First Alumna on Board of Trustees
I first knew I wanted to attend Franklin College in the fall of 1972, when I received a postcard from my brother, who was there as a freshman. The postcard was a typical Lugano card of the lago -- mountains in the distance and palm trees in the foreground and I remember thinking, “This is for me!” I had been in an all-girls boarding school for 4 years in the hinterlands of Massachusetts and was ready for an adventure.
I spent two years at the college, and was a member of the first class to graduate from the newly accredited Franklin College in 1975. I was immediately tapped to be the class agent for my year, and over the years stayed in touch with the college on a fairly regular basis.
After graduation I returned to the US to finish college at Boston University. I was extremely unhappy back in the States and had major culture shock. I arranged to take a year off and got a job in Greece, where I lived for fourteen months. I never would have had the courage to make a move of this kind without the confidence instilled in me by my years at Franklin. Since then, I've had several other opportunities to live aboard, though never for as long as I would have liked!
In 1995, Dr. Nielsen, then the newly appointed President of Franklin, asked me if I would consider becoming the first Alumni Trustee to the Board. I was thrilled and honored and jumped at the opportunity. At the same time, Paul Lowerre, was also asked to join the Board. (We knew each other since Paul's wife, Ursula Gentile Lowerre had attended FC the year behind me.) Paul and I jumped into the fray together.
When I first joined the Board, the Alumni Trustee position was a 2 year term. I worked hard, together with Paul, to begin many initiatives the Board had mandated we complete. I was diligent enough that before my term was over, the Board elected me to the full board. Now, as Vice Chair of the Board, I am proud to be a part of Franklin 's history…and its future.
My experience at Franklin was life-changing. It opened my eyes to many new experiences, cultures, languages, religions and political systems around the world and gave me a fresh perspective on how Americans viewed the world and how we in turn were perceived by that world. (This was during the end of the Viet Nam war, and I often found myself trying to explain American policies to my non-US friends – policies I myself had to first learn!)
You wanted to know why the trustees are so dedicated to the college. I can't respond for them, but I will say for myself that I quite simply believe in its mission. I believe that there is a critical need in the world for an environment such as Franklin 's where students from over fifty different countries may come together and learn, often up- close and personal, about cultures, religions and politics different from those with which they are familiar. And, that by so coming together and learning (and caring) about each other, they might foster an environment – a world – in which people are more apt to tolerate that which is different.
I believe Trustee Bell explained in his letter the role of the Board of Trustees, so I don't feel the need to expand upon his well-articulated explanation. I would however like to add that a large part of what we do is raise funds to support the campuses, the administration, the faculty and thereby the courses offered, and each and every student attending Franklin. I would like to assure you that we are a very committed group. It is important for us to see Franklin succeed and become an even stronger and even more competitive institution for higher learning, one which is recognized around the world. My degree from Franklin is probably the most important of the three higher degrees I hold and I would like it to gain in stature for me, as well as for all those who pass through its doors.
Thank you for this opportunity to voice my reasons for being involved in this inspiring institution!
Respectfully,
Angela W. Fowler
Vice Chair