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Swarthmore in the NewsFebruary 3, 2012

Philadelphia Inquirer

'Logan Grider: Recent Work:' Abstract paintings reflecting a visceral approach

By Victoria Donohoe

February 3, 2012

Logan Grider finds personal freedom in painting abstract forms, emphasizing the hue and texture of his painting materials in his show "Logan Grider: Recent Work" at Swarthmore College's List Gallery.

Seemingly uninterested in simply portraying what he sees from a naturalistic viewpoint, this 32-year-old teacher of painting at Swarthmore is no linsey-woolsey primitive or folk artist. Nor is he an elegant stylist. His inclination is more toward an emotional and intuitive idea of what painting is than a cerebral concept. And his paintings reflect that visceral approach, for the emphasis is on setting down immediate sensations.

The visceral approach also is evidenced by his preference for encaustic, which he uses by mixing pure pigment into heated beeswax. The resulting surfaces (they have the texture of fine kid gloves) are both painted and fused in a process combining drawn, brushed, and blended areas of saturated color in wide-ranging, often high-spirited combinations. ...

Such paintings are expressive investigations of the interior energies Grider realizes are at work in our surroundings - the particular rhythms of objects, their inclination, movement, or interior force.

Talk like that about motion calls to mind the Futurist painters, who liked to include a central vortex in their city views - something Grider often does, too, in his abstractions.

Exuberant paintings deftly handled, these decidedly colorful works are slow to reveal their meanings. ... Good show.

 

Congressional Documents and Publications

Five Bronx residents earn prestigious Fulbright Award

January 31, 2012

Washington, D.C.-Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) congratulated five Bronx residents on receiving Fulbright awards to study, lecture, teach or research abroad. The Fulbright is America's flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

"These scholarships illustrate not only the recipients' hard work and dedication, but also their curiosity for different cultures and international engagement, which is so important in today's world," Rep. Engel said.

Of the five Bronx residents awarded this honor:

...

RIVERDALE - Swarthmore College graduate Susannah Gund [’08] will study education in Morocco.

...

"Academic achievement is paramount in receiving the Fulbright...," Rep. Engel added.

In all, the program has exchanged over a quarter of a million people in more than 155 countries since its establishment by Congress in 1946. ...

 

The New York Times (blog)

Fear and Trembling on the Post-Application Roller Coaster

By Rachel Yang

January 30, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I started teaching Saturday morning tot ice skating classes at an arena near my house. ...

James, 4, had ... gotten skates and a helmet for Christmas.... But then he started toppling over and, sprawled out...on the ice, he started to cry. "This isn't fun!" he wailed.

Well, I hear you loud and clear, James. ...those little green Common Application triangles were evidently nothing more than well-disguised stepping stones to purgatory.

... I was thrilled when I submitted that final college application. ...

...

I'm constantly reminded of little things I should have mentioned on applications, ways I could have tweaked essays or phrased short-answers differently. ... The silence needs to break. ... I'll hear back from Swarthmore by mid-February.

I feel oddly self-conscious telling people I've applied there early decision. I feel like I have to apologize or downplay it or something. Swarthmore is so selective, and a lot of it is up in the air....

...

Choosing colleges was about drawing from experience, about being able to determine where I would be my very best. And there was just something special about being at Swarthmore, cheesy as that may sound.

...

 

GoLocalProv.com (Providence, RI)

PC Names First-Ever Chief Diversity Officer

By the GoLocalProv Features Team

January 27, 2012

Providence College has taken an assertive step toward shifting its reputation as a school lacking diversity by appointing Rafael Zapata as the first associate vice president/chief diversity officer in the history of the institution.

As PC's chief diversity officer (CDO), Zapata will be responsible for creating and leading the College's Office of Institutional Diversity (OID), which is charged with promoting an institutional culture that supports diversity in its many forms. The OID also will act as the focal point to coordinate new and existing diversity-related programs and initiatives.

"Providence College is committed to embracing diversity and to promoting a campus culture that is respectful of the dignity of every individual," said Providence College president Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. "This commitment is reflected in the fact that Diversity is one of the five core values of the College's new Strategic Plan. As such, Rafael is an extremely important hire for the College. We welcome him and we look forward to his ideas and initiatives and to supporting his efforts as he helps us to move forward to the point where we consider diversity in every aspect of campus life."

Prior to coming to PC, Zapata served as the assistant dean and director of the Intercultural Center at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. Before that, he served for three years as assistant director of the Office of African American, Latino, and Asian American Student Services at New York University.

...

 

Huffington Post

Growing Scientists at America's Top Liberal Arts Colleges

By James M. Gentile, president, Research Corporation for Science Advancement

January 24, 2012

America's oldest foundation devoted wholly to science -- Research Corporation for Science Advancement -- celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and, in that context, announced last week the 10 liberal arts colleges in the United States that have received the most research grants from the foundation in its history. It's an important list, because the foundation is a major funder of undergraduate research, and the colleges on the list have, therefore, demonstrated ongoing leadership in creating environments in which science education and access to undergraduate research opportunities are closely intertwined.

The 10 colleges (and the number of research grants awarded by the foundation) are:

• Hope College -- Holland, MI (64 research grants)

• Williams College -- Williamstown, MA (64)

• Amherst College -- Amherst, MA (63)

• Carleton College -- Northfield, MN (63)

• Reed College -- Portland, OR (59)

• Occidental College -- Los Angeles, CA (57)

• Wellesley College -- Wellesley, MA (50)

• Pomona College -- Claremont, CA (50)

Swarthmore College -- Swarthmore, PA (49)

• Franklin and Marshall College -- Lancaster, PA (47).

As president of Research Corporation for Science Advancement and a former science dean and professor at a liberal arts college, I know well what access to research opportunities means to both faculty and students at liberal arts colleges. Hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates combined with personalized attention from inventive professors is one of the reasons that liberal arts colleges have long played a disproportionately large role in the education of our nation's future scientists.

The value of that research is not just intuitive. And it goes well beyond the fact that undergraduate laboratory work encourages graduate work.

...

In an increasingly competitive global economy, growing scientists at home should be an especially high priority for our nation, whose economic leadership depends on scientific and technological innovation. Creating increased opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research should be a top priority as well.

These 10 liberal arts colleges are leaders in creating environments for enticing science education. They are pointing the way for our nation to become even more competitive as a scientific and technological innovator in the 21st century.