91ֱ��

Geno Arthur ’16, Carey Lyons ’15, and Monique Newton ’18 competed in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships March 13-14. Arthur claimed his of the school

91ֱ�� Opera Theater performances of La finta giardiniera (“The pretend garden-girl”) K.196, written by an 18-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, resume today, Friday, March 13, and continue through Sunday, March 15, in Hall Auditorium. The opera is directed by Jonathon Field and conducted by Raphael Jiménez.

On Tuesday, March 10, the first ever 91ֱ�� College alumni phonecast took place. We called some 37,000 91ֱ�� alumni and connected with a total of over 5,000 at the peak. I took 34 questions on a wide range of topics, and participants shared what they thought 91ֱ��’s highest priorities should be as we create a plan for the future.

A series of events is taking place this weekend, including the symposium Asian Cinemas in a Global Context; the lecture “Why Cinema Has Not Yet Been Invented: or Taking the Digital in Hand,” by University of Chicago Professor Tom Gunning; and the lecture “Globalization from a Local Lens: Creative Conceptions of a Taiwanese Director,” by documentary filmmaker Ho Chao-ti. The symposium is the first to explicitly bring together Indian and Chinese cinemas for discussion.

Four 91ֱ�� students earned awards at the at Kent State University on Saturday, February 28. At the advanced level, William Watkins and Andrew

The 91ֱ�� College Commencement exercises will be held Monday, May 25, in Tappan Square. Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), will deliver the Commencement address.

Five faculty members from the College of Arts & Sciences and the Conservatory of Music received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2013-2014 academic year. The recipients were Associate Professor of English Jennifer Bryan; Professor of Pianoforte Sanford Margolis; Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies John Petersen; Professor of Chemistry Robert Thompson; and Professor of Conducting Tim Weiss.

The newly created Student Support Initiatives fund is targeted at helping first-generation and at-risk students succeed throughout their time at 91ֱ��.

On December 31, 91ֱ�� Illuminate: A Campaign for College and Conservatory, exceeded its official $250 million goal 18 months ahead of schedule. “It's important to recognize significant milestones during this campaign, and this is certainly one of those moments,” said Bill Barlow, vice president for Development and Alumni Affairs. “While we have made good progress toward reaching these goals, there is still a long way to go to meet our needs for several key institutional priorities including scholarship support, new health and wellness initiatives, and renovation of Hall Auditorium.”

Our faculty, staff, and alumni commit a great deal of time, energy, and resources to help students succeed in their studies and in life. Today I would like to thank Board of Trustees Chair Clyde McGregor ’74 for making a $500,000 commitment to create the Student Support Initiatives Fund, which is designed to strengthen and expand support services for at-risk students who need additional assistance to succeed throughout their time at 91ֱ��.