No Reporter next week

The Reporter will not publish next week due to spring break. The next issue will be published on March 15.

PSS seeks nominations for service award

The Professional Staff Senate is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Service Award.

The award is given annually to members of the professional staff who make outstanding community-service contributions. Recipients' service benefits and enriches both the community and the university, and reflects commitment and effort exceeding the normal scope of their university responsibilities.

Winners will receive a cash award and certificate of recognition, and will be honored at a university-wide awards luncheon scheduled for May 16.

Any member of the UB community may submit nominations for the award.

Nomination packages can be obtained from Anna Kedzierski in the PSS office at 645-2003.

Nominations must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. April 18.

Bela Fleck to perform

The Grammy Award-winning musical group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will perform at 8 p.m. March 13 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

The concert will be made possible through a gift from The Bernice Poss Memorial Fund, established to honor the many contributions to the community of Poss, a 23-year UB employee who died in a traffic accident in 1988.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones travel between the lines that separate pop, funk, jazz, rock, folk, classical and bluegrass. Renowned for their musical mastery, they always are on top of critics' and readers' polls. The band has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and won Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1997.

The group is comprised of Bela Fleck, banjo and guitar; Jeff Coffin, saxophones; Victor Lemonte Wooten, basses, and Future Man, synthaxe drumitar and vocals.

The band performs more than 200 sold-out shows annually.

Tickets for B‚la Fleck and the Flecktones are $22.50 for general admission and $18.50 for UB students. Tickets are available at the Center Box Office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, call 645-ARTS.

UB seeks southern exposure for campaign efforts

UB’s fund-raising campaign is going south—to Naples, Fla.

Carole Fenstermacher, director of gift planning for the Office of University Development, is establishing a regional office in Naples.

“It’s an all-out effort to reconnect with our alumni, many of whom may not have spoken with a university representative in 20 or 30 years,” says Fenstermacher, who is beginning her efforts with the 5,000 alumni living in southern Florida.

“We want to let these alumni know their alma mater continues to distinguish itself as a leader in research and education, and how, like the other great public universities, it must seek alternative funding—including private philanthropy—in order to sustain its position as a world-class institution,” she adds.

Fenstermacher also is working with the Office of Alumni Relations, helping to host social events and meetings for university graduates. The first event was a luncheon and a tour of “The Triumph of French Painting” exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. Next on the schedule is a reception at the Colony Club on Longboat Key on March 26.

Korsmeyer to speak at emeritus meeting

Carolyn Korsmeyer, professor of philosophy, will discuss “Delightful, Delicious, Disgusting: On Food, Taste and Philosophy,” during the monthly meeting of the Emeritus Center at 2 p.m. March 13 in the South Lounge, 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus.

A specialist in aesthetics, philosophy of mind and feminist theory, Korsmeyer is the author of “Making Sense of Taste: Food and Philosophy,” which considers the philosophical merit of the literal “taste” and investigates its objects—food and drink—and the activity of their consumption, as well as their representation in art and literature.

The program will be free and open to all members of the UB community.

For further information, call the Emeritus Center at 829-2271.

Former Islanders’ co-owner donates $250,000 to athletics

Alumnus Stephen Walsh—business executive, former co-owner and CEO of the New York Islanders NHL hockey team—and his wife, Janet B. Walsh, have pledged $250,000 to the Division of Athletics.

A 1966 graduate who got his start as a Wall Street trader, Walsh has designated that his gift be used at the “discretion of the director of athletics with foremost consideration given to the need for capital improvements to facilities for men’s and women’s basketball.”

Walsh said that a meeting about five years ago with Bob Arkeilpane, now UB’s director of athletics, “reminded me of four very important years at Buffalo, years that moved me into a different world and sports were a very special part of those years.”

Walsh also has agreed to chair the Athletics Campaign Committee for UB’s $250 million campaign. “If you compare the campaign to politics, the first sign of interest is to vote; the next step is to write a check and the ultimate in financial support is to ask others to write a check,” he explained.

“It takes people and money to build a strong athletic program and we have the people, so I won’t rest until I help raise the money to make UB’s athletic program as good as its academics.”

Arkeilpane praised the Walshes for their leadership.

“Steve and Janet are very generous individuals who support their causes by donating time and money.

“While Steve is particularly excited by the potential of UB’s basketball programs,” Arkeilpane added, “he also works hard as our campaign chair, sharing his enthusiasm with other alumni who want to boost athletics and raise UB’s national profile.”

Geology reworks program for undergraduate students

The Department of Geology has revamped its undergraduate program to provide new opportunities for students interested in the field but who do not intend on becoming professional geologists.

Beginning in the fall, the bachelor of science degree will be designed for students interested in a career in the field and in need of a traditional, technical-science degree, says John Fountain, professor and chair of the Department of Geology. A new bachelor of arts degree has been developed to appeal to students “interested in science, but who don’t want to be technical scientists.”

“Society now involves so many science-based issues, from the environment to computers, that students may view BA science degrees as an alternative to a liberal arts degree,” Fountain says. “By reducing the number or required geology courses, as well as the level of math, chemistry and physics, the BA now provides a broadly based education with a science focus.”

Fountain says that among the students who might be interested in the BA degree are those who want to become earth science teachers; those who plan to attend law or some other graduate school, since the degree provides a good introduction to environmental law, and those interested in the outdoors and the environment but who do not want a career in science, such as science journalists.

The department also is offering a combined five-year BA/MA program based on the new BA program.

CFA to present production of “Little Red Riding Hood”

The Center for the Arts will present Fanfare Theatre Ensemble’s original musical production of “Little Red Riding Hood” at 7 p.m. March 30 in the Mainstage Theatre in the CFA, North Campus.

The center’s Family Adventure Series is sponsored by Target. Media sponsors are Adelphia Media Services and WJYE-FM.

This production of “Little Red Riding Hood” includes several twists on the popular tale, including a funny wolf, tap-dancing Grandma and plenty of audience participation. It is recommended for ages 9 and under.

The musical stars Joan and Evan Thompson. Evan has appeared on television in such programs as “Law & Order,” “Ryan’s Hope” and “Saturday Night Live.” Joan has enjoyed a long stage career, both on and off-Broadway.

The production features an original score by John Clifton, who has scored several films and served as music director for Liza Minelli. The Thompsons and Clifton are responsible for more than a dozen musicals for young audiences.

Fanfare Theatre Ensemble has been entertaining children for more than 30 years with a wholesome brand of musical theatre that captivates the audience.

Tickets for “Little Red Riding Hood” are $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the center box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, call 645-ARTS.

Chinese banquet set

The UB Women’s Club will hold a Chinese Banquet to benefit the Grace Capen Award Fund at 6 p.m. April 1 in the Golden Duck restaurant, 1840 Maple Road, Williamsville.

The banquet will feature a 12-course Chinese meal, including Peking duck.

The cost is $32 per person, which includes tax, tip and a $10 contribution to the award fund.

Seating is limited. Reservations will be made when a check is received. Checks, made payable to the UB Women’s Club, must be mailed to Dorothy Soong, 249 Wellingwood Drive, East Amherst, 14051, by March 23.

For further information, contact Irma Katz at 691-4614.

Lectures on Chinese art, architecture set for March 13, 15

Wang Mingxian, critic and expert in Chinese art and architecture, will deliver two lectures on the subject during a visit to UB in March.

The lectures are sponsored by the Department of Art History and the Asian Studies Program, both in the College of Arts and Sciences. They will be free of charge and open to the public.

Wang will speak on “The Multiplicity and Confrontation in Contemporary Chinese Architecture” at 11 a.m. March 13 in the Screening Room, 112 Center for the Arts, North Campus.

He will discuss “From Street Art to Exhibitive Art: The Art of the Red Guard During the Cultural Revolution” at 5 p.m. March 15 in the CFA Screening Room.

A reception will follow the March 15 lecture.

Wang is chief editor of Architects, a scholarly Chinese architecture magazine and serves as deputy chair of the Committee of Chinese Architecture and Landscape.

His major publications include “Contemporary Architectural Culture and Aesthetic: A Collection on Chinese Architectural Aesthetic, Contemporary Chinese Art,” co-authored with Gao Minglu, assistant professor of art history at UB, and “The Art History of the People’s Republic of China, 1966-1976,” the first book published about the art of the Cultural Revolution.

Creative Craft Center to offer workshops

The Creative Craft Center in the Ellicott Complex is offering spring workshops beginning the week of March 19.

Workshops are scheduled in photography, pottery, weaving, quilting, embroidery, knitting and crocheting, beginning and advanced stained glass, jewelry construction and basic drawing.

Workshops run from 7-10 p.m. one night a week for six weeks.

Sessions for children and teens will be held on Saturdays.

Fees are $30 for UB students and $60 for all others.