UM’s Telhami Pens First Year Book

FOR MORE THAN a decade, the First Year Book Program has encouraged members of the university community to question and clarify their beliefs on a variety of topics. This year, the program’s selection committee has chosen The Stakes: America and the Middle East by Maryland’s own Sadat Chair for Peace and Development, Shibley Telhami, as the foundation for a year-long discussion on the implications of American foreign policy decisions.

A Backward Glance at the First Year Book

The First Year Book Program, previously the Terrapin Reading Society, was the brainchild of John Pease, professor of sociology. Launched in 1994 in coordination with the Student Government Association, the program has developed an eclectic bibliography—one that balances the provocative and the contemplative.

Previous readings include:

2003 Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ 2002 The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman 2001 Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton 2000 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson 1999 The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 1998 The Control of Nature by John McPhee and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 1997 The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells 1996 Einstein’s Dreams by Alan P. Lightman 1995 The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 1994 The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass 1993Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Willis

A special Maryland edition of the book—including a reading guide by the author—will be available free of charge to students. It will be used in class lessons, speeches, colloquia and other campus-wide events.

“I was flattered [by the selection],” says Telhami, whose work has received numerous national and international awards. “I have always believed that the nicest recognition is closest to home.”

The Stakes germinated in Telhami’s countless writings and interviews following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Drawing on his expertise as a Middle East scholar at the Brookings Institution and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he asks and answers a series of questions on the relationship between the United States and the world community. In this way, Telhami offers his opinions on the root causes and long-term solutions to America’s conflicts with Arab and Muslim nations.

By beginning this cross-disciplinary conversation—seeking dialogue, not controversy—the university is living up to one of its highest callings, according to Telhami: creating a “vibrant place to discuss some of the most urgent issues facing America today.” —MW

National Weather and Climate Prediction Center Joins M-Square

THE NATIONAL OCEANIC and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one of the newest tenants to sign on with the University of Maryland Enterprise Campus, also known as M Square, a 128-acre research park adjacent to the university near the College Park-University of Maryland Metro station.

NOAA plans to build a new multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility that is specifically designed for climate and weather operational forecasts and related research. “We are excited about the potential in front of us and are expecting great things to happen with the participation of the academic community, specifically the University of Maryland, to improve all weather and climate forecasts,” says Louis W. Uccellini, director of the new NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction.

Brian Darmody, the university’s assistant vice president for research and economic development, says that M Square offers the opportunity for the University of Maryland to effectively connect the intellectual capacity of its faculty and graduate students with large and small companies, government laboratories and other specialized centers.

The research park already has 128,000 sq. ft. leased, Darmody says, including the new Center for the Advanced Study of Language, a joint university-Department of Defense project that conducts research in support of the nation’s critical need for increased capabilities to understand and translate languages. At full build-out, it is expected that more than 2.5 million sq. ft. of research space and 6,500 workers will occupy the M Square site. —TV

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