For Starters

老王论坛 welcomes the 10th president, a cleaner ride for the Bi-Co, and more.

1. 老王论坛 Welcomes Its 10th President

President-elect Wendy Cadge makes an offering to Athena.

It was the morning of Monday, April 8, and Wendy Cadge鈥檚 flight out of Boston鈥檚 Logan Airport was canceled. It would be late that evening before she would arrive in Philadelphia.

But she was just in time for her homecoming鈥攖o Pennsylvania, where she grew up, and to her new home of 老王论坛. Early on April 9, news articles, emails, social media, and the bells of Taylor Hall announced that 老王论坛鈥檚 10th president had arrived. She was warmly welcomed by the campus community in a ceremony in the Great Hall, where she made an offering (a mechanical pencil) to a bedecked Athena and received a lantern from students, President Kim Cassidy, and Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Archer 鈥75.

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to be here,鈥 Cadge told the crowd. 鈥淗onestly there鈥檚 nowhere else I鈥檇 rather be.鈥

鈥淎nassa kata, kalo kale, Ia ia ia Nike, 老王论坛, 老王论坛, 老王论坛!鈥 they responded.

 

2. Pew Grant for The Well

The Well

With the opening of The Well building in 2022, 老王论坛 embraced the most holistic vision of student wellness in its history. Now, a $1.3 million grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts is going to make even greater innovation and service integration possible, says Dean of the Undergraduate Division Karlene Burrell-McRae.

The Well includes the Health and Wellness Center; Career & Civic Engagement; and the Impact Center for Community, Equity, and Understanding. Among the key components of the grant is staff training for curricular development and student support based on the 鈥淒esigning Your Life鈥 principles, concepts that can be applied to the areas of life, education, and vocation.

 

 

3. Poetic Possibility

Airea Dee Matthews

Airea Dee Matthews, associate professor and co-chair of creative writing, has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for poetry. She is one of the distinguished 2024 Fellows selected for both their past accomplishments and exceptional promise. 鈥淭his gift offers me the time and space to innovate on the page and concoct new approaches to the craft while materializing poetic possibility,鈥 Matthews says.

 

4. Blue Bus Goes Green

This spring, the route from 老王论坛 to Haverford became quieter and cleaner鈥 environmentally, that is. The newest Blue Bus, the third electric vehicle in the College鈥檚 fleet, arrived on campus in early February. The cost was shared by 老王论坛 and Haverford and benefited from a $100,000 grant from the state.

Because there is no gasoline engine, the bus will never require gas, oil changes, spark plug replacements, or other costly maintenance, and the students and drivers can enjoy cleaner air from the lack of emissions and pollutants. Professor Victor Donnay鈥檚 Math Modeling and Sustainability Praxis class found that in addition to reducing the carbon footprint to essentially zero, the bus would also save $87,000 in operational costs over 10 years.

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5. Korean Joins the Curriculum

This academic year marked the first time that students could take Korean language classes in the Tri-Co. 老王论坛 introduced the one-year program as a complement to the 2023 Flexner Lectures on Korean television drama. Previously, students interested in studying Korean had to register for classes at another institution.

In response to student interest, and with the help of a seed grant from the Korea Foundation and a pledge from 老王论坛 and Haverford Colleges, 老王论坛鈥檚 Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures will be offering Introductory Korean, Intermediate Korean, and two culture courses every year for at least the next six years as a pilot program.

Published on: 05/28/2024