Spring 2020 Dickinson Magazine

SPRING 2020 | VOLUME 97 | NUMBER 4

Life Interrupted: Coronavirus Impact on Campus Alumni Compete in Olympic Marathon Trials Sylvia Smith ’73 Artistic Residency Program Celebrates 10 Years Alumni Profile: Ben Martinez ’08

Wesley Lickus ’17

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LIFE 06 PAGE

interrupted

One of the many things we missed this spring as we completed the semester virtually: Students enjoying their daily trek across the academic quad between classes. This photo was taken on Feb. 20, two weeks before spring break. Read more about the college’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on Page 6. Photo

by Carl Socolow ’77.

HERE & THERE our view 4

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kudos 12

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happenings 14

6

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fine print 17

DISTINCTIVELY DICKINSON Life Interrupted Dramatic changes to routines and plans become the norm as the world, and the college, responds to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Crossing the Finish Line Three former Red Devil runners chase their dreams in the Olympic Marathon Trials.

in the game 22

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bragging rights 25

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A Winding Grind Ben Martinez ’08 cuts a creative path from guitars and surfboards to the Victory Fridge and beyond.

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Residing Inspiration A look back at 10 years of a dynamic artist-in-residence program and the ways it touches the lives of students, faculty and professional artists alike.

PAST & PRESENT our Dickinson 44

| obituaries 62

President Margee Ensign Vice President of Marketing & Communications Connie McNamara Editor Lauren Davidson Designer Amanda DeLorenzo College Photographer Carl Socolow ’77 Contributing Writers MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson Matt Getty Kandace Kohr Shayyan Malik ’21 Tony Moore JC Sosa Soto ’21 Ethan Thomas ’20 Magazine Advisory Board Alexander Becket ’08 Catherine McDonald Davenport ’87 Jim Gerencser ’93 Donna Hughes Gregory Lockard ’03 David O’Connell Megan Shelley Dapp ’05 Adrienne Su Kirk Swenson Alisa Valudes Whyte ’93

© Dickinson College 2020. 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.

D I C K I N S O N M A G A Z I N E Spring 2020 | Volume 97 | Number 4

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

Words of hope and togetherness filled marquees (like this one at the Carlisle Theatre), were posted in windows and hung on doors of many businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more on Page 6.

Photo by Joe O’Neill.

www.dickinson.edu/magazine | dsonmag@dickinson.edu | 717-245-1289 Printed by Progress Printing Plus in Lynchburg, Va.

ON THE COVER

SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED

Printed using wind energy and soy-based inks on Finch paper. All Finch papers are produced in Glens Falls, N.Y., using 66% on-site sustainable energy sources: emission-free hydroelectricity from the Hudson River and biomass co-generation from wood waste. Finch sustains natural American forests, supports independently certified fiber sourcing and reduces fossil fuel emissions.

Head to the web for more.

View a related video.

OUR VIEW

Carl Socolow ’77

[

Dickinson Rising U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE JOHN E. JONES III, ’77, P’11

Chair of the Board of Trustees

A

s with all publications, this magazine has a deadline for submissions. Even the chair of the board of trustees must adhere to that provision, and so in early March I dutifully penned my spring column and submitted it on schedule. It was a piece based on a February trip I’d made to Florida to visit various alums in the southern part of the state and was thus filled with tales of sun-dappled days, brimming with optimism.

Then, suddenly, the world changed, and my piece became a rather anachronistic relic of a time that now seems so long ago.

I am writing this replacement column when the coronavirus is raging throughout many parts of the world. Cases are mounting in the United States, much of the country is sheltering in place and there is widespread fear of this dreadful pandemic. Our campus is nearly deserted, as the necessary switch to virtual learning for the remainder of the semester is in progress. We are indeed living in perilous and uncertain times.

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 4

]

Through all of this, however, I remain certain of one salient fact: Dickinson College will rise to meet this challenge, flourish and continue to offer a useful, innovative and interdisciplinary education. Indeed, our students, faculty, staff and vast alumni network are totally engaged and working for the common good every day as our world grapples with the manifestly difficult challenges the coronavirus has dealt us.

While the pandemic is itself unprecedented, our college has experienced many existential threats during its long history. Just as it weathered those, so will it survive this one.

Dickinson has experienced a civil war that fractured our country, two world wars and between them a worldwide economic depression. Through these crises, Dickinson has emerged stronger and better. So it will when the coronavirus wanes.

What can you do to help? First and foremost, avoid the temptation during these tumultuous economic times to stop making Dickinson a philanthropic priority. Your financial support is needed now more than ever. Please don’t stop giving to the Dickinson Fund, and if you can find it within your budget to do more, I am making a personal appeal for you to do so. Second, please continue to offer internships to our students and job opportunities to our graduates. Our students need our incredible alumni network. Reach out to recruit@dickinson.edu to share opportunities in your organization.

President Margee Ensign and her team have distinguished themselves throughout this crisis, and we are in almost daily contact. During one of our exchanges, Margee and I discussed what we were reading. We were startled to learn that we were both engrossed in The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson—the story of Winston Churchill and how he inspired his country during the Battle of Britain. Relevantly, Churchill once said, “Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.”

Dickinson has made the decision to move onward, mightily. Join us as we do so.

We are here to help.

As Dickinsonians, we are a resilient community, dedicated to working together for the common good. During this unprecedented time, there are many ways to stay connected with your Dickinson community—from career support to ongoing book club discussions to activities for the whole family.

Check out Dickinson’s free resources at dickinson.edu/alumniresources.

Help Dickinson support those in need.

THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND was created to provide alumni, parents and friends an opportunity to support the most vulnerable members of our Dickinson community during this unprecedented time. The Emergency Response Fund is the best way to give for those who want to ensure that the college is able to provide for our students, faculty and staff.

The fund will provide critical resources for increased needs for financial aid; unanticipated student travel, technology or storage costs; continuation of wages for affected employees; and other expenses related to Dickinson’s response to COVID-19.

You can make a gift to this fund by selecting “Emergency Response Fund” on the online gift form at dickinson.edu/gift.

5

HERE & THERE

LIFE

interrupted Dramatic changes to routines and plans become the norm as the world, and the college, responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 6

HERE & THERE

At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, Henry Cohen ’20 found a comfortable spot on the floor in his parents’ Washington, D.C., home. He opened his laptop, navigated to the Class of 2020 Facebook group and clicked “live video.” For the next 20 minutes, he led classmates who tuned in through a meditation exercise.

They were able to connect and focus on stress relief and self-care while selfisolating or being quarantined around the country and the world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, roommates Fiona Farrell ’18 and Hannah Fabiszewski ’17 were busting out dance moves, reenacting movie scenes and eating spoonfuls of mayonnaise—all for a good cause.

They launched their Instagram

JAN. 27 Dickinson in China studyabroad program suspended for spring 2020.

FEB. 23 Classes temporarily suspended at the Dickinson in Bologna program and students asked not to travel outside Bologna.

account @cashforcovid in mid-March, to post videos of challenges they complete in exchange for donations to support Feeding America and Meals on Wheels. As of mid-April, they had raised more than $4,000, and their efforts were featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer story.

These are just two examples of the many ways members of the Dickinson community have sought to stay connected, informed and engaged during this new normal as the spring semester was completed online and residents around the world complied with stay-at-home orders. Everyone got fluent in Zoom, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime. Staff set up workstations at their dining room tables. Faculty members modified

FEB. 28 Dickinson in Bologna and Dickinson in Korea study-abroad programs suspended for spring 2020; all Dickinson students required to leave Italy; no Dickinsonsponsored travel permitted to Italy, China or South Korea.

their syllabi to be teachable from anywhere, across time zones. And students hunkered down to finish their semester off campus.

But before we talk about how the semester ended, let’s go back to how the semester began. News of the dangerous spread of COVID-19 started to dominate the news cycle in January. Dickinson activated its emergency response team to monitor the situation as well as rapidly changing information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Below (and continuing across the next several pages) is a timeline of the college’s response to the coronavirus, as well as some key developments.

MARCH 5 Dickinsonians urged to avoid unnecessary travel, particularly international travel, over spring break; all members of the community returning from abroad required to self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus;

Left, Clinical Accuracy, an oil painting by Associate Professor of Art Todd Arsenault ’99 created in response to the pandemic. Above, Associate Professor of Chemistry Sarah St. Angelo performs a lab experiment via videoconference.

college administrative departments begin reviewing business continuity plans to consider how essential functions could be maintained if employees were required to work from home. }}}

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HERE & THERE

Above: Screenshots showing Dickinson faculty connecting with their students virtually. (From left: Resident Director of the Italian Studies Program in Bologna, Italy, and Contributing Faculty Bruno Grazioli; Assistant Professor of Political Science David O’Connell; and Associate Professor of Psychology Suman Ambwani)

Communicating Through the Crisis

that prevent them from leaving. These include students from locations where travel is prohibited by the CDC and

From the beginning, President Margee Ensign committed to frequent and transparent communication with the Dickinson community. As weekly emails turned daily, messaging was expanded onto a COVID-19 dashboard landing page, which includes a complete archive of email messages and robust FAQ pages for students and staff. (View the dashboard at dickinson.edu/covid-19.)

WHO.

In her March 18 email, Ensign stated, “The spread of COVID-19 and the actions being taken to mitigate its effects have led to unprecedented actions both here in Carlisle and across the world. We are, all of us, finding our way through these uncharted waters. Here at the college, we appreciate your thoughtful support and your patience as our very resilient and courageous community continues to respond in a responsible and timely manner.”

As of the end of March, only a handful of essential employees remained on campus to support the approximately 140 students who petitioned to remain in residence due to circumstances

MARCH 6 First two cases of coronavirus reported in Pennsylvania.

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 8

Academics Go Online During spring break and the one-week extension that followed, faculty were tasked with re-creating their plans for the remaining weeks of the spring semester into coursework that could be created, shared and disseminated online. That’s a tall order in this close-knit liberal-arts community, where no distance-learning program exists and where workshop-style and active-learning classes, student-faculty research projects and small-group discussions are hallmarks of the educational experience.

Some professors had prior experience through digital humanities projects and programs like Dickinson’s Willoughby Institute for Teaching With Technology. Others had never used any online instruction technologies. Most were somewhere in between.

Dickinson’s Library & Information Services (LIS) division stepped up to the

MARCH 10 Spring break extended an additional week, to March 21.

MARCH 11 WHO categorizes COVID-19 as a pandemic.

challenge. The academic technology department had four days to develop software recommendations and create tailored training sessions and four days to deliver face-to-face training to professors. The team created a dedicated website on Moodle and posted the workshop videos, along with additional resources for remote teaching. Staff members remained available to advise professors one on one.

Learning and accessing remoteinstruction tools was just the beginning. Professors had to factor multiple time zones into their plans—a major consideration at Dickinson, which draws students from 49 countries.

Professor of Mathematics Dick Forrester has many international students in his classes, so he knew real-time videoconferencing wouldn’t work. By creating narrated PowerPoint presentations, recorded as videos and uploaded to Microsoft Screen, he made lectures available on demand. He also held virtual meetings during the regular class times and recorded them for students who couldn’t attend.

(Story continues on Page 10.)

MARCH 12 All remaining Dickinson study-abroad programs suspended for the semester; Centennial Conference Presidents Council (CCPC) temporarily suspends athletic practices and competition.

MARCH 13-14 Dickinson in NYC and the Washington Center programs suspended; President Donald Trump declares a national emergency; Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf closes K-12 schools throughout the state.

HERE & THERE / life interrupted

Critical Community Connections It all started with a simple breakfast.

When President Margee Ensign first joined the Dickinson community close to three years ago, she made it a priority to forge strong connections with other local leaders. And she started developing those connections by inviting a few folks to breakfast at her home. Those breakfasts grew from a handful of community leaders to nearly 65 local and state leaders representing the Carlisle borough, school district, chamber of commerce and police force, as well as representatives from nonprofits and the U.S. Army War College.

As the coronavirus started to spread across the United States, leaders from emergency services, UPMC Pinnacle, Sadler Health Center and state government joined the group, which transitioned from monthly in-person breakfasts to weekly hourlong phone meetings to provide updates and discuss needs.

And Dickinson is stepping up to meet those needs. When the group learned there were small businesses in town without the knowledge and skills to build a web presence that would allow them to continue serving their customers, Ensign contacted Professor of Computer Science Grant Braught, who connected those businesses with students to help them get up and running online. In addition, Dickinson’s Center for Civic Learning & Action is assisting business owners in a variety of ways, including helping them to apply for

MARCH 16 Dickinson announces that the remainder of the semester will be completed online; Gov. Wolf orders all nonessential businesses to close; no visitors allowed on campus, and admissions launches virtual visit options for prospective and admitted students.

funding, utilizing students to help them write grants, to stay afloat. The center also compiled an extensive online collection of resources and volunteer opportunities for members of and businesses in the Carlisle community (available at Dickinson.edu/ covidhelp). The college also worked with UPMC Pinnacle on contingency plans to provide housing for medical staff should it become necessary.

And at a time of year when Dickinson’s costume shop would otherwise be busy creating and finalizing costumes for the spring play, Professor of Theatre & Dance Sherry Harper-McCombs, Costume Studio Supervisor Juli Bounds and Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance Karie Miller put their sewing skills to use making cloth masks. They started making the masks for Cumberland Goodwill EMS, so the first responders could reserve their medical-grade masks for when they needed them. The Dickinsonians then made masks for loved ones and members of the Carlisle community, including the small group of Dickinson students who still reside on campus. Miller also makes masks available to passersby during weekly trips to the grocery store.

“I’ve lived all over the world and this is the most extraordinary, helpful, compassionate community that I’ve found, and that’s really important at this moment,” Ensign said.

MARCH 19 Ensign hosts a virtual meeting for students and parents, along with Provost and Dean of the College Neil Weissman and Vice President and Dean of Student Life George Stroud; CCPC cancels athletic competitions for the remainder of the spring season; a student who

Dickinson also boasts strong ties with Project SHARE, a Carlisle-based food bank run by Bob Weed ’80. In addition to Dickinson providing the space for SHARE’s operations free of charge, dozens of students serve as volunteers for the organization each year. In the midst of the pandemic, Weed had to shift gears and innovate numerous times to serve the growing needs of the community.

“There’s a need in Carlisle, and there’s a spirit in Carlisle that go hand in hand. It’s inspiring how people turn out to help,” he said. “I’ve been here three years now, and when I see what volunteers from the community do to help others and what our clients do to help each other despite the challenges they face, I’m humbled every single day.”

Read more about how Dickinson is supporting the Carlisle community at dickinson.edu/covidnews, and more about Weed’s work with Project SHARE at dson.co/weed80.

returned to campus from abroad is tested for COVID-19.

MARCH 20 Gov. Wolf orders all nonlife-sustaining businesses to close; Dickinson is permitted to continue to house and feed the 130+ students remaining on campus.

MARCH 23 Dickinson announces that Commencement for the class of 2020 will be postponed.

MARCH 25 An email to the alumni community announces that Alumni Weekend is canceled. }}}

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HERE & THERE

Above: Associate Professor of Italian and Film Studies Nicoletta Marini Maio greets her students via videoconference; Contributing Faculty in Music Greg Strohman shows his at-home studio; and President Margee Ensign connects with the Dickinson community during a virtual town hall.

Professors teaching lab, workshop, performance and exhibition-based courses faced additional challenges.

The chemistry department simulated experimentation by using GoPro cameras in the lab and sharing videos. Director of Dance Sarah Skaggs employed a combination of techniques—soliciting videos of students dancing on their own and twice-weekly synchronous videoconference meetings (requested by her students). After a virtual warmup session at the end of March, Skaggs notes, “We had a blast. It was like being on the Brady Bunch or Hollywood Squares,” referring to the video blocks that appeared on the screen, showing all of the dancers as they planked and pliéd together. “After the class, they said they felt much better. Dancers need to see each other as they chat, train and perform.”

In the case of the art & art history and theatre departments, students and faculty worked together to present a virtual senior studio art exhibition, a livestreamed dance concert, a virtual cold read of a play and a virtual Mermaid Players cabaret.

MARCH 26 Ensign hosts a virtual meeting for faculty and staff, along with Weissman and Vice President of Finance & Administration Brontè Burleigh-Jones; Ensign shares during virtual meeting that the student who was tested for COVID-19 was confirmed negative.

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 1 0

In addition to all of this, faculty members shared words of encouragement on social media and used real-time online meetings and virtual office hours to remain connected to their students, while posting pictures and videos highlighting their at-home workspaces.

“These are scary, confusing and stressful times,” says Stephanie Uroda ’23 (chemistry, neuroscience).

“Although I would much rather have in-person teaching, I think my professors have done an excellent job at making the best of a bad situation and doing all they can to make sure we can succeed.”

The Recruitment Must Go On As it became clear that certain traditional recruitment events and programming would no longer be possible, Dickinson’s admissions staff began planning and implementing contingency plans. Everything from travel to high schools and receptions around the world for admitted students to the traditional campus

MARCH 30 Ensign hosts a virtual meeting for alumni; Gov. Wolf adds Cumberland County to the stayat-home order and extends the closure of schools and businesses indefinitely.

tour and information session had to be rethought.

Thanks to quick planning the week prior, on March 16, a robust virtual visit website was launched. It not only includes extensive digital resources like thematic photo galleries, a video playlist, links to social media platforms and a YouVisit virtual tour, but it also offers the first of many new ways for prospective and admitted students to connect with the campus, including virtual Q&As, hosted through Zoom.

And while communication with all prospective students remained important, connecting with admitted students was critical, as they lost the ability to visit schools to which they have been admitted to help them make their final college decisions.

Dickinson’s admissions team committed to individual outreach to every admitted student and to identifying ways students can still enroll even though their senior year of high school was disrupted. In addition, admissions worked with admitted students regarding extensions to the May 1 enrollment deadline.

APRIL 7 Day of Giving raises more than $670,000 for the Emergency Response Fund.

APRIL 20 Gov. Wolf extends Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order to May 8. 

HERE & THERE / life interrupted “We are here for you,” says Cathy McDonald Davenport ’87, dean of admissions and vice president for enrollment management. “It may not be sitting together and talking in admissions, but it will be online, over the phone, over email. We will do what we can to ease the nervousness and uncertainty as best we can. Dickinson is a resilient community, and we will do what it takes to provide guidance and assistance to prospective and admitted Dickinsonians.”

Fundraising Shifts Gears In March, an Emergency Response Fund (ERF) was established, enabling donors to direct their gifts toward Dickinsonians who find themselves in challenging financial situations due to COVID-19. This became an area of emphasis for the annual Day of Giving, which was held April 7 as scheduled—due in large part to an outpouring of support from alumni asking how they can help—in order to raise these important funds and connect the Dickinson community during this challenging time. Farrell and Fabiszewski (the @cashforcovid duo mentioned on Page 7) brought their social media prowess to the day, unlocking several spoof videos as donations to the ERF poured in.

And once 1,000 donations to the fund were acquired, the Dickinson Board of Trustees pitched in an additional $500,000.

@ed_webb For all our wonderful students missing @dickinsoncollege campus: we miss you, too! #dsonphotos #carlislepa

And the Dickinson community stepped up in spades, making more than 3,000 individual gifts and raising more than $1.3 million, which is a new fundraising record for Dickinson. And nearly half of that money went toward the ERF. (Read more at dickinson.edu/dayofgiving.)

Shortly before Day of Giving, the Office of Advancement made the difficult decision to cancel Alumni Weekend, originally scheduled for June 12-14. But plans are underway to share some aspects of the weekend virtually and bring reunion classes back to campus once it is safe to do so.

@sheelajane.menon Office spider plants are now home office spider plants - keeping me company as the first day of online classes gets underway.

Wishing all my @dickinsoncollege colleagues good luck. Let’s try to prioritize simplicity, compassion, and grace - not only for our students, but also for ourselves. #wellgetthroughthis

Whatever the Future Brings As this issue went to press at the end of April, just about everything has been put on hold or moved online. The Office of Student Life worked with student clubs to set up virtual events, and the Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development transitioned a number of in-person events to virtual to ensure students still had all the interviewing, job search and networking support they needed.

The athletics department, along with individual teams and coaches, shared shout-outs through social media to celebrate the achievements and accolades of student-athletes.

The class of 2020 will not walk down the old stone steps on May 17, but

Ensign committed to an on-campus ceremony at some point. How will we celebrate the newest members of our alumni community? And what will a virtual Alumni Weekend look and feel like? Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, stay connected to your college—your Dickinson family.

—Lauren Davidson (with contributions from MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson)

We look forward to sharing the myriad ways members of the Dickinson community have made a difference during this crisis, from sewing masks to serving on the front lines as medical professionals to supporting those in need. Email dsonmag@dickinson.edu to share your story.

Check out Dickinson.edu/covidnews to view a collection of web stories about how members of the Dickinson community near and far have responded to needs and challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.

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members are

Featured Faculty

leading national

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Assistant Professor of Psychology Azriel

and international

and Latin American Studies Santiago

Grysman published “Confronting Self-

conversations

Anria was quoted in The New York Times

Discrepant Events: Meaning-Making

story “Evo Morales, Now in Exile, to Run

and Well-being in Personal and Political

for Bolivia’s Senate,” discussing what

Narratives” in the journal Self and

the exiled former president must do to

Identity. He also authored a chapter in The

qualify for a Senate run.

Routledge Handbook of Language and Emotion

Dickinson faculty

in outlets like Newsweek, The Conversation, The Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC

Dickinson cosponsored an open house

News THINK on

on the impacts of climate change for

everything from extinction and eating disorders to national security and the 2020 presidential race.

Narratives.”

residents of Dauphin County. Dickinson’s

The Organization for Defending Victims

role in that event, coordinated by

of Violence, a nonprofit advocacy

Lecturer in Spanish Asuncion Arnedo-

organization based in Iran, published

Aldrich and Assistant Professor of

an interview with Associate Professor of

Environmental Studies Heather Bedi, and

Sociology Erik Love by the award-winning

Spanish translation services offered to

journalist Kourosh Ziabari.

attendees by Dickinson students, were highlighted by local media outlets ABC27,

Visiting Professor of International Studies

CBS21 and FOX43.

Jeff McCausland published an op-ed in NBC

Associate Professor of Biology Scott

the Taliban, but Is the War in Afghanistan

Boback was quoted in “Guam Rails Are No

Really Ending?”

Longer Extinct in the Wild (Something Only One Other Bird Can Claim)” in the National Resources Defense Council’s

News THINK, “U.S. Signs a Peace Deal With

Assistant Professor of Political Science Sarah Niebler was quoted in election-

onEarth magazine.

related reports by The Philadelphia

Research on insecticides and bee

Districts—Chrissy Houlihan and Conor

populations by Assistant Professor of

Lamb—Endorse Joe Biden.”

Environmental Studies Maggie Douglas was published in Scientific Reports and made news in several media outlets,

Inquirer in “Two Pa. Reps in Battleground

Associate Professor of History Emily Pawley co-authored the op-ed “Trump’s Most

including Newsweek.

Ambitious Environmental Rollback Yet,”

Lecturer in Psychology Michele Ford’s

Her new book, The Nature of the Future:

op-ed, “Eating Disorders Are About

Agriculture, Science and Capitalism in the

Emotional Pain—Not Food,” was

Antebellum North, was published in April

published in The Conversation and

by the University of Chicago Press.

republished by more than a dozen other outlets under Creative Commons.

DICK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 1 2

titled “Emotion and Gender in Personal

which was published in The Globe Post.

HERE & THERE / kudos

President Ensign in the News National Geographic reported on the surviving victims of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnappings and their efforts to rebuild their lives. Dickinson’s Bridge Program, President Margee Ensign and Bridge program student Patience Bulus were featured in the story.

Ensign was quoted in a PennLive article, “Elizabeth Warren May Be Out but Women See Her Campaign as Purposeful and Impactful,” noting that it’s critical to have women leaders in every sector.

The Dickinson and Slavery project, led by Professor of History and Pohanka Chair in American Civil War History Matthew Pinsker, made local news for its recommendations to rename three campus buildings. ABC27, FOX43 and The Sentinel all reported on the recommendations. Read more on Page 24.

Professor of History Karl Qualls published his latest book, Stalin’s Niños, in February with the University of Toronto Press.

Administrator Accolades Tara Vasold Fischer ’02, dean and director of academic advising, was quoted extensively in the story “How to Transfer to a New

Professor of Biology Dana Somers and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Kristin Strock co-authored “Environmental Controls on Microbial Diversity in Arctic Lakes of West Greenland” in Microbial Ecology. This interdisciplinary work was supported by several students and former students, including Max Egener ’16 and Helen Schlimm ’17. dson.co/strocksomers

College: A 5-Step Plan,” published by College Confidential.

Director of the College Farm Jenn Halpin and Assistant Farm Manager Matt Steiman were awarded the Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Award by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). They received the award and delivered an acceptance speech at the annual PASA Conference in early February.

Phil Moreno, director of West Coast recruitment, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times story “Can’t Get Into UC? These Colleges Outside California Would Love to Have You.” ALLARM Executive Director Julie Vastine ’03 was quoted in the report “How Citizen Science Enhances Water Security,” published in New Security Beat, a blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program.

Carl Socolow ’77

Director of Financial Aid Leah Young discussed loan-forgiveness programs and associated fees for a Fox Business article.

Dickinson.edu/inthenews (Kudos as of March 10.)

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HERE & THERE

happenings Snippets of stories from around campus Dickinson.edu/news

Dr. Ruth Gets Personal as Poitras-Gleim Speaker In February, Dickinson welcomed renowned psychosexual therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer for the annual Poitras-Gleim Lecture.

Westheimer, better known as “Dr. Ruth,” is a groundbreaking champion of the idea of “sexual literacy.” Her rise to prominence began in 1980 with a radio show, Sexually Speaking, originally broadcast on WYNY-FM in New York City. Westheimer’s frank discussion of sexual matters quickly gained popularity and led to four decades of mass media work, including her own television programs, magazine columns, books, home videos and computer software. She continues to connect with audiences through her YouTube channel, Twitter account and website. Westheimer is an adjunct professor at New York University and holds fellowship positions at Yale, Princeton and the New York Academy of Medicine.

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 1 4

She frequently lectures at institutions across the country, and she has been named “College Lecturer of the Year” twice.

The annual Poitras-Gleim Lecture is endowed by a gift from Ted and Kay Gleim Poitras ’53 and provides a forum to explore and promote cross-disciplinary thought and communication. The Student Senate Academics Committee organizes and oversees the Poitras-Gleim Lecture and is tasked with fostering vibrant campus discussions about academic and political issues through seminars, lectures and debates. Previous Poitras-Gleim lecturers have included Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in space; feminist author and activist Betty Friedan; and Star Trek icon George Takei.

—Ethan Thomas ’20

Discovery Initiative Highlights High Alumni Opinions on Dickinson Nearly 30 students hit the road last summer to interview more than 850 alumni around the world as part of the college’s new Student Discovery Initiative. The purpose was to find out what alums think of their Dickinson experiences, how Dickinson has shaped their lives and how the college is doing today.

Fundamentals of Sculpture: A Cardboard Art Exhibition There’s more to the art of sculpture than meets the eye. A sculptor must account for labor, time management, material awareness and conservation, the responsibilities of a communal workspace and craftsmanship.

Those details are the principles that Associate Professor of Studio Art Anthony Cervino has been teaching to the 16 students in his Fundamentals of Sculpture class. Earlier this semester, the students put these principles to work as they designed and constructed cardboard sculptures that combined two objects into one.

The students’ works were exhibited in the Waidner-Spahr Library before the college closed campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. dson.co/cardboard20

The results are now in, with thousands of data points from alumni spanning seven decades and 19 states, and it’s clear that Dickinsonians have some good things to say about their alma mater:

• 90% reported being “highly appreciative” of their time at Dickinson as students.

• 91% said they would recommend Dickinson to a friend, family member or loved one.

• Nearly 70% indicated that they felt the college is making a positive impact on the world.

Learn more about the Student Discovery Initiative at dson.co/sdi19.

Listen up!

Dickinson’s award-winning monthly podcast, The Good, shares stories from students, professors, alumni and friends, along with updates from President Ensign and brain teasers.

This semester, The Good explored a First-Year Seminar that helps students chart a course for a financially fit future, the performing arts at Dickinson, decision release day in the Office of Admissions and more.

Dickinson.edu/thegood

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HERE & THERE

Fellowship and Residency Bring Acclaimed Speakers to Campus Each year, the Cogan Alumni Fellowship and the Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox Visiting Scholars and Writers Program bring industry leaders to campus to connect with the Dickinson community. These experiences are of particular value for students, offering unparalleled insights into a variety of careers and allowing them to make firsthand connections with experts and alumni. Both of these programs are named for women who have made a lifelong impact on Dickinson through their passion and their generosity.

COGAN FELLOWSHIP FEATURES MULTIFACETED ALUMNI The Cogan Fellowship is named in honor of

He shared his unconventional path and how his English major and time abroad and as a tutor at the Writing Center gave him a leg up.

“Compared to film school, where all students did was learn about film and watch movies their whole lives, I had attended a liberalarts college and studied abroad,” he said. “I provided that outside perspective.”

Orlando firmly believes that for those who study English to be successful, they should learn as much as possible about as much as possible, check under every rock, walk through every door, always keep writing new ideas, understand their abilities and limitations and take pride in their passion.

“One the most exciting parts of this business,” he said, “is taking the seed of an idea and turning into something that will be put on a screen for people to come enjoy and love.”

Eleanor Cogan .

After her retirement as a research chemist, Eleanor took 52 courses at Dickinson, 32 of them in the English department. She was recognized with an honorary doctor of letters degree during Dickinson’s 2003 Commencement. When she passed away in December 2011 at the amazing age of 102, the fellowship was created to honor her extraordinary commitment to lifelong learning and to the study of English literature. Cogan Fellows are all Dickinson English graduates and have included news anchors, screenwriters, educators, editors, curators, poets, entrepreneurs, theologists and more.

This year’s Cogan Fellow was John Orlando ’96 , senior vice president of live-action production at Universal 1440 Entertainment.

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STELLFOX PROGRAM BRINGS LITERARY LUMINARIES The Stellfox Program was named in honor of Jean Louise Stellfox ’60, who was inspired to become an English teacher after meeting Robert Frost during the poet’s visit to Dickinson in 1959. When she died in 2003, Stellfox’s estate provided $1.5 million to the college to continue her mission of inspiring students through literature. Stellfox established the gift in honor of her parents, Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox. Previous Stellfox Award recipients include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights and poets, a Nobel laureate, a Guggenheim

Fellow, a National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow, a Tony Award-winning playwright, an award-winning novelist and journalist and two Booker Prize-winning authors.

This year’s recipient of the Stellfox Award is award-winning writer Roberto Saviano, author of the Italian mafia exposé Gomorrah.

His writings also include Piranhas, a novel about teenage mafiosos, and ZeroZeroZero, an investigation of the global cocaine trade that has recently been adapted into a TV series for Amazon Prime Video. Saviano is known for his courage and zeal in speaking out against organized crime, and when he was condemned to death by multiple Italian mafia families more than a decade ago, he didn’t know what his future would hold.

His five-day residency in March included a public reading, exclusive book signing and award ceremony; a Q&A session; classroom visits and workshops; and small group gatherings with students and professors.

“There was a buzz following him everywhere he went, and he was incredibly generous with his time and advice for students and faculty,” said Adjunct Faculty in Film & Media Studies James Guardino.

“Roberto said being on campus was ‘paradise.’ ” Saviano praised Dickinson’s academic traditions and culture: “It was a unique experience that gave me not only a strong emotion when meeting curious and passionate students, at times surprised by what was said, it also left me with a feeling of hope—the possibility that study and research are still the fundamental elements that bring people together.”

JC Sosa-Soto ’21 and Shayyan Malik ’21 contributed to this story.

HERE & THERE / fine print

Faith-Based and Secular Meditation: Everyday and Posttraumatic Applications

Religion, Secularism and the Spiritual Paths of Virginia Woolf

By Raymond Scurfield ’65

By Kristina Groover ’83

NASW Press

Palgrave Macmillan

Drawing on his 40+ years of experience as a professor, psychotherapist, social worker and Vietnam War veteran, Scurfield demonstrates how meditation can have a positive impact on our physical and mental health. Using real-world examples, his 12-step method focuses on selecting the best meditation technique for the individual.

This work is an expansive interdisciplinary study of spirituality in Virginia Woolf’s writing, drawing on theology, psychology, geography, history, gender and sexuality studies and other critical fields.

Groover is professor of English at Appalachian State University.

Nick Bones Underground

By Phil Cohen ’73 Koehler Books

By Amy Shelley Impellizzeri ’92 Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing I Know How This Ends is a time-bending novel about a young reporter swept into a story about family secrets and twisted fate when time travelers collide.

This is award-winning author Impellizzeri’s fourth novel.

Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting With Readers Using Short Fiction

By Matty Dalrymple ’85 and Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Told with sardonic humor, Nick Bones Underground offers an imaginative and wild ride through a dystopic and dangerous New York City as Professor Nick Friedman searches for an old high school friend.

Cohen is a rabbi and a storyteller—he has published dozens of stories, articles and papers and blogs for The Times of Israel. This is his first novel and is a part of a planned trilogy.

Fiction

I Know How This Ends F

William Kingsfield Publishers Short fiction is enjoying a resurgence and provides both independently and traditionally published authors opportunities for creating income and connecting with readers. Learn where those opportunities lie and how to take advantage of them. Dalrymple is a mystery writer with five novels to her name, and this is her nonfiction debut.

Nonfiction 17

HERE & THERE / 10 questions

Dickinson Reaches Its CARBON NEUTRALITY GOAL

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 1 8

As one of the first 10 U.S. colleges or universities to produce zero net emissions of greenhouse gases, and the first in Pennsylvania, Dickinson leads the way Dickinson has achieved what fewer than 10 colleges and universities in the nation have accomplished—it is carbon neutral.

“Through more than a decade of collaborative effort, the entire Dickinson community has made this ambitious achievement a reality,” said President Margee Ensign.

“Sustainability is one of the pillars of a Dickinson education. We are meeting our civic obligation to the future by taking responsible, scientifically supported actions to slow climate change now.”

Photos by Heather Livingston, Joe O’Neill and Carl Socolow ’77.

Dickinson’s strategy for reaching carbon neutrality prioritized reducing the college’s emissions through conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and purchasing carbon offsets.

“The single biggest project we’ve done to reduce our carbon emissions is our 3-megawatt solar field, which has reduced 10% of our total carbon emissions,” said Ken Shultes, associate vice president for sustainability and facilities planning. “Dickinson is also part of the largest solar power purchasing agreement among independent colleges in the nation. In total, Dickinson’s solar projects account for more than 75% of the college’s electricity consumption.”

The college concentrated on efficiency improvements to heating, cooling and electrical systems across campus, reducing its energy use per square foot of building space by more than 10%, even as the campus grew by about 15% over the last decade. This achievement was assisted by designing new buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold or Platinum standards.

Dickinson also encouraged sustainable behaviors among students, faculty and staff through education and outreach programs. On the transportation front, Dickinson added three dual-port electric vehicle charging stations on campus in 2020 to support the purchase and use of these low-emission vehicles by the extended college community.

“Dickinson has made climate change a major focus of both our academic curriculum and life on campus,” said Neil Leary, associate provost and director of Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education. “Students are preparing for leadership in the wider world with hands-on approaches to climate science, risks, ethics, solutions, policies and economics while living in a community that weaves sustainable practices into everything we do. It’s a living example of Dickinson’s dedication to providing a useful education for the common good.”

In addition to receiving accolades from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, The Princeton Review, Sierra Magazine and others, the college has trained faculty from partner institutions on teaching about climate change and received a major grant from NASA for this work. Dozens of projects and initiatives on and off campus connect sustainability projects to the classroom and community, including the college’s USDAcertified organic farm, Handlebar Bicycle Cooperative, Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring and the Center for Sustainable Living.

“We are not stopping with our 2020 goal,” said Leary. “Our critical work will continue as we make deeper cuts into our greenhouse gas emissions and continue to finance reduction by others, and we are committed to sharing our knowledge and resources with other institutions who want to join us on this path.” —Craig Layne dson.co/covideo

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HERE & THERE

Title IX Sparks Questions The implementation of Title IX policies and procedures was a dominant topic at several colleges and universities this spring, including Dickinson. In February, the issue boiled to the surface in the form of a four-day student sit-in at the Holland Union Building, as students came together to express their concerns with the process for handling sexual assault cases on campus. Following is a Q&A with Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Inclusivity Brenda Bretz ’95 and Title IX Coordinator Kat Matic to help ensure that our community is aware of the history, policies and actions related to this charged topic.

What is Title IX? MATIC: Title IX is a federal civil rights law passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in the college’s programs and activities. Title IX protects all members of our community, including students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors and guests, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.

When was the current Title IX Office created and why?

BRETZ: In May 2018, the Title IX Office moved from the Division of Student Life to the newly formed Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusivity, signaling that the office serves the entire campus. We relocated to a private and centralized location in Old West and hired Kat, a well-respected leader in the field who is passionate about this work.

My goals are to ensure a safe and respectful campus and a supportive and equitable Title IX process, increase reports to the Title IX office, increase educational programs and collaboration with other offices on campus to deliver the programming, and produce an annual report that is communicated to campus.

Why is Dickinson involved in investigating sexual assaults on campus?

MATIC: We are required to respond to all reports of violations of Title IX, not only sexual assault. More importantly, we respond because of our commitment to support those who have been harmed, to empower

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them with information to make decisions and to assist them in obtaining support services. Our involvement allows us to institute measures designed to stop and eliminate any such sex- or gender-based discrimination, prevent the recurrence of the prohibited conduct and remedy any adverse effects of such conduct on campus or in college-related programs or activities.

What are you doing differently following the protest?

MATIC: We are in the process of hiring a full-time investigator and providing, upon request, investigation packets to both the complainant and respondent, while upholding privacy of any witnesses or others involved in the investigation. We also are incorporating best practices and designing new programs to train all employees in compassionately receiving a disclosure of sexual and gender-based misconduct.

BRETZ: In fall 2019, to provide transparent and complete information on what happens when a report is made, the policy had already been expanded. The Presidential Working Group is continuing to work on the Title IX Agreement items remotely. (Read more at dson.co/pwg.)

What is Dickinson doing regarding prevention and education?

MATIC: We know that education, awareness and implementing behavioral change are key to preventing and ultimately ending sexual and gender-based discrimination on campus and in our society. For information on all of our trainings and educational programs, visit the Education & Prevention page on our website.

Does Dickinson report out on cases to the community?

BRETZ: Yes, we think it is important to share with the community information about cases without violating confidentiality. You can find the reports on the Title IX website.

Where do I get more information?

BRETZ: We appreciate the interest and input from the alumni community and welcome the opportunity to hear from you. You’ll find additional information as well as our contact information at dickinson.edu/titleix.

John Dickinson Society Members

Photos by Carl Socolow ’77 unless otherwise noted.

Laura Wills

LEARN, ENGAGE, CONNECT

The John Dickinson Society (JDS) celebrates the more than 900 philanthropic leaders within our Dickinson community. This year has brought many opportunities for these alumni, parents and friends to learn, engage and connect with each other and the wider Dickinson community.

In Philadelphia, JDS members enjoyed lunch at the Barnes Foundation with Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Lee. In Chicago, members gathered for a private tour of East Asian art at the Art Institute of Chicago with Wei Ren, assistant professor of art & art history and Tamar and Emil ’53 Weiss Chair in Asian Art. A bit farther away, members enjoyed a luncheon in Naples, Florida, hosted by George Hager ’78 and attended by Chair of the Board of Trustees John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, and Provost and Dean of the College Neil Weissman.

JDS members spent time on campus at a reception celebrating the 2020 Stellfox Award-winner, Roberto Saviano, prior to his public reading.

These are just a handful of examples of the kinds of exclusive opportunities available to members of the JDS. To learn more, visit dickinson.edu/jds.

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26 HEADER HEAD

Seasons Strong

Imagine how many collegiate coaches would love to have a single-school record of 372-198-1 over the course of 26 seasons. Then think about the student-athletes he’s coached: four Centennial Conference Outstanding Performers, nine All-Americans, 217 All-Conference honors, 58 CC champions.

It’s a stunning achievement across the board, one to be widely celebrated, as Paul Richards, Dickinson’s head swimming coach and role model and mentor to hundreds of Dickinson swimmers, retires.

“It takes a special person to connect with a team like Coach does with his swimmers—he knows how to motivate on so many different levels,” says Carson Gannon ’14 (psychology), whose women’s squad went 10-3 her graduating year. “Coach’s leadership and attitude is contagious, and everyone lucky enough to be under his wing can tell he has a passion for swimming that runs through his veins.”

Along with the success he fostered in the pool, Richards’ women swimmers received Scholar All-American honors every single semester, while the men accumulated a streak of 48 consecutive semesters, and his influence has extended into the lives of each student he’s coached.

“For me personally, Coach has been my biggest mentor in my college career,” says Tyler Catania ’21 (political science, international studies), who credits Richards with teaching him how to be a better teammate and leader. “Coach has always been there for me, through my good days and my bad days. And he has always believed in me, especially when I did not believe in myself.”

Coach Richards’ support for others doesn’t end at Dickinson’s limestone walls, and he was the longtime advisor to Scroll and Key, Relay for Life and Spectrum. He’s also known locally for his active participation in community causes, such as the Nondiscrimination Ordinance passed in Carlisle in 2016.

“Coach is a huge reason this ordinance passed, and since that moment on that chilly, beautiful, powerful and inspirational night, I have never seen him back down from a fight for vulnerable populations everywhere,” says Olivia Lyman ’19 (international studies), who notes that Richards was always a driving force for her personally as well. “I wouldn’t be standing where I am today without Coach. I am forever indebted to this man, and I know with confidence that I am not the only one.”

Richards has been part of three of his athletes’ weddings over the years, and he says his phone often rings at the birth of a future Dickinsonian. And while he’s looking forward to spending more time with wife Jeanette, son Paul and chocolate lab Jake, the thing Richards will miss the most is being surrounded by people who feel about him as he does about the college.

“I know it sounds cliché, but we really were, and still are, a family,” he says. “I’m grateful for the opportunity that Dickinson gave me—to be a part of a community that encouraged me, supported me and helped me to become a better coach, a better teacher and a better person. Dickinson has been the perfect place for our family and for me professionally.” —Tony Moore DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 2 2

Carl Socolow ’77

Head Swimming Coach Paul Richards Retires

[

IN THE GAME

]

Track and Field Isabel Cardi ’21 was the CC Runner of the Year, earning three All-Region honors. Sarah House ’20 was the CC Scholar Athlete of the Year and AllRegion in two events as the Red Devils produced nine All-Region performers while garnering 10 All-Conference honors. Elizabeth Lieb ’23 was the CC Rookie of the Year, winning both the long and triple jump events as Dickinson finished second at the conference championships. Cardi and House qualified to run in the 3,000 meters in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

Adam Gamber ’20 joined House as the first two student-athletes in conference history to be named Scholar Athletes of the Year three times. Gamber medaled in the pole vault, leading the Red Devils to nine All-Conference honors. Carlisle’s Cole Boback ’23 was the CC Rookie of the Year, winning both the 400 and 200 meters and receiving AllRegion honors in the 400. The Red Devils were third in the team standings at the conference championships.

Matthew O’Haren

Chris Knight

Swimming Will Freeman ’20 capped a great career with a strong senior season, earning All-Conference honors with a second conference title in the 400 individual medley. He set five school records (100-200-400-IM, 200 breast, 800 free relay), while Logan Cort ’22 broke four records and Graham Novitch ’20 broke two. The Red Devils finished fourth at championships and were recognized as a Scholar All-America Team by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America.

Women’s swimming received its 51st consecutive honor as a Scholar All-America Team. It had outstanding seasons from All-Conference performers Sarah Caron ’23 and Caroline Wasielevski ’23, who combined to help set three school relay records. Caron added a school mark in the 100 backstroke while Wasielevski broke the 50 freestyle mark, previously set in 1996. Molly Sternick ’20 set records with a pair of relays and added another in the 100 IM as the women placed fourth in the championships.

Matthew O’Haren

Ryan Murray

Dickinson teams and individuals earned several NCAA and Centennial Conference (CC) accolades, and some were heading to championships, before the winter season competition was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Basketball Men’s basketball (4-21) struggled in the win column but battled through each game as a relatively young lineup gained valuable playing experience. Bryce Allen ’20 missed a stretch of games with an injury but had a great finish to his career, becoming the 28th player in the program to score 1,000 career points. Allen earned All-Conference honors for the second time and finished in the top 10 in numerous categories, moving into third in career steals.

Women’s basketball (16-11) won seven straight games at the end of the season before falling in the conference semifinals. Emily Padalino ’20 earned first-team All-CC honors while Halle Maeda ’21 and Kate Deutsch ’22 received honorable mention. Hannah Heiring ’20 set the school record in free throw percentage at 83.1 percent and ranks with Padalino in the top 10 in three-point shooting.

Squash Women’s squash (9-12) finished on a high note, winning a pair of matches to claim the consolation final in the Walker Cup (C Division) at the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships. It finished ranked 21st in the final poll, while Eloise Nimoityn ’21 advanced to the individual championships.

The men’s team (9-13) won its final three matches to capture the Conroy Cup (D-Division) at the CSA Team Championships, securing a top-25 ranking.

Alex Wattles ’20 qualified for the individual championships.

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 23 23

House Divided Project Leads to Name Changes for Armstrong, Cooper and Montgomery Halls If you take a walk across campus, you’ll see several buildings named after figures from the college’s 237-year existence. But for a college with such a long history, one that has snaked through turbulent times, that tradition can become problematic decades—or centuries—down the road.

So when Matthew Pinsker, professor of history and director of the House Divided project, and his students set out to explore the college’s complex relationship with slavery in their recent Dickinson and Slavery project, they discovered that echoes of that complex relationship live on today—in campus buildings named for slaveholders from Dickinson’s past.

“Many Dickinsonians have already heard some of the basic insights that our initiative has unearthed: that three of the college’s founders were slaveholders, as were roughly 60 percent of the founding board of trustees,” says Cooper Wingert ’20 (history), who has published nearly a dozen books on the American Civil War era. “How we choose to apply these new insights to our campus and community is a far more complex question.”

DI CK INSON M AGAZINE Spring 2020 2 4

The overriding suggestion emerging from the House Divided report is to rename those buildings on campus whose names honor the legacy of supporters of slavery. The report ultimately singled out three slaveholders/proslavery figures who never renounced slaveholding—John Armstrong, Thomas Cooper and John Montgomery—and the halls on campus named for them (as well as the Montgomery Service Leaders program, which has been rebranded the Community Engagement Fellows).

Now, based on the recommendations laid out in the report, Student Senate has passed a resolution calling for Cooper Hall to be renamed, and the science faculty has removed Cooper’s portrait from the Rector Science Complex. The recommendations were sent to the President’s Commission on Inclusivity, which is considering renaming Armstrong, Cooper and Montgomery halls while other related initiatives are reviewed this year. A committee comprising faculty, students, staff and alumni will make final recommendations to the board of trustees and President Margee Ensign.

“We’ve all heard the incantation ‘You can’t rewrite history,’ but that’s precisely what the historical craft, by its very nature, does,” says Wingert. “Crucially, however, that doesn’t mean obliterating slaveholders from the college’s historical landscape but rather recognizing that memorializations of them often covered up the lives of the enslaved people they held, and whose labor they—and the college itself—profited from.”

And addressing that point in particular, part of the discussion will focus on renaming buildings in honor of formerly enslaved people—Carlisle families and individuals—who were in fact more significant contributors to life at Dickinson, especially after the Civil War. “Incorporating the voices of individuals so long neglected and overlooked is—in my view—a worthwhile reason to rewrite history,” says Wingert. —Tony Moore

HERE & THERE / bragging rights #DSONPROUD

Unprecedented Solar Purchase Dickinson has partnered with Lafayette College, Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College to purchase the largest amount of solar power of any group of independent higher-education institutions.

15-year virtual power purchase agreement • 200+ acre solar farm located in Texas • 12th-largest higher-education renewable energy project in terms of •

megawatts and will add additional renewable energy to the country’s grid

• Combined with the 3-megawatt solar field and multiple other solar CONGRATULATIONS to class of 2022 members Julia Barone, Julia Chandler, Mohala Kaliebe, Tra Pham, Linh Nguyen and Erin Lowe, who were accepted into the highly competitive Mansfield Visiting Student Program at Oxford University.

Dickinson brought home three honors in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II 2020 Accolades Awards: Gold: Dickinson 2017-18 Report on Giving (Annual or Institutional Reports); Bronze: Dickinson and Slavery Project (News and Research Videos); and Honorable Mention: Dickinson College Photography Compilation (Excellence in Photography).

arrays on campus, eradicates approximately 75% of Dickinson’s electricity-related emissions Collectively, the group’s 45.9-megawatt share of the project is anticipated to help prevent over 70,000 metric tons of carbon emissions each year, which is equivalent to removing over 15,000 cars from the road.

The Carnegie Foundation has honored Dickinson with its Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a designation indicating institutional commitment to enriching teaching and research while also benefiting the broader community.

Dickinson has been named a

TOP PRODUCER

of Fulbright U.S. Students for 2019-20.

Congratulations to Leon Rose ’83 for being named president of the New York Knicks!

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CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

By Tony Moore | Illustrations by Amanda W. Chilton

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[

feature

]

February 29, 2020, was an unusually cold and windy day in Atlanta, and 200,000 people lined the streets to watch a marathon. It was an event that found runners climbing 1,389 feet and descending nearly the same distance, adding to the generally grueling nature of marathons, as it followed three 8-mile loops through the city and a 2-mile final stretch to get the course to its proper 26.2 miles.

That last leg took runners past the reignited Olympic Cauldron— last lit in 1996 by Muhammad Ali during the Centennial Olympic Games—in a sense bringing the event full circle. This was the Olympic marathon trials, which would determine the three men and three women to run the event for Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. And three Dickinson alums were among the 565 qualifiers in Georgia that rare leap day, among athletes of rare talent, trying to get their tickets punched to Japan.

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“ I would run as far as my legs and heart would take me.”

BEST OF THE BEST “It’s hard to fully articulate all of my feelings, emotions and now memories of the U.S. Olympic marathon trials,” says Catherine Campbell ’12 (biochemistry & molecular biology), who’s finishing a three-year residency program at the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry and who finished the race in 2:55:32. “My emotions were on an all-time high from the moment I landed in the Atlanta airport, and the experience exceeded all expectations I had. It was truly incredible!”

To even be allowed to line up for what’s been dubbed the country’s most exclusive marathon, men had to run a qualifying marathon in 2:19 or faster or a half marathon in 1:04 or faster. For women, the times were 2:45 and 1:13.

Campbell, who qualified in Houston in January, found herself in awe of the company she kept, rubbing elbows with the likes of Molly Huddle, Olympic record setter; Galen Rupp, now four-time Olympic marathoner; and Paula Radcliffe, one of the most storied marathoners to ever run a race. The level of competition runners faced also wasn’t lost on Greg Leak ’10 (biology), a former U.S. Army officer who’s now the cross country coach at Bellarmine Preparatory School (Washington). But Leak—who qualified in Berlin, Germany—says the race doesn’t just pit him against the rest of the field.

“The Olympic trials are special because you are racing against the best in the country and some of the best runners in the world,” says Leak, who ran a 5:38 minute mile and finished 124th overall with a time of 2:27:35. “Having said that, that wasn’t my main concern, because in the marathon you’re racing the others but you’re also racing the distance. My goal for any marathon race, and for the Olympic trials, was to prepare and execute a race that maximizes my potential on that day.”

Gabrielle Russo ’06 (anthropology) knows about maximizing potential, both on and off the course. After Dickinson, she earned an M.A. from CUNY Hunter College and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, both in biological anthropology. Now, an assistant professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University, director of Stony Brook’s anthropology master’s program and co-director of a paleontological field project in Kenya, Russo is a marathoner, ultrarunner (2018 USATF 50K road champion) and a triathlete (2nd overall female at 2019 Atlantic City 70.3) who thought she might not make it to the starting line at the Olympic trials, let alone the finish line.

“I was injured for the five weeks leading into the trials and wasn’t sure if I would be able to run at all, never mind 26.2 miles,” says Russo, who won the Suffolk County Marathon in 2017 after taking a long break from running to pursue her academic career. “Ultimately I decided to just enjoy myself and the experience, and smile, without any expectations regarding the outcome.

I would run as far as my legs and heart would take me. That attitude, and a huge dose of adrenaline, got me across the finish line. I was ecstatic.”

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“… no dream was too big.”

RUNNING AS RED DEVILS Not surprisingly, Campbell, Leak and Russo have all been running a long time, and each was a standout as a Red Devil runner. Campbell—a two-time McAndrews Award winner—ran to All-America honors in the 5,000 meters at the 2012 NCAA Indoor National Track & Field Championships and was a fourtime NCAA All-Region and three-time first-team All-Centennial Conference performer in cross country, leading the Red Devils to four straight NCAA Championship appearances. She captured a conference title in the 3,000 meters at the indoor championships in 2012 and earned a combined six AllConference honors in indoor and outdoor track and field.

“As a Dickinson athlete, I was never limited in my goals or dreams, and I was surrounded by an incredibly supportive community,” says Campbell, a Carlisle native who recently took her engagement photos on Dickinson’s campus with fiancé Arthur Worthington ’13. “And I am so thankful to Coach Don Nichter for always encouraging me as an athlete—no dream was too big, and he continues to support me to this day, always believing in me and helping me to realize my potential.”

Under Nichter, Leak ran to All-America honors in cross country and NCAA All-Region recognition three times. He also ran to back-to-back individual CC championships and helped lead the Red Devils to indoor and outdoor CC championships in 2010. And he says he never would have done it, or accomplished what he has today, without Coach Nichter.

“Coach Nichter was important in my development as an athlete and as a runner,” says Leak, who was running at a 10-minute pace for the two mile and posted a personal best mile pace of 4:46. “I can run those paces now for the marathon and 10K. Coach Nichter recognized that I had the potential to be a good runner but needed the time to develop, and he kept a long-term focus on that development. My ability to run 130 miles a week, along with all of the other supplemental work, started at Dickinson.”

Russo—who qualified for the Olympic trials at the 2018 Philadelphia Marathon—earned NCAA All-Region and first-team All-Centennial Conference honors in cross country, helped set the school record as part of the 4x400 relay and added conference titles in the 4x400- and 4x800-meter relays in the 2004 indoor championships.

“I gained so much—in addition to huge improvement on my athletic ability and competitive mindset—as part of the Dickinson cross country and track teams,” says Russo. “I particularly treasure the teammates-turned-friends who I am still in contact with 14 years after graduation.”

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HARD WORK & COMMUNITY “ There is no secret. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, and this applies to any sport, endeavor, career or passion in life.”

So people might wonder, “How do these elite runners prepare for a race like this and maintain their drive?” Not surprisingly, preparation comes in the form of hard work, both physical and mental, and lots of it. For Leak that means a large volume of running plus supplemental training such as Olympic-style weightlifting, a stability routine, Achilles exercises, deeptissue massage and meditation.

“One question I often get is, ‘What’s the secret to running a fast or better marathon?’ ” he says, noting that he learns more about himself as an athlete and as a person after a bad marathon performance than a good one. “There is no secret. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, and this applies to any sport, endeavor, career or passion in life. I love that the marathon teaches you that important life lesson.”

Russo stresses the “juggling act” she finds herself performing in terms of balancing a tenure-track position at a research institution and her dedication to endurance competition. “When I sit down every Sunday to plan the week ahead, I schedule workouts into my calendar just as I do teaching my classes, meetings with my graduate or undergraduate students or service work,” she says. “I’m grateful that my university and department have been incredibly supportive of my journey.”

Another life lesson to be learned from marathon running might feel a little ironic. In a sport where it’s the runner against the field, Campbell finds that it’s a sense of being in it with other runners, a togetherness, that really propels her. “Running is all about community, and I have met other runners of all ages and backgrounds connected by the same drive to become a better version of ourselves through running,” she says. “I would not be the runner I am today without teammates who train with me, encourage me, support me and help me to realize my potential.”

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THE FINISH LINE The three marathoners did meet up in Atlanta, and there was plenty of support and encouragement to go around. And while none of them will advance to Tokyo for the now-delayed Summer Olympics and the trials are over, they share their Dickinson past, their Red Devil running foundation, their love of the sport. And, most likely, Campbell’s exhilaration at being among the most elite athletes in their sport, experiencing something that most never will:

“ As I passed the starting line, it was hard not to get swept up by the crowds—my ears were ringing and my race plan went out the window. The crowds were deafening. I couldn’t help but enjoy every second and take it all in. I had never experienced anything like it. What I will remember most was seeing all of my family and friends on the course. Every time I heard my name, I couldn’t help but smile, wave and hope to catch a glimpse of loved ones to lock away forever.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one I’ll never forget. I gave it my all down the final 200-meter stretch with the biggest smile on my face as I crossed the finish line! I’m thankful for all who have inspired me, and hope my journey may serve as inspiration for others.”

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spaces we lcve A glimpse of Adams and Witwer halls through spring blooms along Morgan Field.

Photo by Carl Socolow ’77.

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A Winding Grind

Ben Martinez ’08 Cuts a Creative Path From Guitars and Surfboards to the Victory Fridge and Beyond

By Matt Getty

What do selling an indie pop song to Verizon, marketing for a hedge fund, surfing in New York City, figuring out how to buy all of Philadelphia a beer and convincing the Cleveland Browns to celebrate a losing record have in common? The short answer is Ben Martinez ’08, who capitalized on the adaptability he gained at Dickinson to blaze a career path with wildly varying stops that only have one thing in common—success.

After seeing how much his brother, Ryan ’05, enjoyed Dickinson, Martinez came to the college in 2004 on the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Scholarship and threw himself into a wide range of activities. He worked at the College Farm, gained fluency in French, majored in environmental studies, participated in a comparative study of the Chesapeake and Mississippi Delta through the Luce Semester and even took on a summer construction job thanks to a connection Rose provided when they met during an annual Rose Scholarship Dinner.

“Dickinson was a fantastic time,” Martinez says. “An intimate college setting where you could get involved in anything, great academics, great professors who cared a lot and really expanded my outlook.”

After graduating, Martinez put off entering the 9-to-5 world to take a chance on Basement Batman, the indie-pop band he’d launched while still a student. That meant moving to New York City and living meal-to-meal for a while with his bandmates, but it also meant touring the country, cracking into the competitive South by Southwest festival and even selling the song “On a Streak” to Verizon for a commercial spot.

“We made no money for a long time, then sold that song, made a big chunk of money, and then went right back to making no money,” he recalls with a laugh. “But we had a great time.”

After hanging up his guitar, Martinez leveraged his French skills to land a job with the simultaneous translation company Prolingo. He soon moved into a sales and marketing position with the company and parlayed that experience into a marketing job with the hedge fund Angelo, Gordon & Co. a year later.

“Yeah, that’s a huge shift, going from playing in a band to working at a hedge fund,” says Martinez.

But he was well prepared for that shift and the many that lay ahead. “Dickinson was an incredible place to develop the kind of flexibility and confidence you need to just jump on every opportunity,” he says. “That’s what I did. I just kept grinding.”

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DISTINCTIVELY DICKINSON / alumni profile

The next grind came when Martinez turned his newfound love of surfing (“Yes, you can actually surf in New York City, at Rockaway Beach,” he notes) into a position as global manager of partnerships with the newly formed World Surf League. “When I saw that league pop up, being the kind of scrappy Dickinson grad I was, I just sent a cold email to the person whose contact information they had on the press announcement,” he says.

The bold move paid off in a three-year stint building the league’s marketing partnerships with brands like Anheuser-Busch and traveling to events in Tahiti, Hawaii, Brazil and Australia. Working closely and successfully with Anheuser-Busch then gave Martinez the chance to make his biggest move yet, becoming the director of Bud Light Sports Marketing in 2017 and managing a $180 million portfolio of brand partnerships with the NFL, NCAA, NHL and MLB for one of the world’s most popular beers.

“I kind of sat between the brand and those properties,” Martinez explains. “I would work with our marketing team to take their ideas and collaborate with the teams and leagues to bring Bud Light to life in fun ways that connect with sports fans.”

At its simplest level, it’s hammering out agreements to put team logos on beer cans and bottles, but at its most complex, it’s a job that demands quick, creative thinking, careful negotiation, and strong leadership. Take, for instance, when the Philadelphia Eagles lineman Lane

Johnson joked at the start of the 201718 season on Twitter that if the Eagles won the Super Bowl, he would buy the entire city a beer.

“Someone on our social team responded that if that happens, we’ll foot the bill to give everyone a Bud Light,” Martinez recalls. “Lo and behold, the Eagles have this Cinderella season, and we had to figure out in a very short time how to give away free beer to the city of Philly.” The solution was to give Bud Lights away at the team’s Super Bowl celebration parade and re-dub Bud Light’s “Dilly Dilly” slogan “Philly Philly” for a day.

The next fall, getting the Cleveland Browns to celebrate two years of failure took some careful negotiating when Martinez brought to life his most widely noted partnership: “The Bud Light Victory Fridge.” After learning that Cleveland threw the team a parade after a winless season that followed a one-win season, Martinez saw the opportunity to highlight the Browns fans’ passion in a way that would also spotlight Bud Light. The promotion installed in Cleveland bars padlocked Bud Light-filled refrigerators that would only be opened when the team finally won a game.

“My job was to get the Browns on board,” says Martinez, recalling the meeting in Cleveland where he sold the Browns’ marketing team on the idea.

“I said, ‘Guys, listen, stick with us here.

We’re not doing this to poke fun at you.

We’re doing this because we want to reward the loyal fan base and be a part of their celebration.”

As the Browns fought to a close loss and a tie in the first two weeks of the season, the promotion gained national attention, which culminated in the Browns’ Week 3 nationally televised Thursday night win over the Jets and the opening of the Victory Fridge. “It was really the perfect storm for us,” says Martinez. “The Browns had become that underdog story everyone could get behind, so they were almost like America’s team at that point, and everyone knew about the fridge and our beer inside it.”

These days, Martinez has moved away from beer as the sponsorship director for Anheuser-Busch’s Beyond Beer Portfolio. With the trend of hard seltzer, single-serving wine and canned cocktails gaining steam in recent years, he’s now working to forge sports and entertainment sponsorships for brands like Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer, BABE Rosé and Cutwater.

Wine and football may seem like a difficult match, but with the skills Martinez gained at Dickinson, he’s definitely up for the task. “Everything I’ve been able to achieve in my career has been through working with other people, and I think that’s what Dickinson prepared me very well for,” says Martinez, who’s already made BABE Rosé the first official wine of the NFL. “That mentality of collaborating with a diverse group of people all coming from different places with different ideas—that’s something I learned at Dickinson, and that’s something I still rely on every day.”

“Dickinson was an incredible place to develop the kind of flexibility and confidence you need to just jump on every opportunity.

That’s what I did.

I JUST KEPT GRINDING

.”

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residing inspiration

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During a milestone year for an alumna-founded residency program, we take a look back at the ways it touches the lives of students, faculty and professional artists alike.

By MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

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Professional artist Will Preman concluded his on-campus lecture with an invitation: If any students, at any skill level, wanted to join in as he created new sculptures for an on-campus exhibition, he was game.

“I’d never had the opportunity to work with an artist hands-on and learn new skills along the way,” says Nate Chaves ’23, who had experience with pottery in high school and had just rediscovered an interest in it during an artfocused First-Year Seminar. Soon, Chaves was in Dickinson’s ceramics studio, learning new techniques—some particular to this artist—and creating small figures that would be displayed on campus as part of a larger work. And all this during Chaves’s very first weeks on campus.

For students like Chaves, the chance to peek under the hood of a working artist’s process—and even tinker around a bit in there—helps illuminate what a day in the life in the arts can look like. That rare opportunity arrives thanks to the Sylvia J. Smith ’73 Artist-in-Residence Program, established in 2007, which brings up-and-coming artists to campus each year.

Above, Sylvia Smith ’73.

At left, sculpture by Will Preman.

Sylvia Smith residents work directly with students during open studio hours, visit art classrooms, deliver individualized critiques to senior studio art majors, give a public address about their work and complete new art for an on-campus exhibition. So that students will be exposed to artists working in different mediums, the art department rotates between hosting residents who specialize in painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and ceramics, although many take an interdisciplinary approach to their work.

The broad and deep professional networks of individual faculty members were key to the program’s early success. Sculptor and Associate Professor of Studio Art Anthony Cervino’s connections with a Norwegian curator led to the 2018 residency with Norwegian multimedia artist Sif Ankergård, for example, and Barbara Diduk, Dickinson’s late ceramics professor, drew from long-established connections in the international ceramics community.

“We try for as diverse a field of applicants as possible, as we view this as a great opportunity for the students to engage with artists whose experiences and outlook may be very different from theirs and from faculty’s,” says Ward Davenny, professor of art. “All told, it has provided a great learning experience, not only to the students but to us as faculty as well.”

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The Sylvia Smith residency is made possible by its namesake, a Dickinson trustee who studied fine arts and art history as an undergrad and now is an award-winning architect and senior partner at one of New York City’s top architectural firms. In recent years, she’s provided expertise to help guide construction projects for renovations and new facilities on campus, including the Rector Science Complex, Althouse Hall, Waidner Admissions House and the Kline Fitness Center.

Smith’s $75,000 gift to establish the fund was inspired by an eye-opening classroom experience she had as an undergrad. Working with maverick painter William Wiley, who visited her drawing class on the invitation of Dickinson art professor Eric Weller, the young artist was inspired to view and approach the creative process in new ways.

“I thought if I could bring creative artists to campus, maybe they could have that same kind of impact,” Smith says.

“Because interaction with students is key for Sylvia, we look for someone who would be great in that capacity,” says Todd Arsenault ’99, an alumnus of Dickinson’s art department as well as an associate professor of art who served as the program’s inaugural faculty coordinator in 2008. Over the years, he adds, the faculty has learned that because each residency is unique, the coordinating

faculty members must be flexible, tailoring each residency to the artist, so the students can wring the most out of the experience.

Another evolution in the program: Since 2015, the art department has sent out a national call for residency applicants—a change that not only allows faculty members to select from a larger applicant pool but also helps raise national visibility for the college.

“I had an amazing experience at Dickinson, and it informs who I am every day,” says Smith. “Having the opportunity to continue to be a part of the college community and support others’ experiences is rewarding. It’s gratifying to be a part of an institution that has done so much and to do what I can to perpetuate and strengthen it.”

In letters to Smith, the artists note that it’s gratifying for them as well.

Preman was the 10th artist to serve a Sylvia Smith residency.

To mark the occasion, students in Cervino’s Exhibit Craft class curated a retrospective exhibition that includes works by past residents. The art department used this opportunity to redocument and repack the works and to reassess them as a growing collection.

“I loved speaking with the professors both in and out of the classroom and having the chance to work with the senior art majors,” wrote Kristopher Benedict, the inaugural Smith artist in residence.

“The creative energy, intellectual engagement and warm collegiality I found at Dickinson far exceeded my expectations.”

“We had these pieces tucked away, and it was great to see them together,” says Cervino, who guided the students as they selected the works and designed and hung the exhibition, using a handcrafted to-scale model of the Goodyear Gallery as a guide.

“The opportunity to be on the Dickinson campus has been so meaningful and productive to me,” Preman wrote. “To be surrounded by young creative people has inspired and invigorated my work.”

For Smith, the residency is an effective way to give back to her alma mater and further cultivate creativity on campus, as students sharpen skills and explore career goals in competitive fields that do not present one definitive path forward.

Sylvia Smith ’73 Artists in Residence 2008-09 F. Kristopher Benedict, painter F

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2009-10 J. Li Chao, ceramic sculptor

2010-11 G. William Holton, painter

2012-13 I. Juanli Carrion and Rena Leinberger, public and installation art

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2014-15 A|K. Feng Weina, ceramic artist

2015-16 B|L. Thomas Wharton, painter J

2016-17 C. Shoshanna White, photographer I

2017-18 D. Sif AnkergĂĽrd, multimedia artist

2018-19 H. Christopher Hartshorne, printmaker

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2019-20 E. Will Preman, ceramic sculptor

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Claudia Bonaccorsi ’22

Meet (More of) the Trustees

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In the fall 2019 issue we kicked off a new Q&A series featuring members of the Dickinson Board of Trustees (revisit it at dson.co/trusteemag19).

These dedicated Dickinsonians offered a glimpse into the inner workings of this leadership group, and we are pleased to continue this series with a new group of trustees, including our first-ever non-alum trustee.

Michele Mahoney Richardson ’85 Nonprofit Finance Consultant

In the early ’90s, I was a disgruntled alum focused on all the ways my husband’s alma mater, Williams College, was doing everything better than Dickinson. I wrote a letter to then-President Fritschler outlining everything Dickinson was doing wrong and my ideas for how to fix them. I was shocked when Fritschler called me to talk about my concerns and asked me to be part of the solution and join his Board of Advisors. In 1998, after several years on the BOA, and a serious education in higher-ed finances, I was asked to join the Board of Trustees. By this time I was an enthusiastic Dickinson supporter, and the chance to continue my service to the college was too compelling to pass up.

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Why did you join the board?

What’s something you think the Dickinson community should know about the BOT? The board has changed a lot since I joined (this will be my last year). It is younger and more diverse.

There has been active recruitment of board members with a goal of bringing in new members to fill gaps the board identifies. Board members are assigned to committees based on their professional expertise or areas of interest. I’ve had the privilege to serve as chair of the finance, facilities and investment committees. We work very closely with the president’s senior staff members, who are passionately committed to Dickinson. I’ve served on several nonprofit boards, and my board service to Dickinson has been by far the most rewarding—a sentiment shared by many of my fellow trustees. I am humbled to be part of this smart, talented, diverse, thoughtful and quick-witted group of alumni.

What’s something the Dickinson community might be interested to know about you?

I’m an avid scuba diver and dive with my family whenever we can. Also, we got to see the original Broadway cast of Hamilton in part because of a tip from fellow trustee Sylvia Smith ’73 who saw it during its run at the Public Theater. Her advice ensured we had tickets in hand long before the hype hit.

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I appreciate the warm welcome that I have received from the BOT and the Dickinson academic family. I’m delighted to share my experience and global vision with students who have an interest in global engagement, be it in government,

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I was very pleased when President Ensign asked me to consider joining the board, because I was aware of Dickinson’s long and productive partnership with the Peace Corps—over 200 alums have served as Peace Corps volunteers and several faculty and staff were returned Peace Corps volunteers.

As I learned more about the college’s mission to prepare students to engage in global citizenship and its reputation as a leader in promoting global engagement, I was delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this endeavor.

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I have been a friend and colleague of President Ensign for some 30 years, and I have admired her throughout her distinguished career as a global leader.

I have observed her brilliant intellect, dynamic leadership and the compassion she brings to every organization. She is a leader who demonstrates every day how one can work to improve the human condition.

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business or the nonprofit world. I sincerely hope that my perspective will be of value to the Dickinson community.

What’s something you think the Dickinson community should know about the BOT? First and foremost, the members of the BOT are clearly grateful for the superb education they received here and are enthusiastic advocates for the college.

They are dedicated to ensuring that Dickinson will continue to provide an innovative and interdisciplinary education to the future global leaders in our society and around the world.

They have tremendous respect for the traditions of this institution, and I have observed the sheer enjoyment and deep commitment that the BOT has in their interaction with students, faculty and staff in both academic and social settings.

What’s something the Dickinson community might be interested to know about you?

My wife, Rosa, and I are the proud grandparents of five grandsons who bring us great joy every day. During my career in the USAID foreign service, we lived in five different countries, raising our two sons primarily abroad, and we still enjoy frequent travel to every continent.

I’ve had the privilege and honor to be a leader in three sectors: business, government and the nonprofit world.

I’ve enjoyed sharing my experience with the amazing students at Dickinson.

I’m pleased to engage with this new generation of future leaders and hopefully play a small role in helping to influence their careers as they go forward.

I strongly believe that we should all strive to be knowledgeable and good global citizens. Our world is so interconnected that it’s imperative we work together to ensure that the young people of the world will have a sustainable future and the ability to work through our differences for the greater good of humankind!

Rob Symington ’86 Senior Advisor, Avenue Capital Group

Why did you join the board?

Before joining the Board of Trustees, I had the opportunity to work with several trustees as a nontrustee member of the Committee on Investments. Invariably the trustees would default to animated conversations about a wide variety of challenges and opportunities that Dickinson was facing. I was stunned by the complicated and competitive nature of what the college’s administration and faculty have to do to manage a small, private liberal-arts college. When I was asked to join, I was honored but also intimidated by the amount of knowledge and passion the board members had for the school. Having now served for a few years, I am amazed at the diversity of backgrounds and careers the other trustees have. It’s amazing what you can do with a liberal-arts degree. My goal as a member is to continue to learn how best to help the school’s administration, faculty and students have as good an experience at Dickinson as I did.

What’s something you think the Dickinson community should know about the BOT? The Board of Trustees appoints members of the Committee on Investments to “be responsible and accountable for the prudent management of Dickinson’s endowment assets,” which currently exceed just over $500 million. The committee’s primary objective is to “maximize returns while minimizing risk over rolling 10-year periods.” While the committee actively develops and maintains the college’s investment policy, for almost 15 years, the committee has delegated the active day-to-day investment management of the endowment assets to Investure LLC, a $14 billion OCIO (outsourced chief investment office) for college endowments and private foundations. With Investure as its partner, Dickinson’s endowment has consistently outperformed its key benchmark comparisons and has ranked in the top 25% in terms of 10-year performance versus the NACUBO-TIAA study of over 800 college endowments.

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My parents were both teachers. My brothers and I have always talked about going back to teach at some point in our careers.

After 25 years working as an investment research analyst and portfolio manager, in 2015, I joined the faculty at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Business to teach students how to do investment research.

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What’s something the Dickinson community might be interested to know about you?

In future issues, Dickinson Magazine will continue highlighting members of the Board of Trustees and answering questions from the community about what the board does, who the trustees are and how this entity impacts the college. Send your questions to dsonmag@dickinson.edu for potential publication.

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PAST & PRESENT / our Dickinson

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Veteran Cameron Kerr ’09 Treks in Antarctica for the Common Good Former 1st Lt. Cameron Kerr ’09 recently completed an eight-day, 60-nautical-mile journey to the South Pole, in -40-degree wind chills. Kerr is a layman conservationist and Purple Heart recipient who lost his left leg in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2011 while checking on a wounded Afghan soldier. Less than a year later, he was snowboarding again, and he’s since run the Boston Marathon—twice!—and completed a 54-mile, 24-hour endurance hike in the Scottish Highlands. With funding from a Wounded Warrior grant, Kerr made his first trip to Antarctica in 2012, taking part in an expedition led by the 2041 Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness about the need to protect the Antarctic and an international mining-protection treaty that’s set to expire in 2041.

“ T he mission of the expedition dovetails with Dickinson’s core values and ahead-of-the-curve sustainability focus. We’re bringing a diverse, international team to Antarctica to experience and learn from the last great wilderness on Earth, and we’ll be training participants on climate science, sustainability and leadership skills so they can effect change in their communities, institutions and companies to benefit our planet.”

In November 2018, the organization’s founder, Robert Swan, invited Kerr to join him on a much more ambitious Antarctic adventure.

“I hesitated for a quarter of a second,” Kerr says, “and then I said, ‘Absolutely!’ I’m always up for the next challenge.”

Swan is the first explorer to trek to both the North and South poles, and he wanted to complete the journey he’d begun in 2017 before an injury sidelined him.

Kerr trained for the journey in Norway and met with an expert at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to ensure that his prosthetic leg could handle the daylong travels in the extreme cold. Then he and his fellow travelers flew from Union Glacier to the meeting point, at 89 degrees latitude. The team undertook a 15-kilometer-a-day cross-country skiing schedule, at 9,000 feet above sea level, stopping for 10 minutes each hour to hydrate (with melted snow) and refuel (with dried fruits, nuts and energy bars).

Although a reinjured hip prevented Swan from making it to the finish line this time, the remaining team members reached the South Pole’s Amundsen-Scott Research Station as planned. Kerr flew the Disabled Sports USA flag and a Dickinson banner at the site.

Kerr is back home in northern Virginia, in the sustainably constructed, energy-efficient tiny house he built, where he lives with his fiancée, Natasha. He works for The Explorer’s Passage, which leads sustainability-focused expeditions in support of Swan’s 2041 mission, and he’s also involved with Disabled Sports USA as a Warfighter Sports Ambassador. In November, he’ll again join Swan in Antarctica—this time as an expedition leader.

—MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Keep up with Kerr’s adventures on Instagram @cameronhbkerr.

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BEFORE YOU GO

At the Table

BY MARY RITTER ’23

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y family has always made it a priority to eat dinner together. When I was in high school, even with schedules packed with homework, cross country practice and other extracurriculars, we still found a way to sit down together every night. At our wooden kitchen table, discussion topics ranged from the food we were eating and reports of our work and school days to politics and religion. In a family of introverts, my brother’s more extroverted personality and knowledge in a variety of topics kept conversation flowing. Then my brother went to college, and our family of four became a family of three. My parents’ attention focused on me at dinnertime. I found a louder voice at the table, sharing my growing interest in food, history and travel.

Last fall, I started my first year at Dickinson, and meals with my friends and classmates replaced my family dinners. I ate breakfast with friends who were dedicated enough to make it to the dining hall before their 8:30 classes. Lunch became a brief mental respite from studying, even in a noisy cafeteria, and conversations from class carried over to the table. Dinner was the busiest time, when many of my friends came together to share a meal. Three meals a day, at the same times, usually with the same people. All of my routines changed, however, when my first year at Dickinson was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now that I’m home, I feel like I’m in high school again. My parents and I are back to eating dinner together every night. My brother lives in D.C., and I wish he was home to contribute to the dinner table conversation. Some days the table is noticeably

quiet because our minds are elsewhere or because we don’t have much to talk about from our days spent at home.

In the dining hall, I built relationships with my peers.

As casual acquaintances became friends, conversation turned from surface-level chatter to deeper discussions. My friends’ interests influenced mine as they shared their passion for literature, history, philosophy, science and the arts. My knowledge of the United States expanded as I compared my experience growing up in the Midwest to people who had grown up in New England and California. Now at dinner, I often find myself telling my parents about what I learned from my friends.

I’m grateful to be in a safe and healthy home, and I’m glad that I have my parents to eat with. But I wish I was sharing meals with my friends back at Dickinson, where I have built a community separate from my family. Being abruptly forced from the routine I had begun to settle into at college has allowed me time to reflect on the importance of the small moments I shared every day with my friends. It’s hard being stuck in between two places: I’m mentally in Carlisle, working virtually on classwork and missing my friends, but I’m physically at home, feeling the same need for independence I felt at the end of my senior year of high school. Only now, I’ve had a glimpse of what that independence feels like, which makes it easier to miss.

Mary Ritter ’23 is an Italian studies major from Springfield, Ohio. On campus, she is involved with Italian Club and Outing Club and is a tour guide. She wrote this piece as part of a food-diary essay assignment in Professor of Creative Writing Adrienne Su’s Creative Nonfiction: Writing Food class.

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Looking for a bit of relaxation and stress relief? Something to occupy your kiddos? Get creative with this sustainability-themed coloring page.

Share the finished product with dsonmag@dickinson.edu, or post with #dsonphotos! Illustration by Amanda W. Chilton.

THE YEAR OF CARBON N E U T R A L I T Y

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Thank you all for the many ways you have stepped up to the challenges of dealing with COVID-19. Daily you have shown me the sort of community that Dickinson truly is: caring, responsible, flexible, honorable and courageous. The common good has truly been our priority. I have never been more proud to be a part of this community. in her March 23 email to the campus community. Read the communications at dickinson.edu/covid-19.

PRESIDENT MARGEE ENSIGN

The students in my music history course are spread out over a range of 22 time zones, which is a wonderful testament to the global diversity of my classroom!

Associate Professor of Music A M Y W L OD A R S K I shared this via the Department of Music Facebook page during the first week of virtual classes.

If nothing else, moments like this demonstrate why families should consider a liberal-arts education.

G R E G MOY E R ’ 0 6 , assistant vice president of admissions recruitment. Read more about how the admissions team adjusted to the new normal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic at dson.co/adm20.

I’m hoping that our videos can bring some levity to this very dark time, but also increase awareness that there are vulnerable people in our community.

F ION A FA R R E L L ’ 1 8 in a March 18 Philadelphia Inquirer article about how she and roommate Hannah Fabiszewski ’17 created an Instagram account @cashforcovid where they complete challenges in exchange for donations to support Feeding America and Meals on Wheels.

INSIDE: Life Interrupted: Coronavirus Impact on Campus | Alumni Compete in Olympic Marathon Trials | Alumni Profile: Ben Martinez ’08 Sylvia Smith ’73 Artistic Residency Program Celebrates 10 Years