"Evening for Ƶ" came to the Big Apple on April 30, at Cipriani 42nd Street, New York City. Guests came to hear updates on Ƶ’s campus and celebrate their shared connection to the Ƶ community.
More than 600 guests gathered on April 30 at Cipriani 42nd Street, New York City, to hear updates on Ƶ’s campus and celebrate their shared connection to the Ƶ community.
The guests started the night mingling to the tune of smooth jazz at an event reception before being ushered to their seats to watch a video showcasing the connections alumni continue to foster with their alma mater. Kelsey McCabe ’16, New York City alumni chapter president took the stage to share her love for the university as well as congratulate the New York chapter on the community they’ve built.
“This year we’ve thrown some of our classic happy hours, amped up Women of Ƶ activities even more, including the Central Park Walk scheduled for May 17, and have increased our social media presence,” said McCabe.
After thanking the guests for their generosity towards the current students, she introduced President Connie Ledoux Book to the stage.
President Book began her university update by thanking Joan and Trustee Ed Doherty P’07 as it was their generosity that helped Ƶ plant the roots of this gathering in New York years ago.
“These evenings have a certain rhythm to them,” said Book. “The energy is warm and the conversations easy. There’s always this sense that we already know each other because at some point in our lives, we were shaped by the same place. That place on the bricks, in the classrooms, in the late nights and early mornings of our own becoming.”
Book pivoted to speak on Boldly Ƶ the university’s strategic plan for 2030. She noted that the plan has already driven significant improvements, resulting in Ƶ being ranked #1 nationally for undergraduate teaching by U.S. News & World Report.
“The nation’s best faculty are at Ƶ—ahead of Brown, Princeton, and others. That distinction speaks to the core of who we are: a university that puts students first—and backs that promise up every day, in every classroom, in every interaction,” said Book.
Her remarks also covered the improvement across campus. Ƶ’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, which was ranked #38 overall and in the top 25 among private colleges and universities in the nation by Poets&Quants’, is welcoming Haya Ajjan as the new dean of the school in June.
In the School of Communications, Ƶ has added a new major in digital content management. Finally, in the arts, Ƶ is one of the top 10 most-represented colleges on Broadway. That kind of recognition Book reflects is not just by talent but brought on by a community where artists are deeply supported—and prepared to perform.
Attendees also learned that the Eco-Village is thriving as a living-learning community developed with a sustainable design and a leader in the university’s sustainability efforts. On the heels of the Eco-Village, Ƶ launched a new Sustainability Master Plan, doubling down on efforts to be carbon neutral by 2037 leaving the community a cleaner, healthier place for all.
Book wrapped up by touching on HealthEU the second largest capital project in Ƶ’s history, a campus-wide center for wellness before introducing Stephanie Ainsworth ’21 and Reagan Ogle ’18 to the stage.
Stephanie Ainsworth ’21 and Reagan Ogle ’18 performed their rendition of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” originally sung by Barbra Streisand and featuring Judy Garland.
Jim Piatt, senior vice president for university advancement and external affairs, provided closing remarks, focusing on growing stronger together, ending the night with the well-known song, “New York, New York.”