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Cover photo: Living mural project with artist Tim Anderson at the Prescott College Art Gallery, by Jen Chandler ’00
Transitions Magazine Prescott College 220 Grove Ave. Prescott, AZ 86301
Contents Publisher Marjory J. Sente Editor Ashley Mains Designer Miriam Glade Contributing Writers Melanie Bishop • Cathy Boland • Helen Bowers • Paul Burkhardt • Julie Comnick • K.L. Cook • Cristian Harder Lorayne Meltzer • Charissa Menefee • Sturgis Robinson Tim Robison • Ashley Rodd • Lynn Walterick Staff Photographers Bob Carnahan • Denise Elfenbein • Aryn LaBrake Ashley Mains • Daniel Roca Photo Contributors Richard Ach • Tanya Alvarez • Evan Belknap • Melanie Bishop • Helen Bowers • Jen Chandler • K.L. Cook • Erika DeLeo • Suzanne Dhruv • John Farmer • Tom Fleischner Ellen Haines • Matthew Hart • Weston Howland • Sher Shan Khan • Kim Kapin • Chris Marchetti • Antonio Massella • Krystal Beth Macdonald • Charissa Menefee Prescott College Archives • Robert Renfrow • Ashley Rodd Sheila Sanderson • Kerry Skarbakka • Lauren Stocksdale Norman Traeger • Eliot Treichel • Phil Weddle Vice President for Institutional Advancement Marjory J. Sente (928) 350-4509 • msente@prescott.edu For Class Notes and address changes, contact Marie Smith • msmith@prescott.edu Send correspondence, reprint requests and submissions to: Ashley Mains Prescott College 220 Grove Ave., Prescott, AZ 86301 (928) 350-4506 • amains@prescott.edu Transitions, a publication for the Prescott College community, is published two times a year by the Office of Institutional Advancement for alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, and staff of the College. Its purpose is to keep readers informed with news about Prescott College faculty, staff, students and fellow alumni. Transitions is available online at www.prescott.edu. ©2011 Prescott College Prescott College reserves the right to reprint materials from Transitions in other publications and online at its discretion. Prescott College is committed to equal opportunity for its employees and applicants for employment, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex or sexual orientation, age, disability, marital or parental status, status with respect to public assistance, or veteran’s status. This policy applies to the administration of its employment policies or any other programs generally accorded or made available to employees.
www.prescott.edu Admissions (877) 350-2100 • admissions@prescott.edu For the Liberal Arts, the Environment, and Social Justice
3 Kino Bay 20th Anniversary 4 Growing the Campus 6 Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment 7 Kresge Grant for Kids Corridors 8 Norman Traeger Honorary Ph.D. 10 2011–2012 Scholarship Recipients 10 Fred Sommer Fellow Laura Hitt 11 Prescott College Theatre 12 Art Gallery at Sam Hill 14 Writers Engage Community 15 Suzanne Tito Prize Winners 16 Pilgrimage to Japan 18 The New B.F.A. Degree 19 Photo Professor Kerry Skarbakka 27 2010–2011 Annual Report 36 Prescott College’s High Marks
Departments 21 Alumni Briefs 22 Class Notes 24 In Memoriam 25 Faculty & Staff Notes 37 Last Word: Faculty Publishing
This issue of Transitions is dedicated to Bridget Reynolds (1951-2011), the College’s Graphic Designer of nearly 12 years. An artist in her own right, it is more than fitting that we commemorate Bridget with an arts-themed issue of the magazine she helped define.
President’s Corner Dear Friends, “For the liberal arts” is the first phrase of Prescott College’s motto: “For the liberal arts, the environment, and social justice.” While the liberal arts encompass many areas, this issue of Transitions focuses on the expressive creative arts at Prescott College: writing, theater, dance, and the visual arts. In any educational institution, the arts should play a major role. Increasingly even professional schools recognize the value of including the arts in the curriculum to foster learners’ expressive side, as well as the more specifically rational side. Medical students study Shakespeare and act out scenes from the plays to help them get more in touch with emotions their patients may experience; business students and corporate executives read, write, and discuss poetry and fiction to better understand both human relationships and bottom lines. Prescott College has been emphasizing the arts since its early days. This sense of creative “play” inherent in the arts frees us to express the part of ourselves so often kept tightly locked away. As students design their majors, most work across traditional mathscience/arts-humanities boundaries and include some forms of artistic expression in their degree pathway. Our students write novels, publish poetry, perform in musical groups or give solo performances, present expressive dances, do theater work on stage or behind the scenes, create films, paintings, or sculptures, among many other creative works – all supported by faculty who are professionally working in these areas. At commencement this past May, we awarded our newly approved Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to two students. At Prescott, we not only express ourselves artistically, we provide that opportunity to the off-campus community as well. The College’s national arts and letters journal, Alligator Juniper, attracts high quality submissions from across the country. The Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse showcases local and national artists. Our theater students produce and present children’s plays in the local schools, and writing classes move outside of the classroom to facilitate creative writing sessions in organizations, such as senior centers, homeless shelters, and the juvenile detention center. The arts at Prescott College are alive and well – and are an essential part of the experiential education that is our hallmark.
Warm regards,
Dr. Kristin R. Woolever Campus mural, 2009
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Kino Bay Celebrates 20 Years The Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies on the Gulf Coast of California in Sonora, Mexico, celebrated its 20th anniversary this past May. The event recognized the contributions of all the students, researchers, teachers, community members, fellows, and staff who have dedicated themselves to the development of the field station and its programs. Attendees came from as far away as Boston and Hawaii and included Dr. Jane Taylor, one of the first faculty members to bring Prescott College students to Kino Bay in the 70s; some of those original students including Doug Hulmes ’74, Sara Harrison ’74, and Martha Rosemeyer ’74; former station manager Tad Pfister ’03; past and current conservation fellows; environmental education students and their families from Bahia de Kino; members of the Kunkaak tribe from Punta Chueca; and many other alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. Over 200 people took part in the dinner, dancing, and fundraising auction. Participants attended presentations by our conservation fellows, created a beautiful mosaic mural, explored the coast and islands on field trips, and were treated to performances by traditional Mexican folkloric dancers and elder Seri singers. Many thanks for the efforts that went into this marvelous celebration!
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Seri crafts Mosaic project with Gabriel Marion ’12 and Jen Chandler ’00 Station staff Seri crafts Gary Nabhan ’73, Martha Rosemeyer ’74, Jane Taylor, and Dough Humes ’74
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6. Ann Crawford, Martin Ziebel, Marc Smith B.A. program ’14, Wyatt Smith B.A. program ’11 7. Saturday night celebration with Mexican folklonic dancers 8. Kino Bay Station entrance 9. Whale watching tour 10. Saturday night celebration with Mexican folkloric dancers
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Growing the Campus for a Sustainable Future Prescott College breaks ground on three LEED Gold Certified student townhouses and a central Campus Commons
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ust as growth in nature is perceived as beautiful and healthy, so too can growth in the built environment be considered both productive and beneficial when pursued with the ideals of cultural and environmental sustainability. Prescott College broke ground on three new student townhouses on June 30, 2011. The construction initiated campus expansion plans, which include a central commons area, complete with native landscaping, fruit trees, and outdoor meeting and learning spaces. In characterizing these new developments on campus, President Kristin R. Woolever said, “These initiatives, which were developed through a collaborative and participatory approach, help focus the sense of community within Prescott College while maintaining our mission of sustainability and environmental awareness.”
Student Housing The new student housing, slated to open in fall 2012, will be home to close to 100 Prescott College freshmen. “It’s a win-win situation for all involved,” said Jack Herring, Dean of On-Campus Undergraduate Programs at Prescott College. He explained the school has seen a shift in the on-campus student body over the past 10 years. “More and more of our students are first-time college students coming to us straight from home. There’s a need for a lot of transitional support as these young people start their journey into adulthood. The housing is an integral and tangible piece of that support system.” Revenue generated from housing fees will feed directly back into the College’s operational budget, providing added financial stability and the foundation for further institutional development – expanded curricular offerings, added student support staff, and further renovations and improvements to the campus.
Construction groundbreaking, June 30, 2011 4
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Housing rendering, Weddle Gilmore Architects
Building on the group format of Orientation, incoming students will live and learn in a cohort model that integrates the residential community fostered in student housing with the learning communities created by a program of shared courses. The transition to college life will be supported not only by their cohort, staff, and faculty, but also by continuing students who will serve as resident assistants and peer mentors. Each townhouse-style apartment will house eight residents and have a large kitchen and living area, three full bathrooms, and spacious bedrooms and closets. Emphasizing the best practices in green design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions, the new housing will feature passive solar design, photovoltaic technology, Energy Star appliances, high-efficiency lighting, low-flow water fixtures, rainwater catchment and storage for irrigation of landscaping. All of this will ensure that the buildings generate 100 percent of their own power and still contribute energy back into the grid. “With these measures,” said President Woolever, “we’re walking our talk about the environment and sustainability. Also, we are helping students to understand and take responsibility for the systems many people take for granted.”
Housing rendering, Weddle Gilmore Architects
Campus Commons Beginning in 2008, the College worked with the City of Prescott and the local neighborhood to acquire the alleyway that cuts through the main section of campus behind 220 Grove Ave. This acquisition allowed the College to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and also begin development of a central Campus Commons area. From the start, a coordinating committee of faculty, staff, alumni, and students has been engaged in design of a functional and aesthetic space to benefit students, employees, and visitors with a sense of place and pride that embodies the spirit of community distinctive to Prescott College. Several charrettes, a French word for collaborative design process, were used to settle on the broad elements included
in the final proposal. Basically structured brainstorming sessions, the charrettes were attended by a broad swath of the Prescott College community and resulted in a plan for the new Campus Commons that incorporates native and edible plants in landscaping, works of art, inlaid mosaic walkways, use of recycled materials, event spaces, curvilinear pathways, and rainwater harvesting. A campaign is currently underway to raise money for the native plants and trees, as well as the artwork, seating, and other structures necessary to realize the proposed plan.
For more information or to give to the Campus Commons project, contact the Advancement Office at (928) 350-4505, development@prescott.edu, or 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301. Direct donations can be made at PCCampusCommon.kintera.org. Campus Commons plans, Weddle Gilmore Architects
Campus Commons plans, Weddle Gilmore Architects
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Payback Time Announcing the Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment
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t the May 2011 meeting the Board of Trustees approved the Prescott College Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment. With monies already committed in cash and pledges, this is the largest endowment to be established with Prescott College to date, and the first to benefit the professional development of the faculty. The endowment is the brainchild of Lee Caldwell ’73 and a small group of alumni – Richard Ach ’73, Lorrie Bonds Lopez ’74, Anne Dorman ’74, Sturgis Robinson ’75, and Tom Robinson ’73 – all of whom graduated from Prescott College during its early years. Calling themselves the “Gang of 6,” they are working hard to grow this fund. The College thanks these alumni who have made possible this endowment, and for their vision of and investment in the future of Prescott College. Here is a message from Sturgis Robinson explaining a bit more about the Prescott College Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment … I went to college forty years ago because I could, and because, as ill equipped as I was for responsible adulthood, I was even less prepared for the challenges of service in Vietnam. To maintain my student draft deferment and, in the absence of any better plan, I began my postsecondary education at a college where I endured a
Sea Kayaking Course, 2011 year of boredom so stultifying as to make jungle warfare seem attractive. And then I saw a Prescott College catalog – something of work of art in those days – and I was hooked. To say that Prescott College changed me and put me on the path to the present moment is as absolutely true as it is a cliché. I believe many of us from the “First Decade” era, now lurking in the shadows of 60, look back and recognize how the Prescott experience shaped us into who we have become in our prime. When I served as interim president of the College from 1998 to 2000, one of the many things that struck me is that my Prescott
story is not unique. The College is still giving students the opportunity to determine their own future with more independence than any other college would ever allow. A group of alumni from the First Decade have created an endowment that will go straight to the heart of what sets Prescott College apart. The Alumni Fund for Faculty was created to honor and support the College’s dedicated and creative teachers. Prescott faculty changed my life, and I know that they are still changing lives every day. The first professional development grants to faculty members will be awarded for the 2014–15 academic year. Ladies and gentlemen, we already have $198,096 in pledges – more than a third of the way to our $500,000 goal, for which we are seeking a dollar-for-dollar corporate or foundation match. We still have time to build this fund up and recognize these remarkable men and women who inspired us, challenged us, and by doing so have changed the world. Every donor will be eligible to win a spot on one of the College’s insanely great alumni river trips on the San Juan River or the Diamond Creek run of the Colorado River. If you have questions or if you want to help out, please contact any member of the planning committee: Richard Ach rickach@gmail.com, Lorrie Bonds bondslopez@comcast.net, Lee Caldwell lee@merrilee.net, Anne Dorman anne@dorman.com, Tom Robinson tom.seattle@gmail.com, or me, Sturgis Robinson Sturgis.r@comcast.net.
Prescott College Endowments • Arts & Letters Writing & Literature Scholarship • Boyce Endowed Scholarship Fund • Clowes Scholarship Endowment • Dorothy Ruth Ellis Endowed Scholarship • Dugald Bremner Scholarship Fund • Ebarb Group Scholarship Fund • Gemma Bryce Kemp-Garcia Scholarship Fund • General Endowment Fund • Haide Koskinen Endowed Scholarship Fund • Hearst Scholarship Endowment • Helen R. Wright Memorial Scholarship • James Merit Stuckey Scholarship Endowment • Kelly Megan Stack Endowed Scholarship • Knaup Family Scholarship Fund • Latin American Studies Endowment • Maas/Morris Scholarship Endowment
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• Mark and Gwen Goodman Endowed Scholarship Fund • Meeks Endowed Scholarship • Merrill Windsor Scholarship Endowment • Prescott College Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment • Quitobaquito Endowed Scholarship Fund • Randy Tufts Memorial Scholarship • Rosanne Cartledge Scholarship Endowment Fund • Scholarship Endowment Fund • Susan N. Coleman Trust • Thomas H. Simpson Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund • Wells Fargo Endowed Lecture Series.
For more information, to donate, or to establish a Prescott College Endowment, contact the Advancement Office at (928) 350-4505 or development@prescott.edu.
Ironwood Tree Experience Awarded Kresge Foundation Grant Prescott College’s Center for Children and Nature, home of the Ironwood Tree Experience, has received $4,800 from Tucson Pima Arts Council to fulfill the Art and Community Initiative. The Tucson Pima Arts Council selected 15 organizations and individuals to receive the first Kresge Arts in Tucson P.L.A.C.E. Initiative grants funded by the Kresge Foundation. “The projects selected speak to the power of art to enlighten, inform and engage us,” said Roberto Bedoya, executive director of the Tucson Pima Arts Council. “These are creative responses to broader community issues in the city of Tucson. These arts-based civic engagement projects are building cultural vitality.” Ironwood Tree Experience will use the funds in urban neighborhoods to create “Kids Corridors,” projects that involve youth, along with their family and neighbors, in the design and construction of artistic, natural pathways that lead from their street, to a school, library, or other community gathering place. Kids Corridors neighborhood team, Tucson Participants are encouraged to get grass stains on their jeans and dirt under their fingernails while using only natural materials: logs, boulders, plants, mud, and more. Through this process, neighbors become aware of the native birds, plants and animals, and natural resources that share their city neighborhood. The Kresge Foundation is a $3.1 billion private, national foundation headquartered in metropolitan Detroit. According to the foundation, their mission is to “Create opportunity for low-income people [investing] where we think we can actually make a difference in the life trajectories of people who are poor, disadvantaged or underserved in fundamental ways.” Housed at the Tucson Center, Ironwood Tree Experience operates under the Center for Children and Nature, an academic partner of Prescott College, and serves Tucson teens ages 12 to 18 through active, mindful, and educational eco-programs. Founded by husband and wife team Eric M.A. ’04, and Suzanne Drhruv M.A. ’05, the mission of Ironwood Tree Experience is to connect teens with their community through experiences in nature.
Inspiring a lifetime of learning… Professional Development, Self-Discovery, Adventure Did you know that the Lifelong Learning Center provides certificates? Starting this year, you can earn a certificate within seven months in: • Digital Storytelling and Digital Media • Sustainability Management and Design • Experiential Education • Coaching The theme for Lifelong Learning’s fall term is “personal and professional wellness.” Join us for courses that promote healthy living and inspire wellbeing: mind, body, and spirit! New this fall Lifelong Learning is initiating offerings in employee professional development and wellness. Each month, Prescott College employees are invited to participate in courses that promote individual and departmental sustainability, growth, health, and success. All courses are free or provided at a reduced rate.
Visit the Lifelong Learning Center online for more information and registration materials: www.prescott.edu/lifelong-learning
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To Whom Much is Given … Norman Traeger shares his thoughts on Prescott College and a lifetime of entrepreneurship and philanthropy
Why did you initially step up to be on the Prescott College Board of Trustees? The why was very simple for me and also very selfish of me. The why was my son Josh ’97. This was his third college. He had spent a year at University of Denver, and a year at Boulder, and neither of those schools fit. He went to Prescott, and we were very skeptical … but we trusted his judgment, and he was immediately happy.
Norman and Carol Traeger
He called us around Thanksgiving ’95 and said that the school had announced that they were in a difficult financial position … and might not be able to stay open. Josh said that if they weren’t able to stay open that he would probably look for a job as opposed to going back to school. That wasn’t a high priority choice for my wife and me. So I asked his permission to call the presidents; at that time there were two. I spoke to both of them; they described the problem. Now, a lot of what I had done for my business life was work with small business, and I understood the cash flow issues of small businesses. After a few hours on various phone calls, it seemed to me the school’s problem was solvable if they had some cash to get through this rough patch. Why did you offer your own personal funds? I felt that the risk was minimal. The commitment was about $75,000, and unless I felt reasonably sure of getting something from that investment – that is, the school being able to keep the doors open longer than a couple years for Josh’s graduation – we would not have done it … [But] the more we got involved with the staff, faculty, students, 8
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the more we understood that this was a very, very special place. I have heard on numerous occasions, both then and in the ensuing years, especially from parents, that “this school saved our child’s life” or “made such a fundamental difference in our child’s life.” What other measures did you take? The easy problem to solve was the short-term cash needs. The more challenging problem was the issue of governance. I recruited two friends from Columbus, Ohio, Tom Trip and Alan Wasserstrom … both terrific business people who had very sound ideas. One of the first things we did was consolidate the executive position. For an institution the size of Prescott to have two presidents was already a recipe for disaster. In addition, we changed the composition of the Board, limiting faculty, staff, and students to one seat each, and then worked very hard to recruit outside board members with a real interest in a more professional approach to the school’s governance. Every school is an academy for learning, but also a business, and in Prescott College’s case – a small business. It was kind of easy for me to take on the business aspect and trust the academics to continue the tradition of education that they had started years ago. What does this honorary degree mean to you? That was the most difficult piece of this whole experience. I have tried over the years to limit the size of my ego, and I’m not real comfortable with honorary degrees … especially because I thought that there were, if not 100, at least 50 people who, over the years, did far more for Prescott College than I did. I accepted the honorary degree as kind of the face for all of the other people who did so much work to make sure that Prescott got to the place that it has gotten. What compels you to help others? You know, you don’t get to pick your parents, so you also don’t get to pick your genetic makeup. Some people are 6’ 3” with blue eyes and blonde hair, and I’ve always felt that if you’re a guy, that’s a good thing. I wasn’t blessed with that. I was blessed with being 5’ 6” and having brown eyes, but I was lucky enough to be of at least average intelligence, with maybe a little bit more than average ambition. I was born into a family that was lower-middle America, that placed a value on education, that was not dysfunctional. Those are things that I had no control over. In my business career, I happened to be sort of at the right time at the right place as a young man and got lucky on a couple of occasions. I do recognize that with luck you’ve also got to put in some hard work. But without that piece of luck some of the hardest-working people in the world make the least amount of money.
If you’re lucky enough to get a winning ticket in the lottery of life, it seems to me almost impossible to turn your back on those who were further back in the line and didn’t come up with quite the same seven numbers.
Honorary Ph.D.
Your giving is focused in education, the Jewish community, and non-sectarian humanitarian aid. Why these particular causes/groups? I’ve always gravitated to places and causes where I’ve felt I could move the ball a yard or two and make a difference … I am less concerned with the ballet, the opera and the symphony – all of which we enjoy – but they have their own patrons. It’s the homeless and the educationally disenfranchised who really need all the help they can get. Would you say your long experience in entrepreneurship has helped shape your worldview? There’s no question about it. That absolutely affected my view of how you can solve problems, not only in the business world, but in any organization. It’s certainly not a matter of being smart, but it is a matter of surviving and making a lot of mistakes and having a reasonable enough memory to remember what worked and what didn’t. John F. Kennedy famously said, “Of those to whom much is given, much is required.” Do you agree? I look to someone who, to my mind, is one of the major philanthropists of the past hundred years, and that’s Bill Gates. What I’m struck by is that Bill Gates could have been a popular hero if he just wrote big checks … there are a number of very wealthy people who do just that. They concentrate on building their wealth and they are generous, but with their money, not their time. To me, what [Bill Gates] epitomizes is not just putting his money where his mouth is, but putting in the kind of brilliance that got him to be the second or third wealthiest person in the world, and applying that brilliance to his philanthropy. It’s not enough just to write a check, but you need to work hard to try to figure out these societal questions both in America and around the world. Interview by Ashley Mains M.A. program ’11
Dr. Kristin R. Woolever and Norman Traeger
This past spring, San Francisco Bay Area philanthropist Norman L. Traeger was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Prescott College for his lifetime of philanthropic efforts and his service on the Prescott College Board of Trustees from 1996 through 2000. “It’s not an understatement to say that Norm saved Prescott College,” said current Board chair Richard Ach. “But his legacy is more meaningful than dollars and cents. He brought very helpful people to the board with him who put in placefiscal policies that we are still using and that have served us very, very well.” Norman’s business savvy has been hard won through a lifetime of entrepreneurship. While still in college, he founded Varsity House Inc., an originator of the silkscreen sportswear industry. He is best known as the founder of United Skates of America, a chain of family fun centers, and the Discovery Group, a venture capital firm. Since 2005, Norman has been a board member and primary fundraiser for the San Francisco Jewish Federation. As a member of the board of American Jewish World Services, he helped to quintuple their annual fundraising from $5 million to $25 million. Additionally, Norman and his wife, Carol, personally help fund a retention program through the Knowledge is Power Program for at-risk students in grades 3-8. Norman’s degree is only the third honorary degree Prescott College has awarded in its 45year history.
Josh ’97 and Kate Traeger
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Sommer Fellowship Award The 2011–12 Frederick and Frances Sommer Fellow, Laura Hitt ’12, had never taken a creative writing course before coming to Prescott College. She was headed toward a more “practical” major in conservation biology. “It had a concrete ring to it that I found reassuring,” she says. “I took a few writing classes my first semester as a kind of indulgence, an excuse to read great books and experiment with my own voice.” She had caught the writing bug, but it took an entire year for her to come to the decision to change her major. “I realized that creative writing deserves the same amount of examination and respect that is awarded to other disciplines. I redirected my studies and feel blessed to have discovered that I am a writer above all else.” For her Senior Project Laura is assembling a 100-page manuscript titled Stories of the Southwest – composed of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She will incorporate the Southwest into her writing, exploring facets such as folklore, ecology, and the tumultuous history of the region. “Born and raised in this spectacular bioregion, I want to use my writing to explore the magic of the land that has shaped who I am today. “To me Frederick Sommer’s assertion that ‘You cannot carry nature with you, but you carry images of nature,’ applies to writing as well as his own medium – photography. Bringing representations of nature to people in many forms is vital.” Laura finds the space in which she works to be a critical part of her creative process and considers it an honor to stay in the Sommer cabin, surrounded and inspired by wilderness. “Living alone in a space with a legacy of artistic accomplishment will be an extraordinary opportunity,” she says. “I take it as a great responsibility.”
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2011–2012 Scholarship Recipients Dugald Bremner..........................................Caleb Wilcox ’14 Gemma Kemp-Garcia.................................Amy Roberts M.A. program ’11 Helen Wright Memorial..............................Kaelin Cummins ’11 James Stuckey Endowed.............................Tyler Markland ’13 James Stuckey Endowed.............................Jill Wagner ’13 Kelly Megan Stack Endowed......................Susie Bragg ’12 Kelly Megan Stack Endowed......................Peter Brabeck ’12 Knaup Family Fund....................................Wren Myers ’11 Knaup Family Fund....................................Rachel Vanderpool ’12 Knaup Family Fund....................................Galen Taylor ’13 Knaup Family Fund....................................Hugh Denno ’11 Merrill Windsor Memorial..........................Julie Simonsen ’13 Phi Theta Kappa..........................................Tammy Park ’12 Quitobaquito................................................Amy Borhauer ’11 Quitobaquito................................................Debra Sockyma ’14 Quitobaquito................................................Danielle Allen ’14 Quitobaquito................................................Aurilia Calamity ’12 Ruth Morris/Jean Maas Memorial..............Jessica Rossiter ’15 Ruth Morris/Jean Maas Memorial..............Susan Harman ’12 Dorothy Ruth Ellis Endowed.....................Daniel Roca ’12 Arts & Letters Writing and Literature.......Tyler Kipling ’13 Arts & Letters Writing and Literature.......Danielle Iamariono ’12 Boyce Endowed Fund.................................Cristobal Valencia ’12 Boyce Endowed Fund.................................Claire Franke ’12 KAKATU Foundation.................................Kari Gypson ’12 KAKATU Foundation.................................Drew Michelson ’12 KAKATU Foundation.................................Lisa Zander ’12 Steve Walters...............................................Chris Valdez M.A. program ’11 Steve Walters...............................................Coral Evans Ph.D. program ’15 Frederick and Frances Sommer Fellow.....Laura Hitt ’12 Ebarb Group Endowed Fund.....................Gabriel Marien ’12 Designated Class Archivist..........................Claire Franke Designated Class Archivist..........................Daniel Roca Designated Class Archivist..........................Rachel Vanderpool Designated Class Archivist..........................Caleb Wilcox Designated Class Archivist..........................Weston Howland ’11 Designated Class Archivist..........................Tammy Park PC Live! Video............................................Marci Eschenbach ’11 PC Live! Video............................................Laura Wisman ’11 PC Live! Video............................................Tammy Park PC Live! Video.............................................Andrew Reeder ’16 All students are currently enrolled in the On-Campus or Limited-Residency Undergraduate Programs, unless noted otherwise. Mural by at-risk high school students, 2009
Performing a Little Magic
By Charissa Menefee
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uring the first week of February 2011, the cast and crew of The Great Alphabet Adventure put together and took apart an 11-year-old boy’s bedroom a dozen times. The room included a real twin bed, a toy box, a window, a clothes hamper, a bookshelf, lots of books, and every letter of the alphabet. The six actors also brought that room to life in front of hundreds of school children every day for a week. The Great Alphabet Adventure tells the story of Alex, a boy stranded in his room when a storm knocks the electricity out, meaning no TV and no video games! His new neighbor, Zora, climbs through his window and takes him on an adventure through the world of books. They find a lion under the bed, wizards in the walls, an ocean, a purple pirate in the closet, a sailor in the toy box, and a robot hiding under an umbrella. And, by the end of the adventure, they’ve become fast friends and dedicated readers. The hundreds of primary school children in the audiences enthusiastically participated in the experience, laughing at the comic characters, sharing the surprise of the actors when new characters magically appeared, sometimes even shouting out to Alex, telling him to “Look!” One teacher said that she had never seen her students sit still for that long, and she couldn’t believe how completely engaged they were in the play from start to finish. That’s the excitement of live theatre and the power of a good story at work. It doesn’t take a grand budget or a fancy building. It just takes a group of dedicated actors, a well-written play, and a bunch of little kids sitting on the floor of a gymnasium. And maybe a little magic. Prescott College Theatre has a tradition of performing plays for local school children. In recent years, the students in the Children’s Theatre course have taken the plays Earthlings and Androcles and the Lion to Prescott-area schools and libraries, and before that, filled the Elks Theatre for The Phantom Tollbooth. Students who participate in the course learn not only about producing children’s theatre and working with child audiences, but also about the experience of touring live theatre. Performing arts students also participate in productions of classic and contemporary plays, such as David Mamet’s The Water Engine, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, and Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind. Most recently, students who were part of the New Play Development and
Production Practicum class formed a small repertory company to put on an evening of new plays written, directed, and performed by students. Each member of the company was involved in all phases of script development and played multiple roles – as actors, directors, playwrights, stage managers, publicists, technicians – in this intensive process. Prescott College Theatre also sponsors the new play reading series, Tomorrow’s Theatre Tonight, and produces the annual One Day Plays, an event that brings together students, community members, and professionals to create and fully produce six short plays in under 24 hours. Production and performance opportunities play a key role in the theatre studies curriculum, which also includes coursework in acting, directing, playwriting, improvisational comedy, and theatre for social change. The Performing Arts area within the Arts & Letters Program expects to expand and further develop its offerings in theatre and dance as the demand for the College’s new B.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts & Letters grows. The B.F.A. is designed for ambitious and creative students who will pursue studies in performing arts, creative writing, and visual arts, with a focus on interdisciplinary connections and collaboration. It’s an exciting time for students and professors – and a perfect time to discover the arts at Prescott College. For more information about upcoming theatre and dance performances, consult Prescott College’s website or contact Charissa Menefee, Ph.D. at cmenefee@prescott.edu. Photos: Prescott College students perform The Great Alphabet Adventure
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Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse A historic venue with a contemporary focus By Julie Comnick
Once in a while you enter a gallery where the beauty of the space mirrors the excitement and quality of its exhibition series. The Sam Hill Warehouse Gallery is one such space. The works displayed in combination with the engaging programs offered for students and community members creates an environment of personal learning and growth rarely found in colleges and universities across our country. – Bob Booker, Executive Director, Arizona Commission on the Arts
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oused in the historic Sam Hill Warehouse, the very architecture of the Prescott College Art Gallery invites consideration of contemporary art in the greater context of history. The gallery, designed by local architectural firm Otwell Associates Architects, specialists in historic preservation, highlights new elements while retaining the essence of the historic structure. An angular glass entryway straddles the original brick warehouse walls. Exposed wooden rafters house state-of-the-art gallery lighting. Heavy wooden freight doors flank pristine white wall panels. Add to these design features an exhibition schedule that rotates a diversity of artists, media, and themes into the space every six weeks, and the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse offers a renewed experience with every visit. Since its doors opened in 2008, the Prescott College Art Gallery has hosted an impressive calendar of exhibits. The first exhibition season included Robert Colescott: Troubled Goods, a retrospective of Colescott’s later paintings and drawings. Robert Colescott (1925-2009) is known for his unsettling parodies of famous paintings that dismissed non-white races and cultures. His late works have been described by art historian Peter Selz as “tumultuous abstractions,” with titles revealing an essential connection to politics and art history. Colescott was the first African American artist to represent the United States in a single-artist exhibition at the 47th Venice Biennale in 1997. Colescott passed away in Tucson, Ariz., in June 2009, and we are proud to have had one of the last exhibits of his work during his lifetime. The gallery co-sponsored the exhibition catalog Robert Colescott: Troubled Goods. In its second year, the Gallery was fortunate to exhibit a retrospective of the work of Frederick Sommer (1905-1999). Sommer is internationally known for his black and white photography, while his interdisciplinary oeuvre includes drawing, painting, musical scores, and collage. The show, titled Sommer School: Art, Education and Frederick Sommer, was especially relevant for Prescott College as Sommer taught at the College in its early 12
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years, and the Frederick and Frances Sommer Foundation remains closely connected with Prescott College through the year of the applicant’s Senior Project. Recent museum retrospectives of Sommer’s work include the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2010 the Gallery hosted Tina Mion, a nationally recognized painter who resides in Winslow, Ariz., where her work is showcased at the historic La Posada Hotel. When asked why she chose the title Death & Erasers for her exhibit at Prescott College, Mion responded “Death appears in my paintings in many ways just as it weaves throughout lives – death of dreams, of the environment, death as transition, as a thing of pain and sometimes a thing of great beauty. And erasers … I make a lot of mistakes.”
Seth Fairweather, Glass Artist, September 2011
Mion gave artist talks at the opening and close of her exhibit. Recently, Mion’s work has been featured in a solo room at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. This year, the Gallery featured Lineage: James G. and Turner G. Davis. Both father and son are celebrated Arizona artists, and their large-scale paintings hung side-by-side offered a visual link between the generations. In an artist talk at the Gallery, Turner Davis elaborated upon his own works and his father’s career.
What in Sam Hill?
The Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse continues its biennial fundraising event with an evening to remember on October 29, 2011: What in Sam Hill? An evening of art, dinner, music and mystery … Join the Friends of the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse with an annual contribution to the gallery. Please visit www.prescott.edu/gallery for more information.
James & Turner in the gallery, Lineage James G. Davis Exhibtion, 2011
James G. Turner is represented in museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum. In conjunction with its exhibitions, the Gallery hosts a Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Artist-in-Residence program, and summer Children’s Art Workshop, which maintain the integration between gallery, classroom, and community. These programs bring nationally recognized artists to campus throughout the year, and presentations and workshops are open to both students and the public. This summer, California artist Tim Anderson inhabited the Gallery for a week, developing a 10-by18-foot “living mural” wall drawing with assistance from students and community members (see cover photo). This workshop was free and open to the public, and the mural remained on view throughout Anderson’s exhibit. The Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse now enters its fourth year with an exciting exhibition season ahead. The spring 2012 calendar includes collaborative sculpture by Roger Asay and Rebecca Davis (Prescott, Ariz.), a sound installation by Tamara Albaitis (San Francisco, Calif.), a juried Prescott College alumni exhibition, and the Senior Student Exhibition.
Tim Anderson: Living Mural Project, June/July 2011
Student-Centered Vision Students have been at the core of the Prescott College Art Gallery since its inception. Twelve years ago, when Visual Arts was housed in the Summit building, students in the Visual Arts Exhibition Practicum identified that the number one need of the Visual Arts program at Prescott College was a dedicated gallery space, and Sam Hill Warehouse was identified as the ideal location for the gallery. With institutional support, students in the class developed the first of what would become five biennial art auctions, each of which raised approximately $25,000 toward the renovation of the Sam Hill Warehouse into the Visual Arts Center at Prescott College. With the renovation completed in 2008, the Prescott College Visual Arts Center at Sam Hill Warehouse is now in its third year of operation, and students remain central to the operation of the gallery and the visioning for its future. Students in the Gallery Management Practicum and Visual Arts Professional Development Practicum staff the gallery and host events, and the student president of the Student Arts Council participates in the exhibition selection committee. One exhibition each year is facilitated by students: the fall semester Practicum class selects a theme for a juried competition and designs the prospectus; the spring semester Practicum class works with a juror to select the works; and the following fall semester Practicum class installs the exhibition while designing the following year’s show; and on. Students have opportunities to exhibit their work in an annual Juried Student Exhibition and the Graduating Senior Showcase. The Gallery’s exhibition calendar is aligned with the Visual Arts curriculum, ensuring that students are exposed to meaningful art throughout each term that is relevant to their own work.
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Writers in the Community Students share a passion for creative writing outside classroom walls, in the heart of the local community
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And student instructors Evan Belknap ’11 and Thomas Maxson he Writers in the Community (WIC) class at Prescott College returned this past spring to give Prescott-area resi- ’11, who worked with residents of Prescott House, a treatment program for men, put it this way: “Our dedicated men were prodents a voice through the written word. In this serviceducing fantastic work ... Through writing poetry, fiction, and nonlearning practicum, pairs of students lead creative-writing workfiction, we played, imagined, explored and escaped together … shops for local agencies serving a variety of participants, ranging and without fail, we always left the classroom at PH feeling better, from the disabled, the elderly, so-called “juvenile delinquents,” lighter, happier than we had going in.” homeless youth, women, and people recovering from addiction. Writers in the Community is offered only every three years and Prescott College instructor Melanie Bishop, who has taught only in the spring semester. the WIC course since 2002, explained Administrators at participating sites that one goal of the program is to remind repeatedly expressed a desire to community participants they have a story have the program be ongoing and worth telling and being heard. Before the year-round. Melanie envisions an twice-weekly workshops begin, WIC stuambitious student taking it on as a dents create lesson plans and discuss Senior Project – the conversion of methods for handling potential challenges WIC into a small nonprofit. in the classroom. They also spend time Graduates of the class could staff identifying what they love about reading the workshops as volunteers. “It and writing and ways to communicate that would be wonderful to meet this passion to somebody else, somebody posneed in the community, while also sibly very different from themselves. offering more PC students the This year, for the first time, WIC facilichance to participate in this model tated a workshop at Open Door/Center WIC students with Open Door/Center participants of community engagement.” for Compassion and Justice, a nonprofit Current-student instructor Laura Hitt ’12 concurs: “[I took] this that supports the homeless and the working poor. Melanie conclass because I believe it is a one-of-a-kind opportunity that exemfessed that in her 21 years of living in Prescott, she never knew plifies why I came to Prescott College. Other undergraduate prothis place existed, despite its prominent location in a church two grams don’t offer this kind of experience.” blocks from the College. Now, she said, “After such a rich WIC culminates in the publication of a community anthology, exchange this spring between current students Jacqi Alyanakian which contains the best work by each participant, and a reading ’12 and Zoe Mason ’12 and the participants at Open Door, we and celebration. hope to add this site permanently to our roster. Students worried that they might feel awkward or out-of-place in that setting, but immediately the similarities they felt with their participants overContributions to this article by current on-campus undergraducame any perceived differences.” ate students Erika DeLeo ’13 and Åsa Bjorklund ’14. Joining together on the common ground of language and literature, community participants and student instructors alike find To order a copy of the 2011 anthology, titled elsewhere, send a themselves invigorated by WIC. Helen, a resident at Good Samaritan Assisted Living, described her experience: “We had the $10 check made out to Writers in the Community, to Melanie Bishop, WIC, Arts & Letters, Prescott College, 220 Grove Ave., opportunity to share ourselves with one another in a way we have Prescott, AZ 86301. Donations supporting the program are acceptnot done in the past. It made us a warmer, closer community. I’ve ed at the same address. felt pretty isolated because of my personal situation and this class was a real gift.”
Star Writing Alumni Eliot Treichel ’97 knows the struggles that come with being a working artist, but has persisted through the requisite rejection to enjoy some well-earned success (see Class Notes). The author recently spoke to Pages to Pixels: PTP: Did you experience a moment when you “knew” you wanted to write? ET: There have been a few moments … In college, I ended up taking an Intro to Fiction class with Melanie Bishop. I needed to fill out my credits for the quarter. I didn’t have much of any direction. A friend said,
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Alligator Juniper Announces 2011 Suzanne Tito Student Prize Winners
National 3rd Place “Recline Among Aspens” by Kim Kapin
National 2nd Place “Scull/Glyphs” by Robert Renfrow
Thanks to the continued generosity of former trustee and alumni parent Suzanne Tito, the Suzanne Tito Student Prizes in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Photography annually recognize outstanding student artists at Prescott College. Prizes are awarded for first, second, and third places, as well as honorable mentions.
FICTION
National 1st Place “Untitled” by Krystal Beth Mcdonald
1st Place: “What Did You Expect?” by Tyler Miranda Kipling B.A. program ’13 2nd Place: “Different Ways to Say Please” by Esther Welsh B.A. program ’11 3rd Place: “Cabbage Seeds” by Emily Webber ’11 Honorable Mention: “With All His Clothes” by Allison Field Bell ’11 Honorable Mention: “Far Enough” by Allison Field Bell
CREATIVE NONFICTION 1st Place: “The Weight of Water” by Suzanne Monroe ’11 2nd Place: “You Say You Want a Revolution” by Allison Field Bell 3rd Place: “At the Risk of Sounding Freudian” by Althea Rose Schelling B.A. program ’11 Honorable Mention: “You Tell Me There Are Gods on This Island” by Evan Belknap ’11 Honorable Mention: “Like the Grass” by Emmy Raviv (Eco League exchange)
POETRY 1st Place: “Watersheds and Lions’ Dens” by Chris Zaccone ’11 2nd Place: “Ode to You, Masked as Parakeet” by Chris Zaccone 3rd Place: “Route Eleven Escape” by Danielle Louise Iamarino B.A. program ’12 Honorable Mention: “Easter: Greek Orthodox Edition” by Allison Field Bell
PHOTOGRAPHY 1st Place: “Beautiful Bird” by Nicole Michetti B.A. program ’13 2nd Place: “The Curtains Were Only Half Closed” by Allison Field Bell 3rd Place: “Nels” by Kieran Sullivan B.A. program ’11 To purchase a copy of Alligator Juniper write a check for $10 to Prescott College/Alligator Juniper, and mail it to Alligator Juniper, Prescott College, 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301. Include a note with shipping address.
“Why don’t you take this creative writing class with me?” It sounded easy, so I took it. Without Melanie Bishop, I don’t know that I’d ever have been a writer. She introduced me to the short story … When I sat down to write one of the assignments for the class, I had an experience much like the one I’d had while writing [an] angst-gasm of a poem in high school. Something clicked. And instead of shrugging, Melanie said the story was pretty good, that it had something. Then she said, “But you should start thinking about this stuff …” and she began pointing out weaknesses in my writing and teaching me about craft. My life really veered toward literature at that point, and I started reading in a way I’d never done before. When I graduated, Melanie told me to just keep writing, no matter where life took me. For the most part, I’ve tried to obey those instructions.
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Pilgrimage to the Source of Butoh A student’s journey into Japan and dance as performance and healing By Ashley Rodd ’10
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Ashley Rodd, Senior Showcase
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pproximately one month into my intuitive pilgrimage across the foreign lands of Japanese culture, I found myself on the small island of Shidoshima revisiting the life of physical tension alive in the steadfast farmer. I was not quite sure how I managed to land on this quaint olive tree farm, surrounded by screaming baby monkeys, enormous mountain tops drenched in an assortment of dark greens, with a mind filled with contemplation, revelation, and, best yet, conflict. I had traveled to Japan to study and document the metamorphic evolution of the Japanese dance form butoh since its post-World War II origin with farmer Tatsumi Hijikata. Butoh is a Japanese-born dance form that works with the liberation of impulses and teaches students to work with energetic qualities to reach humanity’s fullest potential. Butoh traditionally involves mischievous and fantastic imagery, taboo topics, and incongruous environments. It is typically performed in white body makeup with slow hyper-controlled movement. The form offers a pathway to dismantle the mental, emotional, and cultural barriers that encourage a disconnection between others, nature, and the self. Master teacher Diego Pinon addresses butoh as what “challenges us to awaken and explore all human qualities ranging from the subtle to the outrageous, both beautiful and ugly. Butoh seeks the emergence of the deeper self, to touch, if only for a moment, the inexplicable matter of the human soul.” Butoh reinforces an alternative to our daily lives by introducing a variety of scores to break our habitual ways of being. My project provided me with an extraordinary opportunity to embark on a pilgrimage to the source of the Japanese butoh. I arrived in Japan with a modest itinerary, my colleague Trina Massengill ’11, and insightful support from mentor Delisa Myles. For the first month out of three, Trina and I rented a charming one-bedroom apartment in a residential neighborhood in Tokyo. As the unexpected culture shock of urban sterility, organization, and promptness began to settle, we set out in a crowded city to find our teachers. Approaching my second month in Japan, I ventured into the countryside to pay homage to the life of the farmer. Essentially the farmer’s mindset and body is responsible for the cultivation of Ankoku Butoh, “the dance of utter darkness.” The cultural coding of physical daily labor has and still does initiate a strong degree of bodily tension and disfiguration in the Japanese farmer body. In 1959, Hijikata, a farmer, began to open a space for communal cultural protest and revolt, especially in regards to Western cultural domination and its insistence on rationality and capital. On his farm, the original intention of Ankoku
Butoh was birthed – to strive to empty the body of expected and recognizable cultural restrictions in order to let a new body, or bodies, emerge. Bodily “refrigeration” – the slowing of and overt intentionality of both physical and mental movement in butoh – represents a soundless cry that erupts into and out of meaning, leaving behind the daily sensibility by entering into the ruptures of the past and of the future. There is a tension alive in all of us that is constantly resting between the act of screaming and the utter emptiness we face in moments of trauma. Rarely do we allow the howl of our screaming to arrive at its point of origin. Butoh offers a way of passing through these moments in the attempt to revise our individual distortions and to acknowledge the transformative potential of the body. The first generation butoh that we observed dances from a place of physical tension – the farmer’s body and the place of
al of my dear teacher, I was able to recognize my role in the documentation of butoh’s history and current evolution. It is important to document this potential shift, especially so close to the death of Kazuo Ohno. What do we lay to rest and how do we change with the seasons to keep the essence of butoh alive? As I go into the finishing stages of my Senior Project, I will be working to determine the answers. Upon re-entry into the United States, Friedrich Nietzsche has become my main source of support. He has shined a light on the reality that my experiences in Japan have fallen short of commonly attained wisdom, such as that of the self, or that of nature. If it is even a wisdom at all that I have attained along my pilgrimage; there is no denying a new sense of torment mingling with delight vibrating within me, as Nietzsche so elegantly describes again and again in his works. I physically feel new additions to my body, additions as apparent to me as a limb sprouting from the top of my head or a tail from my nose. To say the least, I am silenced by what I have managed to create for myself along my pilgrimage to the source of butoh, and perhaps this is the most evident sign that my transformation is not yet over. Although I have left one strange land to find myself back in another, I sense that I have become more of a knot for fate to cling to. Documentation of Ashley’s pilgrimage/Senior Project can be found at http://prescottbutoh.wordpress.com/.
Butoh performance, Japan
hard labor. We are not in a time of abusing our physical limitations to this extent any longer, but rather that of mental and social tension. We have long forgotten the power of the body and assume our mentality has us under control. Although the Japanese mind-set is slowly catching up to the regrettable status of Western society, the Japanese are still able to recognize the unseen worlds expressed in the subtleties of the body much longer than the average westerner before giving up trying to understand. This shift from physical to mental tension in butoh is dramatically morphing the art form into what it is now. My teacher Natsu Nakajima wishes for us to not call this new phase butoh because it simply is not how Hijikata conceived it. Fifty years past its birth, butoh is no longer Ankoku Butoh, but something very different by nature. Perhaps the most profound moments of my trip came during time spent with the resting body of butoh co-founder Kazuo Ohno on the day he died at 104 years old. In the days leading up to his death and the actual day of his passing, the entire space surrounding his studio was vibrating with a vortex of energy. I remember consciously observing in those moments how charged the power of death could be. Following the funer-
Ashley Rodd’s Senior Showcase
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The New BFA Degree A watershed moment for the arts at Prescott College
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his past May, for the first time in its history, Prescott College awarded an undergraduate degree other than the Bachelor of Arts. Evan A. Belknap ’11 and Ellen Haines ’11 have the honor of earning the first Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the On-Campus Undergraduate Program – Evan in Creative Writing and Ellen in Visual Arts. This graduation ceremony represented a watershed moment in the evolution of arts education at the College. You may be wondering: What exactly is the B.F.A.? How does it differ from the B.A., and why is it significant that the College now offers it for students? The B.F.A. is a more intensive degree for young artists – combining history and theory of the arts and aesthetics with a curriculum aimed at giving students hands-on form and technique experience in creative writing, photography, studio arts, theatre, and dance. A student earning a B.F.A. is expected to take more courses and develop an ambitious portfolio of creative work, as well as acquire professional training in the arts. The B.F.A is for students who wish not only to study the arts but also to become practitioners of the arts they study. This isn’t a qualitative issue – the B.F.A. isn’t “better” than a B.A. – but rather a matter of focus and direction. The expectations for the regular bachelor’s degree are depth of focus in a concentrated area combined with significant liberal arts studies. The fine arts student is still expected to have a well-rounded liberal arts education and a breadth/minor, but the concentration within the competence is on quality and depth of artistic development. The capstone experience for the B.F.A. is typically a substantial original creative project such as: a collection of stories, essays, or poems; a novel, plays, or screenplays; photographic or studio arts exhibitions; dance or theatre productions. The B.F.A. can prepare the student for a professional career as an artist or further graduate training in a discipline, as well as a career in such fields as arts administration, editing, journalism, curation, and teaching, which demand intensive focus and the ability to set and achieve ambitious goals. It’s likely clear to anyone familiar with Prescott College that the B.F.A. is a natural extension of our educational mission. This degree is an expression of the very things we value as an institution: self-direction, interdisciplinary study, and holistic approaches to teaching in which literacy in the field, mastery
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of methodology, and interconnection, application, and personalization of learning are the primary methods of assessment. PC already has a long history of attracting and developing wonderful artists, dating back to the days before there was an Arts & Letters Program, when photographer Jay Dusard and author and cultural critic Alan Weisman were teaching at the College, and such students as nature writer, ecologist, and activist Gary Nabhan were matriculating. Students in the Arts & Letters Program have always been ambitious, and many past students have done work that would have easily earned the B.F.A. degree. The number of alums who have gone on to professional careers as writers or artists or to top-tier Master of Fine Arts and doctoral programs in creative writing, literature, visual arts, and performing arts is incredibly impressive, given the size of our institution and the fact that the College has done little targeted recruiting for Arts & Letters.
Ashley Rodd Senior Showcase
By K. L. Cook
Prescott College naturally attracts aesthetically minded, iconoclastic students eager to make positive contributions to the world. Students gravitate toward and have flourished in the arts here precisely because they see that the arts and writing are not just a way of growing personally but one of the best ways to make a significant difference in the lives of others, to be an agent of social change. Over the years, as we have developed our curricular areas in Writing and Literature, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts – providing a greater array of offerings in different genres, forms, and media of creative expression and supplementing that form and technique coursework with intensive practicum classes that give students professional training in literary journal editing, newspaper journalism, theatre and dance production, art exhibition installation, and teaching – we’ve seen our students mature rapidly as artists. When students graduate from our program, they have skills, experience, and bodies of work that frequently equal or exceed the work of not only students in other undergraduate programs but students in graduate programs as well. continued on page 20
Meet Kerry Skarbakka Arts & Letters faculty member K.L. Cook introduces new professor
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nessed during his on-campus interview. Kerry’s artistic aspirations also dovetail with Prescott College’s mission. Thematically, his photography investigates complex philosophical, social, and environmental issues. In terms of methodology, Kerry is a dare-devil; he constructs images of himself in marine environments, emerging from flames, engaged in ultimate fighting matches, and falling from ladders, bicycles, staircases, trestles, and skyscrapers. “I’m thrilled to have a chance to directly influence the evo-
Stendhal No.1 @ the Corcoran by Kerry Skarbakka
s a member of the search committee that recommended hiring Kerry Skarbakka as our new Digital Media/Photographic Studies professor, I can tell the Prescott College community that Kerry deeply impressed us on many levels. Kerry is a first-rate visual artist who has already garnered an international reputation with multimedia work that is technically ambitious, visually stunning, and intellectually and emotionally provocative. Drawing upon his training in studio art, sculp-
ture, analog and digital photography, and video, he has created an outstanding body of work exhibited in important museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Fifty-One Fine Art Photography (Antwerp, Belgium), and the Irvine Contemporary (Washington, DC). His images have appeared in Afterimage, Art and America, Art Review International, and Aperture Magazine. He was even profiled on “The Today Show.” Among his many honors is a multi-year grant from the prestigious Creative Capital Foundation. Although Kerry devoted most of the last decade to being a full-time artist, he also developed his teaching skills at private art schools, such as Columbia College in Chicago and Carnegie Mellon, as well as state universities and community colleges. Kerry’s previous supervisors rave about his innovative teaching and generosity in mentoring young artists, something we wit-
lution of a program at a college that shares my own passions,” Kerry says, “I look forward to bringing my experience, energy, and contacts to help us create a truly outstanding B.F.A.” We are proud to welcome Kerry as a colleague and know our students will be fortunate to have him as a mentor. Kerry’s work is currently included in a traveling exhibit and new monograph of the same name, “The Unseen Eye: Photography From the Collection of William Hunt.” The exhibit begins its tour at The George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film this fall where more than 500 photographs by the masters of the medium will be on view Oct. 1, 2011 through Feb. 19, 2012.
To find out more, check out Kerry’s website at www.kerryskarbakka.com.
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continued from page 18
First Two Students to Receive a BFA
Name: Evan Belknap Degree: Creative Writing Senior Project: Short Story Collection Why Art?: “Creating and destroying in the ongoing pursuit of truth and beauty. It keeps me sane, or insane, I’m not sure yet, but either way, it makes me happy.” Current Focus: T.A. for Alligator Juniper, then grad school in fall 2012
Name: Ellen Haines Degree: Visual Arts Senior Project: Multimedia Artist’s Book Series Why Art?: “That’s what I do. Without the ability to create I’d go insane.” Current Focus: M.F.A. program at University of the Arts
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When the Arts & Letters faculty began to investigate other campus-based undergraduate programs, it became overwhelmingly clear that our 16-course competence was as strong as, if not better than, almost every other college’s B.F.A. And when we compared the Senior Projects, the difference was stunning – with our students routinely accomplishing projects of amazing ambition, scope, and artistic maturity – so much so that it seemed almost criminal not to award students the degree they would have earned with honors at another institution. After a few years of research, detailed proposals, and a process of faculty, Board of Trustees, and state licensing approval, students now have the option of pursuing one of three fine arts tracks: Creative Writing, Visual Arts, or Interdisciplinary Arts & Letters. The B.F.A. degrees in Creative Writing and Visual Arts are very similar to our original sixteen-course competence tracks. The Interdisciplinary Arts & Letters track is the most ambitious new offering we have – combining significant coursework in writing and literature, visual arts, and performing arts into an interdisciplinary super-competence of at least 24 courses, culminating in a Senior Project that combines at least two if not all three of these disciplines. We believe that this type of degree is the wave of the future, as the boundaries between the arts have become more and more permeable and the expectation for most artists is not genre or discipline specialization but distinctive interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration. In the future, the Arts & Letters Program hopes to add a B.F.A. in Performing Arts – an area that has always been popular with students and a crucial part of our curriculum – as we continue to improve our performance facilities and increase our offerings in dance, theatre, and music. We will continue to offer full Bachelor of Arts competence and breadth options in Performing Arts, Theatre, and Dance, as well as Literature, Writing & Literature, and Creative Writing, and Photography, Studio Arts, and Visual Arts. The B.F.A. simply expands the options available and honors the hard work students committed to deepening and professionalizing their training as artists are already doing. For now, the Arts & Letters Program is excited about the ways in which the B.F.A. may attract new students to Prescott College specifically for the arts. We would like the College, in the next decade, to become nationally recognized as an ideal learning community for artists, performers, and writers. For more information about the Prescott College Bachelor of Fine Arts, as well as other competence and breadth opportunities, consult the advising documents on our website or contact any of the faculty advisors in Arts & Letters: K. L. (Kenny) Cook, Charissa Menefee, Julie Comnick, Sheila Sanderson, Kerry Skarbakka, Deborah Ford, and Melanie Bishop.
Alumni Briefs Alumni and Parent Gatherings Spring 2012 gatherings are happening coast to coast in Ashland, N.C., Los Angeles, Calif., Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Calif., Santa Fe, N.M., and Tucson, Ariz. Look for additional information in the mail or in Ecos.
PC Email for Life Alumni may now have Prescott College email for life. Stay connected to your alma mater through our recently upgraded Google Apps for Education email service. This service is similar to regular Gmail and can easily be forwarded to your current email address, so you’ll never miss out on Prescott College news again! Once registered, you can keep in touch with former classmates by searching for their name in the system. As a bonus, there are retail discounts associated with having a “.edu” email address. For more information or to register for your Prescott College email for life, visit http://www.prescott.edu/alumni/pcmail-for-life.html today.
Ecos Monthly Newsletter Ecos, the Prescott College e-newsletter for alumni and friends, has a new look to match our new Prescott College website. Don’t miss an issue! Make sure to update your contact information at: pcalumupdate.kintera.org/.
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Class Notes
Class Notes Juliann Knight ’74 I graduated in 1974 with a degree in archaeology from Prescott. I went on to get a master’s degree from the University of Utah in cultural/physical anthropology. Later I became certified as a physician assistant. Currently I’m working in the ER of a rural hospital in Harriman, Tenn. I was fortunate enough to participate in International Medicine on the Mafia Island chain off the coast of Tanzania in 2000 at the local clinic on the island of Chole, treating mainly malaria and respiratory illnesses. We had a children’s clinic called the “Under 5 clinic” where we gave childhood immunizations and performed well child exams. I’ve also brought supplies to the hospitals in Dar Es Salaam, and Nairobi, Kenya. Additionally I’ve traveled to Huaibei, China in the Anhui Province, teaching English. Nevada Wier ’74 I was proud to be one of the four experts for the Lightroom Workshops 3, two-day intensive workshops offered nationwide this past spring. Please check out my website for additional presentations at www.nevadawier.com. Elena Klaver ’75 I attended Prescott College from 1973 to 1975, during the transition from the original campus into town. I did not graduate, since I moved to Colorado, but I feel a tie to PC, and would like to stay in touch with other alumni in this area. I live in Niwot, Colo., and am self-employed as an independent Spanish interpreter for state and federal courts, conferences, and community events. I continue to be an activist for the environment, peace, and justice, and have finally released a CD of original music this May, titled “Promise of Spring.” I would like to honor the contribution that PC made to my life, and stay connected with others who feel the same way. Elena (Ellen) Klaver, elena@indra.com, www.elenaklaver.com. Bob Ratcliffe ’78 Bob was promoted to Deputy Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning Directorate at Bureau of Land Management in Washington state. Prior to coming to the BLM in Washington, he spent 12 years with the Bureau in Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon as a senior recreation planner, wilderness and wild and scenic river manager, public affairs staff, and field office manager. For the past several years, as Division Chief for Recreation and Visitor Services, Bob worked continuously with many other natural resource and parks agencies, organizations, and constituents to emphasize youth, expand partnerships, and promote conservation of Treasured Landscapes as top priorities for the Bureau and the Department of Interior. He initiated the Bureau’s successful “Take It Outside” program to actively engage youth in the outdoors, and has been a contributor for BLM to the Presidential and Secretarial initiative – America’s Great Outdoors. Bob recently served as the acting Division Chief for BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System and has been a Congressional Fellow in the US Senate, staffing environment, climate, public lands, and natural resource issues. Maria Claus ’81 Maria Carreccio Claus (husband, David Claus), is now living in Austin, Texas, and is in hospice care after a long fight with colon cancer. Kim Reynolds ’84 See the feature article in the Winter 2010–11 Issue of Chicks with PIX, featuring Kim Reynolds: www.watchnewspspers.com (search Chicks with Picks). Cindy Dick ’87 Cindy is the Program Manager for EarthScope through the School of Earth Science and Planetary Exploration at Arizona State University. EarthScope is a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation that measures tectonic movement due to earthquakes and volcanic activities. Cindy can be reached atcindy.dick@asu.edu. Charles Lyon ’91 Minneapolis artist Charles Lyon exhibited at the Groveland Gallery this spring. Victoria Abel ’93 Victoria recently received her Master Nutrition Therapist Certification from Nutrition Therapy Institute.
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John Farmer ’92 Pictured Left to Right: Geoff Gardner ’95, Mark Plourde ’94, Joe St.Onge ’94, John Farmer, Scott Douglas ’95, Tom Donovan ’94, Hunter Dahlberg ’95, Gregg Miller ’95, Matt Lavoire ’99 at a recent mountain bike rendezvous at Joe St. Onge’s Sun Valley Trekking “Coyoute Yurt.”
Josh Tewksbury ’92 Josh and Kirsten Rowell ’96 presented at the Natural History Initiative for Ecology, Stewardship, and Sustainability symposium during the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America. Saskia Larraz ’93 My Etsy shop offering a new line of wraps, roll bracelets, and one of a kind designs is now open. www.etsy.com/shop/saskialarraz. Matt Brown ’96 Matt Brown with Rubicon Outdoors offered an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) certification course in Prescott this fall. Alumnus Amos Whiting ’99, AMGA/IFMGA Certified Rock, Alpine, and Ski Mountaineering Guide, instructed. Jan Clutter ’96 Happily retired. Active in neighborhood projects and Hospice. Enjoy family, including two grandchildren. Naser El Masry ’06 Moved from Renton to city of Mill Creek, Wash. Parents immigrated to the United States in 2010. Jessica Meaney ’96 Check out the sustainable transportation blog titled Q&A with Jessica Meaney: Safe Routes to School National Partnership at www.thecityfix.com (search Jessica Meaney). Drew Dellinger ’97 Living the New Story: Cosmology, Justice, Poetry and the Planet workshop Sept. 23–25, 2011, at Esalen Institute, Big Sur, Calif. Eliot Treichel ’97 Eliot’s debut collection, Close Is Fine, will be published by Ooligan Press at Portland State University in fall 2012. His story “We’re Not That,” originally published in Alligator Juniper, is included. This year he’s also published in Narrative Magazine and Beloit Fiction Journal. Eliot currently teaches writing at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. For more information visit www.eliottreichel.com. Sean Nordquist ’98 I recently left the corporate world after over a decade and am back to education and the environment. What a refreshing change! I look forward to the challenges and opportunities it will provide. jedinord@gmail.com. Giancarlo Sadoti ’98 My wife Bridget gave birth to our daughter Giacinta Marie Sadoti last September. Bridget and I met in Idaho, moved to central New York, where we married in 2009, and then to New Mexico in 2010. We’re moving to Reno where I’m starting a Ph.D. program in geography at UNR this fall. Pam Silcox ’98 I graduated from Prescott College with a master’s degree in psychology in 1998. Since then I have been teaching psychology, human service, and social science courses at the community college level. In a typical class I’ve had students range in age from 17 to 75 years old; oh, what a wealth of knowledge and life experiences this to brings to the table! It’s what makes teaching such a joy for me. Since this is my retirement year, I will be limiting the number of classes I teach each semester. I will also be going from teaching full time to teaching as an adjunct professor. I just
Ellery Kimball ’99 I manage Blue Heron Organic Farm in Lincoln, Mass., a seven-acre organic farm on conservation land. We sell to restaurants, through a farm stand, and to farmers’ markets and have been farming in the Lincoln area since 1992. I have been managing Blue Heron since 2001. I graduated from PC in 1999 with a degree in sustainable agriculture and ecology, and loved the classes I took with Tim Crews and Rebecca Routson. Lauren Kruger Tietz ’99 I am finishing my M.F.A. through Transart Institute this August 2011. laurentietz@gmail.com. Kathryn Peacock ’99 Kathryn Peacock Joins Partner Engineering to head their Phoenix office. Partner Engineering is a national environmental and engineering consulting firm focusing on real estate due diligence, building sciences, construction monitoring, and environmental site remediation services. Wren Farris ’00 Wren Farris contributed to faculty member Tom Fleischner’s anthology, The Way of Natural History. Other PC contributors include Cristina Eisenberg M.A. ’06, former faculty member Laura Sewall, and faculty member Ed Grumbine. Susan Fronckowiak ’00 On July 24, Steve and I welcomed our son, Alexander Armstrong, into this world! Ron Bassar ’01 It has been 10 years since I graduated from Prescott College! Since then I have gotten married to Sonya Auer ’01, conducted research in ecology and evolutionary biology in Venezuela, Panama, South Africa, and Trinidad, and completed my Ph.D. at the University of California in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology. I will now be starting a post-doc position at the University of California working on feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes. Dan Bigley ’01 My co-author Deb McKinney and I are very excited to announce that we have secured a book deal with St. Martin’s Press to publish our nonfiction narrative about how the grizzly bear that blinded me has given me a new way to see and appreciate life. We are working toward a release date in the spring or summer of 2012, and the book will be sold in all of the major book retailers. The book has also taken a really cool turn to more completely incorporate the love story Amber and I continue to live, as we had just started dating right before the attack. I have also recently started a blog that I will be adding to every several weeks, and I encourage you to support me through following the blog and becoming my friend on Facebook. www.bearattacksurvivor.blogspot.com. Jenny LePage ’01 I own an eco-friendly massage business in downtown Bozeman, Mont. – Bozeman Massage Therapy LLC. We actually were just featured (front page – 14-page article!) in a national magazine, Massage Therapy Journal. We have also been recognized through other avenues like Green Marketing TV and our local food co-op. A lot of our eco-friendly practices are included in the article and on the website (www.bozemanmassagetherapy.com). The long-term vision is a totally eco-friendly (straw bale) healing center, with my ongoing oversight as Doctor of Chinese Medicine. With the bouncing economy we are also doing what we can to build community and help those who are struggling financially. We are setting up more formal (partial and full) trade options for treatment, and I’m working on a fund as well, plus lots of specials. The world needs healing work more than ever, as well as eco-friendly and socially conscious practices. And might I even say spiritual? It is so exciting to be at the frontline of this amazing shift happening on our planet (and use my PC education to guide me). Ariana Salvo ’01 In the last year I left my home for the last six years on Prince Edward Island, Canada, where I completed my master’s degree in island studies (with a focus in sustainable agriculture), drove across the country, reconnecting with Prescott College friends all the way and stopping in Prescott to visit with my former advisor, and settled, temporarily, in Sacramento, Calif. I am currently writing, and looking for more opportunities to write, volunteering with the child and youth education program on a local organic farm, and was recently selected as one of five finalists in a national competition with Green & Black’s organic
chocolate company that will be taking me to the Dominican Republic at the end of March to spend two weeks building a gravity-fed drinking water system in an organic cocoa–growing community. I would love to hear from other alumni and faculty that are either in the Northern California area, or passing through.
Class Notes
wanted to let it be known how much I gained from Prescott’s unique style of education, and without this behind me I would not be where I am today. I remember my days at Prescott College most fondly. Thanks to staff and faculty for being who and what you are, great! silcoxp@yahoo.com.
Lisa Packard ’02 I graduated from the master's program in 2002 and have been director of the school garden program at the Highlands Center for the past six years. I’m leaving Prescott this July to move back to New England for a position as executive director of Newforest Institute, a permaculture and sustainability farm in Brooks, Maine. I’m looking forward to making contacts with PC alums and friends in New England. lisa@newforestinstitute.org. Jay Krienitz ’04 Hello old friends and Prescott classmates! Here’s a picture of our new son, Charles Dutcher Krienitz, born 7/28/10. Little Charlie is a joy, and we’re so happy to have him in our lives. We are currently living in St. Paul, where I am working for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. I love working as a statewide program coordinator managing conservation easements on our seven designated wild and scenic rivers. Minnesota also just passed a state constitutional amendment securing millions of dollars every year for clean water, land, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage. I help manage this fund for the Division of Parks and Trails. Jen just got her master’s degree in horticulture. She loves being a new mom and was able to spend the first seven months at home. She is now working for a landscaping company. We’d love to connect with old friends in the Midwest. Please feel free to call or “friend” us on Facebook. jaykrienitz@yahoo.com. Aurora Lee ’04 Prescott-area nonprofit Inventing Earth announces the hiring of its first Executive Director, Aurora Lee, M.B.A. Her new responsibilities include fundraising and managing grant submissions, as well as general organizational development. Lee is also a Program Director at Arizona’s Children Association. She graduated from Prescott College in 2004 and received her M.B.A. at University of Arizona, Eller College of Management in 2010. In addition to her work at Arizona’s Children Association, she has worked with Affinity Seminars producing web-based education seminars on fundraising for nonprofits in the US and Canada. Blake Lowrey ’04 The Smithsonian Magazine recently published an article covering the lynx project I am working on in Montana. There are some great photos of the cats as well of some of our handling procedures. It has been a very interesting and exciting job. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Tracking-the-Elusive-Lynx.html. Adam Katzman ’05 Living in a houseboat on the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, as a freelance green builder. Read more at: http://www.backtonaturenyc.com/offgridder.html. Celeste Roberts ’05 What a year it has been! Eirik Martin ’06 and I bought a house in St. Johns, Portland, Ore., in October of 2010 and have been busy planning gardens, building raised beds, planting trees in the neighborhood, and exploring our new home. We’ve been in Portland since 2007, with a brief stop in New Mexico for six months in 2008. Portland has treated us wonderfully. I’m working in vocational education and Eirik works in the solar industry and the medical technology field as well. We’ve found a good community of people here, with similar loves of gardens, canning, crafts, and sustainability. We adore exploring, whether by bike, canoe, snowshoes, or feet, and have traveled all over the northern part of the state. Eirik and I will be married in July and are looking forward to many more years of adventures together! If you happen to be in Portland, drop a line: robertsceleste@gmail.com. Jeremy Gildrien ’06 Gildrien Farm, Caitlin and Jeremy Gildrien, 340 Halladay Rd., Middlebury, VT 05753. www.gildrienfarm.com. Continued on page 26
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In Memoriam
In Memoriam Edwin “Bean” Bowers ’95 Bean Bowers passed away on Sunday, July 10, 2011, after a courageous six-month battle with cancer. He was born August 13, 1973, in Montrose, Colo., at which time his parents were living in Telluride. Bean grew up in Denver after his family moved there in 1975. After graduating from Prescott College in December 1995, Bean traveled and climbed extensively throughout the world, spending much of his time in Patagonia, where he developed an intimate relationship with the mountains and people of El Chalten, Argentina. Bean spoke Spanish fluently and cherished the close relationships he developed with Argentine friends. In addition to his climbing, Bean was a lucid writer and engaging storyteller. In between guiding and climbing trips, Bean, a gifted craftsman, designed and built a home in Bozeman, Mont., and then another in Ridgway, Colo., where he and his wife, Helen, were living at the time of his death. In the words posted to Bean’s website by some of his friends, he was “vibrant, burly, funny, strong, sharp, genuine. A true hardman, a tough bastard with a kind heart, loyal, never fake, a tell-it-like-it-is person. The real deal.” As a friend, guide, and teacher, Bean was an inspiration to many.
Peter Bornstein ’74 Peter Isaac Bornstein, a 13year resident of Ridgefield, Conn., passed away unexpectedly on May 19, 2011, at the young age of 56. Peter was born in New Haven, Conn., on December 23, 1954, the youngest of three sons born to Dr. Harold Bornstein, a pediatrician, and Toby Sampson Bornstein, an artist and avid gardener. Peter’s keen intellect, artistic sensibility, and inquisitive nature informed everything he touched. A graduate of Tulane University, Peter’s intellectual interests were varied: he attended Prescott College, Harvard University, and NYU, culminating in a career of art restoration, art conservation, and art collection management. While traveling in California, Peter met and eventually wed Amy Deveau, the love of his life. They settled in New York City, where Peter pursued his many passions, the greatest of which was raising their son Sage. He is survived by his wife, Amy Deveau, and son, Sage Hunter Bornstein, of Ridgefield, Conn., Dr. Harold 24 26
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Bornstein of New Haven, Conn., Daniel Bornstein of Saint Louis, Mo., and Steven Bornstein of Key West, Fla.
Janet Bergquist Dixon ’75 Janet passed away on October 21, 2009. Jan received her undergraduate education at Prescott College, a master’s degree in geography at the University of Colorado, and a master’s degree in library science at the University of Texas. She served as Environmental Specialist and Park Planner for the Planning Division, Southeast/Southwest Team of the US National Park Service in Denver, Colo.
Susan J. Rheem ’82 One of the first LimitedResidency Undergraduate Program students, Susan Rheem passed away April 18, 2011. Susan was born on Dec. 29, 1944, in Denver Colo. From childhood on she had an innate desire to care for the elderly. In 1982, in her passion to help bring about more loving and compassionate care for the frail elderly, she was the driving force in founding Adult Care Services, Inc., and Prescott Senior Daycare Center, now called the Center Adult Day Services in Prescott and Prescott Valley. In 1985, President Reagan appointed her to the National Institute of Aging Advisory Board, where she advocated on a local, state, and national level in the development of adult day care services. In 1998 Susan and a team of caring and supportive community members broke ground for the third phase of their shared vision, the Margaret T. Morris Center (MTM), a residential setting for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Susan later obtained her master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University. She is survived by her daughter, Devon R. Devlin (Mrs. Jamie); her son, Darren Rheem; a sister, Linda R. Schwartz; a cousin, Jean Koizumi; and her beloved five-year-old granddaughter, Camille Devlin, to whom she dedicated the past two years of her retirement. She is preceded in death by her ex-husband, William S. Rheem III, and her parents, William and Marian Johnston.
Jordan Amerman and Kistie Simmons M.A. ’07 Restructuring in spring resulted in a Co-Directorship of Information Technology. Jordan Amerman and Kistie Simmons have moved into this position to further connect academic and business technology, and increase the level of customer service. Randall Amster, Ph.D. Dr. Randall Amster, Graduate Chair of Humanities and professor of Peace Studies, recently delivered a series of workshops and keynote addresses at colleges and universities on the emerging field of Peace Ecology. His new book, Anarchism Today, is scheduled to be published by Praeger/ABC-CLIO next year. Walt Anderson, M.S. Walt Anderson, faculty member in Environmental Studies, co-founded the Granite Dells Preservation Foundation and serves on a lakes/water issues committee for City of Prescott. He received a Biophilia Foundation grant to assist conservation projects in northern Sonora and published an article in Restoring Connections of the Sky Island Alliance. Grace G. Burford, Ph.D. Faculty member Grace Burford spoke at the Society for Buddhist Christian Studies annual meeting (November 2010). Her journal article “Should Buddhists and Christians Do Theo/Buddhology Together?” will appear in Buddhist Christian Studies (2012). She is also contributing a chapter about I. B. Horner to a book titled Buddhist Biographies (2012). Tim Crews, Ph.D. Environmental Studies faculty member Dr. Tim Crews wrote a chapter about PC’s learning farm in a new book Fields of Learning. He also coauthored a paper published in Australian Forestry. He has spoken at the Land Institute in Kansas and the Highland Nature Center, and has participated in two events sponsored by ASU’s Sustainable Phosphorus Initiative, as well as the Perennial Grains meeting at the Kellogg Biological Station in Michigan. Jordana DeZeeuw Spencer, Ph.D. ’11 After graduating from PC’s Ph.D. program in May, Dr. Jordana DeZeeuw Spencer flew to Maine to perform the role of Viola with the Freeport Shakespeare Festival’s production of Twelfth Night this summer. Jordana teaches in both undergraduate and graduate programs and is serving as the Interim Director of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Program. Anita Fernández, Ph.D. Dr. Anita Fernández presented on the keynote panel Mujeres en la Lucha at the Institute for Transformative Education in Tucson. This panel offered multiple perspectives from women working in Arizona to save Ethnic Studies and to counter the dehumanization of children of color. Dr. Fernández also presented during a session about immigration and education at the annual American Education Research Association conference in New Orleans. Tom Fleischner, Ph.D. Tom Fleischner, on-campus faculty member, presented “Why the World Needs Natural History: Attentiveness to Nature as an Integrative Basis for Earth Stewardship” at the Natural History Initiative for Ecology, Stewardship, and Sustainability symposium during the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America. Tom also published an article in the Journal of Natural History Education and Experience. Tricia Goffena-Beyer Tricia was appointed the Director of Academic Operations. This new position accompanies the reorganization of the academic support staff across programs into an integrated team tasked to support “one College.”
Tucson Center Staff Since March, the Tucson Center has been hosting a Brown Bag Lunch for students, alumni, faculty members, and staff. Every fourth Tuesday of the month at noon, a group gathers informally for discussion and/or presentations. Sandy Paris calls it “an hour a month out of our busy schedules to acknowledge and recognize our community.” Doug Hulmes ’74, M.S. Professor of Environmental Studies and Education Doug Hulmes’ class Explorations of Norway Nature and Culture will be filmed on the island of Litle Faerøy in September 2011, for a Norwegian TV series about sailing traditional square-sail wooden boats. His students consider how landscape influences culture, and how cultural traditions and practices influence cultural landscape. Anne LaBruzzo, CPA Anne LaBruzzo, Prescott College’s new Director of Financial Services, is responsible for managing and supervising student billing, cash receipts, payroll, purchasing, accounts payable, and the daily functions in the Business Office. She is a licensed CPA in California and has over 20 years of accounting experience working in diverse sectors. Leslie Laird Leslie Laird, currently serving in the Registrar’s Office, loves working with the students at Prescott College, and it shows! Leslie celebrates her 26th anniversary as an employee of the school this October. Congratulations, Leslie, on your commitment to PC, and thank you for enriching our experience here – as students, staff, and faculty. Ashley Mains ’11 M.A. program With the restructuring of the Development Office into the Advancement Office, marketing/public relations are now better integrated with fundraising efforts. Ashley Mains assumed a new position, the Coordinator of Integrated Advancement Communications, to streamline efforts. Rick Medrick, Ed.D. Ph.D. Program Chair Rick Medrick has been selected to receive the Michael Stratton Practitioner of the Year Award at the annual conference of the Association of Experiential Education at Jacksonville, Fla. Dr. Medrick will also lead Ph.D. students to the Bioneers Conference in Marin, Calif., in October. Charissa Menefee, Ph.D. Dr. Charissa Menefee, Arts & Letters Chair, directed (touch.), by Sara Israel, for the Dirty Laundry Play Festival, a benefit for the Prescott Area Women’s Shelter. She wrote and performed two new monologues in the spring: Check Your Ticket (Arts & Letters Faculty Showcase) and Joanna (Tomorrow’s Theatre Tonight). Denise Mitten, Ph.D. Master of Arts Program Adventure Education Chair, Dr. Denise Mitten, presented Intentional Group Development at the International Conference on Outdoor Leadership. To honor her substantial contribution to experiential education, the AEE Board of Directors invited Denise to present the Kurt Hahn Address at the 2011 International Conference of the Association for Experiential Education. Kathy Lynn Mohr, Ph.D. Adjunct instructor Kathy Mohr presented at the Continuing Medical Education Workshop: Integrating Traditional Healing Practices and Clinical Practice at NAU last April. Additionally, her book Curanderismo and Healing Trauma: An Integration of Traditional Mesoamerican Healing and Contemporary Psychotherapy was recently published and is available through Amazon.com.
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Faculty & Staff Notes
Faculty & Staff Notes
Faculty & Staff Notes
Faculty & Staff Notes Delisa Myles, M.F.A. Performing arts instructor Delisa Myles performed Animal Etiquette, a dance piece focused on the dichotomy of our wild and mannered selves, with Human Nature Dance Theatre at Arcosanti in October 2010, and again in November at Headwaters Theatre in Portland, Ore. Delisa also taught a weeklong Choreography in the Community workshop there culminating in a site specific performance. Claire Oberst, Ph.D. Claire has been hired as the Director for Grants and Foundation Relations at Prescott College. Oberst was previously a grant writer for the Yavapai County Education Service Agency, Director of the Muehlstein Academy in Mathematics and Science at the University of Akron, and Coordinator for the Technology in Elementary Science at the University of Akron. Sheila Sanderson, M.F.A. Sheila Sanderson, faculty in the Arts & Letters Program, has published a poetry collection, Keeping Even (Stephen F. Austin University Press). Reviews are included in the Texas A & M Consortium Catalog, and are available at the Barnes & Noble and Amazon websites. Marj Sente Previously serving as the Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Marj Sente assumed the duties of the position in an official capacity this past spring following an intensive internal and external search process. Kerry Skarbakka, M.F.A. Kerry Skarbakka, faculty member in Digital Media/Photographic Studies, will present his work at this year’s Southwest Regional Society of Photographic Education conference in Santa Fe. Skarbakka’s work is also included in a traveling exhibit and new monograph of the same name, “The Unseen Eye: Photography from the Collection of William Hunt.” Carl Tomoff, Ph.D. Dr. Carl Tomoff, professor of Environmental Studies, participated in two expeditions to Sonora, Mexico, as ornithologist during Sky Island Alliance’s ongoing Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment project. In April he spoke at the Watson-Willow Lakes Important Bird Area dedication, where four signs he designed with Master of Arts program advisor and on-campus adjunct professor Dr. Joan Tomoff, were unveiled. Vicky Young ’95, Ph.D. Faculty member Vicky Young was interviewed for a report about living kidney donation published in the Chicago Tribune. The article offers UNOS research and insight from numerous donor advocates and transplantation doctors. See the online version at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-living-donor-risks20110731,0,7795430.story Promotions and hires at the vice president, dean, or director level are automatically included in Faculty & Staff Notes. Notes must be submitted to Transitions prior to published deadlines.
Class Notes
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Rowen Holland ’06 I just returned from two months in Bali, Indonesia, catching babies in a birth center called Bumi Sehat, for low-income Balinese women. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I can’t wait to go back! After a decade of hard work, I am just about to finish my midwifery studies and sit for the national and California licensing exam this fall. Jasmine and I are living in Santa Cruz and doing quite well. She’s entering high school this year and really thriving. If anyone is out here for a visit, please let us know. We’d love to see you! daisy@rowenholland.com. Joshua Petty ’06 Just moved to Asheville, N.C., and spent a few nights with Lee James. Good times. Give me a ring if you are in the area. I’ve been coaching soccer since graduation and love it. jjpetty83@yahoo.com. Jack Rodolico ’06 This summer I am working with WCAI, the NPR affiliate for Cape Cod, reporting on science and wind energy. There a many turbines here and a lot of marine research. This fall I will intern with Living on Earth – a weekly environmental news radio show. Sarah Silver ’06 The University Centers of the San Miguel (USCM), based in Telluride, Colo., has named their new scholarship fund for its founder, Sarah Silver, in honor of her work in envisioning and creating the only independent nonprofit higher education center in the US. Sarah’s master’s research and thesis in the sociocultural foundations of education focused on her rural education community development project and its transition into the USCM. While still a Prescott graduate student, Sarah served as the innovative organization’s first executive director. Under her leadership the organization built the initial local government and foundation funding support necessary for its continuing success in providing services to a three-county area of rural southwestern Colorado. Information about USCM and its sustainability-focused Telluride Summer College is available at www.ucsanmiguel.org. Jessica Claerhout ’07 I gave birth (naturally) to my first son, Maxen Hunter, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, on May 16, 2010, with my partner Matt Nuttall (though now, a year later, Maxen is 24 pounds!) I am a teacher in the Ford Learning Center at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I will be exhibiting work in the River Market Regional Exhibition from July to August 2011 at the Kansas City Artist’s Coalition. Christina Sullivan ’07 I started a business called Home Free Bagels in Asheville, NC. It’s a socially responsible company that employs individuals experiencing homelessness or at threat of becoming homeless. We pledge our profits to the Asheville Homeless Network. I developed this business model after years of frustration working for companies that treat their employees as dispensable while millions of people go without jobs altogether. In the short time we have been in business we are experiencing extraordinary success. The bagels stand on their own and are quickly being recognized as the best in town. Our employees work hard because they buy into the mission, and in return we act as a big family (we pay some of the highest wages in town). I thought Prescott would be excited to learn of this new business model as it is beginning to inspire other entrepreneurs and has the potential to really take off nationally. We are getting lots of local press and we are about to be featured in a show that runs statewide throughout all of North Carolina! facebook.com/HomeFreeBagels. Bethena Glenn ’08 Bethena and Rob LaBuda ’05 just celebrated their second wedding anniversary. They live in Cleveland with their four-year-old son Kai. Rob is working in fine dining as a sommelier, and Bethena is looking for teaching jobs. Life is good. Kado Stewart ’08 My Prescott College Senior Project has turned into a statewide and nationally recognized program! We are the largest camp in the country for LGBTQ youth, operate out of Prescott, and are currently in our fourth year of operation. Check out the video on YouTube (search OUTdoors! LGBTQ). www.outdoorsgaycamp.com.
Spring 2011 Transitions Corrections • Colin Khoury graduated from the On-Campus Undergraduate Program in 2000 • Marla Spivak received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas • The Prescott College Community Supported Agriculture program started as the Senior Project of On-Campus Undergraduate Dan Hunt ’00. Heather Houk ’01 and Lauren (Rentenbach) Hunt ’01 collaborated on the project as an Independent Study.
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Annual Report
2010–2011 ANNUAL REPORT
PRESCOTT COLLEGE For the Liberal Arts, the Environment, and Social Justice
T
Annual Report
he Board of Trustees recognizes that the long-term sustainability of Prescott College requires incremental growth. Over the past year, under the judicious leadership of Dr. Kristin R. Woolever, we have moved toward this goal in ways large and small, while doing the utmost to remain true to our unique mission and culture.
The College has undergone an intense and inclusive strategic planning process to outline goals for continued growth through 2020, developed several new academic offerings, broken ground on a LEED Gold Certified student housing project, and begun implementing plans for a central Campus Commons that has been in the works for several years. There’s so much more, too much to list here. I’m inspired by the process I see unfolding before me. As an alumnus of the “original” Prescott College, I perceive what is happening as reclamation of Dr. Franklin Parker’s dream: to build an “ideal college for the future that would prepare students for contributing in an ever changing, and ever faster moving, world.” Integral to this dream, and my own profound educational experience here, is student engagement with passionate professors who act as guides and mentors for navigating the sometimes daunting adventure of actively shaping one’s own education. The faculty is – as always – deeply committed. In an effort to pay back the debt of gratitude alumni owe this remarkable group of people, I and some of my peers have started the Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment. This endowment will provide funds for faculty enrichment and professional development in perpetuity as a “thank you” to the people who help kids like us grow into adults who make a living making a difference. It’s the amazing contributions by alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, business partners, and other friends that will continue to drive Prescott College forward in this ever-changing world. In these pages you will find a comprehensive report about our community for our community – and those who will join us. On behalf of the College,
Richard Ach ’73 Chair, Board of Trustees
Prescott College Board of Trustees Richard Ach ’73, Chair Retired Senior Vice President AG Edwards Betsy Bolding Director, Consumer Affairs Tucson Electric Power Cameron Boswell ’04 Cotton Marketing J.G. Boswell Company Dan Boyce, Past Chair Senior Partner The Center for Financial Planning Dan Campbell Manager The Nature Conservancy
Peter Evans Independent Consultant James Hughes, Vice Chair Retired Attorney Hughes & Whitaker Gabriel Marien, Student Trustee On-Campus Undergraduate Program Prescott College David Meeks ’73, Treasurer President Sonoma Rentals Steve Pace, Secretary & Faculty Trustee On-Campus Undergraduate Program Prescott College
Carla Rellinger ’05, Employee Trustee Director of Auxiliary Services Prescott College Michael Rooney Attorney Sacks-Tierney Jerry Secundy President/CEO California Council for Environmental & Economic Balance John Van Domelen Retired President Wentworth Institute of Technology Ken Ziesenheim Financial Advisor Raymond James Financial Services
President’s Message Annual Report
W
hen I arrived at Prescott College in July 2010, the institution was at a crossroads (no pun intended). We had several choices to make that would determine the future of the College. We could continue on the status quo path, or we could reconnoiter and choose the more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding, trail of growth and continuous development. We have chosen the latter. I’m pleased to say Prescott College is investing confidently in its future. The first step has been a year-long strategic planning process – “Prescott College 2020” – involving constituents from across the College community as well as external experts. Over the past year, work groups have been researching and setting goals for improvement in six strategic areas: (1) College governance, (2) curriculum, (3) student success and support, (4) finance and resources, (5) technology and infrastructure, and (6) image, relations, and marketing. The result is a realistic 10-year plan with specific benchmarks and budgets. The major construction project on campus is one of the most noticeable changes underway. In late June, we broke ground for new student housing. Starting in fall 2012, these three townhouses will allow incoming freshmen to participate in a “living learning community,” easing their transition into college and providing opportunities to carry learning beyond the classroom, straight into their living environment. We are also moving forward with a Campus Commons project. This project includes significant landscaping and other improvement to the central campus to make it a pleasant gathering place that serves as a hub of the College. Improvements include new sidewalks, signage, trees, outdoor seating, etc. Additionally, to support the College’s emphasis on environmental studies, a multipurpose science laboratory and natural history lab is in the works – ready for student and faculty use soon. The development of new academic programs is also adding to all the excitement at the College. Last spring, we awarded our first Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, and we are in the process of gaining approval for several other undergraduate and graduate-level degrees. As a result of careful planning and visioning, we are investing in Prescott College’s future. We have made choices about the path forward, and we are well on our way. The future is bright! Enjoy,
Dr. Kristin R. Woolever
2011 NSSE Sustainability Education Survey* How much has your coursework emphasized understanding the complex relationship between economic, social and ecological sytems?
Prescott College Senior Prescott College First Year Comparison Group Senior Comparison Group First Year
To what extent has your experience contributed to your skills to work for social change?
*Average score on five point scale, see Academic Strides on next page.
To what extent does your institution emphasize learning about sustainability?
0
1
2
3
4
Academic Strides Annual Report
The 2010–2011 school year saw scores of new developments for Prescott College. The On-Campus Undergraduate Program received approval for its Bachelor of Fine Arts curriculum, and the College awarded its first B.F.A.s during May commencement. In preparation for the expected enrollment increases of first-time students to be housed on campus next year, the faculty and Office of Student Life have developed and are currently piloting a “living learning” curriculum within a schedule of activities to build camaraderie and reinforce learning goals among incoming freshman. The student housing project should not only attract more first-time college students, but allow the College to host limited-residency students and visitors, during orientations, colloquia, and various symposia and conferences throughout the year. This year the National Survey of Student Engagement included a special study on sustainability education along with its usual survey of colleges and universities across the US and Canada. When asked about sustainability in the curriculum, student life, and the institution’s priorities, as well as self-reported sustainability learning outcomes, responses from Prescott College undergraduate students in both the On-Campus and Limited-Residency programs
ranked higher than the comparison group on every question (see chart on previous page). The latest Noel Levitz student satisfaction survey results for the Limited-Residency Undergraduate Program were particularly outstanding, with students ranking their experience significantly higher than adult students in similar programs across the country. Responses indicate satisfaction is linked to increased use of technology in communication and the quality and quantity of online courses. Electronic portfolios are now provided to limited-residency undergraduate students to extend their learning and to enable authentic assessment (examples can be found at prescott.digication.com). Prescott College’s Library was also identified as a strategic strength by Noel Levitz. In recent years, the Library has significantly expanded electronic resources, offering access to 86,000-plus e-books and more than 25,000 full-text journals with specific instruction for use provided to all incoming lowresidency undergraduates.
2010–2011 Enrollment by Program Total Enrollment 1,145 On-Campus Undergrad Limited-Residency Undergrad Limited-Residency Master of Arts Ph.D. in Sustainability Education
Enrollment Update
In the 2010–2011 Academic Year, enrollments in the On-Campus Undergraduate and Limited-Residency Master of Arts Programs demonstrated modest growth from the previous year. Limited-Residency Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. enrollments were stable and roughly equivalent to 2009 enrollments. In all programs, student retention continued to hold at historic levels despite the continuing weak national economy. Impact of the national economic situation was most evident in the increasing demand for financial aid in the On-Campus and Limited-Residency Undergraduate Programs and in continued softening of admission yields – the number of accepted applicants who end up attending. This phenomenon has been a clear challenge for the past two years, and the Admissions Office has been hard at work reengineering the College’s marketing programs in consultation with external market research firms to achieve the increased application numbers needed to maintain and grow future enrollments. A key component of increasing the appeal of the College to traditionally aged undergraduates is the transformation of the campus into a fully residential campus. Construction of a 104-bed student housing complex is underway with expected completion for the fall 2012 class of on-campus freshmen. Institutional Scholarships Federal Loans Federal Grants
Sum of Fall and Spring Semester Enrollment 2007–2011
On-Campus Undergrad Limited-Residency Undergrad Limited-Residency M.A. Ph.D. Program Total Enrollment
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Total Financial Aid Awards 2007–2011
Financial Snapshot
Total Assets and Net Revenue 2007–2011 Net Revenue Other Assets Land, Buildings,and Equipment (net)
increasing our level of support from alumni, friends, foundations, and others. Prescott College continues to grow its endowments. We have 27 endowments, 23 of which are solely dedicated to scholarships for students. This past May we added the Prescott College Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment – the first fund devoted to professional development for faculty. The Charles Franklin Parker Legacy Society, recognizing those who have included the College in a planned gift, now has 25 individual members, couples, or families who have Prescott College in their will. The College has already benefitted from more than $1.6 million of realized bequests.
2010-2011 Statement of Activities REVENUES Net tuition and fees Contributions and gifts Auxiliary and other income Investment and interest income Grant and restricted account activity Endowment donation and income Total revenue
$16,580,096 $194,379 $1,154,202 $70,816 $1,432,179 $146,437 $19,578,109
EXPENSES Instruction and academic support Student services Institutional support Auxiliary and other Grant and restricted account expenditures Total expenditures
$10,397,258 $2,542,075 $3,596,790 $1,530,041 $1,230,039 $19,296,203
Total change in net assets
$281,906
Who is Giving to the Annual Fund? Contributions 2010–2011
19% 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Alumni $57,754 Friends $11,556 Board of Trustees $19,984 Faculty and Staff $5,988 Parents $39,453 Orgs and Foundations $71,621
Five-year Development Summary
Endowments Unrestricted Restricted Grand Total
2007
2008
$ 115,704 $1,319,609 $ 501,167 $1,936,480
$ 56,278 $ 229,466 $ 890,638 $1,176,382
2009 $(62,679) $199,649 $779,088 $916,059
2010
2011
$ 121,965 $ 582,233 $ 946,717 $1,650,915
$ 146,437 $ 194,379 $1,432,179 $1,772,995
Annual Report
It is the mission of Prescott College to educate students of diverse ages and backgrounds to understand, thrive in, and enhance our world community and environment. Finances are a critical and necessary tool to achieve this mission. Even in light of recent global economic changes, the past several years have seen dramatic improvement in the fiscal condition and strength of the College. Through disciplined and strategically led financial management, the College has balanced its budget for 11 straight years, increased total assets by nearly 300 percent, invested over $14.5 million in capital projects that enhance the learning environment, increased the total endowment by 318 percent, and increased net operating revenues available for investment in our mission by 72 percent. While we have already reaped the benefits of an improved strategic budgeting process over the past two years, budgeting will begin earlier in future years and be informed by the newly developed Prescott College 2020 strategic plan. In addition to improved planning processes, there is a dedicated focus toward building and maintaining larger reserves throughout the budget year. Another key area of focus has been diversification of revenue sources for the College. As a historically tuition-dependent institution, this means strengthening and expanding our various academic programs and student markets. It also means
Honor Roll of Donors Fiscal year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 Annual Report
We are building upon a substantial legacy of the experiential education that Prescott College has long provided. The upward trajectory to which we aspire benefits all who have walked along our paths, while encouraging prospective students to join us. The donors listed in the Honor Roll of Donors are responsible for many of the College’s accomplishments, and their generosity keeps us competitive. As a result of the thoughtfulness of our donors, we will continue to be the leading institution for the liberal arts, the environment, and social justice. Thank you for your support. Charles Franklin Parker Legacy Society See member list on back cover
$10,000 and Above (Gold and Turquoise Circle) Anonymous Daniel & Suzanne Boyce Lee Caldwell ’73 & Marcus Randolph The Clowes Fund The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Anne Dorman ’74 Helios Education Foundation Henry A. Ebarb ’84, Ph.D. ’09 & Liisa Raikkonen ’84 Ty Fitzmorris Hemera Foundation KAKATU Foundation Marisla Fund of the Orange County Community Foundation Corp. for National and Community Service (VISTA) National Park Service National Science Foundation Gerald & Donna Secundy Norman & Carol Traeger Foundation United States Department of Agriculture United States Geological Survey Walton Family Foundation
$5,000-$9,999 (President’s Circle) Richard Ach ’73 & Carey Behel Betsy Bolding Cleo A Bluth Charitable Foundation Leo and Rhea Fay Fruhman Foundation Dan & Barbara Garvey James Hughes & Jacqueline Merrill Jesse King ’75 & Lisa Capper ’75 John & Cristi Ludwig David ’73 & Grace Meeks Pima Center for Conservation Education Raytheon Matching Gifts Program Michael & Ruth Rooney Byron & Nancy Sugahara United States Fish and Wildlife Service John & Naomi Van Domelen Winiarski Family Foundation Warren & Barbara Winiarski Michael ’78 & Julie Zimber
$2,500-$4,999 (Humphrey’s Peak Society) The Biophilia Foundation, Inc. Paul Burkhardt & Zoe Hammer Every Voice In Action Foundation Jack Herring & Roxane Ronca Stephan Meyer & Sharon Salveter The Migedan Foundation The Outdoor Foundation Taylor Padgett & Palmer Financial Planners Tides Foundation (777 Fund) Tucson Pima Arts Council James & Linda Wilson
$1,000-$2,499 (Thumb Butte Society) Gret Antilla
Richard Bakal Bank of America Foundation Tom Barry ’92 Paul & Ann Brenner Michael & Susan Burskey Stephen ’72 & Susan Clarke Colorado Trust Jane A.S. Cook JoAnn Copperud & Robert Gils Steven & Traci Corey Joseph & Sally Dorsten Eli Lilly & Company Foundation Inc. Fann Contracting Inc. Catherine Galley ’77 Glen & Donna Gallo Melanie Guldman ’74 Lydia Gustin Mark & Sarah Hayden Douglas & Karen Heaton Joan Hiller Wendy & Sam Hitt Robert & Margaret Huskins Marianne Knaup Ellen Maxson New Frontiers Natural Foods Market & Café Tom & Cookie Obsitnik Donald & Susan Osterfelt Dr. Chris Overby ’73 Steven & Barbara Pace Carolyn & Dave Peterson Prescott College Earth Day Fair Karen & Jeff Riley Alan & Elisabeth Rubin Marjory & Frank Sente Andy Small ’91 Peter & Margie Stern Sugahara Foundation Suzanne Tito Tom & Ellen Tripp Wells Fargo Matching Gift Program Yavapai County Community Foundation Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe George ’70 & Jorie Yen
$500-$999 (Founder’s Club) Anonymous Rick Alexander ’82 Hunter Allen ’96 AYCO Charitable Foundation Ted Bouras and Melanie Bishop Dan Campbell Judy Clapp ’74 & David Shapiro ’73 Joan Clingan & Frank Cardamone ’07 Anna Cook Mary Sharpe Divers ’89 Raymond ’05 & Lois Drever Peggy Elkins Miguel & Liz Fernandez Joanne ’79 and Daniel Fitz Haley Construction Co. Henry V. and Barbara J. Hayden Trust
Catherine Huskins ’10 Lucille Khoury Robert & Karen King Tish Morris ’79 Carolyn Morton Joel Moss Alex ’01 & Christina Muro Kate Rinzler Anne ’70 & Stuart Scofield H.D. & Netzin G. Steklis Weddle Gilmore Architects Alan Weisman Wells Fargo Matching Gift Program Wells Fargo Prescott Business Banking Melanie Wetzel Kristin Woolever & Lynn Walterick
$250-$499 (Bradshaw Mountains Club) Osmund & Susan Arriola Michael Belef ’99 & Denise Howard Lee & Cheryl Brueckel J.D. & Bettie Jane Conley Sara Barber Connor ’74 & Dan Connor James Decker ’00 John Jr. & Lucy Douglas Joan Dukes James & Carolyn Dunn Toby & Nancy Ebarb Jan ’73 & Teren Ellison Steve Finucane ’75 & Marjorie Bernardi Friends of the Prescott Public Library Angela Garner ’72 & Steve Huemmer ’73 Lynn Garney ’73 Joel & Debra Hiller Dave & Kay Jenner Marion & Steve Lefkowitz John Leslie & Barbara Clarke Mary McWilliams Leslie ’74 & David Leslie Judd & Betty Lotts Ami Magisos Rick Medrick Laurence & Karen Meltzer Ismat Shah & Cynthia Morgan Thomas Nehil ’71 & Gail Walter Margot ’72 & Rick Pantarotto Jon Patton ’73 & Vicki Yeager Patricia Rawlings Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) Carla Rellinger ’05 & Suzanne Beeche ’07 Dr. Robert & Christine Rosenberg Louise Ryan John & Leslie Sanderson Martha Sauter Schwab Charitable Fund Thai House Café Gus Tham ’71 & Charlene De Losa Tham Susan Thomas ’72 John ’72 & Elizabeth Thrift Josh ’97 & Kate Traeger Mary Trevor ’95 & Toni Kaus
$100-$249 (Ponderosa Pine Club)
Peggy Rambikur ’73 Gerald Reed ’75 & Yvonne Joosten ’75 Fiona Reid ’00 Sue Rennels ’75 & Mike Grisez Eric & Carolyn Riedlin Timothy Robison Kenneth & Linda Ruth Jeffrey Salz ’74 Marilyn Saxerud Cynthia ’72 & Ted Schleicher Nancy ’01 & Steven Schneider Erik Schultz ’07 Jan Schwartz ’09 & Judith McDaniel Carl & Maria Scotti Steve Sessions ’74 & Laura Mason Kevin & Marci Sheesley Laurie Silver & Grace Burford Phillip Smart & Claudia Bach Larry & Sandra Smith Mary Spangler & Victor Medina Bill Stillwell & Anne Gero-Stillwell Vicki Stoyer ’00 & Robert Janus Marie-Claire & Kirk Strang Helen Street Thomas & Blythe Strong Dr. Lee Stuart ’75 Esther Summers Joseph Tabor & Holly McCarter Helen Taylor Robert & Linda Teittinen Ferris ’84 & Tanni Thompson Michelle Tissot ’09 Jeanette Treuel Tom Turley Dr. Marilyn Vache ’72 & Graylin Grissett Julie VanSant & Josh Dallman Valerie Walsh ’76 & Rick Schwolsky Nehama Weininger ’87 Marcus Whitaker Zoe Shark ’97 Grace Wicks Schlosser ’02 Dani ’74 & Jim Woods Mary Yelenick ’74 & Elizabeth Broad David & Nancy Young
Up To $100 (Granite Club) Anonymous Andrea Adams ’03 & Christopher Diel Arnita Albertson ’09 William & Martha Aleman Cathy Alger Eleanor Alves Terrence & Lee Alyanakian Doug & Missy Anderson Donna Aranson Charles Awalt & Laurel Herrmann Laurie Back Gunnar & Heather Baldwin Joel Barnes ’81 Bill & Elaine Barney Len Barron Grace Bean Will ’69 & Jill Beckett ’70 Kathy Ben & Scott Wilbor Bradley & Tracy Bethel Oscar Bieta & Madeline Kiser Robert Bingham & Theresa Reindl Bingham Patricia Bischof John Bloom & Joan Caldarera John & Carol Bollinger Karrol Braddock ’74 Bradford Land and Cattle Co.
Annual Report
Anonymous (2) David & Ketta Abeshouse Jennifer Agans Jordan Amerman Arthur & Elizabeth Auer Marianne Balfe ’01 Laurence Barker ’73 Alexander Barron ’98 Barbara & Douglas Berson Bill Muster Foundation Barbara Bollinger Julie Bondeson Cameron ’04 & Cherilyn ’04 Boswell Robert & Gail Breyer Louis Bright Lyle Brown Stephen and Kathleen Brule S.M. Budd & J.L. Reinhart Lisa Bush Ray Cage Heather Campbell ’73 & Day DelaHunt Sharon ’06 & Franco Candelise Martha Brennan ’79 Steven Chatham & Lisbeth Prunuske Chatham William Christian ’02 & Sandra Barker Cathy & Ron Church Paul & Marylyn Clark Steve Collins Combs Consulting Services LLC Steve & Linda Corson Kenneth & Nancy Costello Alexis Cousins Marc & Sherry Cousins Maggie Cox Ryan ’99 & Colby Crehan Richard & Susan Crenshaw Stephen & Virginia Cunningham Diane Curtis Imogen Daly ’05 Philippe Daniel & Bonnie Mioduchoski Dana ’70 & Anne Densmore Lorilee ’04 & Roger Deutsch Jess ’70 & Pam Dods Gerard & Betty Jo Doherty Joyce Doherty Anne Downes Marty Eberhardt ’74 & Philip Hastings William & Martha Edwards Laurel Elander Jeannie Elkins Christopher Estes ’74 Richard & Maria Eswine Christopher & Cynthia Fercec Linda Fortner & Robert Grondin Herbert & Joan Friedmann Deborah Fuchs & Erica Bennett Norman & Jane Gagne Randal Gainer ’70 & Johanna Schorr Vincent & Judith Galterio Bill Gardener Lisa Garrison ’75 & Jorge Phillips Mark ’70 & Marlene Gebhardt Robert & Joan Glosser Patricia Goffena-Beyer ’05 Juanita Gonzales Mark ’73 and Gwen Goodman M. Eileen Gorton Ellen Groves Pablo & Judy Guerrero
Dale & Sue Guzlas William & Ann Hannig Thomas Harburg & Alida Rol Debbie Harkrader ’80 Terra Harris ’71 James Harte Brett Hartl ’04 Richard & Mary Hatch Linda Havins ’71 Chris Haydock ’73 & Laurel Wanek Heritage Memory Mortuary Gretchen Hoffman ’10 Susan Hopkins Nathan Houchin ’01 Weston & Susanah Howland Douglas Hulmes ’74 Mary Hume Whitney Deborah Hunsicker ’05 Larry Jarrett ’08 Anna Johnson-Chase ’68 Rev. Elaine G. Jordan Marshall & Patricia Kane Jack Kaplan & Marion Macsai Lucy & Mike Kemper Kidzamm Denistry Steven & Barbara Kiel John & Joan Kimball Richard Kipling Kitty Carling Insurance Agency Dawn Knight Natalie Krol Joseph La Barge Walter & Susan Laesch Jamie Lantz ’96 Gregory Lazzell Shari Leach ’04 & Ryland Gardner ’07 Michael & JoAnne Ledbetter Erin LeFevre ’98 & Kara Brunham Suena Lew Lo ’93 Jimmie ’05 & Barbara ’06 Lewis Richard Lewis Matthew Logan Theresa Long Eunice Lovejoy Katherine ’71 & Wayne Lunceford Todd Makela Judith Marblestone Ruth Marblestone Antonio Massella ’97 Dr. Jane McGrath ’75 A. Mechelle Meixner & Jake F. Weltzin Betsy Meyer ’76 Greg Miller ’95 Richard & Linda Miller Deborah Morrison Kimberly Morton Monica ’95 & Jason Motsko Keith & Wendy Mullins Maria Nasif China & Pierre Neury Aaron ’71 & Page Newton Susan & Robert Northrop John & Ann Nutt Amy ’02 & Kenneth Orchard John “Packet” & Debra Lowrey Percilla & Manuel Patino Donna ’74 & Bill Patterson Brian & Joann Peterson John Prunuske Gene & Margaret Puetz J.T. & Jonna Purvis Patty Quinones
Annual Report
Duncan Bremner Stephen Brenner & Susan Hoffman Cathy Brett Emily Brott Clare Broussard Daniel Brown David Bupp Charles & Rebecca Byers Sigrun Bynum ’92 Noel Caniglia Jeanine Canty ’00 Gustav & Charlene Carlson Casa Alvarez Restaurant Suzy Henney Celebrations Party Spot Doug ’86 & Genevieve Chabot Jen Chandler ’00 Debra Chase Carolyn Chilcote Nadia Chornodolsky ’04 & Patrick Arnold James Christopher Circus Arts Institute LLC Douglas Clendaniel ’07 Craig & Susan Cloyed Coffee Roasters Peter & Nancy Cohen-Copeland Don Comstock & Clair Enlow Kathleen ’74 and Geoffrey Condit Kenneth Cook Victoria ’91 & James Cook Beth Corwin Janice Crede ’09 Cameron & Joseph Davis Micky & Lori Davis Richard & Jacqueline Davis Daniel ’93 & Candace Denman Indravadan & Nayana Dhruv Kevin & Jill Dickinson Laura Didyk ’96 Maxine ’10 & Gerald Diggs Dinner Bell Café Ann E. Dinsmore Dr. Peter Donovick Jennifer Duberstein Suzanne Dulle & Juan Velasco Mark Durkan Frances Collins-Dusseault ’08 Christopher Duval ’89 S.A. Edmonds Carla Eigenauer Kelly Eitzen Smith & Scott Smith Conor Eldridge ’09 Abe & Sheila Elias Matt ’03 & Susie Elias Dr. Susan M. Elliott ’73 Maggie Ellis ’04 Anne English Shawn & Tressa Evans Tina Evans ’11 David ’82 & Susan Fago ’82 Elizabeth Faller ’99 Ray & Joanne Faucher Sharon Faudree Arthur Fetter & Janice Adams Patty Fischer John Flax ’74 Thomas Fleischner & Edie Dillon ’07 Deborah ’73 & Robert Foehring Michael & Maryann Fox Kenneth & Linda Frank Shulamith Freedman
Larry Frolich Sara ’09 & Eric ’02 Fry-Miller Theresa Furtak Maria Gail ’76 Gamers Entertainment Judith Geis ’98 Alex & Jacqueline Gerson Lauren Goldberg ’04 Nelson & Marcia Goldberg Steven & Margaret Goldberg Dr. J. H. Goldberger Gail Gorud ’74 Karen & John Graham Granite Mountain Outfitters Floyd & Yajaira Gray Susan Green ’09 Elizabeth Griggs Frank & Beverly Groves Kurt & Jeanette Gulder Andy Haas Maurine Haeberlin Kelly Harkness ’10 Miriam Harris Amy Hartline ’01 Brett & Rhonda Hartzell Beverly ’91 & Richard Harvey Andrew ’97 & Krassi Harwell Hassayampa Inn Rebecca A. Hauser Mr. & Mrs. Norm Healy Jean M. Hickman Highlands Center for Natural History Deborah & Jim Hilbert Holly Hill Macadam Christopher Hill ’91 Benjamin Hobbs ’74 & Julie McDill Ben & Lexi Hoffman Dava & Louis Hoffman Mark & Julie Hoffmann Sigrid Holland Lana Holstein & David Taylor Cherie Howe Chris & Leslie Hoy Gerard & Katherine Huet Mark & Leslie Hunten Hillary Haselton ’03 Ironclad Bicycles Issues in Education-NACE Henry Jacobson Mary Jenkins Melissa Johnson ’83 Rebecca Johnson Jean Jones Paul Judge & Christine Yaeger Karen Kappes Kern Kendall Margaret Kessell Dr. Ken Kingsley ’72 & Amy Gaiennie Trude Kleess ’74 & Tom Corrigan Richard & Anne Klein Heather Knowles Janet ’74 & Michael Kothrade Joanne Kresl Otis Kriegel ’94 & Carlin Greenstein Aryn LaBrake ’09 Anne LaBruzzo Jim ’68 & Carol Landis Sigurd & Amy Lavold ’01 Stephen ’01 & Johnnie LeFaiver Melanie Lefever ’01 Frances Lehr
Adrian Lesoing Terrence Lewis ’03 Erin Lingo ’07 Alice Long Layne Longfellow ’75 Margaret Lott David Lovejoy ’73 & Amparo Rifá ’89 Vance Luke Lisa Lundberg James MacAdam ’01 Bruce MacAdam Laurie J. MacDonald Lisa ’71 & James Maher Ashley Mains Betsy Maness ’73 David & Barbara Marblestone Karen Mason Norma Mazur ’93 Linda McBride R.J. McCormick & Kimberly WoodsMcCormick Kathryn McEwen ’05 Mark McGrath & Lisa Dollinger Kathryn McKay Williams Marguerite McKenna ’10 Lorayne Meltzer Melvin and Janet Brownold Fund of the Foundation for Enhancing Communities Charissa Menefee Lisa Metcalf ’08 Denise Mitten North Moench ’05 Mary Moore Steven Morgan Marina Moses Shuman ’08 Anne Moss Elsa Munoz Esther Murdock Karen Murphy ’08 James & Myra Musgrove National Outdoor Leadership School Eugenia Newberg Lisa Nezwazky Jane Nichols ’10 Nighthawk Natives Nursery Matt Nolan Karen Nulton Mab Nuety ’03 Gracia O’Neill ’03 Norman Oslik ’07 & Madeleine Golde Christina Ouellette Patricia Palagi & Marci Peterson Pramod Parajuli Sandy Paris Anna Parker ’80 Emilie Pechuzal ’08 Ashley Pedersen Ann Pendley Diana Perry & Michael Gibson Rachel Peters ’04 Randy Peterson Prescott Brewing Company Prescott Yoga Marguerite Price Polly Prunuske Ari Rapport ’98 & Tracy Michaelis Rapport ’99 Ravens-Way Wild Journeys, LLC Michael & Susan Reardon Miriam Redstone Hugh & Carol Renwick Bridget Reynolds
Mark & Angelina Woolley Jeffery Yockey & Laura Mielcarek Vicky Young ’95 Jaime Zaplatosch ’00 & Joe Sutton Katherine & Patricia Zulauf
In-kind Gifts A Good Yarn Richard Ach ’73 Action Graphics Albertson’s All Star Sports Ahmed Al-Mansi Aloha Grill Walt Anderson Jeffery Andrews Fred Arndt and Betsy Bradbury-Arndt Artful Eye AZ Drum and Music Lily Ballet Folklorico Charlie Barrett Tom Barry ’92 Alan Berman ’08 Bill’s Pizza Naomi Blinick ’09 Amy Bonney Fred Borcherdt Richard Brusca Grace Burford Catalyst Healthy Solutions Jen Chandler ’00 Celia Chatham Elena Chavarria Mario Chavez Cappi Comba Julie Comnick and Chris Jones Steven and Traci Corey Costco Wholesale Coyote Joe’s Bar & Grill Dr. Tim and Sarah ’11 Crews Kimila Day Diane’s Crafts Dinner Bell Café Rebekah Doyle Gordon Euler Karen Feridun Thomas Fleischner & Edie Dillon ’07 Abram Fleishman ’08 Jordan Ford ’09 Bill and Deb Ford Fry’s Grocery Galpin Ford Gamers Entertainment Eric Glomski ’92 Gooday Creations Michael Goodluck Grama’s Bakery David Hage Sara Harrison ’74 Laura Harvey Haunted Prescott Clayton Heath Michele Heimpel Marcia Hermann ’73 Hold Fast Tattoo Rachel Houseman ’07 Hugo’s Mexican Café Douglas Hulmes ’74 Jose Iniguez Uosis Juodvalkis Kelley Kasper
Kendall’s Famous Burgers and Ice Cream Dr. Ken Kingsley ’72 and Amy Gaiennie Jacqueline Kinman Donald Klepl Nikki Kokotovich Adam Kurtz JoAnn LeBus Mike Lewis ’91 Llama House Lowes Diana Luque Mama Edda’s Gourmet Pizza Marriott Springhill Suites Joseph McShane ’93 and Jan Marshall ’89 Victoria Michael Mile High Brewing Supplies Delisa Myles Dr. Gary Nabhan ’73 and Laura Monti Network Auto New Frontiers Natural Foods Market & Café O’Reilly Auto Parts Pangaea Bakery and Café Papa Murphy’s Pizza Pet Depot Barkery Dennis Peterson and Joan Maloney Vita Marie Phares Pops Music Store Prescott Brewing Company Prescott Coffee Roasters Prescott College Bookstore Prescott General Store Raskin Jewelers Maria Robledo Mejia Murray Rubin Safeway Salon St. Martin Sam and London Designer Resale Boutique Willits and Marie Sawyer J. Michael Scott Scout’s Gourmet Grub Seams Sew Right: Quilt Studio Shannon’s Gourmet Cheesecakes and Wraps Shuttle U Gregory Smart ’10 Marie Smith Staples Stellar Photography Nikkolos Stevers Sunglass Emporium Donald Swann Sweet Potato Café Taco Don’s Target Thai House Café The Frame and I The Office Grill The Palace Restaurant and Bar The Raven Café Tickled Pink Gifts Mary Trevor ’95 and Toni Kaus Wal-Mart Stores Inc Regina Wheeler Ben Wilder Wayne Wolfe, Jr. Wood Life Images Margaret Woods Yogartz Vicky Young ’95 Martin Ziebell ’06
Annual Report
Angela Ridlen Mark Riegner & Veronica Behn ’01 Robin Rivet ’74 Sean Roberts ’05 Charles & Evelyn Rose Deborah Ross Janet Ross ’74 Peggy Rubel Henry Rubin & Elisabeth Stark Ross Rulney Nancy Russotti ’90 Janis Rutschman ’73 & Vickie Sewing Annique Sampson ’00 & Thomas Garbarino ’01 Vance Sanders Ernie ’03 & Marianne ’01 Schloss Diane Schmidt ’74 & Frank Morgan John Schmit ’97 & Laurie Dix ’01 Chris Schreiner Craig & Jeannette Schuessler Michael Schulte ’75 Cheryl & Melita Schwartz Kathryn Schwarz Peter Sherman & Mariana Altrichter Lisa Shipek Terril Shorb ’09 Daniel ’02 & Michal Shuldman Floyd & Marlene Siegel Kistie Simmons ’08 Marie & Tim Smith David Snyder Aritra Sorensen Debbie Sotack Joe & Betty Ann St. George Margaret Staples Dhruva Stephenson ’75 Steven E. Sessions, Attorney-At-Law Gary Stogsdill ’86 Andrew Sudbrock ’91 & Elizabeth Clayton Jeffrey Summit & Gail Kaufman Ta-Da Enterprises, Inc. John & Karen Tadich Ted Teegarden ’07 Dorothy Teer Christine Teleisha The Hike Shack The Sacred Bean Christine Thorp Suzanna Tiedeman Bonnie Tobey Carl & Joan Tomoff Jessica Truscott Nikki Turner United Way of Tucson and Southern AZ Nancy Van Alstine ’75 Robin Varnum ’70 & Juris Zagarins Rubie Walker ’97 John Walsh Stan & Diane Watkins WCC-LLC Gale Welter W.S. Wendel Brian & Heidi Werling John & Connie Whitcraft Anne ’75 & Denis White Brenda White ’93 Robert ’96 & Mary Widen Barbara Williams ’86 Judyth Willis Erica Wilner Rosenblatt & Dr. Andrew Rosenblatt Sue Ellen Wilson ’73 & John Gaumer
Prescott College Earns High Marks National ratings and rankings list the College among the best and greenest
Top 200 for Native American and Alaska Native
Prescott College has been included in the annual Top 200 Schools for Native American and Alaska Native Students list published in Winds of Change, the magazine of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
The Princeton Review: Best in the West Prescott College was included as one of 121 institutions the Princeton Review recommended for the Western region. Schools on the list were evaluated based on institutional data sets, campus visits, Princeton Review staff input, college counselor recommendations, and students’ responses to an 80-question survey.
The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges Prescott College is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the US and Canada, according to the Princeton Review and the US Green Building Council. The education services company selected Prescott College for inclusion in the second annual edition of its free downloadable book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition.
Fiske Guide to Colleges: Best and Most Interesting The selective Fiske Guide to Colleges included Prescott College in its updated 2012 guide to the 300+ “best and most interesting” schools in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. Further, Prescott College was highlighted as one the top 13 most interesting institutions among all schools in the book.
Huffington Post Top 10 Most Hipster Colleges
The Huffington Post published its second annual list of top 10 hipster schools, ranking Prescott College at number eight – “A haven for those who choose not to take the beaten path through life.” They call it “the perfect place for the outdoorsy hipster.” 36
Transitions Fall 2011
Newsweek’s Daily Beast Top-25 Lists Prescott College made the top 25 Colleges with Free Spirited Students, coming in at number 17 on the list. Newsweek describes schools on this list as being “for students who want the freedom to design their own majors and prefer written evaluations to letter grades … or want a very personal learning environment.”
Military Friendly School GI Jobs Magazine deemed Prescott College a military friendly school fit to be listed in its 2012 Guide to Military Friendly Schools. Ranking in the top 20 percent of all colleges, universities, and trade schools nationwide, Prescott College has the curriculum, program flexibility, and culture of acceptance to help veterans and military personnel succeed in higher education.
Colleges of Distinction Prescott College has been selected as a 2011–2012 College of Distinction. Started 10 years ago by concerned parents and education professionals, CollegesofDistinction.com highlights institutions that demonstrate commitment in four areas – engagement, teaching, community, and outcomes – in providing “first-rate undergraduate education.”
The Princeton Review: Best 376 Colleges Prescott College is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review. The well-known education services company features the school in the new 2012 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 376 Colleges. Prescott College made eight of the “top 20” lists in this year’s edition – most notably for its top-ten rankings in a liberal student body, encouragement of classroom discussions, and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
Bumper Crop of Faculty Books By K. L. Cook
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his will be one of the most prolific years in Prescott College’s history in terms of faculty publication, as four College professors – Thomas Lowe Fleischner, K. L. Cook, Sheila Sanderson, and Wayne Regina – have published/will publish books in 2011. Environmental Studies faculty member Tom Fleischner’s third book (his first as editor), The Way of Natural History, was published last April. Bringing together essays especially written for the anthology from celebrated scientists, nature writers, poets, musicians, and Zen practitioners – including Jane Hirshfield, Scott Russell Sanders, Dave Foreman, Alison Hawthorne Deming, R. Edward Grumbine, Robert Aitkin, Kathleen Dean Moore, and even guitar legend Richard Thompson – Fleischner has assembled a book that reveals “how mindful attention to the natural world can bring rewarding and surprising discoveries.” In his eloquent introduction, Fleischner writes, “Natural history and mindfulness are two surfaces of the same leaf, a seamless merging of attentiveness outward and inward, toward the interwoven realms of nature and psyche. For some people, the window is clearer looking outward; for others, it’s easier to look within. But regardless of what is being attended, the practice of mindful attention is very much the same, and the two practices are fully complementary.” Writing & Literature faculty member K. L. Cook’s third book of fiction, Love Songs for the Quarantined, a collection of thematically linked stories, won the 2010 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction and is to be published September 2011. The book, Cook says, “illuminates the unexpected, the unforeseen – the moments when, without warning, everything changes.” The sixteen stories are “love songs about the transformations that await us – whether we’re ready or not.” Pieces from the collection were nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and one story, “Bonnie and Clyde in the Backyard,” won the 2011 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America as the best story published about the American West, and was also selected for the Best of the West 2011 and named a Distinguished Story by the 2010 Best American Short Stories. American Book Award winner Debra Magpie Earling praised Love Songs for the Quarantined as “a lucid and luminous collection – an extraordinary book,” suggesting that “K. L. Cook works a rare magic.”
Writing & Literature faculty member Sheila Sanderson’s Keeping Even, her first collection of poetry, was selected from hundreds of manuscripts for publication by the Stephen F. Austin University Press this October. “Whether the scene happens to be the wildebeest migration trail through the Serengeti,” states the publisher, “or a pond in Kentucky ‘growing every minute greener’ or a stand of saguaro in the low desert of Arizona, Sheila Sanderson’s Keeping Even conveys a strong sense of place, of being grounded on ‘an actual, factual, earth.’” The book has already garnered considerable pre-publication praise from award-winning poets, editors, and writers. “Sanderson … straddles the known and unknown planes of existence,” says Alexander Long, “buoyed by a voice that’s at once ironic and sincere, in a word, genuine.” And Christopher Buckley argues that “Sanderson writes a poetry that cuts to the bone … a poetry committed to cherishing the elemental wonders surrounding her life” with a vision that is “subtle, wry, and realistic.” This November, Psychology and Peace Studies faculty member Wayne Regina celebrates the publication of his first book, Applying Systems Theory to Mediation: A Practitioner’s Guide. Bringing decades of experience as a family systems theorist, therapist, professor, educational leader, and master mediator to bear on the art and craft of conflict dispute resolution, and drawing upon his expertise in family systems theory, especially the groundbreaking work of Murray Bowen, Regina provides a much-needed theoretical foundation for mediation. “Wayne Regina offers an extremely readable, insightful, and useful guide to how we can think and act as mediators,” says Bernie Mayer, author, mediator, and professor at the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University. “His application of Bowen family systems theory to mediation practice sheds considerable light on how communication patterns, emotional exchange, and system dynamics influence what happens at the mediation table. I highly recommend this work. It is not only eye opening, but also a very pleasurable read.”
All books will be available through the Prescott College Bookstore online and in person at its new location at 371 Garden Street across from the San Juan Warehouse.
Transitions Fall 2011
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Charles Franklin Parker Legacy Society * Making a Difference by Supporting the Vision of Tomorrow’s Leaders Anonymous Richard Ach ’73 James Antonius Betsy Bolding Dan & Sue Boyce Brad & Ruth Bradburn Susan N. Coleman Trust Jess Dods ’70 Mark Dorsten ’99 Henry A. Ebarb Ph.D. ’09 Decedent’s Trust Kristi ’96 and Dale Edwards Albert Engleman Mark ’73 & Gwen Goodman Dean and Verne C. Lanier Kathryn “Kate” Hughes Rinzler Ericha Scott The Secundy Family Marjory and Frank Sente James Stuckey & Beverly Santo Andrew Sudbrock ’91 & Elizabeth Clayton ’91 Mary Trevor ’95 & Toni Kaus Merrill Windsor Nora Woods Fulton Wright, Jr. Sharon Yarborough ’73
* Members as of September 2011
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