Shaper of Cities Landscape Architect Michael Van Valkenburgh Art by Renowned Illustrator Julianna Brion
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Slow Learning • Keystone and Climate Change • The Houses November-december 2013 • $4.95 Shaper of Cities Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh Art by renowned illustrator Julianna Brion. Renowned DEDICATION we understand your drive and determination, because we share it. You should expect nothing less from the firm handling your wealth planning. For access to the highest caliber wealth management team in the business, call Mark Graham at 302-651-1665, email [email protected], or visit wilmingtontrust.com. FIDUCIARY SERVICES | WEALTH PLANNI NG | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | PRIVATE BANKING ©2013 Wilmington Trust Corporation. An M&T Company. wt007750 IVY_MG_M.indd 1 7/1/13 3:49 PM 131102_WilmingtonTrust_Harvard.indd 1 7750 IVY_MG 8.125” x 10.5” 7/16/13 1:51 PM NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013 VOLUME 116, NUMBER 2 FEATURES ISON rr 32 The Urban Landscaper JIM HA JIM page 62 Michael Van Valkenburgh leads the second great age of landscaping and city-making by William S. Saunders DEPARTMENTS 2 Cambridge 02138 Communications from our readers 37 Forum: The Keystone XL Pipeline The case for approving construction—with 10 Right Now conditions Hollywood and Hitler, app addiction, by Michael B. McElroy personal cancer therapies 16A New England Regional Section 40 The Power of Patience MAGES A calendar of campus events, cross-country Teaching students to slow down, decouple from I BIS BIS R skiing, and catalyzing Kendall cuisine /CO technology, and immerse themselves in learning R E P by Jennifer L. Roberts 17 Montage SHLEY COO SHLEY A composer for “investigative theater,” A appreciating the Enlightenment, radical 44 Vita: Edward Everett page 37 book reviewer, Alan Dershowitz then and Brief life of a statesman-orator: 1794-1865 now, a sculptor’s community, Derek Bok on by Castle Freeman Jr. American higher education, and more Learning, and Life, in the Houses 72 The Alumni 46 Mending Morehouse College, and Harvard College’s residential alumni honorands communities, revitalized by Craig Lambert 76 The College Pump The plaza petting zoo, and a true John Harvard’s Journal Harvard/Yale man 52 Unveiling The Harvard Campaign’s $6.5-billion 96 Treasure goal and animating ambitions. Plus computational Dumbarton Oaks’s botanical books science, 3-D printing pioneer, an up year for the endowment, technology and teaching, Yale’s band 77 Crimson Classifieds salutes Harvard, the Undergraduate adapts to On the cover: Michael Van Valkenburgh disappointments, journalism’s digital riptide, “Cool at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Hand Hemp” leads footballers’ high-octane offense, Photograph by Robert Adam Mayer PETE RYAN and basketball “quarterbacks” page 12 www.harvardmagazine.com Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 7 WARE STREET EDITOR: John S. Rosenberg PUBLISHER: Irina Kuksin SENIOR EDITOR: Jean Martin DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION AND Slow FUNDRAISING Felecia Carter MANAGING EDITOR: Jonathan S. Shaw : DONOR RELATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP DEPUTY EDITOR: Craig Lambert MANAGER: Allison Kern ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Katherine Xue Learners DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: ASSISTANT EDITOR-ONLINE: Laura Levis Robert D. Fitta ASSISTANT EDITOR: Nell Porter Brown NEW ENGLAND ADVERTISING MANAGER: here continues to be much ado ART DIRECTOR: Jennifer Carling Abby Shepard about online learning, through the CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: edX partnership and elsewhere in BERTA GREENWALD LEDECKY Gretchen Bostrom UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWS higher education (see page 64). But DESIGNER AND INTEGRATED MARKETING T Noah Pisner, Jessica C. Salley other kinds of learning remain the dominant, manager: Jennifer Beaumont most effectual form of education. In “The Power of Patience” (page 40), EDITORIAL INTERN: Kristen Strezo PRODUCTION AND NEW MEDIA Agassiz professor of the humanities Jennifer MANAGER: Mark Felton L. Roberts vividly makes the case for leading CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ASSOCIATE WEB DEVELOPER: her students, in the classroom and at muse- John T. Bethell, John de Cuevas, Jeffrey Hudecek ums, to decouple from technology, in order Adam Goodheart, Jim Harrison, GIFT PROCESSOR AND OFFICE MANAGER: to undertake the difficult work of immersive Courtney Humphries, Christopher S. Robert Bonotto learning: mastering a subject through delib- Johnson, Adam Kirsch, Colleen Lannon, erate, demanding, direct engagement with Christopher Reed, Stu Rosner, IVY LEAGUE MAGAZINE NETWORK their object of study. In “Learning, and Life, Deborah Smullyan, Mark Steele DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING: in the Houses” (page 46), deputy editor Craig Ross Garnick, www.ivymags.com Lambert considers the College’s residences: HARVARD MAGAZINE INC. an experiment in American higher education, EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICE PRESIDENT: Henry Rosovsky, JF ’57, 7 Ware Street dedicated in the 1930s to the proposition that Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98. DIRECTORS: Suzanne Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037 communities of students and adults could Blier, Jonathan L.S. Byrnes, D.B.A. ’80, Tel. 617-495-5746; fax: 617-495-0324 best learn from interacting with one anoth- Robert Giles, NF ’66, Alex S. Jones, NF Website: www.harvardmagazine.com er. That experiment, completely validated, is ’82, Thomas F. Kelly, Ph.D. ’73, E-mail: [email protected] now being renewed—and perhaps matters Randolph C. Lindel ’66, Lars Peter more than ever in a newly digital century. For @harvardmagazine Knoth Madsen, Tamara Elliott Rogers ’74 other perspectives on teaching and learning, facebook.com/harvardmagazine please read the review of Higher Education in America, the latest, most sweeping overview BOARD OF INCORPORATORS Harvard Magazine (ISSN 0095-2427) is published bi- monthly by Harvard Magazine Inc., a nonprofit cor- of the subject by one of its foremost analysts: This magazine, at first called the Harvard Bulletin, was poration, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, president emeritus Derek Bok (page 26). And founded in 1898. Its Board of Incorporators was char- phone 617-495-5746; fax 617-495-0324. The magazine is tered in 1924 and remains active in the magazine’s supported by reader contributions and subscriptions, in a penetrating profile, assistant editor Nell governance. The membership is as follows: Stephen advertising revenue, and a subvention from Harvard Porter Brown reports on John S. Wilson Jr., J. Bailey, AMP ’94; Jeffrey S. Behrens ’89, William I. University. Its editorial content is the responsibility of Bennett ’62, M.D. ’69; John T. Bethell ’54; Peter K. Bol; the editors. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Mass., M.T.S. ’81, Ed.M. ’82, Ed.D. ’85 (page 72), who Fox Butterfield ’61, A.M. ’64; Sewell Chan ’98; Jona- and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send ad- last January assumed the presidency of More- than S. Cohn ’91; Philip M. Cronin ’53, J.D. ’56; John dress changes to Circulation Department, Harvard house College (the nation’s only private, lib- de Cuevas ’52; James F. Dwinell III ’62; Anne Fadi- Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037. man ’74; Benjamin M. Friedman ’66, Ph.D. ’71; Rob- Subscription rate $30 a year in U.S. and possessions, $55 eral-arts institution dedicated to the educa- ert H. Giles, NF ’66; Richard H. Gilman, M.B.A. ’83; Canada and Mexico, $75 other foreign. (Allow up to tion of African-American men). Owen Gingerich, Ph.D. ’62; Adam K. Goodheart ’92; 10 weeks for first delivery.) Subscription orders and Philip C. Haughey ’57; Brian R. Hecht ’92; Sarah Blaf- customer service inquiries should be sent to the Cir- * * * fer Hrdy ’68, Ph.D. ’75; Ellen Hume ’68; Alex S. Jones, culation Department, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Harvard is embarked on a capital cam- NF ’82; Bill Kovach, NF ’89; Florence Ladd, BI ’72; Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, or call 617-495-5746 or Jennifer 8 Lee ’99; Scott Malkin ’80, J.D.-M.B.A. ’83; 800-648-4499, or e-mail [email protected]. paign—huge in importance and in scale Margaret H. Marshall, Ed.M. ’69, Ed ’77, L ’78; Lisa L. Single copies $4.95, plus $2.50 for postage and han- (see page 52). At this moment, we thank Martin, Ph.D. ’90; David McClintick ’62; Winthrop dling. Manuscript submissions are welcome, but we L. McCormack ’67; M. Lee Pelton, Ph.D. ’84; John P. cannot assume responsibility for safekeeping. Include the loyal contributors to Harvard Magazine, Reardon Jr. ’60; Christopher Reed; Harriet Ritvo ’68, stamped, self-addressed envelope for manuscript re- whose steadfast support, modest by Univer- Ph.D. ’75; Henry Rosovsky, JF ’57, Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98; turn. Persons wishing to reprint any portion of Harvard sity standards, sustains high-quality publi- Barbara Rudolph ’77; Robert N. Shapiro ’72, J.D. ’78; Magazine’s contents are required to write in advance for Theda Skocpol, Ph.D. ’75; Peter A. Spiers ’76; Scott permission. Address inquiries to Irina Kuk- cation on all readers’ behalf (see page 84). H. Stossel ’91; Sherry Turkle ’69, Ph.D. ’76; Robert H. sin, publisher, at the address given above. vJohn S. Rosenberg, Editor Weiss ’54; Jan Ziolkowski. Copyright © 2013 Harvard Magazine Inc. 2 November - December 2013 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 LETTERS My friend and I compared thinking of education as iterative fashioning to think- ing of education as receptive deepening. We asked ourselves what was at stake in Cambridge each approach. Paul Dry ’66 The humanities, the Internet, Alzheimer’s care Philadelphia SELF-FASHIONING Stephen Greenblatt, In “Self-Fashioning in Society and Soli- I enjoyed Nannerl O. she defines the self as tude,” Nannerl O. Keohane argues that, ex- Keohane’s “Self-Fashion- an order, a mode of ad- cept in religious orders, it has been easier ing in Society and Soli- dress, and a structure for men than women to enjoy the benefits tude” (September-Octo- of bounded desires. of occasional solitude. Another and simpler ber, page 42) with a friend Of its contents we are exception—no creeds, no celibacy—is the and fellow Harvard grad- told nothing.