RYERSON WALK
Donation Enables Beautification of South Walk
diana pau
A generous donation of $50,000 by Pratt Institute Trustee Emeritus Bruce Newman, a 1953 graduate of Interior Design, supported the enhancement this fall of South Walk, the roadway that runs along the southern edge of the Grand Mall on the Brooklyn campus and connects Ryerson Walk to Grand Avenue. Newman’s gift, made in honor of Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte, made possible the replacement of the strip’s asphalt roadway with a narrower, brick pedestrian walkway; the installation of light fixtures along the south side of the Mall; and the placement of a row of Japanese zelkova trees and other plants along the strip to mirror the landscaping on the northern edge of the Grand Mall. The improvements will help to bring Pratt’s campus in line with the Institute’s Strategic Plan for the Brooklyn Campus, presented in 2003. A previous donation enabled the creation of the Bruce Newman Amphitheater on the north side of the Mall between South and East halls in 1988; a second supported the creation of a landscaped plaza adjacent to the amphitheater in 2005.
John Cafaro Addresses Transportation Design Students
John Cafaro right, with former GM intern Emily Potter (B.I.D., ’08), and GM rep Sheryl Garrett.
A rendering of the improvements to South Walk.
Master Academic Plan Approved by Board of Trustees Committee The Master Academic Plan (MAP), which outlines directions and priorities for Pratt’s academic endeavors between the present and 2012, was fully endorsed for integration into the Institute’s overall Strategic Plan by the Academic Affairs Committee of Pratt’s Board of Trustees this May. The plan’s title, “Pratt Education in the 21st Century: Poetic Pragmatism,” indicates its emphasis on an education that blends creative exploration with problem-solving and research skills that address today’s diverse global environment. According to the MAP, Pratt will enhance its leadership in studiobased education by pursuing such goals as strengthening the curriculum by bolstering the role of research—both Institute-wide and in academic departments—building greater integration and flexibility into students’ educational experiences, and integrating cutting-edge technical innovations and sustainability into the curriculum. The plan also calls for the creation of several centers to benefit Pratt students and faculty members, including an International Education Center to increase students’ international and multicultural experiences and a Teaching and Learning Center, which will assist both students and faculty members.
At the culmination of Professor Martin Skalski’s Transportation Design class on May 1, students had the opportunity to present their final projects to John Cafaro, director of North American exterior design at General Motors (GM), and to hear critiques from the automotive industry veteran who had earned a place in the National Corvette Hall of Fame in 2002 for leading the design initiatives for the Fifth Generation Corvette coupe and convertible. Cafaro has served as a guest critic for the class for the last few years; he urged students not to forget the foundational design principles they learned in their early days at Pratt. He reminded the class that a Pratt education had been the foundation of many respected automotive designers. “When I started at GM a lot of the senior executives were Pratt grads—designers of the ’67 Cadillac Eldorado and the ’70 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am,” he recalled.
diana pau
Harriet Markis Named Chair of Construction and Facilities Management Departments Harriet Markis was named chair of both the construction and facilities management departments this summer, after having served as acting chair of both departments since 2007. Markis has taught structural design courses at Pratt since 1990, which is the same year she cofounded the structural engineering firm Dunne and Markis with fellow Pratt faculty member Kathleen Dunne. Dunne and Markis has done structural work on the Brooklyn Central Library at Grand Army Plaza, N.Y. Aquarium, Sotheby’s International, the Holocaust Center at Queens Community College, and Newark Airport Terminal A Bumpout. Dunne and Mark is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise in New York State with the Port Authority and School Construction Authority. Markis graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and earned her master’s degree in structural engineering from Cornell University. 49