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Dear Members of the Sarah Lawrence Community,
Shortly after Commencement, I began drafting this From the President’s Desk, eager to share with you the joy and celebration we had all experienced. But in just the few intervening days, we have witnessed the unspeakable violence of the massacre in Buffalo, the killing in a Taiwanese church in California, and now yesterday, the school shooting in Uvalde. And I write to you on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, as many fear that we have lost the momentum toward a racial reckoning that his killing appeared to have sparked. Earlier today, Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo and members of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team wrote to students, faculty, and staff to share resources on how to cope, how to help, and how to come together to plan ways to engage and actions that can make a difference.
Even as we grapple with the incalculable implications of these tragedies and what we must do to address their root causes, I would like to still share with you the letter as I penned it after Commencement: for this year’s graduates especially—as well as those from 2021 and 2020 who joined us that day—Commencement marked a particularly significant moment after all that they, and everyone who has supported them, have gone through to arrive at this milestone. I hope that together we can help these newest alumni to hold on to their achievement and their plans for the future, even amidst the challenges that surround and threaten to overwhelm us.
At Commencement, I concluded my address to the graduates with the following charge, drawing on our mission statement:
[A]s a world citizen, live into the promise of your Sarah Lawrence education. …Do so not only so that you yourself may thrive, but in order to lead the way so that all can thrive in this world that needs everything you are so uniquely prepared to bring to it, now more than ever.
This charge is one that I hope and trust that all members of the Sarah Lawrence community, not just our most recent graduates, will continue to embrace in these challenging times.
***
I’m writing to you from a very beautiful but very quiet campus, just days after celebrating the College’s 94th Commencement. Many of you—students (now our newest alumni!), families, faculty, and staff—were on campus for this joyous occasion, and still more of you—1,200+, to be exact!—joined the celebration from around the world via our Livestream.
Our first in-person Commencement since 2019 went off without a hitch, thanks especially to our dedicated staff. This year’s ceremony was our largest, as we combined our undergraduate and graduate classes and welcomed back members of the classes of 2021 and 2020 to participate if they wished to do so.
As I said in my remarks to open the ceremony, this year’s Commencement was a day that was long-awaited and longed for, and it was a day filled with vast and varied emotions. While the gravity of the past two years was not lost on anyone, nor was the significance of finally being together again, I can say with confidence that the overwhelming emotion throughout the day was joy.
We have a full Commencement recap site available online, and, whether to take a stroll down memory lane to your own graduation, or to look ahead to this milestone to come, I hope you will browse the photos and videos from the day. We were delighted to have two special guests with us this year. Our speaker was noted historian and bestselling author Douglas Brinkley, and author and activist Jennifer Finney Boylan—now Dr. Jennifer Finney Boylan!—was awarded an honorary degree before addressing the graduates. We also have photos and a full video from our Graduate Hooding ceremony, which we held on May 12 as a way to focus singularly on our graduate students and their accomplishments in pursuit of advanced degrees.
My congratulations once again to the Class of 2022, and to the families and friends who supported them so steadfastly on their journey to this moment.
***
Commencement week has a knack for really shining a spotlight on what is at the core of a Sarah Lawrence education—the relationship between students and faculty. Whether it’s seen at the Senior/Don dinner (this year, a full gala in the Barbara Walters Campus Center!) or through the rousing ovation students gave faculty during Commencement, the importance of these relationships is foundational. So, I’d like to take a moment to share with you some recent faculty news.
I’m delighted to announce that Physics faculty member Merideth Frey has been awarded tenure. Merideth holds a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD from Yale University, and joined the SLC faculty in 2016. Last summer, she and Chemistry faculty member Colin Abernethy were awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation through its Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program. The grant supports Merideth and Colin’s work in the field of science education focusing on nuclear magnetic resonance. Merideth is passionate about diversifying the field of physics; she has served on the College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and has given presentations on her strategies for inclusive pedagogies at meetings of the American Association of Physics Teachers. This fall, we will welcome two new talented tenure-track faculty members: Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen, who will join our Film Studies faculty, and Vera Ilatova, a long-term member of our guest faculty in Visual & Studio Arts (Printmaking). In fall 2023 we will welcome three new tenure-track faculty members: Veeshan Narinesingh (Physics), Jean Shin (Visual & Studio Arts—Sculpture), and Samantha Floyd (Psychology).
Earlier this month, as you may have seen on our website or social media, we celebrated members of our faculty who retired at the end of this semester, as well as those who retired in 2021 and 2020. This year’s retirees were: Michael Davis (Philosophy faculty since 1977), Joseph Forte (Art History since 1978), Priscilla Murolo ’80 (History and Women’s History faculty since 1988), Barbara Schecter ’74 (Psychology and Child Development faculty since 1985), and Charles Zerner (Environmental Studies faculty since 2000). Each of them have left an indelible mark on our College and our community, and I’m grateful to them for their decades of dedication to SLC.
Finally, on May 17, we celebrated the life of Ilja Wachs, who passed away on April 17 at age 90. Ilja was a renowned and revered member of our Literature faculty and a central figure in our community since 1965. More than 100 family, friends, alumni, and colleagues gathered on campus with Ilja’s children, Josh and Katti, to remember a man who was nothing short of iconic as we announced the naming of the part of Andrews Terrace outside his office “Ilja’s Corner.” If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to read this tribute to Ilja by longtime colleague and friend Carol Zoref ’76, MFA ’97, and to share your own memories of him.
Yours,
Cristle Collins Judd
President
president@sarahlawrence.edu
Instagram: @slcprez
Faculty News
The news in this issue just scratches the surface when it comes to the accomplishments and accolades of our faculty. Visit the news section of our website to see the latest faculty headlines.
Reunion 2022
Reunion is just over two weeks away, and we are so excited to be welcoming alumni back to campus once again. Reunion weekend—June 9-12—is a great opportunity for alumni of all ages to connect with each other, faculty, staff, and current students—and with me!
On Saturday morning, June 11, I’ll present my annual Year in Review, after which I will lead a conversation with author Amanda Foreman ‘91 on her upcoming book, The World Made by Women: A History of Women from the Apple to the Pill. This event will be hybrid, held in person and online, and all are welcome to register.
The Fund for Sarah Lawrence
As the semester ends, so does the College’s fiscal year, which means now is an important time to support The Fund for Sarah Lawrence. Please consider making a gift by May 31 to provide immediate-use support to our students, our faculty, and this one-of-a-kind education.