Category: Events

Convocation 2018 Opens New Academic Year

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Kalamazoo College will begin the 2018-19 academic year at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, with Convocation 2018 for new students.

The ceremony will take place on the campus Quad and will be available through a live stream. There will be a reception after the ceremony behind Stetson Chapel. The ceremony’s rain site will be the Anderson Athletic Center.

Convocation 2018
Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez will be among the speakers Wednesday, Sept. 5, at Convocation 2018.

K will welcome 410 first-year students, including 22 degree-seeking international students, plus 16 transfer students and 20 visiting international students at Convocation 2018. New students will attend K from 24 states including Colorado, California, Texas and Maryland, and 13 countries including Spain, South Korea, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. Students of color from the U.S. make up more than 32 percent of the incoming class. Twenty percent of the incoming class will be the first in their families to attend college.

President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Interim Provost Laura Furge, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Westfall, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00, faculty, staff and student leaders will welcome new students and their families. Convocation 2018 will conclude with new students signing the Matriculation Book.

Michael McFall ’93, the co-president and chief executive officer of BIGGBY Coffee, will deliver the keynote address. BIGGBY is a regional retail coffee franchise with more than 270 stores open or under contract across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and New Jersey, according to the company’s website.

McFall has a bachelor’s degree in economics, four athletic varsity letters in golf and the value derived from a study abroad experience in Sierra Leone to show for his years at K. Since then, he has pioneered BIGGBY’s successful independent-owner business model and he is developing some exciting lines of new business within the company.

McFall lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and three children. He visits K for events such as the College’s Career Summit, which offers students two days of networking with executives and venture capitalists in preparation for Life after K. Hear from McFall regarding the Career Summit beginning at 1:39 in the video below.

Class of 2018 Celebrates Commencement June 17

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Kalamazoo College’s 2018 Commencement will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 17, on the campus Quad. A total of 318 members of the class of 2018 are expected to participate in the ceremony with biology, business, psychology and chemistry representing the most popular majors.

Class of 2018 Commencement 2
Kalamazoo College will conduct its Commencement ceremony June 17. A total of 318 members of the class of 2018 are expected to participate.

Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez will welcome graduates along with about 2,000 family members and friends, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and community members.

This year’s class includes:

  • 197 Michiganders;
  • students from 26 states including Illinois, California, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts;
  • students from 14 countries including China, Vietnam and India; and
  • 93 double majors and three triple majors.

Rain Location

If inclement weather forces the ceremony indoors, it will take place at Anderson Athletic Center, where tickets will be required for entry. Each senior will receive five tickets that will be distributed at the mandatory senior rehearsal at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 14. No extra tickets will be issued. If events are forced indoors, graduating students will receive an email around 9 a.m. Sunday with that information. Such an announcement would also be made at K’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Commencement Parking

All faculty, staff and student parking lots will be available to families and guests. Click the link with the title of each lot below to see its location on our interactive map.

Vehicles must be parked in marked stalls. Permits are only required for handicapped spaces. If you choose to park in a surrounding neighborhood, please note all posted regulations, which are maintained by the City of Kalamazoo.

Handicapped Guests and Parking

Limited handicapped parking spaces are clearly marked and available throughout campus, both on streets near campus buildings and in campus lots. Handicapped spaces are reserved for vehicles with a state permit.

Due to limited handicapped parking, a designated drop-off area will be available on Campus Drive in front of Hoben Hall, accessible from Academy Street. Families may drop off guests for barrier-free access to the Quad before finding parking elsewhere on campus.

A designated seating area will be available for guests in wheelchairs on the northeast side of the Hicks Center. Families with guests in wheelchairs who would like to reserve seating in this area should contact Kerri Barker at 269.337.7289 or kerri.barker@kzoo.edu. Guests in wheelchairs who wish to sit with their entire party elsewhere on the Quad may do so.

Barrier-free restrooms are available at Olds Upton Hall at the south side of the building, near the main entrance at the Hicks Center, and in Stetson Chapel at the south side of the building.

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker for the class of 2018 Deborah Bial
Deborah Bial, the Posse Foundation’s president and founder, will address the class of 2018.

K will celebrate its relationship with the acclaimed Posse Foundation when it welcomes the organization’s president and founder, Deborah Bial, as its commencement keynote speaker.

Posse gives talented, high-achieving students from urban public schools the opportunity to attend top colleges and universities on tuition scholarships while ensuring they have a support group to help them navigate the cultural challenges of a new landscape.

Kalamazoo College has partnered with the Posse Foundation since 2008. K’s sixth cohort of Los Angeles Posse students will graduate this year. Its 10th cohort will arrive on campus as first-year students this fall.

Bial earned her B.A. at Brandeis University and her M.A. and Ed.D. at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She received a MacArthur Fellowship award in 2007.

Class of 2018 Student Speaker

Elyse Tuennerman, a sociology and anthropology major with a public policy and urban affairs concentration, is the student speaker.

Elyse Tuennerman Class of 2018
Elyse Tuennerman will serve as the class of 2018 student speaker.

Tuennerman, of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is a Senior Leadership Recognition Award recipient, the co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Index, the office coordinator for the Student Funding Board and an Admission tour guide. She served as a President’s Student Ambassador for her sophomore through senior years, giving the student keynote address at the 2017 President’s Community Breakfast last fall.

Tuennerman became a class agent during her senior year and will continue to serve in that leadership role as an alumna, keeping her classmates connected with the College.

Baccalaureate

Baccalaureate, a non-denominational service with student and faculty speakers and musical performances, will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Stetson Chapel. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A sound system will be set up outside of the chapel for overflow. Some guests choose to bring a blanket and relax on the lawn of the chapel.

Choral Concert Centers Around Love Affairs, Obsessions

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The College Singers, a 24-voice choral ensemble that specializes in social justice-themed programming, will perform its concert titled “EXCESS: Shadows of Pleasure and Power” in two free, public performances in Kalamazoo. The first will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, at First Congregational Church and the second at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 3, in the Dalton Theater of the Light Fine Arts Building at Kalamazoo College.

College Singers in concert
The College Singers will perform its concert titled “EXCESS: Shadows of Pleasure and Power” in two free, public performances May 30 and June 3 at First Congregational Church and the Dalton Theater at Kalamazoo College respectively.

In the wake of an epidemic-level crisis around opioid abuse in the United States, the program explores genres from Broadway to folk, and from Renaissance songs to vocal jazz, each touching on those experiences that can enhance life in moderate quantities, but which quickly become destructive when taken to extremes. Chris Ludwa, director of the College Singers, described it as entertaining and educational, suggesting that audience members will experience a range of emotions as the concepts of indulgence, self-control and balance are explored as part of the human condition.

The program will touch on the love affair people tend to have with caffeine, alcohol, sex, power and relationships. There will be music from the musicals “Wicked” and “Chicago,” madrigals of Monteverdi, soul music by Sam Cooke, and more.

Both concerts are supported by a free-will offering to work toward the goal of local and Midwest touring to share these social justice concerts with an ever-increasing audience.

The College Singers includes music majors and non-music majors, offering a different approach to choral singing. Ludwa calls it “singing with a higher purpose,” a hallmark for which he is well known in the Midwest.

For more information on the concerts, contact Ludwa at cludwa@kzoo.edu or 231-225-8877.

Posse Founder to Speak at 2018 Commencement

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Kalamazoo College will celebrate its relationship with the acclaimed Posse Foundation when it welcomes the organization’s president and founder, Deborah Bial, as its 2018 Commencement speaker June 17.

2018 Commencement Speaker Deborah Bial
Posse Foundation President and Founder Deborah Bial will be the 2018 Commencement speaker at Kalamazoo College.

Since 2009, Posse has sent 10 students — a “Posse” — a year to K from Los Angeles. Each Posse add its varied experiences in the nation’s second-largest metro area to the College’s mix while its members provide one another with the support of peers from back home.

That’s the idea behind Posse: to give talented, high-achieving students from urban public schools the opportunity to attend top colleges and universities on full scholarship while ensuring they have a support group to help them navigate the cultural challenges of a new landscape. The College will admit its 10th Posse cohort in fall 2018.

Bial has said she launched the foundation in 1989 after hearing a former scholarship student from the Bronx who had left an Ivy League college say he might never have dropped out “if I’d had my posse with me.”

Since then, Posse has sent more than 8,400 students to its 56 partner schools. Kalamazoo College was Posse’s first partner in Michigan, beginning with a five-year commitment made possible by a donation from Jon Stryker ’82, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees and founder and president of the Arcus Foundation.

Posse candidates undergo rigorous screening, then participate in an eight-month training program that develops their skills as individuals and as members of a team. Evidence of the success of Posse is the 90 percent-plus persistence and graduation rate for scholarship recipients.

Bial earned her B.A. at Brandeis University and her M.A. and Ed.D. at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. In 2007, she received a MacArthur Fellowship, an award that recognizes exceptional creativity and potential, accompanied by a $500,000 grant.

In an interview with WNET-TV, Bial said Posse’s overarching goal is to ensure that the United States benefits from the talents and knowledge of all of its people.

“The future of our democracy and global competitiveness will depend on our ability to develop leaders who reflect the country’s rich demographic mix,” she said. “Improving access to top universities for underrepresented students is critical to achieving this.​”

President Jorge G. Gonzalez said he is eager to hear Bial’s message to the class of 2018.

“The visionary efforts of Deborah Bial have brought to Kalamazoo College, and colleges and universities across the nation, a rich yet underrepresented vein of talent,” he said. “She has inspired us all by demonstrating the incredible potential in America’s urban public school districts, and we are deeply honored to have her as our commencement speaker.”

The 2018 Commencement at Kalamazoo College is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 17 on the college quad. The 318 members of the class of 2018 represent 29 states and 12 countries.

Festival Playhouse Stages ‘Intimate Apparel’

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Intimate Apparel
Actors rehearse for “Intimate Apparel,” which runs through Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. The play is set in a New York boardinghouse in the early 1900s.
Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel,” which runs through Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., won the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards.

The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse will present its final production of the academic year, “Intimate Apparel,” May 17-20 at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St.

The play – which addresses race, love and dreams – is set in a New York City boardinghouse in the early 1900s. It concerns Esther, a young African-American woman who pursues her ambition of becoming a seamstress. Esther falls in love with Mr. Marks, a white Jewish fabric seller, although she agrees to marry George, a Caribbean man with whom she corresponds under false pretenses. The play will be directed by Karen Berthel.

“Intimate Apparel” is written by Lynn Nottage, an associate professor of theatre at Columbia University, whose plays often discuss the lives of women of African descent. She is acclaimed as one of the most poetic and honored of contemporary American playwrights, and “Intimate Apparel” – the winner of the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards – is widely considered to be her most moving and thoughtful play.

Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel” – the winner of the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards – is widely considered to be Lynn Nottage’s most moving and thoughtful play.
Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel” focuses on Esther, who falls in love with Mr. Marks, a Jewish fabric seller, although she agrees to marry George, a Caribbean man with whom she corresponds under false pretenses.

Tickets, all of which are general admission, are free with a Kalamazoo College ID. Other student tickets are $5, senior tickets are $10 and adult tickets are $15. The May 17-19 shows will be at 7:30 p.m. The May 20 show will be at 2 p.m. A talkback with cast members will take place after the May 17 performance.

Call 269-337-7333 or visit festivalplayhouse.ludus.com to reserve tickets today. Tickets also will be available at the door one hour before each show.

Journalist to Deliver Hilberry Symposium Keynote

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The Kalamazoo College English Department will conduct its annual Hilberry Symposium, which honors English majors and their Senior Individualized Projects, this Friday and Saturday.

Hilberry Symposium Keynote Speaker Lauren Trager
Lauren Trager ’07, an investigative journalist for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, will kick off the annual Hilberry Symposium with a keynote at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Olmsted Room.

Lauren Trager ’07, an investigative journalist for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, will kick off the event with a keynote at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Olmsted Room. Trager has spent most of her career as a reporter and anchor through the newspaper, radio and television industries, and has also worked in government. She worked as an anchor and reporter at KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, before arriving in St. Louis in 2013.

SIP presentation panels will run concurrently from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday after an opening session at 1 p.m. at 103 Dewing Hall. A reception at the Arcus Center will follow.

The Hilberry Symposium was named for late Professor Emeritus Conrad Hilberry, who was the founder of the creative writing program at K. The event resembles a professional conference, where scholars and writers share their work and acknowledge each other’s achievements. Alumni, nominated through English Department faculty, have served as keynote speakers for the event since 2001.

Since the first Hilberry Symposium in 2000, the event has been an important collective experience for the graduating class as a ritual of remembrance and celebration. With English Department faculty members, family and friends also attending, English majors have developed a community through the symposium that has evolved over time, with the love of language as its enduring center.

Visit its website for more information on the English Department and the Hilberry Symposium.

Student Music Experiences on Display in Free Concerts

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Two free concerts this week in the Dalton Theater at the Light Fine Arts Building will demonstrate the breadth of student music experiences at Kalamazoo College. Both concerts feature groups directed by Music Professor Thomas Evans.

Student Music Experiences Spring Concerts
The Kalamazoo College Jazz Band will be one of two groups performing in free concerts this week that will demonstrate the breadth of student music experiences on campus.

The Academy Street Winds, formerly known as the Kalamazoo College Symphonic Band, will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday. The group is a beloved creative outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion students. Community musicians joined the ensemble in winter 2016 to expand the group’s sound and capabilities.

The group performs one concert each term, playing exciting arrays of challenging band music. The band is a great favorite for its members and its audiences as the programs are coordinated around diverse themes, which allow for performances of much-loved pieces, both classic and new. The theme for this concert is “Channel Surfing.”

Then, enjoy K’s Jazz Band from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday. The group is known for its eclectic collections of contemporary and classic jazz arrangements that provide the students participating and the audience members an electric experience. The concert is titled “Everything in its Right Place.”

For more information, contact Susan Lawrence in the Music Department at 269-337-7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.

Events Offer Students Opportunities in the Sciences

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Two Kalamazoo College events coming soon will give students new experiences and learning opportunities in the sciences.

First, Brendan Bohannan – a professor of environmental studies and biology at the University of Oregon – will present a keynote address titled “Host-Microbe Systems: a Rediscovered Frontier in the Life Sciences” in the annual Diebold Symposium from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday at 226 Dow Science Center.

Sciences JA Scott Kelso
J.A. Scott Kelso will provide the Tourtellotte Lecture at 5:30 p.m. May 7 in 103 Dewing Hall.

The Diebold Symposium offers senior biology majors a chance to present their Senior Individualized Projects (SIP), regardless of their SIP discipline. The event is dedicated to the memory of Frances “Dieb” Diebold, who was a member of the Kalamazoo College Biology Department for 44 years.

Bohannon focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of microbial biodiversity.  He began his research career studying microbes in non-host environments such as soil, water, air and built environments. However, over the past 12 years, his group has focused more on the microbiomes of humans and other animals including fish, birds and primates.

Then, the Kalamazoo College Physics Department will welcome J.A. Scott Kelso, of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University and the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, for the Tourtellotte Lecture at 5:30 p.m. May 7 in 103 Dewing Hall.

The lecture will explain some fundamental governing laws behind the behavior of complex physical, biological and social systems.

For most of his scientific career, Kelso has studied human beings and human brains, individually and together, and how they coordinate their behavior from cells to cognition to social settings.

Since the late 1970s, his approach has been grounded in the concepts, methods and tools of self-organizing dynamical systems tailored to living things, a theoretical and empirical framework called Coordination Dynamics.

From 1978 to 1985 Kelso was the senior research scientist at Yale University’s Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut. Since then, he has held the Glenwood and Martha Creech Eminent Scholar Chair in Science at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Florida, where he founded The Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences.

Kelso has held visiting appointments in Moscow, Stuttgart, Lyons and Marseille, and is an emeritus professor of computational neuroscience at Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

Historian Specializing in France, Algeria to Deliver Moritz Lecture

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A historian whose work focuses on how France’s colonialism has affected its more recent history will deliver the 2018 Edward Moritz Lecture in History on Thursday, April 26, at Kalamazoo College.

Moritz Lecture
Todd Shepard, the Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor at Johns Hopkins University, will deliver the 2018 Edward Moritz Lecture on Thursday in 103 Dewing Hall at Kalamazoo College.

Todd Shepard, the Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor at Johns Hopkins University, will speak on “Decolonization and the Sexual Revolution.” His 2017 monograph, “Sex, France and Arab Men 1962-1979,” addressed how in France, questions surrounding discussion about subjects including gay rights, sexual libertinism, sodomy and rape differed from those elsewhere during that period because of the central roles that invocations of Arab men and the former French African colony of Algeria played in them. Mass immigration of Algerians to France began after the colony gained its independence in 1962, and a 2011 census counted almost a half-million French residents of Algerian birth.

Shepard’s writings also include two books, “The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France,” published in 2006, and “Voices of Decolonization: A Brief History with Documents,” published in 2014. He is currently completing “Affirmative Action and the End of Empires: ‘Integration’ in France (1956-1962) and the Race Question in the Cold War World.”  He has also published papers in numerous historical journals.

His honors include the Council of European Studies 2008 Book Prize and the American Historical Association’s J. Russell Major Prize for best work in English on any aspect of French history. He was also named one of the top young historians in North American by the History News Network in 2017.

The annual Edward Moritz Lecture, to be delivered at 7 p.m. in 103 Dewing Hall, pays tribute to the late professor Edward Moritz, who taught British and European history at Kalamazoo College from 1955 to 1988 and served for many years as the history department chair.