On Wednesday, April 3, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean will host a fourth congressional district town hall from 7 to 8 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP online for location details. Ursinus College recently received $1 million in funding through the U.S. Congress’s Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request program, and we look forward to hosting this important community event on campus.
The Borough of Collegeville is preparing a revitalization plan to enhance the 400 block of Main Street. Recordings from the March 20 community input meetings are available via S:\Share\Presidential Event Recordings.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to share their input on businesses, streetscapes, parking, building architecture, and more via the online survey. The survey closes on Sunday, April 14.
Are you interested in being highlighted as a student speaker during commencement weekend? The office of protocol and special events invites graduating students to participate in the student speaker selection process for commencement weekend 2024. Interested applicants should craft a compelling 3 to 5-minute speech reflecting on their experiences at Ursinus and how they will shape their journey beyond Ursinus. Deadline extended until Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Learn more and apply here.
As part of Collegiate Recovery Week, we are offering one more Allies of Recovery Training this semester: Wednesday, April 17 from 12-2pm in the Hive - Olive Garden lunch included!
Are you eager to build empathy and learn skills to support a student, colleague, or loved one with a substance use disorder? As a certified recovery-friendly workplace, we strive to ensure all community members take action as allies.
Sign up today in the calendar event to learn about the impact of stigma and how we can work to reduce it together.
Reach out to Katie Bean in Health Promotion with any questions: healthpromotion@ursinus.edu
Ursinus College students are invited to participate in a juried art show at Meadowood, April 12-14. Prizes include a “Best of Show” at $500, as well as monetary prizes in six categories and “honorable mentions.” Link below for information and registration.
April 12-14, 2024
Saturday, April 13 – 11 am – 4 pm
Sunday, April 14 – 1-4 pm
Featured artist – Jim Green
https://www.meadowood.net/resources/events/
Join us as we honor the 2024 award recipients including: Maddie Benfield ’25, Cayden Johnson ’25, Marqus Hunter, Marion McKinney, Johannes Karreth, and Patricia Lott. R.S.V>P in the event listing.
Congratulations to the 2024 Beloved Community Award Recipients.
The Sycamore Award for Community Engagement is awarded to a student, a staff member, a faculty member, and a member of the community from off campus, who is nominated for their outstanding commitment to community building though engagement with Ursinus.
The Inclusion and Equity Award is given to a student, a staff member, a faculty member, and members of the community from off campus, who have each been nominated by their colleagues and peers.
Every April, we reschedule classes for a day so every student can participate in the Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA). The day is filled with talks, poster presentations, and performances from hundreds of students from every discipline, from first-year students to seniors.
All students are invited to contribute to CoSA! A complete application consists of the online application form, including an abstract or description of the work to be presented, the name of the faculty mentor endorsing the project, and a few other relevant details. Application deadline: April 5, 2024
For questions, please email the CoSA organizers at cosa@ursinus.edu.
The college holidays for FY 2024-25 are as follows:
Floating Holiday: The College will be open on Labor Day, and classes will be in session. However, employees are granted a floating holiday in recognition of the services provided on Labor Day. This floating holiday may be used at any time during the fiscal year (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025). This floating holiday is not eligible for carryover.
Wellness Days: Additionally, employees are granted five wellness days that may be used at any time during the fiscal year (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025). These days are not eligible for carryover.
March 23, 2024 9am-1:30 pm. IDC 114
Seating is limited, sign up soon. Last class offered for the spring semester! This is the 2020 American Heart Association class with a course completion card. The course completion card is good for 2 years. The Cost $80 for the class payable prior to the class. Acceptable payment will be Venmo, cash or check before the class. This class is open to all Faculty / Staff & students ONLY. Seating will be limited. To register please email Ray Stitt at rstitt@ursinus.edu as soon as possible. Payment must be completed to confirm a seat in the class.
Faculty and Staff: Thank you for joining us on Tuesday, February 27. If you were unable to attend, the recording is available on the share drive at S:\Share\Presidential Event Recordings
Are you interested in being highlighted as a student speaker during commencement weekend? The office of protocol and special events invites graduating students to participate in the student speaker selection process for commencement weekend 2024. Interested applicants should craft a compelling 3 to 5-minute speech reflecting on their experiences at Ursinus and how they will shape their journey beyond Ursinus. Learn more and apply here.
Tell us when alumni present in the classroom, serve as panelists, attend alumni games, are featured in your newsletter, and more. Submit an alumni engagement form for any alumni activities scheduled through your office. If you’re engaging with alumni, please let your alumni engagement team know. If you have any questions, email us ucalumni@ursinus.edu.
Episode 3 of Between Two Benches: Dialogues about Differences is now live! Join Lauren McCardel, executive director, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art as she explores advocacy and accessibility in art. Read more and join the conversation online.
Hatha yoga classes at the Berman run on Tuesday nights from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s lower level. The drop-in rate is $20/class. Students receive a discounted rate of $15/class. Learn more on the Berman event page.
Dining Services Survey: We want to hear from you! Dining Services is conducting surveys, and we need your feedback about dining here at Ursinus. After you complete the survey, you’ll automatically be entered in to win $100 Bear Bucks! https://imo.cx/wYci3yN7
Culinary Clash: On February 29th Ursinus Dining is hosting our annual Culinary Clash at 10am! Chef Edward will be facing off against Chef Andrew from F&M Dining! Join us in Upper Wismer to see who will bring the heat, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite chef on our Instagram @ursinusdining.
Institute for Inclusion and Equity (IIE), Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA), and Radiance Peer Connections (RPC) will begin preparing for Pride Week 2024 happening this April 4th -12th., and we are looking for folks who are interested in joining the Pride Week committee. As a committee member, you will help plan and organize various events and activities throughout Pride Week.
Pride Week 2024 Planning Committee Meeting dates (1pm in the IIE Classroom):
Friday, February 23rd
Friday, March 1st
Friday, March 22nd
Friday March 29th
Zoom meeting option
Meeting ID: 826 6008 4975
Passcode: 107914
In partnership with Historic Trappe, Ursinus College will offer a summer field school in historic archaeology at Frederick Muhlenberg’s 18th C home and business, The Speaker’s House. This intensive six-week course combines instruction in archaeological methods and theory with hands-on excavation training and experience. Through classroom discussions of assigned readings and weekly laboratory study, field school students will gain familiarity with many steps in the process of archaeological-meaning making. Students will develop the ability to identify and interpret discovered artifacts and place archaeological information within a cultural/historical framework.
The 2024 field school excavations are expected to run from June 4 to July 13, on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. Saturdays will include public archaeology days with community members, visitors, and public events through Historic Trappe.
The course title is ANTH/HIST-385 Historical Archaeology Field School (6 credits). No prereqs. All majors and years welcome. Course registration fee is $2,250. Housing is available to enrolled Ursinus students at this cost. Meals may be available at an additional cost.
Please contact Professor Kate Davis at kdavis@ursinus.edu for inquiries regarding the field school. Enrollment begins Feb 15th. Please contact Historic Trappe at info@historictrappe.org for inquiries regarding the many volunteer opportunities or community events.
We are delighted to announce a series of student lunches aimed at uncovering and discussing the “hidden curriculum” of college life, with a special focus on the transition to independent living and engagement with support networks and services on campus.
These gatherings are designed to foster an open dialogue about the multifaceted experiences students face when navigating the complexities of college life, particularly the unique challenges encountered by first-generation college students. We hope to learn about structures that are particularly opaque (and particularly transparent) in an effort to “de-mystify” the language and norms of higher education.
Prof. Bill Mongan from the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics is leading these conversations, and all are welcome. Lunch will be provided with support from the College, likely from Collegeville Bakery (and requests are welcome!). Our next lunch event will be Wednesday February 21, 1-3pm, location TBA. Please contact Prof. Mongan at wmongan@ursinus.edu for more information (including the room location) and to “sign up” so that we order enough food.
Mar. 6 Noon to 1 p.m. (ET) The starting line: Beginning to save for retirement
There’s no time like the present to save for the future. Retirement may not seem especially pressing right now, but the truth is, now is when you can do the most good for your future.
Mar. 14 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (ET) Attention to detail: Financial finishing touches for women
What does your financial future hold? Financial success can often complicate your life, and we’d like to help. You’ll learn some ways to stay in control of the portfolio you’ve accumulated.
Mar. 20 Noon to 1 p.m. (ET) Paycheck for life: Set your sights on retirement security
Do you have a plan to avoid outliving your retirement savings? In this webinar, you’ll learn how to leverage a portion of your savings to create a retirement paycheck that’s
guaranteed as long as you live.
Mar. 26 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. (ET) Live with confidence in retirement: Five steps to creating
your retirement income plan
If you’re thinking about making the transition to retirement, this webinar is essential for understanding how to create an income plan that helps you maximize your savings.
Register for TIAA’s live webinars and learn how you can take action for a more secure future.
Student driver training sessions will be held Wednesday, February 8 from 12 noon - 1 p.m in Pfahler 208. Click here for more information.
On Thursdays, there is a 30 minute Breathe-Stretch-Meditate session with Katie Bean hosted on Zoom starting at 915am that is open to all students, faculty, and staff.
If you can’t make that time, check out the recordings! After 3 weeks of this event, there are 3 recordings on the Health Promotion webpage. More will be added each week so bookmark the page, mark your calendar for whenever works for you, and pick a video to watch to relax, rejuvenate, and refocus.
Ursinus College’s 10th annual #Giving2UCDay will be on Founders Day this year! #Giving2UCDay is a 24-hour giving celebration that honors the rich history of Ursinus College and our shared commitment to our students. Bears around the world will come together to honor our past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future by making a gift.
Learn more about how you can get involved HERE.
As part of MLK Week, inclusion is launching a DEIBJ podcast, titled Between Two Benches: Dialogues about Differences. Hosted by Todd McKinney, Mallory Dubus, and Jordan Scharaga, this podcast will feature a member of the Ursinus community in each episode. Read more and join the conversation online.
Ursinus athletics will host 16 athletic camps this summer. Youth camp registration launched on Thursday, January 18 at 8 a.m. via ursinuscamps.com.
For an overview of dates, times and prices, please visit ursinus.edu/athleticcamps.
Note: All youth camps offer $15 off registration for faculty and staff.
Myrin Library is continuing to accept Questimonials from all students, faculty, staff and alumni. Use this form to tell us your chosen book and submit an essay or book review explaining why the book is personally meaningful to you and how it relates to one or more of the Quest open questions. See here for examples of submitted essays and be sure to check out the books on the first floor of the Library!
The Nonprofit ECMC - focused on student success through college access and financial literacy programs, and student loan resource - is providing free webinars on financial wellness for Ursinus students, faculty, and staff.
Webinars are from 1pm-2pm and topics for this semester include:
Each one will show up on the UC Events Calendar but feel free to save the date now.
Melinda Rice, leader of the Ursinus String Ensemble, made a trip to North Bend, WA, for a performance project with composer Teri Card Heller and soprano Kate Leen. Melinda and Teri have been working collaboratively on a six song water cycle since 2021, and November 5th marked the premier of that piece at Boxley’s. A livestream from the concert can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/881334217 Further plans for the piece include a recording
Faculty and Staff: Thank you for attending President Hannigan’s town hall on Wednesday, October 25. The recording and presentation are available on the college’s share drive at S:\Share\Town Hall and State of the College Recordings and Presentations.
Volunteers at our BearShare pop-up will help set up, run, and clean up a pop-up swap event in the Bears’ Den. Sign Up Here