Celebrating together in China and Rochester, led by the China Parent Network Committee.

The Ģ����ý is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, and celebrations have reached new heights—literally—at the Great Wall of China. On June 14, 2025, the Beijing team of the China Parent Network Committee (CPNC) hosted a special event, bringing together more than 40 parents, alumni, students, and incoming families to welcome new members of the Rochester community and celebrate this historic milestone.

As a tribute to the University, on October 6, 2025. The piece entitled “Great Wall Hero Bamboo Slips” embodies both cultural and historical significance, featuring the ancient Chinese writing medium of bamboo slips, engraved with Chairman Mao Zedong’s poem Qing Ping Yue · Liupan Mountain.

The gift symbolizes courage, heritage, and connection, values shared by both the Ģ����ý and its global community.

In addition to the event atop the Great Wall, celebrations were held in Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Jinan, Chengdu, and a second event in Beijing throughout the year, hosted by members of the CPNC.

This scientist, teacher, writer, and musician serves as a sounding board for University students and recent graduates through The Meliora Collective’s Mentorship Program

Elliot Richman ’70, ’75 (PhD)

Elliot Richman is a modern-day Renaissance man. He earned his bachelor’s and PhD in chemistry at Rochester after which he joined Columbia University as a post-doctoral research fellow. He then he applied his knowledge and became a medical and science editor and journalist. Later, he taught high school science.

Over the years, Richman has pursued many interests, too, including as a musician (he’s been playing the piano since age 7), an opera and ballet aficionado, and a voracious reader, taking in everything from The New Yorker magazine to the latest translation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

Richman is also a mentor. In 2020, when the Ģ����ý launched its through The Meliora Collective (its unique online networking program for personal and professional development ), he decided to join. It was at the beginning of COVID, and the University recognized a growing need to create mentorship opportunities for current students and recent graduates. So did Richman.

“I signed up as a mentor because I realized that the insights I’d collected from my education, career, and life could be useful to someone just starting out,” says Richman, who retired in 2017. “I also knew how much I could’ve benefitted from having a mentor when I was a young man and I wanted to be that person for someone else. I’m glad I’ve gotten involved—it’s been a very rewarding experience.”

Being a mentor has become a second career of sorts for Richman, too. Since the program began, he has mentored eight Ģ����ý students and recent graduates. Richman has enjoyed mentoring so much that he’s even become one for other organizations that are important to him, including the National Associates of Science Writers and the American Chemical Society.

Dianna Cacace ’22

Dianna Cacace ’22, a current graduate student in bioethics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, was one of Richman’s first Rochester mentees. They were matched at the program’s launch, when she was a rising college junior. The two have stayed connected since then.

“As a first-generation student, I joined the program because I wanted to talk to and learn from someone who’s been to college and has had an interesting life and career,” she says. “Elliot has been so helpful—he’s guided me through various career options and choices. From him, I’ve learned that there are all sorts of paths our lives will take and that I can learn from every decision I make.”

For those considering whether or not to join the mentorship program as a mentee, Cacace recommends that they sign up. “It never hurts to have more people in your corner,” she says. Richman agrees and encourages people to become mentors, too. He adds, “Everyone has valuable life experience to share. Be a resource and a mirror for young people and help them navigate their next steps.”

Elliot Richman lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Laura, of 43 years. Their son, Daniel, was a triple major at Rochester who graduated in 2008. In 2015, they established the Laura and Elliot Richman Travel Endowment in the chemistry department, which provides support for graduate students to attend and present their research at regional and national conferences and meetings. The Richmans are also founding members of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society.

Just in time for Father’s Day, University volunteer and parent Mitchell Hecker recommends Tim Russert’s , a New York Times bestseller.

George Eastman Circle members and volunteers, Michael Blank ’80 and Marlene Eisenberg ’80, celebrated the recent graduation of their daughter, Lilo, from the URochester. They are grateful for their many ties to the University and reflect here on their close connections and rewarding moments they have experienced.

Q: Why did you decide to join the George Eastman Circle?

A: We were initially approached about joining the George Eastman Circle well before our daughter, Lilo, decided to attend the URochester. We often reminisced about our time at Rochester and agreed that we owed our alma mater a great debt.  We were both psychology majors, graduating in 1980, and were afforded unparalleled opportunities as undergraduate research assistants; opportunities that we have not seen duplicated at any other university since. As undergraduates, we worked with faculty luminaries such as Emory Cowen, Ed Deci, Dale McAdam, Harry Reis, Miron Zuckerman, Al and Clara Baldwin as well as others who opened doors for our future career-paths.  More importantly, we established close friendships with many graduate students and research assistants in social and community psychology, with whom we remain close colleagues to this day. In many ways, it can be argued that the mentoring we received from them was as formative as the interactions we had with faculty. These then graduate students are now major influencers in their fields, and include Ray Lorion at Towson State, Lenny Jason at DePaul, Paul Toro at Wayne State, Sandy Azar at Penn State, Bruce Rapkin at Albert Einstein and the late Michael Kernis from the University of Georgia and Roger Weissberg at University of Illinois Chicago. We are proud to note that the Rochester academic diaspora in psychology and other fields is unbreakable and we are never surprised to discover a Rochester connection among the leading innovators.  With these thoughts in mind, we joined the George Eastman Circle.

Q: What do you find to be most rewarding about your George Eastman Circle membership?

A: Our involvement with the George Eastman Circle brought us back together with old friends in the Philadelphia area as well as providing opportunities to make new friends with locals who have Rochester connections. Our membership allows us to make lasting contributions to the University, which then radiates out nationally to the arts, sciences, and medicine.  In particular, we would like to note the invaluable contribution made by Donna Salmon, the Regional Director of Advancement, who recently passed away. She worked tirelessly to craft regional events that were meaningful, memorable, engaging, and fun to attend. Donna facilitated several luncheon events for the many University of Pennsylvania faculty with connections to Rochester. Donna also arranged for us to attend events in the Philadelphia area including a particularly memorable one at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where our family was able to watch Lilo perform with her a capella group, Vocal Point. Donna was a master of juggling a myriad of tasks, but as an example of her dedication and warmth, she took time out of her busy schedule to send us photos of Lilo’s performance at this event. So, while our involvement with the George Eastman Circle has been rewarding, our close working relationship with Donna made it doubly so.

Q: What was it like to have your daughter attend the University?

A: We were thrilled that Lilo chose to enroll in our alma mater and hoped that she would have similar experiences to ours from forty years prior.  Indeed, her experience in many ways was superior to ours. Lilo was heavily involved with the student community, a four-year participant in Vocal Point, a sister of Gamma Phi Beta, a four-year research assistant for the Women’s Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) program, the first student liaison to the American Public Health Association at Rochester and worked in the Department of Pediatrics residency program. In addition, Lilo completed a double major in psychology and public health and wrote undergraduate honors theses in both. During her undergraduate time, she also authored or co-authored many peer-reviewed publications. Lilo was able to thrive academically during her time at the URochester. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic required her to complete the spring semester of her senior year remotely, yet we are grateful that we will be able to celebrate her graduation with the rest of the Class of 2020 in person at Meliora Weekend.

Q: What did you and your family take with you from your time at the URochester?

A: None of us ever believed that college should be vocational training; the purpose of an undergraduate degree should be to teach people how to navigate novel situations and problems successfully. As a result, we all consider ourselves very fortunate that our time at Rochester taught us how to conduct research, and to think and learn for ourselves.

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer like Michael and Marlene? Contact Erin Bory, Senior Director, Volunteers and Engagement, George Eastman Circle, at erin.bory@rochester.edu.

Learn more about the George Eastman Circle.

The Kaplans and the Ģ����ý

Jonathan ’82 and Nina Kaplan ’86 with daughter, Alison (center).

As the University prepares to welcome the largest class in school history, some families are honoring their unique ties to Rochester along with celebrating admission. With their daughter, Alison, set to start as a first-year student this fall, Jonathan ’82 and Nina Kaplan ’86 are looking forward to connecting with their alma mater in a new way: as proud parents.

As students, Jonathan and Nina’s University experiences were markedly different. Jonathan was a biochemistry major, member of Delta Sigma Phi, and part of the Cinema Club. Nina studied political science, was active in Hillel, and enjoyed taking trips to Canada with friends. The two didn’t meet until after graduating, when they were introduced through a mutual friend. While it was initially a coincidence that they had both attended the University, another Rochester connection was “born” when Jonathan’s fraternity brother delivered their first child.

Growing up, Alison (Ali) remembers seeing her parents’ diplomas hanging side-by-side on the wall and her dad’s fraternity clothes in the closet, but Rochester didn’t resurface in earnest until it was time to start the college application process. She was impressed by the University’s prestige, applied to “see what would happen,” and was thrilled to get accepted. After exploring everything the University offers, Ali knew it was the best fit for her.

Why Rochester?

Ali was drawn to Rochester’s open curriculum, sense of community, and the authentic love of learning among students. It was also clear that she would be able to pursue all of her interests, which include international affairs and dance. This same spirit was remembered by her parents. “Everyone truly wants to be at Rochester,” Nina says. “The University has really maintained and elevated its exceptional reputation.”

Making the next four years “ever better.”

While they are certainly no strangers to move-in day at college dorms (Ali is the youngest of four children in the Kaplan family), this August will be particularly special as Jonathan and Nina return to Rochester for the first time since their own graduations. Their best advice to Ali and other incoming students? “Just try it,” Jonathan says. “Whether it’s taking in a concert at Eastman or joining a club, take advantage of everything while you have access to it.” Nina adds some important words of wisdom: “Find your favorite study spot in Rush Rhees Library and claim it for as long as you can!”

Anuradha Hattangdi P’24 on lending a helping hand during the COVID-19 surge in India

In April of this year, I laid in bed isolated and panic-stricken when my kids and I were diagnosed with COVID-19. We were so careful—always wearing masks and face shields, restricting going out, not meeting friends or family. But this new infectious variant literally came to our doorstep, perhaps through a delivery person.

I was listless, my fever wasn’t breaking; I felt terribly weak and worried about my children. I couldn’t even watch television. But one of those days I did. News channels were flashing a grim situation in Delhi, registering over 1,000 new cases every hour. News bulletins covering the human catastrophe showed heartbreaking stories of people being turned away by hospitals who had run out of beds, medical supplies, even oxygen. There were queues at the crematorium. Delhi was burning.

While we were fortunate here in Mumbai with a doctor who monitored our health parameters every day and prescribed medicines which were delivered promptly to our doorstep, I felt helpless, sometimes tearful about why people couldn’t get access to basic medical services.

Focusing solely on myself while allowing time to slip away from those who needed help seemed selfish. Perhaps it was the influence of my parents: a lawyer, a principal of a women’s university, and lifelong practitioners of Gandhian community service values. They were always lending a helping hand to anyone who needed it, even those they didn’t know and those who didn’t ask. I thought about donating money, but it was clear that access to medical services was a more urgent need. That’s when I came across a news story on a collective of doctors, volunteers, and tech startups that had come together to support the healthcare delivery infrastructure by connecting with patients directly. I had been thinking of how I could help and this came right to me…it was too much of a coincidence!

The next day, I decided to pull myself up and fill out the interest form. Less than 24 hours later, I attended a two-hour online training with the task force. This was a group of dedicated volunteers who were selflessly committed to helping people they did not know halfway across our large nation. They all worked regular day jobs but had dedicated themselves to making a difference by spending a few hours each day helping those in need.

I speak directly with patients now. The conversations range from informing them that they’ve tested positive for the virus, connecting them with doctors for an online consultation, escalating cases to emergency services and teams that can deliver medicines and supplies, and finding hospitals that have vacant beds, oxygen availability, or even volunteer-driven ambulance services.

While some conversations are very hard emotionally—loss of family members, devastation, anger—at times I also hear a quiet ‘thank you’ and words of gratitude for simply having reached out to them. Such is human nature, isn’t it? In the midst of a storm, fear, chaos and death, we can still find words of kindness.

Mask distribution outside of Wilson Commons

In response to challenges arising from COVID-19, the Ģ����ý recently established two emergency funds to support its Medical Center and its students who remain on campus—80 percent of whom are international—as well as those who have other urgent needs emerging from this crisis. The University’s network of parents and alumni in China has generously responded.

By mid-April, the University’s China Parent Network Committee arranged an initial donation of 3,000 face masks for immediate distribution to students who were still on campus. The network then called upon the broader Chinese parent community—comprised of about 1,800 people—to rally more support for the University.

Collectively, that larger group raised nearly $30,000 for the University’s COVID-19 student emergency fund. Ģ����ý a week later, they launched an additional effort via WeChat–China’s social networking platform–that raised $43,000, which they used to purchase 100,000 surgical face masks for the Medical Center’s frontline health care staff and for students who remain on campus.

The group’s support began in early April, when Evans Lam ’83, ’84S (MBA) was actively engaging Rochester’s alumni and parent community in China. On WeChat, Lam posted, “the UR is so emphatic in caring for our international students” and “we are all partners in education.” Lam—a University trustee and chair of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society—even personally allocated $25,000 to a newly established COVID-19 student emergency fund.

“Our parents and alumni community in China are true University ambassadors,” says Alyssa Shoup ’10, ’11W (MS), senior associate director, Alumni Relations. “Here at the University we are all deeply moved by their acts of generosity. They’ve given their time to ensure fellow parents understand what is going on and they’ve demonstrated their gratitude through giving, which greatly helps our students as well as our frontline health care workers.”

Shoup adds that the University’s Taiwanese Alumni Network is also in the process of coordinating efforts to support the COVID-19 student emergency fund.

What parents had to say

“My daughter is an undergraduate here. She loves UofR, so we support! We believe UofR can go through this unsettling period of time!”

“Thanks for putting students’ safety as a priority. As a mother of a Chinese student, we trust you, appreciate everything you have done so far. Please keep us updated.”

“My daughter is one of Class 2022 students from China. In this way, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all UR faculty for their efforts after the outbreak, including open and timely communication with parents; accommodation and protection for international students. I hope this money can be used to help the infected UR students and faculty.”

“Thanks to those helping the kids through the difficult time. Take good care of yourselves too…”

“As the parents we appreciate the humanity, inclusion and diversity demonstrated by UR and also feel so grateful being part of the UR family in this challenging time.”

Read more about how Rochester alumni and friends are helping the University.