As one of the world’s top exponents ofMongolian culture, Morris Rossabi hasforged a career that spans academia andcontemporary politics. In the process, thecollege’s latest Distinguished Professor ofHistory has made some history of his own.

Born in one multicultural city—Alexandria, Egypt—Rossabi easily adaptedto another in his early teens, when his fami-

ly moved to Manhattan. Already fluent inEnglish, French, Arabic, and Farsi, he seemsto have been pre-equipped for scholarly pur-suits. “I was always interested in foreignlanguages,” he reports. But finding theMideast too close to his own background tostudy, he looked farther afield, immersinghimself in Chinese and Japanese and gettinga bachelor’s degree in general history at

New York University. Rossabi was in graduate school at

Columbia University, looking for a disserta-tion topic connected to Central Asia, when,like Archimedes, he had his eureka momentin the bathtub. “I realized that no one haddone Khubilai Khan,” he recalls. Hisresearch into the Mongolian emperor earnedhim a PhD and laid the foundation for his

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2 LeFrak pipe organ renovated2 QC prepares for 70th anniversary

3 Waldman CUNY rep for coastal study6 Armstrong House, Copland School gifts

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company click here

Rossabi is College’s Newest Distinguished Professorlife’s work, which would help change per-ceptions of a regime that once dominatedmuch of Asia.

Contrary to popular belief, history isn’talways written by the victor. “TheMongolians didn’t develop a written (continued on page 7)

A semester-long celebration of Islamic andJewish cultural traditions begins this monthwith the opening of the exhibition TheGrandeur of Islamic Art in Image and Objectat the Godwin-Ternbach Museum on Feb. 13.

On display will be fine art photographsof objects from the collection of NasserDavid Khalili ’74, who has amassed theworld’s largest and most comprehensive col-lection of Islamic artifacts. Khalili will beon hand for the opening reception and topresent a lecture, “The Art of the Possible,”describing the objects in the collection,which includes exquisite calligraphy, manu-scripts, ceramics, glass, textiles, metalwork,and jewelry from all centuries, cultures, andstyles of the Islamic world.

An Iranian-born Jew, Khalili is anextremely successful art collector who grad-uated from QC in 1974 with a degree incomputerscience.Among his otheraccomplish-ments he isco-founderof theMaimonidesFoundation, which is dedicated to promotingpeace and understanding between Jews andMuslims, and founder of the Iran HeritageFoundation, which promotes and preserves(continued on page 4)

Islamic Exhibit Begins Semester-LongFocus on Muslim and Jewish Culture

One of the fine art photographs of an item in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art

Queens College Faculty & Staff News

Rosenblum and Khalili

Memorial Organ that required the expertiseof a talented group of Dutch technicianswho literally lived in the Music Schoolbuilding throughout the process.

The work was necessary, according toorganist-in-residence Jan-Piet Knijff(Music), because since its installation in1991 when LeFrak Hall first opened, “per-formers became increasingly aware that cer-tain technical concerns needed to beaddressed if the instrument was to fullyrealize its artistic potential.”

So Knijff began researching companiesand found all that he needed, and more, inthe Dutch firm Flentrop Orgelbouw. Thecompany from Zaandam is the world’s mostexperienced builder of this particular type oforgan, with over 80 organs to its credit inthe United States alone. Knijff, himself anative of the Netherlands, acted as consult-ant, identifying the features that neededenhancement, selecting the organ builder,and guiding the actual work.

The main job, he explains, was to makethe route from the organ’s air reservoir—the“windchest”—to the pipes as airtight aspossible, taking into account the changes inhumidity in the environment. In order togive the pipes all the air they need, the keys(which open the “pallets” that regulate air-flow into the pipes) of two major divisionswere lengthened, so that they opened thepallets more efficiently than before.

“The Maynard-Walker Memorial Organcan now take its place as one of the eminentorgans for music of the North GermanSchool in the New York area,” says MusicChair Ed Smaldone. “The work exceededeveryone’s expectations. The organ nowspeaks with color and clarity. We look for-ward to showcasing this wonderful instru-ment in the coming season.”

While staying at the college, FlentropOrgelbouw employees used campus and off-campus facilities for breakfast and lunch,and often dined in downtown Flushing.

Knijff, Smaldone, and President Muyskensalso hosted dinners for the crew in theirhomes, and Knijff often took new arrivalson visits to other local organs and organists.“It was a lot of fun,” he says.

It would make for one heckuva TV com-mercial.

As part of the recent renovation ofLeFrak Hall’s enormous pipe organ, theinstrument’s entire console—the part com-prised of keyboards and pedals—wasFedExed to the Netherlands.

This was one of many steps in a months-long overhaul of the Maynard-Walker

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LeFrak Hall Pipe Organ Undergoes Major Renovation

The Queens College Vocal Ensemblemarked its 50th anniversary with thepresentation of concerts Nov. 29 and Dec.7 in LeFrak Concert Hall. James John con-ducted works by Orlando di Lasso,Claudio Monteverdi, and ThomasWeelkes. The program also included thepremiere of a work by the Ensemble’sfounder, Theodore Grudzinski.

50 Years of Song

On October 11, 1937, the front page of theNew York Times reported that the city waspaying record amounts of home relief tomitigate the effects of the still-raging GreatDepression; 200,000 Japanese troops wereinflicting a heavy toll on Chinese forces inChina’s Southern Hopeh Province; the AFLwas aggressively fighting the CIO to sign upnew union members; and Special ProsecutorThomas E. Dewey, campaigning to becomedistrict attorney, was touting his success dis-mantling the remnants of mobster DutchSchultz’s gang.

Meanwhile, under partly cloudy skiesand seasonable temperatures, 400 youngmen and women gathered in Flushing andtried to put the events of a troubled world

out of their minds as they embarked on anambitious new chapter in their lives asmembers of the freshman class of New YorkCity’s newest college. Typical of thosetimes, Queens College’s first day of classeshad been delayed several weeks by apainters’ strike.

Of course, more than paint was requiredto renovate buildings constructed early inthe century to house the New York ParentalHome for Boys into an institution of higherlearning. (A grand jury investigation direct-ed by District Attorney Charles S. Coldeninto charges of brutality closed the ParentalHome in 1935.) As work on the campuscontinued, some classes were held at nearbyNewtown High School or in the auditoriumin Jefferson Hall. There were few desks, so

students often sat in ordinary chairs andwrote on lapboards while instructors usedportable blackboards. There was no cafete-ria and no regular bus line within the vicini-ty of the campus.

Today, Queens College is still growing,still renovating, and still experiencing trans-portation issues. (Ask any student who’smade the two-hour commute by subway andbus from Brooklyn.) But, more than100,000 graduates later, it has much to beproud of as it makes preparations to cele-brate its 70th anniversary.

The official kickoff for the anniversaryyear will begin at Commencement on May31 according to Alumni Affairs DirectorNancy Rudolph, who is in the early stagesof developing ways to mark the occasion.

Two alumni will be selected to representeach decade at the graduation ceremony. Inaddition, an event is being planned forThursday, October 11—the college’s firstday of classes 70 years ago—at which grad-uates from that time will be invited back tovisit the campus and meet current students.

“We’re going to do things that are simplebut that draw attention to the occasion,” shesays, explaining that this celebration willserve to prime the campus for a more sig-nificant celebration a few years hence: the75th anniversary of Queens College.

Rudolph, who previously worked inalumni relations at Adelphi University,notes, “We did a centennial celebrationwhile I was there, and you need a lot oftime to prepare for an event like that.”

Conceived in Times of Turmoil, QC Is Thriving in its 70th Anniversary Year

3

Hong Shaddy will get to experience alaunch day after all.

Shaddy, the college’s new Webmaster,arrived in Flushing in July along with hus-band Robert, QC’s new chief librarian. Bothpreviously held positions at the University ofFlorida, where Hong spent three years asWebmaster for the university’s School ofDentistry Web site.

“I was brought aboard to redesign theWeb site and it was finished by the time Ileft. But they didn’t roll it out until a fewweeks after I had gone,” she says, her voicerevealing just a hint of regret at not havingbeen there for launch day.

But there will be future launch days asShaddy’s responsibilities at QC will includeimplementing the redesign of the campus

Web siteand thenew con-tent man-agementsystem thatwill allowdepart-ments todesign andmanage

their own sites within the design parametersof the Web site. “The whole point of contentmanagement is to give secure access to theusers–which is what they want anyway—sothey will have control of their own Web site.We’ll just provide a way to make it consis-tent,” she says. Web design and manage-

Hong Shaddy, QC’s New WebmasterSTAFF PROF ILE

The conference Why Nature Matters to NewYorkers that Queens College hosted in Dec.2005 has produced an unexpected researchopportunity for the college and CUNY.

As conference moderator John Waldman(Biology) recalls, he was approached mid-way through the proceedings by Kim Tripp,director of the Jamaica Bay Institute, a partof the National Park Service.

“She was interested in getting someurban expertise,” says Waldman, who, priorto coming to QC, had spent 20 years as anaquatic biologist with the Hudson RiverFoundation, establishing his credentials asan expert on the environment of New YorkHarbor and its surrounding waterways.Tripp asked if he would like to be part of aunit that was creating a catalog of researchopportunities for Jamaica Bay. “I was inter-ested,” he notes, “but I couldn’t qualifyunless my institution was part of this unit.”

The unit is the North Atlantic Coasts

Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit(NAC-CESU), part of a national network ofregional biogeographic programs that pro-vides research, technical assistance, andeducation to federal land management, envi-ronmental, and research agencies. Waldmanhad been unaware of the program, “but Iimmediately realized this was a great oppor-tunity for CUNY in general and QueensCollege in particular.”

So he initiated the process to becomepart of the unit: “I had to prepare a formalpetition describing all of CUNY’s assets andabilities, and it was floated past the variousmembers, both the government agencies andthe universities. They decided that we wouldbe a welcome addition, particularly becausewe have an urban focus and they didn’t havethat among the other partners.

“I’m the point person for all of CUNY,”says Waldman. “There may be some thingsthat come through the door from NAC-

CESU that will directly relate to what theCUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities isbecoming.” (This institute was previouslyknown as the CUNY Institute for Researchon the City Environment.)

“The research catalog I’m preparing,” hecontinues, “is a thick document that alertsthe research world to the interesting ques-tions that can be asked in the Jamaica Bayenvironment. The most urgent issue thesedays is the loss of the salt marshes, whichappears to be at least partially related to sea-level rise and global warming. People don’trealize that water expands its volume as itgets warmer.” This is particularly significantin urban areas like New York, where devel-opment extends to the shoreline, leaving noareas to which the marshes can retreat.

In addition to the contract to create theresearch catalog, Waldman has received asecond contract in conjunction with GillianStewart (Earth & Env. Sciences). “Late this

summer,probablySeptember,we’re goingto hold thefirstJamaicaBayBioBlitz,”he says.“It’s goingto be a funevent—we’ll have

these tents up for visitors and press—but it’salso a scientifically useful event in whichyou gather a large variety of taxonomicexperts and volunteers to go out into thefield and identify everything they can in a24-hour period, a kind of blitzkrieg attackon a location. It generates useful lists ofwhat’s out there.”

Waldman is CUNY Point Person for Coastal Ecosystems Study Unit

Waldman

ment, however, would seem a far cry fromShaddy’s original ambitions when she lefther native China. “I came to the States toget a doctorate in English at the Universityof Toledo,” says Shaddy, who already heldan MA in English from Guangzhou Universityof International Studies and a BA in Englishfrom Hubei University. She received her PhDin 1998 from Toledo, where she also mether future husband, who was working inthe library.

Initially, Shaddy set out to teach litera-ture, but as there were few full-time oppor-tunities, she decided to get an MBA inInformation Systems, which she receivedfrom Toledo in 2001.

Since arriving on campus, the Shaddyshave been spending weekends as tourists,

taking in the sights and museums. After yearsin Toledo and Gainesville, Hong is findingNew York a bit of an adjustment. “I had livedin the Midwest and the South for a decade, soI got used to the space. When we got here,everywhere you go there is a long line.”

Asked if her new environs are in anyway similar to China, she says, “Yeah, in alot of regards, especially Flushing!”

Shaddy describes herself as a quiet per-son who likes to read. “I’ve been readingmodern authors,” she says. “That’s my areaof interest.”

Not surprisingly, books are an importantfeature of the Shaddy household. They alsopose a challenge: “Our closets in our apart-ment are filled with books,” she laughs.“We’re running out of space for clothes!”

MUYSKENS, and SUE HENDERSON(VP InstitutionalAdvancement) alsoappear in the photo . . . QC’s immigrationsymposium held on Nov.15—including an inter-view with Pres. Muyskens

—was featured on ITV-TV’s Community Newsshow on successive Sundays, Nov. 19 andNov. 26, and posted on their Web site,www.ITVontheweb.com for those two weeks.ITV is a Time-Warner cable station that cov-ers East Indian and other Asian news andcommunity events . . . A Dec. 14 article inthe TimesLedger on suggestions for holidaygifts to give girlfriends included a couple ofQC’s continuing education classes among thesuggestions.

York’s population . . . ERIC LEHMAN(English) penned an essay that appearedDec. 3 in the City section of the New YorkTimes about commuting from Manhattan toQC by bicycle . . . A story Nov. 15 in theQueens Gazette mentioned that an essay onreligion in Queens by President JAMESMUYSKENS was among the offerings of anew guide, Queens: What to Do, Where toGo (and How Not to Get Lost) in New York’sUndiscovered Borough by Ellen Freudenheim. . . GREGORY RABASSA’s (Hispanic Lang.& Lit.) recent receipt of the 2006 National

Medal of Arts continuesto draw media atten-tion, with articlesappearing Dec. 11 in theDaily News, Dec. 14 inthe Queens Courier andTimesLedger, and Jan. 4in the Queens Courier. A

story about him by theSpanish-language EFE news agency on Jan6 was picked up by several internationalpapers, including Mira, La Republica, Diariode Noticias, El Universo, and Milenio. Aphoto of him at the White House wearinghis medal and standing between Presidentand Mrs. Bush was featured Dec. 21 in theQueens Courier and Jan. 4 in the QueensTribune . . . The dedication of the Simon andRoslyn Gold Jewish Studies Library was thesubject of a story in the Dec. edition of theNorth Shore Towers Courier. A photo of theGolds attending the dedication appearedDec. 7 in the Queens Tribune . . . A photo ofBorough President Helen Marshall present-ing a check for $35,000 to the QC Womenat Work program appeared Dec. 7 in theTimesLedger. The program’s directorCARMELLA MARRONE, President JAMES

An article appearing Nov. 27 in New Yorkmagazine about the likelihood in the nextfive years of unusual weather in the NewYork City area included NICK COCH’saccount of the potential for a devastatinghurricane . . . A Dec. 9 article in theIndianapolis Star about the growing influ-ence of Oprah Winfrey featured some obser-vations from MARA EINSTEIN (MediaStudies) . . . MARIAN FISH (ECP) is quotedin a story in the Feb. edition of Parents mag-azine about how parents should speak withtheir children’s teachers . . . A study withimplications for understanding and treatingaddiction disorders, authored in part byJANINE FLORY (Psychology), was the sub-ject of a Dec. 19 article in Soo Today, aCanadian online newspaper . . . . Dec. 17Associated Press story regarding the 2005New York City transit strike quotedJOSHUA FREEMAN (History) . . . A storyabout changes taking place in kindergarteneducation that appeared Dec. 3 in the SanAntonio-Express News included observationsfrom DOMINIC GULLO (EECE) . . . JESSICAHARRIS (SEEK) was quoted in a story aboutfamily holiday food traditions that appearedDec. 19 in USA Today . . . A Jan. 7 story inNewsday about the rapidly growingIndian community in Hicksville quotedMADHULIKA KHANDELWAL (Urban St. &

A/AC) . . . MICHAELKRASNER (Pol. Sci.) wasinterviewed Dec. 13 byWFUV-FM regarding thescandal surrounding for-mer State ComptrollerAlan Hevesi. He alsooffered his insights to the

Flushing Times for a Dec. 21story about projected increases in New

4

IN THE NEWS

Rabassa

Henderson

Khandelwal

ISLAMIC EXHIBIT (continued from page 1)

Iran’s cultural heritage.“The reason that I have worked so hard

to put the culture of Islam on the map,” saysKhalili, “is because I have always believedthat the real weapon of mass destruction isignorance. Once you tackle that, you havesolved a lot of problems.”

The opening reception, which takes placefrom 4 to 7 pm in LeFrak Hall, will feature anumber of elements that reflect Islamic andJewish cultural traditions. There will be apreview of a program planned for May,“Common Chords,” which will highlightmusical traditions of the two cultures, fol-lowed by “Search for Common Ground,” adialogue between a rabbi and a sheikh.Under the banner “Food for Thought,” guestswill also have an opportunity to sample foodfrom the Kosher and Halal dietary traditions.

The reception and subsequent events area continuation of the college’s four-yearexamination of the often contentious rela-tionship between Muslims and Jews, anexamination that began in 2004 with MarkRosenblum’s (History) groundbreaking proj-ect “The Middle East and America: Clash ofCivilizations or Meeting of Minds.”

“It is in this spirit of ‘meeting of minds’rather than ‘clash of civilizations,’” saysRosenblum, “that we’ve organized thisexhibition and public programs, which cele-brate our mutual achievements and probeour common challenges.”

Rosenblum is currently teaching the sec-ond in the project’s series of courses, “Lenson America in the Middle East: Visions ofConflict and Conciliation.” His class, whoseprimary focus has been upon Israeli-Palestinian relations, recently devoted con-siderable energy to examining last year’sconflict between Israel and Lebanon. Theyare also helping to organize the semester-long series of programs.

With this Jan. 11 page one story, theQueens Tribune honored QC grad MaxKupferberg and his wife, Selma, as“Persons of the Year” for their $10 milliongift to Queens College last spring, a giftthat established the Kupferberg Center forthe Visual and Performing Arts. Fourpages of coverage included a guest essayby CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldsteinapplauding the couple’s generosity.

5

QC Authors

The Queens College Opera Studio andQueens College Choir presented HenryPurcell’s rarely-performed Baroque opera,Dido and Aeneas, based on Virgil’s epicpoem, The Aeneid. The Dec. 9 and 10performances at LeFrak Concert Hall wereconducted by James John.

A Rare Performance

High School Chemistry Class Visits QC

ROBERT BITTMANChemistry andBiochemistry

RICHARD BODNAR Psychology

BARRY COMMONER Center for the Biologyof Natural Systems

NANCY FOLDI Psychology

AZRIEL GENACK Physics

IGOR KUSKOVSKY Physics

KUI-LAM KWOKComputer Science

ANDREA LI Psychology

STEVEN MARKOWITZ Center for the Biologyof Natural Systems

CORINNE MICHELS Biology

SUDEB MITRA Mathematics

JOHN WALDMAN Biology

Film Musings(Scarecrow Press,2007) assemblesmaterial from 20years of columnsabout film musicthat ROYALBROWN(EuropeanLangs.) wroteunder that head-ing for Fanfare

magazine. An expert on film and filmmusic, Brown frequently offers controver-sial perspectives not just on the music butalso on the film for which the music wascomposed, and in many cases he stressesthe interactions between the cinematicaction and the score, an aspect generallyignored by most film-music critics.

Although many of the reviews are oforiginal soundtrack recordings for filmsreleased during the column’s run, a numberof the reviews also cover reissues of earlierrecordings, as well as newly recorded ver-sions of classic scores. In certain instances,Brown was even able to include in his col-umn interviews with composers, such asDavid Raksin (Laura) and Howard Shore(The Silence of the Lambs), concerning newrecordings of their music.

JOHN WALDMAN (Biology) and co-editorsKarin Limburg and David Strayer offer acomprehensive examination of one of themost scientifically studied rivers in theworld in their new book Hudson RiverFishes and Their Environment (AmericanFisheries Society, 2006). This volume con-tains new findings about the ecological and

environmentalworkings of theHudson and theireffects on fishes.Chapter authorspresent importantnew findings,including areview of thehydrodynamicsand physical andchemical condi-

tions in the estuary; the impact of powerplants on pelagic fish; the effects of pollu-tion, climate, and nonnative plants and ani-mals on the Hudson’s fishes; the importanceof tributaries for some species; and theimpact of human activities, such as anglingand changing land use, on fish populations.

A Salute to CUNY ScholarsChancellor Matthew Goldstein led the CUNY Salute to Scholars, the annual receptionhonoring faculty and their achievements, last November at the New York HistoricalSociety. One of CUNY’s premiere events, the Salute to Scholars honored over 225 distinguished CUNY faculty who received major competitive awards and fellowships during the past year. Twelve Queens College faculty were honored:

The Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry hosted 34 students from the Advanced Placementchemistry class of Mr. Danny Son of Valley Stream High School on Dec. 19. Son (center,wearing blue shirt) assisted the students in carrying out a three-hour experiment whichwould have been diffficult to carry out in their high school laboratory.

6

Louis Armstrong was America’s ambassadorto the world, so phone calls to the LouisArmstrong House Museum from othercountries are not an unusual occurrence. Buta call received some years ago fromBermuda has turned out to have much-wel-come and timely consequences.

Recently, the museum received twochecks totaling $100,000 from the estate ofPeter John Willcocks (1924–2005), a nativeLondoner whose World War II service sawhim stationed in Bermuda, where he settledfor the remainder of his life. Willcocks hadthree abiding passions: bridge (he played

Unexpected Gifts for Louis Armstrong House Museum and Music School

Simon Family’s Memorial Gift of MusicThe strains of Mozart, Schubert, Ravel,Mendelssohn, and Poulenc that filledLeFrak Concert Hall on a Tuesday morningearly in December certainly would havepleased Elizabeth Simon.

Simon was a dedicated fan of the AaronCopland School’s Chamber Music LiveSeries. “It is a sadly comforting thought,”observed her son, Paul Simon, in the pro-gram notes for the event, “that on theTuesday afternoon when she met heruntimely death, the strains of the day’s con-cert were surely echoing in her ears.”

The 79 year-old Simon had attended aChamber Music Live performance on May23. Afterwards, she visited her doctor forher annual checkup. Given a clean bill ofhealth, she had just left the doctor’s office

when, while crossing a street in Forest Hills,she was fatally struck by a school bus.

In a gesture celebrating their mother’spassion for chamber music, son Paul anddaughter Elaine Krebs offered to fund theDec. 5 concert—which was just two daysshy of their mother’s 80th birthday—as amemorial to her. Both of their immediatefamilies attended the event, as well as acousin.

As the family observed in the perfor-mance’s program notes, “She took greatpleasure in attending the concerts andrecounted eagerly to her family, in fulldetail, who performed what and how, whatwas said from the stage, whether she likedthe particular pieces, and whether the audi-ence was attentive and responsive.”

The Simon family is giving another$1,000 to establish a music scholarship inElizabeth Simon’s name, says JonathanIrving (Music). “In addition,” he notes,“Paul said that he wanted to have a plaquemade up in his mother’s honor” to be dis-played in LeFrak Hall.

The memorial concert had an unexpectedbenefit: it so moved another Chamber MusicLive subscriber that she has offered todonate $1,000 to fund a concert in memoryof the Holocaust. Irving and Music ChairEd Smaldone are considering other opportu-nities for donors.

Members of Elizabeth Simon’s family: rear (lto r) Shlomit Mendilow (niece), HowardKrebs, Elaine Krebs, Paul Simon, and ConnieSimon. Seated are granddaughters GayleKrebs (left) and Jessica Simon

competitively), the Boston Red Sox, andmusic of the big band era, as represented inhis collection of over 6,000 records. LouisArmstrong’s recordings figured prominentlyin that collection and, at his funeral, theorder-of-service featured a photo ofArmstrong’s trumpet and his song “It’s aWonderful World.”

“We are honored and humbled by Mr.Willcocks’s generosity,” says ArmstrongHouse Director Michael Cogswell. “Mr.

Willcocks original-ly contacted usseveral years agowhen he was plan-ning his estate. Ourprojects managerBaltsar Beckeldfielded the call,gave him a goodpitch about who weare and what wedo, and he seemed

interested. But with these sorts of things,you never know.”

The bequest will help fund two of themuseum’s more pressing needs. One is thepurchase of cataloging software adequate tothe needs of the museum’s growing collec-tion of Armstrong artifacts, such as itsrecent acquisition of the enormous JackBradley Collection.

“The way we did things 15 years agomade perfect sense then, but we’ve outgrownit,” says Cogswell. “The time has come to buysome real museum software and converteverything over. It’s a huge step for us.”

The remainder—and the bulk of thebequest—will be used for development. “Wehave a lot of major fund-raising ahead of us,and we’ll be bringing in an outside consult-ant,” notes Cogswell.

It’s not every day that a faculty memberreceives the National Medal of Arts, anaward bestowed in 2006 to only nineindividuals and arts organizations.Distinguished Professor and literarytranslator Gregory Rabassa was amongthe honorees. And so Queens Collegeshared its pride with the nation—andbeyond—with this half-page advertise-ment in the New York Times internation-al section on December 27.

“We knew that important collegeconstituents across the U.S. would seethe ad, as well as national media,” saysMaria Terrone, Assistant Vice Presidentfor Communications. “But we didn’texpect to receive calls from the interna-tional media, too, requesting interviewswith Professor Rabassa.” The result wascoverage throughout Latin America.

New York Times Ad Leads toInternational Media Attention

Cogswell

Holocaust, following a screening of the filmOstatni Etap (The Last Stop). Filmed in 1947by Auschwitz survivors Wanda Jakubowskaand Gerda Schneider, two years after theliberation of AuschwitzBirkenau, the dramaconcerns the camp’s female inmates . . .RICHARD MCCOY (English) received aNational Endowment for the Humanitiesgrant of $40,000 for 2007–08 to work onhis fourth book, Faith in Shakespeare’sTheater: Theology and Performance. In hiswords, the book “will analyze the shift froma metaphysical to a psychological basis forbelief in the Reformation as ideas of aEucharistic presence are replaced by com-munion with the congregation and whatone theologian called ‘a confederation ofour affections.’” He adds, “Shakespeare’splays establish a comparable emotional con-federation while asking us to awake ourfaith, and my book will explore the sourcesof that faith in Shakespeare’s language andtheatrical technique”. . . JOHN WALDMAN(Biology) has been appointed to the boardof directors of the InterdisciplinaryLaboratory for Art,Nature, and Dance.According to its Web site(www.ilandart.org),ILAND “investigates thepower of dance, in col-laboration with otherfields, to illuminate ourkinetic understanding ofthe world. ILAND, a dance research organi-zation with a fundamental commitment toenvironmental sustainability as it relates toart and the urban context, cultivates cross-disciplinary research among artists, environ-mentalists, scientists, urban designers, andother fields.”

7

HEIDI BENDER, a doctoral student in thecollege’s neuropsychology program, wasawarded an NIH/AHRQ post-doctoral fel-lowship, a Ruth L. Kirschstein NationalResearch Service Award for IndividualPostdoctoral Fellows. Her research project,Test Biases Limiting Preoperative Evaluationof Hispanic Immigrants with Epilepsy, will befunded $150,000 for three years (beginningSept. 2007), allowing her to continue herresearch at the NYU Comprehensive EpilepsyCenter. Bender, who works in JOANBOROD’s lab, has been at QC since 2001and plans on defending her dissertation inlate spring or early fall . . . ANDY BEVERIDGE(Sociology) will receive the American SociologicalAssociation’s 2007 Public Understanding ofSociology Award at thegroup’s annual meeting inNew York City in August.Beveridge says, “I am very pleased by therecognition of my work by one of the halfdozen or so major awards to scholars givenby my professional association” . . . TheNational Resource Center for the First-YearExperience and Students in Transition hasinformed MARTIN BRAUN (Math/FYI) thathe will be listed on the honor roll of advo-cate nominees in the program for their

awards ceremony, whichwill take place thismonth during the 26thAnnual Conference onThe First-Year Experiencein Addison, Texas . . .FRANK FRANKLIN(SEEK) will be presentedthe Greater New York

Inter-Alumni Council’s Distinguished AlumnusAward by the United Negro College Fund atits annual celebration March 9 in New YorkCity. Also receiving awards that evening willbe former Presidents George H.W. Bush andBill Clinton . . . On Jan. 20 JESSICA

HARRIS (SEEK) partici-pated in the WilliamResearch Center’s 12thannual symposium, Foodfor Thought, held in NewOrleans. A culinary his-torian, Harris discussedthe use of native andintroduced food staples

in the area’s cuisine . . . TARRY HUM(Urban Studies) was invited to participate inClosing the Racial Wealth Gap, a FordFoundation and National EconomicDevelopment and Law Center convening ofnational experts of color at the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara,held last December . . .ROBERT KAPSIS(Sociology) worked withthe Film Forum in puttingtogether its recent retro-spective of films by direc-tor Woody Allen,Essentially Woody. In con-nection with the event, hewas interviewed by the Gothamist. Kapsiscollaborated with Kathie Coblentz last year

on the book WoodyAllen: Interviews . . .STUART LIEBMAN(Media Studies) led a dis-cussion Jan. 28 at theMuseum of JewishHeritage–A LivingMemorial to the

QC PEOPLE

LiebmanFranklin

Beveridge

Harris

Waldman

ROSSABI (continued from page 1)language until late,” Rossabi explains.“Their history was written by the peoplethey conquered, who exaggerated thedestruction and death toll. There was anoth-er side to the Mongolians, who appreciatedculture and were eager to promote trade.”

After teaching at Case Western ReserveUniversity in Cleveland for about 15 years,Rossabi returned to New York in 1986 toaccept an appointment at Queens; he alsostarted working at Columbia as an adjunct.His growing reputation as a scholar and his

steady release of arti-cles and books, begin-ning with China andInner Asia (1975) andKhubilai Khan: HisLife and Times(1988)—hailed as oneof the best biographiesof Khan to be pub-lished in the West—attracted the attention

of the Soros Foundation, which tapped himto participate in its open society initiativesin Mongolia.

“I interviewed the president, non-gov-ernmental organizations, and women’sgroups,” says Rossabi, now a member ofthe advisory board of Soros’ Project onCentral Asia. “Promoting democracy isimportant and very rewarding.” With hisrepeated trips to the region and his entrée tothe nation’s leaders, the professor has beenable to develop expertise in the issues fac-ing present-day Mongolia, which is adjust-ing to the collapse of communism.

An art lover who advised the Asian ArtMuseum of San Francisco in its first exhibi-tion of Mongolian art, Rossabi has helpedplan shows at the Cleveland Museum of Artand the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whenhe’s not teaching, or traveling, or touring gal-leries, he can be found at his desk, workingon his latest volume: “a big history of China.”

Rossabi

8 Items should be submitted to Maria Matteo (maria.matteo@qc.cuny.edu), Kiely 1310, x 75590. Deadline: Two weeks before first Thursday of each month. FYI will next appear in March.

February1thuRECITAL: Elena Rojas, MA ’03, violin andviola. LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

2friRECITAL: Manuela Wunder, violin.LeFrak Hall, 3 pm.

4sunNew Shanghai Circus featuring theIncredible Acrobats of China. ColdenAuditorium, 2 pm. $12.

5monRECITAL: Morey Ritt, piano, and guestartist Jesse Levine, viola. LeFrak Hall,12:15 pm.

RECITAL: Rachel Devorah Wood-Rome,horn. LeFrak Hall, 4:15 pm.

RECITAL: Young Joo Ko, horn. LeFrakHall, 6:15 pm.

CONCERT: Nota Bene & QC PercussionEnsembles: Michael Lipsey, director.Music from Stravinsky’s L’Histoire duSoldat and Cage’s The City Wears aSlouch Hat. Player’s Theater, 115MacDougal St., New York City, 8 pm(Tickets: $15/$10 students: call 212-475-1449; for info call 73807).

Khalili, the Iranian-born entrepreneur,who is also a Research Professor atLondon University’s School of Orientaland African Studies and a QueensCollege alumnus. Features photographstaken by Khalili of objects from his col-lection, along with objects from theGodwin-Ternbach Museum and otherprivate collections.

15thuCONCERT: QC Orchestra, Maurice Peress, director, Hubert Lucarelli, oboe.Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C, Barber’sCanzonetta for Oboe and Strings,Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion,and Celeste. LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

21wedLECTURE: “Proven Presence: Feminist Politics of Cuban Hip Hop,” SujathaFernandes (Sociology). President’sConference Room # 1, RosenthalLibrary, 5th floor 12:15 pm.

RECITAL: “A Winter Journey,” JonathanIrving, piano. Works by Schubert.LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

22thuCONCERT: Long Island Composers’ Alliance: Martin Halperin, director.LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

25sunCINEMA ON SUNDAYS:Left Luggage. Discussant: Dr. Eric Goldman. LeFrak Hall, 2 pm.

26monRECITAL: Jiliane Russo, violoncello. LeFrak Hall,4:15 pm.

RECITAL: Hyuna Kim, voice. LeFrak Hall, 6:15 pm.

New Shanghai Circus

27tueEVENINGREADING: E. L.Doctorow will read from hiswork and beinterviewed byLeonard Lopate.LeFrak Hall, 7 pm.

E X H I B I T S

Breaking Barriers: LouisArmstrong and Civil Rights,through October 8. Louis Armstrong’s views on civil rights have been a con-troversial aspect of his legacy since the1950s, when he was accused of beingout of step with the Movement. DidArmstrong’s response to the Little RockNine crisis in 1957 and his refusal torepresent the United States on a StateDepartment tour of the Soviet Unionreflect a change in his attitudes, or hadhe been quietly breaking down doorsall along? The exhibit also celebratesArmstrong’s many contributions—asjazz legend, goodwill ambassador,movie star, and author.

6tueEXHIBIT: Between: Woven Images byBetty Vera, February 6–March 30,2007. Gallery talk: Tuesday, February6, 5–6 pm; Reception, 6–8 pm. QC ArtCenter Gallery Hours:Mondays–Thursdays, 9 am–8 pm,Fridays, 9 am–5 pm (closed Mondays,Feb. 12 & Feb. 19).

7wedJAZZ RECITAL:George Colligan,piano.Choral Room (Rm. 264), 2:30 pm.

8thuGUEST CONCERT: University ofMaryland, Baltimore Cty., PercussionEnsemble, Tom Goldstein, director.Works by John Cage, Tom Goldstein,Morris Lang, Susan Parenti, StuartSaunders Smith, and James Tenney.LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

10satNai-Ni Chen Dance Company. LeFrak Hall, 7:30 pm. Tickets $12.

13tueEXHIBIT: ISLAMIC ART IN IMAGE ANDOBJECT February 13–May 31, 2007 TheKhalili collection of more than 25,000art objects was assembled by Nasser D.

Between: Woven Images by Betty Vera

Below, one of Armstrong’s handmade montages featuringprominent blacks in sports and entertainment