I had a great time at our Dingle campus this week. We took the opportunity to thank our friends and supporters who helped us acquire our new property in County Kerry. I also enjoyed dining with our students and hearing about their learning experiences while studying abroad in Ireland.
While I was away, there was a lot happening on campus. We hosted motivational speaker Simon Nynens at the Martire Forum on Monday. He encouraged audience members to remember the many lessons to be learned from fairy tales. The great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, Jane McAdam Freud, visited on Thursday to speak about her contributions as a woman in the arts. She shared her sculptures and paintings while reflecting upon her experiences. Swapnil Rai, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown University, presented her lecture “Bollywood’s Gendered Tales & Global Narratives” at the Martire Theater Thursday night.
Drones were flying everywhere around University Commons on Tuesday when Professor Tolga Kaya and his engineering students hosted a fundraising event, Game of Drones. Participants raced small drones through a series of obstacles. All proceeds raised went to the Notre Dame High School STEM club.
Visit the Art & Design Gallery for a new exhibit of our students’ impressive artwork. It runs until Friday, April 6.
For the eighth year, the Business Council of Fairfield County honored SHU as a gold award winner in its annual Healthy Workplaces best practices competition. Kudos to the Office of Human Resources who instituted the SHU Employee Wellness Program in 2007 to promote good health. Great work.
Fifty-eight undergraduate and graduate College of Nursing students were inducted into the Mu Delta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, an international nursing honor society, over the weekend at the Great River Golf Course. Student honorees demonstrate leadership skills and commitment to global nursing. This was the 27th year for this ceremony. Congrats to all.
SHU and Trinity College Dublin are working together to host a conference, “Deep Time—Historical Exploration of Marine Resources,” regarding medieval to modern fisheries and coastal landscapes in Ireland. John Roney, professor of history and co-chair of SHU in Dingle, will co-host and participate in the conference, which will take place April 9-12. In addition, SHU’s Dingle campus director, Séan Pól Ó Conchúir, and Gary Delaney, campus executive director, will be on hand to speak about SHU’s continuing involvement in the Dingle community.
Social Justice Week begins on Monday. Groups including La Hispanidad, Residential Life, Volunteer Programs & Service Learning, Campus Ministry and the Office of Global Affairs will put on a variety of events throughout the week. I encourage everyone to join the Unity Walk at 2 p.m. on Wednesday beginning at the chapel. Participants can select a ribbon representing an area of diversity to tie to an object at the end of the peaceful walk. You can check out the full schedule of events here.
Professor Bernadette Boyle has been training hard for her role representing SHU in this year’s Boston Marathon. She is running to raise money for our scholarship funds. If you have not done so already, please consider donating here. Just a small donation will help her get to her goal.
Looking for something to do this weekend? You can catch the last performances of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. On Saturday, the pep band presents Pioneer Blast. Listen to the band play the music of Daft Punk, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Green Day and more at the high-energy event at the Edgerton Center. Later in the evening, the choirs will present Choral Masterworks in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks to everyone who helped make last weekend’s Admitted Student Day the largest in SHU history. Please give another warm welcome to all our admitted students who are visiting this weekend. College of Business students are here today, our future College of Health Professions students arrive tomorrow, and College of Nursing students will visit on Sunday.
Our men’s lacrosse team takes on Bryant Saturday at 1. Our softball team plays UMass Lowell Saturday at 1 and again at 3. Good luck to all our student-athletes playing home and away.
Enjoy the spring concert tonight and have a great weekend.