Student Newspaper Wins Top Awards

The Willamette University student newspaper, the Collegian, won the prestigious award for General Excellence in the Collegiate Newspaper Contest. The competition was sponsored by the Oregon Newspaper Publishing Association.

The Collegian also won awards in the following categories:

Best Writing, Tatiana Mac
“NY Times’ assoc. editor reveals secrets, protects civil liberties”
“Explore the unexpected”
“Blind grading ensures objectivity”
http://www.willamettecollegian.com/?s=tatiana+mac&submit=search

Best News Story, Lauren Gold
“Students mourn sudden death of Kaneko cook”
http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2007/12/05/students-mourn-sudden-death-of-kaneko-cook/

Best Editorial, Collegian Editorial Board
“The cost of education”
http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2008/01/23/the-cost-of-education/

Best Columnist, Tom Ackerman
Opinions section
http://www.willamettecollegian.com/?s=tom+ackerman&submit=search

Best Sports Photo, Stephen Scott
Photo of Willamette Rugby Club

Best Cartooning, Patrick Willgohs

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Willamette University Honors the Class of 2008

Willamette University will bid adieu to the Class of 2008 in four commencement ceremonies Sunday, May 11.

The College of Liberal Arts commencement begins at 3 p.m. on The Quad. The Atkinson Graduate School of Management ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. in Hudson Hall, and the College of Law commencement is at 11:30 a.m. on The Quad. The School of Education ceremony is at 11 a.m. in Smith Auditorium.

The College of Liberal Arts will honor 500 students with bachelor’s degrees. The College of Law will award 114 JD and LLM degrees, and the School of Education will award 101 MAT degrees. Atkinson will recognize 47 early career MBA graduates (18 professional MBA graduates were honored in January).

Helen Vendler, the A. Kingsley Porter University Professor at Harvard and a well-recognized poetry critic, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters and deliver the CLA commencement address. The Honorable Wallace P. Carson Jr., former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and a 1962 College of Law graduate, will receive an honorary doctor of laws.

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul DeMuniz, a 1975 College of Law graduate, will deliver the law commencement address, and Jack McGowan, recently retired executive director of SOLV, will speak at the Atkinson ceremony.

For more information on Willamette’s commencement activities, go to www.willamette.edu/events/commencement/.

Update: Jonathan Kozol, a longtime educator and social justice advocate who was scheduled to receive an honorary degree and speak at the School of Education commencement, has canceled his appearance due to medical reasons. The School of Education speaker will be Dean Nakanishi '98, MAT'00, who teaches in a special education academy near Seattle and has researched and lectured on the history of Salem Japanese-American students sent to internment camps during World War II.

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Hallie Ford Museum of Art Wins Grant from Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University received a $15,000 grant from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to publish a catalog on the work of multimedia artist Joe Feddersen, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes.

The National Museum of the American Indian announced 13 recipients Thursday for the inaugural Visual and Expressive Arts Grants program. This new program offers support to a wide range of arts activities with the goal of increasing knowledge, understanding and appreciation of contemporary Native American arts.

The grant will allow the Hallie Ford Museum, in partnership with the University of Washington Press and The Evergreen State College, to co-publish the exhibition catalog “Joe Feddersen: Vital Signs.” The exhibition is a retrospective of Feddersen’s best work in prints, glass and weaving since the mid–1990s. The book accompanies an exhibition organized by faculty curator and anthropology Associate Professor Rebecca Dobkins that will be on display at the Missoula Art Museum in Montana June 2–Sept. 20, at the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington Sept. 12, 2009–Jan. 10, 2010, and at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art Jan. 30–March 28, 2010.

The “Joe Feddersen: Vital Signs” catalog will include a biographical essay by Dobkins, an introduction by artist Barbara Thomas and a critical essay by artist/writer Gail Tremblay. The book, available later this spring, will be a new volume in the prestigious Jacob Lawrence Series on American Art and Artists of the University of Washington Press. Feddersen’s work explores the interrelationships between urban place markers and indigenous design through powerful combinations of contemporary media and native iconography.

The Smithsonian grants were made in two funding areas, the visual arts and expressive arts. The Hallie Ford Museum received a visual arts grant, which supports exhibitions and installations of contemporary Native American art, as well as publications and critical writing.

Another visual arts grant given to the Art Association of Jackson Hole, Wyo., will support a traveling exhibition by Willamette alumna Marie Watt, a 1990 graduate who serves on Willamette’s Native American Advisory Council. Organized by the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyo., the traveling exhibition, “Marie Watt: Blanket Stories,” will allow the artist to lead gallery talks, present a slide lecture and organize a family sewing circle to encourage discussion about contemporary and historical Native American art, traditions and personal inspiration.

For more about the Visual and Expressive Arts Grants and a list of the other winners, go to www.nmai.si.edu/press/releases/20080314_Grant_Recipients.pdf.

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Video Contest, Symposium Highlight Focus the Nation at Willamette

Willamette University students, faculty, staff and community members gathered on campus recently for a daylong symposium on problems and solutions surrounding global climate change. The discussions were part of a nationwide project called Focus the Nation, with more than 1,200 colleges and universities participating.

Willamette also hosted a contest to create a video for the original song “Oceans Rising,” written by Willamette Vice President Kristen Grainger. Grainger performed the song with guitarist Dan Wetzel. The winning video, created by Willamette senior Katie Salisbury, a religious studies major, was shown at a free concert in Smith Auditorium. View Salisbury’s video at www.willamette.edu/go/oceans_rising.

Thursday’s discussions focused on a wide range of topics, including health effects of climate change, the challenge of teaching climate change in schools, the relationship between faith and climate change and private sector contributions to sustainability. Panelists included state agency representatives, educators, students and faculty.

For more information, visit www.willamette.edu/about/sustainability/focusthenation/ or focusthenation.org.

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Willamette University Events Focus on Global Warming

Focus the Nation, a nationwide conversation dedicated to finding solutions to global climate change, will take place Thursday, Jan. 31, at more than 1,200 colleges and universities across the nation. Willamette University will host a free day-long symposium and a free concert. The community is invited.

Joint Chiefs of Staff, a regional band, will kick off the event with a free concert Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium. Willamette has invited students and community members to produce an accompanying music video for the original song, "Oceans Rising," by singer/songwriter Kristen Grainger, who serves as Willamette’s vice president. Winning videos will be shown at the concert.

Beginning Thursday, Jan. 31, the eight panel sessions are:

--- "Local and National Responses to Global Climate Change," 8 to 9:30 a.m., Montag Center. Panel moderator is Joe Bowersox, Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics.

--- "Health Effects and Behavioral Solutions to Climate Change," 9:40 to 11:10 a.m., Alumni Lounge, University Center. Panel moderator is psychology Professor Sue Koger.

--- "Economic Incentives to Address Climate Change," 9:40 to 11:10 a.m., Montag Center. Panel moderator is economics Professor Don Negri.

--- "Tomorrow’s Global Citizens: Education and the Challenge of Global Climate Change," 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Cone Chapel, Waller Hall. The convocation will be moderated by Professor Neil Liss, School of Education.

--- "The Role of Law and Policy in Addressing Climate Change," 12:50 to 2:20 p.m., Alumni Lounge, University Center. Panel moderator is law Professor Susan Smith.

--- "Faith and Climate Change," also from 12:50 to 2:20 p.m., Montag Center. The Rev. Karen Wood, associate chaplain for vocational exploration and director of the Lilly Project at Willamette, will moderate.

--- "Private Sector Contributions to Sustainability," 2:30 to 4 p.m., Montag Center. Elliot Maltz, professor of marketing at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, will moderate.

--- A Willamette University student panel, 2:30 to 4 p.m., Alumni Lounge, will provide the closing discussion.

Visiting panelists include Michael Grainey, Oregon Department of Energy; Tim Stumhofer, Climate Clean; Regina Hauser, Oregon Natural Step Network; Bruce Hamilton, PPM Energy; Geoff Huntington, Sustain; Professor Paul Thiers, Washington State University, Vancouver; The Rev. Gail McDougal, First Congregational Church; Dave Aston, Port of Portland; Dr. Ernie Neimi, ECONorthwest; Steve Novick, candidate for U.S. Senate; Jon Yoder, Salem-Keizer Public Schools; Gail Achtermann, Oregon State University Institute of Natural Resources; Maggie Langlas, U.S. Department of the Interior, BLM; Rabbi David Kominsky, Temple Beth Sholom, Salem.

Focus the Nation is the brainchild of Lewis and Clark College Professor Eban Goodstein, who wrote “Fighting for Love in the Century of Extinction: How Passion and Politics Can Stop Global Warming.”

It is Goodstein’s belief that university professors will fail as educators unless they prepare students for the challenge of climate change.

For more information visit www.willamette.edu/about/sustainability/focusthenation/schedule.htm, www.focusthenation.org or www.willamette.edu/about/sustainability/contest/song.htm.

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Zerzan Selected for Prestigious NCAA Award

Sarah Zerzan, a runner on the Willamette University cross country and track and field teams, is one of the just eight senior student-athletes from the NCAA’s overall membership to be selected to receive the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award for 2007.

Zerzan and seven other athletes were selected for the prestigious award for their athletic and academic achievements, plus character and leadership. The awards will be presented Jan. 13 at the NCAA Honors Celebration in Nashville, Tenn., as part of the annual NCAA Convention.

Zerzan (San Carlos, Calif./Notre Dame High School) is part of an exceptional group of individuals selected for the award. Previous winners include Peyton Manning (football, University of Tennessee, 1998), David Robinson (men’s basketball, U.S. Naval Academy, 1988), Cheryl Miller (women’s basketball, University of Southern California, 1987), Steve Young (football, Brigham Young University, 1984) and John Elway (football, Stanford University, 1983).

Zerzan won back-to-back NCAA Division III individual national championships in cross country in 2006 and 2007. She became only the third athlete to repeat as the women’s champion in the 27-year history of the NCAA Division III National Championships. She helped Willamette place ninth in the team standings at the 2007 NCAA National Championships, while earning All-America honors for the third consecutive season.

In track and field, she took second place in the women’s 5,000-meter run at the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championships. She was 11th in the 5,000-meter run at the 2006 National Championships. Last spring, she won the Northwest Conference title in the 1,500-meter run, helping Willamette claim the team title.

Zerzan was named NCAA Division III National Female Athlete of the Year in cross country in 2006 and 2007. She recently was selected as the nominee from cross country for the 2007-08 NCAA Division III Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award. Zerzan also was the nominee from cross country for the Woman Athlete of the Year Award in 2006-07. Just 11 student-athletes are chosen as nominees each academic year.

Zerzan has a 3.93 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in biochemistry. She plans to attend medical school next year. In the summer of 2006, she studied abroad in Costa Rica, where she helped conduct ethnobiology field research through interviews with Costa Rican indigenous people.

She is a member of the steering committee for Willamette’s chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign. She has volunteered at Waldo Middle School in the Russian-English bilingual mentorship program, she has served as a Spanish-English mentor at Richmond Elementary School, and she is member of the Chemistry Club.

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TIUA Honors Students in Closing Ceremony

Tokyo International University of America (TIUA) will honor 89 students during its annual closing ceremony on Friday, Dec. 14. There will be a certificate presentation ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in Hudson Hall, followed by a reception at 6 p.m.

These ceremonies are the culmination of a year of intense English and American Studies courses taught by TIUA and Willamette University faculty members. TIUA is the only foreign campus for Tokyo International University (TIU) in Kawagoe, Japan. The partnership allows TIU students to spend a full year studying in Salem and fully integrating into Willamette classes and the community.

Attending the ceremony from TIU are President Takayoshi Arai; Professor Yoshiyuki Igarashi, chair of the International Exchange Committee; and Chie Omorai, staff. Other guests scheduled to attend include Willamette President Lee Pelton, College of Liberal Arts Dean Carol Long, numerous Willamette faculty members, and many Salem residents who participated in the TIUA "Tomodachi" (friendship family) program.

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Willamette ranks high for community outreach

Willamette outranked other Oregon liberal arts schools in Washington Monthly’s recent college rankings issue. The report measures community outreach and service of students. Washington Monthly is a progressive magazine out of Washington, D.C., that covers politics, government and culture.

Liberal Arts Colleges rankings [PDF]

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Community Invited to World AIDS Day Summit

The Willamette University chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign will host a two-day summit Nov. 29–30 on campus in honor of World AIDS Day.

Community members of any age are invited to attend the events, which begin with a free educational panel about the AIDS pandemic at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Hatfield Room of the Hatfield Library. Events on Nov. 30 include a rally at noon in Jackson Plaza, and a dance-a-thon from 8 p.m. to midnight in Sparks Athletic Center to raise money for Partners in Health, a global health organization with a proven track record of preventing the spread of HIV and delivering life-saving health care to those in need.

This is the second year Willamette’s Student Global AIDS Campaign has hosted a summit for World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1. SGAC is a national grassroots movement, the largest student network committed to ending the HIV and AIDS crisis worldwide.

All events are free, although those wishing to participate in the dance-a-thon are asked to register their fundraising efforts at www.willametteworldaidsday2007.weebly.com. For more information, call (503) 370-6593.

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Willamette Among Top Producers of Fulbright Students

Willamette University is among the top producers of 2007–08 U.S. Fulbright Fellows, according to a recent announcement by the Fulbright Program that was highlighted in an Oct. 26 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Three students and alumni from Willamette won Fulbright awards for 2007–08, making Willamette one of just two Oregon schools in the listing of top universities. Twelve Willamette students and alumni have received Fulbright grants in the past five years.

This year’s winners are Elizabeth Humphrey ’07 and Maia Hoover ’07, who are teaching English in South Korea, and Craig Webster ’05, who is studying film in Hungary.

Under the Fulbright program, almost 1,500 American students in more than 100 different fields of study were offered grants to study, teach English and conduct research in more than 125 countries.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Willamette through Monique Bourque, director of Student Academic Grants and Awards. To learn more, contact her at mbourque@willamette.edu or (503) 370-6607.

Read more about our recent Fulbright scholars here: http://blog.willamette.edu/stories/archives/2007/04/fulbright_retur.php and http://blog.willamette.edu/stories/archives/2007/05/student_travels.php.

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Willamette Community Learns from Renowned Scientist

What will be the state of environmentalism in the next 200 years? How do you conduct scientific research without “selling out” to a major corporation? Why is society so disconnected from nature? How do you encourage environmentalism on a global scale?

These are the burning questions on the minds of Willamette University’s science students. And they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this week to get answers — by posing them to Edward O. Wilson, one of the world’s greatest living scientists, while he visited campus to deliver the Biology Centennial Lecture.

“We’re in a very strange situation in the 21st century,” Wilson told the students in an intimate meeting before speaking to a sold-out crowd of 1,300 that evening in Smith Auditorium. “We have Stone Age emotions, we have medieval beliefs and we have god-like technology.

“We have evolved to exploit the planet, and now we’re having trouble slowing down.”

Wilson is considered a leader in the fields of entomology, animal behavior, evolutionary psychology, island biogeography, biodiversity, environmental ethics and the philosophy of knowledge. He is the Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, and he has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his non-fiction books “The Ants” and “On Human Nature.”

At his evening lecture, he addressed “The Future of Life,” informing the crowd about the immense biodiversity of our planet and the important task of trying to protect it. He had the same message for the students earlier. “The world needs to see that ecology and biodiversity studies are fundamental to the health of the planet,” he said.

He talked about meeting with evangelical leaders, setting aside their different views regarding evolution and focusing on issues they both agreed on. “I told them, ‘Let’s stop talking about issues like abortions and stem cells. Let’s do something important together, which is save the creation. See how we can combine science and religion into a single enterprise … and accomplish something quite extraordinary.’”

Wilson also discussed his work on the Encyclopedia of Life, an online resource launched in May that will include information about every species on the planet (view it at eol.org). “We’ve now reached an advanced state in the information age such that the idea of having everything known and available to everybody is not out of reach.”

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New Students Welcome Sir Salman Rushdie

Be brutal with the idea but respectful of the person who holds it was a primary message offered by Sir Salman Rushdie during the late August Opening Convocation at Willamette.

Packed with new students and their parents, the audience in Smith Auditorium responded to the internationally respected author with two standing ovations and enthusiastic applause as he discussed with wit and insight his formative years as a student — first at boarding school and then as an undergraduate.

“There are three mistakes you can make in boarding school,” said Rushdie. “Be clever, be foreign and be bad at games. I hit the trifecta.” While boarding school was not a positive experience for Rushdie, he found a much more inviting and positive experience at Cambridge University where he attended King’s College beginning in 1965.

“University is that moment when you come away from the stricture of high school and have the first adult experience of your life. In University, you work out who you are. You experiment with yourself and try on different skins. Through this process you work out what you will be and won’t be. It is your portal to the adult world. You are a migrant and university is where you begin to make your way.”

He added, “The thing I learned most at Cambridge was that you should be as brutal as possible toward ideas but as courteous as possible to the people who hold them. The undergraduate experience is transforming. You learn to be tolerant and open to new ideas. You learn that scholarship doesn’t seek self — it seeks the work.”

It’s clear that Rushdie credits his experiences at Cambridge more than he credits his degree in history. He managed a good natured tease when he said, “Throughout my life, no one has ever asked me what kind of degree I got or even if I’ve got one at all. I have to say it’s been useless.”

Rushdie is the author of such international best-sellers as Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses. The latter was deemed sacrilegious by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa against Rushdie in 1989. Despite this proclamation, and the international controversy that followed, Rushdie went on to produce some of his most compelling work, including The Moor’s Last Sigh and The Ground Beneath Her Feet while living under the constant threat of death. His most recent novel, Shalimar the Clown, was an international best-seller and a nominee for both the Man Booker Prize and Commonwealth Writer’s Prize.

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Princeton Review Gives Willamette High Marks

“Academically rigorous, intimate and seriously gorgeous.” No, this is not a date profile for eligible undergraduates. It’s how The Princeton Review describes Willamette University in its just released Best 366 Colleges 2008 Edition.

The Princeton Review asked 120,000 students at 366 top colleges to rate their schools in dozens of categories and report on their campus experiences. The 80-question survey is inclusive and covers academics, campus life, the student body, best professors, campus food, athletics and more.

“I am pleased that the Princeton Review recognizes academic rigor and strong faculty-student engagement at Willamette,” said Willamette University President M. Lee Pelton. “Not only do these factors heavily influence students’ satisfaction with their undergraduate experience, when it comes to garnering national fellowships and awards and getting into top graduate programs, these strengths are critical to success.”

Here are some of the things students wrote about Willamette:

• “Outstanding” academic programs include the sciences, a “great focus” on the arts, a popular Japanese Studies Program, and “a highly acclaimed political science program.”
• “Small class sizes allow lots of discussion and personal attention” and undergraduate research opportunities allow students to work with faculty members on the kinds of projects reserved for grad students at most other schools. Willamette is also “very accommodating for double majors.” Professors are, “for the most part, super interesting and exciting.”
• Intercollegiate and intramural sports are hugely popular here, and the “incredibly strong” track and cross country programs are especially noteworthy.
• Willamette is “2 hours from the coast” and “2 hours from the mountains.” Also, “it’s only a 45-minute drive over to Portland” and “a ton of cultural stuff.”
• Students at Willamette rate their “interesting, intelligent, genuine, [and] community oriented” peers as “pretty hard workers” and say “There’s a social group for almost everyone — jocks, preps, partiers, nerds; you name it.” There are also “outdoorsy” types and “a lot of musicians” here. Conflict between groups is very minimal. “Everyone is accepting . . . so it’s not intimidating to meet random people.” Politically, Willamette is “extremely liberal.” There are plenty of “politically left-wing people who love granola and Howard Dean,” though, interestingly, few “real hippies.”

[download the full review pdf]

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Hallie Ford Museum of Art Exhibition Selected for Oregon American Masterpieces Grant

The Oregon Arts Commission has selected “The Art of Ceremony,” planned by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem, as Oregon’s 2008 American Masterpieces project. The commission has awarded the project a $50,000 grant using funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The Oregon Arts Commission reviewed many strong proposals in this second round of special American Masterpieces grant funding. 'The Art of Ceremony' project was selected because of its potential to show work rarely seen by the public and to examine the concept of a 'masterpiece,'" said Christine D’Arcy, executive director of the commission. “We are very pleased to announce this award.”

Organized by Willamette anthropology associate professor Rebecca Dobkins in collaboration with Native community curators, “The Art of Ceremony” will be a groundbreaking exhibition of and book about historic and contemporary ceremonial regalia from Oregon tribes.

“Ceremonial regalia is perhaps the most highly regarded art form within American Indian groups and thus truly represents an indigenous definition of master work,” Dobkins said. “‘The Art of Ceremony’ promises to contribute profoundly to the national conversation about what constitutes American art and American masterpieces. We are honored to be working in partnership with Oregon tribes on this project.”

Museum staff will work closely with the Siletz, Umatilla, Warm Springs and other Oregon tribes in the development of the exhibit, which will open at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in fall 2008 and then travel to the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and the Museum at Warm Springs at no cost to those institutions. “We are extremely honored to have the exhibition selected as Oregon’s 2008 American Masterpieces project, excited to be able to work with Native communities on the exhibition’s development and thrilled to be able to share the exhibition with audiences throughout the state,” Museum Director John Olbrantz said.

The collaborative curatorial process will identify the complex aesthetic criteria by which regalia-makers judge their own and others’ work, apply these criteria to the selection of work for the exhibition, and then articulate them within the exhibition itself. In this way, the public will come to understand the multiple meanings of “masterpiece,” “beauty,” “excellence” and “innovation,” as expressed in Native community standards.

Regalia from Oregon is exceptionally diverse, from the Plateau area’s buckskin and beadwork, to the Columbia River region’s use of condor feathers, to the coastal area’s feather work and abalone shell decoration. “A lot of people attend intertribal events such as powwows and mistake what they see there as our traditional dances and regalia,” said Bud Lane, vice chairman of Siletz Tribal Council. “Each tribe has its own regalia and dances that go way back. We want people to see that each tribe has its individual traditions and cultures that vary from region to region.”

In all areas, regalia reflects environmental and cultural transformations and generates spiritual power and social status. The exhibition will include contemporary regalia from the Siletz, Umatilla and Warm Springs communities and borrow historic regalia from major American collections. “It’s extremely rare for the public to see this traditional regalia,” Lane said. “Outside of our dance houses, we don’t do many public appearances.”

A full array of public programming, including artist demonstrations and workshops, is envisioned. The accompanying book will be completed following the exhibit.

In addition to the NEA American Masterpieces grant, the project is supported by a Millicent McIntosh Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation granted to Rebecca Dobkins for 2007–09.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at: www.oregonartscommission.org.

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Dempsey Foundation Funds Environmental Chair at Willamette

The Dempsey Foundation has endowed The Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics at Willamette University.

The $1.5 million endowment will support an endowed chair in the Environmental and Earth Sciences Department in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA.) The endowed chair furthers Willamette’s commitment to interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching and research in environmental science. The chair holder will also coordinate the nationally recognized Dempsey Environmental Lecture Series with a focus on environmental concerns such as forest management, sustainability and conservation.

The first occupant of the Dempsey Chair will be Professor Joe Bowersox, who has taught politics at Willamette University since 1993 and who has served as chair of the University’s Sustainability Council since 2004. He published work has focused on forest management and environmental politics.

Willamette University has 17 endowed chairs: 10 in CLA, two in the College of Law, four in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and one chair that rotates among the three schools. Endowed chairs, awarded to faculty members who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship, offer financial assistance with publication, collaborative research and programmatic enhancements.

Willamette University President M. Lee Pelton said, “The timing of this gift is particularly meaningful. Willamette is now part of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, a pledge to broaden our pedagogy to involve students and faculty in the challenges of climate change and its influence on global ecological and social systems.

“Additionally, Willamette was recently recognized for our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility in the construction and design of Kaneko Commons. The residence hall is currently being considered for a LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of silver or gold with its energy saving systems, lighting, water recovery and sustainable building materials. With these efforts in mind, we believe the Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics is the perfect match for Willamette University.”

The Dempsey Foundation will provide a gift of $500,000 to be added to an earlier gift of $1 million, which in 2004 created the Dempsey Environmental Science Fund.

Heather K. Dempsey graduated from the Environmental and Earth Sciences Department at Willamette University in 1997 and has been a University Trustee since 2004. She presented the gift on behalf of the Dempsey Foundation at the May 12 Board of Trustee meeting.

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Willamette Professors Receive National Mathematics Grant

Two Willamette University math professors have received a $491,400 grant from the National Science Foundation to provide an eight-week summer research experience for math students and teachers.

The grant was recently awarded to Willamette assistant math professors Inga Johnson and Colin Starr, who are the leaders of the Willamette Valley Consortium for Mathematics Research. The consortium comprises four Oregon schools: Willamette University, Linfield College, Lewis & Clark College and the University of Portland.

Each of the four schools will host a summer research team of four undergraduates, two faculty members and one teacher from the K-12 or community college level. Each team will focus on a project from faculty research interests in number theory, probability and statistics, geometry, computer science or applied analysis. All four teams will gather once a week for talks about their projects, presentations by invited speakers and social activities.

Participants at Willamette will work with Johnson and Starr to study the Frobenius Problem, also known as the “postage stamp problem,” a topic in number theory.

The summer program is open to teachers and students nationwide. The final application deadline is April 6, although preference will be given to applications received by March 30. To apply or learn more about the consortium, go to www.willamette.edu/cla/math/REU-RET.

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Willamette Students Win Ethics Debate Competition

A team of students from Willamette University won the second annual Oregon Independent College Foundation Ethics Bowl competition held March 9–10 at Reed College in Portland.

The Ethics Bowl brings together student teams from the 10 private liberal arts colleges in Oregon to debate real-world ethics cases. Teams of three to five students competed in head-to-head matches judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across Oregon and Washington.

The students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as the war in Iraq, ship breaking and the environment, journalist confidentiality, Internet privacy and reproductive rights. The Willamette team won all five matches and compiled a record score of 530 out of 600 possible points.

Members of the Willamette team are MaryAnn Almeida, a sophomore politics and Spanish major from Spokane, Wash.; Brett Dahlberg, a freshman undeclared major from Bremerton, Wash.; Elizabeth Humphrey, a senior history major from Dallas, Ore.; Jade Olson, a sophomore rhetoric and media studies major from Hillsboro, Ore.; and Nic Robinson, a sophomore politics major from Norman, Okla.

The team will receive a trophy and plaque for the university and each student will receive a $1,000 cash award and individual plaque.

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Salem Teacher to Research with Willamette Professors Through Grant

Two Willamette University chemistry professors were recently awarded a major regional grant that will allow a Sprague High School teacher to work with them on cutting-edge research for the next two summers.

Sarah Kirk and Andrew Duncan, both assistant professors of chemistry, received a $15,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust through the Partners in Science Program. The program provides opportunities for high school science teachers to work with investigators in academic research labs for two summers. Kirk and Duncan have invited Megan Rivera, a science teacher at Sprague, to participate in their summer research program in 2007 and 2008.

The projects Rivera will work on involve the chemical modification of naturally occurring sugar molecules. She will work with Kirk in 2007 to develop novel antibiotics and with Duncan in 2008 to develop new methods for synthetic organic chemistry.

A primary goal of the Partners in Science program is to help high school teachers revitalize their teaching and appreciate the use of inquiry-based methods in the teaching of science.

For more information on the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, visit www.murdock-trust.org.

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Coast-to-Coast Journey Ends Successfully in Miami

They did it.

It once seemed a nearly impossible feat, but recent Willamette University graduates Kevin Dean, Alex MacKenzie and Wes Randall did it — they successfully biked 3,200 miles from San Diego to Miami to honor their friend Kalan Morinaka and raise money for the ALS Association. Morinaka, 22, died this fall of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of muscle control and typically is diagnosed in people older than 40.

The young men left San Diego Jan. 10 and arrived at Miami Beach Feb. 26. At the beach, they honored Morinaka further by spreading some of his ashes in the Atlantic Ocean. Morinaka was a longtime athlete and national competitor in judo, and the three riders befriended him through the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Willamette.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be done and to know that we’ve completed something great and challenging,” Dean said. “Even though it was tough, it was for a great friend.”

So far, the men have collected more than $14,000 for the ALS Association, and they are still accepting donations. Their online blog detailing their adventures contains numerous comments from friends, family and other followers offering support.

Along the way, the men met many kind people who opened their homes to them, bought them dinner and helped them fix their bikes to continue their journey. They braved frigid winter temperatures, are in better shape than ever and have a plethora of unforgettable experiences — from singing karaoke with Elks Lodge members in Arizona, to watching cows run alongside them for miles in West Texas, to viewing the devastation that still exists on the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

“This trip opened my eyes to the facts of life,” MacKenzie said. “Every day we were reminded of the goodness of people and how wonderful this country is.”

To read their blog, learn more about Morinaka and the riders, or donate to their cause, visit www.coast2coast4kalan.net.

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Award-Winning Film Animator Visits Willamette University

Bill Kroyer, animator and award-winning director who has worked on computer-animated short and feature films such as Tron and FernGully: The Last Rainforest, will give a free public presentation March 9 as part of a weekend residency at Willamette University.

Kroyer will discuss “Animation and the Death of Fantasy,” a provocative look at new computer-based techniques and their relation to and influence on traditional animation and storytelling. The lecture is at 7:30 p.m. in the Montag Den, located in the Montag Center at the northeast end of campus.

Trained in classic hand-drawn animation, Kroyer was one of the first to move to computer animation with work on Disney’s 1982 feature Tron. In 1992, he directed FernGully: The Last Rainforest. He is currently senior animator at Rhythm and Hues Studio in Los Angeles, where he supervises animation for theatrical films and directs animation in commercials, including the Coca-Cola ads featuring the polar bears. He serves on the executive board of the animation branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Kroyer’s residency is sponsored by the W. M. Keck Foundation Arts and Technology grant and Willamette University. For more information, call Cheryl Cramer at (503) 370-6122.

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Ecopoetry Reading to Support Focus the Nation

Ronault Latang Sayang Catalani and Alicia Cohen will be featured at a free ecopoetry reading to support Focus the Nation March 13 at 7 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Ecopoetry is a form a poetry that focuses on ecology. Focus the Nation is an educational initiative coordinating teams at colleges, universities and high schools across the U.S. to engage in an interdisciplinary discussion about global warming solutions. The reading is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow in the lobby of the museum.

Catalani, a veteran activist and attorney, performs djatung, a rhythmic essay style. He is the Green World Project Manager for Focus the Nation and a 1983 graduate of Willamette University’s College of Law. Catalani has organized civil rights and cultural defense impact litigation for more than 20 years in three West Coast states, is a human rights advocate and political asylum attorney in Southeast Asia, and is an essayist for The Asian Reporter, El Hispanic News, Oregon Public Broadcasting and Wisconsin Public Radio. He has been an International Court of Justice Fellow at Hague Institute for Human Rights and a William Stafford Fellow at the Oregon Literary Arts Council.

Cohen is a poet who writes about the intersection of poetry and ecology. She lives in Portland, where she helped establish the artist-run gallery and show space Pacific Switchboard in 2000. Her book of poems, bEAR, was published by Handwritten Press, and she recently wrote, directed and produced a multimedia opera and gallery installation titled “Northwest Inhabitation Log.” Her work has recently appeared in Ecopoetics, How2, Bird Dog and Traverse. She has shown her installation, video and performance work nationally, and she teaches at Portland State University.

The reading is sponsored by Willamette University Department of English and the Center for Sustainable Communities. For more information, call 503-370-6026, email ksand@willamette.edu or visit www.willamette.edu/~ksand/ecopoetics.html.

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Willamette University Dedicates New Residential Facility

The booming of taiko drums and the beauty of 1,000 origami paper cranes were just two elements of Willamette University’s traditional Japanese dedication ceremony Feb. 15 for Kaneko Commons, a $17.5 million residential community project.

The ceremony reflected Kaneko’s focus on Japanese heritage, a unique characteristic stemming from Willamette’s long-standing relationship with Tokyo International University (TIU) in Kawagoe, Japan. Tokyo International University of America (TIUA), located next to Kaneko, is TIU’s only campus outside Japan.

Students, builders, faculty, and dignitaries from Japan, including the president of TIU, were among those in attendance at the dedication ceremony. “This is a new era for Willamette University and one worthy of our mutual commemoration,” said Willamette President M. Lee Pelton.

With new and remodeled construction complete, the 72,000-square-foot Kaneko Commons features two community kitchens and nine student room options, including four-bedroom apartments. A three-story atrium houses Kaneko Café, which features numerous food choices including Japanese cuisine. More than 350 students live in Kaneko Commons, 151 of those in the new addition. Kaneko opened its rooms to students in August, but the atrium was recently finished.

“The development of the commons takes our relationship with TIU to a new level,” said Gunnar Gundersen, TIUA’s executive vice president. “By working on such a major project together, one that has such a huge impact on Willamette, it symbolizes a unique mutual commitment.”

The relationship allows numerous Willamette students and faculty to travel, study or teach in Japan yearly, and TIU students spend a year at Willamette as fully integrated undergraduates.

Another distinct element of the Kaneko project is that it introduces the residential commons concept at Willamette. Rooted in the college models of Oxford and Cambridge in the 13th century, Willamette’s commons model features graduated housing arrangements for all classes of students, is self-governing with elected student officers, and includes a substantial faculty presence. A wide array of programming elaborates on the site’s three themes — sustainability, Japanese heritage and community service — and encourages intellectual stimulation beyond the classroom.

Kaneko Commons also was built to meet the standards for LEED silver and possibly gold certification. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a U.S. Green Building Council rating system that is a benchmark for sustainable building practices.

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Psychology Scholar Visits Willamette University

Barry Schwartz, the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action in the psychology department at Swarthmore College, will give two free public presentations March 8 at Willamette University.

Schwartz will discuss “Practical Wisdom: What It Is, Why We Need It, and Why It’s Hard to Get” at 11:30 a.m. in Cone Chapel, on the second floor of Waller Hall. He will present “The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less” at 7:30 p.m. in the John C. Paulus Great Hall, room 201, Collins Legal Center.

Schwartz has received several National Science Foundation grants as well as a fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation, and has published widely in various scholarly journals and popular media, including the New York Times, Parade magazine and Slate. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Schwartz has written or co-written four textbooks and three books for popular audiences about the psychology of learning and memory.

He is Willamette’s Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar for 2007. Phi Beta Kappa is an honors organization that recognizes excellence in the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences.

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Link Between Autism and Mental Retardation Lacks Data

A Willamette University professor’s recent article in the journal “Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities” challenges the long-held assumption that individuals with autism are mentally retarded, a finding that could potentially change the way families and schools across the country care for children with autism. The finding is especially significant because autism is assuming epidemic proportions, with the number of children diagnosed increasing more than 20 percent each year according to the U.S. Department of Health.

Meredyth Goldberg Edelson’s findings, published in the Summer 2006 issue of “Focus,” are expected to generate controversy, but other peers back her up. When the journal decided to publish claims that challenge 60 years of accepted assumptions, the editors solicited two highly respected autism experts to respond.

“We anticipated strong reservations and were surprised that both individuals commended Meredy for raising the question and for her careful approach to analyzing the data,” said Co-Editor Juane Heflin. Both responses called for more extensive and objective research.

“Although she is challenging the status quo, the quality of Edelson’s work is excellent,” said Richard Simpson, professor of special education at the University of Kansas and former editor of the journal “Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.”

“There are so many claims and they’re so widespread that no one has bothered to look at the data behind the claims,” said the Willamette psychology professor. “Many claims are based on faulty data or no data at all, and data that is available is 35 to 40 years old and based on measures that don’t even measure intelligence. No one had ever systematically analyzed the evidence in support of those claims.”

Edelson examined the autism research to determine whether these claims were based on empirical data, what the quality of the data is, and whether non-empirical claims could be traced to data. She reviewed 215 studies (dating from 1937 to 2003) that made 223 claims about the rates of mental retardation in autism. Only 58 of those claims were supported by data, 165 were made in the absence of data, and 8 made both empirical and non-empirical claims. Newer non-empirical claims cited older empirical claims, often based on faulty measurements.

“Most researchers reported their results without describing how they measured intelligence,” Edelson said. “And the way intelligence is measured varies widely, with nearly all of the studies based on inappropriate measures. Some used development measures or adaptive skills scales, which are not measures of intelligence. Many times, if the researchers had a child they couldn’t test, they just assumed he or she was retarded and assigned a low IQ score.

“Typical intelligence tests require children to have good verbal skills, among other things, but since autism impairs a child’s ability to communicate with and relate to others, children with autism don’t perform well,” she said.

In an earlier study, Edelson assessed children with the Test of Non-verbal Intelligence (TONI), which involves abstract reasoning and does not require a verbal response. Using the TONI, Edelson found the children in the study had an average intelligence score of approximately 90, which indicates average intelligence. Only 19 percent of Edelson’s subjects scored in the mentally retarded range. A second study conducted in Taiwan with children who were even less verbal confirmed the earlier results.

“I’m not saying that children with autism are or are not mentally retarded,” Edelson said. “I’m just saying the literature doesn’t scientifically support the claims.”

Because retardation in children with autism has been so widely accepted, Edelson said schools and parents have lowered expectations of this group. “In the 1950s, children with autism were institutionalized,” she said. “Today we know that they have more options, from education and treatment to life plans including college and careers, marriage and children. If most children with autism aren’t mentally retarded, we need to find ways for them to interact with society and help them become all they can.”

Edelson’s Findings
Edelson’s research indicated that most of the claims regarding the rates of mental retardation (MR) in children with autism were not based on empirical data.

• Seventy-four percent of the articles that made claims about the prevalence of MR in children with autism came from non-empirical articles; only 26% derived from empirical studies.
• Of the 165 non-empirical claims made, 36% never made a citation in support of the claim; an additional 8% made a citation that did not provide evidence to support the claim; and 21% claimed that a higher percentage of children with autism were mentally retarded than was claimed in the citation used to support the percentage.
• A total of 53% of the non-empirical articles making claims about the prevalence of MR in children with autism never traced back to an empirical source when the citation trail was followed historically.
• Nearly two-thirds of the empirical studies cited by authors of non-empirical articles were published prior to 1980, yet nearly 77% of all non-empirical claims have been published since 1980.
• The results found that empirical studies utilizing developmental measures or adaptive skills measures (that made estimates of intelligence or that assumed that un-testable children had MR, as was frequently done in the 1960s and 1970s) reported average prevalence rates of 80.53% for MR in children with autism, and studies that utilized none of the methods reported average prevalence rates of 55.91% for MR in children with autism.

There were other difficulties with the empirical studies as well. Given these findings, there does not appear to be good data supporting the claims about high rates of MR in children with autism.

Full Article Reprint: www.willamette.edu/dept/comm/reprint/edelson/

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Willamette University Bids Adieu to the Class of 2006

Professor S. Allen Counter, director of The Harvard Foundation of Harvard University and a neurophysiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will deliver the College of Liberal Arts commencement address at Willamette University Sunday, May 14.

An honorary Doctor of Science degree will be awarded to Counter and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree will be awarded to philanthropist Catherine B. Reynolds, Los Angeles schoolteacher Rafe Esquith, and Columbia Sportswear Company chairwoman Gert Boyle.

Willamette University College of Law alumnus, the Honorable Wallace P. Carson Jr., will deliver the law commencement address.

Honorary degree recipient Catherine B. Reynolds will give the commencement address for the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.

The College of Liberal Arts will award 334 degrees, the College of Law 146, Atkinson Graduate School of Management 60 and the School of Education 94 degrees.

The College of Liberal Arts and the School of Education will hold commencement at 3 p.m. on the Quad; Atkinson commencement is 9 a.m. in Hudson Hall, and the College of Law commencement is at 11:30 a.m. on the Quad.

CLA Commencement
For more than 20 years, commencement speaker Counter has engaged students at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. As a neurophysiologist, he conducts both clinical and basic research studies on nerve and muscle physiology, auditory physiology, and neurophysiological diagnosis of brain-injured children and adults. His latest research focuses on toxic lead and mercury exposure in Ecuadorian children.

He is the first and only director of the Harvard Foundation for intercultural and race relations. The Foundation programs and mission have been replicated at universities across the country. His work through the Foundation earned him the distinguished NAACP Image Award in 1989. In 1994, the National Medical Association awarded Counter the Hall of Fame Award honoring his achievements in medicine.

He has published extensively in both cultural and scientific journals, including National Geographic and Scientific American. He has appeared on local and national television promoting scientific literacy of young people. He continues to work in the areas of ethics in science and technology, nature conservation, and human rights at the international level. He is presently co-host of EcoForum, a nationally televised program on earth conservation.

Law Commencement
Carson joined the Oregon Supreme Court in 1982 and was Chief Justice from 1991-05. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, he served as a judge for Marion County Circuit Court from 1977-82. He graduated from Stanford University in 1956 and Willamette University College of Law in 1962.

Atkinson Commencement
Reynolds created a new and affordable way for Americans to finance a college education. She developed a privately funded alternative to government student loan programs that has enabled hundreds of thousands of Americans to attend college. In only 10 years, this approach to private educational financing revolutionized student lending and spawned a multibillion-dollar industry of 65 lenders offering more than 200 financial products.

She is the creator and chairman of the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the nation. In 2004, Reynolds was selected by Business Week as one of the 50 most philanthropic living Americans and the first self-made woman ever to make their list. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Honorary Degree Recipients
Rafe Esquith introduces Shakespeare’s masterpieces to inner city fifth graders at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in central Los Angeles. He molds his students into latter-day Renaissance scholars and shows them a world outside their neglected neighborhoods. His students spend an entire year studying and rehearsing one play and then perform it at Shakespeare festivals across the county. By any measure, these student actors, many of whom speak English as their second language, have been wildly successful including opening for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

As a result of his commitment to his students both inside and outside the classroom, Esquith’s students consistently score in the top 5 to 10 percent nationally in standardized tests and many of his students have moved onto college and law school.

Esquith has received several accolades for this dedication including the Walt Disney American Teacher Award for National Teacher of the Year and Oprah Winfrey’s $100,000 Use Your Life Award. He used his award money to create a charitable fund at his school. He is currently working with the NEA to help put Shakespeare in 10,000 American classrooms.

Gertrude Boyle is the matriarch and chairwoman of the board of the international outdoor apparel and footwear manufacturer Columbia Sportswear Company. Hailed by Working Woman magazine as one of America’s Top 50 Women Business Owners – and named one of 1994’s “Best Managers” by Business Week – Boyle is the center of Columbia’s irreverent, award-winning advertising campaign. She portrays cantankerous “Mother Boyle,” the stern taskmaster who enforces Columbia’s demanding quality standards.

Since Boyle and her son Tim began managing the company, Columbia Sportswear has gone from near bankruptcy to become one of the world’s largest outerwear manufacturers and the leading seller of skiwear in the United States. Columbia’s sales have soared from $12.9 million in 1984 to $1.1 billion in 2004, and the company continues to forge ahead with product diversification and innovation.

Throughout her career, Boyle has been a leader in the Portland community. She has received many honors recognizing her business savvy and philanthropic endeavors. Most recently she received Oregon’s prestigious First Citizen Award in 2005.

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New Office to Aid Faculty

Here’s an OFFRR faculty shouldn’t refuse. It’s the newly created Office for Faculty Research and Resources located in Gatke Hall and directed by Gary Tallman, professor of biology and holder of the Taul Watanable Endowed Chair in Science.

The office, which opened in June, will promote and support faculty research and creative pedagogy for the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Education. Assisting Tallman are Pat Alley, associate director, and Kendra Mingo, grants specialist. While Alley and Mingo will devote their full attention to the new initiative, Tallman will split his time between OFFRR and his teaching and research commitments.

The office will help faculty identify sources of grant funding for research and teaching programs and identify foundations appropriate for both purposes. “We will assist faculty with proposal preparation, grant administration and post-award reporting,” Tallman said. “If a grant is renewable, we’ll assist with that process as well. We are available to help individual faculty and groups of faculty seeking grants for interdisciplinary course work and projects.” OFFRR is currently investigating available databases that will assist faculty with locating funding sources

Educating faculty about the finer points of grantsmanship is another function envisioned for the new office. OFFRR will coordinate workshops for faculty on how to find grant sources and how to write proposals. OFFRR will also encourage faculty members to attend off-campus grant writing workshops.

To get things rolling, the office will sponsor a faculty colloquium, “Securing Grants for Research & Teaching: Faculty Tell Their Stories,” Friday, Oct. 28, at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge. Along with WITS and the International Debate Education Association, OFFRR will also host in Gatke Hall the TGIF event following the colloquium.

According to Tallman, policy development is the fourth objective of OFFRR’s mission. “We will help faculty develop policies related to research that are currently lacking. For example, we have no policy on allocation of indirect costs associated with federal grants that typically cover overhead. We also need policies that address intellectual property and research ethics.”

OFFRR will also attempt to help faculty secure funding for projects that fall outside the foundation arena.

“OFFRR will act as a clearinghouse for faculty projects,” he said. “We now have regular meetings with the major gift officers in University Relations to discuss faculty needs and how they might be prioritized and addressed. We encourage faculty to begin their funding requests with us and let us champion their project.”

As the name suggests, OFFRR serves full-time faculty and administrators with faculty status in the CLA and School of Education. OFFRR will also support the development of joint projects among Willamette’s various schools and colleges that involve in a substantive way faculty members from the CLA or School of Education.

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Pledge Reflects Nation’s Anxieties

The history of the Pledge of Allegiance isn’t as straightforward as one might think, according to a new book by Willamette University Professor Richard Ellis.

“The Pledge speaks to the American values of liberty and justice for all, which resonates with people to this day,” said Ellis, “but it also speaks to American anxieties about inadequate patriotism and newcomers.”

Written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, the Pledge reflected native-born Protestant fears of increasing Catholic and Jewish immigration to the United States, said the author of “To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance.” Many citizens shared the view that the rising flood of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe – with their different ethnic and religious backgrounds – was threatening to destroy national unity and identity.

“Most Western democracies don’t have children start each day by pledging allegiance to their country,” Ellis said. “At the turn of the century, many felt that a daily recitation of allegiance would help inoculate immigrant school children against radical social ideas.”

In 2002, when a federal judge ruled that the words “under God” were unconstitutional, violating separation of church and state, many Americans felt that the decision did violence to one of our most sacred patriotic rites. But according to Ellis, the words “under God” are a relatively recent addition, tacked on in 1954 at the height of the McCarthy era, to differentiate the United States from the atheistic communists.

For more than a century, the Pledge has been inserted into a fervent national dialogue about who we are as a people, and what it means to be an American.

“Those most fearful about threats to our national identity,” Ellis observed, “have often been the most insistent on the importance of patriotic rituals.”

The Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University, Ellis has authored a number of books on American political culture, the presidency and the initiative process.

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New Dean Named At Willamette

Willamette University has named Professor Carol Long as the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Long, who has taught English on the campus since 1972, has served as interim dean since 2002.

“Professor Long brings considerable strengths to this position,” said President Lee Pelton. “Faculty workload and the clarification of the role of faculty in the concept and execution of the residential commons are two issues that will require focused attention. Her familiarity with this community will be immensely helpful.”

Long received her undergraduate degree at Pomona College and her master’s and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She taught at Northwestern prior to joining the Willamette faculty.

Director of the Oregon Writing Project at Willamette since 1995, Long has written and lectured extensively on creative nonfiction.

In 2001, Willamette University selected her for the United Methodist Award for Exemplary Teaching and Service.

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Willamette Makes the List

Washington Post staff writer Jay Mathews asked high school guidance counselors around the country to help him compile a list “of colleges and universities that deserve bigger reputations.”

Willamette University is one of the 100 Mathews calls hidden gems, “the lesser known jewels, the wallflower colleges that students fall in love with only after they get to know them.”

Listed for fun and not in order of merit, Willamette is in excellent company with schools like Earlham, Bates and Keene State College.

Check it out at the Washington Post online.

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New Dean Named for College of Liberal Arts

Professor Carol Long, a member of the English Department since 1972, has agreed to serve as Willamette University interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts for the next two years. Her appointment is effective immediately.

"Carol brings significant experience to her new role,” said Willamette University President Lee Pelton. “She is a respected and trusted member of the CLA faculty who understands the College's history and can lead the College in achieving its aspirations.

Long's many leadership roles at Willamette include chair of the Accreditation Steering Committee, 1999-2001; Associate Dean, 1996-99; English Department Chair, 1990-93; Faculty Council, 1987-89; Academic Council, 1979-82; Director of the Oregon Writing Project at Willamette, 1995-present; and faculty representative to the Board of Trustees Executive Committee, 2000-2002.

Pelton said, "One of the primary tasks of the interim dean is to lead the faculty in meaningful and productive deliberations regarding the aspirations of the College of Liberal Arts. These include discussions of the acculturation of junior faculty in the community; teaching, research and service roles and expectations; workload; and the set of qualities that we are looking for in the new dean.

"Because these conversations will require considerable time, energy and focus, I have asked Professor Long to serve a two-year term. We will begin the search process for a permanent dean after the faculty has completed its consideration of these important issues."

Long replaces Dr. Tori Haring-Smith who is now vice president for educational affairs at Willamette.

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Willamette University Appoints Dean Of College Of Liberal Arts

Willamette University today announced that it had appointed Dr. Tori Haring-Smith as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Haring-Smith comes to Willamette after a two-year term as executive directorof the Thomas J. Watson Foundation and a distinguished teaching career, including 16 years at Brown University.

"The appointment of Dr. Haring-Smith is significant to Willamette as we continue to enrich our standing as an institution devoted to the highest levels of academic excellence," said M. Lee Pelton, Willamette's president. "She brings to us a wealth of experience as both a teacher and administrator, as well as an international reputation as a scholar of the highest caliber."

As executive director of the Watson Foundation, Dr. Haring-Smith was responsible for coordinating the selection of 60 Watson Fellows each year. This prestigious national fellowship identifies future leaders and gives them an opportunity to travel and pursue their own research for one year following college graduation. Former Watson fellows include CEO's of international corporations, best-selling authors, ambassadors, Broadway producers and college presidents.

Dr. Ellen Eisenberg, chair of Willamette's Department of History and vice chair of the dean's search committee said, "Beyond her obvious professional qualifications, we were impressed with how Dr. Haring-Smith interacted with both students and faculty members. She is clearly a leader and should inspire us all."

Prior to her term at the Watson Foundation, Dr. Haring-Smith served as chair of