Modern Merchants of Light
Jay Hosler
By equating undergraduate student researchers with Sir Francis Bacon’s seventeenth-century
merchants of light—emissaries who gathered new scientific knowledge and communicated
it to citizens—biologist Jay Hosler urges these budding scientists to explain their
work to an expectant public with passion and elegance.
The Least Dangerous Assumption
Kathleen Biddle
In her Opening Convocation address to the Class of 2014 Biddle, a professor of education,
encourages students to avoid the most dangerous assumptions about others and to make
the least dangerous assumptions about themselves, in order to open up the broadest
world of possibilities.
On al-Sayyab’s "Rain Song"
Sinan Antoon
The Arab-Islamic scholar gives a succinct account of Iraqi history as context for
understanding the great twentieth-century Iraqi poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab and his
most famous piece, "Rain Song."
An Interview with Muhammed Al Shammarey and Sinan Antoon
Sinan Antoon and Muhammed Al Shammerey talk about the poet al-Sayyab and about Shammarey’s art.
The Challenges of Tradition in Democratic South Africa
J. Michael Williams
A scholar at the University of San Diego, Williams explains how evolving cultural
practices such as traditional chiefs, traditional medicine, and customary marriage
are shaping the process of democratization in South Africa.
The Reagan Legacy in the Age of Obama
Steven F. Hayward
While President Ronald Reagan started his administration with a clear central idea, a specific policy agenda, and a skillful handling of the political circumstances he faced, President Barack Obama has been less successful. Reagan restored the people’s trust in the presidency, but the current president threatens his overarching goal of limited government.
Two Poems
Shara McCallum
The author of three volumes of poetry, McCallum presented "A Grammar For War" and
"Penelope" from her book This Strange Land (2011).
Confessions from an Economist Trying to be Relevant (And Why It Matters to You)
Jeremy Weber
Juniata alumnus Jeremy Weber recounts his search for relevance in the field of economics
and his personal goal to share his research with both academic and general audiences.
In this address offered to Juniata senior honor society inductees, Weber encourages
students to engage periodically in their own critical assessment of vocation to ensure
that they lead relevant and meaningful lives.
Fit, Fat or Failing? The Financial Health of Private Higher Education
Dominick F. Peruso, Jr.
Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System of the U.S. Department
of Education, Peruso examines nearly 390 private nonprofit baccalaureate colleges
in the U.S. from 1998 through 2007 to examine the relationship of institutional prestige
to financial health. He focuses on the colleges’ annual operating results; liquidity
and flexibility; leverage; asset performance; and market position.
What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been: My Life in Film and TV
Mike Trim
The Emmy Award-winning cinematographer of the television show Weeds describes his
journey from Juniata College, where he first took film courses, to Los Angeles, where
he has worked on a wide range of acclaimed (and panned) movies, music videos, and
television shows. He describes how personal connections took him from one job to the
next, and how passion for one’s work outweighs ambition as the key to success.
Wonder Drug or Bad Medicine? A Short History of Healthcare Reform and a Prognosis for Its Future
Robert Saldin
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, according to the political scientist Robert Saldin,
is a milestone in the legislative history of American healthcare policy. Strong feelings
about the law, partially rooted in notions of liberty and equality, will shape the
2012 election and demonstrate once again the fragility of party control in the United
States.
The American Chestnut as a Service Learning Project at Juniata College
Uma Ramakrishnan
Since 2008, Ramakrishnan and her environmental science students have worked with the
Pennsylvania chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation to increase the overwintering
success of chestnut seeds, to develop a chestnut orchard on the Juniata College campus,
and to create an educational and outreach module for the general public and school
students.
The Idea of the Year
Jewel Daniels
Juniata College’s annual Bailey Oratorical Contest asked contestants to address the
question: "Who would be your choice for person of the year in 2010 and why?" Daniels,
a sophomore from Bloomfield, NJ, studying communication, won first place by arguing
that global communication, rather than a single person, was the "idea of the year"
for 2010.
The Politics of Sex
Lindsay Briggs
Briggs, a Juniata alumna who earned her Ph.D. in Health Education at Indiana University-Bloomington,
emphasizes the importance of comprehensive sexuality education, explains why political
conservatives push abstinence-only programs, and shows how politicians use sex (gay
marriage, Planned Parenthood, "family values") in election campaigns and budget debates.
Unveiling the Heaviness: Contemporary Polish Art Confronting the Iron Curtain
Anna Theiss
Curator Anna Theiss examines the influence of the Iron Curtain on contemporary Polish
art. She discusses works that oppose communism as well as works that are inspired
by art from the Communist era.
Making a Difference: The Role of a Small State at the United Nations
Jim McLay
The New Zealand Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations examines
the crucial role that small states have played in the United Nations since its inception.
He makes the case in his commentary for reform of the Security Council and for the
election of New Zealand to a two-year term on the Security Council for the 2015-2016
term.
Puzzles
Michael Boyle
Addressing Juniata College’s graduating Class of 2011, biologist Michael Boyle reminds
students of the many puzzles they have already faced and solved, and suggests a source
for help as they now negotiate the tricky puzzle of their future lives.
Letters To Young Scholars
Maryanne Wolf
Taking inspiration from Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, the John DiBiaggio Professor
of Citizenship and Public Service and director of the Eliot-Pearson Center for Child
Development at Tufts University offers letters to four graduating scholars. She invites
them to consider how they have changed through their education and to go forward committed
to thinking for themselves and serving others.