December 2006

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MiddNews - December 2006

A monthly update of news and events from Middlebury College

The Fulbright Eight

Eight recent Middlebury graduates have received 2006-07 Fulbright United States Student Awards. The Middlebury contingent will join a group of 1,200 U.S. citizens abroad for the academic year in an effort to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries around the world.

In having eight alums among the recipients, Middlebury is one of the top ten undergraduate institutions in the country producing this year's student Fulbright recipients.

For more, see the Student Stories web site.

Faculty Motion

At the December faculty meeting, roughly one-third of eligible voting members cast a ballot on a "sense of the faculty" motion stating that the faculty "wish[ed] to reaffirm our commitment to diversity at Middlebury College," as the recent naming of an endowed chair for former Supreme Court chief justice William H. Rehnquist "undermines Middlebury College's ability to promote diversity among its faculty, students, and staff."

The motion passed with 52 in favor, 43 opposed.

Awarding Livia

Livia Vastag '07, a chemistry major from Nagyjanizsa, Hungary, recently won the inaugural Frank and Sara McKnight Prize in Undergraduate Chemistry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Vastag was selected from among more than 100 undergraduates representing 85 colleges and universities nationwide.

For more, see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?2001612vastag

Green Dean

Nan Jenks-Jay has been named the College's dean of environmental affairs. Jenks-Jay assumes the post after serving as the College's director of environmental affairs since 1997.

In an announcement to the community, Middlebury President Ronald D. Liebowitz said the newly created position "reflects the College's institutional and academic commitment to the environment."

Liebowitz also cited Jenks-Jay's individual talents and the accomplishments of the environmental affairs program under her leadership-including the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Merit Award and the Vermont Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.

It's All in the Sap

In the Dining section of Wednesday's New York Times, English and environmental studies professor John Elder, geology professor Jeff Monroe, and geology major Lee Corbett '07 are featured in a story on Vermont maple syrup.

Check it out here.

Tenure Granted

At its December meeting, the board of trustees accepted the recommendations of President Liebowitz and the board's educational affairs committee in promoting faculty members James Davis, Anne Knowles, and Antonia Losano to the rank of associate professor without limit of tenure.

For more, see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200612tenure

Goodnight, Books

Trading their beds for some cushions and their dorm suite for a suite of carrels, three Middlebury students lived in the library for three days during exam week.

For Middlebury Campus coverage of the "event" see:

http://www.middleburycampus.com/media/storage/paper446/news/2006/12/07/Features/Three.Students.To.Sleep.In.Library.For.A.Week-2526703.shtml

Anyone for Quidditch?

The Wall Street Journal recently chronicled the Harry Potter-inspired phenomena sweeping Middlebury these days: intramural quidditch.

Read the story at the WSJ web site.

Further Election Returns

In the November edition of MiddNews, we related the positive electoral fortunes of Jim Douglas '72, William Delahunt '63 and Frank Pallone '73. Since that posting, we've heard of several other Midd grads who were elected to public office last month, including classmates Ben Pratt '01 (Maine state representative) and Kelvin Roldan '01 (Connecticut state representative).

In Memoriam

D.K. Smith '42, an emeritus professor of economics, passed away on November 22. A native Vermonter, Smith was also a Middlebury alumnus, a longtime member of the Middlebury faculty, and a beloved teacher.

For more, see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200612smith

Mourning Norbert Vaughn '10

The Middlebury community was stunned and saddened by the November death of first-year student Norbert Vaughn '10. Norbert had withdrawn from the College in mid-October after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he died on November 14 due to complications from brain surgery.

Earlier this month, Norbert's family and friends gathered in Redfield Proctor for a service and personal reminiscences in his memory.

Game Time

Last month, the women's cross country team captured its fourth national title, edging NESCAC rival Amherst by one point at the 32-team NCAA championships, 144-143.

The Panthers slogged through soggy conditions-some portions of the course were under standing water-in capturing the schools 27th national title in 12 years.

For more Middlebury sports news-including coverage of the start of the winter season, visit: http://www.gomidd.com