Volume 12, Number 2, 2003
UD listed 12th among America's public colleges
UD listed 12th among America's public colleges
The University of Delaware is the 12th best value in the country for in-state students at public colleges, according to a listing of the top 100 schools in the November issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.
UD was ranked 14th in Kiplinger's 2002 survey and 24th in its 2000 ranking.
According to the magazine's article on best values in public colleges, "Our exclusive survey of U.S. public college and universities shines a spotlight on schools that combine great academics with reasonable costs."
Candlelight vigil
On the evening of Sept. 11, 2003, hundreds of students, faculty and community members gathered on UD's Green for an interfaith peace vigil marking the two-year anniversary of the tragic events in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant representatives spoke of peace as a response to terror and love as an answer to anger and hatred. UD senior Jordan Ballard sang "This Is My Song," which praises nature and asks for peace. Kim Zitzner of the Thomas More Oratory, the Catholic ministry on campus, closed the vigil with words of inspiration by the Dalai Lama, who wrote, "What you wish to experience, provide for another...If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another. If you wish to know that you are safe, cause [others] to know that they are safe..." As darkness fell, small clusters of students remained seated, their candles still flickering in the breeze.
An outstanding class
A sea of blue and gold T-shirts filled the Bob Carpenter Center when the class of 2007 gathered for New Student Convocation, Sept. 2.
The new students were asked to don the shirts for a spirit rally featuring UD's coaches, cheerleaders, the University's Marching Band and YoUDee, the Fightin' Blue Hen mascot.
Selected from 22,000 applicants, this outstanding class includes 37 valedictorians, 34 salutatorians and 440 students with 4.0 grade point averages. SAT scores for the middle 50 percent of all admitted freshmen range from 1150-1300. Statistically, this is the finest class in the recent history of the University.
The University's Honors Program has an enrollment of 489 freshmen with SAT scores for the middle 50 percent ranging from 1310-1410.
According to Louis Hirsh, director of admissions, this year there are 546 students of color of 15.6 percent of the freshman class, "the largest percentage ever."
Rosie K. Mauk, director of AmeriCorps, urged the new students to make service to others, especially the neediest, a big part of their college experience.
"A truly successful person is one who seeks knowledge and ways to contribute to society, as well as to his or her well being," she said.
AmeriCorps, a national service program, engages 50,000 young Americans yearly in volunteer service to meet pressing community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other human needs.
Continuing Inuit art exhibit
"Land of Ice, Hearts of Fire: Inuit Art and Culture," an exhibition of rare Canadian Inuit drawings, will continue through Sunday, Dec. 14, in the University Gallery, located on the second floor of Old College.
The exhibit displays a portion of a major gift of Inuit drawings from UD's Frederick and Lucy S. Herman Native American Art Collection and closely related artifacts and archival materials from the Mabel and Harley McKeague Collection of Alaskan Inuit Art. Other Inuit artworks, including sculptures, prints and tapestries recently donated to the University Gallery, are also on view.
In a recent review in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Edward Sozanski called this exhibit "an exciting and significant event, a splendid visual examination of the way the Inuit have habituated over centuries to their often demanding environment.
"The acquisition of these collections of art and material artifacts," Sozanski wrote, "establishes the University as an important resource for preserving Inuit culture, through its Center for American Material Culture Studies."
Exhibition hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday; and 1-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Two special programs related to the University's Inuit art exhibit were held in October and November. Canadian filmmaker John Houston hosted a public screening and discussion of two of his documentary films on the Inuit, and Newark artist and teacher Gabrielle Bradley offered a dollmaking workshop in which teenagers and adults created dolls inspired by Yup'ik artifacts from the McKeague Collection.
Library exhibition highlights Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett: A Celebration," an exhibition honoring one of the preeminent authors of the 20th century, is on view through Dec. 19 in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery of the Morris Library, University of Delaware Library.
The exhibition, part of a three-day Beckett festival held on campus in October, celebrates the life and career of one of the 20th century's most acclaimed authors as well as the accomplishments of a dedicated collector, Sir Joseph Gold.
Donated to the University in 1999, the Sir Joseph Gold Samuel Beckett Collection contains more than 3,000 items.
Samuel Beckett (1906-89) won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1969. Born in the Dublin suburb of Foxrock in 1906 and educated at Trinity College, he emerged as a writer of note in Paris in the 1920s. During the 1930s and 1940s, Beckett primarily wrote fiction that was published to a small, but appreciative audience. In 1953, his play Waiting for Godot opened first to puzzlement and then to acclaim in Paris. Subsequent productions in London and New York brought Beckett international recognition and secured his reputation as a writer of significance. More than a decade after his death, he remains one of the most acclaimed and influential avant-garde writers.
Both a book collector and legal scholar, Sir Joseph Gold was passionate about literature and was a renowned collector of material by and about Samuel Beckett. A substantial collection of British, French and American editions of Beckett's fiction, poetry and drama is present, with a significant number of them inscribed by Beckett to Sir Joseph. Sir Joseph also was interested in the reception of Beckett around the world, and he collected hundreds of foreign language editions of Beckett's writing. The Gold Collection also includes Beckett's contributions to anthologies and periodicals, as well as hundreds of secondary works.
An exhibition publication accompanies "Samuel Beckett: A Celebration" and is available at no charge to persons who visit the exhibition in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery.
Regular hours for the gallery are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Tuesdays.
Trustee & benefactor honored
Robert W. Gore, EG '59, chairman of W.L. Gore & associates and vice chairman of the University of Delaware Board of Trustees, received the 2003 Winthrop-Sears Medal by The Chemists' Club.
The medal, which recognizes entrepreneurial achievement that contributes to the vitality of the chemical industry and the betterment of humankind, was presented June 12 in Philadelphia.
In announcing the award, Paul Pendorf, president of The Chemists' Club said, "A leader, innovator and creator of Gore-Tex material, one of the most versatile products in the world, Bob has combined innovation with entrepreneurship to expand the family business into one of the most successful and admired private companies in the world."
A generous benefactor, Gore and his family made possible the construction of $18.5 million Gore Hall, a major classroom facility on The Green.
Fall festival
Newark's Community Day this year coincided with Freshman Family Weekend on campus, so new students and their parents who ventured onto The Green found face painting, arts and craft sales, two stages for bands and demonstrations, a bazaar and flea market, information about local issues, business, services and parks and recreation and a food court with an ethnic flavor. Main Street businesses and restaurants also were open and exhibits, music and a sidewalk chalk festival extended the festivities.
Studying interplay between ethics and policy
A new program planning committee on the interdisciplinary study of ethics and policy has been formed on campus in response to faculty and student interest.
"The interest on campus reflects a growing recognition of the importance of ethical and policy issues that cut across many disciplines and that are often the byproducts of the new knowledge and its applications," said UD Provost Daniel Rich. "Many faculty already are addressing these issues in their courses and in their research. The new committee will consider how best to support and coordinate existing initiatives. It also will identify new program opportunities that should be pursued."
The 12-member committee is co-chaired by Frederick Adams, chairperson of the Department of Philosophy, David Weir, director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), and Gary Weaver, associate professor of business administration.
The panel includes faculty in such fields as biology, urban affairs and public policy, chemical engineering, animal and food sciences, nursing and marine policy, along with representatives from the Christiana Care Health System and Delaware Technical and Community College.
A University Faculty Forum sponsored by the Office of the Provost was held in September to kick off an ethics and policy lecture series. Arthur Caplan, bio-ethicist and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania posed ethical questions about cloning or using the latest advances in neuroscience to improve intelligence and behavior.
Rich said the committee will consider expanded and coordinated instructional programs, new undergraduate and graduate courses and research opportunities and professional and community education programs that partner with organizations such as Christiana Care and state agencies.
Computing sites codified
Colorful banners reminding students of the Code of the Web now hang in computing sites across campus. The Code of the Web is an educational campaign on UD's rules for being a good citizen of the Internet and for proper use of the campus computing network, using a humorous, Western approach.
Council on Student Diversity & Success created
The University has established a council of faculty, administrators and students to lead and oversee campus-wide efforts to enhance student diversity and success.
The Council on Student Diversity and Success was created to coordinate and extend programs that support the recruitment of a diverse undergraduate and graduate student body and to encourage students' intellectual, cultural and ethical development as citizens, scholars and professionals,.
"The University of Delaware is committed to creating an educational community that is intellectually, culturally and socially diverse and that is enriched by the contributions and full participation of people from many backgrounds," Terry Whittaker, assistant provost for student diversity and success, who chairs the new council, says. "Diversity is a dimension of educational quality for UD."
The formation of the council launches the University's Student Diversity and Success Initiative. The 14 members appointed to the panel in September include representatives of academic and student support services, programs designed to enhance student success and graduate and undergraduate organizations.
"The Council on Student Diversity and Success reaffirms the University's commitment to diversity and will enhance and strengthen coordination and support for all our diversity programs and students," Provost Dan Rich says. "Increased ethnic and racial diversity among our student body contributes to the educational quality of our institution and enriches the educational experience of our total student body."
Rich notes that the council will have an important role in ensuring UD's continued progress in attracting a diverse student body and supporting the success of its members.
Initially, the new council will focus on establishing sustainable initiatives to increase the number and success of minority undergraduate and graduate students and other underrepresented students, Whittaker says. Specifically, he says, the group will assist his office in three areas: improving coordination of recruitment and support programs and services; increasing student awareness of and participation in existing University activities; and strengthening and expanding partnerships with communities beyond the UD campus.
Vote for YoUDee online now
YoUDee, the Blue Hen mascot, is one of 12 mascots from across the nation competing for the title of Capital One National Mascot of the Year, and Blue Hens fans everywhere can help the cause by going online to vote for the big blue bird.
It's easy to vote, just go to YoUDee's web site at [www.udel.edu/PR/YoUDee/] and click in the box on the upper left side of the page. Individuals are permitted to vote once each day, and voting concludes at 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22.
Mascots from all Division IA and IAA athletic programs with college football teams were invited to compete for the Capital One All-America Mascot Team, and a panel of judges selected 12 finalists in June, based on interaction with fans, sportsmanship and community service. Each of the teams chosen received $5,000 for its school's mascot program.
The Mascot of the Year will be selected based on the judges' ranking (50 percent) and the online voting (50 percent). The Capital One National Mascot of the Year will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, and will receive an additional $5,000 (for a total of $10,000) for its mascot program.
A constructive time on campus
Campus construction projects traditionally go into high gear over the summer months, and this year was no exception, with a wide range of building renovation and enhancement projects.
Mechanical Hall will have a new role on campus this fall. Built in 1898 to house the mechanical and electrical engineering departments of the Delaware College and later the home of Army ROTC, Mechanical Hall will become the home of the Paul R. Jones Art Collection with gallery, research and study facilities, storage and office space.
Projects included renovations to the Morris Library Reserve Room; the completion of a major three-phase residence hall sprinkler installation in Gilbert, Harrington and Russell complexes; and renovations to bathrooms in Christiana East Towers and Lane Residence Hall.
New traffic lights were installed at the intersections of Amstel and South College Avenue and Kent Way and South College Avenue. The signals help control vehicle and pedestrian traffic and make them move more smoothly when classes are changing.
Construction of the 126-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel was delayed by a snowy winter and a rainy spring and summer. The four-story hotel, located adjacent to the Clayton Hall Conference Center in Newark, also will serve as a learning and research facility for students and faculty in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.
In July, the University partnered with the Shaner Hotel Group, allowing Shaner to manage the operations of the University's Conference Services. This expanded relationship builds on the existing partnership between UD and Shaner, who are jointly developing the Courtyard hotel.
Based in State College, Pa., Shaner Hotel Group is one of the nation's premier private lodging and conference center management companies, owning and/or operating 23 hotels in 15 states.
The University's Conference Centers include the 40,000-square-foot John M. Clayton Hall in Newark, Arsht Hall and the Goodstay Center in Wilmington and the Virden Retreat Center in Lewes.
Hospitality industry executive Ted McCallum was named managing director of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel and UD Conference Centers.
Faith-based links now found on UD's web
Students and others seeking information on religious connections on campus can now visit a new site on UD's web, [www.udel.edu/PR/spirituallife]. The link, "Religious and Spiritual Life,'' takes users to a newly posted web page. One part lists the religious and spiritual leaders who serve the campus community, and it allows readers to e-mail them automatically. The other part provides links to 22 faith-based student organizations on campus.
"Visitors to the site will see that there is a presence of religious and spiritual life here as they are exploring the University online,'' Rev. Laura Lee C. Wilson, chair of the University Religious Leaders Organization, said.
New town and gown web site unveiled
A new town and gown web site was unveiled this fall featuring artwork that combines a view of Main Street with one of The Green at UD.
The site at [www.udel.edu/ towngown/] features six sections: People, Resources, What's Happening, Housing, Issues and Getting Involved.