2008)
Monday, March 1
Dana Commons, Second floor lounge
7 p.m.
A high school teacher's unusual experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own. Directed by Dennis Gansel. (107 minutes)
“Patsy Mink: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY”
Monday, March 15
Dana Commons, Second floor lounge
7 p.m.
In 1965, Patsy Takemoto Mink became the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress. Seven years later, she ran for the U.S. presidency and co-authored Title IX, the landmark legislation that opened up higher education and athletics to America’s women. This documentary (Kimberlee Basford, director) is the story of this dynamic trailblazer who, battling racism and sexism, redefined American politics. (56 minutes)
ARRANGED (2007)
Monday, March 29
Dana Commons, Second floor lounge
7 p.m.
"Arranged" centers on a growing friendship between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Syrian Muslim woman, both teachers at a public school in Brooklyn, as they go through the process of getting “arranged marriages.” Their struggle is to become strong women in charge of their own happiness while keeping their deep religious and cultural convictions. Directed by Diane Crespo and Stephan C. Schaefer. (89 minutes)
“Salt of the Earth” (1954)
Monday, April 12
Dana Commons, Second floor lounge
7 p.m.
Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, this film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers who sought to attain wage parity and equal treatment with Anglo workers. The film includes early feminist themes as the wives of the miners play a pivotal role in the strike against their husband’s wishes. Written, directed and produced by members of the original "Hollywood Ten," blacklisted for refusing to answer congressional inquiries on First Amendment grounds. Directed by Herbert J. Biberman. (94 minutes)
“The Yes Men Fix the World” (2009)
Monday, April 26
Dana Commons, Second floor lounge
7 p.m.
Troublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events. (87 minutes)
All events and films are free and open to the public. For more information, call 508-793-7560.
Clark University’s Difficult Dialogues program is part of the National Difficult Dialogues Initiative to create a culture of dialogue on college campuses. In 2006, Clark was one of twenty-seven independent programs nationwide, selected from over 700 colleges and universities to have their original dialogue initiative program funded by the Ford Foundation. Co-sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and the International Development, Community and Environment Department, Clark continues to offer symposiums, lectures and classes focused around dialogue with the intent to deepen experiences of learning and engagement across the community.
Clark Model U.N. team excels at Harvard conference
Novelist who inspired ‘Precious’ at Clark
All-American Clark diver appears in Sports Illustrated
All-American Clark U diver appears in Sports Illustrated
Clark director offers political insights on White House Chronicle
James Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, at Clark University, was the special guest on “Politics in the Age of Obama,” an episode of White House Chronicle, hosted by Llewellyn King. Gomes discussed the role of Clark and other institutions of higher education in influencing lawmakers by putting research into effective practice.... More
Mosakowski Institute director offers political insights on White House Chronicle
Mosakowski Institute director offers political insights on White House Chronicle
James R. Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise at Clark University, was the special guest on “Politics in the Age of Obama,” an episode of White House Chronicle, hosted by Llewellyn King. Gomes discussed the role of Clark and other institutions of higher education in influencing lawmakers by putting research into effective practice.... More
Anthropologist to deliver President's Lecture on energy & environment, Feb. 26
Anthropologist Laura Nader will present “Energy, Environment, and the Commons: the specialist and the generalist,” at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, in Razzo Hall in the Traina Center for the Arts. This free, public lecture is part of Clark’s ongoing President’s Lecture Series and is also a 2010 Greater Boston Anthropology Consortium Distinguished Lecture.
Nader has been a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley since 1960. She was the first woman to receive a tenure-track position in the department. Nader is known for her publications in the field of anthropology. Her books include “Energy Choices in a Democratic Society” (1980 National Academies Press), “The Life of the Law: Anthropological Projects” (2002 University of California Press), and (with Ugo Mattei) “Plunder -When the Rule of Law is Illegal” (2008 Wiley-Blackwell). Her current work focuses on how central dogmas are made and how they work in law, energy science and anthropology.
Nader’s areas of interest include comparative ethnography of law and dispute resolution, conflict, comparative family organization, the anthropology of professional mindsets and ethnology of the Middle East, Mexico, Latin America and the contemporary United States. She was involved in conferences in the 1960s, determining the direction the study of law in society as a part of society and not insulated and isolated from other human institutions, should take as it developed.
Nader is the winner of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Award, the Harry Kalven Prize from the Law and Society Association, the Wells College Alumnae Award and the Morgan Spanish Prize.
The talk will be followed by a question and answer session and a reception in the Melville Lobby.
This event is also sponsored by the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark. For more information, call Allison Kaminga at (781) 424-3410.
Clark earns a bronze in social media 'College Olympics'
Clark University was recently named to CollegeSurfing.com’s list of 50 Social Media Innovators in Higher Education, earning a bronze medal in the “Web 2.0 College Olympics.” Clark landed 41st among the fifty schools that CollegeSurfing said “captivated us with their social media savvy.”
On Clark specifically, the online affiliate of the CollegeBound Network writes: “Clark tweets a healthy mix of school news (including lineups for the school's very own cinema that shows acclaimed foreign and independent films) and intriguing topics like this one: Quarter-life crisis isn't all turmoil, says Clark prof/author who coined term 'emerging adulthood'. You can also find Clark on YouTube and Facebook.”
Sharing the bronze winners list were Harvard, LSU, Vanderbilt and several others. For a complete list, visit CollegeSurfing.com online.
'Push' novelist to speak at Clark University, Feb. 22
Clark University’s Office of Intercultural Affairs will present Sapphire, poet and author of the 1996 novel “Push” (which may be better known by its film adaptation title “Precious”), as part of their Black History month celebration at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, in Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall on Downing Street, Worcester.
“Push,” Sapphire’s first novel, received a number of awards and accolades, including the Book-of-the-Month Club Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s First Novelist Award, and in Great Britain, the Mind Book of the Year Award.
“Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire,” a 2009 American drama film directed by Lee Daniels, is a tragically hopeful story of a 16-year-old girl battling obesity, illiteracy and the damages of sexual violence. The film's mainly female cast features Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, with Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz in supporting roles.
The film recently won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Awards in the U.S. dramatic competition at Sundance (2009). It is the only film ever to win both the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals Audience Awards.
Sapphire has taught literature, fiction and poetry workshops at SUNY Purchase, Trinity College, and the Writer’s Voice in New York City. She has taught graduate writing workshops in MFA programs at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Brooklyn College, and at the New School University. In 1990 she received an Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award from Joyce Dinkins, then First Lady of New York City, for her work with literacy students in Harlem and the Bronx. Sapphire’s poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in The Black Scholar, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker.
The presentation is free for Clark students, $3 for Worcester Consortium students, and $5 for the general public.
The event is sponsored by Speaker's Forum, Programming Cosponsorship Fund (PCF); Black Student Union; Dean of Students; Office of Intercultural Affairs; Student Council Special Budget; Residential Life and Housing; Clark Anti-Violence Education Program (CAVE); International Development, Community & Environment; the Hiatt Center for Urban Education; the Center for Community Engagement and Volunteering; the Student Advisory Board; the Pub Entertainment Committee; Clark University Film Society (CUFS); Student Leadership and Programming; OPEN; TOPICS; CUPS; and Clark University departments of History, Government and International Relations, Sociology, Urban Development and Social Change, and Communication and Culture.
The Black Student Union will sponsor a FREE, public screening of “Precious” at Cinema 320 (Jefferson Hall, Room 320) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21. For more information, call 508-793-7762.
Novelist who inspired 'Precious' at Clark Feb. 22
Clark University’s Office of Intercultural Affairs will present Sapphire, poet and author of the 1996 novel “Push” (which may be better known by its film adaptation title “Precious”), as part of their Black History month celebration at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, in Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall on Downing Street, Worcester.
“Push,” Sapphire’s first novel, received a number of awards and accolades, including the Book-of-the-Month Club Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s First Novelist Award, and in Great Britain, the Mind Book of the Year Award.
“Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire,” a 2009 American drama film directed by Lee Daniels, is a tragically hopeful story of a 16-year-old girl battling obesity, illiteracy and the damages of sexual violence. The film's mainly female cast features Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, with Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz in supporting roles.
The film recently won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Awards in the U.S. dramatic competition at Sundance (2009). It is the only film ever to win both the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals Audience Awards.
Sapphire has taught literature, fiction and poetry workshops at SUNY Purchase, Trinity College, and the Writer’s Voice in New York City. She has taught graduate writing workshops in MFA programs at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Brooklyn College, and at the New School University. In 1990 she received an Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award from Joyce Dinkins, then First Lady of New York City, for her work with literacy students in Harlem and the Bronx. Sapphire’s poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in The Black Scholar, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker.
The presentation is free for Clark students, $3 for Worcester Consortium students, and $5 for the general public.
The event is sponsored by Speaker's Forum, Programming Cosponsorship Fund (PCF); Black Student Union; Dean of Students; Office of Intercultural Affairs; Student Council Special Budget; Residential Life and Housing; Clark Anti-Violence Education Program (CAVE); International Development, Community & Environment; the Hiatt Center for Urban Education; the Center for Community Engagement and Volunteering; the Student Advisory Board; the Pub Entertainment Committee; Clark University Film Society (CUFS); Student Leadership and Programming; OPEN; TOPICS; CUPS; and Clark University departments of History, Government and International Relations, Sociology, Urban Development and Social Change, and Communication and Culture.
The Black Student Union will sponsor a FREE, public screening of “Precious” at Cinema 320 (Jefferson Hall, Room 320) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21. For more information, call 508-793-7762.
Ten students travel to Sierra Leone, practice social entrepreneurship
Ten Clark University students and one Clark alumnus recently returned from Bo, Sierra Leone, with David Jordan, president of Seven Hills Foundation, and longtime adjunct professor at Clark University. Many of the students who participated in the trip had completed Jordan’s undergraduate Social Entrepreneurship course.
For 11 days, as part of a combined Clark University/Seven Hills Global Outreach (SHGO) initiative, the group worked with the Fresh-Hope International Ministry, a local Sierra Leone organization that provides essential support services to families in the region. The Bo region of Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world; one in five women dies in childbirth, and one in four children die before reaching their fifth birthday. Women who are pregnant fear for their lives when giving birth because of the limited medical services available. The health care system in Sierra Leone lacks the capacity to provide prenatal care to pregnant and birthing women.
The Clark University/Seven Hills delegation volunteered at several Fresh-Hope centers and at other locations throughout the Southern district of Sierra Leone. They cared for small orphaned children, painted a nursery, taught toddlers, visited remote villages and observed indigenous midwives conducting an OB/GYN clinic in a remote village. They also toured a ‘Doctors Without Borders’ clinic and a small government hospital in Bo.
To pay for the expense of their trip, the Clark students had to raise funds independently. Some students created personal fundraising Websites; they sold goods at craft fairs, and hosted a banquet for 150 people to not only raise funds, but to educate others about their trip and the maternal health crisis in Sierra Leone.
The trip has spawned an international partnership between Seven Hills Global Outreach, Clark students, and the people of Sierra Leone. Clark students have established a Social Entrepreneurship Club, which has already begun to discuss plans, in conjunction with SHGO, to establish a bakery in Sierra Leone to benefit orphans and other needy children, an idea that arose after meeting a local pastor and community leader in Sierra Leone who not only wanted to feed orphaned children, but also to create employment opportunities and generate income.
“He intuitively wants to do what I talk about in my class at Clark—foster economic development through social enterprise,” said Jordan.
The trip to Bo not only allowed Clark students to gain valuable experience, it also enabled them to earn academic credit through Clark’s Graduate School of Management (GSOM). Edward Ottensmeyer, dean of Clark’s GSOM, is a strong supporter of community-based learning.
“Students spending time in a very different culture, observing that culture’s approach to entrepreneurship, business development and social services, and then helping real people deal with real problems adds up to what I call a ‘high-impact learning’ experience,” said Ottensmeyer. “It’s especially exciting to see students return with a very different and more informed sense of the world and their place in it. I wish every student could have a learning opportunity like this.”
This was the second trip abroad that Jordan organized for the Clark students. Last year, nine Clark students, along with Seven Hills staff, traveled to Accra, Ghana, to work with a social enterprise caring for and educating children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Jordan initiated the relationship between Seven Hills and Clark University in 2008. It has proven to be a win-win for both institutions, as they each strive to promote community integration and have global impact.
Jordan, who has served as Social Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Clark since 2007, said that the students have already asked him if they might return to Sierra Leone next year.
“Social entrepreneurship has ignited a newfound sense of purpose within the Clark University community and others throughout the United States,” said Jordan. “It has fired the passion of young people at a critical time in our history when we need, more than ever, talented, energetic young entrepreneurs interested in solving social problems.” Jordan’s field experiences course has become increasingly popular, and serves as an indication that Clark students have a growing desire to “do well AND do good” in the world.
Other trips are in the works. From March 4-15 (Clark’s Spring Break), Jordan will accompany 12 Clark University undergraduate and graduate students as well as a few Seven Hills employees to Sao Paolo, Brazil, to partner with an organization that provides services to children.
Jordan hopes to further the unique Clark/Seven Hills partnership and offer “field experiences” in other international and domestic locations in the future.
“I believe in the brilliance of our students to fulfill the Clark ambition of ‘challenging convention and changing our world,’” said Jordan.
The Seven Hills Foundation mission is to promote and encourage the empowerment of people with significant challenges so that each may pursue their highest possible degree of personal well-being and independence. Seven Hills Foundation currently offers programming at 150 locations throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island and employs more than 3,000 professionals.
Students Alexa Navasero and Eiji Miura provided photos from the trip.
Students in Sierra Leone practice social entrepreneurship
Clark earns a bronze in social media ‘College Olympics’
President Bassett becomes Chair of NAICU Board of Directors
Clark University President John Bassett was installed as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) at the organization’s annual meeting on Feb. 3, in Washington, D.C.
President Bassett’s one-year term as chair of NAICU’s board was ratified by member college and university presidents. Vice chair of the board in 2009-10, he succeeds Joseph J. McGowan, president of Bellarmine University, who remains on the board as past chair.
Bassett became president of Clark in July 2000. Prior to his presidency, he served as dean of the college of arts and sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Bassett received his doctorate from the University of Rochester, and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University.
NAICU selected 15 new board directors and four new board officers for 2010-11. NAICU is the leading national association representing private higher education, serving as the unified voice of more than 1,000 independent college and university presidents, and specialized, state, and regional association executives. NAICU member institutions enroll nine out of every 10 students attending a private college or university in the United States.
Members of NAICU’s board of directors set the association’s agenda on federal higher education policy; actively encourage support of NAICU priorities and initiatives; and oversee the association’s financial administration. Members serve three-year terms.
“NAICU’s new board members and officers were selected by their peers because of their expertise in the field, proven leadership, and commitment to America’s college students,” said NAICU President David L. Warren. “They assume their responsibilities at a time of great challenge and transformation for American higher education.
“The economic downturn, growing student financial need, and the push for greater accountability are among the dynamics affecting higher education,” Warren said.
Other new NAICU Board officers include:
Daniel J. Carey, president of Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., will serve as vice chair on the NAICU board of directors. Carey became president of Edgewood College in August 2004 after serving as president Benedictine College in Kansas. He received his Ph.D. in college student personnel administration and M.S. in psychology, counseling, and guidance from the University of Northern Colorado. He graduated from Benedictine College with a B.A. in English.
Larry L. Earvin, president of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, has been named secretary.
William T. Greer, Jr., president of Virginia Wesleyan University in Norfolk, Va., has been named treasurer.
A complete list of new board members will be available at NAICU online.
NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. Since 1976, the association has represented private colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid, taxation, and government regulation. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations, NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. NAICU members enroll nine out of every 10 students attending private institutions. They include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, comprehensive universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, single-sex colleges, art institutions, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.
President Bassett becomes Chair of NAICU Board of Directors
Clark to host conference on dialogue and higher ed
Clark University's Difficult Dialogues Initiative and The Public Conversations Project, a leading dialogue consulting organization based in Watertown, Mass., will host a conference, "Inviting Dialogue; Renewing the Deep Purposes of Higher Education," on Thursday, Feb. 11 and Friday, Feb. 12.
The conference is aimed at examining the role of dialogue in higher education, and questioning the relationship between dialogue and action. It will bring together approximately 80 faculty, administrators, staff and consultants (representing 20 colleges and universities), and professional dialogue practitioners, to share work already underway and to deepen our understanding of the implications of this work in higher education.
While the conference itself is for practitioners, the public is invited to the opening session, "Dialogue, Why It Matters Now," on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., in Dana Commons. Clark University's Sara Buie, director of Clark's Difficult Dialogues Initiative, and David Joseph of the Public Conversations Project will give brief talks, followed by “Getting to 'We': Why Dialogue Matters in Higher Education," by Patricia Romney, of Romney Associates in Amherst. A Conversation Café will follow.
The conference will continue Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Day-long sessions will focus on, but will not be limited to, developing skills for interfaith leadership, dealing with campus controversies, conversations about sexual decision-making, and use of dialogue in the classroom. The conference will be framed by Diana Chapman Walsh, President Emerita of Wellesley College.
Clark University's Difficult Dialogues program is part of the National Difficult Dialogues Initiative to create a culture of dialogue on college campuses. In 2006, Clark was one of 27 independent programs nationwide, selected from over 700 colleges and universities to have their original dialogue initiative program funded by the Ford Foundation. Co-sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and the International Development, Community and Environment department, Clark has since continued to offer symposiums, lectures and classes focused around dialogue with the intent to deepen experiences of learning and engagement across the community.
For more information about the opening session on Thursday, contact Lisa Gillingham at 508-793-7479.
Clark ‘Difficult Dialogues’ conference to focus on higher ed
Clark gets $475K for research on dating violence prevention
Dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking are everybody's concern, and the resulting pain and shame that often occurs when one is victimized can be prevented when somebody – a friend or even a stranger – decides to act. Bystander intervention has proved effective time and again in thwarting an assault. Yet studies have found several reasons why people don't move to help stop or prevent such crimes. Such reasons include being unsure that help is needed, not knowing what to do help, and fear that one will be injured in some way if one steps in to intervene.
A new program at Clark University aimed at education about and reducing dating violence, sexual assault and stalking on campus through bystander intervention training has received $474,992 in grant funding from both the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice.
"Our goal is to raise awareness of these issues on campus, so that students know that sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking can happen here, too, and if they witness such an event about to take place or talk with a friend or acquaintance who has been victimized, students will know how to safely intervene and help," says project co-director and Clark University research assistant professor of psychology Denise Hines.
Two separate grants were awarded. The DOJ granted $296,988 to fund the project titled, "Building Community to Foster Change on College Campuses: A Coordinated Multilevel Violence Prevention and Intervention Program," in effect from Oct. 2009 through Sept. 2012. The Dept. of Education award, titled "Preventing Sexual and Dating Violence on College Campuses: An Extension of the Bystander Program," totals $178,004, with another $180,833 authorized for the second phase. Those funding periods run from July 2009 until June 2011. The combined federal funding will support what was launched at Clark in fall 2009 as the Clark Anti-Violence Education (CAVE) program.
CAVE is a coordinated effort by several offices at Clark, including the dean of students, campus police, counseling services, health services, multicultural affairs, housing, athletics, student government and several student groups. Members meet regularly to discuss policies, procedures, and programming on campus related to issues of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Through education programs and campus campaigns, the team works to create a model of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking prevention and intervention programming for other schools in the region and ultimately across the nation. Kathleen Palm, research assistant professor of psychology and co-director of the program, and doctoral students Amy Cameron and Hannah Richardson, are coordinating the program with Professor Hines.
Thus far at Clark, students have participated in "Bringing in the Bystander," a program in which incoming students were divided into same-sex groups to discuss what constitutes dating violence and sexual assault, and how to effectively intervene before, during, or after witnessing such an incident. They also responded to a survey about their history as bystanders and whether or not they had intervened to halt or prevent an assault.
"Through this program and others that we are instituting on campus, we hope to create an environment on campus where dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking are not tolerated," Palm explains. "We also hope that all students, whether male or female, gay or straight, will become confident that our coordinated effort is here to help them if they or a friend are victimized, so that they will be comfortable coming forward and reporting the incident to people who can help."
And already, CAVE is seeing results. According to an anonymous survey that Hines and Palm administered to Clark students in both November of 2008 and 2009, the self-reported incidence of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking have gone down. In addition, the percent of students who said they were victimized by such incidents and sought help from campus authorities has increased.
CAVE has also been responsible for placing posters around campus suggesting how to intervene in cases of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and is currently working with the Daybreak Program, the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts, and New Hope, Inc., to bring pertinent theatrical performances and discussion groups to campus. Daybreak, which is now part of the YWCA, is the most comprehensive domestic violence program in the Greater Worcester area and was founded over 30 years ago on the Clark University campus.
CAVE also trains student peer educators through a seminar in the Psychology Department devoted to educating students on the scholarly literature related to dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and training students on how to be peer educators. The role of the peer educator includes organizing the "Bringing in the Bystander" program at future student orientations and other bystander educational programming, contacting students with information about CAVE initiatives, and hosting informational tables in the student center.
The bystander program at Clark University "teaches students that even if the situation is ambiguous, they need to act," Hines says. "They cannot look to others for cues; they need to be the role model for what to do when they observe a crime. We teach them how to safely intervene when they observe events that could lead to sexual assault or violence of any kind. And we provide them with examples and ask them: 'If that was your sister or mother, brother or father, how would you feel if someone just watched?'"
For more information about CAVE, please visit http://www.clarku.edu/offices/counseling/cave/.
$475K to fund research on dating violence, sexual assault, stalking
Clark University students to help refugees in Worcester start businesses
WORCESTER, MA—Clark University students don’t have to travel to Iraq, Burundi, or Myanmar to help refugees with microfinance; a new course offered in the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department allows students to assist these populations here in Worcester, and to help secure funding that will launch businesses and sustain livelihoods.
This week, twenty-five students in associate professor Jude Fernando’s Microfinance, Gender and Neoliberalism (MGN) class will begin working with six refugee communities (Iraq, Burundi, Liberia, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sudan) in the city of Worcester. The students will develop strategic and project management plans for these groups. Together, they will seek funding through Lutheran Social Services of New England, an organization that received a grant from the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants to assist refugees in planning and starting new businesses. One of the goals of the project in the first year is to disburse loans in the amount of $100,000 to at least 12 individuals.
Fernando, who is both an economist and an anthropologist, has served as a consultant for international development organizations and is an expert in the field of international rescue and aid operations. He has taught microfinance for six years, and published and lectured on the topic. Fernando is used to teaching microfinance by applying classroom teaching to assisting disadvantaged communities. This spring, he has adopted a new approach—socially responsible pedagogy (SRP)—and incorporated it into his course, so it serves as a model for engaged scholarship. SRP, which was popular 15 years ago, is still compelling for those who straddle the border between academics and activism.
Fernando believes his course will create "a novel community-university partnership."
Fernando’s course will focus both on developing and developed countries so that students can learn from experiences of microfinance in many different contexts. He will teach students how to develop skills and techniques used by microfinance practitioners. Participants will explore how governments and central banks can support the growing microfinance industry and what the current challenges are to ensure the sustainability of microfinance.
"Students and community members will learn about the possibilities and limitations of microfinance as an economic development strategy in the areas of income generation, empowerment of women, housing, savings, non-formal education, health, insurance, resettlement of displaced populations, climate change, food security and alternative energy," he said.
Fernando's decision to change his MGN course came after his observation that in the United States the most depressed communities live right next to the best schools in the country, where the most advanced research is being done on development and aid.
"There is a Third World in the neighborhood, or the neighborhood is a Third World," he said. For this reason, he wanted to reach out and help the many refugee populations he’s encountered in Worcester.
According to Fernando—who, in recent years, has worked with the Main South community by becoming involved with community gardens and helping local residents through the WOO church—most area refugees have been exposed to war and many have spent long periods of time in refugee camps.
"Linguistic, cultural, and other barriers make it difficult for them to earn a living in the United States. Even those who are talented, educated, and skilled lack access to necessary credit to build and grow sustainable businesses because they have neither collateral nor a credit history: banks simply won't risk lending them money," he said.
Clark attracts international students from nearly 30 different countries for both undergraduate and graduate education in International Development.
"SRP utilizes the experiences of international students at Clark for the benefit of marginalized communities in Worcester," said Fernando. "Typically, international students do not work with depressed U.S. communities, but Clark and IDCE intend to change that trend and make education a truly global experience."
Clark students to help refugees start businesses
Clark University students don’t have to travel to Iraq, Burundi, or Myanmar to help refugees with microfinance; a new course offered in the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department allows students to assist these populations here in Worcester, and to help secure funding that will launch businesses and sustain livelihoods.
This week, twenty-five students in associate professor Jude Fernando’s Microfinance, Gender and Neoliberalism (MGN) class will begin working with six refugee communities (Iraq, Burundi, Liberia, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sudan) in the city of Worcester. The students will develop strategic and project management plans for these groups. Together, they will seek funding through Lutheran Social Services of New England, an organization that received a grant from the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants to assist refugees in planning and starting new businesses. One of the goals of the project in the first year is to disburse loans in the amount of $100,000 to at least 12 individuals.
Fernando, who is both an economist and an anthropologist, has served as a consultant for international development organizations and is an expert in humanitarian assistance in natural disasters and complex emergencies. He has taught microfinance for six years, and published and lectured on the topic. Fernando is used to teaching microfinance by applying classroom teaching to assisting disadvantaged communities. This spring, he has adopted a new approach—socially responsible pedagogy (SRP)—and incorporated it into his course, so it serves as a model for engaged scholarship. SRP, which was popular 15 years ago, is still compelling for those who straddle the border between academics and activism.
Fernando believes his course will create "a novel community-university partnership."
Fernando’s course will focus both on developing and developed countries so that students can learn from experiences of microfinance in many different contexts. He will teach students how to develop skills and techniques used by microfinance practitioners. Participants will explore how governments and central banks can support the growing microfinance industry and what the current challenges are to ensure the sustainability of microfinance.
"Students and community members will learn about the possibilities and limitations of microfinance as an economic development strategy in the areas of income generation, empowerment of women, housing, savings, non-formal education, health, insurance, resettlement of displaced populations, climate change, food security and alternative energy," he said.
Fernando's decision to change his MGN course came after his observation that in the United States the most depressed communities live right next to the best schools in the country, where the most advanced research is being done on development and aid.
"There is a Third World in the neighborhood, or the neighborhood is a Third World," he said. For this reason, he wanted to reach out and help the many refugee populations he’s encountered in Worcester. “Clarkies do not always have to travel 1000 miles to do international development. We can do it in Worcester itself. Worcester is a microcosm of the world. SRP is about international development without borders.”
According to Fernando—who, in recent years, has worked with the Main South community by becoming involved with community gardens and helping local residents through the WOO church—most area refugees have been exposed to war and many have spent long periods of time in refugee camps.
"Linguistic, cultural, and other barriers make it difficult for them to earn a living in the United States. Even those who are talented, educated, and skilled lack access to necessary credit to build and grow sustainable businesses because they have neither collateral nor a credit history: banks simply won't risk lending them money," he said.
Clark attracts international students from nearly 30 different countries for both undergraduate and graduate education in International Development.
"SRP utilizes the experiences of international students at Clark for the benefit of marginalized communities in Worcester," said Fernando. "Typically, international students do not work with depressed U.S. communities, but Clark and IDCE intend to change that trend and make education a truly global experience."
Clark's 'first couple' named Visions Citizens of the Year
John and Kay Bassett have been deeply involved in the economic and cultural organizations and initiatives of the Worcester community—together and individually—since occupying Harrington House on the Clark University campus a decade ago. Now, the Bassetts will be honored together as co-recipients of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Isaiah Thomas Citizen of the Year Award.
The Bassetts will join several community champions to be honored at the Visions ceremony, from 4 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Mechanics Hall. Other 2009 Visions award recipients are: Jean McMurray, executive director of the Worcester County Food Bank (Public Service Award); Yachira Torres, Plumley Village Girls Empowerment Program (Young Leader Award); John Trexler, executive director, Tower Hill Botanical Garden (Cultural Enrichment Award); and Ramesh Govindan, of Lancaster (Academic Achievement Award). Jack M. Wilson, President of the University of Massachusetts, will be keynote speaker.
The T&G created Visions in order to "recognize individuals and organizations that combine community vision with a willingness to roll up their sleeves to transform it into reality." The award, named for American patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas [1749-1831], was created in 1950 and ultimately became part of the newspaper's Visions program. The newspaper company is owned by the New York Times and serves Central Massachusetts, along with its telegram.com online readership.
In an interview with Telegram & Gazette education reporter Jacqueline Reis, John Bassett remarked that, as an incoming college president, he had expected to field loads of requests to become involved in the city's non-profit endeavors. Over time, his and Kay Bassett's involvement transcended any sense of obligation. "I don't think we've volunteered to do anything that we haven't enjoyed doing in itself," he said. "But I also think being involved in the community helps Clark, both by making it a better community and by, I hope, making people feel Clark's part of the community."
An editorial in the Telegram & Gazette lauded the Bassetts and other Visions award recipients as "Leaders with Vision."
Kay Bassett came to Clark with a professional resume that includes 10 years at Data General and work at a small software development company. Coming to Clark meant leaving a job at the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In Worcester, she certainly did roll up her sleeves, contributing her time and talents to such organizations as the Red Cross (chair) Women's Initiative (chair) Cultural Coalition (co-chair), WOO; Music Worcester (vice chair); Rotary (Rotoract adviser); Ecotarium (board); YWCA; Just Do It community cleanups; All Kinds of Girls (adviser); Worcester Art Museum; and the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium Community Engagement Committee (chair). She served alongside "an incredible group of women. Worcester has an amazing number of talented, creative and dedicated women."
One contribution Kay Bassett said she is most proud of is her part helping to establish the WOO Card, a program that promotes Worcester County's vibrant cultural community and offers cardholders discounts and special offers for concerts, theater, museums, and more. The program has registered more than 7,000 participants since its fall 2007 launch. She also helped to create the Community Engagement and Volunteering Center at Clark, a vital conduit of Clark volunteers into the surrounding communities.
President Bassett pointed to education, economic development and job creation as his focus early on, explaining how that dovetailed with the work that Clark was already so well known for, especially through the pioneering University Park Partnership.
President Bassett played a role in the search committee for Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Melinda Boone. Also on the education front, he served on the Worcester Education Collaborative, Edwards Street Child Services and is chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU & the state organization AICUM), and Colleges of the Worcester Consortium President's Committee (chair). Under his leadership, the University received the statewide Rennie Award as an outstanding University partner, the state's highest distinction in leadership in education reform, and also earned the state's first Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award. Among President Bassett's other community connections are: Choose Worcester (founding board); Worcester UniverCity Partnership (founding committee); Energy-Environment Initiative; Chamber of Commerce; Old Sturbridge Village (board); Massachusetts Biomedical initiative (executive committee); Research Bureau (executive committee); and Daybreak Great Guy Award recipient.
One reason he was attracted to come to Clark University, Bassett told the T&G interviewer, was that the institution was so committed to being a good neighbor.
The Bassetts are among a rare cohort of co-recipients of the Isaiah Thomas Award. Others include Robert and Helen Bowditch (1971), Anne and Paul Morgan (1989), and Rev. Richard and Shirley Wright (1999).
Mobilizing Dr. King's leadership for the 21st Century
Schools Superintendent Boone to speak at Clark Jan. 27
The Clark University and Worcester communities will celebrate the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Wednesday, Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Tilton Hall, Higgins University Center, 950 Main St. Guest speaker Dr. Melinda J. Boone, the Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools, will present "Mobilizing Dr. King's Leadership for the 21st Century."
This event, sponsored by the Office of Student Leadership & Programming at Clark University, is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Assistant Dean of Students Mounira Morris, at 508-793-7423.
Book by Clark psychologist seeks to help couples strengthen their marriage
James V. Córdova, associate professor of psychology at Clark University published his first book, "The Marriage Checkup: A Scientific Program for Sustaining and Strengthening Marital Health," (Jason Aronson 2009). Cordova's book is designed to help couples assess the strengths and weaknesses of their relationships and to develop strategies for strengthening their marital health.
Covering such topics as intimacy, sexuality, co-parenting, managing money, and communication, Córdova offers recommendations for keeping marriages healthy and improving vulnerable marriages.
"The Marriage Checkup" includes findings of research Córdova conducted with the help of a five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant totaling more than $1 million. His grant--the second largest faculty research grant ever received by a Clark professor--supports his research on "Indicated Treatment and Prevention of Marital Deterioration in At-Risk Couples." His funding runs through 2011.
"Scientific research over the past several decades has found that marital health is inextricably connected to all other areas of our lives, including physical health, mental health, the health of our children, the quality of our work lives, and our satisfaction with life in general. Like our bodies, our marriages need proper care and attention to be healthy, vibrant and resilient," said Córdova.
The goal of Córdova's research is to increase our understanding of the processes that affect marital/couple health and deterioration, particularly those processes that can be manipulated to promote greater relationship, mental, and physical health. The principal processes addressed in Córdova's work include intimacy, acceptance, depression, and motivating the adoption of relationship healthy practices.
Howard J. Markman, professor of psychology at the University of Denver, and co-founder of Love Your Relationship Couples RETREATS, says Córdova "is one of the best young researchers in the couples field and one of the leaders in helping us understand the role of positive connections in a happy, healthy marriage."
"The Marriage Checkup" may serve as a self-help book, and can be a useful tool for couples counselors and therapists, and professors in the fields of psychology and counseling. The book is currently available only on Amazon.com.
Córdova received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington at Seattle. He has served as associate professor at Clark University since 2002, and is the current director of clinical training in Clark's Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology , as well as the program director for the department's Center for Couples and Family Research.
Gov. Patrick visits University Park Campus School
Dignitaries experience 'magic' of Clark-city schools partnership education model
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, along with a host of officials and media, visited the University Park Campus School on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The visit included a tour and press conference to address statewide school reform legislation and highlight the UPCS model of excellence.
The Governor participated in classroom lessons, answering and asking questions along with students of the grade 7-12 school. During a class taught by Dan St. Louis, a Clark alumnus (B.A. '00/Masters in Teaching '01), Gov. Patrick asked the students to explain the school's "magic." UPCS senior Amanda Surrette offered, "We're not super geniuses. It's not who the kids are, necessarily, it's the environment." Patrick agreed, adding "What we're trying to do is create this kind of environment in every school in the Commonwealth." St. Louis told a visitor, "This school is the reason I teach."
The grade 7-12 UPCS serves more than 225 students and has compiled an unparalleled record of academic achievement since opening its doors in 1997, in partnership with Clark University.
For the last five years, UPCS has ranked first among urban schools serving low-income students on state-mandated English and math graduation exams and in the top quartile of all high schools in the state. Over 95 percent of graduates from its first four graduating classes have gone on to college. Nearly all are first-generation college attendees.
Patrick congratulated Clark "for being a model for education. … There's a magic reflected in the eyes and attitudes and performance of the students here, and in the teachers. I invite anyone trying to understand what we want for the Commonwealth to come to this school."
Other visitors included Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Clark President John Bassett, Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester), Mayor Joseph O'Brien, Clark Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Jack Foley; Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Melinda Boone; and UPCS Principal Ricci Hall (B.A. '97, M.A. '98), who started teaching at UPCS in its first year.
You can read the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's coverage, "Governor Goes to School" and view Charter TV-3's segment "Patrick pushes education" online.
Governor experiences UPCS education 'magic'
Dignitaries experience 'magic' of Clark-city schools partnership education model
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, along with a host of officials and media, visited the University Park Campus School on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The visit included a tour and press conference to address statewide school reform legislation and highlight the UPCS model of excellence.
The Governor participated in classroom lessons, answering and asking questions along with students of the grade 7-12 school. During a class taught by Dan St. Louis, a Clark alumnus (B.A. '00/Masters in Teaching '01), Gov. Patrick asked the students to explain the school's "magic." UPCS senior Amanda Surrette offered, "We're not super geniuses. It's not who the kids are, necessarily, it's the environment." Patrick agreed, adding "What we're trying to do is create this kind of environment in every school in the Commonwealth." St. Louis told a visitor, "This school is the reason I teach."
The grade 7-12 UPCS serves more than 225 students and has compiled an unparalleled record of academic achievement since opening its doors in 1997, in partnership with Clark University.
For the last five years, UPCS has ranked first among urban schools serving low-income students on state-mandated English and math graduation exams and in the top quartile of all high schools in the state. Over 95 percent of graduates from its first four graduating classes have gone on to college. Nearly all are first-generation college attendees.
Patrick congratulated Clark "for being a model for education. … There's a magic reflected in the eyes and attitudes and performance of the students here, and in the teachers. I invite anyone trying to understand what we want for the Commonwealth to come to this school."
Other visitors included Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Clark President John Bassett, Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester), Mayor Joseph O'Brien, Clark Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Jack Foley; Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Melinda Boone; and UPCS Principal Ricci Hall (B.A. '97, M.A. '98), who started teaching at UPCS in its first year.
You can read the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's coverage, "Governor Goes to School" and view Charter TV-3's segment "Patrick pushes education" online.
Clark Names Liberal Arts Education Innovator Its Ninth President
David P. Angel, Clark University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will become the next president of the University, William S. Mosakowski , Chairman of the Board of Trustees announced today (Dec. 30.)
Clark University's Board of Trustees unanimously selected Angel--a seasoned academic administrator, expert in sustainability science, and one of the primary architects of Clark's Liberal Education and Effective Practice initiative--to succeed President John Bassett. "David Angel has been a superb provost, building on his academic career as a distinguished economic geographer. He will be an outstanding president and I am very optimistic about the future of Clark University under his care," said Bassett, who will leave Clark in July to take on the presidency of Heritage University in Washington State. "As the internal candidate, David Angel went through an exhaustive and comprehensive evaluation process unparalleled in the University's history," said Mosakowski. "We are confident that he will provide the leadership to open a new chapter for Clark. He is an innovative thinker, a disciplined executive, a passionate teacher and a continual learner, an articulate presenter, and the embodiment of the values we hold for the University." "Clark University is a special place where faculty engage in cutting-edge scholarship and meaningful research that empower action on critical human concerns and where students are distinctively enabled to pursue their passion in the world," said Angel, who holds two academic appointments as professor of geography and Leo L. and Joan Kraft Laskoff Professor of Economics, Technology and the Environment. "I look forward to building on these great strengths in ways that elevate the visibility, reputation and impact of Clark University in our community, across the country, and around the world." Angel, age 51, has served as Clark's provost since 2003, overseeing all undergraduate and graduate academic programs, as well as admissions, student affairs, sponsored research, and University libraries. During his tenure, Clark has strengthened its undergraduate programs, raised the research and graduate profile of the University, and invested in new academic facilities. Under Angel's leadership, Clark University conducted a major review of its undergraduate liberal arts curriculum and will introduce distinctive program changes in fall 2010 to better prepare students with the intellectual, social and practical skills required to address the complex challenges of a rapidly-changing world. Looking to the challenges that lie ahead, Angel calls the current economic climate the "wind in our face" and promises to apply urgency, focus, and a "culture of evidence" to enhance Clark's national reputation as a model urban university. "Clark has for many years been deeply committed to linking our success to the success of the neighborhood, the community, and the city of which we are a part," Angel said. "We see that as a core value of the University. Over the years, we've been heavily involved in K through 12 education and in issues of housing and neighborhood development. And we believe that the green economy and sustainability are the next frontier for the way in which the University can engage with our community and help us all grow and develop together." Angel joined the Clark University faculty in September 1987. He received a B.A. at Cambridge University and his Ph.D. at UCLA. His background and training are in economic geography. As a pioneering researcher on industrial environmentalism and clean technologies, Angel has helped steer Clark's many innovations in campus sustainability. He is a key architect and will oversee implementation of the University's Climate Action Plan, which commits Clark to totally eliminate campus greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. Angel is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including an Abe Fellowship awarded by the Center for Global Partnership in conjunction with the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies. His research includes work conducted for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Asian Development Bank, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. He has consulted widely for public and private organizations around the world. Published books include: "Asia's Clean Revolution: Industry, Growth and the Environment" (with Michael T. Rock, 2000, Greenleaf Publishers), "Effective Environmental Regulation: Learning form Poland's Experience" (with Halina Brown and Patrick Derr, 2000, Praeger Press) and "Industrial Development in the Developing World" (with Michael T. Rock, 2005, Oxford University Press). Angel resides in Worcester with his wife, Jocelyne Bauduy, and two children.Clark students have another transportation option this spring
Two Zipcars available to students, faculty and staff in Jan. 2010
Beginning in January, members of the Clark University community will have a new transportation option on campus: Zipcars. The Boston-based car sharing program has agreed to provide two of their publicly shared vehicles to Clark for hourly and daily use by students, faculty and staff.
Persons who wish to use a Zipcar will be able to reserve one for a nominal fee for between one and 48 hours. The hourly and daily rates, which include gas, insurance, and 180 free miles, have been reduced for campus users, totaling $7 per hour (around $72 per day).
At Clark, all students--even First-Years students--are allowed to bring cars to campus. Clark maintains an overnight parking garage on the corner of Downing and Florence Streets, and students can purchase yearly permits for the garage from University Police. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of public transportation to get around the city and experience the numerous cultural attractions in Worcester.
"The Clark Undergraduate Student Council committed to this program because of widespread student demand for alternative transportation on campus, both for personal use and traveling for specific initiatives taken by student organizations," said Ifrad Islam, president of the Student Council.
"The overall goals of the program include reducing the total number of cars on campus, thus developing into an environmentally sustainable solution to students' transportation needs. This is in agreement with the university-wide sustainability initiative that Clark takes pride in," said Islam. "Zipcars may prove to be much more financially feasible for students who currently own a vehicle on campus and thus regularly pay for fuel, insurance and parking."
Zipcars are accessed by using Zipcards which lock and unlock the vehicle through a reader on the windshield. Zipcard holders will be able to access an online interface where they can view the cars' availability and price quotes in order to make a reservation.
Two other colleges in the Worcester area also make Zipcars available to their campus communities.
Zipcars come to Clark this spring
Two Zipcars available to students, faculty and staff in Jan. 2010
Beginning in January, members of the Clark University community will have a new transportation option on campus: Zipcars. The Boston-based car sharing program has agreed to provide two of their publicly shared vehicles to Clark for hourly and daily use by students, faculty and staff.
Persons who wish to use a Zipcar will be able to reserve one for a nominal fee for between one and 48 hours. The hourly and daily rates, which include gas, insurance, and 180 free miles, have been reduced for campus users, totaling $7 per hour (around $72 per day).
At Clark, all students--even First-Years students--are allowed to bring cars to campus. Clark maintains an overnight parking garage on the corner of Downing and Florence Streets, and students can purchase yearly permits for the garage from University Police. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of public transportation to get around the city and experience the numerous cultural attractions in Worcester.
"The Clark Undergraduate Student Council committed to this program because of widespread student demand for alternative transportation on campus, both for personal use and traveling for specific initiatives taken by student organizations," said Ifrad Islam, president of the Student Council.
"The overall goals of the program include reducing the total number of cars on campus, thus developing into an environmentally sustainable solution to students' transportation needs. This is in agreement with the university-wide sustainability initiative that Clark takes pride in," said Islam. "Zipcars may prove to be much more financially feasible for students who currently own a vehicle on campus and thus regularly pay for fuel, insurance and parking."
Zipcars are accessed by using Zipcards which lock and unlock the vehicle through a reader on the windshield. Zipcard holders will be able to access an online interface where they can view the cars' availability and price quotes in order to make a reservation.
Two other colleges in the Worcester area also make Zipcars available to their campus communities.
Clark lecture to offer a glimpse into British artist's 'Front Room'
Clark University will host "The Front Room: Migrant Aesthetics in the Home," a lecture by British writer, curator and artist Michael McMillan on Tuesday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Lurie Conference Room of the Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street, Worcester. This free, public event is sponsored by the Communication & Culture Program at Clark University.
McMillan is a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the London College of Communication at the University of Arts, where he is visiting professor of creative writing. He is a second generation Black British cultural producer from a migrant background, now part of the Caribbean diaspora in England. He captures this background in his art, his writing, and other creative work.
In 2005-06, McMillan curated a wildly popular installation/exhibition, "The West Indian Front Room," at the Geffrye Museum in East London. He will discuss the themes of this exhibit and the publication of his new book "The Front Room: Migrant Aesthetics in the Home" (Black Dog Publishing), during his presentation at Clark.
McMillan's "Living Room" exhibit led to a BBC 4 documentary in 2007, as well as to invitations from other European countries to install similar exhibits, which also capture the complex experiences of hybridity and creolization that result from migration across borders. The success of these exhibits, which focused on the aesthetics of Europe's ethnic groups--"the new Europeans"--pointed to commonalities among people across the world in the interpretation of formal domestics spaces--"drawing rooms" and "sitting rooms"--designed for performance of self for outsiders. It is these themes McMillan explores through the diasporic aesthetics of groups that have had a marginal location as former colonial subjects who now live in the metropolitan global cities with former colonizers.
More about this exhibit is available on McMillan's interactive web site: www.thefrontroom.org. For information about this lecture, call 508-793-7180.
Steinbrecher Fellow studies how climate change affects grizzly bear food supply
Findings help convince Federal Judge to order grizzly relisting
Colin S. Peacock of Tucson, Ariz., was one of 11 Clark University undergraduates who was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support his creative research project this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.
Peacock is using his Steinbrecher Fellowship to study climate change and its effects on grizzly bear food sources. He spent the month of August in the Wind Rivers Mountain Range of central western Wyoming, a place he describes as "the highest, coldest, and most remote place you can find in the lower forty-eight United States."
Peacock braved motion sickness as he flew around in small, ultra-light airplanes photographing the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. He hiked into high-elevation areas to observe and record the extent and area damaged by pine beetles and Pikas (small dwelling rodents), dodging thunderstorms along the way. To further his overall goal of creating habitat linkages for grizzlies between Yellowstone Park and The Wind Rivers, Peacock put together GIS maps of pine beetle deforestation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He also made connections with a nearby Indian reservation and the communities within about the possibility of having a student program in the area.
The idea for his project came when the student and his girlfriend were hypothesizing what they could do for a summer project that would "inspire, educate, and be valuable for us and the world," wrote Peacock. "And if our interest is the conservation of wild places (and it most certainly is), then what better area to conserve than one in our own backyard that might hold in it the last best hope for the grizzly in the lower 48 states?"
Peacock said, "It was a completely unexpectedly amazing summer. Flying over glaciers, grizzlies and some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world is an experience unlike any other."
Peacock's research has already made a difference. In September, a federal judge in Montana restored protection for an estimated 600 grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park. Peacock's research on the extent of white bark pine mortality in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem helped influence this decision.
Peacock is passionate about conservation. He worked for a year with the Round River Conservation Studies in Namibia studying Black Rhino and Cheetah populations and spent last year working as an instructor to college students in Canada, teaching wilderness survival skills.
"In my own personal experience, nothing is more efficacious and worthwhile than students working with native peoples to conserve the land that they have traditionally lived on," he wrote.
Peacock has seemingly always had an interest in nature and wild places. He said much of his life "has been spent in a large extent, exploring wild places, camping and hiking to where there are no people." His father, Doug Peacock, spent a great deal of time filming and living among grizzlies after returning from Vietnam.
Parminder Bhachu, professor of sociology at Clark, wrote that Peacock "makes Clark proud through his high level of expertise and commitment to wilderness preservation…. He is a genuine commited environmentalist who has been trained for his métier since childhood."
Susan Foster, professor and chair of Clark's Biology Department wrote that Peacock's project "is [one] that will make a major difference in a changing world."
Peacock is a member of the Class of 2010 at Clark; he majors in conservation biology. He is a member of Campus Accountability Now!, a student organization that aims to hold the Clark community accountable to the global community. Peacock is the son of Doug Peacock of Livingston, MT and Lisa Peacock of Tucson, Ariz. He attended Green Fields Country Day School and received his GED in 2003.
Steinbrecher Fellowships encourage and support Clark undergraduates in their pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects. The Fellowship Program, established in 2006 in memory of David C. Steinbrecher, class of '81, by his parents, Phyllis and Stephen Steinbrecher, class of '55, is funded by generous gifts from them and from other family members and friends of David. It is directed by Professor Sharon Krefetz, former Dean of the College and chair of Clark's Department of Government and International Relations.
"The Steinbrecher Fellowship Program enables our students to pursue their passions and to engage in innovative research or much-appreciated community service. I am enormously grateful to the Steinbrecher family for making this possible," said Krefetz.
Senior uses Steinbrecher Fellowship to organize camp for aspiring Web entrepreneurs
Trista E. Myers '10 was one of 11 undergraduates who was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support her creative research project this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.
Myers used her Steinbrecher Fellowship to intern at Carsonified,, a company whose mission is to "bring the web community together to learn, converse and connect." The company, located in Bath, England, is known for its seminars, lectures, and events for web designers and developers.
Myers was responsible for orchestrating Carsonified Summer Camp, a free two-day event for aspiring web entrepreneurs.
She said the event "was like a mini conference with several talks each day that provided valuable advice, insight, and instruction and allowed discussion and one-on-one interactions between attendees and speakers; also, it was a great opportunity for these young web entrepreneurs to make some new friends and connections to other young like-minded people."
"I had an amazing, unforgettable experience," she wrote.
George Gendron, founder and director of Clark's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program (I&E) (I&E) said Myers "has demonstrated a keen understanding of the need to build her capacity to use her college experience not just to learn, but to create opportunities for herself to apply that knowledge to get things done."
Myers studies sociology and communications and culture.
Steinbrecher Fellowships encourage and support Clark undergraduates in their pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects. The Fellowship Program, established in 2006 in memory of David C. Steinbrecher, class of '81, by his parents, Phyllis and Stephen Steinbrecher, class of '55, is funded by generous gifts from them and from other family members and friends of David. It is directed by Professor Sharon Krefetz, former Dean of the College and chair of Clark's Department of Government and International Relations.
"The competition for this year's fellowships was more intense than ever. Nearly every applicant proposed an interesting, well-conceived project that, if selected for funding, they would have pursued with tremendous enthusiasm. The projects that received awards were truly exceptional in their originality and showed great potential for making a significant contribution to existing research or to the quality of life of the individuals involved.
"The Steinbrecher Fellowship Program enables our students to pursue their passions and to engage in innovative research or much-appreciated community service. I am enormously grateful to the Steinbrecher family for making this possible," said Krefetz.
HOPE Coalition receives award from Mass. Public Health Administration
Worcester's Healthy Options for Prevention and Education (HOPE) Coalition, a public health advocacy organization was awarded the Massachusetts Public Health Administration's Front Line Award during the MPHA's annual meeting in Marlborough on Nov. 20.
The MPHA's Front Line Award is reserved for an individual or organization that has had a significant impact on the betterment of the public health in their community through outreach, education or direct services.
The Front Line Award was accepted by HOPE Coalition director Laurie Ross, assistant professor of community development and planning, at Clark University. Started in 2000, the Coalition, consisting of eighteen different Worcester organizations, aims to reduce youth violence and drug use, and to promote positive adolescent mental health and youth leadership through a youth-adult partnership. The HOPE Coalition has several Peer Leaders, young people ages 14-19 who represent the various organizations and meet weekly to identify and create solutions for issues of concern to youth.
The Coalition's Peer Leaders have collaborated with adult administrators to develop their leadership skills and implement a number of projects including working with a local artist to complete a mural on youth heroes and victims of violence, creating a video to raise awareness about teen health and sexuality, and working with Worcester's Public Health Department to pass a zoning ordinance restricting the number and size of tobacco advertisements throughout the city.
The HOPE Coalition also offers a fifteen week Youth Worker Training Institute for youth workers in the Worcester area, and coordinates the HOPE Mental Health program at the Worcester Youth Center and Boys and Girls Club. Both services work to provide Worcester youth with accessible, quality resources to address mental health and other life issues.
For the future, Ross says, "We would like Worcester to move toward being tobacco-free. Our hopes for upcoming projects include getting healthier food into school cafeterias, more jobs for youth, and increasing the quality of supplies and textbooks in the schools."
The Massachusetts Public Health Association is a statewide membership organization of people working to protect the health and safety of all Massachusetts residents by promoting laws, policies, and programs that protect the health of families, communities, and workplaces. Past recipients of the MPHA's Front Line Award include Frances Hubbard, Massachusetts School Nurses Association, Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers, and the Food Bank of Western Mass.
Carbon neutral in 2030: Clark releases Climate Action Plan
Clark University today (Dec. 15) released a Climate Action Plan outlining the University's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately become carbon-neutral by 2030
Clark University today released a Climate Action Plan outlining the University's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately become carbon-neutral by 2030.
"Clark University has had a longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability," said Clark President John Bassett, who became a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in June 2007. "The Climate Action Plan we release today builds on that existing commitment by laying out the strategy through which Clark will achieve climate neutrality by a target date of 2030. Our strategy draws on Clark's excellence as a research university and upon the engagement, creativity and leadership of students, staff, faculty and all other members of our community."
The ACUPCC is a national initiative aimed at mobilizing the resources of colleges and universities in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "Campuses that address the climate challenge by reducing global warming emissions and by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil society," the organization states.
"Make no mistake," Bassett adds, "it will not be easy to reach our goals; but without this commitment we definitely would not reach them. Moreover, the ACUPCC signers, to be successful, must inspire other institutions, corporations, and governments to make the same kind of commitment, or else the world picture in 2030 will not be a pretty one."
Clark's finalized Climate Action Plan (CAP) details strategies for the University to reduce its carbon footprint, while strengthening many of its existing sustainability practices. The plan sets two goals with respect to climate neutrality: First is an interim goal of reducing emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2015. The second goal is to achieve climate neutrality (net zero greenhouse gas emissions) by the year 2030. A comprehensive study by Clark's Campus Sustainability Task Force found that the University's largest emissions sources are associated with energy supply, electricity consumption, and air travel and commuting.
Strategies to reduce emissions include the following:
- Building and energy systems, such as lighting, heating and cooling systems;
- Managing the physical campus "footprint" by using existing space more efficiently and an designing new and renovated buildings with improved use of energy resources;
- Managing information technology and equipment purchasing;
- Seeking ways to reduce air travel by Clark employees and students, encouraging green commuting practices and video- and teleconferencing;
- Continuing to promote social and behavioral awareness and innovation within and outside the classroom and among faculty and staff.
The CAP builds on Clark's longstanding commitment to the environment and will entail a broad spectrum of Clark sustainability efforts already implemented, including:
- Green building and purchasing: Clark obtained Gold LEED certification for its Lasry Center for Bioscience and Silver LEED certification for the Blackstone Hall student residence;
- The Ecological Representative, or EcoRep program, a new student leadership position within the residence halls;
- Paper usage conservation through increased use of digital communications, converting to recycled materials, and education;
- Campuswide recycling and waste reduction, trayless dining, a student-run bike-share program, and more.
"This is an exciting time as Clark secures this commitment to sustainability," said Suzanne Edmunds, a Clark junior majoring in Environmental Science and Policy. "As students, we will have to continue to watch how we use our resources, but with the success of several awareness initiatives during the fall 2009 semester, it is obvious that the movement toward climate neutrality is desired by the Clark community as a whole."
Edmunds is part of a team developing campus communications and awareness efforts regarding the Climate Action Plan. "As we move forward, it will be particularly important to continue to keep the student body aware of the changes made around them and of the value these changes have on shaping sustainability on campus," she said.
Clark was among the first institutions to sign the Presidents Climate Commitment. To date, more than 660 college leaders have joined in the ACUPCC pledge and will also make public their Climate Action Plans. The list includes Anna Maria College, the College of the Holy Cross, Fitchburg State College, Mount Wachusett Community College, Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester State College.
Support for the initiative is also provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Clark becomes new home to NGS-funded Mass Geographic Alliance to improve education
Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.
Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.
Mimi Stephens, director of the Teachers Center for Global Studies, which is part of Clark's College of Professional and Continuing Education (COPACE), will serve as the Alliance co-coordinator. She shares her leadership role with Clark alumnus Dr. Vernon Domingo, geography professor at Bridgewater State College.
"When the longstanding co-coordinator of the MGA, Paul Mulloy, decided to retire, he asked if I would be willing to assume his responsibilities," Stephens said. "He also felt--and National Geographic agreed – that given Clark's reputation for excellence in geography, Clark would be an ideal fiscal and administrative home for the Alliance."
The Alliance complements the existing work of the Teachers Center, which offers professional development program for teachers on Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Teachers Center is already a regional center for the Alliance, and has long been host to the state Geography Bee.
"Most people still think that geography is rote memorization of place locations or mountain ranges," Stephens said. "We need to address these misperceptions and get geography back into the k-12 curricula."
The Massachusetts Geographic Alliance was formed in 1987 as an organization composed of K-12 teachers dedicated to promoting the study of geography at the K-12 level in Massachusetts. To date, it has received $ 1,130,000 from National Geographic Society. Membership in the Alliance is open to any educator interested in improving the teaching of geography.
The Alliance offers a variety of professional development program for teachers and pre-service teachers through its six regional centers, which are located at Bridgewater State College, Clark University, Salem State College, Winchester Public Schools, the Five College Center for East Asian Studies (Smith College) and Framingham State College. The Alliance also sends teachers to National Geographic Society for leadership summer institutes. Graduates of these institutes are then known as "geography teacher consultants" and offer presentations at various state and regional conferences.
A grant of $23,000 from National Geographic Society this year will help the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance think strategically about priorities for the next few years and ways it might work more closely with other state alliances in New England to promote geography.
Stephens commented that there is much work for the Alliance to tackle. "Geography is the only core subject not included in the No Child Left Behind Act, so National Geographic has introduced legislation called "Geography is Fundamental" to try to get geography the attention it deserves. On a state level, there is no geography licensure in the State, so geography teachers do not need to be certified in the subject to teach it."
For more information about the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, go to www.massgeo.org.
Clark becomes new home to Mass Geographic Alliance National Geographic Society funded program to aid in education
Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.
Clark University recently became the new home for the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.
Mimi Stephens, director of the Teachers Center for Global Studies, which is part of Clark's College of Professional and Continuing Education (COPACE), will serve as the Alliance co-coordinator. She shares her leadership role with Clark alumnus Dr. Vernon Domingo, geography professor at Bridgewater State College.
"When the longstanding co-coordinator of the MGA, Paul Mulloy, decided to retire, he asked if I would be willing to assume his responsibilities," Stephens said. "He also felt--and National Geographic agreed – that given Clark's reputation for excellence in geography, Clark would be an ideal fiscal and administrative home for the Alliance."
The Alliance complements the existing work of the Teachers Center, which offers professional development program for teachers on Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Teachers Center is already a regional center for the Alliance, and has long been host to the state Geography Bee.
"Most people still think that geography is rote memorization of place locations or mountain ranges," Stephens said. "We need to address these misperceptions and get geography back into the k-12 curricula."
The Massachusetts Geographic Alliance was formed in 1987 as an organization composed of K-12 teachers dedicated to promoting the study of geography at the K-12 level in Massachusetts. To date, it has received $ 1,130,000 from National Geographic Society. Membership in the Alliance is open to any educator interested in improving the teaching of geography.
The Alliance offers a variety of professional development program for teachers and pre-service teachers through its six regional centers, which are located at Bridgewater State College, Clark University, Salem State College, Winchester Public Schools, the Five College Center for East Asian Studies (Smith College) and Framingham State College. The Alliance also sends teachers to National Geographic Society for leadership summer institutes. Graduates of these institutes are then known as "geography teacher consultants" and offer presentations at various state and regional conferences.
A grant of $23,000 from National Geographic Society this year will help the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance think strategically about priorities for the next few years and ways it might work more closely with other state alliances in New England to promote geography.
Stephens commented that there is much work for the Alliance to tackle. "Geography is the only core subject not included in the No Child Left Behind Act, so National Geographic has introduced legislation called "Geography is Fundamental" to try to get geography the attention it deserves. On a state level, there is no geography licensure in the State, so geography teachers do not need to be certified in the subject to teach it."
For more information about the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, go to www.massgeo.org.
President Bassett, other college heads, discuss key issues with Gov. Patrick
The importance of private higher education was front and center at a meeting with Governor Deval Patrick and 35 college presidents at Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) Presidents Only meeting held Nov. 16 at Pine Manor College.
The meeting featured a wide-ranging discussion on issues impacting the higher education sector in general, the independent sector in particular, and K-12 education in the Commonwealth.
Organized by AICUM, the meeting was meant to facilitate the association's communication and engagement with Gov. Patrick, particularly in education policy and workforce and economic initiatives, where private higher education is too often overlooked, according to AICUM.
"In a state as unique as Massachusetts, where 70 percent of all bachelor's degrees are awarded by the independent colleges and universities, it's imperative that the private higher education sector in Massachusetts be 'top of mind' with elected leaders and policymakers," AICUM President Richard J. Doherty writes in the November newsletter.
"We recognized and thanked the Governor for his leadership earlier this year for his role in helping to shape the federal stimulus package to benefit Massachusetts and its higher education sector," Doherty writes. "His advocacy, and that of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, resulted in a stimulus package that infused $225 million into the Pell Grant program for students attending college in Massachusetts. This benefited our independent colleges tremendously, as 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients at four- year Massachusetts colleges attend a private college or university."
In addition, Massachusetts research universities and their affiliated teaching hospitals will receive nearly $500 million of new National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation funding through the Federal Stimulus bill. This helps to solidify the Commonwealth's standing as the preeminent research state in the country.
Issues of concern raised by the college presidents included various taxation proposals introduced in the Legislature around 'not for profit' status in general and as they may impact colleges specifically. There was also a spirited discussion around the impact on the creative arts economy of intellectual property in a digital age.
The independent sector's role in promoting the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in the K-12 system was also discussed at the meeting, as a means to help ensure that independent colleges and universities can meet the future workforce needs of the knowledge-based economy.
President Bassett joins new Presidents' Trust for liberal education
President Bassett and a national group of 81 other college and university leaders are forming this Trust to advocate for liberal education and its value in today's world. The Presidents' Trust is a leadership group within AAC&U's national initiative, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College.
"Responsible citizenship, rewarding lives, and meaningful careers," said Bassett, "will be greatly advanced by a rigorous liberal education, but one also connected to effective practice and to knowing how to address America's challenges outside the academy."
Members of the LEAP Presidents' Trust are leaders from all sectors of higher education and are committed to advocating for the vision, values, and practices that connect liberal education with the individual and societal needs of the twenty-first-century. Through regional and national meetings and their own advocacy efforts, Trust members will engage with campus members and those outside of higher education about the core purposes and practices of liberal education. They are all also providing leadership for advancing reforms in the practice of liberal education both on campus and with other groups and organizations with which they are affiliated.
In 2009-10, the core priority areas for the Presidents' Trust include:
- Making the economic case for liberal education
- Making—and fulfilling—the civic case for liberal education
- Engaging first-generation families and new Americans with the meaning and value of liberal education
- Integrating liberal arts and professional preparation on campus
- Charting a new direction for assessment and accountability
"President Bassett is already providing valuable leadership speaking out and ensuring that Clark University students are receiving the kind of college education that will best prepare them for success in today's competitive global economy—an engaged and practical liberal education," said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.
"As the nation is setting new goals for increasing college attainment, we need to focus like a laser beam on the kinds of learning that build both economic vitality and civic commitment," said Schneider. "Members of the Trust, including President Bassett, are helping to redirect the national dialogue to address these critical issues. In this new global century, his leadership will help ensure that all college students in all majors receive the kind of excellent education they deserve—one that provides them with broad knowledge, sophisticated intellectual and practical skills, a well-developed sense of personal and social responsibility, and the capacity to apply learning to new problems."
The Presidents' Trust advocates for a 21st-century vision of liberal education that combines the best of that philosophy of education's traditional focus on broad knowledge, analytic reasoning, and rigorous contextual study with newer approaches to helping students integrate and apply their learning in new settings. The Trust believes that a 21st-century liberal education empowers individuals with core knowledge and transferable skills and cultivates social responsibility and a strong sense of ethics and values. Characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, a liberal education prepares graduates both for socially valued work and for civic leadership in their society.
With its emphasis on inquiry-based learning and the opportunity to research significant contemporary issues, Clark University is defining the course for linking liberal education and effective practice to prepare graduates who can address the challenges of a rapidly-changing world. At Clark, a student's pursuit of liberal education is understood as a developmental and socially situated process that engages students actively in constructing knowledge. Clark graduates will be liberally educated people who possess and can demonstrate the following five characteristics:
- Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World
- Intellectual and Practical Skills
- Personal and Social Responsibility
- Ability to Integrate Knowledge and Skills
- Capacities of Effective Practice
In March 2009, Clark convened a first-of-its-kind National Conference on Liberal Education and Effective Practice, co-sponsored by Clark's Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Learn more about liberal education and effective practice at Clark.
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with more than 2,200 undergraduate and 900 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the United States, Clark has challenged convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the accelerated BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for eligible students. The University is featured in the book, "Colleges That Change Lives."
Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) is an initiative that champions the value of a liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. The initiative focuses campus practice on fostering essential learning outcomes for all students, whatever their chosen field of study. LEAP is AAC&U's primary vehicle for advancing and communicating about the importance of undergraduate liberal education for all students. LEAP seeks to engage the public with core questions about what really matters in college, to give students a compass to guide their learning, and to make a set of essential learning outcomes the preferred framework for educational excellence, assessment of learning, and new alignments between school and college.
AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1200 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.
AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.
Clark University President Bassett Joins New 'Presidents' Trust' to Advance Liberal Education as Source of American Civic Vitality and
Clark University President John Bassett reported today that he has been asked to join a new Presidents' Trust formed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
President Bassett and a national group of 81 other college and university leaders are forming this Trust to advocate for liberal education and its value in today's world. The Presidents' Trust is a leadership group within AAC&U's national initiative, Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College.
"Responsible citizenship, rewarding lives, and meaningful careers," said Bassett, "will be greatly advanced by a rigorous liberal education, but one also connected to effective practice and to knowing how to address America's challenges outside the academy."
Members of the LEAP Presidents' Trust are leaders from all sectors of higher education and are committed to advocating for the vision, values, and practices that connect liberal education with the individual and societal needs of the twenty-first-century. Through regional and national meetings and their own advocacy efforts, Trust members will engage with campus members and those outside of higher education about the core purposes and practices of liberal education. They are all also providing leadership for advancing reforms in the practice of liberal education both on campus and with other groups and organizations with which they are affiliated.
In 2009-10, the core priority areas for the Presidents' Trust include:
- Making the economic case for liberal education
- Making—and fulfilling—the civic case for liberal education
- Engaging first-generation families and new Americans with the meaning and value of liberal education
- Integrating liberal arts and professional preparation on campus
- Charting a new direction for assessment and accountability
"President Bassett is already providing valuable leadership speaking out and ensuring that Clark University students are receiving the kind of college education that will best prepare them for success in today's competitive global economy—an engaged and practical liberal education," said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.
"As the nation is setting new goals for increasing college attainment, we need to focus like a laser beam on the kinds of learning that build both economic vitality and civic commitment," said Schneider. "Members of the Trust, including President Bassett, are helping to redirect the national dialogue to address these critical issues. In this new global century, his leadership will help ensure that all college students in all majors receive the kind of excellent education they deserve—one that provides them with broad knowledge, sophisticated intellectual and practical skills, a well-developed sense of personal and social responsibility, and the capacity to apply learning to new problems."
The Presidents' Trust advocates for a 21st-century vision of liberal education that combines the best of that philosophy of education's traditional focus on broad knowledge, analytic reasoning, and rigorous contextual study with newer approaches to helping students integrate and apply their learning in new settings. The Trust believes that a 21st-century liberal education empowers individuals with core knowledge and transferable skills and cultivates social responsibility and a strong sense of ethics and values. Characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, a liberal education prepares graduates both for socially valued work and for civic leadership in their society.
With its emphasis on inquiry-based learning and the opportunity to research significant contemporary issues, Clark University is defining the course for linking liberal education and effective practice to prepare graduates who can address the challenges of a rapidly-changing world. At Clark, a student's pursuit of liberal education is understood as a developmental and socially situated process that engages students actively in constructing knowledge. Clark graduates will be liberally educated people who possess and can demonstrate the following five characteristics:
- Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World
- Intellectual and Practical Skills
- Personal and Social Responsibility
- Ability to Integrate Knowledge and Skills
- Capacities of Effective Practice
In March 2009, Clark convened a first-of-its-kind National Conference on Liberal Education and Effective Practice, co-sponsored by Clark's Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Learn more about liberal education and effective practice at Clark.
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with more than 2,200 undergraduate and 900 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the United States, Clark has challenged convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the accelerated BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for eligible students. The University is featured in the book, "Colleges That Change Lives."
Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) is an initiative that champions the value of a liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. The initiative focuses campus practice on fostering essential learning outcomes for all students, whatever their chosen field of study. LEAP is AAC&U's primary vehicle for advancing and communicating about the importance of undergraduate liberal education for all students. LEAP seeks to engage the public with core questions about what really matters in college, to give students a compass to guide their learning, and to make a set of essential learning outcomes the preferred framework for educational excellence, assessment of learning, and new alignments between school and college.
AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1200 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.
AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.
HEROS 2009
Clark U recognizes student recipients of HERO Research Fellowships Student fellows team up with faculty to research local environmental change
pictured from left to right: Brenna M. Schwert '10 and Timothy "Max" Wright '10
Clark University recently honored four students who were selected to become members of its 2009-2010 Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) Fellowship program. Clark President John Bassett presented the awards at the annual fall dinner reception for outstanding students.
Initiated at the Graduate School of Geography at Clark, the HERO research program provides opportunities for students to analyze the causes and consequences of global environmental changes at local scales in faculty-led research projects. The HERO program awards summer fellowships to selected undergraduates to engage in data collection and research with faculty on local environmental change and to undertake a yearlong HERO Fellows seminar.
Abigail R. Kaminski '11, of Reading, PA, is the 2009-10 Mosakowski HERO Fellow. She is majoring in economics, with a probable second major in geography. As a member of the social science section of the HERO project, Kaminski focuses on studying links between the land use associated with suburbanization and resource use.
"As this year's Mosakowski HERO Fellow, Abby is learning to integrate a wide range of materials--from zoning bylaws to surveying research results to land-cover data. I expect that this project will be a great introduction to the complexities of public policy decision-making," said Jim Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute.
The Mosakowski Institute is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of government and other institutions in addressing social concerns through the successful mobilization of use-inspired research. Kaminski is the second Clark student to be supported by the Mosakowski Fellows Program.
Timothy Hamill '10 of Scarborough, ME, Brenna M. Schwert '10 of East Northport, NY, and Timothy "Max" Wright '10, of Greenwich, CT, have been named 2009-10 O'Connor HERO Fellows. The fellowship is named for the late Clark University Trustee John O'Connor (Class of '78) who was a prominent Massachusetts environmentalist and community activist.
Hamill is working on a multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary National Science Foundation-funded project with professors Colin Polsky and Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr. to understand the social drivers of suburbanization and the associated ecological implications. Hamill is implementing a newly-refined methodology to map lawns and trees using high-resolution imagery, the results of which may be viewable publicly using tools such as GoogleEarth.
Schwert and Wright are a part of the HERO Massachusetts Forest Monitoring Program (MaFoMP) the focus of which is to characterize Massachusetts land-cover from 1973 to the present at approximately five-year intervals using remotely sensed data and GIS variables.
The maps Schwert and Wright are involved in creating can be used by policy makers, environmental managers, and conservation biologists to derive information regarding the patterns and processes that govern land-cover change in Massachusetts.
HERO program sponsors include the National Science Foundation, National Marine Fisheries Service, Thoreau Foundation, and O'Connor '78 Fund.
Professor Polsky, of the Graduate School of Geography and George Perkins Marsh Institute is principal investigator for "Suburbanization, Water Use, Nitrogen Cycling, and Eutrophication in the 21st Century: Interactions, Feedbacks, and Uncertainties in a Massachusetts Coastal Zone," a research project supported by a $1.4-million grant from the National Science Foundation. He serves as faculty advisor to Kaminski.
To learn more, visit the HERO program online.
Environmental research HEROs honored
Clark U recognizes student recipients of HERO Research Fellowships
Student fellows team up with faculty to research local environmental change
Pictured from left to right: Brenna M. Schwert '10 and Timothy "Max" Wright '10
Clark University recently honored four students who were selected to become members of its 2009-2010 Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) Fellowship program. Clark President John Bassett presented the awards at the annual fall dinner reception for outstanding students.
Initiated at the Graduate School of Geography at Clark, the HERO research program provides opportunities for students to analyze the causes and consequences of global environmental changes at local scales in faculty-led research projects. The HERO program awards summer fellowships to selected undergraduates to engage in data collection and research with faculty on local environmental change and to undertake a yearlong HERO Fellows seminar.
Abigail R. Kaminski '11, of Reading, PA, is the 2009-10 Mosakowski HERO Fellow. She is majoring in economics, with a probable second major in geography. As a member of the social science section of the HERO project, Kaminski focuses on studying links between the land use associated with suburbanization and resource use.
"As this year's Mosakowski HERO Fellow, Abby is learning to integrate a wide range of materials--from zoning bylaws to surveying research results to land-cover data. I expect that this project will be a great introduction to the complexities of public policy decision-making," said Jim Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute.
The Mosakowski Institute is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of government and other institutions in addressing social concerns through the successful mobilization of use-inspired research. Kaminski is the second Clark student to be supported by the Mosakowski Fellows Program.
Timothy Hamill '10 of Scarborough, ME, Brenna M. Schwert '10 of East Northport, NY, and Timothy "Max" Wright '10, of Greenwich, CT, have been named 2009-10 O'Connor HERO Fellows. The fellowship is named for the late Clark University Trustee John O'Connor (Class of '78) who was a prominent Massachusetts environmentalist and community activist.
Hamill is working on a multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary National Science Foundation-funded project with professors Colin Polsky and Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr. to understand the social drivers of suburbanization and the associated ecological implications. Hamill is implementing a newly-refined methodology to map lawns and trees using high-resolution imagery, the results of which may be viewable publicly using tools such as GoogleEarth.
Schwert and Wright are a part of the HERO Massachusetts Forest Monitoring Program (MaFoMP) the focus of which is to characterize Massachusetts land-cover from 1973 to the present at approximately five-year intervals using remotely sensed data and GIS variables.
The maps Schwert and Wright are involved in creating can be used by policy makers, environmental managers, and conservation biologists to derive information regarding the patterns and processes that govern land-cover change in Massachusetts.
HERO program sponsors include the National Science Foundation, National Marine Fisheries Service, Thoreau Foundation, and O'Connor '78 Fund.
Professor Polsky, of the Graduate School of Geography and George Perkins Marsh Institute is principal investigator for "Suburbanization, Water Use, Nitrogen Cycling, and Eutrophication in the 21st Century: Interactions, Feedbacks, and Uncertainties in a Massachusetts Coastal Zone," a research project supported by a $1.4-million grant from the National Science Foundation. He serves as faculty advisor to Kaminski.
To learn more, visit the HERO program online.
Clark professors to present climate policy research at COP15
Stephens, Vergragt to join international negotiations in Copenhagen
Jennie Stephens, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) in the Department of International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) at Clark University, will attend the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in mid-December. The UN Climate Change Conference, the 15th conference of the parties (COP-15) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), will be taking place in Copenhagen from December 7-18, with a goal of negotiating a post-Kyoto international climate framework.
Stephens will be an official observer of the negotiations, and is one of two Clark representatives attending these critically important international climate change negotiations in December. Philip Vergragt, an emeritus professor from Delft University and a research fellow at the Marsh Institute at Clark, will also attend.
Stephens and Vergragt will present, together with their co-authors, their work related to social and political implications of the recent increased attention to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for climate change mitigation. Their presentation will be part of an official UNFCC side-event on Politics, Promises and Pitfalls of CCS. These side-events provide unique opportunities for scholars and practitioners to communicate about their work to a broad, international climate policy audience. Stephens' and Vergragt's research in this area are part of an international collaborative project exploring social science questions associated with CCS technology. Stephens and Vergragt have also each authored a chapter in "Caching the Carbon: The Politics and Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage," a new book edited by Meadowcroft and Langhelle and published by Edward Elgar Publishing (November 2009).
During the side-event, Vergragt will present a paper, co-authored with Nils Markusson (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Henrik Karlsson (Biorecro AB, Sweden), on "CCS, BECCS, and the escape from carbon lock-in". In this paper they argue that CCS, as it is developed now, may actually increase our dependence on fossil fuels in the future. However, another pathway is possible, where CCS is combined with large-scale deployment of bio-energy (BECCS). In this scenario capture of CO2 from bio-energy might potentially lead to negative CO2 emissions and thus to reduction of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The paper discusses the conditions under which this pathway might happen. Stephens will present on two projects on CCS demonstration and the social dynamics of the international CCS community – both projects are collaborative efforts and Stephens Is working on these projects with researchers from the UK, Sweden, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands.
Stephens' interests in climate change mitigation technologies also include a focus on wind power. Specifically, she studies the social and political challenges and opportunities for deploying wind power. Earlier this year she and two Clark students, Gabe Rand ES&P MA '08 and Leah Melnick ES&P BA '09 published an article on "Wind Energy in the U.S. Media: A Comparative State-Level Analysis of a Critical Climate Change Mitigation Technology" in Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture. And more recently a research paper titled "Wind deployment in the U.S.: States, Resources, Policy and Discourse" that Stephens wrote with her collaborator Elizabeth Wilson at the University of Minnesota, was accepted for publication in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Stephens will be in Copenhagen for about a week and she and Vergragt will also attend a research workshop at Lund University in Sweden, just across the bridge from Copenhagen. Upon returning in January, Stephens and Vergragt will present to the Clark community an update, insights and their perspective on the progress and process of the Copenhagen COP-15 international climate change negotiations.
Students excel at Model UN conference
A delegation of eight Clark University students recently participated in the Security Council Simulation at Yale (SCSY), a collegiate Model United Nations conference revolving around crisis simulations. The highly competitive conference took place on the weekend of October 29, 2009 on the Yale University campus in New Haven, CT., with participants hailing from Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Univ. of Penn., Brown and other esteemed universities.
Pictured: Sarah Richard '11 and Abir Joshi '11 pose with their Outstanding Delegate Prize certificates
Clark students Sarah Richard '11, and Abir Joshi '11, excelled in their respective committees winning the Outstanding Delegate Prizes, the top honors in the SCSY conference which involved employing innovative multimedia presentations to manage intense geo-political crises. SCSY crisis managers challenged their committees with real-time crises and continual fictional updates with far-reaching global implications. Each crisis-update built on preceding events which compounded conflicts and tested delegates' abilities to adapt to threatening escalations and paradigm shifts. Issues debated included Pakistan's relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Security Council's stance on nuclear proliferation in Iran.
"Taking part in simulations such as SCSY are great for our delegates because we are able to compete with other top-notch schools, improve upon our debate skills, learn about other nations' policies, and deal with real-time crises that we could face in the future," Richard said. She served for Great Britain as Lord President of the Council Daniel Finch for New World Triple Joint Cabinet Crisis. Joshi served for Spain on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Fund.
Other participants from Clark University included Katerina Antoniou '10, Himal Jayasekara '11, Minh Mai '11, Ryan Forman ‘09/Fifth Year, Casey Billings '12, and Melissa Au '12.
"I am extraordinarily impressed with the overall quality of the Clark Model UN Team," said Associate Professor of Government and International Relations Srini Sitaraman. "We have gone from a small under-placed team to a highly competitive one. The Clark Team in the recent years has consistently received the highest honors in major conferences."
Professor Sitaraman's Model UN Course and UN and International Politics students took part in a full-fledged simulation this past weekend of November 7, 2009 on the Clark Campus during which they dealt with the current crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The simulation served as preparation for the Harvard National Model UN Conference (HNMUN 2010) in February.
Dr. Cecilie Felicia Stokholm Banke, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Strassler Center, gave the keynote address and spoke about her experiences representing Denmark in the United Nations General Assembly. The simulation was supported by the Strassler Center and the Department of Government and International Relations.
Steinbrecher Fellow returns after a summer in Turkey
Maeve M. Hogan, of Clifton Springs, NY was one of 11 Clark University undergraduates who was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support her creative research project this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.
pictured: Hogan, far right
Hogan used her Fellowship to travel to the south coast of Turkey with Art History Professor Rhys Townsend and several other Clark students to work on the Antiocheia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project. Professor Townsend has worked for several years on the ruins of this Roman temple built in the Greek style. Hogan used archaeological drafting techniques and knowledge of Greek temples to make visual notes about the ruins. Her efforts--and those of her colleagues--of documenting the breaks, fractures and weathering of the stones, will shed light on the original placement of each stone, and ultimately allow for the temple to be reconstructed in its original form.
Hogan said that at a young age she read books on early 20th century Egyptology. "I was thrilled by the idea of an artist who accompanied the dig in order to copy images and site plans," she said. Hogan's studies at Clark furthered her interest.
"The experience of going and doing the work was something I could barely imagine," said Hogan. "I loved every minute of it and found the experience totally engaging." Hogan said that not only did she learn more about archaeological drafting and temple construction, but the opportunity allowed her to learn about Turkey, its culture, history and people.
"I even learned a few phrases of the language. I learned about my tolerance for heat and dirt and ...I learned about being in a place where the language is completely unfamiliar," she wrote.
Hogan said that after her stay was over, "there was a real attachment to the project, but no sense of closure, because the work is ongoing." She is still engaged with some of her drawings, and is working toward preparing them to be published.
Professor Rhys Townsend admires Hogan's initiative. In his letter of recommendation for Hogan, he referenced how, after she did not do as well as she'd hoped in a French course, Hogan took a semester off and became an au pair in France.
"That action… marks an independence and initiative that is not easily read in her transcript," wrote Townsend. "She exemplified so much of what Clark seeks in its undergraduates."
Hogan is a senior at Clark, where she majors in studio art and art history. She is the daughter of Nicholas and Susan Hogan of Clifton Springs. She graduated from Midlakes High School in 2006.
Steinbrecher Fellowships encourage and support Clark undergraduates in their pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects. The Fellowship Program, established in 2006 in memory of David C. Steinbrecher, class of '81, by his parents, Phyllis and Stephen Steinbrecher, class of '55, is funded by generous gifts from them and from other family members and friends of David. It is directed by Professor Sharon Krefetz, former Dean of the College and chair of Clark's Department of Government and International Relations.
"The Steinbrecher Fellowship Program enables our students to pursue their passions and to engage in innovative research or much-appreciated community service. I am enormously grateful to the Steinbrecher family for making this possible," said Krefetz.
Water Policy Expert Lester Snow to speak at Clark Nov. 19
Clark University's George Perkins Marsh Institute announces that Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources, will deliver the Albert, Norma and Howard '77 Geller Endowed Lecture, "California Water Supply and Ecosystems: Confronting the Challenge of Climate Change," on Thursday, November 19, at 4:30 p.m. in the Higgins University Center, Grace Conference Room, 950 Main Street, Worcester.
Population growth and changing climate are placing increasing demands on available water supplies in California and elsewhere. Water policies must increasingly balance myriad human demands with goals for healthy, resilient ecosystems. This lecture will present approaches being taken by the State of California to help ensure adequate water availability in the face of climate change, and to address the gap between sustainable water supplies and the many conflicting uses. It will also highlight lessons for water policy worldwide.
Snow has extensive experience as a water agency manager at the regional, state and federal levels. He heads a department that protects, conserves and manages California's water supply, including operation of the largest state-run, multi-purpose water and power system in the United States.
The Geller Endowed Lecture Series, established in 2004 by Howard Geller '77 and his parents Albert and Norma, addresses current topics related to areas of energy, environment and sustainability. At least one lecture is presented each year by an expert in the field.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
For more information please contact the George Perkins Marsh Institute at 508-751-4622.
John Bassett announces post-Clark plan to lead Heritage University
Outgoing president will relocate in 2010 to college in Washington State
Clark University President John Bassett today announced that he has accepted an appointment to become president of Heritage University, in Toppenish, WA, following his retirement from Clark in July 2010.
Heritage University is a small, private institution located on land that is part of the Yakama Nation, near Yakima in southcentral Washington.
In a letter to the Clark community, Bassett wrote: "Some of you know that I once said whatever I did it would not be to serve as president of another college. The unique features of Heritage and its inspirational story are the things that changed my mind. I cannot, moreover, imagine myself making this decision without the ten years spent at Clark, for truly to go there is to challenge convention and to try to change the world, to try to make a difference."
Bassett was formally installed as Clark University's eighth president in March 2001. He will succeed Heritage's founding president Dr. Kathleen Ross s.n.j.m. (Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary), who served for 27 years in the post.
"Heritage University has always been fortunate to have as president a nationally recognized leader and a visionary committed to bringing higher education within the reach of those with the desire and commitment to succeed," said Paul Moulton, chairman of the Heritage University Board of Trustees. "Dr. Bassett continues that tradition and will take Heritage to a new level. He brings to Heritage and our students the skills, experience and unique abilities that make him the perfect person to lead Heritage at this important time in our history."
Prior to his career at Clark University, Bassett was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland from 1993-2000. He is a scholar and teacher of American literature and has published 11 books and more than 30 professional articles, including a new annotated bibliography of recent criticism on William Faulkner. He is a nationally recognized leader in higher education and currently the vice chair and chair elect of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
"Heritage was founded on the belief no one should be denied access for reasons of poverty, culture or geography," said Bassett. "My wife Kay and I are thrilled by the opportunity to live in the Pacific Northwest and build on the work of Dr. Ross."
Heritage University has six locations across the state of Washington and enrolls 1,400 students annually in bachelor's and master's degree programs.
Theater arts major blogging about her semester in London
Clark University junior Allison C. Schenkler of Port Washington, New York, is spending her fall semester interning at the Unicorn Theatre in London, England through Clark's London Internship Program, and is sharing her experiences through her blog.
Schenkler is a theater arts major who minors in elementary education. She writes, "I've always wanted to see what children's theater was all about, and now I will have the opportunity to figure it out hands-on, and in a place where theater is at its best."
In addition to her 20-hour a week internship, Schenkler is taking three classes at the Foundation for International Education. One course, British Life and Cultures, focuses on many aspects of the UK compared to the US, such as transportation, education systems, news and overall lifestyles.
Schenkler writes about cultural differences she's experienced so far outside of the classroom.
On September 9, she wrote "…the one thing that I am having the hardest time adjusting to (other than being 5 hours ahead) is walking on the left side of the sidewalk. I always feel like I'm obviously American because I walk on the right side."
Schenkler writes of her experiences working, studying and living in London. Her blog captures her observations about dining out ("it's not really common to ask for a doggy bag in a restaurant because its rude not to finish the food they gave you") and about using the transportation system ("The tube is almost as hot and sticky as the Subway, and it's also hard to get a seat, so it makes that ride rather unpleasant"). She writes about trips to neighboring countries, eleven o'clock daily tea times, and how she, one of only three Jewish students, celebrated Rosh Hashanah by preparing a semi-traditional Jewish dinner for 13 people in her flat. To remind visitors of the time difference, Schenkler uses clocks on her blog to indicate what time it is in the U.S. vs. London, and she allows visitors a view of her surroundings via her "London Cam."
"I learn something new every day, and the more I pay attention to the people around me the more differences I notice between here and The States," she wrote on September 27.
Schenkler is a member of the Class of 2011 at Clark. She is a 2007 graduate of Paul D. Schreiber High School. She is the daughter of Michael and Lillian Schenkler of Port Washington.
The London Internship Program is one of 33 study abroad opportunities at Clark. Clark's study abroad programs include courses at the London School of Economics, Jewish Studies programs in Prague, international development programs in Namibia and many more. Clark also offers the Leir Luxembourg program during the summer.
Undergrad recalls her summer caring for orphans in Africa
Rebecca B. Zilberstein, of Miami, Fla., was one of 11 Clark University undergraduates who was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support her creative research project this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.
Pictured: Zilberstein (center) surrounded by children in Malawi
Rebecca B. Zilberstein, of Miami, Fla., was one of 11 Clark University undergraduates who was awarded a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support her creative research project this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year.
Zilberstein and three other Clark University students received funding through the Steinbrecher Fellowship Program to spend five weeks this summer at various clinics and nurseries throughout Malawi, Africa. She documented her experiences on the Web.
Zilberstein and her classmates went with the intention of researching the health care system in hopes to establish a "Child Life" program. Once there, they realized that there was much more to learn in order to understand health care. With help from their hosts at Raising Malawi, an orphan care initiative network, the students met with multiple nongovernmental organizations in addition to hospitals and clinics in order to understand the relationship between government, international aid, and health care.
Zilberstein's blogs, which she started posting weeks before she left for Africa, tell a story of late nights and tireless effort that went into researching and writing her project proposal, and establishing the goals of her trip. The process, she claimed, was educational in itself.
"I think the most important thing we have learned thus far is how to navigate through all the systems that exist for this type of project. With this experience, I know that we will be prepared for the next time we each do real research," she wrote back in May.
Through her blog, one can sense Zilberstein's frustration with witnessing firsthand the healthcare crisis in Malawi. There, the nurses are underpaid, and therefore, they move to other countries to work for better pay, leaving Malawi's rural clinics overcrowded and understaffed.
On June 7 she wrote, "Everywhere I go in this country I am bombarded with new experiences and sights and realizations. It's kind of like when I first met these girls [her classmates] at Clark freshman year and we just kept talking and learning about the differences between our lives. I imagine that this overwhelming, sensory overload is a common feeling for many international students. Regardless, it is something I am entirely unfamiliar with as an American that never strays far from home."
Her blog, which includes photos, shows her working in, and experiencing her new surroundings in colorful detail. "…children playing with tires, men bicycling and walking down the road, beautifully dressed women carrying babies on their backs and goats running into oncoming traffic… I could not stop looking out the window, amazed and trying to familiarize myself with such images I have only seen on TV," she wrote on June 5.
Other posts describe her time living on the rocky terrain in the presence of a burning hot sun, in a religious environment where she not only had to attend devotion services twice daily, but where she and her female counterparts needed to wear wraps over their pants and stay separated from the boys.
Majoring in sociology and Spanish, Zilberstein is a member of the Class of 2011 at Clark. On campus, she is a coordinator for the Clark University High School Partnership, and she also serves as a Choices educator. Zilberstein is the daughter of Sallye Zilberstein and Yacov Zilberstein. She is a 2007 graduate of Miami Palmetto Senior High.
Steinbrecher fellowships encourage and support Clark undergraduates in their pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects. The Fellowship Program, established in 2006 in memory of David C. Steinbrecher, class of '81, by his parents, Phyllis and Stephen Steinbrecher, class of '55, is funded by generous gifts from them and from other family members and friends of David. It is directed by Professor Sharon Krefetz, former Dean of the College and chair of Clark's Department of Government and International Relations.
"The Steinbrecher Fellowship Program enables our students to pursue their passions and to engage in innovative research or much-appreciated community service. I am enormously grateful to the Steinbrecher family for making this possible," said Krefetz.
Clark Global Freud symposium, public lecture Nov. 21
Psychiatry expert historian to discuss ‘Electrotherapy Then and Now'
Clark University's centennial commemoration, "Great Minds Come to Clark--Freud Revisited," continues with a Global Freud Symposium and President's Lecture, featuring cultural and literary historian Sander Gilman, on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Gilman will present "Electrotherapy Then and Now: Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Treatments in Psychiatry," a free, public lecture beginning at 8 p.m. in Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing Street.
A cultural and literary historian, author and editor, Gilman is Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University, where he is the Director of the Program in Psychoanalysis and the Health Sciences Humanities Initiative. He is working on a biography of Sigmund Freud.
The symposium is coordinated by Clark Professor Robert Tobin, Henry J. Leir Chair in Foreign Languages and Cultures. Students taking Professor Tobin's Global Freud course will also participate in the seminar and share their research.
The full Global Freud Symposium program is as follows. Note: Symposium presentations are in Dana Commons, second floor.
9 a.m.:Welcome and introduction by Professor Tobin.
9:15 a.m.: Veronika Fuechtner, associate professor of German at Dartmouth College presents "Berlin Psychoanalytic: Modernism, Race and Psychoanalysis in Weimar Republic Germany."
10:15 a.m.: Rubén Gallo, associate professor of Spanish at Princeton University, and Fulbright Scholar presents "Freud and Stalin in Mexico."
11:15 a.m.: Nicole Simek, assistant professor of French at Whitman College presents "Postcolonial Freud."
2 p.m.: Wendy Larson, professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and vice provost for Portland Programs at the University of Oregon presents "Freud and the Revolutionary Mind in China."
3 p.m.: James Keith Vincent, assistant professor of Japanese at Boston University presents "Freud's Disciples in Japan."
8 p.m.: Gilman will conclude the symposium with "Electrotherapy Then and Now: Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Treatments in Psychiatry." The lecture will be in Razzo Hall.
The Gobal Freud Symposium is sponsored by the Henry J. Leir Chair in Foreign Languages and Cultures and the President's Lecture Series, established by Clark President John Bassett. Contact 508-793-7234 for further information.
To learn more about the 1909 Clark Conference and details about the 2009 commemoration, please visit Clark's Freud Centennial Web site.
Clark Arts presents "Columbinus"
Clark Theater Arts Program will present "Columbinus" from Thursday, October 12, 13, 14, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct.15 at 3 p.m. Thursday, the 19th through Saturday, October 21 at 8 p.m. Admission is free with Clark ID, and $5 for the general public. This performance will be held in The Michelson Theater, in The Little Center.
"Columbinus" A play sparked by the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, columbinus is a meeting of fact and fiction that illuminates the realities of adolescent culture by exploring the events surrounding the shootings. The play weaves together excerpts from discussions with parents, survivors and community leaders in Littleton as well as police evidence to bring to light the dark recesses of American adolescence.
When columbinus premiered in 2005 at the Round House Theatre, Peter Marks of the Washington Post called it, "An ambitious examination of the suburbanization of evil," and the play went on to receive five Helen Hayes Award nominations including the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play. Following the off-Broadway opening at New York Theatre Workshop one year later, Variety proclaimed: "This one comes straight from the gut--a wrenching return to the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in which 12 students and a teacher were killed when two senior classmates went on a shooting rampage.
"Columbinus" is directed by Rob Urbanati, Rob was a Theatre Consultant for Home Box Office in New York City from 1985-1989. He received an M.A. from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, and directed over forty plays at theatres across the country before returning to New York in 1995. He is Director of New Play Development at Queens Theatre in the Park, where he curates the Immigrant Voices Project, a new play program which develops plays by writers who represent the diverse demographic of New York City.
"Columbinus" is sponsored by the Theater Arts Program at Clark University. For more information, or to make reservations, contact <clarkarts@clarku.edu>Clark Arts at x7356.
Stanley Kunitz/Stockmal Collection comes to Clark
Personal gift is fruit of city couple's sweet friendship with poet
Clark University was presented with the Stanley Kunitz/Stockmal Collection, a gift from the personal collection of Carol Stockmal and her late husband Gregory Stockmal, during a ceremony on Oct. 22, at 4 Woodford Street, in Worcester. The collection includes 20 years of correspondence between the couple and national Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize recipient Stanley Kunitz, who died in 2006 at age 100.
Kunitz once lived in the stately home the Stockmals bought in 1979. In 1985, the poet sought out his childhood home and was welcomed by the Stockmals. A long friendship began. Kunitz dedicated his poem "My Mother's Pears" to the Stockmals, who for years sent him pears from the tree he and his mother planted on the property. Two of the more highly valued items in the collection are a signed manuscript of "My Mothers Pears" and a postcard expressing thanks for the pears. The Bartlett pear tree still lives on the property.
Clark officials who attended the presentation included Provost David Angel, Gwendolynne Arthur, University Librarian, Fordyce Williams, Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections, and Daniel Petrocelli, Director of Planned Giving, University Advancement.
Clark will hold the collection, appraised at more than $30,000, in the Goddard Library's Archives and Special Collections department, making it accessible to researchers including Worcester County Poetry Association members. "It's wonderful for future scholars and anyone who wants to know the private side of Stanley Kunitz," Stockmal told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
To read more and to view a slideshow of the Woodford Street home, along with audio of Kunitz reading "My Mother's Pears," click here.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to speak at Clark
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse will deliver "The Supreme Court: One Year After the Presidential Election," at Clark University at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 2, in Razzo Hall at the Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing Street, Worcester. This free, public lecture is part of the ongoing President's Lecture Series.
Greenhouse covered The Supreme Court for The New York Times for nearly 30 years. She is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School. Her other awards include the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism and the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism. Her book, "Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey" (Times Books), was released in 2005.
The lecture is sponsored by Clark's Department of Government and International Relations, the Prelaw Society and the President's Office. For more information, call 508-793-7155.
Graduate Management Center moving to Southborough
Clark University's Graduate Management Center, the satellite campus of the Graduate School of Management (GSOM), will be relocating to 333 Turnpike Road (Route 9) in Southborough effective January 2010. The new facility, located near I-495, is three miles west of the previous location, 1671 Worcester Road in Framingham, where Clark has operated since January 2000.
The Southborough campus has four new classrooms, a seminar room, a cyber cafe, ample parking and convenient access. Learn more about the facility online.
"Our new location provides the teaching and learning environment that students should expect in a first-rate, internationally-accredited MBA program like Clark's," said Edward J. Ottensmeyer, GSOM's Dean.
"Offering an Evening MBA program in Metro-west is a top priority for all of us at Clark and GSOM," said Dean Ottensmeyer. "And, we're excited about the opportunities and possibilities offered by our new Southborough home, given its proximity to so many world-class and fast growing businesses."
An Open House for prospective students will be scheduled in January.
Accredited by AACSB-International, Clark's Graduate School of Management (GSOM) is a globally-focused business school offering a full-time and evening MBA program, plus full-time MS in Finance and BA programs. The school draws its nearly 500 graduate students from over 30 countries and the region's leading business firms, such as Fidelity Investments, EMC, BOSE, Genzyme and Staples.
Michael Addis teams up with NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback to raise awareness of male depression
Michael Addis and Terry Bradshaw recently led a discussion entitled "Men and Depression: Overcoming the Stigma and Creating Positive Change."
Addis, a professor in the Hiatt School of Psychology at Clark University, is an expert on men's mental health and the lead investigator of the Research Group on Men's Well-Being. The author of more than 60 books and articles on topics surrounding clinical psychology, Addis highlighted the goal of establishing the first-ever Center for the Study of Men's Mental Health at Clark University. The Center will include research, training, and community outreach in topics related to men's mental health.
"Depression is not a feeling of sadness or being down, it has both physical and emotional symptoms," Addis said. "A depressed person is highly self critical and may have trouble sleeping. Male depression is a major problem in our culture and men are less likely to be diagnosed than women. One of our goals at Clark University is to raise awareness of the nature of depression as an illness in men."
Addis further noted that depression robs people of their will and 1 in 5 people suffer from depression. With counseling and/or medication, 75 percent of those suffering can be treated. According to Addis, men are less likely to be diagnosed than women since there is a tremendous stigma associated with the illness in men.
Clark University has been a pioneer in researching men and depression. The University received the first federal grant in the history of the National Institute of Health to study male depression specifically which enabled Dr. Addis to spend five years conducting research in this area. The University is the only place in the world with a doctoral training program in clinical psychology where students can focus specifically on men's mental health.
Male Depression Post-Event Take 2-2-2-2-2
Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback and national sports broadcaster, has had a personal struggle with depression for many years. Bradshaw notes that his triggers for depression included a divorce and an emotional breakdown. Bradshaw understands that men shouldn't be afraid to get help.
"People think male depression is taboo and men are ashamed of it because it is a sign of weakness," Bradshaw said. "I understand my depression, I accept it and I deal with it. The worst thing is to feel ashamed and not seek help. Depression is not your fault; it is your fault if you do not get help. I thank Clark for helping to raise awareness."
Bradshaw also noted that the public thinks that male depression is "taboo."
African-American poetry, Shakespeare's Shylock, literary prizes and Freud
A list of fall events sponsored by Clark's Higgins School of Humanities
Monday, October 26
"Approaching the Age of Phillis Wheatley"
Dana Commons, Second Floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
7:30 p.m.
Professor and poet Honoree Jeffers will present from and discuss her latest project, a book-length series of poems that imagines the life and cultural milieu of the 18th-Century African-American poet Phillis Wheatley, and addresses the challenges of scholarly research when engaging an artistic subject.
Honoree Jeffers is an accomplished poet whose works highlight the struggles of African Americans and women. She has published two collections of poems, the first, The Gospel of Barbecue, published in 2000, was awarded the 1999 Stan and Tom Wick Prize for Poetry. Her second collection, entitled Outlandish Blues was published in 2003. Jeffers currently serves as assistant professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, teaching poetry and creative writing.
Lecture
"Shylock's Turquoise Ring: Jane Austen, Romanticism, and Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice"
Thursday, November 5
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
7:30 p.m.
On January 26, 1814, an unknown provincial actor, Edmund Kean, made his debut at Drury Lane in the role of Shylock from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Later that year in March, just as Jane Austen was completing her novel Mansfield Park, she saw Kean's performance and commented on his "exquisite acting." Professor Judith Page will consider the representation and interpretation of Shakespeare's Jew in the Romantic period through the lens that Austen and other writers provide. No longer a comic villain, Shylock emerges as a flawed but sympathetic
character, and also as a cultural figure who haunts the various discourses about and representations of Jews in the Romantic period and beyond.
Lecture
"The Booker Aesthetic: Global Literature and the Politics of Literary Prizes"
Tuesday, November 17
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
7:30 p.m.
Literary Prizes repeatedly catapult new and largely unknown writers onto bestseller lists, and in the process raise essential questions of prize-worthiness. What ideals and aesthetic criteria are employed to judge novels by contemporary writers? With a particular focus on the Booker Prize, Britain's most prestigious annual literary honor, Professor Steve Levin will explore the politics of literary prizes and consider their implications for shaping the way we view global literature.
Steve Levin specializes in Contemporary British and postcolonial literature, Transnational cultural studies, and critical and literary theory.
Symposium
"Global Freud Symposium"
Saturday, November 21
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In 1909, Sigmund Freud delivered a series of lectures at Clark University that helped introduce his ideas to the United States and began to give psychoanalysis a global reach. As part of the celebration of the centennial of Freud's visit to Worcester, this symposium brings together scholars who study a variety of different national, linguistic and cultural traditions in order to study how Freud's ideas were received in areas as diverse as China, Japan, Mexico, the French Caribbean and Germany. This lecture is also sponsored by the Henry J. Leir Chair in Foreign Languages and Cultures.
For more information, call x7479.
These events are free and open to the public.
Difficult Dialogues Fall Symposium 'Visions the New'
We live in a time of unprecedented change. The financial crisis of the last year is just one of many disruptions and challenges to existing social constructs --the economy, governance, technology, media, and education – and to the environment. These challenges ask that we radically reassess the nature and scale of human activity on the planet; the possibilities for moving forward with creativity and wisdom are great, and the stakes are high.
This fall, Clark's Difficult Dialogues Symposium "Old Forms Give Way: Visioning the New" focuses on local forms of governance, agriculture, energy, green economy, the health of neighborhoods. We consider the processes by which we can move toward those more resilient ways of life -- through collaboration, democratic workplaces and dialogue.
The following events in the Fall Symposium are free and open to the public. They include:
Gallery exhibition
CONTINUA Sarah Walker
through December 10
Dana Commons, 2nd floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets, Worcester
In this exhibition of new paintings on paper, the viewer is invited to operate in the space between building and unbuilding, erosion and accumulation, serenity and super-saturation. These works come about through a process where all layers are interwoven and a series of cancellations and resurrections offer a way of thinking about complex realities where multiple narratives of destruction and regeneration operate through and across one another.
conversation
"Considering The Second Coming"
Wednesday, October 21
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
4 p.m.
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" wrote W.B. Yeats after WWI. The famous poem The Second Coming by Yeats holds haunting images of unraveling and uncertainty in the face of massive change. Professor Steve Levin of the English Department will facilitate an informal conversation about the poem, the context in which it was written, and what it stirs for us in our contemporary circumstances.
lecture
"Envisioning Resilient Communities: The Transition Towns Initiative"
Wednesday, October 21
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
7:30 p.m.
How can we increase our community resiliency in the face of the triple challenges of Energy, Climate Change and Economic Instability? Learn about the coming changes to our society and what these communities are doing to increase their sustainability, both in process and action. We will see a brief video by founder Rob Hopkins, hear from Tina Clarke and Transition Towns organizers in New England, and then join them in a conversation about the resiliency issue. Tina Clarke is a Transitions Initiative trainer, and a consultant with the Sustainability Institute. She has been an advocate, educator, consultant, and director of nonprofit programs since 1985. Recently, as a Campaign Director for Clean Water Action, she initiated and helped lead coalitions on environmental justice, toxins and energy.
public forum
"Visioning Peace in Worcester: A Public Forum"
Saturday, November 14
Dana Commons, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How can we envision and achieve peace in Worcester? Too often a cycle of violence damages lives within our community. Citizens of Worcester and members of the Clark community are invited to envision a peaceful city in a daylong forum. Community groups will come together to vision collectively, create conversations, and strategize around creating a culture of peace in the city of Worcester. Participants will learn skills and leave the workshop with a knowledge of action steps. Facilitated by Virginia Swain, founder of the Institute for Global Leadership and Tina Chery, founder of the Louis D. Brown Institute for Peace, and co-organized with Women Together and the Human Rights Office of the City of Worcester. By registration only: space is limited. Lunch will be included. To register, contact Lisa Gillingham at lgillingham@clarku.edu or call 508-793-7479.
dialogue
"Shaping a Local Green Economy: A Dialogue for the Future of Worcester"
Wednesday, November 18
Tilton Hall, Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street
7 p.m.
What can and will a local, green economy look like? Many social change organizations, institutions and individuals in Worcester are committed to creating a green economy here. Concerns include the importance of green job creation and the potential for environmental work to promote social equity and a more dependable economic system; the application of research models for energy innovation; and the economic and political benefits of Worcester and central Massachusetts as a green cluster. Members of various local initiatives will share their perspectives in a conversation about the common goal of shaping a local green economy here in Worcester. Visionary entrepreneur Omar Freilla of Green Worker Co-ops in the Bronx (invited) will discuss his work promoting environmental justice and workplace democracy. Comments from Sarah Assefa of the Green Jobs Coalition, members of the new Institute for Energy Innovation and Sustainability (IEIS), and others from government and business will follow. There will be an opportunities for dialogue in small groups, and in the group as a whole, with light food provided.
Through these Difficult Dialogues programs the Clark and Worcester community have the opportunity to appreciate, learn and practice the skills of dialogue–the practice of conscious exchange in which different views and beliefs can be shared toward the goal of greater mutual understanding.
All of these events are co-sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark.
For more information about any of these events, call x7479. For information about Clark's Difficult Dialogues programs, visit www.clarku.edu/dd/calendars.
Fall Preview Days
Clark University will be sponsoring University Preview Days for prospective college students on three Saturdays (October 17, October 31 and November 14). These day-long programs will offer prospective students and their families the opportunity to experience Clark through the eyes and voices of the Clarkies who will be hosting the University Preview Days.
The program on Saturday, October 31 is designed for students planning to study the sciences while the October 17 and November 14 programs are open to all students considering Clark as a college destination for fall 2010. The University-wide preview days allow an opportunity to see why Clark stands out as a distinctive option, unlike all of the other colleges students may be visiting this fall.
At University Preview Days, visiting students will be assigned a Clark student to help orient them to the campus and to the day’s activities. Guests will have the opportunity to see first-hand the interaction between Clark’s faculty-scholars and our students as they present real-life examples of the Clark undergraduate academic experience. Visitors have the opportunity to tour campus with a Clark student who will introduce them to campus life. Lunch with Clark students will be provided for all visiting students and their families.
University Preview Days
Saturday, October 17, 2009 and Saturday, November 14, 2009
This day is designed for prospective students and their parents so that they have a chance to learn what makes a Clark education distinctive. In addition to admissions and financial aid information, the University Preview Days will feature student presentations, selected department presentations, and campus tours.
Science Preview Day
Saturday, October 31, 2009
This day is designed to provide prospective students and their parents with an in-depth look at Clark’s science and math programs. Sessions will include medical career advising, department exhibits, and hands-on lab demonstrations led by faculty. There will also be an admissions and financial information session, student panel, and campus tours.
Additional information about Clark Preview Days can be found by visiting the Admissions web site at http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/visit/visitus/index.cfm or by calling 1-800-GO- CLARK or 508-793-7431.
Check us out on youtube/Fall Preview Day
Clark grads receive Lund Community Achievement Awards
Efforts include high school mentoring, spurring co-eds to get involved
Recent Clark University graduates Joshua A. Cohen, of Brighton, Mass., and Erin P. Burns-Maine, of East Hartford, Conn., were presented with the John W. Lund Community Achievement Award, during a dinner honoring student scholars on Sept. 30 at Harrington House, the home of University President John Bassett.
Cohen was recognized for his work with the Clark University High School Partnership (CUHSP), where his role as a mentor and as the director brought great stability to this new program. CUHSP reaches out to high school students within the Worcester area, matching them up in small groups or one-on-one with Clark University students, in order to supply a glimpse of the social atmosphere of a college environment. "Josh Cohen's dedication, creative efforts, and passionate belief in the concept and power of mentoring relationships was integral in bringing 60 Clark mentors together with over 100 University Park Campus School and Claremont students, changing the lives of both the Clark students and the neighborhood children forever," said President Bassett.
Cohen graduated from Clark in May 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology and Urban Development and Social Change, and May 2009 with a Master of Arts in Teaching through Clark's Accelerated Degree Program. As an undergraduate student, Cohen was active in the neighborhood surrounding Clark as a volunteer at the Worcester Youth Center and work study student at the Goddard School of Science and Technology. Cohen's commitment to the neighborhood continues, as he is currently teaching at the Goddard School. He is the child of Robert and Jeanne Cohen, and is a graduate of Boston Latin Academy.
As winner of Clark University's 'Big Idea Contest' in 2008, Burns-Maine devoted herself to implementing her plan to educate Clark students about the role they play in the local community and the influence that they have on the local economy. She worked to bridge the gap between Clark students and the community by providing information to incoming students during Week One Orientation to make them more aware of their new neighborhood. This was accomplished through walking maps, alliances with local organizations, and connections with local businesses. Burns-Maine is recognized for her deep commitment to the values of community and service.
Burns-Maine graduated from Clark University in May 2008 with a degree in Sociology, and Urban Development and Social Change, and in August 2009 with a M.A. in Community Development and Planning through Clark's "5th-Year-Free" accelerated degrees program. She was accepted to Clark as a Making a Difference (MAD) Scholar. As an undergraduate student, Burns-Maine served as treasurer of Community Action Reform Education (CARE), worked as an intern at the Central Mass. Housing Alliance, was a Sociology Department research assistant, and volunteered at the Francis Perkins Shelter and the People in Peril (PIP) Shelter. She also spent a semester studying abroad at the Center for Global Education in Namibia, funded by a scholarship from the Marshall Geer McKim Memorial Fund. She is currently employed by the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance in Public Education and Advocacy.
Burns-Maine is a 2004 graduate of the Watkinson School in Hartford and is the daughter of Linda Burns and Gerry Maine of Hartford.
The annual John W. Lund Community Achievement Award was established by Jack Lund, retired business and civic leader of Worcester, a good friend of Clark University, and a familiar face on campus. He has audited classes at Clark for nearly 20 years. Mr. Lund created the award with an endowment to the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. The gift recognizes Mr. Lund's affection for Worcester, and his belief that positive change is created by individual dedication. The endowment provides for a monetary reward to be given annually to a student, faculty, or staff member of Clark University in recognition of contributions made to the Worcester community.
Clark students have new health sciences options at MCPHS
Colleges collaborate on accelerated degrees in nursing, PA and pharmacy
Clark University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) have joined to offer Clark students three new program options that will allow those who qualify to pursue accelerated degrees in health sciences.
Clark students who complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology or a related field may be eligible to transfer to MCPHS-Worcester to complete one of the following programs:
16-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
MCPHS will accept up to three qualified Clark students into the Nursing Program. Required coursework will include classes in chemistry, biology, math and physics.
24-month Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program
One qualified Clark student who has completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology or a related field at Clark can transfer to MCPHS-Worcester to complete the requirements of the PA Program. Required pre-requisite coursework includes classes in chemistry, biology, math and human development.
Doctor of Pharmacy Program
MCPHS will admit up to five qualified Clark students into the Doctor of Pharmacy Program. Required coursework includes classes in English, biology, chemistry, math, physics, psychology, sociology, economics, history or government and humanities.
Clark students will be able to apply a maximum of eight credit hours toward the prerequisite requirements through transfer coursework or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit, with written approval from the Office of Admission at MCPHS.
"We are delighted that this new partnership between the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Clark University will provide new opportunities for Clark students in these fast growing health career fields," said David Angel, Clark University Provost.
"The College's faculty and staff are pleased to enter into this agreement with Clark University," said Michelle Kalis, MCPHS Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. "In a city with so many outstanding hospitals and clinical sites, Worcester is once again proving itself to be a very attractive place to live, learn and remain after graduation."
For more information, contact the Prehealth Program at Clark University, at 508-793-7119, or visit http://www.clarku.edu/departments/prehealth/.
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston's oldest college, is a private, coeducational institution offering graduate, professional and undergraduate degrees in the health sciences. With campuses in Boston, Worcester, and Manchester, New Hampshire, the College enrolls approximately 4,000 students, who are drawn from 35 states and 34 foreign countries, and employs more than 400 faculty and staff.
Luxembourg Ambassador to speak at Clark on Oct. 22
Clark University presents this year's Henry J. Leir Lecture, "Luxembourg: An Example for Political Darwinism," a lecture by His Excellency, the Honorable Jean-Paul Senninger, Luxembourg Ambassador to the United States, at 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 22 in the Lurie Conference Room, first floor of the Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street. The event is sponsored by the Henry J. Leir Luxembourg Program at Clark University.
Jean-Paul Senninger became Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the United States on August 18, 2008. Before his appointment to the United States, he served as Ambassador to Nicaragua, Spain and Turkey.
The Leir Luxembourg Program at Clark University holds an annual lecture series in honor of Dr. h.c. Henry J. Leir, which invites prominent Luxembourg citizens and scholars to give lectures on themes related to Luxembourg and/or European affairs.
This lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. For more information, contact Uwe Gertz at ugertz@clarku.edu or call 508-793-7634.
Clark Brings Home High Marks on Green Report Card
Clark's environmentalism and sustainability practices continue to get high marks on the annual College Sustainability Report Card, widely known as the "Green Report Card" and released by the Sustainable Endowments Institute on Oct. 7. On the 2010 report, the University received a B+ overall, with A's in five categories.
Grading the schools entailed researching publicly available information, conducting surveys of appropriate school officials, and assessing performance with 120 questions across 48 indicators in the following nine categories: Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Food & Recycling, Green Building, Transportation, Student Involvement, Endowment Transparency, Shareholder Engagement and Investment Priorities. The top overall grades were A-minuses, the grade awarded to 26 of more than 330 researched institutions; C-plus was the average overall grade awarded. Clark received A's in the following categories: Climate Change & Energy, Food & Recycling, Green Building, Shareholder Engagement and Investment Priorities. "Sustainability is an important institutional commitment at Clark University. We are especially proud of the leadership and accomplishment demonstrated by our students," said David Angel, Clark University Provost. "Students at Clark bring a lot of creativity and momentum to our sustainability initiatives. Just within the last year students have led the way in creating a bike share program, launching a community garden on campus, establishing an eco-representative program in the residence halls to promote energy and resource conservation, and collaborating with neighborhood organizations in a Summer of Solutions initiative. We believe colleges and universities need to lead the way in demonstrating the real progress that can be made through sustainability initiatives and look forward to building on these accomplishments." The Sustainable Endowments Institute is a Cambridge-based nonprofit organization engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices. Its GreenReportCard.org Web site is a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, providing school profiles and grades along with exclusive insights about sustainability in higher education. "Surprising the skeptics, most schools we surveyed did not let financial reversals undermine their green commitments," said Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Institute. "Colleges are now taking pride in greener campuses and sustainability-savvy investments--increasingly important concerns for parents and students in choosing a school."Clark honors outstanding faculty
Clark honored its outstanding faculty members of the year during a "Welcome Back Faculty" gathering on Sept.16 at Harrington House, home of Clark President John and Kay Bassett.
The ceremony began with an introduction and welcome by Provost David Angel. Interim Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Priscilla Elsass, began by presenting Faculty Fellowship Awards.
Professor of industrial relations Gary Chaison, of the Graduate School of Management, received the Senior Faculty Fellowship Award. Assistant Professor of Art History Kristina Wilson was awarded the Oliver and Dorothy Hayden Junior Faculty Fellowship.
These fellowships provide grants in support of outstanding faculty members personifying the Clark idea of excellence in teaching and excellence in research, scholarship or creative work. Chaison was recognized for his senior scholarship in the field of labor and industrial relations, his strength and popularity as a teacher, and his formal and informal mentoring of faculty within the Graduate School of Management. Wilson was lauded for being a gifted teacher, outstanding scholar, and committed member of the Clark community. Her first book, Livable Modernism: Interior Decorating and Design during the Great Depression has become a major work in the field of art history.
The Hodgkins Junior Faculty Awards were presented to Assistant Professor of Government Michael Butler and Assistant Professor of Economics Junfu Zhang. Butler was recognized for being a prolific author, excellent teacher and valuable member of the faculty. Zhang was lauded for his impressive record of scholarly activity, teaching and service.
Angel then recognized the eight members of faculty who had been awarded tenure: Associate Professor of Economics Sang Hoo Bae; Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Li Han; Associate Professor of Geography Deb Martin; Associate Professor of Geography Colin Polsky; Assistant Professor of Government Paul Posner; Associate Professor of Geography John Rogan; Associate Professor of Government Srinivasan Sitaraman; Associate Professor of Chemistry Luis Smith.
Angel continued by acknowledging faculty who had received promotions. Those promoted to Full Professor include Jacqueline Geoghegan of the Economics and Geography Departments, Janette Greenwood of the History Department, Mark Miller of the Government Department, and Dianne Rocheleau of the Geography Department. John Baker of the Biology Department was also recognized for his Special Promotion to Associate Research Professor.
Associate Dean of the College and Director of Academic Advising Kevin McKenna awarded Jacob and Frances Hiatt Professor of History Drew McCoy and Professor of Government Mark Miller for being Outstanding Advisors. Honorable Mention in the area of outstanding advising was bestowed upon Assistant Professor of Government Michael Butler, Associate Professor of Philosophy Scott Hendricks, and Assistant Professor of English Betsy Huang.
Dean of the College Walter Wright presented the high honor of Outstanding Teacher of the Year to Professor of Sociology Shelly Tenenbaum. Tenenbaum was selected for this award by the graduating class of 2009, making her the second professor, after Research Professor of International Development, Community, and Environment and Women's Studies Cynthia Enloe, to be bestowed with this honor more than once. Tenenbaum first received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 2001.Wright called on the words of a student who nominated Tenenbaum for the award in summarizing her excellence in teaching: "Throughout my four years, I have seen Professor Tenenbaum instill a passion for sociology in myself and other students…[she is] responsible for the many transformative educational experiences I have had at Clark. She is an excellent educator who employs teaching techniques that involve putting theory into practice."
Elsass additionally recognized two graduate Teaching Assistants. Belkis Cerrato-Caceres, of the Department of Economics, served as teaching assistant last year for Assistant Professor Myles Callan and the previous year for Professor John Brown, effectively supporting the undergraduate students in what was a challenging Introduction to Statistics course with a cap of 50 students. Within the Psychology Department, Gabriel Twose was the teaching assistant for graduate and undergraduate statistics, and was recognized for his communication skills, consistency and patience.
GSOM featured in Princeton Review's 'Best 301 Business Schools: 2010'
The Graduate School of Management (GSOM) at Clark University is among the outstanding business schools recognized in The Princeton Review's 2010 edition of its book, "The Best 301 Business Schools" (Random House / Princeton Review), which went on sale Tuesday, Oct. 6.
According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing, "We are pleased to recommend the Graduate School of Management at Clark University to readers of our book and users of our site, Princeton Review.com, as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA. We chose the 301 business schools in this book based on our opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students attending the schools who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools on our survey for the book."
The Clark MBA "is designed to build an excellent foundation in business fundamentals and the critical management judgment needed to analyze complex situations, to plan strategic actions, and to lead people effectively" through a core curriculum of 7- and 14- week classes.
"The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition" has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity and career placement services. In its GSOM profile, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as: "a small graduate business program strong in finance (so strong, in fact, that it offers both an MBA with a finance concentration and a Master of Science in Finance) offering students 'a smaller community' in which they 'get to know teachers personally.' Clark also excels in international and global studies, an area of study that benefits greatly from the international perspectives of a 'diverse student population,' of whom nearly three-quarters originate from outside the U.S."
The profile includes quotes by GSOM students, who say, "the classes are challenging, very interactive, and they give us plenty of opportunity to practice skills, critical decision-making, and business interactions. [Professors here] are accessible for concerns or guidance [and are] extremely accommodating and willing to take the time to make sure that we all succeed."
In a "Survey Says..." sidebar in the profile, The Princeton Review lists topics that Clark GSOM students it surveyed were in most agreement about. The list includes: "friendly students and solid preparation in finance, general management, teamwork, communication/interpersonal skills, and doing business in a global economy." The Princeton Review's 80-question survey for the book asked students about themselves, their career plans, and their schools' academics, student body and campus life.
The Princeton Review does not rank the business schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 301, or name one business school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories. Ten lists are based on The Princeton Review's surveys of 19,000 students attending the 301 business schools profiled in the book. (Only schools that permitted The Princeton Review to survey their students were eligible for consideration for these lists.) Conducted during the 2008-09, 2007-08, and 2006-07 academic years, the student surveys were primarily completed online. One list, "Toughest to Get Into," is based solely on institutional data. (All schools in the book were eligible for consideration for this list.) The lists are posted at Princeton Review.com.
The GSOM is one of 66 schools in the book (22% of the 301) that appear on one or more of the book's ranking lists. It is ranked 71 in "Academic Experience," 68 in "Profs Interesting Rating", and 72 in "Profs Accessible Rating."
"The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition" also has advice on applying to business schools and funding the degree. It is one of 165 Princeton Review books published by Random House. The Princeton Review is based in Framingham, MA: its editorial offices are in New York City. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.
Alumnus' initial gift of $500,000 intensifies Clark's focus on urban education
Dr. Lee Gurel '48 answers an 'obligation' to educators, institutions
Clark alumnus and former Worcester resident Lee Gurel, Ph.D., of Alexandria, Va., has given $500,000 to the University to establish the Endowed Education Fund, aiming to help "share the secret" of Clark's model of effective urban education.
The gift provides for a permanent endowment designed to help close the gap between research and practice, promising to leverage the effectiveness of Clark's Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise through mobilization of rigorous use-inspired research that improves the field of urban education. The fund will support research on the effectiveness of teachers in urban schools, the role of school leadership in educational performance, and the welfare of children and families as it relates to school success, and will enable others to learn from the successes of the University Park Campus School and the lessons uncovered by the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education
Dr. Gurel was born in Europe in 1926 and came to the U.S. when he was three years old. He grew up in Worcester and attended Worcester public schools, graduating from Classical High School in 1943 and earning a B.A. in psychology at Clark in 1948. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University in 1950 and 1952, respectively.
Dr. Gurel enjoyed a long career as a research psychologist with the Veterans Administration. He last held the position of Chief of Research in Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at the Washington, D.C. VA Hospital. He retired from full-time work in the early 1990s but continued in a part-time consulting role until 1998.
"I feel that I—as we all do—owe a debt to the teachers and institutions that equipped us for fuller, more satisfying lives," said Dr. Gurel. "The concept of debt goes beyond what fundraisers preach as 'giving back.' A contribution to education, for me, goes beyond that choice, that volitional act. No matter how inadequate it may have been, we have an obligation, a debt, to repay education for equipping us with life style tools and for enriching our lives."
"All of Clark is deeply grateful to Dr. Gurel for his generosity and commitment," said Bill Mosakowski '76, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and founding donor (along with his wife, Jane Mosakowski '75) of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise. "I am hopeful that his gift will serve as an example to other alumni to create new endowments within the Institute that will catalyze useful research across a wide range of issues."
The establishment of this Endowed Education Fund will encompass a variety of activities:
- The Gurel Speakers Fund will provide opportunities for high-level discussions and workshops surrounding issues of education on and off the Clark campus.
- The Gurel Faculty Development Fund will provide seed money to enhance faculty research and leverage discovery of new ideas and practices related to urban education and teacher development. In addition to supporting Clark faculty, the fund may be used to support visiting faculty or practitioners who have special contributions to make to Clark's understanding of urban education.
- The Gurel Student Research Fellowship Fund will supply stipends for undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral researchers in order that they may develop and enhance skills linking research and practice. Gurel Fellowships will enable select students to conduct research that provides insights into enduring solutions surrounding the challenges of urban school education on a project directed by the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and/or Clark faculty.
"Dr. Gurel is passionate about education, because he has felt its impact on his own life," said Jim Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, which oversees the endowed fund. "His extraordinarily generous gift will help Clark researchers discover knowledge that will improve the lives of future generations of urban students."
Dr. Gurel said he compares gifting to education to a loan from the bank. "You really have no choice but to repay that debt to the bank -- or else! There's no such ironclad requirement for repaying the debt for your schooling. But, ideally, we should feel the obligation as a moral imperative as binding as the legal requirement. I think that's especially true in our society where we keep public education on a starvation diet (compared to other industrialized nations) and where so much of the population begrudges tax dollars for schools."
Dr. Gurel has a long history of philanthropy at Clark and beyond, always with a focus on improving education. In 1995, he established the Lee Gurel/John E. Bell Endowed Student/Faculty Achievement Award which recognizes an outstanding student in psychology and the professor the student deemed most crucial to his or her success. John E. Bell was Dr. Gurel's favorite professor while he was a student at Clark; his gift, he claims, is "distinctly a reflection of [his] debt to [Bell]."
In 1999, he established the Gurel Asian Studies Endowed Fund, which allows for an annual prize to outstanding students in Asian Studies. In 2004, he funded a collaboration between Clark University and the American Psychological Association to advance the teaching of psychology at the pre-collegiate level. In recent years, he established a prize within the Worcester Public Schools system that recognizes students for outstanding achievement in AP English.
Although Dr. Gurel has funded physical facilities for learning (a Learning Center at the APA Library and a circulation desk at Northern Virginia Community College), he prefers to focus his gifts on something personally relevant to him or on areas of study that need support. For instance, while taking classes at Northern Virginia Community College, he observed a fellow student struggling to stay awake during class because she was stretching herself thin, trying to make ends meet. Dr. Gurel later established a scholarship fund to provide emergency assistance to students. "Sometimes, there are very small amounts that spell the difference between whether students can stay enrolled or not," said Dr. Gurel.
"I'm definitely not a wealthy individual," said Dr. Gurel. "I was on a salary all my life and was never in any lucrative kind of field. I have enough money to make some donations." This most recent gift, he says, "is an expression of [his] faith in the University and what it can do with a little extra [money]."
Dr. Gurel is married to Linda Loy and has two children from a previous marriage.
Climate warming expert to present Atwood Lectures
The Graduate School of Geography at Clark University will present two public lectures by acclaimed biogeographer Glen MacDonald as part of the Wallace W. Atwood Lecture Series, Oct. 8 and 9.
"Climate Warming, Perfect Droughts, and Societal Challenges" 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8, in Razzo Hall at the Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing St. A reception will follow.
"Climate Warming and Arctic Response – Some Insights from the Long View" Noon, Friday, Oct. 9, in the Fuller Music Room 422 in the Goddard Library Light refreshments will be provided.
Professor MacDonald, a professor of geography and of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA, teaches and researches topics related to climate change, drought, fire, vegetation dynamics, human-environmental interactions, and environmental restoration. He conducts research in the Canadian and Russian Arctic, the Canadian boreal forest zone, West Africa, and the western United States, including California and Hawaii.
MacDonald has published more than 100 articles in such journals as Science, Geophysical Research Letters, Quaternary Research, and Global Biogeochemical Cycles, and has presented his research to government bodies such as the US Senate Appropriations Committee. His work has been highlighted by high-profile news media including ABC News, NBC News, National Public Radio, and National Geographic. Among many other awards and accomplishments, MacDonald is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a recipient of UCLA distinguished teacher award, and was included in the Discover Magazine Top 100 Science Stories for 2005.
The Wallace W. Atwood Lecture Series honors the founder and first director of the Graduate School of Geography and President of Clark University (1921-46). The series annually presents eminent speakers in the field of geography.
These lectures are free and open to the public. For more information please contact the Graduate School of Geography at 508-793-7282.
Famous father-son marathon team celebrates inclusion
Clark invites the public to a motivational presentation by Dick Hoyt, of the inspirational marathon/triathlon father-son duo known as Team Hoyt, beginning at 7 pm. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall, on Downing Street. The free, public event is organized by the University's Office of Intercultural Affairs.
Team Hoyt's story centers on love and inclusion. According to the team's Web site, Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, who was born a quadriplegic, have participated in hundreds of races. "For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick."
Dick Hoyt, recently retired as a lieutenant colonel in the air nation guard, and his family are champions of Rick's "quest for independence and inclusion in community activities, sports, school and the workplace." Rick is a graduate of Boston University.
The event is sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Affairs (OIA), with sponsorship from Clark's Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Department of Athletics, Residential Life and Housing, Speaker's Forum and Student Council.
For more information, contact the OIA, at 508-793-7362.
To learn more visit teamhoyt.com.Inspiration from Team Hoyt at Clark Oct. 14
Clark invites the public to a motivational presentation by Dick Hoyt, of the inspirational marathon/triathlon father-son duo known as Team Hoyt, beginning at 7 pm. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall, on Downing Street. The free, public event is organized by the University's Office of Intercultural Affairs.
Team Hoyt's story centers on love and inclusion. According to the team's Web site, Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, who was born a quadriplegic, have participated in hundreds of races. "For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick."
Dick Hoyt, recently retired as a lieutenant colonel in the air nation guard, and his family are champions of Rick's "quest for independence and inclusion in community activities, sports, school and the workplace." Rick is a graduate of Boston University.
The event is sponsored by the Office of Intercultural Affairs (OIA), with sponsorship from Clark's Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Department of Athletics, Residential Life and Housing, Speaker's Forum and Student Council.
For more information, contact the OIA, at 508-793-7362.
To learn more visit teamhoyt.com.Mass. Clean Energy Center Awards $150,000 Grant
Institute Will Provide City with New Economic Engine
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (CEC) has awarded a grant of $150,000 to the newly formed Institute for Energy Innovation and Sustainability (IEIS) in Worcester to support the start-up phase of its operations. The IEIS grew out of discussions led by U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, and involved local university, civic, and business leaders. The primary goal of the IEIS is economic development and job growth in the clean and alternative energy, energy conservation, and sustainability sectors.
"I am pleased to see this initiative take root," McGovern said. "This region is teeming with the innovators and entrepreneurs in these important fields. Collaboration across the business, education, and government sectors will accelerate company and job growth, promote cleaner and more sustainable sources and uses of energy, and aid citizens in managing their costs of living. The IEIS has the potential to position Worcester as a model city for the development and use of sustainable technologies, and for the conservation of its energy resources."
Clark University and WPI have hosted the early meetings of the IEIS, and are collaborating to recruit an executive director for the Institute. "Clark and WPI together bring expertise in science, technology, and public policy that will be instrumental in attracting additional members to this venture and in laying the groundwork for success," said McGovern. "Once again they are demonstrating the tangible value that universities bring to our community."
The IEIS will assemble the region's experts in renewable energy and environmental policy to make progress on the three related goals of the sustainability initiative: energy conservation, scientific advances in sustainable energy production, and jobs creation. The IEIS will concentrate on implementing existing energy-saving technologies; generating energy from sustainable sources; and developing new ways to create, transmit, store and use energy. These activities will help support job growth in energy conservation businesses, and will help create new jobs through the commercialization of innovative energy technologies.
Energy sustainability shows great promise for economic development in Worcester. According to a recent study by Pew Charitable Trusts, between 1998 and 2007 the "clean energy economy" surpassed all other job sectors with a growth of 9.1 percent, yielding a total of 777,000 jobs in the U.S. Pew also noted that, in 2008, approximately 80 percent of venture capital investments were focused on the clean energy and energy efficiency sector, and, in 2009, the "cleantech" sector outperformed all other venture capital sectors. Looking ahead, the report cites President Obama's $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as a significant driver of the clean-energy economy because it provides $85 billion in direct spending and tax incentives for energy and transportation-related programs. The study concluded that, benefiting from financial support from the public and private sectors, the clean energy economy is poised to grow significantly.
"The development of renewable sources of energy as well as the design, manufacture, and adoption of products and services that are less energy- and carbon-intensive are essential to both the Commonwealth's economy and our quality of life," said Ian Bowles, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). "Clark University and WPI bring substantial complementary capabilities to this enterprise, and can help the IEIS establish a structure to carry out the research, education, training, and business development activities to make this initiative a success."
All of Worcester's educational institutions will be encouraged to participate. The region's technical high schools and community colleges are expected to play major roles in developing the job skills required in sustainability-related research, development, and deployment. In addition, involvement by local government agencies and area corporations is essential to success.
"WPI is eager to participate in the IEIS," said WPI President and CEO Dennis D. Berkey, "This initiative reflects our sustainability values and our motto, 'Theory and Practice.' WPI brings experience and knowledge in the areas of alternative energy and environmental sciences, economic development, and sustainability. Putting this knowledge to work in this forward-thinking initiative will help make Worcester 'greener,' and provide the city with a powerful economic engine."
Clark University President John Bassett added, "The IEIS is a win-win for everyone involved. Clark is committed to a philosophy of 'Making a Difference' in our world. To that end, the Institute provides a superb opportunity for us to help residents and businesses in Worcester by sharing our knowledge and intellectual capital in such areas as the sciences, economic development, environmental policy, risk analysis, and geographic information sciences."
A search is under way for the Institute's executive director, who will coordinate efforts and focus initially on three key points: scientific research, energy usage, and jobs. In addition, the executive director will be responsible for identifying funding sources to sustain and enhance the Institute's programs and will assemble an advisory board representing corporations, government, citizens' groups, and universities.
Worcester is especially well poised to become a hub for sustainable energy thanks to the knowledge-base that exists here, the concentration of enterprises able to translate research into commercial applications, and the large pool of skilled labor. The area's talent pool has already proven a tremendous asset for developing Worcester's manufacturing, healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Over the years, Worcester's city officials and residents have also demonstrated their dedication to sustainability. In 2003, the city unveiled a Climate Action Plan, a commitment to significantly lower its greenhouse gas emissions. In 2005, City Manager Michael O'Brien appointed 14 representatives from city government, businesses, universities, and the environmental community to Worcester's Energy Task Force. The city also recently hired an energy consultant to manage this effort. Details can be found here: http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/reports/CAP_ExecutiveSummary.pdf
About the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center was created by The Green Jobs Act of 2008 to accelerate job growth and economic development in the state's clean energy industry. This new quasi-public agency serves as a clearinghouse and support center for the clean energy sector, making direct investments in new and existing companies, providing assistance to enable companies to access capital and other vital resources for growth, and promoting training programs to build a strong clean energy workforce that capitalizes on the job opportunities created by a vital new industry.
About Clark University Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with more than 2,200 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Clark's Environmental Science and Policy graduate program was one of the first environmental programs in the country to explore relationships among environmental science, technology, and society. On campus, Clark professors teach sustainability, students lead a Clean Energy program and live and conduct research in LEED-certified green buildings. Clark earned a B+ overall rating on the College Sustainability Report Card 2009.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. WPI's 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's faculty work with students in a number of advanced research areas, leading to innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students put WPI's Theory and Practice philosophy to use in communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are 25 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.
Clark U marks centennial of Freud visit
Public events slated, including Sophie Freud talk, 'Living Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family' - Oct. 3
Sigmund Freud visited Clark University in September 1909, his only visit to the United States, his only lecture at a university in the Americas, and his only honorary degree from a North American institution.
After arriving in and touring New York in late August, Freud and others sailed to Fall River to board a train for Worcester. They joined many notable scientists for the famous Clark Conferences, organized by Clark president by G. Stanley Hall to mark the 20th anniversary of the research university.
At the time, the conference attracted nationwide attention. Other participants included such influential thinkers as Carl Jung, Ernest Rutherford and Franz Boas. Audience members included William James, who had a long conversation with Freud on the campus, and Emma Goldman, who writes about the event in her memoirs, describing "the array of professors, looking stiff and important in their caps and gowns." The conferences garnered some colorful reportage of the day in Boston, New York and Worcester. The Worcester paper wrote: "All Types at Clark ... Men with Bulging Brains Have Time for Occasional Smiles."
To mark the centennial of this famous occasion, some of the world's leading scientists will gather at Clark to explore the workings of the mind and new developments in the study of brain and genetics, the psychological approach, and how thought, motivation and emotion play a role in behavior.
The academic conferences, from Oct. 3 to 5, form the centerpiece of Clark's centennial commemoration, "Great Minds Come to Clark – Freud Revisited." A "Global Freud" symposium and President's Lecture will be held in November.
The public is invited to the following free, public lectures:
Sophie Freud, professor emeritus of social work at Simmons College, will present a talk and selected readings from her book, "Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family," beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall, Downing Street.
Professor Freud, previously a practicing clinical social worker and supervisor, was born in Vienna and lived near her famed grandfather, psychologist Sigmund Freud, until she emigrated with her mother, first to France and then to the United States. Sophie Freud attended Harvard College and the Simmons School of Social Work. She continues teaching and writing in her retirement.
"Electrotherapy Then and Now: Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Treatments in Psychiatry" is the topic of a public lecture by Global Freud Symposium keynote speaker Sander Gilman, presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing Street.
A cultural and literary historian, author and editor, Gilman is a distinguished professor of the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University, where he is the Director of the Program in Psychoanalysis and the Health Sciences Humanities Initiative. Gilman is currently working on a biography of Sigmund Freud.
For more information on the 1909 conference and details about the 2009 commemoration, visit Clark's Freud Centennial Web site.
President Bassett Announces Plans to Step Down
Dramatic Advances Made and Challenges Met during Decade at Helm
President John E. Bassett has announced plans to step down from the duties of his office on July 1, 2010.
"Ten years seems about the right time for a university president," Bassett said, "at least for me. Kay and I decided that we'd like to pursue one more career challenge. I hope to be able to share more as our plans evolve, but I can assure you they will be shaped by our ten years at Clark, just as the Clark experience changes our students, staff, and faculty forever."
President Bassett began his work at Clark in July 2000 and was formally installed as the University's eighth president in March 2001.
During a decade marked by tumultuous global and domestic crises and a dramatically altered higher education landscape, Bassett has worked closely with faculty, alumni and friends of the University to advance academic goals and strengthen Clark's reputation as a research institution. Under his tenure, Clark has significantly strengthened its position in the undergraduate marketplace, becoming a more highly selective university.
At a time when the stock market has been essentially flat, Clark's endowment during Bassett's tenure has increased from $152 million to $240 million, a gain of 58 percent. In addition, annual endowment income over that span has grown 124 percent, from $5.8 million to $13 million.
More than half of the current faculty came to Clark during Bassett's term, and "these teacher-scholars have already had a big impact on student learning, on University research, and on the campus culture," Bassett said.
William S. Mosakowski, chairman of Clark's Board of Trustees, said "John's leadership has strengthened the university for many years to come. He has set a tone for the campus, bringing together faculty, students, alumni, and the board to improve the university collaboratively. He has kept us focused on the best interests of the University, improved fundraising, renewed our focus on science, oversaw many material improvements and recruited a significant number of our current faculty and administration".
Bassett is widely recognized as an active and enthusiastic champion of community and social justice, committed to Clark's involvement in its urban environment and beyond.
"John Bassett has not just been an incredible leader in higher education; he has been a passionate and effective advocate for the Central Massachusetts community at large," said Congressman Jim McGovern. "His commitment to economic development, social justice and our youth will be felt for generations to come. It's been a real joy to work closely with President Bassett over the last decade, and I'm proud to call him my friend."
President Bassett has sharpened the University's focus on liberal education and effective practice, positioning Clark to lead the charge in preparing undergraduates to become engaged citizens and responsible professionals. As a member of the Association of American College and Universities' President's Trust, Bassett is at the fore of a movement among higher education leaders who advocate for a strong liberal education. The President's Trust endeavors to offer students "significantly expanded economic opportunities, while also fostering intellectual resilience, civic capacity and knowledge of the wider world."
In 2006, through a generous gift to the University, Clark established the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, focused on enhancing government through use-inspired research to address major social issues in America and abroad.
Bassett was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University from 1993 to 2000. He is a scholar and teacher of American literature, publishing 11 books, including "Sherwood Anderson: An American Career" (Susquehanna University Press 2005), more than 30 professional articles, and a newly published annotated bibliography of recent criticism on William Faulkner (Scarecrow Press, 2009).
"This is an important transition period for Clark," Mosakowski said. "We have one year left of the five-year academic and financial plan that John authored and we are expecting to launch a capital campaign in the near future. This is the right time to begin to look ahead to the next ten years and a good time to assess our options for new leadership.
"By being flexible with his schedule, John Bassett has given us the opportunity to embark on a deliberate and comprehensive search process. We intend to use this time to our advantage and make sure that we get the strongest candidate," Mosakowski said. "Higher education is in a rapidly changing environment and we will be looking for a leader that can help Clark navigate this new world and take advantage of the opportunities it presents."
Further background:
As Clark President, Bassett has significantly upgraded information technology and alumni programs, improved overall student quality, completed a campus master plan, recruited 83 new faculty, and successfully closed a $100 million capital campaign at $106 million. He has more clearly focused academic, research, and co-curricular programs tied to Clark's signature focus on experiencing diverse cultures, learning through inquiry, and making a difference. He has completed several major facility-improvement projects. Under his leadership, Clark built the Lasry Center for Bioscience, which received a LEED Gold Certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. Clark also renovated the 32,000 square-foot biophysics building, the second oldest building on campus. The Traina Center for the Arts, the result of a $7 million renovation and expansion project, opened in October 2002, and the reconfigured athletic fields and Dolan Field House were available in May 2003. Blackstone Hall opened for students for the 2007-2008 academic year, a Silver LEEDcertified, apartment-style residence hall. The Academic Commons at Goddard Library was completed in 2008.
Clark's commitment to its neighborhood and the city of Worcester has remained an important focus for Bassett. In addition to the University's work through the $40 million Main South and University Park Partnership, Clark is a key participant in a citywide education reform effort that earned an $8 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation. Clark is also part of a $35 million initiative in the Kilby-Gardner area resulting in 80 new housing units, a new Boys and Girls Club, and a Clark athletic field.
The University Park Campus School (UPCS) continues to be a uniquely successful project in education reform in a low-income urban area. It was the only New England school listed by Newsweek in 2005 among the 100 best American public high schools and the only urban high school in Massachusetts designated as "high-performing." In 2004 Clark received the first Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Award in Massachusetts for the most outstanding college-community partnership in the Commonwealth.
President Bassett serves in the Worcester area on the boards of Old Sturbridge Village, the Chamber of Commerce, and Common Pathways. He is a corporator of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and chairs the Leadership Advisory Council of Edward Street Child Services. He is co-chair of the Executive Committees of Massachusetts Campus Compact. He served on the transition team of Gov. Deval Patrick and co-chaired the Governor's Readiness subcommittee on public higher education. He has chaired the boards of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts and the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium.
Nationally, Bassett is vice-chair of the Board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He served on a commission of the American Council on Education and is on the board of Phi Beta Kappa Fellows. He is on the board of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, overseeing accreditation practices in higher education.
Clark Holocaust Historian to launch new book
On Thursday, September 10, Deborah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and the director of Clark University's Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, will discuss her new book, "Flight From the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933-1946" (W.W. Norton & Co., April 2009), at 7:30 p.m. in Tilton Hall, 2nd floor of the Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street, Worcester.
The book--her fourth co-authored with Professor Robert Jan Van Pelt of Waterloo University-- is built around the stories of Hitler's first victims, Jews who fled Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1939. The book examines the ever-dwindling choices open to asylum seekers, and the often painful decisions of the people who dealt with them – consuls, immigration officers and other government officials, church, health and social workers, volunteers and private individuals. Government policy and individual practice, and international action and local initiatives loomed large in this chapter of Holocaust history.
Adam Kirsh of The New Republic writes, "The refugees Dwork and van Pelt write about…were largely assimilated Jews in an advanced, urban society, and their stories offer the all-too-imaginable scenario of law-abiding citizens whose government turns, gradually but inexorably, into their enemy."
Dwork told Jewish Week that "the past can offer us guideposts and points to think about," referring to current examples of economic and political refugees and how communities might prepare for the absorption of such refugees. "When I look at the way Jewish refugees have enriched communities where they settled -- in terms of human capital, not money -- I feel great about refugees coming to my community, and look forward to their participation," she said.
A reception will follow the book launch. For more information, please call 508-793-8897.
For more information on the book, visit http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Reich-Refugee-Jews-1933-1946/dp/0393062295
The mission of the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is to educate undergraduate and graduate students about genocide and the Holocaust; to host a lecture series, free of charge and open to the public; to use scholarship to address current problems stemming from the murderous past; and to participate in the public discussion about a host of issues ranging from the significance of state-sponsored denial of the Armenian genocide and well-funded denial of the Holocaust to intervention in and prevention of genocidal situations today.
Holocaust Historian to launch new book
On Thursday, September 10, Deborah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust History and the director of Clark University's Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, will discuss her new book, "Flight From the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933-1946" (W.W. Norton & Co., April 2009), at 7:30 p.m. in Tilton Hall, 2nd floor of the Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street, Worcester.
The book--her fourth co-authored with Professor Robert Jan Van Pelt of Waterloo University-- is built around the stories of Hitler's first victims, Jews who fled Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1939. The book examines the ever-dwindling choices open to asylum seekers, and the often painful decisions of the people who dealt with them – consuls, immigration officers and other government officials, church, health and social workers, volunteers and private individuals. Government policy and individual practice, and international action and local initiatives loomed large in this chapter of Holocaust history.
Adam Kirsh of The New Republic writes, "The refugees Dwork and van Pelt write about…were largely assimilated Jews in an advanced, urban society, and their stories offer the all-too-imaginable scenario of law-abiding citizens whose government turns, gradually but inexorably, into their enemy."
Dwork told Jewish Week that "the past can offer us guideposts and points to think about," referring to current examples of economic and political refugees and how communities might prepare for the absorption of such refugees. "When I look at the way Jewish refugees have enriched communities where they settled -- in terms of human capital, not money -- I feel great about refugees coming to my community, and look forward to their participation," she said.
A reception will follow the book launch. For more information, please call 508-793-8897.
For more information on the book, visit http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Reich-Refugee-Jews-1933-1946/dp/0393062295
The mission of the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is to educate undergraduate and graduate students about genocide and the Holocaust; to host a lecture series, free of charge and open to the public; to use scholarship to address current problems stemming from the murderous past; and to participate in the public discussion about a host of issues ranging from the significance of state-sponsored denial of the Armenian genocide and well-funded denial of the Holocaust to intervention in and prevention of genocidal situations today.
ASU and Clark partner to help world tourism industry improve communities
The tourism industry is the world's largest employer, and a new collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Clark University is devoted to making it more responsible to communities.
ASU's Megapolitan Tourism Research Center and Clark's George Perkins Marsh Institute are developing several international and national projects focusing on the role of travel and tourism in the social, economic and environmental prosperity of small and large communities.
With support from Southwest Airlines and other industry partners, the first project to be launched is a Social Responsibility Program for the hospitality industries of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz. Set to begin this fall, the program will highlight ways in which participating organizations can better serve their communities.
The program will culminate with a workshop in which organizations can earn a Social Responsibility Seal, designating them as valued community partners who work toward improving the quality of life for local residents. The workshop will feature customized social responsibility reports for each participating business, pinpointing areas of highest return on investments among environmental protection, job creation and charitable giving.
"The tourism industry can do a much better job of using its huge economic engine to improve the quality of communities and the lives of their residents," says Dr. Timothy Tyrrell, professor and director of the Megapolitan Tourism Research Center. "The university collaboration will help the industry better align its activities with the needs and values of the public."
Tourism contributes to communities in many ways, such as generating tax revenues and jobs, and supporting cultural, environmental and entertainment opportunities for residents in communities that could not otherwise justify them.
But there are many other advantages which aren't being fully explored, Tyrrell says. The ASU-Clark collaboration involves creating programs that could be used on a large-scale level to make additional improvements like reducing poverty, preserving historical and ecological sites, reducing traveling risks, and increasing the benefits from leisure activities.
Future projects will include further development of the social responsibility measurement toolkit, and applications to new and renewed tourism development projects in Europe and Asia.
"This initiative complements prior work on the environmental sustainability of tourism with a more holistic perspective on the many ways that tourism can benefit the public," says Dr. Robert Johnston, professor of economics and director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute.
The Megapolitan Tourism Research Center is devoted to studying the role of tourism in community development in order to strengthen its contribution to viable economic, social and environmental systems, especially in megapolitan regions around the world. The center is part of the School of Community Resources & Development, located in the College of Public Programs at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. For information, visit: http://mtrc.asu.edu/portal.
The George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University provides national and international leadership in studying the relationship between society, human behavior, and the environment. This includes interdisciplinary and collaborative research, education and public information on the human dimensions of global change. For information, visit: http://www.clarku.edu/departments/marsh/
New project helps tourism help communities
The tourism industry is the world's largest employer, and a new collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Clark University is devoted to making it more responsible to communities.
ASU's Megapolitan Tourism Research Center and Clark's George Perkins Marsh Institute are developing several international and national projects focusing on the role of travel and tourism in the social, economic and environmental prosperity of small and large communities.
With support from Southwest Airlines and other industry partners, the first project to be launched is a Social Responsibility Program for the hospitality industries of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz. Set to begin this fall, the program will highlight ways in which participating organizations can better serve their communities.
The program will culminate with a workshop in which organizations can earn a Social Responsibility Seal, designating them as valued community partners who work toward improving the quality of life for local residents. The workshop will feature customized social responsibility reports for each participating business, pinpointing areas of highest return on investments among environmental protection, job creation and charitable giving.
"The tourism industry can do a much better job of using its huge economic engine to improve the quality of communities and the lives of their residents," says Dr. Timothy Tyrrell, professor and director of the Megapolitan Tourism Research Center. "The university collaboration will help the industry better align its activities with the needs and values of the public."
Tourism contributes to communities in many ways, such as generating tax revenues and jobs, and supporting cultural, environmental and entertainment opportunities for residents in communities that could not otherwise justify them.
But there are many other advantages which aren't being fully explored, Tyrrell says. The ASU-Clark collaboration involves creating programs that could be used on a large-scale level to make additional improvements like reducing poverty, preserving historical and ecological sites, reducing traveling risks, and increasing the benefits from leisure activities.
Future projects will include further development of the social responsibility measurement toolkit, and applications to new and renewed tourism development projects in Europe and Asia.
"This initiative complements prior work on the environmental sustainability of tourism with a more holistic perspective on the many ways that tourism can benefit the public," says Dr. Robert Johnston, professor of economics and director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute.
The Megapolitan Tourism Research Center is devoted to studying the role of tourism in community development in order to strengthen its contribution to viable economic, social and environmental systems, especially in megapolitan regions around the world. The center is part of the School of Community Resources & Development, located in the College of Public Programs at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. For information, visit: http://mtrc.asu.edu/portal.
The George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University provides national and international leadership in studying the relationship between society, human behavior, and the environment. This includes interdisciplinary and collaborative research, education and public information on the human dimensions of global change. For information, visit: http://www.clarku.edu/departments/marsh/
New Dean of Admissions
Clark announces the appointment of Don Honeman as Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. Honeman joined the Clark community on August 3 after serving as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
At UMass Dartmouth, Honeman lead the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, Transfer Affairs, the University Enrollment Center, and the Academic Resources Center. Previously, he served as Dean of Admissions and Enrollment Planning at the University of Vermont. During his 16-year tenure at UVM, he led the university's undergraduate admissions, financial aid and scholarship programs during periods of unprecedented growth in applications, enrollments and student academic quality. Before joining UVM, Honeman served as director of financial aid at campuses of the University of Maine and the Massachusetts State College systems.
"I am thrilled that such a highly regarded leader in the field of admissions has joined our senior team. Don Honeman is perfectly suited to be the Dean at Clark," said Clark University President John Bassett.
At the University of Vermont, Honeman led the implementation of a comprehensive early college-planning program for students from urban high schools. Piloted at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx, the program served as the leading edge of an effort that resulted in the doubling of enrollment of students from under-represented populations at UVM.
Honeman is a Trustee of the College Board, elected in 2005, and previously served as chair of the College Board's regional Financial Aid Division Advisory Committee and as representative to the New England Regional Council of the College Board. Additionally, he has served on the national College Scholarship Service Committee on Standards of Ability to Pay, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation Advisory Commission and as chair of the Massachusetts State College Financial Aid Officers Group.
"Those of us who work in college admissions have focused our careers on helping young people and their families identify educational opportunities that will allow them to contribute to their local and global communities while leading meaningful personal lives," Honeman says. "Clark offers those opportunities in a way that is especially compelling to me. Having spent many of my formative years overseas, having been the beneficiary of an extraordinary liberal arts undergraduate education and having had the professional opportunity to help change students' lives, the signature elements of a Clark education are a perfect match for my own passions."
A graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Honeman earned his master's degree in higher education administration from George Washington University.
Honeman and his wife reside in Providence, R.I. They have two children.
IDCE Professor Kiran Asher releases new book
Kiran Asher, associate professor of International Development and Social Change, and Women's Studies published "Black and Green: Afro-Colombians, Development, and Nature in the Pacific Lowlands" (Duke University Press). The book provides a powerful framework for reconceptualizing the relationship between neoliberal development and social movements. Moving beyond the notion that development is a hegemonic, homogenizing force that victimizes local communities, Asher argues that development processes and social movements shape each other in uneven and paradoxical ways. For more on her book, visit http://tinyurl.com/mqw5qs
Earlier this year, Asher spent three months in India on a Fulbright Indo-American Environmental Leadership Program award conducting research on the political economy of biodiversity conservation, and its raced and gendered dimensions.
Asher is also engaged in collaborative research to explore and compare how the "environment" and environmental issues open, and circumscribe, new spaces for the expression of social, cultural, and livelihood concerns of black and indigenous communities in Colombia and Chile. This work is conducted through a grant from the initiative on "Social Movements, Civic Participation, and Democratic Innovation: Interrogating the Civil Society Agenda" at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Asher joined the IDCE faculty in the fall of 2002.
Returning from a summer at the Smithsonian
When senior Mikal C. Brotnov returns to campus next week, it won't take him long to get back into the swing of things. He virtually never stopped studying.
With funding from the Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Fund for Scholars of Holocaust Studies, Brotnov spent the earlier part of the summer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., where he assisted in the development of education materials for school audiences in support of the museum's National Education Initiative.
Brotnov said that growing up on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation gave him an opportunity "to interact with a unique history--one that intersects [his] own familial history with the tribes." His summer internship enabled him to learn how museums and other types of institutions take scholarly work and create meaningful narratives for the public.
In addition to his Belfer award, Brotnov was one of 11 Clark undergraduates who received a Steinbrecher Fellowship to support creative research and community service projects this summer and throughout the 2009-2010 academic year. He used this funding to travel to the National Archives and Record Administration in Seattle to conduct research, and to attend a powwow in Kamiah, Idaho, where he photographed the ritual celebration of the Nimiipuu. He is currently working on creating a photographic essay to showcase how the Nimiipuu's Lookingglass Days helps formulate personal and communal identity.
On being notified of his Fellowship, Brotnov wrote:
Being selected as a Steinbrecher Fellow affords me the unique opportunity to intertwine two passions of mine--archival research and photography. I envision this fellowship fostering various forms of ongoing dialogue between the tribe and me. My goal is to help bridge a gap between the world in which I grew up--the reservation--and the academic world, where I am today.
Brotnov shares the emotions and his experiences on his blog: http://web.me.com/zeropointdl/STEINBRECHER/Blog/Blog.html
An excerpt from his blog on Monday, Aug. 17:
I had completed a research proposal on the missionary Henry Spalding for Writing History in spring 2009 and visiting the site where the mission and the church still reside was gut wrenching for me. I already despised the man before I got there, but words fail me when I try to describe the anger and mixed bag of emotions I had just being near it.
Later that day, Brotnov wrote about documents he came across in his research:
Many scholars who do not think that Native Americans have suffered from genocide have really never read article 2, section e. The government actively participated in genocide through its Indian boarding schools. Reading the letters of mothers pleading with superintendents to allow their children to come home took a toll on me.
Originally from Kamiah, Idaho, Brotnov is a 1994 graduate of Kamiah High School and a first-generation college student. In 2008, he was selected as one of 46 recipients for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Foundation. A history major, Brotnov focuses his academic work on two marginalized groups: Native Americans and homosexuals in the Holocaust. He expects to receive his undergraduate degree in 2010 and intends to continue at Clark until he completes his Ph.D. in Holocaust History and Genocide Studies.
According to Clark Sociology Professor Parminder Bhachu, Brotnov "is biographically well suited to this research and will bring his personal experience to bear on developing deeper understanding for this research."
The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Fund for Scholars of Holocaust Studies was established in 1997 to provide annual awards to two or more undergraduate students for research or internships related to the Holocaust.
Steinbrecher Fellowships encourage and support Clark undergraduates in their pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects. The Fellowship Program, established in 2006 in memory of David C. Steinbrecher, class of '81, by his parents, Phyllis and Stephen Steinbrecher, class of '55, is funded by generous gifts from them and from other family members and friends of David.
New tenure-track faculty
Mark Davidson, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Geography, will begin at Clark in January 2010. Davidson is an urban geographer whose research interests include gentrification, urban policy, metropolitan politics and social justice. He most recently served as a research fellow at the Urban Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
Shu (Susan) Feng, assistant professor in Clark's Graduate School of Management (GSOM). Feng's research focuses on risk management, derivatives, asset pricing, and investments. Feng received her Ph.D. in economics with a concentration in finance and econometrics from Boston University. She was a teaching fellow for functional and strategic finance at Harvard Business School this past spring.
Esther L. Jones, assistant professor in the English Department. Jones specializes in the study of black women writers in the Americas, with a focus on the intersections of race, gender, class, and nationality and the theorization of difference. She served as a visiting assistant professor in the Departments of Women's Studies and English at Emory University, and most recently served as the first postdoctoral fellow with the Race and Difference Initiative at the university's Institute for Critical International Studies.
Gideon Maschler, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Maschler has held visiting scholarships and assistant professorships in a number of institutions, including the Max Planck Institute in Bonn and the University of Toronto. His specialty is complex differential geometry, a field that has connections with theoretical Physics. His efforts center on the search for a distinguished shape of a given space.
Ravi K. Perry, assistant professor in the Government Department. Perry recently served as a teaching assistant at Brown University and as a visiting instructor at Wheaton College. His teaching interests include African-American politics, urban and local politics, race and representation, American politics and public policy and contemporary political theory (modern political thought, liberalism and its critics, Black political thought, and critical race theory).
Ravi Sharma, associate professor in the Philosophy Department. Sharma is a specialist in ancient Greek philosophy. He previously served as a visiting assistant professor at Haverford College, and as an assistant professor at California State University, Long Beach.
Toby Sisson, assistant professor of studio art in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. Sisson worked as bartender for 30 years before realizing her dream to become an artist and educator. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on drawing and painting, public and environmental art, and teaching. Sisson recently served as the graduate student instructor of record and taught painting and drawing courses at the University of Minnesota.
Johanna Ray Vollhardt, assistant professor in the Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology. Her research focuses on victim consciousness, prosocial behavior, and social activism among members of previously victimized groups. Vollhardt previously served as an academic consultant to Radio La Benevolencija, a reconciliation radio program in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition to her appointment in the Psychology Department, Vollhardt will be affiliated with Clark's Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program.
2nd Drapos Memorial Lecture to focus on immigration law
Kevin R. Johnson, a noted international expert on immigration, race and civil rights law, will deliver a Drapos Memorial Lecture "Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Borders and Immigration Laws," beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Clark University's Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing Street, Worcester.
The Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture Series is a program of free, public lectures concerning law and American society, established by the Fallon Clinic Foundation, in memory of Alexander Drapos, former Clark University alumnus and Trustee, and Fallon Clinic Foundation Trustee.
This lecture is also part of the ongoing President's Lecture Series.
Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies at the University of California--Davis School of Law. He is the author of several books, including "Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink Its Border and Immigration Laws" (NYU Press 2007) and "Complex Litigation: Cases and Materials on Litigating for Social Change" (Carolina Academic Press 2009).
President Barack Obama's pledge to make immigration reform a priority has fueled debate throughout the country. Johnson, a noted international expert on immigration, race and civil rights law, offers a fresh vision of how U.S. borders might be reconfigured – a vision grounded in moral, economic, and policy arguments for open borders.
This event is also part of the University's observance of Constitution Day. A reception will follow the lecture. For more information, call 508-793-7320.