Campus Connections
Issue Date: August 29, 2005
News and Notices
Opening Convocation: Class of 2009
Sunny skies and celebration marked the opening of Lewis & Clark’s 138th academic year. In remarks at opening convocation on August 25, President Tom Hochstettler described the College as a varied and diverse community of learners and seekers and a community that has thoughtfully prepared a place for each new student.
“For our part, we at Lewis & Clark have been preparing a long time for the arrival of you new and transfer students here today. We have been working for 137 years so as to be at precisely the point where we are right now. We have been garnering treasure in specie and stone upon this hill, and we have been stockpiling books in the library so that you will have the resources you need to succeed here and in life,” he said.
“We have networked the classrooms and dormitories, and we have tended the gardens and polished the floors to make this a fitting setting for you to learn in. But most of all, we have worked tirelessly to create a distinguished program of instruction and scholarship that will, in the best way we know how, prepare you, our students, for a lifetime of fulfillment and never-ending exploration.”
Read the full text of Hochstettler's convocation remarks. Orange and black is bustin’ out all over!
Back in 1891, students at Albany Collegiate Institute—Lewis & Clark’s founding name—selected orange and black as the school colors to honor President Elbert Condit’s alma mater, Princeton. More than a century later—and as students and faculty return for fall semester—we reconnect with our roots and school colors by launching the new Lewis & Clark institutional Web front page.
The new top-level page reflects the richness of Lewis & Clark as an institution and celebrates the distinguishing characteristics of each school: College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and Lewis & Clark Law School.
In addition to the new color scheme, here are some other highlights of the Web site changes:
- Front-pageWeb spotlights feature stories about all three schools;
- Links to each of thel three schools are prominently featured;
- The College shield boasts orange and black;
- The new color logo is featured on the front page of each school’s site;
- From there, At a Glance provides specific information about each school.
The new black background is being used for institution-wide Web pages only; the three schools and academic departments will continue to use their established color schemes.
Julia Duncan, senior communications officer for new media, took critical lead in the redesign.
Residence hall survey: Nearly 1,000 students give input
“Arguably, Lewis & Clark has taken new dorm design furthest by involving the students at every stage of its development,” wrote Randy Gragg, The Oregonian newspaper’s architecture critic. While his comments were prompted by the completion of East, West, and Roberts residence halls in 2002, three years later, the same is true: student input into residence hall design is crucial.
Over the summer, the Campus Planning office surveyed nearly 1,000 Lewis & Clark students about their priorities, interests, and ideas for current and future residence halls on campus. Granted, students who took part in the survey were entered into a drawing to win an iPod (won by summer PLUS student Priyanka Joseph), but the feedback gives planners and architects access to critical information. Campus Planning gathered information from other sources over the summer, including focus groups, student interest questionnaires, preliminary site development studies, cost estimates, and pro-forma financial analysis.
A new residence hall is one component of the College's overall master plan. Add arts & ideas to your calendar
Each semester, Lewis & Clark offers a broad selection of programs, performances, exhibitions, symposia, workshops, conferences, lectures, trips and athletic events. The activities—offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and Lewis & Clark Law School—reflect the institution’s interests and values, and promote diversity of perspective as a fundamental part of the learning experience.
Highlights of the schedule include:
- Lectures by authors William Kittredge and Russell Banks, Rabbi Michael Lerner, and natural resources law professor Eric T. Freyfogle;
- Bicentennial symposium titled Rivers;
- Eighth annual Environmental Affairs Symposium, with keynote addresses by Gloria Flora, Robert Glenn Ketchum, and Yves Chouinard;
- Art exhibit documenting threats to the environment (photographs by Robert Glenn Ketchum and tree stump rubbings by Ryan Burns);
- Community discussions focused on speaking and listening across political differences;
- Civility in Politics series; and
- Focus on great Native American tribal leaders.
All events are subject to change without notice; some events are ticketed. For more information about fall offerings, visit the Arts & Ideas Web site.
Grad school examines missing pieces and whole stories
Current headlines, old headlines, course topics, and pertinent local, national, and global issues will guide a new conversation series at the graduate school. The brown bag series, titled Missing Pieces and Whole Stories, is a discussion forum for the campus community and general public to engage in lively and insightful conversations. The conversations will delve into and examine the broad context of diverse issues.
The series begins on Thursday, September 1, at noon in the South Campus Commons, and continues each first Thursday through December. For more information, contact the graduate school’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies at ext. 6040. Who ya gonna call?
Looking for contact information about individual faculty, staff, and students? Try the searchable directory online.
In a hurry and need some general phone numbers? Try the general phone list. IT offers fall classes
Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, this class is available: Intro to Mac OS X Tiger. For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020. Historical snapshot
In 1994, the trustees approve awarding of a single degree, the bachelor of arts degree, to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, and approve the new College seal incorporating new motto: Explorare, Discere, Sociare (to explore, to learn, to work together). View more College milestones online. People News
New faces, some changing places
Several new faces have joined and changed places in the Lewis & Clark community recently, including: Carissa Barrett, cataloging specialist, Aubrey R. Watzek Library; Erin Masterson, circulation attendant, Watzek Library; Rosslyn Nayer, administrative secretary, Provost’s Office; Owen Norvell, administrative specialist, annual giving and development operations, Institutional Advancement; and Alison Walcott, administrative secretary, history department.
Three new admissions counselors have joined College of Arts and Sciences: Erin Dobson Cooley, Brian Federico B.A. ’05, and Kylee Selby. Published, presented, honors and achievements
Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants, and other accomplishments. Recent highlights include:
A book chapter written by Robert Eisinger, associate professor and chair of political science, is included in a forthcoming book titled “The Guide to Political Campaigns in America” (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press). Eisinger’s chapter is titled “Political Polling and Research.”
Louis Kuo, professor of chemistry, received a $33,640 grant from the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society for 2005-06. His project is titled “Synthesis of Water-Soluble Ruthenium-Alkylidene Reagents for Effecting Aqueous Olefin Metathesis; A ‘Green’ Metathesis Catalyst.”
In June, Robert Kugler, Paul S. Wright Professor of Christian Studies and religious studies chair, gave a presentation about the Dead Sea Scrolls at Portland’s First Baptist Church.
More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom. L&C in the news
College faculty and staff are in the news on a regular basis. Recent mentions include:
Fortune Magazine: Kellar Autumn, associate professor of biology, discusses his gecko research in the context of the emerging field of biomimicry, which studies nature’s models and imitates and adapts them for human use. August 22, 2005.
The Denver Post (Denver, Colo.): “Best bets” section highlights Lewis & Clark College’s traveling exhibit The Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, currently on view at the Denver Public Library. August 12, 2005.
Willamette Week: Annual “Best of Portland” issue cites Kellar Autumn’s gecko research as revealing “the best lizards to have on your team.” August 10, 2005.
Portland Tribune: Jack Bogdanski, professor of law, discusses the political track record of Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten. August 9, 2005.
National Public Radio: In an “On the Road” segment of “All Things Considered,” Bill Funk, professor of law, comments on the status of environmental activism and regulation in Portland. August 2, 2005.
KOIN-TV: Donna Seifer, instructor in Russian, talks about Russian basketball player Sergei Monya arriving to play for the Portland Trailblazers. July 27, 2005.
National Post (Toronto, Ontario): A study of 13 liberal arts colleges found men appear to be given preference in the admissions process as applicant pools become more female. Eban Goodstein, professor of economics, and a fellow researcher at New York’s Skidmore College conducted the study, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of Economics of Education Review. July 12, 2005.
For a sampling of how and where Lewis & Clark is mentioned by media outlets across the nation and around the globe, visit the online pressroom. Events
 Art exhibit documents threats to the environment
Robert Glenn Ketchum and Ryan Burns engage in compelling dialogue with the environment: Ketchum through a camera lens, and Burns through various media including rubbing crayons and paper. Their works encourage viewers to look at society’s relationship with the environment in a new light.
Works by Ketchum and Burns will be on view at the Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art from September 8 through October 16. The two exhibits are titled Southwest Alaska: A World of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges—The Photographs of Robert Glenn Ketchum, and Ryan Burns: Biodiscourse.
Both artists will engage in a public dialogue about their work during an opening reception on Thursday, September 8, between 5 and 7 p.m.
“To viewers, these works ask us to rethink how we relate to and interact with the precious commodity of our natural environment,” says Linda Tesner, gallery director. The exhibit features 39 large-format color photographs by Ketchum and approximately 10 rubbings by Burns.
“Robert Glenn Ketchum’s pioneering work with both new color technologies and print size has yielded remarkable images that have a surreal quality to them,” says Tesner. Ketchum’s fully saturated photographs are often aerial views, which lend an accurate sense of the immenseness of southwest Alaska. Without sentimentality, says Tesner, Ketchum’s photographs and accompanying text draw attention to this vulnerable and jeopardized wilderness.
Burns’ work begins in the wilderness areas of the Pacific Northwest and northern California, where he locates recently felled old-growth trees.
“His drawings start right there in the forest, where he spreads huge sheets of paper across a fresh stump—often many feet in diameter—and rubs an impression off the stump surface, similar to a gravestone rubbing,” explains Tesner. “These rubbings become the ground for further drawings and collage elements. The resulting assemblage is an elegy to the life—and life’s end—of a single tree.” Paper choices for the rubbings now include old maps, blueprints, coloring book pages, and other decorative paper.
Ketchum’s work is an Aperture Foundation traveling exhibit; Burns’ works are cosponsored with Orlo and partially funded by a grant from the Puffin Foundation.
Upcoming
Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in September.
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Campus Connections
