September 2007

Vermont Public Radio: Francois Clemmons still popular from “Mr. Rogers Neighboorhood”: “Middlebury College artist in residence Francois Clemmons played the role of Officer Clemmons on the popular television program, “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” It has been on the air since 1968, and is now in reruns. VPR’s Jane Lindholm sat down with Clemmons in his Middlebury home and asked him to share some of his memories of being on the seminal PBS program.”

Also: Francois Clemmons’ web site.

Old Chapel enters blogosphere – News: “Though some may have difficulty imagining top College administrators to be as plugged-in as the students they are responsible for, the newfound popularity of user-supported sites such as YouTube or Flickr has made it possible for virtually anybody to create a personal presence online. … It should hardly come as a surprise, then, that President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz and Dean of the College Tim Spears have also caught the digital media bug. “

Ron Liebowitz’s blog: http://rononmiddlebury.wordpress.com

Tim Spears’ blog: http://deanofthecollege.wordpress.com

Noted journalist sounds climate wake-up call Addison Independent: “MIDDLEBURY — After a brief introduction by Ripton author Bill McKibben last Wednesday, Ross Gelbspan looked out at the crowd packed into Middlebury College’s new Hillcrest Environmental Center and told them they should probably leave now. He was about to talk about the American stalemate on climate change and it would only go downhill from here.”

Middlebury College establishes summer language programs for high school students: “Middlebury College has established the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA), a summer language immersion program for pre-college students. The four-week residential camps will begin in July 2008, and will offer Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish. The 2008 sessions will take place on the campuses of St. Michael’s College in Colchester; Menlo College in Atherton, Calif.; and Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.”

Men’s soccer team christens Midd’s new synthetic turf field with 2-0 win: “Middlebury College unveiled its new synthetic grass soccer field on Saturday, September 8, to a crowd of about 500 soccer fans who witnessed the men’s team’s 2-0 victory over Connecticut College. The audience of students, alumni, family members, faculty, staff, and townspeople cheered as the Panthers scored a goal in each half on a sparkling clear, late-summer afternoon with temperatures in the low 90s.”

Car-sharing program to help reduce traffic and pollution: “This fall, Middlebury College will introduce a car-sharing service to faculty, staff and students as an environmentally friendly alternative to bringing personal cars to campus. Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing service, has successfully helped dozens of colleges and universities reduce traffic and noise and parking demands.”

AASHE Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Announced: “The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education ( AASHE ) presented its annual Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards Friday morning. The winners were the Michigan State University, Middlebury College, Green Mountain College, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. “

Stacie Nevadomski Berdan: More Students Should Study Abroad – The Huffington Post: “This fall, more than 200,000 American college students will set out on a glorious adventure. After receiving well wishes from worried parents, they will board planes for various destinations to spend either part or all of the academic year abroad.

“My nephew, a junior at Middlebury College, for example, just left for Alexandria, Egypt, where he will be immersed in the language, culture and customs of his host country. Despite his parents’ concern about letting their son study overseas, they understand the importance of doing so. They support his passion for mastering a second language and recognize that our country needs more citizens who think globally and understand the value of an international perspective. They also hope that his time abroad will enhance his ability to land a high-paying job after graduation.”

Professor Sheldon uses weevils to attack weeds in Fairfield Pond – Burlington Free Press: “A whole bunch of tiny weevils summered in Fairfield Pond this year, gorging themselves on Eurasian milfoil salads. Humans living on the shore of Fairfield Pond are delighted with their itty-bitty new neighbors. So is Middlebury College biology professor Sallie Sheldon, who is essentially the travel agent who steered the weevils to the pond. “

Young activists in Vermont take on climate change – Rutland Herald: “Moriah Helms has learned to love canvassing. The 21-year-old Ryegate native, now a senior at Middlebury College, began working for VPIRG in 2005, going door-to-door in Vermont towns she had never visited and talking to complete strangers about global warming. Her work with VPIRG continued for the next two years, culminating in her job this year as a director at the organization’s Burlington office.”