Winter 2014 newsletter

The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter
Volume 10, Winter 2014 

To view the Newsletter with Photos: Winter 2014 Newsletter

National Office News
Debating for Democracy (D4D)™ on the Road Workshops Fuel Excitement Among Student Advocates
By Christine Martin

Students working on climate change, LGBT rights, and other social justice issues participated in Debating for Democracy (D4D)™ workshops at Allegheny College and Occidental College on November 16.
  
The messaging portion of the workshop drew rave reviews from workshop participants. Workshop facilitators from Wellstone Action introduced techniques for analyzing and crafting effective messages while also countering opposition claims. Students said they could immediately put these communication techniques to use in their advocacy work and many other situations where clear, concise presentation is critical.

Students from The College of Wooster travelled to Allegheny for their workshop and Pitzer College and Pomona College participated in the training at Occidental.  

Project Pericles will hold D4D on the Road (D4D)™  workshops at eight additional Periclean colleges and universities across the country, including at Macalester College, on January 25. The schedule of workshops is available at www.projectpericles.org.

Project Pericles appreciates the generous support of the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation, and our Periclean colleges and universities. 

Pace Launches Periclean Activist-in-Residence Program Bringing Nobel Peace Prize Nominee to Campus
By Daniel Botting, Project Pericles Associate Program Director, Pace University

Pace University launched a Periclean Activist-in-Residence program that will bring an activist to campus who will work with students, give lectures on campus, and meet with faculty. 
In December, Project Pericles at Pace University hosted Kathy Kelly as their first Periclean Activist-in-Residence. The three time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare, spent her three-day residency meeting with student leaders, conducting skills workshops, and engaging groups of students with stories from her time in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war-torn communities.

Project Pericles Founder and Board Chair Eugene M. Lang and Kathy Kelly were honored at a reception. Lang was honored for his commitment to civic engagement and Project Pericles at Pace. Kelly was recognized for her dedication to a life of active citizenship and peace.

Project Pericles to Present at AAC&U Annual Meeting
 
Project Pericles will present a panel discussion on "Creating Cohesive Paths to Civic Engagement: Mapping the Curricular and Co-Curricular Offerings on 26 Campuses" at AAC&U. Panelists Linda DeMeritt, Allegheny College; Chad Berry, Berea College; Paul  Schadewald, Macalester College; and Steve Preskill, Wagner College will discuss this groundbreaking study of civic engagement programming on Periclean campuses nationwide. They will highlight their plans to utilize findings from the survey to strengthen and to further integrate the programming on their campuses, as well as to create new pathways for students (including those in humanities and STEM) to incorporate civic engagement into their education.

Creating Cohesive Paths to Civic Engagement is made possible through the generous support of the Eugene M. Lang Foundation and The Teagle Foundation.

Reception 
Project Pericles will hold a small gathering of Presidents, Provosts, Deans, Programs Directors, and Faculty at the 2014 AAC&U Annual Meeting on January 23 from 6:45-8:00 PM. Please email Christine Martin (Christine.Martin@projectpericles.org) if you are interested in attending.

Goucher Hosts 2013 Program Directors Meeting
 
In November, Project Pericles held its 2013 Program Directors' Meeting at Goucher College. A major theme of the meeting was Creating Cohesive Paths to Civic Engagement, a three-year project to inventory, map, strengthen, and develop more cohesive civic engagement programs on Periclean campuses. Undertaking the project sparked many discussions between departments and divisions as teams comprised of provosts, registrars, department chairs, administrators, and faculty members collaborated on collecting data from across their institutions.

Project Pericles thanks President Sandy Unger, Program Directors Emily Perl and Cass Freedland, and the Goucher Community for hosting the Program Directors' Meeting.

Project Pericles Presents at the Council of Independent Colleges' 2014 Presidents Institute
 
On January 6, a panel of Periclean presidents and Jan Liss, Executive Director of Project Pericles, discussed insights from Creating Cohesive Paths to Civic Engagement. They highlighted steps presidents can take to increase student awareness of and participation in civic engagement programming. Presidential panelists included: Bobby Fong, Ursinus College; Michele D. Perkins, New England College; and John S. Wilson, Jr., Morehouse College.

The New School Hosts Presidents' Council Meeting

On November 14, The New School hosted the Presidents' Council Meeting. Project Pericles thanks President David E. Van Zandt and The New School for hosting the meeting. The meeting held in the historic, muraled Orozco Room included a tour by Van Zandt of The New School's almost completed, University Center, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Pericleans in the News

Carnegie Corporation of New York Recognizes Spelman President Beverly Daniel Tatum with 2013 Academic Leadership Award
Excerpted from the Spelman College Press Release

On December 9th, 2013, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced that Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum was one of four recipients nationally of its 2013 Academic Leadership Award, which recognizes exceptional presidents of U.S. colleges or universities. The award features a $500,000 grant to be used in support of the honoree's academic initiatives. President Tatum is the first president in the State of Georgia, the first from an historically black college or university, and the first Periclean to win the award.

"It is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition.  I am grateful to work with colleagues who believe in the transformative power of education, and who understand the opportunities we provide are not for our students alone, but for the communities they will influence when they leave our gates. I am thrilled to receive this award and use it in the service of our mission," said President Tatum.

Since being named President of Spelman College in 2002, Beverly Daniel Tatum has shown that, with vision and commitment, access and excellence in higher education do not have to be mutually exclusive. The college is known for admitting and graduating a large percentage of low-income, first generation students. During her tenure, the number of students qualifying for federal Pell Grants has risen from some 30% to over 50%. Approximately 87% of all students receive some form of financial aid, and scholarship support has tripled. In making the award, the Carnegie Corporation noted that President Tatum has:

• Championed women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math); almost a third of Spelman students earn degrees in those fields, defying what President Tatum calls "the low expectations for women and minorities in science."
• Cultivated community service; each year, Spelman students contribute a total of more than 40,000 hours of service to their community.
• Dropped intercollegiate sports in favor of a focus on student health. Concerned over the fact that an alarming proportion of young black women are prone to having serious health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes, Tatum invested the savings from the elimination of team sports in fitness and intramural programs that emphasize activities that career women are likely to maintain for a lifetime.

The Goucher Prisoner Education Partnership Profiled in The Washington Post

On December 2nd, 2013, the Goucher Prisoner Education Partnership (GPEP) was featured in The Washington Post. GPEP allows men and women incarcerated in Maryland to take Goucher College courses for credit. Courses are taught by Goucher faculty. Approximately 60 students are enrolled in the program. 
 
GPEP was featured as part of our Program Directors Conference at Goucher. Barbara Sherr Roswell, Founding Director of GPEP, conducted a workshop on the program for conference attendees. 

Hendrix College Announces Incoming President
Excerpted from the Hendrix College Press Release

William M. Tsutsui will assume the presidency of Hendrix College in June 2014. Tsutsui comes to Hendrix from Southern Methodist University where he led Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences as Dean and Professor of History. A specialist in modern Japanese business and economic history, his published books examine topics ranging from banking policy to the film icon Godzilla.           
Project Pericles Needs Your Support!
Please consider making a generous donation today to Project Pericles so that we can continue our work preparing tomorrow's engaged citizens. Donations can now be made directly through our website www.projectpericles.org by clicking donate in the upper right corner. 

To subscribe, email us at garret.batten@projectpericles.org.
To submit Periclean-related information for publication, email us at garret.batten@projectpericles.org.
   
Periclean Colleges & Universities
Allegheny College * Bates College * Berea College * Bethune-Cookman University * Carleton College * Chatham University * Dillard University * Drew University * Earlham College * Elon University * Goucher College * Hampshire College * Hendrix College * Macalester College * Morehouse College *New England College * The New School * Occidental College * Pace University * Pitzer College * Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute * Rhodes College  * St. Mary's College of Maryland * Spelman College * Swarthmore College * Ursinus College 
Wagner College * Widener University * The College of Wooster

National Office
 Executive Director: Jan R. Liss, jan.liss@projectpericles.org
Board of Directors
Chair: Eugene M. Lang
Vice-Chair: Neil R. Grabois 
Presidents' Council
Chair: Rebecca S. Chopp, Swarthmore College
Vice-Chair: Richard Guarasci, Wagner College
National Board of Advisors
 Co-Chairs: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker & Hon. Kurt L. Schmoke
The title "Project Pericles®" and its embodiment in the Logo are registered service marks of Project Pericles, Inc.  All rights are reserved.