THE MAGAZINE OF HARCUM COLLEGE
•
WINTER 2021
RESTORING THE MURALS AT HARCUM
THE MAGAZINE OF HARCUM COLLEGE • WINTER 2021
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
3
HARCUM COMMUNITY NEWS
4
CAMPUS EVENTS
6
ADVANCEMENT NEWS
7
GRANTS & AWARDS
8
FACULTY & STAFF NEWS
19
ATHLETICS ROUNDUP
20
ALUMNI NEWS
21
10 14 24
THE MURALS AT HARCUM Harcum’s historic mural arts initiative spanning 20 years is getting the attention it deserves with a painstaking and detailed restoration, preserving the pieces for future generations. MOVING TOWARD EQUITY AND INCLUSION From a new mission statement to new alliances, Harcum has been implementing change to mitigate numerous disparities impacting Harcum students and the wider community. BEAR PRIDE: TRACY JOHNSON ’04 Harcum alumna with dyslexia pens a new guide for adult dyslexics, drawing from her lived experience.
Mural restorer and artist DAVE WALSH (right) wraps up and loads out the lost murals from the basement of Klein Hall with assistance from JON WEARY, art handler.
This Issue PATCHES STAFF Executive Editor/Writer Gale Martin Contributors Fran Salvacion Melissa Samango Amy Shumoski Bernadette Walsh Art Direction & Design Lilian Crooks Photography Jackie Pursell A’17 Amy Shumoski K.S.N. Images BOARD OF TRUSTEES Alexander Klein, Chairman Dennis S. Marlo, Vice-Chair Karl A. Thallner, Jr., Vice-Chair Louise A. Strauss, Secretary David M. Jacobson, CPA, Treasurer Jon Jay DeTemple, Ph.D., President
RESTORING THE MURALS AT HARCUM PAGE 10
2
WINTER 2021
Denis C. Boyle Joan P. Capuzzi, VMD Samuel P. Cimino, DDS Kevin Dow, MBA Ellen Farber ’12 Kent Griswold, Ph.D., MBA Tracy Johnson ’04 Marvin B. Levitties J. Michael McNamara Ben Post Theodore A. Rosen
located at 750 Montgomery Avenue in Bryn Mawr, PA 19010; by email: alumni@harcum.edu; or by calling 610-526-6060. MISSION STATEMENT Harcum College provides its students with an opportunity for outstanding academic, career, and life preparation. We teach, mentor, and prepare students for success, excellence, civility, empowerment, integrity, community service, and respect for diversity to assure that every student is valued and supported. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The comments and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of Harcum College. The editorial board reserves the right to edit and select content for Patches that adheres to Harcum College’s commitment to maintaining the high standard of integrity that has always been characteristic of the college. © 2021 HARCUM COLLEGE
PATCHES MAGAZINE is published biannually by the Office of Communications & Marketing at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA. Please send address changes and class notes to the Office of Alumni Relations
From the President “WE SHALL NOT FAIL OR FALTER. We shall not weaken or tire. Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.” Thus said Winston Churchill, whose legacy and words resound today. If you’ve never visited Melville Hall, you might not know I have my drawings of Churchill created by his daughter Sarah displayed in my office. For most of my life, I have found inspiration in this art, in his rousing speeches, and by example in his indomitable spirit. This issue of Patches reflects the courage of our community to “finish the job.” Our students, faculty, and staff have persevered in ways unimaginable before 2020. You’ll read about the Community Scholars program, lifting up Partnership Sites’ students with the academic foundation and resources to go and serve their communities. We announce the upcoming Power of Possibilities event, which continues virtually in 2021. Our scholarship recipients have moving stories to tell, and Harcum is fortunate to have friends and donors supporting them. You’ll learn more about the initiative to restore the Harcum murals, a large-scale preservation of a visual time capsule, created by earlier generations of Harcum students for future generations, the scope of which can never be replicated. In the feature about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Nursing Program Director Fran Shuda shares her quest to provide mentors for nursing students of color. Also, Program Director Jim Foster explains how he created new clinical rotations for Harcum OTA students after the pandemic hit. In “Bear Pride,” we recognize Dr. Tracy Johnson ’04, who powered through a soul-crushing learning disability, publishing a book to help dyslexic adults. In this new year, I am optimistic we will not falter along this path we undertake together toward giving our students the tools and support they need to finish the academic year and flourish as Harcum graduates. All best wishes,
JON JAY DETEMPLE, PH.D., MBA
PATCHES
3
Harcum Community News TWO PROGRAMS SAIL THROUGH ACCREDITATION Harcum College officials announced two significant accreditations in 2020: the Dental Programs and the Nursing Program. Following the official 2019 visit to the two dental programs (Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting with EFDA), the Commission on Dental Accreditation delivered the news of a successful reaccreditation earlier this year, granting Harcum the highest possible accreditation status: approval without reporting requirements. The accrediting body for college-level nursing programs (ACEN) awarded Harcum’s program an unprecedented eight (8) year accreditation in recognition of the program outcomes and the high quality of a Harcum nursing education, according to Fran Schuda, Nursing Program Director. The Nursing Program also boasted its fourth consecutive 100% pass rate for the latest cohort of Nursing graduates, the Class of 2020.
COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE While it’s always a beneficial idea for any organization to consider updating their website, it can be vexing to go from the consideration stage to the actuation stage. For some institutions, it can be a two-year process or longer. “After Google reported some ghastly page-load times from those accessing our site from mobile devices, and because sites are now expected to be mobile first, not merely mobile friendly, we had to execute a plan for redesign as quickly as possible,” said Gale Martin, Executive Director of Communications & Marketing. Regardless of advertising platform, the click-thru traffic responding to College advertisements appearing on the Internet hails from a cell phone 70 percent of the time. It was time to act to best ensure the traffic the College was paying for had the most user-friendly experience. Harcum approached Anthology for website design packages and chose the Blueprint Template. That option meant that the Communications & Marketing team would have to complete the bulk of the work themselves. Amy Shumoski, digital communications manager, and Martin had worked together on the 2014 redesign.
4
WINTER 2021
“Amy had such fluency with the iModules platform, the predecessor to Anthology, I felt confident the team could pull this off without incurring the cost of any additional services they offered,” Martin said. The entire redesign took six weeks. Besides better backend functionality, it also brought the design and coding behind it into the new decade. The home page features a sweeping horizontal photo that could fully utilize the talents of staff photographer Jackie Pursell and the photos shared by the Photography Program. Besides a more contemporary and impactful aesthetic, harcum.edu offers a better user experience. New major pages were created under the Admissions tab, essentially fresh, best-in-class landing pages for all the pay-per-click traffic. Early analytics suggest the redesign has increased the length of time visitors are spending on the site and the number of pages viewed.
More Value-Add for Partnership Sites Students
Each academic year, Harcum provides community scholarships to Partnership Sites students, organized in collaboration with I-LEAD and numerous community-based organizations. Since its inception, the program has provided millions of dollars of tuition support, assisting more than 1,200 nontraditional learners in earning college degrees. Harcum’s Community Scholarship generally pays more than thirty-five percent of students’ annual tuition costs. Early Childhood Education students have a unique opportunity to participate in Harcum’s collaboration with the Commonwealth’s TEACH Program. As such, the Harcum Community Scholarship is applied directly to the tuition rate prior to packaging those eligible. Beginning in 2020, Harcum strengthened its Community Scholarship by formally recognizing scholarship recipients as Harcum Community Scholars. Each scholarship recipient will receive a formal certificate of recognition and will be invited to participate without cost in I-LEAD’s Leadership Development Program in exchange for their voluntarily pledge to complete their degree within three years, to share their aspirations and accomplishments with their family and peers, and to live up to a community’s Leadership Code of Values and Ethics for Harcum Community Scholars. TIMELY TWIST ON ART & DESIGN CONTEST FOR SENIORS Because the Murals at Harcum is the most enduring community art endeavor at the College, the Murals Mosaic Community Art Project has been married with the annual Art & Design contest for high school seniors in 2021. Students interested in enrolling as a full-time art & design major for fall are invited to design a freestanding square using any medium—oil, watercolor, charcoal, fabric, beads, yarn, or mixed media. Like the historic murals, all squares submitted for the contest must reflect the theme: “This Moment in Time” and reflect present-day events influenced by the world of politics, art, sports, or pop culture, for instance. A blank 10” x 10” canvas square will be mailed to any contest participant, free of charge. A link to request a square appears on the homepage of the College website.
FOUNDED IN 2007 , Harcum at Coatesville Partnership Site was cofounded by Bill Shaw of Life Transforming Ministries, who welcomed back 2012 alumna Portia Graham, Leadership Studies, to a special alumni networking event.
HANNAH CARSLEY of Philadelphia won last year’s Art & Design contest, receiving a $5,000 scholarship to the Photography Program.
Artists must provide all other materials or supplies needed to complete their squares. Winners can apply their scholarship to any Art & Design major: Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Design, Interior Design, or Photography. Up to $9,000 scholarship dollars will be awarded. The deadline for all entries is May 31, 2021. Winning squares will be exhibited during the Murals Mosaic Gallery Show this fall.
PATCHES
5
Campus Events HARCUM COLLEGE RECOGNIZES TWO ALUMS During the 2020 Virtual Show two exceptional alumni were honored. Susan Zeller Kent ’72, past President of the Harcum College Alumni Association Board and last year’s recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award presented this year’s alumni awards. 2020 Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Merle Holman ’56
SOCKTOBER DRIVE AIDING THE HOMELESS A small caravan of employees delivered 790 pairs of socks to The Joy of Sox®, a non-profit organization with a warehouse in Phoenixville. The donations capped a month-long drive to collect socks for the homeless during Harcum’s first Socktober event. 2020 HARCUM CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE DISTINGUISHED HONOREE Dennis Marlo, Vice-Chair of Harcum’s Board of Trustees, was awarded the 2020 Circle of Excellence Award during the 2020 Virtual Show, held on October 9, in place of the Annual President’s Dinner. Marlo is a long-standing trustee having served since 1994. He’s been a driving force for many Harcum College initiatives. An avid golfer, he helped establish Harcum’s annual golf classic in 2000. This event is now known as the Kevin D. Marlo Golf & Tennis Classic, in memory of his son who was a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Since it began, this event has generated over $500,000 in scholarship support that has benefitted 68 individual students. He and his wife Karen also served as the Centennial Gala Chairs in 2015 helping to generate nearly $80,000 for the Centennial Scholarship Fund.
6
WINTER 2021
Holman’s passion for writing led her to study communications and advertising while attending Harcum. In 1981, she started a focus-group business in Bala Cynwyd, PA, which quickly grew into an awardwinning marketing practice Group Dynamics. She has served Harcum as a founding member of the National Alumni Board and its first president and currently serves on the Business Program Advisory Board. 2020 Outstanding Alumnus Jason Dougherty ‘98
Dougherty began his career as a PTA immediately after graduating from Harcum and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Neumann University in 2004. He earned a master’s in Higher Education Administration from the University of Delaware in 2012. He served as an adjunct faculty member at Harcum from 1999 to 2007, teaching across the curriculum. Currently he is the assistant dean of instruction at Delaware Technical Community College. HOMECOMING 2020 — A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION Alumni gathered via Zoom to reconnect and celebrate Homecoming 2020. Alumni groups who reconnected, reminisced, and shared on October 6 included: The Golden Bears (classes of 1970 and earlier) and Silver Bears (1995 and earlier), PTA alumni, Dental Programs alumni, Antonelli alumni, and B.O.L.D. (Bears of The Last Decade or classes of 2010-2020).
Advancement News Power of Possibilities Video to Premiere on February 26
Life abruptly changed after Harcum’s first Power of Possibilities Scholarship Recognition Brunch was held in Klein Hall in February 2020. About 90 students, donors, faculty, and staff members participated in that first-time event where students met and thanked donors in person. Two weeks later, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered a statewide shutdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While the pandemic continues to alter in-person gatherings, connections via traditional letters, Zoom meetings, and video platforms serve to raise the spirits of the Harcum community. “We are making the best of trying circumstances, with everyone’s safety in mind,” said President Jon Jay DeTemple. “In the Fall, each 2020–21 scholarship recipient received a congratulatory letter from me. Then, in November, I met with them via Zoom to hear their plans for the future. The students understood that an in-person celebration of scholarship recipients and donors wasn’t possible this year. Ideally, our alternate plan—a prerecorded program featuring students describing the impact of their scholarships—will inspire and energize viewers.” The Power of Possibilities Scholarship Recognition Program video will premiere on Harcum’s YouTube channel on February 26, at 11:30 a.m. Numerous scholarships and awards funded by individuals and foundations appear on Harcum’s updated website. Opportunities exist for students pursuing academic majors in the allied health sciences, business, art and design, and the social sciences.
THE POWER OF POSSIBILITIES event video features Shyann Foxx (left), a Criminal Justice major and volleyball player from Covington, Georgia, who received the Centennial Scholarship; and Rebecca Recalo, a Dental Hygiene major from Reading, Pennsylvania, who received the Kevin D. Marlo Scholarship.
BROOKE WALKER JOINS HARCUM COLLEGE Brooke Walker has joined Harcum College as Vice President of Institutional Advancement in January 2021, a Cabinet-level appointment. Brooke is a seasoned advancement professional with a multi-faceted career at Temple University. Her experience includes alumni and development responsibilities at Temple Dental School, the College of Science & Technology, and the University Libraries. She also has experience in international outreach at Temple. Brooke holds a masters in education from Temple University and a bachelors in political science from Rutgers University. FOUNDERS’ DAY GOES VIRTUAL Harcum’s third annual Founders’ Day, Thursday, October 1, celebrated the opening of Harcum College on October 1, 1915, in virtual fashion. The dedicated 24 hours of giving, honoring founders Edith and Octavius Harcum, supported student scholarships and other areas of critical need. Founders’ Day organizers welcomed Harcum employees to a virtual Founders’ Day Eve Game Night on September 30, including Harcum trivia BINGO. Additionally, social media outreach helped Harcum meet the alumni, student, faculty/staff, and trustee challenges. PATCHES
7
Grants & Awards #Masks4DentEd Helps Prevent COVID-19 Spread
GIVING MADE EASY At Harcum College, scholarship support is a top priority that promotes diversity and inclusion. In the Fall, Ellen B. Farber ’12 established the Ellen B. Farber Opportunity Fund. The Fund benefits Fashion, Photography, Graphic Design, and Interior Design students who meet certain criteria, including financial need. Anyone can give to the Fund, and 100% of the contributions directly benefit students. “As a Trustee and former student, it was important to set up an easy process for supporting students,” said Farber, President of Ellen Farber Strategic Design. After working as a Certified Public Accountant, Farber returned to school and obtained a degree in Interior Design. “Harcum is a family that gave me and other students of different ages and backgrounds the opportunity to change directions. Through this fund, we can all work together to help create possibilities for current students. I feel like I’ve come full circle.” For more information, contact advancement@harcum.edu.
8
WINTER 2021
For three months from mid-March through June 2020, patient care in the Harcum Dental Hygiene Clinic stopped due to its unprecedented temporary closure in response to COVID-19. In support of the Clinic’s reopening, a unique partnership stepped in to help prevent the transmission of the virus. Known as the #Masks4DentEd initiative, the American Dental Education Association coordinated with Henry Shein, Inc., a distributor of healthcare products, to give masks donated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Harcum. “The process was straightforward,” remarked EFDA Program Director Dossie Cavallucci ’80, ’93. “We submitted a request for an allotment and were charged for delivery, not the masks.” As a result, Harum received 10,000 3M-made KN95 masks to be used for patient care and the delivery of oral health education services. About three million masks were distributed through the #Masks4DentEd initiative to dental schools and allied dental education programs in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are grateful to be the beneficiary of these masks, which protect our patients, students, and staff against COVID-19,” said Dental Hygiene Program Director Jean Byrnes-Ziegler. SCHOLLER FOUNDATION FUNDS PEDI BLUE® During their clinical rotations at area hospitals, nursing students have limited opportunities to help bring new babies into the world. To bridge the gap, Harcum College replicates real life in the Nursing program’s Simulation Laboratory. The Scholler Foundation grant received in September will provide for a Gaumard® newborn patient simulator, “Pedi Blue®,” which accompanies “Noelle®,” a full-body birthing mother. Gaumard designs and manufactures simulators for healthcare education, including nursing students. Nursing faculty members program the simulators, essential components of the Simulation Laboratory, for normal and complicated delivery situations such as breech birth, postpartum hemorrhage, and umbilical cord wrapped around the baby to instill the key skills nurses need to care for babies and mothers. Nursing Program Director Fran Schuda said, “The Scholler Foundation’s gift makes it possible for our students to learn by doing as they are immersed in simulation exercises involving a mother giving birth and the baby’s first critical moments. Hands-on education and training are more important than ever, especially considering the heightened concerns of delivering a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Last year, the Scholler Foundation funded equipment to help students master medication administration, part of the nursing profession’s complex life-saving skill set.
DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM SUPPORTED WITH TWO IBX GRANTS The Cohen Dental Center provides services rated among the highest risk activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus can spread from aerosols, sprays of saliva, or blood. Program Director Jean Byrnes Ziegler commented, “Because of the pandemic, we have minimized aerosols. Patients’ teeth are cleaned by hand scaling only.” The unanticipated costs of modifying the Clinic to reintroduce aerosols following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations are significant, especially considering the added day-to-day expenses of personal protective equipment and other supplies. From the start of the pandemic, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation (Foundation) and Independence Blue Cross (Independence) demonstrated to Harcum that “we’re in this together,” a theme of the “Beat COVID-19” series launched by Independence in March. The Foundation’s grant funding increased the level of personal protective equipment and supplies. The Foundation also awarded targeted funding for service modifications and upgrades that allowed Harcum to continue caring for patients. In July, the Foundation awarded Harcum
Students in the DENTAL PROGRAMS are protected against COVID-19 with donated PPE.
“The knowledge I gain from practicing during a pandemic will follow me throughout the rest of my career.” – REBECCA RECALO
a Blue Safety Net grant for Clinic supplies. In September, Independence donated 500 personal protection masks as part of its initiative to donate 500,000 masks to regional physician practices and clinics in the region. In November, the Foundation gave to modify the Clinic’s HVAC system and add floor air purifiers and extra oral evacuation systems to reintroduce aerosols. Foundation President Lorina Marshall-Blake noted, “The IBC Foundation is committed to community health and nonprofit sustainability. Blue Safety Net grants to the region’s federally-qualified health centers and free clinics mean access to affordable care for underserved communities.” Harcum Dental Hygiene student Rebecca Recalo said, “I’m thankful to be attending a college that takes such extensive efforts to not only educate students, but provide them with the safe hands-on learning environment of a clinical setting during a global pandemic. The knowledge I gain from practicing during a pandemic will help me obtain a better understanding and appreciation of infection control that will follow me throughout the rest of my career.”
PATCHES
9
RESTORING THE MURALS AT HARCUM
N
umerous colleges and universities have been recognized for their distinctive murals, notably the University of Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon University. One reason is that murals can be powerful installations, often deepening the culture of community connection, with the potential to endure decades with some restoration. Some college mural collections hearken back to Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and were cre-
ated through the Public Works of Art Program, such as the O’Hanlon fresco from 1934, revealing scenes reflecting the University of Kentucky’s and the state’s history. Harcum College’s collection of murals created during the 1960s through the 1980s is distinctive in its own right. First, Harcum murals were not commissioned by renowned professional artists, as was the case at Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon. During President Philip Klein’s tenure (1953–63), the idea for the Murals at Harcum sprung from the very practical consideration that
the walls of the Klein Dining Hall needed adornment. Harcum had a flourishing art program led by artist and art faculty chair Martin Zipin, who undertook the effort as a project in service to the College. Imagine the volume of artistry and sheer life energy consumed in planning and creating just one outsized piece of artwork. At Wellesley College, the art professor responsible for creating their famous mural wall described his two-week process as “exhaustive.” Now, consider the size and scale of Harcum’s undertaking, a mural
over the Vietnam War, school desegregation, law and order, to name a few issues. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968 and Robert F. Kennedy just two months later in June of 1968. By the time the murals project was winding down at Harcum, the array of societal influences impacting the nation had moved on from the unsustainably tempestuous climate of the 60s. A shift in cultural trends and societal norms was also reflected in the murals. Post-Watergate was a watershed for the content depicted by the Harcum muralists. Their subject matter began reflecting less volatile topics such as the Philadelphia Flyers winning the Stanley Cup (1975), a celebration of the our nation’s bicentennial (1976), gymnast Nadia Comenici taking the Montreal Olympics by storm (1977), the death of Elvis Presley (1978), all the way to the Pac-Man craze (1983). By the time the project concluded, the murals had run the gamut of preoccupations of past generations of Harcum students—both important project continuing for more than two decades, involving every graduating art class from 1967 to 1987, collectively creating its own mural, each serving as a time capsule, connecting current Harcum students with the societal and cultural sensations resonating with Harcum students from generations past. The Murals at Harcum were launched during the most divisive time in our nation’s last hundred years, so say some political analysts. Consider the state of national affairs during the late 60s: By 1969, the American public was deeply divided
and frivolous, evil and virtuous, serious and even occasionally humorous.
Restoring the Harcum Murals
The floor-to-ceiling murals have been a fixture in Klein Hall since before Dr. Jon Jay DeTemple was inaugurated as president of Harcum College in 2007. Some people told their new president the murals were unsightly and suggested they be taken down. At the very least, like often happens with art installations over time, they had become unappreciated, passé. But Dr. DeTemple didn’t want to remove them. Since his arrival, several alumni he had met mentioned to him that more murals than those mounted in Klein Hall had been painted and asked after the whereabouts of the rest. The President had Nikolay Karpalo, now Director of Facilities, search for them, to no avail. Ten years later, the President’s son Jon Jay DeTemple II, Associate Athletic Director, was reorganizing a
Restorer DAVE WALSH is wrapping a mural representing 1984, when Flashdance and Dr. J were top-of-mind.
TUCKED INTO A SMALL CORNER OF THAT OVERCROWDED CLOSET WERE THE LOST MURALS.
storage area in the basement of Klein Hall for the Athletics Department. Part of that closet is positioned under the stairwell leading to the upper floors of Klein. Tucked into a small corner of that overcrowded closet were the lost murals, at least a dozen more large panels complementing Harcum’s visual time capsule. The President’s son carefully extracted every panel from its dark, damp hiding place, lining each along the walls of Klein for his father’s inspection. These panels were some of the last murals created, featuring outsized images, for example, from 1981: tributes to the newly married Royal couple and the Space Shuttle Columbia; from 1984: a nod to the Reagan-Mondale election and the restoration of the Statue of Liberty; from 1987: an Oliver North portrait, a “Safe Sex” reference owing to the AIDS epidemic, and a tribute to the retirement of Philly’s own “Dr. J”;
12
WINTER 2021
from 1988: a depiction of George H. W. Bush debating Michael Dukakis and the track and field events of the Seoul Olympics, to name a few. Shortly after their discovery, President DeTemple decided the College should move forward with restoring them. “These murals are a major part of our history,” he said. “Alumni come back and look for the murals they created. They are a history lesson and often a civics lesson, year by year, created by Harcum students.” The College secured funding for the restoration from the Rittenhouse Foundation, the Provincial Foundation, the Daniel B. and Florence E. Green Fund of Vanguard Charitable, and several individuals. The Vice President of the Rittenhouse Foundation, who is also the Chair of the College Board of Trustees, said the restoration of the murals at Harcum is a project deeply aligned with the purpose of the Rittenhouse Foundation, which his grandfather founded in 1947. “Besides the obvious relationship between the Rittenhouse Foundation and Harcum through the Klein family,” Klein said, “the foundation has always been committed to supporting higher education and cultural initiatives that aim to increase interest and understanding of the world around us. We are proud to be supporting the decision to restore and showcase them.”
With funding in hand, College officials approached visual artist and educator Dave Walsh in 2019. Harcum wanted his advice about completing the project and whether he knew anyone capable of doing the restoration. By the summer of 2020, Walsh’s schedule freed up enough for him to take on the project himself. By that time, he had grown very excited about bringing the murals back to life. Walsh backed a moving van into a driveway leading to the basement of Klein Hall on August 17, 2020. He and a colleague wrapped all the portable or panel murals in protective paper and transported the first
batch to his van, then headed back to his studio to begin the restoration by drying and cleaning them. “The primary issue with the panels is the damage moisture has inflicted,” Walsh explained. “In order to remedy this and prevent any future damage, the painted surface and the back of the surface all need to be sealed after repairs.” Thus far, Walsh has rebuilt the backing frames, sealed the plywood, and restored damage to the painted surfaces. He is currently sealing and varnishing the painted surfaces. “A big challenge has been matching color,” Walsh said. “Often, student-grade paints are made of pigments different from high quality paints and recreating those colors can be difficult.” As a result, he is spending hours mixing colors to repair sections. As far as the restoration process, he said it relies on a deep material knowledge that comes from years of schooling and practice, comparing it to a puzzle of fine layers. “To make well-crafted paintings, you have to understand how paint works, how it adheres to the surfaces and what can damage it,” adding, “paying attention to the surfaces and understanding the logic behind the initial object is important in not creating more damage.” Another challenge he described is the need to respect the original artists when restoring damaged pieces. “I am not there to improve to alter,” he said. “My job will be best done if you can’t tell I’ve ever been there.” His plan is to complete the panel murals by this summer. After Commencement, he heads to campus to restore the murals displayed in Klein Hall. All the restored Harcum murals will be unveiled in a gallery show in Klein Hall, premiering during Homecoming 2021. As a young artist, Walsh painted murals with social themes. This restoration has him thinking a lot about his own development. In many ways, the project has rejuvenated his relationship to art outside the museum and gallery. “Spending time with art that was made decades ago is a unique experience. Especially work that reflects the political and social time that it was made in,” he concluded.
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Edith Harcum by Leaugeay Phillips Weber ’41, student artwork, and a Zipin painting.
FINE ART
ACROSS CAMPUS
While Professor Martin Zipin’s visual arts program is best known for producing the historic murals, during his nearly 40-year tenure heading up the art department (1953-1991), his legacy of art is even greater than the historic panels currently being restored. No matter where you go on campus, original art created by Zipin and Harcum students abounds. Portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, and even abstract art line the halls of the Academic Center to the library rotunda to individual offices. A hidden gem hangs in 301-A in Melville Hall–a portrait of Edith Harcum standing beside a grand piano painted by Harcum alumna Leaugeay Phillips Weber '41 who studied opera, piano, and art. She had an in-home art studio in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and was still active in the art community before her passing in 2017, even participating in 100 Years of Art, Harcum’s juried gallery show mounted for the 2015 Centennial.
PATCHES
13
Moving Toward Equity & Inclusion Diversity
The ways in which people differ, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, age, gender, and more.
Equity
Fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all. Some groups need assistance to realize the same opportunities as others.
Inclusion
Sharing power, building in equal access to resources, and making all feel welcome.
14
WINTER 2021
Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the economic downturn, and nationwide protests against systemic racism, the events of 2020 brought into stark relief the need for every organization, every community, and every responsible citizen to consider their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thought leader Verna Myers simplified the difference between two related terms: “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” News outlets from The New York Times to Forbes Magazine have documented racial disparities in employment, education, health care, the criminal justice system and policing, and income inclusion.
An ice-breaker activity during New Student Orientation, 2019. different racial and ethnic groups still exist. Not all groups are advancing at the same rates, causing individual and economic implications. Higher education attainment for all non-whites except Asians trails at every level—from associate’s to doctoral levels. Research proves Americans with a postsecondary education are more likely to be employed, earn higher salaries, own homes, vote, live healthier lifestyles, and volunteer in their communities, so disparities matter.
Disparities in business ownership versus representative populations Disparities in health care There are disparities in health care delivery for racial minorities. They are less likely to receive preventive health care, have poorer health outcomes, and experience more difficulty in obtaining health services. Writing for Forbes, Dr. Utibe Essien documented that people of color are more likely to be treated by resident physicians than whites and are more likely to have hospital security called on them. Regarding the pandemic, specifically, COVID19 hospitalization rates among African-American, Hispanic, and Latino peoples have been about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Philadelphia, city data show that the death rate from COVID-19 among African Americans is 30% higher than for whites. These disparities place a tremendous burden on inter-city hospitals such as Temple University and Jefferson Hospitals to serve more persons severely stricken with COVID-19 while having fewer resources.
Disparities in educational attainment There remain contrasts in educational attainment based on ethnicity. Recent data from the American Council on Education (ACE) reported more than four in ten U.S. adults ages 25 and older had attained an associate degree or higher (44.4 percent) in 2017. However, large gaps in education levels for
While there has been marked growth in minorityand women-owned businesses in the last 20 years, minorities make up 32 percent of our population, but minority business ownership represents only 18 percent. Recently the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) reported that while the number of minority-owned firms has grown by 35 percent, the average gross receipts for those firms dropped by 16 percent. Diverse small-business ownership is essential to continued economic success. For both minority- and women-owned businesses, accessing funding and contracts, cultivating support networks, and earning respect remain a challenge. For years, Harcum has contracted the blackowned, veteran-owned photography studio K.S.N. Images founded by Kevin Nash to document many of the college’s signature events such as the President’s Dinner and the Kevin D. Marlo Golf and Tennis Classic. Nash received a bear pin (usually reserved for employees only) from President Jon Jay DeTemple for his service to the college. “Arthur Ashe famously said that prejudice was the biggest waste of time in his life,” Nash relayed in a recent interview. As a six-foot tall man of color, Nash doesn’t easily fade into any background. He spends a disproportionate amount of his professional life “making white people feel comfortable” around him. Every morning upon waking he says, “What am I going to have to deal with today? That’s why I always wear my vest...it identifies me and explains (without words) why I’m there.”
PATCHES
15
Instituting Change President DeTemple spearheaded several changes this year to address inequities in pay. First, when the disruption caused by pandemic required implementing a salary reset, no Harcum employee earning less $30,000 was impacted. Then DeTemple instituted a minimum hiring wage of $15 an hour for new employees while elevating all current employees to that new rate. He also approved and helped install a new BIPOC roundtable of faculty and staff and a BIPOC focus group of current students. These groups review and weigh in on the communications and advertising messages and collateral Harcum is producing. Numerous other areas of the College are also searching for and implementing solutions to address diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Advances In Allied Health Fields Since her arrival at Harcum in 2014, Fran Schuda, Nursing Program Director, has generated stellar outcomes for her students. Since 2016, all graduating classes had 100% pass rates on their national nurse licensing exams. Wholly committed to student success, Shuda and her faculty accomplished this through their careful shepherding and mentoring activities infused into the curriculum. Since 75% of Harcum nursing grads are AfricanAmerican, that means with each graduating class, Harcum is adding to the diversity of the medical workforce, which research has shown can improve medical outcomes for people of color. Schuda felt that lacking African-American instructors at Harcum, she would find another avenue for mentoring and professional development, deciding to join the Black Nurses Association.
With each graduating class, Harcum adds to the diversity of the workforce. 16
WINTER 2021
On a recent Zoom call with Schuda, Monica Harmon, president of the Southeast Pennsylvania Black Nurses Association, discussed the mission of the BNA and why she assumed a leadership role. “While the country is diverse, nursing is still white and female,” which Harmon fervently believes has to change. The Southeast Pennsylvania BNA chapter offers opportunities at all levels for nursing students of color, from formalized mentorship programs to informal memberships to speed networking kinds of events, which they continue to hold via Zoom. As an educator and one who also works in the field, Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Director James Foster observed that the pandemic closed all in-person day programs helping adults with autism. At the same time, Harcum OTA students were no longer permitted in clinical settings as allied health providers sought to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Like other disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, the families with the fewest resources were left with no occupation-based care options for autistic family members while those families with financial resources found help. Foster devised a remarkable solution. He created a telehealth day program to serve autistic adults, which was approved as an accepted setting for fieldwork. To date, they have offered five eight-week sessions, which helps Harcum OTA majors progress in their studies, too. Right now he has 10 consumers receiving services and five students running the day program. One mother of a consumer told Foster recently that the telehealth program gave her son a reason to get up in the morning.
Because OTA is not considered a diverse profession, Foster also mentioned their membership in COTAD, the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity. “This organization helps ensure everyone is being supported and will improve our discipline. Providers from diverse backgrounds help diverse patients feel like their needs are being met,” he concluded.
Paths Toward Educational Attainment The Upward Bound Program at Harcum College offers potential first-generation college students who attend certain high schools and may need financial help to attend college the opportunity to participate in year-round activities. These are designed to overcome the educational, cultural, and social barriers and build and enhance the skills and motivation needed to enter and complete post-secondary education. For more than 15 years, Harcum and I-LEAD have worked together to promote equity and inclusion through the Partnership Sites program. Through selected Harcum degree programs offered at 15 locations, more than 1,000 non-traditional learners have achieved their dream of graduating from college. These educational partnerships occur in small faith congregations to large community service agencies located in underserved areas in Eastern Pennsylvania. “Most of our students have been low-income working parents and first generation college-goers from families of color still underrepresented in the population of college graduates,” said David Castro, President and CEO of I-LEAD. “Our approach has helped clients overcome significant barriers to success including poverty and structural racism. There is widespread and indisputable econometric data showing that earning a college degree is a life-transforming experience.” Harcum Trustee Kevin Dow agrees. “The program gives adult students an opportunity to build
their confidence in a college setting.” As the Vice President of Operations for the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, Dow believes that education is a vehicle to create equity among different communities. “[Whether] someone is coming from a well-to-do or lesser-served community,” Dow explained. He believes Harcum gives many people various routes to success, such as earning a two-year degree or furthering their education at many four-year institutions.
Fostering Entrepreneurship For several years, the College’s strategic plan included a goal to cultivate a reputation for Women in Business and Leadership through a symposium and advisory board development. Events for students included a coffee chat with Ariell Johnson, the first African-American businesswoman to own a comic store on the East Coast and Dayna Murphy, a district manager for Starbucks. The following year, Emily Bittenbender and Lynn Everhart, two women who work in construction, a non-traditional management field for women, shared their experiences with students in a program called, “We Shape the Skyline.” Barbara Bosha, the founder and owner of Bosha Design & Communications in Drexel Hill, joined Harcum’s Business
“Arthur Ashe famously said that prejudice was the biggest waste of time in his life.” KEVIN NASH
PATCHES
17
Barb Bosha with Harcum Program Director Ed Zawora, both panelists in “Succeeding in the Digital Age” lecture event (2019). Advisory Board as did Merle Holman ‘56, founder of Group Dynamics in Bala Cynwyd. Bosha Design is a certified women-owned business named one of the most successful Women-Owned-Businesses in Delaware County in 2020. Back in 2001, she pursued her certification from the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Her WBENC membership resulted in numerous scholarships ranging from $10-$15K for specialized schooling on marketing, branding, and growing her business. She also does a lot of volunteerism as a member. “Every time I volunteer, I get back my investment three-fold.” In 2018, she was named a WBE star and honored in a national forum. “This award put me in a position to grow my network.” Now she’s serving on the envoy committee, mentoring other principals from women-owned businesses.” For his part, Kevin Nash believes in the power of opportunities, having built his black-owned business on the premise that he only wants to be judged by his work, not on his appearance. “If you can give a person of color a job interview, then give them that opportunity,” he said, emphasizing one tangible way to increase equitable treatment of diverse persons.
18
WINTER 2021
Evelyn Santana Leading By Example As Executive Director of the Partnership Sites Program, Evelyn Santana often shares her story with new adult students. She is a first-generation American, the youngest of ten children, and the only one not to have been born in the Dominican Republic. By the time she was 11, she was cooking for the whole household. Her parents worked long hours and the children who were home had to care for the household. She graduated from high school with a six-month-old on her lap. She had to find a way to make ends meet without working multiple jobs. Education was her chosen path to success. She earned a degree from Cedar Crest College in psychology and elementary education. She earned an MBA from Daniel Webster College and is completing an Ed.D. from Wilmington University. “I want them to know it is possible to achieve higher education all while facing consuming life events and other obstacles. I am living proof that a college education can open up new roads,” Santana said.
Faculty & Staff News DARIO BELLOT, MBA, was appointed CFO and Vice President of Administration January 1, 2021. He joins Harcum with 25 years of education, finance, and operations experience in large global corporations and non-profit organization. He has an extensive academic background reflecting continuing education in business administration, and financial management, community involvement and leadership. Previous positions include an appointment as interim president at Congreso, a Partnership Site. BARBARA COPPOLA, Financial Aid, won first prize in the 2020 Employee Home Decorating Contest. She used wrapping paper to turn her kitchen cupboards into Christmas presents. JIM FOSTER, OTA program director, announced that the Harcum’s OTA program was awarded a grant from the Council on Brain Injury to help fund the clinical education and preceptor programs supporting survivors of traumatic brain injuries. KATHY KOAR ‘99 was selected as the 2020 recipient of Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association’s (PVMA) Certified Veterinary Technician of the Year Award for outstanding service in veterinary technology, recognizing her spearheading the Veterinary Nursing Initiative (VNI) Summit. GALE MARTIN was promoted to Executive Director of Communications & Marketing. She first started at Harcum in 2013. JOANNE RICEVUTO announced that the Early Childhood Education program was awarded
a grant from the Public Health Management Corporation Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization to fund a new course to support ECE students and increase success in the program and beyond. BILL SHAW, head of the Coatesville Partnership Site, and Life Transforming Ministries, received the Corporate Citizenship award from the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce. AMY SHUMOSKI delivered home-baked treats and food to Campus Safety, Facilities, and Housekeeping staff over several holidays Fall semester. She also made holiday cookie bags for students staying in residence halls over winter break. SALIN SIRIPAKARN was promoted to Associate Vice President of Finance. Recently she was instrumental in securing a Personal Protection Plan loan for the College and has been with Harcum since 2015. JOHN SUPPLEE was promoted to Chief Information Officer (CIO). As head of the I.T. Department instrumental in supporting a full-scale pivot to online learning and allowing classes to be effectively delivered in four learning modalities this fall. MELISSA WALSH was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid. She has been with the college for seven years and has led the Financial Aid Department with a steady hand and an abundance of financial aid acumen and expertise. BARB YALOF and ALICE PAKHTIGIAN presented at the Tri State College Library Cooperative (TCLC) Virtual Summer Camp on the topic of Universal Design, Accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning, covering various accessibility requirements and laws for formatting documents, presentations, and websites. The presentation was given to librarians and library staff members from a multitude of types of academic libraries.
PATCHES
19
Athletics Roundup
Men’s Basketball Alums Making their Mark in D-I
The Men’s Basketball program is committed to creating baccalaureate scholarship opportunities for its players. The Athletics Program works hard to ensure its best players are scouted and recruited by Division-I programs, which allows them to complete an undergraduate degree on a full ride. So how have some recent program grads been faring?
PAULY PAULICAP ’17 is now playing in the Big East for DePaul and has been characterized as “a player to watch.” While playing for Manhattan College last season, he was considered one of the MAAC’s best defenders, Paulicap put up 10.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. A graduate transfer, Paulicap could be a key member of DePaul’s front-court rotation because of his experience with Harcum and Manhattan Colleges. Fans of Paulicap’s may not realize the 6’ 8” forward is a late-comer to basketball having never played varsity ball until his junior year of high school. DePaul opened its 2020–21 season in December. During his first seven games as a Blue Demon, Paulicap averaged 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a Field Goal percentage of 58.1. Guard MYRON GORDON ’18 was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Week in
20
WINTER 2021
December 2020, after two backto-back high-scoring games. As a Samford Bulldog, he is averaging 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. All-American DOM LONDON ’20, who became the sixth player in Harcum men’s basketball history to surpass 1,000 career points, is playing for Florida Gulf Coast University. On December 18, London hit a game-high 22 points, boosting the Eagles’ to a 112-point win, the fifth most points in FGCU’s Division I program history. When VALDIR MANUEL ’20 left Harcum in 2020, he had earned himself a berth as twelfth all-time in scoring with 769 points, third in rebounds (504), and fourth in career blocked shots (107). Manuel helped the Bears to a 26-5
record in 2019-20. In August 2020, the 6’10” forward began his career as a New Mexico Lobo. Thus far, in his first season playing in the Mountain West Conference, he is averaging 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and has a field goal percentage of 43.
Alumni News
Calling All Alumni: The Murals Mosaic Art Project BY ALL ACCOUNTS, 2020 HAS BEEN a divisive and an explosive year, certainly politically, but not just because of all the political theater. Anyone who has lived through 2020 will never forget the pandemic, the freefall of the U.S. economy, the pall of racial injustice, the White Supremacy movement, and documented racial inequities tainting the past year. Excepting the pandemic, those influences are hardly unique to Americans from most any century. So how is the 21st century different? It marked the advent of arguably the biggest changemaker between the last century and this one—the rise of Internet use, fomenting umpteen new social media platforms as access to digital technologies increased. Events and fads flamed up, going viral on social media, in a fraction of the time it takes to make a television newscast or print a newspaper. Consider then the flaming out of Google+, Google Glass, Pokemon Go, Blackberry, hoverboards, the South Beach Diet, and very recently, the #MeToo movement—all with a seemingly volcanic rise, hastening to a short-lived heyday. As a consequence of working on restoring the murals, artist Dave Walsh said he would be curious to find out what today’s generation of students might have created in response to this year’s tumult of events and influences. Because of the new Murals Mosaic Community Art Project shepherded by the Office of Institutional Advancement, all alumni, students, employees, friends of the College, and anyone from the community have an opportunity to do just that, from Boomers to Gen Z, to everyone in between. “We are excited to kick off the Murals Mosaic project,”
said Melissa Samango, director of alumni relations and Murals Mosaic Committee Chair. “What better way to celebrate the restoration of Harcum’s murals than to showcase the talents of the community and capture the essence of what the world is like today—from politics, to pop culture, to personal journeys—to share with future generations of Harcum students.” This companion project was conceived to premiere during the restored murals gallery show opening this fall and builds on the Harcum Centennial crowdsourced art project “Bears and Squares,” operating with comparable parameters and reach. Harcum has invited artists and aspiring artists to design a freestanding 10” x 10” square in the same spirit as the historic murals but reflecting the present-day theme, “This Moment in Time.” All artists should peg their squares to a present day event, trend, or issue from any arena, from politics to pop culture. All completed squares will be considered for incorporation into a contemporary mosaic to be displayed at the same time as the restored murals. Anyone may request a square be mailed to them by filling out a form from the Harcum website. Artists must provide all other materials. And any medium may be used—oil, watercolor, charcoal, fabric, beads, yarn, mixed media. All ages welcome to participate. Squares must be returned to the Office of Institutional Advancement by May 31, 2021. Murals Mosaic submissions by Lilian Crooks (left) and Raelynn Ferencsik.
PATCHES
21
Alumni News What You’re Saying CAROLINE METZGER ’18 posted in Sterling Kitchen & Bath.
Hi everyone! I’m Caroline Metzger, a designer at Sterling Kitchen & Bath and also the face behind our social media. I’d like to say that my design style is a cross between rustic, modern, and industrial, but with my Interior Design degree from Harcum College and my art background, I am able to design for everyone’s personal taste.
HARCUM ECE ALUMNI CLUB Bryn Mawr, PA
National Vet Tech Week! My journey into the field started in 1986 when I worked at Twinbrook Veterinary Hospital, then off to Harcum College in 89! Veterinary Technicians play SO MANY ROLES in a veterinary practice. #bighair #celebratevettechs
DREW SMYTH shared a memory.
Jan. 15 at 2:36 PM
Congratulations to ECE student Macy Moye! She just received her diploma from Harcum in ECE and will be continuing her education at Chestnut Hill College. Way to go, Macy!
Patricia Cioccio ’92 added 2 new photos. October 12, 2020
Founders’ Day October 1, 2020
I donated to help more students pursue their dreams like me. #HarcumCollege #FoundersDay #HarcumAlumni #BearsCare #PresidentsAwardWinner
COREY MCKNIGHT posted on Instagram.
Finishing my last day in style #thorncroftequestriancenter #horse #harcumcollege #ota
KEISHA RYAN ’20 posted an update. May 4, 2020
What’s new?
Use the #HARCUM and #HARCUMCOLLEGE hashtags to connect with us on social media!
22
WINTER 2021
Good morning beautiful blessed Ppl... It’s been a long/short journey getting to this point...there’s been ups and plenty of downs and times I just simply wanted to give up...but me being the person I am, my perseverance wouldn’t allow me to. #classof2020 #HARCUMCOLLEGE
In Memoriam MARGARET ANN HOPKINS SCHOEW
Class of 1944 ELIZABETH KATHERINE WHITE WILLS
Class of 1947 MARILYN STOUGHTON LEWIS
Class of 1950 JANE FOX ZERRER
Class of 1951 CAROLE PATRICIA YOUNG RUDEN
Class of 1957 NANCY MARILYN MCCLATCHY FALLON
Class of 1969 COLLEGE MOURNS THE PASSING OF IONE A. STRAUSS: PHILANTHROPIST Ione Strauss, a longtime friend and supporter of Harcum College, died October 1, at age 87. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she received the Alumni Award of Merit in 1971, and was elected to a three-year term as the first female president of the General Alumni Society in 1972, which entitled her to a seat on the Penn Board of Trustees. She is remembered by those who knew her well as kind, intelligent, and quietly devoted to numerous charitable causes. She was preceded in death by Hilary Strauss, a Coatesville businessman and Harcum trustee for 25 years. Daughter Louise Strauss who serves the college as a trustee, succeeding her father, is currently installed as a member of the Executive Committee as Secretary. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Louise Strauss said of her mother, “Even in the last hours of her life, struggling to breathe, she thanked the nurses and everyone who came to see her, and told them how much they meant to her.”
BETTY ANN COLEMAN WILSON
Class of 1970 CANDIE D. WISMER LEVANDA
Class of 1973 ALYSSA KIBLER
Class of 2010 EBONY MORSE
Class of 2020
REMEMBERING STUDENTS RECENTLY LOST Devon Gold, a PTA major, died on Sunday, October 25, 2020, at age 27. The PTA faculty and her classmates deeply mourn her loss. A scholarship fund has been arranged in her name. Josalissa Melendez, a Human Services major, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, October 12th, 2020, at age 26. She was a hard working student, diligent in all her endeavors, and is deeply missed by classmates and faculty.
PATCHES
23
Bear Pride
Letting Her Light Shine
2004 ALUMNA PUBLISHES GUIDE FOR ADULT DYSLEXICS
B
y all accounts, 2004 alumna Dr. Tracy Johnson is a remarkable person. She struggled with reading and writing from her earliest school days without understanding why. From grades 6–12, because of an undiagnosed learning disability, she was placed in special education classes and was told she would never succeed in college. Her story hardly ends with a rocky school start. In fact, she blossomed into an adult with an exemplary level of academic attainment, earning associates, bachelors, masters, and honorary doctoral degrees. Because she is also a brave and generous person, she just published Journey of Hope: An Everyday Guide for Adults with Dyslexia (Laboo Publishing: January 2021) to help other adult dyslexics avoid the pitfalls she suffered. A staggering 5 to 15 percent or 14.5 to 43.5 million Americans adults and children are estimated to have dyslexia. No matter the effort expended nor the level of intelligence, the acts of reading, writing, and spelling remain supreme challenges. The author explains that while there are now resources for children with dyslexia, there’s a dearth of guidance to help dyslexic adults juggle career, life, and family and
24
WINTER 2021
child-rearing responsibilities. Her book offers tips on how best to manage a job interview, order in a restaurant, drive, attend worship services, and be a single parent. Her core message to others who have this same disability: “You are valuable and you have the power to view yourself in a more positive light.” Besides being prepared with coping strategies for challenges adults face every day, Johnson also recommends being transparent about one’s dyslexia in all situations. “She is courageously transparent,” Dr. Rahmanda Salamatu Campbell, founding director of the Reading Clinic, Inc., noted, describing Johnson’s adult journey. Her fifth grade teacher, Dr. Jacquilen Tomas, Ali, considers Tracy a pioneer. Because of her soul-crushing experience in grade school, Thomas, Ali said, “Her self-confidence was almost gone. That she pushed through and continued to strive, that motivation was the catalyst for her book.” “Tracy is the most determined individual I have ever met,” said Barbara A. Wilson, who devised a reading system for dyslexics that Tracy used to learn to read. Eileen McGovern served as Dean of Faculty while Tracy was enrolled at Harcum. “She is a testament to the human spirit, which can transform adversity into achievement.” Anyone attending a Harcum Commencement recently has evidenced Tracy’s power as a motivational speaker; her alumni address, given as president of the alumni association, is always a powerful sendoff for new graduates. Teachers commented on her exceptional verbal gifts and oratory skills, apparent even as a school girl. In the end, it wasn’t enough for Tracy to distinguish herself professionally and personally—to cultivate and shine her own light—without helping those whose reading disability left them in the dark. That Journey of Hope was written out of her own lived experience is what makes this book extraordinary.
CREATE POSSIBILITIES. CHANGE LIVES. Harcum College students are determined to persevere in college and motivated to complete their education. They work hard, often balancing jobs and families along with undertaking their studies. This year, of all years, may have been the most trying for all Harcum students because of the disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting us all in myriad ways. Our students represent the future. You can help them succeed. You can create possibilities for them by giving to one of the many scholarships created to make college education more affordable for Harcum students.
You can change lives. Meet six Harcum College Scholarship recipients who will share their stories for the Power of Possibilities Scholarship Recognition Video, which premieres on Friday, February 26, 2021, on Harcum’s YouTube channel, beginning at 11:30 a.m., available from the homepage of the website.
To learn about contributing to an existing scholarship or establishing a new one, contact: Brooke H. Walker, M.Ed. Vice President of Institutional Advancement 610-526-6005 | bwalker@harcum.edu
RIGHT: Candice Waters, Nursing major from Chester, PA, recipient of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation Nurses for Tomorrow Scholarship.
750 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 www.harcum.edu
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE
PAID
PHILADELPHIA, PA PERMIT NO 138
PRIORITY MAIL US POSTAGE
PAID
PHILADELPHIA, PA PERMIT NO 138
PRESORTED BOUND PRINTED MATTER US POSTAGE PAID PHILADELPHIA, PA PERMIT NO 138
This event raises funds to benefit our Marlo Scholars. Save the Date
June 28, 2021
Over the last 20 years, our premier scholarship fundraising event, the Kevin D. Marlo Golf & Tennis Classic, has raised nearly $600,000 and has provided significant scholarship support for 63 promising students. The need for scholarships is greater than ever, and Harcum College is committed to providing students with the resources they need to succeed. For information, email advancement@harcum.edu
