PSU Magazine Winter 1997

Moby Dick marathon It's not one for the record books, but it will be one fo r the University's pocket– book. Friends of English is sponsoring a marathon reading of Melville's Moby Dick beginning Feb. 28 and ending 25 hours later on March 1. Local and campus celebri ty readers are expected, but anyone wi th a good voice, a love of Moby Dick, or wi h friends ready to pledge money are welcome to join the marathon reading. Money raised will go toward English student scholar hips, a graduate student fe llowship, and support of a writer-in-residence. The oration starts at 3 p.m. in the Nordic Room, 26 Smith Center. The public is welcome. Music and refresh– ment will be included. For more information about the marathon reading contact Professor Nathan Cogan, pres ident of the Friends of English, at 725 -4736. Successful East Harlem teacher to speak For the past 20 years, Deborah Meier has been a teacher and director of one of the most remarkable public schools in the country, Central Park East in East Harlem, where 90 percent of the students graduate and go on to college. Meier will share her ideas on making all children powerful thinkers and responsible citizens during a public lecture Sunday, March 9, and a two– day workshop March 9 and 10. Meier was the fo unding teacher– director of fo ur schools in Ea t Harlem- the Central Park East network . These schools, which largely se rve low-income Afri can-American and Latino families, are considered among the best in the nation. The youngest of the fo ur, Centra l Park East Secondary Schoo l, is a fl agshi p for Ted Sizer's Coalition of Essential School . Meier i an edi tor and writer fo r many publica tions, and the paperback edition of her recent book, The Power of Their Ideas, has recently been published. Meier will discuss "The Power of Their Ideas: How Serious Are We 6 P U MAGAZINE WINTER 1997 Deborah Meier, an East Harlem teacher, will share her ideas on making all children powerful thinkers at a public lecture March 9. About Changing Our Schools?," March 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Harrison Hall. Cost for the lecture is $15. The two-day workshop, March 9 and 10, is sched– uled from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on campus and at the Red Lion Jantzen Beach. Cost for both days is $105. For more information or to register for these continuing education oppor– tunities, contact the PSU School of Extended Studies at 725-8500. Journal finds new home The Pacific Historical Review, a presti – giou scholarly journal published by the University of California at Los Angeles fo r the past 65 years, ha a new home in 441 C ramer Hall. Portland State's History Department beat out universities from 11 western states to take over the journal. "It was a first-class move from our po int of view," says Martin Ridge, of the Pac ific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, which was responsible for the selec– tion. "PSU offered a first-cla s depart– ment and is a first-class urban university." The Review is becoming an active part of the History Department's grad– uate program, a cording to managing editor Dav id Johnson, chair of the department. Some 100 to 120 articles are submitted annually to the Review, and only 15 or 16 are published. The journal also receives hundreds of books for review. "This is great training for students," says Johnson. "The journal involves an intense attention to the art of writing and to scholarship." Serving with Johnson on the Review is co-editor Carl Abbott, professor of urban stud ies and plan– ning, and Susan Wladaver-Morgan, as assistant to the editor. It's the millionth book Books till reign supreme even in th is age of computer networking, database sharing, and Internet access, says Tom Pfingsten, director of the PSU Library. Pfingsten recently announced the one-millionth book addition to the library. The book he chose to repre- ent this mile tone, The Country of Sir Walter Scott ( 1913), was purchased through a PORTALS grant. PORTALS (Portland Area Library System), headquartered at PSU, elec– tronically links 14 area public and private academic institutions and the Mu ltnomah County Library and the Oregon Historical Society. This kind of purchase goes to the "root of PORTALS," says its director, Howard McGinn. Together, libraries in the PORTALS system create a major research library for Portland; however, some holdings have been found deficient. Portals is provid ing $17,000 this year fo r book purchase in areas from architecture to As ian stud– ies. The Country of Sir Walter Scott is part of a private collection of literary biographies to be shared between PSU and Reed College. "Our method of linking the libraries is through the Internet, and new info rmation is provided by the Internet, but thi doesn't mean books are obsolete," says McGinn. The biography is a particu larly handsome volume, according to Pfingsten. "I don't think it is a rare edition, but it is nicely bound and has a gold edge and good photographs," he says. "These kinds of books are a work of art." D