2nd Quarter, FY 2024

 

  Presidents' Letter

WHAT A BUSY AND EXCITING SECOND QUARTER!

At the beginning of the year, we defined three primary goals. They center around the Club's role in the Smithie lifecycle, from engaging high school students through our Admission Committee, supporting current Smithies and engaging with the New York City area alums.

 

So how did we do?

 

• During Q2, The Board focused on revising and updating our mission statement, which was approved at the January meeting.  We are thrilled to publish it in this newsletter.
• At the beginning of the fiscal year, we made an important decision to guide our planning for the Club’s events - that all our events should have a connection to Smith, whether they are hosted or created by a Smith alum, faculty member or current student.  We have an abundance of Smith talent in New York that we can leverage! 
• Applicants: The Admissions Committee, with the help of 20 volunteers, have received over 50 requests to interview applicants to the College.
• Students: 196 gift cards from the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce were sent to students in December.

 

THANKS TO OUR MEMBERS, our events crackle with energy and we are so pleased to see new faces!

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Wendy Kassel '73 and Trish Tidwell '73

President@smithclubnyc.com

   

 

        MISSION STATEMENT

 

The Smith Club of New York City is dedicated to connecting Smithies of the New York City area and 

fostering a supportive community that upholds the values of Smith College.

 

                  

     CONNECT EVENTS

In October, we kicked off our series of Connect Events. Connect Events are activities requiring a ticket purchase, and they provide an opportunity to meet up with other Smithies - Look out for a Smith pennant when you go! Here are the Connect Events held so far this year:  

• World premiere of The Hunt, a chamber opera by Kate Soper, Iva Dee Hiatt Professor of Music;
• LAMINARIA, with Wendy Osserman '64 and Concetta Abbate '09;
• A Beethoven Cycle: The Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin II, with Jiayan Sun, Associate Chair at Smith College Music Department and Elizabeth Chang, Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
• Dueling Pianos, with Jiayan Sun and Yang Liu, Smith College Music Department. 

 

                  

     FROM THE MOTHERSHIP: COLLABORATIONS WITH SMITH

The October highlight was the inauguration of the 12th President of Smith College, Sarah Willie-LeBreton. Thanks to Jaime Lee '04 for hosting a local watch party and to all the NYC Smithies who headed to Northampton to share in the memorable and moving ceremony and associated festivities. 

 

In December, Smith Pioneers played Brooklyn College at Brooklyn College.  The Club collaborated with the College’s Athletic Department and the Alumnae Relations and Development Office to provide a pre- and post-game reception.  Nearly 50 Smithies turned out in force to cheer on our championship team, far outnumbering Brooklyn’s supporters!  We were treated to pizza, t-shirts and snacks at the pre-game reception, and a post-game raffle of Smith Athletics swag.  Final score?  73-46! Go Pioneers!!

 

       SCC ANNUAL EVENTS

December was also time for our holiday party, one of the Club's four conerstone events. Thanks to the generosity of Bridget Moore  '79, over 50 alums returned to the DC Moore Gallery for a lively party, with delicious food provided by Renegate Outpost. Guests were able to tour an extraordinary exhibit "Magritte + Warhol".

 

 

       VOLUNTEERS 

Trish Tidwell '73 and Wendy Kassel ’73, Co-Presidents of the Club, have committed to offering more opportunities for volunteer engagement this year, and they have formed a Volunteer team, currently composed of over 25 alums.  In addition to the longstanding collaboration with the Admissions Department to interview prospective Smithies, we are looking to introduce “First Fridays” and enhance our social media presence. Thanks to Tziona Breitbart ’16, who has been putting her photographic talents to work on our behalf, and to Lucy Brandenburger ’23 and Daseul Kim  ’22 for their commitment to stay connected to the class of 2027 after last August’s student send-off!  The group meets monthly, and we’re bubbling with new ideas.  Please contact president@smithclubnyc.com if you wish to join us.  

 

        

       ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Rally Day is coming!

Save the date: Rally Day will be held February 22, 2024; the convocation ceremony will be broadcast live on Smith’s Facebook page from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm.  Celebrate our wonderful tradition of awarding the Smith College Medal to notable alums and share in the fun of the seniors in their graduation regalia, along with those creative hats! For details on the medalists, click here: https://www.smith.edu/news-events/events/rally-day

Annual Scholarship Benefit!

Save the date:  The 2024 Annual Scholarship Benefit, featuring Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, ninth president of  Smith College, will be held on Tuesday, April 2 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at The New York Yale Club,  50 Vanderbilt Avenue on the corner of 55th Street. All proceeds go to the Scholarship Fund.  Tickets will go on sale through the website soon.  We hope you will join us for what promises to be an extraordinary evening! Did you know?   

Did you know?

The Smith College Club of New York City is the largest and oldest Smith alum club, incorporated in 1921. 

You can have a virtual real-time visit on campus anytime – check out the College’s campus webcams at https://www.smith.edu/discover-smith/campus-webcams

Our website provides you with self-administration – If you wish to change your contact information or update your profile, log in at smithclubnyc.com and Click “Update My Profile”

Watch for upcoming events!

We are busy planning events for February – June. Be sure to check our email announcements and visit our website.

If you have ideas for events or activities, please contact Wendy and Trish at president@smithclubnyc.com.

 

  

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