Our progressive spirit

A note from President Katherine Bergeron.

By Katherine Bergeron

Coming to Connecticut College eight months ago was like a homecoming for me. I grew up not far from campus, in Old Lyme, Conn. As a child, I enjoyed riding my bicycle on the country roads, swimming at the local beaches, visiting Mystic Seaport and other historic sites, and sampling produce from the small family farms that dot the region.

My return has led me to appreciate our location in new ways. I now serve on the board of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and have discovered the vibrant arts scene that defines the New London community. I love walking in the Arboretum and at Harkness Memorial State Park. Most important, I have seen firsthand how the region enriches our College. This issue of CC: Magazine features a beautiful photo essay that reminds us how fortunate we are to find ourselves in this special place.

When construction began for Connecticut College over 100 years ago, The Day of New London ran the headline: “No Finer College Site in the World,” and that line still rings true for me. And though the campus and the region have undergone significant changes since 1911, there is one thing about our location that has never changed: the iconic view from Tempel Green, with its unparalleled vista out to the sea. In the century that the College has been in existence, I find it striking that no one has dared to build anything that would obstruct this view. I think it’s because our singular landscape conveys a quality that we still prize: It reminds us of the openness and the forward-looking spirit that have defined this College from the very beginning.

Our singular landscape conveys a quality that we still prize: It reminds us of the openness and the forwardlooking spirit that have defined this College from the very beginning.”

When I walk about our campus, I experience this openness in so many aspects of what we do. I see a community that is open to change; I see students, faculty and staff who are open to new people and new ideas. This magazine contains another encouraging story of that progressive spirit at work. It has to do with an area of national concern: how we are dealing with sexual assault and gender-based violence on our campus. These are not easy issues to address, and it is clear that there is much work to be done. But I am sure you will share my pride in the fact that Connecticut College has led the way with creative solutions that have been embraced enthusiastically — and openly — by so many members of our College community.