Rhodes SCHOLAR
Grace E. Yu, a December graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a Rhodes Scholar—the second in SU history. “I was surprised,” says Yu, of Montrose, California, who majored in political science and history. “I went through the application process last year, so I was painfully familiar with the intense competition, and I knew it was a crapshoot. I’m still very, very surprised.”

“Grace personifies the spirit of embracing the rich opportunities of a liberal education with gusto, energy, and commitment,” says Cathryn Newton, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We are thrilled for her. She will surely inspire other fine students to set their own intellectual sights high.”

Yu was involved in research and campus activities at SU and received several awards, including being named a 2001 University Scholar, the highest honor given to an SU undergraduate. She will use the Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a doctorate in Japanese studies at England’s Oxford University beginning in the fall. The scholarship pays for two years of study with the possibility of renewal for a third year. “I want to explore how the Japanese saw their wars,” she says.

Boeheim’s HOME
SU basketball coach Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73 has won more than 300 games on the Carrier Dome court—and now he can call it his own. In a February ceremony prior to the Orangemen’s game against Big East rival Georgetown, the University honored Boeheim by naming the Dome hardwood Jim Boeheim Court. “I am delighted for Jim and delighted that literally thousands of people have helped show their appreciation for his achievements,” says Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. “It is a well-deserved honor.”

The dedication honors Boeheim for his 30 years as a full-time member of the SU coaching staff, and his four years as a student-athlete (1962-66). Boeheim, who also served as an SU graduate assistant coach, is now in his 26th year as head coach.

SU Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph O. Lampe ’53, G’55, and Trustee Joyce Hergenhan ’63 led a committee that worked on the naming campaign. 

University LECTURES
What do a former presidential candidate, a network CEO, a noted historian, and a controversial author have in common? They’re all part of the University Lectures on campus this semester.

Among the prominent guests are Susan Taylor, senior vice president of Essence Communications; Barry Diller, chairman and CEO of USA Networks; David McCullough, best-selling author, historian, and biographer; Mort Zuckerman, publisher and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report; noted author Salman Rushdie; and acclaimed designer Bruce Mau.

Paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey spoke April 1 while former U.S. senator and 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern and former U.S. Poet Laureate and environmentalist Robert Hass will share a discussion on April 10 from 7:30-8:50 p.m. in the College of Law’s Grant Auditorium. The lectures are free and open to the public.

The University Lectures, a cross-disciplinary series funded by SU Trustee Robert B. Menschel ’51, feature world-renowned individuals from the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management, and communications. The series supports the University’s Academic Plan by providing opportunities for students to enhance their learning experiences.

Geofoam DRIVE
Reaching the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City required a ride on a highway featuring geofoam, an expanded polystyrene foam that is gaining popularity due to pioneering research conducted by Dawit Negussey, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Negussey, director of the SU Geofoam Research Center and one of the nation’s leading geofoam experts, gave a presentation to Utah transportation officials and contractors on the feasibility of using geofoam in critical sections of Interstate 15 (I-15), a heavily traveled, north-south highway that runs through Salt Lake City. They decided to use the material, making the project the largest geofoam undertaking to date. “The I-15 reconstruction took place in a highly developed area, and they needed to get the project done fast so the road would be available as soon as possible,” Negussey says. “Adding to the design challenge was the fact that the freeway is built over a network of utility lines on a former lake bed. Because geofoam is so light and bulky, it was installed quickly.”

Top TEACHER

Newhouse professor Jay B. Wright G’77, one of the nation’s foremost First Amendment scholars, was selected as Syracuse University’s 2001 Scholar/Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by the United Methodist Church.

Wright, a professor in the newspaper department, has taught at the University for more than 30 years. He has written two of the nation’s leading texts on communications law and The Legal Handbook for New York State Journalists.

News MAKERS

Sean O’Keefe G’78, the former Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at the Maxwell School, was appointed head of NASA by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Previously, O’Keefe served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.

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School of Architecture Dean Bruce Abbey will step down from his position in July. Abbey, who joined the University as dean in 1990, plans to take a sabbatical and then return to teaching at the school.

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Lia Miller ’99, a public administration student in the Maxwell School, was selected by the U.S. Department of State as a Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellow. The prestigious fellowship provides graduate funding to students preparing to enter the Foreign Service. As an SU undergraduate, Miller earned a dual degree in social work and African American studies.

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The SU cheerleading team, Otto the Orange, and campus scenes were featured in video clips that aired on a “College Cooking” episode of Emeril Live. The SU Office of Electronic Media Communications shot the footage for the show.

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School of Information Studies professor Barbara Kwasnik received the 2001 Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award from the American Society of Information Science and Technology.

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Stuart I. Bretschneider, professor of public administration and director of the Center for Technology and Information Policy in the Maxwell School, was named the 2001 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.

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SU football defensive end Dwight Freeney ’02 piled up nearly as many post-season honors as he did sacks during the season. Freeney was a 2001 consensus All-American and a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi, and Nagurski awards, which recognize the nation’s top defensive players. He registered 17.5 sacks during the regular season to set NCAA, Big East, and SU single-season records. He also established an NCAA single-season record for total fumbles (combining forced and recovered ones), with 11.

Campus APPOINTMENTS

SU Graduate School Dean Howard C. Johnson has been named executive vice provost for academic affairs.

Johnson, a nationally known graduate administrator and scholar in the field of mathematics education, is working on portions of the University’s Academic Plan that deal with diversity, and on fund raising as it pertains to the Graduate School and the Academic Plan.

Vice Chancellor Deborah A. Freund appointed John Mercer, professor of geography in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, and associate dean of the Graduate School, as acting dean of the Graduate School.

Marlene Hall is the new director of the SU Department of Public Safety.

Hall was selected following a nationwide search that began last May.

Hall was formerly deputy chief of the LaVergne, Tennessee, Police Department and headed the Crime Prevention Division of Vanderbilt University and Medical Center in Nashville.

Steve Sartori

Adrea Jaehnig has been selected as the first director of SU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered (LGBT) Resource Center.

Jaehnig, an eight-year employee of the Office of Residence Life (ORL), served as staff advisor to PRIDE Union, an undergraduate LGBT organization, and Rainbow Alliance, an organization of LGBT ORL staff. The center, which opened last semester and serves students, faculty, and staff, is located in new facilities on Ostrom Avenue.