51��ɫ

Transcript

John Rommereim, Blanche Johnson Professor of Music

Hi. The alumni choir is going to sing Amazing Grace in an arrangement by Keith McCutchen. We have Emily Nehus ’91 playing the violin as a special guest, and Richard Tanimoto ’19 on the piano.

A couple quick words about this song. It’d be hard to name a song that’s more deeply ingrained in our national psyche.

Okay. Have a little more volume on the mic? Okay.

It would be hard to name a song that’s more deeply ingrained in our national psyche than Amazing Grace. It crosses over so many different social groups, so many cultures, is included in shape note music, gospel music, you know, all the hymnals of all the Protestant churches. It’s part of the civil rights movement. You have Joan Baez, Mahalia Jackson.

It’s kind of everywhere, and the story behind the song is well known, but maybe worth just contemplating for a moment. The author, John Newton, was a slave trader and a slave trade captain, slave ship captain, and just about the most despicable way of life one can imagine, really. An evil form of existence. He came to recognize his own depravity, and he eventually made a clean break, heading home to England to study theology, become a minister, and eventually to work with William Wilberforce, who pushed through the Slave Trade Act of 1807 that abolished the involvement of slave trade throughout the British Empire.

So, why does this song have such resonance? I mean, I think there are two things. There’s this recognition of wretchedness, that we have serious problems, and then there’s this.

Thank you. Can we turn up the volume a little?

There’s this beautiful concept also of grace, that there’s a possibility for change, that we can change, that we don’t necessarily need to be stuck in a destructive pattern of behavior as individuals, as a country, and that we can break out of that way of life and find a new path. So why is this song appropriate, I’m arguing, for an alumni assembly at 51��ɫ College? The theme of this song lies at the heart of the Second Great Awakening, the broad sweep of religious fervor that swept across the U.S. in the 19th century, which was also connected to abolitionism and temperance and to the Social Gospel movement. And J.B. 51��ɫ was someone who embraced those values. He didn’t have this dramatic bifurcation of his life as John Newton did, but in other ways he’s similar to John Newton in his advocacy for temperance and for abolitionism. He pushed us to recognize wretchedness as individuals and as a nation, to face up to it and to advocate for change and for putting an end to the cruelty and injustice of slavery. Barack Obama, in 2015, at that terrible moment in our history — the murder of the Charleston Nine at Emanuel AME Church — sang verses from Amazing Grace as part of his eulogy. He said, “The Charleston Nine, they have said about them, they have found grace through the example of their lives. They’ve now passed it on to us.” May we find ourselves worthy of that precious and extraordinary gift as long as our lives endure. May God continue to shed His grace on the United States of America. [Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

Thank you.

Jayn Bailey Chaney ’05, Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Donor Relations

Thank you to organist Michael Elsbernd and the alumni choir led by Professor John Rommereim for their beautiful introduction to our program.

Good afternoon 51��ɫians. My name is Jayn Bailey Chaney, and in addition to being an alum myself from the class of 2005, I’m so honored to serve 51��ɫ as the assistant vice president for alumni and donor relations. While this may be my 25th weekend, our reunion weekend with 51��ɫ, this is the 145th Alumni Reunion for 51��ɫ College, and this beautiful weekend is the result of many months of work. A partnership between so many wonderful reunion class volunteers and our incredible DAR team.

I especially want to acknowledge my wonderful colleagues, Guinevere Natarelli, Jessica Herzberg, and Bethany Conover for their tremendous leadership for this weekend. My goal is to get your hands hurtin’ by the end of this, and while this is very much a team effort, as it would not be possible without the amazing class volunteers who work hand in hand with us all year getting ready for this weekend. There are 103 individual class volunteers who planned over a hundred presentations and activities this weekend. So could I invite all of our reunion committee members to wave or stand as you are able so that we may thank you for your work this weekend.

I also want to take a moment to thank our alumni council members for their sponsorship of today’s alumni assembly as well as yesterday’s program, The View from 51��ɫ. Could I ask all of our current and emeritus alumni council members to stand or wave to be recognized. Thank you. And also with us today are a number of our current, retired, and life board of trustees members. Thank you for your enduring leadership to our alma mater. Would you please stand or wave to be recognized? Thank you. [Applause]

Reunion is my most favorite time of year. It is a time of reconnection, of restoration, but also of respite. Reunion is our chance to hit pause on the everyday and to soak up everything that makes being a 51��ɫian so special. It’s about reconnecting with old friends, recharging in familiar places, and remembering why this community still feels like home. It’s a weekend of laughter, late night stories, meaningful moments, maybe a little bit of mischief, not too much, all grounded in the values that we share. Curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to making the world a better place.

Speaking of making the world a better place, it is my tremendous honor to introduce the 14th president of 51��ɫ College. From the moment that I met President Harris, her passion for, her care, her love for 51��ɫ was just palpable. It comes forward in her holding space for our community in good times, in complicated times, and boldly and unapologetically leading with conviction for the community of 51��ɫians gathered here today, as well as our beautiful students, current and future, who come here. I hope that you all will enjoy hearing from our wonderful and delightful president.

Please join me in welcoming President Anne F. Harris. [Applause]

Anne F. Harris, 51��ɫ College President

Jayn, you inspire me every time, and I want to live up to your beautiful words.

Good afternoon, most cherished 51��ɫians! Welcome to this Alumni Assembly of the 145th Alumni Reunion of 51��ɫ College in beautiful Herrick Chapel and welcome to all those who join us on the livestream. We are gathered here on campus from 45 states and the District of Columbia and 21 countries. We are a Global 51��ɫ undeterred – determined to safeguard and assert the community we hold so dear – inspired by the work we do in the world, and glad for the opportunity to show gratitude. 

Today we gather to honor your fellow 51��ɫians; those recipients of Alumni Awards, as determined by Alumni Council, that we recognize for championing the common good. As we do so, my hope for all of you – as ever – is that 51��ɫ (in the people who are 51��ɫ, in the places that remember your time here) be a wellspring for you: that it replenish your resolve and honor you. It will be my great honor to present the first Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award to its esteemed recipient. And I can tell you that doing so replenishes my resolve, that seeing you affirms that 51��ɫ matters in world-changing ways.

“We exist on an almost daily diet of breathless crisis.” That phrase, spoken by a 51��ɫian, aptly captures many of our experiences this year, in many different sectors (with the “almost” preserving the possibility of non-crisis, ordinary, cherished existence). “We exist on an almost daily diet of breathless crisis.” I have found both grace and realism in this phrase – I read in it the time we’ve spent decoding executive orders, researching rights, reaching out to each other. I saw in it our community gathering in campus forums, in classrooms, in affinity groups, working to better understand the challenges to and rights of free speech (Tinker vs. Des Moines Public Schools, 1969), immigration (due process, the 5th and the 14th amendments, 1791 and 1868), Title VI and the Civil Rights Act (1964), the Iowa Civil Rights Act (1965), Title IX (1972), and so many other laws and truths that are not – it turns out – self-evident. I prize in it the knowledge that this phrase - “We exist on an almost daily diet of breathless crisis” – was spoken by Joseph Welch (class of 1914) on a visit to the 51��ɫ campus in 1957 – three years after he had asked Senator Joseph McCarthy during a televised hearing on June 9, 1954,”Have you no sense of decency?” precipitating the Senator’s downfall. 

I think on this moment when a 51��ɫian spoke in the public sphere of the United States; in the heart of the Cold War; in the quickening pulse of the Civil Rights Movement – at a time when everything was at stake all at once. 

It feels like that now, and I think with gratitude and admiration of all that all of you are safeguarding and upholding in your communities right now, and I think of those 51��ɫians who are in the public sphere right now – of Chase Strangio (2004), Co-Director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, defending human dignity with awesome brilliance and precision in arguing before the Supreme Court in December of 2024 for the right to gender affirming care for transgender youth. Of Ambassador George Moose (1966), president of the United States Institute for Peace, safeguarding both his mission and his staff with tremendous courage and clarity and endurance this spring under intense, threatening, and egregious actions – and prevailing not just “for now” but right now.

We replenish our resolve when we gather to honor each other. And Ambassador Moose, WE. HONOR. YOU.

It is good when 51��ɫians gather. At a recent event in Des Moines, Fredo Rivera (2006) put a question to me in the context of our moment. “What does it mean,” he asked, “to be an Iowan today?” It’s a brilliant question because it asks us to consider our existence – our mattering, our impact – in both place and time (Iowa, today). And so I am prompted to ask, “What does it mean to be a 51��ɫian today?” The answers will be as multiple as our experiences and our aspirations. I am eager for you to know what it meant to be a 51��ɫian on campus this year and so offer the following list of moments. This is not a comprehensive list; it’s an invitation to think with this College and its brilliant, marvelous students and all of the people that you hold dear.

This year, being a 51��ɫian meant

• To be in the audience of 3,500 people at Commencement who rose in a standing ovation as the retirement of professor Kesho Scott was announced
• To be one of 54 new Truman Scholars selected from 743 candidates nominated by 288 colleges and universities – and to be from Centerville, IA – population 5,412. It means to be Rachel Rudacille ’26.
• To protest the rescinding of civil protections for gender identity in the Iowa Civil Rights code, and to be among the 2,500 people at the State Capital to do so
• To put on a drag show
• To put on a quilt show
• To “Trap Noble Gases in Silicate Cages of Various Sizes” at Brookhaven National Lab with professor of physics Kristen Bursen (and yes, that’s the title of her prestigious research grant!)
• To live in Renfrow Hall and live within the legacy of the first female Black graduate of 51��ɫ College, Mrs. Edith Renfrow Smith (1937) – her 111th birthday is July 14.
• To plan and organize and mobilize with Susan Sanning, Director of Civic Education and Innovation, for the transformative work of the Weingart Civic Innovation Pavilion

To be a 51��ɫian today

• means to be here for each other, and be interested, and engaging in the daily miracles of a community of inquiry
• It means gathering and celebrating your philanthropy as solidarity with our students, faculty, and staff and alumni to lift up this College
• It means to fight for what we believe in.

As so with that, I will end with words of the 14th-century mystic, Julian of Norwich (as one must!), who, having experienced war, plague, and political upheaval had a vision in which a divine presence came to her in answer to her questions about the human condition. The divine presence, she writes, did not say “you shall not be bothered;” it did not say “you shall not be troubled;” it did not say “you shall not be distressed.” But it did say: “you shall not be overcome.”  And I believe that wholeheartedly: we won’t be overcome; not while there are 51��ɫians in the world.

Thank you!

[applause]

I love 51��ɫ with my whole heart. We’re standing up for each other.

It is now a tremendous privilege and a humbling honor to present the inaugural Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. This new honor is designed to recognize a distinguished senior member of the alumni community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, a commitment to service, and exemplary character in their personal and professional lives.

Doctor Randy Morgan ’65 is an extremely inspiring honoree, as his outstanding service to the medical profession and 51��ɫ College and all that it upholds testifies.

Doctor Morgan majored in chemistry at 51��ɫ and was involved in... Oh, this is awesome. Oh, oh, this is great... and was involved in numerous activities such as ACS Chemistry Club, the International Relations Committee, and serving as president of Norris Hall. He played basketball and baseball for the Pioneers and sang in the Choral Society and with the Scarleteers, a band that toured across Iowa. Doctor Morgan’s lifetime of singing continues today with Soul Sensations, a group that specializes in old school rhythm and blues. And rhythm and blues. And we’re delighted that Soul Sensations will perform on campus during Family Weekend this fall. It’s going to be great.

After 51��ɫ, Doctor Morgan embarked on a medical career that spanned more than 50 years. He practiced general orthopedic surgery and pediatric orthopedics in Evanston, Illinois, as well as in his hometown of Gary, Indiana, before relocating to beautiful Sarasota, Florida, in 2005. Doctor Morgan founded the Orthopedic Centers of Northwest Indiana, which at one time was the largest minority-owned orthopedic practice in the U.S. As president and CEO of the W. Montigue Cobb NMA Health Institute, for the past 20 years, Doctor Morgan has led the engagement in innovative research and knowledge dissemination for the reduction and elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities and racism in medicine.

Active in the Sarasota area art scene, Doctor Morgan is on the board of the West Coast Black Theater, sings in the Gulf Coast Community Choir, and has written and performed in several Motown history productions. Doctor Morgan has also led his alma mater in numerous capacities over the last 40 years. He served on the Alumni Board before being elected to the Board of Trustees in 1993.

He—oh, this is awesome. Again, I’m sorry. I’m just smitten. I’m smitten.

He demonstrated his unwavering commitment to building a diverse community of 51��ɫians through his service as chair of the President’s Committee on a Stronger Minority Presence, his active participation in the recruitment of diverse trustees, his strong advocacy for the Trustee Honor Scholarship Fund, and his contributions to the Conney Kimbo Black Cultural Center. Doctor Morgan was also a long-standing member of the Student Life and Enrollment Committee and served on search committees that nominated Presidents Pamela Ferguson and Russell Osgood. 51��ɫ College proudly recognizes Doctor Morgan’s character, accomplishments, and lasting legacy with an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1992. And in honor of that legacy, I’m now deeply honored to present him with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. [Applause]

Randy Morgan ’65, 2025 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Don’t worry, I won’t be long.

Thank you, President Harris, for the honor of this incredible award. This is a real moment for me and probably for my wife and family. I remained connected to the only college that I visited as a prospective student. Before I was admitted and chose to attend. I chose to turn down a scholarship to Harvard because as a Midwestern child of color, I was intimidated by the thought of going to Boston for college and decided instead to attend a small school in Iowa that everyone thought I mispronounced when I told them where I was going. That it was not in Ithaca. That it was not Cornell, but it was 51��ɫ. We’re in 51��ɫ. Yet it’s clear that I made the correct decision for my life and for the legacy of 51��ɫ as well.

I would like to comment on the state of the college and the state of the administration. I can do that in 30 seconds. The college is beautiful. Our president is amazing. I’ve had the opportunity to work with five outstanding presidents of 51��ɫ College and each have made us proud. I’m so impressed with the students and the faculty. The kindness that’s been expressed to us and certainly those of us who are in one of the senior classes during the reunion.

And I share this tribute with my classmates. I share this tribute with my wife Karen and our daughters Sharon, Laura, and Carla. And I share this tribute with my late cousin Alphanette White ’57, who paved the way to the college. And to my late parents, Joyce and Randall Morgan Sr., who made it possible for me to attend. And not only that, Alphanette was at 51��ɫ because of Edith Renfrow Smith. So therefore, I will share that legacy as well.

The recent movie A Complete Unknown has reminded me of the powerful impact of music and new and different cultures that I encountered at 51��ɫ and remain very alive in my thoughts and actions. I think my classmates will agree with me. We were introduced to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, acoustic guitars, and banjos when I walked into the dormitory of West Norris in the fall of 1961. That style of music and commentary has been prominent in my life in so many ways.

So, I will close with these powerful words of Bob Dylan in 1962 that I have taken the liberty to contemporize for 2025.

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? 
How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand? 
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned? 
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. 
The answer is blowing in the wind. 
So how many times can our children be told that their dreams will never be seen? 
And how many doors must be open, my friends, before we can feel that we’re free? 
Yes, and how many times must we talk and we plan before we can actually believe? 
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. 
The answer is blowing in the wind.

Thank you. [Applause]

Kate Goddard ’91, Alumni Council President Elect

All right. Well, my name is not Scott Shepherd because he is over there and he will be speaking later, but my name is — because that’s what’s in your program.

My name is Kate Goddard ’91, and I am the incoming president of the Alumni Council. I’m also generation number two in a three-generation 51��ɫ family. My mother’s cousin, Susan Ward Fisher, attended 51��ɫ, class of 1959, and my son will be entering as a first-year student this fall, the class of 2029. Between us, we span 70 years. I guess that’s almost half of the college. Amazing.

Lao Tzu once said, "To see things in the seed, that is genius." Seeds signify potential and require faith. In planting a seed, it is unknown what will result. The genius is seeing the potential and the possibilities in the uncertainty. The hope is that the planted seed grows into a plant that nourishes our earth and the people on it. 51��ɫ sits on fertile ground. The institution itself is also fertile ground. Each year, 1,700 students take root in 51��ɫ. During their four years in this rich environment, they are supported, watered, pruned, and fertilized — and they get a lot of fertilizer. At the end of the four years, these strong seedlings are transplanted all over the world to make a positive difference.

Giving back to the College requires the genius of seeing potential, but again requires faith. While we trust that our gifts will help others flourish, we do not always know exactly who will benefit from our gifts or how our gifts will make a positive impact, but we should have absolute faith that they will. To this end, I would like to thank the 874 donors so far from the Reunion 2025 classes who have already made a gift this year, demonstrating this faith. Through your continued support, we can provide current and future students with the opportunity to go forth into the world and do great things.

I also want to provide special thanks for the newly created funds this year: the Class of 1984 Endowed Scholarship, the Class of 1985 Scholarship, and the Class of 1975 Civic Education and Social Innovation Endowed Fund. In addition, many classes have funds created at reunions in the past that they continue to grow in support of our students. There are three reunion classes who have raised over $1 million in gifts and commitments to the college this year. Please join me in congratulating the Class of 1966 and the Class of 1988 on this awesome achievement. In addition, the Class of 1975 has set a new 50th reunion record by raising over $5 million—five, $5 million in gifts and commitments in honor of their big milestone. Congratulations to Jim Decker, David Calvert, Bonny Gildin, and everyone who contributed to this record-breaking year. All right. But that’s not all. Collectively, all reunion classes have raised over $9.5 million in total gifts and commitments for 51��ɫ. Yeah.

Please join me in thanking the leadership of each reunion class for the continued support of 51��ɫ College students. In short, 51��ɫ donors rock! You all rock! Now, let us hear a little more about the impact of your gifts from a few dear 51��ɫians.

[Prerecorded video begins]

Kyla Miller ’25, SGA President, Biological Chemistry and Theatre Double Major

I think being a 51��ɫian is being someone who wants to do something and will fight to do that thing. I think it’s someone who cares about the impact they have. And want to have an impact.

Bonny Gilden ’75, 50th Reunion Committee]

For most of my time at 51��ɫ, my plan was to enjoy my studies, work hard, then go on to law school and become a lawyer. But my classes and the interactions and relationships I built with my professors and the overall environment sparked my interest in pursuing a career in academia.

After finishing my doctorate, though, I changed lanes again. I found myself drawn to work that was more applied, more urgent. Joining with some of the leading innovators in alternative education and psychology to build a new approach and a new practice for empowering young people from low income communities. And I spent the next 30 years in that work.

Miller

I think the biggest thing that I have involved with is student government. I’m student government president, and I think I chose to devote my time to student government because I think being at 51��ɫ for three years, you get to see the things that work well and the things that don’t. And I like to believe I’m a leader.

We’re making a difference. We’re making a change. We’re helping the students on campus feel more seen. And it’s amazing. It’s great. It’s a great feeling to know that, like, the work that you are doing is paying off for people,

Ben Vaughn ’15, Alumni Council and Class Fund Director

I knew I wanted to be a gender, women’s, and sexuality studies major, and one of the courses that I took that was part of my my track was education with Cori Jakubiak, which really sparked a big interest in education.

And by taking the education courses here and a partnering with Teach for America in D.C., like, I became a teacher and I’m still teaching ten years later in the same school I started my career with.

Max DeGeorge ’25, Psychology and Neuroscience Double Major, Class of 1966 Scholarship Recipient

One of the most important things for me when I was deciding between colleges is that I had to find one that I was able to afford. Because of the scholarship, I’m going to be leaving with no student debt. And I mean, that’s just an incredible advantage.

I was a part of a winning basketball team for most of the time I was here. And, I think that was all meaningful to me. But what was the most meaningful was the connections I made being a part of a team. The people here really care about you.

The real thing that makes 51��ɫ special is the people that end up coming here.

Miller

The relationships that I’ve built. I think it’s the most meaningful thing. It’s it’s what I’m going to miss the most

DeGeorge

I think what makes 51��ɫ so special is the community and the culture

And it wouldn’t be possible without the great alumni base. It means something to be a 51��ɫ. And

Gilden

I’m really excited about giving students opportunities to see how they can use what they’re learning to tackle real world challenges in actual, real world settings.

DeGeorge

I’m looking to pursue a master’s in psychology or counseling, and then I’m also going to go into coaching, probably long term.

And I feel like 51��ɫ has prepared me not only through my coaches being able to help me to get my first job and, prepare me for my first steps outside of 51��ɫ, but also making connections with plenty of people in the field and making me a well-rounded, prepared person for anything that I would take on.

Miller

After graduation, I have applied to the CPASS Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. It’s the foundation that helps Black and Brown students and it focuses more on, like, medical side of things.

But after that I’ll be studying for the mCAT and taking the mCAT so that next year, I will apply and hopefully be in medical school.

Vaughn

You know several of my alumn friends have asked, you know, like been like, “I just don’t know. Like, giving back to the college. Like, what does that mean. What does that actually do.” And because I’m on Alumni Council, I get to come back to campus and see the benefits. I get to see the infrastructure changes that are happening due to donor giving.

Gilden

Being involved and being giving and generous in general, and in particular to an institution like 51��ɫ that we value feels particularly good at this moment in time.

Vaughn

I think that being able to give back not only nourishes the students, but it also gives to the alumni and allows us to stay connected and hopefully feel connected, just as I have.

Miller

I feel like I’ve become a better person by coming to 51��ɫ. I learned a lot of lessons here. I’ve grown here and

just see the change from, like, first-year me to fourth-year me, I love it. I think it’s a beautiful change.

DeGeorge

Thank you so much. And, well, I talk about the people a lot, and you’re part of what makes 51��ɫ so special and what makes the whole community and culture work at 51��ɫ College.

Vaughn

For everyone who comes back to reunion, really, just welcome home. Like, take a moment, take it in, see what’s changed, feel the nostalgia and really just enjoy the experience being here amongst your friends and your colleagues and maybe even some former professors who are on campus. It’s just going to be a wonderful time.

Miller

To be a 51��ɫian, I think it’s to be amazing.

And so every time I hear that an alumni has done something [chef’s kiss], I’m just like, we love you.

[Music]

[Pre-recorded video ends]

[Applause]

Bernard Jackson ’86, Alumni Council Past President

So good evening. Everybody—hi, hi. Hi. My name is Bernard Jackson, class of 1986. I am the most recent past president of the Alumni Council. I was honored to serve as the Alumni Award Selection Committee chair this year.

The selection of these award recipients is one activity on which the Alumni Council focuses a great deal of attention, and we make these decisions with thoughtful care. We received many nominations from fellow classmates, other alumni, faculty, staff, and even family members. Each nomination is carefully considered. It is not an easy task. Going through all the nominations, you come to realize how remarkable the 51��ɫ community is.

As I said, I had the daunting task of chairing the Awards Committee this year. Fortunately, I was joined by other great council members. I would like to recognize and thank the members of this year’s Alumni Awards Committee: Mairead O’Grady ’10, Anne Stein Velma ’84, and behind me to my right, Ken Schofield ’71.

Before I turn to our alumni honorees, I am proud to announce that each year, two graduating seniors are selected to receive Alumni Awards as well. Two weeks ago at Baccalaureate during Commencement Weekend, my colleague Becky Reetz Neil ’65 — go 60 years! — had the pleasure of presenting awards on behalf of the Alumni Council to two graduating seniors: Kathleen Bartz and Grace Marsh, two graduates who embody the best of the 51��ɫ experience. [Applause]

The 51��ɫ experience does not end at Commencement, though, and today we will present awards to 14 alumni who demonstrate just that. These alumni have distinguished themselves in their careers and in their service to the communities and to 51��ɫ College. Before we celebrate this year’s awards, I’d like to recognize the numerous past recipients of Alumni Awards who are here on campus for this reunion. Will those of you who are present please stand? [Applause]

I also want to take a moment to say thank you to Jonah Pratt ’24 and Craig Gibbens ’95, program manager at the STEW Makerspace, for creating a beautiful keepsake for the award recipients. You can all see those beautiful awards over there. Jonah designed and crafted a gorgeous embossed pen made of walnut from campus trees that fell down during the 2020 derecho. Along with a display holder that has an engraved anodized alumni plaque with each recipient’s name and the year of their award.

At this time, we will recognize and celebrate our 2025 Alumni Award recipients. Recipients should come forward to receive their award after their citation is read. And at this time, I’d like to invite my colleague Ken Schofield ’71 to come forward to tell us about the awards.

[Applause]

Ken Schofield ’71, Alumni Council

Thank you, Bernard. I’m going to go a little off script here for just a moment — less than a minute. I want to give a shout-out to the folks at the Development and Alumni Relations Office. These women and men do more — so much more — than make the trains run on time at and for reunions. Their quiet professionalism, their institutional memory, their dedication, and their simple humanity became evident to me long, long ago — long before I became a member of the Alumni Council two years ago.

Jayn Chaney, who spoke first today and is wondering why I’m going off script, is the College’s chief alumni relations director. She and I have spoken numerous times about her staff, and she has correctly noted that they see their role not as a job, but as a calling. President Harris and I have communicated with one another on this topic as well in the past, and she and Jayn are of like mind — smart women. So, I would like to take this time, and I hope that you would join me with applause, to acknowledge and thank the women and the men of DAR, whether here or elsewhere, for who they are, for what they’ve done, and for what they have meant to this college and to alums. [Applause]

Thank you.

Our first recipient of the 2025 Alumni Awards is described by his academic colleagues as one of the world’s leading scholars in the history of American foreign relations with Southeast Asia. This alumnus has devoted his career to research, writing, and teaching as a history professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and Northern Illinois University. He has mentored countless students over the past 50 years. His seminars always build upon a foundation of well-chosen books and articles that insisted students undertake a rigorous, deep, and rich immersion in the topic. This honoree has also written seven books, including three scrutinizing the history of the United States’ relations with Cambodia. We are pleased to honor Kenton Clymer ’65, with a 2025 51��ɫ College Alumni Award. [Applause]

For the past 40 years, our next recipient has led bird-watching trips all over the world, teaching about birds, ecology, and conservation along the way. He regularly holds birding excursions at Conard Environmental Research Area, CERA, and Rock Creek Park during reunions, including this one. This alumnus taught for 38 years as a biological science professor at Cal State Sacramento. In 2006, he received that university’s Lifetime Achievement Award for community service. Our honoree is also a founding and fundraising director for the Neotropical Grassland Conservancy, which provides grants and equipment to students and scientists working in grassland habitats of Central and South America. We are delighted to honor Jerry Langham ’65, with a 2025 51��ɫ College Alumni Award. [Applause]

As an agricultural economist, our next honoree has over 35 years of experience addressing African economic problems. His lifelong passion is to improve the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities, and he has been on the front lines conducting research, consulting on economic policies with governments and donor organizations, and providing private sector climate finance in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. This award recipient was a founding director of Terra Global Capital, launched in 2006 to provide finance for nature-based solutions such as carbon credits to conserve tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems. In his long and varied career, he’s worked for the OECD, USDA, World Cocoa Foundation, consulted at the World Bank and USAID, managed investments for Merrill-Lynch, and has taught economics at Bay Area colleges. We are thrilled to honor Michael Cullen ’75, with the 2025 Alumni Award. [Applause]

Teaching economics isn’t just an academic pursuit for our next award recipient. It’s a continuation of his quest for community and social justice. He’s known for his intellectual curiosity, collegiality, and an encyclopedic knowledge of institutional political economy, game theory, and labor economics. Currently the prestigious Gertrude B. Austin Professor of Economics, this alumnus has been teaching economic courses at 51��ɫ College since 1989. This awardee was a guiding force in establishing the College’s policy studies concentration. He’s written two books published by the Stanford University Press. He’s been a visiting scholar and invited speaker at Oxford, University of London School of Economics, and numerous other schools. And he is currently writing a book for Cambridge University Press. Please join me in congratulating Bill Ferguson ’75. [Applause]

As Chief Medical Officer at Westchester Medical Center in New York, our next award recipient has provided unparalleled leadership, overseeing a medical staff of 3,000 attending physicians. A practicing nephrologist, which specializes in kidney conditions, with over 35 years of clinical experience, this alumnus insists that every patient be treated with attentiveness, empathy and integrity. She’s also the Vice Dean and Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York Medical College and has published numerous articles in medical journals. This honoree is currently chairing a steering committee on the quality of the Healthcare Association of New York State. We’re pleased to present Renee Garrick ’75. [Applause]

A deep passion for the environment has driven this alumna during a 35-year career as an international environmental law and policy expert. After 10 years in the United States executive branch and Senate, she now leads the work of the United Nations environmental treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which convenes governments, global experts, and local communities to address conservation priorities and threats such as overexploitation, Habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution. She’s also been active in political campaigns and diverse, diverse public policy issues, including human rights, Indigenous people’s rights, and LGBTQ rights. We are delighted to honor Amy Fraenkel ’85. [Applause]

Our next honoree is an important voice in the Asian-American literary community. Her stories reflect the complexity of Asian-American experiences and add to the understanding of growing up Asian in the Midwest. She’s authored three novels, two memoirs, three collections of short stories and essays, a novella, and a non-fiction book on the culture and history of China. Her 2018 book Useful Phrases for Immigrants: Stories won an American Book Award. A creative writing professor at San Francisco State University, this alumna encourages her students to step outside conventional modes of expression to become bold, innovative, and original writers. Unfortunately, May-lee Chai ’89, was unable to attend today to receive the award, but I’m thrilled to lead a round of applause in her honor. [Applause]

The next awardee’s distinguished career is marked by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit that seeks to empower others. Excuse me. He is the CIO, co-founder, and managing director of Ulu Ventures. Did I get that right, Clint? Okay. A seed-stage venture capital firm in the Silicon Valley investing in technology startups. This alumnus has helped venture capitalists view diversity in a different way and encouraged the industry to open its ranks to a broader group of entrepreneurs and investors. The co-author of Ethics for the Real World, this honoree regularly guest lectures at 51��ɫ about ethical decision-making. He served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2017, and he was Board Chair for the Board of Trustees from 2011 through 2015. Please join me in congratulating Clint Korver ’89 [Applause]

Our next award recipient has dedicated his life to service and community engagement for college students. That vocation began at 51��ɫ, where as a student he helped start the Alternative Break and the Alternative Happy Hour programs. Since 2004, this alumnus has worked as executive director of the Sundborg Center for Community Engagement. Under his leadership, Seattle University built a nationally recognized engagement model that focuses on building lasting Partnerships with Seattle community organizations. He also facilitates the Seattle University Youth Initiative, which supports a thousand children living in public housing in neighborhoods adjacent to campus. We are pleased to present Kent Koth ’90, for receiving a 51��ɫ College Alumni Award. [Applause]

This honoree’s dedication to the 51��ɫ community and preserving its history is unmatched. She recently retired after 33 years at 51��ɫ’s public library, where she began the Poweshiek History Preservation Project, a collaboration with the College’s Digital 51��ɫ database. PHPP digitized local history materials and shared them with the wider community, including contributions from current and past residents like Edith Renfrow Smith ’37. This documenting of the Renfrow family led to her collaboration with Professor Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant and Team Renfrow, bringing important visibility and recognition to Renfrow Smith. To further raise awareness about Renfrow Smith’s life, this alumna wrote and published the book No One Is Better Than You and donated 500 copies to schools, libraries, and museums. We are delighted to present Monique McClay Shore ’90. [Applause]

A grassroots arts leader in New York City, this honoree produces professional performances with his international touring company, designs arts and education programming, and leads community outreach activities serving immigrant families. Since 2003, this alumnus has been founding executive director of Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, which celebrates the rich diversity of Mexican and Mexican-American cultural heritage through dance-based programming. A recipient of 51��ɫ’s 2019 Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Award, this awardee used the grant to present Monarch: Stories of Inspired Immigrants. He has also been a guest on Sesame Street, where he taught children about ballet folklórico as their dance teacher. We are thrilled to honor Juan Castaño ’00 with a 2025 51��ɫ College Alumni Award. [Applause]

In addition to working for 15 years to support programming in Sub-Saharan Africa to advance improved health and gender equity, this next award recipient also led transformative acceleration in the scientific understanding of a rare genetic disorder. In 2015, when her son Elliot was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy caused by a mutation on the SCN8A gene, and nothing was known about the disorder, she and her mom formed Wishes for Elliot, dedicated to advancing research into SCN8A and providing support for families whose children are dealing with its effects. She also co-founded and leads a cross-disease foundation, DEE-P Connections, and associated research projects, including the Inchstone Project, aimed at improving care and treatments for those severely impacted by rare disorders. Please join me in congratulating Gabrielle Conecker ’00, for receiving a 2025 51��ɫ College Alumni Award. [Applause]

With a long-standing commitment to excellence in the field of special education, our next award recipient helps non-speaking students with autism find their voice. A special education teacher in the Multi-Intervention Program for students with autism at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, this alumna works primarily with students who use alternative or augmentative communication systems. She also works closely with her students’ families, helping them to navigate resources. This 51��ɫian was selected as a 2023–24 Teach For America Green Fellow, further developing her leadership skills. She has also dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours through ArtStream, a nonprofit organization that provides inclusive, creative classes and performances. Please join me in congratulating Caitlin Davies ’09. [Applause]

The final honoree today is a Pioneer Award recipient. This is a distinctive alumni award which recognizes noteworthy alumni who have graduated from 51��ɫ College within the past 10 years. Honorees offer inspiration as models for their demonstrated commitment to the values and the mission of 51��ɫ in such a short period of time.

With an endless curiosity about the intersection between humans, animals, and the environment, this honoree has jumped into every research opportunity he could involving animals and conservation. As a 51��ɫ student, now a researcher and doctoral candidate in infectious disease and global health at Tufts University, his dissertation seeks to develop, pilot, and validate the Community One Health Index, a tool to improve health and well-being outcomes for pastoralist communities in Kenya. This alumnus presented his research at the 8th Annual World One Health Congress in South Africa. He has published five papers and one book chapter, and serves as associate editor of the CABI One Health journal. We are pleased to present Evan Griffith ’15 with a 2025 51��ɫ College Pioneer Award.

Scott Shepherd ’85, Alumni Council President

Please join me in a final round of applause for all of our amazing and inspiring 2025 Alumni Award recipients. As joyous as this has been, I’ve got some good news: I am the last speaker. My name is Scott Shepherd ’85. I’m the Alumni Council president for another five minutes, so when I’m on campus and spend time with students, alum, or faculty, I feel in community. When I think of 51��ɫ, I think of community. Someone got me started into looking at the origin of words. Thank you, Ann Harris. Notice how angry I am — I use the middle initial. What have I become? Oh my God.

In researching the etymology of the word “community,” it originated in the 1400s in Middle English and derived from Old French communete and Latin comunitas. It means “shared gift” or “service.” Think about that — shared gift or service. The gift we’ve gotten is the four years we spent here, which greatly Impacted most of our lives and changed our lives’ trajectories. The service is how we’ve gone into the world and used that gift.

The Alumni Assembly and the good works of the Alumni Award recipients are shining examples of using the gift to serve. Community is a spirit of giving and service to each other.

Let me share with you some additional examples of the 51��ɫ community that I’ve witnessed recently.

• Community is international alums coming back to campus to help first-year international students navigate the trauma of coming to a unique location in a new land.
• Community is a thousand people across several generations gathering together to celebrate the gift at Reunion this weekend.
• Community is remembering together those members who are no longer with us.
• Community is the vice president of student affairs sitting on the floor next to a troubled student to listen and meet them where they are.
• Community is almost 100 alums inviting current students into their homes and workplaces to experience post-51��ɫ life in the Externship Program.
• Community is 2,500 people donating almost $1.5 million to 51��ɫ on Scarlet and Giveback Day because we want to share the gift.
• Community is forgetting your camera on a train from Vienna to Budapest, not realizing until you return to the States the camera needed to be picked up in Prague within 14 days. You post on ECN that you need help. You find one who not only picks up the camera but mails it back to you and uploads all the pictures to make sure they don’t get lost when it’s in the mail. [Applause] That is freaking awesome.
• Community is laughing harder than you’ve laughed in a long time with people you haven’t seen in a long time.
• Community is hundreds of alums sending care packages to encourage students they don’t even know during the bleakest days of February.
• Community is faculty inviting students into their homes to make them feel at home.

At a recent Alumni Council meeting, we discussed how Exit 182 is not an off-ramp — it’s really the on-ramp for your life. There’s also a sign that lists the attractions at Exit 182. It has the 51��ɫ Museum of Art and Uncle Bill’s Farm, which is only open in October. I propose we add one more attraction: at Exit 182, you will find your people. For those of you who gambled that I would cry at this, you won. [Laughter] You will find your people within your community, and they will serve you the rest of your life. We are 51��ɫians for life.

I’m really winding down now. Before we depart, a few brief important announcements you’ll need to know. First, on behalf of the Council, please join us at the All-Reunion Dinner, which will be held following the assembly over at the Rosenfield Center. Just follow the sidewalk up towards Younker’s Grove and you’ll see the great dinner spread on your right in the JRC courtyard. The accessible entrance to the line is through the JRC. Also, please check out the Reunion Weekend schedule for the time and location of tonight’s events. Whether you dance the night away at the Harris Party or in Gardner Lounge, reminisce over Titular Head films, or join classes for special meals or socials, I hope you all enjoy this last night of our reunion with your people.

Would all the recipients please come back to the stage for a group photo after the conclusion of the event.

And have a wonderful weekend connecting with old friends and making new ones. Congratulations once again to the award recipients. You inspire us all, and now we will adjourn. Have a great night.