Hi5—July 12, 2019

Welcome to Hi5! Every week, we will share five newsworthy highlights from the desk of President Cordano. If you are interested in keeping up to date, open this email and check out all the new buzzworthy content!

Board retreat recap

The Board of Trustees had a productive retreat June 30-July 2 in Atlanta, Georgia. The trustees also visited Martin Luther King, Jr. historic sites and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. This retreat marked the last time the Board would be joined by departing trustees James Macfadden, ’62; Jeffrey Humber; Dr. Jorge Díaz-Herrera; and Atlanta native Nancy Kelly-Jones, ’72.

Health and Human Services officials visit Gallaudet

Two officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services visited Gallaudet’s Technology Access Program on June 25. Eric Hargan, deputy secretary, and Lance Robertson, administrator of HHS’s Administration for Community Living, met with President Cordano, Provost Erting; Dr. Christian Vogler, director of TAP; and TAP staff. ACL, through its National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, has funded TAP’s work for over 30 years. Says President Cordano: “We know that the work that we are doing here is supporting the personal and professional success of deaf and hard of hearing individuals throughout their lifespan. We are creating a world that is more welcoming and more supportive for deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind individuals.” We thank NIDILRR for their ongoing support.

ASLTA conference

Gallaudet was extraordinarily well represented at the American Sign Language Teachers’ Association conference June 30-July 3 in San Diego, California. Faculty, current students, and alumni of the Master of Arts program in Sign Language Education (MASLED) came out in force, as shown in the photograph above. President Cordano said of this gathering, “This is our ASL ‘army’ that is supporting language vibrancy and vitality.” She also attended the closing ceremony and paid homage to DawnSignPress on its 40th anniversary, citing DSP founder Joe Dannis, ’78, as a visionary entrepreneur and a pioneer in the deaf ecosystem. 

Gallaudet participation in Festival Clin d’Oeil, WASLI, WFD, and other events

France is the epicenter of the international deaf community this month, and Gallaudet has a role in each event. Festival Clin d’Oeil was held last week in historic Reims. This week, there was a conference, “The Life of a New Word, Audism: Practices, Areas of Knowledge, and Social Change,” in Paris. Children of Deaf Adults (CODA) International is holding its annual conference from now through Sunday in Fountainbleau. The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) is meeting in Paris immediately afterward. Finally, the XVIII World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf meets in Paris July 23-27. Our attendance at and support of these events expands our global outreach!

Student-athlete Hannah Neild nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

Gallaudet University senior Hannah Neild, from Litchfield, New Hampshire, is one of 585 nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their athletic eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. Hannah is Gallaudet's first NCAA Woman of the Year nominee since Elena Ciccarelli, ’15, who was nominated in 2015. Good luck, Hannah!

Have a good weekend!