Category: News Stories

News Stories

Esteemed Guests Offer Free Play to Honor MLK

Posted on by Andy Brown
Dwandra Nickole Lampkin Rehearses for the Free MLK Play, 'The Conviction of Lady Lorraine'
Western Michigan University Associate Professor of Theatre Dwandra Nickole Lampkin
is the writer and actor behind “The Conviction of Lady Lorraine,” a free play
being presented Friday and Saturday at the Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College.

Two esteemed guests visited the senior seminar led by Kalamazoo College Professor of Theatre Arts Lanny Potts on Wednesday. It’s not unusual for him to bring in professionals that have something to offer his students, but Dwandra Nickole Lampkin and Dee Dee Batteast are special because they’re ready to present the at-large Kalamazoo community with a gift from their talents.

The Festival Playhouse will produce The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, a one-person show written and performed by Lampkin and directed by Batteast. The free play will be offered to the public Friday and Saturday as a part of K’s Martin Luther King Jr. week celebrations. Support for the production is provided by the Arts Fund of Kalamazoo County, a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

Director Dee Dee Batteast with Projection Designer Angela Mammel and Theatre Arts Professor Lanny Potts at the Festival Playhouse
Director Dee Dee Batteast (left) prepares for “The Conviction of Lady
Lorraine,” a free play this weekend at the Festival Playhouse, with Projection
Designer Angela Mammel ’22 and Theatre Arts Professor Lanny Potts.
Batteast is an adjunct faculty member at Ball State University.

The play is set in Memphis near the Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated. A writer, played by Lampkin, has a brief but powerful encounter with a homeless woman, Lady Lorraine. The writer finds herself transformed by Lady Lorraine’s 20-year quest to right a social wrong. One year later, the writer returns to Memphis, hoping that Lady Lorraine will share her full story of conviction. The writer quickly finds herself asking new questions about many things, and discovers that Lady Lorraine is not the only one on a quest for recognition.

Lampkin connected with Potts when the two worked on a virtual production of The Conviction of Lady Lorraine through Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo, where they agreed it would be outstanding for the community to see.

“Every theatre has its own energy,” Lampkin said. “The moment I walked into the Festival Playhouse, I thought, ‘Oh yeah, this space feels gooood!’ The intimacy of that space is perfect for a one-person show. It allows me, the story-teller, to connect with the audience; in the way that larger space wouldn’t.”

Lampkin serves as an associate professor of theatre at Western Michigan University. Her career spans two decades with television credits that include Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Third Watch and Wonderland. She has performed at the Tony-Award winning Denver Center Theatre, the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton and the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis. She received her Masters of Fine Arts from The National Theatre Conservatory.

Batteast is an adjunct faculty member with Ball State University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, where she teaches courses in beginning acting, auditioning, one-person shows and Shakespeare. She also coaches Ball State’s professional showcases in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Her recent regional theater credits include work with the Clarence Brown Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company and Indiana Repertory Theatre. Her television credits include Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. She also has a Master’s of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Batteast and Lampkin are natural creative partners as they have known each other since Batteast was Lampkin’s student at Ball State.

“I’m 38, I’ve been through two degrees and this is the only person of color who has ever taught me theatre,” Batteast said, while gesturing toward Lampkin. “I’ve always been drawn to this person as a storyteller and thirsting for that person to teach me because she handles stories in a way that I understand, as she intrinsically looks like me. This is a collaboration that continually gives back. I’m still learning and that’s a gift.”

Lampkin was a short-list candidate for a faculty position at the University of Memphis when she visited, among other sites in the city, the Lorraine Motel. That’s when she got the idea to write The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, thanks to a woman she spotted on the corner.

“The moment I walked away from that corner, I knew that I wanted to tell her story,” Lampkin said. “They ended up offering me the teaching job at Memphis, but I turned them down because I realized that I was never meant to teach at University of Memphis. I believe I was put in that space for the sole purpose of crossing paths with this woman.”

Tickets for The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Playhouse at 129 Thompson St., are available online. Please note that proof of vaccination and masks are required for admittance to the theatre.   

“We’re coming up to MLK Day, so just the idea that I can tell this story is personally significant because there are many themes that surround Martin Luther King Jr. and his life and legacy,” Lampkin said. “To be able to bring a show like this to K College and to the community of Kalamazoo at this time, is a blessing and a privilege. It’s a way for me to use my creativity to keep his legacy alive, and honor him and the celebration that surrounds his day.”

Duo to Help K Mark MLK Day

Posted on by Andy Brown
Performance Duo In the Spirit
The performance duo In the Spirit celebrates the power of the word to connect,
uplift and transform. They will present “We Shall Not Be Moved: Stories and Songs
to Celebrate Resistance as a Form of Revolution” at 2 p.m. Monday, January 17.

A performance duo with more than 20 years of storytelling experience will provide Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff with a livestream presentation to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Storyteller Emily Lansana and vocalist Zahra Baker form the Chicago-based partnership In the Spirit, which celebrates the power of the word to connect, uplift and transform. They will present “We Shall Not Be Moved: Stories and Songs to Celebrate Resistance as a Form of Revolution” at 2 p.m. Monday, January 17. The performance—sponsored by the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, Student Development and the Black Faculty and Staff Association—will celebrate dynamic leaders and everyday people who have contributed to changing our world, in addition to King’s commitment to social justice and radical change.

In the Spirit traditionally celebrates the Black experience using pieces that highlight significant moments in history. Their repertoire includes African and African American folktales, stories from history, inspirational stories, original tales and personal stories. The livestream will be viewable through Vimeo.

Free MLK-Week Show Opens Winter Theatre Events

Posted on by Andy Brown
Students acting in theatre events
Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse produced “Well-Intentioned
White People” last term. This winter, its theatre events include
two one-person productions and a satirical vignette about
Black cultural issues.

Make plans now to attend three theatre events during the winter term at Kalamazoo College, including two one-person productions and a satirical vignette about Black cultural issues. 

First, the Festival Playhouse will produce The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, written and performed by Dwandra Nickole Lampkin, and offer it free to the community as a part of K’s Martin Luther King Jr. week celebrations. Support for this production is provided by the Arts Fund of Kalamazoo County, a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

Directed by Dee Dee Batteast, the January 14 and 15 play is set in Memphis near the Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated. A writer, played by Lampkin, has a brief but powerful encounter with a homeless woman, Lady Lorraine. The writer finds herself transformed by Lady Lorraine’s 20-year quest to right a social wrong. One year later, the writer returns to Memphis, hoping that Lady Lorraine will share her full story of conviction. The writer quickly finds herself asking new questions about many things, and finding that Lady Lorraine is not the only one on a quest for recognition. 

Lampkin serves as an associate professor of theatre at Western Michigan University. Her career spans two decades with television credits that include Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Third Watch and Wonderland. She has performed at the Tony-Award winning Denver Center Theatre, the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton and the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis. 

Tickets for The Conviction of Lady Lorraine, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Playhouse at 129 Thompson St. both days, are available online. Please note that currently both proof of vaccination and masks are required for admittance to the theatre.   

Then, from February 10–13, Matthew Swarthout ’22 will undertake Sir Ian McKellen’s one-person show, Acting Shakespeare in this year’s Senior Performance Series. The show will encompass both Swarthout’s and McKellen’s insights into Shakespeare’s plays, featuring monologues and scenes from Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s dream, Hamlet, Macbeth and more. Watch the Festival Playhouse website for ticket information for the show at the Dungeon Theatre, 139 Thompson St.  

Finally, from February 24–27, a quick-witted comedy will follow in the Festival Playhouse’s 58th season themed “Black is Beautiful: An Ode to Black Life, Love and Strength.” BLACKS+PHATS will examine themes such as beauty ideals, relationship dynamics and levels of attraction while searching for enlightenment in stereotypes. Current K students are eligible to audition. Watch the Festival Playhouse website for ticket information. The show will take place in the Festival Playhouse at 129 Thompson St. 

Please observe the Festival Playhouse’s COVID-19 safety plan when enjoying productions this term. The plan follows current guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan State Department of Health and Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Actors Equity Association (AEA). Find more information online about the safety plan and upcoming shows.  

Bazelon Center Intern Helps Protect the Disabled

Posted on by Andy Brown
Bazelon Center intern Thomas Lichtenberg at Capital in Washington
As a strategic communications intern, Thomas Lichtenberg ’23 backed
the Bazelon Center’s efforts by planning and drafting many of its social
media posts and strategies.

A Kalamazoo College student experienced an internship with an organization that protects the disabled this term.

Thomas Lichtenberg ’23—a political science and philosophy major and math minor—worked in Washington, D.C., for the Judge David A. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, which helps attorneys and others who work to protect the legal rights of people who experience mental disabilities. In some cases, the center will also represent individuals in court who face discrimination or a denial of needed services.

Lichtenberg earned the opportunity through the Washington Center, a group that unites college students with a variety of nonprofit organizations in the nation’s capital. As a strategic communications intern, he backed the Bazelon Center’s efforts by planning and drafting many of its social media posts and strategies. His drafts, which would get approved by a policy or legal director, touted events such as a virtual awards ceremony highlighting the center’s 49th year. That event featured figures such as singer John Legend and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He also attended a virtual briefing on infrastructure with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and separately met some well-known people, even if only virtually in some cases.

“I attended a congressional briefing,” he said. “I walked to the Supreme Court once and Representative Ilhan Omar was speaking about court reform there. I also met a lot of newscasters. We have a pretty strong relationship with PBS and I got to meet Judy Woodruff and a couple other PBS reporters at an afterparty for our award ceremony.”

Another event he covered through social media was a live YouTube discussion concerning the use of student resource officers in schools and how some officers have mistreated students of color and students who have disabilities. In a social campaign, however, the Bazelon Center more directly targeted publicity regarding an active case, CVS Pharmacy Inc. v. Doe, in cooperation with other disability and civil-rights groups.

“At the end of my time, we actually won that Supreme Court case and social media was essential to it,” Lichtenberg said. “It involved CVS and a group of people with HIV who argued that they were receiving different treatment based on their condition. CVS was trying to say that if it’s unintentional discrimination, then Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 doesn’t apply.”

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil-rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.

“A ruling like that would’ve been catastrophic for disability rights,” Lichtenberg said. “Essentially, if that were in place, the person who didn’t have full use of their legs, for example, wouldn’t have a legal recourse if someone built a building that could only be accessed by stairs. “Our social media campaign pressured CVS into withdrawing the case and commit to find a solution which respects the rights of people with disabilities, which is pretty unheard of for such a big company.”

Lichtenberg is returning to K’s campus for winter, where he served last spring as a teacher’s assistant for a logic and reasoning philosophy class that includes an independent study requirement. For that, he wanted to figure out how someone might codify a version of Star Trek’s Prime Directive, a guiding principle that prohibits Starfleet members from interfering with the natural development of alien civilizations while protecting unprepared civilizations from receiving advanced technology, knowledge and values before they’re ready for it. For now, however, he will reflect on an overwhelmingly positive experience in Washington, D.C.

“I find it amazing that there are only about seven people who work for the Bazelon Center,” Lichtenberg said. “It’s incredible that they’re able to manage the cases they do. It was a real honor to work for them and I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned to my classes in a new context.”

Top Stories in 2021 Highlighted K’s Excellence

Posted on by Andy Brown

Kalamazoo College students and faculty enjoyed a return to in-person instruction in 2021, giving us a chance to spotlight the academic excellence, high-achieving students and accomplished faculty and staff that make our institution special. Here’s a year-end roundup of what you read at our website the most, shaping K’s top stories of the year. We’re eager to see what accomplishments will come in 2022. 

10. Emeriti Trustees Establish New Scholarship with $5 Million Gift 

As noted in our 2021 top stories, Kalamazoo College was
the only institution in Michigan ranked among the nation’s
top liberal arts colleges by AcademicInfluence.com.

A generous $5 million commitment to Kalamazoo College from emeriti trustees Rosemary and John Brown will create an endowed scholarship fund to help provide access to talented students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The Browns are active philanthropists, particularly as strong supporters of higher education.

9. Senior Leadership Awards Honor 32 

Thirty-two students known for their invaluable contributions to the Kalamazoo College community were honored April 30 at the 17th annual Senior Leadership Recognition Awards. 

8. K a Best Value in Higher Education 

Kalamazoo College provides one of the most outstanding returns on investment in higher education, according to the Princeton Review. The education-services company profiles and recommends K in the 2021 edition of The Best Value Colleges, its annual guide to undergraduate schools. 

7. Seven from K Earn Fulbright Scholarships 

Seven Kalamazoo College representatives, including six from the Class of 2021, are receiving high honors from the federal government that will provide them with international learning opportunities. 

6. K a Top Producer of Fulbright Recipients 

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced that Kalamazoo College is among the top producers of Fulbright recipients among colleges and universities for the 2020-21 academic year. 

5. K Ready to Make a Splash with New Natatorium 

Kalamazoo College is ready to make a splash with student-athletes and the community thanks to the completion of its new $18 million natatorium.  

4. K Ranks Highly Among Liberal Arts Colleges 

AcademicInfluence.com is endorsing Kalamazoo College as one of the top four-year schools in the country where students can excel in the liberal arts. 

3. Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education Rankings Laud K  

Another analysis has placed Kalamazoo College as the top-ranked private higher education institution in Michigan. 

2. K Welcomes New Faculty Members 

Kalamazoo College was pleased to welcome 10 new faculty members to campus this fall. 

1. K Welcomes New VP for Student Development 

J. Malcolm Smith joined Kalamazoo College as the institution’s new vice president for student development and dean of students. Smith began his new role August 1 from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was its vice president for student affairs and dean of students. 

Shared Hope International Intern Helps Fight Against Sex Trafficking

Posted on by Andy Brown
Shared Hope International Intern David Kent in front of the White House
David Kent ‘22 interned this term in Washington, D.C., at Shared Hope International, a
nonprofit organization that seeks to prevent sex trafficking while comforting and bringing
justice to victimized women and children.

A Kalamazoo College student is reflecting on an eye-opening internship opportunity that explored a global problem while providing experience that will benefit him in his life after K.

David Kent ‘22, a business and political science double major from Beverly Hills, Michigan, worked in Washington, D.C., at Shared Hope International this term. The nonprofit organization seeks to prevent sex trafficking while comforting and bringing justice to victimized women and children. 

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more about an important issue,” Kent said. “I learned that the practice of sex trafficking is rooted in human civilization. It’s been around as long as people have lived together in societies. It went hand in hand with the institution of slavery. But even now, as slavery is mostly illegal, it persists. I think there is a preconception that it only happens in back alleys and at night. But the reality is there are large operations that work in plain sight and they can sell to people who are well known and very influential. I learned that it can be anybody.” 

Part of Kent’s opportunity was funded by the John Dingell Memorial Scholarship, which provides funds for students from Michigan colleges and universities while they participate in an internship. The internship itself was offered through Shared Hope International’s connection with the Washington Center, a group that unites college students with a variety of nonprofit organizations and other companies in the nation’s capital. 

Kent worked at Shared Hope International as a policy and communications intern, meaning he was responsible for assisting the organization’s legal team with whatever it needed. Its biggest project involved issuing grades and report cards to each state based on its sex-trafficking laws. Kent served as a media relations contact as he connected with news professionals from around the country. 

“It wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but I learned that Michigan is one of the worst states for trafficking with I-94 coming in from Detroit and going on through Chicago, and the state’s connections to Ohio, which is also one of the worst states because of its own highway system,” Kent said. “Michigan certainly has a lot to do in terms of getting laws on the books and enforcing them to better address the situation.” 

In addition to the state report card project, Kent performed individual research on large-scale sex-trafficking operations before presenting to the organization’s staff on it. He also helped the organization prepare for a national conference conducted in Washington, D.C., that brought together activists, nonprofit organizations, policymakers, senators and survivors, while running a breakout session and funneling questions from virtual attendees to presenters. 

Looking back, Kent said he has some ideas for how the world can fight sex trafficking. 

“It starts with individual action,” he said. “Shared Hope International was founded by a former Congresswoman. It started with one person and that’s how we can advocate for such an organization—through one person at a time. These organizations always need volunteers, whether it’s donors contributing supplies or money, or volunteers for activities or shelters. You have to start there and work your way to bigger solutions.” 

Kalamazoo College Names New Vice President for Business and Finance

Posted on by Andy Brown
Chief Financial Officer: Photo says Lisa VanDeWeert Vice President for Business and Finance
Kalamazoo College has named Lisa VanDeWeert as the institution’s next
vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer (CFO).

Kalamazoo College has named Lisa VanDeWeert as the institution’s next vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer (CFO). VanDeWeert, vice president and CFO at Aquinas College, will begin her new role on February 16, 2022.

“Lisa brings significant expertise in higher education finance and business operations to K,” said Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez. “Her work with a wide range of colleges and non-profit institutions, her leadership experience within a small liberal arts college, and her commitment to cultivating collaborative partnerships with various stakeholders will make her a great fit at our institution.”

As Aquinas’ chief financial officer and a member of the president’s leadership cabinet, VanDeWeert is responsible for leading accounting, finance, information technology services, human resources, campus safety, physical plant, and operations such as conferencing and events and the campus bookstore. Prior to Aquinas, VanDeWeert served as a certified public accountant at Rehmann, supervising and reviewing audits in a variety of industries, including higher education and nonprofit organizations. Prior to Rehmann, VanDeWeert spent 15 years providing audit services and leading teams at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Grand Rapids.

VanDeWeert is a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers and serves as CFO group chair for Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities (MICU). She also serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids. VanDeWeert holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from State University of New York College at Oswego.

“I am excited to be joining Kalamazoo College and I’m looking forward to blending my skills and talents with those of the capable leaders and team members at K,” said VanDeWeert.

VanDeWeert was selected after a nationwide search conducted by an on-campus committee with the assistance of Storbeck Search, an executive search firm specializing in the education and non-profit sectors. Comprised of faculty, staff and trustees, the committee was chaired by Vice President for Advancement Karen Isble.

Lecture to Address Ancient India’s Mahabharata

Posted on by Andy Brown
Assistant Professor of Religion Sohini Pillai to Discuss the Mahabharata
Assistant Professor of Religion Sohini Pillai

Assistant Professor of Religion Sohini Pillai will represent Kalamazoo College at 9 a.m. Eastern time Sunday in a YouTube lecture titled “The Multiplicity of the Mahabharata Tradition” that she will present through Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative.

The initiative is an independent, student-led initiative based in India, which aims to revive the love for India’s heritage and history and inspire young minds. Throughout the pandemic, it has organized scholarly online lectures on Indian history, culture, art, literature, film and religion. 

The ancient Sanskrit Mahabharata (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) is a massive epic poem 15 times the length of the Bible that focuses on the war over the Bharata kingdom between two sets of paternal cousins in the royal Kuru family, the five Pandavas and the 100 Kauravas. Pillai said the Mahabharata has been presented as poems, dramas, ballads, novels, short stories, comic books, television shows, feature films, children’s fantasy series, podcasts, YouTube videos, social media posts and more.   

Pillai’s talk Sunday will illustrate the rich multiplicity of the Mahabharata tradition through the close examination of 12 renderings of a single Mahabharata episode that was created over a span of at least 2,000 years. She will focus on the most disturbing and popular scenes in the Mahabharata tradition, the attempted disrobing of Draupadi, the shared wife of the Pandavas, and the heroine of the epic.  

In May 2021, Pillai co-edited a volume with Nell Shapiro Hawley of Harvard University titled Many Mahabharatas, which was published by State University of New York Press. The first 20 pages of the introduction she co-authored are available on SUNY’s website. Some of the Mahabharatas she will discuss Sunday will be prominently featured in her current book project which is tentatively titled Krishna at Court: Devotion, Patronage and the Mahabharata in Premodern South Asia.

The talk will be available free of charge to the public at the Karwaan initiative’s YouTube channel.  

A True Liberal Arts CIO

Posted on by Andy Brown

By Stacy Nowicki
As CIO Greg Diment ’84 retires, Kalamazoo College Library Director Stacy Nowicki reflects on his impact to the College.

Retiring CIO Greg Diment
After graduating in 1984, Greg Diment worked at Pfizer for 20 years,
becoming the global director of clinical data management. He
returned to K as the IT director, later becoming CIO.

The title “chief information officer” might evoke images of a tie-wearing tech guru. Yes, Greg Diment often wore a tie, and yes, he knows his tech. But true to the liberal arts education he received here at K, Greg is much more multifaceted. This came through in his leadership style. After working with Greg for nearly 16 years, I can say he was supportive, empathetic and curious. He knew what he didn’t know—a characteristic I believe all of us in Information Services appreciated—and would make a point of asking for information so he could make solid, data-driven decisions. He also has a quick wit, and though we often groaned at his puns, he could make a situation lighter with a laugh and a dash of optimism.

Greg’s journey at Kalamazoo College began in the early 1980s. A math major and computer science minor, Greg studied abroad in Germany and completed a student teaching externship in the education department, teaching mathematics and computing at a high school. I remember having conversations with Greg about how much more difficult teaching is than it appears, and I can’t help but think that his own teaching and study abroad experiences gave him some insight into how he approached supporting students and faculty. After graduating in 1984, he worked at Pfizer for 20 years, becoming the global director of clinical data management.

Greg seemed to easily make the transition from the corporate world to higher education. I remember Greg spoke very clearly in his campus presentation during his interview for IT director. He was impressive—someone “in tech” who could communicate abstract concepts in plain English! He had a clear commitment to supporting students in that interview which made him stand out from the rest. If he joins our team, I thought, we will be in good hands. In 2005, Greg started the next phase of his career at Kalamazoo College as IT director.

We are lucky that a year later Greg took on the role of CIO, inheriting a merged organization of IT, media, web services, the library and an addition of educational technology. With a staff of such diverse talents, roles and mindsets, Greg made a point of becoming familiar with each aspect of Information Services. He shadowed library staff for a day, asking questions about each function and getting to know us. And that was key to Greg’s style: he really wanted to know us in IS and he cared about us as people. When the pandemic hit, he attended our daily virtual library staff meetings almost every day. At first he was concerned that his presence would chill our conversations, but it was quite the opposite. Greg had garnered so much trust that we appreciated his support by being there, answering our questions and providing a calming influence. He was an advocate for us and all of our colleagues in IS.

This is why, when a job needed to be done, people naturally turned to Greg. And Greg took on some tough assignments. He represented K to the West Main Hill neighbors during lively discussions about the athletic field lights. He coordinated campus master planning. He oversaw Facilities Management in between hiring CFOs and led the process of classroom renovations. All of this in between his accomplishments as CIO: Greg helped implement myriad needed technology improvements at K (a new phone system, email system, enterprise resource planning system and campus WiFi, to name a few). Oh, and there’s that little thing of a pandemic where K suddenly pivoted to online teaching. (I say, with pride, that Greg and my colleagues in IT made it look easy and it certainly was not.)

Greg had a reputation for being capable, flexible and easy to work with. Coupled with his characteristic sangfroid and dedication to K, this made him the logical choice for big jobs that required diplomacy and thoughtfulness. I will always value Greg’s perspective, humor and support. He accomplished much of his important work humbly and without great fanfare. Greg moved Kalamazoo College forward in so many ways that our campus community will appreciate and build upon for years to come.