African Political Scientist Joins Bennington

Bennington College has made another impressive addition to its already formidable international relations faculty. Rotimi Suberu, considered by some to be one of the rising stars among younger political scientists in Africa, will join Bennington College's faculty this fall.

Towards a New Liberal Arts

"The challenges of citizenship are not akin to those of choosing a major, nor are they compatible with a view of life in which the highest activity is pursuing research in one’s area of specialization," says Bennington College president Elizabeth Coleman. She is calling for a "new liberal arts" that plays down such specialization, because "citizenship is not a world where one doesn’t do windows."

Bennington College Faculty Member Guiding Peace Talks

Earlier this month, Iraq peace talks were held for four days at an undisclosed location in Finland. News accounts say representatives from Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq reportedly are making “huge strides” towards agreeing on a roadmap to peace. Bennington College faculty member Mac Maharaj and former visiting lecturer Roelf Meyer have helped guide the talks, reportedly involving more than 30 high-level delegates from the feuding groups, and study lessons learned from successful peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland.

Bennington in the Thick of Things for Poetry Fellowships

The competition for the prestigious Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships has been narrowed down to 12 finalists, and two of them hail from Bennington College - alumna Valerie Wetlaufer and current student Amanda Auchter. The Fellowship is particularly prominent in that they each carry an award of $15,000, which is among the largest prizes offered for aspiring writers in the United States.