Alumni Authors Have the Write Stuff
As a salute to alumni who are also published authors, the Kelvin Smith Library hosted their first-ever Alumni Authors Showcase and Reception on Friday, October 6. As part of this year’s Homecoming celebration, the event included a panel of alumni authors - who shared their work and their journey to publishing - and a brief presentation from one of the major publishing companies. The panel was followed by a book signing and reception.
CWRU alumni from all disciplines have published everything from nonfiction to novels. Here are just a few:
William (Bill) Baker, PhD (ADL ‘66; GRS ‘68, ‘72, communication sciences) has written five books. His most recent publication, The World’s Your Stage: How Performing Artists Can Make a Living While Still Doing What They Love (AMACOM), is the textbook for a course he currently teaches at The Julliard School. The co-authors on the book include fellow triple alumnus Warren Gibson (CIT ‘65; GRS ‘69, mechanical engineering; GRS ‘71, engineering). Dr. Baker’s most popular book is Leading with Kindness, How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results (AMACOM), a look at how leaders can use sincerity, honesty and respect for the good of their organizations. Additionally, he is the executive producer of the award-winning 2017 documentary Sacred, exploring how different religious practices and rituals from around the globe reveal our common humanity. The film has played in over 25 film festivals across six continents. Dr. Baker is a triple alumnus, emeritus trustee, recipient of The Alumni Association’s 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award, director of the Bernard L. Schwartz Center for Media, Public Policy & Education at Fordham University, a distinguished professor of management at IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain, and president emeritus of WNET-Thirteen, New York’s public television station. He regularly supports CWRU initiatives.
Norma I. Quintana (SAS ’79), a documentary photographer in northern California, published her first art book, Circus: A Traveling Life (Damiani Editore). The book features a foreword by novelist Mona Simpson and presents a decade-long pictorial series of a traveling one-ring circus. Inspired by her education in social sciences and the appeal of the circus, Quintana decided to photograph a small, Oklahoma-based circus during its West Coast tour of the United States. Expecting to encounter reluctance to her presence in this private world, she instead was warmly welcomed. From 2000-2010, she chronicled the lives of this nomadic group of revolving performers. Returning to the stunningly visual circus each summer, she saw beyond the assumptions about these performers, whose lives are enriched through their focus on tradition and family, and found her own ideals and priorities changed in the process. Quintana photographs in the tradition of social documentary, shooting with film, primarily in black and white and using available light. Born and raised in Cleveland, Quintana also is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit PhotoAlliance, which is dedicated to supporting the understanding, appreciation and creation of contemporary photography.
Gautam N. Yadama (SAS ‘85; GRS ‘90, social welfare), dean of the Boston College School of Social Work, is the author of Fires, Fuel and the Fate of 3 Billion: The State of the Energy Impoverished (Oxford University Press), examining the complex nexus of issues at play in the developing world's use of crude cookstoves -- factors such as poverty, energy, environment and gender inequality. These rudimentary stoves are not simply a problem, but a symptom of energy insecurity. Dr. Yadama currently serves as an advisory group member with the Implementation Science Network for the National Institutes of Health and is an active member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Public Health Association, the Council on Social Work Education and the Society for Social Work and Research.
To find a complete list of our alumni authors or submit your work for inclusion, please visit the Kelvin Smith Library’s website. Write on, alumni!
Find out about all the lifelong learning alumni benefits KSL offers! Check it out!
Trailblazer Project Unveiled with a Ceremony
CWRU's ceremony to honor trailblazers featured honorees or their family members: Lori Stokes, daughter of the late Congressman Louis Stokes, JD (CLC ’49, HON ’91); Carmella Miller, cousin of David Satcher, MD, PhD (GRS '70, anatomy; MED '70; HON '90); Barbara Walker, sister of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, JD (FSM ’71, LAW ’74); Judge Sara J. Harper, JD (CLC ’48, LAW ’52); Fred D. Gray, JD (LAW ’54, HON ’92); Marilyn S. Mobley, PhD (GRS '87, English); and Robert P. Madison (ARC '48, HON '04).
CWRU’s Trailblazer Project was unveiled by Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Marilyn S. Mobley, PhD, during the Diversity Think Forum session held during Homecoming Weekend. This ongoing initiative includes commissioned portraits of alumni of color and women who have made significant contributions in their professions, community and/or to the university. Portraits will be placed in the Kelvin Smith Library and around campus, with the first group appearing around campus next fall.
The inaugural celebration, featuring remarks by Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder and Dr. Mobley, honored six distinguished alumni of color who have made history at CWRU, in the community and beyond:
Attorney Fred Gray (LAW '54, HON '92)
leading civil rights lawyer who represented Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks
Judge Sara Harper (CLC '48, LAW '52)
first African-American woman appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court
Architect Robert P. Madison (ARC '48, HON '04)
president of Robert P. Madison International, an architectural and engineering firm
Former Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD (GRS '70, anatomy; MED '70; HON '90)
national leader in public health
Congressman Hon. Louis Stokes (CLC '49, HON '91) posthumous
Ohio's first African-American congressman
Congresswoman Hon. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (FSM '71, LAW '74) posthumous
first African-American women elected to represent Ohio in the House of Representatives
We paint the complete picture here >
Gift It Up for These Student Organizations!
On Tuesday, November 28th, Case Western Reserve University joins in the global #GivingTuesday movement through #GivingTuesdayatCWRU in an effort to put the spirit of giving back into the holiday season. #GivingTuesdayatCWRU offers the CWRU community a way to join the spirit of #GivingTuesday by making a gift that will benefit causes affiliated with campus schools, departments and organizations that serve others on a local, national and global scale. This year, participating student groups include:
- CWRU Habitat for Humanity
- Student Sustainability Council’s Campus Composting Initiative
- Global Medical Brigades: A Medical Mission Trip to Honduras
- Advocates for Cleveland Health
- Project Sunshine…and many more!
Find a cause you are passionate about on our #GivingTuesday page.
Every dollar makes a difference to these worthy causes and every donor makes a difference to CWRU’s national ranking.
By donating on #GivingTuesday, you can support our students as they serve others and improve the value of your own degree.
You truly can create change at CWRU!
The Debut of the Latino Alumni Network
2017 marked the first Homecoming for CWRU’s newest affinity group. The Latino Alumni Network strives to build a supportive and active alumni organization within the larger CWRU community through networking and fellowship opportunities. It also seeks to support current Latino students, in alignment with CWRU’s core value of diversity and inclusion.
By joining an affinity group that matches your interests, you can remain connected with CWRU!
Find a full list of affinity groups here
Two Deans, One Great Event
A reception presented by The Alumni Association, Weatherhead School of Management and Case School of Engineering will give Bay Area alumni the unique opportunity to meet Weatherhead Dean Manoj K. Malhotra and School of Engineering Interim Dean James McGuffin-Cawley at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco on November 16.
The deans will share their visions for enhancing entrepreneurial opportunities for Case Western Reserve students through collaboration and will use informal discussions with alumni to focus opportunities for engagement. Also, Assistant Professor of Design and Innovation Michael Goldberg will discuss the entrepreneurial courses and multidisciplinary programs already underway at the undergraduate and graduate levels, providing students opportunities to engage with businesses while gaining core skills required for success. Goldberg, a member of CNBC's Disruptor 50 Advisory Council — a group of 39 leading thinkers in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship — will be in San Francisco to celebrate CNBC’s 2017 Disruptor 50.
Register for this free event today!
The 2017/2018 Think Forum Series Continues
On November 28, CWRU’s Think Forum presents Diversity and Higher Education: Its Complicated Context, a conversation with Deborah Bial, president and founder of The Posse Foundation, and Dr. Shirley Collado, president of Ithaca College and a former Posse Scholar.
Education strategist Deborah Bial is president and founder of The Posse Foundation, one of the most comprehensive and renowned college access and youth leadership development programs in the United States. Using non-traditional selection criteria, Bial and her team select promising students to join a “posse,” a small group that will participate in a pre-collegiate training program and then enter as freshmen together at a specific Posse partnership college or university. This fall, Case Western Reserve University welcomed its first class of ten Posse Scholars.
Dr. Shirley Collado is known nationally for designing and implementing innovative approaches to higher education that expand student access and success in college.
Case Western Reserve Trustee Scott Cowen, president emeritus at Tulane University, will moderate the discussion.
This event is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required.
Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library has prepared a resource guide with more information about Deborah Bial and The Posse Foundation. Learn more about Think Forum.
Winter is coming!
The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University invites alumni to Jingle Mingle, our annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Party, at Masthead Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. During an evening of amazing appetizers and festive activities, guests will have the opportunity to tour the brewery and sample beers brewed in our backyard.
Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the season with fellow alumni.