INDIA CHINA INSTITUTE LAUNCHES A THIRD FELLOWSHIP IN SOCIAL INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTS
The India China Institute (ICI) at The New School has announced the third round of its signature fellowship program, choosing as its theme “Social Innovation for Sustainable Environments.” A total of six fellows, two each from China, India and The New School, will be chosen for the program, which runs from January 2010 to June 2012.
The program seeks to build on ICI’s previous fellowships, including the 2006 to 2008 cohort focusing on “Urbanization and Globalization,” and the 2008 to 2010 program on “Prosperity and Inequality.” This third round of the fellowship takes advantage of the unique history and strengths of The New School in social sciences, design, and environment, as well as over 30 distinguished ICI Fellows.
The new Fellowship Program will focus on addressing the complex and interconnected problems associated with climate change and environmental sustainability. Social innovation will aim to develop creative solutions, skills, knowledge, and entrepreneurship as drivers to mitigate and overcome multi-faceted challenges and achieve environmental sustainability. Through collaborative research and debates, fellows will critically examine definitions and parameters of both social innovation and sustainability in India and China, and prompt a three-way dialogue that includes perspectives from the Unites States. The fellows’ work will develop ways to reframe policymaking and implementation, reinvigorate local governance, and redirect material flows and market forces that would have direct or indirect impact on the environment.
The Fellowship award amounts to approximately $40,000 in research, travel and support funds.
The India China Institute was established in 2004, and is emerging as the hub of an international network of institutions and activities that nurture conversations about India, China, and the United States and deepen our understanding of global processes. Made possible in part by a generous $10 million grant from the Starr Foundation, ICI is committed to analyzing major issues and trends in India, China, and the United States and helping leaders, managers, public intellectuals, and opinion builders in all three countries address key challenges through collaborative solutions.
NEW SCHOOL JAZZ STUDENTS TAKE TOP PRIZES
New School Jazz student, vocalist, Brianna Thomas won the top prize at the 6th annual Jazz Mobile Vocal Competition at Gospel Uptown in Harlem on July 27. Ninety singers entered the competition. Thomas made it to the final round of 8 competitors, and placed first after a tie-breaking sing off. Thomas will receive a $2,000. award and Jazz Mobile will present her in concert.
Guitarist Rotem Sivan came in third place at the legendary 43rd annual Montreux Jazz Festival Guitar Competition. He was awarded a Les Paul Gold Top 57 guitar.
CONVOCATION TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 3
New School students, faculty, and staff are invited to mark the opening of the 2009-2010 academic year at the Convocation Ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 3, 3:00 p.m., in Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street. The program includes a welcome from President Bob Kerrey and University Student Senate President Tushar Gogia, remarks by Provost Tim Marshall, and presentation of the Distinguished University Teaching Awards. Julia Foulkes, associate professor of history at The New School for General Studies, will give this year’s Aims of Education Address.
The 2009 Distinguished University Teaching Awards will be presented to Jinsook Erin Cho, Parsons The New School for Design; Lisa R. Rubin, The New School for Social Research and The New School for General Studies; Susan Shapiro, The New School for General Studies; and Mary R. Watson, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy.
The 13th Annual Welcome Block Party, on West 12th Street, will immediately follow the ceremony.
Updated information on this year’s Convocation is available on the university’s website.
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
PROFESSOR DUNCAN FOLEY STRESSES THE NEED OF AGENT-BASED MODELLING IN NATURE MAGAZINE.
Professor Duncan Foley, the Leo Model Professor of Economics at The New School for Social Research, and his co-author J. Doyne Farmer from Santa Fe Institute, published an opinion article in the international weekly journal Nature entitled, “The Economy Needs Agent Based Modelling.”
The article presents the need for agent-based models, especially during this time of unprecedented fiscal uncertainty. An agent-based model is a computerized simulation of a number of decision-makers (agents) and institutions, which interact through prescribed rules. The agents can be as diverse as needed — from consumers to policy-makers and Wall Street professionals — and the institutional structure can include everything from banks to the government. These models allow each agent to act according to its current situation, the state of the world around it and the rules governing its behaviour.
The authors’ argue that the time and complexities of modeling the economy would be arduous, but it would provide policy makers with “an unprecedented understanding of the emergent properties of interacting parts in complex circumstances.”
PROFESSOR JAMES MILLER DECONSTRUCTS WOODSTOCK IN THE NEW YORK TIMES OPINION SECTION
James Miller, professor of Politics and Liberal Studies at The New School for Social Research and author of Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977,
was featured in the New York Times Opinion section in an article titled, “From Woodstock to Sarah Palin, or Not.”
The editors of the Times use the 40th anniversary of theWoodstock music festival to ask prominent authors and academics to address the event’s political, cultural and economic impact. In his response, titled, “Counterculture as Cash Register,” Miller states that one of the effects of Woodstock was to solidify counter-cultural artifacts as successful commercial commodities, especially within mainstream media. He ends by pointing out that 40 years later, President Barack Obama has transcended many of the political identities established in the 60’s.
NEWS FROM PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
PARSONS ALUMNA CREATES BUSINESS OUT OF FOUND TREASURES
Parsons graduate Amelia Cunard is in the process of launching Re-Fab, an innovative company that focuses on the local and sustainable manuracturing of furniture. Cunard first developed the idea of the product line as her product design thesis project, which was part of Parsons 2008 A Good Life. Through A Good Life, students design products that address a range of social issues, working in partnership with nonprofit organizations. Cunard’s inspiration came from picking up pieces left on the side of the road in the West Village and re-creating new pieces of furniture from her findings.
Last fall, following graduation, Cunard was chosen to participate in the Milano course Social Entrepreneurship Through Design. In this course co-taught by Milano and Parsons Product Design Faculty, Milano students develop business plans for products that address social needs, including Good Life projects.
Cunard has established partnerships with a New Jersey furniture company and a group called Build it Green which takes waste from construction sites and gives it to craftsmen to work with rather than sending these materials to a landfill. Re-Fab was a finalist in New York’s Green Business Competition that focuses on emerging green business in the area and rewards them with investment funds.
For more information visit: http://www.refabdesigns.com
NEWS FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
NEW SCHOOL JAZZ PERFORMS IN MANY NYC VENUES THROUGHOUT AUGUST
New School Jazz faculty, alumni, and students performed in big and small venues throughout August. From Soho to the Upper Westside, and from the West Side to the East Side, the New School Jazz community braved the heat to perform in a variety of different settings.
Hudson River Trust Stars of Tomorrow, in the West Village, featured waterfront performances by New School students Amanda Ruzza and Erika Kapin on August 14 and 15. Brad Mehldau led a trio on the Upper West Side at SMOKE; New School Jazz faculty Chico Hamilton was also on the Upper West Side leading his group Euphoria on tunes from his latest CD, Twelve Tones of Love.
On the East Side, at the Jazz Standard, New School Jazz faculty member Joanne Brackeen led her quartet, which featured New School alum E.J. Strickland. While in Soho, at the Jazz Gallery, New School alum, Gilad Hekselman led a quartet that featured New School alum, Marcus Gilmore.
The Strickland Brothers celebrated the releases of their CDs at Joe’s Pub, in the East Village. E.J Strickland’s release is titled In This Day and Marcus Strickland’s is titled Idiosyncrasies.
NEWS FROM MILANO THE NEW SCHOOL FOR MANAGEMENT AND URBAN POLICY
NEW FACULTY MEMBER JOINS MILANO
Michele Kahane will be joining Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy in the fall as professor of Professional Practice of Social Entrepreneurship and a member of the management faculty.
Kahane comes to Milano from the Clinton Global Initiative, where she was director of commitments. In that role, she led the staff that advised CGI members (corporations, NGOs, universities, and foundations) about their social investments; identified and brokered partnerships among members; monitored and evaluated member commitments; and disseminated best practice information. Previously, she was director of Special Projects, Research, and Policy Unit at the Center for Corporate Citizenship, Boston College, Carroll School of Management. During this time, she co-authored Untapped: Creating Value in Underserved Markets (Berrett-Koehler, 2006), with John Weiser, Steve Rochlin, and Jessica Landis.
In a previous role, Kahane was program officer in the Economic Development Unit of the Ford Foundation. She created and led a $50 million program that cataloged new business models and cross-sector partnerships focused on poverty alleviation in the United States and developing countries. Kahane serves on the board of the Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future, the steering committee of the Institute for Responsible Investment, the NY Regional Association of Grantmakers Task Force on Hurricane Katrina, and the Fast Forward Fund
In the fall Kahane will be teaching Emerging Trends in Social Investment. She will also be working with Milano faculty Dennis Derryck, Blaise Rastello, and Charles Alison to develop Milano's social entrepreneurship area by increasing visibility, resources, and learning opportunities for students.
Kahane received her MBA and MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and a BA degree from Princeton University.
NEW FROM THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DRAMA
DRAMA ALUM RECEIVES NY INNOVATIVE THEATRE AWARD NOMINATION
New School for Drama alum Nedra McClyde (’05) is nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award (IT Awards) for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role for her work in Miss Evers' Boys, which was produced by Red Fern Theatre Company at the Shell Theatre in New York City this past season.
"Melanie Moyer Williams was such a giving and understanding director,” Nedra says about her experience working on the show. “She and all those other amazing actors... it made it so easy to fall in love with this production.”
The IT Awards are given annually to honor individuals and organizations who have achieved artistic excellence in Off-Off-Broadway theatre, and it recognizes the unique and essential role Off-Off-Broadway plays in contributing to American and global culture. The awards will be presented at on September 21, 2009.
PLAYWRIGHT ALUMNA SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN LARK’S PLAYWRIGHTS’ WEEK
The Lark Play Development Center and the Indo-American Arts Council announced their selections for the 16th Annual Playwrights Week Festival, selecting Bekah Brunstetter (Drama '07) as one of this year’s participants. Eight plays were chosen for development from over 600 submissions, which included Brunstetter’s Miss Lily Gets Boned.
The playwrights will spend a weeklong residency at the Lark developing their work with professional actors, a director, and Lark staff; they will then present that work in a public reading during the Festival, which runs September 30-October 4.
Plays developed at the Lark regularly go on to full productions at theaters across the globe. Some of last years participants from throughout the U.S. whose plays were produced included Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop which played in London’s West End; Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Good Negro produced by the Public Theater in New York; and Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo which premiered at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.
For more information, visit the Lark Theatre website.
USE YOUR FREE ADMISSION TO DROP IN ON MOMA’S AFTER HOUR THURSDAY NIGHTS IN
JULY AND AUGUST
Thursday, July 2, 2009, marks the first of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA’s) Thursday Nights, a series of Thursday evenings in July and August 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 $20-36 per ticket include: 33 Variations, The 39 Steps, Altar Boyz, American Ballet Theatre, The American Plan, August: Osage County, Avenue Q, Ballet NY, Beast, Big Apple Circus, Blithe Spirit, Christopher Cross at B.B. King's, Distracted, Enter Laughing, Exit the King, The Fantasticks, Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab, Fueerzabruta, Gypsy, Hedda Gabler, Impressionism, Irena's Vow, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, London Philharmonic at Lincoln Center; The Marvelous Wonderettes, Mourning Becomes Electra, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, Next to Normal, Pal Joey, Patti Austin at Brooklyn Center; Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Phantom of the Opera, Reasons to be Pretty, Rock of Ages, Ruined, Shrek: The Musical; Speed the Plow, Spring Awakening and Uncle Vanya.
So don't miss this great opportunity to see great theater at great prices.
The New York Times is offering a 60 percent discount ($.40/per day Monday-Saturday, $2.50 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".
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