Also of Note – Potash Hill

“Although I will always look at the beauty of nature in my work, I also hope to reveal a truth beyond it,” says Hilary Baker, multimedia resource specialist. Hilary shared some her new work in a Drury Gallery show last February, called Water Reconnect, and then again at the grad school for “gallery walk” in June. Her work offers deeply layered images that integrate the alternative with the digital, exploring our multifaceted relationships with water. See more at studiohb-digitalarts.squarespace.com.

An MBA student with a concentration in mission-driven organizations, Chris Meehan was selected for the prestigious Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Results Based Leadership Development program. Chris was one of 20 participants chosen nationally for the program, which includes seven two-day, in-person intensives all around the country. “The program will be focusing on our Collective Impact work in Vermont, which is a part of a larger pilot project of Feeding America called Collaborating for Clients (C4C),” says Chris, the chief community impact officer for the Vermont Foodbank.

In March, Felix Jarrar ’16 presented a paper at the Bowling Green State University Graduate Student Conference for composers, titled “‘Die Lorelei’: an examination of three versions of Liszt’s text setting of Heine.” Based on his Plan of Concentration work, Felix’s paper considers Franz Liszt’s settings of Heinrich Heine’s poem and how they revise and transform musical material, both melodically and harmonically. “This paper examines how the most interesting and significant musical aspects of Liszt’s text setting come at the expense of the poetic content,” says Felix.

In February, in recognition of Black History Month, Marlboro sponsored a “community read” of Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine. James Turpin ’16 led a discussion of the book-length poem about race and the imagination, which Rankine called an attempt to “pull lyric back into its realities.” According to The New Yorker, “Those realities include the acts of everyday racism—remarks, glances, implied judgments—that flourish in an environment where more explicit acts of discrimination have been outlawed.”

In June, Hillary Orsini (formerly Hillary Boone) shared her experience with results-based accountability (RBA) and nongovernment organizations in Vermont at Measurable Impact 2016, an RBA conference in Baltimore. This national conference was a unique opportunity for public and social sector leaders to explore the concepts and tools their peers around the world are using to improve performance and achieve community impact. The assistant director of the Center for New Leadership, Hillary has trained and coached hundreds of organizations across New England in the use of RBA.

Alumni have long known that when it comes to learning in a tight-knit classroom with fully engaged faculty, Marlboro College is second to none. In April, Marlboro was ranked number one for the lowest student-faculty ratio, coming in at 5-to-1, by U.S. News & World Report. It shared the list with 20 other colleges including such top-rated liberal arts schools as Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Skidmore. Marlboro also had the lowest total undergraduate enrollment among the schools listed. Learn more.

In June, dining hall manager Ben Newcomb was presented with an exemplary service award at the Metz Culinary Management leadership conference. “Ben was chosen for this award because he exemplifies the values Metz represents,” says Cheryl McCann, vice president for human resources at Metz. “We feel as though Ben takes these values and translates them to action.” In addition to receiving a cash prize and engraved award, Ben is most excited about being selected to attend a three-day workshop in October that includes culinary training in Mediterranean and Latin cuisines with an award-winning chef.

The graduate and professional studies program introduced three new awards to attract the very best candidates: the Greater Good Award, recognizing students who have demonstrated a commitment to community through national service; the John Dewey Award, recognizing students who have served others through engaged teaching; and the Whetstone Fellowship, recognizing alumni of the undergraduate program. The fellowship acknowledges that Marlboro alumni are ideally suited to continue their education at the graduate school, where they will find a familiar focus on community, self-directed learning, and project-based work.

Town Meeting, on March 30, passed a resolution to support the designation of approximately 136 acres of Marlboro College’s forested lands north of campus as an ecological reserve. “It is the opinion of the Town Meeting that these lands will be a rare and valuable location for education and ecological research, an important forested area in a time of climate change, a unique college asset that will attract and retain community members, and perhaps most importantly, a haven for the community—its human and non-human members alike.” The language charged the Environmental Advisory Committee with presenting a detailed proposal to the Town Meeting and trustees by the end of 2016.

“Marlboro College parallels many of my values and beliefs in higher education,” says Luis Rosa, who joined the college in January as dean of students. “Although the college maintains a rigorous curriculum, there is a great effort to ensure a broad range of access to students.” Luis has 15 years of experience in student affairs leadership and administration, most recently as dean of community life at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and brings a style of leadership that is democratic and participatory, in keeping with Marlboro’s longstanding ideals.

The Distinguished Service Award for staff members in the spring semester went to two essential staff: Cheri Morris, housecleaning staff member for the undergraduate campus, and Mike Hutchins, maintenance staff member for the graduate campus. According to Cheri’s nomination, she “cleans like hell” and “we really appreciate the effort she puts into her work, and that she takes the time to be part of our community life.” Mike’s nomination says he has “taken upon himself to find, cultivate, and distribute flowering plants throughout the grad area.” Congratulations, Cheri and Mike.

Last March, five staff from Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies were chosen to present at the 2016 Women’s Leadership Conference, a two-day event sponsored by Vermont Women in Higher Education, in Killington, Vermont. Their participation raises Marlboro’s profile as an innovator for leadership development in the state. Marlboro staff presenters included: Kathy Urffer, associate registrar for graduate and professional studies; Julie Van der Horst Jansen, business manager for the Center for New Leadership (CNL); Beth Neher, capstone coordinator; Kim Lier, teaching and learning specialist for CNL; and Hillary Orsini, assistant director of CNL.

Polar Plunge

In March, 17 stalwart individuals experienced the “penultimate purification rite of passage on Potash Hill,” according to OP director Randy Knaggs (pictured).

Dance Fever

Kristen Thompson ’18, Karissa Wolivar ’19, Erin Huang-Shaffer ’18, Liana Nuse ’16, dance teacher Khady Malal Badji, Lucy Hammond ’18, and Cait Mazzarella ’18 prepare for a dance party/performance during a journey to Senegal in June, the culmination of a class called Dance in World Cultures. See a short video clip.

Sex Positive

Total Health Center office manager Celena Romo ’05 and student life coordinator Alison Trimmer mix it up in a game of “Consensual Twister” during a Sex Positivity Resource Fair in February, part of a month of activities focused on sex positivity.

Big Apple Art

Sabrina Konick ’19 and Trevor Asbury ’17 listen to visual arts faculty member Tim Segar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during an action-packed weekend visit to New York art museums in April.

Tough Mudders

Cat Clauss ’17 crosses a rope bridge during a “mud run” all around campus in April, enjoyed by students, community members, and several participants from local Girls on the Run programs.