Mayor Aidsand “Ace” Wright-Riggins H’19 and
Rev. Betty Wright-Riggins
When they moved east from Los Angeles, Aidsand H’19 and Betty Wright-Riggins had a vision.
“We had aspired to one day become engaged in a campus life,” said The Rev. Aidsand “Ace” Wright-Riggins, the mayor of Collegeville. “And when we came here, what initially excited us was that we moved so close to the college. We’re both living out a dream that began more than 30 years ago.”
As mayor, he views Ursinus as the center of his Collegeville community—a mutually beneficial relationship where resources are shared, and connections are made. The Rev. Betty Wright-Riggins, who is director of religious and spiritual life and chaplain of the college (last year serving in an interim role), agrees.
She said, “There’s a culture here that we’re all in this together. It feels like a sense of community and a sense of belonging. Ursinus can’t be all things to all people, but if we have spaces to come together, learn from one another, and see how much we have actually have in common with one another, then that’s the true meaning of One Ursinus.”
It’s a sentiment that reminds the mayor of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
“To me, that affirms the idea of community,” he said. “It calls for us to respect each other and to respect everyone. When we say that Collegeville is a great place to come home to, that’s what we’re aspiring to be.”