May 28th, 2009

Sophomores in Keene State College’s Honors Program are just completing a two-week spring semester travel-study course and have been sending home Twitter accounts of their adventures in Peru and South Africa.

In South Africa, nine students have been conducting research, interviewing locals, and experiencing a new culture and geography. “Spoke with 2 amazing women, Prudence and Agnes (from Tanzania and Kenya, respectively),” one student tweeted on May 25. “Great conversation, awesome people.” The short messages-from-the-field format initiated with these trips offered followers at home a window into the students’ adventures. And it offered students a way to express experiences that couldn’t be captured in a paper: “After seeing the conditions of the Imizamo Yethu township, giving our lunches away felt like a drop in the bucket,” a student wrote on May 23.

Macchu Picchu (Courtesy photo)

Ten students in Peru have stayed with families in Urubamba, a town in an area of the Andes Mountains often called the Inca’s Sacred Valley. A goal of the course is to “explore our role in contributing to what we perceive as ‘positive change’ in others’ lives,” and students have helped construct and install basic stoves and water filtration systems for local families. One tweet captures a strike over water privatization that students witnessed: “Went to Macchu Picchu today – amazing. Another strike tomorrow. Roads closed, no transportation. Protesting water privatization. Non-violent.”

The Honors Program includes five Honors courses, three offered each semester, including a freshman Honors Thinking and Writing section and sophomore-year courses in the Humanities and the Natural and Social Sciences (culminating in the travel-study course). During their junior year, students focus on completing requirements in their various majors, and, as seniors, they come back together to share a capstone seminar. Residential students may choose to be housed together in a living/learning community for their first year; sophomores and juniors organize their own living & learning community in Pondside III.

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Lawrence M. Benaquist (Film Studies) is congratulated by the KSC Owl for 40 years of service at the Faculty and Staff recognition program on May 19. (Photo by Heather McGreer.)

See a see a complete listing of the Keene State employees honored for their service.

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From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: The Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery will commemorate Keene State College’s Centennial with a summer art exhibit of photographs and memorabilia chronicling the College and its students, faculty, and staff from 1909 to the present. In honor of the celebration, a small selection of photographs by Andy Warhol and other recent gifts to the College will be on display as well.

“Keene State College – Celebrating Our Centennial 1909–2009: 100 Years of Academic Community,” and “Photographs by Andy Warhol and Other Gifts to KSC” will be exhibited June 5 through August 2, and will reopen September 12–27.

The Centennial exhibit includes large panels of photographs with brief descriptions detailing each of the 10 decades of the College’s history. Other panels highlight academic departments, the arts, and community and student life, while others detail the history of athletics, Greek organizations, and social clubs on campus. Visitors also can view an eight-minute preview to a KSC Centennial documentary by film faculty members Larry Benaquist and Lance Levesque.

The exhibit is part of a year and half of festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of the College, which began in 1909 as Keene Normal School to train new teachers, transformed itself into an institution of higher learning called Keene Teachers College in 1939, and in 1963 became Keene State College and joined the New Hampshire university system.

Displayed in the same gallery as the Centennial exhibit will be a small selection of the 150 Warhol original Polaroids and gelatin silver prints given to the gallery by the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program. The Thorne was one of 183 colleges and university art museums across the U.S. to receive an unprecedented gift of Warhol art in 2008, and this is the first time the works will be on public display. The gallery will also showcase several prints that were part of the recent donation to the College by Robert P. Hubbard of Walpole, N.H.

During Reunion Weekend, the gallery will be open Friday, June 5, from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, June 7, from noon to 4 p.m. During the summer, the gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Monday and Tuesday. It will also close Saturday, July 4, for Independence Day. For more information, call 603-358-2720 or visit http://www.keene.edu/tsag.

This photograph of a couple in front of Hale Building in 1953 is among the original photographs and memorabilia in the exhibit “Keene State College – Celebrating Our Centennial 1909–2009: 100 Years of Academic Community,” at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. (Courtesy photo.)

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: As far as Bryan Kolacz is concerned, a hearty helping of pancakes and French toast is the breakfast of champions, and New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight Saga, heads the New York Times best-seller list. After digesting his morning meal and its accompanying carbs for energy and later finding solace in a few pages of the popular book series, the sophomore from Brentwood, N.H., picked up his hammer and threw it a Division III season best of 201’8” to win the national title at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Marietta, Ohio, on Thursday afternoon (May 21, 2009).

“Bryan came in as the dominant thrower, but you still have to do it when you’re out there,” said KSC Coach Peter Thomas.

The championship wasn’t void of drama. The sophomore provided a few anxious moments when he fouled on his first attempt, conjuring up memories of his trip to the indoor nationals, where he failed to reach the finals in the weight throw after fouling in all his attempts.

Bryan Kolacz (Courtesy Photo)

This time around, Kolacz said he wasn’t disappointed: “I knew it was a small error because I held onto it too long. It wasn’t anything technique-wise.” After collecting himself with a second toss that qualified him for finals, a confident Kolacz stepped into the circle to deliver his third throw. “I said to myself, ‘This is going to be the throw,’” Kolacz said. “I just knew it. I felt so peaceful, and my body was ready.”

Anxiously watching from the sidelines, Darcy Wilson, the Owls’ throwing coach, knew Kolacz was about to unleash a winning throw. “About turn three you can tell he’s ready to catch it,” said Wilson. “He caught the finish, and that hammer just flew. This is a real landmark for him – he’s been looking to break 200 feet. To do it at nationals is huge.”

Leading the field by a substantial margin, Kolacz refused to let up in the finals. “I didn’t think anyone would catch me, but I was still trying my best to match or improve my throw,” said Kolacz, who set a Don Drumm Stadium record with his throw.

The third time proved to be a charm for Kolacz. In his third trip to the NCAA Championships and on his third throw of the day, he was finally a national champion. “I have to remind myself how hard I worked to get to this moment,” said Kolacz, who never picked up the event until he arrived at Keene State as a freshman. “This was my day, and I knew I was ready.”

Kolacz joins a select group of 10 national champions from Keene State. He is the first KSC men’s athlete to earn the honor in a field event since Paul Trocki won the decathlon in 1979.

“It’s nice to be recognized as one of the school’s national champions,” Kolacz said. “I’m trying to set my life up after college. Being successful in sports has carried over to my academics. I hope to be on the dean’s list this semester.”

Wilson feels that Kolacz has just scratched the surface of his potential in the sport. “Bryan knows what he needs to do to become a better thrower,” Wilson said. “He needs to concentrate on building up his strength specific to the event.”

“I’m going to take a few weeks off to let my body relax and then begin working out with a few of my friends, including a few throwers from the University of New Hampshire,” said Kolacz, who serves as the lead life guard at Water Country, a water park located in Portsmouth. “I just want to come back and do it all over again, even better.”

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From Mark Gempler, Student Center: Through the first week in August, the Student Center and the Vice President of Student Affairs are once again proud to sponsor “Coffee Tuesdays” and “Ice Cream Thursdays” in the atrium of the Student Center.

Coffee, tea, and a variety of goodies will be served on Tuesdays from 9 to10 a.m., and ice cream (25 cents a scoop) will be served from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursdays. Please be advised that food quantities are limited, and when it is gone … it is gone.

We are looking for offices, departments, groups of friends, or classes to come scoop ice cream. A sign-up list will be posted next to the ice cream table next week. Please check your calendars. If you have any questions, please contact me at mgempler@keene.edu or 8-2667. Don’t forget to bring a friend/colleague!

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From Dori Almann, Continuing Education: Registration is now open for the KSC Writers Conference, which takes place from July 26 to August 1.

Conference attendees will work one-on-one with eight published, award-winning, nationally recognized writers in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’ll also meet visiting writers, attend craft talks and readings, and spend time writing. The conference closes with a group reading by all conference participants.

The 2009 faculty bring a breadth of writing experience:

• Laurie Alberts is the author of novels, a story collection, and memoirs. She received the Michener Award for the Novel, the Katherine Anne Porter Prize, the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society Prize for short story, and an American Fiction award. Alberts teaches fiction and creative nonfiction in the Vermont College MFA in Writing Program.

• Poet Celia Bland is the author of Captions for Cartoons Not Yet Drawn and Soft Box. Her poems have appeared in Shenandoah, Natural Bridge, Heliotrope, Entelechy, Prima Matera, and Sui Generis. Dean of studies at Bard College, Bland teaches poetry and first-year seminar at Bard.

• William Doreski has written 17 books of poetry, criticism, and memoir. An English professor, he has taught creative writing at Keene State College since 1982.

• Jeff Friedman has published four collections of poetry. His work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poetry, and The New Republic. He is a core faculty member in the MFA program in poetry writing at New England College.

• Joseph Monninger has written eight novels and three nonfiction books. His work has appeared in American Heritage, Scientific American, Sports Illustrated, and Ellery Queen. He has twice received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and a fellowship from the New Hampshire Council for the Arts.

• Christopher Noel, author of the novel Hazard and the Five Delights, the memoir In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing: A Geography of Grief, and the collection of short stories A Frail House, and has taught in the Vermont College Fine Arts in Writing Program since 1989. Noel also runs an editing service. He lives in East Calais, Vermont, where he runs Tall Rock Retreat, each summer and fall.

• Dzvinia Orlowsky is founding editor of Four Way Books and author of four poetry collections, including Convertible Night, Flurry of Stones. She translated Alexander Dovzhenko’s novella, The Enchanted Desna. Orlowsky received a 2006 Pushcart Prize and received a Massachusetts Cultural Council poetry grant. She is a faculty member of the Low-Residency Solstice MFA Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College.

• Roy Nathanson is an internationally acclaimed jazz composer and saxophonist. He is the bandleader of The Jazz Passengers. The Passengers recorded eight CDs, touring extensively in the United States and Europe over their 20-year career. Recently, Nathanson has concentrated on combining text and music in various ways: writing songs for performers such as Elvis Costello, Jeff Buckley, and Deborah Harry; writing a radio play for NPR, and recording with his singing, talking, playing band Sotto Voce. His second CD with this group, Subway Moon, will be released in May, as will his first collection of poems. Nathanson also performs regularly with the poet Anne Waldman and has collaborated with Jeff Friedman, Gerald Stern, and other poets.

The conference base cost is $990. Undergraduate or graduate level and conference housing is available for an additional fee. Full payment is due by July 10, 2009.

Contact Steven Kessler (800-KSC-1909 or 603-358-2290; skessler@keene.edu; Keene State College Writers Conference, Continuing Education Office, 229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03435-2605), or check out the online brochure and registration form.

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Amy Watson (Courtesy photo)

From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: KSC Athletic director John Ratliff has announced the promotion of head field hockey coach Amy Watson to full-time status. Starting her 20th season at Keene State, Watson has had unprecedented success coaching the Owls. During her tenure, KSC has captured seven Little East Conference championships (1998, 1999, 2004–08), earned six NCAA berths (1998, 2004–08), and claimed the 2003 ECAC New England title. Her overall record at the College is 250-128-11 (.657 pct.), including an impressive 90-12 (.882 pct) mark in LEC play.

Watson, from Hanover, N.H., has also produced 12 All-Americans, including Erin Dallas and Alyssa Rowell, who earned the honor this past season. “The biggest thing about coming aboard full time is being available to my current student athletes and being around to meet with recruits,” said Watson, a four-time LEC coach of the year. “The program has been successful. I’m looking forward to taking it to the next level.”

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Penny Miceli and Susie Ericson-West want to make sure that everyone knows that the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research has moved to 115 Winchester Street (on Winchester Street directly behind Zorn Dining Commons; phone/Fax/Mailstop remains unchanged). “We look forward to serving you in our new location – which has a lovely, warm feel,” they write. “Please stop by!”

KSC Alum John Napolitano ’08 will return to College and Media Relation’s Sports Information team as assistant sports information coordinator in July.

Napolitano was a four-year weight thrower on the Owls track team. A two-time captain, the Providence native earned All-LEC honors in his final three seasons. While earning his degree in journalism, he worked in the Sports Information office. He worked this past year as an intern in the Sports Information department at St. Anselm College. “I feel like I’m coming back home,” said Napolitano. “I greatly enjoyed my time at Keene State and look forward to returning and being a huge asset to the College and Media Relations and Athletics offices.”

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Jay Kahn (Finance and Planning) presented “The Business Case for Sustainability” at the New England Board of Education’s “Greening Higher Education, Saving the Planet and Saving Money – A New England Leadership Forum,” on May 4 in Boston. His talk looked at how the College has confronted unprecedented fiscal challenges by implementing sustainable, cost-efficient solutions such as the Monadnock Biodiesel Collaborative. Mary Jensen (Sustainability and Recycling) also attended the conference, along with more than 225 leaders in higher education, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations.

Katherine Tirabassi (English) co-coordinated the National Archives for Composition and Rhetoric’s Workshop at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) in San Francisco in March. She also presented a talk, “Journeying into the Archives,” at the workshop, and was an invited speaker at the CCCC Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition, giving the talk, “Knowing Our Institutional Histories and Building Regional Professional Networks.”

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Threatening storms held off until 855 graduates had received their degrees at Keene State’s commencement on Saturday, May 9. “Did anyone really think it would rain on your parade?” President Giles-Gee asked as she closed the ceremony.

Honorary doctorate recipient Lewis M. Feldstein, president of the N.H. Charitable Foundation, encouraged the graduates to get involved in the world, to seek out mentors and the unknown. “Find your passion and follow it,” he urged them.

Former Keene mayor Michael E. J. Blastos received the Granite State Award for his service to the community. And Class President Ian Lord noted that he and his classmates have already started serving their communities: “You are beyond ready for the real world, because you have been living in and succeeding in it for the last four years already.”

Check out the photo gallery of Commencement to view, download, share, and/or purchase.

855 (of 944) graduating students marched behind colorful gonfalons in Keene State’s 2009 Commencement on May 9. (Photo by Susan Peery)

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Playing in post-season tournaments on Commencement Day didn’t stop these baseball and softball seniors from participating in their own graduation ceremony in the Mt. View Room on Monday, May 11: (l. to r.) Jeff Perkins, Beau Darak, Allie D'Amato, Jamie Chevalier, Katie Allenson. (Photo by Mel Netzhammer)

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: The second-seeded Keene State softball team won its first ECAC Division III New England crown on May 10, with a convincing 11-1 triumph over top-seeded Brandeis in a rematch of last season’s championship contest. Owl senior centerfielder and leadoff hitter Jenna Patnode earned tournament MVP honors after batting 8-for-15 (.533) in the tournament with six runs scored, two RBIs, and five stolen bases.

“We played with a lot of emotion throughout the tournament,” said KSC Coach Charlie Beach. “They had something to prove after missing the NCAA tournament and wanted to get some redemption from last year’s loss to Brandeis in the championship game.”

Keene State (30-14) got the job done thanks to a nine-run outburst in the second inning. The Owls had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, when sophomore RF Ashley Annis took advantage of a blustery wind to hit a solo home run to right-centerfield, but they blew the game open in their next at bat. KSC sent 14 hitters to the plate, with the first 10 reaching base safely. The big blows in the frame were a two-run double to right by Patnode, followed by a two-run single up the middle by Annis. Katie Allenson added an RBI single to the mix, her team-leading fifth of the tournament.

Rookie hurler Courtney Savoie picked up her second win of the tournament and 13th of the campaign by scattering four hits in five innings, striking out two and walking three. The Owls also turned in excellent defense, making three spectacular catches in the fifth inning, including a diving stab by Bradford at short and a charging catch by Patnode to end the game.

Courtesy photo; KSC Softball Team

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From Susan Peery, College Relations: What do you think belongs on a list of “100 Great Things about Keene State College”? The fall issue of Keene State Today will round out our Centennial year, and we want to make it as special and inclusive as possible.

Send us suggestions: Write as little or as much as you like, and suggest as many ideas as you want. Memories, events, people, buildings, courses, professors, singular encounters – whatever stands out in your mind. We hope you will spread the word to friends of the College in Keene and beyond.

Please send your ideas to Susan Peery, speery@keene.edu, no later than Friday, May 22. If you have photos or memorabilia to share, please let us know that as well. Thank you for your help.

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From Susan Theberge, CODM Search Committee chair: The entire campus community is warmly invited to meet the candidates for Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism.

The CODM reports directly to President Giles-Gee, serves on the President’s Cabinet, and provides leadership and collaborative guidance to the college community in matters related to the advancement of Keene State College’s goals for diversity and multiculturalism. The search committee will be bringing three candidates to campus and each of the candidates will participate in a forum (date, time, and location listed below). The forums are open to students, faculty, and staff, and we hope you will attend.

Monday, May 18: Dr. Susan Stebbins
10:15 a.m. in the Mountain View Room

Thursday, May 21: Dr. Sumita Furlong
10:15 a.m. in Rhodes 203

Friday, May 22: Dr. Dottie Morris
10:15 a.m. in the Mountain View Room

Curriculum vitae for each candidate will be on reserve at the main circulation desk in Mason Library. We will provide evaluation forms at the forum and look forward to reading and hearing your feedback.

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The large oil painting, Self Portrait, by senior art major Analesa Perkins, won the People’s Choice Award in “Emerging Art,” the annual KSC art students’ exhibition at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. (Photo by Peter Roos.)

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne: Analesa Perkins, a KSC bachelor of fine arts student who graduated on May 9, was voted the winner of the People’s Choice Award for a large oil painting called Self Portrait, displayed in “Emerging Art” at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.

During the first weeks of the annual KSC art students’ exhibition, visitors were invited to vote for their favorite work of art. Perkins won the majority of the 440 votes cast. She will receive a $100 cash award from the Friends of the Thorne along with a People’s Choice Commendation.

Perkins paints portraits because she feels people relate more easily to portraits of others and the emotions they convey. As she explained in her artist’s statement that accompanies her work on display at the Thorne, she paints people she knows.

“I don’t just paint anybody, there has to be a meaning behind the portrait,” Perkins said. “Even though I base the painting on a certain feeling, it’s not necessary for everyone to feel the same way when they view it. I wanted the paintings to be big so that they will engage the viewer. It is important for me to have them feel as though they were standing there watching and feeling each texture.”

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Water:
• Set water heater no higher than 120°.
• Take shorter showers.
• Shut off water when shaving, brushing teeth, washing, and doing dishes.
• Wash only full loads in dishwasher.
• Use cold water when running garbage disposal.

Refrigerator:
• Clean condenser coils, drains, and toe grill twice a year.
• Never let more than ¼” of ice accumulate in your freezer.
• Make sure door gaskets seal tightly and are clean.
• Cool hot food for 20 minutes before storing in your refrigerator.
• Try to keep freezer full – use a bag of ice to fill large spaces.

Cooking:
• Cook oven items simultaneously when possible.
• Leave oven door closed as much as possible.
• Use self-cleaning feature after you cook while oven is hot.
• Match pan size to burner size and use tight-fitting lids.
• Don’t preheat oven for longer than needed.

Laundry:
• Wait for a full load to use washer and dryer (don’t overload).
• Wash and rinse with cold whenever possible.
• Fold or hang clothes while they are still warm to avoid ironing.
• Dry consecutive loads – a warm dryer shortens drying time.
• Keep lint screens clean.

Lighting:
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Clean fixtures, lamps, and shades for better light output.
• Leave outside lights off unless needed.
• For three-way bulbs, use the lowest setting needed for activity.
• Use compact fluorescent bulbs whenever possible.

Heating:
• Don’t block thermostats.
• Close drapes and shades at night, open only south-facing drapes during the day.
• Keep windows and doors closed – close doors to rooms not being used.
• Use a humidifier – moist air holds more heat.
• Close attic, garage, and basement doors.

Send your energy saving tips to the Econotes team.
* Energy tips compiled from PSNH website

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From Peg Barrett, Mason Library: Please join us at the retirement celebration for Robert Madden and Judith Hildebrandt on May 21st from 2–4 pm in the Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery Conference Room. If you wish to contribute towards a gift, you may send your contribution to Peg Barrett, MS 3201, Mason Library.

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From Mark Gempler, Student Center: The Student Center hours for Summer Sessions I and II (May 18–August 7) will be as follows:

Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, CLOSED

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From Irene Herold, Mason Library: Rodney Obien will be joining Mason Library’s faculty as the archivist starting July 1, 2009. He comes from nine years as the curator of special collections and archives at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, is the membership secretary for New England Archivists, and lives in a 200-year-old farmhouse in Canterbury, New Hampshire. His publications include co-editor of the book History of Woodbury & Company (2007) and co-editor of Illustrating Dickens: Selected Works from the Robert D. Fellman Collection (2002), an exhibit catalogue. His recent presentations include “Meet Theo: Theo Brown Diaries Digitization Project” at the Mid-Atlantic Digital Libraries Conference in 2008. He was the curator for the exhibition Visions of Valencia: Photographic Works of Andres Minguez Lujan in 2008. He earned his MLS from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., did additional graduate work at SUNY Buffalo in art history, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Wesleyan College.

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Jen Ferrell (Student Center) was recently elected to serve a three-year term on the directorate for the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Standing Committee for Women. As a committee of ACPA, a comprehensive student affairs association, the Standing Committee for Women works to transform the culture of higher education and student affairs to empower women, provide education and resources, and promote and recognize research and scholarship. Jen’s role will be to provide shared leadership for the committee, contribute to research, publications, convention and event planning, and most generally be an advocate for women involved in ACPA.

Tom Bassarear (Education) presented a paper on his course “Opening to Other Ways of Knowing and Being” at the first annual conference of the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education in Amherst, Mass. from April 24–26.

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Campus News will appear on alternate weeks during the summer (next issue is May 28), returning to a weekly schedule in the fall (weekly issues will resume on August 20). Deadlines will continue to be noon on Monday before the next Thursday’s issue.

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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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President Helen Giles-Gee will award associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees to more than 900 graduates at Keene State College’s Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 9. The event begins at 1 p.m. on Fiske Quad.

Lewis M. Feldstein (Courtesy photo)

Lewis M. Feldstein, president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. The 2008 Granite State Award will be presented to Michael E. J. Blastos, former Mayor of the City of Keene.

Mr. Feldstein led the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to its place as a dominant force for change and the principal source of venture capital for the state’s nonprofit community. Under his stewardship, the Foundation has become the largest funder of nonprofit organizations in northern New England, with assets growing from $25 million in 1986 to $375 million at the end of 2008.

Prior to coming to the Charitable Foundation, Mr. Feldstein served as provost of the Antioch/New England Graduate School. He is a graduate of Brown University and holds a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University. He worked with the civil rights movement in Mississippi and served for seven years in senior staff positions to New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay. Mr. Feldstein serves on several boards and co-chaired the Harvard University three-year Executive Seminar, “Civic Engagement in America,” with Robert Putnam. The two also co-authored the book Better Together: Restoring the American Community.

In his eight-year tenure as mayor, Mr. Blastos worked to improve the quality of community services. In 2001, he convened a Taskforce on Childcare to research the current state of childcare in the local area, with the charge of making recommendations for improvement. This led to the creation of Child First, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting childcare.

His commitment to a cleaner environment made the city of Keene a national leader when, in April 2000, it signed onto the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, creating a plan to identify ways in which the greater Keene community could lower greenhouse-gas emissions. The goal was to reduce the City’s transportation, energy consumption, and solid-waste emissions by 10 percent.

Michael E. J. Blastos (Courtesy photo)

Mayor Blastos also formed the Town-Gown Committee, with members representing both the College and the city, to maintain strong, supportive, and responsive relationships.

The Commencement Ceremony is the culmination of graduation activities at Keene State. On Friday, May 8, the Spring Honors Convocation will be held at 4 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. The Convocation recognizes excellence in student scholarship and leadership, the recipients of undergraduate Academic Honors, the Leo F. Redfern Outstanding Citizen, and discipline and endowment awards in American studies, biology, chemistry, communication, economics, education, English, geology, history, Holocaust studies, modern language, mathematics, performing arts, management, safety studies, psychology, sociology/anthropology, and women’s studies.

All events are free and open to the public. The ceremony will also be broadcast on closed-circuit television in the Mabel Brown Room in the Student Center and in Morrison Hall on the quad. For information on Commencement activities, call Pauline Dionne at 603-358-2106 or e-mail pdionne@keene.edu.

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For 17 years, students from Keene State’s Communicorps class have solved design problems for community organizations in the Monadnock region. This required course in the Architecture program emphasizes a team approach to solving complex architectural problems, giving sophomore and junior students valuable experience with real-life architectural problems. On April 30, community members were invited to see the designs at a luncheon in the Mountain View Room. Eleven student teams (34 students) created designs for six major projects.

This year’s projects included:

• concept design for renovation of town office space for the town of Stoddard
• design/renovation plans for the Stoddard Library
• two projects for Southwestern Community Services: a master plan study for Rindge, N.H., and a design for a new 22-unit workforce housing project
• design of a new synagogue for the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community
• master plan study for a private co-housing project in Chesterfield, N. H.

Keene State offers the only four-year B.S. Architecture degree at a public liberal arts college in New England. Designed to give students a solid foundation in the artistic, scientific, and technical aspects of architecture, the curriculum offers a range of courses in studio design, building science, sustainable design, history/theory, digital technology, and practice.

For more information on the Communicorps program, contact Donna Paley at dpaley@keene.edu.

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