Dean of Faculty Gregory Hess On....

Beef jerky? Yes, believe it, folks. Your Dean of Faculty is brainstorming on beef jerky. How awesome is that? Well it gets cooler fast!

Here's the graff from CNNMoney.com. (I've bolded the funnier parts.)

After Hughes takes off, Nemitz heads to Claremont McKenna College in nearby Claremont, Calif., to meet with professor Gregory Hess, an economist and dean of the faculty. Nemitz is pleased to find Hess bursting with marketing ideas.

"There's nothing more American than beef jerky," says Hess. "Why not have a jerky-eating contest on July 4?" Nemitz could consider a beer company as a co-sponsor. "Call Budweiser (BUD, Fortune 500) and have them join in," suggests Hess. If a national contest seems out of reach, Nemitz could put on regional ones at state fairs around the country, perhaps teaming up with local breweries.

Hess, 45, is on a roll and having fun. "Have a jerky-recipe contest or offer exotic variations of jerky."

Nemitz points out that turkey, ham, ostrich, and even giant clams can be jerked. "Have turkey jerky for Thanksgiving and ham jerky for Easter," suggests Hess.

While trying to come up with a product to co-market with jerky, Hess closes his eyes and mutters, "Jerky, jerky, jerky. What rhymes with jerky?" Abandoning that tack, Hess suggests an online poll that asks customers what beverage goes best with jerky. He wonders whether an energy drink might be a good match. "You could put cans in boxes of jerky, and add a link to the drink company's website." And so it goes, until Hess announces his time is up. Nemitz, grinning, shakes his hand, thanks him, and departs.

Dean Hess, if you are reading this, I suggest that you offer our humble campus to partake in this glorious competition. Even though I am a vegetarian --yes, you can all start mocking me-- I promise to eat my weight in jerky.

You cannot make this stuff up. To answer your question, Dean Hess, perky and quirky both rhyme with "jerky" and both are CMC attributes.

Sustainability, Drilling for Oil, and Pomona College

Pomona College is talking out of both sides of its mouth again.

Pomona's President's Advisory Committee supports sustainability. You know how hesitant Pomona is to set up committees. They are serious about this sustainability thing. Here's the money -- pun intended! -- graff from a February 15, 2008:

“We want to make a public commitment to sustainability,” said ASPC Environmental Affairs Commissioner Kyle Edgerton ’08. “Hopefully, tonight is the time when Pomona becomes a leader in sustainability.

But just what do their finances say? Money talks, after all. Of course, we know from some serious scholars that sustainability is, well, unsustainable and there are some serious questions about whether sustainability is even desirable, but never mind that! Pomona's committee is on a mission from the Board!

From TSL again:

The committee, which formed under the leadership of President Oxtoby, says it hopes to open dialogue among all members of the Pomona community to better implement the goals of sustainability set forth in the Strategic Plan approved by the Board of Trustees last fall.

Well, let's start that dialogue with a conservation about Pomona's history of investments. We've already had a conversation about Pomona's sustainable real estate, gold and timber connections.

Let's turn to their other investments. Turns out they own about six percent of Hydril, a company that makes oil and gas drilling technology.

That first link says that they have 6.1% voting (current as of 2001), which would usually not be far from ownership. Voting rights in large corporations such as this one usually are significant ownership chunks. Pomona has 870,070 Class B shares and each share is entitled to 10 votes.

Here's the human link between Pomona College and Hydril, the drilling company -- Pomona alum and Hydril founder, Frank R. Seaver.

Seaver's estate donated $23.3 million for Pomona's Seaver Science Center. I'm sure every penny of that 23.3 million dollars was sustainable. Pomona wouldn't have it any other way. Would they?

(H/t: ConfusedMinority)