UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022 Kenya Tracing the origins of a remarkable 50-year partnership
Summer’ 22 2 From the President 4 By the Numbers 6 News and Notes 10 On Campus 18 Sports 22 Kenya: A 50-Year Partnership 34 Laurentians Inspire 40 Philanthropy in Action 44 Class Notes 75 In Memory 80 From the Archives On the cover: A lesson on rainfall patterns with Samburu elders on Mount Sabachi, Mathews Range, Northern Kenya. Photo by Karina Chase Dailey ’00 during the Kenya Program spring 1999 semester. Back Cover: Skyline of downtown Nairobi, 2022 Inside: Let’s Dance Student performers take the stage at the Senior Choreographers Concert.
VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY Paul Redfern EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deborah Dudley GRAPHIC DESIGN Kara Reid Design Jane Sadler, Ansun Graphics DIRECTOR OF VISUAL AND CREATIVE STRATEGY Tara Freeman CLASS NOTES Mark Mende VOLUME LXXI NUMBER 3 many Laurentians and partners and celebrated the 50th anniversary of our first student trip to Kenya—a January Term visit in 1972. Students studying for the semester in Kenya live and learn on our beautiful 5-acre compound in Karen, Nairobi, supported by 17 full-time and part-time employees of St. Lawrence. In addition to residential, dining, and classroom facilities, students have access to open recreational spaces—a fire pit, volleyball, soccer, and other outdoor activities. A new addition to the compound—space for isolation in the event of illness—provides more flexibility for hosting students, faculty, and other visitors postpandemic. Faculty include two of our Kenya Program directors and a host of adjuncts who teach our students in addition to their notable careers in Nairobi. I was impressed with our team in Kenya and how they embody the Laurentian spirit even though they are more than 7,000 miles away from Canton, New York. In addition to their time on the compound, students live with host families in a rural homestay environment. When we visited one community of homestay families in Nyeri, a warm welcome, dancing, singing, and a presentation about life in that community greeted us. We heard St. Lawrence students are respectful, eager to learn and help, very conscious of time and planning, and afraid of bugs! One of the community elders shared that it’s very good for their children and grandchildren to be around St. Lawrence students. I was inspired to learn that in this community, the host families continue their connection even when not hosting. They created the St. Lawrence University Social Welfare Club, which meets monthly to provide mutual social and financial support to members who need it. Back in Nairobi, we hosted a reception for St. Lawrence alumni who live in Kenya, their families, host families, independent study partners, and other friends and collaborators with St. Lawrence. The Honorable Francis Chachu Ganya ’96, a member of the Kenyan parliament, gave remarks. I was excited to announce an anonymous gift of $500,000 to create the Ken Okoth ’01 Black American Music Project. Ken Okoth had a tremendous and long-lasting impact on our community as a graduate and elected member of the Kenyan parliament. He is widely recognized as a visionary leader of his Nairobi community of Kibera and passed away in July 2019 after a courageous battle with cancer. His wife Monica and brother Jeff were in attendance for the announcement. Spending any semester abroad, but especially as part of our Kenya Semester, is a life-changing experience for our students, and I am so pleased to have had the chance to visit the program. The connections between St. Lawrence and Kenya are deep and meaningful, and I hope to find ways to strengthen them in the years ahead. KATHRYN MORRIS PRESIDENT St. Lawrence University Magazine (ISSN 0745-3582) is published by St. Lawrence University four times per year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Summer 2022, volume LXXI, number 3. Periodical postage paid at Canton, NY 13617 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to St. Lawrence University Magazine, 23 Romoda Dr., Canton, NY 13617. All opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author anddonot necessarily reflect thoseof theeditors and/or St. Lawrence University. Editorial offices: Office of University Communications, St. Lawrence University, 23 Romoda Drive, Canton, NY 13617, 315-229-5585, ddudley@stlawu.edu. stlawu.edu/magazine St. Lawrence University does not discriminate against students, faculty, staffor other beneficiaries on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin in admission to, or access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs and activities. AA/EEO. For further information, contact Community & Employee Relations, 315-229-5656, lcania@stlawu.edu. PRINTED IN USA In ninth grade, my world changed when I sat next to an exchange student named Laurence Drabbé from Belgium in my English class. Laurence and I became great friends and are still in contact nearly 40 years later. Because of this experience, I decided to go abroad for a year with AFS Intercultural Programs instead of heading to college after high school. AFS is a candidate for the presidency, I was pleased to find that the University has a strong study abroad program and an exceptional cohort of international students. I was particularly intrigued by our deep partnerships in Kenya. Since joining the Laurentian community last summer, it was important to me to learn more about our relationship with Kenya and our Kenya Program, just as I made sure to visit other signature off-campus programs, including the Liberal Arts in New York City semester and the Adirondack Semester. In March, my husband Brian and I spent two weeks in Kenya, along with Florence Hines, vice president for Enrollment Management and dean of Admissions and Financial Aid; Tom Pynchon, vice president for University Advancement; and Carol Smith Pynchon, Tom’s wife. During our time in Kenya, we learned about our signature Kenya Program and discovered more about our significant institutional investments in our employees and compound there. We connected with high school, homestay-based exchange program to foster intercultural understanding and peace. I spent a year in a small town in southern Austria, close to the border of what was then Yugoslavia. That experience was the foundation for my steadfast belief in the transformational power of studying abroad. In the years since, I have taught students in the study abroad context, covered principles of cross-cultural psychology in courses I taught, and worked to grow study abroad opportunities for college students. When exploring St. Lawrence as a Building Relationships While in Nairobi, President Morris met the Mbithi family, a long-time Kenya Program urban host family, and welcomed their daughter Mutanu, who had received her St. Lawrence acceptance letter the week before, to the Class of 2026. From left: Tony Mbithi, Mutheu Mbithi, Mutanu Mbithi ’26, President Kate Morris, Katheke Mbithi, and the Mbithi family’s 2008 homestay student Mark Marchant stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 2 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT
Approximately 36 faculty members have planned and led 25 unique summer courses in 19 different countries between 2012-2022 (several of these courses were offered for multiple years). 423 students have studied off campus on a St. Lawrence summer program between 2011-2021. 40 Countries 2011–2021 Off-Campus Study Participation: St. Lawrence University owns/operates eight off-campus programs in five countries and has partnerships with programs in 17 additional countries. These numbers include temporary shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic closures in 2020 and 2021. Almost all study abroad programs were reinstated in fall of 2021. ONLY THE MOST ADVENTUROUS MAKE THE TREK St. Lawrence University has long been a leader in off-campus study opportunities. Study abroad is only one of many options, including the Adirondack Semester, Sustainability Farm, New York City Semester, and travel components for campus courses ranging from the Philosophy of Happiness in Denmark to Conservation, Development, and Reconciliation in Rwanda. See how St. Lawrence measures up by the numbers. TOP TEN DESTINATIONS for Off-Campus Study and Study Abroad 2011–2021 7 3 9 5 10 4 2 6 1 8 (source: Center for International and Intercultural Studies) Off-campus Study and Study Abroad Less than 10% of undergraduate students in the United States study abroad for one semester or more. 57% of St. Lawrence undergraduate students study abroad or off-campus for one semester or more. St. Lawrence United States SUMMER OFF-CAMPUS STUDY OPPORTUNITIES COUNTRY TOTAL STUDENTS PER COUNTRY 1 United Kingdom (London, London FYP) 495 2 United States of America (ADK Semester, NYC, DC, and Sustainability Farm) 464 3 Denmark 354 4 Kenya 307 5 New Zealand 258 6 France (Rouen, Bordeaux) 241 7 Spain 225 8 Austria 188 9 Italy 166 10 Australia 156 SLU Programs $8.5M in endowed donor funds provide $500K in support for off-campus programs annually 150 STUDENTS per year receive travel awards to support their off-campus experience OVER 40 individual donor funds (expendable and endowed) support off-campus programs 75% of St. Lawrence undergraduate students study abroad or off-campus for short-term, summer, one semester, or academic year. St. Lawrence stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 4 5 BY THE NUMBERS
Kathleen Perkins Colson ’79 A former refugee worker and safari guide, Kathleen Perkins Colson ’79 founded the BOMA Project to disrupt how humanitarian aid is perceived and delivered in the drylands of Africa. With innovations in technology, programming, female empowerment, and financial inclusion, the nonprofit organization is on track to end extreme poverty and hunger for millions of women and children in some of the most remote regions on the African continent. Now retired from the nonprofit organization, Kathleen serves as the CEO of Big Idea Nonprofit Consulting, providing services to regional and global nonprofits. She has also served on a variety of nonprofit boards including secondary school, university boards, McNair Scholar Selected for National Science Foundation Fellowship and environmental, conservation, and arts organizations in the U.S., Central America, and Africa. Nicholas G. Penniman V ’92 Nick Penniman is a nonprofit executive and journalist who is the founder and CEO of Issue One, an organization whose mission is to strengthen American democracy. Issue One focuses its programs on election protection, congressional reform, and fighting disinformation. It hosts the National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan group of 40 high-profile Americans, and the ReFormers Caucus, which consists of 200 former members of Congress, roughly half Republicans and half Democrats. Penniman also served as executive director of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, which he founded with Arianna Huffington in 2009. In 2016, he co-authored Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy And What We Can Do About It, which received accolades from Democratic and Republican politicians and columnists. Carolyn Davidow Putney ’88, P’22 Carolyn Davidow Putney ’88, P’22, proud member of the Tri-Delta sorority, graduated from St. Lawrence with a bachelor’s degree in art and theater. Following graduation, she earned an associate degree in interior design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and worked as a residential interior designer before focusing on raising her children. Along with her work on numerous Reunion committees, Carolyn served in leadership positions in organizations and committees in support of her children’s schools. She is the recipient of the St. Benedict Medal, Woodside Priory School’s highest honor. Carolyn and her husband, Stewart Putney ’91, P’22, have two children, Sam, a member of St. Lawrence’s Class of 2022, and Ben, a member of Emerson College’s Class of 2026. n Six Alumni Receive 2022 Awards St. Lawrence University’s Alumni Executive Council honored Dr. William A. Van Wie ’67, Barbarajean “BJ” Schaefer Blodgett ’72, Jeffrey P. Spafford ’88, and Dr. Wambui Mutoru ’06 with Alumni Citations for their dedication and service to the Laurentian Community as well as Dr. Edward “Ted” F. Higgins ’71, who received the Sol Feinstone Award for Humanitarian Service. The Alumni Council’s annual awards recognize graduates for long-term and exemplary commitment to the University, professional accomplishments, and community service. Patrice “Pat” Welch Schulze ’72 was also recognized with the G. Atwood Manley Society Achievement Award for her advocacy, thoughtful planning and generosity. n Read more about each recipient in the Class Notes section of this issue. St. Lawrence University Trustee Leadership Announced During the May 2022 Board of Trustees meeting, the St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees elected their leadership for the 2022-23 year. Michael Ranger ’80, P’17, who served as co-chair of the Campaign for Every Laurentian during the leadership phase of the largest and most ambitious fundraising effort in the school’s history, was elected as chair of the Board of Trustees for the final year of his five-year term. Jennifer Curley Reichert ’90, founder and CEO of Curley Company, a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C., was re-elected as vice chair of the board for her fifth year. In addition, she became chair-elect and in June 2023 will become the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees. Jeff Killeen ’75 was elected as vice chair-elect and will become vice chair in June 2023. Killeen has served as a term trustee since 2019. As an alumnus, he has served as a career advisor and Reunion planning chair and currently serves as a North Country Public Radio Executive Council member. n Following a competitive nationwide search, Anuva Anannya ’22 has been selected for the 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an award that will fund her research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at an accredited U.S. institution of her choice. The five-year fellowship program, which recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines, includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a $12,000 cost of education allowance to the institution. Anannya, a geology and anthropology major from Dhaka, Bangladesh, is the first St. Lawrence McNair Scholar to be selected for the prestigious fellowship program, which has a 15 percent acceptance rate. She has committed to Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration, where she will conduct research on the geomorphology of Mars and work toward becoming a planetary scientist. n Anannya is from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and attended Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. From left: Ranger, President Morris, Curley Reichert, and Killeen St. Lawrence Board of Trustees Elects New Members The University Board of Trustees has elected Kathleen Perkins Colson ’79, Nicholas G. Penniman ’92, and Carolyn Davidow Putney ’88, P’22 to serve six-year terms. stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 6 7 NEWS & NOTES NEWS & NOTES
In recognition of their exemplary accomplishments and steadfast commitment to St. Lawrence University, President Emeritus William L. Fox ’75, Lynn Smith Fox, and Grant H. Cornwell Jr. ’79 were presented with honorary degrees during this year’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22. President Emeritus William L. Fox ’75 Under his leadership, President Emeritus William L. Fox ’75 implemented a distinctive new curriculum and launched the Innovation Grants program, prioritized creating a more inclusive campus, created new buildings and renovated historical spaces, and guided the University to record fundraising of more than $230 million during The Campaign for Every Laurentian. William L. Fox became the 18th president of St. Lawrence University and senior lecturer in history on July 1, 2009, and served until July 2021, when he was named president emeritus. Previously, he served as president and senior lecturer in philosophy, religion, and history at Culver-Stockton College in Missouri from 2003 to 2009. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University in 1978 and a Ph.D. in American religious history from George Washington University in 1989. While at St. Lawrence, President Fox served in various leadership positions in the New York Six consortium and was on the board of the New York Council of Independent Colleges and Universities. He was active in several national higher education associations based in Washington, D.C., particularly the Council of Independent Colleges. Lynn Smith Fox Lynn Smith Fox brought decades of communications experience working at the highest levels of Washington, D.C., public policy and strategic leadership to St. Lawrence, finding ways to leverage her professional expertise in collaboration with alumni, parents, faculty, and students. Her professional career included 25 years with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. She worked in congressional and public affairs and internal communications, including serving as deputy congressional liaison, assistant secretary of the Federal Open Market Committee, and director of the Office of Board Members. Lynn retired in 2012 as a senior adviser, having telecommuted from Canton, spending a week per month in Washington. Active on nonprofit boards, Lynn has served as a trustee at Smith College, a member of the board of the Frederic Remington Art Museum, and at The Wild Center, where she is currently vice-chair. Immersed in all aspects of the Laurentian community, Lynn cotaught courses at St. Lawrence on the Federal Reserve and on nonprofit management. As a presidential spouse, she had a particular interest in programs for women, both students and alumnae, and career exploration, including through the Sophomore Journey and SLU Connect initiatives. Grant H. Cornwell Jr. ’79 On July 1, 2015, Grant H. Cornwell Jr. ’79 was named the 15th president of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, after eight years as president of the College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio. He has long championed initiatives in diversity and global engagement, collaborative research, and experiential learning. Prior to his Wooster presidency, Cornwell served as vice president of the University and dean of Academic Affairs at St. Lawrence University for five years. For the previous 16 years, he was a member and chair of the St. Lawrence Philosophy Department and dean of the University’s hallmark First-Year Program. The curiosity and exploration at the core of liberal learning remain driving forces in his approach to higher education. n St. Lawrence Named One of the Nation’s Best Colleges by Princeton Review The Princeton Review has once again recognized St. Lawrence University as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate students, applauding its outstanding alumni network and internships in the recent publication, Best Value Colleges for 2022. The University earned a No. 4 spot on the Top 20 Best Private School Alumni Networks and ranked seventh on Princeton Review’s Top 20 Best Private Schools for Internships list. n CELEBRATING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AND CREATIVITY A campus-wide tradition that began in 2014, this year’s Festival of Science, Scholarship, and Creativity featured 120 oral and visual poster presentations examining a wide range of topics including well-being and mental health, social justice, and environmental issues. Presentations also highlighted firsthand student research conducted in the North Country, the Adirondack region, and during off-campus study trips in Northern Ireland, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Above: Kasarian Dane, associate professor of Art and Art History works with a student during the installation of the Senior Year Experience Exhibition at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery. n Three Laurentians Receive Honorary Degrees at 2022 Commencement stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 8 9 NEWS & NOTES NEWS & NOTES
In a ceremony highlighting gratitude, perseverance, and lifelong connections, more than 500 St. Lawrence University graduates took part in the University’s Commencement on Sunday, May 22, at Newell Field House. In her remarks to the community, President Kathryn A. Morris encouraged the graduating class to reflect on the transformative influence the Laurentian community has had in their lives. Below: Brockville Pipes and Drums were awarded the North Country Citation for their service to the region. Right: President Kathryn A. Morris addresses the Class of 2022 during the Commencement ceremony in Newell Field House. “As you leave our campus, I encourage you to practice random acts of kindness, volunteer, become philanthropic—find ways to improve the world around you,” says Morris. “As you move through life, I hope you will make a practice of reflecting on the people for whom you are thankful and to take the time to express your gratitude to them.” President Morris was joined on stage by honorary degree recipients President Emeritus William L. Fox ’75, Lynn Smith Fox, and Grant H. Cornwell Jr. ’79, who commended the Class of 2022 for their perseverance during the COVID-19 pandemic and praised their ability to influence change in their local and global communities. n So Much to Celebrate Students and their families celebrated their achievements as they walked the Commencement stage on Sunday, May 22, 2022. A dedication that honored President Emeritus Fox and Lynn Smith Fox’s steadfast commitment to generations of students and the entire Laurentian community was held on Saturday, May 21, 2022, as part of the University’s Commencement weekend festivities. The space at the heart of St. Lawrence’s campus where students can access resources that support their success in the classroom now bears the name Fox Hall, home of the William L. Fox ’75 Center for Academic Opportunity. Pictured left are Bill and Lynn Fox with their daughter, Hallie Fox, her husband, Brendan Campbell, and their son, Liam. United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Commissioning recognized Kyle Frimel ’22 as 2nd lieutenant, Alexander Gilbert ’22, 2nd lieutenant, and Rajat Sharma ’22 (pictured with family) as 2nd Lieutenant, at the 2022 Commissioning Ceremony. Commencement 2022 stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 10 11 ON CAMPUS ON CAMPUS
BY DEBORAH DUDLEY If Director of the Sustainability Program and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Sara Ashpole didn’t know that chocolate was the key ingredient to unlocking the complexity of literally everything before authoring the St. Lawrence Chocolate Passport grant proposal in 2020, she knows now. “My background is in the sciences,” says Ashpole, “so all I had was a love of chocolate to propel this grant.” Ashpole explains that faculty were surveyed in fall 2020 for their interest in developing a collaborative and coordinated “year of chocolate,” focusing on educational and experiential learning for students and the community. The Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Research Grant was awarded in 2021, and more than 17 faculty collaborators from all areas of study signed on to incorporate chocolate as an academic catalyst or complement to their courses. The funds supported the investigation of historical, cultural, spiritual, and medicinal use of Theobroma cacao—everything from the global economics of fair trade practices to pop culture representations of chocolate in film and digital media; the connection of chocolate to human trafficking and slavery to the ethnobotony of cacao. Even chocolate’s influence on neurohormonal and behavioral, mental, mood, and cognition processes were topics tackled by faculty and students over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year with their findings exhibited at a Chocolate Festival hosted in May 2022. “It definitely is the type of thing that had its own engine in the way that it operated,” says Ashpole whose Sophomore Seminar and First-Year Programs fully immersed students in untangling the impact and influence of the cacao bean and its derivative product, chocolate. “In many ways, things were not necessarily linear, which is very similar to the way you tackle sustainability.” “I really think most people are unaware of everything to do with chocolate,” says Ashpole “People don’t realize how complicated it is to make and actually how technology has made it delicious for our palette,” explaining that this project has been a learning curve for her as well. “I didn’t know that approximately 80 percent of all the cacao bean grinding in the world goes through the Netherlands,” she says, which was just one of the hundreds of geographical data points referenced in a GIS digital mapping app created using Google Earth to illustrate all of the unique locations referenced in the Chocolate Passport project. Ashpole’s students also had to facilitate at least one open community event which incorporated an element of sustainability. Chocolate tastings, documentary screenings, giveaways, and raffles were a few examples. “For me, the most successful event was not what I was predicting,” says Ashpole with a laugh. Students decided to host a fundraiser using the Endangered Species Chocolate bar brand purchased in partnership with Dining Services. What they thought would take weeks to sell sold out in under an hour and raised money for the Nature Up North programs. More importantly, the exercise revealed data to Dining Services staff that related to the purchasing habits of the campus community. “The bars just flew,” says Ashpole. “Salted caramel was the favorite. It was gone in seconds. Very few students made any comment about the price point; they were more interested in learning about endangered species, farming, and the production of cacao.” The students ended up pitching the brand as a new more ethical, fair trade, organic product for Dining Services to consider and the data from the sale provided the rationale for a trial run with Endangered Species Chocolate bars in the fall of 2022. “Random Acts of Chocolate” on Valentine’s Day was another success story and resulted in 180 individuals across campus being surprised with an organic fair trade chocolate truffle delivery, raising morale and confirming the age-old formula of giving + chocolate = happiness. “We were able to give out a chocolate to every single person who was nominated,” says Ashpole The World According to Chocolate How the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Research Grant was a passport to understanding everything including the 70 staff members of The Pub and Student Center Kitchens as a token of the students’ appreciation. “But I would say the best component was running the Sophomore Seminar and the FirstYear Program, where students spent every week talking about chocolate and sharing different discoveries through their research.” Ashpole’s inquiry-based learning environment encouraged students to explore within and outside of their areas of interest. “For example, if a science student did a big research project on the physiology or genetics of the cacao plant, I would encourage them to do a mini project on film or art or literature,” explains Ashpole. “I tried to help them think from a different perspective, to search out new information through new ways.” Questions included economic and ethical boundaries, child labor and slavery, environmental and social activism, agricultural practices, and endangered habitats. Students revisited favorite childhood stories such as the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” through a contemporary lens, and, somehow, Ashpole believes the discussions on any controversial topics were more open because it was rooted in the exploration of chocolate. Students were really shocked that something that they loved might not be all good and then would have to figure out what that means,” says Ashpole. “I can remember the very first or second day of classes, one of my students came right out saying, ‘we all have the right to chocolate, and it should be dead cheap.’ Then, I watched the student realize over the course of the semester that, maybe, ‘cheap’ chocolate comes at a price to someone else or the environment, or has some other major impact.” Ashpole says that transformational thinking through the single ingredient of something so comfortable and familiar forced them to reflect on their own values. It also illustrated the diversity of problems that crisscross all social, economic, governmental, and environmental systems around the globe was at times daunting. “I want to make sure we always look at the positives as well,” says Ashpole who invited speakers such as the owners of 57 Chocolate, a woman-owned, ethically sourced, bean-to-bar chocolate company in Ghana to join one of her classes on Zoom. “They’re young entrepreneurs, running a small business, hiring locals, supporting their economy, supporting farmers, and supporting the environment with a global brand incorporating all the complexity,” says Ashpole, “and the inspiring solutions wrapped up in a bar of chocolate.” n Left: Chocolate game board Below: Students in the Renaissance and Reformation class taste a 16th-century hot chocolate recipe. stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 12 13 ON CAMPUS ON CAMPUS
SLU Connect: Back in Business After a two-year hiatus, from May 16–20, 2022, students were back in business participating in the SLU Connect-DC and SLU ConnectBoston programs. The four-day career exploration trek program combines the expertise of alumni and parents to foster an understanding of the professional opportunities in each city and region across the United States. SLU Connect is sponsored, in part, by the Alumni Executive Council and is a partnership between University Advancement and the Center for Career Excellence. For more information, or if you have questions about SLU Connect, please contact Megan Fry Dozier, associate director of Laurentian Engagement and Development Initiatives, at mfry@stlawu.edu. n Left: Students on the SLU Connect – DC program were hosted at the Capitol by Jon Cardinal ’08. Photo by Jeff Mauritzen Below: Students on the SLU Connect – Boston program were welcomed by alumni and parents at iconic Fenway Park to take in a Red Sox game. Photo by Paul Frederick stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 14 15 ON CAMPUS ON CAMPUS
BY DEBORAH DUDLEY Robin Rhodes, director of St. Lawrence’s new Peace Corps Prep Certification Program, is not surprised that recent graduate Christian Hovey ’22, an English and history double-major with a Latin America and Caribbean studies minor, is one of the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hovey will join the first wave of returning volunteers to serve as a health volunteer in Paraguay. St. Lawrence consistently ranks at the top of Peace Corps’ list of institutions with the highest number of volunteers each year. When Rhodes got wind of a formalized preparatory program in partnership with the agency at a 2017 African studies conference, she knew it would be a perfect fit. “We have so many students that go into the Peace Corps who are interested in things like global aid and international development,” says Rhodes. “I had to ask myself, ‘Why do we not have this certification at St. Lawrence?’” However, when Rhodes contacted the Peace Corps headquarters, the application process had been closed, and universities would have to get special permission just to apply. Once Rhodes secured permission to submit a full proposal, she enlisted the help of Marina Llorente, Charles A. Dana Professor of Hispanic Studies and former Hanson Associate Dean of International and Intercultural Studies, and Carol Smith, senior officer of Corporate and Foundation Relations. By spring 2021, with input from faculty chairs and Academic Affairs, the proposal had been accepted, and St. Lawrence opened the program to students in fall 2021. “The Peace Corps is quite competitive,” says Rhodes, “so to have this certification gives students an advantage. It’s a testament to their understanding of intercultural studies and the different sectors that make up the agency’s focus: education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.” “In the past, I have taught classes about teaching English abroad, and I’ve taken students to Rwanda to do research,” says Rhodes, who also serves as director of International Student Academic Support in the World Languages, Cultures, and Media Department. “I have always felt like there is a good, strong group of students here that really want to be out in the world. Going beyond our borders is something that is important to them.” Llorente, who served as associate dean for International and Intercultural studies at the time, and assisted Rhodes with the proposal, agrees. After soliciting input from department chairs on courses that would align with the Peace Corps Prep Certification requirements, Llorente says the response was amazing. “I thought, ‘Wow, we cover the Peace Corps Prep requirements in many of our courses, no matter the discipline,’” says Llorente, explaining the proposal process had additional benefits. “Identifying courses to fit the program challenged faculty to think about their own teaching, their own pedagogy, and how it intersects all the requirements of the Peace Corps, which is designed to change and transform communities.” During interviews for the inaugural student cohort, a common response to Llorente’s question of why spend two years of your life dedicated to helping another community, students would say, “In my class I did this, or in my class I learned that.” “It’s in our curriculum already,” says Llorente, “so this is just perfect for us. That’s the reason we are number one in Peace Corps volunteers for small schools.” Although the program just started in the fall 2021, Rhodes says they have exceeded their goals for the number of applicants in the first year. The Class of 2022’s Western Azaert and Emily Mierek were also able to complete the program by illustrating how their undergraduate course of study fulfilled the certification requirements. “The only way they could have done that is to already be engaging in specific classes and acts of service, leadership, and intercultural study,” Rhodes says. Even more encouraging is the fact that 25 Laurentian Peace Corps veterans immediately responded to Rhodes’ call for mentors, fulfilling a component of the proposal that makes St. Lawrence’s preparation unique. Every student now has an alumni mentor and will have a chance to meet them this summer with a more formalized mentorship program to follow in the fall. There are other advantages according to Rhodes and Llorente. The Peace Corps and St. Lawrence are in sync on efforts to diversify involvement and help students who might not normally think about the Peace Corps or consider the possibility of international careers. Private sector companies are also focusing on hiring graduates with broader cultural competencies both in the U.S. and abroad. “Anything we can do for our students to have deeper cultural understanding and empathy is a good thing,” says Rhodes. “That’s what the program does because we’re asking students to look at and focus on intercultural relationships to gain an understanding and openness of different cultures and communities. We are asking, ‘How can you be a partner within that?’” n For more information visit stlawu.edu/ offices/ciis/peace-corps-prep-certificate. Service Oriented St. Lawrence Peace Corps Prep Certification Program expands on the Laurentian legacy of international service Kimberly Pollock ’15 on assignment with Peace Corps in Mexico Laurie Puzio ’03 with her Peace Corps host family in Albania stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 16 17 ON CAMPUS ON CAMPUS
BY TOMMY BENJES ’22 When the Doin siblings, Ian ’22 and Abby ’24, were young, they would often engage in “fake fights.” Ian recalled an injury that, at the time, probably wasn’t as funny as he remembers it being today. “We used to fake fight and try to mimic the fighting in action movies,” recalls Ian. “One time I faked a punch, but I didn’t connect and she was like, ‘I wanna try it,’ and she swung and just smashed my face in. She broke my nose!” The Doins have come a long way from that day, and they have brought their sibling energy to the college level, both competing for the Saints, on the court and on the field. Ian is a kicker on the Saints football team and Abby plays guard for the Saints women’s basketball team. The Doins are not the only siblings who have brought their family talents to Canton. There are 11 pairs of siblings playing St. Lawrence varsity athletics; Bobby and Emma Reynolds (men’s and women’s soccer), Mason and Cameron Giunta (football), Peyton and Nate Schmitt (football and men’s basketball), twins Gavin and Aidan Macaulay (men’s basketball), Mark and John Mahoney (men’s lacrosse), Jenny and Suzanne L’Hommedieu (field hockey), Skylar and Lucas Podvey (women’s hockey and men’s lacrosse), Ryan and Drew Courtwright (baseball), Kathleen and Kim Merchant (women’s track and field), and Stew and Ben Hutchinson (men’s lacrosse). According to Ben Hutchinson, he and his older brother, Stew, have been bettering each other on the lacrosse field their entire lives. They continue their healthy sibling rivalry at the college level. “Playing in high school with Stew was always awesome,” says Ben. “We played for two years together on our high school varsity team and celebrated a ton of goals and assists to each other. I always wanted to play with him again. So if I had the opportunity to, why not? And right now, we’re playing on the same line and it’s been a lot of fun.” For the Doin siblings, there was a generational pull as well. Ian was not the first to wear the Scarlet & Brown. Both siblings had grown up hearing stories from their mom, Tina Bradley Doin ’94. Ian had his mind set on St. Lawrence from the start. “Honestly, I always kind of knew that when I was applying to St. Lawrence, that if I got in, I was going to go. It was always the bar for me,” says Ian, “the way my mom talked about St. Lawrence. Her success was a big part of my decision.” Two years later, Abby felt the same way, and bet it all on St. Lawrence, the only school she applied to. “I love watching Abby’s games, and it’s been a big reward for me to have her at SLU, because, I mean, she is definitely my best friend. Having her here is a big thing for me,” says Ian, who has long since forgiven his sister for the broken nose. “It’s special, because it’s not going to last forever.” n A Punch in the Face and the Joys of Sibling Saints stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 18 19 SPORTS SPORTS
BY MADISON AMICO ’22, DEBORAH DUDLEY, AND AARON TODD ’00, M’06 “In 1972, no one dreamed a dry, 37word clause tucked inside a new education legislation would have such a profound impact,” reads June 2022 Sports Illustrated feature. What started as a challenge to equity issues and sex discrimination in education resulted in the Education Amendments Act, signed on June 23, 1972 by President Richard Nixon. Also known as Title IX, the law recognized gender equity in education as a civil right, however, there was no specific mention of athletics, sports, or even physical education, but when applied to all areas of education, started to level the playing field and fostered many champions of women’s athletics along the way. One Laurentian champion is Dorothy “Dotty” Hall, who worked to elevate Saints athletics as chair of the women’s athletic department from 1968 until the merger of women’s and men’s programs in 1974. Hall served as varsity coach for field hockey, women’s tennis, and women’s lacrosse. She also taught Sociology of Sport, Philosophy of Sport, and Gender and Sport before retiring in 2000. Already a member of the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame, Hall will be inducted into the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame this fall. “There have been dramatic changes in the intercollegiate programming of St. Lawrence’s women’s sports over the last 25 years,” wrote Hall in her book Women’s Sports at St. Lawrence University: From Beginnings to Title IX published in 2005. “Title IX has been instrumental in enabling significant growth in all aspects of intercollegiate sport for women.” Another woman who helped elevate women’s athletics at St. Lawrence is Margaret “Margie” Strait M’73. Her 45-year career at St. Lawrence began when she accepted the men’s and women’s Alpine ski coaching position in 1970, at the predawn of Title IX legislation. “I quickly realized we didn’t have a cross country [ski] team for women, but the men did,” Strait says. “To do anything in the ski league, you had to have an Alpine and a cross country team, so, I started the women’s cross country team giving them a better chance of winning in Alpine, too.” This pursuit of equity followed Strait into each role she took on at St. Lawrence, including when she transitioned from Alpine ski coach to women’s and men’s tennis coach before taking on the role of athletic director in 1997, a position she accepted only after getting assurances from President Dan Sullivan that the University would invest in facilities and opportunities for women’s sports. “Whatever we were going to do, it had to be something that would be sustainable over the years and something that the University would be proud of,” Strait says. Seven varsity women’s sports were added to the athletic department’s offerings in eight years following the passage of Title IX, and seven more were added from 1992-2000. But despite the new opportunities and the best efforts of Hall, Strait and their contemporaries, St. Lawrence had its share of struggles in recognizing and fulfilling the promise of Title IX, especially in the years immediately following its passage. In 1974, Kathy Kretow ’78 and Sue Hess ’78 petitioned for a varsity women’s hockey team, but were given permission for a club team Title IX Turns 50 “Whatever we were going to do, it had to be something that would be sustainable over the years, and something that the University would be proud of.” – Margie Strait M’73 only. Two years later, with the successful launch of the club program, they petitioned again to elevate women’s hockey to the varsity level. They were denied. But in 1979, their perseverance paid off, and Saints women’s hockey held its first varsity intercollegiate season. Carol Hill ’79, who was a member of the club women’s hockey team and now takes photos of many of St. Lawrence’s athletic contests as a freelance photographer, has seen a lot of changes in the available resources for female studentathletes, including the facilities at newly-renovated Appleton Arena. The George W. Karpus ’68 Athletic Center at Appleton Arena expansion includes, among other new spaces, four new locker rooms for softball, women’s lacrosse, field hockey, and women’s rowing. The Appleton upgrades haven’t gone unnoticed, by new recruits, current student-athletes, or alumni. “When I go into the locker room at Appleton for the women’s hockey program, I’m blown away,” says Hill. “When I was playing, we changed up under the grandstand. Now, it’s night and day.” Hill recognized that there is much to celebrate as well as more work to be done, but with the teamwork of every generation of Laurentians, the Saints will keep making significant progress towards fulfilling the promise of Title IX. n In 2000, squash became the 18th varsity women’s team to join the Saints Athletics’ roster. The 2018 team completed the season as Liberty League Champions. E-sports was the latest team to be added to the roster in 2021. stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 20 21 SPORTS
Can you imagine the phone call back to your family after you completed your first college internship during your study abroad in Africa in which you were briefly detained by a group of changaa brewers in the Mathare Valley in Nairobi? That was the story Charlie Daugherty ’75 and Nancy Bender ’75 had to relay to their families when, during their study abroad internship in spring 1974, with the National Christian Council of International intrigue, chance encounters, and the beginnings of a 50-year partnership Between flights at London's Heathrow Airport in January 1972. The first Laurentians to study in Kenya: Diane Fagan Affleck ’72, Fred McCullough ’74, Ann Cheney ’74, Liz Hunt White ’73, unidentified (behind Hunt), Meg Keeley Forster ’73, Michael Griffiths ’72, Suzanne Hawkes Wight ’73, Ed Beckles ’72, Jane Hansmann McKean ’73, Karla Jackson-Brewer ’73, Paul Gilbert ’72, John Ellis ’74, Odessa Seymore ’73, Ben Giles ’73, Grace French, and Director Peter French The history of study abroad at St. Lawrence University often intersects with global historical events. From weathering the tense relations of the Cold War in Europe to the challenges of the colonial legacy in Africa, St. Lawrence’s global roots run deep. With 2,300 alumni and counting, the Kenya Program began less than a decade removed from the country’s hard-fought battle for independence, and our pioneering students occasionally had to navigate a new landscape of international relations outside the comfort of a Canton classroom. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania travel component, fall 2000. Photo by Courtney Walter ’02 KENYA stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | 23 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 22 FEATURE
Kenya, they were taken prisoner and held in a small shack spending several hours trying to explain why wazungu wawili, Swahili for “two whites,” were wandering around the brewers’ neighborhood. At a time when Kenya’s informal settlements rarely saw international visitors, it is not surprising that local brewers questioned their agenda. After many hours, Bender, Daugherty, and their hosts were able to come to an understanding. Their adventure concluded with everyone sharing a celebratory round of the locally brewed alcoholic beverage, changaa, courtesy of their new acquaintances. Daugherty and Bender returned with a lesson on international relations that they would never forget and a story they have told many times over their lifetime. Imagine another series of international phone calls a few years later in January 1977, when the fledgling Kenya Program spring student group transferred to their connecting flight in London and boarded an Ethiopian Airways flight to Nairobi with a scheduled stop in Addis Ababa. As Peter L. French, associate professor of government from 1970 to 1983 and founder of the Kenya Program at St. Lawrence, administrative anxiety in Canton. “But the rest of the semester was without incident,” French says, “except for a roundabout route to Kilimanjaro that included a brief stop in Zanzibar.” These stories, and others equally dramatic, are thanks to the early pioneers of a Kenya partnership that began more than 50 years ago. The first Kenya study course landed in Nairobi in January 1972, when 15 St. Lawrence students embraced an adventure that has not only evolved into a signature program of the University but has fostered a Laurentian community within a community. The St. Lawrence-Kenya connection was forged through these vivid memories and important lessons students learned from African communities. Unpacking global historical events through an empathetic local perspective is a hallmark of St. Lawrence’s study abroad tradition, and these experiences leave a lasting impact for a lifetime. tells the story, Micato Safaris owner Felix Pinto, with a fleet of Volkswagen buses, was waiting at Embakasi Airport (now the Jomo Kenyadda International Airport) to welcome the new arrivals, however, only half of the students were aboard the in-coming flight to Nairobi. Remember, this is a time when there are no cell phones, no email, no social media for direct messaging, no GPS software, and information was completely dependent on reaching the correct person who had relevant information and functioning communications technologies. It took a few hours for Kenya Program Field Assistant Lee Demerse ’76 who was traveling with the students to discover that the flight from Addis Ababa had been overbooked, and the group would be delayed three days. Developing the Africa focus ack in the early 1970s, there was very limited off-campus opportunities to the African continent from any U.S. institution,” says Matthew Carotenuto, Hanson Associate Dean of International and Intercultural Studies and professor of history at St. Lawrence. Carotenuto, a SUNY Cortland graduate, is also a Kenya Program alumnus from the spring 1998 cohort, one of more than 650 non-Laurentian students who have enrolled in the program over the past 50 years. “I think that I went on this program and never left in some way, shape, or form, either professionally or personally,” Carotenuto says. He spent the next two decades doing academic research in East Africa including securing a Ph.D. in African history from Indiana University. Carotenuto served as coordinator of St. Lawrence’s African studies program for nearly a The next international phone call French, then field director in Nairobi, received was from a very unhappy, distraught St. Lawrence dean of students who asked, “Peter, is it true that Addis is in the midst of a revolution and all the students are stranded there?” Ethiopia was indeed in the early years of a civil war being fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean antigovernment rebels, a conflict that had begun three years earlier in September 1974. For the students, according to French, it was a political science lesson like no other. The Ethiopian leader, Mengistu Haile Meriam, chairman of the governing dirgu, or council, had done away with a good portion of the country’s top leadership and seized power. Students had seen tanks in the streets from the safety of their hotel rooms and were buzzing with observations on the conflict by the time they arrived safely in Nairobi at the end of the week. “From their standpoint, the semester was off to a glorious start,” says French. From the standpoint of long-term stability of the two-yearold Kenya Program, there was decade, and this summer, he took the helm of the Center for International and Intercultural Studies. “In a lot of ways, I felt as much allegiance to St. Lawrence as a result of that experience as I did to Cortland because it was so transformative,” he says. “I think a lot of the 600-plus non-Laurentian students like me who went on the program also feel the same way.” “St. Lawrence is fortunate to have started a tradition of off-campus study in other areas of the world—Austria, Spain, and France—all predating Kenya, but not by much,” explains Carotenuto. “I think the University was looking for a place outside of a European location, and we fortunately had Peter French in the Government Department, who had some expertise in east Africa and was able to convince the administration to support a J-term experiment.” The origins of the Kenya partnership go back even further, a decade before the 1972 trip. In 1962, French, a young graduate, made his first trip to Kenya to work in With the Engaging Africa Initiative, St. Lawrence has set an ambitious goal of raising more than $1 million to support our leadership in African studies in the liberal arts as well as expand our tradition of excellence abroad by the Kenya Program’s 50th anniversary in 2024. This endowment will build on the strong relationships in Kenya and expands our reach throughout the continent. Thanks to generous support from many alumni, we have raised $738,000 to date. Wayzata, Minn leads students on a tour of local media offices during the inaugural St. Lawrence Interterm course in Nairobi in 1972. ENGAGING AFRICA “The Kenya Program has been a kind of strategic inroad into a broader engagement with the African continent. And it’s really the driving force behind why we have a very robust and successful African studies program here at St. Lawrence.” – Matt Carotenuto, associate dean for the Center for International and Intercultural Studies B “ Karina Chase Dailey ’00 shares her Walkman, spring 1999. Photo by Kate Reynolds Squire ’00 stlawu.edu/magazine Summer 2022 | | St. Lawrence University Magazine 24 25 FEATURE
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