MiddNews - November 2005
A monthly update of news and events from Middlebury College
Am Lit Debate Continues
The discussion over a potential merger of the English and American Literature departments and majors will continue for at least another month.
At the November faculty meeting, a proposal submitted by professors Stephen Donadio and John McWilliams—which would have ensured that the subject of American Literature would remain a stand-alone department and major—was voted down by a majority of the faculty in attendance. This means that at the December meeting, the faculty will vote on a proposal submitted by the College's Educational Affairs Committee, which calls for the creation of a merged English and American Literatures department and major, as well as a separate department and major in American Studies.
This issue has been covered and discussed extensively in both the Middlebury Campus and Middlebury Magazine.
For Campus coverage, see:
http://www.middleburycampus.com
For Middlebury Magazine coverage, see:
http://www.middleburymagazine.org
It's Reilly, at the Buzzer
Middlebury athletics director Russ Reilly has announced that he will retire at the end of June after 29 years of service to the athletic department, the last nine as director. During Reilly's tenure as director of athletics, the College has captured 22 national and 35 NESCAC championships.
For more on Reilly, see:
http://go.middlebury.edu/news?reilly
Meet the Press
Within a three-week span in late October and early November, the managing editor of the New York Times, the editor of the New York Times Book Review, and the editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune spoke to crowded College lecture halls and answered a bevy of questions relating to the days' hottest topics.
Just two days after the Times published a lengthy exposé on reporter Judith Miller's involvement in a federal grand jury investigation into the potential leaking of classified information, managing editor Jill Abramson delivered the annual Robert W. van de Velde Jr. '75 Memorial Lecture before a standing-room-only audience in Twilight Hall. In her lecture titled "The Assault on Journalism," Abramson discussed how recent legal developments were affecting the work of investigative reporters. Afterward, the Times journalist answered a number of questions relating to this overarching theme—as well as numerous inquiries into what it's like for the "paper of record" to be the subject of such intense media coverage.
For more on the story, see The Campus.
Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus came to campus one week after Abramson to talk about the role of literary publications in an increasingly politicized and polarized media landscape.
For more on his visit, see:
go.middlebury.edu/tanenhaus
Editor Jim Amoss and the New Orleans Times Picayune have received national attention for their heroic efforts to keep the presses running—and keeping the region and the world informed—in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Amoss took a Middlebury audience behind-the-scenes with his lecture "The Lessons of Katrina: How a Paper Learned to Survive and Reinvent Itself."
For more on this story, see The Campus.
And for the Columbia Journalism Review's take on the Times-Picayune and Amoss, see:
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2005/6/mccollam.asp
From Madison Avenue to Middlebury
Michael McKenna, a veteran Madison Avenue advertising executive, was recently appointed vice president for communications at the College. Previously CEO, president, and chief creative officer at Marsteller - a global advertising, design, interactive, and production agency based in New York City - McKenna began his duties at Middlebury this month.
For more on McKenna and the appointment, see:
http://go.middlebury.edu/news?mckenna
When in Rome
Faculty members Paula Schwartz and Natasha Chang traveled to Italy last summer to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar titled "Italian Fascism: History and Interpretations." Schwartz is an associate professor of French, while Chang is a visiting assistant professor of Italian. Acceptance to an NEH seminar is highly competitive, and it's rare that two faculty members from the same institution are accepted for any one seminar.
Around the World in 365 Days
Watson scholar Bennett Konesni '05 is three months into his year-long travel and scholarship. Currently in Ghana, Bennett is filing regular reports with the College's Public Affairs office.
Here's his latest dispatch:
http://go.middlebury.edu/mme?bennett
Around the World, Part II
The six student recipients of the 2005 International Research Travel Grants have returned to campus and are busy preparing their theses or final projects, which will relate the results of their research. Among the topics: Grace Armstrong's investigation in Brazil on the impact of regional integration and globalization of international property issues and Nathalie Wilfram's examination of the relationship between 17th and 18th century print culture in restoration England.
For more on the scholars and their research see:
http://go.middlebury.edu/rcfia
College Sells Property
Middlebury has completed the sale of a 30-acre property - the site of the former Maple Manor Motel - on Route 7, south of Middlebury. Plans for the land include affordable housing for the community.
For more on this story, see:
http://go.middlebury.edu/news?manor
Bewitched Premiers
This month, the curtain rises on the American premiere of The Bewitched, a satire by Englishman Peter Barnes, which will be performed on the Wright Memorial Theatre stage from November 17 to November 20. Featuring more than 30 actors playing more than 50 roles, the play explores "blind obedience in 16th-century Spain, during the reign of Carlos II." The play is directed by Professor of Theatre Richard Romagnoli and sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance.
For ticket information, see:
http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets
Sports Action
The Middlebury women's cross country team will return to the NCAA Championships, thanks to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA New England regional. Andrea Giddings '07 led the Panther runners with an 11th place finish in 22:06, 36 seconds off the winning pace.
The field hockey team advanced to the NCAA regional semi-finals before falling to Springfield, 2-1, on penalty strokes. The Panthers finished the season with a 14-4 record.
Though fall weather has been hanging around into the third week of November, the winter athletic teams spring into action this weekend with a full schedule of events. Both the men's and women's hockey teams will open the 2005-06 season seeking to defend their national titles. The men's team drops the puck at Tufts on Friday night, while the women open at home in the Middlebury Tournament, where they will face Elmira on Saturday. Also on tap this weekend, the women's basketball season opener at home on Saturday against Oneonta and men' s and women's swimming and diving at Connecticut College.
For all the Panther sports news, please visit:
http://go.middlebury.edu/athletics