| November 7, 2004 - Volume 2, Issue 2
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| ECSU Concert Chorale’s Heads to Carnegie Hall |
On Sunday, Nov. 21, the Eastern Connecticut
State University (ECSU) Concert Chorale will perform at New York
City’s Carnegie Hall. The Concert Chorale will join five
other university choirs from across the country to perform Mozart’s
Coronation Mass. Earl Rivers of the Cincinnati Conservatory of
Music will lead the vocalists, and the New England Symphonic Ensemble
will provide accompaniment for the performance. Tickets for the
concert are available at www.carnegiehall.org
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Dr. Carter Speaks at Brown vs. Board of Education Conference |
| On Oct. 18, President Carter was the luncheon
speaker at the Connecticut Department of Education’s Brown
vs. Board of Education Conference at the Farmington Marriott Hotel.
Carter said that although progress has been made for some, far
too many people have yet to realize the American dream. Citing
Langston Hughes’ poem, “I Too, Sing America,”
he said, “We have an obligation today that may be greater
than our fathers faced. Only our humanity will save us.”
He ended his presentation with Maya Angelou’s poem, “I
Rise.” |
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Pullen
Receives CSU Citation |
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Elaine A. Pullen, this year’s Distinguished
Business Executive-in-Residence, was honored at a special luncheon
on Nov. 3 in the President’s Dining Room. At the luncheon,
Dr. Carter presented Pullen with a citation from the Connecticut
State University Board of Trustees, telling her, “You are
special not only because you have excelled in a man’s world,
but because you have done so in a way that serves as a model for
all of us. To have a woman executive-in-residence of your stature
is an honor for this University.”
Pullen is the president of Gerber Scientific Products, the current
chair of the Connecticut Technology Council, and is also a member
of the Connecticut Governor’s Council on Economic Competitiveness. |
Eastern
Alum Wins Ecology Award |
Heather Fried, Class of 2001 and a
Barnard scholar as well, has been named the recipient of the George
Mercer Award from the Ecological Society of America, the largest
ecology professional society in the world. The Mercer Award recognizes
an outstanding ecological research paper by one or more “younger”
researchers who are under the age of 40 at the time of publication.
Fried, now a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, co-authored
“Biodiversity, Invasion Resistance, and Marine Ecosystem
Function: Reconciling Pattern and Process.”
According to the Bulletin of Ecological Society of America, “The
connection between structure and function within ecosystems is
a grand challenge for an ecologist, and understanding the role
of invasive species in that context is critical for management
and conservation. Fried and her colleagues have conducted one
of the very few studies in marine environments that explicitly
test effects of diversity on ecosystem functions. It contains
elegant field experiments using sessile marine invertebrates that
are well-linked to surveys conducted in natural habitats of Long
Island Sound, with clear articulations of complex results. Way to go Heather! |
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Transfiguration on Exhibit in Akus
Gallery |
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The Akus Gallery is hosting Transfiguration,
an exhibition focusing on the use of the figure as a subject
for visual art, through Thursday, Dec. 16. On Thursday, Nov.
18 at 3 p.m. the gallery will host a panel discussion with the
artists, followed by a reception beginning at 5 p.m.
The figure has been termed the oldest subject in visual art.
The earliest known images of the human figure date back to 17,000
years ago on the walls of the Lascaux caves. Because the figure-image
is essentially the same form as its artist-maker, it can offer
a far wider range of form and meaning than other subjects in
art.
The six artists featured in Transfiguration include sculptors
Eda Easton and Mary-Beth Gregg, painter and draughtswoman Laura
Elkins, painters Tim Wilson and Luigino Valentin, and photographer
Joni Sternbach. They are well acquainted with the figure as
a required subject for their profession, and understand the
figure’s rich capacity for expression. Through their varied
images in drawings, paintings, photographs, and sculpture, these
artists express memories, desires, energy, ecstasy, humility,
ethos and pathos in their subjects. |
Two Eastern Students Showcased at
Innovative Expo |
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Steve Hudson |
Tim Jordan |
On Oct. 19, two Eastern graphic art students received
design awards at the Innovative Expo, a regional trade show designed
to provide area businesses with an opportunity to showcase their
goods and services. Steve Hudson, a senior from East Hartford,
is the first place winner, while Tim Jordan, a sophomore from
Plainfield, received honorable mention. The expo was held at the
Groton Inn Suites in Groton. Both students are enrolled in Professor
Sharon Butler’s graphic design class.
The theme for the expo was “A Salute to American Businesses.”
Hudson’s poster illustrated two shaking hands — one
hand wearing stars and stripes on the cuffs; the other hand wearing
a business suit. Butler said, “Steve’s images symbolize
how businesses drive the American economy. Tim’s poster
uses elegant typography and an unusual horizontal format to create
a unique and visually interesting design that compels a viewer
to examine the design more thoroughly.” Hudson’s poster
will be displayed in various businesses throughout southeastern
Connecticut. |
Katherine
Ramirez Wins Award |
| Katherine Ramirez, a psychology and
Spanish major from Hartford, has been named the recipient of the
Promesa Youth Award by the Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican
Affairs Commission. Ramirez was presented the award during the
Commission’s Seventh Annual Gala Awards Banquet held at
the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in October. Ramirez currently
serves as president of Eastern’s OLAS Club and is a student
orientation counselor. She also is a member of the Education Club
and the National Education Association. Under her leadership,
OLAS, one of Eastern’s most visible and active clubs, was
awarded the Student Club of the Year. Ramirez’s involvement
in community service includes assisting and renovating West Avenue
Projects for children and volunteering at Lebanon Elementary School. She intends to pursue a master’s degree
in higher education administration. |
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Harlem
Rockets to Bring Their Show to Eastern |
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“The Eastern All-Stars” will take on
The Harlem Rockets on Nov. 10. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. in Eastern’s
Francis Geissler Gymnasium. Admission is $2 for Eastern students
and $5 for the public. The Rockets have been called “Comedy
Basketball at its Best.” It’s all part of a fundraiser
conducted by Diana Pepin and Denise Bierly, Eastern’s softball
and head women’s basketball coaches, respectively. The Eastern
team features nearly 20 faculty and staff, including Denise “Light
it Up” Bierly; assistant softball coach Jay “Slam-a-Jamma”
Wetherell; Bill “Dazzling” Geitner, head men’s
basketball coach; and Graphic Design Specialist Kevin “Brick” Paquin. Even with such talent, Pepin says the Eastern All-Stars
need some help, mainly a huge crowd to cheer them.
Pepin said the main goal is to “laugh a lot, have some fun.
It’s a great night out for the family. The Rockets are well
known for their trick shots and entertaining ways with kids. Their
main mission is not to win or lose, but to give a good show by
focusing on audience participation. They engage the audience by
dazzling them with their creativity and basketball talent. In
addition, the half-time show allows children from the audience
to test their basketball skills and receive prizes.” |
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