Counseling and Student Health Services Launch Unified Health Records System tmfonda@colgate.edu Thu, 07/03/2025 - 15:06 A new, unified electronic health records (EHR) system now allows consenting students to receive coordinated care across Colgate’s Health and Wellness (H&W) services. The development is made in an effort to reaffirm the University’s commitment to whole-person health and data security. Spearheaded by Assistant Vice President for Wellness and Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Dawn LaFrance and her H&W colleagues, the new system enables shared HIPAA-compliant communications and access to comprehensive student records. LaFrance praises the EHR as “a way to approach the healthcare that we provide students in a more holistic way.” Headaches, for example, might be a concern that Student Health Services would help with, “but they may also be stress-related,” says LaFrance. “In order to really be thoughtful about the mind and body working so closely together, an integrated system helps us put all of those pieces in place.” To opt in, students arriving in the fall semester must consent to share healthcare communications across their care team, which may include staff from the Counseling Center, Haven, the Shaw Wellness Institute, and Student Health Services. “Students should know that this system does not involve the dean’s office or the faculty — it’s just these four departments,” says LaFrance. Along with the use of this new system, LaFrance adds, “we’re holding more staff meetings to promote shared wellness across departments. The more that we can do those kinds of things, the more that we’ll be able to use each other’s expertise when we’re helping a student.”   Campus Life Wellness Faculty & Staff

Jennifer Brice to Serve as Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair in Regional Studies for 2025–26 sdevries@colgate.edu Thu, 06/26/2025 - 14:47 Professor of English and Creative Writing Jennifer Brice has been appointed to serve as the Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair for regional studies for the 2025–26 academic year. Brice is the author of three books: The Last Settlers, a work of documentary journalism; Unlearning to Fly, a memoir-in-essays; and Another North: Essays in Praise of the World That Is. She teaches courses in creative writing and contemporary literature, including True Crime and Living Writers. This fall, Brice will teach ENGL 374: Creative Nonfiction Workshop, with a focus on writing about place and the natural world, especially in relation to the upstate region of New York. The workshop will include the reading and writing of creative nonfiction, with an emphasis on the memoir and the personal essay. As part of the course, students will also present a community reading of their writing about the region. Robert Cowser’s anthology, Why We’re Here: New York Essayists on Living Upstate, will serve as a central text, along with a selection of writing from The Best American Science & Nature Writing series, as well as some classics of nature writing by such writers as H.D. Thoreau, Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, John Burroughs, Terry Tempest Williams, John McPhee, and Sherry Simpson. In addition to readings and discussions, students will also journal weekly and conduct research to create essays of their own as part of a final portfolio of a single or several shorter essays. Brice plans to use the funding and support provided to the Burke Chair to create additional opportunities for the students taking the course, including inviting local experts and colleagues in the biology, geology, geography, and environmental studies departments to speak about the natural history of the region. The course will also include a weekend of hiking and canoeing at Camp Colgate in September with Brice’s students in ENGL 217: Introduction to Creative Writing. At the conclusion of the course, Brice said she plans to include a public reading by the students in downtown Hamilton and produce an anthology of the best student writing from the semester. The Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair for Regional Studies was established in 2006 by Stephen Burke ’80 and Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81. The Burke Chair aligns with the mission of the Upstate Institute to promote and advance a broad and deep understanding of the diverse cultural, social, economic, and environmental resources of upstate New York through community-based research, the reciprocal transfer of knowledge, and civic engagement.  Academics Arts and Humanities Faculty News Research Centers and Institutes People Faculty & Staff Upstate Institute Department of English and Creative Writing

Colgate students join 2025 Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program Contributing Writer Mon, 06/23/2025 - 13:45 Four Colgate students have joined the summer 2025 cohort of The Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program, The Gotham’s seven-week program for launching undergraduates into the media workforce with mentorship, candid industry insights, comprehensive resources, and support in developing their selected projects. Isabella Ohrt ’25, Brittany Cohen ’26, Caiden Williams ’26, Grace Owusu-Amoah ’26, and Shuhei Matsutoya ’28 will engage with an expanded 2025 curriculum, which spans pitching, nonprofit management, film festival strategy, entrepreneurship, and representation. Open conversations and workshops will allow them and their fellow students to seek out opportunities and carve a strategic path into the media industry. Students explore one of six focused tracks through conversations with industry professionals in their field of interest: Narrative Filmmaking, Documentary Filmmaking, Television and Episodic, New Media and Entrepreneurship, Executive Leadership, and Multi-Hyphenate Work. In previous EDU cycles, session leaders have included independent filmmakers as well as representatives from companies such as Netflix, CAA, PBS, MACRO, and ColorCreative. “With the new programmatic tracks, students will gain hands-on experience tailored to their goals — setting them up for the next step in their careers,” said Kia Brooks, The Gotham’s deputy director. The Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program runs from June 16 to August 1. The first career development program was held with 22 students in 2020. The summer 2025 program will be the seventh edition with 37 students representing 20 colleges and universities. It will continue to be run virtually to improve access for students across the country. The program is supported through corporate, philanthropic, and institutional support, which covers the full cost of tuition. “Gotham EDU continues to open the door for emerging talent, offering students a rare opportunity to engage directly with working professionals at a formative moment in their creative lives,” said Jeffrey Sharp ’89, The Gotham’s executive director. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters and partners, the program has grown into a vital launchpad for the next generation of storytellers and film and media executives, with alumni already making their mark across the industry.” The student participants will also have the opportunity to attend this year’s Gotham Week. Select students will participate in shadowing opportunities with companies, including Storm City Films, through the Executive Ambassador track. The program now has 153 alumni representing 35 schools. They have gone on to work at A24, Apple, Amazon Studios, CBS News, HBO Documentaries, Letterboxd, PBS Kids, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Showtime Networks, Nickelodeon, Nike, NBC Universal, Paramount, and the United Talent Agency (UTA). Academics Arts and Humanities Arts Career Development News and Updates Student Film and Media Studies Program Photo by Laura Barisonzi

Jane Pinchin, One of Colgate’s First Female Professors and Academic Leaders, Has Died rdowning@colgate.edu Mon, 06/16/2025 - 10:59 Jane Lagoudis Pinchin, whose legacy as a teacher-scholar and administrative leader touches nearly every aspect of the University, died on Sunday, June 15.  Pinchin first came to Colgate in 1965 for a single year as an instructor, joining the first wave of full-time female faculty members at the University. After receiving her PhD from Columbia University, she returned to the English department in 1973 as an assistant professor, eventually becoming a full professor in the department. She went on to serve in several significant positions in the administration, including provost and dean of the faculty (1994–2001) and vice president for academic advancement (2002–05). She also led the University itself as interim president during the 2001–2002 academic year. As noted in a citation marking her retirement from Colgate as Thomas A. Bartlett Professor of English emerita in 2015, Pinchin’s colleagues counted on her wisdom and her deep commitment to education for more than 40 years. Pinchin led two academic divisions (University Studies and Arts and Humanities); founded the Manchester Study Group; oversaw the revision of the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum; pioneered the creation of Category I faculty appointments; and worked to establish the Women’s Studies Program, extended study and linked course programs, the Upstate Institute, and the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education. She also served as acting director of the Picker Art Gallery (2003–05), chair of the Department of English (2005–13), and as a member of Colgate’s Bicentennial Committee. Pinchin made distinguished contributions as a scholar and teacher. Her book Alexandria Still: Forster, Durrell, and Cavafy is an enduring work of scholarship that was first published in 1977, with a new edition in 1989 and a Spanish edition in 2005. Her teaching included departmental courses on the Brontës, E.M. Forster, and Virginia Woolf; Contemporary Fiction; and the General Education course in modernity. She also led the London English Study Group. For many years, alongside her English department colleague Professor Jennifer Brice, Pinchin co-taught the Living Writers course, which allows students, parents, alumni, and community members to engage in conversation with world-renowned authors. Pinchin was also an active volunteer in several capacities, including the Community Memorial Hospital Board of Directors in Hamilton and the Bowdoin College Board of Trustees. Colgate’s Alumni Corporation created its Humanitarian Award in her honor in 2003. She received a Maroon Citation from the Alumni Corporation; the French, Alumni Memorial, and AAUP Professor of the Year awards; and special tributes from the classes of 2002 and 2011. She received an honorary doctor of letters from Colgate in 2018. In 2019, after an anonymous donation from a family who wished to recognize the essential work of the Colgate faculty, a new residence hall on the upper campus was named in her honor. Pinchin held a bachelor’s degree from Harpur College at Binghamton University and master’s and PhD degrees from Columbia University. Her husband Hugh M. Pinchin, who had been a professor of economics at Colgate, predeceased her. Faculty News People News and Updates Faculty & Staff JPinchin Department of English and Creative Writing Faculty, students, and alumni gathered on March 4, 2022, to recognize Jane Pinchin for her leadership at Colgate, particularly during the early years of coeducation. (Photo by Andrew Daddio)

Monica Crowley Sworn in as Chief Protocol of the United States tmfonda@colgate.edu Fri, 06/13/2025 - 15:27 On May 30, Monica Crowley ’90 was sworn in as Chief of Protocol of the United States. In this role, she will represent the administration at major events hosted by the United States, including America’s 250th Birthday (2026), the FIFA World Cup (2026), and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles (2028). Crowley’s appointment follows her nomination by President Trump, announced in December 2024. Her prior work for the administration began during his first term, when she served as a deputy national security advisor and went on to become assistant secretary for public affairs in the Department of the Treasury. For her work in the latter position, she earned the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor bestowed by the department. As a complement to this work, Crowley has appeared as an anchor and analyst for the Fox News Channel and written three books about American politics. A political science major at Colgate, she also holds a doctorate in International Relations from Columbia University.  Alumni Alumni

Colgate Celebrates 2025 Graduate School Access Fund Students sliddell@colgate.edu Mon, 06/09/2025 - 09:34 Since its founding in 2020, the Graduate School Access Fund (GSAF) at Colgate University has transformed the futures of more than 100 students. Designed to support low-income, first-generation, and historically excluded students, the fellowship provides financial assistance, individualized advising, and a strong sense of community to those aspiring to pursue graduate and professional school.  On May 1, faculty, staff, students, and donors gathered to celebrate the newest cohorts of GSAF juniors and seniors. Milone Family Assistant Vice President for Career Initiatives and GSAF co-director Teresa Olsen captured the spirit of the occasion. “We’ve sat together, we’ve shared tears, we’ve shared stress, we’ve shared celebrations and excitement,” she said. “It has just truly been a pleasure to be able to get to know each of you and be able to see just a little part of your life.”  The GSAF was launched through the generosity and vision of Giovanni Cutaia ’94 and Maree Cutaia. The couple partnered with Career Services, the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and a faculty co-director to address the structural barriers that often stand between talented students and their dreams of graduate study. Since that time, the program has benefited from the generosity of multiple donors.  At the 2025 celebration, Cutaia reflected on the program’s beginnings. “In 2020, my wife, Maree, and I approached President Brian Casey and others at the University,” he said. “We knew we didn’t have all the answers, but we knew there were amazing people here with powerful ideas. We simply wanted to help provide the resources to make those ideas happen and have a positive impact.”  The result is a fellowship that offers more than just funding for standardized test preparation, applications, and travel. It also provides a community for students to share ideas and concerns about applying to graduate school as an underrepresented student. The cohort engages in holistic advising that spans a student’s junior and senior years and teaches fellows the process of preparing for and competing in graduate school admission, as well as learning to thrive as a graduate student. Fellows can access funding support for up to two years after graduation. This structure reflects a core belief of the program: each student’s path and timeline is unique and has validity.   That commitment is reflected in the newest GSAF cohorts, whose academic pursuits stretch across disciplines. Among the 2025 fellows, Ta’Von Amir is creating a self-designed major in metaphysical arts and hopes to transform graduate studies in music into a “stage where healing is clarified, digested, and strummed.” Classmate Jose Arriaza, a geography major and grassroots organizer, will blend sound-design work from London with a master’s in media studies. Leila Bekaert will draw on experience at the Cannes Film Festival and archival internships to pursue film preservation and post-production, beginning with an internship with the Oral History Department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 2026 fellows show similar breadth and depth. History major Oscar Brown documents overlooked LGBTQ+ histories and curates museum exhibitions in preparation for graduate work in queer public history. STEM-focused students include Brennan Donnelly, who is on a medical school path, and Nayda Farnsworth, who aims for a PhD in combinatorics and graph theory after conducting research in Japan and at national laboratories.  GSAF co-director Brenda N. Sanya, associate professor of educational studies, urged students to recognize the often-unseen efforts of their peers, cohort, and mentors. “You are all standing on the shoulders of those who have mentored, advised, cheered you on, and helped you reach this point,” she said. “Congratulations on your brilliant work and in all that you’re preparing to do next, but never forget your peers and mentors.”  GSAF applications open in late fall 2025 for members of the Class of 2027. Learn more. Third Century Outcomes News and Updates Alumni Student