Filmmaker Rosenthal Offers Advice on Ignoring the Skeptics As Graduates Celebrate Commencement

Banker Seetharaman, Mount Vernon's Rees, alum Whitbeck

 also honored with degrees at 229th Graduation Ceremony

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Tribeca Films producer Jane Rosenthal offered the class of  2012 some lessons in finding their own voices and overcoming life’s skeptics as she addressed the 229th Commencement at Washington College on Sunday, May 20.  A large crowd gathered on the Campus Lawn to celebrate the 325 undergraduates receiving their bachelor’s degrees, and nine successful candidates for the master’s degree.

            The college bestowed honorary degrees on Rosenthal and two other special guests: Raghavan Seetharaman, the Group CEO of Qatar-based Doha Bank, and James C. Rees, the president and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.  In addition, Harris L. Whitbeck ’87, an award-winning CNN correspondent and television producer, received the 2012 Alumni Citation.

            In her address to the graduates, Jane Rosenthal recalled the dark days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when she decided—despite many naysayers—that she could help her community heal by launching a new film festival, the now wildly successful Tribeca Film Festival. “People said, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Do you have the money?’ ‘You’re crazy.’ ”

            She had heard similar comments more than a decade earlier when she left a successful career as a Hollywood executive and moved to New York to start Tribeca Films with actor Robert DeNiro. But in the wake of 9/11 she felt strongly that “New York needed movies more than ever—the sense of community and hope that movies can bring. So Robert DeNiro and I, along with my husband Craig, decided to forge ahead, because we cared.”

            “It’s only if you care deeply about things that matter that you will be brave enough to do what you know is right for you. So how will you deal with the naysayers in your lives?” she asked the graduates. “Learn how to simply say, ‘Thank you for your opinion’—NEXT! … And if there is something in life you truly care about and know you must try—a career, a relationship, a social issue, a movie, a film festival—learn how to say ‘No is not an option.’”

            Rosenthal also advised the young graduates to make wisdom a lifelong pursuit.  “Cultivate every part of yourself—your left brain and your right brain, your empathy and your sense of justice, your people skills and your hard skills, and your daydreaming skills. Because each of these will serve you in unexpected ways along your journey.” Don’t let today’s smart devices and social media be a substitute for real life, she added. “Make time for meandering conversations and true intimacy. It’s only by unplugging that we truly connect with ourselves.”

Alumni Citation recipient Harris Whitbeck '87 with President
 Reiss and Alumni Board Chair Timothy Reath '96.

            President Reiss addressed similar themes in his opening remarks, urging the graduates to preserve space in their fast-paced lives to ponder, reflect and rest. “You have been taught at Washington College to be deliberate and reflective in your approach. Why stop that habit just as you enter the workforce? … It is only in moments of reflection that we can sort through the blizzard of data and find nuggets of meaning,” he continued. “Technology will take your generation places we can’t imagine. But technology is not the destination. You, your mind, your clarity of thought and patient listening to the inner voice that speaks to what is right and wrong—what we call moral courage—this is and will always remain the destination.”

            Alumni Citation recipient Harris Whitbeck has won major awards for his coverage of natural disasters and wars around the globe. More recently he launched a television production company in his native Guatemala to target social problems and showcase creative solutions and inspirational stories. In accepting the Citation for Excellence from the Alumni Association, Whitbeck, who also hosts The Amazing Race Latinoamerica, credited Washington College for teaching him to be aware, to be open, to listen—skills that helped him on his personal and professional journey. “So graduates, remember that you are taking away tools that will help you think,” he advised. “The next 25 years are going to fly by for you. So live them with integrity, but also with intensity. And have fun.”

Mount Vernon's top executive James C. Rees IV listens as President
Reiss reads the citation for his honorary Doctor of Letters degree. 

            As recipient of an honorary Doctor of Letters degree, Mount Vernon executive James C. Rees was lauded for three decades of stellar service and leadership at America’s most visited historic home. Through his fundraising, vision and educational efforts, he has elevated Mount Vernon into a living monument whose buildings and grounds interpret the nation’s first president through a vivid 18th century lens. Rees collaborated with Washington College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute to create the George Washington Book Prize, a $50,000 award that recognizes the best work on the Revolutionary era. In accepting his degree Rees pictured George Washington “somewhere looking down, saying one of the smartest things he ever did was help start this college.” President Reiss gave Rees a framed copy of the honorary degree Washington College presented to George Washington in 1789, along with General Washington’s response.

 Doha Bank's Raghavan Seetharaman
shares life lessons with the graduates. 

            The man who transformed Doha Bank into the fastest growing bank in the Middle East shared stories from his youth to give the graduates a glimpse of the grit, pluck and determination that fueled his rise from a financially strapped family in India to the top echelon of international finance. Raghavan Seetharaman, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Washington College, stressed the importance of not just knowledge and skills, but also hard work, determination and teamwork. He recalled how, as a young man who already knew the value of a good education but whose  family could not afford the tuition at the best high school in his area, he accepted a special challenge from the school’s headmaster: free tuition, room and board if he came in first in all his examinations. He not only met that goal but also worked in a supermarket after class to help support his family. The kinds of commitment and compassion we show to our families should carry over to the commitment and care we give to society, he told the audience:  “We need to leave a better world and also to leave better citizens.”       

Ian Holstrom speaks on behalf of
the Class of 2012.

            The student elected to speak on behalf of the student body was Ian Edward Holstrom, an economics major from New Hope, Pa., who led the Honor Board for three of his years on campus.  Yes, the campus is beautiful, he noted, but it is people that make Washington College distinctive: “the students you talk to for hours, the passionate faculty that make you wish you had started taking drama classes earlier in college, or the adviser who welcomes you into his office just to talk about cars. It’s the staff members who never forget your name,” he added, “and the community members that are just so excited to have you in town.”

            The Class of 2012 will leave a part of themselves on campus, Holstrom assured his  classmates, and their alma mater will always travel with them. “In fact, that new, funny feeling in all our hearts today? That’s just Washington College settling in, getting ready to come along for the ride.” 

 Sue Matthews '75, mother of graduate Garrett Matthews '12,  finishes a rousing a cappella rendition of the National Anthem 

Sophie Kerr Prize for Literary Promise Goes to Writer with Passion for Character, Connections

A happily surprised winner. Photograph by Kelly Neal.

  

NEW YORK—A short-story writer dedicated to giving authentic voice to characters as they try to connect with the people closest to them is the 2012 winner of the nation’s largest student literary award. Washington College will award the Sophie Kerr Prize to Kathryn J.  Manion at commencement May 20 in the form of a check for $58,274. 
        Manion and four other Prize finalists read their poetry and fiction aloud Tuesday night, May 15, at a private event in midtown Manhattan and then watched internationally celebrated novelist Colum McCann open an envelope and announce her name as the 2012 winner.
        For 44 years, the Sophie Kerr Prize has gone to the graduating senior at Washington College who demonstrates the greatest literary ability and promise. The other four finalists — Natalie L. Butz of Falls Church, Va., Douglas S. Carter, Jr. of Pasadena, Md., Maria N. Queen of Hagerstown, Md., and Erica A. Walburg of Pewaukee, Wis.—had submitted strong portfolios of poetry, essays, fiction and scholarship to rise to the top of the 35 seniors vying for this year’s prize. “It was an especially strong year for our student writers,” says English professor Kathryn Moncrief, chair of the 14-member Sophie Kerr Committee that judges the competition.  “We could easily have doubled the number of finalists.”

        But Manion, an English major from Clarksville, Md., took the prize with her submission of four short stories she considers works in progress, and excerpts of her thesis on the role of letter writing in literature—a study that drew from the novels of Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, George Eliot and Emily Bronte.
        The central characters of Manion’s fiction are mostly young adults in unsatisfying or damaging relationships. In one short story, an insecure college freshman yearns for a more meaningful relationship with his mother as he navigates issues of sexuality and social life.       In another, a former spelling bee champion is interrogated about the murder of his abusive father.
         “Characters and character development can bring the simplest plot or most descriptive setting to life, and they can make or break a story,” Manion writes in the introduction to the portfolio she submitted for the Prize. “I have found that finding a voice, whether a character’s or my own, can be one of the most challenging parts of the creative process.”
        She’s meeting the challenge, says Washington College English professor Bob Mooney, a member of the Sophie Kerr Committee. “There are flashes of brilliance in her ability to create voice keenly appropriate to the story in progress.” 
        “Katie excels as both a critical and a creative writer, and her scholarship and her fiction display an intensity of purpose,” adds Moncrief, a Shakespeare scholar who chairs the English Department.  “She has a terrific work ethic and is courageous and persistent in taking on difficult subjects. She is always willing to grow and develop as a writer, and her fiction is fun to read, full of wonderful surprises.” 
        Manion, who minors in Creative Writing and Anthropology, has been a leader in the community of student writers at Washington College. She has been at the helm of the Writers’ Union, a student run group that gathers at the Rose O'Neill Literary House for workshops, readings and social events and publishes an online literary journal. She also participated in the Writers’ Theater and edited copy for the campus literary magazine, The Collegian.
        The Sophie Kerr Prize is the namesake of an Eastern Shore woman who forged a successful career in the New York publishing world. Born in Denton, Md., in 1880, she graduated from Hood College and worked as the women’s page editor at two Pittsburgh newspapers before moving to New York and becoming managing editor of the Woman’s Home Companion. A prolific writer, Kerr wrote 23 novels and published hundreds of short stories in the popular magazines of the day, including The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, and McCall’s.
        When she died in 1965, she left more than $500,000 to Washington College with the stipulation that half the income from the bequest would be awarded annually to the senior showing “the most ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor.” Over the years, the endowment from Kerr’s gift has provided more than $1.4 million in prize money to promising young writers, in amounts that have ranged from $9,000 the inaugural year, 1968, to a high of nearly $69,000 in 2009. The winners have gone on to establish careers as writers, editors, teachers, and marketing professionals, and many have published their work as novels or collections of short stories or poetry.
        The other half of Kerr’s bequest funds scholarships and library acquisitions and brings a parade of world-class literary figures to campus for public readings and workshops. Such literary luminaries as Edward Albee, Jonathan Franzen and Toni Morrison have visited Washington College under the auspices of the Sophie Kerr Lecture Series. Recent guests have included novelists Junot Diaz and Nick Flynn and poet Natasha Trethewey.

Fellow finalists applaud winner Manion after her name 
is announced. Photograph by Kelly Neal.

Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in historic Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, it was the first college to be chartered in the new nation. For more information, visit http://www.washcoll.edu.

Tribeca Films Founder Jane Rosenthal to Speak at Washington College Commencement May 20

TV journalist Harris Whitbeck ’87, banker Seetharaman and Mount Vernon CEO Rees also to be honored at 229th graduation ceremony

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Renowned film producer Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of Tribeca Productions and the Tribeca Film Festival, will address the graduates at Washington College’s 229th Commencement on Sunday, May 20. She also will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree during the ceremony, which begins at 10:30 a.m. on the Campus Lawn.

            The College will bestow honorary degrees on two other special guests that morning: international banker Raghavan Seetharaman, and James C. Rees IV, President and Chief Executive Officer of George Washington’s Mount Vernon.  In addition, CNN  journalist and reality-show host Harris Whitbeck ’87 will receive the Alumni Citation for excellence in journalism and television broadcasting.

            A graduate of Brown and New York Universities, Jane Rosenthal was working as a vice president of production at Disney’s film group in 1988 when actor Robert DeNiro lured her back to the East Coast to help him create and run Tribeca Productions. In partnership with Rosenthal’s husband, real estate investor and philanthropist Craig Hatkoff, the company has steadily expanded its influence in the film industry through the creation of Tribeca Enterprises (which Rosenthal serves as CEO), the non-profit Tribeca Film Institute, and the wildly successful Tribeca Film Festivals.             

            Rosenthal, DeNiro and Hatkoff co-organized the first Tribeca Film Festival in the wake of the September 11 attacks as a way to help revive the economic and cultural conditions of lower Manhattan. Since that first festival in 2002, the event has become one of the largest film celebrations in the world. Because of their work, Rosenthal, Hatkoff and DeNiro received the inaugural September 11 National Museum and Memorial Foundation “Notes of Hope Award” for Distinction in Rebuilding.

Doha Bank Group CEO Seetharaman

As a producer, Rosenthal has enjoyed boundless commercial and critical success with dozens of films. Her comedies include Meet the Fockers and Analyze This, both  starring DeNiro, and her production Meet the Parents, also starring DeNiro, is one of the highest-grossing comedic franchises in history. In the drama category, her many films include the Matt Damon spy film The Good Shepherd and the crime drama A Bronx Tale. She won a 1997 Christopher Award, which recognizes media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” for Marvin’s Room, a family drama with Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio and Diane Keaton.

            Also being honored by the College is influential banker Raghavan Seetharaman, Group CEO of Qatar-based Doha Bank. Seetharaman, who was on campus in February to deliver a lecture in the George Washington Leadership Series, will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. A native of India, Seetharaman applied a strong work ethic and a welcoming attitude toward globalization and new technologies to transform Doha Bank into the fastest growing bank in the Middle East.  London-based EMEA Finance magazine, which covers the financial industry in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, has twice named him CEO of the Year. He has shared his expertise as a guest of major news outlets that include the BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg and Al Jazeera.

Mount Vernon CEO James Rees

            Honoree James Rees has served George Washington’s Mount Vernon, America’s most visited historic home, for nearly 30 years, the past 18 as president and chief executive officer. Under his leadership, more than a quarter-billion dollars have been raised for projects designed to renew national attention and emphasis on George Washington. Rees also has been an active partner with Washington College in strengthening students’ connections to George Washington as the school’s founding patron. He visited the Chestertown campus in 2007 to deliver a lecture based on his just-published book, George Washington’s Leadership Lessons: What the Father of Our Country Can Teach Us About Effective Leadership and Character. Rees will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters.

Alumni Citation recipient Harris Whitbeck ’87 is a multi-faceted journalist and television producer who has earned high accolades for his coverage of war, disaster, the environment and issues of social justice.  A native of Guatemala who is fluent in English, Spanish and French, he earned his undergraduate degree in International Studies from Washington College and his master’s in journalism from Columbia University before starting his career with CNN’s Spanish-Language network Telemundo. He later served as  an international correspondent for all of CNN’s networks and was Bureau Chief in Mexico City.

Whitbeck has made major contributions to coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the September 11 attacks, the 2004 Haitian coup d’etat, and various political, economic and social developments throughout Latin America. He has been recognized with a number of journalism awards, including a 1999 National Headliner Award for his coverage of the Ciudad Juarez killings, and a DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton Award for his coverage of the Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka.

Award-winning journalist Harris Whitbeck.

            Whitbeck’s Zodiak Latino production company was nominated for an International Emmy in 2011 for a reality program he wrote and produced about 11 physically disabled people testing themselves with a challenging expedition. In Guatemala, he co-founded Atitlan Producciones, a television production company that produces socially-minded content.  For the past several years, the busy Whitbeck also has hosted the reality-television series The Amazing Race: Latinoamerica.  

            General seating for the Commencement exercises will be available on the lawn. In case of rain, the event will move to the Benjamin A. Johnson Fitness Center and admission will be by ticket only. For more information, please visit: http://news.washcoll.edu/commencement.php.

College Offers Free Transportation to the Smithsonian for "American Pictures" Series

Illustrator Maira Kalman Kicks Off Series Saturday

Afternoon, March 24, with a Diane Arbus Photograph

CHESTERTOWN, MD— Interested in a Saturday of art, history, and cultural exploration in Washington, D.C.? Thanks to a special program offered by Washington College, area residents can join faculty and students for free, daylong excursions to the nation’s capital to attend the acclaimed “American Pictures” series at the Smithsonian. The dates of this year’s events are March 24, April 7, April 21, and May 12. Tickets, including bus transportation from Chestertown to Washington, are free and available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The “American Pictures” series is a joint program of Washington College, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Each talk features an eminent writer, artist, critic or historian who chooses a single favorite image to explore, revealing how artworks reflect American identity and inspire creativity in many different fields. The series director is historian Adam Goodheart of Washington College. Events take place at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. All talks will begin at 2:00 p.m. (a change in time from previous years).

Buses will leave Chestertown at 11:00 a.m., and depart DC for the return trip at 7:30 p.m. Faculty and staff from the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Department of Art and Art History are arranging special gallery tours for Washington College’s guests following each talk. For more information, or to make a reservation, please contact Lois Kitz at the Starr Center by calling 410-810-7165 or emailing lkitz2@washcoll.edu.

The series opens Saturday, March 24, with illustrator and writer Maira Kalman, who will explore a haunting photo by Diane Arbus. Kalman has written and illustrated more than a dozen books for children, including Looking at Lincoln (2012), Ooh-la-la-Max in Love (2001), What Pete Ate (2001), and 13 WORDS (2010), a collaboration with Lemony Snicket. Kalman’s books for adults include And the Pursuit of Happiness (2010), and an illustrated version of Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style (2005).

She is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, and is well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the popular 2001 “New Yorkistan” cover. Beloved for her whimsical-neurotic take on modern life, Kalman also created a year-long visual column on American history and democracy for the New York Times. In 2010, the Institute of Contemporary Art organized a retrospective of her work, Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World).

Diane Arbus, whose photograph Untitled (8) will be the focus of Kalman’s talk, was one of the most provocative and distinctive American visual artists of the 20^th century. Created between the 1950s and her death in 1971, her haunting, densely detailed black-and-white portraits – often of men and women considered deviant or “freakish” by society at large – continue to challenge and fascinate viewers. Norman Mailer famously said of her, “Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child.”

Untitled (8), taken not long before Arbus’s suicide at age 48, is one of her most striking images. It depicts five men and women, residents of a home for the mentally impaired, dressed in Halloween costumes.

In addition to Kalman, this spring’s all-star line-up features journalist, travel writer and historian Tony Horwitz, biographer Edmund Morris, and memoirist, novelist, and musician James McBride. The series director is historian Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

2012 SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 24: Maira Kalman on Diane Arbus’s Untitled (8) (1970-71)

Saturday, April 7: Tony Horwitz on Ole Peter Hansen Balling’s John Brown (1872)

Saturday, April 21: Edmund Morris on Ronald Reagan at Bergen-Belsen (NBC television sequence, 1985)

Saturday, May 12: James McBride on Julian Wasser’s Singer James Brown during a Performance at the Shrine (1969)

For a more complete description of the four programs, click here.