The Halloween spirit lasted all weekend here at SHU. Sunday, students bid farewell to October with a pumpkin carving contest co-sponsored by campus ministry and Chartwells. The winner carved a great pumpkin featuring Charlie Brown, and there were six runners up. Father Buckles will cook dinner for them all. I congratulate all the students and hope the meal is delicious.
It’s always a delight to see our students thinking about how to engage with the world. This weekend, a group of students presented at the CT Campus Compact/Wesleyan University Social Justice Leadership Conference. Moderated by Matthew Kaye, director of SHU’s Office of Volunteer Programs and Service Learning, our student Pioneers held a panel discussion about their perspectives on international service programming. Many thanks to our students for their passionate service to others.
In that same spirit of giving, I want to encourage all of you to donate to our Thanksgiving Food Drive. You can donate non-perishable items to our Office of Volunteer Programs and Service Learning until November 17, or bring your donation to our Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on November 18 in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. Student Government has also kicked off its annual turkey drive with a goal of providing 500 turkeys to our neighbors in need. No matter how you choose to give, I hope to see you in the Chapel for what promises to be a beautiful celebration.
Monday, NFL quarterback Jim Kelly met with the SHU community as part of our Student Affairs Lecture Series. During his talk, he explored what it means to be tough and live with courage. He shared his own experiences with toughness, from the obstacles he faced to achieve NFL stardom, to seeing his young son through a life-threatening disease. As we all work through personal difficulties, it’s encouraging to see an example of someone who has learned to tackle life’s troubles with grace.
Bottom: Sports communication students talk with Kelly before the lecture.
Also on Monday, SHU was represented on MSNBC by Katie Burke, executive-in-residence at our School of Communication and Media Arts. She spoke on the network’s Morning Joe show during a discussion of young and rising personalities in the political field. Katie joined the University this fall, and we’re overjoyed with her contributions to the school.
The University also had a visit from faculty at Bergen University College in Norway. They got to know our faculty and worked to establish research partnerships, online learning opportunities, possible student exchange programs and more. Their visit to Pioneer Nation stems from SHU’s inclusion in a broader academic partnership with Norway. To our Norwegian friends, vi ses! I look forward to seeing what new opportunities will emerge for our students.
Recently, we received word that Julie Mujic, assistant professor of history, was published in The Atlantic, where she wrote about students’ educational opportunities. Her article explored the parallel topics of education reform and the way gaps in access to education sustain our country’s problem of income inequality. It’s a fascinating and heartbreaking look at how fear of those we don’t understand excludes individuals from access to opportunities they deserve. Thank you, Julie, for expanding education reform discussions on such a national scale.
Wednesday, SHU grad Kevin Nealon ’75 appeared on NBC Sports Network’s Dan Patrick Show. Kevin spoke about his time on Saturday Night Live, his debut on The Johnny Carson Show and everything in between. Here on campus or on TV, it’s always great to see you, Kevin.
The Maryknoll Society has published an interview with Michael W. Higgins, SHU’s vice president of Mission and Catholic Identity. Michael, who has written and studied about the life of Trappist monk Thomas Merton, visited with the Maryknoll Society to discuss the relevance of Merton’s life and his vision of humanity’s struggle with unity.
Wednesday evening, we hosted our annual Hesburgh Lecture Series with James Frabutt ’95 as the featured speaker. The lecture honors the late Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, former president of the University of Notre Dame. This year’s lecture coincided with the fifth anniversary of Horizons at SHU and focused on best practices to help schools improve safety for the children.
SHU Horizons Executive Director Jeff Rumpf, speaker Jim Frabutt,
Vice Provost for Special Academic Programs Mary Lou DeRosa
and Farrington College of Education Dean Jim Carl.
It was great to see many faculty and staff in blue jeans and buttons for our Blue Jean Blue Out day. Those $5 donations will support the Colon Cancer Society and honor our own Coach Nof. It was a fun way to come together to fight cancer.
benefit the Coach Nof Tackles Cancer campaign and the Colon Cancer Alliance.
This afternoon, our Stamford Graduate Center is hosting a workshop on futures markets and the economy. Co-sponsored by our doctor of business administration in finance program and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group Foundation, the event addresses economic topics such as futures market returns, inflation and more through presentations by SHU faculty and CME economists. DBA students also will have a chance display their research projects.
Still on the subject of the DBA, the program has been nationally ranked as one of the best low residency DBA programs nationwide. Nonprofit Colleges Online ranked SHU as part of its Students Before Profits award series. Our inclusion emphasizes that at Sacred Heart, we put our students first and ensure quality education for those who choose our offerings.
The Jack Welch College of Business also offers one of the Top 10 undergraduate accounting programs in Connecticut, according to Accounting Degree Review. The review places SHU second in the state. Congratulations to our faculty, staff and students in the College of Business for the hard work that makes all these accomplishments possible.
This weekend promises plenty to do on campus. Our theatre arts program’s musical They’re Playing Our Song continues tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. Don’t miss it! I saw it last weekend and was thoroughly entertained. If you want to start the holiday season early, be sure to catch the SHU Dance Ensemble’s Holiday Spectacular Extravaganza Saturday evening. In the sports arena, the football team takes on Dusquene and women’s volleyball challenges Robert Morris at noon on Saturday. The men’s ice hockey team will play Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, it’s men’s soccer against Fairleigh Dickinson and women’s volleyball against Saint Francis at 1 p.m.
Fall-like weather is predicted for the weekend. Enjoy it!