President’s speeches, letters, and articles
Subject: Welcome to Spring Semester 2025
January 27, 2025
Dear Reed Community,
Welcome to the start of the spring 2025 semester. I hope you all had a restorative winter break and are ready to dive into a new semester of learning, collaboration, and discovery. I know many members of our community were impacted by or suffered losses from the disastrous fires in California over the break. On a personal note, Cheryl and I lost our home in Altadena, and the area where we had lived for nearly three decades was destroyed. This has been a hard time. Please know that the college is here to support those who have been affected in whatever ways we can.
I also want to express Reed’s unwavering support for those in our community who may be impacted by recent executive orders, directives, and other legislation. We stand with our students, faculty, and staff who are transgender, immigrants, undocumented, and/or refugees. Reed is home to a vibrant and diverse community, and each one of us belongs on our campus. We will uphold our values of supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and academic freedom. Reed’s leadership team will provide resources as we navigate the changing political climate.
As we come together again on campus, I want to take a moment to highlight and celebrate some of the accomplishments of our remarkable students, faculty, and staff. Reedies always inspire me with their passion for scholarship, creativity, and engagement.
Year after year, our students have demonstrated their excellence in academic and professional pursuits. This year, we had the highest percentage of our students apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, with 10 percent of our senior class applying. Special congratulations to Elizabeth Rollison ’24 and Emilie Badener ’24, who have been named Fulbright finalists for 2024–2025. We are also celebrating Nicole Chan ’25 for being selected as a 2024 Goldwater Scholar.
In the realm of nuclear science, five students represented Reed at the American Nuclear Society Winter Conference, and Auden Oliveri ’25 earned the 2024 Tawfik Raby Memorial Scholarship. Additionally, Auden was selected to serve on the prestigious Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation, advocating for research policy in Washington, D.C.
Reed’s faculty continue to receive recognition for their groundbreaking research and dedication to teaching. Here are just a few highlights:
- Reed has been awarded a 2025 Beckman Scholars Program award, thanks to a collaborative proposal led by Ronald A. Laing Professor of Biology Kara Cerveny and seven colleagues. This program will support student research in biomolecular sciences over the next three years.
- Associate Professor Sam Fey (biology) received the 2024 Lynwood W. Swanson Promise for Scientific Research Award, allowing him to further his research on the impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.
- Assistant Professor Gonzalo Campillo-Alvarado (chemistry) was awarded a grant from the American Chemical Society to explore sustainable chemical processes.
- Professor Carla Mann ’81 (dance) received a Creative Heights grant to produce a documentary challenging stereotypes about aging through dance.
These accomplishments reflect our faculty’s enduring commitment to advancing knowledge and to mentoring students.
Reed staff also made tremendous strides this academic year. The redesigned Reed College website won gold at the UCDA Design Awards, a testament to the creativity and collaboration of our public affairs and IT teams. Our advancement communications and alumni relations & volunteer engagement teams earned three prestigious CASE awards, including recognition for innovative donor engagement and volunteer leadership. Reed staff were also instrumental in starting the newest chapter of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education with the Pacific Northwest chapter that serves Oregon and Washington. Claudia Ramírez Islas, associate dean of students & campus life, is the chair of that group. These awards and volunteer service underscore the exceptional dedication of our staff to fostering meaningful connections within and beyond the Reed community.
Spring always feels like a particularly busy semester. It’s also a time replete with performances, research presentations, and opportunities to showcase the incredible talents of our community. As we begin this new semester, I encourage you to connect with one another, explore new opportunities, and approach challenges with curiosity. At Reed, we value open inquiry and mutual respect. Let us engage with empathy and good will as we navigate our shared journey.
Thank you for the passion and energy you bring to Reed. I look forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together this semester.
Warm regards,
Audrey
Audrey Bilger
President
Reed College