Ann Stull earns 2007 Town-Gown Award

Ann Stull, general merchandise buyer for the Whitman Bookstore, will tell you that “we can never do it all on our own.” The Whitman family and countless community organizations will tell you that they couldn’t have done it all without Stull.

Stull’s volunteer efforts span the better part of two decades, including 17 years on the board of directors of the Carnegie Art Center. For her service, she received the Whitman College Town-Gown Award for 2007 in a ceremony last week at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

Whitman established the Town-Gown Award to underscore the importance the college puts on community service and positive community relations. The award is given annually to a Whitman faculty or staff member whose service to the Walla Walla community is longstanding and significant.

Stull’s efforts also include eight years on the board of directors of the YWCA. She continues to serve on the Parks and Recreation Board.

This year’s Town-Gown Award was presented in memory of Sandy Kimball, longtime textbook buyer at Whitman, who died this past April. Kimball and Stull worked together from 1998, when Stull joined the college’s staff.

Fond farewell:
JoAnn Collins retires from Whitman

Former Executive Assistant to the President JoAnn Collins, who retired from Whitman College on Oct. 31 after 20 years of service, will dearly miss “the daily connection with some wonderful people” but is thrilled to be opening “huge double doors to a whole new world to explore.”

Collins, who served under four presidents at the college, noted at her retirement party that she was “a mountain girl,” and one of the first orders of business in her new life is to set a date for her and her husband, Larry, to visit Wallowa Lake Lodge. Their stay is a retirement gift from the college. “Larry and I were married at the lake and had our reception at the lodge, so it will be fun to revisit,” Collins said.

The mountains of eastern Oregon were Collins’ playground as a child. She was born in Heppner; her father was a logger who worked in several towns where timber was king. “I lived mostly in Elgin,” Collins said, “and graduated from Elgin High School in 1963.”

She and her husband have seven grown children between them, and Collins imagines that “we will be very busy staying connected with all of them.” Her grandchildren - Karissa, 7; Kole, 5; and Ireland, 2 - also will enjoy much of their attention. Collins also has promised her husband that she will go fishing with him “on occasion.”

“I am going to work in a wine-tasting room a couple of days a week in addition to doing some volunteer work,” she said. “I might try my hand at golf next spring.”

None of this will prevent Collins from staying connected to Whitman, however. Already on her calendar are weekly lunches “for months to come” with close friends from the college community.

Collins said she’ll miss “the daily walk through the gorgeous campus to Memorial Building” and “the hustle and bustle of students rushing to classes.” What always will remain is “the pride I felt in being a part of such a great institution” and “the honor of working in the President’s Office.”

Whitman on their mind:
Visitors’ Day a big draw for students, parents

An estimated 300 prospective Whitman students and their families came to campus Friday for the college’s second Fall Visitors’ Day hosted by the Office of Admission. A complimentary continental breakfast kicked off a daylong schedule of events, including welcoming addresses by Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lori Bettison-Varga and Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly.

Both Bettison-Varga and Dyerly offered glimpses of the “Whitman Experience.” Sharon Alker, assistant professor of English and general studies, followed with a summary of the college’s curriculum and general studies program.

The rest of the morning was devoted to class visits (students only), campus tours led by Whitman students and various discussion sessions. Susan Holme-Brick, director of international programs, led a session about Whitman’s foreign and domestic off-campus study programs. Sean Gehrke, associate director of residence life and housing, and members of the Residence Life staff discussed the college’s residence hall experience. Dyerly talked about Whitman’s application and admission process.

After lunch, visitors met with Athletic Director Dean Snider, toured Harper Joy Theatre with Professor of Theatre Nancy Simon and visited the college’s 11 Interest Houses. Various faculty and students also presented overviews of Whitman’s special programs. Andrés Dankel-Ibáñez, assistant director of the Intercultural Center, offered an overview of student clubs and the center. Performances by student groups The Testostertones, Sirens of Swank and Schwa capped the day in Maxey Hall Auditorium.

Salman Rushdie packs Cordiner to capacity

Author Salman Rushdie’s talk on “Culture Wars and the Importance of Free Speech” Wednesday night at Whitman drew an appreciative audience to an overflowing Cordiner Hall.

More than 1,400 students, faculty, staff and area residents filled Cordiner to capacity to hear Rushdie. Assistant Professor of English Gaurav Majumdar acknowledged the stature of the speaker and the anticipation in the moment in his introduction: “I realize that this introduction is both unnecessary and, considering Mr. Rushdie’s achievements, inadequate,” Majumdar said.

Those achievements include many award-winning books, from “Midnight’s Children” (1981) to Rushdie’s latest book, “Shalimar the Clown.” Rushdie is the recipient of the Booker Prize for Fiction, the Whitbread Novel Award and the Writer’s Guild Award, among others. He currently serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emory University in Georgia.

Rushdie’s talk dealt with the much-publicized fatwa issued against him by Iranian leadership in 1989, prompted by perceived “blasphemy” against Islam in his fourth novel, “The Satanic Verses.” The strong reaction to the book led to riots and the murder of its Japanese translator.

Rushdie drew from his own experience with censorship to discuss the necessity of free speech, contentious or sympathetic. He also spoke about religion and migration in a talk that stretched beyond an hour.

“It's nice to talk to someone who isn’t caught up in the kind of (politically correct) culture that’s going on at the moment,” Whitman student Allison Armstrong ’10 told a reporter for The East Oregonian. “(Rushdie) just basically said people need to be more thick-skinned.”

Rushdie received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd. He then answered questions on topics ranging from his recent knighthood to Columbia University’s hosting of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in September.

Rushdie’s speech was sponsored by ASWC, the Intercultural Center and the President’s Office. Prior to the event, the author dined with a handful of Whitman students and professors at Sherwood House.
- Katie Combs ’08

Staff profile: Rachna Sinnott ’93
Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations

Department: Development
Birthplace: Newton, Mass.
Education: B.A., Whitman College; Ph.D., Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Years at Whitman: 1
Favorite arts: Books about travel or foreign countries (particularly India); modern art from the turn of the 20th century (Matisse, Picasso); foreign and suspense films.
Favorite sculpture on campus: “Fountain of Vibrant Waters” (George Tsutakawa). It’s very peaceful there (except for the flying Frisbees!). I love to have lunch next to the fountain when the weather is nice.
Best travel experience: Italy, experiencing the small towns as a local would. The best part was the food - at a village restaurant with local hosts.
Interests: Travel, food, coffee, interior design, reading, walking around town, playing with my kids.
Recent accomplishment: My husband Damien and I had a baby girl (Shaila) in August.
What people don’t know about me: In graduate school, I worked with four rhesus monkeys: Edgar, Junior, Popps and Ernie. Also, I can hit a softball surprisingly far for a person of my size.
A day on the job: My job is to help faculty and the college apply for grants. A typical day involves writing or editing a proposal, researching grant opportunities and meeting with faculty to talk about applying for grants for their research.
Favorite aspect of Whitman: People here understand how to balance work and a personal life.
What I’ve learned here: I’m glad to have returned to a vibrant college campus and to my liberal arts roots. Working with professors from a variety of departments has allowed me to learn about topics that span the academic spectrum. This is a welcome change from my graduate work.
Quote: “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

All events are free unless otherwise indicated.

Monday, Nov. 12
Concert: The Whitman Jazz Nonet performs its annual fall concert. Conducted by Professor of Music David Glenn. 7:30 p.m., Chism Recital Hall, Hall of Music.

Monday, Nov. 12
Discussion: Assistant Professor of Religion Melissa Wilcox leads a gender studies research discussion. 7:30 p.m., Olin Hall Faculty Lounge. Contact Wilcox at wilcoxmm@whitman.edu or x5247 for copies of the working papers that will be discussed.

Tuesday, Nov. 13
Comedy: Campus Activities Board presents six finalists in the Seattle Comedy Competition. Reid Campus Center Ballroom. Time TBA. For more information, contact Phil Lundquist: lundqupa@whitman.edu.

Tuesday, Nov. 13
Concert: The Whitman Wind Ensemble performs its fall concert. Conducted by Peter Crawford. 7:30 p.m., Cordiner Hall.

Thursday, Nov. 15
Film: French-Language Film Series presents “Paris, je t’aime/ Paris, I Love You.” 7 p.m., Olin 130.

Thursday, Nov. 15
Lecture: The Archeological Institute of America presents “Paris, Menelaos and Helen: Reflections of the Saga in Etruscan Mirrors” by Professor of Art History Ili Nagy of the University of Puget Sound. 8 p.m., Kimball Theatre, Hunter Conservatory.

The Fountain is published by the Office of Communications. Send news to Editor Lenel Parish at thefountain@whitman.edu. Photos are accepted. Submissions are due by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for the following week's issue. Editorial Assistant: Marcy Manker ’10. Managing editor: Lana Brown. Director of Communications: Ruth Wardwell. Online: www.whitman.edu/fountain