The Writing Center and the Humanities Research Laboratory at Arcadia are the newest academic beneficiaries of charitable support in the amount of $20,000, divided equally between them. While the alumna wishes to be anonymous, she was moved to make this gift to impact the student experience because of the positive experience her alma mater has had on her. The Writing Center and the Humanities Research Laboratory appealed to her so deeply that she decided to recognize what she described as excellence and dedication in the Arcadia University community to the values that matter to her.

This funding will allow the Writing Center to launch a new initiative that provides three awards for graduate students who demonstrate a commitment to expanding community engagement and an appreciation of the value of writing. The recipients of these awards will work across the University in both academic and co-curricular programs to promote excellence in writing. Director of the Writing Center Daniel Schall ’08 notes that a particular focus will be to create and support opportunities to leverage writing as a means of social justice. 

“The Writing Center is dedicated to advancing inclusive pedagogy in writing at the University,” Schall says. “The generosity of this gift will allow students to be at the forefront in developing new and creative ways to achieve this goal.”

At the Humanities Research Laboratory, the funding will allow the Lab to launch a new initiative, Interfaith Dialogues for Peacebuilding. Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and Assistant Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice Alex O. Otieno shares that in order to support a range of student interests and perspectives, faith and peacebuilding will be defined broadly.

The new initiative will provide stipends for students from diverse faith backgrounds to participate in conversations and dialogues. This work will culminate in spring 2022 in the Arcadia University Interfaith Peacebuilding Symposium, which will be open to the public.

In the decades since her graduation, our donor continues to invest in and fuel the University’s ability to innovate and meet the changing needs of our students and society. Her tireless dedication and outstanding contributions to the welfare of Arcadia University are deeply appreciated and treasured.