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Agnes Scott College Ranked Nation’s #1 Most Innovative Liberal Arts Institution for Fourth Consecutive Year

For the fourth consecutive year, Agnes Scott College has been ranked as the nation’s #1 Most Innovative Liberal Arts College in U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges’ rankings. Among U.S. liberal arts colleges, Agnes Scott also ranked #2 for Best Undergraduate Teaching and #6 for Social Mobility. The college also maintained its #1 spot for First-Year Experiences and rose to #2 for Learning Communities, both among all U.S. higher education institutions.

“Agnes Scott continues to be a trailblazer and thought leader in liberal arts education as an institution committed to creating a vibrant and inclusive intellectual community that supports students from first-year orientation through commencement and beyond,” says Leocadia I. Zak, president of Agnes Scott. “We are honored to be recognized as a top institution by U.S. News & World Report and thrilled that our reputation continues to grow around the nation.”

The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges’ rankings are an important tool as students and their families begin to research their higher education options. More than 1,400 schools were ranked on 17 measures of academic quality, including: graduation and retention rates, social mobility, faculty resources, financial resources per student and average alumni giving rate. Data is collected each spring and summer directly from the schools, while a peer assessment survey distributed to college and university leadership collects additional information to calculate undergraduate academic reputation.

Founded in 1889, today’s Agnes Scott represents a diverse, progressive community laser-focused on leadership

development, global learning and professional success. More than 60% of the student body represents communities of color, with 33% being African American and 15% being Hispanic. More than 40% are Pell Grant eligible and 32% are first-generation college students, both indicators of socioeconomic diversity and opportunities for social mobility. Agnes Scott’s first-year global immersion experience, an integrated digital literacy focus and ongoing career exposure opportunities are among curriculum highlights at the college that drive positive student experiences and professional success.

“The programs and curriculum at Agnes Scott represent a very modern approach to liberal arts education that provides opportunities for our students to grow into social, political and economic game changers,” notes Zak. “I can’t wait to see the next generation of scientists, elected officials, advocates, entrepreneurs and more who emerge from our classrooms.”

To learn more about Agnes Scott and its holistic approach to liberal arts education, click here. For the full list of rankings along with details about the measurement process, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.

A Dream Partnership

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agnes Scott College has continued to foster relationships with nonprofit and corporate partners, building bridges that connect the college to the wider metro Atlanta community. One of these partnerships is with the Atlanta Dream, the WNBA professional basketball team based in the city. Agnes Scott was first introduced to the Atlanta Dream by Vice President for Communications and Marketing Danita Knight, one of the Dream’s original season ticket holders, and the college has supported the team over the years with student outings to home games.

This support deepened in June 2020 when the Atlanta Dream needed a short-term practice facility during the height of the pandemic when the basketball season’s start was postponed. Before entering the WNBA’s quarantine bubble, or “Wubble,” at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the team signed a short-term facility use agreement with Agnes Scott to practice at the college’s athletic facilities.

When the WNBA’s 2021 season return was announced, Agnes Scott and the Atlanta Dream entered into a new agreement, cementing the partnership and extending it beyond the typical tenant-facility renter relationship. The college’s Woodruff Physical Activities Building became the official practice facility for the Atlanta Dream during the WNBA’s season, and this partnership also included new equipment that upgraded the weight room, tickets for students to attend games, joint community appearances and collaboration on 2021-22 voter registration mobilization efforts.

“Agnes Scott proved to be an incredible partner for us in 2021, providing a great location and resources for our team of professional female athletes. The institution’s continued commitment to empowering women to grow and compete closely aligns with the values of the Dream, and we were proud to be a partner of Agnes

Scott through the 2021 WNBA season,” says Darius Taylor, Atlanta Dream’s assistant general manager.

“Agnes Scott Athletics is committed to making sure women’s sports thrive post-pandemic at all levels. I view our relationship with the Dream as an opportunity for both organizations to support each other, as we have similar missions to build championship programs that inspire and empower others,” says Markesha McWilliams Henderson, Agnes Scott’s director of athletics and physical education.

The bond Agnes Scott Athletics has built with the Atlanta Dream is based on more than just women’s sports. The Atlanta Dream, with its name inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech, shares the college’s commitment to social justice. Since its founding in 2008, the team has been highly active in the Atlanta community, supporting a number of philanthropic causes and social issues, and was awarded the 2021 Sports Humanitarian

Team of the Year at ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Awards.

As the Atlanta Dream embarks upon a new era with new leadership, Agnes Scott is looking forward to conversations on continuing the successful partnership with the team in 2022.

The Agnes Scott Athletics staff hosted the new Atlanta Dream leadership in November 2021 for a tour of the facility. From left, Atlanta Dream Assistant General Manager Darius Taylor, Director of Athletics Markesha Henderson, Atlanta Dream Head Coach Tanisha Wright, Assistant Athletic Director Camara Jenkins, Associate Athletic Director Shinade Ramirez and Atlanta Dream General Manager Dan Padover.

Agnes Scott Hosts Chinese Economists Society Conference

In a normal pre-pandemic world, members of the Chinese Economists Society would have descended upon Atlanta last June for its annual conference, which was hosted by Agnes Scott College. Instead, the conference, titled “Public Policy and Economic Behavior: China and the World Amidst a Global Pandemic,” took place entirely over Zoom.

One of the people instrumental in making that happen was Li Qi, professor of economics at Agnes Scott and the 2020-2021 president of the Chinese Economists Society, which was created in 1985 by a group of Chinese graduate students who were studying economics and business administration in the United States.

To promote scholarly exchanges among its members, the Society holds an annual conference, with its current president serving as host. Because the international economists could not meet in person, Qi had to rely upon Zoom to bring the conference to attendees. That meant coordinating keynote speakers, organizing 62 parallel sessions for 260 conference participants and dealing with a 12-hour time difference between Atlanta and China.

Qi says she received invaluable tech support from Agnes Scott faculty, staff and students.

“With the help of the Information Technology Services staff, the students put their digital training to use and it made such a difference,” notes Qi. “They built a social media account, they coordinated the copywriting and editing of all the content and made it to link to mobile devices. They also coordinated all the Zoom sessions, stepped in as moderators as necessary and handled technical problems as they arose.”

Peyton Capehart ’21 helped with creating presentations, ensuring everything looked presentable and problem solving as necessary. She also hosted training sessions for the professors and student volunteers. She says she learned a lot about Zoom.

“Zoom caps breakout sessions at 20, which caused us to have to use multiple Zoom accounts,” Capehart says. “It was also a challenge to get a U.S.-based platform to work in China, especially getting updates through the firewall.”

Jiamin Li ’22 also provided technical support, including posting on social media and running some of the sessions. She thinks doing an online conference has implications for the future.

“Having it online gave opportunities to Chinese universities in remote areas that usually couldn’t participate,” she says. “The conference also provided a platform for job seekers and universities to get to know each other and advocate for themselves. We can learn from this model to find opportunities like this in the future.”

Qi also thinks hosting the conference was beneficial to Agnes Scott.

“Events like this will increase the visibility of the college to international students and academics and also help educate our audiences on the benefits of a liberal arts college,” says Qi.

The 2021 virtual Chinese Economists Society conference convened more than 260 participants from around the world.

Task Force Leaders Work To Ensure a Healthy Campus

Since fall 2021, the two new chairs of Agnes Scott College’s COVID-19 Task Force have continued to lead the group’s charge of ensuring a healthy, safe campus environment. Marti Fessenden, interim vice president for student affairs and dean of students, and Scott Randazza, interim vice president for business and finance, have filled the roles leading the nine-member committee since September.

Under new leadership, the COVID-19 Task Force set a goal to communicate to the college community with developments or

other pertinent information on a weekly basis through the college’s digital platforms.

Other new members joining the task force this fall were Bridget Roosa, professor of dance; Elizabeth Egan-Henry, assistant director of graduate and extended programs; Tomiko Jenkins, senior associate dean of students; and Bobby Northern, director of people and culture.

The college thanks former vice presidents Karen Goff and Ken England for guiding the task force through the last year.

Scott Randazza, interim vice president for business and finance

Marti Fessenden, interim vice president for student affairs and dean of students

Agnes Scott Names Chair and Members to Board of Trustees

In July 2021, Elizabeth H. Noe ’86 succeeded Elizabeth Daniel Holder ’82 as chairperson. Holder’s 13-year tenure on the Board of Trustees included serving the past five years as chair. Under her leadership, the board received the John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership, appointed Leocadia I. Zak as the college’s ninth president, navigated a global pandemic and, most recently, affirmed a new strategic plan that will provide direction for the college over the next five years. Noe, a 1986 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the college, has served on the Board of Trustees for seven years, during which time she chaired the Governance Committee and co-chaired the Presidential Search Committee. She recently retired as a partner with the international law firm Paul Hastings LLP, where she served as the chair of the Global Corporate Department for 10 years. Noe led an active transactional legal practice concentrated in securities and corporate finance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. A graduate of Leadership Atlanta, she served on the Atlanta Women’s Foundation board from 2008 to 2014 and is currently a member of the board of directors of the International Women’s Forum Georgia. Noe is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Lexington Realty Trust, a New York Stock Exchange-traded

industrial REIT. Included among Georgia’s Super Lawyers, Noe has been recognized as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2006-2019) and for M&A in The Legal 500 US (2012). She earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of Order of the Coif.

“I am honored to have been elected to succeed Beth Holder and look forward to working more closely with President Zak and the college’s leadership team to build greater awareness of Agnes Scott and the life-changing experience that it provides for our students through SUMMIT. I am deeply committed to the college’s mission and to empowering women for success,” says Noe.

The board also welcomed new members, whose four-year terms began July 1. Lewis Galloway recently retired after 14 years as senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis and now serves as interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Earlier, he served churches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. He has been actively involved in racial reconciliation and campus ministries, social justice and homeless initiatives. He has served as president of the South Carolina

Council of Churches and the Cooperative Ministry, as chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness and as a trustee of Union Presbyterian Seminary and Davidson College. He is currently on the board of the Montreat Conference Center and is a graduate of Davidson College and Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virgina.

Parmeet Grover is the senior partner and managing director for Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta, where he works with Fortune 500 and governmental clients in North America, Europe and Asia on strategy, marketing, and sales and operational transformation. Before joining Boston Consulting Group, Grover was an executive at Michelin, leading its global marketing strategy, and previously spent 11 years as a partner at McKinsey & Company. His commitment to bettering the Atlanta community has led to leadership roles in growing Tech Square, venture capital and other elements of the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He serves on the Advisory Board at the Georgia Institute of Technology and as an Emeritus Advisory Board member for Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Georgia Tech.

Elizabeth H. Noe ’86

Mary-Crawford Taylor

Parmeet Grover

Erica Stiff-Coopwood '98

Lewis Galloway

Erica Stiff-Coopwood ’98 is an active community volunteer in Memphis, Tennessee, where she recently completed her term as president of the Junior League of Memphis, the chapter’s first Black woman to serve in this role. Before relocating to Memphis, she practiced law in Nashville, Tennessee, as an employment defense litigator with Constangy, Brooks and Smith, and then as a business attorney for Bone McAllester Norton and also clerked for the Tennessee Supreme Court. She serves as a board member for The Children’s Foundation of Memphis and The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and as a trustee of the Hutchison School for Girls. A graduate of Agnes Scott, Stiff-Coopwood served as president of the college’s Honor Court and earned a B.A. in psychology. She holds a J.D. and a business certificate from Vanderbilt University.

Mary-Crawford Taylor is head of industry consulting at Truist Bank. Taylor has held various sales, leadership and consulting roles in Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking and Investment Banking At SunTrust, now Truist, over the past two decades. She led strategy, products and capabilities for Not-For-Profit Banking and Government Banking and oversaw multiple efforts that enabled heritage SunTrust to meet clients’ evolving

needs, optimize the bank’s balance sheet and achieve shareholder objectives. In addition, she led the formation of STI Institutional and Government Inc., a bank subsidiary through which tax-exempt loans are processed. Previously, Taylor was a director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, advising clients in risk management. An active volunteer at Northside United Methodist Church and The Lovett School in Atlanta, she holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University in economics with a concentration in business.

“I am looking forward to working with Elizabeth and these newly elected trustees as, together, we implement Pathway to Success, our new strategic plan, which focuses on providing a transformative education that prepares our students for professional success,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. Along with Holder, trustees ending active service on the board as of June 30 are Margaret D. McCray-Finke ’89 of Denver, Colorado; Mary Lou C. Hawkes ’65 of Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts; Elizabeth Rhett Jones ’73 of Atlanta; Elizabeth McGregor Simmons ’84 of Summerville, South Carolina; and John R. Swallow of Kenosha, Wisconsin. This year’s new board members will be announced in July.

Agnes Scott Receives the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Gold Rating

The Center for Sustainability is excited to announce that Agnes Scott College has achieved a STARS Gold Rating in recognition of our sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

STARS measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

Our principal focus has been on climate change and carbon neutrality since the inception of Agnes Scott’s sustainability program. All policies and programs implemented by the Center for Sustainability are driven by reducing the college’s carbon footprint. To date, we have reduced our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% and are on track to reach a 50% reduction by 2022 and carbon neutrality by 2037. We are incredibly proud to see these accomplishments reflected throughout our current STARS report.

STARS measures environmental sustainability and takes into account programs and policies on campus to promote economic and social sustainability.

Dining Redefined

Welcoming a food hall concept, the recent renovation of the Letitia Pate Evans Dining Hall made the start of the fall 2021 semester more appetizing than ever.

“It had been many years since the dining hall last had a significant change, and it was important to us that we provided the Scotties with something fresh and new after such a long time away from campus,” says Adam Summer, district manager of Aramark Higher Education, who helped create a vision for the operational changes to support an enhanced dining experience based on recent guest feedback.

The Agnes Scott College dining team routinely gathers feedback from the campus community through the Voice of the Consumer online feedback tool, meetings with student government and daily interactions with student leaders. Summer worked closely with the college’s Division of Business and Finance on the final details of

the design work and project schedule, as well as the Aramark Brand Solutions team and local contractors to develop a timeline to complete the work prior to the opening of the fall term.

“We are always seeking ways to enhance the dining experience for our students. As culinary trends and the restaurant industry evolve, we work hard to align trends with changes in our campus dining program,” Summer says.

Agnes Scott is now one of only two higher education facilities in the Southeast to feature The Dish, a food hall concept by Aramark.

“This is Aramark’s newest collection of flexible residential concepts and programs that ensures quality ingredients, healthy options, convenient offerings and personalized experiences for each of our students,” explains Summer.

This new dining format puts a focus on small-batch cooking and incorporating a variety of local and global flavors through eight restaurant concepts, including Iron Skillet, Sweet Pickles, Global Kitchen, Under the Hood, Root, La Trattoria and Greens & Grains, which all have their own unique looks and authentic menus.

“The improvements have elevated both the cosmetic look and feel of the space and added a culinary focus to the menu design and recipe execution,” Summer notes.

Like last year, the dining hall continues to be completely cashless. Meal plans loaded onto students’ Agnes Scott ID cards as well as credit and debit card transactions are accepted at all locations.

The responses to the new dining experience from the community have been positive as Aramark continues to deliver great service and meals.

Jordan Casteel ’11 Named a MacArthur Fellow

Last fall, Jordan Casteel ’11 was named a 2021 MacArthur Fellow. She is the first graduate in Agnes Scott College’s history to receive the award. Announced each year by the MacArthur Foundation, the MacArthur Fellowship is a $625,000 “no strings attached” stipend given to extraordinarily talented individuals who have demonstrated outstanding creativity in their work. The award is paid out in quarterly installments over five years, and recipients may use it to further whatever their interests are.

After earning a degree in studio art at Agnes Scott, Casteel went on to receive her MFA in painting and printmaking from Yale School of Art in 2014. She is currently an associate professor of arts, culture and media at the Rutgers University School of Arts & Sciences-Newark.

Casteel is one of the most acclaimed emerging artists working today. She was selected as one of Forbes’ 2019 “30 under 30” and has exhibited extensively at major institutions worldwide. Her work has been featured in prominent publications, including The New York Times, Vogue and The New Yorker. Casteel also received Agnes Scott’s 2021 Outstanding Young Alumna award and served as one of the college’s 2019 commencement speakers. Her painting “mother” is in Agnes Scott’s permanent collection and hangs in the reception area of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on the first floor of Buttrick Hall.

View the MacArthur Foundation video featuring Casteel discussing her work. macfound.org/fellows/ class-of-2021/jordan-casteel

Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation