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March/April 2008Welcome to the March/April 2008 issue of the Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA) e-newsletter, the Extension Chord. In this issue, you will find a profile of June Beisch, ALB ’86 and ALM ’91, news from the Extension School, information on the new “Invite a Student to Dinner” program, details on upcoming events, and links to useful Harvard University and Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) websites. As always, we welcome your ideas and suggestions for the Chord and the HEAA. Questions and comments may be sent to Grace Scheibner, HEAA president, at grace_scheibner@harvard.edu. We look forward to hearing from you! Grace Scheibner, ALB ’90 Karen Droisen, In This Issue
Profile: June Beisch, ALB ’86 and ALM ’91
On a snowy afternoon, June Beisch arrived at the Harvard Faculty Club breathless, flashing a beautiful smile, her eyes full of life. Almost immediately, she began to speak of her passion for poetry and literature and how her experiences at Harvard Extension School changed her. We discussed her years in New York as an actress, her extensive travels, and her work as an interviewer for WGBH Radio, where she met and interviewed writers such as John Cheever and Joan Didion. She spoke briefly of the impressive sales of her new book of poems, Fatherless Woman, which won the Cape Cod Literary Press Award, and she detailed the events that led to her becoming a published writer and teacher. Please describe your background. I left the University of Minnesota early because I wanted to try the New York acting scene. I spent 10 years there studying with actors Uta Hagen and Bill Hickey, but found myself working at various jobs, such as editing at Newsweek and working in the garment district. I met my husband, Charles, at an advertising party and we married, eventually moving to England for five years with our two children before returning to the States in 1974. We settled in northern California, and I enrolled in a journalism course for a mere $9 at the College of Marin, where I learned how to write a news story and how to do a lead. Due in part to my theater experience, I began writing for newspapers in San Francisco and Marin County covering the local theater performances. In 1976, we moved to Boston because of a career change and bought an old farmhouse on four acres in the town of Concord. I loved it, but found myself a bit lonely in the new place, so I began writing book reviews for The Boston Globe. Still, with the children away at school, I felt adrift and restless and decided to go to graduate school. The Harvard Extension School courses represented a turning point in my life, as did my discovery of poetry. In 1983, I attended a Wesleyan Writers’ Conference and sat in on a poetry workshop. I was struck by the emotion in the room and the effect of beautiful language spoken quietly aloud. Several of us were moved to tears by the poems that were read aloud, and I was amazed at how much power language could have! It seemed that within a short space and with a few words, one could achieve so much more than with prose. I had found that, with fiction, I was always searching for something more challenging to read, but I was never satisfied. I determined then that I would stop writing journalism and begin to study poetry. So, my discovery of poetry led me to turn to graduate school and to more intellectual pursuits. I applied to the Harvard Extension School because it was right in Harvard Square, and it was reasonably priced; at the time, a course was $150. Please describe your experiences at the Extension School. It was not easy! My first class was taught by Hugo Bedau, a philosophy professor at Tufts University, and I was not used to reading so intently and for such long periods of time. I received a miserable grade of C in his philosophy course, but I did not give up and enrolled in Sue Schopf’s Victorian Poetry and Prose. It was an absolute breakthrough for me, and I loved every minute of it. We were reading really terrific essays from great writers such as John Henry Newman, John Stuart Mill, and Matthew Arnold; Arnold’s writings on culture, perfectability, and reverence for the Greeks had a tremendous effect upon me. From there we went on to study Charles Darwin and Carl Linnaeus. The course was incredibly stimulating, and it made me want to learn more and more. Sue Schopf has an extraordinary persona, and the students were very relaxed in her class and talking with one another. She was tough, too, which was good, but she was also really bringing people together, and this was important in the New England atmosphere. After that, I enrolled in all of her courses. The courses I took from Joel Porte, former literature professor and chair of the Harvard English Department, really turned me onto poetry and American literature. After that, I began to visit the Houghton Library to read Emily Dickinson’s original poems. It was a heart-stopping experience at times to see that handwriting and read those lovely words. Because of Porte, I became an Emersonian, too, and this was quite fortuitous since I was living in Concord. Several Extension School courses outside of my concentration also proved to be defining moments for me. I took a class on democracy from Debra Winthrop, and I can honestly say that in that course I learned how to become a good citizen. Before that, I had little knowledge on how our government worked! My religion courses with Paul Hanson were also eye-openers, and I discovered that one could be a Catholic and agree with the Church spiritually and intellectually without agreeing with it politically. I loved reading the Bible as literature rather than as dogma. What was your field of concentration at Extension? I was an English and American literature major, and after graduating with an ALM degree, I had offers to teach, first at Mass Bay Community College, and then at Emerson College. I loved the teaching experience and spent too many long hours preparing lectures. Throughout this time, I continued to write, publishing works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. My interviews with writers, including Seamus Heaney, were often published in books and newspapers. My essay, “The Wolf,” was named a Notable Essay of 1998 by Robert Atwan. In that essay, I reflected on the various movements in the 1960s that had affected me, including the feminist movement, the anti-war movement, the free speech movement, and the civil rights movement. But in the end, my writing was always turning toward poetry, which describes, as former Maine Poet Laureate Baron Wormser says, “the very thrill of being alive.” I was living, eating, and breathing poetry, and I turned away from journalism and essays because I was “waylaid by beauty.” My poems were being published, and Garrison Keillor took several for his radio program, “A Prairie Home Companion.” I won the Cape Cod Literary Award for my book, Fatherless Woman, and now I teach poetry workshops at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and at Castle Hill in Truro, Massachusetts. Looking back now, the Harvard Extension School was always like a big happy family, and I confess that the graduation days were bittersweet. One could not have asked more from a graduate school than to be affordable and accessible to all, as well as to encourage people to socialize with each other. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Harvard Extension; it literally changed my life. Editor’s note: June Beisch’s book, Fatherless Woman, is available at the Harvard Coop and the Harvard Bookstore. Alumni NewsWe would love to hear from you, so please sign up and share your news with the Extension School community. It’s a great way to connect with classmates and network! To add your own class note, register and log in at Post.Harvard. Once you have logged in, select “Alumni Notes” in the upper left column, then “Add a Note” at the top of the page. Stephen Kovach, ALB ’06, recently accepted a position as vice president at Affinnova in Waltham, Mass. According to Stephen, “Affinnova’s patented technology, which was developed at MIT, utilizes genetic evolutionary algorithms in order to deliver the top two percent of concepts for all consumer products and services, political campaigns, and financial services organizations.” Best of luck in your new position, Stephen! Nina Bejanichvili, CAS ’01, and Jay Vicory are happy to announce they were married on July 3, 2007, in Plymouth, Mass. They currently reside in Somerville, Mass. Congratulations, Nina and Jay! Santiago (Creuheras Diaz) Creuheras, ALM ’00, ALM ’01, and CSS ’01, recently accepted a position as the Office of Labor Training director general at the Labor and Social Prevention Secretariat in Mexico City. Santiago was recently employed at Federal Elections Institute as a Civil Service Program coordinator. On December 11, 2007, Santiago and Carola Barcena’s baby boy, Jaume Creuheras, was born in San Diego. Congratulations on all of the good news, Santiago! News from 51 Brattle StreetHEAA scores again cheering hockey team to victoryWhat is it about Harvard Extension Alumni and Crimson Athletic events? It seems as though Harvard teams just cannot lose when Extension Alumni have a presence at their games.
And so it was on Friday, February 15 when 45 alumni, family and friends watched as the No. 20 Harvard Crimson Men’s Ice Hockey squad defeated the No. 17 Princeton Tigers 3-2 in a hard fought Ivy League and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) contest. With their 10th win of the season, Harvard momentarily prevented Princeton from clinching its first-ever Ivy League Championship. (The Tigers defeated Dartmouth the following night to secure the title.) The Harvard-Princeton game, of course, brought to mind the November HEAA tailgate event when the Crimson football team crushed the Yale Bulldogs in the final game of the 2007 season, winning the Ivy League title and spoiling the Bulldogs chance for an undefeated season. The HEAA cheering section at Bright Hockey Center was treated to an intense battle of two teams refusing to give into each other. After a scoreless first period, Crimson forward Doug Rogers scored the first goal of the game on a power play early in the second period. Harvard then committed five straight costly penalities, enabling Princeton to capitalize on their own power plays and tie the score 1-1 under a two man advantage.
It was Doug Rogers’s night to shine as he scored again twice early in the third period, giving Harvard the lead for good and getting a hat trick for the game. For his feat, Rogers was later named ECAC Player of the Week. Princeton stepped up the intensity from that point on, but the damage had already been done. The Tigers managed one more goal early in the third period, but the Crimson defense was able to stave off the Tigers offensive attacks for the rest of the period to hold onto the victory. Sharply decked out in their exclusive Harvard/HEAA Hockey scarves, the alumni group enjoyed an exciting game and a fun Friday evening. And with a four-game winning streak to their credit (two consecutive football and hockey games), the athletic department may want to recruit them for more events! — Steve Gallagan, CSS ’00 Blues course honors backbone of American music
This spring, the evolution of the blues is being explored again in the Harvard Extension School course, MUSI E-139 A History of Blues in America, with historian and B. B. King biographer Charles Sawyer. Students, both on-campus and online, benefit from Sawyer’s extensive musical knowledge and passion for the blues as they examine the history of the music in the context of social changes that allowed “race” music to enter the mainstream and permanently and profoundly change popular music. Read the Extension School news article on A History of Blues in America and learn more about the unique topics and blues artists studied in the course. Life sciences curriculum evolvesThis year, students in the life sciences at Harvard Extension School have been able to choose from an increasing array of courses offered within the biology and biochemistry curriculum. “By significantly broadening the range of topics offered at the Extension School, we will better serve our diverse population of students in the life sciences,” says Cheryl Vaughan, director of the master’s program in biotechnology and research advisor in biology for the graduate liberal arts program, as well as lecturer on molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University. “These new courses highlight the interfaces that are developing within the vast domain of biology. They also represent the growth of an interdisciplinary curriculum between biology, chemistry, environmental management, and, in the near future, computer science.” Read the Extension School news article on the life sciences curriculum and view a list of the new spring course offerings. HAA NewsJoin a Shared Interest GroupThe Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) encourages participation in Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)—defined as any collection of Harvard University alumni who actively engage in communicating or gathering around a central unifying purpose, mission, background, or activity beyond class affiliation or regional proximity. The HAA considers SIGs a critical part of what connects so many alumni with each other and Harvard. Therefore, as an implicit component of its mission to promote the welfare of Harvard University and to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the University and its alumni, the HAA encourages such peer-to-peer interaction and, with the provisions delineated below, formally supports the existence of SIGs in addition to its ongoing support of the regional Harvard Clubs. The following are approved HAA SIGs. For more information, see Currently Approved SIGs on Post.Harvard.
If none of these SIGs appeals to you, and you would like to establish a new one, please review the HAA Shared Interest Group Policy and follow the procedure it details. Questions? Please contact Rachel Lamson at rachel_lamson@harvard.edu or by calling (800) 654-6494. “Invite a Student to Dinner” Program — New!As an alumnus/a of the Harvard Extension School, you are an invaluable asset for our students. We invite you to join our new program, “Invite a Student to Dinner.” We are looking for alumni who would like to reconnect with the Extension School by inviting a graduating Extension student to dinner. As host, you can choose a local restaurant or invite the student to your home. You may invite one or more students at a time—it is entirely up to you. While we expect the dinners to be primarily social events, our students will be eager to hear your professional insights and accomplishments. We will make every effort to match you with a student (or students) whose interests align with yours. Alumni dinner hosts will receive special recognition in the Alumni Bulletin, Extension Chord, and on the HEAA website. Dinner photos are welcome and may be used (with your permission) in our online and print publications. The cost of the dinner (whether it is pizza, filet mignon, or something in between) is considered a gift-in-kind to Harvard Extension School and is completely tax deductible. If you would like to host an “Invite a Student to Dinner” event or if you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Alumni Relations Chair Michele Blanc, CM ’07, at michele_blanc@harvard.edu. Call for HEAA Committee VolunteersAlumni interested in serving on an HEAA committee (Events, Alumni Relations, or Communications) should contact Grace Scheibner at grace_scheibner@harvard.edu. Upcoming Career WorkshopsThroughout the year, Harvard Extension School’s Career and Academic Resource Center (CARC) offers more than 60 free academic, graduate school, and career workshops for students and alumni. Harvard’s Bureau of Study Counsel (BSC) and Office of Career Services (OCS) sponsor many of the workshops, which meet for just under two hours (unless otherwise noted) in the afternoons and evenings at 51 Brattle Street. Upcoming workshops will focus on basic PowerPoint skills, stress management, the graduate school application process, and advice for those in search of a new career. For a complete listing and descriptions of upcoming workshops, please visit the CARC Workshops page. Upcoming HEAA EventsFor more information and to view slideshows of past events, please visit the HEAA Events page. To browse other Harvard alumni events, please visit Post.Harvard’s master alumni event calendar. Going Public: An Entrepreneurial CareerFriday, March 7 Join Todd Rideman, AAE ’99 and ALB ’02, in an engaging discussion on his entrepreneurial career spanning financial consulting, real estate investment, and profitability management. Refreshments will be served, and this event is free and open to all HEAA and HESA members. No tickets or reservations are required. Please note that this event was originally scheduled for Friday, February 22, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather. Extension Uncorked: Wine Tasting at Loeb House
Friday, March 14 Taste, compare, and enjoy an exciting array of European and Californian wines paired with a complementary selection of fine foods at Harvard’s historic Loeb House, former home of University presidents. Tickets are required. See the event calendar for more information. Clinical Applications for BioinformaticsFriday, March 28 Join Bruce Forman, MD ’83 and CAS ’91, as he discusses his work and research in health-care data access and integration, process quality, and communication standards. Forman is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University and director of the Business Solutions Group in the Information Services Department of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Refreshments will be served, and this event is free and open to all HEAA and HESA members. No tickets or reservations are required. An Evening with the Stars
Friday, April 11 Join E. Samuel Palmer, astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and longtime Harvard Extension School instructor, for a retrospective look at the Harvard College Observatory’s remarkable 170-year history of astronomical discovery. The evening will include a multimedia presentation, an informal question and answer session, and a visit to the observatory’s roof to look through the Clark telescope (weather permitting). Coffee and dessert will be provided. HAA TravelsTake advantage of the numerous HAA Travels programs and embark on enlightening and captivating journeys to faraway lands. Each year, the HAA sponsors over 75 trips to destinations both near and far. Below is a selection of upcoming programs led by Harvard Extension School faculty. Read more about these and other programs at the HAA Travels website.
Led by local guides along the way, you’ll criss-cross southern Africa by rail, absorbing the magnificent geography, culture, and history that embodies the area.
A shipboard odyssey for young and old to soak up the history and the sun, this adventure relfects the balance of the region’s archeological and cultural legacies with that of its timeless beauty and opportunities for relaxation.
Only after a week spent immersing yourself in the region’s cultural and historical heritage will you come to fully understand and appreciate the true meaning of la dolce vita. Return to HEAA Publications or HEAA Home. | ||||||||
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