The Fletcher Jones Foundation granted Pitzer College $280,000 in scholarship endowment last month, President Marilyn Chapin Massey reported. "This is more than we had originally expected to receive from this foundation," Massey said in a letter to faculty.
The grant arose from a request by the College for funds that were initially part of a program to pay for smart classrooms, Massey said. "The intent was to go to three foundations – Fletcher Jones, Booth Ferris and also either Parsons or Arthur Vining Davis to fund this project," with Fletcher first on the list.
But when Massey visited Fletcher in February, she was surprised to discover that the foundation had just decided to fund scholarship endowment. With the advice of Pitzer faculty and acting Dean Jack Sullivan, Massey changed her request to ask for scholarship endowment. "In this we were successful – indeed more successful in dollar amount that we expected," she said.
The smart classroom proposals are still alive, and the College will move to make the requests of the appropriate foundations in their next funding cycles in several months, Massey said. "My expectations are that we will be successful and, in the end, garner from the three foundations we will have approached more than $500,000 in total," she said.
Massey thanked the faculty for its advice. "Receipt of scholarship endowment from one source stimulates it from others. Personally, I was proud to know that you could support deferring short-term goods for the long-term good of the college. Your strong commitment to our students makes our trustees and friends want to support us," she added.
The advancement office also had good news to report. To date, current gifts and pledges total $845,837, almost as much as in all of 1998 and 15 percent ahead of last year at this time. By constituencies, the Alumni Fund is 17 percent ahead of last year at this time, the parents fund is 15 percent ahead and trustee giving is ahead 25 percent. The second faculty-staff campaign has begun. So far, that campaign is ahead of last year mainly because of payroll deductions. Advancement has set a goal of exceeding last year's faculty-staff campaign by 15 percent. "Much remains to be done in the next two months that will require diligence and hard work on the part of staff and volunteers," said Alice Holzman, vice president of advancement. "With the full participation of the Pitzer community, we hope and expect to pass the $1 million mark by June 30, when the fiscal year closes." In other fund-raising news, the College is forming a Campaign Coordinating Committee to begin planning the Comprehensive Campaign. In addition, the office is hosting a volunteer/staff fund-raising phonathon beginning with dinner at 5:30 p.m. June 10 in the Founders Room. Everyone is welcome.
There is a poster that shows a deserted, ramshackle gas station along Route 66 in Arizona, its wood splintered and peeling. The black ribbon of highway trails off into the endless desert, a tableau of cactus and scrub brush. When Pitzer Professor Michael Woodcock first saw that poster, "I thought to myself, 'I could walk right into that.'"
He and 12 Pitzer students are doing just that. Only they will be driving. The group set off last week on a month-long journey along "The Mother Road" from Los Angeles to Chicago, a distance of 2,278 miles, as the culmination of a semester-long class on the historic roadway. They will be traveling in three vintage used cars, including a 1985 Grand Marquee and a 1983 Lincoln Town Car. You can track their progress on their Web site.
The idea has been brewing in Woodcock's mind for more than two years. When he first mentioned it to a few freshman students, it lit a fire in them. "I told them you can invent your own education at Pitzer. The College has a history of inventing courses like this," Woodcock said. "The next day they were ready to buy cars."
For Woodcock, "Route 66 has always represented romance, Western expansion, going somewhere to make a better life," he said. "Now, it represents a slower time."
The six-week journey is the culmination of a course on Route 66, during which students looked at the history, culture, art and sociological meaning of the road. "Route 66 connects many things – landscape, architecture, water issues and tourism," Woodcock said. Thirty percent of the tourists on Route 66 are from other countries. "They want to see the real America," he said.
During the trip, the group will be staying at campsites, hotels and the homes of alumni in Flagstaff, Ariz; Albuquerque, N.M.; Oklahoma City; St. Louis and Springfield, Mo.; and Chicago. Along the way the group will stop at Seligman, Ariz., home to the barbershop of Angel Delgadillo, one of the prime movers behind the Route 66 revival. At the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, 10 Cadillacs have been partially buried nose down in the Texas plain, their upended tail fins tracing design changes from 1949 to 1964. The reason for a stop at Ted Drewes in St. Louis is as much culinary as historical: "They've got the best ice cream in America," Woodcock said.
In the best of Pitzer traditions, the group will be bringing something as well. They have assembled boxes of items from Southern California to give to people along the way: a picture of an earthquake, an In-and-Out lunch bag, a losing betting slip from Santa Anita racetrack, a sign-up sheet for bowling leagues at Hollywood Star Lanes on Route 66. "We leave Monday morning, it's kind of scary," Woodcock said. "But the students are very excited about it for some reason." FACULTY & STAFF NEWS
Carol Annis, the current Novell/PC manager in the information technology department, has been promoted to assistant director of technical services and will also supervise the technical services group. She will provide technical support for Pitzer computing. Carol has experience with both Macintosh and PCs and has a Novell CNE certification and Microsoft certification. In her new job, she will handle network management and development. Perry Kyle Butts, who recently joined the Pitzer staff, takes Carol's place. Angel Jauregui, currently software support coordinator, becomes the new residential network technician, helping students with their computing problems. For computing help, e-mail or call x73065.
ANNOUNCEMENTS &
O P P O R T U N I T I E S
Martín Espada, called the "Latino poet of his generation," speaks at Pitzer College's 35th commencement Sunday at 1 p.m. on the Brant Clock Tower Lawn. Espada has published five books of poetry, including "Imagine the Angels of Bread," which won the American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award. Another book, "Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover's Hands," won both the PEN/Revson Fellowship and the Paterson Poetry Prize. The PEN/Revson judges were unanimous in their praise for Espada. "This is political poetry at its best. The greatness of Espada's art, like all great arts, is that it gives dignity to the insulted and injured of the earth." Espada was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1957. His poems have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Harper's, The Nation and The Best American Poetry. He recently published his first collection of essays, "Zapata's Disciple." Much of his writing arises from his Puerto Rican heritage and his work experiences, ranging from bouncer to tenant lawyer. He is also the editor of "Poetry Like Bread: Poets of the Political Imagination" from Curbstone Press, and "El Coro: A Chorus of Latino and Latina Poetry," which won a Myers Outstanding Book Award. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Espada is now an associate professor in the department of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
The new California Center for Cultural and Social Issues seeks proposals from students and faculty for community-based research and education projects. Funds are available for 10 faculty and 30 students for 10 weeks over the summer. Faculty members are eligible for $2,000, and students are eligible for $3,000. Faculty are encouraged to use the money to integrate the projects with their field group offerings. To apply, submit a one-page statement of the proposed project to Alan Jones, including a description of the community organization you would work with. Application deadline is June 1. Awards are announced June 7. The Center also seeks proposal from advancing, junior-level students from any discipline to support community-based projects that will be conducted during the student's senior year. These awards of $2,000 each are intended to provide a capstone experience for students who have acquired the skills and understanding requisite for community-based work. All work will be conducted under the supervision of a faculty mentor and the Center's post-baccalaureate Fellow. Students should also be prepared to discuss strategies for incorporating underclass students into the project experience. Interested students should submit a 2-page project proposal as well as a letter of recommendation from a Faculty Mentor The deadline is June 1, 1999.
Pitzer College sponsors four homestay programs for foreign students this summer. Program leaders seek hosts for students from Japan and China. Students from Shanghai High School visit from July 18 to 25; from Tokyo Women's Christian University Aug. 1 to 20; from Shukugawa Women's College Aug. 8 to 25; and from Nara University Aug. 22 to Sept. 4. For more information, call Michael at the PACE office, x18308.
Nicholas and Susan Pritzker host a reception for Chicago alumni at 6:30 p.m. June 5 at their home to celebrate the completion of the trip by Professor Michael Woodcock and 12 Pitzer students now traveling Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago (see Profile above). The event also inaugurates the Pitzer College Chicago Alumni Chapter. Pritzker is chair of the College's board of trustees. To attend, RSVP the alumni office at (909) 621-8130, or by e-mail.
"The Out-Of-Towners" film benefit premiere for Pitzer, with stars Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin, grabbed headlines in the Los Angeles Times last Tuesday. A story in the "Charity Scorecard" included a photograph of Hawn and Martin with benefit co-chair and Pitzer trustee Susan Dolgen. For reprints of this story, e-mail or call the public information office at x18219.
WEEK OF MAY 10
MONDAY
The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden sponsors a trip to Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties to study "The Botanical Treasures of California's Wine Country." Bart O'Brien, director of horticulture at the garden, and Lorrae Fuentes, director of education, lead the trip. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 626-1917
WEDNESDAY
Tom Scott, professor at UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, lectures on "Life on the Edge: The Wildland/Urban Interface" at 7 p.m. at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 626-1917.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
A softball game for Pitzer seniors, faculty and staff begins at 3:45 p.m. at the Gold Center Field.
Graduating media studies majors from the five colleges screen their thesis projects at 5 p.m. in Avery Auditorium. Students from Pitzer media studies classes present their work at 6 p.m. in Avery Auditorium.
Susan Pratt '86 hosts a cocktail reception for alumni at 6 p.m. at her home, 3328 El Paseo, Santa Fe, N.M. to celebrate the New Mexico stop of Professor Michael Woodcock and 12 Pitzer students traveling Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago (see Profile above). To attend, RSVP to Pratt at (505) 988-3654 or e-mail.
SATURDAY
Frank Biondi, former president and chief executive of Universal Studios, delivers the commencement address at Claremont Graduate University at 3 p.m. in Bridges Auditorium. For more information, call x18028.
Pitzer President Marilyn Chapin Massey hosts a pre-commencement reception for graduating seniors, parents, faculty and staff from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at her home, 739 Harvard Ave. in Claremont.
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden sponsors an "Excursion to the Puente Hills/San Gabriel River" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 626-1917.
The NCAA Division III Men's Tennis National Championships take place today through Wednesday at The Claremont Colleges.
SUNDAY
Father Bill Cieslak, president of the Franciscan School of Theology, leads the Pitzer College baccalaureate at 10:30 a.m. in Bridges Auditorium. A reception follows at McAlister Center. For more information, call x18685.
A five-college baccalaureate takes place from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Bridges Auditorium.
Pitzer commencement robing begins at 12:15 p.m. in Avery Auditorium.
Martín Espada, poet and essayist, delivers the Pitzer College commencement address at 1 p.m. at the Brant Clock Tower Lawn. For more information, call x18241.
Donna Shirley, president and chief executive of Managing Creativity and former manager of the Mars Exploration Program, delivers the Harvey Mudd College commencement address at 1:30 p.m. in the Central Hall, Harvey Mudd College. For more information, call x18478.
Stephen Ambrose, historian and author, delivers the Claremont McKenna College commencement address at 2 p.m. in Badgley Garden, Claremont McKenna College. For more information, call x18099.
John Cleese, actor, screenwriter and comedian, and James A. Joseph, U.S. ambassador to South Africa, are the keynote speakers at the Pomona College commencement beginning at 2:30 p.m. in Bridges Auditorium. For more information, call x18515.
Jane Smiley, novelist and educator, delivers the Scripps College commencement address at 3 p.m. on the Elm Tree Lawn, Scripps College. For more information, call x18223.
F E A T U R E:
Fletcher Jones Foundation Grants $280,000 for Scholarships
P R O F I L E:
Professor Michael Woodcock is a Travelin' Man
COMING
UP
Final exam period begins today through Saturday.
Eric Haskell, a professor of French at Scripps College, delivers the Scripps Fine Arts Foundation Lecture, "Irish Edens: Modern Gardens of the Emerald Isle," at 1:30 p.m. in the Humanities Auditorium, Scripps College. For more information, call 985-2346.
Tom and Chris Ilgen host a party for Pitzer seniors, faculty and staff from 4 to 6 p.m. at their home, 2276 La Paz Drive, Claremont.
Pitzer commencement rehearsal takes place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at Avery Auditorium. Attendance is mandatory for seniors.
Professors Aldo Casanova and Arthur Stevens speak at the Scripps College Awards Convocation beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Garrison Theater. Casanova, professor of art, lectures on "The Scripps Experience From a Teacher's Point of View" and Stevens, professor of art history, lectures on "Hedonism." For more information, call x18178.
Commencement