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January 16 , 2007
2006 Year in Review

From the implementation of strategic plan initiatives to the announcement that Salman Rushdie is to come to Emory as a visiting professor, Emory Report remembers 2006.

January
Emory announces community-wide planning meetings
The University announces a series of open forums about the campus master plan update and the strategic plan. President Jim Wagner, Provost Earl Lewis and Executive Vice President Mike Mandl moderate the forums. The first meetings focus on aspects of campus planning activities, and the second series addresses initiatives of the strategic plan.

Wallis headlines King Week celebration
Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, headlines Emory’s King Week 2006. Wallis discusses his book, “God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It.” Hands on Atlanta coordinates the annual Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday tree planting in Atlanta’s MLK Historic District. King Week encompasses many other performances, forums and exhibits.

February
Lewis speech connects Heritage Month and Founders Week
Georgia Rep. John Lewis visits Emory to kick off Founders Week, and he uses the occasion to urge his audience to “get in the way” of social injustice. His speech illustrates how ideas have the power to transform a community, and is the first of many Founders Week events as Emory celebrates its 170-year history.

Perdue urges students to find moral compass
In an age in which some of the country’s biggest companies are rocked by fraud and corporate
malfeasance, Gov. Sonny Perdue urges Goizueta Business School students to be ethical leaders who build trust and inspire others. The governor’s visit is part of the business school’s ongoing series of speeches in which some of the state’s most influential leaders share their lessons for success with tomorrow’s corporate leaders.

March
SP seminar: Religion study vital
At a seminar devoted to Emory’s strategic initiative “Religions and the Human Spirit,” headlines from recent news articles provide all the spark needed for two hours of impassioned discussion about why faith and spirituality are areas of human existence rich for Emory to explore. Hosted by President Jim Wagner and Provost Earl Lewis, the strategic-planning seminars are meant to tease out possible avenues of study in the various initiatives through informed dialogue.

Women’s swim team NCAA champs second year in a row
The Eagles, under Coach Jon Howell, finish the championship meet with 428 points. Senior Sam White captures the fourth national championship of her career, taking honors in the 1650-yard freestyle.

Mondale talks politics at Carter Library
Former Vice President Walter Mondale criticizes the Bush Administration during a speech at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, assailing the White House over the Iraq war, the use of wiretaps for domestic spying and Dick Cheney’s behavior. While in Atlanta, Mondale gathers materials for a college course he will teach in the fall at the University of Minnesota that will draw on documents created during his time in the White House and now housed at the Carter Library.

Shuttle service to be overhauled
Emory announces the largest overhaul of its shuttle system in its history, more than doubling the number of routes, adding buses, and filling those buses with gizmos to keep riders entertained as they move about smoothly within — and beyond — the campus borders. Many of the buses are to run on new fuels, stop at new bus shelters, and offer new amenities to what Emory officials hope will be a surge of new riders choosing to leave behind their single-occupant vehicles and embrace a cleaner way to travel.

Seminars examine issues of race, difference
President Jim Wagner and Provost Earl Lewis host the fifth of six seminars, “Understanding Race and Difference,” focusing on Emory’s strategic initiatives. One of the sparks igniting conversation is an acknowledgment that, while the language people use to describe human experience remains imperfect, it nonetheless is necessary to have shared understandings and to work toward modes of communication that are intelligible and meaningful across disciplinary boundaries.

April
Mario Vargas Llosa draws crowd from around the world
Peru’s foremost author Mario Vargas Llosa comes to campus as the 2006 Richard A. Ellmann Lecturer in Modern Literature. He also is a journalist, playwright, critic, political thinker and even a political candidate: In 1990, he ran for Peru’s presidency. Vargas Llosa’s lectures touch on political and social aspects of his subjects, three literary masters of the Hispanic tradition – Miguel de Cervantes, Jorge Luís Borges and José Ortega y Gassett.

Clark, Ashcroft deliver left-right combination
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark and former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft appear on consecutive nights at Emory, and both deliver lectures on U.S. foreign policy—from opposing ends of the political spectrum. Speaking in Glenn Auditorium on April 10, Clark rips into the current administration’s war in Iraq, saying the United States must return to its past values and rebuild alliances abroad, while the next night in the Woodruff P.E. Center, Ashcroft praises President George W. Bush’s anti-terrorism policies, saying America must not only prosecute but prevent future terrorist attacks.

Search for Emory’s first ‘CDO’ begins
Provost Earl Lewis convenes a search committee and contracts with an outside search firm to begin the search for Emory’s first senior vice provost for diversity and community development. Lewis and University Secretary Rosemary Magee, who chairs the search committee, host an informal public meeting, April 19 in White Hall, to talk about diversity and community development, and specifically about the kind of person the University is seeking.

Budget to grow by 7.8 percent in fiscal ’07
Emory’s Unrestricted Operating Budget is expected to grow by a robust 7.8 percent in fiscal year 2007 to a total of more than $616 million, despite continuing financial constraints imposed by depressed endowment payouts, skyrocketing utility costs and overdue investments in the University’s research infrastructure. The Board of Trustees approves the FY07 UOB at its April meeting. The UOB plus other academic resources and Emory Healthcare’s budget will total an estimated $2.6 billion in FY07.

May
SOM building, freshman dorm top summer projects
A slate of nearly 20 capital projects is on the Campus Planning docket for summer 2006. There’s little evidence of the parking lot that used to occupy the space next to the Dobbs Center, as the site is being prepared for a new residence hall — the first installment of a planned “freshman village” for the University’s first-year students. Nearby is the construction site of the new School of Medicine Administration and Education Building. Both projects are due for completion in summer 2007.

Initial funds ID’d for strategic themes and initiatives
The three executive vice presidents who have led the strategic planning and campus master plan processes – Provost Earl Lewis, EVP for Health Affairs Michael Johns and EVP for Finance and Administration Mike Mandl — tell University deans that Emory will invest nearly a half-billion dollars in the next five to seven years to fuel the themes and initiatives articulated in the University’s strategic plan. The funding plans determined to date have two components: strategic funds and building and capital funds.

Class of 2006 takes its place in Emory history
Three thousand four hundred eighty-nine graduates — nearly 59 percent of whom are women—don their gowns and mortar boards, May 15, as Emory celebrates its 161st Commencement. Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman delivers the keynote address, President Jim Wagner presides over the third Commencement of his presidency, and actor Sean Penn is spotted on the Quad.

June
Feasibility study accepted by Trustees
Emory trustees formally accept the results of a nine-month feasibility study on proposed replacement facilities for the current Emory University Hospital and Emory Clinic. Following the recommendation of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center board, the University’s Board of Trustees votes to authorize the preparation of architectural schematic designs for new hospital and outpatient facilities.

North DeKalb Mall Park-n-Ride shuttle kicks off
Emory takes a bold step forward to expand its alternative transit options for commuters who drive to campus. On June 19, the University opens the first of several Park-n-Ride lots at North DeKalb Mall and begins shuttle service directly from the mall to campus.

July
Sindab project endowment gives gift of hope for cancer victims
A $2.2 million endowment to Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute supports research on aggressive breast cancer and poor survival rates in premenopausal black women. The endowment is established by an anonymous donor in honor of Jean Sindab, an African American scholar/activist who spent her life leading churches in work on environmental and racial justice.

August
Emory ranks high in U.S. News
Emory is recognized by several media outlets for its stature as a national university, its ability to attract top students and its relationship with the Atlanta community. U.S. News & World Report ranked Emory 18th among 248 national universities in its annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide, and Kaplan/Newsweek’s 2007 “How to Get Into College Guide,” tapped Emory for its first-ever list of 25 “New Ivies.”

There’s a new face around campus, Cliff
Cliff, the newly expanded and rebranded Emory shuttle, offers revamped routes and transit times to encourage Emory drivers to leave their cars at home. The free shuttle supports the University’s sustainability efforts.

September
Gifts, grace and gratitude greet class of 2010
Emory welcomes the Class of 2010—its largest ever—at Convocation, held Aug. 29. Frank Alexander, professor of law and director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, delivers the convocation address to the 1,340 new students who filled every seat in Glenn Auditorium.

Emory acquires archive of poet Clifton
The University acquires the literary archive of award-winning poet, memoirist and children’s book author Lucille Clifton. The papers further deepen Emory’s strong holdings of major contemporary poetry. Once processing is completed, the papers will be open for research use.

Carter candidly speaks on peanuts and politics at Town Hall
Improvements in technology at Emory earn praise from former President Jimmy Carter at his 25th annual Town Hall with the University community Sept. 13. Inspired by Carter’s work to reduce the growing gap between the world’s richest and poorest inhabitants, President Jim Wagner announces that Emory and The Carter Center are working together to establish an Institute for Developing Nations.

October
President Jim Wagner delivers State of University address
In his annual State of the University address, President Jim Wagner says Emory has moved forward in setting priorities for the themes and initiatives outlined in Emory’s vision. Wagner says a “sound process” is in place for the allocation of strategic funding and reflects on the past year’s success.

‘Rushdie comes to Emory’ heard around the world
News of celebrated writer Salman Rushdie joining the Emory faculty and placing his archive here sparks worldwide media coverage. Rushdie’s position as Distinguished Writer in Residence is a five-year appointment in the English Department, beginning in the spring of 2007.

‘Crossfire’ co-hosts take aim at national balance in Great Debate
The second annual Great Debate features former “Crossfire” co-hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak. Appropriately for a country facing midterm elections, the topic of debate is “The Balance Between Civil Liberties and National Security.” Patrick Allitt, professor of history and director of the Center for Teaching and Curriculum, moderates.

November
Alumni service day unites Emory community worldwide
From a Habitat for Humanity build in New Orleans to helping the disabled in Seoul, South Korea, Emory demonstrates the spirit of its community service on Emory Cares International Service Day, Nov. 11. Through Emory Cares, Association of Emory Alumni chapters around the world coordinate and lead a wide range of service projects that benefit their home communities.

Emory strengthened by Woodruff gift, new chancellor, new trustees
The Emory Board of Trustees takes bold actions that will move Emory rapidly from creating a vision to making that vision a reality. The board receives a major $261.5 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, names Michael M.E. Johns chancellor and funds major portions of the University’s strategic plan in the humanities and social sciences and in student housing.

Emory senior Zachary Manfredi named Rhodes Scholar
Zachary Manfredi, an Emory College senior, is named a Rhodes Scholar for 2007. He is the 18th Emory student to be selected for the scholarship to Oxford University in England. Manfredi plans to use the scholarship to pursue a master’s in philosophy. Manfredi is active in many human rights organizations on campus, and is co-founder and president of Paper Clips for Peace in Sudan.

December
AIDS Quilt displayed on Quad
The Emory Quadrangle is draped with panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, making it the largest display in the country on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. Two members of the Emory community dedicate new panels in honor of lost loved ones. Information booths spotlight the efforts of Emory scientists and researchers to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS.

Research Appreciation Day highlights importance of biomedical research
Emory honors its scientists and recognizes the significance of their research at Research Appreciation Day on Dec. 6. The theme for the daylong event is “Transforming Health Through Discovery” and raises awareness of the importance of biomedical research to the health of the nation. Sponsored by Woodruff Health Sciences Center, the day features talks by national health care leaders, informational displays and laboratory tours.

Carnegie Foundation recognizes Emory for community engagement
Emory’s commitment to teaching, research and community service earns recognition from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which named Emory one of the first schools in the country to receive the foundation’s new “Community Engagement” designation. Emory receives this distinction in both possible categories: curricular engagement and outreach and partnerships.

Emory reaches milestone with biodiesel use
Cliff shuttles are using a new fuel — one that’s renewable, environmentally friendly and readily available. It’s biodiesel, and it’s being made from waste cooking oil gathered from Emory’s kitchens. With the introduction of the new fuel, Emory reaches a milestone in its effort to reduce the amount of fossil fuel it uses.

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