A Home for Alumni
New Year Will See Cochran Hall Transformed into Alumni Center
Grants & Gifts
Read more about the grants Allegheny was recently awarded
Tradition & Transformation: Making a Difference
The campaign for Allegheny College
CEED
The Latest from the Center for Economic and Environmental Development
On the Hill
New Trustees; New Accelerated Master's; New Mentoring Program
Sports
New Heights for Soccer and Cross Country; All-Americans; Athletes of the Year
The Last Word
Remarkable New Alumni Center Will Reflect Our Remarkable Alumni
New Communications and Theatre Building Must Be Collaborative Effort
by Beth Watkins, Associate Dean of the College
At most colleges, Communications and Theatre are separate entities: the one focuses on public relations and persuasion, the other on aesthetics and performance. At Allegheny College, however, they stand side by side: we see connections between the two disciplines that transcend the arbitrary "arts" versus "professional" divide.
Both disciplines, after all, are concerned with presentation, message, and audience; both rely on a relationship with the public, whether through live performance, mass media, or the internet; and both are social disciplines which capitalize on the collaboration of colleagues to develop, interpret, or critique ideas through engaged civic discourse.
Most important, the connections between Communications and Theatre speak to a dynamic understanding of how our society functions in a global economy, from the medium as message, to the rhetoric of political leaders at home and abroad, to the human condition as it is revealed, in all its diversity, on the stage.
To make those connections between Communications and Theatre, we educate students using technology and physical collaboration. Specialized teaching spaces are critical to what we do: clever classrooms, design labs and workshops, digital editing bays, studios, and flexible performance venues are all integral to our daily intellectual life.
After all, creating a play or a television production, or facilitating a group project or a teleconferencing session with industry professionals, requires dedicated facilities and technology. We need appropriate spaces in which to gather; we need labs and workrooms conducive to the creative energy that allows our students to flourish and prepares them to succeed in the marketplace.
Arter Hall, wonderful though it is, has simply outlived its usefulness as a teaching facility for Communications and Theatre. Faculty and students alike have made do with inadequate spaces and outmoded technologies, often with amazing results. But increasingly, the facility has become a liability.
Fully 25 percent of each graduating class majors or minors in Communications or Theatre. To accommodate those students, to challenge and encourage them, we need a facility that will allow them to do the best work possible.
At the heart of the Tradition and Transformation campaign is a Theatre and Communications building. Designed to connect to the north end of the newly renovated Campus Center, the new facility will sit at the "Heart of the Campus," where Student Activities, Music, Art and Art History, Theatre and Communications will come together to symbolize the arts in Liberal Arts.
The lead gift was made by Robert and Laura DiMichele Vukovich as part of their generous contribution to Allegheny's future. Ironically, Bob Vukovich '65 was a biology major whose subsequent career has been as an entrepreneur in health care industries. But Bob and Laura are patrons of the arts; they understand the critical role that the arts play in our world, and how integral Theatre and Communications are to the Allegheny experience.
The collaboration so important in Theatre and Communications is just as crucial to building our new home. It takes many dedicated alumni and friends to provide the support necessary for building a state-of-the-art facility that will afford our students extraordinary opportunities for intellectual and creative growth. Every contribution will make a difference to students for generations to come.
Why I Give
by Dr. Robert Vukovich '65
One of the things you never forget is how you got where you are. It's very important to recognize how important that element was in your life and to recognize it as best you can in many different ways—not only by giving your time but by giving resources.
If it wasn't for Allegheny, I would not have had the start in life that I did. It has always been a special place to me because of the academic and social nurturing that were provided to me as I developed. Because I've had some degree of success in my career, it simply was appropriate to include Allegheny among other institutions that should receive some financial recognition, and it's with a great deal of pleasure that my wife, Laura, and I give to Allegheny to help it grow and meet its challenge for the next century.
The world is a different place now. If there ever was a time when liberal arts education is needed, it has to be now. To have a better understanding of human culture—to understand what the world is all about—is essential for the leaders of our country. You have to have knowledge of languages, economics, psychology, geography, religion, and many other disciplines in order to deal with this complex world that we live in. And if we're ever to train new leaders—and it is the job of Allegheny to provide that foundation for leadership—it's now that we have to address these issues and make sure that the education these new leaders receive grounds them well in all elements of the world and society. That's what a liberal arts education does.
It's a very complex set of uncertainties out there. We've always at Allegheny believed in the value of the liberal arts, and I think now is the time for people to stand up and help Allegheny in that mission. That's why Laura and I, even though my career is focused strictly on science and medicine, made a contribution to help build the theatre and communication arts building, because we believe that's going to provide important grounding for students as they develop and grow into America's leadership.
In 2001 Dr. Vukovich and his wife, Laura DiMichele Vukovich, made the largest gift in the history of the College.
A Gift for the Future:
Naming Opportunities at Allegheny College
Every gift to Tradition & Transformation plays a part in the transformation that we envision for Allegheny College.
We have established a number of opportunities through which individuals will be acknowledged. By having their names linked to a scholarship, professorship, endowment, or facility, these donors will be recognized for their lasting, vital impact on the College. Donors may also choose to honor a loved one, friend, mentor, or faculty member through a gift to the College.
Following is a sample of opportunities through which you can create a legacy at Allegheny College.
Student Support (creating educational opportunities that change students' lives)
Faculty Support (enhancing the investments that our faculty make every day in our mission and our students)
Campus of the Future (transforming our facilities to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century)
Henderson Campus Center
Tippie Alumni Center in Cochran Hall
Theatre and Communications Building
Naming opportunities for this facility will be announced as we enter the design phase for this project.
Academic Programs (enhancing our distinctive and innovative programs)
Residential Life (supporting the intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual balance that residential life promotes)
Many other opportunities exist that can be tailored to fit your area of interest. For more information about transforming your gift to Allegheny into a lasting legacy, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at (814) 332-2364, campaign@allegheny.edu.
Get ready! The next time your phone rings it may be one of the Annual Fund's friendly student callers. Allegheny's Gator 2 Gator Phonathon program connects you to Allegheny and the Annual Fund. Dedicated student callers like Sarah McNeil '06 look forward to speaking with you.
"I enjoy the opportunity the Phonathon gives me," says Sarah. "Not only do I get to learn firsthand about alumni's own memories of the College and their experiences here, but many of the alumni I call are eager to hear my own perspective of what it's like to be a student at Allegheny today. It's a lot of fun trading experiences."
Here at Phonathon headquarters, student callers are also eager to share information with you about the third year of the Skattum Challenge. Dag '84 and Julie Grosjean '85 Skattum have posed the following challenge to alumni, parents, and friends in support of the Annual Fund. Criteria for the final year of the challenge are as follows:
The rewards of giving are great. Your contributions help promote the College's mission in many ways, such as providing financial aid to students, adding books and journals to the library, supporting special programs, and enhancing Allegheny's curriculum. In short, your support makes the difference between an average college experience and the top-notch education offered at Allegheny College.
We look forward to speaking with you!
