Support of the Tradition & Transformation Campaign is making a difference at Allegheny College. Here are a few examples of the many ways that the Campaign is benefiting faculty and students.
The Professor Louis Jefferson Long Student-Faculty Research Fund, established by an alumnus and his spouse, has provided several opportunities for collaborative experiences. In the past few years, the fund has supported faculty and students who have attended and presented at several conferences, including the Society of Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy's annual meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and Model NATO competitions. The Long Fund will also support student research in Alaska with Professor Ron Cole in summer 2006.
Significant gifts from another alumnus and his spouse have also funded student-faculty collaborative research, primarily in the social and natural sciences. For example, a study of the Meadville region's tool-and-die industry, led by Economics Professor Steve Onyeiwu, received support from this couple, as did research projects involving students and faculty members Ron Mumme (Biology), Caryl Waggett (Environmental Science), Bob Schwartz (Geology), and others.
A $400,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation enabled faculty in the Neuroscience program to work with colleagues in the humanities to develop a unique set of interdisciplinary neuroscience and humanities courses. Nearly all of the faculty members who participated in these courses stated that their teaching and research skills were enhanced by their interaction with colleagues from other disciplines. One faculty member even noted that the experience "changed my life."
A $215,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported a series of programs to develop faculty's expertise in advising and enhance advising and mentorship for all students. The foundation also provided a $200,000 grant for a faculty development fund, and a $33,000 grant to fund the program review process - including costs for self-studies, external review teams and working retreats for faculty members.
Gifts from alumni totaling more than $350,000 have supported smart classrooms in Carnegie, Quigley, Alden and Murray Halls. Faculty and students from a variety of disciplines have benefited from using these classrooms.
A $200,000 grant from the Eden Hall Foundation funded instructional technology for introductory biology laboratories. This equipment includes stationary and laptop computers, ceiling-mounted projectors, "smart boards," an autoclave, software for imaging and statistics, scanners and other equipment used to transfer images from microscopes.
The Earl Adams Endowment, funded by generous gifts from Bill '80 and Ellen Brown, was established in honor of a longtime faculty member to support the Managerial Economics program. The endowment is used to bring students, faculty and distinguished business leaders together in an annual roundtable on issues of regional, national and global interests. The 2006 Roundtable, held on April 3, discussed "Privacy and Information Security in the Law and in the Market.
