Bl@zer Links
December 12, 2007

Happy Holidays from Hood College!

A Message from the President
On behalf of the entire Hood Community, I am pleased to extend warm holiday greetings to you.

As the year draws to a close, we are grateful for this opportunity to thank you for your continued commitment to Hood. The campus has a vibrancy that hasn’t been seen for quite some time. The upcoming new year is all about “the new”—new students, new initiatives and new opportunities. I personally invite you to join me on campus to observe first hand how we continue to integrate our past with the present to assure a bright future.

Lin, Stephanie and I extend best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful holiday season!

Warmest Regards,

President Ronald J. Volpe, Ph.D.

Hood Highlights

Hodson Trust Bestows Second Largest Gift to Hood
Hood recently received more than $4.5 million from its largest benefactor, The Hodson Trust. The money, presented to President Ronald J. Volpe, Ph.D., was donated by the Trust and the Hodson Scholarship Foundation. A portion of the money from the Trust will be used to expand technology in the classrooms, including state-of-the-art computer software and hands-on applications.

Along with new technology, funds from the Trust will be used for faculty and undergraduate research at the College’s summer research institutions. Funds will also continue to be used for additional campus infrastructure projects. About $1.1 million will be used to support undergraduate scholarships.

For more information about the gift, read the full story.

A New Name for Our Online Newsletter
Thank you to all who submitted suggestions and creative ideas for the new name for our online newsletter. After compiling and reviewing all of the submissions, we are pleased to announce the new name, “Bl@zer Links,” which incorporates our mascot and exemplifies the spirit of Hood College.

Event Photo Gallery Coming Soon
Want to keep up with the happenings of alumnae and alumni events throughout the country? The office of alumnae and alumni relations will make it easier for you to do just that with a newly created photo gallery page coming soon to the alumni relations homepage. Look for the photo gallery to see what’s new at Hood or in a city near you!

Holiday Wishes from the Office of Institutional Advancement
The office of institutional advancement would like to wish everyone a happy holiday and a happy new year! Hood will be operating with a limited staff from Friday, Dec. 21 to Wednesday, Jan. 2. Please go to www.hood.edu for details regarding the holiday break.

Year End Reminder
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, please take a moment to celebrate Hood’s success with a gift to the Annual Funds in an amount that is meaningful to you. Visit the Annual Funds Web site for our holiday greeting and to make your gift online. Remember, your gift made before Dec. 31 can provide tax benefits for you on your 2007 return.

You also may be eligible to take advantage of further tax benefits through the Pension Protection Act of 2006 by making your gift directly from your I.R.A. For more details, contact your financial adviser or the office of planned giving at Hood by phone at (301) 696-3728.

Brighten Someone's Holiday Season
Are you struggling for a holiday gift idea for someone on your list who seems to have everything? Give the gift that keeps on giving—a gift to Hood College in honor of that special person. Hood will send a letter of acknowledgement to you and the person you are honoring. You can easily make your gift online at www.hood.edu/giving, or by calling (800) 707-5280, option 4.

Alumna Wins Election
Congratulations to Maria Meluskey Dissinger ’89 who was successful in the Lebanon County, Pa., election and will be sworn in as a magisterial district judge this January. Pictured on the right (from left to right) are Linda Rupy Spar ’81, Maria and Cynthia Morris Lyons ’88 at Maria’s campaign fund-raiser last April.

New Purse Design
Kathy Pires-Lengyel ’81, creator of Significant Journey “purses with a purpose,” has introduced a new line of Nitty Gritty purses that are designed to the perfect size for carrying today’s necessities—an iPod, cell phone, driver’s license, credit cards and cash. The 4-inch wide, 7-inch high purse is available in four different styles. Ten percent of the profits from the sale of each purse go to charity organizations. For more information, visit www.significantjourney.com.

Published Alumna
Dorothy Smith Lebo ’53 recently published a book “Home at Heart,” a witty and satirical account of domestic life in the traditional 1950s and volatile 1960s. Her daughter, Diane Lebo Wallace ’79, edited the publication.

Recent Alumna Begins Work with Volunteer Maryland
Chelsea Henkel ’07 began a year of national service with Volunteer Maryland, an AmeriCorps program of the governor’s office, as the Volunteer Maryland coordinator at the Literacy Council of Frederick County.

Science Students Earn Awards at Annual Conference
Seven Hood students recently traveled to the 10th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at University of Maryland Baltimore County to present results from their individual summer research projects. Six of the seven won awards for their research, including Rukundo Kambarami ’08 (Evaluation of Wastewater Quality from Wastewater Stabilization Ponds), Benjamin Caplins ’09 (Infrared Spectroscopy of Biomimetic Catalysts for Hydrogen Production), Fulgentia Gang ’08 (In Vivo Antimalaria Activity of Maranthes Floribunda Root Ethanolic), Irena Antic ’08 (Expression and Purification of Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein Zinc Binding Domain), Rebecca Hunter ’09 (Enantioseparation of Profen Drugs by Capillary Electrophoresis: Using Vancomycin and Cyclodextrin as Chiral Selectors) and Shannon Barton ’11 (Cloning and Expression of Zinc-Fingers 1 and 2 from Zinc-Finger Antiviral Protein). Rebecca Asiamah ’08 also presented her work at the conference.

Nominate Some Great Alums
The Alumnae and Alumni of Hood College is accepting nominations for three awards: Excellence in Alumna or Alumnus Service Award, Distinguished Alumna or Alumnus Award and Outstanding Recent Alumna or Alumnus Award. Each year, three distinguished alums are honored at the Alumnae and Alumni Luncheon during Reunion Weekend for their service to the College and for their career achievements. Click here for additional information about the awards and to access the nominations form. Send completed forms to Linda S. Hoffman, director of alumnae and alumni relations, or e-mail your nomination to hoffmanl@hood.edu.

Interested in Reconnecting with your Classmates?
The classes of 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1983, 1988, 1993 and 2003 have the opportunity to join a Yahoo! e-mail loop exclusively for their classes. This is an excellent way to find out what is going on with your classmates and their plans for Reunion. If you don’t already have a loop for your class and are interested in starting one, all you need is an active e-mail account; you do not need to have an e-mail account through Yahoo!. This opportunity is available to all classes as well as Reunion groups. Contact Bonnie Lightcap for more information.

Alumnae and Alumni Events

R.S.V.P. for Events
To R.S.V.P. or for information on the upcoming events, e-mail us at alumoffice@hood.edu, or call (800) 707-5280, option 2, or (301) 696-3900. Please continue to check our Web site for continuing updates on future events.

Hagerstown Christmas Party
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m., Fountain Head Country Club, Hagerstown, Md. Please join President Volpe for dinner and a holiday greeting from the College. The cost of the dinner is $18. For more information or to R.S.V.P., contact Rebecca Fishack ’03 or call (240) 291-3049. The deadline to register is Dec. 13.

A Gathering in Denver, Colorado
Sunday, Jan. 27, 3 p.m., Denver Country Club, 1700 E. 1st Ave., Denver, CO. Join area alums for a reception hosted by Jean Righter Bolle ’50. More details will follow.

Join Us in Tucson, Arizona
Saturday, Feb. 9, noon, Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. Saint Andrews Drive, Tucson, AZ. Please join area alums and welcome Nancy Gillece '81, vice president for institutional advancement, who will deliver greetings and share news of the College.

Career Opportunities

Hood College Career Services
Take advantage of free lifetime services. We can help you with your résumé, give you advice on your job search and talk to you about career options and much more. Contact us by phone at (301) 696-3583 or by e-mail at careers@hood.edu to schedule an appointment.

We Need Your Help
Recently Hood’s career center and office of service learning switched to a new service provider for its online mentor program. The new provider, Opportunities Network (OpNet), allows students and alums to interact with increased flexibility. Please update your account soon. Click here to update your information or to register for a new account. Thank you!

Campus Events

Faculty Members Display Works in Hodson Gallery
An exhibition featuring works in photography, ceramics, printmaking and drawing by eight Hood faculty members will be on display through Dec. 16 in Hood’s Hodson Gallery in the Tatem Arts Center. For more information about the exhibit, contact Youngmi Organ, curator of the Hodson Gallery at (301) 696-3471 or read the full story.

Annual Crèches Display
The annual exhibit of nativity sets, or crèches,—a holiday tradition at Hood—is now on display in the library’s lobby. This year, you can see more than 75 crèches as well as a Christmas tree decorated entirely with crèche ornaments, representing the work of artisans from more than 30 countries on four continents. The crèches are from the collections of Beulah Munshower Sommer ’44, the Rev. Richard Kukowski and Jan Samet O’Leary, director of the library. The exhibit will be on display until Friday, Jan. 18, 2008.

Athletics News

Men's Basketball
Dec. 6: Defeated Gallaudet University, 75-47
Dec. 8: Defeated St. Mary's College (Md.), 73-70

Hood earned a pair of CAC wins last week and moved into a tie for first place in the league with York (Pa.) at 3-1. The Blazers used an 11-0 spurt against Gallaudet in the first half to mount a double-digit lead and never looked back. Junior Ryan Junghans paced all scorers with 26 points including five three-pointers.

Then on Saturday the Blazers rallied from a six-point second half deficit and senior Jesse Gutekunst (above) nailed two clutch free throws to clinch a 73-70 victory over St. Mary’s (Md.). Gutekunst finished with a game-high 26 points, including a perfect 12-of-12 from the line. All three of Hood’s league wins have come on the road. Hood has now won five straight CAC road games dating back to last season.

The Blazers return to action Dec. 18-19 at the King’s College Tournament.

Women's Basketball
Dec. 3: Lost to Philadelphia Biblical University, 47-51
Dec. 6: Defeated Gallaudet University, 73-71
Dec. 8: Lost to St. Mary's College (Md.), 49-81

Sophomore Jen Willison and freshman Allyson Lethbridge combined for 41 points to power Hood to a 73-71 CAC victory over Gallaudet University Thursday. The Blazers overcame traffic delays and held off a late Bison rally to earn their first-ever CAC triumph. The win was also the first for first-year head coach Jay Butler at Hood. Willison finished with a game-high 23 points, two away from tying her career-high, while Lethbridge tallied a career-high 18.

Sophomore Whitney Boyer had a solid all-around game with eight points, a career-high eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Willison, Jessica Parrish and Brianna Raithel all tallied 10 points in a loss at St. Mary’s. Junior Whitney Schultheis (above) netted a career-high 20 points including four treys in a loss to Philadelphia Biblical.

Hood will be idle until Jan. 7.

 
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Bl@zer Links, December 12, 2007: This edition of Bl@zer Links is also available on the Hood College Web site.

Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations | Hood College
401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, Maryland 21701
(301) 696-3400 | (800) 922-1599 | alumoffice@hood.edu

Tammy McElroy, Associate Director of Alumni Relations
Linda Hoffman, Director of Alumni Relations
Adrienne Gonzales, Sports Information Director