LYCOMING COLLEGE SPRING 2022
then NOW} Class of 1887, Williamsport Dickinson Seminary
Everyone says life is like a book, but ours was a movie,” said Fayla Guerin ’22, president of Student Senate and student speaker at the 2022 Commencement Ceremony. “We are closing our movie, writing the credits. This was the best movie we ever experienced because we were a family through it all. I challenge you to make the next scenes of life memorable, actionable, and valuable. Make your next movie worth watching and living. Become the director of your movie and not the actors or the audience. Show yourself on your own stage and take your own spotlight. Remember that your Lycoming family is here to support you and love you. Class of 2022, this is not a goodbye to the movie we have created, but a hello to our next script in the making.” This year marks the 174th Commencement at Lycoming College, and countless graduates have created bonds that have withstood the test of time. Let us reminisce about the amazing movies we’ve made, and continue to go forth creating marvelous sequels. (L to R) Michael Ntifo ’22, Marquetta Krysanju Felder ’22, Luke Jordan ’22, and Fayla Guerin ’22 1 www.lycoming.edu
was a very special day as we celebrated the graduation of the remarkable Class of 2022, and the board of trustees approved moving forward on the transformational Basin Street Project. The Class of 2022 experienced college under unparalleled adversity. Their four years at Lycoming College were different from any other class in the institution’s 209-year history because the global pandemic disrupted five of their eight semesters. Their second year ended with remote learning, and when we invited them to return in the fall of 2020, there were no COVID vaccines, only basic treatments, and N-95 masks were not widely available. But they returned and demonstrated the deep passion that our students have for residential, in-person learning. During their senior year, they were forced to navigate the Delta and Omicron surges, and until March 4, they followed COVID protocols that included mandatory indoor wearing of highquality masks and surveillance testing. The graduating Class of 2022 persisted in the face of massive challenges and continuous uncertainty as the pandemic lasted much longer than most anticipated. But they not only survived — they thrived. The Class of 2022 also learned how to use their voices. They raised our community’s awareness of issues surrounding diversity, race equity and inclusion, and sexual assault. They challenged the College to do better. Their voices were heard, and as I told them during commencement, Lycoming is a better place because of the Class of 2022. On the afternoon of May 14, they and their families celebrated their accomplishment with resounding joy. During the morning, the board of trustees gave final approval to the Basin Street Project, which will transform and revitalize the neighborhood to the south of campus and move forward the vision for a grand new entrance to the College. The board action establishes a legal framework under which Pine Ridge Construction Management will construct two buildings that we anticipate will include retail, a restaurant, a rooftop park, offices, a medical facility, a daycare center, and twelve attractive condominiums, as well as a parking structure. The College will remain involved in shaping the project as a member of the Old City Williamsport LLCs. Pine Ridge and the College expect groundbreaking by early June 2022. As I close, I would like to acknowledge the faculty and staff of the College who came to work every day throughout the past four semesters. The staff supported and guided our students in their residential lives both outside and inside the classroom. They cared for students and executed our time-consuming COVID protocols. The faculty engaged the students in person, adapted their teaching, and inspired students to learn. I am continually inspired by their deep commitment to Lycoming College and deeply grateful to them. They enabled the College to continue transforming lives, even during a global pandemic. Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D. President From the Presiden MAY 14, 2022, 2 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
Lycoming is a better place because of the Class of 2022. t’s Desk 3 www.lycoming.edu
EDITOR Amy Chandler marketing@lycoming.edu ASSOCIATE EDITORS Joe Guistina Marla Kramer Bailey (Spencer) Innerarity ’23 Lynn Zitta ’11 ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Murray Hanford PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Cooley Jaime DeMarco ’01 John McKeith Heather Necessary Eric Stashak Gordon Wenzel Max Wilhelm CLASS NOTES EDITOR Terri Brewer ’14 ADMINISTRATION Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D. President Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98 Executive Vice President Philip Sprunger, Ph.D. Provost & Dean of the College VOL. 37, NO. 1 SPRING 2022 The humanities prepares our graduates for a variety of successful careers and advanced degrees. LYCOMING COLLEGE MAGAZINE 4 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
LYCOMING COLLEGE ONE COLLEGE PLACE WILLIAMSPORT, PA 17701-5192 570-321-4000 www.lycoming.edu Copyright © 2022 Lycoming College. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without the prior written permission of the publisher. Lycoming College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. Lycoming College Magazine is published bi-annually. GO PAPERLESS. To receive a link to an online version of Lycoming College Magazine rather than a paper copy, email marketing@lycoming.edu with “online magazine subscription” in the subject line. Include your name, class year, and mailing address in the message. FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK NOTEWORTHY LYCOMING CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL DAYS OF GIVING THE HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER A CODE FOR SUCCESS: THE APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2022 THE EMERGENCE OF KATHERINE BROWN ’23 FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: ANDREW LEITER, PH.D. FACULTY & STAFF NEWS ALUMNI HAPPENINGS CLASS NOTES CONNECT: TOM LURIE ’13 COMMITTED TO HELPING FUTURE WARRIORS: DONALD HUGHES ’72 2 6 10 14 16 18 20 22 24 28 36 37 9 5 www.lycoming.edu
NOTEWOR To remember those lost to COVID-19, and to honor healthcare and frontline workers in their diligent efforts to battle the virus, Let’s End COVID!, Lycoming College, and the Lycoming Tri-County NAACP partnered to host a candlelight vigil on Jan. 25, 2022, on the College’s Fultz Quad. The vigil provided attendees an opportunity for reflection, as well as for appreciation of the professionals who continue to care for families. Charles Kiessling Jr., RN, BSN ’97, Lycoming County coroner; Lisa Williams, president of Lycoming Tri-County NAACP; and the Rev. Roy Weeden, district pastor, Seventh Day Adventist Church of Williamsport, Milton, and Lock Haven provided remarks, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony. Let’s End COVID! is a group of concerned people in Northcentral Pennsylvania working to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic through education, outreach, and mitigation. Lycoming College recognized Suzanne (Tomko) Stopper ’83 as Alumna of the Year as part of the Williamsport/Lycoming College Chamber of Commerce Education Celebration held March 3, 2022. A native of Williamsport, Stopper graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. After Lycoming, she began her professional career as a senior accountant for Parente, Randolph, Orlando, Carey and Associates. After three years at the First National Bank in Danville, she joined a management team as vice president and controller that planned, developed, capitalized, and launched Woodlands Bank. During the next phase of her career, Stopper migrated to the healthcare industry. She served in leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility at the Susquehanna Health System. From 2002-06, as vice president/controller, she was responsible for managing the financial accounting department for the entire Susquehanna Health System, which then encompassed 15 different entities. In 2006, Stopper made another bold career move, accepting a senior position at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where she currently serves as senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer. Her community involvement has included service on the boards of Hope Enterprises and the Community Arts Center in Williamsport. She resides in Williamsport with her husband, David, and their five children. Trachte presents Stopper with award COVID CANDLELIGHT VIGIL SUZANNE (TOMKO) STOPPER ’83 NAMED LYCOMING COLLEGE ALUMNA OF THE YEAR 6 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
. RTHY Ground was officially broken on Lycoming College’s new $8.5 million music facility in October 2021, and construction is progressing rapidly. The 14,000 square foot facility sits on the southeast corner of campus and will connect with the Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall. Despite some delays this past summer related to building materials and equipment, the College anticipates construction to be completed in time for the fall 2022 semester and plans to host an open house during Homecoming Weekend for alumni and parents to explore the new space. There is still an opportunity for alumni and friends of the College to be a part of this historic addition to campus. Gifts of $5,000 or more will be permanently recognized within the new building. Learn more at www.lycoming.edu/musicfacility Lycoming College recently broke ground on a stadium for soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. This $2.7 million athletic facility will seat 400 spectators and include two viewing pavilions and a Warrior Club Box. Inside the structure will be two locker rooms, a training room, offices for coaches and officials, a laundry room, and public restrooms. When construction is complete, UPMC Field at the Shangraw Athletic Complex will be one of the premier venues in the Landmark Conference for soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. The College looks forward to an official naming announcement of the stadium later this year. Additional opportunities to support the project, including named spaces and individual lockers, are still available at $5,000 and above. Learn more at www.lycoming. edu/advancement/athleticscomplex-enhancement.aspx. PROGRESS ON THE NEW MUSIC FACILITY THE SHANGRAW ATHLETIC COMPLEX ENHANCEMENT PROJECT UPDATE 7 www.lycoming.edu
Lycoming College is pleased to announce that it has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Landmark Conference, effective in the 2023-24 academic year. Along with Lycoming, Wilkes University will also join the Landmark Conference, as the Landmark’s executive board confirmed the acceptance of the two schools as the league’s 9th and 10th full-time members. Lycoming sponsors 19 intercollegiate varsity programs at the NCAA Division III level, of which 18 align with current Landmark sponsorships. The Warriors will begin competition in both field hockey and baseball beginning with the 2022-23 academic year. Along with baseball and field hockey, Lycoming joins men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, and softball as Landmark-sponsored sports. Wrestling, which qualifies for the NCAA Championship via a regional tournament, will become an independent sport. “Lycoming College is pleased to accept the invitation to become a full member of the Landmark Conference,” says President Kent Trachte, Ph.D. “We have great memories of our rich athletic history in the Middle Atlantic Conference. We also celebrate a future in the Landmark Conference that has great promise and potential to create an exciting next chapter in the history of Lycoming Warrior athletics. We look forward to reinvigorating past rivalries and establishing new ones as we continue the work of developing the characteristics of leadership, grit, sacrifice, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic by affording students the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate sports. We are confident that membership in the Landmark Conference advances Lycoming’s identity as a national liberal arts college.” LYCOMING COLLEGE TO JOIN LANDMARK CONFERENCE IN 2023 YOUR GIFT IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND WILL BE ALLOCATED AS YOU DIRECT. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS: contact Glenn Smith ’07, director of athletics development and associate director of major gifts (570) 321-4455 or smithg@lycoming.edu Help ensure that our Warriors have everything they need to compete at the highest level. Every gift can be designated to a specific sports team, divided among multiple programs, or allocated to the Warrior Club General Fund, which supports all of Lycoming athletics. @lycoathletics 8 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
THANK YOU DONORS 1,238 RAISED $372,172 Thank you! Our Lycoming College community ACTED BOLDLY by demonstrating our Warrior pride during Days of Giving on April 12 & 13, 2022! Through the unwavering collective generosity of our Lycoming family near and far, the College’s 48-hour fundraising event was a huge success. 1,238 donors raised $372,172, proving yet again that when we come together, we have the power to provide a first-rate education and create opportunity for our students. www.lycoming.edu/dayofgiving 9 www.lycoming.edu
THE HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTER The arts and humanities define who we are as a people. That is their power — to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common. To help us understand our history and imagine our future. To give us hope in the moments of struggle and to bring us together when nothing else will.” - Michelle Obama he study of humanities is deeply rooted in the liberal arts curriculum. Outlined as an institutional priority in Lycoming’s 2021 Strategic Plan, the College opened a Humanities Research Center (HRC) in January 2022, designed as a comprehensive center for the humanities that serves student, faculty, College, and community interests related to the study of the humanities. The HRC will complement the continued commitment that Lycoming has made to the humanities disciplines, as well as provide a greater intellectual impact and a physical sense of community for students majoring in the humanities. It will also serve as an institutional office to promote and support the growth of enhanced academic experiences in the humanities. 10 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
Located at the heart of the campus’s academics in the Academic Center, the HRC houses offices for the inaugural director, Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., professor of English, and Lycoming’s arts and humanities career advisor, Shanin Dougherty. The HRC offers a casual space for students and faculty to socialize and work, as well as a place to host student and faculty research presentations, professional workshops for students, reading series, guest speakers, seminars, research receptions, honors induction ceremonies, and much more. “At a time when many institutes of higher education are eliminating humanities programs, the 2021 Strategic Plan commits Lycoming to the innovative strategy of creating a Humanities Research Center to celebrate and invigorate the humanities,” says President Kent Trachte, Ph.D. “The HRC will benefit enrolled students by expanding experiential learning opportunities, instituting an undergraduate humanities research conference, and publishing a student-edited undergraduate research journal. This design is expected to raise awareness of Lycoming’s excellence among our peer institutions, provide a highly marketable model that attracts more top-ranked students, and engage the Williamsport, Lycoming County, and Pennsylvania communities to exchange expertise, expand educational opportunities, and promote cultural literacy.” Combined with a liberal arts and sciences education, students studying the humanities (English, history, modern languages, philosophy, religion) and related disciplines at the College have long enjoyed impressive achievements and experiential learning opportunities in terms of collaborative student-faculty research, internships, guided scholarship, study abroad opportunities, education certification, digital humanities, graduate school placement, scholarships, and fellowships. “The HRC will provide a physical space and administrative support to celebrate these achievements and expand similar and new opportunities,” says Dougherty. “The humanities prepares our graduates for a variety of successful careers and advanced degrees. A center devoted to the humanities on campus will not only benefit our students, but it will serve as a powerful recruitment tool, while simultaneously promoting institutional goals of community engagement and experiential learning.” Plans for introducing a new interdisciplinary humanities conference focusing on undergraduate research is a top priority for the HRC, and such a conference will target the humanities programs of colleges and universities in the region. In addition to participating in research panels, Lycoming students will be involved with several aspects of the conference planning, such as initiating calls for papers, evaluating submissions, establishing panels, and organizing the events. Additionally, the HRC plans to institute and publish a new journal for undergraduate humanities research as an extension of the conference. The articles for the journal would be solicited from the best research presentations of the conference. “As with the conference, the journal would feature further professional opportunities for Lycoming students as editors and publishers,” explains Leiter. “For both the conference and the journal, we anticipate student internships as important components. In conjunction with the conference and journal, we are considering the possibility of a new editing and publishing course that would appeal to students working on the new research journal or The Tributary, as well as anyone interested in professional writing in various disciplines.” “We believe the unique nature of the HRC at a liberal arts college, combined with an undergraduate conference, the research journal, and outreach efforts, will help to raise awareness of Lycoming’s excellence among our peer institutions, an important component in college rankings,” Leiter adds. At a time when many institutes of higher education are eliminating humanities programs, the 2021 Strategic Plan commits Lycoming to the innovative strategy of creating a Humanities Research Center to celebrate and invigorate the humanities.” A center devoted to the humanities on campus will not only benefit our students, but it will serve as a powerful recruitment tool, while simultaneously promoting institutional goals of community engagement and experiential learning.” Launching a Humanities Conference and Journal - President Kent Trachte - Shanin Dougherty 11 www.lycoming.edu
The HRC aims to facilitate studentcentered digital humanities education with clear pedagogical and professionalization outcomes. As part of this, it will look to establish a digital humanities lab that, in addition to traditional digitization technology, will feature recording, videocasting, podcasting, and digital publishing resources among other possibilities. Digital humanities projects at Lycoming have been driven by faculty research and teaching interests for some time and will continue. The HRC is currently developing a collaborative, institutionally-driven digital research project featuring an oral history of the College to eventually be released as a podcast series. Rather than a comprehensive, linear history of the College, the project would feature a collection of targeted investigations into important aspects or moments in Lycoming College history, drawing on an interdisciplinary appeal. Leiter continues, “Possible topics might include the faculty revolt and turmoil of the late 1960s, evolution of student life, women’s experiences at the College, African American experiences at the College, veterans at the College and/or the College during war time, Lycoming’s identity in relation to Native American history/culture, athletics at the College, and a contemporary history of the COVID-era.” Digitizing the Humanities We believe the HRC will provide a crucial enrollment tool for recruiting the brightest young minds — and more of them — to Lycoming.” - Andrew Leiter, Ph.D. 12 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
To learn more about Lycoming’s Humanities Research Center, visit www.lycoming.edu/humanities-research-center or follow the HRC on Facebook (@LycomingHRC). In addition to pursuing grants and funding from external sources such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the College seeks private donor support. If you are interested in advancing the HRC and its initiatives, please contact Robb Dietrich, assistant vice president for major and planned gifts, at dietrich@lycoming.edu or 570-321-4401. A humanities space showcasing student research, internships, and international opportunities, as well as graduate outcomes, will make tangible the strength of Lycoming’s humanities programs, the diversity of educational opportunities at the College, and the successful careers our graduates enjoy. “We anticipate admissions tours that feature a visit to the HRC where prospective students and their families can see the humanities in action at Lycoming in the form of faculty-student interaction, digital humanities projects underway, students meeting with their humanities career advisor, a seminar course in progress, a colloquium presentation, and so on,” shares Leiter. “In short, we believe the HRC will provide a crucial enrollment tool for recruiting the brightest young minds — and more of them — to Lycoming.” In an effort to continue strengthening the College’s relationship with Williamsport and its surrounding communities, the HRC will host a variety of talks — both traditionally academic and more community-oriented, such as interviews and book readings — and symposia and conferences. Furthermore, it will provide a contact point for collaborative possibilities with local libraries, museums, and historical societies, and to work with the local school systems on programming that brings students to campus. Increasing Enrollment and Community Outreach Opportunities lycofangear.com SHOW YOUR LYCOMING PRIDE with GEAR FROM 13 www.lycoming.edu
uring the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Computer Science for All Summit in June 2021, the summit identified software development as one of the fastest growing sectors in Pennsylvania’s economy, stating there are “18,000+ unfilled computer science jobs with an average salary of $80,000 and a projected growth of up to 26 percent annually.” As part of the 2021 Strategic Plan recently adopted, Lycoming College plans to add computer science as an academic major to strengthen opportunities for existing students and cultivate recruitment efforts. Many of the College’s peer and aspirant institutions offer computer or data science majors and leverage these majors to recruit excellent students. For a number of years, Lycoming has offered a minor in computer science with a focus on the interdisciplinary aspects of computers and technology. “Bolstering our curriculum to provide an applied computer science major will enhance STEM opportunities at Lycoming,” says Phil Sprunger, Ph.D., provost and dean. “The collection, analysis, and use of ‘big data’ has become a significant component of many fields, and developing a computer science major for Lycoming will allow students from many different majors to differentiate themselves with coding, data, and development expertise in a growing field.” A student majoring in computer science should be creative, possess problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and have the ability to think computationally in an interdisciplinary environment. Expertise in computer science opens a wide range of opportunities for students, even if their primary choice of employment is in another field. Bearing this in mind, the department of mathematical sciences has constructed a comprehensive and manageable degree plan. The objective of this major curriculum is to offer a streamlined and compact sequence of coursework that students can complete without compromising on their depth of topical knowledge. The proposed program will result in a bachelor of arts degree that balances theory with practice and may be specialized or generalized without compromising on the fundamentals of computer science. “Our proposed major in applied computer science is concentrated enough to prepare the student for a career in computer science, yet it is manageable enough for a double major to help students boost their career choice and be prepared for the greatest opportunities post-graduation,” says Krish Pillai, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science. With a degree in applied computer science, the student is engaged holistically for the sum of their knowledge as a problem solver across several related domains — from the arts to philosophy or economics — rather than narrowly as a computer scientist. This approach aligns with the College’s vision as a center of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. When explaining why a computer science major would be attractive to prospective students and their families, Pillai shares, “Computer science is a very creative, satisfying field. Our students are not going to be irrelevant any time soon because computers are everywhere, and we are dependent on them. We need people to develop this software. Graduates in the field are in demand, and there’s not any other job out there that can compare when it comes to high salaries with an entry-level degree.” Lycoming anticipates accepting students into the new major during the fall of 2022. Currently, the College has six students pursuing computer science as a minor, with plans to convert to a major. Once fully operational, the program expects to grow the number of majors to 10 per academic year. “I first became interested in computer science during my sophomore year when I took a required course for a mathematics major. We were assigned a project in which we were to create an animal using code, so I created a giraffe. While it was a very rudimentary image, I realized that I could use code in whatever way I wanted to achieve my end goal,” shares Kaitlyn Haefner ’24. “I decided to continue my education in computer science and am currently taking two courses with Dr. Pillai. He has spurred my interest even more because he is so passionate about what he teaches and applies what we learn to problems outside the classroom.” Haefner was recently selected to complete an internship at Discovery Machine Inc., an artificial intelligence company headquartered in Williamsport. Coding is like a super power; you can create anything from nothing.” – Krish Pillai, Ph.D. Code Success: A for d 14 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
Computer science excites me because of the importance it plays in society. We live in a digital age that is becoming more and more digital. Many of the most essential inventions in the past decade or two have been created thanks to computer science, and those inventions will continue to become more sophisticated as the field progresses. I decided to study computer science at Lycoming once I realized the importance that it is going to have in the future and its parallels to mathematics. Having skills in computer science makes me extremely marketable, gives me the ability to get a job in various areas, and provides job security.” Mavin James ’24 Mathematics major, computer science minor The Applied Computer Science Major (L to R) Haefner, Pillai, and James 15 www.lycoming.edu
Alston-Mills ’66 delivers keynote address Brenda Alston-Mills, Ph.D. ’66 gave the keynote address. She is an emeritus trustee for Lycoming and a biology professor emeritus at North Carolina State University. A respected alumna, she was an ambassador for Lycoming College Prep, a program that has brought high-achieving, first-generation rising seniors from across the nation to the Lycoming campus for a hands-on introduction to the liberal arts, college life, and mentoring programs that help them pursue a post-secondary education. Her extensive travels and understanding of other cultures allowed Alston-Mills to be a strong mentor for students from all countries and backgrounds. Her knowledge of languages, coupled with her academic training, enabled her to pursue studies in the biology of mammary glands as it relates to breast cancer research, and to share her philosophy of teaching and her research nationally and internationally. Alston-Mills challenged the graduates to “step up and step out” at the end of her address. “Forever forward as long as it’s positive, not by the energy of idle motion, but by the energy of action. Now, in a world of turmoil and often loss of hope, the world needs you,” she said. Alston-Mills was recognized by the College in 2001 with the Dr. James E. Douthat Outstanding Achievement Award. Lycoming’s Black Student Union awarded her the Black Alumni Achievement Award in 2018. In addition to her service as a Lycoming College trustee, she served on the Alumni Association Executive Board. In recognition of her distinguished, extensive, and inspiring contributions to higher learning, Lycoming bestowed Alston-Mills with an honorary Doctor of Laws during this year’s commencement ceremony. Fayla Guerin ’22, a corporate communication major with a minor in film and video arts, delivered the senior greeting (see page 1). Guerin’s leadership on campus includes her service as treasurer of Student Senate during her junior year, and as president during her senior year. She has been an advocate for the student experience at Lycoming, helping various clubs and organizations navigate pandemic protocols while seeking to maintain student engagement in campus life. As a sister of Gamma Delta Sigma, she served as vice president, and she worked for admissions as a campus tour guide. the Cl 16 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
ass of 2022The 174th Commencement to celebrate the Class of 2022 was held on the Fultz Quadrangle on May 14, 2022. Dalal awarded Honorary Doctor of Sciences Rutul Dalal, MD, chair of infection prevention and control, and program director of infectious diseases at UPMC North Central Region, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Sciences. Dalal serves on the medical staff faculty at the Family Medicine Residency Program and is president-elect of the medical staff at UPMC Williamsport. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dalal has led UPMC’s efforts to diagnose, treat, and prevent the deadly virus, working tirelessly to coordinate care and directly treat thousands of patients. He also chaired the UPMC COVID-19 Containment Task Force and was the spokesperson for media outlets, schools, and local governments. As Lycoming and other organizations in the region developed and executed COVID-19 plans, Dalal provided invaluable expertise, advice, and counsel. Jordan named 2022 Chieftain Recognized for his leadership and advocacy for student-athletes, his passion for academic life, and his significant contributions to numerous student organizations, Lycoming named Luke Jordan ’22 the recipient of the Chieftain Award, the highest honor given to a graduating senior. Jordan, a Lycoming Scholar, is a biology major with minors in chemistry and business administration. A strong student-athlete serving as captain of the men’s soccer team, he was recently awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship with plans to enter medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. “My classmates, faculty, and administration voting for me to receive the Chieftain should serve as motivation to future students that Lycoming College is a place where student leaders can make a direct impact on their college experience,” said Jordan. “The involvement I was able to have in campus organizations, combined with the people I had the opportunity to meet and my time with my soccer teammates, are what made my time at Lycoming so memorable.” The College extends its congratulations to the remaining outstanding Chieftain nominees: Umaya Liyanage ’22, Sohini Mukherjee ’22, and Diego Pallares ’22. 17 www.lycoming.edu
atherine Brown ’23 said she didn’t even want to join the swim team her parents registered her for when she was a child. “My parents signed me up for the summer swim team when I was nine, and I really didn’t want to do it,” she said. “I thought people looked stupid with swim caps on, but I ended up falling in love with it.” If the sport of swimming had karmic power, it spent the next decade or so paying back Brown for her initial reluctance. She swam three years at Abington High School outside Philadelphia with a tear in her shoulder. Later, she was the recipient of a pair of concussions at Lycoming when she was kicked by another swimmer in her lane during practice. During her freshman year at Lycoming, Brown had just recovered from her shoulder surgery and that led to improved times, as she finished second at the MAC Championship in the 100yard breaststroke in 1:06.14. “I was lucky that the 100-yard breaststroke was a few days into the meet,” she said. “I had gotten used to what the pool feels like and I got to watch a few finals, so I knew what to expect. I was really excited, and I felt cool because I was just a freshman walking around with a silver medal.” That was her last race of the year, though, as she was injured the next day during warmups and was removed from the 200-yard breaststroke. Less than a month later, the pandemic started. By mid-sophomore year, as COVID regulations dictated life on college campuses, there were signs that Brown could be a special Lycoming swimmer — the type of swimmer that could win conference championships. She was unhappy, though, and in the last week of March, she went back to her home in Glenside, Pa. “The announcement of the first half of the season being cancelled came on my birthday in July,” Brown said. “It just seemed to be foreshadowing something. I remember feeling nothing was going right. We went to virtual learning in our dorms. I wasn’t happy, so I decided to leave.” She finished her semester virtually and took the time to reflect on what she wanted to do next. Was swimming worth it? Should she transfer? Was it going to get better? “I strongly considered not coming back,” she said. “I didn’t really tell anyone that because I didn’t want anyone else’s input. It was a decision I needed to make myself. But I started to feel like my time at Lycoming wasn’t done.” When Brown returned for the start of the 2021-22 academic year, she came back focused on two things — doing well in the classroom and becoming the best swimmer she could. In the third meet of the year at Stevenson, she posted the conference’s top time of the year in three events. On Nov. 13, she broke the pool record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:06.48, the first of two times she did that this year. “It was exciting because my goggles came off at the start and I couldn’t see anything,” she said. “My teammates were standing at the wall and they knew my goggles were off, so they tried to be big with their expressions so I had something to see.” EMER K THE 18 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
By the time the MAC Championships came around, Brown found herself the top-ranked breaststroker in the conference in both the 100- and 200-yard events. When she finished first in the round of 100-yard breaststroke’s preliminary races by more than two seconds, though, she was disappointed. “I was very upset about the morning race,” she shared. “I came and slipped at the second wall and my arms just fell. I panicked and forgot all my technique.” That didn’t happen in the finals, when she won by nearly four seconds, posting a 1:03.88 to earn the school’s first NCAA ‘B’ cut since 2011, setting a MAC and school record in the process. The next night, she won the 200-yard breaststroke with a school-record 2:23.03, helping ensure that she earned the David B. Eavenson MAC Swimmer of the Year award. Then it became a waiting game, as the NCAA Championship selections were 10 days away from the end of the meet. She swam at Johns Hopkins the following weekend to stay fresh and against the best competition of the season, but it was only a matter of whether her time in the 100-yard breaststroke was going to be one of the top 20 in the country to qualify her for the NCAA Championship. Finally, on Feb. 23, as she swam a workout in the Lamade Gym pool, she stopped and stood in the shallow end as head swimming coach Andrew Dragunis said, “I just got the e-mail. You made it.” Brown jumped and spun in the water, beaming a wide smile. She was the first women’s swimmer from Lycoming to reach the NCAA Division III Championship since 1984. “If you had told me that I would be going to the NCAA Championships at the beginning of the year, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. “It doesn’t feel real.” It is, though. RGEnce Katherine Brown ’23 By Joe Guistina OF 19 www.lycoming.edu
F A C U L T Y S P O T L I G H T Exploring American Literature A AN D R EW L E I T E R , PH. D . PROFESSOR OF ENGL I SH D I RECTOR OF THE HUMAN I T I ES RESEARCH CENTER fter completing his undergraduate degree, Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., taught English as a second language for a couple of years to Japanese junior high school students in Narashino, Japan. “I pursued that job less out of a passion for teaching than out of a desire to explore the world beyond the American South where I grew up,” he says. It was an amazing experience and one that definitely broadened his horizons, but it also fostered his initial interest in teaching. “My love for literature and the new experience of teaching led me to graduate school where I could bring both together and pursue a career at the collegiate level. I am a lucky person. I get to do what I enjoy most for a living, and I get to share that passion with bright young minds in the Lycoming College classroom.” Leiter’s expertise is in American literature and culture with particular emphasis in modern American literature (between the world wars), African American literature, and the literary and popular representations of the American South. He has published essays on William Faulkner, Robert Penn Warren, Jean Toomer, Erskine Caldwell, Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ernest Hemingway, as well as “In the Shadow of the Black Beast: African American Masculinity in the Harlem and Southern Renaissances” (LSU Press, 2010). He is editor of “Southerners on Film: Essays on Hollywood Portrayals Since the 1970s” and co-editor (with Christopher Rieger) of “Faulkner and Hurston,” “Faulkner and Hemingway,” and “Faulkner & García Márquez.” When did you first become interested in English literature? I loved to read from as early as I can remember. I was one of those kids who always had a book in his hands, and I’d immerse myself for hours on end in other people’s worlds and experiences. Those reading habits became my gateway into other interests in history, philosophy, religion, and cultural anthropology, which I explored in high school and college. Ultimately, I settled into an English major probably because studying literature not only allowed me to enjoy great books, but also provided access points to so many other aspects of culture and human identity. Take, for example, a novel like “The Great Gatsby,” one of the most familiar works in American literature. It is artistically compelling with memorable characters, but it also engages the newly developing field of psychology, the impact of World War I on American society, the cultural revolution of the New Woman, the technological impact of the automobile, America’s racial history, as well as materialism and notions of the American dream, and much more. 20 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
Describe your current project and its goal. My current book project is tentatively titled “William Faulkner’s Black Muses: The African American Authors Who shaped His Art.” In this work, I argue that the African American literary tradition had an extensive and direct influence on William Faulkner’s fiction throughout his career and that this influence has gone unrecognized in generations of scholarly work. Specifically, this monograph project examines Faulkner’s prose from his early fiction of the 1920s through his novels of the 1940s and traces the textual influence of Charles Chesnutt, Jean Toomer, Zora Neale Hurston, and Richard Wright. This study attempts to redefine canonical relationships between black and white authors in the American literary tradition. The canonical expansion of American literature in the last four decades has resulted in a general, if not universal, acknowledgement that African American (as well as female and other minority) voices are essential to understanding American literary and cultural history. My research addresses a neglected but important aspect of these developments in literary studies. While numerous scholars have explored white literary influence on African American literature, far fewer efforts have been made to explore the African American literary influence on white authors. What is it that interests you most about this project? Faulkner is arguably the most impactful American author of the twentieth century. Establishing the African American literary influence on his art can serve as a model for rethinking patterns of influence in American literature more broadly. Instead of thinking largely in terms of how black authors respond to white writers, we should be considering the mutual intellectual and artistic exchange between white and black authors that is at the heart of the most important literature about race in America. What is your favorite piece of literature and why? That’s a tough question, as I have many favorites and they shift all the time. For the sake of argument though, I will go with Virginia Woolf ’s classic “To the Lighthouse.” I am teaching it right now in my Modern and Contemporary Fiction course. The book is an exquisite piece of art that is largely centered on a couple of days in the life of a family. There is limited action in the traditional sense, yet Woolf ’s novel is a terrifying struggle with the brevity and fragility of life. Through her artistry, she takes on the very grand task of trying to construct some form of order, stability, and meaning out of a chaotic world. It is an almost impossible undertaking, but she pulls it off somehow. 21 www.lycoming.edu
Rebecca Donald was appointed director of library services and associate professor in Snowden Library in March 2022. Prior to Lycoming, she served as director of university library services at the Rolfing Library at Trinity International University. Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98, executive vice president, completed his Doctor of Education degree in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. Edmonds’ dissertation, “Choosing Access: Mid-Market Private Colleges Enrolling Low-Income Students,” researched why and how a select number of private colleges enroll low-income students at 1.5 to 2 times the rate of their academic and reputational peers. Using a qualitative method and a matchedpair case study, Edmonds developed a “Success Matrix” that identifies five fundamental features that influence an institution’s capacity and commitment to enrolling low-income students. The Archaeological Institute of America presented the 2022 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award to Pamela Gaber, Ph.D., professor of archaeology and religion. With 40 years of teaching experience, Gaber is universally known for going above and beyond as a teacher, encouraging students to participate in research programs and present research at conferences, and counseling them to pursue postgraduate studies and careers. Murray Hanford, art director for marketing and communications, is the recipient of several advertising awards. Submissions to the 37th Annual Educational Advertising Awards earned him gold for Lycoming’s President’s Report/Fall Magazine, silver for admission’s total recruitment package, and bronze for the Warriorthon logo. The Collegiate Advertising Awards program recognized his outstanding work with silver for the President’s Report/Fall Magazine and bronze for the total recruitment package. Cullen Chandler, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the Scholars Program, has published an essay, “Charlemagne: Already a Legend,” which appears in “Cross-Cultural Charlemagne: Envisioning Empire in Medieval Europe,” edited by Jace Stuckey and published by Brill Academic Publishers in Leiden, Netherlands. Andreas Rentsch, associate professor of art, collaborated with concert pianist Andreas Klein. Eighty photographs by Rentsch were projected in the background while Klein performed Sergey Prokofiev’s “Piano Sonata No. 7” at the Ford Center at Old Miss University in Oxford, Miss. Phoebe Wagner ’14, assistant professor in English, has signed two contracts with Android Press to publish her novella and edit an anthology. In the novella, “We Survive When We Hold Each Other Up,” a young Rowan learns to amend two types of stories — and thus two ways of seeing her ecologicallycollapsed world — as a stranger comes to her community, which ultimately results in Rowan leaving on her own quest to save her home. The anthology is a collection of cyberpunk and solarpunk stories, and while not pitting the genres against each other, these stories will juxtapose nihilism and hope, dystopia and utopia, neon and solar. This is Wagner’s third solarpunk anthology, and her first one with Android Press, a small science fiction and fantasy publisher based in Eugene, Ore. Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of theatre, and her copresenter received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the EAIR - The European Higher Education Society annual forum, hosted by Humboldt University of Berlin in September 2021. As recipients of the award, they were asked to give a 10-minute talk at the closing ceremony. Their poster and presentation, “How Data Transparency Can Help Higher Ed Institutions Improve Their Planning and Marketing,” were a part of the 43rd international annual forum: “Transformation Fast and Slow: Quality, Trust, and Digitalisation in Higher Education.” Using the perspectives of a faculty member and an administrator, the collaborative presentation aimed to demonstrate how showcasing various student outcomes can address the need for more transparent information and improve recruitment efforts especially at liberal arts institutions. 22 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
NEWS FACULTY & STAFF Paintings by Seth Goodman, associate professor of art, were displayed in a solo exhibition at the Haas Gallery of Art at Bloomsburg University during the months of December through February. “I draw intense inspiration from the social and political dysfunction of our times,” he says. “My work is a poetic attempt at unearthing veiled truths, as I see them, from the topical twists and turns of the day. I comment on America’s class structure by representing celebrities, often members of our ruling class, by implicating them in events that blur fact and fiction. I find this brand of storytelling immensely satisfying because it seems to disrupt the all too familiar levers of power that dominate our political reality.” Sandra Kingery, Ph.D., chair of the modern language studies department and Logan A. Richmond Endowed Professor, published Xánath Caraza’s “Lips of Stone” (The Raving Press). This poetry collection celebrates Mexico’s “mother culture,” the Olmec civilization, highlighting their colossal head stone sculptures (1200-400 BCE). Amy Rogers, Ph.D. ’97, chair and professor of the education department, and Courtney Dexter, Ph.D., Dallas Independent School District and former assistant professor of education at Lycoming, presented their chapter, “A Model for Success: Details of a Modified Clinical Internship Experience,” at the Council of Exceptional Children’s Teacher Education Division conference in Fort Worth, Texas, in November 2021. Caroline Payne, Ph.D., has assumed the position of director of community-based learning as part of initiatives outlined within the 2021 Strategic Plan to increase support for service learning. Additionally, Payne serves as chair and associate professor of the political science department and has successfully directed the College’s Warrior Coffee Program. She is the recipient of the 2022 Plankenhorn Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence, bestowed upon a senior faculty member for faculty excellence at Lycoming College. Andrew Stafford, Ph.D., assistant professor of French, is the 2022 recipient of the Junior Faculty Teaching Award, given to those in their first 10 years of teaching at Lycoming College. “Restrictive deterrence: Avoiding arrest in rural methamphetamine markets” was published in the International Journal of Rural Criminology. Written by Julie Yingling, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, the article is based on interviews with 52 men and women involved in methamphetamine markets and explores the arrest avoidance strategies used during ingredient acquisition, manufacturing/“cooking,” and distribution of methamphetamine. Professors Caroline Payne and Andrew Stafford (center) were presented teaching awards during the 2022 Honors Convocation 23 www.lycoming.edu
ALUMNI Visit www.lycoming.edu/alumnievents to learn about and register for upcoming alumni engagement activities. Tratorria Dario Vero Beach, Fla. Santiago’s Bodega Orlando, Fla. The Canopy Rooftop Lounge St. Petersburg, Fla. Taphouse 23 Bridgeport, Pa. 24 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
Max’s Grille Boca Raton, Fla. Harry Perretta ’78, head women’s basketball coach, retired, at Villanova University, was the Common Hour speaker on Feb. 17, 2022. Perretta presented “From Warrior to Wildcat: A reflection on over 40 years in college sports,” available for on-demand access at John Ryan Brewery Williamsport, Pa. www.lycoming.edu/alumni/common-hour.aspx. The Franklin Institute Philadelphia, Pa. 25 www.lycoming.edu
Each gift impacts Warriors of the past, present, and future. Scholarships, academics, research, and other programs continue to grow because of annual gifts made to the College. We rely on that support to generate the best opportunities for our students in all aspects of their Lycoming experience. MAKE A GIFT TODAY AT www.lycoming.edu/givenow Creating Opportunity Since 1812 gift CHANGE A LIFE YOUR CAN TRULY Lycoming College is rising in prominent college rankings The CEAE coordinates internships, study abroad experiences, and student-faculty research The Krapf Gateway Center opened in Fall 2019 New academic programs include astrophysics, biochemistry, entrepreneurship, computer science, and neuroscience Construction of new music and athletic facilities to be completed in Fall 2022 26 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2022 SPRING MAGAZINE
www.lycoming.eduRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTA3NDk=