Release date: Jan. 31, 2003
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Kenneth Cole Fellows Learn How to Build Community, Bring About Social Change

Emory University announces its second class for the Kenneth Cole Fellowship in Community Building and Social Change, a comprehensive, 12-month program that combines teaching, research and community service to prepare Emory undergraduates to be the next generation of community builders.

"We have an outstanding group of Kenneth Cole Fellows for 2003. In addition to their enthusiasm for wanting to make a difference in the world, and their interest in a rigorous experiential learning program, they draw upon a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences," says Michael Rich, associate professor of political science and director of Emory’s Office of University-Community Partnerships. This year’s class of fellows includes 12 juniors and five sophomores from 11 different departments and programs and 11 states.

The Kenneth Cole Fellowship introduces some of Emory’s brightest students to the challenges and opportunities for strengthening communities in contemporary urban America. Through academic coursework, an intensive summer practicum, site visits, small group discussions and an annual leadership conference, Kenneth Cole Fellows learn firsthand the role collaboration plays in resolving serious public problems.

"We had an exceptional first year for this new program. Through our summer field practicum—the core of the program—the Kenneth Cole Fellows made important contributions to the work of our community partners in five collaborative community-building projects that addressed a number of important issues in the greater Atlanta community," Rich says. "It has been truly gratifying to hear our community partners acknowledge the many important contributions the Kenneth Cole Fellows made this past summer, and that their work is being used by these agencies and organizations to further their efforts to build stronger communities."

The inaugural group of Kenneth Cole Fellows recently completed the program and will make brief presentations on their summer projects at this year’s Kenneth Cole Leadership Forum on "The Public Trust: Building Community in an Age of Uncertainty," to be held Jan. 29-30 at Emory.

Emory launched the fellowship program, the first of its kind in the United States, in 2001 with a lead gift from the Kenneth Cole Foundation. Cole, chairman, CEO and creative director of Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. and a trustee of the Kenneth Cole Foundation, has long used social-consciousness messages in marketing his products. He is a 1976 graduate of Emory.

The Kenneth Cole Leadership Forum is an initiative of Emory’s Office of University-Community Partnerships. Visit the Kenneth Cole Leadership Forum Web site for full program details.

The 2003 Kenneth Cole Fellows for Community Building and Social Change include:

Kirsten Clark
Junior, political science,
Tampa, Fla.

Emily Cohen
Sophomore, religion and biology
Wilmington, Del.

Christopher Cummings
Junior, sociology
Tallahassee, Fla.

Lauren Drayton
Junior, psychology
Alpharetta, Ga.

Lindsay Friedman
Sophomore, political science
Rye, N.Y.

Julius Jessup
Junior, sociology
Elizabethtown, N.C.

Sarah Johnson
Junior, interdisciplinary studies in culture and society
Tampa, Fla.

Heidi Kauffman
Junior, philosophy
Atlanta, Ga.

Juno Lawrence
Sophomore, international relations and Spanish
Aurora, Colo.

Alexis Malkin
Junior, psychology, linguistics and biology
Wichita, Kan.

Sarah Osmer
Junior, sociology and religion
Princeton, N.J.

Laura Robinson
Sophomore, political science and economics
Oakton, Va.

Matthew Rubinoff
Junior, sociology
Potomac, Md.

Mithu Tharayil
Junior, sociology
Burlingame, Calif.

Samuel Wakefield III
Sophomore, political science
Anderson, S.C.

Devon Weprich
Junior, political science
Norcross, Ga.

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