Blog Archive » 2006 » April

Once again, Trinity Women demonstrated their commitment to social justice through their participation in today's (Sunday, April 30) demonstration for Darfur on the Mall. Alex Kogan shared her eyewitness perspective: "Trinity student Tanjier Belton tirelessly advertised and organized on behalf of the rally. One of the honored speakers was Trinity alumna Nancy Pelosi, who echoed tenets of Trinity's commitment to helping the poor and serving the global community. Chanting "Not On Our Watch", university students, politicians, activists, religious groups, and Darfur survivors made for a wonderful atmosphere, and the feelings of peace and social change were in the air. Having read an account of a Sudanese woman in Dr. McGinnis' Political Lives of Women Class, I felt prepared to attend the rally and understand the issues at hand. I was proud and fortunate to be able to attend this great event, especially in the midst of likeminded Trinity women."

The violence and genocide occurring in Darfur have tormented the citizens of that sad place for years. Yet, American media have paid little attention to this tragedy. This morning on one of the early news shows, Olympic Speedskater Joey Cheek said that he contributed the $25,000 he earned from winning an Olympic gold medal to Darfur relief because so little attention has been paid to the Sudanese crisis. He went on to say that it shouldnt take celebrities (himself, George Clooney, Elie Wiesel and others)to draw attention to the needless deaths of millions of people. "This is one world, and we are all one family," said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of the Washington Archdiocese. "What happens to the people of Darfur happens to us." (quote from the Washington Post)

See also Darfur, genocide, Sudan, Human Rights, McCarrick

Thanks to the great work of Christina Miller and her colleagues among the College Democrats and with the support of many other students, Trinity will host a "primetime" debate of all of the D.C. Mayoral candidates on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 pm in the Trinity Center. With critical elections for the Mayor and D.C. Council looming this year, the leadership of Trinity students in bringing candidates to campus last fall, and now sponsoring this debate, is a true public service to the citizens of our city.

Other students have been out on the front lines of the immigration reform debate. Their comments reveal a passion for justice and commitment to social change that are hallmarks of a Trinity education. Such advocacy and activism are essential dimensions of faithful citizenship, a vital component of the social justice teachings of the Catholic faith tradition.

Many Trinity students are enrolled here because they and their families experienced the hardships that result from pervasive discrimination in its many ugly forms. Racism, sexism, prejudices rooted in language and culture — all feed into the conditions for poverty, illiteracy, violence and oppression that diminish human life. Trinity students understand that education is the most powerful tool they can acquire to create the kind of social change that will lead to a more just society, a more peaceful community, and greater economic security for their families.

During Founders Day last week, on the day we honor the great Sisters of Notre Dame whose courage made our work in education possible today, some students, faculty and staff gathered to discuss plans for a Fall symposium on the topic of Immigration Reform. We agreed that we need to start by educating our own campus community about the public policy issues at stake, and the ways in which these issues affect our own Trinity family. We also can use this opportunity to illuminate the vast array of nationalities and cultural traditions within our own student body: more than 40 nations are part of the immediate heritage of our students, with many languages and faith traditions. We need to share these more broadly so as to understand the great gifts the Trinity family can bring to the public policy discussions.

We will keep all students, faculty and staff informed as the plans for the Immigration Symposium develop. Meanwhile, if you have ideas for the program, please send them to me by clicking on the envelope below, or email me at president@trinitydc.edu

Thanks to all Trinity students whose advocacy and activism honor our grand Trinity Traditions!

Check out Immigration, Immigration Reform

Earlier this week, Trinity experienced an extraordinarily affirming moment: a team of visitors from the Middle States accrediting association spent three days on our campus, following our self-study, and in their exit report they praised the many transformative and innovative ways in which Trinity has continued to live up to the original vision of our SND Founders to ensure access to a high quality higher education for women in our College of Arts and Sciences, with the added value today of welcoming men and women of all ages into our Schools of Professional Studies and Education. This excellent accreditation report, along with our recent NCATE accreditation for the School of Education, provides great support for Trinity's continuing position as a university that provides important educational options for students who might not be able to achieve their college dreams in larger, less personal institutions.

The affirmation of Trinity's mission in the accreditation report also provides an important counterpoint to a story in today's Washington Post ("Colleges, Awash in Applications, Turning Away Even Top Students," by Jay Mathews and Susan Kinzie, A1, April 6, 2006). This article describes how proud many distinguished universities are when they have so many applicants that they can admit only a tiny percentage of students. This race to have the lowest "selectivity rate" has always struck me as perverse. Institutions of higher education should not celebrate the idea of rejecting massive numbers of well qualified students, of excluding thousands from attaining college admission. Instead, all colleges and universities should do their best to ensure that every qualified applicant is able to achieve her dream of a college degree.

Trinity is mentioned favorably in this article because we have seen a dramatic increase in our College of Arts & Sciences applicant pool this year, nearly double, now standing at more than 600 applications compared to a typical run of about 300 applicants at this time of year for our full-time first-year class in the women's college. The reporter asked me why Trinity is seeing this phenomenon. My answer: certainly, a more effective and energetic Admissions Program, but also, more awareness of the power of a Trinity education among young women in this region. Our outcomes are outstanding; we are seeing increased success in telling this story.

Equally important, young women today are considering women's colleges in larger numbers than we have seen in the last two decades. Women's colleges today are robust learning centers, places where women can achieve their dreams without feeling held back by the problems that women face in many coeducational settings: chilly classrooms that make women reluctant to show their smarts, environments where sexual harassment blooms insidiously in many corners. Women's colleges emphasize women's talent and capacity to achieve greatly.

Given the emphasis of the Post story, the reporter asked me whether a 100% increase in applications would mean that Trinity will "improve your selectivity rate" which, translated, means, will Trinity reject more applicants? Absolutely not. Trinity routinely accepts those applicants who are qualified to succeed at Trinity, and that usually means about 75%-80% of our applicant pool. We are not about keeping qualified students out. We care a lot more about whether we can help any particular young woman to succeed, rather than having bragging rights about data points. We welcome women of vision and achievement, and if necessary, will enlarge our capacity in order to ensure that they can achieve their dreams of collegiate success at Trinity.

See college admissions, women/'s colleges, college, university, higher education

With great pride, I am pleased to announce that Trinity has received full accreditation from NCATE, the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education. This is a great achievement, the result of nearly five years of intense, disciplined work by our faculty and administrative team in the School of Education. Thanks are due, in particular, to Dean of Education Suellen Meara, Assistant Dean Lynn Johnson, and Director of Teacher Education Dr. Roberta Dorr, as well as to all of the faculty who have done so much to ensure Trinity's national recognition in all of the programs in the School of Education.

This recognition is certainly well-deserved. One alumnus of our School of Education aptly summarized the great work of our Education Faculty in a message he sent me recently: "I received my Master of Education from Trinity  in 2005. I am now approaching the end of my second year of teaching 6th grade ESL students for D.C. Public Schools. As you know, reading and mathematics is the backbone of the elementary school curriculum. Thanks to the excellent training I received from the Education Department at Trinity , I have been able to raise my students' reading and math comprehension scores by multiple grade levels. Drs. Litt and Fadli are incredible assets and resources for your organization. Hardly a day goes by that I don't send a "spiritual thank you" for being led to Trinity and these two excellent professors."

As we celebrate this latest success in Trinity's long story of educational achievement, we should also salute the century-long tradition of teacher preparation that has been a true hallmark of Trinity since its founding. Over the ten decades since the first class started in 1900, our studies show that nearly one-third of our graduates have been elementary and secondary school teachers at some point in their careers. Another large group have been school administrators and guidance counselors. Trinity also boasts a healthy contingent of school, college and university librarians, as well as librarians working in public libraries.

All of these Trinity graduates are devoted to the advancement of our society through the careful cultivation of intellect. Our alumnae and alumni have worked tirelessly to educate the rising generations of citizens and leaders in classrooms ranging from the earliest of early childhood centers to grade schools and high schools and colleges and universities all over the world.

In pursuing this great teaching mission, Trinity graduates around the world exemplify and enlarge the mission of Trinity and also the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, whose fundamental mission is in education to those in need, with an emphasis on women and girls.

To all Trinity teachers, principals, counselors and educators: a huge THANK YOU for living our ideals and extending the values of Trinity to your students each day. Congratulations again to our faculty, staff and students in the School of Education for your remarkable achievements and devotion to excellence in teaching.

P.S.: I welcome comments from Trinity teachers and administrators about your experiences in your schools. Please just click on the envelope below or the link in the upper right-hand corner of this page, or send me a message at president@trinitydc.edu Please let me know if I can use your comments publicly in a future blog. Thanks!