Campaign Goes Public
| Photo by: Linda Appleby |
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| Trustee Stephen Mahle’67, left, President Burris, and Life Trustee Caleb
Blodgett’50 at the Minneapolis regional campaign launch. |
Classic. Daring. Life-Changing., Beloit College’s $100 million comprehensive campaign, was not a very well-kept secret during the past five years of preparation. But now it has a very public and international persona.
A series of events around the country followed the official campaign launch in Chicago in April. So far, Boston, New York, Minneapolis, and San Francisco have celebrated the event. This summer, gatherings as far away as Tokyo will extend the understanding and involvement of the Beloit family in the program.
A number of dramatic elements have led up to the launch, including the announcement of the new Center for the Sciences design and the release of the campus master plan. The most significant announcement came from President Burris in Chicago that more than $37 million in gifts and pledges was in hand, designated for campaign goals.
“This is an indication of the support and the strength of the campaign, but it is just the beginning,” says Burris. “While it signifies the kind of commitment we have already, it clearly identifies the work that we have before us in the coming years.” New Vice President for External Affairs Francis C. McGovern says the early returns show the potential of the Beloit family for making this a success. “The last time Beloit College committed itself to such an effort was more than a decade ago. The College needs to re-establish itself as the philanthropic priority for Beloit graduates, parents, and friends. In the past 10 years, we have increased our donor base by several thousand committed individuals whose lives have truly been changed by Beloit. We will provide the opportunity to all in the Beloit family to fulfill their hopes and dreams and expectations for Beloit.”
There are four elements to the campaign, touching all aspects of the College. The initial focus is on endowed scholarships and international experiences with a $19 million goal. Endowed professorships and academic program support with a $16 million goal form a second important element. Critical to the next five years will be maintaining the Beloit Fund and the funding for current initiatives at a level of $18.5 million. Finally, and perhaps most dramatic, is the $46.5 million capital projects element, which will involve new facilities for sciences, languages and literatures, athletics, and aspects of the campus master plan.
Initial major gifts have indicated a generous response by trustees. The 27-member board has been unanimous in its support of the program with 100 percent of the trustees having made a commitment. At publication, 90 percent of the full-time faculty had supported the program, as had 80 percent of the staff. The two largest gifts to the campaign have come from Center for the Sciences chair Stephen Mahle’67 and Kathi Austin Mahle’67, and Beloit parents Jim and Marge Sanger.
McGovern Joins Beloit’s Senior Staff
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| Francis C. McGovern |
Francis C. McGovern, a veteran fund-raising executive with more than a quarter-century of experience in non-profit advancement and management, has been named Beloit’s vice president for External Affairs.
“Frank McGovern has pursued an unusual course in his career with arts and higher education organizations throughout the United States,” President Burris said when he announced McGovern’s appointment. “His creative approaches to the organization, promotion, and funding of those institutions have set him apart from others in his field.”
McGovern comes to Beloit following five years as vice president for advancement and executive director of the foundation at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. As that institution’s first advancement vice president, he created fund-raising mechanisms at all levels, including strengthening the foundation’s board, increasing the annual fund, and building a major gift program. He also served as chair of the committee on the college’s financial future and prepared the design for a capital campaign.
Prior to his tenure at Evergreen State, McGovern served as director of development at Utah State University’s College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
McGovern has spent a large portion of his career in the arts. After a successful performance career in dance and four years as director of production at the Children’s Theater Company in his native Minneapolis, he entered the University of Chicago, where he received his degree in political science and discovered his love for higher education. He also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education Institute for Higher Education Management.
McGovern joined Beloit in April, as the College prepared to launch its largest fund-raising effort, a five-year comprehensive campaign. He will direct the offices responsible for development, as well as alumni and public affairs.
Feedback Request
Beloit College is seeking comments from alumni in preparation for its
comprehensive evaluation visit on Sept. 25-27, 2006, by The Higher
Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools. Comments must address substantive matters related to the
quality of Beloit or its academic programs and must be in writing and
signed. Comments cannot be treated as confidential.
All comments must be received by Aug. 31, 2006, and should be sent to:
Alumni Comments on Beloit College
The Higher Learning Commission
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602-2504
Beloit and the Asian Century
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| Late 19th century Chinese Imperial robe from the Wright Museum collection. |
Beloit College started developing ties to the people and places of Asia in the 1870s, only 25 years after receiving its charter. Since then, and especially in recent years, Beloit has continued to build on that foundation, growing substantial expertise in Asian studies, developing a rigorous academic program, and expanding its faculty expertise, study abroad, exchange programs, and instruction in Chinese and Japanese. Much of Beloit’s advancement in these areas in recent years can be attributed to the receipt of major grants from the Freeman and Henry Luce Foundations.
In recognition of these achievements and to help chart the future course of Beloit’s growth in Asian studies and expertise, College trustees Phee Boon Kang’73 and Don Wyatt’75 chaired Beloit and the Asian Century, an April conference held on campus.
Organizers Warren Bruce Palmer, associate professor of economics and management and chair of Asian Studies at Beloit, and Elizabeth Brewer, director of International Education, kicked off the three-day conference with “Beloit College: Asian Connections,” an overview of Beloit’s long and rich history of involvement in Asia.
Over several days, alumni and trustee conference participants attended Asian-themed presentations at Student Symposium, visited Asian studies courses, viewed collections in the Logan Museum of Anthropology, the Wright Museum of Art, and the College Archives, and took part in an intensive dialogue about further strengthening Beloit’s Asia programs. Working groups discussed study abroad, exchanges, and international student enrollment; the curriculum; language instruction; pathways for students to careers; and library resources.
Wyatt hosted a career lunch for students to discuss opportunities with conference participants, and a public panel discussion featured a group of alumni and faculty with far-reaching expertise in Asia. Among the alumni panelists were Ellen Fuller’78, the first Beloit graduate to obtain a major in East Asian Studies (self-designed), who is now on the University of Virginia faculty; John Hailer’83, a College trustee and President/CEO of IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group; and Sam Kidder’70, former minister and counselor for economic affairs for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, who recently became executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Carsey Yee, a Ph.D. candidate in history at Harvard University who has served as an adjunct instructor at Beloit, also participated in the panel.
Kang, co-founder of the Allard Institute and president of its Asia region, gave the keynote address on “Technology, Transformations, and Transitions—An Eyewitness in Asia.”
During the conference, behind-the-scenes-tours celebrated Beloit’s Asian museum collections, which include the Wright’s collection of Chinese Imperial robes and the Logan’s paleolithic artifacts from Inner Mongolia, Batak textiles, Sumatran manuscripts, and Ainu ethnographic collections from Hokkaido, Japan. Approximately 40 percent of the Wright’s holdings are from Asia, and according to a recent assessment by the ASIANetwork, a large percentage of the collection is worthy of inclusion in major U.S. art museums.
“Beloit has an impressive history of engagement with Asia and an equally impressive curricular focus on Asia,” says Brewer. “However, only since 2002—when we received grants from both the Luce and Freeman Foundations—has the campus been engaged broadly in the growth of Asian studies. Those grants have now ended, yet we do not want the momentum to dissipate. This conference was an opportunity to reflect on our Asian engagement over the years, to honor the contributions of the campus community to the field of Asian studies, and to look forward to the future.”
Honoring Beloit Faculty
| Photo by Michael Cullen |
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| From left, Marion Field Fass, Carey Pieratt-Seeley, and Charles Westerberg’94. |
Three Beloit College faculty members received Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awards, and a fourth was honored with the Phee Boon Kang’73 Prize for Innovation in Teaching with Technology during a faculty and staff recognition event held on campus in May.
Upon receiving the Underkofler honor, Professor of Biology Marion Field Fass recalled how her own desire to learn led her to the classroom. A public health administrator some 15 years ago, she was invited to teach a course at Beloit, but first turned it down. Then she began to think about the opportunity of teaching a course on AIDS, and in the process, learning more about what was then a relatively new disease. “AIDS, this topic that I teach about all the time, had not yet been identified when I completed my graduate work,” says Fass, adding that every person who developed AIDS expertise spent the first decade or so learning, discovering, and fitting new knowledge into their understanding of science, medicine, and public health. It’s that kind of flexibility she instills in students.
“I see my challenge in teaching as helping students change the way they see the world: to see patterns where there were once isolated facts, to see trends, and to be able to integrate the knowledge and experiences they have across a wide range of fields,” she says.
Carey Pieratt-Seeley, an associate professor of sociology, considers sociological theory a joy to teach, and it comes across to students as well as colleagues.
“Carey’s ability to convey a sense of excitement for sociological theory has played a big part in why the number of sociology majors have soared in recent years,” said Emily Chamlee-Wright, professor of economics and management, when she nominated Pieratt-Seeley for the Underkofler Award. “She will work with any student as much and as long as it takes until they ‘get it.’ At the same time, she demands rigorous engagement in the core ideas of sociology.”
For Associate Professor of Sociology Charles Westerberg’94, returning to Beloit to teach has meant returning to the place where his “love affair with sociology began,” he says.
Westerberg, also an Underkofler Award recipient, traces his passion for his subject to his undergraduate days at Beloit, when he enrolled in an introductory sociology course taught by Menno Froese, professor emeritus of sociology, who became his mentor.
“To me, the greatest and most difficult task that teachers face is to enliven and illuminate the material we are entrusted to deliver to students,” Westerberg says. “In my courses I try to bridge the distance between ideas and their concrete expression in our daily lives.”
The Underkofler Award recognizes five outstanding faculty members each year who teach in Wisconsin’s independent colleges. It is named for James Underkofler, the former CEO of Wisconsin Power and Light (now Alliant Energy), whose foundation established the award.
During the same event, Bill New, associate professor of education, was recognized with the Phee Boon Kang Prize for Innovation in Teaching with Technology for implementing an on-line assessment program for the department of education and youth studies.
“This goal-driven, outcomes-based assessment program is one of the most comprehensive of any department on campus,” says Lynn Franken, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.
The Kang Prize is named for Phee Boon Kang’73, a member of the Beloit College board of trustees who co-founded the Allard Institute and serves as president of the company’s Asia region.
EMAIL:
Marion Field Fass - Professor of Biology
Bill New - Associate Professor of Education
Carey Pieratt-Seeley - Associate Professor of Sociology
Charles Westerberg’94 - Associate Professor of Sociology
Burris Testimony Calls for
Earmarking NSF Funds
| Photo by Adele Starr |
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President John Burris was tapped in March to testify on Capitol Hill in front of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science. He was one of five educators selected nationally to testify about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education at the undergraduate level.
“To have a functioning democracy, we must prepare all undergraduates to understand the nature of the scientific process, whether or not they choose to major in a STEM field,” Burris told the committee. “An educated public is critical to providing the resources and encouragement the United States will need to maintain its role as a world leader in science and technology.”
Burris recommended that U.S. government plans to double the National Science Foundation’s budget—which initially included only scholarships—be expanded to fund programs that strengthen and sustain the capacity of undergraduate institutions to teach science and technology.
He cited the mid-1980s as an earlier period when low science enrollments raised serious concerns about future shortages of scientists. At that time, however, these concerns led to reforms made possible by National Science Foundation funding. These initiatives examined how people learn, formed collaborative groups to address problems, then disseminated knowledge to a large consortia of undergraduate institutions. Beloit is home to two of these programs: the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium and ChemLinks, both funded by the National Science Foundation. Burris added that much of what we know about what works and what doesn’t in science undergraduate education stems from programs like these. “... Students learn science best in small classes with extensive hands-on experience in a so-called inquiry-based approach,” he informed the committee. “They learn best in settings in which lectures and laboratory experience are merged, with ample opportunity for collaborative
work in posing, exploring, and solving problems, rather than everything being tackled on an individual basis.”
Burris shared Beloit College success stories with the committee, including results of a recent national study which ranked Beloit 20th out of roughly 2,000 undergraduate institutions in its proportion of graduates who go on to receive a Ph.D. degree; Beloit is 11th among 165 national liberal arts colleges on that list. “But the present successes of Beloit, although repeated at many institutions, are not universal,” he added.
Burris’ testimony marked the second time in several months that he spoke about education on a national stage; in January, he participated in the U.S. University Presidents’ Summit on International Education in Washington, D.C.
Burris Assumes Leadership of ACM Board
President Burris will assume the chair of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest at a critical point in the organization’s history, starting in July. The 14-member consortium of leading Midwest liberal arts colleges will also be welcoming a new president for the first time in more than two decades with the retirement of Elizabeth Hayford, who was honored at Beloit’s Commencement in May. Burris will succeed Russell Osgood, president of Grinnell College.
Students Shatter a World Record
| Photo courtesy of The Janesville Gazette |
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In addition to being a top-tier institution, Beloit College has yet another way to distinguish itself: being home to a world record attempt. On April 6-9, a group of students braved exhaustion, hunger, and unusually cold weather to play the world’s longest-running game of ultimate Frisbee.
The event grew out of a desire by Ed Park’07 (Auburn, Ala.) to break a world record. After recruiting Kelsey Sheridan’06 (St. Paul, Minn.), Alex Tillet-Saks’07 (Chicago, Ill.), and Nick Wolf’07 (Austin, Texas) to help with logistics, the group began planning the event in earnest, recruiting players and working out the attempt’s fine points. “Kelsey, Ed, and I really had no idea how much work it would be,” Wolf recalls. “About two weeks before the event, Kelsey said with a straight face, ‘Do you guys just want to cancel this whole thing?’ … There was so much to coordinate from volunteers, and where the game would be played, and advertising, food, lights … it went on and on.” They persevered, and on the evening of April 6, the 30 players and staff started the game before a modest-sized crowd.
Teams took 12-hour shifts with breaks between each game. Players planned to sleep in tents, but rain and hail stopped the plan cold and forced quick changes. Luckily, nearby Brannon Hall gave the players a warm place to sleep. Contestant Alex Taylor’07 remembered “the freezing cold and having to just wear eight layers to stay at all warm.” The field turned to mud, keeping most spectators away during part of the attempt. More than one observer, noting the tents, trash, and mayhem of the field, said it looked more like a refugee camp than a world record attempt.
Luckily, the sun shone on April 9, and after passing the previous record of 70 hours and 14 seconds, players, fans, and organizers gathered for a wild, champagne-drenched scrum at midfield—and kept playing. After three days of nonstop action, nobody wanted to stop. Taylor summed up the prevailing ethos when he said, “Yeah, I wanted to be able to say I broke a world record, but I wanted to finish the game.”
At sunset, with their lights no longer working, the players reluctantly called it quits. Their unofficial time was 72 hours, 10 minutes, 5 seconds. The record has not been officially verified, but even without confirmation, everyone agreed it was an incredible experience. “In the end, the work was all worth it,” co-organizer Wolf says. “The fun that comes with being able to say you played Frisbee for over 72 hours in all sorts of weather—it’s pretty cool.”
Asia for the Ages
Beloit will present Asia for the Ages this fall, a series of public events focused on Asian art, history, and culture. In addition to lectures, readings, and musical performances, monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in Tibet will demonstrate the art of mandala sand painting, perform dances, and lead meditation sessions. Their performance, Sacred Music Sacred Dance, and closing ceremony will be held during Family & Friends Weekend 2006, as part of the Buddhism at Beloit series. Both of Beloit’s museums will present special exhibits in conjunction with the series. A few of the highlights include:
• June 6-Sept. 17 - The Batak: Tradition and Transition in Northern Sumatra; Logan Museum of Anthropology
• Sept. 7- Fall semester - Chinese peasant paintings from Jinshan and Huxian; Wright Museum of Art
• Sept. 26 - Lecture - “Opening the Heart: Arousing the Mind of Universal Kindness;” 7 p.m.; Richardson Auditorium
• Sept. 27 - “Tibet Today: The History of a Diaspora,” a talk with elder Tibetan lamas; 7 p.m.; Richardson Auditorium
• Sept. 28 - “Meditation: a Tool of Conscious Living,” led by Tibetan lamas; 7 p.m.; Richardson Auditorium
• Sept. 29 - “Sacred Music Sacred Dance” with Tibetan Buddhist monks, followed by a candlelight vigil; 8:30 p.m.; Eaton Chapel
• Sept. 30 - Mystical Arts of Tibet closing ceremony and
procession to the Rock River; 2 p.m.; Wright Museum of Art
• Oct. 4 - A public reading by Bei Dao, Lois Wilson Mackey’45 Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing; Moore Lounge, Pearsons Hall
To find out more, check Beloit’s campus calendars on the Web: http://www.beloit.edu/resources/calendars
Class Ring Appears on Hawaiian Beach
A 14-karat Beloit College ring was found several years ago on the island of Oahu by an amateur treasure-seeker who wants to return it to its owner. A woman’s ring from the class of 1985, it bears a purple stone with the initials L.A.S. carved inside. Another ring was found with the Beloit College ring and may belong to the same individual. Please contact the Alumni Office (alumni@beloit.edu) for more information.
