Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo’s Blog – April 29, 2016

There was a lot of excitement around here yesterday as news crews from throughout the area descended upon us to report on our mumps outbreak. It must have been a slow news day! That said, we want all of you to remain healthy as you wrap up classes and study for exams. Some guidelines for avoiding illness can be found here.

Last week brought us plenty to celebrate. Friday was our eighth annual Relay For Life fundraiser, which raised $51,845, surpassing our goal. Everyone involved should be very proud. This is wonderful work.

Our annual Discovery Gala, which raises money for our scholarship programs, took place on Saturday. It was a terrific event filled with tasty food and great conversations with donors and students. More importantly, we raised more than $750,000 that will help students who might not otherwise be able to attend SHU. The evening ended with an amazing performance by Bruce Hornsby, who is truly a master at the piano.

Our Horizons at SHU program, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, also held its Circus of Learning Gala on Saturday. It was an opportunity for our Horizons students to showcase the many skills they have learned in the program.

Earlier on Saturday, we hosted our fourth annual Literacy Conference. We heard from guest speakers, and our graduate students presented workshops. We also hosted a seminar called “Getting in the Game: A Symposium on Women in Sports Media.” Students and guests heard from ESPN’s Jemele Hill.


On Sunday, guests from Father Bruce Roby’s home country, the Federated States of Micronesia, visited SHU and attended Mass. We welcomed our special guests, the President Peter M. Christian and First Lady Maurina, with leis. Also on Sunday, SHU hosted Brass Fest. Participants heard great performances and learned how to perfect their brass-playing skills.


April is sexual assault awareness month, and staff had a table outside of Outtakes promoting safety. To raise even more awareness, today we encouraged everyone to wear denim as a reminder of the campaign for sexual violence prevention and education.


Pioneer magazine is out! Remember to pick up a copy of the Olympic-themed magazine. Our students work hard putting the publication together, and it’s a great read! The final issue of The Spectrum is also on the newsstands. This year’s staff did an exceptional job covering the happenings on campus as well as local and national trends. We look forward to seeing what those who are moving on from these publications will do in the future.

We would like to congratulate Bill Mitchell, one of our trustees, on receiving Kolbe Cathedral High School’s Making a Difference Award. Bill is very active in the community and extremely deserving of this honor.


Julie Stewart, director of our family nurse practitioner and doctor of nursing programs, has been named a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, which is the highest honor for a nurse practitioner. Congrats, Julie.

Students engaged in a little end-of-the-year fun in University Commons on Tuesday. An inflatable bounce house was set up allowing them to participate in a type of human “Hungry Hungry Hippos” game. Students strapped into the bounce house and then attempted to collect as many inflatable balls from the middle of the bounce house as possible. It was quite a sight to see!

There was even more entertainment Tuesday night during the annual Mr. SHU event. Male students sang, danced and strutted their stuff in this pageant-type event. Congrats to all the participants. You were fantastic.


Emily Wachtel, screenwriter and producer of the film Lucky Them was on campus Tuesday to talk about her movie. Following a screening, a lively discussion took place.


Faculty, staff and alumni had a chance to check out our latest acquisition this week during a cocktail party and tour at Great River Golf Club. It was a great turnout and a nice event.


Celebrating students and staff is what we do here. Wednesday brought the annual Campus Life Leadership Awards. So many deserving people were honored. Thank you to everyone involved and to those who won—cherish your Big Red trophy!


“Joy of Love” was an interesting and educational colloquium about Pope Francis and his most recent publication. Thanks to all the organizers and participants who put it together so quickly. I hope those who attended enjoyed it and participated in the group discussion.


Dozens of Sacred Heart nursing students demonstrated their comprehension in the field of nursing at a senior capstone event this week, and our business students taking Financial and Economic Forecasting presented their annual analysis of the state’s economy on Thursday. It was very eye-opening. Also, on Thursday, the MAX offered a look at the work of our School of Communication & Media Arts students. We caught a glimpse of the best in student productions including photography, audio, video magazine production, photojournalism, critical writing and more. We also saw the work of our talented art and design students at their senior portfolio night. This afternoon, our freshmen business students presented their plans for new businesses and products. Presentations and awards will continue into the evening. I love this time of year when we get to see the fruits of our students’ hard work.

Speaking of our exceptional students, Sabina and I hosted dinner for the student ambassadors this week. It was a pleasure to have the chance to thank them for the critical role they play in making visitors to campus feel welcome. We are looking forward to hosting more student dinners next week.

It’s shaping up to be another very busy weekend. I am hoping to see many of you Saturday morning in downtown Fairfield as we participate in Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event. Again, here is a video featuring our students with some disturbing information about violence against women. It’s an important initiative, and I would like to see a strong showing from the SHU community.

Saturday is also our first Spring Preview Day for high school sophomores and juniors. We look forward to welcoming the young people and their families for a first look at our vibrant campus.

Spring Fest is always a fun time. Come out to the patio at 63’s Saturday afternoon for some relaxation before finals. Also on Saturday, our Dance Ensemble will be performing at the Edgerton followed by our Dance Company. Each group will be performing a spring showcase. Be sure to head back to the Edgerton Saturday night to see the concert band’s “The Art of Anime” concert.

On Sunday, get ready to feel nostalgic as the choir offers a “Throwback Concert” at the Edgerton. The concert will feature tunes from the 1990s and 2000s. A little later in the day, our Ballroom Dance Ensemble will be performing its showcase at University Commons.

Don’t forget the late night breakfast is Monday. Staff and faculty, it would be great to have you come by to serve our students as they prepare for a week of arduous exams.

The weekend weather report looks like it will be more conducive to studying than playing outside. Perhaps that’s a good thing!

President Petillo's Blog - April 22, 2016

It officially feels like spring, and I am happy to see so many students embracing the warm weather. Springtime is also a reminder of all the exciting end-of-the-year events on the calendar.

Staff and students showed the University their smooth moves at Dancing with Heart on Tuesday. After practicing routines, the duos strutted their stuff on stage at the Edgerton. The event is modeled on the hit TV show Dancing with the Stars. It was an extremely entertaining evening!

Professor Fran Grodzinsky was at Southern Connecticut State University last weekend attending the 22nd Women’s Studies Conference with several female students from SHU’s computer science, math and biology programs. Fran and the students gave a presentation together.

We would like to congratulate one of our Upward Bound students, Breiana Campbell, who just learned she is a recipient in the Gates Millennium Scholars Program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This means she will receive full tuition to college. She is planning to attend Dartmouth and hopes to be a thoracic surgeon. We are so pleased to be a part of this young’s woman journey.  

What a debate! Five of our students stood in for the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in a rousing mock debate Wednesday. Students answered challenging questions from the audience the way their particular candidate might. It was a bit more civilized than some of this year’s debates, but entertaining nonetheless.

This year’s Spectrum editor and soon-to-be SHU graduate, Emily Archacki, is attending the inaugural College Reporter Day event at the White House next week. The event includes dozens of student reporters from colleges across the nation. The special day will provide student reporters the opportunity to engage with senior administration officials on a range of issues relevant to college campuses. They’ll participate in press briefings with the press secretary and interact with members of the White House Press. Congratulations and have fun, Emily!

Connecticut’s Poet Laureate Rennie McQuilkin joined us on campus Thursday as part of SHU’s Literary Spring. The poet spoke to staff and students in the Art & Design Gallery. We are fortunate to have so many great talents who are willing to share their expertise with our students.

Today we welcome more of our admitted students to campus. Please greet these potential Pioneers and their families to SHU. We’re happy to have them and hope to see them again at orientation in June.

Our students’ work was on display at the annual Academic Festival today. Dozens of students showcased projects they have been working on for a good portion of the year. There were research papers, work they presented at conferences, capstone projects, service learning projects and much more. It was a wonderful speaking to them and hearing their enthusiasm for and expertise on their chosen topics.


SHU interns coordinated a community health fair today at The Watermark at 3030 Park, a retirement facility just down the street. For the past three months, 24 students from our exercise science and pre-physical therapy programs have been working alongside Cindy McGuire, fitness director at The Watermark, to learn more about health and fitness as it relates to seniors of all activity levels. The fair, which the students offered for the second consecutive year, included 20 stations.

I hope to see many of you tonight and into the wee hours of Saturday morning at our eighth annual Relay For Life in support of the American Cancer Society. We have many students, organizations and athletic teams participating in this worthy cause. If you can’t attend, please consider making a donation to help the students reach their $50,000 goal.  

SHU’s traditional Late Night Breakfast is scheduled for Monday, May 2. I want to encourage faculty and staff to come out and serve breakfast to our students as they head into finals week. It is always a great time, and the students appreciate the chance to be waited on by their professors!  

We have another great initiative going on around campus called You Don’t Say SHU. Residential Life hopes to educate our community on the language we use and how it can have a negative effect. Learn more about it by visiting their Facebook page.

I’m not sure many of you know this, but our baseball coach, Nick Giaquinto, once played for the Washington Redskins football team. He even has a Super Bowl ring! It’s worth your time to give this article a read and learn a little bit about our favorite baseball coach!

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is coming up at the end of the month. I encourage you to participate in this worthy cause and bring awareness to the issue of violence against women. Check out this video that features our students sharing some disturbing statistics. The walk takes place April 30, at 8:30 a.m., in downtown Fairfield. See you there!

A big congrats to one of our students in the educational leadership program, Kristin Veenema, who secured a fellowship to Haiti. Kristin, a teacher at Stamford High School, was awarded a Fund for Teachers Grant to travel to Haiti for 12 days to work with the Children of Haiti Project. Those involved in the trip will provide professional development to teachers and learn about the education system and culture. Congrats, Kristin!

It should be a beautiful weekend to see a game! Be sure to catch our women’s lacrosse team playing LIU Brooklyn today at 3. Then on Sunday, our softball team battles Fairleigh Dickinson at noon and again at 2. Good luck to all our teams playing at home and away!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

President Petillo's Blog - April 15, 2016

Can you believe it? Commencement is exactly a month away. It will be here before we know it.

I want to start by congratulating our winter guard team for making the finals and coming in 15th overall, out of more than 70 teams, during a world competition this past weekend. Great job, team!

Today marks the 25th anniversary of our first MBA class in Luxembourg. That cohort had 17 students. At the time, this was a great achievement for such a young University. Since then, our Luxembourg programs have continued to grow and to provide an incomparable experience for both international students and students from the states.

Six students and their advisers attended the national Student Nurse Association convention in Orlando late last month. Students participated in the political processes of the convention, enjoyed the educational offerings and also presented two posters. What a wonderful opportunity for all involved.

Carylanne Rice-Ehalt, project director of Upward Bound, and Emma Sanchez, student counselor for Upward Bound, volunteered at the Bridgeport Youth Summit on April 1 at the Harbor Yard Arena. This inaugural event marked a new direction in supporting Bridgeport youth. The event featured motivational speakers, leadership training, a community pride table, job fair opportunities, higher education, a voice in youth policy and live entertainment. 

This week brought us many educational opportunities outside of the classroom. On Tuesday, Professors Christel Manning and Brian Stiltner answered questions about their newly published books. Also on Tuesday, we learned about the 1916 Irish Rising at a program titled “Terrible Beauty: Ireland’s 1916 Rising 100th Anniversary Commemoration.” On Wednesday, we heard from Kerry Robinson, the executive director of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, about how to be an effective leader and create positive social change. Fr. Anthony Ciorra also shared his thoughts on Thomas Merton at a colloquia on Wednesday.

Wednesday was the annual induction of students into Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national continuing education honor society, which honors nontraditional adult learners. Membership is reserved for students with a minimum of 24 credit hours who maintain a GPA of 3.2.  Congratulations to the inductees.

Five students had the exciting opportunity to appear on Fox’s The Kelly File on Thursday. Students were part of a focus group panel. They shared their thoughts on the 2016 presidential election. You can see the segment here.

Also on Thursday, it was my pleasure to welcome newly admitted students from Fairfield County. It was great having them on campus, and I look forward to seeing them again in June and August.

Don’t miss our theater arts production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Our students put a lot of hard work into this amazing show. It runs all weekend at the Edgerton Center. For more information visit: http://edgertoncenter.org/theatre_arts.php.

Don’t forget our annual Discovery Gala is coming up next weekend. The event raises money for university scholarships. Tickets are still available to see the talented Bruce Hornsby. For more information visit: http://edgertoncenter.org/special_events.php.

Construction is coming along on the new Center for Healthcare Education. The center will provide students with the latest technology they will need in their future professions. The expanded space and updated equipment will offer new opportunities for collaboration and hands-on learning. We expect it to be finished by April of next year.

The annual Walk MS event is happening at Jennings Beach in Fairfield tomorrow morning. The walk helps raise awareness and funds for multiple sclerosis. Registration is at 9, and the walk begins at 10! Or you can join the “Sacred Hearts for Hope” team here.

We have an exciting weekend of sports ahead of us. Our baseball team plays Central Connecticut State University today at 5:30 and will battle them again on Saturday at 1 and 3 and again at 4 on Sunday. Today women’s lacrosse plays Wagner at 3, and men’s volleyball takes on the New Jersey Institute of Technology at 7. Men’s volleyball battles Princeton University at 4 on Saturday, and softball takes on St. Francis University at 1 and 3. Women’s golf will be playing in the SHU Spring Invitational at our Great River Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday women’s lacrosse battles St. Mary’s, and softball plays Robert Morris at 12 and 2. The weather is going to be great. Get outside and cheer on your fellow Pioneers!

Take advantage of the great spring weather and have a wonderful weekend!

President Petillo's Blog - April 8, 2016

We have something for everybody in the distinguished guest department today. Earlier today, we hosted Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich for a town hall meeting at the Martire Center. It’s our pleasure to offer our facilities for public events and community gatherings. I would like to thank State Sen. Tony Hwang for asking us to host the event, former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays for his involvement with the meeting and the community members who came out. Our student government president did a terrific job welcoming the thousands in attendance. We would be happy to host any of the other presidential candidates as well. For the younger crowd—who were also very present at the town hall—we have rapper Fetty Wap performing at the Pitt Center tonight. Enjoy the music, have fun and be safe.

Speaking of visitors, we were pleased to welcome the Honorable Elaine L. Chao to campus last week for Linda McMahon’s “Women Can Have It All” speaker series. Elaine inspired the audience in the Forum with stories of her childhood and incredible career. We thank Linda for bringing Elaine to campus and Elaine for her motivating words and encouragement to students to work hard and set goals.

Connecticut’s Department of Economic Development Commissioner Catherine Smith visited the Graduate Center in Stamford to share some of the department’s newest programs aimed at growing businesses. She also introduced the department’s regional point of contact for Fairfield County, a resource that will help young entrepreneurs doing business in the state.

SHU’s inaugural Literary Spotlight was a big success with newly published and aspiring authors exchanging ideas. This is slated to become a regular event each semester.


Last weekend, our band and choir students dazzled us with their talents. We heard our favorite pep bands tunes at Pioneer Blast and some moving pieces from SHU Love. Our students never disappoint.

We are grateful for the many honors that have been bestowed upon us the past couple of weeks. The Caroline House honored SHU at its Starry Night Gala last week for our students’ contributions to this worthy organization. Also last week, members of our s.w.e.e.t. organization won “Outstanding Peer Education Program” for its #sex@SHU Colloquia Series at the Region 1 NASPA BACCHUS Initiatives Spring Conference at Harvard. Wonderful job, Pioneers. In addition, faculty from our occupational therapy and physical therapy programs were honored with a community service award by the Kennedy Center in Bridgeport for their work on a number of Kennedy Center initiatives. Congratulations to all!


Hundreds of newly admitted students gathered on campus last weekend to participate in our admitted student days. We were thrilled so many prospective Pioneers and their families toured campus, visited our beautiful facilities and learned more about their major. Thank you for coming under less-than-ideal weather conditions. We look forward to seeing you again at orientation in June. 


On Wednesday, middle school students from Dunbar School in Bridgeport were here to celebrate National Student-Athlete Day. The middle school students participated in a number of events including a question-and-answer session with our athletes, making thank-you cards for mentors in the community and a field day filled with outdoor activities.


On Thursday, our Department of Art & Design held its 24th annual Art & Design Expo at the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts. Guest speaker, critic and artist Vincent Desidero was the speaker. It was a terrific event. It was also great hearing from Jay Walker, founder of Priceline, on Thursday. He spoke and answered questions before a packed crowd of business students in the Forum at the Martire Center.

Good luck to our athletic teams who are playing away this weekend! Good luck also to our winter guard team participating in the world championship at the University of Dayton and our dance team participating in the national championship in Daytona! Go Pioneers!

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

President Petillo's Blog - April 1, 2016

Once again, welcome to my video blog. I hope you enjoy this week’s recap of all the exciting things that are going on around campus. An extra special welcome to all admitted students who will be visiting this weekend. We are thrilled to have you!