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 Sedaris
Tickles WU’s Funny Bone
David Sedaris, humorist and bestselling author of Me Talk
Pretty One Day, entertained a packed Smith Auditorium Oct. 23 as
the first lecturer in the 2003-04 Atkinson Lecture Series.
Sedaris’ sardonic humor and incisive social critique have
made him one of NPR’s most popular and humorous commentators.
In 2001, Sedaris became the third recipient of the Thurber Prize
for American Humor and was named by Time magazine as “Humorist
of the Year.”
Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, will be on
campus Feb. 18, 2004, as the spring Atkinson lecturer.
 Recent
Grad Named “Ambassador”
The Rotary Club of Salem awarded Lindsay Vines ’03 a 2004-05
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship, up to $25,000 to study
abroad for one year. Vines is one of more than 1,300 students worldwide
to receive a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship this year.
Vines plans to focus on linguistics and philology at the Universidad
de Granada in Spain. During her time abroad, Vines hopes to learn
about the effects of culture and society on language and to study
the changing political structures of Spain. The Roseburg native
received her bachelor’s degree this past May in politics and
Spanish.
 Toyama
Leads Multicultural Affairs
Gordy Toyama joined the Willamette community in July as
the new director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. His wealth
of experience in higher education, including Whitworth, Grinnell
and Oregon State University, and his passion for diversity made
him the perfect candidate to lead Willamette’s Office of Multicultural
Affairs.
“One of the reasons I came here is that I was impressed
with what I heard about the president and his commitment to diversity,”
said Toyama. “During the interviews, I really came away impressed
with the students’ maturity and understanding of the community.”
Toyama received his undergraduate degree from Whitworth and earned
his master’s degree in college student affairs from Azusa
Pacific. In his position, Toyama hopes his Japanese-American heritage,
his experience with multicultural students and his knowledge of
higher education in general will help him raise awareness of the
importance of cultural diversity and diversity as a whole.
Toyama added, “The main hope for me is that the students
that are not part of the majority feel supported, whether that’s
through programs that represent their culture, an educational component
or whether its meeting with other students.”
 Touch
of Italy
The Hallie Ford Museum recently acquired an Italian Baroque drawing,
a gift from the Willamette University Florence Program in memory
of Professor Wilbur Braden, who died in 2001. The drawing, by Luca
Giordano (1634-1705), shows Bathsheba at her bath, tended by her
servants as King David (in the extreme distance) looks on from his
palace window. The drawing was located on the international market
with the assistance of Giuseppe Scavizzi, an adjunct professor of
art history at Willamette and a renowned Giordano scholar.
 Eisenberg
and Hall Named as Chairs
Professor Ellen Eisenberg was named the Dwight and Margaret Lear
Chair in American History established by Dwight Lear ’29,
JD’32 with a series of gift annuities to honor his alma mater
and memorialize the Lear name. Lear believed that history was important
and was pleased to know that his gift would help strengthen and
enhance the teaching of American history at Willamette. The first
holder of this chair was Dean Larry Cress.
Eisenberg has inspired many students to a deeper interest in American
history. Her courses in social history and immigration history,
her historical inquiry seminar on the Reconstruction, and her practicum
in local history challenge students to explore their views of American
history. Her writings, Jewish Agricultural Colonies in New Jersey,
1882- 1920 (1995) and numerous articles, explore and challenge assumptions
in her field. An inaugural lecture for Eisenberg is planned for
January 2004.
 Professor
Sam Hall holds the Matthews Chair in Mathematics, named for James
T. Matthews ’83, a Willamette graduate who later became a
beloved mathematics professor at his alma mater. Willamette students
and alumni in 1923, as their part in the first endowment campaign
ever run by the University, pledged more than $50,000 to endow the
James T. Matthews Chair in Mathematics. Those who have held this
chair previously include Matthews, Chester Luther and Dick Iltis.
Hall has been a member of the Willamette faculty since 1972 and
served as vice president of academic affairs from 1979-90. He has
been a leader in the World Views seminar, was part of the successful
effort to bring a Phi Beta Kappa chapter to campus, and has long
taught peace and nonviolence studies on campus. He helped establish
WU’s semester abroad program in the Ukraine, chaired the first
Faculty Council and was a leader of the Oregon Collaborative for
Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (1996-2002). From his
text About Mathematics (1972) to his essay “Nonviolent Activism
and Peace” (1997), Hall has written about mathematics and
peace studies throughout his career. His inaugural lecture for the
Matthews Chair will be given in spring 2004.
 Willamette
Purchases Salem Landmark
Willamette University purchased the YWCA building
at the corner of State and Winter streets in September for $1.35
million and will lease it back to the YWCA for three years. The
lease agreement will be revisited in 2006.
“We believe this is a win-win,” said Jim Bauer, Willamette
vice president for administrative services. “The YWCA is directly
across the street from our art building, consequently its location
makes it an obvious addition to the campus long-range master plan.
Additionally, this is an opportunity for Willamette to help a neighbor
and community partner.”
Gwen Carr, YWCA board president said, “The decision to consider
leaving this corner has been a difficult one for our board in that
we have been located at this address for almost 90 years. However,
one of the goals which we adopted last year as part of our strategic
plan was to ensure that a facility exists that better meets our
programmatic and community needs. We firmly believe that in order
to continue the strong programs and services for this community
for the next 90 years, it is important that we are in a position,
both physically and financially, to leverage our value to the community.
We welcome the opportunity to work with Willamette University as
a partner in this effort.”
The YWCA was built in three sections. The Carnegie Library opened
in 1913; the YWCA building in 1954; and the pool in 1964. The University
has no definite plans for the building.
 WU
Included in U.S. News
At number 56, Willamette was once again named in
the top tier of national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News &
World Report’s 2004 issue of “America’s Best Colleges.”
The majority of colleges in the top 100 are from the East Coast,
but two other Pacific Northwest colleges made the list. Reed in
Portland, Ore., tied Willamette at 56 and Whitman in Walla Walla,
Wash., ranked 34.
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