International Education Week at DePauw

DePauw University, Greencastle, will celebrate International Education Week 15-20 November with events that feature the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, reports the DePauw News Bureau.

The week culminates with the International Bazaar. DePauw’s 240 international students, representing 41 countries, will share their culinary specialties, in addition to performing cultural songs and dances. The Bazaar begins at 5:30 p.m. 20 November in the ballroom of the Memorial Student Union Building on campus. Admission is $3 per person, and the bazaar is open to the public.

A detailed schedule of events is online.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education.

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Oscar Arias to Speak at DePauw

Oscar Arias (pictured), a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and two-time president of Costa Rica, will visit the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle on 8 December. Arias, who stepped down as president five months ago and is known as a crusader for peace, will discuss "Moral Leadership in Today's World."

The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located in DePauw's Green Center for the Performing Arts (605 South College Avenue, Greencastle). The speech is presented free of admission charge and the public is invited.

Dr. Arias served two terms as Costa Rica's president, first leading the country from 1986 to 1990 and then returning to the presidency from 2006 until his term ended86174 in May of this year. In 1987, he authored what came to be known as the Arias Peace Plan, an initiative that led to the end of military conflicts in five Central American countries. His efforts led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 1987.

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National Hispanic Institute Program at DePauw

DePauw University in Greencastle served as the host of the Great Lakes Great Debate, a program for high school freshmen presented by the National Hispanic Institute 20-25 June, reports the DePauw news bureau. The Great Debate allows high school freshmen the opportunity to test and improve their written and verbal communication skills through organized discussions and debates about issues that impact today's Latino community.

The program is coordinated by the National Hispanic Institute, which aims to cultivate leadership for the 21st century U.S. Latino community.

The event is presented through a grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education. The Lumina Foundation for Education is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school.

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The Myth of the Moderate Taliban

Vikash Yadav, assistant professor of political science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York and 1991 graduate of DePauw University, will return to his alma mater on Wednesday (14 April) to deliver the Walker Horizon Lecture in Political Science.

Dr. Yadav will discuss "The Myth of the Moderate Taliban" at 4:15 p.m. in the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media's Watson Forum on the Greencastle campus. The presentation is free and open to all, reports the DePauw news bureau.

Professor Yadav published the book Risk in International Finance in 2008. He has also written articles on India's relations with the International Monetary Fund and on ways to make international financial organizations more democratic and representative of the voices of the poorest countries.

His current research project examines India's grand strategy in Afghanistan as well as shifting conceptions of sovereignty, security, and identity in the greater South Asia region.

A history major at DePauw, where he graduated cum laude, Yadav went on to earn his Master of Arts degree at the University of Chicago in 1993 and his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. He was also the Queen Elizabeth Visiting Scholar at St. Antony's College at Oxford University.

Prior to joining the Hobart and William Smith faculty, Dr. Yadav taught at Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke and the American University in Cairo.

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DePauw Students Study New Zealand Geology

DePauw University took a group of students on a tour of New Zealand's geological highlights during Winter Term 2010. Leading the tour were Associate Professor of Geosciences Tim D. Cope and Professor of Geociences James G. Mills.

New Zealand is home to one of the broadest collections of geological features on the planet, all packed densely across an area the size of Colorado, reports the DePauw news bureau. Beneath the North Island, the Pacific tectonic plate is being forced under the Indo-Australian plate, forming a chain of volcanoes where molten rock reaches the surface above. This sort of volcanic activity can occur on land or underwater depending on where the plates meet.

On the South Island, the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates collide, pushing the Southern Alps nearly four kilometers high at a geologic pace of 1.1 centimeters per year. Because of the different type of tectonic convergence on the South Island, it's possible to place a hand on outcroppings of both massive plates at the same time (pictured above). Cope argues that being able to touch and walk among the lessons taught in the classroom is a key part of an education in geology.

The group also took a day trip to White Island, an active marine volcano off the North Island's coast, named for the cloud of steam that rises from it. White Island erupted as recently as July 2000.

"It made a huge difference to be able to actually see and touch the geologic features that we learned about in class," reported DePauw student Christina M. Wildt. "I thought I understood everything that I learned in our Earth and the Environment course, but I realized after I was in New Zealand that you can't really understand geology fully unless you experience it in the field."

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Climbing Kilimanjaro For a Cause

A group of students from DePauw University in Greencastle have their sights set on a truly lofty goal. Climb for a Cure's Kevin M. McLoughlin '10, Mitchel K. Hannum ‘10, Heidi N. Keiser '11, Andrew C. Repp '11 and Lauren E. Werckenthien '10 are trekking to Mt. Kilimanjaro's Kibo summit this month to raise money to fight pediatric brain cancer, a disease that took the life of McLoughlin's seven-year-old sister.

They hope to generate $40,000 in donations — one dollar for each foot traveled up and down the mountain — to Riley Children's Foundation in Indianapolis, the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation and b.r.a.i.n. Child, a non-profit organization in Toronto, McLoughlin's home.

There's more here.

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Copenhagen, China...and DePauw

"We have learned quite a few things after a week as student observers at the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen," DePauw University students Pucong Han and Anthony Baratta wrote in the China Daily last week. Their letter was reported by the DePauw news bureau. The pair are among a group of DePauw students who traveled to Denmark, for the climate change conference known as COP15. (photo, l-r: DePauw students Taylor Cantril, Anthony Baratta, Andrew Maddocks)

"Our class of 13 -- four students from China, one each from India and Myanmar, and seven from the United States -- walked around the Bella Center and took note of the positions articulated by different countries," the two undergraduates write (Pucong Han '11 hails from Beijing, while Anthony Baratta '11 is from Ohio). "Although the negotiations were complex one thing was clear. Irrespective of the outcome at Copenhagen, our generation of Chinese and American youth has the opportunity to work together to solve the issue of climate change. The youth in both countries can cooperate by raising awareness about global warming. In fact, many students have already taken the lead."

Their letter to the editor continues, "We helped found the DePauw Environmental Policy Project, the program that brought us to Copenhagen. The youth in both nations can cooperate by facilitating understanding between China and the U.S. There is often suspicion between our nations. Both wonder -- 'Is the other sincere in its promises?' Here in Copenhagen, a 'China-U.S. Youth' dinner brought together 50 Chinese and an equal number of American students. We ate Gong Bao Chicken, Zuo Jiao Beef, and other delicious dishes. During the meal, we discussed what we had learned about global warming, as well as the contentious issues debated at the climate summit. By the end of the evening, we had become friends and better understood the reasons for our countries' disagreements regarding a new climate change treaty. We were no longer mistrustful of the others' intentions. We hope that more American and Chinese students would have opportunities to learn from each other. Maybe, we will play a small part in encouraging cooperation between our countries."

They add, "We are doing this because we are the leaders of tomorrow. Climate change is an issue that will not disappear anytime soon, and we must try to mitigate its impact and adapt."

China Daily is the most widely-circulated English-language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.

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DePauw Student Connects with Cameroon

The "welcome" page for The Ashia Project (TAP) is very matter of fact:

The Ashia Project (TAP) is a 501c(3) not-for-profit chapter of Ambassadors for Children committed to supporting those who are determined to change their own community for the better. Currently, we are raising money to help support Dr. Ebanja of Tiko, Cameroon finance the construction of a community hospital.

But the story is ever so much more complicated than that. Read about DePauw University student Tia Malcom (pictured) and her journey to Cameroon and back here: The Ashia Project.

The group's first major fundraising event is being planned for spring 2010 in Indianapolis. Watch for it!

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DePauw Grads Head Abroad on Grants

Amanda J. Gebert, a 2008 graduate of DePauw University, will spend the coming academic year on a teaching assistantship in France as a result of receiving an international graduate study and research grant from the French government and the Institute of International Education, reports the DePauw news bureau.

Gebert becomes the seventh member of the DePauw community to receive an award through the Fulbright application process since spring. Anne M. Schaufele, a 2007 graduate of the University, will conduct research in El Salvador. Four May 2009 graduates of the University also received Fulbright grants: Jessica V. Strong, will conduct research in Germany on "The Effects of Music on Individuals with Dementia and Depression"; Ross A. Robinson will spend the next academic year in Germany teaching English to young people.

Lauren A. Wendling plans to travel to South Korea through an English Teaching Assistantship. Todd J. Schmid will spend a year conducting research in Paraguay as a result of receiving an international graduate study and research grant. Rebecca L. Upton, associate professor of sociology and anthropology and director of conflict studies at DePauw, will conduct research at the HIV/AIDS Centre at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana.

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Prof. Robert Dewey Elected a Fellow of Britain's Royal Historical Society

Robert Dewey (pictured), assistant professor of history at DePauw University, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (RHS). Dr. Dewey is being honored for his recently published book, British National Identity and Opposition to Membership of Europe, 1961-63: The Anti-Marketeers.

Founded in 1868, the Society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria after a campaign by Henry Austin Bruce, Lord Aberdare. According to its Web site, the RHS "remains the foremost society in Great Britain promoting and defending the scholarly study of the past." Election to fellowship status is conferred on those who have made "an original contribution to historical scholarship in the form of significant published work."

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Humanitarian Intervention Symposium at DePauw

Noted international humanitarian leaders will come to DePauw University in Greencastle Thursday through Sunday (5-7 March) for a series of panel discussions.

Gareth Evans, the former foreign minister of Australia, will provide the opening address for the Humanitarian Intervention Symposium, hosted by the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics in collaboration with the West Africa Regional Bureau of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Among the others scheduled to participate in the sessions are Karen Koning AbuZayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; Catherine Dumait-Harper, board member for the Global Policy Forum and former U.N. representative of Médecins Sans Frontièrs (Doctors Without Borders); Jerry Fowler, executive director of the Save Darfur Foundation; Anne Orford, professor and director of the Institute for International Law and the Humanities at Melbourne University, Australia; and Amos Sawyer, former president of the interim government of Liberia.

For the complete schedule plus details on attending, go online.

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America's Role in the World

The 2008 edition of DePauw Discourse will discuss America's Role in the World. Headline speakers for the event are Madeline K. Albright, who served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States, and Lee H. Hamilton (DePauw '52), president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. (Both are pictured at right.)

Others scheduled are Bret Baier (DePauw '92), FOX News chief White House correspondent; Mona Bhan, assistant professor of anthropology at DePauw; Pamela L. Carter, president of Cummins Distribution; Sally Smerz Cowal (DePauw '66), head of Population Services International's Americas Region; Sharon M. Crary, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at DePauw; Newton F. Crenshaw (DePauw '85), a vice-president at Eli Lilly & Co.; McSamuel R. Dixon-Fyle, professor of history at DePauw; Nisreen El-Shamayleh (DePauw '04), a corresondent for Saudi Channel KSA2 in Jordan; Douglas Frantz (DePauw '71), senior writer at Condé Nast Portfolio; Kathryn Fortune Hubbard (DePauw '74), founder of Bridges of Understanding; Saad Eddin Ibrahim, professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo; Jeffrey T. Kenney, professor of religious studies at DePauw; Ernest Loevinsohn, director general of health and education for the Canadian International Development Agency; Nafhat N. Nasr, senior professor of political science at DePauw; Brett R. O'Bannon, associate professor of political science at DePauw; Stephen W. Sanger (DePauw '68), retired chairman of General Mills Inc.; Robert M. Steele (DePauw '69), visiting professor of journalism at DePauw; James B. Stewart Jr. (DePauw '73), editor-at-large for Smart Money; John E. Tedstrom III (DePauw '84), executive director of the Global Business Coalition, and Don W. Wycliff of the University of Notre Dame.

Various events take place 18-20 September. Hamilton, a former U.S. Congressman representing Indiana's 9th district, speaks on "America's Role in the World" at 8 p.m. 18 September in Meharry Hall, East College, on the DePauw campus. Albright speaks at 8 p.m. 19 September in the Kresge Auditorium of DePauw's Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for a registration form. Fee for the full event is $275.

DePauw Discourse is a new tradition of alumni and friends, distinguished guests, faculty and students participating in stimulating discourse about important public issues and popular topics of the day at the university's Greencastle campus.

For more information, check the website or call 800:446-5298

DePauw to Host Tony Blair in March

Tony Blair, who served as prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from May 1997 through June 2007, will come to the campus of DePauw University on March 3, 2008, to deliver a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture. Blair's speech will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lilly Center's Neal Fieldhouse (702 S. College Avenue). Like all Ubben Lectures, the event will be free and open to all. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and no tickets will be distributed. Mr. Blair becomes the fifth former prime minister of Britain to speak at DePauw. Harold Macmillan, whose grandfather was a graduate of Indiana Asbury, provided the 1958 commencement address as the sitting prime minister. Harold Wilson presented a 1981 talk. The Ubben Lecture Series presented Margaret Thatcher in 1992 and John Major in 2001.

Two Speakers Worth a Trip to Greencastle

DePauw University hosts two presentations today (12 March).

First up is Fatima Sadiqi (pictured), feminist scholar and president of the Centre for Studies and Research on Women, who will speak at 4 p.m. in the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media's Watson Forum on "Islam and the Women's Movement in Morocco."

Then, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Richard E. Peeler Art Center, Mary Ellen Fieweger will discuss, "Community Journalism, Popular Education, and Fighting for the Future: The Story of Periodico Intag in Ecuador."

Both events are free and open to the public.

Bios and more information are here.