Wondrous Stories

"This is wondrous strange!"
"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Although William Shakespeare was not the commencement speaker in Kalamazoo College's 176th year, his kinswoman (in the sense of a fellow writer of fiction) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did fulfill that role. And she was terrific. The 330 graduating seniors first met the award-winning Nigerian author as freshmen, when all read--and then discussed with her--her novel Purple Hibiscus. Four years later, in a gentle breeze on a blue and sunny graduation Sunday, Adichie shared five humble "random suggestions" with the Class of 2009. Precepts three and four--to remember there is never a single story about anything, and, whenever smugness threatens, to think of how little we know--echoed Hamlet's "there are more things in heaven and earth." Adichie invited all of us to seek and have as many stories of the world as we can, and to let a diploma become a symbol of how much there is left to learn. She asked the graduates to begin to make a world that has the values they value. Read books--it is how one comes to live in bodies not one's own, and such animation leads to empathy. And finally, make room for hope and fear. "To write fiction is to start a long walk," Adichie said. And despite knowing that one is sure to trip and fall, one is keen to take the walk. To begin a novel is both an act of faith, in which fear and hope comingle, and a metaphor for any life journey. One is bound to fall and perhaps stay down awhile. But one can learn from that, and get up. She closed with a wish for every graduate: a life full of meaning...and laughter. Adichie received an honorary degree, as did noted philanthropist and civic leader Margaret Ann Riecker. Senior (now alumna) Amel Omari spoke eloquently of an "elan" of community she and her classmates developed during fours years and are now called to channel outward in order to make the world better for all.

Epilepsy and Stock Market Crashes

Péter Érdi, Physics, recently delivered a plenary talk to the 2009 Joint Conference on Neural Networks, the premier international conference in the area of neural networks theory, analysis, and applications. His talk was titled "Lessons from Complex Systems Modeling: Crisis, Innovation, Decision Making," and it included a comparison of epilepsy and a stock market crash. According to Érdi, a disease such as epilepsy and a financial crisis such as a stock market crash occur thorugh the failure of control systems. Both can be understood through the theory of complex systems, which attempts to explain the organizational principles of nature and society. Ingredients of complex systems, he says, include circular causality, finite-time singularity, and self-organized complexity. Large stock market crashes are the social analogues of epilepsy, according to Érdi. As with all analogies, he admits this one has its limits. But his research, aided in part by his Kalamazoo College physics department colleague Jan Tobochnik, suggests that rapid unsustainable stock price increases resemble "over-excitation of the epileptic brain." Complex systems such as these don't have the ability to "cool down" and are, he says, "subject to explosion." Érdi is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Physics and Psychology and director of the College's Center for Complex Systems Studies. He serves as a member of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Committee and the Programme of European Neuroscience Schools Committee. His research interests include computational neuroscience and social systems as complex interactive networks. He is the author of Complexity Explained (Springer, 2007).

Ambassadorship Nomination

President Barack Obama has nominated Martha (Larzelere) Campbell ’72 for the post of U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The post requires Senate confirmation. Campbell has been a career member of the Department of State's Foreign Service for 29 years. During that time she has served as Management Officer at U.S. Embassies in The Hague, Stockholm, Budapest, Majuro (capital of the Marshall Islands), and Paramaribo (Suriname). She was also a consular officer in Rotterdam and Chief of the Political/Economic Section during a second tour in Paramaribo. In Washington, Campbell served previously in the Executive Office of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in two roles: as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management and as a Career Development Officer. The Marshall Islands (29 low-lying coral atolls and five single islands) are 70 square miles of land scattered over 750,000 square miles of the Western Pacific Ocean (just west of the International Dateline and just north of the Equator). Its population is an estimated 53,000, most of whom live in Majuro and two other cities, Ebeye and Jaluit. In 1987, shortly after the United States signed the Compact of Free Association with the Republic, Campbell opened the Office of the U.S. Representative in Majuro. Campbell currently serves as the Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute (Arlington, Va.). She trains State Department and interagency employees in support of foreign policy priorities around the world.

Make Stuff's Happening

Kalamazoo College's Make Stuff student organization aims high. On June 12, 2009, at 3 PM the club launched its first homemade high altitude balloon from campus, complete with web cam and GPS information sent over HAM radio. The flight reached some 80,000 feet and lasted just under 90 minutes. The balloon was retrieved in Marshall, Michigan. Check out the group's web site here (with cool photos and video) and a great aerial shot of the campus taken from the balloon.

Winners

Student Commission bestowed its annual awards to a special faculty member, student, and staff member. Peggy Cauchy, administrative assistant for the mathematics, physics, and computer science departments, was awarded the William Crockett Staff Award for outstanding contributions to the community. The Frances Diebold Award, given to a faculty member to recognize outstanding interest and participation in student life, went to Gail Griffin, the Ann V. and Donald R. Parfet Distinguished Professor English. Senior Amel Omari received the Amy Trenkle Campus Leadership Award for her involvement and leadership in the campus community. Pictured are (l-r): outgoing Student Commission President Patrick Tanis, Amel Omari, Peggy Cauchy, and Gail Griffin.

Nein! to auf Wiedershen

Last year, German scholars and other advocates for foreign language education were outraged when the University of Southern California eliminated its German department. This year, against the backdrop of a lousy economy, other colleges and universities are scrutinizing their German language programs. All of which prompts Kalamazoo College Professor of History David Barclay and “K” alum John Grandin ‘63 to shout “Nein!” Barclay is also executive director of the German Studies Association. Grandin runs the German language division of the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island, a five-year program in which students earn degrees in both engineering and a foreign language. Both Barclay and Grandin are quoted in a recent article in Inside Higher Education. “Germany remains the dominant country in the European Union,” said Barclay in the article. “German is the largest of the languages within the EU, and the largest European language after Russian. It is critically important that more Americans have a knowledge of the language.” Grandin also rose to the defense of teaching German: “We have about 135 German majors at URI, and business is booming.”

72 Years of Being the Light

Professors Robert Stauffer (left in photo) and Waldemar Schmeichel (right) recently retired after a combined 72 years of service to Kalamazoo College. A reception in their honor was held June 4 in the Banquet Hall of Hicks Student Center where current and former colleagues and students took turns toasting, roasting, and boasting their careers and accomplishments. “Bob” Stauffer, who chaired countless faculty committees and authored the report that led to reaccreditation of the self-study program at the College in 2003, is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology. Since 1986, he has chaired the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. Known as an inspirer of and fierce advocate for students, Professor Stauffer and is also a recognized authority on Kalamazoo College history. He wrote the text for several brass plaques installed on campus buildings last year in honor of former “K” College leaders. “Wally” Schmeichel, an ordained minister and Christian theologian, is Professor of Religion. A passionate educator, he spoke to a variety of audiences on the bible, Qumran, Islam and various Christian and cultural topics. He also preached in dozens of Kalamazoo area churches and led many traditional Christian worship services on campus for students and employees. Both Schmeichel and Stauffer earned Ph.D. degrees through the University of Chicago, both received the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching at Kalamazoo, and both inspired thousands of “K” students during their many years of service to a grateful college community.

Beeler Bound

Thirteen students received special grants (Beeler awards or Collins Fellowship) to conduct projects abroad during this summer. Beeler awards (Beeler Fellowship and Beeler Project Grant) were established in August 1994 by a gift from the late Isabel Beeler. Beeler Fellows spend at least six weeks abroad, and recipients of the Beeler Project Grant spend from one to six weeks abroad. The Collins Fellowship honors the late Paul Collins, former Dean of Students at “K.” Students use the fellowship to complete a project in the developing world. The students, destination, and projects follow. Katherine Banghart will spend six weeks doing research and attending an archaeological field school in Butrint, Albania. Clair Bopp will travel to Berlin and conduct archival research and interviews with Berliners on the relationship between the former East and West Berlin. Kelsey Breck will do a cost-benefit analysis of the Hat Gyi Dam in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Geneva Danko , Alex Holtzman, and James Sturm will travel to Ecuador. Danko will conduct a field study on a citizen political group that followed the creation and adoption of the 2008 constitution. Holtzman will write a collection of short stories.  And Sturm will complete a case study of the effects of multinational management at a Chinese-owned Ecuadorian oil company. A second trio—Sophie Huckabay, Sara Locke, and Sara Sheldon—will work in Kenya. Huckabay will evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife management strategies on poverty reduction and sustainability. Locke will interview government and non-governmental organization officials about Kenyan progress consolidating democracy. Sheldon will participate in three apprenticeships focusing on sustainable art. Leah Rumsey will teach conversational English at Ewart Women’s Christian College in India. K’tanaw Schiff will explore religious minorities on the island of Guam as well as the movement to restore native religion and language there. Ajka Suljevic will analyze the effect (and after-affect) of the Bosnian war on small businesses in that country. Julia Toro will study ancient urbanism by participating in an archaeological excavation of the ancient city of Gabii in Italy.

Fulbright Sweep

Seven for seven! This year, every Kalamazoo College Fulbright finalist was offered a grant—making this year’s group the largest number of “K” Fulbright scholars in recent years, “at least as long as I’ve been here,” says eight-year veteran Diane Kiino, chair of the Graduate Fellowship Committee. Six members of the Class of 2009, and one from 2008 received Fulbright scholarships to study and/or teach abroad for one year. The six from 2009 (their study abroad country), their Fulbright destination, and the field in which they’ll work are (l-r, back row) Aaron Coleman '09 (Spain), Spain, teaching English; Julia Anderle de Sylor ’09 (France), Germany, teaching English; Andrew Lukas ’09 (Lithuania), Lithuania, graduate school in political science; and Sarah Manley ’09 (Germany) Germany, teaching English; (front row) Emily Ackerman ’09 (Germany), Austria, business and economics; Diane Kiino; and Ross Fletcher ’09 (Botswana), Germany, teaching English. Not pictured: Sarah Nicholus '08 (Chile), Brazil, teaching English.

Silver Peal

On Sunday May 31, the Kalamazoo College Guild of Change Ringers completed a “full peal” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the installation of a Major ring (eight bells) in the Stetson Chapel Bell Tower. The peal began shortly after 10 AM and took nearly three hours to complete. Watch and listen as the eight ringers—five “K” alumni and three area ringers—rehearse for their peal in this Kalamazoo Gazette video. The original Stetson Chapel bells dedication ceremony occurred June 2, 1984. Designed for English change ringing, Stetson’s “Major ring” is one of only 45 such sets in the country and the only one in Michigan. “Change ringing is like weaving in sound and time,” says Tom Farthing ’83, who will be one of the eight (or band) ringing the 25th anniversary peal. “If it is done well, change ringing becomes a form of meditation for the ringers and a pleasing ribbon of sound for listeners.” Each ringer controls a single bell, and the band works together to ring the set of bells in permutations that never repeat and follow a structured set of rules. Change ringing requires concentration, physical stamina, listening skills, and teamwork. Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Jeff Smith launched the Kalamazoo College Guild of Change Ringers in 1977. More than 100 students learned to ring changes on hand bells before the College acquired the tower bells in 1984. The College’s Guild became well known among change ringers in North America and England, and change ringing became a regular part of life on campus. “Change ringing was an essential part of my Kalamazoo College education,” says Farthing. “My confidence increased and I became more comfortable interacting with people. I’m grateful to Jeff for opening that door to me and many others.” Other alumni in the anniversary band include: Kit Almy ’89, Russ Hankey ’96, Britt Hartenberger ’95, and Mark Rizzo ’84. Want to learn more about the Kalamazoo College Guild of Change Ringers? Ring up Margaret Miller (349-6804) or Rob Kakuk at ringers@kzoo.edu.

Heyl Scholars Named

Ten students from the two Kalamazoo public high schools (Loy Norrix and Kalamazoo Central) received Heyl Scholarships for Kalamazoo College (science and math) or Western Michigan University (nursing). The prestigious scholarship covers tuition, book costs, and room charges. Winners of the 2009 Heyl Scholarships are (l-r): front row—Ben Dueweke, Kalamazoo College; Katie Miller, Kalamazoo College; Ashley Raab, Western Michigan University; second row—Laura Kieda, Kalamazoo College; Jeremiah Duncan, Kalamazoo College; Brendan Nagler, Kalamazoo College; back row—Joseph Barth, Kalamazoo College; Jacob Sydlik-Badgerow, Kalamazoo College; and Luis Barsurto-Jimenez, Kalamazoo College. Not pictured is Mitchell Miller, who will attend Kalamazoo College. Barth, Dueweke, Duncan, Kieda, and Sydlik-Badgerow attended Kalamazoo Central. Basurto-Jimenez, Kathryn Miller, Mitchell Miller, and Raab attended Loy Norrix. Nagler attended Kalamazoo Central and the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center.

Slams for Slam

Senior Aaron Coleman traded slams for slam, as in football hits--Aaron was a good defensive end in high school--for the Kalamazoo Citywide Slam Poetry Team. The switch has paid dividends for far more people than just Aaron. He has served as a mentor in two of the College’s service-learning programs: HYPE, which brings lessons in creative expression to teens at the Kalamazoo Country Juvenile Home, and Heartbeat, an afterschool poetry workshop for students at Kalamazoo Central High School. Aaron also tackled some international education opportunities at “K” as well. In his junior year he studied for six months in Caceres, Spain. But that didn’t quench his thirst for international experiences. When he returned to “K” he used a Beeler Grant to travel to South Africa, where he worked his rising-senior summer at the nonprofit Mazisi Kunene Foundation. He shared spoken-word poetry with students, promoted a culture of reading and writing, and learned from the country’s literary scholars. Nor will June commencement bring an end to all this. Aaron is one of seven Kalamazoo College students to receive a Fulbright Scholarship this year, and he’ll use his beginning in September to bring a bilingual literacy program in Coslada Secundaria, a high school in Madrid, Spain. Aaron also received a Teach for America position in the public school system in Philadelphia, PA, an opportunity he will defer until after his Fulbright. Poetry paired with community servicehas “transformed my life” says Aaron. “Poetry’s not just some abstract thing to describe flowers,” he adds. “It’s a force for change!” [story by Toni Skalican '11, photo courtesy of Aaron Coleman '09]

Mexico City in the Time of Flu

Kalamazoo College alumna Laura Milkins (Class of 1993) won a Fulbright Scholarship to do a documentary project she’s titled “Walking Stories: Mexico City—A journal of crossing this city in the company of strangers and their stories.” The project was delayed from its originally proposed start date of September 2008 until April 2009, fatefully coinciding with the recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza virus. That coincidence in no way has dissuaded Milkins, who is keeping a fascinating blog (in English and Spanish) on her cross-city (and cross-stories) trek. According to the art major (who did her study abroad in Madrid, Spain), the sharing of stories and trust in spite of barriers (language, class, money, race, belief systems) is more vital than ever before on a planet characterized by shrinking resources and growing urbanization. Perhaps shared stories and trust are equally vital against epidemic disease and the panic that can ensue.  Her story is also the subject of an article in the Grand Rapids Press.

The Research Life

Senior chemistry major Rebecca Agboruche (at left) and senior biology major James Nast presented posters based on their SIP research on April 18 at the Annual International Meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) in New Orleans. Associate Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss and senior Andrew Carroll also attended the meeting. “It is important to give our young scholars an idea of what life as a research scientist will be like,” says Stevens-Truss. The three seniors had a chance to interact with scientists from all over the world at all levels of scientific development, from undergraduate to seasoned investigator. The spring 2009 trip to New Orleans continues a tradition Stevens-Truss began with the spring 2008 ASBMB meeting in San Diego. She hopes to continue the practice and has initiated an Undergraduate Affiliate Network (UAN) of the ASBMB at Kalamazoo College. In addition to being the faculty advisor to this new UAN group, Stevens-Truss serves as one of 12 appointed members of the ASBMB-Minority Affairs Committee. She also serves as a judge for the Undergraduate Students’ Poster Competition at the annual meetings. Funding for the New Orleans trip was provided by the Kalamazoo College Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) grant, which supported the student attendees, and the Chemistry Department’s Hutchcroft Endowment, which supported Stevens-Truss.

Strange Inversion

Kalamazoo College’s annual Tourtellotte Lecture this year celebrates the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. Daniel C. Dennett, co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies and professor of philosophy at Tufts University, will deliver a lecture titled “Darwin’s ‘strange inversion of reasoning,’” on Wednesday, April 29, at 8 PM in Dalton Theatre on the Kalamazoo College campus. The event is free and open to the public. Throughout his career as a philosopher, historian of science, and cognitive scientists, Dennett has consistently worked from an evolutionary standpoint to explain phenomena such as consciousness, culture, science, and free will. Among his works are Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (1995), Freedom Evolves (2003), and Breaking the Spell (2006). The latter explores possible evolutionary reasons for the phenomenon of religious adherence. The Tourtellotte Lecture series at Kalamazoo College was endowed in 1980 by “K” husband and wife alumni Dee (Class of 1925) and Helen (Class of 1926) Tourtellotte in order to connect Kalamazoo College students with outstanding researchers and teachers in the scientific community. This year’s event occurs during the week of the Biology Department’s Diebold Symposium, during which senior biology majors present their senior individualized projects.

Shining Students

On April 21, 17 Kalamazoo College student volunteers received the prestigious Kalamazoo Gazette STAR (Sharing Time and Resources) Award in the category of College Volunteer Group.  In a morning ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo, four senior leaders—Alyson Chun, Mithil Pandhi, Lauren Kroll, and Tom Nudell—accepted the award (pictured are Kroll, Pandhi, and Chun). “It’s an honor to win the STAR Award, and I’m glad that it brings a lot of attention to service learning,” said Kroll, who, together with Nudell, has demonstrated an impressive four-year commitment to the AMIGOS (Academic Mentoring in Giants’ Ongoing Success) bilingual tutoring program at Kalamazoo Central High School. “The best part of the ceremony was seeing all of the high school students,” said Pandhi, a leader of Heartbeat, a program at K-Central that encourages creative expression through poetry. Both Heartbeat and AMIGOS are administered by the College’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning. Kalamazoo Central and Kalamazoo College students from the AMIGOS and Heartbeat programs will unite for a performance in the Connable Recital Hall in the Light Fine Arts building Thursday, April 23. The performance begins at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free. [photo and story by Emily Homnick '09]

Community Room Dedication

Kalamazoo College staff, students, community partners, and donors gathered to celebrate the official opening of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning's new Community Room in Dewing Hall Commons. "Now you have your own wing!" exclaimed Beth Yankee, Principal of Woodward Elementary Schoo (pictured, at left, with Institute colleagues Teresa Denton, center, and Alison Geist). Geist, who directs the Institute, welcomed students and community members. Assistant Director Breigh Montgomery explained the purpose for the new room: to create a comfortable space, open to both "K" students and the wider community, that will used for program meetings and group reflections. The event's atmosphere was lively and intimate. Provost Mickey McDonald beamed, "Our approach to service-learning is what makes Kalamazoo College distinctive. It's a student-centered, community-centered approach." [photo and story by Toni Skalican '11]

"K" Talks Trash
RecycleMania 2009 results are in and Kalamazoo College has once again been honored as a leading recycler among colleges and universities nationwide. Kalamazoo was one of a record high 510 colleges and universities from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada that took part in the friendly competition and benchmarking tool to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. During a 10-week period ending in early April, Kalamazoo and other schools reported recycling and trash collection data which were then ranked against other schools in their categories. Each week, schools watched how their results fluctuated against the competition and rallied their campus communities to reduce and recycle more. This year, 4.7 million students and 1.1 million faculty and staff on participating campuses collectively recycled or composted just over 69.4 million pounds of waste. In per capita categories based on numbers of students and staff, Kalamazoo finished first in bottles and cans recycled, second in corrugated cardboard, tenth in paper, and second in total pounds recycled. “K” also finished fifth in percent of overall campus waste recycled. Kalamazoo has participated in RecycleMania since 2005, finishing at or near the top of numerous categories through the years. Kalamazoo’s long-time recycling coordinator Rob Townsend told RecycleMania organizers that he takes particular glee in beating the big schools, particularly the Ivy Leagues. “It is almost like March Madness,” he said. “I look at who we compare with and make my own Sweet 16.” Townsend said his staff of 15-20 part-time student workers carry out “dorm storms” during which they go door to door in residential halls to remove recyclables, answer questions about what to recycle, and to let students know how well the college is doing in the competition. Recyclers also team up with other programs on campus to drive awareness and participation. New students receive recycling packets when they arrive on campus in order to encourage their involvement. Townsend is working on a similar online packet for college staff. Prospective students learn about RecycleMania and the College’s other sustainability efforts through the College’s Admissions Office. “Kalamazoo students and staff come to appreciate the recycling effort here,” Townsend said. “It becomes second nature to them.” Here are the 2009 RecycleMania categories in which Kalamazoo participated, the number of competing schools in each category, the winning school, and Kalamazoo’s rank. Visit www.recyclemaniacs.org for more info.

Grand Champion (percent of overall waste recycled). 206 schools. Winner, California State University, San Marcos (78.09 %). Kalamazoo, 5th (63.28%)
Stephen K Gaski Per Capita Classic (total pounds of recyclables collected per person). 293 schools. Winner, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA (76.19 pounds). Kalamazoo, 2nd (66.84 pounds). In 2008, “K” finished 1st out of 180 schools in this division.
Bottles and Cans (pounds per person). 210 schools. Winner, Kalamazoo College (19.03 pounds). In 2008, “K” was second out of 161 schools.
Corrugated Cardboard (pounds per person). 204 schools. Winner, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA (41.87 pounds). Kalamazoo, 2nd (28.13 pounds).
Paper (pounds per person). 204 schools. Winner, Stephens College, Columbia, MO (40.87 pounds). Kalamazoo, 10th (17.61 pounds).
Waste Minimization (pounds of waste generated per person—low score is better). 148 schools. Winner, North Lake College, Irving, Texas. Kalamazoo, 142nd (105.64).
Gorilla Prize (cumulative weight of all recyclables—favors big schools). 293 schools. Winner, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (2,131,378 pounds). Kalamazoo, 147th (74,130 pounds).

Wolf Lake, White Gown, Winner!

The University of Massachusetts Press has announced tha Writer-in-Residence Diane Seuss has won the 2009 Juniper Prize for Poetry. Her collection, titled Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open, will be published in 2010. Her first poetry collection, It Blows You Hollow, was published in 1998 by New Issues Press. Her poems have been published in several anthologies and in many literary magazines, including the North American Review, Indiana Review, Cimarron Review, and The Georgia Review. The Juniper Prize for Poetry is awarded annually for an original manuscript of poems. In alternating years, the program is open to poets either with or without previously published books. The University of Massachusetts Press publishes the winning manuscript, and the author receives a $1,500 award upon publication. See www.umass.edu/umpress/juniper.html for more info.

Udall Scholar

Sophomore Genevieve C. Leet has become the first Kalamazoo College student to receive a prestigious Udall Scholarship. The Ann Arbor native has designed an interdepartmental major in Environmental Studies, while pursuing minors in art and biology. She has been involved in the College's “Go Green” campaign, the Wilderness Living Learning House, and the LandSea expedition, among other programs. An environmental performance poet, Genevieve co-authored a winning poem for the national Global Warming Poetry Competition in 2007. She intends to study abroad in Thailand next year and carry out a sustainable development/ecology program. For her Senior Independent Project, she has in mind a creative writing and/or art project that will address environmental issues. “I love getting people out-of-doors and using the creative arts to speak for conservation in an engaging way,” said Genevieve. “I believe the best way to inspire responsible stewardship is by sparking a love of the wilderness.” A passionate advocate of the liberal arts, Genevieve says Kalamazoo College makes it “easy to become meaningfully involved in more than one area of study and in many extracurricular programs. I appreciate the College's openness to my projects, like designing my major, or co-founding the Wilderness House. I am part of a community of bright and enthusiastic peers at ‘K’ who seek to develop themselves professionally and as human beings. That is huge for me.” Genevieve is one 80 Udall Scholars from 66 colleges and universities nationwide. She and the others will gather in August in Tucson, Arizona, to receive their $5,000 awards and meet policymakers and community leaders in environmental and other fields. The Morris K. Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency that was created by Congress in 1992 to honor the public service legacy of Congressman Udall whose love for the environment resulted in numerous pieces of federal legislation, chief among them the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of the national park system and tripled our national wilderness.

Freedom and Flexibility

New students will enter “K” this fall under a Kalamazoo Curriculum that provides them more freedom to design their curricular pathways. After several shared requirements (far fewer than the previous curriculum’s), students are free to choose liberal arts courses with the flexibility to explore and develop their intellectual passions. They will accomplish this in collaboration with their academic advisors. The new curriculum requires a major, proficiency in a foreign language, a senior individualized project, and five physical education activity courses. The new curriculumalso requires a set of “shared passage” seminars (one each taken as a freshman, sophomore, and senior) that provides students a common experience. Continuing students may opt into the Kalamazoo Curriculum by completing a workshop and filing a plan at least two terms prior to graduation. The Kalamazoo Curriculum is part of the K-Plan, which continues to provide opportunities in international and intercultural engagement, career and professional development, and learning by practice. Research on more flexible curricula strongly suggests that the freedom of the Kalamazoo Curriculum will help students and faculty more effectively achieve their educational objectives. Students’ common experiences (particularly the shared seminars) will help students integrate the breadth of their liberal arts choices. First-year “shared passage” seminars focus on college-level writing, critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and information literacy. Sophomore seminars consider particular topics or issues from multiple perspectives, foster effective communication (written and spoken) and cross-cultural inquiry, and prepare students for participating in study abroad and living in an interdependent world. Senior seminars are disciplinary or interdisciplinary. The former integrate students’ experiences around a particular major. In interdisciplinary seminars, seniors from diverse majors apply their particular training and perspectives to a topic or problem.

Growing Peace

Kalamazoo College seniors Therese Perlowski and Nathania Dallas have received a 2009 Davis Projects for Peace grant. University students from nearly 100 campuses will collectively receive more than $1 million in funding this summer for projects in all regions of the world. Perlowski and Dallas will use their grant to promote urban community gardens in Kalamazoo. They have secured support from a number of community partners (Wall Street Community Garden, Eastside Garden, Vine Neighborhood Association, Fair Food Matters, Farm N Garden Supply Store, and International Concentric Cultures Garden), and in concert with these partners the two women will work this summer to expand two existing community gardens by providing resources and recruiting participants. They also will provide educational workshops on nutrition and gardening. Dallas is an International and Area Studies/Political Science double major. She spent six months in Senegal studying urban gardening techniques aimed at increasing access to fresh foods for poor populations. Perlowski is majoring in anthropology/sociology. She spent six months in Thailand studying sustainable development, an experience that included a month-long course in agro-ecology and an internship on permaculture. She spent the summer after her return from Thailand teaching gardening and environmental science to at-risk youth. The two women are the founders of Glub Grub, an after-school gardening and nutrition program for third graders.

Alpha Hornet

Emma Katherine Perry ’08 has received the Betty Jo Hudson Fellowship from Alpha Lambda Delta, an academic honor society for first-year students. Perry, from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was a summa cum laud double major in English and Classical at Kalamazoo. She is now in the Ph.D. program in English at Boston College.  The Hudson Fellowship, which carries a $5,000 stipend, is one of 23 awarded annually by Alpha Lambda Delta to members for graduate study. Members may apply during their senior year or after receiving their baccalaureate degree, if they have maintained Alpha Lambda Delta initiation standards throughout their college careers. Perry is believed to be the first Kalamazoo College student to earn a Alpha Lambda Delta fellowship. In this year’s competition, more than 120 applications were filed by members from the society’s 258 chapters. Alpha Lambda Delta was formed in 1924.

Power Shift

Sporting green hardhats and gritty determination, 32 Kalamazoo College students marched through wintry conditions in Washington, D.C., March 2 to lobby our nations’ leaders for clean energy, climate justice, and regulation of greenhouse emissions. The “K” contingent joined more than 12,000 other students from across the country for PowerShift 2009, a national summit on climate change organized by college age volunteers. After a long bus ride from Kalamazoo, students attended three days of workshops, panel discussions, and lobbying training. The final day was spent lobbying Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, and Congressman Fred Upton who represents the Kalamazoo area. Upton was not in his Capitol Hill office during the visit, but “K” students engaged in an animated discussion with his environmental policy director before rushing to catch a bus back to Kalamazoo. Many of the “K” students are involved in environmental action efforts on the Kalamazoo campus. “Kalamazoo students understand the ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ tenet,” said PowerShift participant Toni Skalican, a sophomore sociology-anthropology major from Columbus, Ohio. “It’s the guiding principle of our student organizations, service-learning projects, and even SIPs.” [story and photo by Toni Skalican]

“Passion to Profession” is a Leg Up         

Chemists’ Loves Traveling Molecule Show

Step right up to look at history through “molecule-colored glasses!” Precisely ten molecules, that is, one for each decade of the 20th century! Welcome to “Molecules that Matter,” an exhibit that turned out to be the perfect catalyst for a chance combination of two “K” chemists of different generations. Ray Giguere ’76, a chemistry professor at Skidmore College, developed “Molecules that Matter,” models of ten of the 20th century’s most influential molecules two-and-a-half billion times their actual size and currently hanging at the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery (Saratoga Springs, NY). In addition to the large and accurate models, the exhibit includes history and original art. “We wanted to create an experience that develops into an appreciation for the very good and hard work that has gone on before us in this very important field of organic chemistry, which is the language of the molecular world,” says Giguere. “We wanted to give the public a peek into this world and show why it is important.” Giguere recently traveled to Grinnell College to give a talk, “Drugs that Matter,” that presented aspects of the exhibit, which will soon travel to the College of Wooster, Baylor University, and, eventually, Grinnell.  In the audience at his Grinnell speech was Grinnell chemistry professor James Lindberg ’62. “It was great fun for Professor Giguere and I to discover that we’re both ‘K’ alums,” says Lindberg. Turns out that there’s more that connects them than molecules that matter. “Both of us did chemistry research with Kurt Kaufman,” says Lindberg, “and for both of us Dr. Kaufman was teacher, advisor, mentor, and hero. “ (Photo caption: Ray Giguere, left, and Jim Lindberg)

Service Learning Honors

Good Neighbors

Kalamazoo College students have received a $1,000 Good Neighbor Grant from State Farm Insurance for their Heartbeat and AMIGOS service learning programs. Heartbeat promotes literacy and self-expression through poetry and spoken word. AMIGOS is a bilingual program that provides tutoring and general academic support. Both programs connect Kalamazoo College students with students at Kalamazoo Central High School. Seniors Mithil Pandhi and Allyson Chun coordinate the Heartbeat program. Seniors Tom Nudell and Lauren Kroll coordinate the AMIGOS program. The $1,000 grant will help cover expenses for projects that include a spoken word performance at the Martin Luther King Jr. symposium on January 24, participation in the annual Cesar Chavez march in downtown Kalamazoo, and a performance the weekend of April 24-26 focused on Global Youth Service Day. Others involved in their efforts include: Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, and Breigh Montgomery of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning; Patricia Carlin, a K-Central teacher who helps run Heartbeat; and Ryan LaBudda, a K-Central teacher who helps run AMIGOS.

Attorney Recognized for Pro Bono Work

In December 2008, Wade Thomson '98 was named the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Month for the state of Illinois. For five years Thomson has worked in the litigation department of the law firm Jenner and Block in Chicago. His legal work involves media and first amendment law, which is appropriate for the former English major and journalist. The bulk of his pro bono work focuses on immigration and asylum work. Thomson is fluent in Spanish, and sometimes his pro bono work combines asylum work with freedom of the press issues. In a recent case he secured asylum status for a Ugandan journalist who, because he spoke truth to power, was forced to flee his homeland. Thomson made the case and subsequently secured U.S. citizenship status for the journalist's family, who were at risk of government reprisal. You can hear Thomson talk about his work here.

Professor Awarded NIH Grant

Associate Professor of Chemistry Laura Furge has received a grant of nearly $200,000 from the National Institutes of Health to do research that may one day contribute to medical understanding (and prevention) of adverse reactions between medicines in people who must take multiple medicines. Adverse drug-drug interactions are common among individuals who take more than one medicine (both over-the-counter and prescribed), particularly among older persons. Often, these interactions are caused when one drug inactivates an enzyme (a chemical in the body) responsible for the processing (or metabolism) of a co-administered drug. Her research will involve use of modern liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, computer aided modeling of drug-enzyme interactions, and basic drug metabolism studies. Student research assistants (including Brendan Butler ’07 and Cathy Mocny ’10) have been working with Dr. Furge on this project since 2006 and generated preliminary data used to secure the grant. The grant money will create more opportunities for students as well as allow for purchase of material and equipment. Dr. Furge and her team will study the interaction of a drug (Schering 66712) and an enzyme it “kills” called cytochrome P450 2D6. The drug is one of a group that interferes with the activity of drug clearing enzymes. Knowing as much as we can about the mechanisms of interaction is vital for two reasons. Interference is a problem if the enzyme is needed to clear another medicine the person is taking. But in other situations, some modulation of enzyme activity is desired. For example, people are occasionally exposed to cancer causing compounds that are activated by cytochrome P450 enzymes.