President’s Fall Newsletter
October 15, 2020
Dear Alumnae and Alumni, Family and Friends,
Across these last difficult six months, I have thought of all of you often, and pray that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. At Trinity, we are now one month into the Fall 2020 semester, continuing in the pandemic era with a wide range of instructional modalities all designed to ensure that our students, faculty and staff remain safe and healthy while also making progress academically.
In his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis writes often of the “common good” (a phrase used 34 times in the document), emphasizing the imperative of “integral human development.” As I thought about the Pope’s message in this wide-ranging encyclical, I realized that in so many ways it underscores the urgency and vitality of Trinity’s mission today.
Trinity in 2020 is a place of welcome and support for students whose families represent the global village, a remarkable community engaged in the endless dialogue of teaching and learning, fostering understanding and discovery of new ways to develop a good society that respects human dignity and strives for peace, the desiderata of the Pope’s vision for humanity.
In a year of total disruption to our carefully planned schedules and routines – a year beset by so much sickness and sorrow, anxiety and loss – Pope Francis uses the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan to remind us that despite all of our cares and concerns, we are called to be of even greater service to those who need us: “The parable shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good.” (Fratelli Tutti [67])
With the Pope’s exhortation in mind, I am pleased to report that Trinity is thriving despite the many challenges of the pandemic era. Our enrollment has increased this fall, our finances are stable, and the spirit of our campus community is indomitable. We are learning new ways of teaching and learning and living together that will serve us well beyond this moment – more follows in this newsletter.
In this era, the support of our great Trinity family is more important than ever as our students face even greater financial challenges due to the loss of jobs and family stress, and as Trinity faces greater costs for safety and protection on campus and strengthening the technological infrastructure. Your gifts to the 2020-2021 Trinity Annual Fund provide welcome assistance for our students and affirmation of Trinity’s vital mission in this difficult era.
Thank you for your constant support and loyalty! May Trinity’s blessings be with you,
President Patricia McGuire ’74
“Multi-Modal” Fall 2020 Semester
Enrollment is up this fall with 1,850 students; retention is particularly high, evidence that in the pandemic era Trinity is taking good care of students and they want to keep making progress toward degrees.
After the rush to adapt to remote learning in March as we concluded the Spring 2020 semester, the faculty engaged in a summer-long professional development program for online teaching. The results are clear this fall as we use “multi-modal” delivery systems for the curriculum. Almost all of Trinity’s graduate and professional courses are now online, and student satisfaction with them is high. Some courses are face-to-face (about 9%) including some nursing labs for simulation courses, and a number of introductory courses for new students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Another group of courses are hybrid, meaning that students are sometimes in classrooms and sometimes online.
About 175 students are in residence this fall, fewer than usual but a good number considering the pandemic restrictions. All students on campus are in single rooms and all must observe strict rules for masks, social distance, and perhaps hardest of all, no visitors. While the rules are strict, the good safety results are clear; as of this writing, we have not had any cases of coronavirus transmission through contact on campus.
Spring 2021 and Commencements, Reunion and Other Events
So far this fall, the District of Columbia continues in “Phase 2” of the pandemic response, which means that there cannot be any gatherings of more than 50 people; at Trinity, we are continuing to limit gatherings to 10 in most cases. Aside from the handful of face-to-face classes, most of our meetings and events are online. Zoom is everywhere!
We have planned a Spring 2021 schedule that anticipates continuing much of the same pattern as we have had this fall, with multi-modal course instruction weighted in favor of online, and most events taking place virtually.
Unfortunately, the uncertain timeline of the pandemic means that we cannot plan a resumption of some of our most cherished events, e.g., Cap and Gown Convocation, Commencements, Reunion, alumnae gatherings, athletic games, student activities. We have planned various virtual events to offset the postponements, but of course we all miss the “live” ceremonies. The students have taken all of this in stride with good humor, but we have promised all that we will definitely make up for the lost ceremonies when we can gather in larger groups once more.
The current uncertainty led to the cancellation of the 2020 Reunion, and for 2021 we believe it best to postpone at least until Fall 2021. We’ve been thinking about making format changes for future reunions that will engage more alums in different ways across the years – stay tuned for more information on our new thinking about Reunion programming!
Trinity Students Selected as CSIS Fellows!
Sixteen Trinity students received prestigious fellowships with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) this semester. CSIS developed this program specifically for well qualified Trinity juniors and seniors to learn about global issues and impacts on diverse industries, and to gain a first-hand introduction to foreign policy and the experts and leaders who shape policy.
A senior Trinity fellow wrote in her application, “I hope to contribute a unique knowledge base both steeped in personal cultural experience and supplemented by academically focused study in Russian and Eastern European foreign policy…As a student with a background from Eastern Europe, focusing on Russian studies, and having studied Chinese language in Beijing, I hope to be able to provide well-rounded dialogue to discussions with other fellows and foreign policy experts.”
Trinity DARE: Driving Actions for Racial Equity
In September, we launched a new program that lifts up Trinity’s extensive work in racial equity. Trinity DARE: Driving Actions for Racial Equity moves beyond simply talking about the problem of systemic racism and its pernicious effects on Black and Hispanic communities to doing something about it – the top priority of the program is to widen career pathways for Trinity’s majority of Black and Latina students to enter professions where women of color have been under-represented, and where they can progress into decision-making positions. To achieve this goal, Trinity seeks significant corporate and foundation support to reduce student debt burdens – Black women carry the highest level of college student debt in the country and this debt load often inhibits their ability to realize their full potential economically and professionally. Trinity DARE seeks to raise a minimum of $10 million for student scholarships over the next five years, along with other support for a Mentor Program and Career Services.
Dean Sita Ramamurti Receives Prestigious Award
The Washington Academy of Sciences named Dr. Sita Ramamurti, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as the recipient of the Leo Schubert Award for “…years of dedication, passion, and creativity in teaching mathematics for college students.” A Ph.D. graduate of George Washington University, member of Trinity’s mathematics faculty since 1996 and Dean since 2017, Dr. Ramamurti said in her acceptance remarks, “When I set foot on Trinity’s campus in 1996, I was overjoyed because I was reminded of my own alma mater back in India, the Women’s Christian College. Both institutions empowered women and both campuses were very similar – lush and intimate. …From my early days of teaching… I was always looking for ideas and recommendations from the mathematics community to improve my own pedagogy and to improve the undergraduate math curriculum at Trinity. I wanted my students to see mathematics as this beautiful language with its intrinsic logic and abstractness.” Dean Ramamurti is also spearheading Trinity’s initiatives with the D.C. Public Schools including numerous dual enrollment courses and the creation of the Early College Academy at Coolidge High School.
Trinity Renaissance Fund: Amazing Donors!
Trinity will celebrate our 125th Anniversary starting in 2022, and by then we plan to be fully past the pandemic and on to even greater ventures. To be sure that we are able to emerge from the pandemic with great strength, a group of donors has come together to provide significant funding that also now leverages our new capital campaign called Trinity Renaissance 125. Thanks to some truly magnificent alumnae and friends, the Renaissance Fund is off to a great start with nearly $16 million in cash and pledges so far, and more to come. I am so grateful to Trinity’s truly remarkable benefactors and friends for so much amazing support! I will be providing more details about the Renaissance Fund in the months ahead.
Sr. Margaret Claydon Endowed Scholarship
Sr. Margaret Claydon, SNDdeN, ’45, left an indelible mark on Trinity. In commemoration of her life and legacy, Trinity invites gifts to the Sr. Margaret Claydon Scholarship Fund. Originally established with generous gifts from the Class of 1963, the Sr. Margaret Scholarship will support high achieving young women in the College of Arts and Sciences who exemplify Sr. Margaret’s intellectual strength and leadership. For more information or to make a gift please contact Patrick D. Kellogg, Chief Development Officer, 202-884-9721 or email kelloggP@trinitydc.edu
Alumnae and Alumni News
Trinity graduates make us proud! Here are just some of their recent achievements:
Airen Washington ’16 is a contributing writer for Forbes, with her most recent article appearing on August 18, 2020, “Black Women Share Approaches to Tackling the Wage Gap.” She writes: “Black women have proved they are capable of shattering glass ceilings in their midst, but despite the strides they are continuously making, the wage gap remains a perpetual challenge to overcome. Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which took place on August 13, shines a light on this gap -and this year, Black women were at the forefront of the dialogue. Leaders from Equal Rights Advocates, One Fair Wage and Equal Pay Today led virtual conversations to raise awareness of the staggering fact that Black women continue to earn $0.62 for every dollar that their white male counterparts are earning.
Beatrice Peterson ’13 is a reporter/producer with ABC News who is covering the presidential campaign, and she was featured in a June 2020 Glamour article: “8 Journalists on Reporting While Black. With the Weight of History on Their Shoulders.” She says, “Each day I wake up I’m focused on telling a story from my hometown which has been ravaged by coronavirus. I feel a duty, especially now as many Americans still work from home, to tell the complex story of America. For many D.C. protesters I’ve spoken to, they want their voices heard as they come to peacefully protest for the first time in their lives. They want to be seen and heard. Some have tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts.” Photo credit: Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC News.
Holly Hill MSA ’05 has become principal of the Wayside Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland. Her appointment was featured in the Potomac Almanac: “A lifelong love of learning led Holly Hill to become a teacher and stay in education as a career. ‘I found school a fascinating place. There is so much promise in a school,’ Hill said, talking about her early school experience. Hill grew up in Washington, D.C., graduating high school from The School Without Walls of Washington, D.C.’The city is your classroom,’ she said. ‘You learn through real life experiences.'” After years of teaching, she moved into administration to have a greater impact on more children. “From a young age, it’s education that opens up so many doors.”
Shannon Freshour ’97 is running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District of Ohio against Representative Jim Jordan; she received the endorsement of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which wrote: “Despite this being her first run for political office, Freshour offers a judicious, reasonable alternative to Jordan, promising to reinstitute comity in this seat and to work to improve access to health care and education, and to repair the federal safety net for people in need of assistance in her district and beyond.” Her priorities are protecting affordable health care and Medicare; securing middle-class tax cuts and economic stability; investing in infrastructure, economic development and green jobs; ensuring access to lifelong learning by establishing universal pre-K, fixing the college affordability crisis and expanding access to trade and technical job training; and passing anti-discrimination legislation like the Equality Act.
Anne Marie Desaulniers ’83, ’06, director of learning resources at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School, received the first ever Mid-Atlantic Episcopal School Association Stewardship Award “…honoring adults who have made a marked difference in their schools and who embody the qualities and values of the association: integrity in daily life and work, respect for all people, equity and justice in words and actions, and love and hospitality toward neighbors.” Congratulations, Anne Marie, you proclaim Trinity’s ideals that never swerve!
