Started on life’s educational journey
In May, speakers at Colgate’s 189th commencement exercises praised the Class of 2010 for their contributions to campus and implored them to maintain a commitment to their ongoing education in the liberal arts.


Philosopher Martha Nussbaum addresses the Class of 2010 regarding the value of the liberal arts at commencement in May. (photo by Andrew Daddio)

    Interim president Lyle Roelofs recognized the graduates for speaking out against bigotry and in appreciation of diversity, and also for their contributions to the region through the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education and the Upstate Institute. He also thanked the graduates for their class gift of $26,000 to the Class of 2010 Sustainability Fund, as well as for their efforts to start a community garden — a project realized this summer.
    The keynote speaker, philosopher Martha Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago, offered a spirited defense of a liberal arts education provided by schools such as Colgate and warned against succumbing to pressure to adopt narrow, profit-focused educational models.
    She commented that Colgate’s core, which has been at the heart of the curriculum since 1928, is among the most ambitious interdisciplinary general education programs in the country. This kind of liberal arts focus is critical for producing citizens who can keep democracy alive and realize its promise, she said.
    Nussbaum urged graduates to promote and defend the concept of a liberal arts education. “Above all, just talk a lot about what matters to you. Spread the word that what happens on this campus is not useless, but crucially relevant to the future of democracy in the nation and the world.”
    Nussbaum received one of four honorary degrees conferred at the ceremony. The other recipients included Rev. Roger A. Ferlo ’73; trustee Daniel Benton ’80, chairman and CEO of Andor Capital Management; and Ronald Crutcher, president of Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
    Ferlo addressed the graduates the previous day at the baccalaureate service in Memorial Chapel, asking them to maintain a balanced perspective in life. “There are dangers in what we are up to here,” he said. “One is the danger of spiritual pride, of intellectual hubris, the conviction that our educational achievements somehow make us more entitled.
    “But the converse is also true,” he noted. “There are times and places in America where a deep resistance to learning will make itself felt. My hope and prayer for you is that you will steadily resist such know-nothing religion, and that you will wear the yoke of your continuing learning with passion and determination.”

Back on campus

Reunion College 2010
More than 30 alumni returned to lead Reunion College sessions June 3–6. Highlights included showings of four documentaries by Jon Alpert ’70 as well as a Q&A session on his experiences; a look at Colgate in 1909 leading up to World War I by George Tamblyn ’60; and a discussion about the future of Afghanistan and Iraq by Larry Cooley ’70, who has worked in Iraq with the United States National Capacity Development Program, and R. Michael Smith ’70, who is executive assistant to the president and general counsel at the American University of Afghanistan.
    There were also plenty of opportunities for the more than 2,000 alumni, family, and friends to relax during Reunion 2010. On Friday afternoon, chef and author Lauren Braun Costello ’98 led a High Tea Tasting Event at the Colgate Bookstore, where she offered samples of herb-flavored iced drinks like thyme lemonade and ginger peach black tea. She paired these thirst-quenching beverages with unique treats such as the biscuits for which she provides the recipe below.

Lavender Vanilla Bean Tea Biscuits with Rosewater Icing



Fragrant and mildly floral, these shortbread cookies are an unexpected treat for a summertime garden party. It is important to use the seeds of a vanilla bean instead of the more typical extract so that the natural, rich flavor shines. The dried lavender gets a little boost from the optional rosewater icing.

Cookies:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter at room temperature
2 eggs
seeds of one vanilla bean
1 teaspoon dried lavender, crushed
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Optional icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
1/2 teaspoon rosewater (if you can’t find this at your grocery store, visit
kitchenkrafts.com)

To make the cookie dough, beat the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla bean seeds, and lavender in a large mixing bowl until fluffy and well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and then stir it into the butter/sugar mixture. Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll into logs in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or until chilled enough to slice.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Once the dough is chilled, cut the logs crosswise into 1/8 inch–thick circles and space an inch apart on a lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and rosewater together in a mixing bowl and drizzle over the tea biscuits once they are completely cool.

Makes about four dozen cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Colgate minimizes tuition increase, allocates more for financial aid
The university has set the smallest rise in tuition in at least 35 years, 2.2 percent, for the coming year. The increase appears to be the smallest at any school amongst Colgate’s peer institutions, which are averaging tuition hikes of more than 4 percent. Total student costs at Colgate during the 2010-2011 year will be $52,060.
    Simultaneously, the university will increase spending on financial aid by 4.4 percent, bringing the financial aid budget to $38.9 million for the year. Colgate continues to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of all enrolled students and is therefore able to provide full assistance to students whose family financial situations may have deteriorated as a result of the recession.
    In the wake of this challenging economic climate, said David Hale ’84, vice president for finance and administration, Colgate has been successful in its efforts to maintain academic excellence through a universitywide economic review. That process led to a decrease in the overall 2010–2011 operating budget, achieved through a combination of salary and hiring freezes, an early retirement incentive program, streamlined programming, and a reworking of the employee health insurance plan, he said.

Kasparov scolds Putin government in campus talk
At a campus address in April, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who turned to politics after retiring from chess in 2005, lambasted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Kasparov then spelled out his own opposition coalition’s efforts to create a “true democracy” in Russia. His visit was supported by the The Kerschner Family Series Global Leaders at Colgate program and the Institute for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).

Politician Garry Kasparov spoke candidly on campus about the state of Russian politics. (photo by Andrew Daddio)
    “The number one export of Russia is corruption,” said Kasparov. He added that a nation such as Russia can call itself a democracy, but turns that into a misleading and empty label if the government doesn’t adhere to the rule of law, protect individual liberties, and provide accountability.
    Now the chairman of the United Civil Front and political leader of The Other Russia, a coalition of opposition parties, Kasparov likened Putin to Lord Voldemort, the villain in the Harry Potter books. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev can fire Putin under the country’s constitution, said Kasparov, but the president doesn’t have the physical constitution to do it.
    Kasparov noted that his coalition pursues nonviolent forms of opposition, and that by employing “tactics of survival” and utilizing the Internet to help spread the message, it has made some progress.
    Jason Finder ’12, who took the course Liberal Democracy and its Limits with political science professor and PPE director Stanley Brubaker, was among those who continued the discussion with Kasparov at a dinner in the Hall of Presidents. “I think in some ways we need to take what we hear from a government with a grain of salt,” he said. “We need to consider everything we can learn and evaluate it as a whole.”

Village Green



The landmark Colgate Inn is undergoing a long-overdue renovation. Improvements include a new outdoor seating area, an upgrade and relocation of the kitchen facilities to create more space for banquets and meetings, and expanded parking. Work began in June and will continue through the summer of 2011. To read more and see an architect’s rendering, visit www.colgate.edu/about/capitalprojects/colgateinn.
    In June, the fourth-annual Skyway Festival of music, food, and arts and crafts was held at the Eaton Street ballpark to benefit Hamilton Central School’s music programs. Hostess Meredith Leland Getchonis teamed up with the Earlville Opera House, the Oddfellows, and other Hamilton groups to bring “bluegrass, baseball, BBQ, and belly dancers.” The festival was created in memory of Getchonis’s late husband, Craig, a well-known Hamilton musician, former Colgate Bookstore employee, and son of former mayor Charlie Getchonis.


(photo by Andrew Daddio)

    Hamilton-based band Same Blood Folk (with Brendan O’Connor ’09 on drums and band manager Sean Nevison ’03), has been hitting the road lately. In June, the group brought their eclectic mix of Americana, soul, and bluegrass to the Saratoga ArtsFest (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), a four-day celebration featuring music, dance, visual art, film, theater, and literary art. The group also shared the stage with The Felice Brothers (whose track “Whiskey In My Whiskey” was featured on the first season of True Blood on HBO) at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 24.
    A new local hook was added this year to Slater Brothers Entertainment’s Hamilton Film Festival in August: a special competition and screening of short films made in upstate New York. The festival was founded by Grant Slater ’91 and his brothers Wade and Todd (sons of the late Colgate men’s hockey coach Terry Slater), to support their hometown and enhance the careers of filmmakers. Events included short, student-made, feature-length, and documentary film showings as well as panel discussions, an Awareness Walk to benefit the Hamilton Food Cupboard, and a special screening at the Palace Theater to benefit the Hamilton Central School Athletic Department.
— Avi Israel ’10

Alumni reflect on founding of campus cultural center
For Gregory Threatte ’69 and Todd Brown ’71, the watershed events of the late 1960s that gave birth to Colgate’s first cultural center remain indelible moments in their lives. “This valley was transformative,” Threatte, a Colgate trustee emeritus, told members of the campus community in March during an impassioned discussion about the founding of the ALANA Cultural Center.


Gregory Threatte ’69 and Todd Brown ’71 (background) returned to campus to share memories about the Civil Rights Era at Colgate. (photo by Janna Minehart ’13)

    Days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, the discomfort level on campus reached a tipping point, they explained, when a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity pointed a starter pistol at African American students. “It was a scary time,” noted Brown, a university trustee, “but we showed that nonviolent direct action could promote change.”
    Threatte — one of three dozen African American students on campus — gathered the courage to stage an impromptu rally outside the student union. “None of us had any idea where that day would lead us,” he said.
    After the rally ended, Threatte recalled, nearly half the student body and faculty marched into the administration building, with hundreds refusing to leave until campus leaders took action. “I turned my head around and there was a sea of people following me. I couldn’t believe how many people would support us.” Newspaper clippings that hang on the walls of the center today highlight the event’s importance.
    After a series of failed talks with administrators, additional sit-ins throughout the following year ended with a 70-hour occupation of Merrill House in spring 1969. Thanks to activists’ persistence, the former buildings and grounds office site was designated as home to Colgate’s first cultural center, which moved to its current building in 1989.
    “I remember sitting on the floor of the center for hours as some of the key figures in the civil rights movement visited,” said Brown, describing how he helped organize talks with Adam Clayton Powell ’30, Ralph Abernathy, and Muhammed Ali, among others. “We were able to attract folks of this caliber because we got noticeable attention for what we had done. People were interested in the actions of this small group of students in upstate New York.”
    After graduating, Brown was hired as the center’s second director, helping to transform the venue from “a safe haven for African-American students” into a “thriving community venue for all people of diverse backgrounds.”
    Threatte and Brown’s fight for racial equality not only left a mark on the campus community, but also gave them the conviction to achieve their own dreams. “Here’s a guy who is the head of pathology at SUNY Upstate Medical University,” said Brown, a former Kraft Foods executive and recently retired bank president, pointing at Threatte. “In 1969, we never thought this could be possible.”


An independent study by Steffan Pierre ’10 (center) and Meg Cronin ’10 (second from right) inspired students, faculty, and staff to create a “Relectronics” station for recycling small electronics on campus. A Green Summit committee brought the new station, located in the Coop, to fruition, in May. It provides a venue for the responsible recycling of waste such as spent batteries, charger cords, old cell phones, and more. (photo by Brooke Ousterhout ’10)

Fellowships support students’ passions
Nine seniors and a recent alumna have been awarded prestigious fellowships that will take them around the world to explore their interests.
    Shae Frydenlund ’10 and Jennifer Rusciano ’10 received the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Frydenlund plans to create a documentary exploring the complex ecologies and sustainability of medicinal plant markets. Rusciano will explore the relationship between chocolate, communities, and culture in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
    Conor Tucker ’10 received the Paul J. Schupf ’58 Fellowship, allowing him to read for his master’s in modern British and European history at Oxford University.
    Eight recent graduates will share daily life and professional and creative insights with people of a host country as part of the U.S. Student Fulbright Program. Victor Chiapaikeo ’10 will teach language and culture lessons to students in Indonesia; Max Counter ’10 will work with students in Colombia; Matt Geduldig ’10 will teach students in South Korea; and Tara Woods ’10 will emphasize cross-cultural understanding with students in Germany. Julia Quintanilla ’10, who will assist teaching students in Mexico, also plans to volunteer in a local gallery, museum, or community center. In a project titled “Voices from the War of Resistance,” Jessica Chow ’09 will interview Chinese survivors of World War II to create documentary films highlighting the lifelong impact of war. Alison Wohlers ’10 will travel throughout Morocco to study the effects of globalization on Moroccan identity through the manifestations of colonialism and the creation and legacy of dualistic cities.
    In recognition of her outstanding potential and intention to pursue a career in science, Meghan Healey ’11 was awarded honorable mention by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship program.




Views from the hill
What are your summer plans?

“I have two part-time internships in Philadelphia. One is for the Franklin Institute, doing research and evaluation, and the other is with the Philadelphia Zoo doing public programming.”
— Dorien Langezaal ’12, psychology major from New Providence, N.J.

“I’m doing a summer research project on Japanese language and religion based on my study abroad last semester in Kyoto.”
— Naveed Ghannad ’11, religion major from Atlanta, Ga.

“I’m doing a few things. I’m working in Boston at Vineyard Vines. Then I’m going to the World Cup in South Africa with my family, which will be great. Then I’m working on the vineyard for Vineyard Vines.”
— Alex Grieve ’13, classics major from Topsfield, Mass.


Go figure
The mighty oaks — and other campus trees*

2,292 Trees on the main campus

59 Oak trees along Oak Drive

100+ Age of several Oak Drive trees, the oldest on campus

> 7 Oaks at Seven Oaks Golf Course

73 Willows on the Willow Path

1991 Year the ailing Willow Path trees were replaced with German white willows

7 Grounds crew members certified in logger safety

1,406 Trees over 35' tall

560 Yards of mulch used per year to protect campus trees

1 Each of several specimen trees: Russian olive, black walnut, bald cypress

2 Kentucky coffee trees

263 Sugar maples, the most populous species on campus

*according to a 2009 inventory