Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo's Blog: September 28, 2018

We had a diverse week of events, activities and recognitions that I am excited to share.

Last Saturday we held our first undergraduate open house for the fall semester. It was a great day, and I enjoyed meeting and talking with potential Pioneers and their families.

Open House

Biology Professor Jennifer Mattei gave a lecture and walking tour of the Living Shoreline at Stratford Point last Saturday as part of the town’s Forest to Shore Day. You can read all about Jennifer’s experience here.

Professor Jennifer Mattei, pointing, conducts a tour at Stratford Point.

On Monday, SHU Athletics hosted Bobby Valentine’s Golf Outing at the Country Club of Darien to benefit SHU athletic programs. Glad to see so many people enjoying the day for a good cause.

Bobby Valentine Golf Tournament

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raisman came to campus Monday night. She met with students, faculty and staff for an intimate meet-and-greet in the UC Auditorium before speaking to a sold-out crowd in the Edgerton Center. She shared the experiences of her young life with an enthralled and supportive audience.

Aly Raisman

The School of Computer Science & Engineering hosted the event “Deception—Ecosystem Security or Just a Marketing Buzzword,” with guest speaker Michael Fabrico, technical director at TrapX Security on Tuesday.

Cybersecurity Colloquia Series with Michael Fabrico

Wednesday was a busy day. We hosted Ian Hockley, father of Dylan Hockley who lost his life in the Sandy Hook School shooting nearly six years ago. Ian spoke about the nonprofit organization he founded in memory of his son called Dylan’s Wings of Change. His moving story of triumph over evil touched all in attendance. We also hosted a series of TEDx Talks with five professors and staff members. Each 18-minute talk was interesting and thought-provoking. At night, we heard from Connecticut State Representatives Cristin McCarthy-Vahey (D) and Tom O’Dea (R) at the Contemporary Catholic Conversations discussion about faith and the public life.

Ian Hockley

Top: Michael Carriger and Brian Stiltner. Center: Richard Grigg, Steve Brown, Annie Wendel, Stephen Briner and Tom Kuser. Bottom: Colleen Butler-Sweet

From left: Larry Caroll, Cristin McCarthy-Vahey, President Petillo and Tom O'Dea

I am glad so many students attended Thursday’s Volunteer Fair in the UC Auditorium. The fair showcases the many ways they can get involved with service and helping out in the community. That evening, SHU Engineering hosted a Raspberry Pi gaming event that allowed participants to turn a simple Raspberry Pi microcontroller into a gaming console to play retro arcade games. It’s great to see so many innovative events taking place in the new Makerspace.

Volunteer Fair

Raspberry Pi Gaming

Congrats to senior biology student Mary Dushay whose abstract was accepted for inclusion in the Student Conference on Conservation Science-New York at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in late October. She will give a talk titled “Horseshoe Crab Population Decline, Climate Change and Living Shorelines.” Most talks are given by graduate students, so we are especially proud that she has been included.

Kudos to alumni Barb Susi-Botsko ’75, Michael D’Onofrio ’84 and Joanna Leone ’89 for receiving the John A. Arcudi Columbus Leadership Award from the Council of Italian-American Societies of Greater Bridgeport, Inc. Way to go.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the theatre arts program’s latest play, As Bees in Honey Drown. The production will run this weekend and again starting on October 11 at the Little Theatre. Enjoy.

Men’s soccer plays Saint Francis today at 3 and on Sunday they take on Robert Morris at noon. Tomorrow our women’s rugby team battles Colby Sawyer at 1. Good luck to all our student-athletes playing home and away.

Follow me on social media for SHU updates.

Have a great weekend.

President Petillo's Blog: September 21, 2018

We are pleased our fall semester is off to such an exciting start. My video blog highlights the many activities and events that occurred this week including the Dan Schutte concert, Constitution Week, our first Communi-Tea gathering and much more. Enjoy! 

President Petillo’s Blog: September 14, 2018

We had a great weekend that started with our annual Blessing of the Hands Ceremony for our undergraduate nursing students. Students gathered in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit to have their hands anointed. Later on in the evening, students celebrated the start of the school year at the President’s Gala. It was great seeing everyone dressed to impress, dancing the night away at the Pitt Center.

We signed an important memorandum of understanding in a ceremony with the Japan University of Economics (JUE) on Tuesday. We met with JUE leadership and discussed how Japanese students will soon participate in an English language and cultural immersion program at SHU. We are excited to work with JUE’s faculty and explore common research avenues.

On Tuesday, we held a 9/11 memorial service at the Chapel in honor of the 17th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. We must never forget all that transpired on that day.  


We already have a lot of great lectures taking place around campus. The School of Computer Science & Engineering taught us about the importance of having a protected password at “How Secure Is Your Password?” in the West Campus Makerspace on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Welch College of Business Research Forum presented “Lobbying as a Potent Political Marketing Tool for Innovation and Firm Performance,” with guest speaker Jeffrey Anderson, assistant professor of marketing at California State University – Los Angeles in the Martire Center.

We were pleased to welcome our artistically talented alumni back to campus on Thursday as part of the 2018 Alumni Art & Design Exhibition. The work of more than a dozen alumni was on display in the Art & Design Gallery. What a great way to celebrate our former students and their amazing talent.

It was Espresso Your Faith Week – five days of events centered around Campus Ministry, culminating with last night’s Agape Latte with special guest speaker Sean Kaschak, SHU’s multimedia manager. I hope students enjoyed the coffee, meditation, yoga and much more.


I was pleased to see our Theatre Arts Program ranked in OnStage Blog’s Top 25 B.A. Theatre Programs for 2018-19. Our students’ skills and passion for theater never cease to amaze me. Kudos to Performing Arts Director Jerry Goehring for his leadership. We look forward to the many shows they will put on this year.

We are excited to welcome our inaugural cohort for the Superintendent of Schools certification program (093), which launches tonight. I can’t wait to see what this next generation of educational leaders will do!

In light of the landfall of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, Professor Joseph Fitzpatrick of the Department of Catholic Studies will lead a prayer service for those impacted by the storm this afternoon in the Chapel of the Nativity at 3:30.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Stop by the Chapel on Sunday to see Catholic liturgical musician and songwriter Dan Schutte perform some of his most celebrated songs. You can also see him at the Mass of the Holy Spirit at 7 that evening.

Our women’s rugby team plays Army West Point today at 5:30. Our women’s volleyball team faces NJIT at 6 today and will battle Binghamton at 10:30 tomorrow morning and Rhode Island at 6:30. On Sunday, our women’s soccer team plays New Hampshire at noon. Go Pioneers!

Follow me on social media for SHU updates.

Have a wonderful weekend.

President Petillo’s Blog: September 7, 2018

We had an exciting weekend that kicked off with Just SHU IT on the Lower Quad Friday afternoon. I was happy to see so many students learning about the many clubs and organizations they can join.


Before we watched our Pioneers defeat Lafayette at the first home football game of the season, we had a great time watching the marching band perform on the amphitheater steps. This pre-game tradition got everyone pumped up for the game.


On Wednesday, we held our study abroad fair in the University Commons Auditorium. Students realized they could travel far and wide to get an education. In this global economy, we encourage all our students to try something new, learn about different cultures and experience life outside the United States.


We are pleased to welcome our two newest clergy members, Frs. Joseph Farias and Edward Stewart. They will both serve as University chaplains in Campus Ministry. Please stop by their offices and say hello or join them at Mass this weekend.

Frs. Joe Farias and Ed Stewart

The College of Nursing’s 7th Annual Blessing of the Hands Ceremony for undergraduate students is later today in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. This is always a moving and meaningful tradition for the college and students.   

Tonight is the President’s Gala, and I hope to see many of you there dressed in your finest attire ready to celebrate the start of what should be another successful semester. For those thinking about wearing bow ties, here’s some inspiration for you.

Today our women’s soccer team plays Columbia at 3, and they will face Vermont Sunday at noon. Good luck to all our student-athletes playing home and away.

Be sure to follow me on social for coverage of all things SHU.

Have a great weekend.