CMC Currents: Feb. 26, 2018

CMC Professor Jamel Velji leads a free speech panel

Campus conference explores rights and responsibilities of free speech

CMC’s “Free Speech on Campus” conference featured leading scholars in a daylong exploration of the challenges and commitments to free speech in higher education. The panelists represented a range of viewpoints, but called for greater acceptance of opposing views on campuses. Steven Hayward of UC Berkeley, Peter Schuck of Yale Law School and Roosevelt Montàs of Columbia University were among those presenting, along with CMC faculty and students. George Thomas, Burnet C. Wohlford Professor of American Political Institutions, organized the conference after a visit to CMC by John Yoo of UC Berkeley School of Law, who urged CMC to hold a freedom of speech conference, and said Berkeley would follow with its own. Berkeley’s conference, which will include CMC faculty, will be held March 22.

Dianna Graves

Dianna Graves ’98 is CMC’s new Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students

Dianna “DT” Graves ’98 was named Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students last month. Graves’ career at the College spans nearly 20 years, beginning shortly after her time as an acclaimed student-athlete. Prior to this appointment, Graves was Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. She shared thoughts on her time at CMC and her desire to serve today’s students.

Anoma Bhat

Anoma Bhat ’14 is in the first class of Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Anoma Bhat ’14 has been named one of the 49 inaugural members of Stanford University’s new Knight-Hennessy Scholars program. The program provides full funding for any Stanford graduate program, plus a living stipend, to encourage collaborative problem solving between members of the interdisciplinary cohort. Of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars selected from over 3,600 applicants, Bhat is one of only three from a liberal arts college.

CMC ROTC Competition Team

CMC Army ROTC finishes second at Ranger Challenge military skills competition 

CMC Army ROTC finished second in the 8th Brigade Ranger Challenge, an annual two-day military skills competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. The contest is for the top three teams on the West Coast. To qualify, CMC won the South Ranger Challenge in November, beating all other competing Southwest schools.

New Faculty at CMC

Professor Jeffrey Flory leads research to solve problems of hiring and fair pay

Assistant Professor of Economics Jeffrey Flory spent a sabbatical year at the University of Chicago, where he was among the founders of the Science of Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. SODI uses scientific tools to assess the effectiveness of workplace diversity efforts.

Anoush Baghdassarian with a refugee

Anoush Baghdassarian ’17 preserves refugees’ stories for ongoing human rights project

Anoush Baghdassarian ’17 returned to CMC this month as an Athenaeum speaker to share her experiences collecting the stories of Syrian Armenian refugees. With funding from the Davis Projects for Peace prize, she traveled to Armenia last summer to interview refugees who fled Aleppo to escape the Syrian war. Next month, Baghdassarian will return to Armenia as an intern for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Harvey Wichman

Harvey Wichman, Professor of Psychology Emeritus, dies at 86

Wichman, an expert on the effects of stress on aviators and astronauts, was a full-time professor from 1973 to 1997 and taught until 2006. He was lauded for combining liberal arts with real-world projects, having his students conduct research for major aerospace corporations. “He actively involved CMC students in his research and in his Aviation Practicum course, where students made real contributions to the U.S. space program,” said Ronald Riggio, CMC’s Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology. 

2017 Appel Fellows

Appel Fellowship takes CMC student writers across the globe

CMC's Appel Fellowship for First Year Students, established by Joel Appel ’87, provides funding for unique experiences that inspire independent writing projects. Members of the most recent cohort traveled across the United States and abroad, and then returned to campus to share their work.