November 4, 2024
Dear Connecticut College alumni and families,
October was a busy month at Connecticut College. Kudos to the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy for hosting the U.S. House of Representatives 2nd Congressional District debate on Oct. 10. The event, which attracted a near-capacity audience in Evans Hall, helped to inform the campus and local community about the important issues at stake in this election.
It was wonderful to see so many of you at Fall Weekend a few weeks ago. The weather was spectacular and Camel pride and enthusiasm were on full display. I want to thank our Advancement team for their exceptional work in making this event such a success. We welcomed more than 1,500 family members, friends and alumni to campus for a weekend of celebrations, panel discussions, athletic contests, research presentations, artistic exhibits, singing performances and more. The Alumni Board returned for their fall meetings and had productive time on campus. Check out this recap of a truly memorable Conn experience shared through photos, video and social media highlights.
On Oct. 23, we celebrated the renovation of Holmes Hall, home of the Connecticut College Child Development Lab School, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The children held the ribbon, making it the cutest ribbon-cutting ceremony I have ever attended!
The Board of Trustees met Oct. 24-26. In addition to the full Board meeting, the Council of Former and Emeritus Trustees (CFET) had a full day of programming, and new trustee orientation was held. On Friday evening, two new members of the Ad Astra Society were inducted: Jonathan Stavin ’85 and Harold F. Wiley (posthumous). The Ad Astra Society recognizes donors who have made lifetime commitments of $1 million or more to Conn.
In advance of the Board meeting, we prepared the annual progress report with updates on the current strategic plan, Building on Strength, which can be found here. Thank you to everyone who continues to help us make progress on these goals.
In addition to these events, we had a month of intellectual and creative vitality on campus with guest lectures addressing climate change, housing justice, the U.S. elections and conflict in the Middle East, as well as inspiring performances, concerts, poetry readings and film screenings. Shout outs to the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, Music, Theater, English, French, Government & International Relations, the Holleran Center, CCSRE, the Walter Commons and Library and Information Technology for supporting this programming. Also, congratulations to the Division of Marketing and Communications for receiving nine CASE District I Awards for their CC Magazine articles, digital advertising campaign and videos celebrating the Conn community’s achievements.
For the first time in 12 years, all fall teams qualified for the 2024 NESCAC Championships, including men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s field hockey and women’s volleyball. In a tough battle, the women’s soccer team pushed No. 1 Wesleyan to double overtime, but the Cardinals scored in the last minute, while field hockey held off Williams for three periods before allowing two goals. The No. 23 women’s cross country team finished sixth at the 2024 NESCAC Championship and Grace McDonough ’26 finished eighth to earn All-NESCAC honors. The men’s cross country team finished ninth, with Matt Scardigno ’25 turning in a stellar performance finishing third and earning All-NESCAC honors. The men’s soccer team faced No. 3 Amherst in double overtime and won in a penalty shootout, 4-2, to advance to the NESCAC semifinals.
And this past weekend, the men’s soccer team beat third-ranked Middlebury College in a 3-1 final to claim the NESCAC championship, the first conference title in program history. Congratulations to this amazing team!
Finally, I would also like to remind you all about our upcoming holiday celebrations, wonderful opportunities to connect with fellow Camels and celebrate the holiday season across the country. I look forward to seeing those of you who attend the Boston and New York City parties.
Sincerely,
Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D.
President
Your EAP is here for you!
If things seem to be too much for you or a family member, ESI EAP offers a variety of stress management resources to our members, including:
- 24-7-365 in-the-moment support from experienced counselors via our helpline: 1-800-252-4555
- Telephonic one-to-one coaching programs in Stress Management & Resilience
- Resources at www.theEAP.com/Higher-Education-EAP
- Stress Management & Resilience Trainings
- Financial coaching and help for managing debt related stress
To access a counselor or a stress coach, simply call 1-800-252-4555.