Ashok C. Sani Scholar-in-Residence Lecture Featuring David M. Oshinsky

On March 11, the 2008 Ashok C. Sani Scholar-in-Residence lecture took place. This year’s lecture, "Polio: A Look Back at the 20th Century's Most Successful Public Health Campaign," was given by Pulitzer Prize winner David M. Oshinsky, who holds the Jack S. Blanton Chair in History at the University of Texas. A leading historian of modern American politics and culture, his books include A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy, which won the Hardeman Prize for the best work on the U.S. Congress and was a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year”; Worse Than Slavery, which won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for its “distinguished contribution to human rights” and was also a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year”; and Polio: An American Story, which won both the Pulitzer Prize for History and the Hoover Presidential Book Award in 2006. Dr. Oshinsky is a co-editor of the Oxford Companion to United States History and a co-author of American Passages: A History of the United States. His essays and reviews appear regularly in the New York Times and other national publications.

This annual lecture is named in memory of Ashok C. Sani, a distinguished graduate of Stern (BS ’74), successful entrepreneur, President of C.G.S. Industries Inc., loyal supporter of NYU, and the founding member of the NYU Stern Alumni Council. The Sani Distinguished Scholar program reflects Ashok’s interest in ethics, truth, love, peace, non-violence, compassion, and the moral and social responsibilities of members of society with the NYU community.

Click here to be taken to the CAS page where you can watch the lecture in its entirety.

We'll have Bun, Bun, Bun 'Til Someone Takes The Bun Away

Silver Shrine containing "The Bun"


Since 1885, the most spirited undergraduate class has been awarded “The Bun.” The award consisted of a bun enclosed in a silver casket. The phrase “You take the bun,” parallels the more modern saying, “You take the cake,” thus the name. Taken three times in 1921, 1971, and 1981, the Bun was last returned in 2002 and now resides in the Silver Center.

This week, a fun piece about The Bun was published in The Washington Square News. You can read the article by clicking here.


Do you have any fun Bun stories from your days at NYU? If so, we would love to hear from you. Just click on the "Email Us" link to the right and send us your memories.

Philosophy Department's New Home

If you haven't already been to see the renovated space at 3-5 Washington Place designed by Steven Holl Architects, you must check it out. The space houses a 120-seat University lecture hall on the ground floor, and the Philosophy Department on the upper floors, with offices for faculty and graduate students, administrative space, and seminar rooms. Architectural features include a “Tower of Light” interior staircase that vertically unites the six floors to facilitate collaboration and interaction among faculty and students, and varying effects of shadow and light, which echo Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book, Remarks on Colour. Below are some photos from a recent celebration of the Philosophy Department's new home.


President John Sexton and Steven Holl (architect) with a copy of Ludwig Wittgenstein's book


Staircase from above



From left to right: President John Sexton, Stephen Schiffer (chair of the philosophy dept), Steven Holl (architect), Dean Richard Foley



Staircase



From left to right: Dean Richard Foley, Steven Holl, President John Sexton

Dead Sea Scrolls at 60.

The Dead Sea Scrolls at 60, an international conference, took place at New York University on March 6-7, 2008.

The conference, jointly sponsored by NYU’s Center for Ancient Studies and the university’s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, considered the Dead Sea Scrolls from a range of scholarly perspectives. Speakers included the following: Matthew Santirocco, dean of NYU’s College of Arts and Science and director of the Center for Ancient Studies; Lawrence Schiffman, chair of NYU’s Hebrew and Judaic Studies Department; Yeshiva University Professor Moshe Bernstein; and Shani Tzoref, research associate, Sydney University. Below are photos from the free two-day event that was open to the public.

Warren Adler

Warren Adler (Arts '47) recently announced the winner of his second annual short story contest. The announcement took place in Second Life where Mr. Adler has been participating in live chats with writers. You can click here to visit his website and read the winning story, Roof Garden by Hal Ackerman. If you're looking for a great read, Mr. Adler shares his favorite works about ambition, political and otherwise in this recent Wall Street Journal article.

Robert Gurland Lecture

Please join Professor Emeritus Robert Gurland on Wednesday April 9, 2008 as he discusses the moral implications of today's cosmetic and performance enhancing technologies. A reception will follow the lecture. Please click on the violet box below for details and for more information on Robert Gurland, please click here.