2007-2008
Alumnae Cited for Accomplishments and Service
Five alumnae of Sarah Lawrence College were awarded citations for achievement and service during the College's reunion, June 6–8. Tina Howe '59, a noted playwright, Ingrid Sischy '73, an acclaimed editor, and Barbara Taylor Bowman '50, a pioneer in early childhood education, were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments, while Anne Beane Rudman '67 and Molly Caldwell '93 were recognized for extraordinary service to the College. The honored alumnae were nominated by their classmates.
John Hill named Board of Trustees Chair
John Hill of Bronxville, N.Y., has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sarah Lawrence College, it was announced today. Hill succeeds Robert Riggs, also of Bronxville, who has chaired the Board for the last four years.
Hill, founder and vice-chairman of First Reserve Corporation, a private equity buyout firm, has been a member of the Board for the past six years, chairing the investment committee and participating in the executive and finance committees.
Melissa Frazier Wins Prize
The International Conference on Romanticism has awarded Russian faculty member Melissa Frazier the 2007 Jean-Pierre Barricelli Prize for the year’s best work in Romanticism studies for her book, Romantic Encounters: Writers, Readers and the Library for Reading (Stanford University Press, 2007).
Music Concert Honoring Margaret Hopping
The Sarah Lawrence College Chamber Choir and Women’s Vocal Ensemble will perform works by Handel, Fauré, Copland, spirituals and folk songs conducted by Patrick Romano. The concert is free and open to the public, and it will take place on Sunday, May 11 at 5 p.m. in Reisinger Concert Hall. Organizers hope the public will consider the concert as an enjoyable way to celebrate Mother’s Day. For more information please call (914) 395-2412.
Jessica Lange to Address Sarah Lawrence College's 79th Commencement
Acclaimed actress Jessica Lange is the speaker for Sarah Lawrence College’s 79th Commencement taking place on Westlands lawn on May 23 at 10 a.m. She will address the 310 graduating seniors, who will receive the bachelor’s of arts in liberal arts degree, 125 graduate students receiving their master’s degrees, and their families.
Sarah Lawrence Students Win Awards
Jessica Lockard ’08 and Justin Butler ’10 will have opportunities to pursue work in their areas of interest having successfully competed for two prestigious awards.
2008 Poetry Festival
The largest free poetry festival in the east, the fifth annual Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival, will be held Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27. Organized entirely by students, the Festival will feature readings by more than forty poets including Ron Padgett, Sage Francis, Sonia Sanchez, Bob Hicok, Carl Phillips, and Mei-mei Berssenbrugge. All readings will take place on the Sarah Lawrence Campus, a short train ride from Manhattan, in either the Heimbold Visual Arts Center or the Slonim Graduate House. The festival is co-sponsored by Poets & Writers Magazine, with support from the New York State Council for the Arts. Free shuttles will run from the Bronxville train station and free parking is available. Please visit the Poetry Festival Web site for a detailed schedule. For more information, please call (914) 395-2412.
Tovah Feldshuh Performs
Four-time Tony-nominee and Sarah Lawrence College alumna Tovah Feldshuh will recreate her award-winning performance as Golda Meir in "Golda's Balcony" when the acclaimed William Gibson play comes to the College's Reisinger Auditorium for six performances May 29 through June 1.
Directed by Scott Schwartz, "Golda's Balcony" is a portrait of the indomitable Meir, the Milwaukee school teacher who became Prime Minister of Israel in 1969. From the pogroms of Russia to the halls of the Knesset, Meir's life—and the play—encapsulates the dramatic story of Israel in the 20th Century. Following the performances at Sarah Lawrence, Ms. Feldshuh will debut "Golda's Balcony" in London at the Shaw Theatre for a limited run, beginning June 7.
Stacey Ahern '08
Stacey Ahern, class of '08, died on March 20 in Bronxville at the age of 29. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, April 30, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Heimbold Auditorium, and a tribute remembering and celebrating Stacey will be held from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. Anyone wishing to share their memories of Stacey are welcome to do so during the tribute. For more information, contact College Events (914) 395-2412 or collegeevents@sarahlawrence.edu.
Jean Valentine Named New York State Poet
Acclaimed poet Jean Valentine, who spent the majority of her teaching life at Sarah Lawrence College, has been named New York State Poet for 2008–2010. She was also awarded the New York State Walt Whitman Citation of Merit for Poets, as announced by the New York State Writers Institute.
Starting Out in the Evening: Book to Movie
In his review of “Starting Out in the Evening,” New York Times film critic A.O. Scott referred to the book on which it is based as a “near-perfect novel.” The author, SLC Writing faculty member and alumnus Brian Morton, will be joined by the film’s director Andrew Wagner, his co-screenwriter Fred Parnes, and actress Lili Taylor in a program presented by the College’s Friends of the Library on Friday, March 14. A panel discussion with the author and actors will begin at 7 p.m. following a screening of the film at 4:30 p.m. The program will be held in the Heimbold Visual Arts Center and will be moderated by Film history faculty member Malcolm Turvey.
Sarah Lawrence at Carnegie Hall
The musical work of Sarah Lawrence College students and faculty will be included in a Carnegie Hall concert “Pre-Raphaelite II,” presented by the Cygnus Ensemble, the College’s ensemble-in-residence, on March 8 at 8:30 p.m. in the Weill Recital Hall.
Frederick Wong
An exhibition of watercolors by Frederick Wong will be exhibited in the gallery of the Esther Raushenbush Library at Sarah Lawrence College from March 30 – May 2.
Women's History Month Conference
A Women’s History Month Conference entitled, Black Power, Black Feminism: Black Women’s Activism and Development of Womanist/Feminist Consciousness in the Era of Black Power will be held at Sarah Lawrence College on March 7 and 8. The keynote speaker will be Chana Kai Lee, author of For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer.
Joshua Lutz Exhibit
Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce “Meadowlands”, an exhibition of photography by Joshua Lutz. On view at the Heimbold Visual Art Center’s Barbara Walters Gallery, it is free and open to the Public. For more information please call 914-395- 2355 or e-mail cstayrook@slc.edu.
Anniversary of Declaration of Human Rights
Sarah Lawrence College will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights on Wednesday, Februrary 27 at 5 p.m. in the Esther Raushenbush Library. Two distinguished experts on international law, Professor Tai-Heng Cheng, and Dr. Angelia Means will discuss the way the discourse of human rights has evolved since it was adopted 60 years ago, as well as a series of related issues. Questions about whether the limited institutional enforcement of the charter has undermined its effectiveness and whether human rights should be understood to include cultural or social rights will be addressed.
Ralph J. Cicerone Speaks on Climate Change
One of the nation’s leading experts on climate change, Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), will outline ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and other mitigation strategies, such as geoengineering, in an appearance at Sarah Lawrence College.
Bequest from Village Resident Supports Music Program
The Margaret Hopping Music Fund at Sarah Lawrence College has been established thanks to a $225,000 bequest by a member of one of the first families to live in Bronxville, Margaret Hopping, who died shortly before her 100th birthday last year. The gift will be celebrated at an upcoming concert this spring.
SLC Dance Students Make the Everyday Extraordinary
The artistry of the legendary Trisha Brown, considered to be the most widely acclaimed choreographer to emerge from the postmodern era, is being shared with students and local residents in Yonkers by the Sarah Lawrence College Dance Program.
Focus the Nation: Sarah Lawrence College Participates in Teach-In
On January 30 and 31, 2008, Sarah Lawrence College will participate in Focus the Nation, joining over 1,000 colleges and universities around the country in an unprecedented national teach-in on solutions to global warming.
Exhibits and Lectures by Emerging Artists
Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce “CARL”, an installation by Analia Segal. On view at the Heimbold Visual Art Center’s Barbara Walters Gallery, it is free and open to the public. For more information please call 914-395- 2355 or e-mail cstayrook@slc.edu.
Anne-Marie Levine Exhibit
The artist Anne-Marie Levine will exhibit her work in a show called "Sex, Death, Abstraction: Selected Work, 2004-2007" at Sarah Lawrence College Library from February 2 to March 3, 2008.
Esteemed Honorary Trustee Laurence F. Whittemore Dies
Laurence F. Whittemore, a valued, longtime member of the Board of Trustees, and since 2000 Honorary Trustee, died on December 24 at the age of 78, following complications resulting from a fall.
The Business of Genetic Testing
The December issue of Scientific American features a story by Laura Hercher, faculty member in the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College, probing the growing business of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Hercher focuses the article on “nutrigenetics:” a new industry offering what they bill as personalized nutritional advice based on the results of a genetic test combined with a lifestyle questionnaire. But Hercher cautions that commerce may be running ahead of science, stating that “the commercialization of gene detection technology has occurred before scientists have developed an adequate understanding of how particular genes contribute to health and disease.”
Exhibits and Lectures by Emerging Artists
Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce “Smells Like English Boxwood”, a solo exhibition of animation and watercolors by Jennifer Levonian. On view at the Heimbold Visual Art Center’s Barbara Walters Gallery, it is free and open to the Public. For more information please call 914-395- 2355 or e-mail cstayrook@slc.edu.
Yonkers High School Students Honored
Seventeen Yonkers high school students will have an opportunity to read from their original writing at an awards program at Sarah Lawrence College at 7 p.m. on November 13. The students are being honored for their Fulbright Association-sponsored participation in a week-long writing workshop held at the College in July.
Health Advocacy Program Brings Counseling to Community Seniors
A go-to place for the growing needs of seniors for information and help related to health care is being established through collaboration between Sarah Lawrence College’s Health Advocacy Program, the Westchester Library System, the County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services, the Medicare Rights Center and the Yonkers Public Library. The partnership will make it possible for older adults and their families to access reliable health care information, including on-line information, receive one-on-one counseling, address health care and insurance questions and learn to act as their own health advocates.
Ray Seidelman Remembered
Raymond Seidelman, member of the Sarah Lawrence College politics faculty for 25 years, died October 30 from complications due to cancer. A teacher devoted to his students and colleagues, he will be remembered for his passionate commitment to democracy and to social justice. In a message to the College community, Pauline Watts, Dean of the College said: “Ray fought fiercely, eloquently, and practically for human rights, locally and nationally.”
Jane M. Cooper, Faculty Emerita
Jane Marvel Cooper, poet, Professor and Poet-in-Residence Emerita at Sarah Lawrence College, died peacefully at Pennswood Village, Newtown, P.A., on October 26th from complications due to Parkinson's Disease.
Exhibits and Lectures By Emerging Artists
Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce “Love Cliché”, a solo exhibition of mixed media, painting, and collage by Modou Dieng. On view at the Heimbold Visual Art Center’s Barbara Walters Gallery, it is free and open to the Public. For more information please call 914-395- 2355 or e-mail cstayrook@slc.edu.
Campbell Corner Poetry Prize Reading
Winners of the Campbell Corner Poetry Prize, a $3,000 award, as well as other distinguished poets will read from their work at Sarah Lawrence College on October 30 at 7 p.m. in the Suzanne Werner Wright Theatre.
Carol Gilligan and Judith Jordan Present Helen Merrill Lynd Colloquium
In a tribute to College alumna Jean Baker Miller (1927 – 2006), a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who had a profound effect on the way today’s psychology views women, leading voices in the field Carol Gilligan and Judith Jordan will present a lecture on the late author of the seminal work, Toward a New Psychology of Women, in the Donnelley Lecture Hall of the Heimbold Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College on Wednesday, October 24 at 4 p.m.
Watercolor Exhibit by Ellen Hopkins Fountain
An exhibit of watercolors by Ellen Hopkins Fountain, of Ardsley, will be exhibited in the Esther Raushenbush Library Gallery at Sarah Lawrence College from Saturday, October 13, through Saturday, December 15. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, October 14 from 2 – 4 p.m. “Double Vision,” a series of 25 watercolor paintings of landscapes, both representational and abstract, is open to the public during regular library hours. For more information, please call 914-395-2470.
Carolyn Brown Highlights Discussion of 20th Century Visionaries
Carolyn Brown, dancer and author of Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham, will join members of the Sarah Lawrence College dance, music, art history, and writing faculty on Monday, October 15 at 3:45 p.m. in the Bessie Schonberg Dance Theatre. The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the inaugural year of Sarah Lawrence College’s tenth president, Karen R. Lawrence. It includes a dance performance by the Cunningham Repertory Understudy Group and will conclude with screenings of “Merce Cunningham—A Lifetime of Dance” by Charles Atlas and “Cage/Cunningham” by Elliot Caplan.
Sarah Lawrence College to Inaugurate Karen R. Lawrence
Karen R. Lawrence will be inaugurated as tenth president of Sarah Lawrence College on Friday, October 5, 2007, on the College’s campus in Yonkers, N.Y. near the Village of Bronxville. Delegates representing 78 colleges and universities, including seven sitting presidents, will join more than 1,000 members of the College community, alumnae/i, and guests to celebrate the occasion.
Panel Explores Dance/Movement Therapy
Sarah Lawrence College presents a panel on dance/movement therapy, the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance,entitled SLC to Dance/Movement Therapy: Why Are We Here? The panel discussion, hosted by the College’s dance program, isan opportunity for students and guests to learn about a dance-related profession in which several former dance students are making major contributions. The program will be held on Monday, September 24 from 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. in the College’s Bessie Schonberg Dance Theater. The panel will be led by Cathy Appel, class of ’80, and will include Deborah Thomas ’49, Sharon Chaiklin ’55, Linni Deihl ’62, Mimi Leeds ’78 and Theodora Thatcher ’78. A reception with the panelists follows.
Exhibits and Lectures By Emerging Artists Showcase
Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce “even”, a solo exhibition of paintings by Angela Fraleigh. On view at the Heimbold Visual Art Center’s Barbara Walters Gallery, it is free and open to the public. For more information please call (914) 395- 2355 or e-mail cstayrook@slc.edu.
Students Arrive on Campus
The 2007-2008 academic year kicked off Saturday, September 1, as new students arrived on campus. The 367 first-year students were chosen from 2,808 applicants, the largest pool in the College’s history, with an admit rate of 45% and average GPAs of 3.6. They hail from 38 states and 15 countries–Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Sarah Lawrence Removed from Ranks of Ranked
The new edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings lists Sarah Lawrence College and 17 other liberal arts colleges in a new category labeled “unranked.” This classification, not used previously for liberal arts colleges, includes institutions that do not consider SAT or ACT scores, as in the case of SLC, and schools for which there were insufficient responses to the peer assessment survey as well as other unrelated criteria.
Ivanna Yi Receives U.S. Student Fulbright Award
Ivanna Yi MFA ’09 has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. student scholarship to South Korea in creative writing, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently. Yi is one of over 1,300 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2007-2008 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.
Applied Research Ethics Certificate Program
Sarah Lawrence College-for three decades a leader in health advocacy and human genetics master’s level education-offers a pioneering Applied Research Ethics (ARE) Certificate Program designed for healthcare professionals who seek career change and advancement.
Fish Neurobiology
Three students working under the guidance of biology faculty member Leah Olson completed a ten-week research project attempting to identify differences in brain structure between two competing species of tube blenny, small fish commonly found in coral reefs. The group was one of seven participating in The Division of Science and Mathematics’ Summer Undergraduate Research Program, now in its sixth year.
Ross To Lead Sarah Lawrence Into Conference Play
Dr. Joe Ross has been named Head Coach of Men's Basketball at Sarah Lawrence College. The team joins the Hudson Valley Athletic Conference after six years as an independent.
Barbara Probst Solomon Wins International Award
Barbara Probst Solomon, a member of the Graduate Writing Program faculty, received the United Nations/Women Together Award this past May at the United Nations. The honor seeks to pay tribute to eight women who "share a dedication to stand out in their individual activities, a commitment to their work, and a devotion to making the world a better place. Their efforts have made them symbols, icons and examples to the women of this century, giving hope for the future and creating a legacy for the next generations." Joining Solomon in receiving this year's award were: Artist Louise Bourgeois, Spanish television journalist Rosa Maria Calaf, Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Spanish economist Isabel Estapé, theatrical and television producer Francine LeFrak, Wangari Maathal the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize, and Vasundhara Raje, the first woman Chief Minister of the State of Rajastan.
Karen R. Lawrence is Tenth President of SLC
Karen R. Lawrence has assumed the presidency of Sarah Lawrence College widely know for its rigorous, progressive liberal arts and sciences educational program. She succeeds Michele Tolela Myers, who retired on August 1, as the College’s tenth president. Her inauguration will take place October 5, 2007.
SLC Endorses Annapolis Group Actions
Sarah Lawrence College plans to work with national educational organizations in developing a common format to share information with prospective students and their families to use in the college search process, a step resulting from meetings June 18-19 of the Annapolis Group (AG) of leading national liberal arts colleges. “We believe in accountability and openness, and that the public has a right to solid and reliable information about the important decisions involved in choosing a college,” said President Michele Tolela Myers.
Rudolf Arnheim, Founder of the Psychology of Art, Dies
Rudolf Arnheim, legendary psychology faculty member from 1943 to 1968, died on June 9 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the age of 102. Revered by his colleagues and students, Arnheim was a pioneer in his discipline and the founder of the academic field of the Psychology of Art.
The Writing Institute Fall 2007 Open House
The Writing Institute at 45 Wrexham Road on the Sarah Lawrence College campus is holding an open house on September 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 for prospective students to hear faculty members describe their courses, meet other writers and ask questions. Lunch will be served, and students who wish to meet with the staff of the Writing Institute will be able to speak one-to-one about their writing and which courses would be most useful in helping them reach their goals. Sally Koslow, author of the novel Pink Slips, and Sarah Goodyear, author of View from a Burning Bridge, both faculty members, will also be reading their work. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Nadeen Thomas at 914-395-2205 or nthomas@sarahlawrence.edu.
Teaching Young Children about the Environment
How do you teach children, especially young children, about the environment in a way that connects them and instills in them the importance of good practices, but doesn’t scare them? After all, global warming and specters of rising tides and stranded polar bears can be rather frightening for anyone.
David Sobel Delivers Keynote Speech for Empowering Teachers Program
David T. Sobel, co-director of the Community Based School Environmental Education Program (CO-SEED) at Antioch New England Graduate School, will present “Children and Nature Design Principles,” as the annual Thomas H. Wright Lecture sponsored by Sarah Lawrence College’s Child Development Institute on July 10 at 10:30 a.m. in Reisinger Concert Hall. For more information, please call 914-395-2630.