Victor Navasky '54, best known for his illustrious career in journalism as editor and publisher of The Nation, shared his thoughts about political caricatures with the campus community during the annual Thomas B. McCabe Lecture. In his talk, Navasky considered the significant influence that caricatures can have on the political arena and explored why the medium may be more incendiary than other forms of journalistic expression. Navasky currently serves as the George Delacorte Professor of Magazine Journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and recently published Mission Accomplished! Or How We Won the War in Iraq.
The Kitao Gallery provided pumpkins and Swarthmore students provided creativity during a recent pumpkin carving party. From spooky to silly, to scary, the full range of the Halloween spirit was captured by campus artists and kids at heart. Ellen Sanchez-Huerta '13 joined in the fun and captured the event on video.
As part of the environmentally themed 350 Week, Earthlust produced a video encouraging viewers to take simple steps to reduce their carbon footprint. While 350 Week events focused on a wide range of environmental issues, the number 350 itself refers to 350 parts per million of CO2, what some leading scientists believe is the safe upper limit for atmospheric levels. The week concluded with the International Day of Climate Action, organized by 350.org. Video by Kat Clark '12
As the Director of Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations at the College, Ken Dinitz '88 often shares Swarthmore stories with the outside world. Participating in a Center for Digital Storytelling workshop held on campus gave him an opportunity to explore a new medium for telling those tales. In this, his first piece, he tells a powerful story about War News Radio by weaving together photos, special effects, voice and music. more
At her first Listening Tour event, President Chopp says she came away from the evening "impressed – and not the least bit surprised - by the thoughtfulness of Swarthmore alumni, family, and friends and encouraged by the support and enthusiasm for the college, and for my new role here."
In more than a dozen future events, and in general, she adds she is "particularly eager to gain insight into which aspects of the Swarthmore experience should endure; what values we most treasure; and how those values can help shape our decisions as we look forward to the future together."
Of particular interest may be her reflections on community service (38:50), strategic planning (40:55), and consensus decision making (48:17). more
Taiko drumming has been a feature of the College's dance offerings for nearly a decade, thanks largely to the efforts of Associate Professor of Dance Kim Arrow. Here, he discusses how what he calls a "perfect marriage of dance and drumming" has grown at Swarthmore, including the development of a significant relationship between the College and Tamagawa University in Japan.
Arrow, an accomplished dancer and choreographer, is the recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for choreography, among other awards. He joined Swarthmore's faculty in 1991 and next teaches a taiko repertory class in Spring 2010.
Yuan Liu '09, who graduated this spring as a studio art and English literature double major, produced this short film about sculptor Hiroyuki Hamada's recent exhibition at the List Gallery on campus. Yiu served as the Gallery's intern her senior year. Now, as a Philly Fellow, she is working with the Philadelphia Young Playwrights as a marketing and communications coordinator.
Although many of his forms suggest weathered buoys and other nautical forms, Hamada takes more inspiration from music than literal sources in the everyday world. Hamada moved from his native Tokyo to West Virginia at the age of 18, when his father took a job in the steel industry. Entering college, his struggle to communicate in English and to comprehend his newfound minority status catalyzed his profound response to the abstract fundamentals of drawing and sculpture - the universal language of geometry and design. He went on to receive his MFA from the University of Maryland and was subsequently awarded two residencies from the Edward Albee Foundation. His List Gallery show was his first in the Greater Philadelphia region.
President Bloom answered a variety of questions at a lively session during Alumni Weekend 2009. The subjects he addressed include how to ensure diversity on campus (:50), the breadth of Swarthmore's academic curriculum (6:20), and the future of the liberal arts education (11:50).
At Swarthmore's 137th commencement on May 31, 2009, President Alfred H. Bloom awarded honorary degrees to Mary Schmidt Campbell '69, dean of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and professor and chair of art and public policy, and James C. Hormel '55, a philanthropist devoted to social justice and human rights and the first openly gay ambassador in U.S. history. Bloom himself received an honorary degree on the occasion of his departure from the College after 18 years as president. The senior speaker, as voted by his classmates, was Sonny Sidhu '09.
