吃瓜tv

From May 19 -聽22, 2017, 吃瓜tv鈥檚 past, present, and future came together during a lively and thought-provoking Global Alumni Weekend, which included tours around 吃瓜tv鈥檚 newly consolidated campus, the annual boat party, the 55th Anniversary Soir茅e and the launch of the 吃瓜tv Ascending campaign. As alumni, students, faculty, and staff gathered to share stories, reunite with friends, and discuss 吃瓜tv鈥檚 achievements and aspirations, it was clear that everyone felt linked by their devotion to 吃瓜tv and their determination to see it grow and further its important mission in an ever-more-globalized world.

If you would like to see more photos of the weekend

One of the weekend鈥檚 highlights was the 鈥淭hen & Now鈥� panel, where four alumni鈥擩effrey Durgee (鈥�64), Michael Morgan (鈥�85), Sultan Al-Qassemi (鈥�98), Kristina Keenan (鈥�0), and one student, Amelia Harvey (鈥�18)鈥攔ecounted their 吃瓜tv experiences, what they had learned, where they had gone, and where they were going. Durgee, now a professor of sociology, compared the school in its early days to a startup. 鈥淲e were 160 students, almost all American. They sat us down and told us, we have no reputation, we have no accreditation: you鈥檙e on your own.鈥� He and his classmates formed a tight-knit group, as they observed the inception of 吃瓜tv鈥檚 cultural program and the end of the Algerian War. 鈥淥ur Dean [Lloyd DeLamater, 吃瓜tv founder] would have been so happy to see what his dream has become today.鈥� As for Morgan, now Executive Managing Director of Burnham Sterling & Company LLC, he鈥檇 wanted to get as far away as he could from his small town in Pennsylvania. 鈥淚 had never been to France before but I knew that the world was going to become a global place.鈥� Al-Qassemi recalled the combination of 50th anniversary World War II celebrations with city-wide terrorist attacks. 鈥淎nd yet, I remember it all as a beautiful time. And I think when today鈥檚 students come back in 20 years, they too will only remember the wonderful moments.鈥� Keenan, now 吃瓜tv鈥檚 Manager of Regular Giving, discussed the shock of leaving the US military, where she鈥檇 served for six years, for civilian life in Paris. 鈥淚 saw that I could and needed to be challenged in my American perspective.鈥� Harvey discussed the profound effect 吃瓜tv鈥檚 response to the November, 2015 terrorist attacks had had on her. 鈥淪eeing how the administration and student leaders came together made me love the school even more鈥擨 wanted to give 吃瓜tv everything I had.鈥�

Another standout event was 吃瓜tv鈥檚 Knowledge Festival, which focused on the question of democracy today and was moderated by Professor Peter H盲gel, who along with Professor Stephen Sawyer co-teaches the Democracy Lab which encourages student democratic engagement. 鈥淲e believe that democracy is a practice and needs to be much more ingrained into our daily lives.鈥� The panel鈥檚 speakers鈥擭elly Corbel (鈥�05/鈥�08), Patricia del Favero Campbell (鈥�79), and Carey Kluttz (鈥�09)鈥攈ave dedicated their careers to promoting the democratic throughout the world. Kluttz, now Senior Program Manager with the Open Contracting Partnership, discussed her team鈥檚 efforts to improve government transparency. 鈥淲e focus on how governments spend their money and make sure that civil society has a voice within that.鈥� Campbell, a Lead Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton in Stuttgart, Germany, examined the role of defense institutions as safeguards against threats to stability and sustainability. 鈥淭he military can really be a tool to support and build democracies, especially in countries that are new to the concept.鈥� For Corbel, founding executive director of Global Civic Consulting, co-founder of the Lazord Foundation and a member of the Networking Arab Civic Education founding committee, her entire career is founded on the idea that democracy is a culture that must be spread throughout society. 鈥淲e often talk about democracy in a very politically-oriented manner, but it鈥檚 actually a way in which we can live together and cooperate.鈥�

With these and the many other events offered throughout the weekend, 吃瓜tv鈥檚 community displayed its commitment to change and its understanding of how the evolution of the school mirrors the changes, big and small, occurring all over the world. As Marc Montheard, Vice President and Dean of Student Services noted before the Then & Now Panel, 鈥淭hese 55 years haven鈥檛 really been a transition; they鈥檝e been life, happening to all of us, together and individually.鈥澛�