Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo's Blog: September 30, 2016

We had another busy week at SHU filled with celebrations, performances, discussions and athletic feats. Last weekend students and faculty enjoyed the Film and Television Master’s program film festival. The four-day event featured movie screenings, comedy, discussions and student work. It was a joy meeting Dominic Chianese at the festival’s culminating event Sunday afternoon. I hope everyone had a good time.

Saudi Arabia National Day was Monday at the Art & Design Gallery. It was great hearing about Saudi culture, history and food. I always enjoy learning more about our students and their backgrounds.

Students joined members of the AARP on Monday night for a presidential debate watch party. The intergenerational gathering held in the Forum allowed students and adults to share ideas about the social security program and then watch history in the making. Thank you to Professor Gary Rose for facilitating the event.

Irish flute Player Kevin Crawford showed off his talents on Thursday. Kevin, who’s toured with many bands over the years, performed a brilliant solo show.

The Jack Welch College of Business hosted Tanweer Akram on Thursday for a research seminar. Tanweer is director of global policy and economics at Thrivent Financial. His talk titled, “A Moderate Recovery and its Discontents,” was very interesting.

SHU’s theater arts program concludes its run of Doubt with shows tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon. The show is wonderful, and I encourage everyone to come out and see our talented students.

Work is coming along at our new Center for Healthcare Education. Our two deans—Patricia Walker and Mary Alice Donius—toured the building recently. The project will be a very impressive space for students in health professions and nursing.

Professor Dom Pinto has been chosen to lead the Essential Management Skills for Department Chairs conference through Academic Impressions later next month in Washington, D.C. Congrats, Dom. I know you’ll do a great job.

Earlier this week I announced the establishment of a School of Computing. It’s the logical next step for the rapidly growing programs in the Computer Science & Information Technology department. Professor Dom Pinto is the new director of the School. Our announcement coincided with Melinda Gates’ announcement that she’s setting up an office to help get more women involved in technology. We continue to grow here at SHU and to meet the ever-changing needs of the marketplace, and that’s very exciting.

Our nursing students gathered at Cambridge Commons on Thursday for our annual Nursing Career Forum. Representatives from area hospitals were present, as well as the U.S. Army and Navy, explaining the many opportunities available. Students listened to a panel discussion and were also briefed on what the nursing application process would be like. It sounds like an educational day.

Congratulations to SHU Dining. The United States Healthful Food Council announced that SHU has become the first higher education provider in the state to be audited and certified for Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL). Being REAL certified is a mark of excellence for food and food service providers. Congrats again to everyone involved!

When you get a chance, please visit the Vision Project’s online photography gallery featuring the work of Cinthya Santos Briones. Her work delves deep into the heart of the Mexican community in New York and provides an insightful perspective. See the online gallery here.

After last week’s game against Stony Brook, SHU’s football team is 4-0. We are also in first place in the Eastern Football Network poll. Let’s keep that record going strong in tomorrow’s game against Wagner—our first in-conference game of the season. Also in SHU sports, women’s volleyball battles Saint Francis at 2 on Saturday and Robert Morris Sunday at 2. Also on Saturday, women’s field hockey plays UMass-Lowell and women’s soccer faces Robert Morris, both at noon. Go Pioneers!

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and, once again, Happy Rosh Hashanah to the Jewish members of our community!

President Petillo's Blog: September 23, 2016

Fall is officially here, and it certainly feels like it with the cool mornings and chilly evenings. I hope students have become well acquainted with their fall semester schedules and are taking advantage of the plethora of activities and events that are available.

Congratulations to Athletic Director Bobby Valentine, who has been named Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Administrator of the Year. He was recognized at the organization’s annual event this week. This is a great honor, and we are proud Bobby is part of our SHU family and that others are recognizing the great things he has done here.

Last weekend, homecoming activities kicked off with the alumni awards ceremony Friday afternoon, Pints with Professors and movie night on the quad. Saturday was jam-packed with events. There were several reunions, a chili cookoff, an author spotlight and a BBQ. It was wonderful seeing alumni catch up with friends at the reunions and young SHU families enjoying the BBQ. Saturday’s fun ended with a great football game. Congrats, Pioneers, on your big win against Marist! The annual mass honoring alumni who have passed away concluded the weekend’s activities.

U.S. Congressman Jim Himes was at SHU’s Veterans Resource Center on Monday to speak with some of our student-veterans and discuss the unique challenges that they face as older students continuing education on campus. We appreciate his interest in helping our veterans as well as his appreciation of the programs that we are providing for them.

On Tuesday, I was pleased to honor two professors with the Naclerio Faculty Scholars Program Awards. The program supports the work of emerging academic leaders here at SHU. Congrats to speech-language professor Robin L. Danzak and psychology professor Jessica Samuolis, and thank you to the Naclerios and Jim Morley for their support of this program.

We celebrated Constitution Day on Wednesday with Attorney General George Jepsen as our guest speaker. The event, sponsored by the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies, was well-attended by faculty, staff and students. The attorney general shared the joys and challenges of his office as well as his love and appreciation for the Constitution. I was pleased to see so many students asking interesting questions.

Later that evening, SHU students had the chance to hear from two women whose stories were featured in the documentary, The Hunting Ground. Andrea Pino and Annie Clark are survivors of sexual assault. They presented a lecture on what can be done to end sexual assault on college campuses. I hope those who attended learned a lot and will share the information with others.

Our theater arts program kicked off this year’s season of shows last night with Doubt. Get your tickets and see this fantastic play running September 22-25 and September 29-October 2. From what I’ve seen at rehearsals, the cast and crew are doing an amazing job. Can’t wait to see the final product!

Students interested in getting involved in community service attended the Volunteer Fair on Thursday. I’m pleased so many of you want to get involved and make a difference in the world. There’s much work to accomplish.

For all the film lovers out there, our Film and Television Master’s of Art program is in the midst of its annual film festival. The four-day affair features film screenings, student work, discussions and guest speakers. The FTMA team always puts a great series of events together. Come celebrate film and see what our amazing students have been working on. Click here for more information.

Our wrestling coach, Andrew Lausier, is currently riding his bike to St. Louis to raise money for SHU’s wrestling team. Funds raised will enhance the wrestling experience for our student-athletes. Because the whole team couldn’t join him on the road, they’ve been supporting him from afar. For the past week, students have been continuously cycling on a stand-alone bike. The team has nearly reached its $100,000 goal for this fundraiser. Congratulations on a fun, healthy and creative way to raise money.

Hopefully this nice weather will continue and you will take the opportunity to get outside and cheer our student-athletes. Our men’s soccer team faces Stony Brook at 3 on Saturday. On Sunday, our field hockey team plays Temple at 3:30 p.m., and our women’s rugby team battles Castleton at 2. Good luck to all our student-athletes playing near and far.

Have a great weekend!

President Petillo's Blog: September 16, 2016

It’s been a great week at SHU, and it’s only getting better. On Friday, our nursing students participated in our annual SHU tradition, the Blessing of the Hands ceremony. Father Bruce Roby blessed the hands of our nursing faculty who then anointed the hands of the junior and senior nursing students. Senior nursing students also helped present lab coats to their younger peers. It is a beautiful and meaningful ceremony that commemorates the importance of the hands in the nursing profession.

The weather was a little sticky, but that did not stop us from having a great time at the President’s Gala Friday evening. Thanks to all of you who turned out. It was wonderful to see you enjoying the food and dancing up a storm. Thanks, also, to my bowtie brigade for looking sharp as always.

Our football team made it 2-0 on Saturday as we honored local first responders and remembered all who lost their lives on 9/11. We had an honorary color guard and honorary captains at the coin toss, and the team wore commemorative helmets during their convincing win over Valparaiso. Staff and faculty gathered for an end-of-summer barbecue while cheering on the Pioneers from a tent behind the end zone.

We had a big turnout for our vigil on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 Sunday evening. It was a somber and emotional occasion as we remembered and honored those who members of our community lost that day.

Our female alumnae attended a golf clinic at Great River Golf Course on Tuesday. The event allowed golfers of all skill levels to get together, enjoy each other’s company and play some golf. The group had lunch, followed by swinging and putting lessons. We are excited to introduce the SHU community to this fantastic venue and hope they will want to come back often.

Our annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Wednesday afternoon was a great reminder that the Holy Spirit is always with us to enlighten us, guide us through difficult times, give us strength and help us through the semester. Thanks to Father Bruce and the Office of Campus Ministry for a beautiful Mass.

Our very own Jaclyn Smith, SHU’s assistant coach of women’s rowing, participated in the Paralympics in Rio. She received a silver medal for the mixed four competition. Congrats, Jaclyn. We are proud of you.

On Saturday, our football team faces Marist at 5 p.m., and we hope they will continue their winning record. On Sunday, come out and cheer on our women’s field hockey team as they take on Dartmouth at 10:30 a.m. Go Pioneers!

I hope to see many students and alumni this weekend during our Homecoming activities. The festivities kicked off this afternoon with our annual alumni awards ceremony, and there is much more to come. Check the website for a list of events. This is a great opportunity for students, faculty and staff to interact with our alumni and their families and remind them of the special role they hold in the SHU family. Have a great weekend!

President Petillo's Blog: September 9, 2016

It has been a very busy start to the semester. In my first video blog of the year, I am pleased to recap the numerous events of this past week including the Pioneer Penny Parade, the Study Abroad Fair and a thought-provoking new exhibit at the Art & Design Gallery. I hope to see you at the President's Gala tonight and at the 9/11 commemorations this weekend.

President Petillo's Blog: September 2, 2016

What a whirlwind of a week it has been. It was great seeing all of the returning faces on campus and wonderful greeting so many new freshmen. Thank you to our residential life and student affairs teams and all the Welcome Week volunteers for making move-in a success for all students. I hope everyone enjoyed the activities and became well acquainted with roommates, campus and professors.

Last week we had a chance to preview the marching band’s halftime show for the coming season. Anyone who loves the music of the late 1990s and early 2000s will enjoy this performance. The band performed hit songs from boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and N’SYNC. I am looking forward to seeing the show again and again this fall!

Thank you to the staff and students at Bergoglio Hall who were inundated with visitors on Tuesday as we held the hall’s official dedication ceremony. Rabbi Abraham Skorka, close friend of Pope Francis, who the hall is named after, blessed the facility along with several other rabbis from local temples. It was a memorable occasion. The celebration continued into the evening when the Rabbi and Fr. Anthony Ciorra united as the God Squad for a colloquia event where they answered questions from the audience about interfaith relations.

On Wednesday, staff, faculty, administrators and students greeted our freshmen and new students at our opening convocation. Inside the William H. Pitt Center, students listened to motivational speeches and were encouraged to keep open minds, embrace change and create opportunities. We were serenaded by the band and chorus and by senior class president Addison Chau. Addison sang his own rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” He riddled his song with SHU references and was cheered on by the new students. Superb job, Addison, and everyone responsible for such a great event.

This week we found out that SHU is once again listed in The Princeton Review’s Best 381 Colleges list. We are thrilled to be included in such a competitive listing. The listing supports SHU’s commitment and dedication to education and is especially important because comments from students are highly weighted.

Over the past two days, our library was transformed into an 18-hole mini golf course. Students played a round of golf and were scored. The 16 students with the lowest scores competed in a head-to-head single elimination tournament. Sounds like a fun and creative way to find out all the library has to offer!

Congratulations to 1975 alumna Barb Susi who was recently featured on News 12 as a hometown hero for her commitment to the community. One of the many places that Barb volunteers is the McGiveny Community Center in Bridgeport. The center provides a safe learning environment for children and also gives them hope. We are proud to call Barb a Pioneer.

Professors Anna Greer and Bronwyn Cross-Denny had an article on the results of a survey they took with patrons of area food pantries published in the Family & Community Health Journal of Health Promotion and Maintenance. This example of cross-disciplinary cooperation and service to the community was sponsored by the College of Health Professions. Congratulations!

Biology professor Jennifer Mattei is currently at the 2016 International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Hawaii. She is presenting her work on coastal habitat restoration and the importance of estuaries to the survival of the American and Asian horseshow crab species. President Obama also spoke to the 7,000 attendees about the important of marine biodiversity conservation, so Jennifer is in great company.

Please remember to register for the President’s Gala. The event, hosted by yours truly, takes place Friday, September 9, on the Pitt Center lawn. Dress to impress (bowties welcomed). It will surely a night to remember.

Yesterday, students in our master’s of accounting program enjoyed their orientation dinner. This is a great way for students to meet their peers, get to know their professors and have a little fun. Thanks to Barb Tarasovich for coming up with such a creative way to kick off the school year.

Attention freshmen! On Saturday, participate in the Pioneer Penny Parade. Bring a penny and line up at the library to drop your penny in the library foundation. Stick around because around 2 p.m., the freshman class will form a giant 2020 for a photo I’m sure we will see many times in the next four years!

Our student-athletes are already starting their season. Women’s field hockey plays Lock Haven today at noon. Women’s rugby faces Molloy Saturday at 11 a.m., and our women’s volleyball team will participate in the SHU Hampton Inn Shelton Invitational this weekend. Good luck to all.

Enjoy the long holiday weekend.