Joe Smith likes an element of instability in his art.
Whether he’s stacking bottles high up on glass plates and around the floor—risking shattering them—or fitting wooden blocks into a precarious construction from the top down—defying gravity—the associate professor of art says the attention that kind of daring work commands is essential.
“Standing next to glass makes people nervous—it makes me nervous,” says Smith, whose work with varied materials has been exhibited across the country. “That [emotion] affects me, so I think it’s important. Attentiveness is important to achieve.”
(More)
In February, W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83 announced her resignation as executive director of the Alumnae Association. Mary Graham Davis ’65, president of the association, wrote, “The Alumnae Association has enjoyed the executive director leadership of Rochelle Calhoun for the past five years. She has made a tremendous mark on the association and on alumnae and students, and we will miss her as she moves on to become the dean of student affairs at Skidmore College. Prior to taking on the executive director position at the association, Rochelle held a number of administrative positions at Mount Holyoke, including director of diversity and inclusion and acting dean of the college.
“Rochelle will be part of all our spring reunion events, and will depart for Skidmore after June 30. This will give us time to fête her accomplishments and provide an appropriate farewell tribute. Meanwhile, the board of the association will commence a search to fill the executive director position, and we hope to have our new director in place this fall.”
A tribute to Rochelle and her impact on the college and the association will run in the summer Quarterly. Please send any accolades for possible publication to Emily Weir (eweir@mtholyoke.edu or c/o Alumnae Association of MHC, 50 College St., S. Hadley, MA 01075-1486.
Photo by Paul Schnaittacher
As announced in the spring Alumnae Quarterly magazine, W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83 will step down as executive director of the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College this June.
Mary Graham Davis ’65, Association president, has announced the cochairs of the search committee that will recruit a new executive director. “We are pleased to announce as cochairs Dr. Susie Beers Betzer ’65, recent past president of the association and former trustee, and Joanna MacWilliams Jones ’67, a recent association board member with a strong human-resources background in education and nonprofit work,” she wrote.
The chairs have selected the other committee members, who are Pat Crane Furnivall ’50, Cynthia L. Reed ’80, Karen M. Hendricks ’76, Carrie K. Field ’97, Lisa M. Utzinger ’02, and Sandra A. Mallalieu ’91.
(More)
Above: Barbara Lippert ’76 of Adweek (second from left), and Pamela Maffei McCarthy ’74
of The New Yorker (center right) led a discussion on trade and mass-market magazine journalism.
The screen behind Elizabeth Spiers, founder of Gawker and Dead Horse Media, had a banner headline eliciting chuckles from all corners of the room: cryingwhileeating.com.
“There’s never going to be a ‘crying while eating’ magazine or TV channel,” Spiers said. But in an age where traditional print media are scrambling to hold on to subscribers and searching for traction and profit, such niche markets have taken hold on the Internet. Online pioneers like Spiers may hold the key to how we get our news in the future.
This was the subject of a winter conference, The Future in Communic@tions, coproduced by the Alumnae Association and the MHC Office of Communications. As the printed word adapts to life with the Internet, alumnae working in communications gathered to network with students and each other—and to hear about their profession’s future.
(More)
Two young alumnae whose promise and sustained achievement are consistent with the humane values Mary Lyon exemplified in her life received Mary Lyon Awards in February. The award honors young alumnae who graduated no more than fifteen years ago.
(More)
Would you like to spend an afternoon immersing yourself in Spanish? Want to know more about women leaders in South Africa? The Back-to-Class program offers more than twenty classes on the Friday of each Reunion weekend (May 23 and 30) for returning alumnae and their guests. With no cost and no homework, there’s just the pure pleasure of enriching your mind. Sign up when you register for the weekend. Or arrive Thursday night (we’ve got plenty of rooms on campus) to register and ensure a seat.
Photo by Paul Schnaittacher
Chef shares Quick and easy recipes
Members of the Mount Holyoke Club of Fairfield Villages grabbed their whisks in January and joined chef Nicole Straight for an interactive cooking class featuring easy-to-make meals—in fifteen minutes, no less—for singles or families. “We had eleven alums and one daughter turn out for the class,” said organizer Kathleen Turland ’90. “It was a lot of fun.” Dishes prepared in class at Christopher Peacock Cabinetry in Greenwich included Baja fish tacos, moo shoo beef, and spinach tortellini with garlicky swiss chard. “I have already made the fish tacos at home with great success,” added Turland. Check out Straight’s Web site and cookbook.
By now you should have received a questionnaire in your e-mail inbox
(or in your mailbox) from our alumnae directory publisher, Harris
Connect, asking for updates about you. If you have moved, changed jobs,
had a baby, or have been promoted—or even if things are exactly the
same—please let us know by completing the questionnaire. (If you
haven’t had a chance to complete it yet, you’ll receive a reminder
postcard or e-mail in early May with information about how to call in
to Harris Connect.) We’re preparing now for the next alumnae directory,
which will be published (in book form and online) in November. We’re
also converting to a new, more advanced data system, so when you send
that questionnaire, you help us make sure that your alumnae information
is 100 percent correct.
Robin Blaetz understands film. An associate professor of film studies at MHC, she has collaborated with the New York Times
in creating the immensely popular online course, Inside the Art and
Craft of Film, and more recently offered insight into the aural and
visual elements of film as part of the Lyon Lecture Series. The best
news is that Blaetz is also a member of the Speaker’s Bureau for the
Alumnae Association and is willing to speak to your club. Call or
e-mail Krysia Villón ’96, at kvillon@mtholyoke.edu for more information, or go to alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/volunteers/res/speakers/index.php.
Photo by Mary Noble Ours
The Nominating Committee has begun its triennial task of selecting
the next president to lead the Alumnae Association. The committee
strongly encourages alumnae to participate by recommending qualified
candidates. The president’s responsibilities include setting priorities
for programs and the budget, representing the Association on the
College’s Board of Trustees, communicating with College President
Joanne V. Creighton and senior staff, overseeing the policy function of
the Association board, evaluating the executive director, serving as a
role model for students and alumnae, and maintaining a strong Alumnae
Association with an increasingly global reach. Jill M. Brethauer ’70,
nominating committee chair, asks that alumnae submit candidates’
names—along with details about their qualifications—to her by e-mail at
Jill_Brethauer@alumnae.mtholyoke.edu, by phone at 724-443-6575, or by regular mail at 4046 Dickey Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044-9714.
In accordance with Article IV, Section 1, Paragraph 3 of the Bylaws, Mary Graham Davis ’65, president of the Alumnae Association, has appointed the following alumnae to serve as indicated. Terms end June 30, 2009.
APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Director-at-Large for Marketing (to 2009): Maureen McHale Hood '87, Cincinnati, Ohio. Alumnae Association Director-at-Large (elected), Affiliate Group Ad Hoc Committee, Communications Ad Hoc Committee; class agent. Former Reunion gift caller, class agent, Reunion welcome/hospitality chair; president, program chair, vice president and program chair, newsletter/directory editor, Cincinnati Club. Alumnae Medal of Honor. MBA, Georgetown University. Marketing director, Procter & Gamble.
Director-at-Large for Communications (to 2009): Adrienne Wild Skinner '77, Larchmont, N.Y. Alumnae Association Alumnae Relations Committee, Reunion gift caller, Cornerstone Representative. Former Reunion dinner chair, Reunion gift caller, class agent. Vice president, Partner Sales, Comcast Interactive Media. Former strategic account director, Yahoo!; executive vice president, GiftCertificates.com; vice president of sales and marketing, WebWide Guides Inc.; founder and president, WinStar Interactive; sales positions with Newsweek, ActMedia, and Whittle Communications.
(More)
In accordance with Article VI, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College, the Nominating Committee has prepared and recommends the following slate for election at the Annual Meeting to be held on May 24, 2008. Each candidate has been fully informed of the responsibilities and rights of the position and has indicated consent to serve if elected. Alumnae may submit additional nominations according to the procedure outlined in Article VI, Section 4 of the Bylaws. Terms are for the three years ending June 30, 2011 unless a different year is noted.
FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Young Alumnae Representative: Akua S. Soadwa '03, Brooklyn, N.Y. Former membership co-chair, New York Club. Founder, Gye Nyame Empowerment Project and A Touch of Soadwa. M.A., urban planning, design, and development, Cleveland State University. Urban analyst, N.Y. State Banking Department.
(More)
The following bylaws amendments (changes are in bold type) will be considered at the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association on May 24.
Article IV, Board of Directors
Section 1, Membership
2. Elected members. All members of the Board except two approved members-at-large shall be elected by the Membership.
3. Appointed Directors. No more than two (2) members-at-large may be appointed by the President to serve as shall be determined by the President, but in no event shall a term of an appointed director run beyond the term of the President appointing her.
Article VI, Nominations and Elections
Section 1, Nominating Committee
2.a. Members Rotation. … The number of members of the Nominating Committee shall be determined by the Board.
Article VII, Standing and Special Committees
Section I, Standing Committees
There shall be the following standing committees of the Board: Alumnae Honors Research Committee, Alumnae Quarterly Committee, Alumnae Relations Committee, Classes and Reunion Committee, Clubs Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, and Nomination of Alumnae Trustees/Awards Committee.
Section 4, Composition and Responsibilities of Standing Committees
2.a. Alumnae Quarterly Committee Composition. … Editor of the Quarterly shall be an ex officio member of the Alumnae Quarterly Committee without vote.
4.b. Classes and Reunion Committee, Responsibilities. The Classes and Reunion Committee shall be a resource to encourage, support and coordinate class organization of alumnae and to be responsible for reunions.
5.a. Clubs Committee, Composition. The Clubs Committee shall include the chair and eight members elected by the Alumnae Association membership.
5.b. Responsibilities. The Clubs Committee shall be a resource for alumnae who organize or wish to organize into a club based on their geographic location or an affiliate group based on special interests and to encourage, motivate and coordinate with such clubs/affiliate group.
7.a. Nomination of Alumnae Trustees/Awards Committee, Composition. … No member of the Nomination of Alumnae Trustee/Awards Committee, with the exception of the chair, shall be a member of the same class or from the same club area as any other member of the committee.
N o n f i c t i o n
CEO of Me: Creating a Life That Works in the Flexible Job Age
By Ellen Ernst Kossek ’79 and Brenda A. Lautsch (Wharton Press)
Are you finding the line between your work and home life blurred? Are you sick of juggling work tasks while trying to spend time with your children? Ellen Kossek’s book helps people clarify their work-life values and learn new ways to manage work-life relationships.
Ellen Ernst Kossek is a professor in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations at Michigan State University and a leading research expert on work and personal life.
My Life and Battles
By Jack Johnson; translated by Christopher Rivers (Greenwood Press)
African American Jack Johnson (1878–1946), whose defeat in 1910 of heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries, who was white, spurred race riots across the country, has been called “the first African American pop culture icon.” My
Life and Battles uncovers Johnson’s depictions of his colorful life and battles as well as the “color line” in boxing and American society in general.
Christopher Rivers is a professor of French at Mount Holyoke. He is writing a book on Georges Carpentier, the celebrated French boxer of the pre– and post–World War I era.
This Too Is Diplomacy: Stories of a Partnership
By Dorothy J. Irving ’43 (AuthorHouse)
An occupied city, an active volcano, and a presidential visit were all part of Dorothy Irving’s experience as a Foreign Service spouse, which she faithfully examines in this book. Irving paints a broad canvas of raising three children in numerous countries; coping with unfamiliar customs and languages; and how to accept humbly the special treatment often accorded diplomats.
Dorothy Petrie Irving has long been involved in interracial and intercultural activities and has received several awards in this field, including an MHC Sesquicentennial Award.
(More)
The Abbreviated College
What is the name of our college? Is it Mount Holyoke? Or is it Mt. Holyoke? Is it both? Does it matter? For many of my generation, Miss Harriet Newhall was the face of Mount Holyoke College. She told us never, never to abbreviate “Mount” to “Mt.” It simply was wrong. Unfortunately, with the Internet, we now have mtholyoke.edu everywhere. I think the integrity of our college name was sacrificed to save a few keyboard strokes; perhaps mhc. edu would have been a better abbreviation if that were the intent. Mine is a serious question provoked by a slide I recently saw in a presentation at Yale. Our college was shown as Mt. Holyoke, and I cringed a bit. Does the college now approve of that abbreviation in print or only on the Internet?
Barbara Blanco Gaab ‘60
New Haven, Connecticut
[Editor’s note: Miss Newhall would no doubt be pleased to know that Mount Holyoke is used in all college communications. (Mt. Holyoke refers to the mountain, not the college.) Our Web address is mtholyoke.edu, but mhc.edu is already in use by another institution.]
Born Gay, Sister
It just rips my heart apart to read a homophobic letter such as the one Lenora Castles Bryant ’64 sent to the winter 2008 Quarterly. Her reaction to the Jolene Fund (which aids gay Mount Holyoke students who have been cut off from funding by their parents) is not unexpected, simply disappointing and cruel.
One doesn’t choose to become gay. One is born gay. Throughout history there have been gay people who have chosen to live straight lives but at great mental and emotional cost. No one is forcing Ms. Bryant to live the life she has chosen; no one is insisting that she become gay. Why can’t she allow others the same kind of freedom to live an honest, open life?
At Mount Holyoke, one gets a full view of what she terms “both sides” of the sexual orientation question. I always found Mount Holyoke to be strongly “straight” oriented. And I am outraged that she suggests that only straight people face “real” dilemmas. Gays also work, have families, have children, own homes, meet mortgages, put their children through school, and take care of their elderly parents.
Ms. Bryant would throw away those young women who suddenly find themselves without support at Mount Holyoke. What a waste of potential! I suggest that anyone with true family values consider contributing to the Jolene Fund. It embraces what some might consider the more uncommon of Mount Holyoke’s uncommon women. It shows that no one is disposable. The sisterhood of Mount Holyoke is surely strong and thoughtful and charitable enough to embrace all its members.
Pamela Thiele ’70
Lakewood, Colorado
[Editor’s note: See the "comments" section of this site for more comments on this topic.
Ethical Nepal
I was excited to see the article “Doing Well by Doing Good” (fall 2007 Quarterly), but was disappointed that I missed the opportunity to promote my work.
Himalayan Techies (www.himalayantechies.com) is an offshore software development company I founded in 2000 in Katmandu, Nepal. I moved here, after adopting the first of my two Nepali children, so that I could more easily “make a difference.” My company is dedicated to private-sector job creation; we employ educated Nepalis who would otherwise have to leave the country to find meaningful work.
Foreign employment, and the resulting foreign remittances, is the single largest contributor to Nepal’s economy. This, in a country struggling to retain values such as multigenerational families living under one roof. Himalayan Techies is doing its bit to help Nepal retain its unique cultural identity while engaging in the global economy. Living in a part of the world in which aid money calls the shots, I am passionate about for-profit development. Himalayan Techies is living proof that this model works.
We write software, under contract, for small to midsized companies in America and the United Kingdom. Generally, the work would not be done at all if prevailing local wages had to be paid, so we are creating jobs, not stealing them. Significantly, our developers learn how to operate and thrive in an American-style entrepreneurial organization. They learn to question plans and processes proposed by our clients, and me. This translates into a sense of having more power in society. Many of our developers are now actively involved in not-for-profit initiatives outside HT, using their newfound voices to build a better Nepal, and so a better world.
Ellie Skeele ’75
Katmandu, Nepal
What’s Wrong With Me?
It’s alienating enough when you know something is wrong, health-wise; it’s worse when your concerns are dismissed. Hopefully, during Kara Baskin’s odyssey for answers (“Fear Itself,” fall 2007 Quarterly), she did not come across attitudes such as, “What you’re looking for is a doctor who will tell you what you want to hear.” That comment from a medical doctor did not stop my searches, despite my debilitated state. Like Kara, I too, pored over Web sites, even subscribing to Medscape for the latest on osteoporosis—one of the manifestations of my condition. Finally, I found a new family physician who read my lab reports with care, discovering the underlying cause of several issues. Now in my third year of revisions, with proper attention to complications and better nutritional guidance, I’m aiming to fully function again someday. Kara’s article should help those debilitated by little-understood conditions, or by medical inattentiveness. It should also inspire those who persist in seeking solutions when something is not quite right.
Sydney Hedderich ’74
Toronto, Canada
Outsourcing Child Study?
Today I received the news that the College is revamping its children’s services, which in effect will change the quality of programming for MHC students studying in the Psychology and Education Department as well as for the children and families attending. I have been following the discussions from afar with interest since I have been an MHC student in the program, a parent of children attending the Gorse Child Study Center, and a teacher at Gorse. I know intimately the quality of the programming that Gorse provides for both students and children.
I am so disappointed to hear that the program will be “outsourced.” Our college will be losing a program that is unique and serves the students in ways that will not be able to be replicated. Surely there is a way for the college to avoid following in the footsteps of major corporations that consolidate services to the detriment of the consumer.
Suzannah Heard FP’77
Arrowsic, Maine
[Editor’s note: For details on the college’s decision, see the brief in Campus Currents; more comments about Gorse are online at alumnae.mtholyoke.edu.]
New Letters Policy
We continue to welcome letters for the printed Quarterly. In addition, readers are encouraged to post their comments to the Quarterly’s online “blogazine.” Letters for which we don’t have room in the printed magazine will be posted online. In turn, comments from the blogazine may be published in the printed magazine, as space permits.
The editors will edit correspondence for accuracy and clarity and to meet space needs.
Three ways to share your thoughts:
- POST COMMENTS on the blogazine (click on “add/view comments.”)
- SEND AN E-MAIL to associate editor Mieke Bomann at mbomann@mtholyoke.edu.
- MAIL A LETTER to Mieke Bomann, Alumnae Quarterly, Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College, 50 College St., South Hadley, MA 01075-1486.
