Richman/Gittler Corner unveiled in Farber Library

President Liebowitz opens a ceremony with a ribbon cuttingPhoto/Mike Lovett

From Left: Elizabeth Ferry, Carol Richman Saivetz, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ron Liebowitz and Matthew Sheehy.

An area in Farber Library has been dedicated to celebrating past winners of the Gittler Prize and Richman Fellowship.

The Richman/Gittler Library Corner features comfortable seating with a view, a bookshelf with a selection of the prizewinners' works, and a touchscreen interactive exhibit with short video clips from the prizewinners' campus talks and interviews, photos from their campus visits, and bios. 

The new area was officially dedicated in a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 25 with Brandeis President Ronald Liebowitz, Interim University Librarian Matthew Sheehy, Professor Elizabeth Ferry, Carol Richman Saivetz '69 and Gittler Prize winner Kimberlé Crenshaw.

"The Richman Fellowship and Gittler Prize stand as living symbols of Brandeis values and the university's commitment to diversity and positive engagement in public life," Liebowitz said during the ceremony. "We hope that you will come often to this space and review their works and their words, to be intellectually stimulated, to be challenged, and most of all to let their words and ideals inform your thinking and action. That is, to let these change-makers change you."

Saivetz, whose family established the Richman Fellowship with a donation, admired the views of wetlands and foliage from the windows in the corner.

"I love the space," she said. "You couldn't have picked a better spot."

The Richman Fellowship recognizes individuals active in public life whose contributions have had a significant impact on improving American society, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing social justice or increasing opportunities for all citizens to realize and share in the benefits of this nation. The Gittler Prize recognizes outstanding and lasting scholarly contributions to racial, ethnic and/or religious relations. Both are hosted by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life on behalf of the Office of the President.

The ribbon cutting preceded Crenshaw's Gittler Prize lecture and medal ceremony, which took place in Rapaporte Treasure Hall.

Categories: Alumni, Humanities and Social Sciences

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