Colgate University's Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the appointment of Jeffrey Herbst, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Miami University (Ohio), as Colgate's 16th president. The board has announced Herbst's appointment to the Colgate community and will welcome him to campus at an event scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. The event also will be broadcast live on the web at www.colgate.edu

Michelle Vatalaro '10 had signed up for the Liberal Democracy and Its Limits course because she thought it sounded interesting.

What she didn't know at the time was how being in the political science class was going to bring her face to face on Saturday night with Tony Blair, the former prime minister of Britain.

Darius Rejali, a leading expert on government interrogation and torture who is frequently interviewed by media outlets around the world, will share his insight with the Colgate community during a public lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 in Love Auditorium.

Using historical data gathered from his research conducted on several continents, Rejali will frame the modern debate surrounding torture, specifically the treatment of terror suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, was celebrated this past weekend in the brightly decorated atrium of the Ho Science Center.

Members of the campus community filled the atrium for the Saturday night event, which was organized by the Hindu Student Association (HSA).

Latina actress, choreographer, and activist Rosie Perez shared her personal story with students Wednesday night with a singular goal in mind: to inspire them to "step into your greatness."

Perez, in her trademark voice that shouts "Brooklyn," urged the Love Auditorium audience to push through their fears to become the person they can be, a person who makes a difference.

After crushing out-of-conference rival Cornell for its fifth victory, the undefeated Colgate Raiders football team prepares for its hot date with a national TV audience.

The Raiders will play its first-ever Thursday night game at 7 against the Princeton Tigers, and the contest will be seen on ESPNU.

Mike Wenger '09 is working to bring social networking to the volunteer community. With a team of Colgate students, faculty, and alumni, Wenger is creating www.collaboraid.org, a website that will help volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and indigenous stakeholders collaborate online.

The site is Wenger's solution to a problem he uncovered when volunteering in Africa over two summers. He observed that despite best intentions and the proximity of aid organizations, they don't always have the means to share information, often leading to a duplication of efforts.

Millions of NFL fans are again devoting a few hours each Sunday to watching their favorite teams, and one of the key players in those TV broadcasts is Drew Esocoff '79, who is in his fourth season as director of NBC's Sunday Night Football.

Esocoff started this NFL season without one of the icons of the broadcasting industry, John Madden, who Esocoff worked closely with on the NBC telecasts.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author kicked off the Living Writers course, which will bring a number of acclaimed authors to campus throughout the semester to interact with students in the class and give public readings.

Ten writers, including Pulitzer Prize winners Elizabeth Strout, Junot Diaz, and Jeffrey Eugenides, will visit campus, providing the 55 students in the class a unique opportunity to interact with them in several different settings.

Events held during the past few days included intellectual discussions, workshops, lectures, and other cultural activities intended to foster dialogue and build a more inclusive community at Colgate and beyond.

Steele delivered his lecture, "Unity and Diversity: Common Ground in the 21st Century," in Memorial Chapel as part of Colgate's Diversity Week.

Having recently been accepted into Harvard Business School's 2+2 program, Michael LoFaso '10 is anticipating his future while enjoying life as a Colgate senior.

HBS 2+2 is a selective program intended for students without a formal business background.

Colgate's efforts to turn quick-growing willow into fuel for the university's wood-burning plant were highlighted in yesterday's edition of The Post-Standard (Syracuse).

"This is one of those things that is environmentally and financially beneficial for the university," John Pumilio, sustainability coordinator, told the newspaper.

As part of the university's Global Leaders Lecture Series, Blair will give a talk at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in Sanford Field House. There is no charge for a ticket, which is required to attend the event.

Standing on stage last night in Brehmer Theater, Russian actress Oksana Mysina stared intently at her audience, shrugged her shoulders, and confessed: "I became an actress because I am impossible."

The audience members smiled, seemingly entranced by this great artist.

As parents across the country send their children off to college, Mark Thompson, director of Colgate's Counseling & Psychological Services, has been offering expert advice for those mothers and fathers feeling anxious about the experience.

Media outlets, including WALR-FM (Atlanta), KFAB-AM (Omaha), and WCPO-TV (Cincinnati), have turned to Thompson for his insight and perspective.

For Jessica Halter, a newly arrived member of the Class of 2013, the first item on her agenda after moving into her room in Stillman Hall was pretty basic: take a shower.

The first-year from Fort Collins, Colo., was just back from a pre-orientation Wilderness Adventure program in the Adirondack Mountains, and she didn't have a shower for the past eight days.

The Colgate chapter of Theta Chi received the fraternity's highest award last month, being recognized for everything from its successful philanthropic efforts to its robust membership.

The honor, which comes in the form of the Howard R. Alter Jr. Award for Chapter Excellence, followed university recognition as the most outstanding fraternity for the past year.

Ever wonder what it would be like to play alongside Terrell Owens, the big talent with the big mouth who is now playing pro football with the Buffalo Bills?

Well, Nick Hennessey '09, who is in training camp with the Bills after signing a free-agent contract, can tell you.

Next week, 45 area sixth- through 10th-graders with a passion for writing will spend five days on the Colgate campus stretching their imaginations and discovering new ideas through the act of writing.

The Young Writers' Workshop offers a chance to experience writing in a community of peers, instructed by noted writers from a variety of genres. The featured artist/instructors include:

For the second year in a row Colgate University will host the prestigious Robert Flaherty Film Seminar. The seminar, now in its 55th year, will run June 20-26.

"We are thrilled to once again be holding the Flaherty at Colgate," said the seminar's executive director, Mary Kerr.

For someone who didn't play organized basketball until he was 15, Adonal Foyle '98 -- the Colgate Raiders basketball player turned NBA pro -- has reached quite a career milestone: the NBA Finals.

Tonight, the 6-foot-10 center and his Orlando Magic teammates will try to even the series with the Los Angeles Lakers at two games apiece.

Harold Ramis's latest comedy - Year One - will be in a theater near you on June 19.

One of his most successful films, Ghostbusters, celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer, and a video game based on the film is to be released June 16. There also is much buzz about a potential third installment of the comedy blockbuster.

About 1,400 alumni returned to campus this past weekend, filling Whitnall Field with laughter and shared memories, offering provocative Reunion College sessions, and celebrating milestones and achievements.

In typical Chenango Valley fashion, the weather mostly cooperated, intermingling overcast skies with sunshine. The traditional All-Class Parade and Torchlight festivities were enjoyed by all; fireworks filled the air Friday night; and the Class of 1969 provided a band that had its tent jumping on Saturday evening.

Colgate received positive economic news this week when Moody's Investors Service affirmed the university's Aa3 debt rating and reported that the university has a "stable outlook."

Administrators welcomed the important evaluation, especially in light of a Moody's report issued in January that downgraded the overall higher education sector from stable to negative.

A sophisticated instrument tucked in a Wynn Hall laboratory is providing Colgate researchers with critical information about the structure of small molecules and proteins, data that support the most advanced research practices in chemistry and biochemistry.

The instrument, a dual-source X-ray diffractometer, was commissioned in December after the university was awarded a highly competitive grant of $410,000 from the National Science Foundation.

Thirteen Colgate students are about to embark on a road trip that you're not likely to read about on the AAA website.

It is a three-week travel course through the Deep South, a rolling examination of the repercussions slavery and Jim Crow laws have had on a region seeped in its own culture and traditions.

While the majestic trees on Willow Path have the power to warm people's hearts, a new 7½ -acre willow biomass farm on Hamilton Street will help heat the university.

Depending on the soil, weather, and overall conditions, last week's planting of 60,000 8-inch shrub willow shoots should yield about 900 dry tons of biomass over a 20-year period -- a drop in the proverbial bucket considering that Colgate currently burns about 100 tons of woodchips per day in its environmentally friendly steam-fired boiler.

Note: The following is Professor Jerry Balmuth's prepared remarks for the baccalaureate service held May 16, 2009.

"The Illusion of Sameness: Differences and Ambivalence"

It must be noted that all of you students share with me the circumstance that this weekend is for each of us, as graduates, a formal goodbye to Colgate and to the wonderful education we've received from this special school -- now our alma mater; the difference between us is simply that it has taken me 55 years to graduate successfully, while you have speeded through brilliantly, in just four years ... more or less!

With the same conviction that characterizes his work as a passionate advocate for education and social-services reform, Geoffrey Canada urged members of Colgate's Class of 2009 to continue the "pursuit of truth and enlightenment for the betterment of society and not solely for the betterment of yourselves."

"I believe in you. You are about to join a select group who must be unafraid to take on the toughest issues," said Canada during his address in Sanford Field House for the university's 188th commencement ceremony.

Members of the Class of 2009 will walk into Sanford Field House on Sunday as seniors and walk out as alumni after taking part in Colgate's 188th commencement exercises.

Geoffrey Canada, nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem and as a passionate advocate for education reform, will deliver the keynote address.

When Mark Anderson '09 wasn't passing the puck or delivering a hit along the boards in Starr Rink he was pursuing a neuroscience major and conducting complex research in Olin Hall.

The Hastings, Neb., native excelled in both settings, and his passion, dedication, and work ethic was recognized by the university on Sunday when he was named the 1819 Award winner.

According to Buddhist teaching, giving is an act that can transform and purify the mind.

On Tuesday at the ALANA Cultural Center, approximately 30 members of the Colgate community took part in a 2,500-year-old Sri Lankan Buddhist ceremony of alms giving called a Dana.

Even though it has been 17 years since Kirk Bloodsworth, wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for rape and murder, was freed from the confinement of a jail cell, the memories of his incarceration still haunt him.

"It's a constant struggle. You never escape the pain of being locked up for a crime you had nothing to do with," said Bloodsworth, fighting back tears as he recounted those dark days in prison and answered students' questions during an emotional discussion Monday in Persson Auditorium, part of a three-day symposium about wrongful convictions.

Author Elizabeth Strout, who taught at Colgate two years ago and will return to campus this fall, has won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Strout won for her book Olive Kitteridge, a series of 13 connected short stories centered on a school teacher living in a hardscrabble town in coastal Maine. The Pulitzer citation says her collection of stories "packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating."

Blair is scheduled to give a public talk at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in Sanford Field House. Ticket information will be released in August.

Colgate professor Nina M. Moore has been appointed by Gov. David A. Paterson to a four-year term on the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The commission is the state agency responsible for investigating complaints of misconduct against judges of the state unified court system and, where appropriate, determining to admonish, censure or remove from office those judges found to have engaged in unethical behavior.

James H. Cone, widely credited with founding the black theology movement, spoke Thursday in Memorial Chapel about his seminal works from nearly 40 years ago and his current research, which focuses on the emotional symbols of the cross and the lynching tree.

Cone said his lecture was intended to start a conversation, and students and faculty members took him up on that as they asked questions about everything from atheism to President Obama's impact on race relations.

Colgate students had a chance this week to meet with director, actor, writer, and producer Harold Ramis, who spent two days on campus talking shop and showing special previews of his upcoming movie.

Ramis, whose son is a first-year at Colgate, is a veritable Hollywood heavyweight with many popular movies under his belt such as Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, Analyze This, Animal House, and Ghostbusters.

Darryl Hunt and Kirk Bloodsworth, exonerated after spending decades behind bars for crimes they did not commit, will share their stories with the Colgate community as part of a three-day symposium about wrongful convictions.

During their campus visit April 19-21, Hunt and Bloodsworth will discuss how their unwavering determination to prove their innocence combined with DNA evidence ultimately set them free and how their unjust incarcerations forever changed their lives.

This past weekend marked Colgate's fourth annual Big Gay Weekend, a three-day event that provides LGBTQ and allied students with the opportunity to socialize and network with peers.

The keynote speaker was bestselling author, film producer, and gay rights activist Perry Moore, who is best known as executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia film franchise and author of the book Hero, which won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award.

Moore talked with students Saturday afternoon about his experience growing up as a young gay man and his career in the entertainment field.

The combination of live performance, a state-of-the-art digital theater, and a story line about one of the most documented days in Roman history will make for a captivating, one-of-a-kind multimedia production this week inside the Ho Science Center's Visualization Lab.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, a group of students and faculty members from the classics department will present "Murder on the Ides," a re-enactment of the assassination of Julius Caesar.

More than 35 alumni will visit campus this weekend to discuss ways that Colgate can continue to support diversity and build on its efforts to develop an inclusive community.

Students, faculty, and staff also will take part in the Community Summit, which opens Friday night with remarks by senior administrators, including President Rebecca Chopp and Dean of Diversity Keenan Grenell, and ends on Sunday with a networking session hosted by the Alumni of Color group.

Independent filmmaker Alan Berliner, who is not afraid to point the camera at himself for his experimental documentaries, will spend a week on campus teaching, showing his films, and discussing an exhibition of two of his installations.

The film screenings, lecture, and exhibition are all free and open to the general public during Berliner's visit, which runs from March 30 to April 3.

Berliner garnered widespread attention for his personal documentaries The Sweetest Sound and Nobody's Business, which he followed with Wide Awake, a uniquely personal tour through his lifelong obsession with insomnia.

(Editor's note: As of Wednesday, March 25, all tickets to the lecture have been reserved.)

Tickets for former Secretary of State Colin Powell's lecture, "Leadership: Taking Charge," at Colgate are now available to the public.

As part of the university's Global Leaders Lecture Series, Powell will give a talk at 8 p.m. Friday, April 3. in Sanford Field House. There is no charge for a ticket, which is required to attend the event.

The public can reserve general admission tickets (limit four per order) by going to the Colgate Bookstore website or calling 877-362-7666 while supplies last.

As the quest for a winning NCAA basketball tournament bracket takes place in office pools across the country, a Colgate senior is making a splash of her own.

Emily Murphy will be swimming at this weekend's NCAA championship meet at Texas A&M, making her the first Colgate woman swimmer to compete at the Division I championships.

Members of the Colgate Model African Union team took full advantage of an opportunity to broaden their worldview at a recent conference in Washington, D.C.

The team attended Howard University's annual Model African Union conference and performed extremely well, distinguishing itself from more than 20 participating colleges.

Spring break means different things to different students, and there are opportunities galore for recharging personal batteries, taking advantage of internships, learning about leading and managing groups, or offering a helping hand.

Some students are participating in university-organized alternative spring break trips when classes shut down for a week beginning March 13.

Here is a look at several trips:

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, will deliver a lecture at 7:30 p.m. March 26 in Memorial Chapel.

During his talk, "President Obama & the Future of the American Freedom," Gingrich will assess Obama's policies and administration and discuss the future of the Republican Party.

Gingrich's lecture, sponsored by the university's Center for Freedom and Western Civilization and the College Republicans, is free and open to the public.

In today's world of instant messaging and e-mail, eloquent speech seems to be an endangered art form. At Colgate there is a group of students striving to keep that spoken tradition alive -- the Debate Society.

The team is a branch of the Colgate Speaking Union (CSU), which is coordinated by John Adams and also includes Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and the Student Lecture Forum.

When Robert Pinsky, former poet laureate of the United States and founder of the Favorite Poem Project, opened the floor to questions during Thursday's lunchtime talk with students, he promised to treat each one with respect. And why wouldn't he?

At the heart of his belief, shared in his 1984 book Poetry and the World, is that "an artist needs not so much an audience, as to feel a need to answer, a promise to respond."

But Pinsky, who later quoted a family aphorism -- "everything is what it is and the opposite" -- is a poet of contradiction.

MTV has been a major influence on pop culture for more than 25 years, and Carole Robinson '83 has been there for nearly its entire lifetime, having joined the cable TV network just three years after its founding in 1981.

Legions of naysayers had greeted the all-music network when it launched Aug. 1, 1981, with a music video by The Buggles called "Video Killed the Radio Star."

Colgate's celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth kicked off Tuesday with a lecture about one of the naturalist's legacies - the study of biodiversity - and a warning that the home for a vast array of plant and animal species is threatened.

The university has several events this week to honor Darwin, including the dedication of a "thinking path" at the top of the former ski hill, a Tree of Life cake baked by students, a film, and a colloquium.

On Tuesday, students filled Meyerhoff Auditorium in the Ho Science Center to listen to Catherine Cardelús, assistant professor of biology, discuss "Darwin, Plants and Tropical Diversity."

The National Teach-In provided a forum for professors and students to have a dialogue about global warming. The conversation was geared not only toward promoting awareness, but to propose actions that individuals and the campus as a whole can take to combat climate change.

Robert Turner, professor of economics and environmental studies, and Ian Helfant, associate professor of Russian, gave a lecture titled "Colgate: Where do we stand? What should we do?" It was one of more than a dozen sessions held on campus Thursday.

The Department of English kicked off this semester's lecture series Thursday with a reading by a new member of the Colgate community, author Patrick O'Keeffe.

O'Keeffe, assistant professor of creative writing, won the prestigious Story Prize in 2005 for his collection of novellas, The Hill Road.

"The Hill Road is a glorious work one would wish everyone to read. What a pleasure to see so many students and faculty, so many members of our community at this reading," Jane Pinchin, Thomas A. Bartlett Chair and Professor of English, said in the standing-room-only Ho Reading Room.

Ajay Chahar '12 now has company online.

The first-year student has been keeping everyone updated about campus happenings through Twitter, a micro-blogging service.

Chahar will still use that platform for now, but his brief posts and those of other Colgate students and staff members also will be presented on a Twitter-like blog called ''gatetwitter.

As Peace Corps volunteers, more than 300 Colgate alumni have made valuable contributions in some of the more remote areas of the world, including Ghana, Botswana, and Palau.

In fact, with 18 alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps, Colgate is the 10th highest producer of volunteers among small colleges and universities, according to a ranking recently released by the organization.

Members of the senior class flocked to campus this past weekend to attend Real World events, and one of the main messages they heard from alumni was that a liberal arts education will serve them well in any economic climate.

Real World involves networking events and more than 30 panel discussions led by alumni involved in careers from fashion to finance.

Carole Robinson '83 kicked off things as keynote speaker, and she recalled working as a tour guide while at Colgate and how she was practically a walking advertisement for the university.

To honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Colgate University is hosting a series of events on Monday. The campus-wide activities will feature readings of King's speeches and writings, discussions, workshops, and music.

At 7 p.m. in Colgate's Memorial Chapel, nationally renowned and award-winning artists Joe Hernandez-Kolski, Beau Sia, and Saul Williams will cap off the day's events with a spoken-word performance, a mix of poetic words, music, and hip-hop.

The twists and turns and trials and tribulations of the economic crisis are forcing government officials to reshape policies on a day-by-day basis in ways that have not been seen in decades, says economics professor Nicole Simpson.

While there now seems to be agreement that new regulations are needed to address the crisis, government officials must walk a fine line in determining what will do the most good over the long term, she says.

"It's going to be a very tricky balance because you want the markets to work efficiently," Simpson says in the latest episode of Colgate Conversations, a podcast series that highlights members of the campus community.

Students taking part in an extended study course in Mexico are soaking up information during guided tours through museums and ancient ruins while producing data of their own as they conduct field work for Colgate professor Anthony Aveni.

The 11 students have already visited Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology and History and the ruins of Teotihuacán, Tenochtitlan, as well as other sites.

They also have started survey work near the ruins that is focusing on embedded stones that were placed in 16th century colonial churches.

Students often are asked to put their thoughts on paper. In an Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies course, they also were asked to put their thoughts on MP3 audio files.

The end result of this collaborative project was 31 episodes of the Marginalized Conflict Podcast Series, which are available here or on iTunes.

In their audio essays, the students analyze past and present conflicts in places such as East Timor, Darfur, Northern Ireland, and West Papua.

Gary Carrion-Murayari '02 will play a key role in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, the signature survey of contemporary American art by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

Carrion-Murayari

The appointments for the Biennial, which is a major event in the art world and generates a good deal of attention, were discussed in a lengthy article in The New York Times and in several other publications this past week.

Most days on the Academic Quad, you'll find students carrying backpacks and occasional care packages from home.

On Tuesday, though, you would have seen volunteer geology students carefully toting two large fossils: a mastodon tusk that is more than 10 feet long and approximately 200 pounds and a whale jaw bone that also tips the scales at about 200 lbs.

Two student clubs associated with academic departments collaborated recently on their version of dinner and a movie.

The Sociology and Anthropology Club hosted a special dinner of Middle Eastern food before one of the movies sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilization Club.

The Colgate University Chamber Singers embraced an opportunity to move from concert stage to recording studio for a performance of holiday pieces that will be televised in areas of New York and northern Pennsylvania.

Director James Niblock and the 12 student performers were asked to appear on Expressions: Holiday Harmonies, a program produced by WSKG, a Public Broadcasting Service affiliate in Vestal, N.Y.

The Chamber Singers and the Ithaca Children's Choir each appear for 30 minutes of the hourlong program that will air 8 p.m. today (Dec. 4) and 2 p.m. Dec. 25.

The following is a message from President Rebecca Chopp to the Colgate community:

As we begin this week of Thanksgiving, we are mindful both of all that we as a nation and a campus community have to be grateful for and of the challenges that we must be prepared to face moving forward.

Through it all, we maintain our focus on our primary task as a university, what Alfred North Whitehead called "the creation of the future."

The Patriot League title as safely secured as the pigskin in Jordan Scott's hands, the Colgate Raiders will now head to Villanova on Saturday to play the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Football Subdivision Championship.

Colgate is making its eighth appearance in the playoffs, and first since the 2005 season. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Villanova Stadium, and the winner of the game will play the winner of the James Madison-Wofford game in the quarterfinals.

The Raiders' season continues after the team won a hard-fought, hugely entertaining battle against Holy Cross, 28-27. Saturday's win at Andy Kerr Stadium was played in bone-chilling cold and periods of snow, which fell on the many Raiders fans clad in black.

Colgate students packed into Lathrop Hall Monday night 30 minutes before the guest speaker was to begin.

When Helen Sperling entered the room she implored the standing students to try and find empty seats, asking them not to make her feel guilty because she had a lot to say.

Sperling is a Polish Jew and a Holocaust survivor. She has been speaking publicly about the Holocaust for 44 years, long before the public took an active interest in it.

As a studio art major, Kathleen Kohl '09 has grown accustomed to receiving feedback about her artwork from classmates and professors. But, nothing quite compares to the critique she received last week.

That's because the critic peering at Kohl's latest creation was one of the most influential Chinese artists in the world.

Members of Colgate's cycling club are dusting off old bikes and putting them in the hands of central New York families who need them most.

"Local children and adults are getting mileage out of bikes that otherwise would have sat in garages or basements," said Ben Roshko'09, cycling club president.

Colgate Hunger Outreach Program (CHOP) is sponsoring events this week to spread awareness on campus and in the community about hunger and homelessness in the United States.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week includes events such as food drives, panel discussions, and a 13-hour famine -- all with the goal of creating interest in these global concerns.

Xu Bing, an internationally renowned printmaker and installation artist, will visit campus next week as part of "A Year of Chinese Art" series, sponsored by Colgate's Institute for Creative and Performing Arts.

In addition to Xu's public lecture Monday at Golden Auditorium, seniors from the university's studio arts community will have a unique opportunity to collaborate with him as he critiques their senior projects.

The Hall of Presidents swarmed with students Wednesday night during the second annual Study Abroad Fair.

More than 18 Colgate off-campus study programs were represented, as well as non-Colgate programs.

The fair is intended to help the 62 percent of students who go abroad before they graduate, the majority with Colgate programs, according to Barbara Gorka, director of international programs.

Students, staff, and faculty members packed into Donovan's Pub Tuesday night to watch election results and many returned, a bit bleary-eyed from staying up so late, this morning to attend a forum sponsored by the Department of Political Science.

Even though the presidential campaign lasted nearly two years, the final few hours of Election Night were electric for those at the pub watching to see which way the key swing states would actually swing.

Hundreds of family members and friends of Colgate students strolled through campus and attended numerous events held as part of a busy Family Weekend.

Students introduced their parents to faculty members at the open houses and receptions held by the academic departments, and President Rebecca Chopp greeted guests at a reception held Saturday morning at the O'Connor Campus Center.

A love of theater, a healthy dose of stamina, and a strong desire to see a project to a successful conclusion were on display recently during the 24-Hour Burn at Colgate.

The "burn" involves the entire theatrical process crunched into a 24-hour period, with writing, rehearsing, directing, and acting all happening at Donovan's Pub.

The NCAA national office has released the latest round of graduation success rates and Colgate, along with two other schools, had the highest graduation in Division I for its student-athletes with 99 percent.

The data is from the four-class aggregate of entering classes from 1998 through 2001 and show the percentage of student-athletes earning a degree within six years.

The following is a message from President Rebecca Chopp to the Colgate community:

As I meet and speak with Colgate students, faculty and staff, it is clear that the recent credit crisis and its impact on the financial markets and economies around the globe is a topic of concern to us all.

I am heartened by how many of you have asked me how our endowment is faring, how our alumni are doing in this situation, and how you can help.

Area residents flocked to Colgate University on Monday to voice their opinions about a controversial power line that is proposed to run from central New York to the New York City area.

Two brief informational sessions led by state Public Service Commission staff members were followed by public hearings on the $2.1 billion project proposed by New York Regional Interconnect.

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign and potential victory Nov. 4 represent a major shift in how the political system is going to reflect the U.S. populace, according to Colgate professor Pete Banner-Haley.

Haley talks about the historic nature of the Illinois senator's campaign in the latest episode of Colgate Conversations, a series of podcast interviews that highlights members of the Colgate community.

Crisis. Nationalization. Debacle. Jobs. Bubble. Regulation. Defaults. Autonomy.

Those are just a few of the key words that filled Persson Auditorium Monday night as dozens of students and eight economics professors shared ideas and viewpoints about the U.S. economic crisis.

(Editor's Note: The following is a first-person reflection by Hilary Stiss '09 about her opportunity to meet and talk with former ambassador and Middle East envoy Dennis Ross.)

Two summers ago, I devoted my time to working for a peace organization, Windows for Peace, which allowed me to work in Israel and the West Bank.

The soothing sounds of Colgate's a cappella groups have turned into some much-needed financial support for a Kenyan school that serves 250 poor and orphaned children.

The Colgate Thirteen, Dischords, Resolutions, and Swinging 'Gates teamed up last week to raise $500 during a benefit concert at Hamilton's First Baptist Church.

Colgate students and faculty gathered last week to listen to a wide-ranging talk by Ishmael Reed, the novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright who is often called one of the most influential African American writers of his generation.

Reed's well-known works include Mumbo Jumbo, Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down, and The Freelance Pallbearers. Besides his writing, Reed also has a passion for music. He plays piano and has collaborated with jazz musicians on three CDs, Conjure 1,2,3

As the chairperson of Colgate's Environmental Council, associate professor of Russian Ian Helfant tries to practice what he preaches.

Some of the "green" changes Helfant has made to his mid-1970s home include a wood pellet stove, a compost pail in the kitchen, and a water heater that's "so heavily insulated it looks more like a Thermos bottle than an appliance."

The football game between Colgate and Georgetown scheduled for Saturday at Colgate has been cancelled.

Due to an outbreak of norovirus on the Georgetown campus, the contest will not be played.

Conor Tucker '10 wants to give classmates the chance to be political pundits and not have to rely on "talking heads" to shape their opinions about the presidential candidates.

So he has helped organize events that bring students together to watch the presidential and vice presidential debates and share discussion afterward.

Colgate University has been selected as a site for hearings involving New York Regional Interconnect's proposed $2.1 billion high-voltage power line project.

The Oct. 20 hearings will be in the university's Hall of Presidents. Information forums will be held at 1 and 6 p.m., followed by public statement hearings at 2 and 7 p.m.

The clang of clashing swords rang out last week in front of the Chapel as the Fencing Club put on a demonstration that was tied to a medieval Italy history course.

Students and faculty gathered Thursday as Brian Peddie '11, an instructor of the Fencing Club, gave a brief history on the evolution of fencing from the early broadsword to the modern rapier.

Alumni Council members spent time recently with current students, talking about a range of career paths and sharing their workplace experiences.

The informal mixer held Sept. 18 at the Colgate Bookstore was sponsored by the Center for Career Services.

Peer deep into space through the eyes of the orbiting Hubble Telescope. Travel back billions of years to witness the birth of the universe. Get an up-close look at ancient Egyptian pyramids.

The Colgate and central New York communities can experience these breathtaking excursions inside Colgate's Ho Tung Visualization Laboratory, which is now open for free public screenings.

"A Year of Chinese Art" is a series of public events at Colgate that will feature lectures, exhibitions, and a film screening.

The series will explore 20th century Chinese art in both historical and contemporary contexts, including exhibitions of modern Chinese woodblock print art, installation art, and film; two scholarly catalogues; lectures by visiting artists; performances; and curricular programming.

You might expect Colgate alumnus and NBA player Adonal Foyle's conversations with college students would revolve around the latest sports scores or his upcoming basketball season.

But, politics?

Colgate students learned Tuesday that the 6-foot-10 Orlando Magic center is just as comfortable talking about political affairs. In fact, Foyle is an outspoken advocate of campaign finance reform.

Growing up in the South, George Hudson often visited the Smoky Mountains, where he developed a passion for hiking.

The English professor's passion has not ebbed.

In fact, it has dovetailed with his keen interest in the effect of landscape on literature and has been of great service as he incorporates walking and hiking excursions in the Colgate off-campus study programs he leads in London and Japan.

Members of the Muslim Student Association shared activities and chatted with area children about the holy month of Ramadan at an event at the Colgate Bookstore.

"We wanted to reach out to the Hamilton community and show the kids what Ramadan is about," said Rifat Zaman '10, co-president of the association.

Raiders football coach Dick Biddle, and Colgate fans everywhere, won't forget Sunday's game for quite awhile.

The game against Coastal Carolina, and Biddle's place in school history, was not settled until the game clock showed triple zeros and the Raiders had turned a muffed snap into a game-winning touchdown toss.

Ask Ajay Chahar '12 where he is from, and he'll say, "Colgate."

That's partly because he is so excited about being a first-year student, and partly because he's lived in so many cities in his native India that he doesn't know which to call home. His father is an army colonel, and Chahar moved with him from post to post.

While he has traveled throughout India, learning five languages from Bengali to Punjabi in the process, he never had the opportunity to travel beyond the region.

After spending nine weeks this summer volunteering at an orphanage in Tanzania, Jennifer Etkin '10 knows that:

-- She wants to pursue a Peace Corps-type experience after graduation, and eventually develop her interest in international law and human rights issues

-- A young woman from New York City's Park Avenue can have a genuine impact in a village where huts are the norm, not skyscrapers.

-- Time and commitment are just as important, if not more so, than financial contributions in making a difference in someone's life