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AYDELOTTE FOUNDATIONYEAR END REPORT

SEPTEMBER 2015 ‐ JUNE 2016

WWW. SWARTHMOR E . E DU /AYD E LOT T E ‐ FOUNDAT I ON

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MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Frank Aydelotte Foundation for the Advancement of the Liberal Arts is to inspire the quality and inventiveness of Swarthmore College’s liberal arts practices and to promote the under‐standing of the Liberal Arts in higher education, throughout society and around the world.

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AYDELOTTE FOUNDATION 2015‐16 INITIATIVES

Aydelotte Book Discussion Group

Faculty Dinner Discussions

Faculty Pedagogy Seminar (continued)

Faculty Research Seminar on Collaboration

Higher Ed Coffee Hours

Second Tuesday Arts & Humanities Cafes

Sound Breaks: The Gravity of the Situation

www.swarthmore.edu/aydelotte‐foundation/initiatives

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SNAP SHOT FOR 2015‐16

• 44 events hosted

• 34 conveners/presenters contributed

• 790 participants engaged

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HIGHLIGHTS

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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ight Book Discuss ion Group

“ T h e d i s c u s s i o n s w e r e v e r y g o o d a n d e n l i g h t e n i n g . A s a f a c u l t y mem b e r , i t w a s v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g f o r me t o h e a r p e r s p e c t i v e s f r o m n o n ‐ f a c u l t y mem b e r s . T h a t i s , I o f t e n h a v e d i s c u s s i o n s , i n c l u d i n g i n t e l l e c t u a l o n e s , w i t h o t h e r f a c u l t y mem b e r s ; b u t I

h a v e s u c h c o n v e r s a t i o n s f a r l e s s f r e q u e n t l y w i t h s t a f f mem b e r s .” — 2 0 1 6 B o o k G r o u p P a r t i c i p a n t

Since 2014, the Aydelotte Foundation has brought faculty and staff together for an annual book discussion program. Faculty‐staff pairings co‐facilitate discussion for sub‐groups who meet several times over the course of a semester, culminating in a potluck with all of the groups.

Stats: January – May 2016 • 8 facilitators • 13 group sessions • 56 participants • 9 books

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Book Discuss ion Group (cont inued)

The fully‐subscribed 2016 book program centered on work. Through reading and discussion of fiction and non‐fiction books alike, participants examined different definitions and aspects of work as well as current public debates about the changing way we work as a society.

The series was anchored by Professor Barry Schwartz's book “Why We Work.”

Swarthmore News & Events: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/faculty‐staff‐book‐club‐discusses‐texts‐work‐work

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“ I w a s r e a l l y d r a w n a n d e n g a g e d b y t h e i d e a o f h a v i n g t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o me e t i n s m a l l g r o u p s w i t h s t a f f / f a c u l t y a c r o s s t h e c o l l e g e . I t h i n k i t b u i l d s a n d s t r e n g t h e n s o u r c omm u n i t y , a n d I a l s o l o v e h a v i n g t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o r e a d a n d d i s c u s s b o o k s t h a t I m i g h t n o t o r d i n a r i l y r e a d .” — 2 0 1 6 B o o k

G r o u p P a r t i c i p a n t

This shared intellectual exercise successfully promotes community building, the exploration of different points of view and self‐expression. The Aydelotte Foundation supports this small group experience because we believe that sharing and creating knowledge together strengthens a community of thinkers and is an integral part of the liberal arts mission.

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Book Discussion Facilitator Pair

Carina Yervasi (Associate Professor, French & Francophone Studies)

Jennifer Moore (Administrative Assistant, History)

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Kathleen Howard (Professor, Chemistry)

Pam Harris (Associate College Librarian for Research & Instruction)

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Marjorie Murphy (Professor, History)

Maurice Eldridge (President’s Office)

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Barry Schwartz (Professor, Psychology)

Paula Dale (Director, Campus & Community Store)

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Featured Books

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Featured Books

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Featured Books

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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ightFacul ty Dinner Discuss ions

“ I j u s t w a n t e d t o t h a n k y o u f o r o r g a n i z i n g t h i s r e a l l y f a n t a s t i c e v e n t . I d e e p l y a p p r e c i a t e d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o

g e t t o k n o w my c o l l e a g u e s o u t s i d e o f t h e n a t u r a l s c i e n c e s a n d t o d i s c u s s s u c h a s u b s t a n t i v e a n d f a s c i n a t i n g

t o p i c . ” — 2 0 1 6 D i n n e r G u e s t

The Aydelotte Foundation was excited to offer a new initiative this year that was cra ed to help faculty get to know their colleagues’ scholarly work more deeply. Aydelo e faculty dinners occurred several mes over the course of the academic year. At these dinners, a small group of faculty gathered to discuss a short piece of published work by one of their colleagues. Dinner conversation included a brief presentation of the work by the featured author and also questions posed by the group. This is a dinner party, Swarthmore‐style.

Stats: November 2015 – April 2016 • 2 conveners • 4 presenters • 45 participants

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Dinner Discuss ions (cont inued)

Dinner Discussion Conveners

Alex Baugh (Assistant Professor, Biology)

Grace Ledbetter (Associate Professor, Classics & Philosophy)

“ I n my o p i n i o n , t h i s A y d e l o t t e i n i t i a t i v e i s o n e o f t h eb e s t f a c u l t y c o l l a b o r a t i o n s t h a t S w a r t h m o r e h a s s e e n i n r e c e n t

y e a r s . I t ' s a t e r r i f i c i d e a , a n d I k n o w t h a t i t ' s g o i n g t o b e m e t w i t h e n t h u s i a s m b y a g r e a t n u m b e r o f f a c u l t y m em b e r s .

C h e e r s t o G r a c e , A l e x a n d a n y o n e e l s e i n v o l v e d i n i t s i n c e p t i o n . ” — 2 0 1 6 D i n n e r G u e s t

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Krista Thomason (Assistant Professor, Philosophy)

"Call‐Out Culture: Should We Shame on Social Media?“

Dinner: November 30

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Christy Schuetze (Assistant Professor, Sociology & Anthropology)

“Narrative Fortresses: Crisis Narratives and Conflict in the Conservation of Mount Gorongosa, Mozambique”

Dinner: November 30

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Tristan Smith (Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy)

“Neutrinos, the Strangest Beasts in the Particle Zoo, May Soon Open the Way to Unexplored Realms”

Dinner: February 29

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Cat Norris (Assistant Professor, Psychology)

Negativity Bias, Neuroticism & Memory”

Dinner: April 6

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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ight Facul ty Pedagogy Seminar ( c o n t i n u e d f r o m 2 0 1 4 ‐ 1 5 )

The Aydelotte Foundation continued to offer support for the faculty pedagogy seminar co‐convened by Ken Sharpe (Professor, Political Science) and Betsy Bolton (Professor, English Literature). Originally designed to run for just one academic year (2014‐15), sessions continued in 2015‐16 at the urging of co‐conveners.

As before, this seminar brought together 12 faculty members from different disciplines to work in pairs to observe, discuss and refine one another’s teaching strategies. The seminar focused on three key areas: learning through observation, peer coaching and reflective practice.

Stats: September 2015 – March 2016 • 2 conveners • 4 group sessions • 12 participants

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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ight Facul ty Research Seminar on Col laborat ion

“ I ' m d e f i n i t e l y n o w e x c i t e d a b o u t b u i l d i n g i n t o my f a l l c o u r s e a m o r e e x p l i c i t c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h a c o mm u n i t y e n t i t y , a n d I c a n p a r t i a l l y t h a n k t h e c o l l a b o r a t i o n s e m i n a r f o r e n c o u r a g i n g m e t o d o t h a t , b y

s h o w i n g m e t h r o u g h p e o p l e ' s a n e c d o t e s a n d d i s c u s s i o n h o w p o w e r f u l n o n t r a d i t i o n a l c o l l a b o r a t i o n s c a n b e . I t h i n k i t w a s m o s t p o w e r f u l f o r m e t o h e a r f r o m o t h e r s o n WH Y a n d H OW c o l l a b o r a t i o n s h a p p e n , a n d I w a s s o t h r i l l e d t o l e a r n t h a t m a n y f e l t t h a t t h e P R O C E S S w a s s u c h a n

i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f t h e i r o n g o i n g e x p e r i e n c e s i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n . ” —Fa c u l t y S e m i n a r P a r t i c i p a n t

Conceived of by Professor Philip Jefferson (Economics) as a space where ideas, questions and analysis about a topic can be explored, tested, challenged and refined, the inaugural Aydelotte faculty research seminar was held in 2013. This second research seminar brought together faculty for rich interdisciplinary conversations and inquiries on the theme of collaboration.

Stats: January 2016 – April 2016 • 2 conveners • 6 group sessions • 13 participants

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Facu l ty Seminar on Col laborat ion ( cont inued)

Rachel Buurma (Co‐convener, Associate Professor, English Literature)

“ L y n n e ' s a n d R a c h e l ' s l e a d e r s h i p a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n p r o v i d e d g r e a t s u p p o r t a n d m o t i v a t i o n f o r s e m i n a r p a r t i c i p a t i o n . T h e i r w o r k w a s e s s e n t i a l t o t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e s e m i n a r a n d I t h i n k p u t t i n g t h e s a m e g r o u p o f p e o p l e t o g e t h e r w i t h a b r o a d / n e b u l o u s t o p i c o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h o u t s o m e i n i t i a l g u i d a n c e w o u l d h a v e n o t l e d t o s u c h a p r o d u c t i v e s e m i n a r . ” — Fa c u l t y S e m i n a r P a r t i c i p a n t

Lynne Schofield (Co‐convener, Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics)

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The co‐conveners selected collaboration as a topic in part because of their own interests. The topic also appealed to them because while it touches on the research interests of a range of faculty at Swarthmore, much of the existing academic research on collaboration has taken place in and across fields not represented at Swarthmore (information studies, higher education studies, organizational dynamics and theory, management studies, history of science and science and technology studies, design).

Seminar Goals — to Study: 1. Academic approaches to research on the topic of collaboration across

a wide range of disciplines and methods

2. Practice‐based approaches to collaboration across a range of disciplines, fields and institutions

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Facu l ty Seminar on Col laborat ion ( cont inued)29

Weekly Themes

Week 1: Introduction • Topics: Definitions and types; tools and practices (writing, materiality); description and narratives, intra‐, extra‐ and inter‐disciplinarity; what is noncollaboration?

Week 2: Histories • Topics: Epistemology, teaching, history of technology, digital vs. analog, artists' workshops, co‐creation

Week 3: Measurement, Value & Representation • Topics: Authorship, sub‐authorship, hierarchies, bibliometrics, tenure, responsibility, formal vs. informal, ethics, lone genius and other creator/authorship myths, myths, materiality, intellectual property, assessment, dyadic + triadic

Facu l ty Seminar on Col laborat ion ( cont inued)30

Themes (continued)

Week 4: Expertise and Its Opposites • Topics: Teaching, epistemology, crowdsourcing vs. expertise, interdisciplinarity, interspecies,post‐humanist, unintentional, w/o shared goals

Week 5: Institutions • Topics: Cross‐institutional, within‐institutional, transdisciplinary; SLAC collaboration, community college collaborations, teaching collaborations

Week 6: Facilitating Collaboration • Topics: Tools reprised, teaching, guidelines, productive vs. unproductive practices, value, DH, Peripeteia, student, faculty


Collaboration Seminar Participants

Alan Baker (Professor, Philosophy)

Joshua Brody(Assistant Professor, Computer Science)

Timothy Burke (Professor, History)

Rachel Buurma (AssociateProfessor, English Literature)

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Betsy Bolton(Professor, English Literature)



Andrew Danner (Associate Professor, Computer Science)

Giovanna Di Chiro (Professor, Environmental Studies)

Emily Gasser (Visiting Assistant Professor, Linguistics)

Alexandra Gueydan‐Turek (Associate Professor, French & Francophone Studies)

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Cat Norris (Assistant Professor, Psychology)

Tomoko Sakomura (Associate Professor, Art & Art History)

Lynne Schofield (Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics)

Matt Zucker (Associate Professor, Engineering)

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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ight Higher Ed Coffee Hours

The Aydelotte Foundation sent out a call to faculty and staff — “Which higher ed issues are you finding interesting?” “What are you reading and thinking about?”

This new initiative asked community members to join the Aydelotte Foundation several times over the course of the spring semester for coffee, donuts and a discussion of current issues in higher education.

Stats: February ‐May 2016 • 2 conveners • 4 group sessions • 43 participants One of the articles explored.

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Higher Ed Coffee Hours (cont inued)

Higher Ed Coffee Hour Conveners

Peggy Seiden (College Librarian)

Eric Jensen (Director, Aydelotte Foundation)

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Higher Ed Coffee Hours (cont inued)

Articles discussed include:

“Researcher Illegally Shares Millions of Science Papers Free Online to Spread Knowledge” — ScienceAlert

“How a ‘Syllabus Commons’ Could Change Higher Education” — The Chronicle of Higher Education

“If Skills Are the New Canon, Are Colleges Teaching Them?” — The Chronicle of Higher Education

“Computer Science as Liberal Arts 'Enabler' — Inside Higher Ed

“Don’t Grade Schools on Grit” — The New York Times

“Rethinking Gen Ed” — Inside Higher Ed

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Aydelotte Foundation Highlight Second Tuesday Arts & Humanities Cafes

“A s a s t a f f mem b e r w h o s e o f f i c e i s o f f c am p u s , t h i s i s o n e o f t h e f e w o p p o r t u n i t i e s I h a v e t o i n t e r a c t w i t h t h e

b r o a d e r c omm u n i t y . S o t h a t i s a v a l u a b l e f e a t u r e f o r me . H ow e v e r , t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l c om p o n e n t , b e i n g a b l e t o s t r e t c h

my u n d e r s t a n d i n g , o f b o t h t h e t o p i c p r e s e n t e d a n d t h e p e d a g o g i c a l p r a c t i c e em p l o y e d b y t h e p r e s e n t e r , i s mo s t e n j o y a b l e a n d h e l p s me f e e l c o n n e c t e d t o t h e m i s s i o n o f

t h e C o l l e g e .” — S e c o n d Tu e s d a y C a f e A t t e n d e r

“A n e x c e l l e n t j o b h a s b e e n d o n e w i t h t a k i n g s u b j e c t ma t t e r a n d ma k i n g i t i n t e r e s t i n g a n d u n d e r s t a n d a b l e t o a d i v e r s e a u d i e n c e . T h i s r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e d i v e r s e ma ke u p o f o u r c omm u n i t y ma ke s i t a w e l c om i n g a t m o s p h e r e .” — S e c o n d

Tu e s d a y C a f e A t t e n d e r

Stats: September 2015 – May 2016 • 1 convener • 9 presenters • 520 participants

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Arts & Humanit ies Cafes (cont inued)

The most heavily‐attended of Aydelotte Foundation programs, the Second Tuesday Cafes originated in 2012 with a proposal by Professor Amy Vollmer (Biology). Professor Vollmer is interested in bridging the gap between scientists and non‐scientists and is passionate about promoting science literacy beyond the classroom and laboratory.

With this in mind, Professor Vollmer conceived of a program where Swarthmore science faculty described their work to general audiences who may be unfamiliar with science. This was not meant to be a “dumbing‐down” of content. Professor Vollmer thought about how these interactions could freshen a faculty member’s perspective about general assumptions about science. She also considered how this could help an audience member develop enhanced appreciation for how scientists think about, identify and approach problems.

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This tradition was continued in the Social Sciences Cafes (2014‐15) and also last year’s Arts & Humanities Cafes.

Convened by Professor Yvonne Chireau, 2015‐16 Arts & Humanities Cafes highlighted the intellectual relevance of humanities approaches to arts and culture, on topics ranging from visual narratives in Japan, to reflections on life and death in South Indian religions, to current intersections of theater, dance and music performance in the U.S.

Link to cafe audio podcasts: www.swarthmore.edu/aydelotte‐foundation/second‐tuesday‐cafes.

Yvonne Chireau(Professor, Religion)

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“Time and the River: Hindu Goddesses of Life and Death”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐steven‐hopkins‐time‐and‐river‐hindu‐goddesses‐life‐and‐deathSteven Hopkins (Professor,

Religion & Coordinator, Asian Studies)

Fall Semester Presenter

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"Listening to the Lessons of Chopin Without Piano”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐allen‐kuharski‐and‐barbara‐milewski‐lessons‐chopin‐without‐piano

Allen Kuharski (Professor, Theater)

Barbara Milewski (Associate Professor, Music)

Fall Semester Presenters

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“Picturing a Classic: The Tale of Genji in Japanese Visual Culture”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐tomoko‐sakomura‐picturing‐a‐classic‐tale‐genji‐japanese‐visual‐culture

Tomoko Sakomura(Associate Professor, Art History)


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“Places of Our Own”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐ceramic‐artist‐syd‐carpenter‐discovering‐a‐history‐farm‐portraitsSyd Carpenter (Professor,

Studio Art)


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“Should We Shame on Social Media?”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐philosophy‐professor‐krista‐thomason‐shaming‐social‐mediaKrista Thomason (Assistant

Professor, Philosophy)

Spring Semester Presenter

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“Theorizing Indian Dance in the Age of Bollywood”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐dance‐professor‐pallabi‐chakravorty‐indian‐reality‐show‐and‐bollywood‐dancers

Pallabi Chakravorty (Associate Professor, Dance)


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“Treknology: Reference Materials and Worldbuilding in Science Fiction Fandom”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐bob‐rehak‐treknology‐reference‐materials‐and‐worldbuilding‐science‐fiction‐fandom

Bob Rehak (Associate Professor, Film & Media Studies)


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“Collaborative Theater Making”

Audio link: www.swarthmore.edu/news‐events/listen‐director‐k‐elizabeth‐stevens‐collaborative‐theater‐making

K. Elizabeth Stevens(Associate Professor, Theater)


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Aydelotte Foundat ion Highl ight Sound Breaks: The Gravi ty of the Si tuat ion

The Aydelotte Foundation was pleased to support Sound Breaks: The Gravity of the Situation, a faculty roundtable discussion celebrating 100 years of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Many other institutions are celebrating this milestone in modern physics, but at Swarthmore we had the opportunity to celebrate it from diverse viewpoints and within the context of the liberal arts.

Stats: November 2015 • 1 convener • 7 presenters sessions • 50 participants

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Sound Breaks (cont inued)

There are many points of intersection between Einstein’s achievement and a wide range of other disciplines. Einstein’s theory of general relativity took his theory of special relativity and applied it to the inner‐workings of gravity, transforming the push and pull of action at a distance to the geometric picture of curved surfaces.

The concepts of ‘relativity’ and of ‘gravity’ clearly resonate in other fields. In addition to this, Einstein’s achievement was an act of imagination, persistence and profound creativity—it is a human act and as such must be examined and celebrated from a diverse set of viewpoints.

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Sound Breaks (cont inued)

Facilitated by Tristan Smith (Physics & Astronomy), the panel featured Helen Plotkin (Religion), Alan Baker (Philosophy), Peter Schmidt (English Literature), Mark Lomanno (Music), David Cohen (Physics & Astronomy) and Jumatatu Poe (Dance). (Pictured left to right)

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LOOKING AHEAD

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Confirmed Programming for 2016‐17

2016‐17 Faculty Pedagogy Seminar

Betsy Bolton (Professor, English Literature)

Like the inaugural 2014‐15 seminar, these sessions will bring together 12 faculty members from different disciplines to work in pairs to observe, discuss and refine one another’s teaching strategies. Co‐convened by ProfessorsBetsy Bolton and Sara Hiebert Burch, the seminar will once again focus on learning through observation, peer coaching and reflective practice.

Sara Hiebert Burch (Professor, Biology)

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Facul ty Pedagogy Seminar (cont inued)

Seminar Participants

Betsy Bolton (English Literature) Joshua Brody (Computer Science) Catherine Crouch (Physics ) Desiree Diaz (Spanish) Cheryl Grood (Mathematics) Sara Hiebert Burch (Biology) Thomas Hunter (Mathematics)

Milton Machuca‐Galvez (Latin American Studies)

Joseph Nelson (Educational Studies)

Sunka Simon (German and Film & Media Studies)

Alex Torra (Theater) Liliya Yatsunyk (Chemistry)

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Confirmed Programming for 2016‐17

Second Tuesday Cafes:2016 Presidential Election & Its Significance

The Foundation’s popular lunch‐time series returns in September with a new season of programming. This time around, the monthly presentations by faculty for faculty and staff will focus on the 2016 presidential election. Co‐convened by Carol Nackenoff (Professor, Political Science) and Sa’ed Atshan (Visiting Assistant Professor, Peace & Conflict Studies), cafes will include presenters from the social sciences, humanities and natural sciences.

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2016 Cafes will provide interdisciplinary perspectives on critical issues underlying the campaign, and the likely consequences of the election on domestic and foreign affairs.

Topics may include prospects for Supreme Court appointments and decisions; the debate over climate change and movements for climate justice; economic insecurity, growing inequality, political frustration and the Trump phenomenon; American conservatism today; issues of race, gender and LGBT rights; the meaning of the election in and for the Middle East; and the relationship between religion and politics.

Second Tuesday Cafes (cont inued)59

In Development

In development — the Frank 5: Aydelotte Foundation Ambassador Program is designed to spark conversation on the value of the liberal arts.

The pilot riffs off of “Forbes 30 Under 30” awards. Under this model, the Foundation will recognize five Swarthmore alums under 30 who embody the spirit of the liberal arts and who are doing interesting and inspired work across a variety of fields. Dubbed “The Frank 5” in recognition of Swarthmore’s 7th President, these ambassadors will form an intimate cohort that is dedicated to sharing “a year in the life” of a liberal arts grad.

Frank Aydelotte

Aydelotte Ambassador Program

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Aydelotte Ambassador Program (cont inued)62

While deeply embedded in the Swarthmore experience, this initiative aims to showcase liberal arts education in as broad a manner as possible. We aspire to: Cultivate a new generation of advocates for the

liberal arts. Invite the active participation of non‐scholars in

the liberal arts experiences through program‐ming and conversation.

Amplify the many voices of Swarthmore College who act as champions for the College’s mission of empowering students with the knowledge, insight, skills and experience to become leaders for the common good.

Aydelotte Ambassador Program (cont inued)

Our primary strategy is to de‐mystify the liberal arts — to make them more knowable by putting a face to them.

With this program, we will through telling the stories of liberal arts grads, in essence, create “ambassadors” for the liberal arts who will help us to make our case.

These stories are intended to act as catalysts — expanding our conversations with public audiences on the value of a liberal arts education.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Aydelotte Website

• News, Video & Audio

• Aydelotte Facebook Page

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