October 16, 2000

Symposium to Examine Middlebury College’s Past and Future as College Turns 200

Topic of Symposium on Nov. 2-3 to be “The Construction of a Collegiate Identity”

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — “Middlebury College 1800-2000: The Construction of a Collegiate Identity” will be the topic of the eighth annual Middlebury College Clifford Symposium on Nov. 2-3. The symposium will offer talks and panel discussions that examine a number of topics related to the College, from its history and future to its architecture. Speakers include College historian David M. Stameshkin, former College presidents Olin Robison and James Armstrong, and current president John M. McCardell, Jr. All events are free and open to the public.

“Middlebury College 1800-2000” will take place Nov. 2-3 as part of Founders’ Week, the culmination of the College’s Bicentennial celebration, which begins on Nov. 1, Founders’ Day, and concludes Nov. 5.

The symposium will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2 with talks titled “Where We Have Come From” by two speakers: G. Dennis O’Brien, president emeritus of the University of Rochester, and David M. Stameshkin, College historian. The event will take place in Dana Auditorium on College Street (Route 125).

Following the talks, at 9:30 p.m., there will be a reception in the Grand Salon of Le Chateau off College Street (Route 125).

On Friday, Nov. 3 at 9:30 a.m., a panel discussion, “What It Means to Have Gone to Middlebury,” will take place in Room 104 of Bicentennial Hall on Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125). David Haward Bain, author of “The College on the Hill: A Browser’s History for the Bicentennial,” will offer introductory remarks. Middlebury College Associate Professor of History James R. Ralph, Jr., a member of the class of 1982, will serve as moderator of a panel comprised of College alumni representing the six decades spanning 1930-1990. The panelists will be Mary Williams Brackett of the class of 1936, Bruce E. Burdett of the class of 1950, Frances Cornwall Hutner of the class of 1940, Karl L. Lindholm of the class of 1967, Linda Foster Whitton of the class of 1980, and Denver G. Edwards of the class of 1988.

The symposium will continue at 11 a.m. in Room 216 of Bicentennial Hall with a talk by Middlebury College Professor of History of Art and Architecture Glenn M. Andres, “Stones Hardly Mute: Building Statements on the Middlebury Campus.”

Following the talk, at 12 p.m., a luncheon panel titled “The Building of Middlebury College: An Insider’s Guide” will take place in Bicentennial Hall’s Great Hall. John M. McCardell, Jr., president of Middlebury College, will serve as moderator. Panelists will be David W. Ginevan, executive vice president of facilities planning; Olin C. Robison, College president emeritus; James I. Armstrong, College president emeritus; Erica Wonnacott, dean of students emerita; Marjorie E. Lamberti, Charles A. Dana Professor of History; Fred F. Neuberger, former dean of admissions and a member of the class of 1950; and Howard R. Kelton, former manager of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and the Ralph Myhre Golf Course.

The final symposium event, “New Patterns for the Future,” will take place at 4:15 p.m. in Room 216 of Bicentennial Hall. Claire Waterhouse Gargalli, a Middlebury College trustee and member of the College class of 1964, will moderate a discussion by panelists Ann Craig Hanson, dean of student affairs; Leroy Nesbitt, Jr., a member of the class of 1982 and senior advisor for institutional diversity; and Michael D. Schoenfeld, a member of the class of 1973 and dean of enrollment planning.

The Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium was established by the Middlebury College board of trustees in 1993 to honor the distinguished career of Nicholas R. Clifford, College professor

emeritus of history. Clifford was a member of the Middlebury College history department from 1966 through 1993, and served as vice president for academic affairs on three occasions, from 1979-1985, in 1989, and from 1991-1993. He is a member of the current board of trustees, and a co-chair of the Bicentennial celebration committee.

For more information, contact Mona Wheatley, director of Bicentennial planning, at 802-443-2000.

To follow is a schedule of events:

Events Calendar Listings

“Middlebury College 1800-2000: The Construction of a Collegiate Identity”

Nicholas R. Clifford Symposium

Middlebury College Bicentennial Celebration

Founders’ Week

November 2-3

Thursday, Nov. 2

7:30 p.m. Lectures: “Where We Have Come From”

Speakers: G. Dennis O’Brien, president emeritus, University of Rochester; David M. Stameshkin, Middlebury College historian

Location: Middlebury College, Dana Auditorium, College Street (Route 125)

9:30 p.m.: Reception

Location: Grand Salon, Le Chateau, off College Street (Route 125)

Friday, Nov. 3

9:30 a.m., Panel Discussion: “What It Means to Have Gone to Middlebury”

Introduction: David Haward Bain, author of “The College on the Hill”
Moderator: James R. Ralph Jr., Middlebury College associate professor of history and a member of the class of 1982

Panelists (Middlebury College alumni): Mary Williams Brackett of the class of 1936, Bruce E. Burdett of the class of 1950, Frances Cornwall Hutner of the class of 1940, Karl L. Lindholm of the class of 1967, Linda Foster Whitton of the class of 1980, and Denver G. Edwards of the class of 1988

Location: Room 104, Bicentennial Hall, Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125)

11 a.m., Lecture: “Stones Hardly Mute: Building Statements on the Middlebury Campus”

Speaker: Glenn M. Andres, Middlebury College professor of history of art and architecture

Location: Room 216, Bicentennial Hall, Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125)

12 p.m., Luncheon Panel Discussion: “The Building of Middlebury College: An Insider’s Guide”

Moderator: John M. McCardell, Jr., president of Middlebury College

Panelists: David W. Ginevan, executive vice president of facilities planning; Olin C. Robison, College president emeritus; James I. Armstrong, College president emeritus; Erica Wonnacott, dean of students emerita; Marjorie E. Lamberti, Charles A. Dana Professor of History; Fred F. Neuberger, former dean of admissions and a member of the class of 1950; and Howard R. Kelton, former manager of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and Ralph Myhre Golf Course

Location: Great Hall, Bicentennial Hall, Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125)

4:15 p.m., Panel Discussion: “New Patterns for the Future”

Moderator: Claire Waterhouse Gargalli, a Middlebury College trustee and member of the class of 1964

Panelists: Ann Craig Hanson, dean of student affairs; Leroy Nesbitt, Jr., a member of the class of 1982 and senior advisor for institutional diversity; and Michael D. Schoenfeld, a member of the class of 1973 and dean of enrollment planning

Location: Room 216, Bicentennial Hall, Bicentennial Way off College Street (Route 125)

All events are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.

For more information, contact Mona Wheatley, director of Bicentennial planning, at 802-443-2000, or visit the College’s Web site at /200/Founders/.

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