Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo's Blog - Friday, October 26th

We have some catching up to do and a great deal to talk about. There has been a lot going on, and we have much to be proud of – so much so that this may turn out to be more of a novella than a blog entry. We received word last week that Sacred Heart has been named one of the country’s 294 Colleges of Distinction. Colleges of Distinction is a college guide that looks for the schools that give students the best opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. The four distinctive characteristics they look for are engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. Those are the things that Sacred Heart University is all about, but it’s nice to have it validated.

In the same vein, we also learned that our students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the national licensing exam that they must pass to become a registered nurse. The average pass rate this year was 93.5 percent. Congratulations to Anne Barker, the Nursing faculty and the students on a job well done!

Bravo to June-Ann Greeley who participated in an interview with Randi Kaye on CNN Sunday morning two weeks ago. June-Ann lent her expertise to a segment called “Spiritual but not Religious” where she suggested that it shouldn’t be a question of being spiritual or religious, but a combination of the two. She noted that the best that religions offer is the combination of community engagement in worship, tradition and the very personal and private part of the religious/spiritual experience. Not only did June-Ann do an outstanding job, but she represented the University and increased our credibility in her role as an expert.

Two of our professors from the Welch College of Business won the “Best Paper” Award at the Academy of International Business (AIB) conference we hosted here recently. Congratulations to Jeanine Andreassi and Leanna Lawter! The title of their paper, which they submitted with two colleagues from outside the university, was “Job Satisfaction Determinants: A Study across 48 Nations.”

The Class of 2016 elected its officers recently. Congratulations especially to the winners, but also to everyone who took advantage of the opportunity to mount a campaign and gain some valuable experience. In fact, I want to congratulate the 66 percent of the class who participated in the election by casting a vote. This is a much higher level of participation than we have previously seen in our freshman class elections, and I commend you on taking an interest and ensuring your voice was heard. It’s clear that this is going to be a very special class. I hope you all will also participate in the upcoming national and local elections.

We have had a number of distinguished guests on campus during the past couple of weeks from State legislators Gail Lavielle and Toni Harp discussing the Affordable Health Care Act and Professor Mayland Chang of Notre Dame University presenting on traumatic brain injury to Mike & Mike of ESPN radio talking about all things sports.



We have also had some great musical performances, including presentations of Irish music by the Brock McGuire Band and Jerry O’Connell. Perhaps my favorite was the Christian band In+Sight who recently participated in a Sunday night mass in the Chapel and then came back last week for a Praise and Worship event that featured singing, readings and students speaking. The hope is to have a Praise and Worship evening once a month with In+Sight. They are talented and uplifting, and I strongly recommend that you make it a point to see them when they come back.

The New England Regional meeting of The American Conference for Irish Studies took place on campus this past weekend. The plenary speaker was Dr. Eamonn Wall, Smurfit-Stone Professor of Irish Studies and professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The feedback from participants was that they enjoyed the papers and discussions and, especially, the chance to see old friends and make new connections. Congratulations to Professor John Roney on an outstanding job organizing this prestigious event.


We had a group of elementary-age students from Bridgeport’s Madison School on campus to run the timed mile required for their State of Connecticut fitness test on our track. There were safety issues and poor conditions where they were previously running near their school. Students from Professor Valerie Wherley’s ex-320 service learning course were on hand to help out. Video of the event can be found here. I love that we find ways to get students of all ages to campus.


Our two newest deans – Dean John Chalykoff of the Welch College of Business and Dean Jim Carl of the Farrington College of Education – were honored this week at an after-hours reception here on campus that was sponsored by the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. Congratulations to John and Jim on being recognized as two of the region’s newest business leaders.

Several of our women’s athletic teams participated in last Sunday’s Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk at Sherwood Island. They were among more than 6,000 walkers who raised $316,000 for the American Cancer Society. Great job, ladies!

Since I bragged when my trivia team was victorious, I have to confess that this week, we went down in defeat as the crown was returned once again to Welch College of Business.  However, I can’t help but point out that the winners (by just four points) were a team of eight faculty members going against a team of three students and yours truly. Make of that what you will. Congratulations – but don’t get too comfortable!

We are heading into Family Weekend with exceptional weather predicted for tomorrow. (After that, you might want to keep an eye on the skies as nobody seems quite sure how this possible “superstorm” will all come together…) I hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and friends. I also encourage you to take lots of photos and share them with us for a Family Weekend video that is planned. Details about how to participate can be found here. Anyone who submits a photo will be entered into a random drawing for a $20 gift card to the SHU bookstore. Don’t forget about the Choir Concert in the Edgerton Center on Sunday afternoon. It promises to be an afternoon of outstanding musical performances by our talented students. Enjoy the weekend!

President Petillo's Blog - Friday, October 19th

Today we are a community in mourning. We use the word community on a daily basis here – sometimes without stopping to think about what it really means. After last night, I don’t think I will ever take that word for granted again.

Last night, as an estimated 700 to 800 students crowded into the chapel to remember their fellow student, to mourn his death and to comfort one another, you heard Father Jerry, Dr. Coppola and me tell you that you are beautiful and amazing. We did not exaggerate. Looking out at you as you filled every seat, lined the walls and crowded into the vestibule, we were reminded of what community really means.

My email has been flooded with messages from parents – another important component of the Sacred Heart family. They offered up prayers and condolences to the family and to the students, faculty and staff here on campus. They expressed gratitude for our quick communication that allowed them to get in touch with their children to talk, to comfort, to tell them how much they are loved. One family even offered their home as a getaway should the family want to take advantage of it. Our community is truly special.

It’s unfortunate that it so often takes a tragedy to remind us of what we have. But as we grieve the terrible loss of one who left us much too soon, we have also been reminded that we are a loving, giving and supportive community. I thank each and every one of you for your support and comfort – for lifting each other up and for lifting me up in this time of sadness.

I had intended to write today about a number of exciting things that happened on campus this week, but that can wait a few days. Today is for mourning, for remembering the one we lost, for tears and prayers – and for being grateful for this rainy, dreary day and all that life has to offer.

God bless you.

President Petillo's Blog - Friday, October 12th

This week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the commencement of the Second Vatican Council by bestowing honorary degrees on three of the luminaries associated with that auspicious and fecund period in Catholic history. Those honored with the Doctor of Theology at a special academic convocation on Thursday were Gregory Baum, Nicholas Lash and Ladislas Orsy.

With President Petillo are, from left, Nicholas Lash, Gregory Baum and Father Ladislas Orsy.

The three also participated in a panel discussion Wednesday evening where they answered questions about the victories and the disappointments that have resulted from the work done at Vatican II. In an informative and entertaining evening, the three dignitaries proved to be not only brilliant theologians, but also comedians as they interspersed their responses with amusing anecdotes. The moderator was our own Michael Higgins, vice president for Mission and Catholic Identity, who chaired the committee that put this anniversary celebration together. In fact, he got so excited by how well the panel discussion was going that he somehow managed to spill coffee all over himself. I hope he doesn’t expect the University to cover his dry cleaning bill.

Pictured from left onstage are moderator Dr. Michael W. Higgins, vice president for Mission and Catholic Identity, Orsy, Baum and Lash.

Sacred Heart University was founded during Vatican II by Bishop Walter W. Curtis, then Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. Bishop Curtis attended Vatican II and was inspired by a new focus on the laity and the role they play in the mission of the church. In conjunction with the work being done by Vatican II, he founded Sacred Heart University in 1963 specifically to be staffed by the laity. As a result, Sacred Heart and Vatican II are forever linked, and it is most fitting that we celebrate that connection.

The celebration will conclude tomorrow evening with a special concert performance of Mass of the New Light by composer Peter-Anthony Togni. The piece was specifically written for this occasion.

My thanks to Dr. Higgins and his committee for an outstanding job on the planning and execution of this event. The festivities are just beginning as next year we will celebrate the golden anniversary of this University’s founding.

Also this week, Sacred Heart University is hosting the Academy of International Business - US Northeast Chapter’s 2012 Annual Conference. The theme of the conference is “Business without Borders,” and the agenda offers a variety of presentations and workshops related to this timely topic. It is a great honor to host such an esteemed event, and my thanks to Professors Khawaja Mamun and Jing'an Tang who worked hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly for our guests.

From left are Welch College of Business Dean John Chalykoff, Customer Solutions Group Executive Vice President David Dobson, Pitney Bowes President and CEO Murray Martin, Yale School of Management Senior Faculty Fellow Arun Sinha and Spreadsave.com President Mike Moen.

More than 300 faculty and staff members and their families were on hand last Saturday for SHU Day 2012 – a tailgate party to celebrate the Pioneers’ second home football game of the season. The caricature artist, bouncy house and cotton candy were popular with the kids, while the adults enjoyed delicious food and a variety of beers. The rain held off for most of the game and, while the Pioneers did not prevail, it was exciting and close. They head to Dartmouth this weekend for their last non-conference game of the season. Go Pioneers!

SHU Day

A huge round of applause is in order for the women’s figure skating team who won their third consecutive ISI Adult National Championship in Las Vegas over the weekend. Their hard work and dedication definitely paid off. Congratulations, ladies!

Women's Figure Skating Team

More kudos go out to the marching band who once again represented Sacred Heart in the annual Columbus Day Parade in New York City. Congratulations!

The Marching Band performs at the Columbus Day Parade in NYC.

On Tuesday, the faculty gathered for the Faculty Institute, which offered an exciting and informative agenda. After reading George Keller’s Transforming a College about Elon College in North Carolina, I was particularly interested in hearing from Dr. Gerry Francis, who is the executive vice president there. He did not disappoint as he shared the strategies used to transform Elon from an institution struggling to remain solvent to a growing campus with students from 40 countries and 46 states and a 40 percent increase in applications since 1995.

The morning presentation was by Jill Kinsey of the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. She shared data on how our students perceive the quality of the environment here at Sacred Heart. She was inundated with questions from the audience who wanted to hear more about strategies for improving our engagement with our students. Many faculty members in attendance commented that the Institute was the equivalent of a conference they would pay to attend. Our thanks go out to the provost, Laura Niesen de Abruna, for putting together such a dynamic agenda.

While the faculty was discussing active and engaged learning here at SHU, the students were studying for midterms. Can we really be halfway through the semester already?

A great way to kick off the weekend will be the SHU Hoops Madness this evening at the Pitt Center. The event commemorates the official start of the basketball season when practices begin for the teams.  The men’s and women’s teams will be introduced, and there will be raffle prizes, a pep rally and a scrimmage between the men’s varsity and a team made up of faculty and staff. Now that should be interesting!

Have a wonderful weekend.

President Petillo's Blog - Friday, October 5th

Have you seen our new website yet? If not, I strongly recommend that you take some time to check it out. It is beautifully done. Some of the new features include an interactive video tour, a social media mashup, an interactive map and a more robust Campus Life section. The look of the site is modern with brilliant photography and bold layouts. Take a look at the sections dedicated to each of our five colleges, for example. We have also made the site much easier to use with links across the top to provide quick access to the student portal and the faculty and staff pages and mega menus that lead you deeper into the site. It is also designed for easy access through a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Unless you have been involved in a project of this magnitude, you may not realize the months of work and thousands of hours it takes. My deepest gratitude is extended to Nancy Boudreau, director of web content, and her team – Kim Galiette and Caitlin Robles. They pretty much gave up their lives to this project over the past year. Thanks also to the rest of the Web Design team for their hard work and thoughtful input – Funda Alp, Alane Bikovsky, Renata Cioffi, Maura Coppola, Emily Dauenhauer, Tracy Deer-Mirek, Diana Fitzsimons, Emily Gillette, Frances Grodzinsky, Alexis Haakonsen, Michael Iannazzi, Mia James, Christopher Lavoie, Katie Nichols, Jamie Romeo, Julie Savino and Deborah Surbey.

Of course there is still fine-tuning to be done to the site over the next few weeks and months, but I ask that we don’t lose sight of the tremendous amount of thought and creativity, along with the hard work, that it took to prepare for this launch. Everyone involved did an outstanding job and deserve our respect, thanks and congratulations.

As you look beyond the graphics and design, you will discover that the site also reflects the goals set forth in our five-year strategic plan and our new branding messages, which you will hear more about very soon. Again, thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in this project.

Despite the gloomy skies, the rain mostly held off last weekend allowing for an action-packed homecoming weekend. The football team got its first victory of the season before a stadium filled with alumni and current students. It was great to see so many alumni on campus, and I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with them.


The Pioneers are at home again this week – the second of just four home contests they have this season. We are looking forward to another big crowd as faculty and staff will be out in numbers following the Employee Spirit Club’s annual SHU Day. In addition to delicious food, the event features activities for children and fun raffle prizes. I’m looking forward to meeting my colleague’s families and cheering the football team on to a second straight victory in what looks to be a tough contest against Wagner.

This week was Hispanic Heritage Week, and La Hispinadad put on a great series of events to educate and entertain the SHU community. These included a presentation by Curtis Acosta of the Tucson Unified School District where the high school’s Mexican American Studies program was controversially shut down by the Board of Education; a discussion on the integration of immigrant families into the U.S.; a showing of the film, Maria Full of Grace; and a piñata fundraiser. La Hispinadad was resurrected in 2010 and is quickly making its presence known. Congratulations on a great job!


Wednesday afternoon brought the second in the “Civility in America” series that SHU is sponsoring along with the City of Stamford and the Dilenschneider Group. This week’s speaker was Ernie Anastos, Fox 5 News Anchor and acclaimed author who spoke on the topic of Civility in the Media. He expressed his disappointment that so much of the news today is negative, adding that it is money and viewer preferences that drive the decisions on what to air. His goal, he said, is to report more positive news.


This was one of eight lectures on civility to be presented at the Ferguson Library in Stamford. Next up is Olympia Snowe, U.S. senator from Maine. She will speak on Civility in Politics next Wednesday evening at 5:30. Through our sponsorship of this series, we are increasing our presence in Stamford where we also have a campus.

WWE wrestler Mick Foley was here Wednesday evening to speak to students about sexual violence on campus. Mick, who is a bestselling author and stand-up comedian, prides himself on also being a rape crisis hotline volunteer. He was a great role model with an important message.

I really don’t like to brag – and I’m actually not, because I am the first to admit that I was carried by the rest of my team – but yours truly was on the winning trivia team at Red’s pub Wednesday night. We were thrilled to dethrone a certain team from the Welch College of Business that just might be pictured below, and we are throwing down the gauntlet to any challengers. Bring it on!


Following the long holiday weekend that I know we are all looking forward to, the faculty will gather on Tuesday for its Fall Faculty Institute. We have an exciting agenda that includes presentations by Jillian Kinzie of the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Dr. Gerry Francis, executive vice president of Elon University. There will also be an interactive panel discussion on “Active and Engaged Learning at Sacred Heart University.”

Happy Columbus Day!