Community Spotlight: Keeping Portland in the Faculty Loop

While it seems natural for Pomona alumni in Southern California to involve professors in their events, Pomona alumni and friends in other regions of the country may sometimes feel “out of the loop.” However, as alumni in the Portland area can tell you, seeing professors and visitors at regional events is not as rare as one might think. In fact, says Portland volunteer Tricia Sipowicz ’85, “professors are a huge draw.”

Recent events in Portland show how regional communities not only connect alumni, parents and students to each other, but also reconnect them to campus. Portland alumni have been the hosts of such guests as Martha Andresen, professor of English, and David Elliott, professor of politics and international relations, as well as President Emeritus Peter Stanley. Visiting professors often give lectures, a treat that takes alumni back to their college days. As Sipowicz points out: “It’s like stepping back into the classroom for your own private hour. But this time, there are no grades and the tuition is more palatable!”

This chance to revisit the classroom enticed nearly 80 people to a recent Portland event to hear Andresen speak about the literature of legacies passed from parent to child, followed by a play on the same theme, Proof. The appearance of a Pomona alumna in the play added to the evening what Andresen called “a celebration of happy Pomona connections and our extended Pomona family.” Along with alumni, the audience included parents of current students and sons and daughters of alumni, all “visiting” Pomona for the evening. The event involved old and young from near and far, and while Portland events normally garner only local Pomona graduates, special guests, like faculty, consistently draw attendees from all over the state and southern Washington.

Planning events that appeal to a diverse group of alumni and provide educational opportunities is at the top of the priority list for the Portland Regional Community Planning Committee. Committee chair Sipowicz and other volunteers from across the decades work to provide that variety, and welcome ideas for future events.