Administrators
DR. LAVINIA E. LORCH (lel52@columbia.edu)
Senior Assistant Dean, Student Affairs
Director, Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program
Born and raised on the Columbia campus, Lavinia Lorch earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Barnard College as a Senior Scholar and her PhD in Classics from Columbia University where she taught both Latin and Literature Humanities. Lorch’s teaching career includes Latin and Greek at Vassar College and French at New York’s New School for Social Research as well as language and literature classes in several private city high schools. She is the recipient of the Mary Isabel Sibley Fellowship for Greek Studies, the Lawrence H. Chamberlain Fellowship, the President’s Fellowship, the Murray Fellowship for the Humanities, and the Mary Allison Prize for General Excellence in Scholarship. She has published on Euripides as well as Ovid and Dante, has translated poetry from Greek, Italian and French, has lectured both in the States and abroad, and played the lead role in Euripides’ Medea performed off Broadway in ancient Greek. Lorch’s academic interests lie in relating and applying the lessons of classical literature and philosophy to real world issues.
In the Fall of 2000, Lorch was hired to design, implement, and direct the Scholars Program at Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Until 2005 she also directed the university’s Fellowships office which prepares and advises students for prestigious national fellowships. Lorch’s previous experience in educational administration includes ten years working in New York City's private school system, specifically in bilingual bicultural settings. She served as the founding Headmistress of La Scuola New York (now La Scuola d’Italia), and later worked at the Lycée Français de New York as Director of the English Program, Director of Admissions, and Academic and Administrative Director. Believing in the philosophy of educating the complete individual, Lorch focuses on implementing interdisciplinary projects and paracurricular programs in collaboration with colleagues and professionals in diverse fields.
Lorch spends weekends at her Catskills New York farm with her husband, Michael van Biema, and their children, Fiamma and Tristan, raising a barnful of animals including llamas, alpacas, goats and chickens.
JENNIFER M. PRUDENCIO (jmp2163@columbia.edu)
Advising Counselor, Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program/Center for Student Advising
Leadership Development Advisor, CUSP Alliance Executive Council
Jennifer Prudencio received her BA from Saint Louis University in Missouri where she studied psychology, sociology, and biology. Frequently in inquiry about the Asian-American psyche, Jennifer's research led her to be an invited speaker to the National Association for Student Personnel Administration (NASPA) as well as various social science research conferences. Prudencio received numerous awards, including the Psychology Sayons Research Award, the Student Hall of Fame Honor, and the Kathy W. Humphrey Award for Diversity. From researching the effects of outmigration on college student development in the Philippines to expanding diversity and leadership programs in college, this summa cum laude graduate developed a strong thirst for public service and higher education.
Prudencio received the 2005 Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, a post-graduate experiential leadership training program geared towards teaching leaders how to translate vision into action for improving communities. Trained in general semantics and working with a team of 14 talented individuals, she gained experience in the nonprofit, corporate, government, and education sectors. She carried out rigorous projects, including transformational leadership programs for high level executives and analyses of community-school partnerships to build local involvement. To further build her interest in collaborations between universities and communities, she received her M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education focusing on social/comparative analysis. Her intellectual inquiry about curriculum, pedagogy, civic engagement, and student development in the collegiate world are always in movement through all aspects of this wonderful job she calls home.
During non-CUSP hours, Prudencio works closely with college preparatory programs in high schools near her hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She also engages in educational outreach with youth organizations for Filipino immigrants and Filipino-Americans. She can also be found ballroom dancing, hip hop dancing, and eating at delicious restaurants around the city.