When administrators in Eustis went looking for an associate vice president for academic affairs to lead the first comprehensive review of Colby's curriculum in two decades, they found the best candidate right across the street in the Diamond Building. A professor of economics and an alumnus,
Michael Donihue '79, a member of Colby's faculty for 19 years, started the new job July 1 and is focused on "all things curricular." Working primarily with the Academic Affairs Committee and three curricular planning working groups established for the review, Donihue maintains that the faculty must be at the center of efforts to define a liberal arts education at Colby for the 21st century.
This summer Professor of Music
Steve Saunders and
Larry Kassman '69 (husband of
Janice Kassman) were fishing in Yellowstone National Park when a grizzly took an interest in their pool. When the bear moved between them and a nearby road, cutting off any easy exit, onlookers notified the park service. Their rescuer, armed with a shotgun and bear spray, turned out to be ranger
Mitch Hauptman '01, who'd been a student in one of Saunders's classes. Reactions: “Seldom has a chance Colby encounter been so welcome!” Saunders wrote. And from Janice: “I have e-mailed Mitch to thank him for saving Larry's life!”
The first game at the Harold Alfond Stadium, Sept. 27, brought a daunting opponent to Mayflower Hill—defending NESCAC champion Middlebury. The new facilities proved auspicious, as Colby took an impressive 24-19 win on the synthetic turf field. Cornerback
Chris Copeland '09, who came back after a serious car accident had 11 tackles (
Sentinel profile online). Official dedication of the stadium, supported by and named for the late Harold Alfond, will be Oct. 18, during
Family Homecoming Weekend. Fundraising continues for Colby's matching portion of the $6-million project made possible by the Alfond gift.
As each day brings fresh news of economic turmoil, the question of what it means for Colby's
Reaching the World campaign is one being asked by reporters, alumni, and others. Vice President for College Relations
Richard Ammons says Colby currently has commitments of more than $321 million toward the campaign's overall goal of $370 million. Even with the current economic uncertainty, Ammons says donors are no less committed to Colby, though in some cases he is seeing a desire for increased flexibility in the timing of gifts.
Professor of English
Jennifer Finney Boylan has been a regular on the
New York Times op-ed page this year, most recently with "
The XY Games," about gender testing in the Olympics. It's her sixth op-ed there this year. She also was appointed to a three-year term on the Fulbright Scholarships selection committee. And look for her most recent book,
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted, to be out in paperback Oct. 21.
During the Colby Alumni Networking (CAN) Weekend, Sept. 26-27,
Henry J. Sockbeson III '73 received Colby's distinguished alumnus award, honoring his long career practicing Indian Law, his leadership in the profession, and his support of the College. A member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, Sockbeson was the first Native American from Maine to attend law school, earning a J.D. from Harvard in 1976. Sockbeson was tribal attorney for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation until the end of last year, when he accepted one of the tribe's first buyout offers to tribal government employees. He was featured in
Indian Country Today. Read more about
CAN Weekend.
Property across Messalonskee Stream that operated as the Colby College Ski Area from 1948 into the 1970s will see skiers again this winter—the Nordic variety.
John Koons '72, a Waterville dentist, is spearheading a proposal to build trails there for four-season use, including a three- to five-kilometer loop trail for cross-country skiing that will open this winter. A second phase would include a competition loop. Nordic Ski Coach Tracey Cote said, “If it's done to completion, it would literally put us on the best facility in the nation.”
Read more.
Good news for Colby students, and for alumni who are 70.5 years old or older: Congress has extended a sweet IRA rollover provision through 2009, allowing contributions directly to the College from their traditional or Roth IRAs with attending tax benefits.
Details are available online or by contacting the Gift Planning Office,
plangift@colby.edu or 207-859-4370.
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