MiddNews - January 2006
A monthly update of news and events from Middlebury College
The State of International Education
A few weeks ago, Middlebury President Ronald D. Liebowitz joined a select number of college and university presidents in Washington, D.C., for a two-day summit on international education.
Organized by the State Department's Educational and Cultural Affairs, the summit was co-hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
For the Middlebury Campus's coverage of the event, see the Middlebury Campus.
It's Not Easy Being Green
Not when an event predicates spending time outdoors when temperature readings are in the single digits. Yet that's exactly what a student environmental group—along with 15 other campus organizations—is doing this week, a week that has been designated "Get Outside Week."
"Get Outside Week" is designed to celebrate winter "while it lasts, and features outdoor activities such as winter camping, outdoor survival training and sledding competitions, as well as lectures from leading environmental scholars on global climate change.
For more on "Get Outside Week," please see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200601outside
As Yogi Berra Would Say: Is It Déjà Vu All Over Again?
That's what Digital Bridges2006 will attempt to discern at its annual conference, which will be held year on January 28 at McCardell Bicentennial Hall.
"Is the Phoenix Rising from the Ashes of the Dotcom Crash?" is the title of this year's forum, now in its seventh year and organized by economics professor Michael Claudon and the nine students enrolled in the "DigitalBridges2006" winter term course.
During the all-day event, students and industry leaders will explore how technology trends have led to the pervasiveness of the Internet in everyday life and what these trends portend for the future.
The conference is free and open to the public. An RSVP is requested and can be made at mosborne@middlebury.edu
A New Spin on Teamwork
How did a conversation during a women's basketball practice lead to the creation of Vermont's first bone-marrow donor registry?
Find out here: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200601goodman
Faculty News and Notes
Studio Art professor John Huddleston's photographic art exhibit is now being shown at the DeCordova Museum, located outside Boston in Lincoln, Mass. The traveling exhibit, Killing Grounds, features photographs from Huddleston's recent book Killing Ground: The Civil War and the Changing American Landscape.
For more on the exhibit, visit: http://www.decordova.org
Jim Larrabee, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Chemistry, delivered his inaugural Kenan lecture last week. His talk, titled "A Spectroscopist's Views of Metals in Biology," highlighted several different spectroscopic techniques to used to study metallo-proteins. The Kenan endowed professorship was established in 1975 to support professors "who have intellectual vigor and outstanding talents for excellence in teaching."
Did you happen to read a short story, titled "Pregnancy Diary," in the December 26/January 2 issue of the New Yorker? Written by Japanese writer Yoko Ogawa, the piece was translated by Stephen Snyder, an associate professor of Japanese studies at Middlebury.
'Town Hall' Tackles Social Life Issues
In the first of two "Town Hall" meetings scheduled for Winter Term, President Liebowitz hosted a discussion in McCardell Bicentennial Hall that centered on the role of alcohol in College social life, both on and off campus.
For more on the meeting, see the Middlebury Campus.
In Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Monday, Jan. 16, the College joined the rest of the nation in honoring the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., with a series of events that evoked the enduring spirit of the civil rights leader.
In the morning, Mead Chapel was the site of a tribute titled "Remembrance and Reflection. Michael Obel-Omia '88, a Middlebury trustee, delivered the keynote address—"To Lead Them Higher: The Challenge of Martin Luther King's Legacy"—during a spirited program that included remarks from College President Ronald D. Liebowitz and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas '72; excerpts from King's speeches read by Middlebury students; and a musical tribute directed by the College's Alexander Twilight Artist-in-Residence, Francois Clemmons.
On Monday evening, Clemmons directed a program titled "Let Freedom Sing! A Celebration of the American Negro Spiritual and the Life and Words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." The program combined a dramatic oration of King's speeches by the actor Esau Pritchett with choir music directed by Clemmons.
Super Citizens
A quartet of Middlebury community leaders were presented Middlebury College Citizens' Medals last week. For more on the recipients, see: http://go.middlebury.edu/middnews?200601citizens
A J-Term Sampler
If it's January, that means that Winter Term is in full swing at the College. Among the courses being offered: "The Burning Times: Heresy, Inquisition, and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages"; "The Gender Gap: Brain-Based Sex Differences"; and "Governing the South China Sea."
In addition, several courses are combining the traditional classroom experience with service learning projects. One example: Will Nash's course on "Katrina and Its Aftermath," in which students will spend a week in New Orleans participating in a public education project at Frederick Douglass High School.
MiddNet Tops 9,000
MiddNet, the Middlebury alumni database used extensively by students interested in contacting alumni about careers in specific industries and heavily marketed to students by the Career Services Office, recently clocked in over 9,000 alumni volunteers.
While not a 'job bank,' this database of volunteers further expands Middlebury students' networking opportunities. According to a poll conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and http://www.CareerJournal.com, the executive career site from The Wall Street Journal, 95 percent of those polled use personal contacts and networking to find a job.
Museum Opening: Contemporary Photography and Video
In January, the College's Museum of Art opened a new exhibition of contemporary photography and video. Part of the Museum's commitment to build a collection of contemporary art, the works in this exhibition were chosen by Middlebury students of art history, studio art, and film and media studies and acquired through an acquisition fund established by an anonymous donor in 1999. Among the artists included in the current exhibition are Dawoud Bey, Gregory Crewdson, and Nan Goldin. The exhibition runs until June 4.
Call to Action
A special meeting of the Middlebury College Alumni Association will be held at 9 a.m. on February 15 in Meeker House. All alumni are welcome to attend. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on proposed changes to the association by-laws that reflect the composition of the board of directors. For more information, contact the Alumni Office at 802-443-5183
Game Time
The Middlebury Panther hockey teams have picked up play in the new year where they left off in the old. Both the men's and women's squads remain undefeated and ranked number one in the country in the respective men's and women's Division III polls.
The women take their 13-0 record into to tonight's marquis match-up with fellow D III power St. Thomas. The men return to action on Friday in a contest at New England College.
Both hoops squads continue to impress, as well. The women head into Friday's home contest against Bates with an 11-3 record, while the men take their 11-4 record to Lewiston.
For all your sports news and up-to-the-minute scores, check out: http://www.gomidd.com