New York State Writers Institute Features UAlbany Professor Allen Ballard on Thursday, October 5
By Lisa James Goldsberry
In a book that has been called “dramatic and revealing,” University History Professor Allen B. Ballard tells the story of a runaway slave who becomes a hero in the Northern Army of the Civil War. Where I’m Bound (Simon & Schuster, 316 pages, $24) which will be released October 5, is the first work of fiction based exclusively on a black regiment of the Civil War.

Ballard will discuss his book during a seminar at 4 p.m. in Humanities 354 on Thursday, Oct. 5, and read from his work at 8 p.m. that evening in the Recital Hall, PAC, as part of the New York State Writers Institute Visiting Writers Series. The Mount Calvary Baptist Church Choir will sing spirituals of the period.

The novel tells the story of an escaped slave, Joe Duckett, who becomes a cavalry scout. It follows Duckett and his men as they travel the Mississippi Delta region, freeing slaves and defending waterways that were important to the Union troops. As he attempts to find and free his family in the final days of the war, Duckett encounters many hardships, including being captured by the rebels and repeatedly clashing with his ex-master in skirmishes that are at times brutal.

Ballard’s novel was inspired by the true story of a soldier named Alfred Wood, who was a member of the Third United States Colored Cavalry. In his research, Ballard discovered that Wood was known as the “Wizard of the Black Regiment” for his bold exploits. Factual events are intertwined with fiction throughout the book.

Many of the events portrayed in the lives of the slave characters were derived from actual slave narratives, which were collected and published by the government for every state in the 1930s. The battles that are described, including the book’s crucial assault on the Big Black River Bridge, all happened much as Ballard portrays them. The book combines electrifying activity with brilliant narratives and a strong dose of history to tell an exciting tale that includes suspense, conflict, danger, and love.

Ballard, who is also a Collins Fellow, professor of political science and Africana studies, spent four years researching and writing his book. “My first task was familiarizing myself with the Civil War,” Ballard said.“I chose this topic because it had not been done before; no one had written from this viewpoint. I have always been interested in the tradition of blacks fighting for their country and many times being ignored.” The title of the novel comes from an old spiritual of the same name.

“I found writing fiction very challenging,” Ballard said of his first published work of fiction. “It was easier than non-fiction in terms of letting your whole creative self flow. However, the artistic shaping of a make-believe world was difficult. Making one small mistake in the middle can mess things up, much like one blotch can ruin a painting,” he said.

Where I’m Bound is already receiving rave reviews. The New York Times said, “The effect . . . is often startling. A new genre of social document.” Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. said, “Almost impossible to put down, the novel is mandatory reading for anyone wishing to understand why black Americans feel the way they do about Confederate symbols -- flags and monuments -- stemming from that war. I heartily recommend it to all Americans.”

During the Civil War, more than 180,000 African-American men fought for the Union Army. Many were escaped slaves but others were freed men. Ballard said he wanted to write the book in a way that would make it interesting to everyone. “Historical fiction, well done, is one of the greatest ways of influencing people and letting them know where they came from,” he said.

A native of Philadelphia, Ballard is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio who earned his Ph.D. in government from Harvard University. He is the author of two non-fiction books, The Education of Black Folk and One More Day’s Journey. Prior to joining the Albany faculty, he taught government at City College of New York and was dean of faculty for the City University of New York.

National Public TV Series to Focus on Work of UAlbany's Judith Langer
By Vinny Reda
On September 25-26 a Maryland film crew will be in Albany to film a key part of an eight-hour Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) series based on and inspired by the work of UAlbany professor Judith A. Langer.

Tentatively titled Beginning the Conversation in Literature and scheduled for airing in Fall 2001 on the Annenberg/CPB channel, the series’ goal is to help middle and high school teachers across the country improve literature instruction by exploring how people read and write literature. Langer, director of the U.S. Department of Education-funded National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement (CELA), has produced research that has influenced language arts curricula in states and districts throughout the U.S.

“The heart of the series lies in the work of Dr. Langer,” says Lee Cohen Hare of Maryland Public Television (MPT), which is producing the series for Annenberg/CPB. “Her research focuses on how people become highly literate, on how they use reading and writing to learn, and on what this means for instruction. The education community has been very receptive to her findings.”

Langer, also chair of UAlbany’s Department of Educational Theory and Practice, sees her project’s goal as giving educators a chance to “step back from their professional lives and take a close look at the ways they read, the reasons they do so and why they enjoy it so much.”

Studying literature is one of the constant occupations of students at all levels, and it is “by becoming engaged in literature,” says Langer, “that we become part of a larger world. Literature enables students to explore possibilities and consider options for themselves and humankind. They come to find themselves, imagine others, value difference, and search for justice.” She calls this process envisionment, and it is this that the series of films will explore.

The MPT film crew will film an extended, daylong interview with Langer, both in her UAlbany office and at home. In addition, they will film a conversation among area teachers who have worked with and been influenced by her over the years. The focus of this conversation will be how her research has influenced their classroom practice. In keeping with the documentary style of the film, Hare may follow some of these teachers into their homes and classrooms.

“The spine of the film will be a shared conversation among two groups of four people, taped at two separate times,” says Hare. “The participants - two teachers, a writer, and an academician/researcher/professor - will talk about various literary texts in an informal setting. This will be a creative and spontaneous exchange. We want the readers to riff on the texts and on each other’s interpretations of the texts.”

After the book talks, Langer will join the group on camera to talk about bringing a work they have discussed into the classroom. Other parts of the video include conversations about specific works of literature by nine of the nation’s foremost writers and teachers of literature at the high school and college levels and interviews with authors of some of those works, e.g., August Wilson, Maxine Hong Kingston, and A.R. Gurney. Langer’s commentary will explicate her research and theory as well as the group conversations.

Hitchcock Elected to Public Policy Institute
By Mary Fiess
University at Albany President Karen R. Hitchcock is one of the first academic leaders in New York State elected Trustee of The Public Policy Institute of New York State.

The Board of Directors of The Business Council voted September 20 to elect Hitchcock a Trustee of The Public Policy Institute, the Council’s not-for-profit research affiliate. In that role, she will help oversee the institute’s research work as well as participate in the work and deliberations of The Business Council’s full Board of Directors.

Also elected to the Institute’s Board of Trustees was Albert J. Simone, the president of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The elections marked the first time any representatives of the higher education community have assumed top-level roles with The Business Council.

Daniel B. Walsh, the president of The Business Council, said that “much of New York’s future economic success will depend upon the quality of the working relationship between the business community, and our world-class institutions of higher learning. President Hitchcock and President Simone will help us strengthen that relationship.”

Sociologist Scott South to Head CSDA
Scott South is looking forward to taking the University at Albany’s Center for Social and Demographic Analysis (CSDA) in new directions.

South, a member of the Department of Sociology faculty for the past 17 years, was tapped this summer to direct CSDA.

CSDA, South pointed out, “is one of only 12 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-funded Population Centers in the country. The others include such prestigious universities as Chicago, Princeton, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Thus, we are in very august company, and it is a tribute to the University and to UAlbany population researchers that we were awarded a center grant. Much credit goes to my predecessor, Stewart Tolnay. In addition, the University administration has been unwavering in its support of population research and deserves considerable credit for our NICHD Center grant.”

Established in 1981, the interdisciplinary center assists researchers in preparing grant proposals; administers grants; and provides computer programming, statistical, and other forms of support, such as access to census documents, codebooks, and other vital reference materials and information resources. CSDA also maintains close relationships with other UAlbany centers, institutes, and programs, including the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research, the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, and the School of Public Health.

As director of the center, South will “oversee its three primary units: the Administrative Core, which primarily helps researchers submit proposals and manage grants; the Computing/Statistical Core, which provides statistical and computational support and is the largest of the three; and the Information Core, which includes a small library but, more important, assists researchers in acquiring and accessing demographic data and other research materials.”

South, who has been a research associate at CSDA since his arrival at the University in 1983 and a member of its advisory board since 1997, is eager to take on his new role. “My duties are to help the center provide UAlbany population researchers the very best administrative, technical, and informational support they need to carry out their research programs,” the sociologist explained.

“One hallmark of a research center,” South added, “is its ability to bring together diverse researchers to form a community of scholars. The exchange of ideas and data makes a research center more than the sum of its individual researchers. I want the center to continue to be a locus for the community of researchers here at Albany - with an emphasis on the word ‘community.’ Concretely, this means stimulating more interdisciplinary research and strengthening our instructional and training mission, particularly for graduate students.”

A specialist in social demography, community and urban sociology, family sociology, and methods and statistics, South earned his degrees at the University of Texas at Austin and subsequently taught at the University of Houston. During his tenure at UAlbany, he has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His courses have included Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Social Statistics, and Techniques of Demographic Analysis. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Sociological Association and its sections on Community and Urban Sociology, Family Sociology, and Population; and the Population Association of America.

South holds grants from both the National Science Foundation and the NICHD. In addition, he has contributed a number of articles to refereed journals, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Demography. Next year, the Journal of Marriage and the Family will publish several articles Scott wrote or co-authored, including “The Geographic Context of Divorce: Do Neighborhoods Matter?” and “Community Effects on Youth Sexual Activity.”

South succeeds longtime CSDA director Stewart Tolnay, who has accepted a position at the University of Washington.

David Gilbert Promoted to Vice President
President Karen R. Hitchcock has announced the promotion of David Gilbert to the position of Vice Pres-ident for Strategic Develop-ment and Economic Outreach.

“His new status better represents the cabinet level work he has been performing on behalf of the University at Albany for the last several years, and reflects our shared aspirations and the evolving culture on campus toward a more engaged university,” President Hitchcock said.

Gilbert joins the Executive Cabinet after consultation with the University Senate Executive Committee. As Vice President for Strategic Development and Economic Outreach, Gilbert will be responsible for three primary functions within the University: government relations and advocacy in the private sector, outreach to the broader community, and developing and promoting strategic University programs in support of economic development.

“Serving as director of Governmental Relations for the last four years, David has performed with distinction in his advocacy role for greatly enhanced state and federal funding . . . I am confident that David will be equally successful in this expanded and more visible role as he continues to serve the rapidly changing needs of the Albany community,” Hitchcock said. In her announcement, the president noted that UAlbany is undergoing an historic transformation as a first-rate research and teaching institution enhanced by a commitment to outreach to its various communities. “This new paradigm embraces the University’s entire portfolio of academic and research programs. The creation of this new focus on Strategic Development and Economic Outreach is a logical and a critical step in our evolution,” the president said.

Jarka Burian Writes Book on Modern Czech Theatre
By Carol Olechowski
A new book by University at Albany Professor Emeritus Jarka M. Burian examines Czech theatre against a 20th-century backdrop of social, political, and historic change.

Modern Czech Theatre: Reflector and Conscience of a Nation - part of the Studies in Theatre History and Culture series - was published July 6 by the University of Iowa Press. Forty to 50 percent of the work is composed of articles Burian penned for Modern Drama, American Theatre, The Drama Review, and other journals since the late 1960s. The other half of the book contains “new material I’ve written in the past two or three years,” the author noted.

According to Burian, who taught in the English and theatre departments at UAlbany for 38 years, “no other book in English tells the story of Czech theatre in the context of its time.” Based on research culled from his numerous trips since 1965 to the nation formerly known as Czechoslovakia and arranged chronologically, the work begins in the late 19th century, then examines World War I; the post-war period, during which the country re-established its independence; World War II; and the Communist era. Modern Czech Theatre culminates with 1989’s “Velvet Revolution” and its aftermath.

In Czechoslovakia, “plays and the staging of them were often strong responses to the condition of the country, reactions to social, political, and even military events,” observed Burian. “Playwrights and actors were not putting on plays solely to entertain or to exhibit their artistry. They were making statements that expressed the feelings of their audiences at critical times.”

In the 1920s, “the theatre was somewhat en-tertainment-oriented, but with the rise of Hitler in the ‘30s, Czech theatre demonstrated its awareness of the political situation and its alarm at the threat of fascism. People went to the theatre not only to admire the clever humor or the great acting, but to participate in a dramatic event which captured the spirit of the moment,” Burian said.

“The same situation existed during the subsequent Communist era,” he added. “People were not allowed to criticize the Stalinist regime openly; they had to be very clever, subtle, and indirect. This stressful era sharpened their purpose. It was a challenge to express their resentment indirectly and metaphorically.”

In late 1989, Czech performers and playwrights continued to play key roles in the fall of Communism. These men and women inspired their fellow citizens, “organizing outdoor demonstrations and offering the theatre as a forum” for the unfolding political drama, Burian recalled. “Regular performances were canceled, while people who hadn’t been allowed to perform in the theatre in years were back onstage, leading discussions on the events of the day.” Politics and theatre crossed paths again the following year, when playwright Vaclav Havel became president of Czechoslovakia.

A native of New Jersey, Burian was the only son of Czech immigrants. He earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia and Cornell, respectively. An actor with professional experience off-Broadway and in summer theatre and outdoor drama, Burian joined the UAlbany faculty in 1955, chairing the Department of Theatre twice and directing numerous campus productions.

He has won many awards for his work, including several Fulbright fellowships that supported his research, as well as a United States Institute of Theatre Technology award for his 1971 book The Scenography of Josef Svoboda. Burian, an authority on the internationally known Czech set designer, also received the Institute’s 1995 Golden Pen award for a 1993 translation of Svoboda’s autobiography, The Secret of Theatrical Space: The Memoirs of Josef Svoboda. Two years ago, Burian and his wife, Grayce - who is also a professional actor, director, and educator - received an Albany/Schenectady League of Arts award.

Although he retired from the University in 1993, Burian returned this fall to teach a modern drama course on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov.

Donors’ Celebration for the Joan E. Schulz Endowment Set for November 16
By Greta Petry
There will be a celebration Thursday, Nov. 16, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rockefeller Institute, 411 State St., Albany, to thank former students of the Department of Women’s Studies, faculty, administrators and staff who have contributed to the establishment of the Joan E. Schulz endowment.

More than $110,000 has been raised to support the endowment, named for Schulz, a professor of Women’s Studies who played a critical role in founding the UAlbany’s Women’s Studies program and subsequent department.

Women’s Studies and English professor Judith Fetterley admits it may seem a bit unusual to establish an endowment for a living person. “But,” she asks, “why shouldn’t Joan share in the fun? Joan loves to have fun and having fun was a big part of feminism in the 1970s. This has been completely missed, indeed distorted by mainstream media portrayals of feminism.”

Professor Schulz said, “When I first heard about the endowment, I was stunned. Then I felt enormously honored and not a little bit embarrassed, and I think I’ve stayed that way. I would also add, it is a wonderful thing for the Department of Women’s Studies at the University at Albany, which is supported intellectually and emotionally by students and faculty alike. I think this is a wonderful financial boost for the department.”

Fetterley kicked off the fund-raising initiative with a significant donation. She undertook the drive for three reasons. “I wanted to honor Joan because she deserves to be honored. Joan, who is very much the model feminist and educator, is known for her colorful, fun, dramatic flair,” Fetterley said. “She is an institution in and of herself.”

Second, Fetterley wanted to find a way to keep alive within UAlbany and the Department of Women’s Sudies those aspects of 1970s feminism that are still so vital, valuable and important today.

Fetterley said that she and Schulz had worked on a distinct kind of feminist pedagogy, in which academics and activism were linked.

“I wanted to keep alive the connection between academic knowledge and political activism and also that sense of fun and play that Joan represents,” she added.

Third, the ultimate goal of the endowment is to increase the teaching capacity of the UAlbany Department of Women’s Studies by raising enough money to eventually support a visiting professorship.

“Joan was first and foremost a teacher, and I want to honor that commitment. Teaching is also historically a commitment of UAlbany,” said Fetterley.

Women’s Studies Professor Bonnie Spanier, who is sharing the fund-raising duties with Fetterley, said the Joan E. Schulz endowment “really is a statement about women’s studies at the University at Albany. It certainly is a great statement about Joan personally, as a teacher, and as a community activist, but also about women’s studies in the broader sense.”

Spanier added, “The response to establishing the endowment has really been fabulous, with very strong support from faculty and friends who have worked with the Women’s Studies Program since its beginnings. We have also had a wonderful response from the graduates of our Women’s Studies major, who are very excited that the department is able to do this. The response from some of the more recent students who had not taken courses with Joan is really a tribute to the Department of Women’s Studies.”

Schulz, who taught at the University from 1963 to 1997, will give the first annual lecture on Feminism, Knowledge, and Pedagogy, at the November celebration for donors.

“What could possibly be more fitting than for Joan to give the first lecture?” said Fetterley.

There is still time to make a donation and be invited to the celebration. Donors who give $2,500 are included in the Community of Founders. Those who contribute $1,000 or more are part of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Circle of Supporters, named for Schulz’s favorite 19th century feminist. Gifts of any size are welcome.

To make a donation, contact Fetterley at 442-4072. Checks payable to The University at Albany Foundation, with a note on each payment that the gift is to be designated for the Joan E. Schulz Endowment fund, may be mailed to Pamela A. Lowe, Senior Major Gifts Officer, Development Office, University at Albany, University Administration Building, Room 209, Albany, N.Y., 12222.

To accomplish the goals of the fund-raising operation, many hours were spent sending letters, compiling mailing lists and keeping it all straight. Fetterley credited Maureen Schaefer, secretary to the Associate Vice President for Development, with being “the heart and soul” of the operation. “Maureen has done an incredible job,” Fetterley said. “The entire staff of the Development office has been tremendously supportive. We owe a great deal particularly to the efforts of Jason Ladouceur, who worked with me originally to get the project started, and to Pam Lowe who has taken over from Jason.”

Women’s Studies established a major in 1981 and changed from a program to a department in 1990. Spanier said, “In 16 years there have been big changes in size and in scope. Recently we’ve witnessed important developments, including our new master’s degree program. There are about a dozen new students this year in the master’s program.” There are currently six professors appointed to the department’s core faculty. In addition there are another dozen professors who have joint appointments with other departments.

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