A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E - Colby-Sawyer College

Year-round Learning: Summer Classes Debut
Colby-Sawyer launched a set of
eight-week summer classes in June,
attracting nearly 100 current students
for a pilot program of 13 online courses.
Students often take more than four
years to complete their undergraduate
education due to financial issues, lack
of preparedness, academic difficulties or
other life issues, according to Academic
Dean Beth Crockford. To make up for
lost time, many students take summer
classes at other colleges, which has long
raised questions for the
dean about the uneven
quality of their off-campus
academic experiences.
Last summer the Registrar’s
Office received more
than 200 inquiries about
summer courses students
hoped to transfer to Colby-
Sawyer. It was clear, says
Dean Crockford, that the
college was missing an
opportunity—and it was
one faculty members were
excited to explore.
Thomas Kealy, associate
professor and chair
of Humanities, was eager to teach an
online course.
“I see it as a way to help the students
who have very busy schedules during
the academic year to meet some of their
graduation requirements over the summer,”
he says. “I teach an exploration
course in literature, so I kept that focus
and goal in the forefront of my mind as
I prepared the summer course. It was an
excellent experience for me to return to
the texts themselves and to use differ-
Alumna Honored for Peace Corps Service
In 1990, at age 53, Diane Shugrue Gallagher ’57 served two
years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cape Verde and went on
to work as a recruiter in the organization’s Boston office from
1993 to 1998. Since then Gallagher, now 74 and a resident of
Brookline, Mass., has promoted the value of Peace Corps service
by speaking at local schools and events in the Boston area. She
especially enjoys sharing her experiences with Peace Corps trainees
who are about to depart for their host country.
In Atlanta last May, former President Jimmy Carter and
Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet presented
Gallagher with the 2011 Lillian Carter Award. The award honors
exceptional Peace Corps volunteers over age 50 who advance
the organization’s goal of promoting Americans’ understanding
of people from other nations.
“Peace Corps service had been my dream since the day
President Kennedy issued his call to service 50 years ago,” says
Gallagher, who deferred her dream to marry and raise a family.
“As a returned Peace Corps volunteer, I share stories and my
love for my country of service with other Americans to bring my
4 COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI MAGAZINE
ent activities and strategies to create a
user-friendly learning environment for
students. It’s not every day that we
are asked to reinvent ourselves.”
Director of Human Resources
Sharon Beaudry, who teaches courses
in Business Administration, used her
experiences with online graduate classes
to create her own online course.
“I had the opportunity to try out
the class with a student studying in
Washington, D.C., last spring and surprisingly,
I got to know
him better than I know
many of my face-to-face
students,” says Beaudry.
“Online classes will be
important in the future
and a way to offer interesting
options to students.”
“The time is definitely
right to move in this
direction,” says Dean
Crockford. “We’re just
getting started and I’m
excited to help develop
this terrific opportunity
for broadened learning
communities.”
Diane Shugrue Gallagher ’57 receives the Lillian Carter Award from former U.S.
President Jimmy Carter. The biennial award was established in 1986 in honor of
Carter’s mother, Lillian, who served as a health volunteer in India at age 68.
rich experience overseas home to the United States and recruit
the next generation of volunteers.”
To learn more about 50-plus Peace Corps volunteers, visit
www.peacecorps.gov/50plus.
PHOTO: Gil Talbot
COURTESY OF PEACE CORPS