Alan Dowty

                                                                          

Alan Dowty, '59, is author of the book Israel/Palestine,   Polity Publishers. Dowty, currently a fellow at the Kroc International Affairs Center at the University of Notre Dame, and a long time supporter of Shimer, specializes in international relations and the international politics of the Middle East.

In his book, Alan Dowty demystifies the Mid-East conflict by putting it in broad historical perspective, identifying its roots, and tracing its evolution up to the current impasse. The book expresses fairly and objectively the concerns, hopes, fears, and passions of both sides, making it clear why this conflict is waged with such vehemence -- and why, for all that, there are some grounds for optimism.

In 2003, Dowty was appointed as Kahanoff Chair Professor of Israel Studies at the University of Calgary, and now divides his time among South Bend, Calgary, and Jerusalem. He has been a fellow of the Kroc Institute since 1988.

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Alums Visit Shimer's New Digs

Jay Somers

Visits to Shimer's new South Side campus are increasing, especially with the holidays. For example, Jay Somers, a 1992 grad now practicing as a physician's assistant in psychiatry in Las Vegas, stopped by this week during a visit to see family and friends.

                                                                                                           

Somers, an early entrant to Shimer at age 15, graduated with the children of faculty members Eileen and Dave Buchanan. "It's definitely not the same as Waukegan," observed Somers, though he feels it was a good move for the college. "My first reaction was negative, but I realized that Shimer is such a gift that it doesn't matter where it is."

"Also, I think I know how the teachers and students from Mt. Carroll must have felt when they moved to Waukegan," he went on.

"The idea of Shimer and broad based education - that's a constant. That's why it's good for them to continue no matter where they are," said Somers. "Educating people for life long learning is the great value of this school. Graduates know how to continue to learn. They won't have a mid-life crisis worrying about things like perfection, art, beauty and other great questions.

"A Shimer education has helped me in psychiatry - you know how to connect with people on deep level," he added.

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Susanne Sklar

Getting a one year head start on poet William Blake’s 250th birthday, former Shimer faculty member Susanne Sklar delivered dramatic readings and a lecture on Blake’s love poems to Shimer students and faculty on his birthday, November 28, 2006.

Sklar, who was a member of the Shimer faculty for seven years during the ‘90s, is currently finishing a doctorate in theology at Queen’s College at Oxford University.

“My non-biological family is here,” Sklar declared during an interview following her presentation. “There is more than just an intellectual experience here,” she added, “They share common values. People at Shimer live in their souls, not just in their heads and hearts.”

Sklar, who has long been involved in the international peace movement, also spent time in the Social Thought program at the University of Chicago, where she studied under David Grene and Allan Bloom.

Remembering how she first came to Shimer, Sklar said, “I kept hearing about this funky school run by old hippies that taught great books, so I sat in on three classes and I was hooked. I kept in touch because I had a strange feeling I would be back.”

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Roland Winston

Professor Roland Winston, University of Chicago, received the Farrington Daniels Award from the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) for his outstanding intellectual leadership in renewable energy. Professor Winston has been responsible for developing and applying the science of non-imaging optics to engineering systems such as flat panel light emitting displays, microwave telescopes, and concentrating flat panel non-tracking solar collectors. His research effort that resulted in increasing solar collector efficiency from 49 percent to 73 percent will have significant implications for the viability of solar energy conversion devices. This award, presented once every two years, is the premier world award of the society. It was presented to Professor Winston at the ISES Solar World Congress in Adelaide, Australia, in November 2001. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences/Materials Sciences and Engineering Division supports Professor Winston's research.