ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½

The below message was sent to faculty, staff, and students on May 5, 2025.

Dear ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½ Community, 

Yesterday’s May Day celebrations – the first for me and my family â€“ were a blast! We (including the pugs) rode (briefly) in an  from the first solely woman-owned electric carriage company in the United States, emphasizing the College’s comprehensive commitment to environmental sustainability. Traditional maypole, mayhole, and hoop races took place; Dar Williams' classic, "As Cool as I Am" was in the air; and the rain held off (at least until lunchtime). Our Trads – Kendall Phillips, Suzanne Schinella, Cole Churchill & Katelyn Stealey – and all who volunteered for the occasion truly outdid themselves.  

May Day celebrates the tradition, togetherness, and constant reinvention that make ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½ such a special place. Alongside the deeply moving dedication of Nekisha Durrett’s "Don’t Forget to Remember (Me)" in late April, including remarks by Associate Professor Monique Scott, who served as faculty director of the ARCH Project and a new poem, "Don’t Forget to Remember" by Associate Professor Dee Matthews, these rituals bring us together to remind us of our values and connect us even more deeply to that which guides us and that our world so desperately needs. Huge thanks to the hundreds of staff members, student leaders, and faculty who made both of these celebrations possible and who operationalize our mission every day – a mission that guides us and that our world so desperately needs.  

May is a month of continued celebration and of transition. From senior awards to commencement to reunion, we continue to learn and to grow in the multi-generational community that is ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½. The College was recently awarded the  for 2025 - 2026 from the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project & NASPA’s LEAD Initiative, an important early affirmation of our strategic focus on external engagement. We honor 11 ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½ students who are Fulbright finalists and more than 90 undergraduates who will participate in the new pilot program for social science/humanities research opportunities and the existing Summer Science Research Program. 

Among the faculty: 

• Associate Professor  received the Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Visiting Professorship in the Environment and the Humanities at the High Meadows Environmental Institute and the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University.  

• Assistant Professor of Psychology Thomas P. Le received the 2024 Asian American Psychological Association’s (AAPA) Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research.  

• Assistant Professor of Archaeology Rocco Palermo received the prestigious Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship.  

• Assistant Professor of Spanish Neus Penalba’s recent book was named one of the year's Best Catalan Books.  

• Senior Lecturer in French and Director of the Film Studies Program Julien Suaudeau was recognized for his new Sounds of Philly podcast.  

• Professor of History of Art Alicia Walker was named Senior Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks Research Center 

• Senior Lecturer in Russian Irina Walsh won the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) prize for Best Book in Second Language Acquisition.  

I’m thrilled to welcome Brandyn J. Hicks as our next General Counsel starting in mid-June and Neha Sood as the College’s first Director of Sustainability and Environmental Action, effective July 1. Neha joins ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½ from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she has served in their sustainability office in roles with increasing responsibility since 2018. As director of sustainability, Neha has overseen the implementation of RIT’s Climate Action Plan and has developed programs to engage campus stakeholders. Since 2015, she has taught classes as an adjunct faculty member. 

As we push toward the semester’s culmination and prepare for graduations and the transition to summer, I wish you all moments of peace and abundant celebration. Make time for yourself, reach out to those you love, look at the sky, and remember that the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½ community is here for you this month, and always. 

With love, 

Wendy

Wendy Cadge
President and Professor of Sociology

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½
101 N. Merion Ave., ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ´«Ã½, PA 19010
Pronouns: she/her

Spark Wisdom