Articles:
By the time this issue of Illuminator reaches the College community, prospective future Wellesleyans around the world will have received letters inviting them to become members of the Class of 2002.
Admission letters went out on March 27 to 1,324 of the 3,076 women who applied for a spot in the Class of '02. Of that number, 585 are expected to accept by the May 1 deadline, including 98 students who were admitted on early decision and 18 who deferred their admission from last year, according to Dean of Admission Janet Lavin Rapelye.
Many will show up for Spring Open Campus on April 22 and 23 to get to know the College in person and make their final decisions, she said, adding that she encourages everyone on campus to make them welcome and help them feel at home.
While every Wellesley student is unique, the Class of 2002 promises to be truly unusual ã the admitted students include, Rapelye noted, "a center in the Junior World Cup games, someone who corresponds with 49 pen pals around the world, a gold medalist in precision skating at the U.S. Nationals, a trainer of seeing-eye dogs, a student who runs her own bookkeeping business, a full philharmonic's worth of musicians, a California Arts scholar, a student who cultivated 35 varieties of peppers, and a student who danced as a butterfly in the opening ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympics."
Naturally, this batch of potential Wellesley women is smart, with both verbal and math SAT scores averaging in the high 600s. While Rapelye didn't know how many graduated first in their their high school classes, she did note that a surprising number of applicants shared valedictorian honors with other students. In fact, one of the admitted students, who attended a large high school, was one of 25 co-valedictorians.
As in past years, the Class of 2002 draws the highest percentage of admissions from New York, California, and Massachusetts, but every state but Delaware is represented ã a near-miss of Rapelye's personal goal of admitting one class with a student from every state.
No formulas or quotas are involved in picking this select group of women. When applications arrive, they each go into individual folders to be read by 2 or 3 readers from the Board of Admission, which consists of faculty, staff, students, deans, and Admission staffers. The group meets as a committee, chaired by Rapelye, to discuss and rate only the folders they've read. Every candidate gets voted on, yes or no; a simple majority carries the decision.
"We're looking for both well-rounded individuals and a well-rounded community," Rapelye explained. "We look for intellectual curiosity and academic excellence first, then everything else a student might have to add to the community."
Applications originate in a variety of ways. For example, the College keeps a database of 50,000 high school students, including 25,000 who have done well on the PSAT as high school juniors. Staff members in the Admission Office also travel to high schools and college recruiting fairs in the U.S. and elsewhere. Each contact receives mail; when a student responds, the College stays in touch through mail, e-mail, and phone calls.
Yes, the Internet ã and in particular, the Admission Office web site ã has changed the process of getting into Wellesley. "There were weeks this fall where it seemed e-mail inquiries were increasing exponentially," Rapelye said. "It was extraordinary how many students had access to a computer and to our sites. It's a real challenge to figure out how to respond; it's absolutely changing the way we do business." For the most part, she's pleased with the results, and with the potential for online applications in the future.
However, she worries that some potential Wellesley students are
missing out on this new way of learning about the College and what it
has to offer. "There are kids who don't have access to the Internet
either at school or at home, and we aren't reaching them at all," she
said. "That concerns me."
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The millennium is approaching, says Ellie Lonske, and those who aren't ready may be doomed ... to problems with computer hardware and software that can't handle the switch to the 21st century.
Lonske, Assistant Vice President for Information Services, plans to spend the rest of the 20th century preparing for the transition to the 21st. She's working with hardware and software companies to immunize Wellesley's information technology against what the media has referred to as the "millennium bug," an inability to recognize dates after 1999.
Most standard software used at the College, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FileMaker Pro, MeetingMaker, and Banner, has been upgraded to handle the big switch. The one system that would most likely have a problem would be the legacy administrative database, AIMS, but that software and the computer it runs on are scheduled to be retired in the next year. The new administrative system, BANNER, has already been certified as year 2000 (Y2K) compatible.
"None of the large central systems on campus should have any problems, although Information Systems will do its part to make sure of that," Lonske says. "But there are a lot of products that have been around a long time and may not be able to deal with the turn of the millennium, and IS needs to work with faculty and staff to determine what their status is."
Many administrative departments and faculty use special-purpose software and hardware not supported by IS ã software customized for a unique use, hardware that's been around for years, equipment made by vendors who long ago went out of business. Those users will have to find out on their own whether their products are Y2K compatible, and if not, to either upgrade or replace them.
She also cautions computer users to check any documents and databases which store dates as two-digit numbers. If you don't change those dates to four-digit years, there's a chance that the computer may read the year 2001 as being 98 years earlier than 1999.
Although the "millennium bug" is a matter for concern, it's not one for panic. Wellesley has a list of solutions already determined by other, larger institutions and is making sure people are using the most current versions of software supported by IS.
Those who want to check the equipment they use at work or at home can check a web site set up by the University of Notre Dame at www.nd.edu/~y2k/, which offers a regularly updated list of software and hardware known to be Y2K compatible plus a countdown clock ticking away the moments to the millennium. They can also call or e-mail Lonske with questions and check the Y2K bulletin folder regularly.
"I don't have answers yet, but I do have almost two years to inventory what's out there and figure out whether there's a problem," Lonske says. "For software that isn't mission-critical, we'll just wait until January 1, 2000, and see what happens."
Check this web site regularly for the latest information on the
"millennium bug".
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A literacy initiative launched by a Wellesley student is wrapping up its first semester in the Framingham public schools and planning to expand come fall.
Wellesley Words on Wheels (WWOW) began in the fall of 1997 when Jessica Shlasko '98 visited the Center for Work and Service with the vague idea of starting a literacy program. Three weeks later, Kathy Herrman, a parent volunteer with Framingham Partners in Education, came to the center looking for students to work with children learning to read. The two hooked up and began to plan a pilot program.
After a semester of developing the program with the help of literacy consultants, applying for grants, and gathering volunteers, WWOW formally kicked off in January when 31 Wellesley students were paired with 31 kindergarten students at the Stapleton and Hemenway schools. Three other Wellesley students work with six Spanish-speaking children at the Brophy School. The student volunteers are paired not only with children, but with each other ã they drive to Framingham together, work with each other's kids if necessary, and share information. The entire group of volunteers meets once a month. And for 30 minutes each week, they meet with their young partners, who are chosen to take part because they're considered "at risk" for having problems learning to read.
"We don't teach them to read," Shlasko pointed out. "That's the teachers' job. We're providing literacy support." That includes reading to the kids, playing word games, and helping them write stories of their own.
This first semester has been such a success that WWOW is planning to expand in the fall to students in all nine of Framingham's kindergartens, and eventually hoping to move into both preschool and first grade, she added.
WWOW will conclude the semester on April 13 with "Celebration Day," a reception for Wellesley and Framingham volunteers at the home of President Diana Chapman Walsh. Then, on May 8, the WWOW kids and the rest of Framingham's kindergarten students ã 120 in all ã will come to the Wellesley campus for a morning of drawing, dancing, and other fun activities.
Although Shlasko, an anthropology major, is graduating this year, she's committed to WOW's success. In fact, she's already promised to remain involved next year and find someone to replace her as organizer, director, and Wellesley contact.
"I think it's horrifying that kids who are in school aren't learning to read," she says. "Reading is the key to future success. And research shows that the younger you get to kids, the more of a difference it makes."
A literacy initiative launched by a Wellesley student is wrapping up its first semester in the Framingham public schools and planning to expand come fall.
Wellesley Words on Wheels (WWOW) began in the fall of 1997 when Jessica Shlasko '98 visited the Center for Work and Service with the vague idea of starting a literacy program. Three weeks later, Kathy Herrman, a parent volunteer with Framingham Partners in Education, came to the center looking for students to work with children learning to read. The two hooked up and began to plan a pilot program.
After a semester of developing the program with the help of literacy consultants, applying for grants, and gathering volunteers, WWOW formally kicked off in January when 31 Wellesley students were paired with 31 kindergarten students at the Stapleton and Hemenway schools. Three other Wellesley students work with six Spanish-speaking children at the Brophy School. The student volunteers are paired not only with children, but with each other ã they drive to Framingham together, work with each other's kids if necessary, and share information. The entire group of volunteers meets once a month. And for 30 minutes each week, they meet with their young partners, who are chosen to take part because they're considered "at risk" for having problems learning to read.
"We don't teach them to read," Shlasko pointed out. "That's the teachers' job. We're providing literacy support." That includes reading to the kids, playing word games, and helping them write stories of their own.
This first semester has been such a success that WWOW is planning to expand in the fall to students in all nine of Framingham's kindergartens, and eventually hoping to move into both preschool and first grade, she added.
WWOW will conclude the semester on April 13 with "Celebration Day," a reception for Wellesley and Framingham volunteers at the home of President Diana Chapman Walsh. Then, on May 8, the WWOW kids and the rest of Framingham's kindergarten students - 120 in all - will come to the Wellesley campus for a morning of drawing, dancing, and other fun activities.
Although Shlasko, an anthropology major, is graduating this year, she's committed to WOW's success. In fact, she's already promised to remain involved next year and find someone to replace her as organizer, director, and Wellesley contact.
"I think it's horrifying that kids who are in school aren't
learning to read," she says. "Reading is the key to future success.
And research shows that the younger you get to kids, the more of a
difference it makes."
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If anyone can speak with authority to the Class of 1998 about reaching for the stars, Pamela Ann Melroy '83 can. As a student at Wellesley, double-majoring in physics and astronomy, Melroy had her eyes set on her lifelong goal of becoming an astronaut. Today, she's preparing to go farther than most alumnae ever will, as one of only three women selected by NASA to pilot the Space Shuttle. Melroy, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force as well as a NASA astronaut, will speak at the College's 120th Commencement exercises on Friday, May 29.
After graduating from Wellesley, Melroy went on to MIT to earn her master's degree in Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. She also entered active duty in the Air Force in 1983, completing Undergraduate Pilot Training in 1985. She spent the next six years as a KC-10 pilot at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, accruing more than 200 combat and combat support hours in operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In 1991, she enrolled in the test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base in California; when she graduated, she was assigned as the Air Force lead structures and lead refueling test pilot for the C-17, the newest military aircraft in the United States. She set nine world records as test pilot for the C-17 and has logged more than 4,000 hours of flight time in more than 45 different aircraft.
In 1994, Melroy was selected from more than 4,000 applicants to
fill one of approximately 20 openings in NASA's astronaut program.
She is currently assigned to fly the Shuttle in January 1999 on the
last of three missions to assemble the planned International Space
Station. While she awaits her flight, she works on advanced projects,
including Shuttle cockpit upgrades, for the Astronaut Office in
Houston.
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The Committee for Faculty Appointments has awarded tenure,
effective September 1, to the following professors:
Art
Judith Black
Computer Science
Panagiotis Metaxas
English
Kathleen Brogan
Alison Hickey
German
Thomas Nolden
Mathematics
Charles Bu
Ann Trenk
Physics
Yue Hu
Psychology
Nancy Genero
The Committee for Faculty Appointments reviews professors'
teaching and academic work in making its recommendations for
tenure.
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Thyme, a 15-month-old black Labrador Retriever, is a
familiar sight on campus as she accompanies Jessica Shlasko '98, who
has been training her for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization
which breeds and trains guide dogs. Thyme has lived with Shlasko
since she was a 10-week-old puppy and will remain her constant
companion at least through the end of the summer, until Guiding Eyes
for the Blind is ready to take the dog back for further training and
placement in a permanent home.
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Dean Nancy Kolodny (center) and Professor
Jing-Heng Ma (4th from right) at the Grand Hotel, Taipei, with the
executive directors of the National Women's League of the Republic of
China.
A Wellesley delegation led by Nancy H. Kolodny, Dean of the College, has returned from a 12-day trip to Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong; and Nanking, China to meet with educators, community leaders and Wellesley Club alumnae.
"It was quite a trip, especially meeting our remarkable alumnae in Asia," said Jing-Heng Ma, Chair of Wellesley's Chinese department . "It was so nice to see Wellesley at center stage and to see the real love our alumnae hold for the school."
Ma, Kolodny and David Blinder, Vice President for Resources and Public Affairs, left Boston on March 1 and 20 hours later landed in Taipei on March 2. There they joined about 200 members of the National Women's League of the Republic of China to celebrate the League's recent gift to establish a professorship in Chinese studies in honor of one of Wellesley's most prominent graduates, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, nee Mayling Soong. Madame Chiang graduated from Wellesley in 1917 with a degree in English.
Established to mark Madame Chiang's 100th birthday, the professorship is intended to help promote Chinese culture and greater international understanding. Madame Chiang founded the National Women's League in 1949 as a women's humanitarian and service organization; today, it continues her legacy of service to the country and people of China.
Ma, an internationally recognized expert in Chinese language instruction and the creator of the award-winning Chinese language instruction software, "HyperChinese," is the first to hold the Mayling Soong professorship.
On March 6, the group moved on to Hong Kong, where they evaluated an ongoing program through which Wellesley alumnae teach English at Chung Chi College in Hong Kong. Dean Kolodny also spoke on "Pathways for Women in the Sciences" at a Seven Sisters alumnae luncheon held in Hong Kong.
The group then spent March 10 - 12 in Nanking, where three recent Wellesley graduates are teaching English at Tingling College, a women's college. Kolodny, Ma, and Blinder met with the alumnae and visited classes, then took part in a panel discussion with Tingling students about funding, admissions, and other aspects of academic life in the United States and at Wellesley.
"It was eye-opening for [the Chinese students] because liberal arts education is so different there," Ma explained. "They only have 3 majors: English, accounting, and nutrition. It really made me realize how valuable it is to increase the number of international students at Wellesley ã they're so eager to learn more about the rest of the world."
Scenes from the East: These pictures, courtesy of David Blinder, Vice President for Resources and Public Affairs, offer a glimpse of Wellesley's presence in China.
Cecilia Tsao Chen '62, (on left) President,
Wellesley Club of Taiwan, on behalf of the Club presents a
commemorative plaque to Cecilia Koo, Secretary General, National
Women's League of the Republic of China.
Professor Jing-Heng
Ma, Dean Nancy Kolodny, and Edie Hu '97 (from left) outside the
National Palace Museum
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Members of the College Community will be invited to meetings in the spring and fall to offer their opinions on the campus master plan and find out how Wellesley's campus may change in coming years.
The steering committee and an advisory committee made up of alumnae, faculty, and staff have produced six working papers on various aspects of the campus master plan in conjunction with landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The Board of Trustees will receive a draft preliminary plan of the architect's current thinking on April 16 and 17. After the Board adds its own input, the community will be encouraged to comment.
A preliminary plan won't be done until June at the earliest and won't be voted into effect until the fall, said Rene Stewart Poku, Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration. Even after that, a capital campaign will be necessary to raise funds for any new projects, so no specific projects are likely to begin this year. However, the planning process has revealed many long-forgotten details about how the physical campus was planned and how it was supposed to have been kept up.
The last comprehensive master plan was done in 1921, Poku noted, so there's no rush to make changes that might be unfaithful to the history of the campus.
The most obvious issue to emerge during the planning project has been the way in which cars have taken over what was once a pedestrian campus. The College's founders never envisioned a driving society and, as a result, parking on campus is inadequate, traffic causes both safety concerns and congestion, and roads and parking lots detract from the landscape's natural beauty. "We'll probably see something very different about where we store cars on campus," Poku predicted.
Future plans for the campus include both stand-alone landscape projects and a program for ongoing maintenance.
Cambridge-based Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, founded in
1982, has conducted planning and design work for more than 300
clients, including Harvard University, Vassar College, Colby College,
the University of Iowa, and the University of Arizona. The firm's
designs have received numerous design awards, including a 1994 Honor
Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the
restoration of Harvard Yard. The firm's principal, Michael Van
Valkenburgh, is the Charles Eliot Professor of Landscape Architecture
at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
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Author Toni Morrison ã winner
of the National Book Critics Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel
Prize for Literature ã will give the 1997-1998 Wilson Lecture
on Monday, May 4, at 8 p.m.
Morrison, the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University, is an extraordinary talent who has received more than a dozen prestigious literary awards, including the 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature. In addition to seven novels ã The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise ã she has written several collections of essays, and three collections of lyrics. Paradise, her most recent novel, is at the top of local and national bestseller lists.
Morrison has degrees from Howard and Cornell. She has taught at Yale, Bard College, and Rutgers as well as the State University of New York at Albany, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Syracuse University. In 1990 she delivered the Clark Lectures at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, and the Massey Lectures at Harvard University. She also holds 11 honorary degrees.
A founding member of the Academie Universelle Des Culture and a Trustee of the New York Public Library, Morrison is also a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the International Parliament of Writers, the Author's Guild, and the Africa Watch and Helsinki Watch Committees on Human Rights.
The Wilson Lecture will be held at either Alumnae Hall or the Keohane Sports Center, depending on the number of tickets issued for the event. Every member of the Wellesley College community may pick up one free ticket by presenting a Wellesley College ID at the Information Box at Schneider Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from April 6 to April 12.
Tickets will be limited to one per person and will be required for admission. Call the Special Events Office at x2375 with any questions.
The Wilson Lecture is sponsored by President Diana Chapman Walsh
and the Committee on Lectures and Cultural Events.
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Mary Ann Hill has joined the Public
Affairs staff as Director of Public Information and Government
Relations. A 1984 graduate of Wellesley, she earned a Masters in
Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard in 1991.
Hill brings to Wellesley an extensive background in public relations and government affairs. She most recently was a communications consultant with ML Strategies in Boston. From 1995-97, Mary Ann served as Director of Communications for the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and from 1992-94, as Deputy Press Secretary to former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell. She has also worked as a policy analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, public information officer for the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project, and development writer for Beth Israel Hospital.
She lives with her husband and two children in Newton.
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