Category: Events

Convocation 2015

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Kalamazoo College faculty participate in ConvocationKalamazoo College kicks off the 2015-16 academic year on Wednesday Sept. 9 at 3:00 p.m. with its annual opening convocation ceremony for new students.

The ceremony will take place on the campus Quad and be available via live streaming. In case of rain, the ceremony will move into Stetson Chapel.

President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, Provost Michael McDonald, Dean of Students Sarah Westfall, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00, faculty, staff, and student leaders will welcome new students and their families. Nike Foundation Partnerships and Communications Manager Tieneke vanLonkhuyzen ’06, from Portland, Oregon, will deliver the keynote address.

K will welcome 367 first-year students (including 30 matriculating international students), 18 transfer students, and 28 visiting international students. New students come from 29 states within the United States of America including Oregon, Florida, Maine and Texas, and from 23 countries including, Japan, Ecuador, Greece, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone. Students of color from the U.S. make up more than 25 percent of the incoming class.

Eleven members of the incoming class of 2019 are the first “Kalamazoo Promise Eligible” students to attend K. Through a partnership announced in June 2014 by The Kalamazoo Promise and the 15-member Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA), eligible Kalamazoo Public School (KPS) graduates enrolling at an MCA member institution will receive free tuition and fees. The Kalamazoo Promise, now in its tenth year, was established by anonymous donors who pledged to provide free college tuition and fees for KPS graduates attending 43 state universities and community colleges in Michigan. With the addition of the 15 MCA liberal arts college members, Michigan 58 institutions are now Kalamazoo Promise eligible.

 

Kalamazoo College hosts the USTA Boys’ 18 & 16 National Championships July 31 – Aug. 9.

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Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College
Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College hosts the USTA Boys’ 18 & 16 National Championships July 31 – Aug. 9. For a full schedule of events and more information, visit www.ustaboys.com.

Be advised that Academy St. will be one-way, downhill (west to east), angled parking only from Bulkley St. to Catherine St., July 31 through August 9.

Additionally, Acker Lane and the lower Light Fine Arts parking lot next to Stowe Stadium will be closed to through traffic and parking during the tournament. A pass will be required to gain entry to these areas.

Please plan your parking and driving accordingly and we hope everyone enjoys another “Nats at the Zoo!”

 

 

Hornets and Bears, Oh My!

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Advertisement for K Night at the Kalamazoo Growlers gameKalamazoo College poet (and professor emeritus of English) Conrad Hilberry once wrote a poem about kids playing sandlot baseball, noting that, after a hit, the run from home to (hopefully) home again was counterclockwise—in other words: against time, a circle-sprint (maybe even ending in a dramatic slide) in the general direction of that magical place called when-we-were-younger.

Well, dust off your old baseball hat, it’s time for some time travel and everything else associated with an evening at the ballpark.

Kalamazoo College, and the Kalamazoo Growlers baseball association, presents “K Night” at Homer Stryker Field (undoubtedly the most aptly named baseball park in the country!) on Friday, July 17, at 7:05 p.m. And to throw in a little mythology to go with all that poetry, “K Night” activities include Star Wars Night and a raffle of Chewbacca-themed jerseys. Whoopee! Or, should we say: WOOKEE!

At the game, the College’s first class of Promise students will be introduced. And, speaking of firsts, the first pitch will be thrown by Kalamazoo College head softball coach Melanie Hamlin, the four-year collegiate standout from the University of Redlands. (After that first pitch, we wouldn’t be surprised if the home team asks her to stay on the field.)

Fireworks follow the game, and tickets ($12) include a new Growlers hat, which means you can throw out the old one you dusted off, or start a collection.

Bring your friends and family to support both Kalamazoo College and the Kalamazoo Growlers.

To get your tickets contact Lynsey VanSweden (269.337.7082) in the Athletic and Physical Education office. Last day to purchase tickets is Friday, July 10. Cash or check is accepted. Go Hornets! Go Growlers!

Arcato Opens Summer with “Seasons”

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Logo for Arcato Chamber EnsembleThe Arcato Chamber Ensemble performs its summer concert, “The Seasons,” on Saturday, June 27, at 8 p.m. in Dalton Theatre (Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo College). Tickets–available online or at the door–are $15 for general admission and $5 for students.

Founded in 2008 by conductor Andrew Koehler (associate professor of music), the Arcato Chamber Ensemble is a dynamic orchestra whose membership is drawn from the musicians of the Kalamazoo, West Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, as well as the faculty of Western Michigan University. Despite employing flexible instrumentation, the group’s first performances were as a string ensemble; hence the name Arcato, which means “bowed” in Italian. Numbering just 21 select players, the group unites the grandeur of symphonic sound with the intimacy and individual ownership of artistry that make chamber music so vital.

In its first summer performance this Saturday the Arcato Chamber Ensemble will perform music that celebrates all of the seasons. Beethoven’s beloved slow movement from his late Quartet in a minor, Opus 132–known as the Heiliger Dankgesang, or Holy Song of Thanks–invokes the feelings of gratitude we celebrate in fall, and is among the most profound, personal, and moving creations of the composer. It is heard in a new arrangement for full string ensemble completed by conductor Andrew Koehler. Concertmaster Renata Artman Knific steps into the role of soloist in the electric violin concerto titled “Winter” by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is the final work from a set of four concerti based on Italian poems about the seasons. Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, from the ballet written for Martha Graham, is an iconic work of Americana, and it features the famous series of variations on the Shaker hymn “’Tis a Gift to be Simple.” Heard here in its original orchestration for a small chamber ensemble of woodwinds and strings, the work’s poignancy and lyricism are even more apparent. Tchaikovsky spent a summer holiday in Italy, and was inspired to recollect the experience through a work for string sextet, which he titled “Souvenir de Florence.” Arranged here for string orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s work is a rollicking ride, full of breathless excitement and virtuosic playing for every member of the ensemble.

Commencement Start Time Delay

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COMMENCEMENT TIME CHANGE!

Due to weather considerations, the start of Kalamazoo College’s 2015 commencement ceremony has been postponed to 2:15 p.m. The location remains THE QUAD.

Seniors should report to Stetson Chapel at 1:30 p.m. for set-up and processional line-up. The ceremony will begin at 2:15 p.m.

Seniors, please let your parents know about the change of time. Please tweet and re-tweet that information about the change of time can be found at www.kzoo.edu.

Senior Awards Ceremony 2015

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Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who received awards during the Senior Awards Ceremony on June 13, 2015, in Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships, and special non-departmental awards. Again, congratulations to all graduates and members of the Class of 2015.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

Art and Art History

THE LILIA CHEN AWARD IN ART, awarded to students in their junior or senior year who distinguish themselves through their work in ceramics, sculpture, or painting, and who exhibit strong progress in their understanding of art.
Katie Hunter
Corinne MacInnes

THE GEORGE EATON ERRINGTON PRIZE, awarded to an outstanding senior are major.
Olivia Bouchard
Allison Hammerly

THE MICHAEL WASKOWSKY PRIZE, awarded to an outstanding junior or senior art major.
Lauren Gaunt

Music

The LILLIAN PRINGLE BALDAUF PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded to an outstanding music student.
Hannah Shaughnessy-Mogill

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT AWARD, given by the Music Department of the College for outstanding contributions to the musical life on campus, for achievement in performance areas, and for academic achievement.
Rebecca Beery
Nicole Caddow
Athena Curtiss
Lauren Drew
Abigail Fraser
Rina Fujiwara
Tibin John
Abby Keizer
Rachel LePage
Thanh Thanh Phan
Elizabeth Uribe

THE MARGARET UPTON PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded each year to a student designated by the Music Department faculty as having made a significant achievement in music.
Bret Linvill
Ernest (Brad) Stech
Morgan Walker

Theatre Arts

THE RUTH SCOTT CHENERY AWARD, given to a graduating senior who has excelled academically in theatre and who plans to continue the study of theatre arts following graduation.
Grace Gilmore
Jane Huffman
Anya Opshinsky
Colleen Schuldeis

THE IRMGARD KOWATZKI THEATRE AWARD, awarded to the senior who has excelled both in academic areas and in theatrical productions during the four years at the College.
Jane Huffman

THE CHARLES TULLY DESIGN AWARD, given annually to a senior who has achieved excellence in some aspect of theatre design.
Katelyn Anderson

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

Chinese

THE CHINESE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, recognizes seniors who have excelled in the study of the Chinese language and China-related subjects on campus and abroad in China.
Gordon Backer
Alexander Werder
Luke Winship

Classical Studies

THE CLARA H. BUCKLEY PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN LATIN, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the Romans.
Kaitlyn Greiner

THE DEPARTMENTAL PRIZE IN GREEK
Richard Woods

THE PROVOST’S PRIZE IN CLASSICS, awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject.
Kaitlyn Greiner

German

THE JOE FUGATE SENIOR GERMAN AWARD, awarded to a senior for excellence in German.
Rebecca Lennington

Japanese

THE JAPANESE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, COLLEGE CHAPTER, is awarded in recognition of the student’s achievement in their study of the Japanese language and for their overall academic excellence.
Lauren Drew
Adam Eisenstein
Vageesha Liyana Gunawardana

Romance Languages

THE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE PRIZE IN FRENCH, awarded for excellence in French by an advanced student.
Haley Cartwright
Kelsey Donk
Lila Rothschild
Rolf Verhagen Metman

THE SENIOR SPANISH AWARD, given by the Department of Romance Languages for outstanding achievement in Spanish.
Allison Hammerly

HUMANITIES DIVISION

American Studies

THE DAVID STRAUSS PRIZE IN AMERICAN STUDIES, awarded for the best paper written by a graduating senior in his or her junior or senior year in any field of American Studies.
Andrea Satchwell

English

THE GRIFFIN PRIZE, awarded to the senior English major who, like Professor Gail Griffin, demonstrates an exceptional ability to bridge his/her analytical and creative work in the English department.
Allison Kennedy

THE ELWOOD H. AND ELIZABETH H. SCHNEIDER PRIZE, awarded for outstanding and creative work in English done by a student who is not an English major.
Alejandra Castillo

THE MARY CLIFFORD STETSON PRIZE, awarded for excellence in English essay writing by a senior.
Jasmine An
Gordon Backer

THE DWIGHT AND LEOLA STOCKER PRIZE, awarded for excellence in English writing: prose or poetry.
Kate Belew (poetry)
Jane Huffman (poetry)
Hamin Kang (fiction)
Katherine Rapin (nonfiction/journalism)

History

THE JAMES BIRD BALCH PRIZE, for the showing academic excellence in American History.
Samantha Foran

THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT AWARD, given for outstanding work in the major.
Abigail Fraser

Philosophy

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in philosophy.
Morgan Jennings
Christian VanHouten

THE HODGE PRIZE IN PHILOSOPHY, awarded to that member of the graduating class who has the highest standing in the field.
Morgan Jennings

Religion

THE MARION H. DUNSMORE MEMORIAL PRIZE IN RELIGION, awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in the major.
Caroline Barnett

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

Biology

THE H. LEWIS BATTS PRIZE, awarded to the senior who has done the most to support the activities of the Biology Department and to further the spirit of collegiality among students and faculty in the Department.
Asia Liza Morales

THE ROBERT BZDYL PRIZE IN MARINE BIOLOGY, awarded to one or more students with demonstrated interest and ability in marine biology or related fields.
Shelby Retherford

THE DIEBOLD SCHOLAR AWARD, given to one or more seniors in recognition of excellence in the oral or poster presentation of the SIP at the Diebold Symposium.
Emily Holloway
Jack Kemper
Dylan Shearer
Austin Voydanoff

THE WILLIAM E. PRAEGER PRIZE, established by the faculty in the Biology Department and awarded to the most outstanding senior major in Biology, based on academic achievement in the discipline.
Lucy Mailing
Austin Voydanoff

Chemistry  

THE ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE AWARD IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry, to an undergraduate student planning on pursuing graduate studies in chemistry.
Mojtaba Akhavantafti

THE ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE AWARD IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, sponsored by the American Chemical Society and subcommittee for the Division of Organic Chemistry, to an undergraduate student who displays significant aptitude for a career in organic chemistry.
Vageesha Liyana Gunawardana

THE OUTSTANDING CHEMISTRY STUDENT FROM KALAMAZOO COLLEGE, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society and is given to the graduating senior who has demonstrated leadership in the chemistry department and plans to pursue graduate studies in chemistry.
Thanh Thanh Phan

THE KURT KAUFMAN FELLOW, given annually to seniors who receive Honors in the Senior Individualized Project (SIP) conducted with faculty in the Chemistry Department.
Rina Fujiwara

Mathematics and Computer Science

THE CLARKE BENEDICT WILLIAMS PRIZE, awarded to that member of the graduating class who has the best record in mathematics and the allied sciences.
Tibin John

Physics

THE JOHN WESLEY HORNBECK PRIZE, awarded to a senior with the highest achievement for the year’s work in advanced physics toward a major.
Mojtaba Akhavantafti

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION

Physical Education

THE GEORGE ACKER AWARD awarded annually to a male athlete who in his participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Clayton Weissenborn

THE TISH LOVELESS AWARD, given by the Department of Physical Education to the outstanding senior female athlete.
Emily Lindsay

THE KALAMAZOO COLLEGE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION AWARD, for a graduating senior who has most successfully combined high scholarship with athletic prowess.
Dylan Shearer

THE MARY LONG BURCH AWARD, for a senior woman who has manifested interest in sports activities and excelled in scholarship.
Rachel Dandar

THE C. W. “OPIE” DAVIS AWARD, awarded to the outstanding senior male athlete.
Guilherme Guedes

THE KNOECHEL FAMILY AWARD, awarded to a senior male and a senior female member of the swim teams in recognition of demonstrated excellence in both intercollegiate swimming and academic performance.
Guilherme Guedes
Dylan Shearer

THE CATHERINE A. SMITH PRIZE IN WOMEN’S ATHLETICS, awarded to a woman athlete who in her participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Olivia Bouchard
Bronte Payne

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

Anthropology and Sociology

THE RAYMOND L. HIGHTOWER AWARD, given to a graduating senior for excellence in and commitment to the disciplines of sociology and anthropology and leadership in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.
Elisa Contreras
Mariah Hennen

Economics and Business

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded to a senior for excellence in academic work in an economics or business major.
Drew Hopper
Bret Linvill
Phillip Mulder
Emerson Talanda-Fisher
Scott Wharam

THE PROVOST PRIZE IN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, awarded to a senior for excellence in academic work in a business major.
William Cagney
Tessa Lathrop

Human Development and Social Relations

THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL RELATIONS PRIZE, awarded for leadership in the major, reflecting commitment to inter-disciplinary thinking and social justice.
Grace Manger

Political Science

THE E. BRUCE BAXTER MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to a senior showing outstanding development in the field of political science.
Skylar Young

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for excellence in a year’s work in political science.
Colin Cepuram

Psychology

THE MARSHALL HALLOCK BRENNER PRIZE awarded to an outstanding student for excellence in the field of psychology.
Alexandra Groffsky

THE XARIFA GREENQUIST MEMORIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT AWARD, given in recognition of distinctive service to students and faculty in psychology by a student assistant.
Grace Bowe
Elizabeth Hanley
Kelsey Hill
Jenna Holmes

THE RICHARD D. KLEIN SENIOR AWARD IN PSYCHOLOGY, awarded to a senior psychology major for an outstanding SIP oral presentation.
Lyla Rothschild

THE RICHARD D. KLEIN SENIOR AWARD IN PSYCHOLOGY, given for outstanding contributions to the community
Hannah Bogard
Elizabeth Cabrera
Viridiana Carvajal

THE DONALD W. VAN LIERE PRIZE, given for excellence in psychology research.
Rachel LePage
Lyla Rothschild
Jessica Varana
Jeffery Washington

THE DONALD W. VAN LIERE PRIZE, given for excellence in psychology coursework.
Alexandra Groffsky
Elizabeth Hanley
Jenna Holmes
Tessa Lathrop
Perri Nicholson

Women’s Studies

THE CATHERINE A. SMITH PRIZE IN HUMAN RIGHTS, awarded to a senior who has been active on campus in promoting human rights, furthering progressive social and cultural change, and combating violence, repression, and bigotry.
Andrea Johnson

THE LUCINDA HINSDALE STONE PRIZE, awarded to a student whose scholarship, research or creative work in women’s studies, in the form of a SIP or other academic work, is most impressive.
Maya Edery

COLLEGE AWARDS

THE GORDON BEAUMONT MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to the deserving student who displays qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern, and willingness to help others, as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont.
Kacey Cook
Bronte Payne

THE HENRY AND INEZ BROWN AWARD is awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community.
David DeSimone
Tibin John

THE VIRGINIA HINKELMAN MEMORIAL AWARD is awarded to a deserving student who displays a deep concern for the well-being of children, as demonstrated through career goals in the field of child welfare.
Mele Makalo

THE ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA MARIA LEONARD SENIOR BOOK AWARD, given to the Alpha Lambda Delta member graduating with the highest GPA.
Jasmine An

THE BABETTE TRADER CAMPUS CITIZENSHIP AND LEADERSHIP AWARD, awarded to that member of the graduating class, who has most successfully combined campus citizenship and leadership with scholarship.
Elisa Contreras
Madeline Sinkovich

THE MAYNARD OWEN WILLIAMS MEMORIAL AWARD, for the best student entry in the form of an essay, poetry, paintings, sketches, photographs, or films derived from Study Abroad.
Kate Belew
Kelsey Donk
Luke Winship

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement recognizes THE HAM SCHOLARS, who work through community partnerships to empower girls and young women to lead and advocate.
Maya Edery

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning recognizes LAPLANTE STUDENT SCHOLARS who have shown outstanding dedication to civic engagement and who design and lead community programs that promote a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
Jasmine An
Alejandra Castillo
Kacey Cook
Nolan Foust
Allison Kennedy
Andrea Satchwell
Mary Tobin

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement recognizes the VIBBERT SCHOLARS, students who honor and exemplify the life and spirit of Stephanie Vibbert–scholar, activist, poet, feminist and artist–by leading programs that promote equity and justice through the arts and feminist organizing.
Cheyenne Harvey

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement recognizes the DEMOORE/VONK SCHOLARS, students who “carry on the work of Howard DeMoore and Tony Vonk … by turning lives around,” working with incarcerated youth and adults and promoting restorative justice.
Hannah Bogard
Mele Makalo

THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION AWARD is awarded to students who have provided key elements of leadership in their organizations, athletic teams, academic departments, employment, and the wider Kalamazoo community.  Students were nominated by faculty and staff members in January.  Seniors eligible for this award also had to meet a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average requirement and be in good academic and social standing at the College.
Mojtaba Akhavantafti
Jasmine An
Benjamin Baker
Caroline Barnett
Hannah Bogard
Olivia Bouchard
Elizabeth Cabrera
Haley Cartwright
David DeSimone
Scott Devine
Carl Ghafari
Alexandra Gothard
Cheyenne Harvey
Jane Huffman
Adriana Jarquin
Allison Kennedy
Emily Lindsay
Vageesha Liyana Gunawardana
Mele Makalo
Hannah Maness
Scott Manski
Natalie Melnick
Roxanna Menchaca
Asia Morales
Philip Mulder
Stephen Oliphant
Hannah Olsen
Bronte Payne
Adam Peters
Samuel Rood
Jenna Sexton
Colin Smith
Shang Sun
Mary Tobin
Luke Winship

Kalamazoo College Commencement 2015 Will Be Held June 14 at 2:15 on the Quad

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Graduation caps are thrown in the air

NOTE: DUE TO RAIN, COMMENCEMENT IS CHANGED TO 2:15 OUTDOORS ON THE QUAD!

Kalamazoo College 2015 commencement will be held Sunday June 14, 2:15 p.m., on the campus Quad (1200 Academy St.). Approximately 330 K seniors will receive B.A. degrees.

Kalamazoo College commencement is free and open to the public. Parking will be in high demand, so allow extra time. The College sets up about 3,000 folding chairs on the Quad and guests are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket to stretch out on the grass. In case of rain, Anderson Athletic Center (1015 Academy St.) is the alternate site. The gym can only accommodate the graduates and a few of their family members, as well as K administrators, trustees, and faculty members. K uses a special ticketing process for those seats.

Speakers include Kalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, Board Vice-Chair S. Si Johnson ’78, Alumni Association Executive Board Chair Alexandra Foley Altman ’97, and senior class speaker Asia Liza Morales ’15.

The Kalamazoo College class of 2015 is one of the most diverse in the College’s history. About 33 percent of students came from states other than Michigan. Nearly 20 percent self-identify as American Indian, Asian, Black or African-American, Hispanic, or two or more races. Fourteen students identify as non-U.S. resident aliens and 32 countries overall are represented by class members.

David Finkel, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author of “The Good Soldiers” and “Thank You for Your Service,” will deliver the commencement address and receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the College. Finkel was the summer common reading author for the class of 2015 prior to their arrival as first-year students at the College in fall 2011. He visited the K campus during students’ orientation, giving a lecture and reading from “The Good Soldiers,” his bestselling account of a U.S. Army infantry unit during the Iraq War “surge.” Finkel won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for his case study of the United States government’s attempt to bring democracy to Yemen. Per K tradition, the summer common reading author returns to deliver the commencement address to the same class of students he met in 2011.

Attorney, author, and LGBTQ activist Urvashi Vaid, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the College on Sunday. Vaid is the president the Vaid Group, LLC, a consulting firm that works on ending inequality of all kinds. She is the former director of the Engaging Tradition Project at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School. Her most recent book is “Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics.” She was executive director of the Arcus Foundation from 2005 to 2010 and was instrumental in creating the vision for what is now Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership.

Kalamazoo College (www.kzoo.edu), founded in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1833, is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the K-Plan that emphasizes rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, leadership development, and international and intercultural engagement.

Kalamazoo College does more in four years, so students can do more in a lifetime.

What’s the Value of a College Education?

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Kalamazoo College is a member of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). CIC President Richard Ekman participated in a panel discussion in San Francisco on April 29 on the topic, “What’s the Value of a College Education?” Other panelists included Mary Marcy, president of Dominican University of California; Alecia DeCoudreaux, president of Mills College; Claude Steele, executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California Berkeley; and Mohammad Qayoumi, president of California State University San Jose. Monica R. Martinez, deeper learning senior fellow for the Hewlett Foundation and commissioner of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, served as moderator.

The show will air on Friday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m. on KQED88.5 FM Radio in San Francisco and will be subsequently broadcast on hundreds of radio stations nationally. The program was just over an hour.

Program Description: For the United States to remain competitive in the global economy, our citizens need to be innovative, versatile, and well-educated. To provide for these qualifications, does our model of higher education need a wholesale renovation? What would an education that is tailored to the needs of the 21st century – and affordable to all – even look like? Join this distinguished panel of public and private college educators to tackle the difficult challenges ahead: What is the value of a liberal arts college education versus a preprofessional vocational skill-building model? Why does college cost so much? How can we close the gap between attendance and graduation rates? Can we design blended in-person and online courses that are both instructive and cost-efficient? And finally, how can we get our state and federal governments to continue to support higher education and to take the financial burden off of students?

Author and Journalist David Finkel Delivers Kalamazoo College Commencement Address June 14

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Graduation caps tossed in the airDavid Finkel, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author of “The Good Soldiers” and “Thank You for Your Service,” will deliver the commencement address to the Kalamazoo College graduating class of 2015 on Sunday June 14 at 1:00 p.m. on the campus Quad, located at 1200 Academy St. in Kalamazoo.

Finkel will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the College. Asia Liza Morales ’15 will address her fellow graduates in the role of senior speaker. Attorney, author, and LGBTQ activist Urvashi Vaid, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the College.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Finkel
David Finkel

Kalamazoo College commencement is free and open to the public. Parking will be in high demand, so allow extra time. The College sets up about 3,000 folding chairs on the campus Quad and guests are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket to stretch out on the grass. In case of rain, Anderson Athletic Center (1015 Academy St.) is the alternate site. Unfortunately, the gym can only accommodate the graduates, a few of their family members, and K administrators and faculty. K uses a special ticketing process for those seats.

For those unable to attend, K Commencement will be live-streamed via the Web.

David Finkel was the summer common reading author for the class of 2015 prior to their arrival at the College in fall 2011. He visited the K campus during students’ first-year orientation, giving a lecture and reading from “The Good Soldiers,” his bestselling account of a U.S. Army infantry unit during the Iraq War “surge.” The book earned the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and was named best book of 2009 by the New York Times.

Per K tradition, Finkel returns to deliver the commencement address to the same class of students he met in 2011.

Urvashi Vaid
Urvashi Vaid

Urvashi Vaid is director of the Engaging Tradition Project at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School. Her most recent book is “Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics.” She was executive director of the Arcus Foundation from 2005 to 2010 and was instrumental in creating the vision for what is now Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. Ms. Vaid received her bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and her law degree from Northeastern University Law School.

Asia Morales has pursued a major in biology with an interest in environmental studies while at K. She has been a Peer Leader, President’s Ambassador, StuComm representative, and a member of multiple civic engagement programs and student organizations, including S3A (Sexual Safety & Support Alliance), which educates, advocates, and provides support for victims of sexual assault. A Posse Scholar from Los Angeles, Asia studied abroad in Spain.

Student speaker Asia Morales
Asia Morales ’15

Finkel’s most recent book, the critically acclaimed “Thank You for Your Service,” chronicles the challenges faced by American soldiers and their families in war’s aftermath. Among its many awards, the book was named a finalist for the 2013 National Book Critics Award in nonfiction and the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. It was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly, one of the top 10 books of the year by The Washington Post, and best nonfiction book of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews.

An editor and writer for The Washington Post, Finkel has reported from Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and across the United States, and has covered wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He received the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 2012 for “his long-form newswriting that has transformed readers’ understanding of military service and sacrifice.”

Finkel won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for “his ambitious, clear-eyed case study of the United States government’s attempt to bring democracy to Yemen.” He received his B.A. degree from University of Florida in 1977.

NINE PARTS OF DESIRE in the Dungeon Theatre

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Eight students rehearse for "Nine Parts of Desire"
The cast of NINE PARTS OF DESIRE (l-r): standing — Aliera Morasch (Mullaya), Anita Ghans (The Doctor) Anya Opshinsky (Lalal), Isabela Agosa (Umm Ghada); seated — Jasmine Khin (Nanna), Grace Gilmore (Huda), Cheynne Harvey (Amal), and Abby Fraser (Iraqi Girl)

When Nine Parts of Desire premiered in New York City in the early 2000s, Gloria Steinem wrote, “The female half of Iraq has come to America.” It is with this philosophy in mind that Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College presents Heather Raffo’s play about the lives and stories of nine women, all of whom have a relationship to the physical, spiritual, and emotional spaces of modern Iraq. The play opens Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. and runs Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, at 8 p.m. The final performance occurs Sunday, May 3, at 2 p.m. All performances occur in the Dungeon Theatre in the Light Fine Arts Building on Kalamazoo College’s campus.

The play strives to celebrate the lives and identities of these women by complicating the archetypal portrayal of their country and its citizens. Each character seems to walk on a knife’s edge between contrasts—freedom and containment, tenacity and docility, knowledge and naivety, danger and desire—and each character tells a story of how these tensions have dictated her life.

None of Raffo’s characters are oppressed in a simple, two-dimensional way. Each woman approaches the world differently, and their stories and struggles are distinctly their own. What connects the women to each other and to the audience is far deeper than a shared experience of time and place. It is love–the negotiation and exploration of its many manifestations–that makes the piece cohesive and universal. In the play, one character muses, “It is the same, anywhere you live. if you love like an Iraqi woman. If you love like you can’t breathe.”

Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College invites you to come bear witness to these stories of struggle and triumph. In post-911 America, where ignorance and discrimination, and even hatred, often stand in the way of human connection, it is essential that we open our hearts, our ears, and our to these stories. In the words of Raffo herself, “Come. Now you sign the witness book.”

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors 65 and older, and $15 for other adults. Please call 269.337.7333 or visit the Festival Playhouse website for more information.

Text by Jane Huffman ’15. Photo by Emily Salswedel ’16.