Washington College Alumni Magazine Spring 2012 : Page 8
WWW.WASHCOLL.EDU THE REPORTER Dwyer Is New VP For College Advancement G Students hosted a dinner and discussion with historian Elisha Russ-Fishbane before his public lecture in February. College To Dedicate Ans Hillel House In April S TUDENTS RETURNING to campus in January were thrilled to find a gleaming new Hillel House ready to host its first Shabbat dinner. The Hillel House, one of President Mitchell Reiss’s early initiatives, serves as a hub for social events, religious services and intellec-tual discourse for Washington College’s growing community of Jewish students. The creation of a Hillel House has implications for both undergraduate admissions and philanthropic support for the College, notes President Reiss. “As the College seeks to recruit top students, we are compet-ing with institutions that have already committed the resources to provide an inviting and lively environment for Jewish students of all backgrounds—both reli-gious and secular,” he says. The House will be dedicated next month in honor of College Trustee Roy Ans ’63 and his WASHINGTON COLLEGE MAGAZINE wife, Nan. Ans chaired the Hil-lel House fundraising committee that raised more than $208,000 for the creation of the facility— enough to cover the cost of con-struction and to begin to build an endowment to support perma-nent programming for Hillel. President Mitchell Reiss has invited Ron Prosor, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, to give keynote remarks at the Hillel House dedication set for Friday, April 20, at 4:30 p.m. With more than two decades of experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prosor has an international reputation as one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats. Fundraisers are now turn-ing their attention to building an endowment. Interest from endowed funds will be used to cover the cost of start-up purchases for Hillel, to support events and to sponsor leadership training and development. RETCHEN DWYER, a fundraiser and 16-year veteran of school development and alumni-relations work, is Washington College’s new Vice President for College Advancement. Dwyer, 39, the former Senior Director of Campaign and Leadership Giving at Bennington College in Vermont, joined the College Advancement team in mid-January. Among her first priori-ties is to get to know the various constituencies of the College. “I am on the road trying to meet as many stakeholders as possible: the Board’s Advance-ment Committee, the Trustee-ship Committee and leaders of previous campaigns,” Dwyer says. “I am so impressed by the unmistakable warmth and depth of affection everyone holds for this remarkable college, and the strong desire to support Mitchell Reiss’s presidency.” The launch of a compre-hensive fundraising campaign is probably two years away, and Dwyer is encouraged by the College’s recent efforts to raise money for small capital projects. “Our success to date in raising funds for the Johnson Fitness Center expansion and Hillel House certainly bodes well for future campaigns,” she says. “People really love this place and want to support faculty and students in the work that they do.” A native of California, Dwyer earned a bachelor’s degree in English and African Studies from St. Lawrence Uni-versity in Canton, NY, and a master’s degree in literacy, lan-guage and cultural studies from Boston University, where she served as the Director of Devel-opment and Alumni Relations for the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She and her husband, Tom Dwyer, have three children, ages 7, 5 and 2. Save The Date For Sophie One Prize. Two Receptions. Join us in New York City when we announce the 2012 Sophie Kerr Prize winner or watch the simulcast on the Chestertown campus. Tuesday, May 15, 2012 6:00 p.m. University Club, One W 54th Street, New York Casey Academic Center Forum For details, email sophie_kerr_prize@washcoll.edu SPRING 2012 8
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