On April 16, the faculty met to discuss the motion to join the edX and begin creating MOOCs through their company. The faculty voted against joining edX, instead approving a motion to have the College pursue its own initiatives to move more class material and classes online and to create ways to incorporate technology in the classroom.
On April 2, the faculty met to approve new courses, discuss a report from the Faculty Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)/edX Committee and question Johannes Heinlein, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations at edX, and to view and discuss a presentation by the Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) regarding class capping at the College and its effect on students’ access to the open curriculum.
Yesterday evening, Program Board announced that Macklemore will headline Spring Concert on April 27. Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, is a rapper and musician who has risen to stardom recently with his successful debut full-length studio album, “The Heist,” which reached the No. 1 position on the U.S. iTunes Albums chart within hours of its October 2012 release, selling over 78,000 copies in the first week and debuting in the No. 2 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200. Known for his No.
Sociology Prof. Holleman grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. She graduated from Oklahoma State with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Sociology. She got her M.S. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the Univ. of Oregon. She has taught courses at the Univ. of Vermont and the Univ. of Oregon before coming to the College.
After an overwhelmingly positive response to its two-week trial this fall, Grab-N-Go started this Monday, Feb. 25 as a permanent program. Running out of Schwemm’s Cafe, Grab-N-Go will be open 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., extending the lunch period option for students by half an hour, Monday through Friday during class and exam periods. The program accommodates student meal plans, point plans and cash transactions so student and non-students can participate.
This Thursday, Feb. 21, Schwemm’s Coffee House will be serving alcohol from 8 p.m.-12 a.m. to students who are of drinking age. Schwemm’s has been granted a one-day liquor license for this evening trial.
The effort was spearheaded by the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) President Tania Dias ’13.
Biology Prof. Alexandra Purdy grew up in Cape Cod, Mass. She attended the College of William and Mary for her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry. She then took a year off and worked in Arcadia National Park in the summer before working in the Jackson Labs as a research assistant. She then completed her Ph.D. in marine biology at the Univ. of California, San Diego. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital Boston.
