Beacon College Office of College Communications: Lighting the Path

“We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Stay Up To Date

Keep up with the latest COVID-19-related schedule and policy changes by monitoring the Beacon College COVID-19 Information Center: https://www.beaconcollege.edu/coronavirus/

The COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on this year’s commencement scheduled for May 9. However, the college refused to allow the hard work, sacrifice, and diligence of the 86 graduates (B.A. 28; B.S. 41; A.A. 7; and A.S. 10) from December 2019 and May 2020 to go unnoticed. To those about to graduate, we salute you.

VIEW THE GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT

(Rising) Star's Trek

Leigh Camacho Rourks reads "Eighty-Five Days After the Second Ship Cast Its Shadow"

Beacon humanities and English professor Dr. Leigh Camacho Rourks’ short story “Eighty-five Days after the Second Ship Cast its Shadow” touched down in the 2020 edition of Moon City Review. The annual literary anthology collects an eclectic sampling of short stories, poems, essays, and translations that stretch the contemporary literary landscape. You can watch the author of Moon Trees and Other Orphans read her short story on the Moon City Review YouTube channel by clicking on the image.

Pachyderms as Property

Michelle Szydlowski appeared — albeit via Zoom due to COVID-19 concerns — at the annual University of Exeter Anthrozoology Conference. The Beacon anthrozoologist delivered a presentation titled “Endangered Property: Captive Elephants in Nepal.” The annual conference allows Ph.D researchers to share their fieldwork and thesis topics with master's-level students and offers collaborative opportunities for post-graduate researchers to share ideas, struggles, and successes.

Here Comes the Judge … Again

Beacon Provost Dr. Shelly Chandler completed her three-month service in late May on her fourth stint on a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) evaluation team. This time, Chandler judged three institutions’ compliance reports against SACSCOC standards and principles.

She enjoys the work she says “because it reminds me of everything that Beacon College does so well and it gives me ideas on items to improve.”

Pinched Magnolias

Leigh Camacho Rourks reads from Moon Trees and Other Orphans

Dr. Leigh Camacho Rourks in May shared an excerpt of "Pinched Magnolias" from her short story collection Moon Trees and Other Orphans, winner of the 2017 St. Lawrence Book Award, on the Black Lawrence Press YouTube Channel. You can watch her performance by clicking on the image.

Patti Johnston , a former Beacon staffer and passionate advocate for students, unexpectedly died on May 13. From 2015 to 2017, she counseled students ultimately assuming the role of director of life coaching. Her legacy is summed up in her dedication to Beacon’s students and her active participation in their undergraduate experience — including leading off-campus student activity trips. Even after her stint at Beacon, during her tenure as a mental health specialist in the Lake County school system, Patti Johnston often continued to support Beacon students as their life coach, coordinating these services with her former colleagues. “I am personally saddened by Patti’s loss,” said Beacon President George J. Hagerty. “She was respected and admired across campus for the passion, care, and service she brought to each situation.” Patti Johnston was 56. She is survived by her husband and Beacon director of transportation, Eric Johnston.

Alumni Updates

Submit your Beacon College alumni updates, news, weddings, births, etc. for consideration in the next issue of the Lighting the Path newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you! EMAIL US

Going, Going … but not yet all Gone

Limited copies of the Beacon College 30 ^th Anniversary remain available. “Beacon College: The Unique History of a Singular Institution” features 100+ pages chronicling the college’s founding and evolution, its multimodal pedagogy and unique learning-specialist education model, the social fabric, and the college’s global-leaning advocacy and innovation through narrative and personal reflections. Appendices offer a roll call and class photos of Beacon graduates, terms of service of the Board of Trustees, a timeline, and a salute to the “Life Abundant.” ORDER YOURS TODAY

Customer Satisfaction

The Beacon College Office of Communications strives to bring the Beacon community communication tools with a spirit of excellence. That requires periodic temperature checks to see whether our products are serving the needs of our stakeholders. To help us continue to improve on both the type of information and the means of delivery, would you kindly take a moment to complete this short survey gauging the first six months of the Lighting the Path newsletter? We thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

TAKE THE SURVEY