The Design Center at Philadelphia University will host “An Evening with Tord Boontje,” a conversation with the internationally-renowned European designer in conjunction with exhibition, Lace in Translation, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in The Tuttleman Center Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the University community and the public.

The discussion will explore Boontje’s artistic inspiration and creative techniques. Boontje’s work was commissioned by The Design Center for its groundbreaking exhibition Lace in Translation, which is on view now thorough April 3, 2010.

For Lace in Translation, Boontje created a multi-sensory, three-gallery installation featuring furniture, lighting and laser-cut fabrics in themes of black, gold and white. As part of this site-specific installation, a team of Philadelphia University students, faculty and staff worked with Boontje’s designs, hand-weaving raffia into pieces for a large lace curtain which hangs in the gallery windows.

Boontje says the vocabulary of lace in his work emerged through “cutting away rather than building up. It was through direct translations of nature, looking up to the sky through the layers of sunlit foliage – these kinds of things remind me of lace. Like the natural world, where foliage is spatial and formed in three dimensions, I started to look at a layered image and three-dimensional lace-like structures to invoke this intricacy that is so fascinating to me.”

Boontje’s work is featured in many permanent museum collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, MoMA and the Groninger Museum. He has developed designs and products for Target, Alexander McQueen, Swarovski, Moroso, Swatch and Perrier Jouët, among many others.

His latest creation is a lacy laptop from HP, complete with a 3D lid cover featuring his signature silhouette design including endangered animals. The laptop’s eco-friendly features include a 100 percent recyclable box, manual and packaging, as well as an organic cotton protective sleeve.

The Design Center at Philadelphia University unveiled Lace in Translation in September 2009. The exhibition explores the crossroads of traditional lace and modern industrial manufacturing techniques. Internationally-recognized artists and designers Cal Lane, Tord Boontje, and Demakersvan have created site-specific installations located throughout The Design Center’s grounds and galleries.

Their work fuses classic hand craftsmanship with modern-day production techniques. The Design Center’s historic Quaker Lace Company collection is the inspiration for the artists’ present-day reinventions of lace.

For more information on the Lace in Translation exhibition and The Design Center, call (215) 951-2860 or visit www.laceintranslation.com or www.PhilaU.edu/designcenter.

The DEC strategic initiative will provide an unprecedented opportunity for our community to develop innovative courses and curricula, explore new areas of applied research, and advance Signature Learning. Therefore, the University has earmarked special funds to support faculty contributions to DEC called Research Innovation Grants.

Full-time (tenured, tenure-track and contract), adjunct and part-time faculty may apply for these awards. Each faculty member may only submit one grant application per semester, and receive a maximum of one grant per academic year.

The deadline for faculty to submit applications has been extended to Monday, Nov. 30. Click here for more information or go to www.PhilaU.edu/strategicinitiatives.

PhilaU will host a green business panel discussion, entitled “Can You Be Green and Make Green? Sustainable Practices and Research in Business,” this Thursday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m. in the Kanbar Campus Center Performance Space.

Panelists will include Philadelphia University faculty member Cathy Rusinko, associate professor of management; Jay Carlis, vice president for sales and marketing at Community Energy; Mark Smallwood, green mission specialist at Whole Foods Market; and Nikki Ciaccio ’07, co-owner of The Environmental Homestore.

Panelists will discuss sustainability techniques and research used in business and higher education that aid in the green movement and allow for increased revenue. The presentation will last approximately an hour and will include a question and answer session with the audience.

Welcome remarks will be provided by Russ Kershaw, dean of the School of Business Administration, and the panel discussion will be moderated by Tom Schrand, associate dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Environmental Sustainability program director.

The event is jointly sponsored by the Office of Student Development Programs, School of Business Administration and School of Liberal Arts in conjunction with the 2009 FYE fall program series, and as part of the University’s commitment to green education.

Philadelphia University has honored the legacy of an exceptional alumnus, trustee and friend of the University, the late Robert J. Reichlin, with the renaming of the White House as the Robert J. Reichlin House.

Reichlin was a member of the class of 1947 and for 17 years served the Board of Trustees with honor, distinction and pride.

New signage was installed and a portrait of Reichlin was unveiled at a private ceremony last week in the lobby of the Reichlin House.

“It is a most fitting honor to Mr. Reichlin that we named the White House in his memory,” said President Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph.D. “He loved Philadelphia University and was especially proud of its upward trajectory. His legacy, leadership and generosity will have a lasting influence.”

The plaque dedicating the Reichlin House reads:

Robert J. Reichlin
(1924-2008)

Robert J. Reichlin was a member of the Philadelphia University Class of 1947 and a long-time member of the University’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Reichlin served as chairman of Zuckerman-Honickman, Inc., a leader in the packaging industry. While a member of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Reichlin served on a number of committees including the chair of the Identity Committee which, thanks to his leadership and support, was instrumental in the efforts that led to the University’s name change from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science to the granting of university status. He also served as chair of the Planning Committee whose activities changed and enhanced the University’s campus.

History of the building:

In 1946, the Philadelphia Textile Institute purchased the Kolb estate in Germantown. The school at that time was located in Center City Philadelphia, at the corner of Broad and Pine Streets. This new 12.5 acre estate included the mansion of Colonel Kolb.

This family residence was built with an attractive large foyer accented with oak paneling and ceiling beams and adorned with a frieze depicting the founding of Germantown. The first floor along with a living room, included a music room, a conservatory and a large dinning room with bay windows. Located on the second floor were six bedrooms and four bathrooms. The second floor became an apartment for the president of the school in the late 1940’s. A separate wing included the kitchen and pantry with servant apartments. Kolb’s personal gardener continued his employment with school after the purchase, maintaining the extensive landscaping which included a number of rare trees and shrubs.

Over the years, a number of different administrative offices have been located in this building. Presently, the President’s Office, as well as the offices for Academic Affairs, Development and Alumni Relations, Public Relations and the Treasurer are located in the building.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, families and friends of the University, and also the general public are invited to celebrate legendary Men’s Basketball Coach Herb Magee’s 50th anniversary at Philadelphia University as an outstanding student athlete and one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history.

Saturday, Nov. 21
1 p.m.
Herb Magee Court, The Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center

Admission:  $5 for each adult ticket and $3 for each non-PhilaU student ticket

A courtside ceremony recognizing Coach Magee’s 50 years of basketball greatness will take place prior to the Men’s Basketball home opener against Merrimack College in The Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center, Herb Magee Court.

Learn more about Coach Magee’s journey. Dick Jerardi in the Friday, Nov. 20, issue of the Philadelphia Daily News talks with Magee about his career at PhilaU and what 50 years of basketball greatness means to him.

Go Rams!