It has been a week of firsts for new College President Nancy Roseman. This past week, Roseman hosted the first event of Dickinson Matters, a nationwide tour aimed at engaging with alumni and donors. The tour also marks Roseman’s first off-campus alumni event as president.

According to Stephanie Balmer, dean of admissions, the tour began with a small, private dinner with alumni in the Philadelphia area and continued with a larger event at the Arts Club in Washington, DC.

Six more events are scheduled for this fall in locations such as Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia as well as in west-coast cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Five locations have been determined for Spring 2014, and additional events are still being planned.

With new leadership comes a new vision for Dickinson’s future. The objective of the tour is to allow Roseman to share her vision with members of the greater Dickinson community and, in turn, hear their own mission and ideas for the college.

“The Dickinson Matters tour is an opportunity for alumni and parents to hear from our president, but also to have their voices heard by the president,” said Liz Glynn ’06, associate director of alumni & parent engagement. “President Roseman will be discussing her plans and priorities for the college, and the role alumni and parents can take in strengthening Dickinson. Our alumni and parents are a crucial part of Dickinson today and the future of our college, and President Roseman wanted to hear from them as soon as possible.”

With more than 100 attendees at the recent Washington, DC event, it seems that the Dickinson Matters tour is off to a strong start. According to Roseman, alumni and parents have received the tour well.

“While I have only done one event so far, …it is difficult to generalize, but I can say that the energy and enthusiasm for Dickinson is extraordinary among our alums and our parents,” said Roseman. “Many people approached me after my remarks and the answering of many questions to thank me and express their support for me, and for Dickinson.”

Roseman will return to campus to prepare for Homecoming weekend and her inauguration events before resuming the tour Thursday, Oct. 3 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD.