A PULITZER FOR ELLIS Joseph Ellis, Ford Foundation Professor of History, won the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (Knopf, 2000). The Pulitzer Prize is one of this country's most prestigious awards and sought-after accolades in journalism, letters, and music. RADIO CITY John O. Fox, longtime tax attorney and a visiting professor who has taught the course Taxation and the Values of Democracy at MHC for the past fifteen years, took to the airwaves to talk about his new book, If Americans Really Understood the Income Tax: Uncovering Our Most Expensive Ignorance. Starting with an appearance on Fox News March 23, Fox did nearly twenty-five radio interviews by mid-April on talk shows spanning the nation. Listeners from Boston to San Francisco and in between all had a chance to hear Fox discuss his ideas about making the federal income tax system fairer, easier to use, and more economically sound. SEEING SCIENCE THROUGH THE TREES An article by Shannon L. LaDeau, '97 titled "Rising CO2 Levels and the Fecundity of Forest Trees" appeared in the April 6 issue of Science. TATUM HONORED TO A GREAT DEGREE Beverly Daniel Tatum, dean of the College and an expert on race relations, addressed the graduates of Wheelock College during commencement exercises May 11. Tatum was one of five individuals receiving honorary degrees at Wheelock's 113th commencement.

Susan Sontag on Campus April 12

Susan Sontag, distinguished novelist, essayist, and critic, read from works in progress and her novel In America, winner of the 2000 National Book Award, April 12 in Gamble Auditorium. A discussion and book signing followed the talk, which was sponsored by the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Office of the President. This event was part of the Mary Lyon Lecture Series. While on campus, Sontag conducted a seminar for students and discussed her recent work with faculty members who were participating in the seminar Writing beyond the Academy.

Awards for Decatur, Fink, Gill, Peterson

Four MHC faculty members received awards April 24, two for outstanding teaching and two for excellence in scholarship, at the traditional spring gathering celebrating the faculty's accomplishments as scholars and artists. Sean Decatur, newly promoted to associate professor of chemistry, and Indira Peterson, professor of Asian studies, received the Meribeth E. Cameron Faculty Prize for Scholarship. Rachel Fink, associate professor of biological sciences, and Penny Gill, Mary Lyon Professor of the Humanities and professor of politics, received the Mount Holyoke College Faculty Prize for Teaching. The four professors were given citations and checks for $2,500 and gave short talks at the ceremony.

Good Person of Setzuan Staged

Fifty years after the 1951 MHC performance of The Good Woman of Setzuan, history was repeated with an anniversary production of the play by Bertolt Brecht. Holger Teschke, a leading interpreter of Brecht and Five College Distinguished Visiting Professor of Theatre Arts, directed The Good Woman of Setzuan (the title being used for this production), which opened April 19 at Rooke Theatre.

Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction Conference Held at MHC

Weapons of mass destruction--most of us try not to think about them, such is the enormity of our fear. Just hearing the phrase conjures up images of mushroom-shaped clouds, nuclear winter, and plagues born of biological warfare. To prevent the catastrophes technology has given us the tools to create, leading international scholars are thinking about these weapons, and some of the best in the field gathered at MHC April 27-29 for Weapons of Mass Destruction: Diverse Ethical Perspectives, a conference focusing on the ethics of developing and disseminating nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

A New Visual Identity Program for MHC

As part of the College's new integrated communications initiative, it was announced in April that Mount Holyoke would roll out a new visual identity in early May. Said Patricia VandenBerg, executive director of communications and strategic initiatives, "We wanted MHC to have a logo that would be immediately recognizable--one that people would associate with the quality and value of the institution, and one that would convey that the College is both venerable and state-of-the-art. Now, after a rigorous process of development and testing, we have it."

Goldwater Scholarships Won

(L to R) Goldwater winners Callan Ordoyne '03, Margaret K. Trias '03, and Elizabeth H. Burrows '02.

Thanks to their stellar achievements in mathematics and science, three MHC students--with interests ranging from spiders to wetlands--struck gold, Goldwater that is. Elizabeth H. Burrows '02, a double major in mathematics and environmental studies; Callan Ordoyne '03, a biological sciences major; and Margaret K. Trias '03, a physics major, won prestigious Goldwater Scholarships, which are designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The scholarship program, which honors Senator Barry M. Goldwater, is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

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