MiddNews
In the spirit of the journalistic practice of looking back over the past year to review the major stories, MiddNews devotes the January issue to such a purpose. Herewith a sampling of news items from the 2001 calendar year.
On New Year's Day last year, Middlebury President John McCardell was named Vermonter of the Year for 2000 by the Burlington Free Press. The announcement was a surprise to McCardell, who, like other readers, first learned about his selection when he picked up that day's paper. The Free Press praised McCardell for "restoring [Middlebury's] stability, for dramatically expanding its contribution to the well-being of Vermont, and for performing this leadership in a civil and exemplary manner."
In early May, President McCardell announced that the College had received a $10 million Bicentennial Campaign gift, bringing the amount raised to $200 million-the amount established as the campaign goal when the College launched the fundraising drive in October of 1997. The anonymous gift put the campaign over the top nearly two months early. Fundraising efforts continued through June 30, ultimately registering a total of $213 million.
On May 27, Fred Rogers-known as Mr. Rogers to millions of devotees-addressed the 625 members of the Class of 2001 and their families at an outdoor commencement ceremony held behind Forest Hall. Rainy skies did not deter Rogers from offering a rendering of "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," the theme song of his long running public television show, "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Rogers' speech included a full minute of silence when all present were asked to reflect on those who had helped them.
The speaker for the August language schools commencement was former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, three-term governor of Vermont, and Middlebury College Bicentennial Scholar-in-Residence Madeleine Kunin.
Secondary school principals, teachers, headmasters and counselors gathered on campus with College student affairs, athletics, and admissions staff in early June to talk about alcohol and hazing issues. Experts on the subject provided participants with information about the relationship between hazing and alcohol use among athletes, and offered tips to deal with the problem of hazing in high school student activities. The experts pointed out that hazing is practiced by numerous groups of students, not just athletes, and differences in the numbers of incidents of hazing between men's and women's groups are becoming minimal.
In September, U.S. News & World Report magazine released its annual college rankings, which showed Middlebury ranked 9th nationally among liberal arts colleges, placing it again among the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the nation.
In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, the College community came together for gatherings and events that helped members of the community to cope with complex emotions and to explore the dynamics of the momentous events that had taken place. Information about members of the Middlebury extended community affected by the attacks was gathered and posted on the College's Web site. A college/community memorial service was held on campus, blood drives were conducted, and funds raised. Overseas students were contacted and provided with guidance on issues related to their safety in the various nations in which they were located. Faculty members were consulted by media outlets seeking expertise on the events, and various gatherings were organized to learn more about Islamic culture, terrorism, and international security.
On the day following the attacks, a bomb threat was phoned in to the College's admissions building. Though strongly suspected to be a hoax, the incident was taken seriously. Campus and local police evacuated the admissions building, closed and evacuated Starr Library, cordoned off the area, and diverted traffic from a segment of Route 30. State police brought bomb-sniffing dogs to the scene, and no explosives were found.
The College's residential commons system began to take on more concrete dimensions as construction got underway on what will become the first fully configured residential commons. Ross Commons will comprise the existing dormitory complex of Hadley, Milliken, Kelly, and Lang augmented by a new dining hall, and an additional residence hall. Commons offices and social space will be incorporated into the new facilities which are scheduled to open in fall of 2002. The second commons project (Atwater) has moved from the initial planning and design stages to the process of obtaining construction permits.
As these projects progressed, contractors began the "deconstruction" of the old science center, which has been vacant since science programs took up residence in Bicentennial Hall in 1999. The old facility has been virtually completely recycled (only about two percent of materials from the building ended up in the waste stream). Masonry materials were crushed into rubble for use as fill for various projects. In the spring of 2002, after recycling is completed, and four nearby College-owned houses have been physically relocated to new lots in town, construction will begin on the site for the new College library.
Student athletic space received attention as well. In Pepin Gymnasium, renovations provided improved lighting, better seating, and a new basketball floor. The space in Duke Nelson Arena that once regularly hosted dedicated, frozen hockey fans, was fitted out to provide new space for intramurals, indoor tennis, basketball, and a climbing wall that rivals the best in the country.
In July of this year, Michael P. Claudon was appointed to the D.K. Smith chair, named in honor of Middlebury's Professor Emeritus of Economics David K. Smith. The College's first endowed chair in Chinese, established in honor of Middlebury College Professor of Chinese John D. Berninghausen, was announced in October. The chair will be known as the Kathleen O'Connor Truscott and William "Ted" Truscott Chair in Chinese until Berninghausen's retirement, at which time it will become the John D. Berninghausen Chair in Chinese.
In December, a student living in an on-campus dormitory reported that he was assaulted in his room by two individuals wielding a weapon, and that several items were stolen from him. Local police launched an investigation, and the campus safety staff was instructed to begin locking the exterior doors of College residences.
A few other factoids from the 2001 calendar year: The comprehensive fee was set in February at $34,300. Approximately 37 percent of Middlebury students were receiving financial aid. The average financial aid package was $24,069. The College established a fiscal year 2002 operating budget of $121,092,000. The size of the College endowment on June 30 was $674,460,000. College employees numbered 1,024 fulltime employees, 191 of whom were faculty. Student enrollment was 2,244 full-time students, 550 of whom graduated in May. Their places were taken by 515 first-year students, who entered Middlebury in September.