Dr. Petillo's Blog

President Petillo’s Blog: June 28, 2019

I have been enjoying my time away in Italy. It was especially nice to meet up with our students studying at our partner institution, John Cabot University in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. It was great eating dinner with them and hearing about their courses and experiences abroad.

Rome

This past month kept students, faculty and staff quite busy as we held a variety of orientations. We welcomed first-year students, students entering St. Vincent’s College and new transfer students. I hope everyone got a feel for campus and is looking forward to coming back in the fall.

Orientation Leaders

Last week we learned the College of Nursing will receive a $2.4 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant. Thanks and congratulations to professors in the doctorate of nursing practice program, Sue DeNisco, Julie Stewart and Kerry Milner, as well as Funda Alp and Nina Yolen of the Office of Sponsored Programs. This is a great accomplishment.

In more good nursing news, two College of Nursing faculty members were honored at the Connecticut League for Nursing meeting last week. Sue DeNisco received the Jane E. Murdock Lifelong Learning Award and Kerry Milner received the Ruth M. Olson Excellence in Nurse Education Award. Sue and Kerry have accomplished and contributed so much to nursing and nursing education. 

(Top) Connecticut League for Nursing (CLN) deans and directors at the June meeting; (bottom) Award recipients Sue DeNisco, left, and Kerry Milner, right, with CLN President-Elect Ann Spenard ’92 MSN

Last week students in the healthcare informatics program presented their capstone projects at a poster session. Congratulations to all.

Healthcare Informatics Capstone Presentation

Our choir students recently had some amazing opportunities. Some sang with Josh Groban at the Nassau Coliseum earlier this month, and one student also performed with Josh in a concert this week in Providence.

Members of the SHUpermen along with Reverend Sarah D. Smith, executive director of Nourish Bridgeport and pastor at the United Congregational Church of Bridgeport, and Tom Cuffari, assistant director of choral programs, were at the Kiwanis Club of Fairfield Charity Golf Tournament in May. The Kiwanis club picked Nourish Bridgeport for a second year in a row to receive a donation of $10,000 from the annual golf tournament. The SHUpermen will perform a stand-alone concert this coming November and, for the second year in a row, will also choose Nourish Bridgeport to be the beneficiary from fundraising efforts that evening.

Nourish Bridgeport Executive Director Sarah D. Smith with SHUpermen Director Tom Cuffari and students.

On Friday, the New York City and Fairfield County Alumni Chapters hosted SHU at Yankee Stadium. Over 200 alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends were in attendance for a fun-filled night in the Bronx as the Yankees took home a win versus the Houston Astros. 

SHU at Yankee Stadium

Jon Basti, head men’s lacrosse coach, hosted the 5th Annual Men’s Lacrosse Golf Outing at Great River Golf Club on Monday. It was a spectacular day with many alumni, parents and friends participating in the outing. Proceeds from the event benefit the men’s lacrosse program. 

Men's Lacrosse Golf Outing

On Tuesday Bruce and Margaret Iannelli, parents of Mia ’21, welcomed new SHU families from across New Jersey to their home in Saddle River. The next night Jason and Martha Anne Macari, parents of Mary ’21, brought together incoming SHU families from Rhode Island and Massachusetts at their home in Cumberland, RI. These were the first of seven Summer Send-Off receptions hosted by the SHU Parent Council around the region to celebrate our newest Pioneers. For more information visit, http://www.sacredheart.edu/parents/summersend-offs/.

New Jersey, left, and Rhode Island Summer Sendoffs

Sacred Heart University and Universidad Rafael Landívar (URL) in Guatemala are recipients of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Fund. The funded project, “Acting Globally Thinking Locally,” engages students in health fields at both universities. SHU students and faculty traveled to Guatemala earlier this month to work alongside the URL team to lead a public health campaign in the town of San Antonio Aguas Calientes. This week, the Guatemala group came to SHU to complete student-developed projects at community organizations like the Hall Neighborhood House. They also visited the United Nations. Sounds like a great learning experience.

Acting Globally Thinking Locally

Local high school students ‌‌participated in the Lilly Endowment’s Theological Institute for High School Youth, otherwise known as SHU Journey, this week. The six-day residential summer experience of faith education and self discovery allowed the group to explore their faith, learn about themselves and others, enjoy music and liturgies and much more. I hope all participants had a wonderful time.

SHU Journey

The Farrington College of Education hosted the inaugural meeting of the National Center for Clinical Practice in Educator Preparation (NCCPEP) this week. The NCCPEP provides support to advance high-quality clinical educator preparation through capacity-building, partnership development and by bringing research to practice within local contexts. Michael Alfano, dean of the College of Education, was one of the founding directors of the NCCPEP.

National Center for Clinical Practice in Educator Preparation Annual Meeting

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. 

President Petillo’s Blog: June 14, 2019

We welcomed two groups of freshmen and their parents to campus this week for orientation. We will welcome another group next week. The two-day event helps ease the new students into college life. They participate in academic sessions and receive their course schedules. They even get to meet faculty, staff and other students. I look forward to getting to know our freshmen even better in the fall.

Last weekend, we celebrated our alumni with several very special University events that highlighted the vast breadth and exceptional influence of the SHU alumni community. Among those honored were some of the very first Pioneers – the class of 1969—celebrating their milestone 50th class reunion. The Young Alumni Council and Office for Alumni Engagement hosted the inaugural Pioneer Thirty Awards that recognized 18 young alumni carrying out the mission of SHU, while using the skills they earned in their programs to create impact in their professional communities. To close out the weekend, the Alumni Association Board of Directors, with the academic colleges, honored 13 distinguished alumni recipients for their exemplary character, service and achievement. Special recognition was also given to Professor John Gerlach for his remarkable tenure at SHU.

On Monday, Mark Nofri, SHU’s football coach, hosted the 19th Annual Gridiron Golf Tournament at Great River Golf Course. This year’s event was another huge success as the tournament was supported by numerous alumni, friends and family of the SHU football program. Proceeds from this event play a critical role ensuring our student-athletes have the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels in the classroom and on the field. 

After much hard work, University Advancement successfully created the Scholarship Society, which recognizes and honors all University donors who chose to create a named scholarship at SHU. In April, scholarship donors were invited to campus to meet and interact with the student recipients of their scholarships in person. A dedicated webpage was created for each named scholarship with an explanation of the purpose of the scholarship, descriptions of student recipients and an opportunity to make a donation.

Bank of America has donated a $10,000 grant to support the Jack Welch College of Business’s Center for Nonprofits. This is the sixth consecutive year Bank of America has supported the Center, which allows students to apply their knowledge and skills while assisting nonprofits to achieve their goals all while servicing the greater needs of the community. We are grateful to BOA for its generosity.

Congratulations to public health graduate student Rebecca Disarro for presenting her research at the American Society of Nutrition’s annual conference this week. Great work, Rebecca.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Sunday is your last chance to check out Mozart: Hidden in Plain Site at the WSHU Broadcast Center.

Have a great weekend and happy Father’s Day!

President Petillo’s Blog: June 7, 2019

Even with most of the students away for summer break, we continue to be busy with programs and activities around campus.

Last week, members of NBC Peacock North—an association made up of people involved in the television industry—visited our library to donate its archive of newsletters to Sacred Heart University. The newsletters are filled with fascinating stories about the industry, including interviews with well-known personalities, events and perspectives on the issues of the day. Thanks to Professor Joe Alicastro who was instrumental in bringing these materials to Sacred Heart. We are lucky to have this material that tells the story of broadcasting at NBC by those who experienced it firsthand.

From left are Professor Joe Alicastro, Librarian Gavin Ferriby, Professor Jim Castonguay and Marilyn Altman of NBC Peacock North

Also last week, the Farrington College of Education hosted the Bridgeport Citywide Spelling Bee in the auditorium at University Commons. We are always happy when we can share our facilities with the neighboring communities, especially when it gives young people a chance to experience what a college campus is like.

Additionally, Professors Jody Bortone, Jaimee Hegge and Lola Halperin took nine first-year occupational therapy students to an archaeological dig in Saratoga Springs last week. Students and faculty volunteered during the dig and provided clinical services to the veterans who were taking part in the experience. Their services included kinesio-taping, education on ergonomics and body mechanics, relaxation strategies, assertiveness training and cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain. It sounds like it was both fun and educational!

OT Trip to Saratoga Springs

Our 30th annual Pioneer Open took place on Monday, and the weather was perfect. It was a memorable day with a full field of golfers at Great River. Alumni, parents, students and sponsors competed for the Pioneer Open, Welch Cup and Alumni Championships. More than $125,000 was raised for student scholarships and programs. See photos from the afternoon here.

Pioneer Open

Thursday was a big day with several exciting events taking place. The eighth annual SHU Media Exchange, organized and executed by our communication graduate students, featured Ron Ropiak, host of The Full Story on WSHU Public Radio. A live-panel version of the show discussed the importance of media literacy, the challenges for modern journalists and more. The program was professionally done and enlightening—as always. Congratulations to everyone involved.

SHU Media Exchange

Also on Thursday, the College of Business hosted ScaleUp CT, an event for growing and emerging companies presented by the Connecticut Technology Council. The program featured a keynote address by Josh Geballe, commissioner of the state Department of Administrative Services, and various concurrent panel discussions addressing technology, cybersecurity, leadership, international trade and related business opportunities. The keynote address examined Gov. Ned Lamont’s plans to modernize operations, improve citizen experience and reduce costs. He also discussed what qualifications state officials are looking for as they search for candidates to fill key roles in upgraded digital operations.

ScaleUP CT

We ended the day with WSHU’s presentation of “Little Pub Unplugged,” a special acoustic concert emceed by Steve Winters, host of Profiles in Folk! The program featured talented singer-songwriters P.J. Pacifico, Griffin Anthony, Benny Mikula and duo Barbie Tatum & Nick Depuy.

Little Pub Unplugged

Congratulations to our student-athletes and coaches and everyone involved with athletics on winning this year’s Northeast Conference Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup for overall athletic excellence and the Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cup for excellence in women’s athletics. We now have eight overall cups and 11 women’s cups, which is a record number of trophies in both categories.

Our biology department’s Project Limulus is still going strong. Faculty and students continue to educate the community about the ecology and importance of the Long Island Sound horseshoe crab population. Last weekend, instructor and alumna Jo-Marie Kasinak and students were at the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point where they tagged horseshoe crabs and collected data. Also this week, Professor Jennifer Mattei led a tour of the Living Shoreline at Stratford Point where her work to restore coastal habitats has grown exponentially over the past six years. She met with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study group. It has been great to see these projects and initiatives take shape and impact our community and environment for the better.

Project Limulus

Professor Mattei Conducts Tour with EPA at Stratford Point

Two of our students in the doctor of physical therapy program had articles published by their national organization—the American Physical Therapy Association—in its student blog called Pulse. Congratulations to Dani Warnken and Kaitlyn Mital. This was made possible in part because DPT student Kyle Stapleton was elected to the national office of director of communications (out of more than 200 DPT programs across the country).

Congratulations also to Rebecca DiSarro from the master of public health program. She is heading to a national conference for nutritional epidemiology. She will be presenting her research evaluating the relationship between dietary energy density and cardiovascular fitness at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting. She analyzed data from the National Youth Fitness Survey for her project, which was co-authored by Professor Jacqueline Vernarelli.

Have a wonderful weekend!