The Kline Foundation grant will support a 55,000-square-foot addition to the west side of Gettysburg College's Bream/Wright/Hauser Athletic Facility. The new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness will include a natatorium with eight competition lanes, a four-lane warm-up pool and 350-seat spectator gallery; a 10,000-square-foot weight and fitness room; multipurpose spaces for aerobics, yoga, Pilates, spinning and martial arts classes; a renovated athletic training room with a Hydroworx therapy pool; and expanded facilities for campus recreation and experiential education programs including a state-of-the-art bouldering and rock climbing wall. Preliminary plans call for the facility to open in fall 2009.

The Center is a high priority for Gettysburg College since more than 80 percent of incoming students are involved in sports and recreation. Nearly 25 percent of the student body belongs to one of the College's 24 varsity athletic teams, and more than three-fourths of students take part in an extensive intramural and club sports program. The Center will ensure that students are able to maintain their active lifestyles while in college.

Gettysburg College has received generous support from the Kline Foundation over several decades. The foundation has provided grants for at least five major capital projects on campus - from the restoration of Pennsylvania Hall in 1970 to the construction of the new Science Center in 2002. In addition, the foundation helped establish the Eisenhower Scholarship in honor of Joseph T. Simpson, a former president of the Kline Foundation.

The Kline Foundation was incorporated in 1952 by Josiah, a real-estate developer, and his wife Bessie exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes. Josiah was a trustee of Gettysburg College from 1959 until his death in 1961. Bessie served in his place from 1962 to 1978. In addition to Gettysburg, the foundation regularly supports several other colleges in south central Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The College was founded in 1832.

Issued: 7/2/08

That is one startling conclusion of research by Africana studies Prof. Sharita Jacobs, last year's Derrick Gondwe Scholar in Residence, who this fall will begin a new tenure-track position in both Africana studies and Civil War Era studies.

Maryland was one of five slave states that did not secede from the United States. Because Reconstruction was imposed only on former Confederate states, Maryland’s Confederate veterans and sympathizers retained political influence and resisted granting voting rights to African Americans.

More about Jacobs' research into the history of the African American community in the Prince George’s County area, where she grew up, is in the Around the Campus section of the spring issue of Gettysburg, the College's magazine.

 

Jane D'Addario (Farmington, Conn./Farmington) is one of just 29 female spring student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions to receive the one-time scholarship of $7,500. She is the fifth student-athlete in Gettysburg College history to earn the award.

She graduated summa cum laude with a 3.76 grade-point average as a health sciences major and biology minor. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

D'Addario set Gettysburg College records in the shot put, hammer throw, weight throw, and discus. She earned six Centennial Conference medals.

Complete coverage is available here.

Posted June 26, 2008

The art exhibit, "The Chittlin Circuit Review: Narrative Paintings on the History of the Blues by Rik Freeman," will feature a series of large-scale paintings that follow a fictional character through the history of Blues music. Gettysburg College's Schmucker Art Gallery will host an opening reception June 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that will feature a talk by the artist. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the exhibit will run through July 18. The gallery is open to the public at no charge.

Freeman's series of paintings is based on the early history of Blues music. He paints the lineage from African call and response songs through slavery to the music of today. The characters in his paintings are fictional, but Freeman portrays the realities of the difficult circumstances that birthed and nurtured the Blues. According to Freeman, "Chittlin Circuit" is a colloquial term used to define the regional area in the American South and Midwest where people of African descent were able to live and perform under the Jim Crow laws of segregation.

"The more I work on this series, the more I realize it's not just an artistic journey, but an anthropological study on a segment of American history," Freeman said.

Born in Athens, Ga., in 1956, Freeman began his professional career as an artist and muralist in Washington, D.C. in 1989. Freeman has exhibited widely in the Mid-Atlantic Region and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He has received fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and was nominated for an Outstanding Emerging Artist Award in 1994. Freeman has painted several murals in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area including "Shaw Rhythms" for the Washington Convention Center and "ARL@200" at the Arlington County Courthouse in Virginia. Freeman studied painting at the University of Georgia and Savannah State College.

The 1,600 sq. ft. Schmucker Art Gallery is a lively art space that displays exhibitions throughout the year. Included in the gallery calendar are shows by local, national and international contemporary artists, a faculty exhibition, a student exhibition, the annual senior art major show and traveling exhibits of works selected from public and private collections. The Schmucker Art Gallery is located on the main floor of Schmucker Hall located at the intersection of North Washington and Water streets and is fully accessible. The main entrance is through the quadrangle side of the building. Free parking is available in one of the visitor spots on campus or free, two-hour parking can be found on the streets adjacent to Schmucker Hall. The main entrance is through the quadrangle side of the building.

For further information about the exhibit, contact Schmucker Art Gallery Director Shannon Egan at 717-337-6125 or visit www.gettysburg.edu/gallery.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued: 6/13/08

Posted June 10, 2008

Posted June 4, 2008 

"The Center will provide the great athletic and recreation space needed for our exceptionally active community, and we anticipate it will become one of the campus's most popular gathering spaces," said Interim President Janet Morgan Riggs '77. "We are delighted to have this project under way, and we are most grateful to the many hundreds of donors whose contributions have made it possible."

A 55,000-square-foot building will connect to the west side of Gettysburg College's Bream/Wright/Hauser athletic facility, closing Constitution Avenue between West Lincoln Avenue to Broadway. The new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness will include a natatorium with eight competition lanes, four-lane warm-up pool and 350-seat spectator gallery; a 10,000-square-foot weight and fitness room; multipurpose spaces for aerobics, yoga, Pilates, spinning and martial arts classes; a renovated athletic training room with a Hydroworx therapy pool; and expanded facilities for campus recreation and experiential education programs including a state-of-the-art     bouldering and rock climbing wall. Preliminary plans call for the facility to open in Fall 2009. The building will be constructed following a set of standards for environmental sustainability developed by the United States Green Building Council, also known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

A webcam will track construction of the new facility. 

The new building was approved by Gettysburg College's Board of Trustees last fall. A subcommittee of the board, led by 1965 Gettysburg College graduate John Jaeger, performed a detailed preconstruction review, including project scope and architectural design. Cannon Design served as the architect for the project. The design and pre-construction manager is the Stone House Group, project manager is DANAC, a real estate development firm, and construction manager is Kinsley Construction.

The first major gift for the $25-million project was given by Jaeger, whose $1.2-million gift was used to successfully encourage others to give. In his role as trustee, Jaeger long recognized a pressing need for additional athletic and recreation space for Gettysburg's active campus community. Nearly 25 percent of the student body belongs to one of the college's 24 varsity athletic teams, and more than three-fourths of students take part in an extensive intramural and club sports program.

"The Center will allow us to provide programming for the multitude of people on campus who wish to improve or maintain their fitness level," said Gettysburg College Athletic Director David Wright. "Whether a student-athlete or a recreational user, the Center is a critical improvement for the campus."

Gettysburg College also received a gift of $2 million from Robert Ortenzio, which was the largest single outright gift made by a living individual in the history of the college. Chief executive officer of Select Medical Corporation in Mechanicsburg, Ortenzio was an All-America wrestler for the Bullets and was inducted into the Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor in 1999.

"Athletics was an important part of my educational experience at Gettysburg and I am happy that I can support this important project - a project that will further the strong athletic tradition at the college," Ortenzio said. "The new center will also add vitally needed recreation and fitness space for all members of the campus community."

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued: 6/4/08

By: Kendra Martin 

Six alumni will receive awards May 31 at 10:15 a.m. in the College Union Building Ballroom located on West Lincoln Avenue. Christopher Re, class of 1978, and Maria (Caracciolo) Weisensee, class of 1983, will receive Meritorious Service Awards; Ernesto Lopez, class of 1998, and Christopher Hofmann, class of 1993, will receive Young Alumni Awards for Professional Development; and Lindsay Musser Hough, class of 1998, and Bridget Donnelly Collins, class of 1993, will receive Young Alumni Achievement Awards for Service.

Saturday's itinerary will also include a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m., weather permitting. The show is expected to last approximately 20 minutes. Due to the large number of Gettysburg College alumni who attend Reunion events, parking will be limited on campus.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With approximately 2,600 students, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued: 5/26/08
By: Kendra Martin

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor spoke to 645 graduates May 18 at Gettysburg College's Commencement Exercises, charging them to "aim high...if you always strive for excellence you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live."

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O'Connor to the Supreme Court, where she served until her retirement in 2006. She was the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Her record on the court reflects an effort to keep decisions narrowly focused, not making sweeping changes to the law. She was seen as centrist and cast the deciding vote in several important cases related to abortion rights and discrimination. Since her retirement, O'Connor has worked to promote an independent judiciary and has become chancellor of the College of William and Mary.

Sunday's Commencement was the 173rd at Gettysburg College, a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. It also included the recognition of three individuals with honorary degrees from the college: Justice O'Connor, Rev. Dr. Rudolph Featherstone, who became the college's first African-American graduate in 1956, and Dr. Paul Muchinsky, a 1969 Gettysburg College graduate and professor of business. Paul Roedel, parent of a 1986 Gettysburg College graduate, received the Lavern H. Brenneman Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service, which was established to honor the 1936 graduate.

With a student body of approximately 2,600, Gettysburg College is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Highlights Video  

Photo Gallery

Justice O'Connor's video and speech

President Will's speech

Student speaker's speech  

Gettysburg (17-2) will play Salisbury University (20-0) on Sunday, May 18, at 1 p.m. at Salisbury's Sea Gull Stadium with a berth into the national championship game May 25 in Foxborough, Mass., on the line. The Bullets, who tied the program record for single-season victories, will make their seventh appearance in the NCAA semifinals.

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Guelzo talked about his new book, "Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America," which dramatizes and underscores the historical significance of the 1858 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, a contest between Republican Lincoln and the Democrat incumbent Sen. Stephen A. Douglas. Across Illinois, Lincoln and Douglas met seven times to debate the principal issue dividing the nation: the future of slavery. While Lincoln lost the election, he gained a national prominence that propelled him into the presidency after a rematch with Douglas in 1860.

Guelzo also talked about the possibility that the Lincoln-Douglas style of debate could serve as a model for future presidential meetings between the candidates - an idea that TIME Magazine political columnist Joe Klein recently wrote about in May 18's issue.

An audio clip of the interview is available.  

Guelzo also appeared on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart in February. A video of Guelzo's conversation with Stewart is available . He has also been mentioned in TIME, The Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. His opinion piece, "Lincoln-Douglas: The Real Thing," appeared Feb. 3 in the Washington Post and in several other newspapers. In addition, Guelzo took part in the White House's commemoration of the 199th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush hosted the event Feb. 10.

Guelzo is the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and a professor of history at Gettysburg College. He is formerly Dean of the Templeton Honors College and the Grace F. Kea Professor of American History at Eastern University. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania, M.Div. from Philadelphia Theological Seminary and honorary doctorate in history from Lincoln College in Illinois.

Guelzo's essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in publications ranging from the American Historical Review and Wilson Quarterly to newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and Wall Street Journal. In 2000, his book Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President won both the Lincoln Prize and the Abraham Lincoln Institute Prize. He did it again in 2005 with his book, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, making him the first double Lincoln Laureate in the history of both prizes.

Guelzo has received several teaching and writing awards, including the American Library Association Choice Award, Albert C. Outler Prize in Ecumenical Church History and Dean's Award for Distinguished Graduate Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania.

Complete coverage 

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will speak May 18 at Gettysburg College's 173rd Commencement.

The 11 a.m. ceremony will take place on the north side of Pennsylvania Hall. O'Connor will receive an honorary degree from Gettysburg College, as will Rev. Dr. Rudolph Featherstone, who became the college's first African-American graduate in 1956, and Dr. Paul Muchinsky, a 1969 Gettysburg College graduate and professor of business. Paul Roedel, parent of a 1986 Gettysburg College graduate, will receive the Lavern H. Brenneman Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service, which was established to honor the 1936 graduate. Nicole Puza, a senior majoring in biology from Stamford, Conn., will deliver the Senior Address.

O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Growing up on a cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona and then in Texas, she attended Stanford University where she majored in economics and graduated magna cum laude in 1950. O'Connor completed her law degree in only two years at Stanford Law School, where she was appointed to the legal honor society Order of the Coif and served on the editorial board of the Stanford Law Review. In 1952, O'Connor was offered only one job - and it was as a legal secretary rather than as an attorney. She turned to the public sector and began her career as deputy county attorney in San Mateo, Calif., and then as assistant attorney general in Arizona. She was an Arizona state senator for six years, including a term as senate majority leader, the first woman to hold such a position in the U.S.

In 1975, O'Connor was elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix and then appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court, where she served until her retirement in 2006. Her record on the court reflects an effort to keep decisions narrowly focused, not making sweeping changes to the law. She was seen as centrist and cast the deciding vote in several important cases related to abortion rights and discrimination. Since her retirement, O'Connor has worked to promote an independent judiciary. She has also become chancellor of the College of William and Mary and received honorary degrees from Yale University and Elon University.

Featherstone has spent his life advocating justice for all people and serving as a visionary leader in the Lutheran ministry. He touched thousands of lives as a well-known and respected lecturer, author, theologian and churchman. He has written and lectured in the U.S. and internationally on Lutheran heritage and issues of social justice. He served parishes in New York, Detroit and Jamaica, where his ties with the local African-American churches strengthened relations with the African-American Lutheran community. Featherstone also served in the campus ministry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a mentor for students of color. He recently retired as a professor of cross-cultural theological studies and mission at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Featherstone received his bachelor's degree majoring in history from Gettysburg College in 1956 and graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1960 and Harvard Divinity School in 1972.

A prominent industrial and organizational psychologist, Muchinsky is the Joseph M. Bryan Distinguished Professor of Business at the University of North Carolina. He was appointed by North Carolina Governor James Hunt to serve on the Commission on Workforce Preparedness, whose mandate was to improve the competitiveness of North Carolina businesses and enhance economic development. He has written more than 100 journal articles and book chapters as well as "Psychology Applied to Work," the most widely read textbook in the discipline. Muchinsky has been granted fellowship status in four divisions of the American Psychological Association for his meritorious contributions to the profession. In 1998, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Gettysburg College and in 2004, he was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Contributions Award by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Muchinsky received his bachelor's degree majoring in psychology from Gettysburg College in 1969, master's in psychology from Kansas State University in 1970 and doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from Purdue University in 1973. He credits former Gettysburg College psychology professor Samuel Mudd as a life-long mentor. Muchinsky is also an enthusiastic amateur scholar of baseball and author of "Baseball Pinback Buttons," which was accepted into the registry of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Roedel's loyalty and support for Gettysburg College has continued long past his daughter's graduation more than two decades ago. He served 12 years on the Board of Trustees (1987-1999), including five years as chairman and oversaw the Commission on the Future, a group that laid the groundwork for the $100-million campaign "The Unfinished Work," which was completed in 2004. Roedel was also involved in the leadership committee for "The Campaign for Gettysburg," Parents Advisory Board and National Major Gifts Committee. He was named Trustee Emeritus in 2000. Roedel is the treasurer of the Berks Business and Education Coalition and the Wyomissing Foundation. He started as an accountant at Carpenter Technology Corp., a specialty metals and structural ceramics company, and rose to chairman and CEO in 1987, retiring in 1992. He has served on numerous non-profit and social service organizations in the Reading-Wyomissing area.

Puza is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honors society, Women's Center Associate Board, Equestrian Team, Pre-Veterinary club, Biosphere and Gettysburg College-Community Orchestra. She is also a swing dance choreographer and instructor in the dance ensemble. While at Gettysburg, Puza volunteered at the East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue and was a student teaching assistant for the biology department. She was awarded a Mellon Grant for student-faculty summer research in 2006 and her independent research took her to Nicaragua where she analyzed DNA of tropical marine snails. Puza has also worked as a technician's assistant at Emmitsburg Veterinary Hospital. After graduation, she will attend the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued: 4/9/08
By: Kendra Martin

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