New Programs to Honor Miller Upton
| Beloit College Archives |
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| Miller Upton served as president of Beloit College for 21 years. |
Beloit College will honor the legacy of the late Miller Upton—and acknowledge the sixth president's contributions to transforming the ideals of liberal democracy into real institutions—with the establishment of the Miller Upton Programs. The multi-faceted Upton Programs will bring together leading scholars, young faculty, and promising students from around the world to examine issues related to increasing the wealth and well-being of nations.
The most visible element of the programs will be the establishment of "The Wealth and Well- Being of Nations: The Miller Upton Forum,"
which will bring to Beloit distinguished internationally recognized scholars who work within the classical liberal tradition; an intellectual tradition that includes John Locke, Adam Smith, and F.A. Hayek. The forum will serve as a "homecoming around ideas" for faculty, students, and alumni to consider together what ideas, institutions, and policy reforms are necessary to promote freedom and prosperity.
Robert Virgil'56, a friend and former student of Upton, announced the establishment of the programs in February at Beloit's 20th Annual Alumni Economics Reunion in Chicago. Virgil is the former dean of Washington University's John M. Olin School of Business and a recently retired general partner with the investment firm Edward Jones.
Douglass North, economic historian and Nobel laureate, will be the inaugural Upton Scholar, initiating the program in October 2008. North was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1993 and is the founder of the school of New Institutional Economics. He is the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Arts and Sciences in the department of economics at Washington University.
North's scholarship addresses one of the most important questions in human history: Why is it that some countries achieve great prosperity while others have remained persistently poor? His work has inspired a revolution in the field of economic history by demonstrating that a society's economic success is dependent upon the social institutions at work within it. Recently, he has investigated how societies evolve to possess their particular institutional infrastructure. His research is essential reading to anyone interested in understanding transitioning and developing economies.
In addition to the forum, a named chair will be established in the department of economics, where the Upton Programs will reside, and a special fund has been established for student-centered intellectual development and networking. The fund will support important senior-year scholarships for talented international students and high-profile internships for exceptional students, developing links with intellectuals doing significant work on the wealth and well-being of nations.
The programs will also support a fall senior seminar, a capstone course for all senior majors in the economics department that will focus on the ideas presented in the Upton Forum. A $4 million fund-raising campaign has been launched to secure funding for the Miller Upton Programs. Virgil has agreed to chair the fund-raising efforts. For more information, contact Professor Jeff Adams, chair of the economics department, at adamsj@beloit.edu.
EMAIL:
Jeff Adams - Professor of the Economics Department and Allen-Bradley Professor of Economics
President Burris Takes Part in Key Educational Summits
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| President Burris is flanked by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. |
In recent months, President John Burris has taken part in educational summits with groups at both the national and state levels. In January, he was part of a select group of 100 leaders in higher education who assembled at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., to participate in a U.S. University Presidents'
Summit on International Education. The event was co-hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, shown with Burris at right.
"The invitation was a recognition of our strong reputation for international programs, exchanges, and curriculum," Burris says.
"We are always looking for ways to make our programs stronger and more effective. The summit focused on attracting foreign students and scholars to study in the United States and on encouraging more American students to receive part of their education abroad. These are important issues at Beloit."
One week after the Washington summit, as part of the College's observance of Martin Luther King Day, Burris assembled a group of academic and civic leaders from public and private institutions and Illinois and Wisconsin school systems to examine diversity in higher education.
Superintendents of schools, college presidents, the vice president for academic affairs for the University of Wisconsin system, and state legislators joined Beloit College officials and special guest Robert L. Belle, Jr., former director of the Office of Federal TRIO programs in the U.S. Department of Education and former acting deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs. Belle is currently director of the Southern Regional Education Board—National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education in the Professoriate Doctoral Scholars Program.
It's All in the Numbers
"We all use math every day: to predict the weather, to tell time, to handle money," the Friday night TV show Numb3rs begins.
In the critically acclaimed series, Charlie—a math professor and mathematical genius—solves crimes with his FBI-agent brother and the aid of advanced mathematics. Paul Campbell, professor of mathematics and computer science at Beloit, reviewed Numb3rs for Mathematics Magazine (Feb. 2006), calling it "arguably the smartest show now on TV (and not just because of the math)."
"The mathematics of telling time and handling money may be the banal hook of familiarity to make the audience comfortable, but Charlie actually uses advanced mathematics—very briefly but cleverly exposited in the episodes—to help solve cases," Campbell writes in Mathematics Magazine.
Then, taking his own advice about the opportunities presented by such a show on prime-time TV, he developed a quarter-unit seminar class at Beloit that investigates the mathematics behind the episodes and uses the program as a springboard for attracting students to learn more about advanced math.
Campbell's students are required to watch each episode, then discuss and investigate further the mathematical concepts that are introduced weekly.
"Dialogue with students about Numb3rs is a natural opportunity that could help increase the number of bachelor's degrees in the mathematical sciences,"
Campbell concludes.
EMAIL:
Paul Campbell - Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
Anthropology Program Ranks with the Ivy League
| Photo by Jesse Hayes |
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| Assistant Professor of Anthropology Shannon Fie works with students in the Logan Museum of Anthropology. |
Beloit's anthropology program has been widely recognized as a leader in its field for more than a century. But how do we quantify that?
Bill Green, director of the Logan Museum of Anthropology, posed that question and then set out to answer it using National Science Foundation data that tracks the undergraduate
"homes" of those who earn Ph.D. degrees.
"One way to assess Beloit's quality in anthropology is to look at the number of our graduates who earn a Ph.D. degree in the field," Green says.
Using NSF information, Green found plenty of evidence to back up Beloit's strong reputation. In fact, more Beloit alumni earn Ph.D. degrees in anthropology than graduates of any other four-year liberal arts college, making Beloit the highest ranking school of its kind when evaluated by this metric.
Green analyzed NSF data from 1966 to 2003 for this study, which also revealed the top 13 baccalaureate origins (among private colleges and universities) of all anthropology Ph.D. degrees. Beloit is on that list and in good company, with the likes of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and other prestigious institutions.
Beloit is the only institution among the top 13 Ph.D. producers with no graduate program or connection to a larger university.
The ranking used actual numbers of graduates who received Ph.D. degrees, unadjusted for the size of the graduating classes. "Standardizing the numbers to reflect class size would vault Beloit College above the Ivy League universities,"
says Green.
Beloit's rank in relation to other Associated Colleges of the Midwest is also dramatic; it ranks second only to the University of Chicago on that list of 13 schools. When the University of Chicago is excluded from the ACM list, Beloit produces nearly one-third of the ACM graduates who received anthropology Ph.D. degrees during that period.
Hinz Performance Shatters
College Athletic Records
| Photo by Steve Pope |
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| Josh Hinz'06 has rewritten the men's basketball record book at Beloit. |
When Beloit College Men's Basketball Coach Cecil Youngblood recruited Josh Hinz'06 out of Fort Atkinson (Wis.) High School, he knew he was dealing with a special player. Over his stellar, four-year collegiate career, the 6-foot-6 post player has lived up to all the expectations and then some.
On Jan. 28, at Knox College, Hinz became the Buccaneers career scoring and rebounding leader. His 27 points and four rebounds in that game vaulted him into the No. 1 spot in both categories. He moved past 1951 graduate and 1952 U.S. Olympian Ron Bontemps and his 1,770 career points, and also topped 2002 graduate Henry Grant's 733 rebounds.
One week later, on Feb. 4, Hinz gave an encore performance at home during a 120-112 victory against Grinnell. He scored a Flood Arena-record 50 points and grabbed 36 rebounds. The 36 boards shattered the College record by 16, set a high-water mark in the NCAA this season, and tied the all-time single-game NCAA Division III record. As a result of the performance against Grinnell, Hinz and Youngblood were interviewed on ESPN2 the week after the game.
Hinz earned First-Team All-Midwest Conference honors for the third consecutive season, after rewriting the Buccaneer record book in 2006 and throughout his career.
Professor Kreider Retires
After 35 years of distinguished service to Beloit College, Emil Kreider, professor of economics and management, will retire in May. Kreider's genuine concern for students' welfare—and his droll sense of humor—have endeared him to decades of Beloit graduates.
| Edward Fox Photography |
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| Louise and Emil Kreider share a laugh at a reception held in Prof. Kreider's honor. |
Kreider's academic areas of expertise run wide and deep, ranging from international economics and economic development to investment analysis. During sabbatical leaves and vacations from teaching, he regularly worked for private sector organizations and brought those experiences back to enrich his teaching and advice to students.
During the 20th Annual Alumni Economics Reunion, held in Chicago in February, alumni recalled how Kreider offered them sound advice and prepared them for graduate school and careers with effective teaching and tough grading.
Silvija Martincevic'02, a native of Croatia who is president of Chicago-based Zenna Financial Services, says Kreider was her "advisor, mentor, and parent at Beloit." Martincevic came to Beloit to study languages, but she also became passionate about economics after taking a challenging course from Kreider. She graduated with a triple major in economics and management, German, and international relations.
Shams Rashid'85, a member of Beloit's board of trustees, recalls Kreider's gentle guidance when she was an undergraduate, including an occasion when she was "stressing out" about graduate school, and he urged her to call him anytime, including at home. At a reception held for Kreider during the Alumni Economics Reunion, Rashid called him "one of the three most influential people in my life."
Many former students also recalled Kreider's unique brand of humor, which included a "joke of the day" in early morning classes. He was also remembered for offering students hot drinks in class, including a strange twist on the powdered drink mix, Tang, which he served hot. Rashid toasted Kreider at the reception by raising a glass of the warm orange stuff.
The Beloit College Alumni Association named Kreider an honorary Beloit alumnus at the event, which was attended by a large gathering of students, alumni, faculty, and friends.
"I want to thank all of my colleagues because the alumni here are not just a product of me," Kreider said at the reception. "To the group assembled here, I would say that we didn't get in your way. This is a very large group of accomplished people, and I'm glad to be associated with it."
Gifts to the College to honor Kreider will go toward the Feder/Kreider Endowed Scholarship Fund. Rashid, who established the fund in 1999, has pledged to match all gifts made in honor of Kreider's retirement. For more information, contact Susan Cleverdon, executive director of gift planning, at 800-331-4943.
Listening In
You may be too far from Beloit to attend major lectures and events, but that doesn't mean you have to miss them altogether. Select speeches by faculty and visiting speakers are now available through audio files on Beloit's Web site.
The first in a series of featured speeches is Keefer and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride's annual Keefer and Keefer lecture, which was recorded live in the Richardson Auditorium on Jan. 27, 2006.
To hear McBride's "The King of Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Classical Tradition" and other lectures, log on to Beloit's home page (www.beloit.edu), click on the word
"News" directly under the single photograph, then select
"audio files" from a list of options on the left. Listeners may either play the file directly from Beloit's Web site or download it for later use.
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Losses
As this issue went to press, we learned of two major losses within the Beloit community. Robert Solem, of Beloit, died on March 3, 2006. Husband to Jane Elsom (Walrath) Solem'41, Robert was a former member of the board of trustees and generous Beloit College supporter. Among the Solems' gifts to Beloit is the Robert H. and Jane Solem Endowed Professorship in the Natural Sciences, held by Professor of Geology Carl Mendelson.
Peter Maiken'55, also of Beloit, died on March 5, 2006. Pete was an author, journalist, former editor of this magazine, and news director for Beloit College from 1990-1997. Obituaries are being planned for the summer issue.
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