May 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Two leaders within the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's string section -- concertmaster Zach De Pue and principal violist Michael Isaac Strauss -- will take center stage at DePauw University this Thursday, May 12, as soloists in a concert of "Symphonic Hits."  The program begins at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located within DePauw's Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts.  There is no admission charge and all are invited to attend.

Thursday's program will feature Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola and the Baroque masterpiece, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. 

The concert, and a "Meet the Artist" event featuring De Pue and Strauss which was held at DePauw May 3 (the two musicians are seen in the Green Center's Great Hall in photos accompanying this article), are launching a multi-year education and community outreach partnership between the ISO, the University and the city as a result of Greencastle recently being designated a Stellar Community by the State of Indiana.  This collaboration will evolve to include more free concerts and master classes, the potential formation of a youth orchestra and other educational programs.

Learn more about Thursday's program, in this previous story.

Founded in 1884, the DePauw University School of Music is one of the nation's oldest private institutions for post-secondary music instruction and the longest-running in Indiana.

May 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Attorney, civil rights legend and presidential adviser Vernon E. Jordan Jr. will provide the principal address at Saturday's commencement exercises for the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis. The event begins at 2 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center.

The following day, Jordan will address graduates of Penn State University's College of the Liberal Arts and receive an honorary degree at noon in the Bryce Jordan Center.

A 1957 graduate of DePauw University, Jordan is a senior managing director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York. He was previously a senior executive partner with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where he remains senior counsel.

Jordan has also served as president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Inc.; executive director of the United Negro College Fund, Inc.; director of the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional Council; attorney-consultant, U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity; assistant to the executive director of the Southern Regional Council; Georgia Field Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and an attorney in private practice in Arkansas and Georgia. (above right: Jordan delivers DePauw's commencement address in 1993)

His presidential appointments include: the President’s Advisory Committee for the Points of Light Initiative Foundation; the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on South Africa; the Advisory Council on Social Security; the Presidential Clemency Board; the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission; the National Advisory Committee on Selective Service; and the Council of the White House Conference "To Fulfill These Rights." In 1992, Jordan served as the Chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team.

An advisory member of DePauw's Board of Trustees, Jordan earned his law degree at Howard University Law School and honorary doctoral degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities in America, including DePauw. He is the author of Vernon Can Read! A Memoir  and Make It Plain, Standing Up and Speaking Out.

Read more here.

In December 2009, Jordan was one of eight individuals presented with the Du Bois Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Harvard University Institute of Politics' W.E.B. Du Bois Institute. He's also been honored with the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest honor for achievement, the Trumpet Award, and his alma mater's Old Gold Goblet and McNaughton Medal for Public Service.

In his 1993 commencement address at DePauw, Jordan declared, "DePauw expanded my mind, broadened my horizons, lifted my sights, prepared me to serve and to lead and nurtured my growth and maturity. I made lasting friendships here. If I had my life to live over again, I would return to this place."

May 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Leonard Foy, professor of music at DePauw University, has been invited to perform with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in several concerts in Russia, May 19-24, 2011. concerts, featuring music and songs by jazz greats Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Carter and Benny Goodman, will be held at various concert halls in several Russian cities, including the Moscow International House of Music, the Kazan State Conservatory, the Philharmonic Hall in Samara and the Spaso House, the residence of American ambassadors in Moscow.

Lennie Foy's duties at DePauw include teaching trumpet, jazz history, jazz combo, jazz improvisation, trumpet pedagogy, brass quintet, and brass techniques. A university teacher since 1985, Foy holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music. His trumpet teachers include Charles Gorham, Barbara Butler, Vincent DiMartino, Louis Davidson, and Stanley Friedman. His jazz instructors include David Baker, Ray Wright, Bill Dobbins, and Raymond Ricker. During the summer months he serves as trumpet faculty of Birch Creek Music Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Shell Lake Arts and Education Center.

This tour is not the first time the SJMO has reached out to audiences beyond the United States. In 2008, the orchestra performed several concerts throughout Egypt as part of the “Jazz on the Nile” tour. The Russian tour is intended to bring Russian and American citizens together through the appreciation of jazz as a unique American genre. The tour bridges cultures and promotes the shared values of freedom, cultural diversity, innovation, individuality and creative collaboration.

The SJMO was founded in 1990 with an appropriation from the U.S. Congress in recognition of the importance of jazz in American culture and its status as a national treasure. The 17-member big band, led by conductor and artistic director Baker, serves as the orchestra-in-residence at the National Museum of American History.

Learn more here, and visit the DePauw University School of Music online.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "DePauw University's Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (NPC) have donated $4,000 to the Putnam County Community Foundation to fully endow the Endowment for Fraternity and Sorority Philanthropy initiated in 2006," notes an item in Greencastle's Banner Graphic. "DePauw's Greeks hope to strengthen bonds between the university campus and the Putnam County community, while highlighting their value of service to others."

According to the text, "The endowment creates the opportunity to award grants to charities in Putnam County and for the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils to meet each year to discuss philanthropy. Together, the two councils hope to choose a different organization to receive the grant annually. Plans to add additional funds to the endowment each year are under way, and the intent is to keep increasing the grant size." (photo: Putnam County Foundation Executive Director Elaine Peck [back, left] is joined by DePauw University students Tyler Witherspoon, Shelby Bremer, Elisa Sunshine, Katherine Janowski, Daniel Barth, Mitchell Turnbow, Will Trumaine, Megan Murphy, Abbey Ginn and Sumeru Chatterjee)

"I am hoping that our grant-making activities unite two important communities within Putnam County," says Megan Murphy, a DePauw junior and director of philanthropy and service for Panhellenic Council. "I am thrilled that we have finally completed this exciting endowment. Not only does it impact our relationship with the community this year, but for years to come."

Read more at the newspaper's website.

Also available is another recent article about the volunteer efforts of DePauw students.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — As the NCAA Division III women's golf championships begin today, "There are handful of teams with the potential to win with top-seeded DePauw (Ind.) University and No. 2 Methodist (N. C.) University the ones to beat," reports the Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  "Methodist has won an astounding 13 consecutive national championships," notes the newspaper.  The tournament is being played at Mission Hills Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

The Tigers are ranked first by Golfstat.com and second in the latest coaches' poll. They are making their 10th appearance overall at the Division III Championships and 10th straight after finishing sixth last year.

Learn more at the women's golf team's official online page.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "You kill the leader, it doesn't kill the movement," says Lee Hamilton of the recent death of Osama bin Laden.  Hamilton, who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission and spent 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, was interviewed by Indianapolis CBS affiliate WISH a week after U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a raid in Pakistan. 

Eric Halvorson reports that Hamilton, a 1952 graduate of DePauw University, "emphasized that the U.S. should be very wary of bin Laden's successor for leadership of al-Qaeda, no matter who it is. 'Anyone who becomes the leader will want to prove the relevance of al-Qaeda quickly, and I think there is a strong likelihood of revenge attacks fairly soon,' Hamilton said. He also said instability in Pakistan -- where bin Laden was found and killed -- is especially worrisome because it is a nuclear-armed country. 'The biggest nightmare for any of us,' Hamilton said, 'is for terrorists to get ahold of a nuclear weapon.' "

Access the complete text as well as video of the report at the television station's website.

Now the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, Hamilton advises the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security and President Obama, and also served as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group. 

On March 15 he returned to DePauw to address "The U.S. Role in the World After Afghanistan and Iraq" in a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture.  A summary including video clips can be accessed here.

Also available is this recent story.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "I ride horses and work at a really big stable when I'm not doing the TV and movie stuff, so I loved the fact that she wears a baseball cap and lives on a boat and wears jeans and a sweatshirt," says Annie Corley of Regi Darnell, the character she portrays on AMC's The Killing. Corley, a 1982 graduate of DePauw University, portrays a "mother figure and occasional babysitter for Sarah Linden" and is the subject of a Q-and-A on the network's website.  She says "life and art overlapped" when she landed the role.

Of the process of becoming her character, Corley says, "Of all the things in my life that I don't have, I was blessed with really nice hair. So I get up, take a shower and do my hair. I get to the set and Julie, my hair lady, we proceed to laugh about how nice it looks and then she messes it up. Once she messes it up, we spray it so it stays looking like a lady who lives on a boat. As far as clothes, I get to pick out fun stuff to wear. I get to wear jeans and hiking boots and big sweaters and big warm coats. I'm totally dressed for the weather while everyone else is totally freezing."

The Killing airs Sunday nights at 10 (Eastern time).

Read more of the interview here.

Annie Corley is perhaps best known for portraying the daughter of Meryl Streep's character in The Bridges of Madison County, which was directed by Clint Eastwood. On television, Corley has had guest roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Crossing Jordan, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Murder, She Wrote.

A communication major who was active in student theatrical productions while at DePauw, Corley performed in three films that were nominated for 2004 Academy Awards: 21 Grams, Seabiscuit and Monster. Corley has also had roles in The Cider House Rules, Malcolm X, Stick It, The Lucky Ones, Here on Earth, Juwanna Mann, Law Abiding Citizen, The Answer Man and Free Willy 3: The Rescue. She was also seen in 2009's Crazy Heart opposite Jeff Bridges, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the movie.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — In a Saturday performance by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, "Kara M. Stolle exhibited delightful virtuosity in Villa-Lobos' Ciranda des Sete Notas for bassoon and string orchestra," opines Jay Harvey in an Indianapolis Star review. "Her command of her role -- its tenderness and breadth of expression -- seemed superior to the dance-inspired material, which was deployed playfully but sounded largely content-free, despite a well-knit performance."

Stolle is an adjunct assistant professor of music at DePauw University. She is principal bassoonist with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and is principal bassoonist and personnel manager with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra.

You can read the full review at IndyStar.com.

Visit the DePauw University School of Music online.

May 10, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "James B. Stewart, a distinguished, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author, will write a business column for the New York Times' 'Business Day' section," notes an announcement this afternoon.  Stewart is a 1973 graduate of DePauw University.

"James is an exceptional journalist with a deep understanding of business and finance," says Lawrence Ingrassia, the newspaper's business editor. "Times readers will benefit from his insights into a broad variety of issues. With the move of Times business columnist Joe Nocera to become an op-ed columnist at the Times, we are pleased to have someone equally respected and knowledgeable to take his place in Business Day.”

Stewart has authored nine books, including Tangled Webs: How False Statements Are Undermining America -- From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff, which was released last month and is currently #20 on the Times' best-seller list. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for his coverage of the stock market crash of 1987 in the Wall Street Journal, where he worked as a reporter and served as a Page One editor. "His weekly column, 'Common Sense,' has appeared in the Journal, online and in SmartMoney magazine, which he helped launch in 1993," adds the news release.

The journalist received the George Polk Award in 1987 and Gerald Loeb awards in 1987, 1988 and 2006. The editor of The DePauw while an undergraduate, Stewart earned a juris doctor from Harvard Law School. He serves as the Bloomberg professor of business journalism at the Columbia Journalism School and is a member of DePauw's Board of Trustees and former chair of the group.

Read more at BusinessWire.

The San Francisco Opera has commissioned Heart of a Soldier, a new opera based on Stewart's critically acclaimed nonfiction book of the same name, which will premiere in September.  Details can be found in this recent story.

May 11, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "There are about 60 square blocks of the United States in which Alice Ripley is a superstar," begins an article in the Pioneer Press of Minnesota's Twin Cities. "Outside of those blocks -- the theater district in Manhattan -- she's virtually unknown, but she may be changing that, one city at a time."

Ripley, a member of DePauw University's Class of 1985, won a Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her performance in Next to Normal. She's now on a national tour of the show, which is in St. Paul through May 22.

Chris Hewitt writes, "It's unusual for a Tony-winner to go on the road after her show closes on Broadway these days (Angela Lansbury did it with Sweeney Todd three decades ago), but Ripley says it's been a thrill to meet audiences around the country. And, when she says 'meet,' she's not just talking about communicating with them while she's on stage."

Ripley, who makes a habit of meeting fans at the stage door after her performances, tells the newspaper, "I grew up in a small town -- east of Cleveland, on a farm -- and I didn't have many opportunities to see a Broadway-scale production and/or performers, so I was happy to say yes to the tour because then I get to meet those kids in small towns. Every time I go to the stage door, they're there. They usually want to say thank you, but I really want to thank them, because without them, I can't do it."

You'll find the full story at the Press' website.

A feature story on Alice Ripley in the June 7, 2009 New York Times noted her "nakedly anguished performance" in Next to Normal, which also won the Pulitzer Prize.

Ripley recently released a compact disc, Daily Practice, Volume One.

May 11, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Philip W. Trammell, a 1976 graduate of DePauw University, "has been named Texas Woman's University's new development officer for major gifts and planned giving," reports the Denton Record Chronicle. "Trammell previously was the director of development at the University of Dallas." (photo by Susan Sponsler-Carstarphen)

The item notes Trammell's degree from DePauw, where he majored in political science, and adds, "He serves on the Boy Scouts of America national alumni relations committee and recently joined the Denton Economic Development Partnership."

Access the item at the newspaper's website.

May 11, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Heather Hitchens, a 1991 graduate of DePauw University, was today announced as the American Theatre Wing's new executive director. The American Theatre Wing is a not-for-profit organization best known for creating The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, now presented with The Broadway League, the best-known national platform for the recognition of theatrical achievement on Broadway. Hitchens will assume her new duties on July 5.

Playbill notes, "Hitchens is a nationally recognized arts executive, with nearly 20 years of experience in performing arts administration, policy and program development. She most recently served as the executive director of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the oldest and largest state arts agency in the country, with a budget of $40 million. During her four-year tenure at NYSCA, Hitchens oversaw the distribution of over $123 million in grants to more than 2,000 New York State organizations in every artistic discipline. Prior to working with the NYSCA, Hitchens served as the CEO of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the national arts organization Meet The Composer, where she established a multi-million dollar endowment fund and fostered a 30-fold increase in individual giving. She holds an M.S. in arts administration from Drexel University and a B.M. in percussion/music business from DePauw."

"I am absolutely thrilled to become the American Theatre Wing's next executive director," says Hitchens. "It is a tremendous opportunity to continue my life's work in advancing exceptional artists and their craft, and to return to the place that my career began and a place that I love -- the theatre. I look forward to working with the Wing's board and staff to continue showcasing and supporting artistic excellence and innovation in the national theatre community."

Read more here.

Also available is this previous story.

May 12, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Mark W. Tatge, a veteran investigative editor and reporter who has served the past four years as the E.W. Scripps Visiting Professional at Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, will join the DePauw University faculty next fall. Tatge has been appointed DePauw's Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism and professor of communication and theatre for a three-year term effective with the 2011–12 academic year (August 15, 2011) and ending June 30, 2014.

Tatge assumes the Pulliam professorship from R.B. Brenner.

Tatge's long career in journalism includes stints as Midwest bureau chief for Forbes magazine, as an investigative reporter at the Cleveland Plain Dealer's statehouse bureau, and positions with the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News and Denver Post.

Tatge has written extensively about corporate misdeeds, starting with his coverage of the savings and loan scandal in Colorado during the 1980s. In Ohio, Tatge exposed corruption at an Ohio Blue Cross insurance plan. In another investigative series, he uncovered how police officers and firefighters claimed job-related disabilities, won fat pensions and then took similar public safety jobs elsewhere. 

In recognition of his journalistic achievements, Tatge has received the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism, the Society of Professional Journalists' First Amendment Award, the Morton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business Reporting, and he was honored as the best business writer in Texas by the Associated Press.

Early in his career, Tatge ran a small daily and a weekly newspaper in rural Wisconsin after graduating with a bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University. He is a past Kiplinger Fellow in Public Affairs Reporting at Ohio State University where he taught journalism and completed his master's degree. Tatge completed his M.B.A. while teaching at Ohio University, where he developed a business journalism program and taught a wide range of journalism and multimedia courses, including communications law, advanced online reporting, magazine writing and media management. In addition, Tatge helped develop a fundraising plan for E.W. Scripps School, created a media literacy class taught in the College of Business and he served as faculty advisor to the student-run magazine Backdrop. 

Outside of the classroom, Tatge recently authored the New York Times Reader: Business and Economics, published by CQ Press. The book is a guide aimed at teaching young journalists how to write about business and the economy and has been adopted by a number of universities nationwide. 

Tatge serves as a contributing editor to Forbes and is a frequent commentator on the economy and financial markets, appearing on ABC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and other broadcast outlets. He is working with the Poytner Institute's News University to develop online courses in the area of business and finance and is a frequent guest lecturer on business journalism and the impact of digital media on journalism and society. His work has been cited in numerous articles and books, including the Harvard Business Review. Tatge owns DeadlineReporter LLC, a media consulting and content development firm.

The Pulliam Visiting Professorship was created in 2000 with a gift from the family of Eugene S. Pulliam, a 1935 graduate of DePauw and former publisher of the Indianapolis Star and News, "to support and advance DePauw's strong tradition of graduating men and women who become highly successful and significant journalists." In recognition of the gift, the University's Board of Trustees voted to name DePauw's media center the Eugene S. Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media.

May 12, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — A story on an Indianapolis attorney named Mark Zuckerberg -- who shares the same name as the founder of Facebook and briefly had his account suspended because the social media site suspected he was using a fraudulent identity -- includes analysis from a 1978 graduate of DePauw University. "Sure, it was inconvenient. But it's good to see Facebook taking the time to ensure people are who they say they are, said Mark Roesler, chief executive officer of CMG Worldwide, an Indianapolis firm that represents the families and estates of celebrities living and dead," writes the Indianapolis Star's Dana Hunsinger Benbow. "In fact, he's been an advocate for it."

Roesler (pictured at top) tells the newspaper, "We worked very hard with Facebook to try to encourage them to be more responsive to celebrity names," adding that the site has made positive changes in the past year-and-a-half.

Access the complete article at IndyStar.com.

"No other agent in the world represents more famous people than Mark Roesler," began a report which aired on the CBS News program 60 Minutes on September 27, 2009.  The intellectual property rights management firm he heads represents the estates of stars such as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Mark Twain, Vince Lombardi and Ella Fitzgerald. Roesler was also quoted in this 2010 New York Times piece and a 2009 CNN report following the death of Michael Jackson.

May 12, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Reporter Corey McConnell leaves WXIX-TV on May 24 after six years," notes Cincinnati Enquirer media columnist John Kiesewetter.  A 2003 graduate of DePauw University, McConnell tells the station that her husband, Dan Best, has taken a position in Tampa Bay, and the family is moving to Florida.

"I am going to take a break from TV for a while and get us settled down there and spend some time with my kids (Cannon 2 1/2 and Emerson 6 months)," she says. "But I am not sure you ever really leave TV so I think eventually, I’ll get back to reporting." McConnell, who majored in communication at DePauw, adds, "I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I feel so lucky to have spent nearly six years at Fox19. I have worked with and for some of the best in the business and I will miss them tremendously."

The station's news director, Matt Miller, says, "She did a great job here for over 5 years and she will be missed. Very professional and always a positive force in the newsroom, and a great mentor to the younger staff members."

The columnist writes, "McConnell came to Channel 19 in fall of 2005 after TV jobs in Terre Haute and Evansville, Ind.," and notes her DePauw degree.

You'll find more information at the newspaper's website.

May 12, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — The Corporation for National and Community Service has named DePauw University to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for a fourth consecutive year. The 2010 list, released today, recognizes 641 colleges and universities for exemplary, innovative, and effective community service programs.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

"As members of the class of 2011 cross the stage to pick up their diplomas, more and more will be going into the world with a commitment to public service and the knowledge that they can make a difference in their communities and their own lives through service to others, thanks to the leadership of these institutions," says Patrick A. Corvington, chief executive officer of CNCS. "Congratulations to these schools and their students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service."

A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community. DePauw has been listed each year since the program's inception.

On campuses across the country, millions of college students are engaged in innovative projects to meet local needs, often using the skills learned in classrooms. In 2009, 3.2 million college students dedicated more than 307 million hours of service to communities across the country, service valued at more than $6.4 billion. Business and law students offer tax preparation and legal services, and college student volunteers provide meals, create parks, rebuild homes after disasters, conduct job training, run senior service programs, and much more.

By their senior year, 87% of DePauw University students have participated in community service or volunteer work, according to the 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement.  Recent articles on the outreach of DePauw students include a donation of $4,000 by DePauw University's Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (NPC) to the Putnam County Community Foundation, and two students being recognized by Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana for their volunteer efforts. Putnam County Relay For Life, hosted by DePauw two weekends ago, raised more than $126,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Visit DePauw's Office of Civic, Global and Professional Opportunities here.

May 12, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Katherine L. Farnsworth, assistant professor in the department of geoscience at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and 1993 graduate of DePauw University, is the co-recipient of a $14,888 grant from the National Geographic Society in support of a research project. Dr. Farnsworth and Ben Ford, a professor in IUP's  anthropology department, are preparing for a June survey of the Black River Bay, in the northeast corner of Lake Ontario, to find and identify two shipwrecks from the War of 1812.

"Farnsworth and Ford will search for a frigate called the Mohawk, a product of the naval arms race between the Americans and the British, and an unnamed gunboat designed for amphibious attacks and harassing British shipping," notes an announcement. "They chose these vessels, Ford said, because he has data suggesting the gunboat's location and reason to believe the Mohawk is within a few miles of it. From the survey, they hope to gain insight into the modernization of U.S. Navy ship construction, but also into the history of sedimentation in the bay."

It adds, "If they are able to find and identify the ships, Ford hopes to return the following year to excavate portions of the wrecks. Any artifacts raised would be conserved and included in a museum exhibit in the Great Lakes region."

Read more about the project here.

Katie Farnsworth majored in geography and computer science at DePauw, then went on to earn an M.S. and Ph.D. in marine geology from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William and Mary. She co-authored River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean: A Global Synthesis, which was recently published by Cambridge University Press.

May 13, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Will Power: Shakespeare in the Schools," a semester-long program focusing on the work of William Shakespeare, presented by DePauw University for local high schools, has "been one of the most challenging experiences I've had at DePauw," senior Taryn Stark tells the Banner Graphic. "These kids are great -- they're brilliant." (Banner Graphic photo: Naomi Farkass and Reilly Anderson rehearse a scene from Shakespeare's As You Like It)

Jared Jernagan writes, "The program, which began in early February with kids from Greencastle Middle School and High School, allows students to experience William Shakespeare's work on stage, not simply reading it in a classroom ... The 16 students have been working on learning Shakespeare's language and on learning specific scenes. On Saturday, 16 kids will take to the stage at 2 p.m. in DePauw's Moore Theatre for a 'festival of scenes,' in which eight pairs of students will perform scenes from a number of Shakespeare's plays."

"Kids know instinctively how to do Shakespeare when you get them in the language," says Amy Hayes (pictured at right), coordinator of the program, which is funded through the Ball Brothers Foundation Venture Fund competitive grant program. "It's so important that they get it in their bodies. They just love the language. They're swimming in it like ducks." Hayes is a part-time assistant professor of communication and theatre at DePauw.

"It's classes like the that made me change my major from biology to communications," says DePauw sophomore Marycruz Baylon. "I really want to work with children. I think somewhere going into education is my calling. It's challenging but it's fun at the same time."

Adds Stark, "You learn so much about yourself and them and Shakespeare. These are the kinds of experiences people seek out, and at DePauw, we're lucky enough to have them just presented to us on a whim."

Read the complete article at the newspaper's website.

Learn more about Amy Gaither Hayes in this recent story.

May 13, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — An Evansville Courier & Press recap of last night's speech by Indiana Governor and potential presidential candidate Mitch Daniels at the state Republican Party's spring dinner includes comments from a DePauw University senior. "About 60 college students who are members of the group 'Students for Mitch' -- founded at Yale University but since expanded nationwide -- said Daniels' fiscal record is the reason for their efforts to recruit him into the presidential race," reports the newspaper's Eric Bradner. "Those students met with Daniels for 25 minutes Thursday night, ahead of the dinner."

Margaret Musgrave, an Evansville native and classical civilization major and economics minor at DePauw, was one of them. Daniels is expected to announce soon whether he'll enter the 2012 race for the White House. "I got the feeling that he was really excited," Musgrave is quoted in the story.

You'll find the complete article at the Courier & Press' website.

Musgrave was also interviewed in a March 30 report by Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV on an effort by DePauw students to live without cellphones, e-mail and other mobile communication technologies for a full day. 

Governor Daniels has made several visits to DePauw, including one on October 24, 2007 (seen at right).

May 13, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The announcement that veteran PBS newsman Jim Lehrer is calling it quits -- sort of, eventually -- touched off a wave of appreciation for his unprecedented 36 years at PBS NewsHour and provided media prognosticators another opportunity to wonder about the future of TV journalism," begins a Christian Science Monitor story which quotes several media observers, including DePauw University's Jeff McCall. Gloria Goodale writes, "The nightly NewsHour, which Mr. Lehrer anchors, will continue after his June 6 departure. Indeed, Lehrer will return to moderate the program's Friday news analysis segments." (top photo: Professor McCall; below: Jim Lehrer)

According to Dr. McCall, professor of communication at DePauw, "Lehrer's main legacy to the American news culture will be the many presidential debates he moderated. His selection as the moderator for so many of these important political events signifies that both parties considered him a reasonable and dedicated professional journalist -- not a pretty-boy TV anchor looking to boost his career or spark sensational side shows."

The article -- headlined "Accolades galore for Jim Lehrer as he opts to exit PBS NewsHour" -- may be found at the Monitor's website.

Jeffrey M. McCall is a 1976 graduate of DePauw, faculty adviser to student radio station WGRE, and author of the book Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences. He's frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters. Last Saturday, his op-ed column on the state of TV news was published in the Indianapolis Star. He was quoted last week in a Christian Science Monitor report on CBS' decision to make Scott Pelley the anchor and managing editor of the network's Evening News broadcast and recently talked with the Los Angeles Times about the move by Fox News Channel to discontinue Glenn Beck's daily program.