A Reciprocal Affair

    Bennington, like the College itself, is in a state of evolution. That may have been most obvious in the last two and a half years, when each issue of the magazine unfolded a new dimension: a new look, a new feel, a new angle to how we tell our story. In putting together this issue, we paid particular attention to the voices that make up Bennington’s complex and interwoven narrative. You will find below, for example, our first published letter to the editor. It stands as an open invitation for you to engage and respond.

    Among our featured stories you’ll find one authored by Claudia Rowe ’88, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist who writes for The Seattle Times, among other publications. With her piece on alternative college applications, we launch a new national section, which calls upon top journalists to put what is happening at Bennington within the context of a broader public dialogue: Right where it belongs.

    We’ve also added a section to Class Notes for current students, who continue to astound me, and I hope now you, with their accomplishments. Last, and perhaps best, you will find on page 33 an “Assignment.” For as long as I have worked at Bennington, and I am sure long before, students and alumni have talked about assignments that changed the way they see something or that opened up entirely new possibilities and dimensions of their work. This cornerstone of the Bennington education no longer resides in the classroom alone: in each issue of Bennington we will publish an assignment from a course, current or past, and invite you to share the results of your work with us online.

    And as always, we have put together a magazine we hope is as vivid, as vibrant, as wildly intellectual, and boldly creative as the Bennington community.

Sincerely,
Briee Della Rocca
Editor