MEADVILLE, Pa. — Oct. 7, 2002 — Allegheny College, in Meadville, Pa., is hosting the biggest event of its 187-year history, a four-day Celebration of the Liberal Arts, homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-20.
First on the list of activities, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Playshop Theatre, located in Arter Hall, there will be a ceremony to showcase the site and plans for the Allegheny’s new Theater and Communication Arts facility, which will be constructed just north of the Henderson Campus Center. Linking the two disciplines of theater and communication arts is a unique approach at Allegheny, one that effectively allows students to explore the complexities of communication and cultivate critical perspectives on a variety of communicative practices, including speech, politics, popular culture, performance, news, drama, film, television and advertising.
The public opening of the Center for Political Participation to promote and study political engagement is scheduled for Friday at 9:00 a.m. in Brooks Hall. To further mark the occasion that day, at 10:00 a.m. in Ford Memorial Chapel, noted Allegheny alumni, John Aldrich ’69, professor of political science at Duke University, and Morris Fiorina ’68, professor of political science at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, will provide a presentation titled, “Why Bother? Political Participation and Democracy in America.”
As has been reported in regional media, London-based artist American Danny Lane is completing a campus installation of what is thought to be the largest solid-volume glass sculpture grouping of its kind in the world. In advance of the sculpture’s dedication on Saturday, Lane will participate in a panel discussion titled, The Transformation and Creation of Place, on Friday at 9:00 a.m. in the Walker Room of the Henderson Campus Center.
Planners originally wanted the Celebration to include a panel of distinguished alumni and friends to share thoughtful perspectives on the value of a liberal arts education in a panel discussion called “The Liberal Arts Journey.” But interest in this portion of the celebration was far greater than could be accommodated by a single conversation, and now three concurrent panels are scheduled for Friday, at 11:00 a.m.
A ceremony to celebrate the coming alumni center at Cochran Hall will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, 2002, on the west lawn in front of Cochran. The three-year architectural restoration of Cochran Hall for the new alumni center is made possible, through a $5 million gift from Allegheny Trustee, Patricia Bush Tippie ‘56, and her husband, Henry B. Tippie.
In the world students face today and tomorrow, one filled with international turmoil, corporate scandals, and constant change, the importance of understanding the value of a liberal arts education could not be timelier. Articulating the case for liberal arts is a passion of Allegheny College President Richard Cook. In a presentation titled, The Liberal Arts: Education for the 21st Century, on Friday at 3:00 p.m. in Ford Memorial Chapel, President Cook will offer his vision for Allegheny’s future as a premier national undergraduate liberal arts college.
Capping off the evening, the public is invited to enjoy the display of spectacular pyrotechnics by Zambelli, which will light up the night sky at Roberson Field, Friday at 10:00 p.m.
From electric colors by night to glistening emerald by day, Allegheny’s campus will literally gleam for the Celebration of the Liberal Arts. In fact, just a few hours after the fireworks fade, on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., alumni and friends will be thrilled by the public showing of the new glass sculpture installation at Senior Circle on Quade Walk, which was commissioned by Allegheny Trustee Silas Mountsier ‘52. Artist Danny Lane, who designed the seven massive luminescent green sculptures, and his assistants from London will be present for the dedication.
At 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, just prior to the Homecoming Parade, the College will celebrate the renovations planned for the Henderson Campus Center. Alumni and friends of the College are invited to the Campus Center to view the planned changes and to honor the donors whose gifts have made this eagerly awaited project possible.
Everyone loves a parade, so the public is invited to join Allegheny students and special guests of honor at the Homecoming Parade, Saturday at 11:00 a.m. This year’s grand marshals are Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 and Henry B. Tippie, who will lead the Blue and Gold brigade to Robertson Field for the football game. Allegheny vs. Wooster—celebrating Gators facing Fighting Scots. Go Gators!
Educating students since 1815, Allegheny College could hardly celebrate the liberal arts without mixing a little history into the weekend. Some of Allegheny’s most valued collections and a special assemblage of world treasures will be displayed during a special alumni reception at Pelletier Library on Saturday afternoon. Among the pieces will be rare manuscripts on loan from the Remnant Trust Foundation, the Civil War Flag carried in battle by the Allegheny College Company and an art exhibit from the Class of ’52. The reception’s invited guests will also enjoy a formal dedication of the Wayne and Sally Merrick Archival Center for the preservation and documentation of the College’s history, as well as a special recognition of the new postage stamp featuring Allegheny’s most famous alumna, Ida Tarbell.
Sunday morning, campus activities are reserved for public services of faith and personal moments of quiet reflection.
To conclude the festivities with joy and laughter, the Centerstage Subscription Series will present The Aquila Theatre Company of London/New York and their rendition of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium.
Clearly planners have done their best to include many of the dimensions of the liberal arts—music, dance, art, language, history, civics, and more. More than 50 speakers, panelists, and performers will host the celebration activities, and more than 700 alumni are expected to attend.
Allegheny College invites the public to visit its campus on Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 17-20, because the liberal arts are definitely worth celebrating!
For more information about the Allegheny College Celebration of the Liberal Arts, call (814) 332-2764.
Established in 1815, Allegheny College is a nationally recognized, selective college of the liberal arts and sciences in northwestern Pennsylvania. In the recent National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Allegheny was ranked in the top 10% in “level of academic challenge.”
