Smith College Enews - Notes from Paradise

NEWS FROM SMITH COLLEGE :: SEPTEMBER 14, 2016


			How Design Thinking Expands the Liberal Arts

			In a studio-style classroom in Capen Annex, students are using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. The Design Thinking Initiative is up and running, and faculty and students are excited by the possibilities it opens up for reimagining the liberal arts.


The Baby-Sitters Club Author Debuts New Series	Botanic Garden Website Brings Landscape to Life	Chief Judge to Speak on Criminal Justice Reform



On the eve of the 30th anniversary of her wildly popular series, The Baby-Sitters Club, author Ann Martin ’77 reflects on her books' enduring appeal and announces the release of a new series, Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure, which reboots an earlier children’s classic, Betty MacDonald’s 1950s-era Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.	Want to find a specific tree on campus or discover what's in bloom right now? The Botanic Garden's new website brings the campus landscape to life. Users can conduct research and find information about current courses, among other things. “I think our new website works extremely well,” says Madelaine Zadik, manager of education and outreach.	The Hon. Patti B. Saris, chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, will open this year's Presidential Colloquium series on Sept. 15 in Neilson Browsing Room. Saris was named a Massachusetts U.S. District Judge in 1994, chief judge in 2013 and has been chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission since 2010. The title of her talk is “Mass Incarceration and Criminal Justice Reform.”

President McCartney Calls Out Three Commitments For the Year

In a Sept. 7 letter to the community, President Kathleen McCartney welcomed students, faculty and staff to the start of the 2016-17 academic year, reaffirming the college’s commitment to three major issues—equity and inclusivity, global climate change, and access to education.

Have you ever wanted to change the world? Find out what motivates some people to become activists in Smith's new MOOC, "The Psychology of Political Activism." Taught by Professor of Psychology Lauren Duncan, and based on a popular course that she's taught at Smith for nearly 20 years, the non-credit MOOC focuses on nine activists, including Loretta Ross and Gloria Steinem '56, and incorporates materials from the Sophia Smith Collection. Free registration is open now.

Learn More: SSW Five College Circle of Scholars Program

The Five College Circle of Scholars program is open to current students and graduates of the five colleges interested in applying to the Smith College School for Social Work MSW program in clinical social work. Applicants qualify for unique benefits, including an application fee waiver and priority in SSW grant-funded financial aid. Attend an informational lunch at Smith (10/6), Mount Holyoke (10/12), or UMass (10/26).