Championship Aims

Kalamazoo College women's soccer team is young, but battle-tested. Five first-year players started 14 or more games in 2009 when the Hornets lost a heartbreaking league championship game that ended their season and kept them out of the NCAA III Championships. “Being so close, it just makes us more driven to win the MIAA Tournament” this year, said Maya Smolcic in a Sept. 3 Kalamazoo Gazette article.

Green Hornets

André Heintz Decorated

1970 Bombing Took Alumnus’ Life

Anticipation!

Tipster

West Africa Scholar Visits

Students Give Grades

Entering their senior year at Kalamazoo College, Dan Mitler ’10 (left) and Zach Geiger ’10 wanted to use their environmental knowledge to create a sustainable mindset in others. What better place to start than in City of Kalamazoo? While volunteering with the City’s Environmental Concerns Committee, Dan and Zach executed their joint SIP, titled The State of Social, Economic, and Environmental Systems in Kalamazoo, Michigan: A Triple Bottom-Line Indicator Report. A “triple bottom-line,” or 3BL, is a model used to measure sustainability in organizations such as a business or municipality, and it determines a trend either toward or away from sustainability. Mitler and Geiger used letter grades to score the sustainability of numerous social, economic, and environmental matters. The City posted “B” grades in the categories of housing (B+), water treatment (B+), and discrimination (B-), and received an overall passing grade in its sustainability policies and practices. “The City’s recent signing of the Southwest Michigan Sustainability Covenant and updating of its master plan make this is a very exciting time for Kalamazoo,” Mitler said. “Kalamazoo has the potential to become a leader in sustainability.” Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee Chair Bill Hughes lauded the students’ effort. “They created a detailed and extensive report on many of the primary issues that the City faces” he said. “[Their] report will provide a significant guide to help move the City of Kalamazoo and the surrounding region toward a greener future.” The two “K” graduates have now formed their own sustainability consulting firm, Green Sight Consulting, in Ann Arbor. [Story by Kristine Sholty ’11].

The Survey Says...

Each year, the Center for Career and Professional Development at Kalamazoo College surveys graduating seniors on their post-graduation plans. The 2010 survey was completed by 234 of the 314 graduating seniors. A little over a third of the class is seeking full-time employment, and 70 percent of those had secured a job by graduation. Another third plans to attend graduate school. Of these newly-minted alumni, 66 percent have been accepted. Twenty-one percent of respondents indicated that their post-undergraduate plans included “interesting other activities;” and the remainder reported no definite plans at the time of the survey. For more information, including the graduate institutions, full-time employers, and interesting other activities, please see the Cap and Gown Survey Results. In other news, the CCPD released information on this year's summer interns and externs. Not surprisingly, they are all over the world.

Tennis Time

For the 69th summer, Kalamazoo College will host the annual Boys’ 18 & 16 2010 United States Tennis Association National Championships. The 2010 event (Aug. 6-15) is the single most important event of the tennis year for junior tennis players, and one of the biggest tourism events in the area. Some 400 outstanding juniors from every part of the United States will arrive to participate in ten days of exceptional, inspired tennis to determine the United States National Boys 18 & 16 champions. On Friday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m., Scoville Jenkins will face Jan-Michael Gambill in the RX Optical/Greenleaf Trust & Greenleaf Hospitality Exhibition, part of opening night festivities at “K” College’s Stowe Stadium. Through the duration of the tournament, Acker Lane, Light Fine Arts, and Severn Hall parking lots will be reserved for players, sponsors, and patrons. Parking is available to the public on Academy, Thompson, and Buckley streets. “K” faculty, staff, and students should plan accordingly. [Story by Kristine Sholty ’11]

My Summer Job: Down in Dow

[Editor’s Note: The following is part of an occasional series of how “K” students, faculty, and staff are spending their summer months. Got an idea for a story? Send it to Office of College Communication Summer Intern Kristine Sholty at kristine.sholty07@kzoo.edu.] Kalamazoo College students are cool—especially the ones escaping the summer heat by working in climate-controlled Dow Science Center! Associate Professor of Chemistry Laura Furge is mentoring Mara Livezey ’13 and Laura Diffenderfer ’11, as they carry out chemistry projects for 10 weeks this summer. They aim to understand the chemistry behind certain drugs’ interaction with enzymes that metabolize drugs in the body. Mara’s project investigates “oltipraz,” a drug currently in clinical trials for prevention of liver cancer. She is gaining proficiency in essential parts of enzyme studies, including techniques of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Laura spent last summer working with Furge and already has considerable skill with lab instrumentation. Results of her work with an enzyme inhibitor will help form a manuscript written this fall for a forthcoming report in a medical science journal.Furge hopes that next year Diffenderfer will present her findings at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting in Washington, D.C. Under Furge's guidance, the two students design and execute their own experiments and learn data handling, good lab practice, and research ethics, all of which will be applicable for future lab work. “Working closely with a professor is great experience,” says Furge. “I am also encouraging them to pursue different lab environments at graduate and medical schools.” Diffenderfer ’s busy summer includes writing her Senior Individualized Project, which is based on the findings of this summer’s research. She recently took the MCAT and is currently applying to medical school. Mara will spend the rest of her summer at home in Dearborn, preparing for the upcoming school year (Photo: Laura Diffenderfer ’11 (left) and Mara Livezey ’13) [Story and photo by Kristine Sholty ’11].

My Summer Job: Midwest Arts

[Editor’s Note: The following is part of an occasional series of how “K” students, faculty, and staff are spending their summer months. Got an idea for a story? Send it to Office of College Communication Summer Intern Kristine Sholty at kristine.sholty07@kzoo.edu.]|
This summer, Hannah Daly and Eeva Stout-Sharp, both Class of 2012, rubbed shoulders with big names in the art world. Interning with Bethany Whitehead ’98, they spent ten days in June at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The Walker Center borders the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the United States. It was here that the two interns co-organized 400 volunteers for the “Rock the Garden” concert. With 11,000 attending, the sold-out event featured performances from Retribution Gospel Choir, OK Go, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and MGMT. “We worked from 10am-10pm. It was a blast!” says Hannah. Eeva and Hannah also prepared the opening of a new exhibition featuring pieces by Guillermo Kuitca. They greeted guests, managed the entrance, and took part in a reception that included live music. Whitehead, the Membership Director at the Walker, administered vital career lessons to Hannah and Eeva during their internships. Eeva feels that she made lifelong connections with art business associates in New York and other Metropolitan areas. Hannah was amazed by Bethany’s cool-and-collected attitude with her numerous encounters with clients and members of the Walker. “Bethany’s personable attitude is inspirational,” Hannah says. She plans to spend the remainder of summer exploring Minneapolis and, she hopes, working and volunteering at the Walker. Eeva will return to Kalamazoo to work with Facilities Management and the costume shop on campus. (Photo, l-r: Bethany Whitehead ’98, Eeva Stout-Sharp ’13, Hannah’s grandmother Carol Daly, and Hannah Daly ’13) [Story by Kristine Sholty ’11].

Teaching All-Stars

Five Elected to Board

Five distinguished individuals were elected to the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees in June: Alexandra (Foley) Altman, Harold Decker, Mary (Armacost) Hulst, Jody Olsen, and Bill Williams. Altman graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1997 with a B.A. in Human Development/Social Relations. She earned a master's degree in child development from the Erikson Institute (2003). For 11 years she served as associate director of special initiatives for the McCormick Foundation. She is currently a self-employed philanthropy consultant. She and her husband, Christopher (Class of 1997), live in Chicago with their daughter, Maeve. Decker is a 1967 graduate of Kalamazoo College. He majored in political science and was an outstanding athlete in football and basketball. He earned his LLD and JD at Southwestern University and worked as an attorney in the pharmaceutical industry for many years. He also served as the general counsel and interim president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. He currently is the leader of the Intellectual Property Group of the law firm Miller Canfield. He won the Kalamazoo College Distinguished Achievement Award in 2008. He and his wife, Rosemary (Tucker) Decker (Class of 1968) live in Plainwell, Michigan. Hulst graduated in 1964 from Kalamazoo College with a BA in history. She earned a master’s degree from San Diego State University, and, in 1985 a Master of Divinity from the Iliff School of Theology (Denver, Colo.).. For 29 years she served in the professional ministry at Calvary Baptist Church of Denver, 14 of them as senior pastor.She also served as president of American Baptist Churches/USA. Hulst and her husband, Jack (Class of 1963), live in Centennial, Colorado. Olsen is a visiting professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She also coordinates the University’s Haitian relief efforts. She earned her bachelor’s degree (social work) for the University of Utah, and her master’s and Ph.D. (social work) from University of Maryland. She was the deputy director of the Peace Corps from 2002 to 2009 and served for a year as acting director. Olsen was the featured speaker for the 50th anniversary of the College’s study abroad program during Homecoming 2008. Bill Williams is the executive vice president of Bank of New York Mellon. He graduated from "K" in 1971 with a degree in political science. He studied abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, which led to a long career in banking, marketing, and management in the Middle East. He is a member of the Arab Bankers Association of North America and the Board of Trustees of Robert College in Istanbul.

My Summer Job: Manhattan Fundraising

[Editor’s Note: The following is part of an occasional series of how “K” students, faculty, and staff are spending their summer months. Got an idea for a story? Send it to Kristine Sholty ’11 at kristine.sholty07@kzoo.edu.] Hot time, summer in the city! In the fast-paced exhilaration of New York, Jeanne Sigler ’69 hosts an internship for Angela Frakes ’12. It’s nothing new for Sigler. In collaboration with the College’s Center for Career and Professional Development her firm, Jeanne Sigler and Associates (which helps nonprofit organizations raise funds), she has hosted summer interns and externs for many years. The one constant is great students, and Sigler finds Frakes every bit as impressive as her predecessors. “‘K’ students adapt well to Manhattan,” says Sigler. “Their special combination of curiosity and self-confidence helps them make the most of their time here.” Frakes’ role as a development intern includes scheduling the calendar, participating in meetings, and attending classes at the local Foundation Center, where she learns fundraising strategies in the non-profit world. A large focus of Angela’s work involved The Hester Street Collaborative, which serves the diverse community of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A key challenge for that community: a lack of recreational areas. Frakes was part of the project that resulted in a new neighborhood playground (see photo). The work appealed to Frakes’ love of architecture. Frakes also found Sigler an outstanding mentor and role model for a professional and motivated attitude and client approachability. “This internship is a great way to learn about money-raising strategies and communication skills that will be beneficial for business settings in the future.” After completing her internship, Angela will head off to Clermont-Ferrand, France, for long-term study abroad. [Story by Kristine Sholty ’11].

Anthropology Professor Awarded Tenure

At its June 12, 2010, meeting, the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees granted tenure to Espelencia Baptiste, Ph.D., and promoted her to associate professor of anthropology.
Baptiste teaches numerous cultural anthropology courses at Kalamazoo College. These include Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Communities and Schools; Language,Culture, and Society; Immigrants and Exiles; and Senior Seminar: Current Dialogue in Anthropology and Sociology. She has presented scholarly work at many professional association meetings, has published widely, and is the author of a book under contract titled Africa’s Paradise: Creole Citizenship in Post-Colonial Mauritius. She speaks and writes four languages, and her areas of specialization include anthropology of education, ethnicity and nationalism, Diasporas, Creole societies, and language and culture. An article on Baptiste will appear in the Spring 2011 LuxEsto.

Social Justice Center Director Named

Kalamazoo College has named Jaime M. Grant, Ph.D., as executive director of its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL). She will begin her duties September 1. The ACSJL is a new initiative by Kalamazoo College, launched in 2009 with a two-year, $2.1 million grant from the Arcus Foundation. Its mission is to explore, cultivate, and engage in the study and practice of social justice leadership. Since 2007 Grant has directed the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the nation’s premiere LGBT think tank located in Washington, D.C. Before that, she was program director for “Leadership in a Changing World” (LCW) at The Advocacy Institute, also in Washington, D.C. LCW is the Ford Foundation’s signature leadership awards program, recognizing and supporting community leaders across America who are effectively tackling tough social issues. Grant is thrilled about her new position. “Kalamazoo College’s tradition of combining top-quality, liberal arts academics with experiential learning makes it an ideal place to establish a first-of-its-kind, academy-based social justice leadership center,” she said, “one that will add value to a ‘K’ education and will inspire social change efforts in the U.S. and abroad.”

Endowed Power

The power of gifts to Kalamazoo College is evident in the summer experiences of the 13 student recipients of Student Projects Abroad awards. The Beeler Fellowship and Beeler Project Grant were established in 1994 through a bequest by Mrs. Isabel Beeler. The Collins Fellowship is a gift that honors the late Paul Collins, former Dean of Students at “K”. The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, founded on a gift from the Arcus Foundation, awarded two students International Engagement Fellowships. And the Classics Todd Memorial grant partially supports students’ summer participation in archaeological field schools, digs, and Classical language programs. The 2009-2010 academic year recipients include the following students. Moe Anway (Beeler Fellowship) is in France completing a documentary on Arabic immigrants and Arabic-French citizens and their roles in French society. Paloma Clohessy (Beeler and Collins Fellowships) is in Kenya analyzing education at Early-Bird Academy and its effect on generational transfer of Kenyan culture. Robin Greenwood (Beeler Fellowship) is conducting an internship in Senegal that focuses on feminism. She will complete a creative non-fiction work based on her experience and interviews. Katherine Grue and Tristan Morioka (Beeler Project Grants) work with physically challenged youth at the Keel Ottivakkam Grama Sangam Community Center in India. Genevieve Leet (Beeler Fellowship) has returned to Thailand, engaged in a project that collects ethnographic and artistic data as well as acrylic painting and contemporary poetry, and explores coral reef degradation. She’s already keeping a blog on the experience. Alaina McConnell (Beeler Project Grant) is in Argentina teaching English. Obineche Nnebedum (Beeler Project Grant) is helping disadvantaged Ecuadorian children build their interest in learning and in science education in particular. Leah Rumsey (Beeler and Collins Fellowships) is in Egypt studying contact zones between Egyptians and non-Egyptians. Alexandra Sachnoff (Social Justice International Engagement Scholarship) has traveled to Chile, where she is studying the power dynamics between multinational forestry companies, the Chilean government, and Mapuche activists seeking autonomy. She also is exploring the Chilean media’s interpretation of this conflict. Ellen Smith (Social Justice International Engagement Scholarship) is conducting research in Thailand on the connection between human rights violations and environmental degradation in Burma. Her work is part of an internship at the EarthRights School of Burma. Elissa Thorne (Beeler Fellowship and Classics Todd Memorial Gift) is at the Butrint Field School in Albania. There she’ll learn archaeological methodology hands-on at an excavation site. And Shani Turke (Beeler Fellowship) is doing a literature study in Senegal to ascertain how young women in Dakar view sexuality. She will follow that research with field work on reproductive health education programs for young women.

My Summer Job: Brick Layer
[Editor’s Note: The following is the first in an occasional series of how “K” students, faculty, and staff are spending their summer months. Got an idea for a story? Send it to Office of College Communication Summer Intern Kristine Sholty ’11 at kristine.sholty07@kzoo.edu.] 

Service Learner Emeritus

Fare Well

Commencement 101

Assistant Provost Lanny Potts (with megaphone) brings order to chaos on Thursday afternoon during commencement rehearsal for members of the Class of 2010. Kalamazoo will host commencement on Sunday, June 13, at 1:00 p.m. The ceremony will take place on the campus “Quad” (or Anderson Athletic Center, in the event of rain). No tickets are necessary unless the event moves inside where seating is limited. Each student has five tickets for that eventuality.

United States Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and deliver the keynote address. Graduating senior Ben Shroeder, an economics major from Livonia, Mich., will also speak.

A total of 313 “K” seniors from 27 states and four foreign countries (Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand) will graduate with Bachelor’s of Arts degrees in 33 majors.

Other statistics on the Kalamazoo College Class of 2010:

• 55 are double-majors.
• More than two-thirds participated in a career internship or externship experience
• 80% of students participated in the College’s study abroad program, to 25 different cities on six continents. The most popular programs were Ecuador, Madrid, and Thailand.
• 30 are candidates for Phi Beta Kappa (14 in natural sciences).
• Class members logged an estimated 24,000 hours of community service, primarily in Greater Kalamazoo, during their four years at K.

Carl Levin is the longest serving U.S. senator in Michigan history. He was first elected in 1978 and has been re-elected five times. He is best known as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He earned his B.A. degree (with honors) from Swarthmore College and his juris doctor from Harvard University Law School.

Senator Levin joins a long list of honorary degree recipients at Kalamazoo College dating to 1868. Others include former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (1937), anthropologist Margaret Mead (1957), journalist Daniel Schorr (1975), and tennis star Arthur Ashe (1992). Levin joins several other U.S. Senators that received an honorary degree from Kalamazoo, including Homer Ferguson (R-MI, 1943), Paul Simon (D-IL, 1981) and Mark Hatfield (R-OR, 1989).

A Baccalaureate service for Kalamazoo College seniors, families, and friends, takes place Saturday June 12 at 8 p.m. in Stetson Chapel. A Sunday chapel service begins at 10 a.m. in Stetson. Visit www.kzoo.edu/aluminfo for all Commencement week activities and other events at Kalamazoo College.

Pre-Game "K"

Here’s a great baseball trivia quiz question: How do the Detroit Tigers record a “K” BEFORE facing a single batter? Answer: By inviting “K” College’s a capella groups to sing the national anthem! For the second consecutive year those groups—Premium Orange and The Acabellas—have opened a Tigers game, this year at a rain-delayed Memorial Day match-up at Comerica Field. Pictured in the stands are several members of the groups (l-r): front row—Kaitlin Powe and Alida Baranowski; back row—Caitlin Rider, Maddy Kamalay, Arjun Baragi, Clare Lindley, Brendon Schramm, Laura Fox, and Sarah Thomasma. Despite the boost from "K", Tigers' pitching didn't record enough "Ks," and the Oakland A's won the game, 4-1.

Big Touch-down at Angell

President Barack Obama flew into Kalamazoo Monday to deliver the commencement address to graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School. Where did his helicopter, Marine One, land? Kalamazoo College’s Angell Field! The commencement ceremony was held at Western Michigan University’s field house, across the street from Angell. His Secret Service and Marine security detail determined that the best closest landing site for helicopters was the home of the Hornets. Five helicopters landed last Friday afternoon in a rehearsal, and then returned Monday around 4:30 pm carrying the president, his security escorts, and members of the news media.

“K” College Grounds Manager Joel Sportel and Director of Facilities Management Paul Manstrom worked behind the scenes with President Obama’s security team for nearly a week to manage the logistics of the visit, and they were present during Monday’s landing and takeoff. “It was a lot of fun talking with the Marine Flight Crew and Secret Service in Calder Field House during the commencement address,” said Paul. “But Joel and I breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over and the helicopters safely departed.” Paul reported that Secret Service agents and Marines all left with a complimentary “K” College tee-shirt. Joel and Paul were allowed to pose for a photo next to “Marine One,” President Obama’s helicopter.

Travis Smith ’10 was one of at least eight “K” students invited to attend the Kalamazoo Central commencement ceremony as guests of Kalamazoo Public Schools or families of graduates. Travis has been active as a mentor and tutor in the CAPS program that matches “K” and KPS students. He was invited by the mother of one of his CAPS students and sat with the family. “It was an amazing evening, really electric. And the crowd was as excited to see the graduates as they were to see President Obama. Going through all the security was not even a problem because of all the positive energy in the air.” Other K students at the event included Eric Aiken ‘10, Tristan Kiel ’13, Dion Bullock ’12, Alana Kresch ’12, Martin Bergstrom ’13, Katie Manstrom ’10, and Kevin Dugal ’10.

As a parent of three Kalamazoo Public School students, Teresa Denton was very excited about attending the Kalamazoo Central commencement. As associate director of the College’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service Learning she said “It was wonderful to see so many of the KPS students who have been involved in our “K” College/KPS partnerships walk across the stage and shake hands with the President. For me, seeing the KPS youth we have worked with have this amazing opportunity was as exciting as hearing the President speak. A handful of our “Keep the Doors Open” alums graduated last night, as well as many students who participated in our Woodward and other KPS programs when they were in elementary and middle school. This really was the best part for me!” Teresa was invited to attend the ceremony by Dorothy Young, retired KPS principal and longtime community partner with the College’s Institute for Service-Learning.

Kalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran attended the commencement ceremony along with her husband, Professor of International Studies Sope Oyelaran. Both were invited guests of Kalamazoo Public Schools, along with leaders of Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. “I thought the president’s speech was inspiring and really honest,” she was quoted as saying in a Kalamazoo Gazette article. “It was nice that he told some his own personal stories of some of the pitfalls one may face…[and] what this means to young people throughout this nation, that with all that was on his plate, the president of the United States paused for a minute to say: You are important. You are our future. What you do matters. It’s an honor.” Prior to the ceremony, President Wilson-Oyelaran met President Obama during a private reception at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo where she presented him with a “Hornet” basketball and home game jersey.

Sustaining Detroit

Hello, Goodbye, Congrats

The final Community Reflection of the 2009-10 academic year featured recognitions, awards, introductions, farewells, and the superb piano playing of Samuel Amoabeng ’12. Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00 recognized her congregation of student chaplains and interns, including seniors Anne Weir and Cate Skirving.

The 2009-10 Student Commission presented three annual awards, one each to a member of the College senior class, faculty, and staff. Senior Andrew Grayson (left, in photo) received the Amy Trenkle Award, named in honor of a member of the Class of 1996 whose invaluable devotion to the College community exemplified involvement and leadership. Senior Instructor of Economics and Business Chuck Stull (center) received the Frances Diebold Award named in honor of the late Professor Emerita of Biology, who was not only an excellent teacher, but also an avid supporter of athletics and was personally involved in a number of student social activities. Director of Facilities Management Paul Manstrom (right) received the William Crockett Award named in honor of a longtime member of the grounds crews who not only beautifies the campus through his work, but also through his friendly smile and concern for students.

Outgoing Student Council President Anne Weir thanked her fellow “StuCom” members, as well as her faculty and administration advisors for their support and leadership. She also inducted into office 2010-11 Student Commission members (pictured l-r) Alyssa McNamara ’11 (secretary of finance), Alex Morgan (president), Phoebe Solomon ’13 (vice president), Darwin Rodriguez ’13 (secretary of records), and Bridgett Colling ’13 (secretary of public relations). In his inaugural address, Morgan borrowed a quote from recent Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership speaker Joia Mukherjee, saying that he invited “K” students, faculty, and staff to help him lead “arm-in-arm, as we forge a new chapter in Kalamazoo’s history.”

Community Reflection is part of the Chapel Program at Kalamazoo College, and offers a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, at 11:00 AM in Stetson Chapel.

Service-Learning Celebrates

Grey Area

Tom Rice, Art, and Bernard Palchick, professor emeritus of art, attended the opening of Julie Mehretu’s exhibition, Grey Area, at the Guggenheim in New York City. The six large scale paintings in this exhibition were produced as the 15th commission of the Deutsche Bank and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. They were inspired, in part, by the city of Berlin, where Mehretu created the cycle of paintings. The 1992 Kalamazoo College graduate was a member of the 2007 class of the American Academy of Berlin, which also included David Barclay, the Margaret and Roger Scholten Professor of International Studies. Palchick (left) and Rice are pictured with Mehretu at the New York opening. “Julie is a super star,” says Palchick, who served as her faculty supervisor for her Senior Individualized Project back in 1991. “It was great to see her shine!” The paintings were first exhibited at Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, and the opening there included an interview about the work with curator Joan Young.

Farewell Fête

Billie Fischer, Art History, and John Wickstrom, History, between themselves share more than 75 years of service at Kalamazoo College. Their teaching has influenced countless students. This May, the College celebrated the long careers of these two icons of liberal arts learning. Neither is retiring from learning (or perhaps even teaching). That’s the thing about “K”: it cultivates a combination of humility, curiosity, and capacity for hard work that together ensures a person takes along (for example) a monk like Maurus into one’s retirement years. Nor can one overestimate the importance of a community of fellow scholars—including teachers and students. Fischer was introduced by Professor Emeritus of Art Bernard Palchick and by senior art history major Maghan Jackson. Professor of History David Barclay and senior history major James Kellner introduced Wickstrom. In their farewell addresses Fischer and Wickstrom articulated the value of a Kalamazoo College liberal arts education as eloquently as anyone this writer has heard or read.

“K” Makes Movie Debut

“K” Stars

“K” Women in Kitchen Conversations

Kitchen Conversations, a documentary by Dhera Strauss about Kalamazoo-area women and their family recipes—including many from the Kalamazoo College community—will premiere Friday, May 7, 2010, at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m., in The Little Theatre at Western Michigan University. Screenings are open to the public with a suggested donation of $3.00 per ticket. A Q&A session will follow each screening with producer-director Strauss, who is the College’s media producer and instructor. Many women from the “K” College community invited Strauss and her video camera into their kitchens as they prepared recipes that reminded them of family. “K” participants in Kitchen Conversations include Emerita Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Marigene Arnold, Fumie Hussen (wife of Professor of Economics and Business Ahmed Hussen), Emerita Professor of German Margo Light, Emeriti Professor of Biology Sally Olexia, Pat Phillips (wife of Emeritus Professor of Education Romeo Phillips), Upjohn Library Commons Acquisitions Assistant Renata Schnelker, Professor of Romance Languages and Literature Jan Solberg, Lynn Terranella (mother of alumnus and physician Andrew Terranella ’99) and President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran. “I’ve long been interested in the association of food with memory,” Strauss said. “What better way to explore that connection than through favorite family recipes. This documentary evokes laughter and tears, and will surely leave viewers hungry!” Strauss teaches introductory and advanced documentary production at Kalamazoo College. She also directed or produced the documentaries Donut Day (2006); Stefon Harris: The Art of Listening (2009); Los Bandits: More Than A Tex-Mex Band (2007); and Neighbors in the Square (2004). The Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative through the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo College, and the Kalamazoo Film Society provided funding and in-kind support for Kitchen Conversations. Find photos, recipes, and view a trailer of the film here. [Photo courtesy of Mary Whalen]

Founders!

Burning Bright

Detroit Law Day

A Kalamazoo College law alumni networking luncheon recently drew nearly 50 people to the “Million Dollar Courtroom” of the Chief Judge of U.S. District Court for the eastern District of Michigan in Detroit. Hosted by the current chief judge himself, Gerald “Jerry” Rosen ’73, the event featured an announcement about the creation of the College’s new Law Guild by Guilds Director Joan Hawxhurst, and an update on the Pre-Law Program at Kalamazoo College by Associate Professor of Philosophy Chris Latiolais. Seven current “K” students with an interest in law school discussed their K-Plans with nearly 40 Detroit-area alumni and peppered them with questions about their varied careers. Alumni also listened raptly as Emeritus Professor of Political Science Donald Flesche, mentor to many in the room, talked about his decades-long love affair with Kalamazoo College that has continued past his 1997 retirement. Rosen praised “Kalamazoo’s brand of liberal arts education” for preparing him for his law career, and encouraged students to both broaden their academic scope and sharpen their communications skills in preparation for their own law careers. Rosen also provided an insider’s tour of the many unique features of the magnificent courtroom, first occupied in a different building in1896, then painstakingly disassembled and moved in 1933 to its present site in the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse. “Judge” Flesche (right) is pictured gaveling the alumni event to order on Judge Rosen’s bench.

Recycle This

Kalamazoo College students performed very well again in the ten-week national Recyclemania Competition that recently ended. Through the program, now in its tenth year, more than 84.5 million pounds of recyclables and organics were recovered by 607 colleges and universities across the country. Schools participate in eight main categories and in targeted material categories to see who can recycle the most paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, and food waste on a per capita basis.
      For the fourth straight year, Kalamazoo made the top-five in four categories.
      In the “Grand Champion” category, Kalamazoo finished fourth by recycling 63.8 percent of its overall waste generated on campus during the 10 weeks. Kalamazoo also finished fourth in the “Per Capita Classic” by recycling 51.43 pounds of material per person on campus.
      Kalamazoo also finished first in the Corrugated Cardboard category by recycling 25.23 pounds per person, and second in Bottles & Cans with 16.29 pounds per person.
      Overall, Kalamazoo recycled 87,114.75 pounds of materials during this year’s competition, up from 74,130 pounds in 2009.
      “I’m very proud of the “K” students,” said Kalamazoo College Recycle Coordinator Rob Townsend. “They worked very hard to bring home the trophy,” which is made of recycled glass, he pointed out.
      Townsend supervises about 20 students who collect and sort recyclables campus-wide, including Sam Brennan ’11, Martha Cavazos ’11, and Emily Drucker ’13 who are photographed helping Alex Griffin ’12 get into his work.
      “The entire campus community focuses on recycling year-round, not just during Recyclemania,” he said. “We’ve actually reduced overall waste on campus in recent years. For example, we recycle fewer paper products because people print less, print double-sided, and use reusable coffee mugs. Read more about recycling and sustainability at Kalamazoo College at “Orange, Black and Green.

Women Leaders

Gypsy Ballads

When Mark Abeles-Allison ’84 studied abroad at the College’s Madrid program, he lived with a family that owned and operated a publishing business. Upon his departure, his hosts presented him with a limited edition copy of Federico García Lorca’s Romancero Gitano illustrated by Rafael Alberti. Mark has now donated the book to Kalamazoo College. García Lorca was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director born in 1898. Many consider him to be one of Spain’s finest poets, and Romancero Gitano (translated as Gypsy Ballads) to be his best poetry collection. First published in 1928, the illustrated edition now in the collection of the A. M. Todd Rare Book Room of Upjohn Library Commons was published in 1977. Close friends with filmmaker Luis Buñuel, artist Salvador Dalí, and many other Spanish surrealists, García Lorca was also sympathetic to leftist ideals in the Spanish Civil War that broke out in summer 1936. He was arrested by fascist forces in August of that year and was never seen again. Historians speculate he was executed not only for his leftist political leanings, but also for being a homosexual. Shortly before he was “disappeared,” García Lorca read aloud from a Spanish Communist Party manifesto at a banquet in honor of his friend, fellow poet and artist Rafael Alberti. Shortly after García Lorca’s disappearance, Alberti fled to Argentina. He did not return to Spain until 1977. He died in 1999 at age 97. Mark Abeles-Allison’s copy of Romancero Gitano is number 116 of an edition of 1,500, and is signed by Alberti. The Rare Book Room is open from 1-3 pm every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday during the academic year (September through June), and by appointment. For more information, contact Paul Smithson at smithson@kzoo.edu or 337-7147. [photo by Russell Cooper ’89]

Guggenheim to Hughes

Outstanding Students

Four Kalamazoo College students have received Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) Outstanding Student Service Awards for their dedication and commitment to community service.
      Klissa Jarrett, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., and Travis Smith, a senior from Newark, NJ, received the Outstanding Community Impact Award. This award is given to students who have made service an integral part of their college experience by their significant contribution to community resources. The recipient’s efforts build partnerships between their campuses and communities to demonstrate personal reflection and a commitment to lifelong engagement. Only eight students will receive this award.
      Lisa Phillips, a senior from Wyoming, received the Commitment to Service Award. This award is given to one student per member campus in the state of Michigan for their commitment to community service. Only 34 students will receive this award. 
      Andrew Dozier received the Heart and Soul Award. This award is given to students to recognize their time, effort and personal commitment through service.
      Awardees were selected from a nomination pool of nearly 900 students. This year, 192 students from 34 member campuses received awards. Michigan Campus Compact promotes the education and commitment of Michigan college students to be civically engaged citizens, through creating and expanding academic, co-curricular and campus-wide opportunities for community service, service-learning and civic engagement. (Photo, l-r: back row—Dorothy Young (Community Advocates for Parents and Students), Alison Geist (Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning), Andrew Dozier ’10, Klissa Jarrett ’10, Travis Smith ’10, Teresa Denton (MJSUISL), Atrella Cohn (CAPS), Janice James (CAPS), front row—Breigh  Montgomery (MJSUISL) and Lisa Phillips ’10) 

Small Islands, Large Waters

Social Justice Lecture

New Kron

Saving Michigan

Service-Learning Saluted

Kalamazoo College has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction by The Corporation for National and Community Service. It’s the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
      Six colleges and universities have been recognized as Presidential Awardees, with an additional 115 named to the Honor Roll with Distinction and 621 schools named as Honor Roll members.
      Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
      Kalamazoo has been named to the Honor Roll of Distinction each year since its inception in 2006.
      “We are delighted that ‘K’ students have received this federal recognition once again,” said Alison Geist, director of the Mary Jane Stryker Underwood Institute for Service-Learning at Kalamazoo College. “Service-learning is a vital part of the K-Plan. It contributes greatly to students’ development as critical thinkers and activists, and helps make them wonderful ambassadors to the Kalamazoo community and beyond.”
      According to Geist, more than 600 Kalamazoo College students -- about half of the on-campus student body -- work in the community every year, most through service-learning courses. More than 150 students also earn minimum wage through federal work-study placements, or work as “volunteers” committing at least two hours per week throughout each term. She said co-curricular programs run by the Underwood Stryker Institute are coordinated—and frequently designed—by “K” student leaders who hold Civic Engagement Scholarships through the Institute.
      “Thanks to endowed scholarships, Kalamazoo students are increasingly able to weave summer community-based research internships and externships that focus on social justice and community change into their K-Plans,” she said.
      The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning at Kalamazoo College was established in 2001 with an endowment from “K” trustee Ronda Stryker and her husband, Bill Johnston to honor her grandmother, Mary Jane Underwood Stryker.
      Kalamazoo joins Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Delta College as the only Michigan institutions on the 2009 Honor Roll with Distinction. Kalamazoo and Oberlin are the only Great Lakes College Association members on the Honor Roll with Distinction, with GLCA member-college Ohio Wesleyan University as one of the six Presidential Awardees.
      More than three million students performed more than 300 million hours of service in 2009, according to the “Volunteering in America” study released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
      The Corporation oversees the Presidential Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

Music (and Math) Man

Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science Department and Associate Professor of Mathematics Eric Barth, Ph.D., has received a grant from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) to explore formal connections between two areas of intense interest to him: mathematics and music. With his GLCA New Directions Initiative grant, Professor Barth will work to develop mathematical and computational models for music theory and analysis. “My goal is to elucidate patterns and correlations that emerge from collections of musical compositions, with the aim of identifying characteristic properties in a composer’s work not apparent from minute analysis of individual motifs and isolated pieces.” Barth’s research, titled “Scientific Computation to Computational Musicology,” draws on his undergraduate training in classical and jazz music performance, Ph.D. work in numerical mathematics, and research background in statistical mechanics. Barth earned a B.A. degree in music and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from University of Kansas. He spent three years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Associate at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University before coming to “K” in 1997. Each year, he teaches courses in differential equations and complex variables, as well as several sections of calculus and one or two physics courses. He also plays tenor saxophone with the nearby Gull Lake Jazz Orchestra. The GLCA New Directions Initiative is funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Initiative’s focus is to support the renewal and continued professional growth of liberal arts faculty members. A particular emphasis is to help faculty members think outside traditional boundaries and divisions of their discipline and of typical faculty work, in order to broaden intellectual perspectives, stimulate innovation in pedagogy, and pursue singular explorations.

Bugs Matters

Longitudinal Lightning

Just how good is a Kalamazoo College education? Want to know for sure? Then directly test students before and after they’ve completed the K learning experience. Test them for their gains in these abilities: to think critically, to reason analytically, to write well, and to solve problems. After all, those skills will come in handy for life after college. And gains in those abilities are the reasons we go to college in the first place and the outcome we seek from the experience.
                Measure directly! If you wanted to know how a medicine (or a diet or an exercise regimen) affected a person’s blood pressure, you wouldn’t just ask him how he felt afterwards, or make conclusions based solely on the way he looked. Instead, you’d use a monitor to read the person’s blood pressure. Direct measures require the courage to face real results. So kudos to K for its continued engagement with the Collegiate Learning Assessment (not all colleges have the guts).
                The CLA is a rigorous test that directly measures gains in the four abilities listed above. No multiple choice involved here! Instead students complete a “performance task” in which they are asked to solve a real-world problem using evidence from a document library. They also write two essays, one in which they make an argument and another in which they critique an argument.  The CLA factors for variations in individuals’ innate abilities in order to isolate and measure a single variable: the effect of a particular college educational experience on student gains in the ability to think, to reason, to write, and to solve.
                In 2005 Kalamazoo College administered the CLA to two groups (or cohorts)—its freshman (class of 2009) and seniors (class of 2005). Results showed that a Kalamazoo College education provides gains far greater than expected in those four endpoints.  Compared to other CLA participating institutions (all blinded, because self improvement, more than comparison, is the purpose of the CLA) K results were among the best—“nearly peerless” (the 99th percentile) according to Professor of Biology Paul Sotherland.
                The College corroborated these results in a second separate-cohort (or “cross-sectional”) study. Excellent results—supported by additional studies—were great news. But the College never rested on any laurels. Rather, it carefully studied its CLA data to determine if the robust results occurred broadly among all majors and, if not, what curricular changes might be most effective to ensure outstanding gains for all K students. In other words, even though direct outcome measures show “K” to be nearly peerless, how can it continue to improve on what it already does well?
                Now come the first longitudinal data—testing the same group of students as freshmen and as seniors. And the results confirm those of the cross-sectional studies: gains far above expected in all four abilities. According to Sotherland, “about two times greater than average gains at the other 25 institutions reporting longitudinal data.” Once again, he says, K is “peerless.” And, as before, the College continues to ask itself tough questions, relentlessly working to improve. Kudos K!

USTA Boys 18 & 16 National Tennis Championship, Stowe Stadium and Western Michigan University

4 P.M. Volleyball v. Baldwin-Wallace College in the Hornet Invitational, Anderson Athletic Center

8 P.M. Volleyball v. Franklin College in the Hornet Invitational, Anderson Athletic Center

10 A.M. Volleyball v. Anderson College in the Hornet Invitational, Anderson Athletic Center

12 P.M. Women's Soccer v. Elmhurst College, MacKenzie Field

2 P.M. Football v. Bluffton College, Angell Field

2 P.M. Volleyball v. Olivet College in the Hornet Invitational, Anderson Athletic Center

2:30 P.M. Men's Soccer v. Calumet (Ind.) College, MacKenzie Field

8 P.M. The Arcato Chamber Ensemble performs works for string orchestra, including Richard Strauss' epic "Metamophosen," conducted by Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Kalamazoo Philharmonia Andrew Koehler, $15 general admission ($5 students), Dalton Theatre