Category: Institutional Announcements

What is Orange and Black and Green All Over?

Posted on

Sierra Club magazine ranks Kalamazoo College as the 58th “greenest” institution of higher learning in the United States in its annual “America’s Coolest Schools” rankings. The ranking is based on a 12-page questionnaire sent to 940 four-year undergraduate colleges and universities. Questions center on environmental goals and achievements. Ten categories include energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments, and a catch-all called “other initiatives.”

Kalamazoo College is also included in the Princeton Review’s 2011 Guide to 311 Green Colleges, developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. Kalamazoo also received a solid “B” on the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card from the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Kalamazoo College Unveils Preliminary Building Design For Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership

Posted on

CONTACT: Jeff Palmer, 269.337.5724

May 17, 2011

–Award-winning Studio Gang Architects create a
“unique, welcoming space” and “dynamic, accessible crossroads”–

–College moves oldest structure on campus to make way for newest–

[KALAMAZOO, Mich. – May 17, 2011] Kalamazoo College officials today unveiled the preliminary design for a new building to house the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. Renderings from Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects were shown to the College community and neighbors at a campus gathering Monday. Detailed drawings will follow by fall. Construction will last an estimated 12 months. No start date has been set, however, because the College must first work its way through a campus master planning and rezoning process, which includes the new Arcus Center building.

Located at the campus’s highest elevation, on the southeast corner of Academy and Monroe streets, the Arcus Center is designed to be inviting and open, in keeping with other recent renovations on campus, most notably Hicks Student Center (completed in 2009) and Upjohn Library Commons (2005).

“We’re very excited to release early images of what will be a unique, welcoming structure,” said Kalamazoo President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran. “These drawings reflect the creative and collaborative process we are going through to create a space in which current and future social justice leaders will collaborate to research and learn. We are so very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Studio Gang on this project.”

The one-story building will be approximately 9,500 square feet and serve as an interactive space for the College and the community. Three gently arcing exterior walls define the structure’s central gathering space and embrace the surrounding landscape. Michigan-sourced white cedar will be used to construct the wood masonry exterior. Large expanses of glass at the ends of the three arcs and clerestory glazing will bring light and views of the surrounding landscape into the interior. The building will incorporate a range of green building strategies and expects to attain a LEED rating.

The Studio Gang team, led by the firm’s founder and principal, Jeanne Gang, has visited Kalamazoo numerous times since summer 2010. “We’ve met with ‘K’ students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as some local residents and community partners in a creative, deliberative process,” said Gang. “Our goal is to create a dynamic, accessible space where interaction is facilitated and ideas shared.”

Kalamazoo College’s newest building will rise on the site of its oldest, Hoben House, a two-story brick home constructed in 1925 by then Kalamazoo College President Allan Hoben. It was his residence and home to successive “K” presidents until 1978, when it became headquarters of the L. Lee Stryker Center for Management Studies and Educational Services. A two-story frame addition constructed in 1985 included meeting rooms, offices and an outside deck. After the Stryker Center closed in 2007, the building housed a succession of campus programs and offices.

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership was slated to move into the Hoben/Stryker building, but renovation options fell short of the Center’s needs. In summer 2010, founder and president of the Arcus Foundation and “K” College alumnus Jon Stryker pledged funds for a new building. Rather than raze the existing structure, the College identified private landowners who were willing to move the original Hoben House to their nearby off-campus lot. The College has removed the 1985 addition and Hoben House is due to be moved to its new location on the corner of South and Monroe streets by June 1.

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (https://reason.kzoo.edu/csjl) is a new initiative by Kalamazoo College, launched in 2009 with a two-year, $2.1 million grant from the Arcus Foundation (www.arcusfoundation.org). Supporting Kalamazoo College’s mission to prepare graduates who provide enlightened leadership to an interconnected and increasingly complex world, and responding to the need for development of engaged citizens who have the abilities to envision and create a socially just world, the Arcus Center will develop new leaders and sustain existing leaders in the field of human rights and social justice.

Founded by Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in 1997, Studio Gang is a rising international practice whose work confronts pressing contemporary issues. Conceived as a collective of architects, designers, and thinkers, the studio acts as a lab for testing ideas on varying scales: from cities to environments to individual buildings’ unique material properties. The firm’s provocative and alluring architecture is exemplified by such recent projects such as the Aqua Tower (2009 Emporis Skyscraper of the Year), Columbia College Chicago’s Media Production Center (a cutting-edge film production and teaching facility), and the Lincoln Park Zoo South Pond (an educational pavilion and landscape that is quickly becoming a new Chicago landmark). Studio Gang’s work has received national and international recognition and has been published and exhibited widely, most notably at the International Venice Biennale, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Building Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1833, Kalamazoo College (www.kzoo.edu) is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the “K-Plan,” which emphasizes rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, and both international and intercultural engagement. “K” College has approximately 1,370 students from 38 states and 31 countries; nearly 20 percent are students of color.

Approximately 85 percent of Kalamazoo students participate in a meaningful, immersive international and intercultural experience at more than 50 programs in 25 countries on six continents; more than two-thirds complete an internship or externship; more than half participate in course-based or student-led co-curricular service-learning projects; and all students engage in a Senior Individualized Project, an in-depth research or creative project done in the senior year.

###

New Vice President Appointed at Kalamazoo College

Posted on

CONTACT: Jeff Palmer, 269.337.5724

Nov. 30, 2010

Kalamazoo College has appointed Albert J. DeSimone vice president for college advancement. DeSimone brings more than 25 years of higher education development and management experience to Kalamazoo, where he will lead the College’s fundraising, alumni relations, and communications offices. Among his responsibilities will be overseeing annual gift giving and directing the College’s comprehensive campaign initiative begun in March 2010. He begins work at “K” January 3, 2011.

From 1993 to 2008, DeSimone served as vice president for development at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. In this role, he conducted two highly successful comprehensive campaigns that raised more than $207 million and significantly increased unrestricted giving to the college. For the past 18 months, he has focused on securing major gifts toward strategic priorities such as renovating Old Main, Augustana’s signature building, constructed in 1889.

“I have great respect for Kalamazoo College and its commitment to innovative liberal arts education, as exemplified by the K-Plan,” said DeSimone. “I look forward to working with President Wilson-Oyelaran and the entire “K” community to increase the resources that will help fulfill this commitment and prepare students to engage the global community.”

Prior to joining Augustana, DeSimone served in a variety of development roles at Illinois Institute of Technology, in Chicago, ranging initially from securing corporate grants to eventually managing day-to-day fund-raising and alumni relations programs. He also planned and implemented a comprehensive campaign that raised more than $92 million.

“I am thrilled to welcome Al DeSimone to Kalamazoo College,” said President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran. “He has a depth of knowledge and a breadth of experience that make him an excellent fit for the College. We have bold plans to prepare ‘K’ students to engage in the global community. Al will play a key role in securing the philanthropic support and building the relationships that will help make these plans a reality.”

DeSimone earned a B.A. degree from Elmhurst College in 1977. He and his wife, Lynne, have two sons, ages 21 and 18.

He replaces Victoria Gorrell, who left Kalamazoo in October to become vice president for development and alumni relations at University of Northern Colorado.

Founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1833, Kalamazoo College (www.kzoo.edu) is a nationally recognized liberal arts college, and the creator of the “K-Plan” that emphasizes rigorous scholarship, learning by practice, and both international and intercultural engagement.

###

Kalamazoo College Selects Jaime Grant as Executive Director for Its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership

Posted on

CONTACT: Jim VanSweden, 269.337.7291

June 28, 2010

(KALAMAZOO, Michigan) June 28, 2010 – After a national search, Kalamazoo College has named Jaime M. Grant, Ph.D., as executive director of its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL). She will begin her duties September 1.

Grant has worked for more than 20 years with a variety of national and international organizations focused on social justice and human rights for women, youth, and the LGBT community, as well as victims of sexual and domestic assault, and the mentally ill.

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (https://reason.kzoo.edu/csjl) is a new initiative by Kalamazoo College, launched in 2009 with a two-year, $2.1 million grant from the Arcus Foundation (www.arcusfoundation.org). Its purpose is to explore, cultivate, and engage in the study and practice of social justice leadership.

“We are very excited to have someone of Jaime Grant’s caliber and range of experience join Kalamazoo College,” said “K” President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran. “She has a deep passion and demonstrated commitment to social justice, and a substantial record of accomplishment as a leader who can foster collaboration and a sense of shared purpose. In her role as the executive director, Dr. Grant will provide leadership as Kalamazoo College works to become recognized nationally and internationally as the place to look for original thinking about social justice and social justice leadership.”

Since Nov. 2007, Grant has served as director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the nation’s premiere LGBT think tank located in Washington, D.C. Before that, she was Program Director for “Leadership for a Changing World” (LCW) at The Advocacy Institute, also in Washington. LCW is the Ford Foundation’s signature leadership awards program, and recognizes and supports community leaders across America who are effectively tackling tough social issues.

“I’m thrilled to join Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership,” said Grant. “Kalamazoo’s tradition of combining top-quality, liberal arts academics with experiential learning makes it an ideal place to establish a first-of-its-kind academy-based social justice leadership center.

“The new center will add value to a ‘K’ education, while fueling social change efforts in the U.S. and abroad, and nurturing the next generation of leaders,” she said.

Grant has published in major academic journals and her commentaries have appeared broadly in popular publications and the consumer press. Her recent work at the Task Force has included a national Census advocacy campaign, and a policy paper on issues of aging facing the LGBT aging community. The projects she is currently completing include a visioning document for advocates working on family policy.

Grant has a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Wesleyan University, a master’s degree in women’s studies from Bucknell University, and a Ph.D. in women’s studies from The Union Institute, where she served as director from 1993 to 2000.

Her duties at Kalamazoo College will include maintaining and augmenting the vision for the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, while overseeing a range of programs, developing international and domestic partnerships, and working with College faculty, staff, and students on innovative projects and practices in social justice leadership.

Current programming to support the ACSJL mission includes project grants for “K” faculty, staff, and students; fellowships for “K” and visiting faculty; and a series of lectures and “convenings” in which visiting social justice leaders interact with members of the “K” campus and greater Kalamazoo community.

Founded in Kalamazoo in 1833, Kalamazoo College (www.kzoo.edu) is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the “K-Plan” that emphasizes rigorous scholarship, learning by practice, and both international and intercultural engagement.

###

Kalamazoo College Receives $400,000 Grant From W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Posted on

CONTACT: Jeff Palmer, 269.337.5724

April 9, 2010

Grant will help fund College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership
 activities and associate director position

Kalamazoo, Mich. (April 9, 2010) — Kalamazoo College has received a $400,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that will assist in the planning, development, and implementation of the curricula, programming, and learning opportunities for the College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The grant will also fund, for three years, the position of associate director at the Center.

Donna Lartigue, a former Kellogg Foundation program director, has been hired to fill the associate director position beginning May 1. She will be responsible for helping to carry out the goals of the Kellogg Foundation grant and assisting Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Interim Director Carol Anderson in day-to-day operations until a permanent executive director and academic director are hired. Nationwide searches for both are underway. Candidates are being interviewed and selections will be announced later this spring.

Currently in its first year of operation, Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership offers lectures by individuals who are recognized nationally and internationally for their work in the field of social justice; short-term residencies for scholars, artists, and activists who will interact with the campus and the local community; opportunities for the development of new courses and leadership programs in the area of social justice and human rights; and conferences that address major issues related to the creation of a more just world.

A kickoff lecture—open to the public—will be held Tuesday April 13 at 8 p.m. in Dalton Theatre in the Light Fine Arts Building on the Kalamazoo College campus. Joia Mukherjee, M.D., medical director of Partners in Health will speak on the topic “Learning from Haiti: Relief and Long-Term Partnerships in the Developing World.” Partners in Health was founded in 1987 by Paul Farmer, M.D. Dr. Mukherjee has spent much of the past three months in Haiti helping to mobilize grassroots community health workers and rebuild the capacity of Haiti’s public sector to provide health care and other essential social services.

From 2003-09, Donna Lartigue served as a program director with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, leading its hometown grant making initiatives and providing support to its civic engagement, nonprofit effectiveness, and women’s philanthropy programming. She was a senior program officer at Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City from 1991-2002, where she led its comprehensive high school reform and school-to-work program investments. Prior to that, she worked for the Missouri State Department of Economic Development, the City of Springfield (Mo.) Job Council of the Ozarks, and as a middle school teacher in Augusta, Georgia.

Established in 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. For further information, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.wkkf.org.

Founded in Kalamazoo in 1833, Kalamazoo College (www.kzoo.edu) is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the “K-Plan” that emphasizes rigorous scholarship, learning through practice, service learning, international and intercultural engagement, and a senior independent project.

###