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CLASS ACT: Wellesley's Class Deans (left to right): Pamela Daniels, Class of 2000; Julie Donnelly, Class of 2002; Susan Cohen, Class of 2001, and Voncile White, Dean of First Year Students. |
"This is the job I've always wanted," Julie Donnelly has been saying ever since being appointed Dean of the Class of 2002 in August.
A Detroit native, Donnelly earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and her masters and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She came to Wellesley in 1987 as an Assistant Professor of Political Science. In 1995, she joined the Center for Work and Service as the Interim Director of Community Service and later became its Director of Service Learning.
"Over the years, my interactions with students made me realize how much I enjoy working with them, not only on their course work and academic issues, but also on non-academic concerns that are affecting their academic lives. There is tremendous satisfication helping a student help herself in working through very difficult issues," Donnelly said.
Indeed, the job of Class Dean involves helping students choose a major, decide whether to study abroad junior year, learn how to connect the undergraduate liberal arts experience with planning careers, and to define an education in the context of personal and moral development.
Donnelly also acknowledged how much it means to her to work with, and learn from, the other Class Deans &emdash; Voncile White, Dean of First Year Students; Pamela Daniels, Class of 2000; and Susan Cohen, Class of 2001 &emdash; all of whom she greatly admires. "I just couldn't imagine a warmer or more professional group of colleagues to show me the ropes as a Class Dean," she said.
Wellesley College has been ranked fourth among national liberal arts colleges for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report magazine in its annual "America's Best Colleges" issue.
"The U.S. News rankings simply affirm what Wellesley students, alumnae, and recruiters already know: Wellesley is one of the top colleges in the United States," said Lee Cuba, Dean of the College. "Furthermore, we believe that Wellesley provides the best overall undergraduate experience for women &emdash; bar none.
"Academic excellence, outstanding faculty, financial strength, and a diverse campus environment combine to make Wellesley what it is," noted Cuba. "It may surprise some people that Wellesley is ranked third among liberal arts colleges for campus diversity. No other college in New England made the top 10. We place a high value on diversity&emdash;diversity of racial and ethnic background and diversity of opinion&emdash;all of which strengthen this academic community."
Top Ranked Liberal Arts Colleges*
* As ranked by USNews & World Report |
Private support for Wellesley College generated more than $54 million in total giving in Fiscal Year 1999 (FY99), up 23 percent from last year's record-breaking figure of $43.7 million, according to David Blinder, Vice President for Resources and Public Affairs.
"What an extraordinary number for this College and an extraordinary tribute to the generosity of Wellesley's alumnae and friends who have taken us to this new level," he said.
Bolstered by the Reunion efforts of classes ending in 4s and 9s, Annual Giving topped $8 million for the first time in Wellesley's history. Durant Society membership (donors of $1,000 or more annually) climbed to more than 3,000 &emdash; another new record. Life income gifts and bequests also reached new highs, at $10 million and $15.2 million, respectively.
Blinder reported that Reunion classes set numerous fund-raising records. The Class of '69 broke two records in FY99: the Class raised more than $3.4 million during the five years leading up to its 35th Reunion, and had a total of 91 Durant members for the year.
New Durant records were also established by the Classes of '54, '59, '79, '84 and '89. The Class of '49 became the first recipient of the Alumnae Association's Annual Participation Award, with gifts from 89 percent of class members.
In addition, this is the third year in a row that Wellesley has
earned the "Circle of Excellence" award for overall fund-raising
performance from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE).
Since Valuing Work@Wellesley was announced in June, the Human Resources Core Team, together with the Consultant Team from The Wilson Group, has begun the process of looking at the way people are rewarded and valued for the work they perform here at Wellesley. During the initial phase of the project, input was obtained from Senior Staff as well as from administrative staff in a series of focus group sessions. This assessment phase of the project was an integral part of identifying Wellesley's goals and objectives to ensure that the approach to Valuing Work@Wellesley will support the College's continued success as an educational institution in the new millennium.
With this phase completed, the next step was to begin the design of a new job classification model for the College's administrative staff. The Wilson Group facilitated this phase of the process during a three-day session held August 17-19. The Core Team worked with a Design Team&emdash;representing a diversity of opinions and areas within the community&emdash;to create a model and define the criteria for valuing jobs at Wellesley. Two open meetings about the progress of the project will be held in September. All staff are encouraged to attend one of the following:
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Valerie Gaines, Eloise See McGaw, Carolyn Slaboden, Kathryn Howe Stewart, Eleanor Tutty, Human Resources; Ann Hamilton, Registrar; William Reed, Finance and Administration.
Robin Gaynor, Admissions; Geneva Walker-Johnson, Office of the Dean of Students; Claire Loranz, Information Services; Ruth Maffa, Alumnae Office; Lynn Miles, Resources; Linda Murphy Church, Budget Office; Mary Pat Navins, Office of the Dean of the College; MacKenzie Stewart, Library Information Services; Catherine Senghas, Wellesley Centers for Women; Irma Tryon, Center for Work and Service; Roz White, Science Center; Lindy Williamson, English Department.
Marjorie Agosín, Spanish, will receive the Leading Women Award given by the Boston-area Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council at an awards dinner in October. The honor is bestowed annually to women who reside or work in greater Boston and who have made an outstanding contribution to their community, profession, or chosen field.
Mary Annavedder, the College's fencing coach, represented the United States in the 50-59 age group of the women's épée at the World Veterans' Fencing Championship in Hungary in August.
In July and August, Charles Bu, Mathematics, visited China's leading universities: Beijing University, Fudan University, and Jiaotong University. His trip was part of an academic exchange designed to promote understanding between Americans and the Chinese. Bu also recently wrote an article about the tenure system in U.S. colleges and universities, which was published in the overseas edition of The Chinese People's Daily.
Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway's birth, William Cain, English, published a review of two memoirs about the author: "Tree at First Light," edited by son Patrick Hemingway; and "Hemingway" by Michael Reynolds. For a copy of "Hemingway in decline," (Boston Globe, 7/11/99) stop by the Office for Public Information, 230 Green Hall.
Joan Campbell, research and instructional services librarian, is working as assistant librarian for Semester at Sea this fall. The program allows college students to travel around the world by ship, studying and visiting a variety of countries and cultures.
Sculptor Carlos Dorrien, Art, delivered the Commencement address at his alma mater, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass. He received an honorary doctor of fine arts degree during the ceremony.
Marshall Goldman, Economics, testified in June before the U.S. House International Relations Committee on the topic of US aid to Russia.
William Joseph, Political Science, traveled to Hong Kong this summer. As faculty director of the College's new Elizabeth Luce Moore '24 International Internship and Fellowship Program, he visited the five Wellesley students who were interning in Hong Kong and studying Chinese language and culture for the summer. His visit and the program were the subject of an article in The South China Morning Post.
Flavia Laviosa, Italian, was awarded a grant by the Centro Attività Scolastiche Italiane (Center for Italian School Activities) to fund a series of workshops for the professional development of teachers of Italian. Her program, held at the College throughout the fall, is "The Italian Fairy Tale: a Multi-Disciplinary, Cultural, and Media Approach."
Mary Lefkowitz '57, Classics, received an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Patras in Greece. She was commended as an "untiring pro-moter of classical studies, [and a] defender of historical truth regarding the contribution of the Greek spirit to the formation of Western civilization."
Sherry Mou, Chinese, spent two weeks at the Academia Sinica Research Center in Taiwan over the summer. She was doing research on the first collection of women's biographies, compiled 2000 years ago by male Confucian scholars. The collection is a 17-volume set of tombstone rubbings that contained essays about the deceased.
Carlos Ramos, Spanish, organized a tribute to Federico García Lorca, the leading Spanish poet and playwright of the 20th century, in commemoration of the poet's visit to northern Vermont 70 years ago. Cosponsored by the Spanish Consulate, the Fundacion García Lorca in Madrid, and several other organizations, the celebration included the unveiling of a memorial plaque at the Vermont camp where García Lorca stayed. Ramos notes that the poet had a Wellesley connection: He was the friend of two Spanish professors, Pedro Salinas and Jorge Guillén.
Filomena Steady, Africana Studies, was granted tenure by the Board of Trustees at its May meeting.
In May, David Ward, Italian, delivered a talk titled "Carlo Levi, M.D. & the Italian Anti-Fascist Movement," at Yale University that was sponsored by the Program for Humanities in Medicine.
Andrew Webb, Biological Sciences, was one of 18 professors from around the country to study revolutionary new techniques in bioin-formatics at Boston University this summer. Bioinformatics intersects the study of biology with information science and is just now being used to compare genomic sequences. These techniques can be used to identify new potential drug targets and cancer genes, as well as finding new and unsuspected developmental and evolutionary relationships between organisms. Webb plans to teach and develop upper level courses in bioinformatics/computational biology for fall 2000.
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Dear colleagues: Human Resources and the Office for Public Information do not always receive notification from outside sources about the accomplishments of Wellesley's staff and faculty. We rely on you&emdash;individual staff and faculty members&emdash;to let us know about awards, certifications, special projects, and other items of note. Similarly, we encourage academic chairs and supervisors from all departments to share with us the accomplishments of your team members. Please email your items to elawson@wellesley.edu or mail them to: Illuminator, Public Information, 230 Green Hall. Questions, call x2421. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Eloise
McGaw, Director of
Human Resources
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Patricia O'Riordan, Interim Director of Residential Life, announced the following professional Residential Staff appointments for the 1999-2000 academic year:
Bates -- Ann Ogletree '72
A Head of House at Wellesley since 1981, Ogletree has an M.B.A. from
Boston University with a concentration in Health Care Management.
Beebe -- Martha Pott
A graduate of the University of California -Berkeley, Pott has
been Head of House for Beebe since 1989. She completed her doctoral
dissertation in developmental psychology at Tufts University.
Cazenove -- Paula Queenan
Queenan will serve as Head of House for both Cazenove and
Pomeroy until staffing needs can be further evaluated. A graduate of
Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, she holds a doctorate of
education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Queenan has
served in many administrative positions in higher education,
including six years as a Head Resident at Mount Holyoke College. She
will reside in Pomeroy and maintain her office in Cazenove.
Claflin -- Allyson Thibeault
Thibeault has served as a Head of House at Wellesley since
1989 and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Dower -- Diana Cruz
A graduate of Providence College, Cruz holds an M.A. in
English from Boston College where she is currently a doctoral
candidate in English Literature. Cruz recently served as the Interim
Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Program at
Providence College.
Freeman -- Karen Berube
Berube is a graduate of the American International College in
Springfield, Mass. Most recently, she has served as the Assistant
Director of the Wayside Youth and Family Support in Arlington.
McAfee -- Sherman Cowan
Cowan earned his undergraduate degree and M.A. in Counseling
Psychology from the State University of New York at Oswego. He is
currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at
Boston College. This is his third year as a Head of House at
Wellesley.
Munger -- Patricia Munroe
Munroe is a graduate of Providence College. Most recently, she served
as Resident Director at Southern Vermont College, where she acquired
residential and community-building experience.
Pomeroy -- Paula Queenan
Queenan will serve as Head of House for both Cazenove and
Pomeroy until staffing needs can be further evaluated. A graduate of
Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, she holds a doctorate of
education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Queenan has
served in many administrative positions in higher education,
including six years as a Head Resident at Mount Holyoke College. She
will reside in Pomeroy and maintain her office in Cazenove.
Severance -- Peter Raymond
Raymond has been the Head of House for Severance since 1989. A
graduate of Princeton, he completed his Ed.M. in Counseling and
Consulting Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Shafer -- Heather Murray-Rousell '95
Head of House in Shafer since 1997, Murray-Rousell earned her
M.A. in Counseling Psychology at Boston College.
Stone-Davis -- Donald Leach
Leach has been Head of House in Stone-Davis since 1993. A graduate of
Bates College, he earned his M.Div. at Bangor Theological Seminary.
Tower -- Terri James Solomon '87
Soloman completed her M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies in
Human Development at the University of Pennsylvania. At Wellesley,
she has served as Assistant Director of Admissions and has
coordinated African American, Latina, Asian American,and Native
American (ALANA) student recruitment. Most recently, she completed
work as a Senior Research Associate at the National Urban League at
Boston College.
by Pam Gentile, Project Manager
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This issue marks the debut of 'Bricks & Mortar,' a regular column in the Illuminator designed to keep the Wellesley community informed about ongoing and upcoming construction projects. Next month: Pendleton and Green Hall. Galen Stone Tower |
The project has proceeded smoothly. The extremely dry weather meant almost no time was lost due to rain, which can be a major hindrance with exterior masonry restoration. The scaffolding system has been dismantled at the top of the tower, revealing the beautifully restored turrets and ornamental limestone. Hundreds of specially fired bricks in custom shapes were needed to repair the complex brick and mortar facade of the Tower, a process which is still in progress. As the workers have moved to lower portions of the structure, noise from the work has become more noticeable to occupants of Green Hall. Fortunately, the work is on schedule to be completed in November, and noise from the workers is usually intermittent and short-lived.
Renovations, clean-up and furniture delivery and installation continued right up to when the first-years arrived Aug. 29. All private areas are done; work is continuing on public areas. Dining hall is scheduled to open in late Fall. Crews have been working 10-hour days, 7 days a week to complete the major renovations and improvements to the dormitory. They include: building fire sprinkler system; new heating system; new electrical service, including lighting; all interior finishes.
In addition, a new front entrance provides full handicapped accessibility, and the building interior has been fully upgraded to ADA compliance. A grand, two story lobby has created a more elegant entranceway, and each floor has been reconfigured to provide common rooms and kitchenettes on each resident floor. An open house will be held in late September.
A major portion of the construction project focused on the replacement of several vintage air handlers on the roof which provide cooling and fresh air to the building. The Special Collections and Archives were fully remodeled, and a new Conservation Lab was built in the space previously occupied by the Brooks and Treasure Rooms. The entire fourth floor received a much-needed facelift and new furnishings. Infrastructure upgrades include: a new fire protection system; electrical and data wiring new lighting; and ADA compliance.
The project will be completed in a phased schedule. The general collection stacks are already open. Special Collections will reopen later in September.
Work was completed in June on the restoration of the Claflin Memorial Stained Glass Window at Houghton Chapel. The window, a Tiffany Studio original, was in need of thorough restoration which involved dismantling the window, cleaning each piece of glass (an intricate process), and putting the work of art back together. Serpentino Studios of Needham, Mass., was the workshop which handled the work under the direction of Arthur Femenella, a noted stained glass preservationist.
Workers have also been busy installing two new public rest rooms in the basement of Houghton Chapel. The handicapped accessible rest room at the Schneider Center will be completed later this year.
The facade of Sage Hall was also given some attention over the summer. Like the Galen Stone Tower (to a lesser degree) the exterior masonry of the building has deteriorated over the years, creating leaks in the building. An exterior water repellent was used to mitigate and prevent further water infiltration, and repairs were completed to the masonry walls.
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Aug. 29 |
New students arrive |
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Sept. 7 |
Classes begin |
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Oct. 11/12 |
Fall Break |
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Oct. 22-24 | |
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Nov. 25/26 |
Thanksgiving Recess |
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Dec. 10 |
Last day of classes |
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Dec. 11-14 |
Reading period |
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Dec. 15-21 |
Final exams |
Editor-in-Chief: Mary Ann Hill, mhill@wellesley.edu
Managing Editor: Betsy Lawson, elawson@wellesley.edu
Editorial Staff: Eileen Devine
The Illuminator is the published monthly during the academic year by Wellesley College's Office for Public Information, a division of Resources and Public Affairs, 230 Green Hall, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Issues are published the first week of every month during the academic year, except for combined issues in September/October and January/February. Special Family Editions are also published.
Please submit editorial content to the above listed mailing address or e-mail: elawson@wellesley.edu
[ Return to Public Information home page ]
Betsy Lawson elawson@wellesley.edu
Office for Public Information
Date created: September 14, 1999
Last updated: September 14, 1999
Page expires: August, 2000
