Dear Davidsonian,

April and May in Davidson… what a treat! Sunny skies and warm temperatures, blooming trees and gardens, faculty and students alike wrapping up their years and looking excitedly toward summer activities and research, and then the endless parade of keynote events around campus that we all get to enjoy. Spring Convocation was just this Wednesday, the final senior class banquet for the Class of 2009 is this coming week, and we’ve just come through another huge and successful Reunion Weekend. Together, the Classes of ’59, ’69, ’74, ’84, ’89, and ’99 returned about 850 people to campus to reconnect with each other and with alma mater. They ate, drank, and were merry. Their children met for the first time and played together for a couple of days. They were riveted by two particularly outstanding presentations by Bob Reid ’69 (the Baghdad bureau chief for the Associated Press) and by presidents Ross ’72, Vagt ’69, Kuykendall ’59, and Spencer ’40, who spoke of their times running America’s Greatest Liberal Arts College. If you missed the weekend, we hope to see you here soon. And let me just encourage each and every one of you to make a point of coming back to campus – whether it’s for a class reunion, an affinity reunion, a ballgame, a lecture or arts event, or just because you have some time and can make the trip. Your Davidson alumni experience – as good as we hope it is wherever you are or however often you get back to see us – just isn’t the same without being here in person from time to time.

Davidson Students Shine. Again!
We all know how good they are. Spend just one day on campus and talk to a few of them, and you’ll be floored. But springtime brings with it all sorts of awards, fellowships, scholarships, and important recognitions for our amazing students. Like the Institute for Responsible Leadership fellowship for Jordan Wall ’10. Or the Watson Fellowship for Laura Bergner ’09. Or the Goldwater Scholarships for Natasha Meyer ’10 and Pallavi Penumetcha ’11. Or this think-on-your-feet prowess shown by a team of students and one young alumnus on two national stages.

The Pulse of Davidson Academics
Congratulations to the eight members of Davidson’s faculty who were recently appointed to named professorships! Read more about the outstanding work of Bill Mahony, Scott Denham, Verna Case, Rodger Nutt, Cole Barton, Magdalena Maiz-Peña, Gerardo Martí, and Samuel Sanchez-Sanchez.

Vann Ethics Center to Begin Work This Summer
Established through a gift from Lee and Jim Vann ’50, the new center for the studies of ethics will join the academic program on July 1, 2009. Please join us in welcoming David Perry, the inaugural Director of the Vann Ethics Center, to Davidson!

Hand In Hand
Through the Charlotte Teachers’ Institute, local public school teachers will have opportunities to network and collaborate with Davidson faculty in a program directed by Molly Shaw ’02.

·         WWII: Normandy to the German Frontier (July 1-9, 2009, hosted by Peter Wagner ’92, Director of Alumni Relations)

·         Israel (December 5-14, 2009, hosted by Jonathan Berkey, Professor of History)

·         Presidential trip to Argentina (January 11-23, 2010, hosted by Susan and Tom Ross ’72, President of the College)

For more information about these great trips, please contact Eleanor Cross ’01 in the Alumni Office today! NOW is the time to register!

Help Support Bryant Barr ’10 and Nothing But Nets!
You definitely want to check out the online silent auction, and help support a great cause while you’re at it. Proceeds from Bryant’s efforts will go to help families in Africa purchase life-saving netting to fend off disease-carrying insects. But hurry – the auction ends this Sunday, May 3, at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

Catch Your ’Cats!
Coming off its first conference series sweep in four years, the baseball squad heads into its final six conference games with a winning SoCon record. The boys will be in Charleston for a series this weekend, and then finish with home games against Duke, Virginia Tech (welcome back, Coaches Hughes and Turgeon!), and Western Carolina (3). This year’s SoCon tournament is in Greenville, SC, beginning on May 20. And while baseball is the last of Davidson’s spring teams still on the prowl, many others have recently wrapped up their year’s efforts. Take a peek to see how your teams fared.

The Careers Office – AND DAVIDSON STUDENTS – Need Your Help
Can you help with finding jobs for Davidson graduates and young alumni? In their password protected system, the Careers Office electronically posts opportunities ranging from entry-level up to five years experience.  If you know of opportunities within your company and would like to collect resumes or can give Career Services the contact person with your company, please contact Brenda Harvey. Visit the Career Service employer page for other ways your employer can be recruiting Davidson students and young graduates.

Check out the Latest Photos from Campus
Keep up with Davidson’s daily life with Davidson News Illustrated. The latest installment is from April 28; you can also see the archived versions.

Have information that your friends and classmates will want to know? Send a class note for publication in the Davidson Journal and the online class notes page.

Has your contact information changed recently? Please send us your address updates, now and in the future.

We’ll email you with Davidson news each month, unless there is something too exciting to wait. If you do NOT want to receive these emails, or if your email address changes, please contact Ginny Rucinski in the Alumni Office.

I invite your comments about this eNews or Davidson in general. We’d also love to hear your news for inclusion in the class notes of the Davidson Journal. Simply reply to this email and I’ll get back to you. I look forward to hearing from you!

With best wishes,

Peter Wagner ’92
Director of Alumni Relations
pewagner@davidson.edu
704-894-2642