ROCKY NOW Vol. 2 Issue 3
Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu
March 2008
Rocky Now: Keeping our friends and supporters informed about what’s new and exciting at Rocky Mountain College
It’s all about our students Maria Schuster decided to do something about the residence hall decor where she lived. Students tak ing charge is part of the RMC tradition. Maria Schuster noticed when she first visited Rocky Mountain College that while the admissions office was inviting and attractive, the older residence halls were lacking in “vibrancy.” Accompanying her on the tour, her mom joked that maybe she PHOTO/IDEAWAVE could remodel Maria Schuster loved Prescott Hall them someday. when she first came for a campus visit, That someday but the lounges in the residence halls came when Maria were another matter. moved into Anderson Hall. She and her roommate, Nizhoni Robinson, sat in the rarely-inhabited lounge and imagined how it could embody the college’s sense of community. Maria presented a plan to the student senate to do a makeover of the lounge. The student senate provided $1,500. That amount wouldn’t go far, she knew, but it was a beginning. Recruiting other student volunteers and donations, she organized a repainting and refurbishing that transformed the lounge into a warm, colorful and inviting space. Soon it was full of people -studying, playing games, and having birthday parties. That success resulted in a demand to refurbish the larger Anderson/Widenhouse connecting lounge. The makeover was more exhaustive, including building a new fire place. It took five months, but it was open in time for school to begin. “When I think back to these projects I still cannot believe that I was able to complete them with my limited time, skill and resources, but this was exactly the spirit that drew me to Rocky,” she said.
Cliff Robertson! Famed actor, philanthropist and aviator will deliver RMC Commencement address Famous for his Hollywood film roles, for his principled stand against tinsel town corruption, for his charitable work around the world, and for his lifelong devotion to aviation, Cliff Robertson will address graduates at the 131st Rocky Mountain College Commencement, Saturday, May 3, 2008. “We are delighted that Mr. Robertson will honor us with his presence at Rocky Mountain College,” said RMC President Michael Mace. “We’re very excited to have such a renowned actor, philanthropist and aviator as our guest.” Mr. Robertson will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. RMC plans a film festival of Cliff Robertson films prior to his arrival in Montana. Mr. Robertson will be a guest of Cliff Robertson is the only actor to honor at the annual RMC President’s have won an Academy Award Dinner, scheduled for Friday, May 2, (film), an Emmy (TV), and a 2008. Theater World Award (stage) for best actor in the same year. “He has really taken an interest in Rocky and Montana. He requested that one of our student pilots take him for a spin in one of our aircraft so he can see the surrounding countryside,” said RMC Director of Development Shari VanDelinder. Known to the younger generation for his role as Uncle Ben in all three Spiderman movies, Mr. Robertson first became famous for playing John F. Kennedy in “PT 109,” a role President Kennedy wanted him to play. He won an Oscar for the blockbuster hit, “Charly.” He is the only actor to have won the Emmy Award (television), the Academy Award (film) and the Theater World Award (stage) for best actor in the same year. He supplemented his big screen work with roles on television, including the lead male role in the original prize-winning “Days of Wine and Roses” on Playhouse 90. He gave one of his finest performances in Gore Vidal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Best Man,” opposite Henry Fonda. In film, he starred in the outstanding “633 Squadron;” in the “Devil’s Brigade,” opposite William Holden; and as a modern-day “Mosca,” opposite Rex Harrison in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s updated version of Jonson’s “Volpone, The Honey Pot.” He then starred in “Too Late The Hero” opposite Michael Caine, “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid” opposite Robert Duval, “Three Days of the Condor” opposite Robert Redford, and “Obsession” (For more on Robertson, please turn page)