Wellesley
Is First Among U.S. Colleges for Fulbright Awards -- Wellesley
College ranks in first place among all U.S. baccalaureate
colleges in producing the highest number of 2004-2005
Fulbright Awards with 10 students earning the
honor. "Our students are truly remarkable," said
Eleanor Perkins, director of fellowship programs
at Wellesley's Center for Work and Service. "Their
success is also a reflection of the advice and
support they get from our amazing faculty."
The students, now young alumnae, were selected last
spring and are now undertaking international graduate
study, research and teaching assistantships. The Fulbright
Program provides participants, who are chosen for their
leadership potential, with the opportunity to observe
international political, economic and cultural institutions,
to exchange ideas and to work on ventures of importance
to the world at large. The program recently announced
the complete list of colleges and universities that
produced the most 2004-2005 U.S. Fulbright Fellows;
the results were reported in The Chronicle of Higher
Education last month.
To
read more about the Wellesley students who have earned
this prestigious award, go to http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Releases/2004/052104.html.
New
Book Explores Modern-Day Lessons on War and Peace
from Alexander the Great -- What
can we learn from a leader who lived more than
2,300 years ago, conquered most of the known world
by the time he was 32, was revered as a god and,
more recently, reviled as a tyrannical mass murderer?
In
his new book, Alexander: The Ambiguity of
Greatness (Random House, November 2004), Wellesley
Professor of Classical Studies Guy MacLean Rogers portrays
Alexander the Great as a legend -- and an enigma, who
ultimately commanded an empire of more than two million
square miles.
"Alexander
conquered all of the areas that right now are the
focus of all kinds of attention, including,
of course, Iraq," explains Rogers. "What
separates Alexander from all kinds of historical figures
and great warriors is that Alexander understood that
you fight battles with weapons but you have to fight
ideas
with ideas. The war in Iraq and the war on terrorism
are wars of ideas. Alexander had a vision of how he
could be accepted as the legitimate ruler of this huge
empire. That vision included adapting himself to the
customs of his enemies."
The book's publication comes just before the release
of a major film, directed by Oliver Stone and starring
Colin Farrell as Alexander, set for release in the
U.S. and parts of Europe and Asia on November 24.
For
more information on this fascinating book, go to
http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Releases/2004/111504.html.
President
Emerita Ruth Adams Passes Away-- Ruth
M. Adams, president of Wellesley during a turbulent
period on college
campuses across the nation, passed away earlier
this month in Hanover, N.H. at the age of 90.
A professor of English with a specialty in
Victorian literature, Adams came to Wellesley
in 1966 from her position as professor and
dean at Douglass College at Rutgers University.
During her tenure, Wellesley experienced many changes,
including curricular innovations allowing students
more flexibility in their academic programs, creation
of interdepartmental majors, establishment of a cross-registration
program with M.I.T. and membership in the Twelve College
Exchange, recruitment of a more diverse student population,
increased flexibility in social regulation of students,
construction of the Schneider Student Center, and reaffirmation
by the Board of Trustees of Wellesley's commitment
to remain a women's college.
Adams left Wellesley to become vice president at Dartmouth,
where she helped guide that institution's transition
to coeducation. In addition to her administrative duties,
she continued teaching and retired in 1988.
Adams'
full obituary can be read online at http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Releases/2004/111204.html.
New Professorships,
Changes to the Campus Landscape, and a World of Students -- Thanks to the generosity of thousands
of alumnae and friends, through gifts of all sizes,
giving to The Wellesley Campaign remains very strong.
The impact of these gifts is being felt throughout
the College -- in classrooms and residence halls,
in the library and across the campus landscape. Arriving
in mailboxes earlier this month, the latest issue
of the campaign newsletter includes articles about:
-
an $8 million gift from Sidney R. Knafel, trustee
and campaign volunteer, to establish four new professorships
for up-and-coming junior faculty, enhancing Wellesley's
ability to attract top-notch teacher-scholars early
in their careers;
-
the importance of financial aid for international
students so that Wellesley can maintain its position
among the world's most talented and diverse student
communities, including profiles of five international
students; and
- landscape renovation and construction projects now
underway or completed during the summer, including
renovation of the Chapel Lawn, Tower Court courtyard,
construction of the Wang Campus Center, and restoration
of Alumnae Valley.
To
view photos of the campus center construction, including
close-ups of the slate siding, and the Alumnae
Valley restoration, including the planting of cattails
plugs, click on "weekly construction photos" at
http://www.wellesley.edu/AdminandPlanning/CampusProjects/.
