The Ed Baker Family invites you to join them for a “Celebration of Life” service in remembrance of their husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, who died on December 11, 2013. The service will be held in Stetson Chapel on Tuesday, July 29, at 11 AM. There will be a buffet reception immediately following the service in the Hornet Suite at the Kalamazoo College Athletic Field House. All are welcome to attend.
Ed Baker was a professor emeritus of physical education and former Hornet head football coach. Ed came to K in 1967 from the Haverford School in Philadelphia (Pa.), where he led the football team to a 50-20-2 record in nine seasons. He coached Hornet football from 1967 to 1983, when he left that position in order to direct the College’s career service center. He coached the football Hornets again in 1988 and 1989. Ed earned his bachelor’s degree at Denison University and his master’s from Ohio State University. His overall record at K was 62 wins, 89 losses, and 5 ties. His best season was 1978, when the Hornets posted a 6-2 record. On three occasions, Ed’s Hornet teams finished third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. When he retired in 1990, then acting president Tim Light wrote of Ed Baker: “In his role of coach and teacher, he has manifested a wonderful sensitivity towards young people and an appreciation of their talents. Ed has been consistently one of our finest encouragers of young people, and his sure and proven sense of judgment of people’s character and their potential ability to succeed has been an inspiration to the rest of us.”
As the Kalamazoo College 2014 commencement day gets closer, Facilities Management, or “FacMan,” has been working hard to get the campus Quad ready for the celebrations in a most sustainable way.
FacMan Grounds Coordinator Victor Garcia ’97 revealed that all the fertilizer used to maintain the Quad for this commencement is 100-percent certified organic matter. The new change comes through a continued effort by the College to be more environmentally sustainable.
“In order to make the Quad more sustainable, we are using all organic fertilizer instead of chemically derived fertilizers,” said Garcia
Garcia asserts that using all organic fertilizer is also self-sustaining in the long run because it modifies the soil to the extent that less fertilizer will be needed to maintain the Quad.
“When you go 100-percent organic, within two to three years the soil will begin to sustain itself. You are creating a biological system, so over time you have to do less and less.”
The new change in approach is not only beneficial for keeping the quad lush and green but also has a greater implication for the entire environment.
“It’s not only about the plant having sustainable nutrition but the surface water that reaches our water supply also becomes less toxic.”
Garcia maintains that even though sustainable approaches such as this might be initially costly, there are savings made in the long run. By using organic fertilizer, for instance, the Quad requires less irrigation, which helps save water and cuts cost. Besides, Garcia believes that sustainable practices “are always worth the economic cost.”
David Barclay, the Margaret and Roger Scholten Professor of International Studies, was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), the country’s highest decoration, popularly known as the Federal Cross of Merit. Because he was unable to receive the award in Berlin, it was presented to him at a ceremony at the German Consulate General in Chicago on June 17.
The website of the Federal President of Germany describes honor as follows: “The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. It is the only honour that may be awarded in all fields of endeavour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. The Order of Merit may be awarded to Germans as well as foreigners for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for all kinds of outstanding services to the nation in the field of social, charitable or philanthropic work.”
At K, Barclay has taught a wide variety of courses on European history and German history. He directed the Center of Western European Studies at Kalamazoo College from 1990 to 2003, and he currently serves as the executive director of the German Studies Association. He is the author of numerous books and articles, and the focus of his scholarship in particular has been the history of West Berlin from 1948 to 1994. Barclay has received many academic awards and honors, among the most prominent of these was his selection as the George H.W. Bush/Axel Springer Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin (2007). He and fellow faculty member Joe Fugate (professor emeritus of German and director emeritus of the foreign study program) are two Kalamazoo College faculty to receive the Order of Merit.
Kalamazoo College has won the coveted Klein Cup for the fourth consecutive year. “If we keep this up, perhaps the award should be re-named the K Kup,” said John Fink, the Rosemary K. Brown Professor in Mathematics and Computer Science. The Klein Cup honors the first place finisher in the annual Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition (LMMC). This year’s math dust-up took place a Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, Mich.) and featured 20 teams from nine schools. K sent three teams that placed first, second, and tenth. Not bad. And since half the first place team and all of the second place team are underclassmen, the prospects for next year look good. K Kup, indeed! This year’s K math hornets included: first place team–Umang Varma and Tibin John; second place team–Raoul Wadhwa, Ngoc (Van) Truong, and Raj Bhagat; tenth place team–Sajan Silwal, Mehmet Kologlu, and Alex Townsend.
John Fink, Ph.D., is Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at K.
K Professor John Fink, Ph.D. has received the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America “for the many contributions he has made to his institution [Kalamazoo College!], to our [MAA Michigan] Section, and to the larger mathematical community for many years,” sayeth the citation. Fink is K’s Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. A longtime member and past governor of the MAA Michigan section, he was honored with the Section’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 2001. In 1989, he co-founded the Michigan All-Stars team of high school mathematics students, serving as the team coach in national competitions for 17 years. He served as Department of Mathematics and Computer Science chair at K for 10 years. This spring, he was recognized with Kalamazoo College’s Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship Award for Excellence in Teaching. He delivered his acceptance lecture May 6 in the Mandelle Hall’s Olmsted Room to a standing-room only audience of students, faculty, staff, family, friends, and fellow math aficionados. Congrats, Professor Fink. If dedication, love, and talent count for anything, you really add up!
Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive Book Reviewer Yvonne Zipp reviewed “Quality Snacks,” a new collection of short stories by Kalamazoo College Professor of English Andy Mozina. “Mozina’s characters come to wry, melancholy insights that don’t help them improve their lives, but endear them to readers,” she says.
Mozina will read from his new book and sign copies on May 14 at the Hicks Center Banquet Room at K from 6 to 8 p.m.
He’ll be part of “More in an Evening,” a celebration of four Kalamazoo College faculty authors, hosted by the K Bookstore. Mozina will be joined by Professor of English Bruce Mills, who will read from his 2014 memoir about his family’s journey with autism, “An Archaeology of Yearning”; Professor of English, Emerita Gail Griffin, who will read from her book, “The Events of October: Murder-Suicide on a Small Campus”; and Professor of Physical Education and Head Coach of Volleyball Jeanne Hess, who will read from her 2013 book, “Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games.”
Thanks to a generous gift from The Hearst Foundation, Inc., Kalamazoo College has established the William Randolph Hearst Undergraduate Research Fellowships. These competitive fellowships will provide support for summer research projects for K students majoring in the sciences or mathematics. The goal is to continue the College’s success in preparing individuals for graduate studies and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines.
Eight fellowships will be awarded each year for the next three years beginning this summer 2014. Each award will consist of a $3,000 stipend to defray travel and living expenses. Eligible disciplines include biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, and mathematics. Projects must be investigative and have the goal of generating primary research results. K first-year, sophomore, and junior students are eligible to apply.
Kalamazoo College Upjohn Professor of Life Sciences Jim Langeland ’86, Department of Biology, will serve as faculty coordinator for the program.
The Hearst Foundation and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation are national philanthropic resources for organizations working in the fields of culture, education, health, and social services. The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive, and inspiring lives.
On the occasion of its annual Founders Day ceremony (celebrating 181 years of operation) Kalamazoo College announced the George Acker Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship will support juniors or seniors who best exemplify the qualities and character of Coach Acker, including an exceptional work ethic, leadership, a commitment to involvement in campus activities, and a high standard of integrity. Preference will be given to students who are (like Coach Acker was) the first in his family to attend college.
Acker served as a coach and professor at Kalamazoo College for 35 years (1958-93) and was inducted into the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He coached men’s tennis teams to seven NCAA Division III championships while winning 35 consecutive MIAA championships. His tennis teams were 573-231 overall and an incredible 209-1 in conference play.
Acker was as true a “liberal arts coach” as they come. He served as head coach of the Hornet wrestling (1960-74) and cross-country (1985-88) teams. He also was line coach for the Hornet football team from 1959-69, helping guide Rolla Anderson’s squads to back-to-back MIAA championships in 1962 and 1963. He served as the College’s athletic trainer and director of the intramural sports program at different times during his career.
Most of all, he loved teaching. “Nothing has given me as much pleasure as teaching the students in my theory and activities classes,” said Acker in 1985, when he accepted the Florence J. Lucasse Award for Excellence in Teaching, the faculty’s highest honor. “Teaching and coaching are very similar, so that I feel that when I’m coaching a sport it is an extension of my teaching.” Many persons, including this author, knew “Coach” as “Teacher,” and as profoundly as the athletes he instructed, they, too, were touched by his compassion and his ability to bring out their best. Coach Acker died on July 20, 2011, of complications surrounding the stroke he suffered several days earlier.
Claire De Witt ’14, president of the Jewish Student Organization at K, prepares for the Passover Seder with students, faculty, staff and guests on campus.
When Associate Professor of Religion and History Jeffrey Haus came to Kalamazoo College nearly a decade ago, the Jewish Studies program was almost non-existent.
With just a handful of classes that focused on Jewish faith, culture, and history, Haus got to work building a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary curriculum from the ground up. Today, he directs a Jewish Studies program that boasts 14 classes, ranging from beginning and intermediate Hebrew language courses to “Women in Judaism” to the “American Jewish Experience.”
“I’d like to say it’s all been my doing,” jokes Haus, who came to K from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “But you can’t start a program if nobody cares. The College made a commitment to support the program; the administration made a commitment, too. There’s an openness on the campus to Jewish students.
“It’s indicative of how K has changed over years and become more diverse. The Jewish Studies program is part of that change for the better.”
It’s hard to pin-down exactly how many Jewish students there are at K, Haus says. The College does not ask students their religious affiliation and doesn’t keep track of such information. But his best estimate puts the number somewhere between 100 and 150 students.
Associate Professor of Religion and History Jeffrey Haus directs K’s Jewish Studies Program.
It’s a demographic that has more opportunities than ever before on campus to celebrate their faith, engage with other Jewish students, and feel a sense of inclusiveness.
“I have heard from Jewish alumni from the ’70s and ’80s who said when they were students here, they didn’t feel out of place, but there was no real organized Jewish life.” says Haus. “It’s different when you know you have a critical mass of Jewish students to support one another and create some cohesion.”
During the 2013-14 academic year, six students (Jewish and non-Jewish) signed up for the Jewish Studies concentration. As the program continues to grow, its deepening reach bodes well for the College in many ways. In addition to increasing awareness of and appreciation for the Jewish history and traditions, the concentration’s courses provide an arena for discussing issues of identity, power, and social justice.
“Jewish Studies,” says Haus, can therefore “serve as a nexus where K students can connect different parts of a liberal arts education. Studying Jewish history and religion, they can apply lessons learned from other subjects.”
In addition, the College’s curricular emphasis on social justice increases the relevance of Jewish Studies courses. “Social justice, human rights, and the relationships between majorities and minorities are central themes in Jewish history, religion, and culture,” Haus says. “Jewish communities the world over have always been committed to caring for the less fortunate. The history of Jews is therefore a history of extraordinary communal creativity in areas such as education, economics, and charity.”
Currently, there are two study abroad sites in Israel for K students—one at the Rothberg International School at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the other at the Ben-Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, located in the Negev, a starkly beautiful desert region in the south of the nation. Both sites have their advantages, Haus says, but the Be’er Sheva site might provide a bit more authentic experience—and a better deal.
“Jerusalem is where the action is, but it’s also more expensive, and there are more limits when it comes to course offerings,” says Haus. “There are also many more Anglophones in Jerusalem, and you can get by just speaking English. In Be’er Sheva, you have a little more diverse course offerings and it’s a bit more cost effective. There are also more chances to use and learn Hebrew and hang out with Israelis. You can get by with English, but you need to use Hebrew.
“I think that no matter how many Jews there are on campus, there’s never been a better time to be a Jewish student at K,” adds Haus. “Between the strong support from the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, strong support from the administration, and growing number of Jewish activities on campus, as well as this program, it’s leaps and bounds better than what was seen here decades ago. It’s great to have that in a liberal arts setting.”
Jewish students looking for a sense of belonging have traditionally become a part of the Jewish Student Organization, which is open to Jewish and non-Jewish students and has been on campus for decades.
Claire De Witt ’14 is deeply rooted in K’s Jewish student culture and community. The East Lansing native and double major (history and religion with a concentration in Jewish Studies) is the president of the JSO
About 10 to 15 students are part of the JSO each year, De Witt says, and they are involved with organizing campus-wide events for Jewish and non-Jewish students, faculty, and staff. Many events center around Jewish holidays, when traditional meals are prepared, such as baking hamentashen for Purim. Other activities include building a sukkah on campus for Sukkot and donating trees to Israel for Tu Bishvat.
The biggest event the JSO organizes is a Passover Seder, with a full dinner and service put on by student members. About 60 K community members annually attend the Seder, De Witt says, a time when JSO members can educate other College members about the Jewish faith.
“I enjoy JSO because of the community I am able to cultivate through our events and weekly meetings,” says De Witt. “We are a close-knit group that enjoys movie nights and cooking events together throughout the year. As a Jewish student I truly appreciate having a safe space to gather, celebrate, and share the cultural heritage with which I so strongly identify.”
JSO isn’t the only group that has become a support network for students of the faith.
“Even six years ago, you didn’t have an option about what kind of Jewish student you wanted to be on campus. Today we have Jews from many different traditions,” says K Chaplain and Director of Religious Life Elizabeth Hakken Candido ’00. “There is more diversity among Jews. JSO used to be the primary vehicle for support, and in the past there was a feeling that if you were Jewish, you needed to be involved with JSO. There is enough room now to not have to be in JSO, if you don’t want to, and still feel supported.”
Madeleine Weisner and Jennifer Tarnoff feel that sense of belonging. The two seniors will graduate in June and have seen the campus become more inclusive and supportive of those who share their faith.
Several days a week, you can find Weisner, from Minneapolis, and Tarnoff, from Chicago, in the basement of Stetson Chapel in a cozy, albeit cramped, space called “The Cavern.” It’s a safe spot for sharing stories, hanging out and sampling free cookies and tea, or picking up “George,” the Cavern’s communal acoustic guitar. Although not tied to any particular religious tradition, there is an element of faith that permeates the space.
Currently, there are eight Jewish student chaplains, the most ever, Hakken Candido says. Student chaplains are the primary volunteers who help organize activities for the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Haus recalls that when he arrived at the College there were no Jewish students in those roles.
Tarnoff is a student chaplain, while Weisner works a paying job as a chapel intern.
“My dad wanted me to look at big state schools that had Hillels (a well-known Jewish campus organization),” Tarnoff says. “But I wanted to find a school that could continue the community feeling I had growing up Jewish. There were many other things that trumped going to a big school. There’s a lot of Jews at K. There’s definitely a community here.”
All too often, the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur occurs during orientation and move-in week. Although there is not an official College policy for them to do so, many professors and teaching staff will let Jewish students out of classes to attend services if they wish to, Hakken Candido says, and her office works with JSO to provide free rides to the synagogue of their choice. There are two synagogues in Kalamazoo—the Congregation of Moses, affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; and Temple B’nai Israel, a Reform temple. Similar efforts are made for Rosh Hashanah, which also takes place in the early part of fall term.
The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life also hosts a “Break the Fast” dinner after Yom Kippur for new and returning Jewish students. The event is a great opportunity for freshman Jewish students to meet their older counterparts on campus, develop connections, and find out about Jewish life at K right at the beginning of the year.
“I didn’t grow up perhaps as religious as Jennifer. I didn’t really seek it out,” Weisner says. “But as my college life went on, I looked into my faith more. Having the college support me meant that I had room to grow in my own spirituality.”
Article by Chris Killian. Photos by Susan Andress.
The Kalamazoo College Bookstore will host an author event featuring readings by four writers with strong K connections. Gail Griffin (professor emerita of English) joins fellow English department faculty members Bruce Mills and Andy Mozina and Professor of Physical Education (and women’s volleyball coach) Jeanne Hess on Wednesday, May 14, from 6 PM to 8 PM in the Hicks Center Banquet Room. The four will read from current works that include Gail’s The Events of October, a compelling account of the murder-suicide on K’s campus in 1999; Bruce’s memoir An Archaeology of Yearning, a chronicle of family relationships (particularly with his son, Jacob) and the role of art (particularly storytelling) as a way to fulfill human yearning for contact between people whose ways of knowing may differ; Andy’s new collection of short stories, Quality Snacks, which will be fresh off the presses for the May event; and Jeanne’s Sportuality, an examination of the intersection of sports and spirituality. The event will allow ample time for Q&A. Books will be available for purchase; the authors will gladly sign them; and refreshments will be served. All are invited; let’s move the number four more toward four hundred.
The Ed Baker Family invites you to join them for a “Celebration of Life” service in remembrance of their husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, who died on December 11, 2013. The service will be held in Stetson Chapel on Tuesday, July 29, at 11 AM. There will be a buffet reception immediately following the service in the Hornet Suite at the Kalamazoo College Athletic Field House. All are welcome to attend.
