Nassau notes

John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will deliver a lecture on “The U.N. and American Interests” at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Bolton was appointed by President Bush as interim ambassador to the United Nations in August 2005 and stepped down in December 2006. Prior to his U.N. appointment, he served for four years as the Bush administration’s undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Bolton also held several positions in the administrations of the first President Bush and President Reagan.

Bolton currently is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

His talk is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

Toni Morrison to read from new novel

Toni Morrison (photo: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders)

Award-winning novelist and Prince-ton Professor Toni Morrison will read from her newest novel, “A Mercy,” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

The reading is a preview of the latest work by Morrison, a Nobel laureate and Princeton’s Robert F. Goheen Professor of the Humanities Emeritus, which will reach bookstores in November. The book is set in the early days of America and shows the unforeseen consequences of acts of mercy.

Morrison is the author of eight previous novels: “The Bluest Eye,” “Sula,” “Song of Solomon,” “Tar Baby,” “Beloved,” “Jazz,” “Paradise” and “Love.” In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993, she won the National Humanities Medal in 2000.

Morrison also has created collaborative works with artists in other disciplines, including choreographer Bill T. Jones, pianist André Previn, drummer Max Roach, opera singer Jessye Norman and theater director Peter Sellars. Her collaborative work inspired her to establish the Princeton Atelier, an academic program in which professional artists from various fields develop new work in the company of students. She has taught at Princeton since 1989.

The reading is sponsored by the University’s Council of the Humanities and the Center for African American Studies.

Tickets, which were offered beginning Oct. 6, are available through Oct. 14 at the Frist Campus Center ticket office, with a limit of two per person. There will be open admission at 5:20 p.m. for any remaining seats on the day of the event.

Author-meets-critic forum focuses on Bobbitt’s book on war on terror

Philip Bobbitt

Constitutional scholar Philip Bobbitt’s book “Terror and Consent: The Wars for the 21st Century” is the focus of an author-meets-critic symposium scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Bobbitt’s book brings together historical, legal and strategic analyses to understand the idea of a “war on terror,” and contends that the United States is the chief cause of global networked terrorism because of overwhelming American strategic dominance. Bobbitt argues that Americans need to change their ideas about terrorism, war and even victory itself.

The symposium will begin with a talk titled “What Is at Stake in the War on Terror?” by Aaron Friedberg, a Princeton professor of politics and international affairs. An authority on international security issues and U.S. foreign and defense policy, Friedberg served in the office of Vice President Cheney as deputy assistant for national security affairs and director of policy planning from 2003 to 2005.

Following Friedberg’s lecture, Bobbitt will discuss the issues addressed in his book in a forum with Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Kim Lane Scheppele, director of the Program in Law and Public Affairs.

One of the nation’s leading constitutional theorists, Bobbitt is the Herbert Wechsler Professor of Jurisprudence at Columbia Law School. His career spans four decades and includes public service in Democratic and Republican administrations.

The event is designated as the Cyril Black International Book Forum in honor of the late Princeton scholar Cyril Black. It is sponsored by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, the Program in Law and Public Affairs and the Woodrow Wilson School.

Senior thesis production examines African underprivileged

(photo: Christopher Simpson)

A senior thesis production of “Amezidi,” a play by Kenyan writer Said Ahmed Mohamed that examines the underprivileged state of postcolonial Africa, will be performed Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 16-18, in the Matthews Acting Studio at the Lewis Center for the Arts, 185 Nassau St.

The tragicomic play was translated and directed by Princeton senior Christopher Simpson, who took this photo while spending three months in Kenya last year working with local health and development organizations to gain firsthand experience with issues of poverty presented in the play.

The “Amezidi” production represents a creative senior thesis for Simpson, a comparative literature major who is earning a certificate in theater and dance. Tickets are available by visiting www.princeton.edu/utickets or calling 258-9220.

Bin Laden family is subject of talk

The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century” is the title of a talk by journalist and author Steve Coll set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Coll covers intelligence and national security for The New Yorker. He previously was the managing editor and a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The Washington Post. Coll also was awarded a Pulitzer in 2004 for his book “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to Sept. 10, 2001.” His most recent book is “The Bin Ladens: The Story of a Family and Its Fortune.”

The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Conference explores challenges facing Vietnam, East Asia

Scholars and diplomats from Vietnam will join Princeton scholars for a conference exploring the economic and social challenges facing that country on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, in 219 Burr Hall.

Titled “Vietnam and East Asia in a Globalized Context,” the event will feature panel discussions on the country’s fiscal needs and the challenges it faces in civil governance, health and education.

The conference will include a dinner keynote address by Paul Krugman, a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton and a columnist for The New York Times, on “The Economic Consequences of Globalization” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Shultz Dining Room, Robertson Hall.

Speakers from Vietnam will be joined by Princeton participants including Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; Katherine Newman, director of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS); and Thomas Christensen, a professor of politics and public and international affairs and former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

The conference will begin Oct. 17 with a 9 a.m. welcome by President Tilghman and conclude with Krugman’s address. On Oct. 18, it will begin with 8:15 a.m. breakfast
remarks by Christensen and conclude with a 12:45 p.m. luncheon address on the “Impact of Globalization on Vietnam” by Ton nu thi Ninh of Tri Viet University.

The event is sponsored by PIIRS, the Wilson School, the Department of East Asian Studies, the Economics College of National Vietnam University, the Pacific Century Institute and the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation. It is open to the public, but registration is required for meals. To register, e-mail <bwitzler@princeton.edu>.

Talk features ‘Wire’ creator, Philly mayor

The creator of the hit HBO urban drama “The Wire,” David Simon, will join Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in a discussion about America’s urban issues at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

The discussion, titled “The Wire: Policy and Politics in America’s Urban Crisis,” will be moderated by Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton. It is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of History.

Hit the classroom before the stadium

The Alumni Association is once again offering Tiger football fans a chance to hit the classroom before they hit the stadium.

The Alumni Education Program has organized a series of lectures this fall preceding selected home football games. The following lectures are free and open to the general public:

• Saturday, Oct. 18 (Brown game), at 10 a.m. in 101 Icahn Laboratory: Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs, on “The Election in 2008 in Historical Context.”
• Saturday, Oct. 25 (Harvard game), at 10:15 a.m. in McCosh 50: A panel discussion on “McCain or Obama: What to Expect From the First 100 Days in Office,” featuring Thomas Christensen, professor of politics and public and international affairs; Melissa Harris-Lacewell, associate professor of politics and the Center for African American Studies; Russ Nieli, lecturer in politics; and Sean Wilentz, the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor in the American Revolutionary Era. It will be moderated by Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics.
• Saturday, Nov. 22 (Dartmouth game), at 10 a.m. in 120 Lewis Library: University Architect Ron McCoy on “Gehry at Princeton: New Space for New Learning.”

Community and Staff Day rescheduled for Oct. 18

Faculty, staff and local residents are invited to the rescheduled Community and Staff Day, the annual celebration of sports and entertainment, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at Princeton Stadium.

The event initially was scheduled for Sept. 27 but was postponed due to inclement weather. It will feature activities for all ages and interests, including a “Family Fun-Fest,” a youth sports clinic for children ages 5 to 13 hosted by Princeton University athletes, live entertainment and the Princeton vs. Brown football game.

Admission to the Family Fun-Fest and the youth sports clinic is free. Participants in the youth sports clinic will receive a complimentary ticket to the football game, which begins at 1 p.m.

Princeton staff members (with a University ID card) can pick up free football game tickets for the Princeton vs. Brown football game, compliments of the Bank of Prince-ton, Monday through Friday, Oct. 13-17. Tickets will be available at two locations: the Princeton Athletic Ticket Office, Jadwin Gymnasium, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; and the Bank of Princeton, 21 Chambers St., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Community and Staff Day is sponsored by the Office of Community and Regional Affairs, the Office of Human Resources and the Department of Athletics. For more information, call 258-5144; for advance ticket purchases, call 258-4849. Additional information is available at www.goprincetontigers.com or www.princeton.edu/community.

U-League open house set

The University League Nursery School will host an open house from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the school, located at 171 Broadmead.

The school offers two-, three- and five-day morning programs on a cooperative basis for children ages 2-1/2 through 4, as well as extended and full-day noncooperative care for children ages 3 and 4. It is accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. Applications for fall 2009 are being accepted until Dec. 1. For more information, call 258-9777.

Event promotes health benefits of walking

The fall event of the Princeton Start! Walking Program, an initiative to promote the health benefits of walking, is set for 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, on the Frist Campus Center south lawn.

Highlighted by a one-mile fun walk around campus beginning at 12:30 p.m., the event also will feature health screenings, information about the benefits of walking, and merchandise and discounts from area businesses. Participants also may sign up for an informal campus walking group that meets regularly.

The Princeton Start! Walking Program is sponsored by Healthier Princeton.

The event is free and open to faculty, staff and students, with no registration required. Questions may be directed to Kathy Wagner at akwagner@princeton.edu or Susan Crane at c6@princeton.edu.

Memorial service set for Mahoney

A memorial service for Michael S. Mahoney, professor of history, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, in the University Chapel.

Mahoney, who earned his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1967 and then dedicated his 40-year academic career in the history of science to the University, died July 23 at age 69. A full obituary is available online at www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S21/70/15G51.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in Mahoney’s memory may be made to Phillips Academy, Andover, which he attended from 1953 to 1957, by mailing: The Trustees of Phillips Academy, 180 Main St., Andover, MA 01810; or visiting the school’s website at www.andover.edu/alumni/giving_volunteering.