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Last Look Back

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2013 Graduates on study abroad in Spain
2013 Graduates on study abroad in Spain.

Graduating seniors of the Class of 2013 completed an anonymous survey titled “First Destination.” As the name implies most of the questions look forward. But at least one looked back: “What was your most meaningful or transformative experience at K?”

The majority of the 2013 graduating students reported that study abroad was the most meaningful experience at K. One student responded, “My time abroad was transformative. It opened my eyes to the wider world around me and taught me that apart from our cultural differences, all people have the same general needs and wants. All people want to be respected, and all need health care, shelter, and food.”

That study aboard was valued so highly by seniors is no surprise. The College offers 41 programs in 21 countries on six continents, differing in length and academic emphasis. In the past four years K has had a student participation rate between 80 and 85. The Institute of International Education has ranked Kalamazoo College 10th among colleges and universities for study abroad participation.

Many students cited professors and classes as the most meaningful experience. Again, not surprising given that K has a 12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. In addition, academics is integrated with service-learning and social justice, and students mention the importance of both. One students response: “The personalized, experiential education I was able to pursue at K made my learning not some stilted academic experience, but rather four years of intense personal growth and developing relationships with others that helped me both better understand my future path and inspired me to continue on it.”

Students also lauded the importance of co-curricular activities, including sports teams and campus student organizations. K has more than 60 active student organizations that focus on various areas, such as culture, athletics, music, politics, publishing, and spirituality.

A few students said working on campus was meaningful to them. Their jobs here opened up new opportunities and allowed them to give back to the K community.

A small amount of students cited their Senior Individualized Project as the most transformative part of their time at K. “My SIP year gave me the tools and confidence that will carry on into my life after K,” said one student.

Girl Scout Leader Dawne Beougher Is One for the Books

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Cadette Troop 80683
Cadette Troop 80683 Members Do It by the Book

Girl Scout Cadette Troop 80683 led by Troop Leader Dawne Beougher, administrative assistant to the vice president of Advancement at Kalamazoo College collected more than 2,000 books for “Literacy Night” at Maple Street Magnet School in Kalamazoo.

K’s Russell Cooper in ArtPrize 2012

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Russell Cooper entrants in ArtPrizeRussell Cooper ’89 is a self-described “photographer, musician, computer nerd, roller coaster expert, [and] proud and tired father of two.” Now add to this impressive resume: 2012 ArtPrize entrant! Cooper’s entry is a photography exhibit titled “Sibling Point of View.” It explores how a five-month-old brother and three-and-a-half-year-old sister view each other.

Basketball Coach Will Move to Oregon

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Rob Passage
Rob Passage, Men’s Basketball Coach

Rob Passage ’93, Kalamazoo College’s head men’s basketball coach since 2002-03, announced this week that he is leaving to become the athletic facilities and operations manager at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

“We are extremely grateful to Rob for his hard work, dedication, and commitment to Kalamazoo College,” said Kristen Smith, Director of Athletics, “He was a mentor to student-athletes and coaches, not just in basketball, but in many of our programs. He will be missed, but we wish him all the best in his new position.”

In addition to his head coaching duties, Passage served as the assistant athletic director for operations and facilities and assistant professor of physical education.

“My years at Kalamazoo have been filled with great friends, colleagues, and student-athletes,” Passage said, “K has provided me with so many great experiences since I first stepped onto campus as a student in the fall of 1989. I can only hope that I have been able to positively impact the K community even just a portion of how much it impacted my life. Kalamazoo College will always be a special place to me, but it is time for me to move on to other challenges and opportunities.”

A search for his replacement will begin immediately.

Former “K” Director of Spanish Language and Culture Studies Passes Away

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Carmen Pérez Romero
Carmen Pérez Romero

Carmen Pérez Romero died on May 17, 2012. She was English professor for the Colegio Universitario de Cáceres, which was the seed of today’s Universidad de Extremadura. Romero helped establish the university’s first international programs in the 1980s, which brought students from several different North American universities to the classrooms of the Universidad de Extremadura.

Kalamazoo College signed an agreement with the University in 1992, creating a program of Spanish language and culture studies that was directed by Romero until her retirement in 2002.  She devoted herself to books, articles and conferences on English literature, and North American literature, and she was a pioneer in the Spanish university system on comparative literature.

She was also a writer and translator. Her passion for poetry and her love for knowledge inspired many students. Her dedication to her students, her intellectual and personal honesty, and her integrity made her an exceptional human being. She will be greatly missed by the College and the many Kalamazoo students who studied in Cáceres.

Jamie Grant Co-Authors Gender Article in LGBTQ Policy Journal

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Jaime Grant, executive director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, has coauthored an op/ed in the May 15 Huffington Post that describes “A Gender Not Listed Here: Genderqueers, Gender Rebels, and OtherWise,” an article she and her coauthors recently published in the Harvard Kennedy School’s LGBTQ Policy Journal.

Grant and coauthors Jack Harrison and Jody L. Herman present new research focused specifically on genderqueer people and describes the risks and resiliencies of those who identify outside the male/female gender binary. Their Policy Journal article shows that genderqueer people have unique demographic characteristics and experiences of discrimination and violence when compared to transgender people who identify as “male” or “female.”

Coach Acker Named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame

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George Acker, longtime Kalamazoo College coach and physical education professor who died in July 2011, has been named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Coach Acker served at K for 35 years (1958-93), coaching men’s tennis teams to seven NCAA Division III championships while winning 35 consecutive MIAA championships. His tennis teams were 537-231 overall and an incredible 209-1 in the MIAA conference. He was inducted into the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

President Wilson-Oyelaran Elected Vice Chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

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President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran at NAICU
President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran at NAICU

Kalamazoo College President Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran was elected vice chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) board of directors at the Association’s recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

As a member of the NAICU board’s executive committee, she will help lead the association’s agenda on federal higher education policy; actively encourage support of NAICU priorities and initiatives; and oversee the association’s financial administration. After her one-year term as vice-chair, she will assume the position of board chair for a year. Following her one-year term as chair, she will serve as past-chair for another year, before rotating off of the board.

NAICU is the largest national organization representing the presidents of private, nonprofit colleges and universities. NAICU represents American independent higher education on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid, taxation, and government regulation. NAICU’s more than 1,000 member colleges and universities enroll nine out of every 10 students attending private, nonprofit institutions in the United States.

Wilson-Oyelaran has been president of Kalamazoo College since July 2005.