The Confusing Dire Straits of Recent American Foreign Policy Dilemmas: Russia, UK, North Korea, and Syria
Summary of MSNBC coverage and additional writing by Olga Dvornikova
MSNBC reports that Cambridge Analytica congratulated President elect Donald Trump on his win with Mike Pence stating “We are thrilled that our revolutionary approach to data-driven communications played such an integral part in President-elect Donal Trump’s extraordinary win, “said Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica.
Since then, the company has removed him as CEO amid scandal and began an investigation. This occurred after Britain revealed compromising footage of Nix discuss the company’s dirty tricks and undercover secrets on Channel 4. He admitted meeting Trump and that they ran all his research, data, digital campaign, and all the strategy of the Trump campaign. Federal Trade Commission has begun an investigation into the Cambridge Analyticas involvement in the US election. A whistleblower at the company revealed that 50 million Facebook profiles were breached by the company during the election period. Part of the activity falls on Alexander Kagan, a Cambridge University academic who orchestrated the harvesting of the Facebook data and previously unreported ties to a Russian university, including a teaching position and research grants into the social media network.
Same whistleblower at Cambridge Analytica reported that Energy firm Lukeoil, which is now on the US sanctions list and has been used as a vehicle of the government influence, saw a presentation on the firm’s work in 2014. The company was interested in how to influence American people on social media.
President is trying to find new lawyers to join their team. Our closest over-seas ally, Great Britain is also under a difficult situation. In a press interview, Teresa May stated that “Britain will not tolerate a threat to British citizens and others on British soil.” Two people were poisoned by supposed Russian government with a new nerve agent. Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary states that “Our quarrel is with Putin’s Kremlin, and with his decision, and that it was highly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of the nerve agent. May expelled twenty-three diplomats from UK and today they left for Moscow, Russia. The diplomats are undeclared intelligence officers and had one week to leave. Today, March 21, 2018 they left for Moscow from the London Stansted airport. They were expelled as punishment for poisoning of double agents, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Salsbury, UK. An attack that Britain and European Union agree was carried out by the Russian government, Novachuks. People are unaware what the nerve agent actually does to people therefore the fear level is extremely high at this point. Sergei and Julia were taken to the hospital and are still alive.
A scientist from The Bell discussed working on the nerve agent “Novichok” where 20 grams to several kilos were applied to victims. He said there is no anti-dote to the poison. He said if Sergei and Julia are taken off life support they will die. They remain in critical condition.
Nikolai Glushkov’s death is also being investigated as a possible murder. His death occurred only 8 days after the Skripal attack.
Also only 5 days ago the US Government treasury finally sanctioned Russian Cyber actions for interference with the 2016 U.S. Elections and Malicious Cyber Attacks. Also five days ago, the US Cert Homeland Security and FBI reported that provided information that Russian government may be hacking into the U.S. Government as well as organizations in the energy, nuclear, communal facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors. Therefore, US should be in alarm mode that hacking is occurring on American organizations. Our president is trying to maintain communication with the Russian president, Putin, as he was the one who won the election in Russia. He stated repeatedly that he will meet with Putin in "Not too distant future." They are in diplomatic discussion about Russian and American relationship and political situations in North Korea and Syria.
President Trump advisers were trying to advise him not to congratulate the Russian president. Yet, the President "went rogue" and congratulated Putin. Simply because the election is deemed undemocratic and a sham. Trump also did not confront him about the nerve agent. He simply congratulated him for the election win. As states during the presidential bid for president, Hillary Clinton said Trump will not be able to stand up to Putin and will almost always back down. Therefore, she was somewhat accurate that the president will not confront the Russian or Chinese world leaders. However, from his campaign "Make America Great Again" (MAGA), President Trump repeatedly said he believes in American democracy and is working really hard to provide a better future for the American families who were left behind during the Obama presidency, such as the rural coal-towns, and all those areas where businesses had closed. Trump won the election on his stronger economic agenda to bring business back to USA and provide work for the middle class Americans and also the veterans who have had a difficulties transitioning back to civilian lives upon their return. However, recent information from Channel 4 reports about Cambridge Analytica's role in the US election, may undermine the President's original election's success.
The president chose not to heed talking points from his aides and advisors instructing him to condemn Putin about the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom with a powerful nerve agent. Trump perhaps has to develop a firmer stance about the attack on British soil, that the British had confirmed was carried out by Russia. The question on everyone's mind is "why is Trump ignoring his staff? Why does he believe his own actions are correct instead of those of his advisors?"
Carol Leonnig, Washinton Post National Reporter. He ignored the aides warnings because he disagreed with his staff. The president chose to disregard some of the warnings such as choosing not to condemn about the nerve agent. And discussed Syria and North Korea. There is a perception that it would not be very good to bring up the Nerve agent because of the current investigation of his campaign. The staffers tried to raise the alarm for him to address our ally's concerns. After the call occurred with the Russian president, the White House Staff experienced, "quite a curfaffle, an omg moment, what are we going to say about the call?" The Russians posted first and said that Trump congratulated their leader.
Ed Mazza of Huffingoton Post reported that John McCain @SenJohnMcCain stated on March 20th, 2018. “An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election. Since Russia has not had a democratic process and US government believes we should not interfere in the foreign country’s electoral process. There is nothing that American people can dictate to the Russian people to do, said Trump’s press secretary to the press earlier this week.
Reference 1: Ed Mazza. Donald Trump’s ‘DO NOT CONGRATULATE’ Putin Blunder Is Already a Savage New Meme.Huffington Post.
Retreived March 21, 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-do-not-congratulate-twitter_us_5ab1feb2e4b0decad0453c58?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004
Further reading by Nina Khrushcheva Donald Trump's not quite Joseph Stalin. But his 'Fake News Awards' should scare us.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/donald-trump-s-not-quite-joseph-stalin-his-fake-news-ncna838456
About the nerve agent: http://theconversation.com/novichok-the-deadly-story-behind-the-nerve-agent-in-sergei-skripal-spy-attack-93562
Summary of MSNBC coverage and additional writing by Olga Dvornikova
MSNBC reports that Cambridge Analytica congratulated President elect Donald Trump on his win with Mike Pence stating “We are thrilled that our revolutionary approach to data-driven communications played such an integral part in President-elect Donal Trump’s extraordinary win, “said Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica.
Since then, the company has removed him as CEO amid scandal and began an investigation. This occurred after Britain revealed compromising footage of Nix discuss the company’s dirty tricks and undercover secrets on Channel 4. He admitted meeting Trump and that they ran all his research, data, digital campaign, and all the strategy of the Trump campaign. Federal Trade Commission has begun an investigation into the Cambridge Analyticas involvement in the US election. A whistleblower at the company revealed that 50 million Facebook profiles were breached by the company during the election period. Part of the activity falls on Alexander Kagan, a Cambridge University academic who orchestrated the harvesting of the Facebook data and previously unreported ties to a Russian university, including a teaching position and research grants into the social media network.
Same whistleblower at Cambridge Analytica reported that Energy firm Lukeoil, which is now on the US sanctions list and has been used as a vehicle of the government influence, saw a presentation on the firm’s work in 2014. The company was interested in how to influence American people on social media.
President is trying to find new lawyers to join their team. Our closest over-seas ally, Great Britain is also under a difficult situation. In a press interview, Teresa May stated that “Britain will not tolerate a threat to British citizens and others on British soil.” Two people were poisoned by supposed Russian government with a new nerve agent. Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary states that “Our quarrel is with Putin’s Kremlin, and with his decision, and that it was highly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of the nerve agent. May expelled twenty-three diplomats from UK and today they left for Moscow, Russia. The diplomats are undeclared intelligence officers and had one week to leave. Today, March 21, 2018 they left for Moscow from the London Stansted airport. They were expelled as punishment for poisoning of double agents, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Salsbury, UK. An attack that Britain and European Union agree was carried out by the Russian government, Novachuks. People are unaware what the nerve agent actually does to people therefore the fear level is extremely high at this point. Sergei and Julia were taken to the hospital and are still alive.
A scientist from The Bell discussed working on the nerve agent “Novichok” where 20 grams to several kilos were applied to victims. He said there is no anti-dote to the poison. He said if Sergei and Julia are taken off life support they will die. They remain in critical condition.
Nikolai Glushkov’s death is also being investigated as a possible murder. His death occurred only 8 days after the Skripal attack.
Also only 5 days ago the US Government treasury finally sanctioned Russian Cyber actions for interference with the 2016 U.S. Elections and Malicious Cyber Attacks. Also five days ago, the US Cert Homeland Security and FBI reported that provided information that Russian government may be hacking into the U.S. Government as well as organizations in the energy, nuclear, communal facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors. Therefore, US should be in alarm mode that hacking is occurring on American organizations. Our president is trying to maintain communication with the Russian president, Putin, as he was the one who won the election in Russia. He stated repeatedly that he will meet with Putin in "Not too distant future." They are in diplomatic discussion about Russian and American relationship and political situations in North Korea and Syria.
President Trump advisers were trying to advise him not to congratulate the Russian president. Yet, the President "went rogue" and congratulated Putin. Simply because the election is deemed undemocratic and a sham. Trump also did not confront him about the nerve agent. He simply congratulated him for the election win. As states during the presidential bid for president, Hillary Clinton said Trump will not be able to stand up to Putin and will almost always back down. Therefore, she was somewhat accurate that the president will not confront the Russian or Chinese world leaders. However, from his campaign "Make America Great Again" (MAGA), President Trump repeatedly said he believes in American democracy and is working really hard to provide a better future for the American families who were left behind during the Obama presidency, such as the rural coal-towns, and all those areas where businesses had closed. Trump won the election on his stronger economic agenda to bring business back to USA and provide work for the middle class Americans and also the veterans who have had a difficulties transitioning back to civilian lives upon their return. However, recent information from Channel 4 reports about Cambridge Analytica's role in the US election, may undermine the President's original election's success.
The president chose not to heed talking points from his aides and advisors instructing him to condemn Putin about the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom with a powerful nerve agent. Trump perhaps has to develop a firmer stance about the attack on British soil, that the British had confirmed was carried out by Russia. The question on everyone's mind is "why is Trump ignoring his staff? Why does he believe his own actions are correct instead of those of his advisors?"
Carol Leonnig, Washinton Post National Reporter. He ignored the aides warnings because he disagreed with his staff. The president chose to disregard some of the warnings such as choosing not to condemn about the nerve agent. And discussed Syria and North Korea. There is a perception that it would not be very good to bring up the Nerve agent because of the current investigation of his campaign. The staffers tried to raise the alarm for him to address our ally's concerns. After the call occurred with the Russian president, the White House Staff experienced, "quite a curfaffle, an omg moment, what are we going to say about the call?" The Russians posted first and said that Trump congratulated their leader.
Ed Mazza of Huffingoton Post reported that John McCain @SenJohnMcCain stated on March 20th, 2018. “An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election. Since Russia has not had a democratic process and US government believes we should not interfere in the foreign country’s electoral process. There is nothing that American people can dictate to the Russian people to do, said Trump’s press secretary to the press earlier this week.
Reference 1: Ed Mazza. Donald Trump’s ‘DO NOT CONGRATULATE’ Putin Blunder Is Already a Savage New Meme.Huffington Post.
Retreived March 21, 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-do-not-congratulate-twitter_us_5ab1feb2e4b0decad0453c58?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004
Further reading by Nina Khrushcheva Donald Trump's not quite Joseph Stalin. But his 'Fake News Awards' should scare us.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/donald-trump-s-not-quite-joseph-stalin-his-fake-news-ncna838456
About the nerve agent: http://theconversation.com/novichok-the-deadly-story-behind-the-nerve-agent-in-sergei-skripal-spy-attack-93562
Filmmaker David Lynch to teach on how to deal with stress
September 27, 2005, originally published in Temple News
by Olga Dvornikova
Celebrated film director David Lynch returns to Philadelphia to speak about “Consciousness, Creativity, and the Brain.”
This lecture is the first of many initiatives of his new foundation that helps students overcome stress though meditation. The free lecture will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Harrison Auditorium at University of Pennsylvania.
Lynch will field questions about his upcoming film Inland Empire, due for a 2006 release. This year he plans to launch the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education and World Peace, a national non-profit organization aimed at bringing the benefits of stress-reducing meditation to students.
He started practicing transcendental meditation in 1973 while living in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I got the idea to start the foundation from my own benefits,” Lynch said. “My foundation raises money to any student who is interested in meditation. Our goal is to send a wave of peace across the world and United States and get the country out of negativity and suffering.”
Although Lynch is better known for his mysterious and haunting films Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, he does not see a discrepancy between his films and his foundation.
“All ideas are coming from the same place,” he said. “The medium of ideas is a thrilling thing to me. Through meditation you learn to dive within and everything gets better as a result.”
Lynch said he has a deep respect for all artists and various kinds of media. He is a painter, sculptor, furniture designer, songwriter, author and producer. Lynch even began his creative journey at Philadelphia’s own Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he first became interested in film. There he made four short films with grants from the American Film Institute.
Lynch said he respects the works of filmmakers Frederico Felini, Igmar Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock. Last year, the British newspaper the Guardian named Lynch the world’s best film director of the past 40 years.
His talk at Penn will also feature brain researcher Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of nuclear medicine at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and quantum physicist, Jon Hagelin, who was recently featured in the documentary What the Beep Do We Know? and neuroscientist Fred Travis, director of Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management.
SPEC Film, SPEC Connaissance, Fox Leadership and Cinema Studies are sponsoring Lynch’s talk. For more information call (215) 898-6533 or visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org.
by Olga Dvornikova
Celebrated film director David Lynch returns to Philadelphia to speak about “Consciousness, Creativity, and the Brain.”
This lecture is the first of many initiatives of his new foundation that helps students overcome stress though meditation. The free lecture will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Harrison Auditorium at University of Pennsylvania.
Lynch will field questions about his upcoming film Inland Empire, due for a 2006 release. This year he plans to launch the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education and World Peace, a national non-profit organization aimed at bringing the benefits of stress-reducing meditation to students.
He started practicing transcendental meditation in 1973 while living in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I got the idea to start the foundation from my own benefits,” Lynch said. “My foundation raises money to any student who is interested in meditation. Our goal is to send a wave of peace across the world and United States and get the country out of negativity and suffering.”
Although Lynch is better known for his mysterious and haunting films Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, he does not see a discrepancy between his films and his foundation.
“All ideas are coming from the same place,” he said. “The medium of ideas is a thrilling thing to me. Through meditation you learn to dive within and everything gets better as a result.”
Lynch said he has a deep respect for all artists and various kinds of media. He is a painter, sculptor, furniture designer, songwriter, author and producer. Lynch even began his creative journey at Philadelphia’s own Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he first became interested in film. There he made four short films with grants from the American Film Institute.
Lynch said he respects the works of filmmakers Frederico Felini, Igmar Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock. Last year, the British newspaper the Guardian named Lynch the world’s best film director of the past 40 years.
His talk at Penn will also feature brain researcher Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of nuclear medicine at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and quantum physicist, Jon Hagelin, who was recently featured in the documentary What the Beep Do We Know? and neuroscientist Fred Travis, director of Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management.
SPEC Film, SPEC Connaissance, Fox Leadership and Cinema Studies are sponsoring Lynch’s talk. For more information call (215) 898-6533 or visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org.
Tyler brings art to Main campus
October 8, 2004, originally published in Temple News
by Olga Dvornikova
About 10 students at the Tyler School of Art have been offered a new showcase for their work: an art exhibit at the Tuttleman Counseling Center (TCC) on Main campus.
The artists’ group Tyler Christian Fellowship created the exhibit, appropriately titled Welcome Tyler to Main I, to decorate the otherwise ordinary walls of TCC in the lower level of Sullivan Hall.
Jeremy Frank, a staff psychologist at TCC, originally proposed the idea for the exhibit. Traveling from Tyler to Main Campuses to treat different students, Frank had the idea to splash some life into the otherwise clinical space of the counseling office.
The idea was sent to Tyler’s Student Life Office where Deb Martin spoke with Dionn Williams, an outreach coordinator for Tyler Christian Fellowship (TCF) and painting major, about the idea for an exhibit possibility.
Williams quickly brought the TFC students together and coordinated the exhibit with Frank. The TFC students curated the exhibit this time around, but in the later exhibits there is a possibility that art history majors would collaborate to create the exhibit with art majors at Tyler, Frank explained.
“Having art on the counseling center walls sends a powerful message to students seeking professional help and shows that there are people who care for students who are struggling with problems,” said Frank. “Many students have come before you and the work celebrates the space and therefore the process through which students seek help.”
One student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that therapy at the center feels more positive because of the beauty that the exhibit brought to the space.
The exhibit had an official opening on October 1st and will run through the end of the semester. Next semester a new group of artists such as the Tyler Student Government or the Intellectual Heritage club will showcase their work at the center.
“We wanted to make a positive atmosphere for the center because students already bring their own problems when they go to the center,” said Williams. “We made sure to that the art we hung up wasn’t too controversial, too violent, too sexual, or too religious.”
Williams created one particular work featured in the exhibit, “Infanzia,” when she studied abroad in Rome, Italy under Stanley Whitney.
“My art work reflects many styles because I get bored quickly with my own work, said Williams. “As a result I teach myself new techniques and new ways of expressing myself. My emotions play a big role in my work - I pour my emotions like anger or love onto the canvas. It’s like taking a picture of something invisible and then I don’t have to talk about them.”
The feedback that the art students have been receiving has been completely positive. Williams already sold two of her painting even prior to the exhibit. Over 25 works - among them photographs and paintings - remain to be sold.
The exhibit also addresses the long awaited move of Tyler’s Elkins Park Campus to Main Campus. “Hopefully, this exhibit will be a domino effect, where other art students will follow in our footsteps and Temple will be a unified college. When we go to the same school as students on Broad Street, we won’t be afraid to move to Main campus,” Williams explained.
“Also this opportunity taught us that Main campus students are nice and we are on the same team.”
Tyler’s complete move to main campus has been awaited since 1999, according to Tyler graduate Baylor. “The move to Main Campus is still very vague and nobody has any solid information on the exact date,” said Baylor. “Tyler students are not worried about the move because they have so much work to do. It’s the least of their worries.”
Prospective buyers can inquire about artwork prices at the front desk or directly e-mail the artists, whose e-mail addresses are directly available through the Cherry and White Pages. For more information on Tyler Christian Fellowship e-mail tylerfellowship@hotmail.com.
© Olga Dvornikova
by Olga Dvornikova
About 10 students at the Tyler School of Art have been offered a new showcase for their work: an art exhibit at the Tuttleman Counseling Center (TCC) on Main campus.
The artists’ group Tyler Christian Fellowship created the exhibit, appropriately titled Welcome Tyler to Main I, to decorate the otherwise ordinary walls of TCC in the lower level of Sullivan Hall.
Jeremy Frank, a staff psychologist at TCC, originally proposed the idea for the exhibit. Traveling from Tyler to Main Campuses to treat different students, Frank had the idea to splash some life into the otherwise clinical space of the counseling office.
The idea was sent to Tyler’s Student Life Office where Deb Martin spoke with Dionn Williams, an outreach coordinator for Tyler Christian Fellowship (TCF) and painting major, about the idea for an exhibit possibility.
Williams quickly brought the TFC students together and coordinated the exhibit with Frank. The TFC students curated the exhibit this time around, but in the later exhibits there is a possibility that art history majors would collaborate to create the exhibit with art majors at Tyler, Frank explained.
“Having art on the counseling center walls sends a powerful message to students seeking professional help and shows that there are people who care for students who are struggling with problems,” said Frank. “Many students have come before you and the work celebrates the space and therefore the process through which students seek help.”
One student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that therapy at the center feels more positive because of the beauty that the exhibit brought to the space.
The exhibit had an official opening on October 1st and will run through the end of the semester. Next semester a new group of artists such as the Tyler Student Government or the Intellectual Heritage club will showcase their work at the center.
“We wanted to make a positive atmosphere for the center because students already bring their own problems when they go to the center,” said Williams. “We made sure to that the art we hung up wasn’t too controversial, too violent, too sexual, or too religious.”
Williams created one particular work featured in the exhibit, “Infanzia,” when she studied abroad in Rome, Italy under Stanley Whitney.
“My art work reflects many styles because I get bored quickly with my own work, said Williams. “As a result I teach myself new techniques and new ways of expressing myself. My emotions play a big role in my work - I pour my emotions like anger or love onto the canvas. It’s like taking a picture of something invisible and then I don’t have to talk about them.”
The feedback that the art students have been receiving has been completely positive. Williams already sold two of her painting even prior to the exhibit. Over 25 works - among them photographs and paintings - remain to be sold.
The exhibit also addresses the long awaited move of Tyler’s Elkins Park Campus to Main Campus. “Hopefully, this exhibit will be a domino effect, where other art students will follow in our footsteps and Temple will be a unified college. When we go to the same school as students on Broad Street, we won’t be afraid to move to Main campus,” Williams explained.
“Also this opportunity taught us that Main campus students are nice and we are on the same team.”
Tyler’s complete move to main campus has been awaited since 1999, according to Tyler graduate Baylor. “The move to Main Campus is still very vague and nobody has any solid information on the exact date,” said Baylor. “Tyler students are not worried about the move because they have so much work to do. It’s the least of their worries.”
Prospective buyers can inquire about artwork prices at the front desk or directly e-mail the artists, whose e-mail addresses are directly available through the Cherry and White Pages. For more information on Tyler Christian Fellowship e-mail tylerfellowship@hotmail.com.
© Olga Dvornikova
Alumni donations increase
October 1, 2004, originally published in Temple News
by Olga Dvornikova
Walking around Temple on a regular day any student can notice the construction around the Student Center or at 1800 Liacouras Walk. Most of the renovations are afforded by alumni funding which has shown a steady rise in recent years.
“In the year that included Sept. 11, [2001] and after, we raised $37.77 million, which was an increase from previous years,” Caulfield said.
Fundraising rose to $44.41 million in fiscal year 2002 and $50.30 million in fiscal year 2003. The steady rise of Temple fundraising and donations can be attributed to Stuart Sullivan, said Mark Eyerly, Temple’s chief communications officer.
Sullivan took the office of vice-president in 2001 and has renewed emphasis on alumni development. He also reorganized and reenergized a better relationship with the alumni which in turn generated more donations. An example of his reorganization is the development of alumni staff in all schools and colleges.
New plans are underway for the next several years involving a total of $400 million in reconstruction and renovation.
The first part of the plan is to move the Tyler School of Art to the main campus.
“The new $75 million project will bring Tyler’s 120 faculty and nearly 800 students to a new 255,000-square-foot building on the university’s Main campus,” Eyerly said. He added that $58 million came from funding from the state and the remainder came from university fundraising.
The Fox School of Business and Management will also undergo expansion in the next several years. The $78 million project will include approximately 190,000 square feet of new construction. Tentative plans include expanding the school into the location where Curtis Hall presently stands. The Curtis Hall facilities will then move to 1800 Liacouras Walk once they are renovated.
The recently completed Entertainment and Community Education Center (ECEC) cost $16.3 million to build. ECEC is a 61,000-square-foot structure providing street-level retail. On the second-floor it houses broadcast facilities for WRTI, Temple’s public radio station. The station has a performance studio for live broadcasts.
“The studio can be leased by cultural organizations for making commercial-quality recordings,” Eyerly said. “The new facility will leverage the power of broadcasting to the benefit of Philadelphia’s cultural community.
The facility also houses Temple’s Partnership Schools program, a collaborative effort linking the University, the School District of Philadelphia, and six public schools in the surrounding neighborhoods. It serves as a major resource for community residents, providing access to job listings, computers, and educational and meeting space.
The other fundrasing money goes into the $20 million effort to upgrade and renovate laboratories and research facilities, along with the extensive recruitment of new faculty to tenured and tenure-track positions. The other plan is to have a second phase of renovations to the University’s Student Center, which will add 86,000 square feet to this hub of student activity at a cost of $30 million.
Further renovation is planned to occur on a string of historic townhouses along the 1800 block of Liacouras Walk. The renovation will maintain and restore the building’s historic facade while housing essential student services, including health care, advising and the Academic Resource Center.
Another plan is to design and construct for the Temple’s Health Sciences Center a new $150 million School of Medicine. Also, a new $18 million learning center is being designed for the Ambler campus. The center will provide smart classrooms, computer laboratories, a visual art studio, a distance learning facility, student lounges, an auditorium and other instructional areas for writing, math and science.
Finally, the university is in the midst of a $29 million restoration of the long-vacant and historically significant Baptist Temple, constructed in 1878 by the congregation of Temple’s founder, Dr. Russell Conwell.
© Olga Dvornikova
by Olga Dvornikova
Walking around Temple on a regular day any student can notice the construction around the Student Center or at 1800 Liacouras Walk. Most of the renovations are afforded by alumni funding which has shown a steady rise in recent years.
“In the year that included Sept. 11, [2001] and after, we raised $37.77 million, which was an increase from previous years,” Caulfield said.
Fundraising rose to $44.41 million in fiscal year 2002 and $50.30 million in fiscal year 2003. The steady rise of Temple fundraising and donations can be attributed to Stuart Sullivan, said Mark Eyerly, Temple’s chief communications officer.
Sullivan took the office of vice-president in 2001 and has renewed emphasis on alumni development. He also reorganized and reenergized a better relationship with the alumni which in turn generated more donations. An example of his reorganization is the development of alumni staff in all schools and colleges.
New plans are underway for the next several years involving a total of $400 million in reconstruction and renovation.
The first part of the plan is to move the Tyler School of Art to the main campus.
“The new $75 million project will bring Tyler’s 120 faculty and nearly 800 students to a new 255,000-square-foot building on the university’s Main campus,” Eyerly said. He added that $58 million came from funding from the state and the remainder came from university fundraising.
The Fox School of Business and Management will also undergo expansion in the next several years. The $78 million project will include approximately 190,000 square feet of new construction. Tentative plans include expanding the school into the location where Curtis Hall presently stands. The Curtis Hall facilities will then move to 1800 Liacouras Walk once they are renovated.
The recently completed Entertainment and Community Education Center (ECEC) cost $16.3 million to build. ECEC is a 61,000-square-foot structure providing street-level retail. On the second-floor it houses broadcast facilities for WRTI, Temple’s public radio station. The station has a performance studio for live broadcasts.
“The studio can be leased by cultural organizations for making commercial-quality recordings,” Eyerly said. “The new facility will leverage the power of broadcasting to the benefit of Philadelphia’s cultural community.
The facility also houses Temple’s Partnership Schools program, a collaborative effort linking the University, the School District of Philadelphia, and six public schools in the surrounding neighborhoods. It serves as a major resource for community residents, providing access to job listings, computers, and educational and meeting space.
The other fundrasing money goes into the $20 million effort to upgrade and renovate laboratories and research facilities, along with the extensive recruitment of new faculty to tenured and tenure-track positions. The other plan is to have a second phase of renovations to the University’s Student Center, which will add 86,000 square feet to this hub of student activity at a cost of $30 million.
Further renovation is planned to occur on a string of historic townhouses along the 1800 block of Liacouras Walk. The renovation will maintain and restore the building’s historic facade while housing essential student services, including health care, advising and the Academic Resource Center.
Another plan is to design and construct for the Temple’s Health Sciences Center a new $150 million School of Medicine. Also, a new $18 million learning center is being designed for the Ambler campus. The center will provide smart classrooms, computer laboratories, a visual art studio, a distance learning facility, student lounges, an auditorium and other instructional areas for writing, math and science.
Finally, the university is in the midst of a $29 million restoration of the long-vacant and historically significant Baptist Temple, constructed in 1878 by the congregation of Temple’s founder, Dr. Russell Conwell.
© Olga Dvornikova