At 9 a.m., on May 31, the day of Swarthmore’s 137th Commencement, the sky was a uniform gray. Relatives and friends of graduates, waiting in line by the Field House for the golf-cart “taxi service” to the Scott Amphitheater, looked up anxiously. At the first few drops of rain, umbrellas, held at the ready, shot [...]
Alfred H. Bloom (watch: speech) received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. In her introduction, Provost Connie Hungerford said, “President Alfred H. Bloom, you have served Swarthmore College and its community with distinction for 36 years, as both professor and as president. Your leadership has been extraordinary; your imprint deep and indelible.” The following are [...]
Mary Schmidt Campbell ’69, (watch: speech) dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, spoke of her graduation from Swarthmore at a time of radical global, social, and cultural revision. She spoke of her anger and disappointment at what she saw at the time as a breakdown of the College’s effort [...]
An ad hoc committee composed of members of the College administration, faculty, staff, and Board of Managers has been charged with “developing and recommending budgetary plans to respond to the current economic crisis. These plans aim to ensure future financial sustainability and seek to protect the College’s mission, balancing the interests of present and future [...]
On July 1, Rebecca Chopp took office as Swarthmore’s 14th president—the first woman to lead a college that has been coeducational since its founding in 1864. Chopp faces significant challenges as Swarthmore seeks to weather the economic downturn—especially the decline in the market value of the College’s endowment—without compromising the quality of its educational program [...]
James Larimore, the College’s popular dean of students for the past three years, left Swarthmore at the end of this academic year to accompany former president Alfred Bloom to the United Arab Emirates. Larimore will be part of the team appointed to create a brand-new NYU–Abu Dhabi downtown campus. He will serve as associate vice [...]
The new Peter van de Kamp Observatory atop the College’s Science Center was dedicated on May 1 (watch: observatory dedication). Housing a 24-inch reflecting telescope, the observatory will be used for both teaching and research. Associate Professor of Astronomy Eric Jensen (above) was on hand in January when the telescope was installed by a crane.
At [...]
Ask Kimberly St. Julian ’12 how she spent spring break this year, and words gush out: “I got to teach pre-K and kindergarten at Fishtown Recreation Center. I also worked with MANNA, an organization that delivers food to people with immune-deficiencies. It was really inspiring. I’d like to go back there. I want to go [...]
A Love of All Things Swarthmore
MARION FABER
It hardly seems possible that Marion Faber, Scheuer Family Professor of Humanities, has bid farewell to the College. In May, a full wall of books was neatly arranged in her office in Kohlberg Hall, family photos were gathered on the corner of her desk, and artwork was thoughtfully grouped [...]
When you think of Japanese cherry blossoms, Washington, D.C., comes to mind—but Philadelphia isn’t far behind the capital in enjoying these harbingers of spring. More than 1,000 cherry trees (sakura in Japanese) grace its streets and parks. Many of them were planted in 1926 as a gift from the Japanese government in celebration of 150 [...]
