Keeping the Light on at Guilford College

Who we are:

Save Guilford College is a grassroots movement of alumni and friends of the college. We organized in response to the Guilford chapter of the AAUP’s October 2020 teach-in entitled “Who will save Guilford College?” Many of us learned for the first time there about proposals to eliminate nearly half of the college’s majors and dozens of tenured faculty in response to an apparently dire financial situation. As beneficiaries of Guilford’s radically transformative education, we knew the answer to our professors’ question, “Who will save Guilford College?” must be us. We owe our effectiveness in changing the course of the college’s history to what we gained there as students: critical thinking, creative and collaborative problem-solving, ethical leadership, and a commitment to making the world a better place than we found it, inspired by Guilford’s unique Quaker heritage.
The deep cuts the college was considering in the fall have been averted, and a successful fundraising campaign has been launched. Our movement remains committed to continuing to support the college and helping it to make the most of this groundswell of positive energy focused on promoting Guilford’s uniquely transformative, Quaker-inspired liberal arts education.

Guilford College Community at Work:

Currently, Save Guilford College is partnering with current faculty, staff, and students and other alumni groups such as the college’s Alumni Engagement Council, Black Alumni of Guilford College (BAGC), and Alumni and Friends of Guilford (AFGC) to:

Support the operations of the college in a time of transition by assisting with recruitment, advertising, fundraising, and the material and moral support of current students, staff, and faculty.
Address the harms of past administrations by facilitating healing and highlighting opportunities for course correction.
Support current Guilfordians in articulating a community-led vision for the college’s future.
Promote accountability mechanisms for college leadership as well as more inclusive and responsive governance in accord with the college’s Quaker heritage.
Offer market research and data-informed recruitment strategies, and identify opportunities for philanthropic and other sources of revenue to help restore the college to financial health.
Continue to inform and engage the college’s strongest supporters, including Friends meetings across the country and alumni who have lost touch in recent years.

Planting a tree in front of Hege-Cox in memory of the late art professor David Newton

Guilfordians gather to plant a tree in memory of the late art professor David Newton in front of Hege-Cox. Pictured are someone in a blue shirt squatting to the left of a hole being dug by three people (a blonde in a blue shirt and jeans, Max Carter in his infamous hat, and another person with blonde hair in a lighter blue shirt). Others can be seen in the background, as can the brick path that lines the college’s grounds.

Guilford College Underground Railroad Tree

Inside the Guilford forest is a 300 year-old massive tulip poplar that stands as a marker of the southern terminus of the Underground Railroad. Pictured underneath the shade of the tree is a u-shaped wooden bench where visitors may pause to reflect on the significance of the woods as a place of hope and refuge.

Guilford Observatory - exterior

The Guilford Observatory is pictured under a blue sky with clouds.

Guilford Observatory - interior view

Guilford Observatory’s interior as seen from the outside looking down the length of the telescope.

Our Current Leadership

Steering Committee:

Daniel Summers Jr. ‘00

Ellen Yutzy Glebe ‘01

Hali Rose Kohls ‘15

Jessie Starling ‘00

Samara Scheckler ‘02

Walter DeFoor ‘10

Xan Lovatt ‘09

Advisory Committee:

Amy Hisler, ‘02

Beth Keiser, Charles A. Dana Professor of English, Emeritus

James Shields ‘00

Jodie Geddes ‘14

Karrie Jo Manson ‘82

Katrina Jackson ‘05

Ree Ree Hsar Wei ‘21

Rehshetta Wells ‘18

Sierra Ashworth ‘21

Richie Zweigenhaft, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology, Emeritus

Thomas Swindell ‘04

Keeping the Light on at Guilford College

Who we are:

Guilford College Community at Work:

Our Current Leadership

Steering Committee:

Advisory Committee:

Alumni & Friends of Guilford College