TEACHING AWARDS, RETIREMENTS, AND FACULTY CHAIRS

This next part of the program provides the graduating seniors and their families an opportunity to celebrate outstanding members of the faculty -- recipients of the teaching prize, new professorships, and retiring faculty.

Before we single out individuals, though, I want to take a moment to thank the whole faculty--and the whole staff--of Wellesley College, women and men of great dedication, wisdom, and skill.

You have created demanding and yet safe learning environments for these graduating seniors, reveled with them in their moments of triumph, comforted them in times of trial, reinforced their special gifts, encouraged their best efforts, communicated through word and deed the qualities of mind and character you expect of them, together with your unshakable belief in their capacities.

Seniors, I know you'd be glad for a chance to show your appreciation to the faculty and the staff... please join me in a round of applause for them.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize those among us who are part of the profession we cherish at Wellesley. Will all the members of this audience who are teachers -- of any level, at any type of school, including our own graduates who have completed teacher certification -- please stand so we may recognize the important work you do for our future.

PINANSKI PRIZE

The Pinanski Prize for Excellence in Teaching each year honors members of our faculty who have achieved particular distinction in a craft important to us all.

A student-faculty selection committee chooses three Prize recipients, on the basis of nominations from members of the College community--faculty, students, staff, alumnae. Nearly 60 nomination letters this year proposed 36 recipients. The committee selected from that list three Pinanski Prize winners for this year:

€ Lidwien Kapteijns, History

€ Marjory Schwartz Levey, Biological Sciences

€ Andrea G. Levitt, French

Would you please join me on the platform to receive your awards?

LIDWIEN KAPTEIJNS challenges her students to examine the assumptions they bring to the study of other times and other places, to bring a historian's sensibility to questions about the world. She is admired for her high standards and for the dedication with which she applies them, to her students and to herself. Her erudition and wide-ranging curiosity call forth the best from all.

"She does not cut us slack on papers," one student nominator wrote. "It is understood that students will do all the reading she assigns. At the same time, she challenges us in such a natural way that we are inspired. She constantly challenged me to research and write at a level I hadn't attained before," this student said, to "stop writing like an undergraduate and start writing like a historian."

Student accounts of Lidwein Kapteijns' teaching portray classes in which both the material and the readers' responses are always open to critical scrutiny. "We are encouraged to challenge an author's opinion," one student wrote, "and to look for contradictions." "She always challenged me in any opinion I offered," writes another, "forcing me to think out my arguments as I defended them." Such encounters with a gifted teacher and the intriguing material she loves "always [left] me wanting to know more,"a student observed.

While she pushes her students, Lidwein Kapteijns also attends to their particular needs, ready wherever the opportunity to teach presents itself. One nominator recalled the semester when this busy professor volunteered to teach Arabic language to 15 interested students and gathered weekly with them at 9:00 at night, the only time when they could all come together. Her office hours are never rushed and one student observed that time spent with Professor Kapteijns "made me want to head straight to the library and start working."

A student nominator who spoke for many wrote this: "If I had to explain to a prospective student what the ideal Wellesley class is like, I would give as an example one with Professor Kapteijns."

MARJORY SCHWARTZ LEVEY's biological sciences students praise her ability to engage with them as they seek to master complicated material. "Her enthusiasm and ability to enliven her classroom and render clarity and coherence from a complex body of knowledge make her an excellent teacher," one student wrote in a comment typical of many.

Her students characterize Marjory Levey as an animated lecturer. "Because class topics are interesting and well-presented," one wrote, "I often related them to a friend who is not even in the class. Marjory has fostered an atmosphere of camaraderie in a group of rather competitive students," this nominator added: "This might be attributed to our five-minute cookie breaks, but I feel it mostly originates from the model of cooperative scientific learning which Marjory has established in the seminar."

Professor Levey is cited by students as an inspiration, a "model female scientist combining career and family life." Students appreciate her responsiveness to their requests for help inside and outside regular classroom hours, and praise her organization of the material in ways that make their own preparation time much more productive and satisfying. Attention to organizational detail, and the ability to break the material into manageable pieces, are major strengths of this special teacher students describe with gratitude.

One nominator described an encounter that summed up for her the impact this engaging faculty member has on the learning experience of biology students, a lively discussion she had one afternoon with Marjory Levey and two of her faculty colleagues, talking about the amazing new evidence that some neurons may regenerate throughout adult life. "As I walked along I marveled ... at this revolutionary finding," the student recalled, and "I was also suddenly aware and appreciative that this woman scientist, whom I greatly admire, discusses neuroscience with me as an equal, and believes in me enough to support my educational goals."

Student testimony reveals that a hallmark of Professor Marjory Levey's encounters with students -- in classrooms and in laboratories, indeed wherever they happen to occur -- is the deep and caring respect for her subject and her students that produces the kinds of meaningful moments young scholars never forget.

"ANDREA LEVITT is the sort of professor one reads about in the admissions brochures: she genuinely cares for students and seems to have a solid understanding of our lives." A student nominator used these words to describe this French professor's distinguished contribution to the Wellesley classroom.

Professor Levitt combines classroom work with individual conferences as she encourages students to choose independent research topics. "Her teaching style is clear, concise and straightforward, while lively and captivating at the same time," writes another student.

"The breadth of her knowledge" of the fields of linguistics and French, students say, "does not compromise the depth." They cite Professor Levitt's research in linguistics, and the way she communicates it in the classroom, as an invigorating aspect of her teaching. She encourages -- nay, requires -- student use of technology in their presentations. Many students cite this as an important part of their learning. One wrote: "Our use of LX in Intro and Power Point in 322 tugged me out of my computer-free comfort zone and showed me how much fun computers can be in learning." "Her level of commitment to technology in the classroom .. should serve as a model to faculty across the disciplines," another student added.

Professor Levitt is well-known to past and present Wellesley students for the way in which she naturally approaches the whole student, with concern for their educational experience inside and outside the classroom. One nominator summarized this widespread opinion well: "Whether ... in the classroom or out, she has shown the kind of passion for her field of study and concern for her students that ... deserves honor and recognition."

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW PROFESSORSHIPS

Now, it gives me great pleasure to announce the establishment of two new professorial chairs, both made posssible by an anonymous donor.

The MARGARET CLAPP '30 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA PROFESSORSHIP, named in honor of Wellesley's 8th President, will be held by a member of the faculty who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and scholarship in a chosen field of expertise. I'm delighted to announce that the first holder of the Clapp Professorship is Andrea Levitt, professor of French and Linguistics, director of Language Studies and, as of July 1, Associate Dean of the College. (Andrea: this is your hat trick year). Please join me in saluting Andrea Levitt once again.

The second new chair is the VIRGINIA ONERDONK '29 PROFESSORSHIP IN PHILOSOPHY, named in honor of one of the leading members of Wellesley's Philosophy Department during the middle part of this century.

Virginia Onderdonk taught at Wellesley from 1933 until her retirement in 1972 and served in a variety of leadership roles, including the deanship. One of her many achievements was the modernization of Wellesley's offerings in logic.

I am pleased to announce that the first Virginia Onderdonk '29 Professor of Philosophy is Maud Chaplin, a member of the faculty since 1968 and, at various times in her career, Dean of the College and Acting President. Please join me in congratulating Maud Chaplin for this well-earned honor.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW HOLDERS OF EXISTING CHAIRS

In addition, I have the pleasure to announce today seven new appointments to existing chairs.

The LUELLA LAMER SLANER PROFESSORSHIP FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES was established in 1993 in permanent tribute to a devoted alumna and her three daughters, to support and honor faculty members who through their teaching and scholarly research are making significant contributions to women's studies in their fields. This chair is awarded for a three-year term to Alice Friedman, Professor of Art History.

The MARION BUTLER MCLEAN PROFESSORSHIP IN THE HISTORY OF IDEAS was established in 1982 from the bequest of Mrs. McLean, Class of 1912. We are pleased to award this chair for a four-year term to Elena Gascon-Vera, Professor of Spanish.

At the time of their fortieth reunion in 1989, the Wellesley Class of 1949 established the CLASS OF 1949 CHAIR IN ETHICS, to be awarded at the Commencement coinciding with each five-year reunion of their class. They established this professorship to emphasize the importance of ethics and to enable the study, examination and application of ethics in a variety of subject areas. This chair is today awarded to Jonathan Imber, Professor of Sociology.

The KATHRYN W. DAVIS PROFESSORSHIP OF SLAVIC STUDIES was created during the 1970's by the Shelby Cullom David Foundation so that "each generation of Wellesley students [might] experience an expansion of horizons and a stretching of minds." Philip Kohl, Professor of Anthropology, is named as the holder of this chair for a three-year term.

The WILLIAM R. KENAN PROFESSORSHIP was established in 1975 as a rotating chair to reward a scholar-teacher whose "enthusiasm for learning, commitment to teaching, and sincere personal interest in students will broaden the learning process in our undergraduate community." We are delighted to appoint David Pillemer, Professor of Psychology as the Kenan Professor for a two-year term.

The CLASS OF 1966 ASSOCIATE PROFESSORSHIP was established on the occasion of their 25th Reunion to honor a recently tenured faculty member who is exceptionally distinguished in both teaching and research, and who has demonstrated leadership and service to the College. Andrew Shennan, Associate Professor of History, is the new Class of 1966 Associate Professor, and will hold this chair for a three-year term.

And finally, the WHITEHEAD CHAIR IN CRITICAL THEORY, established in 1982 by Jaan Walther Whitehead '64 and John Whitehead, is awarded to Thomas Cushman, Associate Professor of Sociology, for a two-year term.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF RETIREMENTS

RETIRING FACULTY

We have only one faculty retirement this year, and it is my distinct honor to commend and salute her, Anne de Coursey Clapp, a member of the Art History Department.

Among distinguished historians of Chinese painting, Anne Clapp may be the only one who graduated from the Yale Drama School. Despite what must have been a powerful influence, studying in the company of Paul Newman, Anne abandoned a career as a scenic designer in favor of art scholarship.

She earned a Ph.D. in the history of Asian Art from Harvard, while simultaneously raising two children and teaching part-time at Wellesley. In 1971 Anne became a full-time member of the Wellesley Art Department, and, with stints as a Visiting Professor at Harvard and the National University of Taiwan, has taught here with distinction ever since.

Anne Clapp's teaching range is dazzling. Trained as a China specialist, she has mastered the arts of Japan and India as well. Three civilizations, three national traditions, three diverse cultures--Anne has embraced them all, and has taught them with clarity, elegance and scholarly rigor. Most recently she has added a course on Asian Gardens, expanding her range yet again.

Her publications have made her a leading scholar in the field of Chinese Painting. Supported by successive grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she has produced two major monographs on the greatest painters of the Ming Dynasty.

Reviewers all commend not only her meticulous scholarship and sensitivity to works of art, but the eloquent and graceful writing that makes her books a pleasure to read. The penetration and clarity of her mind, the elegance of her prose, and the passionate love of Chinese art that appears on every page have earned her a special place among historians of Asian art. Wellesley is lucky and proud to claim Anne Clapp as one of our own. She will have many successors, but she cannot be replaced.

RETIRING TRUSTEES

I now ask you to join me in saluting two incomparable Wellesley College Trustees who are completing their tenure this year, in both cases 18 years of service to the College.

ALLISON STACEY COWLES

Allison Stacey Cowles, an International Relations major from the Class of 1955 and editor of the Wellesley News that year, has inhabited the world of publishing ever since her graduation. Formerly of Spokane, Washington, where she retains strong community and family ties, Allison is now Mrs. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger of New York City.

She has brought a cosmopolitan perspective to the many Board committees she has ably served, and will be best remembered for her conscientious and productive contributions to the campus, to student life, and to Wellesley's outreach to the wider world.

The College has benefited enormously from Allison's inquisitive and probing mind, and her willingness to ask the tough questions that can often be skirted or overlooked.

We will miss your mental toughness and courage, Allison, as well as your great loyalty, generosity and warm enthusiasm. Thank you for serving Wellesley with such devotion and grace. We look forward to welcoming you back often as a Trustee Emerita.

MARGARET JEWETT GREER

Margaret Jewett Greer, a member of the class of 1951, has been an extraordinary Trustee. Wellesley has benefited since 1981 from her vigilant, energetic and committed service on the Board, following in the footsteps of her mother, Mary Cooper Jewett Gaiser '23, who also was a distinguished Trustee.

As the daughter and granddaughter of alumnae, Margaret Greer has always been keenly attuned to Wellesley's history. She knows clearly where this College of hers has been, where it is now, and where she would like to help move it in the future.

Margaret exemplifies the spirit of intense stewardship -- a sense of responsibility to future generations --without which Wellesley, quite simply, would not be the College we know.

In particular, she has played an indispensable role in advocating for and tending to the campus: the buildings and the landscape. Thanks to her vision and tenacity, we now have a comprehensive campus master plan to protect the extraordinary campus legacy we have inherited. In addition, she has kept a caring eye on the Jewett Arts Center and was a guiding force in its renovation.

A Political Science major at Wellesley, Margaret lives in Washington, DC, where she and her husband, Bill Greer, take great pleasure and pride in their four daughters and seven grandchildren.

We are counting on you, Margaret, as a trustee emerita to stay actively engaged in the life of the College. We know you will continue to keep a watchful eye on us, especially on every nook and cranny of the landscape you love so faithfully and so well.

Thank you, Margaret, for all you do for Wellesley.

Please join me in celebrating two remarkable Trustees.

Finally, today we owe thanks to three members of the community who are completing their service in key leadership roles. We salute them for the honor they have brought to Wellesley as they set and met the highest standards of excellence.

JENS KRUSE
has served as Associate Dean of the College since 1992. He joined the Wellesley faculty in 1983 and, in 1997, became full Professor of German. Dean Kruse is the author of a book on Goethe's Faust II and is currently at work on a book on Kafka's In the Penal Colony. Every administration should have a Kafka expert.

As Associate Dean, Jens Kruse will be remembered for his leadership of the College's global education initiative; his stewardship of the faculty appointment and tenure processes; his persistence and creativity in the design of a new weekly academic schedule; and his steady, even-handed management of the academic division of the College.

As Jens returns now to his teaching and scholarship, those of us who have come to rely on his administrative talents will miss his wise and impeccable judgment, his creative mind and his delightful sense of humor.

We thank you, Jens, for these seven years you have devoted to the work of running this College, and we pay tribute to you today.

NANCY HARRISON KOLODNY
arrived at Wellesley in 1960 as a first-year student, graduated with full honors in 1964, joined the faculty in 1969, and became Dean of the College in 1992. In between, she served her College in almost every conceivable role.

Dean Kolodny, the Nellie Zuckerman Cohen and Anne Cohen Heller Professor of Health Sciences and Professor of Chemistry, is an outstanding authority on nuclear magnetic resonance and, throughout her deanship, has maintained an active program of research. A dedicated teacher-scholar, she is a former recipient of the Pinanski Prize for Teaching, among other awards.

Nancy Kolodny's deanship has been characterized by innovations at the heart of the College's academic core. Dean Kolodny's leadership of the comprehensive curriculum review will shape the educational experience of Wellesley students for years to come. We owe the existence of the Wellesley summer school -- which opens its doors next month -- to Dean Kolodny's vision and drive. Her leadership of the faculty appointment, tenure and promotion processes and the peer review of Wellesley's academic programs will be felt for a very long time.

We who have labored alongside this remarkably talented woman have come to rely on the wisdom, judgment and sense of fair play that are her very essence.

Dean Kolodny has been a trusted friend and source of wise counsel and support to us all: faculty, students, staff, alumnae and trustees. We will miss her daily presence in the senior administration, but I know we will hear her voice (from across the Science Center meadow) calling us to the highest standards for which her College stands.

On behalf of Wellesley College, Nancy Harrison Kolodny, I extend heartfelt thanks to you today, thanks for bringing to your deanship the dedication, creativity, and integrity that has distinguished your entire professional career. Your love of Wellesley, ever evident, has been an inspiration to us all. Thank you.

GAIL HEITLER KLAPPER
became a Wellesley trustee in 1986 and, earlier this morning, adjourned her final meeting as Chair of the Board, a post she has held since 1993. A 1965 graduate of Wellesley, and former President of College Government, Gail Klapper led the Board with great care and distinction while juggling the many other obligations of a leading public service attorney and civic leader in Denver, and throughout her home state of Colorado.

As chair of the Board, Gail Klapper has led the College through a period of prosperity and accomplishment: new records in admissions, fund raising, and endowment performance, new fiscal guidelines, many curricular innovations, much planning for the future, and a variety of new programs that have strengthened the quality of campus intellectual life.

As the College has managed this ambitious agenda, Gail Klapper has been a wise counselor and a sensitive manager of board business; a consensus-builder and a confident decision-maker; an incisive questioner and a supportive friend. She has heard every voice and respected every point of view, brought every participant into the tent (even this very big one), and found avenues for resolving the sticky issues with intelligence and diplomacy.

Gail Heitler Klapper -- student leader, attorney, public citizen, athlete, wife, mother, (proud new) grandmother, and ever the loyal daughter of Wellesley College -- you embody the qualities for which this institution has always stood: intellectual curiosity, social commitment, and spiritual depth.

You have contributed your share, and more, toward making a difference in the world, and you have made a fundamental difference at this College that you have served so well.

1999 Commencement Web Site