Dear Classmates,
It was my pleasure and honor to serve you, Yale College’s Class of 1971, as your representative at the 75th Assembly from November 19-21 in New Haven. This annual event hosted by the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) brings together alumni representatives from each College class, each professional school, Yale clubs around the world, Shared Interest Groups, and others with a deep interest in volunteer activities on behalf of Yale.
Aside from a networking opportunity among interesting, friendly people, the Assembly provides programming of two basic kinds — (1) what is happening these days at Yale, and (2) what would help me do my volunteer job better?
Day One – Yale Today
The focus of the first day (Thursday) rotates each year to a different set of activities at the University — this year, the School of Public Health. Among other things, this gave us a chance to explore the parts of the campus across the Oak Street Connector, an area new to many of us.
Fascinating keynote addresses were delivered to a plenary session by Dr. Peter Singer ’90 MPH, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada and Paul Cleary, Dean of the School. Five public health graduate students presented brief overviews of their current research.
In the afternoon there were smaller breakout sections, each featuring a panel discussion and Q&A from participants. The greatest challenge was deciding which session to attend.
Topics included epidemiology, Obamacare, the effects of climate change on health, social influences on health, the global refugee crisis, aging, racism, nutrition, vaccinations, and the delivery of mental health services in retail environments. Ten topics — all in a single hour!
Later that afternoon there was another parallel selection of events. I chose to go the the medical school library, where I had long ago conducted research on a project I worked on after Yale. On display were historical public health documents, including a collection of mid-20th century print advertisements for cigarettes.
The day’s activities were capped off by a visit to the “500 Brains” assembled over decades of practice by pioneering neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing (YC 1895), now curated in a beautiful exhibition gallery below the med school library.
Dinner at Commons (now part of the Schwarzman Center) featured great conversation and the presentation of the Yale Medal, the University’s highest distinction, to five highly deserving recipients.
Day Two – Volunteers for Yale
The second day (Friday) featured workshops appropriate for the interests and activities of each attending group. I attended a session for Yale College Class Leadership, where various classes discussed innovative ways of serving their constituents. Dick Moser ’63, for example, described their “Classmates on Call” service to help people connect with each other to help sort out life problems (medical, legal, financial, social, etc.)
Our own Secretary Andy Kaufman was joined by Secretaries Rob Bildner ’72 and Andrea DaRif ’73 in describing the planning and logistics behind our well-attended, highly-rated cluster mini-reunion in October.
The President and the Dean
Following that was a Campus Community Update in Battell Chapel led by University President Peter Salovey and Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway. Salovey and Holloway tagged-teamed throughout the hour and responded thoughtfully to questions from attendees.
Their discussion of recent events at Yale gave perspective and meaning to these events that I (and I’d guess many in the audience) had been unable to find previously. In short, they described the University’s unwavering commitments to (1) free speech and expression of opinions, while (2) offering an educational experience to all students that is equal and unbiased.
The apparent tension between these two inviolate principles was positioned as an opportunity for creative, thoughtful leadership by Yale and its constituents — an aspiration admittedly made more difficult by our environment of viral videos and hair-trigger media.
The hour was punctuated by personal stories from each — Salovey describing heated personal meetings with students, Holloway describing his trepidation as a black man at driving even a little over the speed limit in certain states. The full house thanked the two with a warm standing ovation upon conclusion of their remarks.
Till Next Time
Friday lunch at Commons was followed by programs discussing various AYA activities. Later in the day, the AYA Board of Governors presented their Excellence Awards for outstanding service by alumni groups.
For a more complete account of all events, including the Salovey-Holloway address, click here. (Be sure not to miss the “lead” photo of Secretary Andy Kaufman and your faithful correspondent perusing the 500 brains.)
It was a fascinating, challenging couple of days. I caught up with old friends and made several new ones, as I always do at these things. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in Yale alumni events in New Haven or in your city, take it — it’s a highly rewarding experience.
Respectfully submitted,
Tim Powell