Dickinson Magazine Spring 2023

HERE & THERE

your view 3 | kudos 4 | fine print 6 | in the game 8

DISTINCTIVELY DICKINSON

Red & White Week 14

The annual celebration of Dickinson athletics and school spirit culminated in the Dickinson Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony.

PAST & PRESENT

our Dickinson 24 | obituaries 45

President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11

Vice President of Marketing & Communications Connie McNamara

Editor Lauren Davidson

Designer Amanda DeLorenzo College Photographer Dan Loh

Contributing Writers

MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Matt Getty

Tony Moore

Magazine Advisory Board

Alexander Becket ’08

Catherine McDonald Davenport ’87

Jim Gerencser ’93

Gregory Lockard ’03

David O’Connell

Carlo Robustelli

Megan Shelley Dapp ’05

Adrienne Su

Alisa Valudes Whyte ’93

Hey, Google—How Can I

18

Kick-start a Career in Tech?

Looking for a head start on a career at one of today’s tech giants? With 16 alumni currently working at Google, Dickinson has you covered.

10 Questions

22

Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Tony Boston discusses his career, his vision for this new role and the important work underway.

© Dickinson College 2023. Dickinson Magazine (USPS Permit No. 19568, ISSN 2719134) is published four times a year, in January, April, July and October, by Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA 17013-1773. Periodicals postage paid at Carlisle, PA, and additional mailing office.

Address changes may be sent to Dickinson Magazine, Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013-2896.

www.dickinson.edu/magazine | dsonmag@dickinson.edu | 717-245-1289

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PRODUCTION NOTE

Dickinson Magazine is printed using wind energy and soy-based inks on Opus paper, which is sustainably produced in the United States by Sappi.

DICKINSON MAGAZINE  Spring 2023 | Volume 100 | Number 4

ON THE COVER

Amari Campbell ’25 (international business & management; Philadelphia, Pa.) and Karina Herrera ’23 (biochemistry & molecular biology; Inglewood, Calif.) enjoy a spring day on Britton Plaza. Photo by Joe O’Neill.

Head to the web for more.

View a related video.

Dickinson College is an intellectual and social community that values justice, free inquiry, diversity and equal opportunity. It is a fundamental policy of the college to respect pluralism, civility and mutual understanding within its community. The college does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other protected class.

Joe O’Neill

During my time as a member of the college’s board of trustees I had heard about our alumna Judy Faulkner ’65 . Her success in founding Epic Systems Corporation was legendary. Epic started in 1979 in the basement of an apartment house with $70,000 in startup money and two part-time assistants. Today, more than 280 million patients have a current electronic record in Epic. Its sheer reach is stunning, and unlike similar entities, Epic has assiduously avoided going public. It remains today as it was at its founding—privately held.

Notwithstanding her remarkable life and achievements, whenever I spoke to anyone about Judy, the picture that was painted for me was of a modest, selfeffacing individual who avoided the limelight. While Judy had quietly returned to campus for reunions, she resisted entreaties to be recognized as a distinguished alum.

Judy’s story as a trailblazer in the tech field and the consummate example of the power and adaptability of a Dickinson liberal-arts education is an important one that is inspirational for our students. So when I was named president, I made connecting with Judy a high priority. My goal was to convince Judy to accept an honorary degree so the full Dickinson community could celebrate her success.

As it turned out, Judy and I had a marvelous conversation. When I took a first pass at offering her the degree, she demurred. Dusting off every bit of my lawyerly skills, I persisted, and she eventually accepted. Thus, at Commencement in May of last year we were finally able to afford this remarkable alum the kind of recognition that she is richly due.

While Judy was on campus, we highlighted our innovative approaches to data analytics and computer science. We wanted to show her what we were doing and

An Epic Dickinsonian

get her reactions and suggestions. She met numerous faculty members and students, and they hit it off splendidly. Out of those associations came an invitation to visit Epic’s campus and meet with Judy’s team. We eagerly accepted, and in March I was proud to lead a group of Dickinsonians, including faculty members and senior staff, on a visit to Madison, Wisconsin.

Judy spent an evening and the entire next day with our team. As opposed to the rather mysterious person I had heard about, I learned that Judy is vibrant, visionary, thoughtful and warm. I felt proud to spend time with this amazingly talented alumna and to witness the impressive and substantive conversations that ensued between our faculty and Epic staff on pressing issues of the day. I have reflected since—this is what a Dickinson education looks like.

During our conversations, Judy made a point of telling me that Epic particularly likes liberal-arts graduates. Indeed, a number of Dickinsonians have landed there over the years, and several joined our sessions. Although her time at Dickinson was before the advent of computer science classes at Dickinson, Judy attributes much of her success to the educational opportunities she enjoyed here as a math major. We spoke at length about the critical thinking and intellectual curiosity skills that have served us both so well.

Judy Faulkner is emblematic of what we have always produced at Dickinson, and a passionate advocate for the broad-based liberal-arts education that we continue to afford our students. She is truly an Epic Dickinsonian.

Read more about the trip to Epic’s headquarters at dson.co/epicmag

Matt Getty

PRESIDENT JOHN E. JONES III ’77, P’11

A Remarkable Story

I was so moved and impressed by Frederick Barton’s story, Service Under Fire (Winter 2023 issue), about his service as an emergency nurse practitioner in Ukraine. What a remarkable story and what a remarkable individual. We can all be grateful for people like Mr. Barton who have the courage of their convictions to travel to a dangerous war zone to aid a country being savagely attacked. And what an enormous testament to Dickinson, that he should cite his education as formative in his commitment to internationalism.

The desire to help a people in dire straits may have been his primary motivation—and there is no more noble aim. But I was most moved by Mr. Barton’s comments about the reaction of his Ukrainian patients when he introduced himself as an American; they underscore my belief that this kind of service is the highest form of diplomacy, that this is the face of America we want to project to the world. “Internationalism is the highest form of patriotism,” wrote Christopher Hitchens and so I hope Mr. Barton will not object if I suggest that his service to Ukraine was also deeply patriotic. Slava Ukraini, indeed!

MARK MORAN ’83 WASHINGTON, D.C.

We want to hear from you! Send letters, class notes, story ideas and puzzle submissions via email to dsonmag@dickinson.edu or mail to: Dickinson Magazine, P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Record-Breaking Day of Giving 2023

On April 4, Dickinsonians around the world made over 3,600 gifts to the college totaling more than $1.7 million—the largest Day of Giving fundraising total ever. Those gifts will support the Dickinson Fund; scholarships; diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives; the Student Wellness Fund; study abroad; academic programming; athletics; the Asbell Center for Jewish Life; and more. Thanks to this outpouring of support, we also unlocked hundreds of thousands of dollars in challenge gifts from our generous challenge donors.

The funds raised on this historic day for the college will make an immediate impact on the lives of every student. But since all those gifts also help those students prepare to be tomorrow’s leaders, the impact of every gift will last well beyond this day and reverberate far beyond Dickinson’s limestone walls.

dickinson.edu/dayofgiving

Featured Faculty

Collaborative Pianist and Instructor in Piano Eun Ae Baik-Kim performed the Gaubert Trio, Fauré Fantasie and Sonata by Ethel Smyth with Xi Chen (violin) and Adria Foster (flute) at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Contributing Faculty in Music and Coordinator of Chamber Music Michael Cameron has been selected as a 2023 juror for Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, which sponsors the nation’s largest chamber music competition.

Professor of Earth Sciences and Moraine Chair in Arctic Studies Ben Edwards was featured in a Quebec Science article about the study of lava.

Professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and James Hope Caldwell Memorial Chair Amy Farrell is quoted by Better Marketing in a story about rebranding the Girl Scouts.

Fast Company featured advice from Senior Lecturer in Psychology Michele Ford regarding personal confidence.

Associate Professor of Spanish Margaret Frohlich published Sexual Diversity in Young Cuban Cinema through Palgrave MacMillan

Resident Director of the Italian Studies Program Bruno Grazioli gave a lecture at the Bellini Museum about the popularity of Italy as a study-abroad location for U.S. students and about the popularity of the U.S. as a study-abroad location globally.

Professor of Psychology and Glenn E. & Mary Line Todd Chair in the Social Sciences Marie HelwegLarsen’s tips for how to deal with stress were picked up in an article in Inc. magazine and in Denmark’s

Videnskab. She was also a guest on CBC Radio’s Tapestry and WITF’s The Spark

Professor of Military Science Kevin Krupski’s piece “Who’s the Boss? Defining the Civil-Military Relationship in the Twenty-First Century” appeared in the Military Review

Spanish-language newspaper El Confidencial featured a reference to Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Lee’s 2020 piece in The Conversation, “One 19th-Century Artist’s Effort to Grapple With Tuberculosis Resonates During COVID-19.”

The Associated Press and 368 other media outlets carried news of the creation of Dickinson’s new Center for the Futures of Native Peoples. The center’s founding director and Assistant Professor of American Studies Darren Lone Fight and Provost & Dean of the College Neil Weissman were quoted in the story. Lone Fight also participated in an extensive Q&A story with Native News Online Voice of America, The Sentinel and WPMT-TV FOX43 also covered news of the center’s founding.

Associate Professor of Political Science Kathleen Marchetti was quoted in a story on WPMT-TV FOX43 about the record number of women legislators in state government and how women are still underrepresented in elected office.

Visiting Professor of International Security Studies

Jeff McCausland discussed the conflict in Ukraine during four appearances on CBS Eye on the World/ The John Batchelor Show on CBS Radio stations across the country. He also gave interviews discussing the first anniversary of the fighting in Ukraine to multiple news outlets, including the Virginia Talk Radio Network

Faculty expertise continues to be awarded, published and celebrated, most recently by the National Endowment for the Humanities and in The New York Times, Fast Company, The New Yorker, Quebec Science and Inside Higher Ed , among other local, national and international outlets.

Dickinson.edu/inthenews

Administrator Accolades

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a fellowship to Associate Professor of Spanish Mariana Past for her project Unbroken Nostalgia: An Annotated Translation of the Haitian-Cuban Poetry by Hilario Batista.

The National Association of Science Writers referenced Associate Professor of History and Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Sustainability Studies Emily Pawley’s opinion piece in PennLive/ The Patriot-News on Clean Water Act violations in 2019.

The New York Times interviewed Associate Professor of American Studies Jerry Philogene about the work of Haitian artist Myrlande Constant.

On WITF’s The Spark, Professor of History and Pohanka Chair in American Civil War History Matthew Pinsker talked about former U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Dickinson alumnus Roger Taney’s legacy and why his bust is being removed from the U.S. Capitol.

Inside Higher Ed published Associate Professor of French & Francophone and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Mireille Rebeiz’s Piece “Are Campus Visits Necessary?” She published several opinion pieces in PennLive/ The Patriot-News, including “Is Lebanon Worth Saving?” and “Beirut Barracks Bombing of 1983: Is Justice Possible After 40 Years?”, as well as an open letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro urging him to recognize April as Arab American Heritage Month.

Associate Professor of Philosophy Crispin Sartwell’s piece “Have I Been Good or Bad This Year? Here’s Some New Math” was published by The New York Times, and “ ‘Election Denial’ and Other Meaningless Charges” appeared in The Wall Street Journal He also contributed a chapter to a new philosophy essay collection, Question Everything: A Stone Reade r (Liveright).

Gregory Strohman, contributing faculty in music, presented his research, Designing a Comprehensive Model of Tonalness as an Empirical Basis for a General Theory of Music Harmony, in Paris at La Musique-Science Devant la Question de l’Harmonie in November 2022.

The New Yorker published Professor of Creative Writing and Poet-in-Residence Adrienne Su’s poem “The Days.”

Professor of Music and Charles A. Dana Chair Amy Wlodarski’s book George Rochberg, American Composer: Personal Trauma and Artistic Creativity was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities to be part of the Fellowships Open Book Program, which makes outstanding humanities books digitally available to a wide audience.

President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11’s opinion piece “Teachable Moment: George Santos’ Lesson to College Students” appeared on Smerconish.com WITF’s The Spark featured a conversation with Jones about the potential future of Penn State Dickinson Law, and he provided analysis in a piece about the transition to the new Shapiro administration and discussed Pennsylvania’s so-called religious garb law, which lawmakers are trying to rescind, on WPMT-TV FOX43

Director of the Center for Spirituality & Social Justice J. Cody Nielsen is quoted by Inside Higher Ed in a piece about Belmont University’s plans to hire Jewish professors. The school had previously required all instructors to be Christian.

Director of Sustainability Learning Lindsey Lyons was quoted extensively in a Chronicle of Higher Education special report on the ways curricula at institutions across the country are being updated to face climate change and inspire action.

AZO Cleantech and Newswise shared Associate Vice President for College Sustainability & Facilities Planning Ken Shultes ’89’s comments from the recent Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in Florida.

The Shippensburg News-Chronicle carried news about ALLARM’s work in improving access and stream health in the Conodoguinet Creek.

Kudos as of March 17, 2023.

Dementia Prevention: Using Your Head to Save Your Brain

By Mitch Clionsky ’72 and Emily Clionsky Johns Hopkins University Press

Dementia Prevention provides readers with a checklist to better understand their personal risk profile, enabling them to set better goals, identify roadblocks to success and overcome these obstacles. Mitch is a neuropsychologist who has published research in dementia and, along with Emily, developed an accurate dementia test for doctors. He’s personally treated more than 10,000 patients who have dementia or its preceding condition, mild cognitive impairment.

For Every Matter Under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions

By Beverly Zink-Sawyer ’76 and Donna Giver-Johnston

Fortress Press

For Every Matter Under Heaven offers preachers a process for creating sermons that are biblically grounded and relevant to occasions including weddings, funerals, church anniversaries, building dedications and ordination and installation services. Zink-Sawyer is a retired Presbyterian minister and theological seminary professor.

Mother Mourning

By John Zedolik ’88 Wipf & Stock

This collection consists of 35 poems expressing grief over the death of the author’s mother. Zedolik is an adjunct professor of English at Chatham and Duquesne universities in Pittsburgh. This is his third book of poetry.

The Coping Kids

Jessica Haklar Ellis ’11

Fulton Books

The Coping Kids is an easy-to-read book designed for the youngest of readers. It follows six kids dealing with everyday emotional struggles (anxiety, anger, low self-esteem, trouble sleeping, sleepover anxiety and bullying) and how they overcome their biggest challenges with the use of effective coping skills. Ellis, a licensed therapist, hopes that young readers can see themselves in the characters who are all dealing with something different.

Fiction Nonfiction

In addition to being named a 2022-23 TOP PRODUCER OF FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENTS, three current students have received Fulbright awards this year: Julia Barone ’22 , English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Luxembourg; Mac Tambussi ’23, ETA in Germany; Cassandra DiPierro ’23, Graduate Studies Award at the University of Toronto in Canada.

Goldwater Scholar

Congratulations to Billy Wilkerson ’24 (biochemistry & molecular biology, data analytics) for earning the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Six More Dickinsonians Admitted to Oxford University’s Mansfield Program

Every 2023-24 Dickinson applicant has been accepted into the Visiting Student Programme at Oxford University’s Mansfield College, one of the most selective abroad programs in higher education.

NEW SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTS STUDENTS FROM UKRAINE

Students in war-torn Ukraine received lifechanging news in March, thanks to the incredible generosity of a Dickinson alumnus. Sam Rose ’58 has stepped up once again, providing $2 million for scholarships that will pay all costs for these students, giving them a chance for a future they may not have deemed possible.

“Thanks to Sam’s incredible generosity, we are able to offer these students a world-class education away from the war in Ukraine,” said President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11 , who placed a series of calls to Ukraine so he could personally share the scholarship offer with each student. “It’s critical that we welcome international perspectives, and we are excited to meet and learn from our new Ukrainian students, who will help us build a more interesting and engaging campus community.”

“Education is a great place to make an investment,” said Rose, whose maternal grandfather was born in Kyiv. “These students have endured more than a year of war in their homeland, and I’m happy to give them the opportunity to succeed with a life-changing Dickinson education to become leaders and problem-solvers.”

Rose’s latest gift supports the Campaign for Scholarships, a multiyear initiative that seeks to raise funds to provide sufficient aid to meet the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. More than 1,800 students are currently supported through scholarships and grants, and more than 3,642 donors have contributed to make this possible, with gifts of all sizes helping to change lives through Dickinson.

• Best Colleges for Environmental Science and Environmental Studies Green Matters

• 2022 recipient of the Award for Advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals through Education Abroad

Dickinson has a long history of supporting students around the world facing strife, including through the Conflict Zone Student Support Fund , which assists international students whose demonstrated financial need has increased because of extreme violence or war in their homeland. If you would like to contribute to this effort, visit dickinson.edu/gift and choose “Conflict Zone Student Support Fund” in the designation drop-down menu. dson.co/roseschol23

TO THE Rising Challenge

Zach Gordon ’23, who has been playing baseball since he was 5 years old, arrived at Dickinson as a first-year student knowing that he wanted a spot on the Red Devils baseball team. He competed with six other walk-ons but didn’t make the cut.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the NCAA halted competition and team tryouts, Gordon seized the opportunity. Over the following 18 months, he honed his pitching skills at various facilities across the Northeast, determined to improve his chances of making the team.

“The pandemic offered an opportunity for me to leap ahead of my competition,” he says.

Head Coach Craig Hanson notes that Gordon “doubled down his efforts and came back ready to prove his value to the program.” Gordon impressed at tryouts his junior year and made the team. In his first start as a Red Devil, No. 19 accrued four strikeouts against the Neumann Knights in two innings, allowing only one run and securing the W. One of the team’s four lefthanded pitchers, Gordon continues to dominate with his refined pitching repertoire, which includes a fastball that tops out at 88.7 mph.

“Zach’s attitude and work ethic make him an invaluable member of our program,” says Hanson. “He’s a great teammate who’s willing to do anything to help the program get better.”

“Zach proves that hard work will always pay off,” says Kenneth Tagliareni ’24, one of the team’s captains. “He’s an individual that young Dickinsonians should aspire to be like.”

Off the diamond, Gordon is an international business & management major with minors in Judaic studies and economics. He’s a member of the college’s Marketing Club (including a term as president) and the Dickinson Jewish Relations Council, a tour guide, an Admissions Fellow and the IB&M department’s office assistant.

Last summer, Gordon completed Deloitte’s competitive SHINE Marketing Intern program, which eventually led to a position working in its New York office after graduation.

Hanson confidently believes that “Zach will continue to be successful following graduation at Deloitte and beyond!” — Luka Dubnick ’23

Photo by Dan Loh

Winter Sports Highlights

The winter athletics calendar saw the Red Devils in nonstop action at home and away. Here’s a quick roundup of the season’s highlights.

17 wins earned head women’s basketball coach

Aby Diop and her staff Centennial Conference

Coaching Staff of the Year

The team finished second in the nation in points allowed per game (45.8).

CC first team: Clair Marion ’25 (women’s basketball); Ethan Hart ’24 and relay team of Nolan Meincke ’25, Teddy Mercer ’23, Benjamin Moseman ’26 and Trevor Richwine ’26 (men’s track and field); Isabel McGovern ’26 (swimming); conference and championship record-setting relay team of Darya Mikusova ’24, Erin Olsavsky ’26, Sara Penuela Rodriguez ’24 and Emerlee Simons ’24 (women’s track and field). Penuela also made the first team for the 200 meters.

1,111 total rushing yards and five games with more than 100 rushing yards led running back Diante Ball ’25 to the All-Region II Team. Six other players were named All-Centennial Conference

6 men’s track and field athletes were named all-conference, with Ethan Hart ’24 qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the shot put.

6 members of women’s track and field made the all-conference team

Cheer on your Red Devils!

Check out all the stats, scores, schedules and highlights at dickinsonathletics.com. Watch free live broadcasts online, produced by students in the Red Devil Sports Network (RDSN). Follow @DsonRedDevils on Twitter, Dickinson Red Devils on Facebook and @DickinsonAthletics on Instagram for daily updates. #DsonRedDevils

First-year swimmers

Emma Johnston ’26 and Isabel McGovern ’26 earned all-conference honors, and McGovern won the 100- and 200yard butterfly at the CC championships.

Ryan Murray

Ryan Murray

Kaylee Wenderoth

David Sinclair

Snippets of stories from around campus and beyond

Dickinson.edu/news

Students Present 2023 Women of Color Summit

The 2023 Women of Color Summit drew Dickinsonians from several generations together to gain and share the knowledge, skills and connections it takes to thrive in any space they occupy. Held March 3-5, the summit was called Womanhood, From Head to Toe. Sunday included sessions with men of color and allies.

“I am thankful for all the people who registered and attended the summit this year,” says Jianna Boswell ’23 (English), who marks her second year on the summit’s

planning committee and her first as an executive member. She hopes to see still more allies register for future summits. “We hope that everyone who showed up learned more about their sense of self in relation to Dickinson and beyond. I also hope that people in attendance were able to network with older women of color and create connections that will help them once they move on from campus.”

dson.co/woc23mag

Photos by Dan Loh

U.S.

Poet

Laureate

Ada Limón Receives Stellfox Award

The first in-person Stellfox residency in three years was also among the most sparkling. U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón visited classes, shared meals with small groups of students and faculty, workshopped poems and even visited local public schools to talk about her art. And the poet who studied theatre as an undergrad delivered a memorable public reading on campus, touching on themes that included friendship, chasing life passions, animal videos and— especially—the fragility and wonder of life and the complexities of nature. She answered questions about her role as poet laureate, her process and about poetry’s superpower—to invite us to slow down, notice and feel deeply in a fast-moving world. The residency was made possible by Jean Louise Stellfox ’60, who’d been inspired to become an English teacher after meeting poet Robert Frost on Dickinson’s campus in 1959.

dson.co/stellfox23mag

Priestley Award Given to Nobel Prize-winning Astrophysicist

Dickinson’s Joseph Priestley Award is given annually to a distinguished scientist whose work has contributed to the welfare of humanity. In March, Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist John Mather received Dickinson’s 71st Priestley Award and discussed his work as the senior project scientist for the groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope.

dson.co/priestley23mag

English Grad Returns to Campus to Discuss Editing Career

The English department welcomed Sarah Blumenstock ’12 back to campus as the 2023 Cogan Alumni Fellow. In her presentation, Editor as Fanfiction Collaborator, Blumenstock reflected on how her Dickinson experience prepared her for senior editorship at Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint. Blumenstock credited her work at the Norman M. Eberly Multilingual Writing Center, where she learned to listen to the writer, remarking, “everyone has good intentions. We all want the best for the text ... an ideology that holds true in that work, and my work today.” The fellowship honors Eleanor Cogan (1909-2011), a lifelong learner who took 52 classes at Dickinson, beginning when she was 70.

dson.co/cogan23mag

When Was Dickinson Founded? The Debate Is Finally Over (?)

by Tony Moore

In 1773, the sons of William Penn donated land in Carlisle so that a grammar school could be built. Fast-forward eight years, to Philadelphia’s Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a leader of the American Enlightenment.

He decided he’d like to establish a college on the “western frontier” of what was starting to feel like a new country, and at the time Carlisle was about as far west as it got. And what better location than where the grammar school was just built? Two years later, that parcel of land was transformed into a college campus, and Rush named the college Dickinson, in honor of his friend John Dickinson, a signer of the Constitution and eventual governor of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Mary Norris Dickinson. The charter was signed on Sept. 9, 1783, less than a week after the Treaty of Paris had officially ended the American Revolution. Notably, this timeline established Dickinson as the first college founded in the newly recognized U.S. (Stay tuned for more on this.)

About a year later, Rush and John Dickinson created the seal for the college: an open Bible, a telescope and a liberty cap surrounded by the inscription “Pietate et Doctrina Tuta Libertas,” a Latin phrase generally translated as “Freedom is made safe through character and learning.” There was no date included on the seal, and no one

seemed to notice or care for 150 years. Until 1934, when Dickinson’s board of trustees decided to add the 1783 charter date to the seal.

And that settled that.

Until six years later, when Boyd Lee Spahr, president of the board of trustees, attended the inauguration of Haverford College’s president. Spahr was disturbed, and likely insulted, that the Washington & Jefferson College delegate knavishly marched ahead of him in the procession because of W&J’s earlier (alleged) founding date. In the wake of this snub, and after doing a little research on the common practices of establishing founding dates, Spahr proposed that Dickinson revert to the 1773 founding date, as it could therefore become the second-oldest college in the commonwealth after the University of Pennsylvania, ahead of the not-nearly-as-old W&J. In this, he seemed to prefer the prestige of Dickinson being the second-oldest college in the state to the rock star status achieved by its being the first college established in the United States after its founding.

Either way, with Spahr’s case laid out, in December 1940 Dickinson’s board adopted March 3, 1773, as the college’s founding date, and the date on the seal was changed to 1773.

And that settled that.

Until 1999, when members of Dickinson’s Strategic Planning Committee rediscovered the Sept. 9, 1783, charter date. While not changing the seal, the college quickly (once again) embraced this date, and Dickinson (once again) became the first American college chartered after the U.S. was recognized as a country. And besides nailing down that distinction, and being accurate as the true founding date of the college—as opposed to commemorating the year a land grant was made for a grammar school—1783 is more accurate in capturing the spirit of Rush’s mission: to educate leaders for the new American democracy, a democracy that didn’t really exist until the fall of 1783.

And that settled that.

Except that the “founding” date of 1773 has continued to be referenced, even though the college has gone all in on 1783 since the turn of the millennium.

So in the spirit of historical accuracy, in October 2019, the college’s senior leadership, having had just about enough of this, put forward to the board that Sept. 9, 1783, is the accurate date of Dickinson’s founding and should be used everywhere by everyone—on the seal, on documents, on merch. The board agreed. In January 2020, Dickinson made it official (again), establishing that Benjamin Rush did not, in fact, officially establish the college until the official signing of Dickinson’s charter on Sept. 9, 1783. Per the decree:

And that settles that.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the official founding date of Dickinson College be stated as September 9, 1783, and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Dickinson College seal be amended to reflect 1783 as well.

red & white

Annual celebration of Dickinson athletics and school spirit included a weeklong schedule packed with events and culminated in the Dickinson Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony.

Dickinson celebrated its annual Red & White Week from April 10-15, an event filled with activities for students, faculty and staff to show their school spirit. Across the week, student-athletes from each class decorated the Benjamin Rush statue as part of an interclass competition, while Red Devil action in baseball, softball, tennis and lacrosse kept fans on their feet. Festivities also included a campuswide tailgate organized by the senior class and a community picnic.

The weeklong event culminated Saturday with the Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony, during which six former Red Devil studentathletes, one team and one coach were inducted:

• John Haire ’11, Men’s Lacrosse

• Sue Jehl ’96 (posthumous inductee), Women’s Lacrosse

• Amy Jennings Nash ’09, Women’s Lacrosse

• Emma Murtaugh ’11, Softball

• Pat O’Connor ’10, Football

• Catherine Campbell Worthington ’12 , Cross Country, Track & Field

• 2011 Men’s Lacrosse Team

• Paul Richards, Swimming, in Recognition of Years of Success in Coaching

Read more and view additional photos and video of the event at dson.co/rwmag23.

white week

Parents, alumni and current student-athletes celebrated despite the rainy weather!

Open House Celebrates Accepted Students

More than 300 students who had been accepted into the class of 2027, along with their family members, spent time on campus during the Accepted Student Open House April 14-15. They participated in Red & White Week festivities and had a variety of opportunities to dive deeper into what life as a Dickinsonian would be like. They connected with members of the senior staff, faculty and students; toured residence halls and the full campus; explored Carlisle; and more.

“This is such an important time of the year as we seek to enroll the next class, the class of 2027,” said Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Director of Admissions Recruitment Greg Moyer ’06 in Saturday’s opening session. “We truly believe that there’s no better time than now to be a Dickinsonian. There is so much momentum at this college.”

“We truly believe that there’s no better time than now to be a Dickinsonian. There is so much momentum at this college.”

Dan Loh

Dan Loh

Dan Loh

Hey, Google—How Can

Looking for a head start on a career at one of today’s tech giants? Dickinson has you covered. Well, Dickinson and Google, that is.

This January, the new Winter Break Career Pathways program gave 30 students a rare inside look at Google to help them get a leg up on building a successful career in data and tech. The daylong event brought them to Google’s New York City offices to meet with several Dickinson alumni who’ve already carved out their own successful paths at the IT leader.

You can read more about this distinctive experience and watch a video on it at dson.co/googlemag. But with 16 Dickinson alums working at the search, advertising, media and AI giant, we thought this would be a great opportunity to get some advice on forging a career in data and tech straight from the experts. By Matt Getty

Kick-start a Career in Tech?

Be Curious

Derek Still ’09 (policy management) Field Sales Representative, Google Cloud

“Be curious and learn how to collaborate across a variety of disciplines. The people who thrive at Google possess an innate curiosity about the world, people and processes around them. They bring this inquisitive approach to problem-solving and embrace others’ opinions as they form their own. The Dickinson education encourages students to explore different fields of study, thus encouraging us to act on our curiosity about the world. The result is one of the reasons why there are so many alumni leading successful careers here at Google.”

Peter Hass ’16 (American studies) Digital Strategy Lead

“Ask a lot of questions, take a lot of different classes, and become good at problem-solving. At Dickinson you’re able to do that. I was an American studies major, but I took econ classes, environmental science classes, so many different types of classes that really piqued my interests. And I think that me just being an innately curious person has helped me get to Google by asking questions and just unlocking new doors and trying to find out what’s next. And then as you learn more about these different areas, try to develop your ability to take problems apart from different angles. I think Google really likes to hear about how people problem-solve. I remember during my interview, one of the questions was, if you were going to open up a bakery, how would you do it? And it’s such a random question, but they really just want to hear about how you think through different problems and the steps that you would take. So the more critical thinking you’ve done about different subjects and from different perspectives, the better prepared you’ll be.”

Kailey Zengo ’18 (political science; women’s, gender & sexuality studies) Data and Privacy Program Manager

“I like the notion of being ‘coachable,’ and I think that definitely applies to having a successful career at a place like Google. Coaches tell their players that if you’re coachable, you can be just as valuable as the most talented player on the team, and that’s something I’ve found with a lot of the mentors and managers I’ve had at Google. If you’re willing to put in your work, you can go far. So even if you maybe don’t have the technical experience that checks off every single box right now but you’re smart and you’re adaptable and you can show that you’re willing to learn and work hard, then you can do well. Ultimately, I think that’s more valuable than just checking a bunch of boxes, especially at a place like Google.”

Adapt & Grow

Mitch Andres ’18 (policy management) Account Executive

“Try to get as many internships as you can, and then try to use those experiences to refine your job search. Internships aren’t just great for your resume, but they’ll allow you to dip your toes in one area, and then you can say to yourself, ‘Hey, this is what I liked about the job; this is what I didn’t like about the job.’ Then look for your next internship based on what you liked and what you didn’t like. So as you move along, you’re not just getting experience under your belt, but you’re also refining what kind of role you want. There are so many different jobs in tech, and this way you’ll be able to not just find a job in tech after you graduate but the right job for you.”

Dan Loh

Use the Dickinson network as much

Reach Out

Spyro Karetsos ’96 (policy management) Chief Compliance Officer

“Don’t be shy. Reach out to alums in the field and ask for help. As alumni, we really care about the students at Dickinson, and we’re here for you. If you need to put us in your pingable network and ask us questions or reach out to us on LinkedIn, we’re ready to help you along your career path. And that’s not only because we want to help fellow Dickinsonians, but it’s also because as alums, we know how well prepared you are with a Dickinson education that is extremely well-rounded. It’s amazing for a small school to have so many alums at an organization like Google, so we spend a lot of time reaching out to each other, helping each other, enabling each other. And we also look forward to helping Dickinson students so that they can have great careers in the future.”

Brian Jankovsky ’99 (American studies) Director of Entertainment and Streaming Partnerships

“Use the Dickinson network as much as you can. Even if you don’t hear back from all the people you reach out to, when it comes to the ones who do answer, you’re going to find an advocate, and that’s really important. I’ve relied on it in my own job searches, so I take every single email, every single call, and I think you’ll find other people like that. Then, once you get your foot in the door and you have the chance to interview, really practice your story. I think that’s the most important thing in an interview. I usually ask the same five or six questions, and most people’s answers are somewhat similar. But to me, what really stands out is the story you tell about yourself—who you are, what you’re passionate about, why you want this job in particular, and what you can bring to it.”

Learn more about the Google networking excursion at dson.co/googlemag

as you can.

Dan Loh

By MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Questions With Tony Boston

Tell us about your professional path.

As an undergraduate at Whittier College, I majored in biology and physical education, and I worked in the Office of Admissions and within the Diversity in Action program. Little did I know that the work study position would eventually lead to a career as an advocate for diversity and equity. Because of my experiences of growing up in poverty in rural Arkansas, I understood how important education is and how it expands access and disrupts cycles of poverty within families. Accordingly, for my first full-time position out of college I decided to work as a biology teacher in a low-socioeconomic community in Southern California.

Eventually, I transitioned to higher education—teaching, coaching, and serving on committees and serving as a deputy Title IX coordinator at Pomona College. My leadership journey at Pomona College included faculty service, associate dean, senior associate dean and diversity officer, and eventually I was named special advisor to the president with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. After Pomona, I moved to Reed College, where I worked as dean for institutional diversity and chief diversity officer.

Tony Boston joined Dickinson in October as the college’s inaugural vice president and chief diversity officer. We asked him about his career, his vision for this new role and the important work underway.

What brought you to Dickinson, specifically?

Although this is an inaugural role, the infrastructure is in place to do some really creative things. There’s a lot of amazing work happening on the ground in the All-College Committee for Equity, Inclusivity & Belonging, with the House Divided Project and in so many other areas.

Does Dickinson partner with any external organizations to support DEI work?

Dickinson partners with the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, a national project that thinks about how diversity, equity and inclusion issues are playing out on small liberal-arts campuses across the nation. That takes some strong institutional commitment and investment from senior leadership— it shows that the college is moving in a proactive and strategic way. We are also a member of Liberal Arts Diversity Officers, another sign that we’re tuned in, doing important work and thinking about this on a national scale.

How do you envision this new role?

Day to day, it’s about serving as a strategic advisor, whether that’s to the president and senior leadership team or to a department or department chair. There are times when you work as a coach and motivator to say, “Yes, we have some strong, ambitious goals. I can give you the tools and the resources to help you to get there.” At times, it’s about being that empathetic ear, where I can welcome someone into the office and say, “Let’s have a conversation.” Often, those conversations are with members of our community, crossing many different demographics, who feel that there’s a disconnect between our aspirations and their lived experiences. A part of my work is to close that gap. And I find that to be very rewarding, very valuable.

Does this work look different at a liberal-arts college like Dickinson?

A small, residential liberal-arts college does community really well. It’s a high-touch environment with a low student-to-faculty ratio, so you get those close connections and relationships. Change is never easy, but I think it can be easier when we know one another.

What are you working on now?

Ah, so many things! Since joining Dickinson in October, I’ve been engaging members of the community to listen to their stories and understand the narrative of what it’s like to live, learn and work here at Dickinson. I’m also immersing myself in data that has been collected here—What is it like as an underrepresented woman in STEM? What is it like to be an international student?—and thinking about how we can use data to inform decisions.

What are you most excited about?

It’s exciting to think about how we come together to shape a vision as a division—how we do our work, our programming, the conversations we have, how we engage with the Carlisle community and how we provide the institution with the tools, the skills, the language to advance this work and multiply our capacity.

Because I’m a part of the leadership team, I’m able to guide how we think about decisions and connect those decisions to equity, whether we’re talking about a new building, finances or new policies.

What do you wish more people knew about your field?

Changing perceptions and actions, increasing or enhancing individuals’ skills and changing the way that we interact with one another is about the

complexity of human interaction. Working through that complexity takes time. There aren’t any quick fixes or silver bullets.

It’s also not necessarily the work of an individual but the work of the organization overall. Dickinson is an amazing place that’s steeped in tradition and values that date back almost 240 years. There isn’t a single policy I can create or speech I can give that will change that 240-year history. It’s going to take dedication over a sustained period of time—by me, by my office, by the institution—to continue to steadily move the institution forward.

How can members of the Dickinson community contribute to this work?

I want to invite as many voices into this conversation as possible, because we all have stories to tell and experiences and backgrounds to contribute. Diversity, equity and inclusion work is for everyone. If you are new to these conversations, you can do this without fear that you may say or do the wrong thing—we are an institution of higher education; we are here for your learning and development. And if you have been advocating for change and protesting for a long period of time, there’s an entry point for you as well, as we continue to move this work forward. The important thing is that, as a community, we’re all in this together.

What’s your best advice to students?

When I was an undergraduate, there was always a thought in the back of my mind of: Do I really belong here? So if I could give advice to students experiencing impostor syndrome or stereotype threat, I would say: You’re enough. You belong.

So if I could give advice to students experiencing impostor syndrome or stereotype threat, I would say: You’re enough. You belong.

NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT

CINCINNATI, OHIO

SARASOTA, FLORIDA

ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO

Rowing in the Same Direction

By Alumni Council President BERNADETTE MCFADDEN STOUT ’07

Itook the reins of the Alumni Council two years ago as the institution was facing a number of challenges and opportunities—President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11 , was stepping into an interim role leading our institution, students were reengaging in in-person education for the first time in 18 months, prospective students were questioning the value proposition of a residential liberal-arts experience, young adults (and the population at large) were facing historically high rates of mental illness and the imperative for providing a diverse, equitable and inclusive experience was higher than ever. At the same time, Dickinson’s alumni had experienced five different presidents in less than 10 years and engagement rates were lackluster.

Now, as my term comes to a close, the feeling at Dickinson is markedly different. I feel momentum on campus and among our alumni body, and I see a clear path forward that will take these challenges head on, allowing the college to excel because of, not in spite of, them. As President Jones has said, Dickinson is “on the move,” and students and alumni alike are being asked to row in the same direction toward the goal of solidifying our place as one of the undeniably great institutions of higher education in the country.

This summer, the Alumni Council will celebrate its 100th anniversary. We believe this is the right time to revisit the mission

and operating model of the Alumni Council to ensure that we can help Dickinson meet this moment and chart a course for alumni participation over the next century. As such, we are moving ahead to focus on the following mission:

The mission of the Alumni Council is to ACTIVATE the Dickinson alumni community by INCREASING and SUSTAINING engagement between and among students, alumni and the college.

We are focused on the following guiding principles to underpin all the council’s efforts:

• Activation of alumni should start from a student’s arrival on campus.

• Engagement should be bidirectional, delivering value to current and future alumni.

• The composition of the Alumni Council should reflect the breadth of talent, geography, background and experiences of the alumni body.

A celebration of the Alumni Council’s 100th anniversary will take place during Alumni Weekend (June 10-11). At that time, we will launch this renewed mission and approach while celebrating the Alumni Council’s past, present and future. If you’ve been involved in the Alumni Council in the past,

or are interested in being involved in the future, please join us!

In my first column as president of the Alumni Council, I highlighted a theme: “Dickinson is where you are.” I challenged us to update our assumptions about how we build and nurture relationships with the college (and each other), by thinking about how technology and local engagement can help make us a better alumni body. Whether or not you aspire to join the Alumni Council, serve on a reunion committee or host an admitted student event, there are an increasing number of ways for you to be involved in your own way. Little things—wearing red on Fridays, posting job opportunities on LinkedIn, applying a Dickinson bumper sticker to your car—can expand the presence of our college in your life and in the wider world.

I conclude this final column with the same ask: Rethink how you engage with Dickinson and find new ways, which feel right for you, to give back to the college that we all hold so dear.

Study Abroad, Dickinson Style

By Jessica Baverman Ozar ’09

Challenge your fellow alumni with your own puzzle!

We’re always looking for engaging activities to feature in our pages, and we know that our readers love a good challenge. Whether you’re a crossword fanatic, a word search wizard, a coloring-page creator or a master of brain teasers, we want to see what you’ve got. Submit your puzzle or activity to dsonmag@dickinson.edu for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!

spaces we lcve

A perfect evening for an accepted-student reception on the Mermaid

Trellis. Photo by Joe O’Neill.

Vice President and Chief Diversity Office TONY BOSTON . Read more on Page 22.

These students have endured more than a year of war in their homeland, and I’m happy to give them the opportunity to succeed with a life-changing Dickinson education to become leaders and problem-solvers.

SAM ROSE ’58 , who provided $2 million for scholarships that will pay all costs for five students from Ukraine. Video and story at dson.co/ukrmag.

So many accomplished women in the world have the ability to support the college. It is important to me to help promote their participation while also promoting a sense of community among Dickinson women.

BETH JONES P’11 , in an online Q&A that covered her life, her family, her fresh approach to her role as Dickinson’s first lady, women and philanthropy, and more. Read more at dson.co/bjonesmag.

I take a great deal of pride in being an alumna of Dickinson College and am always looking for ways to give back to the school that opened so many doors for me.

LT. GEN. LAURA POTTER ’89 , Army deputy chief of staff of intelligence and former director of intelligence of the J-2 U.S. European Command and one of several accomplished alumni who contributed to a new course, Profiles in Leadership. Learn more at dson.co/leadermag.

Diversity, equity and inclusion work is for everyone. We all have stories to tell and experiences and backgrounds to contribute to this work.