Category: Institutional Announcements

Kalamazoo College Announces 2025 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

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Kalamazoo College will welcome Jody Olsen, former director of the Peace Corps and former trustee of the College as its keynote speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 15, at 10 a.m. on the campus Quad.

Olsen is a lifelong leader in international service and education, known for her decades-long commitment to global engagement, public health, and cross-cultural exchange. She began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia (1966–68) and held multiple leadership roles within the agency, including acting director; deputy director; chief of staff; regional director, North Africa, Near East, Asia, Pacific; and country director in Togo.

Olsen was nominated to be the director of the Peace Corps in 2018 and served in this role until 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally, Olsen made the unprecedented decision to evacuate all 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers from 61 countries and successfully orchestrated their safe return to the United States. She then developed a comprehensive reentry plan for volunteers to return to service. During her tenure, Olsen launched the Virtual Service Pilot Program, opened a new Peace Corps program in Vietnam and re-opened service to three countries in which Peace Corps had previously served. She also championed global women’s economic empowerment and led Peace Corps HIV/AIDS mitigation efforts in Africa.

Outside of the Peace Corps, she has served as a visiting professor and founder of the Center for Global Education Initiatives at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, where she led interdisciplinary global health projects. Her other leadership roles have included senior vice president of the Academy for Educational Development; vice president of Youth for Understanding, a national student exchange organization; and executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, the organization that administers the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program.

A former trustee of Kalamazoo College (2010–18), Olsen currently serves on several nonprofit boards, including as co-president of Women of Peace Corps Legacy, chair of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation Advisory Board and chair of the Board of Visitors for the College of Education, University of Maryland. Her memoir, A Million Miles: My Peace Corps Journey, was published in 2024.

Olsen received a B.S. from the University of Utah, a master’s in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Ph.D. in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park. Among her honors, she received the University of Maryland President’s Award in 2021, two honorary doctorates and a teaching fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School. 

Olsen will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kalamazoo College.

Additionally, an honorary doctorate of humane letters will be presented to another individual who has been a champion for independent higher education, Ronda Stryker.

Stryker is a member of the Board of Directors for Stryker Corp., the medical equipment company founded by her grandfather, Homer Stryker. She also serves as the vice chair of Greenleaf Trust and vice chair of Spelman College’s Board of Trustees.

A stalwart champion of access and equity in higher education, Stryker began her career in public school special education. Her subsequent service and generosity in support of independent higher education has been recognized by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) with their 2018 Award for Philanthropy for her work with Kalamazoo College, Spelman College and her alma mater, University of Northern Colorado, among other schools. Her giving has funded scholarships, endowed faculty chairs and capital campaigns at these institutions.

An emerita trustee of Kalamazoo College, she served on the Board for 28 years and co-chaired the Campaign for Kalamazoo College under President Emerita Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran. She has supported the College with her philanthropy, time and advocacy. Among other investments in K, she established the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement in 2001, named for her grandmother.

Portrait of 2025 Commencement Speaker Jody Olsen
Jody Olsen, a former director of the Peace Corps and Kalamazoo College trustee will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Commencement on Sunday, June 15. She also will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the College.
Ronda Stryker
Ronda Stryker will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the 2025 Commencement for her work as a champion of independent higher education.

At Spelman, Stryker supported renovations to its historic Sisters Chapel, established the Gordon-Zeto Center for Global Education and in 2024 bestowed upon the college a transformational gift for student scholarships and other critical strategic needs.

Stryker also has provided philanthropic support that has had a profound impact on Kalamazoo-area organizations, including a gift to help establish the WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in 2011. She is a strong advocate for the benefits of diversity and her philanthropic interests are focused on the empowerment of women and support of non-traditional student enhancement programs at colleges and universities.

Stryker received her B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and her M.A. from Western Michigan University. Her honors have included an honorary doctorate from University of Northern Colorado and a YWCA Lifetime Women of Achievement Award.

For more information about the commencement ceremony, including a full schedule of events, please visit our website.

Six New Heyl Scholars to Attend K in 2025–26

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Six Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields will attend Kalamazoo College in the 2025-26 academic year as Heyl scholars.   

The Heyl Scholarship Fund was established in 1971 through the will of Dr. Frederick Heyl and Mrs. Elsie Heyl. Frederick Heyl was the first chemist at The Upjohn Company, later becoming a vice president and the company’s first director of research. When he retired in 1945, he had contributed scientifically to about 80 research papers and patents while also teaching chemistry at Kalamazoo College. He maintained a lifelong passion for science and education and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from K in 1937.     

Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance.    

This year’s K recipients of the scholarships and their high schools are:   

  • Methmi Amaratunga​, Portage Central and the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC)  
  • Stephanie Castillo​, Kalamazoo Central  
  • Eiden Jonaitis​, Loy Norrix and KAMSC 
  • Dewen Luo-Li​, Portage Central and KAMSC 
  • Gwendolyn MacEwen​, Portage Central and KAMSC 
  • Kaljona Thanmanavar​, Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC 
Eight students chosen as Heyl scholars for 2025-26
The 2025 Heyl scholars include (back row from left) Fiona Braun, Kaljona Thanmanavar, Margaret Winter and Gwendolyn MacEwen. Front row from left: Stephanie Castillo, Eiden Jonaitis, Methmi Amaratunga and Dewen Luo-Li.

Two additional Heyl scholars—Fiona Braun​ of Loy Norrix and Margaret Winter of Parchment and KAMSC—will attend the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing. 

Kalamazoo College’s Brighter Light Campaign Raises Over $200 Million

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Campaign exceeds $190 million fundraising goal

The Brighter Light Campaign, Kalamazoo College’s largest-ever fundraising campaign, has come to an end, raising a total of $203,236,489 from more than 16,500 donors.

Launched publicly in 2021, the campaign originally set out to raise $150 million to support “Brighter Opportunities, Brighter Minds, and Brighter Experiences” for K students through scholarships, faculty support, funding for study abroad and other curricular and co-curricular experiences, athletics and campus improvements.

In 2023, the College received an anonymous $30 million gift in support of residential life and student success programs—the biggest single gift commitment in the institution’s history. With the announcement of the gift, the College marked its 190th anniversary by expanding its campaign goal to $190 million—a goal the institution has successfully surpassed.

“I am so profoundly grateful to the thousands of members of the K community and beyond who have given so generously to the Brighter Light Campaign,” said President Jorge G. Gonzalez. “This historic achievement—the largest fundraising effort in K’s history—shows that our community believes in the exceptional education that Kalamazoo College delivers to our students. The campaign’s success will support the College in implementing its strategic plan and enable K students and alumni to bring a brighter light to the world—today and for years to come.”

With gifts ranging from $5 to $30 million, generous alumni, parents and friends, along with numerous foundations and corporations, were instrumental in strengthening K’s ability to improve student experiences and campus facilities. Some of the funding highlights include:

  • More than $81 million in scholarships to help K create Brighter Opportunities for more students, regardless of need.
  • Investments in Brighter Minds—including five new and augmented endowed faculty chairs, faculty development funds, and endowed support of experiential learning centers and programs—to ensure K’s tradition of exceptional undergraduate teaching and mentorship continues.
  • Gifts for athletics and arts programs, along with support for several critical campus projects, including construction of the natatorium, renovations to Stetson Chapel, modernized classrooms, and a new roof for Dow Science Center—that are helping to create Brighter Experiences for K students.  
  • More than $89 million for the College’s endowment, providing vital support not only for today, but for generations of students to come.

Karen Isble, vice president for College Advancement, shared, “The success of the Brighter Light Campaign has been the result of the efforts of many colleagues—current and past—and countless hours by the dedicated volunteers who help us engage alumni and encourage giving each year. Today, we celebrate the thousands of K alumni and friends who have chosen to invest in Kalamazoo College through their philanthropy.”

Kalamazoo College announced Monday that it had raised more than $200 million in the Brighter Light Campaign.
President Gonzalez speaks at the Brighter Light Campaign celebration
President Jorge G. Gonzalez speaks at the Brighter Light Campaign celebration.
“The opportunities here are endless and extraordinary scholarship is expected, encouraged, and most importantly, supported,” President’s Student Ambassador Max Rhames ’25 said at the Brighter Light Campaign event. “While we have seen the numerical value of your philanthropy here today, the ultimate return on investment is incalculable.”

K Joins Network Focused on First-Generation Student Success

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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.
First-Generation Student Success Panel at Orientation
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.”

Kalamazoo College Invites Alumni to Share Career Experiences in National Survey

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Kalamazoo College will soon be reaching out to thousands of alumni about their career preparation at K and their subsequent career pathways.

The College has partnered with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market data, to conduct the National Alumni Career Mobility Survey (NACM), which will be open from October 15 through December 15, 2024. Alumni will receive an email with a personalized invitation and link to participate. While the sender will say Kalamazoo College, the sender address will say kalamazoo@qumailserver.com. Don’t worry, it’s not spam—it’s safe to open and respond!

The project is being led by the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) and the Division of Advancement.

“We know our graduates go on to be successful in a variety of industries, and many credit K for helping them get their start,” said Valerie Miller, director of the CCPD. “We want to capture that bigger picture with quantitative data and find out what we are doing well and what we can do better to advance future K students’ career-readiness.”

The survey, which will take around 10 minutes to complete, is completely confidential. Data is shared with the College in aggregate and will be benchmarked with data from graduating peers across the nation.

Retirees may notice that the tool asks questions about a graduate’s “current” job. Would-be participants may reflect on their most salient or recent career experiences as they answer these questions.

“This survey is a really important tool to help us understand the career pathways of our alumni and improve how K prepares our students for future success,” said Alumni Engagement Director Suzanne Lepley. “These insights will also help us demonstrate the impact of a K education to prospective students and their families.  

“Alumni sometimes ask about ways to give back to the College that can have an impact but don’t require a huge time commitment or a monetary contribution. Sharing your insights through the NACM survey is a great way to support current and future students, and it only takes a few minutes.”

Alumni who did not receive an email can also access the survey through this survey link through December 15.

Graphic says National Alumni Career Mobility Survey Powered by Lightcast

About Lightcast

  • Lightcast provides trusted global labor market data, analytics, and expert guidance that empowers communities, corporations, and learning providers to make informed decisions and navigate the increasingly complex world of work. With a database of more than one billion job postings and career profiles, our team provides best-in-class customer service with robust data, clear analysis, and expert guidance on skills, jobs and opportunities.  
  • Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and Moscow, Idaho, Lightcast is active in more than 30 countries and has offices in the United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, and India. The company is backed by global private equity leader KKR. For more, visit www.lightcast.io. 

College Raptor Honors K as a Gem for Academics, Athletics

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For the second year in a row, Kalamazoo College has been selected as a Hidden Gem by College Raptor, a planning platform that helps students and families find college matches driven by algorithms to find their best-fit schools at the best price.  

This selection—which places K among the top 15 institutions in the Great Lakes Region of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana—recognizes the College as one of the best in the country based on a combination of factors including retention rates, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratio, endowment per student, selectivity and other key metrics as reported through the National Center for Education Statistics. 

“For students seeking the enriching experience of a smaller college with exceptional programs, institutions like K emerge as prime options, and we are honored to spotlight them with the recognition they genuinely deserve,” College Raptor co-founder and CEO William Staib said. 

College Raptor also ranks K 11th in the country among 25 Hidden Gems for Division III athletics. To qualify for either list, an institution must receive fewer than 5,000 applications per year, have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students, offer at least five unique majors and have an acceptance rate of at least 10%. 

College Raptor’s full methodology is outlined on its website. 

Stetson Chapel in fall for College Raptor story
College Raptor places Kalamazoo College among the top 15 institutions overall in the Great Lakes Region of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, and rates K 11th nationally for opportunities in Division III athletics.

Princeton Review Ranks K Among Best Colleges

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The Princeton Review has once again placed Kalamazoo College among the top 15 percent of America’s four-year colleges and universities by featuring K in the 2025 edition of its annual guide, The Best 390 Colleges.  

The education services company selects its list from the nation’s 2,600 four-year institutions based on data it collects from administrators about their academic offerings and surveys of students who rate and report on their experiences.   

Students lauded K through surveys as a place where they develop personal relationships with their peers and faculty at a campus run by and for the students. In addition, students can quickly find their niche upon arriving thanks to a small-school environment where “everyone is always engaged in some kind of work they truly care about,” the book says.  

The Best 390 Colleges does not provide individual rankings for the schools featured, but compliments K for its offerings.  

Princeton Review Best Colleges Graphic shows Light Fine Arts Center
The Princeton Review is rating Kalamazoo College among the best in the country in the book “The Best 390 Colleges.”

“We salute Kalamazoo College for its outstanding academics, and many other impressive offerings,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of The Best 390 Colleges. “We recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.” 

The College is also listed among Princeton Review’s Best Midwest Colleges and Best Value Colleges.  

The printed publication is now available through the Penguin Random House website. K’s profile is available for free online along with the list of the 390 top schools. 

Track and Field Returns to Kalamazoo College

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For the first time since the early 1980s, Kalamazoo College will offer a track and field program for student-athletes beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.

Both men and women will compete in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association indoor (winter) and outdoor (spring) seasons. Cross country coach Kyle Morrison will also serve as the head coach of track and field.

“Reinstating the track and field program after almost 45 years of absence feels like a huge accomplishment in itself, but this is just the start of a very exciting time for Kalamazoo College cross country and track and field, as well as the athletics department as a whole,” Morrison said.

Director of Athletics Jamie Zorbo ’00 said K will hire an additional athletic trainer and an assistant coach, but there are no plans to build a track or other facilities to support the sport. K will rent Western Michigan University facilities for practices, and meets will take place at other schools. If the College would ever host an event, it would rent facilities from WMU or possibly a high school such as Kalamazoo Christian.

Morrison and Zorbo expect the new sport to attract new students to K.

“There are several instances each year where students have been interested in coming to Kalamazoo College and participating in one particular sport and track and field,” Zorbo said. “They typically have gone elsewhere because we haven’t offered track and field for many years. We feel there’s an opportunity to bring in those students and students who want to compete solely in track and field as well.”

Morrison said some recruiting work has already started.

Graphic of hurdles on a track reads, "Coming to K, 2025-26: Track and Field"
Men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field will bring Kalamazoo College’s total number of varsity athletics teams to 22 beginning in 2025–26.

“The buzz of the program’s reinstatement is growing among high school coaches in the Midwest,” he said. “We would typically bring juniors to campus in the late spring after watching them at indoor and outdoor competitions, and then build interaction throughout their senior years with additional visits and the application process at the beginning of their senior year. We have five C’s that we want to see in our prospective student-athletes: character, communication, commitment, consistency and common-sense decision making. We’ve grown the roster for cross country from nine to 45 the last four years and I think we will have great success with a full track and field coaching staff and strong momentum.”

Men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field will bring K’s total number of varsity athletics teams to 22 along with men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis, in addition to baseball and football for men, and volleyball and softball for women.

“I’m excited for Coach Morrison because this is something he’s been very passionate about bringing back to Kalamazoo College,” Zorbo said. “He’s built a strong cross country program that continues to get better. I’m excited to see him spearhead the revival of the track and field program at Kalamazoo College. I believe it will enhance our athletic department while elevating the recruitment of student-athletes for all programs.”

Morrison thanks the task force that vetted the proposal for track and field over the past year and a half including Sports Information Director Steve Wideen, then-Director of Admission and current Director of Alumni Engagement Suzanne Lepley, Dow Distinguished Professor in the Natural Sciences in the Department of Physics Jan Tobochnik, Associate Vice President for Development Andy Miller ’99 and Director of Gender Equity Tanya Jachimiak, along with Zorbo, Provost Danette Johnson and President Jorge G. Gonzalez for their support and belief in the vision.

“Getting to this point took some considerable time and effort,” Morrison said. “When I came to K five years ago, I talked about this being a big opportunity for K athletics and the College as a whole. I believe that this will bring several more students to campus each year. It is not uncommon for Division III schools to attract multiple-sport student-athletes and track and field is another great reason my colleagues and I can provide students to come to K. I want to bring student-athletes who excel in the classroom and compete at the highest level in their events.”

Suzanne Lepley Named Next Director of Alumni Engagement

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Kalamazoo College is pleased to announce that Suzanne Lepley has been named the next director of alumni engagement, effective July 1. She succeeds Kim Aldrich ’80, who will be retiring in June after more than 40 years at the College, 17 of those in the Office of Alumni Engagement.

Lepley will be an integral member of the senior Advancement team responsible for planning and implementing a comprehensive engagement strategy that deepens alumni involvement, nurturing and strengthening their connection to the College. In this role, she will also lead the Office of Alumni Engagement and provide guidance, counsel and support to the College’s Alumni Association Engagement Board (AAEB) and other volunteer alumni groups.

Lepley currently serves as the dean of admission at K, where she has played a key collaborative role in shaping strategies and long-term goals for the College’s enrollment. As a member of the Admission team for 26 years, Lepley has recruited thousands of students to K, making personal connections and demonstrating a passion for student success and engagement.

“Suzanne’s deep institutional knowledge, as well as the many relationships she has built across the K community, will enable her to provide excellent support to our alumni base. Most of the students she has recruited during her time at K are now alumni, and I’m excited she’ll be able to continue cultivating relationships with them that will build lifelong connections to the College,” said Vice President for Advancement Karen Isble.

“I am incredibly excited to be able to continue to serve the K community in a meaningful and impactful position that will allow me to reconnect with so many alumni,” Lepley said. “I look forward to hearing their stories and helping them find opportunities to engage with the College and with our amazing students.”

Lepley holds a B.A. in political science from Western Michigan University and has served on numerous professional and community boards and committees, including Colleges that Change Lives, the Michigan College Access Network, Ministry with Community, Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center selection committee and the Bread and Roses Alternative Childcare Center.

A profile on Kim Aldrich celebrating her retirement will appear in the Fall issue of LuxEsto.

New Director of Alumni Engagement Suzanne Lepley
As the director of Alumni Engagement, Suzanne Lepley will plan and implement a comprehensive engagement strategy that deepens alumni involvement, nurturing and strengthening their connection to the College.

Kalamazoo College Trustees Elect New Board Chair

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The Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Jody Clark ’80 to become chair of the Board effective July 1, 2024. She succeeds Si Johnson ’78 who has served as chair since 2019.

A retired commercial real estate executive, Clark has been a member of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees since 2014 and currently serves as vice chair. She has served on the Buildings and Grounds, Compensation, Finance, Investment, and Executive Committees in various leadership roles.

“Jody has a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to Kalamazoo College,” said K President Jorge G. Gonzalez. “As an alumna and a longtime trustee, she deeply understands the College’s mission and is well-positioned to help guide the institution through its next chapter.”

“I’m honored and humbled to accept the role of chair of the Board,” said Clark. “I am excited to collaborate with the Board of Trustees, President Gonzalez and the entire college community in guiding our institution toward continued success and impact for generations to come.”

Portrait of Board of Trustees Chair Jody Clark
Jody Clark ’80, a retired commercial real estate executive, has been elected chair of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees.
Portrait of S. Si Johnson
Si Johnson ’78, a retired Stryker executive, had served in the role since 2019.

A retired Stryker executive, Johnson has served on Kalamazoo College’s Board of Trustees since 1996. During Johnson’s tenure as Board chair, the College has executed its five-year strategic plan, Advancing Kalamazoo College, embarked on The Brighter Light Campaign, the institution’s largest fundraising campaign to date with a goal of $190 million, and navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Si has been an engaged and dedicated leader throughout his time on the Board,” said Gonzalez. “He served as Board Chair during one of the most disruptive and difficult global events in recent history, and his leadership assisted K in continuing to meet its strategic objectives, despite the challenges. I am deeply grateful for his support and service.”