Wellesley Wire
February 27, 2003
In New Book, Professor Chronicles the Rebirth of Europe Since World War II -- How did Europe go from the ashes of World War II to a continent richer, freer and more stable than at any time in history? William I. Hitchcock, visiting assistant professor of history at Wellesley, answers that question in his new book, "The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945-2002" (Doubleday, January 2003). An analysis of European history over the past half century, it is a riveting account of the unlikely transformation and postwar birth of Europe.
A reviewer for "The Times of London" called Hitchcock's writing "brilliantly concise, pithy, and sometimes acerbic" and noted, "If it is true that nations that forget their history are doomed to repeat it, then Hitchcock's 'Struggle for Europe' ought to be part of a national curriculum...." The full review can be found at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-566031,00.html.
Hitchcock also has been sought after by media on both sides of the Atlantic to comment on the relationships between European countries, particularly in light of the current debate about a possible war with Iraq.
Alumna Chosen As George J. Mitchell Scholar -- Jana Kiser '01 is one of 11 George J. Mitchell Scholars to be selected in a nationwide competition for a year of postgraduate study at universities in Ireland and Northern Ireland. A native of Puerto Rico, Kiser is founder and executive director of Global Learning, a nonprofit organization that works in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico and the United States to improve educational opportunities for more than 4,000 children each year.
Launched in 1998, the Mitchell Scholarship identifies outstanding young Americans who exhibit the qualities of academic excellence, leadership, and community service. In its fourth year, the Mitchell Scholarship already is considered one of America's most prestigious fellowship programs. Three recipients in the last three years have withdrawn from the Rhodes competition and others have turned down Fulbright and Marshall Scholarships to accept the Mitchell. The Mitchell program this year had nearly 300 applicants from across the United States, a record number.
Wellesley Celebrates Black History Month -- Wellesley College has celebrated Black History Month during February with a variety of lectures, exhibitions, and performances, including lectures by athlete and activist Dominique Dawes and Bernestine Singley, author of "When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories." For more information, visit http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Releases/2003/020603.html
President Walsh Offers Perspectives on Challenges of Leadership -- President Diana Chapman Walsh was a keynote speaker at a recent College Board conference for college and university admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management officers. In her address, Walsh synthesized several views of leadership and lessons offered by books on leadership that she has found to be especially meaningful. She then outlined three issues in higher education that she characterized as "begging for leadership:" early decision, affirmative action, and access and affordability.
"...it's a grand and exciting journey, this business of trying to lead; it offers chances to learn and develop that are unparalleled," said Walsh. "As leaders we're privileged to have great freedom to try, over time, to craft for ourselves something approaching a complete life, to draw deeply on and stretch all of our potentials -- body, mind, heart and spirit -- to hone the sustained, committed, and self-conscious practices that can foster exciting discoveries and dramatic growth, our own and that of others around us and, ultimately, our organizations'. "
Walsh has studied and written about leadership for many years. As a Kellogg National Fellow from 1987 to 1990, she traveled throughout the United States and abroad studying workplace democracy and principles of leadership. The full speech can be read at http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/President/Speeches/2003/CB011703.html
Trustees Vote on Budget Items, Tenure Recommendations -- At its January 31 meeting, Wellesley's board of trustees voted to approve several budget-related items and recommendations for tenure and engaged in an in-depth discussion of affirmative action in higher education.
The trustees approved a comprehensive fee for the '03-'04 year of $36,516, a 4.5% (or $1,550) increase from the current year. The trustees also set next year's endowment spending rate of 5.4% of the endowment's three-year average. With these two revenue streams finalized, the administration will complete next year's budget and bring it to the trustees for approval at their April meeting.
The trustees approved the recommendations for tenure presented by the Committee on Faculty Appointments. The newly-tenured faculty are Tom Burke, political science; Megan Kerr, mathematics; Yoon Sun Lee, English; Kim McLeod, astronomy; Julia Miwa, chemistry; James Petterson, French; and Carlos Ramos, Spanish.
In light of the Supreme Court's decision to hear the Michigan cases regarding affirmative action in higher education admissions, the trustees had an in-depth discussion of some of the legal and policy issues that are at stake. At the conclusion of the discussion, the trustees voted to reaffirm the board's commitment to the value of diversity in all its manifestations to a Wellesley education.
-
Office
for Public Information
- Date Last Modified: July 7, 2003