Dear Students,
Welcome back to Douglass!
On behalf of the staff at Douglass, we are very excited to welcome you to the 2019 - 2020 school year. A new year brings new adventures! From meeting new peers to discovering new passions, I hope that you’ll find this year to be professionally enriching, intellectually fulfilling, and of course, fun!
Douglass now enrolls over 2,600 students, and what makes Douglass a special and unique place is diversity. You have the advantage of learning alongside women from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Embrace those experiences, learn from each other, and discover your strengths along the way. Dive into Douglass by paying a visit to your assigned staff mentor to learn all the ways you can get involved on campus. If you have any questions about your staff mentor, please contact Dean Reynolds (rreynold@echo.rutgers.edu).
At Douglass we foster creativity. From our STEM students to our arts and humanities students, Douglass women consistently think outside the box. Here on campus you will live in an environment that nurtures your ideas—both big and small—and encourages you to harness your individuality. There are no boundaries to what you can create. For many students, college is a time to take intellectual and artistic risks. At Douglass, dreamers and innovators are in good company.
This year, the College theme is “nevertheless, she persisted,” a phrase that refers to a 2017 incident in which Mitch McConnell attempted to silence Elizabeth Warren in Congress. The phrase has since evolved into a social and cultural movement to celebrate a woman’s voice. Here at Douglass, the theme will be integrated into all of our programs and events, including the following:
September 21, 2019: The Douglass at 101 Celebration featuring panel sessions, Campus Night, and a visit from award-winning journalist and author Alina Tugend.
October 9, 2019: Knowledge and Power Plenary with Artist Nathalie Miebach, who will discuss her innovative work on visual and musical articulations of climate change.
October 11, 2019: The Douglass Project’s Annual STEM Lecture and Research Symposium featuring keynote speaker and chemical oceanographer Dr. Ashanti Johnson who will discuss her cutting-edge research and empowering underrepresented groups in STEM.
October 12, 2019: Christiana Foglio Palmer DC'84 Douglass Career Conference for Women featuring alumnae and professional panel sessions, networking opportunities, and keynote speaker Catalina Bajenaru, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at AT&T.
November 13, 2019: Knowledge and Power Plenary with Mothers of the Movement, a group of nationally known African American mothers who have lost their children to gun violence (in many cases at the hands of law enforcement). The women will share their process of turning loss and grief into social and political action.
We will also explore women’s persistence around the globe. This year, four Global Village houses will take part in international and domestic travel over the winter break (at no cost to Douglass students). The Creativity House will travel to Costa Rica, La Casa Hispánica will travel to the Dominican Republic, the Business and Entrepreneurship House will travel to Mexico, and the Public Policy House will spend a week in D.C. through our Douglass in D.C. PLEN program. I’m also pleased to announce that Willets Hall in the Jameson Courtyard opened its doors to its first group of residents this year! Willets is the new home of the Global Village and the Sophia House.
Don’t miss out on all Douglass has to offer! The College is actively raising money through campaigns to help support all of our exciting programs. From your peer mentors and club leaders to your staff advisors and tutors, there is a whole Douglass team invested in your success. I hope your new Douglass adventure is off to a great start!
Sincerely,
Dean Jacquelyn Litt
P.S. Please see the following links for more details about upcoming Douglass events and contact information for Douglass staff. Be sure to stay updated with weekly opportunities and news by checking the weekly Douglass Delivers!
