News & Notables

Classically Confident

Bow ties are about to make a comeback if students from Professor Jay McKee's senior marketing class have anything to say about it. Students began working with Beau Ties Ltd., a Middlebury-based bow tie company, to come up with a marketing strategy that would kick-start a new ad campaign and branding effort for the company's print and online catalog. After a focus-group brainstorm session, the students settled on "Classically Confident." The new campaign rolled out in February.

See the full line at www.beautiesltd.com

The Art of War

A painting by Bob Selby of the CCM Division was featured on a PBS documentary, “For the Love of Liberty,” in February. The documentary tells the story of the African-American in American military history and features voice-overs and on-air narration by Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Gen. Colin Powell, Donald Sutherland, and others. Selby was commissioned to do a painting for the segment on a naval battle in the War of 1812 in which two black sailors showed great valor despite serious wounds.

Dublin Visitor

Champlain College Dublin welcomed Barry Desmond to campus last fall. Desmond is the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Irish minister for health and social welfare, and former member of the European Parliament representing Dublin. He spoke to the Modern Irish Social History class on issues surrounding the important public and government debates over abortion, divorce, and the legalization of contraception in Ireland. The Modern Irish Social History class also recently had a behind-the-scenes private tour of the Dáil Éireann, or Irish Parliament. The tour included a visit to the Chamber, the Senate, and an impromptu meeting with Micheál Martin, minister for foreign affairs, over a pint in the Parliamentary Bar.

Tweeting Meetings

Champlain College Marketing majors Hans Bardenheuer and Erica Viscio were enlisted by Cathy Resmer of Seven Days newspaper to help "live- tweet" the Winooski City Council meetings. Follow them on Twitter at @WinooskiCC. The students were noticed by Resmer online after they were tweeting one of the on-campus Speaking from Experience lectures sponsored by Bring Your Own Business (BYOBiz).

The Tax Man Cometh

Edward S. Karl, director of the tax division of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, was a guest speaker in Champ Soncrant's Federal Tax class in December. Karl is responsible for the review, formulation, and submission to Congress, the Treasury Department, and the Internal Revenue Service of technical and policy recommendations for improvement of the federal tax process. His speech to students was titled "Finding your Ethical Compass."

Religion in Montreal

Champlain College third-year students participated in the American Academy of Religion conference in Montreal with Adjunct Professor Steve Wehmeyer, who teaches The Secular and the Sacred. One of the themes of the conference was "religion and technology." After students met Rachel Wagner, an assistant professor of religious studies at Ithaca College, Wehmeyer arranged for Wagner to give a lecture called "Virtual Religion" this March.

Circus Banners

An exhibit on view May 16-Oct. 24 at Shelburne Museum will feature the unusual sideshow life-size banner art of Champlain College Assistant Professor Toni-Lee Sangastiano in "Circus Day in America." The summer-long outdoor exhibit will capture the sights, sounds, and smells of the American Circus (1870-1950). For more details visit www.shelburnemuseum.org.

Potter’s World

"There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words."
-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J. K. Rowling

Champlain College Library is bringing the exhibit "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine" to the Miller Information Commons this fall. The exhibit, made available by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, explores Harry Potter's world with its roots in Renaissance science, and examines important ethical topics such as the desire for knowledge, the effects of prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with power. It will be on display in the main floor Tower room from the end of August through mid-October. For a sneak peek at the exhibit, visit www.alumni.champlain.edu.

MUGGLE ALERT: A Champlain College Quidditch team formed last fall with high hopes of participating in this fall's 4th Annual Quidditch World Cup Championship held at Middlebury College in October. Brooms ready! The Snitch is loose...