Welcome to the July 14, 2023 issue of Hi5! It’s mid-summer, and it’s hot, humid, and often rainy – but it’s no less exciting to be here on campus! Here are our major stories.

1
President Cordano announced last week that Gallaudet University has received continuous accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, or Middle States for short. This marks the successful closure of a rigorous 18-month self-study evaluation, concluding with a site visit by a Middle States team in March. President Cordano expressed her deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to our Self-Study Report and who supported the site team visit. Our next accreditation review will be during the 2030-2031 academic year. 

2
One week from tomorrow, on Saturday, July 22, there will be a graduation ceremony to honor the 23 Black Deaf students and four Black teachers of Kendall School Division II for Negroes, the segregated school for Black Deaf students on Gallaudet’s campus from 1952 to 1954. At this ceremony, students and their descendants will receive high school diplomas conferred by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. This event is hosted by the Louise B. Miller Pathways and Gardens: A Legacy to Black Deaf Children Steering Committee. 

3
Many people on campus remember the Gallaudet Garden fondly. This student-driven initiative provided locally grown fruits and vegetables for members of the university and surrounding communities. The Garden closed during the pandemic, and was demolished last summer during the Hanson Plaza redevelopment project. Our Office of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability has been awarded $50,000 from the Chesapeake Bay Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Grant Program to reestablish the Gallaudet Garden. The new garden will promote agricultural education, entrepreneurial activities, and training, all through the lens of urban agriculture. Cultivate the City, a local organization, will continue to manage the program. 

4
Deaf scientists discussed research, mentorship opportunities, and interpreting challenges during an all-day workshop at Gallaudet last month. This event coincided with the opening of a new ten-week program for undergraduates called Accessible and Inclusive Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (AIBIDS). Funding was provided in part by the National Library of Medicine and a University of Pittsburgh Momentum Teaming grant. 

5
Kudos to senior Business Administration and Risk Management and Insurance major Franco Bippus! He was spotlighted on the company’s  employee webpage as one of their top interns this summer. Franco is working with The Hartford’s Performance Enablement group and Premium Audit team. He said, “I hope to expand my skill set through shadowing professionals in the field and building a strong network of contacts within the organization, and by taking on challenging projects.” Congratulations, Franco!

Many members of our community, including President Cordano, have been in South Korea this month for conferences, including the XIX World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf. Gallaudet and Deaf Connect, an organization based in Australia, signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday that aims to enhance access to education, foster inclusivity, and promote the overall opportunities of Deaf individuals in Australia. We will have stories and photographs on our website later this month. 

We also look forward to the National Deaf People of Color conference here on campus. It begins next Tuesday and runs through Saturday. The conference includes many distinguished presenters and an art exhibition. 

Congratulations to the seven newest members of the Gallaudet University Athletics Hall of Fame: Hume Le Prince Battiste, Patrick Deas, Alicia Johnson, Pia Marie Paulone, Alexandra Polivanchuk, Rohan Smith, and Michael Weinstock! They will be inducted during Homecoming weekend.

Gallaudet placed 42 student-athletes on the 2022-2023 United East Conference Scholar-Athlete list. Each of our student-athletes had a 3.4 or higher grade point average for the fall and spring semesters combined. Congratulations!

We are pleased to announce Charge Ahead, our new dual enrollment program for Deaf and hard of hearing high school students. 

Hi5 comes out once per month during the summer. The next issue of Hi5 will be on Friday, August 11. In the meantime, stay up to date by following us at @GallaudetU on our social media platforms. We will soon be adding Threads as our newest social media platform. If you have a story that you feel would be a good fit for Hi5 or social media, share it with us at gu.live/request. 

Have a great month. We will see you again in August!