Dr. Petillo's Blog

On Monday and Tuesday this week, we welcomed nearly 200 guests from around the country and Canada to our Vatican II 50^th Anniversary Celebration Conference. The purpose of the conference was to reflect on the seven speeches given by the Cardinals at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. Our dynamic and forward-thinking speakers were able to offer ideas about how those speeches can address the issues of the 21^st century. They left their listeners with a great deal to think about.  We will continue the discussion in the fall when we host a panel of three additional authorities on the Second Vatican Council. Not surprisingly, we received positive feedback not only about the conference, but also about our beautiful campus and our friendly and helpful faculty, staff and students. Congratulations to Father Tony Ciorra and the entire conference committee on their hard work and attention to detail. It was a job very well done.

On Monday night, my wife and I attended “Life’s a Beach,” the annual Pops concert by SHU L.O.V.E. Can I say I thought they were every bit as good as the Midtown Men? I am looking forward with great anticipation to “A Broadway Celebration” by the University Choirs Saturday evening and the University Concert Band’s selection of songs from video games Sunday afternoon as well as the SHU F.O.R.C.E. Dance Ensemble’s performance Saturday afternoon. I encourage you to attend these concerts over the weekend—our talented student performers always put on a great show.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to join approximately 50 faculty and staff members to recognize 75 administrative assistants at a lunch put on by the Human Resources team in honor of Administrative Professionals Day. Guest speaker Father Jerry Ryle offered some suggestions about the benefits of relaxation and meditation. Anyone who doesn’t think our administrative assistants run this place hasn’t seen them in action!

Congratulations to all the finalists for the Campus Life Leadership Awards and especially to our four winners: Dr. James McCabe, winner of the Dr. Marian Calabrese Outstanding Faculty Member Award; Dr. Mary Jo Mason, winner of the Outstanding Administrator Award; Lisa Gallagher, winner of the Outstanding Staff MemberAward; and Amanda Rowe, winner of the Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award. The final selections were made by members of Student Government. I thank you all for being there for our students.

As the semester draws to a close, there are wonderful opportunities to see the work our students have been doing over the past few months. The presentations by the seniors in the Thomas More Honors Program have been circulated to everyone via email, and they are most impressive. Thursday evening was Senior Portfolio Night, which provided an opportunity to see the outstanding work of our student graphic designers and artists. And, Friday afternoon was the Annual Undergraduate Poster and Showcase Session. A total of 51 student projects were on display on topics that ranged from the characteristics of youthful offenders to the perils of artificial tanning. There was even a robot! Congratulations to the Poster Showcase winners and to all the students who presented at these events for their hard work and creativity.

Earlier today, students, staff and faculty gathered in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit for the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Service. Although the Holocaust took place only 60 years ago, it can seem like ancient history to younger generations. It is important that the atrocities of the past are not forgotten.

A high five to the women’s lacrosse team for securing the top seed in the Northeast Conference Championships! That allows the women to host this year’s tournament, which takes place today and Sunday. The women will be enjoying that home field advantage as they look to capture their fourth title in five years. Go Pioneers!

Finally, I want to encourage members of the faculty and staff to join me Monday night as we continue our tradition of serving a late night breakfast in the Mahogany Room to students who are studying for finals. It’s a great opportunity to interact with students in a relaxed setting on the last day of classes.

Enjoy the weekend!

It’s been another busy and exciting week on campus as we barrel toward graduation. Why do the semesters seem to pass so quickly? The Discovery Gala was a wonderful event, and our new commons was the perfect setting. Approximately 300 people came out to mingle and dine in a 1960s Las Vegas setting. Even more exciting, we raised more than half a million dollars for student scholarships. Congratulations to Megan Rock and the University Advancement team! The Midtown Men did not disappoint as their high-energy performance left a capacity crowd at the Edgerton Center completely entertained.

For several days this week, we hosted a Lilly Fellows Network conference on the topic of Integrating A Faith-Based Education for the 21st Century: Challenges and Responses. The keynote speaker was Father David Tracy, a Greeley Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Catholic Studies from the University of Chicago. Attendees also heard from several other distinguished speakers, including our own Dr. Michael Higgins. By all accounts, the conference offered a wealth of information and a successful exchange of ideas. Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Loris and her team for an exciting and well-run event.

This week also saw the inaugural event for Sacred Heart’s Center for Urban Policy and Action. The Center opened with a conference entitled A Call to Action: Keeping the Promise to Connecticut’s Children. Special guest Governor Dannel Malloy shared his vision of education reform. Other attendees included several state commissioners, educators and politicians. The mission of the Center is to provide a mechanism for systematic study and analysis of education, public health and economic policy issues confronting urban communities and for developing practical, creative solutions to these issues. This is the first of many events the Center will sponsor. Kudos to Dr. Ed Hendricks, director of the Center, and his interdisciplinary team who worked so hard to ensure a successful launch.

We celebrated Opening Day at the new state-of-the-art Pioneer Park with a barbecue and a doubleheader against Yale. The women got their first win and first loss in the new stadium out of the way as they split the two games with a 7-4 win in the first game and a 3-0 loss in the second. I encourage you all to make plans to enjoy a game in this wonderful new facility.

I imagine the students, faculty and staff who braved the dunk tank on Wednesday would have preferred the near-90 degree temperatures we had on Monday. Nonetheless, everyone had a great time, and the event raised $280 for the Class of 2014.

This was Volunteer Week both nationally and here at Sacred Heart. Our first-ever Volunteer & Service Learning Week incorporated a variety of activities, including faculty excursions to area nonprofit organizations, cleanup of our community gardens, a recyclables collection and a campus-wide cleanup. I’m hopeful this will become an annual event.

The Theatre Arts program’s production of Spring Awakening opened last night to rave reviews. I saw it last night, and it is not to be missed. Congratulations to an extremely talented cast and a crew that did not miss a beat. You can still catch one of the three remaining shows over the weekend.

We could hardly have asked for a more beautiful day to dedicate our new student commons. I hope those of you who came out for the celebration enjoyed it as much as I did. It was wonderful to have Linda McMahon and her family with us as we dedicated the building in her honor. She is a strong believer in the importance of lifelong education and has done a lot for Sacred Heart. A special thanks to the members of the brass ensemble, the Four Heart Harmony choral ensemble and, especially, the students who kept our secret and participated in our surprise flash mob performance.  To view additional photos from the dedication, CLICK HERE.

Congratulations to Interim Dean Rupendra Paliwal and the entire faculty of the Welch College of Business on their recent reaccreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB International, the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, has accredited fewer than five percent of business schools worldwide.  To maintain accreditation a business program must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, at which the program must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.  A great deal of work goes into preparing for the site visit. We can all be very proud that our Welch College of Business stands up to such intense scrutiny.

Congratulations to Dr. Lucjan Orlowski, Dr. Abu Amin and Dr. Kwami Dunbar. Their preliminary research outcome was extremely well received at the CME Group Foundation seminar at NYMEX in New York City. Their work on the institutional transformation of financial futures markets received kudos from both the Foundation and the audience of prominent academics and Wall Street professionals. CME organizers were also impressed by the strong showing and active participation from SHU, so thanks to Dr. Russell Engel, Professor Ralph Lim and student research assistants Brian Benson and Bryan Harmon for their attendance and participation. Next the group will present their research at a seminar in Luxembourg on May 18.

Dr. Robert McCloud recently received confirmation that his research on how to teach computer programming to talented young people (students who score in the 99^th or 99.9^th percentile on standardized tests) in Albania has been funded for a total of $1.8 million through the Education Equity and Excellence Program. Bob has several partners on this project, including former SHU student Kelly Leather who is currently in Albania working on her Fulbright Scholarship research.

Earlier this week, Sacred Heart hosted high school students from several neighboring towns as part of Dr. Jack de Graffenried’s 20^th Art & Design Expo. The students had a chance to view the Sacred Heart student art show in the Gallery of Contemporary Art and then heard from guest speaker Wendell Minor who has done book covers for many well-known authors, such as Pat Conroy, David McCullough, Jodi Picoult, Howard Fast, Toni Morrison and many more. He encouraged the students to follow their dreams, noting that he never thought he would go from drawing fuzzy bunnies for Hallmark cards to the career he has today.

Congratulations to the dance team on their fifth-place finish at the NDA Collegiate Championships. We wish them the best of luck when they compete in the hip hop category tonight. Congratulations also to the women’s bowling team. Although they were eliminated from the NCAA tournament after back-to-back losses this morning, they did a great job winning the Northeast Conference championship.

A few weeks ago, when I looked back at what I had written, I found that much of the blog focused on our talented students. Similarly, today I have written mostly about our talented faculty. What a great community we have here at Sacred Heart!

Enjoy the weekend.

As I watch the campus empty for the break, I am again reminded what a special time of year this is. This truly has been a holy week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with the celebrations of Passover and Easter. As we celebrate God’s miracles – Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery and the resurrection of Jesus – I hope you will take time to appreciate your family and friends and to enjoy the beautiful spring weather we have been promised. I wish all of our Jewish brothers and sisters a joyous Passover, and to Christians, a blessed Easter. May you all have happy holidays, relaxing and enjoyable times with your family and a welcome break before the final weeks of the semester.