EphNotes - For Williams Alumni, Parents and Friends

EPHNOTES, A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR WILLIAMS ALUMNI, PARENTS, AND FRIENDS

Volume 13, Number 9, October 2007

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ZILKHA CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES ESTABLISHED AT WILLIAMS
"I am very pleased to announce the next important step in our effort to make College operations environmentally sustainable--the launching of a center to lead those initiatives, funded by a wonderfully generous gift of $5 million from Selim Zilkha, Class of 1946." For more on President Schapiro's announcement...
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/070920_ZilkhaCenter.php

OTHER GREAT ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS...
Williams’ greenhouse gas emissions dropped a full 23 percent from academic year 2005-06 to 2006-07.
*SEE >> http://tinyurl.com/ysxbqf

SELF-STUDY UP
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) reviews colleges and universities every ten years for continuation of accreditation. This year it's Williams' turn. The process begins with a comprehensive self study, now posted on the Web for EphNotes readers.
*SEE >> http://www.williams.edu/go/selfstudy/

PODCASTING THE LOST GENERATION
"Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy" at the Williams College Museum of Art until November 11, explores the pivotal contribution of the Murphys to 20th century arts and letters, and to the circle of artists and writers that flourished around them in Paris and the Riviera in the 1920s and 1930s. For an audio tour of the exhibit by curator Deborah Rothschild...
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/podcast/
*SEE >> www.wcma.org/modules/murphy/index.html for more on the exhibit.

WILLIAMS-MYSTIC @ 30
"It all started in a donut shop, sketched out on a napkin." So goes the foundation myth of the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport. The one-semester interdisciplinary ocean and coastal studies program celebrates its 30th birthday this year.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/home/focus/mystic30/ for more history.
*SEE >> http://tinyurl.com/3cyqng for pix by Matt Gustafson '08 of the maritime harvest dinner (in Williamstown) honoring Mystic's anniversary.

PROF. KOHUT TO DIRECT WILLIAMS-EXETER
Tom Kohut, the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Professor of History, will serve as Director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at the University of Oxford for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2008.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/070925_Kohut_Oxford.php
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STUDENT NEWS

(YET ANOTHER) AMAZING WILLIAMS CLASS
Representing 41 states and 25 countries, the 283 men and 258 women who make up the Class of 2011 were chosen from a record number of outstanding applicants. According to Director of Admission Dick Nesbitt '74, this "impressive group of talented artists, musicians, writers, dancers, actors, and athletes promise to make the class as dynamic as it is bright and diverse." 2011 is also the first Williams class where a majority (51.2 percent) of students qualified for Williams-based aid and awards, which ranged from $4,175 to more than $50,000.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1515/

FROSHLY DIGITIZED CHINESE IDIOMS
Thanks to Danny Huang '11, finding idioms using a cell phone isn't just easy, it’s a piece of cake. Two years ago, while in high school in Singapore, Danny and a classmate came up with the idea and took on the challenge, despite their lack of experience...
*SEE >> http://tinyurl.com/2u82fo

PHI BETAS
28 members of the Class of 2008 were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society founded in 1776 to honor students of the highest academic achievement...
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1534/
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FACULTY NEWS

NEW CHAIR HONORS PROF. RUDOLPH
Robert Dalzell is the first incumbent of the Frederick Rudolph '42 - Class of 1965 Professorship of American Culture. The new chair, established by a fundraising effort led by E. David Coolidge III and members of the Class of 1965, honors one of the best known historians of the American undergraduate experience.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1517/

PROF. SHEPARD NAMED NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
Jim Shepard, J. Leland Miller Professor of English, was named a National Book Award 2007 finalist in fiction for his collection of short stories "Like You'd Understand, Anyway." The book "serves as testament not only to Jim Shepard's talents but also to the power of the short story itself, forged from the world with a sharp eye and a careful ear, serving no agenda but literature's primary and oft-forgotten one: the delight of the reader," writes Daniel Handler in the Sept. 23 Sunday New York Times Book Review.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1526

GERMAN IDEALISM FOR THE REST OF US
"Understanding German Idealism" by Will Dudley '89, associate professor of philosophy, is an accessible introduction to the German philosophical movement that spanned the careers of Kant and Hegel from 1781 to 1831. Dudley devotes his book to conveying the substance and significance of a complex period in modern philosophy as clearly as possible.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1533

UN-INEVITABLE DEFEAT?
In his provocative book "Japanese Military Strategy in the Pacific War: Was Defeat Inevitable?" James Wood, Charles R. Keller Professor of American History, challenges received wisdom.
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1525/
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ALUMNI NEWS

TAX-FREE GIVING FROM IRAs...ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT!
For just a few more weeks, individuals age 70½ and older can make tax-free distributions to Williams (and other nonprofits) of up to $100,000 directly from their IRA accounts. Congress has set December 31, 2007, as the expiration date for this charitable giving opportunity. For instructions on transferring IRA assets directly to Williams go to http://tinyurl.com/28wzmv or contact the Planned Giving Office: (413) 597-3538 gift.planning@williams.edu.

WILLIAMS ROADSCHOLARS FLA. AND MA
The Williams classroom--complete with great professors and (short) advance reading assignments--comes to Boca Raton, Fl., Saturday, January 26, and to Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Ma., Saturday, March 1. These new Roadscholars events follow highly popular ones in Chicago, LA, San Francisco, and Williamstown. Boca invites are being sent to all Floridian alumni and parents, including those with seasonal Florida addresses; Foxborough invites will go to everyone in Eastern New England. If you live elsewhere and want to get on the invite list for either event, contact Alumni Relations alumni.relations@williams.edu, (413) 597-4151 and indicate Boca or Foxborough.

ALUMNI RELATIONS DIRECTOR WENDY HOPKINS TO RETIRE; WILLIAMS SEEKS HER SUCCESSOR
Wendy W. Hopkins '72 will retire from Williams in March 2008 after serving for nearly two decades in the Alumni Relations Office, nine of them as Director and Secretary to the Society of Alumni. "As a result of Wendy’s steady stewardship," says VP for Alumni Relations and Development Steve Birrell '64, "the Alumni Relations program is stronger than it has ever been." Williams seeks a new director to provide leadership and strategic direction for the Alumni Relations program and to play a highly visible public role representing the College to its 25,000 alumni. Readers who wish to apply or suggest nominees are invited to contact Human Resources at 413.597.2681 or hr@williams.edu. Here's the full job description: http://tinyurl.com/2amx3y.
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EPH SPORTS

MID-FALL HIGHLIGHTS
Women's soccer, men's tennis, football, and cross country are all on fire this fall.
For more..
*SEE >> www.williams.edu/alumni/ofnotes/ofnote.php?id=95

CRETTI '06 SHINES IN MARATHON DEBUT
Caroline Cretti '06 burst on the international marathon scene with her stellar performance in the Twin Cities Marathon held in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN on October 7th.
*SEE >> http://tinyurl.com/2uvyct

CORRECTION
Williams' new women's tennis coach, Alison Swain '01, succeeds Julie Greenwood '96 (NOT Lisa Melendy). Thanks to readers who (gently) pointed out this error!
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