This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
President Daniel H. Weiss wrote the following introduction to the Spring 2010 issue of Lafayette Magazine:
As many of you know, one of the key objectives of our strategic plan is making our programs in the creative arts an essential feature of the College and ensuring that they are known for their outstanding quality, presence, and relevance to both the campus and larger community.
The investments students make in the artistic process in the classroom, the studio, the rehearsal room, the concert hall, the media lab, and in countless other campus locations are fundamental to the College’s educational enterprise and to the goals of a liberal education.
Through the Williams Center for the Arts, the Williams Visual Arts Building, the Experimental Printmaking Institute, and the departments and programs they house, Lafayette already makes a visible statement about its commitment to excellence in the creative arts, and we’re now striving to position the creative arts even more centrally in the life of the College.
Thanks to the generosity of Bruce ’65 and Jackie Maggin, who recently established the Maggin Family Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship program, we are in a position to make Lafayette more attractive to prospective students interested in the arts and other creative endeavors. Each participant in this highly competitive program will qualify for a grant of up to $7,500 during his or her four years, with these funds to be applied toward special projects, study abroad, or other purposes that would support the student’s creative development. This spring, grants were awarded to five current students to launch the program.
A new interdisciplinary program in film and media studies, just approved by the faculty in March, is a noteworthy enhancement to Lafayette’s offerings in the creative arts. It will integrate rigorous critical study with creative production within a liberal arts context, building on and enhancing existing strengths. We envision that the program will forge active relationships with established film and media artists, integrating career opportunities for students within local, regional, national, and international centers of film and media activity.
This issue of Lafayette Magazine includes features and shorter pieces that focus on the creative and performing arts and on interdisciplinary initiatives in the arts and other fields. I hope these and the entire issue will be of interest to you.