Table of Contents
Wellesleyweek
news
two
professors record online courses with distance learning
company
joan
o’hara head rowing coach
vanessa
britto joins staff
class
of 2004 arrives on campus
colleagues
in the news
wellesley
ranked #2 college for asian-americans
calendar
of on-campus events
highlight
of the week
information about wellesleyweek
two professors record online courses with distance learning company
For
two weeks this summer in a basement studio in Jewett,
Professors Tom Cushman and Mary Lefkowitz each
“taught” a semester-long course, speaking to a
camera rather than a classroom of students. The courses were
recorded under an agreement with the Global Education
Network (GEN), a private company that soon will offer online
classes taught by faculty at several liberal arts
colleges.
The founders of GEN first approached Wellesley a year ago
with their fledgling business plan. At that time, the
College’s administration had just begun to explore the
array of offerings known as distance learning.
“We’ve proceeded with GEN in the spirit of
exploration and learning,” explained Dean of the
College Lee Cuba. “After several conversations and
meetings last year, including two open information sessions
for faculty, GEN presented us with the opportunity to move
forward on a pilot basis and have a couple of faculty
members record courses for online distribution.”
“In order to make my own judgment of distance learning,
I figured that doing it would be the best way to
proceed,” explained sociology professor Cushman.
“It was an intensive intellectual experience for
me.” Cushman taught a new version of a course on
propaganda which he’s taught before -- propaganda in
the modern world. He used mostly new material, focusing more
on propaganda on the Internet, commonly referred to as
“hate sites.” “It adds an interesting
dimension to the course to use the medium of the Internet to
study propaganda in the same medium,” he noted.
“Tremendously interesting” is how Lefkowitz of the
classical studies department described her experience
teaching her classical mythology course, which she has
taught at Wellesley since 1961. The intensity of the
recording schedule and the abbreviated time allotted for the
course “really made me focus hard on what I want my
students to know about this course--what the essence of the
course really is.”
Both Lefkowitz and Cushman noted that their preparation for
the lectures differed from their usual real life courses.
Most obvious was the recording schedule--two lectures each
morning with the rest of the afternoon and evening spent
preparing for the next day’s lectures. “Preparing
a lecture for no one in particular” took a bit of
getting used to, explained Cushman. The professors
weren’t speaking just to a camera; there was a team of
four GEN professionals, including a director and an academic
producer who played the role of student, making sure that
the material presented was clear.
According to vice president for finance Will Reed, Wellesley
has signed an agreement in principle with GEN, laying out
the opportunity for the course recordings. Reed expects that
the college will sign a final agreement with GEN this fall,
making Wellesley one of the company’s charter members.
The company expects to have prototype courses online by the
end of this year.
joan
o’hara head rowing coach
Former US National Rowing Team member Joan O’Hara comes
to Wellesley as head rowing coach, bringing her coaching and
competitive experience to the nation’s oldest
collegiate women’s rowing program. She comes from San
Diego, where she was head coach of the ZLAC Masters’
Rowing Club program and where she guided her crew to a
second place finish at the Masters’ Nationals and a
third place at the Head of the Charles. She trained at the
US Olympic Training Center in San Diego from 1997 through
1998, during which time she captured first place at the
Elite Nationals in two lightweight races and a first at the
Head of the Charles in a lightweight 8+ event. She joins the
faculty as an assistant professor of physical
education.
vanessa
britto joins staff
Dr. Vanessa Britto is the new medical director for
Wellesley’s health center. A board certified internal
medicine physician with a MS in community health, she has a
very strong commitment to the primary care of women and the
late adolescent and young adult population. She will join
the Health Center staff later in the semester. Assistant
Director Gloria Cater is serving as interim director until
that time.
class
of 2004 arrives on campus
They have arrived and they’re ready-- the 593 students
and 25 Davis Scholars who comprise the Class of 2004.
A lively and varied orientation pro-gram began August 27 and
provided a road map for the events and experiences
they’ll have at Wellesley. It included a student life
panel, president’s dinner for students and families,
quantitative reasoning assessments, athletic try-outs,
programs on sexuality and body-image, cultural events in
Boston and much more.
The Class of ‘04 is one of the most diverse and
competitive classes in the college’s long history,
according to Janet Rapelye, dean of admission. This year,
the number of applications was up by six percent and the
total yield-- the number of students accepted and who choose
to enroll--was 46 percent.
“For many of our applicants, Wellesley was definitely
their first choice,” Rapelye said. She attributes the
high yield in part to a combination of recent changes at
Wellesley, including the Trustees’ decision to increase
the funding for financial aid by $2 million. “With the
more generous financial aid program, we’re better able
now to meet students where they are,” Rapelye said.
And where are they from? Literally, all over the map: the
Class of 2004 represents 42 states (including the District
of Columbia) and 30 countries. Rapelye said the ease with
which students can log onto the admission web site and learn
about life at Wellesley in a substantive way has made it
truly accessible to those who may not get the chance to
visit before applying.
“I had one applicant write that she just loves Lake
Waban which she had viewed on the website’s virtual
tour, and that she knows Wellesley is just right for
her,” Rapelye said. That student saw the lake for the
first time when she set foot on campus in August for
orientation.
michelle
lepore
joins the Division of Student Life in the newly-created post
of associate dean of students. Lepore has spent a lifetime
in women’s learning, first as a product of two
girls’ high schools and a women’s college, then on
staff at Lesley College, later at Lasell College--before it
went co-ed--as dean of student activities, and most recently
at Pine Manor where she was dean of students. At Wellesley,
Lepore will support the dean of students in areas of
residential life, student activities, and the Schneider
Center, and she’ll work closely with the first-year
mentors. No stranger to the campus, she was head of house in
Davis ten years ago while completing an MA in English
literature. Lepore is currently president of the
Massachusetts Association of Women in Education, a
75-year-old organization devoted to women’s higher
learning.
joy paradissis playter is the new dean of the class of 2003. Playter comes to Wellesley from Brandeis where she was class dean and director of pre-medical programs.Before that she worked as the pre-medical advisor at the University of Minnesota. She comes from Ohio where she studied at Case Western Reserve and Ohio State Universities. Playter replaces former class dean and Class of 2000 commencement speaker, Pamela Daniels, who, she admits, “is a very tough act to follow.” Of the move to Wellesley, she says, “it’s ideal, because I can continue to do what I love, which is working and advising students.” She also looks forward to focusing on women. At Brandeis, she started a women’s health program, so working in an all-women’s environment is a fitting transition. Playter finds herself energized by a new curriculum, the college’s fine colleagues, setting, and reputation.
wellesley
ranked #2 college for asian-americans
Wellesley has been ranked the second best U.S. college for
Asian-Americans by aMedia, the leading producer and
distributor of media for the Asian- American market. The
survey results appear in the August/September issue of
aMedia‘s national publication, aMagazine: Inside Asian
America. The survey doesn’t claim to be “the
end-all answer to the state of higher education for
Asian-Americans;” rather it hopes to be helpful to
prospective Asian-American college students in
“deciding where to spend their undergraduate
years.”
Colleges’ and universities’ scores were based on
ten factors in several broad categories: campus diversity
(student, faculty, and administration), academics, and
student life (student organizations, financial aid). The top
five liberal arts colleges, in order of rank, were Pomona,
Wellesley, Whittier, Mount Holyoke, and Barnard. The
complete survey results are available at http://www.aonline.com.
Wellesley was ranked the top liberal arts college in
aMagazine’s first survey, conducted in 1997.
monday
september 11
student
job fair.
11 am2 pm, Alumnae Hall Ballroom. Sponsor: Student Financial
Services. Info: x2365.
math
review
Second in series of five sessions. Exponential and
logarithmic functions. Instructors: Charles Bu and Howard
Wilcox. 12:30 pm, Science Center 380. Sponsor: Math. Info:
x3038.
catholic
mass.
12:30 pm, Newman Conference Room, Chapel basement, Info:
x2688.
panel
discussion
“The Current State of the Former Soviet Uniion”
with professors from the Russian Area Studies department,
7:30 pm, 277 Science Center. Sponsor: Davis Fund for Russian
Area Studies. Info: x3563.
tuesday
september 12
math
review
Trigonometry. Instructors: Charles Bu and Howard Wilcox.
12:30 pm, Science Center 380. Sponsor: Math. Info:
x3117.
academic
council
4:15 pm, Academic Council Room. Sponsor: Dean of the
College. Info: x3583.
volleyball
vs. Clark. 7 pm, Keohane Sports Center. Info:
x2900.
wednesday
september 13
student
organization fair
for students to learn about the many campus organizations. 7
- 10pm, Schneider. Sponsor: Student Life, Info:
x3795.
thursday
september 14
math
review
Functions and straight lines. Instructors: Charles Bu and
Howard Wilcox. 12:30 pm, Science Center 380. Info:
x3038.
field
hockey
vs. UMass-Dartmouth, 4 pm, Keohane Sports Center. Info:
x2900.
catholic
mass
4 pm, Newman Conference Room, Chapel basement. Info:
x2688.
lecture
and opening reception “Cold
War Modern: The Domesticated Avant-Garde,” an exhibit
that considers the relationship between avant-garde art,
music, design and popular culture in the United States from
1947 - 1960. lecture at 5:15 pm, Collins Cinema, featuring
speakers Patricia Gray Berman, art, and Martin Brody, music.
reception at 6 pm, Davis Museum Plazafollowing the lecture.
Visitors can enjoy the exhibit with music and food and a
live radio broadcast by WZLY-FM (Wellesley radio). Period
dress is encouraged. The exhibition includes paintings,
works on paper and modern furniture from the museum’s
permanent collection as well as music, domestic objects and
ephemera of that time period. In addition, original texts by
artists, musicians, designers and critics augment objects
along with sound and video recordings. The exhibition
remains standing until June 17. Sponsor: Davis Museum. Info:
x2051.
unitarian
universalist service and gathering
6:15 pm, Little Houghton Chapel. Info: x3484.
friday
september 15
add/drop
period ends
math
review
Geometry and word problems, topics suggested by students.
Instructors: Charles Bu and Howard Wilcox. 12:30 pm, Science
Center 380. Sponsor: Math. Info: x3038.
cold
war modern
Exhibit at Davis Museum opens to the public (see Sept.
14).
saturday
september 16
soccer
Wellesley Invitational. 12 pm, Keohane Sports Center. Info:
x2900.
tennis
vs. Springfield. 1 pm, Keohane Sports Center. Info:
x2900.
sunday
september 17
flower
sunday
Flower Sunday is a community-wide celebration of friendship.
Upper class women, “big sisters,” bring their
“little sisters” to this celebration planned by
the Religious Life Team and Multi-Faith Council and are
greeted by the President and Deans who present flowers to
each student. This gathering is a favorite and cherished
tradition among Wellesley students. 11 am, Houghton Memorial
Chapel. Sponsor: Religious Life. Info: x2375.
soccer Wellesley Invitational, 12 pm, Keohane Sports Center.
Info: x2900.
catholic mass 4 pm, Houghton Memorial Chapel. Info:
x2688.
don’t
miss...
cold
war modern:
the domesticated avant-garde opens at davis
museum
A
multi-media exhibit entitled Cold War Modern: The
Domesticated Avant-Garde, opens September 15 at the Davis
Museum and Cultural Center and will remain on view through
June 17, 2001. The exhibit explores the avant-garde in art,
music, and design in the United States between 1945 and the
early 1960’s, and its role in shaping popular consumer
culture. From Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, to
Alexander Calder’s mobiles, to Miles Davis’ cool
jazz, to CBS’s coverage of the Nixon-Kruschev
“Kitchen Debates,” Cold War Modern will examine
the politics of the era and the culture of grandeur,
self-confidence and near-spiritual supremacy that was
encouraged as a symbol of American freedom and
democracy.
The idea for the exhibit grew out of a seminar given by
Wellesley art historian Patricia Gray Berman and music
professor and composer Martin Brody. According to Berman and
Brody, “Between the end of World War II and the early
1960’s, American elite and popular culture achieved a
remarkable ascendancy, a manifestation of ‘the American
century,’ in which abstract expressionist painting,
atonal music, and free jazz came to be celebrated . . .
.This was a time of unprecedented creativity in and
promotion of music, the visual arts and the functional arts
. . . . This insallation examines their commodification and
popularization.”
Berman and Brody will lead off the exhibit’s opening
celebration, Thursday, September 14, in the Collins Cinema
with a welcoming presentation that incorporates art, music,
film and TV clips from the period. A reception continues
from 6:00 to 7:30 on the Davis Museum plaza where
attendeesencouraged to wear retro attirewill revisit the
‘50’s in music, fashion, and food with a rocking
reception and a live broadcast by Wellesley radio station
WZLY-FM.
Special programming for Cold War Modern includes related
films and lectures running throughout the fall.
WellesleyWeek is published each Monday by the Office for Public Information during the academic year. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Phone numbers are dialed (781) 283-xxxx.Campus-sponsored event listings are welcome via e-mail to calendar@wellesley.edu. Printed submissions can be sent to Calendar, Public Information, 354 Green Hall, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Deadline for submissions is the Monday prior to publication. For paid subscription information call 781 283 2373.