Benton Scholars and staff on the set of WCNY’s “Ivory Tower.”

A small group of Benton Scholars and Colgate staff visited the studios of local PBS affiliate WCNY last Friday, May 9, 2014. Students attended a taping of The Ivory Tower, a weekly political and current events round-table featuring a panel of local academics, hosted by David Rubin, Professor and Dean Emeritus of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and featuring Tim Byrnes, current Faculty Director of the Benton Scholars.

Following Nicholas Kristof’s recent critique of academia’s apparent insularity, students in the Benton Program saw first-hand how scholars from a variety of backgrounds could gather to discuss local issues in an engaging and public forum. They also received a behind-the-scenes tour of television broadcast operations at WCNY’s stunning LEED Platinum facilities–including sound stages, meeting rooms, and the broadcast control and editing room.

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Students, faculty, and staff gathered this past weekend to celebrate Benton Scholars graduating in the class of 2014. The event, a barbecue at Merrill House, welcomed about 35 students from all years of the program. Each senior was given a book, a copy of The Hard Thing About Hard Things, along with a Class of 2014 Benton Scholars commemorative glass.

Graduating ’14 Benton Scholars pose at the barbecue with Asst. Dean Peter Tschirhart and outgoing Benton Scholars Faculty Director Tim Byrnes.

Graduating students have a diverse range of post-Colgate plans: from real estate and Teach for America, to Wall Street banking and Proctor & Gamble. We wish them the very best and hope to see them at future Benton Scholars alumni events.

This weekend’s lunch also celebrated the six-year tenure of Prof. Tim Byrnes, who lead the Benton Program from its inception. His leadership and enthusiasm shaped the Benton program in more ways than can be counted, and he served as a strong mentor and advocate for students in the program. Byrnes will be succeeded, beginning in the fall of 2014, by Prof. Karen Harpp.

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