Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo’s Blog: Friday, July 24th

This week brought one of my favorite days of the summer—when I get to hang out with the kids in our Horizons at SHU program, read to them and watch them sing, dance and enjoy ice cream treats. The program becomes more special each year as we add a new group of students. It is great to see the confidence of those who have been coming for years and the way they help out the younger ones.

A small group of alumni got together for a happy hour this week in Rochester, N.Y. We actually have a significant number of alums in that area, and we are hoping to host a bigger event when the SHU hockey team plays RIT. There was also a gathering at Just Jake’s in Montclair, N.J. Again, our ultimate goal is to start alumni organizations in various areas around the northeast, and these gatherings are a good start.

Professors Susan DeNisco and Julie Stewart were recently invited to serve as judges at the 30th Annual Belsky Research Day, part of the Danbury Hospital medical residency program. The event is committed to medical education and investigative research to identify new and innovative therapies as well as display improvements in the delivery on clinical care. As nonphysician faculty judges, the two shared their clinical expertise in primary care and infectious disease with medical residents and members of the hospital’s medical and education research team. This year, there were more than 50 abstracts to review. Thanks to Susan and Julie for representing SHU so well.

This weekend is the Connecticut Challenge, and I want to wish all the members of the #TEAMSHU all the best, whether you are biking or volunteering at a checkpoint. It is not too late for the rest of us to support the team with a pledge or by purchasing a ticket for Bobby Valentine’s bike raffle. Go Pioneers!  

I also want to call attention to the Coach Nof Tackles Cancer Campaign in support of head football coach Mark Nofri. Our student-athletes are partnering with the Colon Cancer Alliance to raise awareness and support the fight against the disease. The campaign will run throughout the year, with SHU hosting a “Blue Out Game” when we play Duquesne on November 7. In addition to supporting this excellent cause, we are keeping Coach Nofri in our thoughts and prayers as he battles this disease.

Enjoy the weekend!

President Petillo's Blog: Friday, July 10

It’s been great to see so many kids on campus for camps, special programs and such. I am always especially pleased to see the students in our Horizons program. This is such a special program as the same children come back year after year. Not only do they get a jump start on their upcoming academic year, but they get to know us and become comfortable on a college campus. This program builds their confidence and inspires them to set high goals for their future education.

We also have 14 students from TEC University in Costa Rica here. They are in the middle of a three-week visit where they are taking English lessons on campus in the mornings and doing volunteer work in Bridgeport in the afternoons. A group of our students participated in a similar program at TEC University during spring break.

Our FTMA program was part of Stamford’s ARTWALK 2015 celebration a couple weekends ago. The two-day event showcases talented artists, photographers and sculptors in a festival atmosphere that includes great food and plenty of live music. Our FTMA students were able to display a huge video installation piece with FTMA and SHU logos onto the side of the Ferguson Library. It was essentially a creative billboard and was a great way to reinforce SHU’s presence in Stamford.

We have made a lot of progress in the renovations to Campus Field. The new turf is being laid and is just about complete. There are now red end zones for football, with Sacred Heart in the south and Pioneers in the north. The turf should be completely installed in the next few days at which time the final installation of the track surface will begin. The project is scheduled to be completed the first week of August.

Congratulations to Rob Pescatore on winning an (ISC)² scholarship while participating in the annual US Cyber Challenge Eastern Regional Cyber Camp’s “Capture-the-Flag” competition, which demonstrates knowledge and skill in cybersecurity. A primary responsibility of the (ISC)² Foundation is to develop our country’s cybersecurity workforce and Rob will now be able to participate in educational sessions there. Rob earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SHU and is now an adjunct professor here.

I want to encourage everyone to consider joining the SHU teams for the upcoming Connecticut Bike Challenge on July 25-26 and the Corporate FunRun on July 30. These are two great opportunities to get outside with your colleagues for fun and comradery and—in the case of the former—to raise money for a SHU scholarship.

Have a great weekend!