Elizabethtown College News 
Back to top 12/20/2007 Two women named to Mid-Atlantic soccer team Elizabethtown College junior forward Jenna Russo and senior midfielder Jenny Fromuth were selected to the National Soccer Coaches  Association of America/adidas Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region team in women's soccer, the NSCAA has announced.Russo (left) was a first-team selection while Fromuth was named to the third team after leading the Blue Jays to a 17-4-1 overall record, a berth in the Commonwealth Conference championship match and the program's second straight trip to the NCAA Division III tournament. Russo was the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year as she led the Blue Jays with 10 goals and nine assists for 29 points in 20 matches, scored at least one point in nine straight matches from Sept. 20 through Oct. 16 and registered at least one point in 15 matches during the season.  A second-team All-Region selection last season, Russo has scored 28 goals and added 18 assists for 74 points in 59 career matches. She is the first Elizabethtown player to earn first-team All-Region honors since Dana Moyer in 2005 and the 10th in program history.Fromuth (right), a two-time first-team All-Conference selection, tallied seven goals and six assists while starting all 22 matches. Three of her goals were game-winners in 1-0 victories for the Blue Jays. She finishes her three-year career with the Blue Jays with 15 goals and 13 assists for 43 points in 63 matches. Back to top 12/19/2007 Alumnus named Valparaiso U president Mark Heckler, a 1977 graduate of Elizabethtown College, has been named the 18th president of Valparaiso University, effective July 1.  He will replace Alan F. Harre, who is retiring June 30 after 20 years as president. Heckler previously served as provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. A native of Pennsylvania, he has worked there since 1995, when he joined the staff as a tenured professor of theatre and director of the School of Arts. Under his leadership, the School of Arts was expanded and renamed the College of Arts and Media and he was named the new college’s founding dean in 1998. He held that position until 2003 when he served briefly as UC Denver’s acting chancellor before being appointed to his current position. Valparaiso University is a comprehensive university with a Lutheran heritage that enrolls nearly 4,000 students on its campus 55 miles southeast of Chicago. It has been identified as one of the top master’s-level institutions in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report magazine for the past 19 years, and most recently was ranked among the top three in academic quality for the eighth consecutive year. Back to top 12/14/2007 Students manage Trostle Investment Portfolio Elizabethtown College recently established a student-managed investment fund in honor of an alumnus and emeritus finance professor.  The Trostle Investment Portfolio (TIP), named in honor of Emeritus Associate Professor of Finance Randy Trostle (right), a 1969 graduate, is designed to provide Elizabethtown students with real-world experience in the management of an investment company. Students participating in TIP have the opportunity to work with nearly $225,000 in donated funds, much of which came from the College’s alumni during a six-month period. The initiative was kicked off with a $50,000 challenge grant from 1975 graduate Jim Hoover, whose previous gift made possible the James B. Hoover Center for Business. During the fall semester, students enrolled in Investments, taught by Trostle, chose a company to analyze and evaluate. They were also required to ensure that the company met TIP’s investment policies, which mirror those used by the board of trustees’ Investment Committee to manage the College’s endowment portfolio. Students then present information on their company to the class, which serves as the TIP Investment committee, along with Trostle and Department of Business Chair Sean Melvin. A 2/3-vote is needed to move forward with the purchase of security from the company. One-half of TIP’s assets are invested during the fall semester, and the other half during the spring semester, when the work of the investment committee continues with students in Trostle’s Student Managed Investment Portfolio course. This group has the task of evaluating what was invested during the fall semester and deciding to buy, sell or hold. Back to top 12/13/2007 Power Restored to Elizabethtown College at 4 p.m. For about two hours on the afternoon of Thursday, December 13, Elizabethtown College was impacted by an area-wide power outage. As of 4 p.m. this afternoon, power has been restored to all campus buildings. Final exams slated for Thursday evening and Friday will take place as scheduled. Message Updated 12/13/2007 at 4:30 p.m. Back to top 12/11/2007 Students participate in EU Simulation Members of a European Union (EU) Simulation class taught by Assistant Professor of Political Science Oya Dursun-Ozkanca recently  participated in the European Union Simulation of the Mid-Atlantic EU Consortium of 15 colleges and universities. Teams from the colleges, each representing an EU country, met for three days to debate and decide on a resolution about a key policy question affecting the EU. Through role assignments, the students were engaged in experiential learning, and were encouraged to discuss and debate “EU Climate Change Policy: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy and Transport.” The approximately 200 student participants played EU institutional and national roles, actually walking through the sequence of events taken by the main EU institutions in making binding decisions for the Union. Elizabethtown College’s delegation – Bill Hamilton, Lauren O’Donnell, Caroline Risacher, Abbie Trone, Edna Zhou and Jennifer Zielinski – each successfully represented a member of the Hungarian Cabinet and the European Parliament during this year’s simulation exercise. Hamilton (representing Mr. András Gyürk, Hungarian Member of the EU Parliament) was elected as the President of the European Parliament, and Trone (representing Mr. Gábor Fodor) received the Best Minister of Environment Award. Back to top 11/29/2007 'Gint' earns several awards from theatre organization David Zarko, resident artistic director of the Northeast Theatre, a professional theatre in Scranton, came to see the Elizabethtown  College theatre production of "Gint" in November. Zarko was serving as the production's official respondent from Region II (Mid-Atlantic region) of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), an organization of thousands of university and college theatre programs across the country. Zarko gave a number of awards to the production. The cast was given a certificate of merit for ensemble acting; lighting designer Barry Fritz was given a certificate of merit for his lighting design; and Associate Professor of Theatre Michael Swanson was given a certificate of merit for directing the show. Cast members Sam Gillam '09 (left) and Mike Gephart '08 (right) were nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition for their work as Gint and Older Man, respectively. Zarko also nominated a scene from the show, in which Gint meets a group of razorback hogs, to be considered to travel to KCACTF Region II's annual Festival, which will be held in January at Carnegie Mellon University. More than a thousand theatre students and faculty will attend the festival. Back to top 11/29/2007 Downs '08 first Blue Jay to be named All-American of the Year Elizabethtown College senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) has been named the 2007 ESPN The Magazine College  Division Academic All-American of the Year in volleyball, as voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).Downs is the first Elizabethtown student-athlete to earn the prestigious Academic All-American of the Year honor, which goes to the highest vote-getter among candidates for the Academic All-America team. She is also the first Blue Jay to be named first-team Academic All-America since Mandi (Ewing) Romig '01 was selected to the women's at-large team in 2001 and the ninth overall. A second-team Academic All-American in 2006, Downs joins Duane Snavely '85 (men's soccer), Gary Yeager '95 (baseball) and Megan Halladay '04 (women's soccer) as two-time Academic All-America selections. Read more. Back to top 11/28/2007 Three alums earn Educate for Service awards Three Elizabethtown College graduates recently received Educate for Service awards from their alma mater. The highest honor given to  alumni, these awards are presented to those who have made exceptional contributions to the community, professional field or the College. Gary L. Myers (from left) of Smyrna, Ga., received a Service to Humanity award, Ronald Shubert of Elizabethtown received a Service to the College award, and Col. Jeffrey B. Miller of Harrisburg received a Service through Professional Achievement award.Gary L. Myers graduated cum laude from Elizabethtown in 1971 and earned his doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1975. He is chief of the clinical chemistry branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. He also serves as the scientific director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Reference and Research in Blood Lipids at the CDC. Myers’ 30-year career at the CDC has focused on improving the laboratory measurement of biochemical markers used to assess chronic disease risk, particularly cardiovascular disease. As the CDC’s representative on the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Laboratory Standardization Panel, he played a pivotal role in developing national guidelines to improve the reliability of cholesterol testing. Col. Jeffrey B. Miller is the 18th commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. Miller enlisted in the State Police in July 1984. During his progression through the ranks, Miller served in various assignments, including Patrol, Internal Affairs, Drug Law Enforcement and Criminal Investigation. He served as the criminal investigation section commander at Troop K, Philadelphia, and as the station commander at Troop L, Schuylkill Haven, prior to being named the commanding officer of Troop H, Harrisburg, in 1995. Miller was named director of legislative affairs and policy in 2000. He was appointed as commissioner on Jan. 21, 2003, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on March 24, 2003. He was unanimously reconfirmed by the Senate on April 17, 2007. As a continuing education student, Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Elizabethtown College in 1995, and then earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Pennsylvania State University. Miller is also a former adjunct professor of criminal justice at Elizabethtown. He received national and international acclaim for his sensitive handling of the 2006 Amish school tragedy in Nickel Mines. His strong, calm and stabilizing presence in the media projected a sense of respect for the victims and survivors, and precluded the sensationalism often associated with such horrific events. Ronald Shubert graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then spent two years earning a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kansas. In 1964 he returned to Elizabethtown and began his teaching career, interrupted only by the period from 1968 to 1970 when he earned his doctorate in mathematics from the Pennsylvania State University. He was promoted to associate professor in 1970 and to professor in 1973. During his career at Elizabethtown, Shubert taught 27 different courses, many of which he developed or helped to develop. In addition to leading the Department of Mathematical Sciences for 26 years, he also served as the first program director for computer science. He served on many campus-wide committees, advised the Math Club and Ski Club, and served as the College’s NCAA representative. Back to top 11/28/2007 Students seek instruments for service-learning project A group of Elizabethtown College students who hope to return music to an  underprivileged South African school are seeking donations of used wind instruments. Donations must be received by Dec. 14, and following minor repairs, instruments will be shipped to a rural school in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.To make a donation or to find out how to support this effort, contact Karendra Devroop, assistant professor of music, at 717-361-1532, or Kim Sandifer, senior music education major, at sandiferk@etown.edu. Devroop, who also serves as director of music education, and Sandifer are leading the South African Music Program along with Michael Roy, assistant professor of psychology. The program will culminate with two students and their professors spending a week in South Africa training that country’s teachers about the essentials of running and sustaining a music program, working directly with South African students, and conducting research on the impact of the music program. In addition to creating a sustainable instrumental program in South Africa, the program will lead to three separate psychology of music studies that will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals in the United States and in South Africa and will be presented at local and regional conferences by faculty and students. The South African Music Program will be completed in partnership with faculty from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and Pretoria University, both in South Africa, and will involve Elizabethtown psychology students and members of the College’s chapter of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Education Association. The project is being sponsored through a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Scholarship Program (CISP) grant from the College. Created through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, CISP offers financial support for interdisciplinary scholarship projects undertaken jointly by teams of faculty, students and professional staff. CISP is administered through the Elizabethtown’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Back to top 11/19/2007 Erin Fisher '08 earns All-America honors Elizabethtown College senior Erin Fisher (McEwensville, PA/Warrior Run) earned All-America honors with a 15th-place  finish at the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country championships. She is the second Blue Jay women's runner to earn All-America honors, joining Melissa St. Clair (2003) along with men's team members Dustin Scott (2001), Steve Sanko (2004) and Jose Miranda (2004). Fisher crossed the finish line of the 6,000-meter race in 21:46 to help the Blue Jays end up tied for 23rd overall in a field of 32 teams with the University of Puget Sound at 581 points, the best finish in three trips to nationals for the program. "I was really proud of how the team handled all of the chaos that exists at the national championships. They ran a really poised race like seasoned veterans, and didn't act like they were just happy to be there," said head coach Chris Straub. "This is a great exclamation point on a wonderful season." For Fisher, the All-America recognition caps a season that saw her win three individual races, including her second straight Middle Atlantic Conference championship and the NCAA Mideast Regional title one week earlier. Back to top 11/19/2007 Pres. Long, multicultural recruiter participate in '100 men reading' President Ted Long and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment David Stewart were among the more than 100 men who read to  students in the Harrisburg School District on Nov. 7 as part of "100 Men Reading." The event was sponsored by the American Literacy Corporation, the SuperReader Program and the Harrisburg School District and featured men from various organizations, from Pa. Senator Jeffrey Piccola to clergymen, business executives, construction workers, reporters and policemen. Long and Stewart both visited the Math and Science Academy at the Ben Franklin Elementary School to read to a fifth-grade class and a seventh-grade class, respectively. Besides promoting reading, the 100 Men Reading program provides the school district with an opportunity to build a positive relationship with the community and allows students to interact with professional men who serve as role models. Stewart – who became involved with the program through his acquaintance with Floyd Stokes, executive director of the American Literacy Program – enlisted Long to join in the event. “I believe the program was a great success,” Stewart said. “I think it speaks volumes to our commitment to education beyond the borders of Elizabethtown College, not to mention within the local community of Harrisburg.” Back to top 11/16/2007 College makes assessment info available By participating in two national initiatives, Elizabethtown College has joined hundreds of other schools that are making information on  how well they perform directly available to parents and students. Efforts like these are the result of pressure from Congress for greater transparency and as a result of growing discontent with current rankings.Elizabethtown is one of 257 institutions nationwide that are making student satisfaction scores available through a joint initiative by USA TODAY and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Benchmark scores from these institutions – which compare a school’s score in five categories against national averages for institutions of their type – are currently posted on USA TODAY’s searchable online database. A printed guide will also be available. NSSE annually mails its survey to randomly selected first-year and senior students at participating colleges. The questions are related to desired outcomes of college and address five types of experiences – the five categories scored on the national database – that research suggests any college-bound student out to be looking for: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experience and supportive campus environment. Elizabethtown is also participating in a similar effort by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). The University & College Accountability Network, or U-CAN, is a national database that provides, in a common format, concise, Web-based consumer-friendly information on individual private colleges and universities. U-CAN consists of hundreds of institutional profiles that contain comparable data and targeted links to more detailed information available on each institution’s Web site. The information included in the profiles covers admissions, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer of credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, class size, tuition and fee trends, price of attendance, financial aid, campus housing, student life and campus safety. U-CAN also gives consumers easy access to information on average loans at graduation, undergraduate class-size breakdown, and net tuition for hundreds of colleges. Back to top 11/9/2007 'To Serve Tomorrow' closes at nearly $47 million Having raised nearly $47 million, Elizabethtown College celebrated the successful closing of its campaign, To Serve Tomorrow, at an Oct. 26  President’s Dinner. The College surpassed its original $35-million goal by 34 percent.Designed to enhance student learning by creating programs and facilities that will support student experiential learning and research-driven programs, To Serve Tomorrow was the result of a multi-year process of institutional assessment. The projects undertaken support the educational vision outlined in the Strategic Vision for Institutional Identity and Educational Excellent that was adopted in 2006. Funds raised during the campaign will be or have been used to create an endowment to support the research of the Young Center on Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, the largest international center for research on groups including the Amish and Mennonites; raise giving for the restricted endowment, Annual Fund and other projects; provide funding toward the construction of the $19.8-million Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering; construct the $5.2-million James B. Hoover Center for Business, home of the business and international business programs, the S. Dale High Center for Family Business and the Edward R. Murphy Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning; fund a renovation of the student center, Brossman Commons; and provide athletics with improved facilities renovation and construction. “To Serve Tomorrow has raised more than $47 million to help offset the costs associated with the largest period of capital construction and program building in the College’s more-than-100-year history,” said President Theodore Long. “In addition to generous support from a number of foundations, corporations, and friends, more than 8,000 alumni gave to the College. This represents over 50 percent of our alums and over 40,000 gifts received.” Pres. Ted Long recognized those who provided leadership during the Campaign: (from left) Rick Jordan of Mechanicsburg, a 1970 graduate who served as campaign chair; James Hoover of Locust Valley, N.Y., a 1975 graduate who served as national leadership gifts chair; James Shreiner of Lancaster, a 1973 graduate who led the Trustee Institutional Advancement Committee and the Hoover Business Center Campaign; and David Hosler of Lancaster, a 1972 graduate who is chairman of the board of trustees. Back to top 11/7/2007 Volleyball, women's soccer advance to NCAA tournament The Elizabethtown College volleyball and women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament.  The volleyball team opened play with a 3-0 win over Neumann College in regional action on Nov. 8 at Haverford College. Game scores were 30-20, 30-24 and 30-27. The Blue Jays (32-6 overall) won their 12th consecutive match overall and advanced to a Nov. 10 regional semifinal against either DeSales University or Haverford. Four members of the volleyball team were named All-Commonwealth Conference. Seniors Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) and Ashley Whitmarsh (New Castle, DE/Padua Academy) were first-team selections while senior Stacey Wasserman (Upperco, MD/Owings Mills) and sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) were second-team choices. In addition, Downs was recognized as Player of the Year while Randall Kreider was honored for the second straight season as Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Jays to a 29-6 regular-season record and the top seed in the conference tournament. The Elizabethtown College women's soccer team will play Union (N.Y.) College in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m. on the campus of William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. The Blue Jays (17-3-1 overall) are making their second straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs and sixth in program history after earning an at-large bid following a 3-0 loss at Messiah College in the Commonwealth Conference championship match. In addition, junior forward Jenna Russo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year to lead a group of seven Elizabethtown players earning All-Conference honors. Senior midfielder Jenny Fromuth (Wyomissing, PA/Wyomissing) and senior defender Jamie Alvanitakis (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) joined Russo on the first time, while junior forward Brooke Dotterer (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts), sophomore midfielder Erin Scott (West Chester, PA/Bishop Shanahan), senior defender Emily Gunter (Hockessin, DE/A.I. duPont) and junior defender Gretchen Geiger (Pilesgrove, NJ/Woodstown) were second-team choices. Back to top 11/6/2007 Students travel internationally to explore European-Indian relationship What was the relationship between Europeans and Indians in the lower Susquehanna Valley during the early 17th century? A group of  Elizabethtown College students sought answers to this question in nearby Washington Boro and as far away as Berlin, London and Stockholm.Six students participated in the College’s archaeological field school this past May in Washington Boro, at the site of an historical Susquehannock Indian village that Captain John Smith visited in 1608. Uncovered at that time were indigenous items created by the Susquehannock in addition to European artifacts such as trade beads, an iron ax head, arrowheads, copper and clay objects. These items, which were analyzed and process at the College’s Public Archaeology Lab, will be on display at High Library beginning on Nov. 21, honoring American Indian Heritage Month. The exhibit, which is open to the public free of charge, will run through Dec. 31. Current hours for the Library are 7:45 – 1 a.m., Monday through Thursday; 7:45 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday; 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Saturday; and 1 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Sunday. After the excavation, five of the six students completed a course on historical methods taught at Elizabethtown. They then traveled in July to Berlin, London and Stockholm with faculty members from the College to conduct further research on Indian contact with Europeans at museums and archives. Jasmine Gollup, a junior history and archaeology major from Lothian, Md., and Elizabethtown Swedish exchange student Gustav Montgomerie (above center) examined 17th-century military equipment similar to that sent to the New Sweden Colony, some of which ended up being traded to Susquehannock villages. They worked with Martin Skoog, researcher at the Royal Armoury Museum in Stockholm. “Students were looking for the origin of the European pieces we’d found in Washington Boro,” said Associate Professor of Anthropology Robert Wheelersburg, who also supervised the summer field school. “They looked at other artifacts and collections to discover when and where these pieces were manufactured and who produced them. They also had to look through documents to deduce the type of relationship between the Europeans and Indians living here at that time.” The students are currently writing theses, using documented artifacts, on a topic involving Indian-European conflict and cooperation in the 17th century. They are being supervised by the faculty members who traveled to Europe with them. “Students are writing these theses for the College’s Honors Program or as an independent project,” Wheelersburg said. “They worked with a variety of professionals – faculty, archivists, museum directors – to conduct their own research and develop their own projects based on the resources available to them.” The opportunity for students to travel to Europe was made possible by a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Scholarship Program (CISP) that was developed by Wheelersburg. CISP was made possible through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. “Our goal was to develop a process for interdisciplinary study,” Wheelersburg said. “The students and faculty were from multiple programs across campus, but the common denominator was that all the projects undertaken were related to ethnic cooperation and conflict. All of them speak to how the visiting Europeans and the Susquehannock Indians living here interacted.” Back to top 11/2/2007 Faculty members to present recital of vocal works with guitar Sarah Daughtrey, who recently joined Elizabethtown College as an assistant professor of music, will give a recital as part of the Monday Concert Series.  The event will feature vocal works with guitar, a combination not frequently seen on the concert stage. Joining Daughtrey will be Grammy-winning guitarist and Artist-in-Residence David Cullen. The recital is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Nov. 12, in Zug Recital Hall and is open to the public free of charge.There is a long history of vocal music accompanied by plucked instruments, ranging from English lute songs of the Renaissance, to the great popularity of the guitar in the early 19th century, to more recent works. This recital will feature the song cycle “Charm Me Asleep” on old English poems by award-winning composer Daniel Pinkham, Italian songs from the Napoleonic era, lieder by Schubert, and songs by Puerto Rican composer and guitarist Ernesto Cordero. Daughtrey, a mezzo-soprano, comes to Elizabethtown from Marshall University in West Virginia, where she was also an assistant professor of music. She is a candidate for the doctor of music in vocal performance and literature at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Daughtrey received a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Austin Peay State University and pursued graduate studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she was a Knoxville Opera Company apprentice and performed in the Company’s Educational Outreach Program. A Middle Tennessee District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she also performed several roles with the University’s Opera Theatre. Recent performances by Daughtrey include a presentation at Indiana University as student/singer in world-renowned baritone Håkan Hagegård’s staging of Argento’s cycle “From the Diary of Virginia Woolf.” She was also a soloist with the Columbus (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra for a concert of arias and dances from Glinka’s “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” as well as alto soloist with the South Bend Symphony for Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” on the Notre Dame campus. In the spring, Daughtrey will be a part of the premiere of Elizabethtown faculty members James Haines and John Rohrkemper’s new opera, “Las Madres de la Plaza,” serving as vocal director and playing the role of Isabella in the production. Back to top 10/25/2007 Masters Center dedicated during Homecoming, Family Weekend Elizabethtown College dedicated the Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering and its Lyet Wing for Biological Sciences on Oct. 20,  during Homecoming and Family Weekend. Recognized at the event were Frank M. Masters Jr. (second from left) of Harrisburg, who contributed $4 million – the single largest cash contribution in Elizabethtown’s history -- toward construction of the Center, and alumnus Dr. J. Paul Lyet III (third from left) of Lititz, for whom the Lyet Wing was named. When completed next year, the entire Masters Center project will renovate more than 95,000 square feet and provide an additional 33,000 square feet of science classroom and laboratory space.
“The new teaching and research laboratories in the Lyet wing will strengthen the biology programs by providing state-of- the-art-facilities, opportunities for new faculty student research, and opportunities for closer collaboration between faculty in the sciences,” said Tom Murray, professor of biology and chair of the Department of Biology. Back to top 10/18/2007 Arun Gandhi to present Carper Lecture Arun Gandhi, grandson of legendary peacefighter and spiritual leader Mahatma  Gandhi, will present Elizabethtown College’s 2007 Rev. Dr. Frank S. Carper Lecture on Ethics, Business and Society at 7 p.m., Nov. 15, in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. His talk, which will be followed by a book signing, is open to the public. Free tickets are required and are available by calling 717-361-1410.Arun Gandhi was born in South Africa to Gandhi’s second son and was raised in the first of the nonviolent communities established by M. K. Gandhi in South Africa and India. In 1946, his parents sent him to India, where he lived for 18 months with his grandfather during the campaign for independence from British rule. At 23, Arun Gandhi returned to India and became a journalist with the Times of India. He met his wife Sunanda, a nurse, when he was hospitalized in Bombay, and the couple married in 1958. Together with their colleagues, they founded the Center for Social Unity, an economic self-help program to alleviate poverty and discrimination among India’s poor, an initiative that has now spread to more than 300 Indian villages. In 1987, the Gandhis came to the United States, where they founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute at Christian Brothers University in 1991. The mission of the Institute, which is currently hosted by the University of Rochester, is to foster understanding of nonviolence and develop ways to put that philosophy to practical use through workshops, lectures and community outreach programs. A speaker of international acclaim, Gandhi has spoken before hundreds of colleges and universities, and corporate and civic organizations. His unique talents and cross-cultural experiences have brought him before governmental, social and educational audiences in countries all over the world, including Brazil, Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Holland, Lithuania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Nicaragua. Back to top 10/17/2007 Fall theatre production, "Gint," scheduled to begin Nov. 1 Elizabethtown College’s theatre program will present “Gint” -- a retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” -- at 8 p.m. on Nov 1-3 and Nov. 8-10 in Tempest  Theatre. Tickets cost $5 and are available by calling 717-361-1170.Ibsen’s classic folk drama about the boy who thought he could be enough unto himself is moved from Norway to Appalachia by Obie Award-winning American playwright Romulus Linney. The life of Pete Gint -- son, lover, rascal, and rogue -- spans the 20th century, trailing from North Carolina hollers to California resorts, from fantastic failure to soaring success. Yet Gint still searches for his soul. Cast members for the production include Sam Gillam (pictured), a senior theatre and political science major from Glen Burnie, Md., as Pete Gint; Katlyn Howes, a junior English education and theatre major from Taneytown, Md., as Gint’s Oldie Momma; and Emily Grove (pictured), a sophomore theatre major from Harrisburg, as Sally Vicks, Gint’s soulmate. The remaining cast members, who play multiple roles, are: Elyse Venturella, a junior theatre and communications major from Palmyra; Ezra Schatz, a junior theatre and business administration major from Elliottsburg; Megan Roberts, a senior theatre and psychology major from Bordentown, N.J.; and Graham Stokes, a junior theatre major from Exeter, R.I. “Gint” is the first Elizabethtown College production for Director and Associate Professor of Theatre Michael Swanson, who joined the faculty this fall. Swanson was previously theatre arts director and instructor at Fresno City College. In addition, he has taught at the University of Arizona, Western Illinois University and Franklin College, where he served as chair of the Department of Fine Arts. Swanson has staged more than 60 productions and has served in key leadership positions, including regional chair, for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region III. He also founded the Shakespeare & More Theatre company of Central Indiana, and his work has been published in several scholarly publications and has been presented at a variety of national conferences. Back to top 10/9/2007 Long's book on Jackie Robinson earns favorable reviews An Elizabethtown College professor has collected and edited the letters of Jackie Robinson in a new book that reveals  how the baseball legend sought to use his fame to further the civil rights cause. Major league baseball this summer marked the 60th anniversary of Robinson’s historic debut – which broke the sports color barrier – as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.Michael Long’s “First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson” (Times Books) is a collection of previously unpublished letters from the 1950s through the 1970s. It includes Robinson’s correspondence with – and personal replies from – Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater. The book’s foreword was written by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Positive reviews have already appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, Publishers Weekly and Book Forum. “Writing eloquently and with evident passion, Robinson charted his own course, offering his support to Democrats and to Republicans, questioning the tactics of the civil rights movement, and challenging the nation’s leaders when he felt they were guilty of hypocrisy – or worse,” writes publisher Times Books. Long is an associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author of several books on religion and politics in mid-century America, including “Against Us, but for Us: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the State” and “Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America’s Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.” “First Class Citizenship” was funded in part through a grant from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities in Harrisburg. More information is available at www.firstclasscitizenship.com. Back to top 10/3/2007 Homecoming, Family Weekend to include public events  Elizabethtown College’s annual Homecoming and Family Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 19 – 21, will feature the dedication of the Masters Center, performances by students in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, as well as an opening for an exhibit of printmaking and installations. These events are open to the public free of charge. The Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering, including the Lyet Wing for Biological Sciences, will be dedicated at noon on Oct. 20. Frank M. Masters Jr. of Harrisburg contributed $4 million – the single largest cash contribution in Elizabethtown’s history – toward the construction of the Center. The $19-million project has entailed considerable work to update existing science laboratories and classroom space in Musser and Esbenshade Halls, and construction of the Lyet Wing for Biological Sciences, which opened this fall. An opening and gallery talk for an exhibit of installations and printmaking by Lemoyne resident Shawn Williams will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Zug Hall’s Hess Gallery. The exhibit runs through December 7. Hours for Hess Gallery are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends. The choirs at Elizabethtown College will join forces with the Jazz Band for a concert at 2:30 p.m. in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. This concert will feature music for all tastes, including Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia,” hymns from the Brethren tradition, songs from Africa and jazz standards. The Concert Choir and Jazz Band will also collaborate to present renditions of “Moonglow” and “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.” The College’s performance students will also present an afternoon and evening of entertainment titled “Night on Broadway.” Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 in Zug Recital Hall. In addition to the free items above, Homecoming and Family Weekend will also feature two performances by Robert Wuhl, star of HBO’s “Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl. ” The shows begin at 7 and 9 p.m. in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. General admission tickets cost $17 and are available at www.etowncollegeonline.com. For more information, call 717-361-1273. To download a complete schedule of Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007 events, click on the link below. • Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007 schedule of events (PDF download) Back to top 10/2/2007 Cullen to present guitar concert Grammy Award-winning guitarist and Elizabethtown College artist-in-residence David Cullen will perform at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, in  Zug Recital Hall. The event, part of the Monday Series sponsored by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, is open to the public free of charge.The concert program will feature pieces by Heitor Villa-Lobos, J.S. Bach, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Cullen’s original compositions: “Sedona’s Red Sky, “Memphis Sunday” and “Tijuana Times.” Cullen was among the 12 artists featured on “Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar,” which earned the 2005 Grammy Award for best pop instrumental recording. He has performed with Will Ackerman, Samite, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, The Jaco Big Band and with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Cullen is featured on the Windham Hill Guitar Sampler and other Windham Hill Compilation CDs, and he has released two books -- “Jazz, Classical and Beyond” and “Grateful Guitar” -- through Warner Brothers Publications. Cullen has performed throughout North America for classical guitar societies, jazz festivals and performing arts series. He has released nine CDs for the acoustic guitar label Solid Air Records, and his recordings have been featured on NPR stations across the country. Cullen earned a bachelor of music in classical guitar performance at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music. Amidst his schedule of touring and playing, he teaches at Elizabethtown College and Kutztown University. Information on Cullen and ordering his music is available at www.cullenguitar.com. Back to top 9/26/2007 Notre Dame law prof to discuss 'Religion in the Public Square' A professor from the University of Notre Dame Law School will present “Religion in the Public Square: What Do Our Constitution and  Traditions Have to Say?” at 7 p.m., Oct. 8, at Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. Richard W. Garnett’s talk, cosponsored by Elizabethtown College’s Pre-Law Program and the Notre Dame Club of Harrisburg, is open to the public free of charge.Garnett's thoughts on the topic were conveyed in a recent USA Today opinion piece, available at http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/09/our-real-nation.html#more. Garnett is the John Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C. Associate Professor of Law at Notre Dame, where he teaches courses on criminal law, criminal procedure, First Amendment law and the death penalty. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy summa cum laude from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. He served as senior editor of the Yale Law Journal and as editor of the Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities. After graduation, Garnett clerked for Chief Judge Richard S. Arnold of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and then for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. He practiced law for two years at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larroca and Lewin, specializing in matters of criminal defense, religious liberty and education reform. Back to top 9/25/2007 George Harrison tribute scheduled for Oct. 4 “Here Comes the Sun,” an entertaining and enlightening chronicle of the musical and spiritual journey of George Harrison, will be  presented at 7 p.m., Oct. 4, at Elizabethtown College’s Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. The event is open to the public free of charge. Tickets are not required, but limited seating is first-come, first-served.Through music, visuals and commentary about Harrison’s journey of self-discovery, this concert honors him and his principles of social action. The evening will feature a live performance by the Godfrey Townsend Band that pays tribute to Harrison’s artistic legacy, beginning with the Beatles through his creative work with the Traveling Wilburys. The event will also include film and photo projections of the Beatles in concert, video interviews with Harrison and images tracing his journey from childhood to India and into later life. And Joshua Greene, author of the bestseller “Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison,” will narrate, providing powerful insights from Harrison’s journey of self-discovery. Greene is an instructor at Hofstra University and an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker. Back to top 9/13/2007 Gottfried publishes book on conservatism in America An Elizabethtown College professor and internationally known writer on political movements and political theory has published a  book that argues the American conservative movement has been largely an invention of journalists and Republican activists.In “Conservatism in America: Making Sense of the American Right” (Palgrave Macmillan), Paul Gottfried writes that among the movement’s major accomplishments has been its ability to recreate its own past in a way that even its critics are now inclined to accept. “In the 1950s, the American conservative movement began as the invention of journalists and academics in reaction to the early Cold War and the attempt to construct a rallying point for opponents of international Communism,” Gottfried said. “It came to power at least partly by burying an older anti-welfare state Right, one that in fact had enjoyed a social following that was concentrated in small-town America. The newcomers played down the merits of those they had replaced; and in the 1980s the neoconservatives, who took over the postwar conservative movement, belittled their predecessors in a similar way.” Gottfried is Raffensperger Professor of Humanities at Elizabethtown College. A Guggenheim recipient, he is the author of numerous articles in intellectual history, ancient and modern historiography, and the European and American Right. Gottfried has also published ten books, the last three of them a trilogy on the democratic managerial states: “After Liberalism,” “Multiculturalism and the Politics of Guilt” and “The Strange Death of Marxism.” Back to top 9/7/2007 Daniel Ellsberg to deliver Ware Seminar on Sept. 27 Daniel Ellsberg, former U.S. Department of Defense analyst who released the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times  and Washington Post, will deliver Elizabethtown College’s Ware Seminar on Global Citizenship on Sept. 27. He will offer his observations on the topics of citizenship and U.S. foreign policy during the talk, which is open to the public free of charge and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Gibble Auditorium, Esbenshade Hall.Ellsberg joined the Department of Defense as a military analyst soon after the start of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam and later worked in Vietnam as a member of the embassy staff. After leaving government, he and other military analysts were commissioned by the Department of Defense to study U.S. decision-making in Vietnam. In 1971, Ellsberg grabbed international headlines by leaking these classified documents to The New York Times and other prominent newspapers. Since then, his work for peace and social responsibility has earned him the Tom Paine Award and the Gandhi Peace Award. A $1-million endowed gift from Lancaster residents Judy S. '68 and Paul W. Ware created The Ware Colloquium on Peacemaking and Global Citizenship. Delivered annually under the auspices of the College’s Center for Global Citizenship, the Colloquium consists of three major elements: The Ware Lecture on Peacemaking, The Ware Practicum in Conflict Resolution and The Ware Seminar on Global Citizenship. Back to top 9/4/2007 Kraybill, co-authors write book on Amish forgiveness Marking the one-year anniversary of the Nickel Mines tragedy, Elizabethtown College professor Donald B. Kraybill and two co-authors have published a book,  “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Jossey-Bass)," which tells the story of Amish grace in the wake of the Oct. 2, 2007 shooting. On Oct. 2, 2006, a gunman opened fire in a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, killing five girls and critically wounding five others. He then shot himself as police stormed the building. Before the sun set that day, members of the Amish community brought words of forgiveness to the gunman’s family. “Amish Grace” explores the many questions this story raises about the religious beliefs and habits that led the Amish to forgive so quickly. It examines how Amish practices of forgiveness parallel or diverge from other religious and psychological views of forgiveness. The book also asks why and how forgiveness became international news and what lessons of forgiveness from Nickel Mines are relevant for the larger world. Published by Jossey-Bass, “Amish Grace” was written by Kraybill, senior fellow at Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies; Steven M. Nolt, professor of history at Goshen College; and David L. Weaver-Zercher, associate professor of religious history at Messiah College. Royalties from sales of the book will be donated to the Mennonite Central Committee, a relief, development and peace agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. The book is available on the publisher's website, www.josseybass.com or on Amazon.com. Click Play to hear Professor Kraybill read an introduction to Amish Grace.Back to top 8/23/2007 Prof writes textbook on global social issues An Elizabethtown College professor has written a textbook to introduce students to the current global social problems they may face.  Susan Mapp’s “Human Rights and Social Justice in a Global Perspective: An Introduction to International Social Work” (Oxford University Press) addresses difficult topics such as healthcare, violence against women, war and conflict, forced labor and child soldiers. She analyzes problems in their cultural contexts to help readers understand how they developed, why they persist, and what the local and international responses, both governmental and nongovernmental, have been. Mapp also offers brief but vivid narratives of individuals suffering from these social problems, along with suggestions for what students can do to create change: both now and what they will be able to do as professionals. Her book encourages students to think critically about such problems, research the issues and get involved with organizations that are working on them. Mark Lusk, professor and director of social work at the University of Texas at El Paso, writes, “Susan Mapp has authored the definitive book on international social development. By incorporating human rights as the central organizing feature, she has brought a complex field into clear focus.” Mapp is an assistant professor of social work. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religion from Trinity University, a master’s in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate in social work from the University of Houston. Her areas of expertise include international social work as well as research and program evaluation. She has led Elizabethtown students on short-term study abroad trips to Ireland and Thailand as well as a service-learning trip to Vietnam this past summer. Back to top 8/22/2007 Elizabethtown in Princeton Review’s Best Northeastern Colleges Elizabethtown College is one of 222 outstanding colleges and universities in the Northeast that The Princeton Review recommends to  college applicants in the 2008 edition of its book “Best Northeastern Colleges.”“The schools in this book all have excellent academic programs,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s vice president of publishing. “We chose them from several hundred Northeastern schools we considered based on institutional data we collect about the schools, our surveys of students attending them, and our visits to schools over the years.” “Best Northeastern Colleges” includes schools in the District of Columbia and 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Princeton Review surveyed 62,000 students at the 222 colleges and asked them to rate their schools in several categories -- from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food -- and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students pepper the book’s narrative profiles of the colleges. Students surveyed love the “small, friendly and supportive atmosphere” of Elizabethtown and value its “service-oriented programs and the personal attention offered by the professors.” They describe the campus as “gorgeous” and say the College offers "plenty of activities” to keep them entertained. Back to top 8/17/2007 HACC curator to exhibit drawings Kim Banister, gallery curator and art instructor at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), will present an exhibit of her  drawings and paintings titled “Vessels of Life” at Elizabethtown College’s Lyet Gallery from Sept. 7 through Oct. 5.The exhibit is open to the public free of charge. Hours for Lyet Gallery, which is located in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The dynamic, life-size human figures in Banister’s work are emotional and full of movement. Many of the drawings are pairs of figures intertwined; some are wrestling and some are embracing. The most unusual aspect of the work is the technique, according to Banister. “The drawings are made on paper that is drenched with linseed oil, and powdered pigment is blown onto the wet surface,” she said. “The color oozes and drips over charcoal outlines.” Banister has shown her work throughout the Eastern United States. She has a Master of Fine Arts in drawing from the University of Cincinnati. Back to top 8/15/2007 Wednesday-at-11 Series to continue on Nov. 14 with 'Canopy Meg' Meg Lowman, known as “Canopy Meg” for her expertise in forest canopy ecology, will Lowman’s expertise involves canopy ecology, particularly plant-insect relationships. Her research has taken her to Australia, Peru, Africa, the Americas, and the South Pacific. She has authored more than 95 peer-reviewed publications and three books. Her latest, “Life in the Treetops,” received a cover review in the New York Times Sunday Book Review. Lowman is the director of environmental initiatives at New College, the honors college for the state of Florida, where she serves as a professor in biology and environmental science. Previously, she served first as director of research and conservation and then chief executive officer of Selby Botanical Gardens, an institution that specializes in tropical plants. Prior to joining Selby, Lowman was a professor in biology and environmental studies at Williams College, Mass., where she pioneered temperate forest canopy research and built the first canopy walkway in North America. Working in Australia on forest ecology, Lowman was instrumental in determining the causes of the eucalypt dieback syndrome that destroyed millions of trees in rural Australia, assisted with conservation programs for tree regeneration, and ran a successful ecotourism business in the outback. For 20 years, she studied studying mechanisms of tropical diversity in Australian rain forests with Joseph Connell from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lowman has developed an expertise for the use of different canopy access techniques, including ropes, walkways, hot air balloons, construction cranes, and combinations of these methods. She frequently speaks about her jungle adventures and about rain forest conservation to educational groups, ranging from elementary classes to corporate executives to international conferences. Among the honors Lowman’s received for her work are the Margaret Douglas Medal for Achievement in Conservation Education from the Garden Club of America, The Eugene Odum Prize for Excellence in Ecology Education and election to Leadership Florida by the Ecological Society of America. She serves on the board of directors for the Explorers Club, and is part of the senior management team of National Ecological Observatory Network for the National Science Foundation. She co-chaired the First and Second International Conferences on Forest Canopies and was for three years chief scientist for the Jason Project in Education. Back to top 8/10/2007 Orientation to include pilot service project There’s a new twist to orientation at Elizabethtown College this fall. The College’s 503 first-year students --  who arrive and move into their residence halls on Aug. 23 -- will be the first class to participate in a pilot service project.Students enrolled in four of the College’s First-Year Seminars will head into the community from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Aug. 25. They will undertake activities with seniors at Masonic Village, playground and classroom work at the Elizabethtown Child Care Center, work on herb gardens and the exhibit building at Winters Heritage House, and cleaning in downtown Elizabethtown. Each project will begin with a representative from the organization conducting an orientation that will discuss why Elizabethtown College campus participation is important to their program. Following the service projects, students will eat lunch and participate in a reflection session and evaluation of the day’s activities. The Class of 2011 was chosen from 3,370 applicants, which results in a 58.4% selectivity rate. This is the second consecutive year – and the only two years in the history of the College – that more than 3,000 applications were received. All first-year students will enjoy four days of orientation from Aug. 23 – Aug. 26. The College’s annual First-Year Walk is scheduled for 3 p.m., Aug. 24. This year’s Induction Ceremony – a campus tradition since the mid-1960s -- is scheduled for 8 p.m., Aug. 26 at The Dell, the site of the College’s commencement exercises. Classes begin for all Elizabethtown students at 8 a.m. on Aug. 27. The annual Convocation ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on Aug. 28 and will be followed by an all-campus picnic. Back to top 7/31/2007 Students, faculty help children on Vietnam service-learning trip Drs. Peggy McFarland and Susan Mapp of the Department of Social Work and Trustee Candace Abel of Brittany’s Hope Foundation  led a 14-day service-learning trip to Vietnam in early June. The group hosted parties and field trips, painted walls, built cribs and renovated yards in street children’s centers and orphanages. The students and faculty painted a playground (right) and residential building and threw a party for children at the Nha Trang orphanage. They also played games and painted buildings at a vocational center for street children in Da Nang.  Students in one of Mapp’s classes raised money to buy bicycles for the children at the Ben Tre orphanage (left), where some of the children were walking more than seven miles to get to school. Back to top 7/23/2007 Women's track and field earns All-Academic Team designation The Elizabethtown College women’s track & field team has earned an All-Academic Team designation from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) for 2007.The Blue Jays posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.34 to rank 37th in NCAA Division III. To earn the award, a team had to post a combined GPA of 3.00 or higher. Elizabethtown finished third out of 10 teams in the 2007 Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Championships and third out of 10 teams in the 2007 MAC Outdoor Championships. The Blue Jays had six MAC individual titles, one NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship participant and one ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American over the course of the year. Back to top 7/5/2007 English prof writes book on Southern dissidents in Civil War An Elizabethtown College professor has written a book that is a panoramic overview of Southern dissidents in the Civil War.  What emerges in David C. Downing’s “A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy” is a complex pattern of dissent involving every state of the Confederacy and every year of the war. His book is an account of Southern dissidents who at times were labeled as traitors, deserters, or mossbacks during the war, but called “Lincoln’s loyalists” by one Northern historian after the war. All of these people and groups had their part to play in the epic drama that sapped the strength of the Confederacy from within, according to Downing. They were rebels again the rebellion. “A South Divided” recounts dramatic stories from behind the battle lines that have been largely overlooked by most Civil War buffs. Downing tells about Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond belle who ran an extensive spy network in the Confederate capital. He also tells the story of Robert Smalls, a Charleston slave who commandeered a Rebel steamboat, and Daniel Ellis, a Tennessee mountaineer who guided 4,000 Unionists through the Cumberland Pass so they could enlist in the federal army. Downing is the R.W. Schlosser Professor of English at Elizabethtown College and the author of six books, the most recent of which is “Into the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles.” He has been an avid student of the Civil War for nearly 20 years and has walked many of the battlefields and led tours of Gettysburg. Ordering information is available at Cumberland House Publishing. Back to top 6/25/2007 Erin Fisher '08 named CoSIDA Academic All-American Elizabethtown College junior Erin Fisher of McEwensville, Pa., has been named to the  ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division Third Team in cross country/track & field for the 2006-07 academic year by the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is only the second person in the history of Elizabethtown's women's cross country and track & field programs to be named an Academic All-American by CoSIDA. She was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 College Division First Team earlier this month.Over the course of the 2006-07 academic year, Fisher has been named to the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation All-Academic Team three times, and she was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team. She also received the same awards in the 2005-06 academic year. Fisher is double majoring in biology and mathematics. Read more ... Back to top 6/22/2007 Solar boat team returns from world intercollegiate competition Having claimed the award for “Most Commercially Viable Hull,” Elizabethtown College’s solar boat team recently  returned from the 2007 World Intercollegiate Solar Electric Boat Competition.Five members of the student club FEAST (Future Energies and Sustainable Technologies) (www.etown.edu/FEAST) traveled with club advisor and Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering Troy McBride to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the five-day competition titled Solar Splash (www.solarsplash.com). Teams compete in six areas, two of which -- visual display of the project and a technical report -- deal with the engineering design. In addition, there are four on-the-water events: qualifying (maneuverability and sprint), slalom, sprint and endurance. Competing against larger universities, Elizabethtown’s team finished 12th out of 19 registered teams, scoring a total of 488 points -- 140 points more than their first performance in 2005, during which they earned an award for “Notable Performance by a Rookie Team.” The team finished 11th in the endurance competition, 7th in the maneuvering qualifying event, tied for 4th for visual display and tied for 9th for their technical report. The team’s boat can cruise at 5 mph all day in sunny weather while carrying up to six people. Fourteen Elizabethtown students from several academic disciplines have been involved with the solar boat project. Team members who traveled to Solar Splash are John Artieda Romero of Ecuador (pictured), a senior physics major; FEAST president Garry Brock of Millersville, Md., a 2007 engineering physics graduate; Doug Eroh of Sunbury, a sophomore criminal justice graduate; Mike Patrick of King of Prussia, a sophomore computer engineering major; and Liz Prettner of Mechanicsburg, a 2007 physics education graduate. Back to top 6/21/2007 Alum bikes 1,900 miles for Habitat for Humanity Tim Dellett '93 is biking 1,900 miles -- from New York City to Minnesota -- to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.  This is his 11th annual bike ride for Habitat, an organization he has been involved with since his Elizabethtown College days, and he hopes to raise $75,000 this year.“It combines two things that I am passionate about – cycling and the work of Habitat for Humanity in providing decent, affordable housing for families,” he said. Back to top 6/20/2007 Alum named chair of Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Paul E. Weaver ‘68 has been named chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation’s Board of Directors. He has served on the  Foundation's board since 2001 and becomes the organization's fourth chairman, following its founding chairman Lee Iacocca and its chairman emeritus William F. May.The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to raise funds for and oversee the historic restorations of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, working in partnership with the National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior. Its endowment has funded over 200 projects at the islands. Weaver was a former vice chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP and chairman of the firm's Global Technology/Infocom/Entertainment and Media group. In addition to years of experience in leadership and governance roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers, Weaver has more than 30 years of experience in providing accounting, audit and business advisory services to many of the world's largest multinational companies. Weaver currently serves on the boards of Gateway, Inc., AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., and Idearc Media, Inc., as well as on the corporate advisory board of the University of Michigan Business School. He is licensed as a CPA and received a BS from Elizabethtown College and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Back to top 6/19/2007 Student troupe to offer free outdoor performances of “As You Like It" Just when you thought you weren’t going to get your fill of free outdoor Shakespeare this summer,  a new nonprofit organization will present three July performances of “As You Like It” – complete with a loquacious clown, lovers, disguises, rifts and reconciliations – on the Elizabethtown College campus.The productions will begin at 7 p.m., July 27 – 29, on the lawn next to Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Audience members are encouraged to bring a picnic basket, blankets or lawn chairs, and a car full of good friends and family to enjoy the show. Admission is free, but donations — or “pay as you like it” — will be happily and gratefully received. The July performances mark the inaugural season for The People’s Shakespeare Project, recently founded by local Shakespearean expert and Equity actress Laura Korach Howell, who serves as an adjunct professor at Elizabethtown. Her organization is devoted to both educating people and sharing the joys of Shakespeare. The company is comprised of local (and not-so-local) college students who are coming together for a challenging theatrical summer modeled along the lines of a traditional summer stock company. “Our particular form of acting company is a first in the area,” Howell said. “No where else is there a summer college company performing outdoor Shakespeare -- and a college company drawing from many different schools. The closest this area can come to anything similar was in the 1970s with The Fulton Summer Repertory Company, which used Franklin and Marshall College students under the direction of Hugh Evans.” “As You Like It” is a unique play containing a wealth of keen observations about humanity in general, the age-old tension between so-called civilized society (the court), the state of nature from which it evolved (the country) and love. It is a play in which everyone (eventually) gets their way, where sinners are redeemed and where love holds sway over all. For more information on The People’s Shakespeare Project or the performances of “As You Like It,” contact Howell at 717-399-9385 or visit www.peoplesshakespeareproject.org. Written by Julie Strickland '07 Back to top 6/13/2007 Archaeological dig turns up 'extraordinary items' Associate Professor of Anthropology Bob Wheelersburg and six students found some "extraordinary items" during a three-week  archaeological dig in nearby Washington Boro in May.
Items found at the dig - located at the site where Captain John Smith first contacted the Susquehannock Indians in the 1600s - include trade beads, an iron ax head, arrowheads and copper, as well as clay objects like pottery. Back to top 6/12/2007 Six named to board of trustees Elizabethtown College recently elected six new members to its board of trustees: Nevin Cooley of Manheim;  Rev. Warren Eshbach of Dover; Janice Longenecker Holsinger of Palmyra; Robert O. Kerr of Austin, Texas; Rev. Wallace Landes Jr. of Palmyra; and Michael Mason of Hagerstown, Md.Cooley is the president and chief executive officer of High Real Estate Group LLC. He also serves as co-chair of the Executive Committee of the High Companies. Cooley began his career with High Associates in 1986 as the vice president of development and acquisitions for High Associates Ltd. and was named to his current position in 2006. Cooley earned a bachelor’s degree in business and management from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Elizabethtown College Leadership Council and currently serves on several boards, including the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, Hospice of Lancaster County, Lancaster General Hospital and The Lancaster Alliance. An ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, Eshbach is an adjunct faculty member for Congregational Ministries at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He recently retired as the dean of Graduate Studies at Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center on the Elizabethtown College campus. He also served as the director of pastoral care at the Brethren Home Community and was executive of the Church of the Brethren’s Southern Pennsylvania District. Eshbach earned a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College, master of divinity from Gettysburg Seminary and doctor of ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He is a past trustee of the College, serving as an ex-officio member from the Southern District, and his son, Eric, is a 1988 graduate of Elizabethtown. Holsinger is the founder, owner and CEO of U-GRO Learning Centers, a leading regional provider of high-quality early care and preschool education in southcentral Pennsylvania. U-GRO is a member of Elizabethtown College’s S. Dale High Center for Family Business. A member of Elizabethtown College’s Class of 1964, Holsinger holds a Pennsylvania teaching certificate in early childhood education. Her mother, Helen Heisey Longenecker, husband John and son Gregory are graduates of the College. She has served as a volunteer for a variety of Elizabethtown’s activities, and John is a member of the Leadership Council. Holsinger is a member of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren (COB), where she has taught Sunday School, performed as a soprano soloist in the choir, directed the youth choir and has been involved with the COB Disaster Relief Auction since its beginning. Kerr practices hematology and medical oncology at the Southwest Regional Cancer Center, the largest private cancer treatment center in central Texas. He has served as the chief of medical staff at two Austin hospitals, as the president of the Texas Division of the American Cancer Society, president of the Texas Society of Medical Oncology, and as chairman and member of several state and national committees. Kerr has also been involved in medical research for more than 25 years. He is currently the director of clinical research at Southwest Regional Cancer Center and serves as the principal investigator for studies in hematology and medical oncology. He is the author of numerous publications and has presented his research in both the United States and Europe. Kerr graduated magna cum laude from Elizabethtown College in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh hospitals. After completing a fellowship at the University of Minnesota, he held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Kerr received an Outstanding Alumnus award from Elizabethtown College. His wife, Mary Ann, is a 1964 graduate of the College. Landes is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and has served as senior pastor of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren since 1985. Prior to his work in Palmyra, he ministered to the Bush Creek Church of the Brethren in Monrovia, Md. He currently serves the denomination as chair of the Association of Brethren Caregivers; he has worked with the denomination’s General Board as a retreat leader; and he has functioned in many leadership roles, including ministry commissions in the Atlantic Northeast and Mid-Atlantic districts. Landes received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from Bridgewater College in Virginia, his master of divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary, and his doctor of ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has been an adjunct instructor in the religious studies department at both Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown colleges. A native of Elizabethtown and 1972 graduate of the College, Mason is the deputy quality assurance manager for Bechtel National, Inc., the fourth largest global engineering, construction and project management company in the world. He was previously the Bechtel-SAIC quality assurance manager for the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada. Yucca Mountain is the United States’ identified central repository for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. \ Mason also serves in leadership roles on two national committees: the American National Standard Institute – American Society Mechanical Engineers, Nuclear Quality Assurance, a committee responsible for establishing the standards for the management of commercial nuclear waste; and a Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored committee that works with the DOE to define the quality assurance standards to be invoked on DOE projects and sites. Back to top 5/24/2007 Puzzangara '07 first in men's lacrosse to earn All-America honors Elizabethtown College senior midfielder Frankie Puzzangara (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven) has been named to the United States Intercollegiate L  acrosse Association’s (USILA) All-America Honorable Mention Team for the 2007 season, making him the first men’s lacrosse player in Elizabethtown College history ever to receive All-America honors.Puzzangara was the back-to-back Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, and he was a four-time All-MAC selection. He was also named an Inside Lacrosse Pre-Season All-American for 2007. In the 2007 season, he led Elizabethtown in goals scored with 39, in ground balls with 126, and in face-offs won with 106. Puzzangara’s 126 ground balls in 2007 was a new Elizabethtown single-season record, breaking his mark of 125 set in 2006. He was also second on the team in 2007 in points with 49 and third on the team in assists with ten. He holds Elizabethtown career records in goals with 126, points with 167, ground balls with 322 and shots with 542. He also ranks second all-time at E-town in career face-offs won with 267 and fourth in career assists with 38. The Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team finished the 2007 season with a 10-5 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Blue Jays reached the semifinals of the MAC playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Back to top 5/22/2007 Elizabethtown chosen to help lead national initiative Elizabethtown College is one of 25 institutions nationwide chosen to serve as a member of the Leadership Consortium in an Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) initiative titled “Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility.”The national initiative seeks to embed personal and social responsibility objectives pervasively across the institution as key educational outcomes for students and to document the impact of campus efforts to foster such learning. Participating institutions were chosen both on the basis of work already accomplished and on an articulated plan to deepen and extend that work. “The response we received from our members to the Core Commitments initiative has been inspiring,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider. “The selected colleges and universities have already made a notable commitment to establish personal and social responsibility as essential, rather than elective goals for a contemporary liberal education. But now they want to do even more to create campus cultures of integrity, responsibility and service beyond self.” As part of the initiative, all 25 campuses participating in the Core Commitments Leadership Consortium will administer AAC&U’s Personal and Social Responsibility Institutional Inventory in the fall of 2007 to students, faculty, student affairs administrators and academic administrators. The inventory is designed to identify where different groups on campus see opportunities to foster learning about personal and social responsibility and to serve as a catalyst for dialogues across the institution on ways to make such learning more pervasive. Eventually the Leadership Consortium members will also assess whether students have acquired new capabilities in five key dimensions: striving for excellence, cultivating personal and academic integrity, contributing to a larger community, taking seriously the perspective of others, and developing competence in ethical and moral reasoning. Future events planned for the initiative include institutes, workshops and campus dialogues. Throughout the initiative, AAC&U will also organize a series of open symposiums where the higher education community at large can explore how to promote ethical responsibilities to self and others. “Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility” is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises more than 1,100 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size. Back to top 5/22/2007 Four Blue Jays to compete in NCAA track championships The final cutoffs and championship field have been announced, and the Elizabethtown College track & field teams will be sending four of their members to compete at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from Thursday, May 24 to Saturday, May 26. They include senior Patrick Donovan (South Pasadena, CA/St. Francis) in the men’s 1500m, junior Kevin Clark in both the men’s pole vault and in the decathlon, junior Erin Fisher (McEwensville, PA/Warrior Run) in the women’s 10,000m and junior Drew Graybeal (Woodbine, MD/Glenelg) in the men’s 800m. For more on this story, click here.Back to top 5/19/2007 104th Commencement Held in the Dell on May 19, 2007 Elizabethtown College’s 104th Commencement will take place in The Dell on Saturday, May 19, 2007. At the ceremony, the College will honor the achievements of more than 460 students who have met the requirements to receive a degree. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Derek Hathaway, chairman and CEO of the Harsco Corporation, who will address our class. In addition to Mr. Hathaway, former Pennsylvania Senators David “Chip” Brightbill and Noah Wenger will receive honorary degrees. We also welcome our golden alums of the Class of 1957. Congratulations to our graduating seniors and to their families, who have made this day possible. Back to top 5/14/2007 Kelli Thon '07 named to NFCA all-East region second team Elizabethtown College senior center fielder Kelli Thon (Victor, NY/Victor Central)  has been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-East Region Second Team for the 2007 season. It is the second year in a row she has earned all-region honors, making her just the third Blue Jay softball player ever to achieve back-to-back all-region recognition. Thon closed out her career having earned All-Commonwealth Conference recognition in all four seasons and a place on the first team in each of the last three. She was also an NFCA All-East Region First Team honoree in 2006. This season, she batted .353 with 42 hits, 28 runs scored, five runs batted in and 14 stolen bases, and she led the team in batting average, at-bats (119), runs, hits and stolen bases. Read more. Back to top 5/9/2007 Tyler Hoffman '07 named conference pitcher of the year Six members of the Elizabethtown College baseball team have been named to the  2007 All-Commonwealth Conference teams. Additionally, senior pitcher (pictured left) Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) has been named the conference’s Pitcher of the Year, while junior catcher Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) has been named the Commonwealth Co-Player of the Year. Earning spots on the All-Commonwealth Conference First Team from E-town were Hoffman, Auman, senior third baseman Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) and junior outfielder Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central). Earning spots on the All-Commonwealth Conference Second Team were senior second baseman Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) and sophomore pitcher Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove). Back to top 5/9/2007 Summer Orientation information available  Welcome to Elizabethtown College, Class of 2011! We look forward to having you on campus this summer for our Summer Orientation program. Students are asked to choose one of four scheduled dates -- June 20, 21, 22 or 23. For more information and to register online, please visit the orientation website. Back to top 5/8/2007 Graduates pledge to consider environmental, social issues Elizabethtown College’s Class of 2007 – like previous graduates before them – will  be asked to sign a graduation pledge that they will consider social and environmental issues during their job search and will work to make changes in the workplace.Elizabethtown is one of more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the Graduation Pledge (www.graduationpledge.org). The effort is coordinated by the Graduation Pledge Alliance, which was initiated at California’s Humboldt State University in 1987. Manchester College currently coordinates the campaign effort, and Bentley College will take over the reigns in the 2007-2008 school year. Students will be encouraged to sign the pledge, which reads: “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.” Those who do so will wear green ribbons during the May 19 commencement exercises. “Regardless of what career a graduate will choose, the graduation pledge reminds them of social and environmental issues and encourages them to take action in the workplace,” said Steve Masters, a senior religious studies major from Longmeadow, Mass., who is co-coordinator of the Graduation Pledge at Elizabethtown. “It is small actions in everyday life that will have a significant impact on our future.” Back to top 5/8/2007 Commencement speaker, honorary degree recipients named Derek C. Hathaway, chairman and CEO of the Harsco Corporation in Camp Hill, will  deliver the commencement address at Elizabethtown College.The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., May 19, in The Dell. Rain location is Thompson Gymnasium; tickets will be required for this location. Hathaway will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Other honorary degree recipients are former Pennsylvania senators David “Chip” Brightbill and Noah Wenger. Each will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws. More information is available at the commencement site. Back to top 5/4/2007 Student, alum collaborate on children's book An Elizabethtown College senior from Harrisburg is collaborating with an alumnus of the College to create a children’s book on Huntington’s Disease (HD).  Art major Allison Frank was approached by Assistant Professor of Art Lou Schellenberg about creating illustrations for a book on HD. The call for help had come from Katharine Moser, a 2003 graduate from New York who was recently diagnosed with the disease. “Katie had written the book and was looking for someone who was into illustration and highly detailed work,” Frank said. “That’s me.” Moser and Frank began corresponding by e-mail and soon reached an agreement. Moser then shared with Frank her story – page by page. “Katie pretty much gave me free rein to do what I wanted,” Frank said. “I’m working to create a color pencil and pen illustration for each page.” In addition to helping out because “it’s a good thing to do,” Frank is earning academ  ic credit for an independent study. She’s never done this type of work before, so she’s turning to friends and Schellenberg for help. “Some pages are tough to conceptualize,” Frank said. “Because I don’t have any models, I’m looking at pictures of friend’s children and online. I’m also brainstorming with friends to come up with ideas. I pretty much live in the art department, and me and my friends talk about the project a lot.”Frank estimates that each of the seven illustrations she’s completed so far has taken about six to eight hours. “It’s layer upon layer of color,” she explained, “and I’m a perfectionist.” She’s encouraged by the positive feedback she’s received from Moser and looks forward to continuing to work with her. With more than 20 illustrations to complete for the book, Frank has many more hours of work ahead of her. “There’s no set timeline for me to finish them,” she said. “Right now, Katie’s looking for funding to publish the book.” She plans to stick with the project until it’s completed, even if that means her work will extend beyond graduation, which is scheduled for May 19. “This is a good experience and a good cause,” she said. “There’s not much available out there on Huntington’s Disease. Kids affected by it need to learn about it, and what better way than through a book. And who knows, maybe this experience will lead to other opportunities for me.” Back to top 5/4/2007 Physics/engineering profs awarded NSF grant Two Elizabethtown College physics and engineering professors have been awarded a $188,653  grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation to study the cure rate of cement. The grant, awarded to Nathanial Hager and Ilan Grave, will provide 12 students with intense research experience throughout the next three years.The project, “Monitoring of Hydration in Cement Systems by Broadband Time-Domain-Reflectometry (TDR) Dielectric Spectroscopy,” builds upon research Hager – along with fellow investigators Ilan Grave, associate professor of physics and engineering at Elizabethtown, and Roman C. Domszy, a chemist and partner of Hager’s in Material Sensing & Instrumentation, Inc. – has conducted for several years. TDR involves embedding a disposable sensor in a concrete structure when the cement is poured. “A fast electrical pulse is bounced off the sensor, producing a reflected pulse that contains molecular signals due to unreacted water and water combining with Portland cement,” Hager said. “Tracking these two signals along with cure time provides a better understanding of the cure process and identifies irregularities that lead to improper cure. Essentially, we’re looking for the signals that correspond with cement strength. If we don’t get them, we have to trust the signals to tell us that something is wrong.” TDR functions in cement much like a thermometer in a turkey, according to Hager. “The thermometer indicates if the turkey is done by measuring its internal temperature,” he said. “The embedded sensor does the same thing in concrete by monitoring how quickly water involved in the curing process is chemically combining with Portland cement. “When the thermometer indicates that the turkey is getting done too quickly or too slowly, you take corrective action like turning the oven temperature up or back. This monitoring system allows those in construction to do the same thing with concrete.” There are a number of additional applications in the construction industry for the system. TDR could be used by companies that make cement and cement additives to determine how to optimize the curing process. It could also be used in the field to help test structures – “to see if cement is fully hard” – or on multilevel structures, to determine when to pour the second layer. And it could help identify residual moisture in cement floors before surface coatings, like epoxy, are installed, minimizing moisture damage and reducing wait times. “If a product that can test for structural weaknesses both during and after construction comes to market, it can have a very positive impact on both cost savings for builders by allowing them to have fewer time delays and being able to test more thoroughly for structural weakness,” Hager said. Hager’s research in this area previously received funding from the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) and from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research program. In addition, Elizabethtown College, on behalf of Hager, received on May 1 a second $10,000 Seed/Assistance Grant through a Keystone Innovation Grant, a joint effort of the Lancaster KIZ and the Harrisburg KIZ. The Seed/Assistance Grant program was created to encourage faculty at higher education institutions in central Pennsylvania to perform applied research, evaluate opportunities to commercialize technology and to collaborate with young, locally based companies. “We are thrilled to have such cutting-edge research taking place at Elizabethtown College and are pleased with the research opportunities it provides to our students,” said College President Theodore E. Long. “This project also illustrates the importance of the Keystone Innovation Zone and the funding is provides.” Back to top 5/3/2007 Lacrosse players, coach receive accolades Five men's lacrosse players have earned spots on the All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) teams for 2007. Senior midfielder Frankie Puzzangara, senior defender Frank Cacia and junior long-stick midfielder Gary Senese have been named to the All-MAC First Team. Junior defender Eric Peifer and first-year attacker Aaron Weber have each earned places on the All-MAC Second Team. Additionally, Puzzangara has been named the MAC Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Read more.Six women's lacrosse players have earned spots on the All-MAC teams for 2007. Sophomore attacker Katie Foley, sophomore defender Dana Simmons and sophomore goaltender Jenn Hawkins have all been named to the All-MAC First Team. First-year attacker Megan Byrnes, first-year midfielder Katie Caprinolo and first-year midfielder Stephanie Kreis have earned places on the All-MAC Second Team. Additionally, Foley has been named the MAC Player of the Year for 2007, Caprinolo has been named the MAC Rookie of the Year, and head coach Mike Faith has been named the MAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his three-year career. Read more. Back to top 4/30/2007 Kelli Thon '07 breaks career hit record in softball The softball team clinched a berth in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs for the  first time since 2003 by splitting a conference doubleheader at home with Widener University April 28. The Blue Jays fell 5-3 in the opener but bounced back to win the second game 2-0. The Blue Jays wrap up the regular season with a 15-15 overall mark and an 8-6 conference record, while Widener's season ends with a 23-15 overall record and a 5-9 conference finish. Elizabethtown senior center fielder Kelli Thon broke the College career hit record April 28 as well. Thon collected two hits in the first game and one in the second to boost her career total to 169, breaking the old Elizabethtown record of 168 held by Emily Morris ’04. Thon also stole a base in the first game to boost her career total to 49, tying her for second place on Elizabethtown’s all-time list and putting her three behind the program record of 52. In her career, Thon is a three-time All-Commonwealth Conference honoree and a 2006 National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-East Region First Team member. In 2005, she set the Elizabethtown College single-season record for highest batting average since the Blue Jays’ inaugural eight-game season in 1978 with .519. Back to top 4/30/2007 Elizabethtown College Holds Classes as Normal - April 30, 2007 On Monday, April 30, 2007, Elizabethtown College is holding classes as normal in this last week before final exams. Back to top 4/19/2007 Gas Line Capped - Evening Class Held as Scheduled At 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, a gas line was severed at the construction site for the Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering at Elizabethtown College. The event concluded at about noon when the line was capped and all buildings were cleared for occupancy. Although the event forced the cancellation of day classes at the College on April 19, Elizabethtown held evening classes as scheduled. At the time of the gas line break, UGI was notified promptly of the situation and the academic buildings adjacent to the construction site – Hoover Center for Business, Musser Hall and Esbenshade Hall – were evacuated, with students and others moved to the College's Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Other buildings near the location – the Baugher Student Center and academic buildings including Nicarry Hall, Steinman Center and Zug Memorial Hall – were evaluated and cleared for occupancy. At about 11 a.m., Nicarry, Steinman and Zug also were closed because of complaints about the fumes, and all day classes at the College were cancelled. Workers in the affected buildings – Hoover, Musser, Esbenshade, Nicarry, Steinman and Zug – were sent home for the day. Those employees whose cars were blocked into the Hoover lot by emergency vehicles were sent temporarily to High Library until the lot was opened around noon. Back to top 4/12/2007 Four seniors exhibit art during annual student show Four Elizabethtown College senior art majors will exhibit their work in Hess Gallery, Zug Memorial Hall,  from April 29 through May 19. The annual senior show will feature pieces by Allison Frank of Harrisburg; Sophia Goldman of Fallston, Md.; Stephanie Wilhelm of Manchester, Md.; and Thomas J. Yurkovic of Elizabethtown.The opening reception is scheduled for 1 p.m., April 29, in Hess Gallery. The reception and exhibit are open to the public free of charge. Hess Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Frank has exhibited works in the Paxtang Art Association Art Show, Elizabethtown College Student Art Show and “Women Create!: Through a Woman’s Eye” in Harrisburg. She has worked as a graphic designer at College Lane Screen Printing and Embroidery and as a concert reviewer and photographer for the ezine “Independent Clauses.” She also designed the logo for the Penn State University Powerlifting Team in 2006. Goldman has worked for Gallery 444 in Hershey and for Harford County School System as a Red Cross water safety instructor. She has also volunteered for the Red  Cross, Meals on Wheels, Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity. Goldman plans to teach at the college level, a career goal “stemming from my calling to helping others to further explore their own personal artistic paths, as well as giving me sustained environment in which to inspire and nurture my own artistic ventures.”Wilhelm is a self-employed commission artist and muralist who has also worked as a gallery assistant for Lancaster Galleries and as an art tutor, art club officer and art studio assistant at Elizabethtown College. She has exhibited her work at the Elizabethtown College Student Art Show, where she earned a Best of Drawing award in 2005. Wilhelm studied at the Unversidad de Veracruzana in Xalapa, Mexico, during the 2005-06 academic year. She has a minor in Spanish. Yurkovic has shown his work at the Elizabethtown College Student Art Show; he earned the sculpture award in 2007. He worked as an assistant to sculptor John Hertzler during the summer of 2006 and for the Elizabethtown College facilities management department and Bernhard Landscaping Company. Prior to coming to the College, he studied industrial design for a year at Philadelphia University. Back to top 4/5/2007 Biotechnology major chosen as Goldwater Scholar Angela Mitchell of Corning, N.Y., a senior biotechnology major, is one of 317 college  students across the nation chosen to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. She is the second Elizabethtown College student to earn this honor.Mitchell is president of the Chemistry Club, tutor for and committee chair of speaker/prizes for the regional convention of Tri-beta (national honor society for college and university students in the biological sciences) and a member of the Community Chorus. She is also recipient of the Elizabethtown College Scholar Award, Thomas C. Conover Memorial Scholarship, Chemical Rubber Company Freshman Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society Student Affiliate Award and Elizabethtown College Presidential Scholarship. Mitchell’s career goals include earning a doctorate in virology, teaching at a university and conducting research on how viruses interact with their hosts. The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,110 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The one- and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Back to top 4/3/2007 Staff member's art featured at Lancaster Arts Hotel Susan Davitti Darling (www.davittidarling.com), mail services, is the featured artist for  April at the Lancaster Arts Hotel, 300 Harrisburg Avenue. Her works will be displayed at the hotel gallery through the month of April. The opening reception will be held from 5 - 9 p.m., April 6. The gallery is accessible to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. This exhibit is part of Lancaster's ongoing First Friday Events. Back to top 4/3/2007 Baseball is first Blue Jays program to win 1,000  Elizabethtown College's baseball team became the first of the College's athletic programs to reach the 1,000 all-time victory plateau as the Blue Jays rallied from a pair of 1-0 deficits to sweep Albright College in a Commonwealth Conference home doubleheader on March 31. Back to top 4/2/2007 Students take service trip to KY over Spring Break During spring break, 27 Elizabethtown College students and two staff members helped low-income families in the Appalachia area of Kentucky  on a service experience co-sponsored by Faith in Action and the Chaplain’s Office.Through the Kentucky-based Christian ministry HOMES, Inc. (Housing Oriented Ministries Established for Service), the Elizabethtown group helped three families complete various home construction projects. According to Faith in Action advisor Karen Hodges ’04, HOMES made an ideal partner because its ministry correlates so well with Faith in Action’s mission. “Through our involvement in various faith-based service opportunities, Faith in Action strives to serve people, while fostering a service-oriented spirit in all of our members,” explains Hodges. “Trip participants certainly were challenged to adopt a service-oriented spirit during a week of hard, manual labor.” After a 10-hour drive to Kentucky, the group was divided into three work teams. The largest team demolished a dilapidated house so that a new one could be built in its place. Another team installed flooring and put some finishing touches – such as installing doorknobs and electrical switches – in a new home built by HOMES, Inc. A third team rehabilitated an existing house by replacing a porch and installing a new roof. HOMES, Inc. estimated that the group raised approximately $7,000 for the organization through “sweat equity” labor and pumped $20,000 into the local community as a result of efforts on these projects. In addition to putting their faith into action at the work sites, the students spent the week exploring the concept of simplicity and discussed the possibilities for enriching their own lives by living more simply. Biblical passages as well as readings from the Qur’an were explored in the group’s nightly devotionals. After the trip, students reflected positively on the experience. “It was really rewarding to see the progress we were making each day,” says sophomore Megan Memoli. ”The fact that we were able to finish the roof before we left was very satisfying.” Another participant, sophomore David Grey, thinks the trip was a great way to spend his week away from Elizabethtown, helping others and taking a break from academics. In addition to Memoli and Grey, the group also included the following students: Kyle Bauman '09, Ashley Beaver '09, Molly Bull '09, Allison Burket '09, Regina Duke '08, Erin Fisher '08, Leslie Furman '09, Kim Hailey '10, Lori Height '08, Crystal Illigasch '09, Faisal Iqbal '10, Jenna Karkuff '09, Jeremy Matula '09, Valerie Miebach '09, Chelsea Miles '09, Veronica Mikitka '08, Abby Mowery '09, Courtney Moyer '09, Curtis Nolt '07, Ericka Siarkievicz '07, Ryan St. Clair '08, Alli Stanley '09, Jessica Stepp '10, Brian Umberger '09 and Amanda Winter '10. In addition to Hodges, Rachel Hadrick – coordinator of multicultural programs and residential communities – also accompanied the students. About the photograph: The group photograph was taken at the Appalshop Theater, where the group attended an educational performance about Appalachian history. written by Megan Memoli '09 Back to top 4/2/2007 HAIR to hit the stage of Tempest Theatre HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical was so controversial when it first  opened in 1967 that public uproar resulted in a court case in Boston, citing HAIR for questionable content. Lawsuits claimed that the production desecrated the American flag and was a "lewd and lascivious" show. Cast members fought back, desperate for their voices to be heard and to demonstrate the country’s vital right to public speech.HAIR was more than just a musical. HAIR was a statement -- a revolution in consciousness that explored the newly forming social and political values, human sexuality and the ways to expand thinking about them, including the use of mind-altering drugs. Ironically, the court ruled that the Boston performances could continue if these conditions were met: "To have each member of the cast clothed to a reasonable extent at all times, and to eliminate completely all simulation of sexual intercourse or deviation." During the 1960s and in today’s society, youth are the driving force for political decisions. HAIR takes these issues, molds them into memorable melodies and allows eclectic characters to love and embrace the newly formed ideals. Terri Mastrobuono, director of Elizabethtown College’s upcoming production of HAIR, believes there is no better time to explore the relationship between those two absurdly similar worlds. “There are apparent parallels -- the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq; illegal immigration and the issues of social and equal rights for unrecognized people; African Americans during the ‘60s and homosexuals today,” said Mastrobuono. “HAIR is not a hippie’s costume party! It’s got teeth,” she points out. Her concept -- an eccentric 22-member ensemble taking over an abandoned space that becomes a home where they can be themselves, make discoveries and sort out their beliefs -- is a labor of love. The cast was chosen in December and have been hard at work ever since. The design and production team for HAIR is Director Terri Mastrobuono, Lighting Designer G. Benjamin Swope (from NYC), Set Designer Matthew Allar, Choreographer Kristin Pontz, Vocal Director Magda Silva and Musical Director Grant Moore. The stage management team for the musical is Production Stage Manager Nadine Swartz '07 and Assistant Stage Managers Amanda Marfisi '09 and Sarah Rich '09. The Acting Company for HAIR is Tammy Bateman '10, Regina Duke '08, Devon Fahy '08, Michael Gephart '08, Samuel Gillam '09, Emily Grove '10, Katlyn Howes '09, Nyasha Hungwe '08, Matt Mangus '10, Andrew Mannion '08, Kalie Martin '10, Alyssa Miller '08, Laura Moyer '09, Natasha Threatts '09, Meredith Pritchard '09, Kristina Psitos '10, Keenan Schaeffer '10, Ezra Schatz '09, Shannon Shughart '08, Dan Woodhead '09, Amanda Wormann '07 and Elyse Venturella '09. HAIR will play at Tempest Theatre on April 12, 13, 14, 18, 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. and April 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and may be reserved by calling the box office at 717-361-1170 or by e-mailing boxoffice@etown.edu. written by Julie Strickland '07 Back to top 3/23/2007 Colleges Against Cancer to hold first Relay for Life Elizabethtown College’s newly formed chapter of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) will sponsor its first Relay for Life. The event will kick off at 8 p.m. on March 30 and will conclude at 8 a.m. on March 31.  CAC hopes to raise $25,000 for the American Cancer Society.More than 20 teams comprised of students, faculty, staff and friends of the College will participate in the 12-hour walk, which will take place on the outdoor track (or in Thompson Gymnasium in the case of rain). The first lap will be walked by cancer survivors, and each team will have at least one member on the track throughout the relay. A luminaria ceremony will begin at 10 p.m. on March 30 to honor cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with the disease. Medicus, a club for pre-med students, will hold a Hair-a-Thon to raise money for Locks of Love in conjunction with the Relay for Life. The event will run from 7 to 10 p.m., March 30, in Thompson Gymnasium. Participants may donate 10 inches of hair or receive a hair cut from a licensed stylist for $10. When participants are not walking, they will enjoy entertainment provided by student performers and student groups including Melica (female a cappella group), Colors United Step Team, Gospel Choir, Vocalign (co-ed a cappella group), Emotion dance ensemble, Mad Cow improvisational group, Camerata and the College’s cheerleaders. A volleyball tournament and a team cheer competition will also be held. More information on the event is available by contacting Beth Ann Patti, president of CAC, at CAC@etown.edu. Back to top 3/22/2007 Art prof's paintings featured in Harrisburg exhibition Paintings by Associate Professor of Art Lou Schellenberg  will be included in the Art Association of Harrisburg's "Four Artists Invitational II," which will open with a meet-the artist reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 30. The event will be enlivened by the music of “Homage Accadienne” featuring Bruce Hamer, accordion and vocals, and Art Thomas on guitar.The exhibition -- photos, mixed media works and oil paintings -- will remain on view through May 3. Other featured artists will be Carole Emerson of Lancaster, David Hammaker of East Freedom and Richard Neff of Mechanicsburg. More information is available at www.artassocofhbg.com. Back to top 3/20/2007 Dale High '63 to serve as first CEO-in-residence The founder of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College  will have the distinction of also serving as the Center’s first CEO-in-residence.Dale High '63, chairman of The High Companies of Lancaster, one of the most prominent family businesses in the area, will begin his work as CEO-in-residence this month. He will continue to serve in this role for several years. The High Center for Family Business is a membership organization, established in 1995 to increase the success of family businesses in the region and help them prepare for future business challenges, especially succession planning. The CEO-in-residence program provides a setting for a distinguished business leader to participate in the life of the Center and to further its mission. As CEO-in-residence, High will also provide short term consultation services and peer dialogue to businesses that are members of the Center, interact with Elizabethtown College students, as well as develop innovative programming to address some of the challenges family businesses face. Dale High joined his family’s business full-time in 1963 after graduating from Elizabethtown College. From its beginning in 1931 as a welding shop to its complexity today as a diverse and growing organization consisting of more than 10 businesses, The High Companies is widely recognized for its reputation in customer service, quality products and services, personal and corporate integrity, and beauty in projects affecting the environment. The organization employs more than 2,600 co-workers in the region. Back to top 3/12/2007 Prof writes foreword to report exposing online hate toward Hindus An Elizabethtown College religious studies professor has written the foreword to and edited a report issued by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)  on the proliferation of anti-Hindu Internet websites.“Though it is less well-known in this country, anti-Hindu bigotry is every bit as ugly and dangerous as anti-Semitism or racism, and every bit as present on the Internet,” wrote Jeffery Long, chair of the Department of Religious Studies. “Hyperlink to Hinduphobia: Online Hatred, Extremism and Bigotry Against Hindus” is the first report to systematically document hate against Hindus on the Internet, an issue of serious concern to Hindu-Americans and Hindus globally. The 52-page document argues that exposing online hate-speech is a crucial first step in combating a major factor behind prevalent negative stereotypes of Hinduism. In the publication, HAF traces the origins of online religious hate and bigotry, and presents evidence of the text and pictures from actual websites that illustrate their concerns. According to statistics provided in the report, “demonic” and “satanic” are the terms most commonly used today to describe Hinduism by numerous anti-Hindu websites easily accessible on the Internet. “This report is the beginning of an attempt to address the problem of anti-Hindu bigotry on the Internet head on: by exposing it and correcting the errors the websites detailed herein perpetuate.” Long wrote. “[It] is a wake-up call to all Americans to work for a society in which all religions are respected, and in which the practitioners of all religions can feel safe and included.” Long has taught at Elizabethtown College since receiving his doctoral degree at the University of Chicago in 2000. He is the author of the forthcoming “Jainism: An Introduction” and has published in Prabuddha Bharata, The Journal of Religion, Science and Spirit, Creative Transformations and several edited volumes. Long has presented papers for a variety of scholarly organizations, including the American Academy of Religion, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. Back to top 3/12/2007 Clark wins national championship in pole vault For the first time in a quarter of a century, there is an NCAA Division III individual champion from Elizabethtown College. Junior accounting  major Kevin Clark of Horsham, Pa., won the pole vault competition at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Saturday afternoon to become the first Blue Jay individual national champion in any sport since 1982 and the first ever for the Elizabethtown track & field program.As a team, the Elizabethtown men finished 13th out of 57 scoring teams, marking the second year in a row that the College has finished among the top 15 in the nation in the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. Making the feat even more remarkable is the fact that Elizabethtown does not have an indoor track on its campus. Read more . . . Back to top 3/6/2007 Three head to NCAA track & field championship Three members of the Elizabethtown College men’s track and field team will head to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology March 9 and 10 for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. They are senior Patrick Donovan (South Pasadena, CA/St. Francis) in the mile, junior Drew Graybeal (Woodbine, MD/Glenelg) in the 800m and junior Kevin Clark (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) in the pole vault.Elizabethtown College's men’s track & field team recently won the Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Championship for the fifth consecutive year. Last year, the Blue Jays finished 12th at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, and Elizabethtown finished 20th in the nation at the 2006 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Back to top 3/5/2007 San Francisco artist to serve residency San Francisco artist Debra Walker will be in residency at Elizabethtown College in March. In addition to visiting classes offered by  the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, she will display her paintings – alongside those of Elizabethtown College Associate Professor of Art Lou Schellenberg – in an exhibit titled “East Coast Rural and West Coast Urban Landscape” at the Lynden Gallery. Both artists have subject matter that describes a sense of place – Walker’s urban, Schellenberg’s rural. The two will discuss the exhibit at 1 p.m., March 20, at Lynden Gallery, 117 S. Market St., Elizabethtown. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., March 23. Both events are open to the public free of charge.Walker has studied at Riverside City College and the University of California at Los Angeles and at Berkeley. She has exhibited her work at many galleries, most recently Theater on the Square and George Krevsky Gallery in San Francisco; Gallery 72 in Omaha, Neb.; and the Columbus (Ohio) Art Museum. Walker has also served as a designer for United Artist’s Records, as an assistant art director for the Los Angeles Times, as a business/production manager for Redgate Communications and as a freelance commercial artist. Back to top 3/2/2007 Prof earns NSF grant to develop international scientists directory A $50,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will allow an Elizabethtown College anthropology professor to  undertake a project to create an International Directory of Arctic Social Scientists.Associate Professor of Anthropology Robert Wheelersburg has worked in the Arctic for nearly 20 years studying indigenous peoples and the loss of traditional resources. A recipient of numerous other NSF grants, Wheelersburg will use this award to create a partner network of organizations within countries currently engaged in Arctic social science research. That network will develop policies and procedures for creating the International Director of Arctic Social Scientists (IDASS). Several organizations currently maintain directories of Arctic social scientists, according to Wheelersburg, but they are often incomplete and out-of-date, making them ineffective for social scientists looking to build future research connections. Previous directories were created by national- or regional-level organizations, with a resulting limited focus and reach. In addition, these directories underrepresent certain indigenous organizations and individuals and, as printed documents, are unsearchable and somewhat inaccessible. “The development of a comprehensive, current and interactive directory has the potential to increase cooperation among scientists by providing them with a tool to aid in creating multinational, interdisciplinary research teams,” Wheelersburg said. “I’d like to develop a template for the IDASS that eliminates political issues, achieves broad participation across a variety of organizations and individuals, and presents an open-source database that is protected from misuse.” Wheelersburg hopes to complete the directory in time for the International Congress of Arctic Social Scientists in Nuuk, Greenland during late summer 2008. Back to top 3/1/2007 Administrator recognized as outstanding first-year student advocate Stephanie Rankin, director of Elizabethtown College’s Center for Student Success, has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the annual Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates  campaign of the National Resource Center for The First Year Experience and Students in Transition.Each year, American post-secondary institutions are invited to nominate one educator on their campus for this award. A national panel of distinguished educators review the nomination portfolios and select 10 individuals as the nation’s Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates. Rankin was nominated by Assistant Dean for the First-Year Program Tom Hagan for her commitment to first-year student success and her leadership on the Campus Wellness Network (CWN), a committee of people from a diverse range of departments across campus who work proactively to establish intervention plans for students experiencing some type of difficulty. Among the many initiatives Rankin has undertaken are an intensive advising first-year seminar for students who have been identified as at risk, a more student-friendly leave of absence policy and an academic early-warning system for students in 100- and 200-level courses. “With Stephanie at the helm of the Center for Student Success, the College has been able to chart a course towards a much more effective and useful advising model, especially for first-year students,” Hagan wrote in his nomination. “Through workshops and seminars held on a semester basis, Stephanie has been able to articulate, especially to the faculty, the importance of creating a student-centered advising model where the individual as a living, breathing being is the focus, not just a student with academic needs.” Back to top 2/26/2007 Ware Lecture on Peacemaking to feature former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland and the former United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, will present the inaugural lecture of  Elizabethtown College’s Ware Colloquium on Peacemaking and Global Citizenship at 7:30 p.m., April 11, in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Her talk, titled “Human Rights and Ethical Globalization,” will be followed by a book signing. Free tickets for the event are available by calling 717-361-1410.Robinson has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate and is a world leader who puts her humanity very much at the forefront of her politics. She currently chairs the Council of Women World Leaders and is president of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. She has been named a “Hero and Icon” as one of Time magazine’s 2005 top 100 men and women whose “power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.” In 2006, Robinson received Spain’s prestigious Prince of Asturias Award in Social Sciences prize for her work as a global human rights campaigner, singled out for her “moral strength,” her defense of ethics in the field of politics and academic research” and her “tireless efforts to bring about a world without borders.” Robinson expands her leadership into other areas including business enterprise, corporate citizenship and the broad reform of some of the word’s most prestigious organizations. She serves as vice president of Club of Madrid, working to promote democracy worldwide. In business, she is one of five prestigious board members of the Mastercard Foundation, a newly established independent foundation focusing on microfinance, youth entrepreneurship and education. Robinson was recently appointed to the UN Global Compact Board, a group of 20 global business, labor and social leaders working to advance 10 universal business principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption for this large voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. With her emphasis on making human rights the compass that charts a course for globalization that is fair, just, and benefits all, she retains a high visibility on pressing issues such as global health, the battle against poverty and supporting microfinance in many nations. Based in New York, Robinson’s work with Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative is supported by a partnership with the Aspen Institute, Columbia University -- where she is a professor of practice -- and the Swiss-based International Council on Human Rights Policy. Its goal is to bring the norms and standards of human rights into the globalization process and to support capacity-building in good governance in developing countries. A $1-million endowed gift from Lancaster residents Judy S. and Paul W. Ware created The Ware Colloquium on Peacemaking and Global Citizenship at Elizabethtown College. Judy Ware, a 1968 graduate of the College, is currently a member of Elizabethtown’s Board of Trustees. The Colloquium, delivered annually under the auspices of the College’s Center for Global Citizenship, consists of three major elements: The Ware Lecture on Peacemaking, The Ware Practicum in Conflict Resolution and The Ware Seminars on Global Citizenship. Back to top 2/23/2007 E-town to host screening of forgiveness documentary Elizabethtown College’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies will host a special screening of the documentary “The Power of Forgiveness” on March 19.  Amish forgiveness after the Nickel Mines school shooting is featured in the 90-minute film, produced by Journey Films for national public television broadcast later this year.The screening will begin at 7 p.m. in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Professor Donald B. Kraybill, who served as an expert source for more than 100 national and international media outlets following the Nickel Mines tragedy, will host the event, which will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Martin Doblmeier and others. Over the past 20 years, forgiveness has become an area of academic study. “The Power of Forgiveness” explores this important work and translates it into an accessible documentary film that provides an honest look at the intensity of anger and grief to which human nature is heir, according to Journey Films’ website: www.journeyfilms.com. “[The film] combines character-driven stories of the most dramatic transgressions imaginable with those that seem more commonplace and thereby more familiar to its general audience. It examines the role that forgiveness can play in alleviating the resulting anger and grief and the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come with forgiveness.” Documentary viewers also hear from doctors, psychologists and psychotherapists who show us the measurable benefits of forgiveness and costs of un-forgiveness. “We hope people will learn more about the power of forgiveness from leading religious leaders and scholars around the world,” said Kraybill, who also teaches at Elizabethtown. “For all the respect the word forgiveness commands, I’m not always sure it’s understood or practiced. This is an opportunity to learn more about forgiveness and how we might embrace it more fully.” A free-will offering (suggested $10 donation) will be taken to cover the costs of the evening. Back to top 2/23/2007 Blue Jay Athletics Alumni Reunion scheduled for April 21 Elizabethtown College will hold its first ever Blue Jay Athletics Alumni Reunion on April 21. Joseph “Coach Joe” Whitmore of Elizabethtown, athletic trainer emeritus at the  College and 1998 Ira R. Herr Hall of Fame inductee, will be honored at the event. Bill Foster, a 1954 Elizabethtown graduate and former Duke University basketball coach, will be the keynote speaker.A 4 p.m. reception at the Raffensperger Alumni House will kick off the event, with dinner and the formal program beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Event Space in the Baugher Student Union. The cost to attend is $50 per person, and online registration is available at www.etownalumni.com/BJAAR. The Blue Jay Athletics Alumni Reunion is sponsored by the John Smith Real Estate Group and Richard D. Poole, LLC. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Blue Jay Athletic Association, which supports athletic excellence at Elizabethtown College. For more information, contact Ben Osterhout, assistant director of the annual fund, at 1-800-877-9658. Back to top 2/22/2007 Traverso named provost and senior vp Susan Traverso, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at California’s  University of Redlands, has been named Elizabethtown College’s provost and senior vice president, effective July 1. She will also hold faculty rank as a professor of history.“I believe Dr. Traverso will be an exceptional leader for Elizabethtown College,” said President Ted Long, “and I very much look forward to working with her in the years ahead to achieve our expanding vision for the College.” Prior to working at Redlands, where she currently serves as an associate professor of history, Traverso was a member of the faculty at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. She served as chair of the history department and led campus initiatives in curriculum and assessment and strategic planning. Traverso has also held leadership positions with the Associated New American Colleges, a national consortium of 22 comprehensive universities committed to the integration of liberal education, professional studies and civic engagement. The author of “Welfare Politics in Boston, 1910-40,” Traverso is an historian of urban politics and 20th-century social policy. Her book, published by the University of Massachusetts in 2003, explores the influence of ethnic politics on Boston’s enlarging welfare programs. Traverso has also written on numerous topics in higher education and has presented at several national conferences of higher education organizations. Her article, “The Role of Faculty in Institutional Development,” appeared in Liberal Education in 2003. In addition to experience in higher education, Traverso brings broad knowledge of international development and global education to Elizabethtown. She directed Peace Corps training programs in Yemen in 1990 and Bulgaria in 1991. She has worked with several international exchange and educational programs, including the Lawyer’s Alliance for World Security. At North Central College, she participated in federally funded global education efforts, and she oversaw an extensive study abroad program at the University of Redlands as well as the University’s campus in Salzburg, Austria. Traverso began her international experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the early 1980s. Back to top 2/14/2007 College closed on Feb. 14 due to inclement weather Elizabethtown College has closed its administrative and academic offices for Wednesday, Feb. 14, due to inclement weather. All essential personnel should report for work. Back to top 2/8/2007 Sitarist to present classical Indian music John Protopapas will present “Classical Indian Music on the Sitar: The Essence of Improvisation” at 11 a.m., Feb. 28,  in Elizabethtown College’s Zug Recital Hall. The event is open to the public free of charge.In addition to performing, Protopapas will explain the concepts of improvisation as they are used in the Indian raga system and will compare Eastern modal music with Western harmony. He will display the drumming language and techniques of Indian rhythms on the tabla and pakhawaj. The Cyprus native is an accomplished performer on the Hindustani classical stringed instrument. Protopapas was born and raised in South Africa and has been studying the sitar for more than two decades. He teaches world music at York College. Protopapas’ presentation is part of the Mela: A Harmony of East & West celebration. This multi-event, multi-venue series is being presented from Feb. 25 to April 1 through a collaboration of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Elizabethtown and Franklin & Marshall Colleges, Lancaster Museum of Art, Millersville University and York Technical Institute with the support of the Embassy of India. Tickets, registration and additional information on Mela: A Harmony of East & West may be found at www.lancastersymphony.org. Back to top 2/5/2007 Group from E-town does hurricane relief work in Mississippi Over the holiday break, 31 students, alumni, faculty and staff experienced a powerful lesson in giving and receiving during a service-learning trip to an area still recovering  from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Organized through a partnership of the College’s Office of Service-Learning and the central Pennsylvania nonprofit Lend-A-Hand, the service experience to D'Iberville, Miss., was financed through contributions from the participants and Elizabethtown College.During the nine-day trip in January, the group assisted 15 homeowners in the Biloxi suburb with repairing damage from the 2005 hurricane. For most of the volunteers, each day consisted of eight hours of hard labor – replacing roofs, hanging and finishing drywall, painting walls, repairing water damage to supports, and installing sewer pipe. Others also assisted the D’Iberville Volunteers Foundation with administrative needs at the camp. The Elizabethtown College team was led by Nancy Valkenburg, director of service-learning, and Dawn Spaar, assistant dean of the Edward R. Murphy Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning (CCEDL). Three other College employees also attended: Deb Althoff, associate registrar for campus web; Elizabeth Coyle, assistant professor of education; and Sherrie Kaminski, grounds maintenance technician. The following traditional students participated: Erika Belletti '08, Laura Beckenstein ’07, Jaclynn Bistis ’10, Jillian Chilcoat ’08, Erin Flaherty ’10, Jewell Hembree ’10, Johnna Jones ’10, Tamara Kase ’10, Kylleen Kelly ’10, Ashley Kneafsey ’08, Erin Lengel ’10, Amanda Marfisi ’09, Ashley Joy Miller ’08, Regina Moreno ’07, Kristen Paporello ’09, Elyse Venturella ’09, Jessica Walsh ’07, and Alyse Woodman ’10. Eleven CCEDL adult learners also joined: Jacki Bell, Tracey Brubaker, Sandy Buhrman, Lee Caibeo, Rachel Childress, Ronald Fisher, Deneen Ierley, Trace Oberholtzer, Eileen Ogan, Karin Shumaker and Rhianna Taltoan. Back to top 2/5/2007 Feb. 26 Gandhi lecture canceled  The Feb. 26 Frank S. Carper Lecture on Ethics, Business and Society at Elizabethtown College featuring Arun Gandhi – founder of the M.K. Institute for Nonviolence – has been canceled due to a death in the featured speaker’s family. Currently, no plans have been made to reschedule the event. Should the event be rescheduled, the tickets already distributed would not be reused and individuals would again have to make reservations to attend. Back to top 2/2/2007 Bach named director of Young Center Jeffrey A. Bach has been named director of the Young Center for  Anabaptist and Pietist Studies and associate professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown College. He will begin his duties on Aug. 1.Bach is currently associate professor of Brethren and historical studies at the Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., where he directed the peace studies program and served as acting dean. An authority on the Ephrata Cloister, his book “Voices of the Turtledoves: The Sacred World of Ephrata” has won several awards, including the inaugural Dale Brown Book Award from the Young Center. He has published numerous articles and reviews for Brethren Life and Thought and other journals. Prior to his work at Bethany, Bach served as a Church of the Brethren pastor in Iowa and a schoolteacher in Kansas. He holds a doctorate in religion from Duke University, a master’s of divinity degree from Bethany Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in German and elementary education from McPherson College. Back to top 1/31/2007 Social work prof publishes study of sexual abuse A mother’s experience of sexual abuse may not increase the risk of her physically abusing her own children, but how she resolves it may, according to a study by an  Elizabethtown College social work professor.Susan Mapp’s study – published in the November issue of the journal “Child Abuse & Neglect” – investigated factors from the individual, family and community that might contribute to the physical abuse of children. Those that proved statistically significant were depression and locus of control, a person’s belief as to where the power to control his/her life is located. “Locus of control is where you feel control is for the things that happen to you,” Mapp said. “An external locus of control – the belief that things happen to you – tends to go along with depression,” Mapp said. “Mothers believe they can’t control their own lives, so how can they be expected to believe they can control their children.” The path from sexual abuse as a child to the current risk of physical abuse by mothers doesn’t appear to be a direct line, according to Mapp. The results of her study – which involved a sample of 265 women – indicate that sexual abuse as child was found to impact maternal depression, which, along with locus of control, impacted risk of committing physical abuse. “In other words, sexual abuse as a child does not lead directly to her physically abusing her children, but can create other risk factors that can affect it.” The key to working with women who’ve experienced sexual abuse as children, according to Mapp, is focusing on the resolution of the trauma. “If the mother is able to talk about her trauma with someone – if she feels she is believed – and can work through it, she’ll be able to move past the abuse. She’ll be less likely to experience the depression and sense of lack of control over her life that can lead to mothers physically abusing their children.” Back to top 1/29/2007 Lancaster Symphony concert to feature violinists This event is sold out. Under the direction of Maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser, the  Lancaster Symphony Orchestra will present Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and Bartok’s “Divertimento for Strings” at a 7 p.m. concert on Feb. 19 in Elizabethtown College’s Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Free tickets for the concert are available by calling 717-361-1410. A light reception will be held after the concert to allow audience members to meet the musicians.The program will showcase the skills of four of the world’s finest violinists: Igor Yuzefovich, Michael Jamanis, Odin Rathnam and Mauricio Gonzalez. Elizabethtown College’s Concert Choir will also perform during the event, which is sponsored by Lancaster residents Linda Castagna, an Elizabethtown board member and alumna, and her husband Patrick. Back to top 1/26/2007 Students meet privately with Chief Justice Roberts For the third consecutive year, a group of Elizabethtown students, led by political science professors April Kelly-Woessner  and Scott Hendrickson, met with Supreme Court Justice John G. Roberts Jr.Before meeting with Justice Roberts, the group sat in on an oral argument before the court. "It is always a great experience for students to actually see the court in operation, and they were, as usual, a bit surprised by how normal and routine it all seemed," Kelly-Woessner said. "They were even surprised by how small the court room feels. I think they expect a bit more grandeur - more pomp and circumstance." Roberts met with the group for about 45 minutes, answering questions from students and sharing a number of stories, including some from his days clerking for Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Due to the limited availability of the Chief Justice, the trip was scheduled over winter break. "I was impressed by the number of students who were willing to take time during break to travel to Washington, D.C., for this," Kelly-Woessner said. "I think that this is proof that education isn't merely about earning grades and credits to obtain a diploma. Rather, students are hungry for enriching experiences and will go to great length to take advantage of these opportunities, even during winter 'break.'" Pictured, from left to right, are Jason Theobald, Kyle Kopko '05, Luke Heselden, Vanessa Idle, Marisa Wirfel, Maurice Rapp, Valerie Reed, Paul Edger, Chief Justice Roberts, Chris Miller, Janell Bogert, Matthew Sembach, Kevin Busher, Lauren O'Donnell, Drs. April Kelly-Woessner and Scott Hendrickson, and Dan Mallinson. Photo by Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States Back to top 1/24/2007 Alum named Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College President On Jan. 22, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) named Elizabethtown College alumnus David G. Behrs, Ph.D., as its 15th president. as well as the first lay Catholic  president. Behrs – who will be the College’s first lay Catholic president – will take office June 30, 2007.“We are confident that he embodies the characteristics, experience and vision necessary to build on the successes of the past and strengthen the institution in the future,” said SMWC Board of Trustees Chairman Mary Barrett. The 47-year-old Behrs earned a bachelor’s degree in history and social science at Elizabethtown in 1981. After his graduation from the College, he earned a master’s degree in counseling and student personnel from Shippensburg University and a doctorate in counseling and student development from American University. Currently working as both the associate provost for university initiatives and vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Dominican University of California, Behrs boasts more than 22 years experience in higher education. Throughout his extensive career, Behrs has exemplified the Elizabethtown College motto “Educate for Service” by lending his experience to various community organizations, including the North Bay Business Council, Marin Education Fund, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. He also volunteered with Catholic Charities and worked as a tutor in the San Rafael Canal Area. The native of Binghamton, N.Y., has been married for 23 years to wife Maureen, and they have two daughters, Beth, 21, and Emily, 14. Back to top 1/23/2007 Book by prof calls Hinduism ‘universal’ religion An Elizabethtown College religion professor has written a book that presents Hinduism as the ‘universal’ religion, capable of providing a model for global inter-religious cooperation and world peace.  “A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism” builds upon Jeffery Long’s arguments for religious pluralism developed in his doctoral dissertation for the University of Chicago. In his book, he argues for a traditional pluralistic understanding of Hinduism – as articulated by such figures as Sri Ramakrishna and Mahatma Gandhi – in opposition to the narrow identification of Hinduism with Indian nationality and ethnicity that characterizes contemporary Hindu nationalist movements. Long asserts that Hindu nationalism is not only destructive of communal relations, but that it also prevents Hinduism from emerging as a world religion in the true sense of the term. He presents a vision of Hinduism as a tradition capable of pointing the way toward a future in which all the world's religions manifest complementary visions of a larger reality - and in which they all, in various ways, participate. Reviews of Long’s manuscript have described it as “both highly relevant and timely” and “fascinating, ambitious and represents an important foray into inter-religious exchange.” Long has taught at Elizabethtown College since receiving his doctoral degree at the University of Chicago in 2000. He is the author of the forthcoming “Jainism: An Introduction” and has published in Prabuddha Bharata, The Journal of Religion, Science and Spirit, Creative Transformations and several edited volumes. Long has presented papers for a variety of scholarly organizations, including the American Academy of Religion, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. Back to top 1/19/2007 22 students travel to Thailand over winter break Social work professors Susan Mapp and Peggy McFarland led 22 Elizabethtown students  on a trip to Thailand over winter break. Sites the group visited include the Grand Palace and several temples in Bangkok; Ayutthaya (former capital of Thailand); the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Rose Garden near Bangkok; the Maesa Elephant Center; and the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center, established to preserve and promote the history and culture of the ancient northern kingdom of Lan Na, its royal tradition of dances and music, its unique food and the folk art of the people of the valleys and of the hill-tribes. At the Wat Suan Dok temple, students engaged in the “Monk chat” program, where interested visitors join an informal question-and-answer session to learn about Buddhism, meditation and the life of a monk.The group also made several visits to service organizations, including Holt Orphanage in Bangkok, where they delivered donated toys and learned about services for abused and abandoned children; the Sangha Metta, a project that works with Buddhist monks and involves them in helping people with HIV; and the International Justice Mission, a U.S.-based agency whose Thailand office focuses on helping women who have been victims of sex trafficking. In addition, the Elizabethtown group visited the social work department at Thammasat University and spoke with students and professors there, comparing educational systems and costs. They also delivered textbooks to the University, as it is difficult to access English language texts there. The group is pictured at the Population and Community Development Association with founder and chairman Mechai Viravaidya. A former Senator and Cabinet Minister in the Thai government, he has won numerous international awards for his work in AIDS prevention, family planning and community development. Back to top 1/8/2007 Arctic photography exhibit at Lyet Gallery Photography of the Arctic by Elizabethtown College professor Robert Wheelersburg  will be exhibited in the College’s Lyet Gallery from Jan. 29 through March 1. The opening reception for “Twenty Years in the Cold: Photographs by an Arctic Anthropologist” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 2. Both the exhibit and reception are open to the public free of charge. Hours for Lyet Gallery, which is located in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.Wheelersburg has worked in the Arctic for nearly 20 years studying indigenous peoples and the loss of traditional resources. An associate professor of sociology/anthropology, he earned a doctorate in Arctic studies from Brown University. He was a Fulbright Scholar twice to Sweden’s University of Umea, at the Center for Arctic Cultural Research and the Department of Saami (Lapp) Studies, where he helped start the doctoral program in Arctic studies. Most of his work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Arctic Social Science program. In addition to his main research area of Scandinavia (including the Russian Arctic), Wheelersburg worked for nearly 15 years on Iceland as a U.S. government representative with the Icelandic Civil Defense Office. He was also part of a team of American and Russian researchers studying the role of human dynamics on the ecosystem of the Kola Peninsula of Russia, one of the most populated and polluted regions in the Arctic. Back to top 1/8/2007 Women's basketball program reaches 900 wins Elizabethtown College became the first NCAA Division III women’s basketball program ever to amass 900 all-time victories with a 76-56 Jan. 6 win  over Trinity College (Conn.). The win improves the Blue Jays to 7-3 overall in 2006-07 and makes them only the third NCAA women’s basketball program in any division to reach the 900 win mark. The other two are Division I members Tennessee and Louisiana Tech. The closest NCAA team behind Elizabethtown in victories is Division II member Delta State, which began the 2006-07 season with 862 wins. The team with the second-highest all-time win total in NCAA Division III is Southern Maine, which had 790 victories at the start of the season. 623 of Elizabethtown’s 900 all-time wins have come under current head coach Yvonne Kauffman, who owns the third-highest win total of any women’s basketball coach in Division III. Story continued ... |
share her experiences in researching this area over the past 25 years at 11 a.m., Nov. 14, in Elizabethtown College’s Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. Her presentation, part of the Wednesday-at-11-series, is open to the public free of charge. 
Sociology-Anthropology. Two of the six are anthropology majors; the others are majoring in biology, history and professional writing.
such as art history or linguistics.Back to News Index
