American

Magazine of American University August 2010

The new School of International Service building opens

 American
The rockets’ red glare. Fireworks on the National
Mall spark American's annual "birthday party"
like clockwork each July 4.
Photo by Jeff Watts

Magazine of American University Volume 61 No. 2

12 giving voice to the silenced

Recreating the lost art of a Czech ghetto took the
drive of a Fulbright Scholar, the knowledge of
Holocaust scholars, the help of an embassy, and the
imagination to model a new way of teaching.

17 he likes ike
As director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential
Library and Museum, Karl Weissenbach, SPA ’76,
has the man who helped launch SIS covered.

20 gold standard
The School of International Service enjoys pride of
place in a new green building that has elbow room to
chart a better course for the world.

27 collaboration works
A space connecting the Library and the new SIS
building becomes a place where graduate students
can unpack their ideas and their briefcases.

28 after the flood came a gift

Painter Don Kimes redefines his life’s view and
reimagines his life’s work after a flood’s destruction.

30 evolutions
This is scholarship that hangs on the wall, projects
flashing images, and moves by remote control. Here’s
how it came about.

32 success story: in hollywood

Bones producer Barry Josephson, SPA ’78, discusses
how he found success in Hollywood.

departments
3 On the Quad
11 Athletics
35 Alumni News
36 Class Notables
48 American.edu

www.american.edu/magazine
American From the editor
American, the official magazine of American
University, is written and designed by the Uni-
versity Publications office within University
Communications and Marketing. Personal
views on subjects of public interest expressed
in the magazine do not necessarily reflect At Home in the World
official policies of the university.

Executive Director, Communications Home is where the heart is, and recently heart and mind together have
and Marketing joined to create new homes and powerful new scholarship at American
Teresa Flannery
University.
Director, University Publications
First, we are absolutely thrilled to bring you the rich photos and story of
Kevin Grasty
the new green home of the School of International Service. In fact, that space
Executive Editor
Linda McHugh and concept inspired us to devote this issue to several stories that give mean-
Managing Editor ing to the concept of home.
Catherine Bahl On a spring trip to tiny Abilene, Kansas, writer Mike Unger explored
Features Editor the American heartland that inspired the military career and presidency of
Suzanne Bechamps
Dwight D. Eisenhower. There Unger interviewed the keeper of Ike’s papers,
On the Quad Editor
AU alumnus Karl Weissenbach, director of the Eisenhower library.
Adrienne Frank
The AU Library reaped the benefits of the new SIS building when an
Staff Writers
Sally Acharya, Adrienne Frank, Mike Unger underground connector created room for a library home of sorts. The new
Art Director/Designer graduate student center gives grad students a versatile campus space where
Wendy Beckerman they can collaborate to produce top-drawer scholarship.
Contributing Designers Few things make us understand the importance of home more than loss.
Maria Jackson, Evangeline Montoya-A. Reed,
When painter Don Kimes lost his lifework to a flood at his home, he turned
Natalie Taylor
the loss into a gift. In reimagining his work, Kimes found that he had created
Photographer
Jeff Watts the best artwork of his life.
Class Notes Finally, with this issue we say goodbye to long-time American writer Sally
Melissa Reichley, editor; Ken O’Regan, Acharya who, with her husband, Hom Raj, CAS/MA ’03, and son, Nathaniel,
editorial assistant
will move to Kathmandu, Nepal, in August, in part to introduce Nathaniel to
UP11-001 his father’s homeland.
American is published three times a year by American
University. With a circulation of about 104,000, Acharya has spent her last months with us helping to retell for our maga-
American is sent to alumni and other constituents of zine Gail Humphries Mardirosian’s three-year exploration of the Terezin arts
the university community. Copyright © 2010.
ghetto. By bringing to light the story of how artists interned in Terezin held
American University is an equal opportunity and affirma- onto some sense of home, Mardirosian has moved history closer to the hearts
tive action university and employer. American University
does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, of many AU students. Acharya’s skillful handling of that tale underscores the
national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, educational richness of the many relationships Mardirosian and collaborators
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family
responsibilities, political affiliation, disability, source of created.
income, place of residence or business, or certain veteran sta- For ten years Sally Acharya has brought that same quality of writing to
tus in its programs and activities. For information, contact
the Dean of Students (DOS@american.edu), Director of our pages. We’ll miss her keen eye for story, her ear for language, and her
Policy & Regulatory Affairs (employeerelations@american. tongue-in-cheek wit. Nevertheless, we wish her well in her new home and
edu) or Dean of Academic Affairs, (academicaffairs@american.
edu), or at American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., hope to someday publish her tales of this adventure. To read more of her
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016, 202-885-1000. stories visit our archives at: american.edu/americanmagazine.
www.american.edu/magazine
Send address changes to:
Alumni Programs
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, D.C.
20016-8002 Linda McHugh
or Executive Editor
e-mail: alumupdate@american.edu

 american
On the Quad healthy dish
Fit to Thrive
Dear President Obama,
I have researched on the internet that most children
are obese because they don’t get enough exercise and eat
foods with too many calories. Please help, we need help
to become healthy adults.
The letters that went to the White House from sixth
graders at Kelly Miller Middle School in Washington,
D.C.’s Ward 7 told a story familiar to those who study
children living in poverty: poor breakfasts, locked-down
schools with recess reduced to an indoor break, grocery
stores that are “always empty, with no strawberries or
bananas.”
But the children didn’t know anything was amiss until
AU became involved with their school. After a month of
learning, they were ready to push for change.
It began with Anastasia Snelling’s summer class,
Urban Health for Teachers, when she connected with a
student who was a guidance counselor at Kelly Miller—
where the principal, coincidentally, had once taught at
AU. “The stars just aligned,” says Sarah Irvine Belson,
dean of the School of Education, Teaching and Health,
and the schools joined forces.
Like many urban schools, Kelly Miller struggles
with low reading and math scores. Snelling and others
from the College of Arts and Sciences designed and led
the Community Voices for Health: Kids Take Action
project to teach students about health and nutrition
while reinforcing skills in language arts, math, and social
studies. The sixth graders:
• were outfitted with pedometers and used math to
estimate and graph their daily steps
• learned to be smart consumers of media and food
• learned about nutrition and exercise, and used
cameras to document the healthy and unhealthy
aspects of their environment: empty shelves at
corner stores, run-down playgrounds, healthy and
unhealthy foods
• wrote letters to President Obama and Michelle
Obama, sharing their concerns and ideas
The faculty collaborated to:
• secure approval from District officials to add whole
grains and healthier options to the lunch menu
• devise a plan for a community garden at an
adjacent Parks and Recreation site
• meet the criteria for a “Healthier U.S. School”
Kelly Miller is the only middle school in the
District with the national designation.
august 2010 
On the Quad green zone

Tomatoes—a great Summer squash is a

Eat Local source of lycopene, good source of fiber,
A cornucopia one of the most potassium, magnesium,
of pesticide-free powerful natural and vitamin C, which is
produce—from antioxidants—can be good for the heart. Add
arugula to zucchini— stored in the fridge, thin slices of squash to
but are best kept at a sandwich, chop it up
is ripe for the picking room temperature. over a salad, or add it
at AU’s community to lasagna.
market. Sponsored
by AHealthyU, AU’s
wellness program,
the farmers market
is held every Only 5 percent of
Released in May, AU’s plan
Like cranberry juice,

4
Wednesday on the peas are sold fresh. employs
dried cranberries helpfour strategies:
quad, from February And while fresh is • reduce consumption
protect the urinary
to November. best, frozen peas are • also
tract. They’re produce renewable energy
better than canned loaded with calcium;
• buy green power
peas, as they retain add them to cereal STRATEGIES
their flavor and are
• buy-develop offsets.
or yogurt to promote
lower in sodium. strong bones and
healthy teeth.

Green Power Semantics of Nature

AU’s plan for carbon neutrality
is one of the most ambitious in
the country: the university will
achieve the green goal by 2020.
Released in May, AU’s plan
employs four strategies:
• reduce
AU purchased wind-generated
renewable energy credits equivalent
to 100 percent of its 53
million kilowatt hours of
annual electricity usage. The
green power purchased has an
eco-impact equivalent to planting
451,434 mature trees in one
Nature is at an end. Whether it’s a “We tend to draw a line: here’s nature, here’s
rainforest pierced by a road, a glacier not nature,” says the School of International
Service professor and director of the Global
melting from climate change, or a
“wilderness” managed by professionals, Environmental Politics program. “The birds in
nature no longer exists free of human your yard aren’t seen as nature because they’re
intervention. being fed by your neighbor.”
We are Living Through the End of Wapner sets forth a different The new SIS
paradigm. “Ultimately we want

4
consumption year—a forest more than 4 times the Nature, Paul Wapner posits in the building is an
size of the National Mall. title of his new book, a look at what to allow for a relationship, to
example of
• produce it means to live on a planet where the encourage humans [to] take
Wapner’s new
renewable energy presence of humans is felt in even the a role in which they enhance
most isolated places. biodiversity . . . paradigm. It says,
• buy “We should be intervening— “let’s capture
STRATEGIES green power This new relationship, he contends,
is forcing us to reevaluate how we by capturing wind, capturing sunlight, turn it
• buy-develop AU finished in third place—beating think about the environment. The old solar, by participating in a way into energy. Let’s
out 604 other colleges and that highlights the principles of
offsets discourse is too black and white. One collect rainwater,
universities around the world—in justice. We don’t have to embrace
“We’re training the next position argues: Humans use too many
the 10th annual RecycleMania
a narrative of mastery to recognize use it to flush
generation of leaders, and it’s competition. AU boasted a
resources, and the job of environmentalists is to hold
back the tide and save what’s left of the wild world. that we’re going to need technologies. our toilets and
critical that they understand cumulative recycling rate of
the problems and be a part of 64.9 percent in the “grand Alternately, there are those who still think of nature as The only question is how we’re going have rain gardens
the solution,” says sustainability champion” category, which susceptible to mastery. to intervene. Not whether we can rather than let
director Chris O’Brien. measures recycling as a percentage Neither view, Wapner contends, takes into account intervene.” this stuff go to the
of total waste generation. the complex reality that is increasingly inescapable. treatment plant.”

 american
american august 2010 
 On the Quad dream job
Courtesy of matthew van hoose

Boy of Summer
Matthew Van Hoose always has harbored a passion for music and baseball.
This season, the Department of Performing Arts musician in residence is During pregame introductions, Van
the stadium “organist” at Washington Nationals baseball games. Hoose plays The Who’s “Who Are You”
Can you say dream job? to greet the visiting team.
While his organ actually is a synthesizer, the joy with which Van Hoose
On the magical night when Stephen
plays it—and roots for the Nats—is 100 percent genuine. Strasburg made his amazing debut,
“It’s work, but it’s absolutely fun,” says Van Hoose, who is perched Van Hoose played the theme from
in the press box high above home plate. “It’s a perfect view. I can pay The Natural.
attention to what I’m doing, but you still can follow the game like a fan.”
Van Hoose works in concert with the stadium’s DJ. He is not permitted The organ Van Hoose plays at the
ballpark actually is a synthesizer.
to play during the action, so he bangs out most of his songs between at-
bats and innings, or during pitching changes. Van Hoose has been a musician
In addition to the usual slate of rally prompts, he mixes in tunes from in residence in the Department of
the worlds of Motown, classic rock, and even contemporary pop. When Performing Arts for five years.
Ryan Zimmerman makes a nice play in the field, Van Hoose plays “Use
He plays primarily between outs,
Somebody,” the star third baseman’s favorite Kings of Leon song. during pitching changes, and
Despite an influx of in-stadium entertainment (B.S.S.—Before Stephen between innings.
Strasburg—the presidents race was perhaps the Nats’ biggest draw), organ
music has remained an essential part of the game-day experience. He generally plays “Don’t Stop
“So much of baseball is rooted in tradition,” says Van Hoose, who Believin’” leading into the sixth
inning if the Nats are trailing.
provides vocal and instrumental coaching to AU students. “The DJ does
a great job, the scoreboard’s great, but [organists provide] the feeling of an “Twist and Shout” usually gets the
old-time baseball game. There’s some spontaneity when you have fans up and moving.
live music.”

 american
On the Quad sweet venture
Sugar High
It’s a sweet life for Bailey Kasten, the chocoholic behind
Double Premium Confections, a gourmet candy
company she launched last year.
“Everybody loves chocolate. It’s got the snap and the
shine; it’s simple but delicious,” says Kasten, SPA/BA ’05.
From her D.C. kitchen, Kasten whips up dozens of
decadent flavors that span the sugar spectrum, from
gingerbread and champagne to lavender and maple. Her
coworkers at the National Society of Collegiate Scholars,
where she’s worked as operations manager for six years,
are more than happy to be taste-testers.
“I’m very scientific,” Kasten laughs. “I’ll experiment
eight different ways with the same flavor and throw in a
store brand just to keep everyone honest.
“Sometimes we get it right on the first try and
sometimes it’s 100 batches later and it’s still not right.”
Ultimately, however, Kasten’s tastebuds are the guiding
force behind her budding confectionary.
“There’s nothing we make that I don’t love,” she says.
“People always ask if I get tired of eating chocolate. The
truth is, sometimes I’ll make a big batch of caramel just
for myself.”
Kasten’s retail site, dpconfections.com,
goes live this month. Her confections are
also sold in wine shops in the D.C. area,
including Weygandt Wines, above.
The rose truffle—a blend of dark chocolate,
rose, and Madagascar vanilla bean—is
Kasten’s favorite.
Double Premium Confections boasts
70 flavors, from the exotic (lemon mint
and salty caramel) to the traditional
(raspberry and pure dark chocolate).
Kasten always welcomes new flavor
suggestions from family and friends.
Among her latest creations: honey
pistachio nougat. “The bolder, the better,”
she laughs.
“The real truth about making chocolate
is that once you learn the basic principles
and ratios, you can start to experiment
with the recipes,” Kasten says. “That’s the
fun part—to take a chocolate ganache and
run with it.”
august 2010 
 On the Quad global reach
Courtesy of brigid maher
Bridging the Gulf
The challenges faced by women in
leadership positions within the Muslim
faith are daunting.
Capturing those challenges on film,
especially for a non-Muslim woman,
also is no easy task. Yet School of
Communication professor Brigid Maher
does just that in her documentary, Veiled
Voices.
Screened in April at both the Al
Jazeera International Documentary
Festival and Los Angeles International
Women’s Film Festival, Maher’s film has
garnered critical praise for its insight into
how Muslim women are increasingly
 american
willing to challenge the status quo
from within their religion, promoting
Islam as a powerful force for positive
transformation in the world.
“The film, the first of its kind . . . is
not to be missed by any who wish to
enter the world of contemporary Islam
with its lively gender dynamics being
refashioned under our very eyes,” says
Margot Badran, author of Feminism in
Islam: Secular and Religious Convergences.
Maher, who’s produced four other
films in the Middle East, shot Veiled
Voices over two years in Lebanon, Syria,
and Egypt. It will air on PBS during
Ramadan in August, and is scheduled to
air on Free Speech TV August 9, October
6, and November 21.
In June, Al Jazeera acquired the rights
to show the documentary on its networks
in Middle Eastern and North African
markets.
“It’s very exciting that this subject
matter is going to be broadcast in the areas
where these women are doing this kind of
work. It’s an indication of an increasing
awareness about these issues,” Maher says.
“The gulf of misunderstanding is growing.
My hope is that by making films like Veiled
Voices, I can help to bridge that gulf.”
Journey into America
“In order to understand the
true meaning of ‘American
identity’ and its Muslim
component, you need to look
back to the vision of our
founding fathers,” says Akbar
Ahmed, former Pakistani
ambassador to Great Britain
and current Ibn Khaldun
Chair of Islamic Studies in
the School of International
Service. “To them, America meant freedom
and tolerance, without judgment, or persecution, no
matter where you came from. If we want to combat
issues like homegrown terrorism, we must think
about people in the same way our founding fathers
did and embrace their belief in the American dream.”
Ahmed and a team of five research assistants
gained these insights while on a one-year sabbatical
during which they traveled to more than 75
cities throughout the United States, visited more
than 100 mosques, and conducted thousands of
interviews with both Muslim and non-Muslim
Americans. Their goal: to gain an understanding of
Muslim American communities.
Their research has been compiled in a new book,
Journey into America: the Challenge of Islam
(Brookings Institution), which was released
this June.
Your Britain: Media
and the Making of the
Labour Party
How did Britain’s Labour
Party come of age in the first
half of the twentieth century,
rising from a movement of
working-class men into a
national party that won a
landslide victory in 1945?
Through its skillful media
strategy, argues College of
Arts and Sciences professor
Laura Beers in, Your Britain: Media
and the Making of the Labour Party.
“This is a very original and important book,”
says Ross McKibbin, of the University of Oxford.
“[Beers] makes a convincing case that Labour was
quick to take up modern media…which was an
essential element in the creation of the broad-based
democratic electorate that gave the party victory
in 1945.”
august 2010 
 On the Quad press check

Media Myths
Sometimes journalists don’t get it right.
That may sound like an odd position
for a journalism professor to take, but
the School of Communication’s Joseph
Campbell makes a compelling case
in Getting It Wrong that media has
exaggerated or botched at least 10
major stories.
Here are a few you think you knew,
and why you’re wrong.

Cronkite-Johnson
MY TH Walter Cronkite’s on-air assessment in February
1968 that the U.S. military was “mired in stalemate”
in Vietnam caused public opinion to swing against the
war. At the White House, President Lyndon Johnson
watched the Cronkite program and declared, “If I’ve lost
Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.”
DEBUNKED Public opinion began turning against
the Vietnam War months before Cronkite’s program.
Cronkite’s “mired in stalemate” assessment was
unremarkable—other news outlets had previously offered
similar or harsher analyses. Johnson did not even see
the Cronkite program when it aired. He was at the time
attending a birthday party in Austin, Texas.

Crack babies
MY TH Children born to women who smoked crack
cocaine during their pregnancies were, according to
numerous news reports, doomed to lives of endless
cbs photo archive/Getty Images

dependency and suffering.

CBS anchor Walter Cronkite reports from the site of extensive bombing as
he covers the aftermath of the Tet offensive in 1968.
DEBUNKED The much-feared social disaster never
materialized. News accounts of helpless “crack babies”
were based more on anecdotes than solid, sustained
research. There is, moreover, no medically recognized
“crack baby” syndrome.
Hurricane Katrina
MY TH News coverage of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath
in New Orleans in 2005 was superlative and represented
a memorable occasion of the media’s exposing
government incompetence.
DEBUNKED Katrina’s aftermath was no high, heroic
moment in American journalism. The news coverage
in important ways was flawed and wildly exaggerated.
Numerous accounts that described apocalyptic horror
unleashed by the hurricane proved false. On crucial
details, journalists got it wrong, defaming a battered city
and impugning its residents at a time of deep despair.

 american
 On the Quad athletics

Big Leagues
Might Major League hitters someday find out
what Patriot League basketball players already
know?
Stephen Lumpkins can bring it.
Lumpkins, AU’s talented 6-foot-8-inch junior
forward, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the 42nd round of the Major League Baseball
draft in June.
Forget for the moment that AU doesn’t field
a baseball team, or that Lumpkins hasn’t played
serious hardball since his senior year of high
school in Redwood City, Calif. College players
generally aren’t eligible to be drafted until after
they’ve completed three years of school, but
because AU doesn’t have a baseball program,
Lumpkins could be selected earlier.
“Last summer I played a little at home just
messing around,” Lumpkins says. “I decided I was
going to take it more seriously. Somehow some
scouts heard that I was playing baseball again.”
Funny how scouts are able to sniff out even
the most obscure prospect, especially if that
prospect is a tall left-handed pitcher whose
fastball tops out at 92 miles per hour. Lumpkins
also throws a slider and change-up, so inevitably
he draws comparisons to another tall, fire-
throwing left-hander, Hall of Famer-to-be Randy
Johnson.
Earlier this year Lumpkins threw for scouts in
California and again in Washington. The Pirates
liked what they saw and snagged him.
For now Lumpkins, a business major, plans
to concentrate on academics and hoops. He’s
interested in marketing—and rebounding. Last
season he started and averaged 13 points and 8
Courtesy of au athletics communications

boards a game. But a future on the diamond is a

real possibility.
“Right now I’m really enjoying going
to college at American and playing college
basketball,” says Lumpkins. “Ideally I’d like to
do both. I’d love to play pro baseball. But I’m
looking forward to coming back next year and
playing for American and winning another
Patriot League Championship.”

august 2010 
 Dozens of students and experts were drawn to the
project initiated by Gail Humphries Mardirosian,
The Many Facets of an left, which continues to bear fruit. Czech actress
Expanding Project Mirenka Cechova, right, became involved in the
Prague performance and will come to AU this fall to
• Honors class teach non-verbal theater and present her one-woman
performance of The Voice of Anne Frank.
• Drama performances
in Terezin and
Washington, D.C.

• Choral performances

• Exhibits

• Film screenings

• Panel discussions

• Workshops for high

school students

• Web site

• Collaborations with
Czech embassy

• Holocaust experts
visit By Sally Acharya

T
Students present
research at academic he voices of Terezin were everywhere this
conference
spring. They were heard in song and on the
• Students write
program notes for play
stage of the Katzen Arts Center. They resonated
from the history department, at the university

• Playwright’s widow,
daughter travel to AU Czech embassy.
library, at an urban high school, and at the

for performance What began as a project centered on a play written by

• Embassy conference
on Czech Jews
prisoners in a Nazi ghetto turned into a yearlong, multidisci-
plinary exploration of the arts, history, memory, and identity.
Any one of the parts—the powerful play, the poetry of
• Holocaust survivor,
author addresses AU doomed children set to music, the honors class, the high-
students school workshops—could stand alone as a memorable
experience.
• Collaboration with
University of New As a unified whole, the Voices of Terezin became a show-
Hampshire case for the intellectual and cultural life of the university, a
rich way to interact with Washington, D.C., and the world,
and a many-layered model for interdisciplinary learning.

Photos above and below: www.photobybridget.com

The emotional impact AU’s Terezin project began The students, like the
of visiting the Terezin with a script rediscovered by prisoners, were greeted with
ghetto, now a museum, Mardirosian’s fellow Fulbright the words, “Arbeit Macht
gave students who visited scholar, Lisa Peschel, right, 2009 Frei”– Work Sets You Free–
Prague a sense of deep fellow at the Center for Advanced emblazoned on the entrance
responsibility for the Holocaust Studies, whose book in gate. They viewed the
people who suffered and Czech and German, “Theatrical barracks, crematorium, and
died there.
 american
• Texts from the Terezin Ghetto,”
will be published in English
other haunting settings.
august 2010 
in fall 2011.
Origins Peschel had tracked down the widow of death camps. It was a place where artists, On stage at AU, Connections
imprisoned playwright Zdenek Elias and musicians, and scholars were clustered and students performed
In 2008, AU College of Arts and Sciences
found that she still had, in his papers, allowed to practice their art–until they the U.S. premiere
professor Gail Humphries Mardirosian
a copy of a play written and rehearsed died of disease or malnutrition or were of Smoke of Students in-
was awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach
in secret at Terezin. The play, Smoke of loaded onto the transports. Some 100,000 Home, giving cluding Autumn
at the Academy of Performing Arts in Rauchwerk, not
Home, couched metaphorically as a story of its 140,000 inmates ultimately died, in- voice after more
Prague. She left the artistic component only studied
of prisoners during the Thirty Years’ War, cluding all but 132 of the 15,000 children than 60 years to Peter Demetz’s
of her Fulbright intentionally open. “My
was an emotional look at the tension who passed through its gates. words written and book Prague
idea was that a directing project would
and despair of life within walls and the Yet as they waited, sick and hungry rehearsed by in Danger,
unfold,” recalls Mardirosian.

Photo by Jeff Watts

dreams of a vanished home. and full of fear, they somehow generated
Soon after winning the award,
Mardirosian was astounded. What art. Mardirosian knew that she had found
Mardirosian read in the Fulbright newslet-
could it mean to create theatre under her project: she would direct the play.
ter about a theatre historian she knew, Lisa
those circumstances? What did it mean to The experience proved to be “one of
Peschel, who was conducting research—
the creators? To the audiences? the most intense artistic experiences of my
for a book—on the theatre of Terezin, a
Terezin, after all, was a “model ghetto” life,” says Mardirosian. Yet it also launched
ghetto near Prague that Nazis described to
intended to delude the outside world. a learning quest that she would take back
the outside world as “a city for the Jews.”
But it was really a way station en route to to AU and Washington, D.C.
Collaborations
Even before Mardirosian left for Prague
for the 2008-2009 academic year, the
project was growing. Questions to other
professors led to enthusiastic conversa-
tions about collaboration. New names
emerged; ideas of ways to link the project
in Europe back to AU were born.
A conversation with Pam Nadell, director
of Jewish Studies, evolved into plans for an
honors class. A chance encounter with Helen
Langa, chair of the art department, revealed
that her cousin was a highly regarded con-
ductor working on the music of Terezin and
developing an institute at Terezin, in which
Mardirosian would participate.
A graduate student in arts management,
Inga Sieminski, took on the project for her
master’s portfolio–including a workshop for
When students from AU and Dean College went to Prague in 2009, they engaged with scholars,
high-school students, marketing materials, a
creative artists, and diplomats. Among the group shown is Karel Foustka, vice rector for inter-
library exhibit, film screenings, discussions,
national relations at Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts, and David Gainer, cultural attaché
and poetry readings.
of the U.S. Embassy in the Czech Republic.
AU students traveled to Prague during
spring break 2009 for an experience that
included a staged reading of the play and
a visit to Terezin. The play was performed
both in Prague and for the first time ever
at Terezin, with survivors in the audience.
When Mardirosian returned to AU, she
brought with her an expanded vision of
what could be done in a year of teaching
and learning.
Connecting the voices
Although the play was the focal point,
what unfolded on campus during this
past year wasn’t just about the perform-
ing arts. The honors class taught by
Mardirosian, and developed with the help
of Nadell and others, is a case in point.
Its students came from all disciplines:
psychology, criminal justice, history,
international relations. Those who were
used to academic research papers found
themselves stretched in new ways.
For instance, they heard from guest lec-
turers, read papers, and viewed films from
the time and then had to “come up with a
creative way to demonstrate ownership of
but met the
Holocaust victims. author.
The knowledge of historian and Jewish
the materials.” It could be a performance, Studies director Pam Nadell, left, and
the musical
an interactive PowerPoint presentation, a
skill of Laura
video . . . the options were plentiful, but
Petravage,
students had to use authentic voices and CAS/BA
incorporate music, movement, and visuals. ’07, right,
“They all had to be on their feet added many
facets to
in class . . . involved in presenting the project.
multiple dimensions of the subject Petravage directed the AU Chamber
matter,” Mardirosian says. Singers’ performance of Robert
One student created a documentary of Convery’s “Songs of Children,” a choral
setting of poems by Terezin’s children.
her personal connection to the Holocaust
through interviews with her grandfather, Attending the
a survivor. Another wrote and read an performance
was the
original short story inspired by core ideas
daughter of
investigated in the course, with a focus the imprisoned
on the notion of silence. A third honors playwright
student adapted and delivered the sermon who co-wrote
Smoke of Home.
of a female rabbi who preached at Terezin
Dorothy Elias,
before perishing at Auschwitz. right, chats with
“This was truly a cross-disciplinary Inga Sieminski,
initiative,” says Mardirosian. “This work left (see p. 16).
has to be done carefully; it can be superfi-
The widow and daughter of playwright
cial and potentially compromise any of the Zdenek Elias were able to come to
disciplines. But in this case, the perspec- Washington for the performance, thanks
tives continually enriched one another.” to an alumni donor. Kate Elias, third from
left, and daughter Dorothy, second from
Departments collaborated, as well.
left, met the student cast of Smoke of
“We worked very closely on how to shape Home.

Prague photos: Nick Jonczak, Jennifer Cumberworth; Peschel photo: courtesy of USHMM/Mel Hecker; manuscript photo: courtesy of Miroslav, Jan and Zdenek Prokeš.

In Prague, the play Ambassador Peter Kolar, center,

was performed by and his wife, Jaroslava Kolar, right,
Czech actors under attended the AU performance.
Mardirosian's direction. They are shown here with Laura
The project forged links Petravage, CAS/BA ’07, left, who
between AU and the directed the choral portion of the
Czech Embassy. evening.

 american august 2010 

the course,” recalls Nadell, who helped
line up experts. “Jewish Studies and the
Department of History have a relation-
ship with the Holocaust Museum. This
year we brought their fellows to speak at the
university. [The students] had an extraordi-
nary experience.”
The students agreed. “This connects so
much with what else I’m studying,” SPA
honors freshman Becca Davis says. “When
you’re studying justice, it’s all about how
people justify their own actions, how they
judge right and wrong, how we bring
justice or try to rectify wrongs.”
Meanwhile, the Voices of Terezin proj-
ect grew to include a choral performance,
discussions with the audience and visiting
experts, and behind-the-scenes collabora-
tions between AU and the Embassy of the
Czech Republic. The embassy’s cultural
attaché even coached actors in Czech
pronunciation.
Students in the honors class provided
background research to help performers
deepen their understanding of the play
and participated in aspects of the project
beyond their class—acting, singing, help-
ing with production lighting. Some also
participated in the high-school workshop.
Play it forward
At the end of the demanding, intensive,
boundary-stretching experience, the
students were steeped in the history and arts
of a ghetto they once knew nothing about.
But they had also learned much more.
“The Terezin project taught me about
the frailty of human life and the extreme
need for morality and humanity,” one
student wrote.
Still another reaction: “It made me so
much less hesitant to speak out, to act, to
help prevent or end cruelty.”
For Sophie Cassell, a junior in psy-
chology, the class “changed how I look at
education.”
The learning and creativity are not
over. The ideas planted by Voices of
Terezin continue to seed new projects.
This fall, AU will present a production
for school children, I Never Saw Another
 american
What would
you take
with you?
Photo by Jeff Watts
I f you were ordered to leave your home tomorrow with only one suitcase, what would
you take?
AU students posed that question to students at Wilson Senior High School, in Wash-
ington, who were learning about history and a lot more at the student-led workshop. A few
of the AU students were performers in the play; others were in the honors class. Visiting the
high school was one of the ways that participants in AU’s Voices of Terezin project reached out
to the Washington community. In this case, the high school students were second-language
speakers and new immigrants learning about the atrocities that grew from intolerance.
At first, the Wilson students giggled self-consciously or whispered as the visitors from
AU slipped into gray coats with yellow stars and placed battered 1940s-style suitcases in a
circle. Soon, though, they were role-playing with intensity, throwing themselves into the
1940s and imagining what it would mean to be ordered out of their homes.
In the exercises designed by AU arts management graduate student Inga Sieminski, the
high schoolers were asked to decide what they would put in their single small suitcase. A
diary? Family mementoes? Jewelry to exchange for cash or food?
Most chose items that expressed their identities. They learned, though, that in the
camps the guards took most of what prisoners brought. In the end, it was the ineffable—
knowledge, values, creativity—that sustained the prisoners and gave them something to
pass on to survivors.
The students, who later attended a performance of Voices of Terezin: Smoke of Home, were
deeply moved. “It’s like we feel how the people leaving felt inside,” said Maria Cartallenos. “I
would have been confused, sad, very angry.”
It was a lesson, they said, that would stay with them long past high school. n
Butterfly, based on the poetry written by Mardirosian will be a guest lecturer and
children at Terezin. A visiting Fulbright panelist, helping to carry the lessons of
scholar will perform a one-woman play Terezin to new hearts and minds.
about Anne Frank, and a study guide— “Teaching this course has been one
developed by an undergraduate who remarkable journey,” says Maridrosian.
didn’t take the class, but was inspired by “This was a multilayered educational
the project—will be used to link the experience. The goal was to reach out
two. The University of New Hamp- internally and externally with the story of
shire will pick up the project too, with a Terezin, and we’re still doing that.” n
production this fall of Voices of Terezin,
using the curriculum developed at AU.
 Dwight D. Eisenhower set out
from his small central Kansas
hometown of Abilene at 20
years of age, destined to alter
the arc of world history. More
than a century after his birth,
Karl Weissenbach came to
Abilene hoping to change the
way the world views Ike’s
remarkable life.

Courtesy of the Eisenhower Library

L i k e s
e
e
H
Ik
By Mike
Unger

D irector of the Eisenhower Presidential

Library and Museum, Weissenbach,
SPA/BA ’76, takes solidifying the 34th
president’s legacy personally.
“I was always very much enamored with
Dwight Eisenhower,” Weissenbach says from
his office, a portrait of Ike hanging in the
background. The large room, with built-in
bookcases lining one wall and a painting of a
schooner that once hung in the Oval Office on
another, was Eisenhower’s from 1966, when the
library opened, until his death three years later.
“I admired his leadership, and I also admired
the fact that he was a humble individual,”
Weissenbach says. “He relied on his staff. He
was a great delegator. He didn’t always need the
spotlight. The values that he learned here in
Abilene, I think he took with him.”
Ensuring those values permeate through all
facets of the library and museum—a 22-acre
campus that also includes Eisenhower’s boyhood
home, a visitor’s center, and a chapel where he’s
interred with his beloved wife, Mamie, and infant
son, Doud—is Weissenbach’s mission.
august 2010 

‘‘The proudest thing I can claim
is that I am from Abilene.”
—Dwight D. Eisenhower, June 22, 1945
“A presidential library director is a very
nontraditional sort of position,” says his
boss, U.S. assistant archivist for presidential
libraries Sharon Fawcett (incidentally, also
an Abilene native). “What are we looking
for? A librarian? An archivist? A museum
curator? A public relations person? We’re
looking for someone who can do all of that,
and Karl has shown that ability.”
B orn in Denton, Texas, in 1890,
Eisenhower and his family two years
later moved to Abilene, a small farming
community 150 miles west of Kansas
City. Dwight and his five brothers grew
up working the land and playing sports—
football and baseball in particular. Nine
people lived in the family’s 1,314-square-
foot home, which still sits in its original
location on Southeast Fourth Street. It
 american
didn’t have indoor plumbing until Ike
was 18.
“Each kid had to work, and that shaped
them,” Weissenbach says. “He was very
frugal, and that frugality [affected] his
thinking on federal budgets. Eisenhower
could not stand waste. It drove him crazy
during the war, and it drove him crazy
during his presidency. He did not lead a
pampered life.”
Nor has Weissenbach. The son of a
Czechoslovakian woman, Weissenbach
was born in Germany before his family
immigrated to the United States when he
was eight. They settled in Georgia, but
he soon went to live on a farm near the
Alabama border after his mother was taken
by cancer.
It was there he developed a deep
affection for horses and broader curiosity
about the world.
“I always thought I was going to go
to vet school,” he says. “But at the last
Dwight Eisenhower’s
childhood home in
Abilene, Kansas
Eisenhower Library
minute, someone told me about American
University in Washington. Living with
a pretty prominent political family in
west Georgia, I always had some interest
in politics. When Jimmy Carter ran
for governor, he came to visit us. I can
remember him sitting on the couch saying,
‘If you stay in school and work hard, you
can go places.’ Those words from Carter
always stuck with me. In a roundabout
way, he kind of influenced me that there
was another world out there I needed to
explore. That’s how I wound up at AU.”
Armed with a political science degree,
Weissenbach went to work for the National
Archives in 1979—and he’s never left.
After serving as the supervisory archivist
of the research rooms in downtown
Washington, he moved to the Office of
Presidential Libraries. Operating the
13 libraries (Franklin Roosevelt’s was
the first) requires a full quarter of the
archives’ budget. From 1991 to 2005
Weissenbach worked on the contentious
Nixon Presidential Materials project, where
as supervisory archivist and director he
was involved in major battles between the
courts and former president over release
and access to highly controversial White
House tape recordings and papers.
“I had always told myself that once we
had addressed the litigation issues and
found a way to get the tapes and papers
open, then it was time to pass the baton to
someone else,” Weissenbach says. “I could
have gone to Yorba Linda, but I think they
needed a fresh start. I needed a fresh start.”
T hat came in Abilene. The city of 7,000
appealed to Weissenbach’s small-town
roots (and affinity for horseback riding),
and he relished the challenge of nurturing
Eisenhower’s presidential reputation.
As supreme Allied commander during
World War II, Eisenhower gained world-
wide adulation for his orchestration of the
D-Day invasion. After the defeat of the
Axis powers in Europe, his reputation as
one of history’s greatest military heroes was
cemented.
But his presidency, from 1953 to 1961,
is another story. In the latter part of the
twentieth century, many historians branded
Ike a “do-nothing” president. Among his
grandest accomplishments are building
the interstate system (I-70 runs right past
Abilene) and maintaining peace with the
burgeoning Soviet empire in a rapidly
changing world. With the latter in mind,
he encouraged 13 university presidents,
including AU’s Hurst Anderson, to
incorporate human-focused international
affairs into higher education. This led to
the creation of AU’s School of International
Service, at whose groundbreaking
Eisenhower spoke in 1957.
“I wasn’t necessarily happy with some
of the books that came out in the 1960s,”
Weissenbach says. “They criticized him
based on the limited amount of material
that had come out. When a president leaves
office, those records aren’t processed for
years. I think you have to wait years before
you get a good understanding of a president
and his presidency.”
Karl Weissenbach
Courtesy of the Eisenhower Library
This statue of
“Little Ike” sits in
an Abilene park.
The Eisenhower library continues
to release documents today. Its original
collection of 12 million pages has swollen to
27 million, and its collection of artifacts has
grown from 12,000 to 75,000.
“We’ve been releasing massive amounts
of documents over the years,” Weissenbach
says, adding that’s one reason he believes
Ike’s presidential stature is improving.
“We recently released National Security
documents that talk about the Suez [Canal]
crisis [of 1956]. I’m not sure it will rewrite
history, but it will certainly give a new
perspective about that era.”
Eisenhower’s role in the civil rights
movement in the 1950s often is debated.
He sent troops into Little Rock, Arkansas,
to assure compliance with the public school
desegregation ruling of a federal court and
ordered the desegregation of the Armed
Forces, but some remain critical of his
perceived tight-lipped stance on equal rights.
“I think what was said in the 1960s is
changing,” Weissenbach says. “As a result of
the large number of civil rights documents
we’ve released in the last two or three years,
Chapel where Eisenhower
is interred
historians have gotten a better idea that he
was very much involved in the issue.”
Weissenbach tirelessly promotes the
library and museum; his aim is to bring
researchers and visitors to Abilene regardless
of their opinions on Ike.
It’s working. Last year a record 717
researchers and 159,000 visitors made the
pilgrimage for programs ranging from the
D-Day 65th anniversary commemoration to
Kansas town hall forums.
“He is focused on relevance, and that is
the most important thing an administrator
can be in today’s world for libraries,” says
AU librarian Bill Mayer, who’s exploring
partnership possibilities with Weissenbach.
“How do you maintain and promote your
relevance to your community? His attention
to detail and collaboration—just thinking
about ways to reach the community—
is what makes him in my mind really
interesting and compelling.”
Running a presidential library with a staff
of 84 and a $3 million budget requires its
fair share of paper pushing, but each day
Weissenbach makes a concerted effort to
shed the confines of the office and stroll the
lush, green grounds of the campus.
“I enjoy talking to people, finding out
why they came to Abilene, or whether they
knew or admired Eisenhower,” he says.
“Most people have their own little story.”
Dwight Eisenhower’s momentous life
played a critical role in writing a major
chapter of the story of the twentieth century.
Today, Karl Weissenbach is helping tell the
world the story of Dwight Eisenhower. n
august 2010 
 They’ve long worked for justice and peace.
They’ve always embraced diversity and
cultivated an intellectual curiosity that has
taken them around the globe. They’ve
continually strived for a better world.

And now, the School of International Service

community has the one thing that’s eluded
them for decades: space. With the opening
of SIS’s new, 70,000-square-foot green gem
in May, faculty, students, and staff finally
have room to collaborate, room to explore,
room to dream.

 american august 2010 

 1. Nanette Levinson, associate
professor; director, International

Traditions Communication program

old
The Dav
2. Daniel Masis, director, Inter-American
grinds 100 lbs.
Defense College master’s program;
of coffee beans and
SIS/PhD ‘92
55 lbs. of espresso
3. Stefanie Drame, assistant dean,
per week.
budget and personnel; SIS/MA ‘00
4. Maria Green Cowles, associate
dean, academic affairs; SIS/

and
MA ’87, SIS/PhD ‘94
5. Carol Gallaher, associate professor
6. Leeanne Dunsmore, associate dean,
graduate admissions and program
development, SIS/MA ‘97
7. Esther Benjamin, director of global

new
operations, United States Peace
Corps; SIS/MA ’92; SIS Alumni

The Dav
1 2
of the Year, 2009
8. Sherry Mueller, president, National
5
Council for International Visitors; SIS/
BA ’65; SIS Alumni of the 3 4
In 1957 the SIS Davenport Memorial Room was a chapel. But long
ago it was transformed into a different sort of sacred space. Year, 2007
9. Dean Louis Goodman
10. Joe Clapper, assistant dean, facility
More than a half century ago, President Dwight D. Faithful followers have imbibed coffee and conversation for decades. 8
and administration
Eisenhower thrust a shovel into a patch of dirt on the Students and volunteers manage the lounge, which, many agree, is the 6
AU quad and pronounced, “the waging of peace demands heartbeat of SIS: a place to study, socialize, or decompress with
the best we have.” With that, the School of International a newspaper and a joe.
Service was born.

In 2007, that same shovel was used to break ground on
the site of SIS’s new green home: a place where scholars
and students could rededicate themselves to the school’s
Inukshuk
The new Davenport Lounge may be sleeker than its predecessor,
but it’s still more SIS than Starbucks. The well-worn world map
that hung in the old Dav now graces the new walls. The old furniture
and marble coffee table (once an altar) sit firmly on new ground, Sculptor Adam Distenfeld of Brooklyn 7 9

founding mission.
SIS has always been steeped in tradition. While many
customs have carried over to the new building, the space
is also giving life to fresh traditions. The building is truly a
reminder of where SIS has been and where it’s headed.
and coffee is served in an eclectic mix of donated mugs. Rockwerks chose five large stones from
the excavation and married them with
A $20,000 gift of the class of 2010 was used to purchase patio stainless steel rods and water to create an
furniture, so patrons can enjoy their chai and croissants under inukshuk—a Native American place
marker—for the SIS atrium.
A Strong
blue skies.
In his view rocks are mineral

Foundation
masterpieces waiting to be
unearthed.
One
hundred

Korean
Yoshino cherry On the strength of these shoulders stands the largest school of international relations
trees will circle
the building.
in the country.

Garden
Yoshino cherry trees, gifts from the Korean Forest Research
Center, will anchor the SIS garden. The saplings—which require
minimal fertilizer and water—commemorate a relationship between
SIS and the Koreans that blossomed nearly 70 years ago.
In 1943, Syngman Rhee, who would become the first president
of liberated Korea, and AU president Paul Douglass, who would
become his advisor, planted three flowering cherry trees around the
SIS building. Those trees went on to flower each year.
SIS opened its doors in 1958 to an inaugural class of 80 full-time students from
36 countries, who answered President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s call to “wage peace”
around the world. Today, the school is home to more than 3,000 students and 90
full-time faculty from 150 nations. SIS offers:
• Two undergraduate, eleven master’s, and a doctoral degree program
• Four international dual degree programs
About 3,500 truck loads • Five dual degree programs
containing approximately • Thirteen research and learning centers
6-cubic-yards of dirt and
rock were removed from “The founders of the School of International Service would be proud of what
the construction site. we’ve done here,” says Goodman. “It’s a privilege to steward their vision, and I
hope the people that follow us will be proud of what we’ve done.”

 american august 2010 

 From conception to construction, the building represents
the most innovative thinking in eco-friendly design.
Renowned green architect William McDonough designed The 8,244
the building to be LEED Gold certified—the benchmark LED bulbs
for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. in the garage
won’t need to be
changed for 11
Michael Purcell, assistant university architect, expects the years.
building will be LEED certified by the end of 2010.

“You’ll never see another Battelle-Tompkins or another

university library, because the quality of design has
improved so much,” he says. “The SIS building embodies
the best of our ideas, goals, and aspirations, and it sets
the standard for American University going forward.”

“We envisioned a building to inspire ideas as grand

as the ones being discussed within the classrooms In the parking garage spaces will
be reserved for carpool groups
LEED
promotes a holistic approach to sustainable design in five areas:

and halls: justice, peace, and global community.” and alternative fuel vehicles—
including bicycles. Nearby are
—Katherine Grove, architect, William McDonough and Partners two amenities that encourage a
two-wheeled commute: lockers
and showers.
The
62 copper “You don’t get points for creating
panels were
community in the LEED protocol,
fabricated in but that’s what this building will
Michigan. do in spades. This is a building that
connects and inspires. . . it’s
a beacon of hope.”
—Kevin Burke, architect,
William McDonough and Partners
Energy efficiency
• The 3,230-square-feet of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof—one of
the 10 largest installations in Washington, D.C.—generate more than 120
kilowatt hours per day, enough to power the lights in the parking garage.
• A passive solar air heating system warms air brought in from the outside,
reducing the need for heating.
• Natural daylight and operable windows in every office minimize heating
and cooling system usage. Sun shades on the windows prevent solar heat
gain in the building, keeping the building cool and comfortable.
• Three solar hot water heaters on the roof preheat water for the restrooms
and the espresso machines in the Davenport Lounge.
• The LED-lit parking garage is the first of its kind in D.C.
Materials choice
• Carpets, drywall, millwork, and flooring are all made from recycled materials.
• Paint, furniture, and carpets are low- or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds),
making indoor air safer and healthier.

Indoor air quality

• Finished materials do not emit harmful chemicals (off-gas).
• The large expanse of windows reduces the need for artificial light.
• An atrium bio-wall of plants produces oxygen and acts as an air filter.

inspiration
Pioneering environmental activist
Buckminster Fuller’s view of the world was,
quite literally, earth-shattering.
In 1946, Fuller created the Dymaxion map:
a flat map that depicts earth as one island in
one ocean, without distorting the shape or
size of the land areas and without splitting
any continents. Fuller argued that, if people
can visualize earth with greater accuracy, they
will be better equipped to tackle challenges
related to natural resources, migration, and
international affairs.
Fuller’s ingenious map is depicted in a series
of panels that encircle the top level of the
new building. “Not only do the panels
Water conservation
• Two rain gardens on opposite ends of the building are designed to clean and
make the building pop,” says Joe slow storm water runoff in order to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
Clapper, assistant dean of facility and • The building boasts low-flow faucets and water-conserving fixtures.
administration, “they make an important • A 60,000-gallon cistern collects rainwater for flushing toilets.
statement about efficiency and innovation.”
Sustainable site development
• Rain water is filtered before it goes into the city’s storm drain system.
• Earth from the excavation was not dumped in landfills.

 american august 2010 

 classrooms will be
home to half of all
SIS classes

PhD students will

share nine offices in
the lower level

offices—each with
a window

conference
rooms—four more
than the original
structure

parking spaces in
the underground
garage

windows

“SIS was founded on the idea of the carpet squares

school as a community. our new
home will inspire us.”
—Dean Louis Goodman
million man hours
went into the
building
The building, which will be dedicated on September 23, reflects both how far SIS has
come and how much it has remained the same. From the small details—the terrazzo floors
crafted from recycled materials—to such striking elements as the crystalline windows that
flood the space with natural light and fresh air, the building is the physical manifestation of
the SIS founding commitment: to ecological stewardship, to transparency and social justice, months to construct
and to community building.

“A building should be a living thing, and if anyone says, ‘the work is done,’ that would
stories, the
be disappointing,” says Goodman. “We’re always going to look for interesting, innovative
foundation for
ways to use the space. It will inspire students to engage the great issues of our time.”
which stretches
56-86 feet
underground

 american

Learning commons concept arrives in library’s new space
W
hat will the future home
of collaborative learning look
like? In a stylish space below
the ground and beyond many people’s
wildest imagination, Bender Library’s new
Graduate Research Center is answering
that question.
The 5,400-square-foot center, located
between the new School of International
Service building and the library, will serve
as a home to graduate students and is de-
signed to facilitate the collaborations that
many educators believe are an important
new learning model.
“One of the popular terms you’ll hear
in libraries is learning commons,” AU
librarian Bill Mayer says. “It’s really an
open space for people to collaborate. In
some ways I’m trying to bridge the old
traditional notions of research as well
as emerging notions of collaborative
work in the same space. That’s why
it’s so dynamic.
“These policies are still being ironed out,
but I’d like it to be available to graduate
students 24 hours a day, seven days a week
regardless of whether the library is open,”
Mayer says. “With that as the guiding
light, we’ll figure the other things out.”
That attitude—the willingness to think
outside the box, or under the ground in
this case—is a major reason the center
even exists.
“It’s an evolutionary tale of opportunity
and partnership,” says Mayer.
When he arrived at AU in August 2007,
the space was pegged to be used for
By
Mike
Unger
compact shelving and hold part of the
library’s special collections.
But Mayer envisioned more. “As I began
to look at all the populations we serve,
I kept coming back to graduate students
as severely underserved in terms of daily
life,” he says. “We didn’t need more shelv-
ing, we wanted something accessible to
more people. The moment of change
was coming.”
Mayer consulted SIS dean Louis
Goodman, who both loved the approach,
and suggested—to Mayer’s delight—that
the space be expanded. Next on his list
was the Office of Campus Life, which
brought the Graduate Leadership Council
into the mix.
Collaboration was working.
The finished space is striking in its diver-
sity. It has a reception desk, office space
for the Graduate Leadership Council,
and lockers for students. It can be ac-
cessed through the new SIS building’s
garage or the library. The classroom has
three display screens and a projection
system that allows image projection on
any wall.
“We’ll use the new technology to see
how students can participate in class
in a different way,” says assistant
director for library instruction Alex
Hodges, who will teach the College of
Arts and Sciences’ Uses of Technology
in Education course in the room.
“Collaboration is a matter of production.
Students work in groups, but they’re
working to produce papers, multimedia
projects. They’re coming together to find
solutions to problems they’re facing in
the curriculum.”
The collaborative areas also have display
screens, as does the open area, and all the
screens can be slaved to show the same
images. Glass partitions are soundproof
and a large skylight lets in natural light.
True, the center doesn’t come close to
solving the library’s space constraints, but
it does something very important: serves
its students.
“It’s additive,” Mayer says. “This space
shows what’s possible. It’s an opportunity
to try out things that are exciting and
different and new. It showcases that if we
can do this much with [5,400] square feet,
imagine what we can do with 120,000.
I want to show people possibility.”
The center has
four sections:
A high tech teaching
classroom
Dedicated
collaboration areas
A quiet study room
An open space
See the new Graduate Research
Center for yourself at
www.library.american.edu/grc.html
august 2010 
 After the
Flood
came a gift.
T
his could happen to you. American
University painting professor Don
Kimes was out of town when water
began spewing from a burst pipe. For two
Don Kimes is well known to AU art students from
his 22 years as a professor and well regarded by
the art world for his work in paint, steel, digital
media, clay, and wood. He founded the Art in Italy
programs, led the university’s art department dur-
ing the campaign that resulted in the construction
of the Katzen Arts Center, and helped expand the
national reputation of the MFA program.
 american
By Sally Acharya
weeks, it filled his home until, with more
than four feet of water sloshing through his
painting studio, it burst through the walls
and into the yard. That’s when a neighbor
realized what was happening.
His life’s work was under water. Kimes,
who has taught at the College of Arts and
Sciences since 1988, had long engaged his
students in discussions of time, nature,
culture, and the importance of embracing
the accidental. Suddenly, “It was not an
academic abstraction. It jumped up and bit
me in the face.”
Everything was gone. All of his art-
work, family photographs, videotapes of
his children, even the slides of artwork.
“Nature took everything back. It did not
feel beautiful.”
What would he do? The answer came as
a question during a lecture: Have you ever
painted through pain? Kimes decided to
embrace the pain of the flood and its after-
math by, in essence, re-envisioning his
life’s work.
He would use the destroyed images—the he make of them? So he looked at them ought to be yellow.’ If an area is blue, I “There’s a line from a play that says gorgeous, critically acclaimed paintings that
washed-out photographs, the waterlogged carefully, with an open eye. might push that darker.” every creative event that ever happened in are both masterful and inspiring.
“The destroyed photos are almost
slides—to create images based on the “strange By taking what life handed him and the history of the world was an interruption, “The flood turned out to be a gift,” he
beauty” that remained. white. They have a little bit of structure, making it his own, he created lush abstrac- unexpected and unplanned. That idea about
He had always been intrigued by the in- hints of color—but almost nothing is left tions where colors seem to swirl and bleed chance and change—I talk about that in “This is the strongest
says.
tersection of nature and time with culture,
and had found inspiration over the years in
on them that can be recognized,” he says.
“I decided to digitize that destroyed image,
into each other. The images are both medi-
tative and insistent, with names that reflect
terms of [my students'] lives, their work, and
a way to approach making things.”
work I’ve ever done.” n
his regular visits to Pompeii. blow it up, and print it out on canvas. the notion of transience: “We Once Were It’s a lesson he forced himself to take to
Now he had his own ruins. What could “If an area is white, I might say, ‘That You.” “It Was.” “Promise and Conclusion.” heart, as well. The result has been a series of
august 2010 
 When artist Don Kimes had to re-invent himself at midcareer, he rediscovered the core
passions that give meaning to his art and life.
A similar journey lies at the core of all artists’ graduate education—precisely because it provides the same
intellectual underpinning that enabled Kimes to embrace the unexpected when his world was turned upside
down.
In their paint-spattered studios they ask questions. Push their own boundaries. Lay the foundation for rich
exploration, not just of paint or clay or metal, but of the ideas that inform their art.
  At the climax of all graduate study comes a thesis. For MFA candidates, that thesis isn’t stored in a computer
file—it hangs on a wall, stands in a gallery, or may even run by remote control.

. . . Evolutions
 

Three students whose work was shown in Composites, the spring 2010 MFA thesis show at the Katzen Arts Center, reflect on the process of
mastering their medium and discovering their voices.

Catalyst for change

Rachel Sitkin was working on set design and
painting for television shows such as The Wire
and movies such as He’s Just Not That Into
You, but she didn’t feel challenged. AU was a
catalyst for change.

P
Part of a graduate program is learning to
be critical of your own work, to contex-
tualize it within the larger field, and to
see how you fit into that construct.
I was thinking about relationships between
humans and the landscape and the idea of
manifest destiny, the idea of ownership over the
land and the sublime landscape.
Initially, my work was figurative . . . but it
became apparent that it was easier to get across
this idea if I depicted patterns that men create
in the landscape. I began to focus on mines as
a metaphor for our contemporary relationship
to landscape . . . I received a Mellon Grant and
visited mountaintop removal mining in West
Virginia and copper mines in Arizona—to
create material to work from in my studio.”

 american
 Remote control
How can remote control cars that project images
and sounds serve as an expression of two years of
study? See Annette Isham’s “Remote Control Flirt”
in action on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/
annetteisham

I
In graduate school, I got into color theory.
If you put a green light on something, the
shadow will be red . . . So to study all this, I
made up my own lamps. I made aluminum
structures . . . to show how, when the light moves,
it absorbs the object and changes things. I started to
use remote control cars to make the light move . . .
If I look down a hallway and see yellow, will I
think it’s closer than if I look at the same hallway
with blue lighting? I was interested in the percep-
tion of the brain, and that grew into a psychological
questioning of perception. In the end, I’m interested
in perception and identity.”

Facade
Brendan Loper expected to paint on
canvas until research into a 1932 march
on Washington by jobless veterans who
camped in a shanty town near the Anacostia
River pushed him in another direction.

I
I painted pictures of this scene, but I really
needed to create a space. In the photographs, you
could see that peoples’ shacks were representative
of their identity.
I started with that idea and paired it with another
idea—artifice and facade. I’ve been using a wood
graining technique, painting wood grain on objects
to make them look fancy. It’s a facade, and it speaks
about a social class structure. So I employed it to cre-
ate a piece that said something about social strata in a
way that appeared playful, but in fact was not.
If I hadn’t been here I don’t know if I’d have had
the inclination to look at my paintings and say, Hey, I
need to do this other thing. The program here really
pushes you. Ultimately it’s about being self-critical.”

august 2010 
 Success story

How He Made It in Hollywood—Barry Josephson, SPA/BA ’78

Frank Micelotta/FOX

résumé
• Launched FOX-TV’s hit series Bones, inspired by forensic
anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs, CAS/BA ’70
• Produced Aliens in the Attic (2009), Enchanted (2007), Hide and Seek
(2005), The Ladykillers (2004), Like Mike (2002), and Big Trouble
(2002) through Josephson Entertainment, a Twentieth Century Fox
company
Executive producer • Led Columbia Pictures to the hits Men in Black, Air Force One, and The
Barry Josephson Fifth Element (all 1997); Bad Boys (1995); and In the Line of Fire (1993)
and author and
forensic anthropologist
• Cofounded Comic Relief, the popular TV fund raiser hosted by Robin
Kathy Reichs, CAS ’70, Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg, and the U.S. Comedy
arrive on the red Arts Festival with fellow AU alumnus Stu Smiley.
carpet at Bones 100th • Represented performers, including Paula Abdul, Patti Labelle, and
episode celebration in
Whoopi Goldberg early in his career
Hollywood, Calif.

roots
Josephson grew up on New
favorite part of the job
“I’m always so impressed with a director’s vision, or a writer’s
great script, and the craftsmen who work in our industry—
York’s Upper East Side, where his cinematographers, musicians, composers, prop masters,
grandfather was in the jewelry production designers, and editors who can shape things in
business, his father worked in
textiles, and his mother was in
some way you never expected.”
the dress trade. “I really wanted
BIG BREAKS

to be a lawyer, and political sci- His first L.A. job was developing movies and a music catalog for film producer and
ence seemed like the right thing music entrepreneur Bobby Roberts.
to do in D.C.,” he says, remem-
Stop two was Lorimar, where he worked on post-production for a short-lived TV
bering his early days at AU.
show, Boone (1983–84), based on an Elvis-like character. Its producer, Earl Hamner
In pursuit of that dream, he (best known for writing and narrating The Waltons and Falcon Crest), told Josephson
snared several internships, he had an eye for working with talent and should pursue it. “I hadn’t thought about
including one with consumer the next step, and here was someone I respected shining a light that maybe personal
rights advocate Ralph Nader, management was the next thing to work on. It created a transition for me—working
but his New York–bred love with talent. It was a turning point,” he says.
of the arts never diminished.
“At AU I briefly worked on the Next up was a string of projects with high-profile Hollywood personalities who
concert committee,” he remem- served as mentors—Mike Nichols, Jerry Bruckheimer, Clint Eastwood—and oppor-
bers fondly. By graduation, tunities. “While I was the president of production from Columbia, I got to see
Josephson’s love of music, film, Milos Forman pitch The People vs. Larry Flynt with Oliver Stone,” he recalls.
and TV had won out. “I decided
to move to L.A. and put law “Everyone has their own way of working and creating a film or TV show, and I’ve
school on hiatus.” had many experiences like that—where I had the good fortune [to be] in a room
with someone and learn something new . . .”

 american
Success story

current work

images vs. reality

The image of a Hollywood producer may
seem to drip glamour, but Josephson says
Following eight years making magic for Columbia Pictures, Josephson partnered glamour is just the icing on a cake that
in 1997 with Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld on a deal with Disney. has taken a great deal of time and energy
Then in 2000, he pushed out on his own and started Josephson Entertainment to make. “It’s much more about a lot of
Company, where he produced Like Mike (2002) for Twentieth Century Fox. hard work and experiencing other people’s
That film turned into a producing arrangement that’s now lasted eight years. creative vision. If the journey was a good
one, you get to briefly celebrate—the
“You dream that these things can happen. They’re just very hard to make happen,”
moment of the audience enjoying the film
says Josephson of seeing the FOX-TV hit Bones finish its fifth season and do so
or of seeing a film win an award.”
well. Yet, it wasn’t until he was working on the pilot of Bones with Reichs that
he discovered they were both AU alumni. “I had seen a documentary about her
work, and we talked so much about her current work at McGill University and
in North Carolina that I didn’t delve into her past.”
The Warner Brothers movie Life as We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl, will
come out in October. The story hit close to home for Josephson, whose daughter,
Shira—with wife, actress Brooke Josephson—will soon turn one. The movie’s
theme: Who would take responsibility for our child—a relative, a best friend—
if something happened to us? “I’m so proud of it. We’re all very excited. It’s a
really wonderful love story, but the movie is grounded in a real-life concept.”

proudest
accomplishment
“Personally, our daughter Shira.
Professionally, it’s still elusively
around the corner. That’s why
all of this is worth doing.”
Barry Wetcher/SMPSP

Executive producer Barry Josephson (left) and

Amy Adams (right) on the set of the movie "Enchanted."

Josephson is a member of the School of Communication’s Dean's Advisory Council and a former career
mentor to several alumni, including last year’s Alumni Rising Star recipient, Lindsay Webster, SOC/BA ’03.

—by Melissa Reichley

august 2010 
 Alumni & Family
Weekend
October 22–24, 2010
An AU Celebration
for Alumni and Families
Hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and New Student Programs, AU’s
All-American Weekend is a celebration of AU with more than 50 events
planned for alumni, families, students, community members, and friends.
This weekend celebrates the memories, the fun, and the future of AU.

www.american.edu/alumni/allamericanweekend

Weekend Highlights
e Class Reunions
Can’t remember what your classmates look like? It’s time to return to D.C. for your
milestone reunion. Click on “Reunions” on our Web site to learn more.

e All-Alumni Party
Call your friends, tweet your classmates, and let all your friends on Facebook know
that the place to be on Friday night is Ireland’s Four Fields in Cleveland Park. The
party will start at 8 p.m. and end when Frank kicks us out.

e All-American Picnic
Pack up the kids and head to campus for the finest in picnic fare! Hang out with
Clawed Z. Eagle, dance to live music, and go on an AU scavenger hunt for cool prizes.

e Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony

Meet the Alumni Association’s 2010 Alumni Award winners at a special ceremony
detailing their accomplishments and honoring their achievements.

e All-American Bash—Our Premier Alumni Event

Relive the history of American through the years—the politics, the music, the
hairstyles, the shenanigans, the hula hoop contests—by getting all dressed up in
your favorite party attire and blasting to the past.

Call Heather Buckner at 800-270-ALUM (2586) or e-mail reunion@american.edu.

Join
the celebration! Parents: Call 202-885-3303 for more information about parent registration.
36 Class Notables
40 Campaign News
41 Class Notes

www.american.edu/magazine

Alumni news
AU parent Kelly Weistroffer and her son Ross ’14, joined Denver-based alumni Sonja Herring, SIS/BA ’98, Tyler Mounsey, SPA/BA ’01, and
Sarah Moss, SOC/BA ’01, last August for the Summer Send-Off event in which entering freshmen meet one another and fellow AU community
members before heading off to D.C. Photo credit: Eric Bakken

august 2010 
 Class notablesSO YOU CAN CATCH UP WITH PEOPLE YOU KNEW AT AU

Eric Rodriguez, SPA/MPA ’97 I apply these every day in

my work.
Eric Rodriguez tackles tough issues on behalf of Latinos in “The political process
America: How do we create more jobs, help families get on a can seem mystifying
pathway to citizenship, and help uninsured immigrants get access because there are many
to health care? nuances and dynamics.
As vice president of the National Council of La Raza, Office There was a time when
of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation, Rodriguez leads public I didn’t respect politics
policy analysis efforts on issues to give people better lives. very much. The light bulb
NCLR, the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organi- turned on very slowly,
zation in the United States, works with a network of some 300 and it was illuminating
community organizations to reach out to millions of Hispanics when I realized how to
across the nation. work within the system,”
“Someone needs to help give a voice to those who feel they he says.
do not have one and represent those who feel isolated. Latinos Knowing how to
need a champion and an advocate,” Rodriguez says. “We provide thread his way through
advice to policy makers,” he says. “We’ve dealt with difficult is- a bureaucracy is key to Eric Rodriquez ’97
sues, and sometimes it feels like we’re losing more than we’re win- success, he says, because
ning, but that’s what makes it feel so good to win when we do.” the issues he tackles for
The Brooklyn, New York, native earned a bachelor’s degree the U.S. Hispanic population are crucial. Latinos are the fastest
in history from Siena College, Albany. He came to Washington growing segment of our population—“we are looking,” Rodri-
for an internship at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, guez notes, “more long term: 20 percent of the child population
and decided to stay. Attracted by its reputation, he found the is Latino, which will grow to 30 percent in 2030. Helping them
graduate program he wanted in the School of Public Affairs. strengthens our country.”
Rodriguez has been with NCLR since 1994, and says his SPA- —sonja patterson
learned skills created “a foundation for what I was already doing.
The faculty helped me see how to work within systems to create
change and explained the nuances and dynamics of a bureaucracy.

 american

Amy Reeder, SIS/BA ’95
It’s all about simple living. Then and now.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House is the only example
of the architect’s work in the D.C. area, notes Amy Reeder, who
spends many weekends as a volunteer tour guide of the Alexandria,
Virginia, property. It’s a great introduction to his work and beliefs.
He was the original green thinker.”
Since 2001, Reeder has shown visitors around the historic
site, drawing on her encyclopedic knowledge of Wright’s vision of
“building affordable housing for people of modest means.”
The house was commissioned in 1939 by journalist Loren
Pope and completed in 1941. Its radiant heat, natural light, and
emphasis on communal space
are concepts familiar to mod-
ern green builders.
The house attracts people
from all over the country and
world, including recent visi-
tors from one of the largest ar-
chitectural firms in China, and
a Boston architect who was
a student of Wright’s. “Some
visitors are Wright fanatics,”
says Reeder.
“It’s fun to see a person’s
Amy Reeder ’95
excitement grow. I point them
Most frequently asked
questions:
• How big is the house?
1,200 square feet
• How many people
originally lived there?
towards other resources
and encourage people to Four: Mr. Pope, his wife,
take the four-hour drive and their two children
north to Fallingwater in
Pennsylvania.” • How much did it cost ?
“I’ve been interested $7,000 in 1941
in Wright ever since I was
a child. I grew up in Los
Angeles (where the
Hollyhock, Ennis-Brown,
and La Minatura Houses are located), and my mom always talked
about him. He’s on the cutting edge, and every one of his build-
ings has surprised me in some way.”
Reeder has lived all over the United States working for the
Army, Navy, Department of Health and Human Services, and
Department of Justice. She is currently a management analyst
for the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizen and
Immigration Services.
It was a 1984 move from Georgia to Virginia that brought
Reeder to the Pope-Leighey house, as well as the School of
International Service.
“So far,” she says, “graduating from AU is the achievement I
am most proud of.” She’s awaiting a tour of her own—the dedica-
tion ceremony for the new SIS building.”
—sonja patterson
august 2010 
 Alumni connections
Penny Pagano ’65, AU’s director of Community and Local
Government Relations, introduced her fellow alumni panel-
ists at the April 28, D.C. politics luncheon at the City Club
of Washington, Columbia Square.

Alumni relations is
on the move!

W hether you’re one of the

40,000+ alumni who
have chosen to stay in (or return
to) the D.C. area since gradu-
ation, or one of the 60,000+
alumni who have put down roots
somewhere else across the globe,
Adam Alfano ’07; an unidentified volunteer,
chances are, there’s an upcoming Laura Matteo ’07; Suzanne Smith ’07; Laura SOC alumnae Kate Heffley ’07; Janet Janjigian ’73; Jackie Judd ’73; and Wendy
event planned in your area. Here Hockensmith ’06; Rachelle Douillard Proulx Rieger ’80 (at podium) shared their experiences and advice with fellow alumni at the
’07; Ted Leugers ’07; and Steven McGovern ’05; “Reinventing Yourself in Journalism” luncheon panel at the National Press Club on
is a sampling of some recent 2010 helped paint a new mural (designed by Matteo) at April 9. Photo by Rick Reinhard.
alumni events to inspire you to the Transitions Academy in Southeast D.C. for the
Hands on D.C. volunteer day on May 15.
catch the next ones.

More than 700 Class

of 2010 graduates and
their friends and families
celebrated the success of
their upcoming weekend
commencement at the
Toast to Graduates on
Friday, May 7 in the South Florida alumni and friends got a
Katzen Arts Center tour of the Morikami Japanese Museum in
Rotunda. Delray Beach, Fla.—and a special lesson in
the art of the Japanese tea ceremony, involv-
ing harmony (wa), reverence (kei), purity
On April 8, the first Puerto Rico Happy Hour was held, with the following alumni (sei), and tranquility (jaku)—at their May
attending: Rafael Nadal-Bosch ’07; Karlo Torres Velazquez ’08; Roberto Vázquez 15 event.
’06; Jose Hernandez ’06; chapter coleaders Luis Alberto Alvarez ’05 and Felix
Lamela de Castro ’05; and Alexandra Casellas ’08; Alexandra Ramírez ’08;
Cristina Chevere ’07; and Gabriela Nevarez ’07.

 american august 2010 

Campaign news
We Did It!
I could not be more proud to announce
that we surpassed our $200 million
AnewAU campaign goal this spring. As of
April 30, the end of our
fiscal year, our campaign
total stood at $201.8
million. I look forward to
celebrating the campaign’s
success­—and our next
steps—this October at the
annual President’s Circle Dinner.
Allow me to take a moment to share
how truly momentous this year has been
in giving and alumni participation.
In addition to surpassing our $200
million campaign goal, total cash for the
2009-2010 fiscal year, reached a spectacu-
lar $27.8 million, including gifts, match-
ing gifts, pledge payments, and in-kind
contributions. This is up nearly $12
million from last year at this time.
The growth in our alumni participa-
tion also reached record numbers this year,
with more than 103 alumni events held
domestically and another 20 held across
the globe.
As we move forward with new initia-
tives for the coming years, I hope to meet
you and hear from you. If you can’t make
it to campus, I hope you will connect with
any of the 30 alumni chapters across the
United States and the globe.
Thomas J. Minar
Vice President of Development
and Alumni Relations
You can be a part of AnewAU by making
a gift online at giving.american.edu or
calling the Office of Development at
202-885-5900.
 american
O
n May 14, President Neil Kerwin,
SPA/BA ’71, led longtime SIS
dean Louis Goodman, members
of the Board of Trustees, and a few special
guests in an early morning ribbon-cutting
ceremony for the new School of Interna-
tional Service building.
This latest in a list of important mile-
stones for American University marked the
culmination of years of dreaming, plan-
ning, fund raising, designing, and building.
Now, the dream of a state-of-the art space
befitting the largest School of International
Service in the country is a reality.
This spectacular new facility would not
have been possible without the support of
many, many people, but there are a few whose
major contributions must be recognized.
The Crown Prince of Bahrain, His
Royal Highness Shaikh Salman bin
Hamad Al-Khalifa, SPA/BA ’92, made a
$3 million gift in December 2009 to honor
his family and their deep ties with Ameri-
can University. The building’s soaring,
light-filled, three-story interior core will
be named for him: the Prince Salman of
Bahrain Grand Atrium.
Kerwin thanked the crown prince dur-
ing a February 23 visit to the Kingdom of
Bahrain, and congratulated Prince Salman
on his role in developing Bahrain’s educa-
tional system and enhancing educational
opportunities for Bahrainis abroad through
the Crown Prince of Bahrain International
Scholarship Programme. “The relationship
between the Al-Khalifa family and Ameri-
can University is more than just special; it’s
historic,” said Kerwin.
The crown prince is among 29 royal
family members to graduate from AU in
the last 25 years, as are his siblings Shaikh
Abdullah K.S. Al-Khalifa ’97, Shaikh Khal-
ifa H. Al-Khalifa ’03, and Shaikha Najla
H. Al-Khalifa ’03. More than 70 members
of the Al-Khalifa family have attended AU,
including the crown prince’s son, who is
a rising junior. The family’s generosity
is marked also by the Crown Prince
of Bahrain Chair of International
Business (named in 1992 for Shaikh
Hamad’s father, His Royal Highness
King Hamad, then crown prince) and
the Al-Khalifa Family Scholarship in the
Kogod School of Business.
Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qassimi,
ruler of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, do-
nated $1 million to name the Sharjah Plaza
on the north, Eric Friedheim Quadrangle,
entrance of the building. The gift was made
in part to create a physical monument to
the important relationship between AU
and American University of Sharjah, which
the ruler founded 10 years ago and now
exists as a fully accredited institution—and
serves as an important symbol of education
and outreach in the UAE. In addition, he
established a fund to provide scholarship
support for students from Sharjah to study
at AU.
Board of Trustees chair Gary
Abramson, SPA/BA ’68, for whom the
Katzen Arts Center’s Abramson Family Re-
cital Hall is named, gave his alma mater an
additional $1 million toward the new SIS
lounge, the Abramson Family Commons,
which is twice the size of the old popular
gathering space. The CEO of the Tower
Companies, Abramson received the 2003
President’s Award for his steadfast leader-
ship and dedication to the AU community.
SIS Advisory Board member and vice
chair of the AU Board of Trustees Jeffrey
Sine, SIS/BA ’76, a New York investor and
Broadway producer, made a $1 million gift
to benefit the International Communica-
tions Suite, and a new café, located next to
the new Davenport Lounge.
Leadership gifts like these—and the
hundreds of smaller but no less significant
gifts from alumni and friends around the
world—embody the spirit of SIS and the
AU community.
The formal dedication ceremony
and grand opening will be held on
September 23. n
inaugural event
Obama Frames Debate on Immigration
Policy at School of International Service

What a way to break in the building.

As sunlight streamed through the walls of windows in the
gleaming new School of International Service building on July
1, President Barack Obama delivered a major address calling for
comprehensive immigration reform.
Fifty-three years after President Dwight Eisenhower broke ground
for the original SIS, Obama became the latest in a long line of presi-
dents to choose AU as a venue for an important policy speech.
“Being an American is not a matter of blood or birth,” Obama
told the crowd of 250 in the SIS atrium. “It’s a matter of faith, of
shared fidelity to the ideas and values that we hold so dear. That’s
what makes us unique. That’s what makes us strong. Anybody can
help us write the next great chapter in our history.”
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and activist Al Sharpton
were among the politicians, government officials, and AU admin-
istrators, professors, staff, and students who witnessed the speech
in person. Just across the quad in the Ward building, hundreds
more from the AU community gathered, joining millions across
the world who watched on TV.
AU president Neil Kerwin called Obama’s latest visit “historic”
for the university and “timely” for the nation.
“Immigration is a matter of profound significance for our
country, given our history as a nation of immigrants, our values,
and our current challenges. It has great implications for our future,”
Kerwin said. “He delivered his remarks in the new home of the
School of International Service, thereby giving our university an
unforgettable inaugural event for this remarkable facility. It is a
day that we will memorialize in a variety of ways.”
—MU

Photos by Jeff Watts

 american

John and Isabelle Hopkinson with their children
Sebastien and Charlotte
Donors Make a
Difference
John and Isabelle Hopkinson are loyal supporters of
American University’s WAMU 88.5 FM radio. Members of the station’s Leadership
Circle, the Hopkinsons recently chose to name WAMU among the beneficiaries of their
charitable estate plans. Their story represents the international profile of metropolitan
Washington, and their support demonstrates the value the greater community places on
responsible, trustworthy news reporting and cultural discourse.
John and Isabelle met in London following his undergraduate study abroad at the
London School of Economics. Isabelle, originally from France and working in London
when they met, returned with John to his native Virginia. They have proudly built their
family—children Charlotte and Sebastien are both in high school—and John’s accounting
practice. They live in the United States, but maintain their ties abroad. Each holds dual
U.S. and French citizenship, and they spend extended periods in both countries.
The Hopkinsons are dedicated fans of WAMU and its broad array of programming.
“No matter the perspective, no matter the topic, we know that when it comes to program-
ming on WAMU we will receive valuable, respectful information about our community
in all the ways we define it—local, regional, national, and global,” John says. “Together we
have come to the realization that as a family we value WAMU’s mission enough to include
it as a beneficiary of our estate plans, and we hope one day our support will help the station
reach even greater levels of prominence in the broadcast community.”
WAMU general manager Caryn Mathes says the station’s individual members “are
key to our success and our financial security. When families such as the Hopkinsons
value our programs enough to invest in both our present operations and our future, I
am encouraged that our upward growth trajectory will continue.”
AU is deeply grateful to benefit from the Hopkinsons’ benevolence, and we salute
the example they set for the greater AU community.
For information on the benefits you, loved ones, and American University can receive
through charitable estate planning, contact Seth Speyer, director of Planned Giving, at
202-885-5914, speyer@american.edu, or visit www.american.edu/planned giving.
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See story p. 48.

Photo by Hilary Schwab