All Bets Are On!
The Activities Committee is sponsoring a summer bus trip to
Foxwoods Casino on Sunday, August 15, 2010. There will
only be one bus, so please reserve early if you wish to go.
We will depart Smith at 8:00 a.m., and depart from Foxwoods
at 4:00 p.m. The bus is handicapped accessible.
The cost is $25 per person, and perks include a $10 food
court voucher and $15 in free Keno play.
Please send an email to staffactivities@smith.edu to confirm your attendance. Checks (made out to Smith College)
should be sent to Maddy Neely, Program Assistant, Development Office, 33 Elm Street, by Thursday, July 22.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, including actual artifacts
recovered from the Titanic, is currently on display at the casino (requires separate admission fee).
Council members at the June 6 meeting. Seated left to right: Linda Cristoforo, Ana Gorman, Katie Fitzgerald, Tony Jones. Second row: Barbara Pliska, Mary
Clayton, Kim Alston, Lou Bouley, Jinny Mason, Kelly Richey, Maddy Neely, Steve Davis. Back row: Liane Hartman, Donna Gingras, Donna Safford, Deedee
Cleveland, Ashavan Doyon, Sam Rush, Wendy Martinez, Danielle Smith.
The 2010 Creative Gallery
Naomi Sturtevant (Class Deans Office) has contributed
a colorful watercolor painting of daffodils and hyacinths
to the online Creative Gallery.
Naomi writes, "The delicate beauty of daffodils lights up
my garden with their intensely saturated hues. The hyacinths’ scented spikes of cobalt blue edged in white
provide a powerful impact to celebrate the joyous first
days of spring. The enticing colors of the daffodils contrast dramatically with the bold beauty of the grape hyacinths.”
Do you have some examples of your creative pursuits
that you would like to share with the Smith community?
Did you take an interesting photo on vacation or a cool
picture of your pet? Why not add it to the gallery? Visit
www.smith.edu/staffcouncil/10 for more information.
Watercolor by Naomi Sturtevant: “Daffodils”
Carolyn Jacobs Stills the Waters
Council News
Over the next year, The Staff Council Chronicle will feature articles on
members of Smith College’s senior staff.
NEW STAFF COUNCIL UNDERWAY
The 2010-11 Staff Council includes members from over twenty
college departments. Officers were elected at the June 3
meeting. Ana Gorman (Office of General Counsel) will serve
as Chair, Ashavan Doyon (Student Affairs) as Vice-chair,
Laura Cristoforo (Office of Registrar) as Secretary, and
Donna Safford (Admission) as Treasurer. Chairs for the six
council committees will be elected at upcoming meetings
throughout the summer. To see a full roster of members, visit
the Staff Council Web site: www.smith.edu/staffcouncil.
Carolyn Jacobs has an affirming but
peaceful presence. As dean of the
renowned School for Social Work
since 2003, Dr. Jacobs oversees the
advanced degree and certificate
programs (no undergraduate programs are offered) and is fortified by
a hidden inner strength. By traveling
the world, she has increased her
capacity for creative thinking, visionary planning and personal development. During a sabbatical she visited
Ghana and remembered finding her
place “in the community in the collective.” Liberation that comes from not worrying about what one cannot control helped her cultivate a sacred place within herself and embrace the African concept “I am because we are.”
Born in Sacramento, California, she joined Smith thirty years ago as a
faculty member and still demonstrates a passion for instruction. Fittingly, she teaches the “Contemplative Clinical Practice: An Advanced
Certificate Program in Spirituality and Social Work Practice.” Clinical
social work, she explains, draws on many disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, biology, and economics, as well as political, cultural
and self identity theories. Clinical social work practice is concerned
with the interdependence between individuals and the environments
and the use of relationships to promote healing, growth and empowerment. Her vision for the School is to continue educating students to
meet the needs of those suffering from trauma borne of war, natural
disasters, genocide, racism, community and domestic violence. She
envisions more attention to international social work and advising the
local community on issues such as bullying. She believes that
“change is a chance to grow and develop in ways that are unexpected,” and an opportunity “to still the waters within me.”
School for Social Work Facts
• Established in 1918
• Founded to provide mental health services to traumatized
WWI veterans
• Operates on a separate budget from Smith, but relies on the
college’s services
• 40 full time staff/faculty and over two hundred adjunct summer faculty, research, community project, and field advisors
• 400 students and nearly 5,000 alumni
• Busiest time is in the summer—students complete two semesters’ work in ten weeks
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
Did you know that this is the 64th issue of the Staff Council
Chronicle? The first issue was published in March 1993. All
past issues are available in PDF format on the Staff Council
Web site. With this issue we say goodbye to Angela Tosca
(Development), who has served as co-editor since February
2009. Angela will be leaving The Chronicle to spend more time
on her studies as an Ada Comstock Scholar. Thank you,
Angela, for all you have done, and good luck with your studies!
Please join us in welcoming Contributing Editor Kim Alston
(Religious Life) to The Chronicle staff.
STAFF BARBECUE A BIG HIT
This year’s Staff Barbecue could be considered the most successful barbecue in recent history. Staff Council planned for
300 employees attending, but more than 500 showed up at
Lamont House to feast on potato salad, burgers, salad, ice
cream bars, watermelon, and more. Luckily the rain held off
and employees were able to take advantage of a great time
together. Staff Council sends kudos to former Activities Committee Chair Scott Morin (Office of the Controller) and members of the committee for their excellent planning and attention
to detail. Also, special thanks to President Christ who reimbursed Staff Council for the extra costs associated with the
larger crowd. Next year, Staff Council is considering holding
the event on Chapin Lawn.
GET INVOLVED WITH STAFF COUNCIL
All staff are welcome to attend meetings or serve as a nonvoting member on a committee. Check the Staff Council Web
site for information on meeting times, locations, and minutes
from past Council meetings at www.smith.edu/staffcouncil.
Please deliver to:
The Chronicle Monthly is funded by the Smith College
Staff Council and is published by and for Smith College
staff. Staff Council encourages submission of photos,
announcements, and event listings for publication in
this newsletter and/or online. Staff Council and the
editorial staff reserve the right to edit submitted material for purposes of clarity or length. All rights reserved.
Managing Editor: Chris Gentes cgentes@smith.edu ext. 2600
Contributing Editor: Kim Alston kalston@smith.edu ext. 2753
Creative Advisor: Ken Molnar
Proofreaders: Carla Cooke, Marti Hobbes, Mimi Lempart
Alumnae Gymnasium Illustration: Chris Gentes
If you would like to join the 18% of your co-workers who have opted out of receiving a printed version of this newsletter, and receive future issues of the Chronicle
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