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Simmons College 300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
617.521.2000

College News

New Warburg Chair Joins Faculty
Afghani Students
Simmons College Student Blogs
Construction of the New Simmons Library
Symposium 2005

New Warburg Chair Joins Faculty
From ambassadorial posts to college classrooms, Walter C. Carrington has made a career out of creating connections between Africa and the U.S. Now, Carrington brings his experience and insight to the Simmons community, as the College’s 10th Warburg Chair in International Relations.

Professor Walter Carrington

“I hope my time at Simmons will contribute to a greater understanding of Africa, not as a monolith, but as a continent of some 54 countries with different histories and potentials,” said Carrington, the first African-American to hold the position.

The former ambassador to Nigeria and Senegal, Carrington has a long and decorated career. Carrington began his international relations career as one of the seven original overseas directors of the Peace Corps, eventually becoming director in charge of all Peace Corps operations in Africa. Positions in the nation’s capitol followed, including consultant to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in human rights and democratic change in Africa. He also served as executive vice-president of the African-American Institute, an international non-profit organization that promotes African development through education and training.

Carrington’s posts in higher education include director of Howard University’s Office of International Affairs; visiting professorships at Washington College, M.I.T., and Marquette University; and lecturer at the University College of Sierra Leone.

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Carrington has been a Fellow of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University since 1997. He has published and lectured in the U.S. and abroad on Africa and the status of African-Americans, and is currently writing a book on Nigeria.

The Warburg Chair in International Relations was established in the early ’80s by Joan Melber Warburg ’45. Most recently, Charles Dunbar served as Warburg Chair, using his experience as Charge d’Affaires in Afghanistan to educate the Simmons community on post-9/11 Middle East relations.

Simmons College Welcomes Two Female Students from Afghanistan to Study for College Degree
On Sept. 3, Simmons College welcomed two young women from Afghanistan on full scholarship, for the opportunity to study for a college degree that was denied them under Taliban rule.

Simmons is the first college in Massachusetts to offer four-year scholarships to Afghan women through the Rhode-Island based Initiative To Educate Afghan Women (IEAW). The IEAW helps Afghan women resume their educations after years under strict Taliban rule, when Afghan women were forbidden an education and were punished for trying to learn.

The two women were chosen along with 12 others by the Initiative to begin their freshmen year around the U.S., paid for by each college. One of the women was secretly home schooled in Afghan during the Taliban rule, and then set up her own secret home school for other Afghan women. The other's family moved to Pakistan to allow her to pursue secondary schooling.

Also, as an unprecedented move for a college, Simmons is encouraging a "community read" about Afghan women and culture under the Taliban rule, by purchasing 2,000 copies of the book "Sewing Circles of Herat," as a gift to every faculty, staff, and student member of the undergraduate college. College officials say the community is being encouraged to read the book to help everyone understand the culture and challenges of Afghan women under Taliban rule in order to better welcome and support them.

All the scholarship recipients will return to Afghanistan each summer and after graduation, to work in their country's reconstruction efforts and to help move other women forward. "Our participation in the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women fits perfectly within the Simmons mission of educating women for power and leadership," said Simmons College President Daniel S. Cheever Jr.

The IEAW was founded by Paula Nirschel, wife of the president of Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, in 2002. Other colleges around the nation also are joining the Initiative.

Welcome to the Simmons College Student Blogs
Five first-year Simmons students have volunteered to keep an online journal and share with you their first semester experiences. Each student was given a digital camera so they can show you firsthand what it is like to pack for college, say goodbye to old friends, and meet their roommates. You'll be able to follow these students’ stories as they begin classes, make friends, and explore Boston.

Simmons Student Bloggers

As a sneak peek into the lives of first-year Simmons students, these journals will be interesting and helpful for women starting their college searches. Please check back often to follow the exciting journey of these five women.

» Read the student blogs.

Construction of the New Simmons Library is underway!

Sketch of the new library - view from The Fenway

Designed by noted library architects Fletcher, Harkness, Cohen, and Moneyhun, the new facility is the result of a collaborative effort engaging College administration, faculty, library and other staff, and students. Joining new construction with a renovated LeFavour Hall, the project will bring beautiful event spaces, state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, group study rooms, new classrooms, and much more to our community – and it will become a social and academic hub for the Simmons campus at 300 The Fenway.

Sketch of the new library - view from MCB parking lot

Watch for updates and view construction photos at http://www.simmons.edu/libraries/information/.

Symposium 2005: The Power of our Presence: Past, Present, and Future
Rashonda Ambrose ’02, Alicia Canady ’03, Wachmide Labranche, and Monique Screen ’02 (pictured below) shared a fantastic night filled with great music, fun, and socializing at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge Sept. 18, with more than 40 alumnae/i and friends in attendance. The event was planned to spread the word and build momentum for the Black Symposium 2005. The Symposium, a historic event which will take place April 7-10, is designed to celebrate the Black experience at Simmons with its alumnae/i, faculty, staff, and students. This historic event will include keynote speakers, a variety of workshops, and social events.

From left to right: Rashonda Ambrose '02, Alicia Canady '03, Wachmide Labranche, Monique Screen '02.
Photo Credit: Jan Taylor

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