Alumni, parents, and friends joined President Rebecca Chopp for a conversation about intellectual engagement, support for others, and simply having fun at the College during the Chicago Listening Tour event. President Chopp noted that students at the College are truly supportive of one another, and while that often means engaging in rich intellectual discussions, it also means showing up for soccer matches, theater events, and parlor parties to support their peers in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. Of course, underpinning all of the fun and social engagement lies a deep, enduring tradition of intellectual rigor at the College. President Chopp shared "I've encountered it in conversations with students enthusiastic about their honors seminar discussions and seen it in the faces of faculty members who light up when asked about the experience of teaching at this fine institution."

President Rebecca Chopp heard from alumni spanning diverse career paths and age groups at the San Francisco Listening Tour event. Together, they discussed the vital importance of critical thinking as a part of a Swarthmore liberal arts education, the efforts of the Office of Career Services, and ensuring that the community confronts the Swarthmore "bubble" and thinks critically about itself. President Chopp said in regard to careers and a Swarthmore education, "If we really make sure that students are educated to think well, to think critically, they will find their paths."

President Rebecca Chopp recently visited the nation’s capitol to meet with the alumni, parents, and friends of the College as part of her Listening Tour. The conversation was a rich exchange of ideas, including a discussion about the role of the College as a leader in higher education. President Chopp said, "As stewards and beneficiaries of the finest undergraduate education in the world, we have an obligation to contribute to the broader national discussion about the nature of education, its intrinsic value, and the role that liberal arts colleges can, and must play, in helping forge a more just society."

At her first Listening Tour event, President Chopp says she came away from the evening "impressed – and not the least bit surprised - by the thoughtfulness of Swarthmore alumni, family, and friends and encouraged by the support and enthusiasm for the college, and for my new role here."

In more than a dozen future events, and in general, she adds she is "particularly eager to gain insight into which aspects of the Swarthmore experience should endure; what values we most treasure; and how those values can help shape our decisions as we look forward to the future together."