Alumni News

On Wednesday, March 13, we came together to celebrate all things Lewis & Clark on our 9th Annual Day of Giving!

February 15, 2024 (Portland, Oregon)—Palatine Hill Review from Lewis & Clark College, has been recognized as a REALM First Class magazine for the 50th Anniversary Edition, “growing pains” by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Palatine Hill Review, “growing pains”, Volume 50 Student Editors: Jillian Jackson, AJ Di Nicola, Elizabeth Huntley, Zach Reinker, Max Allen, Burton Scheer

Four Commemorative Cover Artists: Anneka Barton, Dakota Binder, Zach Reinker, Kincaid DeBell

Faculty Advisors: Karen Gross, Mary Szybist

Staff Advisor: Amy Baskin

From ceramics to glycomics, learn how Lewis & Clark’s new faculty developed an interest in their field—and why they are excited to join the L&C community. 

Associate Professor of Art History Dawn Odell was named Lewis & Clark Teacher of the Year on April 17, 2024.

The Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement (IME) office is excited to launch a First-Generation Mentorship program and we are calling upon all first-generation staff, faculty, and alum!

In May, West Linn, Oregon, residents resoundingly chose 23-year-old Rory Bialostosky BA ’22 as the city’s youngest-ever mayor. His election as mayor follows a series of “firsts,” including a term as West Linn’s youngest city council member while he was a full-time student at Lewis & Clark.

Three recent alums have served at Hygiene4All, a Portland-based nonprofit that works to ensure those who are unsheltered have equal access to basic resources like hot showers, trash disposal, and first aid.

Paula Hayes BS ’92, Lewis & Clark’s new board chair, is an entrepreneurial cosmetics chemist and founder and CEO of Hue Noir.

Director of Accounting Marietta Lawson BS ’79 grew up across the street from Lewis & Clark, and will retire at the end of this month after working nearly 30 years in the Office of Business and Finance. Here she reflects on her countless adventures on campus as it changed over the years.

Lots of moves, name changes, and more are reflected in the August update of the printable campus map.

Valerie White is retiring as Lewis & Clark’s ombudsperson on June 30, 2024, after more than fifteen years in the position. As anyone who interacted with her during her time on campus knows, she has had an outsized impact across the L&C community.

Cooper Kroll BA ’24 will address graduates at the College of Arts and Sciences commencement on May 4.

2023
L&C Alumni Leadership Award (for service to L&C alumni)

Hillary was an English major at L&C who worked on the student produced literary magazine, the Literature Review. Hillary interned for the British Museum and Bloomsbury Publishing and went on to complete her MA in English from Boston University. Later Hillary would begin her work in social services, focusing on survivors of domestic violence. She initially worked on the crisis hotline for Call to Safety and most recently at the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services. She feels enormously privileged to have had a Lewis & Clark education and has helped to create an annual English student scholarship. Interested in volunteering her time, Hillary joined the Board of Alumni in the fall of 2012. During her eight-year tenure on the board, she served in many capacities, including president.

Donald G. Balmer Citation (for service to the college)

Mark served on the staff of Lewis & Clark College for 32 years. He began his time as chaplain and was later promoted to dean of spiritual life. His responsibilities included chaplaincy for the entire L&C community along with undergraduate teaching. Mark served as a pastoral presence in times of both joy and tragedy. He maintained a passion for service on college committees while affirming a climate of inclusion and equity that supported the diverse religious and spiritual identities on campus. During his time at L&C, he married over 235 couples - many of whom were alumni, staff and faculty, and officiated 125 funerals and memorial services, including services for both Don and Betty Balmer. Mark earned his PhD from the Graduate Theological Union in 1988. He served as both a Presbyterian parish pastor and a seminary professor before coming to Lewis & Clark.

2023
Outstanding Young Alumna Award

Ululani is a middle school science educator in Hawaiʻi who epitomizes an unwavering commitment to fostering culturally responsive pedagogy and environmental stewardship. She teaches at Wai‘anae Intermediate School as a member of Teach for America. Ululani was recognized for her ability to intersect science curriculum with ʻike kupuna (ancestral knowledge), and in 2022 she was selected for a We The Peoples Before Education Fellowship organized by the First Peoples Fund, a nonprofit organization that works to support the art and culture of Indigenous communities. During this time she earned her MS in education from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

2023
Distinguished Alumnus Award

Art graduated from L&C with a BS in history in 1969. He completed medical school and began working at a health center in an Appalachian coal mining town. Art has been a buprenorphine (Suboxone)-prescribing physician, treating patients with opioid use disorder since 2003, and is board-certified in addiction medicine as well as internal medicine. Art has become an outspoken critic of Purdue Pharma’s marketing, testifying before a Senate committee hearing on the OxyContin problem in 2002. His work with local community groups who are seeking public policy changes and expansion of evidence-based treatment was featured in the books Painkiller and Dopesick.

Please join us February 27 - 29 for the 10th annual Middle Eastern and North African Studies Symposium. Driven by the Middle Eastern North Africa Studies program at Lewis & Clark, this year’s symposium sets out to explore linguistic diversity and identity, multicultural communications, and language politics.