Dear Colleagues:

We’ll all say that people are what makes a university great, but its facilities and physical setting are a large part of its image and a large part of what attracts people to the institution. As you know, there is a master plan for improving and revitalizing the Case Western Reserve University campus. The Weatherhead School has already made a very bold statement. But Case is hardly alone in looking to build the university in part with new buildings and grounds.

A couple of hundred miles to the south, the University of Cincinnati has been seeking to turn its campus into a showpiece of modern architecture. What are they doing and why, how is it going and what can we learn from it? At a minimum we might expand our imaginations about what a campus can be. So this Friday Steven Litt will give us a look at “Rebuilding Cincy: The Architectural Makeover of the University of Cincinnati Campus.”

Steve is the Art and Architecture Critic of the Plain Dealer, known throughout the region as a cogent critic and explainer of the choices about physical design ranging from a new convention center to expansion of the Cleveland Museum of Art. He visited with us a couple of years ago to discuss turning the Cuyahoga River Valley into far more of an amenity and attraction for the region. Please join us for what is sure to be another eye-opening discussion.

As usual, the discussion will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., with beverages and cookies provided. This week we will meet in Crawford Hall Room 14.

Best regards,
Joe White

About Our Guest

Steven Litt, the art and architecture critic for the Plain Dealer joined the Plain Dealer in May 1991. He came to Cleveland from The News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was the art and architecture critic. He currently is a contributing editor for Architecture magazine.

His articles have appeared in such publications as Progressive Architecture, Travel & Leisure, and ARTnews.

Litt earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Brown University and his master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. A Michigan Journalism Fellowship from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor enabled him to study architecture, while he explored museum studies with a fellowship at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

Spring 2005 Semester Schedule

February 18, Crawford Hall 14: Lee Fisher, CEO, Center for Families and Children and former Attorney General, State of Ohio,  “Life at the Intersection: Perspectives and Lessons Learned From a Life Lived at the Intersection of the Public, Private, and Nonprofit Sectors.”

February 25, Crawford Hall 14: Zev Garber, Rosenthal Visiting Professor of Judaic Studies, “Forty Years Since Nostro Actate: Reappraising a Generation of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue.”

March: 4: TBA

March 11: Spring Break

March 18, Crawford Hall 14: Dick Baznik, Director, Case Western Reserve University Institute for the Study of the University in Society, “Notes on the History of Case Western Reserve University.”

March 25, Crawford Hall 14: Amos Guiora, Visiting Professor of Law and Lt. Colonel, Israeli Defense Forces,  “Morality in Armed Conflict.”

April 1: Toepfer Room: Sharona Hoffman, Associate Professor of Law, “Race and the Law.”

April 8: Toepfer Room: Robert Clarke Brown, Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Capital Markets Advisor at the U.S. Department of Transportation: “The Politics of Airports.”

April 15: TBA

April 22: TBA

April 29: TBA

Parking: People who due to mobility concerns need to make special arrangements for parking for the Public Affairs Discussion Group Friday Lunch Series can send their request for parking to, patricia.cornacchione@case.edu or you can call 216-368-4440 and speak to Pat or Fay to make arrangements.