Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, December 19th

I want to thank all the faculty and staff who came out for the Christmas party on Wednesday. It was a great way to end the semester. The planning team from Human Resources did a tremendous job, and we had an evening of delicious food, beautiful music and good conversation.

For those of you who were unable to attend the party, I want to reiterate the thanks I expressed to all of you for another successful semester. We had moments of sorrow with the loss of Kaitlyn Doorhy and, more recently, the passing of two SHU icons—Leland Roberts and Ed Malin. But we also had moments of celebration as we welcomed our largest-ever freshman class, watched the Frank & Marissa Martire Business & Communications Center near completion and broke ground for a new residence hall. For me, the moments of greatest celebration come toward the end of each semester when the students present the work they have been doing in the previous months. Whether it’s an art exhibit, music and theater performances, capstone presentations or demonstrations by the communications and media studies students, this is the reason we are here. We are here for our students—to help them learn and transform. Thank you all for making them the foremost consideration in everything you do.

Those who attended the Wreath Lighting service prior to the party received a special treat as the soloists were Allegra De Vita ’11 and Trevor Kelly ’13. We are so grateful that they continue to come back and bless us with their beautiful voices.

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who participated in the Adopt-a-Family program organized by the Office of Volunteer Programs & Service Learning. You have made a difference in the lives of some of our neighbors who otherwise would not have had gifts and food for their Christmas celebration. This type of program exemplifies the mission of Sacred Heart. Special thanks, too, to Chartwells for providing the delivery truck and to all of you who came out to help the Volunteer Programs folks load and pack the donations. I hear that members of the wrestling team and our guests from Mexico were heroes on that front. Thank you all.

While I’m on the subject of SHU’s mission, I want to mention that not all of our students, faculty and staff will be relaxing during the winter break. Several groups will be going on mission trips. A group of five students and two advisers will be heading to Bangladesh right after Christmas, while another group of 12 students and two advisers will be in the Dominican Republic in January. A group of 20 students and three advisers will spend time in January working with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi. And, of course, we will have our annual Curtis Week program just before the spring semester starts where 17 students and four advisers will work locally to help those in need right here in Bridgeport. Thanks to all of you for giving up some of your break to do this good work.

While I’m saying thank you, I would be remiss if I did not mention those who were on hand during last Saturday’s water main break to ensure that everyone on campus—especially the students—were safe. The break happened during the Irish Christmas Program at the Edgerton, but I’m told nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance.

Last Friday, our 23rd graduation exercises took place at our campus in Luxembourg. Nineteen Welch College of Business students were awarded MBA degrees, and four received graduate professional certificates. WCOB Dean Chalykoff conferred the degrees, and Michael W. Higgins, vice president of Mission and Catholic Identity, delivered the commencement address. Also on hand from Connecticut was Jim Morley, chairman of the Board of Trustees. Congratulations to our newest graduates.

Before I close, I want to once again wish everyone a very merry Christmas. To assist with that sentiment, I am providing a link to the IT Department’s Christmas card for those who haven’t seen it. I wish all of you who are traveling during the holiday or the break safe travels with no delays! Whether you are relaxing with friends and family, vacationing somewhere warm—or cold—or participating in a mission trip, I hope your time off is fun and fulfilling. Let’s all come back refreshed and ready to finish off the year with a successful spring semester. Merry Christmas!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, December 12th

We were busy on campus last weekend with some really special events taking place. Sacred Heart hosted the Northeast Regional Ethics Bowl for the third (and final) consecutive year. Next year, another school will take on the hosting responsibilities, but we received a lot of compliments from coaches and students from the other 15 schools about how well-run the event was and for keeping the focus on ethics. Congratulations and thanks to June-Ann Greeley for an outstanding job coordinating the event for three years and thanks to all the students, faculty and staff who gave up some or all of their Saturday to volunteer as judges and moderators. Last, but not least, congratulations, also, to our two participating teams from SHU and their dedicated coaches. You did us proud!

There were also a number of musical events that showed off the incredible talents of our students and served to get attendees into the Christmas spirit. The chamber ensembles, choruses and band all put on programs. I never get tired of their spectacular performances.

 In addition, we were treated to great music from our various choirs during our annual Lessons & Carols service Sunday evening. And it was great to have our newest alum, Ernie Anastos, back on campus to participate as a reader during the service.

I want to thank everyone who came out to volunteer for the Late Night Breakfast for students on Monday. I know it means a lot to the students to see you all there to serve their meals and wish them well as they take their final exams.

Earlier this week, 24 seniors in the Health Science Department presented their capstone papers and posters. This represented a semester’s worth of work and is a requirement for those advancing to graduate programs in their fields. This program has grown from five to 165 students in just four years, and the topics they come up with are fascinating. This year, the subject matter included the effects of Reiki therapy on anxiety, depression and chronic illness and the effects of acupuncture on infertility in women. I expect to see them published in a national journal one of these days.

I want to take a moment to thank our student-athletes for their generosity in supporting the efforts of the Forever Pioneers to raise money for scholarships. The Forever Pioneers challenged our D1 teams to achieve 100 percent participation in giving as part of a campaign where student gifts would be matched by Gary and Mary Ann Levin ’78. The challenge concluded last week with 100 percent participation from 18 teams and gifts from 589 student-athletes. A total of $4,373.02 was raised. I am looking forward to hosting the women’s lacrosse and men’s basketball teams for dinner next semester, as they are they were the winners in a drawing of all teams that achieved full participation in the student-athlete challenge. Thanks for ensuring that future students will have the same great experience that you did. And thanks, also, to Gary and Mary Ann for their continued support of our scholarship programs.

We have some very special guests on campus right now—a group of students from various universities in Mexico. They are participants in the Proyecta 100,000 project that was launched this past year by the U.S. and Mexico with the goal of developing a shared vision on educational opportunities and boosting student mobility and exchanges between the two countries. An initial group of 60 students was here for three weeks in November, and this group will be here until December 19. They will participate in events and activities both on campus and in the surrounding area. We welcome them to SHU and are excited to have them here for the Christmas season. 

Last night, I once again had a chance to host dinner for friends of the University. And again, the SHUpermen brought down the house with their incredible harmonies. We have been keeping all of our performing arts students busy during the Christmas season. We are grateful that they take time from their studies to share their amazing talents with us. Watch their performance here.

Tomorrow we bid farewell to our colleague and friend, Ed Malin. Services will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. His impact on this University is immeasurable. He will be deeply missed and long remembered.

I hope that faculty and staff have marked their calendars for Wednesday evening’s Advent Wreath Lighting service and Christmas party. I am hoping to see everyone there. And, yes, Jersey rules will apply to the awarding of the raffle prizes!

If you are around this weekend, consider coming to the Irish Christmas program in the Edgerton on Saturday. It will feature Mick Moloney, Athena Tergis and promises to be a great show.

As our students finish up the semester and head home for the holidays, I want to once again wish them all safe travels and a wonderful winter break. Merry Christmas!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, December 5th

It was another busy week on campus with students wrapping up semester-long projects and Christmas events taking place. Earlier this week, Stephanie Sorbara and Kyle Rogus, who are part of the Thomas More Honors Program, gave their Senior Honors Capstone presentations—a requirement of the program. Both are set for an early graduation this month. Also this week, students from the communications & media studies program presented a multimedia demonstration of their skills in podcasting, photography, web design, audio and video editing and more. This evening, students from the College of Business will hold a poster session and give the final presentation of their new business plans.   

Tuesday evening was the annual tree lighting on the quad and, although the weather was not cooperative once again, it did not dampen the spirits of those who gathered to sing carols, drink hot chocolate and see the tree lights turned on.

This week also saw our first-ever open mic event for the sharing of student writing. The program was the kickoff for our new minor in creative writing. Before a crowd of about 60 students, faculty members and staff, 12 students read their poems and works of short fiction. Participating students came from several majors and departments, including exercise science, philosophy, psychology and English—showing that the new minor will be of interest to students of all disciplines. 

I had a chance to host a couple of holiday dinners this week. On Tuesday, I enjoyed the company of the members of student government. After dinner, we had some fun singing carols together. Last night, I hosted a group of friends of the University. In addition to the great food and talk, we were treated to a tremendous performance by the SHUpermen. I even received an official SHUperman T-shirt as proof of my continued status as their number one fan.

Congratulations are in order for Carylanne Rice-Ehalt, executive director of Upward Bound, who recently hosted a state conference at the University of Bridgeport in her role as vice-president and conference chair of the Connecticut Association of Educational Opportunity Programs. More than 70 professionals from around the state, including several from SHU, attended the conference entitled “Mental Health: Expanding Your Awareness and Knowing Your Limitations.” 

Kudos also go out to Carrie Wojenski, director of the Office of Global Affairs, who has been accepted for the 2015 Academic Leadership Academy that will take place this coming summer. This prestigious program provides participants with an opportunity to establish a network of academic administrators to facilitate problem solving, communication and professional development. 

Today was Pioneer Experience Day for approximately 250 prospective students and their families. The students had a chance to see what a day in the life of a SHU student is like, including attending a Freshman Seminar. Parents had the opportunity to meet with the folks in financial aid, career development, admissions and more.

Monday is the last day of classes, and I hope most of our faculty and staff will join me in serving them our traditional late-night breakfast as they prepare to concentrate on studying for exams. This is always a fun time and a great way to conclude a semester of hard work by both students and faculty.

If you find yourself in need of a study break this weekend, there is plenty to do. Tomorrow we are hosting the Northeast Regional Ethics Bowl. Two teams from SHU are competing, and spectators are welcome to come and listen as ethical issues of the day are discussed and debated. Also tomorrow, the men’s basketball team takes on Holy Cross at 3:30 p.m., and the women’s hockey team battles Franklin Pierce at 6 p.m. at the Sports Center in Shelton. In addition, the chamber ensembles are performing at 3 p.m., and the annual Choral Christmas Extravaganza will take place at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the bands will present “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” at 2 p.m., the annual Lessons & Carols service will take place at the Chapel at 4:30 p.m. and the fencing team is hosting the Tradition Tournament. Visit our website for details on all of these events.

Have a nice weekend—and good luck on your final exams!