The Class of 1958 Fund for International Understanding
Serving as a teacher from 1929-42 and then the School's fourth Headmaster from 1942–65, Dr. Leslie R. Severinghaus was a passionate advocate for the benefits of global interchange.
Under his direction, three international students were welcomed for a year into the Class of 1956, and four boys into the Class of 1958. The success and value of this experience is in part evident in the fact that all four participants in the Class of 1958 exchange program returned to the School for their 50th reunion. The bonds formed across continents during the 1950s have lasted a half century.
With these roots in mind, the Class of 1958 agreed that their 50th Reunion pledges in 2008 would support an effort to implement programs of international understanding. With their generous gifts, the Class formulated an endowed fund in response to a shared appreciation of its own experience with international visiting scholars in the 1950s.
What does the fund support?
The primary objective of the fund is to give Haverford School students and faculty members the opportunity to travel abroad to create cross-cultural connections and to deepen their knowledge of global issues covered within the School curriculum. Some examples include the Global Exchange Programs, the Travel-Study Programs, and Global Studies Professional Development for Faculty.
The student beneficiaries of this fund reflect on and share their experiences with the greater Haverford community either during a division-wide presentation, and/or via an article in the School newspaper, a blog post on the School website, a retrospective video, or a presentation to classmates and students in other divisions. Each year, up to five students and a qualifying faculty member are chosen as “Severinghaus Global Scholars.”