Founders Week 2023

Founders Week

Celebrating the Anniversary of the Founding of Moravian University

Stay tuned for 2024 dates

As an institution founded by women and the first to educate women, Founders Week is a special opportunity to celebrate our alumnae, students, and the generations to come. Questions may be directed to alumni@moravian.edu.

Founders Week 2023 Recap

Founders Week 2023 was held Monday, March 27 through Friday, March 31 with a series of events spanning Moravian's Main and South campuses. Click here to view photos from the week.

Monday

The week kicked off with a campus scavenger hunt inviting students, staff, and faculty to learn about Moravian's history through sets of clues released each day. Three scavenger hunt winners were announced at the end of the week.

Wednesday

Moravian alumnae and members of the Anna Nitschmann Society (ANS) were invited to Morning Tea with First Lady Lea Grigsby P’22, P’26 in Peter Hall of the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. During the tea party, Dr. Paul Peucker, Director of the Moravian Church Archives, presented on Anna Nitschmann and her profound influence on the founding of Moravian University.

Alumnae and ANS members attended a portrait unveiling of Edwin Heath, president of Moravian Women’s College from 1926 to 1949, in the lobby of the Payne Gallery. The portrait is on display on Moravian’s South Campus. Dr. Heath’s profound contributions to Moravian can be read here in this 1949 Alumnae Bulletin. 

ANS members were treated to a special meet-and-greet reception in Peter Hall featuring the inaugural recipient of the Anna Nitschmann Society Scholarship, Catherine Lovett ’25. The reception continued with a special presentation by President Bryon L. Grigsby ’90, P’22, P’26 on the integral part Moravian has played in Bethlehem’s prestigious World Heritage nomination. 

The day ended with a Return & Learn session in the Haupert Union Building (HUB) featuring University & Seminary Archivist and Assistant to the Library Director Cory Dieterly who discussed the evolution of Moravian's campus ahead of the highly-anticipated HUB renovation in Spring 2024. Click here to view the recording.

Thursday

Young alumni were invited to attend a happy hour at Lost Tavern Brewing in Bethlehem.

Friday

The following three scavenger hunt winners were announced:

  • Gabrielle Demchak ’23

  • Kristin Beutler ’15, Circulation and Public Services Library Assistant, Reeves Library

  • Austin Long ’21, Office Manager, Facilities Management, Planning & Construction

About the Graphic

The Founders Week graphic represents select women who have helped shape our beloved Moravian University throughout the years. From left to right, the women pictured are:

Benigna Von Zinzendorf

Von Zinzendorf is the founder of the girl’s school in Germantown, PA on May 4, 1742. It moved to Bethlehem seven weeks later, relocated to Nazareth in 1745, then returned permanently to Bethlehem in 1749. There were 25 pupils at the school, and they were taught reading, writing, religion, and household arts. The girl's school, which is now Moravian University, was the first boarding school for girls in the 13 British American colonies.

Caroline Cameron Lockhart

Enrolled at Moravian in 1888, Lockhart's diversified career included work as an investigative reporter, journalist, editor, newspaper owner, novelist, activist, historian, horsewoman, rancher, and homesteader. While at Moravian, she was caught dangling out of a second-story window in a harness designed for a fire escape that she tried on as a dare!

A. Kathrine Miller ’34

Miller taught biology at Moravian from 1936-1941 before receiving her Ph.D. in bacteriology from Cornell University. In the late 1940s, she developed the drug Caronomide, which led to the development of antibiotics and other drugs used in chemotherapy. The A. Kathrine Miller Super Lab on Moravian's campus was dedicated in her honor in 2015.

Jennifer Jimenez ’14

Jimenez is a lifelong learner. She completed her degree as a single mom working 50+ hours a week. Embracing the Moravian community, Jiminez has continued to stay involved by volunteering for the Career Center, attending alumni events, being a part of the Moravian Alumni and Parent Program, and serving as secretary of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. 

Moravian University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have any questions regarding physical accessibility, please contact the Alumni Engagement Office at 610 861-1366 at least one week prior to this event.