2016: An Allegheny Highlight Reel
It’s time to look ahead to 2017 — but not without viewing a highlight reel of 2016.
Take a look at just some of the many notable achievements and campus happenings that made the year a special one for Allegheny College.
No. 1 in Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research honored Allegheny with the inaugural Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment. It was presented to Allegheny — the only baccalaureate college in the nation to receive the award — for the exceptional research experiences that the college provides to its students.
Gators Give Back
On April 21 Allegheny supporters around the world joined together for Gator Give Day, raising a total of $539,816 for the college through donations and matching gifts.
A Record Class
Allegheny welcomed the Class of 2020, the most diverse in the history of the college, in August. The class represents a record 417 high schools in 37 states and 24 countries in addition to the United States, including Pakistan, New Zealand and the Micronesian island of Yap. Twenty-eight percent of incoming students identify as students of color, topping the 2015 record of 25 percent.
Tippies Give $7 Million
Patricia Bush Tippie ’56, and her husband, Henry B. Tippie, made a series of gifts totaling $7 million to support the Our Allegheny: Third Century Quest comprehensive campaign. The gifts established the Eila V. Bush Endowed Professorship in Art and the Patricia B. Tippie Endowed Professorship in Economics, as well as the Henry B. Tippie and Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 Educational Opportunities Fund. The fund supports domestic and international internships and study away opportunities for Allegheny students as well as student-faculty collaborative research. The first recipients of the endowed professorships in art and economics were Amara Geffen and Tomas Nonnenmacher, respectively.
Biden, McCain Honored
Allegheny awarded its fifth annual Prize for Civility in Public Life to Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John McCain. The prize honors politicians who have demonstrated steadfast civility throughout their career or have shown authentic, courageous civility at an important moment in time.
Making a Difference
More than 320 Allegheny students — 15 percent of the student body — joined with community volunteers this fall to take part in Meadville’s 23rd annual Make a Difference Day. Groups worked on about 100 projects ranging from roof and door repair to tree planting.
Carnegie Hall Renovated
Carnegie Hall turned 100 years old, a milestone celebrated by the completion of renovations that transformed the building into a state-of-the-art center for the study of psychology and neuroscience. The renovations were supported in part by two grants, one from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the other from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. In April, the Richard King Mellon Foundation awarded Allegheny a $1.6 million grant, $1.5 million of which was directed to this project. And part of the Commonwealth’s 2014 $2 million grant was dedicated to the renovation.
Six Inducted Into Athletic Hall of Fame
Allegheny College inducted six alumni into its Athletic Hall of Fame in October. The 37th class includes (below, from left) Rebecca Smullin Dawson ’00 (swimming), Liz Orr Sowa ’03 (soccer), Giannina Coccaro Sardis ’06 (softball), Nick Catanzarite ’03 (basketball), Ben Rathfon ’05 (golf) and Jane Och Sharpless ’03 (soccer).
Celebrating Mindfulness
The college celebrated the Year of Mindfulness, 2016–17’s campus-wide theme, with speakers, a 30-day Mindfulness Challenge, and events aimed at helping students, faculty and staff live the year with mindfulness and intention. Events continue through the spring semester.
Alleghenians Earn Fulbrights
Two Allegheny alumni, a current student and a faculty member received prestigious Fulbright honors in 2016. Kelly Frantz ’16 and Mary Nagel ’15 were selected for Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grants. Junior Jennifer Tompkins received a place on a Fulbright Summer Institute to study at the University of Exeter in England. Eric Pallant, the Christine Scott Nelson Professor of Environmental Sustainability and chair of the Department of Environmental Science at Allegheny, was awarded a 2016–17 Fulbright Award to the United Kingdom. It is his second Fulbright Award.
The Arts at Allegheny
The arts shined with the kickoff of the 87th season of the Playshop Theatre, the Big Zipper project and several art exhibitions, including Marking Place, an exhibit that considered how we define, interrupt and interact with our geographic, political and cultural landscape. And who could forget Amara Geffen’s 3,500-pound woolly mammoth made out of steel?
Big IDEAS
The college launched the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access & Social Justice (IDEAS) Center. The IDEAS Center at Allegheny creates and supports co-curricular programs and initiatives that encourage community engagement and link diversity, inclusion and social equity with student academic and personal success.
Commencement
More than 450 people took on a new title: Allegheny graduate. The college honored 458 graduates and awarded three honorary degrees at its commencement ceremonies in May.
Allegheny Accolades
Allegheny was widely recognized by college rankings publications, including Washington Monthly, which named Allegheny one of the top 30 liberal arts colleges in the nation. U.S. News & World Report named Allegheny one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation in its annual rankings. The college also was featured in The Princeton Review’s “The Best 381 Colleges” and included among the Sierra Club’s top 50 colleges and universities in the nation for green initiatives.