Welcome to my first monthly video blog of 2016 and the spring semester. There is a lot of excitement around campus this weekend as the men’s and women’s basketball teams hope to clinch NEC titles on Saturday. Come out and cheer them on—and enjoy the blog!
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February 2016
President Petillo's Blog: February 19, 2016
It’s been another exciting week on campus as we continue to experience unpredictable weather—zero degrees one day and 50 degrees the next.
Last week, students conducted research for their athletic training capstone project at our Oakview Campus with assistance from SHU Public Safety and Trumbull EMS. The EMS team helped with test drills for motion analysis in the transfer of injured persons with cervical spine injuries. Thanks to both groups for helping the students to gain new skills.
It was nice to have a capacity crowd in the Schine Auditorium for the colloquia lecture, “A Jewish, Christian, Muslim Conversation: Sacred Texts that Unite and Divide” on Tuesday night. The discussions were enriching and eye-opening as we heard from several experts. It’s always great to have a chance to view things from a variety of perspectives.
Our Ethics Bowl debate team will be in Virginia this weekend competing in the 20th Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition. The students have spent hours preparing for the ethical dilemmas that may be posed to them on a variety of topics. Congratulations again on making it to the finals, and best of luck!
In less than a month, we’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and one Pioneer in particular has much to be excited about. Nursing student Kaitlyn Cullagh was named the 2016 New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen at the Irish American Community Center. Congrats on your crowning, Kaitlyn. We love having royalty in our midst.
On Wednesday, the Muslim Student Awareness Club hosted the Hijab Challenge. Outside of Outtakes, students in the club challenged their peers to wear a makeshift hijab for the entire day. Participants received a free scarf. This was yet another great program promoting awareness of customs that may be different from our own.
Our theater arts program will be debuting No Sex Please, We’re British in the Little Theater this weekend. Tickets are available at the Edgerton Center, and I encourage faculty and staff to take advantage of the free ticket we are offering and come out and support the students. Break a leg, cast!
There’s plenty of opportunity to root for our student-athletes this weekend. The men’s hockey team takes on Canisius College on Friday and Saturday. Both games are at 7:35 at the rink in Milford. Also on Friday, the men’s volleyball team faces the University of Charleston at 7 and again on Saturday at 4. On Saturday, men’s lacrosse battles Dartmouth College while women’s lacrosse takes on Holy Cross. Both games are at 1. The women’s basketball team plays Farleigh Dickinson University (FDU) at 4, while the men face FDU at 7 on Saturday. Go Pioneers!
Have a fun and safe weekend!
President Petillo's Blog: February 12, 2016
The spring semester is in full swing, and it is a joy to see students deep in their studies and participating in the many campus events and activities. Who knew that tickets to Fetty Wap would sell out in minutes? (Obviously you all did!)
This past weekend brought students together with their siblings. They participated in activities in University Commons and cheered on the Pioneers at the basketball games. Here’s hoping that some of our guests turn out to be future Pioneers!
Not only did siblings invade campus last weekend, but so did alumni. They celebrated the anniversary of our men’s basketball team’s Division II National Championship. More than 100 alumni and their families visited the Pitt Center to celebrate and honor the legendary team before enjoying the basketball doubleheader.
Congratulations to Mary Alice Donius, dean of our College of Nursing, who has been appointed to the board of directors for Danbury and New Milford Hospitals. Mary Alice’s expertise and knowledge of health care will greatly benefit this hospital system.
Next week, psychology professor Christina Taylor’s new book goes on sale. The book is titled OCD: A Workbook for Clinicians, Children and Teens; Actions to Beat, Control & Defeat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Congratulations on your book, Christina. We are confident it will do well.
Jennifer Mattei, ecology professor and biologist was featured in a piece about creating living shorelines. Jennifer talks about the work she has done to prevent erosion at Stratford Point and to give salt marsh vegetation the opportunity to grow. We applaud your environmental efforts, Jennifer. Great work!
This week was the official start to the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday brought many students and staff to the chapel to attend Mass and receive their ashes. You can find a feature on our new chaplain, Father Roby, on the SHU website where he talks about how impressed he is already with the participation of our community at services and programs. We look forward to hearing what you are doing for Lent and wish you well sticking to your Lenten goals.
I was happy to hear that a group of students from Stratford and Bunnell High Schools visited our motion capture lab to learn about our very successful gaming program. We hope they enjoyed seeing the technology and that maybe they’ll come back to SHU to pursue a career in gaming.
One of our alum, Alan Strauss, is making a difference in the world. Alan, principal at the Gilbert School in Winsted, has been awarded the Connecticut Association of Schools Principal of the Year Award for 2016. In the past three years, he’s also received two other outstanding administrator awards. We congratulate Alan and can’t wait to see what he does next.
If you haven’t seen it already, please be sure to check out the newest issue of our SHU magazine. Packed with articles and interviews on our students, faculty and alumni, it also includes updates on programs, initiatives and rewards. Beautiful photographs capture the buzz on campus and provide you with a wonderful glimpse of what happens here. It will provide some nice reading over this cold and blustery weekend.
Speaking of this weekend, we hope to see you at the SHU student dance performance, Love is in the Air, on Saturday at the Edgerton Center. The SHU Dance Company will perform to some of the best love songs of all time. Bring that special someone and enjoy the artistry and beauty of ballet and contemporary dancing.
Be sure to root on our Pioneers this weekend. On Friday the men’s volleyball team faces St. Francis University at 7. The women’s hockey team battles Neumann at 7 at the rink in Shelton and again on Saturday at 1. On Saturday, the women’s basketball team plays Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) at 1, and the men’s team plays CCSU at 3:30. The men’s volleyball team plays Penn State at 8. The men’s and women’s tennis teams will face Drexel at Yale at 5. On Sunday, the men’s and women’s tennis teams will play Colgate at Yale at 2. We wish all our teams, playing home and away, good luck! Go Pioneers!
Stay warm during this bitter cold weekend, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
President Petillo's Blog: February 5, 2016
Several groundhogs did not see their shadows on Tuesday, which was good news for those who do not enjoy cold, snowy weather, but as it turns out, the groundhogs’ predictions were premature. Friday brought a nice blanket of heavy white snow to campus. It looks beautiful, but is creating some challenges. Enjoy your snow day, and be safe!
By the way, you can read an essay about Plato and the Groundhog from our very own Michael Ventimiglia. He compares the classic Bill Murray flick, Groundhog Day to Plato’s The Republic. I think you’ll find it quite interesting.
Last weekend, our Stamford campus hosted the Global Game Jam. It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. There were more than 30 participants who took part in creating games with varying themes. Awards were given out in several categories at the end of the two-day experience.
With election season heating up, Gary Rose has been frequently sought out by the media. In this article, Gary shares his thoughts on the outcome of the Iowa caucuses that took place on Monday. We look forward to reading what Gary has to say as we get closer and closer to Election Day.
Bobby Valentine attended a meet-and-greet last weekend in Amsterdam, N.Y. He spoke with fans and the local media about his illustrious baseball career.
Paul Pabst, an instructor in sports communications and media and executive producer on the Dan Patrick Show, was showing SHU pride on Wednesday. He appeared on the radio show, which is simulcast to the NBC TV Sports network, wearing a SHU T-shirt. Thanks for your continued support of Pioneer Nation, Paul!
Our admissions team was busy sending out early action acceptance letters and packages to high school seniors last week. This week, through social media, we saw the fruits of their labor as many high school seniors tweeted photos of their packages and put them on Instagram. We congratulate and welcome these new Pioneers to the SHU family. We can’t wait to see you at orientation!
The Muslim Student Awareness Club is hosting a clothing and food drive for Syrian Refugees from now until March 14. Please donate nonperishable food, winter clothing and everyday essentials at the HC Religious Studies Department. We appreciate all your support for this cause.
I would like to extend my congratulations to the four students, Hayleigh Rapp ’18, Jaime Fregeau ’18, Jean Cariello, ’18 and Allison Clark ’17, who received the CT Challenge/Christopher Cook Scholarship. Named in honor of Christopher Cook, son of Executive Director of Athletics Emeritus C. Donald Cook, the scholarships are presented to SHU students who are cancer survivors. They are strong, dedicated and deserving students who have overcome a great ordeal. I am proud to say they are Pioneers who are working hard to achieve their goals. Again, congratulations, ladies!
Five of our faculty members, Steve Burrows, Mary Treschitta, Barbara Pierce, Eid Alkhatib and Domenick Pinto, participated in the 33rd Chairpersons Conference in Charleston, S.C. The conference allowed higher education faculty to share information and ideas on how to become more effective leaders. We are proud of our professors for seeking out professional development and bringing new ideas back for all of us.
I expect campus to be bustling Saturday and Sunday with students and their siblings! We hope to find brothers and sisters bonding around campus while they participate in two fun-filled days of activities. Please enjoy the basketball games as well as the other scheduled events. Have fun and be safe!
It’s going to be another great weekend of SHU sports! On Friday, the men’s ice hockey team battles Robert Morris in Milford at 7:05 and again on Saturday at 5:05. Also on Friday, the men’s volleyball team takes on Stevens Tech at 7. On Saturday, the women’s basketball team faces St. Francis Brooklyn at 1, and the men’s basketball team will play LIU Brooklyn at 3:30. On Sunday, our wrestling team will challenge Bucknell at 4 and Princeton at 6. Good luck to our teams playing at home and away this weekend. Go Pioneers!
Super Bowl 50 is this weekend. Whether you’re rooting for the Broncos or Panthers, enjoy the festivities and all the traditional Super Bowl foods. If you don’t want to watch the game in your room, you can watch it on the big screen in Hawley Lounge, and if you’re 21 or older, enjoy the game at Red’s. Have fun!
Enjoy the weekend with your siblings, enjoy the game and don’t be absent from your early Monday morning classes!