Dear Alums and Friends of MLC,
Welcome to the first MLC newsletter!
The past year has been busy as we moved steadily away from pandemic protocols and limitations. More of our students studied abroad this year, including participation in our MLC summer programs, most of which have not run since 2019. Professors have returned to a more normal rhythm of research and teaching, being able to travel to archives and to conferences. We have all thankfully reduced the amount of time spent on Zoom meetings.
The department sponsored many more activities this year as well, bringing scholars from around the world to present on a wide variety of topics, often directly related to content taught in the classroom.
At our departmental graduation ceremony on May 13th, we welcomed 29 students into the ranks of MLC alums. In my brief comments at the ceremony, I urged our grads to remember the significance of speaking the language and understanding the culture of other human beings, even if artificial intelligence might be able to approximate these skills and knowledge.
I hope you enjoy reading a sampling of what is going on in MLC. Since this is the first edition of the newsletter, we are experimenting with the format and the content. Please bear with us and let us know what you think. You can send comments to: abrett@ur.rochester.edu.
On behalf of my colleagues, I send you best wishes and our sincerest desire to hear from you and what you’re up to, especially how MLC classes have influenced your lives and careers.
I'd also like to thank Audrey Brett, MLC's Program Coordinator, and Carlotta Gambato, our Departmental Administrator, for their work on this newsletter.
Sincerely,
Ryan Prendergast
Chair, Associate Professor of Spanish
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