Campus Connections

Issue Date: February 13, 2006

News and Notices

Local school, global heart

Every year, thousands of college graduates travel across the globe to assist those they have never met by working as Peace Corps volunteers. This year, Lewis & Clark again made the top 25 list for the number of volunteers from small schools. The College is ranked number 20, with 17 alumni, two of whom have advanced degrees, currently serving as volunteers.

“I am gratified that our alumni transform what they learn and discover at Lewis & Clark into lives of public service around the world,” says President Tom Hochstettler. “Our distinguished record of participation in the Peace Corps is one of many ways that Lewis & Clark students embrace their responsibilities as citizens of the world.”

Since the Peace Corps’ inception, 299 Lewis & Clark alumni have served, working in such diverse fields as education, health, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

The total list of 2006 “Top Producing Colleges and Universities” is available online.

Law students take top honor

Third-year law students Luke Jones and Jed Tomkins received first prize for Best Written Submission at the National Law Student Tax Challenge. The challenge requires participants to write a legal memorandum and a letter to a client on a knotty problem in tax law. “We’re thrilled with this win, which comes during our first entry to this competition,” says Jack Bogdanski, professor of law. “It acknowledges the excellence of the tax law program at Lewis & Clark.”

Company coming!

More than 80 prospective students who have been admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences under the College’s nonbinding early action program will be on campus Thursday, February 16, through Saturday, February 18. College Preview is an opportunity for these students to get the full college experience over the course of three days.

“First-year, early action applications arrived in record time,” reports Erin Dobson-Cooley, admissions counselor. “Applications are up from last year and we’ve far exceeded last year’s 4,000 mark already.”

Members of the campus community can help these visitors feel welcome by wearing College nametags and by sharing a friendly smile!

Last day to use old stationery: March 31

Reduce
Last September, the College launched a new style of stationery, which sports the school colors, orange and black. To match the College’s commitment to sustainability, all stationery products are printed on recycled paper that contains postconsumer fiber.

Reuse
The new stationery has been phased in over a six-month period, ending at the end of March. During this time, campus offices have been using up old stationery stock. Remaining old stock can be converted into notepaper, bound and padded by the campus Copy Center.

Recycle
Turn used envelopes—large and small—into campus mail envelopes. Visit the Mail Services Web site to download campus mail forms.

Renew
To have new stationery delivered before the March 31 deadline, place your order online by Tuesday, February 28.

Every building tells a story: Wood Hall

Louise and Erskine Wood Sr. Hall was named for Louise Wood and her late husband, Erskine Wood Sr., a noted admiralty lawyer. The new building was dedicated in February of 2002, along with the renovated Paul L. Boley Law Library. Wood Hall houses the environmental and natural resources and business law programs as well as faculty and staff offices, classrooms, student organization offices, a computer lab, a reading room, and a rare books room.

Planning Task Force work continues

Lewis & Clark’s planning task force is a coalition of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and trustees. The group is charged with engaging broad sectors of the College community in a dialogue to identify creative ways to achieve and maintain the highest quality in our programs and community life. Follow the task force’s process online.

IT offers spring classes

Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, these classes are available: Using Filemaker Pro 7, Photoshop (two-part), Filemaker Pro Databases (three-part), Photoshop (two-part), and Working with PDF Files. For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020.

Historical snapshot

In 2003, undergraduate parliamentary debate team ranked tops in the nation by the National Parliamentary Debate Association. View more College milestones online.

People News

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:

In February, Peter Cookson, graduate school dean, participated in Principal for a Day a community partnership program to increase awareness of public education and create connections between schools and business. Cookson served as a Principal for a Day at Vernon Elementary School in northeast Portland.

Cookson has participated in Principal for a Day for each of his three years at Lewis & Clark and previously participated in New York’s Principal for a Day program. This year, Cookson was one of 108 Portland business and community leaders to shadow public school principals for a first-hand experience of the challenges they face.

Brian Detweiler-Bedell and Jerusha Detweiler-Bedell, assistant professors of psychology, published an article in the February issue of the journal Cognition & Emotion, 20(2), 196-216. The article, coauthored with Peter Salovey of Yale University, is titled “Mood-congruent perceptions of success depend on self-other framing.”

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:

The Oregonian: An article about the formation of the American University of Afghanistan talks about the work of Zaher Wahab, professor of education. Wahab has been instrumental in setting the new institution’s vision and overseeing initial infrastructure plans. February 6, 2006.

Portland Tribune: Tom Ruhl, assistant professor of education, comments on the quality of education in the Portland Public Schools after news of an accounting error made by the district. February 3, 2006.

The Oregonian: Profile of attorney Eli D. Stutsman J.D. ’91 is set in the classroom of Bill Funk, professor of law. January 30, 2006.

The Columbian: Henry Drummonds, professor of law, comments on the city manager’s contract for the city of Ridgefield, Wash. Drummonds was one of three employment law specialists to review the terms of the contract. January 29, 2006.

The Oregonian: Jack Bogdanski, professor of law, comments on land-use planning and urban density. January 29, 2006.

The Oregonian: Steve Kanter, professor of law, comments on the city of Portland’s use of a national expert on deadly force to testify before a grand jury hearing an officer-involved shooting case. January 25, 2006.

The Oregonian: Tom Ruhl, assistant professor of education, discusses the impact of elementary school class size on student achievement. January 25, 2006.

The Oregonian: Bruce Podobnik, associate professor and chair of sociology and anthropology, discusses the relationship between motorists and bicyclists on Portland’s streets and the influence of bike activists. January 20, 2006.

Events

First Literary Review reading

Award-winning poet Christopher Locke reads from his work at the first annual Literary Review Poetry Reading on Thursday, February 16, at 7 p.m. in Frank Manor House, Armstrong Lounge. The reading is free and open to the public.

Locke’s poems and prose have appeared in over 85 publications around the world including The Literary Review, The Southeast Review, Poetry, Connecticut Review, West Branch, Atlanta Review, Exquisite Corpse, The Sun, and The Chattahoochee Review, as well as on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

The Literary Review is an annual student-published literary journal. For more information, contact ext. 7414.

Vagina Monologues

The Womyn’s Center presents Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” on Saturday, February 18, at 7 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

Based on interviews with over 200 women about their memories and experiences of sexuality, “The Vagina Monologues” has been performed in cities all across America and on hundreds of college campuses. The book on which the play is based has been translated into more than 24 languages and has inspired a grassroots movement called “V-Day” to stop violence against women.

For more information, call ext. 7126.

Friends of Rain

The newly formed faculty contemporary music ensemble, the Friends of Rain, is set to perform its inaugural concert on Saturday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m in Albany Quadrangle, Smith Hall. Friends of Rain includes every performing member of the music faculty. For this concert, the ensemble will perform Toru Takemitsu’s landmark 14-musician piece “Rain Coming,” under the baton of George Skipworth, as well as world premieres by faculty composers Forrest Pierce, Michael Johanson, and Jeff Leonard. More information is available online.

Johannah Sherrer Memorial Lecture

This year’s Johannah Sherrer Memorial Lecture, titled “Peering Through the Net: Students’ Perspectives on the Net Generation,” takes place on Monday, February 20, at 4 p.m. in Templeton Student Center, Council Chamber. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation features a panel of students from various institutions providing views on their information and technology needs and wishes. For more information, call ext. 7348.

Steinhardt Lecture

Samuel Bowles, founding director of the Behavioral Sciences Program at the Santa Fe Institute and professor of economics at the University of Siena, talks about “The Weightless Economy: The Invisible Hand and the Communism of Ideas” for the annual Hermann Steinhardt Lecture in economics. His free talk happens on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Templeton Student Center, Council Chamber.

“Samuel Bowles’ research is groundbreaking and creative,” says Eban Goodstein, professor of economics. “He has helped focus economics on problems faced by working people in the United States, ranging from the causes of unemployment to access to credit markets.”

The Steinhardt Lecture is named to honor Hermann Steinhardt, who chaired the College’s economics department from 1948 to 1964. He was a business executive and economist in Austria prior to joining the faculty. For more information, call ext. 7626.

Watzek Library Poetry Series: Jerry Harp

Jerry Harp, visiting assistant professor of English, writes poetry that explores the desire to find meaning in the material world. Harp, winner of the 2004 Robert McGovern Prize from the Ashland University Press, will read from his works on Wednesday, February 22, at 7 p.m. in the Watzek Library Classroom. The reading, presented by the Watzek Library Poetry Series, is free and open to the public.

Harp is the author of two poetry collections, titled “Creature” (Salt, 2003) and “Gatherings” (Ashland Poetry Press, 2004). He earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Meinrad College, master’s degree from Saint Louis University, master’s in fine arts from the University of Florida, and doctoral degree from the University of Iowa. He is currently working on an edition of Donald Justice’s letters.

For more information about the poetry series, call ext. 7254.

Auction benefits public interest

The 16th annual Public Interest Law Project auction takes place on Saturday, February 25, at 6 p.m. at the Law School Student Lounge. The benefit event, titled “Building Interest in the Public Interest,” raises funds to help support public interest work for law students and lawyers. Last year’s auction raised more than $82,000 and funded 18 summer stipends, one of which allowed a student to assist tsunami victims on behalf of the Centre for Environmental Justice.

Through the summer program, students gain valuable experience while providing public interest organizations with much-needed legal assistance. In addition to the stipends, some funds are allocated to the Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which helps public interest lawyers repay law school loans after graduation.

A silent auction begins at 6 p.m. and is followed by a live auction at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 and includes refreshments. PILP is currently accepting donations of auction items and of funds directly to the summer stipend program or Loan Repayment Assistance Program. For more information about donating or attending, call the PILP office at 503-768-6782 or visit PILP online.

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in February.