Converse Celebrates Dr. King’s Legacy
Converse celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting leaders from across the Spartanburg community for the annual Mayor’s Unity Breakfast, which featured a keynote address by President Betsy Fleming and music by Katie Phillips ’12 and Dr. Valerie MacPhail.
The College also set aside Monday, Jan. 21 as a day without classes to encourage and enable students, faculty and staff to participate in a day of service for 20 nonprofit organizations in Spartanburg. Hosted by the City of Spartanburg and the United Way of the Piedmont, the service day drew 315 participants. Approximately 100 were Converse students, faculty and staff, who volunteered at the Soup Kitchen, The Haven, Miracle Hill Ministries, Hatcher Gardens, the Clifton Cemetery and other locations.
Also participating were 11 Jordanian high school students visiting Converse to learn more about higher education and culture in America. The students came to Converse through a partnership established by alumna Megan Madison ’09, who was awarded a Fulbright Assistantship to Jordan upon graduating from Converse and now oversees educational travel experiences for Jordanian youth for Beyond Discovery.