| Defending College Hill-My Next Book
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Defending College Hill, my second novel, should be out in spring 2008. It is the story of a college administration in turmoil over the murder of a U.S. Army recruiter. I am working to make Defending College Hill an effective contrast between the anti-war and pro-military sentiments of the Vietnam era and today.
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Dear Janet,
This is the first issue of the Educated Quest e-Zine... |
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Defending College Hill-My Next Book
Defending College Hill, my second novel, should be out in spring 2008. It is the story of a college administration in turmoil over the murder of a U.S. Army recruiter. I am working to make Defending College Hill an effective contrast between the anti-war and pro-military sentiments of the Vietnam era and today.
The venue for Defending College Hill is Hudson Technological University (aka Hudson Tech), a small engineering and technical school in New York's Hudson River Valley. Founded in 1881, Hudson Tech faces hard times more than a century later, as the campus becomes more embroiled in the fabric in the distressed urban community of Beacon Point, and the university cannot enroll enough students to keep it afloat on the Hudson River waterfront. Yet the school sits on prime real estate; some trustees believe that the school should be closed and the campus sold for a higher, possibly better, use.
Faced with a decision to close the university's doors, when no serious academic candidate emerges to fill their vacant presidency, Hudson Tech's trustees hire Dr. Martina Tierney, a retired IBM vice president, to lead their school from the brink of extinction, or towards a quiet demise. To their surprise, Tierney uses her connections in the business and foundation worlds to raise funds, hire new faculty, recruit a diverse student body and puts Hudson Tech back on the map with employers, all within eight years. While the trustees are satisfied with Tierney's performance, there is still sentiment for closing the school.
Tierney's next objective is to build more housing to shake Hudson Tech's commuter school reputation and attract more students. Tierney presents her plans, but runs into roadblocks with local politicians who resent the school and her success. Tierney breaks down some of the barriers between town and gown-until a murder leads to more political finger pointing.
The body of Captain Kevin Callahan, a U.S. Army recruiting officer assigned to the Hudson River Valley, is found in the guardhouse at the campus gates. Callahan's assailants have also left a message: No More Lies. Callahan's murder casts a negative light on the school; reporters use the story to criticize military recruiting, question the ability of local law enforcement to solve the murder case, and predict a bleak future for Hudson Tech.
Angered by the media coverage of the murder, Callahan's uncle, Philadelphia political reporter Jack Donnelly, comes to Hudson Tech to conduct his own investigation. Fearing repercussions from an experienced reporter, who is also an angry relative of the slain victim, Tierney asks Donnelly to become her special assistant to help her deal with the local politicians on the murder and the housing issue. In turn, she allows Donnelly to pursue leads on his nephew's killer.
Donnelly reluctantly accepts Tierney's offer and forms alliances within the college administration, students and county police to gather the necessary evidence. Donnelly finds that the murder and Tierney's housing problem are actually related issues; both are tied to anti-war sentiment that has built up in the Hudson River Valley since the beginning of the war in Iraq.
Stuart Nachbar |
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Be a Reviewer Today
With the current release of Sex-Ed Chronicles and the impending release of Defending College Hill, I would like to invite readers to become reviewers today.
If you have read, and would like to review Sex-Ed Chronicles, you are cordially invited to blog with me at www.educatedquest.com. I hope to engage readers on the book and related issues, such as today's debates on Intelligent Design. The political dynamics of 1980 and 2007 are quite similar when it comes to sex education in the public schools.
If you would like to read, and comment, on advance chapters of Defending College Hill, please contact me directly at stuart@educatedquest.com. While I cannot pay reviewers, I can promise that the most serious contributors will get a signed copy of the book after its release date.
Stuart Nachbar |
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College for Parents-My New Site
In addition to Educated Quest, I will be operating a second site, College for Parents, come fall 2007. College for Parents will provide unique perspectives about college admissions and financial aid targeted to parents of current and prospective college students, as well as parents who are college students. Like Educated Quest, the College for Parents site will feature a blog and e-zine, but some other online services are also in development.
I did business with colleges for 10 years as a software executive and have seen several changes in the admissions process, good and bad. Some are related to new technology, while others deal with political sentiments and emerging marketing challenges for the colleges. I will try to explain what they mean to parents now, and for the future.
Stuart Nachbar |
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| Thanks again for your interest...
Sincerely,
Stuart Nachbar
Educated Quest |
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