River Gazette • Page 3
Investing in Hope
Professor Publishes Book on Nobel Prize-
Winning Grameen Bank
From the President by Jennifer Fossell O’Sullivan, Editor
received the Nobel Prize. Of the book,
T
here’s nothing like the closing of the old year, and the antici- the publisher writes: “Valuable to all those
pation of the new, to provide a change in perspective. Poised interested in the practical steps taken to
between what has been and what is yet to come, life seems alleviate poverty in developing countries,
weightier, each decision and memory full of import. And yet, this is the The Poor Always Pay Back offers one of the
season of joy, of laughter, the time of year when we abandon ourselves first sound proofs of the saving capability of
to enjoying life, and our many blessings, to the full. the poor on a large scale.”
“The final days of the dying year can resurface old wounds and prompt us to Grameen, which means “village” in
look back at painful losses,” observes Robin Bates, professor of English, in the cover the Bengali language, operates on the very
story. But, as his title—“The Healing Power of a Camelot Christmas Tale”—implies, premise that Dowla and Barua adopted
the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, have a mighty power to heal us. for their title. The poor who have been
It just seemed right that we devote this holiday issue to stories about healing. In granted loans to help start small busi-
addition to Robin’s heartfelt reflection on how a medieval poem helped him weather nesses—weaving and selling baskets, for
the death of his son, you’ll hear from Angela Johnson, assistant professor of edu- example—have proved remarkably reliable
cational studies, on how adopting her daughter has deepened her commitment to about repaying them. According to the
healing the ugliness of racism and discrimination of every kind. Associated Press, the repayment fund has
Meghan Sullivan ’08 takes us inside the world of student clubs devoted to been about 98 percent. Besides helping the
helping others in the community; along the way, she discovers that the students get most indigent pull themselves up from pov-
back far more than they give through the personal connections they forge with their erty, the bank has also empowered women
beneficiaries. Through the words of Ben Bryan ’78, we get to travel to South Korea by providing them with money in spite
as we trace a 25-year-long journey of medical, intercultural, and spiritual healing. of cultural biases that have long frowned
Björn Krondorfer, professor of religious studies, writes about how art has opened Asif Dowla’s book was published just days after on women’s involvement in commerce or
up a dialogue of healing that has allowed him and fellow artist, Karen Baldner, to be- his former teacher and founder of the Grameen finances.
come creative witnesses to the horrors of the Holocaust. Brian O’Sullivan, assistant Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. While many around the world had
professor of English, considers the process through which students come to terms Dowla is professor of economics at St. Mary’s. never heard of the Grameen Bank before
with difficult texts. From the Reeves Chair, Jeff Hammond muses on the salubri- the recent media blitz, St. Mary’s stu-
ous effects of laughter, while Kate Chandler examines the healing influence of the Could just a few dollars change a dents have studied the project for years in
outdoors in “Nature Notes.” life? Muhammad Yunus, who was recently Dowla’s classes. Inspired by his former pro-
As our daily routines slow to make room for holiday celebrations, I wish you awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fessor, Dowla passes along the same kind of
a season of stories. Revisit that favorite novel or discover a new one as you curl up in establishing the Grameen Bank and energy and enthusiasm to his own students.
next to the fire. Share a silly rhyme with a child. Gather your friends and family and initiating the micro-credit movement, be- Muhammad Yunus had this to say
regale each other with stories from your shared history. lieved they could. In fact, he was so certain about his former student’s latest achieve-
We at St. Mary’s look forward to sharing many more stories with you in the of it that he initially used his own money to
year ahead. make loans to Bangladesh’s most impover-
—Jane Margaret O’Brien ished 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
Calling all alums!
have with St. Mary’s College? Two words:
Asif Dowla. Dowla, professor of economics,
Photo by Sandra Robbins
It’s time to say goodbye to the old boathouse. We’re moving ahead with our plans
GOODBYE
for The River Center at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and are breaking ground studied under Yunus as an undergraduate
and master’s student at Bangladesh’s Chit-
E
for the Rowing Center building.
BOATHOUS
tagong University in the 1970s. During his
SS THE
1997-1998 sabbatical year, Dowla returned
KI
to Bangladesh to study and work alongside
his former professor at the Grameen Bank.
Join us on Saturday, December 2, 2006
He had maintained contact with the bank Since news of his colleague’s receipt of the No-
from 1-4 p.m. at the waterfront and bring through frequent visits to Bangladesh. bel Peace Prize hit the media and his new book
along your stories and tall tales of the On invitation from his former profes- hit the stands, Asif Dowla’s phone has been
boathouse. While here, you can talk sor, Dowla co-authored a book, The Poor ringing non-stop with interview requests.
with representatives from the groups
who will use the new facilities: the St.
Always Pay Back: The Grameen II Story,
Mary’s River Project, the crew team, the with former classmate Dipal Barua, the ment: “This book captures very well the
varsity sailing team, and the offshore deputy managing director of Grameen central message of Grameen—the poor
and keelboat teams. Bank and the managing director of the always pay back. . . I hope this book will
RSVP to Beth Byrd at 240.895.2120
Grameen Shakti in Bangladesh. The inspire readers to play an active role in
or by e-mail to eabyrd@smcm.edu. book, released by Kumarian Press in creating a world free from poverty.”
November, appeared just days after Yunus