Ballet ‘On the Edge’ features student choreography

Every song that junior ballet major Ben Delony listens to, he choreographs in his head.Delony and fellow junior ballet major Daniel Morales were selected to be the only student choreographers in the upcoming IU Ballet Theater production of “On the Edge,” which will be presented Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.The name “On the Edge” stems from the location of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in relation to the IU campus and is representative of the new, original choreography and music being performed, Chair of the IU Ballet Department Michel Vernon said.

Singing Hoosiers hope to delight at inauguration ball

IU’s Singing Hoosiers will perform at the ball in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington the night before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office.“We kind of get to show them what we’re made of and what kids our age can do,” said Natalie McRae, an alto in the group.The group received an invitation to perform and will sing for about an hour and a half, said Director Michael Schwartzkopf. He said the Singing Hoosiers have performed at inaugural balls before, but 15 to 20 years have passed since the last.

Bloomington appeals to retirees, Wall Street Journal article says

In a small city with 39,000 students, 78-year-old Pat Bayer doesn’t mind the young people “running around like crazy.”

IU Day at the State Fair draws hundreds

The sky was blue Thursday, but the Indiana State Fair shined cream and crimson. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, hundreds of fair goers decked out in IU gear, walked up and down State Fair Boulevard to attend the fair’s annual IU Day. SLIDESHOW: IU Day

LOCAL FLAVOR - Jacob Grabar of Odon, Ind., enjoys an ice cream sandwich as things wind down at the Tuesday Market in the Bloomingfoods Near West parking lot. Jacob helps his father Daniel operate the stand from which they have been selling locally grown fruit and vegetables for nine years.

Music workshop holds faculty concert

The College Audition Preparation Faculty Concert will kick off the week-long CAP workshop 7 p.m Sunday in Ford Hall.“It is a great concert,” said Alain Barker, the Jacobs School of Music director of marketing and publicity. “There will be a lot of wonderful music by the Jacobs School of Music Faculty.”

Bloomington audience bids emotional farewell to Beaux Arts Trio

There was not a dry eye in the house as the Beaux Arts Trio played their final note.

Curt Simic: Leaving is ‘bittersweet’

At a retirement celebration for IU Foundation President Curt Simic, Jacobs School of Music Dean Gwyn Richards introduced the world-renowned Beaux Arts Trio as a thank-you to Simic.\n“It is in music we can make the most profound expression,” Richards said.\nNearly 1,000 faculty and staff members, old colleagues, students, donors, alumni, friends and family came to the Musical Arts Center on Friday for a chance to share similar gratitude for Simic, who has been the IU Foundation president for 20 years. Awards, memorabilia, articles and letters were also on display for attendees in the center’s lobby.\nSpeakers included Simic’s daughter, Laura, past colleagues and members of the IU community, including IU President Michael McRobbie, who called Simic a “man of the greatest integrity for the university he has loved.” \nMcRobbie went on to explain that Simic has changed the landscape of IU, citing a long list of scholarships Simic has had a significant hand in creating.\nSimic recently became the eighth recipient of the IU Medal, one of the most prestigious awards the university can bestow upon an individual, McRobbie said.\nOne of nine children, Simic grew up in a small town, and graduated with a high school class of 21 students. He took part in a program called “Foundations for College” the summer before his freshman year at IU.\n“It was the greatest thing. I attended my first opera, I had never heard the violin or cello until IU,” Simic said. “The world opened up for me in just one summer.”\nSimic said he continued to stay involved during his time as an undergraduate student. He rode in and coached the men’s Little 500 Dodds House team and became the 1962-63 president of the IU Student Foundation. \nAfter graduation, Simic originally wanted to become a high school English teacher and basketball coach but he said his path changed when then IU Foundation President Bill Armstrong hired him.\n“Back then, there was no curriculum for fundraising and development. It was all experimental,” Simic said. “Bill Armstrong was quite the role model.”\nAnd then Simic found his calling.\nAfter working with the IU Foundation for a few years, he left to build his credentials at other universities around the country, always with the intention of coming back to IU. \nHe said he considers himself very lucky to have a career that helps improve the human condition on a daily basis.\n“Learning that people should be valued and to help recognize their dreams” has been one the most rewarding aspects of Simic’s job.\nDuring the celebration, Simic was presented with the State of Indiana Council of the “Sagamore of the Wabash” award – the highest award given in Indiana – on behalf of Gov. Mitch Daniels. He was also presented with a gift from the IU Art Museum by Director Adelheid Gealt.\n“We will always cherish you,” Gealt said.\nSenior Max Phillips is a member of next year’s IU Student Foundation steering committee and attended the celebration. He recalled the second time he met Simic.\n“I had met him briefly a few weeks earlier, and he came up to me and remembered my name ... it was unbelievable,” Phillips said. “Words can’t convey what it means to aspire to be anything like him.” \nMoving forward, Simic plans on spending time with family, continuing to work with the IU Foundation, staying involved with organizations including the Jacobs School of Music, the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center and the IU Art Museum.\n“Leaving is bittersweet; the job has been 24/7,” Simic said. “It’s time to stop and smell those roses.”

Men's Row 11

31. SOFA “I just think about taking people’s faces and washing them in the dirt.” -- Troy Mottard, junior Best ITT Rider: Nathan Schram (2:40.14) Riders: Daniel Weddle, Matt Steele, Nathan Schram, Derek Springston, Troy Moltard 32. Theta Chi “We know that no one else on campus will, but we’ll try to get a good night sleep.” -- Kyle Alexander, sophomore Best ITT Rider: Max Phillips (2:38.29) Riders: Itai Hasak, Max Phillips, Jacob Tudorica, Kyle Alexander 33. Chi Phi

Around the arts

Fusion Culture: Transportable Living\nWhen: Now through March 7 \nWhere: School of Fine Arts Gallery \nMore info: Works by environmental artist Sarah FitzSimons will be on display. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Entry is free.

‘National icon’ comes to Auditorium

“Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where the women are strong, the men are good-looking and the children are above average.” \nNow in its 32nd year on the radio, Garrison Keillor’s matchless program, “A Prairie Home Companion,” will bring the fictitious small town of Lake Wobegon, Minn., to the IU Auditorium at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. The two-hour show will be broadcast live from the auditorium.\nIt features mainly folk-type music – \nbluegrass, gospel, jazz and blues – as well as some classical, interspersed with comedy sketches such as Keillor’s original character “Guy Noir, Private Eye” and “The Lives of Cowboys,” which features rugged, stereotypical Dusty (voiced by actor Tim Russell) and his sensitive counterpart Lefty (voiced by Keillor).\nAbout an hour and a half in, Keillor gives his signature feature “News from Lake Wobegon” before the show ends with a final musical act. \nInterwoven throughout are commercials from fake sponsors, such as the Ketchup Advisory Board and Professional Organization of English Majors.\nWhile the show is based at Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn., Keillor and his cast travel around the country and abroad, incorporating local acts and humor into the performances. The show’s popularity has also spawned dozens of books – \nmany written by Keillor himself – and a 2006 movie with a cast that included Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan, as well as Keillor playing himself.\nWFIU station manager Christina Kuzmych said “there’s a real magic” in seeing the show in person. \n“Prairie Home Companion is a national icon. It’s the best public radio has to offer,” she said. “It is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for people to be able to see it.”\nThis particular performance will feature music from professor Mimi Zweig’s Violin Virtuosi, as well as pianist Ignasi Cambra, violinist Esther Kim and vocalist Aleksey Bogdanov. A pit orchestra comprised of Jacobs School of Music students will also be present.\nThe Jacobs String Academy and the Violin Virtuosi, which are programs for performers under 18, will play several classical pieces in Saturday’s show. Among them are Fritz Kreisler’s “Praeludium and Allegro,” Felix Mendelssohn’s “On Wings of Song,” Johannes Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 8 in A Minor” and Bela Bartok’s “Sonatina for Three Violins.”\nSisters Ren and Zoë Martin-Doike, 16 and 18 years old, respectively, will play in the show. Both have been playing the violin for more than a decade and have listened to “A Prairie Home Companion” even longer.\n“We’ve been listening to it probably since before we were born,” Ren Martin-Doike said. “I haven’t been able to get nervous because I’m so excited.” \nOther Virtuosi members who will be performing are Alex Ayers, Brian Allen, Seung Mi Sun, Sangwoo Kim, Stephanie Zyzak, Daniel Wunderle and Richard Lidell.\nViolinist Kim, who is in her second year of earning an artist’s diploma from the Jacobs School, will be performing Pablo Sarasate’s “Zapateado,” among other pieces.\n“They decide last minute,” she said. “You never know what you’ll be playing.”\nKim will be accompanied on piano by Jacobs School Dean Emeritus Charles H. Webb.\nBaritone singer Bogdanov is a second-year Master’s student who plans to perform “Credo in un Dio Crudel” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Otello” in Italian and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “None But the Lonely Heart” in Russian.\nBogdanov, who earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of California Santa Cruz, added that he has friends and family across the country who listen to the show.\nBogdanov also said that in the Musical Arts Center, the audience is a few thousand, but “with Prairie Home, you’re talking about millions and millions of people.” \nCambra is a bachelor’s student in piano and 2007-08 Jacobs Scholar. He has won multiple international awards and has played with major orchestras in his home country of Spain.\n“It’ll be a truly remarkable experience,” IU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said. “It’s a great escape for the audience.”

Art of Chocolate brings the sweets

“The Art of Chocolate” will make its annual appearance at 5 p.m. Sunday at the IU Art Museum. With delicious treats from eight different restaurants, the evening promises to be a delight for sweet-toothed attendees.\nChef Jeff Finch of Trulli Flatbread said he hasn’t decided what he’s making yet, but promises a “gourmet chocolate dessert.” Don’t expect chocolate chip cookies from these dessert masters – they’ll be bringing the high-end treats. Tarts, mousses and souffles are all potential dishes. One definite is cocoa ribs, made by FARMbloomington’s Daniel Orr. This spicy concoction includes, among other ingredients, habanero pepper. \nIf these delectable edibles aren’t enough to draw a crowd, there is also the live chocolate art. Developed and launched by BLU Boy Chef David Fletcher last year, the program involves covering two volunteer models – one male, one female – in about 200 pounds of chocolate, turning them into living chocolate statues. The models, both IU students, will be covered from head to toe in several layers throughout the night. Last year, Fletcher turned his male model into a chocolate Atlas (complete with non-chocolate globe).\nChefs and organizers alike are looking forward to what should be a fun night for all. \n“It’s a great way to bring people together in the middle of winter and eat chocolate ... I can’t wait to just sit back and watch it,” committee member Candace Finch said.\nThere will also be a performance by Duo Españas, composed of guitarists Atanas Tzvetkov and Espen Jensen. They will be playing Spanish and Latin American music. Both are earning advanced degrees from the Jacobs School of Music.\nThough associated with the Week of Chocolate, “The Art of Chocolate” is an independent occasion. However, like Week of Chocolate events, “The Art of Chocolate” is a fundraiser. All proceeds will benefit Options for Better Living, Inc., an organization that assists people with developmental disabilities. They aid about 300 people in south-central Indiana.\nUpcoming Week of Chocolate events include “Sundaes on Saturday” and “Wonka’s Chocolate Carnival” Saturday, “Chocolate Jeopardy” Monday, “The Great Girl Scout Cookie Caper” Tuesday, “A Chocolate Travelogue” Wednesday, “Death by Chocolate” Thursday and “Flapjack’s Cocoa Café” and “Chocolate Prom” Feb. 1. The grand finale will be the 11th annual Chocolate Fest at the Bloomington Convention Center Feb. 2. To get involved, buy tickets or learn more about any of the events, go to www.weekofchocolate.com.

Carson leaves district changed

U.S. Representative Julia Carson of Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District died Dec. 15 of complications from lung cancer. She was 69.\nCarson announced that she had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer three weeks before her death. Several days later, she announced that she would not seek reelection in November 2008.\nCarson was the first woman and African American elected to represent the district. She served six terms in the House of Representatives, winning her first congressional term in 1996, replacing Rep. Andy Jacobs.\nHer congressional career was defined by her support of women’s and children’s issues and her efforts to reduce homelessness. She also opposed the Iraq war.\nThe seventh district seat remains open until there is a special election to fill it. Gov. Mitch Daniels must set a date for the election and suggested in a letter sent to the chairmen of both the Democratic and Republican state committees that the special election be held on Indiana’s primary election day, May 6.\nHowever, according to Indiana law, the governor must hold a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat at least 60 days after it becomes vacant.\nCarson was born Julia May Porter in 1938 in Louisville, Ky. She waited tables, delivered newspapers and worked on farms until she was able to attend Martin University in Indianapolis and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. She worked as secretary for the United Auto Workers Union until she was hired by her predecessor, Rep. Andy Jacobs, as a staff assistant in 1965.

Mayor: Blaze that killed 7 college students at N.C. started on deck

A fire at a vacation house where college students went to take advantage of the last good beach weather may have started on a deck, an official said Monday, as two campuses waited to find out the names of the seven dead. The home erupted into a storm of fire and smoke Sunday morning in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Six of the seven students killed attended the University of South Carolina; the other attended Clemson University. Six other South Carolina students in the house survived.\nOcean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith said investigators told her the fire was likely accidental and started either on or near a deck facing a canal on the west side of the house. \nThat side of the building appeared to have suffered the most damage. Earlier Monday, Smith had said the fire started on the deck.\n“They may not be able to determine what started it,” Smith said.\nThough students heard through word of mouth which students survived, the names of the victims had not been announced. Anna Lee Rhea said her older brother, William, was among the dead – a devastating blow to their older brother, Andrew, who made it out of the house alive.\n“Everybody loved him. Everybody really misses him,” she said in a brief telephone interview from the family’s home in Florence, S.C. “You couldn’t help but love him.”\nClasses went on as scheduled at the University of South Carolina Monday, where a garnet and black banner with the school’s mascot, a Gamecock, flew at half-staff outside a fraternity house. Black ribbons were wrapped around the columns of another house. The campus scheduled a candlelight ceremony for Monday evening.\nThe students had gathered at the home for the weekend to enjoy the fleeting beach weather. All that was left of the structure Monday was a charred shell, and four burned-out cars sat in the driveway, cordoned off with police tape.\nThe fire struck sometime before 7 a.m. and burned completely through the first and second floors, leaving only part of the frame standing. The waterfront home – named “Changing Channels” – was built on stilts, forcing firefighters to climb a ladder onto the house’s deck to reach the first living floor.\nFire Chief Robert Yoho said most of the victims were found in the home’s bedrooms. The only person on the top floor who survived did so by jumping out of a window and into the adjacent canal, he said.\nOfficials said the group was staying at a house owned by the parents of one of the students. Many were friends from the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, said Dennis Pruitt, the school’s dean of students.\nAssociated Press writers Page Ivey and Jacob Jordan in Columbia, S.C., Mike Baker in Raleigh, and Daniel Yee in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Governor’s Arts Awards celebrate 6

Outstanding artists, performers and supporters of the arts from across the state were honored Thursday night at the 2007 Indiana Governor’s Arts Awards.\nThe awards ceremony was held at the Musical Arts Center – the first time it has been outside of Indianapolis in its 35-year run.\nDistinguished Professor Menehem Pressler, 83, of the IU Jacobs School of Music, was one of the six honorees.\nPressler, one of the founding members of the Beaux Arts Trio, has been performing and educating for over 50 years and is the senior faculty member of the Jacobs School of Music. \nGwyn Richards, dean of Jacobs, said it was an honor that Pressler had chosen to spend 52 of his 83 years in Bloomington, contributing to the community and the music school. \n“He moves people, and they in turn, thankful for being shaken from their complacency, shower him with recognition,” Richards said. \nPressler performed “Nocturne in C Sharp Minor” by Frederick Chopin for the attendees before accepting his award. \nAnother Bloomington link in the awards ceremony was the award itself.\nKaren Green Stone, a Bloomington potter, was commissioned to create the porcelain awards. She created handmade bowls based on the shape of the Indiana state flower, the peony.\nThe Governor’s Art Awards, given every two years, represent the highest honor given by the state to emphasize the role the arts play in the state’s culture and economy. The awards are hosted by the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency committed to the expansion, promotion and encouragement of the arts. \nGovernor Mitch Daniels commended the state of Indiana’s cultural diversity, saying that commitment to the arts is vitally important right now in the state and nation’s history.\n“There’s the old cliche that music tames the savage beast,” he said. “Today’s popular culture seems to inflame the beast, so to speak, so we need fine art to show our young people what true beauty is.” \nOther winners were Henry Leck and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir; the Fischoff National Chamber Music Organization of Notre Dame, Ind.; Lori Efroymson Aguilera of Indianapolis, a community leader in the arts; Jamey Aebersold of New Albany, Ind., a saxophonist and educator; and the City of Jasper, Ind., the first honoree to win twice for its support of the arts. \nLewis Ricci, executive director of the Indiana Arts Commission, praised the state government for its 30 percent increase in state funds – the first such increase in over a decade. \nRicci introduced a video celebrating Bloomington native and popular musician Hoagy Carmichael, a 1975 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient. \nAebersold performed the Carmichael song “Stardust” before accepting his award. \nDaniels said he is working to ensure that in the future, Indiana will be known as a place of distinction in the arts. \n“When people think of the finest in culture, they will think of a place called Indiana,” he said.

Early 20th century inspires ballet season debut

In coming up with a theme for this years fall ballet, IU Ballet Theater Chair Michael Vernon knew he wanted to try something different.\n“I’ve looked at the ballets in the past that the school has done, and there seems to be no real concept behind them,” he said. “I thought it was time for a change.”\n The result is “Perspectives 1900,” a collection of ballets that will premiere 8 p.m. Friday in the Musical Arts Center. Vernon said he drew inspiration for the show from the “creative time period of the 1900s” when “instead of ballet following fashion, it influenced fashion.” This is Vernon’s first complete season as chair of the IU Ballet Theater, after joining the Jacobs School of Music faculty last year. \nThe show opens with Michael Fokine’s ballet “Les Sylphides,” set to the music of Frederic Chopin. Staged by world-renowned ballerina Cynthia Gregory and orchestrated by students in the Jacobs School of Music Composition Department, the ballet is famous for its airy quality of movement, according to a press release.\n“Les Sylphides” is challenging in terms stamina, but I like it because it has a lot of jumps and is fun to perform,” said Ava Chatterson, a junior in the IU Ballet Theater.\nFollowing “Les Sylphides,” the performance flows into a more modern concept with “Isadora Dances,” a collection of solos and group dances choreographed by modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan and staged by Lori Belilove, founder and artistic director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. Duncan believed that “freeing” dancers from the restrictions of classical ballet created fluidity in their movement.\n“‘Isadora Dances’ is unlike anything I’ve done before,” said senior Lauren Collier, who will perform the Spanish gypsy solo in the piece. “Her style has really let me explore different movements with my upper half that are more free and liberating then most ballet pieces I’ve danced.” \nThe Egyptian hieroglyphic influenced “L’Apres Midi d’un Faune,” choreographed by famed dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, is next in the program. The piece, set to the music of Claude Debussy and staged by Ann Hutchinson Guest, is famous for its measured steps and controversial ending. Vernon said the ballet is hard for dancers because there is so little movement in the piece.\n“The choreography (in L’Apres Midi d’un Faune) is so different from anything people will expect and is so stylized,” sophomore Benjamin Delony said. “Trying to be precise with rather easy-looking movement has been hard on everyone.”\nThe program continues with Michael Fokine’s “Le Spectre de la Rose,” which Vernon updated. New York City Ballet Principle Dancer Daniel Ulbricht will dance the role of the Spectre.\n“I love to invite people to dance, and I used Daniel because he’s a brilliant dancer,” he said. “He’s very similar to the person that originally danced the part, who was Nijinsky.”\nClosing the program is Vernon’s “Brandenburg IV,” set to music by Bach and played by the IU Baroque Orchestra. According to a press release, the ballet is choreographed in three parts, each with a different style of movement: baroque, romantic and neo-classic, or contemporary. This is the world-premiere of the ballet.\n“Perspectives 1900” will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Musical Arts Center. Tickets are $12 to $20 for the general public and $8 to $16 for students. They may be purchased at the Musical Arts Center Box Office or by phone at 333-9955.

A day to remember

It was a cool September day in 2001 when hijackers seized four planes and took thousands of lives. The weather Tuesday reminded one girl of the conditions that fateful day as she shared her Sept. 11 experience with a crowd in front of McNutt Quad. \nBetween 150 and 200 students gathered at the residence hall for a candlelight vigil to remember the sixth anniversary of the tragedy. \nFreshman Corey Celt, a New York City native, said he remembered being in middle school during the time of the attacks. Now, as a member of McNutt Student Government, Celt helped plan the vigil. \n“It was something that had an … effect on everyone,” he said. “I know people who lost friends, coaches, parents.”\nCelt said he and others in McNutt Student Government realized it would be the only event of its kind at IU. \n“We had seen that nothing was going on on campus,” he said.\nFreshman Jordan Jacobs said the student government came up with the idea for the vigil a few days prior and put the event together. Jacobs even added the vigil as a Facebook event and invited other students, 200 of which responded as “attending.” \nFreshman Katie LaPlant, who lives on the same floor as Jacobs in McNutt, said she received Jacobs’ Facebook invitation and decided to go. She said she noticed an apparent lack of remembrance among students. \n“When I was walking around campus today, a lot of people didn’t (seem to) realize it was Sept. 11,” she said.\nAs the sun lowered against a deep blue sky, students helping with the vigil began preparing. Candles that kept blowing out in the breeze lit the walkway leading to the spotlighted McNutt flagpole, where the stars and stripes hung at half-mast. A crowd of students slowly accumulated and were given their own candles to hold. \nCelt began the vigil with an account of his own Sept. 11 experience, after which they held a moment of silence. Freshmen Kareem Bacchus and Daniel Weber sang the national anthem. Students in the crowd were then asked to relate their own experiences into a megaphone. As students listened, many stared down at their candles, a few wiping their eyes. \nAlthough the event sought to remember those who perished in the attacks, Celt added a positive note to the solemnity of the vigil.\n“(Sept. 11) reminds me to just be thankful of what we’ve got,” Celt said.

‘Bout time!

Since 1973, the state of Indiana has presented the Governor’s Arts Awards in Indianapolis, but on Oct. 27 this year, Bloomington will host the awards for the first time. We’ve always known Bloomington was a world-class city for the arts, and this decision only solidifies that position. \nIt’s certainly appropriate for Bloomington to be the site of the awards. Is there any better place for an art award whose recipients include Bloomington icons such as Joshua Bell, Herman B Wells and Hoagy Carmichael than good ol’ Bloomington, Ind.? \nAs Gov. Mitch Daniels noted in the press release announcing the site of the awards, the award belongs to all of Indiana, and as such, deserves to be presented in different locations across Indiana, not just in Indianapolis. We applaud Daniels on his decision and agree that moving the site of the ceremony around the state will help bring visibility both to the awards, artists and patrons that they recognize, as well as communities such as Bloomington that work hard to provide opportunities for artists to showcase their work regularly. \nConsider the wide range of cultural venues Bloomington offers. Of course, any discussion of Bloomington’s arts community must begin with IU, the beating heart of Bloomington’s art scene. From the art museum to the School of Fine Arts to the Jacobs School of Music, we’re brimming with cultural activity and advocacy on an extremely high level. We’ve got opera, ballet, theater and symphony orchestra performances that put many larger cities to shame. \nBeyond IU, the city itself offers endless activities, from the Lotus Music Festival to movies at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to variety shows and theater at the John Waldron Arts Center. Various art galleries dot the Bloomington landscape, including the studio of the designer of last year’s Governor’s Art Award, Jack Brubaker. John Mellencamp’s presence in the area surely vaults us into the arts stratosphere. Our status as a beacon of the arts in Indiana makes us an excellent choice for the first Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony outside of Indianapolis.\nFittingly, the award this year is being designed by yet another Bloomington-area potter, Karen Green Stone. It will be nice to see yet another award crafted by Bloomington hands, a recognition that Bloomington belongs to Indiana as much as the award belongs to Bloomington residents. \nYet, perusing the list of former recipients on the Indiana Arts Commission Web site, we’ve found that a number of municipalities have been recognized with one glaring omission. While cities including Jasper and Fort Wayne have received the award, along with Bloomington events like the Lotus Music Festival, the city of Bloomington has never received the award. \nWe certainly hope that the IAC considers the placement of the ceremony this year as portentous of a certain deserving city that could receive the award, but in the meantime, we congratulate the IAC for choosing Bloomington as host. Even after the awards are gone, we hope Bloomington will continue to be rightfully regarded as a center of the arts for Indiana.

A Hit and A Miss

'You Harlequins'

IU receives high rankings in faculty productivity for several programs

A survey brought out by Academic Analytics at the end of January ranks 14 programs at IU-Bloomington and two at the IU School of Medicine among the best in the country.\nThe survey, called the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, ranked IU 10th among all public universities in the U.S. and 23rd overall in terms of faculty productivity.\n"IU is a good institution with a good reputation," said Bill Savage, director of institutional sales for Academic Analytics. "And we are dealing with four measurable variables: federal grants, journal publications and journal citations, book publications and honors and awards."\nAccording to an IU news release, the index recognized six language and area studies programs, as well as the Jacobs School of Music, the department of speech and hearing sciences, the School of Medicine and the Kelley School of Business. The index also recognized the departments of clinical psychology and plant biology.\n"I feel great," said Julie Auger, associate professor in French and linguistics. "We have some of the best programs within the French department, and every faculty member is very productive. We train our students very well and as a result, we are the best program in the country."\nThe French, francophone literature and culture, and French linguistics programs made IU's French program number one. The programs in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, East Asia and Near Eastern languages followed close behind, ranked at fourth, sixth, seventh, seventh and 10th, respectively.\n"The FSP provides a nice validation of our own performance measures," said Daniel Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business, in an e-mail. "We have long been recognized as one of the leading business schools in the nation in terms of both research and teaching."\nThe management program at the Kelley School of Business was ranked seventh. Faculty activities in clinical psychology and plant biology were ranked second, and in ecology and evolutionary biology, third. While the Educational Leadership Program at the IU School of Education was ranked eighth, the IU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences was ranked seventh and cognitive science program was ranked 10th.\nOver 30 institutions use the FSP as one of the tools for strategic planning, Savage said. \n"We have our own research productivity tracking and as such, we will not likely rely heavily on the FSP per se," Smith said. "We track a host of internal metrics of performance."\nNevertheless, the FSP helps each department focus on its strengths for the future.\n"We would try to get even better," Auger said. "Hopefully this would attract better students and colleagues who can build our strengths."\nMunirpallam Venkataramanan, chair of the undergraduate program at Kelley, agreed.\n"The plan is always simple: we always recruit highly regarded fresh Ph.D. students and give them the resources they need," he said. "Their combination with a highly reputed faculty is very productive"