By George C. McKinnis, President, Bronxville Rotary Club
Dec. 6, 2017: The new president of Sarah Lawrence College, Dr. Cristle Collins Judd, addressed a special dinner meeting of the Bronxville Rotary Club on November 20, 2017. Dr. Judd’s husband, Dr. Robert Judd, the executive director of the American Musicological Society in New York City, accompanied her.
Dr. John Nunes, president of Concordia College, and his wife, Monique, attended the dinner meeting, as did members of the neighboring Rotary Clubs of Eastchester, Yonkers, and Pelham.
Leading members of the Bronxville community who are affiliated with Sarah Lawrence attended this dinner meeting: Vicki and Si Ford, Marilynn and John Hill, and Tina Staudt. Vicki Ford is an alumna and trustee of Sarah Lawrence College; John Hill is former chair of the college’s board of trustees; and Marilynn Hill has long been involved with the Friends of the Sarah Lawrence Library (recently converted to the Friends of the College), of which Tina Staudt is now president. The meeting drew a capacity crowd of 50.
Dr. Judd spoke about democracy and education, the theme of her inaugural year. Her vision of higher education is very inclusive, and she believes that differing points of view must be heard and considered. She also views the understanding of different cultures, including literature and music and the needs of different peoples and nations, as an important part of a liberal arts education. In this sense, her definition of a liberal arts education is not limited to a traditional Jeffersonian list of great books, great ideas, and academic disciplines thought to be essential to a liberal arts education; it is a rigorous academic program geared to the modern student who lives in today’s cross-cultural and interdependent world who must learn to be a global citizen.
Dr. Judd fully engaged her audience and presented a sense of her priorities by recounting what a president of Sarah Lawrence College does in a workday. Emphasizing her intention to have considerable contact with Sarah Lawrence students, she mentioned her pledge to them that she would refrain from talking on her phone or texting when encountering students on campus. If they caught her, she said, she would make a donation to the college!
Dr. Judd’s day also included lunch with students and a trip to the grocery store to purchase ingredients for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner she was hosting for international students. In keeping with her presidential duties, she described meeting with faculty, speaking with the board chair, discussing the building of the Barbara Walters Campus Center, and meeting with a donor.
Knowing that many Bronxville families have sent their young children to the college’s Early Childhood Center, she spoke of the value of the laboratory pre-school to both the college and the community.
A number of her comments, including her assertion that colleges should collaborate with each other, pointed to her work with the New Directions program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Some of her work with that foundation is discussed on its website.
Those of us who heard Dr. Judd at this Rotary dinner are convinced that she will take Sarah Lawrence College in "new directions" and will expand the cross-cultural aspects of the liberal arts education that Sarah Lawrence College offers.
This evening was videotaped for showing on Bronxville and Westchester TV channels.
Pictured here: Dr. John Nunes, president of Concordia College, and Dr. Cristle Judd, president of Sarah Lawrence College, at the Bronxville Rotary Club dinner.
Photo courtesy George C. McKinnis
Bronxville Beautification Council
Organized in 1982 and incorporated in 1993, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) is a not for profit organization administered by a Board of Directors. Its mission is to enhance and maintain the natural and man-made beauty of Bronxville Village, with emphasis on the downtown business district of Bronxville. The BBC uses the dollars raised in its annual spring solicitation letter to residents to fund the mum, tulip and summer flower plantings downtown and at traffic intersections, as well as the summer hanging baskets. Every few years the group spearheads such major endeavors as the renovation of Leonard Morange Square on the west side of the railroad tracks and the beautification of the Lawrence Hospital traffic circle, which included the addition of plants and the building of the fountain that now makes a gracious western portal to our town. The BBC also works with other civic groups to monitor the aesthetics of retail signage, the consistency of sidewalk materials, and litter and graffiti. During Beautify Bronxville Week, the BBC sponsors a poetry reading and works with Scout groups on the annual village clean-up.
Bronxville Beautification Council
PO Box 127
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-779-6123
Bronxville Boy Scouts
The village of Bronxville has a long tradition of scouting. “The troops and packs of Bronxville have maintained the finest scouting organizations and have taught the boys of the Bronxville area to be leaders and outstanding members of the local, national and global communities.”
There are several Boy Scout Troops in Bronxville, including Troops 1, 2, 4, and 5.
Bronxvillle Girls Scouts
The Girls Scouts is “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.” In Girl Scouts, “girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Through the many enriching experiences provided by Girl Scouts, they can grow courageous and strong.”
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded in 1998 to further the understanding and appreciation of the history and current life of the village. The Conservancy furthers its mission through the presentation of programs, publications, lectures and special events that foster an awareness of the village's architectural, artistic and cultural heritage, and lends its support for projects designed to strengthen and preserve those legacies. Anyone who is interested in the Bronxville and its history can become a member; varying levels of membership are available.
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
PO Box 989
Bronxville, New York 10708
http://bronxvillehistoricalconservancy.org/
Bronxville School Foundation
The Bronxville School Foundation, founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization independent from the school with the sole purpose of supporting the school. The Foundation raises money each year through donations from school families, community members, and alumni, among others.These contributions fund grants that provide cutting-edge technology, innovative programs and curriculum and other resources that are beyond the scope of public school funding.
177 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-395-0515
https://www.bronxvilleschoolfoundation.org/
Bronxville Women’s Club
The Bronxville Women’s Club offers lectures, exhibits and concerts. It also has a beautiful clubhouse which is available for rental for events.
135 Midland Avenue
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-3252
www.bronxvillewomensclub.org
Bronxville Youth Council
The Bronxville Youth Council provides volunteer and leadership opportunities for high school students in the village of Bronxville.
177 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-395-0500 ext 1789
Counseling Center
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Counseling Center “is to provide a wide range of psychotherapeutic and counseling services to individuals, couples and families by a staff of highly trained, experience and dedicated psychotherapists.
The Counseling Center
180 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-793-3388
www.counselingcenter.org
Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester & Tuckahoe
The mission of the Community Fund is “to support broad social services in Bronxville 10708, Eastchester and Tuckahoe through grants and technical support to local agencies and community projects. All money raised here in our community stays here in our community.”
15 Park Place
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-8808
www.thecommunityfund.org
Friends of the Bronxville Library
The Friends of the Bronxville Library is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to focus attention on the “Library’s services, facilities and needs” as well as sponsor projects and provide materials that are beyond the reach of the Library’s regular budget and perform other services.
Junior League of Bronxville
The Junior League of Bronxville is “an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
Rotary Club of Bronxville
The mission of the Rotary Club of Bronxville is to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and to encourage and foster (1) the development of friendships within the community as an opportunity for service, (2) high ethical standards in business and professions, (3) the application of the ideal of service of each member to his personal and business and community life and (4) the advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through a world fellowship.”
Senior Citizens of Bronxville
Senior Citizens of Bronxville is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs to seniors within the 10708 zip code area. “Programs cover a wide range of activities from educational seminars and cultural enrichment, to community services, bridge classes and exercise.”