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!