Today marked the first annual Summer Programs Symposium at Barnard College, an opportunity for students to present original faculty-mentored research and reflect on internships and leadership engagements from this past summer.
Represented across the day were initiatives supported by the Laidlaw Foundation, Bridgewater Associates, and GRoW @ Annenberg. Three key takeaways from impressive presentations from students:
1) The transformative potential of research and experiential educational opportunities completed in the first half of an undergraduate experience: students in their first and second year of college grow tremendously, not only because of their early engagement in scholarship across disciplines, but also because of the relationships with mentors among faculty, staff, alums, professionals in the field — and (the most underrated) — with fellow students.
2) The power of collaborations with external partners that understand the importance of giving time and resources for students to grow and learn at their own pace: we're lucky to have the support of Laidlaw, Bridgewater, and GRoW @ Annenberg, who all designed programs that allow students flexibility to determine their own path.
3) The value of deep and intentional faculty/staff collaborations in the creation of campus programs. I can't imagine embarking on these efforts without faculty leaders like Sharon Harrison, Rebecca Wright, Daniela De Silva, Rajiv Sethi, Paul Scolieri, and Joan Snitzer — nor without staff at Beyond Barnard, the Athena Center for Leadership at Barnard College, and across campus. From the beginning, these initiatives were designed to require faculty/staff integration — and it makes a tremendous difference in the execution of meaningful programs.
Thanks to everyone for a fantastic summer, and a great day! There's a lot to be learned from your hard work and creativity in the facilitation of these opportunities.
Diploma at Damelin
2wCongratulations with your appointments. I wish you every success in your new roles at Eriez.