College Road

Celebrating Yanvalou

Kera Washington ’93, director of Wellesley’s Yanvalou Drum and Dance Ensemble, co-founded the group in 1990, blending African and Caribbean music and dance. The numerous instruments Yanvalou members play come from every part of the African and African diasporic world: drums from Ghana, the handheld mbira, or thumb piano, from Zimbabwe, and Ugandan harps called adungu. Yanvalou, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in April at a special show in Jewett Auditorium (see above), fosters community and cultural connection and is a beloved feature of the College’s biggest moments, from convocation to commencement.

Jaffe Becomes the College’s Lead Fundraiser

Marisa Jaffe ’95 has been named Wellesley’s vice president for development. Jaffe, who majored in American studies with a concentration in political science at Wellesley, holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She began her career in development in 2006 at Wellesley, working at the College for four years before joining Harvard Medical School as director of development for principal and major gifts. She returned to Wellesley in 2013 as director of principal gifts and became assistant vice president for development in 2019. “Her strategic insights, keen fundraising skills, and the strong relationships she has built will position her for success in this critical role,” President Paula A. Johnson wrote to the Wellesley community in announcing Jaffe’s promotion. Jaffe said, “The generosity of our alumnae, parents, and friends enables much of the College’s excellence—educating outstanding students regardless of their financial circumstances, supporting brilliant faculty, and sustaining the magnificent campus. Inspired by their commitment, I am honored to work with our motivated development office to support Wellesley now, and for its future.”

A New President for the University of Liberia

After 12 years as the Katherine Stone Kaufmann ’67 Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), Layli Maparyan left the College in February to become president of the University of Liberia. During her tenure, Maparyan led WCW’s 2014–24 strategic road map process and expanded its global reach. She developed important partnerships and collaborations in Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, India, Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, including two international conferences on women- and gender-focused research. Maparyan chaired Wellesley’s Department of Africana Studies for five years and served on the Black Task Force and the Strategic Planning Working Group. Reflecting on her tenure at WCW, Maparyan said, “To work in such a mission-driven community with world-class colleagues and among some of the most brilliant students in the world has been an extraordinary experience. I will always carry this place with me, and it will continue to inspire me as I begin my next adventure.”

Med/Ren Turns 50

Wellesley’s Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program, known affectionately as “Med/Ren,” was founded in 1975. Since then, co-directors of the program Simon Grote and Valerie Ramseyer, both associate professors of history, wrote in an invitation to a birthday bash for the program, “We have grown into a community of several hundred faculty and students, former and current, including nearly 200 alumnae with a major or minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.” The gathering, titled “Experience the Middle Ages and the Renaissance at Wellesley College,” celebrated the College’s extraordinary capacity for bringing students into sensory contact with the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through the collections of objects in its libraries, museums, and musical performance spaces, from medieval and Renaissance artwork to rare books and manuscripts. The party moved from the Davis Museum to Pendleton West for a festive buffet (with cake) and an open rehearsal of Renaissance music by Wellesley’s Collegium Musicum.