Connectictions Culmination: A Preview of the Sixth Annual All-College Symposium

Courtesy of Sean D. Elliot

The culmination of years of education and community engagement will shine front and center during senior presentations at Connecticut College’s sixth annual All-College Symposium on Nov. 7, 2024. 

Over the course of the day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 202 students from five centers, nine integrative pathways, and one certificate program will present projects focused on each of their independent driving interests. Each student, through the Connections curriculum, has been engaged with their interests since they matriculated as Conn students. Through their preparation for the Symposium, they have discovered ways to convey their learning, gathered across disciplines, to an audience of their peers, mentors, friends, and family. 

The remainder of the campus will be effectively limited in operations for the day: classes, club meetings, co- and extra- curricular activities are all canceled. The sole focus for the Conn community is the celebration of the senior cohort engaged in centers, pathways, and certificate programs. 

In addition to the students presenting, there are teams of administrators, staff, faculty, and other students working behind the scenes to get ready for the big day. Over one hundred people will be working around campus on that day to ensure things run smoothly for presenters and audiences. 

In preparation for the event, Assistant Dean of the College for Connections Libby Friedman ‘80 attended the Oct. 24 Student Government Association General Assembly meeting for an open forum on the Symposium. Her interest in the Symposium and Connections in general was evident from listening to her talk. She is excited for the Symposium and hopes students are too. 

Connections is the general education curriculum for Conn students, and refers to the requirements that students take different Modes of Inquiry, Social Difference and Power courses, and a First-Year Seminar, among others. Connections also offers students the opportunity to be a part of a center, pathway, or certificate program, each of which provides cohorts of students with faculty and staff specifically engaged in students’ interdisciplinary interests. 

“The whole idea is that those [centers and pathways] are interdisciplinary. Students from every major are in every single pathway and center,” said Friedman. 

In their senior year, Connections supports students in the Symposium where they present their individual interdisciplinary journey. Each presentation, like each experience at Conn, is unique. 

“Everything is about giving you a great education, but this in particular is a massive, exciting, fun event where hundreds of people are involved,” said Friedman about the day of the Symposium. 

Students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members from New London and student hometowns come to celebrate seniors at the Symposium. With 139 panelists and 63 poster presenters, the Symposium is one of the best opportunities people have to learn about what the Connections curriculum offers Conn students. Whether students choose to come to just one presentation or one in each session, they are sure to find a subject of interest from their peers at the Symposium. 

Increasingly, families and recent alumni are finding the Symposium a good excuse to come visit campus. For those who don’t like the crowds during Fall Weekend or who didn’t get a satisfying picture of Conn’s academics during Harvestfest, the Symposium provides a great opportunity.

Friedman said, “This is a nice time for your families—if they’re relatively nearby—to finally know what you’re talking about.” 

The Symposium, and Connections more broadly, provides students with a voice to learn more and share more about the topics that are important to them. As a presentation, the Symposium helps enforce self-confidence and passionate articulation skills for seniors. 

Those interested in a session do not need to register or sign-up in order to attend. Information about the schedule of events for the day can be found in the Guidebook app or website or on the Connecticut College All-College Symposium webpage. There will be information tables at the front of Shain Library Monday through Friday leading up to the Symposium to learn more about Guidebook and how to navigate the many session offerings scheduled to occur.