Hood Magazine Summer 2008

4 HOOD MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2008 Alumna Awarded Fulbright Grant to Teach in German Schools Shannon Williams ’ has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Grant to teach high school students in Germany. Williams, who graduated summa cum laude in , will teach English to German students in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city, from September to June . The Walkersville, Md., native majored in philosophy, with minors in German and history. Shannon, who attended Hood on the Hodson Trust Scholarship for Academic Excellence, the Valedictorian Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship and a Maryland Delegate Scholarship, was on the Dean’s List every semester and received the James R. Boston Prize in Philosophy in  and the German Embassy Prize in . She was a resident in the German house, participated in our biennial trip to Berlin, and spent a summer at the University in Mainz taking intensive language classes. “Shannon is a gifted language student who took advantage of the many opportunities that the German program aﬀords,” said Scott E. Pincikowski, Hood associate professor of German. Shannon said she would like her teaching to go beyond the class room and help debunk some of the stereotypes the United States and Americans have overseas—much of it perpetuated by the popular mass media. “There is more to Americans than what is shown on MTV,” she said. “I’d love to develop an informal conversation-type class to maybe spark discussion about what is going on in the United States today—especially during an election year—it’s so exciting.” Shannon, whose sister Jessica graduated from Hood in , would like to continue her studies when she returns in the summer of , with an eye to international studies. She’s thankful to Purnima Bhatt, professor of anthropology, history and interdisciplinary studies and Hood’s Fulbright Program adviser, for her help in the application process, and her time at Hood. “I really discovered myself here,” said Shannon, who had never taken a German class until her sophomore year. “When I ﬁrst started here, I never thought I’d be studying German, but that is exactly what the Hood experience is: opportunities for self-discovery and exploration of new ideas.” At least eight other Hood alumnae have received Fulbright awards, including Jeanne Schmidt Whitehair ’; Janet Halsted Jackson ’; Mara Eksteins Garcia-Bunuel ’; Charlotte A. Moran ’; Beverly A. Heckart ’; Amie Godman Tannenbaum ’; Cherilyn Widell ’; Heather Mathews ’; and Summer Arrigo-Nelson ’. Recent Campus Improvements Include Renovations, Landscaping, Upgrades Construction crews have been busy making improvements and safety upgrades to a number of locations on campus. The single largest campus project was the renovation and improvements to Hodson Auditorium in Rosenstock Hall, which now provides an expanded seating capacity for guest lecturers, recitals and speakers. First ﬂoor classrooms in that building were converted to “smart classrooms” and the main entrance and adjoining corridors were painted and carpet was installed. Students returning to campus this past fall dined in the refurbished Coblentz Dining Hall, complete with new furniture and kitchen equipment, freshly painted walls and a redesigned layout that has provided a more inviting dining experience. And with the awarding of a new food services contract to Aramark Educational Services in summer , students are enjoying a wider array of new menu options and Java City, a coﬀee shop-like bar in the Blazer snack bar that oﬀers an extensive line of ﬂavored coﬀees, juices and drinks. Renovations were also made to student lounges in two residence halls and to a formal reception area during summer . The main athletic ﬁeld was renovated and is receiving another round of improvements now. New bleachers were also added. Several landscaping projects have been completed at Alumnae Hall, the Whitaker Campus Center and at the library. The foundation of the ﬁ rst College building, Alumnae Hall, which had been damaged by water seepage for years, was repaired and waterproofed. Repairs and improvements to the campus infrastructure, including the replacement or installation of water and heating system valves, repairs to the underground steam distribution system and exterior brick staircases, and upgrades to building temperature controls have been made. A temporary parking lot was constructed on the site of the old tennis courts, while permanent parking for more than  additional cars is planned for the same site. Summer  projects include improvements to the Whitaker Campus Commons and the Commuter Lounge, and a mass communication and notiﬁcation system will be instituted in the fall, allowing students, faculty, staﬀ and parents to receive emergency alerts on cell, home and oﬃce phones as well as by e-mail.

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