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Associate Professor of Art History Steve Goldberg served as a member of the program committee for the 2005 New York Conference on Asian Studies held at SUNY New Paltz. He also chaired a panel titled "Critical Reflections on Teaching Asian Philosophy" and presented a paper titled "Authority of Excellence: Teaching Confucius through Visual Art" on Oct. 1.

Assistant Professor of Government Sharon Werning Rivera presented a paper titled "The Russian Elite under Putin: Militocratic or Bourgeois?" at a conference, Postcommunist State and Society: Transnational and National Politics. The conference was sponsored by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.  Co-authored with David W. Rivera, the paper challenges the claim that the Putin-era elite has become dominated by individuals from the military-security apparatus, and argues instead that it is more oriented toward the market than the military.

Dr. James Mundy, director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, spoke on October 5 as part of the William G. Roehrick '34 Lecture Series. Dr. Mundy was the first speaker in a series of lectures titled “College Museums Collections and Directions.” The goal of the series is to experience some of the changing collections at other small museums.

  Alan (Mac) McCullough, Jr. '64 was an inspiring person who lived his life as a passionate quest for truth and knowledge.  An avid reader on many subjects, he had an encyclopedic memory.  He could call upon his vast storehouse of information to build a socio-cultural or political theory for discussion.  His theories were almost unfailingly controversial or unorthodox, though the freshness of viewpoint they embodied was always stimulating.  Possessing unquenchable intellectual and emotional energy, he would not allow any aspect of an issue to go unconsidered or unaccounted for.  He had no regard for political correctness and hence often shocked people with the questions he posed.  Yet the sincerity and good will behind his questions offset any negative impressions that might otherwise have been created.  In short, he embodied all the qualities in a liberally educated man that we hold dear: insatiable thirst for learning, a driving curiosity, a sincere and gracious open-mindedness, a humility about the quest for truth and infectious sense of humor that kept it all in balance.  The goal of the Alan McCullough, Jr. Distinguished Visiting Chair in Political Philosophy will be to provide as stimulating an intellectual experience as Mac McCullough did himself.

Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, was featured in a Reuters article "China's Hu eyes promotions at Communist meeting." "It has become clear to the new Chinese leaders that, unless policies are changed, the country will be on the verge of social revolution led by vulnerable groups such as farmers, migrant workers and the urban unemployed," said Li.  "That is the main reason the Hu administration has called for the establishment of a more 'harmonious society'," Li added, referring to Hu's attempt to address the inequities that have built up in China.

A summer internship with the United Nations World Health Organization Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., was exactly what Hamilton College senior Wangechi Thuo was seeking. But the internship was unpaid, and Thuo, a world politics major from Nairobi, Kenya, thought she would have to choose between making money during the summer to offset her college expenses or pursuing a “dream” internship.

The fourth annual Clinton Community Fall Fest will take place on Sunday, October 9 on the Village Green from 12-4 p.m. Fall Fest is free and open to the public. The annual event seeks to unite the Hamilton and Clinton communities for an afternoon of food, fun, and entertainment. Fall Fest is a family event. It includes a diverse array of games and activities for children, as well as live music by Hamilton's musical groups and performances by a variety of dance groups. Food and fall favorites like cider and pumpkin pie will also be provided. Fall Fest '05 is hosted by the Class of 2008. For further information contact Katie Childs at kchilds@hamilton.edu.

Library Information Services Director Ken Herold has been named to the editorial board for the refereed electronic journal Library Philosophy and Practice. The journal publishes articles that demonstrate the connection between library practice and the philosophy and theory which are behind it.

Assistant Professor of Economics Stephen Wu published a paper titled "Fatalistic Tendencies: An Explanation of Why People Don't Save" in Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy: Vol. 4: No. 1, Article 11. This paper offers a new explanation contributing to the low rates of household savings. Wu found that people who exhibit fatalistic beliefs do not believe that their current actions will affect their future outcomes and thus save less than an optimal amount. He used data from the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the 2000 World Values Survey (WVS) to analyze the role of fatalism in determining household savings behavior. SCF respondents who felt that luck has played an important role in their financial affairs were more likely to realize their need to save, but are less likely to actually do so. Cross-country evidence from the WVS showed that those who believe they have little freedom and control over their lives are also less likely to save. The results hold after controlling for a number of demographic and behavioral factors, and are consistent across income and wealth levels.

Paul Cartledge, a professor of Greek History at Cambridge University, presented the Winslow lecture titled “Reuniting the Parthenon Marbles?” in the College Chapel on October 4. In his talk, Cartledge discussed different conceptions of the Parthenon and addressed his belief that the Parthenon sculptures currently being housed in the British Museum should be returned to Greece.