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L EHMAN L I G H T N I N G Spring 2005 New Portrait Lehman, commissioned by the College, graces the Governor's Reception Area of the Capitol inside… Bust of HHL Building, along with a description of some of Helps Keep his accomplishments. Cast in bronze and standing over two feet ▼ His Legacy high, the bust was unveiled in the fall at the Alive FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde LEHMAN ALUMNUS MITCH WEISS Park, at a conference designed to raise aware- erbert H. Lehman WINS PULITZER PRIZE ........................2 ness about Governor Lehman's life and legacy. Hspent over thirty Lehman served as Lieutenant Governor under LEGOS® AREN'T JUST FOR KIDS years in public service, FDR and succeeded to the Governor’s office ANYMORE ...........................................2 as a Governor, U.S. Senator and first director of when FDR won the 1932 presidential election. the U.N. Relief and Rehabilitation Administra- On hand for the conference were mem- COMMUNICATIONS STUDIO OPENS ......3 tion, but few portraits or statues remind the bers of the Lehman family, as well as College THEATRE LEGENDS DROP BY CARMAN public of his contribution. faculty and staff. Featured speakers included HALL FOR 'CONVERSATIONS' ...............4 This spring, thanks to sculptor John Be- Lehman President Ricardo R. Fernández; lardo of the Lehman Art Department, visitors Governor Lehman’s niece, June Bingham Birge; BRONX SBDC PARTNERS WITH to the State Capitol not only are enjoying a and Lehman History Chair, Professor Duane CLINTON FOUNDATION .......................5 new work of art but also are looking into the Tananbaum, who was conference co-chair. LEHMAN SPORTS ROUND-UP ..............6 pages of history. A portrait bust of Governor The bust remains in Albany until May 13.◆ PROF. SPEAR (AND HIS WEBSITE) Award-Winning Actress Chita Rivera Honored at Lehman WIN PRESTIGIOUS FRENCH AWARD .....8 hita Rivera has been dazzling TWO ALUMNI SHARE FRIENDSHIP, CBroadway audiences since she LOVE OF TEACHING AND NOW NBPTS starred as the original Anita in the CERTIFICATION ...................................9 1956 debut of “West Side Story.” LEHMAN FAMILY DAY .......................12 This spring, the two-time Tony Award-winning actress displayed DEVELOPMENT NEWS ......10-11, 15-19 another side of her talent—as a teacher—to fifteen aspiring young 'I was allowed to think and speak out.' performers, who gathered at Lehm- an for a musical theatre workshop sponsored by Walt Disney Enter- tainment. Leading the workshop was Kent Lehman theatre majors Chaunice Chapman and Lawrence Lucero pick Gash, associate artistic director of up encouragement and advice from Tony Award-winning actress Chita Rivera. Both students were selected from a round of auditions to take part the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, in a musical theatre workshop sponsored by Walt Disney Entertainment. who critiqued the performance of each student individually and of- she needs to take in order to reach her goals. fered advice about performing on stage, includ- “Knowing that it's possible to be a profes- ing the skills needed for successful auditions. sional in the theatre makes it more real. It adds This was the third such workshop held at to the drive to go out and achieve it.” From protesting as a student in the ‘70s, Myrna Ri- Lehman, and the second one for senior Chau- vera went on from Lehman to become the founder Students at Celia Cruz Bronx High School and CEO of one of the first Hispanic investment nice Chapman. It's an experience, she says, that of Music, meanwhile, also enjoyed a workshop consulting firms. See page 14. she would not have had elsewhere. led by Peter Flynn (“Lumiere” in the Broadway “The workshops showed me what I could production of “Beauty and the Beast”). Lehman LEHMAN COLLEGE The City University of New York do,” she explains. Besides the experience of is the lead partner in the high school. 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West being auditioned and critiqued by profession- Highlighting the day was a luncheon honor- Bronx, New York 10468 als, she was introduced to a group of influential ing Ms. Rivera for her contributions, with the www.lehman.edu people in the industry who described the steps awarding not of an Oscar but of a “Mouscar.” ◆ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • C• •AMPUS • • • • •N •EWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Pulitzer Prize-Winning Alumnus Mitch Weiss '81 Lehman's Golden Key Credits Lehman Faculty for Giving Him a Strong Start Wins Chapter Award itch Weiss was never that After graduating from Lehman Mexcited about school. He in 1981, he went on to earn his preferred hanging out with friends master’s in journalism from and checking out the hottest grafitti Northwestern. in the New York City subways. Like many Lehman students, But when he enrolled in Lehman Weiss worked while going to College, the Pulitzer Prize-winning school to help pay his tuition. journalist found the faculty support He grew up in the Bronx in a and academic foundation that he working-class family that believed Ayanna Timothy, Haydee Acevedo accept the Chapter Award from needed to speed him on his way to a education was very important. He Professor Di Yerbury, vice chancellor successful journalistic career. says that the one-on-one attention of Macquarie University in Australia. “I wasn’t a great student in high he received from his Lehman school,” says Weiss, a writer for Mitch Weiss '81 professors really helped him to stay The Lehman chapter of Golden Key the Toledo Blade. “I was more into on track with his educational goals. International Honor Society has hanging out than I was into going to school.” “If I didn’t have teachers who were interested won the prestigious Key Chapter Weiss won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for his in me, maybe I would have fallen through the Award, awarded to only one chapter four-part series, “Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths,” cracks,” says Weiss, whose brother and sister each year. which exposed a U.S. government cover-up also graduated from Lehman. He tries to give of Vietnam war crimes committed by the U.S. that same kind of personalized attention to the The award honors chapters that military group Tiger Force. students he teaches at the University of Toledo. excel in communication, public- He always knew that he wanted to be a “It seemed that the teachers at Lehman ity, meeting management, chapter writer, but it wasn’t until he entered Lehman were more interested in connecting with the activities and leadership, as well that he began to seriously nurture that dream. students. That was really helpful.” as in participation in regional and “Lehman gave me a great foundation,” he says. Weiss is taking time off to work on a book “The thing that really benefited me was the fact based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning article. The international programs. that the teachers were accessible and the classes book, Tiger Force (Little, Brown and Company), Golden Key cited the Lehman were small. It was a world-class faculty.” is scheduled for release later this year. ◆ chapter's “outstanding teamwork, The City and the Humanities Program at Lehman will sponsor a lecture by Mitch Weiss dedication and collaboration with and his co-author, Michael Sala, on Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 12:30 pm. All alumni other student organizations on their and friends of the College are invited. Details will be posted on the Lehman website campus.” Golden Key has nearly 350 (www.lehman.edu) and published in the next issue of Lehman Lightning. chapters on four continents. Legos® Aren't Just for Kids Anymore ehman students are building pro- Lgramming skills by building robots. These robots are only about as smart as a microwave oven, but Lehman Scholars and Honors College students are able to make them do some interesting things. The students are looking at the ef- fects of computers on society, especially Lehman College of The City University of New York is located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard how robotics impacts our interaction West, Bronx, NY 10468. Anne Johnson, Vice with the world. Besides traditional President for Institutional Advancement; Barbara coursework, the students design, build Smith, Director of Alumni Relations. and program Lego® Mindstorm Robots Lehman Lightning is produced in the Office of Media Relations and Publications. to perform various tasks and also create a technical guide to their use. Professor Katherine St. John (right) watches as Judy Editor: Marge Rice. Staff: Keisha-Gaye Anderson, Figueroa runs her robot through its paces. Barbara Cardillo, Lisandra Merentis, Yeara Mil- Equipped with only an H8 Hitachi proces- ton, Florian Penev and Phyllis Yip sor, the same type used in microwave ovens, how much you can do with so little processing the students program the robots to follow a power and speed.” The course also teaches stu- flashlight, navigate an obstacle course, play dents about geometry, gearing and locomotion. catch with another robot, throw balls into “The most practical thing the students learn baskets and send messages to other robots. is how to program a computer,” says Professor “Compared to a regular laptop, the robots St. John. “These skills will transfer to program- aren’t very smart,” says Professor Katherine ming in C, C++, and Java—all commonly used St. John, who teaches the course. “It’s amazing today.” ◆ 2 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • C• •AMPUS • • • • N• •EWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • New Communications Studio Opens on Campus Home on the Range ive from Lehman...it’s COM One Lehman graduate student recently L200. This new course, entitled “Broadcast Workshop–Internet, enjoyed the opportunity to work in the Video and Audio Broadcasting,” is wide open spaces of rural Montana, providing students with valuable thanks to the Hispanic Association of hands-on training in television, Colleges and Universities (HACU).