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Davis Scholar helps fight fire at President's houseA small fire at the President's house earlier this month caused minor structural damage to the living room and an upstairs bedroom, as well as smoke damage throughout the residence. No one was in the house at the time of the blaze, nor were there any injuries to fire fighters. The damage is estimated in the $100,000 range and President Diana Chapman Walsh and her husband, Chris, are expected to move back into their home by the end of September. According to the Wellesley Fire Department incident report, the fire was caused by a workman soldering around the door leading to the patio. At approximately 3 p.m., the soldering ignited dry wood behind the door and the fire spread quickly, and at first invisibly, through the inside of the walls. The South Natick engines arrived within five minutes and additional engines from Wellesley, Newton and Needham also responded shortly thereafter. Prompt and effective response limited the extent of the damage.
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Reflecting on the meeting, Schleifer writes in an article for the upcoming issue of Continuing Education News:
"I did what I've been trained to do as a firefighter/EMT. I am thankful that I can serve in this capacity. When I met President Walsh on the steps of her home last week, and realized that I was serving her, I felt that love and thankfulness for my avocation as strong as ever ... I felt a tremendous sense of pride to be a Wellesley student and, in particular, a Davis Scholar. I am so happy to be here. I truly feel that sense of community that we hear about so often."
More than 750 students, faculty, administrators, presidents and trustees from 350 colleges and universities across the country will be on campus Sept. 27-28 to discuss religious pluralism, spirituality and higher education.
The two-day national gathering is being sponsored by Wellesley College, Brown University Fetzer Institute, the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, and the Trinity Institute, and is the start of an on-going effort of the Education as Transformation Project: Religious Pluralism, Spirituality and Higher Education. The project's goal is to begin a dialogue about religious pluralism and spirituality in higher education, according to Victor Kazanjian, Dean of Religious Life and senior advisor to the project.
Kazanjian said the conference will explore the spiritual dimension of learning and also how colleges are coping with the increasing religious diversity on their campuses.
"We envisioned that in five years higher education will look very different than today. Colleges will see themselves as global learning communities where there is less of a split between head and heart. Higher education will develop a more holistic attitude toward education and a realization that it can occur anywhere, in the dorms, in the dining halls, walking across the campus as well as in the classrooms," Kazanjian said.
Pre-registration is required for most sessions. The following programs, however, are free and open to the entire community, Sunday, Sept. 27:
9:30 a.m. Morning Concurrent Sessions
Presentation by Diana L. Eck: The Pluralism Project's on Common
Ground: World Religions in America - Exploring the religious
landscape of America
A Conversation with Parker J. Palmer on his book, "The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life"
11 a.m. Spirituality and the Arts
A program of interactive presentations and experiences on the theme
of religious pluralism and spirituality.
4-5:30 p.m. A Multi-faith Celebration
Education as a Spiritual Journey - led by the Multi-faith student
councils from Brown University and Wellesley College.
For more information, call x2659 or visit www.wellesley.edu/RelLife/project.
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The fall semester got off the ground with a fun start as (left to right) the new Dean of Students Geneva Walker-Johnson, President Diana Chapman Walsh, and Dean of the College Nancy Kolodny took part in Convocation festivities, Sept. 8, that included hot air balloon rides, an all-campus picnic and plenty of entertainment.
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Welcome Wellesley College Class of 2002.
Wellesley College raised a total of $43.7 million in gifts from private sources during fiscal year 1998, a 20 percent increase over last year's record-breaking total of $36.3 million. Annual giving totals for FY98 matched last year's historic high of $7.4 million, according to David Blinder, Vice President for Resources and Public Affairs.
"These outstanding results are really a tribute to the dedication and generosity of the Wellesley alumnae. More than 800 volunteers actively contributed to this success through class fund-raising efforts," he said.
Blinder noted that the College also set a record for FY98 for membership in the Durant Society, at 2,855. The Durant Society honors donors of $1,000 or more annually. He added that the Resources staff will be working with volunteers in the coming year to increase the rate of alumnae participation, which slipped below 50 percent for FY98.
In 1996 and 1997, Wellesley College received the prestigious "Circle of Excellence" award for overall fund-raising performance by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Wellesley College has been selected as one of ten recipients of the National Science Foundation's Awards for the Integration of Research and Education. The $500,000 award announced earlier this month will help advance Wellesley's ongoing commitment to integrating research and education, according to Dean of the College Nancy Kolodny .
Wellesley's approach incorporates curricular revision and strong student/faculty research collaborations. This multifaceted, integrated approach has fostered an environment in which young women can thrive in science.
"We have developed a comprehensive program that promotes a variety of systematic experiences to engage students in discovery and communication of knowledge from the very beginning of their college careers to their most advanced independent research projects," Kolodny said.
The recently established quantitative reasoning requirement helps ensure that students have the skills to begin their study of science and to master advanced level courses, she explained. A mandatory writing course in the first year and an emphasis throughout the curriculum on oral and written presentation skills link effective communications and course work.
With the NSF grant, Wellesley plans to expand the paradigm of discovery-based learning more broadly to the social sciences. By augmenting successful programs and stimulating further innovations in the teaching of the natural and social sciences, Kolodny envisions that the College will continue to attract talented women interested in embarking upon an array of science related careers.
Dick French, Astronomy, NASA, three-year continuation of research support, "Structure and Dynamics of Planetary Rings"
Rachel Jacoff, Italian, Bogliasco Fellowship for one-month residency at The Liguria Study Center for the Arts and Humanities, "The Poets' Dante"
Kristina Jones, Biological Sciences, NSF, "POWRE: Development of Tools for the Experimental Evolution of a Floral Trait in Antirrhinum"
Ellen Hildreth, Computer Science, Nissan Research and Development, "Research in Human Visual Processing"
Peggy Levitt, Sociology, Ford Foundation, "Comparative and Historical Perspectives on Religious Transnationalism"
Louise Marlow, Religion, American Philo-sophical Society, "Context and Convention in Medieval Islamic Advice Literature"
Sally Merry, Anthropology, NSF, " RUI: Rights, Religion, and Community: Local and Global Discourses of Gender Violence"
Shane Ohline, Chemistry, DuPont Committee on Educational Aid, general support of research on interfacial structure in biomembranes.
Adam Schwartz, Writing Program, Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in Fiction
Dennis Smith and Nick Rodenhouse, Biological Sciences, NSF, three-year support of summer "Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Biological Sciences"
Franklyn Turbak, Computer Science, NSF,
(1) three-year support of collaborative work with colleagues at B.U.,
B.C., and Stevens Institute of Technology, "Collaborative Research:
Applications of Flow Types in the Efficient, Modular, and Reliable
Compilation of Higher-Order Typed Languages"
(2) two-year support of research "Predictable Deforestation: A Typed
Approach to Eliminating Virtual Aggregates"
Chosen from a group of more than 1,000 outstanding young applicants from all across America, Wellesley College senior Jocelyn Benson has been selected as one of Glamour magazine's Top Ten College Women for 1998. Benson is profiled in the magazine's October issue.
Benson was selected for her outstanding scholastic and personal achievements as well as her contributions to her school and community. Majoring in political science and an elected member of Wellesley Town Meeting, Benson plans a career dedicated to ensuring equal access to education, housing and health care for all citizens.
Last year, she founded the Women in American Political Activism Conference at Wellesley, which lured 300 participants to its debut, including AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson. She is co-authoring a book chapter, "California's 46th District: The Sanchez-Doman Rematch" that will appear in The Road to Congress 1998, to be published next year. Benson wrote in her application essay for the award:
"I have searched for and found ways to encourage political activism among minority groups. Each effort has stemmed from my belief that the minorities of America are the majority&emdash;be us old, young, Black, Hispanic, female, or disabled. Our government must not only be receptive to that&emdash;it must reflect that. If I can use my life to bring us one step closer to that reality, then it has been a success."
In addition to the national recognition through the magazine, Benson receives $1,000 and the opportunity to meet with top women professionals in her chosen field. The winners gathered in New York City Sept. 17-19 where they met ABC News correspondent Farai Chideya, author Naomi Wolf, and many other successful women. Past winners include Cosmopolitan Editor Kate White, broadcast journalist Nancy Glass, actresses Jobeth Williams and Sheryl Lee Ralph; and authors Veronica Chambers and Wanda Urbanska.
On Nov. 6-7, work-life experts from multiple disciplines will gather in Boston to present research that addresses key questions about the current realities and future possibilities for working families.
"Work and Family: Today's Realities and Tomorrow's Visions" is the first U.S. conference of its size to take stock of work and family issues as the 20th century draws to a close. Sponsored jointly by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Business and Professional Women's Foundation and the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, this interdisciplinary event will include presentations from sociologists, psychologists, policy analysts, social scientists as well as members from the business sector.
According to Nancy Marshall, Associate Director of the Center for Research on Women, and one of the conference organizers, "An increasing number of working women and men face dual responsibilities for family and work such as caring for children, older parents while maintaining/balancing challenging jobs. This conference provides a forum for the presentation of state-of-the art research on working families by addressing both historical, current and future concerns of working families, as well as workplace policies and practices."
The conference will feature a mix of three plenary sessions and 30 concurrent symposia, plus a networking luncheon. Topics will include:
Ä What's happening in the workplace?
Ä Who benefits from work and family policies?
Ä What's happening in two-earner families?
Ä How have the day-to-day lives of families changed?
Ä How do children view the changing family?
Rosanna Hertz, co-organizer of the conference and Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at Wellesley College said, "Never before have so many experts come together to grapple with one of the most complex issues facing society as we enter the new millennium. We need to ask what are the consequences of the changing world of work and family for all Americans and the broader global workforce regardless of social class, race, and gender?"
The Wellesley Centers for Women, a partnership of the Center for Research on Women and the Stone Center for Developmental Services and Studies, is a multidisciplinary community engaged in research, theory-building, training, and publications on issues such as work-family balance, care for the elderly and very young, and gender equity. It is the largest center of its kind in the United States. For more information, call x2507.
The Wellesley Centers for Women have been named as one of three educational institutions to collaborate on the establishment of the National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center. To be located at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the new research center is being funded with $2.7 million over five years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Collaborating with the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) and MUSC is the Center for Trauma Recovery at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
"Violence against women is a major public health problem that affects the physical and mental health of America's women, men, children, and families," said the WCW's Linda Williams, one of the co-principal investigators on the project.
"We are honored to have been selected to help lead this new Center which will become a valuable resource for both policy makers and practitioners in the field of violence against women."
According to Williams, the new research center will "provide a national focus for interdisciplinary work designed to disseminate knowledge about violence against women; support theoretical development and research on prevention and policy issues relevant to violence against women; encourage cross-disciplinary efforts and collaboration in research and evaluation for preventing violence against women; create training programs; and provide technical assistance to those in the field." The WCW will be able to fund a postdoctoral fellow to achieve these goals.
Nan Stein, a national expert on sexual harassment and gender violence in K-12 schools, is co-investigator with Williams at the Wellesley Centers for Women.
"My focus will be to strengthen collaboration between school personnel and sexual assault and domestic violence staff working in schools," explained Stein.
"By reducing bullying, hazing, sexual harassment, and gender violence in schools, we hope to address the larger societal problems of violence against women."
The Wellesley Centers for Women, a partnership of the Center for Research on Women and the Stone Center for Developmental Services and Studies, is a multidisciplinary community engaged in research, theory-building, training, and publications on issues such as work-family balance, care for the elderly and very young, and gender equity. It is the largest center of its kind in the United States.
As announced in the May issue of Wellesley Notes, the Human Resources Office is sponsoring a series of financial education workshops during the 1998-99 academic year. The first presentation, "Taking Control of your Personal Finances," will be held Thursday, Oct. 15, from 3-4:30 p.m. in Room 277SC. This presentation will provide an introduction to the financial planning process, including: cash flow analysis, budgeting, goal setting, and strategies for keeping debt under control will be discussed in depth. No registration required. All welcome.
The Human Resources Office is introducing a new mortgage consulting and financing services benefit for all faculty and staff offered through Harbor Mortgage Solutions, Inc. This initiative will provide Wellesley College employees with a qualified source of information, products, and services to help meet their varied and individual home financing needs. Watch for further details in an upcoming announcement in campus mail.
Flu shots will again be available to all employees this year, courtesy of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC). The free flu vaccines are available to all employees, regardless of health care provider. The shots will be administered during Annual Benefits Information Day, Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m to 3 p.m., in the Human Resources Conference Room. Walk-ins welcome. No advance registration required.
This annual event is an opportunity for employees to meet with benefit plan representatives from various plan providers to ask questions about current coverage and benefit options. Staff from the Human Resources Office will also be available to answer questions. Participants will include:
Brewer & Lord (auto and homeowner's insurance)
Calvert Group
Delta Dental Plan
Fidelity Investments
Harbor Mortgage Solutions, Inc.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Human Relations Service Employee Assistance Program
Metropolitan Credit Union
Parents in a Pinch
Prudential Insurance Company (union dental and LTD)
TIAA-CREF
Warmlines Childcare and Eldercare Resource and Referral Programs
Wellesley Community Children's Center
The benefits fair also marks the beginning of the annual Open
Enrollment Period during which employees may sign up for benefits for
the first time, change benefit enrollments and/or cancel coverage.
Any such changes are restricted to this two week enrollment period
(unless there is an IRS-defined qualifying event, such as birth of a
baby, marriage, etc.)
The open enrollment period begins Nov. 4 and runs through Nov. 18.
The first in a series of President's Reports intended to present
salient initiatives, events, individuals, and themes that define the
Wellesley community is now available on reserve in the Knapp Center.
The theme of this edition is leadership.
To obtain a copy, contact Public Information at x2373.
Auxillary Services: Elizabeth Stearns
Biological Sciences: Nneka Menkiti
Bursary: Marsha Spiewak
Clapp Library: Marsha Cushing
Continuing Education: Patricia Nissen
Controllers Office: Jessica Church
Davis Museum: Jendin Geisler
Financial Aid: Patricia Ramonat
Karen Wilcox
Food Service: Miguel Delvalle
Jonathan Geib
Erlinda Miranda
Jason Roth
Mary Wright
German: Laura Baker
IS/Data Systems: R. Brad Alexander
Judith Hall
Stella Kakavouli
Mary Sprague
Marie Zou
ITS: John Arriso
May Colatat
Jeff Genovese
Cynthia Grainger
Harambee House: Carol Estridge
Japanese: Janet Rubenstein
Office of Dean of Students: Lydia Hsu
Office of Religious Life: Katherine Lewis
Phys. Ed., Rec & Athletics: Carol Burak
Public Information: Elizabeth Lawson
Reach out to Schools Project: Lisa Sankowski
Residence: Michelle Eckstrom
Jacqueline Ro
Resources: Anne Littlefield
Stone Center: Anne Kittredge
Tuppett Yates
Wellesley Centers for Women: Nancy Wagner
Women's Resource Center: Sharon Wilson
Writing Program: Donna Lepri
Africana Studies: Terry Miller
Andre Willis
Art: Sheila Gallagher
Leslie Schick
Astronomy: Alanna Connors
Kim McLeod **
Biological Sciences: David Clapham
Karyn Frick
David Krauss
Chinese: Ann Huss *
Classical Studies: Brendon Reay *
Computer Science: LeeAnn Tzeng
Economics: Kasirim Nwuke
Corrine Taylor *
Seth Weissman
English: Alide Cagidemetrio
Lisa Rodensky
French: Denise Davis
Sandrine Piorkowski
Anjali Prabhu *
Stephanie de Tourris
German: Karen Storz
History: Sarah Queen
Nathaniel Sheidley *
Mathematics: Karen Cohen
Music: Kris Adams
Brian Hulse
Philosophy: Mary Kate McGowan *
Cara Spencer
Phys. Ed., Recreation & Athletics: Mary Annavedder
Laura Baker
Brian Baker
Sarah Moon
Mary O'Brien
Jeffrey Swirka
Julie Wienski
Thomas Wilson
Political Science: Sumantra Bose
Kurt Dassel
Carolyn Hotchkiss
David Siemers
Psychology: Ronald Butzlaff
Elizabeth Byrnes
John Byrnes
Tracy Gleason *
Belle Liang
Brian Schiff
Religion: Dung Ngoc Duong
Carole Fontaine
Judith Kates
James Miller
Jung Sun Oh
Russian: Alla Epsteyn
Spanish: Reyes Coll-Tellechea
Veronica Darer
Yeon-Soo Kim
Carlos Ramos **
Elena Torreguitar
Women's Studies: Kath Weston
* New tenure-track faculty
** New to tenure-track positions, but not new to the college
Editor-in-Chief: Mary Ann Hill '84
Managing Editor: Elizabeth Lawson
Editorial Staff: Eileen Devine
Editorial Interns: Sowon Jun '99
Vielcka Mansukhani '99
Kerin Reardon '99
Design Intern: Kate Selden '01
The Illuminator is the published monthly during the academic year by Wellesley College's Office for Public Information, a division of Resources and Public Affairs, 230 Green Hall, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Issues are published on the first Tuesday of every month during the academic year, except for combined issues in September/October and January/February. Special Family Editions are also published.
Deadline for next issue: Tuesday, October 20, 1998. Please submit editorial content to the above listed mailing address or e-mail: elawson@wellesley.edu
[ Return to Public Information home page ]
Elizabeth Lawson elawson@wellesley.edu
Sasha Pfau apfau@wellesley.edu
Office for Public Information
Date created: November 6, 1998
Last updated: March 11, 1999
Page expires: September 99
