The Economy’s Long Arm
On a blustery fall afternoon, the first day of October, a crowd of 200-plus students, faculty, staff, and townspeople sardined their way into a jam-packed Dana Auditorium. Those late to the 4:30 lecture were turned away at the door, while those lucky enough to get in were treated to a quick tutorial on the financial crises gripping the United States. On the auditorium stage, seated left to right behind a blue-cloth-draped rectangular table, were Middlebury economics professors Peter Matthews, David Colander, Scott Pardee, and Bob Prasch. On the docket: a discussion titled “The Financial Crisis: What Is Going On?”
The econ quartet spent 90 minutes taking listeners through a step-by-step explanation of the root causes of the crises and offering prognostications on how and when the country would come out of the economic tailspin. The hastily scheduled lecture (it was organized in a little less than a week) and crowded auditorium (popular demand led to follow-up sessions in subsequent days) were just a few of several indicators of the broad reach of the financial crises on the College community this autumn.
Early in September, as the first rumblings of the economic turbulence reached from Wall Street, Middlebury President Ronald D. Liebowitz sent a memo to all faculty and staff outlining the institution’s plans in addressing the emerging financial challenges. Reiterating that the College was facing a downturn in the economy from a position of strength—“our reputation is excellent, applications and selectivity are at record levels, and fund-raising has reached all-time highs,” he wrote—Liebowitz acknowledged that Middlebury was not immune to the troubled global economic climate. Recognizing that a prolonged economic slowdown would have an effect on both fund-raising and endowment growth—two of the College’s three main sources of revenue—he announced that Middlebury would be looking at ways to reduce operating costs across the institution. (He added that there were limits to how much Middlebury could—or would want to—raise the comprehensive fee, the College’s third major revenue source.)
The president announced that the College would:
- Engage students, faculty, staff, and administrators to examine ways to reduce expenditures from the operating budget. However, at this time, there are no plans to make cuts that would adversely affect Middlebury’s need-blind financial aid program or would hamper the school’s commitment to continuing a competitive compensation program for faculty and staff based on performance. In addition, Middlebury would remain committed to investing in programs recommended in the strategic plan, Knowledge Without Boundaries, though the pace of such implementations may be slowed.
- Curtail planning for major renovation or new construction projects. While the renovations of McCullough and Proctor would continue, any new construction project or major renovation project would need to be fully funded by donors and must include additional endowment support to cover maintenance and operation costs.
In a subsequent memo sent to the community in early October, Liebowitz announced additional measures, including a freeze on the hiring of all open, nonessential positions; a reduction in the use of outside consultants and contractors; and a reduction in College-related travel. In the memo, he stressed again that although the College was in a relatively strong position when compared to most colleges and universities, the turmoil in the markets was affecting the College.
During the past fiscal year, Middlebury’s endowment, now valued at $888 million dollars, dropped less than 1 percent, a favorable outcome compared to Middlebury’s endowment benchmark, which lost 4.18 percent of its value, and to the Russell 3000 Index, which was down 12.7 percent. (The prior year, the endowment return was 22 percent.) However, the administration reiterated its intention to preserve the endowment’s purchasing power by setting a strict limit on the annual spend rate, currently set at 5 percent. Increasing the spend rate above 5 percent, the administration explained, would leave less money for future generations and would jeopardize Middlebury’s long-term financial viability.
Go Figure
7,823
Number of people who applied for a spot in the Class of 2012
1,458
Number of students admitted (September and February)
580/90
First-year enrollment for September and February
68
International students in the Class of 2012
49
Number of states represented in the first-year class
36
Number of countries represented in the first-year class
52
Number of first-years who are first-generation college attendees
72
Percentage of class from outside New England
4
Oboe players in the Class of 2012
Syllabus
Course: Collapse of Complex Societies
Department: Sociology, First-Year Seminar
Instructor: James Fitzsimmons
Course Description: This seminar examines how and why historically complex societies have failed. The class explores the roles of population pressure, environmental degradation, warfare, and other factors in the collapse of such ancient urban societies as the Classic Maya, Chaco, and the Roman Empire. Likewise, the class explores how societies, seemingly well adapted to their geographic environments, such as the Vikings in Greenland, ultimately succumbed to extinction. Reviewing academic and popular explanations for societal collapse worldwide, the class ultimately engages the modern era and investigates the fragility of contemporary societies.
Reading List
Jared Diamond, Collapse
Peter Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
Glenn Schwartz and John Nichols, After Collapse: The Regeneration of Complex Societies
Jane Smiley, The Greenlanders
Joseph Tainter, The Collapse of Complex Societies
David Webster, The Fall of the Ancient Maya
Fitzsimmons Says: "One of the central questions in archaeology, and one that is relevant to all societies past and present, is why societies fall apart. The idea that a well-developed, complex society—a type of social organization that, by its very nature, is designed to solve problems—can simply vanish is a scary one. At times, the civilizations that we discuss in this class seem to fall victim to circumstances largely beyond their control. More often, however, there are actions that can be taken to forestall, if not prevent, demises in political authority and social cohesion. Unfortunately, such actions require a bird’s-eye view of the society as well as an assumption that people are capable of making drastic cultural changes in a short period of time once problems are identified. As my students are realizing in papers and discussions, this is a task easier said than done. But, not to be all doom and gloom, there is life after collapse—new social forms, beliefs, and practices emerge and, in the sweep of human history, they are not always a bad thing!"
Lost in Translation
Though Pebble Beach is but a Tiger Woods drive from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (well not really, but you get the idea—the two are in close proximity), golf was not on many people’s minds when the College became affiliated with the renowned graduate institution in 2005. But that is exactly what folks were talking about at Monterey at the end of August when the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced that it wanted all players on its tour to be proficient in English.
In a letter to LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Blevins, MIIS President Clara Yu offered to partner with the golfing association to design a custom learning program for its members. “Our offer would promote and support the communicative competence of [the LPGA’s] members and aid them in achieving the outcomes required to meet the LPGA’s new language standards,” Yu wrote.
Though the LPGA subsequently rescinded its mandate in the face of increasing public criticism, the association and MIIS remain in discussions about crafting a program to assist the needs of players on the LPGA tour.
The Skinny on the Axinn Center at Starr Library
Official Name
Donald E. Axinn ’51, Litt. D. ’89 Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Starr Library
Shorter Name
The Axinn Center at Starr Library
Architects
Childs Bertman Tseckares, Boston; Building Conservation Associates (renovation), Dedham, Massachusetts; Andropogon Associates (landscape), Philadelphia
Occupants
Departments of History, Film and Media Culture, and English and American Literatures
What’s New?
Nine “smart” classrooms; 56 academic offices; a 45-seat screening room; the Winter Garden, a glass-enclosed public space connecting the east and west wings.
What’s Familiar?
The original beaux-arts marble exterior of Starr Library; the modernist Shepley Wing; the Starr Library reading room; and the Abernethy Room—all historically renovated and restored.
What’s Green?
Much of the wood, stone, marble, and concrete in the Axinn Center was reused from the original structure. The facility features double-glazed windows; is networked to the College’s existing energy management system; and features myriad energy-saving measures, such as motion sensors and carbon dioxide sensors, which can adjust lighting, temperature, and ventilation.
What’s That Sound?
Don’t freak out if you hear running water when you enter the building. The glass-enclosed lobby off the western entrance (facing McCullough) features a waterfall trickling from the ceiling to the floor along a stone wall.
The IT Index
OK, let us first give credit where credit is due. Earlier this fall, Amherst College’s director of information technology wanted to provide folks with a snapshot of how campus technology has changed over the years, so he created something called the Amherst IT Index (itself modeled after the Index feature in Harper’s Magazine). So with a tip of the hat to both Harper’s and our friends down in Massachusetts, we give you our own version of the IT Index.
Number of students in the Class of 2012 who have registered Macs on the network: 289
Number who have registered PCs: 236
Percentage of classrooms on campus that are wireless: 100
Percentage of classrooms that are network accessible: 100
Average number of e-mails received on campus daily: 545,000
Percentage of e-mail that is blocked as spamL: 85
Average number of daily calls to the helpdesk: 106
Average number of dailye-mails to the helpdesk: 41
Number of daily hits (not unique) on the College homepage: 20,000
Percentage of applicants who applied online in 2008: 90
Percentage who applied online in 2004: 50
Observed
- The 2008–09 academic year officially got under way on a warm, sunny September afternoon as the 580 members of the Class of 2012 gathered for the College’s opening Convocation. George Matthew Jr. played the 48-bell carillon as the class filed into Mead Chapel, where, seated by Commons, they listened to President Ronald D. Liebowitz deliver his Convocation address. Liebowitz advised the class to take full advantage of their liberal arts education by setting aside assumptions and by taking intellectual risks. The president also spoke to the first-year class about the concepts of community and friendship, relating both to student behavior.
- The Sustainable Endowment Institute once again bestowed a top grade on Middlebury, when it issued its annual College Sustainability Report Card. Middlebury received an A-, the top grade handed out this year, and was one of just 15 schools nationwide (out of 300 graded) to receive the top mark.
- Next summer, the Middlebury Language Schools will open a second site for the first time in the program’s 94-year history. Mills College, in Oakland, California, has agreed to serve as the host school, where undergraduate-level courses in French, Italian, and Spanish will be offered (these languages will also be offered on the Vermont campus). In addition, the new site will be the exclusive home for Middlebury’s Arabic School. Enrollment at the California location is projected to be 310 students, increasing the overall enrollment of the Language Schools to around 1,500. The western expansion of the Language Schools had been considered for some time, due to the skyrocketing increase in applications and a desire to build on the College’s affiliation with the nearby Monterey Institute of International Studies.
- The Panthers dig Field Turf. Last year, the men’s soccer team went undefeated at home while playing on a newly installed artificial surface known as Field Turf. Over the summer, Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, home to the football and men’s lacrosse teams, underwent a similar makeover, as its natural grass surface was removed and Field Turf was installed. Consisting of silica sand and recycled rubber, Field Turf is used by three-quarters of the teams in the National Football League, as well as a number of colleges and universities. And our football team? Undefeated at home after three games, including a 31-14 drubbing of Amherst, the only team to beat the Panthers last season.
- The Vermont Symphony Orchestra opened its autumn Made in Vermont tour on a September evening at the Mahaney Center for the Arts. The highlight of the evening was the virtuoso performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons by world-renowned violinist Jaime Laredo.
- The Old Stone Mill is buzzing with activity. The student-led Old Stone Mill Board has approved six student applications for occupancy this semester, allowing a cohort of students to stretch themselves creatively. Among the new tenants: a digital arts magazine and a community dinner group. Check out these pages in the winter issue for a schematic of Middlebury’s new incubator for creativity and innovation.
- The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell gave a reading at Mead Chapel over Homecoming Weekend. He captivated the audience.
- The historical and creative relevance of place was the focus of the annual Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium, which featured prominent scholars and authors. The symposium coincided with the dedication of the Donald E. Axinn ’51, Litt. D. ’89 Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Starr Library. By all accounts the weekend was a smashing success.
- David Macey passed away. Macey was a professor of history and Russian studies, and he directed the Off-Campus Study office for more than a decade. An expert on prerevolutionary Russia, Macey co-founded what is now Middlebury’s program in Russian and East European studies.