Albion College Prentiss M. Brown Honors Institute

Take a look at what our
Honors Students are up to...

GREAT ISSUES IN FINE ARTS - SPRING 2008

The website for the Honors podcast is essentially an audible 'product' of the research/creative activity of students in my honors class spring semester of 2008. Early in the course, small student groups were assigned some tasks/topics by me, using Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro as focus pieces. Each podcast episode was supported by a traditional paper, in which students presented the research, revealing their sources and so forth.

Toward the end of the course each student submitted audio recordings reporting on (or demonstrating) the work submitted as his/her final project. In some cases, students tied some aspect of music to their major academic interest. In other cases, they gave their attention to composition or to presenting composers, pieces, or a type (or aspect) of music they were extremely interested in. In all, it was a terrific class that took their projects very seriously. It was very exciting to see such a variety of interests presented so well! I think we all had a great time doing this and I believe we learned a lot from each other along the way. I hope you enjoy the podcast!

- Doug Rose, professor

Here is the website for the podcast.

http://www.gcast.com/u/honorsprof/main

One student, Josh Freeland, wrote a song and produced a music video for his major project. We hope you'll check it out - it's hosted here:

http://www.albion.edu/music/Rose/Honors.htm

Arceno Wins Outstanding Delegate Award at Midwest Model UN
By Jake Weber

Albion College student Mark Anthony Arceno, '10

Albion College students Mark Anthony Arceno, '10, and Nathaniel Mitcavish, '11, in front of the St. Louis arch. Photo courtesy of Nathaniel MitcavishAlbion College sophomore Mark Anthony Arceño, one of two Albion delegates to the recent Midwest Model United Nations (MMUN) Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, received the MMUN's International Press Delegation (IPD) Outstanding Delegate Award. Arceno took the role of the African News Agency, while first-year student Nathaniel Mitcavish represented Malaysia in the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly.

"After years of working on yearbooks and writing within a journalistic framework, I was quite eager to be a part of this developing delegation," stated Arceño. "I particularly wanted to represent the African News Agency with the hopes of opening my eyes to issues I may see when I study in South Africa next semester. Joining this group and participating as a reporter has certainly done just that."

The 2008 IPD simulation was the first in the MMUN's 48-year history to have students write from the points of view of region-specific news agencies. Unlike other delegates who remain in a single committee, IPD delegates were charged with roaming the entire conference in order to gather information of particular interest to their readerships. "Participation as a committee delegate in other Model UN simulations helped me when determining what questions to ask," Arceño explained. "These frames of reference allow you to better understand your notes when you finally sit in front of the computer and are trying to get the story on time."

During the four-day conference, the IPD published six editions of the MMUN World News & Report, with Arceño contributing nine articles. "Writing for this conference was absolutely amazing," said Arceño. "I didn't know that I could even win an award, so it definitely meant something more to me, knowing that I wrote because I wanted to, not because I was looking for an award. Such a mentality is important in a Model UN environment like MMUN."

Carmen Weddell Showcases Piano and Organ in Senior Recital

By Quinn Vokes, '09

Albion College senior Carmen WEddell ALBION, Mich. — Demonstrating her great proficiency at two different keyboards, Albion College senior Carmen Weddell offers her piano and organ senior recital Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. in the College's Goodrich Chapel.

Weddell has studied piano for 15 years, but it's not her only musical love. She sings in Albion College's Concert Choir and plays violin in the Albion College Symphony Orchestra. She is also vice president of Ritual in Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional music fraternity for women, and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the music honorary society.

Weddell’s selections for her recital include pieces by J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alberto Ginastera, a twentieth century composer. The organ selection is titled Toccata in E Minor for Organ by Johann Pachelbel, and the Bach piece is a collaboration with Albion College student flutist Elizabeth Jewell.

“Joan Haggard, my first piano teacher, told me once, that the only reason to major in music is if you couldn’t live without it,” stated Weddell. A mathematics major and French minor along with a music performance major, it is obvious that Carmen Weddell has a strong love for music and does not intend to live without it.

This performance is free and open to the public. For a schedule of upcoming concerts visit our website at www.albion.edu/music or contact the Albion College Music department at 517/629-0481 or music@albion.edu.

Senior Catherine Fontana Wins 'Irish Rhodes,' George J. Mitchell Scholarship

By Jake Weber

ALBION, Mich. — The prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship, nicknamed the “Irish Rhodes” in the U.S., recently announced that Albion College senior Catherine Fontana is one of twelve Mitchell Scholars chosen for 2008-2009. An English and biology major at Albion, Fontana will spend the next academic year at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, pursuing a master's degree in environmental science.

“Given my environmental management research here in the United States, I am beyond thrilled to expand my experiences and research scope to Ireland and the European Union next year,” said Fontana. “All of the finalists were dually qualified for this award, and I feel remarkably fortunate to have been chosen to study in Dublin next year.”

Fontana’s Albion career has been distinguished in both academic and leadership achievements. President of the Student Senate during her junior year, Fontana also served as president of the Albion College Democrats and the Michigan Federation of College Democrats and currently holds a leadership position with the national College Democrats of America Women’s Caucus. Her political career began in 2005 when she became a graduate of the Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research’s “Tomorrow’s Political Leaders” program. Later in 2005, Fontana served as an international intertidal scientist and United States delegate to the Schutzstation Wattenmeer in Hallig Hooge, Germany to aid in invertebrate data collection and German-English translations of science literature. In 2006, Fontana won a competitive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Network for Environmental Management Studies fellowship researching facilities’ compliance with the Clean Air Act. This past summer, she served as a Volunteer for Science to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct thesis work at Walden Pond State Reservation in Massachusetts and jointly studied international environmental energy policy at Harvard University. Throughout her time at Albion, Fontana received two Albion College Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (FURSCA) stipends to conduct independent research in the fields of parasitology and microbiology. As current president of Albion’s Mortar Board chapter, Fontana helped organize a 2007 Homecoming book drive that netted over 1,100 books donated to Albion’s public library and elementary schools.

Fontana is also pursuing academic concentrations in the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service, the Institute for the Study of the Environment, and the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Institute. She is the daughter of Michael Fontana of Ann Arbor and Susan Millington of Dearborn and a graduate of Dearborn Divine Child High School.

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is named for former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell who spearheaded the historic Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which produced peace in Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship program recognizes outstanding young Americans who exhibit the highest standards of academic excellence, leadership and community service.

This year’s recipients also include the Duke University’s newspaper editor whose coverage of the Duke lacrosse scandal won him and the paper universal praise, an intellectual property specialist and distinguished musician and composer, an accomplished genetic researcher who has helped to discover a tumor-suppressor gene, and a dedicated anti-poverty advocate who has spent his years at Georgetown in Washington DC’s neediest neighborhoods.

The 2007 Mitchell Award Selection Committee included former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake; National Book Award winner Alice McDermott; former State Department official and internet health leader and CEO Chris Schroeder; Ireland’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Collins, Dr. Robert Clarke, a leading cancer expert at Georgetown who is a native of Northern Ireland; former head of Amnesty International William Schulz; Irish venture capitalist Gerry McCrory; Maureen Murphy, Dean of the School of Education and Irish historian at Hofstra; and Jasmin Weaver, a 2004 Mitchell Scholar who is currently working in the Budget Office at Harvard University.

More than 300 applicants from 139 institutions applied for the 2008-09 Mitchell Award. “Across the nation, the George Mitchell Scholarship has clearly emerged as one of the most desirable fellowships in the world,” said Trina Vargo, president of the US-Ireland Alliance, executors of the Award. “We are delighted by this development because it fulfills the vision of the program – to bring the most talented young leaders in the nation to the island of Ireland for a year of immersion in Irish academia, life, and culture as a way of building strong relationships between our countries.”

For more information on the 2008 Mitchell Scholars, visit the US-Ireland Web site, http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=73.

Piano Class Impresses with Recital

By Quinn Vokes, '09

ALBION, Mich. — After working hard all semester, Albion College piano students come together for one night to present their music on Monday, Nov 26, at 8 p.m. in Goodrich Chapel.

Corinne Weddell a 2007 Albion College Concerto Competition winner for piano, said the class is helpful for teachers as well as performers. “We give feedback to fellow students,” she said. “That helps develop ideas that we can use for working with future students.”

Each student will perform pieces they have learned this semester in preparation for their upcoming applied piano juries. “This recital is an important opportunity for our students to practice trying out their pieces on stage with an audience and overall building their performance skills,” said David Abbott, associate piano professor.

And as for the audience? “This is a great opportunity to hear a big cross section of the solo piano repertoire as performed by some of our most advanced pianists in the department,” said Abbott.

This performance is free and open to the public. For a schedule of upcoming concerts go to www.albion.edu/music or contact the Albion College Music department at 517/629-0481 or music@albion.edu .

Jazz Ensemble Presents Jazz at 'Relli's

By Brenda Goodnight, Music department manager

ALBION, Mich. – The Albion College Jazz Ensemble returns once again to Cascarelli’s Restaurant in downtown Albion on Friday, November 16, beginning at 9:30 p.m.

The group has been working hard to bring pieces of various kinds, including some upbeat swing, some slow sultry ballads, and some funk tunes by artist like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Chick Corea and many others.

The Jazz Ensemble is led by James Ball and made up of the following students; Saxopones - Dave Diemert, Nick Fish, David Goodrich, Rachel Lippert, Jacob, Trumpets - Joe Bednark, Danica Hernandez, Andrew Kimball, Adam Stowe, Ashley Wancour, Trombones - Lisa Anderson, Meagan Bosket, Brandon Stout, Guitar - Josh Bicigo, Dan Palmer, Bass - Jim Ball, Drums - Brandon Girard & Dave Van Haren, and Vocals - Becca Willens.

Ensemble trombonisht Mike Stout said “you get to listen to jazz for three hours…it’s fun, it’s jazz, it’s pizza, it’s Relli’s!”

Music department performances are free and open to the public. Please visit our website at www.albion.edu/music for more information on future concerts.

Allison Gessner Presents Honors Thesis in Recital at Albion College

By Jackie Simonson, '11

ALBION, Mich. - A brief history of Mozart, and three original cadenzas is in store for audiences on Saturday Nov. 10, as senior Allison Gessner presents her honors thesis entitled "Three Original Cadenzas for Mozart's Concerto K. 314 for Oboe and Orchestra," at 4 p.m. in Goodrich Chapel.

The performance features three historically accurate, original cadenzas (musical interludes specfically intended to display the skill of the performer). Gessner wrote the cadenzes as part of a music history research project done this past summer through Albion College's Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (FURSCA).

"I'm very lucky to have this opportunity, because my historical research is like a literature review is for a social scientist, and my rehearsal time is like a scientist's research," explained Gessner. "I hope I will be able to help set a precedent for similar musical endeavors at Albion in the future,"

This performance is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Albion College Music department at 517/629-0481 or music@albion.edu.

Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan ◦ 517/629-1000