NewsBriefs Wildrick, an assistant professor of Art+Design, encouraged him to submit a proposal, for which Ravi Rajan, dean of the School of the Arts, granted him $1,000. Schecter built the printer during an independent study, with Wildrick as his sponsor. For Schechter, the experience demonstrated the potential for 3-D printing in the educational environment, prompting him to launch the Kickstarter campaign to bring his Deltaprintr to market. “One of the great benefits of being an artist is you get to look at the world from a different angle,” Schechter says. “It’s that angle that has helped us launch this business with a creative spin on it—from designing the product to marketing it.”
Purchase is Named Best Value by Princeton Review Purchase College is one of the nation’s “Best Value” colleges and universities, according to the Princeton Review. The education services company profiles Purchase in its new book, The Best Value Colleges: 2014 Edition. The renowned college guide profiles 75 public and 75 private colleges designated by the Princeton Review as “Best Value” schools, based on the company’s surveys of 2,000 colleges and universities in 2012–13. In its profile of Purchase, the review’s editors say that the school’s artistic and academic inclinations are both reflected in its motto: Think Wide Open. “Purchase College’s eccentric and artistic atmosphere is a big draw for students and faculty. Although the school is not situated in a large city, the number of performing and creative artists on campus means ‘there’s always something going on,’ including nonstop concerts, plays, recitals, and art exhibits.”
A New More Card for 2014 Purchase students, faculty, and staff will receive new campus ID numbers and new MoreCards beginning in the fall of 2014. Each card will include a proxy chip—a computer chip that will allow the cardholder to scan in different locations as scanners are installed around campus. Managed by the Purchase College Association, the new MoreCard features a photo of the mall at sunset in the background.
The profile notes that Purchase has academically competitive and nationally ranked programs in the liberal arts and sciences. “Students also benefit from Purchase’s close proximity to America’s largest and greatest city: New York. And, the school also offers a wide variety of study abroad programs for students who want to enhance their education with the experience of another country.”
iplinger’s Personal Finance Names Purchase K a Best Value Purchase College has once again been named one of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.” The 2014 list recognizes four-year schools that deliver a quality education at an affordable price. According to Kiplinger’s, Purchase made the list thanks to its high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, abundant financial aid, low sticker price, and overall great value. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance also named Purchase to its list of “Top 30 Best Values in Small Colleges.” Purchase earned the number 9 spot on the selection of the top ten public colleges in the category.
Purchase Opera Receives Two NOA Awards for 2012–13 In addition to public performances of opera scenes, art-song evenings, solo recitals, and choral works, the Conservatory of Music’s voice and opera studies program presents two operas a year—cast with talented young opera students. These productions have been acclaimed for their inventiveness and high level of professional quality, winning eight prestigious Best Opera of the Year Awards from the National Opera Association (NOA), including a dual win for 2012–13. The spring 2012 production of Die Fledermaus won first place in Division II, while the fall 2012 production of Hansel and Gretel won second place in Division III. According to Jacques Trussel, head of the department, “Our unique and groundbreaking program is virtually the only one on the eastern seaboard that offers opera productions performed predominantly by undergraduates.” Each Purchase Opera production is a close collaboration with the college’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts—with designs and production executed by the theatre design/ technology program—as well as with the Conservatory of Music’s Purchase Symphony Orchestra.
Cinema studies major Thomas DiCostanzo ‘15 (above) captured a fall sunset on the mall. His photograph (right) will be used as the background on the new MoreCard.
In November 2013, the Purchase Opera presented the German classic Hansel and Gretel. “Our approach to this opera was unique—with a dash of absurdity in the witches’ role—designed to appeal to the child in all of us,” says Trussel. “It’s an ideal introduction to opera for young people and a perennial favorite of seasoned opera fans.” One of the world’s most entertaining English-language operas—A Midsummer Night’s Dream—was the featured production in March, with music composed by the acclaimed master Benjamin Britten and a libretto adapted from the Shakespeare play. PUR C H A SE | 15