Hiram College part of $2 million scholarship award from the State of Ohio

Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut today announced $50 million in scholarships to attract and retain Ohio’s students. Hiram College was included in a $2 million scholarship program in bioscience and healthcare.

The second round of scholarships announced today is part of a $250 million investment to remake Ohio’s economy through collaborative programs in higher education for STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine).

Hiram is part of the Choose Ohio First Engaged Scholarship Program in Bioscience and Healthcare. Cleveland State University (lead institution) will partner with Baldwin Wallace College, Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga Community College, Hiram College, BioEnterprise, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and JumpStart to attract and graduate more than 430 STEM students in a 5- year period. Scholars for this proposal will ensure that Northeast Ohio’s globally recognized health employers, The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital Health System and The MetroHealth System have a highly skilled workforce in the bioscience fields available to them.  The 5 higher education institutions will create a “coalition of excellence” that will prepare graduates by providing engaged learning and science entrepreneurships. This collaboration will share $2 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.

For more information, see http://regents.ohio.gov/news/press_releases/2008/OBRMediaRel26Jun08.pdf.

Governor Strickland signs bill that provides $500,000 to Hiram College

Governor Strickland signed House Bill 562 this week, which included $500,000 to support Hiram College’s Garfield Institute for Public Leadership.

Established in honor of James A. Garfield, the Garfield Institute for Public Leadership prepares students to assume the responsibilities of public leadership by developing expertise in matters of public policy, foreign and domestic, grounded in Hiram’s traditional liberal arts education.

With the approval of the budget bill, the $500,000 will support the reconstruction of the Mecca Community Church, which was transported to Hiram and put into storage last year. As the home of the Garfield Institute, housing offices and meeting spaces, the church will become a landmark on the Hiram College campus when construction is complete. The church will be located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Routes 700, 82, and 305 in Hiram.

James A. Garfield is among the most notable figures in American history, having served as Hiram College’s president prior to devoting his life to public leadership. Garfield was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1859, then to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he rose to the leading Republication in the House. In 1880, he was elected President of the United States. His presidency ended after only six months, after he was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, who was disgruntled about failed attempts to earn a federal post.

Zabor tapped to serve on Audubon Society executive committee

A week ago, Stephen Zabor, professor of economics and environmental studies, was selected to be the treasurer of the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland (ASGC).

Hiram College has a memorandum of understanding with ASGC about cooperative activities.

The ASGC promotes the conservation and appreciation of birds and other wildlife through habitat preservation and educational activities. It is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and is one of northeast Ohio’s oldest continuously operating environmental organizations; founded in 1928. ASGC now has over 1,200 members throughout NE Ohio and owns over 500 acres of land protected as both Audubon Sanctuaries and Ohio State Nature Preserves.

In addition to teaching in the economics and environmental studies departments, Zabor is the director of Hiram College’s entrepreneurship program funded through grants from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation.

Donate to the Hiram Fund, win a quilt!

Well, maybe. Here’s what it boils down to: If you make (or have made) a donation to the Hiram Fund during the 2007-2008 fiscal year (ending June 30, 2008), you are entered into a drawing to win a quilt – hand made for Hiram, by a Hiram alumna, specifically to generate philanthropy among other alumnae.

Ellie Foster Monroe ’64 has given back to her alma mater year after year. This year, she wants to encourage others to give to Hiram as well. Ellie was a first generation College student, and it was financial assistance, partly enabled through Hiram Fund, that allowed Ellie to gain her education. So, she feels driven about doing her part to give back. And what better way to do that then by donating something of herself, something specific to Hiram, the purpose of which is to encourage donations – why? Because each donation nets a “ticket” to win the quilt.

After Ellie retired from a career in social work, she began quilting, and she’s never looked back. Although she briefly considered a second career quilting professionally, she went the philanthropic route instead. She calls them “Quilts for Causes,” and donates them to benefit non-profit organizations about which she cares. Through these quilts, she explains, “I can help an organization raise awareness and money in ways that go beyond what I can give personally.”

She estimates that she’s “made over 100, probably closer to 200, quilts in the last four years – most of them baby quilts.” Most of her quilts she donates through Faith, Hope, & Charity Stitches, which then gives to hospitals and charities.

Ellie has gained recognition for the quality of her work, as well. She was awarded the Citizen Recognition Award by Summit Psychological Services in March of 2008. She was also the recipient of the People’s Choice Award at the Streetsboro Guild Show in October 2007.

Inspired by the view from the east-facing windows of the Kennedy Center, Ellie created a landscape quilt – with the express purpose of persuading others to participate in the College’s annual giving program. Giving of herself and her talents to Hiram is a personal way that Ellie can contribute – plus, all those who donate to the Hiram Fund have a chance to win her quilt, and therein receive something tangible, singularly Hiram, and entirely unique.

For Ellie, donating her quilt to generate donations to the Hiram Fund is a hugely personal way of giving back – and encouraging other friends and alumnae to give. Such generosity helps pay the way for students to gain their education at Hiram – just as it did for Ellie many years ago.

Make your contribution at http://giveto.hiram.edu or by contacting the Office of Annual Giving toll free at 800.705.5050.

Alumni Weekend 2008 – a Journal of sorts…

By Karen Donley-Hayes ’86 & ’06
College Editor

Since I graduated from Hiram, I have spontaneously popped in to the annual Alumni Weekends, usually just showing up and milling around without much focus. In 2008, though, my husband Arnold Hayes ’86 and I completely immersed ourselves in Alumni Weekend. We registered for every event we could squirrel our ways into, and even though we only live four miles away, we stayed on campus to get the full experience. Read more

Alumni Weekend 2008 – recap at a Glance

Alumni Weekend, 2008, is now one for the history books, and appropriately, it was a historic weekend. More than 700 attendees participated in the weekend’s activities, and were not dissuaded by storms Friday evening or a rainy start to the day on Saturday. At a glance, here are just some of the events that helped make this an extraordinary weekend.

Friday night scores turned out for the Jane Preston Rose Roast, which proved to be hilarious and memorable.

Saturday morning started with the Hiram Hustle around the 3-Mile-Square, and the Around the World Breakfast in Dix Dining Hall. The Bread & Soup Luncheon was popular, and John Lauder spoke to a standing-room-only crowd. Dozens ventured onto the Cuyahoga River for a Canoe Trip, and nearly everyone thronged to the Campus Green Saturday evening for the All-Alumni Reception and Awards Ceremony, followed by the respective Reunion Dinners.

Sunday morning, the All-Alumni Brunch enticed a steady stream of hungry folks into Dix Dining Hall to fuel up before closing our their memorable weekend.

Lauding Lauder’s diplomacy on Alumni Weekend 2008

By Arnold Hayes ’86

I went into the talk by John Lauder ’68, “Life Decisions in the Summer of Love: Why James Garfield, Oliver Cromwell, Pikovaya Dama, Steely Dan, the Curve of Binding Energy, and All of Liberal Arts Education Matter in Public Leadership,” on Saturday, June 14, at Alumni Weekend, with a bit of hesitation. I figured a fellow who graduated in 1968 amidst all that summer of love stuff would be a tad bit on the Timothy Leary, power-to-the-people side (and I’m just a tad more conservative). However, to my pleasant surprise, he was well-spoken, non-partisan and didn’t look at all like a hippie.

Lauder engaged a standing-room-only audience as he talked about his experiences in government and at Hiram. He served in the Central Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and as an arms control negotiator for 33 years until his retirement in 2004. He has played a prominent role in the James Garfield Institute for Public Leadership, established in 2007, and one of Hiram’s six Centers of Excellence.

Lauder related not only some interesting pieces of political information, but also interesting anecdotes about Hiram, and his time here. For instance, throughout Lauder’s four years at Hiram, James Garfield was only mentioned twice. The first was at a convocation by military historian S.L.A. Marshall, who spoke on Garfield as a soldier. The second time was during a debate on campus about what time women should be returned to their dorms after a night out (apparently, Garfield got around). He was a teetotaler in college, but learned to drink when dealing with the Russians – he felt it was a requisite for the job, and he became very good at it – eventually, he said, being able to drink students under the table because he was used to “Russian drinking.”

Lauder also spoke positively about government service, while admitting that government often drops the baby into the bath water (or is that throws the baby out with the bath water?). A case in point: the government, in response to the 1999 quake in Turkey, began actively addressing government response to such crises – natural disasters, the inadequate response to which would shake the people’s faith their government. With timing that seemed only to prove the point, no sooner had he been involved in one such meeting than Hurricane Katrina struck.

He addressed concerns of those in the audience who felt justifiably cynical about government, in light of such crises as the weapons of mass destruction failure in Iraq, and the delayed government reaction to Hurricane Katrina. He had a positive way of addressing the questions without polarizing the audience, or his answers.

One thing I wasn’t sure of going in was the connection from the title of Lauder’s presentation: “Life Decisions in the Summer of Love: Why James Garfield, Oliver Cromwell, Pikovaya Dama, Steely Dan, the Curve of Binding Energy, and All of Liberal Arts Education Matter in Public Leadership” Lauder told some stories about these, and how they connected with his life at – and after – Hiram. One of the more amusing ones involved Pikovaya Dama, a Russian Operetta. Lauder carried it around with him when he was trying to learn Russian so that he could effectively communicate in arms negotiations – whether or not he effectively learned Russian is debatable, but he WAS effective in his negotiations. The lead guitarist of Steely Dan, he went on to say, was gifted in music – but branched out into environmental and other issues much bigger than music – and was effective in doing so.

Lauder’s bigger point was that a liberal arts education – one that was multidisciplinary and fostered critical thinking and open-mindedness – is vital for anyone to be successful in public leadership.

Anywho, I thought John Lauder was a very engaging speaker; apparently, I wasn’t alone in that feeling, as many stayed past his allotted one hour to ask him more questions. I liked him as well, and his educational presentation. In fact, I’d give him two thumbs up if he were a movie.

Hiram College receives $8,000 Big Read Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Hiram College’s Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature in partnership with the Portage County District Library and Reed Memorial Library has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host The Big Read in Portage County. Hiram College is one of 208 libraries, municipalities, and arts, culture, higher education, and science organizations to receive a grant to host The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 23 selections from American and world literature. The Big Read in Portage County will primarily focus on Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective novel The Maltese Falcon. Activities will take place in January and February of 2009.

“Nurturing a love of reading and of literature is at the heart of Hiram College’s Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature. The Big Read grant allows us to bring that passion for the written word to the wider community of Portage County,” said Kirsten Parkinson, associate professor of English and director of Hiram College’s Big Read program.

“Everything the NEA does we do in partnership. I am delighted to announce our 208 new partners in The Big Read. Some are new to the program, some are returning, but all of them have answered the call to action to get our country reading again,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.

The selected organizations received Big Read grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 to promote and carry out community-based reading programs featuring activities. Hiram’s Lindsay-Crane Center and its partner libraries will use the $8,000 grant to promote and sponsor a read-in, book discussion, a lecture by a Dashiell Hammett scholar, visits from mystery writers, movie screenings, library exhibits, and Clue tournaments. The Center will also collaborate with James A. Garfield High School in Garrettsville, Streetsboro High School, and the Portage County Cooperative Learning Program, to develop curriculum materials for teaching The Maltese Falcon to ninth- through twelfth-graders during the 2008-2009 school year.

“With this latest round of grants, I am proud to say that The Big Read has supported more than 500 public library partnerships,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NEA’s lead federal partner for The Big Read. “Through this program, public libraries continue to demonstrate their value in communities as centers of engagement, literacy, and lifelong learning. I am particularly delighted by the innovative public programming born out of library and museum collaborations.”

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Transportation for The Big Read is provided by Ford.

For more information about The Big Read please visit www.neabigread.org.

Farewell breakfast – Alumni Weekend send-off

This entire Alumni Weekend 2008 may have had a lot of activity and exercise involved (the Hiram Hustle, seven-mile canoe trip, lots of walking), but it had more than its fair share of fantastic food, too. It’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to diet, because it probably would have been a lost cause – there was ample fresh fruit, which I love, but gee, I don’t get to choose from blintzes and crepes and waffles and pastries and omelets every day.

While it was really neat to see senior alumni who had graduated 50 or more years ago, and hear their stories and tell them ours, it was also equally rewarding to see so many recent alumni, with their little ones in tow, soaking up the Hiram tradition, some of them before they’re even in grade school. Who knows – maybe these little kids, accompanying their parents to Alumni Weekend, are the alumnea of the future. It’s a neat thought!

All-Alumni Reception goes all out

Alumni Weekend 2008 was crowned on Saturday, June 14, by the All-Alumni Reception and Award Ceremony on the Campus Green. Although Saturday had started a bit dreary and rainy, that had changed by late afternoon, and it was an absolutely beautiful day – bright and sunny, not too hot, not too cool.

Between that and the extraordinary food and beverages provided by AVI, it seemed like nearly all of the 700 to 750 participants in this year’s Alumni Weekend were present with bells on for this reception.

After we all spent some time enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Hiram College Trustee and Alumna Kathy Coleman ’87 presented this year’s alumni awards.

Claudia Highbaugh ’72 received the Alumni Achievement Award. Claudia earned her Doctor of Ministry from the School of Theology at Claremont, and served for 12 years as the Chaplain at the Harvard Divinity School, with responsibilities for the program of ministry and ministerial studies in the Master of Divinity Program. She is currently the Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), she has served her faith community as a delegate to the National Council of Churches Governing Board and both the General Board and the Administrative Committee of the General Church. Her published work covers research and writing as an advocate for children and youth, especially in the areas of literacy and health care. Through her years of service and leadership, she has blazed her own special trail, educating young women and men that the world can be, with their help, a more accepting, productive and loving place.

Marie (Mahn) Presher ’30 journeyed to Hiram from Florida to attend the reunion and to receive the Lifelong Leadership Award. Marie was born in Ohio, the daughter of a minister, so she learned of giving at an early age, and giving has been the focus of much of her 100+ years. Many of her contributions she has done anonymously, because, as she says, giving is a gift in itself and needs no acknowledgment. She still volunteers with the church every Monday at the Community Co-op Ministries (soup kitchen) – she has been doing this for decades. Her contributions to her community have been substantial – monetary and of her time and kindness – and have been ongoing throughout her lifetime. Marie exemplifies the leadership traits of generosity, kindness, and decency – and has done so for more than a century.

Bethany N. Stoian ’06 couldn’t be here to receive the Recent Graduate Service to Humanity Award, because she is currently serving in her second year with the Peace Corps in Aryk-Balyk, Kazakhstan; her mother and aunt were present on her behalf. Beth is an English teacher, serving 5th through 11th grade students of varying language skills. She has provided individual tutoring, and worked cooperatively with other Kazakh teachers by team teaching. She attended several conferences where she and another volunteer taught sessions on classroom activities and gave demonstrations on teaching phonetics. She has organized a teachers’ conference for her own district, and coordinated a leadership camp for girls. She continues to work hard at learning both Kazakh and Russian. Her efforts will have long-term effects that will continue to grow beyond the time of her service. Beth is doing more than just advancing knowledge, she is inspiring students and the people she meets, and they in turn are inspiring her.

After the awards were presented, we all continued to visit, eat finger foods (finger feasts would be a better description), and talk about what was old, what was new, and what is up-and-coming at Hiram. And we probably would have stayed beyond the 6:30 ending time – except then it was time to head to our reunion dinners…

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