Dickinson Forward Lands in London
London video image
video and photos by Joe O'Neill
Dickinson alumni, faculty and students connect in England
The Dickinson Forward Tour went international recently, with a stop in London, where the global Dickinson community came together to celebrate the college’s new data analytics program as well as the launch of some new international internship opportunities. Hosted by Board of Trustees members Jennifer Ward Reynolds '77 and Thomas L. Kalaris '76, P'11, at the Royal Automobile Club, the event also featured comments from data analytics faculty, a student currently studying abroad in the Dickinson in England Program and Jones’ announcement that the college’s Campaign for Scholarships reached the $50 million milestone.
“My view of a Dickinson education is an education for life,” said Kalaris, noting that the lifelong connections Dickinson forges extend well beyond campus. “I’m really happy and pleased that we’ve been able to take the Carlisle network and bring it here to London."
The event was hosted by Board of Trustees members Jennifer Ward Reynolds '77 and Thomas L. Kalaris '76, P'11, at the Royal Automobile Club.
It’s fitting that the event showcased lifelong alumni connections with the college, since the data analytics program itself grew out of collaborations between alumni and faculty. Created through the Revolutionary Challenge program, the department is a testament to the power of innovation among Dickinson graduates, faculty, staff and students.
“One of the unique features of this major is that it was really created through this model of co-innovation and alumni engagement,” said Associate Professor of Economics and Data Analytics Emily Marshall. “And we’re trying to continue that process and continue that feedback loop, so that we’re hearing about things that are happening in the workplace and bringing those back into the classroom.”
Associate Professor of Economics and Data Analytics Emily Marshall highlighted how the data analytics program was launched through faculty and alumni co-innovation.
To facilitate the kind of feedback Marshall described, the event included a dinner during which Marshall and Professor of Mathematics and Data Analytics Dick Forrester met with alums such as John Kosobucki ’86, founder of OX Digital Health, and Alexandra Medeiros '18, technical problem solver at Epic, London. Topics of discussion included data analytics and the liberal arts, artificial intelligence and the future of work and experiential learning.
The event also included several students currently studying abroad in the Dickinson in England program, giving them the opportunity to network with alums in the London area. “You’re able to see the endless opportunities that Dickinson offers,” said Belgin Koc ’24, who spoke during the event about her experience studying abroad in England. “And you’re able to see real-life experiences and people who have come so far in their lives.”
But it wasn’t only the students who appreciated this opportunity to connect. “This is my favorite event of the year that Dickinson does,” said Jonathan Haworth ’04, ABC's London news editor. “I have come to this event for probably 10 years in a row. … My favorite thing about this is meeting all the students that are here. They really get to learn about and engage the world in a way that a lot of other students don’t get to do.”
Professor of Mathematics and Data Analytics Dick Forrester spoke with alumni about data analytics and the liberal arts, artificial intelligence and the future of work and experiential learning during a dinner following the event.
Learn more about the Dickinson Forward Tour and recent stops in Wisconsin and Florida.
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Published May 6, 2023