Sweet Briar College Magazine - Spring 2018

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Dear Sweet Briar Alumnae, Throughout this spring semester, distinguished women musicians, writers and policy makers have streamed to the campus, in a series dubbed “At the Invitation of the President.” As you will read in this issue, the series started in January with a remarkable all-women ensemble of scholar-performers dedicated to excavating little-known string trios from the 17th and 18th century, and it ended the semester with a lecture by Bettina Ring, the secretary of agriculture and forestry for the Commonwealth. Sweet Briar was a working farm for most of its history, a fact that does not escape the secretary, both as an important legacy we share and cherish, but also as a resurgent possibility for the future — for Sweet Briar and Central Virginia. Through this series, one learns stunning things about women who shape history. A graduate of Sweet Briar, Delia Taylor Sinkov ’34 was a top code breaker who supervised a group of women who worked silently — under an “omerta” never to be betrayed in one’s lifetime — to break the Japanese navy and army codes and eventually to help win the Battle of Midway. Ultimately, the number of code breakers surpassed 10,000. While America is a country that loves and shines light on its heroes, women have often stayed in the shadow of that gleaming light; they are history’s greatest omission. “Do you like doing the crossword puzzle?” Navy recruiters would ask the potential code breakers. “And are you engaged to be married?” If the answer to the former was a “yes” and to the latter a “no,” then the women were recruited to the first wave of large-scale intelligence work upon which the nation would embark. Do women exercise leadership differently than men? Scholars say they do. And should they exercise leadership differently? Ethicists say they should — for women, leadership is often more focused on accountability and more ethical. I don’t know the answers to those questions, but it may be that the women of today, as they step out of the shadow of the light cast on male heroes, will invent a style of leadership that is a little sui generis. I hope so. That is what Sweet Briar’s new leadership core that replaces general education is designed to do. It is a set of 10 required courses that distinguishes Sweet Briar’s liberal arts education, which was instantly dubbed by The Chronicle of Higher Education as the innovative “integrated core with a theme.” The highlights include a focus on persuasive arguments and writing, artistic expression with visiting artists, “citizen science” to provide our students with the vocabulary to understand complex scientific challenges of our time, logical thinking with an emphasis on evidence and more. Unusual in this series of 10 courses is an insistence that every woman at age 18 should have financial literacy — some understanding of accounting, analysis and marketing — as well as know the principles of managing organizations, big and small. This leadership core will be launched in the fall beginning with an intensive three-week course, required of all first-years, called Design Thinking. It is a currently privileged way of saying “problem-solving.” In other words, how to define the problem, understand the objective, appreciate constraints and craft approaches to solving it. The course will be teamtaught by a group of four scholar-teachers: a philosopher, an engineer, a psychologist and an electronic music composer. I hope it will open the eyes of our students and light the fire under them — the fire of learning that will burn brilliantly throughout their years at Sweet Briar and beyond. I wish I could be there in class with them, as I know you do. Sincerely, Meredith Woo
Spring 2018, Vol. 88, No. 1 This magazine aims to present interesting and thought-provoking news about the College and its alumnae. Publication of the material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the College. We reserve the right to edit and revise all material that we accept for publication. If you have a story idea or content to submit for publication, contact the editor, Amy Ostroth, at aostroth@sbc.edu. Magazine Staff Amy Ostroth, Editor Clélie Steckel, Director of Annual Giving and the Sweet Briar Fund SilverLining Design, Lead Design Cassie Foster Evans, Photographer Contributors: Janika Carey ’10, Phyllis Watt Jordan ’80, Jane Dure ’82, Aaron Mahler, Robin Dowdy, Sybil Slate Contact Information Office of Communications P.O. Box 1052 Sweet Briar, VA 24595 (434) 381-6262 Office of Alumnae Relations and Development P.O. Box 1057 Sweet Briar, VA 24595 800-381-6131 Parents of Alumnae If this magazine is addressed to a student who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at alumnae@sbc.edu with her new address. Thank you! Find Sweet Briar Online sbc.edu CONTENTS 2 14 16 19 20 22 24 26 Forging a New Path, Sweet Briar Turns to the Future The College is leading the way to address challenges in higher education. Sweet Briar Days A long-standing tradition continues around the country. NASA Engineer’s Talk at Sweet Briar Sheds Light on True Story Behind ‘Hidden Figures’ Sweet Briar celebrates National Engineers Week with Christine Darden. Sweet Briar Develops Partnership With Google Sweet Briar and Google build on their relationship. Bonnie Pitman ’68 A little madness leads to a lifetime of art. Lifelong Learning in Atlanta A group of alumnae are leading the way in continuing education. Internships Set Sweet Briar Students on Path to Their Future Alumnae help create off-campus learning experiences for Sweet Briar students. Lynn Rainville: Finding Meaning in Ordinary People Sweet Briar’s acting dean of the College studies ordinary people doing extraordinary things. DEPARTMENTS 8 On the Quad 32 28 Giving 33 In Memoriam Class Notes
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CLASS NOTES 1996 Eileen MacMurtrie
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CLASS NOTES Corinne (Davies) Asakev
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CLASS NOTES home with my daughter,
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Start Planning Your Legacy In 1899,
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Sweet Briar College Magazine - Spring 2018

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