Members of the Emory Gay and Lesbian Alumni (GALA) gathered last Friday, January 21, for their sixth annual Fund-Raising Reception, which took place at the home of Dirk Brown 90B and Tim Burns. The 40 attendees raised $2,225 to support the GALA Student Leadership Scholarship Award and the 2011 Pride Awards. And that brings the total cash in hand for the GALA Student Leadership Award to $70,323, and the total pledged balance to $142,515.

The new GALA co-chairs Ryan Roche 03Ox 05C and Lily Correa 73C reviewed the past year, and also highlighted future GALA events and programs. Michael Shutt, assistant dean for campus life and director of the Office of LGBT Life, updated the group with information from his office.

In the photo above, Olivia Wise 10C (left), recipient of the first GALA scholarship award in 2009, and Aby Parsons 16PhD, right, chat during the reception.

See more photos of the GALA Fund-Raising Reception on the EAA's photo page.

Kelley Adams Lips 02Ox 04C graduated from Oxford College, then Emory College, and now she works in the admission office at Oxford helping her alma mater recruit the next generation of Emory alumni ... students who will follow in her footsteps.

EAA Communications Coordinator Drew Dotson caught up with her and they discussed Lips' job, what makes Emory special and how she got to live in an pro-Emory household.

Click here to learn more about the Alumni Admission Network (AAN).

DD: You’re an assistant dean of admission at Oxford. What are your primary responsibilities?

KAL: I began working at Oxford in 2004 upon graduating from Emory. I knew I wanted to pursue graduate school, but was not sure in what area. I interviewed for the position at Oxford and had originally planned to stay for two years before pursuing graduate school full-time. After my two years as an admission adviser passed, I was not ready to leave and, instead, began graduate school part-time. Seven years from when I began, I am still here and love my job more now than ever! Currently my primary responsibilities in the office are coordinating travel for recruitment purposes, staff development and new training, overseeing the application review process, and working with our Alumni Admission Network and Parent Recruitment Network.

DD: You graduated from Oxford in 2002. Is Oxford different now from the Oxford you remember?

KAL: The main difference is the new residence hall, East Village; I wish I could have lived there! Another difference is the emphasis on sustainability. East Village has some impressive features to reduce and reuse energy. We also have a community garden here at Oxford and the dining hall receives much of the food from local farmers. I think it is wonderful that students are more aware of the impact we have on our environment. Oxford continues to be a place where students grow and transform. There was always an emphasis on learning experiences outside of the classroom, but that has only increased with programs like the Pierce Institute, which emphasizes community engagement, leadership, and global engagement.

DD: When you continued to Emory College, what were some of the biggest adjustments you had to make?

KAL: When I continued to Emory, I immediately found new ways to be involved and joined the crew team. My biggest adjustment was waking up at 5:00 a.m. every morning for practice! Otherwise my transition was a smooth and positive experience. The experiences were different in many ways, but one wasn’t necessarily better than the other. I am really glad I was able to start my Emory education at Oxford.

DD: What makes the Oxford experience distinctive?
KAL: At the risk of sounding cliché, the community at Oxford isn’t like any other I have experienced. It has a friendly and inviting aura. Oxford was academically challenging, but I always felt supported and that the faculty truly cared about my success. I also liked the feeling of walking across campus and being surrounded by familiar faces.

DD: What is your favorite thing about your job?
KAL: My favorite things about my job are the same characteristics I enjoyed when I was a student. I am very much a part of a community and appreciate that connection I have with others. I work with wonderful people who are truly invested in me as a person, just like the faculty and staff were when I was a student. I also appreciate the opportunities I have to grow professionally and personally here at Oxford. Lastly, the students are a huge factor in my job satisfaction. Often I recruit them at their high schools and then see them all the way to graduation. It is amazing to think that, in a small way, I had a part in their decision to come to Oxford. I still keep in touch with many students who I met my first year here in 2004.

DD: What's been the biggest surprise about your job?

KAL: I met my husband, Erik, through my job. Erik currently works in the Office of Financial Aid at Emory, but up until a few months ago worked in the Admission Office. He came to Oxford for a meeting during my second year and we met for the first time. We didn’t talk again for almost a year, but eventually we began dating and then he proposed in the Chapel here at Oxford. Another big surprise was that we were able to use our hotel points accumulated from traveling for recruitment to stay in Aruba for 12 days for our honeymoon. Needless to say, we have a very pro-Emory household.

John W. Rozier 39C 47G, director of Emory’s information services department for two decades, passed away on January 8, at age 92. He was the epitome of the scholar and the gentleman, and he was dedicated to Emory in many ways.

Many of us who knew and worked with Mr. Rozier knew about his career in journalism and his role in making Emory’s news bureau a model of consistent and positive communication. Few of us knew about his leadership as commander of a landing craft tank during World War II or his career in foreign service which took him from Lebanon to Korea to China.

His witness to history early in his life translated into a love of history for the rest of his career. He researched and wrote about the Civil War and civil rights in middle Georgia, where he was born and where he later managed a newspaper.

He headed Emory’s information services department during two decades of fundamental changes in the university. He was responsible for the university’s public relations around events ranging from its admission of African American students in 1963 to the “God is Dead” controversy in 1966.

At a time when print media and personal contacts were a journalist’s tools, Mr. Rozier was indefatigable in his efforts to place stories about Emory in local and national sources and to ensure that an accurate picture of the growing university was portrayed. Mr. Rozier was a most unassuming person--it was always about the story, never about him. Despite that modest demeanor, he had significant influence and impact at Emory, and he accomplished many things without ever losing his sense of humor.

In retirement, he maintained close ties with Emory and even earned the Emory Medal in 1978, Emory's highest honor exclusively for alumni. Mr. Rozier and had time to explore his interest in the history of the University.

In 1983, he published Out of the Grandstand and Onto the Playing Field: A History of the Division of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics at Emory University, 1880-1983. Beginning in 1986, he served as a volunteer interviewer for a series of recorded and conversations with key administrators and alumni about Emory’s history.

He was involved in Emory’s Emeritus College, earning one its distinguished service awards in 2007. One of his favorite ongoing connections to Emory was being part of the Corpus Cordis Aureum (CCA), the 50- and 50-plus year graduates (as seen in the photo above) who march in the Commencement procession each May wearing their gold robes and CCA medallions.

He and his wife Dorothy Evan Rozier 46G lived in the Emory neighborhood and were frequent visitors to campus. They especially enjoyed attending poetry readings and author talks at the Woodruff Library. They were also regulars at the book sale held by the library for many years. Dorothy often worried aloud that if John brought one more book home, that their house would collapse under the weight of his collection.

At a memorial service on Saturday, January 22, an overflow crowd celebrated Mr. Rozier’s life. His son John Paul Rozier 73C described his father’s extraordinary military service, and the Rev. Larry Bauman 55T 71T characterized Mr. Rozier as a “solid Emory man.” Emory claims many solid citizens among its alumni, faculty and staff. None were more dedicated or more humble than John W. Rozier.

Read Emory Report's tribute to John W. Rozier.

-- Ginger Cain 77C 82G, director, library public programs

P.S. If you'd like to leave your own memory of Dr. Rozier, please post a comment below.

Here's a throwback picture from the 2007 Emory Gay and Lesbian Alumni (GALA) holiday social. We may be past the holiday season now, but the glad tidings never stop with GALA.

Good food, great company, and a terrific cause ... That's what Emory GALA is all about tonight as they celebrate their sixth annual Fund-raising Reception. The proceeds go toward the GALA Student Leadership Scholarship Award. Emory GALA is the first and only alumni interest group of the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) to have created and fully endowed an undergraduate scholarship program for the benefit of LGBTQ students.

The Emory Pre-College Program, an academic program for high school students, is now accepting applications. 2011 marks it's third year—and it’s a program that has become a popular place for children of alumni.

Last year, 28 children of alumni attended the program, which is more than 20 percent of program participants. One of those students was Melanie Rieder of Short Hills, NJ, daughter of Rick Rieder 85C, a member of the Board of Trustees, and Debbie Rieder 83C.

Melanie (first row, second from left, above) grew up with Emory as a household word—not only are her parents alumni, two uncles (Michael Lieb 83C, Jeffery Rieder 87C) and an aunt (Susan Rieder 87C) are Emory alumni as well. Though she visited the University many times as a child, her parents felt it was important for her to experience Emory on her own before making a decision to attend.

“We wanted Melanie to see Emory from her own perspective,” Debbie Rieder said. “The Pre-College Program gave her the perfect opportunity to do so. It was important to Rick and to me that Melanie make her own independent decision about whether or not Emory was a good match for her. We wanted her to want it.”

Melanie spent two weeks at Emory last summer, drawn not only by her family’s affinity to the University but to the course description for Nancy Marshall’s class, The Magic of Photography. She spent two weeks living on campus, enjoying the many extra- and co-curricular activities and local trips offered by the program.

“She loved it,” Debbie said. “And the rest is history. She applied early decision, and will be attending Emory next fall.” And that makes her an Emory Legacy.

See a video about the Emory Pre-College experience here.

The Emory Pre-College Program offers six-week credit courses in disciplines including biology, economics, mathematics, film studies, languages, sociology and psychology. Students may also enroll in two-week non-credit courses, which include classes such as The Neuroscience of Technology, The Science and Policy of Disease, Writing the Personal Essay, and Law and Litigation. Courses run from May 16 to August 5.

For full course listings, admission requirements and an online application visit Pre-College Program's website. To request a brochure, email the Pre-College Program at summerprograms@emory.edu or call 404.727.0671. The preferred application deadline is May 1. The courtesy scholarship is available for six-week credit courses.

--Elizabeth Elkins 95C, senior program associate, summer school and pre-college programs

Celebrating service last weekend on a street known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in New York couldn't have been more appropriate.

Harlem's "Main Street," MLK Blvd. (also known as 125th St.), is where St. Joseph of the Holy Family Soup Kitchen is located, and it's also where the New York Chapter of Emory Alumni held a "Day On" service project on Saturday, January 15.

Alumni like Ben Knapik 06B (left) and Montshona Edwards 07C helped set up the soup kitchen that day and also clean up the church. The silverware was wrapped very nicely.

To see more pictures from Emory's Day On in New York visit the EAA's photo page.

The first day of Emory's King Week 2011 began with service projects scattered across Atlanta and concluded with a compelling panel discussion about service in Glenn Auditorium.

Monday, January 17, was Emory's traditional "Day On," a nice, orderly change of pace following nearly a week's-worth of snow- and ice-related mayhem in Atlanta. Students and alumni alike planted trees in the King Historic District and volunteered at several nonprofits here in the late civil rights leader's hometown.

Then at 7:00 p.m., several of those volunteers as well as a variety of other guests attended the panel discussion, "Open Doors and Open Minds: The Intersection of Race and Gender in Service."

Before the speakers (two Emory alumni among them), took the stage, a pair of Emory's a cappella groups, Dooley Noted (above) and AHANA, warmed up the crowd. Pleasantly, the energy didn't dissipate when the conversation began.

Asked how service came to play a role in her life, panelist Renelda Mack 83C, the founder of Emory Cares International Service Day for former president of the Emory Alumni Board (EAB), credited her mother, a teacher, who worked in Belle Glade, FL, one of the state's poorest communities.

"I saw a compassionate group of teachers who served students and the rest of the community, not just educationally, but spiritually." said Mack, now chief of the civil rights in Florida's state attorney's office.

"It was a logical extension of their work," Mack continued. "In that environment, luxuries were few but love was abundant. The value of service was not taught, but something I caught by being in that atmosphere."

Moderator Doug Shipman 95C, an EAB member and CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, kept the conversation lively, and deftly wove King's words into the discussion. Shipman's reference to King's "World House," an image from his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, led to one of the most intriguing points of the night.

All the panelists agreed that Americans are quick to come together to help each other when it's needed, and that community service can break down many barriers. It's what happens after that service is over and we return to our normal lives where we might need to take a second look.

"We can live next door to folk, but rarely invite them into our homes," said panelist Young Hughley, CEO of Resources for Residents and Communities of Georgia. The "World House," Hughley said, is about "more than just coming to someone's aid. It's about having a one-on-one relationship and learning more about your Hispanic neighbor or gay brother."

Could that notion--that service breaks down the barriers that for whatever reason are standing pretty high in our day-to-day lives--be worth further exploration?

It was a fascinating thought as the first day of Emory's nine-day-long King Week closed.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Thank you Michelle Diamond Greenberg 02C and David Greenberg 03B of La Jolla, CA, for this picture of their daughter Andie from Emory Cares International Service Day: San Diego in December. We're not sure what Andie is running from, but we're sure it's for a good reason.

We also want to know if we can get her shirt in our size. It's pretty sharp.

You can see more photos from San Diego and other cities on our Emory Cares Facebook page as well as the EAA's photo page.

And if you live in St. Louis or Jacksonville, the EAA is sponsoring Emory Cares projects in your city on Saturday. There still might be time for you to sign up. Get to it!

Emory celebrates its 175th birthday in 2011 and the candles are on the way.

The official anniversary of Emory's charter is December 10, but the yearlong University-wide pre-party will be impressive.

Just before Christmas, the University launched its Emory175 Twitter feed and posted an anniversary webpage. And get used to the spiffy logo we have at right; this won't be the only time you'll see it over the next 361 days.

Much more is planned, too, so be sure to keep your eyes open for a plethora of upcoming 175th anniversary activities.

One of the most intriguing features of the celebration so far is the 175 Almanac, which breaks up Emory's long history into bite-size nuggets that offer daily snapshots of life in our community as it happened.

For instance, on this day, January 4, in 1966, Emory students joined students from other college campuses in Georgia to launch "Affirmation: Vietnam," a movement to express support for U.S. military action in South Vietnam. Tomorrow's update takes us back to the 1830s, but I don't want to spoil it for you. You can check it out yourself.

I'd be surprised if this makes the almanac, but January 10 will mark my 11th anniversary as an Emory staff member. A quick check of my computer's calculator indicates that I've personally experienced approximately 6.3 percent of Emory's history. Let's see if I can dredge up some perspective.

I've served under two presidents, worked in three buildings (one of which no longer exists), attended 11 Commencements (my favorite speaker was Tom Brokaw in 2005), staffed hundreds of events, written thousands of stories, seen more than 30,000 Emory alumni (my constituents and I love them all) graduate, and printed hundreds of thousands of pages of text (and recycled every one of them).

Yikes.

All that said, it's nice to know that I--like all of us in the Emory community--have played a part (however small) in helping it reach this 175th anniversary year as one of the world's most prestigious universities. That's gratifying.

Who knows if there will be another 11 years for me, but I'm certain Emory will enjoy another 175 and much more. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's enjoy Emory's 175th year. It's just getting started and it will be a fun ride.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

No, we haven't taken down our holiday decorations either.

The Miller-Ward Alumni House's Walt Davis Room just looks too festive! We'll get to it, though. Too many exciting things on tap for 2011 to be picking up pine needles every day.

Photo by Cassandra Young 07C.