Drake develops China connection Drake President David Maxwell and Provost Ron Troyer visited the Chinese city earlier this month and signed a partnership agreement with the Southwest University, which leaders from both schools hope will eventually lead to sharing of students, classes and perhaps even faculty. “There is a lot of potential for great learning opportunities for everyone involved with this partnership,” Maxwell said. “The Chinese government is intensely focused on the economic development of southwestern China and universities there are actively seeking partnerships such as this that will bring new ideas into their country.” Chongquing is a province of about 32 million people in one of the hottest, most humid regions of China. Southwest University is the No. 3 law school in China and about half of the nation’s practicing attorneys are alumni of Southwest University. The school boasts 20,000 students and 12 colleges and schools. Exact details of how the partnership between the schools will function are still being finalized. Troyer hopes to begin a series of discussions with Drake faculty and staff on how to best take advantage of the agreement. The partnership is just the latest in a series of efforts by Drake community members reaching out to China. Six faculty members have lectured or are planning to lecture in Chongquing in the coming months. About 20 recent graduates will be teaching English in China next fall. Maxwell said he was surprised by the openness of the Chinese to American ideas on government and society. During a nearly 2-hour question-and-answer session with about 600 Southwest students, Maxwell was asked what he thought Drake’s role in society was. “I started with the obvious about the university's role to prepare people as citizens in a participatory democracy, educating people for productive careers, and supporting research that moves knowledge forward,” he said. “Then I moved into the issue of academic freedom and the tough issues of free speech and thought. I half expected the microphone to be cut off, but nothing I said appeared to be troublesome. The seemed very open to these ideas.” Mark Ferrara, visiting assistant professor of English, is conducting research in Beijing, China, on Chinese novelist Cao Xueqin (1715-1763), author of the Qing dynasty novel "Hongloumeng" (Dream of the Red Chamber). Ferrara said the goal of his project is to translate the book "Cao Xueqin Xin Zhuan" by Zhou Ruchang into English. This book is a general introduction for the non-specialist to the writings and life of the author of "Hongloumeng," which is arguably China’s greatest novel. Dore Levy, an expert on traditional Chinese literature, in her recent book on this novel, "Ideal and Actual in the Story of the Stone" (1999), has written that to properly appreciate the work’s “position in Chinese culture, we must imagine a work with the critical cachet of James Joyce’s 'Ulysses' and the popular appeal of Margaret Mitchell’s 'Gone with the Wind' – and twice as long as the two combined.” The novel describes the glory and decline of a distinguished Qing dynasty family. What makes this tale particularly significant, Ferrara said, is that it belongs to the special genre of being an encyclopedic narrative, that is, a work of fiction that is also a rich compendium of the core beliefs and knowledge of a national culture. Princeton Sinologist David Plaks has noted that the novel “provides in one volume a summation of the 3,000-year span of Chinese literary history.” Zhou, now 86, has written over 30 books on "Hongloumeng" as well as studies of Chinese poetry and calligraphy. He continues to write and lecture on this novel, which he has now studied for over 60 years, and his lectures are frequently shown on Chinese TV. A recent book of his on the novel, "Hong lou duo mu hong," has sold over 50,000 copies in China. Stop by Olmsted Center on Wednesday, June 15, for an Ice Cream Social sponsored by Student Life and the D-Shoppe Tent Sale. The Ice Cream Social, which will feature sundaes for 50 cents, will run from 2 to 3 p.m. just outside the main entrance to Olmsted Center. The event will be held inside Olmsted Center if it rains. The D-Shoppe Tent Sale will offer Drake apparel and other merchandise at bargain prices from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "The RaySociety is about extending learning into the years of retirement as a stimulant to a sense of well-being," said RaySociety President Don Byers, a graduate of Drake Law School. "The connection between mind, body and spirit is undeniable and increasingly evident. But the RaySociety is much more than education through course taking. It is the coming together of people who have curious minds and want to share their enthusiasm about life with others. It is about making new friendships. It is about staying in the flow of life to enjoy and continue to contribute to the world around us." The society, which has 171 members and expects that number to grow to 245 over the next year, takes its name from a pair of distinguished Drake alumni: former Iowa Gov. Robert D. Ray, who also served as the University's president, and Billie Ray, former first lady of Iowa and a former schoolteacher. Ray told the group that he and Billie are pleased with the success of the group, which promotes lifelong learning. "When we were first approached about this, we said, 'Great. That's wonderful.' We didn't realize how rapidly it would grow into something sensational." The Rays then recognized the teachers who conducted RaySociety classes during 2004-05, including numerous retired faculty members: Dean Wright, professor emeritus of sociology; Joe Patrick, associate professor emeritus of journalism; Gene Lucas, professor emeritus of biology; Walter Clark, professor emeritus of political science; and John McCaw, professor emeritus of religion and former dean of the Divinity School. For more information about the RaySociety and upcoming classes and social events, visit Old libraries never die; they just get better with age. Construction has started on the latest building enhancement to Cowles Library. This summer, a space adjacent to the grand Reading Room will be transformed into the James Collier Drake Heritage Room. Collier, a 1970 alumnus of Drake’s School of Education who lives in Medford, Ore., donated $100,000 to help renovate the room. The James Collier Drake Heritage Room will be used to showcase items from the Cowles Library collection and other material relating to Drake and Des Moines — past and present. An initial exhibit scheduled for this fall will focus on several projects that the library currently has under way to honor Drake's upcoming 125th anniversary celebration, including a digital heritage collection of photographic images. A Web page with full details will be available later this summer at the library's new Web site. During the construction there will be some noise in the Reading Room area, but all library services will be maintained. The construction is scheduled for completion during August. To raise awareness and funds, the Drake Adult Literacy Center will conduct a "Support the Right to Read Walk for Adult Literacy" in the Drake Neighborhood on Wednesday, June 22. The walk will start at 5 p.m. at the Drake Neighborhood Farmers' Market in the parking lot of First Christian Church at 25th Street and University Avenue, then wind through the Drake Neighborhood, ending at the Farmers' Market. In conjunction with the walk, free books will be distributed to children at the market. The market is open from 4 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday through September. "We are fortunate that the Drake School of Education donates all our overhead expenses, but the center relies solely on donations and grants for daily operating and instructional expenses. We need to continue to raise funds to keep the Drake Adult Literacy Center going," said Anne Murr, director of the center, which serves approximately 70 clients. In addition to funds, the center is seeking additional volunteer tutors to serve the people on its waiting list. For more information about the center or the next awareness walk, contact Murr at x3982 or The next issue of OnCampus will be Monday, June 27. |
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