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December 11 , 2006
Scholars and artists headline Founders Week celebration

By helen anne richards

The author of “Freakonomics,” Emory business professor Jagdish Sheth and violinist Joshua Bell are among the scholars and artists scheduled for the 2007 Founders Week celebration, Feb. 5-10.

“Founders Week gives us a chance to celebrate the many gifts of this community,” said Gary Hauk, vice president and deputy to the president. “From scholarship to artistic talent, from our history of service to our commitment to be engaged, from the legacy of Emory’s saints to the lessons we can learn from the mistakes of our forebears.”

Founders Week, a mid-winter academic festival of the arts and sciences, celebrates the role of the University in promoting inquiry and intellectual life. Events during the week commemorate the founding of Emory College in 1836 and provide a bridge between the annual academic celebrations of Opening Convocation and Commencement.

“Founders Week enables us to take time to appreciate and commemorate the history of the University,” said Sally Wolff-King, associate dean of undergraduate education. “We honor the excellence achieved in so many areas, the enormous variety of the arts and sciences, the growing excellence of the university in scholarship and leadership, and the many advancements to which our university has contributed since its beginning in 1836.”

Although Founders Week begins officially on Feb. 5, economist Steven Levitt will address the community on Feb. 1. Levitt, named one of Time’s “100 People Who Shape Our World” in 2006, has developed controversial theories about crime, politics and sports. One of his early papers, “An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling Gang’s Finances,” analyzes a hand-written “accounting” of a criminal gang. He has been called a “rogue economist,” “one of the most notorious economists of our age,” and one of the most brilliant minds of his generation.

Sheth, the Charles Kellstadt Professor of Marketing in the Goizueta Business School, will deliver the Distinguished Faculty Lecture. Each year, the Faculty Council nominates a member of the Emory faculty to speak to a general audience about a topic of his or her passionate interest. Sheth’s lecture is titled “Climate, Culture and Consumption: Connecting the Dots.”

Gregg Orloff, a faculty member in the Department of Biology, will discuss CancerQuest, his cancer Web site.
A concert by internationally acclaimed violinist Bell will headline the fine arts events of the week. Karen Freer, cellist, will perform mid-week. Kakali Bandyopandhyay and Richard Luby will present concerts on the sitar and violin, respectively.

Theater Studies will host a panel discussion of faculty member Joseph Skibell’s book, “A Blessing on the Moon,” and Multicultural Programs and Services will present a theatrical reading of student Danielle Berman’s play, based on the history of race at Emory.

Neal Gabler will discuss his new biography of Walt Disney followed by a reception and booksigning. The Department of Film Studies will sponsor a mini-film festival featuring movies by Disney.

Faculty member and renowned photographer Lynn Marshall Linnemeier will present a photo-based, mixed-media exhibition. The opening reception and gallery talk will be on Thursday, Feb. 8.

During Founders Week, the Emory Mural Committee will finalize the preliminary designs for “The Spirit of Emory,” a painting planned for the retaining wall near the track on Dickey Drive. Faculty, students, staff, and administrators have collaborated on the project. The painting will be ready for 2007 Commencement.
Founders Week will culminate with Founders Ball, an evening of dance, live music and celebration at Emory Conference Center.

Co-sponsored by the Office of the President, the Dean of Emory College, the Office for Undergraduate Education, Oxford College, and the Association of Emory Alumni, Founders Week events are open to the public, and most are free.

For more information about Founders Week, contact Sally Wolff-King at 404-727-0674. For more information about the Founders Ball, contact Michael Kloss at 404-727-1984.

Emory Report will publish a list of Founders Week events in its Jan. 22, 2007, issue.

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