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.
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.
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.
Last week students in the healthcare informatics program presented their capstone projects at a poster session. Congratulations to all.
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.
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.
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.
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/.
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.
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.
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.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday.