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Olin College and LeadAmerica are finalizing a commitment to host 600 high school students this summer for two ten-day sessions on engineering, science and robotics.
LeadAmerica's mission is to transform the world's next generation of young leaders by inspiring, educating and instilling in them ethical and principled leadership values, attitudes and skills. LeadAmerica sponsors invitational leadership conferences at selective colleges throughout the United States for the nation's most promising young leaders. Programs include engineering, science and robotics, global business and entrepreneurship, intelligence, diplomacy and national security, law and trial advocacy, medicine and healthcare, forensics and crime scene investigation. For more information, visit http://www.lead-america.org/.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Friday, October 14, 2005 that the 2006 social security wage base will be $94,200 – an increase of $4,200 from the 2005 wage base of $90,000. As in prior years, there is no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%, remains at 7.65% for 2006. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2006 is $5,840.40. This is an increase of $260.40 from the 2005 maximum of $5,580.00.
Student bills for the spring 2006 semester will be distributed to the student mailboxes (unless otherwise advised) on November 1. Payment is due by December 1, 2005 or a late fee of $150 will be posted. As a reminder, students making payments to Tuition Management systems have their account covered so long as the amount due equals $0 by the last payment. If you have any questions or concerns please see Katherine O'Keefe in the StAR Center, or email to katherine.okeefe@olin.edu. Also, if you have any changes in health insurance or need to get it for the spring, please contact Katherine.
Family Weekend 2005 was a great success. Many provided positive feedback indicating the event was a nice blend of student performances, course and project presentations, college updates, and social mingling. Most importantly families were able to spend quality time with their Olin students.Krissy Raposa would like to thank all of those who participated and helped, particularly the Family Weekend committee and student, faculty and parent volunteers
The College is currently seeking qualified candidates for several positions. Employees are reminded that HR is always happy to accept referrals.
On Monday, October 24 from 4-5:00 p.m. Olin Seminar Series will present Dr. Andy Ruina professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University. Dr. Ruina, who runs the Robotics and Human Power Lab and teaches mechanics and math classes, will discuss “Some Mechanics Perspectives on Robot and Animal Terrestrial Locomotion: Walking Robots.” On Friday, November 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Olin Seminar Series will feature Dr. Joseph Barranco, NSF astronomy and astrophysics postdoctoral fellow, Harvard University . Dr. Barranco will discuss “Planet Embryos in Vortex Wombs.”
In conjunction with the Needham Adult Education program, Olin College will present the following faculty lectures on campus:
- October 27 from 7-8:30 p.m. in AC 218, Dr. Caitrin Lynch will discuss “Globalization, Industry, and Society: Lessons from the Sri Lankan Garment Industry
- November 9, Dr. Jessica Townsend will discuss” Renewable Energy” in AC 113 from 7-8:30 p.m.
- November 15, Dr. Ben Linder will discuss “Experiences in Design” in AC 206 from 7-8:30 p.m.
All lectures are offered at no charge to Olin community members with Olin ID. Residents of Needham can attend for $10.
The annual Benefits Fair for all faculty and staff of Olin and Babson Colleges will be held Thursday, November 10, 2005. The fair will be held in Knight Auditorium from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Free flu shots will be offered at the fair on a first come first serve basis. Please note that due to staffing, Health Services will only offer the shots at the fair. This will be the only opportunity to get a flu shot, no exceptions. Please call Anne Jew at (781) 239-5498 if you have questions.
On behalf of the IT department, Nate Smith ('07) will be hosting a poster design and printing information session in the computer lab, OCLL22 on Tuesday October 25 from 7-9:00 p.m. Basic poster printing techniques as well as design and software tips will be addressed during this session. Space is limited, so please email mary.fitzpatrick@olin.edu if you wish to attend. If you are interested but unable to attend this session, please indicate that choice as well in an email and if there is sufficient interest an additional session may be offered.
The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship invites everyone to the Sixth Annual Rocket Pitch Event, Friday, October 28, in Olin Hall at Babson College. The event will feature the nation's top entrepreneurship students and alumni pitching their new ventures in less than three minutes. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., followed by opening remarks and pitches at 9:00 a.m. A networking reception will follow the pitches.
The Needham Channel is updating their equipment and disposing of old and/or broken pieces of equipment. Most of the items are from the early 1980's to mid-1990s, and consist of various pieces of video equipment, to home computers, and more. If you are interested in obtaining any items contact Marc Mandel at 781-449-6964.
Homegrown Coffeehouse will present two of Boston's most exciting up and coming performers - Flynn and Meg Hutchinson - on Saturday, November 5 at 8:00 p.m. The group won a Boston Music Award for “Outstanding Album of the Year.” The Homegrown Coffeehouse is located at the First Parish Unitarian Church, at the corner of Great Plain and Dedham Avenue in Needham center. There is free parking and wheelchair access. General admission is $12 and $10 for students and seniors. Proceeds benefit the Church. For more information, visit
www.uuneedham.org.
The latest Olin HR Training Update is now available. The update includes information on computer training classes, lunchtime seminars, Sorenson Center events, the Boston Consortium fall schedule and much more. If you require additional information, contact Beth Schirick.
The award-winning video history of Boston's famed Norumbega Park, “Return to Norumbega,” will be shown in the Olin Auditorium Thursday, November 3 from 12 – 1 pm. Produced by Joe Hunter, the video covers the ups and downs of the popular recreational site and the Totem Pole Ballroom, the park's dance pavilion, known in its heyday as “America's Most Beautiful Ballroom.”
On Monday, October 17 Joanne Kossuth assumed the role of Associate Vice President for Development. She retains her title of Chief Information Office. In her new role, Joanne assumes primary responsibility for integrating and coordinating Olin's efforts at fund raising. In addition to her new assignment in development, Joanne will also assume responsibility for all non-academic relations with neighboring institutions, including Babson, Wellesley and Brandeis.
In an email to the community, President Miller noted “Joanne has developed a significant track record of success at Olin and a natural ability at building institutional relationships.”
Sherra Kerns, Olin's VP for Innovation and Research, will be off campus working as a NEASC team chair for Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). This preliminary visit will be a joint visit with NEASC and NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design). This is an opportunity to learn more about another school nearby that values creativity and design. As such, Sherra invites community members to give her “assignments” – questions about how RISD does what they do, which she could pursue during the visit.
Following this visit, Sherra will attend the annual Frontiers in Education Conference where she plays a role as Immediate Past President of ASEE. Afterwards she will attend the ABET Annual Meeting to meet with the Engineering Accreditation Commission and its Executive Committee and also attend meetings as an incoming member of the ABET Board of Directors.
“Return to Norumbega,” a 50-minute video history of Boston's Norumbega Park produced by Joe Hunter, recently took first place in the “Documentary Profile” category in the Alliance for Community Media video contest.
Please welcome Doris Salemy as the new Senior Accountant in Financial Services. Her office is in OC 312, and her phone extension is 2419. Doris will be responsible for supervising the accounts payable and data entry functions, and much of the general ledger accounting. Doris brings a wealth of experience to Olin. For the last 15 years she was the Senior Accountant at the Showa Boston Institute, an affiliate of a
Japanese University.
Campus Services is pleased to announce that Rich Krueger has been selected to fill the position of Campus Services Assistant. Rich comes to Olin with a background in customer service and is accustomed to prioritizing multiple tasks. Rich has spent the past five months working at Babson College, where he handled shipping and receiving and worked in the mailroom. This experience will serve him well with his daily responsibilities here at Olin. Rich's office is located on the loading dock in the Campus Center and he can be reached at extension 2271 or at richard.kreuger@olin.edu.
Campus Services would like to announce a reorganization of Mail Services. Paul Foscaldo, who has worked in the mail room since the campus opened, will be moving to part time. Paul will be covering extended open window and sales hours and is looking forward to some free time. Paul's new hours will begin in early November. Ed Crawford has been hired to fill the full-time Mail Services Assistant position. Ed comes to Olin by way of Curry College, where he spent over two years climbing the hierarchy of their Mail Services Department. Prior to joining Curry, Ed spent 12 years working for Verizon as a Network Operations Center Technician. Ed joined the community on October 17 and has already made a positive impact. Ed's office is in the mailroom and he can be reached at Edward.Crawford@Olin.edu or extension 2233.
Please note a realignment of phone numbers for Mail Services. The new extension for the main line to the mailroom is 2230. To reach Paul Foscaldo, please use extension 2232 and for Ed Crawford use 2233.
“The Passion and Pain of Engineering Education - One College Mixes Hard Work and Happiness,” By Charles J. Murray, Design News, October 10, 2005
EXCERPT: Still, one school's rankings in the newest Princeton Review survey seems to suggest that "student softness" may not be the issue. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, a tiny Massachusetts-based school, showed up on a host of Princeton Review's top 20 lists, including "best overall academic experience for undergraduates," "professors get high marks," and "professors make themselves accessible," all while earning the highest marks of any school in the country for "best quality of life." At the same time, Olin finished fourth on a list titled "their students never stop studying," and fifth on the "toughest to get into" list (behind only MIT, Yale, Princeton and Harvard), suggesting that it isn't earning its stripes by babying its students. "Unwired Campus Survey Reveals Some Surprises,” TelecomWeb, October 2005
In the last issue we asked what two schools recently merged to form Reykjavik University in Iceland?
Kurt Hirschenhofer, Windows Systems Administrator, answered that
Reykjavik University and the Technical University of Iceland
joined and he will receive Olin Gear for his correct response.
Olin trivia buffs...
Q:
What team did Franklin Olin play for in 1885, and what was his batting average?
A: First person to correctly respond to Jennifer Thomas receives a prize. |
