The Future

TRIBAL WAYS The future is always linked to the past. A decade ago, when the Denison board of trustees made fraternities non-residential, both students and alumni predicted the worse for the Greek system. The decision was hotly debated and it changed life on the Denison University campus for good. In It’s Greek to Me, Paul Pegher leads an excursion to the Denison system’s Planet Greek, where he reports that life does indeed exist and the future looks bright. In American Indians and the Indomitable Spirit of Tribalism – one of several viewpoints shared in our flagship feature Blueprint for the Future – author, lawyer, and Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson ‘63 marvels at the American Indians’ ability to survive against insurmountable odds for over 400 years. He says they have been, and will continue to be, the strongest people on earth because of their tribal culture.

GLOBO COP A specialist in international criminal justice and policing, Distinguished Professor David Bayley ‘55 believes that aptly managed police protection is a key factor in building and sustaining democracies around the world. In Justice and the Establishment of Democracy (Blueprint for the Future, page 24), Bayley contends that the United States’ post-conflict strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan disregarded important lessons we learned from previous interventions. Joyce Leader ‘64, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. State Department, is certainly qualified to add to a discussion on global policing. In Internal Conflicts and the Threat to Global Stability (Blueprint for the Future, page 31), she prognosticates that in the future the world’s challenge will be to find ways for outside forces to step in and legitimately protect civilians who are not being protected by their own governments.

ATTENTION E-SHOPPERS A technology pioneer and the founder of Travelocity.com, Terrell Jones ‘70 says that in the future e-commerce will allow any business to go global. In Consumerism and the World of ECommerce (Blueprint for the Future, page 28), the Texas entrepreneur marvels at the powers of the World Wide Web and at the speed in which the Internet has changed the way we shop. Despite all these changes Jones says we will eventually take e-commerce for granted – just like electricity. In The Money Changer (The Columns, page 51) Matthew Gillin ‘89 explains his concept of money, which he views as just data, not paper and coins. As the co-founder, president, and CEO of Ecount, his technological innovations in electronic payment solutions have already impacted incentive programs and personal financing alike, and may eventually change everyone’s view of currency forever.

THE WHEELS OF POWER Formerly a senior associate counsel to President Ronald Reagan and now a deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, David Waller ‘70 is very worried about the dangers of nuclear proliferation in the world today, but he is also hopeful about the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In Nuclear Energy: Blessing or Peril? (Blueprint for the Future, page 32) he warns that governments must heed the message of President Eisenhower and continue to promote “atoms for peace.” Denison history major and aspiring politician Oliver Rollinson ‘05 thinks about power in terms of the consequences of political decision making. His profile in What Next? (page 18) reveals the young man’s ambition to advance the Republican agenda and possibly become president one day. But first, he realizes, he needs to graduate and get a job.

FASHIONABLE FUTURE Budding fashion entrepreneur Jackie Zimmer ‘05 hopes that her current internship at the national clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch helps her secure a merchandising position in the future. In What Next? (page 20), Jackie says that she would also love to continue growing in her own business. Her year-old enterprise called “Jackie Valentine” offers a line of hand-made vintage clutch purses, bows, and belts, sold online and at trendy Chicago boutiques. For screenwriter and playwright José Rivera ‘77 the future looks very glam indeed. In his profile Revolutionary Work (The Columns, page 48), Rivera talks about his inspirations for writing The Motorcycle Diaries, which portrays the early life of the legendary Cuban revolution leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The screenplay earned Rivera a nomination this year for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

OTHER-WORLD LIVING Anthropologist Jim Funaro ‘62 likes to think about the future of space travel and the existence of extraterrestrials in the universe. In Space Colonization and Extraterrestrial Life (Blueprint for the Future, page 27), Funaro contemplates the ways that extraterrestrial life forms could come into contact with us. One scenario he describes is when aliens send intelligent robot probes to interact with Earth’s civilizations; another is that when we do meet beings from other worlds, they will actually be human descendants of Earthling colonists who lost contact with the mother planet. In What Next? (page 17), French and education studies major Julie Grawemeyer ‘05 dreams about her imminent future and the possibility of cross-Atlantic travel after graduation from Denison. A Fulbright Award would give her the opportunity to move to Belgium where she could teach and live amongst a French-speaking populace.