Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Letter from Class President, November 2020

 Hello, friends from Class of 1990!

I am excited to introduce our new team of Class of 1990 officers, who are volunteering for a 5-year term until our next reunion in May 2025.  

 

Reunion Chairs: Amanda Orr and Stephanie Smith
Secretary: Stephanie Foster
Treasurer: Bronwyn Wallace
Digital Media Coordinator: Cathy Katona
Fund Team Coordinators: Karen Smith and Dorothy Adler Kenney


While we were not able to celebrate our 30th Reunion in person in May, more than 100 members of the class—from across the US and internationally—logged in to our Virtual Reunion (and dance party!).  Our reunion class gift to Smith was $560,000.  Thank you to all who participated and donated!


Having so many of our classmates together during the Virtual Reunion, even for just a few minutes over the internet, was energizing for all who were involved.  Many have since remarked that they had not realized how important Reunion was to them until it was gone—that the loss of connecting with classmates in person is still felt these few months later.  Therefore, a primary goal of our new class officer team is to find ways to keep this Reunion energy alive by fostering additional opportunities for connecting.  


Planning is underway for a series of virtual Class of ’90 gatherings--Zoom get-togethers and webinars focused on professional topics, current events and issues, navigating life in our ‘50’s, and some “just for fun” sessions.  


Please take our survey and let us know what topics are most interesting to you.  We request that you complete the survey by November 15, 2020 so that we can start planning.


Once we’ve synthesized what we have heard from you, we will send out a calendar of events through e-mail.  If you were unable to participate in the Virtual Reunion, we hope you will join us for some of these sessions—we would love to see you!  


We also hope that additional connections with our Smith friends and family might help ease the dislocation many continue to experience during the pandemic.  Whether it’s sending your news to the Alumnae Quarterly, contributing to the conversation in our active Facebook group, or participating in an upcoming virtual gathering, there are many ways to be in touch with the class and the larger Smith community; please also see the links below.  


Stay safe and well, ‘90’s—and we hope to see you soon, virtually!


All the best, 


Megan Mulvihill Elkins

Class President

meganmulvihill@icloud.com


Virtual Gatherings Survey for 2021

Planning is underway for a series of virtual Class of ’90 gatherings--Zoom get-togethers and webinars focused on professional topics, current events and issues, navigating life in our ‘50’s, and some “just for fun” sessions.  

Please take our survey and let us know what topics are most interesting to you.  We request that you complete the survey by November 15, 2020 so that we can start planning.


Contacts for 1990 Class Officers 2020-2025

 Here are the email addresses for the Class officers: 


Class President: Megan Mulvihill Elkins meganmulvihill@icloud.com

Reunion Chairs: Amanda Orr amandaorr@gmail.com  and Stephanie Smith stephaniesmithjajodia@gmail.com 

Secretary: Stephanie Foster Stefania.Foster@gmail.com   

Treasurer: Bronwyn Wallace Bronwyn.Wallace@hkstrategies.com  

Digital Media Coordinator: Cathy Katona ckatona@mac.com  

Fund Team Coordinators: Karen Smith kannes@msn.com  and Dorothy Adler Kenney marydorothyadler@gmail.com 

'90's in the News!

 ‘90’s in the News!

The Muhammad Ali Center recently named Farah Pandith ’90 as its first-ever Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate. In her role, Pandith will work with NGOs, corporations, philanthropists and governments in ways that build on the center’s commitment to social justice.  Read more about the Center and Farah’s appointment here.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

2020 Commencement & Reunion Canceled

From Alumnae Relations, March 18, 2020

Smith has made the difficult decision to cancel Reunion 2020. These are unprecedented times and, while our hearts are heavy, we know that putting the health and wellbeing of our community first is the wise and prudent choice. Every year, we look forward to welcoming alumnae back to campus. Please know that the Alumnae Relations and Development team shares your disappointment about this cancellation.

Refunds
*All registrations will be automatically refunded over the next few weeks.

*You may opt to donate your registration instead to The Smith Fund in support of our students and the college. If you wish to do so, please write to reunionregistration@smith.edu.

*We are also grateful to those alumnae who made additional optional donations to the college at the time of registration. Unless you advise us otherwise, we will retain those Smith Fund gifts made through the registration process. If you wish to have your gift refunded, please write to reunionregistration@smith.edu.

Stay Connected
We know that Reunion is an important time where alums look forward to connecting with classmates and friends. Our staff will remain in touch with your class officers to discuss ways to share information and important updates. Reach out to your classmates by phone, email or on social media. Let’s be creative to keep the Smith connections going!

Additional Questions?
Contact the Reunion Registration Customer Service Team at reunionregistration@smith.edu or 413-585-2150.

We ask for your patience and understanding in the weeks ahead as we work to address your questions and process hundreds of registration refunds. At this time of so much uncertainty, we are grateful for the level of care and generosity shared within the Smith community. Our alums and students make us proud every day; this month is no exception.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

UPDATE Reunion 2020

From Smith College Alumnae Relations:

"Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, we have decided to put a hold on any new registrations for both Reunion weekends. We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will make a decision regarding these events in the near future. If we do decide to cancel, anyone who has already registered will receive a full refund. For the latest information on Smith's response to the COVID-19 virus, please visit this webpage."

Friday, March 6, 2020

2020: We Can See Clearly Now


Announcing our 30th Reunion Theme!

Arguably, our 25th reunion theme sparked a class revolution of sorts. Each of us are (still) wonder women in our own lives but in "2020: We Can See Clearly Now" The reunion committee chose this theme because while some of us might be relying on reading glasses and others on hindsight, our vision for the future is coming into focus!