Endowed Professorships Named for Darwich and FitzGibbon

Endowed Professorships exist through the generosity of donors, and serve as a vital resource to retain and recruit exemplary faculty who innovate both in and outside of the classroom.

These professorships honor distinguished educators, celebrate collective intellectual rigor, stimulate learning, and advance interdisciplinary teaching and research.

Lina Darwich, Mary Stuart Rogers Professor of Education

Lina Darwich, Mary Stuart Rogers Professor of EducationAssociate Professor Lina Darwich will be installed as the Mary Stuart Rogers Professor of Education at the Rogers Scholars Luncheon on October 20. Darwich is a former elementary school teacher, and holds a BA and BEd from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and a PhD from the University of British Columbia in Canada. Her scholarship examines how equity-centered, culturally responsive social and emotional learning (SEL) in educator preparation fosters teacher resilience, belonging, and inclusive classrooms. Her work also includes understanding the role of playful pedagogies in supporting teacher SEL and examining how motivation and SEL shape the persistence of first-generation STEM students. She teaches courses on child/adolescent development, lifespan human development, and educational research.

Darwich cofounded the Oregon Collaborative for SEL in Educator Preparation, a statewide network that connects faculty across educator preparation programs to embed evidence-based, culturally sustaining SEL into coursework and clinical practice. She served on the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission steering committee that created Oregon’s SEL framework and standards for teacher preparation. She currently serves on the leadership team for SEL4EdPrep, a new nationwide community committed to widening the reach of SEL across U.S. educator-preparation programs.

The Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation contributes to youth and other human service programs, medical research, and education from the elementary through university levels. At Lewis & Clark, the foundation sponsors the Mary Stuart Rogers Professorship in Education, the Mary Stuart Rogers Scholarship Funds for undergraduate and teacher education students, and the John S. Rogers Science Research Program.

Katherine FitzGibbon, James W. Rogers Professor of Music

Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Katherine FitzGibbon will be inaugurated as James W. Rogers Professor of Music at the James W. Rogers Concert on October 21.

FitzGibbon conducts two of the three choirs at Lewis & Clark, teaches courses in conducting and music history, and oversees the vibrant voice and choral areas. Her work blends a focus on challenging repertoire performed in historically, politically, and culturally informed ways with a deep sense of connection with performers and audience.

She won the Lorry Lokey Faculty Excellence Award, honoring “inspired teaching, rigorous scholarship, demonstrated leadership, and creative accomplishments,” and the David Savage Award, given to a faculty member whose “vision and sustained service to the College have advanced the general academic and intellectual welfare of our community of teacher-scholars.” Currently, FitzGibbon serves as co-chair of the Arts@LC Initiative, amplifying the extraordinary arts programming, innovative spaces, and creative collaborations happening at Lewis & Clark. She also serves as co-chair of the Strategic Imperatives Advisory Council.

FitzGibbon founded Resonance Ensemble in 2009, a professional choral ensemble creating powerful programs that spark meaningful social change. Resonance has been described as “one of Oregon’s most valuable musical resources” (Oregon Arts Watch) and “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs” (Willamette Week). Chorus America honored FitzGibbon with the prestigious Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal in recognition of her work with Resonance Ensemble. With Resonance, she has collaborated with many artistic and community partners, commissioned dozens of new works, and been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Cultural Trust, and many others.

An active guest conductor and advocate for choral music innovation, FitzGibbon currently serves as president of the National Collegiate Choral Organization.

To learn more about endowing a professorship, contact Rebecca Holt at 503-768-7943 or rebeccah@lclark.edu.