LYCOMING COLLEGE FALL 2024
then NOW}
On April 20, 2024, the senior class of Lycoming College did something many of them had been waiting for since 2020 — they went to prom! The Senior Gala was the brainchild of the Class of 2024 officers and provided an evening of celebration, dancing, and for many, a chance to wear the dress or suit they purchased for their cancelled senior proms in the spring of 2020. The much-anticipated event was held in the McIver Rehearsal Hall of the Trachte Music Center. The Class of 2024 expressed their gratitude to every member of the campus community who supported making this dream a reality. Lycoming College dance circa 1950 1 www.lycoming.edu
From President the hen the World Health Organization declared the end of the pandemic phase of COVID in May 2023, leaders in higher education heaved a collective sigh of relief and looked forward optimistically to a year of normalcy. The academic year 2023-24, however, has instead been filled with crisis and turmoil. We have witnessed the closure of a record number of colleges and universities, budget crises leading to significant employee layoffs, tension prompted by the War in Gaza, congressional hearings that have led to presidential resignations, and the “FAFSA debacle” that became yet another adverse factor affecting enrollment. The headwinds currently facing higher education certainly rival those of any other period defined by significant challenges and threats. W 2 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
’s Desk Lycoming trustees, administration, and faculty are intently focused on the disruptions in the higher education environment and crafting thoughtful strategic responses. I can confidently report that Lycoming College is in a stable financial condition, and we have eliminated more than $4 million in operating costs during the past two years. While the pandemic and the FAFSA debacle have reduced enrollment, we have outperformed our national liberal arts peers in the northeast. Very importantly, we continue to implement strategic initiatives and strengthen the market position of the College. Given the regular announcements of closures of other colleges and universities, it is important to clarify some of the critical differences between Lycoming’s financial condition and the typical situation of an institution that closes. Closure usually occurs when an institution has a large operating deficit and current revenues and financial reserves/the value of unrestricted endowments are insufficient to meet payroll and debt service obligations and to pay other bills. Often, the funds available are so limited that the college can remain open only a few weeks or months. In contrast, Lycoming has reduced its post-COVID operating deficit, modestly increased revenues, and has an unrestricted endowment greater than $150 million against a $43 million operating budget. Our financial reserve ratio is one of the strongest among our peer group. During this past year, the federal government implemented a revised federal financial aid form and rewrote the software program operating its FAFSA portal. The implementation has been disastrous for families and institutes of higher education (IHEs). During a typical year, families use the FAFSA portal to submit the financial information that colleges use to award financial aid early in the fall, and many IHEs award financial aid to prospective students before the winter holidays. During the past year, the portal was not functioning well until March, and IHEs were not able to award aid until April. Overall, yearover-year submissions of FAFSA dropped by more than 20 percent, or almost 500,000 students. Not surprisingly, this debacle has discouraged students and families from attending college, and many institutions anticipate enrolling 10 to 20 percent fewer new students in Fall 2024. Led by Associate Vice President Chip Hinton and Director of Financial Aid Jim Lakis, the enrollment management and financial aid teams have done an outstanding job delivering an entering class and transfers. We anticipate 310 to 315 new students will matriculate in late August — less than three percent fewer than in 2023. Thanks to our team and the strategic investments that have strengthened our competitiveness, Lycoming has also weathered this headwind. Finally, I would like to share that the faculty, in cooperation with the Academic Affairs Committee of the Trustees, have undertaken a critical strategic project — the development of new academic offerings. They have been charged with identifying programs that have the greatest possibility of sustaining enrollments while also strengthening our mission and academic excellence. You will hear more about this initiative during the fall. I will close by saying that in my 12th year as your president, I remain inspired by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Lycoming is truly a special learning community. I look forward to seeing many of you on campus during the coming year. Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D. President 3 www.lycoming.edu
EDITOR Amy Chandler marketing@lycoming.edu ASSOCIATE EDITORS Joe Guistina Marla Kramer Lynn (Detwiler) Zitta ’11 ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Murray Hanford PHOTOGRAPHY DMK Media Eric Beiter Emily Shaffer ’19 Eric Stashak Gordon Wenzel M. Mitchell Wheary ’20 Max Wilhelm Ralph Wilson CLASS NOTES EDITOR Terri (Neufer) Brewer ’14 ADMINISTRATION Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D. President Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98 Executive Vice President Sandra Kingery, Ph.D. Interim Provost VOL. 39, NO. 2 FALL 2024 College is a remarkable window in a young person’s life when they are surrounded by people who are different from them. LYCOMING COLLEGE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE COVER: Lycoming College’s Multicultural Awareness Group hosted its annual international dinner on April 13, 2024. Read more on page 8. 4 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
LYCOMING COLLEGE ONE COLLEGE PLACE WILLIAMSPORT, PA 17701-5192 570-321-4000 www.lycoming.edu Copyright© 2024 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. FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK NOTEWORTHY 2024 DAYS OF GIVING A SUCCESS SEEKING COMMON GROUND: BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES THROUGH PUBLIC SERVICE CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2024 TAYLOR FINDS HER WAY BACK TO CROSS COUNTRY FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: GARY HAFER, PH.D. FACULTY & STAFF NEWS ALUMNI HAPPENINGS ALUMNI & REUNION WEEKEND 2024 THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD ANNUAL AWARDS CLASS NOTES SUPPORTING AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY: PETER BRUGUIERE ’69 2 6 12 18 16 20 22 24 26 28 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. 41 30 10 5 www.lycoming.edu
NOTEWOR LYCOMING COLLEGE STUDENT INTERNS PRODUCE PODCAST SERIES ON INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY Fulfilling the requirements of a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in support of the Humanities Research Center, Lycoming College launched the Lycoming College History Podcast Series. The podcasts serve the dual purpose of functioning as one component of a larger strategy to digitally preserve the institution’s 200+ year history, as well as providing research experiences for student interns as they prepare to embark on careers or graduate studies. For nearly a year, studentfaculty podcast teams have worked in unison to address an important moment or movement in the College’s history, especially as it relates to local and national historical contexts, fusing research, interviews, podcast development, and work with Lycoming College Archives and other local entities. The production’s first season covers a broad swath of College history, ranging from a look at the indigenous history of Williamsport with “Before 1812: An Indigenous History of Williamsport,” to a current day account of the College’s increasingly diverse student population with “Hispanic Voices of Lycoming.” “When we organized the podcast series, we wanted to draw on faculty research expertise in ways that would intersect with student interests and allow them room to develop as scholars. We wanted students to draw on their summer research and interviews to create exciting stories about the College history that would interest students, alumni, and the community,” said Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., professor of English and director of the HRC. “The HRC hopes the podcast series can serve as a model for integrating more public-facing humanities research into existing and new courses at Lycoming. Our students and faculty are doing fascinating and important research that helps us understand our culture, history, and community. The more we can share that knowledge, the more beneficial humanistic studies are for everyone.” The podcasts and accompanying digital exhibits are available for listening through the Lycoming College Institutional Repository. 6 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
RTHY Dominick Philip ’24, a Lycoming Scholar with an economics-philosophycomparative literature triple major and minor in German, was named to the prestigious class of 2024-25 Fulbright honorees. A recipient of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award, he will travel to Hamburg, Germany, to teach English at the secondary education level. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international cultural exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and of other countries. The highly selective program is considered one of the most prestigious of its type. Although Philip studied German in high school, he did not develop a passion for the European language until he studied at Lycoming with Len Cagle, Ph.D., associate professor of modern language studies. Philip quickly moved to upper-level German classes and received an undergraduate scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD), enabling him to immerse himself in German language and culture for one month in Munich. “It was a really formative experience and made me certain that I wanted to continue studying the language,” says Philip. When Philip returned to Lycoming, Cagle took him on as a peer mentor for his firstyear seminar, “Berlin on Film,” leading Philip to realize how much he enjoyed teaching. “I had the responsibility of helping with classroom discussion and enjoyed helping students acclimate to college life and discussing the responsibilities of college, such as exam preparation. I was also able to lead lectures when Dr. Cagle was out of town at conferences. It was a great experience during my junior and senior years.” “I want to really be immersed in the German experience. I was there for one month with the DAAD program, and had a great time, but it flew past me quickly, and I want to be able to slow down and get a stronger understanding of the German people,” says Philip. “When I shared with Dr. Cagle that I wanted to go back, he recommended I apply for a Fulbright.” While in Hamburg, Philip plans to expand his knowledge of languages further by taking Turkish classes. Upon completion of his Fulbright experience, Philip will head to Dartmouth College, where he will pursue a master’s degree in comparative literature. LYCOMING COLLEGE GRADUATE AWARDED FULBRIGHT Philip and Cagle 7 www.lycoming.edu
On April 13, 2024, the Multicultural Awareness Group (MAG) hosted more than 240 students, faculty, staff, and community members at their annual dinner. This year’s theme was “Fusion of Cultures,” and more than ever before, our international students were joined by their American peers on stage for this night of entertainment and pride. Highlights of the night included a performance from Lycoming’s Gospel Choir; Bollywood, Vietnamese, Salvadoran, Mauritian, and Chinese dances; a vocal performance by Hiyori Iai ’24; and the ever-popular parade of nations. Guests enjoyed delicious food like jerk chicken, a spicy Nigerian plantain dish, Indian potatoes, and desserts from China and Nigeria. A spring tradition, the International Dinner celebrates the various cultures represented on campus and provides the community with a wonderful display of cultural appreciation. “The Multicultural Awareness Group is proud to celebrate the rich diversity of our campus LYCOMING’S INTERNATIONAL DINNER CELEBRATES CULTURAL DIVERSITY community through multiple inclusive events held throughout the academic year. MAG members are always excited not only to showcase different aspects of their cultural heritage but also to learn from each other by sharing traditional food, songs, and dances. From a meal shared by a dozen friends about two decades ago, the International Dinner has now grown to host 250 guests in an elaborate program designed and organized by students,” says Marleni Feinstein, special assistant to the president, international initiatives, and international student advisor. 8 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
The Williamsport Music Club’s (WMC) Steinway & Sons grand piano, bought used in 1941 from G.E. Otto Flock, was given to Lycoming College on Dec. 18, 2023, in memory of Mary Landon Russell ’33. Russell was a beloved charter member of WMC for 71 years until her death in 2008. Russell’s remarkable 61-year teaching and performing career began at Lycoming College in 1936. Upon her retirement as associate professor of music in 1978, she was named associate professor of music emeritus but continued at the College as a part-time piano teacher until 1998. She also taught piano privately in her home until 2005. In 1974, Russell received the College’s Outstanding Alumna Award, and in 1999, the Alumni Association Executive Board presented to her the Dale V. Bower Service Award for her devoted service to Lycoming. The WMC’s beautiful piano was first housed and used at The Woman’s Club, followed by numerous years at the Y.W.C.A. The piano, along with its bench, then went to storage at Robert M. Sides Family Music Center. Recently, the bench was replaced with a new, custom-made Steinway artist’s bench, provided by Sides, and placed with the piano in The Dr. Fred M. & Patricia Thayer Atrium on campus in March 2024. The piano, manufactured in New York in 1929, bears the autograph of Charles F. Steinway, great-grandson of Henry Steinway, founder of Steinway & Sons Piano Company. A plaque to recognize this gift was placed inside the piano by Kinley Jewelers of Williamsport. Kay (Stenger) Huffman ’60, a 62-year member of WMC, says, “The Williamsport Music Club is quite pleased to have our treasured Steinway grand piano and artist’s bench in this appropriate setting to be really used by Lycoming piano students and to remember one very special piano teacher, dear Mary Landon Russell.” The WMC was organized and federated in 1937 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs. PIANO AND BENCH GIFTED TO LYCOMING COLLEGE IN MEMORY OF RUSSELL This spring, Lycoming College formed a working group on campus to explore, discuss, play with, and evaluate College strategies for our use and integration of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). “You have likely heard the buzz over the past year on Generative Artificial Intelligence and more common references to Artificial Intelligence,” says Rob Dunkleberger, associate vice president for library and information technology services. “Some news reflects the positive potentials of this more widely available A.I. Other news reflects concerns about what A.I. means for the future and the future of human society. The historical hype cycle for technology should provide some comfort to all of us that the end of the world does not draw nigh due to A.I.” ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE COLLEGE CAMPUS A.I. is different, however, from other technological thinking that has come and gone relatively quickly. Lycoming College is working to position itself to better understand how A.I. fits into our educational mission and strategic direction. The Technology and Systems Committee of Lycoming’s board of trustees has already begun discussions and has tasked the College with developing an “A.I. Action Plan.” In response, the A.I. Working Group was established, and areas of focus include student skill development with the use of A.I.; academic integration of A.I. into teaching and learning; operational efficiencies for administrative work; and public website impacts, such as sharing of information to prospective students, alumni, and other entities. CALLING ALL ALUMNI! Lycoming College will be exploring more about A.I. in an upcoming issue of Lycoming College Magazine. If you work in the development of A.I. or regularly use A.I. in your place of employment, we want to hear from you. Please contact marketing@lycoming.edu and share how you use A.I. 9 www.lycoming.edu
For the sixth year in a row, Warriors from near and far came together on Lycoming’s Days of Giving to generously support a place that enriches the lives of our students beyond measure. During the recordbreaking 48-hour fundraising event, 1,573 donors raised $623,099! Thank you for investing in the people and programs that make our campus so distinctive. Every gift matters. www.lycoming.edu/dayofgiving for GIVING like a WARRIOR! MARK YOUR CALENDAR! THANK YOU $623,099 TOTAL GIVEN GIFTS BY DECADE 50s 90s 60s 00s 70s 10s 20s 80s 11 132 79 204 127 195 48 101 NEW DONORS 180 alumni 58 individuals 90 parents & 32 past parents 7th Annual APRIL 8 & 9, 2025 10 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
1,573 1,670 1,486 NUMBER OF DONORS NUMBER OF GIFTS GRADUATES OF THE LAST DECADE (GOLD) ALUMNI RAISED % of donors who gave on both 2023 & 2024 Days of GIVING Fiscal Year 2024 Alumni Donors BEFORE Days of Giving $9,022 48% 170 $419 204 DONORS AVERAGE GIFT AMOUNT GIFTS 2,228 Fiscal Year 2024 Alumni Donors AFTER Days of Giving Alumni 897 Current Faculty and Staff 82 Individual 232 Parent 136 Past Parent 46 Student 8 Foundations/ Corporations 14 # of DONORS BY SEGMENT 11 www.lycoming.edu
very day, Lycoming College students, faculty, staff, and alumni impact the communities around them in profound and meaningful ways. This selflessness helps us to expand our worldviews and become engaged citizens as we strive to enhance our professional growth and personal fulfillment. “Service is what holds us together as a community and nation; it’s the backbone that we don’t often see, but what makes us whole,” says Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98, executive vice president. “Lycoming College is inspired by our students who are choosing pathways toward serving others, and we are incredibly honored to produce first-rate alumni who are doing this meaningful work and are making an impact on the greater good.” Public service is necessary to save lives, improve communities, and influence social change. – Herbert Wolfe ’93 Seeking Common GROUND Building strong communities through public service 12 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
“So many of our students go into direct public service through their chosen professions; think education, military, public agencies, law enforcement, health. Many others will work with public service agencies as an extension of their vocations or personal lives as clients, customers, or advocates. We all are impacted by public resources and policies. One of the advantages of working at Lycoming College is having the privilege to train students in critical thinking that prepares them for their careers, as well as to be good citizens. Williamsport offers a plethora of training locales that provide great skill development in incredible ways, allowing students to ask what kind of community they want to live in and how they contribute to making that community become the best it can be. Engaging with the local community, helping it to develop with our students through volunteerism, applied course projects, service learning, and practicum provides exposure for what students can do in their own communities, where they grew up, here on campus, and wherever their future community awaits them.” - Betty McCall, Ph.D. Associate professor of sociology Lycoming College “Politics is the art of making group decisions. Even something as simple as a public road entails many choices — where to build it, who will pay for it, what the speed limit will be — that can’t be left up to each individual citizen. One way or another, we have to reach decisions for the whole group that some of us like and the rest of us can live with. Democracy complicates this process by giving the public a say in how they are governed and by whom. The diversity of backgrounds and beliefs makes it impossible to please everyone most of the time, and elected officials must serve the whole public, even opponents. At Lycoming College, our political science program exposes students to a wide variety of political perspectives. Our majors not only hear views that contradict their own but practice articulating those views themselves, going beyond strawman arguments and stereotypes to truly understand the other side. Even though most don’t change their own opinions, they come away from the experience with a firmer grasp both of why they believe what they believe and why others believe differently. For a democracy such as ours to function, we need public servants who are passionate about their vocation while also being cognizant of different perspectives on the issues they face. Lycoming College fosters both of these qualities, as our alumni in public service demonstrate.” - Benjamin Kantack, Ph.D. Assistant professor of political science, Lycoming College 13 www.lycoming.edu
“Empathy and understanding are natural human qualities, but seeing the shared humanity across differences is sometimes hard. By giving students a chance to see the traditions and culture they grew up with in comparison to the upbringing and cultures of their classmates and the various cultures, time periods, and subjects they study, students are able to bridge differences, see how different choices can be justified and reasonable for others, and engage more deeply with their own traditions they want to uphold moving forward. The cornerstone of an anthropology class is to help students see those who are different from them as having a shared humanity and reasonable motivations for their different lives. Likewise, students often take the cultures they grew up with for granted but learn to see these traditions with fresh eyes when viewed through comparison with classmates or the cultures, time periods, and subjects they study in their classes. College is a remarkable window in a young person’s life when they are surrounded by people who are different from them. Unlike before college, students are living alongside people from other states and other countries. Unlike after college, most of their friends are not living in the same neighborhood or working in the same industry or workplace.” - Ryan Adams, Ph.D. Associate professor of sociology and anthropology Lycoming College “I chose to study political science after taking a class with Dr. Payne. Local government and politics were never my strong suit, so I always thought that political science was not for me, but I really found myself enjoying my classes like Human Rights and International Relations. Learning Spanish and French has been one of the best decisions I have made, and it has opened up so many amazing opportunities. Had I not learned other languages, I would have never traveled to the Dominican Republic and met the incredible people working with Lycoming’s Warrior Coffee Project, nor would I have met my host family in Ecuador who have become an amazing support system. In Williamsport, I have been able to use my language skills to provide interpreting and translating through Thrive International Programs, where I completed a WISE internship through Lycoming a couple of years ago. At Thrive, I was doing a lot of English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring, which I loved. I really enjoyed working one-on-one with everyone, and I was able to put my interest in language learning to work. Near the end of the internship, I was working a lot with the immigration side of things, and I loved the direct impact that I was able to make in others’ lives. After graduation, I hope to teach ESL, but I would love to continue working in Legal and Immigration Services as well. I feel so lucky, especially as a college student, that I am able to have all of these opportunities and a great support system. I think public service is so important because everyone deserves a chance for the same opportunities. There are so many amazing organizations around Williamsport that work to do just that, and I hope to be able to become even more involved with them through Lycoming during my senior year.” - Rei Saar ’25 Political Science & Spanish dual major, French minor, Lycoming College 14 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
“From every new assignment, crisis response, increased leadership responsibilities, and the leading of diverse teams, my educational experience at Lycoming College has served as the foundation for my continued learning and success. It enables me to support and develop creative solutions to multifactorial problems while bringing a human touch to highly technical professions and challenges through authenticity and active listening. I chose public service to make a difference and help improve the daily lives of the public, both here at home and abroad, while striving to connect with the American people and instill a confidence in the skills, passion, and character of career public servants. Public service is necessary to save lives, improve communities, and influence social change. For me, public service has provided immense and enduring fulfillment, enjoyment, purpose, and impact. Public servants should be representative of society, so we need everyone to consider a career in public service. Choosing a career in public service provides a great opportunity to selflessly serve others while offering the ability to address the current and emerging challenges facing the communities we all live in — a real opportunity to make a difference in one life while helping the nation become healthier, sustainable, stronger, and united.” - Herbert Wolfe, Ph.D., MHS-PA ’93 Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Director, Office of Health Security “Upon graduation from Lycoming, I accepted a position as a junior research analyst for the PA House Democratic Caucus’ Legislative Policy and Research Office (LPRO). In this role, I compile research memos, bill drafts, and co-sponsorship memos, as well as aid in constituent correspondence. Within our office, I’m part of the Natural Resources Unit, so I work specifically on issues relating to agriculture and rural affairs, environmental resources and energy, veterans’ affairs, and emergency preparedness. I enjoy working at the state government level because our work directly affects people’s lives, whether they realize it or not. Although I never anticipated working with the issues that I do, I’ve learned so much in the first year and love that aspect. I get to work on research and legislation that helps people live safer, healthier, and happier lives, and that is all I could ask for out of my work.” For my Haberberger Fellowship research, I chose to study how a person’s belief that their government serves them (political efficacy) influences whether they vote. People who are experiencing homelessness or have low incomes face so many unique challenges based on their circumstances. If these groups aren’t voting or engaging in politics, their elected officials might not know what their needs are or how to address them. My research revealed, as I expected, that people with low incomes didn’t feel like their elected officials listened to their needs and were less likely to vote or engage in politics. This role was a natural progression for me, as I’ve always known that I want to help people, and my special interest in public policy made this a perfect fit. I think there are plenty of people who care deeply about the issues we work on in the public sector every day, but their perceptions of government prevent them from doing this work. Our diverse society demands a public service workforce with a variety of backgrounds, and there will always be a place for people who care about the greater good and want to use their talents to make the world a better place.” - Olivia Wilson ’23 Research Analyst PA House Democratic Caucus’ Legislative Policy and Research Office 15 www.lycoming.edu
ycoming College held its 176th Commencement Ceremony on May 11, 2024. The Class of 2024 started and proceeded through their college experience during a global pandemic, narrowly avoiding scattered showers for a celebration on the Fultz Quadrangle. “You are tenacious, resilient, and capable of overcoming adversity. Your contributions, leadership and successes during the last four years are noteworthy,” acknowledged President Kent Trachte, Ph.D. D. Mark Fultz ’80, chairman of the board of trustees, added, “I, like my fellow trustee alumni, look back on my Lycoming years as being truly transformative…. As time moves on from this day forward, you all will gain a growing realization of how impactful your Lycoming experience was. And I guarantee you’ve all gained something special here at Lycoming.” Slaughter delivers keynote address, receives honorary degree Derek Slaughter ’24H, Williamsport’s mayor and stalwart supporter and friend of the Williamsport community and Lycoming College, delivered the commencement keynote address. During the ceremony, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws. “Many of you in this graduating class are already doing great work,” said Slaughter to the Class of 2024. “Tap into the experiences of Lycoming alumni and join them as you continue this proud tradition of engagement and leadership… Find that which enriches your own life and the lives of others. Be a force for positive change.” Slaughter is a native of Williamsport, having graduated from Williamsport Area High School before moving on to earn a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology from Penn State and a Master of Education degree from the University of Maryland. In 2007, Slaughter returned to his hometown to teach and coach at the Williamsport Area School District. For 10 years, Slaughter taught mathematics and coached the girls’ varsity basketball team. His connection to the sport brought to his attention the removal of basketball hoops around the city, which, in turn, led to his running for City Council to effect positive change for the city. After two years on the Williamsport City Council, Slaughter made history when he was elected as the first black mayor of the City of Williamsport in 2019, a position to which he was 2024 the CLASSOF By Chase Bower ’26 People will try to set limits on what they think you can accomplish, try to sway you from taking chances, exploring a new opportunity, or moving to an unfamiliar place. Let. Them. Try. – Mayor Derek Slaughter ’24H 16 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
re-elected in 2023. On April 10 of this year, he received the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence in recognition of his dedication to improving public services through innovative initiatives. Slaughter’s administration has focused on improving the community for all the city’s residents. During his tenure, the City of Williamsport has secured millions of dollars in funding for public safety, economic development, parks and recreation, and the recertification of the City’s levee. Brought delivers senior greeting Cathryn Brought ’24, a biology major with a Spanish minor, delivered the senior greeting to the Class of 2024. Brought’s academic achievements include Dean’s List and membership in the Pre-Health Society, the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society where she served as president for one year, and Honor Roll membership in the MAC and Landmark Athletic Conferences. Brought served as captain of the women’s swim team for two years and was a member of the women’s basketball and softball teams. She has volunteered for the UPMC Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, Goodies 4 Our Troops, and as a youth swim coach. Additionally, she worked on campus as a tour guide captain for admissions as well as a teaching assistant in Biology 111. “For many of us, this is our first-ever graduation ceremony… we can take pride in the road we traveled to arrive here. It was far more difficult than anyone could have anticipated, but because we have faced those circumstances, we now know that we are strong, brave, capable, adaptable, and resilient,” said Brought. Iai named Chieftain Lycoming College named Hiyori Iai ’24, a computer science and psychology dual major, the recipient of the Chieftain Award, the highest honor given to a graduating senior. Lycoming’s first international Chieftain recipient, Iai earned a spot on the College’s Dean’s List all four years and was recognized for her leadership in the classroom and on the tennis court, extensive scholarly achievement, and dedication to volunteerism and her fellow students. Iai’s demonstrated leadership and academic capabilities awarded her the Fundamentals of Physics Award, the Jack C. and Janet B. Buckle Endowed Leadership Scholarship, the IRUSKA Honor Society Outstanding Service Award, the Sorority Scholar of the Year Award, and a Haberberger Fellowship. She participated in and then served as event leader for Relay for Life, as well as a group leader in Service Saturdays, and interned at RegScan, the Ashinaga Foundation, and the Research Center of Computational Mechanics. On campus, she served as an avid Math Center tutor and worked in the IT Service Center and Student Involvement office. She participated in Student Senate, Black Student Union, and STEM Affinity, and was a member of the Cross-Country and Women’s Tennis teams. Lycoming extends its congratulations to the remaining outstanding Chieftain nominees: Rebekah Hromyak ’24, Mahala Johnson ’24, and Melissa Van Klingeren ’24. 17 www.lycoming.edu
By Joe Guistina he day I was supposed to move into college and everyone got their freshmen T-shirts, a local non-profit, Kids Can’t Fight Cancer Alone, sent me a shirt,” Sydney Taylor ’27 said. “I just thought, ‘How ironic is that?’” In August 2022, a week before leaving Troy, Pa., for Williamsport and Lycoming College, she found out she had Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. A PET scan at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in Hershey revealed that the cause was lumps that had developed on her right arm in May and on her neck in August. All of a sudden, the David B Sykes Gate had closed, and the next six months contained 12 chemotherapy treatments instead. “My whole life I had been really healthy, so it was a big surprise,” she said. “The first treatment I got, I lost a lot of weight. My body was not expecting what was going on and reacted poorly. Then, toward the end, I got sick a lot. It would take me one week to recover, then when I finally felt better, I had to go back.” 18 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
At the end of the treatment on Feb. 9, 2023, subsequent PET scans found that the chemo had done what it was supposed to do. White blood cells were repopulating. It still needs to be monitored even today, but one year after being diagnosed, Taylor walked through the Sykes Gate a cancer survivor. By the time Taylor got through the track and field season during her senior year of high school, she was pretty sure she was done with competitive running. She had run competitively for six years, and after showing some impressive promise during her first two years of high school, the success didn’t continue in her last two years. A knee injury during her junior year started to signal the end. From finishing in the top 10 at the District 4 Championship as a sophomore to falling all the way to 28th as a senior — while her time on the 5K course climbed nearly three minutes — Taylor thought she was past her peak. She didn’t know it at the time, but the struggles she had breathing weren’t due to asthma, but from the tumors growing from the lymphoma. “I never got back to where I was my sophomore year,” she said. “Now, looking back, it makes a lot of sense. As a junior, I was running six-minute miles, and when I was a senior, I struggled to break seven minutes.” At the time, it was so frustrating that Taylor’s plan was to play basketball, not run cross country in college. After her diagnosis, though, and months spent sick from chemo, she was more than ready to try running again. “Once I couldn’t run anymore because of the chemo, it turned out I was very upset that I couldn’t,” she said. “Once chemo stopped, I started to run again.” That led to a chance encounter one day on campus with Lycoming head cross country coach, Katie Sick, as she got set for a short run and an open-ended invitation to join the team. Taylor didn’t think much of it, but a member of the team, Ella Scott ’27, happened to live across the hall from her, and she convinced Taylor to give it a shot. “It was humbling because I had forgotten how hard it was to run for that long,” she said. “I had just been doing 2-mile runs. As I started to get stronger, I was able to do everything everyone else was doing. I started to get my strength up and started to lift, which I hadn’t done all summer, and doing hill workouts, which I avoided at all costs. With the motivation from my coaches and teammates, I actually started to like running again, and it was a great environment to be in.” By the end of the season, only nine months removed from those chemotherapy sessions, Taylor was one of the team’s seven best runners, helping the team to a program-best 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. “That was probably my favorite meet of the whole year,” Taylor said. “It was a perfect temperature, and Lock Haven’s course is flat. My family was there. Everyone wanted to PR that day, and there was no better day to do it. I was always close in time with Bella Fave ’25 and Maddy O’Connor ’25. We work together as a group and push each other. Maddy ended up passing me and as she passed me, she said, ‘Come on, let’s work together. Let’s go.’ Everyone was just pushing and we were doing it for more than just ourselves, and that made a big difference for me.” Her times are still not where they were three years ago before the lymphoma started to take hold of her body, but they are quickly getting better. “I definitely am doing more hills than ever before,” she said of her summer workouts. “I want to make sure I come in and not struggle. I want to help the team from the beginning, not just at the last meet.” There were a lot of reasons Taylor, who wants to be an elementary school teacher, didn’t think she would be a student-athlete when she finally arrived at Lycoming College last August. Sure, she was only eight months removed from chemotherapy, but she’d also been out of school for a year. She wasn’t sure what the transition to college classes would be like. As it turned out, she said being an athlete made it easier in some ways. “Having practices every day, I could schedule my days out a bit clearer — class, practice, and homework — I didn’t have time to sit around and do it later,” Taylor said. “That helped a lot.” Taylor also said that the supportive professors helped, as she finished her first year on campus with a 4.0 GPA. “One of the reasons I picked Lycoming is I knew the professors were amazing,” she said. “They are so understanding with everything I had going on. One of my favorite professors, Dr. Seddelmeyer, would always ask about the meets. I don’t think a lot of them knew that I had taken a year off and that I’d need that extra help, but they were so understanding and helped me to do my best.” ONE OF THE REASONS I PICKED LYCOMING IS I KNEW THE PROFESSORS WERE AMAZING” 19 www.lycoming.edu
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT - THE - G GARY HAFER, PH.D. EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH ary Hafer, Ph.D., always saw himself as a reader, so it seemed natural to imitate his favorite writers. He remembers writing science fiction stories in school study halls, and by fifth grade, he had written a mystery novel over the course of a year, all typed on a vintage, second-hand Royal typewriter that his parents bought for him. His early audiences were very encouraging and led to his majoring in English during college. Hafer reflects, “It was there I took an undergraduate rhetoric class, and suddenly I was hooked for good!” In the fall of 1992, Hafer joined the Lycoming faculty where he specialized in teaching rhetoric and composition. During his tenure, he says it was fun to take both modern and ancient rhetorical understandings and make them practical strategies for undergraduates. “In particular, I liked teaching strategies for starting out in writing, what Rosemary Deen calls ‘writing that can’t be done wrong.’ I think we need far more writing practice in class for students to see how they can employ it to puzzle through all the new knowledge they’re exposed to in the college classroom.” Hafer retired from the department of English this spring after 32 years of dedicated service. “I will miss the daily interaction with colleagues and young people, but I’m anticipating new interactions in my retired life.” And this is where his story heats up — quite literally. When did you first develop a passion for grilling? I intensified my interest in grilling after my near-fatal heart attack in 2011. I knew then that if I were to recover, I would have to make lifestyle changes. Grilling became integral to that change because it provided a healthier method of cooking and allowed me a way to relax and slow down, particularly when I centered on charcoal grilling. I was a father of two middle school children, and my wife and I led busy lives; grilling provided me a way to slow down and to express my love for family and friends. You are a Weber Grill ambassador. How did you come to hold that honor, and what all does it entail? For years, I was grilling for Weber at various sites across Pennsylvania. I even had the great privilege of grilling in Germany and Denmark, and my wife, Margie, and I were guests within the royal residence of Denmark! In all these adventures, there is a social media component, and Weber soon noticed and reached out to ask me to join their new Friends of Weber program. The ambassadorship followed, opening opportunities for me to appear in media events as well as other venues where I teach others how to grill. 20 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
Last year, I was invited to address Weber’s team leaders from their media studios in Chicago, which was broadcast live throughout the world. I read one chapter from my book-length manuscript and answered questions from around the world: Australia, Russia, Denmark, England. This summer, in addition to conducting grilling demonstrations at various dealers throughout the state, I’ll be representing Weber at two benefits, one for the Animal Rescue League and another for the Children’s Miracle Network that benefits Geisinger Medical Center. I’ll also be a guest at Canada’s Weber Grilling Academy in August. The Ambassadorship opened these doors for me. We’ve heard that you enjoy being an ambassador because it allows you to combine your love for family, friends, and writing. Please explain. I’ve been unpacking an answer for years! My best one so far is for others to read my manuscript as it evolves on www.StandingintheShadowoftheKettle.com. There, I’m demonstrating how all three work together, using interviews with Weber grill masters throughout the world, my personal stories, and photography of live-fire events. For me and many others, grilling is both elemental and therapeutic, a way to make new friends and establish deeper ones. What’s more inviting than joining someone for a meal prepared outdoors under live fire? How many grills do you have at home? Conservatively, I’ll say thirty! As part of the ambassadorship program, I’m sent new grills regularly and expected to use them in social media posts. As you might imagine, my favorites are fluid choices! What is your favorite food to grill? Salmon. I always hated salmon as a kid because it was oven-prepared to be bone dry. Now, I choose it gratefully not only for its health benefits, but for its exquisite flavor through live-fire cooking. Other than grilling and following the Boston Red Sox, how do you plan to spend your retirement? I have lots of projects! Margie and I will be traveling — I don’t mean just to Fenway Park! — and I want to meet my grilling friends who I only know through social media, particularly those in Germany, Holland, Austria, and Australia. For instance, we’re planning a trip to WeberFandag in March 2025, a huge event held in the Weber Grill Academy in Amersfoort, Netherlands. I also want to solicit a publisher for my book, “Standing in the Shadow of the Kettle: My Trip Back to Life through Weber Grilling.” I have a new website with some of the chapters from the book, so I need to maintain it. All in all, I’ll still be teaching and learning and listening and writing, all the things that I did during my years at Lycoming College. 21 www.lycoming.edu
Lycoming College recognized teaching excellence at the annual Honors Convocation held on April 21 at Williamsport’s Community Arts Center. The 2024 Plankenhorn Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence was presented to Rachel Hickoff-Cresko, Ed.D., associate professor of education and chair of the department. She has taught for 26 years and spent the first half of her career teaching in a large, under-resourced, public school setting. Her research interests include sources and development of reading selfefficacy, the education of historicallyunderserved students, and teacher preparation. Mark Zajack, Ph.D., associate professor of business administration, was awarded the 2024 Junior Faculty Teaching Award. His work focuses on management and organizational behavior. In addition to teaching introductory management and organizational behavior, Zajack teaches upper-level courses, including decision making, quantitative research methods, and leadership in theory and practice. He also leads seminars on stress and resilience at work for Lycoming’s Institute for Management Studies. Ryan Adams, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology, was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Howard C. Berthold Faculty Research & Information Competencies Award. The award, named for Dr. Howard C. Berthold in recognition of his long-standing service as chair of the Faculty Library Advisory Committee, is given annually to a faculty member who actively supports research competencies through class assignments, curriculum mapping, collaboration with librarians, and professional development related to information literacy. In June 2024, Adams’ paper, “Local Food Movement in Puerto Rico: Insights from Queer Theory,” was presented at the annual joint meeting of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Agriculture, Food & Human Values Society in Syracuse, N.Y. Jacob Berger, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, recently published “HOTT and Heavy: HigherOrder Thought Theory and the Theory-Heavy Approach to Animal Consciousness” in the peer-reviewed journal Synthese; the article is coauthored with Myrto Mylopoulos, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy at Carleton University. In March, Berger presented a paper, “A HOT Approach to Insect Consciousness,” at the Society for the Study of Ethics & Animals at the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Portland, Ore. Berger also was selected for the Marc Sanders Foundation’s 2024 Philosophy in the Media Fellowship. The Fellowship involved attending a multi-day workshop in June 2024 about how to produce and publish op-eds or trade books on philosophy for general audiences. Berger is currently working on a book on political economy. Cullen Chandler, Ph.D., Frank and Helen Lowry Professor of History, wrote a new book published by Routledge, the world’s leading academic publisher in the humanities and social sciences. Chandler’s “Introduction to the Carolingian Age” is an accessible history of western Europe in the eighth and ninth centuries. Through a thematic and chronological approach, this book explores the life, family, and period of Charlemagne in a clear and informative way and Andreas Rentsch, MFA, chair and associate professor of art, displayed his artwork in “The Polaroid Project” exhibition at the National Taiwan Normal University Museum of Art in Taipei City, Taiwan. This landmark exhibition started in 2017 and has so far been shown in nine museums on three continents. Additionally, three unique pieces from Rentsch’s “Pandemonium” series are currently included in an exhibition at the FASE Gallery in Empoli, Italy. The five artists in this show will later exhibit at C. Grimaldi Gallery in Baltimore, Md., in September 2024. offers explanations of historical developments and discussions of key historiographical debates. The book is an essential resource for both undergraduate students and general readers with an interest in the history of the Carolingian period from 750-900. Chip Edmonds, Ed.D. ’98, executive vice president, was included in City and State PA Magazine’s Higher Education Trailblazers list, which recognizes the top 100 influencers in Pennsylvania’s collegiate community. Submissions to the 39th Annual Educational Advertising Awards earned Murray Hanford, director of visual communications, gold for the 202223 President’s Report, silver for the Spring 2023 Lycoming College Magazine, and silver for the Admissions Williamsport Carousel promotional material. Julie Yingling, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, published “Power & Moral Capital — A ‘Theory of Access’ for People Receiving Public Assistance in Rural USA” in The Sociological Quarterly. Sandra Kingery, Ph.D., W. Gibbs McKenney Chair in International Studies and Professor of Spanish, will pause her teaching duties to serve as interim provost for the College effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026. She has served multiple terms on Faculty Executive Council, including chair of the faculty, and full terms on both the Promotion and Tenure, and the Budget, Salaries and Benefits committees. She has chaired the General Committee on Academic Affairs four times, worked on Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccreditation teams, directed the Faculty Mentor Program, and has served on more than 50 peer evaluation committees and 55 search committees. As interim provost, Kingery will collaborate with faculty committees, the chief diversity officer, and President Trachte on infusing principles of inclusive excellence into the College’s faculty hiring practices, faculty retention and support, tenure and promotion processes, faculty development programs, and the potential creation of a Center for Teaching and Learning. 22 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2024 FALL MAGAZINE
www.lycoming.eduRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTA3NDk=