December
20, 2001
Lincoln
University Shares Good Will with Chester County Neighbors
(see
related pictures)
Now is the season to combat the wintry chill by singing
carols, spreading cheer and, most importantly, strengthening
ties with friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Judging
by the responses of those who attended or coordinated
Lincoln University's December 6 holiday concert, Lincoln
succeeded on all three fronts.
As part of the University's community-outreach programs
with its southern Chester County neighbors, Lincoln drew
an overflow crowd this year to the popular holiday concert.
The long-awaited event featured the Lincoln University
Concert Choir accompanied by the West Chester University
Orchestra's string section. It was held in Lincoln's Mary
Dod Brown Memorial Chapel which seats approximately 300
persons. But after the audience grew, the chapel staff
had to open the adjacent hall to accommodate the additional
guests that included a group from the Ware Presbyterian
Village, a retirement center in nearby Oxford, Pa.
Lincoln University officials said that they were thrilled
to share the concert with the community.
Lincoln University President Ivory V. Nelson said, "It's
gratifying to see such enthusiastic attendance from the
community. Lincoln University has been a part of Southern
Chester County for more than 147 years. Not many schools
can boast of having so lengthy a connection with their
surrounding community. The University cherishes that connection.
That connection is the reason we make this concert and
other campus events open to the public. It's our way of
showing our appreciation of our Southern Chester County
neighbors. And I hope to see more community residents
at all our campus events."
Dr. Gladys J. Willis, dean of the School of Humanities,
said, "Attendance was far superior to last year's [concert]"
and added she also was "very pleased to see community
members there."
The musicale was a presentation of Lincoln's Lectures
and Recitals Committee and the Department of Music. Similar
to many of Lincoln's events, the concert also was planned
with the community in mind. Committee chair and Langston
Hughes Memorial Library Director Emery Wimbish said, "The
connection with the community is very important" and as
a consequence his committee "always tries to provide a
series of varied programs with broad appeal and free admission
to make the community feel welcome."
Choir Director and Music Department Chair William B.
Garcia said that he had invited the West Chester musicians
to foster a community spirit. He added that the group
"added immeasurably to the concert."
West Chester University Associate Professor of Music
Sylvia Ahramjian, who instructs the string ensemble, agreed.
He said that he was excited to let her students participate
in the musical collaboration.
"I think too many times universities exist in their own
little world," Professor Ahramjian said. "Everybody benefits
when they get out and share their own experiences."
Founded in 1854, Lincoln University is a premier, Historically
Black University that combines the best elements of a
liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum
and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of students
living in a highly technological and global society.
Lincoln University enrolls 1,871 students and is one
of the largest employers in southern Chester County with
450 employees.
