Smith College Club of Worcester

On Broadway

2011-06-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that a Smith grad won a Tony on Sunday night?
Kathleen Marshall '85 won her third Tony for Choreography for Anything Goes.
A taste:

Smith Annual Meeting 2011

2011-06-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who came to the annual meeting this evening! As per usual, the food was excellent, as was the conversation.
We want to welcome our new club president, Cindy Redding Parker!
Look for an invitation to the summer send-off party coming sometime this summer.

Not that we're competing

2011-05-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

...but Smith crushed Harvard and Yale in endowment returns last year.

Joyce Chiang's death a homicide

2011-05-16T11:26:00.001-07:00

Some of you may remember the disappearance and death of Joyce Chiang'92. The D.C. police last week classified it as a homicide.

Guest Night recap

2011-05-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, May 5, The Worcester Smith Club hosted Dr. Mahnaz Mahdavi for a guest night dinner and program at Tatnuck Country Club. Dr. Mahdavi is a Professor of Economics and the Founding Director of the Smith Center for Women and Financial Independence. About 20 alumnae and guests gathered to meet Dr. Mahdavi and hear about her work with the Center and her recent study of Smith Alumnae and their financial knowledge.

Thanks to all who attended!

Yolen exhibit

2011-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

As we're so close, some may be interested in the Jane Yolen exhibit up at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst.

Yolen is a big presence among the Valley's remarkably large number of children's book authors and illustrators, thanks in part to her startling, and still increasing, number of books, including Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and The Devil's Arithmetic. It can hardly hurt that she's been dubbed "the Hans Christian Andersen of America." Her online presence is substantial, too, a highly personal page where her bio is long and includes shots of family, and her blog offers great insights into her proclivities and creative process. It's a bit of a goldmine for would-be kids' book authors who want to know what the reality is like.
It was the exhibition of her personal art collection that prompted a recent interview, but speaking with Yolen offered a glimpse of just what has enabled her remarkable pace of creative output, how she collaborates with artists, and the difficulties even she has found working in an uncertain publishing climate.

Alum makes Forbes' Midas list

2011-04-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

And yes, that is Smith alumna Deborah Farrington'72 on Forbes' "The Midas 100 List." The list is of the top "dealmakers" in the United States, and, as VentureBeat.Com noted, only two women made the list.

Smith College Club tea

2011-04-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Every year we hold a spring tea to honor those accept at Smith. We had lovely weather for it yesterday!

Congratulations to Smith

2011-04-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

...for being acknowledged as one of the "Top 100 Social Media Colleges" in their use of online communication.

State Department working with Smith, Seven Sisters

2011-03-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday announced a new effort to work with leading women's colleges to encourage women around the world in the areas of leadership and public service. While details are minimal, Clinton said that the State Department would be working with the five "Seven Sisters" institutions that are still women's colleges: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Wellesley Colleges. (from Inside Higher Ed)

Sylvia Earle to address graduates

2011-03-08T10:23:00.001-08:00

Sylvia Earle, the undersea explorer dubbed a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, will be the speaker at Smith College’s 133rd commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15, at 10 a.m. in the campus Quadrangle.
Read the rest here!

Alumnae books

2011-02-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

You may have read a bit already about whenparentstext.com already, as the website has been up, running, and hilarious for some time. The founders, Smith alumna Lauren Kaelin '10 and her friend Sophia Fraioli, are finishing up their book by the same name for publication this fall.
On an entirely different note, Adelaide Cromwell'40, published a book this year about her aunt Otelia Cromwell'00.

February Alumane Engagement

2011-02-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Join Colleen O'Mara Condon, associate director for alumnae engagement, and other Smith alumnae for these exciting events designed to help you take charge of your career, define your own success, and create a plan to make it happen!

On-Campus Events
Location: The Alumnae House
Using Social Media for Your Job Search
Wednesday, February 8
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Career Development Brown Bag Lunch
Thursday, February 17
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Webinars
Online Privacy and Etiquette
Wednesday, February 16
1:30-2:30 p.m.

Smith Moms Connect: Monitoring Your Children Online
Thursday, March 3
1-2 p.m.

Each on-campus session will include time for networking with alumnae and personal consultation with career experts. To register for on-campus events or for more information contact Colleen O’Mara Condon, associate director, alumnae engagement, at ccondon@smith.edu.

Career Planning Weekend

2011-01-24T11:29:00.001-08:00

Do you get excited by the start of every work week, or do you long for something new, but don't know exactly what you're looking for?
Spend a weekend thinking and strategizing with fellow Smithies at the beautiful Chesterfield Inn in Chesterfield, NH (owned by Judith Hanson Hueber '79).
Over the course of three days you will . . .

have the time and space to focus on your future, without the distractions of everyday life
figure out how your skills, strengths, talents, and interests can be transformed into a career that you will love
develop a career vision for the next one to five years (and beyond)
leave with an individualized road map to make that fabulous new career happen

Join us for a fun, relaxing weekend to transform your career!
Register now! Space is limited to fourteen alumnae. Contact Colleen O'Mara Condon at ccondon@smith.edu or call 413-585-2588 to register.
Costs for the weekend include your choice of room at the Chesterfield Inn, all food (dinner Friday; breakfast, lunch, and dinner Saturday; breakfast on Sunday), non-alcoholic beverages, gratuities, and program materials. Check out the Chesterfield Inn Website for room descriptions.

Smith College Career Event rescheduled due to pending snowstorm

2011-01-11T09:50:00.001-08:00

Smith College Career Event rescheduled due to pending snowstorm

The “Hot Career for the New Year” workshop scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled due to the threatening snowstorm. It has been rescheduled for Monday, January 24, 2011, 10 –11:30 a.m. at the Alumnae House.

If you have any questions, please contact Colleen O’Mara Condon at ccondon@smith.edu or 413-585-2588.

Shehrbano Taseer '10 on her father's assassination

2011-01-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Shehrbano Taseer graduated from Smith in June. Her father, Salmaan Taseer, governor of Punjab, was assassinated by one of his guards last week. She wrote an editorial in the New York Times Saturday:

My father’s life was one of struggle. He was a self-made man, who made and lost and remade his fortune. He was among the first members of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party when it was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the late 1960s. He was an intellectual, a newspaper publisher and a writer; he was jailed and tortured for his belief in democracy and freedom. The vile dictatorship of Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq did not take kindly to his pamphleteering for the restoration of democracy.
One particularly brutal imprisonment was in a dungeon at Lahore Fort, this city’s Mughal-era citadel. My father was held in solitary confinement for months and was slipped a single meal of half a plate of stewed lentils each day. They told my mother, in her early 20s at the time, that he was dead. She never believed that.
Determined, she made friends with the kind man who used to sweep my father’s cell and asked him to pass a note to her husband. My father later told me he swallowed the note, fearing for the sweeper’s life. He scribbled back a reassuring message to my mother: “I’m not made from a wood that burns easily.” That is the kind of man my father was. He could not be broken.

Smith Job Club in 2011

2011-01-04T16:34:00.001-08:00

Feeling stuck in your career? Concerned about job security? Maybe this is the year to revamp your career goals—and your future. To set you on the right path, check out the Alumnae Association of Smith College career events for January.

On-Campus Events
Location: The Alumnae House
Hot Careers for the New Year
Wednesday, January 12, 10-11:30 am
Career Development Brown Bag Lunch
Thursday, January 27, 11:30 am-1 pm
Webinars
Update Your Resume for 2011
Friday, January 14, 12-1 pm
Smith Moms Connect
Wednesday, January 26, 1-2 pm
Each session will include time for networking with alumnae and personal consultation with career experts. To register for on-campus events or for more information contact Colleen O'Mara Condon, associate director, alumnae engagement, at ccondon@smith.edu.

Mass Appeal

2010-12-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

You can see Madelaine Zadik, manager of education and outreach for Smith's Botanic Garden, and Julie McLean, associate educator for school and family programs at the Smith College Museum of Art on the WWLP-22 show Mass Appeal on Friday at 11 am (or thereafter on the website).

Smith Women in Education

2010-12-01T06:22:00.000-08:00

Smith is hosting a conference in March on Smith Women in Education. From the invite:

Tori Murden McClure '85, president of Spalding University and outspoken advocate for closing the country's education gap, will kick things off with a keynote address, while networking events and panel discussions will offer numerous opportunities to share ideas around a range of topics, including

• Bullying in schools
• Global education
• Science education
• School financing
• Distance learning, and more.
Other speakers include Ileana Jimenez '97, a writer, teacher, and award-winning educator; Alison Overseth '80, executive director of the Partnership for After-School Education (PASE) in New York City; and Erinn McGurn '94, founder of the nonprofit SCALEAfrica, which builds sustainable schools in sub-Saharan Africa.

March 24-25 on campus.

The good Smithies do

2010-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Two articles just came across the transom demonstrating the "go out there and get involved"nature of Smith women. The Metrowest Daily News wrote about senior Marie Wallace and the volunteer work she's done with kids in Springfield.

The program, founded by two Smith professors six years ago, helps inner city high school students boost their confidence and leadership abilities by coaching elementary school kids in sports.
Initially Wallace's job was to write a blog about Project Coach, which required interviewing the students. She wasn't sure how to do that at first, so she tried to find things she shared with them to break the ice.
"One girl had fake nails on, so I talked to her about nail polish," Wallace said. "I tried to find a connection with all of them."
Before long, Wallace was finding herself "more involved than I needed to be" in the lives of the Project Coach teens.
"I became interested in how it was affecting their lives on a deeper level," she said. "I realized I wanted to do more with the program."
Her thesis, which she developed with Intrator, examines how the troubled students who perform so poorly in school - if they go at all - can be the same ones who "literally come to life on the field with those elementary students," Wallace said.

And you may not know that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's mom went to Smith. Sue Duncan'56 is still volunteering in the Chicago Public Schools.

Two of twenty-five most powerful went where?

2010-11-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

Of the twenty-five "Most Powerful Women of the Last Century" as named in the latest issue of Time magazine, two went to Smith.
Coincidence?
I think not.

(They are Gloria Steinem and Julia Child, by the way.)

And it' s only...

2010-10-27T10:49:00.001-07:00

Smith's Botanic Garden will be featured at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28, on the "A Tank Away" segment of Boston WCVB TV's "Chronicle" program.

Smith hosts a job club!

2010-10-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Stuck in your career? Worried about job security? Feeling used and abused at work?
If you answered "yes," it's time for a change.
But moving into a new career can be scary. To ease some of that anxiety and get you on the right path to transforming your career, the Alumnae Association of Smith College is hosting a new, free monthly job club, beginning November 10.
Each 90-minute session will focus on a specific topic related to career changes and will include plenty of time for networking and consulting individually with our career experts. So join the job club and take charge of your career, learn how to define your own success, and create a plan to make it happen!

Location: Alumnae House, Smith College, 33 Elm St., Northampton, MA
Schedule:

Wednesday, November 10, 10-11:30 a.m. – Finding Your Passion
Tuesday, December 7, 4-5:30 p.m. – Updating Your Resume for 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 10-11:30 a.m. – Hot Careers for the New Year
Tuesday, February 8, 4-5:30 p.m. – Using Social Media to Find a Job

Please RSVP to Colleen Condon, ccondon@smith.edu

Volunteers needed to teach girls about finance

2010-10-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Professional women are needed to volunteer for a workshop at Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield (a hike, I know!) on financial literacy:

Dr. Mahnaz Mahdavi, Smith College Professor of Economics, will facilitate this year’s daylong program, “Money Talks.” Dr. Mahdavi is the founding director of the Smith College Financial Education Center and a regular contributor to the national dialogue around women's financial literacy. During the workshop, girls will learn about the importance of financial independence, budgeting, saving, and making their money work for them. In addition, the impact of higher education on their future earning potential will also be emphasized.

The women will act as mentors to the 150 eighth grade girls attending. Sessions are Tuesday, November 16, or Thursday, November 18, with sessions beginning at 8 a.m. and adjourning at 2 p.m.

New Plath letters in the collection

2010-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

A new group of Sylvia Plath letters have been added to the Sophia Smith collection. You can hear Karen Kuki, who curates the Plath collection at Smith, talk about this addition here.

And speaking of elections....

2010-09-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Nathanael Fortune, an associate professor of physics, is running for Massachusetts state auditor for the Green-Rainbow party.

Did you know

2010-09-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the current City of Chicago treasurer is a Smith alum? Class of 1985!
(and she's running for re-election!)

Newsletters are OUT and coming your way!

2010-09-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to an excellent, well organized board, we had a productive meeting last night that not only got some business done: it got the newsletters ready to go! They went in the mail late last night, and they should be appearing in mailboxes around the county in the next day or so.
If you can't wait, you can find it here, as well.
You can also now find the reply form and the calendar online.

We hope to hear back from current members and new ones soon!

Talking Trash

2010-09-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Among the courses students can take this fall at Smith is the attention-getting "Talking Trash."

’Waste,’ along with close relatives such as ‘trash,’ ‘rubbish,’ and ‘garbage,’ is part of the normative vocabulary we employ in evaluating the usefulness of the people and things around us, the projects we undertake, the way we spend our time'

Smith is back...let's talk food!

2010-09-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Smith students are back on campus, and they're working on a solar greenhouse to grow food. The Hopkins and Tenney co-ops are buying some of their food from local CSA's.
And soon it will be time for the annual Quad Riot food fight.

It's on there!

2010-07-14T11:03:00.001-07:00

Among the locations on the recently-released list of 1,000 great places to visit in Massachusetts are both the Smith College Museum of Art and the Botanic Garden!

On LeBron

2010-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

"I find this to be a bastardization of the role of the media insofar as in a democratic society we view the media as an independent source to report on news, but here the subject of the news is controlling the presentation of the media," says Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College. "So in that way I find it absurd, but [in this context] it's also harmless."

That's the oft-quoted Professor Zimbalist, who specializes on sports and economics.

By the numbers

2010-07-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Alumnae Association has recently added a page online that may be of interest. It give statistics on what graduates are up to. You can find it here.

A sample: the top 8 jobs for graduates:

College faculty

Other educator

Physician, mental health professional, or other health services

Lawyer, judge or other legal

Financial manager or analyst

Other manager/consultant

Sales/marketing/advertising/PR

Visual artist or designer

Fabulous quote in a Forbes article

2010-06-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

Short of a women's studies seminar at Smith College, it would be hard to find feminist conversation as lively and engaging as can be found on Feministing.

--from Top 100 Websites for Women, Forbes Magazine

No more chaplains at Smith

2010-06-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

As part of cost-cutting, the Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic chaplains will be cut at Smith. From The Daily Hampshire Gazette (which, alas, requires a subscription for reading. UPDATE: you can also read about it in the New York Times):

A new office still being formed will emphasize spirituality through community service conducted by students of various faiths.
"Some people like to sit around and talk about their differences and how alike or different their values are - and it's interesting - but after a while, it can just feel like talk," said Jennifer Walters, an ordained Episcopalian priest and dean of religious and spiritual life at the college.
As students become more religiously diverse, employing individual chaplains for Muslims, Buddhists, Catholics, Jews and Hindus, for example, isn't economically feasible, she said.
"Doing community service, or activism, is a way to do lots of things in an interfaith community. You can get to know people from other faiths," Walters said.

From Karen Wood, interim chaplain in 1988:

Chaplains do more than counsel religiously dedicated students, she said. They act as counselors for all students, encourage social justice and act as the ethical voice of a college, she said.
"There is a failure to really understand the enormous breadth of chaplains' work," Wood said. "I am sorry to see all this. As someone who once served in the chapel, I am really regretful that the extraordinary chaplains that have been serving at Smith are no longer going to be there."

J. Courtney Sullivan to Brooklyn Heights

2010-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Heights blog as a post on J. Courtney Sullivan's return (right about when she found out that she'd made it to #14 on the New York Times bestseller list: probably because of our club's reading her book, right?). It has this to say on Commencement:

Commencement tackles the complicated nature of female friendships, centering on four girlfriends who meet during their freshman year at Smith and then go off in very different directions after graduation. Though no one character is based purely on Sullivan or any of her friends, she drew on her own experiences and feelings about post-college life while working on the book.
“You’re all seniors in college, you’re all the same age, life is pretty much what it is, and then all of a sudden people take off in these ways that are so different,” she said. “Some people are really dealing with relationship stuff, or school stuff, or family stuff. How do your friendships endure after you leave campus, especially a women’s college?”

A Job Hunter's Guide to Social Media

2010-06-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Smith alumnae are welcome to this webinar "A Job Hunter's Guide to Social Media" on Monday June 28, 2010 at noon Eastern.

Whether you are a mid-career professional or a new alumna looking for that perfect first job, this webinar is for you. Join social media strategist Tish Grier AC '01 to learn how you can use social media and new technologies to maximize your ability to land the position you want. Topics include:

Making friends with LinkedIn
Write a blog, get the job
Should you have a visual CV?
Search yourself: why you need to know what’s out there about you
Yes, you can keep some things private

Tish Grier AC '01, a frequent speaker on social media, was a panelist at the Smith Women in the Media Conference held last spring. She was one of the first bloggers for Corante.com, the first blog media company, and she writes regularly on social media topics for Poynter.org.

There is no cost for this Webinar, but you must register!

Title: "A Job Hunter's Guide to Social Media"
Date: Monday, June 28, 2010
Time: 12:00 PM–1:00 PM EDT

Adas graduating

2010-05-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

You can hear from two Adas who graduate this Sunday on this WRSI interview.

Watch Rachel Maddow

2010-05-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

You can watch Rachel Maddow's address to the graduates, along with the rest of Commencement, live on the Smith website, this Sunday, May 16, starting at 10 am!

Annual Admits Tea

2010-04-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

('though this year we could have called it the Smith Class of 2014 Tea!)
Excellent tea this afternoon to congratulate our local admitted students, all of whom have to make their decisions on where to go by next week. All of the six students who came have already decided to attend Smith!
We also had a great sampling of parents, current students, and alums of all ages. It looks as though we may see some increasing club activity as well from this!

Piper Kerman's memoir

2010-04-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

You may have caught Larry Smith's essay in the New York Times a few weeks back, in which he wrote of visiting his wife in prison.
His wife is Piper Kerman '92, and her memoir of that year Orange is the New Black is now out. You can read her interview in the National Post here.

Smith is thinking of selling some real estate

2010-04-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

As a cost-saving measure, Smith is considering selling some real estate near downtown:

Among the properties Smith is considering for sale, lease or demolition are student houses: Parsons House, Parsons Annex, and the Friedman apartment complex, all located between Henshaw Avenue and Round Hill Road; Dawes House on Bedford Terrace; and 12 and 26 Bedford Terrace, both single-occupancy apartments for Ada Comstock, or non-traditional age, scholars.

The city of Northampton, incidentally, would see this as a windfall, as those properties would go back on the tax rolls.

You can read Smith's plan here.

Papers...we've got 'em

2010-03-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Fun post on the Huffington Post today about the papers in the Smith College Libraries.

Gloria Steinem has been quoted as saying, "If we don't see a history with women, we don't know that we can create it."

And yes, the writer is an alum!

News from the pond

2010-03-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Some not great news of the dam holding back Paradise Pond on campus: it's made the list of area dams in need of work, as they are safety hazards:

Another five are rated poor, a designation that means they have significant structural, operation and maintenance deficiencies. They include Van Horn Park Lower Dam in Springfield, Paradise Pond dam in Northampton, Roberts Meadow Upper Reservoir Dam in Northampton, and the Upper and Lower Highland Lake dams in Goshen.

Also, in a connected matter, trees have been removed along the edge of the pond near the athletic fields.

Spring is here!

2010-03-15T10:46:00.001-07:00

The Annual Bulb Show is open through March 21!

Smith alums getting Congressional medal

2010-03-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

You can listen to a report about 10 Smith alums getting the Congressional Gold Medal. Or read about them here.

More than 1,100 women joined WASP during its two-and-a-half year tenure through November 1944. Among them were 10 Smith alumnae. They are Ann Baumgartner Carl ’39, Sara Chapin ’43, Alta Corbett ’39, Margot Ford ’39, Gloria Heath ’43, Betty LeVeque ’43, Mary Storm Ruprecht ’40, Harriet Train ’43, Lucy B. Walker ’36, and Mary Howson ’40, who died in a training crash before receiving her wings.

These 10 and their fellow WASP pilots were collectively honored at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 10, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress. The honor was initiated in Congress by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Senator Barbara Mikulski (Maryland), Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida) and Representative Susan Davis (California).

Happy anniversary, Smith!

2010-03-08T06:02:00.001-08:00

On this day in 1870, Sophia Smith wrote her will!

Like other women's colleges, Smith was considered a dangerous experiment. Many people feared that rigorous study would endanger women's health and their prospects for marriage. In 1876, at the close of the college's first year, all 14 of the students were reported to be in good health. Equally important, they had "accomplished as much work as in a college attended only by males."

More White House connections

2010-03-01T11:20:00.001-08:00

Add to the Smith alumnae working in the White House the name of Julianna Smoot '89. She has just been appointed the White House Social Secretary, following the decision of Desiree Rogers to step down.

According to the Washington Post:

Smoot served as national finance director for the Obama campaign in 2008.
Her success raising millions early in the Democratic primaries proved vital to
Obama's victory, undercutting the perception that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was an inevitable juggernaut -- and making Smoot one of the most popular figures in the Chicago headquarters.
Smoot has spent the past year serving as chief of staff to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

UPDATE: According to yesterday's NY Times Style section, Smoot was a HONS, so she's very qualified!
UPDATE #2: And this means the White House is switching from a Wellesley alum to a Smithie!

Shakespeare and Smith

2010-03-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

As someone who took not one but TWO semesters of Shakespeare at Smith, I'd say the two go very well!

The Smith College Club of Greenwich-Stamford in Connecticut is co-hosting the annual Shakespeare competition again this year.

Rachel Maddow to give commencement address

2010-02-17T14:12:00.001-08:00

This just in...Smith has announced that Rachel Maddow will be giving this year's Commencement address.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Maddow, renowned dance composer Martha Myers, record-setter Victoria “Tori” Murden McClure, environmental justice advocate Peggy M. Shepard and global activist Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan.

It's Rally Day!

2010-02-17T06:26:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to this year’s Smith Medalists:

Stephanie Kulp Seymour ’62, senior judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
T. Christine Stevens ’70, professor of mathematics and computer science
Sarah Thomas ’70, head of library services at Oxford University
Danielle Brian ’85, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight
Luma Mufleh ’97, coach and founder of Fugees Family, Inc.

What do you remember most about Rally Day? Share your Rally Day memories on the AASC Facebook page!

A Century of Women in the Media

2010-02-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

On March 25-26, Smith is hosting a conference "A Century of Women in Type" for women in the media. The keynote speaker is Gloria Steinem '56.

Green Street Cafe is closing.

2010-02-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

And the Green Street Cafe, alas, is closing.

Committee for Preservation for the White House

2010-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Thelma Golden '87 on her appointment to the Committee for Preservation of the White House! Thelma is the director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Music without Borders

2010-02-03T11:56:00.001-08:00

The pilot for "Sound Tracks: Music without Borders," a new PBS series about the intersection of music with life, politics and culture, includes two stories produced by Smith alumna Victoria Gamburg '93 in Russia and Kazakhstan, titled "A Man Like Putin" and "Oh, Kazakhstan!"

Lost in Haiti

2010-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

Among those lost in the earthquake in Haiti this past week was Lisa Mbele-Mbong'93.
Lisa was a human rights worker in Haiti with the United Nations. She died in the UN headquarters. She leaves a ten year old son and her parents.

Neilson is 100!

2009-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Neilson Library is celebrating 100 years this year. There are a series of events taking place in its honor:

	Branch Libraries Day Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Celebrate Mardi Gras in the Hillyer Art Library, Josten Library for the Performing Arts and the Young Science Library.
	William Allan Neilson: "A King o' Men (and Women!) for a' That" Thursday, February 18, 2010, 7:30 p.m. Neilson Library Browsing Room Lecture by Peter I. Rose, Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology.
	Shake It Up, Baby! The Future of Academic Libraries Wednesday, April 14, 2010, time TBA, Neilson Library Browsing Room Lecture by Sarah Thomas ’70, Bodley’s Librarian & Director of the Oxford University Library Services; former chair of the Friends of the Smith College Libraries; and Smith Medal recipient, 2010.

You can also celebrate the libraries by buying these fun notecards.

Smith sings!

2009-12-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

Check out the Smith College music groups performing on Parents' Weekend:

Oldest female Marine

2009-11-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

On Veterans' Day, Miriam Cohen '29 passed away. She was the oldest female Marine in the country (she would have turned 102 in December). And she was a Smithie:

After retiring from the IRS, where she worked after 10 years of military service, Miriam Cohen refused to collect Social Security.

"I told her she was nuts," Eaton says. "Miriam said, 'My government needs the money more than I do.' I'm telling ya, she was a real character. I'd call her avant-garde, an independent thinker in the tradition of Amelia Earhart ... and Susan B. Anthony."

Smith Cheerleaders

2009-11-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, Smith has them!

You can listen to WFCR's report on them here.

Pecans for sale!

2009-11-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nope, not from us, but if you are interested in Smith Club pecans, the Smith Club West of Boston is selling them:

Pecans are available at:
Page-Waterman Gallery, 26 Church Street, Wellesley

or may be ordered for local delivery by phone or email from:
Mary Barbara Alexander '73, 508 647-1631 or mbas@verizon.net127 Farm RoadSherborn, MA 01770

Mammoth Pecan Halves 16 oz. bag $10.00 each or 6 bags for $55.00
Chocolate Covered Pecans 12 oz. bag $10.00 each or 6 bags for $55.00

If you wish to have pecans shipped via UPS, add an additional $12.00to your order of 6 or more bags in Massachusetts, $15.00 out of state..
Checks should be made payable to: The Smith College Club West of Boston.

16 Children's Authors signing

2009-10-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

Sixteen local authors and illustrators will be signing books at a fundraiser for "Reach Out and Read" at the Smith College Campus School on November 3 from 3 to 5 pm.

on Molly Ivins

2009-10-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses her...now here's a biography.

UPDATE: You can find an excerpt here.

Mountain Day video

2009-10-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Smith has posted a video from Mountain Day on YouTube:

Ford Hall is OPEN!

2009-10-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

Today Smith is dedicating Ford Hall, the home of the engineering program!

The program begins at 5:30 tonight. You can read all about it here.

Poetry reading schedule

2009-10-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

Here's a schedule just sent to me of the poetry readings by the director of the poetry center at Smith.

POETRY READING by Ellen Doré Watson - with James Tate and James Haug
Western Massachusetts launch of the 2nd annual state-wide Massachusetts
Poetry Festival
Thurs. Oct 15, 7:00 pm, Amherst Cinema
Reserve free tickets online:
http://amherstpoetryfestival-rss.eventbrite.com/

PANEL/READING: The Wild, Wild West - 3 poets from Western MA (with
Ellen Doré Watson, Amy Dryansky & Mary A. Koncel)
Massachusetts Poetry Festival, Sat. Oct 17, 1:00 pm, Pollard Memorial
Library, Lowell, MA
Reserve free tickets online: http://wildwest.eventbrite.com/

PANEL/READING: Ugly Truths: A Poetry Craft Panel Discussion on Poems
That Make Art from Shocking or Risky Material
(with Ellen Doré Watson, Patrick Donnelly, Frannie Lindsay, and Nancy
K. Pearson)
Massachusetts Poetry Festival, Sat. Oct 17, 3:00 pm, Cobblestones of
Lowell, Lowell, MA
Reserve free tickets online: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/401682443

Mountain Day is ON!

2009-10-03T05:05:00.001-07:00

Rain or shine: hike at Broad Meadow Brook today! Meet at 10 am.

Transfer to Smith

2009-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Very fun essay from a transfer student whose previous college was a little different than Smith.

Keep your waders handy

2009-09-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Great article in the New York Post about Susan Vincent AC'00, who teaches at the Young Women's Leadership School in East Harlem. She regularly brings her science students out into the marshes to study.

Smith Engineering gets an international stage

2009-09-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

An article in Span published in New Delhi profiles the fusion of liberal arts and engineering at Smith.
Smith’s focus on project-based learning—which begins with the first introductory design course and continues through the senior-year Design Clinic—is unusual. The overwhelming majority (83 percent) of teachers in engineering programs nationally use lectures and discussion as the “primary instructional method” for undergraduate classes, according to a report by the National Science Board.

Also unique is Smith’s attempt to fuse engineering and liberal arts with the aim of producing technically competent professionals who engineer in a socially responsible fashion with an eye toward sustainability.

Also, in an article originally in Forbes, busting the myth of women in math and science.

Smith getting more family friendly

2009-09-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today's Daily Hampshire Gazette has a report on a grant that both Smith and Mount Holyoke have received to make their workplaces more family-friendly. While the Gazette report is not available online to non-subscribers, you can see Smith's news release.

The awards — of $25,000 and above — recognize baccalaureate colleges for their leadership and accomplishments in implementing groundbreaking policies and practices supporting career flexibility for tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Smith's Center for Work and Life, which focuses on the challenges of negotiating career, family responsibilities, and personal well-being, will use the $25,000 grant to support the efforts of faculty members caring for aging parents.

Congratulations, Robin!

2009-08-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Robin Bahr Casey on her upcoming appointment to the Worcester Elder Affairs Commission (pending this Tuesday's City Council meeting)!

Ford Hall opens Oct. 16

2009-08-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ford Hall, Smith's new engineering building, opens on October 16. For a sneak preview, go here.

Why Women's Colleges are Still Relevant

2009-08-14T15:48:00.001-07:00

(I don't know that this is something Smith alums are wondering, but there it is!)

An article by Smith alum Heidi Brown in the recent edition of Forbes magazine.

A recent study funded by the WCC bears this out. The report, released in March 2008, surveyed 1,000 women's-college alumnae and their female peers from liberal arts colleges or public flagships. In several key areas, women's colleges performed higher, including in the proportion of entrepreneurs produced and leadership training received. Additionally, far more graduates of women's colleges than of co-ed liberal arts colleges (66% vs. 55%) said the reputation of their school played a major role in getting into graduate school or obtaining their first job.

Any surprise there?

August Send Off Party!

2009-08-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

Wonderful event tonight, arranged by our ever-able ACC Liz Kennedy DeHoratius. Current students, incoming students, book award winners, parents, siblings, and alumnae all met in beautiful Green Hill Park (during a break in the rain). Much conversation about Smith: classes, houses, professors, studies.
Thanks, Liz!

Memorial service for Professor Horner

2009-08-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

A memorial service for

B. Elizabeth Horner
Professor Emerita, Biological Sciences

Sunday, October 4, 2009
1 p.m.

Helen Hills Hills Chapel
Smith College

With a reception to follow at Alumnae House

Those unable to attend may wish to contribute a memory, photo, story, or thought. Contributions from those who may attend would also be welcome. The organizers hope to compile a booklet of tributes and remembrances that those present could take with them, and that could be sent to those who could not attend.

If you would like to contribute, please send your thoughts to Virginia Hayssen at vhayssen@smith.edu before September 18 to allow time to compile and print the booklet.

Celebrating Julia Williams Child'34

2009-08-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're seeing plenty of coverage around the new movie out this weekend Julie and Julia. Smith is not missing a chance to celebrate our famous alum, and you can join in after seeing the movie by discussing it on the Smith Alumnae Association Facebook page or on the special Julie and Julia message board.

Annual send off party

2009-08-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

A reminder to our members that the annual Smith College Club of Worcester send off party in honor of the class of 2013 will happen next Thursday evening.

Thursday, August 13
5:30-7:30 pm
At the Green Hill Park Refectory
Bring a picnic; we'll provide the drinks and dessert!
RSVP to Liz DeHoratius

In honor of Walter Cronkite

2009-07-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

I thought you might enjoy the follow poem written by retired professor Peter Rose, published recently in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, in honor of Walter Cronkite (known by friends as a sailor as well as a newsman):

With verge he ruled the waves of air,
He was avuncular and fair.
Then he ruled the swells at sea.
A moving anchor, Cronkite, he.

Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith

2009-07-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

You may have already seen the coverage of Cybil Shephard's latest film in which she plays an Ada!
Here's the write-up in the New York Times this Sunday.

The engineering department puts itself to work!

2009-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Smith's Engineering department recently took a look at the Schnell Bridge in Northfield, and confirmed that it is structurally sound. As the town of Northfield is in the midst of deciding what to do with the bridge, contributed by Francis Schnell to the only town in Massachusetts split by the Connecticut River, this is useful information.

Smith College filing suit to evict Green Street Cafe

2009-07-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Note: I realize that this will only be relevent to those of you who graduated within the last 15 or so years. I think those who ever went, though, would miss the GSC!
In the latest round of a years' old battle, Smith is filing suit to evict the Green Street Cafe from its location (owned by the College). The Cafe was the center of neighborhood opposition to the building of the new engineering building next door.

Welding!

2009-07-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Or, rather, teaching welding

Oh, the places we go!

2009-07-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

The latest news release from Smith had such an amazing breadth of experiences that Smith alumnae have after they leave Northampton that I had to share them with you:

Secretary Clinton appoints Farah Pandith to head new Office of the United States Representative to Muslim Communities
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has asked Smith alumna Farah Pandith '90 to head the new Office of the United States Special Representative to Muslim Communities. Special Representative Farah Pandith and her staff will be responsible for executing the Administration’s efforts to engage with Muslims around the world on a people-to-people and organizational level.

Tanya Peterson is taming the turmoil at the zoo
Few people knew about Smith alumna Tanya Peterson '88 when she took over as acting director of the San Francisco Zoo last July, but by incorporating herself in all facets of the institution’s operations, the former corporate lawyer is beginning to gain notice for her approach to San Francisco’s 80-year-old wildlife exhibition.

A new Miss Connecticut hopes for national crown
Last week, 19 women competed for the title of Miss Connecticut, including Gretchen Hahn of Stamford, a 2009 Smith graduate and former president of the college's young Republicans. Sharalynn Kuziak will now continue to the Miss America pageant.

Ruth Ann Wefald avoids the limelight and raises millions
The list of projects Smith alumna Ruth Ann Wefald '62 has led or in which she was a key participant is impressive. Wefald has raised tens of millions of dollars for Kansas State University projects that benefit the arts, women, minorities and the poor.

Go, thou, and do likewise!

Congratulations, Senator Resor!

2009-06-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to former state senator Pam Resor'64 on her reception of the Pepper Award from the Westborough Community Land Trust. The award recognizes outstanding work in land conservation and preservation and advancing the WCLT mission.
Senator Resor spoke to the club at last fall's Guest Night on "Women in Politics."

Gay Rights and National Leadership

2009-06-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in the New York Times on why the gay rights movement hasn't galvinized around a single national leader. Alumna Betty Friedan and Professor Daniel Horowitz are cited:

“Betty and her group wanted to do it from a more top-down approach,” said Daniel Horowitz, a professor of American studies at Smith College who wrote a biography of Ms. Friedan. “You go to Washington and you lobby members of Congress. In fact, she talked explicitly about the N.A.A.C.P. as her model, and the N.A.A.C.P. had achieved its goals primarily through Supreme Court cases.”

Commencement weekend speeches

2009-06-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

I know we had some local alums there, but, for those who weren't on campus for it, here's a link to the Ivy Day speech by Shaharzad Akbar'09. Shaharzad is from Afghanistan.

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin'84 addressed the graduating class, urging them to tackle "insoluble problems."

This just in on the incoming class...

2009-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Another record for first year applications! For the first time in Smith history we topped the 4,000 mark to end up at 4011 for the Class of 2013! Just think, in Fall 2005 we had fewer than 3,000 applications. This record is especially welcome, and even surprising, in these tough economic times. I’m sure you’ve heard from families all throughout the process about their concerns with financing a private college education. It’s certainly a tribute to your hard work and enthusiasm that we’ve reached this milestone. Thank you!

The first year class is at 684 today. We still have some waitlist offers extended and plan to be done with the class in a couple of weeks. Our goal is 670 but we’ll need more than that number in the class to make sure that we cover our summer melt – students who cancel because they’ve been taken off the waitlist at other colleges or students who choose to defer their entrance for a year. Currently 31% of our US citizens and permanent residents are students of color (up from 29% in ’08); 14% are international citizens (up from 7%); 11% are legacies (up from 7%); 16% are first generation to college (down from 17%) and 67% were in the top 10% of their classes (up from 64%). It’s a great class.

Our Ada Comstock Scholars class is fabulous. As you know our goal for the class was reduced to 35, making for a very competitive admission process. We stand at 36 students in the class right now, anticipating some summer melt. Our transfer class is not yet finished since we just mailed our final group of decisions on June 1. We anticipate having 65 transfers in the fall class.

From the Admissions office spring newsletter

Summer reading: UPDATED

2009-06-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Leading off a review of summer books from last Thursday's New York Times is a bit of praise for J. Courtney Sullivan '03 and her book Commencement:

J. Courtney Sullivan’s “Commencement” is one of this year’s most inviting summer novels. It tells of four Smith College dorm mates who reunite for a wedding four years after graduation, and it manages to be so entertaining that this setup never feels schematic. In a novel that’s what Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Prep” aspired to be (i.e., a smart, discerning book about school years) Ms. Sullivan introduces strong, warmly believable three-dimensional characters who have fun, have fights and fall into intense love affairs, sometimes with one another. Smith’s feathers may be ruffled by the candor with which Ms. Sullivan describes campus life.

That's intriguing...it's going on my list!

Here's the NY Times Sunday review.

Congratulations, Deborah O'Malley

2009-06-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

Smith alumna Deborah O'Malley has been appointed Executive Director of the Mass College of Pharmacy Worcester campus. She will oversee campus operations and community relations.
Congratulations, Deborah!

Listen in

2009-06-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Tune in to Bloomberg News Radio "Bloomberg Surveillance" at 9:30 a.m. EST, Thursday, June 11, to hear Andrew Zimbalist, Smith professor and sports economist, discuss the Yankees and Red Sox. (Go, Sox!)

Listen to a recent WFCR Radio interview with Steve Waksman, Smith professor of music and American studies, about the charged relationship between metal and punk in the years following the iconic 1960s music festival Woodstock, which marks it 40th anniversary this summer.

Securing the Financial Future of Smith College

2009-06-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

President Christ will be presenting on Smith College's financial future at a live webinar for alumnae on June 24 at noon (Eastern).

During the Webinar, President Christ will discuss the key components of what she terms a comprehensive response to the financial crisis that has affected Smith and other institutions.

To participate, you must register in advance. When you register, you'll have the opportunity to submit a question related to the budget plans in the “Questions and Comments” field of the registration form. All questions will be collected, and President Christ will answer as many of them as possible during the Webinar. To review in advance President Christ's correspondence concerning the budget, click here.

Professor Henle and a logic puzzle

2009-06-08T10:50:00.001-07:00

I don't know if any of you had the pleasure of a class with Professor Jim Henle. I did, and this made me laugh out loud remembering him!

Saturday's New York Times has a letter to the editor by Smith Professor of Mathematics James Henle, in which he takes apart the illogic of those objecting to Judge Sonia Sotomayer's comments regarding a "wise Latina." To wit:

To the Editor:

As a logician, I can’t sit idly by as critics misread the remarks of Sonia Sotomayor. She compared a “wise Latina woman” with a “white male,” not a “wise white male.” Can she be faulted for supposing that someone who is wise might make a better decision than someone who is not? I think that a few white males, by their absurd outrage, have made her point.

James Henle
Northampton, Mass., June 3, 2009

The writer is a professor in the Logic Program at Smith College.

Supreme Court pick guided by a Smith alum

2009-05-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Cutter'90 has left her job at the Treasury department in order to guide President Obama's Supreme Court nominee through the confirmation process:
Ms. Cutter, who was a top strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry, joined the Obama campaign late and was a top aide to Michelle Obama. After the election, she was a senior adviser to Timothy F. Geithner after his nomination as Treasury secretary, and became head of his communications office at the department.

You should visit!

2009-05-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

The New York Post has named Northampton #19 in their list of 100 destinations:
Amherst and Springfield are both nearby, but unlike a lot of college towns, Northampton is not dominated by its surrounding schools. Instead, they're folded into the experience, supporting many attractions that Northampton wouldn't be able to, otherwise.

You should go visit!

Sylvia Plath's Britain

2009-05-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Tune in to BBC4 Monday, May 11, at 8:30 p.m. to watch the Sylvia Plath episode of "A Poet's Guide to Britain." Associate Curator of Special Collections Karen Kukil contributed to this six-part series that examines Smith alumna Sylvia Plath's poem "Wuthering Heights." http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kfc1f

Professor B. Elizabeth Horner had died

2009-05-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Professor Horner, a longtime biology professor and an honorary degree recipient, died on April 29, her 93rd birthday.

I've requested the obit from the College to post here.

Josten Library stays independent

2009-04-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I can't get the link to work, but it seems that President Christ has suspended the proposal to incorporate Josten Library within Neilson Library.

Smith students heading home from Mexico JYA

2009-04-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Four Smith students currently on Junior Year Abroad in Mexico are heading home now, due to the threat of swine flu. The Mexican University has suspended classes.

Webcast on ethnic nationalism in Tibet

2009-04-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sophia Smith Professor of Government Steve Goldstein will participate in a live Web cast today from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the topic of ethnic nationalism in Taiwan. The event is hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars.

"Will the Real Taiwan Please Stand Up?"