Daily Trojan Editorial

Trojan family bids farewell as one of its own advances

For the past 10 years, Nancy Vickers has touched the lives of practically every member of the Trojan family with a wealth of knowledge, a determined approach to education and a genuine concern for the well-being of others. Last February, she was chosen to be the new president of Bryn Mawr College, a small college in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
As students at the University of Southern California--a school whose undergraduate population averages around 15,000--we know all too well that it can be difficult to find a faculty member who is willing to give the kind of personal attention Vickers has given the USC community. Her colleagues in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences found her to be both a talented individual and one who would deal with people in an intelligent and good-humored manner.
Vickers began her career at USC in 1987, teaching French, Italian and comparative literature. In the past 10 years, she has donned many hats.
In addition to her abilities in language education, she has taught a course on Dante's "Divine Comedy," she has served as the dean of curriculum and instruction since 1994, and she has been instrumental in the Thematic Option program. Her work with the renovation of the language lab combined her leadership abilities with her dedication to the well-being of students.
Vickers' decisions on the new general education requirement guidelines have increased opportunities for virtually every student to gain knowledge and excel in areas that might previously have been out of reach.
Vickers opened her door to many friendships with students, faculty and staff at USC. And she has opened doors for even those of us who never had the chance to know her personally through her willingness to go the extra mile in the spirit of education.
Now, Vickers is heading out a new door. Her appointment as president of Bryn Mawr college in Pennsylvania is a wonderful opportunity--one Vickers has more than earned.
But our happiness for her is joined by a bit of sadness at the loss of such a talented and committed individual, one who has directly and indirectly influenced so many lives and inspired so many futures.
We are confident that she will bring the same level of excellence, the same intelligence and the same good humor she has shared with all of us to the Bryn Mawr community.
It is hard to lose Nancy Vickers. But as she has taught us by her example, we will keep moving ahead when we face situations with uncontrolled variables. We will attempt to display the same determination she demonstrated to us in her USC career. Though she will be missed, we wish her the best of luck in her new appointment.