Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 18, 2005|Volume 33, Number 19

Visiting on Campus
X

'Soul Proprietor' author to give benefit talk

Internationally known author and public speaker Jane Pollak will give a talk on Friday, Feb. 25.

"What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?" is the title of her talk, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Luce Hall auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Ave. A dessert and coffee reception will follow in the Luce Hall common room. There is a suggested donation of $20 to benefit the scholarship program of the Edith B. Jackson Child Care Program. For ticket information contact Donna Bella at (203) 764-9416 or donna.bella@yale.edu.

An entrepreneur and business coach, Pollak launched her business career in the field of egg decoration. She pursued this career from remote crafts fairs to an invitation to the White House and appearances on NBC's "Today Show." National publications such as Country Living Magazine started featuring Pollak's artwork in 1985. Since then, she has been featured in articles in The New York Times, among numerous other publications.

Pollak's lessons along the way led her to share her story and give advice to entrepreneurs. She joined the National Speakers Association in 1997, and in 2001, published "Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur," which offers practical advice on business, marketing and goal setting.

The Small Business Administration named Pollak the 2002 Home-Based Business Advocate for New England.

Pollak's memberships include the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Business Network International and the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Renowned conductor to lead concert of British works

Sir David Willcocks will conduct the Yale Camerata, Yale Glee Club and Yale Schola Cantorum in a concert of works by British composers on Sunday, Feb. 27.

The concert, the culmination of the conductor's weeklong residency at Yale, will take place at 5 p.m. in Woolsey Hall, corner of College and Grove streets. Presented by the Institute of Sacred Music and the Yale Glee Club with support from the School of Music, the concert is free and open to the public and no tickets are required. For more information, call (203) 432-5062.

Recognized worldwide as a conductor, composer and music educator, Willcocks is known for presenting the premieres of many works, including the British premiere of Duruflé's "Requiem." He also introduced audiences in Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Portugal and the Netherlands to Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem."

He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971, and was knighted in 1977 in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Honours List. He is currently music director emeritus of King's College Choir Cambridge. He previously served as general editor of the Church Music Series of the Oxford University Press.

At the concert, Robert Blocker, the Lucy and Henry Moses Dean of Music, will present Willcocks with the Sanford Medal, the School of Music's highest award. It was established in honor of Samuel Simonds Sanford, the first professor of music performance at Yale, to recognize the highest levels of musical achievement.

Noted sociologist is next Sherrill Lecturer

The 2004-2005 Sherrill Lecture will be given by Saskia Sassen, the Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, on Monday, Feb. 21.

Titled "Territory, Authority and Rights: Emerging Assemblages/Specialized Normative Orders," Sassen's lecture will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Rm. 127 of the Law School, 127 Wall St. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception in the Alumni Reading Room.

The Centennial Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, Sassen is the author of the forthcoming book "Denationalization: Territory, Authority and Rights in a Global Digital Age." She edited "Global Networks, Linked Cities" and co-edited "Socio-Digital Formations: New Architectures for Global Order."

Sassen has just completed a five-year project for UNESCO on sustainable human settlement for which she set up a network of researchers and activists in over 50 countries.

Sassen serves on several editorial boards and is an adviser to several international bodies. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the National Academy of Sciences Panel on Cities, she is chair of the Information Technology and International Cooperation Committee of the Social Science Research Council (USA). Her comments have appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde Diplomatique, the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times, among others.

Subject of film 'Hotel Rwanda' to give Black History Month talk

The Black History Month celebration will continue with a lecture by Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed in the Academy Award-nominated film "Hotel Rwanda," on Monday, Feb. 21.

Rusesabagina's talk, titled "Rwanda: A Lesson Yet to Be Learned," will take place at 7 p.m. in Rm. 119, Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh will introduce Rusesabagina. The talk is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Afro-American Cultural Center, the Law School, Saybrook College, Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale International Relations Association, Department of African Studies, The Media Arts Endowment of Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, Student National Medical Association at the School of Medicine, Yale African Student Association, Dwight Hall, the School of Nursing and Orphans of Rwanda.

Rusesabagina's heroic story is depicted in the film "Hotel Rwanda," an account of the genocide that claimed an estimated 800,000 lives, mainly Tutsis but also many moderate Hutus. In his talk, he will speak about his experiences, his ongoing support of Rwanda, the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and current issues in international humanitarian aide.

As ethnic Hutus began killing their Tutsi neighbors, Rusesabagina turned his hotel, Mille Collines -- a luxury hotel in Kigali, the Rwandan capital -- into an impromptu refugee camp for more than a thousand Tutsis and Hutus.

Deserted by international peacekeepers, Rusesabagina began cashing in every favor he had ever earned, bribing the Rwandan Hutu soldiers and keeping the militia outside the gates during the 100 days of slaughter.

In the end, Rusesabagina's family survived, as did most of the refugees he sheltered.

Documentary filmmaker will explore story of Emmett Till

Documentary filmmaker Keith A. Beauchamp will visit the campus on Thursday, Feb. 24.

Beauchamp will introduce his film "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" and lead a question-and-answer session at a screening of the film at 7 p.m. at the Afro-American Cultural Center, 211 Park St. Part of the Black History Month celebration, the event is open to the public free of charge.

In 1999, Beauchamp founded Till Freedom Come Productions, a company devoted to socially significant projects that both educate and entertain. He has focused his career on the pursuit of justice for Emmett Till, an African-American youth who was murdered 50 years ago.

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice re-opened this case citing Beauchamp's documentary "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" as a major factor in their decision as well as the starting point for their investigation.

Beauchamp's current projects in connection with the Emmett Till case include the documentary "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till," a feature film, and a novel he is co-authoring with Pulitzer Prize winner James Alan Macpherson. This book will focus on Beauchamp's journey as well as the social and political significance of his trials attending to a case many believe was the catalyst for the Black Resistance movement that later became known as the American Civil Rights Movement.

African American's ancestral roots will be explored in lecture

Bruce Jackson of the African-American Roots Project will speak on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Jackson will speak on the topic "Reuniting African Americans with Their Ancestral Roots" at 6 p.m. in Rm. 211, Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. The talk is sponsored by the Black Graduate Network, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Afro-American Cultural Center and STARS (Science, Technology, and Research Scholars Program). Part of the Black History Month celebration, the talk is open to the public free of charge.

The African-American Roots Project is a non-profit, collaborative effort of Jackson and Bert Ely of the University of South Carolina Department of Biological Sciences to reunite African Americans with their ancestral roots in Africa. The African-American DNA Roots Project uses publicly available data so that all conclusions can be independently verified.

Jackson was appointed to the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine in 1993. Also in 1993, Jackson received an appointment as head of the Biotechnology Programs at Massachusetts Bay Community College. The Biotechnology Program under Jackson has become one of the preeminent undergraduate science programs in the nation.

Disability and bioethics talk will focus on role of academia

Tom Connors, a citizen advocate and rehabilitation consultant, will speak to the Disability and Bioethics Working Research Group on Monday, Feb. 21.

Connors will discuss "Academia and the World of Disability" at noon in the Slifka Center, 80 Wall St. The talk is free and open to the public. For more information and luncheon reservations, e-mail Carol Pollard at carol.pollard@yale.edu.

Connors has dedicated his work to influencing the creation of systems that are compatible with the goals and objectives of the disability rights movement and supportive of the philosophy of independent living.

Previously, Connors was chief of rehabilitation services at the State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; a counseling psychologist at the Veterans Administration; and the coordinator of Disabled Student Services at the University of Connecticut.

Connors is currently serving as chair of the Connecticut State Independent Living Council. His professional memberships include the Connecticut Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities Inc., the American Psychological Association and Personal Services Enabling Independence.

In 2003 he received the Secretary of State's Public Service Award.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

New Y-Loans will help finance graduate, professional study

Architect chosen for Yale's new 'green' building

Poet Wright wins Bollingen Prize for life's work

Student's photographs of his native Bulgaria featured in exhibit

Group helps unify tsunami relief efforts

AIDS and other health issues in South Asia will be the focus . . .

In Memoriam: D. Allan Bromley, nuclear physicist and presidential adviser

Child Study Center wins grant for early care program in Arkansas

Award-winning sports commentator to be next Poynter Fellow

O'Malley is honored for her work on addiction recovery

Study finds no risk of stillbirth following caesarean deliveries

New scholarship will support SOM students from China

Pam Stuper appointed head field hockey coach

Article based on popular course provides guidance . . .

Event will explore work ethic and legacy of noted neurosurgeon

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes