NEW LONDON, Conn. — Since its founding, Connecticut College has made the arts an integral part of campus life. That tradition continues with the 2025–2026 arts at Conn season, which features more than 40 concerts, exhibitions, plays, dance performances, and film screenings open to students, faculty, staff, and the greater New London community.

The season’s diverse programming highlights the ways art serves as a uniquely human form of expression, exploration and connection. This year’s events collectively serve as a call to action: to stay connected with loved ones, reach across divides, care for the natural world, and find strength in vulnerability.

Anchoring the season is the OnStage Guest Artist Series, featuring:

• Nicholas Rodriguez in Sincerely, Sondheim (Sept. 27).
  
  
• Dan Colley’s Lost Lear (Oct. 25), presented with support from Culture Ireland.
  
  
• The Westerlies brass quartet (Nov. 14).
  
  
• BalletX (Jan. 24).
  
  
• Sindhoor Natya – Navarasa Dance Theater (Feb. 7)

The Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology will present its 18th Triennial Symposium, All Too Human (Mar. 26–28). The symposium features an international exhibition showcasing over 30 artists, nightly performances, and a keynote address by Emmy- and Peabody-winning documentarian Katerina Cizek.

Visual arts exhibitions in the Cummings Arts Center include UnBodied (Nov. 4–21, 2025) and Borderlands: Soft Margins, Hard Truths (Jan. 20–Mar. 6, 2026), which examines race, space, and colonial legacies. Theater productions range from 1984 (Oct. 10–12) to Promenade (Feb. 27–Mar. 1), while dance and music performances highlight original choreography, student compositions, and faculty ensembles.

“This season brings together student work and seasoned professionals in ways that highlight art’s power to remind us of our shared humanity,” said Joe Matovic, box office manager. “We hope community members join us in experiencing these moments together.”

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College has appointed Allison Gomes as its new vice president for advancement, effective Sept. 15.

Gomes brings nearly two decades of advancement leadership experience, including a strong record of securing transformational gifts and developing high-performing teams. She most recently served as vice president for institutional advancement at Bennington College, where she led a staff of 15 during the leadership phase of a $100 million comprehensive campaign.

Her strategic approach helped secure tens of millions of dollars in lead gifts, rebuild the advancement team, and launch innovative initiatives such as a scholarship matching challenge to expand the major gift pipeline.

“Allison is an accomplished advancement leader who has demonstrated her ability to strengthen institutions through philanthropy, engagement and strategy,” said Connecticut College President Andrea E. Chapdelaine. “Her leadership will be vital as we continue building a strong future for Conn.”

Prior to Bennington, Gomes held senior advancement roles at Baystate Health Foundation, Smith College, and The Williston Northampton School. Across these institutions, she consistently exceeded fundraising goals, fostered strong alumni and donor relationships, and advanced strategic planning and campaign initiatives.

Gomes earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University and an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has presented her work at national conferences of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and has been published in the Journal of Education, Advancement & Marketing.

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NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College is excited to announce the appointment of Susan Purrington as its new AI fellow, a strategic role  focused on exploring artificial intelligence applications in teaching, supporting faculty development, and thoughtfully incorporating AI fluency, tools, and ethical considerations across the institution's esteemed liberal arts curriculum. Purrington will officially begin her tenure on Monday, July 21.

This pivotal appointment underscores Connecticut College's proactive approach to preparing students for a future shaped by AI, ensuring they possess both the technical understanding and the critical ethical frameworks necessary to navigate this evolving landscape.

"We are thrilled to welcome Susan Purrington to Connecticut College," said Jessica McCullough, director of research support & curricular technology. "Her expertise will be instrumental in empowering our faculty and students to thoughtfully engage with AI, ensuring our liberal arts education remains at the forefront of innovation while upholding our core values."

In her new role, Purrington, will lead the AI@Conn Initiative, a comprehensive effort to foster a campus-wide understanding and responsible application of AI. Her core responsibilities include:

• Faculty Development: Designing and delivering workshops, seminars, and resources on generative AI, providing essential technical and pedagogical support to faculty.
• Curricular Support: Collaborating with faculty in examining AI topics and experimenting with  AI tools in their courses.
• Tool Evaluation: Overseeing the acquisition, testing, and implementation of AI tools that align with the College's stringent information security requirements and ethical principles.
• Annual AI Symposium: Organizing and leading an annual symposium on AI and the Liberal Arts, featuring workshops, prominent speakers, and showcasing exemplary projects from across the College.

The inaugural AI and the Liberal Arts Symposium is set to take place October 17-19, 2025. This flagship event will bring together scholars and practitioners to explore the intersection of AI and the liberal arts, offering invaluable insights and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. The keynote speaker for this year's symposium is Lance Eaton, who recently shared his perspectives on the event in an interview with Lori Looney, research and data librarian. 

Purrington will also cultivate extensive cross-campus collaboration, partnering with key departments and centers including the Dean of Faculty's Office, the Center for Teaching & Learning, the Ammerman Center for Arts & Technology, the Department of Computer Science, and the Connections Pathway: Data, Information, and Society.

This strategic appointment reaffirms Connecticut College's commitment to delivering a relevant and rigorous liberal arts education that equips students with the skills and ethical perspectives needed to thrive in an AI-driven world.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — A newly released report from the Centers for Housing Opportunity highlights the urgent need to diversify and strengthen civic participation on local land use boards across Connecticut—and Connecticut College students, alumni, and faculty played a key role in bringing it to life.

Titled Room at the Table: Increasing Civic Participation in Land Use Decision-Making, the report draws on two years of statewide research. It reveals that 10% of board seats in both New London and Fairfield counties are unfilled, with another 10% held by members serving expired terms. Most critically, the demographic makeup of these boards fails to reflect the communities they serve.

Three members of the Conn community directly contributed to the project: current PICA Scholars and Summer Civic Leaders Ava Gebhart ’27 and Josh Caskey ’27, and PICA alum and former Holleran Center Fellow Annika Brown ’23. All were involved in research and data collection during their time with the College’s Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy.

Ron Flores, professor of sociology and former faculty director of the Holleran Center, also served as a researcher and co-author.

“This project gave students the chance to connect research and policy at the local level—where change often begins,” Flores said. “It’s a reminder that our students’ contributions are not just academic—they matter in real-world decision-making.”

Connecticut College remains an executive committee member of the Centers for Housing Opportunity. 

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College honored 433 graduates during its 107th Commencement on Sunday, May 18, on Tempel Green. The event marked the first Commencement led by President Andrea Chapdelaine, who took office this spring.

In her remarks, Chapdelaine applauded the Class of 2025 for its resilience, curiosity and contributions to the College and the broader community. “You’ve learned how to ask the right questions, think across disciplines and lead with integrity. That’s what the world needs now,” she said.

Keynote speaker Maxim Langstaff ’81, a Grammy- and Emmy-nominated producer, urged graduates to “step into ambiguity with curiosity,” sharing lessons from his decades in music, media and cultural storytelling.

Senior class speaker Natalia Hall ’25 reflected on four years of growth: “We are not the same people who arrived here — and that’s the point. We leave more aware, more grounded and more prepared.”

By the Numbers:

•     433 graduates, including 20 transfer students and one ROTC student
•     Students hail from 32 U.S. states and 19 countries
•     22% identified as students of color; 17% are first-generation college students
•     31% participated in Study Away or SATA programs
•     32 students graduated summa cum laude; 142 earned Latin honors
•     44 students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa

•     284 students earned departmental honors

The class included double and triple majors across disciplines from neuroscience and government to dance and film studies. Nearly one in five graduates completed a Pathway or Certificate Program, including Arts and Technology, International Studies, and Public Health.

A photo gallery from the ceremony is available at:

conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2025/commencement-2025

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