In his more than twenty years living in Northfield, Wopata has worn many hats. His roles include community collaborator, economist, soccer coach, carpenter, youth pastor, trail runner (he is the fastest Minnesotan to run the Superior 100-mile trail race), and parent of four children. With this diverse range of experiences, Wopata now uses his skills at the CAC, a social justice organization serving more than 16,000 residents in Rice County that addresses needs ranging from food insecurity to accessing hygiene products.

As the CAC’s executive director, Wopata emphasizes building community systems through partnership and collaboration with the very individuals who access them. He oversees a variety of programs, including food shelves, emergency shelters, environmental justice efforts, net-zero energy construction, and economic development. The CAC has received several honors, including the 2024 Minnesota Climate Adaptation Award for Climate Justice Leadership.

This convocation will also be live streamed — please register in advance to receive information on how to attend via Zoom. Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. Find upcoming events and archived recordings (including in podcast form) on the convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call 507-222-5461 or email nponder@carleton.edu.

This week’s usual convo luncheon with the speaker will be replaced with Empty Bowls! Head over to the Bald Spot at 11:30 a.m. to claim your bowl and grab some soup.

Heidi Jaynes wanted to add to her skill set. 

Jaynes, a first-year athletics director and former Oklahoma volleyball student-athlete, has excelled in every role during her 26 years at Carleton College. From being a celebrated volleyball coach to her impactful tenure as an athletics administrator, she consistently inspired growth and excellence among her student-athletes and colleagues. 

“I did not have any experience in fundraising,” Jaynes said. “We were asked to just stay out of fundraising. Our development office did that, and they were highly successful. However, when I took the athletics director job, we had strategic planning happening while athletics recreation facilities were being discussed. Suddenly, I was asked, ‘Do you want to be involved in some of this?'”

With support from her provost, Jaynes applied for the NCAA Foundations of Fundraising program. The eight-week hybrid course helped equip her with newfound confidence, critical fundraising knowledge and practical donor engagement skills. More than just an education, the program energized Jaynes, enabling her to lead the Carleton athletics department with fresh perspectives. 

Read the full piece on the NCAA website.

“This extraordinary gift is a wonderful example of what I appreciate most about Carleton alumni: their deep commitment to ensuring that future Carls have what they need to be successful,” President Alison Byerly said. “The impact of the Class of 1974 will be felt for generations to come.”

The gift will support a number of key initiatives at Carleton, but this class’s legacy will be most deeply felt through the establishment of a new building focused on student health and well-being. The College breaks ground this week on a new 23,000-square-foot, three-story facility that will open in the fall of 2025 as The Class of 1974 Center. 

“Securing a permanent facility for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) is long overdue, and the need for physical and mental health support services has become an even greater area of focus in recent years,” said class member Cathy James Paglia ’74, chair-elect of the Carleton Board of Trustees. “We are proud that The Class of 1974 Center will be the first building at Carleton to carry a class name in recognition of our support.”

The Class of 1974 Center—part of the College’s Student Life and Housing Plan—will feature exam rooms; counseling offices; spaces for alternative therapies, group counseling, and meditation; and sound-proofed private rooms for students to attend telehealth sessions. Carleton provides all students with free, 24/7 access to telehealth, in addition to the comprehensive on-campus medical and mental health services offered by SHAC. The new building also will house the Title IX Office and the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR).  

“The Class of 1974’s record-breaking donation will significantly impact student health and well-being,” Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Carolyn H. Livingston said. “The Class of 1974 Center is the first building at Carleton to be designed intentionally with this purpose, and the enhanced programs and services offered there will help to develop a generation of graduates who better understand the benefits of a healthy global community.” 

In total, more than half of the class—56%—made gifts in honor of their 50th, and 40% of class members returned to campus to celebrate in person. Gifts from the class will support many other initiatives at Carleton, including endowed scholarships, scientific research and field experiences, off-campus study, interdisciplinarity, accessibility, academic departments and athletics, as well as unrestricted funds for Carleton through endowment and the Alumni Annual Fund.  

“When I read our class Bio Book, I was struck by how many classmates had worked in public service or taken on significant volunteer roles in their community,” said Pam Luecke ’74, co-chair of the Class of 1974 50th Reunion Committee. “Perhaps during our four years at Carleton, we witnessed how individuals can make a difference in the world and were inspired to do the same. Giving back to Carleton is a natural extension of that. We are grateful that our Carleton education gave us a foundation to weather life’s ups and downs, and we are pleased we can help ensure that future students will have similar opportunities.”

Another significant initiative supported by the class gift will do just that. The Class of 1974 Endowed Scholarship will increase financial aid resources for incoming students as part of the Carleton Access Initiative, which aims to permanently increase the number of low-income students who are eligible for federal Pell grants from around 285 per year to about 340, or about 17 percent of the student population.

“Carleton believes that learning is greatly enhanced by having a diverse student body representing many points of view, personal history and experiences,” Paglia said. “We want Carleton to remain a place where students from all backgrounds are welcomed and can thrive.”

“Nothing is more important to the ongoing success of the College than our ability to admit the best students, regardless of their family’s income level,” Byerly added. “By expanding access through financial aid to Carleton’s highest-need students, the Class of 1974 Endowed Scholarship benefits those students, and also the College.”

The previous record for 50th Reunion class giving at Carleton was held by the Class of 1970, who contributed $64.2M. Their gift established the Class of 1970 Endowed Internship Fund, which supports more than a dozen internships each year and equalizes opportunities for students to benefit fully from their Carleton experience. 

“They say that Carls aren’t competitive,” Byerly said at the June 15 Reunion Convocation, where the new record set by 1974 received a standing ovation, “but I appreciate that Carls are willing to be competitive for a good cause!”

After a few of her family members began identifying as neurodivergent, O’Connor expanded her interest in mental health and well-being to include neurodiversity. She started reflecting on how people’s life experiences might be different with increased societal awareness and support.

This year, O’Connor decided to connect her interest in neurodiversity to her 50th Reunion gift to Carleton by establishing the Mypamiroda Neurodiversity Endowed Fund. Named in reference to those most dear to her who are on the spectrum of neurodiversity, the fund is being created to expand the capacity of Carleton’s Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) in affirming, supporting, and recognizing the full neurodiversity of the Carleton community. It will support a broad array of programs, services, and research, with the goal of increasing understanding and enhancing the experience of neurodiverse students at Carleton.

O’Connor’s gift aligns perfectly with the Class of 1974’s interest in supporting student health and wellness at Carleton more broadly. Securing a permanent facility for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) as part of the Student Life and Housing Plan and helping Carleton address increased demand for physical and mental health support services has been a focus for 1974’s 50th gift campaign.

Near the beginning of their Reunion planning process, ’74 gift committee members met with Carleton staff to talk about modern challenges on campus and how they could help, and noticed that health service issues had become a theme of the discussions.

“I began feeling quite emotional about it, to my surprise,” O’Connor said. “There’s a real need for proper mental health care for students everywhere — it can make such a big difference.”

Her suggestion that the class put some of their focus on mental health was “just a drop in the bucket” at the start of the conversation, according to O’Connor, but it picked up momentum fast, and soon all of her classmates were talking about their own experiences with mental health and how they could support current students’ experiences.

“I don’t know if having this kind of support in college would have made a huge difference for any of my family members,” O’Connor said. “They made it through ok, as far as I know. But wow, it sure would have made it all easier.”

When it comes to her family members, O’Connor likes to talk about the gifts they have that neurodiversity brings. Her father created beautiful, complex, beaded weavings based on mathematical concepts. Her brother is a musician with experience in radio and various forms of technology, who figured out a way to connect other musicians via the internet without lag, so they can put on online concerts.

“I hope what emerges in our society in time is an appreciation of these amazing gifts,” O’Connor said. “Whatever goes on in the brain, however neurodiversity happens, I hope that those gifts are the first thing that comes to mind rather than communication hurdles or awkwardness.”

O’Connor’s gift of the endowed fund is an open one, and has already inspired others to give — David Newkirk ’74 and Janet Newkirk ’74, for example, have made a “now and later” gift that contributes to the endowed fund through current and deferred giving. They were also inspired to give by their family members, particularly their children.

“What people often don’t understand about neurodiversity is that it’s not about treating a problem, it’s about giving kids what they need,” Janet Newkirk said. “We have two wonderful adult children who would describe themselves as neurodiverse. We’re privileged in that we had some knowledge of neurodiversity when they were children, so we could give them a lot of what they needed to manage and function in the world. Not everyone has that knowledge, so we wanted to contribute to Maggie’s gift in order to help faculty understand their students and help students state their needs clearly.”

“College life is complicated enough, even if you’re part of the dominant neurotypical culture,” David Newkirk added. “We want Carleton staff and faculty to be able to help their students live more comfortably in the world. Our children had those resources — they know who they are and how to engage with the world as they are, and that’s led to success for both of them. We want that success for current and future Carls, too.”

O’Connor has enjoyed reconnecting with classmates like the Newkirks as part of her involvement with her class’s 50th Reunion. The process has also made her realize some things about growing older — especially growing older with other people in the Carleton community.

“My father lived to age 94, and by the end, he had one good friend as his age-mate,” O’Connor said. “That experience, and now my experience with our 50th Reunion, has made me realize how important it is to have those age-mates, because you have shared memories. Not just with politics or history, but the collective memory of all the people we’ve known. So for me, having this community that gathers regularly [every five years for Reunion] is something I really look forward to.”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

Read the full piece.

Inspired by the lyrics of “O Carleton, Our Alma Mater,” Maize & Blue Daize is a week for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families to show pride for the Carleton community and learn about the network of support that makes the Carleton experience possible. 

While Maize & Blue Daize started as a partnership between Carleton’s Alumni Relations Office and Annual Fund Office, this year’s event boasts an expanded lineup of events, activities, and challenges sponsored by 16 offices across the College. New partnerships include a Senior Showcase supported by the campus events team; Beating the Blues with SWA Dog Maisy in the Office of Health Promotion; a Maize & Blue Well-being Challenge designed by Anna Grove ’21 and Recreation Center staff; a Maize Out at the Knights softball game organized by varsity athletics; and professional headshots led by the Career Center.

“Strengthening campus involvement was a core goal of Maize & Blue Daize this year,” Director of Alumni Relations Michael Thompson ’96 said. “We hope to illustrate the breadth of resources available to students while they’re on campus, and further, to underscore how alumni and families are involved in each one.”

The Carleton Student Ambassadors play a vital role in planning and executing these Maize & Blue Daize efforts, particularly when it comes to philanthropy education.

“Maize & Blue Daize would not be possible without the ideas and involvement of the Student Ambassadors,” Director of the Alumni Annual Fund Anita Fisher Egge ’94 said. “The Ambassadors can inform and influence fellow students in ways staff or faculty cannot. The peer-to-peer structure is foundational to our alumni volunteer programs, so it’s fitting that the Student Ambassadors model it now.”

One project the Student Ambassadors hope their peers appreciate is a garden of hundreds of handmade flowers — each with a note from a donor at the center. More than 150 alumni, parents, and friends returned postcards to share their Because of Carleton stories with current students.

Katie Claiborne ’13 is among the respondents who feels Carleton helped her hone life-long skills.

“Because of Carleton, I feel confident practicing the quiet leadership that comes most naturally to me,” Claiborne wrote. “I’ve learned that leading through excellence, humility, and respect is rewarded, even if it takes longer than being the loudest person in the room.” 

In addition to sharing their stories, alumni and families can join the Maize & Blue Daize momentum in a variety of ways. Solving the Carls Crossword created by New York Times-published Billy Bratton ’25; attending one of the 50 Coffee with Carls gatherings happening across the globe on Saturday, April 6; and helping the Annual Fund reach 1866 donors in the Maize & Blue Daize 2024 fundraising challenge are ways to participate regardless of location.

Those within driving distance of campus are invited to close out the week with a special Alumni/Student Mixer in Great Hall on Wednesday, April 10. The event will provide opportunities to connect with campus leadership and current students alike.

“We’re excited to end Maize & Blue Daize with an event that merges the student and alumni experience,” Thompson said. “Acknowledging the community-wide effort of a Carleton education is what Maize & Blue Daize is truly all about.”

“I am delighted that at this important moment for the College, Carleton will have the benefit of Daren’s energy, experience, and commitment to relationship-building,” President Alison Byerly said. “I know that as a liberal arts college graduate himself, he is excited to help Carleton make the case for why the extraordinary education we offer is worth supporting.”

Batke brings extensive experience in fundraising, development, and advancement to Carleton, with 20 years spent working in higher education. He began his career at the University of Michigan Law School in the Office of Development and worked his way up to senior regional director of major giving. He then took the role of executive director of development at the University of Chicago Law School, where he designed the school’s major and annual giving programs and ran its capital campaign. Batke transitioned next to the role of associate dean of advancement at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where his team raised over $250M in a comprehensive campaign and implemented the school’s $100M naming gift. Since 2019, Batke has been the chief advancement officer at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, responsible for establishing the long-range strategies, goals, and policies for development and alumni relations at the school.

As Carleton’s vice president for development and alumni relations, Batke will lead a team of 58 to carry out all components of development and alumni relations, including capital giving, major and planned gifts, the Alumni Annual Fund, alumni relations, parent and family relations, stewardship, and grants.

“Liberal arts colleges have a transformative power over individuals—myself included—and a profound significance in shaping our world. Carleton, in particular, stands out in this way,” Batke said. “I am eager to serve the College, and I look forward to partnering with alumni, students, faculty, and staff to preserve Carleton’s strengths and propel it to ever greater eminence.”

Batke’s strong belief that true advancement work is collaborative will be an asset in his new role at Carleton. At Northwestern, he worked across the university to help establish new interdisciplinary programs around the intersection of law, business, and technology. Fostering those partnerships, he said, was critical to maximizing philanthropy and to enriching the student learning experience, while building on faculty research and scholarship.

After completing his BA in political science from the College of Wooster, Batke went on to earn his MA in higher education and public policy from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. He completed significant coursework toward a PhD in organizational behavior and management through the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, and has also completed professional development through the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University and the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago.

Batke succeeds Tommy Bonner, who served as vice president for external relations from 2014–23. Dan Rustad has served as interim vice president since June 2023 and will return to his role as associate vice president for development upon Batke’s arrival.

The search for Carleton’s vice president for development and alumni relations began in July of 2023. A nine-member search committee chaired by Elise Eslinger ’92, vice president and chief of staff, included: Jaime Anthony ’06, senior associate dean and director of admissions systems; Vinaya Chepuri ’82, P ’17, trustee; Helen Clarke, associate vice president for communications; Micah Evans ’02, alumni association president; Leslie Kautz ’80, P ’15, trustee; Jeff Ondich P ’12, P ’15, John E. Sawyer professor of liberal learning and professor of mathematics and computer science; Yansi Pérez, associate provost, director of advising, and professor of Spanish; and Pam Kiecker Royall ’80, trustee. The group was assisted by Lindauer Global, an executive search firm focusing on nonprofit organizations.

About Carleton College

Consistently ranked among the nation’s top liberal arts institutions, Carleton is a private coeducational college of about 2,000 students located in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota, 40 miles south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. High academic standards, a national reputation for outstanding professors, and a diverse student body contribute to Carleton’s success. The College has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the number one institution for undergraduate teaching for 13 straight years. Learn more about Carleton on the College website.

Read the full piece from U.S. News and World Report.

St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer, Carleton President Alison Byerly, St. Olaf Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Berthelsen, and Carleton Vice President and Treasurer Eric Runestad presented two checks of $80,000—totaling $160,000—to Mayor Rhonda Pownell, City Administrator Ben Martig, and Finance Director Brenda Angelstad.

“This historic tradition between the City of Northfield, Carleton College, and St. Olaf illustrates our bond and commitment as active members of the community,” said President Rundell Singer. “We are thankful for the continuous collaboration and partnership over the years and those to come.”

Northfield provides the nearly 5,000 college students who call it home for the academic year with restaurants, shopping, and emergency and professional services. Students enjoy local employment, internships, and volunteer opportunities within the community that expand their collegiate experience.

St. Olaf and Carleton are the two largest local employers in both Northfield and Rice County, employing more than 1,500 people combined. They are also two of the City’s top 10 property tax payers in addition to spending over $900,000 combined on municipal services such as sewer, water, waste removal, and more. 

“Carleton and St. Olaf benefit greatly by our location in Northfield,” President Byerly said, “and we are proud to help support the city that many of us call home. Our students and their families, our faculty and staff, and alumni who choose to remain in the area form deep bonds with this community. We are grateful for the strong, more than century-old partnership between Northfield and our two colleges.”

The annual gift dates back to the 1920s, when Carleton and St. Olaf were among the first colleges in the United States to make such a gift. 

“Both St. Olaf and Carleton are excellent partners for our community,” said Mayor Rhonda Pownell. “The City appreciates all that they do and bring to the community. They put our community on the map internationally in an extraordinary way by bringing people to town who would potentially never hear of Northfield in any other way. Thank you for your partnership and the multiple ways you work in collaboration to enhance our community.”

The Northfield community benefits from the students, employees, and visitors St. Olaf and Carleton bring. The students, faculty, and staff are significant consumers and clients for local businesses, and provide countless volunteer hours for local schools and organizations. In the 2022–23 academic year, 994 unique Carleton students engaged in the community through volunteer programs, internships, work study, and nonprofits, according to data from the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE). In total, Carleton students contributed 46,718 hours to local communities that year through programs and projects supported by the CCCE. Last year, St. Olaf had 802 students participate in Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) courses, which encourage students to learn in a community context and apply their education within real-world situations.

Bon Appétit, which provides food and dining services for St. Olaf and Carleton, also spends more than $1 million in the community each year on local produce, meat, and dairy. Carleton provides an additional $20,000 each year to the Northfield community in sponsorship funding and in-kind contributions.

St. Olaf and Carleton family members also either live in Northfield and are active in the community or visit Northfield regularly in order to attend festivities, competitions, recitals, concerts, award ceremonies, and commencements. These visitors and community members, as well as the thousands of prospective students and their families who visit each year, frequent local hotels, restaurants, and shops. Both colleges host a large amount of athletic, art, and musical offerings every year as well, which are almost always free and open to the public.

Nash insists she was shy and not much of a leader as a student, but her husband, distinguished Swiss artist Pierre Montant, says that she’s plenty confident now—as one of her class’s 50th Reunion co-chairs, she spent two years before Reunion expertly wrangling her fellow alumni and keeping the process moving efficiently.

Her Reunion planning trip to campus in late October 2021 was Nash’s first time back at Carleton in decades, and she immediately wanted to bask in all of the “Minnesota Nice,” especially when she compared it to her and Montant’s current home of Geneva, Switzerland, where “the old people are all so stiff.”

“One of the things I love about Carleton is that everyone is so nice,” she said. “Everyone says hi to you! I went to the Wharton business school in Philadelphia after Carleton, and no one on campus there ever just said hello. I would say hi to people on the street and they would look at me like I was crazy.”

“There’s a special atmosphere at Carleton,” Montant agreed. “Everyone is smiling, relaxed. There is no pretension.”

In celebration of their love for Carleton and to make their annual donation particularly meaningful for Nash’s 50th Reunion this year, Nash and Montant donated one of Montant’s own paintings, “Château Iowa” (1990), to the College’s art collection. Currently hanging in a place of honor in the Office of Intercultural Life (OIL), there are plans for the piece to move to Carleton’s new Multicultural Center once the building is finished as part of the Student Life and Housing Plan.

The large painting depicts an old public utilities building near downtown Waterloo, Iowa, the town where Nash was born. Nash and Montant were driving through the city on a trip to visit Nash’s family in the late 1980s, when Montant told her to stop the car next to the structure on River Road, because “it had the exact proportions and volume of a medieval castle” and he absolutely needed to study it so he could paint it.

Montant says that’s how he comes up with all his paintings. It starts with the “shock idea,” where “an arrangement of objects that suggests something mysterious” inspires him. He then sketches his plans out, decides on the size and proper canvas style for the art, and then simply “paints until it is finished.” Often, Montant says, the art takes on a life of its own and “tells its own story,” so he never quite knows what the finished product will turn out to be.

Montant, who was a doctor before he was a professional artist, isn’t the only one with an impressive résumé. Aside from the fact that she’s now a violinist and published fiction author post-retirement, Nash was honored this year with an Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award for her unique professional impact that has stretched from Wall Street to Switzerland to Africa. After getting her MBA, Nash worked for Chase Manhattan Bank, rising to second vice president of the international department. In 1981, she took a position editing Business International in Switzerland before soon moving to Digital Equipment Corporation, where she coordinated capital structure planning and financing for more than 30 entities in Europe and Africa. In 1998, Nash joined Telecel International as vice president of finance and chief financial officer, expanding its mobile phone service from five countries in Africa to 12 within four years.

“This changed the lives of millions of people,” a nominator for Nash’s award wrote, “enabling them to keep in contact with their families and improve their economic and healthcare circumstances. She helped lay the infrastructure required to bring internet access where previously the populations were completely cut off from the rest of the world.”

While she was CFO, Nash also personally helped in the relocation process for families that had to escape overnight the ethnic cleansing campaign of the Tutsis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

After an eventful 50 years out of Carleton, Nash looks back on her time as a student fondly and is happy to see one of her husband’s paintings in a place where it can be appreciated by decades of Carls to come.

“Carleton encourages freedom and critical thinking, it creates lasting friendships with amazing people, and its approach to education is simply excellent,” Nash said. “If I had to repeat four years of my early life, I would pick Carleton, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

Read more from Northfield News.

Inspired by the lyrics of “O Carleton, Our Alma Mater,” Maize & Blue Daize is a week to show pride for the Carleton community and highlight the network of support that makes the Carleton experience possible.

For students, Maize & Blue Daize offers a lineup of programs and events to learn about the ways in which alumni, families and friends of the college support the student experience through gifts and volunteering.

“Educating students about the role of alumni philanthropy and volunteerism at Carleton is a core mission of Maize & Blue Daize,” Director of the Alumni Annual Fund Anita Fisher Egge ’94 said. “The level of generosity and engagement of our alumni is something that truly distinguishes Carleton on a national scale. We want students to witness this strength while they’re still on campus so they feel empowered to find their own meaningful way to participate as alumni.”

While familiar events such as Virtual Friday Flowers, the Maize & Blue Mobile, and Campus Coffee with Carls are returning, new Maize & Blue features are also cropping up around campus. 

Two features gathering attention are creative displays in the Daugherty Atrium in Anderson Hall and the Weitz Center for Creativity. More than 300 alumni and family donors returned postcards responding to the prompt “I give because…” to share why they support the Annual Fund. Members of the Student Ambassadors Program (StAmP) designed exhibits to showcase these reflections.

StAmP member Amber Lozoya ’23 said it was moving to read through the postcards as she helped develop the exhibit.

“I learned that alumni really do care about students and the changes that Carleton has brought to their lives,” Lozoya said. “I really appreciated hearing the reasons alumni give back. I hope other students realize the value of the Carleton community and what it means to be a Carl alum.”

Alumni and families are invited to continue this support through the Annual Fund’s Maize & Blue Daize fundraising challenge, during which gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Per tradition, the campaign has an ambitious goal of 1,866 donors in honor of the college’s founding year. The fundraising challenge will support the Fund’s annual goal to boost alumni participation.

Though fundraising is a component of Maize & Blue Daize, the celebration is also a chance for alumni to engage with the college and one another in other ways. On Saturday, April 1, Nationwide Coffee with Carls—or more accurately, Worldwide Coffee with Carls—will feature a record-setting 39 gatherings across the globe and online.

Chair of the Alumni Annual Fund Board Melissa Albay ’90 jumped at the chance to host a Coffee with Carls gathering in Minneapolis. 

“I love finding ways to create community amongst fellow Carls,” Albay said. “Plus I drink coffee 24/7, and I enjoy fundraising for Carleton, so this event had my name written all over it.”

Alumni also have a special opportunity to reconnect with peers whose paths have led them back to campus—this time as faculty members. On Tuesday, April 4, Associate Professor of Theater Andrew Carlson ’99, Associate Professor of Biology Rika Anderson ’06 and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Kate Meyer ’09 will serve on a Zoom panel about their experiences as Carleton educators.

The wide array of events and programming during Maize & Blue Daize illustrates the range of ways to stay connected to Carleton.

“Your Carleton experience doesn’t end when you or your student graduates,” Director of Alumni Relations Michael Thompson ’96 said. “Whether you’re back on campus, at a regional event or joining online, we want you to feel like you’re forever a part of Carleton.”

“The community work that our students do through the CCCE is a fundamental part of many Carleton students’ experiences, and has an enormous impact on our local community,” President Alison Byerly said. “We are deeply grateful to Eric and Mimi Carlson for their support of this critical form of civic engagement.”

As evidenced by this gift and others they have made to the college, the Carlsons are dedicated to supporting experiential learning for Carleton students—especially when that learning generates positive change on societal issues.

“In my experience, Carleton students are always interested in how their education can help make a difference, and I think that’s a tremendous thing,” Eric Carlson said. “Having social impact embedded in students’ learning is critical, too, because in the end, it’s the most important kind of impact you can have.”

One of the many reasons the Carlsons advocate for experiential learning is they did not have enough opportunities to experience it themselves when they were students. Community-focused education was not a top priority when they were at Carleton, so they had to petition for special electives if they wished to involve the local community with their work. The Carlsons want to make sure current and future Carleton students won’t miss out if they have the same desire.

“There was very little that was readily available to Mimi and me in terms of experiential learning when we were at Carleton in the ’60s,” Eric Carlson said. “It took a lot of work to get those special electives approved, but those experiences made a huge difference for both of us. My experience with local government during my final term at Carleton inspired me to do a Master’s in city planning and sparked my desire to make a difference in my community.”

In addition to how positively it will affect individual student experiences, Director of the CCCE Sinda Nichols ’05 is thinking about how the Carlsons’ gift relates to a central question from the college’s ongoing strategic planning process, Carleton 2033: What does a robust, 21st century liberal arts education look like?

“One answer is that it’s an education where we grapple with complicated issues and ideas and then have an opportunity to engage with that complexity beyond campus,” Nichols said. “The Carlsons’ gift will help Carleton continue to thrive as the amazing learning community that it is.” 

The programs and initiatives funded by the Carlsons’ gift align with the CCCE’s focal issue areas, but no singular focus is specified to allow for the fund to adapt and evolve over time along with the CCCE. Currently, the focal areas that the center uses to frame and focus its work are Food and Environmental Justice; Educational Equity; Health and Belonging; and Peace, Conflict and Democracy, with a dedicated cohort of student fellows for each.

One program that sparked the Carlsons’ interest in making this gift is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program, which was piloted last year with funds made flexible by the pandemic’s shifting priorities. The CNA program was a direct response to the labor shortages experienced by community partners such as Laura Baker Services Association and the Northfield Retirement Community. The community partners needed CNAs and did not have the resources to conduct trainings themselves. Meanwhile, Carleton students longed for opportunities to do something experiential after being on lockdown for so long due to the pandemic. Assistant Director for Community Impact Erica Zweifel and CCCE student fellows in the Health and Belonging cohort figured out the fix: partner with an outside organization in order to provide training to interested students so they could become official CNAs, thereby filling labor gaps in the community and providing valuable experiential learning opportunities for students. Along with supplemental funding from the Career Center, the Carlson Fund will increase the support available to cover the per-person cost for CNA training, meaning the CCCE will be able to ensure that price is not a barrier for any student who wants to participate in the CNA program.

The Carlsons’ gift will also support a new initiative that will broaden the scope of Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) courses, which are part of a CCCE program that aids faculty in developing course-based projects that put students’ academic skills to work in service of community partners’ goals and recognizes community members as co-educators. The pool of funding, available by application to faculty, will create a formal, transparent pathway to academic support from the CCCE for professors and allow for more equitable and responsive partnerships between ACE courses and the CCCE’s community partners.

The CCCE also joins Carleton’s Student Employment Office each year to work with local schools, government and nonprofit organizations across Rice County to offer a Community Based Work Study (CBWS) program to students earning federal or state financial aid through their student employment hours. Volunteering is not always a financially viable option for students, so being able to contribute to the community through a paid position helps make community work more accessible.

CBWS positions include paid time for training, professional development and transportation as well as in-person work, and because some community organizations are required to pitch in part of the students’ wages due to federal regulations, location and training requirement differences can result in inequitable cost sharing among community partners. The CCCE does not want to charge some partners more because they happen to be farther away from campus or their position requires more training time, so a portion of the Carlson Fund will be used to offset those costs. That allocation will allow the CBWS program to become more equitable for community partners in addition to the 50-60 students per year who participate in the program. 

“The funding will make a huge impact, because it’s particularly important that students in need of financial aid don’t have to spend voluntary, unpaid time to get involved off campus,” Nichols said. “Instead, they can combine their paid student work with community engagement and have it be a robust and meaningful experience.”

With such a wide range of programs affected by the Carlson Fund’s support, including alternative spring break trips, the CCCE will be able to support even more students with even more varied interests in ways that also recognize the contributions and priorities of the center’s community partners.

“I want Carls to know that we’re committed to removing barriers to these experiential learning opportunities,” Nichols said. “That’s what this is all about—ensuring that, regardless of a student’s financial situation or a community organization’s budget or ability to give away their time for free, the opportunities for engagement are there.”

“It’s really gratifying to be able to support students in this way,” Eric Carlson added. “I don’t think there’s anything more valuable than trying to use your education while you’re still getting it. Mimi and I are very grateful that we can help the CCCE expand these programs that make such a big difference in the community and in the lives of Carleton students.”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

This year’s donation is $160,000, split evenly between the two colleges.

The annual gift dates back to the 1920s, when Carleton and St. Olaf were among the first colleges in the United States to make such a gift.

Northfield provides the nearly 5,000 college students who call it home for the academic year with restaurants, shopping, and emergency and professional services. Students enjoy local employment, internships and volunteer opportunities that expand their collegiate experience.

Likewise, the Northfield community benefits from the students and visitors St. Olaf and Carleton bring. The students are significant consumers and clients for local businesses, and provide countless volunteer hours for local schools and organizations. Their family members also visit Northfield regularly in order to attend festivities, competitions, recitals, concerts, award ceremonies and commencements. These visitors, as well as the thousands of prospective students and their families who visit each year, frequent local hotels, restaurants and shops. Both colleges host a wide range of athletic, art and musical offerings as well, which are often free and open to the public.

Carleton and St. Olaf are two of the largest local employers, employing more than 1,500 people combined.

The Custodial Scholarship Fund was established in 1993 by custodians Pat Flynn and Julie Stoeckel. Flynn, who worked at the college from 1984 until she retired in 2005, noticed that some students were having a hard time meeting certain costs. Flynn talked with the Business Office and, with the help of other custodians donating part of their paychecks, established the Custodial Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship has grown substantially since its first year, when Flynn made more than 15 pounds of caramel candy to raise money for the fund. More than 75% of the custodial staff currently donate a portion of their paychecks to the fund, which helps pay for books, music lessons, health insurance premiums and other cost barriers a student recipient may have. The fund has benefitted one student every year since its inception and even benefited Flynn’s own granddaughter, who was born after Flynn established the fund.

The craft fair portion of the event—which pre-dates the scholarship—was started in 1982 by Loretta Springer, who was Carleton’s duplicating coordinator in Print Services until her retirement this year. Springer started the craft fair as a way to showcase and sell homemade items from Carleton staff. Now combined with the bake sale and benefitting the scholarship, the tradition continues to serve as a fun and festive demonstration of the wide range of hobbies and crafts the Northfield community has to offer while also contributing to an important cause. In 2011, the vendor fees from the craft fair were also added to the fund.

Melissa Thomas, operations coordinator for the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, is just one member of campus who helps keep the event running.

“We’ve got people from admissions, facilities, the music office, auxiliary services… It’s an all-campus effort,” she said. “Faculty and staff sell their items at the event, and some even contribute to the scholarship fund separately as well.”

This year, the event will feature more than 40 vendors selling a diverse array of items—jewelry, birdhouses, rugs, Christmas trees, knitted items, candles, caramels, cookies and more.

“The baked goods are well worth making the trip,” Thomas said with a laugh, noting that the caramels are “totally amazing.”

Although the event is still rebuilding after the pandemic prevented its occurrence in 2020 and 2021, Thomas said they are feeling confident about bringing it back.

“People are vaccinated and getting back to full activity,” she said. “It’s going to be a little bit smaller but still in the same spirit.”

This marks the third consecutive year that the college will participate in Giving Tuesday, a national movement that aims to unleash the power of radical generosity around the world. Held this year on Tuesday, Nov. 29, Giving Tuesday is a 24-hour challenge that allows Carleton donors to double their impact by unlocking $75,000 in matching funds to address the college’s greatest needs.

“‘Striving Together’ means every single one of our volunteers and donors makes an impact, no matter how much time or how many dollars you give,” Alumni Annual Fund Board Chair Melissa Albay ’90 said. “Regardless of size, each gift builds on the one before it, rallying the community to unlock support for Carleton students. All of our efforts build energy off of each other toward our end goals and successes.”

The Annual Fund is spent in its entirety each year—not invested—to support every aspect of student and campus life, including financial aid, academics, athletics and IDE planning. “Striving Together” aims to bring awareness to the reality that raising these funds requires the commitment of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of donors.

‘Striving Together’ Beyond Giving Tuesday

“Striving Together” extends well beyond Giving Tuesday, as the Fund’s broader goals for the year are even more ambitious. The Alumni Annual Fund Board seeks to reach $10.8 million and 10,000 donors (37% alumni participation) for fiscal year 2023. While Carleton has long been a national leader when it comes to donor participation, achieving this donor goal will require an increase of nearly 600 alumni donors over last fiscal year.

The year-long “Striving Together” theme will be brought to life with the help of Twin Cities-based artist Leeya Rose Jackson, whose vibrant illustrations and animations celebrate the intersections of identity—specifically Blackness, femininity and queerness. Jackson’s work has been featured in Annual Fund communications since September 2021, and it has caught the attention of many.

“We really appreciate how Leeya’s illustrations of our campus and students lift up the many dimensions of diversity across the Carleton community,” said Anita Fisher Egge ’94, director of the Alumni Annual Fund. “In particular, our volunteers have expressed feeling very connected to and energized by her work.”

Albay acknowledges that there’s no “right” way to support the college but encourages her fellow Carleton community members to consider a meaningful gift.

“There are so many ways we can work as a collective this year to benefit Carleton,” she said, “but contributing to the Annual Fund is an ever-present way to make an impact on current Carleton students.”

To make a gift on Giving Tuesday, visit go.carleton.edu/GivingTuesday. Gifts of all sizes and from all affiliations—alumni, families, faculty, staff and friends of the college—will count toward the Fund’s goal of 1,250 donors.

The SRP program promotes close collaboration between faculty and students over summer and winter breaks, allowing students an intensive experience with humanistic research or creative work as well as enabling them to hone skills of value both to academic graduate work and a wide variety of other careers. Student research partners engage in a wide range of activities, from traditional bibliographical exploration and editing books and articles for publication, to on-site archival research, archaeological survey and excavation, to professional dramaturgy, sound editing and much more. In addition to the technical skills they strengthen, students benefit from participating in a longer-term project than typical trimester coursework allows, and from gaining a much greater understanding of the professional practice of the humanities.

“The fund will make a huge difference to the amount of support we can offer in the SRP program,” said Clara Hardy, professor of classics, David and Marian Adams Bryn-Jones distinguished teaching professor of the humanities, and director of the Humanities Center. “More students can be funded as well as more supplementary research costs like travel. We hope to do more outreach and publicizing of the SRP program now so as to get more people asking for SRPs.”

The predictable revenue stream that comes from an endowed fund will also allow the Center to pilot multi-year projects, which they haven’t had the flexibility to consider before. Longer-term projects would allow students to build much stronger working relationships with faculty— “more analogous to the way STEM students can work for multiple years in a given science faculty member’s lab,” according to Hardy. Students would be able to hone their skills over a longer period and perhaps get involved in mentoring or training students with less experience.

“The fund also gives us the opportunity to think creatively about other possible means of supporting student research in the humanities,” said Hardy. “We’re in discussion right now about piloting other opportunities outside SRPs for which the fund would be appropriate, which is very exciting.”

As the Humanities Center explores new possibilities and advances the SRP program, Hardy would appreciate feedback from those who have previously participated in research.

“If students or alumni have favorite memories of humanistic research they did that they’d like to share, as well as their thoughts on what benefits they derived, I would love to hear them,” she said. “Anyone’s ideas about what research opportunities they would like to see us consider would be hugely helpful to hear as well.”

“Mainly,” Hardy concluded, “I want the campus to know that our funding is on much more stable and generous footing now, so they should start planning to apply for some of it!”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

Originally built in 1914 to house Carleton’s music program, Music Hall, as it was then called, featured a pipe organ, small practice rooms and leather-padded soundproofing doors. After the music department moved to the new music wing of the Weitz Center for Creativity in the fall of 2017, the future of the building became uncertain, and it temporarily turned into a transitional space for academic departments displaced by renovations. In 2018, Michael Hasenstab and his wife, Mary Ann, stepped forward with a generous gift to the Every Carl for Carleton campaign, which allowed the college to completely renovate the 104-year-old facility as a new, modern home for the political science and international relations department. Renovated during the summer of 2022 and rededicated as Hasenstab Hall at the October celebration, the building now has flexible classrooms; open spaces for discussions, projects and presentations; and a lounge for students to connect and build community.

An international relations major at Carleton, Hasenstab credits his academic experience with helping to set him up for success as an investor. One of his professors at Carleton was the late Roy Grow, Frank B. Kellogg professor of international relations, who taught at Carleton from 1979 through 2013. Throughout his tenure, Grow led almost 300 students (including Hasenstab) on off-campus studies programs to China. He also officiated Michael and Mary Ann’s wedding in 2009, and in honor of this special connection, Hasenstab Hall prominently features the Grow Classroom on the first floor.

“To be curious and to inspire other people is exactly what we got from Roy,” Hasenstab said in his remarks. “It’s wonderful to have this small, but very meaningful tribute to him.”

The dedication celebration also included the presentation of a framed illustration of the renovated building to the Hasenstabs, created by studio art major Joella Lai ’23.

“As a senior, having formed many close relationships with other students, faculty and staff, Carleton has become a second home,” Lai said before the event. “I enjoyed taking a step back and closely studying the architectural features of Hasenstab Hall. Drawing is not only a form of expression, but also a tool to help me see things from a new perspective. This project has given me a chance to appreciate the beauty of the campus itself, which I will surely miss as my time here at Carleton nears its end.”

The dedication concluded with an invitation to explore the new space, as political science students and professors scattered themselves throughout the building to answer questions and provide more information about certain aspects of the renovation. 

“Hasenstab Hall is a light-filled, collaborative space,” Gupta said. “The building looks to the future while retaining its soul.”

And, for any alumni who might be worried, Gupta assured attendees that the building also now has “100% fewer bats.”

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

“A lot of people think of the Arboretum or composting on campus when it comes to sustainability,” says farm intern Izzy Charlton ’23. “But the farm plays a really important part, too. We’re organic and we practice sustainable water use, but the biggest part is we’re so local. The food is literally grown right on campus.”

Charlton and her co-interns, Sigrid Edstrom ’24 and Julianna Baldo ’25, typically spent their mornings over the summer harvesting vegetables—124 pounds’ worth on the last day of August—that they delivered to Bon Appétit over the lunch hour. The farm sells almost all of its produce to the food service company, a practice Baldo noticed even as a high school student in Madison, Wis. 

“One of the defining factors in my college search—among the top liberal arts colleges—was does this college take the environment seriously?” Baldo said as she scooped sungold tomatoes into small containers for the farm’s pop-up sale on the Bald Spot later that day, selling veggies they hadn’t brought to Bon Appétit to students and community members. “And the farm was a big part of that.” 

The farm’s importance to sustainability was also recognized by the college last year with the creation of a future endowment to support the farm in perpetuity. Begun by geology professor emerita Mary Savina ’72, the Endowed Fund for the Carleton Student Organic Farm will eventually cover expenses for a handful of student interns every year, provide a stipend for the farm’s faculty advisor and potentially support research projects within the college’s curriculum. 

“The farm fits into sustainability at Carleton because we need to think about where we get our food,” Savina said. “What is the carbon footprint of getting it here? What does it cost to get it here?”

As a student during the first Earth Day, Savina says sustainability has long been part of Carleton’s identity, even if it hasn’t always been referred to that way.

“Many of us who came to Carleton at that time had sensibilities related to environmental issues, and we came to a place where it was possible to learn more about those issues. I chose to go into geology because the professors were talking about environmental science issues.”

After she graduated, Savina’s career path brought her back to Carleton, where she retired in 2020 as the Charles L. Denison professor of geology, emerita. Her studies focused on how landscapes form, and by extension, how landscapes and people connect. In a place like Northfield, where 80 to 90% of the area is farmland, Savina says visiting farms with students and learning what it’s like working on a farm added significant insights to her teaching. In fact, she sees the farm as similar to other Carleton sustainability efforts, such as the switch to using geothermal power, in that on top of the environmental benefits, both have curricular and co-curricular ties. 

The Student Organic Farm, however, has much deeper roots than the geothermal project. It began in 1992 when David Hougen-Eitzman, senior lecturer in biology, came to Carleton and agreed to oversee it—though he says he’s merely a mentor to the students who run the farm completely on their own. They take care of everything, from planning—including meeting with Bon Appétit to discuss the types of produce the supplier is interested in buying—to pricing to picking. 

“The farm is such a well of experience and real-life sustainability,” Hougen-Eitzman said. “It’s not theoretical. Students actually grow food on campus, and that food is passed to the food service and other students actually eat it. The students who grow the crops gain valuable experience about how the food is grown and how the food system works, and hopefully through outreach efforts the rest of the community experiences it, too.”

One of the farm’s big goals, says Hougen-Eitzman, is to raise not only produce but also awareness of sustainability. Having an endowed fund to now support the farm will ensure its longevity, which, “as a result, will have a large impact on sustainability issues at the college.” 

“Having an endowed fund is a really important part of maintaining the farm into the future. In the past, finances have been tenuous in the sense that all expenses of the farm were paid for by the sales of produce—depending on the harvest, income from sales would vary, which makes long-term planning difficult,” Hougen-Eitzman said. 

Plus, Charlton adds, with dependable funding, the farm could experiment with new techniques like no-till farming, which has environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, erosion reduction, and improved water retention.

Ensuring that student interns were all paid a fixed amount, not related to sales, was important to Savina as she created the fund. She hopes the endowment eventually allows for more student involvement with the farm, whether as paid interns, volunteers interested in trying something new, or students working on a research project. Through research she conducted with St. Olaf environmental studies professor Kathleen Shea, she heard how important and beloved the student organic farm was to many alumni—and not just the biology majors.

“We needed an endowment for the farm to make sure it’s a permanent part of the curriculum and has the kind of funding it needs to be successful and to do the maximum number of things that it possibly can,” she says. “I hope that the student organic farm is a feature of Carleton that ties together academics and practical experiences—and that it remains an important part of the landscape here.”

Four of the Carls coming back for their first ever Reunion experience are part of the 2016 cohort of Weitz Fellows. Eager to celebrate with the rest of their classmates, they’re also ready to reconnect as a cohort, reflect on their fellowship experience and share how they’ve been since they last saw each other.

“It feels like it’s been a long time, because by now we’ve been out of college longer than we were at Carleton,” says Sophie Buchmueller ’16 (former fellow for the Joslyn Art Museum), “but it also feels like it hasn’t been that long at all.”

Libby Ferris ’16 (Service Learning Academy at the University of Nebraska Omaha), echoes Buchmueller’s statement, expressing that “it feels both like five to six years is too long and too short for where I’m at now compared to then.”

The too long/too short paradox is a running theme amongst the fellows. Eleanor Dollear ’16 (Nebraska Appleseed) says she feels “ancient” but that “it really doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.” Christian Kreznar ’16 (OpenSky Policy Institute), who is unfortunately missing Reunion this year for his childhood best friend’s wedding, says it “feels weird, surreal,” and Clare Hiyama ’16 (Women’s Fund of Omaha) asks, “How the hell has it been that long? It sounds longer than it feels.”

It has been almost seven years since they started their fellowships in the summer and fall of 2016, and the Weitz Fellowship Program is still going strong, having added more fellows and different organizations over the years. Established by Wally Weitz ’70 P’96 P’99 P’02 and Barbara Weitz ’70 P’96 P’99 P’02 over a decade ago, the program provides one-year, paid positions for Carleton graduates at nonprofit organizations in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. The jobs include benefits and funding for professional development and grant practical learning experiences in community engagement, fundraising, marketing and policy work for students interested in arts management, nonprofit management and/or social change.

An important element of the fellowship is the built-in support system each fellow receives when they move to Nebraska, made up of the cohort of other Carls and the Weitz family as well as their new colleagues. The 2016 class still values that community bond, which has extended beyond just one year for some.

“I had really great supervisors, I still keep in touch with a handful of them, and the Weitz family was very generous with us,” Dollear says. “Plus, I didn’t really know Sophie and Clare in college and now they’re two of my best friends.”

Dollear and Hiyama are roommates in Chicago now, with Buchmueller living just down the street, so they see each other quite often.

“Sophie and I also lived in Minneapolis for a year, right after we were in Omaha,” Hiyama adds, “but I feel like the year of being in Nebraska together was really what solidified both of those friendships. We actually talk about our experiences in Omaha a lot.”

Hiyama, Buchmueller and Ferris lived together in Omaha, and met up often with Dollear and Kreznar, both based in Lincoln, creating a “nice, pretty self-contained social unit” according to Kreznar. But of course, social support isn’t the only goal of the Weitz Fellowship. The program’s main objective is to gain excellent workplace experience and make professional connections, and this group certainly achieved that.

“I had a great experience with the relationships at the organization,” says Hiyama. “Everyone was super supportive of me learning a lot while I was there. They really wanted me to have a good experience with them.”

“I really, really liked it. I learned so much from the people at Appleseed,” adds Dollear. “I also had no idea what I wanted to do after college, so it was good [for figuring that out].”

Buchmueller, the only 2016 fellow working in the arts, encourages current Carls interested in the field to apply for the program, given how important this type of experience was for her career journey.

“I think the Weitz Fellowship was a great entry point into working in the arts,” she says. “It’s a rare opportunity, in that the museum world and the art world are very competitive, and a lot of similar opportunities are unpaid. Having this allowed me to get my foot in the door and I feel like that’s something graduating seniors should be aware of when applying to these fellowships.”

Many of the fellows expressed that it was a great way to ease into the workforce as recent graduates and not get overwhelmed with their first “adult” job.

“Thinking about it now, it just makes me feel really grateful for the fellowship,” says Hiyama. “It was a really supportive environment to go into right out of college, and I think since then it’s kept my standards high for the work cultures and spaces that I go into.”

“It was a perfect year right out of college,” adds Buchmueller. “It was a great way to dive into life after Carleton… Still on training wheels a bit but moving to a city that was definitely bigger than Northfield but not overwhelming. And then both at the Joslyn and with the larger cohort, I feel like everyone was really excited about the program and helped us succeed.”

During their time in Nebraska, every fellow discovered at least one thing that is still useful to them—even if that one thing was deciding against a certain career path.

“It informed me that I didn’t want to work in policy,” Kreznar laughs. He still works alongside it though, utilizing his skills as an editor in New York City at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he works on publishing foreign policy analysis.

Similar to Kreznar, Dollear learned after her time with Appleseed that she did not want to work in policy directly, but will work adjacent to it now.

“I was like, I’m definitely not going to law school,” laughs Dollear, “and Appleseed does more policy-level stuff, but I was on their field team, so I was working with individuals more than actual policy formation. I just loved that, and although I didn’t really know what social work was at the time, I definitely knew I wanted to continue working directly with people affected by different issues, especially poverty… And now, I just earned my master’s degree in social work and I’ll be a social worker for Chicago public schools, starting right after I get back from Reunion.”

“My position also allowed me to develop entry level skills that are difficult to get in college,” adds Ferris, who currently lives in Plano, Texas and serves as the associate director of patient experience client services at PRC, Inc., an organization based out of Omaha which she’s been with since finishing her fellowship in 2017.

“This fellowship was my first experience working in a museum,” says Buchmueller, “and it cemented my desire to work in the art world. I just graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago after completing a dual master’s program in art history and arts administration, and now I’m working at Corbett vs. Dempsey, a gallery in Chicago.”

Hiyama works at the Chicago Women’s Health Center as a sex educator, contracting with city public schools, and her time with the Women’s Fund prepared her well for that role.

“One of the things that the Women’s Fund does is called the Adolescent Health Project,” Hiyama explains, “which creates space and training for people who do some type of work related to sexual health. I learned a ton through those trainings, and I think that really helped me get the job I have now.”

Reunion will be a perfect opportunity for the former fellows to share these stories with the rest of their class, and they’re all excited to be back at Carleton, seeing people and the campus for the first time in years.

“I think it’ll be funny just to be in the dorms,” Dollear says. “I think we’ll feel like first-years again, because we’re in Goodhue, but mostly I’m excited to hear what people are up to. It’ll be cool also to see the changes to the campus, because there’s always a lot going on.”

“I have a circle of people that I’m in close touch with from college, but there are lots of people who I see only very small bits of their lives through social media, and it’ll be fun to hear where their lives have taken them,” Hiyama adds. “Also, my professional world is still evolving, so I’m always curious to hear about anyone else who’s in the sexual health and education arena. There are lots of different ways to be involved in this field. I don’t always know what those are, because a lot of them are being created now, so if that comes up [at Reunion] that would be really exciting for me.”

The college is thrilled to welcome all six attending classes of Carls back to campus for “a little taste of a Carleton weekend again,” as Buchmueller puts it. As for this class of fellows, their success post-graduation and post-fellowship should be especially encouraging to the current cohort of Weitz Fellows, who start their positions soon, as well as current students interested in applying for upcoming fellowships. Happy Milestone Reunion!

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College and a former Weitz fellow (2020-21) for Opera Omaha.

Now in its third year, the Paglia Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellowship was established by Carleton alum Cathy James Paglia ’74 and her husband Louis Paglia in order to provide two-year research opportunities at U.S. Research One (R1) institutions for three STEM graduates.

This year’s fellows will join top scientific researchers at those R1 institutions. Under the mentorship of these distinguished scientists, the fellows will have opportunities to advance their skills and strengthen their commitment to a career in research. During their fellowship years, the fellows will have access to the intellectual life of the university, as well as infrastructural and other support for scientific research.

Meet the Class of 2022 Paglia Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellows:

Anna Bridgeman ’22

Anna Bridgeman, a major in biology with a minor in biochemistry, will join the Lydia Finley lab at the Sloan-Kettering Institute through an affiliation with Cornell University’s Weill Medical College in New York City. Under the mentorship of Dr. Finley, Bridgeman will investigate factors in cellular differentiation related to tumor suppression. At Carleton, she participated in Dr. Rou-Jia Sung’s research group and served as both a prefect and a teaching assistant in biology. Two years with the Finley lab will offer Bridgeman the experience of working at the forefront of metabolic oncology research and prepare her for top-ranked M.D. and Ph.D. programs.

Benjamin Hafner ’22

Ben Hafner, a major in mathematics, will join the Shull Research Group at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering. Hafner has engaged in research with Helen Minsky in the physics department, completed an “inventor” internship at 3M, tutored and graded in math and served as co-president of the Carleton Robotics Club. Under the mentorship of Professor Shull, Hafner will study fracture mechanics in epoxy resin, a material essential to the fiberglass composites used in many industrial and other applications. His post-baccalaureate research at Northwestern will build on his liberal arts experience with more specialized exposure to the field of engineering to prepare him to enter a top-ranked Ph.D. program.

Jed Villanueva ’22

Jed Villanueva, a cognitive science major and music minor, will join Assal Habibi’s Brain & Music Lab at the University of Southern California. Villanueva has engaged in research at Carleton with Julia Strand and Kathie Galotti, served as a FOCUS mentor and the student departmental advisor for cognitive science and been a teaching assistant for a lab course in the discipline. Under the mentorship of Professor Habibi, Villanueva will design and implement studies on music-evoked emotion and musical development. His two years of post-baccalaureate research will prepare him to enter a top-ranked Ph.D. program in musical psychology.

The James-Paglia family has a long history of supporting Carleton initiatives, including construction of Carleton’s new integrated science facility, Evelyn M. Anderson Hall. Cathy, Louis and the Robert and Ardis James Foundation established a $20 million matching fund to make the project possible.

Erica Helgerud ’20 is the news and social media manager for Carleton College.

Over the next 10 years — and contingent upon Carleton providing a matching level of support — the Schuler Education Foundation will fund financial aid to support the enrollment and incremental increase of Pell-eligible students and students with undocumented and DACA status at the college, up to $50 million. This initiative builds on Carleton’s existing policy to meet every student’s full demonstrated financial need for all four years of college. To qualify for this generous funding, Carleton must raise and receive a dollar-for-dollar match of the total amount expected from the Foundation within the next five years.

“Carleton is thrilled to be part of an initiative that will advance and accelerate our goal of providing greater access to a Carleton education for low-income and undocumented students, who research has shown are among those who stand to gain most from a high-quality liberal arts education,” Carleton President Alison R. Byerly said. “We are proud to partner with the Schuler Foundation on a program that will have a dramatic impact on Carleton and peer institutions.”

The Schuler Access Initiative recognizes and addresses the urgent need for financial aid dollars to ensure equal access for Pell-eligible and DACA students at Carleton. Currently, 13.5% of Carleton students qualify for Pell grants — which are awarded to students with family incomes of roughly $40,000 or less — and at least nine students have DACA status. The average financial aid award for a DACA student at Carleton is $78,149 for the current academic year. The average financial aid package awarded to a Pell-eligible Carleton student in 2021–22 is $72,987.

Successfully meeting the goals of the Schuler Access Initiative will result in $100 million in endowed funds, the payment from which will be distributed as scholarships for eligible students in perpetuity through increased need-based financial aid. When the full $50 million is contributed by Carleton donors, the number of low-income students attending Carleton will be expanded by over 50 students every year in perpetuity.

“A long-standing goal of our institution is to expand low-income access to a Carleton education,” said Art Rodriguez ’96, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. “As low-income students’ concerns about college costs are ever-increasing, the Schuler Access Initiative will generously aid in this effort.”

The Schuler Education Foundation has a long history of supporting individuals and communities by creating pathways for high-achieving under-resourced and underrepresented students to gain admission to top-tier liberal arts colleges. Carleton is one of five liberal arts colleges that have signed on to the Schuler Access Initiative, joined by Kenyon College, Union College, Bates College and Tufts University. The initiative will allow for up to 20 schools to participate over the next decade.

“What better investment could there be for this country than to invest in undocumented students?” said Jack Schuler, co-founder and chairman of the Schuler Education Foundation.

Schuler, 80, is the parent of a Carleton graduate and an emeritus trustee of the College. The son of a Swiss immigrant whose father came to the United States in 1927 and made sure his children went to college, Schuler said he sees the same drive in today’s undocumented and low-income students, many of whom are first generation or children of first-generation families.

“Immigrants have historically displayed optimism and ambition in the decision to leave home for America,” he said. “A liberal arts education is unique to the United States and has proven to be a great foundation for success in post-graduate studies. You become a citizen of the world with a liberal arts education.”

Over many years, the Schuler family has generously committed over $10 million to further financial aid, young alumni engagement and other priority initiatives at Carleton, investing their philanthropic support in a variety of impactful ways. Learn more about Carleton’s partnership with the Schuler Education Foundation.

“The generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends has been truly humbling,” President Steve Poskanzer said. “My gratitude is boundless, and is matched only by my excitement over what this staggeringly successful campaign means for current and future generations of students.”

The four pillars of the campaign centered around enrolling the best students, improving teaching and learning, preparing students for life and career, and bolstering the annual fund. Among those, notable successes came in raising $154.3 million for financial aid, $256.6 million to support Carleton’s hands-on approach to learning, $24 million to fund experiences for students in support of future careers, and $10.6 million in fiscal year 2021 alone to support the annual fund. 

The Every Carl for Carleton campaign also funded three critical capital projects on campus–a performance commons addition to the Weitz Center for Creativity; an interdisciplinary science complex, including Evelyn M. Anderson Hall; and the soon-to-be completed Hasenstab Hall, which will house the political science department. 

“We would not be here without the extraordinary commitment and enthusiasm of all our donors and volunteers,” Vice President for External Relations Tommy Bonner said. “They went above and beyond to ensure a bright future for Carleton and its students for many years to come.”

The campaign brought frequent and first-time donors alike with more than 1,500 alumni making their first gift during the course the of the campaign and over 91,000 gifts coming in under $100. The Carleton commitment runs deep with over 5,000 volunteers giving the generous gift of their time throughout the campaign’s six years. 

“The Every Carl for Carleton campaign called on our community to help preserve and improve the College for future generations,” said Cathy Paglia ’74, Carleton trustee and chair of the campaign. “And we, as Carls, answered.”

Learn more about the Every Carl for Carleton campaign. 

The Weitz Fellows Program, established by Wally Weitz ’70 P’96 P’99 P’02 and Barbara Weitz ’70 P’96 P’99 P’02, provides one-year jobs for eight Carleton graduates at eight nonprofit organizations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. The positions are paid and include benefits and funding for professional development, while giving fellows holistic, well-rounded experiences in operations in nonprofit settings and providing exposure to all aspects of the organization.

Weitz Fellowships provide an unmatched opportunity for graduates interested in beginning a career in arts management, nonprofit management or social change. Fellows have the opportunity to gain hands-on, practical learning experiences in community engagement, fundraising, marketing and policy work.

Now entering its 10th year, the program is coordinated by Jack Becker ’86, executive director and CEO of the Joslyn Art Museum. Students benefit from a built-in support system with the cohort of fellows and the Weitz family, while living in a city recognized by many as one of the best in the United States for young professionals.

This year’s application process was among the most competitive in the program’s 10-year history, with 57 applications for fellowship positions.

Meet the 2021–22 Weitz Fellows

Louisa Ballinger ’21

A cinema and media studies major, Ballinger will spend her fellowship year with Film Streams, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to enhancing the cultural environment of the Omaha-Council Bluffs area through the presentation and discussion of film as an art form. The organization oversees two wonderful and distinct cinemas: the Ruth Sokolof Theater and the historic Dundee Theater.

Claudia Hernandez Barrientos ’21

A Latin American studies major and educational studies and Spanish minor, Hernandez Barrientos will spend her fellowship year with the Latino Center of the Midlands, an organization that hopes to enhance the lives of the Heartland Latino Community by supporting the education and development of youth and adults; promoting comprehensive engagement of families in all facets of their lives; and by fostering leadership through a variety of services and activities.

Joy Onyeanu ’21

A psychology major, Onyeanu will spend her fellowship year with Opera Omaha, an organization internationally known for its productions of eight world premieres and four American premieres of classical masterpieces, and is highly regarded regionally for an extensive education and outreach program that annually reaches thousands from elementary school through adulthood. Onyeanu will work in all areas of arts management, with rotations in marketing, fundraising, production and community engagement. Onyeanu will also gain exposure to rehearsal and mounting of a new opera production.

Andrew Farias ’21

A dual-major in environmental studies and political science/international relations, Farias will spend his fellowship year with Nebraska Appleseed, an advocacy organization working for justice and opportunity in Nebraska via legal, policy and civic engagement work. With a focus on economic justice, healthcare access, child welfare, immigrants and communities, Farias will participate in creating active legislation alongside a staff of attorneys, policy specialists and community organizers.

Bill Yang ’21

A dual-major in biology and history, Yang will spend his fellowship year with Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, an organization that works with nonprofits to increase voting and build an engaged Nebraska. Yang will identify readiness for grassroots advocacy efforts, identify and coordinate training needs, and assist with overall strategy and deliverables, while also providing support to Table member organizations in the areas of legislative bill tracking, ballot initiative efforts, unified public policy messaging, and digital advocacy.”

Isabel Arevalo ’21

A studio art major and Latin American Studies minor, Arevalo will spend her fellowship year with The Union for Contemporary Art, an organization that strengthens the cultural and social landscape of the community by using the arts as a vehicle to inspire positive social change. The organization was founded on the belief that the arts can be a vehicle for social justice and greater civic engagement and strives to utilize the arts as a bridge to connect a diverse community in innovative and meaningful ways. Arevalo will be immersed in all aspects of the organization, including development, operations, programming, grantmaking, and community outreach and partnerships. Arevalo will also work on an impactful individual project during the year.

Nhan Le ’21

A geology major, Le will spend her fellowship year with the University of Nebraska at Omaha Service Learning Academy, an office within the university that supports faculty and students, P-12 teachers and students, and community partners in the development and implementation of quality service learning courses and projects. Le’s work will involve collaborating with partners and projects, assisting with program administration and management, as well as analyzing data on impact.

Natalia Tu ’21

A sociology/anthropology major, Tu will spend her fellowship year with the Women’s Fund of Omaha, an organization that focuses on research, grants and advocacy around issues facing women and girls in their communities. The organization provides grant funding to service providers, advocates for policy change and influences dynamic change within the community. Tu will assist with research, policy development, communications, and donor and volunteer relations. Research areas include economic conditions, domestic violence, and challenges facing girls.