http://www-aarf.syr.edu/newsSyracuse University News.en-us http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/sports-auction-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/sports-auction-11-09.html The Syracuse University Sport Management (SPM) Club will hold its fifth annual Charity Sports Auction on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Carrier Dome. Silent bidding on hundreds of auction items–including sports memorabilia and hands-on experiences, electronics and tickets to major sporting events–will take place in the backcourt during the SU men’s basketball game against the University of Maine. Doors will open for the auction at 5 p.m. through Gates A, B, C & E. All other gates will open as usual at 5:30 p.m., prior to the start of the game. Proceeds from this year’s auction will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York and the SPM Club, a student-run organization in the College of Human Ecology’s David B. Falk Center for Sport Management. Since its founding in 2005, the club has raised more than $75,000 for local charities, such as the Syracuse Boys & Girls Clubs, the American Diabetes Association of Central New York and the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Upstate. The SPM Club was recognized with a 2009 Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship and most recently received the 2009 Orange Circle Award from the SU Alumni Association to honor SU alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments in support of others. “The commitment of our students to this event is well beyond an experiential learning experience,” says Kate Futrell, manager of the career center and event planning for the Department of Sport Management and 2010 auction chair. “For our students, this event is an important opportunity for them to make a difference in the Syracuse community. We truly couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them and the amazing event they are organizing.” The CNY Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families traveling from at least 25 miles away while their children are hospitalized with serious illnesses and injuries. Guest families receive home-cooked meals, a warm bed and a place to relax and rejuvenate, as well as a place to connect with other families of seriously ill children. The Ronald McDonald House works in partnership with SUNY Upstate Medical University, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Crouse Hospital and the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Upstate. The purchase of a game ticket for the Dec. 5 Syracuse men’s basketball game will include access to the charity sport auction. Tickets can be purchased on the SU Athletics website or at the Carrier Dome Box Office. Tickets can also be ordered by phone at 1-800-DOMETIX. Follow the SU Charity Sports Auction on Twitter at http://twitter.com/suspmauction. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/hendricks-holiday-concert-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/hendricks-holiday-concert-11-09.html “Holidays at Hendricks,” the annual Syracuse University holiday concert featuring the Hendricks Chapel Choir, Syracuse University Brass Ensemble (SUBE) and the Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 6, in historic Hendricks Chapel. The concert will begin in the chapel at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Those attending are asked to bring a non-perishable food item; items collected will be donated to the Eastern Farm Workers Association. Public parking is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis in the Quad 1 lot (accessible via Crouse Drive), the Quad 3 lot (accessible via Sims Drive, with entrance between Bowne Hall and Carnegie Library), Waverly lot (accessible via Crouse Avenue) and in the Irving Garage. For the third year, through a unique collaboration between SU and WCNY, the 90-minute concert will be broadcast in late December by WCNY on both television and radio, and streamed on the Internet. Broadcast times for WCNY-TV are Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m., and Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) at 9:30 p.m. WCNY-TV is found on Channel 24 or Time Warner Channel 11. The radio broadcast and audio webstreaming will be Dec. 24 at 6 p.m., and Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) at 8 a.m. WCNY-FM (CLASSIC-FM) is found at 91.3 in Syracuse, 89.5 in Utica and 90.9 in Watertown, and the webstreaming can be heard at http://www.wcny.org. During the concert, the three groups will perform both individually and in combination. The choir will be directed by John Warren, the brass ensemble by James Spencer and the handbell ringers by Jessica Bowerman and Emily Cirillo. University Organist Kola Owolabi will provide accompaniment. This year’s program includes music by Anderson, Danner, Delius, Manz, Mozart and Victoria, as well as traditional carols and holiday offerings. A candle-lighting ceremony and the singing of “Silent Night” will take place near the conclusion of the program. The Hendricks Chapel Choir is a select, voice-mixed choir of about 40 students that provides music for the Sunday morning interdenominational Protestant service at SU, as well as for various campus events. The choir presents annual holiday and spring concerts, and tours internationally every four years. The SUBE, housed in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is composed of members of the SU faculty and staff, the SUNY Upstate Medical University faculty and staff, and accomplished musicians from surrounding communities. The SUBE presents about 18 performances per year. The ensemble’s repertoire includes music from all major musical periods and often features new compositions commissioned by nationally known composers. The Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers is a group of students, faculty and staff from the SU community. The ensemble rings five octaves of Schulmerich handbells and four octaves of Schulmerich MelodyChimes. The Handbell Ringers perform at the Protestant Worship Services in the chapel throughout the academic year, as well as at other churches and venues throughout Central New York. For more information on the concert, contact Hendricks Chapel at 443-2901. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/advancement-external-affairs-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/advancement-external-affairs-11-09.html Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor today announced that the University has established a new Division of Advancement and External Affairs.  To more effectively serve the University’s external agendas, the new division will strategically unify into one single team the central administrative personnel and resources in the areas of communications and marketing, development, alumni relations, admissions marketing and external relations, which are currently assigned across a variety of units. This consolidation will allow the University to more strategically employ the resources it currently devotes to these areas and determine where duplication and overlap exist. Unifying these efforts will also more strategically cultivate support for The Campaign for Syracuse University, raise SU’s visibility and reputation, strengthen the University’s geographical reach in an increasingly competitive student recruitment environment, and find opportunities to create new partnerships and programs locally, nationally and globally. The Division of Advancement and External Affairs will be led by Thomas Walsh. Walsh, currently senior vice president for institutional advancement, has been named by the Chancellor and the University’s Board of Trustees as the new executive vice president for advancement and external affairs. With this appointment, Walsh will join Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric F. Spina and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Louis G. Marcoccia as the core executive team to the Chancellor.   “This change recognizes that the boundaries in all of these areas―public affairs, admissions marketing, development, engagement and alumni relations―are porous,” says Chancellor Cantor. “Everyone brings their own expertise to the table, but all are dependent on each other to do their jobs in the most effective way. At the same time, we are in an environment in which we have asked administrative units to take reductions and are doing everything we can to provide more aid to students. This is an opportunity to continue to advance in a very disciplined way by combining similar functions into a single unit and finding duplication both in the core missions and the administrative operations in these critical areas. Tom is the perfect person to lead this new consolidated division.” “All of these changes will help build upon the momentum that SU has been experiencing across the areas united under the new division,” Walsh says. “Beyond the efficiencies that we’re sure to gain from this realignment, we’re going to be better positioned to seize upon the enthusiasm among the SU family for Scholarship in Action, increase support for the campaign and translate the increasing attraction to this vision among constituencies across the country and around the world into concrete engagement.” Kevin Quinn, currently vice president for public affairs, has been promoted to senior vice president for public affairs in recognition of the role he has taken in expanding visibility for SU and articulating the University’s vision. In this role, Quinn, who recently assumed leadership of the University’s government and community relations portfolio, will continue to report directly to the Chancellor on important communications and policy-shaping activities. The existing Public Affairs units will continue to report to Quinn, with a new reporting line to Walsh for these units.    “During the past several years, working together with Tom and his staff, Kevin has made great strides in developing a comprehensive strategy to tell the SU story to the world,” says Cantor. “We are fortunate to have his keen instincts and broad expertise in the area of public relations, communications and government affairs.” “This new structure is exactly what we need to take our efforts to the next level,” Quinn says. “With Tom and his staff, we are creating one core team that will make us more effective and allow us to target our resources in the most strategic and efficient manner possible―all while creating new opportunities to raise the University’s visibility, reputation and resources.” Recognizing how critical the student recruitment process is to the overall strength of the University, the new division will have a direct relationship with the Admissions Office. This will formalize the work the division’s communications and marketing staff are already doing with Admissions staff and result in a more integrated and effective marketing strategy. Continuing to report to Vice Chancellor and Provost Spina on the overall enrollment management portfolio, Don Saleh, vice president for enrollment management, will have a reporting line to Walsh in the area of admissions marketing. “There are a lot of good opportunities for synergy here,” Saleh says. “The new structure will help to dramatically increase our recruitment presence in key regions by enhancing our visibility. It will also foster more unified marketing efforts and communication messages. Lastly, the newly organized division can help us better capitalize on existing University networks by providing access to interested alumni and contributing expert assistance in the area of event planning and management.” The core focus of the new division is: public affairs; admissions marketing; development and The Campaign for Syracuse University; alumni affairs and engagement; and external affairs. To ensure the campaign continues its strong positive momentum, Brian Sischo, currently associate vice president for development and campaign director, has been named vice president for development. In this role, all aspects of development will be centralized under Sischo’s leadership, ensuring that resources dedicated to these areas are utilized in the most strategic and effective manner possible.  To ensure the University continues to galvanize alumni and communities of experts across the nation and world, and expand its programmatic engagement reach, Chuck Merrihew, currently associate vice president for engagement initiatives, has been named vice president for administration and engagement. Merrihew will oversee the implementation strategies of the division’s external activities and provide comprehensive administrative and budgetary support for the new division. One of the University’s central geographies of opportunity has always been New York City, which is home to the second-largest concentration of SU alumni and remains a key portal for new resources and support. To expand and strengthen SU’s presence there, Ruth Kaplan, currently executive director of public affairs and marketing based at Lubin House, has been named vice president for external affairs. She will lead the full portfolio of external affairs in New York City. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/muhammad-yunus-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/muhammad-yunus-11-09.html Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will join a stellar lineup of internationally known guests for The University Lectures series at Syracuse University during the Spring 2010 semester. Yunus, who has worked for nearly four decades to eradicate poverty through micro-lending, will speak on “Creating a World Without Poverty” on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. Yunus’ personal loans of small amounts of money to destitute basket weavers in Bangladesh in the mid-1970s planted the seeds for the Grameen Bank Project, which Yunus directed from 1976-83. The Grameen Bank was established in 1983, and Yunus has served as managing director since that time. The objective of the Grameen Bank is to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans without collateral to support income-generating activities. The Grameen Bank has advanced to the forefront of a burgeoning world movement toward eradicating poverty through micro-lending. The bank now has eight million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and has lent more than $8.26 billion with a nearly 100 percent repayment rate. Yunus is the recipient of the World Food Prize (1994) and the Sydney Peace Prize (1998). In 2006, he received the Seoul Peace Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize. This August, Yunus was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Yunus was professor of economics and director of the Rural Economics Program at Chittagong University in Bangladesh from 1975-89. He is the author of “Banker to the Poor” (PublicAffairs, 2003) and “Creating a World Without Poverty” (PublicAffairs, 2008). Other lecturers for the 2010 spring semester include: • March 2—sustainability expert Alex Steffen • March 9—Scott Simon, host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition” • April 6—Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund (this lecture was rescheduled from the fall semester due to a conflict in Ms. Edelman’s schedule) • April 13—Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney Now in its ninth season, University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment. The series is supported by the generosity of the University’s Trustees, alumni and friends. The lectures are free and open to the public. The Office of University Lectures welcomes suggestions for future speakers. To recommend a speaker, or for additional information about University Lectures, contact Esther Gray in the Office of Academic Affairs at 443-2941 or eegray@syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/interior-design-industrial-design-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/interior-design-industrial-design-11-09.html The 2010 DesignIntelligence report “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools” has ranked two programs in Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) among the top in the nation. DesignIntelligence is the Design Futures Council’s bimonthly report on the future, delivering original research, insightful commentary and instructive best practices. VPA’s undergraduate program in interior design was ranked No. 10 for interior design programs, while the undergraduate program in industrial and interaction design was ranked No. 14 for industrial design programs. Both programs are housed in the School of Art and Design’s Department of Design. “Interior and industrial design’s repeated inclusion in the DesignIntelligence rankings reflects the high level of professionalism and excellence that are the hallmark of all Department of Design programs and brings well-deserved national and international recognition to these innovative and progressive courses of study,” says Lucinda Kaukas Havenhand, chair of the Department of Design. The DesignIntelligence study ranks accredited undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of 381 leading practitioners who have had direct experience in hiring and evaluating the performance of recent architecture and design graduates. The Design Futures Council is an interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders exploring global trends, challenges and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the industry and environment. Members include leading architecture and design firms, dynamic manufacturers, service providers and forward-thinking AEC firms of all sizes that take an active interest in their future. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/international-education-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/international-education-11-09.html Throughout this week, recognized nationally as International Education Week (IEW), SU Abroad has hosted informational meetings for students that focus attention on the experiences that prepare Americans for a global environment and on the multitude of study abroad options available through SU’s overseas centers and individualized program options. IEW is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. Coinciding with IEW each year is the release of the Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which provides annual figures and trends on international study. According to Open Doors 2009, a record number of U.S. students chose to study abroad, with an increase of 8.5 percent to 262,416 in the 2007-08 academic year, the latest data year available. In the Open Doors report, SU is ranked 11th among all U.S. doctorate institutions for undergraduate participation in study abroad programs. In 2007-08, 1,490 SU undergraduate students studied abroad—contributing to a 51.5 percent participation rate for SU undergraduates at some time during their college career. “SU Abroad is known as a leader in the field of international education—a distinction that has much to do with the experience and passion of our staff,” says SU Abroad Executive Director Jon Booth. The report also notes that the number of students going to nearly all of the top 25 destinations increased, with particularly strong rises seen in students going to less traditional destinations for study abroad. The United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France and China are the top five leading destinations for study abroad students. Recognizing that Europe continues to be a perennial leading destination for undergraduate academic and cultural experiences, Syracuse University Abroad recently launched a new addition to its existing study abroad centers, SU Europe. This strategy reflects a necessary evolution within the field of international education, according to Booth. When the SU Abroad program began, American study abroad experiences were focused on gaining exposure to another culture. But in this age of greatly increased mobility, technology and intercultural exchange, a new model is required that aggressively works to facilitate even deeper participation and engagement with that culture. The SU Europe team is focused on developing partnerships with host-city universities and best-in-class American universities whose programs and locations complement SU offerings. Such partnerships will result in varying arrangements, from partial residencies within host campuses to agreements that expand class offerings by host institutions. The overall effect will be a greatly increased range of choice, coupled with a more integrated and transformative experience in which students learn and grow by adapting to and succeeding in an unfamiliar environment. SU Abroad currently operates seven overseas centers—in Beijing, Florence, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Santiago (Chile) and Strasbourg (France). Each SU center is managed by an academic director and bicultural support staff, and has close ties with local universities, allowing students to design integrated programs appropriate to their academic and language abilities. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/green-campus-challenge-gathering-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/green-campus-challenge-gathering-11-09.html On Friday, Nov. 6, Le Moyne College and Syracuse University hosted the first annual Green Campus Challenge Gathering (GCCG) on the Le Moyne campus. The event was designed as a micro-conference for regional higher education sustainability professionals. Participants from 28 colleges and universities within a 100-mile radius of Syracuse came to share their experiences, successes, concerns and ideas in a selection of facilitated discussion sessions. The GCCG was distinctive in its regional nature and dialogue-based format. Attendees living and working within the same relatively small geographic area shared similar challenges and opportunities in matters such as weather, vendors and transportation options. This similarity fostered detailed and practical discussion at sessions designed around information exchange, rather than expert presentations. Session topics included recycling; composting; transportation; green purchasing and computing; green offices and libraries; food service; awareness campaigns; and student organizations. Each session opened with a brief overview of activities at the facilitator’s school and continued with an hour and a half of open discussion on the topic. Participants asked questions and shared stories about efforts on their campuses. The GCCG was co-organized by Le Moyne College’s Center for Urban & Regional Applied Research, the Le Moyne College Committee for Environmental Sustainability and SU’s Sustainability Division. To learn more about the conference, contact Melissa Cadwell at macadwel@syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/syracuse-architecture-ranked-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/syracuse-architecture-ranked-11-09.html The Syracuse University School of Architecture undergraduate program has been ranked #2 in the nation by DesignIntelligence, the bimonthly journal of the Design Futures Council. The annual rankings are based on a professional practice survey completed by leading architecture and design firms, as well as responses from architecture students regarding the quality of their education. “The degree to which young architects are prepared to interact broadly with the world and translate new ideas requires both disciplinary expertise and intellectual agility and creativity. The Syracuse Architecture curriculum has evolved to reflect advances in technology, digital representation, sustainability and new thinking in urban design,” says Mark Robbins, dean of the school. Recent initiatives at the school include: the launch of Syracuse Architecture New York City, complementing the school’s successful Florence and London global campus programs; the school’s first design-build studio, resulting in the construction of Link House, a cost-effective, energy-efficient single-family home in Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood; UPSTATE: studios and lecture series and other programming, allowing students to engage in challenges related to problems and promises of the rust belt city, including the “From the Ground Up: Innovative Green Homes” international housing design competition; and  collaboration with the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems on green technology and sustainability research. Syracuse University School of Architecture is the fourth-oldest program in the United States and is consistently rated among the top architecture schools in the country. For more information about the School visit http://soa.syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/warehouse-stephenson-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/warehouse-stephenson-11-09.html On Nov. 19, The Warehouse Gallery will open “Lynette Stephenson: this Confederacy of Dunces,” on view until Feb. 20, 2010. For the Window Projects at The Warehouse Gallery, Stephenson created an installation about New Orleans consisting of 60 hand-felted wool dunce caps. The dunce cap, once used in schools to ostracize and discipline its wearer through shame and humiliation, now appears archaic and even humorous in this window exhibition by Central New York artist Stephenson. A public reception for the exhibition will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Nov. 19, followed by a reception in the main gallery. The exhibition is intended for audiences of all ages. On Feb. 18, at 6 p.m., the artist will give a talk about her installation at The Warehouse Gallery. All events at The Warehouse Gallery are free and open to the public. This exhibition is inspired by John Kennedy Toole’s novel “A Confederacy of Dunces” (1980), set in New Orleans, where Stephenson’s family home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and based on her previous body of paintings, The Red Cross Series, which led to the idea for this site-specific project. In this work, Stephenson engages in a dialogue about present-day social issues referring to New Orleans, the tragedy of the hurricane and the universal symbol of the Red Cross. Historically seen as an iconic symbol of safety and comfort, the Red Cross emblem has morphed into ambiguous uncertainty after the corruption and inadequate care provided by the organization in regard to events following Hurricane Katrina. It now teeters between positive connotations of its distant past, and negative emotions entwined in the organization’s more recent actions. The placement of such a universal symbol on numerous dunce caps could be construed as an attempt to criticize the recent exploits of the Red Cross through this slightly satirical display. Born in Seymour, Ind., painter and sculptor Stephenson lives and works in Hamilton, N.Y., where she is an associate professor of painting at Colgate University. Stephenson has exhibited numerous times in Central New York at institutions such as the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn and Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute in Utica. Stephenson’s work is included in such collections as the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, Miss., and the Southwestern Bell Corporate Collection in San Antonio, Texas. Stephenson holds a M.F.A. from Georgia State University. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/autism-film-documentary-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/autism-film-documentary-11-09.html On the heels of their Academy Award nominated 2005 documentary “Autism Is A World,” School of Education Dean Douglas Biklen has again teamed up with Academy Award-winning director Gerardine Wurzburg and State of the Art, Inc., to create a documentary film about the experiences of individuals with autism. With support from the Hussman Foundation, Biklen and Wurzburg have traveled to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland following the film’s subjects, Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher. The two subjects are men in their 40s from quiet towns in Vermont. They have autism and communicate through typing on a portable computer or device. In their travels, while exploring the sights, sounds and flavors of each destination, Bissonnette and Thresher meet up with younger adults with autism who also communicate by typing. They share stories about independence, the freedom of communication and the experiences of inclusion, exclusion or even seclusion. In Sri Lanka, the men travel in tuk-tuks, small three-wheeled vehicles that navigate the crowded streets at breakneck speed. They attend a cricket match, swim in the Indian Ocean and tour a Buddhist temple. Bissonnette and Thresher are also reunited with their friend Chammi, a writer and poet. Chammi and his mother, Anoja, lived in Syracuse for a time, where Chammi learned to communicate with facilitated communication—a form of augmentative communication where the individual points and types—before returning to their native Sri Lanka. The duo’s next destination is Tokyo, where Bissonnette and Thresher are invited to participate in a panel discussion at an international conference on autism at Tokyo University, organized by Maho Suzuki, a doctoral student in special education, and Masahiro Nochi, a Syracuse University alum and faculty member at Tokyo U. Suzuki introduces the American travelers to Naoki, a young man who, like Bissonnette, is a talented artist, and has authored and illustrated many children’s books and volumes of poetry. Because of his label of autism, though, he has not been allowed to attend a regular high school; instead he is pursuing his high school education through an online program. The travelers are welcomed to Finland by School of Education Alumna Eija Karna-Lin G‘93 of the University of Joensuu. In Finland, Karna-Lin works with Henna, an artist who lives independently in her own home. Antti is a young man working toward an independent lifestyle and also a student of Karna-Lin’s. Bissonnette and Thresher’s visit marks Henna and Antti’s first meeting with other people with autism who type to communicate, and the foursome gain media attention, as Bissonnette and Thresher have at every stop on their world tour. About 150 hours of film have been recorded and thousands of miles have been traveled, but the journey is far from over. Bissonnette and Thresher will continue to work with Biklen, Wurzburg and the team from State of The Art, Inc., to edit and provide commentary for the film. They will continue to share their stories from the road at national conference presentations, as they did at the Disability Studies in Education Conference in Syracuse in May. The film will be released in the United States  in 2010. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/digital-divide-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/digital-divide-11-09.html When the last bell rings at Frazer School in Syracuse, the day is far from over. Instead of heading home, middle school students go to the Digital Entrepreneurship and Excellence Program (DEEP), designed to teach students how to use and benefit from new technologies. Whether they’re making movies or learning to blog, students are exposed to resources that are not typically available in inner-city schools like those on Syracuse’s South Side. Addressing issues of technological inequity is important to Jing Lei, a professor in the Department of Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation in SU’s School of Education. “The digital divide is a serious issue for a number of students,” Lei says. “We talk about the digital haves and have-nots. Some students have the technology and can reap the benefits, and students without them will lag behind.” Lei recently co-wrote a book on the divide with Paul Conway and Yong Zhao called “The Digital Pencil: One-to-One Computing for Children” (Routledge, 2007). “The digital pencil means every student having one device that can be connected to the Internet,” she says. “The use of laptops and PDAs in schools is on the rise. Our book examines how mobile devices are shifting the context of the classroom, and how schools can take advantage of that shift.” A Chinese native, Lei earned a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in comparative and higher education from Peking University. During her research in China, she became aware of inequities in education throughout the world. Upon her acceptance into the Ph.D. program of learning, technology and culture at Michigan State University, Lei began studying the issue of educational disparities. Having earned her doctorate in 2005, she joined the SU faculty, a decision she’s never looked back on. “I felt like it was the right place for me,” she says. “I’m lucky to have such a supportive department, for myself and my research.” It was through the University that Lei was awarded a grant from the Syracuse Campus-Community Entrepreneurship Initiative (Enitiative). Enitiative stems from a five year, $3 million grant given to the University by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to promote entrepreneurship in education. Lei used the money she received to buy video cameras, iPods and software for DEEP. As principal investigator and e-professor of the program, with the help of graduate students, she observes and collects data from the project for a research paper in the works. She also linked DEEP to “Instructional Technologies for Educational Settings,” a graduate course offered every fall semester. The course explores how the use of technology both influences and is influenced by teachers, students and school systems. Lei’s devotion to equity in schools and how technology can level the academic playing field is driven by her personal beliefs about what it means to be a teacher. “In China we always say a teacher is not only one who teaches you the knowledge and the skills, but most importantly one who teaches how to be a good person,” she says. “Being a good person and a good scholar go together.” http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/faculty-works-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/faculty-works-11-09.html “Faculty Works,” a new series of informal presentations by Syracuse University humanities scholars, gets under way at the SU Humanities Center with an inaugural event featuring Edward F. Mooney, professor of religion and philosophy in The College of Arts and Sciences, reading from his latest book, “Lost Intimacy in American Thought: Recovering Personal Philosophy From Thoreau to Cavell” (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009). The presentation is Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 12:30 p.m. in the Leonard and Ruth Sainsbury Library on the second floor of the SU Humanities Center. This event—and all others in the series—is free and open to the public, and is preceded by a light lunch at noon. For more information, call (315) 443-7192. Gregg Lambert, Dean’s Professor of the Humanities, says the monthly series is designed to highlight faculty scholarship in a fun, relaxed environment. “We will feature readings from faculty essays, chapters, poetry and short stories, as well as related audio and visual material,” says Lambert, who also serves as founding director of the SU Humanities Center and as principal investigator of the Andrew W. Mellon Central New York Humanities Corridor. “My hope is that that these presentations will trigger interdisciplinary conversations that continue well beyond the events themselves.” Mooney, whose scholarship lies at the intersection of religion, philosophy and literature, has published eight books and dozens of chapters, articles and essays. “Lost Intimacy” casts new light on a strand of American philosophical writing by Henry David Thoreau, Henry Bugbee, Stanley Cavell and others. “These writers used literature and autobiography to convey what it means to be human, emotionally speaking,” says Lambert. “Ed’s book examines contemporary American thought through the lens of intimate, transformational writing.” “Lost Intimacy” continues a polemic that Mooney began in his last book, “On Søreon Kierkegaard: Dialogue, Polemics, Lost Intimacy, and Time” (Ashagte Publishing Company, 2007), about the role of the humanities. “We have in the humanities a place for discovering voice, for hearing testimony, confession and eloquence, for writing out a self, for letting oneself be read by texts and thus transformed, for probing that fugitive murmur, the soul,” says Mooney. “The passages I share will highlight this spirit of intimate exchange and mutual recognition.” Lambert has high hopes for “Faculty Works,” inspired by the success of the short-lived “Humanities Coffee Hour” from two years ago. “One of the goals of the SU Humanities Center is to bring people together for focused discussions and for special meetings and events,” he says. ”I think there’s room on campus to be substantive without being stuffy or formal.” Mooney will be followed in February by English professor Bruce Smith, who will read from his latest book of poetry. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/haydn-trio-10-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/haydn-trio-10-09.html The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, one of Europe’s foremost chamber ensembles, is marking the bicentennial of Haydn’s death with a special appearance at Syracuse University. The commemorative concert, part of “Haydn Year 2009,” will be Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3. The program consists of two Haydn piano trios: Nos. 27 and 29 in C and E-flat major, respectively; Schubert’s Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 100; and Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s “Two Nguni Dances,” a South African piece dedicated to the memory of Haydn. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 443-5823. Free parking is available between 7 and 10 p.m. Regular parking is in the Lehman and Harrison lots; handicapped and elderly may park in the Waverly lot. “We are extremely privileged to host the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, which is traveling the world as ambassadors of Haydn’s home region,” explains organizer Karl Solibakke. “You can probably say that the trio has been preparing for this tour since 1992, when it was founded. The group is one of the chief exponents of Haydn’s music and of chamber music, in general.” Solibakke is associate professor of German studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, as well as The College of Arts and Sciences’ assistant dean for finance. The trio’s visit, which includes an in-class lecture-demonstration in The College’s “Performance Live” course, is made possible by generous support from George Langford, professor of biology and dean of The College; David Rubin, professor of communications and interim director of the Goldring Arts Journalism Program, both in the Newhouse School; and Stephen Meyer, associate professor of art and music histories in Arts and Sciences. The concert is presented in cooperation with Haydn 2009/Haydn Festival Eisenstadt and the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. Rubin is excited because the concert is the second of its kind in Hergenhan Auditorium. “We designed the auditorium with the hope it would be used for chamber music. The hall is intimate with unobstructed sightlines, and the sound is alive. It is a wonderful place to hear such a distinguished group,” he says. Adds Solibakke: “This event speaks to the University’s commitment to the practice and scholarly pursuit of the arts. Almost anyone who has picked up an instrument owes a considerable debt to ‘Papa Haydn.’” As “father” of the symphony and string quartet, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) began his career as a member of the Vienna Boys Choir. Most of his life was spent as a composer at the Esterházy court (in what is modern-day Burgenland and Hungary), where he also pioneered development of the piano trio and a compositional structure called “sonata form.” Haydn later settled in Vienna, where he befriended Mozart and taught Beethoven. All told, Haydn composed hundreds of instrumental and choral works, including 104 symphonies and 90-plus string quartets. The present lineup of the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt consists of pianist Harold Kosick, violinist Verena Stourzh and cellist Hannes Gradwohl, all of whom have been members since 1998. In conjunction with “Haydn Year 2009,” the trio is busily performing and recording the composer’s complete piano chamber music oeuvre, including 39 piano trios, 429 Scottish songs and dozens of concertini and divertimenti. The group is also spearheading a large-scale composition project called “D2H (Dedicated to Haydn),” featuring piano trios by 18 composers, including Ndodana-Breen, from around the world. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/newhouse-student-agency-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/newhouse-student-agency-11-09.html The NewHouse, Syracuse University’s student‐run advertising agency, will launch a series of events in the coming weeks of November to make its mark on the global campaign Hopenhagen. The NewHouse is working to localize the global efforts by spreading awareness of the campaign’s mission among members of the SU community. The focus of Hopenhagen is to influence the decisions made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen on Dec. 7. It is during this conference that leaders will decide on concrete plans for reducing carbon emissions, minimizing the effects of climate change and ultimately creating a better future for our planet. The Hopenhagen campaign aims to unify the world with the hope that a global community will “lead our leaders” into making the right decisions at COP15. Hopenhagen has taken a viral approach that includes an online petition, social media tools to interact and pass on the message and public demonstrations of hope that are now circulating the Web. Through such channels, the campaign intends to spark a people’s movement demanding the right decisions at COP15. The NewHouse has chosen to mirror Hopenhagen’s efforts within the SU community with the use of public demonstrations of hope, viral and mass messaging, petition hubs around campus, support from staff and faculty, and by recruiting Hopenhagen student ambassadors. “Our part in the Hopenhagen movement is to enlist and inspire as many students as possible to sign the online petition (www.hopenhagen.org) and offer their message of hope,” says Joe Misiewicz, president of The NewHouse. “We aim to raise awareness and educate students on the critical decisions that will be made at the environmental summit. Our plans include several events and outreach initiatives on campus that will get students thinking about what gives them hope for a better planet.” The NewHouse is a student-run advertising agency designed to give students hands-on advertising experience through the creation of products for actual clients. For more information on this campaign and the contribution of The Newhouse, contact Misiewicz at jmisiewi@syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/la-semester-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/la-semester-11-09.html Syracuse University will celebrate the launch of its LA semester program at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 12. The program draws on the strength of its vast network of accomplished alumni in the entertainment industry and engages students in professional internships, specialized course work and regular interactions with industry leaders. The celebration will include a daylong series of events designed to engage students who are benefiting from the program with the founders and supporters and LA Task Force members who helped create the multi-faceted satellite campus.  Included in the activities of the day will be a panel discussion “Come Together: Building the Right Team.” Hosted by the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries—one of the first undergraduate, multidisciplinary programs in the country to prepare students for a career in the music and entertainment industry—the panel will be moderated by its founder, Martin Bandier ’62, chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Panelists include Akon, singer-songwriter and producer; Sara Bareilles, singer-songwriter; and Rob Light ’78, managing partner and head of music at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). This discussion begins at 3:45 p.m. A second panel discussion, “The Future of Funny,” beginning at 5:30 p.m., will be presented by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in conjunction with The New Yorker and Condé Nast Publications. Led by Ken Auletta G’77, author of the newly released book “Googled: The End of the World as We Know It” (Penguin Group, 2009) and staff writer for The New Yorker, the panel will feature Judd Apatow, producer, writer and actor; Andy Borowitz, writer and producer; and Sarah Silverman, actress, writer and producer. Following the panel discussions, SU will be “Celebrating a New Era,” a gala reception also at CAA, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The reception will be attended by a distinguished group of Southern California alumni, many of whom helped shape the program jointly with SU faculty. The following program founders and supporters, LA Task Force members, alumni and friends of SU have accepted the invitation to attend the launch and celebration of the SU LA Campus: Rob Light; Brian Frons ’78, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group; Jason Blumenthal ’90, partner, Escape Artists; Sean Cary ’89, executive vice president, Digital Distribution, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Marylyn Ginsburg-Klaus ’56, G’57, owner, Grand House Management Co.; Doug Robinson ’85, partner, Happy Madison; Howard G. Phanstiel ’70, G’71, CEO of Phanstiel Enterprises LLC; Phil Quartararo ’77, music executive, former executive vice president of EMI Music North America and former president of EMI Music Marketing; Wendy Finerman, Academy Award-winning producer, and husband Mark Canton, producer. Panelists have also been invited to the reception, and it is anticipated several will attend as well. Others taking a lead in the program but unable to attend are campus founders Aaron Sorkin ’83, multi-award-winning writer/producer and creator of “The West Wing,” and Larry Barron ’87, senior vice president of programming, FremantleMedia North America. Advisors come from the top ranks of the entertainment industry, including Fred Silverman ’58, pioneering network television executive and producer; Suzanne De Passe ’68, chairman and CEO of De Passe Entertainment, Emmy Award-winning producer and former president of Motown Productions; Marshall Gelfand ’50, founder and a partner in the international business management firm of Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLP; and Andrew Gumpert ’89, president of business affairs & administration, Columbia Pictures. “The SU in LA program is a perfect illustration of our commitment to Scholarship in Action and preparing students for the world by imbedding them in real-world experiences and exploration,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “Students spend an entire semester in LA being mentored by our incredible array of alums in Hollywood—testing their knowledge among industry professionals and, ultimately, getting a leg up in the increasingly competitive media and entertainment industries.” “For students passionate about working in the music and entertainment industries, the Bandier Program has quickly become second to none. With our extended programs in London and now in Los Angeles, Bandier students have the best of both worlds: a solid Syracuse education, coupled with real world industry experience,” says Bandier. “I’m thrilled that Syracuse is making a permanent home in Los Angeles, and I’m particularly proud of the students in this program.” Background on Syracuse University’s LA Semester program The program, led by accomplished television and film producer Andrea Asimow, SU’s director of SULA/Semester in Los Angeles Programs, builds upon the previous successes of two longstanding SU experiential programs in LA: In 1984, SU began the Los Angeles Industry Seminar, a weeklong program in which television-radio-film students from SU’s Newhouse School gain first-hand knowledge of the television and film industries through one-on-one meetings with SU alumni in the business, visits to studio lots, and observation of theatre performances and television tapings. In March 2006, SU launched the Sorkin in LA Learning Practicum—a weeklong immersion experience, funded by SU alumnus Sorkin, in which drama and film students from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) meet with actors, writers, talent agents, directors and producers; participate in workshops; and attend a live theatre performance and meet the cast. A total of 28 Newhouse and VPA students—specifically from Newhouse’s Department of Television-Radio-Film and VPA’s multidisciplinary Bandier Program—have spent the fall semester in LA. Over time, the University intends to expand the semester program into a multi-faceted SU campus in fields such as the arts, business, marketing, architecture and sport management. Students are housed together in an apartment complex in the Toluca Lake district of North Hollywood. Their semester is built around a 20-hour-per-week internship matched to each student’s interests and abilities; internships span a range of disciplines, including animation, music, digital media, casting, editing, film and television development and production, pre- and post-production, and marketing and distribution. In addition, students attend classes in their respective majors convened at their living space and at the Universal Studios Hollywood lot. To complete their course load, they must select from a variety of online courses offered by SU’s College of Arts and Sciences.  Distinguished speakers meeting with students in LA have been linked through videoconferencing to students on the main campus in Syracuse to expand the educational opportunity and allow a larger group of students to benefit from the insights of the industry experts throughout the semester. “The strength of the Newhouse School is that we admit students of exceptional academic ability, then provide them with a liberal arts foundation plus industry-ready professional and technical skills,” says Newhouse Dean Lorraine Branham. “The LA immersion program provides that extra edge: our students will graduate knowing not only the programs and processes, but also the people and culture that drive the entertainment industry.” The Bandier Program One of the most unique offerings in the LA Semester is VPA’s Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries. The program includes the study of music, communications, business and entrepreneurship with a strong liberal arts background, and combines course work at VPA with courses at the Newhouse School and SU’s Whitman School of Management and College of Arts and Sciences. “The Bandier Program’s rigorous curriculum emphasizes weekly contact with top industry professionals and hands-on learning experiences,” says VPA Dean Ann Clarke. “Studying and interning in Los Angeles has allowed Bandier students to truly immerse themselves in the West Coast entertainment industry and gain invaluable insights that will serve them well as they begin their own careers.” http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/he-speaker-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/he-speaker-11-09.html Frances Largeman-Roth, senior food and nutrition editor for Health magazine, will present “Nutrition and Health Writing Workshop for Magazines and Beyond” on Dec. 4. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend. The presentation will take place in the Hall of Languages, Room 107, from 2-4 p.m. Largeman-Roth is being brought to the University by the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (N.E.P.A), a student organization in the College of Human Ecology’s Department of Nutrition Science and Dietetics. In her role as senior food and nutrition editor, Largeman-Roth writes about topics including healthy recipes, food trends, weight loss issues and the latest nutrition research. Largeman-Roth was previously part of the editorial team at the Discovery Health Channel, and held the position of managing editor at FoodFit.com. Largeman-Roth earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and completed her dietetic internship at Columbia University in New York City. Her expertise has allowed her to gain national media exposure. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV shows, including NBC’s “The Today Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the CBS “Early Show” and CNN. Largeman-Roth is the author of “Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom’s Healthy Eating Guide” (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009). Largeman-Roth will discuss the future of health careers in media—where they are and how to get one—and will provide training in writing quick, news-focused stories. The event will also include an insider’s perspective on what happens behind the scenes at “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America.” Those interested in attending the event are asked to R.S.V.P. to NEPASU@GMAIL.COM by Monday, Dec. 1. For more information, contact Rita Boreczky, rborecz@syr.edu ,or N.E.P.A’s president Brittany Chin, blchin@syr.edu. N.E.P.A is a student-run organization that actively promotes health and wellness on campus and the community through education and activities that involve nutrition awareness. The organization is active in many local service projects and is currently working with local soup kitchens and organizations throughout the community. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/architecture-eisenman-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/architecture-eisenman-11-09.html Peter Eisenman, principal of Peter Eisenman Architects in New York City, will speak at the Syracuse University School of Architecture on Friday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. in Slocum Hall Auditorium. His lecture, “Crises,” is free and open to the public. Eisenman is an internationally recognized architect and educator whose award-winning large-scale housing and urban design projects, innovative facilities for educational institutions and series of inventive private houses attest to a career of excellence in design. The firm’s University of Phoenix Stadium for the NFL Arizona Cardinals opened in August 2006 and hosted Super Bowl XLII in February 2008. Among Eisenman’s many award-winning projects are the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, the Wexner Center for the Visual Arts and Fine Arts Library at The Ohio State University in Columbus and the Koizumi Sangyo Corp. headquarters building in Tokyo, which received National Honor Awards for Design from the American Institute of Architects. The firm’s Aronoff Center for Design and Art, the University of Phoenix Stadium and City of Culture of Galicia (in construction) have each been the subject of television documentaries. Eisenman is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2001, he received the Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture. Popular Science magazine named Eisenman one of the top five innovators of 2006 for the Arizona Cardinals stadium. In 2007, Yale University Press published Eisenman’s “Written Into the Void: Selected Writings, 1990-2004.” In 2008, Rizzoli published his book “Ten Canonical Buildings, 1950-2000,” which examines the work of 10 architects since 1950. His extensive teaching experience includes Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard and Ohio State universities and The Cooper Union. He is currently the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Professor of Architecture at Yale. Eisenman holds a bachelor of architecture degree from Cornell University, a master of science in architecture degree from Columbia University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Cambridge University (U.K). He holds honorary doctorates of fine arts from the University of Illinois, Chicago, the Pratt Institute in New York and Syracuse University. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in architecture by the Università La Sapienza in Rome. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/jpmc-hai-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/jpmc-hai-11-09.html Tony Hai, chief technology officer for enterprise systems with JPMorgan Chase & Co., will be the next guest in The HUB 2009 Fall Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The series is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Hai will speak on “Enterprise Technologies in a Global Organization” at 12:30 p.m. in the Katzer Collaboratory, Room 347 of Hinds Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. Among the topics Hai will discuss are the management of large-scale transaction processing systems in a global financial services firm; enterprise management and the benefits of virtualization in a global firm; and a mergers and acquisitions model that allowed the conversion of customers and accounts in a single weekend. In his position, Hai is responsible for the management of key enterprise applications, including: customer information system (CIS), deposit, output systems (statements, notices and plastics) and enterprise middleware. These applications support multiple lines of businesses including retail, treasury services, commercial, private bank, private client services and investment bank. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase & Co., Hai was the head of development for National City Corp., where he built credibility and trust with line-of-business executives following a long period of neglect and mismanagement. The renewed credibility resulted in increased technology investment successively by 50 percent for 1999–2001. Through implementing strong project management methods and cultural changes, Hai reduced the average duration of technology projects by 50 percent, resulting in increased return on investment by 40 percent. About the Collaboration In June 2007, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Syracuse University established a unique corporate-university collaboration and joint venture. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop education and work experience innovations in the area of financial services information technology, leveraging each other’s knowledge and expertise in the building of a best-in-class curriculum for entry-level technologists and to collaborate on projects of joint interest that provide value to both organizations and to society. In 2009, The HUB was launched to include other universities and industries. The HUB universities and industries share knowledge to better prepare students to work in complex technology environments and to develop creative and innovative solutions to global technology business problems. The HUB goal is for students, faculty, companies, universities and the broader community to benefit from these collaborative efforts. Universities and companies collaborate in four key areas: curriculum enhancement, extended internships, applied research and community engagement. For more information about The HUB, visit http://globaltech.syr.edu. About JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion, operations in more than 60 countries and more than 180,000 employees. JPMorgan Chase is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. The firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its JPMorgan Chase and WaMu brands. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/whitman-youth-entrepreneurs-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/whitman-youth-entrepreneurs-11-09.html The Falcone Center of Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management will host the second annual Youth Entrepreneurs of Syracuse (YES) Conference on Saturday, Nov. 21. This event, scheduled to take place at the Whitman School, will teach and inspire Central New Yorkers ages 12-25 who are interested in entrepreneurship. The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has estimated that more than 65 percent of 14-19 year olds are interested in starting a business, as compared with about half of the general public. The conference combines inspirational role models, stories and advice from several young entrepreneurs who have built successful ventures and overcome challenges along the way. Students will learn helpful tips to beginning a business, hear about resources available for young people starting a business, and network with one another. This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by Michael Simmons, co-founder of Princeton WebSolutions (PWS), rated the No. 1 youth-run Web development company in the nation by Youngbiz Magazine. Simmons has won three entrepreneur of the year awards from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Fleet and the National Coalition for Empowering Youth Entrepreneurship. The day also combines inspirational stories and advice from several other entrepreneurs who have successful ventures and informative sessions on key facets of starting and growing ventures. The conference will end with an ice cream social, raffle prizes and music featuring deejay Adam Gold of WAER’s “Funk Show.” “Entrepreneurship is one of the single most important factors in a dynamic and vibrant economy,” says Melvin T. Stith, dean of the Whitman School. “In today’s economy, young people’s best opportunities may very well lie in the fulfillment of their entrepreneurial dreams. The Whitman School is committed to ensuring that Central New York youth get the support they need to accomplish their goals. ” For more information or to register, visit http://www.YES-Syracuse.com or contact Lindsay Wickham, Falcone Center events coordinator, at lwickham@syr.edu or (315) 443-3550. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/ischool-von-dran-fund-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/ischool-von-dran-fund-11-09.html Jeffrey Rubin ’95, G’98 leads by example. As a student in the School of Information Studies (iSchool) more than a decade ago, he put his classroom learning to work and launched his own company, Internet Consulting Services. As a professor of practice in the iSchool, he currently teaches all first-year iSchool students and students from across campus in the introductory course “Information Technologies” (IST 195) and incorporates real-world lessons from his experience as a successful entrepreneur, CEO and alumnus. His accomplishments inspire iSchool students and alumni, as well as his colleagues. Now, at the age of 36, Rubin is forging the way in stewardship. He and his wife, Jennifer, a 2002 graduate of the iSchool’s M.S. in information management, have committed $100,000 over five years to the Raymond F. von Dran Fund to support scholarships, research and entrepreneurial and technological initiatives at the iSchool. “I am very proud and pleased to accept this generous gift from Jeff and Jennifer,” says iSchool Dean Elizabeth D. Liddy. “It serves as an inspiring example of how our alumni can show their gratitude for what they’ve learned as students in the iSchool. Jeff is an exceptionally good model of a successful graduate paying it forward. Ray, too, would be very proud.” Jeffrey Rubin says that he wants what he hopes is his first of several major gifts to the University to go to the iSchool. “The iSchool, in particular, has done a lot for us,” he says. “It’s where we got our education—for me, both my undergrad and graduate degrees. The iSchool also gave me my first teaching opportunity, and the faculty and staff here have done a lot to mentor me along the way. I wanted my first gift to be to the iSchool and in particular to the Ray von Dran Fund. Ray was a huge mentor of mine, and it was very important to me that my gift would support his fund.” In recognition of their gift, the Rubins will have the opportunity to name a space within Hinds Hall, the home of the iSchool. They have yet to decide what space they will name. “Jeff and Jennifer’s gift sets such a wonderful precedent and example,” says Paul Brenner, iSchool assistant dean for advancement. “Jeff has had such a positive impact on the lives of so many young alumni. The fact that he and Jennifer have dug deep for this shows their strong commitment to the school and the memory of Dean von Dran, and I hope it inspires others to join them.” Jeffrey Rubin hopes the couple’s gift will act as a catalyst to other young successful alumni to support the iSchool. “I just think a lot of people don’t realize how much these gifts help,” he says. “Setting up a gift can be done on your terms—whether that’s a lump sum or spread out over time or in a will. One thing I realized with all the work that I do here at the University is that these gifts are what allow Syracuse University to be Syracuse University, with its exceptional facilities, faculty and opportunities for students. I am hoping that others might realize that and write out that check for whatever amount makes sense to them.” The Rubins’ gift will be counted in The Campaign for Syracuse University’s total. With a goal of $1 billion, The Campaign for Syracuse University is the most ambitious fundraising effort in SU’s history. By supporting faculty excellence, student access, interdisciplinary programs, capital projects and other institutional priorities, the campaign is continuing to drive Scholarship in Action, the University’s vision to provide students, faculty and communities with the insights needed to incite positive and lasting change in the world. More information is available online at http://campaign.syr.edu. For more information on how to support the iSchool and The Campaign for Syracuse University, contact Brenner at pbrenner@syr.edu or (315) 443-6139. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/point-contact-roth-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/point-contact-roth-11-09.html Argentine artist Pedro Roth will come to the Point of Contact Gallery, 914 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6-9 p.m. to attend the opening reception for his exhibition “Storytelling … an experiment in visual narrative.” The event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will run through Feb. 4, 2010. For this rich display of drawings that is a development of the work he’s just presented at two solo exhibitions in Buenos Aires, “Roth invents a world of multiple figures, drawn to life in a Buenos Aires café while listening to stories about lost loves, departed pets and friends, and the refusal to go out and love again …” writes the show’s curator, Pedro Cuperman. Born in Budapest, Hungary, raised in Buenos Aires, where he currently lives, Roth has exhibited extensively between Prague and Buenos Aires in venues such as the Laura Haber Gallery, Centro Cultural Borges and the Wussman Gallery, among others. His works can be found in collections of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires (MAMBA), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Latinoamericano, La Plata (MACLA); Jewish Museum of Prague; Museo de Bellas Artes de Azul, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Museo Contemporaneo de Santa Fe (MAC); and the Jewish Museum of Buenos Aires. For more information, call 315-443-2169 or visit http://www.puntopoint.org. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/salt-hill-journal-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/salt-hill-journal-11-09.html Salt Hill, a quarterly journal published by writers affiliated with Syracuse University’s creative writing program in The College of Arts and Sciences, was recently recognized by The Best American Short Stories 2009 and The Best American Essays 2009, both published by Mariner Books and edited by Alice Sebold ‘84 and Mary Oliver, respectively. “The Killing,” by Benjamin Percy, was named one of “100 Other Distinguished Stories of 2008” in the short stories collection. The journal’s prose poetry edition was among the “Notable Special Issues of 2008” in the essays collection. Both honors came from the Winter 2008 issue of Salt Hill (No. 20), edited by Daniel Torday G’07 and Tara Warman G’07. Torday, a lecturer in creative writing at Bryn Mawr College, says the award-winning issue reflects the staff’s growing editorial influence. “Rather than waiting for work to come across the transom, we thought the journal could be something more,” explains Torday, a former editor at Esquire and an award-winning fiction writer. The decision to focus on prose poetry, with its heightened attention to language and metaphor, stemmed largely from the presence of Chris Kennedy G’88, a prose poet who directs the M.F.A. creative writing program, and from a campus visit by Russell Edson, whom Torday calls one of the fathers of American prose poetry. “We reached out to some young writers whose work we liked. There was not much more than that,” Torday admits, adding that he first came across Percy’s work at Esquire. M.F.A. students Ashley Farmer and Nadxi Nieto Hall, both from the Class of 2010, are co-editors of the upcoming issue of Salt Hill (No. 24). “It’s a journal with an impressive lineage, so being part of it is a real privilege,” says Farmer, who appreciates the creative and managerial benefits of the job. Nieto Hall agrees: “There is no way to have a cohesive aesthetic with all the new faces and voices each year. For us, the beauty is in the confluence of all these different ideas about writing and art.” Mary Gaitskill, Phil LaMarche ’98, G’03, Terrence Hayes and Lynne Tillman exemplify the wide swath of distinguished contributors the journal has attracted in its 10-year existence. “Salt Hill allows us to publish the best traditional narratives right next to the most experimental. That is our strong suit,” says Nieto Hall. Salt Hill is funded in part by The College of Arts and Sciences and by SU’s Graduate Student Organization. It welcomes nationwide submissions of poetry, prose, translations, reviews, essays, interviews and artwork. Gregg Lambert, Dean’s Professor of the Humanities and a longtime supporter of Salt Hill, calls the handsome publication one of the “crown jewels” of SU. “Salt Hill exemplifies the creative breadth and depth of our students,” says Lambert, who also serves as founding director of the SU Humanities Center and principal investigator of the Andrew W. Mellon Central New York Humanities Corridor. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for SU students to gain editorial experience, while being exposed to writers and artists who might otherwise not have a connection to the University.” Percy, for example, serves as assistant professor of creative writing at Iowa State University. Kennedy is not surprised by Salt Hill’s success. “The students who work on the journal bring amazing talents to bear on its production, from editing to design to layout to distribution,” he says. “It’s one of the best literary journals in the country.” http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/project-feed-me-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/project-feed-me-11-09.html This Nov. 22, while families across the region plan their menus and make shopping lists for their Thanksgiving feasts, SU students will be celebrating the holiday early with members of the Syracuse community. Project Feed Me, a student-run group dedicated to addressing poverty and hunger in New York, will hold its first-ever Thanksgiving unity celebration from 1-6 p.m. at the Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave., Syracuse. At the event, Project Feed Me volunteers will serve hot, nutritious meals to guests, provide entertainment, and share the spirit of the holidays. The food being served at the event was purchased with $1,000 that Project Feed Me raised at its recent charity basketball tournament, “Defend Your Honor,” held Nov. 1 on the SU campus. At the tournament, teams competed for the top spot and donated their registration fees to support the Thanksgiving dinner event. The winning team, Team Lions, beat 12 other teams to be named champion. “We are so proud of the success we had with ‘Defend Your Honor,’” says Patrick Alvarez, Project Feed Me president. “We had a great turnout, and though the competition got pretty intense we know that everyone who came out believes in our cause, and we are grateful for their support. We are incredibly excited for the Thanksgiving unity celebration later this month and hope more members of the SU community will join us for this very special day.” Between 350-400 families from the Syracuse community are expected to attend the event. Project Feed Me welcomes volunteers from all areas of the University to attend the event. Various volunteer opportunities are available and include decoration/set up, greeting guests, serving food, entertaining guests and breakdown/cleanup. “Having an event like this is a lot of work,” says Alvarez. “But the feeling you get helping people in this way is absolutely worth it. We started Project Feed Me because we knew that students here at SU want opportunities to make a difference. This is our way of showing the community our version of Scholarship in Action.” Project Feed Me was founded last year by Alvarez and three of his classmates: Sam Giber, of Boston; Leah Moushey, of Pittsburgh; and Harris Feldman, of Needham, Mass. The four met as first-year students in Day Hall last year. For more information on Project Feed Me, visit http://projectfeedme.org. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Carol Masiclat at clkim@syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/mlk-ifill-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/mlk-ifill-11-09.html Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of PBS’ “Washington Week” and senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” will be the keynote speaker for Syracuse University’s 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, “Continuing the Journey: Where Do We Go From Here,” on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, in the Carrier Dome. The annual celebration is among the largest university-sponsored events in the United States to commemorate King. Last year, more than 2,000 people attended SU’s event. “The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee is thrilled that Gwen Ifill with be the keynote speaker as we mark the 25th anniversary of this important tradition on our campus,” says Kelly Homan Rodoski, communications manager in the Office of News Services and chair of the celebration committee. “Through her vast experience as a journalist and educator, Ms. Ifill will offer us a unique prism through which to explore how far we have come in fulfilling Dr. King’s dream and how far we still need to go.” The evening program, which will include the presentation of the 2010 Unsung Hero Awards and entertainment, begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Tickets for the dinner, which precedes the program at 5 p.m., are $25 for the general public and $15 for students without meal plans. Students with meal plans will be charged for one dinner. Tickets, which generally sell out soon after they go on sale, will be available on Tuesday, Dec. 1. For ticket information, call Hendricks Chapel at (315) 443-5044. Nominations for the Unsung Hero awards are currently being accepted through Friday, Nov. 20. Nomination forms are available at http://hendricks.syr.edu/events/mlk_award.html. Ifill will also take part in “A Conversation with Gwen Ifill,” a discussion based on her 2009 book, “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,” on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. A community festival celebrating arts, culture and education in the Syracuse community will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 2-4 p.m. at a location to be determined. In addition to her roles as moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” and senior correspondent for “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” Ifill is frequently asked to moderate debates in national elections, most recently the vice presidential debate during the 2008 election. Ifill joined both “Washington Week” and “NewsHour” in 1999, interviewing newsmakers and reporting on issues ranging from foreign affairs to politics. In 2009, “Washington Week” was honored with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. Before coming to PBS, she spent five years at NBC News as chief congressional and political correspondent. She still appears as an occasional roundtable panelist on “Meet ThePress.” Ifill joined NBC News from The New York Times, where she covered the White House and politics. She also covered national and local affairs for The Washington Post, the Baltimore Evening Sun and the Boston Herald American. She has received more than a dozen honorary doctorates and is the recipient of several broadcasting excellence awards, including honors from the National Press Foundation, Ebony Magazine, the Radio Television News Directors Association and American Women in Radio and Television. A native of New York City and a graduate of Simmons College in Boston, Ifill serves on the boards of the Harvard University Institute of Politics, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Newseum and the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/lcs-stevenson-lecture-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/lcs-stevenson-lecture-11-09.html The Syracuse Biomaterials Institute in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science will host the fall Stevenson Biomaterials Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 19. Dr. William R. Wagner, professor of surgery, bioengineering and chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, will speak on “Degradable Supports to Direct Soft Tissue Regeneration: Applications in Cardiac Failure.” The lecture will be held from 1-2 p.m. in Room 500 of the Hall of Languages; it is free and open to the public. A luncheon will precede the lecture at noon. For reservations, contact Karen Low at 443-3544 or kplow@syr.edu by Monday, Nov. 16. For mechanically active soft tissues it is increasingly appreciated that the mechanical environment in which the damaged tissue heals impacts the direction and outcome of the remodeling process. To develop biomaterial-based approaches to improve outcomes in soft tissue repair, Dr. Wagner and his colleagues have created degradable supports that act as scaffolds for new tissue generation or as temporary load-bearing elements during the remodeling process. Dr. Wagner’s research group works in the area of cardiovascular engineering with projects addressing medical device biocompatibility and design, biomaterials and tissue engineering, and targeted imaging. These efforts span from modeling and in vitro studies to clinical research. Dr. Wagner is the founding editor of the biomaterials journal Acta Bio-materialia and is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Biomedical Engineering Society, the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering and the American Heart Association. He is also currently president-elect for the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs and serves on the executive boards of AIMBE and the International Federation of Artificial Organs. The Syracuse Biomaterials Institute is an interdisciplinary institute focusing on the research of natural and synthetic substances designed to treat, augment or replace tissues and organs of the human body. The Stevenson Lecture Series is made possible through the generous support of Ann McComber Stevenson ’52 (Nursing) and Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53 (Chemical Engineering). Each semester, the series brings pioneering biomaterials researchers to the Syracuse campus. Presenters are selected based on their leading roles in biomaterials research, and are asked to speak on their latest endeavors. In addition, Stevenson Lecturers visit with faculty and students to exchange ideas, build bridges, and become familiar with the broad range of biomaterials activities at Syracuse University. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/architecture-plastic-plasticity-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/architecture-plastic-plasticity-11-09.html Plastic and plasticity are the twin subjects of a weekend symposium at Syracuse University, sponsored by the School of Architecture (SOA) and the SU Humanities Center. The program, which runs Nov. 13-14 in Slocum Auditorium and the Tolley Building, includes presentations by nationally renowned architects, designers and scholars, culminating with a keynote address by Jeffrey L. Meikle, an American culture historian and historian of design. Events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the SU Humanities Center at (315) 443-7192. The program is part of a yearlong theme presented by the Transdisciplinary Media Studio (TdMS), a joint initiative of SOA and the SU Humanities Center, testing the capacity of digital media to support new modes of collaborative and cross-disciplinary design research, practice and pedagogy. “Our emphasis is on plastic and plasticity in their manifold sense,” explains Gregg Lambert, Dean’s Professor of the Humanities, who also directs the SU Humanities Center and The Andrew W. Mellon Central New York Humanities Corridor. “This twin focus speaks to the goal of TdMS, which uses digital media to foster multi-directional teaching and research. TdMS is the media space of the future.” Jonathan Massey, associate professor of architecture and chair of SOA’s undergraduate program, echoes these sentiments. “The whole objective of this event and of TdMS, in general, is to bring people together to explore new design practices emerging from technologically inspired convergence,” he says. “The plastics industry, in particular, has a long history of shaping and reshaping the way people think about everything from architecture and manufacturing, to advertising and consumerism, to the liberation of the American housewife. It’s a fascinating material with social implications.” On Friday, Nov. 13, the symposium will include a series of afternoon presentations by Patrick Mather (SU), Billie Faircloth (KieranTimberlake), David Ruy (Ruy Klein), and Mitchell Joachim (Archibnode Studio), followed by Meikle, who serves as professor of art history and American studies at the University of Texas at Austin. “Professor Meikle is an award-winning scholar whose expertise resides at the cultural intersection of science and technology,” says Lambert, adding that Meikle will examine “plastic” as both a noun and adjective. Meikle will likely draw from his landmark book, “American Plastic: A Cultural History” (Rutgers University Press, 1995), tracing the rise and fall of an industry that is as old as SU, itself. The symposium will conclude the following day with a morning faculty seminar. More information is available at http://tdms.syr.edu/. In keeping with the yearlong theme, SU will offer three courses in the Spring 2010 semester: “Plastic Thought” (HUM 500), taught by Lambert; “Architectural Design” (407), guest taught by Joachim; and an art elective led by visiting sculptor Keith Edmier. TdMS is one of 19 Chancellor’s Leadership Projects, designed to integrate student learning opportunities, engage and integrate outside experts and have strong prospects of impacting the world. The TdMS leadership team is composed of Mark Linder, associate professor of architecture and chair of the SOA graduate program; Brian Lonsway, associate professor of architecture; Lambert; and Linder. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/whitman-ebv-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/whitman-ebv-11-09.html The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) has undertaken three major initiatives that will significantly expand the reach and impact of the EBV to assist in rebuilding the lives and economic potentials of U.S. veterans with disabilities. The initiatives are: the addition of the University of Connecticut School of Business to the EBV Consortium, which also includes the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Florida State University’s College of Business and the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University;  a three-year, $450,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development to help grow the EBV nationwide and maximize the availability, applicability and usability of small business programs for veterans, service-disabled veterans, reserve component members, and their dependents or survivors; and the launch of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families, a pilot program that will offer training in small business creation and management for select caregivers of veterans with disabilities. “Since 2001, wounded U.S. soldiers have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq with fewer opportunities in the workplace. This unfortunate reality has been compounded in the last year by the recession,” says Melvin T. Stith, dean of the Whitman School of Management and a former Vietnam War-era Army captain. “The Whitman School launched the EBV in 2007 as a step towards providing these veterans with the skills and knowledge to create their own opportunities, support their families, and to re-engage the economic engines of their communities. The three initiatives announced today greatly enhance the abilities of the EBV Consortium to give back to veterans and military families who have given so much in service to our country.” “With tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel returning home disabled from conflict, our Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans is more critical than ever,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “We’re proud SU is leading the way in integrating this type of support for veterans and their families into a national university’s mission. SU’s legacy has always been one of access and inclusion and this new SBA grant will allow this groundbreaking program to expand its efforts to serve those who have so honorably served our nation.”  The six schools that comprise the EBV Consortium each annually host up to 25 veterans with disabilities for cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship and small business management, with the ultimate goal of small business creation and growth by the veteran. The veterans, who have all served post-9/11 in Afghanistan or Iraq, learn a range of business skills, including accounting, human resources, supply chain, operations, strategy and more from world-class faculty, entrepreneurs, disability experts and business professionals. The program is entirely free, including travel and accommodations. The EBV program is offered in three phases: a self-study session in which the veterans complete courses through online discussions moderated by university faculty; an on-campus immersion where the veterans learn to develop their own business concepts; and 12 months of ongoing support and mentorship provided to the veterans from the faculty experts at the EBV universities. Throughout the EBV experience, students engage in experimental workshops to write business plans, raise capital, attract customers, and develop a marketing strategy that is most effective for their business model. To create disability-related curriculum and assist participants in understanding and leveraging programs at the intersection of disability and entrepreneurship, the EBV is offered in collaboration with SU’s Burton Blatt Institute, which seeks to advances the civic, economic and social participation of persons with disabilities. For more information, visit www.whitman.syr.edu/ebv. Media queries can be directed to Amy Schmitz, Whitman director of communications, at (315) 443-3834 or aemehrin@syr.edu. http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/education-masingila-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/education-masingila-11-09.html When Joanna Masingila, professor of mathematics and mathematics education in The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education, respectively, was a Fulbright Scholar at Kenyatta University near Nairobi, Kenya, in 1998 she did not know that she would eventually serve as the catalyst for a partnership between the School of Education at Syracuse University and Kenyatta University. “In 1998, I was hoping to perhaps recruit some graduate students in mathematics education, and we’ve gotten some, but the bigger connection is a wonderful surprise,” Masingila explains. In 2000, SU and Kenyatta established a formal institutional linkage through their respective schools of education, demonstrating the commitment by both universities to improving teacher development through educational and cultural interchange. Objectives of the relationship include supporting teacher preparation efforts by collaboratively investigating current capacities at both institutions and developing new capacity that will support teacher proficiency and continued professional growth. Through this institutional linkage with Kenyatta University, 12 former Kenyatta University students have come to SU for graduate studies. Several are currently in doctoral programs, several have completed master’s degrees, and five have earned doctoral degrees and have gone on to teach at colleges and universities in New York state and around the country. Masingila has been working with colleagues at Kenyatta University on professional development workshops for teachers in rural eastern Kenya. “I’m involved in a collaborative project in Patrick Kimani’s (G’09) rural village, Kamanzi, where we have worked with the community to build a new primary school, hold workshops for teachers, supply the local health clinic with a microscope and other necessities, basically building capacity in that community,” Masingila says. Faculty members from Kenyatta University’s School of Education have worked alongside Masingila in leading workshops for some 120 teachers from 13 primary schools. Faculty members at both universities are working together to seek funding for collaborative research projects in teacher education, strong in their commitment to global partnerships in an effort to become more informed as educators and to provide students with the highest quality learning experience. “I learn so much from my colleagues in Kenya, for example using locally available materials in learning tasks,” says Masingila. “I find it exciting to be involved with teacher education in Kenya and share my experiences with my colleagues and students in Syracuse.” Another result of the collaboration has been the jointly sponsored International Conference on Education, held July 8-10, 2009, at the Kenyatta University Conference Centre. Masingila; John Tillotson, associate professor of science education; Melissa Luke, assistant professor of counseling; and Dennis Kwaka, doctoral student in Teaching and Curriculum, all presented research papers at the conference. Additionally, Tillotson was a keynote speaker at the conference, supporting the conference theme of “Innovative Teacher Education and Classroom Practice in the 21st Century.” http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/education-tennis-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/education-tennis-11-09.html Visiting instructor Delynn Orton’s goals at the Syracuse University School of Education are similar to many educators who embrace the school’s legacy of inclusion and community engagement. Unlike other faculty members, though, Orton’s inclusion tools include tennis racquets. Modeled after perceptual-motor programs, including the internationally known movement education program by Jack Capon, the Inclusion Tennis Program (ITP) began at SU this past spring. Orton was encouraged by the suggestion from Corinne Smith, professor and chair of teaching and leadership, to design a physical activity course where all students were included as true participants and could participate in learning, teaching and demonstration activities. With assistance from Joe Lore, director of SU Recreation Services, and Eliza Decker, assistant director, who accommodated off-campus individuals and provided gym space whenever needed, this innovative and collaborative program was launched. Orton has taught physical education classes in the Department of Health and Exercise Science since fall 2006. She has developed tennis programs for several national, regional and local organizations, including Special Olympics, USTA, NYC schools, Challenger Tennis, the Arthur Ashe Foundation, the Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center and Say Yes to Education. She currently serves as a member of the U.S. Tennis Association National Committee for Adaptive Tennis and USTA Eastern,  and is chairperson for Adaptive Tennis. She provides clinics for adapted tennis instruction and pedagogy, and wheelchair tennis, and is the regional tennis trainer for New York Special Olympics. The ITP goals: to allow students in Orton’s “Adapted Physical Education” (APE) course significant time with students with disabilities and include all students in a six-week progressive and sequential tennis instruction program. The “Adapted Physical Education” (APE) students—many of them SU student-athletes and students interested in becoming coaches or physical education teachers—learned to teach various psychomotor skills while encouraging participation and demonstration through sports and fitness activities. The APE students were included with students from On-Campus, a post-secondary education partnership program for students with disabilities from the Syracuse City School District hosted at SU. On-Campus program director Joseph Soule provided guidance for the inclusion model used. “Inclusion is not an interesting new development. It is important, just and democratic,” says Douglas Biklen, dean of the School of Education. “That it does not happen enough is cause for us to respond, as Delynn has.” At the start of the ITP, all students’ tennis skills were assessed at the beginner level. Instruction was built on understanding and practicing agility, balance, coordination, spatial awareness and fitness skills. Social development was also a large component. All participants developed relationship-building skills and realized the importance of creating a caring and nurturing environment for optimal learning. The program was designed to present challenges to all participants. For some, the physical demands of the curriculum were more challenging. The naturally stronger athletes in the class were forced to think critically about how adaptations could be made in order to teach skills and fitness concepts to others. For the students, who seldom have opportunities to be included in typical classrooms and sports, the social experience and team atmosphere may have held more value than the fitness skills learned. “The APE class got me off my behind,” says On-Campus student Scott Floyd, who communicates through typing with facilitation. “The students and Delynn care about students … I loved being included.” For future educators in the group, the experience demonstrated that everyone can be included in physical activity when properly designed. “I’ve learned how to adapt equipment, environment and instruction to allow and encourage participation by a wider range of students,” says Ryan Weiss, a senior physical education major in the School of Education. “For example, I might adapt the equipment and rules of a ball game by incorporating larger, easier-to-handle balls, and stipulating that each team member must touch the ball at least once before scoring.” “The experiences I’ve had with the students we worked with opened my eyes to how easy it can be to include all students and improve their educational experience,” Weiss says. “Their appreciation and development eliminate the question of whether inclusion is important in physical education class; it clearly is.” At the end of the semester, ITP classes focused on applying learning style differences and practicing tennis with modified equipment, nets, court sizes and rules. All students demonstrated success hitting consecutive balls with a partner, serving and rallying, and determining whether or not a point was won. “When the On-Campus students first started, they struggled a lot with the skills, but by the end they became pretty proficient in hitting the ball back and forth,” says junior physical education major Erin Schirm. “I think the greatest benefit for the students was the sense of being part of the class. I think this is where we need to be with getting everyone involved and included.” Orton’s commitment to adaptive sport does not end in the classroom, or with tennis. APE students are assigned 20 hours of “outside experience,” supporting wellness activities with people with disabilities, though many did more. Students engaged in activities such as personal fitness training, attending SU sporting events or taking advantage of planned activities like volunteering in the community. Throughout the semester, APE students kept journals of their experiences learning tennis with the On-Campus students and participating in activities with community members with disabilities. Prior to APE, many of the students had never experienced learning or working in an inclusive environment. Consequently, each student’s log reflected an understanding of the meaning of inclusion, how creation of successful and inclusive classrooms is possible with simple adaptations to the curriculum, and how inclusion is worthwhile in sport and physical education. “Often, we judge others by their outward or physical appearance,” Orton says, “but while playing, we are free to dream who we want to be.” http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/brass-ensemble-11-09.html http://www-aarf.syr.edu/news/articles/brass-ensemble-11-09.html The Syracuse University Brass Ensemble (SUBE), led by Music Director James T. Spencer, later this month and next will present its annual series of holiday concerts throughout Central New York. Performances are: Sunday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. at Saints Peter and John Episcopal Church, 169 Genesee St., Auburn; Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at SU’s Hendricks Chapel, with University Organist Kola Owolabi, John Warren and the Hendricks Chapel Choir, and Jessica Bowerman and the Hendricks Chapel Handbell Ringers; Saturday, Dec. 12, at 3 p.m. at the United Church of Fayetteville, 310 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville; and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 103 W. 7th St., Oswego. All concerts are free and open to the public, though tax-deductible donations are accepted. “This series is our gift to the community,” says Spencer, who has served as SUBE’s music director and chief arranger since 1986. “This season, we will present a variety of classical and traditional favorites, along with a few pop chestnuts that everyone will enjoy.” Spencer doubles as associate dean for science, mathematics, and research in The College of Arts and Sciences, where SUBE is based. Selections will draw from the following: “A Christmas Festival” (Leroy Anderson, arr. by James Wood), “Winter Night: Sleigh Ride” (Delius, arr. by D. Wilson), “And the Glory of the Lord” from “Messiah” (Handel), “Good King Wenceslas” (Traditional, arr. by D. Court), “Gaudete” (Traditional, arr. by R. Newton), “Rondo alla Turca” from Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart, arr. by Martin Ellerby), “Capriccio Italien” (Tchaikovsky, arr. by Denis Wright), “Procession of the Nobles” (Rimsky-Korsakoff, arr. by Spencer), “Florentiner March” (Fucik, arr. by Roger Barsotti), and “Jesus Christ Superstar” (Lloyd Webber, arr. by Alan Fernie). The concerts will also feature an audience sing-along, pulling from “Joy to the World,” “The First Noel,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night.” The Dec. 6 program, known as “Holidays at Hendricks,” showcases a variety of choral and handbell pieces, including Gregorian chant, a Renaissance motet and a Nigerian Christmas carol. “Holidays at Hendricks” airs on WCNY-FM on Thursday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m. and on Friday, Dec. 25, at 8 a.m. It also airs on WCNY-TV on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 5:30 p.m. and on Dec. 24 at 9:30 p.m. DVD copies of last year’s Telly Award-winning broadcast are $15 and are available for sale at http://subrass.com.