Media Coverage

A July 31 article titled "Four Colleges on the Fall Semester" in Politico on return to campus plans led with and featured Colby. When asked if some colleges won't survive the pandemic, President David Greene noted that Colby is very strong. “In a normal year, we would have 2,000 students on campus. We have 2,100 students now who said they’re going to be here this fall,” he said.

Both the Washington Post and Associated Press included Colby again in stories about the coming fall semester. Both articles, which published July 31, were also picked up by a significant amount of other media, including leading papers like the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tiffany Lomax has been named the College’s first director of recreation services. Lomax, who currently serves as associate director of wellness, recreation, and campus events at Delaware State University, will assume her role in August. Lomax will be responsible for launching an integrated program—including intramural and club sports—a multi-layered fitness program, meditation and mindfulness experiences, and for working with student leaders to provide the campus community with varying options to stay active and develop healthy life habits. She will work closely with members of the Colby Athletics Department as well as the Office of the Dean of the College to expand the program so all students can engage with the offerings. “An active and healthy lifestyle is an important part of the Colby experience for all students,” said Vice President and Harold Alfond Director of Athletics Mike Wisecup. “Tiffany’s talent, passion, and deep background in recreational services and her ability to collaborate across departments will play a key role in helping to elevate our program across campus as well as the broader Waterville community. We’re incredibly excited to have her join our team.” With the opening of the new athletics and recreation center coinciding with having Lomax in this inaugural directorship role, Colby is positioned to be one of the nation’s leaders in collegiate recreation, wellness, and fitness. From participating in meditation, yoga, aquatic, or spin classes in the new fitness studios to challenging themselves in the three-floor fitness center or on the state-of-the-art climbing wall, the student population will benefit from Lomax’s leadership to fulfill their college experience in ways that will redefine the potential of what colleges have to offer in the world of recreation. “Building out the College’s recreational opportunities for our community and especially our students has been a goal for years,” said Dean of the College Karlene Burrell-McRae ’94. “At Colby we understand the importance of living well and have valued having recreational opportunities as an additional asset to our academic program to help guide our students to an amazing and comprehensive collegiate experience in search of growth, knowledge, and health. We are excited Tiffany is joining our team and are certain every student at Colby will benefit from the many ways the new athletics and recreation center will help this program flourish.” In addition to Delaware State University, Lomax spent time at The George Washington University as well as with the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. In July, Campus Rec magazine named Lomax one of its five African-American women leaders in campus recreation. “I’m extremely excited to join Colby College and help develop a robust recreation program with the support of various campus partners that will serve Colby and the greater Waterville community,” Lomax said. “Recreation has provided me with positive healthy behaviors, social engagement opportunities, professional development, and a sense of belonging to my campus community. I’m thrilled to enhance these opportunities for all students on Mayflower Hill.” Lomax is an active committee member of the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association. She has a master’s degree in sports administration from Delaware State University and will complete her doctoral degree in educational leadership later this year.

A July 28 Wall Street Journal article titled "Back-to-College Plans Devolve Into a Jumble of Fast-Changing Rules" mentions Colby's plans in the second paragraph. "In Waterville, Maine, Colby College plans to open most of its campus to students and faculty with one of the more ambitious testing protocols in higher education. The small school expects to administer about 85,000 Covid-19 tests this fall, including testing students, faculty and staff at least three times during the opening weeks of the academic term."

The July 28 Colby election poll showing Maine's Speaker of the House Sara Gideon with a five-point lead over Susan Collins was covered by these major news outlets: 

New York Times

Boston Globe

Maine Public

Portland Press Herald

International Business Times

The Hill

 

An Associated Press story on July 19 about COVID-19 testing strategies for colleges opens with an explanation of Colby's testing program for this fall. "For students heading to Colby College in Maine this fall, coronavirus testing is expected to be a routine part of campus life," the lede reads. "All students will be required to provide a nasal swab every other day for two weeks, and then twice a week after that. All told, the college says it will provide 85,000 tests, nearly as many as the entire state of Maine has since the pandemic started." Media outlets across the country picked up the story, including the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Seattle Times.  

Associate Professor of Psychology Chris Soto was quoted in a Discover magazine story titled "Who Are You? The Lure and Limitations of Personality Tests." Since "most popular personality quizzes give us a positive outlook on ourselves, and rarely highlight the negative," Soto said that it simply “feels good to say good things about yourself.” 

Tayo Clyburn, presently vice president of inclusive diversity and equity and chief diversity officer at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, has been named dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Colby. He comes to Mayflower Hill with extensive experience in diversity and inclusion in higher education. At Colby Clyburn will lead and oversee campus-wide initiatives supporting Colby’s ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. He’ll work across departments, including the Office of the Dean of the College and the Office of the Provost, shaping policies and practices to ensure a more inclusive, equitable, and welcoming community.     “Colby is in the space of thinking about what are the innovative practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Clyburn, who has been engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion work for more than 15 years. “[Colby] has taken up those practices across all sectors of the institution—in athletics, advancement, admissions, in the faculty space, and in the student-services space—that's the ideal integrated model for diversity and inclusion. That's the model that I believe in, that's the way I approach doing the work.”   In his role at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Clyburn has provided leadership, consultation, and assistance to various constituencies at the college, supporting actions that foster greater diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accountability. He also assisted in recruiting and retaining faculty, staff, and students from historically underrepresented groups as well as in providing environments where every community could thrive. Prior to that, he served at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University, which he joined in 2010 while he was still a Ph.D. candidate. In his last role as executive director for mission and strategic partnerships, he led strategic initiatives and special projects, developed relationships with campus partners, and addressed university-wide issues. “I've always desired to have an impact and to do this work well,” Clyburn said. “Colby is poised to have an impact on higher education and on the world in general. That's what I see, being able to be a part of the team that's moving that conversation, moving the institution to be a leader in these areas.” Dean of the College Karlene Burrell-McRae ’94 said, “Tayo is really gifted at thinking about each person's role and responsibility in creating an equitable and anti-racist community. I think Tayo comes with a spirit of openness, of optimism, and has the ability to ask critical questions to be able to move us to where we aspire to be.”  Clyburn holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University’s English Department, where he specialized in 20th- and 21st-century African-American literature as well as critical race theory. His dissertation explored the ways African-American writers portray the impact of colorblind/post-racial discourse on the lives of Black people. “Tayo comes to us as a scholarly practitioner who is very student-centric, student-focused. He has the right ingredients to build strong relationships with faculty, staff, and students to make a difference and advance our collective work," said Burrell-McRae. “Having someone whose entire role is dedicated to thinking with us, bringing different stakeholders into the fold to think about diversity, equity, and inclusion and what it will take to create an anti-racist community is really exciting.” Assistant Professor of Computer Science Eric Aaron, a member of the search committee, was impressed with Clyburn’s communication skills, commitment to issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and wealth of experience. “Like other Colby faculty members, I want to do all I can to provide a sense of belonging for our students,” said Aaron. “Tayo will do a great job of providing institutional support for that.”  Students on the committee echoed similar sentiments. "I am extremely excited for Tayo Clyburn to come to Colby,” said Deekayla Thomas ’23. “He has the motivation and experience that will aid Colby in moving forward and expanding on the work that has already been started." In addition to Aaron and Thomas, the search committee included Eniola Adeoye-Lawal ’23, Alex Heisler ’21, Tiger Nguyen ’23, Associate Professor of Anthropology and African-American Studies Chandra Bhimull, Associate Director for Talent Development Melissa Breger, Dean of the College Karlene Burrell-McRae, Lawry Family Director of Civic Engagement and Community Partnerships Elizabeth Jabar, Interim Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion JJ Jackson, and Vice President for Enrollment and Communications and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Matt Proto.    Clyburn will begin his work at Colby August 26.

Colby's Pay it Northward campaign was the lead item in the July 23 Forbes article "To Succeed, College Students Need Schools To Measure, Prioritize Building Networks" by Michael Horn. "In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Colby College turned heads in May when it guaranteed that all 300 of its seniors still in search of work would have a meaningful opportunity within three months of graduating," he wrote. "That a jobs guarantee is newsworthy says a lot about higher education today. President Greene calling on Colby alumni and families reflects the fact that it’s networks—not just degrees—that lead to jobs."

In a July 20 Washington Post article titled "On some college campuses, a new fall rite: coronavirus testing," Colby is featured prominently and said to have "a maximalist position: Test everyone, and test often."