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JUNE 28 , 2004 EDITION


Smith Engineering Grads Are ‘Rock Stars'

Wise Words From Judy Woodruff

Students 'Fall in Love' with Smith

Celebrating Town and Gown: Northampton Marks 350th  
Faculty and Staff Voices in the News  
Making Sense of Money and Sports  

Smith in the News Archive >

Smith Engineering Grads Are ‘Rock Stars'

"We are enormously proud of these young women and the path they have blazed for those who will follow them. Technology and engineering are critically important to our society's development, and I am thrilled to know that Smith engineers will be shaping that future."
• President Christ, "Smith College Graduates Country's First All-Female Class of Engineers," Black Issues in Higher Education, June 3, 2004

"Before coming to college, I didn't know what an engineer was. I certainly didn't think I was going to go into the field. Then I got to Smith."
• Susan Strom '04, "Putting theory into practice: An all-women's college engineers a new approach to a discipline traditionally favored by men," Chicago Tribune, June 2, 2004

"We were able to elevate the study of humanities and social sciences to the same level as math and physical sciences in the education of engineers. Many of my colleagues don't agree with me on this, but I believe that was just as significant as the fact that the program was all-female."
• Professor of Engineering Domenico Grasso, "Smith College's First Engineers Feel Like ‘Rock Stars,'" Chronicle of Higher Education, May 28, 2004

"The lack of a diverse perspective at the design table has distinct societal costs."
• Professor of Engineering Domenico Grasso, "More Female Engineers in the Pipeline," USA Today, May 19, 2004

"[My first engineering course] was insanely hard and I didn't do well but I loved it. It was so challenging I just couldn't get enough."
• Liz Bartell '04, "Engineering educators reaching out to female students," Associated Press, May 16, 2004

"I fell in love with the whole logic behind engineering. I see this as a foundation for whatever I want to do in my life."
• Sarah Jaffray '04, "At Smith, Engineer Pioneers to Graduate," Boston Globe, May 15, 2004

"You learn all types of engineering. It prepared us for just about anything."
• Meghan Taugher '04, "Engineering a Milestone," Republican, May 15, 2004

"I can't say exactly what the future holds, but part of the beauty of my engineering education is that my path has not been narrowly defined by the past four years. Next year I'm headed to Romania to work in the nursery of a large orphanage, and following that I intend to pursue a graduate degree in biomedical engineering and an M.D. After that, it's to infinity and beyond."
• Kerri Rossmeier '04, WFCR, May 14, 2004

"Engineering is one of the last frontiers for women."
• President Christ, "Smith Engineering Grads Lead the Way," Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 14, 2004

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Wise Words From Judy Woodruff

"Economically, politically, militarily, and socially America is the trendsetter of the world, but we are also seen as the greatest threat to world peace."
• Commencement speaker Judy Woodruff, "Woodruff Praises Smith Graduates," Republican, May 17, 2004

"I would still argue, though, that most of the people in management are men and I'd like to see more women in those positions – doing the hiring and firing and deciding who covers the story and how we cover a story and who is going to be on air for us, what we're going to spend our money on."
• Commencement speaker Judy Woodruff, "A Conversation With Judy Woodruff," Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 12, 2004

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Students ‘Fall In Love' With Smith

"[At Smith], there was a real sense of community. It was something I hadn't seen at the other schools."
• Mickay Barritt '07, "Overnight Visit Helps Some See the Light," Boston Globe, June 13, 2004

"You know how when you go somewhere and you instantly fall in love with it, and you just feel like you're home?"
• Allison Bellew ‘08, "Foster Child Found Salvation in Classroom," Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 4, 2004

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Celebrating Town And Gown: Northampton Marks 350th

"When you walk through the Grécourt Gates, the first place you reach is Northampton's main street. Smith's founders intended the college and its students to share in the practical and civic life of the city. It is a mission we continue to hold dear today."
• President Christ, "Remarks at the 350th Convocation," Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 7, 2004

"There are issues that come up that are contentious sometimes, but especially now there's a very good relationship between the administration of the city and the administration of the college.'
• Chief Public Affairs Officer Ann Shanahan, "Smith, City Enjoy Good Rapport," Republican, May 9, 2004

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Faculty and Staff Voices in the News

"Students change developmentally in the senior year. You aren't the same kid in June when you graduate that you were in August."
• Director of Admission Debra Shaver, "Two chances at early admissions," Boston Globe, June 27, 2004

"In an age of prescription remedies for even slightly off-kilter kids, it's refreshing to encounter a couple of misfit characters whose resistance to the world resolves itself in traditional common sense and celebration of the individual."
• Lecturer in English Sara London, "What Not to Wear" [book review], New York Times, June 27, 2004

"It's not because women have less education or experience. Those factors together cannot explain fully the wage gap between male and female."
• Associate Professor of Economics Mahnaz Mahdavi, "Sex-bias suit is reminder of salary gap," Baltimore Sun, June 27, 2004

"Failing to stop the genocide is acquiescing in the genocide."
• Professor of English Eric Reeves, "Powell to threaten Sudan with sanctions," Reuters, June 25, 2004

"Recruitment programs intended to enhance student and faculty diversity, as well as scholarships and financial aid, are areas in which [colleges and universities] can expect continued judicial scrutiny. Testing the recognition of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual persons as a protected class covered by discrimination laws will also be the subject of legal action."
• General Counsel Georgia Yuan, "Pressing Legal Issues: 10 Views of The Next 5 Years," Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2004

"Vietnam led to deficit spending that contributed to the record inflation in the 1970's. The early record about financing the war in Iraq portends more of the same. Although the media reports the total Iraq spending allocations are between $150 billion and $200 billion, the true numbers are higher. This is because many of our expenses in Iraq are picked up in other parts of the general government and Pentagon budgets. When soldiers get transferred from Korea to Iraq, for instance, only the incremental, not the full costs, of those soldiers appear in the Iraqi war ledger."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "U.S. Pursues Reckless Policies," Newsday, June 21, 2004

"It may not be a bad thing to wake up each dawn to the admonition ‘prayer is better than sleep' mixed in with the jackhammers, garbage trucks, and school buses that make up the morning din."
• Professor of Religion Carol Zaleski, "Time out for Allah," Christian Century, June 15, 2004

"[The newly renovated Smith College Museum of Art] continues a long tradition of incorporating the arts as a vital part of Smith College's mission. In his inaugural address in 1875, the school's first president, L. Clark Seelye, spoke of the need for the college to ‘have its gallery of art, where the student may be made directly familiar with the famous masterpieces.'"
• Curator/Associate Director Linda Muehlig, "Smith College Museum of Art," American Art Review, Vol. XVI No.3, June 2004

"Think of an internship as dating, and be glad you found out what turns you off before you made a major commitment."
• Director of Career and Executive Development Barbara Reinhold, "The Rules: A Survival Guide for Summer Interns and Their Bosses," Newark Star-Ledger, May 30, 2004

"The best way to spread democratic and free market values to Cuba is to expose Cubans to U.S. businesses, academics, journalists and tourists. The more open the exchange of ideas, people, capital and culture, the sooner Cuba will become a dynamic and open society."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Bush panders for votes while hurting Cubans" [op-ed], Newsday, May 20, 2004

"Coming to a predominately white campus can be challenging. Education has always been a premium. If students don't have the spirit of believing they can do well, it can undercut everything."
• Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies Kevin Quashie, "White/Minority Gap Very Real," Republican, May 17, 2004

"This exchange is like living culture for both groups of students rather than learning about cultural differences in a dry textbook."
• Lecturer in French Studies Candace Walton, "Students Make Connections Across Cultures," Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 12, 2004

"I didn't know there was money attached (to the award), but as soon as it came, I knew it needed to go to education. It was an instinctive reaction."
• Senior Lecturer in Italian Language and Literature Victoria Poletto, "Professor Uses Prize for Schools," Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 6, 2004

"There's no infrastructure in the Valley. We're getting what schools in large cities have at their doorstep."
• Executive Director of Information Technology Herb Nickles, " Colleges Plan Fiber-optic Link," Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 3, 2004

"The more of a perfectionist you are, the more inhibited you tend to be."
• Associate Professor of Psychology Patricia DiBartolo, "Free Yourself From Your Inhibitions," Ladies' Home Journal, May 2004

"I suspect one of the reasons Nader will likely end up with much less support – aside from the fact that he's not likely to get on the ballot in some states – is that many of his voters did accept the analysis [that he was a spoiler]."
• Associate Professor of Government Howard Gold, "'Nader Nation' – who are these voters?", Christian Science Monitor, April 16, 2004

"[The Guggenheim award] is really exciting. It's going to allow me to not have to teach for a while. I'll take off a semester or two to get some painting done. With that time, hopefully I'll be able to branch out and explore."
• Lecturer in Art Katy Schneider, "Artists, Writers Win Fellowships," Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 15, 2004

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Making Sense of Money and Sports

"I think there is a sense that the sports market has become more competitive because of all the other entertainment options out there."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Owners Get Into the Game: A Public Face Wins Fans," Boston Herald, May 23, 2004

"A deal is a deal. They don't have a deal, they don't have to put a shovel in the ground, but they have to have legislation and a financial plan in place…there's not going to be any ink on a franchise proposal until then."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Financing May Block Baseball For District," Washington Post, May 19, 2004

"The overwhelming conclusion of studies that have tried to estimate the economic impact of a football or baseball stadium is that there isn't any."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "A Team Makes a City a High-Rent District," New York Times, May, 2, 2004

"[The Boston Red Sox] deserve an A-plus in marketing and promoting the team."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Breaking the Curse; Can John Henry's Red Sox Finally Win a World Series?" Business Week, April 26, 2004

"If you look at the building boom that's gone on since the construction of Camden Yards in Baltimore in 1992, you find that approximately 70 percent of construction and infrastructure costs associated with new stadiums have been paid for by the public."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Commonwealth Journal," WUMB, April 25, 2004

"[Success] isn't formulaic. There are pitfalls if you try to do it as a large corporation, with a middle manager running it. But there are advantages, too, with the ability to muscle local cable distributors and have a capital cushion."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Big Baseball, Inc.," Newsweek, April 19, 2004

"If you do a statistical analysis and you look at the relationship between payroll and team performance, you find that only about 20 to 40 percent of team win percentage variation is explained by payroll variation, which means that 60 to 80 percent is dependent upon other factors, such as good player development, good trades, good chemistry on the team, good managerial skills, good luck. ... Nobody has ever argued that payroll completely determines performance; it's simply one relevant factor."
• Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics Andrew Zimbalist, "Did Revenue-Sharing and the Luxury Tax Contribute to the Increased Competition in Major League Baseball Last Season?" WFCR, April 8, 2004

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