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Swarthmore in the NewsOctober 28, 2011

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Next Wave of Enrollment Leaders

By Eric Hoover

October 27, 2011

New York-A while back, Frank Ashley was sitting in a meeting with other College Board trustees when a colleague told him to look around the room. "Almost everyone here," the trustee said, "has gray hair, or no hair."

The same is true of a generation of admissions leaders who have defined their profession during a time of great change. Many of the old lions are retiring, and the next wave of deans and enrollment chiefs is rising fast.

Who they are, what they believe, and how they operate is a growing concern among members of this evolving field. This is why Mr. Ashley, vice chancellor for academic affairs at Texas A&M University, said colleges must develop mentoring programs for early- and mid-career admissions professionals: "It's our responsibility to do this. It should be part of our job description."

...Today's emerging leaders are sandwiched between two very different generations. There are the old-school deans, who predate college rankings and the college-marketing boom, and then there are the 20-somethings who are tech-savvy and convinced that they can do their bosses' jobs tomorrow, said Angel Perez, interim vice president for admission and financial aid at Pitzer College.

...No matter how prepared you think you are to become a dean or director, you are probably underestimating the challenges of the job. "The first year you'll have no idea what you're doing," said Suzy Nam, director of admissions at Swarthmore College. "Every day is like a new adventure. Hopefully that's very exciting to you, but it's also very unsettling."

In the old days, admissions officials often stayed at the same college for their entire careers. Now, they are more mobile, moving to two, three, four, or more colleges before retiring. Ms. Nam encouraged her colleagues to always anticipate their next move, whether it's to another institution or to different job on their campuses. She urged women, especially, not to pigeonhole themselves.

Don't know much about admissions data? Become an expert in admissions data, then. "There are always doors that are open as long you're relevant on campus," Ms. Nam said.

Despite the job's many pressures, its rewards are many, everyone agreed. There's nothing like watching a student you know accept a diploma, Mr. Ashley said: "Especially that kid you gave a shot to, the kid everyone said was not going to make it."

 

The York Dispatch (PA)

Newest Miss York County says she's honored to wear the crown

By Eyana Adah McMillan , The York Dispatch

October 26, 2011

Ashley Gochoco knows who she is.

"I'm the 63rd Miss York County, and I'm very excited about that," said Gochoco, 19, a sophomore at Swarthmore College in Delaware County. "It's quite an honor."

Gochoco won the title at York County Scholarship Pageant Organization's 63rd annual scholarship competition Saturday at York Suburban Middle School in Spring Garden Township.

The organization awarded $10,000 in scholarships. The competition is part of the Miss America Program.

Gochoco, 19, also won the overall talent award and a Chloe Eichelberger Interview Award along with Andrea Newton. They each received $1,000.

Next up: Gochoco will compete for the Miss Pennsylvania title in May in Pittsburgh and said that "saving music education programs in public school" is her platform for the competition.

"I believe this is very important because (music education) instills confidence, discipline and accountability for a student's use of their time, in addition to being a positive, creative activity," she said.

Gochoco, of West Manchester Township, is a 2010 graduate of York Country Day School. At Swarthmore, she is majoring in music and premedical studies with plans to become a physician.

 

Philadelphia Center City Weekly Press

David Dye Celebrates 20 Years Of World Cafe

By Nathan Lerner

October 26, 2011

...Somehow, WXPN's David Dye has managed to buck these disquieting industry trends. The Mt. Airy resident is celebrating 20 years of his nationally syndicated show, World Cafe. It features a distinctive amalgam of live music and interviews.

A native of Glen Falls in upstate New York, Dye grew up in Swarthmore from the age of six. He matriculated at Swarthmore College, where he initially majored in biology, before switching to history.

Dye recalled, "I think I always wanted to do radio and was banging on the door of my college station on the first day of freshman orientation. That year, my roommate saw an ad that WMMR was looking for DJs and dared me to apply." He continued, "About six months later, I got a call out of the blue to do an interview and got the prized Sunday morning 8 a.m. to noon slot. I was in heaven." At the tender age of 19, Dye made his on-air debut. He conceded, "I was incredibly nervous. Time was the only thing I used to overcome my fear. The more I did it, the less fearful I became. As any DJ will tell you, we all still have dreams about messing up." 

Back then, WMMR was a free-form progressive station, which granted wide latitude to their DJs, even the inexperienced college kid. "On the air, I was allowed to be wildly eclectic. Playing avant-garde jazz, old-timey country, show tunes, whatever I wanted. Beyond my life being more care-free, it is not that different than the freedom I am allowed now on 'XPN." Dye noted, "Progressive rock ruled . . . Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Procol Harum, the Grateful Dead. WMMR had a British progressive rock bent."

Following his four-year stint at WMMR, Dye departed for Maine, where he spent five years at WBLM. Dye returned to Philadelphia, where he was at WIOQ for a decade. In 1989, Dye began his tenure at WXPN, where he initially hosted Sleepy Hollow. Dye enthused, "All of them were great experiences. I am certainly more at home on 'XPN! "

...Dye has attracted top-notch performers to appear on World Café. "Boy have I been lucky! I hope I never take it for granted that I get to sit across a room from the likes of Yo Yo Ma, Herbie Hancock, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Al Green, Peter Gabriel." He cited two of his biggest surprises," "I was taken aback that Paul McCartney, a man who has been interviewed zillions of times, actually answered my questions like he had never been asked them before. Dr John really does talk in his own New Orleanese language!"

Before moving to their current studio at 30th & Walnut, WXPN broadcast from a Victorian building on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The somewhat dilapidated condition of the venue generated an amusing memory for Dye. "The funniest thing that ever happened has to be the time a squirrel dropped down through the ceiling into the studio right in the middle of an interview. Grown men scurrying and screaming ensued."

 

The Memphis Examiner

Hands on the Freedom Plow editor to speak at U of M

October 25, 2011

Judy Richardson, one of the editors of Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC, will speak November 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the University Center Bluff Room at the University of Memphis. Richardson will discuss the personal narratives of workers for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), giving readers a glimpse into the stories of women who provided the civil rights movement's backbone


During her freshman year at Swarthmore College, Richardson joined the Swarthmore Political Action Committee (SPAC). In 1963, she traveled with other SPAC volunteers by bus on weekends to assist the Cambridge, Maryland, community in desegregating public accommodations. The Cambridge Movement was led by civil rights activist Gloria Richardson, with the assistance of SNCC field secretaries such as Baltimore native Reggie Robinson.

Richardson was allowed to join the SNCC staff and left college to work first in SNCC's national office in Atlanta, where she worked closely with, James Forman, Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson and Julian Bond. ...


Judy Richardson founded Drum & Spear Bookstore in Washington, D.C., in 1968. She later founded and served as editor of Drum & Spear Press. She transitioned into a film career at Blackside Productions and played a pivotal role in producing the award-winning documentary series Eyes on the Prize, as well as a number of other historical documentaries. Her recent documentary with Northern Light Productions, Scarred Justice, aired nationally on PBS in 2010. It examines the 1968 Orangeburg, South Carolina student massacre - one of the many overlooked incidents of violence of the Civil Rights Movement. ...


Gulf News (U.A.E.)

University choice has no link to income

October 23, 2011

Information from the internet, rumours and fear surrounding university admissions has left parents and students overwhelmed to the point of near paralysis and confusion.

To shatter the myths around university admissions in America, senior vice-president of The Princeton Review, Paul Kanarek, visited Dubai to speak to school guidance counsellors, students and parents.

His visit coincides with the launch of the latest edition of The Best 376 Colleges in the United States, which is a Princeton Review publication.

..."In America, the link between economic opportunity and any external factor is the major you take - powerful economic majors are engineering and computer science. It's not where you go but the major you pick," Kanarek said.

Lesser known quality institutions take centre stage in the book. For example the best professors are at Wellesley College. Florida Southern College has the most beautiful campus while Wheaton College serves the best campus food, and Bryn Mawr College has the best dorms while students found the college with the best financial aid to be Swarthmore College. ...


SPORTS

 

The Delaware County Daily Times (PA)

Colleges: Park cruises to title at Immaculata Fall Invitational

By Times Staff

October 25, 2011

Swarthmore's Andrew Park captured the individual championship at the Immaculata Fall Invitational, shooting a final-round 71 Monday afternoon to win the title.

The freshman fired a first-round 74, before finishing the two-day event with a round that was three strokes better.

Powered by Park, Swarthmore placed third in the 13-team event, with a team score of 608. The Garnet's cumulative second-day score of 294 established a program record.