NewsSmithHome

...............................................................................................................................................................

Spring 2002 // Volume 16, Number 3 // Northampton, Massachusetts

............................
 
Hard Hats Required
After two decades on the drawing board, construction for Smith's first-ever campus center began with a ground breaking ceremony in February. The 55,000-square-foot building, estimated to cost $23 million, will open in fall 2003 and will provide a new space for the dynamic intellectual and social life of the college.
The bustle and noise of this project's construction is not to be outdone by that of two other projects also currently under way on campus. The expansion and renovation of the fine arts center complex is hard to miss, whether you are walking through campus or driving on Elm Street. The $35 million project-which includes the Museum of Art, the art department and Hillyer Art Library-will transform all interior and exterior elements of the complex; modernize mechanical, climate control, storage and media/information systems; and significantly expand the museum's gallery space. The center will reopen to students and the general public in early 2003.
 
Meanwhile, a $5 million renovation of the Lyman Conservatory now under way will restore its renowned balloon-style glass houses built in 1895 and expand teaching, office and exhibition spaces. The project will be completed later this year.
Save the date: Carol Tecla Christ will be installed as the tenth president ofSmith College on October 19, 2002. The inauguration, which will coincide with Family Weekend, will include such activities as a poetry reading by Adrienne Rich, fireworks and the traditional Family Weekend pops concert featuring all of the Smith student musical groups. Menus are being planned by Smith chefs and cookbook authors Julia Child '34, Joyce Goldstein '56 and Charlotte Turgeon '34. The campus will be alive with exhibitions, performances and presentations celebrating student/faculty collaboration and such initiatives as the Picker Engineering Program, Praxis, and Women and Financial Independence. Also in the planning stages are a faculty lecture and a panel of prominent alumnae who will discuss those qualities of the Smith experience that led Christ to describe Smith in a fall 2001 NewsSmith interview as "a private college with a public conscience."
...........................................
Tuition hike: At its February meeting, the Smith College Board of Trustees approved a comprehensive fee of $34,936, an increase of 4.9 percent over the current year. The fee incorporates tuition ($25,780), room and board ($8,950) and a student activities fee ($206).
...........................................
Where's the beef? Smith has earned the distinction of being one of only two New England schools (Bowdoin College was the other) named to a list of the top 10 vegan and vegetarian-friendly colleges in the United States. Thanks to dishes like tempeh cacciatore and mushroom stroganoff, Smith was recognized by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for providing well-balanced meals in vegan and vegetarian cuisine. Three Smith students nominated the college for the PETA distinction. One of them, Erica Vanderleeden '02, told The Boston Globe, "Smith is very good at [vegan cooking]. They're very supportive of alternative lifestyles across the board." Other schools making the top 10 included Vassar, Elmira College and Virginia Tech.
...........................................
Last call for smoking: As of August 19, 2002, Smith students who smoke will no longer be able to light up in their rooms because of a recommendation from the College Council on Community Policy. Acting President John Connolly sent a letter to all students in October announcing the upcoming schoolwide ban on cigarette smoking in all residential houses. Realizing this will present a hardship for some students, Health Services will expand educational programming about smoking and will continue to offer programs for those trying to quit the habit. The residence halls at Mount Holyoke became 100 percent smoke-free this academic year.
...........................................
Commencement speaker: Noted law professor and author Lani Guinier will deliver the Smith Commencement address on Sunday, May 19. Guinier, who received an honorary degree from Smith in 1999, has degrees from Radcliffe College and Yale University Law School. She is the author of a number of books, including
The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy and Lift Every Voice: Turning a Civil Rights Setback Into
a New Vision of Social Justice. In 1998, she became the first African-American woman to be tenured as a professor at Harvard Law School. She is well known for her advocacy on behalf of social justice and civil rights.
...........................................
Kudos: An English department faculty member and a professor of economics have received a prestigious fellowship and grant, respectively, for their current research projects. Professor of Economics Karen Pfeifer was recently awarded a Fulbright grant of $24,500 for study in Lebanon, Kuwait and Jordan during a six-month period through May. Pfeifer is using the grant to study "The Economics of Conflict and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East." Likewise, Assistant Professor of English Floyd Cheung received a $30,000 stipend plus $1,500 for travel and research expenses from the Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty from Underrepresented Groups. The award will support his book project, "Reorienting and Disorienting America: The Epistemological Challenge of Asian American Literature Before 1965."
...........................................
Student Research Day: For the first time at Smith, students who conducted research with faculty mentors presented their works in April during "Celebrating Collaboration: Students and Faculty Working Together," a showcase for collaborations in all disciplines, from the performing arts to science. Smith students participated in poster sessions, panels and performances; presented papers and readings on their senior theses, special studies and independent research projects; and displayed their creative work in the fine and performing arts.
...........................................


Editor's note: An item in the Winter 2002 issue of NewsSmith misstated the amount of venture capital funding received by women-owned businesses. The current and correct figure is 6 percent.

..............................................................................................................................................................

NewsSmithSite mapContentsMail to WebmasterDirectoryHome

NewsSmith is published by the Smith College Office of College Relations for alumnae, staff, students and friends.
Copyright © 2001, Smith College. Portions of this publication may be reproduced with the permission of the Office
of College Relations, Garrison Hall, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063. Last update: 9/9/2001.


Made with Macintosh