Campus & Community

In 1958, many Americans viewed the island of Quemoy (or “Jinmen,” as it is called in Mandarin) as the “lighthouse of the free world,” the last bastion of resistance to Mao Zedong’s communist advances in China. Today, professors often cite 1958 Quemoy as a classic example of brinkmanship, a case study for high-pressure diplomacy in the face of escalating global tensions. But to the 40,000 people who were living there at the height of the Taiwan Straits crisis, Quemoy was simply “home.”

Embryonic stem cell research will likely have a more sympathetic ear in the White House after November’s presidential election, but a panel of speakers said Tuesday (May 20) that an era of tight budgets may limit the practical changes researchers see.

A new study released May 15 finds strong support for coexistence efforts among a majority of Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. The findings may buoy hopes for long-term peace in the region.

Stuart M. Shieber ’81, Harvard’s James O. Welch Jr. and Virginia B. Welch Professor of Computer Science, will serve as director of the University’s new Office for Scholarly Communication (OSC). Harvard University Provost Steven E. Hyman made the appointment, which he announced today (May 22) with Robert Darnton, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and director of the Harvard University Library (HUL).

Harvard University and the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) announced today (May 16) the appointment of Diane Paulus as artistic director.

Mohsen Mostafavi, dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), recently announced the appointment of Preston Scott Cohen as chair of the Department of Architecture, effective July 1.

May 6, 1945 — At noon a novel contraption appears on high as a helicopter hovers over Harvard and lands on the riverbank in front of the Business School. A Coast Guard pilot and another officer alight from the craft to present a letter from the president of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce to a representative from its Boston counterpart.

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending May 12. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor, and is available online at http://www.hupd.harvard.edu/.

The YIVO Institute for Jewish research honored Charles W. Eliot University Professor Lawrence H. Summers on May 13 at its 83rd annual benefit dinner. The ceremony was held at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.

At its 12th and final meeting of the year on May 14, the Faculty Council reviewed the Ph.D. program in African and African American Studies and approved the Student Handbook and Courses of Instruction for 2008-2009.

Michael Kieffer, an advanced doctoral student in language and literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is the recipient of the International Reading Association’s (IRA) Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship.

Sixteen Harvard College students have received summer travel grants through the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs to support their senior thesis research.

Harvard Magazine’s Berta Greenwald Ledecky Undergraduate Fellows for the 2008-09 academic year will be Brittney Moraski ’09 and Christian Flow ?????10, who were selected after a competitive evaluation of writing submitted by student applicants.

Richard D. Frisbie ’71, J.D. ’74, a former All-Ivy Harvard lacrosse midfielder who captained the Crimson his senior year, is leading his team once again with the announcement of the Frisbie Family Endowed Coach for Men’s Lacrosse. The news comes only weeks after the announcement of the first two women’s head coaching endowments in Harvard history.

On May 6 at approximately 1:40 a.m., an undergraduate student reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) that she was the victim of an assault and battery in Harvard Yard near Houghton Library by the stairs going down toward Pusey Library.

The Harvard Foundation presented its 2008 Faculty/Administrator Award to Benedict H. Gross, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Mathematics, at its annual Harvard Foundation Student/Faculty Awards dinner in Quincy House on May 4.

Kennedy School graduate Steve Reifenberg M.P.P. ’88 reflected recently on becoming — at the age of 23 — a father figure to 12 young children.

Arnold Herbert Colodny died June 15, 2001, in his 77th year. He was a highly respected and beloved pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Spanning topics as diverse as cancerous tumors and the overfishing of grouper in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a new journal aims to highlight the serious scientific research regularly undertaken by Harvard undergraduates.

Underscoring its commitment to expand financial aid options for students, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University has established the David M. Rubenstein Fund, supporting students enrolled in the Harvard Kennedy School/Harvard Business School (HKS/HBS) Joint Degree Program, thanks to a $5 million gift from David M. Rubenstein.

With a record applicant pool of 27,462, the Class of 2012 will enter Harvard College through the most competitive admissions process in its history.

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society, originally established as a research center at Harvard Law School, has been elevated to a University-wide, interfaculty initiative: the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. This transition enhances the University’s capacity for interdisciplinary exploration of issues involving information technology.

Six faculty members have been named Harvard College Professors this spring. They are Virginie Greene, David Laibson, Douglas Melton, Steven Pinker, John Shaw, and James Simpson.

May 23, 1910 — The Harvard Corporation formally adopts crimson as Harvard’s official color, based on the tint of several silk scarves used by Harvard rowers in the 1858 Boston City Regatta and preserved in the University Archives.

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending May 5. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor, and is available online at http://www.hupd.harvard.edu/.

The Harvard Veterans Alumni Organization is conducting a service of remembrance at the Memorial Church at 9 a.m. on May 26.

A memorial service for former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles will be held May 30 at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Church. The Amory Houghton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Knowles died April 3.

At a Meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on April 8, 2008, the Minute honoring the life and service of the late Wendell Vernon Clausen, Pope Professor of the Latin Language and Literature, and Professor of Comparative Literature, Emeritus, was placed upon the records. Clausen integrated exacting philological scholarship with a finely tuned literary sensibility in his approach to the Classics and had a profound impact on students.

The Weissman International Internship Program, established by Paul ’52 and Harriet Weissman in 1994, provides sophomores and juniors with the opportunity to intern abroad in a field of work related to their career and academic goals.

The Harvard men’s lacrosse team dropped its season finale to a visiting Dartmouth squad, 12-6, this past Saturday (May 3) to close out its 2008 campaign two games below .500 (6-8; 1-5 Ivy).