The FirstGen Forward Network—an organization that partners with colleges and universities, philanthropists, businesses and the public sector to catalyze first-generation student success in higher education—has selected Kalamazoo College to be among its newest members this year.
K joins 80 new members and more than 400 other institutions nationwide in their commitment to first-generation student success by boosting student experiences, enhancing academic and co-curricular outcomes, and building more inclusive institutional environments.
The recognition stems from a host of services the College offers first-generation students, which include:
The Career Launch Internship Prep Program (CLIPP), which guides students from their first-year through their senior year and empowers them to take control of their career paths.
Dinners and group discussions that help build networking opportunities while bolstering success in higher education.
A welcome event during Orientation that allows new students to hear from continuing first-generation students who speak about their K experiences.
A chance to participate in events related to National First-Generation Day, marking the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The legislation expanded college opportunities for first-generation populations.
A panel of first-generation students welcomed more first-generation students to Kalamazoo College during Orientation in September 2024.
Additionally, a portion of a historic $30 million gift received by the College in 2023 will be used to coordinate campus efforts and focus on a student success model that includes a full-time staff member dedicated to providing support for first-generation students. Currently, 22% of K’s student body identify as first-generation college students, with recent incoming classes ranging from 25–30% first-generation. Understanding how K can best adapt to meet the needs of first-generation students as the population continues to grow at the College and nationally, while providing an environment where they can thrive and achieve their educational goals, has been an on-going strategic goal for the College.
“A Kalamazoo College education provides our graduates with many benefits, skills and experiences that help them lead successful and meaningful lives,” Associate Vice President for Student Development Brian Dietz said. “Ensuring that each one of our students prospers from the full array of these benefits is critical to the work we do as a College, and understanding the unique experiences of our first-generation college students enhances this work. Being a member of the FirstGen Forward Network gives us access to evidence-based practices and resources, and enables us to better identify, understand, and most importantly, remedy the challenges which hinder first-gen students from realizing all they want to achieve at K and beyond.”
The first steps students take on campus at Kalamazoo College are filled with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead. Yet being away from home for the first time can be challenging, too, especially when longtime friends, family members and other sympathetic voices seem far away.
Economics and business majors Sage Lewis and Michael Robertson, both Class of 2025, know what that’s like. As first-year students, Sage arrived at K from Arizona and Michael from Tennessee. As a result of their experiences—and because they care about their peers—the two are among 23 helpful First-Year Experience (FYE) mentors, one transfer student mentor and one visiting international student mentor this fall, who will get to know incoming students from their first day of orientation onward through the academic year.
As new students arrive for orientation, FYE mentors—consisting of sophomores, juniors and seniors—get to know them while building community and friendships, so everyone can feel safe and comfortable in their new environment. Sage, Michael and the other FYE mentors will be available at every stage of orientation with activities ranging from traditional icebreakers, meals, discussions about academic life, a game night and home athletics events to learning about music ensembles, theatre groups and sustainability-focused opportunities on campus.
First-Year Experience mentors Sage Lewis and Michael Robertson are two of the 23 helpful students mentors, one transfer student mentor and one visiting international student mentor this fall, who will get to know incoming students.
One FYE mentor is also assigned to each First-Year Seminar course, providing an experienced peer, who can guide students through academic, social and personal issues as they arise day or night. First-Year Seminar courses are part of the K-Plan, K’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum. The courses are designed to help orient students to college-level learning practices, combining collaborative and group work, effective research strategies and discussions with mentors maintaining formal roles as contacts through Week Six of the fall term. As FYE mentors, Sage and Michael have a few tips to offer new students as they begin orientation:
Meet new people.
“Coming to K was a bit of a culture shock for me,” Michael said. “I thought it was good to meet a lot of new people in my first year because it expanded my horizons. Had I not done that I might not be here today.”
“My dad had a flight back right away so he left me after I first arrived and orientation was scary,” Sage said. “I tell people it helps to get to know their mentors. I just love working with the students. I’ve gotten close with a few my mentees and I live with one from my sophomore year right now. It helps me expand my own horizons as well as theirs.”
Find activities on campus and try new things.
“I didn’t do LandSea, so I got here when orientation started my first year,” Sage said. “It really helped me to get involved. I started working in the Office of Student Activities and it was super fun. That’s really where I found my place. The faculty and staff have always been nice and that made me want to work with them more.”
“I think K has great resources, and it’s important to pursue them no matter what you’re studying,” Michael said. “Just go outside whatever seminar you’re in and meet someone new or someone who has a different background than you. Maybe they have a different hobby or interest that allows you to try new things.”
Discover the city.
“I think downtown Kalamazoo is really cute, and I love that it’s walkable from K,” Sage said. “It’s just a great city. It’s super cool being from Arizona and seeing all the greenery. It’s definitely different culturally, too, with people in the Midwest because they’re very nice.”
“Before I had a car, I walked everywhere,” Michael said. “Other people when they went to school asked, ‘Aren’t you worried about being late?’ And I said, ‘no, everything is just right down the street.’ That’s really a blessing. I’m super thankful for the size of the town, the school, downtown and all over. Everything is close by.”
Mentors are assets.
Mentors are great people to get know because of their past experiences and how they hope to help guide new students. They can provide advice on navigating campus resources, managing time, and making connections. Make sure you seek them out when Orientation begins with move-in day on September 11.
“I know it’s difficult being away from your parents after a certain amount of time, so I just want to be there for other students, and not just the ones from out of state,” Michael said. “I want to help people and make that transition to college life easier.”
“I try to be open, welcoming and calm so first-year students know I’m approachable,” Sage said. “I think finding a way to be personable makes it more fun for everybody.”
Nicholas Gann ’12 will deliver the keynote at Kalamazoo College’s 2024 Convocation on Thursday, September 12, at 3 p.m. on the Quad.
Throughout jobs as wide-ranging as substitute teacher in Detroit, laborer at a maraschino cherry manufacturing facility, political researcher, roofer, public relations, and tourism manager, and in environments as different as the forests of northern Michigan, the big sky of Montana, the hustle and bustle of Chicago, and the wild west of Wyoming, Gann has recognized how his liberal arts education at K prepared him by developing an open mind, critical thinking skills, and a deep curiosity.
Gann graduated from K with a B.A. in political science and has worked in Montana with Project Vote Smart, a non-partisan candidate research nonprofit; in Chicago with ASGK Public Strategies (later Kivvit, now Avoq), including work on projects for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Fortune 500 companies; and as strategic partnerships manager for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, where he organized more than a dozen state and federal agencies to develop a shared responsible recreation campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, and served as part of the larger agency efforts led by the executive director to help Wyoming weather the economic and tourism effects better than many other states.
Since 2022, Gann has worked as a communications director for Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit dedicated to conservation of freshwater streams, rivers and associated habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species and people. The organization’s mission is “to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.”
Convocation marks the start of the academic year and formally welcomes the matriculating class of 2028 into the Kalamazoo College community. President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students J. Malcolm Smith, Provost Danette Ifert Johnson, Director of Admission Shannon Milan, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido, the Convocation speaker, faculty, staff and President’s Student Ambassadors will welcome students and their families. All students, families, faculty and staff are invited to attend in person or via livestream.
Nicholas Gann hikes in the Snowy Range of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, near Centennial, Wyoming, October 15, 2021. Gann ’12 will deliver the keynote at Convocation on Thursday, September 12, at 3 p.m. on the Quad. Photo by David Lienemann.
As much as we love summer, the coming of fall brings an anticipation of new beginnings at Kalamazoo College starting with orientation. Events begin with move-in day on Wednesday, September 11, and run throughout the week with the following highlights as you arrive on your first day.
Move in
Resident Assistants and First-Year Experience (FYE) mentors will welcome new students at each residence hall from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Arriving students should collect their orientation folder from the FYE mentors, then see the Residential Life staff to get their student ID and room key before getting settled. Students must finish their health verifications before checking in. Students with incomplete requirements will be guided to the Health Center at the Hicks Student Center. Tip: The morning traditionally is busy, so families are encouraged to arrive later to ensure faster processes.
Find information
Stop by the atrium at the Hicks Student Center from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. for schedules, maps, directions, dining recommendations and answers to your questions. The Kalamazoo College Bookstore, in the lower level of Hicks, will be open during that time and offer 20 percent off K imprinted items. If you have questions about connecting to K’s network, Information Services staff will be available in the Harmon, Hoben and Trowbridge main lounges to answer questions from 1–4 p.m.
Orientation will begin Wednesday, September 11, with move-in day.
Build community
First-year students are required to attend three sessions Wednesday evening. First, make your way to Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts with your orientation folder by 7 p.m. for the Hornet Student Welcome. The College’s president, dean of students, provost, first-year class dean, college chaplain, FYE mentors and the Office of Student Activities will welcome you to campus.
Next, meet your seminar group and FYE mentors at 8 p.m. outside Light Fine Arts for introductions. Learn more about the orientation schedule for the rest of the week and get answers to your questions.
Then, meet with resident assistants and your fellow residents at 9 p.m. to talk about community expectations, living in residence halls, and college policies, and get to know your new neighbors. Trowbridge residents will meet in Stetson Chapel, Hoben residents in the Hoben lounge and Harmon residents in their building’s main lounge. After, take some time to get your room set up, relax and get ready for a full day on Thursday.
But wait … there’s more!
Athletic practices for fall sports—including football, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, golf, and men’s and women’s cross country—have already begun and will continue through orientation week. Feel free to attend at various locations. A program for first-generation students and their families will also be held on Wednesday. Check your K email for an invitation and information.
We’ll keep you busy the rest of the week with social opportunities, advising appointments, shared first-year experiences and discussions, and information on a variety of important topics to help you start your first year at K. Expect to learn a lot and have fun. For more information on the orientation schedule and move-in day, visit the First-Year Experience website.
Lisa Ludwinski ’06, owner of Detroit’s nationally recognized bakery, Sister Pie, will deliver the keynote at Kalamazoo College’s 2023 Convocation on September 7 at 3 p.m.
Ludwinski launched Sister Pie out of her parents’ Milford, Michigan, kitchen at Thanksgiving 2012. The business grew steadily, and in April 2015, Sister Pie opened its doors in a corner shop at Kercheval Avenue and Parker Street in the historic West Village neighborhood in Detroit. Known for its seasonally influenced sweet and savory pies as well as unique cookies, the shop has been featured in The Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, Eater, Bloomberg News, The New York Times and Bon Appetit.
In 2015, Ludwinski, who earned a B.A. in theatre arts at Kalamazoo College, was named one of the best chefs in the United States in Eater’s national Young Guns contest. She has also been nominated several times for a James Beard Award and was a finalist in 2019.
The Sister Pie cookbook, published in 2018, was a 2019 Michigan Notable Award-winning book, finalist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals award, and named one of the best cookbooks of the year by the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.
Ludwinski was recognized among the 2019 Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 honorees, focused on those who target important Michigan issues such as technology, inclusivity and opportunity for all. In 2019, Sister Pie partnered with Alternatives for Girls, which serves homeless and high-risk girls and young women, both donating funds and holding baking workshops for program participants.
Ludwinski and her bakers experiment with nontraditional flavor combinations and seasonal options that promote Michigan’s varied agriculture. They consider themselves a triple bottom line business, focusing on employees, environment and the economy. The bakery also supports a Neighborhood Fund, which helps to subsidize neighborhood and senior discounts, as well as food donations for a community fridge and freezer for the West Village and Islandview neighborhoods—just one way Ludwinski and Sister Pie are helping make Detroit sweeter, one slice at a time.
Alumna Lisa Ludwinski ’06, the owner of Detroit’s Sister Pie bakery, will speak at 3 p.m. September 7 at Kalamazoo College’s Convocation.
Convocation marks the start of the academic year and formally welcomes first-year students to campus. President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Provost Danette Ifert Johnson, Dean of Admission Suzanne Lepley and Dean of Students J. Malcolm Smith will also welcome attendees. Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00 will provide an invocation. All students, families, faculty and staff are invited to attend.
Convocation will be held in person on the College’s Quad and will be available to livestream.
First-year students arriving to campus this fall are learning about front-line stories from the 2014 Flint water crisis by participating in Kalamazoo College’s Summer Reading Program.
The group, along with some faculty and staff, is reading What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha. The book tells how the author—along with a team of researchers, parents and community leaders—discovered that the children of Flint were being exposed to lead in their tap water and campaigned to reveal that information to the world.
Hanna-Attisha—a pediatrician, professor and public health advocate—is the associate dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, and the founding director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a partnership between MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, which seeks to mitigate the water crisis and serve as a national resource for best practices. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She also has testified before Congress and contributes to national media outlets.
The Summer Common Reading program is a key component of K’s first-year experience efforts, which tie hands-on experiential learning, advising, first-year forums and seminars, and assistance from peer leaders and Residential Life to guide new students through their transition to college.
Students receive a copy of the Summer Common Reading book in the mail and are asked to submit answers in response to prompts. The author of the chosen novel then commonly visits campus during orientation to participate in a community discussion and returns four years later for the class’ Commencement.
For more on K’s first-year and Summer Reading programs, visit the first-year experience website.
“What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City” by Mona Hanna-Attisha tells how the author—along with a team of researchers, parents and community leaders—discovered that the children of Flint were being exposed to lead in their tap water.
To top off the Wheels of Change class, Professor of English Amelia Katanski and her students traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Copenhagen is said to have one of the world’s best cycling infrastructures.
Although the seminar is finished, some of the students from Wheels of Change are keeping their projects in motion after visiting Copenhagen.
Cycling is more than recreation and enjoyable exercise when it’s viewed through the lenses of social and environmental justice in a new first-year seminar course at Kalamazoo College.
Offered for the first time in fall through Professor of English Amelia Katanski, the class Wheels of Change worked closely with community partners, including the City of Kalamazoo, the Open Roads Bike Program and K’s own Outdoor Programs, to explore how communities can build cycling infrastructure to better support residents.
In the classroom, students examined how bicycles empowered women and people of color during the late 19th century’s so-called cycling craze. It also looked at how bicycles today are sustainable tools in limiting climate change and supporting environmental health in ways that are capable of redressing racism, and gender- and ability-based discrimination. Katanski has taught community-based first-year seminar classes for more than 15 years. But the course in fall 2020 about food and farming justice in the time of COVID was unrepeatable with the pandemic winding down. She began to brainstorm ideas for new classes.
“Cycling has always been a passion of mine, and I came across a book called Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Wheels,”Katanski said. “I started reading it and thinking about the origins of cycling and how it was this space for women and people of color to experience freedom, mobility, independence and physicality that wasn’t easily available to them. It began to sound like this great idea for a first-year seminar.”
When students traveled to Copenhagen, they found a city with cycling infrastructure that tops what most cities typically have.
Thanks to Copenhagen’s cycling infrastructure and history, residents often travel by bicycle even through cold winters.
The book “Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Wheels,” inspired Katanski to create the Wheels of Change seminar.
Outside the classroom, students met every Friday to participate in guided bike rides that gave them a feel for Kalamazoo’s current cycling infrastructure and how they might help or hinder the cycling community. They also split into groups to work on projects on and off campus. Students worked alongside City Planner and K alumna Christina Anderson ’98 on a project examining the city’s infrastructure, as well as with Open Roads Executive Director Isaac Green on a project developing and implementing safe-cycling routes for Kalamazoo-area children. On campus, they joined forces with K Outdoor Programs Director Jory Horner and Assistant Director Jess Port, investigating ways to make college-owned bikes more accessible to students, while promoting and supporting cycling among students and developing a cycling culture on campus. To top off the class, Katanski and her students traveled for a week to Copenhagen, Denmark, to see how the city, one of the world’s best for cycling infrastructure, can provide examples from which Kalamazoo can learn.
Signing up for the class was a no-brainer for Elliot Russell, a Kalamazoo native, and Lillian Deer, a student from Washington state. Russell, for example, visited Amsterdam last spring, a city he considers to be a cycling capital.
“That trip was eye opening to me, to see there are other possibilities of what urban space can look like other than what our interface looks like in America,” he said. “Since that trip, I’ve vowed, even though I have a car and a driver’s license, that I’m going to start biking for transport because I enjoy it. It’s also more ethically sound than using a car.”
Deer said she was already interested in environmental sustainability and social justice before the class began, but didn’t know that bicycling could combine those themes. She wasn’t an active cyclist at the time, although group rides through the class made her feel more confident, provoking her excitement to work in the group that assisted K Outdoor Programs in figuring out what the College could do to be more bike friendly.
“We researched several schools and we realized we need to have some sort of bike share program,” Deer said. “And to do that, we need a place to put bikes because the lack of one is preventing people from bringing their bikes to campus, according to the student survey we did,” Deer said. “We would like to continue those group rides, too, perhaps with a bike club, and match that with the new infrastructure.”
“We’ve all realized we could be riding more and driving less, and I hope our students think about what it means for how we continue to live in this community,” Katanski said.
Lillian Deer ’26 said she was already interested in environmental sustainability and social justice before the class began, but didn’t know that bicycling could combine those themes.
Elliot Russell ’26 said the trip to Copenhagen with his classmates was eye opening for the contrast it provided between the bike infrastructure there versus in Kalamazoo.
Russell worked with the Open Roads group, examining biking infrastructure at Kalamazoo Public Schools. Open Roads traditionally works with youths to put bikes in their hands through bike workshops, making the organization a good partner in creating a comprehensive guide to helping the schools be more bike friendly.
“We went to Maple Street Middle School and Linden Grove Middle School to count how many bikes are on campus,” he said. “We counted the bike racks, surveyed the neighborhood in the constituent districts to also see what the infrastructure was like there. It all gave us a better idea of what the problems are and what the solutions could be. We wanted to advocate for students to have safer routes to school.”
Russell said the trip to Copenhagen with his classmates was eye opening for the contrast it provided between the bike infrastructure there versus in Kalamazoo. Copenhagen has a much stronger ingrained cycling culture despite its cold winters. The city, for example, plows its bike lanes at the same time or earlier than its roads.
While the seminar wrapped up at the end of fall term, some of the students from Wheels of Change are keeping their projects in motion this winter, putting their heads together with their community partners to see whether the City of Kalamazoo, Open Roads and Kalamazoo College can work independently or in cooperation to build better bike infrastructure.
“We’ve all realized we could be riding more and driving less, and I hope our students think about what it means for how we continue to live in this community,” Katanski said. “This term we drew on our experiences in Copenhagen to continue to develop relationships with our community partners, support bike culture on campus, and plan for future work. We’ve met on Zoom with an alum, Dan Goodman, who is the Mid-Atlantic Planning Director for Toole Design about his career path working on bike and pedestrian transportation; and spoke with community partner and co-op consultant Chris Dilley about cooperative organizational structures. Students also presented their projects at the Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference. We’re all looking forward to more riding and support of city bike infrastructure—and the launch of a K bike co-op—in the spring.”
Lila Lazarus ’84, an award-winning journalist, producer and motivational speaker, will be the keynote speaker for Kalamazoo College’s 2022 Convocation on September 8 at 3 p.m. on the Quad.
A broadcast journalist for over three decades, Lazarus has anchored the news in Michigan, Maryland and Massachusetts and covered stories around the world. She runs a production company, Lila Productions, and recently appeared in several Netflix series, including “Manhunt: Deadly Games” and “Mindhunter.” Her professional accomplishments include covering Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in South Africa and receiving multiple Emmy Awards, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award and two Clarion Awards. She was a recipient of the 2014 Telly Award for Social Responsibility. Most recently, she was inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her contribution to Michigan media.
Never afraid of a challenge, Lazarus swam the Straits of Mackinac to raise money and awareness for Mentor Michigan. Each fall, she climbs from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other and back again. For her athletic accomplishments, she was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and speaks across the country on the importance of adding courage and adventure to your life. An avid motorcyclist, she was named Michigan’s Ambassador of Motorcycle Safety. Extremely active in community and charitable organizations, Lazarus serves on multiple boards and is President of Kids Kicking Cancer.
Lazarus graduated from Kalamazoo College, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts and the University of Bonn in Germany. She holds two master’s degrees in political science and journalism, and speaks five languages. The College looks forward to welcoming Lazarus back to her alma mater, where she double majored in political science and German.
Convocation marks the start to the 2022-23 academic year and formally welcomes first-year students to campus. President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Provost Danette Ifert Johnson, Dean of Admission Susanne Lepley and Dean of Students J. Malcolm Smith will also address attendees. Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00 will provide an invocation. All students, families, faculty and staff are invited to attend.
Marianne Chan is the author of “All Heathens,” the book selected for the Class of 2025’s Summer Common Reading.
Kalamazoo College’s first-year students will take an important first step in connecting with each other and with faculty and staff when the 2021 Summer Common Reading author visits campus this week.
Marianne Chan is the author of All Heathens, which was the winner of the 2021 Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award in Poetry and the 2021 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry. She will participate in a book reading and signing with students on Thursday and a student colloquium Friday morning at Stetson Chapel.
In her 2020 book, Chan navigates her Filipino heritage by grappling with notions of diaspora, circumnavigation and discovery by revisiting Magellan’s voyage around the world. The author’s poems have been published in Michigan Quarterly Review, Cincinnati Review, West Branch, Rumpus and elsewhere. From 2017 to 2019, she served Split Lip Magazine as its poetry editor.
Chan grew up between Stuttgart, Germany, and Lansing, Michigan, before earning a Bachelor of Arts in English from Michigan State University. She went on to study poetry at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts. She now lives in Cincinnati with her partner, Clancy, and her cat, Bella, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in English and creative writing at the University of Cincinnati.
Chan’s appearance at K will cap the Class of 2025’s experience with the Summer Common Reading program, which connects the K community in conversations about their book. Frequently, the author returns in four years to speak at the class’s Commencement.
Learn more about K’s Summer Common Reading program at the First-Year Experience website.
Kim Osborne ’93 served as the chief communication adviser at the end of Operation Enduring Freedom.
A Kalamazoo College alumna, who served as the chief strategic communication adviser in Kabul, Afghanistan at the end of Operation Enduring Freedom, will deliver the keynote at K’s Convocation on Thursday, September 9.
Kim Osborne ’93 will help welcome 394 first-year students to the campus as the College opens the 2021-22 academic year at 3 p.m. on the Quad. The annual event serves as the first of two bookends to the K experience with the other being Commencement. President Jorge G. Gonzalez and Provost Danette Ifert Johnson also will address attendees. Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00 will provide an invocation.
Osborne was the highest-ranking civilian communication adviser to the Afghan National Security Forces. She is a trusted adviser to U.S. and foreign governments, multinational corporations, international nongovernmental organizations, top-tier universities and large nonprofits. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Myanmar at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement in 2018. In 2016, Osborne was an invited speaker at the NATO Strategic Communication Centre of Excellence in Riga, Latvia, where she addressed military and diplomatic leaders from NATO partner nations about how best practices from the commercial sector can be applied in military and diplomatic missions.
Osborne currently is a full professor and the director of the Center for Leadership Development at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California, the U.S. Defense Department’s premier school for culturally based foreign-language education. Elsewhere, she is on the faculty of the University of Georgia’s College of Education, where she teaches graduate-level courses in leadership and organizational development.
In further involvement, Osborne serves multiple professional and nonprofit organizations. She is a past board member to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, and serves as a founding strategic adviser to the Ethiopian Diaspora Fellowship. She also is a local board member and disaster services responder with the American Red Cross and has responded to several natural disasters including the recent California wildfires, Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.
All students, families, faculty and staff are invited to attend Convocation.
