During high school I attended Colgate’s enrichment program for local area students. As a first generation college student, I found comfort in a local school and a campus I was familiar with. I knew that Colgate had an excellent reputation and that I would receive an excellent education.

Academically, the most enriching experience was the Jan plan requirement.  It allowed me to experiment, travel and explore topics beyond what I needed for my major to graduate.  In my first year I created my own Jan plan spending the month in the library at Columbia University’s International Relations researching and writing on the changing geopolitics on the African continent.  My second and third years I spent on campus taking a course on Death and Dying one year and learning to play the sitar with Professor Skeleton the other year.  For my final Jan plan I spent a month in Paris studying art and architecture.  We went to all the museums in Paris and walked the streets looking at the architecture. 

We used to have a saying that “if you could survive Colgate, you could survive anywhere”. I studied pre-law at Colgate and as I enter the legal profession it was still dominated by men. My time at Colgate prepared me for this reality as the school still had a majority of male students, faculty, and staff. 

Dick and I have been co-chairing reunions for the last few years, so it just seemed natural to lead our 50^thanniversary together. We have become a great team working with our classmates to make our 50^thanniversary memorable.

I hope that the next generation of Colgate students will have experiences both in and out of the classroom that helps them to grow intellectually as well as provide the foundation to become lifelong learners. Colgate provides its students with opportunities to interact with students that come from a variety of different backgrounds and learn from one another with respect.

Having the first commons named after me was an amazing and humbling experience.  I could have never imagined such an honor.  I have spent decades staying connected with Colgate in various roles, but it was and is important to me to give my time and knowledge gained from my experiences to students.  I return to campus at least once a semester to interact with Ciccone Common and ALANA  students, working with the faculty advisors to create events to engage with the students. The first social event for the Ciccone Commons was my birthday party which allowed me to engage socially with the first students of the Commons.

I believe that alumni should support Colgate because the opportunity to attend a residential liberal arts institution can be a pivotal moment in a person’s development. It provides the opportunities to grow intellectually beyond learning for the sake of a future profession and the opportunity to live, learn and interact with people who may not share your social, economic, cultural, religious, ethnic, or political views. As alums we can help insure the continuing richness of the experience by giving of our time and/or money to the institution so it will continue to grow and thrive.

My connection with Colgate through the years has been my continued involvement with students. I also became involved in alumni activities from serving on the alumni board and as an alumni trustee on the Board of Trustees. I experienced a different level of engagement when my daughter attended Colgate, and I became a Colgate parent.

Over the years as I became more involved with students, I wanted my annual giving to have a more direct impact on BIPOC students and their academic experience. For many years I supported the Adam Clayton Powell scholarship which provided financial support to students. Establishing an endowed library fund for the ALANA students. The library focuses on books covering culture, religion, literature, and scholarship of the African diaspora and Global South.

Diane Ciccone’74,P’10