It has been another exciting week. I hope students found time, in between studying and finalizing their Halloween costumes, to attend the many events and activities on campus.
Last weekend, we held our annual Diwali Festival of Lights Celebration in University Commons. This has become a popular and fun annual tradition here on campus. I hope all those who attended had a wonderful time.
We enjoyed the opening of the School of Communication & Media Arts photography exhibition. It features the work of students Danielle Neville and Colleen Crowley. What great talent.
It was another week of interesting lectures. On Monday we heard from Kate Fagan, ESPN writer and author of the best selling book What Made Maddy Run. Over in the Center for Healthcare Education, Daryl Richard, vice president of corporate communications at United Healthcare, spoke on what value-based care looks like at the community level. Paul Bracken, Yale University professor and international security strategist, spoke to students about the “Dynamics of the Second Nuclear Age: Technology, Politics and Leadership” as part of the Melady Distinguished Lecture Series. Novelist Adelia Saunders and poet Charles Douthat were the guests at our Fall Literary Spotlight.
Our College of Business students were greeted with a very special guest on Wednesday when Jack Welch, the college’s namesake and former CEO of General Electric, stopped by for a question-and-answer session. After I asked Jack a series of business questions, he took questions from the students. It was a great discussion, and I thank you all for coming.
Students heard a panel discussion about career opportunities within the sports industry on Wednesday. Bobby Valentine, our athletic director, and other professionals were on hand to field questions and help students learn what the industry is all about.
Art students practiced their drawing skills this week by sketching portraits. People stopped by the Art & Design Gallery and sat for a live drawing by the students. Sounds like fun.
Congrats to our four speech-language pathology students who won first place in the Praxis Bowl at the New England Symposium on Speech-Language Pathology, a regional conference. Teams from all over New England competed in the game that was formatted like a college bowl and used questions from the national licensing exam.
Kudos to Marc Izzo, director of university construction, who recently won the Private Owner of the Year Award by the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut organization. He was nominated and recognized by his peers. Great job, Marc.
In a month it will be Thanksgiving and, as always, the community needs us. Help out SHU Student Government with its annual Turkey Drive. They are trying to reach their goal of purchasing and donating 700 turkeys for local families. Click here to donate.
If you are not busy tonight, be sure to stop by Red’s. I will the “celebrity” bartender.
Looking for something to do this weekend? You can check out the SHU Choir at Pipescreams, a family-friendly Halloween concert on Sunday at the First Congregational Church in Stratford. For more information click here. Campus Ministry is hosting a pumpkin-carving event Sunday on 63’s Patio at 2:30 p.m. The fun will continue into next week – join the band at the Edgerton on Monday night for the annual Halloween Spooktacular.
We have lots of sporting events going on this weekend. Tonight, our women’s ice hockey team takes on Johnson & Wales at the Sports Center of Connecticut at 5:05 and again on Saturday at 2:45. Women’s volleyball plays Robert Morris tonight at 6 and faces Saint Francis U Saturday at 7. Men’s ice hockey battles Niagara tonight at 7 at the Webster Bank Arena and again on Saturday at 2:05. Our field hockey takes on LIU Brooklyn tonight at 7 and then takes on Fairfield U Sunday at 5. On Saturday, our football team plays Duquesne at noon. Good luck to all our student-athletes playing home and away.