All-Class Events May 30 - June 2, 2019

Plan to meet your friends at Mory’s, the place to be Thursday night as the doors are thrown open to all returning alumni! Complimentary food, cash bar, impromptu singing and camaraderie from 9 pm to midnight.

Craig Crews , Lewis B. Cullman Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Professor of Chemistry; Professor of Pharmacology

For the past 24 years, Professor Crews has straddled the fields of chemistry and biology as well as academia and the biotech world. Starting with research from his lab, he launched his first company, Proteolix, which converted his research into the FDA-approved anti-cancer drug Kyprolis for the treatment of multiple myeloma. More recently, his next company, Arvinas, located in New Haven, is changing how drugs are developed and has drug candidates slated to enter clinical trials soon for breast and prostate cancer. Professor Crews will describe both the science behind his drugs as well as the challenges of translating basic research into new therapeutics. Please come prepared with questions for him.

Paul Turner , Henry Ford II Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Viruses are the majority of earth’s inhabitants. But their small size caused the incredible biodiversity of viruses to remain invisible to humans until early in the last century. Nevertheless, the course of human history has been impacted by deadly virus epidemics for thousands of years or more. Despite conventional wisdom, however, very few viruses actually make us sick. In fact, past and present virus infections are essential for human well-being and the maintenance of healthy ecosystems, and in the future a virus may even save your life. This lecture concerns the amazing biodiversity of viruses, their profound impact on the history of life on earth, and recent advances in virus biotechnology that address energy, disease and environmental concerns.

Heather K. Gerken , Dean of the Yale Law School and Sol and Lillian Goldman Professor of Law

Imagine turning a classroom inside out, enlisting our most extraordinary resource – students – in the service of change. Imagine if we enabled students to learn by doing, to put theory into practice through hands-on work, to bring their training to bear on shared problems. At Yale Law School, we call such classes “clinics.” In recent years students and faculty have convinced the courts to allow veterans to file class action suits; and won injunctions to halt the President’s first travel ban, and to protect DACA DREAMers, and sanctuary cities. They’ve created the first community bank in New Haven, transformed bail practices in Connecticut, uncovered evidence of genocide in Myanmar, and challenged the use of executive power in the U.S. Dean Gerken will describe Yale’s clinical model and discuss the ways in which other university faculty and law schools could turn their own classrooms inside out.

Jay Gitlin , ’71, ’74 MusM, ’02 PhD, Lecturer in History; Associate Director, Howard R. Lamar Center for the Study of Frontiers & Borders

Professor Gitlin will give a brief description of his popular seminar, "Yale and America," and will then be joined by three students making short talks based on their research: David McCullough '17 on "Admitting the Elite: Admissions and the Changing Definition of Merit at Yale, 1950-1980;" Alexandra Small '18 on "Presidential Spouses as Creators of Yale Culture;" and Rachel Troy '19 on "The Ironic History of American Studies at Yale."

Professor Gitlin is an Association of Yale Alumni Howard R. Lamar Faculty Award recipient for 2018.

Debra Fischer , Professor of Astronomy

Dr. Fischer will highlight a new instrument built by her team that is changing the field of exoplants by enabling the detection of small rocky planets like Earth, orbiting nearby stars.

Join us at the Asian American Cultural Center for a meet and greet reception. The new AACC Director, Joliana Yee, and Assistant Director, Sheraz Iqbal, look forward to welcoming fellow alumni and friends to enjoy light refreshments, learn about updates made throughout the Center and ways to stay involved throughout the year. All are welcome.

The Native American Cultural Center staff and students invite all alumni to our second annual NACC reunion reception. Please come see the newest cultural center, meet some of our students, and chat with other alums! You will also have a chance to hear about our current programs and events. We look forward to welcoming you to the Native American Cultural Center!

All classes are invited to a festive wine and cheese reception on Cross Campus. Bring your friends and enjoy a wide sampling of labels from a variety of small vineyards.

Vincent Wilczynski, James S. Tyler Director, Yale Center for Engineering, Innovation & Design; Deputy Dean, School of Engineering & Applied Science

The Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design is the go-to location on campus for students, faculty and staff to design, create new products and solutions. Offering a suite of design classes spanning from medical devices to musical instruments, as well as supporting student innovation and entrepreneurship, the CEID welcomes individuals from all disciplines. This presentation will provide an overview of the space and look at a collection of case studies of how students are using the space to learn and create.

Daniel Egan , Lecturer in the Department of Music and Theater Studies; Coordinator, Shen Curriculum in Musical Theater

Why do we love musical theater songs so much? What is it about their construction, melodies and lyrics that move us? In this interactive session, Professor Egan will explore great songs of the American theater as contexted statements of the American ethos, but also as great examples of taut construction and expressive wonder. From Showboat to Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sondheim, all the way to Hamilton , the American Musical Theater mirrors a changing America, while expressing our collective dreams and desires.

With its 142 stops, 197 ranks, 12,641 pipes, 30,000 pneumatic valves, 1,000 pneumatic motors and 2 turbines, the Newberry Organ is one of the most magnificent orchestral organs in the world and a monument to the state-of-the-art technology of 1928! Come hear this "king of instruments" and take a walking tour behind the pipes, courtesy of University Organist Thomas Murray and Organ Curators Joe Dzeda and Nicholas Thomson-Allen.

Session runs continually to 11:30 am

Alan Kazdin , Sterling Professor of Psychology & Professor of Child Psychiatry

Severe aggressive and antisocial behavior (frequent fighting, stealing, destroying property, fire setting) in children is one of the most expensive mental health problems in the United States. The presentation will highlight the nature of the problem and what we know about risk factors, causes, and life-long outcomes. The immediate clinical challenges are to reduce these behaviors and markedly improve child functioning at home, at school, and in the community. At Yale, we have developed effective treatments for these children. Yet, many contextual features, both in family life and society at large, contribute to the very problems we are trying to change.

Akhil Reed Amar '80, '84 Law, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science

From George Washington forward, America’s presidents have occupied center stage in the nation’s public life; and the present moment is no exception. Also, at no previous era in American history has the presidency been more tightly intertwined with the Ivy League: six of America’s eight most recent chief executives have been Ivy Leaguers – including four Yalies (Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush). In this reunion session – more an open-ended conversation with alums than a highly structured lecture – Professor Amar will discuss several of the biggest constitutional questions in today’s headlines, with special emphasis on the presidency in general and President Trump in particular. Come prepared to ask questions and offer your opinions – on the electoral college; the Mueller investigation; presidential veto, pardon, nomination, and removal powers; the presidential impeachment process; the Wall; the current presidential succession statute; the Twenty-fifth Amendment; and so on.

Professor Amar is an Association of Yale Alumni Howard R. Lamar Faculty Award recipient for 2017.

Indy Burke , Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Professor of Ecosystem Ecology

Environmental challenges today are more acute than ever, and not likely to decrease with the growing global need for resources to support human society. What is the role of a university in addressing these issues, how is that changing at this particular time in national history, and how is the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies uniquely suited for bringing scholarship to solutions?

David Swensen '80 PhD, Yale's Chief Investment Officer, oversees $27 billion in endowment assets and several hundreds of millions of dollars of other investment funds. Under his stewardship during the past 33 years the Yale endowment generated returns of 13.5 percent per annum, a record unequalled among institutional investors. Mr. Swensen leads a staff of 32, located near the University’s campus in downtown New Haven.

Marc Brackett , Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Professor in the Child Study Center

Emotions matter. What we do with our emotions is especially important. When perceived accurately and regulated effectively, emotions help us to focus on important tasks, make effective decisions, enjoy healthy relationships, and manage life’s ups and downs. In this presentation, Professor Brackett will describe the theory of emotional intelligence developed at Yale under President Salovey’s direction and share his decades of research on the relationship between emotional intelligence and important life outcomes. He also will discuss “RULER,” the Center’s evidence-based approach to teaching emotional intelligence in school systems, which has been shown to increase academic performance, decrease bullying, and enhance school climates. Finally, he’ll discuss how creating emotionally intelligent communities can help us to build a more happy, healthy, productive, and compassionate society.

Frances McCall Rosebluth , Damon Wells Professor of Political Science

In their recent book, Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself , Frances McCall Rosenbluth and Ian Shapiro argue that in recent decades, democracies have adopted measures to increase popular involvement in political decisions. Parties have turned to primaries and local caucuses to select candidates while ballot initiatives and referenda allow citizens to enact laws directly. Many places now use proportional representation, encouraging smaller parties that represent different interests rather than two dominant parties. Yet voters keep getting angrier. There is a steady erosion of trust in politicians, parties, and democratic institutions, culminating most recently in major populist victories in the United States and elsewhere. In this lecture, Professor Rosenbluth explains why devolving power to the grassroots is part of the problem – not the solution.

Risë Nelson, Assistant Dean of Yale College and Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center (“the House”) invites ALL alumni and guests to our annual reception. Catch up with old friends, hear from current students and staff about their Yale experiences, and see what the House has been up to since your last visit. We look forward to welcoming you back to the House!

Please join us for a reception as we talk to students and faculty about the current affairs of the LGBT campus community. (www.yalegala.org)

Saturday afternoon, Peter Salovey '86 Ph.D. offers his annual review and outlook for Yale.

President Salovey's update is followed by a jamboree in Woolsey Hall. Alumni from a cappella groups and the Glee Club will perform, and we'll be singing old Yale songs and Bright College Years . We definitely encourage participation!

June 2 09:30AM - 10:30AM

Staff will be on hand to host visits from alumni to their residential college. Access will be limited to the courtyard, but there will be plenty to see!

Join Yale’s ecumenical Christian community for Sunday worship, which will include prayers for alumni who have died, a sermon by an alumnus from one of the reunion classes, and wonderful music and liturgy.