Yale Bulletin and Calendar

May 2, 2008|Volume 36, Number 28|Two-Week Issue

Alex Knopp

Former Norwalk mayor Alex Knopp
has been chosen to head Dwight Hall

Alex Knopp, former mayor of Norwalk, has been named executive director and general secretary of Dwight Hall at Yale, The Center for Public Service and Social Justice.

Knopp, who will assume his new post on July 1, succeeds Kathrine Burdick, who is retiring from the Dwight Hall directorship after 10 years. She was previously director of the Family Services Division of the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

Currently a visiting clinical lecturer at Yale Law School, Knopp served two terms (2001-2005) as the mayor of Norwalk, the state’s sixth largest municipality. He also spent eight terms as a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly (1987-2001) and two terms (1983-1987) on the Norwalk City Council.

“The Dwight Hall Board is extremely gratified to find in Alex Knopp a new leader who brings a lifelong career in public service, a deep moral and intellectual commitment to social justice and the hands-on experience of a big city mayor able to manage the daily operations of Dwight Hall,” said Deborah Rose, chair of the board of directors of Dwight Hall. “We are indebted to Kathrine Burdick for her many years of extremely able leadership.”

Yale College juniors Amy Rothschild and Eliza Schafler, co-coordinators of the Dwight Hall Executive Committee, said in a statement: “We are delighted that Alex Knopp will join us as a mentor and a guide. His lifelong commitment to public service makes him a fantastic role model for all of us who are just getting started. His commitment to strategic planning and to intellectual exploration make him a perfect fit for Dwight Hall.”

Founded in 1881, Dwight Hall is an independent Section 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to fostering civic-minded student leaders and to promoting service and activism in New Haven and around the world. Dwight Hall is the only student-run, college-based center for public service and social justice in the nation. It sustains and supports over 70 student-run member organizations and facilitates communication and training among 3,500 student volunteers. Dwight Hall also operates its own programs, supervised by the professional staff and student leaders, which focus on community development, education and leadership development.

For further information, visit www.dwighthall.org.

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

Findings may explain how cancer spreads

Students learning to blend economic savvy and environmental . . .

Outreach programs showing city students science is . . .

Students demonstrate energy-harvesting designs

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Alumnus Stephen Pitti named new master of Ezra Stiles College

Former Norwalk mayor Alex Knopp chosen to head Dwight Hall

Study identifies factors that predict premature babies’ survivability . . .

Center celebrates decade of shaping graduate student life

Library acquires alumnus’ images of a changing Iowa

Staff member’s Mt. McKinley climb will support cancer research

Carlotta Festival showcases work of graduating playwrights

Celebrated writers will discuss their craft in Yale Library talk

Researchers trace chlorine’s irritative effect to a specific nerve receptor

Student Research Day to feature prize-winning presentations . . .

Inaugural James Weldon Johnson Fellow to research . . .

Researcher Kenneth Pugh, a reading specialist, is appointed . . .

Conference to explore psychosocial and physical dimensions of . . .

Memorial service for Dr. Steven C. Hebert

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes