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sign up today—it's free! On This Day1798 — Boards approve a 50-foot by 40-foot, three-story building, which would be finished in 1802 and be named Massachusetts Hall. StorePurchase Bowdoin merchandise online. |  Christopher Hill '74 Christopher Hill ’74, formerly U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, writes of why understanding the details of foreign policy should matter to you — and to the presidential candidate for whom you cast your vote. Hill says the intellectual foundation required to truly understand these challenges is more important than the emotional fortitude touted in so many political debates. Hill, described as “one of the main architects of American diplomacy” during the past two decades, is currently dean of the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, and shares his commentary on Project Syndicate.  An undated portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe, from the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections and Archives. One hundred sixty years ago, on March 20, 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel about slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was first published in book form after being serialized. Stowe wrote much of the novel in her husband Calvin’s study in Appleton Hall. Calvin, a theology professor, was a member of the Class of 1824. Uncle Tom’s Cabin created a vivid and emotionally gripping account of the horrors of slavery. Its profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S. is said to have intensified the conflict leading to the Civil War. In fact, the book’s impact was so great that when President Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, he is often quoted as having referred to her as “the little lady who started this big war!” Uncle Tom’s Cabin is said to be the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible. The George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives has material relating to Harriet Beecher Stowe, including correspondence, editorials, transcripts of selected letters, newsclippings and more. 
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell ’54 spoke to a packed audience recently about the volatile situation in the Middle East at the University of California Los Angeles. He was on campus to deliver the 2012 Bernard Brodie Distinguished Lecture on the Conditions of Peace organized by UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations. Following his remarks, Sen. Mitchell had a conversation with Renee Montagne of NPR, and before the event, he was interviewed by Patt Morrison for Southern California Public Radio. Senator Mitchell served the Obama administration as Middle East envoy from 2009 to 2011, and was chairman of peace negotiations in Northern Ireland in the late 1990s.  Ben Freedman '09. Photo: Washington Post/Dept. of Defense. As an analyst with the Pentagon’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, Ben Freedman ’09 is helping to foster international investment in Afghanistan’s natural gas industry in attempts to bolster the war-torn country’s economy. “We are introducing the global economy to Afghanistan, while also introducing businesses to Afghanistan,” says Freedman in The Washington Post. “Business people go over to Afghanistan, and it is an eye opening experience for them. They see the challenges, but also the opportunity. We are there to assist.” Bowdoin Career Planning points out that Freedman is one of several Polar Bears at the Department of Defense hired by Noah Buntman ’08, and joins Catie English ’10 and Adit Basheer ’11 in the same department.  Angus S. King Jr. (far right foreground) — 2007 honorary degree recipient and currently a distinguished lecturer at Bowdoin — joins in the applause for President Barry Mills Monday evening in Main Lounge, Moulton Union. Mills welcomed the standing-room only crowd gathered for King’s lecture on the Cuban Missile Crisis, after which the former two-term Maine governor announced he will seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Olympia Snowe H’83. Read Portland Press Herald coverage of the announcement.
In a Sunday afternoon message to students, faculty, and staff, President Barry Mills announced the discovery of swastikas on dining hall dishes and urged members of the Bowdoin community to speak out against intolerance, bigotry, and hate. Continue reading Barry Mills: Speak Out Against Bigotry and Hate Christopher Hill '74 In the wake of the Chinese/Russian joint veto of the United Nations Security Council resolution regarding Syria, and upon the occasion of 40 years having passed since President Richard M. Nixon traveled to China amid what he called “the week that changed the world,” Christopher Hill shares his insight as to how the U.S.-China relationship has evolved to become “arguably the most important and complex bilateral relationship in the world” in his latest essay for Project Syndicate. Hill, currently dean of the Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and ambassador to Iraq, South Korea, Macedonia and Poland. He was also special envoy for Kosovo, a negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, and chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea from 2005-2009. Jeffrey Selinger, assistant professor of government at Bowdoin, spoke to NECN yesterday about the political fallout from Sen. Olympia Snowe’s recent decision to step down from her long-held Senate seat. ”The political implications couldn’t be bigger,” Selinger said. “It will become a question of who will control the Senate.” He said Snowe’s announcement gives Democrats a chance at a seat they never expected to get. Bowdoin professors have been in demand by news reporters to comment on Snowe’s resignation announcement, as well as the possible political repercussions of her decision. Chris Potholm, a government professor with a specialty in Maine politics, has been interviewed by The Boston Globe, Bangor Daily News, MPBN, Roll Call and other media outlets.  John Woodcock '72 U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock Jr. ’72 is presiding over a controversial case involving a lawsuit challenging Maine Governor Paul LePage’s decision to remove a labor-themed mural from the Maine Department of Labor’s headquarters. Woodcock heard oral arguments Thursday in the case brought by two union officials and three artists who claim LePage violated the First Amendment. Read coverage in the Portland Press Herald. As political rhetoric zeroes in on higher education, Barry Mills calls for a more considered and thoughtful approach. Continue reading Barry Mills: In Defense of Higher Education | Bowdoin Athletics 5/13/2012 Women's Tennis Recap5/12/2012 Women's Tennis Recap5/12/2012 Women's Track & Field at Ind. Results Open New England's (MIT) | Recap 5/17/2012 Men's Track & Field at ECAC Championship (RPI) 5/17/2012 Women's Track & Field at ECAC Championship (RPI) 5/21/2012 Men's Tennis Bowdoin at Williams Live stats5/21/2012 Women's Tennis Bowdoin at Emory 5/24/2012 Men's Track & Field at NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship (Claremont) 5/24/2012 Women's Track & Field at NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship (Claremont) |
Barry Mills: Speak Out Against Bigotry and Hate
In a Sunday afternoon message to students, faculty, and staff, President Barry Mills announced the discovery of swastikas on dining hall dishes and urged members of the Bowdoin community to speak out against intolerance, bigotry, and hate.
Continue reading Barry Mills: Speak Out Against Bigotry and Hate