McKelvy Scholars Program Welcomes Seven New Members

This fall, seven new members joined the McKelvy Scholars program for another year of campus-wide discussions and academically engaging activities. Lafayette’s original intellectual residence experience also welcomes back 11 students from last year.

Since 1962, the McKelvy Scholars program has brought together Lafayette students with a wide range of majors and interests to reside in a historic off-campus house and share in intellectual and social activities. Weekly dinner discussions that engage students in debate and exchange of ideas that often continue long after the meals are over are the hallmark of the program. Most members also contribute to the annual McKelvy Papers, written on a topic of each person’s choice. The program’s success led to the formation of a second intellectual community last school year, the Reeder Scholars program.

McKelvy House was built in 1888 on High Street overlooking the Delaware River, three blocks from campus. Designed by McKim, Mead, and White, the home was built for John Eyerman, a faculty lecturer in mineralogy from 1888-91. It was bought by Lafayette Trustee Francis G. McKelvy and donated to the College by his heirs in 1960.

Joseph Shieber, assistant professor of philosophy, is entering his first year as the program’s faculty adviser.

New members include Jenny Boyar ’08(Hillsborough, N.J.), Shane Clauser ’07 (Pottsville, Pa.), Shiliang Cui ’09(Shanghai, China), Arda Hotz ’08 (Moutainside, N.J.), Rachel Pidcock ’09 (Allentown, Pa.), Karen Ruggles ’08 (Easton, Pa.), and Sergey Toshinskiy ’08 (Obninsk Kaluga Regio, Russia).

Returning McKelvy Scholars include George Armah ’08 (Accra, Ghana), who is pursuing a B.S. mathematics and A.B. with a major in computer science; Kaydence Cowley ’07(Littleton, Colo.), a mechanical engineering major; Charles Felix ’08 (Brooklyn, N.Y.), a double major in English and A.B. engineering; Trustee Scholar Carrie Fritsche ’07 (Columbia, Mo.), who is pursuing a B.S. chemical engineering and A.B. with a major in international studies; Ross Lang ’07 (Yardley, Pa.), a double major in English and biology; Marquis Scholar Ryan McCall ’07 (Seneca, Pa.), a mathematics major; David Myers ’07 (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), a double major in history and government & law; Marquis Scholar Jaclyn Smith ’07(Saugus, Calif.), a double major in psychology and English; Marquis Scholar Katie Thompson ’09 (Glenside, Pa.), an American studies major; Marquis Scholar Michael Werner ’07(Neenah, Wis.), who is pursuing B.S. degrees in biology and geology, and Haotian Wu ’07(Jiangsu, China), who is pursuing B.S. degrees in physics and mathematics.

Boyar, a double major in psychology and English, was drawn to the program by the promise of challenging discussions about timely and often controversial topics. She also is excited about the house’s architectural history.

“I was captivated by the intensively intellectual atmosphere,” she explains. “Having always enjoyed casual debates with my peers, I was immediately attracted to the prospect of a house where such conversation was actively encouraged. McKelvy residents are united by a willingness to broaden their horizons – whether that is through academics or other personally meaningful endeavors. Such passionate people never cease to inspire me. McKelvy’s aesthetic appeal must not go unacknowledged; any house that so closely resembles a castle straight out of Harry Potter is certainly worth living in.”

Boyar presented her independent research project on literary representations of epilepsy at the 20th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research last April. She also is conducting EXCEL Scholars research this academic year. She is secretary of Hillel Society and a member of Arts Society. She also is assisting the National Epilepsy Foundation in the development of a museum of the history of the illness.

For Clauser, the McKelvy program is a chance to explore current events in greater depth than the classroom allows.

“McKelvy offers students the opportunity to engage in contemporary social and political issues in a diverse setting,” says the double major in English and government & law.

Clauser has conducted EXCEL research and participated in the Washington Semester program. He is a member of Kirby Government and Law Society and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Cui has found McKelvy to be a welcoming environment that has made Lafayette feel like home. Pursuing a B.S. mathematics and A.B. with a major in economics and business, he believes the variety of McKelvy members enriches the group’s intellectual life.

“It is an excellent intellectual and social community,” Cui says. “I will have a lot of chances to talk to those excellent students from a range of majors, interests, and backgrounds. The most important thing is that living in McKelvy, I can learn and share from time to time.”

In EXCEL research, Cui built mathematical models to help biologists who are investigating the origin of vertebrae. He also served an externship at Turner Interiors National Group in New York City. He is a member of Mathematics Club, Guitar Ensemble, International Students Association (ISA), and Intramural Outdoor Soccer. He was also a member of the team that won the LVAIC Mathematic Competition last November and Lafayette Team Barge last January.

Like Cui, Hotz believes the program offers a supportive atmosphere where students feel comfortable sharing their views on different topics. Hotz hosted the year’s first discussion last week on performance enhancing drugs.

“The idea of living in a constantly stimulating academic environment appealed to me,” says the neuroscience major. “The extent of the sense of unity and friendship felt among the members of the program surprised me, and so far it has been a wonderful experience.

This past summer, Hotz traveled to London for the Lafayette interim course Ethical and Social Issues in Health Care in the U.K. and the U.S. She also has participated in various externships with Lafayette alumni. She leads the after-school tutoring program through the Landis Community Outreach Center and volunteers with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients at Easton’s adult day care center. She is a Gateway ambassador and a member of Neuroscience Society, Arts Society, and ISA.

Pidcock, an art major,looks forward to a year of enriching discussions on topics not always explored in typical classes. She also believes the program will expand her circle of friends.

“I wanted to participate in something unique and distinctive in addition to living with people I haven’t met before,” she says. “Living in the house and participating in McKelvy gives me a chance to do something totally separate from my life with friends on campus. The most appealing part of the community is the Sunday night discussions and the opportunity to talk about issues and interests that aren’t necessarily covered in a class.”

Pidcock is a founding member of Lafayette Alliance for the Visual Arts (LAVA) and tutors children in the Easton community through the Landis Center. She is a member Alumni Association’s executive committee and will work for student phonathon this year.

After finding out more information about the program on her own, Ruggles attended some discussions last year and decided McKelvy was a good fit for her scholastic goals.

“The community appeals to me because it’s easier to get into intellectually stimulating conversations and healthy debates,” says the double major in English and art. “On campus, such things happen, but in McKelvy you are in an environment that is so conducive to letting thought-provoking discussions happen without force.”

Ruggles conducted EXCEL research on wetland pollution that took her to Uganda this summer with a team of four other students. She also traveled to Hawaii for the special Lafayette interim course The Geologic Evolution of the Hawaiian Islands this past January. She is vice president of Writing Organization Reaching Dynamic Students and photo editor of the Marquis literary magazine. She also is a member of LAVA and the Tech Clinic team working on plans to revitalize downtown Easton. She assists with student phonathon and is a teaching assistant for Photography I. She is planning to study abroad this spring in Florence, Italy.

Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars like McCall, Smith, Thompson, and Werner receive a special academic scholarship and distinctive educational experiences and benefits. This includes a three-week, Lafayette-funded course abroad or in the United States during January’s interim session between semesters or the summer break. Marquis Scholars also participate in mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty and cultural activities in major cities and on campus.

Selected from among Lafayette’s top applicants, Trustee Scholars like Fritsche have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievement in high school. Lafayette provides them with an annual minimum scholarship of $7,500 ($8,000 effective with the Class of 2009) or a grant in the full amount of their demonstrated need if the need is more than $7,500.