COMMENCEMENT 1999--On May 28, President Diana Chapman Walsh presented the Bachelor of Arts degree to 602 women, including 35 Davis Scholars, non-traditional aged students. Journalist and author Lynn Sherr '63 returned to her alma mater to deliver the Commencement address. Sherr, who earned her B.A. in Greek, received the Alumnae Achievement Award in 1988 and now serves on Wellesley College's Board of Trustees.
Colby Roxana Lenz, a graduate from Ontario, Canada, delivered the student commencement speech on behalf of the graduating class, a tradition begun at Wellesley in 1969 by another graduating senior, Hillary Rodham Clinton. An international relations major and women's studies minor, Lenz has been an advocate for issues of diversity and multiculturalism both on and off campus. She spent the fall semester studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and after graduation plans to move to New York City to pursue a career in human rights advocacy.
Three winners of the 1999 Pinanski Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Wellesley's highest teaching honor, were announced. They are: Lidwien Kapteijns, History; Marjory Schwartz Levey, Biological Sciences; and Andrea G. Levitt, French. For complete coverage of Wellesley's 121st Commencement exercises, visit: www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/
Commencement 1999
Letter from the President
'The Dean Team' -- Cuba, Levitt and Shennan Take the Helm
News of Note
Victoria Herget '73 is new Chair of Board of Trustees
Tony Kerbs to Head Parents Council
Campus Center Plan Discussed
Key Semester Dates
In Her Own Words:
An Interview with the Dean of Students Geneva M. Walker-Johnson
"I want to start a series
this fall called 'Dinner
with the Dean.'
I plan to invite a
vertical slice of all
class years so I can get
the chance to see how
students are handling
their experiences."-- GMW
Work-study position in HR leads to full-time job for '99 graduateStudent Sings National Anthem at Fenway Park
Ruhlman Conference Celebrates Student Achievement
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I write to you from this beautiful campus in the midst of yet another heat wave, reminded of how quickly summer can pass and grateful for the opportunity to unwind from the year just completed and prepare for the one ahead. At Wellesley's 121st Commencement on a spectacular day in May, I had the honor of presenting diplomas to 602 graduating seniors, one of our largest classes of the decade. The thousands gathered to celebrate the day erupted with applause as Helen Zonenberg, the last senior to graduate in the 1900s, mounted the stairs, danced exuberantly across the stage, and enfolded me in a tremendous bear hug. The spontaneous moment was captured on NBC News' national round-up of the season's commencement highlights. It was a remarkable send-off for an exceptional class and a joyful commemoration of the end of an era. This happy ending was all the sweeter coming as it did at the close of a year that was challenging in some important respects and uncommonly successful in others. It was a year of impressive individual accomplishments by students, faculty, staff, and alumnae, as well as the full complement of institutional successes we have come to take for granted: in recruiting students and faculty of high quality, record-breaking fund raising receipts, strong endowment growth, our best-ever year in athletics, and a glowing "bill of health" as the culmination of a formal 10-year review by an outside reaccrediting agency. |
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Also, as I suspect you may have heard, we experienced some tensions last year related to administrative authority and decision making, beginning with my decision to eliminate smoking in the residence halls, and continuing through the year with reactions to the administration's efforts to strengthen the management of the Student Life Division.
We shall continue to work on these issues in the coming year. I see them as part of the learning process for all of us. The determination of Wellesley students to participate actively and responsibly in shaping the future of the College is a long tradition and a tremendous asset, one I value very much. Even -- perhaps especially -- when it looks a bit messy, honest engagement of our differences is a sign of institutional health.
We all look forward to welcoming the Class of 2003 and our returning Wellesley students and to hearing of their summer adventures and new experiences. We certainly miss their energy over the summer. My colleagues and I send you our warm good wishes for the upcoming academic year. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to be of help.
Cordially yours,
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On July 1, Professor of Sociology Lee Cuba became Wellesley's 17th Dean of the College, succeeding Nancy Harrison Kolodny who had served in that role since 1992. Joining Cuba's team as Associate Deans are Andrea Levitt, Margaret Clapp '30 Distinguished Alumna Professor of Linguistics and French, and Andrew Shennan, Class of 1966 Associate Professor of History. Together, these three are now the chief academic officers of the College.
Cuba is an authority on the connections between aging, retirement, and migration patterns. A member of Wellesley's sociology faculty since 1981, he has served as Chair of the Sociology Department and Associate Director of the Writing Program. Appointed Associate Dean of the College in 1995, Cuba was instrumental in the revision of Wellesley's curriculum and in developing innovative academic initiatives including the Ruhlman Conference.
"I am both honored and grateful that two outstanding teacher-scholars with such distinguished records of service to Wellesley have agreed to join me in the Dean's Office. Andrea, Andy, and I are looking forward with enthusiasm to building partnerships that will strengthen the intellectual life of the College," Cuba said.
Andrea Levitt returned to Wellesley, her alma mater, in 1976 while completing her Ph.D. in linguistics at Yale University. Her current work centers on the acquisition of native-like accents by first and second language learners. She has been Chair of the French Department, Chair of the Language Chairs Committee, an advisor to Davis Scholars, a board member of the Students' Aid Society, and Dean of the Class of 1981. At this year's Commencement, Levitt was awarded the Pinanski Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Andrew Shennan joined the Wellesley faculty in 1988 after teaching at Mount Holyoke College and Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University, where he earned his Ph.D. His scholarly work is on twentieth century French history. He has published books on national reconstruction during and after World War II and on the politics of Charles de Gaulle. He was awarded the Pinanski Prize for Teaching in 1991. More recently, Shennan has served as the co-chair of the Reaccreditation Steering Committee and as the first Director of the Wellesley College Summer School.
During Commencement, President Diana Chapman Walsh recognized Dean Kolodny and Associate Dean Jens Kruse for their outstanding leadership in the Dean's Office since 1992. Kruse will be returning to full-time teaching and scholarship in the fall; Kolodny will be on sabbatical.
Kolodny arrived at Wellesley in 1960 as a first-year student, graduated with full honors in 1964, joined the faculty in 1969, and became Dean of the College in 1992. An expert on nuclear magnetic resonance and a former recipient of the Pinanski Prize for Teaching, Kolodny is the Nellie Zuckerman Cohen and Anne Cohen Heller Professor of Health Sciences and Professor of Chemistry.
Walsh praised Kolodny's leadership and noted among her many achievements the recently completed curriculum review and the successful launch of Wellesley's summer school. "Her leadership of the faculty appointment, tenure and promotion processes and the peer review of Wellesley's academic programs will be felt for a very long time," Walsh said.
Jens Kruse joined the Wellesley faculty in 1983 and, in 1997, became Professor of German. He is the author of a book on Goethe's Faust II and is currently at work on a book on Kafka's In the Penal Colony. Walsh said Kruse will be remembered for his leadership of the College's global education initiative; his stewardship of the faculty appointment and tenure processes; his persistence and creativity in the design of a new weekly academic schedule; and his steady, even-handed management of the academic division of the College. "Those of us who have come to rely on his administrative talents will miss his wise and impeccable judgment, his creative mind and his delightful sense of humor," Walsh said.
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A beautiful voice, an elegant yet commanding presence, and a cool office. These are the things that come to mind when one meets Geneva M. Walker-Johnson. But there's more than presence and atmosphere here. Now that she has been Dean of Students for almost a year, the Illuminator has taken the opportunity to meet with Dean Walker-Johnson to reflect back on her own first-year experience at Wellesley.
Geneva M. Walker-Johnson: My goal was to understand the Student Life Division -- how we work, the things we do. To look at those things that are challenges for us -- why they are challenges and what we can do about them. Since the bulk of my experience in higher education has been in residential life, I started there. When I was hired, it was a priority for the institution as well as the students. My primary goal in residence was to look at our policies -- to find out what they are and where they are, to get them written down and, more importantly, to make them more consistent across the system. For some reason that got translated by some students into trying to create a cookie cutter model across the campus. But I was trying to set certain standards -- that if a student moves from one residence to another, the policies would be administered in the same way. That got interpreted as removing the uniqueness of Wellesley -- which was the opposite of my intent. We examined the alcohol policy -- What is it? Does it work? Do we adhere to it? There seemed to be the sense that because a student hasn't died here, alcohol is not an issue. And my approach was -- let's not wait for a tradegy. Let's do something now. That translated into, 'You are taking away our fun. You're violating our rights; we have the right to drink.' And I said, 'That's right, you do, but if you are breaking the law and get caught, you also have to be responsible.' For me, the thing that has been most challenging is finding out where our policies are written down. We seem to have a very strong oral tradition for policies and procedures. I have to say through all of it, I've really enjoyed this year. I've learned a lot -- and I have a lot more to learn. There's a lot we need to do, but there's so much we do so well. |
GMW: One thing is the amount of leadership among our young women. Students are very willing to be involved at all levels. I have worked at institutions where you had to practically blast students out of the walls to get them to be on committees. But our students are eager to participate, which I think is wonderful.
I believe truly in a broad and general sense that 99 percent of what we do, we do well. It's just what I call the "back of the house work," the management, the systems, getting that sort of stuff set up that we need to work on.
I think the faculty are committed and outstanding scholars in their disciplines and that they really care about the students. They want them to have a good experience. They want them to learn a great deal, but also want them grow. I think that's where the whole partnership piece comes in -- not just development of the intellect, but the development of the total student.
I: What are some things unique to Wellesley that you've encountered?
GMW: The first thing that stunned me and that I still find amazing is that our students are so hardworking. This is the first institution I have worked at where I really have to convince students that it's OK to have fun and relax. It's hard to get them to enjoy themselves. College is a special time and it's OK to enjoy it beyond the classroom. It's one of my biggest challenges.
Students are very involved in events and activities, and it almost becomes a job for them. When it was time for the senate elections, the current officers were explaining what it was like to people who were interested. I was listening to the officers telling the students 'This is a really great job, but you're going to need 40 hours a week, and evenings.' And I thought, that sounds like my day. That's not what a student day is supposed to be like. They have all their academic work stacked on top of this. But that's what they do. Some cabinet meetings are at 10:30 at night.
Hopefully this involvement sets the tone for their lives once they leave the College; that they realize the importance of being involved in organizations and doing community service and taking on leadership roles. It's invaluable.
I: Why did you decide to become a Dean of Students? It's such a big responsibility.
GMW: I've been in higher education my entire professional life. I love it. I was a dean previous to coming here, and I really enjoyed it. I'm a generalist and a 'big picture' kind of person. The challenge in this position is that people don't come to me with good news. But with each student I have a new opportunity to solve a problem.
I: What are some of the issues you deal with on a day-to-day basis?
GMW: It's broad-ranging. I'll have students who will come in saying, "I don't like parking in the DC lot," to students trying to raise money to study abroad, to students who are feeling lonely. I've also talked with students about their parents. As a student become more autonomous, there's a little bit of pull and tug at home. Sometimes she needs to tell a parent about something and is concerned her parents won't like what she has to say.
I never know what's going to come through the door -- even if a student has made an appointment. She plans to talk to you about X and sometimes you get the whole alphabet. That's part of the joy of the job.
I: What's your strategy for dealing with problems with students?
GMW: I try and hear them as clearly as I can. I try to give people a chance to vent and get the emotion out of the way and then go back and sort out what the issue is. Sometimes they just want me to listen. Sometimes the things they want I can't help them with, but if I can help, I will.
I: What are some ideas that you want to introduce to the College?
GMW: I would like to try and improve communication. For as talkative a group of people as we are, I don't think we always communicate effectively. I want to try and improve my communication with students. I want to start a series this fall called 'Dinner with the Dean.' I plan to invite a vertical slice of all class years so I can get the chance to see how students are handling their experiences.
Something I did last spring that I would like to do again is stay in a residence hall guest room for a night. I think students were shocked to see me there even though they knew I was coming. One of the things that I think is difficult with any senior administrative position is folks see the title before they see the person. I'd like to find ways to make students feel comfortable around me. I try to eat in the Residence Halls whenever I can. I will try to continue that so students will get used to seeing me around -- not just in my office.
I: What's your philosophy on what the student experience should be?
GMW: I think the student experience should be real. By that I mean there are things that we tend to ignore here that aren't real world. For example, going back to alcohol -- if you're under 21 years old and you get busted in a club or somewhere, it's an issue. We need to be real here. It doesn't mean we want to dampen people's spirits and keep them from having fun, but we need to prepare them for the real world.
I think the student experience should be fun. These are such special years. I really hope that when our students graduate they say not only that they received an outstanding education, but that they also had fun.
I also think the student experience should be challenging. We talk a lot about diversity. We talk a lot about global education. I hope students have the chance to be exposed and really engaged and broaden their horizons and challenge their thinking.
And it should be nurturing because these are such critical years. There's a large body of literature about the fact that people go through the greatest amount of change between the years of 18 and 22. Wellesley has to be very current in our craft and in our discipline to really be able to help students as they go through these changes by having programs that support the developmental process.
We talk a lot about the 'invisible curriculum' we presumably teach, and we need to make certain we are teaching the right lessons. I encourage the Student Life professionals to look at themselves. Are we indeed teaching students the lessons we want them to learn? It's exciting, but it's also scary. We are literally shaping the future. In this institution we talk about educating women to be leaders. We have to examine everything we do and hopefully do our best.
I: When you went to college how did you feel about your dean of students?
GMW: I didn't even know her. I knew her name, and I would see her in the dining hall. The dean then, and even at the institution I was at previous to here, was a real disciplinarian. You steered clear of the dean. You did not want to get called into her office. As far I know she was nice. She would speak to me, but I was never in her office.
I: How do think students will remember you?
GMW: I think at least from my previous experience, and I hope I will get to that place here, that I am fair and very straightforward. I do my very best to help students, but I also hold them accountable.
One thing I have always tried to do is to respond to the issue and not the student. I really try to separate the person from the behavior. I may be disappointed in their actions or will have to confront them about a behavior, but I think they're all great. And I hope all the students will come to understand that. I don't dislike any of them; in fact I enjoy them.
I enjoy a good debate and a discussion around issues, because that is how we both learn. In some instances this has made students uncomfortable because I do believe in where the buck stops. There is a big difference between input and a decision. I want to get as much input as I possibly can, but at some point I need to make a decision.
Hopefully students will remember me as being fair, hopefully fun to some extent, straightforward, and someone who really cares about them.
I: Is there anything you would like parents to know about your approach to Student Life?
GMW: I believe it is an essential part of the mission of the educational institution. I think one of the things we try to do is educate the whole student. And for me that implies a partnership with our faculty. I think the professionals here are very committed to our students, which can make for a very positive experience.
I: Is there anything about Wellesley that surprised you?
GMW: Other than the academic intensity, this is the first single-sex institution I've worked at, so just the absence of men. There is a whole different dynamic that's just not here. It has its merits. It allows students to focus on their development. I think a challenge for us in programming is to provide opportunities for students to either have men on campus or to have events that would attract men to campus. Since men are not part of our lives here, students become focused on that. If they were here, they wouldn't be an issue.
The students want Wellesley to be the kind of school that other students will come to. I'm hoping with our new students activities coordinator who will be here in August, that we'll be able to do some collaborative things with other schools that will start that flow of energy and bring other students to our things. But a big piece for us is we don't have the space. We only have Alumnae Hall for a big concert, and the students want to have concerts, which is wonderful -- but where can we put them? Referring back to your question about 2020, I would like to see a wonderful campus center that is used and full of life -- students and vendors and meetings.
I: It's the year 2020 -- what do think Wellesley will be like?
GMW: I think we'll still be a single sex institution. We'll be far more diverse than we are now. Our CE/Davis Scholar program will be much larger. Our student demographics will have changed to the extent that we will have other kinds of housing offerings -- i.e. I have already been getting requests from students who have children and want to know, "Can I still go to school here? What do I do with my baby?" Well, right now we don't provide for that. But I don't think that it's that uncommon. I think Wellesley is unique in that we haven't had that influx yet. But I think down the road we will. Perhaps even students who are taking care of older parents and would like to be able to go school. I think the way Wellesley is configured will be different because of these changing demographics. I think it will still be one of the top institutions in the country. I don't see that changing. I don't think we'll be any larger -- maybe a little smaller.
I: What's your job like during the summer?
GMW: I thought I'd be able to get caught up, but I seem to have as many meetings now as when the students are here. I am trying to project and plan for the future. I've been here a year now, so it's time for Student Life as a division to say okay, we've hopefully gotten through the shock of this new person and now can truly focus on what we want to do as a division. That's my goal for the next year&emdash;refining ourselves. What does it mean when we say we are "Student Life?"
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In a unanimous vote at its April meeting, the Wellesley College Board of Trustees elected Chicago native Victoria Herget to be Chair of the Board. She will succeed Gail Heitler Klapper, who has led the Board since 1993. "Vicki brings a high level of energy, creativity, and commitment to Wellesley's leadership team as we prepare to enter the next century," said President Diana Chapman Walsh. Edward P. Lawrence and Estelle (Nicki) Tanner, Vice-Chairs of the Board, will continue to serve in those capacities.
Herget is a managing director of Scudder Kemper Investments, Inc. in Chicago, having joined the firm in 1973 upon graduation from Wellesley. She earned her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Investment Counselor. Herget was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1992 and has chaired the Investment Committee for five years. She and her husband, Robert Parsons, have two children.
The Board also elected two new members, Sidney R. Knafel of New York City and Ellen Gill Miller of McLean, Va. In appreciation for their distinguished service, Allison Stacey Cowles and Margaret Jewett Greer were named trustees emeritae.
Tony Kerbs, father of Megan Kerbs '02, was recently named Chair of the Wellesley College Parents Council, succeeding Tom and Camille DeLong of Wellesley, parents of Sara DeLong '99, who together served in that position for three years. A resident of New Jersey, Kerbs has been an active member of the Council for two years and said he plans to continue to grow the organization by connecting and engaging more parents with the College.
For more information about Wellesley's Parents Council, contact Blair Cruickshank, Director, at (800) 358-3543, ext. 2657; bcruickshank@wellesley.edu.
At the direction of the Board of Trustees, President Diana Chapman Walsh has appointed a planning committee to explore the feasibility of building a campus center at Wellesley. The planning will be a collaborative process led by Will Reed, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Patricia Byrne, Vice President for Planning. The three key areas the committee will consider are programming needs, possible locations, and overall costs. The committee held its first meeting on July 21.
Walsh noted that the need for a new campus center has been discussed for a long time but that an in-depth study is needed before the decision to build can be reached. Deans Lee Cuba and Geneva M. Walker-Johnson also serve on the committee that includes students, faculty, staff and trustees.
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The ceremony was inspiring, moving, and beautiful, all those things Commencement is supposed to be, and yet the future still seemed too imminent and imposing. As I walked off the stage May 28 with my diploma in hand, one question was echoing through my mind: "Now what?" Thanks in part to my experience as a work-study student in Wellesley's Office of Human Resources (HR), I have an answer -- at least for now. This summer, I will begin work at Xerox Corporation in Lewisville, Texas, as a National Human Resources Associate. I began my senior year with no clue as to what I would do after graduation. I had a vague idea of attending graduate school, but as my senior year progressed I realized how desperately I needed and wanted a change of pace from an academic environment. Based on my positive experiences in the Wellesley's HR office, I decided to search for a job in human resources before returning to school for a graduate degree. My work-study job gave me the edge of having both a liberal arts degree and practical experience in the field I was entering. (Oh, and did I mention that the Director of Human Resources for Xerox's Lewisville office is a Wellesley alum? The Wellesley network works.) Work-study jobs provide students with a unique view into the inner workings of Wellesley as an institution, and foster friendships with staff that help to alleviate academic stress. My first work-study job was in the Post Office, delivering campus mail with John Collari. Johnny had a way of making me laugh without saying a word. Because he was deaf, our only methods of communication were through sign language and lots of pointing, but somehow we were able to understand each other perfectly. On the days I was not working with Johnny, I worked behind the counter serving customers and sorting mail. Fran Adams and JoAnne Schortmann [Post Office Manager and Assistant Manager, respectively] serve as a surrogate family to each of their work-study students, so work was a friendly place where I could always go for a good laugh or encouragement. Both of my work-study positions have provided me with practical skills that I will be able to use as I commence my life away from the campus. With the ceremony over, I know that however nervous I may be about my future, I am as well-prepared as possible. My Wellesley education -- in both the classroom and the workplace -- will be with me for a lifetime. When I begin work at Xerox, I'll be able to draw on this wealth of experience. Thank you, Wellesley, for four years full of wonder and learning. |
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Sage Lazar '00 sang the National Anthem at Fenway Park, May 11, but this was not the first time the student from Salt Lake City has been in the major leagues. Lazar delayed college for a year to serve in the AmeriCorps National Service Program. While in San Diego, Corps members were invited to sing before a Padres game. Lazar was stunned that when the time came, she had to face the huge crowd solo &emdash; and loved it.
"Ever since I sang in San Diego, I've wanted to do it again. It was such a thrill, the adrenaline rush of being out there before thousands of people," Lazar said. When she came to Wellesley in 1996, she immediately began the application process to sing at a Red Sox game. Three years later, Lazar had her chance to be at center stage once again.
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The third annual Ruhlman Conference held April 29 was a day-long celebration of intellectual life at Wellesley as more than 250 students presented their work to the public in a variety of expressive formats that included an excerpt from College theater production "Flag Girls." Made possible by the Barbara Peterson Ruhlman Fund for Interdisciplinary Study, the Conference is open to all members of the College community as well as alumnae, family and friends. "It's an opportunity for a public presentation, and celebration, of academic achievement, something that is often considered to be a private, isolated activity," said Dean Lee Cuba, who conceived the event in 1996. "The Conference demonstrates that academic inquiry is part of an ongoing conversation with a community of scholars across disciplines," he said.
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Aug. 29 |
New students arrive |
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Sept. 7 |
Classes begin |
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Oct. 11/12 |
Fall Break |
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Oct. 22-24 | |
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Nov. 25/26 |
Thanksgiving Recess |
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Dec. 10 |
Last day of classes |
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Dec. 11-14 |
Reading period |
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Dec. 15-21 |
Final exams |
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Editor-in-Chief: Mary Ann Hill, mhill@wellesley.edu
Managing Editor: Betsy Lawson, elawson@wellesley.edu
Editorial Staff: Eileen Devine
Editorial Intern: Sasha Pfau '99
The Illuminator is the published monthly during the academic year by Wellesley College's Office for Public Information, a division of Resources and Public Affairs, 230 Green Hall, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Issues are published the first week of every month during the academic year, except for combined issues in September/October and January/February. Special Family Editions are also published.
Please submit editorial content to the above listed mailing address or e-mail: elawson@wellesley.edu
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Betsy Lawson elawson@wellesley.edu
Sasha Pfau apfau@wellesley.edu
Office for Public Information
Date created: August 2, 1999
Last updated: August 3, 1999
Page expires: August, 2000
