IMAGINING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER The Inauguration of Dr. James M. MacLaren, 19th President of Lebanon Valley College
Friday October 22, 2021 4:30 p.m.
IMAGINING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER The Inauguration of Dr. James M. MacLaren, 19th President of Lebanon Valley College
Friday October 22, 2021 4:30 p.m.
Order of Ceremony Processional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Maestoso” and “Con Moto” from “Music for the Royal Fireworks” by George Frideric Handel Robert W. Leonard, M.A., M.B.A., Chief Faculty Marshal Performed by Grady Daub ’24, organist and the LVC Brass Quartet: Aly Richards ’22, trumpet Tyler Chabitnoy ’22, trumpet Emerson Spahr ’25, trombone Caleb Shunk ’24, bass trombone Invocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Liedtka ’92, M’02 Service and Volunteerism Coordinator Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monica Cowart, Ph.D., LMHC Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Greetings from the LVC Community Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elyse E. Rogers, Esq., ’76 . Chair of the Board of Trustees Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joel Kline, Ph.D., ’89 . Chair of the Faculty Steering Committee and Professor of Design, Media, and Technology Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Resele ’22 Student Government President Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan Sarisky Jones ’92 Director of Alumni and Family Engagement Alumni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert E. Johns ’75 Chair of the Lebanon Valley College Leadership Council
“Inauguration Fanfare, for Brass Quintet”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Composed by Justin Morell, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Music Performed by the LVC Brass Quintet: Aly Richards ’22, trumpet Tyler Chabitnoy ’22, trumpet Jessica Kroboth ’22, D’24, horn Emerson Spahr ’25, euphonium Caleb Shunk ’24, tuba Introduction of the Keynote Speaker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Felicia Brown-Haywood, D.Ed. Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Institutional Success Keynote Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca Mark, Ph.D. Professor and Director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership, Rutgers University The Installation of President James M. MacLaren, Ph.D.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Rogers Presentation of the President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carroll S. Missimer, Ph.D., ’76, ’79 Chair of the Presidential Search Committee Presidential Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President James M. MacLaren, Ph.D. “Five Sonnets on Dreaming”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Written and Read by Holly M. Wendt, Ph.D. Associate Professor of English; Director of Creative Writing Alma Mater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Performed by the LVC Chamber Choir: Petra Castellano ’22 Ashlyn Frederick ’22 Julia Kelbaugh ’23 Aimee Bealer ’23 Jonathan Bellarmino ’22 Andrew Surotchak ’24 Thomas Stankard ’23 Jordan Stum ’24 Benediction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Liedtka Recessional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Finale” from “Symphony I” Louis Vierne Performed by Jacqueline Wilson ’24, organist
19th President of the College Dr. James M. MacLaren 19th President, Lebanon Valley College Dr. James M. MacLaren, an award-winning physicist and passionate advocate for student success, became Lebanon Valley College’s 19th president in July 2020. Despite the vast challenges of the pandemic, the LVC community achieved many milestones during MacLaren’s first 15 months, including enrolling the largest-ever first-year class and expanding graduate and professional studies enrollment. Academic affairs launched a new Bachelor of Nursing Program, a Master of Science in Intelligence and Security Studies, and certificates in Trauma-informed Counseling, Sport Enhancement, and several education certificates. Recently, MacLaren created a centralized organizational framework for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and named Dr. Felicia Brown-Haywood as LVC’s first associate vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion, and institutional success—a cabinet-level position. All the while he led a COVID-19 pandemic response to keep campus open and classes in person. In March of 2021, University Business published his op-ed, “Hurricane Katrina taught us to be nimble and hopeful, and we need that resilience now.” MacLaren has initiated a collaborative strategic planning process to identify the College’s priorities for the next three to five years and establish a vision of becoming the regional leader in higher education, known for offering high-quality academic and co-curricular programs in a personalized, inclusive environment that emphasizes career success and personal well-being. Upon its approval by the faculty and Board of Trustees, Imagine LVC will provide a unifying mission and values with concrete action steps for The Valley to thrive in the future. President MacLaren and his wife, Gina, who was born in Memphis but lived most of her life in New Orleans, have been married for 27 years. Emily and Meg, their two oldest daughters, are graduates of Tulane University. Their youngest, Caroline, is a junior at Villanova University. The family lives on campus in the historic Kreiderheim. Before Lebanon Valley College President MacLaren arrived at LVC after serving as provost of St. Xavier University in Chicago, Ill. At St. Xavier, a Hispanic-serving Catholic university, MacLaren oversaw the academic enterprise, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graham School of Management, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as graduate admissions, instructional design and technology, the library, and summer programs. He led the university in securing the largest federal award to St. Xavier, a $3 million Title V grant from the United States Department of Education to increase firstyear retention and graduation rates. Born in London, MacLaren earned a bachelor’s and master of arts in natural sciences from Churchill College at the University of Cambridge, U.K. He went on to study the electronic properties of catalyst surfaces at Imperial College, London, earning a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics. His research focused on the electronic structure of materials, particularly layered magnetic materials. His collaborative work demonstrated that spin-dependent tunneling between two epitaxial layers of iron separated by magnesium oxide could lead to a remarkably sensitive read head for magnetic hard drives. The United States Department of Energy recognized that work with an Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment in Metallurgy and Ceramics Award in 1995. MacLaren has published a combined 150 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and books and presented 22 invited
papers at national and international conferences. As a professor, he regularly collaborated with undergraduate and graduate student researchers. He began his academic career at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he worked for 28 years, rising through the faculty ranks to become chair of the Department of Physics, associate provost, and then acting dean of the liberal arts and sciences faculty. He created the Tulane Interdisciplinary Experience Semester (TIDES), a signature of the Tulane First-Year Experience that brings together small groups of students and faculty to explore academics and the city of New Orleans from multiple academic perspectives. After Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, MacLaren collaborated remotely with his colleagues to develop and implement the Renewal Plan, a roadmap for Tulane to reopen and rebuild. He was appointed the founding dean of Newcomb-Tulane College, which united students in those schools offering undergraduate programs to form a holistic experience key to the university’s recovery. During his 12 years leading the college, retention rates increased significantly. As dean of Newcomb-Tulane, MacLaren established the Center for Academic Equity to support traditionally underrepresented and first-generation students. He also integrated academic and career advising, introduced career development courses into the curriculum, and developed professional development opportunities for students on campus and in many major U.S. cities. MacLaren exceeded fundraising targets each year, setting a record in 2015–16 of more than $7.8 million in gifts and pledges. He also obtained funding for scholarships and diversity initiatives such as POSSE and College Track. Because of these efforts, Newcomb-Tulane College’s first- to second-year retention rates increased from 86 to 93 percent and contributed to Tulane’s rise in U.S. News & World Report rankings. The number of applicants and winners of national fellowships and scholarships also increased, and Tulane was recognized as a Fulbright Top Producer by the Chronicle of Higher Education twice in three years. In 2013, MacLaren donated a kidney to a stranger through a “closed exchange” at Tulane, making it possible for Gina to receive a transplant from a different donor. The MacLarens participate in efforts to support and promote awareness of kidney health and transplants. MacLaren was appointed provost at St. Xavier in 2018. There, he transitioned most graduate programs to online formats; added new graduate programs in medical sciences, health sciences, and human sports performance; proposed a new adult degree-completion program in law enforcement and administration; and redesigned the MBA curriculum, which resulted in a 50 percent growth in summer credit hours. He also guided the redesign of general and developmental education to improve student success and retention. MacLaren received the Tulane University Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1999. Tulane recognized MacLaren as an Honorary Alumnus in 2015 and named the James M. MacLaren classroom and MacLaren Garden at Mussafer Hall, the home of academic support services, in his honor. In 2018, donors MacLaren had worked with as dean of Newcomb-Tulane College established an endowed fund for an early career professorship in his name in the Tulane University Physics Department.
Keynote Speaker Professor Rebecca Mark Rebecca Mark is the director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership University and a professor in the Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Rutgers University. She was the chair of the English Department, associate dean, and director of the Center for Academic Equity at Tulane University. She is a scholar and professor whose research addresses southern writing and cultural representations of trauma. Her books include The Dragon’s Blood: Feminist Intertextuality in Eudora Welty’s Fiction (University Press of Mississippi 1994), and Ersatz America: Hidden Traces, Graphic Texts, and Mending of Democracy (University of Virginia Press, 2014). Professor Mark is presently completing The Radical Welty: A Private Address. Professor Mark was a Posse Mentor (2010–2014), the founding executive director of the Newcomb College Institute (2006–2008), and a founding member of the Deep South Regional Humanities Center (2001–2003). She received the Public Humanities Achievement Award from the Mississippi Humanities Council for directing the civil rights conference Unsettling Memories (2004), the Weiss Presidential Fellow for teaching in 2014, and the Greenberg Family Professor in Social Entrepreneurship 2014–present.
Academic Symbols Regalia Stylized academic costume is a notable feature of formal functions at colleges and universities throughout the world. The custom of wearing distinctive regalia for academic ceremonies goes back to the Middle Ages when people dressed according to their social classes: nobility, clergy, and common folk. There was an intimate relationship between the early universities and the church. Initially, all university teachers were clerics, so the garb adopted for scholars was similar to that of the clergy. In addition, the costume served a practical purpose: heavy gowns, hoods, and caps were essential for the scholars who lived, studied, and taught in unheated buildings. The basic design of academic costume in the United States was first established in 1895 when leading colleges adopted a set of standards called the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Attire. Under this code, the bachelor’s gown is without ornament, has long, pointed sleeves, and is designed to be worn closed. The master’s gown has a longer but oblong sleeve that conveys the appearance of a short sleeve. The rear part of its oblong shape is square-cut, while the front part has an arc cut away. The doctor’s gown has bell-shaped sleeves. Like the master’s gown, it may be worn open or closed. Bachelor’s and master’s gowns are untrimmed, while the doctor’s gown usually is faced down the front with lapels of velvet and has three velvet bars on the sleeves. The bachelor’s hood is three–feet long, the master’s three and a half. The doctor’s hood is four–feet long and has wide side panels. The lining of the hood is silk in the colors of the institution conferring the degree. The hood’s velvet border indicates the major field of study. Fields of learning are indicated by color: white for arts, letters, and humanities; drab for business administration; copper for economics; light blue for education; orange for engineering; brown for fine arts; purple for law; green for medicine; pink for music; dark blue for philosophy; peach for public service; golden yellow for science; and scarlet for theology.
Presidential Medallion The president wears the Presidential Medallion at Commencement and Convocation. It bears the seal of Lebanon Valley College and College motto, John 8:32, which reads, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The medallion represents the prestige of LVC.
Mace of Ebony and Silver The Mace of Ebony and Silver is used every year at Commencement. In 1957, Dr. V. Earl Light, Class of 1916, designed the current mace. The silver orb that sits atop the ebony stand is adorned with the College seal and a torch of learning, representing the basic standards of the College. The mace is topped with a cross that represents LVC’s religious origins. Overall, the Mace of Ebony and Silver represents the College’s traditions and ideals.
Lebanon Valley College Today President MacLaren continues the legacy of excellence in leadership at LVC, building on the success of 18 past presidents—most recently, Dr. Lewis Evitts Thayne (2012–20) and Dr. Stephen C. MacDonald (2004–2012). In the past decade, LVC launched or revamped more than 15 academic programs, revised the core curriculum and first-year student experience, and constructed new academic facilities, including the Jeanne and Edward H. Arnold Health Professions Pavilion (2018) and the Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (2020) in the Arnold Sports Center. From 2018–21, LVC was listed #1 in Pennsylvania for “The Best College in Each State for Getting a Job” by the career guidance website Zippia.com. Zippia uses U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data from alumni 10 years after graduation. Building on this tradition of success, LVC established the Edward and Lynn Breen Center for Graduate Success in Spring 2018. The Breen Center integrates career readiness programming with academic experiences, reaching students in their first year and supporting them throughout and beyond their time at LVC. The Center for Academic Success and Exploratory Majors (2019) provides resources and individualized attention to help students persevere through challenges and thrive during their time at the College. This community dedication and commitment resulted in the highest first- to second-year student retention for the fall 2020 semester in nine years. In spring 2020, LVC converted the learning experience to a virtual environment within just three days as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world. College leadership and faculty worked intensively over several months—with Presidents Lewis Thayne and James MacLaren collaborating closely—to develop pandemic protocols that allowed LVC to reopen for vital admission campus visits and in-person learning in Fall 2020. Thanks to robust contact tracing, testing, and masking protocols, the College remained open for in-person learning throughout the 2020–21 academic year. LVC’s community of hard work, kindness, and care has resulted in notable student and alumni accomplishments. For example, 11 students were named Fulbright Finalists, positioning the College as a Top Fulbright Producer in the past six years. LVC graduates have achieved significant success nationally and internationally. Our distinguished alumni range from Dr. Elizabeth Miller Bains ’64, a former NASA scientist who worked with Sally Ride on the space shuttle to Tom Corbett, Esq., ’71, the 46th Governor of Pennsylvania. Alumni helped change science through the inventions of Dan Fox ’48, who invented LEXAN polycarbonate, which was used in car bumpers and bulletproof vests, and Dr. Tibor Sipos ’64, whose discoveries in the field of medical pharmaceuticals have alleviated suffering and prolonged the lives of those diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and other serious diseases. Valley alumni have excelled in international relations (F. Obai Kabia ’73, H’18, former representative to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone, United Nations, religion (Bishop Peggy A. Johnson ’75, episcopal leader of the Philadelphia Area of the United Methodist Church), environment (Paul K. Keene ’32, a U.S. pioneer of the organic farming movement), equity (Malcolm L. Lazin, Esq., ’65 (founder and executive director of the Equality Forum), theater (Marylouise Burke ’62, actress who appeared in Sideways and on Broadway), music (Carolyn Gillette ’82 (renowned composer whose hymns have been sung internationally), performance (Gary Miller ’68, conductor and co-founder of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus), military (Dr. John Allwein ’65, U.S. Army
veteran and well-known surgeon who worked in the White House during the presidency of John F. Kennedy), and athletics (Mike Rhoades ’95, head men’s basketball coach of NCAA Division I Virginia Commonwealth University) and Brittany Ryan ’11 (one of the first female NCAA varsity football players and scoring leader among all female football players). For 155 years, The Valley has provided students with exceptional academic experiences delivered in an ecosystem of support. They benefit from highly attentive guidance, forge lifelong bonds, and lead successful and meaningful lives. As a result, our students achieve more than they ever thought possible for themselves, their families, and society.
Board of Trustees Officers Elyse E. Rogers, Esq., ’76, Chair Dr. Kristen R. Angstadt ’74, Vice Chair Seth Mendelsohn M’10, Vice Chair
Dr. Elizabeth R. Unger ’72, P’98, P’08, Assistant Secretary Shawn P. Curtin, Treasurer
2021–22 Board Members Aji M. Abraham, B.S., J.D. Vice President, Health Plan Business Innovation and Delivery, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Kristen R. Angstadt ’74, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Retired Supervisor of Pupil Services, Capital Intermediate Unit #15 Katherine J. Bishop, B.A., M.S. Chief Executive Officer, Chairperson, and President, Lebanon Seaboard Corp. Mary Jean Bishop ’84, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. Associate Vice Chancellor and Director, William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, University System of Maryland Edward D. Breen, B.S. Executive Chairman, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. The Rev. Truman T. Brooks ’79, B.A., M.Div., D.Min. Senior Pastor, West Chester United Methodist Church Susan Manbeck Corbett ’72, B.A. Former First Lady, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Chris J. Dolan, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Professor of Political Science and Director of Intelligence and Security Studies, LVC
Susanne Harley Dombrowski ’83, B.S., C.P.A. Principal and Shareholder, Bazella Dombrowski & Co. CPAs; Chief Financial Officer, Controller, and Shareholder, 12:34 Micro Technologies Inc. James G. Glasgow Jr. ’81, B.S., M.B.A. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, HN Green Hollow Capital Partners Robert E. Harbaugh ’74, B.S., M.D., FACS, FAHA Senior Vice President, University Distinguished Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, PennState Health Richard E. Harper ’81, P’22, B.S. Managing Member, Principal, F.S. Group LLC/ Front Street Financial LLC Chris J. Heffner, B.M., M.M., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Music, Director of the Pride of The Valley Marching Band, LVC M. Louise Hackman Hess ’78, B.S. Retired Director, Quality Assurance, Lancaster Laboratories Wendie DiMatteo Holsinger, B.A., M.Ed. Chief Executive Officer, A.S.K. Foods Inc. Brandon N. Kemmery ’22 Student Representative, LVC
George J. King ’68, B.S., C.P.A. President, RWS Energy Services James M. MacLaren, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. President, LVC The Rev. Brunilda Martinez, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Senior Pastor, Ebenezer United Methodist Church and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Seth A. Mendelsohn M’10, M.B.A., J.D. Executive Director, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Carroll “Skip” L. Missimer ’76, ’79, B.A., B.S., M.S., Ph.D. Retired Global Director for Environmental Affairs, P.H. Glatfelter Company Ghada A. Mostafa ’23 Student Representative, LVC
Joseph F. Rilatt ’91, P’24, B.A., M.B.A. Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Product Sales, Fulton Bank Elyse E. Rogers ’76, B.A., J.D. Attorney, Mette, Evans Woodside, Attorneys at Law Karen A. Lewis Schmitt ’80, B.S., M.B.A. Chief Financial Officer, Maiden Holding Ltd. Joan Squires ’79, B.S., M.M., M.B.A. President, Omaha Performing Arts Tracey Smith Stover ’91, B.A., M.B.A. Partner, U.S. Assurance Industrial Products Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Ryan H. Tweedie ’93, B.S. Partner, Americas Systems Practice Leader, People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP
Chester Q. Mosteller ’75, B.S. President and Founder, Mosteller & Associates
Elizabeth R. Unger ’72, P’98, P’08, B.S., M.D., Ph.D. Chief, Chronic Viral Disease Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Alan Michael Newsome ’07, B.S. Head of Actuarial and Investments Audit, MassMutual
Kenneth F. Yarnall, B.S., Ph.D. Chair and Associate Professor of Mathematics, LVC
Melissa Poole ’05, B.S. Vice President, Investor Relations, The Hershey Company
Board of Trustees Emeriti Edward H. Arnold H’87, B.A., L.H.D. Retired Chairman, Arnold Logistics Jeanne Donlevy Arnold H’08, B.S.P.A., L.H.D. Retired Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services, Good Samaritan Hospital Wesley T. Dellinger ’75, P’05, B.S. Director, Lebanon Operations, Brownstone Real Estate Ronald J. Drnevich, B.S. Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett Fleming Inc. Eugene R. Geesey ’56, P’76, B.S. Retired Owner/President, CIB Inc. Malcolm L. Lazin ’65, B.S., J.D. Founder and Executive Director, Equality Forum William Lehr Jr. H’19, B.B.A., J.D. Former Chair, Capital BlueCross Lynn G. Phillips ’68, B.S., M.Ed., Ed.D. Former Chief Administrative Officer and Director, Aresty Institute of Executive Education, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Honorary F. Obai Kabia ’73, H’18 P’99, P’00, P’02, B.S., M.P.A. Retired Political Affairs Officer, United Nations
George M. Reider Jr. ’63, B.S. Former Officer, Aetna Inc.; Former Insurance Commissioner, State of Connecticut Thomas C. Reinhart ’58, H’97, B.S., L.H.D. Retired Owner/President, T.C.R. Packaging Inc. Bruce R. Rismiller ’59, B.A., M.S. Retired Executive Vice President, Northwest Airlines Stephen H. Roberts ’65, B.S. Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, EchoData Services Inc. Albertine P. Washington P’86, H’91, B.A., P.D. Retired Educator, Lebanon School District The Rev. J. Dennis Williams H’90, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., H.D.D. Retired Pastor, United Methodist Church Samuel A. Wilman ’67, B.S., M.Com. President, Delta Packaging Inc. Harry B. Yost ’62, B.S., J.D., LL.M. Retired Senior Partner, Appel & Yost LLP
Past Presidents Thomas Rhys Vickroy 1866–1871
Frederic K. Miller 1951–1967
Lucian H. Hammond 1871–1876
*Allan W. Mund 1967–1968
David D. DeLong 1876–1887
Frederick P. Sample 1968–1983
Edmund S. Lorenz 1887–1889
*F. Allen Rutherford Jr. 1983–1984
Cyrus J. Kephart 1889–1890
Arthur L. Peterson 1984–1987
E. Benjamin Bierman 1890–1897
*William J. McGill 1987–1988
Hervin U. Roop 1897–1906
John A. Synodinos 1988–1996
Abram Paul Funkhouser 1906–1907
G. David Pollick 1996–2004
Lawrence Keister 1907–1912
Stephen C. MacDonald 2004–2012
George Daniel Gossard 1912–1932
Lewis E. Thayne 2012–2020
Clyde Alvin Lynch 1932–1950
*Acting President
Five Sonnets on Dreaming Holly M. Wendt, Ph.D. 1.
~After Rupert Brooke
Come autumn, we put the gardens to bed, Turning gently under spent stems, bare stalks, Whatever’s left—the leaves already shed Into bright jewels crackling beneath our walks Together past the old parts of the year. Everywhere, though, the promise of the new: Seed-heads spread, the milkweed down drifting clear, The maple keys, all paper-winged and spun To earth. There are few simple joys quite like Throwing these little propellers up, out, And watching them descend: there’s time alike To make a wish and calculate the route: What path it charts, our next steps, lovely clock For dreaming what one seed, one key, unlocks.
2.
~with a line after Toni Morrison
She said, and she would know: for those rising Into positions of trust and power— Let us dream a little before we think. Let the dream be large, dreamy, surprising, In grace and scope; make a tree big enough To shade everyone who comes, no pruning It narrow. A dream is a tree, no hedge Dividing this yard from that. It is such A great privilege and honor, dream-making: What is built here builds a future for more. We, here, are beholden to this ideal, To nurture each other, firmly staking A claim to include, and thereby excel. What we imagine, with care, we do well.
3. A pelican does not, mythology Aside, feed her young her own torn breast, slake Their thirst without thought for her own. Agree, Though, we are here to give more than we take, To create what will endure and sustain Not simply us, not simply now. The bald
Cypress grows despite high water, the pain Of salt and wind to root and branch, the scald Of summer; buttressed like a cathedral, It is an anchor. So, too, a college— Here, this one, deep-rooted and serving all Pursuing truth, the arts, science—knowledge Not for its own sake, but the light it brings, To lift ourselves, and others, up, like wings.
4. There is no bridge from dream to plan to life Save work: hands and minds and hearts together. When Katrina landed, the need ran rife Not only to rebuild but re-gather, Re-see and re-make, remind each other Of the needs so much greater than our own. Those needs remain, no matter the weather, The place, the shape of the disaster. No Community is exempt. In calmer Times, too, the call is as strong as ever— Not to wait until the spotlight’s amber Points, but seek out new challenges, procure New allies in action, hear their insight. We know: with many hands, the work is light.
5. If we are all the things we’ve ever loved (Morrison again), our task is easy: By loving well, loving widely, we prove Ourselves equal to the work. We increase Ourselves, become better, more ready for This world and all it offers. And the world Is many-leaved, many-branched; we ensure— It is our duty—those who leave our fold Can walk, confidently, gently, therein, Charting their varied courses and planting Their own seeds, growing, shading, sheltering. Welcome every day for consecrating Ourselves to the task, truths, purpose that feed The open vision the best dreaming needs.
Alma Mater
To Thee dear Alma Mater, This ringing song we raise A song that’s fraught with gladness, A song that’s filled with praise We cannot help but love Thee, Our hearts are full and free Full well we know the debt we owe To dear old L.V.C.
101 North College Avenue Annville, Pennsylvania 17003-1400
