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noted happenings at barnard
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The sun was high in the sky, and, despite the chilly winds, students, faculty, trustees,
staff, donors, and supporters crowded The Millicent McIntosh Terrace to witness a major on-campus event: the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening of the new Diana Center on February 3, 2010. It was standing-room only as President Spar, Board Chair Anna Quindlen ’74, Dean of the College Dorothy Urman Denburg ’70, SGA President Katie Palillo ’10, and ribbon-cutter Diana Touliatou Vagelos ’55, for whom the building was named, welcomed spectators and spoke about the process and successful conclusion of the construction. The Diana has earned plaudits from the press, public, and government officials as well as the Barnard community, and the College extends its heartfelt thanks to those whose hard work and contributions made the dream a reality. (For more photos of The Diana Center, turn to Page 26. Students share their enthusiasm and explore the Center online: alum.barnard.edu/magazine.) Photos (read from left): 1 Jung Hee Hyun ’13, class president; Bo Yun Park ’12, class president; Katie Palillo, SGA president; Anna Quindlen; Dr. P. Roy Vagelos; official ribbon-cutter Diana Vagelos; President Spar; Lara Avsar ’11, class president; Chelsea Zimmerman ’10, class president; and Dean Denburg. 2 Diana Vagelos admires her souvenir of the special day. 3 Sunglasses were in order for Vivian Taylor, chief of staff and VP of community development, and communications head writer Beth Saidel. 4 Thumbs up! Stephanie Tarras ’10 and Marci Leveillee ’10 5 Diana Vagelos and Anna Quindlen 6 Students stand at the windows to see and hear President Spar. 7 Outdoor seating was provided in The Millicent McIntosh Terrace at the entrance to the Diana. The terrace honors Millicent Carey McIntosh, Barnard’s dean from 1947-52, then president until 1962. 8 Lisa Gamsu, VP, administration and capital planning, flanked by Diana Center architects Michael Manfredi and Marion Weiss 9 Students received berets in their class color. Seniors wore yellow: Giselle Leon, Kimberly Wu, Amy Chen, and Sharmin Ahmed with Dean Denburg 10 Dina De Luca Chartouni ’82, Cheryl Glicker Milstein ’82, and Dr. P. Roy Vagelos.
March 23 EMILY GREGORY AWARD DINNER On March 23, the Barnard community honored Rachel McDermott, professor and chair of the Asian and Middle Eastern studies department, as the 36th recipient of the Emily Gregory Award. Emily Lovira Gregory was the first woman ever to be awarded the title of full professor at Columbia University. She was intent on creating academic opportunities for Barnard women that equaled those at Columbia College during an era in which women were largely excluded from the realm of higher academia. Sponsored by Alumnae Affairs, McIntosh Activities Council, College Activities Office and the Dean of the College’s office, a dinner held in the Event Oval of The Diana Center paid tribute to Professor McDermott for her commitment to the study of comparative religion, her work tracing religious themes across cultures, and her research of Bengal, India, and the Hindu goddess-centered religious traditions from that part of the subcontinent. April 8 CLIMATE WISE WOMEN The Athena Center for Leadership Studies was the only New York location for the internationally touring panel co-sponsored by Climate Wise Women on April 8. It brought together grassroots activists from across the globe to speak about how climate change has adversely affected their communities. The panel included keynote Mary Robinson, President of Ireland (1990-97); Constance Okollet, Osukura United Women in Eastern Uganda; Ulamila Kurai Wragg, a journalist in Rarotonga, The Cook Islands; Sharon Hanshaw, executive director of Coastal Women for Change; and Ursula Rakova, an activist from Tulele Peisa in the Carteret Islands. With Kim Knowlton of the National Resources Defense Council and Jean Gardner from Parsons The New School for Design also participating, and Kathryn Kolbert, director of The Athena Center, moderating. april 14 MOVING TOWARD UTOPIA: What Kind of City Lies Ahead? Panelists Tom Angotti of Hunter College, Nancy Levinson, editor of Places Journal, and William Menking, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Architect’s Newspaper gathered in the James Room on April 14, to discuss a new concept of the city: not as a set of independently regulated functions but as a mesh of landscapes, spaces, and policies. Building on the College’s Fall 2009 “Rights of Way” symposium, this panel’s distinguished group of thinkers continue to address questions of power, health, equity, and ecology confronting and fueling new design strategies. Full calendar of events at barnard.edu/calendar.
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