Our regular recap of goings on at the College and a look ahead to events on the horizon.

As always, we hope to call your attention to items that captured ours and alert you to events that you won’t want to miss. If you have a news item that you think we’d be interested in, drop us a line at middmag@middlebury.edu .

• It’s not an officially recognized College academic department or course of study, but the folks behind the Middlebury College Organic Garden have created an unofficial “minor” in food and agriculture studies. The requirements include study in a number of courses already offered at Middlebury, as well as “hands-on, practical experience in food culture,” such as volunteering at the garden and dining at both Weybridge House and Dolci.
  

• Our favorite scholar of presidential politics, Professor Matthew Dickinson, was wondering recently where Barack Obama rates among all the presidents.

• We were recently alerted to a fascinating blog post written by a recent Middlebury grad, who has spent the past few weeks in Sierra Leone as part of a a Monterey Institute of International Studies course.

• A few days ago we were pointed toward a great video story on the New York Times Web site that examined one of New York City’s dual language charter schools. One of the teachers featured in the story, Qayyim Shabazz, is currently studying at the College’s School of Hebrew.

• Planning a family vacation to the Champlain Valley? If so, the students behind the blog “English Spoken Here” have recommendations for you.

• We have witnessed some torrential rain this week. College horticulturalist Tim Parsons reports that the campus received half an inch of rain—in a little less than five minutes.

• The Language Schools will be hosting an alumni career panel this Friday afternoon, which will be open to the public. The panel is part of a weekend-long schedule of LS alumni festivities.