Making an impact: Gettysburgians in the news

Seeking to make the world a better place, Gettysburgians made an impact in communities across the country, leading impactful programs and sharing knowledge and expert insight into academics, society, culture, politics, and more.

From the start of summer and leading into early autumn, members of the Gettysburg College community were cited in more than 140 articles, podcasts, and videos created by media outlets, more than a third of which distributed content to audiences nationwide. Gettysburg’s expert faculty and staff were cited in more than two dozen publications, providing perspective and knowledge on a range of academic, social, and political topics. Their passionate contributions to society were highlighted by local and national media outlets, including Inside Higher Ed, Psychology Today, and Fox News.

Explore some of our recent media mentions:

Fox News Digital: College student dedicated to America's Civil War veterans in California 'honors their legacies'

Danielle Russell '25 stands by a historical monument
Danielle Russell ’25 raised over $11,000 to update headstones and place medallions on the gravesites of veterans in her hometown (Photo by Danielle Russell ’25).

History major Danielle Russell ’25 has made it her mission to make sure deceased veterans from past conflicts are properly recognized in her hometown community. Expanding on a project that began when she was in high school, Russell has identified more than 500 veterans in Gavilan Hills Memorial Park in California, including 64 from the Civil War. She has updated cemetery records and raised over $11,000 to provide headstones and medallions for unmarked veterans’ gravesites.

Since arriving at Gettysburg, Russell has collaborated with fellow students and faculty to create a searchable database that contains information about the veterans’ lives and service. She also plans on mapping the locations of all the gravesites to ensure they’ll continue to be honored.

"I think that I have that duty and that responsibility to remember them, to honor their legacies, because there was no one else left to do that," Russell said.

The Conversation: Why Pennsylvania is the key to a Harris or Trump Electoral College victory

The Eisenhower Institute and WITF hosted
The Eisenhower Institute and WITF hosted "Unpacking the Vote: A Public Q&A with Election Experts" at the Majestic Theater on Sept. 16. (Photo by Tom Downing/WITF)

With the 2024 election nearing, Pennsylvania has emerged as a crucial battleground for both Trump and Harris due to its significant electoral influence. In this article published in September, Political Science Prof. Alauna Safarpour takes a look at the numbers behind each candidates’ path to the White House and the important role the “Keystone State” will play in the upcoming election.

Despite losing one electoral vote after the 2020 census, Pennsylvania still holds the most votes among swing states, making it key to either candidate's victory. Trump’s path to the presidency hinges on flipping Pennsylvania and another large swing state like Georgia. Harris, meanwhile, has more pathways to win but views holding Pennsylvania as critical. Both campaigns are heavily focused on the state because flipping fewer states simplifies their route to winning.

With so much at stake heading into the November election, Safarpour notes “both candidates appear to be treating Pennsylvania as their second home until election day.”

Inside Higher Ed: How Colleges Are Making Career Development an Undercurrent of Education

Gettysburg students take part in the fall activities fair
Gettysburg students take part in the fall activities fair outside Plank Gym (Photo by Abbey Frisco).

In June, Gettysburg College’s Associate Dean of Co-Curricular Education Jim Duffy joined Inside Higher Ed’s Voices of Student Success podcast to talk about the Gettysburg Approach and its impact on career development and student outcomes. Duffy began by reviewing the anchors of the Approach—depth and breadth of knowledge and enduring skills—and how they are supported and reinforced by Personal Advising Teams and Guided Pathways. He further explained how those elements come together with the academic curriculum and co-curricular programming to create an environment where Gettysburg students can grow and thrive.

“What this approach does is it provides students with opportunities to engage both in and out of the classroom and to make intentional connections through conversations with their advisers so they can articulate the value of their Gettysburg College degree when it comes time to go to grad school or to take that next career step,” Duffy said.

Psychology Today: When Humor Hurts: The Ethics of Joking and Comedy

Students share a laugh during the First-Year Walk
Students share a laugh during the First-Year Walk last fall (Photo by Luke Waldner).

Philosophy Prof. Steven Gimbel and Thomas Wilk ’05, assistant professor of philosophy at Widener University, recently contributed their thoughts on the ethics of joking in a three-part interview with Psychology Today. The subject is the premise of their new book, “In on the Joke: The Ethics of Humor and Comedy” and explores how a joke’s impact involves various factors about the people involved, their relationships, and the context in which the joke is made. Gimbel and Wilk developed the concept of “joke capital,” a theory that may allow certain individuals within a particular group to tell jokes that would otherwise be morally impermissible if told by another.

“Joke capital includes factors like who the speaker is, their social position, their history with the audience, and other contextual elements,” the authors noted. “If the audience believes the speaker has enough joke capital, they’re more likely to accept the joke as playful. Without sufficient joke capital, the audience might not buy the ‘only joking’ defense, and the speaker could be held accountable for any harm caused.”

Media roundup: June–October 2024 by the numbers:

140+ media mentions featuring Gettysburg College faculty, staff, students, and alumni

40+ media mentions in national and international news outlets

28 mentions highlighting faculty and staff expertise

5 more stories to explore:

  1. With the state of Maryland facing a deadline to obligate almost $780 million in federal funds to schools, the students and staff at the Eisenhower Institute have provided recommendations for what those funds can support as part of a report coming out of its Building America program. Maryland Matters cited those recommendations, which include community school and summer learning programs and high-impact tutoring.
  2. Writing for the Gettysburg Times, Ed Riggs ’77 covered the performance of Arif Husain ’93 at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Sweden this summer. Husain, who won a national championship in the 200 meters at Gettysburg and competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, won the 100 meters, 4x100 meter relay, and 4x400 meter relay for Team USA in the 55-59 age group at the Masters Championships. Both Riggs and Husain are members of Gettysburg’s Hall of Athletic Honor.
  3. Justin Titchenell ’21, the founder and president of CoachTools, a software program that evaluates player performance in football, was named to Main Line Today’s list for 13 Under-30 Gen Zers Doing Big Things Around the Philly Suburbs. The co-founder and CEO of NOCAP Sports, Nicholas Lord ’20 was named one of the 70 Most Impactful People in the NIL Space by Silver Waves Media.
  4. The Mainline Times & Suburban featured the release of “Shadows of Glory,” co-authored by former Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers Dave Brown ’82 and Jeff Rodimer ’80. The book highlights memorable and offbeat World Series stories and represented Brown’s seventh published book.
  5. Vivek Rallabandi ’25, one of the Civil War Institute’s Brian C. Pohanka summer interns, took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Adams County Historical Society following the completion of a new exhibit featuring artifacts that belonged to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The occasion was covered in the Hanover Evening Sun and shared by Yahoo News, AOL, and MSN News.

By Corey Jewart
Photos by Danielle Russell, Abbey Frisco, Luke Waldner, Tom Downing/WITF
Posted: 10/07/24