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.”
Jody Clark ’80, a retired commercial real estate executive, has been elected chair of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees.
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.”
For the sixth time in seven years, Kalamazoo College has been named a Top Producing Institution for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
The recognition, publicly unveiled today by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, was given to the colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2023–24 academic year.
K can claim 11 Fulbright representatives overall, including seven who count toward U.S. Student Program numbers. Those seven place the College among the top 20 U.S. Student Program referring baccalaureate institutions in the country. K’s representatives and their host countries are Natalie Call ’23, Denmark; Samuel Kendrick ’23, Uzbekistan; Kanase Matsuzaki ’23, Jordan; Rachel Cornell ’22, Ecuador; Anna Dorniak ’20, Poland; Nat Markech ’21, South Korea; and Garrett Sander ’19, Mexico.
In addition to the seven in the U.S. Student Program, three K representatives—Vincent DeSanto ’23, Ben Flotemersch ’23 and Sean Gates ’23—were selected for an Austria U.S. Teaching Assistantship through Fulbright. Plus, Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92 was a U.S. Scholar Program selectee who worked in Australia, where she collaborated with faculty at the University of Wollongong to develop curriculum that better prepares K students for study abroad there.
“This has been another extraordinary year for Fulbright awards at K,” President Jorge G. Gonzalez said. “Although it’s great for us, I am particularly excited about the impact that these opportunities will have on our graduates and the people from around the world who they will meet during their fellowship year.”
Many candidates apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as graduating seniors, though alumni may apply as well. Graduating seniors apply through their institution. Alumni can apply as scholars through their institution or as at-large candidates. K is the only college in Michigan to earn the top producer distinction in the bachelor’s institution category.
“The College’s repeated presence on the Fulbright Top Producers list speaks to the extraordinary success K students have forging overseas connections while seeking to make a difference abroad,” Center for International Programs Executive Director Margaret Wiedenhoeft said. “Our dedicated faculty and staff will continue to empower students like this year’s honorees while ensuring K’s dedication to international immersion.”
Fulbright, the federal government’s flagship international exchange program, is funded through an annual appropriation, from the Department of State. Host institutions, participating governments, corporations, and foundations worldwide also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries.
Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 students from a variety of backgrounds have participated in the Fulbright Program before returning home with an expanded worldview, a deeper appreciation for their host country and its people, and broader professional and personal networks.
“As a diplomat, I’m proud of the Fulbright Program because it supports changemakers and fosters global cooperation on issues of shared importance,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a congratulatory letter to the College. “Fulbrighters strive to make the world a better place in classrooms and countries worldwide. Kalamazoo College’s designation as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution clearly demonstrates your dedication to promoting global engagement and mutual understanding among the peoples and nations of the world.”
Natalie Call ’23
Kanase Matsuzaki ’23
Rachel Cornell ’22
Nat Markech ’21
Ben Flotemersch ’23
Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92
Kalamazoo College’s 2023-24 Fulbright representatives include seven U.S. Student Program honorees, three Austria U.S. Teaching Assistants and one U.S. Scholar Program selectee.
Over the past 35 years, the business and economics department at K has grown from one part-time business professor to a popular business major with several full-time faculty.
One constant over that time has been Professor Timothy Moffit ’80. Moffit took on that part-time business professor role in 1989 as a one-year sabbatical replacement, and other than a couple short breaks in the first few years, he has been teaching students at K ever since.
As Moffit approaches retirement this spring, a group of alumni—both classmates and students of Moffit’s—have established a scholarship in his honor. Given to students for the first time in the 2023–24 academic year, the Dr. Timothy Moffit ’80 Endowed Scholarship in Business has already raised $175,000 from a small group of donors. The goal is to increase that total to at least $300,000, which will provide $15,000 to scholarship recipients majoring in economics and business every year, forever.
The honor speaks to Moffit’s commitment to the classroom and his students, to business within the framework of the liberal arts, and to his department and the College as a whole.
Love of learning has kept Moffit in the classroom for 35 years.
“That’s what brought me to K, and that’s what’s kept me at K,” Moffit said. “As a teacher, you never stop learning, and I tell my students that you never really learn a subject until you teach it. I find that enchanting because I love learning.”
Moffit’s belief—supported by what he hears from former students—is that his classroom has been rigorous, demanding, and full of experiences and applications that bring meaning to theory.
“Many students who go to grad school say, ‘Boy, your classes are tougher than my grad school classes.’ The rigor and the toughness are not for the sake of being tough. It’s out of excitement for the material. I want to learn—let’s learn!—so I’m fairly demanding in terms of what we learn and how we learn. I think for a lot of students, it’s incredibly rewarding. Once they’ve graduated from K, they’re like, ‘Wow, in the workplace, I really do know how to do these things. I can accept this challenge, because I was beat up by Moffit,’” Moffit said with a laugh.
As Professor Timothy Moffit approaches retirement this spring, some alumni have established a scholarship in his honor.
Donate to the Moffit Endowed Scholarship in Business
Moffit’s approach to teaching and continued influence inspired Gary Lewis ’00 to help fund the business scholarship. Lewis is founder and managing partner of Aquila Equity Partners, and Moffit serves as an advisor to the company.
“For so many of us, Dr. Moffit helped to foster an unmatched passion for business, accounting and finance,” Lewis said. “Not only did he provide us with a rigorous academic foundation, but he also taught us the tenacity, big-picture thinking and real-world pragmatism which is so critical for being successful.”
Aaron Ries ’06, another contributor to the scholarship fund, applied lessons learned from Moffit’s classes in his first post-K job with the investment banking company Jefferies. Today, as the company’s co-head of leveraged loan sales and trading, Ries credits Moffit for having played a significant role in his life.
“Tim had an outsized positive impact on my mindset, approach, education, and as a result, my career,” Ries said. “And he did it one lesson, one interaction, one test at a time. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious. That type of compounding at the individual level, at first daily, then over years, and now decades, is so valuable.”
Jeremy Ardshahi ’25, a business major with a political science minor, took two accounting classes with Moffit before becoming one of the first recipients of the scholarship.
“The classes were not easy, but I really liked Dr. Moffit as a teacher,” Ardshahi said. “When we would get stressed out about the work, he would take us off topic a bit, make us laugh, and then bring us back on topic, and that worked well to keep the class learning. The course work is definitely not easy, but it’s rewarding, and he makes it a lot more fun than it could be.”
As a student, Moffit loved the liberal arts experience, taking many English classes in addition to religion, philosophy and history. (He met his wife, Kimberley Yull Moffit ’82, when she tutored him in French.) As a professor, he appreciates how business pulls from many disciplines, including communication, psychology, mathematics, history and philosophy.
“I took a lot of different types of classes, and I have used them extensively, both in my business career and also in my teaching of business,” Moffit said. “I try to integrate all of these because they’re important in business. You need to bring all those skill sets into play to be effective.”
Moffit is proud of how the business department has grown and flourished during his tenure, and he is loyal to the school itself. When he first came to K as a transfer student, Moffit “fell in love with the school immediately, and I have been in love with it ever since. That’s why I came back, because I had such great memories of learning and the community.
“The campus is lovely, the study abroad makes this place special, and the students are unique. They have this entrepreneurial flair about them, whatever discipline they may be interested in. That is true throughout the ages.”
Moffit felt a calling to teach when he was young, and taught Sunday School classes in high school and piano lessons in college. After graduating from K, he taught English in Japan for two years, earned an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College, and worked in investment banking for about six years before taking on his first teaching position at K.
“Teaching is my passion, business is my profession, and I marry the two in the classroom,” Moffit said. Yet after 35 years, it’s “just time” to retire, Moffit said. “I have a lot going on and a lot of outside interests.”
He owns three local businesses with his son—Kalamazoo Kettle Corn, Heilman’s Nuts & Confections and a medical supply company. He also sits on the board of Delta Dental as well as other boards.
“I have a new grandson; I’m a granddad,” Moffit said. “There are just so many things I want to do. I want to go fishing and hunting and take my grandson fishing. I’ve done this for a long time, I think I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish, and I’m ready to move on.
“I’ll miss the classroom for sure, but this doesn’t mean I’ll stop teaching.”
Moffit also intends to do what he can to help make the scholarship in his name successful.
“I was just a poor dirt farmer kid,” he said. “The school really supported me and helped me get through. I didn’t have the money to go here, but they found a way for me, and I would like to help create that same opportunity for others. I have a soft spot in my heart for those first-generation students, or the kids from these little schools that don’t have educational opportunities, let alone life opportunities like traveling abroad and seeing the bigger world. If this scholarship in any way can help students who need help to have that experience, that would be phenomenal.”
“I would 100 percent need to have a job if I didn’t receive the scholarship,” Ardshahi said. “If I were working and playing sports and going to class, I would have a lot more stress in my life. Knowing that the fund is dedicated to someone who has taught me and is still teaching at the school makes it more personal, too.”
In this way, Moffit’s commitment to teaching, to business and the liberal arts, to K and its students, will continue long after his upcoming retirement.
“This scholarship is a well-deserved and fitting tribute for someone who has given so much to the K community and deeply impacted numerous K students’ lives over the last 30-plus years,” Lewis said. “I’m very grateful for his life-long mentorship and wish him and his family nothing but the best in their next chapter.”
Moffit is excited about what the scholarship could do for students at K.
“It’s a huge honor, of course, that students would establish this in my name,” Moffit said. “Usually, you do that when someone dies. I’m not there yet. I’m still teaching, even. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to make this a substantial scholarship for students who want to study business, and that would be great. I want it to be about students and outcomes. It’s not about me.”
National publications continued to recognize Kalamazoo College as an outstanding institution of higher education in 2023. That reputation was furthered through the achievements of faculty, staff and academic departments, along with donors funding K’s Brighter Light Campaign. Here are the institution’s top 10 stories this year as determined by your clicks. You can also check out the top 10 stories from our students, faculty and staff, and alumni.
STEM-related academic departments are celebrating a banner year as the overall number of current students and alumni receiving National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellowships reached four in 2023, the most since 2016. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding students who pursue research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.
Angel Banuelos ’21, an NSF fellow, is attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin.
A Homecoming and Reunion Weekend tradition offered a twist this year by presenting a posthumous honor during the Alumni Association Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony. The College recognized 1861 graduate Rufus Perry, who is believed to be the first Black person to attend K, with the Distinguished Achievement Award, which celebrates graduates who have achieved distinction in their professional fields.
K alumni and friends recognized 1861 graduate Rufus Perry with the Distinguished Achievement Award, which celebrates graduates who have achieved distinction in their fields.
A web-based organization dedicated to helping students and families find their best-fit institution of higher education chose K as a top school in the Great Lakes region and a top destination for athletics among Division III programs nationwide.
To qualify overall as a Hidden Gem, 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 maintain an acceptance rate of at least 10%.
The life and legacy of a late professor emeritus are being honored by an anonymous donor, who established the Professor T. Jefferson Smith Memorial Scholarship. Smith taught at K for nearly three decades before retiring in 1994.
The late T. Jefferson Smith was a long-time beloved Kalamazoo College math professor and the driving force behind bringing change ringing and the English tower bells to Stetson Chapel.
K has four representatives in the 2022-23 U.S. Student Program, leading to the top producer honors for the fifth time in the past six years. K was the only college in Michigan to earn the distinction in the bachelor’s institution category.
Julia Bienstock ’22 earned Fulbright U.S. Student Program honors to spend a year in Spain.
The Princeton Review identified K as one of its Best Value Colleges for 2023 and ranked it No. 16 among the Top 20 private colleges where students have opportunities to make an impact.
The Princeton Review has named Kalamazoo College one of its Best Value Colleges for 2023 and ranked K No. 16 among the Top 20 Private Colleges for Making an Impact.
A storyteller and comedian with Broadway credits was the featured presenter at the 2023 Kafu Lecture. Katsura Sunshine is one of only a few living non-Japanese masters of rakugo, a 400-year-old tradition of comic-monologue storytelling in Japan. The event was cosponsored by K’s departments of Japanese, theatre, and anthropology-sociology, along with the Soga Japan Center at Western Michigan University.
Rakugo master Katsura Sunshine performed comedy within his storytelling in the 2023 Kafu Lecture.
Recipients of prestigious scholarships, student-athletes, members of national honor societies and students who received special awards were recognized in the annual Honors Day Convocation during the College’s Family Weekend.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Stephen Oloo (middle) and Professor of English Bruce Mills distribute awards to students during the 2023 Honors Convocation.
For 190 years, Kalamazoo College has graduated generations of enlightened leaders who have made an impact on the world. In October, the College was grateful to recognize a major contribution to that effort with the announcement of a $30 million gift from an anonymous donor—the largest single gift commitment in the College’s history.
No. 1 of our top 10 stories: President Gonzalez announcing a $30 million gift to the College from an anonymous donor.
Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Fall 2023 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for the Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group for Fall 2023.
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Fall 2023 Dean’s List.
Fall 2023
A
Shannon Abbott Amirat Adebiyi Fuzail Ahmed Maya Alkema Caleb Allen Randa Alnaas Mahmoud Alsafadi Altanshagai Altankhuu Fanny Alvarado Lana Alvey Farida Amini Zahra Amini Paige Anderson Eleanor Andrews Unayza Anika Michael Ankley Connor Anspach Madison Anspach Maya Arau Peyton Arendsen Kaelyn Arlington Alexandra Armin Emily Auchter Edith Aviles James Azim
B
Annalise Bailey Poppy Balkema Elizabeth Ballinger Evan Barker Ethan Barnes Brianna Barnes Shyane Barnes-Taylor Lena Barrett Gabriella Barry Joseph Basil Nathan Bauer Emma Becker Justin Beckrow Saniyah Bedell Conner Bell Shelby Bennett Aubrey Benson Jane Bentley Thomas Bentley Alexandrea Bernal Eleanor Bernas Jonah Beurkens Thalia Bills Katherine Black Henry Black Douglas Blackwood Preston Blanzy Axel Bodeux Lukas Bolton Alexandra Bonebrake Dylan Bonnett Jack Boshoven Sotirios Bougioukos Eleni Bougioukou Juliette Bournay Jaylen Bowles-Swain Yvette Boyse-Peacor Allison Bozyk Aerin Braunohler Jay Breck Chloe Briggs Avery Brockington Blair Brouwers Jonathan Brunette Chloe Bryant Jaden Buist John Bungart Leah Bunnell Victoria Burnham Ian Burr
C
Erendira Cabrera Isaiah Calderon Kennedy Campbell Eleanor Campion Olivia Cannizzaro Luis Castro-Limon Emma Caulkins Abigail Caza Daniel Celedon Ashley Chance Josetta Checkett Yongwan Cho Trustin Christopher Noah Chun Eva Clancy Thomas Clark Maya Clarren Kai Clingenpeel Mai Elise Code Madeleine Coffman Logan Coller Quinn Collins Courtney Cotter Cate Cotter Holden Coulter Lucy Cripe Maeve Crothers Gwendolyn Crowder Smith Chase Cummins Isabel Curtis
D
Erik Danielson Claire Davis Hillary Davis Jasmine Davis Zachary Dean Tara Dean-Hall Shruti Debburman Lillian Deer Carson Deines Jacquelline Del Raso Jair Delgado Enrique Delzer Lina Denney Olivia Depauli Maansi Deswal Zachary DeVito Devi DeYoung Alexander Di Dio Michaela Dillbeck Mariam Diouf Shane Dong Alexia Dowell Jordan Doyle Charles Doyle Isaac Duncan
E
Matthew Edwards Sally Eggleston Abigail Eilertson Sara Elfring Evelyn Ellerbrock Owen Ellis Marvin Ernst Dilynn Everitt Caleb Ewald Chad Ewing
F
Blake Filkins Bridget Finco Sara Finks Ava Fischer Morgan Fischer Vincent Fodale Robyn Foley Kirsten Formell Daniel Foura Hillary Fox Kinga Fraczkiewicz Emma Frederiksen Matthew Freels Landrie Fridsma
G
Dillon Gacki Lucy Gallagher Ethan Galler Ana Garcia Aliza Garcia Brynna Garden Grey Gardner Ingrid Gardner Roberta Gatti William Geiger Grace Getachew Maira Ghaffar Aidan Gillig Abigail Gilmore Georgios Gkolois Samuel Gladhill Laura Goia Maxwell Goldner Lukas Graff Cecilia Gray Natalie Greene Cameo Green Kaitlyn Grice Natalie Gross Fiona Guikema-Bode Kendra Guitar Oliver Gutierrez
H
Sophia Haas Marissa Haas Aiden Habboub Emily Haigh Blu Haney Alison Hankins Geneva Hannibal Abel Hansonbrook Madeline Hanulcik Rachel Harman Sophie Hartl James Hauke Isabelle Hawkes Pauline Hawkes Willow Hayner Jacob Hazlewood Zachary Heikka Megan Herbst Litzy Hernandez Sophia Herold Maya Hester Ashlen Hill Hadley Hilner Bijou Hoehle Jacob Hoffman Annika Hokanson Olivia Holmes Julia Holt Ronin Honda Jaelyn Horn Joseph Horsfield Tyler Houle Gavin Houtkooper Ethan Huebsch Alek Hultberg Megan Hybels Kennedy Hynde
I
Carson Ihrke Jasmine Ivy
J
Gloria Jackson Angela Jacobo Colton Jacobs Teddy Jacobson Kai James Rex Jasper Morgan Jenkins Halley Johnson Anne Catherine Johnson Cloe Johnson Johe Newton Johnson Hayden Johnston Zane Jones
K
Amalia Kaerezi Jessica Kaplan Eliza Karlin Samuel Kartes Isabelle Kastel Emilia Kelly Alyson Kemery Mphumelelo Khaba Harriet Khamisi Hibah Khan Hyunwoo Kim Dong Eun Kim Vivian Kim Lily Kindle Caleb Kipnis Kendyl Kirshman Claire Kischer Alexander Kish Kathryn Klahorst Noah Kleiner Mart Klenke Steven Kloosterman Melody Kondoff Maxine Koos Daniel Koselka Emma Kovacevic Julia Kozal Jason Krawczyk Jack Kreckman Molly Kreibich Loden Krueger Annabelle Krygier Clayton Kryszak Kieya Kubert-Davis Ealin Kubicki Laryn Kuchta
L
Rylee Lambert Olivia Laser Annmarie Lawrence Elijah Layne Grace Leahey Huin Lee Margaret Lekan Kelsey Letchworth Kael Lewicki Sage Lewis Luis Lizardo-Rodriguez Alex Lloyd Alondra Lopez Jose Lopez Bernal Grace Lounds Teresa Lucas Lee Lum Jacob Lynett
M
Ellie Mace Lauren MacKersie Brett Manski Lesly Mares-Castro Ana Marín Vintimilla Ariadne Markou William Martel Cassidy Martini-Zeller Isabelle Mason Hollis Masterson Virginia Matta Lillian Mattern Matthew Matuza Zachary Maurice Benjamin Maurice Cedric May Carter Mayne Lauren McColley Vincent McCollum Grace McGlynn Kira McManus Ethan McNertney Raven Medina Rachel Meston Eva Metro-Roland Estelle Metz Gabriel Meyers Allison Meyers Carter Miller Brittany Miller Ella Miller Jade Milton Gloria Mireles Lauren Mitchell Elana Mitchell Lina Moghrabi Jana Molby Jacques Monchamp Dylan Montross Eliana Moreno Wyatt Mortensen Sarah Morton Maren Mosher Lorelei Moxon Fadi Muallem Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier Claire Mullins Anna Murphy Madison Murphy Braden Mussat Ella Myers
N
Elias Nagel-Bennett Nailia Narynbek Kyzy Blagoja Naskovski Ryan Neihsl Chloe Nelund Robert Newland Nguyen Nguyen Vinh Nguyen Yen Giang Nguyen Joshua Nichols Theodore Niemann Dustin Noble Savannah Norman Will Norwood Haleigh Nower
O
Ileana Oeschger Amara Okoro Gabriel Olivier Alexander Olsen Reece Omodio Kevin Oneill B Osborne Aryka Ostroski
P
Chelsea Paddock Maren Palmer Astrid Parker Eleanor Parks-Church Hannah Parsons Rachael Pashturro Juniper Pasternak Eric Paternoster Audrey Pegouske Mia Pellegrini Isabella Pellegrom Kaitlin Peot Alex Pepin Addison Peter Maya Peters Noah Peters Margaret Peters Paige Peterson Indigo Philippe Mia Pierce Isabella Pimentel Madison Pisano William Plesscher Alex Plesscher Madelyn Portenga Bea Putman
Q
Suha Qashou Matthew Quirk
R
Elizabeth Rachiele Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci Leah Ramirez Sara Reathaford Emily Reece Liam Regan Lissette Reynoso Maxwell Rhames Claire Rhames Cody Rigley Sheldon Riley Narelle Robles Jocelyn Rodriguez Ash Rodriguez Olivia Roncone Amelia Rooks Luke Rop Brigid Roth Elizabeth Rottenberk Oliver Rubin Nathaniel Rulich Elliot Russell
S
Sophia Sajan Richard Sakurai-Kearns Abigail Samson Ryan Sanborn Leslie Santos Olivia Schleede Sophia Schlotterer D.J. Schneider Annika Schnell Cyanne Schuitema Arden Schultz Ava Schwachter Amalia Scorsone Keven Sedano Ordonez Jacinda Servantes Alison Settles Brendon Shaffer Morgan Shearer Tillie Sheldon Riley Shoemaker Cassidy Short Clara Siefke Mo Silcott Zachary Simmons Colby Skinner Dawson Skupin Maja Smith Grace Snyder Anoushka Soares Allison Sokacz Harry Spark Jonah Spates Ella Spooner Sophia Sprick Florian Stackow Marlee Standke Adam Stapleton Joseph Stein Taylor Stephens Molly Stevison Helen Stoy Donovan Streeter Abbygale Stump Drake Suggs Hannah Summerfield Kaleb Sydloski Brandon Sysol
T
Madison Talarico Levi Thomas William Thomas Minh Thu Le Jayden Thurmond-Oliver Emily Tiihonen William Tocco Jose Torres-Rios Phoebe Tozer Vincent Tran Vincent Tremonti Danielle Treyger Frances Trimble Maria Tripodis Joshua Troxler May Tun
U
Zachary Ufkes Hannah Ulanoski
V
Tony Vaisanen Anthony Valade Lucy Vandemark Hannah Vander Lugt Cameron VanGalder Cate VanSchaik Laila Vincent Madison Vrba Jessalyn Vrieland
W
Kaytin Waddell Ava Wagle Ipsa Wagle Annslee Ware Charles Wester Jack Wheeler Benjamin Whitsett Jay Wholihan Alicia Wilgoren Hannah Willit Siona Wilson Zoe Wilson Reagan Woods Maximilian Wright Emma Wrobleski
Y
Yan Yazhuo
Z
Jacob Zeller Sofia Zeller Maggie Zhu Rebecca Zoetewey Margaret Zorn Lee Zwart
An annual report released last month from the Institute of International Education (IIE) shows that Kalamazoo College remains among the top higher-education institutions in the country for study abroad opportunities thanks to student participation.
The Open Doors Report surveys more than 2,000 institutions including doctoral universities, master’s colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges, associate’s colleges and special-focus institutions, and ranks K 18th among baccalaureate colleges for having 233 students abroad in 2021-22. The College is also ninth among baccalaureate institutions across the country for the percent of undergraduates who went to international sites in the same year.
K students choose from 58 study abroad programs of varying lengths and emphases in 29 countries on six continents over three, six or nine months. The ventures allow students to challenge their assumptions about themselves and other cultures in a rigorous experiential education environment.
“It’s thrilling to see the College’s strong study abroad placement in the Open Doors Report as it reflects the strengths of our global programs, our commitment to international immersion, and our dedication to worldwide partnerships,” Center for International Programs Executive Director Margaret Wiedenhoeft said. “This is a solid showing, especially considering that programs in the period analyzed were still affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions. We’re proud that our faculty and staff remain resolute in continuing our long-valued tradition of ensuring overseas experiences for our students.”
Kalamazoo College students on study abroad pose outside the main building at the Universidad
de Extremadura in Caceras, Spain. Photo by Resident Director Victoria Pineda.
IIE shares the Open Doors Report yearly through the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The organization, founded in 1919, is a private, not-for-profit leader in the global exchange of people and ideas as it creates programs of study and training for students, educators and professionals from all sectors in collaboration with governments, foundations and other sponsors. Those programs include the Fulbright Program and Gilman Scholarships administered for the Department of State.
For more information on this report, visit the study abroad section of the Open Doors website.
President Jorge G. Gonzalez announces a $30 million gift from an anonymous donor—the largest single gift commitment in the College’s history.
Sophomore Blake Filkins and senior Darsalam Amir, representing K’s student-government organization at the announcement of a $30 million gift to the College.
President Gonzalez announcing a $30 million gift to the College from an anonymous donor.
For 190 years, Kalamazoo College has graduated generations of enlightened leaders who have made an impact on the world. Today, the College is grateful to recognize a major contribution to that effort with the announcement of a $30 million gift from an anonymous donor—the largest single gift commitment in the College’s history.
“This incredibly generous gift will be transformative for K,” President Jorge G. Gonzalez said. “It will allow us to launch several strategic initiatives that will enhance the College’s ability to fulfill its mission with distinction and prepare K graduates to bring a brighter light to the world. This gift will put us on the path toward creating the campus experience of the future and help us ensure every student at the College is positioned for success. We are so grateful to the donor for this extraordinary investment in K’s future.”
Primary among those initiatives is re-envisioning the residential experience and planning for future construction of a new residence hall on the College’s historic campus, as well as developing new programs to support student success, with a focus on first-generation students. In fall 2023, 30 percent of K’s first-year students were first-generation, as the College continues to expand higher education access for talented students of all backgrounds.
“To ensure equitable access to K for students who are among the first in their families to attend college, our responsibility extends beyond admittance—we must provide the resources that will see them through to graduation,” Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students J. Malcolm Smith said. “The resources—such as access to personal and professional networks, leadership development opportunities, and financial support to make the most of their college experience—that may be readily available to many college-bound students often don’t exist for first-gen students. Yet there are ways to ensure that those who need support can succeed and make a big impact on the world.”
The College will celebrate its 190th year by expanding the goal of the College’s Brighter Light Campaign from $150 million to at least $190 million by September 2024.
In conjunction with the gift announcement, the College is pleased to announce that it will celebrate its 190th year by expanding the goal of the College’s Brighter Light Campaign from $150 million to at least $190 million raised by September 2024, when the campaign concludes.
Since its launch in 2018, more than 15,000 alumni and friends have contributed to the Brighter Light Campaign, raising more than $180 million dollars with the addition of this latest gift to the institution. The campaign supports student access to every aspect of a Kalamazoo College education—from scholarship support to study abroad funding to internship and research stipends—and it has provided investments in the institution’s faculty, renovations to instructional spaces, athletic programming, and other aspects of campus life.
“Completing the last year of the campaign with the theme of ‘190 for 190’ is a fitting way to recognize both the enduring and evolving traditions of Kalamazoo College and celebrate this record-breaking campaign,” Vice President for College Advancement Karen Isble said. “While it’s always wonderful to achieve the philanthropic goals of a campaign, the most exciting and important aspect of any fundraising endeavor is making a tangible difference in the lives of our students, faculty and staff. This amazing gift, and the gifts from each of the 15,000 donors who have supported the Brighter Light Campaign so far, helps us do that and more.”
About Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, founded in 1833, is a nationally recognized residential liberal arts and sciences college located in Kalamazoo, Mich. The creator of the K-Plan, Kalamazoo College provides an individualized education that integrates rigorous academics with life-changing experiential learning opportunities. For more information, visit www.kzoo.edu.
The Brighter Light Campaign is raising $190 million to provide endowed and annual support for students, faculty and staff, curricular and co-curricular activities, athletics and campus facilities. For more information, visit the Brighter Light Campaign page: www.kzoo.edu/brighterlight.
Kalamazoo College announced today that one faculty member and one staff member have earned two of the highest awards the College bestows on its employees. Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Computer Science Alyce Brady received the 2023–24 Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching, and Custodian Laura Weber was named the recipient of the W. Haydn Ambrose Prize for Extraordinary Service to Kalamazoo College.
Brady, a co-chair of the computer science department, has served K for nearly 30 years. She teaches a variety of courses from introductory classes to advanced classes on programming languages, data structure, dynamic Internet apps and software development in a global context. Her research interests have included the application of computer science to social justice while serving as the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Faculty Fellow from 2013–2015.
Over the past decade, Brady has supervised 72 Senior Integrated Projects and is currently guiding five more. She is also credited with championing student reflection through growth journals, applying a flipped-classroom format that started even before the pandemic, and receiving previous recognition through the Outstanding First-Year Advocate award.
A ceremony to confer the Lucasse Fellowship traditionally occurs in the spring term, where the honored faculty member speaks regarding their work.
Nominators credited Weber, a 10-year staff member in Facilities Management, for volunteering at student events such as Monte Carlo and Cafsgiving. She also hosts international students and refers to her former visitors as her “children,” while former students refer to her as their “mum.” One nominator wrote, “Her love language is inclusion.” Another said, “she treats everyone like family.”
The Ambrose Prize is named after W. Haydn Ambrose, who served K for more than 20 years in a variety of roles, including assistant to the president for church relations, dean of admission and financial aid, and vice president for development. Ambrose was known for being thoughtful in the projects he addressed and treating people with respect. In addition to a financial award, Weber has earned a crystal award to commemorate the achievement and an invitation to sit on the Prize’s selection committee for two years.
Congratulations to both of the honorees.
Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Computer Science Alyce Brady was awarded the 2023–24 Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching.
Laura Weber, a 10-year staff member in Facilities Management, received the Ambrose Prize, named after W. Haydn Ambrose.
The Princeton Review is placing Kalamazoo College among the top 15 percent of U.S. higher-education institutions for degree-seeking undergraduates by featuring K in the 2024 version of its annual guide, The Best 389 Colleges.
In the book, the education services company recommends colleges 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 389 Colleges doesn’t provide individual rankings for the schools featured. However, K earned an additional mention in the guide as the No. 16 school on a list of the Top 20 Private Colleges for Making an Impact. This means K students said that their student-government opportunities, the College’s sustainability efforts and K’s on-campus engagement are providing them with opportunities to make a difference in their community.
“We salute Kalamazoo College for its outstanding academics and its many other impressive offerings,” said Rob Franek, the Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of The Best 389 Colleges. “We’re delighted to recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”
According to the 2024 edition of “The Best 389 Colleges” from the Princeton Review, students gave Kalamazoo College high marks for its open curriculum. The open curriculum means “students have more time to explore exactly what they want to learn, rather than being required to take classes in which they have no interest,” the book says.
If you’re job hunting and small employers are appealing to you, Forbes says Kalamazoo College should be on your radar.
The global media company that focuses on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and lifestyle released its inaugural list of America’s Best Small Employers this week. After crunching data from more than 10,000 employers nationwide that have between 200 and 1,000 workers, Forbes shows K at No. 253 of the top 300.
To assemble the list, Forbes teamed up with Statista, a market research firm, to examine anonymous surveys of employees using targeted panels and open participation from the public; job-related websites that gauge employer reputation, engagement, retention and benefits; and social listening text analysis through websites, blogs, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube.
Small colleges and private schools scored particularly well in general, comprising 20% of the list. Plus, K prepares its graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world—a mission that resonates with its dedicated faculty and staff. If you’re interested in working for K, visit our “Careers at K” web pages.
Dedicated faculty and staff such as Kalamazoo College Fund Director Laurel Palmer have helped K reach Forbes’ first list of America’s Best Small Employers.
