In Brief

College Gets Peace Corps Recruiter
Graduate student Joseph Lanning ’00 is looking for a few good volunteers. As the Peace Corps regional recruiter at the Career Center—a first at the College—Lanning counsels students who are considering a Peace Corps experience and handles the first round of interviews for prospective volunteers. He also travels to other colleges in western New York to make the case for committing time to the 43-year-old service organization.

Dees Delivers MLK Talk
Celebrated civil rights lawyer Morris Dees urged University students, faculty, and staff to renew their commitment to the lessons of tolerance taught by Martin Luther King Jr.—especially in light of September 11—as the guest speaker for the MLK Commemorative Address last January. Dees, best known for his legal victories against white supremacist groups, cofounded the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit group that specializes in lawsuits involving civil rights violations.

Financial Times Taps Simon School Again
For the fifth straight year, the Financial Times of London has ranked the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration among the world’s top 100 business schools. The Simon School was ranked No. 38 in the world and No. 25 in the United States. The influential British newspaper also ranked the school No. 3 in the world for finance and for economics.

Warner Study: Adding Up Math Success
If teachers, parents, and community members are to be resources to help students gain a deeper appreciation for mathematics, they should have a well-grounded understanding of the subject themselves. That’s the premise of an ongoing mathematics education project at the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development that received a boost last fall from the National Science Foundation. Headed by Judith Fonzi, director of the Warner Center for Professional Development and Education Reform, the project includes teachers and administrators from Rochester-area school districts and educational service agencies.

English Participates in National Education Study
The Department of English has been selected to participate in a multiyear research project aimed at improving doctoral education in the United States. In the study, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, participants will analyze their existing graduate programs, design and evaluate new programs for their discipline, and share their findings.

Eastman Theatre Stage Renovation Announced
The stage of the Eastman Theatre will get a dramatic “facelift” in the first phase of a historically sensitive renovation to the opulent, 81-year-old former movie house in downtown Rochester. The $4 million to $5 million project is intended to improve the stage to enhance the experience for performers and audiences alike. Once completed in September 2004, the stage will include a new custom shell; a new, sprung wooden floor that accommodates dance as well as music; a greatly improved orchestra pit; new and sophisticated rigging; and improved stage lighting.