EAAvesdropping is spending a bit of time with the family this holiday season, which is why posting has been a bit slow for the past couple of weeks (and probably will be until next week). Still, we're keeping track of news and are excited to see that the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) and Emory Annual Fund's (EAF) cookie decorating day earned a mention on the Drop in & Decorate: Cookies for Donation website.

Nice for us, but way nicer for the families at the Gatewood Ronald McDonald House, who received the treats.

--Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Tuesday morning, December 22, the Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) Staff Recognition Committee crashed the DAR Information Services holiday party. It was a friendly takeover as the staff recognition committee delivered hot chocolate, apple cider, highly coveted Mini-Moo's coffee creamers and ... a string quartet.

The Emory Annual Fund was in desperate need of some holiday cheer this year, so I took it upon myself to usher in the holiday season with a little decorating. The theme this year is A Blue Christmas, and it really looks quite HAMdsome, if I do say so myself. (That’s right, I went there…and there are plenty more pork references to come.)

Now, you may be thinking, what reason do I, The Blue Pig, have to be blue this holiday season. (And of course, many of you may be thinking, what the heck is The Blue Pig, and why is it writing today's EAAvesdropping post.)

After all, so far this fiscal year more than 300 Emory undergraduates have embraced the spirit of giving that is embodied in the Emory community and have contributed over $2,500 to the Class Gift Campaigns, and that number will only grow as we move into next semester.

Don’t get me wrong, I like to go HOG wild during holidays as much as the next even-toed ungulate, but it’s not an easy time to be a swine. Some folks dread gathering around the table with their loved ones and the string of off color jokes from your BOARish uncle that inevitably ensues. During those times, just remember that things could always be worse. After all, your holiday dinner would not be possible without significant contributions from my family. (I’ll miss you Uncle Sal!)

Have a happy holidays and a PIGtastic new year!

Oink, oink, oink!!

--The Blue Pig, Class Gift Campaign mascot, Emory Annual Fund

And that's good enough for me!

Yesterday, staff here in the Miller-Ward Alumni House decorated holiday cookies for delivery to the Ronald McDonald House, which is located just around the corner.

Just a small, happy and hopefully helpful way to celebrate the season.

I think my favorite is that Christmas tree in the foreground, although I think I see a blank spot. Good thing my mom didn't see that. She'd make me move things around to cover it up.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Yes, all the lights were shut off immediately after this picture was taken, honest!

The $81.3 million Whitehead Biomedical Research Building opened in 2002 as Emory's first Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building. The LEED program was established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to promote environmentally friendly, whole building design practices.

Buildings on campus with LEED designation save energy and water, feature improved air quality, are sited appropriately--such as in areas with public transportation, and are constructed using a percentage of recycled, local or rapidly renewable building materials.

Academically, the Whitehead Building is home to the Departments of Human Genetics and Physiology, the Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and research programs in the departments of Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Whitehead's environmental friendliness was a harbinger of things to come ... by the end of the 2009-10 academic year, Emory is projected to cross the threshold of 2 million square feet of LEED construction.

GALALALALA, LA, LA, LA, LA!

Despite an already-stacked calendar of holiday events and festivities, Emory Gay and Lesbian Alumni (GALA), Emory OUTLaw, and the Goizueta Pride Alliance had a wonderful showing at this year’s GALA Holiday Social last Friday, December 4.

The event, which was organized and executed by Terry Sartor 93B 93C (long-time GALA alumni volunteer leader) was held at Mixx--a fun, simple, clean (!) establishment that is, self-admittedly, fairly unknown at the moment.

In many ways, Mixx was the perfect venue for this year’s Holiday Social–like the event and the people who attended, Mixx was carefree, but put together with thought and care. Among the limited offering of LGBT bars in Atlanta (or, rather, the limited offering of non-sketchy LGBT bars in Atlanta), Mixx was something new. And new was nice.

GALA’s partnership with Emory OUTLaw and the Goizueta Pride Alliance was also a nice addition. The positive impacts of this new partnership were immediately apparent upon entering the event, as alumni from all of Emory's schools and affiliations reveled in the holiday spirit side-by-side.

The best part: everyone seemed to be having fun, a feeling easily overlooked in a season jam-packed with shopping lists, extended family, and resolution planning. It may have been the stellar service, or the smell of tasty food in the air. Or maybe it was the campy--albeit charming--vintage video clips being projected on the walls . . . or perhaps it was the twinkling Christmas lights scattered throughout the private room. Heck, maybe it was just the cocktails talking . . . whatever magical combination of factors brought on the palpable sense of relaxation at this year’s GALA Holiday Social, it was something special--something special that this event planner wishes he could bottle up and save for later.

Cheers to a wildly successful holiday event, and to hoping others will be just as great this season!

Ben Corley 07C, assistant director, regional programs, EAA

More than 150 alumni attended the New York Chapter of Emory Alumni's Fourth Annual Toys for Tots Holiday Party in the heart of Manhattan at the plush Touch Lounge, Thursday, December 3. Guests enjoyed premium cocktails and tasty nibbles while grooving to Emory's very own DJ David Marc Kuntz 98B 04MBA. Everyone left with a warm and fuzzy feeling--not from the open bar, but from the huge donation of toys and books collected at the door for Toys for Tots.

See more photos on the EAA's Facebook fan page.

After being sniffed by security dogs and emptying our pockets down to loose string and chewing gum wrappers, we trudged up two flights of marble staircases, carrying cardboard boxes, easels, and laptops.

Breathless, we arrived at the Cannon House Office Building Caucus Room, then gasp again. The room was awe-inspiring—lofty ceiling, gilded moldings, crystal chandeliers—and already filled with people busily preparing for our November 18 presentation of Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database.

Clangs and bangs bounced off the walls and ceiling as the tech company assembled a 12-by-9-foot projection screen and the catering staff lined up chairs. Stepping carefully around ethernet cables and electrical wires duct-taped to the floor, my Emory co-workers Julie Delliquanti and Julie Braun unpacked and set up the exhibit posters, while Nafees Khan 10PhD and I plugged in and checked (and rechecked) the computer kiosks to be used for searching the nearly 35,000 slaving voyages recorded in the Voyages database.

Two hours later, boxes and wires and supports were hidden away under draped fabrics, black velvet and glossy gold, the room communicating an atmosphere both celebratory and solemn. Along the walls, oversized posters depicted Africans liberated from slave ships, statistical graphs, and maps charting the volume of the trans-Atlantic slave trade were gathered.

As the most comprehensive resource on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and available freely online for public research and contribution, the Voyages database is a powerful tool for discovering the global and personal impact of this once legitimate business, and a growing memorial to the over 12 million enslaved Africans whose lives were devastated or destroyed.

I don’t recall when guests started arriving, only that one moment I was surfing through the database (above) with a few early arrivals and the next I found myself surrounded by conversations and questions ...

-- Liz Milewicz 09PhD, project manager, Voyages

To read more, visit the December 2009 issue of EmoryWire.

See the photos.

From its inception 90 years ago as a regional school of business, to its role as an internationally recognized institution preparing principled leaders for global enterprise, Goizueta Business School has a long tradition of breaking new ground.

Goizueta celebrated its 90th anniversary with a gala on Wednesday, December 2 at the High Museum of Art. The event honored distinguished alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Goizueta, toasting the last 90 years through awards and a video program on how the school has helped shape the lives of many.

The following individuals were honored for their time, talent and contributions:

Outstanding Staff Impact Award:
• Julie Barefoot, associate dean and director of MBA admissions
• Andrea Hershatter, associate dean and director of BBA program

Outstanding Faculty Impact Award:
• Art Dietz, Mills B. Lane Professor of Finance and Banking (posthumous)

Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award:
• John Spiegel 65MBA, vice chairman and CFO of SunTrust Banks Inc. (retired)

Outstanding Corporate Partner:
• The Coca-Cola Company

During Goizueta’s first 90 years, the U.S. survived both the Great Depression and World War II, proving that crisis-driven change is not new. In the challenges of today’s economy, the future of business education remains strong.

Dean Larry Benveniste said there has been no drop-off in applications to Goizueta, underscoring the significance of business education and the Emory degree. “I believe Emory has always been a place with strong values and commitment to leadership. The education remains very valuable. As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we look forward to another 90 years of excellence.”

Goizueta through the decades

1919-1929
On Feb. 18, 1919, the dean of Emory College, Howard Odum 1904C, recommended the creation of a “school of economics and business administration” to the Board of Trustees. The new school, in conjunction with the college, offered courses in economics, accounting, and business law. By 1925, there were 145 students.

1930-1939
In 1938, the business school moved to its home in the C.L Fishburne building. Three women earned degrees from the BBA program.

1940-1949
The school, reduced to one faculty member during WWII, merged with the college. Walter H. Rich, president of the Rich Foundation, donated $250,000 for the construction of a building. In 1949, the school was admitted to the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.

1950-1959
After a lapse of two decades, the school began accepting female students again in 1954. In the same year, the MBA program commenced with 19 registered students.

1960-1969
In 1961, the Evening MBA program was introduced. When the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business began accrediting master’s programs, Emory’s program was one of the first to be approved. Four years later, Emory appeared on the list of the top American colleges and universities producing U.S. executives. The school also hosted the Intercollegiate Business Games—computer games whose format mimicked war games developed by the Rand Corporation.

1970-1979
In 1977, the school dedicated a $2 million addition and renovation of the Rich Memorial Building, incorporating two important features: the Management Center and the Computer Center. The Executive MBA program was created in 1979, and the school introduced the joint JD/MBA degree.

1980-1989
The school developed the first MDiv/MBA degree in the country. Years of thoughtful and steady expansion improved rankings: In 1986, the Gourman Report ranked the Emory graduate business program 26th in the country, and the Executive MBA program was ranked in the top 15 in a BusinessWeek survey.

1990-1999
In 1994, the school was renamed for Roberto C. Goizueta. A $20 million gift from the Goizueta Family Foundation and another $20 million from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation in honor of Goizueta ensured years of financial security for the school.

2000-2009
The millennium brought about a new PhD program in business administration and a new program in real estate. Goizueta installed its current dean, Larry Benveniste, in 2005.

Source: Goizueta Magazine Fall 2009

To read more about the school’s past, present and future, see the latest issue of Goizueta Magazine.

After the bustle of the day's-worth of meetings, walking into the Alumni Leadership Reception last Friday night was a welcome sight to see.

Hosted by the Emory Alumni Board (EAB) it was a holiday gathering of sorts for the EAB members and their counterparts from Emory's school and unit alumni boards. The festive decorations at the Miller-Ward Alumni House set the scene for a beautiful evening.

We made a beeline for the appetizers (I’m a sucker for tiny pastries), grabbed a glass of champagne and made the rounds. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and I was delighted to see such a diverse group of alumni gathered in the holiday spirit.

Once everyone had grabbed their gifts and been hurried onto the shuttle (which was no easy task to steal people away from their food and new friends) to attend the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, we counted the evening a success and headed off to Joia for the Young Alumni Holiday Party.

The Atlanta young alumni celebrated the seasons with festivities at Joia Restaurant and Lounge at the aptly named “Joia to the World” (haha, get it? Yeah, it’s a stretch, we know) holiday party.

Roughly 160 Atlanta young alumni piled into the Midtown joint, which boasts living window models, (yeah, awkward if you don’t realize that they’re alive until they move), picked their list (naughty or nice), ate from a cupcake tower by Love n’ Cupcakes with flavors only Keebler Elves could dream up: champagne wedding, southern red velvet, and homemade hohos (all of which give the dancing sugar plums a run for their money), and took advantage of the several mini-class reunions which seemed to be centered around the open bar.

The official party wrapped early--around 10:00 p.m., after all, with a migration across the street to the Irish pub Ri Ra for the unofficial after-party. After all, leprechauns are the new elves.

-- Kelley Quinn 08B, coordinator, Emory Alumni Board, and Cassie Young 07C, coordinator, alumni programs

This rendition of the Emory crest decorates the window next to the elevator on the first floor of the Miller-Ward Alumni House (MWAH). (It may look like stained glass, but in truth, it's not ... it does look sharp, though, and when the sun shines through, the hallway glows Emory blue)

A three-dimensional crest is located just around the corner over the fireplace in MWAH's Walt Davis Room.