Jessie Auger ‘89: Teacher of the Year

Jessie Auger ‘89, a bilingual first grade teacher from Boston, has been named the 2006-2007 Massachusetts Teacher of Year. “Jessie stands out because of her creativity in finding ways to work with students whose first language is not English,” said Massachusetts Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. Auger’s award makes her the state’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year. While remaining in the classroom, she will serve as ambassador to the teaching profession over the next year by making speeches and conducting workshops throughout the state.

[Via Colby.edu]

Ward Churchill Officially Let Go From U of Colorado

Citing the “content and rhetoric” of his views on 9/11, allegations of research misconduct, and questions surrounding misrepresentation of his ethnicity in order to gain a hiring advantage, Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano has announced his intention to dismiss Ward Churchill from his position at U of C.

“After conducting the due diligence I felt was necessary, I have come to a decision regarding the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Research Misconduct pertaining to Professor Ward Churchill. Today, I issued to Professor Churchill a notice of intent to dismiss him from his faculty position at the University of Colorado, Boulder.”

Link [Via Boing-Boing]: Recommendation of Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano with Regard to Investigation of Research Misconduct

Kent State Athletics Takes a Stand on Facebook

Citing the safety of their athletes and the reputation of their institution, Kent State is giving their student athletes until August 1st to remove their profiles from the college student-focused, social networking site Facebook.com. Student athletes who fail to meet the deadline risk losing their scholarships.

Athletics Director Laing Kennedy told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, “We’re really concerned about the safety of our student-athletes and some of the personal information some of them have on there.”

Via: Slashdot | Kent State Banning Athletes from Using Facebook

Update (June 28, 2006): The comments on the Slashdot article are pretty interesting. Go to the link above to read all of the comments, or check out the follow-up article that discusses some of the more interesting and insightful comments.

William H. Lyons ‘69 Featured on the TaxProf Blog

The TaxProf Blog, which provides news and information of interest to tax law professors, has a profile of William H. Lyons ‘69, law professor at Nebraska College of Law.

“My path to law school teaching was somewhat different than the traditional path of working for a large firm in a large metropolitan area for a few years with, perhaps, an additional year or two as a judicial clerk. I practiced in Bangor, Maine with the law firm of Vafiades, Brountas & Kominsky, where I was one of seven lawyers.”

Read the complete profile: Spotlight on William H. Lyons (Nebraska)

Dave Clark ‘75 Gets Varsity Coaching Gig

Dave Clark ‘75, who played basketball at Colby under Dick Whitmore, has been named the head boys basketball coach at Souhegan (NH) High School, according to an article in the Nashua (NH) Telegraph. Clark coached the JV team under two different varsity coaches, and will now get his turn at the top.

Clark’s basketball lineage is a long one. He played junior high school basketball in Nashua under former Nashua athletic director Al Harrington and longtime football and wrestling coach Paul Bellavance before playing varsity basketball for the late Tony Morandos, who coached Nashua to five championships and nine title game appearances between 1946 and 1971.

He played college basketball at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, for Dick Whitmore, who will enter his 36 season as head coach next winter and has guided Colby to 562 wins.

“They were all highly competitive individuals,’’ Clark said of his mentors. “Whitmore was very fiery on the sidelines. Tony was very intense, but most of all I learned toughness from Tony.

Read the article: Nashuatelegraph.com: High School Journal: Some new blood in coaching ranks

SHE: Teachers and Video Blogging, Part 2

The second part of Syndication for Higher Ed’s interview with Jonny Goldstein is now up.

Thomson Peterson’s–Syndication for Higher Ed » Teachers and Video blogging, Part 2

Syndication for Higher Ed: Teachers and Video Blogging (Part I)

The Syndication for Higher Ed blog has an interview with Jonny Goldstein, who manages the technology education portion of New York City public school after school program. Goldstein taught students in the program how to video blog (view their group video blog). In the interview, Goldstein discusses ways in which teachers can approach video blogging as a classroom tool.

…in this segment, Jonny refers to the work of Jen Simmons (Temple University) and Bre Pettis, both co-panelists in Jonny’s Vloggercon session on vlogging in education.

See part I of the interview at Syndication for Higher Ed: Teachers and Video blogging, Part I

Correction, June 23: I had originally referred to Jonny Goldstein as a teacher in the New York City Public School system. Jonny sent in a comment to set me straight:

“I manage the technology education portion of an after school program and I work for Vision Education and Media, a private company which was subcontracted to implement the tech ed portion of this program, which aims to serve 150 high school students in the Bronx.”

Thank you for the clarification, and I apologize for the error.

Check out Jonny’s students’ work at bx21.org.

Dwight Sargent ‘39: Hall of Famer

Dwight Sargent ‘39, editorial writer and curator, has been posthumously elected to the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame.

A Colby College graduate, Sargent was a reporter, editorial writer and editorial director for the Portland Press Herald before becoming editorial page editor for the New York Herald Tribune.

After leaving the Nieman Foundation, he served as president of the Freedom of Information Foundation at the University of Missouri, editorial page editor at the Boston Herald American and national editorial writer for Hearst Newspapers. Sargent died in 2002.

Read the complete AP story at MaineToday.com: Maine Press Association Hall of Fame to add 3 members

Riding for Reading: Raising money for a good cause

A couple of months ago, we wrote about Erik Balsbaugh ‘01 and Jon Natkin ‘01, and their Ride for ROR—a 6,000 mile bike trek around the United States to raise money for Reach Out and Read. Jon and Erik will be heading out from Jackson Hole, Wyo. around August 20, and they have begun taking donations for their ride.

We will be riding to support Reach Out and Read, a national non-profit that promotes early literacy. We hope to raise over $6000. That’s $1 for every mile ridden.

Please consider supporting these Colby alums in this very worthy cause. Get more information about making a donation: Ride for ROR: Reach out and Read

Graham Powis ‘90 Promoted

Graham Powis, who graduated summa cum laude in 1990, has been named Head of Equity Capital Markets at investement bank Cowen and Company, LLC.

Commenting on the appointment, [Chairman and CEO] Kim Fennebresque said, “Graham has been a strong leader in our Capital Markets business over the past eight years and has been instrumental in helping us build that franchise. I am delighted that Graham will be leading this important business for Cowen in the years to come.”

Read the press release at PR Newswire: Cowen and Company Names Graham Powis Head of Equity Capital Markets