Brown and White Vol. 119 no. 11

              Vol. 119 No. 11
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
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LIFESTYLE
B&W photo by MATT BREITEL
President of ArtsQuest Jeff Parks gave a tour of the ArtsQuest Center at the SteelStacks campus on Oct. 4. The three-story building will house cinemas and concerts, among other amenities, beginning May 2011.
ArtsQuest showcases new center at former steel mill
By LIZ MARTINEZ
At the unveiling of the ArtsQuest Center on Oct. 4 at the SteelStacks campus, the former site of Bethlehem Steel, the message was clear: It will provide something for everybody, including college students.
“The number of students who come in and leave is great,” said Kassie Hilgert, vice president of ad­vancement for ArtsQuest. “We’d like to see this change.”
In May 2011, the $26 million, three-story building will house ev­erything from comedy shows to two cinemas to a slew of concerts in its 65,000 square feet. The fact that the center’s glass wall extends more than 50 feet makes it a room with quite a view.
Whether having a snack at the Mike and Ike Bistro on the first floor or jamming at an indie rock concert in the Yuengling-sponsored Musikfest Café on the third floor, visitors will take in a recognizable characteristic of Bethlehem: the towering blast furnaces.
The edifice also will feature an interactive media lounge for events such as online gaming competitions.
“It’s going to be a central place to meet for college students,” Hilgert said.
Reinforcing its ties to the birth­place of industrial America, there will be a Bethlehem Steel workers tribute wall, enhanced by audio recorded by the workers’ family members.
Though still under construction, it pays homage to one of the engi­neering feats of Bethlehem Steel, the Golden Gate Bridge, with its steel structures painted in International Orange, said Jeff Parks, president of ArtsQuest.
The offerings go beyond the brick and mortar. Twice a week from May to September, there will be an antiques market and every Tuesday from May to November, the campus
See ARTSQUEST Page 4
n Despite slew of benefits, small businesses, residents express concern over arts, economic impact
By ANYA BINGLER
Lehigh recently received $2.6 million from the Na­tional Science Foundation in an effort to increase the rankings of female faculty positions.
Lehigh is one of seven schools that will gain funding from this grant.
“This program, called ADVANCE by NSF, is focused on increasing the number of women faculty in science and engineering,” said Patrick Farrell, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, who is also the lead prin­cipal investigator for the grant.
“While this has been an area of emphasis for hiring faculty at Lehigh for a number of years, the NSF funding will allow us to be more creative in how we can recruit and retain women faculty in these fields,” he said.
This five-year grant is aimed at increasing the ranks of women in the academic science and engineering careers.
In the past, and even recently, there has been a divide between men and women in the science, technology, en­gineering and math fields.
“Despite significant improvements within the last two decades, national trends still tell us that the number of women in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields in academia linger well below that number for men,” said Sibel Pamukcu, professor of geo­technical engineering and associate chair of the depart­ment of civil and environmental engineering, who also serves as a co-principal investigator on the project.
In the push to increase women in the STEM fields, there has been an emphasis on increasing their admit­tance to undergraduate and graduate programs.
“Every effort to increase the number of STEM women faculty in our academic institutions is well justified not only for improving diversity, but also inspiring women engineering and science students to achieve their fullest potential as engineers/scientists and as leaders by col­laborating and partnering with the women engineering faculty,” Pamukcu said.
“Our primary efforts for the grant will be to support and if necessary, help create, interdisciplinary networks of women faculty in science and engineering,” Farrell said. “We think these networks will help recruit and retain Le­high faculty and may serve as models for other universi­ties of Lehigh’s size and interdisciplinary character.”
“Members of the Lehigh ADVANCE team will be conducting interviews with current Lehigh women STEM faculty to learn the keys to their success and the chal­lenges that they have overcome in reaching their goals,” said Jean Soderlund, deputy provost for Faculty Affairs and professor of history.
“We will use this information to put together booklets,
Grant expected to bolster female faculty
See GRANT Page 3
By KIRK GREENWOOD
President Alice Gast opened the first campus-wide Town Hall meeting of the 2010-11 school year by asking approximately 350 faculty and staff members, gathered in the Leeman-Turner Arena in Grace Hall, to embrace the university’s three-fold mission of teaching, research and service.
“I believe there are no boundaries between creating new knowledge, educating future leaders and serving our community,” she said.
Gast recapped some of the past year’s success­es, including grant awards from the National Sci­ence Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy; the establishment of the Smith Funds for Research and Innovation in Science and Engineering by Daniel E. Smith Jr., ’71, chairman of Lehigh’s Board of Trustees; the creation of the Dexter F. Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation; and the opening of the STEPS building.
Recently hired Provost Pat Farrell said his posi­tion as a newcomer gives him a fresh perspective on the Lehigh community.
Lehigh’s faculty, Farrell said, is unique in its ability to balance teaching, research and service and shows a rare commitment to “interdisciplin­arity.” He also praised Lehigh graduates for the leadership roles they take on in the wider world.
“People at Lehigh, the students, faculty and staff, really do intend to change the world,” he said. “By and large, they believe they can do that.”
Farrell introduced speakers representing dif­ferent working groups aimed at tackling four of the university’s key strategic initiatives: creating a comprehensive first-year experience, cluster faculty hiring, enhancing graduate education and engaging the university in the South Side Bethle­First
town hall meeting puts focus on change
See TOWN HALL Page 3