Three Macalester students receive new  Joan Adams Mondale Endowed Scholarship

Left to right, Avielle Suria, Walter Mondale, Simon Koda and Egzon Sadiku.
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St. Paul, Minn. – The new Joan Adams Mondale Endowed Scholarship has been awarded to three Macalester students: juniors Simon Koda ’16 from Cedar, Mich., and Egzon Sadiku ’16 from the Republic of Kosovo,  and senior Avielle Suria ’15 from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The scholarship supports students who are majoring in art and art history, with a preference for those focusing on ceramics.

The Joan Adams Mondale Endowed Scholarship offers a way to continue to celebrate Joan’s life and honor her powerful and lasting legacy.  It guarantees that students will have an opportunity to excel in the arts at Macalester College and receive a liberal arts education of the highest order.

“I am overjoyed that Macalester has established the Joan Adams Mondale Hall of Studio Art and am very pleased we have successfully established a scholarship program at the college in Joan’s name,” said former Vice President Walter Mondale.  “I know that the entire family is delighted by these developments, and Joan would have been elated.”

Endowed scholarships are a vital part of Macalester’s financial aid program and strengthen Macalester’s commitment to access.  The Joan Adams Mondale Endowed Scholarship will open the door to the entire vibrant Macalester experience for students from all backgrounds.

“This endowed scholarship is possible because Joan touched people all over the world and holds a special place in their hearts,” said President Brian Rosenberg.  “Macalester is a beneficiary of her grace and love of the arts.”

Joan Adams Mondale graduated from Macalester College in 1952.  Her exceptional legacy with the college began when her father, Rev. John Maxwell Adams, arrived at Macalester in 1947 to become the college’s first chaplain.  Joan enrolled a year later to study history, art and French.

Joan generously supported Macalester and served more than two decades on the college’s Board of Trustees.  Her impact on the college is visible daily thanks to her trustee proposal that dedicates a part of every college construction project budget to public art.  This practice has strengthened the Macalester community’s connection to art in buildings all over campus.

Beyond Macalester, Joan was an enthusiastic and tireless advocate for the arts.  She worked in galleries, led tours at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and promoted intercultural understanding during the years at the embassy in Japan.  During Walter’s term as vice president, she lobbied Congress for more support for arts programs in her role as honorary chairwoman of the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.  From her own pottery practice to her deep community involvement, Joan’s passion for art was evident to all who knew her.

On March 7, 2014, the trustees voted to rename Macalester’s studio art building the Joan Adams Mondale Hall of Studio Art.  This honor recognizes her lifelong advocacy for the arts, and the generosity, passion, and leadership that has immeasurably strengthened her alma mater and many other communities.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 2,045 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement. Learn more at macalester.edu.

November 18 2014

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