December 2003

Index for December 9, 2003

University Strategic Marketing Committee shapes Fairfield's competitive edge

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

With college applications on the rise across the nation, institutions of higher education - including Fairfield University - have had to quickly learn how to differentiate themselves from the competition. Increasingly, they are turning to the principles of marketing to draw prospective students to their programs.

"More and more state and private institutions are focusing on sophisticated marketing techniques for promotional purposes to attract students," says Cathy O'Donnell, director of marketing at Fairfield University. "The educational marketplace has become very competitive for both undergraduate and graduate students. It's become a buyer's market and we in academia have to distinguish our institution from the rest."

Fairfield University took a dramatic step into integrated marketing last spring by launching the University Strategic Marketing Committee under the direction of an executive committee, which includes O'Donnell. Since September, the group and its four subcommittees have been moving toward making positive changes for Fairfield's future, addressing key marketing issues that matter to prospective students, with a particular emphasis on the University's part-time adult students enrolled in graduate and continuing studies programs.

The four subcommittees represent the primary areas of marketing relating to higher education: market research/program development, customer service, admission/advancement, and promotion/public relations. "The purpose of these subcommittees is to gather people from around the University on a regular basis who have responsibility in these various areas," explains O'Donnell. "Collectively, people are working together to come up with solutions to ongoing issues to improve the way we do business and develop new methods so we can better serve our students."

Among the many topics under review and consideration by the USMC committees are issues relating to improving parking and campus signage; easing of registration; developing educational programs that reflect the needs and wants of the marketplace; better coordinating promotional efforts; and promoting personal enrichment programs offered to the public. As the subcommittees investigate these and other topics, their recommendations for improvements will be forwarded to the USMC executive committee and then to the division heads for further consideration and subsequent action based on the priorities of Fairfield University.

"There are nearly fifty people - staff, faculty and administrators - working side by side on these and many other issues through the USMC," says O'Donnell. "It is very encouraging to see so many people vested in coming up with solutions and recommendations and working together in a more integrated way. No doubt, the outcome of their efforts over time will be for the betterment of the students and public we serve and for the Fairfield University as a whole."

Campus Currents will report periodic updates on the committees' work.

"What used to be known as 'the field of dreams' approach to marketing that many universities had adopted in the past - 'build it and they will come' - has gone by the wayside. Today, universities are seeking ways to be more savvy in marketing their schools to the many populations they serve," says O'Donnell. "It is very exciting to be involved with so many people from around the campus in this new and invigorating marketing approach."

Suzanne Lyngaas receives Distinguished Teaching Award

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Prof. Suzanne Lyngaas's family - daughter, Julie, husband, Michael, and son, Brian - shared in the special day.

What Suzanne Lyngaas's former students remember most about their professor's accounting courses is her ability to make a dry subject come alive. "Anytime it's appropriate to be personal I take advantage of it, because the subject material is so impersonal," says the assistant professor of accounting in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. "I try to weave in personal stories or concerns that affect students."

You can't make it interesting everyday, she admits, "but I can engage the students on a topic-by-topic basis. And if I can engage them in one topic one day, then I can slip in the dry stuff the next. It's a balance."

That balance she's successfully achieved in the classroom was recognized at last month's Alumni College program, as she was presented with the Alumni Association's Distinguished Teaching Award. Nominated by alumni, the award also carries a $5,000 prize. Last year's winner - the first awardee for this particular honor - was Dr. Alan Katz, professor of politics.

The Distinguished Teaching Award honors faculty who have served at Fairfield University for 10 years or more and who have displayed excellence in the areas of teaching, curriculum development, and mentoring/advising.

In her nomination, Michele Theuerkauf '90 of Glen Rock, N.J., noted her former professor's passion for the subject matter, her enthusiasm for spirituality, and her enjoyment of life. "Professor Lyngaas was dedicated 110 percent to the education and welfare of her students," she wrote. "She exemplified the Jesuit philosophy in her personal and professional life," and, she added, the humor she injected into accounting excited students about the subject matter.

How Prof. Lyngaas teaches accounting has much to do with how she sees it in the real world today. "Accounting has become the language of business," she says, "and these days, it's much more than managing a company's debits and credits. In public accounting, interpersonal skills are more important than ever, since as a professional, you're dealing one-on-one with clients." Technology has made it possible to get rid of the tedious aspects of the job; computers take care of the grunt work, she adds. That's why teaching the nuts and bolts of accounting, along with communication skills, is part of her curriculum. "Learning to communicate accounting information effectively and present financial results fairly is the ultimate objective," she said in her acceptance speech on Nov. 8. "My efforts in the classroom have been to strive to achieve a balance between the technical skills needed and the personal capacities demanded of the accounting professional."

And this combination, she added, is also according to Fairfield University's Jesuit philosophy. "At Fairfield we have combined the liberal arts with business education to create the 'whole' business professional. Our business graduate is a product of a special combination of business and liberal arts - a true professional!"

She added that, in this "scandalous world of Enron, Worldcom, and others," accounting graduates with a value-based education are "more prized than ever." Business education must establish the necessity for credibility and integrity, she feels, and in her classes, she presents the need for integrity and ethics in the workplace. As a teacher and as a person, she believes it's important to students to "demonstrate you have values, that you're a caring and compassionate person."

Prof. Lyngaas's support of the Jesuit philosophy extends into her personal life. She's gone through the Spiritual Exercises, participated as a leader to Ecuador with the Campus Ministry Mission Volunteers, cleaned and raked during numerous Hunger Cleanup events, and served as a mentor in the Ignatian Residential College. "I love working side-by-side with the students in these ways. It makes me most proud," she says. "The Hunger Cleanup, for example, is such an incredible undertaking and I'm proud to be there as their assistant."

This is the second honor Prof. Lyngaas has received from her pupils. In 1987, just four years after she joined Fairfield, members of Alpha Sigma Nu, the National Jesuit Honor Society, recognized her compassion and dedication by electing her as the Teacher of the Year. She was the first member of the School of Business and the first woman to receive this mark of distinction.

As for the current award, she is still letting it all sink in. "I am incredibly thrilled and incredibly humbled."

Photo by Bob Winkler

Fairfield's chapter of Sigma Xi earns national recognition

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, has selected Fairfield University's chapter to receive a Sigma Xi Chapter of Excellence Award for its outstanding activities during the 2002-03 academic year. The award was presented at November's annual meeting in Los Angeles.

For a chapter that's existed only a few years - since 2000 - this is quite an accomplishment, says Dr. Shelley Phelan, assistant professor of biology, who served as last year's chapter president. She credits the active faculty members and administrative support (nearly 30 people total from the sciences, mathematics, and psychology departments) who helped make the year so successful.

The group's accomplishments span an academic spectrum that includes a seminar series featuring respected researchers in a range of scientific disciplines; a workshop; grant efforts; funds to house students working on summer research projects; numerous faculty-student research projects; exploration into possible outreach efforts to attract precollege students into the sciences; an expanded website (www.faculty.fairfield.edu/sigxi); monthly meetings; and the annual student research poster session.

With scientific research the primary focus of Sigma Xi, at Fairfield University, emphasis is on engaging undergraduate students in the primary research projects of the faculty. The annual poster session, held each April, features students who conducted research projects during the academic year or previous summer. The poster session prepares the undergraduates for future sessions elsewhere by building their confidence and giving them a sense of accomplishment, says Dr. Phelan. Their major role in faculty research projects provides them with unique opportunities many undergraduate science students at large institutions don't have. "Large research universities, such as Yale, would have graduate students doing what we have our undergraduates involved with. We train our students by having them work directly with us," says Dr. Phelan. "It's really been a lot of fun."

Fairfield's chapter comprises 26 faculty members and 34 total students. Exceptional senior-year science students who intend to pursue a career in research in a field of pure or applied science are nominated to become members every year, following completion of a successful final project. Sixteen students and two faculty members were inducted last May.

Raising awareness
As part of November's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Fairfield University students and student-athletes conducted food drives for shelters and organizations in Bridgeport and Fairfield. Pictured above (l-r) are seniors Chris Walentik, Roy Chrobocinski, and Liz McBain. Students also built a "Cardboard City" near the entrance to the John A. Barone Campus Center.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Dr. Kevin Cassidy, professor of politics in the College of Arts and Sciences, along with his children, Stephen and Molly, participated in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.

In November, Dr. Elia Chepaitis, associate professor of information systems and operations management in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, presented a lecture for the Valley Instructional Network for Education. The event was sponsored by Tele-Media and reached high school students in Ansonia, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, and Shelton.

In a Nov. 4 New Haven Register business article, "Consumers Fuel Economic Revival," Dr. Edward Deak, the Roger M. Lynch Professor of Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences, said consumer confidence is good for the economy. "If people feel better about the job market and the future of the economy, they're going to be more inclined to make financial commitments." In a Nov. 19 article, he said higher price increases in the Northeast would put pressure on wages and could hurt Connecticut's economy.
    Also in November, Business New Haven reported on Dr. Deak's five-year forecast for the Connecticut economy.

Victor D'Ascenzo, major gifts officer, served as the chairman of the 2003 Associate Directors of Annual Giving Connecticut Philanthropy Conference held Nov. 6 at the Ramada Plaza in Meriden. The conference attracted a record 230 development officers from the state of Connecticut. Roger Nierenberg, the music director for the Stamford Symphony Orchestra and president of the Music Paradigm, delivered the keynote address. D'Ascenzo serves as vice president on the board of directors for the Fairfield County chapter of AFP.
    Conference committee members included associate directors of annual giving Cristina Dieguez and Claudia Nielsen; Larry Carroll, vice president for advancement at Fairfield Prep; and Bob Donahue, director of annual and planned giving at Fairfield Prep.

Dr. Philip Eliasoph, professor of visual and performing arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, initiated the "Artist's Conversations" program at the Westport Arts Center in October with a slide lecture, "Musing on Post-Modernist Muses: Dilemma for Artists." On Nov. 2, he reviewed, as corresponding art critic for the Connecticut Post, the exhibition, Traces of India, at the Yale University British Art Center. On Nov. 14, Dr. Eliasoph presented "The American Museum Today: Obstacles and Opportunities," at an event sponsored by The Discovery Museum Foundation held at the Housatonic Museum of Art. Also in November, he was interviewed for two shows for the ABC radio program, Thoughts of the Week, which will be aired in February 2004.

The Plaza Mayor and the Shaping of Baroque Madrid, a new book by Dr. Jesus Escobar, director of the Art History Program, was published in November by Cambridge University Press. The book takes an in-depth look at the transformation of Madrid from a secondary market town to the cosmopolitan capital of the Spanish Habsburg empire.

Dr. Joy Gordon, associate professor of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, took part in a symposium in Carlisle, Pa., on "Ethics of Empire: the Use and Abuse of U.S. Power in the 21st Century." She discussed the ethical implications of the United States as an empire in a program that also featured National Public Radio correspondent Tom Gjelten and Steve Clemons from the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Dr. Donald Greenberg, associate professor of politics in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been interviewed several times on WICC's drive-time talk show with Citizen Smith. On Nov. 20, he discussed President John F. Kennedy.

Dr. Sheila Grossman, professor in the School of Nursing, presented "Improving Students' Communication and Collaboration Skills: Learning to Negotiate," "Leadership is a Component of Skill Competency for Nurses," and "Assessment of Prescription Practice and Microorganism Resistance to Antibiotics" at the 37th Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Conference in Toronto in November. Kim Fahey '04 accompanied Dr. Grossman to the conference.
    Also in November, Dr. Grossman presented "Sexually Transmitted Infections in College-Aged Students: Needs for Increasing Awareness of Risky Behaviors" at the National Advanced Practice Conference for Nurse Practitioners, in Boston, and "Tool Development: Leadership Assessment" at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Baccalaureate Education Conference, in San Antonio, Tex.

The American Physical Society announced that Dr. Nancy Haegel, a former professor of physics, has been selected to receive the 2004 Prize to a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution. Considered one of the highest honors a physicist can receive, it honors a physicist "whose research in an undergraduate setting has achieved wide recognition and contributed significantly to physics and who has contributed substantially to the professional development of undergraduate physics students." The award includes $5,000 plus an additional $5,000 unrestricted grant for research to the prize recipient's institution (in this case, Fairfield University). The award will be presented at the APS annual meeting in March.
    Dr. Haegel left Fairfield in June to pursue her research and teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Dr. Walter Hlawitschka, associate professor of finance in the Dolan School of Business, was quoted at length in a Nov. 9 Connecticut Post article about a class-action suit against a Bank of America mutual fund. Using a hedge fund as an example, he described how illegal late trading and market timing works and how it hurts other investors.

Dr. Wendy Kohli, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, was interviewed for News 12's Education Notebook on the effects of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation.

Dr. Paul Lakeland, chair of religious studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in a Nov. 4 article in the French newspaper, Liberation, on the election of Gene Robinson, a gay Anglican priest, as bishop. He talked about the various factions in the Anglican Church that differ on the issue.
    On Oct. 25, he was the featured presenter at a daylong conference at Rivier College on "Vatican II: Back to the Future." In November, he addressed "Globalization as a Jesuit and Catholic Identity Issue" at the annual meeting of mission and identity coordinators of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Spokane, Wash.

America's Community Bankers awarded Dr. Philip Lane, associate professor of economics in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Father Thomas A. McGrath Faculty Service Award. Dr. Lane, who serves as the academic director of the National School of Banking, was only the eighth person to receive the award, which was created in 1991 to honor Thomas McGrath, S.J. Fr. McGrath chaired the Psychology Department at Fairfield and was revered by his students at the National School of Banking, where he taught for 25 years, for his teaching of human dynamics of management.
    Dr. Lane was recently interviewed by News 12 Connecticut on the economy and the implications of early holiday shopping.

Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations, took part in a meeting of clergy, police, and community organizations in Stratford, held in response to incidents of alleged racism and bias in area communities. In a November New Haven Register article, he states, "It is very, very important that we understand the seeds of hate. If we don't actively participate in changing some of the issues that create these groups, then they will continue to flourish."

"SAG and AFTRA: The Case for Merger of the Entertainment Unions," an article by Dr. Sharlene McEvoy, professor of business law, was accepted for publication in Vol. 12 of the University of Miami Business Law Review. The article examines the history of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the union's successful attempts to merge in 1999 and 2003.

Dr. Lisa Newton, director of the program in applied ethics in the College of Arts and Sciences, was interviewed for two shows for the ABC radio program, Thoughts of the Week. The shows will be aired on ABC radio affiliates in January 2004.

The Associated Press interviewed Dr. John Orman, professor of politics in the College of Arts and Sciences, for a Nov. 7 article, "In City Politics, Scandals Can Be Assets in Disguise." In the article, carried in some 45 newspapers across the country, Dr. Orman said, "Each case is different, but typically politicians remain popular for one or more reasons, including party loyalty, racial or ethnic allegiance, belief that corruption is part of political reality, and suspicion of racial or political ulterior motives on the part of investigators and prosecutors."
    Commenting in an Oct. 31 New York Times article about Connecticut's need to clean up corruption following the guilty plea to racketeering and money laundering by the former state treasurer, Dr. Orman said, "The big thing down the road still remains the question of whether any of this is going to lead to Governor Rowland."
    In a Nov. 2 Connecticut Post article, Dr. Orman predicted John Fabrizi would win the mayoral election in Bridgeport with 55 to 60 percent of the vote. In a Nov. 4 New Haven Register article, he stated, "People who say their vote doesn't count should rethink." He added that in Australia, people are fined if they fail to vote, a move he didn't think would work in the United States, though he said maybe a tax credit would work. In a Nov. 15 article in The Herald Sun (Durham, N.C.) on former President Jimmy Carter, Dr. Orman said, "The good he has done in his post-presidency is almost the greatest of any American president." In a Nov. 16 Connecticut Post article about President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Orman said, "In America's mind, JFK is always the young boy president, forever frozen in time. His words really inspired great promise."

John Pacheco, Fairfield University's Employee Assistance Program counselor, was recently elected vice president of the Connecticut Chapter of the Employee Assistance Program Association.

Dr. Norm Solomon, dean of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, was quoted in the Nov. 17 issue of the Fairfield County Business Journal about MBA enrollment at area colleges and universities. While national surveys show applications to MBA programs declining, at several Fairfield county schools, they are holding or increasing. "Enrollment is up over the previous summer and fall," Dr. Solomon said. "Last year we had a good year; it was up over seven percent. It seems to be tracking that way for this year."

In November, Dr. Winston Tellis, assistant professor of information systems and operations management in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, presented a case in Tampa, Fla., at the North American Case Research Association. His case, "Transition from Microfinance Institution to Regulated Bank: The Case of Fonkoze's Transformation," was co-authored by Dr. Dina Franceschi, assistant professor of economics in the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Michael Tucker, professor of finance in the Dolan School of Business, and Aaron Seymour, assistant dean of undergraduate students in the Dolan School of Business.
    In October, Dr. Tellis spoke and moderated a panel discussion on "Women in the Third World: Hope Through Literacy, Micro-Credit, and Family Planning" at the New Canaan Library.

Brian Torff, director of the music program in the College of Arts and Sciences, was musical director and bassist in November's Django Reinhardt N.Y. Festival. The six-day event was held at Birdland's Jazz Club in New York City.

An interview about the Oct. 24 U.N. Day Celebration, chaired by Rose Marie Pace Barone and hosted by the Fairfield University Media Center, was featured on WSTC/WNLK radio in Norwalk/Stamford. The celebration featured prayers for peace, poems, and a keynote address by Westport resident Willard Hass, an official with the U.N. Secretariat's Department of Public Information.

Several articles by Dr. Meredith Wallace, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, have been published recently. "Is there a nurse in the house?: The role of nurses in assisted living facilities, past, present & future," appeared in Geriatric Nursing; "The Quality of Life of Men Undergoing Watchful Waiting for Prostate Cancer," was in Oncology Nursing Forum; and "Sexuality in Long Term Care," appeared in Annals of Long Term Care.

Jeff Wyshner, head men's and women's tennis coach, was sworn in as a member of the New York State Bar Association on Oct. 30.

Service Anniversaries

December
5 years
Dolores McCluckie
Kathleen Thopsey
20 years
Thomas Brady

January
5 years
Kyle Russell
10 years
Ingeborg Haug
15 years
Gail Wilson
20 years
Larri Mazon
25 years
Nancy Habetz
30 years
Julia McGovern
35 years
Winston Tellis

Condolences

Michelle Belle-Isle '01, daughter of Maureen Hinkley, project manager for SCT, died Nov. 4.
Mildred Doris, mother of Eugene Doris, athletic director, died Nov. 6.
Henry P. Poole, brother of Sr. M. Julianna Poole, S.S.N.D., died Nov. 22.
David Weyant, father of Karen Craig, secretary in the office of the Dean of Freshman, died Nov. 30.

Chester A. Stuart, one of Fairfield University's original faculty members, died Oct. 21.
    During a 39-year career at Fairfield that began in 1947, Professor Stuart taught modern languages in the undergraduate program, then philosophy and psychology in the graduate division. He received numerous honors and teaching awards from the University.
    Three years into his retirement, the first of two serious strokes led him to an inner reserve of faith and education that inspired ongoing intellectual productivity.
    In addition to shaping his physical disability into a ministry of correspondence and prayer, Professor Stuart wrote a book on ethics called Take Two Tablets and, on the morning he died, completed the chapter, "Saints, Sinners, and Psychos," of his second book.
    He is survived by his wife, Barbara Stuart, MA'78, CAS '80.

Henry Banks, who worked in Central Stores and as a campus bus driver, died Oct. 14.
    Active in the Fairfield University Retirees Association, he pitched in where needed and helped make every raffle a success. "Henry was a warm, cheerful presence whose spirit touched those around him," says Barbara Bryan, president of the Retirees Association and University Librarian emerita. "We will miss his smiling face."

New Employees

Kristine Carroll - director, Special Events
William Guelakis - acting director, Master's Program/ School of Engineering
Jennifer Horn - Music director, Prep
Daniel Junkins - director, Development Services
Keith Moran - counselor, Undergraduate Admission
Kathleen Norell - Receptionist/data entry clerk, Prep

Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions

Examining communities, from the inside

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Dr. Patricia Calderwood admitted early in her post-graduate work that teaching at the elementary level was not for her. "The bureaucracy and the nuttiness in schools made me crazy," says the assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions.

So after completing her master's degree in reading and considering Ph.D. programs, her advisor suggested she work on an ethnography of a remedial writing class in an urban university. Curious about why the group was called "a community of writers" (since, she says, they didn't write and didn't possess the qualities of a united group), she embarked on a semester-long study of the group members' interactions with each other and the value the university placed upon the notion of community. That study led to several others including one at private Catholic girls' school and another with Fairfield University School of Nursing students.

While we all have a familiarity with what community is, says Dr. Calderwood, its reality often strays from the ideal. "Wherever I go, the concept is used either to pull people together, to exclude, and/or to get work done," she says.

Groups or individuals who want to form a community also do so to be inclusive. It's the "we-all-belong-here" mentality, where people can be who they really are, she says. However, she adds, each group that wants to be a real community must also deal with the realities of who they are, how to manage the shared enterprise, and what to do when there are challenges from the outside and/or internal conflicts. "For the groups that are resilient, positive things happen," she says.

"Community involves a shared commitment with other people in something that matters to you," says Dr. Calderwood, explaining its definition. "I think we overuse the term a lot. You can't just sprinkle the word over a bunch of people and expect the group to become a community. If you don't have members who believe in the future of the group, then it's not a community."

Her book, Learning Community: Finding Common Ground in Difference, was published in 2000, and reflects what comprises educational communities and what contributes to their success. "There is one community in the book - a group in a private Catholic girls' school - that, while intending to be respectful of the members' differences, actually erased them in order to make them tolerable. They believed they were a family. They took care of each other, because they believed that underneath the skin, all were God's children."

Despite her expertise, she is humble about her work. "I don't see myself as an expert, but as someone fascinated by communities. I like to talk about and observe those communities around me - even those we have here on campus, on many levels," she says. "The notion of community is also a huge theme here."

One community she started to observe last fall is the Ignatian Residential College, where she is examining its social construction. "The participants speak of themselves as a community on many levels - residential, intentional, and academic," she says. She has conducted student and faculty surveys on what the groups find different and important in Ignatian Residential College courses compared to others they take. "Overwhelmingly, students feel included in these courses. Their opinions matter, students are important to the courses' existence, and there is a need to be reflective. Also, the class sizes are kept small, so it nearly always feels like a seminar." In addition, they are encouraged to think about things - in and outside of the classroom - in certain ways, which bonds them. Plus, she has observed that living together and taking field trips together builds camaraderie.

On the instructional side, the Ignatian Residential College faculty is fascinated with pedagogical issues and developing courses that reflect the issues of the program.

"Overall, it's been very exciting for me to observe," says Dr. Calderwood. "I feel like this really lucky onlooker who is able to be on the inside and the outside at the same moment, watching something wonderful grow."

The School of Nursing project involved observing how nursing students were being trained to become patient educators. She compared the nursing students' clinical experiences at the Health Promotion Center with those of elementary student teachers in urban and suburban teaching placement. "I looked at the different ways the nursing students worked with their patients and how they learned nursing care. Overall, they learned how to help people live healthier lives, not just attend to their illnesses, which exemplifies the mission of Fairfield University."

As for future "insider" projects on community, Dr. Calderwood says the possibilities are endless. "I could do a lot more research here for the next 15 to 20 years," she says with a smile. "It's dangerous to look inside, because you can't always control what comes to light, and I'm thankful that my colleagues open their classrooms and meetings to me."

Photo by Jean Santopatre

New center promotes innovative teaching methods

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Dr. Larry Miners admits that, lately, his favorite thing is Fairfield University's new Center for Academic Excellence.

The faculty center, located in Donnarumma Hall, fosters discussion and instruction on integrating new teaching methods, resources, and techniques into the classroom. Dr. Miners, associate professor of economics, is its director.

"Very few of us ever learned about teaching," says Dr. Miners, referring to Fairfield's faculty. "Maybe some of us we were teaching assistants, but after receiving our Ph.D.s, while we were specialized in our particular fields, many of us were just thrown in front of a classroom and expected to instruct."

That's where the CAE comes in. Along with creating a space where faculty can share their own techniques, it is also a place where he and grant co-author Dr. Kathy Nantz, associate professor of economics, envisioned faculty could learn from outsiders how to integrate new methods into curricula, such as technology, in a cost-effective and exciting way. "We're focusing our attention on student learning, with faculty as the focus of this project," says Dr. Miners. "Its potential is what excites me the most."

Begun during the summer, the Center is funded by a two-year grant from the Davis Educational Foundation. Davis awarded Fairfield University a $200,000 grant last spring to expand the integration of technology into various economic courses and to create an academic center that allowed professors from all disciplines to learn and share information about the newest pedagogical techniques. Each project received $100,000. Dr. Orin Grossman, academic vice president, and Dr. Mary Frances Malone, associate academic vice president, were instrumental in making the first home for the CAE a reality.

And so far, the Center's activities have been humming along at a steady clip. In October, the CAE offered a series of seminars on course design with visiting scholar Dr. Dee Fink, director of the Instructional Development Program at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Miners first saw one of Fink's seminars on course design at a Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education workshop he attended in June with Dr. David Schmidt, associate professor in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. Members of POD are directors of teaching and learning centers at colleges and universities across the country. "Dr. Fink specializes in outcomes and learning, and suggests what to think about when designing a course," explains Dr. Miners. "These may seem like obvious things, but they are very helpful."

Additional features of the CAE include a lunchtime faculty series on topics such as the philosophy of teaching and service learning, a loaning library, book discussions, and instruction on integrating new technology. A planning committee, comprising more than a dozen faculty and administrators representing various sectors of the University, develop the CAE's activities and goals to encourage faculty participation and promote organizational development.

"The Center for Academic Excellence will promote continuing excellence in teaching by sponsoring seminars for faculty on the many complex topics facing faculty members today. Whether it is the effective use of technology in the classroom, or the recognition of different learning styles, there are many areas that deserve careful exploration," says Dr. Grossman. "In addition, the Center will facilitate pedagogical research and aid departments interested in assessment. Our faculty have been advocating for such a Center for some time, and it is a necessary and vital cornerstone of the Academic Long Range Plan."

Civil rights activist to speak at Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

By Nancy Habetz, Director of Media Relations

Bob Zellner, a civil rights activist and the first white Southerner to serve as a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, will be the speaker at the 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. convocation, to be held in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. His presentation is part of a three-day observance that celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. King.

Born and raised in southern Alabama, Zellner graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery in 1961. He was working at Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., when he became a field secretary for SNCC. From 1961 to 1967, he was arrested 25 times, charged with everything from criminal anarchy in Louisiana to "inciting the black population to acts of war and violence against the white population."

From 1963 to 1966, he was part of the graduate program at Brandeis University in the Sociology of Race Relations in America. He is now completing a memoir of the Southern Civil Rights Movement for his doctoral dissertation at Tulane University. In addition, Bob Zellner teaches a course on the history of activism at Southampton College of Long Island University in the Friends World Program.

In the years since his involvement with SNCC, Zellner has continued to work for civil rights, through his lectures and academic conferences. In the 1980s, he worked on documentary and feature films, including Eyes on the Prize, Los Marielitos, and Mozambique.

Other celebration events

• On Jan. 21, the convocation will be followed by a dinner in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business Dining Room at 6 p.m. to honor this year's Vision Award winners' area leaders, which include an alumnus, a faculty member, a student, and a community member.
• A Multicultural Marketplace will take place in the John A. Barone Campus Center and at the Quick Center for the Arts.
• Also on Jan. 21, readings of memoirs of the civil rights movement on will take place at 7 p.m. in the Barone Campus Center.
• A Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Leadership Conference for local middle school students will be held on Jan. 23 in the Barone Campus Center.
• This year, the Martin Luther King Jr. committee and the Connecticut Post are offering an essay contest for Bridgeport students in grades six through eight. The students will be invited to write on the subject, "What Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy Means to Me and My Community." The three top winners will receive prizes of $200, $150, and $100, and have their essays printed in the Connecticut Post. They and their parents will also be invited to the convocation and dinner.

Fairfield University's Couples: Nancy and Bill Fray

By Jennifer K. Covino, Publications Writer

Think you don't know Bill Fray? Think again. Bill is one of the most familiar faces on campus. In his 16 years as a Central Stores attendant, he's delivered paper, copier toner, or new equipment to just about every office. He says he's even delivered sheep's blood. Hopefully, it was to a biology professor.

Most importantly, Bill is the man who delivers the paychecks. "I like meeting all the people on campus," he says. "Everybody's good to me, especially when I bring them their checks. They love me on Friday."

Bill's not shy about taking a small token for his services. "He's a candy dipper in every office," claims wife, Nancy Fray.

Think you don't know Nancy? Think again. For the past 18 years, she's been the operations assistant in purchasing, the department that handles orders for everything from books and toilet tissue to carpeting. Nancy has spoken to someone in just about every office on campus. "Bill knows the faces and I know the voices at the other end of the phone," she says.

Before coming to Fairfield, Nancy worked at a downtown bank and Bill worked for 40 years at United Illuminating as a meter specialist. He also worked two nights a week for the town's Parks and Recreation Department, supervising evening intramurals at the local elementary schools. Today, Bill is a huge Fairfield Stags fan and tries to make every game.

For the Frays, Fairfield University is a "family affair." Their daughter, Nancy E. Fray, is an operations assistant in student support services. Son, John '83, is general manager of a medical products company based in Nebraska. Son, William '85, is an attorney in Bridgeport.

In May 2000, Bill underwent five bypass surgeries and now works part-time, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. He and Nancy drive to work together, and then she drops him at home at lunchtime.

The couple has been married 46 years. They finish each other's thoughts and sentences, though, arguably, Nancy does most of the talking. "When I started, Mr. Maloney (George Maloney, former director of purchasing) said to me, 'Do you think a marriage is 50/50? I said, 'Yes. I speak and he listens. That's 50/50 to me.'"

On the weekends, Bill likes to work in the yard while Nancy works on acrylic portraits of her five - soon to be six - grandchildren.

The Frays enjoy the relaxed, family atmosphere at Fairfield and appreciate the education it afforded their sons. "I swear by Fairfield University. I think it's a great place to work and a great place to go to," says Bill. "Fairfield is like a second home to me."

Nancy nods. "We're here every day," she says. "We open it up and we close it."

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Kristine Carroll: director of special events

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Although it's not unusual to find Fairfield alumni among the University's employees, there probably aren't many who know how many Volvo commercials are shown during an hour's worth of A&E's Biography.

But Kristine Carroll, who was named director of special events in October, does. A fine arts major and 1992 alumna of Fairfield University, she landed her first job as a sales assistant for cable television's A&E Network where she coordinated the schedules for the commercials running in a particular show. "The skill sets I sharpened as an art history major - organization, attention to detail, and visualization - reflected what was needed on the job," she says. "I'm fortunate that those elements come naturally to me, and I also enjoy a fast-paced environment."

And fast-paced it was - as were her subsequent positions with two Stamford-based companies where she served as a conference planner.

"Event planning is fun - and yes, nerve-wracking," she admits, "but once an event is in progress you can step back, see what you've accomplished, and witness everyone having a good time."

Her first induction to the world of event planning was with Cowles/Simba Information. But after three short months of assisting the manager there, the company changed hands and her supervisor found another job. Left to her own devices, Carroll found herself running the conferences alone. Initially, she was simultaneously planning three conferences and her own wedding - all in an eight-week period.

"I ended up treating my wedding as another event," she says. "I provided diagrams and specifications to the reception hall and questioned details most brides wouldn't consider."

In 1998, Carroll joined Gartner as an event planner and manager, organizing an annual 10,000-attendee trade show conference held at Orlando's Walt Disney World.

And although she loved corporate event planning, when she saw the advertisement for the directorship position at Fairfield University, she says, it was "a dream come true." The birth of her now nearly 1-year-old daughter, Grace, is one of the reasons she decided to return to Fairfield to work for a Jesuit institution. "Having her changed my entire perspective on life, the world, and our future," she says. "While there's no doubt that corporations make the world go 'round, I wanted to work somewhere that did something to better society and where I could use my skill sets to better other people. Plus, I wanted to be in an environment where my daughter could look up to my employer," she says. "At Fairfield, there are constant reminders all around us that we are working to do good for people - and that's an important value I can pass along to Grace. I am finally back in a nurturing environment where we put others first."

Carroll lives in Fairfield with her husband, Christopher, and their daughter.

What's on your wish list?

Around this time of year, people make lists: "to-do" lists, gift-buying lists, and invitation lists. But now I want you to take about 10 minutes out of your day, right now or on your break, and make your own personal "wish list" - a list of all those things that you wish would happen.

Those of us who engage in daydreaming often create such a wish list, whether it is based on winning the lottery or on some other happy occurrence. It usually begins with, "If only I had..." and continues with the positive things one would do if things were different. Such daydreaming is not a bad thing because it helps us review our lives and think positively. It only becomes a problem when these escapes from the present reality become frequent and interfere with our daily lives.

Take a few minutes and review what is on your wish list. Some of the items may be totally unrealistic, such as that exotic sports car that you would never drive on a daily basis or that fantastic beach house that you would seldom have time to use. But take a look at what is behind those desires. Much of what we want is based on aspects of our lives that we want to improve or make better somehow. We want to be noticed, or admired, or have a means of escape from our current life that seems so mundane.

So step back from the actual items on your wish list and look at what you really want. Much of what we want is really within our reach, but it takes some effort on our part and a realization that our goals may need to be refocused.

Here is one example: A colleague of mine wanted to be on the board of directors of a national organization. She expressed this desire to a number of us and listened closely to our advice. What she heard was that her approach to people - her outward expression - was often intimidating, with her vast knowledge of her practice area, thereby pushing away the very people she needed to attract if she wanted to be elected to the desired position. She chose to seek out a speech coach who worked with her on her approach, her choice of words, and her appearance. She then solicited a group of peers to help her on her campaign and to be her advance image. They would approach people asking for support of her campaign. Then she would follow up that contact with her "new" approach and look. It seems to have worked! But as she expressed, even if she does not win the election, she has learned a lot about how she appears to others, how to organize herself, and how to change her life to achieve specific goals.

If your goal is to be admired, think about the people you admire and the attributes of those people. Perhaps all you need to do is pick a place to volunteer. The volunteer activity will make you feel needed in ways that your job and family cannot. It may boost your confidence by developing new skills in you. And people may admire your willingness to be of service to others.

If your goal is to have more money, begin by placing some of your income in a savings account at the Credit Union. It does not have to be much, but it will add up and allow you to meet some of your short-term goals. A friend of mine receives a small bonus every few months for some additional work he does. He has placed that bonus in a retirement account for the past ten years, accumulating an impressive amount. He might have spent it on other things as it came in, but he has a goal he wants to achieve in his retirement and wants this money available for that goal.

So look at your wish list and try to identify what may be more realistic and achievable. You may find that you are much happier because you have goals that you are working towards. Most of us need a challenge - and a personal challenge helps us move forward and feel better about ourselves. What better "gift" to give to yourself for the holidays!

Philip A. Greiner, DNSc, RN

Associate Professor of Nursing; Director, Undergraduate Program; Director, Health Promotion Center

Dr. Diana Mille explores early modernism at the Walsh Art Gallery

Dr. Diana Mille, director of the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, will present "New Directions: A Study in Early Modernism" on Dec. 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the Gallery. The one-hour talk is the second of four art lectures.

Dr. Mille will discuss the sculptures of French master Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). World-famous for his works The Thinker and The Kiss, Rodin was known for his strength and realism, as well as his thoughtful depictions of human beauty, passion, distress, and moral weakness in sculpture.

The lecture is $5. Participants may bring a brown bag lunch. For more information, call the Walsh Art Gallery at ext. 2969.

Sports

Soccer duo among the best in the northeast

By Julie Greco, Assistant Director of Sports Information

Fairfield University prides itself on being an academically challenging institution that prepares its students for lives of leadership and service. Athletically, the University sponsors 19 varsity sports that compete at the Division I level in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Academically, Fairfield is attracting increasingly bright students every year. Contributing to this classroom excellence are our student-athletes who, in their varsity endeavors, have also brought distinction to their sport, as evidenced by their capturing seven MAAC Commissioner's Cups.

It's a given, then, that student-athletes on Fairfield's campus include many young men and women who excel both on the field and in the classroom.

Two shinning examples are seniors Lindsey Pulito and Lindsay Sampson who were recently selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Women's Soccer District I First Team.

Garnering first team accolades means that Pulito and Sampson are among the best women's soccer student-athletes in the northeast, as District I is made up of all the universities in New York, New England, and parts of Canada. It also means that the duo will advance to the national ballot where they will be in competition with women's soccer players from across the nation to be named an Academic All-American. The last time Fairfield placed a female athlete on the team was 1998, when softball player Jennifer Derouin '98 received the honor.

"Lindsay Sampson and Lindsey Pulito are the quality of student-athlete we strive to attract to our program," said head women's soccer coach Maria Piechocki. "This is well-deserved recognition for their commitment and diligence in the classroom and on the field and I am very happy for and proud of both of them. They both epitomize the ideal synergy of athletics and academics and what we strive to achieve not only in the soccer program but also in every athletic program at Fairfield."

In addition to sharing a first name, Pulito and Sampson have had similar athletic careers. Both have tasted great success on the pitch, helping lead their teams throughout the years to numerous championships. Both served as co-captains this past soccer season and both expect to graduate in May. Also, Pulito and Sampson have both garnered various individual accolades throughout their athletic careers. Still, both agree that this award is something special.

"It's very exciting for me that this is an academic award," says Pulito. "Soccer has always come easier for me than academics. It's a talent that's always been there for me, but with academics, I have had to put a lot of effort in. An academic honor is especially rewarding because it shows that all my hard work is paying off."

"This is an unbelievable honor," added Sampson. "It makes me feel fantastic I'm being recognized for my athletic and academic success. It's always nice to get noticed, but to have the effort that I put into my school work get recognized feels fantastic."

Pulito, a marketing major, was a four-year starter in the midfield for the Stags and finished her career with her name all over the Fairfield record book. She ranks in the top 10 for career goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, and in several single-season categories for the Stags.

Sampson, an English major with a pre-law concentration, battled back from consecutive ACL injuries which benched her for the first two seasons of her career to anchor the defense for Fairfield in her final two. In 2002, she was a part of a line that allowed only one goal in conference play. During her time at Fairfield, she has also been active in the Student-Athlete Activities Council, holding the post of President for the 2002-04 term.

news Briefs

Alpha Sigma Lambda inducts new members
Fairfield University's Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for continuing education, inducted 21 new members in November. Fairfield's chapter was established for evening undergraduate degree students. The society recognizes the achievement of adults who accomplish academic excellence while facing competing interests of home and work. At last month's ceremony, Dr. David Schmidt, associate professor in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, was installed as an honorary inductee.

Congratulations to: Linda Abel, Allison Chaffee, Christopher W. Dewitt, Daniel Dooley, Betsy-Anne Entwisle, Suzanne Forte, Edward D. Howland, Michele Greenwood, Marisa Grover, Anne Heath, Clifford J. Jones, Kathryn P. Koslow, Mary R. McGuire, Remigio E. Melo Jr., Jeanine Pagliaro, David Perrett, Cheri E. Ross, Stephen Stambaugh-Walter, Kimberly Wasko, Henry L. Williams, Lori Wortz, and James Young.

Top students inducted into Sigma Theta Tau
Twenty students will be inducted into Fairfield University's Mu Chi chapter of Sigma Theta Tau this month. The honor society acknowledges top nursing students for their leadership, creativity, achievement, commitment, and exceptional professional standards.

The new inductees include: Sara Altieri, Carly Brueggestrat, Kerry Daniels, Lauren D'Annunzio, Kimberly Fahey, Lisa Fregonese, Jennifer Gleason, Robert Goodfellow, Pamela Hoyt, Tina Kachnowski, Kristen Keleher, Kathryn Moura, Karima Ovins, Jacinta Periera, Meghan Powers, Kathryn Rees, Diana Rosato, Erin Schuling, Hopeton Scott, and Lisa Wowk.

Online journal gives insider's perspective on undergraduate experience

By Marybeth Redmond, Contributing Writer

Each Monday night, Katherine Petta '05 retreats to the quiet of her townhouse room to reflect on her experiences as a Fairfield University junior. Then she begins journaling - sharing the significant details of her previous week, which will be published online for thousands of prospective students to read.

"It's pretty cool," explains Petta, of Needham, Mass. "I've been given full rein about what I want to write."

From her favorite multimedia Shakespeare class and the recent life-changing Campus Ministry retreat to last weekend's jaunt into New York City for a birthday party with 30 friends, Petta covers a range of diverse subjects in a few paragraphs.

"I want to give prospective students a taste of real life here," Petta says, "a sense of how tight-knit the Fairfield community is, and the many opportunities they can take advantage of."

Petta's Weekly Student Journal, which is activated on the University's website each Wednesday, is a new product of the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

According to Associate Director Debra Johns who oversees the project, it was begun this past fall to "provide another personal one-on-one contact for prospective students to learn about the University."

Marianne Gumpper, interim director of undergraduate admission and director of graduate admission, had seen a similar feature on the Colgate University website, and thought it would be an important addition to the Fairfield University site.

While interviewing several students for a 10-hour per week internship in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, Johns knew that she had found the "perfect person" for the Weekly Student Journal when she met Petta. The honor student's writing background as an English major (with a second major in sociology) combined with her involvements in the Glee Club, the Fairfield University Student Association as senate majority leader, Campus Ministry as a Eucharistic minister, and with incoming students as part of the First Year Experience, made her a well-rounded candidate.

"It was clear that Katherine could speak to a lot of different perspectives and experiences," Johns says. "Our directive was 'Katherine, find your voice.'"

"I finished registering for classes beginning in January," writes Petta in her Nov. 9 entry. "The registration process can be a little daunting ... The best thing about faculty advising at Fairfield University is that you can choose whomever you want as an advisor. If you are assigned a professor during the first weeks of your freshman year and for some reason or another you choose to work with someone else, switching advisors is as easy as asking the professor of your choice for help."

"We didn't want the entries to sound like admissions propaganda," Johns says. "We told her to strive for an authentic voice, and that we were not going to severely edit her."

To investigate the prospect of an online student journal, Johns approached University Webmaster Laura Johnson about the logistics and possible design. Johnson was delighted to create a template for the new addition to the admissions site, featuring rotating photos of student life along with Petta's text entries.

"It was great to see a department on campus step forward to inquire about something they wanted to see," Johnson says. "It's a worthwhile initiative that strengthens the entire University website."

According to Johnson, the Weekly Student Journal averages nearly 200 hits per week from off-campus visitors. So far Petta hasn't received any direct e-mail responses from prospective students, but she hopes that will change soon. The Office of Undergraduate Admission plans to add a male writer next year in addition to Petta, to further round out the student vantage point.

For Petta, the opportunity to sit back and reflect on ones college experience is a luxury that she is grateful for.

"One of the greatest rewards has been feeling the complete confidence the admissions office has in me," she says. "And to realize that my time at the University is all I had hoped it would be."

Harry Belafonte says activism is part of art

By Dominic Mariani, Contributing Writer

Harry Belafonte recently told a sold-out Kelley Theatre audience that "the role of the artist is a higher civilization."

In November, the singer/actor/activist presented the annual Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture, sponsored by Open VISIONS Forum, in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The 76-year-old performer spoke movingly and humorously about his life, reflecting on the influences his experiences had on his career.

The audience was reminded time and again of how long Belafonte has been on the world stage - literally and figuratively. "My social and political interests are part of my career," he said.

He spoke of how the music and songs of his childhood years in Jamaica would lay fallow in his brain until he made use of the same rhythms later in his work.

His 1956 album, Calypso, was the first-ever million-selling album; for a time, he and Elvis Presley were the leading recording artists of the 1950s. "After we became friendly, we both admitted we didn't think the other would last," Belafonte said.

When he returned to the Caribbean years later, he was struck by the absence of his recordings in one music store. When he asked the proprietor why, she replied in a sing-songy cadence, "I think he long-time dead."

After serving in the navy during World War I, Belafonte was given tickets to the American Negro Theatre in Harlem as a gratuity for his work as a janitor's assistant. He described his first theater experience as a feeling "so powerful that this time and place, this thing, would become my life."

Belafonte explained how he used the West Indian patois and adapted it to an Irish brogue when he first performed Sean O'Casey's work at the American Negro Theatre in Harlem. The crowds chuckled at his imitations of Pat O'Brien and James Cagney. "They seemed always to be in a bar and punching people out and I identified with that," he said of them.

Paul Robeson visited and congratulated the cast and its work one night. "What he said became the banner of my life: 'The purpose of art is not just to show life as it is, but to show life as it can be,'" Belafonte said.

Belafonte also took advantage of a government subsidy and enrolled in the Dramatic Workshop at the New School of Social Research. Among his classmates were Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Rod Steiger, and Tony Curtis.

Among his other influences, Belafonte cited the rhythms of Jewish humor and the storytelling of Jewish comics. "I saw a commonality between Jewish and black storytelling as well as their mutual historical suffering," he said.

Belafonte got his start in music at the Royal Roost Club where he began by listening to Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and others. During his first appearance as an intermission singer, he was backed up by friends Miles Davis, Max Roach, Tommy Potter, and Charlie Parker. He soon began playing at top clubs, which led to recording contracts, hit albums, Hollywood films, and television.

"Unfortunately, too much is expendable in art and culture and to do business in art is difficult," he said. "The captains of greed and the merchants of profit define things and we all pay a price for that."

During his successes, his interest in human rights and children's causes flourished. In 1985, he was one of the organizers of the "We Are the World" project. He has received numerous national and international awards including the National Medal of the Arts.

Regarding race and international relations in general, Belafonte said, "You haven't heard anything till you've heard 50,000 Japanese singing 'day-o.' Get people to sing your song and they will want to know who you are."

Photo by Bob Winkler

Debunking the myths

A new exhibit at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library presents a glimpse of the rich and diverse history of Arab-American communities, while debunking some of the myths surrounding them. The exhibit is contributed by Dr. Ralph Coury, professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences, and his wife, Melissa. Its contents are from their private collections and family members. The objects pictured left - the suitcase and the water pipes - once belonged to Dr. Coury's grandparents. The exhibit explains the two waves of migration that brought Arab peoples to America.

Contrary to popular opinion, Arab-Americans do not constitute a religion or a race. They are an ethnic group united by the Arabic language and its cultural heritage.

Christians make up two-thirds of the community today. A Bible in Arabic, published in the 1920s, is on display. Other objects include an Arab Chieftain doll from 1910, and a colorful Tarboush, also known as a Fez, from the 1930s.

The exhibit covers well-known personalities of Arab-American heritage, such as Marlo Thomas, Ralph Nader, Selma Hayek, Donna Shalala, and Christa McAuliffe.

The exhibit continues through December.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Russian Arts and Letters Festival events continue at the Quick Center

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts' Russian Arts and Letters Festival celebrating Russian music, art, dance, film, and literature, continues through April 2004. The following events are scheduled for January:

• Jan 11: A Russian Christmas/New Year's Cultural Celebration, featuring folk and religious music, Russian costumes, Russian tea and babka, a cultural display of icons, and other art exhibits, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quick Center. This event is free and open to the public.
• Jan. 24: Russian costume and stage design are highlighted in a lecture and art exhibition opening. At 6:30 p.m., Dr. Alla Rosenfeld, director of the Department of Russian Art and curator of Russian and Soviet Non-Conformist Art of the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, will present "Russian Stage and Costume Design 1900-1960." The exhibition, A World of Stage: Russian Costume and Stage Design from the George Riabov Collection of Russian Art, will run from Jan 24 through March 21. It includes works by artists of the pre-Bolshevik years as well as Russian émigrés working in Western European and American productions. At 8 p.m., the Yale Russian Chorus will perform a concert in the Kelley Auditorium. With a repertoire spanning the 12th through the 20th century, the chorus is known for its interpretations of Tchaikovsky, Bortnyansky, Kedrov, and Chesnokov.
• Jan. 26: A screening of the Russian film, Repentance (1987), by director Tengiz Abuladze, will be shown at 7 p.m.

For tickets and more information, call the Box Office at ext. 4010.

New Haven Symphony Orchestra to perform holiday concert

The New Haven Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras in the United States, will perform "Sounds of the Season," a concert of holiday favorites, on Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Conducted by Gerald Steichen, the orchestra will offer a program of traditional carols and holiday standards, including selections from Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors." Other selections on the varied program are: "Winter Wonderland," "O Holy Night," "I Saw Three Ships," and "Jingle Bell Rock."

Guest artists for the concert are soprano Angela Simpson and the Litchfield County Children's Choir.

For tickets or more information, call the Box Office at ext. 4010.

A Christmas tale takes the stage at the Quick Center for the Arts

The Tailor of Gloucester comes to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Well-known to generations of readers, this timeless Christmas story is geared toward children in grades K through 5.

Said to be Beatrix Potter's own favorite among her many children's tales, The Tailor of Gloucester tells the story of a poor tailor who is asked to make a splendid cherry-colored waistcoat for the Gloucester mayor's Christmas Day wedding.

For tickets, call the Box Office at ext. 4010.

Campus Currents is the official news publication of the Fairfield University community. It is published monthly. The editorial office is located in Bellarmine Hall, Room 203. Phone: 254-4000, ext. 2556. Fax: 254-4167. E-mail: campuscurr@mail.fairfield.edu.