Category: News Releases

News Releases

Zhang Financial Contribution to Help Students

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Zhang Financial, one of the nation’s top fee-only financial advisory firms, will help Kalamazoo College support key initiatives in its strategic plan, Advancing Kalamazoo College: A Strategic Vision for 2023. Their generous contribution will help to better position K students for their first jobs after graduation.

Charles and Lynn of Zhang Financial
Charles Zhang serves as managing partner and CEO, and Lynn Chen-Zhang is the COO and chief compliance officer at Zhang Financial.

Zhang Financial, based in Portage, Michigan, is establishing the Zhang Financial Student Professional Development Fund, a permanent endowment that will underwrite campus-based programs to enhance student experiences and prioritize their professional development.

Some of those programs, coordinated through the Center for Career and Professional Development, include:

  • K’s annual Career Summit, which offers two days of interactive breakout sessions, themed panel discussions and networking opportunities with distinguished alumni and other professionals. This annual event, traditionally held in April, provides students of all majors with priceless information about how to position themselves for success in an unpredictable global job market.
  • Passions to Professions, which allows small groups of interested students to connect with local and visiting professionals over a casual meal to ask career-related questions.
  • Confident at Commencement, a weekly lunch series that delivers relevant content, from saving and investing to taxes and salary negotiations. This event caters to seniors as they prepare for Life after K.
  • Sophomore Retreats, which helps students in their second year at K develop public speaking and networking skills during a weekend with alumni and community professionals.

Collectively, these and other programs reinforce K’s strategic vision and its mission of preparing graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world.

“We are grateful to Zhang Financial for this contribution, which will help Kalamazoo College continue to provide students with amazing opportunities to develop their skills, experiences and future careers,” Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said. “We are excited and honored by their trust and confidence in our efforts to provide a broad-based education through the liberal arts and sciences.”

Charles Zhang serves as managing partner and CEO, and Lynn Chen-Zhang is the COO and chief compliance officer at Zhang Financial.

“The professional landscape is dynamic—companies are constantly searching for candidates who contribute new skills, and who can adapt to an evolving workplace,” they said. “We are excited for the competitive advantage that The Zhang Financial Student Professional Development Fund will offer Kalamazoo College students.”

Kalamazoo College Trustees Elect New Board Chair

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Board Chair Charlotte H. Hall '66 Mumma8753R (002)
Kalamazoo College Board Chair Charlotte Hall ’66
cMUMMA New Board Chair Si Johnson 78 hi Alt 5x7 0043
Si Johnson ’78 will begin serving as Kalamazoo College Board Chair beginning July 1, 2019.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Si Johnson ’78 to become chair of the Board effective July 1, 2019.

A retired Stryker executive, Johnson follows Charlotte Hall ’66 as chairperson. Johnson has served on Kalamazoo College’s Board of Trustees since 1996, and has been vice chair since 2010. Johnson says the Board’s terrific chemistry and passion for K places it in a strong position to execute the College’s new strategic plan.

“Si cares deeply about K,” said President Jorge G. Gonzalez. “His involvement with the College during the past three decades and his experience as a trustee are a tremendous asset to K. This decision continues Charlotte’s legacy of strong leadership, and provides the entire Board great momentum moving forward.”

A long-time leader in United States journalism, Hall has served on K’s Board of Trustees since 1999 and as its chair since 2012. During Hall’s tenure as Board chair, the College has increased its student population and become a more diverse and inclusive community. She was chair of the Board at the conclusion of the College’s most successful comprehensive fundraising campaign in its history, and she participated in the selection of K’s two most recent presidents, Gonzalez (2016-present) and Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran (2005-2016). She will stand for re-election for another three-year Board term in June.

“Charlotte’s counsel in the first years of my presidency at K has been invaluable. I am deeply grateful for her support and encouragement,” said Gonzalez.

Panel to Address School Discipline, Mass Incarceration Reform

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Child with Backpack Graphic for Mass Incarceration Reform
Kalamazoo College will host a panel discussion to examine the impact of mass incarceration on communities from 4:15 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7.

Kalamazoo College will host a panel discussion to examine the impact of mass incarceration on communities, explore how to reduce incarceration rates and increase successful re-entry through a collaborative call to action. This event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: 4:15-7 p.m., Thursday, March 7

WHERE: Hornets Suite, Kalamazoo College Field House, 1600 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo

WHO: Sponsored by the community and global health concentration at K, this event aims to foster dialogue among people directly and indirectly affected by mass incarceration, including community members, non-profit and youth-serving organizations, the faith-based community, law enforcement, mental health professionals, K-12 educators, and college and university faculty and students.

WHAT: The event will examine the link between student disciplinary history and future incarceration, and how access to mentorships, counseling and other services can be more effective than traditional methods of discipline in fostering student success. It will include a presentation of the documentary Pathways to Prison and thoughtful discussion with panel participants, including the documentary’s producer. Participants will consider how to support youth, schools and local law enforcement in the building of safe communities that affirm the dignity of every individual.

Panelists include:

  • Dr. Charles Bell (Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University)
  • Bill Kubota, (Producer, Pathways to Prison)
  • Cindy Green (Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Services, Kalamazoo Public Schools)
  • Reuquiyah Saunders (Director of Special Education, Kalamazoo Public Schools)
  • Mitch Hawkins (Principal, Northeastern Elementary)
  • Joseph Thomas (Field Service/Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Manager, 9th Circuit Court Family Division)
  • Honorable Tiffany A. Ankley (8th District Court)
  • Michael Wilder (Returning Citizen)
  • Michael Monroe (Returning Citizen)

Festival Playhouse to Stage “Student Body”

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The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse’s 55th season, featuring the theme of Assumption and Confusion, continues this week with the powerful play Student Body.

Student Body Rehearsal
Kalamazoo College students rehearse for Student Body, which runs Thursday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse.

Written by Frank Winters and directed by Visiting Theatre Arts Assistant Professor Bianca Washington, the play approaches complicated ethical questions when a college student wakes up after a party in her parents’ house and finds a video on her camera of a sexual encounter. The woman in the video might or might not be unconscious as others watch, leading the 10 characters, consisting of seven women and three men, to debate whether a sexual assault has occurred and who they should tell about it.

“The setting is written to be a university in the middle of nowhere, but the director made a bold decision to place it at K,” said Ynika Yuag ’21, who noted that some of the characters will wear Kalamazoo College apparel.

In her role as a dramaturg, Yuag is responsible for working with the director on background research and how current events and perspectives might inform or shape the production. “K isn’t exactly the middle of nowhere,” she said, “but the campus is small enough that we all get to know each other, which really makes [the production] personal. The more I work on it, the more I realize how it fits the theme of Assumption and Confusion.”

The performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 23, with a 2 p.m. showing on Sunday, Feb. 24. Yuag said a lobby display with interactive elements will allow audience members to engage with ideas related to the play through proxy stations before and after the show. Plus, there will be talkback sessions featuring facilitators and cast members after each show. The scheduled facilitators include:

Be advised, there is strong language and a graphic discussion of sexual violence in the show.

Tickets for all four shows at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse are available by visiting festivalplayhouse.ludus.com or by calling 269.337.7333. Adults are $15, seniors are $10 and students are $5 with an ID. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their College IDs.

Learn more about Student Body at reason.kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.

Senior Performance Series Runs Through Sunday

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Kalamazoo College students are continuing the tradition of directing and performing in their own thought-provoking theater productions this week through the Festival Playhouse’s Senior Performance Series.

Senior Performance Series
Senior Performance Series shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14-Saturday, Feb. 16, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17.

This year’s Senior Performance Series shows are:

  • The Exception and the Rule, directed by Mitch Herr ’19; and
  • Realm of the Dead, written by Hunter Himelhoch ’19 and directed by Louise Thomas ’19.

The Exception and the Rule is about a merchant who rushes to Sacramento seeking wealth only to encounter self-imposed difficulties. The characters represent different areas of socioeconomic power and demonstrate problems inherent in a capitalist society.

“As a political science and theatre arts double major, getting to stage a play by Bertolt Brecht, one of the most prominent political theatre practitioners, is a huge honor and lesson,” Herr said. “The experimental nature of this play is still unusual in today’s theatre, even though he crafted [the play] in 1930.”

“Realm of the Dead” explores figures from Yiddish folklore, specifically Lilith and the Angel of Death, and their relationships to each other, humanity and a Jewish girl named Rebecca.

“I’ve spent about a year working on it and I’m really glad that it is being produced at K since it has given me the chance to fine-tune the show,” Himelhoch said. “It’s been very interesting to hear the actors’ interpretations of the script because they have greatly influenced this new version. I can’t wait for the audience to see it and I hope that they will enjoy the experience as much as I have.”

The shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 16, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Dungeon Theatre. General admission tickets will be available at the door. They’re free for Kalamazoo College students and employees with a College ID and $5 for the public.

For more information, visit http://reason.kzoo.edu/theatre/festival/.

K Names New Chief Academic Officer

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Kalamazoo College has named a new provost to provide vision and direction for the academic program. President Jorge G. Gonzalez tapped Danette Ifert Johnson, currently the vice provost at Ithaca College in New York, for the top academic position. She will begin her role on July 1, 2019.

New Provost Danette Ifert Johnson
Danette Ifert Johnson, currently the vice provost at Ithaca College in New York, will be Kalamazoo College’s new provost.

Johnson brings a wealth of experience to Kalamazoo College. A tenured professor at Ithaca College, Johnson has spent four years as vice provost. She also served as the inaugural director of Ithaca’s Integrative Core Curriculum, experience Gonzalez says will serve her well at K.

“In addition to her extensive administrative experience, Danette has a long record of teaching success, and her scholarly accomplishments are considerable,” said Gonzalez. “K is reimagining our signature K-Plan, the individualized academic and experiential path each student creates, to ensure it meets the needs of this generation. Danette will lead a talented and engaged academic community and partner with other leaders of the College to build upon and support an innovative vision to advance Kalamazoo College.”

Johnson says K’s reputation for excellence in residential liberal arts education, and integrating rigorous and meaningful classroom and experiential opportunities drew her to this role.

“My interactions throughout the search process confirmed that the community-wide commitment to prepare students for an ever more complex and diverse world is genuine,” said Johnson adding, “I am especially eager to collaborate with K’s outstanding faculty and staff as we look for ways to enhance the outstanding educational experiences already in place. I am excited to begin working with President Gonzalez and the entire K community.”

An alumna of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Johnson served her alma mater as president of the Alumni Council and a member of the Board of Trustees. She has been a faculty member at West Virginia Wesleyan and Texas Tech University in addition to Ithaca College. She served as the executive director and president of the Eastern Communication Association (ECA), which honored her as a distinguished teaching fellow and distinguished research fellow.

Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in speech communication and history from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master’s degree in educational psychology from West Virginia University, and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication studies from Northwestern University.

Kalamazoo College’s previous provost, Michael A. (Mickey) McDonald, left the College to become the president of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) of which Kalamazoo College is a member.

Johnson was selected after a national search conducted by an on-campus search committee and assisted by the firm Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, an executive search firm specializing in the education and non-profit sectors. The search committee was chaired by Rosemary K. Brown Professor in Mathematics and Computer Science Alyce Brady. Also serving on the committee were: Greg Diment ’84, Information Services; Dennis Frost, History and East Asian Studies; Binney Girdler, Biology and Environmental Studies; Shanna Salinas, English; Mary Beth Sarhatt, Trustee; Sarah Westfall, Student Development; and Jordan Wiley ’19. Wendy Fleckenstein provided administrative support.

“My thanks go to Alyce and the entire search committee for their hard work and success in evaluating a highly qualified pool of candidates. I am delighted with the outcome. Danette will be an excellent leader at the College,” said Gonzalez.

Political Tale ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ Continues Through Sunday

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Political Tale It Can't Happen Here
“It Can’t Happen Here” is the political tale based on Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 satire of what could happen if Fascism spreads to the United States. Photo provided by Andy Krieger.

A political tale timely for the upcoming elections is the featured fall production for the Festival Playhouse at Kalamazoo College.

Political Tale It Can't Happen Here Festival Playhouse
The cast of “It Can’t Happen Here” rehearses for the political tale which opens Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Festival Playhouse.

“It Can’t Happen Here” is based on Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 satire of what could happen if Fascism spreads to the United States. The stage adaptation focuses on political candidate Buzz Windrip, who no one takes seriously until he promises to return America to greatness and prosperity.

After Windrip wins the presidency, his administration devolves into confusion and danger. Journalist Doremus Jessup explores themes of the responsibility and freedom of the American news media. Please be aware the production includes mature content.

The play, directed by guest artist Marissa Harrington, is a Michigan premiere and continues through Sunday. It follows the theme of Assumption and Confusion, highlighting the gap between what seems to happen and what really happens.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a College ID. Public tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and older and $5 for students. Reserve your tickets at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com.

For more information on other shows this season and the Festival Playhouse itself, visit its website at reason.kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.

College Singers Offers Earth-Themed Concert in Three Cities

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The College Singers, a 32-voice choral ensemble at Kalamazoo College, will perform a program featuring the music of pop artists such as Carole King and Stevie Wonder in three cities in November.

The concerts are at:

College Singers Rehearse Social Justice-Themed Concert
The College Singers’ Earth-themed concerts will feature the music of pop artists such as Carole King and Stevie Wonder.
  • 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at Okemos Presbyterian Church in Okemos, Michigan (Lansing area);
  • 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Church in the Hills in Bellaire, Michigan; and
  • 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, in Dalton Theater at Kalamazoo College’s Light Fine Arts Building.

The program will combine global song, folk music spirituals and other styles in an entertaining and enlightening program centered on our relationship with the Earth, each other and ourselves. Songs such as “I Feel the Earth Move” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” will be interspersed with music of different cultures, Appalachian folk music, spirituals and other global fare. All concerts have no admission fee but a free-will offering will be taken to help defray travel expenses. The concert is about 75 minutes long and is a fast-paced, informative and uplifting performance.

The College Singers represents various cultures and areas of study on the school’s liberal arts and sciences campus. The College Singers is led by Assistant Music Professor Chris Ludwa, who is also the director of the Kalamazoo Bach festival. The ensemble includes music majors and non-music majors alike, 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.

Kalamazoo College, founded in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1833, is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences college and the creator of the K-Plan, which emphasizes rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, independent research, and international and intercultural engagement.

For more information on the concerts, please contact Ludwa at cludwa@kzoo.edu or 231.225.8877.

Arcus Center Invites Public to With/Out-¿Borders? Events

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The public is invited to join the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership for two events related to its With/Out-¿Borders? gathering, which is scheduled for Oct. 8-15.

The opening ceremony is slated for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, 205 Monroe St. A community breakfast is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in the Hornet Suite at K’s Athletic Fields Complex, 1600 W. Michigan Ave. Register for either event through email at acsjl@kzoo.edu.

With/Out-¿Borders?
Sunni Patterson, Denenge Akpem and Shannon Haupt participate in a ritual performance of release and healing during the 2016 With/Out – ¿Borders? Afrofuturism breakout session “Breaking the Legacy, Conjuring Futures.”

The third With/Out-¿Borders? invitational gathering will bring together land activists who approach social movement work in small grassroots organizations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, South Africa, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and the Pacific Islands. They will discuss how land is essential to indigenous sovereignty movements, contested through forced dislocation, and an asset for strength and nurturance.

“The activists coming to Kalamazoo in October are engaged in some of the most effective and forward-thinking work around land sovereignty and protection in the world,” Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Executive Director Mia Henry said. “We are honored to have the opportunity to use our resources to uplift and strengthen the work of each of our guests, living into our mission of capacity building on a global level.”

The purpose of the With/Out-¿Borders? gathering is to:

  • unite global grassroots activists who envision a world free from oppression while actively working toward that vision;
  • create an environment where activists can learn from and support each other; and
  • develop deep and meaningful relationships between the Kalamazoo College community, these activists and their work.

The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College develops and sustains leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity building. Kalamazoo College, founded in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1833, is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the K-Plan, which emphasizes rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, independent research and international and intercultural engagement.

For more information on the With/Out-¿Borders? gathering or either of its public events, contact Bailey Mead at 269-337-7398 or bailey.mead@kzoo.edu.

K Named a Best Buy in Fiske Guide to Colleges

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Kalamazoo College is among 20 colleges and universities nationwide to be named a Best Buy School in the just-published 2019 edition of the highly respected Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Logo says 2019 Best Buy School Fiske Guide to Colleges
Kalamazoo College is among 20 colleges and universities nationwide to be named a Best Buy School in the just-published 2019 edition of the highly respected Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Fiske says it based the ratings on “outstanding educational value as determined by academic quality in relation to the net cost of attendance.” The guide says of Kalamazoo College: “Ninety-eight percent of students at this globally oriented liberal arts school receive financial aid and 70 percent study abroad for the same price that they pay for regular tuition.”

Eric Staab, K’s dean of admission and financial aid, says Fiske’s recognition comes as no surprise.

“At Kalamazoo College, the flexibility of the K-Plan, our integrated approach to an excellent education in the liberal arts and science, allows us to seek out students with a broad array of interests, achievements and experiences,” Staab says. “We work hard to ensure that cost is not a barrier for students who can contribute their distinctive ideas and talents to, and benefit from, our richly diverse campus and programs.”

Chartered in 1833, Kalamazoo College is among the nation’s 100 oldest colleges and universities. It ranks in the top 2 percent among the nation’s four-year liberal arts colleges for the percentage of graduates who go on to earn doctorate degrees.

K is the only college in the Great Lakes region named to the Best Buy Schools list, which is comprised of 10 public and 10 private universities and colleges.

Established by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, the Fiske Guide to Colleges has been among the foremost sources of information about higher education quality and affordability for more than 30 years. USA Today has deemed it “the best college guide you can buy.”

For more information about Kalamazoo College, visit www.kzoo.edu.