A Message from RC Leadership

Dear friends,

As I begin my first year as director of the Residential College, I find myself thinking not only about the work ahead, but also about the nearly sixty years that have brought the RC to this moment. During my first months in this role, I have had the opportunity to meet students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college, and I have been struck by the deep connection so many people continue to feel for this place. 

For many of us, that enduring connection is no surprise. The Residential College is a community where students are encouraged to ask questions, challenge familiar ways of thinking, and engage deeply with people whose perspectives differ from their own. Our interdisciplinary approach to learning encourages students to see connections where others see boundaries, cultivating the curiosity, creativity, and confidence to create meaningful change wherever life takes them.

With the Residential College’s 60th anniversary on the horizon, I hope you will consider supporting one of two funds that strengthen our community today while investing in its future.

Support the RC Discretionary Fund. Gifts to the Discretionary Fund allow us to respond to opportunities and needs as they arise throughout the year, supporting many of the experiences that make the Residential College such a distinctive academic community.

Invest in the RC Strategic Fund. Contributions to the Strategic Fund help us look beyond today’s needs and prioritize tomorrow, securing our future for generations of students to come.

Whether your connection to the Residential College began recently or decades ago, you remain an important part of this community. I hope you’ll join us as we mark our 60th anniversary and continue supporting the work that has made this place meaningful to so many students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Thank you for your continued connection to the Residential College and for considering a gift in support of its future.

Take care,

 

Stephen Ward
Director, Residential College 
Arthur F Thurnau Professor and Associate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies