Emeritus professor of chemistry Dan Steffenson passed away May 16 in Saline, Michigan, at the age of 77. A member of Albion College’s Chemistry Department from 1967 until 2008, Steffenson was legendary for his professional devotion on a campus rife with passionate instructors.
Thanks to a grant from Strada Education Network, Albion will join a 26-school consortium that will prepare faculty members to use evidence-based teaching practices to promote student success while embedding career guidance into their existing courses. “This program is right up our alley,” says Jocelyn McWhirter, Stanley S. Kresge Professor of Religious Studies and director of The Newell Center for Teaching and Learning.
Albion College has appointed Deanna McCormick, a highly experienced leader in the business of higher education, as vice president for finance and administration, effective May 21. McCormick, whose career in the sector spans 30 years, comes to Albion from the College of Wooster, where she had served as VP for finance and business. She assumes the executive role previously held by Jerry White, who left Albion in February to become chief operating officer of the Culver Academies in Indiana.
As six Albion housemates recently prepared to depart campus, they looked back on the memorable experience they created during their senior year within the College’s Spanish Living-Learning Community.
Albion College’s Class of 2018 was the first class brought in with President Mauri Ditzler, so their May 5 Commencement reflected their shared values. From the senior speaker and senior class gift to honorary doctorates awarded, the campus celebrated the academic accomplishments and community engagement that have been integral to these newest alumni.
The new, 75-room Courtyard by Marriott opened in March and is operating at 200 S. Superior St. In a bigger way, it stands ready to do its part to help with the revitalization of downtown Albion. The property was built by the real estate development firm headed by Dr. Samuel Shaheen, ’88, and is being managed by the Marquette-based Veridea Group, whose president is Robert Mahaney, ’80.
In February, Albion College’s Division of Student Affairs received a $25,300 grant from the Michigan State Police Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program. The grant will fund the implementation of the Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program at Albion College. Established in 2006 at the University of Kentucky, the Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program is a comprehensive, research-based approach to reducing sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking on college campuses.
An ancient philosophical question—explored through modern scientific study—and an alumna’s work transforming the nation’s second-largest city were featured as part of Albion College’s 29th annual Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium. Amy Elaine Wakeland, ’91, delivered the Isaac Alumni Lecture on April 18, while University of California, Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner presented the Joseph S. Calvaruso Keynote on April 19.
“I screamed my head off for about five minutes and scared my roommates,” says Elaina Braunschweig, ’18, describing her reaction at becoming the latest Albion College student to receive a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. She will spend nine months teaching English in the German state of Brandenburg, which includes Berlin, during the 2018-19 academic year.
The Richard and Marilyn Vitek Center for Musical Arts moves another step toward creation with the hiring of Northeast-based Acoustic Distinctions as acoustician. Says Albion College music professor David Abbott, “We are now on track to build a first-class recital hall.”
