NEW SCHOOL SHINES AT INAUGURATION
From First Lady fashions to the ceremony's musical accompaniment, The New School was well represented at Tuesday's presidential inauguration. Michelle Obama paid tribute to American fashion by wearing the work of three Parsons-trained designers, Isabel Toledo, Narciso Rodriguez, and Jason Wu, during the festivities. Obama, who makes a conscious effort to support established and emerging American designers in her appearances, has favored Parsons designers throughout the election season. The New School was also represented onstage, as Mannes woodwind teacher and clarinetist Anthony McGill performed alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman during the ceremony.
The Department of Media Studies and Film Program in Screenwriting Named Among Top Ten in America
The New School's Screenwriting Certificate program was recognized as one of the top ten in North America in the December 2008 issue of Independent magazine.
The filmmaking magazine praised the program for its curriculum, which is designed for serious and talented graduate, undergraduate, or adult-education students. Independent states that students are guided through the entire screenplay writing process and upon completion of the core sequence of screenwriting courses, have a comprehensive grounding in story, character, theme, action, visuals, and dialogue.
The top-ten list ranks The New School alongside other big-name media schools like New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Boston University School of Communications.
Please visit the Independent's website for the full article.
LEARN ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY:
SEMINAR ON THE NEW SCHOOL
The Seminar on the University is a series of discussions designed to inform The New School community of university policies and initiatives. The speakers’ papers are meant as springboards for further discussion.
The second paper for this academic year, entitled “Online Learning at The New School” will be presented by Shelley Reed, senior vice president for Information Technology and Linda Dunne, dean, The New School for General Studies. Reflecting the university’s commitment to expanding online course offerings, seminar participants will describe the wide range of online classes and programs—currently offered throughout The New School, and they will discuss the support available to faculty who develop and teach online. Speakers will include Timothy Quigley, associate professor and director of the NSGS Bachelor's Program; Sean Conley, chair, English Language Studies; Eleni Litt, director of Faculty Development and Academic Support in the Office of the Provost; Jim O’Connor, academic director of Online Learning, and James Acevedo, associate director of Online Learning, Information Technology.
The seminar will take place on Thursday, February 12, 2009 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the Theresa Lang Community and Student Center at 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor.
Discussion Papers are available in the Dean's offices and on the university website one week before the Seminar.
The remaining seminars scheduled for the 2008-2009 academic year are: Developing the 2009-2010 University Operating Budget, presented by Jeanne Plecenik, vice president and treasurer, on Thursday, March 26, 2009; and The University Annual Report, presented by James Murtha, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Nancy Donner, vice president for Communications and External Affairs; and Doris Suarez, vice president and secretary of the Corporation, on Thursday, April 23, 2009.
THE UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER MOVES
The University Writing Center is moving to the ninth floor of 71 Fifth Avenue, effective January 30, 2009. For more information, email writingcenter@newschool.edu.
DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY TEACHING AWARDS FOR 2009
Students and faculty are invited to nominate outstanding faculty for this year's teaching excellence awards. Awardees will be notified in late spring, and will receive their awards formally at convocation in September 2009.
Eligibility: Faculty members who have taught at The New School for at least four semesters and who are available to receive the award at the fall 2009 convocation.
How to Nominate: See detailed information about the criteria and submit your nominations at www.newschool.edu/duta. All nominations must be submitted online.
Nominations must include the following information:
- Name of faculty member being nominated.
- Nominator's name, school, and contact information.
- Description of the nominee's relevant merits, giving specific examples using criteria related to the nominee's impact on and involvement with, students and colleagues (maximum of 500 words).
Deadline for all nominations is Friday, February 27, 2009. If you have questions or need further information please email FordD@newschool.edu.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost.
NEWS FROM MILANO THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MANAGEMENT AND URBAN POLICY
NOW WHAT? NYC'S ELECTION YEAR FISCAL CRISIS
The Center for New York City Affairs brings together key stakeholders to discuss the city’s response to the fiscal crisis during an election year. Now that the boom is over, the city's families and neighborhoods are beginning to feel the consequences. Mayor Bloomberg managed seven years of rapid budget growth but now, as he prepares to run for a third term, the city faces potentially massive shortfalls. How fast and how hard will a sputtering economy and shrinking revenues hit city services? Are tax hikes smart? Is New York facing a reprise of the 1970s?
The panel will be moderated by Adam Lisberg, city hall bureau chief, New York Daily News. Speakers will include Joshua Freeman, professor, Queens College; Mark Winston Griffith, fellow, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy; Ronnie Lowenstein, director, NYC Independent Budget Office; Elba Montalvo, executive director, Committee for Hispanic Children and Families; Preston Niblack, budget director, New York City Council; and Mark Page, director, NYC Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The event will be held on Tuesday, January 27, from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. in the Theresa Lang Community and Student Center located on the 2 nd floor in Arnhold Hall at 55 West 13th Street. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Reservations are required by calling 212.229.5418 or emailing centernyc@newschool.edu.
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
SCHOOL IS OUT BUT NEW SCHOOL JAZZ IS STILL IN AT SWEET RHYTHM
New School Jazz kicked of the New Year at Sweet Rhythm on Monday, January 5, with New School Jazz alumna Albert Rivera’s Quintet, featuring Albert Rivera, tenor and soprano saxophones; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Luques Curtis, bass; John Iannuzzi, drums; and New School Alum, Nick Roseboro on trumpet.
On Monday, January 12, New School Jazz Director of Academic Affairs leads a quartet featuring Dan Greenblatt, tenor saxophone; David Marck, piano; Ed Fuqua, bass; Jeff Brillinger, drums and special guest; and Tatum Greenblatt, trumpet.
New School alum Jean Rohe will bring an eclectic sextet to Sweet Rhythm on Monday, January 19. Rohe will lead on vox and percussion and feature Liam Robinson, accordion; Chris Michael, percussion; Ilusha Tsinadze, guitar; Jeremy Viner, clarinet; and Benjy Fox-Rosen-bass
New School Haengsoo Seol rounds out the month on Monday, January 26, with One Soul Fellowship featuring Art Hirahara, piano; Masahiro Yamamoto, saxophone; Haengsoo Seol, bass, Franco Pinna, Drums; JD, Rap; and Marta Gomez, vocals.
All performances take place at Sweet Rhythm, 88 Seventh Avenue South (Between Bleecker and Grove). Sets are at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Admission is $10 cover, $10 minimum; No cover for students, $5 minimum. Reservations can be made by calling 212.255.3626. For the full schedule of events, visit www.jazz.newschool.edu or call 212.229.5896 x4591.
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DRAMA
DRAMA FACULTY MEMBER’S ADAPTATION OF HEDDA GABLER BEGINS BROADWAY PREVIEWS
New School for Drama playwriting faculty member Christopher Shinn’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler began preview performances on Broadway this past Tuesday, January 6. This new production by the Roundabout Theater Company stars Mary-Louise Parker in the title role, and is being directed by Ian Rickson, who also directed the recent Broadway production of The Seagull.
“Ibsen is my favorite playwright and the writer I always dreamed about adapting, so I felt like I could do it,” Shinn speaks of the new work. “There are certain things that audiences have heard time and time again,” he said, noting that where the language had gotten dusty he tried to “open the window and let some fresh air in.” And because audiences today have higher shock thresholds than audiences in Ibsen’s time, he felt it was appropriate to “excavate” some social and psychological insights that were present in Ibsen’s text but buried. “The way you honor a radical writer is not to write a conservative adaptation of his work,” he said, summing up his approach.
Shinn’s plays include Where Do We Live and Dying City, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2008. Hedda Gabler is currently in previews at the American Airlines Theatre, with the official opening of January 25, 2009.
Visit www.roundabouttheatre.org for more information.
NEWS FROM MANNES COLLEGE THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MUSIC
ANTERO WINDS MAKES NEW YORK DEBUT AT THE NEW SCHOOL
On January 18, 2009 at 2:00 p.m., the Antero Winds will make their New York Debut as part of the 2008-09 Schneider Concerts series.
The Antero Winds, comprised of five musicians from three countries, are the graduate woodwind quintet in residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The musicians are Cobus du Toit, flute; Sarah Mellander, oboe; Jerome Fleg, clarinet; Megan Garrison, horn; and Kaori Uno, bassoon. Their performances have brought them to an array of venues throughout Colorado and beyond. The ensemble earned first prize at the 2007 Plowman Chamber Music Competition and a silver medal at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
The program will consist of Verdi Overture to La Forza del Destino (arr. Joachim Linckelmann); Haydn Divertimento in B-flat major (arr. Harold Perry); Barber Summer Music; Piazzolla Milonga sin palabras (arr. William Scribner); and Nielsen Quintet for Winds, op. 43. It will take place in Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th Street. Admission is $25.00; $15.00 for seniors; and $5.00 for stand-by tickets for high school and college students with ID.
Founded at The New School in 1957 by the late Eva H. Simons for Alexander Schneider, conductor, violinist, and member of the famed Budapest String Quartet, the series was renamed the Schneider Concerts in his honor following his death in 1993. Its mission is to seek out and offer exposure early in their careers to the most outstanding and promising young musicians and ensembles and to offer chamber music concerts of the highest caliber at ticket prices modest enough to ensure access to all New Yorkers.
2008 NADIA REISENBERG AWARD RECITAL:
SAM ARMSTRONG, PIANO
On Monday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m., Sam Armstrong will present this recital as the winner of the 2008 Nadia Reisenberg Piano Award, which seeks a Mannes pianist who embodies the qualities in Nadia Reisenberg’s playing. The Nadia Reisenberg Award was created by Robert Sherman and his brother Alexander Sherman in honor of their late mother, Nadia Reisenberg (an acclaimed pianist, one of the most important piano pedagogues of the last century, and a longtime Mannes faculty member) on the 100th anniversary of her birth.
English Pianist Sam Armstrong has performed across the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, China, and the United States. Armstrong has been a major prizewinner in national and international competitions, including the Beethoven Society of Europe Competition in London and the Porto International Piano Competition in Portugal. He was also a laureate in the Epinal International Piano Competition in France and was winner of the Martin Richardson Memorial Award from the Philharmonia Orchestra/ Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, as well as other awards from the MBF Music Education Fund, the Wingate Foundation and the Goldsmith Foundation. He is currently studying with Richard Goode at Mannes College.
The concert will take place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Tickets, available at the Carnegie Box Office are $25; students/seniors: $10, and can be purchased by calling Carnegiecharge: 212.247.7800. For more information about this event call 212.580.0210 x4817.
NEWS FROM PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
JOHNSON CENTER WINS PRESTIGIOUS DESIGN AWARD
The Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons was recently named a 2009 AIA Institute Honor Award winner, the industry's most prestigious honor. Designed by Lyn Rice Architects, the center was one of twenty five projects selected from a pool of over 700 international applicants. This year's award recipients will be honored in April at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.
Opened in February 2008, the Sheila C. Johnson Design center combined four adjacent buildings at street level to create a 32,800-square-foot urban quad and programming destination. The center was funded by a generous $7 million donation from philanthropist and Parsons board chair Sheila C. Johnson.
This is the latest in a string of design awards for the center, including the 2008 AIA New York State Award of Excellence, the 2008 American Institute of Architects NY/Boston Society of Architects Biennial Building Type Honor Award for Educational Facility Design, and the 2007 American Institute of Architects/NY Merit Award for Projects.
For more information on the AIA Awards, please visit the AIA website (link to: www.aia.org). For more information on the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, please visit the website.
PARSONS FASHION DESIGNERS HONORED WITH TOP INDUSTRY PRIZES
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Parsons designers were recently honored with prominent fashion industry awards.
Alumni Carly Cushnie (BFA ’07) and Michelle Ochs (BFA ’07) of Cushnie et Ochs, and Flora Gill (BFA ’02) and Alexa Adams (BFA ’02) of Ohne Titel recently received the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award, which includes $25,000 to fund a runway show at New York Fashion Week. Each year, vintage wine company Ecco Domani honors seven up-and-coming designers/labels who represent the future of fashion. This year’s winners join a long list of Parsons alumni who have been selected for the award, including Peter Som, Thakoon Panichgul, Doo Ri Chung, Derek Lam, and Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCullough of Proenza Schouler.
Current student Christine Wu was named a 2009 Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Fund recipient at the 2009 FSF Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner on January 7. Wu, a menswear designer, is one of four students selected from hundreds of applicants to receive the $25,000 scholarship, which supports fashion education costs and facilitates internships, mentorships, and career programs. The Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Fund awards $400,000 annually to promising fashion design students, and is considered one of the most prestigious student design awards in the country.
For more information, please visit Ecco Domani on the web or Geoffrey Beene on the web.
DEMOCRACY & DIVERSITY
GRADUATE SUMMER INSTITUTE,WROCLAW, POLAND
JULY 9-26, 2009
The eighteenth Democracy & Diversity Graduate Summer Institute, organized by the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS) of The New School for Social Research, will take place in Wroclaw, Poland, from July 9-26, 2009. TCDS will welcome 40 junior scholars from the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world for this intensive three-week program of study in society, culture and politics.
Building on the achievements of our Krakow Institute (1991-2008), our new transatlantic laboratory in Wroclaw will offer a full semester’s worth of studies under the working title: “The New World Meets the New Europe.” The program is designed to facilitate intellectual and experiential insights into a momentous experiment now under way: the peaceful construction of transnational Europe. In an increasingly interdependent world fraught with violent conflicts, wars, and ethnic and religious tensions, it’s vital to understand the past and present lessons involved in this extraordinary experiment in transborder institution building.
Known as an intimate international forum for lively but rigorous debate on critical issues of democratic life, the Institute brings an interdisciplinary, comparative, and highly interactive approach to the social, political, and cultural challenges facing today’s world. Core faculty from New School for Social Research will be joined by other distinguished American and international scholars and guest speakers. Upon completion of the Institute, U.S. graduate students receive full course credits and non-U.S. participants receive Institute certificates.
Located between Berlin, Prague and Warsaw, and saturated with the history and memory of these three distinct cultures, Wroclaw (formerly Breslau) is a beautiful and booming city that uniquely conveys both the challenges and the promise of a united Europe. Drawing on Wroclaw’s culture of the borderland, TCDS’s network of distinguished and dedicated collaborators and alumni, and the New School’s reputation stemming from our long-term engagement in the region, this new Institute promises a strong and innovative program on the New Europe that will reflect our ongoing commitment to critical inquiry and dialogue as paths to improvement of the human condition.
Please watch for the full program announcement, including institute faculty, courses, program fees, and application instructions and deadlines, in mid-February 2009.
STUDENTS INVITED TO COMPETE IN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT CONTEST
The Responsibility Campaign invites you to create a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) on the negative consequences of underage drinking. The PSA's content should address binge drinking and deter underage drinkers from purchasing and/or consuming alcoholic beverages. The winning PSA will creatively and artistically capture this message.
First prize is $1,000; second prize is $500; and third prize is $250.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three submissions and announced at a special reception for the finalists hosted by the Responsibility Campaign.
For contest details, rules, and applications visit the NYU website. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Sunday, February 1.
The Responsibility Campaign was created to form an alliance among New York City's elected officials, Community Boards Two and Three, New York University, The New School, Cooper Union, student groups, and local bar owners to develop a framework for responsibility and safety for university students and others involved in NYC nightlife.
Through these partnerships, the Responsibility Campaign has established working relationships with students and bar/club operators to proactively work towards the prevention of underage and binge drinking.
USE YOUR FREE ADMISSION TO DROP IN ON MOMA’S AFTER HOUR MONDAY NIGHTS
Monday, December 8, 2008, marks the first of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA’s) Monday Nights, a series of Monday evenings over the next six months when the Museum will remain open until 8:45 p.m. We encourage New School students and employees to drop in after work and enjoy access to the entire Museum. 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.
There will be live entertainment as well as drinks and cocktails available for purchase. MoMA is located at 11 West 53rd Street, New York City. 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@listserv.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.
Submissions deadline for the Observer:
Submissions for the Observer must be received by Wednesday afternoon to appear in the following issue.
