THE NEW SCHOOL COLLABORATES: AJKEM’A LOY’A AND CARE
This past summer, students and faculty from The New School lived and worked in the small lakeside village of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, to collaborate with Ajkem'a Loy'a, an organization of female Mayan artisans. An exhibition documenting this initiative is currently on view through October 3 at the Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons.
Initiated by New School Trustee and Parsons Board Chair Sheila Johnson and CARE, an organization that fights poverty, the project brought together students and faculty representing a broad range of programs at Parsons The New School for Design and The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs. Together, they worked with the Guatemalan women to investigate business opportunities and develop sustainable ventures for the sale of their artisan goods and services in local and global markets. This project was undertaken in a New School class that began on campus this past spring and concluded in Guatemala in late June. The exhibition displays objects documenting the collaborative process.
An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, September 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be a public presentation by the students and faculty involved in the project on October 1 at 6:00 p.m. For more information, visit the events calendar.
DRAMA RECEIVES GRANT FROM HAROLD & MIMI STEINBERG CHARITABLE TRUST
The New School for Drama was recently awarded a $90,000 grant from the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for support of Drama's playwriting program. The grant, which will be distributed over a period of three years, will provide the basis of two substantial annual student playwriting fellowships, as well as fund the annual Final Draft Playwright Showcase.
A past supporter of Drama's playwriting program, the trust has awarded a similar fellowship last year to students Elizabeth Calvert (’10) and Victor Lesniewski (’10); this year's recipients are Joshua Beerman (’11) and Judith Goudsmit (11). "It is because of staunch supporters such as the Steinberg Charitable Trust that we have opportunities to grow and thrive here at Drama," remarked Drama Director Robert LuPone.
Created by Harold Steinberg in 1986, the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust's mission is to support and promote the American theater as a vital part of our culture by nurturing American playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new plays, and providing significant support to theaters across the country. In its more than 20 years, the trust has distributed over $40 million to more than 100 theatre organizations throughout America. The trust funds the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, presented annually at the Humana Festival. Recently, the trust created two new awards honoring American playwrights: the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award and the Steinberg Emerging Playwright Award.
Candidates for The New School Honorary Degrees
The university expects to present six honorary degrees at its May 2009 commencement exercises. Awardees are accomplished in their field and are generally chosen from a discipline that represents the various schools and programs of the university. Honorary degrees will be awarded from the categories listed below. Candidates do not have to be graduates of The New School.
Categories:
- The Arts: Classical Music, Jazz/Contemporary Music, Theater, Film, Television, Writing, Visual Arts
- Design, Journalism
- The Humanities and Social Sciences
- The Natural Sciences
- Public Life and Government
Nominations for honorary degree candidates and University in Exile Award candidates are welcome and should be submitted no later than Friday, October 24, 2008. For additional details to nominate candidates for either an honorary degree or the University in Exile Award, please go to the University Commencement Website.
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL LIBRARIES
The New School Library's online catalog—called BobCat—has a new look. To help users navigate this new interface, the New School Library has prepared an online introductory video.
You can find the link for the video on the library website, or you can go directly to http://library.newschool.edu/tutorials/bobcat/overview.
You can also find a quick guide at http://library.newschool.edu/tutorials/bobcat/pdf/overview.pdf
For the duration of the fall semester, Fogelman Library will continue to be located on the lower level of 65 5th Avenue. The library plans to be open for business in its new space before the start of spring semester classes. Look for announcements regarding the library's future move to 55 West 13th Street on my.newschool.edu, and in future issues of the Weekly Observer.
CHANGES AT THE KELLEN ARCHIVES
The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Archives Center has a new director and a new space. Wendy Scheir has joined the University Library staff as the director of the Kellen Archives, which is now located on the lobby level of 66 Fifth Ave. The Kellen Archives documents the history of Parsons going back to its founding by William Merritt Chase in 1896. In addition to records, publications, posters, and artwork related to the school's history, the Kellen Archives collects original materials from the design careers of Parsons faculty, students, alumni, and associates. The Kellen is currently open to qualified researchers by appointment. For details, please visit the Kellen website.
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR GENERAL STUDIES
THE BARBARA JORDAN LECTURE: RONALD W. WALTERS ON THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
On Thursday, October 2, at 7:00 p.m., the annual Barbara Jordan Lecture will be delivered by Ronald W. Walters, professor of Government at the University of Maryland. Dr. Walters will question the equal application of the moral and political obligations of the social contract to all citizens given the legacy of African slavery and the response of today's government leaders to Hurricane Katrina.
Dr. Walters is an internationally known expert on the issues of African American leadership and politics, and is the author of over 100 articles and ten books, most recently, The Price of Racial Reconciliation. He is director of the African American Leadership Institute, a distinguished leadership scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, and professor in government and politics at the University of Maryland. He has also served as visiting professor at Princeton University, as a fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and as a member of the governing council of the American Political Science Association. In addition Walters was a senior policy staff member for Congressman Charles Diggs, Jr. and Congressman William Gray. He currently is a member on the board of the Black Leadership Forum, the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, and other organizations.
This event, sponsored by the Wolfson Center for National Affairs, will be held in the Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor. Admission is $8, and free to all New School students, faculty, staff, and alumni with ID.
ALUMNI FEATURED IN FILM FESTIVAL
Films by alumni Rich Adler (MA, Media Studies '08), Jennifer Piazza (MA, Media Studies '08) and Alexis Neophytides (Documentary Studies '08), were featured in the Coney Island Film Festival last weekend. Now in its eighth year, the annual festival shows a selection of over a hundred films during its three day run. Film formats include documentary, short film, and avant-garde/experimental work. Proceeds from the festival benefit the nonprofit arts organization Coney Island USA.
Adler and Piazza worked together on the film A Mermaid Cycle, a short experimental piece shot on super-8 film at Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade. Set during the parade's silver anniversary, the film tells the story of, "a mythical creature from the sea finds men, women, children, queers, and mermaids, honoring the sun and sand before they surrender to the swells of an uncertain future."
Neophytides, who recently completed the one-year graduate documentary studies certificate program, showed the piece she worked on as a student, Coney Island's for the Birds. The fifteen-minute documentary tells the story of local father-and-son pigeon racing team, Anthony and Larry Martire, as they prepare for and compete in a race.
Both films were screened Sunday, September 28, at 4:00 p.m. in the festival's Coney Island Films block. For more information on the Coney Island Film Festival and its featured works, please visit their website.
NEWS FROM MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
THE MANNES ORCHESTRA AT SYMPHONY SPACE
On Tuesday, October 7, at 8:00 p.m., the Mannes Orchestra led by David Hayes, conductor and director of orchestral and conducting studies, will play a program to include, Haydn's Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, "Drum Roll"; Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op. 28; and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67.
Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. Admission is free and no tickets are required. For more information call 212.580.0210 x4817
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
FACULTY MEMBER BENNY POWELL TO BE HONORED
Benny Powell, a faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and one of the most versatile trombonists and educators will be honored on Sunday, October 12, at the Jazz Ministry at St. Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street. Beginning with Jazz Vespers at 5:00 p.m. and continuing at 7:00 p.m., over 150 musicians will honor Powell with live performances.
Powell has performed with five Big Bands, including twelve years with the Count Basie Orchestra, in Broadway shows, and television with Merv Griffin and Bill Cosby. He is presently a member of the of Randy Weston's African Rhythms Orchestra and he leads his own ensemble with T.K. Blue, Sayuri Goto, Essiet Essiet, and Billy Hart.
Powell's latest recording, NEXTEP was recently released on September 12, on Origin Records. and features Powell on trombone with TK Blue, flute, alto, and soprano saxophones; Sayuri Goto, piano; Essiet O.Essiet, bass; and Billy Hart, drums. It is an eclectic mixture of original songs that features a variety of rhythms New Orleans second line bebop, South African wing, Carribean, and Funk.
The Jazz Ministry of Saint Peter's Church is described as a home for diverse individuals and communities, which celebrates the dignity and vitality of jazz, provides vibrant liturgy and pastoral care, and through interesting partnerships, offers jazz programs, educational opportunities, and services.
FACULTY MEMBER JANE IRA BLOOM TO APPEAR AT DIZZY’S CLUB COCA — COLA
Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, a full-time faculty member at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, will be appearing with her quartet at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola 4th Annual Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival on Tuesday Sept 30th. The group will perform music from Bloom's most recent CD Mental Weather and features jazz artists Dawn Clement on piano, Mark Helias on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. This marks Bloom's second appearance at the Women in Jazz Festival.
Performance sets are at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Dizzy's Club Coca Cola is located at Jazz at Lincoln Center at Broadway and 60th Street. Reservations can be made by going to their website.
NEWS FROM PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
PARSONS STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN LITTLEBIGPLANET GAME JAM
On September 20 and 21, more than 150 Parsons students from disciplines as diverse as communication design, design and technology, fashion design, interior design, product design, illustration and photography, participated in a 24-hour Game Jam for the highly anticipated PlayStation®3 title, LittleBigPlanet. LittleBigPlanet is a community-based game for the PlayStation®3 that allows players to play, create and share the levels they build with other users throughout the world.
During the Game Jam, students were divided into 19 teams and competed to create the most inventive and challenging game levels possible in a 24-hour period. The resulting designs were judged by a panel of designers from Media Molecule, the award-winning development team responsible for LittleBigPlanet, IDEO, a leading global design consultancy, and Parsons.
The Best of Jam title went to "Team Sportsmanship" composed of Zach Gage, Kunal Patel, Subalekha Udayasankar, Caitriona McDaid-Kelly, and Meejin Hong. Awards were also given in the categories of most innovative, most personal, most fun, most beautiful, and the best use of design tools. The winning Game Jam levels will be featured in a special Parsons section within LittleBigPlanet when it launches this October.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES OFF TO A GREAT START THIS FALL
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International Student Services (ISS) was off to a great start this fall with over 800 new international students from 100 countries enrolled at The New School. More than 500 new students attended orientation in Tishman auditorium in early September.
On September 18 and 19, over 200 students made buttons for ISS's celebration of International Peace Day in the new Parsons lobby and at the weekly ISS coffee and tea event. Internationally Peace Day provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. Established by the United Nations in 1981, the International Day of Peace is celebrated annually on September 21. More information is available at www.un.org/events/peaceday or www.InternationalDayOfPeace.org
More than 2,000 or 22 percent of students at The New School are internationals, a fact that earned us top place for the most international students in a national university in the 2008-9 US News and World Report Best College rankings.
ISS is also premiering a new interactive guide for internationals, which includes footage of students from the school talking about their experiences as well as animation and narration to provide prospective and current international students with information about immigration guidelines, US academic customs, and more. You can view the guide at http://www.newschool.edu/studentservices/international. Click on Guide for International Students.
You can meet international students on campus by taking part in the many activities hosted by ISS or by emailing them to be included on their listserv. For the most up-to-date information about ISS and other Student Services events, please visit our new online calendar or via the link at the bottom of the university's homepage. Ongoing programs include the International Book Club and the Conversation Partners program.
FALL 2008 UNIVERSITY BLOOD DRIVE
This year’s semi-annual two-day fall blood drive is scheduled for Thursday, October 2, and Friday, October 3, 10:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m., at the Student Lounge, 6 East 16th Street, lower level. The New School has established a new and efficient web-based scheduling system: see below for login instructions. We ask you to support and participate in this important endeavor.
This is an opportunity for members of The New School community to contribute life-saving blood to grateful New Yorkers and to demonstrate our community spirit. There is an ongoing need for blood in our area for patients including accident victims, surgical patients, cancer patients, burn victims, hemophiliacs, and the elderly. The spring 2008 drive was a success with more then 60 donations.
New Web-Based Scheduling System:
Donors should try to make an appointment in advance via the new web scheduler, but walk-ins are always welcome.
*Important: initial access to the web scheduler requires all donors, new and returning, to click on the “New Users” sign-up button, so you can create a password for future access to the site.
The entire registration/donation process should take about an hour, with the actual blood-giving process lasting six or seven minutes. Donors must be between the ages of 17 and 75 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health, and not have donated blood within the last 56 days. Donors must also bring photo identification. Afterward, there will be snacks available, and complimentary Chartwells Dining Cards for donors will also be available while supplies last.
If you have specific questions about donating, please contact the New York Blood Center at 800.688.0900, or visit their website.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Earn $50! Psychological testing volunteers are needed for fall 2008—spring 2009. Doctoral students in the NSSR Clinical Psychology program need supervised experience giving a range of tests, some you may have heard of. Find out how psychologists work and learn something about yourself! Volunteers meet with one clinical PhD student several times throughout the year. Volunteers must be available both fall 2008 and spring 2009. Total testing time is about 6 hours, plus an hour of feedback in the spring 2009 semester after testing is completed. Test is strictly confidential and is supervised by PhD clinical psychologists on the New School faculty. Clinical students may discuss anonymous test results in small groups, but only the PhD student conducting the tests and the instructor will know each volunteer’s identity.
If you would like to volunteer, please contact the teaching assistants, Rebecca Rosen and Katherine Barboza, to arrange a telephone interview. Email Roser694@ newschool.edu or barbk846@newschool.edu
with any questions for the instructors, Dr. Andrew Twardon and Dr. Ali Khadivi, and it will be passed on.
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY'S ANNUAL MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER WALK ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19
The New School is taking part in the American Cancer Society's annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, October 19, at 9:00 a.m. in Central Park.
In 2006 and 2007, The New School collectively raised an impressive $6,902. This year the challenge for the university community is to beat last year’s total. Your donation will support the society's lifesaving research, educational policies, advocacy initiatives, and patient service programs, and it will send a message to cancer patients and survivors everywhere that hope starts here. Please take just a few minutes to donate and show that you care about fighting this disease.
To get information about registering and joining in the walk or just to make a donation, go to The New School's team-page on the web.
MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR U.S. STUDENTS
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Forty individuals are selected each year to study at a graduate or, in some cases, undergraduate institution each year in the United Kingdom. Fellows are supported for two years. The fellowship award includes university fees, living expenses, an annual book and thesis grant, grants for daily research and travel, and travel expenses to and from the United States. In some cases, where applicable, the scholarship will also pay towards supporting a dependent spouse. Applicants may be from any area of study and will need to have graduated from their institution after April 2006 for the 2009 award. For more information visit the scholarship website. The application deadline is October 2, 2008.
THE NINTH TCDS DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITY GRADUATE INSTITUTE IN CAPE TOWN,
SOUTH AFRICA
The New School’s Transregional Center for Democratic Studies will be conducting its ninth Democracy and Diversity Institute in Cape Town, South Africa, January 6-22, 2009. During the intensive two-week program, up to 40 junior scholars and graduate students from sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, Latin America, and central and eastern Europe will gather to examine challenges to democracy in the host region and beyond. The institute will offer seminar courses in political science, anthropology, economics, sociology, and gender studies, to be co-taught by faculty from The New School for Social Research and South African academics. Students will select two of the four seminar courses; they will also attend a series of master classes conducted by scholars and intellectuals from South Africa and other countries in the region. The program includes evening guest speakers and study tours to socially and politically significant sites in the Cape peninsula.
New School students will receive credits upon successful completion of their coursework (three credits per course). This graduate program is also open to advanced students from Eugene Lang College.
The following seminar courses will be offered at the 2009 institute:
Democracies and Boundaries: Conflicts About Membership, Borders, and Diversity
Prof. David Plotke,Department of Political Science, The New School for Social Research
Gender and Democracy
Profs. Elzbieta Matynia, Department of Sociology and Liberal Studies, The New School for Social Research, and Shireen Hassim, Department of Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Democracy and Africanism
Prof. Hylton White, Department of Anthropology, The New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, and guest speakers
Shifting Power in the Global Economy: Rethinking Development Strategies
Profs. William Milberg, Department of Economics, The New School for Social Research, and Stephen Gelb, executive director, the EDGE Institute, Johannesburg, and Department of Development Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
Applications, with full instructions, will be available beginning in September at www.newschool.edu/tcds. The deadline for applications is October 17, 2008.
For a full program description, contact TCDS at 212.229.5580 x3136 or tcds@newschool.edu, or visit www.newschool.edu/tcds.
CATCH THE “VAN GOGH AND THE COLORS OF THE NIGHT" EXHIBIT AT
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART FOR FREE
Did you know that you could get into this exciting museum for free? In order to receive your free admission, go to the lobby information desk and show them your valid New School ID. Students, faculty, and staff receive one free admission for themselves. Faculty and staff may also obtain an additional two tickets for their guests. Enjoy!
TIME OUT NEW YORK DISCOUNT OFFER
Start your year off being in the know about things free or fancy. Time Out New York is offering all students, faculty, and staff at The New School a full year's subscription for just $20! That's 51 issues for the entire year and only 39c an issue. Steal this deal for yourself or a gift to another.
THE BEST DEAL FOR AFFORDABLE THEATER, Dance, and concert TICKETS:
THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND
An exciting spring theater, music and dance season is under way: Why pay $100 or more, when you can pay $20-$36 for Broadway shows and Off-Broadway shows, dance performances and concerts? An inexpensive way to enjoy the best of New York culture is to join Theatre Development Fund (TDF).
To be eligible, you must be a full-time student or teacher, senior citizen (62+), civil servant, union member, staff member of a not-for-profit organization, performing arts professional, or member of the clergy or armed forces. Annual membership fee is $27.50, and you can join online.
A small sampling of performances recently available to TDF Members for $20-36 per ticket include: 13-A New Musical, The 39 Steps, Absinthe at the Spiegeltent, Altar Boyz, American Ballet Theatre, August: Osage County, Avenue Q, Ballet NY, Beast, Big Apple Circus, Boeing Boeing, The Fantasticks, Flamingo Court, Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, Fueerzabruta, Gypsy, Hairspray, Irena's Vow, Legally Blonde, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Marvelous Wonderettes, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Phantom of the Opera, Speed the Plow, Spring Awakening, The Seagull, To Be Or Not To Be and Xanadu.
So don't miss this great opportunity to see great theater at great prices.
The New York Times is offering a 60 percent discount ($.40/per day Monday-Saturday, $2.00 on Sunday) for home or office subscriptions to all faculty, staff, and students.
Here's how it works. Unlike traditional subscriptions, the education rate can be set up by semester or in a combination that best reflects your schedules for both delivery and billing. New School faculty, staff, and students can have a subscription Monday-Friday, Sunday only, weekends only, or any combination.
To take advantage of the special discount to the Times or to change a current subscription, students, faculty (full-time and part-time), and staff should contact the customer service center at 888.NYT.COLL, to order a single subscription or a classroom subscription of up to eight copies for required reading in the classroom.
To order a classroom subscription of eight or more copies for required reading in the classroom, contact the education program's customer service center at 800.631.1222.
WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY ON ENTERTAINMENT?
As a member of The New School, you have access to exclusive entertainment benefits through Plum Benefits! From theater and dance to sports and comedy, you can use this benefit to save time and money when ordering tickets for great seats to the hottest events in town! Log on 24/7 to enjoy:
Exclusive offers for premiere entertainment
Discounts of up to 50% off
Access to hard-to-get seats
Cost-free service
No ticket-ordering obligations
Easy ticket ordering
Helpful Customer Service at www.plumbenefits.com, 212.660.1888, or contact@plumbenefits.com
Already Signed Up to View Your Entertainment Benefits Online?
Log in now at www.plumbenefits.com to view this month's entertainment offers.
Not Yet Signed Up to View Your Entertainment Benefits Online?
Simply visit www.plumbenefits.com, click the "Sign-Up Now" button and follow the on-site instructions to create your profile and password. Registration is free and takes just a few moments-all you need is your groupwise email address.
The Weekly Observer, The New School online publication, is sent to everyone with a University email account. It is also available on the University web site. To add an external address to the email list, please send a message from the account you wish to add to majordomo@newsite.newschool.edu. In the message, on a line by itself, type "subscribe observer".
To submit at item for publication in The Observer, please email observer@newschool.edu.
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