Glories of the Hudson

Are you a student interested in writing about the Hudson Valley and about history? If so, you may be interested in this call for papers:

Glories of the Hudson

The Quadricentennial Olana-Cedar Grove Joint Symposium

Hosted by the Fisher Center, Bard College

Sunday April 26, 2009

Call For Papers

“The site is a result of a careful study of the river-banks, and commands so many views of varied beauty that all the glories of the Hudson may be said to circle it.”^[1]

“Glories of the Hudson” is a joint symposium convened by Olana State Historic Site and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and hosted by The Fisher Center at Bard College in celebration of New York State’s 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. The goal of this particular symposium is to expand and enrich our collective understanding of the Hudson River School of Art through the exploration of interdisciplinary intersections between art and other fields of inquiry in Hudson Valley history during and throughout the 400 years celebrated. The Hudson Valley has long been at the forefront of popular movements in American history; the Hudson River and its surrounding communities have served as witness to four centuries of changing views in American culture, society, politics, and environment. In this call for papers, “Glories of the Hudson” seeks papers that demonstrate the interconnectivity between the art and architecture of the Hudson Valley and the larger historical narratives of Hudson Valley cultural, social, political, and environmental history.

This symposium is open to undergraduate and graduate students within a fifty-mile radius of Olana, Cedar Grove and Bard College. Candidates should submit a 300-500 word abstract and resume in MS Word or Adobe PDF format. Longer submissions will not be considered. Abstracts must contain a title page with author identification, but there should be no reference to the author's identity elsewhere in the abstract to enable blind review

All abstracts must be sent via email to: gregory@thomascole.org by Feb 13th, 2009. Please do not send abstracts via postal mail.

Your e-mail must contain:

• your name, school, its address, your major(s), anticipated date of graduation, and degree
• contact phone, address and email,
• short abstract of your manuscript,
• permission for Olana State Historic Site, The Olana Partnership, The Thomas Cole National Historic Site and/or Bard College to reproduce and/or publish your abstract in print or digitally for marketing and/or educational purposes
• one page resume

Authors will be notified of the results of the blind peer review by March 1st, 2009.

The symposium, Glories of the Hudson, occurs in conjunction with River-themed exhibitions opening in 2009 at both Olana and Cedar Grove. The inaugural exhibition for Olana’s changing exhibits gallery, Glories of the Hudson: Frederic Church at Olana, lends the symposium its name. The paintings, oil sketches and pencil drawings chosen document Church’s passion for the Hudson River as transformed by the seasons, weather and light. In addition to the material by Church, there will be a small selection of works by contemporaries inspired by the view of the River from Olana. A similar exhibition of over a dozen Hudson River School paintings depicting the Hudson River and its tributary streams will also be on exhibit at Cedar Grove.

Submission given by Andrew Rieser for :

Gregory Rosenthal, Education Coordinator, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, (518)-943-7465 ext. 2, gregory@thomascole.org &

Carri Manchester, IPA/Director of Education, Olana State Historic Site, (518)-828-0135 ext. 305, carri.manchester@oprhp.state.ny.us

Student Essay Contest!

Have you had a wonderful college experience? Has a particular professor, staff member or administrator gone out of their way to assist you at Dutchess Community COllege? If so, you may be interested in entering the first annual Community College Week - NISOD Student Essay Contest.

The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) is pleased to announce the first annual Community College Week–NISOD Student Essay Contest. The winning essay is awarded a total of $3,000+ in prizes to be shared with the student author, the outstandingfaculty/staff/administrator featured in the essay, and the student’s community college.

The essay contest is an opportunity to celebrate teaching and leadership excellence on college campuses by recognizing those who are making a difference in the lives of students. This is also an opportunity to recognize the community colleges who are the proud recipients of these exemplary faculty, staff, and administrators.

Click here to access the entry form and get additional details about the contest!

Also, I'd like to thank Peter Phipps of BHS for this posting.

Microsoft Word 2007 blues...

You haven't upgraded to Office 2007 because you like Office 2003 and are quite comfortable with it. The only problem is, you are now receiving documents in a .docx format that it's impossible for your computer to open. If faced with this situation, download this converter to rectify the problem and you can continue using 2003 without having to worry about compatibility with newer documents!

Usage Dictionaries

Oftentimes, in the midst of composing a paper, you’ll find that your spell check just doesn’t help (of all those suggestions in the drop-down box which one is right?) and only later do you discover, when your paper comes back, that you should have used effect instead of affect, or that you have erroneously substituted the word discreet for its nearly identical counterpart discrete. In any case, to avoid the scourge of red pen, students should refer to a Usage Dictionary when they have any doubts concerning the proper use of a word. What, you might ask, is a Usage Dictionary? Well, a Usage Dictionary differs from normal dictionaries in that it gives explanations instead of definitions, and shows specific examples of proper use. Paul Brians is a Professor at Washington State University and has created a handy little website called Common Errors in English Usage that is much like a usage dictionary. For those looking for fuller treatments on particular words nothing can beat the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage where a typical entry spans half a page. We also have a collection of others here!

So whether you lean more toward the descriptive side of the linguistics debate or tend to be one those who insist on using King’s English even in Instant Messages, consider that Professors and Employers appreciate attention to detail in all matters and you can certainly convey that in your written work.