Midd News - March 2006
A monthly update of news and events rom Middlebury College
March Madness
After sweeping many awards categories in regional competition, the Middlebury College Theatre Department advances to the national stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with its production of Peter Barnes' "The Bewitched."
The honor marks the College's third trip to the annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, now in its 38th year. "The Bewitched" is a hilarious satire—featuring more than 30 actors playing more than 50 roles—about people who, based on their wealth or religious beliefs, occupy positions of privilege.
The curtain will rise on "The Bewitched" on Tuesday, April 18, and Wednesday, April 19, both at 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theatre.
Tickets go on sale March 19 and can be purchased here: http://www.kennedy-center.org/
Deliberative Dialogue
A few weeks ago, the Middlebury College Islamic Society sponsored a round table discussion centered on the controversial publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad in a Danish newspaper—and the global protests that ensued.
Four panelists—a trio of Middlebury professors and the president of the Islamic Society of Vermont—addressed a crowded conference room in the Robert A. Jones House, before taking questions from the audience.
See the Middlebury Campus's coverage of the event.
What's New With Clara Yu
Clara Yu, the new president of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, was the focus of a recent page 1 feature in the Monterey Herald.
To read the story, visit the Herald's web site.
Located in Monterey, California, the Monterey Institute of International Studies became an affiliate of Middlebury College in January.
Davis Says
When the United States Supreme Court listened to a challenge of a Vermont law that would overturn three decades of federal campaign finance law, National Public Radio asked political science professor Eric Davis what the case was all about.
Listen in: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5236840
Globetrotting
Middlebury senior Alison Shapiro has been awarded a Watson Fellowship, a prestigious award that will support a year of postgraduate travel and research.
Shapiro, an English major, was one of just 50 students nationwide tapped by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. She will use her fellowship to pursue an independent project titled "Painted Ladies: A Cultural Exploration of Women and Tattooing." Shapiro will travel to Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, India, Morocco, and Tanzania.
Click here for more on this story.
Three for Three
Pieter Broucke, an associate professor of history of art & architecture, was awarded all three of the major fellowships for humanities research for his book project, Reconstructing the Pantheon of Agrippa: Architecture, Sculpture, and Meaning.
Broucke accepted fellowships from the American Philosophical Society and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and had to decline the fellowship from American Council of Learned Societies.
In recognition of this outstanding accomplishment, the College has approved an extra semester of leave. Pieter will begin his research in Spring 2007 and will spend the academic year 2007-2008 in Rome.
Broucke is the first Middlebury faculty member to be awarded a sabbatical fellowship from the American Philosophical Society.
Kudos to Katz and Evans-Romaine
A couple of familiar scholars in the College's Language Schools have received a pair of prestigious awards.
Michael Katz, a Russian professor and dean emeritus of the Language Schools and Schools Abroad, was recently awarded the 2005 Award for Distinguished Service by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages
Karen Evans-Romaine, the director of the Middlebury College Russian School, was presented with the 2005 Distinguished Service Award by the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages.
For more on Katz, see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200603katz
For more on Evans-Romaine, see http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200603evans
In Memoriam
Dana Morosini Reeve '84 has died. Reeve received an honorary degree from Middlebury in 2004 with her husband Christopher Reeve. She died on Monday, March 6, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York after a battle with cancer. She was 44.
Last week, CNN's Larry King devoted the entire hour of his program to a remembrance of Reeve. The transcript can be read here:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/07/lkl.01.html
You can also view a video of the Reeves' commencement addresses in 2004.
Thanks, Terry
Terry Aldrich is hanging up his skis.
After 31 years as the head coach of the Nordic ski team, Aldrich is ready to turn the reins of the program over to someone else.
However, he won't be going far. Aldrich will continue to coach the men's and women's cross country teams and will assume duties as an assistant director of athletics on July 1.
Earlier in the month, a number of Nordic alums return to Middlebury to pay tribute to Aldrich. To read more about the reunion, visit The Campus.
Three-peat?
The men's and women's hockey teams, both two-time defending national champions, will try to make it three straight this weekend. Both squads advanced to the NCAA semifinals—the "Frozen Four"—with quarterfinal wins last weekend over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Manhattanville, respectively.
The men's team is make its fourth consecutive trip to the semifinals and its 10th in the last 12 seasons. The women return to the Frozen Four for the third consecutive year.
The men will face Elmira at 4:00 p.m. in Elmira on Saturday. The women travel to Plattsburgh, where they face off against Gustavus Adolphus at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
If the teams advance, the women would play for the national title on Saturday at 7:00 p.m., while the men would play on Sunday at 2:00.
In Search Of
Middlebury College is currently seeking candidates for the position of Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations. The Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations will lead and manage Middlebury College's efforts to create and sustain strong, positive relationships with alumni and parents while supporting the College and its priorities; provide strategic leadership for diverse programming that includes all alumni; direct and manage alumni and parent program staff; serve as a member of the Vice President for College Advancement's staff; and actively support initiatives working with the Associate Vice President and Campaign Director.
If you are interested or know someone who would be a strong candidate, please contact the Human Resources office here: http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/hr