Campus Miscellany

A New Look for the Vassar Neighborhood?
Wider sidewalks, lots of green space, improved lighting, and a return to Arlington’s heyday as a town center are at the heart of a proposal by the Project for Public Spaces, Inc. The nonprofit corporation hired by Vassar and the Arlington Revitalization Committee presented a vision for revitalizing the business district at a public meeting in the Villard Room in November.

PPS has worked in over 850 communities in the United States and abroad to improve public spaces so they are not only more attractive, but active, comfortable, and usable.

Chief among their recommendations for Arlington is a proposal to reconstruct Raymond Avenue as a boulevard with one traffic lane in either direction and a central median that can become either a turning lane or a “modern roundabout” at intersections.

For a closer look at the plan, which is still in pre-approval stages, go to http://www.pps.org/info/projects/transportation_projects/arlington_district.

VP for Finance and Administration Announced
Elizabeth Eismeier will join the Vassar community on July 1 as the new vice president for finance and administration. The position was formerly held by Anthony Stellato, who retired last June after 20 years of service.

Eismeier is currently financial vice president and treasurer at Colgate University, a position she has held since 1987. During her career at Colgate she also served as associate provost and associate vice president for business and finance.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College, where she majored in American Studies, Eismeier holds an M.B.A. from Yale University. She is a member of the Smith College investments committee and a former treasurer of the board of directors of the Smith Alumnae Association.

Stephen King to Speak at Commencement
For a college senior, few things are more thrilling and terrifying than graduation day, except, maybe, a scene penned by the master of thrills and horrors—Stephen King. Perhaps appropriately, the two will come together on May 20 when the famous scribe will deliver the 137th commencement address in the outdoor theater overlooking Sunset Lake. King has two close connections to Vassar: his sons, Joe Hill ’95 and Owen Philip ’99.

King is the author of nearly countless books, screenplays, and short stories including Carrie, Misery, Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary, The Shining, Cujo, Firestarter, The Body (which inspired the movie Stand By Me), The Stand, and The Green Mile. His most recent publication, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, a blend of autobiography and writing advice, was released last October by Simon and Schuster.

The author and his wife, Tabitha King, reside in Maine and have three children.

Curt Beck Honored By Archaeologists
Curt Beck, professor of chemistry, received the Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in January of this year. This prestigious international prize has been given in the past only for work at major research universities. This is the first time that work done entirely at an undergraduate college is being recognized.

Beck’s research has included analyzing prehistoric amber artifacts, tar and pitch from ancient Mediterranean shipwrecks, and food and wine residues in Minoan and Mycenean pottery. He has served as editor of Chemical Abstracts, Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts, the Journal of Archaeological Sciences, and the Journal of Field Archaeology.

Good Impressions
From Manet to Picasso: Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Prints and Drawings, an exhibition drawn primarily from Vassar's permanent collection, will be on view at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center from April 6 through June 10. Some 60 works on paper, including Woman at the Shore by Edouard Vuillard, seen above (gift from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander E. Racolin), will be featured. For additional information, including open hours, visit the Loeb Center's Website via www.vassar.edu.