Dr. Petillo's Blog

Friday, September 28, 2012

The past couple of weeks have seen the High Holidays or Holy Days come and go for our Jewish colleagues and students. These included Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I wish you all Shanah Tovah.

Tuesday evening was our Second Annual Henri Nouwen Lecture on Contemporary Spirituality, and it was given by our own Michael Higgins. Before a crowd of faculty, staff, students and members of the community, he shared tales from the last 10 years of Nouwen’s life when he became involved with Jean Vanier and the first L’Arche home for the handicapped in Trosly-Breuil, France. Dr. Higgins recently published a book called Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen. It is available from the University bookstore.

On Wednesday, members of the community gathered in the Chapel for the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. This Mass is traditionally celebrated at Catholic colleges and universities to mark the beginning of the academic year. The tradition goes back to 16th-century Europe and provides us an opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance throughout the year.

Congratulations to Biology professors Jennifer Mattei and Mark Beekey and adjunct instructor Adam Rudman. They recently received two grants to support their Project Limulus conservation program. The program seeks to study and preserve Limulus polyphemus – the American horseshoe crab. The trio received a $24,500 grant from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. This is the second consecutive year that the Disney Fund has recognized this project. They also received $24,730 from the Long Island Sound Future’s Fund managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – a grant they also received last year. These grants will allow them to hire additional undergraduates to conduct research and educational outreach programming this coming summer.

SHU had the opportunity to host the newly elected Bridgeport Board of Education this week as Education Professor Jacqueline Kelleher, who is also president of the Bridgeport Board, held a seven-hour planning session with her board members at our Cambridge location. The mini-retreat was part informational and part crash course on how to function as a board. The group intends to convene again soon to set goals. It was our pleasure to host our neighbors as they begin their important work together.

Patricia Walker, dean of the College of Health Professions, will be honored at a luncheon tomorrow by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. She will be presented with the organization’s Distinguished Educator Award. Be sure to join me in congratulating Pat on this well-deserved and auspicious honor.

The Fairfield County Sports Commission is bestowing its Chelsea Cohen Award on SHU Head Football Coach Paul Gorham. The award recognizes the person in the sports community who has shown inspirational strength in battling life-altering obstacles. Paul will be honored at the Commission’s Eighth Annual Sports Night awards dinner on October 15 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. Those of us who have been following Paul’s journey know that this honor is well deserved.

Have you checked out my former ESTEEM mentee Bill Haug’s video blog? I especially enjoy the outtakes. I thought about putting some outtakes in this blog, but “Nowen – oops—Nouwen” just doesn’t have the same impact. 

This weekend is Homecoming weekend and a variety of exciting events have been planned. The highlight will be the football team’s home opener against Central Connecticut State University with the Alumni Tent Event taking place in the Pitt Center picnic area. The Pioneers are still looking for their first victory of the season, and it will be exciting to see them get it at home. Be sure to join the marching band at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit 45 minutes before kickoff for their home-game tradition of a musical blessing and a march up the hill.  I hope you will be in the stands cheering the team on, but if you can’t make it, the game will be broadcast on the Fox College Sports channel. TV viewers might even catch an interview with yours truly during the halftime show.

Homecoming weekend kicked off earlier today with the Alumni Awards reception and will continue this evening with a kickoff in Red’s Pub. Other activities include Gary Rose’s Alumni College Lecture tomorrow morning, a reunion for former and current members of the yearbook, newspaper and La Hispanidad and a tour and reception at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit following Mass on Sunday. There will be plenty to do for alumni and current students alike, so have a great time in between the raindrops! Spread the Red!

Friday, September 21, 2012

It was another busy and exciting week here on campus starting with last weekend when approximately 1,500 prospective students and parents were here for the undergraduate open house. It was great to show off our beautiful campus in the best possible light – sunny skies, students enjoying the beautiful weather and the Fall Fest activities, and there was even an alumni wedding in the Chapel Saturday afternoon.

We also dedicated our new state-of-the-art Pioneer Park softball stadium Saturday morning. It was a wonderful celebration and an opportunity to bridge the past with the future as there was a great deal of reminiscing about past softball and baseball victories and championships. Following the festivities, Sacred Heart kicked off that day’s tournament with a dominating 13-1 win over Yale. Later in the day, the Pioneers were beaten by Fairfield University 3-0. This facility will enhance our ability to recruit elite athletes to Sacred Heart, and we look forward to many more Pioneer victories here.  To view additional photos from the event, click here.

Cutting the ribbon at Pioneer Park were, from left, Bippy Luckie, Jen Russell and Pam London.

Monday was our annual Constitution Day program. Even though this program is federally mandated for colleges and universities that receive federal funds, I am always impressed by the quality of the speakers that Professor Rose brings to campus to speak. This year it was Randolph M. McLaughlin, J.D., professor of Law at Pace University Law School. His topic was “The Bill of Rights: Who Needs It?” He managed to thoroughly convince us that we all need it as he went through the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and illustrated the importance of each one with stories from history and his own personal experiences.

Randolph M. McLaughlin, J.D. was the guest speaker on Constitution Day

The expertise and diligence of Public Safety was showcased following the event when they were able to use their video surveillance equipment to help identify Michael Iannazzi as the thief who made off with the poster of the event that had been promised to the guest speaker. Good work, Jack Fernandez!

We received the exciting news that the CFA Institute has approved our application to participate in its University Recognition Program with our Investment Management Program. This means our program will be included on the CFA Institute website and other venues where the CFA promotes the program. It also gives us the opportunity to award five CFA Program Awareness scholarships to students each year. Congratulations to Bridget Lyons, Michael Dineen and Ralph Lim on their successful efforts in securing this prestigious recognition.

In preparation for our 50th anniversary next year, we began an oral history project where we interviewed members of the Board of Trustees who shared their first and favorite memories of their University experiences. I recommend that you consider working with your parents and/or grandparents on a similar project!

From left are former Trustee James Costello and current Trustees Lois Schine, Rev. Msgr. William A. Genuario, J.C.D. and Robert J. Matura.

We had the pleasure of hosting the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors (NEACAC) Regional College Fair last night. The Pitt Center was packed as 220 schools had booths, and approximately 2,000 prospective students and parents turned up to gather information. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our campus to our peers and to prospective students. Representatives from our fellow schools tell us that they were extremely impressed with everything from our how we organized the event to the food and the turnout. Congratulations and thanks to Campus Operations, our Student Ambassadors, Public Safety and Chartwells. Special thanks to the SHU NEACAC Planning Committee that worked so hard to ensure everything ran smoothly – Cynthia Conte, Jack Fernandez, Lisa Gallagher, Rob Gilmore, Ken Higgins, Trigona Mililli and Patti Pasquariello. This is another great example of what we can achieve when we all work together.

NEACAC Regional College Fair

The football Pioneers head to Monmouth this weekend in search of their first win of the season. This will be our first in-conference game this year, and we wish the team the best of luck. Speaking of Monmouth, though – congratulations to the women’s tennis team for their 7-0 win there Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers did not lose even a set to the Hawks on their way to their first win of the season.

Saturday marks the first day of fall. Have a great weekend!

 

September 14, 2012

This was my favorite kind of week – lots of interaction with students. On Wednesday, we had the Induction of the class of 2016. It was a great ceremony with just the right mixture of celebration and solemnity. My thanks to Professor Gary Rose for giving the faculty welcome and to Mia James for providing the student welcome. The marching band did a wonderful job accompanying the freshman class up the hill, and the program included a terrific performance by the combined University choirs and featured soloist, Stephanie Taglianetti. Pictures of the ceremony can be found here and copies of the welcome speeches can be found here.

As a side note, I am pleased to tell you that I won my bet with Vice President of Marketing & Communications Michael Iannazzi. He will be treating me to a bountiful lunch, along with our in-house social media coordinator, Bill Haug ’12, who will train me a bit more on how to use all these gadgets.  A grateful thanks to all of you who signed up to follow me on Twitter. For those who haven’t followed me yet, you can find me @SHUprez.

Thursday night was the second annual President’s Gala. I had a great time, and I hope you all did too. There was wonderful music provided by the deejay and band, The Zoo, and the food was delicious. Best of all, it was a chance to meet many of the students I had not connected with yet and to catch up with returning upperclassmen. I love kicking off the academic year with an event like this. Pictures from the gala can be found here.

Earlier in the week, William M. Jennings, president and chief executive officer of Bridgeport Hospital, was on campus to speak with health professions and business students about ethical dilemmas and new trends in health care. He spoke candidly about some of the issues he has had to handle during a career that has taken him to several medical institutions around the country. He also invited students to weigh in on some of the decisions he has made, which led to a lively discussion. While everyone did not always agree on a particular course of action, I know we all agree with Mr. Jennings’ overall message that ethics and good moral values need to come before any other motivation, including profits.


In exciting news, I just came back from a Board of Trustees meeting where they voted to move forward with construction of a new academic building to be built at the corner of Jefferson Street and Park Avenue. We expect the building to house the Welch College of Business, media studios and labs, learning labs and a new learning center, a large lecture hall and a café. This is an important step as we transform and grow and continue to provide facilities that meet the needs of our students and programs. We will update you as plans for the building progress.


Additional congratulations are in order for Education Professor Jacqueline Kelleher, who this week was elected chairman of the Bridgeport Board of Education. This is outside validation of what we already know – that she is extraordinarily committed to providing an outstanding education to students of all ages.

A group of commanders from the Bridgeport Police Department were on campus Friday for the first class of the Police Leadership Institute, a 12-week course on leadership and management. The program, taught by Jim McCabe, associate professor of Criminal Justice, is unique to this area and arose from Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett’s desire for quality training opportunities for his personnel. Participants will receive college credit for successfully completing the course and may choose to continue with either our undergraduate or master’s program in Criminal Justice. Congratulations to Jim for successfully developing and implementing this innovative course!

The Pioneer football team is back in action after a bye last week. They will take on the Colgate Raiders of the Patriot League in Hamilton, NY, on Saturday. They are looking for their first win of the season after a heartbreaking four-overtime loss to Morgan State in the season opener, and we wish them great success.

Hasn’t the weather been perfect this week? I love the summerlike days with crisp mornings and cool evenings. The good news is that it is expected to continue into the weekend. I will kick off my weekend tomorrow morning with a chance to meet and greet prospective students and their parents who will be here for an open house. I am excited to catch my first glimpse of the class of 2017, which will be our 50th Anniversary incoming class!

Have a fun and relaxing weekend!

September 7, 2012

It’s been a busy and exciting week here on campus starting with two lectures on Wednesday by Wes Moore who wrote the New York Times bestseller, The Other Wes Moore, that the incoming freshman class was assigned to read over the summer. Although it was part of the Student Affairs Lecture Series, lecture is not really the right word for his presentation. His demeanor was more like a friend or mentor offering up some solid advice. He encouraged the Class of 2016 to use their power to work together to make a difference even while here at Sacred Heart. I am looking forward to seeing our freshman class do great things – both during the next four years and beyond.


There was a great turnout last night for the TimeFlies concert. Students were lined up to get into the Pitt Center to hear this “electro-hip-hop-dub-something” duo. Am I showing my age if I confess that I have no idea what that means?

Later this afternoon, the first annual Blessing of the Hands ceremony will take place in the Chapel. The ceremony will commemorate the start of the clinical experience for juniors in the Nursing program and the continuation of that work for seniors. Traditionally, this milestone was marked by a capping ceremony. Since nursing students no longer receive caps, we will celebrate our nursing students by blessing their hands – a critical tool in the care they provide to their patients. Congratulations to all the nursing students who will be doing clinical work this year.

We got some great news this week as the state’s Office of Higher Education’s Advisory Committee on Accreditation approved the following programs that we had submitted:

• A graduate certificate program in Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy
• A master’s program in Digital Marketing
• A master’s program in Film and Television Production
• A master’s program in Human Resources Management
• A master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology
• A doctorate program in Nursing Practice
• A bachelor’s program in Professional Studies

A lot of effort went into getting these approvals. Congratulations to Gary Austin, Ann Barker, Stephen Brown,  Jim Castonguay, John Chalykoff, Susan DeNisco, Mary Lou DeRosa, Mike Emery, Ellen Kovar, Anca Micu, Rupendra Paliwal and Rhea Paul. Now the real work begins!

Kudos are also in order for Jacqueline Kelleher, assistant professor of Education, who won her seat on Bridgeport’s Board of Education in an election held earlier this week. Not only did she win, but she received the most votes of anyone on the ballot. Clearly the voters recognize her commitment to ensuring a solid education for the children of Bridgeport.

Our Innovation Committee members, led by Stephen Brown of the College of Business, have come back with a list of activities that they believe need to be done to promote innovation throughout the University. These range from establishing communication with the University as a whole to identifying structures and practices that facilitate innovation. We will need the help of everyone – faculty, staff, students and administration – for this project to be successful. You can find more information on the work of the committee here.

Yahoo has put the Sacred Heart University Pioneers on its list of the Top 25 Entertaining Names in FCS College Football. We came in at number 23 behind the Marist College Red Foxes and the Austin Peay State University Governors and ahead of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs and the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders. Number one on the list was the Campbell University Fighting Camels. I’d like to see their mascot!

Congratulations to the men’s soccer team on its 3-0 start to the season. They came back to beat Holy Cross Wednesday night. The season is still young, but you can’t argue with a perfect record.

I am looking forward to the Freshman Induction Ceremony next week and the Second Annual President’s Gala. I hope to have a chance to talk with many of you at those two events.

We’re expecting wet weather this weekend – great for watching the first weekend of NFL football or getting some homework out of the way! Enjoy!