“Question your assumptions” has long been at Enjoying Virtual Pinwheel Day with first dog Peanut in front of 1 College Circle.
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Haverford Magazine
the center of my teaching and a core tenet of how I move through the world. It can open previously unseen paths or shed light on previously unimagined possibilities. It is humbling guidance because so often, one simply does not push far enough to recognize all the assumptions at hand. And indeed, I fell into that trap this past fall. I was leading multiple campus groups in an analysis detailing Haverford’s threats, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths (known as a TOWS analysis), and one threat I failed to include was a new global pandemic! Nonetheless, we have been fortunate throughout this unusual time to summon the intelligence, creativity, and concern that have long been characteristic of our community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families. I am grateful to be able rightly to assume—without question—that Haverfordians will ever come forth with meaningful perspectives and support. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many experiences this year that brought to light the incredible endowment we possess and depend upon: the people of Haverford. My realization of the impact individuals can have on
community deepened before I even started in my new position. As a guest during Alumni Weekend last May, I had few formal duties and thus plenty of time to enjoy individual conversations. At the snack bar, my husband Dave [Backus ’82] and I asked an alum if we could join him at his table, and a lovely conversation ensued. This alum was heading to a gathering of the Rainbow Quorum alumni affinity group, and Dave and I subsequently adjusted our schedule to join that meeting. There we saw the intergenerational mission of Haverford at work, with current students and alums welcoming us into a space where they shared stories of their own campus experiences. In part as a result of that gathering, student leaders who had long sought supportive structural changes at the College gained traction that contributed to our Women*s Center evolving into the Center for GRASE (Gender Resource and Sexuality Education) in a newly appointed space in Stokes Hall with a new part-time director. I am moved by the power and potential in such connections between alums and current students. I experienced another inspiring example of this when, on the West Coast to meet alumni, I watched an alumnus light up as he sent a quick email to a Haverford student he had met through our new professional networking platform, Haverford Connect. I was truly astonished by this global professional’s ongoing investment in a sophomore exploring summer internship possibilities. Since then, I have seen such acts of Ford generosity many times. Synergies abound when student agency or leadership intersects with alums’ continued devotion to our students’ journeys. Not long before we left campus, student agency was on display when over 66 percent of our students gathered for Spring Plenary to pass five meaningful resolutions that advance our successes in environmental sustainability and student governance. Student agency was also reflected in the publication of the 2018-19 Clearness Committee Report and helped to significantly strengthen our focus this year on several aspects of campus climate that need improvement. With 70 percent of the student body completing the Clearness Committee’s wide-ranging survey of student academic and non-academic experiences, we learned that while significant portions of the student body
PHOTO: DAVE BACKUS ‘82
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