Allegheny Magazine Winter/Spring 2021 by Allegheny College

ALLEGHENY

WINTER/SPRING 2021

VOL. 39 • NO. 1

OUR ALLEGHENY: OUR THIRD CENTURY QUEST CAMPAIGN REPORT OF GIFTS

WINTER/SPRING 2021 | Vol. 39, No. 1 | allegheny.edu/magazine

Reaching New Heights — Again

VICE PRESIDENT FOR COLLEGE RELATIONS Susan Salton MANAGING EDITOR Josh Tysiachney

ANNUAL FUND

4 The Annual Fund Provides Critical Scholarship Support for Students 8 Meet the Youngest Member of the Timothy Alden Council FACULTY AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

10 Campaign Adds New Endowed Professorships and Faculty Support

14 Students Capitalize on Professional Experiences, Alumni Involvement in the Center for Business & Economics

GLOBAL LEARNING

18 As College Puts Focus on the Value of Global Learning, Donors Respond

22 Global Citizens Scholar Program Empowers Through Local and International Engagement

STUDENT SUPPORT

26 Improvements Upgrade the Student-Athlete Experience 30 Endowed Scholarships Open the Door to

EDITOR Rick Stanley ART DIRECTOR Penny Drexel LEAD DESIGNER Brian Martone CONTRIBUTORS Jesse Lavery Sean O’Connor Bernadette Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Lester Derek Li Ed Mailliard John Mangine Liam Michel ’20 Corey Nolen Bill Owen ’74 Richard Sayer Contributed photos ILLUSTRATIONS Robert Campbell Vecteezy

Limitless Possibilities

34 Endowment Gift Bolsters Student Research HISTORIC CAMPUS

38 Fund for Bentley Hall Challenge Inspires Restoration of an Allegheny Icon

FSC Logo HERE

42 Environmental Science Center Puts Student-Faculty Collaboration at the Forefront in Carr Hall

46 CLASS NOTES News from around the country from fellow alumni 52 REPORT OF CAMPAIGN DONORS

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Send us your feedback! What do you think of Allegheny magazine? Email magazine@allegheny.edu Notice of Non-discrimination Allegheny College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, disability, age or other criteria protected by law in admission, treatment, employment in or access to its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Gillian Ford Title IX Coordinator 520 North Main Street | Meadville Pa 16335 (814) 332-3085 Inquiries may also be directed to the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education at 800-421-3481 or by email at OCR@ed.gov.

TRUSTEES Mary H. Feeley ’78, Ph.D., Chair Yvonne Hobbs Allen ’72, Ph.D. Christian L. Allison ’83 Kevin Baird ’84 Edward Joseph Borkowski ’81 Willow Wilcox Brost ’74 William H. Brown, Jr. ’80 Mark R. Campbell ’82 Curt Cramer ’84 Jennifer R. Daurora ’99 Antonio Francisco Dias ’86 Gary M. Elliott ’72 Terrence L. Hartford ’81 Judith Thomas Horgan ’68 Dusty E. Kirk ’75, Esq. John Kutz ’83 Steven D. Levinsky ’78 Hilary L. Link, Ph.D. Robert A. Marchman ’80, Esq. Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Jerome V. Nelson ’83 John H. Niles, Jr. ’59, M.D. Thomas John Sadvary ’75 Julie G. Skattum ’85 Robert L. Smith, Jr. ’73, MBA Sue Steven ’75, Ph.D. Hayes C. Stover ’62, Esq. John F. Sutphen ’78 Eddie Taylor, Jr. ’87 Bruce R. Thompson ’86 Karen A. Ubelhart ’77 James O. Wible ’71 Michael R. Young ’78 Nancy A. Yovetich ’87, Ph.D. Douglas F. Ziegler TRUSTEES EMERITI Alice S. Bierer ’59 Ann S. Degenhart ’71 J. Tomlinson Fort ’50, Esq. Thomas T. Frampton ’70, Esq. Samuel Hellman ’55, M.D. William I. Jack ’57 Isabelle Moss ’67 Silas R. Mountsier III ’52 Herbert H. Myers ’61 James F. Pomroy ’56 Thomas M. St. Clair ’57 Ferd J. Sauereisen ’57 M. Peter Scibetta ’54, M.D. Thomas N. Slonaker, MBA Henry B. Suhr, Jr. ’55 Arthur Tepper ’58 William H. Timbers ’72 Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 Robert A. Vukovich ’65, Ph.D. John D. Wheeler ’61, Esq. Robert C. Woodworth ’69

Allegheny (ISSN 0279-6724) is issued twice a year by Allegheny College, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 for the alumni, parents and friends of the College. Opinions and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of the College. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Allegheny, Allegheny College, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA, 16335. Copyright 2021 Allegheny College.

An Enduring Quest by President Hilary L. Link

We are honored to devote this issue of Allegheny magazine to celebrating the generous supporters who fueled the success of the $202 million Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign. Individuals from 15,505 households, along with corporations and foundations, made this campaign the largest fundraising effort in Allegheny’s history. You will find the name of every donor to the campaign printed in these pages, along with stories about the campaign’s tremendous and lasting influence on nearly every aspect of our College. Surpassing the campaign’s $200 million goal was a tremendous milestone for Allegheny. The dedication and hard work of hundreds of alumni volunteers, Allegheny trustees and College employees drove that extraordinary result. In particular, I would like to recognize two individuals without whom this campaign would not have reached the heights that it did: my predecessor, President Emeritus James H. Mullen, Jr., and our prior Senior Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs, Marjorie Klein. Jim and Marjie played key leadership roles in the conception and evolution of the campaign, including its public launch at the College’s Bicentennial celebration in 2015. The Our Allegheny campaign sought to strengthen the tradition of excellence that has defined Allegheny for more than 200 years while also positioning the College for an even brighter future. For that reason, the campaign prioritized the growth of the College’s endowment — the financial bedrock that sustains the institution through times

of challenge and prosperity alike. Never has that sustenance been more essential than in this past year of multi-layered challenges. For example, new endowed funds established during the campaign will support faculty in their pioneering research and their collaboration with students. Likewise, new scholarships have further enhanced the College’s longstanding commitment to access for new generations of students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. An endowed fund for maintenance will help to ensure our lovingly restored Bentley Hall will shine as a beautiful symbol of Allegheny’s historic place in American higher education.

The Our Allegheny campaign sought to strengthen the tradition of excellence that has defined Allegheny for more than 200 years while also positioning the College for an even brighter future. Most importantly, the campaign has afforded additional opportunities for our students to expand their perspectives and develop as leaders. We have seen the positive impact of investments in transformed learning spaces for psychology and neuroscience in Carnegie Hall and in the Richard J. Cook Environmental Science Center in Carr Hall. Donors also funded new academic

and co-curricular programs that integrate disciplines and allow students to apply their knowledge and skills, including the Global Health Studies Program and the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics. In addition, new funds to support international education provide experiences for discovery and growth that simply cannot be replicated without immersion in another culture. The campaign has concluded, but the College’s third century quest continues. As we look forward, I envision a college that is more intertwined with our local community, more embracing of our unique differences while recognizing the core commonalities among us. I envision an experience for students and faculty that is even more interdisciplinary and more global. I remain confident that we will soon be recognized even more broadly for the rigorous, holistic and researchbased education we provide — and that we will no longer be a hidden gem. I look forward to having you partner with me on this journey. Through your generosity, we have witnessed the power that dedicated supporters can have — a power that invigorates our timeless mission. Allegheny has benefited from example after example of selfless individuals — in the words of Alma Mater Beatissima, individuals whose “hearts are turning still” with love and devotion for Allegheny. On behalf of our students, faculty and staff, thank you for your support through all the years of the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign — and beyond.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS — AGAIN College Leaders, Supporters Light the Path for Their Successors Upon their graduation, the Allegheny College Class of 1919 offered wisdom about supporting their alma mater that still rings true more than 100 years later. The class donated a plaque, now displayed in the Patricia Bush Tippie Alumni Center, that reads: “There is an Allegheny College today only because past generations gave of their money, talent and time. They did this for us. Now it is our turn to give.” Hilary L. Link witnessed that tradition of generosity in action as she began her tenure as Allegheny College’s president in July 2019. As Link arrived, the College already had raised 91.3 percent of the $200 million goal that was set for the largest campaign in its history. Just 12 months later, the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign surpassed that goal a full year ahead of schedule. Link is quick to give credit to the many individuals whose leadership and 2

ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

dedication spurred the campaign and its growth. “President Emeritus Jim Mullen, the Board of Trustees and our prior Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Marjie Klein made a compelling case for why an investment of this magnitude was critical to ensuring

There is an Allegheny College today only because past generations gave of their money, talent and time. They did this for us. Now it is our turn to give. From a plaque donated by the Allegheny Class of 1919 that the College could secure its future and further strengthen the education that it provides to students,” Link says. “Our alumni and other supporters stepped

forward, as they have so many times in Allegheny’s history, to show their ardor for this College by giving selflessly to the campaign.” Eddie Taylor, Jr. ’87 served as chair of the College’s Board of Trustees during the early stages of the Our Allegheny campaign. He says the campaign is not only a remarkable testament to the commitment of all those who “pulled in the same direction” to support it, but also a point of inspiration for what is yet to come. “What we have said to ourselves by achieving $200 million is that the next campaign can be even more ambitious,” Taylor says. “We can think about higher heights, and we can find ways to dig a little bit deeper into this reservoir of appreciation that supporters have for Allegheny to make the institution more than it has ever been — and more than it perhaps ever conceived it might become.”

A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY Each major Allegheny fundraising campaign during the past four decades has built on the preceding effort to bring even greater support for the College.

From left: Allegheny President Emeritus James H. Mullen, Jr., President Hilary L. Link, President Emeritus Richard J. Cook and President Daniel F. Sullivan in the Tippie Alumni Center before the inauguration ceremony for President Link in October 2019.

Indeed, each major Allegheny fundraising campaign during the past four decades has built on the preceding effort to bring even greater support for the College (see chart at right). A succession of forward-thinking presidents, insightful members of the Board of

Every institution believes that they have the wherewithal to create a fundraising campaign that can transform the course of that institution, but it's a different school, of course, that can go out and accomplish it. Eddie Taylor, Jr. ’87 Allegheny College Board of Trustees

Trustees, dedicated fundraising teams and generous alumni have propelled that ongoing growth, says Matthew Stinson, Allegheny’s vice president of institutional advancement. Stinson joined the Allegheny community in September 2020. He says that, in

reviewing historical fundraising results, he soon came to appreciate the College’s legacy of leadership, vision and execution. “There has been a purposeful commitment by each administration to lay the groundwork for those who follow to pursue even more ambitious goals,” he says. That support has played a key role in the growth of the College’s endowment during the Our Allegheny campaign, says Mary “Missy” Feeley ’78, chair of the Board of Trustees. A strong endowment “helps the College weather all kinds of storms,” she says, “and provides a legacy for the next 20 generations of students who come through the doors.” Feeley says that it was particularly meaningful that donors pushed the campaign over its goal during a year of unprecedented global challenges. She called it a signal of the confidence that Alleghenians have in the College. Says Taylor: “Every institution believes that they have the wherewithal to create a fundraising campaign that can transform the course of that institution, but it's a different school, of course, that can go out and accomplish it.”

CAMPAIGN FOR ALLEGHENY COLLEGE (1980–1986) $15.6 million Presidents Lawrence Lee Pelletier, David Baily Harned and Raymond P. Shafer

BUILDING FOR NEW GENERATIONS (1989–1996) $60.5 million President Daniel F. Sullivan

TRADITION & TRANSFORMATION: MAKING A DIFFERENCE (1999–2006) $115.2 million President Richard J. Cook

OUR ALLEGHENY: OUR THIRD CENTURY QUEST (2011–2020) $202.6 million President James H. Mullen, Jr.

ANNUAL FUND

THE ANNUAL FUND PROVIDES CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT

ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

There were 11,235 households that supported the Annual Fund during the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign with gifts totaling more than $26.7 million. More than half of the Annual Fund donors gave $100 or less, says Senior Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement Sara Pineo. “The Annual Fund harnesses the collective power of thousands, each giving what they are able, to provide the College with the flexibility and resources needed to strategically invest in every area of campus,” Pineo says.

“Gator Give Day has become an Allegheny Founders Day tradition,” says Pineo. “It has been humbling to watch this day of financial support turn into a proud celebration of all that makes Allegheny special and unique. It has breathed new life into the Annual Fund, as more than 5,400 individuals have participated, many every year, including over 80 years of Alleghenians — from the Class of 1942 to the Class of 2023, parents of current and past students, employees, and friends and neighbors in the Meadville community."

Our common bond as alums and as students is the full Allegheny experience. Francis “Ric” Rivette ’74

If I can help a little to take some financial load off a student, then I’m happy to do it. Judith La Manna Rivette

“Whether it’s $5 to support student-faculty research from a soon-to-be graduate or $5,000 to support student scholarships from someone celebrating their 50th reunion, each gift is an expression of confidence in Allegheny’s mission and care for the student experience.”

Adds Pineo: "With 40 percent of our alumni donors choosing Gator Give Day to make their annual contribution, it will continue to be critical to our efforts to inspire increased alumni participation, which will positively impact Allegheny’s national rankings.”

One of the much anticipated yearly fundraising innovations introduced during the campaign was Gator Give Day, which has been held annually in April since 2015 and has inspired thousands to participate. It’s developed into a clear example of the power of participation, as Gator Give Day donations, most $50 or less, have added up to nearly $2.5 million in total contributions over the years.

One of the major programs sponsored by the Annual Fund is the Annual Fund Grant program. The very first gift to support the Annual Fund Grant program was received in 2011. By 2020, more than 300 students had opened their financial award letters to find they had received one of the $5,000 personalized scholarships made possible through 5 the generosity of alumni and friends.

Francis “Ric” ’74 and Judith La Manna Rivette, from Liverpool, New York, were among a group of the College’s supporters, including Allegheny Trustee John F. Sutphen ’78 and Jamie Lynn Sansone Sutphen ’79, who helped establish the grant program because they believe it is important to make the Allegheny experience available to students of all means and backgrounds. “Our common bond as alums and as students is the full Allegheny experience — from showing up on campus to completing the senior comp,” says Ric Rivette. “It’s something you can talk about with alumni from any year who graduated and even with students on campus. That shared experience is one of the strengths of Allegheny.”

Many of us have different types of talents that we can volunteer. Some of us could offer internship or externship opportunities for students, either paid or unpaid. I want to make sure that I’m providing all that I can for the institution that has provided a lot for me and truly changed the trajectory of my life both on a personal level — my closest friends are all from Allegheny — as well as financially because the College set me up on a really nice path to get a master’s degree.” This is how the Annual Fund Grant program works: By making an Annual Fund gift of $5,000 or more, donors can elect to have a renewable Annual Fund Grant named in their honor. Then the following academic year, the

I want to make sure that I’m providing all that I can for the institution that has provided a lot for me. José Rodriguez ’89

“I paid for college on my own,” says Judith Rivette, a LeMoyne College graduate who is embraced as an honorary Allegheny alumna. “If I can help a little to take some financial load off a student, then I’m happy to do it.” “Student debt has become oppressive,” adds Ric Rivette. “I had the good fortune of attending Allegheny and being able to take a Washington Semester Program. In a way like the Grant Program, the College made that happen for me without extra charge to my tuition. It was an opportunity that changed my life, one I would not have had except for Allegheny College.” José Rodriguez ’89, now the chief diversity officer at Cabrini University, has been a longtime donor, supporter and volunteer at Allegheny, including serving as president of the Alumni Council. “There’s always something that alumni can do for the College,” he says. “It can be small gestures.

ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

College’s Office of Financial Aid awards this scholarship to a deserving student. The grant, along with a short note about the donor, is listed on the student’s tuition bill as directly defraying the cost of their Allegheny education. In most instances, the sponsored student sends the donor a personal message of appreciation. Oftentimes, the student and donor meet and have lunch together on campus. Shemariel Gray, a senior from Los Angeles, California, has received Annual Fund grants courtesy of Kevin W. and Lisa Fiedor Baird, both 1984 graduates from Naples, Florida. Kevin Baird is a member of the Allegheny College Board of Trustees. Gray, a political science major and communication minor, shared some of her correspondence with the Bairds, in which she tells them, “scholarship support has made the last four years of my life so much fun and so memorable.”

This scholarship has enabled me to focus on my academics rather than my financial status. Shemariel Gray ’21

In her letter, Gray talks about her first visions of Allegheny: “Upon visiting, two things stuck with me. First, I noticed how small and intimate the campus was. Second, I noticed how joyful and genuinely happy and involved the professors were. You could tell they really love their job and valued the students.

cost of boarding, but scholarships that made paying for Allegheny much more affordable,” Gray wrote. “Mainly I want to say thank you for your kindness. I hope that one day I am able to give someone the opportunity you have given to me. This scholarship has enabled me to focus on my academics rather than my financial status — a privilege that many don’t have.”

Liberal arts colleges are facing challenging times, and it’s important that we continue these opportunities. Peggy Toman Siegle ’70

I applied to Allegheny, nervous and scared about the huge investment that I was about to make within myself. Not only was I leaving home for the first time, but I was also creating financial risk for my family. I have a single mom who, on her own, had to put me and my three sisters through college. “You cannot imagine how proud, excited and relieved we both were when I not only got a job as an RA to cover the

Former Alumni Council President Peggy Toman Siegle ’70, from Brunswick, Maine, says it is important to support the Annual Fund and the liberal arts education model “at a time when people doubt the value of a liberal arts education. Liberal arts colleges are facing challenging times, and it’s important that we continue these opportunities — for economic reasons and for diversity reasons — and not turn away any deserving students. It’s a priority for me.”

ANNUAL FUND

MEET THE

MEMBER OF THE TIMOTHY ALDEN COUNCIL He’s the youngest person ever to make a bequest to Allegheny College, and he’s the youngest member of the impactful Timothy Alden Council, having donated $1,815 to the College’s Annual Fund shortly after his graduation in 2019. Jonathan K. Goodman earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in mathematics and economics. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, was heavily involved in Hillel, worked for The Campus newspaper for three semesters, was the treasurer of the Dimensions math club, and became a Center for Business and Economics fellow during his senior year. He currently works at Zurich North America based in Boston, Massachusetts, as a middle markets underwriter. Goodman decided to make a bequest (leaving a donation in his will) to the College at the age of 22 after weighing all the factors that went into his education and his ability to get the job he wanted immediately after graduation. “Allegheny provided support for me every single summer I was a student,” he says. Goodman was afforded the opportunity to participate in a number of transformational experiences through the Allegheny Gateway. In each instance, the funding 8 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

was provided through the generosity of donors. Between his first year and sophomore year, he received a grant that covered the cost of his internship credit tuition as well as significantly defrayed his transportation costs as he worked at the Charles River Conservancy, a nonprofit that provides upkeep for many of the parks on the riverway in Boston and Cambridge. Between his sophomore and junior years, Goodman worked for Vericlaim in New York City. He negotiated his pay up to $18 an hour, but that doesn’t go very far in the big city. “I reached out to Career Education and Jim Fitch helped me secure funding to cover my housing,” Goodman recalls. Then between his junior and senior years, Goodman received support to participate in an internship with Berkshire Hathaway Insurance. He also was able to spend his entire junior year abroad in Great Britain at the London School of Economics before wrapping up his senior year at Allegheny. “Insurance was not a career path I had even remotely considered when I started at Allegheny, and by the end of my time there it was clearly the path that I wanted to take,” says Goodman. “Vericlaim helped me get my foot in the door and understand the structure of the industry. Although insurance adjusting

didn’t seem like something I wanted to do forever, it was a really fun summer and I learned a ton. My time at Berkshire was particularly valuable. It gave me a broader base of knowledge of the industry, taught me the underwriting process, and helped me grow my network.” “These two internships combined with everything I learned at Allegheny made it incredibly easy to obtain an entrylevel position with an insurance carrier,” Goodman says. “And it became clear to me during my initial training that I was just as well prepared — if not better prepared — than my colleagues who attended specialized insurance programs. It was very clear to me that without that internship experience, I would not have gotten the job, and without the funding I received from Allegheny, I wouldn’t have been able to take the internships.” Goodman recalls his first donation to the College was $5 contributed to the Annual Fund on Gator Give Day when he was a sophomore in 2017. Two years later, he became the youngest member of both the William Bentley Legacy Society and the Timothy Alden Council. “These were two separate decisions,” he says. “I committed to the William Bentley Society toward the end of my senior year. It’s something that I knew I wanted to do eventually, but I decided that if I had the opportunity to

Jonathan K. Goodman be the youngest person ever I’d take it. Allegheny not only made me the person I am today, but it also made sure I got where I needed to be. I want to do everything in my power to make sure those after me have the same opportunities. I wanted to be sure that the assets I’ve accumulated, though small compared to some, would be able to support the institution I love. Obviously the structure of the commitment will change as I age, as I’m sure I’ll have other things/people to worry about. But I wanted to make my general intentions clear to Allegheny in the present.” Goodman committed to the Timothy Alden Council in the fall of 2019 after

I know from personal experience that Allegheny has the potential to positively impact future students, and I want to make sure they continue to do so.

meeting with Matthew Bocchi ’13, an advancement officer, who showed him that the annual donation works out to a monthly amount of about $152. “It’s not

an insignificant amount of money,” says Goodman, “but I don’t even think about it. It comes out of my account automatically every month, and I don’t factor that $152 as part of my income. Allegheny chose to invest in me when they certainly didn’t have to, and I want to make good on it. “I know from personal experience that Allegheny has the potential to positively impact future students,” says Goodman, “and I want to make sure they continue to do so.”

FACULTY AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Campaign Adds New Endowed Professorships & Faculty Support Funds

The Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Endowed Professorship in Environmental Science

Talk with anyone about their Allegheny experience and, without fail, they will tell you about the world-class faculty who taught, mentored and changed their lives when they were students. With that in mind, the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign raised nearly $37.5 million for faculty support to provide funds for professional development, visiting scholars and artists, and student-faculty research, as well as a number of new professorships, supporting academic programs in political science, interdisciplinary studies, economics, environmental science, art, geology, biology and more. The funds raised for professorships help to recruit and retain faculty and also to give them the resources they need to keep pace with rapidly changing disciplines and student needs.

Established by Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Held by Eric Pallant

The Patricia B. Tippie Endowed Professorship in Economics Established by Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 & Henry B. Tippie Held by Tomas Nonnenmacher ’90

The Eila V. Bush Endowed Professorship in Art Established by Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 & Henry B. Tippie Held by Amara Geffen

The Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law & Policy Funded by R. Bruce Dotson P’74 & Paula Dotson P’74 Held by Brian Harward

The Max Kade Endowed Chair in German Studies Established with a grant from the Max Kade Foundation

The Dr. Sue E. Steven ’75 Endowed Professorship in Biology

SOME OF THE PROFESSORSHIPS THAT WERE ADDED DURING THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDE:

From Sue E. Steven ’75 & W. Craig Blasingame P’94 that will be funded by bequest

The Samuel S. Harrison '63 Geology Professorship From Mary “Missy” Feeley ’78 & Clive Gregson that will be funded by bequest

The Brett ’65 and Gwendolyn ’64 Elliott Professorship for Interdisciplinary Studies Funded by Brett Elliott ’65 & Gwendolyn Elliott ‘64 Held by Barbara Shaw

This was an opportunity for us to help future generations of Alleghenians. Gwendolyn Elliott ‘64 (left to right) Barbara Shaw, Brett Elliott ’65, and Gwendolyn Elliott ‘64.

The Elliotts, of Magnolia, Delaware, contributed an endowed professorship and established a faculty support fund during the campaign. “This was an opportunity for us to help future generations of Alleghenians,” says Gwendolyn Elliott, who is a medical librarian. “Allegheny set me off on a lifelong path. While I was there I developed critical thinking skills which you apply to many areas of your life.” Adds Brett Elliott, an ophthalmologist: “At Allegheny, I received the two most important things in my life, an education and I found love.” Brett and Gwendolyn met at Allegheny in 1964 in Brooks Dining Hall and married in 1965. “Allegheny taught me to question authority in an intelligent fashion,” says Brett, “to question what you hear in your profession and to question what is going on in society about where we are headed.”

Barbara Shaw, associate professor and interim chair in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, interim chair in Black studies, and director of interdisciplinary studies, stays in touch with the Elliotts. Most recently in the fall 2020 semester, she wrote: “With classes in full swing (as I write we are entering week 5 of the semester), I have returned my full attention to crafting an engaging classroom focused on students’ well-being and their learning during these difficult days. Now more than ever, we as faculty play such pivotal roles in students’ lives and mentoring them brings joy and meaning to me. … Thank you again for your generosity — your support continues to be meaningful to me personally and professionally.” Since becoming director of interdisciplinary studies, Shaw says she is “thrilled to lead efforts with faculty and administrative colleagues to think about how we will more deliberately infuse our curriculum with theoretical and hands-on approaches that

support student collaborative learning and problem solving. This work is exciting and builds on the foundations that Allegheny does so well: team-teaching, undergraduate research with students, and community-engaged projects. I’m also developing initiatives with colleagues that work closely with athletic and faculty advisors, admissions and career education so that prospective students, their parents/ guardians, and our current students can better understand why interdisciplinarity best prepares students for their future endeavors.” Christine Scott Nelson '73, a member of the Allegheny College Board of Trustees, says her interest in endowing a professorship in the Environmental Science and Sustainability Department stems from the 1970s when she was an Allegheny student. “It was then that we created the Environmental Science Department, and it was one of the first in the country in higher

I felt compelled, in many ways with a sense of urgency, to support what we can and provide resources that will help these students achieve the goals that they have for making this a better world to live in. Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Allegheny College Board of Trustees

education. Now, students in the last 10 or 15 years are saying climate change is the number one issue for them. So I felt compelled, in many ways with a sense of urgency, to support what we can and provide resources that will help these students achieve the goals that they have for making this a better world to live in. I was thrilled that Eric Pallant was the first recipient of this professorship because he has done so much for our sustainability efforts on campus. It’s not just hearing what Eric has done, but hearing what his students have done and what he has accomplished with his students. It just brings it all alive. It’s so important.” Nelson also was a major donor for the renovation of Carr Hall and establishing the Richard J. Cook Center for Environmental Science. “We were improving Carr Hall in order to bring classrooms and labs up to state of the art and to really make this a showcase for a department that is very important to Allegheny and very important to our students,” Nelson says. “It was also

a way for me to honor President Emeritus Richard Cook, who spent a lifetime engaged in issues of sustainability and, similarly, funding an endowed chair for the environmental science program was a way for me to honor the faculty who so inspire our students and mentor them.” Pallant, in turn, says he is honored to have received a second five-year period to hold the endowed professorship. “Being affiliated with Christine Scott Nelson, who I think of as being one of the most solid, quiet, unknown environmentalists I’ve ever met, and to have that nomenclature in front of my name, I know what it means because I know what she is about," Pallant says. "She is really about commitment to the environment, commitment to making a difference and she’s doing it. She asks, ‘Is this going to make a difference?’ And when she decides that it will, she puts her money where her beliefs are and does it very quietly without a lot of fanfare. To have that association with her just means the world to me.”

FACULTY AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Students Capitalize on Professional Experiences, Alumni Involvement in the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics

My efforts have been directed at how we take this wonderful college and create programs that, still with a strong foundation of liberal arts, prepare students for jobs that they are excited about. Bruce Thompson ’86 Allegheny College Board of Trustees

Allegheny students, faculty and staff toured the Federal Reserve Bank during a January 2019 trip to Cleveland, where they also attended a banking and finance panel and a networking lunch with Allegheny alumni.

Bruce Thompson ’86 credits his Allegheny College education with providing the knowledge and skills he needed to secure his first job in the financial industry and excel at a top business graduate school. As his career progressed, the Bank of America vice chairman saw an opportunity to help his undergraduate alma mater give today’s students even more of an advantage as they enter the global marketplace.

“My efforts have been directed at how we take this wonderful college and create programs that, still with a strong foundation of liberal arts, prepare students for jobs that they are excited about,” Thompson says. “These opportunities hopefully give students every opportunity to succeed and compete at the highest level as they pursue their professional endeavors.”

Thompson, an Allegheny trustee, made the lead gift to support the College’s Center for Business & Economics (CBE) during the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign. The center, which is named in Thompson’s honor, seeks to “attract Allegheny’s next generation of business innovators and entrepreneurs by providing a host of co-curricular activities that connect with and deepen their classroom experiences.”

The CBE’s programming includes major city trips where students can explore internship and entry-level opportunities, interview for open positions and meet with successful Allegheny alumni. Thompson has sponsored those trips for students to New York City and Cleveland. He says he recalls his own experience of interviewing for jobs in the city as a young professional, unfamiliar with what to expect and how to navigate the area.

The CBE also brings a wide range of accomplished professionals to campus for presentations and mentoring and networking opportunities with students. Among the center’s most engaged volunteers are members of the Board of Visitors, an advisory body of alumni and business leaders. They interact frequently with students and return to campus for an annual mini-conference designed to help students to use their college experience to achieve their career goals. Alex Abadi ’21 says he has benefited greatly from his connections with the Board of Visitors and other Allegheny alumni. “Because they’ve been in the workforce for a while, they can speak to the role Allegheny has played in helping them find who they are and how they can maximize their skill set and potential to really thrive in the work that they’re doing,” he says.

The finalists in the 2019 Zingale Big Idea Competition, a funding request contest in which students present concepts in one of three areas: for-profit businesses, nonprofits and hybrid social ventures

Abadi, an economics major and computer science minor, also serves as a CBE fellow. The students in this leadership group support CBE programming and act as student ambassadors. CBE Fellow Rachel Tobler ’21 says she has enjoyed mentoring students and working with faculty, staff and alumni in the role. Tobler adds that Allegheny graduates have helped her to explore options for certifications after graduation, including the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. “They’re the ones who opened up my eyes

to the different options that they had,” Tobler says. The College introduced a business major beginning with the 2018–19 academic year, expanding upon the business/managerial track offered within the economics major for 18 years. While an important component of the business major, the CBE continues to provide opportunities for students across campus. “We’ve been careful to make sure that the resources of the center are made available

to the overall Allegheny community,” Thompson says. “It’s not something that’s meant to be just economics and business. It’s something that’s meant to be Allegheny.” Tomas Nonnenmacher ’90, Patricia Bush Tippie Chair of Economics, says that two competitions illustrate the campus-wide appeal and the applied nature of the CBE’s activities: the Financial Literacy Challenge and the Zingale Big Idea Competition. Both were founded by Chris Allison ’83, CBE co-director, entrepreneur-in-residence in

Because they’ve been in the workforce for a while, they can speak to the role Allegheny has played in helping them find who they are and how they can maximize their skill set and potential to really thrive in the work that they’re doing. Alex Abadi ’21 16 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

Members of the Center for Business and Economics Board of Visitors returned to campus in April 2019 to share their expertise with students.

During the Zingale Big Idea Competition, a panel of distinguished judges not only evaluates students’ business plans but also provides them with constructive feedback and mentoring.

the Economics Department and Allegheny trustee. In the Financial Literacy Challenge, students from a wide range of majors develop a personal financial budget and investing plan appropriate for life after graduation, Nonnenmacher says. “Constructing this plan not only lets students use some of the tools that they have learned in their finance and accounting classes, but it also puts them on the path of having a sound financial plan,” he explains. During the annual Zingale Big Idea Competition, student teams from across academic disciplines present entrepreneurial concepts with the chance to receive funding through cash prizes. Recent winners of the competition have included a student majoring in studio art with a psychology minor, an applied computing and economics double major, and a neuroscience and psychology double major. The competition is named in honor of Lance Zingale ’77, who, along with his wife, Karen, gave generously to support

the initiative and also serves as one of its judges. He is chief customer officer, executive vice president and general manager, major markets, at Sykes Enterprises Inc. Zingale says that the Big Idea Competition helps students apply what they have learned in the classroom and demonstrate their entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

This is my small way of helping maybe inspire that spark that initiates it all from the very beginning. Lance Zingale ’77 CBE Board of Visitors

The competition consists of two rounds of presentations, says Nonnenmacher. “Students are encouraged to revise their presentations between the two rounds using feedback from the judges. Many of the judges are alumni of the College, giving

students the opportunity to network with alumni,” he adds. Zingale says that the next groundbreaking innovation in business or social initiative benefiting thousands of people could originate with an Allegheny student. And he hopes the Big Idea Competition helps to catalyze that process. “This is my small way of helping maybe inspire that spark that initiates it all from the very beginning,” Zingale says. Abadi says that he is “extremely grateful” to alumni like Thompson and Zingale for not only their financial support but also their dedication to helping students. “Alumni have always been open to answering any questions we have and sharing how they’ve used what they learned at Allegheny in the real world,” Abadi says. “I hope that, when I graduate, I am in a position where I can give students advice on how they can be the best version of themselves that they can be as well as how they can use their Allegheny education to help them do that.”

GLOBAL LEARNING

In a world that seems to be shrinking, the value of students experiencing other cultures and exploring how people around the globe live and work has become more important than ever. President Hilary L. Link emphasized upon her arrival on campus in 2019 that internationalization would become an even more integral part of the Allegheny College experience. To that

end, donors to the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign rallied to the cause, pledging about $7.5 million to enhance global learning and support internships and off-campus study.

Jasmine Reid-Harris’2 1

THAILAND

Antoinette “Toni” Swain Marwitz ’66, harking

economics and psychology from Brooklyn,

been driving my passion to one day be able to

back to her Allegheny education and the

New York, received a grant from the

create effective energy sources that will help

career it led her to pursue, was moved to

Marwitz Fund to study at Mahidol Univer-

reverse the damages caused by the green-

establish a student support fund through the

sity in Thailand. She told Marwitz: “A lot of

house gas effect.”

Allegheny Gateway that makes study abroad

students have swayed away from taking

possible for today’s students.

advantage of the study abroad opportunity

Marwitz, a Savannah, Georgia, resident, also

for reasons such as extra financial burden;

was instrumental in bringing the Vietnam

however with your help and the help of other

Memorial, which honors those who served in

a true game-changer,” says Marwitz, who pur-

donors and scholarships, it is possible. …

the Vietnam War, to campus. One of her first

sued a lifelong career in the Foreign Service

Mahidol University is ranked among the

foreign-service assignments was to train civil-

after graduation. “I was always fascinated

top 100 universities in the world for being

ian employees about the Vietnamese culture,

by other cultures and being able to study

sustainable, so it has been exciting to see

so it was a cause close to her heart. “To visit

“I spent my junior year in Paris and that was

overseas, to speak the language, was an

how Thailand has thought about climate

the Vietnam Memorial behind Ford Chapel

incredible experience. When I was a senior, I

change and been able to integrate it into its

overlooking the ravine, there is no place more

decided I wanted to see the world and help

education system. The coursework includes

serene,” she says.

people. I had a good grounding at Allegheny,

placing me in the field to see directly how the

and I wanted to give something back to the

environment has changed in an area and has

College, something that might change the

allowed me to properly assess what I can do

gift to support the Global Health Internship

lives of students.”

to better our environment. My career goals

Program for students to study and work in

Dr. James ’75 and Linda Trippi made an initial

involve finding effective ways to integrate

Moldova and India. This gift provided funding

Allegheny senior Jasmine Reid-Harris, an

renewable energy all over the world and in

for three years. Additionally, the Trippis have

environmental science major with minors in

varying climates. My experience abroad has

agreed to fund a challenge grant to establish

I was always fascinated by other cultures and being able to study overseas, to speak the language, was an incredible experience. Antoinette “Toni” Swain Marwitz ’66

Emma Norton’21 INDIA

an endowed fund that will provide ongoing

Program offers that same kind of experience

early childhood vaccination, and institu-

support for this internship. “I’m hoping that

with intense interaction with patients. It’s

tional delivery. She did office work as well

others will join in the support,” says James

important that students get experience in

and visited the Orohalli villages where the

Trippi, a cardiologist who lives in Indianapolis.

caregiving in Moldova and India to test

educational programming was implemented.

their capabilities.” The Global Health Internship Program is

Her internship also included classes on the Indian health care system, religion, politics,

operated through the College’s Global

Emma Norton, a senior from Missoula,

economics and Ayurvedic medicine. Finally,

Health Studies Program, which Trippi calls a

Montana, received a Trippi award to spend

Norton’s group visited temples and cultural

“trendsetter” for similar programs that other

two months in Mysore, India, in 2019. “As

sites, such as the Mysore Palace and Jain

institutions are now just starting to emulate.

I had never left the United States before, it

temple Shravanabelagola. “Overall, the

“As an alumnus, I had the privilege of a won-

was an especially meaningful and interesting

experience felt very authentic and I feel lucky

experience. Though it’s a bit cliché to say,

to have had such a unique glimpse into Indian

derful education and I wanted to be able to

spending a prolonged period of time in a new

culture,” she says. “As a global health student,

offer Allegheny students the opportunity for

country changed my perspective on health,

I especially value the opportunity to learn

foreign travel and for working with persons

poverty and culture, and deepened my

about health policy in the field, and, had it

with the greatest need and require a variety

understanding of the global health curricu-

not been for the Trippis’ generous support,

of health care,” says Trippi. “Allegheny

lum at Allegheny,” Norton told the Trippis.

I would never have had this exposure. The

to participate in any number of valuable

During her internship, Norton said she pre-

health interventions is unique at any level

outside activities and was able to pursue

pared educational materials on a variety of

of education, and this summer renewed my

health studies at the local hospital while at

maternal health and sanitation-related topics,

sense of purpose for my schooling.”

Allegheny. I believe the Global Health Studies

such as antenatal nutrition, hand-washing,

prepared me for medical school. I was able

chance to see how other countries implement

... I wanted to be able to offer Allegheny students the opportunity for foreign travel and for working with persons with the greatest need and require a variety of health care. Dr. James Trippi ’75 21

GLOBAL LEARNING

Global Citizen Scholars Program

EMPOWERS STUDENTS Through Local and International Engagement

When Linda Allison Palmiero ’66, P’92 first learned of the Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program and the distinctive experience it offers Allegheny students, she knew it was a perfect fit for her philanthropic interests.

“The Global Citizen Scholars Program is very empowering,” she says, “and it does a tremendous job of integrating curricular and co-curricular opportunities and preparing students to go into leadership roles, from the local to the international level.”

It exceeded my expectations and affirmed how great the program is. Linda Allison Palmiero ’66

In honor of her 50th reunion in 2016, Palmiero and her husband, Joe P’92, made a generous gift to fund the inaugural cohort of the GCS Program. Along with other donors, Palmiero has continued to support the program. It now has four cohorts fulfilling the goal of “encouraging students to interact with communities and cultures — not as observers, but as mindful participants.” Each year, the GCS Program welcomes a cohort of up to 20 first-year students who apply to it as part of the admissions process at Allegheny. Participants selected for the program benefit from unique learning opportunities in three areas — civic engagement, global learning and U.S. diversity. The power of combining those three areas in a single initiative inspired the founding of the GCS Program by Laura Reeck, professor of French and chair of the International Studies Program, and David Roncolato ’79, director of civic engagement in the Allegheny Gateway and professor in the Community and Justice Studies Program. Two faculty co-lead each GCS cohort, selecting a theme that connects to their research expertise or teaching interests. Those themes have focused on refugees and asylum-seekers (Reeck and Roncolato); neurodiversity (Professors Monali Chowdhury and Eric Palmer);

climate change and its impact on food, energy and water (Professors Rachel O’Brien and Byron Rich); and investments in empowering women (Professors Caryl Waggett and Ishita Sinha Roy). Several key experiences punctuate the three-year GCS Program: • Beginning in their first year, students enroll in a two-credit course that meets for three consecutive semesters. • In their second year, students participate in an ongoing civic engagement commitment in the Meadville community, participate in a shared immersion experience of two to four days, and begin preparations for their anticipated study abroad experience. (The program also includes two semesters of foreign language study.) • In their junior year, students study abroad or complete an international internship. “Because students are doing one year of civic engagement work before they study abroad, that experience of being a part of a new community in Meadville locally is informing to their study abroad experience, where they also become part of a new community,” Reeck says. A longtime volunteer for the College and past president of the Alumni Council, Palmiero interviewed each student in the program’s first cohort. She asked them to reflect on their experiences and how they grew as a result. “It exceeded my expectations and affirmed how great the program is,” says Palmiero, who also worked as an Allegheny employee for nearly 30 years. “Every single one of those 13 students mentioned how they learned to respect and listen to people with differing opinions.” 23

Emily Smith ’19

Danny Larson ’19

Asia Robinson ’19

Being part of the Global Citizen Scholars Program was the most unexpected but valuable component of my Allegheny experience because it touched so many areas of my life.

The experiences the GCS Program provided, both nationally and internationally, pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to broaden my perspectives.

It’s community work, but it’s not just about volunteerism. It’s about learning and researching and working together to understand the world from a different perspective.

Emily Smith ’19 was among the members of the first GCS cohort. “Being part of the Global Citizen Scholars Program was the most unexpected but valuable component of my Allegheny experience because it touched so many areas of my life,” she says. “It was really so multifaceted, encouraging me to engage in the Meadville community and to study abroad. It helped me grow as a student and as a person.” Smith says the program helped her to become a more confident speaker — in the classroom and outside of it. She adds that the cohort structure of the program allowed her to build relationships with students she might not otherwise have known as deeply. While at Allegheny, Smith studied abroad in Chile and attended a conference in India. Ultimately, she says the GCS Program 24 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

helped her to secure a Fulbright award to serve as an English teaching assistant in Brazil. The GCS Program also led to a prestigious post-graduation experience for Danny Larson ’19. He served as a volunteer with the Peace Corps English and Culture for Communication program in Costa Rica, working alongside teachers to facilitate language lessons with more than 250 students in grades 7–12. “The experiences the GCS Program provided, both nationally and internationally, pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to broaden my perspectives,” Larson says. Along with the rest of his cohort, Larson worked with Catholic Charities in Erie to learn more about the difficulties and realities of the resettlement process for

refugees. Through the financial support of the GCS Program, he also studied abroad in both Argentina and Nicaragua, enhancing his skills as a Spanish speaker. “Traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border in Tucson, Arizona, during my senior year and being able to speak with multiple refugee seekers about their experiences in their native language was a hugely impactful experience,” Larson adds. “I recognized the power of human relationships. Through dialogue, we can connect with people who may have very different lived experiences than our own.” Roncolato and Reeck offer gratitude to the donors who have generously supported the GCS Program, adding that it has garnered national attention for its structure and impact. Among those recognizing the program’s strengths is Caryn McTighe Musil, senior scholar and director of civic

The creation of this well-thought-out leadership program showcases the distinctive strengths of Allegheny’s Gateway Initiative. Caryn McTighe Musil Senior Scholar and Director of Civic Learning and Democracy Initiatives, Association of American Colleges and Universities

learning and democracy initiatives at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

organizations throughout campus, Reeck says. “They make a contribution that goes well beyond the (GCS) program itself.”

“The creation of this well-thought-out leadership program showcases the distinctive strengths of Allegheny’s Gateway Initiative,” she says. “At the Association of American Colleges and Universities, we are searching for advanced programmatic examples, like the Global Citizen Scholars Program, that create the infrastructure which offers students immersive and integrative learning opportunities that are developmental in design and cumulative over time.”

Global Citizen Scholar Asia Robinson ’19 completed an internship with the Meadville Council on the Arts and participated in the College Chorus and the Animal Welfare of Allegheny Club, among other activities. Robinson’s study abroad experience took her to Israel, where she worked in a wildlife rehabilitation center. That trip in turn helped to inspire her Senior Project exploring humananimal interactions.

Roncolato says the GCS Program also has delivered positive results in two key areas for the College: helping to retain students through their graduation from Allegheny and to attract international students. In addition, participants in the GCS Program distinguish themselves as “standout student leaders” in activities and

Robinson says the GCS Program also helped to deepen her understanding that “people’s experiences and social issues are not one dimensional. It’s community work, but it’s not just about volunteerism. It’s about learning and researching and working together to understand the world from a different perspective.”

The Global Citizen Scholars Program provides students with an array of impactful opportunities to learn and serve near and far from campus. For example, students have traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to study immigration issues (top photo), participated in group retreats (bottom left) and volunteered at a wide range of organizations, including the Vive Shelter in Buffalo, New York (bottom right).

STUDENT SUPPORT

26 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

Improvements Upgrade the Student-Athlete Experience With nearly two-thirds of Allegheny students participating in varsity, club or intramural sports, keeping the school’s athletic facilities and programs at peak performance levels is crucial to recruitment and student success.

including installation of a new blue turf surface and lighting to host the College’s newest varsity teams, field hockey and men’s lacrosse. The new artificial surface is also used by the soccer programs and women’s lacrosse team. Through the generous support of several donors, the College installed new grass soccer fields — a game field and a practice field. Key donors to the project include Chris Belnap ’82 and Florence Dietrick Belnap ’82, Rob Smith ’73 and Nancy Newton Smith ’74, and Chuck Bunch P’07. Bunch made his gift in honor of his daughter and son-in-law — Robin Bunch ’07 and Marc Sciulli ’05 — both alumni of the Allegheny soccer program. In turn, they made a gift to the soccer project as well. A new equipment storage area and an expanded athletic training room were also added to the Robertson complex.

blue field/field hockey With the recently completed Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign raising $30.2 million for investment in the College’s historic campus, a portion of the dollars raised went to improvements to athletic facilities. “Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors throughout the campaign, we have been able to address some much-needed upgrades as well as a few additions to our athletic facilities,” says William Ross, director of athletics and recreation. “Such enhancements are crucial in keeping our studentathletes and teams competitive within a very strong athletic conference. Also, athletic facilities rate as one of the most influential reasons a recruited studentathlete selects a college. Thus, these most recent facility improvements are a boost to our recruitment efforts.” Major renovations have been made at the Robertson Athletic Complex, 28 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

At the David V. Wise Sport & Fitness Center, the blue practice courts were resurfaced. A new scoreboard was installed, and the basketball court was resurfaced in the James H. Mullen, Jr., Arena, named for the College’s 21st president. Two racquetball courts were converted to weight and cardio rooms, allowing for the existing weight room to become a varsity-only space. This not only gives varsity athletes their own dedicated workout space, but it also reduces the often crowded conditions for students when teams are working out.

Part of my identity was always around athletics, so my contributions made back to the athletic programs, in particular football and baseball, are something that’s very personal. Eddie Taylor ’87 Allegheny College Board of Trustees

blue courts Eddie Taylor ’87, a former Gator athlete from Cleveland, Ohio, who supported the campaign, says: “Part of my identity was always around athletics, so my contributions made back to the athletic programs, in particular football and baseball, are something that’s very personal. It has meaning to me because in so many ways my ability to get an education and further my understanding of the world was driven by the time spent on the athletic fields. To be on that field, to compete, it helps you to learn and to grow. Being a team member and a good teammate, that was always important to me. “My gratitude to the College is partly due to the experiences that were generated in my athletic endeavors at Allegheny,” says Taylor, who is a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. “Athletics prepares you and helps you navigate what is always an interesting journey into a post-college career. So there are a number of influences, not only in the

the student-athlete quite a bit. It helps them become more well-rounded, and it gives them a great sense of teamwork, a sense of accomplishment. Things like that are really, really important in a college education.” “I think over the years, it’s the personal relationships we’ve developed with the coaches and students that have been so rewarding,” says Nancy Smith. “It hasn’t really changed from when we went there in the sense that when you graduated from Allegheny, you were usually far ahead of people from other schools,” says Rob Smith, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees.

basketball court classroom, but on the field that made a difference in my life.” For Rob and Nancy Smith, supporting Gator athletics isn’t so much about the on-field exertion as it is about the competitive spirit and the Allegheny advantage. The Smiths live in Meadville and enjoy attending Gator games to support student-athletes, including a nephew and a niece. “We’ve supported the basketball program because of our great nephew who played basketball at Allegheny. We support soccer because both our girls played soccer through college, not at Allegheny, and Nancy is a huge soccer fan, thanks to them,” says Rob Smith. “We’ve always felt that when our daughters played in college, it was an important part of the college experience. And in Division III, it really is a way to keep the students focused. Also, the people we’ve gotten to know in the programs tell us that athletics helps

Allegheny senior Rachel Tobler, from Libertyville, Illinois, is a member of the swim and dive team. “I have been since I was a freshman, and this year I’m also one of the captains along with five others. We have a really great team of leaders to help plan practices and team-bonding events. It’s been a very unconventional season. “Athletics has really helped me with time management,” Tobler says. “Being on a set practice schedule, having to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, go through my day and then have practice later again that night keeps me on a strict schedule. It forces me to be able to do homework in the middle of the day and not put it off until night. I think that’s something that will help me in

... athletics helps the studentathlete quite a bit. It helps them become more wellrounded, and it gives them a great sense of teamwork, a sense of accomplishment. Things like that are really, really important in a college education.

weight room the post-school job market, to be able to stay motivated and on top of all my work.” Senior Pearl Cooper, from Corning, New York, runs cross country and says competing in varsity sports holds great memories that will last a lifetime. “It’s been really a great experience, and I wouldn’t have been able to come to Allegheny without support from my academic scholarships, which include the Ellen and William Cramer Scholarship and the Grace BlaisdellCoggeshall Scholarship,” Cooper says. “My best memories are of the team camaraderie in the locker rooms, playing music and stretching outside with the sunset in the background, doing strides on the track and looking up and seeing all the leaves turning red in the fall.”

Rob Smith ’73 Allegheny College Board of Trustees 29

STUDENT SUPPORT

Endowed Scholarships Open the Door to Limitless Possibilities The Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign generated $50 million in new endowed scholarships. That outpouring of generosity will annually provide approximately $2 million, in perpetuity, to ensure access and improve affordability for Allegheny College students for generations to come.

Behind those numbers are a host of donors paving the way for promising young scholars to succeed at Allegheny. Without support from the Priscilla B. ’62 and David H. Hoag ’60 Scholarship for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Kasey Cordes ’21 says that she never would have been able to afford to attend college. “I come from a family that hasn't seen a single member gain a four-year degree, ever,” says Cordes, a political science major and communication minor from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. “I'll be the first one. I can't wait to graduate and begin a career. To me, the possibilities I once thought I'd never have now have become limitless.”

Supporters established 52 new endowed scholarships during the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign. Al Trezza ’01 and Megan Bush Trezza ’02 were the youngest donors to create an endowment during the campaign. They funded a scholarship and student support fund in honor of Professor of Mathematics Anthony J. Lo Bello. “We both really appreciate the education we had at Allegheny, and we come from middle-class backgrounds,” Megan Trezza says. “Every dollar that we received from Allegheny helped, so I feel like we could relate to that need.” Al Trezza credits the College’s mathematics faculty, including Lo Bello and Richard Holmgren, with inspiring him to explore opportunities that led to his career as an actuary. “Without that little nudge in the right direction, I wouldn't have applied for my first internship,

I come from a family that hasn't seen a single member gain a four-year degree, ever. I'll be the first one. Kasey Cordes ’21

which ultimately led to my first job,” Al Trezza says. Jared McHale ’20, who benefited from the Trezzas’ scholarship, said the honor of receiving the award provided a boost of confidence as he navigated the rigor of the mathematics major. “When you're in the middle of it, sometimes it seems like it's not going quite the way you expected. And then to have something like the scholarship

show that you’re making progress — it felt good,” says McHale, who double minored in psychology and education studies. Following graduation, McHale began a position as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member with the Crawford Central School District in his hometown of Meadville. His work focuses on initiatives that encourage families to become more involved in school programming.

He also works with the Crawford County Mental Health Awareness Program. Mary “Missy” Feeley ’78, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, says that she hopes her gifts help Allegheny continue to educate “thoughtful students who go out into the world to make society better.” Like the Trezzas, Feeley and her husband, Clive Gregson, honored a faculty mentor, Geology Professor

I know that I will remember this experience and want to help future Allegheny students long after I have graduated, just like you helped me. Bethany Allen ’22 in a thank-you letter for the Paul C. Morrison ’61 and Barbara T. Morrison ’63 Scholarship

Sam Harrison ’63, by supporting an endowed scholarship that is awarded annually. Through a bequest commitment, they also will endow a professorship that honors Harrison. Feeley says Harrison helped to spark her interest — and ultimately her career — in the geosciences. “He was the one who taught me to look around and make observations of the physical world and then be able to think about how it formed,” she says. “I wanted to give back and allow students to have the same kind of experiences working with Allegheny faculty that I had. The faculty are such an incredible asset for the College.”

A spirit of paying it forward also helped to inspire Andrea Ammann Parker ’67 to make a bequest commitment toward a scholarship. Parker says that financial aid made it possible for her late husband, Robert Parker '64 — who served in the U.S. Air Force, was a career scientist with the U.S. Navy, and was a member of the College's Alumni

Council — along with many of his family members, to attend Allegheny. Parker, who majored in history, looks back with gratitude on her Allegheny education. She says it helped to prepare her for a wide-ranging career that included selling real estate and directing a childcare center. “You learn how to

When you're in the middle of it, sometimes it seems like it's not going quite the way you expected. And then to have something like the scholarship show that you’re making progress — it felt good. Jared McHale ’20

learn at Allegheny,” she says. “You have a major and you have a direction, but you have experiences that lead you to be able to go into other areas and succeed.” Parker gifted her house, which had appreciated considerably in value, to establish a charitable remainder trust, with the College serving as trustee. In addition to tax advantages from the gift, the trust generates income for Parker and will later benefit her son. At the end of the trust term, the funds will be

used to create an endowed scholarship named for Parker and her late husband. “It was ultimately a win-win situation for my needs and hopefully for the College's needs in the future,” Parker says of giving through the trust. Gifts toward endowed scholarships have a positive effect that ripples through the years. By creating an ongoing source of support, endowment gifts make the Allegheny experience possible not only for today’s students

but also generations of scholars to come. Just as important, those scholarship gifts show students the significance of giving back to their alma mater after they graduate. Bethany Allen ’22, of Columbus, Ohio, received the Paul C. Morrison ’61 and Barbara T. Morrison ’63 Scholarship. Allen, an economics and French double major and history minor, says that choosing to attend Allegheny was one of the best decisions of her life. “It thrills me that people like you want to make a lasting impact on the College and are willing to help others,” wrote Allen in a thank-you letter for the scholarship. “I know that I will remember this experience and want to help future Allegheny students long after I have graduated, just like you helped me.” 33

STUDENT SUPPORT

Allegheny College has garnered national acclaim for its excellence in engaging students in faculty-mentored research experiences — from their first year on campus through their Senior Comprehensive Project. Donors to the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign have helped to set the stage for students from all disciplines to benefit from those remarkable research opportunities. During the campaign, President Emeritus Richard Cook and Terry Lahti established an endowed fund that encourages and facilitates student research and creative activity. It provides student stipends, materials and essential project-related travel assistance. Cook says that his own undergraduate research experience with a chemistry professor was “literally life-changing.” He explains that it encouraged him to work independently, challenged him to consider questions that no one had previously answered, and pointed him toward graduate school and a career in academia. Cook and Lahti were made honorary members of the Class of 2006, when they also were awarded the Alumni Medal for their distinguished service to Allegheny. Cook was also awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters upon his departure in 2008. Allegheny provides unparalleled opportunities for exploration and discovery beyond the classroom, Cook says. He notes that, out of hundreds of baccalaureate colleges in the nation, Allegheny was the only one selected for the inaugural Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment from the Council on Undergraduate Research in 2016.

— AND BRINGS JOY TO ITS BENEFACTORS

“I had the privilege of seeing it every day for 12 years with students and faculty and experiencing their activities, their presentations and their work,” Cook says. “It was invigorating to see that relationship between Allegheny’s very talented and dedicated faculty and curious, hardworking students. It is such a transformative

It was invigorating to see that relationship between Allegheny’s very talented and dedicated faculty and curious, hardworking students. It is such a transformative experience that there is no question in our minds that more and more students should have that kind of opportunity. President Emeritus Richard Cook

36 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

experience that there is no question in our minds that more and more students should have that kind of opportunity.” Adds Lahti: “This is where lives are changed and influenced. This is where the great mentoring occurs.” Lahti says that, over the years, she and Cook have spoken with countless Allegheny alumni who reflected on the impact of their work alongside faculty. The graduates would “share how they were able to turn the skills and what they learned into excitement in their own careers and sometimes groundbreaking achievements,” says Lahti, founder of an executive search firm for enrollment management professionals in higher education. “Participating in undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities embodies all that an Allegheny College education represents,” says Aimee Knupsky, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities (URSCA) and psychology professor. “It is deep engagement with an area of study that derives from a strong curriculum and active participation in shaping the field.” Jared Jordan ’21 pursued a summer research project in paleontology with Lisa Whitenack,

associate professor of biology and geology. They studied prehistoric shark teeth, measuring them to help analyze similarities and differences between species. A biology and environmental science double major, Jordan received support for the work from an endowed research fund established in honor of Cook and Lahti in 2007 by appreciative alumni, colleagues and friends. “This study was important for me because it added valuable research experience to my resume,” Jordan says. “So not only did these gifts help me begin my research, they also helped to pave my road to later endeavors.” Olivia Blakeslee ’21 says that she took “new confidence and new passion” from a summer research project with English Professor Ben Slote. Her research focused on American writer Wendell Berry and incorporated dynamic ways to look at what constitutes an author’s audience. The project not only gave Blakeslee hands-on experience working independently on a long-term project, but it also showed her the value of conveying the insights she gained to others. “I learned how exciting it can be to share my findings and how important it is to speak to members of various disciplines,” says Blakeslee, an English major and journalism in the public interest minor.

I learned how exciting it can be to share my findings and how important it is to speak to members of various disciplines. Olivia Blakeslee ’21

Jordan and Blakeslee shared their work at the Allegheny College Research Seminar Series (ACRoSS) held each summer. At each ACRoSS weekly meeting, students present short overviews of their research projects to campus and local community members then field questions. Each spring, the College also

hosts the Richard J. Cook – Teresa M. Lahti Scholars Symposium to celebrate student accomplishments through presentations and other programming. (These events were not held in the spring and summer of 2020 due to health and safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Lahti and Cook both underscore the importance of a strong endowment to sustaining Allegheny’s distinctions, including undergraduate research. “This is why we turned our major portion of giving to an endowment gift,” Cook says. “We wanted something that would not just make a difference today. We wanted to make a difference 10 years, 50 years from now, and the way to ensure that is to have an endowment that is preserved in perpetuity and invested in College operations and students over a long period of time.”

Both Cook and Lahti come from families of modest means and received financial assistance during their undergraduate and graduate educations. They say they’ve never forgotten how their lives were changed by that help. In turn, that perspective and gratitude have helped to inspire their support of Allegheny students. Cook also recalls “the sheer joy and satisfaction of giving” that he witnessed in alumni and trustees who again and again contributed their time and financial resources to Allegheny. He and Lahti have found that same sense of fulfillment through their philanthropy. Says Cook: “I don’t think we ever imagined that we would give such a significant portion of our financial resources to the College, but it is satisfying. It feels good to give back to such a terrific institution and its students.”

HISTORIC CAMPUS

Fund for

BENTLEY HALL

challenge Inspires Restoration of an Allegheny Icon

In just over a year’s time, Allegheny College alumni and friends rallied together and rose to a challenge to ensure that Bentley Hall’s storied place in the College’s history will endure into its future. Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 and Henry Tippie issued that challenge, presenting the College with a $7 million gift in 2017. The Tippies’ dollar-for-dollar match sparked a groundswell of generosity from others to complete the $14 million initiative.

“Trustees, alumni, faculty, students, staff and friends almost instantly stepped up to support Bentley,” Trustee Emerita Pat Tippie says. “It’s been wonderful to see how everyone responded.” All told, donors from more than 100 households supported the Bentley Hall restoration, including six who contributed $1 million or more. The last major renovation of Bentley Hall took place nearly a century ago. The need for significant work was clear to Henry Tippie during a 2017 tour of the building with Cliff Willis, Allegheny’s director of major capital projects. “If it hadn’t been for Cliff taking my husband on the tour, it wouldn’t have happened,” Pat Tippie says of the challenge gift. The project has encompassed a complete interior and exterior renovation of Bentley — from its cornerstone to cupola. “We’ve tried very hard to bring back some of the feelings of what it was like when it was first built,” Willis says. Project architect MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc. brought extensive experience with historic renovations to the design and planning. Bentley Hall marks the

40 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

sixth major project on the Allegheny campus for lead contractor Massaro, Inc.

lines, that research suggests was part of Bentley’s history.

The College engaged a wide range of other experts to preserve elements from the building’s history, including Jonathan “Jed” Miller ’69. Miller has been deeply involved in researching the historic details of all aspects of the building, from construction features to original paint colors and wallpaper. He also designed many significant elements of the interior, including carpeting and casework.

Willis also points with pride to the building’s new “six over six” windows that hearken back to an original feature of Bentley. The windows have six panes of glass on the upper sash and six on the lower. Each had to be custom made because “over 200 years, the building had shifted, and every window was a different size,” Willis says.

Bentley is the most important building on campus — and we felt that it had to be restored for many generations to come. Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 Trustee Emerita

On the outside, workers carefully removed layers of paint that hid damage. Exterior bricks were preserved or replaced if broken and then sealed to protect them. Even the new mortar incorporates a grapevine technique, with intricate wavy

The project also has involved less apparent yet equally critical efforts to shore up the building’s structural integrity, Willis says. When careful examination revealed numerous voids in the foundation, crews injected grout to strengthen it. A new slate roof now tops Bentley, with nearly all of the supporting structure replaced as well. Hidden in the walls, steel beams now buttress the area near the new elevator on the building’s south side. Renovations also added an accessible entrance on the west side and new electrical, plumbing and other mechanical systems. The College’s ethos of sustainability resounds throughout the project, which is being completed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification

standards. Among many other green features, 12 nearby geothermal wells extend 500 feet deep, feeding the building’s heating and cooling system. The geothermal system was funded by Christine Scott Nelson ’73, an Allegheny trustee who chaired the Fund for Bentley Hall Challenge. “This is such a beautiful, iconic building — 200 years old,” she says, “and I can’t think of a better statement when we unveil Bentley after the renovations than to say that our oldest building, too, is part of Allegheny’s commitment to sustainability.” The renovated Bentley is scheduled for occupancy in spring 2021, and it will continue to serve as the College’s central administrative hub. The third floor, which was shuttered to occupancy due to fire regulations in 1964, will reopen and feature two meeting rooms. Visitors to that level also will find the famed chalkboard — where scores of Alleghenians have written their names and messages — and intricately restored cornices that date to the mid-1800s when two literary societies were housed there. It has been a “career highlight” to be involved in the restoration of Bentley Hall, Willis says, noting that he has a

deep appreciation for history. To share his passion, he began leading tours of the building that quickly became popular staples of Reunion Weekend and other College events.

the first person to make a gift to support the effort. Several years ago, he began designating annual contributions to the Bentley project in anticipation of its beginning.

Willis says he has long admired the efforts of those who toiled to construct a building of Bentley’s scale some two centuries ago.

“There are many people who have given really significant donations,” Willis says, thanking those donors for their generosity. “My support has been kind of a gift of love.”

There are many people who have given really significant donations. My support has been kind of a gift of love. Cliff Willis Allegheny College Director of Major Capital Projects

“Think back to 1820 — to take on a task like this on what was then the frontier,” Willis says. “You look at the size of the timbers that are in that building, and you scratch your head thinking, ‘What a challenge to get those up there. They didn’t have cranes or anything like that.’” Since Willis joined the College as an employee in 2008, he has looked forward to the day when Bentley would be renovated — so much so that he was

Willis says that he hopes the renovation project honors the building’s history by preserving its legacy well into the College’s future. To that end, the fundraising earmarked $1 million to an endowment for ongoing maintenance. The Tippies established a similar fund when they supported the restoration of Cochran Hall to create the Patricia Bush Tippie Alumni Center in 2006. Those endowments provide a stable resource to address issues promptly, preventing them from being deferred and developing into even more significant problems, Henry Tippie explains. Says Pat Tippie: “Bentley is the most important building on campus — and we felt that it had to be restored for many generations to come. It is an icon. To me, it is Allegheny.”

HISTORIC CAMPUS

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CENTER

PUTS STUDENT-FACULTY

As plans developed for a donor-funded renovation of Carr Hall, Professor Eric Pallant suggested what some might consider an unconventional component of a college environmental science center: a teaching kitchen.

6,000-year history and science of sourdough bread. Pallant says he can bring lessons from that research to help students become “excited about the world around them” while teaching them to bake bread.

is happening chemically with the gluten and biologically with the yeast and the bacteria. The discussions also cover ecological, historical and cultural issues that put their breadmaking in a broader societal context.

Pallant says spaces like the kitchen allow him to show, rather than simply tell, in the classroom. The two-time Fulbright award recipient is working on a book project about the

“Students think ‘I’m just kneading bread.’ But while they’re kneading bread, I’m talking to them about what’s going on with this process,” Pallant says. For example, he explains what

Support for the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign transformed Carr Hall — constructed in 1964 — into an innovative learning space that puts student-faculty

COLLABORATION AT THE FOREFRONT IN CARR HALL Students think ‘I’m just kneading bread.’ But while they’re kneading bread, I’m talking to them about what’s going on with this process.

collaboration at the forefront. The renovated building opened in 2012 with an environmental science center named in honor of President Emeritus Richard J. Cook. In 2007, during his tenure as president, Cook signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Joining the commitment was a key milestone in Allegheny’s journey to becoming, in 2020, one of the first 10 colleges or universities in the nation to achieve carbon neutrality.

Sustainability (ESS) Department a home befitting the program’s status as one of the most respected of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1972, Allegheny’s ESS Department is one of the oldest environmental science programs in the country, and EnvironmentalScience.org ranks the program No. 4 nationally. The department emphasizes hands-on, experience-based learning, with faculty and students working together in the classroom and the community to solve problems.

Eric Pallant

The renovations to Carr Hall have given the College’s Environmental Science and

Kylie Wirebach ’20 says that almost every class she took in the ESS Department involved

Professor, Environmental Science & Sustainability

The first thing they see is the building’s lobby, which is alive with nature. There are plants growing up the walls. There’s artwork that talks about nature. There’s a pond with the sounds of running water in it, and fish that are feeding the plants. Eric Pallant Professor, Environmental Science & Sustainability

a project with a real stakeholder in the Meadville community. “As students, we often had a hand in designing the key aspects of the project, collecting the data or crafting the product, and then writing about the process for a report at the end,” she explains. Wirebach, a double major in environmental science and biology, also collaborated with students and faculty on a project investigating the reintroduction of European bison. Their study led to the publication of a peerreviewed journal article and an interview with a BBC journalist to discuss their findings. That research began as a project in an environmental science class in Carr Hall’s Geographic Information Systems laboratory, where students learn advanced mapping techniques integrating many types of data. The College worked closely with architects to design a building that would meet the needs of students and faculty, Pallant says. The

project converted an underused auditorium into 7,000 square feet of learning space, including areas for the Physics Department. Along with advanced laboratories, some lower-tech amenities in the building also have proven to be invaluable. “You can walk into classrooms with blackboards — old-fashioned blackboards — on every wall where students can get up and be interacting all at the same time,” Pallant says.

“The first thing they see is the building’s lobby, which is alive with nature,” he says. “There are plants growing up the walls. There’s artwork that talks about nature. There’s a pond with the sounds of running water in it, and fish that are feeding the plants.” The lobby includes one of the building’s two aquaponics systems, which are composed of fish, plants and water. The fish waste fertilizes the plants, and the plants filter the water for the fish.

Outside the building, the 3,000-square-foot Carr Hall Garden (known as “the Carrden”) and an experimental greenhouse provide additional opportunities for students to learn about food and energy production.

Best practices in sustainability extend throughout Carr Hall, which received national recognition through the College’s participation in the Better Buildings Challenge launched by President Barack Obama in 2011. The renovations also earned LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification recognizes the renovation’s exceptional use of sustainable materials, healthy indoor air quality, extensive daylighting from solar tubes and skylights, and significant energy savings.

Pallant, the Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Chair in Environmental Science, says that Carr Hall appeals to students’ growing interest in environmental science. Nearly nine years after the renovations were completed, Carr is still the first stop on the campus tour for prospective students, Pallant adds.

As students, we often had a hand in designing the key aspects of the project, collecting the data or crafting the product, and then writing about the process for a report at the end.

The investments in Carr Hall’s renovation and the ESS Department continue to yield impressive dividends. That generosity helps to fuel the opportunities that faculty provide for students — and, in turn, the work they do to improve their communities, and the world around them, as Allegheny graduates. Wirebach, for instance, is now pursuing a master’s degree in biology at SUNY Buffalo State College, with a research focus on ecology and biogeography. She credits the extensive GIS experience she gained in Carr Hall with helping her to secure a graduate assistantship. “Now that I’m in graduate school, I often reflect with relief on how well Allegheny prepared me for it,” Wirebach says.

Kylie Wirebach ’20

Class Notes

News and Events from Alumni

Notes 1970s ’76

Janet McDowell retired from staffing a regional health system’s Institutional Review Board in 2019. She combined that with a move back to central North Carolina, where she went to graduate school, in order to be near her two adult children and their spouses. “I somewhat reluctantly joined an ‘active 55-plus community,’ and find that I love it. I’m surrounded by interesting individuals with the time and inclination to make new friends. Pre-COVID we had regular coffee mornings, wine and cheese evenings, and lots of informal gatherings. At least our daily walking group continues to cover three miles each morning, with some of us in masks, on the nature trail that surrounds our neighborhood. Other than a mean bout of sciatica, my health remains great. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with several Allegheny alums from all over the U.S. thanks to Zoom calls organized by fellow ’76er George Bradley,” she says.

Notes 1990s ’93

Nicholas Brown in January 2020 was named chief of medical staff at Fisher Titus Medical Center, a hospital in Norwalk, Ohio. He is currently in practice with NOMS Northern Ohio Foot and Ankle Specialists with offices in Sandusky and Bellevue, Ohio.

Andre Perry has released a book, Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, published by Brookings Institution Press. He is a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. His research focuses on race and structural inequality, education and economic inclusion.

’97

Scott Wludyga is the superintendent at the Ashtabula County Technical & Career Center (A-Tech) in Jefferson,

Ohio. The school provides 19 career technical programs for high school students and specialized job training for adults. Wludyga made the transition to education in 2006 after an awardwinning career as a TV sports anchor at WJET-TV in Erie. “It’s amazing how my senior comp foreshadowed my career. As a communication arts major, I developed a children’s TV game show. My research for that project focused on education. I’ve been fortunate to have great opportunities both in television and education,” he says.

Notes 2000s ’02

Joy D. Johnson has been named executive director of Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio. She previously was the associate director, grants manager and administrative officer.

’03 Rachel Wysocki Kent has joined the founding leadership team of Buffalo Creek Academy, a civics-focused charter school in the city of Buffalo. She is the academic services coordinator. Rachel has also started a small nonprofit that provides free, reusable face coverings to all. Visit www.projectwarmth.us to find out how to support her in this mission.

’06

Megan McLachlan was recently named Best Local Writer in Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2020 Best of the Burgh Readers Poll. She’s been published in BuzzFeed, The Cut, Thrillist, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and The Washington Post, and also contributes to Awards Daily, where she interviews leading figures in entertainment like John Travolta, Cynthia Erivo, Ricky Gervais, Olivia Wilde, and Rian Johnson. In 2015, she published her first novella, Loan Some.

Notes 2010s ’14

Courtney J. Barbour has been named fiscal officer at Maryland Humanities, a statewide nonprofit

organization. She is completing a master’s degree in accounting and finance at the University of Maryland. She majored in mathematics with a minor in economics.

’09

’15

Maddie Monahan has accepted a position as program manager of SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) programming at Einstein Healthcare Network serving pre-K and K-12 children, and adults and seniors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Arrivals ’06

’12

Caitlin Rothman Andryka and Michael Andryka welcomed their first child, Elijah Michael Andryka, on May 16, 2020.

Unions ’14 Rachel Fodi Bouchard and Brandon Bouchard ’08 welcomed their daughter, Caroline, on December 11, 2019. Caroline joins big sister Ella, who is 3.

’10

Carly Colatch Hill and her husband, Jordan, welcomed their son, Isaac Alexander Hill, on November 22, 2019. Isaac joins big sister Ivy Elizabeth. The family lives in Leeds, England.

Lisa Roane married Thomas Mahon on February 23, 2020 in Indianapolis. While the couple eloped in their favorite local park with no guests in attendance, Roane was able to celebrate her engagement during her 5th college reunion last year with Emily Eckert, Cait McNamee, Gill McGuire, Kelsey Sadlek and many other ’14 classmates.

’16

’08 Alex Smith and Amy Kerschner Smith ’11 welcomed baby Rosalie Barbara on February 6, 2020. Other Gators in the family include Pap Dave Kerschner ’79 and Uncle Dan Kerschner ’17. Rosalie joins big sister Joanna, and the family lives in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Peter and Jasmine Fill welcomed Danielle Fill on November 20, 2019. Danielle was 5 pounds, 15 ounces and 19 inches long. Big sister Genevieve (now 2) is doing a great job helping with feedings and diaper changes.

Joshua Suen and Sarah Friedman welcomed thir first baby, Lucy Suen, into the world on October 15, 2019.

’11

Jamie Havens Blythe and James Blythe are pleased to announce the arrival of Edmond Beauregard “Beau” Blythe on April 26, 2020. Jamie and James are thrilled and absolutely in love with little Edmond. Special thanks to friend and schoolmate, Dr. Erin Horning Rhinehart, Class of 2009, for helping to care for Jamie at the hospital.

Rachel Vigliotti and Kylan Hill met during their four years at Allegheny College. Rachel was a member of the women’s basketball team and Kylan was on the cross country/track and field team. The two first met in the athletic training room in the Wise Center. On March 14, 2020, the Allegheny College sweethearts tied the knot. They were surrounded by their loving families, Allegheny friends, and teammates. The couple became Dr. and Mrs. Kylan Hill. They say that Allegheny will forever hold a special place in their hearts, and they will always cherish the memories they made in Meadville.

Submit your news and events for inclusion in Class Notes by emailing items to clnotes@allegheny.edu

’11

Boris Temkin married Hannah Phillips ’14 on June 5, 2019, in Waimānalo, Hawaii. Several Allegheny alumni were in attendance. Pictured, left to right, are: Scott Kirk ’14, Danae Binder ’13, Alexa Porupsky ’14, Allie Palmer ’14, Sara St. Peter ’14, Hannah and Boris, Dalton Phillips ’11, Anthony Angotti ’11, Anna Shriver Angotti ’13 and Jacob Lasley ’14.

’12

Loren Horst and Alina Meltaus were married on April 27, 2019, in Washington, D.C. They celebrated their marriage with many Allegheny alumni and friends.

Notices & Obituaries

Find the full listing at allegheny.edu/magazine

These listings include deaths of alumni reported through July 15, 2020.

’38

Samuel Ziskind on February 2, 2020

’44

Shirley Stormer McClelland on May 31, 2020

’45

Robert W. Leech, Jr. on June 28, 2020 Naomi Lutz Pasquine on March 11, 2020

’54

Joanne White Dzina on May 13, 2020 William W. McVay on June 8, 2020

’56

Marilyn Mills Hesse on January 1, 2020 Wayland C. Kerr on July 14, 2020 Alan R. McCombs on July 10, 2020 Richard H. Popeney on July 15, 2020

’57

John E. Snover on March 16, 2020

’58

’46

Janet Z. Foord on May 21, 2020

Patricia L. Moorhead Barton on December 30, 2019 Jean L. Goldsborough Clark on August 7, 2020 Adelaide Skelly Colwell on February 27, 2020 Rose A. Longo on July 1, 2020

’48

’59

George A. Beck on March 3, 2020 Josephine Smith Catalano on May 16, 2020 Betty Ann Borgh Cushman on December 21, 2018 Carol Kelly Phillips on February 9, 2020 Mabel Smith Torrey on April 26, 2020 Barbara Johnson Wigton on March 30, 2020

’49

Hugh M. Crawford on May 16, 2020 Richard E. Davis on July 6, 2020 Jane Winship Livezey on February 7, 2020 Marjorie Cochran Thomas on March 30, 2020

’50

Clarice Williams Allexsaht on February 22, 2020 J. Donald Lundell on March 18, 2020 Charles P. McGeary, Jr. on May 23, 2020

’51

Hugh W. Lange on June 21, 2020 Harry C. Larimer on June 1, 2018. David L. Stainbrook on March 28, 2020

’60

William V. Hrach on June 15, 2020 Gretchen Kruse Price on January 27, 2020 Robert L. Unger on March 30, 2020

’61

John L. Waite on May 23, 2020 David W. Wuerthele on April 7, 2020 Christine M. Wuerthele on July 3, 2020

’62

Glenn A. Beckert on April 12, 2020 Margaret Stewart Butcher on April 26, 2020 Richard F. Grannis on April 21, 2020

Joan Ross Aseltine on May 14, 2020 Elisa Camilli Egan on February 24, 2020 Alfred H. Krall on April 6, 2019 Fred B. McEwen on March 18, 2020 Charles R. Wilson, Jr. on April 17, 2020

’63

’52

James V. Cesario on May 6, 2020 Ronald E. Comfort on April 5, 2020 John C. Johannesmeyer on June 2, 2020 Richard A. Reiss on February 20, 2020 Sara Altstetter Rucosky on May 11, 2020

John F. Barrows on June 10, 2020 Anne E. Bowes on May 21, 2020 Gladys M. Haddad on June 2, 2020 Carole McClain McIndoe on March 1, 2020

’53

Emily Engle Jarrett on June 15, 2020 Marla Schneider McMahon on May 27, 2020 Jane Saville Smith on March 28, 2020 Joyce Melvin Watson on January 18, 2020

Raymond McDonald on May 5, 2020 Donna Gow Taylor on November 25, 2019

’64

’65

John F. Crichton on February 20, 2020

’67

Laurence N. Hobbs on June 18, 2020 Kenneth Kolson on March 23, 2020

’68

John E. Smothers on January 26, 2020

’69

’78

Elizabeth Pletcher Snyder on February 23, 2020

’81

Kirsten Olson Koenig on April 18, 2020

’82

Kenneth H. Dominick on May 7, 2020

Gregory A. Lutz on July 2, 2019 Robert J. Tomaszewski, Jr. on March 9, 2020

’71

’84

Robert Noble on April 17, 2020

’72

Phyllis A. Hoople on July 6, 2020

’73

Jeanne Holets Reilly on April 3, 2020 Douglas C. Renson on February 29, 2020

Sandra Lee Clancy on May 15, 2020 Martha Crouse Wiseman on April 22, 2020

’85

Jeffrey S. Melvin on February 1, 2020

’92

Randal J. Zell on July 2, 2020.

’74

’95

’76

’19

’77

Friends:

Q. Todd Dickinson on May 3, 2020

Michael G. Dombrowski on January 17, 2020

Priscilla Randall on June 12, 2020

William E. Gresh, Jr. on February 26, 2020

Brian Hill on March 26, 2020

Grant Bogue on April 2, 2020 Jonathan B. Holmes on May 24, 2020 Bernice K. Cervone on June 28, 2020

John C. Phillips, Jr. ’56 Trustee Emeritus

John C. Phillips, Jr., an Allegheny trustee emeritus and a member of the Class of 1956, passed away on April 6, 2020. Jack and his wife, the former Joyce Nickmeyer ’56, were high school sweethearts, attending Allegheny College together, and were married in 1957. He then obtained his master’s degree from the Wharton School before serving in the U.S. Army. In 1962, he joined the Rouse Company in the Mortgage Banking Department and worked in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Washington, D.C. He and his family moved to Weston, Massachusetts, in 1975, and he joined the firm of Cabot Cabot and Forbes. In 1982, he moved to and headed the marketing department at Copley Real Estate 50 ALLEGHENY Winter/Spring 2021

Advisors. In 1991, Jack and Joyce built their dream home in Landgrove, Vermont. There, Jack started the Phillips Company, which later merged with Koza Partners of San Francisco. In 2012, he finally fully retired. His passion for sports remained, and he enjoyed skiing into his 82nd year. He had a love of education, exhibited by serving on the Board of Trustees at both Allegheny and Burr and Burton Academy for many years. He also served on the boards of several corporations as well as churches that were dear to him. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Nickmeyer Phillips; his daughters, Heather, Hollis and Jennifer; five grandchildren; and his sister, Jill Cervantes.

YOUR ALUMNI COUNCIL WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU The Alumni Council is the governing body of Allegheny’s Alumni Association. The Council, composed of 26 alumni and one current senior student, works to facilitate and strengthen the relationship between alumni and Allegheny’s students, faculty, staff and the Board of Trustees. The dedicated volunteer members of the Council care deeply about the College and want to help Allegheny be its very best in providing a world-class education for students, supported by the strongest alumni network in the country. The Council recognizes that, in order to achieve this vision, they need the energy and engagement of Gators across the world who are willing to assist with recruitment, provide guidance, support, connection, internships and employment for current students, and help cultivate a lifelong connection with the College so that after students graduate, they too will be eager to help Allegheny over their lifetime. The Council serves as a conduit to the College and welcomes hearing from you at any time. You can reach the Alumni Council officers at AlumniCouncil@allegheny.edu.

2020–21 Alumni Council Members Tres Adams ’99 David Bergh ’91 Jon Breckenridge ’83 Rob Clemens ’73 Christine O’Neil D’hondt ’94 (Secretary) Rachel Dingman ’08 Dan Donahoe ’11 Tim Downing ’85 Carmen Ramsey Ellington ’86 (President) Camila Gomez ’19 Maritza Hernandez ’13 Jabriya Hester ’21 Xun “X” Li ’09 Taylor Marzouca ’20 Matty McCabe ’65 Lindsay Nagle Mericli ’04 Medio Monti ’79 Ron Morosky ’78 Caitlin O’Brien-Rice ’10 Ryan Reczek ’03 Mary Welsh Schlueter ’86 Karen Shakoske ’95 (Vice President) Andrew Skelly ’17 Mary Zoller Utter ’06 Greg Ward ’94 (Past President) Karl Weiss ’87 Norma Klaus Wible ’73

Allegheny Magazine

Allegheny College 520 North Main Street Meadville, PA 16335

ON THE COVER

EVEN GREATER HEIGHTS Allegheny College’s Bicentennial celebration in 2015 was more than a milestone — it was a moment to be seized. To climb to even greater heights, the College publicly launched the largest fundraising effort in its history, the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest campaign. Through the generosity of Alleghenians around the world, the campaign successfully concluded in 2020, surpassing its $200 million goal a full year ahead of schedule.

Photo: Bill Owen ’74

Allegheny Magazine Winter/Spring 2021

Articles inside

CLASS NOTES

Fund for Bentley Hall Challenge Inspires Restoration of

As College Puts Focus on the Value of Global Learning

Endowment Gift Bolsters Student Research

Improvements Upgrade the Student-Athlete Experience

Endowed Scholarships Open the Door to

Global Citizens Scholar Program Empowers Through Local

The Annual Fund Provides Critical Scholarship Support

Meet the Youngest Member of the Timothy Alden Council

Campaign Adds New Endowed Professorships and