Smith College Enews - Notes from Paradise

NEWS FROM SMITH COLLEGE :: SEPTEMBER 11, 2019


			Constitutional Law Scholar Opens Presidential Colloquium

			Yale professor Cristina Rodríguez will open the 2019-20 Presidential Colloquium series with a talk titled “The President, Immigration Law and the Politics of Constitutional Structure” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Campus Center Carroll Room. The talk is free and open to the public.


The Unique World of People with Face Blindness	Ruth Simmons Remembers Toni Morrison	The Growing Problem of Light Pollution



In a story for the Washington Post Magazine, Sadie Dingfelder ’01 talks about living with prosopagnosia, or the inability to recognize familiar faces. She writes, “For me, face blindness means being a little people blind. I will see a person who seems to know me, and I will greet them warmly and hope that, at some point, they say something that clues me in to who they are.”	Former Smith President Ruth Simmons was responsible for recruiting the late Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison to Princeton University while Simmons was working there as associate dean of faculty. Simmons, now head of Prairie View A&M University, reflects on the rewards and challenges of her relationship with Morrison, whom she visited just days before Morrison's death.	On WGBY’s Connecting Point, James Lowenthal talks about light pollution and why it is a public health hazard. He contends that keeping bright lights on all night in our cities and towns not only affects people's sleep patterns but also causes hormonal problems that can exacerbate diseases like cancer. Lowenthal is the Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor of Astronomy at Smith.

How Some Smithies Spent The Summer

Summer is prime time for student internships. From focusing on the ins and outs of public affairs in Washington, D.C., to helping to create a culturally responsive technology course for underserved rural schools in Arizona, Smith students had many learning experiences.

Library Services Continue to be Available During Neilson Renovation

Watch this video to learn about Smith library services at Young, Josten, and Hillyer libraries while Neilson and Alumnae Gym are under renovation.

Smith Names New Human Resources Leader

Anne-Marie Szmyt has been named associate vice president for human resources at Smith College. She comes to Smith from the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, where she was senior director of human resources and administrative services. She assumes her new role at the college on September 16.