DelVal hosts a Town Hall Meeting for alumni
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Delaware Valley College held a Town Hall Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 11 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., to give alumni out in that area a chance to hear about the college firsthand and join in on the conversation.
The college would like to host similar future events to make getting involved easier for people who aren’t living in the Doylestown area. The meetings will be held at fun events, so that alumni can spend a day enjoying an event like the farm show, learn about the strategic plan, and discuss the latest updates about the college all in one trip.
“The annual Farm Show provides a great opportunity to learn about what’s new in agriculture, meet new friends, eat some great food and plan for the year ahead," said Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Russell C. Redding, who hosted the event. "In addition to all these benefits, Delaware Valley College, has added this year, the opportunity for alums to participate in a conversation with College President Dr. Joseph Brosnan and the college leadership about all the exciting things happening at DelVal.”
Dean Redding shared that before he came to work for DelVal he would hear about an idea or a plan and come back to find that idea or plan being carried out.
“It was no longer about the strategic plan that someone was talking about,” said Dean Redding. “…It went from ‘we need to do that’ to ‘we are doing that.”
What he saw made him want to get more involved.
“I thought, this is a place that really has a bright future,” said Dean Redding.
College President Dr. Joseph S. Brosnan, Dean of Business, Education, Arts and Sciences Dr. Benjamin Rusiloski and Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Russell C. Redding provided updates on topics including: facilities, academic programs, the financial state of the college, experiential learning, changes in leadership, the types of students the college is attracting, and more.
The panel then opened up the discussion for ideas, comments and questions from alumni.
Questions touched on a variety of topics ranging from parking issues at alumni events to programs for students.
Some shared general feedback about how they feel about the college and others made suggestions.
Doug Christie ’67, who leads DelVal’s farm management team, shared that he likes how students today can get to know their college president.
“Joe walks across campus today and the students know him by name, he knows them by name,” said Christie. “It’s a different atmosphere then when some of us were students.”
Jim Hoover ’61 shared that DelVal prepared him to succeed. His daughter graduated from DelVal also and even met her husband at the college.
“I really credit DelVal for a lot of the success,” said Hoover.
Another alumnus, who was a student from Dr. Rusiloski’s first chemistry class 17 years ago, shared her experiences with seeing recent graduates in her field. She provided valuable input about how to best prepare DelVal students for jobs in the dairy industry.
The meeting closed with a short video about the college.
“I thought it was very enlightening,” said Shaun Henry ’97. “It was the first opportunity I had to hear about the strategic plan firsthand.”
He particularly liked the video.
“The video was great,” said Henry. “…It tied agriculture and science to present day problems and solutions.”
Derrick Hudson ’97 said the event was “very informative and educational.”
“It almost made me want to go back to DelVal,” said Hudson. “There’s a vibe and an energy…I think I would want my kids to go here…There’s a lot of pride out there for DelVal.”
He is concerned about the name and hopes that the current name can be incorporated in some way when the college becomes a university. He worries that the reputation of the college might get lost if the name is changed.
Hudson, who is working in the golf course management industry, said DelVal has a strong reputation in his industry.
He liked the video and said that it was informative and “gets you energized and excited.”