POETIC LICENSE
Grilled cheese sandwiches. That's what Juan Felipe Herrera, MA '80, was thinking about in May when an acquaintance connected him by phone to Librarian of Congress James Billington, who asked him to be the next U.S. poet laureate. "I couldn't tell it was coming, and I couldn't believe it," Herrera says, describing the moment as an emotional "tornado." He is the first Hispanic poet to serve in the role. Born in Fowler, Calif., to migrant farmworker parents, Herrera has written 30 books and served as California poet laureate from 2012 to 2015. Beginning in September, Herrera will take his love of literature nationwide—he plans to launch Casa de Colores, a poetry project that will produce one long, continuously written poem to which anyone across the country can contribute lines. He hopes it will inspire spin-off projects in multiple languages and artistic forms.
JAZZING UP THE ARCHIVE
During his time on the Farm, Wayne Winborne, '82, played alto saxophone in the jazz band, gave solo performances at the CoHo and taught the student-run jazz history and appreciation class. While his career led him into business development and consulting, he produced jazz albums on the side, including singer Mary Stallings's new album, Feelin' Good, through HighNote Records. Now, jazz is taking center stage in his life: In July he was named executive director of the Institute of Jazz Studies, the world's largest jazz archive, at Rutgers University-Newark. "I was brought in with the goal of making [IJS] more dynamic and outwardly focused, as opposed to just an important resource for researchers." His aims include putting on a concert series and a film festival, and setting up partnerships with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and local radio station WBGO.
BIG DREAMS FOR KOREA
Jaeho Yeom, PhD '89, took the reins this spring as president of Korea University, a top private university in South Korea. His goals for his tenure are lofty. "I hope to ignite a social transformation by reforming the current Korean higher education system," Yeom said in an email. He also wants to encourage the development of global leadership skills among the 37,500-member student body and to promote student participation in social enterprises. Meanwhile, the university plans to establish graduate schools, a science park, a think tank, international primary and secondary schools, and medical clinics at its campus in Sejong City. Yeom has taught public administration at the school since 1990. He served as executive vice president for administration and external affairs from 2012 until his promotion.
