Hiram College Fall 2009 : Page 3

fr o m the hil l fr o m the hil l fr o m the hil l fr o m the hil l fr o m the hil l Faculty, Staff, Students Annual Giving, Enrollment Up in a Down Year The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving announced in August that total gifts to the Hiram Fund from alumni and friends exceeded $1.7 million in 2008-2009, up 14% from the previous year. Hiram’s residential undergraduate enroll-ment also increased 4% to more than 1,100 students in the fall of 2009. That enrollment figure is 50% higher than it was five years ago. Both increases occurred in the most difficult economic environment in recent history, evidence of Hiram College’s strength and resiliency in tough times. certified buildings, East Hall and the James H. Barrow Field Station, were part of the annual Ohio Solar Tour. The tour, sponsored by Green Energy Ohio, the local chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, included 75 sites in Northeast Ohio, among them the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and the Akron Zoo. Hiram’s sustainability efforts in the new dining hall are already showing “green” results. The College served about 200 more dinners this year with its increased enrollment compared to last year, but the amount of food waste has been reduced by 90%. In the past, the daily food refuse totaled 10 drums of 30 gallons each. Today, it is less than one drum. In order to do this, the College changed the way it served food, has gone “trayless” and installed a “pulper” in the dishwashing area. To keep pace with new sustainability efforts on campus, Hiram recently entered into a tentative arrangement to install a solar array on one or two campus buildings. The panels pro-vide up to 60 kilowatts of solar power—or enough electricity to power a building. At about 7% of the College’s total load, this represents quite a savings. (continued on next page) Winter Doesn’t Take the Green Out of Campus Even as the leaves changed colors and grey skies rolled in with the first snow flakes of the season, Hiram’s true colors were greener than ever. On October 3 and 4, 2009, Hiram’s LEED-Getting Ahead at Hiram Students, faculty and staff gathered at noon on November 10, 2009, to attend the ceremonial reunion of James A. Garfield and… his head. An act of vandalism in the days leading up to commence-ment left headless Hiram’s newly installed statue of its former student and principal and 20th president of the United States. After a media frenzy and a search for the Garfield head that lasted nearly three months, a good Samaritan approached village police with the missing artifact. President Thomas V. Chema and Hiram Mayor Lou Bertrand presented at the ceremonial “recapitation.” Several media outlets were on hand for the recapitation, including WKSU, FOX 8, WKBN, WOIO, WYTV, WEWS and the Record Courier. FALL 2009 3

From The Hill

Faculty, Staff, Students Annual Giving, Enrollment Up in a Down Year The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving announced in August that total gifts to the Hiram Fund from alumni and friends exceeded $1.7 million in 2008-2009, up 14% from the previous year. Hiram’s residential undergraduate enrollment also increased 4% to more than 1,100 students in the fall of 2009. That enrollment figure is 50% higher than it was five years ago. Both increases occurred in the most difficult economic environment in recent history, evidence of Hiram College’s strength and resiliency in tough times. Winter Doesn’t Take the Green Out of Campus Even as the leaves changed colors and grey skies rolled in with the first snow flakes of the season, Hiram’s true colors were greener than ever. On October 3 and 4, 2009, Hiram’s LEEDcertified Buildings, East Hall and the James H. Barrow Field Station, were part of the annual Ohio Solar Tour. The tour, sponsored by Green Energy Ohio, the local chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, included 75 sites in Northeast Ohio, among them the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and the Akron Zoo. Hiram’s sustainability efforts in the new dining hall are already showing “green” results. The College served about 200 more dinners this year with its increased enrollment compared to last year, but the amount of food waste has been reduced by 90%. In the past, the daily food refuse totaled 10 drums of 30 gallons each. Today, it is less than one drum. In order to do this, the College changed the way it served food, has gone “trayless” and installed a “pulper” in the dishwashing area. To keep pace with new sustainability efforts on campus, Hiram recently entered into a tentative arrangement to install a solar array on one or two campus buildings. The panels provide up to 60 kilowatts of solar power—or enough electricity to power a building. At about 7% of the College’s total load, this represents quite a savings. Getting Ahead at Hiram Students, faculty and staff gathered at noon on November 10, 2009, to attend the ceremonial reunion of James A. Garfield and… his head. An act of vandalism in the days leading up to commencement left headless Hiram’s newly installed statue of its former student and principal and 20th president of the United States. After a media frenzy and a search for the Garfield head that lasted nearly three months, a good Samaritan approached village police with the missing artifact. President Thomas V. Chema and Hiram Mayor Lou Bertrand presented at the ceremonial “recapitation.” Several media outlets were on hand for the recapitation, including WKSU, FOX 8, WKBN, WOIO, WYTV, WEWS and the Record Courier. New Vps Appointed in Admission and Development James Abbuhl began his duties as vice president for admission and financial aid in July. Abbuhl’s appointment was the result of a national search for a skilled admission professional prepared to continue Hiram’s five-year trend of increasing the enrollment of students suited for its nationally respected liberal arts education. Abbuhl has served in positions of increasing responsibility in admissions and enrollment management for 30 years. Most recently, he was the vice president for enrollment management at Gwynedd-Mercy College, a liberal arts college of nearly 3,000 students near Philadelphia, since 2004. Patrick Roberts, formerly the associate vice president of institutional advancement, was named the vice president for development and alumni relations. Prior to joining Hiram’s staff, Roberts worked at the University of Akron in positions of increasing responsibility since 1993, culminating in an appointment as a director of development. Roberts brings extensive management experience and skills in all aspects of development and alumni relations from his time at Akron and, previous to that, as director of development for Archbishop Hoban High School, a private, K-12 institution. The appointments of Abbuhl and Roberts followed the promotion of Timothy Bryan to the position of chief of staff. Most recently serving as vice president of institutional advancement, Bryan’s 21 years of distinguished service to Hiram College has included appointments as public information officer, director of college relations, coordinator of strategic planning, and assistant to the president. Garfield Society Inducted Five New Members The Garfield Society of Hiram College inducted five new members. Members of the class of 2009 included Professor of Physics Laura Van Wormer Andy, Trustee Thomas Freyvogel, dinner speaker Michael Gilligan, 2009 commencement speaker Congressman Timothy Ryan, and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Patrick Roberts. At its annual dinner and induction, the Garfield Society plays host to a substantive speaker as an intellectual component of the event. This year, Gilligan, president of the Henry Luce Foundation, delivered remarks on the topic, “Philanthropy in Times of Stress.” The Garfield Society was established by the Hiram College board of trustees in 1972 to honor and bring together outstanding civic and business leaders, Hiram College trustees, and Hiram faculty who have earned the rank of full professor. Hiram College Named One of “America’s Best Colleges” For 2009-2010, U.S. News & World Report named Hiram College as one of “America’s Best Colleges” in the “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” category. Hiram is one of only 266 liberal arts colleges cited that emphasizes undergraduate education and awards at least half their degrees In the arts and sciences. Hiram’s 80% freshman retention rate and 71% of classes with fewer than 20 students helped garner the attention of the U.S. News editors. Also this year, Hiram was selected for Forbes’ “America’s Best Colleges 2009,” The Princeton Review’s “Best 371 Colleges,” and the “Fiske Guide to Colleges.” These accolades are in addition to long-standing national recognition as one of 10% of colleges in the United States to host a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and as one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges that Change Lives.” Faculty, Graduates Organize Second Hart Crane Tour On Friday, October 2, 2009, Hiram faculty and local community members joined together to organize a tour of Hart Crane sites for writers Mark Doty and Paul Lisicky. Doty is The author of six books of poems, including “Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems,” which won the National Book Award for poetry, and three memoirs. Lisicky is the author of the novel “Lawnboy” and the memoir “Famous Builder.” Ryan Rodriguez ’99, a student in the NEOMFA program (a consortia M.F.A. mounted by the University of Akron, Kent State University, Youngstown State and Cleveland State), learned of Doty’s interest in Hart Crane and asked to repeat the tour of Crane sites in Garrettsville that was organized for Hiram’s Bissell Symposium two years ago. Through the efforts of faculty members Professor Emeritus Robert Sawyer, Professor of English Joyce Dyer, Assistant Professor of English Mary Quade and Assistant Professor of English Jeff Swenson, current owners of the Crane house David and Kym Kirk, Garrettsville resident Jim Vincent ’65, and Gloria Kuhn of St. Ambrose Rectory (the home of Crane’s grandparents), a tour was planned that included the rectory, the Crane house, the mill and the bridge, a stop at the rose quartz marker near the site of the old Opera House, and a trip to Evergreen Cemetery, the location of the Crane family plot. NEOMFA sponsored the visit of Doty and Lisicky. Sonntag Solos in Geqrmany Assistant Professor of Music Dawn Sonntag performed a solo vocal concert titled “Liebesfreud und Liebesleid: Liebeslieder aus drei Jahrhunderten“ (“The Joy and Pain of Love: Love Songs from Three Centuries”) in the concert hall at the historic Musikschule Schaumburger Märchensänger on the Bückeburg Palace grounds in Bückeburg, Germany. Accompanied by pianist Roman Rofalski, the concert included repertoire by German, Norwegian and French composers, as well as nine of Sonntag’s own vocal compositions. Following her concert in Germany, Sonntag spent five weeks in Paris as a participant in the European-American Musical Alliance Summer Composition Workshop at the L’ecole Normale de Musique. The program, led by faculty of the French Conservatoire L’Ecole Normale de Musique and the Julliard School, is a continuation of the pedagogical techniques of Nadia Boulanger, one of the 20th century’s most influential composition pedagogues. Sonntag’s new a-cappella choral piece, “Echo,” set to a text by Christina Rossetti and winner of the 2009 EAMA choral competition, was premiered July 29, 2009, in the historic Cortot concert hall in Paris. Sonntag’s Paris performances also included chamber music for voice, viola, and piano by Brahms and a premiere performance of a Mari Ésabel Valverda’s art song, “Then of Thy Beauty.” Employee Recognition Awards Winners During the annual employee recognition dinner this fall, two faculty members from the English department were honored with the Vencl-Carr and Michael Starr awards. Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center Jeffrey Swenson received this year’s Michael Starr Award, which recognizes newly appointed faculty members for their superior Teaching, scholarly achievement and the ability to make a lasting impact on the education of students beyond the classroom. Associate Professor of English Kirsten Parkinson was this year’s recipient of the Vencl-Carr Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award recognizes a faculty member who has made significant contributions beyond the classroom. Parkinson earned the award through her work on Portage County’s Big Read, which took place earlier this year featuring the book “The Maltese Falcon.” The Big Read was funded by a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Gelbke Hosts Art Exhibition “Arousing the Ordinqary” Hiram College presents “Arousing the Ordinary,” an art installation by artists Sarah Schuster and Nanette Yannuzzi-Macias in the Art Gallery of the Gelbke Fine Arts Center, from October 26, through December 18, 2009. Schuster and Yannuzzi-Macias are professors of studio art at Oberlin College. This new work of Schuster and Yannuzzi-Macias investigates the idea of “home,” which for them is “as much an expression of our desires, hopes, and dreams, as it is a place of shelter.” For the artists, “‘home’ is anything but neutral territory.” They examine issues related to the nuances of ordinary daily life, of boundaries, relationships and labor, by asking what kind of work is valued and why. For years, Schuster and Yannuzzi-Macias have viewed the creative process as a collaborative one. In that spirit, their Hiram College installation relied on the participation of students from Hiram College and Oberlin College, as well as contributions of material by the communities of Hiram and Oberlin. Faculty Honored with Paul E. Martin Awards for 2008-2009 The Paul E. Martin Award is bestowed annually, and is made possible by an endowment gift established by Paul Martin in 1990. Candidates are chosen because they have made outstanding contributions to the College’s academic program and educational life during the preceding academic year. The selection process is designed to recognize the College’s belief that no single model of faculty activity is ideal for all faculty members. Recipients of the award for their outstanding work during the 2008-2009 academic year are: Chip Dewell, history instructor; Linda Bourassa, art professor; Earl Kissell, associate professor of economics; Michael Blackie, assistant professor of biomedical humanities; Cara Constance ’93, assistant professor of biology; Sarah Mabey, assistant professor of environmental studies; Tom Koehnle, assistant professor of biology; Dawn Sonntag, assistant professor of music; James Thompson, assistant professor of political science; Vivien Sandlund, professor of history; and Michael Benedict, assistant professor of environmental studies. Pittman Receives Grqant Minority Dissertation Fellow LaShawnDa Pittman recently received the Child Care Research Scholar Grant, given by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services to no more than six recipients a year. Pittman received the grant to continue her research on her project “Awareness, Accessibility and Adequacy: Child Care Management among Low-Income, Urban Black Custodial Grandmothers.” The project focuses on how low-income, urban black custodial grandmothers manage child care. The grant will allow Pittman to carry on her research for a year and will fund travel to Chicago for interviews with the grandmothers, research support and conference fees. As a recipient of the grant, Pittman attended the Annual Meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium (CCPRC) on October 28 though 30, 2009, in Washington, D.C. “During 2007-2009, with the support of the Hiram College Minority Dissertation Fellowship and several small grants, I have taught new sociology courses related to the experiences of black families and child care and will be co-teaching a threeweek study abroad course in South Africa that focuses on the different caregiving systems of orphaned children.” Through her work, she hopes to produce knowledge as well as increase public and scholarly awareness of this growing family pattern. Welcome New Faculty Members In addition to the College’s vice president and dean, Cheryl Torsney, several new faculty members joined Hiram College this year: Amanda Buzzacco (assistant professor of accounting) Erin Gentry Lamb (assistant professor of biomedical humanities) Jon Gordon (associate professor of communication) Renee Gutierrez (assistant professor of Spanish) Cheryl Hunter (assistant professor of education) James Kercher (assistant professor of chemistry) J. Paul Louth (visiting assistant professor of music) Brad Maguth ’03 (assistant professor of education) Steven Merrill (assistant professor of nursing) Louis Oliphant (assistant professor of computer science) Arne Weigold (assistant professor of psychology) Cynthia Willis-Chun (assistant professor of communication) Hiram’s Got Game Besides being full-time students and active members of Student Senate, Kyle Kiffer ’10 and Abby Hexamer ’12, have become local celebrities. They star in Got*City GAME! Cleveland, the region’s first reality show aimed to attract 18 to 35 year olds to build a life and career in Northeast Ohio. The show airs on the Web at www.gotcitygame.tv. New “Webisodes” air Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Kiffer and Hexamer were selected to represent Hiram, one of the show’s co-sponsors, after judges mulled over dozens of audition tapes. “When Abby and Kyle were picked, we knew we had two young people who could represent the region and Hiram College. But when we got to know them, we realized how much they represent the get-up-and-go spirit of our region,” said T.L. Champion, executive producer of Got*City GAME!. Team Hiram competes against teams sponsored by Cuyahoga Community College and LiveCleveland to win downtown Cleveland for a year including a free lease at Tremont Place Lofts. Winners are determined by a combination of “challenge points” and points earned by votes accumulated by web viewers. So, show Cleveland that Hiram’s got game and vote at www.gotcitygame.tv! Center for Literatuqre, Medicine, and Biomedical Humanitiqes Celebrates 20 Yearsq The Center for Literature, Medicine, and Biomedical Humanities, the oldest of Hiram’s six Centers of Excellence, kicks off a yearlong program of events celebrating its 20 years. The mission of the Center is, through literary works, to examine thoroughly questions of human values in health care contexts – and to do so within clinical settings, medical and other health professional schools, and the liberal arts environment. Beginning with a reception/dinner event and alumni listening of “The Machine Stops” in November, the Center kicked off a year-long celebration, featuring events including: • January 19, 2010 – Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski will be the Margaret Clark Morgan Scholar discussing addiction. • February/March, 2010 – Rebecca Skloots author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will perform readings at Hiram. • Spring 3 Week, 2010 – Danielle Ofri author of Medicine in Translation: Journeys with my Patients will be on campus to perform readings and workshops. • Alumni Weekend, 2010 – Panel presentation. • Summer Symposium, 2010. Hiram Receives NASA Images Stephens Memorial Observatory and Gerstacker Hall can now take visitors on a journey to the center of our galaxy with unprecedented mural-sized images of the Milky Way’s core as seen by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The stunning photographs of the central region of our Galaxy commemorate the International Year of Astronomy. James Guilford, volunteer director of the observatory, applied to NASA for the images. Hiram’s observatory is one of only 152 institutions selected to receive these images. A giant 6-foot-by-3-foot image presents a unique view that showcases the Galaxy in near-infrared light observed by Hubble, infrared light observed by Spitzer and X-ray light observed by Chandra. A matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra images of the Milky Way’s center are on a second large panel measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. The images were unveiled to the public on Friday, November 20, 2009. The event coincided with the 70th anniversary of the dedication of the observatory on November 18. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning a telescope to the heavens. NASA’s Great Observatories represent the crowning achievements of astronomy four centuries later and honored this legacy with a national image unveiling. Two Hiram Students Bring Water to Impoverished Africaqn Village The small, impoverished village of Engoshura in Central Kenya several miles north of Nairobi is home to the Neighborhood School, an elementary school opened in 2003 by John and Margaret Kirubi, the parents of Zipporah Kirubi ’12. The school is in an impoverished village where family incomes are less than $1 per day, and basic necessities such as water are beyond the reach of the local residents. The Kirubi’s vision for their school, however, led to an unusual path to Hiram and the funding of a water well for the impoverished African village. John Kirubi, his daughter and son, Albert, moved to the United States – to the west side of Cleveland – to work and send half of their income back to their home to provide for basic necessities. While Attending Midview High School, Zipporah befriended Rachel Rhodes ’11, and the two later became classmates at Hiram. Together, they connected with Hiram College’s Rotaract Club, a Rotary Club for members between 18 and 30 years old, and proposed a water well project for Engoshura. The 600-foot water well was proposed not only for drinking and cooking, but also for crop irrigation. Through the dogged determination of both Kirubi and Rhodes, local Rotary Clubs fully funded the water well project at $30,000. As work commences on digging the water well, Kirubi has set her sights on raising funds for Neighborhood School needs like paper, pencils, and blackboards.

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