Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo’s Blog - Friday, February 28th

As I write this, the students are clearing out for spring break. We will miss them, but wish them all the best during their time off. Earlier this week I sent them an email expressing those sentiments. In that email, I spoke about the 35 students who are spending the break on an international service trip and the 90 who are working with Habitat for Humanity at various locations. Since then, I have learned that another group of 10 students will be traveling to Haiti to help build a road. I have nothing but admiration and appreciation for all the students who are giving up their break in service to others.

We said goodbye this week to our good friend Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, or Rabbi Joe as he was affectionately called around here. He was a co-founder in 1992 of our Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) and served as executive director of the Center until his retirement in July 2007. He will be missed for his wisdom, compassion and friendship.

I hope you have had a chance to take note of the new SHU flags that are flying in front of the main academic building and the Pitt Center. They were commissioned for our 50th anniversary and were designed by Jennifer MacLeman, director of graphic design here at SHU.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the Elements Concert last weekend. It was a fantastic showcase of the depth of talent that resides in all the disciplines within in our performing arts programs.

Once again, we had events and programs to suit a variety of interests this week. These included a forum titled “An Uneasy Peace: Northern Ireland’s Search for Resolution,” where SHU professors and guest Kevin Cassidy from Fairfield University addressed the situation in Northern Ireland; our annual Henri Nouwen Lecture on Contemporary Spirituality, which featured our own Father Anthony Ciorra discussing the discoveries he made about beauty and spirituality while writing his most recent book, Beauty: A Path to God; and colloquia on St. Francis and Bernard Malamud and on moving on from post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD).

This week also saw more than 90 potential employers gather in the Pitt Center to meet with current students and alumni. Sponsored by the Office of Career Development, the fair capped off a month-long series of events designed to prepare students to successfully land jobs following graduation. The fair was a perfect opportunity to make contacts, share resumes and practice those two-minute elevator speeches.

This week was our second annual Student Philanthropy Week. This year, the students were challenged by Gary and Mary Anne Levin ’78 to raise $5,000, which the Levins would match dollar for dollar. The students blew through that goal, raising a total of $6,700 to date—and the campaign continues through the end of March. Donors from the class of 2014 will be recognized in the commencement program. Like last year, the students also tagged various items around campus as a visual to help all of us understand how much we rely on our generous donors. They also signed more than 1,500 thank-you postcards to be sent to donors. It’s great to see the students appreciating the gifts we have received from faculty, staff, alumni and other friends of the University and, especially, to see their desire to give back themselves.

Earlier this week, members of Kappa Sigma fraternity sponsored an event called America 4 Boston where they invited members of the SHU community to design a canvas square with thoughts, wishes or prayers for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and their families. The squares will be connected together and presented before an upcoming Boston Red Sox game. Yesterday, members of the Iota Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta hosted a White Ribbon Campaign event, with a goal of increasing awareness of and ending abuse against women. I had the opportunity to join Fairfield’s first selectman Mike Tetreau in speaking at this worthwhile event. The fraternity partnered with Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport on the initiative and joined with Fairfield to make it a town-wide event.

Our Horizons program is registered for the Fairfield Community Foundation Day of Giving on March 7. Whichever registered organization garners the most online donations of $10 or more that day will win $25,000. Whether we win or lose that competition, your gift will support this great program for the Bridgeport children you see around campus during the summer.

If you are as ready for spring as I am, you might want to celebrate with the latest T-shirt offering from our student-run business, Heartfelt Designs. Not only will you be stylishly dressed, but you will be supporting our students who participate in the international mission service trips.

Enjoy the weekend!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, February 21st

As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary this year, we have had a lot of exciting and fascinating programs, covered a variety of topics and heard from some elite guests. This week’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Beatles—A Really Big SHU—just may have been my favorite. Not only did it showcase the extraordinary talent of our students, faculty and staff, but it truly seemed to capture the excitement that the Beatles brought to the music scene with their intricate progressions, thoughtful and/or fun lyrics and spot-on harmonies. Congratulations to everyone—on stage and behind the scenes—who played a role in this fantastic production.

We also heard this week from Catherine Neal, author of Taking Down the Lion, the story of the rise and fall of Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski. She shared that she was taken by surprise by her research and the conclusions it led her to. Among her discoveries was that when it comes to “good guys” and “bad guys,” it’s not always black and white.

This week our colloquia series offered a chance to see the film Bakhtiari Alphabet, which is a documentary about the nomadic life in Iran. In particular, it focuses on the challenges of educating children in these circumstances as well as the struggles experienced by this rapidly disappearing culture.

Kathryn Kloeckener, who coaches field hockey, received a letter this week praising two freshman members of the team—Lauren Harrison and Danielle Gallagher. The letter came from a neighbor who was shoveling out her 50-foot driveway when the two young women doubled back and offered to help her with the task. She was impressed that the girls refused any payment and made light work of the task, laughing, talking and answering questions along the way. She concluded the letter by saying, “Expect to see this appreciative neighbor rooting for SHU at field hockey games in the fall!” This kind of story warms the cockles of my cold New Jersey heart!

Before you all head out for spring break, I want to encourage you—students especially—to take part in some of the events planned for our Second Annual Student Philanthropy Week next week. Our Forever Pioneers and Students Today Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) have done a great job making sure we all understand just how much we have because of the generosity of our donors. Check your emails for more information on next week’s activities.

Congratulations to our women’s swim team on an outstanding showing at the NEC Championships over the past few days. Every member of the team set a personal best record during the prelims. In addition, freshman Olivia Decas broke the school record in the 50 free at prelims with a time of 24.47 seconds. The previous record was 25.01. They also set the 200 free relay record last night, beating the previous record by over a half of a second.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, our fifth annual Elements Concert takes place Sunday afternoon. It is a showcase for our performing arts program with selections by the band, choir, and theatre arts and dance teams. Best of all, admission is free.

Enjoy the weekend!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, February 14th

The statisticians certainly weren’t kidding when they said that February is the snowiest month of the year. Once again, I need to offer a big thank-you to the essential personnel who came to campus to make sure our students had everything they needed during the storm. And, of course, special thanks to the campus operations staff who continue to work under incredibly challenging circumstances. I have had several folks mention to me that our roads and pathways are in much better shape than some in the surrounding communities.

It seems strange to go from talking about a major snowstorm to a beach party, but there was, indeed, a beach party in front of Outtakes on Wednesday. The purpose was to call attention to the LTUT (Less Than U Think) campaign. I am proud of this group of students who are finding creative and humorous ways to remind their peers that binge drinking can have a number of unfortunate consequences.

Also on Wednesday, celebrity chefs (and wrestling coaches) Andy Lausier and Derek Moore put together a delicious menu of Mexican food for those having lunch at 63’s.

Wednesday evening was the opening reception for an exhibit—Uneasy Peace: Northern Ireland’s Search for Resolution—at the Art & Design Gallery at the Edgerton. It features the journalistic work of freelance photographer Mariusz Smiejek. The exhibit, which explores the continuing struggle in Northern Ireland to find a peaceful solution for a region with a very troubled history, will continue through March 9.

Later that evening, Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, gave an inspiring lecture on education and minorities in the Edgerton Center auditorium. His research focuses on the science and math fields and increasing minority participation and performance. He talked about the importance of data and assessment in determining what works in schools and what doesn’t, but he also emphasized the role of teachers, saying, “teachers touch eternity through their students.” That is definitely food for thought.

Earlier in the week, members of the SHU community had two great program options on Monday night with John Sullivan speaking about free software, while Frank Warren, founder and curator of the PostSecret Project, shared some of the hundreds of thousands of postcards he has received from around the world. Sullivan, who is executive director of the Free Software Foundation in Boston, spoke on the topic “The Future is Open — or Is It?" and about free software. He pointed out that free software involves using computers in a way that is compatible with the values of a free society, not just using software at zero price. Warren talked about his original project that encourages people to write their deepest secrets down on postcards and send them to his home. The stories are then posted anonymously on his website. This now-global movement has shown how secrets can build bridges between people who might be suffering from depression, abuse, thoughts of suicide and more. Both the Hrabowski and Warren lectures were part of our 50th Anniversary celebration.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Human Journey Colloquia Series offered two other exciting programs this week. On Tuesday, George Mason University students Yara El Mowafy and Yeme Mehari shared their journey of dealing with the issues of homelessness and hunger among college students on their campus, noting that there were times when they had to choose between paying tuition and eating. On Wednesday, we heard from Jeffery Ogbar, vice president of Diversity at the University of Connecticut, in a program titled, “Pop Music and Activism: Jazz to Hip Hop.” The program was part of our celebration of Black History Month.

Congratulations are in order for several of our athletic teams. In a span of just over 24 hours last weekend, three Pioneer squads won conference titles and a fourth finished as runner-up. On Saturday, the men’s and women’s fencing squads both captured NFC Championships, and on Sunday, the women’s indoor track and field team followed suit with a Northeast Conference crown. The men’s indoor track and field team finished as the NEC runner-up Sunday afternoon as well. A round of applause goes to all the students and coaches who worked so hard to achieve these successes.

Heartfelt Designs has Pioneer sweatpants on sale at the bookstore. They are perfect for the weather we have been having and for showing your Pioneer spirit. They also make great gifts. In addition, profits from this student-run business are donated to charity. I have already purchased a couple of pairs and plan to get more.    

This weekend is Siblings Weekend, and there are a lot of activities on tap for you to share with your brothers and sisters. In addition to the special programs planned by the Student Events Team, you can hear Sheena Easton in concert this evening or check out the student-written plays that will be shown at Theatrefest throughout the weekend. In addition, the women’s basketball team will play its annual Play4Kay game tomorrow afternoon. Proceeds from raffle ticket sales and the sale of memorial ribbons will benefit The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a foundation that funds programs for cancer survivors.

Have a happy Valentine’s Day and enjoy the weekend with your siblings!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, February 7th

Another week, another snowstorm (or two). As always, I want to thank the folks who braved the weather on Wednesday to get to campus and ensure that our students were well cared for. In particular, a heartfelt thank you to those who endured brutal conditions throughout the day and night on Wednesday to get roads and sidewalks ready for Thursday morning.

I want to address some of the comments that appeared on social media and came in via email on Monday regarding our decision to hold classes until 3:30. It is always a difficult decision during a snowstorm or other extreme weather conditions to balance our responsibility for your safety with our commitment to provide you with the outstanding education that you expect. Decisions surrounding the closure of the University and/or cancellation of classes are made jointly by the provost’s office and the public safety and campus operations teams based on all of the information they have from a wide variety of sources. The operations of any major residential university require that the campus remain open with essential services available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Therefore, the University can never fully close. The default position in the event of inclement weather is that classes and all other activities will continue as scheduled, and cancellations or delays will be kept to an absolute minimum.  Students, faculty and staff should plan in advance accordingly. Most of your questions and concerns are addressed in the University’s inclement weather policy.

There was some great entertainment available here on campus over the weekend. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed both the faculty jazz concert and the debut performance of the SHU Dance Company. It reinforced what we already know—that there is outstanding talent in both the faculty and student ranks.


Sabina and I were also at the Pack the Pitt event last night. Despite the loss, it was great to see the stands packed with red-clad students, faculty and staff. The event also included the first in a series of activities for the LessThanUThink campaign, which discourages binge drinking and raises awareness of the negative social impact that can result. We have already gotten great coverage on this program from such outlets as News Channel 12 and the Connecticut Post. The next event is a beach party outside Outtakes next Wednesday with more giveaways for those who stop by.

Congratulations to Horizons summer teachers Jessica McNell and Brad McGuire on winning Horizon National’s annual Lyn McNaught Excellence Award. The award is named for the founder of the Horizons Program and recognizes contributions in the areas of leadership, commitment, educational excellence and compassion.

Congratulations also to Professor Bonnie Maur and Annette Hird Carbone (academic grant writer) for their efforts in securing a $349,546 grant from the State of Connecticut. Among the things the grant will do is strengthen teachers’ understanding of science content and assist in the development of a more effective scientific teaching practice that will allow students to reach high standards. The program will be offered to university professors, scientists, classroom teachers, student teachers and student teaching supervisors.

Three Sacred Heart University nursing professors will speak at Danbury Hospital next week as part of the hospital’s 2014 Global Health Series. Professors Michelle Cole, Shery Watson and Eileen Yost, all of whom are also missions coordinators here, will discuss the topic “Developing a Sustainable Global Health Program: Experiences from the School of Nursing at Sacred Heart University.” The event will be hosted by Majid Sadigh, director of Global Health at Danbury Hospital/Western Connecticut Health Network, and will provide great exposure for these professors and Sacred Heart.

Our University Choirs will present their annual Gospelfest program Saturday evening in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. This is always a great event, and the acoustics are perfect for showcasing this type of music. This year’s performance features special guest M. Roger Holland, III, a New York City gospel recording artist and composer.

On Sunday, the club hockey team will play its final home game of the season at the Webster Bank Arena. Head on over to cheer on the senior members of the team in their last college home game.

Whatever you decide to do over the weekend, have fun and be safe.