Letter from the President
Dear Hill Readers,
When you hear the word “community,” you might first think about geographical surroundings: a place of employment, a city, a region, a state. Those places are, indeed, representations of community. But the type of community we embrace at McDaniel is so much more than a location.
Community on the Hill is about fellowship with others for the common good. It is about taking responsibility, contributing to a larger society, and forming connections that enable us to be greater than our individual parts.
At McDaniel, we are proud to prepare students for successful lives of leadership, service, and social responsibility. In doing so, we send students out into the world to make a difference, not only here in Carroll County during their time on the Hill, but also in their future communities — wherever our alumni land as they begin the next and future chapters of their lives.
“Community on the Hill is about fellowship with others for the common good.”
The theme of community is the heart of this issue. For Cathy Pendorf Arnatt ’02, M.S. ’04, that community is Anchorage, Alaska, where she is raising her family and providing accessible health care to underserved Indigenous communities. For Nick Giusti ’08 and Zach Nibbelink ’14, it is Fort Hood, Texas, where they are stationed together as AH-64 Apache pilots. For Alison Lafferty States ’19, community is formed through her support for and advocacy of those suffering from chronic disease.
I’m also excited for you to read about our Alum of the Year Corynne Courpas ’76 — one of the most community-minded Carroll Countians I know. And even closer to home, my husband David shares his experiences of living on campus and supporting the students, faculty, staff, and alumni in his role of presidential spouse.
For the many ways to define community, I think that American poet Gwendolyn Brooks captured it best: “We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”
Happy summer to you and your community from the Hill!
Sincerely,
President Julia Jasken