Board honors faculty for service to CC

Photo: A. Vincent Scarano / Lynda Munro '76 presents Bill Frasure with a faculty tribute award.

The Alumni Association Board of Directors paid tribute during reunion weekend to seven members of the faculty who recently reached milestones in their Connecticut College teaching careers.

The professors were presented with certificates of appreciation for their dedication to teaching, research and service to CC. Lynda Munro ’76, vice president of the alumni association, made the presentations at a reception Friday, June 3.

Professor of government William Frasure, an expert on Vietnam, was honored for teaching at the College since 1974. Earlier in the day, he addressed the classes of 1935, 1940, 1945, 1950 and 1955 during the Sykes Society luncheon and spoke about “The United States and Vietnam in a Changing World.”

Frasure had just returned from a semester in Hanoi, where he had led a group of 13 CC students on a Study Away, Teach Away program.

He told the audience that a fundamental conflict in U.S. policy colors America’s relationship with Vietnam. The United States wants to foster and protect democracy, believing that America will be safer if there are more democracies globally. But a Cold War realism also leads Americans to think that while democracy is fine, at some point the United States has to protect its own national interests.

Frasure outlined the events of the early ’50s in Vietnam — the era during which many members of the audience were at CC. Today’s students appreciate the significance of those events, he said.

Frasure was part of a team that initiated and developed a series of partnership programs between CC and Vietnam . He was instrumental in creating an exchange program to bring Vietnamese students to study at the College. He also directed a five-year faculty partnership program between CC and Vietnam National University.

Throughout his tenure, Frasure has specialized in teaching United States politics, environmental policy and law, and law and public policy. He served as dean of international studies for four years and as associate dean of the faculty from 2000 through 2003.

Photo: A. Vincent Scarano / From left are Frank Graziano, Abigail Van Slyck, Michelle Dunlap, Lan-Lan Wang, Lynda Munro, Ken Bleeth, Tom Ammirati and Bill Frasure.

The following faculty were also honored at the reception:

Tom Ammirati – 35 years

Professor of physics Thomas Ammirati has taught at CC for 35 years. He is working collaboratively with a colleague in the physics department, Professor Mike Monce, to study the impact of energetic protons on sulfur dioxide molecules. Their research is supported by a grant from NASA.

Ken Bleeth – 25 years

Kenneth Bleeth has been a professor of English at Connecticut College since 1979. His main area of scholarly interest is Medieval literature, especially the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is director of the College’s Medieval Studies Program and has served as chair of the English Department.

Michelle Dunlap – 10 years

Michelle Dunlap, associate professor of human development, joined the Connecticut College faculty in 1994. She teaches courses that focus on social and personality development, adolescent development, development across the lifespan, and multicultural and diversity issues. The Connecticut African-American Affairs Commission named her “Woman of the Year” in February for demonstrating a commitment to the advancement of the African-American community in the state.

Lan-Lan Wang – 10 years

Lan-Lan Wang is a professor of dance and has been the chair of the dance department at Connecticut College since 1994. She is a specialist in performance and choreography with 40 original works and three operas to her credit, and is known for her international work.

As one of the first modern dancers from the West to visit China after the Cultural Revolution in 1978, Wang has been actively involved in the development of contemporary dance in China. This September she will lead indigenous artists from Yunnan Province on their first U.S. tour, which premieres at Connecticut College.

Frank Graziano – 5 years

Frank Graziano, John D. MacArthur Professor of Hispanic Studies, joined the Connecticut College faculty five years ago. He served as chair of the Hispanic studies department from 1999-2002.

Graziano returned to campus this academic year after a two-year sabbatical during which he conducted research in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Mexico. The book that resulted from this research, Cultures of Devotion: Folk Saints of Spanish America, will be published next year.

Abigail Van Slyck – 5 years

Abigail Van Slyck, Dayton Associate Professor of Art History, came to Connecticut College in 1999. She is director of the College’s Architectural Studies Program and teaches a number of courses that involve students in primary research in architectural history. Last fall, her senior seminar focused on New London’s State Street and developed the foundation for an exhibition that will open in October at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.