Colgate Announces New Commons Co-Directors for 2023–24
Colgate Announces New Commons Co-Directors for 2023–24
mcwalden@colgate.edu
Fri, 05/26/2023 - 13:36 Brown and Hancock Residential Commons at Colgate University will both welcome new co-directors in the 2023–24 academic year. Laura Festine, director of university grants and sponsored research, will become a new co-director of Brown Commons, and Lyosha Gorshkov, PhD, director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives, will join Hancock Commons. Festine fills the role held by inaugural Brown Commons co-director Mary Simonson, associate professor of film and media studies and women’s studies and Daniel C. Benton ’80 Endowed Chair in arts, creativity, and innovation. “I welcome Laura and Lyosha as new commons co-directors, and I thank them for their willingness to participate in a program that has become an important part of the undergraduate experience at Colgate,” says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “I also want to thank Mary for all of the work she put into establishing Brown Commons. As she finishes the sixth year in this role, we acknowledge a debt of gratitude — for her energy, creativity, and commitment to our students. She has been instrumental in helping to shape this program.” Festine earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from St. Lawrence University and her MS in information science from the University at Albany. After serving as a research and instruction librarian at Hamilton College, she joined the Colgate staff, first in annual giving, then in corporate, foundation, and government relations. Festine was named director of university grants and sponsored research in July 2022. Gorshkov holds a PhD in political science from Perm State University (Russia). Prior to being appointed director of LGBTQ+ initiatives at Colgate in 2021, Gorshkov served as a tenured faculty member at Perm State University; care manager at the Alliance for Positive Change (New York); visiting scholar at Indiana University (Bloomington); and assistant director of the Pride Center and Women’s Center at Slippery Rock University (Pennsylvania). Colgate launched the Residential Commons program in 2014 with Ciccone Commons — soon followed by Dart-Colegrove, Hancock, and Brown commons. The Third-Century Plan provides a roadmap to expand the program with the creation of a fifth commons and the development of new initiatives to deepen their connection with faculty. The commons create a living-learning community that respects and builds on tradition and exposes students to an intellectually rich residential experience. The commons also provide every student with a foundational community from the first day on campus, help build class unity, and cultivate an affinity for the University. Each is led by a pair of directors, selected from among the faculty and staff, who work closely with the Office of the Vice President and Dean of the College and the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. “The commons began as a great idea,” says Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “During the past six years, that idea has become a lived reality at Colgate. The inaugural commons directors did a tremendous job laying the foundations, and we are building on that work, continuing to develop our sense of what the Residential Commons can become.” One of the great advances of the program has been the pairing of faculty with staff from across the University as co-director teams. “I think the commons are stronger for being connected to the work of colleagues across the campus,” Cushing says. Gorshkov acknowledges the responsibility. “We are entrusted in supporting students to find joy in day-to-day living experiences, to learn from each other, and to thrive in a diverse community,” Gorshkov says. “I am stepping in this role with hope to become one of the navigators that can assist students in mapping their personal journeys in this lifetime quest.” Gorshkov will work alongside Courtney Young, university librarian and professor in the University Libraries, who will continue in her current role as co-director in Hancock Commons. Festine will be joined in Brown Commons by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Frank Frey, who has served as co-director of Hancock Commons for the past two years. “Colgate students already enjoy the best classroom experience with this teaching faculty,” says Festine. “I look forward to seeing that continue outside of the classroom — making friends, nurturing a passion, finding community. I truly believe that we have everything in place for students to have their own interesting, fun undergraduate years.”Campus Life
News and Updates
Faculty & Staff
Brown and Hancock Residential Commons at Colgate University will both welcome new co-directors in the 2023–24 academic year. Laura Festine, director of university grants and sponsored research, will become a new co-director of Brown Commons, and Lyosha Gorshkov, PhD, director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives, will join Hancock Commons.
Festine fills the role held by inaugural Brown Commons co-director Mary Simonson, associate professor of film and media studies and women’s studies and Daniel C. Benton ’80 Endowed Chair in arts, creativity, and innovation.
“I welcome Laura and Lyosha as new commons co-directors, and I thank them for their willingness to participate in a program that has become an important part of the undergraduate experience at Colgate,” says Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “I also want to thank Mary for all of the work she put into establishing Brown Commons. As she finishes the sixth year in this role, we acknowledge a debt of gratitude — for her energy, creativity, and commitment to our students. She has been instrumental in helping to shape this program.”
Festine earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from St. Lawrence University and her MS in information science from the University at Albany. After serving as a research and instruction librarian at Hamilton College, she joined the Colgate staff, first in annual giving, then in corporate, foundation, and government relations. Festine was named director of university grants and sponsored research in July 2022.
Gorshkov holds a PhD in political science from Perm State University (Russia). Prior to being appointed director of LGBTQ+ initiatives at Colgate in 2021, Gorshkov served as a tenured faculty member at Perm State University; care manager at the Alliance for Positive Change (New York); visiting scholar at Indiana University (Bloomington); and assistant director of the Pride Center and Women’s Center at Slippery Rock University (Pennsylvania).
Colgate launched the Residential Commons program in 2014 with Ciccone Commons — soon followed by Dart-Colegrove, Hancock, and Brown commons. The Third-Century Plan provides a roadmap to expand the program with the creation of a fifth commons and the development of new initiatives to deepen their connection with faculty.
The commons create a living-learning community that respects and builds on tradition and exposes students to an intellectually rich residential experience. The commons also provide every student with a foundational community from the first day on campus, help build class unity, and cultivate an affinity for the University. Each is led by a pair of directors, selected from among the faculty and staff, who work closely with the Office of the Vice President and Dean of the College and the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.
“The commons began as a great idea,” says Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “During the past six years, that idea has become a lived reality at Colgate. The inaugural commons directors did a tremendous job laying the foundations, and we are building on that work, continuing to develop our sense of what the Residential Commons can become.”
One of the great advances of the program has been the pairing of faculty with staff from across the University as co-director teams. “I think the commons are stronger for being connected to the work of colleagues across the campus,” Cushing says.
Gorshkov acknowledges the responsibility. “We are entrusted in supporting students to find joy in day-to-day living experiences, to learn from each other, and to thrive in a diverse community,” Gorshkov says. “I am stepping in this role with hope to become one of the navigators that can assist students in mapping their personal journeys in this lifetime quest.”
Gorshkov will work alongside Courtney Young, university librarian and professor in the University Libraries, who will continue in her current role as co-director in Hancock Commons. Festine will be joined in Brown Commons by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Frank Frey, who has served as co-director of Hancock Commons for the past two years.
“Colgate students already enjoy the best classroom experience with this teaching faculty,” says Festine. “I look forward to seeing that continue outside of the classroom — making friends, nurturing a passion, finding community. I truly believe that we have everything in place for students to have their own interesting, fun undergraduate years.”
Latest Latest
- Indigenous Maya Band Sak Tzevul Rocks ColgateIndigenous Maya Band Sak Tzevul Rocks Colgate sliddell@colgate.edu Colgate University recently hosted the Tzotzil Maya rock band Sak Tzevul for a series of events, including a film screening, a talk, and a concert. The band’s visit not only showcased their musical talents but also created space for discussions surrounding Indigenous identity and cultural representation. At the heart of Sak Tzevul’s music is the fusion of tradition and modernity. Their distinctive style, known as Bats’i Rock, is rooted in the rich traditions of the Tzotzil Maya people of Chiapas, Mexico, and emerged as a response to centuries of nationalistic narratives that pitted Indigenous culture against modern progress. Instead of viewing tradition and modernism as conflicting forces, Sak Tzevul celebrates their intersection and the dynamism of Indigenous heritage in a contemporary world. “Sak Tzevul is unique in that they integrate Indigenous language and deep-seated traditions in their music but also look toward a future that is creative and limitless,” said Santiago Juarez, associate professor of anthropology and a key voice in bringing Sak Tzevul to campus. “In their music, the band is constantly borrowing from classical, contemporary, and ceremonial musical influences that one wouldn’t regularly associate with rock — all for the sake of creativity and the celebration of identity,” Juarez said. The events kicked off with panel-style discussions at the Keck Center for Language Study, where Sak Tzevul members engaged with students and organizations in Spanish, with bilingual students aiding in translation. These sessions delved into the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in navigating tradition amidst a rapidly changing global landscape. Just one challenge the band addressed was that of keeping Indigenous languages, such as their native Tzotzil, alive. Sak Tzevul incorporates many different Mayan languages into their songs, both to aid in the preservation and appreciation of these languages as well as strengthen their connection to their cultural heritage. Another issue discussed by the band was the dual judgment that they experienced as a result of not speaking Tzotzil from birth, both from their Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities viewing their lack of fluency as a lack of Indigeneity. “When you do not speak a language fluently, you can feel a bit of rejection sometimes,” explained lead singer and guitarist Damian Martinez. “For me, singing in Tzotzil is a way to neutralize that feeling of rejection. It is my way of connecting with my people again and saying very clearly, ‘I am from here, and as much as I can speak it, I am going to sing it.’” A powerful moment in the band’s residency was their presentation on the genre of Bats’i Rock at Lawrence Hall. Here, Sak Tzevul illuminated how their music serves as a means of reclaiming cultural roots while envisioning an Indigenous future for all peoples, not just North Americans. “Sak Tzevul’s music and their message is not just for Mexicans or Latin Americans. It is for everyone globally to think about where they are from and how they connect to the land,” said Juarez. The culmination of Sak Tzevul’s visit was a full-capacity concert at Arts at the Palace Theater. Amidst smoke machines and vibrant purple and green stage lighting, the band delivered a performance that transcended language barriers. From guitar solos to rhythmic beats, every song was infused with energy and celebration. As the lead guitarist Martinez expressed gratitude to the crowd, he threw a fist into the air in classic rock fashion, and the audience erupted in cheers. “Thank you very much, Colgate. Just to have so many of us here in New York together. It is so good!” Reflecting on the concert, Juarez expressed the unexpected emotional impact that seeing the band had on him. “Listening to Sak Tzevul live brought me back to that moment 15 years ago when I first listened to their music and felt a sense of connection to my ancestral roots. Their music has helped and continues to help me to explore Indigeneity, my identity, and how these factors have impacted my family, my culture, and the world at large.”Arts Faculty & Staff Photo by Santiago Juarez
- New York Times Correspondent David Sanger Describes the Era of ‘New Cold Wars’New York Times Correspondent David Sanger Describes the Era of ‘New Cold Wars’ sdevries@colgate.edu In his more than four decades covering national security for the New York Times, David Sanger says he can’t recall when there was so much turmoil abroad. Meanwhile, the United States faces two cold wars — with Russia and China. Sanger, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times covering diplomacy, cyber conflict, national security, and geopolitics, visited Colgate on March 26 for a lecture and discussion about his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West. The lecture was sponsored by the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs as part of its spring lecture series. Sanger says, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and fall of the Berlin Wall, the United States was lulled into thinking the entire era of superpower conflict was over and that we were entering a permanent era of peace. Instead, he says we are in the midst of a more complex and dangerous era than any we have faced in nearly a century, adding that almost everything we think about the next few decades — how we defend ourselves, how we build our microchips, how we nurture our international alliances, and how we handle more than $30 trillion in national debt — faces contentious debate at home and around the world. “Clearly we have to begin to rethink in very fundamental ways what the structure of our national security is going to be like,” he said, noting that, unlike the old Cold War, now the United States is dependent on our adversaries for products we use every day. Sanger says the last national security strategy written by the Biden administration states “the post-Cold War era is over, but we don’t know what era we’re heading into,” noting the “old Cold War” had a beginning, a very long middle, and a surprise ending. “If we are looking for this one to follow the same pattern, to end with the collapse of our opponents and a clear victory for the West, we are likely to be sorely disappointed,” Sanger says. “There’s no guarantee that these cold wars will stay cold. We have to think hard about why we misjudged the last 30 years and make sure we don’t make the same mistake going into the next 30.” David Sanger: Over a 40-year career at the Times, Sanger has become known for the depth of his sources in the world of national security, his painstaking reporting and research, and his in-depth investigations into the complex events of our time. He is a CNN contributor on national security and politics and the bestselling author of four books — The Inheritance, Confront and Conceal, The Perfect Weapon, and New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West. Sanger also teaches national security at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. At the Times, Sanger’s previous investigative work led to Pulitzers for the investigation into the causes of the space shuttle Challenger disaster and into Chinese technology investment in the United States. His coverage of the Iraq and Korea crises won the Weintal Prize, one of the highest honors for diplomatic reporting. He also won the White House Correspondents’ Association Aldo Beckman prize for his coverage of the American presidency. The Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs, named after Edgar Lampert ’62, was first established in 2008 as the Institute of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and renamed the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs in 2014. The Institute's mission is to teach students to apply the fundamental tools of a liberal arts education — identifying substantive questions and reading and writing with clarity, balance, and public purpose — to the most significant policy issues of the day, during their time at Colgate and beyond. Academics Centers and Institutes People Faculty & Staff New York Times White House and national security correspondent David Sanger discusses his new book, “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West” (Photo by Andy Daddio)
- Ivory Tower Comes to ColgateIvory Tower Comes to Colgate kputman@colgate.edu As part of the Ivory Tower on the Road series, Colgate University will host an episode of WCNY’s longest-running television series April 17 in Colgate Memorial Chapel. The hour-long live-to-tape episode will feature discussions on current events and local issues with panelists Anirban Acharya, Ben Baughman, Barbara Fought, Nina Moore, Tara Ross, Ty Seidule, and Chad Sparber hosted by David Chanatry. “Ivory Tower is a model for how to have well-reasoned debates about controversial topics, and from multiple academic and political angles,” says Nina Moore, Colgate professor of political science and director of the forum on race and public policy. Moore has authored Governing Race: Policy, Process and the Politics of Race, The Political Roots of Racial Tracking in American Criminal Justice, and Toeing the Line: The Supreme Court and Race, and is a regular contributor to the cable news show Capital Tonight in addition to Ivory Tower. Chad Sparber is the W. Bradford Wiley Chair in international economics at Colgate University and an external research fellow at the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration at University College London, and The Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany. He also directs a forum on economic freedom for Colgate’s Center for Freedom and Western Civilization. “I think the show is at its best when we lean into who we are — professors who use academic data and evidence to support our arguments and help the audience think more deeply about policy issues,” Sparber says. “There are plenty of pundits on TV; few offer that perspective.” The April 17 event is open to all Colgate students, faculty, staff, and community members. Doors to the event will open at 6:00 p.m. and close at 6:45 p.m. for a 7 p.m. recording. The recorded episode will air Friday, April 19, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m. on WCNY-TV. Ivory Tower has also visited and recorded shows on the campuses of Hamilton College and Utica University as part of the series.Faculty Profiles News and Updates Faculty & Staff
- Colgate Celebrates Second Annual Arts, Creativity, and Innovation WeekendColgate Celebrates Second Annual Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend mdonofrio@colg… Before a standing-room-only crowd in Colgate Memorial Chapel on Friday, April 5, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman invited the audience to “become part of the performance,” demonstrating how spectators at poetry readings often snap their fingers when they hear something that particularly resonates. “I want to hear you, Colgate,” she explained. “You are part of this, so please feel free to make some noise for me.” Her visit was the keynote event during the second annual celebration of arts, creativity, and innovation at Colgate, which once again brought hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends to campus for performances, workshops, presentations, and panel discussions. Gorman’s talk was sponsored by the Kerschner Family Series Global Leaders at Colgate. Gorman, who graduated with a B.A. in sociology from Harvard, began her talk with three poems from her 2021 bestselling book, Call Us What We Carry. She then joined Professor of English and Africana & Latin American Studies Kezia Page for a lively conversation that ranged in topics from sociology and Black history to her “speech impediment turned superpower" and texting with Oprah. (It was Oprah, Gorman explained, who gifted the young poet with the now-iconic yellow Prada coat for her reading at the 2021 presidential inauguration, along with her “caged bird” ring and earrings — a nod to the late Maya Angelou, she said.) Much of Call Us What We Carry, including the titular work, was inspired by Gorman’s observations during COVID-19 — and the pandemic’s “lasting impact on social trust and human connection,” she said. In her poem “Fugue,” Gorman writes about “the importance of small moments of being in a room or being connected or interacting with people that actually create the fabric of social trust that a nation depends on.” The youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman also shared how dramatically her life changed after delivering her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” before millions as part of President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. “I remember stepping off the podium. I was like, ‘Oh, that went better than I expected,’ and I remember … looking at my phone, and it was basically on fire. I literally couldn't even hold it,” she said. “And I think I'm still processing that change, what that is, what that did to me, what that did to my relationships, and what that did to my craft. I'm just trying to handle that growth with as much intentionality and grace as I can.” Prior to the Gorman keynote, the weekend’s events began in the chapel on Thursday, when former University president Rebecca Chopp joined Douglas Johnson, dean of academic and curricular affairs and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Ellen Kraly, professor of geography and environmental studies, for a discussion on Alzheimer's disease. Chopp, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago, shared how she has coped mentally and physically in her book, Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself. On Friday afternoon, campus guests participated in a series of faculty-led, ACI-focused workshops. Hosted by faculty in music, computer science, art and art history, earth and environmental geosciences, peace and conflict studies, museum studies, and theater, students, alumni, and guests experienced Colgate’s innovative arts curriculum firsthand through experiments and improvisation. Other Friday events included a talk with Ann Pancake, author of the award-winning novel Strange as the Weather Has Been, part of the Dark Skies in Appalachia symposium. The Future of Middle Campus Saturday’s program began with a panel discussion featuring arts and innovation faculty members and alumni: Aaron Gember-Jacobson, associate professor of computer science, chair of the department of computer science; Jeffrey Sharp ’89, executive director, The Gotham Film and Media Institute; Ashleigh Cassemere-Stanfield, assistant professor of film and media studies; Ryan Chase, assistant professor of music; Christian DuComb, associate dean of the faculty for faculty recruitment and development and associate professor of theater; and Julian Farrior ’93, CEO and founder, Sunblink Entertainment. Mary Simonson, the Daniel C. Benton ’80 Endowed Chair in arts, creativity, and innovation, professor of film & media studies and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, served as moderator. The panelists shared their thoughts on how the new Bernstein Hall — the former Benton Center, at the heart of a new Middle Campus — will help foster collaboration and innovation across disciplines and inspire student and faculty creativity. “We're thinking really carefully about arts and technology and the fact that these two things are increasingly impossible to separate out,” said Simonson. “That's something that many of us in our work think about all the time — how we can help our students understand that those two worlds are increasingly one world.” Student entrepreneurs, including Chayce Canty ’27, presented their ventures during the TIA Showcase. Exploring Innovative Student Ventures At Saturday’s Thought Into Action Entrepreneur Showcase, presented by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, student and alumni entrepreneurs presented their ventures at booth displays. They competed for investment certificates (called “iggies”) given to attendees, with the instructions to award their dollars to the start-ups most worthy of their investment. The informal showcase was followed by the presentation of the Colgate Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Craig Hatkoff ’76, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival and the Disruptor Awards. In his acceptance remarks, Hatkoff shared his insight into the rise of AI and how budding entrepreneurs should think about tools like ChatGPT. “The winners in this coming chaos and tumult will be the people who can tell the stories the best,” said Hatkoff. “Storytelling is humanity’s killer app.” In the “Shark Tank” portion of the event, five groups of student and alumni entrepreneurs presented their ventures, which included a line of farm-grown lavender products, a collectible sports card resale business, and a soy-free soy sauce. The winner and the recipient of a $5,000 prize as chosen by the panel of entrepreneur judges: Pair + Care, a student-run childcare service founded by Chayce Canty ’27, Maddie Theveny ’27, and Henry Galicich ’27. Judges praised the students for their “confident pitch with elements of humility, which is exactly what we see in founders,” noted judge Don De Laria. Pair + Care was also the first-place winner of the “iggie” investment game, taking home an additional $605 to grow their venture. The TIA Showcase also featured the first live performance by the student-led Colgate Symphonic Band. Other events on Saturday included the annual spring a cappella concert with the Mantiphondrakes, the Swinging ’Gates, and the Colgate Thirteen. On Sunday, guests took in a lesson in the Japanese Way of Tea in the newly renovated tea room in Lawrence Hall led by Ruriko Yamakawa, a certified instructor of the Omote-senke Japanese Tea Tradition. The weekend’s final event was a performance from the Colgate Chamber Players, directed by Professor of Music and Africana & Latin American Studies Laura Klugherz. In his remarks before the TIA Showcase, President Brian Casey shared his vision for the future of arts, creativity and innovation at Colgate — and its burgeoning Middle Campus. “We are just a couple hundred yards away from what will be Bernstein Hall, which is the physical manifestation of an institution embracing creativity in all its expressions,” he said. “From my vantage point, this is a weekend filled with energy, excitement, intelligence, and a sense of the future.”Student ventures receive funding during Entrepreneur Weekend Misty Copeland to Headline Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend Generous Gift Supports Middle Campus Plan for Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Alumni Third Century Arts Entrepreneurship Alumni Faculty & Staff Student ARTS Thought Into Action global leaders
- Former Colgate President Rebecca Chopp Participates in Campus Panel on the Science of Alzheimer’sFormer Colgate President Rebecca Chopp Participates in Campus Panel on the Science of Alzheimer’s amayne@colgate.edu Having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years ago, former Colgate University president Rebecca Chopp has embraced the visual arts and dance as part of her “prescription” to live life to the fullest. She spoke about her experience Thursday night in Memorial Chapel during a panel discussion titled “Still Learning” with Ellen Percy Kraly, professor of geography and environmental studies emerita, and Doug Johnson, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of psychological and brain sciences. The event kicked off the University’s Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend. “It was at Colgate where I began to realize how the arts, science, and athletics come together in the phrase we always use, ‘the spirit that is Colgate’ — and it’s about being a full person, a whole person, and how all of this can combine into making a life worth living,” Chopp said. She was in the prime of her life when she was diagnosed, explained Chopp, who was chancellor of the University of Denver at the time. The first neurologist she saw gave Chopp a grim prognosis: that she wouldn’t even be able to button her shirt in a few years. But, as the liberal arts taught her, “if you didn’t like the answer you got, ask the question again; ask it deeper,” Chopp recalled. When she asked a second neurologist for an opinion, that doctor said, “There’s so much more living you can do.” “She told me I could live with joy, and she gave me a prescription of how to do that,” Chopp said. “I turned her prescription into gifts.” She’s written about those gifts in her book, Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself, and she shared them with the Colgate audience. “What’s good for the brain is good for the body,” emphasized Chopp, who touted the benefits of creativity, diet, exercise, sleep, and social engagement. She has made life changes that include eating the MIND diet, painting, and combining social activities with intellectual opportunities. As we age, we need to “exercise our ability to solve problems and think creatively,” agreed Johnson, who is a member of the Robert Hung Ngai Ho Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative (MBBI) advisory committee. Through the MBBI, Colgate faculty and staff members are looking at the intersection of brain science and the arts. Kraly pointed out that, as this weekend centers around Middle Campus, the panel discussion “resonates with what our aspirations are for our students.” She said, “They’re given opportunities to make good choices, interesting choices about enriching themselves and bringing joy to their lives and also their community.”New Endowed Humanities Chair Honors Colgate’s 15th President Third Century News and Updates Faculty & Staff Former Colgate President Rebecca Chopp (Photo by Mike Roy)
- Gwen Eichfeld ’25 Receives Goldwater ScholarshipGwen Eichfeld ’25 Receives Goldwater Scholarship mniedt@colgate.edu Gwen Eichfeld ’25 has been named as a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship. She was also recently chosen as a Harvard-Amgen Scholar. The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, identifies and supports college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields. Aside from the stipend and support, the Goldwater scholarship is often an integral stepping stone in the scholar’s research and scientific career. Eichfeld is a neuroscience major from Winnetka, Ill. In high school, she was named a finalist at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for her independent research in computational biology and epidemiology and published this work in a peer-reviewed journal. At the beginning of her Colgate career, Eichfeld joined Professor Jeanne Hansen’s research investigating ovarian cancer cells. She also studied the microbiome through a research project with Professor Ken Belanger. Eichfeld credits these experiences with teaching her foundational lab skills and giving her the opportunity to practice them. After her sophomore year, Eichfeld interned at the National Institutes of Health where she researched rare genetic diseases in the nematode C. elegans. Her work at the NIH became the focus for her Goldwater application. Currently, she is working with Professor Priscilla Van Wynsberghe to understand the genes underlying developmental timing in C. elegans. Outside of the lab, Eichfeld is a member of the Colgate Women’s Ice Hockey team, which won the ECAC championship this year and advanced to the NCAA’s Frozen Four. She grew up playing hockey, and this was the driving force for her to attend Colgate. Eichfeld, a Golden Fellow, also co-founded the neuroscience club on campus and is a certified EMT — she is the head first responder for club and intramural sports. This summer, Eichfeld will travel to Cambridge, Mass., where she has been accepted into the Harvard-Amgen Scholars Program. “The Amgen program is an opportunity to collaborate and learn from diverse peers and mentors who have the confidence to pursue interesting questions in their fields,” Eichfeld states. “It is also an opportunity to continue to expand my curiosity and problem-solving skills as a scientist.” The Amgen Scholars Program at Harvard is a 10-week residential summer research program for undergraduates interested in doing research in biotechnology and related biomedical sciences. Scholars conduct hands-on, innovative research in cutting-edge facilities of Harvard under the mentorship of faculty and direct project supervisors. Laboratory hosts are affiliated with a variety of divisions of the University as well as Harvard’s research institutes and professional schools. After Colgate, Eichfeld plans to obtain an MD/PhD focusing on neuroscience. She aspires to conduct research as well as design and implement science-based therapies at the intersection of neuroscience, genetics, and disease. Eichfeld wants to share with her peers that “preparing fellowship applications is real work, like having another class, but it’s all been worth it. Writing the essays has helped me to see and describe my strengths and appreciate how much and how fast I am learning from my professors, mentors, and peers.” To learn more about the Goldwater Scholarship, Amgen Scholars Program, or other national competitive awards, reach out to Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, in the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships to schedule an appointment.Natural Sciences and Mathematics Research Outcomes News and Updates Student Neuroscience Program