Swarthmore College Bulletin (June 1998) - ITS

D I G E S TAlumni serve the College, its students, and their communitiesSwarthmore’s 17,000 alumni arean enormous resource for theCollege, its students, our owncommunities, and our fellow graduates.In the past year, alumni againresponded enthusiastically to manyrequests for help. Examples of serviceabound.For a week in January and March,about 150 alumni and parents providedexternships for students, givingthem an exposure to possible careeropportunities. Others opened theirhomes to the students so that costwould not prevent anyone from participating.Career support marked anothervolunteer effort when about 50 graduatesattending Black Alumni Weekendand the Alumni Council meeting inMarch joined 70 students at the secondannual Alumni-Student CareerNetworking Dinner. It was organizedby the Career Planning and PlacementOffice in cooperation with AlumniRelations. Students questioned alumnion the value of various majors, gradschool options, job searches, and thejuggling of work and family responsibilities.Alumni in several cities providedhousing last summer, and are againthis year, to enable students to takevolunteer internships or low-payingjobs. This generosity not only offers ahome away from home but can alsostretch the limited funds availablefrom the College for summerresearch. Provost Jennie Keith hasencouraged the Alumni Council’seffort to expand this program.Alumni volunteers have representedSwarthmore for years at collegefairs, in prospective student interviews,and at “yield receptions” foraccepted students. Dean of AdmissionsRobin Mamlet met with Councilthis spring to explore more ways thatalumni can help her office extend itsoutreach to additional cities, schools,and students.Members of the Alumni Council volunteeredto participate in the subgroupsof the long-range planning processdescribed in President AlBloom’s letter to alumni in April, andthe Council was able to serve as asounding board for preliminary ideasfrom some of the groups.As reported regularly in thesepages, service projects organized byregional Connection volunteers drawalumni who like to meet old and newfriends while serving their community.Among them this year were a trailmaintenance workparty on a mountainnear Seattle,the City Year servea-thonin Boston,Christmas-in-Aprilin Washington,Jack Riggs ’64STEVEN GOLDBLATT ʼ67D.C., and a Habitatfor Humanity projectin Philadelphia.Service to otheralumni also motivates us. Washingtonareavolunteers organized about 50graduates into a book club that metmonthly in sections to read booksfrom a syllabus developed by PhilWeinstein, the Alexander GriswoldCummins Professor of English. Lastmonth he went to Washington to presenta concluding lecture and lead adiscussion for the combined sections,proving that faculty can match alumniin generosity.Alumni again gave their time andenergy as class agents, class secretaries,reunion coordinators,phonathon volunteers, Connectionchairs, Managers, Alumni Councilmembers, and more. The AlumniCouncil each year recognizes outstandingservice to the Collegethrough the Joseph B. Shane Awardand, starting last year, it honors alumnifor unsung service to their owncommunity through the ArabellaCarter Community Service Award.This month at Alumni Weekend,the Shane Award was presented toMargaret “Mickey” McCain Ford ’43 ofHockessin, Del., and Ken Matsumoto’58, of Tokyo. The Carter Award wasgiven to Stokes ’51 and Mary JaneWinde Gentry ’53 of Williston, Vt.One point stands out as I talk withthe organizers of volunteer activities:Most people who are asked to givetheir time do so and are happy to beasked. The challenge is to take betteradvantage of this generosity and offermore opportunities to those whowant to contribute. In the comingyear, the Alumni Council will try tohelp meet this challenge.—Jack Riggs ’64President, Alumni AssociationAlumni News BriefsSend in thatdirectory informationThe Alumni RecordsOffice will send a mailingto every Swarthmoregraduate this month toconfirm or update informationfor the 1998Swarthmore CollegeAlumni Directory. For thefirst time, the directorywill be produced both ina soft-cover edition, tobe distributed free ofcharge, and an on-lineversion. If there’s sufficientdemand, a CD-ROM also will be available.Alumni who don’treceive the mailingshould contact AlumniRecords at (610) 328-8435, or e-mail alumnirecords@swarthmore.edu.Apply for a LuceScholarshipAlumni under age 30 areinvited to apply for theLuce Scholars Program,which funds a year inAsia. Candidates musthave no previous careerinterest or academicconcentration in Asianstudies, and little or noexposure to East orSoutheast Asia. Applicationsare due Monday,Nov. 2. Information isavailable from TomFrancis, director of theCareer Planning andPlacement Office:phone (610) 328-8352,fax (610) 328-8549, ore-mail tfranci1@ swarthmore.edu.JUNE 199825