Hemelt was named the winner of the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Dissertation Award for his thesis “Essays in Education Policy: Accountability, Achievement, and Access.”

He will be flown to the APPAM conference in Washington, D.C., this November to accept his award and present his thesis. Furthermore, an abstract of his thesis will be published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

“A national award is not what you expect when you start your new job,” said Hemelt, who is in his first year teaching after earning his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, last spring. “It’s really humbling.”

“This is beyond anything I might have expected,” he added. “Past winners are people whose papers I read all the time.”

Hemelt graduated last spring with a Ph.D. in public policy. His masters and undergraduate degrees were also from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Cornell College is his first full-time college-level teaching appointment.

Universities and colleges are allowed to nominate only one paper for the APPAM award, and Hemelt was nominated a few months ago by his alma mater. Just being nominated, he said, “was an honor in and of itself.”

APPAM is the premiere professional organization for those with Ph.D.s in public policy, economics, and other applied social science disciplines.

Denniston joined UCS lobbyists and science experts, religious leaders, and social activists to discuss the results of new computer models which suggest that the business-as-usual emissions of carbon dioxide will result in dire consequences for Iowa and the upper Midwest by the end of the century.

According to the report, which was funded and published by the UCS, by the year 2070, severe heat waves such as that experienced in 1995 will occur multiple times per decade in Iowa, and spring flooding will be more severe and more frequent.  However, the model also suggests that if significant steps are taken to reduce carbon dioxide outputs, Iowa may avoid much of this damage.

Denniston and the UCS delegation met with staffers from the offices of Congressmen (and Cornell professor emeritus) David Loebsack (D –Iowa 2nd District), Bruce Braley (D – Iowa 1st District), Leonard Boswell (D – Iowa 3rd District), Senator Grassley (R) and Senator Harkin (D).

The UCS is a highly respected independent scientific research and citizen action group dedicated toward developing solutions for environmental issues via government policy and corporate policy.  Denniston is chair of the Cornell College geology department and director of the environmental studies program.

“In recognition of her life-long illustrious and exceptional contributions,” read the citation, “to the psychology of women and feminist scholarship, leadership, pedagogy, teaching, and practice.”

The citation further exalts her theoretical contributions to the field and her work as co-chair of the task force that drafted the APA’s Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Girls and Women.

Professor Enns’ primary interests are in feminist and multicultural pedagogy and feminist psychotherapy. She has taught at Cornell College since earning her Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1987.

“I was surprised and honored to nominated for and selected to receive the Distinguished Leadership Award,” said Enns.

“The work that we do as teachers at Cornell requires us to point to interconnections and links between our ‘home’ disciplines and other areas of study,” she added. “I owe Cornell College a great deal for emphasizing the importance of this type of ‘border crossing’ activity and for valuing diverse forms of scholarship and research.”

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Additionally, a Homecoming reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, 3-5 p.m.

Featured artists include Doug Hanson, Sandy Dyas, Tony Plaut, Susan Coleman and Maria Schutt, with works in a variety of media, including: ceramics, assemblage, drawing, painting, photography and installation art.

Doug Hanson’s functional clay pieces meld Western and Eastern influences to create objects both beautiful and useful. Among his most stunning works are his large-scale platters, which incorporate form and color reminiscent of water, earth and sky.

Sandy Dyas uses collage and juxtaposition to form hybrid thematic relationships, incorporating both traditional and digital photographic techniques in a monumental two- dimensional installation spanning two walls.

Tony Plaut’s assemblages and drawings employ diverse materials and fabrication processes, with thematic strands that point to the very act of perception, prompting the viewer to “look and listen.”

Sue Coleman’s intimate landscapes are based on her immediate environment, and draw from an awareness of nature as a living presence. Her works for this exhibition are primarily in pastel, but featured are a select group of new oils on canvas.

Maria Schutt’s current work is inspired by puppetry and informed by the observation of a young child, RJ, as he plays without interruption. Using drawing and assemblage, the figures are crafted in a posture of doing, implying the potential for action, but the nature of the action is not revealed.

This exhibition is made possible through a generous endowment from the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sundays: 2 – 4 p.m.

Above: Sandy Dyas, Elvis is the Light, digital photograph

Wednesday was a unique day, mathematically speaking, when the time/date combination of 12:34:56 7/8/09 came up. Some were saying this phenomenon would never happen again, but Freeman knew better.

“It definitely will occur again, if we don’t blow ourselves up,” but not for another 100 years, Freeman was quoted as saying. As long as only the last two digits of the year are used, this phenomenon will occur again in 2109, 2209, and so on.

Stephen Bean, chair of the mathematics department, pointed out seperately that sequences of this nature actually happen on occasion. If the seconds are not included, for example, then 4:56 7/8/09 will occur on the same day, and 9:10 11/12/13 will happen in just a few years, and 1:23 4/5/06 and 2:34 5/6/07 have both happened in recent years.

As if there weren’t enough coincidences in play, the story was written by Erin McNeill ‘10, former co-editor-in-chief of The Cornellian and currently an intern at The Gazette.

To read the full story by McNeill, visit The Gazette Online.

David Kugler ‘09

Five years ago, I started the college search process never having heard of Cornell College until I received a letter in the mail. Being intrigued by the One Course At A Time Calendar and wanting to learn more about this mysterious school, I decided to send back the information card. The summer before my senior year in high school, my family decided to go on a road trip to tour colleges. My dad thought that since we were visiting schools in eastern Nebraska we could travel to that “little school in Iowa” and just look at it. After this road trip, I had made up my mind about where I was going to attend college…and it was not Cornell because the residence halls did not have air conditioning. My mom was mortified that I was going to make my college decision based on air conditioning in the dorms, but after receiving multiple phone calls from persistent Cornell students, Cornell was looking more like a place I wanted to attend. (I later learned by working as a telecounselor that Cornell calls all prospective students even students who are not at all interested, but at the time I felt like Cornell was reaching out to me personally.) Once I got back to the dry heat of western Nebraska and out of the Iowa humidity, I came to my senses and realized that Cornell was everything I had ever wanted in a school: It was out of Nebraska, I knew no one, and it had a high quality academic reputation.

Fast forward one year later, I had arrived on campus and went to the New Student Orientation Convocation where Student Body President Steve Wieland said, “Enjoy the next four years because they will go incredibly fast.” At the time I just laughed to myself thinking “Yeah right,” but Steve was absolutely correct. I cannot believe that our four years at Cornell have ended so quickly. Love it or hate it, Cornell has become our home for four years, and we have all been greatly shaped by our Cornell experiences (or as I like to call them “Extraordinary Opportunities”…Okay so maybe I’m not the only person who calls them that).

Cornell is kind of like the television show Cheers because it seems that everyone knows your name (or at least a tidbit of gossip about you), and I would not have it any other way. I have made lasting friendships and had incredible faculty. The interactions that I have had with staff have also been wonderful. It may sound silly, but every where I look at Cornell I see extraordinary people engaged in “extraordinary opportunities.” I cannot believe how much I have learned about myself, other people, and the world by attending a small liberal arts college in a small Iowa town. I would like to share some of the lessons that I have learned by being at Cornell with all of you.

Lessons I Have Learned By Attending Cornell:

• Be yourself even if it is scary at first…That way you can live life without regrets.
• You cannot love others until you learn to love yourself.
• I tried to fight my sociology professors on this one because as much as I want to believe that I have agency and free will, I have learned that I am constrained by our larger societal structure. If I want to have agency within this structure, I need to organize it in a way where I can exercise my free will.
• Be open to new experiences (I had no idea that applying to be an RA three years ago would lead to a future career in student affairs—Sorry if I ever wrote you up.)
• It’s okay to give something up when it stops being enjoyable and move onto something new. This way, you can discover new passions and have new experiences. Sometimes these experiences will be positive and other times they will be negative, but try to learn something from every single one of these occasions.
• Good friends come and go, but they will always have a special place in your heart.
• Judging others only causes others to judge you. We also tend to judge others when we are insecure about something within ourselves. Accept others’ imperfections, differences of opinions, and flaws. We all have flaws. Embrace them. I have probably learned more about my own beliefs from the people with whom I disagree, but disagree respectfully.
• Be willing to change your first impressions. They are not always right.
• Honesty truly is the best policy. Sometimes the truth hurts, but we eventually pull ourselves together and get over it. People can take bad news, but deliver the bad news gently.
• Sodexo cooks better than I do.
• Be proud of your accomplishments (We all have many), but try to remain grounded and in touch with reality. Modesty and humility are qualities that I genuinely admire in people.
• I’ve discovered new passions and things that I enjoy such as discussing sociological issues, painting, making art, veggie corn dogs, and eating sushi while keeping some of the things that I have always enjoyed like laughing with friends until my stomach hurts, increasing my cultural capital by visiting museums and watching theatre performances, quoting Nicole Richie, applying Chapstick, and washing my hands with foam soap.
• Meeting new people can be scary but also incredibly rewarding. Putting yourself in potentially uncomfortable situations and making yourself somewhat vulnerable can truly allow you to connect with a variety of people. I have made wonderful connections by attending Cornell, a school where I knew no one coming in.
• Everything happens for a reason even if you do not immediately know the reason.
• I believe that everyone has a personal ongoing struggle that helps them discover their true identity. Do not avoid this struggle…It is what makes you unique.
• Tell people frequently how much you care about them.
• Sometimes letting go is really a good thing. Remember all of your memories from Cornell, but accept and embrace new challenges that will face you very soon.

Cornell is who I am. I have learned to grow from my experiences here whether they have been positive or negative, and whether or not you believe it, Cornell is who you are too. Each of my classmates has somehow shaped my four years here, and I am forever grateful. I am incredibly impressed by the internships, fellowships, service to the community, and campus programs that have been done by all of you. I have no doubts that wherever we go, we will each be successful. I am proud to say that I graduated from Cornell College, and I am even prouder to be a member of the Class of 2009. Congratulations!

Phil Lucas

Jesus make the blind to see

Jesus make the deaf to hear

Jesus make the cripple walk

Walk in, dear Jesus,

No man can hinder me.

No man can hinder me.

They wanted that education because their instincts told them there was more to life than money, and with the right education they and their families could lead more satisfying lives and they could advance society too.

What we can learn from Abraham Lincoln and the freed people is the confirmation of what we know. Your instincts brought you to Cornell College, and my colleagues and I applaud your success. The instincts that led you here, to this education, are undeniable and invaluable. But as Lincoln and the freedmen and women knew, that was but the first step. They followed their instincts to apply that knowledge to the unprecedented challenges that faced them, and to make difficult decisions to attain justice in its many dimensions. History shows such instincts serve well whether one is surrounded by a horrible war, emerging from 200 years of bondage, or in the midst of a crippled economy.

Embrace the new world beyond Cornell with confidence in your own instincts, and with the optimism that your contributions will make it better.

All I ask is that you occasionally reflect on what was, what is, and what will be.

Thank you.

Thomas, who also formerly served as the Cornell College chaplain, received the 2007 Petersen/Harlan Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa in recognition of his services to historical preservation. He has chaired or served on Mount Vernon’s Historic Preservation Commission for 29 years.

”I was very surprised,” said Thomas of the award. “It’s a special honor when it comes from an organization of your peers and colleagues. That’s one of the nicest things about it. It comes from people who have an appreciation for the field.”

Among his many efforts at preserving Cornell’s history is the Sesquicentennial History he wrote along with Professor William Heywood and a variety of essays on a number of topics concerning Cornell’s history. Thomas also wrote the nomination of the campus for the National Register of Historic Places, and Cornell’s entire campus is now listed on that registry, one of only two in the nation. He’s still an intellectual presence on campus, teaches a course annually, and regularly contributes historical information to anyone who asks.

Thomas started at Cornell in 1967 and officially retired in 1996, but has continued to teach every year since.

In addition to his work at Cornell, he was the first chairman of the Iowa State Historical Department in 1974. In 1977 Gov. Robert Ray appointed him chairman of the Terrace Hill Authority, which transformed the Governor’s mansion into one of the nation’s best examples of adaptive reuse of a historic building. He was also a member of the Iowa review committee for the National Register of Historic Places.

View the story in the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun. 

The student, who is in isolation now and will leave campus today to return home, was recently in an area within the United States that has reported confirmed cases of H1N1. Close contacts of the student have been notified.

It is important to note that most cases of H1N1 have been similar to a mild seasonal flu lasting less than a week. The student is expected to recover fully. Should any student experience flu-like symptoms, please seek medical attention by contacting the Student Health Center or a physician of your choice immediately.

Public health officials do not recommend quarantining people who have been in contact with persons with H1N1. The Center for Disease Control has recommended campuses not be closed, and Cornell will continue to follow the advice from the Iowa Department of Public Health in conjunction with the CDC. We will monitor the situation, but do not anticipate closures or cancellations at this time. Updates will be posted on the Web site as necessary.

Students should take general precautions, including  good hygiene and avoiding others with respiratory illnesses.

Any questions can be directed to Jill deLaubenfels, Director of Student Health Services, at x4292, jdelaubenfels@cornellcollege.edu.

The evening will celebrate Dana’s contributions to the world of poetry as a Cornell professor and Poet-in-Residence, as Iowa Poet Laureate, and as a distinguished author.

Dana will read a selection of poems from his new book, The Other, as well as earlier works.

A reception and book signing will follow in the Berry Lobby.

In 1954, at the age of 25, Robert Dana arrived on campus as the youngest ever tenure-track faculty member. He taught English at Cornell for the next 40 years, inspiring generations of young Cornellians.

Dana received National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships for Poetry in 1985 and 1993 and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award for Poetry in 1989. He is the author of 10 collections of poetry and two works of literary nonfiction, and the founding editor of the revived North American Review. His poems have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Poetry, The Sewanee Review, The New York Times, The American Poetry Review, Poetry Now, The New England Review, Mother Jones, The Georgia Review, and others. Two of his poems were memorialized in 2008 on monuments in Des Moines and Coralville.

Dana served as distinguished visiting writer at five American universities and Stockholm University. He has remained prolific in retirement, serving two terms as Poet Laureate of Iowa and publishing four books of poetry, most recently The Other.

The man introducing Dana in the video is Tom Lynner ‘66, co-founder of the Des Moines National Poetry Festival.

Associate Professor of English Katy Stavreva, Professor of Music James Martin, and Assistant Professor of English Shannon Reed were all selected by the NEH to receive grants to travel and participate in their respective programs. Only 15 participants are invited to any given seminar.

Stavreva will travel to Prato, Italy to participate in the seminar “Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ and the Medieval World: Literature, History, Art,” which is designed to encourage new readings of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” using interdisciplinary perspectives.

“The NEH seminar will give me an opportunity to pursue my research in a completely new literary context,” said Stavreva. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to study Dante immersed in the language, art, and landscape in which the Commedia was created.”

She added that she planned to use the seminar as a way to lay the groundwork for future Cornell courses taught in Tuscany, Italy.

Martin, who will be participating in his third NEH seminar, will examine “German Exile Culture in California: European Traditions and American Modernity,” at Stanford University. He said he’s excited for the opportunity to return to such an environment.

“Past experience from my previous two fellowships predicts that this will be a very stimulating, intellectual group of scholars,” said Martin. “I consider my fellowship times at Columbia and Princeton to be two of the highlights of my career.”

Reed is slated to attend “Anglo-Irish Identities,” hosted by The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The seminar is designed to explore cultural, political and ideological identities of the Anglo-Irish over five weeks in June-July.

Reed will use the seminar to make progress on her sabbatical project, a history of reading and its connection to English nationalism. After the NEH seminar, Reed will travel to the Huntington and William Andrews Clark libraries in southern California to continue her research, where both institutions have granted her fellowships to continue her research.

Summer Seminars and Institutes for College and University Teachers are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide college and university faculty members and independent scholars with an opportunity to enrich and revitalize their understanding of significant humanities ideas, texts and topics.

Learning for Meaning’s Sake, explores the overabundance of knowledge universities provide “without the wisdom to use it meaningfully,” according to Mackler.

“This new type of higher learning would engage students with questions of meaning in a way that results neither in excessive skepticism nor in blind adherence to dogma,” said Mackler. “Such an education would not only make classroom learning more meaning-full, but would enable students to be thoughtful about questions of meaning in their everyday lives.”

Mackler’s work asserts that modern universities are so focused on preparing students for the work place that they fail to provide answers to questions of meaning and purpose that many are looking for in their education. Through a diverse range of philosophical thought, Learning for Meaning’s Sake (Sense Publishers) offers a foundation for a new type of higher learning.

“When I started this work, I had not yet taught at a liberal arts college,” said Mackler. “Bringing my ideas into practice in the classroom setting let me better work out my ideas in my own practical experiences in the classroom at Cornell.”

Mackler received her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Education from Teachers College at Columbia University and is principally interested in philosophy of education, education and democracy, and liberal arts education. She has taught education at Cornell College since 2004. This is her first book.

Lucas will discuss “a life that experienced many disappointments and the ultimate political success. It was an American success story and an American tragedy. It was a life full of mystery.”

The four-week lecture series begins Monday, Feb. 2, in Hedges Conference Room on the Cornell College campus. To register for the program, visit cornellcollege.edu/Chautauqua.

The lecture series will examine questions about Lincoln’s rise to the presidential nomination, the first 50 years of his life, and why many historians rank him as one of the best presidents, if not the best.

The Cornell College Chautauqua Program is open to anyone seeking enrichment through lectures, films, music, and other means of enlightenment. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with others who share common interests.

A new subject is introduced every term, with sessions meeting on Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon in Hedges Conference Room in The Commons. The cost for each four-week program is $30, and registrations must be received the Wednesday prior to the beginning of each course. Lunch is available in student dining for $5.25 per person. Free parking is available on campus property if you obtain a special parking permit from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Stewart will present “”Feast, Flood, and Famine: Zora Neale Hurston’s Search for African American Folk Culture,” at libraries across the state of Iowa as part of The Big Read, a grant-funded initiative from the African American Museum of Iowa intended “to restore reading to the center of American culture.”

Published in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God chronicles the fictional life of Janie Mae Crawford. Janie narrates her life story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Although this novel is not an autobiography, it is inspired by Hurston’s life, including the hurricane Hurston survived in 1929.

The public is invited to the kick-off event on Wednesday, January 28, at 6:30 p.m., at the Davenport Fairmount Street Library (3000 N. Fairmount Street, Davenport, Iowa), where Stewart will deliver her talk. Other dates included:

Jan. 19: Fort Dodge Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 20: Waterloo Public Library 6:00 p.m.

Jan. 21: Des Moines Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 22: Keokuk Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: Cedar Rapids Westdale Mall Community Room, 2600 Edgewood Rd., SW, 1 p.m.

Jan. 28: Davenport Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: Mount Pleasant Public Library 7 p.m.

For more information about upcoming Big Read programs, visit: www.davenportlibrary.com or www.blackiowa.org.

Memorial services will be announced at a later date.

Ed Rogers was born March 19, 1917, in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, the son of Glenn H. and Martha (Conrad) Rogers. He graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1935 and from Cornell College in 1939. He continued his studies as a graduate assistant in Zoology at the University of Oklahoma, receiving his M.S. in 1941. This was followed by a year spent at Princeton University on a Fellowship.

In December of 1941, he married Mary Elizabeth Trent of Waco, Texas. During World War II Ed was drafted in the Army Medical Corps where he served at the Amarillo Air Base, Winter General Hospital and the Fitzsimmons General Hospital until his discharge. He returned to the University of Oklahoma as an instructor in Zoology as he completed his Ph.D. He and his family then moved to Waco, Texas where he became an assistant professor at Baylor University. In 1955, Ed and his family returned to Mt. Vernon where he became Professor and Chairman of the Biology Department at Cornell. During his time at Cornell he enjoyed summer appointments at University of Tennessee Medical School, and at the University of Iowa in the Zoology Dept. He spent two years in Cali, Colombia as a special field staff member of the Rockefeller Foundation, and as a consultant to the Biology Department of the Universidad de Valle. In 1982, Ed retired from Cornell.

Ed’s first wife, Elizabeth, was killed in an airplane accident in Venezuela. In 1970, he married Dorothy Deal Ware in 1970 and they remained in Mt. Vernon until 1994 when they moved to Oaknoll Retirement Residence in Iowa City. During his years in Mt. Vernon he was involved with the Methodist Church, Lions Club, and Mt. Vernon- Lisbon Area Ambulance Service. He also served on the Board of Directors of St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids and was past president and former editor of the Iowa Academy of Science. Since moving to Iowa City he has been active in the New Horizons Band and the “Speak Up” program for fifth graders in the Iowa City Schools. At Oaknoll, he served on the Resident’s Council, including one term as president.

In 2007, Ed was surprised and honored when former Cornell student and renowned scientist, Professor Jack Roberts ‘65  of Vanderbilt University was awarded an endowed chair and chose to name it the “T. Edwin Rogers Chair in Pharmacology and Medicine.”

Surviving Ed is his wife, Dorothy; sisters, Martha McNabb and Dorothy Narro, daughter, Jane Rogers Gray, son, Richard Glenn Rogers (Patti), step-children, J. Scott Ware (”Wan”), Douglas R. Ware , R. Dwight Ware (Judy), David H. Ware (Lucia) and Jessie Ware (”Stacie”) and by 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Mary Elizabeth (Trent); and his brother, William C. Rogers.

Ed’s dry humor, quick wit and tall tales endeared him to friends, family, colleagues, and students alike.

Memorial donations can be made in his memory to Cornell College, Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Ambulance Service, Iowa City-Johnson County Senior Center (New Horizon’s Band), the Oaknoll Foundation or any charity of your choice.

The stores, the story puports, are shutting down at least in part due to the poor economy.

“Unfortunately during this recession that is what we will see because small businesses are more likely to see their credit cut off,” the story quotes Knoop as saying.

He goes on to say that the recession has not yet hit rock bottom, and that it’s likely to be 18 months to 2 years till any recovery is seen.

To view the full article click here.

To watch the video click here. 

Knoop has been making the media rounds with regard to the current economic crisis, appearing on Money Talk with Bob Brinker and in Business Week, The Associate Press, The Cedar Rapids Gazette,  and others.

Knoop is Associate Professor of Economics and Business, has interests in macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, tax reform issues, and international finance.  His courses include Money and Banking, Economics of Recessions and Depressions, and Econometrics. He is the author of the 2004 book Recessions and Depressions: Understanding Business Cycles, and has published articles inCanadian Journal of Economics, Economic Inquiry, and Southern Economic Journal. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University.

Garner stresses that the college’s core values will not change in the face of national economic instability. Furthermore, he states that, while the college may be faced with difficult challenges ahead, “our commitment to teaching, learning, and the liberal arts will not waver. With the confidence and support of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, this institution has overcome greater challenges than the current crisis, and together we can overcome this challenge as well.”

The text of the letter follows:

Message to the Cornell Community
November 2008

Recent global economic upheaval has raised concerns for all of us regarding personal and institutional well- being. I want to assure you that the President’s Council and Board of Trustees are monitoring the situation closely and are taking steps to ensure the stability of the college’s financial base and sustain the quality of our programs. While not immune to turmoil in the financial markets, Cornell College is positioned to weather the current crisis if we carefully steward our resources.

First, we are making every effort to help students and families finance their education. Last spring we restructured the financial assistance packages of 200 returning students in response to problems in the student loan market. We also are working closely with our entering students to ensure their ability to attend Cornell.

In the recent past we have experienced steady growth in enrollment. Enrollment is up over previous years, and applications for next fall are ahead of last year at this time. Admission is redoubling its efforts to engage a large pool of prospects and to recruit another strong class of students. Our Admission staff needs the support of the entire community to make certain these efforts bear fruit. Retention of current students is also crucial. By national standards, Cornell’s retention rate is high, and we must strive to retain this by providing extraordinary opportunities that keep our students engaged. In the coming years the retention of our student body will be that much more important, not only for the good of the students, but for the health of the college.

In recent years Cornell has enjoyed strong performance in endowment earnings. However, like many of our peers, we have experienced a downturn in our endowment levels this fall. As a revenue stream, the endowment provides just less than 10 percent of our operating budget, but these losses will have an impact on the campus.

We have taken and are taking steps to minimize this impact. In the spring we refinanced our debt in order to reduce our annual debt service payments. We plan to control and reduce spending for the remainder of the year and the following year, striving to do so with minimal effect on the student experience.

As part of the Extraordinary Opportunities campaign, we are completing capital projects that are fully funded by donations restricted for those buildings. Because of gifts earmarked for Pfieffer Hall, the Luce Admission Center at Wade House, and the Paul Scott Alumni Center at Rood House, those projects are either completed, in process, or soon to start. We continue to raise funds for The Commons and King Chapel.

Though the immediate future may be fraught with difficulty, the state of the college is strong, and our commitment to teaching, learning, and the liberal arts will not waver. With the confidence and support of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, this institution has overcome greater challenges than the current crisis, and together we can overcome this challenge as well.

Les Garner
President

Knoop has been making the media rounds with regard to the current economic crisis, appearing in Business Week, The Associate Press, The Cedar Rapids Gazette,  and others.

In Iowa, the show can be heard on any of the following radio stations (check listings for times):
Burlington KCPS 1150 AM
Cedar Rapids WMT 600 AM
Davenport WOC 1420 AM
Des Moines WHO 1040 AM
Fairfield KMCD 1570 AM
Sioux City KMNS 620 AM
Sioux City KSCJ 1360 AM

For a list of other stations on which the show can be heard, click here.

Knoop is Associate Professor of Economics and Business, has interests in macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, tax reform issues, and international finance.  His courses include Money and Banking, Economics of Recessions and Depressions, and Econometrics. He is the author of the 2004 book Recessions and Depressions: Understanding Business Cycles, and has published articles inCanadian Journal of Economics, Economic Inquiry, and Southern Economic Journal. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University.

The gift honors long-time geology professor Herb Hendriks, who started one of the first environmental studies programs in the country at Cornell in 1975. The gift is being coordinated by lead donors Gib Drendel and John Mark Dean.

“There is a very great need for people who are informed about all aspects of the environment—political, social, economic, and environmental—and that’s why we set up this program,” said Hendriks. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the Class of 1958 gift. That gift is going to go a long, long way toward ensuring the program continues.”

“We need to ensure that, in the future, there will be people to look at the problem from all angles. Our environmental problems won’t go away, they’ll only increase, so it’s essential to keep student research and this program strong,” he added.

The bulk of the gift will endow the Cornell College Environmental Studies Program, a course of study that stresses sustainability across multiple disciplines—from politics to chemistry to geology and sociology. The other portion will fund a scholarship open to any junior or senior engaged in environmental studies, regardless of major.

Herb Hendriks, himself a 1940 graduate of Cornell, taught geology at Cornell from 1947 to 1983. He became interested in the sustainability of natural resources as early as the 1940s, and was finally able to offer that course in the 1960s. In 1975, he founded and directed the Cornell College Environmental Studies program—one of the first in the country and the first in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. He currently lives in the Methwick Community in Cedar Rapids

“It is extremely important that we have students who can examine environmental issues carefully and look at them from different angles, perhaps even more important than when Herb founded the program in 1975,” said Cornell College President Les Garner. “The Class of 1958 gift is an enduring way for Cornell to strengthen an already distinct program.”

The Class of 1958 gift is part of Cornell College’s comprehensive campaign Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College which will continue through December 2009. The campaign will enhance the Cornell experience by increasing the college’s endowment, upgrading its facilities, and enhancing the academic program.

For more information about the campaign or making a gift, visit www.cornellcollege.edu/campaign or contact Peter Wilch, Vice President for Alumni and College Advancement at 319-895-4315 or pwilch@cornellcollege.edu.

“The costs of doing nothing are very significant,” said Knoop.

He went on to add, “Like it or not, government has a role in protecting the financial stability of an economy. The sooner that governments bite the bullet, take their medicine and bail out financial systems, the quicker you can get beyond this and get back to growth.”

Knoop was also recently cited in Business Week on a similar topic.

Knoop is Associate Professor of Economics and Business, has interests in macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, tax reform issues, and international finance.  His courses include Money and Banking, Economics of Recessions and Depressions, and Econometrics. He is the author of the 2004 book Recessions and Depressions: Understanding Business Cycles, and has published articles in Canadian Journal of Economics, Economic Inquiry, and Southern Economic Journal. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University.

Jordan is an honorary alumnus of Cornell who began his career at Cornell in 1966. He was granted emeritus status in 2002 and has remained active on campus.

The bulk of the gift will fund the chaplain endowment, with the remaining $10,000 used to supplement the annual fund and purchase wireless headphones for the hearing impaired for King Chapel, the primary venue for campus speakers and performances. The idea for wireless headphones came from local videographer Dean Traver, who let Jordan borrow a pair during a recent performance.

“I finally figured out the solution to my problem was to donate headphones to Cornell so that I and others with a similar problem would be able to take advantage of the wonderful public presentations Cornell offers to the community,” said Jordan.

Jordan added that the support for the chaplain fund was a way to honor his father and mother.

“Neither of my parents had the opportunity to be college students, but if they had, I am sure they would have found the chaplain’s work to be important to them,” said Jordan. “This gift provides the perfect way for me to honor them in a manner that I know is meaningful to them.”

Jordan said that, during his over 40 years at Cornell, the Chaplain’s office, first through The Rev. Dr. Richard H. Thomas and now The Rev. Quehl-Engel, has always been a strong source of leadership in the community.

“We cannot thank Truman and Linda enough for their dedication to Cornell,” said Vice President for Alumni and College Advancement Peter Wilch. “It is humbling to think of all the wonderful things the Jordans have done on campus and as part of the community over the past 42 years, and after these many contributions they have chosen to give a generous gift to Cornell at a crucial time. The college is fortunate to have friends like the Jordans.”

The Jordans’ gift is part of Cornell College’s comprehensive campaign Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College which will continue through December 2009. The campaign will enhance the Cornell experience by increasing the college’s endowment, upgrading its facilities, and enhancing the academic program.

For more information about the campaign or making a gift, visit cornellcollege.edu/campaign.

The Presidential Fellows program seeks to bring leading scholars to campus to teach a course that enriches the curriculum. Because of the One-Course-At-A-Time calendar, scholars can teach an entire course in 3 1/2 weeks.

Wallace has been produced internationally and has been awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award, the Kesselring Prize, the Mobil Prize, an NEA grant, a Kentucky Arts Council Grant, a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant, and an Obie Award for best play.

Wallace is also a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, the grant popularly known as the genius award. She currently resides in North Yorkshire, England.

Wallace is presently under commission by The Public Theatre, Clean Break of London, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The Presidential Fellows program is part of Cornell College’s comprehensive campaign Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College which concludes in December 2009. The campaign seeks to enhance the Cornell experience by increasing the college’s endowment, upgrading its facilities, and enhancing the academic program.

Knoop, who was also cited as the author of “Modern Financial Macroeconomics: Panics, Crashes, and Crises,” discusses the reaction of the credit market to recessions in the article.

The full text of the article can be found online at Businessweek.com.

More on Knoop’s economics text can be found on the Cornell News Center.

Knoop is Associate Professor of Economics and Business, has interests in macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, tax reform issues, and international finance.  His courses include Money and Banking, Economics of Recessions and Depressions, and Econometrics. He is the author of the 2004 book Recessions and Depressions: Understanding Business Cycles, and has published articles in Canadian Journal of Economics, Economic Inquiry, and Southern Economic Journal. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University.

Dana’s poem “In Praise” is scheduled to be read at the dedication of the Iowa Workers Monument in Des Moines on Friday, May 30. The poem will be one of several bronze plaques attached to the monument honoring Iowa laborers.

The following day, the Coralville Public Library will hold its dedication ceremony, where Dana’s poem “Library” is scheduled to be read and displayed in bronze in the foyer.

“I’m honored to be asked to write poems for these two important occasions,” said Dana, who was named Iowa’s Poet Laureate in September 2004.

For more information on the Coralville dedication, visit: www.coralvillepubliclibrary.org/Building.htm

For more information on the Iowa Workers Monument dedication, visit: www.iowaworkersmonument.com

Dana taught at Cornell from 1954-94. He received National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships for Poetry in 1985 and 1993 and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award for Poetry in 1989. He has written 13 books of poetry, the most recent, “The Morning of the Red Admirals,” published in 2004, and “The Other” which will also be published by Anhinga Press later this year.

A Massachusetts native, Dana discovered his love for writing poetry during his time as a U.S. Navy radio operator at the end of World War II. Back in Holyoke, Mass., he sold his watch and raincoat for one-way bus fare to Des Moines, where he became the first in his family to attend college. He enrolled at Drake University on the GI Bill and supported himself as a sportswriter for the Des Moines Register. Later, he honed his art at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, graduating with a master’s degree in 1954. When he joined Cornell, he was the youngest (age 25) tenure-track professor hired by the college at the time. He has served as distinguished visiting writer at five American universities and Stockholm University.

The researchers found a greater specialization in plant feeding than previously thought. While some scientists believed that the diversity of plants would predict the diversity of insects that feed on plants, this study demonstrated that herbivorous insect diversity exceeds those expectations, because these flies also specialize on different plant parts. All but one of the 45 species raised for this study fed on only seeds or flowers, not both. Some ate only male or female flowers.

The study further found a surprising number of “hidden” species, species which were physically hidden inside the plants with little to no evidence of their presence, and hidden in the sense that they were nearly indistinguishable from other species without DNA analysis.

Most of the fly species were associated with only one host plant species. On the other hand, many of the plants hosted a range of species. One plant species supported at least 13 species of the fruit flies.

Location also played a role in the findings. Some of the fly species were geographically widespread. But others could only be found within a limited geographic range, even though the range of the host plant was much more extensive.

The team concluded that host plant and niche diversity plays a significant role in the extraordinary diversity of Blepharoneura flies. But geographical factors—and the passage of time—may play an even greater role.

Biologist Marty Condon is biology professor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon and she has studied these organisms for more than 30 years. Three colleagues joined her to study of the links between host plants and Blepharoneura tropical fruit flies: Agricultural Research Service (ARS) molecular biologist Sonja Scheffer, ARS support scientist Matthew Lewis and Ithaca College biology professor Susan Swenson.

Students from Ithaca College, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and University of North Carolina, and Cornell College, as well as students from Bolivia, Peru, and Mexico participated in the study.

At Cornell College, students take one class for a month or “block,” before moving on to the next. Block scheduling allows for greater flexibility and modular scheduling, allowing research like Condon’s to take place any time during the year.

The task force is charged with drawing up national standards for Latin teacher training and Latin Methodology courses. Gruber-Miller says he looks forward to participating in this important project.