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Dear Members of the Sarah Lawrence Community,
Without doubt, April is the busiest month on campus! The creativity and energy of our students and the dedication of our faculty are on full display in a crescendo to commencement. I count myself lucky to have a front-row seat to the remarkable ways in which our students grow and express themselves artistically and academically over the course of their time at the College. As our campus bursts into bloom it’s genuinely invigorating to see so much student work coming to fruition.
I love the challenge of getting to as many of the myriad performances happening on campus as I can, from new works by theatre students to voice recitals and ensemble performances to MFA Dance thesis performances earlier this month, performances by student dance groups like Chimera, and spring dance performances that kick off this weekend featuring original works by students and faculty. Each Wednesday for the last month it’s been such a pleasure to stroll through Heimbold to see new exhibits of student artwork opening weekly during Senior Studio and even more now during Open Studios.
We all know that Sarah Lawrence is a place filled not just with visual and performing artists but also with writers. Two student publications marked milestone anniversaries this year: Dark Phrases, which features the artistic work of students, faculty, and staff of color, celebrated 35 years, and Lumina, which features the art, prose, short stories, and poetry of graduate students, turned 20. And just last weekend the annual Sarah Lawrence Poetry Festival, the largest open, student-run Poetry Festival in New York, took campus by storm. At another writing event that’s so Sarah Lawrence, we honored the winners of the “Poetry of Science” contest. Supported by the Laura Kirchman Manuelidis ’63 Science and Literary Arts Endowment, this contest selects three poems that convey a deep understanding of a scientific concept through poetry.
Poetry about science is far from the only way that work by our science students is on display around the campus and beyond. Last night I took in the impressive scholarly work at the semiannual Science and Math Poster Symposium, and especially enjoyed seeing students being supported by friends and teammates. The session included posters by a number of students who presented their work with faculty earlier this semester at national conferences including the Society for Affective Science and the American Chemical Society.
Our student athletes have had a great spring season, with impressive team and individual achievements along the way. Volleyball player Nate Davis '25 made Sarah Lawrence history when he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DIII Player of the Week — the first Gryphon to take home this honor. NCAA DIII Week was held earlier this month and 27 members of the Class of 2024 received Commencement honor cords marking their academic achievement. Student athletes will be celebrated and honored tonight at the annual Athletics Banquet, where I will applaud them as well as their coaches and all the Athletics staff who support them so ably.
Earlier this week, we celebrated at lunch with our Davis United World Scholars, a group of international students who have come to Sarah Lawrence from Davis UWC high schools around the world. We were joined by Jake Mnookin, Director of Partnerships and Innovation at the program, and heard student perspectives. Later that same day I was delighted to be invited to speak at the second annual Student of Color Graduation Send-Off hosted by the Student of Color Alliance. It was a wonderful celebration of undergraduate and graduate students of color about to graduate, during which they received stoles to wear at Commencement.
So much of what happens on campus is designed and driven by students, from Resident Advisors to student organization leaders and members of Student Senate and the Sarah Lawrence Activities Council. We honored these student leaders at the annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony. This year for the first time we extended the ceremony to honor together the many students who have been awarded the various academic prizes that will be listed in the Commencement program, making for quite the celebration. Congratulations to them all!
As we conclude classes in the next few days, I look forward to the special activities for our graduating students. It will be an intensive period of thesis readings, research presentations, and film screenings coupled with some very special final events, two of which I’m particularly excited about. Larisa Oleynik ’04 will join us on campus for a screening of 10 Things I Hate About You followed by a Q&A with students in celebration of the movie’s 25th anniversary. Larisa played Bianca Stratford in 10 Things, a movie that has had a special connection to SLC ever since it was released; all these years later we still hear of its influence in prospective students’ application essays. And in a Commencement Week tradition, Marty Goldray (music) will present the Senior Lecture, selected by the senior class to do so. Marty has been a beloved faculty member since 1998, and over my time at the College I have loved getting a sense of the extraordinary inventiveness of his teaching and magical piano performances; this year he added a new and very popular class on “Punk” to his course roster that includes 20th-21st century music, philosophy of music, the music of Russia, and the Beatles. I know his lecture will be one of the high points of the week. (No pressure, Marty!)It sounds a bit breathless as I try to capture a sense of the vibrant work on campus — and it is a bit breathless! Daily I witness in the good work and activities happening on campus the tangible outcomes of the profound relationships between our students, faculty, and staff, supported by our broader community of alumni, parents, and families. It’s a privilege in sharing these highlights to acknowledge the countless hours of hard work, collaboration, mentorship, and mutual inspiration that make a Sarah Lawrence education what it is, and to thank each of you for the role you play in making our community such a special one.
Yours,
Cristle Collins Judd
President
president@sarahlawrence.edu
Instagram: @slcprez
Commencement
The 96th Commencement Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, May 10; our guest speaker this year is U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. A Graduate Hooding ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 9. All are invited to watch both ceremonies live online. Visit the Commencement website for all the latest information.
Seniors Leave Their Mark on The HUB
In an event that underscored the thoughts of endings and new beginnings that are so prevalent at this time of year, we held a seniors-only preview of The HUB (aka the former Pub) to see the progress of renovations and to invite seniors to leave their mark, literally, by signing their name on an interior wall. Now the Class of 2024 will always be the first students in this new version of a beloved building.
Guggenheim Fellows
Congratulations to Theatre faculty members Itziar Barrio and Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, who have each received a prestigious 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship in the Film-Video and Drama & Performance Art categories, respectively. Congratulations also to alumna Robyn Schiff ’95, who was named a Fellow in Poetry.
Eclipse Fun
On April 8, students, faculty, and staff gathered on the North Lawn to enjoy the solar eclipse together. Though campus wasn't in the path of totality, the afternoon was full of fun thanks to the Residence Life team, who provided eclipse glasses, astronaut ice cream, and moon-themed snacks and activities.
New Human Genetics Program Director
Congratulations to Katie Gallagher MS ’15, CGC, who has been named the new director of the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics!
Being Human
A conversation with Brian Christian, acclaimed author of The Alignment Problem, wrapped up the Being Human series last week. Watch that event and all the others on the Being Human website.
Giving Day
SLC’s annual Giving Day was held on April 10, and thanks to you it was a huge success. The day saw a constant stream of student activity led by our student philanthropy team. By day’s end, more than 1,000 alumni, parents, friends, students, staff, and faculty had donated more than $1 million, proudly telegraphing their belief in the power of a Sarah Lawrence education. It was particularly meaningful to see the senior class top the leaderboard for number of donors, followed by the Class of 2027. Shout out to the Class of 2004, who raised the most money – I look forward to seeing you at your 20th reunion in June!