Our Athletics department received its share of excitement this week. SHU earned the Northeast Conference Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup for the seventh time for overall athletic excellence. The Pioneers accumulated 291.56 points, the only conference school to surpass the 200-point barrier. SHU also earned its third straight and record 10th, Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cup for excellence in women’s athletics, accumulating 138.50 points. This is the highest point total in the past five seasons. We also learned that our men’s and women’s track and field teams earned 17 All-Northeast Conference selections, as well as the 2017 Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year award. This is coach Christian Morrison’s 18th NEC coach of the year award covering cross-country, indoor and outdoor track. Finally, for the sixth time in the award’s seven-year existence, SHU earned the Northeast Conference Building Communities Award presented by Bayer. Members of the NEC teams contributed 8,141 hours of community service. I am very proud of our student-athletes and their commitment to giving back.
We received wonderful news for Upward Bound, a college preparatory program here at SHU for local high school students. The program will be funded for another five years. This means high school students will continue to benefit from a program that puts them on the path to success and expands their knowledge and skills.
Professors Randall Glading and Charles Britton from the Isabelle Farrington College of Education welcomed Trumbull and Bridgeport grade-school children to campus last week for their Classes Without Walls project. Students worked together online during the school year and eventually met in person for learning activities on SHU’s campus. The project provides opportunities for students in the third, fourth and fifth grades to communicate with students from a neighboring school district that has a different socioeconomic profile. The College of Education faculty will welcome two more groups of students to campus this month.
What a treat it was seeing our soon-to-be freshmen Pioneers on campus this week for orientation. The two-day event includes guided tours by our orientation leaders, an overnight stay and a chance to bond with future classmates. Their parents also attended several information sessions.
We held our 28th annual Pioneer Open at Great River Golf Club on Monday. All proceeds of the golf event support university scholarship programs. I hope everyone had a memorable day.
SHU faculty gathered in Dingle, Ireland, this week for a three-day multi-disciplinary conference, “Sea, Land and Spirit: Coastal Environment in the West of Ireland.” Talks focused on ideas and best practices to sustain the coasts for future generations.
Bergoglio Hall was featured in Architect Magazine earlier this year, and we recently learned it was one of the magazine’s most popular projects. The article was featured again in the publication’s newsletter. We are happy to hear that the state-of-the-art hall is getting some well-deserved attention.
Our United Way Campaign runs June 12 through June 30. I encourage you to consider contributing to a cause that does so much for area children.
Next week I will be in Luxembourg celebrating the 25th anniversary of our program there. I will be speaking at the academic convocation. I look forward to seeing our friends and former students in Lux.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!