Colgate University students participate in activities and games during orientation on the upper residential quad (photo by Andrew M. Daddio)
Colgate University’s Hancock and Dart Colgrove Commons welcome two new co-directors for the 2026–27 academic year. Rodney Agnant ’14, MA’23, director for campus culture and inclusion, will join Hancock Commons as staff co-director; and Lauren Philbrook, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, will serve as faculty co-director of Dart Colgrove Commons.
Philbrook and Isla Globus-Harris, associate professor of economics and environmental studies, are sharing an alternating six-year term to accommodate their involvement with off-campus study programs and sabbaticals. Agnant will succeed Lyosha Gorshkov, director of LGBTQ+ initiatives, and will join Beth Parks, professor of physics and astronomy, as she continues her role as co-director of Hancock Commons.
Parks reflected on Gorshkov’s three years of service. “Lyosha sets an example of dedication to Colgate that few can match,” she said. “Lyosha was a valuable leader and co-director of Hancock Commons with a broad knowledge of the University, a calendar packed with attendance at campus events, and close relationships with students and staff. We will greatly miss Lyosha’s cheerful dedication to the commons.”
Before becoming the director for campus culture and inclusion in December 2022, Agnant worked at Chapel House from 2016 to 2022, first as a program coordinator and later as assistant director. Because the Residential Commons didn’t exist during his time as a student, his first experience with the program came when he returned to Colgate in 2016. He thought it was an excellent opportunity for students to interact and learn from each other, along with Colgate faculty and staff they may not meet through their chosen discipline.
“I remember seeing newsletters from Ciccone Commons where people were having dinner with faculty talking about what they were most passionate about,” Agnant says. “I remember joining for a few of those dinners and seeing students’ eyes light up with what those faculty members were sharing, and a lot of really interesting conversation and questions unfolded. So I thought it would be really exciting to get to be part of a living and learning experience like the commons.”
Beginning this fall, Philbrook will co-direct Dart Colgrove Commons alongside Lou Kaminski, assistant dean of student conduct. Philbrook earned her bachelor’s degree at Williams College and an MS and PhD from Pennsylvania State University. She joined the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in fall 2018.
“I am excited about the opportunity to help students build their communities at Colgate. I want to be a part of helping students develop their identity here and to find their people and their passions,” says Philbrook.
The Residential Commons program was established in 2015 and is made up of four commons — Brown, Ciccone, Dart Colgrove, and Hancock — that are named in honor of distinguished members of the Colgate community. The commons build bonds between faculty, staff, and students through community activities, while allowing participants to showcase their intellectual interests, skills, and passions through their programming.
“In the spirit of the liberal arts tradition, the Residential Commons system supports students as they adjust to their first year of college,” says Abby Palko, director of the Residential Commons program. “Colgate is a place where we live and learn together, and the commons are a crucial element of this intellectual environment. From the moment we build each incoming commons cohort, students are part of an academic community, nurturing the skills that will support them as lifelong learners.”