This has been a week full of exciting news and a variety of events—just what you would expect from a vibrant University community like ours!
First, it is my great pleasure to congratulate Michelle Loris on being named Connecticut Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (commonly known as CASE). The announcement was made yesterday, and Michelle, with her devotion to her students, her colleagues and this University, is a most deserving awardee. I think it says a lot about the exceptional quality of our faculty that we have now had two Connecticut Professors of the Year in the past three years. We will honor Michelle with a reception at the gallery in the Edgerton Center on Tuesday afternoon. Please stop by to congratulate her.
We also learned this week that the specialty beer created for our 50th anniversary, Via Cordis, won a gold medal on Saturday at the Great International Beer Fest in Providence. This event is billed as America’s largest international beer festival. Congratulations to Geff Stopper and Kirk Bartholomew, who worked with Two Roads Brewing Company to create the beer, on this honor.
Finally, Brian Stiltner, chair of our Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Department, was a guest of Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC for a discussion on the rising number of Catholic hospital systems and the impact of Catholicism on these hospital’s policies and the way they deliver health care. Again, all these things serve to reinforce the expertise and quality of our faculty. To watch the video clips, check out our faculty & staff news page on the website.
This week brought several special 50th Anniversary events to campus. Those included the beautiful Missa Gaia concert last weekend, presented by the combined choirs to celebrate creation; a discussion on patient safety and eHealth with Yale University’s Linda Godleski, Greenwich Hospital’s Susan Brown and our own Emmanuel Yung; a talk by Joanna Leone ’89 on her book Slices of Life Italian-American Stories; and a showing of the film Crossing Borders, a documentary that seeks to show the “other side” of the clash between the Western and Muslim worlds.
The talk by Joanna Leone was part of our celebration of International Education Week. Some of the other activities included Parisian breakfasts, Henna tattoos, foreign films, dance lessons, lectures and more. Thanks to the Office of Global Affairs, English Language Institute, Office of Graduate Admissions and Office of International Admissions for putting on such a great series of events. Thanks also to the Foreign Languages and Cultures Department for sponsoring the film, Motorcycle Diaries.
Other events on campus this week included a discussion on concussion management with Michael A. Lee of Pediatric Healthcare Associates in Southport; a summit on cyber security; a chat with ESPN anchor and SHU alum, Dario Melendez; a workshop for faculty on globalizing the classroom; and a talk presented by the SHU Polish Studies Fund on Tadeusz Kosciuszko and the Black American Revolution by Colgate University’s Graham Russell Gao Hodges. There was truly something available for every interest this week.
Congratulations to the women’s rugby club team for beating Fordham 48-0 to capture their first National Small College Rugby Organization Division Championship. Way to go, ladies!
It was also exciting to see the great turnout for Senior Day and our win over Duquesne at the football game last Saturday and our fans at the men’s basketball game Saturday evening. Even though Fairfield was the home team, it seemed like SHU was better represented in the crowd. Despite the loss, it was great to see so many students and faculty cheering the team on and also to observe the good-natured ribbing between Bobby Valentine and the Fairfield fans.
The football team heads to Robert Morris this weekend for their final regular-season game. If they win, the clinch at least a share of the NEC title. Some other factors that are out of their control will determine whether they receive a bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. You can watch the game on the big screen in the plaza outside the Edgerton or at 63’s. Go Pioneers!
Some activities on campus this weekend for your consideration include two theater performances—The Playboy of the Western World and Edges: The Musical; the debut performance of the University Faculty Brass Quintet this evening; and the men’s basketball team’s home opener against Brown tomorrow afternoon. The men’s hockey team is also playing at Yale tomorrow night. And, of course, there is always the option of studying…
Have a great weekend!