Newsbriefs (winter 2009)
New concentrations at Clark merge social change and business skills
Students studying for an MBA at Clark may now find it a little easier to heed the University 's motto of "Challenge Convention. Change Our World." A new option—the Social Change concentration—will allow them to blend their business skills with skills that focus on major social and environmental issues that are increasingly important in our global economy.
"Clark attracts MBA students who want to make a difference in the world," says Graduate School of Management (GSOM) Dean Ed Ottensmeyer. "Even though our students focus primarily on developing world-class business skills in finance, marketing or global business, we see increasing numbers of students who want to put those skills to work outside the traditional business sector. Through this new concentration, our students can learn more about the social and environmental challenges facing our world. Without question, these challenges will play a greater role in the business leader 's world, and we all need our future leaders to be better prepared."
This new concentration is a result of a collaborative effort between GSOM and the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark. Likewise, IDCE graduate students who are enrolled in the Community Development and Planning Program will have the opportunity to develop business skills through a new concentration in Enterprise Management.
"There is a fine line between nonprofit missions, government responsibility and private sector objectives," says IDCE professor Mark Tigan, who helped create the program. "Increasingly those lines are becoming blurred and traditional skill sets—proven necessary to survive—are merging; it's imperative for all three sectors to learn from each other."
Tigan says current and future employers are demanding more social science/business cross-adaptation in both theory and field capacity and the new Enterprise Management concentration will provide opportunities for students to capture these skills.
"The worlds of business and development are increasingly intertwined," says GSOM professor Mary-Ellen Boyle, who co-chaired with Tigan the joint task force to develop the new concentrations. "Corporations are facing social, environmental and sustainability challenges—and development and planning professionals use management skills and strategic thinking every day.
"The separation of goals and activities that once characterized the private and public sectors is dissolving in the face of new partnerships, alliances and collaborations aimed at addressing the greatest challenges of the 21st Century: economic well-being, social justice and environmental sustainability."
A new launch—online—of pioneer Robert Goddard's scientific work
Robert Goddard's place in history was forever secured on a spring day in 1926 when the Clark University physicist watched the first liquid-fueled rocket lift off above a field at his Aunt Effie 's farm. Now, with the launch of a new online archive, historians, researchers, students and fans of the father of rocketry have access to a trove of Goddard materials not previously available online.
Clark's Goddard Library has expanded its online offerings to include writings from notebooks and diaries in Goddard 's own hand, as well as the transcriptions that Goddard's wife, Esther, made. Also digitized are scrapbooks of articles about him and the complete three-volume set, "The Papers of Robert H. Goddard," comprising information Mrs. Goddard gathered. Only a few hundred copies of the set exist, making this a rare opportunity for scholars to review this definitive work, according to Mott Linn, Clark 's coordinator of archives and special collections.
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, through its Digitizing Historical Resources grant program, awarded the project $40,000 in funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Further financial support is provided by the University. Visitors to the Goddard Library —in person and online—can view Goddard's personal account of the historic rocket launch on March 16, 1926: "The first flight with a rocket using liquid propellants was made yesterday at Aunt Effie 's farm in Auburn. … Even though the release was pulled, the rocket did not rise at first, but the flame came out, and there was a steady roar. After a number of seconds it rose, slowly until it cleared the frame, and then at express train speed, curving over to the left, and striking the ice and snow, still going at a rapid rate. It looked almost magical as it rose, without any appreciably greater noise or flame, as if it said ‘I've been here long enough; I think I'll be going somewhere else, if you don't mind.' Esther said that it looked like a fairy or an aesthetic dancer, as it started off. …"
Goddard was a member of Clark's Physics Department for 29 years. As the American pioneer of rocket research, he laid the technical and theoretical foundations for many of the developments in long-range rockets, missiles, satellites and space flight, which collectively put the United States into the Space Age. The original deposit of Goddard papers, concerning Goddard 's life and work, was given to Clark University by Mrs. Goddard in 1964.
To visit, go to: robertgoddard. clarku.edu. For more information about the project, contact Mott Linn at 508-793-7572.
Foremost immigration law expert delivers Clark's first Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture
Alexander Aleinikoff, a leading scholar and expert on immigration law and policy, delivered "Global Law in the U.S. Legal System: Friend or Foe?" at the inaugural Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture this past October. The Alex Drapos Memorial Lecture Series is a program of free, public lectures concerning law and American society, established by the Fallon Clinic Foundation, in memory of Alexander Drapos '58, who was a former trustee both at Clark and the Fallon Clinic Foundation.
Aleinikoff, dean of the Georgetown University Law Center and executive vice president of Georgetown University, has written widely on immigration, refugee and citizenship law and policy, constitutional law, statutory interpretation and race discrimination. He served as general counsel and executive associate commissioner for programs at the Immigration and Naturalization Service for several years during the Clinton Administration. From 1997 to 2004 he was a senior associate at the Migration Policy Institute, where he now serves on the board of trustees.
The Fallon Clinic Foundation allocated funding to this lecture series, which brings to the Clark campus speakers who have expertise in the areas of law and American society, such as immigration law and policy or health-care law, which were of major interest and concern to Mr. Drapos.
Mr. Drapos died on July 10, 2006. He graduated from Clark in 1958 with an A.B., and earned his law degree in 1961 at Duke University before embarking on a long, distinguished career in commercial, banking and immigration law. He practiced at Fletcher, Tilton and Whipple, PC, in Worcester, where he was a director. He was a member of the Worcester County and Massachusetts Bar Associations and of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
A longtime, generous supporter of Clark University, as well as numerous community, civic and cultural organizations, Mr. Drapos served on a number of committees. He received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award presented by the Alumni Association.
Established in 1988 as a public charity, Fallon Clinic Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting community health and welfare through public education, research, higher education and leadership.
Mosakowski Institute inaugural conference explores putting university research into effective public practice
In November, the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise hosted its inaugural conference, "University Research and the American Agenda," to consider how universities can increase the impact of their research in addressing critical public issues.
The two-day conference brought together leading practitioners and scholars to share their perspectives on such important and timely issues as improving outcomes for American urban public school students, controlling health-care costs while ensuring health-care accessibility, and balancing public demand for energy with the harmful effects of carbon emissions on climate.
"Clark has a long history of excellence in research," says William Mosakowski '76, chairman of Clark's Board of Trustees and a speaker at the conference. "The institute's inaugural conference marks the beginning of a new effort to increase the impact of our research on important issues of public concern."
The conference featured a public lecture by former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, who delivered the President 's Lecture, "Reality-Based Leadership: Putting Ideas into Action." Dukakis had some harsh words for the academy, chastising them for not taking more direct action in getting their important research into the hands of government practitioners. A video of his presentation can be viewed at clarku.edu/dukakis.
Other conference highlights included the keynote address, "What Was That All About? Prospects for Policy Change after the 2008 Elections," by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, communication professor and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania; and the plenary session address by Jeffrey Henig, political science and education professor at Columbia University.
"The academic researchers and public policy practitioners who came together at Clark for our conference share a common commitment to solving social problems. Working together, their knowledge, wisdom and energy can make an enormous difference, "notes Jim Gomes, director of the Mosakowski Institute.
The Mosakowski Institute was established in the fall of 2007, thanks to a generous founding gift from William '76 and Jane '75 Mosakowski. The institute is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of government and other institutions in addressing social concerns through the mobilization of university research. For more information visit clarku.edu/research/mosakowskiinstitute.
Alumna's gift breathes new life into old theater
Thanks to a generous gift from Goldie Michelson M.A. '36, Clark's Little Center Theater gets a new life and a new name: Michelson Theater. Michelson donated $104,508 toward the renovation of the theater, which has begun with the installation of a new marquee.
"The shiny new marquee marks the beginning of the changes to come at the Michelson Theater," says theater professor Gino Dilorio. The Michelson Theater will have a new lobby, ticket booth, reception area, wing space and dressing rooms. The enhancements will also include technical advancements such as a new acoustic design, a completely updated light grid and new seats.
"Goldie Michelson has been a great benefactor for Clark. Her generous gift to our theater program will benefit students and faculty for years to come. All of us in the theater are very excited and thankful for her contributions," says DiIorio.
Michelson's gift reflects a deep passion for the theater. She has experienced every aspect of theatrical life: she acted in, staged, costumed, directed, attended and funded productions. She and her late husband, David, used to drive from their home in Worcester on Friday afternoons to New York to see shows on Broadway. These weekends were truly Broadway marathons, notes Michelson. They would catch shows on Friday evening, two or three shows on Saturday and perhaps another two shows on Sunday before the return trip to Worcester. Michelson sparked a love for drama in her daughter, Renee, and her granddaughter, Marilyn, who both pursued the theater arts.
"Goldie is a master of the theater," says Tom Dolan '62. "She is a 360-degree theater person, erudite and remarkable."
Grad student's virtual cricket game wins $25K in Facebook contest
As cricket fans around the world enjoy the mania that culminates with the Twenty20 World Cup, international development and social change graduate student and entrepreneur Fayaz Taher is helping everyone onto the pitch with his own Twenty20 Cricket, an online application that allows users worldwide to act as virtual team managers, training their players and competing against other site users.
Taher is the director of Infrablue Technology (IBT) and co-founder and chief marketing officer of ibtgames.com, which recently won $25,000 in Facebook 's grant-funding competition, fbFund, along with mentorship and support to develop their applications. One of 25 first-round finalists, Twenty20 Cricket competed to receive an additional $225,000 grant. Although it didn't win, Taher says he met potential investors who were interested in the game.
Taher says the idea for the venture originated with his brother. "One day my brother was playing games on Facebook and getting frustrated with problems, errors and bad experiences. So he decided that we should do something about it."
Avid cricket fans, they decided to create an electronic version of their favorite sport. Taher says the game allows them to connect with family and friends as well as fellow fans in South Asia.
The Twenty20 Cricket site on Facebook is currently rated four stars out of five, based on more than 1,000 user reviews so far, has more than 24,000 fans and claims 90,360 monthly active users. Ibtgames.com recently launched Street Football, which Taher says had garnered more than 17,000 fans in less than three weeks.
IBT was founded in 2005 as a sister company of Fortuna Group, headquartered in Dhaka. The company reports steady growth in South Asia and the United States, with plans to expand further here. IBT offers a range of software solutions and Web-development services with a global client base.
To learn more about the Twenty20 Cricket game, visit facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=16916253523
aids2031 launches documentaries exploring love and HIV
In participation of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2008, aids2031 debuted the documentary series, Love in the Time of HIV, on BBC World. The five-episode series follows the stories of young people living with HIV in five cities —Cape Town, South Africa; St. Petersburg, Russia; New York City; Mumbai, India; and London —as they navigate relationships, careers and families. A new episode debuted each week for five weeks, beginning on Nov. 29.
aids2031 partnered with Rockhopper Productions, the United Nations Population Fund and the Packard Foundation to create the series to raise awareness about the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people living with HIV. The series is available to watch online at rockhopper.tv/aids2031.
Clark leads the aids2031 initiative, a global consortium that is charged with anticipating and influencing the future landscape of AIDS. In 2009, aids2031 will launch a final report called "An Agenda for the Future," which will be the center piece for a series of public conversations and roundtables with political, research and business leaders around the world. For more information about aids2031, visit aids2031.org.
In the spotlight: Student Organization - Clark University Beard Enthusiasts
It's likely you've never questioned the absence of any club devoted to glorifying facial hair on a college campus. As of fall 2008, a new student group at Clark, however, has given those jilted and unrepresented bearded students and their admirers a new reason to stop shaving.
The Clark University Beard Enthusiasts (CUBE) is an organization for students who love facial hair and the brainchild of Jacob Nathan '10. "CUBE was just an idea. Whenever I told someone about it, they loved it. I started to think about forming the club when I started sporting my own beard," explains Nathan.
CUBE, led by Nathan as "Hairman of the Board," has lofty plans for a number of different CUBE-sponsored events and activities aimed at raising the group 's profile on campus as well as funds for favorite charities. This fall, the group hosted "OctobeardFest," a month-long contest in which razor-eluding participants solicited donations for charitable organizations in exchange for promising not to shave during the entire month of October. The "best overall" category winner went to Brenna Schwert who cut off her own hair and constructed a beard out of it which she taped to her face. "It looked awesome. It was a great moment in female beard growth," says Nathan. Schwert, who garnered the most votes and raised the most money, won an additional $100, which she donated to her charity. Other award categories included "Most Creative," "Bearded Lady," "The EPIC, Massive, Viking Beard," and "Maybe Next Year."
Other planned events include the "Faculty Beard Awards" to commemorate "the finest bearded Clark faculty member" and the "Celebrity Beard Award," where CUBE members will vote on the celebrity with the best beard and, as Nathan explains, "attempt, probably unsuccessfully, to get them to come to Clark to accept it."
CUBE's planned events stretch beyond the perimeters of its members, already 25 strong. Nathan is planning satirical monthly "lectures" about topics having to do with facial hair, and CUBE is offering other groups on campus the opportunity to have their events "CUBE approved" with the CUBE logo (featuring a three-dimensional red cube with a long, brown beard and smiling face) for fliers —if their events feature "something or someone related to facial hair."
Unmistakably, humor is a significant part of CUBE's mission and activities. More than just a few laughs, Nathan says that the bearded hilarity that CUBE generates also contributes to the greater good. "CUBE is going to be an important campus group. We're using our good humor and love of facial hair to help mobilize people to help the community."
— Maura Canavan '08
2008-2009 MAD scholars passionate about making a difference
Clark welcomed six new Making A Difference (MAD) Scholars at the start of this academic year. The MAD Scholarship is awarded to incoming first-year students who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to social change. The Making a Difference Scholarship is a $48,000 four-year scholarship ($12,000 per year). The scholarship includes a $2,500 taxable stipend and housing allowance to support an optional summer project that students may undertake in Worcester during the summer following their sophomore or junior year. "This group of Making A Difference Scholars is passionate and dedicated to social-justice issues. I 'm certain they will have an immediate and long-lasting impact at Clark," says Micki Davis, Community Engagement and Volunteering Center coordinator. The 2008-2009 recipients are as follows:
Lydia Biloskirka-Conley founded the Microcredit Club at her high school and worked to raise money for entrepreneurs in Guatemala. She was both a mentor in Violence Prevention and a peer mediator. She co-founded the Current Events Club at her high school and was a counselor at the New Art Center Camp.
Tin-Yan Chan conducted an affordable-housing survey among residents of Boston's Chinatown and volunteered at Camp Sunshine, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Will Colan was selected as an ambassador to represent his high school at Maine Youth Leadership, where he later served as a junior counselor. In 2006 he was appointed to a two-year term in the Maine Legislative Youth Council. He has attended both the Diversity Leadership Institute at Bates College and the Seeds of Peace International Camp.
Jennifer Pimentel founded and served as president of her high school's Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) chapter and was a member of Amnesty International. She recently took part in Clark TREK Operation Restoration in New Orleans.
Eve Rabinowitz was a member of her high school's Hurricane Relief Committee and traveled to Mississippi to aid in relief efforts. She also traveled to South Africa with the Bridges to Understanding Program to create an educational documentary, which she is hoping to show at several venues to raise money to benefit a young HIV-positive mother who she interviewed for the documentary.
Whitney Smith was a member of the student group Child Labor Education and Action, where she helped pass a sweat-free policy for her high school and chaired the committee that has drafted a bill proposing that the state of Vermont become sweat-free.
New interactive report card reveals sustainability trends at 300 leading schools
Budget-breaking energy costs combined with growing student activism are boosting the appeal of sustainability initiatives on college campuses across the country. The interactive GreenReportCard.org Web site reveals that two out of three schools, including Clark University, have improved their grades from last year in the new College Sustainability Report Card 2009. Clark earned a B+ overall, scoring A 's in the categories of Administration, Food & Recycling, Endowment Transparency, Investment Priorities, and Shareholder Engagement.
"With the release of this year's report card, I am enthused by the fact that two out of three schools evaluated in both years improved their overall grade between 2008 and 2009," says David Schmidt, campus sustainability coordinator at Clark. "And to see Clark earn a full letter grade above the average is a testament to the sustained action the University has taken to improve its environmental impact from the boiler room to the board room."
The Web site, launched on Sept. 24, provides interactive sustainability profiles and grades from the Report Card for 300 schools with the largest endowments ranging from approximately $150 million to $35 billion.
"The College Sustainability Report Card is the only independent evaluation of sustainability in campus operations and endowment investments, and it has the highest response rate of any college sustainability ranking or rating," says Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, the Report Card 's publisher, who notes many colleges are taking pride in greener campuses and sustainability-savvy investments. The Sustainable Endowments Institute is a Cambridge-based nonprofit organization engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices.
With "A-" as the highest overall grade earned, only 15 schools reached that level and qualified as College Sustainability Leaders. In contrast, the average grade for all schools surveyed came to "C+," with more than 75 percent of colleges and universities earning sustainability grades in the "B" and "C" range. The full College Sustainability Report Card 2009 is available at greenreportcard.org.
Model U.N. delegates shine at Yale conference
This fall, 11 delegates from Clark University's Model United Nations team participated in the Yale University United Nations Security Council Simulation conference in New Haven, Conn. Clark secured six awards at the highly competitive international conference and several students earned top honors.
Nicky Looho '11 and Minh Mai '11 won the honorable mention award for their work representing the Lao People's Democratic Republic in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Both Himal Jayasekara '11, who represented Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere in the 2004 Peace and Security Council of the African Union, and Sarah Richard '11, who represented Cardinal Roger Mahoney in the Conclave of the College of Cardinals, also won honorable mentions.
Clark Model U.N. head delegates Ben Terrett '09 and Ben Raynak '09 won the Best Delegation Award. They worked together in the Open Agenda Security Council simulation representing the West African nation of Burkina Faso.
Katerina Antoniou '10, Avril Perez '10, Oana Chimina '11, Tanya D'Lima '11 and Abir Joshi '11 also participated.
The Clark Model U.N. Program is a realistic simulation of the activities of ambassadors and representatives of different member nations who serve in the different agencies of the United Nations. Students assume the roles of ambassadors or special U.N. representatives of the various member nations and participate in live simulations of the U.N. Security Council, Economic Social and Cultural Council and Special Middle East Summit.
Clark swim and dive teams named academic All-American
Both the Clark men's and women's swim and dive teams have been named to the NCAA Division III College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American teams for the spring 2008 semester. A combined 115 women 's and men's Division III college swimming and diving programs were named as Academic All-American teams.
The women's team grade-point average (GPA) has steadily been on the rise, jumping from 52nd in 2007 to 13th last spring with a combined GPA of 3.45, the highest in coach Paul Phillips ' six-year tenure. The Cougar women were one of two New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) teams honored in the top 15.
The Clark men ranked 18th nationally, seven slots higher than the previous year, with a 3.24 academic standing. Shyamal Asher ‘08, a member of last year's squad, aided the standing with his 4.11 cumulative GPA, earning him Clark's first-ever Senior Scholar Athlete Award this past spring.
Clark athletes trick-or-treat for the hungry
For the third year, Clark's Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) gave an old Halloween tradition a new twist as they headed out into Worcester to trick-or-treat for canned goods instead of candy. More than 50 student-athletes volunteered and brought in 1,400 pounds of food —400 pounds more than they collected last year—which was donated to the Worcester County Food Bank.
"Food drives make up only a small percentage of what the food bank gives out to soup kitchens," explains Caleb Evanter '09, co-chair of SAAC's Community Engagement Committee. "Having a food drive adds a lot of work for them, but we also sorted all the food that we donated, and most groups don 't normally do that."
The Worcester County Food Bank praised the group for collecting more food than many drives organized by large corporations. "There was a lot of positive feedback from the community, the volunteers and the food bank," Evanter says.
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