When Tau Sigma Gamma welcomed 15 new members into the sorority in fall 2011, it was a special night for alumnae, too. The new sisters present that night are now rising seniors. Pictured here in Pfhaler Hall are 20 alumni who graduated in 2012 and 2013. Suzanne King 1966 and Betty (Umstae) Musser 1945, both in Tau Sigma Gamma when they were students, are pictured in front. Betty was president in 1945. Sue’s granddaughter, Kimmy Bullock 2014, was a new pledge that night. Sue and Betty were on campus for a movie screening the same night that the students were welcomed into the sorority. When the students surprised them with a meeting, it was a wonderful experience. Currently there are 28 members of Tau Sigma Gamma on campus.
Moving On Ursinus says goodbye and thank you to several faculty and staff members who retire at the close of the academic year. As teachers and leaders, Deans Ellen Matthews and Annette Lucas and Professors John Moore Wickersham, Frances Novack, James Sidie and Robert Rand Davidson made an impact on countless lives. Ellen Matthews began her career in education as a high school teacher in 1969. She arrived at Ursinus in 1992 as an adjunct Math instructor. In 2003, she became the Dean of Continuing Education. Four years later, she took on the role of Director of Tutoring and Disability Services. During her 45 years at Ursinus, Annette Lucas taught French and served as an administrator in the Dean’s office. Lucas was Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and later Chair of the Modern Languages Department. She has taught every French course in the curriculum. Her commitment to education was honored at the 1986 Ursinus Commencement ceremony, where she received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, and was honored again in 2010 when she received the Laughlin Service Award. While in the Dean’s Office, Lucas served as an Assistant Dean and eventually became Associate Dean and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. John Moore Wickersham came to Ursinus in 1972 as a new Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, having studied at the University of Pennsylvania and New College, Oxford, and having earned his Ph.D. in Classical Philology from Princeton University. He retires this spring as Professor of Classics. Professor Wickersham exemplified the title “scholar-teacher,” receiving the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1994 and the
Laughlin Professional Achievement Award in 2001. He has written and published numerous scholarly articles and books on Latin and Greek history and mythology. Frances Novack’s career as a French professor at Ursinus spans 35 years. A number of awards highlight Novack’s academic history, including two summer grants from the National Endowment for Humanities and two Fulbright Fellowships. Novack said her greatest source of pride stems from the work she has done for the Ursinus community, particularly with Hillel, the College’s center for Jewish student activities. Professor of Biology James Sidie has been a part of the Ursinus community since 1983. He plans to complete his master’s degree in computer science and to continue teaching. During his 40 years at Ursinus, Robert Rand Davidson has shouldered a variety of responsibilities and titles, including the exercise and sports science department chair, Director of Athletics, swimming coach and athletic trainer, all the while teaching courses in Exercise Sport Science. Throughout his career, Davidson has earned over a dozen awards, including six from the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, a professional society in which he has held chair positions. This is a portion of an article that originally appeared in the Grizzly, the Ursinus student newspaper. n By Olivia Schultz 2015, double major in Media and Communication Studies and Art History and Rosemary Clark 2013, double major in Media and Communication Studies and English
Bound for Yale University
Grace Soloff was elected as Ursinus’s first member of Chi Omega Lambda, the National Honor Society for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). “It is an honor to be selected,” she says. “My classroom and research experiences as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major at Ursinus have inspired me to explore the field of biochemistry beyond my time as an undergraduate. I will be continuing my studies this summer as I enter the Ph.D. program in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at Yale University.” Soloff was one of 16 students elected nationwide. With her election, Ursinus is able to form a local chapter of the honor society. She finished her coursework in December and is currently working at GlaxoSmithKline. The past summer she worked in a Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program at Carnegie Mellon University. Soloff earned Distinguished Honors in BCMB for her work in the research lab of Dr. Koeppe. “I am grateful for the guidance of my professors at Ursinus,” says Soloff, of Collegeville, Pa. “The opportunity to pursue independent research with Dr. Julia Koeppe was a large motivating factor in my desire to continue research and attend graduate school. My academic advisor, Dr. Eric Williamsen, and professor, Dr. Rebecca Roberts, provided invaluable support and advice.” n
Associate Professor of Biology Rebecca Roberts, Soloff and Eric Williamsen, Associate Professor of Chemistry. SPRING 2013 PAGE 7