The Harbinger

May 1, 2006

 

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Pinsky to speak at commencement

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky (1997-2000) will deliver the Hiram College commencement address on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m. on the Campus Green.
 
Pinsky, who teaches in the graduate writing program at Boston University, is the first poet laureate ever to have been appointed to three terms by the Library of Congress. His Favorite Poem Project prompted thousands of Americans from countless backgrounds to share their favorites which Pinsky co-edited into Americans’ Favorite Poems: The Favorite Poem Project Anthology.

Pinsky has written six books of poetry, including The Figured Wheel, which received the Lenore Marshall Award and the Ambassador Book Award of the English Speaking Union as well as a Pulitzer Prize nomination. His best-selling translation of The Inferno of Dante received the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Howard Morton Landon Prize for translation.

Dedicated to invigorating poetry’s place in America and the world beyond, Pinsky uses multiple tools, including the poetry editorship of the online magazine Slate, a weekly “Poet’s Choice” column for the Washington Post and regular guest appearances on PBS’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

“In his poems, Pinsky talks, with democratic warmth and intimacy, to the common things of this world,” Lloyd Schwarz of The Boston Phoenix has written. “His extraordinary poems remind us that he has always embodied the very ideal he proposes for what a poet can do.”

Pinsky’s honors include an American Academy of Arts and Letters award, Poetry magazine’s Oscar Blumenthal prize, the William Carlos Williams Award, and a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship.

College camp offers parents of prospective students an education

Hiram College will host knowledge-hungry parents of prospective college students on Saturday, May 20 for “College Camp: A Training Program for Parents.” The event will be held in the Kennedy Center Ballroom and is free.

Collaborating to offer College Camp are Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, Cuyahoga Community College, Hiram College, Jefferson Area High School, Lakeland Community College, Malone College, and the University of Akron.

The Ohio Lottery provides primary sponsorship for College Camp, with additional support from the Ohio Transfer Council.

The free seminar will allow participants to learn more about the college search process through presentations and question and answer sessions with high school guidance counselors, college and university admission representatives, financial aid experts, and career preparation counselors.

Each participant will receive a notebook of useful information to assist them with their college search process. The program begins at 9 a.m. and includes a free lunch following the final session.

The schedule is:
•    9 a.m. - Welcome and Statement of Purpose: Lisa Schneider, manager of institution advancement programs, Hiram College
•    9:15 a.m. - How to Conduct the Perfect College Search: Patricia Inman, counselor, Jefferson Area High School and Daniel Weiss, counselor, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School
•    10 a.m. – Demystifying the Admission Process: Karen Dickerson, senior assistant director of admission, University of Akron; Jim Barrett, executive director of admission, Hiram College, and Susan Schillings, director of admissions and records, Cuyahoga Community College
•    11 a.m. – Financial Aid: What You Really Need to Know: Ann Marie Gruber, assistant director of financial aid, Lakeland Community College
•    Noon – Career Preparation: What Does This Really Mean? Doug Reichenberger, director, the Career Development Center, Malone College

Advance registration is required and can be made by visiting http://www.collegecamp.info. For more information, call Lisa Schneider, coordinator of College Camp, at 330.569.5986.

College Camp was established in 2002 by Hiram College. Since its inception, the program has served more than 350 parents of high school students.

Hiram College to honor its senior student-athletes

The Hiram College athletic community will honor 67 senior student-athletes at the second annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, in the Coleman Sports Center.

Each senior student-athlete, who has participated in any varsity sport for at least one season, will receive a plaque and be recognized for his or her accomplishments both on the playing field and in the campus community.

The awards banquet will feature keynote speaker Jim Scher’88, who will address the student athletes and parents. A continuous slide show with an action shot of each athlete will be shown. The same photos appearing in the slide show will also be hung on the wall for the athletes to take home with them following the banquet.
 
Scher is a 1988 graduate of Hiram College and was inducted into the athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He was a three-time first-team All-President’s Athletic Conference award recipient (1985-87) and an All-American (1987) in football, in addition to being a three-year letter winner in track.
  
Bob Dean, head women’s soccer coach, will serve as master of ceremonies.

2005 Reichle Scholarship recipient selects enrichment component

Will Dahlberg, one of the winners of last year’s Hal Reichle Award, has decided upon his enrichment component for the scholarship. Dahlberg will arrive in Moscow, Russia on June 2 and stay through June 15 to work in the Ecological Center Reserves and Nature Historical Park called Bittsevsky Wood. Located southwest of Moscow, this park is comprised of unique landscapes intertwined with ponds and gardens. Dahlberg will work in the park as a gardener and help establish a new park website. 
    
Dahlberg will then visit friends in Europe before arriving on June 24 in Deverk, Turkey for two weeks to assist several Anatolian High School students with their English. Dahlberg’s duties, in addition to English instruction, are to serve as a mentor to the students and broaden their exposure to American youth and culture.

Dahlberg will be volunteering his services in both Russia and Turkey. His room and board are furnished by the respective organizations, and his air fare will be paid by the enrichment component of the Hal Reichle Scholarship.

Jon Moody interviews candidates for associate chaplain

Two candidates will be interviewed this week for the associate chaplain position, a two-year interim appointment. There will be open sessions with each, from 3 to 4 in the chapel. On Tuesday the candidate will be Pam Auble, a village resident who has been active with Hiram’s Christian students, especially with HCO, over the past several years. On Thursday, the candidate will be Heather Godsey, currently working in Cleveland with a Presbyterian church and with the campus ministry at Case Western Reserve University.

Quick hits…

Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Awards
Monday, May 1, 2006
5:30 PM – Dix Dining Hall – Alpha Society Dinner
6:20 PM – Procession to Hayden for Honor’s Recognition

Music Department Honors Recital
performances by:
Dan Klinzing, baritone
Sarah Woodford, flute
Nathaniel Koven, baritone
Hikari Oku, piano
Elizabeth Over, soprano
Charity Jean, soprano
Amanda Cagle, organ
Vivianne Asturizaga, flute
 with piano accompaniment by Randall Fusco
 Hayden Auditorium ~ 8:00 pm ~ Tonight

Faculty and staff may sign up for or change their medical or dental coverage by contacting the Human Resources office at 330.569.5109. This is the one time each year when changes may be made. A representative from medical coverage provider Kaiser Permanente will be available in the Alumni Heritage Room of Teachout-Price Hall to answer questions on Tuesday, May 2, at 11:30 a.m.

Lynn Kostrab has been named director of human resources. She has worked in human resources for eight years. During this time she has developed significant knowledge and expertise in human resources, employee relations and benefits, training, recruiting and retention, according to Lisa Thibodeau, vice present for business and finance. Lynn was promoted from HR coordinator to assistant director of human resources in 1999 and then to associate director of human resources in 2003. Lynn has been the acting director of human resources since September 2005. Lynn has made many key contributions to the College, Thibodeau said. She was the functional lead for the Banner HR/Payroll module implementation. She manages the annual employee health and dental benefits renewal process and is expert on handling employee claims and benefit issues. Lynn is a keen employee advocate, Thibodeau said. She has organized a number of employee training programs on campus and serves on the College Life and College Executive steering committees. Prior to coming to Hiram, Lynn was employed by PASCO in Hudson, most recently as its coordinator of human resources. Lynn is a 1994 Hiram College graduate.

Two events will be held Sunday, May 7, at the Hiram College Field Station. Between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Eric Faber will lead an Audubon Society Bird Walk. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Bob Faber will serve as guide for a wildflower walk. For more information, contact Matt Sorrick at 330.569.6003 or at sorrickmw@hiram.edu.

Hiram faculty and staff members interested in participating in the Portage County United Way Day of Caring should contact Kathryn Craig, director of the career center, at 330.569.5131 or at craigkm@hiram.edu. The Days of Caring will be Wednesday, May 17, and Thursday, May 18. In the past, Craig says, the College has helped in the County Clothing Center, at Safer Futures and at Center for Hope among other places. Craig says that participants can chose form among a list of projects, including those indoor (cooking, cleaning, painting) and outdoor (building, mulching, planting). Craig seeks the date a person would like to volunteer, the type of project (indoor or outdoor) and a T-shirt size.