March 4, 2025

Dear alumni, families and friends of Connecticut College,

It has been a busy and productive spring semester so far. I am using bullet points this month as there is much to cover.

  • Board Meeting: The Board of Trustees met in late February. The meeting format allowed for a focused discussion of the Facilities Condition Assessment (FCA) findings. In addition, the Board approved faculty new appointments and reappointments, faculty sabbaticals, honorary degrees and trustee reappointments to a second term.
  • In April, the Cabinet will review several budget-related policies to ensure consistency and efficiency in spending. VP of Finance and Administration Christina Williams is leading the development of a multi-year plan to achieve a balanced budget.
  • We continue to closely monitor guidance from the federal government to determine what, if any, response is required, pending the latest guidance from the Department of Education, so we are prepared should the need to make any changes occur.
  • Lindauer, the firm handling our search for the vice president of Advancement, has posted the job description and is busy seeking candidates. The search kicks into an active phase after spring break.
  • Conn has hired a part-time Muslim chaplain. Hazza Abu Rabia, a professor of Arabic Language, Culture, and Society at the University of Connecticut and a visiting assistant professor of Arabic at Conn, started as our Muslim chaplain in January. He holds dual M.A. degrees in Islamic Studies from Hartford Seminary and Judaic Studies from UConn, as well as an Ed.D. in Leadership and Education from the University of Hartford. With deep expertise in Islam and its culture, his teaching focuses on changes in Islamic and Arabic culture, Arabic language and Arabic literature. He has also served as an advisor for Muslim and Arab international students at the University of Hartford.
  • Cabinet recently approved the launch of a waste centralization pilot program in Fanning and Crozier-Williams Halls. Beginning March 24, 2025, faculty and staff will take their own trash and recycling to centralized bins that will be placed in common areas. Waste bins will be removed from classrooms. Benefits are reduced plastic bag waste, reduced food waste and contamination, and reduced costs. Prior to the rollout, Margaret Bounds, assistant director of Sustainability, will communicate with these buildings’ occupants to provide more information and address any questions or concerns. If successful, the program will be implemented across campus over the summer.
  • Congratulations to our winter teams on an outstanding season! Men’s basketball, men’s ice hockey and women’s ice hockey earned postseason berths in the NESCAC tournament. Our swimming and diving teams had a strong showing in the NESCAC tournament, with the men’s team finishing 4th and Justin Finkel being honored as NESCAC Swimmer of the Year. Our indoor track and field team is also having a remarkable season, with records being broken weekly. We expect to have members of both the swimming and diving and track and field teams qualify for the NCAA tournament. The spring season kicked off this past weekend, and we wish all the Camels the best of luck this spring. Also, congratulations to the men’s club hockey team, which is going to St. Louis over spring break to compete as the #2 seed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship tournament for the first time.
  • Students, staff and faculty were involved in a wonderful production of The Prom this past weekend in Palmer. The talent on stage and off to bring this production to life was extraordinary. It was a wonderful example of interdisciplinary collaboration on a shared project.  
  • Two groups of students traveled to Washington, D.C., in February. One cohort was the second annual Black History Month trip, led by Terell Wright ’25, Zale Peart ’25, Persephone Hall (executive director of Hale Center for Career Development) and Kendell Coker (assistant professor of Psychology). This experience was created and planned by Terell and Zale to provide a community building opportunity for African American students at Connecticut College. The second cohort was a group that traveled to our nation’s capital with the Center for the Critical Study of Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), led by Professor Sufia Uddin and Laura Todorov. Over four days, the groups went to Howard University, visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, engaged with journalists at The Washington Post and met with U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who represents our region of Connecticut. Based on what I’ve heard, both trips were tremendously successful.
  • Please make sure you hold the date for Inauguration – April 26, 2025. Many fun, community events that spotlight Conn are planned. I so look forward to celebrating this day with our entire community.

Sincerely,

Chapdelaine Signature

Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D.
President

Yours,
 
Katherine Bergeron
President