Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

I’m writing with an update on the renaming of Old Science Hall, a process that began in earnest last academic year. This important work followed a recent discovery that the building’s former namesake engaged in unethical research and teaching practices more than a century ago. I will not recount the details here; I know the pain they cause for many of our community members. Those of you who wish to revisit that difficult history may do so by reading my initial statement on the matter. 

In December 2025, I wrote to the campus community about my decision to rename Old Science Hall, and convened a task force of students, faculty, and staff members to carry out that work. In that message, I also expressed my hope that a new name would: 

“... [offer] space for healing, understanding, and a clearer sense of our shared purpose. Swarthmore’s strength has always come from its willingness to confront difficult truths with humility and resolve.” 

The task force engaged in a thoughtful, consultative process to identify the criteria for selecting a new name as well as suggestions for the name itself. Following the task force’s extensive work, and upon its recommendation to me, and my recommendation to the Board of Managers this past weekend, the Board approved the building’s new name: Edley-Morgan Hall, with the adjacent lawn now named Edley-Morgan Lawn. 

The name recognizes two illustrious members of our community: legal scholar Christopher F. Edley Jr. ’73, H’99 (1953-2024) and Kathryn L. Morgan (1919-2010), Sara Lawrence Lightfoot Professor Emerita of History. I invite you to learn more about these two remarkable individuals, as well as the renaming process, below.

I extend my thanks to the task force for their service and efforts in support of this important work: 

• Cacey Bester, Associate Professor of Physics 
• Erin Brownlee Dell, Chief of Staff and Secretary of the College 
• Alisa Giardinelli, Assistant Vice President for Communications and Special Projects
• Ayla Gordon-Mandel ’27 
• Danika Grieser ’26 
• Nora Johnson, Professor of English Literature 
• Sharmaine LaMar, General Counsel 
• Cat Norris, Associate Professor of Psychology and task force chair 
• David Obermayer, College Archivist and Records Manager 
• Brooke Vick, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
• Bob Weinberg, Isaac H. Clothier Professor Emeritus of History and International Relations 
• Kimberly Williams, Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Temple University, who worked with the group as a consultant

The new name for both the building and the lawn is effective immediately. As with the change to Old Science Hall, updating every reference will take some time. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we move through that process. 

This renaming is an important milestone, but not the end of this work. Our future efforts will also ensure that this reckoning with the past is appropriately documented and acknowledged so our community can continue to learn and heal. 

Sincerely,

Val Smith
President
Roy J. and Linda G. Shanker Presidential Chair

About Christopher F. Edley Jr. ’73, H’99 and Kathryn L. Morgan

Christopher F. EdleyJr. ’73, H’99 (1953-2024) was born in Boston and raised in Philadelphia and New Rochelle, N.Y. He graduated from Swarthmore College with High Honors in mathematics and later earned an MPP and J.D. from Harvard University. Edley then spent 23 years as a professor at Harvard Law School, where he co-founded the Harvard Civil Rights Project. Edley’s extensive public service career included White House policy and budget positions under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and a senior policy adviser position on five presidential campaigns. He also served on President Obama’s Transition Board with responsibility for education, immigration, and health, and as UC-Berkeley Law’s dean from 2004 to 2013. Edley and his father, Christopher F. Edley H’76, are the only father and son to both receive honorary degrees from the College.

Kathryn L. Morgan, a pioneering and influential folklorist and historian, was Swarthmore’s first African American professor and the first African American woman and second African American to receive tenure at the College. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Morgan earned a B.A. from what is now Virginia State University, an M.A. from Howard University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Morgan joined Swarthmore’s History Department in 1970 and played a key role in leading Black Studies before institutional support for the program existed. She taught and spoke widely on African American folklore, history, and culture, and held teaching positions at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, the University of Delaware, and University of California, Berkeley. Morgan also supported the Swarthmore African-American Student Society and the Black Cultural Center, among others, until her retirement in 1995. 

About the Recommendation Process

In early 2026, the task force issued a campus survey to both solicit suggestions for the building’s new name as well as determine priorities for assessing them. More than 500 students, faculty, and staff members responded. From several criteria, the community indicated the name should: 1) honor someone with a direct connection to the College; 2) be consistent with or expand the diversity of representation on campus; and 3) honor the departments currently housed in the building. The task force received more than 75 suggestions, which were evaluated by consensus. The task force also hosted four community events last spring to encourage learning and conversations regarding the decision to dename the building. The task force concluded its work in May after sharing its recommendation with President Smith.