April 16th, 2009

“You know where you are, you know where you’ve been, and you know where you’re heading,” Gov. Lynch told a group of KSC students, staff, and alums who travelled to the State house on April 15 to witness the start of the 53-mile Centennial Relay from Concord to Keene. The Governor then ran a few steps across the stately chamber to hand a special Centennial Proclamation to President Helen Giles Gee.

On the statehouse steps, N.H. Senator (and KSC alum) Molly Kelly ’83 passed the streamered proclamation case to Provost Mel Netzhammer, who started the relay off with a 1.5 mile run. Jay Kahn, vice president for Finance and Planning, took the next stretch, and on it went until alums Norma Walker ’51 and Don Carle ’52, M’56 walked the proclamation down Main Street and Appian Way at sunset. The community celebration finished with fireworks and a huge birthday cake outside the Zorn Dining Commons. More than 1,000 pieces were served!

College and Media Relations writer Lucy Webb spent the day posting updates and photos-from-the road to the Centennial blog so students, staff, and KSC friends everywhere could follow the fun, and she’ll be posting more photos to chronicle the day.

Photos by Annie Card
Click thumbnail for larger image.

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: Pumps or heels, casual or formal? That’s the question many men will be pondering as they get set to participate in the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention’s Third Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence on Saturday, April 18, in Keene.

Keene State men’s basketball coach Rob Colbert, who is co-chairing the event with Rob Noyes of Cheshire Tire and Noyes Volkswagen, has recruited several members of the KSC community, including many of his coaching peers, to join him on the walk. “We’ve had a lot of fun contacting different members of the college community, raising excitement, and, more importantly, raising awareness about this issue,” said Colbert. “It’s been astounding to me how much money we’ve been able to raise and the positive comments people have given us.”

The walk begins at 10 a.m. at Keene State’s Young Student Center and will head down Main Street to Railroad Square in downtown Keene. Check-in, t-shirt sale/handouts, and sign distribution begins at 9 a.m.

Colbert won’t be hard to spot in the crowd. Looking to make a fashion statement and wear his KSC colors proudly, he has chosen a pair of gleaming red shoes for the walk. “The shoes are a women’s size 13, so they’re still very, very tight,” he said. “We do have medical personnel ready for blister care.”

John Ratliff, Keene State’s Director of Athletics, and men’s soccer coach Ron Butcher will join Colbert on the walk. Ratliff decided to go with the casual look. “My wife Kathy picked out my shoes, a pair of pink sandals,” he said. “They’re appropriate for the occasion and the easiest to walk in.”

Coach Butcher is still weighing his options. “I know I won’t be walking in stilettos because I’d fall over, so I need something with a low heel,” he said. “I’m going to do some shopping and hopefully find something that’s a little daring and springy. I want us to stand out.”

People interested in participating in the walk can sign up online. If you are unable to walk but would like to donate, you can do so at www.firstgiving.com/robcolbert. “I think it’s important for people to see members of the Keene State community let their hair down and do something a little bit out of their comfort zone to raise awareness and get people talking about this very worthy cause,” Colbert said.

Photo: Adam Skibek; (l. to r.) Rob Colbert, John Ratliff, and Ron Butcher

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The Society for Collegiate Journalists (SJC) has announced that the Keene State College student newspaper, The Equinox, received 12 awards in the national 2008 SJC competition, the second highest number of print journalism awards in the annual national competition. This is the second consecutive year that Keene State College journalists have received SJC awards.

“I am more than pleased,” said KSC President Helen Giles-Gee as she congratulated the students in an email. “I am ecstatic at this demonstration of exceptional talent. I am so proud of all of you and how well you represent Keene State College.”

The Society for Collegiate Journalists is a national society of collegiate mass communications. With more than 100 college and university chapters, it is the nation’s oldest organization designed solely to serve college journalists.

The Equinox is a weekly newspaper that is entirely student-produced. It has been publishing since 1929. Award winners (with judges) are:

• News Stories, Second Place: Katie Gilligan, “Proposed Ordinance Targets Disorderly House.” (Robert Naylor, Director, Career Development/News, Associated Press, New York, New York)

• Editorial, Honorable Mention: staff, “KSC Students Left in the Dark Again.” (Pat McCubbin, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

• Series, First Place: Meghan Foley, Melissa Ball, Ian Lord, Randy Booth, Casie Brown, “Getting the Lead out: CDC Playground Lead Contamination,” (Robert Naylor, Associated Press); Series, Second Place: Meghan Foley, “Unions Seek to Organize Operating, Professional Staffs,” (Robert Naylor, Associated Press)

• Sports News, Honorable Mention: Sean Berry, “KSC Implements Own Drug Testing Policy,” (Glen Kemery, senior editor, Yahoo! Sports)

• Sports Features, Honorable Mention: Randy Booth, “I Felt Like I Had No One,” (Glen Kemery, Yahoo! Sports)

• Graphic illustration, Third Place: Tyler Donnelly, 10/23/08 Equinox (Clay Bennett, editorial cartoonist, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

• Photo Essay, First Place: Ryan McKernan, “Shut Down the SOA,” (Sterling Chen, feature page design, The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Sports Page Layout, Third Place: Randy Booth, 12/4/08 Equinox, (Sterling Chen, Philadelphia Inquirer); Honorable Mention: Randy Booth, 10/30/08 Equinox, (Sterling Chen, Philadelphia Inquirer).

• Inside Page Layout, Hard News, First Place: Randy Booth, 10/23/08 Equinox, C-2, (Sterling Chen, Philadelphia Inquirer); Third Place: Randy Booth, 10/23/08 Equinox, C-4, (Sterling Chen, Philadelphia Inquirer)

For more information, visit www.keeneequinox.com

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On Thursday, April 23, the KSC Architecture Department will host the AIA New Hampshire’s monthly meeting (the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects), with a tour of the KSC architecture studios, where students will be discussing their year-end projects.

The tour, open to the campus and Keene community, will be followed by dinner and a screening and discussion of the film Bird’s Nest – Herzog & de Meuron in China. (Pre-registration is required for the dinner and film.) This film chronicles the five-year effort by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games’ brand new, 100,000-seat National Stadium, as well as their design for a new city district in Jinhua, involving hotel, office, and residential buildings. Both projects involved complex and often difficult negotiations and communications between two cultures, two architectural traditions, and two political systems. For more information, contact Peter Temple.

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On Monday, April 20, KSC students Amanda Abramson and Martin Hansen will discuss food choice and the sustainability of the food system at 6:30 p.m. in the Mountain View Room, Student Center. A short film edited by KSC film major Erik Breakell will be shown.

This program, which is entirely student developed and presented, is the final presentation in the Keene Is Reading Series inspired by Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. Michael McCarthy (Communication), faculty advisor for this project, notes that the presentation is a great example of how students from three different disciplines can collaborate to educate our campus community around local to global food issues, adding, “It has been my honor and pleasure to assist these students in the development of what I think will be an academic and interesting look at problems and solutions.”

Final “Keene Is Reading” student posters

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From Kaitlyn Taft, Recycling: While celebrating the Earth is a daily ritual for many, the special week dedicated to our planet has come once again! Earth Week takes place Monday, April 20 to Saturday, April 25 this year, and there is something going on every day. Please join in the celebration, and bring a friend!

Monday, April 20:
Trash Audit: Come see what’s really in your trash!
“Food with a Face, Food with a Future,” KSC student presentation
Tuesday, April 21:
Gardening Workshop: Marc Cormier on starting a garden with very little
Tom Wessels, author of The Myth of Progress
Wednesday, April 22, EARTH DAY:
Earth Day Fair
Chris Feiker Garden Dedication
Clothes Swap
Thursday, April 23:
Arboretum Tour
Natural Dyeing Workshop
Friday, April 24:
Annual Memorial Tree Planting
Saturday, April 25:
Solarfest: Campus Ecology’s annual solar-powered music festival

All events are sponsored by the Recycling and Sustainability Office, the President’s Council for a Sustainable Future, and Campus Ecology. Visit the website for event details and more information.

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From Genny Alexander, Development: A huge thank you to all of you who have participated in the KSC Fund Faculty/Staff Campaign! For the 2008–2009 academic year, staff and faculty members have made pledges and gifts, both large and small, totaling over $40,000.

There is still time to make a gift or pledge! You may make your gift online or fill out a payroll deduction form and return it to Mail Stop 2701.

Please save the date: on Wednesday, April 29, from 7:30–9 a.m., there will be a thank-you breakfast at the Student Center for all faculty and staff who have generously made a gift to KSC this fiscal year. There will also be an opportunity for those who have not made a gift to do so at the breakfast. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Amy Proctor at 8-2372 or aproctor@keene.edu.

Once again, thank you for your continued hard work, dedication, and generosity to Keene State College!

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Dr. Stephen Shalom, professor at William Patterson State University, will present Keene State College’s 2009 Sidore lecture, “Can We End the Unending Conflict? Reflections on Israel and Palestine,” on Monday, April 27, at 7 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room of the Student Center. This lecture was originally scheduled for March 2, but was cancelled because of the snowstorm.

Professor Shalom has written and spoken widely on U.S. foreign policy and on the Middle East. Among his books are Imperial Alibis: Rationalizing U.S. Intervention after the Cold War and Which Side Are You on? An Introduction to Politics. He is the editor of a dialogue between Noam Chomsky and Gilbert Achcar, Perilous Power: the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy. He serves on the editorial board of New Politics and is a regular contributor to Z Magazine and ZNet. He was in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon this past year.

The Sidore Memorial Foundation and the Sidore Series have been established to support campus presentations by speakers on emerging ideas and to enhance faculty efforts to challenge students and the wider community to participate in dialogue around original and sometimes controversial issues facing society.

This event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow the presentation. For more information, contact Linda Baker at 8-2611.

Courtesy photo; Professor Stephen Shalom

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From Recreational Sports: Finals week (May 4–8) hours for the Recreation Center will be Monday–Thursday, 6 a.m.–11 p.m., and Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Regular pool hours will be held Monday–Thursday of finals week, but the pool will be closed on Friday.

Summer memberships for faculty and staff are available for $100 (May 11–August 28) and will go on sale beginning Monday, May 4, at the front desk of the Recreation Center. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff may sign up for the Wellness Connection program through Harvard Pilgrim to cover their membership cost in the summer if they are not currently members of the Recreation Center.

Faculty and staff utilizing the Wellness Connection program for their membership during the academic year can place their membership on hold for the summer if they are not going to be able to meet their minimum workout requirements. Please contact Bette Whitney at bwhitney@keene.edu to place your membership on hold (this must be done at the beginning of the month). The minimum work-out requirement for the Wellness Connection program remains the same during the summer and members are encouraged to promptly complete their workout log sheet each month to ensure that they fulfill this requirement.

Summer hours begin on Monday, May 11. The Recreation Center hours are Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; and closed on the weekends. The pool hours for recreation swim time are tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 13 and are Monday–Friday, noon–1 p.m.; Monday and Wednesday, 7:30–8:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Summer conference attendees are eligible to use the Recreation Center for work-out purposes while they are on campus for their designated program by paying a $5 daily fee or $15 for a week. The sponsoring department or office will need to provide Recreational Sports with a list of names of conference attendees well in advance of the date/dates of the desired use of the facilities in order that proper arrangements can be made. Please contact Lynne Andrews at landrews@keene.edu for more information on use of the facility for summer conference groups or other summer-only participants on campus.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: KSC’s much-anticipated “An Evening of Dance,” now in its 35th year, will be on Wednesday through Saturday, April 22 to 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center. Seven faculty-, student-, and guest-artist-choreographed pieces will inspire, enliven, and enrich the audience. (Read more about the program here.) For tickets, please call the box office at 8-2168.

Courtesy photo; Keene State College Theatre and Dance majors (from left) Shawn Ahern (’10) and Jessica Howard (’09) in An Evening of Dance

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: An afternoon of chamber music by several student ensembles will be performed on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall of the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond at Keene State College. The concert is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served in the lobby following the performance.

The concert will showcase the Saxophone Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, String Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and Piano Ensembles. Music majors, non-music majors, and community members can participate in a chamber ensemble. For more information about the program, call 8-2177.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The Keene State College Chamber Singers will perform their spring recital on Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall of the Redfern Arts Center.

Conducted by KSC music faculty member Elaine Broad Ginsberg, the KSC Chamber Singers will present a colorful bouquet of works from the Renaissance period to the 20th and 21st centuries, including Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, a lyrical version of Barber’s renowned Adagio for Strings. The 33-member ensemble includes several small chamber groups. Keene State artist-in-residence George Loring will accompany the singers during some of the selections. (Read more about the program here.) For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

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From Mark Timney, KSC Senate, Vice-Chair: The KSC Senate is pleased to announce the election of PAT and at-large faculty representatives to the Senate.

Elected at-large faculty representatives: Saran Ghatak, Pete Stevenson, Christa Parravani, and Sue Menees

PAT representatives: Kim Schmidl-Gagne and Brendan Denehy

The new senators will begin their terms at the April 22 meeting of the Senate.

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Diane Cushing (Music) conducted the All-State Women’s Chorus, April 2–4, in Concord, N.H. The 70-member ensemble was selected from the top female singers in the state. Diane is the Conductor of Keene State College Concert Choir that will be performing Verdi’s Requiem with The Monadnock Chorus in May.

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The College Relations Office maintains an events listing on the web. To submit events to this list, fill out this form. We also run a KSC events ad twice a month in The Keene Sentinel during the academic year. Events listed in the online listing automatically make it into this ad. For more information please contact Antje Hornbeck at 8-2102.

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We are rebuilding our Faculty Experts section on the web and need your help. Please take a minute to update your information or add to your list of publications and accomplishments, and send it to rdutcher@keene.edu.

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Selected Events

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