River Gazette • Page 3
Investing in Hope
Professor Publishes Book on Nobel PrizeWinning Grameen Bank
From the President
here’s nothing like the closing of the old year, and the anticipation of the new, to provide a change in perspective. Poised between what has been and what is yet to come, life seems weightier, each decision and memory full of import. And yet, this is the season of joy, of laughter, the time of year when we abandon ourselves to enjoying life, and our many blessings, to the full. “The final days of the dying year can resurface old wounds and prompt us to look back at painful losses,” observes Robin Bates, professor of English, in the cover story. But, as his title—“The Healing Power of a Camelot Christmas Tale”—implies, the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, have a mighty power to heal us. It just seemed right that we devote this holiday issue to stories about healing. In addition to Robin’s heartfelt reflection on how a medieval poem helped him weather the death of his son, you’ll hear from Angela Johnson, assistant professor of educational studies, on how adopting her daughter has deepened her commitment to healing the ugliness of racism and discrimination of every kind. Meghan Sullivan ’08 takes us inside the world of student clubs devoted to helping others in the community; along the way, she discovers that the students get back far more than they give through the personal connections they forge with their beneficiaries. Through the words of Ben Bryan ’78, we get to travel to South Korea as we trace a 25-year-long journey of medical, intercultural, and spiritual healing. Björn Krondorfer, professor of religious studies, writes about how art has opened up a dialogue of healing that has allowed him and fellow artist, Karen Baldner, to become creative witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust. Brian O’Sullivan, assistant professor of English, considers the process through which students come to terms with difficult texts. From the Reeves Chair, Jeff Hammond muses on the salubrious effects of laughter, while Kate Chandler examines the healing influence of the outdoors in “Nature Notes.” As our daily routines slow to make room for holiday celebrations, I wish you a season of stories. Revisit that favorite novel or discover a new one as you curl up next to the fire. Share a silly rhyme with a child. Gather your friends and family and regale each other with stories from your shared history. We at St. Mary’s look forward to sharing many more stories with you in the year ahead. —Jane Margaret O’Brien by Jennifer Fossell O’Sullivan, Editor received the Nobel Prize. Of the book, the publisher writes: “Valuable to all those interested in the practical steps taken to alleviate poverty in developing countries, The Poor Always Pay Back offers one of the first sound proofs of the saving capability of the poor on a large scale.” Grameen, which means “village” in the Bengali language, operates on the very premise that Dowla and Barua adopted for their title. The poor who have been granted loans to help start small businesses—weaving and selling baskets, for example—have proved remarkably reliable about repaying them. According to the Associated Press, the repayment fund has been about 98 percent. Besides helping the most indigent pull themselves up from poverty, the bank has also empowered women by providing them with money in spite of cultural biases that have long frowned on women’s involvement in commerce or finances. While many around the world had never heard of the Grameen Bank before the recent media blitz, St. Mary’s students have studied the project for years in Dowla’s classes. Inspired by his former professor, Dowla passes along the same kind of energy and enthusiasm to his own students. Muhammad Yunus had this to say about his former student’s latest achieve-
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Asif Dowla’s book was published just days after his former teacher and founder of the Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dowla is professor of economics at St. Mary’s. Could just a few dollars change a life? Muhammad Yunus, who was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in establishing the Grameen Bank and initiating the micro-credit movement, believed they could. In fact, he was so certain of it that he initially used his own money to make loans to Bangladesh’s most impoverished people—most of them women. But what connection, you might ask, could this Nobel Peace Prize winner and a bank from a developing country possibly have with St. Mary’s College? Two words: Asif Dowla. Dowla, professor of economics, studied under Yunus as an undergraduate and master’s student at Bangladesh’s Chittagong University in the 1970s. During his 1997-1998 sabbatical year, Dowla returned to Bangladesh to study and work alongside his former professor at the Grameen Bank. He had maintained contact with the bank through frequent visits to Bangladesh. On invitation from his former professor, Dowla co-authored a book, The Poor Always Pay Back: The Grameen II Story, with former classmate Dipal Barua, the deputy managing director of Grameen Bank and the managing director of the Grameen Shakti in Bangladesh. The book, released by Kumarian Press in November, appeared just days after Yunus
Join us on Saturday, December 2, 2006 from 1-4 p.m. at the waterfront and bring along your stories and tall tales of the boathouse. While here, you can talk with representatives from the groups who will use the new facilities: the St. Mary’s River Project, the crew team, the varsity sailing team, and the offshore and keelboat teams. RSVP to Beth Byrd at 240.895.2120 or by e-mail to eabyrd@smcm.edu.
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GOODBYE E BOATHOUS SS THE
Photo by Sandra Robbins
Calling all alums! It’s time to say goodbye to the old boathouse. We’re moving ahead with our plans for The River Center at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and are breaking ground for the Rowing Center building.
Since news of his colleague’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize hit the media and his new book hit the stands, Asif Dowla’s phone has been ringing non-stop with interview requests. ment: “This book captures very well the central message of Grameen—the poor always pay back. . . I hope this book will inspire readers to play an active role in creating a world free from poverty.”