Dr. Petillo's Blog

This week we finalized our search for the new dean of the John F. Welch College of Business. We welcome John Chalykoff, Ph.D., who will officially join us July 1. Dr. Chalykoff most recently served as associate dean at Boston University where he was responsible for all academic programs for 2,200 undergraduate and 900 graduate students. He is particularly passionate about new frontiers in business education, and I am looking forward to the impact he will have on our mission, vision and strategic plan.

Dr. Chalykoff was selected after a lengthy search that included consideration of a number of highly qualified candidates. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Bridget Lyons, chair of the search committee, and the other members of her team for the effort they put forth to find the right candidate for this position. I also want to thank those of you who shared your thoughts and provided feedback to the committee. It was an important part of the process. Please make a point of introducing yourself to Dr. Chalykoff and welcoming him to the Sacred Heart community.

Julie Savino, executive director, University Financial Assistance, was in Hartford Tuesday evening to speak before a panel of legislators on proposed cuts to the Connecticut Independent College Student Grant program (CICS). After making major cuts to the program last year – cuts that will continue to impact student aid in the next academic year – Governor Malloy has proposed eliminating the package for private schools in the state that have an endowment of $200 million or more. While Sacred Heart does not fall into that category, we are extremely concerned about the effect the cut would have – not only on our sister institutions, but especially on students from low- and middle-income families who rely on this aid to help them attend the school of their choice. Julie believes her remarks and those of the others in attendance had an impact. Hopefully that will prove to be the case.

We had some special guests on campus on Wednesday when high school sophomores from the Yale-Bridgeport GEAR UP Partnership visited with Dr. Jennifer Mattei for a tour of her labs and a presentation on Project Limulus – a research program investigating the population dynamics of horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound. The students had a chance to see and touch a horseshoe crab, and Dr. Mattei invited them to join her in the field this summer to tag crabs. Following the presentation, the students had a more extensive tour of the campus and joined us for lunch. The GEAR UP Partnership follows the same group of students from the time they are in seventh grade until they graduate from high school. The goal of the program is to prepare them to enter and graduate from college. Special thanks to Dr. Mattei and her team for making this a memorable experience for these young students.

While the Republican candidates for President were having a contentious debate Wednesday evening, Eugene Robinson from the Washington Post and Tucker Carlson of Fox News Channel were on campus having a debate of their own as part of the 2011-2012 Student Affairs Lecture Series. In an event moderated by our own Dr. Gary Rose, the two discussed everything from the upcoming election and who is responsible for the gridlock in Congress to the stimulus package, foreign policy and the current debate over coverage of contraceptives under the administration’s health plan. My own views on that last topic were recently published in an op-ed in the Connecticut Post.

Wednesday was also Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent. Lent is traditionally a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation for the celebration of Easter. The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon words “lencten” meaning spring and “lenctentid,” which not only means springtide, but also was the word for March, the month in which the majority of Lent always falls.

Carla Lapelle, associate dean of Student Affairs at Marshall University in West Virginia, was on campus yesterday to meet with Sacred Heart’s Student Affairs staff and with the members of the University’s Alcohol and Other Drug Coalition. Ms. Lapelle, a national expert on collegiate alcohol and drug issues, provided staff and the coalition with a number of tools that can be used to combat high-risk drinking, including activities and strategies to advance campus and community readiness. Her visit was funded from a $25,000 grant that the University received from Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks producer, and the First Mate Program, which is aimed at educating students about responsible drinking. 

The Sacred Heart University baseball team recently took time away from its preparations for the upcoming season to participate in the Read-A-Loud program at the Black Rock School in Bridgeport. The team divided up to read to students from 17 classes, grades K-6. Our students and staff give of their time to the local community and the world to the tune of more than 45,000 volunteer hours a year, and all such efforts are greatly appreciated. 

Congratulations to Sacred Heart members of the women’s swim team for breaking two school records on the first day of the Northeast Conference Swimming and Diving Championship. The Pioneers swam the 200 Medley Relay in 1:50.93, and the 800 Free Relay in 7:57.38. Haley McGill, Malvina Reinhold, Liz Bennett and Rachel McGrath teamed up in the 200 Medley Relay to break the previous record of 1:51.97 set at last year’s NEC Championship. Ms. Reinhold, Ms. McGill and Ms. Bennett, along with Meghan Bailey, also swam the 800 Free Relay in 7:57.38, topping the previous record of 8:00.12 set in 2009 at the NEC Championship.

There’s music for all tastes on campus this weekend with Gospelfest on Saturday evening and the Elements concert on Sunday afternoon. Gospelfest promises to be a wonderful evening of uplifting and joyful music with performances by 4 Heart Harmony, SHU L.O.V.E., the UnFOURgettable Women’s Quartet, as well as the Chamber Singers from the University of Bridgeport, the Fairfield County Children’s Choir, bass player Rodger Bryan and percussionist Chuck Saber. The Elements concert will feature performances from the University’s choral, theater and band programs in a non-traditional setting and a variety of musical styles. 

This is also Siblings Weekend. Whether or not you are entertaining guests from home, enjoy the weekend!

This week brought the second of the four lectures that make up the Academic Research Showcase, which is part of the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series. Dr. Anne Barker of the College of Health Professions presented Complexity Science: A Theoretical Model to Inform New Beginnings. She discussed the roots of Complexity Science – the chaos theory, fractal geometry, the butterfly effect and complex adaptive systems – and then suggested we view Sacred Heart as a complex adaptive system or, as she put it, “one big mob!” Such a view, she mentioned, could lead to a variety of interesting changes in the way we interact. Those include making connections that don’t currently exist, connecting the disconnected, employing self-organization and being present. The first two lectures in the series have been fascinating, and I am looking forward to the remaining two.

Earlier this week, Anna Badkhen, author of Peace Meals: Candy-Wrapped Kalashnikovs and other War Stories spoke at the library as part of the Human Journey Colloquia Series. She shared her experiences as a war correspondent to an audience of students, faculty, staff and guests. She explained that rather than cover the war itself, she prefers to delve into the lives of the people who are living, keeping homes and raising families in the war zone.  Her talk sparked a lively discussion following the formal presentation.

The team from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has completed its visit here, and now we wait to hear our accreditation status later this spring. I want to thank Interim Dean Rupendra Paliwal and the entire staff of the Welch College of Business for their hard work preparing for this site visit.

Congratulations also to Beth Sullivan, vice provost for Admissions/Financial Assistance. She did a spot on the Fox Connecticut morning news this week where she offered advice to students and parents on how to pay for a college education. She was helpful and eloquent and represented the University well.

A special thank you to the staff of the Mail and Duplicating Center. Valentine’s Day may well be their busiest day of the year, and they did a great job making sure that approximately 500 packages – many of them bouquets of flowers – reached their on-campus destinations.

This week is Resident Success Assistant (RSA) Appreciation Week. Our RSAs work hard around the clock to support our residential students and ensure they have a successful academic year. If you see an RSA, be sure to let him or her know how much we appreciate all that they do.

Alumnus Jeff LeBlanc ’08 was on campus Wednesday night to perform at the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts. He is a Sacred Heart success story whose latest album, Worth Holding On To, reached number three on the iTunes Top 200 Singer/Songwriter Chart and number 163 on the iTunes Top 200 Albums chart. He also was the opening act for David Archuleta’s U.S. Christmas tour this past December. We hope he will come back often.

Congratulations to the women’s basketball team on their sweep of Rivalry Week by defeating Bryant College twice this week and improving to 12-2 in conference play. A special nod goes to freshman Gabrielle Washington who was named NEC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this week. She scored 21 points at home against Bryant on Saturday and 27 on Bryant’s home court on Wednesday, making her the first rookie this season to have back-to-back 20-plus point games.

The memorial mass for Sister Marie Julianne Farrington has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 29, at noon in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, in the next few weeks, I plan to begin hosting a series of casual faculty dinners of 10 to 12 people each time. Each guest list will include a mix of representatives from all of the Colleges. I look forward to great conversation in an informal setting and a chance for you to interact with colleagues you might not run into regularly.

Enjoy the weekend!

It was another week of special guests here at Sacred Heart starting with Monday night’s lecture and performance by singer-songwriter Derek Warfield and his newest group, the Young Wolfe Tones. The music was spectacular, and it was fun to hear about the origin of the Irish rebel song and ballad tradition and why people sing these songs today.

On Wednesday evening, the Welch MBA forum presented Kathy Giusti, founder and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She spoke to a packed house of MBA students and guests at the Schine Auditorium. She provided solid advice about how to start a company – advice that was equally valuable whether the startup is for profit or not-for-profit. She also shared her very personal story of amazing courage and strength. After receiving the fatal diagnosis of multiple myeloma at age 37, she not only had a second child and has been raising a family, but also started her foundation and consortium to ensure that medical and academic institutions and scientists work together to develop new drugs and bring them to market. She used a corporate model based on her experience as head of Searle's worldwide arthritis franchise. During a lively question-and-answer session following her presentation, Ms. Giusti expressed appreciation for the thoughtful, knowledgeable questions and words of gratitude for her work that came from the audience.

Also on Wednesday evening, our own Lucjan Orlowski, Ph.D., gave a presentation in conjunction with the exhibition in the Pitt Center marking the 30^th anniversary of the Polish Solidarność. Lucjan’s topic was “Reflections on the Origins and Legacy of the Polish Solidarity.” Before an audience of students, faculty, staff and visitors from the community, he shared the history and timeline of the Polish solidarity movement and incorporated stories from his personal experiences and those of his friends in Poland.

Lucjan has more reason to celebrate as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group Foundation has awarded a $45,000 grant to Sacred Heart University that will allow our Economics and Finance professors the opportunity to carry out advanced research designed to help financial market participants better understand financial futures behavior and, in turn, better manage financial risks. The grant also supports two student assistant positions, which have been filled by Brian Benson and Bryan Harmon, both participants in the John F. Welch Scholars Program. Lucjan was instrumental in getting this grant for the University. Congratulations to him and his team.

I had the honor last night of speaking at the Norwalk Catholic Club’s annual Lincoln Day Banquet. The other speaker was The Most Reverend William Edward Lori, S.T.D. The dinner honors the memory of Abraham Lincoln and is attended by more than 300 men of various faiths. I shared some thoughts on the importance of individual rights of conscience and the need to speak up whenever government attempts to erode and minimalize the role of said conscience.

NEC Week tipped off Wednesday night with the men’s basketball team edging the Bryant Bulldogs at the Pitt Center. The two face off again tomorrow night at Bryant. If you prefer hockey, the men’s team will play UConn Friday night away and then host them Saturday night at the Webster Bank Arena. Or if you lean toward great music, Melissa Manchester will be on campus Saturday at the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts. Her songs always bring me back to the time in my life when I first heard them. Whatever you decide to do, have a nice weekend.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania yesterday morning, which means six more weeks of winter. If it’s six more weeks of the kind of winter we’ve been having this week, I’m ready for it!

We filled the Edgerton Center Tuesday night for a “Hot Stove” conversation between Brian Cashman, senior vice president and general manager of the New York Yankees, and Theo Epstein, general manager of the Boston Red Sox for nine seasons and now president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. While the conversation was not as “hot” as it might have been before Epstein moved over to the National League, the two were extremely entertaining as they discussed everything from the Yankee-Sox rivalry to their mutual respect for one another as professionals and the challenges of making trades in the “Moneyball” era. The discussion was part of the 2011-2012 Student Affairs Lecture Series and was moderated by ESPN’s Steve Berthiaume, who did an excellent job. The program left a roomful of baseball fans completely satisfied.

Wednesday afternoon, faculty, staff, students and visitors gathered in the Starbucks Café at the Ryan-Matura library for a presentation and book signing by Dr. Gary Rose. He shared some of the findings from his most recent book, Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District: History, Politics and the Maverick Tradition. In particular, he introduced his audience to the range of characters who have represented Connecticut’s Fourth District over the years. Following a lively question-and-answer session, he signed books for those who wanted to purchase a copy. The library was a perfect venue for this program. Hopefully we can do it more often.

Later on Wednesday, the Mini Max took place at the Schine Auditorium. This event is held every semester and is a showcase of the best work of the students from the Communication and Media Studies program. The works include photographs, magazine production, creative writing, posters, videos and more. If you missed it, you can check out the projects at http://themax.posterous.com/.

Director of Bands Keith Johnston and student trumpet players Rob Cowan and Brian Beatty are back from a successful trip to Haiti. During their stay, the group worked and performed with Haitian students of all demographics and economic backgrounds. A highlight for Keith was the opportunity to hear a concert band play a funeral march written in the late 1800s by a Haitian composer in just one night – as funerals were held within 24 hours of death. Keith was impressed with the piece, which he says is a wonderful example of Haitian military band music. He was able to get photocopies of the band parts – all handwritten – and plans to perform and record the piece here at SHU in March. He believes this will be the first time the piece is performed and recorded outside of Haiti. I can’t wait to hear it.

The Welch College of Business will host the 2012 annual meeting of the Academy of International Business- Northeast Chapter (AIB-NE) next fall from October 11-13. AIB’s Northeast region stretches from Maine to Virginia along the Northeast coast of the United States. Its mission is to provide an opportunity for interaction and sharing of ideas among members. Dr. Khawaja Mamun and Dr. Jing’an Tang will serve as conference co-chairs. They will need a lot of help planning and executing this auspicious event.

You might want to mark your calendars for Monday at 7:30. That’s when the first of three music/lecture presentations on Irish traditional music will take place. This first lecture features singer-songwriter Derek Warfield discussing the history of the Irish rebel song and ballad tradition. Derek will be joined by members of his new group, the Young Wolfe Tones, for a performance that promises to be truly memorable.

Whether you are rooting for the Patriots or the Giants or just plan to enjoy the commercials, have a great time on Sunday. Just keep in mind that Monday’s 8 a.m. classes have not been cancelled!

We began the week with the sad news of the loss of three young lives in a tragic fire at Marist College. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Marist community and with the families and friends of the victims. I think today is a good time for all of us to check our smoke alarms and make sure they are working.

Sadly, we also lost Sister Marie Julianne Farrington last weekend. Sister Marie Julianne had a long and special history with Sacred Heart up until her retirement last spring. In addition to developing projects and initiatives to fulfill the University’s mission and enhance its strategic position, she also served as an external liaison to the religious community for the University. Sister Marie Julianne received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, from Sacred Heart University in 2005. She will be missed.

Congratulations to Sacred Heart’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter on receiving the prestigious Second Mile Award, presented each year by Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County (Habitat CFC). The award also went to Youth United, a Habitat CFC program focused on giving youth from different backgrounds, faiths and organizations the opportunity to work together to sponsor and build a house with Habitat. Youth United and Sacred Heart’s Habitat club partnered to raise money for and build a house at 554 Jane St. in Bridgeport. This is the first time the award has been given to groups since its inception in 1988. Habitat CFC’s Keith Cook said the groups won for their perseverance in raising money for the house over several years and the care and quality they put into the construction of the house – which is what the Second Mile Award is all about.

The Business Council of Fairfield County has recognized Sacred Heart University as a Gold winner for its successful efforts in promoting a healthy workplace. This is the third consecutive year that we have been honored with the Gold award. The program also received the “Award of Distinction for Workplace Wellness” in 2011 from the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to Sally Schettino for her hard work putting together such a great variety of wellness programs for faculty and staff.

Sacred Heart welcomes Murray Martin and Teresa Ressel to its Board of Trustees. Mr. Martin is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pitney Bowes, Inc., and Ms. Ressel most recently held the position of chief operating officer of The Americas for UBS Investment Bank. We are grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to the expertise they will bring to the table.

We are continuing to gear up for the Horizons at Sacred Heart program that will launch this summer and will bring 32 low-income students entering first and second grade from Bridgeport Public and Cathedral Education Cluster schools to campus for six weeks. The program will address summer learning loss, a phenomenon in which low-income children fall behind in reading and math skills in the summer, while middle-income students keep pace or jump ahead. This contributes to an achievement gap, leaving some low-income kids as much as three years behind by fifth grade. The program is being underwritten by a seven-figure gift from an anonymous donor. This generous donation will cover the cost of the teachers, administrators and materials needed for the program, while Sacred Heart will provide the facilities and some administrative services. This week, we named 11 people to the Board of Overseers for the program. Representatives come from both the Sacred Heart community and the local area.

Wednesday evening, the Academic Research Showcase portion of the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series kicked off with a presentation by Professor Jennifer McLaughlin, representing the College of Arts and Sciences. She discussed her paper entitled Reflecting on the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 to a fascinated crowd of students, colleagues, family members and visitors from the local community. She linked the topic to the inaugural theme, “A Time for New Beginnings,” by concluding that even though no solid changes took place between the United States and Great Britain as a result of the war, the Americans’ belief that they had won allowed them to move on and make changes – or new beginnings – on the home front.

As I write this, Director of Pioneer Bands Keith Johnston is in Haiti with two members of the University orchestra – trumpet players Rob Cowan and Brian Beatty. The group will participate in the first annual Brass Festival, sponsored by the Holy Trinity School of Music in Port-au-Prince, and will give lessons to brass students and conduct brass and wind ensembles. The three also participated in the Ireland trip over the Christmas break, so they are piling up the miles.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are back in action at the Pitt Center on Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s. Let’s show our fellow Pioneers our support by filling the stands and cheering them on. Whatever you decide to do over the weekend, be safe and have a good time.

I’m always happy when a new semester begins and the campus fills with students and faculty members. I love the academic atmosphere and seeing the space on campus being used the way it’s meant to be used. That’s one of the many reasons that I’m excited about the programs that will be happening here on campus during the summer. One of those is the result of a new partnership between Sacred Heart and Horizons National. The program will bring 32 low-income students entering first and second grade from Bridgeport Public and Cathedral Education Cluster schools to campus for six weeks. The hope is that these students, many of whom are the first in their families to step onto a college campus, will be inspired by their experience to set high goals for their education.

The program addresses summer learning loss, a phenomenon in which low-income children fall behind in reading and math skills in the summer, while middle-income students keep pace or jump ahead. This contributes to an achievement gap, leaving some low-income kids as much as three years behind by fifth grade. By spending some of their vacation here, the students will actually gain reading and math skills this summer. My personal hope is that we see them again in 10 or 11 years when they return to Sacred Heart as freshmen.

Last week, I mentioned that some of our students were in Mississippi working with Habitat for Humanity, and another group was participating in our annual CURTIS Week immersion program. Both groups are back on campus and are reenergized by and grateful for their experiences.


As you can easily see, we are making tremendous progress on the new student commons building. We are planning a dedication ceremony for mid-April. We are also making headway with our new website design, which will launch before the start of next semester. Our website will be even more attractive and user-friendly than it is now.

There will be a lot of activity surrounding this Saturday’s basketball games against Central Connecticut State University. First, it is the annual Pack the Pitt event, sponsored by Student Government. The goal is to fill the arena with a sea of red. Come to either the women’s or men’s game dressed in red to collect Pioneer Fever Pinnies, stadium cups and drawstring bags from Coke. You will also be eligible to win raffle prizes or the door prize of a $2,500 Disney trip.

In addition, a reunion of alumni from the Welch College of Business will take place in the Pitt balcony, beginning at 2 p.m. Approximately 40 people, including some members of the WCOB faculty, are expected to attend for appetizers, networking and, of course, a great view of the games.

I’m hoping to see victories by both teams. Last night the men beat Quinnipiac in a 78-75 nail biter. That completes a season series sweep – the first time that’s happened since 2007-08. And, the women have been on fire. After two conference road wins this past weekend over Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA), they vaulted to the number 16 spot in the Mid-Major poll. The women are 6-0 this year in the Pitt Center. Congratulations to both teams – and best of luck on Saturday.

A new year with its expectation of resolutions and renewed commitment fits right in with the theme of Sacred Heart’s 2011-2012 academic year – a time for new beginnings. I want to welcome back students, faculty and staff and say welcome to any transfer students who are joining us this semester. And I want to ask all of you to join me in making a resolution to experience everything that Sacred Heart has to offer. We have some exciting programs planned for you this spring, and there’s sure to be something for everyone.

For example, four faculty members have been selected to share their perspectives on new beginnings for the Academic Research Showcase that is a part of the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series. Their topics are fascinating. Dr. Anne Barker will talk about complexity science, while Dr. Jacqueline Kelleher will share her research on reaching youth with autism. Dr. Peter Maresco will offer the conclusions he has drawn while writing a book about Christian marketing, and Professor Jennifer McLaughlin will tie new beginnings to the War of 1812. I’m always amazed at how the same starting point leads people in so many different directions.

Other programs scheduled for this semester include a “Hot Stove” discussion with Senior Vice President and General Manager of the New York Yankees Brian Cashman and former Red Sox General Manager (now president of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs) Theo Epstein. The event will be moderated by Steve Berthiaume, host of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Moving from sports to politics, we will also hear from Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and Tucker Carlson, a political commentator for the Fox News Channel and editor-in-chief for TheDailyCaller.com. I’m expecting a lively debate during both of these Student Affairs Lecture Series events.

I could fill pages talking about the variety of events and programs that will take place here during the next few months. One more that I want to mention is the Vatican II conference. With Sacred Heart approaching the 50^th anniversary of its founding, we want to celebrate the event that inspired our beginnings – the Second Vatican Council.  We will do that with a conference that picks up where the Council left off. On April 23-24, we will gather a group of scholars and theologians to discuss the seven topics of the closing speeches by the cardinals on the last day of the Council in 1965: youth; church and politics; art and beauty; suffering; labor and immigration; religion and science and the role of women. The theme of the conference is “A Universal Call to Holiness.” Our intent is not to look back at what the Second Vatican Council accomplished, but to look at where the Church and the world are today and determine how we can best move forward.

Not all of us chose to spend the winter break relaxing with our families and catching up with our friends. As I write this, the University Band is in Ireland for its first-ever international tour. The group has been performing with various local ensembles in Dingle and Dublin. Dingle is home to the campus of Sacred Heart University's Center for Irish Cultural Studies. By all accounts, the trip has been a rollicking success as the band has been well received by the Irish audiences. In addition, the 55 students on the tour had plenty of time to sightsee – including a stop to kiss the famous Blarney Stone!


A group of about 20 students and five advisors are in Lacedale, Mississippi, as part of the University’s ongoing commitment to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This year, the students are working with Habitat for Humanity to renovate a warehouse that was donated to Habitat. They built an office and work benches and now are working on walls that will be shipped throughout Mississippi for new homes. The students even had a chance to meet one woman whose walls they built. She has been living in a garage with her son since Katrina. Lacedale is a great place for the warehouse as it is inland and tends to be impacted less when hurricanes strike. Going forward, volunteers will be able to build walls there and ship them wherever they are needed around the state.

In addition, a group of 15 students are participating in our annual CURTIS Week service-immersion program. Named for Sacred Heart’s founding father, the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, CURTIS Week also stands for Community Understanding & Reflection Through Inner-city Service. The students are living at St. Charles Parish in Bridgeport and are immersing themselves in local culture while performing service projects in the community. By the time they head back to campus Monday night, the group will have attended four different church services – at an African-American mosque, a Jewish synagogue, a Spanish-speaking Catholic church and a Black Pride service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., at a Baptist church. They will also have enjoyed Vietnamese and Puerto Rican cuisine and become expert Latin dancers. Their service projects include working with Habitat for Humanity, participating in Read Aloud Day in the Bridgeport schools, working in the soup kitchen at Bridgeport Rescue Mission and volunteering for Old School Commons projects. The week will conclude with a community dinner planned and executed by the students.

Congratulations to our women’s basketball team for breaking the top 20 in the latest Mid-Major Poll, released this week. The team’s two wins over the weekend bumped them to number 20 – their highest ranking of the season. The women snapped a three-game losing streak when they beat Long Island Brooklyn 74-59 in the Pitt Center on Saturday. On Monday, they defeated St. Francis (NY) 62-33 to boost their conference record to 4-0 and become the only team undefeated in conference play. I encourage all of you to mark your calendars for one of their upcoming games. They are an exciting team to watch.

Happy New Year! Let’s have a great spring semester!

It seems as though I was just watching you all unpack and move into the dorms, and now you are wrapping up your final exams and getting ready for the winter break.  I had a chance to stop by the Late Night Breakfast in the Chartwells dining hall Monday night. The faculty and staff volunteers were dressed in festive attire as they served a study-break breakfast to students. I love this tradition, because it epitomizes the reason we all come to work every day – to support our students.

Congratulations to the women’s basketball team for breaking the top 25 in the College Insider's Mid-Major poll. The women, who are off to their best start in program history with a 9-1 record, ranked 24. This is the first time the Pioneers have ranked in the poll this season. Led by Callan Taylor and freshman Gabrielle Washington, the women are averaging 67.3 points per game.
 
Did you have a chance to attend either the Christmas Extravaganza by our choirs or the Holiday Voyage by the concert band last weekend? If you did, you experienced some amazing musical performances. Alumna Allegra DeVita was back to perform as a special guest of the choir. It was wonderful to welcome her back again and hear her incredible voice.


The holiday festivities continue tonight with our third annual performance of the Messiah in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The chapel is the perfect setting for this magnificent work, which will be performed by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph Schola Cantorum. Our grateful appreciation goes out to the generous sponsors who helped make this event possible.
 
Since this is the final blog of the semester, I want to take a moment to wish everyone a happy and blessed Christmas and a fun, relaxing winter break. Let’s enjoy the holidays and time with our families and friends and then come back refreshed for another successful semester.

It’s been a busy few days for the concert choir as they were among the groups that performed at the Service of Lessons & Carols last Sunday and then also performed at the Christmas tree lighting Monday evening and at the Advent Wreath Lighting Service on Wednesday. In each instance, they did a beautiful job and contributed to the feelings of joy, awe and gratitude that we all experience during the Christmas season.

You have another opportunity to see the choir perform on Saturday when they join the Pioneer Choir, 4 Heart Harmony, the Liturgical Choir, SHU LOVE and the Women’s Quartet for the Christmas Extravaganza. The concert will feature popular, Broadway, jazz and traditional Christmas songs and holiday music. Past experience would suggest that this is an event not to be missed!
 
We usually reach out to our alumni this time of year to suggest a year-end gift to the annual fund. After a few years of having professional fundraisers contact alumni, University Advancement returned to the practice of having current students reach out for donations.  I had a chance to stop in at the phone-a-thon a couple of times this past week to chat with the students working the phones. From what I observed, both students and alumni were enjoying the opportunity to chat about their experiences at Sacred Heart. More importantly, the fundraising was an unqualified success.

The University has received a special gift from Dr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Hartman. They are donating their collection of scholarly works on the holocaust to our library. Dr. Hartman and his wife amassed the collection while doing research for the Holocaust Survivors Film Project. As the Hartmans prepared to move to a smaller home, they began looking for a place to donate their collection of works on the holocaust. The work going on at Sacred Heart’s Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding tipped the scales in our favor. We are grateful for the gift and expect it to be a valuable resource for our students and faculty.
 
Still on the topic of giving, our annual Adopt-a-Family for Christmas program concludes on Monday with delivery of baskets to the Golden Hill Methodist Church and St. Charles Parish. Members of the Sacred Heart community quickly committed to providing food, toys, hats, scarves, mittens and more for the 75 families in our list. In addition, there were single donations of food items and gift cards that will be gratefully received. While it gives me great pleasure to share this news, I am not surprised. Your spirit of generosity is evident year round, not just at Christmas.
 
Our annual Christmas party for faculty and staff was a wonderful chance to relax and celebrate both the Christmas season and the winding down of another successful semester here at Sacred Heart. I was thrilled to see more than 500 people turn out for delicious food, great conversation and festive music.
 
Our new provost, Laura Niesen de Abruna, Ph.D., officially joins us on Monday. We are excited to have her here and look forward to the vast experience and creativity she brings. If you haven’t met her yet, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to Sacred Heart.
 
Another semester is coming to a close. I want to take a moment to wish our students the best of luck as they wrap up their classes next week and take final exams.
 
Last, but certainly not least, I want to mention that in addition to the Christmas Extravaganza Saturday night, the concert band will present Holiday Voyage on Sunday afternoon. This is a special farewell performance as they prepare for their first-ever international tour to Ireland. I hope you have a chance to check out the great musical performances by our extremely talented students over the weekend. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy yourselves.

It was nice to get back to campus after a relaxing holiday weekend and find everyone in the Christmas spirit. There’s a definite difference in the air as we begin to celebrate the joy of this blessed season. Many of you have already adopted a local family and are busy shopping for food and gifts to make their holiday bright. It’s so important that we thank God for what we have been given and reach out to those who need our help.

Speaking of giving, two SHU students, Javier Vidal and Michael Wright, are making plans to lead the seventh delegation for the Mission Matters Mississippi trip.  Sacred Heart students have been aiding in Hurricane Katrina relief since 2005. This is a student-funded trip, and the group needs to raise $12,000 this year. They have set up an online donation site for those who would like to help.

I also want to share a link to a video, Pushing Back the Wave. This video was created by Greg Golda and Steve Wrinkle in our Media Studies Department and shows the destruction seen by the first two groups of Sacred Heart volunteers who visited Louisiana after Katrina struck.

We recently received exciting news that the Nursing program has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA). The money will be used to add a state-of-the-art SimMan 3G patient to the program’s simulation laboratories. It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s actually pretty amazing. The SimMan allows the nursing students to observe and record most vital signs. His eyes respond and react to light, and he can bleed, sweat, cry and even froth at the mouth. I’m told that working on him is the next best thing to assessing a real patient. He will allow students the experience of caring for a patient with multiple problems so that they learn to establish priorities, apply the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom and use their therapeutic communication skills. Congratulations to Dr. Anne Barker, Nursing chair, and Dr. Virginia Harris of University Advancement for this successful grant application.

On Tuesday, we had a reception for Dr. Gary Rose to commemorate his new title of 2011 Connecticut Professor of the Year. The new café in the library was a great venue for the event, and many of Gary’s students and colleagues stopped by to congratulate him on his well-deserved award.

Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to lend my culinary skills to Chef Carol’s team in the Iron Chef competition. The three groups of contestants had to produce a recipe that included fall harvest beets. Congratulations to chefs Mark Tammone, Kirk Bartholomew, Mark Beekey and Natasha Sousa on their first-place win.

Congratulations to the Greek life students on a tremendously creative and successful fundraiser. They organized a see-saw-a-thon to raise money for a playground at the Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet school in Bridgeport. Students and special guests seemed to be having a great time see-sawing for 24 hours-- from 6 p.m. on Wednesday to 6 p.m. on Thursday to raise money for a new playground at the school. The students set a goal to raise $12,000 through donations and raffles. Visitors who stopped by had the chance to participate in a full slate of activities, including games and contests, a movie and popcorn, Zumba, hip hop aerobics and more. This is the first time the Greek organizations have worked together on a fundraising project and as of this morning, they had raised $10,400 with donations still coming in. Great job! Let’s make this an annual event!

It’s hard to believe it, but the end of the semester is drawing near, which means that it’s time again for Late Night Breakfast!  I encourage faculty and staff members to sign up to help out on December 12. The breakfast – designed to provide energy to students studying for finals – is scheduled from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Mahogany Room. It’s a wonderful opportunity to interact with the students and show them by example that the reason we are all here is to ensure that they are successful.

A round of applause goes out to the SHU women's volleyball team. They claimed the 2011 Northeast Conference Championship with a dramatic 3-1 victory over Long Island just before the Thanksgiving holiday.  Kudos to Kimmee Roleder who posted a match-high 17 kills and was named the tournament MVP.  Elisa Sage was also instrumental with 16 kills on her way to a spot on the all-tournament team.  This victory gives the Pioneers the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for a second straight season.

Mark your calendar for the annual Lessons & Carol service Sunday afternoon, the Christmas tree lighting Monday evening and the Advent Wreath Lighting on Wednesday. These are all wonderful events that are guaranteed to get you in the right frame of mind for the Christmas season!