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 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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Willamette Welcomes ACE Fellow

Dr. Julie Filizetti, associate provost for academic affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., has joined the Willamette University community as an ACE Fellow for the coming academic year.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Filizetti to our community,” said University President M. Lee Pelton. “ACE Fellows are nominated by the presidents or chancellors of their institutions and are selected in a national competition. Her leadership skills and her administrative experience in strategic planning and assessment will serve us well.”

At Willamette, Filizetti will work primarily with the newly appointed 15-member Commission on Academic Excellence created by President Pelton in August. The commission is to identify academic activities or centers of excellence that strengthen the academic mission of Willamette. The centers, interdisciplinary in their design, will increase opportunities for faculty development, research and scholarship.

“Academic excellence is what defines Willamette University,” said Pelton. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement or increased efficiencies. The charge of the commission and Dr. Filizetti is to update the roadmap we will consult when making decisions that impact the intellectual life of this campus.”

Commission members include Professors Robert Dash, Karen Hamlin, Karen Holman, Roger Hull, Ortwin Knorr, Jerry Gray, Peter Letsou, Fred Thompson, Trustee Joan McNamara, Dean Robert Hawkinson, Vice President Kristen Grainger and four students not yet selected. Professor Dash and Trustee McNamara will serve as co-chairs.

Filizetti joined the NPS faculty in 1991 and has held various roles in administration including institutional advancement, strategic planning and assessment. She is also widely recognized as a leader in the Navy’s world-class education system. She is a graduate of the Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania. This program, designed and taught by some of the nation’s foremost education leaders, focuses on developing senior leaders in higher education.

The ACE Fellow also spent 12 years as a naval officer, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She is a member of the Santa Clara University Board of Regents.

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Willamette University History Scholars Shine

Two Willamette University history students have garnered prestigious summer Fellowships at nationally-recognized historical programs. Kylie Pine, a junior majoring in American studies, has been accepted to Historic Deerfield’s Summer Fellowship program in Deerfield, Mass. Will Cannon, a junior history major, has won a fellowship to the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s summer History Scholars program in New York City.

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Willamette University Chosen for Kemper Scholar Program

Willamette University is one of 15 universities in the nation and the only university in the Pacific Northwest selected for the Kemper Scholar Program.

Sponsored by the James S. Kemper Foundation of Chicago and established in 1948, the Kemper Scholar Program prepares students for leadership and service, especially in the fields of administration and business.

Each Kemper Scholar receives $3,000 to $8,000 per year for three years; $2,000 to $6,000 for internships in the sophomore and junior summers; full support to attend the annual Kemper Scholar Conference for three years; and sophomore summer internship opportunities in Chicago with non-profit organizations.

It also provides creative opportunities for the development of student leadership by pairing students with executive mentors in non-profit administration and sponsors a network with other Kemper Scholars and program alumni who have been successful in business, politics and the arts.

Local institutions select finalists who are then interviewed by the Foundation. The Foundation selects one Kemper Scholar at each college each year for three years.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for our students,” said Carol Long, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Willamette University. “Like Willamette, many of the participating universities are Tier One institutions. We are honored to be in such fine company and we thank the Kemper Foundation for its generosity.”

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Willamette Student Presents Research on Farm Labor-related Injuries

Willamette University Presidential Senior Scholar Lori Northcraft will present “From the Fields to the Clinic: Farmworker Labor Injuries” Monday, April 19 from 6-6:45 p.m. in the Hatfield Room, Hatfield Library at Willamette University. This lecture is free and open to the public.

She will discuss the occurrence and treatment of labor-related injuries among Willamette Valley’s Hispanic farm workers. Alternative treatment remedies and local barriers to seeking care will also be covered.

For more information, contact Professor Peter Harmer at 503-370-6470.

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Lilly Scholar to Discuss Islam

Professor David A. Kerr, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, will discuss “Islamic Religion and Civilization” Monday, March 29, and “Islam in the United States” Thursday, April 1, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Cone Chapel at Willamette University. Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Kerr, recognized internationally as an authority on Islam, will serve as a Scholar in Residence from March 15 to April 12 at the University. His visit is sponsored by the Lilly Project.

Educated at the University of London and the University of Oxford, Kerr has held research fellowships and visiting professorships all over the world including Lebanon, Nigeria, Israel, Sierra Leone, Ghana, South Korea, Thailand, Sudan and Kenya.

He has written extensively on Christianity and Islam and his latest book is titled, “Understanding Islam: an Interpretation.”

Kerr has directed multi-year research projects for the Luce Foundation of New York and for Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia.

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Phi Beta Kappa Scholar At Willamette University

Dr. Paul McHugh, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at John Hopkins University, is the Willamette University 2003 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar.

McHugh will give a free public lecture Tuesday, Nov 4, at 7:30 pm in the Hatfield Room of the Hatfield Library. His talk, entitled "The Memory Wars and Multiple Personality: A Psychiatric Misdirection," will cover false memory syndrome and the concept of repressed memory of childhood sexual abuse, and how psychiatric theory and treatment “went awry in the 1980s and 1990s.”

McHugh served on the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and currently serves on the President's Council on Bioethics.

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Phi Beta Kappa Scholar At Willamette University

Dr. Paul McHugh, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at John Hopkins University, is the Willamette University 2003 Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar.

McHugh will give a free public lecture Tuesday, Nov 4, at 7:30 pm in the Hatfield Room of the Hatfield Library. His talk, entitled "The Memory Wars and Multiple Personality: A Psychiatric Misdirection," will cover false memory syndrome and the concept of repressed memory of childhood sexual abuse, and how psychiatric theory and treatment “went awry in the 1980s and 1990s.”

McHugh served on the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and currently serves on the President's Council on Bioethics.

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Willamette’s Website Wins Top Award

Willamette University’s website swept the awards at the CASE District VIII awards competition winning a Grand Gold – the highest award – for Willamette’s home page, a Gold for the College of Law site and a Silver for the Development site. This was the first year Willamette’s website was entered in this competition.

Each year, Willamette participates in the CASE District VIII competition, which puts Willamette in the running with small private and large public colleges and universities throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and the western half of Canada.

Willamette’s Office of Communications also entered pieces in other categories including, design, writing, publications, photography and periodicals. Willamette received the most Gold and Silver awards in recent memory – five Gold and Five Silver. One judge wrote, “As usual, Willamette cleaned up in the publications category winning more awards than any other school. Congratulations on your excellent work.”

Because several pieces were entered in more than one category, some received multiple awards. The complete list of awards includes:

• Grand Gold – Willamette’s home page
• Gold – College of Law website
• Gold – Annual Giving 2003 Calendar (photography)
• Gold – University Relations Case Statement (overall publication)
• Gold – CLA Admission Oxygen Theory brochure (overall publication)
• Gold – CLA Admission Department brochures (design)
• Silver – The Scene (all three issues)
• Silver – Development website
• Silver – Annual Giving 2003 Calendar (overall publication)
• Silver – CLA Admission Five Minutes brochure (overall publication)
• Silver – University Relations Case Statement (writing)
• Bronze – CLA Admission Department brochures (overall publication)

Congratulations to the Office of Communications, University Relations, the College of Law, CLA Admission and Annual Giving who received recognition for stellar marketing and fundraising materials created for the University!

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Willamette Joins Watson Foundation's Prestigious List of 50

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation has chosen Willamette University as one of its 50 participating institutions. Other participating institutions, all of which are private, liberal arts schools, include Amherst, Grinnell, Occidental, Swarthmore and Whitman colleges. Individual colleges and universities chosen as participating institutions by the Watson Foundation are eligible to nominate graduating seniors for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

This prestigious national fellowship awards a $22,000 grant ($31,000 for fellows accompanied by a spouse or dependent child) to college graduates of unusual promise. This grant provides these fellows the freedom to engage in independent study and travel abroad for one year following their graduation. In addition to the grant, the Foundation will provide an amount equal to 12 months payment of outstanding federally guaranteed student loans. This extra payment is meant to encourage all students, regardless of student loan debt, to apply for the Watson Fellowship.

"Willamette's inclusion in the list reflects the Watson Foundation's sense that this University produces creative leaders who will make a difference in the world," said Tori Haring-Smith, dean of Willamette's College of Liberal Arts. "This fellowship will help Willamette attract students who are potential leaders and who have an intellectually adventurous spirit. This fellowship provides seniors a rare opportunity to learn independent problem-solving skills in a global context by spending a year pursuing a question about which they are passionate."

Up to 60 Watson fellows are selected each spring from among 190 candidates nominated by the 50 participating institutions. Willamette University will have the opportunity to nominate graduating seniors for the fellowship this 2001-2002 school year. Former Watson fellows include CEO's of international corporations, best-selling authors, ambassadors, Broadway producers and college presidents.

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation was founded in 1961 as a charitable trust by Mrs. Thomas J. Watson Sr. in honor of her late husband. In 1968, in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Wastson's long-standing interest in education and world affairs, their children decided that the fellowship program should identify individuals who demonstrate integrity, imagination, strong ethical character, intelligence, the capacity for vision and leadership, the promise of creative achievement and excellence within a chosen field and the potential for humane and effective participation in the world community. Since 1968, the foundation has granted over 2,000 Watson Fellowship awards with stipends totaling approximately $25,812,000.

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Willamette Grad Receives Fulbright Scholarship to Study in Moscow

Willamette University 2001 graduate Tessa Platt has received a Fulbright Scholarship award of $19,000 to study in Moscow for one year. Her program will begin this fall and will run through spring 2002. In order to participate in the Fulbright Program, Platt will defer enrollment to Harvard Law School until the fall 2002.

The Fulbright Scholarship will provide her the opportunity to focus on Russian-area studies and international relations at the International University of Moscow in cooperation with the Moscow Institute for Advanced Study. Upon completing her year abroad, Platt hopes to dual enroll in the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School ñ culminating in a masterís degree in public policy and doctorate of jurisprudence. Ultimately, she would like to work for the U.S. government or for a non-profit in the area of public policy.

Platt, a graduate of North Medford High School in Medford, Ore., double majored in history and Russian at Willamette University. While completing her bachelorís degree, Platt worked as a legislative aid and an intern at the Oregon State Capitol during her sophomore and senior years. In addition to her experience in public service, she was a Truman Scholarship finalist during her junior year, was involved in student government and served as Mortar Board president.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The program is administered by the U.S. government in cooperation with over 140 countries around the world. The Fulbright Program emphasizes academic and professional excellence with awards based on open competition. Approximately 4,500 new grants are awarded annually.

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Willamette Creates Its Most Academically Competitive Scholarship

Willamette University has created the Willamette Trustee Scholarship Fund, the most academically competitive scholarship that Willamette offers. The fund, recognizing both academic achievement and community involvement, was established through the generous endowment of $2 million from a lifetime trustee who has requested to remain anonymous. It will have additional ongoing support from other members of the Willamette Board of Trustees.

The fund will help ensure that Willamette continues to attract some of the country's most outstanding students. The Willamette Trustee Scholarship Fund will provide five members of the 2001 incoming freshman class with scholarships of $18,000 per year. The scholarships are renewable annually for a maximum of four years.

As with other Willamette scholarships, recipients will be chosen by the University's internal admissions committee. Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Must have a minimum high school grade point average of 3.85
• Must have a minimum SAT combined math and verbal score of 1,400 or an ACT composite score of at least 31
• Must demonstrate active and substantive engagement in extracurricular or community activities and/or leadership positions

"We are using this scholarship to bring in the best and the brightest students from around the country," said Robin Brown, vice president for enrollment.

"This is one of the most prestigious merit-based awards offered by Willamette." "This scholarship strengthens the University's commitment to academic excellence," said President M. Lee Pelton. "We are delighted that our board of trustees has put their generous support behind such an important scholarship."

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Willamette to Receive Honor From Truman Foundation on Founders Day

Willamette University will be honored as a 2000 Truman Foundation Honor Institution on Thursday, Feb. 1, Founders Day, for its exemplary participation in the Truman Scholarship program. This honor puts Willamette in elite company. In the five-year history of the Truman Foundation Honor Institution Award, only 38 colleges and universities nationwide have been selected for this honor.

The award is given to schools that attain excellence in three areas:

• Encouraging students to pursue careers in public service
• Effectively promoting the Truman program on their campuses
• And demonstrating sustained success in helping their students win Truman Scholarships

The Truman Scholarship is one of the most rigorous scholarship programs in the country. Each year, the Truman Scholarship Foundation awards 75-80 college junior $30,000 scholarships to attend graduate school in preparation for career in public service. Over the years, eight Willamette University students have received this prestigious scholarship. Three of those awards have been earned in the last two years.

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Willamette University to Offer Full Tuition Public Service Scholarship

Willamette University will award the Mark O. Hatfield Public Service Scholarship annually to one incoming freshman who exhibits exceptional academic achievement in high school with a demonstrated commitment to public service and a record of leadership in his/her school and community.

The Mark O. Hatfield Public Service Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship, renewable for up to four years, and guarantees an internship in state or federal government. This scholarship will be given in recognition of the remarkable legacy of one of Willamette's most distinguished graduates -- Sen. Mark O. Hatfield '43 -- and of Willamette's commitment to public service.

"Sen. Hatfield exemplifies the compassion, leadership and service that we seek to develop in our students," said Willamette President M. Lee Pelton. "This special opportunity memorializes his years of public service and opens the door for generations of Willamette students to follow in his footsteps."

The Hatfield Scholar will be selected from a field of five finalists by a panel that includes Hatfield as well as other accomplished graduates who have committed their careers to public service. The recipient will be announced on campus as part of an annual public policy dinner and lecture in January. Each of the finalists will also receive a scholarship to Willamette.

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Willamette to be Honored by the Truman Foundation

Willamette has been notified that it has been designated to receive the Truman Foundation Honor Institution Award, which recognizes colleges and universities for exemplary participation in the Truman Scholarship program.

Selection was based on the following criteria:

• Active encouragement of outstanding young people to pursue careers in public service
• Sustained success in helping its students win Truman Scholarships
• A Truman Scholar in 2000

The other recipients are: Oklahoma State University, University of Kansas, University of Minnesota, and University of Texas.

Over the years, Willamette has had eight Truman Scholars. Last year, Erik Van Hagen and Erin Dougherty were named Truman Scholars, and Courtney Gregoire won the award this year.

Arrangements will be made for Louis Blair, executive director of the Truman Foundation, to visit the campus for a formal presentation of the award later.

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