Hamilton-area Gardeners Learn More About Peter’s Glen tokeeffe1@colg… Mon, 11/04/2024 - 16:12 How do you remove nasty, invasive weeds that have an intricate root system that can stretch up to 70 feet?  Very patiently and deliberately, Landscape Project Manager Katy Jacobs told 30 community members who gathered at the Hamilton Public Library for an update about the Peter’s Glen project on Colgate University’s campus.  Jacobs, a landscape architect at Colgate who is leading the project, said her team had to dig 6-feet deep to remove the Japanese knotweed plaguing the hillside from Frank Dining Hall to the Dana Arts Center — the focal point of the work that began in February.  The project, made possible by a gift from Peter L. Kellner ’65, will provide an important new linkage between Upper and Middle campus and significant infrastructure improvements to better handle stormwater. It also includes heated stairs along a cascading stream, new plazas where students can gather, and more open views of the beautiful Chenango Valley. Jacobs said she is excited for campus and community members to see pathways installed and plantings begin over the next several weeks.  About 130 trees will be planted this fall, she said, in just the first phase of additions that will eventually include 500 trees, 593 shrubs, 4,562 container plants, and 1,000 bulbs. Ninety-five percent of everything planted is native to the Northeast, with a couple of exceptions for trees — the Norway spruce and London planetree — that already are on campus and thriving.   “Everyone will soon be able to get a real sense of the layout and vision for this,” Jacobs said.  What visitors won’t see is the major underground work that is such an integral component of the project. Improvements include new, larger pipes laid under the slope and subsurface chambers installed under Whitnall Field as part of the Bernstein Hall project to collect stormwater.     The work will result in improved stormwater treatment and prevent overflows that at times plagued the current system. Jacobs’ talk was organized by the Hamilton Area Gardeners’ Club and its president, Michelle Coluzzi, who said she is excited by the idea of a new place for campus and community members to walk and enjoy nature. Susan Bauman, another club member, said she learned a lot about the intricacies of the project from Jacobs, who spelled out how her team has to be extremely careful as they dig into the hillside and handle not only the existing stormwater pipes but also sanitary and telecommunications lines, some of which extend into the Village of Hamilton.  The construction team also had to install straw wattles and build soil terraces to prevent erosion after the existing trees, shrubs, and overgrowth were removed as part of the prep work. Seeing the hillside undergo such a dramatic change can be a shock, but Jacobs shared recent site photos that already show expanded views of the Chenango Valley. “We’re turning a stormwater nightmare into a beautiful landscape feature,” she said.  Landscape architects at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates designed the project, which is scheduled for completion in late 2025.Third Century News and Updates Faculty & Staff A concept rendering of what the bottom of the new campus glen will look like once complete. This view is of the area in between Ryan Studio and Dana Arts Center.

On Bias and Belonging: Suchi Reddy, Artist-in-Residence rtaurisano@col… Wed, 10/30/2024 - 15:13 Throughout this academic year, Suchi Reddy, Colgate University’s 2024–25 Christian A. Johnson Artist in Residence, is hosting a series of community conversations on bias and belonging in artificial intelligence (AI), centered on ways bias impacts our lived experience.  A New York City-based architect, designer, and artist, Reddy plans to use the information from these conversations to create a textile that will represent what people think and feel about the ideas of bias and belonging, both in their personal and communal experiences. She will use the new TC2 digital loom in Colgate’s recently opened Fabulation Lab, located in Bernstein Hall on the new Middle Campus, to create the woven artifact. The final product will be exhibited in the Clifford Gallery this spring. At the first event on Oct. 23, attendees discussed their earliest life experiences with bias and belonging. Margaretha Haughwout, associate professor of art, introduced Reddy to the students, faculty, and staff in attendance, as a “down-to-earth artist.” Reddy’s work “engages material innovation and interactive technologies in the service of expressing ideas around the power of community,” Haughwout said.  Thanks to her architectural training, Reddy has a spatial and experience-oriented approach to art. “I relate primarily through space,” she said. “I'm always thinking in terms of how our environments are not just these passive containers for us.” According to Reddy, our physical environments have a greater impact on our human experience than we may realize, being intertwined with our emotional, psychological, and cultural experiences. With this project, she endeavors to collect information about this dynamic human experience and transform it into art. Reddy is collecting more than words to inspire this project. “Even if you don’t say anything, I can see that you’re thinking about your experience,” she told the audience. “This energy will be part of the work too. What you're sending to me now will be the colors and the patterns that create this textile. So when you see it, just know that you're a part of it, even if you don't recognize yourself in it.” Reddy also hopes to understand how artificial intelligence (AI) is already integrated into our lives and what sort of biases shape our interaction with it currently. She believes our influence on AI will be either good or bad — not neutral — and we should be thoughtful about the ways we are moving forward with the technology. She hopes that AI will reflect our human-ness, eventually. “I can imagine when we don’t exist anymore and all that’s left is what we made, I would hope that it reflects us in the most complete way possible.” The series is presented by the art department and the Christian A. Johnson Foundation. The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Artist-in-Residence was established in 1986 as a challenge grant to support the arts at Colgate University. The residency program permits one or more artists to become part of the Colgate community every academic year. The conversation series continues on Nov. 14 in 207 Little Hall, from noon to1 p.m. For more information, visit cliffordgallery.org/events.Arts and Humanities Third Century Arts News and Updates Faculty & Staff Department of Art 2024-25 Christian A. Johnson Artist-in-Residence Suchi Reddy leads a conversation on the bias and belonging project she is creating at Colgate (Photo by Mark DiOrio)

Colgate Expands Relationship With Adirondack Research Consortium omiller1@colgate.edu Thu, 10/24/2024 - 16:16 Colgate University is expanding its long history of involvement with research in the Adirondacks in a new collaboration with the Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC). Colgate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies Emerita Ellen Percy Kraly and Joseph Henderson ’03, an associate professor of social sciences in the environment and society department at Paul Smith’s College, are the new co-editors of the Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies (AJES). Colgate’s Office of Information Technology Services will host the online platform for the journal, and the Environmental Studies Program will serve as the journal’s academic partner. The AJES is an interdisciplinary journal that expands understanding of Adirondacks ecology and environmental issues and informs policy — it is a project of the ARC, a network of scholars involved with research in the Adirondacks. Both AJES and ARC are 30 years old and have previously been hosted by Union College and editor Doug Klein, Kenneth B. Sharpe Professor of economics emeritus at Union. The late Bruce Selleck ’71, professor of geology at Colgate, co-edited one edition of the AJES and was a member of the ARC. When Selleck passed away in 2017, Kraly stepped in as a representative of Colgate on the ARC board. After Klein stepped down, Kraly assumed that role as well and approached Henderson — who counted Selleck among his mentors — with the opportunity to serve as co-editor. “Paul Smith’s has been a very generous host of the consortium,” Kraly says. “It’s an important institution within the Adirondacks in terms of scholarship, creativity, and education. And it’s great that Joe is a Colgate alumnus.”  The decision was easy for Henderson. “Because Bruce was my adviser, and because we shared these connections to the Adirondacks, I’ve always seen some of this work as carrying on his legacy and making sure that there’s a capacity for environmental and social research in and on the Adirondacks.” Kraly is no stranger to running a journal — from 2011 to 2014, she served as editor-in-chief of the International Migration Review, one of the world’s leading and longest-running migration journals, and she continues to serve on the editorial board. Similarly, Henderson is an editor of many publications, including Environmental Education Research, a top environmental education journal with more than a half-million annual reads and articles cited over 1,000 times each year. The AJES is special, though. Because the Adirondacks are so unique, both ecologically and politically, the area is of heightened interest, and the AJES addresses that interest in its pages.  “Ecologically speaking, the Adirondacks are a huge carbon sink,” Henderson says. “They have a ton of fresh water. They have a lot of really rare species. It’s an amazing vacation area and tourist area, and it’s going to be one of the most stable areas going forward in terms of climate change.”  According to Kraly, Adirondack-region environmental policy is a model with global significance, given its attempts to simultaneously preserve local communities and the environment. “This 6-million-acre region is protected by the New York State Constitution to be maintained ‘forever wild’ for the people of New York State,” Kraly said. “That's radical.” According to Kraly, the AJES is also noteworthy because it is “transdisciplinary, which involves understanding that we need to ground our knowledge production within communities involved in whatever issue we’re studying,” she says. “The Adirondack Research Consortium wants to make the knowledge available to — and grounded in — the region.” Along the way, the AJES and its interdisciplinary approach to environmental analysis aligns with the values of Colgate’s liberal arts education, its commitment to student research, and its Third-Century intention to deepen the rigor of its academic programs. “I would love to involve environmental studies students, creative writing students, writing and rhetoric students who might be interested in the preparation of manuscripts,” Kraly said.  The Environmental Studies Program is equally excited about the collaboration. “Faculty and students in the Environmental Studies Program have a long history of engaging with Adirondack communities and landscapes,” says Mike Loranty, program director and professor of geography. “This partnership provides new opportunities for us to further engage and share our scholarship with the Adirondack research community. We are especially grateful to Professor Kraly for working to make this happen.”Academics University Studies Faculty News Research Alumni News and Updates Alumni Environmental Studies Program

Professor Sinhaeng Lee Earns Top Honors in U.S. and International Choral Competitions sliddell@colgate.edu Tue, 10/15/2024 - 15:40 Colgate Assistant Professor of Music Sinhaeng Lee has quickly established himself as a rising star in the world of choral conducting. In 2024, Lee was named Distinguished First Runner-up at Carnegie Hall’s conducting competition and secured first prize at the Korean Federation for Choral Music Conducting Competition. These achievements build upon earlier successes — placing third at the Korean Choral Directors Association & National Chorus of Korea Conducting Competition in November 2023, where he was also the youngest prize recipient of the year.  Reflecting on these milestones, Lee is pleased to have had the opportunity to compete in Korea’s rich choral music scene, where nearly every city has its own professional choir supported by local government funding. One of the highlights was rehearsing and conducting Gioachino Rossini’s music with the National Chorus of Korea.  “This competition provided me with valuable practical experience, and I was thrilled with the outcome.” Lee’s competitive successes in Korea represent only a small part of his broader mission as a conductor and educator. His work is characterized by a research-through-conducting approach, in which he uses the practical challenges of rehearsals to inform his academic inquiries. “Every gesture has meaning and is connected to the music and the musicians,” Lee says.  “I’m constantly asking myself: What is the right gesture that fits my body? Experiencing and sharing music, especially in a choral setting, is about expressing your vulnerability through both music and emotion. How can I communicate this most effectively with my musicians?” Lee while passionately conducting one of his ensembles One of the most distinctive elements of Lee’s work is his cross-cultural approach to choral performance. Leading ensembles at Colgate, he brings together singers from diverse linguistic backgrounds, with non-native English speakers performing classical Western choral music and native English speakers taking on Korean choral pieces. Lee focuses his conducting on refining vowel sounds, which he views as essential to achieving a unified and high-quality performance, regardless of the language.  For instance, in Korean, vowel pronunciation varies depending on region and speaker. As for consonants, the ‘f’ sound doesn’t exist. To address these nuances, he has developed guidelines for choirs to navigate the inconsistencies that arise when Romanizing Korean into English. Even modifying an ‘r’ sound in American English can significantly enhance a performance. Lee’s insights into cross-linguistic performance come from his experiences in both Korea and the United States. He contrasts the two countries’ choral traditions, noting that Korean choirs prioritize technical precision, while American ensembles focus more on emotional expression. “I used to be an extremely demanding conductor, with little tolerance for mistakes in pitch or rhythm,” he admits. However, a turning point in his philosophy occurred when one of his mentors at Westminster Choir College advised him to trust the choir to correct minor mistakes.  “My mentor told me, ‘Choral music, being so deeply tied to the human voice, is close to the heart. Have faith in the choir and be gentle with them.’” Lee recalls. This advice transformed his approach, leading him to adopt a more balanced leadership style that values both high standards and empathy. At Colgate, Lee’s work goes beyond conducting performances. He is deeply invested in mentoring his students and guiding them in developing their artistic identities. “Above all, my goal is to help students recognize and appreciate good music,” Lee explains.  Lee regularly invites professional conductors and singers, often fellow liberal arts graduates, to speak with his students about their future career paths. He also leads collaborative projects where students can connect with other musicians, such as upholding the longstanding partnership between the Colgate and Hamilton College choirs. Lee with his Colgate University choir Looking forward, Lee hopes to take his students on international tours, with Korea as a primary destination. “My goal is to give students the opportunity to perform abroad while immersing them in diverse cultural experiences that will expand their artistic and personal perspectives,” he says. Lee is also preparing for a 2026 performance at Carnegie Hall, where he has been invited to conduct after his recent win. Ultimately, whether Lee is competing abroad or conducting in the Colgate classroom, his passion for choral music and dedication to his students remain the core of his work. As Lee sees it, choral music offers valuable lessons not only for musicians but for society as a whole. “Choral music teaches us something essential for society — how to truly listen to one another,” says Lee. “This mutual listening creates harmony not just in music, but in life.”Faculty Profiles News and Updates Faculty & Staff Department of MusicProfessor Sinhaeng Lee conducting his choir in Colgate Memorial Chapel

Picker Mounts Exhibition of Modern Chinese Woodcuts Donated by Former Colgate Professor nhendrickson@c… Fri, 10/11/2024 - 13:04 Outside of China, there are only four significant collections of Chinese woodcut prints from the wartime period between 1937 and 1948. They are located in Australia, Paris, London — and Colgate’s own Picker Art Gallery. Colgate’s entire collection, donated by geography professor emeritus and Peace and Conflict Studies Program founder Theodore Herman (1954–1981), is now on display for the first time.  The exhibit opened on Sept. 19, and it displays more than 200 woodcut pieces that depict the historical conflicts and social movements leading to the founding of the People’s Republic of China. “There’s a lot of good historical context, and there’s a lot to learn about that particular moment in Chinese history,” said Nicholas West, curator of the gallery and co-director of University Museums.  Woodcut printing was invented in China and served as an accessible artistic medium, “It’s usually been thought of as a medium for the masses,” West said. “The revival of woodcuts as a medium in Chinese art was specifically responding to that traditional division between ‘high art’ and ‘low art.’” Herman lived in China with his wife, Evelyn Mary Chen Shiying Herman, from 1936 to 1948. During that time, Herman befriended many woodcut artists, and they gave him pieces to show in the United States after he left China due to the difficult political climate.  “[There was] a lot of anti-communist sentiment then, and it was actually quite dangerous to be associated with China or any of the communist powers,” West said. “So eventually he ended up working here as a geography professor at Colgate. When he was trying to figure out what to do with these prints, he decided to donate them to Picker.” Leslie Ann Eliet, curator of the exhibit, was working as a director’s secretary and registrar for the Picker Gallery in 1980 when she received the prints and began working on inventorying the collection. As a printmaker herself, Eliet was familiar with the medium and conducted her own research on the collection — she even traveled to China to interview a few of the surviving artists. Years later, Eliet presented the idea of an exhibition.  “I knew that this had never been seen in its entirety in the United States, and I had done a lot of research and kept up with some of the artists,” Eliet said. “I had been working on this for a long time and met with Nick to present him with this idea. And, finally, it came to fruition.” Outside of the historical aspect of the collection, there’s a lot to be learned from the medium itself. “These images are really accessible,” West said. “You’re going to come into the exhibition and understand what’s going on with these images. They are expressive, they are emotive, and they are really quite narrative.”Arts Picker Art Gallery News and Updates Faculty & Staff picker art gallery museums and galleries Opening the exhibition War, Revolution, and the Heart of China on Sept. 19. (Photo by Andrew Daddio)

Rev. Corey MacPherson, Recently Enlisted Army Reserve Chaplain nhendrickson@c… Wed, 10/09/2024 - 16:08 University Chaplain and Protestant Campus Minister Corey MacPherson completed three months of arduous training at Fort Jackson in the humidity of South Carolina last summer to become a U.S. Army Reserve chaplain. MacPherson has been assigned to the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion in Syracuse, N.Y., where he provides spiritual support and counseling services to soldiers and their families. Additionally, MacPherson participates in monthly battle assemblies to continue training in preparation for the unlikely case that the unit should be deployed. MacPherson initially felt drawn to serve when he heard of the suicide rate in the Army: there have been more than 30,000 suicides among active military personnel and veterans since 2001 — versus approximately 7,000 combat deaths — according to a study by Brown University. “There’s just tremendous need,” MacPherson said. “I thought, ‘If I can help, I’m willing to help.’”  The main duty of military chaplains is to offer emotional and spiritual support to soldiers and their families, or in the words of the corps, “to nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.” Chaplains are also the only confidential resource in the Army, allowing soldiers to share without worry of damage to their careers. MacPherson felt his experience at Colgate aided him in his training and in helping newer chaplains. Chaplains serve a variety of religions, and it can be hard for some to separate from their own spiritual traditions. “I felt like I had something to contribute in helping pastors understand that there’s a difference between a pastor and chaplain, which I think some really struggle with,” MacPherson said.  Training to become a chaplain also involves intense physical preparation, something MacPherson was surprised to learn. Chaplains are required to complete full army training so that they can be prepared in the case that their unit is deployed. “Chaplains are embedded with their units wherever they go,” MacPherson said. “So I fully agree and understand the need for physical readiness because the last thing I’d want to do is to slow a unit down.” The intensity of training resulted in a spiritual challenge for MacPherson. “It must have been four or five weeks in, and I was truly miserable, praying to God saying, ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this — I just wanted to help. I shouldn’t have to go through all this just to help, right?’” MacPherson said. But his perspective changed when he was with a few hundred young recruits one morning and reflected on the weight of their sacrifices. “It occurred to me while I was sitting there that those kids are there so my kids don’t have to be — because those kids are there, Colgate students don’t have to be,” MacPherson said. “So, in that moment, something in me shifted, and I felt like I had a responsibility to finish my training and to do all that I can to care for and support soldiers, veterans, and their families.”Campus Life News and Updates Faculty & Staff veterans University Chaplain and Protestant Campus Minister Corey MacPherson