Campus Currents February 2007

Volume 15, Number 5
The official news publication of Fairfield University

Index for February 6, 2007

New housing planned for students and Jesuits
Promoting Dr. King's dream with Christian love
Dr. Weitzer joins discussions on strategic plan
Honoring people with passion
Campus Newsbreakers
Fairfield loses cherished friend and benefactor: Thomas J. Walsh Jr.
Service Anniversaries
Graduate Corner: Students breathe in excitement of new nursing anesthesia program
Open VISIONS Forum continues 10th season
Honor societies recognize academic excellence
Global Studies resource center offers a world of information
Living Theology series continues
Changes at CMR to benefit University community
Dr. Eliasoph steps into a role he was born to play
Faculty and students share experiences over dinner
Fairfield conference to spotlight AIDS in Africa
Latin America lecture set for today
Bellarmine Lecture to focus on Catholic identity
Learning through service abroad
Environmentally protected land on campus expanded
Viewing migration through the lens of the arts
Jubilant ending to Jesuit Jubilee Year
New faculty join campus
Faculty reflect on service learning
NEASC accreditation work advances
On the Faculty Bookshelf: Religion in Latin America
Sports
Gifts and Grants
News briefs
Jazzed about peace
Campus raises $27,000 for Charitable Sharing Campaign
Catholic Charities COO to speak at Communion Breakfast
A bear hug of appreciation
Buy Quick Center tickets with a click

New housing planned for students and Jesuits

By Alejandra Navarro, Editor

In January, the University unveiled plans to increase student housing by converting the townhouse basements into garden-level apartments and renovating the suites in St. Ignatius House, the current Jesuit residence. In addition, the University is set to build a new Jesuit residence on the hill behind Bellarmine Hall.

"This initiative will not only have a positive influence on the University's physical campus, but also contribute to our strategic goal of achieving an integrated living and learning environment," said University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J.

The townhouse basements, which are currently available for storage only, will be renovated and converted into four-person and two-person apartments. The Jesuit residence's 34 suites will be converted into housing for 68 juniors and seniors. The University expects to complete the projects by the 2008-09 academic year.

"We are a residential community and the more that students are engaged and present in the residential community, the more vibrant the community will be," said Mark Reed, vice president for Student Affairs.

In total, the project will yield beds for approximately 260 students. Most of these spaces will be used to redistribute students on campus in order to alleviate the need for converted triples for first-year students and return the occupancy of the existing townhouses to their original design. Fewer juniors will have to live in traditional residence halls, since more flexible options will be available.

"What makes this project so exciting is that it provides independent living spaces that juniors and seniors are eager to have," said Deborah Cady, associate dean of students and director of Residence Life. The new housing will allow first- and second-year students to live in traditional housing and juniors and seniors to live in more independent residences, which is developmentally appropriate, she said.

The University also plans to build a new 17,000-square-foot Jesuit Community Center on the hill between Bellarmine Hall and the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, which is scheduled to be finished by early summer 2008. The Center will include space for the Jesuits to host University and Prep events. "Jesuits wanted a center that would have a stronger visual presence on the campus, and also have a space where the Jesuit community can grow and promote the Jesuit mission and identity to our colleagues and students," said the Rev. Gilbert Sunghera, S.J., a technical advisor on the project from the Detroit Collaborative Design Center at the School of Architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy.

"The Jesuit Community Center project is a wonderful opportunity for the Jesuit Community and the University to collaborate on strengthening our Jesuit presence and apostolic action on campus, while at the same time offering our former residence to be used creatively for our strategic planning objectives of integrated living and learning environments that are both needed and necessary," said the Rev. Walter Conlan, S.J., rector of the Jesuit Community. "These projects will offer the entire Fairfield University community a quality of life and work consistent with our Jesuit and Catholic mission and identity."

The Center will be designed and placed around the mature trees already on the site, said Ric Taylor, associate vice president for Campus Planning and Operations. The construction activity will be routed away from the trees to ensure their survival, he added.

The University also plans to renovate Dolan Hall and the upper apartments at a later date. All of these projects combined will cost an estimated $40 million, and will be funded through a combination of tax-exempt financing and University reserves. Each project requires approval from the town of Fairfield. Plans are currently being prepared and the University will begin submitting them to the various town departments this month.

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Promoting Dr. King's dream with Christian love

By Meredith Guinness, Publications Writer

Dr. Diana Hayes urged listeners at the 2007 LaFarge Convocation to take up where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left off, fighting physical violence and the more insidious violence of poverty, illiteracy, and other assaults on human dignity with the "most potent weapon of all" - the Christian doctrine of love.

"Often it is these other forms (of violence) that cause the most harm," said Dr. Hayes, a professor of systematic theology at Georgetown University. "Violence objectifies. It turns a person into a thing that can be overlooked or ignored. Violence is a form of hatred. Dr. King's legacy is a legacy of love."

Speaking poignantly of the effects of racism "and all the other isms" on her own family's life, she said the growing gap between rich and poor and the staggering cost of a college education mean the world may be worse off than it was 40 years ago. "At least we had dreams," she said.

She called upon her Quick Center audience to make sure the children of today have access to healthcare, affordable housing, and strong schools, and a real hope for an affordable, quality college education, something that eluded her own brilliant mother and so many of her generation.

"When I think of the dreams that were crushed by the weight of poverty, gender, and/or race and ethnicity, I have to marvel - as I'm sure Dr. King marveled - at the waste of humanity," she said. "We who believe in freedom cannot rest - until it comes. And it will not come unless all of us work to bring it about."

Following Convocation, four Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Awards were given to individuals who make Dr. King's teachings and ideals part of their everyday lives. The three winners of the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest, sponsored by the University and the Connecticut Post, were also announced. They are: Cutter Pinciaro, Multi-Cultural Magnet School, first place; Shanae James, High Horizons Magnet School and Constance Holden, John Winthrop School, second place; and Devin Harris, John Winthrop School, third place.

The Convocation was a highlight of the three-day celebration, which also included a Jan. 24 "Prayers for Peace" interfaith service and a Peace Festival, featuring appearances by the all-women jazz ensemble SAGE and Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, who delivered "On the Journey Together: Peace and Justice Folktales from Around the World." The 19-member Martin Luther King Jr. Human Relations Committee concluded this year's events on Jan. 26 with a youth leadership workshop for about 125 Bridgeport middle school students at the Barone Campus Center.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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Dr. Weitzer joins discussions on strategic plan

By Alejandra Navarro, Editor

The strategic plan is what first attracted Dr. Billy Weitzer to Fairfield University. Now that he's here, serving as senior vice president, it's the assignment that occupies his time the most.

"The three goals, plus diversity and mission and identity, are so well aligned with Fairfield University's mission," says Dr. Weitzer. "Fairfield didn't pick what's right for the times or what's popular on other campuses; the community developed strategic goals that are right for Fairfield."

It's Dr. Weitzer's job to coordinate and implement the myriad ideas surfaced by the faculty and administrators serving on committees for each of the strategic goals: 1) integration of the core curriculum; 2) integration of living and learning; and 3) integration of Jesuit values into graduate education. He's pleased with the momentum of the strategic goals committees, a grassroots effort that has included students to some extent. "The only problem is that people continue to come up with new ideas. I don't want them to stop coming up with new ideas, but I want the University to begin implementing the best of them."

He sees the same eagerness to bring these ideas to life in people across campus. "We're not going to finish this and place it on the shelf," he says. "The Fairfield community really wants to continually improve and make changes in support of the strategic goals."

The University has come to a juncture in the strategic planning process, Dr. Weitzer explains, where the committees will begin to find common themes in their work - the points where each of these goals converge - to develop an overarching plan for the University. "We want to move in the direction that will allow us to merge the ideas coming from each committee into a single plan for the University," Weitzer says. "Instead of saying this initiative supports an individual goal, we will say, this is what Fairfield is doing and this is how these initiatives support goals I, II, and III, as well as diversity and mission and identity."

To that end, Dr. Weitzer is attending the meetings of each strategic goal committee. In addition, he is also meeting with committee chairs and representatives from across campus to facilitate communication between the various committees and to provide input as their ideas begin to take shape. "We're looking at the criteria that will help us choose what should be on the strategic agenda," Dr. Weitzer says. These additional conversations also ensure that the initiatives selected will be a part of the budget process, and that organizational structures will be put in place to ensure that these initiatives become an ongoing part of the institution.

The University is also at the point in the planning process where most of the community is familiar with the goals and, as Dr. Weitzer points out, knows each goal by number alone. "Equally important, people on campus have embraced the strategic goals, so that on a day-to-day level, we are all acting strategically," he says. "Each decision - large or small - should be made with the strategic goals in mind, which empowers everyone on campus to take a role in implementing the strategic vision. We should be asking the question, "How does what I did today move Fairfield University and the strategic plan forward?"

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Honoring people with passion

A dedicated alumna, an energetic senior, a thoughtful administrator, and a longtime community activist received the 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Awards at a Jan. 25 dinner. The recipients, flanked by University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., (left) and Larri Mazon (far right) were (l to r): Charles Tisdale, executive director of Action for Bridgeport Community Development (ABCD) of Bridgeport; Barbara Kiernan, director of University publications; Ashley Toombs '07, of Newburgh, N.Y.; and alumna Danielle Hawthorne '91, of Stratford. Speaking at the LaFarge Convocation earlier in the day, Toombs urged students to work for social justice and a better world. "We should not simply discover our passions, but act on them."

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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On Sept. 22, the Rev. James Bowler, University facilitator for Jesuit Mission and Identity, gave the presentation, "The Transformative Power of Jesuit Education: A Reflection on Ignatian Pedagogy," at the Ignatian Pedagogy for the Challenges of Humanism Today conference held at the Ignatianum University School of Philosophy and Education in Krakow, Poland.

Dr. Dorothea Braginsky, professor of psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), commented on the outbreak of violence that surrounded the release of the PlayStation3 video gaming system in Nov. 25 Connecticut Post article.

Dr. Paul Caster, associate professor of accounting in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business (DSB), published the article "Technology Changes the Form and Competence of Audit Evidence" in the January 2007 issue of The CPA Journal. The article was co-written by Fairfield MBA student Dino Verardo. Dr. Caster also presented a research manuscript entitled, "A Summary of Research and Enforcement Release Evidence on Confirmation Use and Effectiveness" at the American Accounting Association Auditing Section Mid-Year meeting in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 13. This research was the result of Dr. Caster's work supporting  the development of standards at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Fairfield University's selection of basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley ranked seventh on the Connecticut Post's list of the top 10 sports stories of 2006, which was published in an article on Dec. 25.

Dr. Edward Deak, professor of economics in CAS, discussed the state's slow economic growth in a Nov. 20 article in Fairfield County Business Journal. He also commented on the results of New England Economic Project's semi-annual economic forecast for the state in a Nov. 22 article in The Fairfield Minuteman and a Nov. 27 article in the Connecticut Business News Journal. "Given a year in which we had some significant downers, the state did pretty well," said Dr. Deak in an Associated Press story published in The New York Times on Dec. 23. In a Dec. 31 Connecticut Post article on the rising cost of living, Dr. Deak projected the 2007 economy, noting that inflation will be about 3 percent.

Susan Fitzgerald, associate dean and director of international education at University College (UC), was quoted on the benefits of studying abroad in a Jan. 17 Danbury News-Times article. "These are our leaders of 20 years from now," she said. "They need to get out and experience the world. My wish is that their experiences will impact their decisions."

Dr. Susan Franzosa, dean of the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions (GSEAP), explained the use of toys to help in child development in a Dec. 3 Connecticut Post article. "Though the children appeared to be just playing around, they were actually learning hand-to-eye coordination."

Dr. Paula Gill-Lopez, associate professor of school psychology in GSEAP, presented "Promoting Tolerance and Compassion for Diversity through Emotional Intelligence" on Jan. 18 at Parent University at Helen Keller Middle School in Easton.

Silly is what Dr. Donald Greenberg, chairman of the political science department in CAS, called the proposal to have the General Assembly wrap up its business by midnight in a Jan. 3 Stamford Advocate article. "You've got a political process going on," he said. "They are adult men and women. If they need to stay up late, they can. I think it's a strained, mechanical solution to a political dynamic that should be allowed to run its course."

Dr. David Gudelunas, assistant professor of communication in CAS, published "Shopping With Friends: Audience Perspectives on Television Shopping" in the Journal of Popular Communication (2006).  Building on the theoretical framework of parasocial interactions, this article devises a typology of television shopping viewers based on in-depth interviews conducted with audience members who range from heavy to light in terms of their viewing patterns. Dr. Gudelunas's article "Realities of Reality Dating" appeared in American Sexuality magazine (2006) published by the National Sexuality Resource Center.

Dr. Xin James He, professor of information systems and operations management in DSB, was distinguished as a fellow by the board of directors of the International Information Management Association (IIMA) in October. Dr. He co-authored, with Wenjie Wu, the research paper, "Factors Affecting Adoption of ERP in China," which appeared in the Joint 2006 Proceedings of the International Conference on CIMCA and International Conference on IAWTICJ in December 2006.

An article co-authored by Ramona Islam, senior reference librarian and instruction coordinator, appeared in volume 45, numbers 1/2 (2006) of the Journal of Library Administration.

In a Dec. 25 Stamford Advocate article on angels, Dr. Paul Lakeland, Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Professor of Catholic Studies, noted that Hebrews in the Old Testament described angels as formless spirits.

In a Dec. 12 Danbury News-Times article on increasing the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour, which is already the minimum wage in Connecticut, Dr. Philip Lane, associate professor of economics in CAS, said the change would more likely be felt in the southeast and western United States.

Dr. R. James Long, professor of philosophy in CAS, published "Interiority and Self-Knowledge According to Richard Fishacre" in the Intellect and Imagination in Medieval Philosophy. In December, Dr. Long completed his term as president of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, and is now chairman of the nominating committee.

Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell, director of Choral and Liturgical Music, conducted at the Annual Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall on Dec. 19. She also performed with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, Messiah, on Dec. 16 at the Norwalk Concert Hall.

On Dec. 7, Dr. Lisa Mainiero, professor of management in DSB, appeared on Neil Cavuto's business television show Your World in Business on FOX. In a Dec. 16 New York Times article on changing careers, Dr. Mainiero discussed people's search for a satisfying profession. "People are saying, ‘I want a career that's consistent with my values.' It's socially acceptable to say that, whereas 10 years ago it wasn't." On Jan. 10, The Daily Advertiser also quoted Dr. Mainiero in an article on people shifting career directions.

In a Business New Haven article on the Internet making it easier to work collaboratively, Dr. Laurence Miners, associate professor of economics in CAS, and Dr. Suzanne Campbell, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, discussed some of Fairfield's high-tech classroom features, such as the School of Nursing's Learning Resource Center.

In a Dec. 18 Connecticut Post article on the prominence of Iraq in the 2008 presidential campaigns, Dr. John Orman, professor of politics in CAS, said, "Iowa, New Hampshire, and Iraq. That seems to be the new loop for presidential hopefuls."  In a Dec. 28 Connecticut Post article on the death of former President Gerald Ford, Dr. Orman said, "He was open, honest and decent. He showed the presidency could still work." The front-page article also included a photo of President Ford delivering a speech at Fairfield University in the 1980s. Dr. Orman was interviewed on Jan. 11 for ABC-TV in New York (Channel 7 for Cablevision customers) on Senator Chris Dodd's announcement that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president.

Dr. Elizabeth Petrino, associate professor of English in CAS, presented the paper, "Vanished Indians and Virgin Forests in the Writings of Lydia Huntley Sigourney and Lydia Maria Child" on the panel "Rethinking Lydia Huntley Sigourney: Fifteen Years Later," at the Society for the Study of American Women Writers Third International Conference, in November in Philadelphia. As social activists, Sigourney and Child objected strongly to the injustices perpetrated against Native Americans and reflected a proto-ecological sensibility that anticipated the concerns of later environmental activists.

Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, associate professor of history in CAS, helped organize a presentation on the genocide in Darfur at Temple Sholom in Greenwich in November. The Hartford Courant wrote about the event on Nov. 16, quoting Dr. Rosenfeld. On Dec. 14, he also commented in a Stamford Advocate article on Abraham Foxman, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, who spoke at Temple Sholom. "To put it perhaps in the post-9/11 terminology, he's one of the Jewish community's most valuable first responders," Dr. Rosenfeld said.

Dr. Emily Smith, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in GSEAP, was quoted in a Dec. 1 Connecticut Post article on educator and author Robert Fried's visit to Bryant Elementary School in Bridgeport. Dr. Fried also spoke at Fairfield University.

University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., delivered the keynote address, "Diversity and the Jesuit Tradition" at Loyola Marymount University's Mission Day on Jan. 30 in Los Angeles.

Dr. Yohuru Williams, associate professor of history and co-director of Black Studies in CAS, discussed the continued fight for economic equality in a front-page article in the Connecticut Post on Jan. 14. "Dr. King realized that it was a mistake to assume that legislation alone had the capacity for curing racial and social disparities," Williams said. "He started to see the problem as chiefly economic. "What good is it to have a seat at a restaurant,' he once said, 'if you can't afford to order anything on the menu?'"

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Fairfield loses cherished friend and benefactor: Thomas J. Walsh Jr.

The University lost one of its greatest friends and supporters on Jan. 19, when Thomas J. Walsh Jr. passed away at the age of 78. Walsh, the president and chairman of Colonial Wire and Cable Company Inc., was the father of three Fairfield alumni and spent six years on the Board of Trustees. Walsh is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Stuart, Fla.; and his three children, University Trustee Rosellen Walsh Schnurr '74, Thomas J. Walsh III '78, and Marianne Walsh Saladino '88.

Walsh and his family have long taken a leadership role in an array of University initiatives. In 1990, Walsh honored his father with a gift to the University that helped create the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Nine years later, Fairfield christened the Thomas J. Walsh Jr. Athletic Center in his honor and to recognize a $5 million family gift.

"He was insightful and bright," said Frederic Wheeler, associate vice president for University Advancement, who got to know Walsh during his service as a trustee and member of the Board's Advancement Committee. "His passion for Fairfield, based on the experience of his three children attending here and his Board service, was genuine and uncompromising. He translated that passion via his wisdom and good counsel, and his and Gloria's magnanimous financial support. He leaves at Fairfield a real and powerful legacy."

Born in Boston, Walsh attended Columbia University before beginning his tenure at Colonial Wire in 1947. He served as vice president from 1962 to 1972, when he became the company's president. Walsh was a member of the advisory board of the International Wire Association.

University President Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., acknowledged his loss. "The University has lost one of its most significant supporters, not only in terms of his philanthropy and the role he played on the Board of Trustees, but also in terms of his ongoing care and commitment to the University. This support has continued in the next generation in the persons of his children."

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February Service Anniversaries

5 years
Lisa Monteiro

Births
Mary Ann Demasi, operations assistant in Public Safety - granddaughter, Jillian Marie, born on Oct. 25.

Kimberly Nickolenko, assistant dean of students - son, Tyler Thomas Nickolenko, born on Nov. 9.

Julianna Coyle Davis, director of Advancement Technology and Development Relations - son, Jack Coyle Davis, born on Nov. 13.

Rachel Brown, dispatcher in Public Safety - son, Ryan Joseph Brown, born on Nov. 22.

Michael Santos, dispatcher in Public Safety - daughter, Zoe Grace Santos, born on Nov. 28.

Dr. Shannon M. Harding, assistant professor of psychology in CAS - son, Kyle, born on Jan. 9.

Condolences
Phyllis Martinelli, mother of Joseph Martinelli, communications technician, died on Dec. 4.

Michael Calderwood, father of Dr. Patricia Calderwood, associate professor in GSEAP, died on Dec. 6.

Joan Vaughan Chappell, sister-in-law of Dean of Freshmen Dr. Debnam Chappell, died on Dec. 6.

Barbara Cavanaugh Shore, sister of Jack Cavanaugh, adjunct professor of English in CAS, died on Dec. 6.

Reno Giapponi, father-in-law of Dr. Catherine Giapponi, assistant professor in DSB, died on Dec. 21.

Louis Anderson Jr., brother of Lisa Monteiro, academic counselor in Multicultural Relations, died on Dec. 25.

Joan Wailionis, former secretary in the Chemistry Department in CAS, died on Jan. 10.

Alice Martin, mother of Gail Wilson, operations assistant for Athletics, died on Jan. 14.

New Employees
Josue Garcia - Grounds-keeper, Grounds Maintenance.
Roberta Reynolds - Graphic Designer, Printing and Graphics
Jonathan Wright - Grounds-keeper, Grounds Maintenance.

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Graduate Corner: Students breathe in excitement of new nursing anesthesia program

By Nina Riccio, Publications Writer

Appearing eager to begin their studies as the University's first-ever class of future nurse anesthetists, Fairfield's 11 new nurse anesthesia students gathered at Alumni House on Jan. 12 for a welcome reception held in their honor. The 29-month, fulltime program is a collaborative effort between Fairfield University, Bridgeport Hospital, and Bridgeport Anesthesia Associates. Upon graduation, these nurses will be among the highest paid in the nursing field.

Unlike most graduate students, this group will go through the program as a cohort, and Nancy Moriber, CRNA, MSN, APRN, director of Bridgeport Hospital's Nurse Anesthesia program, noted that their energy, humor, and camaraderie were already in evidence after just three days of orientation. That's a plus, since all have left their jobs and many have moved across the country to enroll in the program. Clementine Mainsah had been working in Michigan as a cardiac intensive care nurse for two years when she joined the program; recently, she moved into a dorm at Bridgeport Hospital. "I'm not worried because it's really what I want to do, but I'm already broke!" she admitted. Drew Brown had been a surgical ICU nurse and moved from Missouri with his wife and two young children. His motivation? "Every CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) I spoke to loves their job - not likes it, they love it. I'm attracted to the autonomy," he says.

Despite the daunting curriculum, competition to get into the program was quite stiff, said Dr. Jeanne Novotny, dean of the School of Nursing. Students will split their time between classwork at Fairfield University, where they will take master's in nursing science core and specialty courses, and clinical time at Bridgeport Hospital for hands-on training.

CRNAs can work in a hospital setting or can open their own practices, working in collaboration with a physician. The Fairfield University program graduates nurses with a master's of science in nursing (MSN). "That's important to me. It will help further my career," said Manuel Falcon, who had been working as an ICU nurse at Hartford Hospital. A master's in nursing science is necessary for anyone planning to go on for a doctoral degree, he explains.

Discussing the exciting careers of nurse anesthetists are Matthew Johnson, Clementine Mainsah, Jennifer Chen, Karen Wu, and Dr. Charles B. Watson, Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia at Bridgeport Hospital.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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Open VISIONS Forum continues 10th season

By Meg McCaffrey, Assistant Director of Media Relations

Open VISIONS Forum continues its 10th anniversary season, showcasing topical subjects and inspiring speakers, beginning with Dr. Mary Frances Berry, past chairperson of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, on Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. Dr. Berry, now a professor of American social thought and history at the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of seven books on American justice, women's rights, child care, racism and other provocative issues. The lecture is co-sponsored with the Center for Multicultural Relations and is funded, in part, by the Patrick J. Waide Jr. Fund for Ethics and Public Policy. The season includes:

March 1, at 8 p.m.
MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago will speak. He is a key contributor to the music network's Choose or Lose Campaign, an initiative to make young people aware of the importance of voting. The event is co-sponsored by the Fairfield University Student Association.

March 21, at 8 p.m.
Gore Vidal, one of America's great writers, will take the stage. Versatile and prolific as a novelist, essayist and playwright, Vidal continues to produce notable works of non-fiction and thoughtful fiction from Myra Breckinridge to the National Book Award winner United States. This program is presented in collaboration with Pequot Library.

April 18, at 8 p.m.
James P. Moore Jr., founder of the groundbreaking Internet brokerage firm Ameritrade, will deliver the annual University College Ignatian Lecture. Moore is also the author of "One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America," which will soon be a PBS special. University College offers this annual lecture integrating Jesuit values while exploring ethics, morality, integrity, and the engendering of the human spirit in service to others.

April 22, at 3 p.m.
Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will deliver the 10th Anniversary Lecture. He was the very first Open VISIONS speaker, and will celebrate his 30th year as the Met's director in 2007. Under his leadership, the museum, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, has nearly doubled in size, acquired significant collections and masterpieces and created wide-ranging educational programs.

The lecture series takes place at Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. For tickets, visit www.quickcenter.com or call the Box Office at ext. 4010.

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Honor societies recognize academic excellence

Dr. Dennis Keenan: first Zeta of Connecticut's honorary inductee
Zeta of Connecticut, Fairfield's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, has elected its first honorary inductee, Dr. Dennis Keenan, chair of the Philosophy Department in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Dr. Keenan was recognized for having an exemplary record of scholarship in the liberal arts and sciences, and for being an excellent teacher. He has served Fairfield in a wide variety of capacities during his 13 years on campus. In 2003, he was named Teacher of the Year by the Fairfield University chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society.

Dr. Curtis Naser, president of Zeta of Connecticut and associate professor of philosophy, described Dr. Keenan as a great scholar, teacher, and colleague. Dr. Keenan joins 42 other Phi Beta Kappa faculty and staff on campus, including University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J.

Dr. Keenan said, "It's always deeply rewarding to be recognized for one's hard work, especially when that recognition comes from a group of colleagues that one respects and admires." He will be formally inducted at the regular Induction of Members in Course ceremony on April 15.

Alpha Sigma Lambda honors 15
On Dec. 1, University College held the 2006 Alpha Sigma Lambda induction ceremony to honor two people who helped build the University College community, and to celebrate students for their leadership and academic accomplishments.

The late William Murphy, the founding dean of the School of Continuing Education, later known as University College, and Aviva Cohen, adjunct professor of sociology, were remembered as people who took the extra step to help students, especially adult learners.

In addition, 15 students inducted into the honor society were applauded for working hard to juggle school and jobs. They included: Craig Alonzo, Michelle  Armstrong, Emilie Bierman, Isaac Brickett, Rose-Mary Rodrigues Chipelo, Norine Fullan, Jeanette Jennings, Christina Mandarano, Stephanie O'Hara, Jason Pflomm, Jocelyn Popovici, Jillian Ross, John C. Storto, Lincoln Tirado, and Dawn Walmsley.

Lincoln Tirado and Jillian Ross were the recipients of the 2006 William Murphy Scholarship. Dr. Orin L. Grossman, academic vice president, presented the annual Leadership and Service Award to Janice Miles Dunn, director of distance learning, noting that she has been instrumental in building UC's successful distance learning program.

Tau Beta Phi-Fairfield inducts first members
The School of Engineering has begun the process of establishing a chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the nation's oldest and largest engineering honor society. Founded 121 years ago, it is the only such society in the country that represents the entire engineering profession.

On Feb. 3, the School of Engineering held its first induction ceremony into Tau Beta Phi-Fairfield, acknowledging 28 students and alumni for their overall excellence. Organizing Tau Beta Phi-Fairfield is the first step being taken by the School to become a full-fledged Tau Beta Pi chapter (note that the Phi designation is temporary; Pi is the goal). That transition will happen when the number of B.S. in engineering degrees Fairfield grants in one year reaches 40, which the School is close to achieving.

To be eligible for this honor society, which recognizes distinguished scholarship and exemplary character, juniors must be in the top 10 percent of their class, and seniors in the top 25 percent. This year's ceremony will induct alumni as well as current students; future ceremonies will include solely the induction of upperclassmen. The School's faculty and staff also deemed it essential to consider alumni for membership.

"We have many students on par with those in top universities, and we are pleased to be able to honor our own through this prestigious honor society," said Dr. Jerry Sergent, chairman of the Electrical Engineering program.

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Global Studies resource center offers a world of information

A recognition ceremony was held in December to acknowledge the gifts from Patrick J. Waide Jr. '59 that have made possible the Resource Center for Global Studies. Holding a plaque for the new center, named in his honor, is Patrick J. Waide Jr. (left) with Dr. Lisa Newton, director of the Applied Ethics program.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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Living Theology series continues

Dr. Harold W. Attridge, dean of Yale Divinity School, opened the Center for Catholic Studies' spring semester three-part series, Living Theology: Updates for the Local Church, on Jan. 20 with his workshop, "What's So Fascinating About the Gnostic Gospels?"

The series continues on Feb. 24, with Dr. Dennis Keenan and Dr. Liz Keenan presenting, "Where Is the Church and Where Is It Going? A View from the In-Between Generation." Dr. Dennis Keenan is a professor of philosophy in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Dr. Liz Keenan is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University.

The series will conclude on March 31, when Dr. Paul Lakeland, director of the Center for Catholic Studies, will discuss his new book, Catholicism at the Crossroads: How the Laity Can Save the Church, to be published in early March by Continuum International. The free workshops take place on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the School of Nursing Auditorium. For more information, call Carolyn Arnold at ext. 3415.

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Changes at CMR to benefit University community

By Alejandra Navarro, Editor

In January, Fairfield University reorganized the Center for Multicultural Relations in an effort to better integrate diversity into the campus community and to provide support for students of diverse backgrounds.

The Center is now organized into two offices: the Office of Institutional Diversity Initiatives and the Office of Student Diversity Programs. Larri Mazon, who has served as director of the Center, now assumes the title of director of Institutional Diversity Initiatives, leading the development and implementation of diversity initiatives that serve the entire University. William Johnson, associate director of Undergraduate Admission for Diversity, has added the title of director of Student Diversity Programs. La'Kicia Fuller, who joined the University this year, has been named assistant director of Student Diversity Programs.

Mazon said the University's commitment to promoting diversity on campus would benefit from the organizational changes. "It will free me up to focus more attention on the broader issues of diversity that are University-wide," said Mazon, who will continue to chair the President's Institutional Diversity Council. "We are really trying to be more helpful to the University community as departments and divisions develop and implement different ideas in the area of diversity. This will allow us to include diversity in a much more universal way."

Heading the Office of Student Diversity Programs, Johnson will work closely with Undergraduate Admission and Student Affairs.

"The Office of Student Diversity Programs will be responsible for ensuring the necessary support and services through programming for the students from many diverse backgrounds now enrolling at Fairfield University," Johnson said. "The goal of the office is not to enhance the experience of only students of color, but of all students enrolled at the University. The office will also be charged with integrating diversity more formally through other areas of the Student Affairs Division, including residential life, student activities, and first-year experience programs."

Johnson will be in contact with students as they arrive on campus, and he will be in a position to guide them to the Center's events, activities, and programs, such as the new Cura Personalis Mentoring program, explained Fuller. "As students seek out our services, it will be easier for them to find us having that bridge in place."

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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Dr. Eliasoph steps into a role he was born to play

By Meredith Guinness, Publications Writer

From personal enrichment classes to the wildly popular Open VISIONS Forum, Fairfield is always looking for ways to engage the community beyond campus with cultural offerings and partnerships. Beginning this year, Dr. Philip Eliasoph, professor of visual and performing arts in CAS, will lead a new formal initiative as academic liaison for the University College Programs for Community Cultural Engagement.

Dr. Eliasoph kicked off the initiative on Jan. 19, with the first of a series of four free Friday night lectures covering Jewish art and artists. The series, co-sponsored by and held at Congregation B'nai Israel of Bridgeport, continues on Feb. 9 with with "Make 'em Laugh! Classic Jewish Comedy on TV from Caesar to Seinfeld" with Diane Feigenson, adjunct professor of English, and "From Kol Nidre to George Gershwin: The Rhapsody of the Jews in America" with Academic Vice President Dr. Orin Grossman, concert pianist, on March 30. It concludes April 27 with "Between Modern and Postmodern: Jewish Architecture and the Memory of the Holocaust," featuring Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, associate professor of history.

Dr. Eliasoph will work closely with Dr. Edna Farace Wilson, dean of University College, to create new outreach programs and special events that bring together the academic community and the larger community. Collaborating with Elizabeth Hastings, program director and producer of Open VISIONS Forum, he will explore new external programs in support of University College's commitment to identify and respond to unmet educational needs and Fairfield University's cultural interests in the community.

"The University offers so many points of contact addressing the intellectual and cultural needs of our region in southwestern Connecticut, a concerted effort can now harness a spectrum of activities into mutually beneficial outcomes," said Dr. Eliasoph.  "Here we will become truly an  experimental laboratory for the exchange of ideas, promoting dialogue and artistic and cultural relationships among our friends and neighbors."

Announcing Dr. Eliasoph's appointment, Dr. Grossman noted his longstanding ties to the community. "This appointment is a natural outgrowth of many years of commitment to community engagement," he said.

Dr. Eliasoph founded and was the first president of the town's Fairfield Arts Council and, for more than a decade, has been director of Open VISIONS Forum, one of the University's - and the region's - premiere lecture series. He has served as faculty liaison for Special Events, lending his experience to the Humanities Institute of the College of Arts & Sciences for special programs and lectures. He has also fostered links with key cultural organizations, including Christie's New York, Fairfield's Pequot Library, Bridgeport's Discovery Museum, and the Silvermine Guild and Art Center of New Canaan.

His new role boosts the strategic plan to strengthen community engagement with the adult learner community and build connections that "place the University more deeply at the heart of the rich cultural resources of Fairfield County," Dr. Grossman said.

For information on this ongoing lecture series, call Dr. Eliasoph at ext. 2590.

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Faculty and students share experiences over dinner

Dr. Meredith Wallace, the Elizabeth DeCamp McInery Professor of Health Sciences (far left), and the Rev. Mark Scalese, S.J., (standing) chat with first-year students at a dinner held in December. The third in a series organized by Student Affairs to promote "Living and Learning," each dinner invites members of two academic departments to dine with a freshman residence hall and discuss relevant topics. "It gives the students exposure to faculty they may not have had a chance to meet, and it also gives the faculty an opportunity to learn about the experiences of first-year students," said Jim Fitzpatrick, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. A fourth dinner is planned for this spring.

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Fairfield conference to spotlight AIDS in Africa

By Nina Riccio, Publications Writer

Spearheaded by campus leaders Jennifer Miller '07 and Marco Ambrosio '08, Fairfield's FACE AIDS chapter will hold a two-day conference on campus beginning Friday, Feb. 23. The conference is free; the Friday night keynote speech and Saturday morning talks are open to the public, while the Saturday lunch and afternoon workshops are reserved for students who wish to begin a FACE AIDS chapter on their own campuses.

FACE AIDS is a national student campaign to mobilize students, increase awareness, and raise $1 million to fight AIDS in Africa. Monies raised are funneled through Boston-based Partners in Health, whose founder, Paul Farmer, spoke at Convocation last September. There are FACE AIDS chapters on high school and college campuses across the country, 22 of which are on the East Coast. The Fairfield University conference will be the first regional East Coast conference.

"Jen and Marco traveled to the national FACE AIDS conference at Stanford back in October, and proposed that we host something in the spring of 2007," explains Dr. Renée White, associate professor, co-director of the Black Studies program and the faculty advisor for the conference. "FACE AIDS is hosting another national conference in the summer, and didn't want ours to be held too close to theirs. By having this in February, student leaders can incorporate what they have learned into their spring campus campaigns."

Friday night's keynote speaker is Stephen Lewis, the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS and founder of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which he organized to help those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. Lewis was formerly the Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, and deputy director of UNICEF. He is well known for his passionate advocacy for those affected by the disease, particularly grandmothers who often become responsible for the welfare of their grandchildren when the disease wipes out an entire generation.

Approximately 65 students are expected to attend the conference from other campuses, particularly those who have established FACE AIDS chapters. Registration will be in the Barone Campus Center from noon to 5 p.m. The keynote address will begin at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall followed by an open discussion. The program resumes on Saturday morning with a breakfast, then a panel discussion on America's response to AIDS and a choice of issue-focused workshops. After lunch, students will participate in a series of skills workshops designed to help them establish a FACE AIDS chapter at their schools, communicate their mission more effectively, work with the media, and raise money.

Anyone planning to attend the Saturday breakfast must register by Feb. 16 with Dr. White at ext. 2813 or rtwhite@mail.fairfield.edu.

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Latin America lecture set for today

Dr. Shelley A. McConnell, senior associate director of the Americas Program at the Carter Center, will present "Nicaraguan Elections: Back to the Future," today at 5 p.m. in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Multimedia Room. Dr. McConnell tracks issues in inter-American relations and plans and implements anti-corruption and democratization projects. She has helped organize election observation missions in Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, Jamaica, and the Cherokee nation, and participated in observation missions to Guatemala, Liberia, and Mozambique. Her appearance is part of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program Lecture Series, sponsored by The Patrick Waide Fund, the College of Arts & Sciences, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program, and the International Studies program.

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Bellarmine Lecture to focus on Catholic identity

The Rev. John Randall Sachs, S.J., academic dean at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, will deliver the 2007 Bellarmine Lecture, "Catholic Identity Today," on Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business dining room. The event, presented by the Center for Catholic Studies, is free and open to the public.

Fr. Sachs, author of The Christian Vision of Humanity: Basic Theological Anthropology (Liturgical Press, 1991), said he looks forward to his visit to Fairfield, where he previously taught religious studies from 1984 to 1986.

"A Jesuit university such as Fairfield offers a particularly rich context for reflecting on Catholic identity today," said Fr. Sachs. "A thoughtful person should find himself or herself wondering - at least once in a while - what it really means to be a Catholic in a post-modern world." Catholics, he added, might ask themselves, "What does it really mean to be a Catholic today?" and "What kind of a Catholic do I hope to be?

"The Jesuit tradition combines two fundamental convictions that offer a perspective for considering these questions: a conviction that we may seek and find God at work in all things and a commitment to the biblical vision of God's love and the justice God desires for all."

Fr. Sachs, an associate professor of systematic theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, joined the faculty there in 1986 and became Academic Dean in 1999. He is also the director of the M.A. program in Spiritual Direction.

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Learning through service abroad

Several students and staff spent part of the winter break helping others in Ecuador and Jamaica through the International Service and Immersion Programs of Campus Ministry. Tim Dee '08, above, joins patients at the Bostamante Children's Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Students spent a week working with outreach ministries on the island, including a state-run orphanage, a home for the sick and dying, a low-income community vocational center, and a home for children who are severely disabled. In Duran, Ecuador, Sarah Alecozay '09, top left, made a friend and Kate Walsh '07, bottom left, tutored children. Students worked with the missionaries of St. James the Apostle, who serve the poor in schools, soup kitchens, hospitals, and other programs in the area's many barrios.

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Environmentally protected land on campus expanded

By Alejandra Navarro, Editor

Fairfield University's already picturesque landscape will become a little more vibrant with the addition of new plants and trees, such as winterberry shrubs with bright red holly berries and colorful Sugar Maple trees. These plantings are part of a new Habitat Management Plan, which will improve and preserve more than 81,000 square feet of land on campus.

Work on the new cogeneration plant gave the University an opportunity to enhance the vegetation in the land on the southeast corner of campus. The University is removing from the conservation easement 12,600 square feet of land adjacent to the plant, which is currently overgrown with invasive plants and dead trees.

In exchange, the University plans to add a conservation easement of 75,800 square feet on a stretch of land south of The Village apartments and improve 5,577 square feet of conservation land beside an existing patch of wetlands between the Village apartment parking area and Grauert Field on North Benson Road.

"This work furthers the University's goal of protecting our campus' environmental resources," said Ric Taylor, associate vice president for Campus Planning and Operations. "By removing invasive species and replacing them with food-bearing plants, the area will be a vastly improved habitat that provides animals with food, better access to water, and cover.  The conservation easement will forever protect the area from development."

Over the Christmas break, Campus Operations began removing the invasive and aggressive plants, such as Japanese barberry, multiflora rose shrubs, and Black Locust trees. The removal process will continue in the spring when the plants begin to grow again.

In May, Campus Operations will begin planting about 250 native shrubs and trees, including Sweetpepper, Nannyberry, Rosebay Rhododendron, flowering Dogwoods, Red Osier Dogwood, and Red Oak.

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Viewing migration through the lens of the arts

By Alejandra Navarro, Editor

The Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., director of the Center for Faith and Public Life, has always

considered the arts an ideal medium to teach migration. "Film, music, plays, and novels often provide richer ways to understand the phenomenon of migration than through the usual sociological or economic perspectives," he said. "Through the arts, students have an opportunity to delve deeper into the experience of those migrating to other countries."

It's no surprise that The Center for Faith and Public Life is sponsoring a new "Migration and the Arts" series to explore migration, a topic that has been designated one of five primary apostolic priorities for the Society of Jesus. The series begins on Feb. 27 with the screening of Les Passeurs (see sidebar for spring events). The Center plans to continue the series in fall 2007.

Often students are able to understand the complex issues surrounding migration through art forms like novels, explains Dr. Gita Rajan, associate professor of English in the College of Arts & Sciences, who is collaborating with the Center on the series. Dr. Rajan addresses migration in her course, "Global Feminisms," which is a Women's Studies program capstone course. "It's a way to prepare our students to take on a sophisticated role in our global society and build reciprocal respect for every human being."

Melissa Quan, assistant director of the Center, said she was excited about the opportunity to work in collaboration with various departments and disciplines to explore issues of migration through the lens of the arts. "Our two guest speakers, hosted in partnership with Women's Studies this semester, will specifically help us to better understand the role and plight of women affected by migration," she said.

The hope is that through the arts, students will begin to see the ways in which migration plays an important role in other disciplines, such as economics, science, or politics, Fr. Ryscavage said. "It's a way to inspire students to participate more fully in issues of migration, whether that be in their chosen profession or in service work."

Spring events

Feb. 27
DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Multimedia Room, 6 p.m.
Screening of Les Passeurs, Gilles Groulx's seminal film on Québec's Quiet Revolution with a "cinéma direct" style focused on immigrants. Co-sponsored by the Modern Languages and Literatures Department.

March 5
Kelley Theater, 6 p.m.
Screening of Bella, winner of the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

March 20
DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Multimedia Room, 5:30 p.m.
Screening of Posada, directed by Rev. Mark McGregor, S.J., a documentary about the plight of detained migrant children and families.

March 29
Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 6:30 p.m.
Karen Tei Yamashita from the University of Southern California delivers "Unexpected Migration Routes - From the Americas to Japan."

April 24
Dolan School of Business Dining Room, 6:30 p.m.
Alison Brysk from the University of California, Irvine, presents "Migration and Private Wrongs: Women and Children at the Border."

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Jubilant ending to Jesuit Jubilee Year

By Nina Riccio, Publications Writer

What do mariachi players, feminists, Japanese drummers, and Peggy Noonan have in common? They were all on hand this year to help Fairfield celebrate Jesuit Jubilee Year with a series of events to commemorate anniversaries of the death of Jesuit founder St. Ignatius and the births of St. Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber.

"The theme of our 12-month celebration was 'listening to the voices of others', so we were very mindful of bringing in people throughout the year whose experiences and opinions helped to broaden the range of educational opportunities that we could offer," said Dr. Paul Lakeland, the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Professor of Catholic Studies, who spearheaded the celebration.

The mariachi band presented a joyous opening note to the kick-off Mass in December 2005. Events following throughout the year included a lecture by ethicist James Keenan, S.J., of Boston College on "Listening to the Voices of HIV/AIDS"; a series of talks on the experiences of Latina women; two engagements of the rarely-performed 17th-century opera, San Ignacio; and a lecture on "Religion in America" delivered by author and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan. The two-day conference on Jesuit and Feminist pedagogy held on campus in October was co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies, and the closing Mass in December 2006 was unique for the rhythms that a group of Japanese drummers added to the celebration.

Interviews by Dr. Lakeland with some of this year's speakers will shortly be available for viewing online at www.voicesofothers.com. A DVD of some of the year's highlights, put together by the Media Center, is being sent to all Jesuit colleges and universities.

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New faculty join campus

By Nina Riccio, Publications Writer

Fairfield welcomes several new faculty members this year. Campus Currents is introducing each faculty member in this column. The last introductions will appear in the March issue.

Jessica M. Davis
Dr. Jessica Davis, assistant professor of biochemistry, was hired jointly by the departments of Chemistry and Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). She has a master's degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry, both from Yale University. She has focused her research on studying the design, synthesis, and application of small-molecule inhibitors of biological pathways that play critical roles in autoimmune disorders.

In 2000, Dr. Davis was honored with two awards from the American Chemical Society: the College Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry, and the Polymer Education Committee Honor for Outstanding Performance in Organic Chemistry. Most recently, she was a graduate research assistant and a research supervisor at Yale.

Amanda S. Harper-Leatherman
Dr. Amanda Harper-Leatherman, new assistant professor of chemistry in CAS, comes to Fairfield most recently from the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where she was a postdoctoral research associate. She will be teaching analytical and general chemistry courses in the Department of Chemistry in CAS.

Dr. Harper-Leatherman received her undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she graduated magna cum laude with distinction in chemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, focusing on electrochemistry and spectroscopy of polymer-based materials and nanomaterials. At the Naval Research Laboratory, she worked with aerogels, highly porous substances that have a surprising amount of surface area packed into a tiny volume. Dr. Harper-Leatherman has been incorporating protein into aerogels to make them useful as biosensors or bioelectrodes.

Dr. Harper-Leatherman has received numerous honors and awards, including a National Research Council Research Associateship Award and a Lord Corporation graduate fellowship. She has published articles in the Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. While at Fairfield, she plans to expand on her postdoctoral research.

Janie L. Leatherman
Dr. Janie Leatherman has joined the Department of Politics in CAS as a professor, and is also director of International Studies. Before coming to Fairfield, she spent eight years at Illinois State University, where she was global studies coordinator for the Department of Politics and Government for seven years, the co-director of Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies for six, and director of international affairs in Illinois State's College of Arts and Sciences since 2005. She also redesigned the peace studies minor program for that university.

After graduating from Indiana's Manchester College, Dr. Leatherman did her graduate work at the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies, receiving her Ph.D. with highest honors. She then spent a year at the University of Barcelona as director of the Brethren Colleges Abroad program. She has authored and edited several books, most recently Charting Transnational Democracy: Beyond Global Arrogance, which she edited with Julie Webber. She has received numerous grants for her work, including one for $35,000 from the United States Agency for International Development to create a community action training program in Macedonia. She has consulted with various organizations on problem solving and peace building in regions from Africa to the Balkans. She was formerly a visiting fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Leatherman will be teaching undergraduate courses in both politics and international studies.

Jon Leiseth
Joining the Department of Visual and Performing Arts in CAS as an assistant professor is Jon Leiseth, who has taught theatre and directed productions at Century College, the University of St. Thomas and the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota, and at the University of Montana. He earned his M.F.A. in drama from the University of Montana and his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Concordia College in Minnesota.lis. He served the company as artistic associate, actor, director, director of company development, business manager, and education specialist. With 15 HEAD (voted Best Independent Theatre in Minneapolis by City Pages), Leiseth performed in Dracula (identified as Best Production of 1999 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press). He has written and collaborated on a number of original works, including VI Wives of Henry VIII and The Brontë Project.

Camelia Micu
Dr. Camelia Micu joined the Marketing Department in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business as assistant professor. Dr. Micu earned a B.S. in production systems and a M.S. in methods and techniques in management and marketing from Polytechnic University in Romania. She earned a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Connecticut. She previously served as a visiting professor at the Dolan School. Her research interests include consumer behavior, integrated marketing communication, and advertising effects and effectiveness. Dr. Micu has been published in The Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and taught "Creating Customer Value" and "Advertising" this past fall.

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Faculty reflect on service learning

By Nina Riccio, Publications Writer

Classes were over for undergrads, but 40 faculty members from all areas of the University were back in school last December for a seminar, co-sponsored by the Faculty Development and Evaluation Committee and the Office of Service Learning, to support the development of service learning courses.

Jeffrey Howard of the University of Michigan, a nationally known expert on service learning pedagogy and course design, led the morning-long course. "He guided faculty step-by-step through a reconsideration of their courses, the rationale for considering service learning, and the ways it can be used to transform courses," explained Dr. Robbin Crabtree, professor of communication and director of service learning.

Howard stressed several main points in his presentation. First and foremost, he noted that "service learning is by definition a way a teaching; it is a pedagogical model. It is not community service. Service learning must enhance academic learning and it must be curriculum based." Objectives should be both academic and civic, he said, broadening students' educational experience while preparing them to be more engaged citizens. As important, students engaged in service learning must learn to think of themselves as partners with those in the community, not as their saviors.

"That doesn't mean service learning is for everyone, or that it should be used in every course," added Dr. Crabtree. "This workshop was an opportunity for faculty to consider these issues, as well as some of the nuts and bolts of service learning."

Faculty broke into small groups during the seminar, brainstorming ways they could incorporate service learning into their courses. Most participants later indicated that they wanted to learn more about the topic, particularly about facilitating student reflection and publishing about service learning.

"We expect there will be at least one major faculty development event about service learning like this one each year," said Dr. Crabtree.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

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NEASC accreditation work advances

More than 100 faculty and administrators from across campus continue to work on the University's campus-wide self study, which is required to gain re-accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the body that accredits colleges and universities in the six New England states.

The re-accreditation process, which began in September, gives the University an opportunity to evaluate and enhance its effectiveness as an institution of higher learning. The University is required to conduct a rigorous self-examination addressing 11 standards developed by NEASC. In this cycle, the University has taken advantage of a new option to focus the self-study on an area of special emphasis. Fairfield University is focusing on the three goals of the strategic plan, and including smaller reports on the 11 standards.

The fortuitous timing allowed the University to overlap the work being done in the strategic planning process with the re-accreditation process. Committees for the 11 NEASC standards submitted their individual reports in January. Beginning this month, the three committees on the strategic planning goals will begin submitting draft reports. The final report is scheduled to be complete by May. The visiting team from NEASC will be on campus from Oct. 21 through Oct. 24, 2007.

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On the Faculty Bookshelf: Religion in Latin America

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Sports

Stags help young girls get in the game

By Chris O'Connor, Associate Director of Sports Information

A Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win the afternoon before, a national holiday, and the last day of winter break did not keep the Fairfield University women's basketball team from taking to the court on the morning of Monday, Jan. 15. The Stags hosted a basketball clinic for girls in grades four through eight, in conjunction with the MAAC's Fifth Annual Girls in the Game Program.

"We were very excited to have the chance to reach out and work with the young girls of our community," said Fairfield Head Coach Dianne Nolan. "It was a great opportunity for them, and our players, to interact, while helping to improve their basketball skills. The participants also now have the chance to attend two games and be exposed to top-notch Division I women's basketball."

The Girls in the Game Program was created to expose young girls to role models in the game of basketball and life and to inspire them to achieve greatness in their own ways.

More than 60 girls attend the scheduled two-hour clinic at Alumni Hall. Nolan began the clinic by speaking about basketball and how it can be a benefit to the girls on and off the court. After introducing the entire team to the program participants, Nolan put the group through the team's pre-practice stretching programs.

The group then split up into four stations to work on the basics of the game. The Stag players demonstrated passing, shooting, rebounding, and dribbling techniques. They also taught a variety of drills for the girls to work on to improve their game. With Fairfield players coaching and officiating - teaching them a new side of the game - the girls played four spirited games. 

With the basketball portion of the clinic complete, Nolan and her players answered questions, covering basketball and non-basketball topics. While eating pizza, the Stags players signed autographs for every participant of the clinic.

The Girls in the Game Program has two more events for the participants to attend. Each person at the clinic received ticket vouchers for the Stags Jan. 26 game at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The participants also received a voucher to attend the women's title game of the Bank of America MAAC Basketball Championships on March 4. Prior to that 11 a.m. game, participants are invited to a private session with WNBA All-Star Rebecca Lobo, who will speak and sign autographs.

Basketball players (l-r) Elise Young '07, Megan Caskin '08, and Lauren Groom '08 sign autographs for the inspired participants of the Fifth Annual Girls in the Game Program.

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Stags Player Takes Shot at MLS Combine

Senior Alex Cunliffe participated in the Major League Soccer combine, a four-day event preceding the MLS draft. Cunliffe was the only Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) player invited to the combine held in Fort Lauderdale from Jan. 5 to 8, and one of only 58 college seniors to receive an invitation. The coaching staff from all 13 MLS teams attended to scout top players. The combine is just one of many post-season successes for Cunliffe, who was named the MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

MAAC Championship game tickets on sale

The 2007 Bank of America MAAC Basketball Championships are coming to the Arena at Harbor Yard, March 1-5, as Fairfield hosts both the men's and women's tournaments. Tickets are currently on sale through all Ticketmaster locations, on Ticketmaster.com, and charge-by-phone at (203) 368-1000.

The women's championship begins on March 1 with first-round games at noon and 2 p.m. Quarterfinals are on March 2 at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Semifinals are on March 3 at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. The women's championship game is on March 4 at 2 p.m.

The men's championship tips off on March 2 with first-round games at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Quarterfinals are on March 3 at 2, 4, 7:30, and 10 p.m. and semifinals are on March 4 at 6 and 8 p.m. The men's championship game is on March 5, at 9 p.m.

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Fairfield awarded $40,000 for Nursing program
Fairfield University has been awarded a $40,000 grant to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty and improve patient outcomes, in terms of quality of care. The grant, distributed through the Health and Education Initiative Programs of the Connecticut Department of Higher Education, will fund the development of the School of Nursing's "Leveraging Clinical Nurse Leader Partnerships to Provide a Pipeline to Expert Clinical and Faculty Positions," directed by Dr. Jean Lange, associate professor, and Dr. Meredith Wallace, the Elizabeth DeCamp McInery Professor of Health Sciences. The project will fund the development of a new master's level curriculum for Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNL). Danbury Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, St. Vincent's Medical Center, and the West Haven Veterans Administration (WHVA) are teaming up with the School of Nursing to develop, implement, and evaluate the program, which is targeted to begin in fall 2007. The hope is that it will become a model for other academic and healthcare organizations.

BEST Classroom receives $140,000 gift
The Charles F. Dolan School of Business has received a $140,000 gift from Oliver Patrell, a member of its Advisory Council, to benefit the school's high-tech Business Education Simulation & Trading (BEST) classroom. The gift will be used to support the classroom's ongoing operations, including upgrades for software, data services, faculty support, and hardware. The state-of-the-art BEST classroom offers students a chance to learn lessons in the dynamics of trading and the volatility of the stock market.

"We are grateful to Oliver for his generous gift, as well as the tremendous guidance and insight that he continues to share with us," said Dr. Norm Solomon, dean. "He has a strong commitment to the Dolan School."

"As a member of the Advisory Council, I had an early opportunity to tour the BEST classroom with Dr. Solomon," said Patrell, former chairman and president of Colonial Penn Insurance and one of the earliest members of the Council. "I was impressed. To me, this is a major and far-reaching teaching innovation, which places the Charles F. Dolan School on a level with the major business schools in this country. I am simply making a small contribution to support it."

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News briefs

Health and Wellness Education welcomes program coordinator
Lisa Pentino has joined the Health and Wellness Education office as the part-time program coordinator for alcohol and other drug programs.

Pentino holds a master's in public health from Southern Connecticut State University, where she also served as the assistant coordinator for health education in the Wellness Center. Her work included multiple collaborations with other departments including the women's center, counseling and health services, drug and alcohol resource center, and student life.

In November, Fairfield University was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to address underage drinking.

Pentino will head up Fairfield Corps - a group of 15 paid interns who will serve as peer educators on campus and who will also bring their program to the middle schools of Bridgeport.

Toward a better prepared workforce
School of Engineering Dean Evangelos Hadjimichael, Ph.D., welcomed Southwestern Connecticut's WIRED project to campus last Dec. 6 for the kick-off meeting of its newly formed Leadership Group, of which he is a member. The Connecticut WIRED project is spearheaded by The WorkPlace Inc., the region's workforce investment board, which coordinates job training and education to meet the needs of residents and employers in Southwestern Connecticut. The Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., welcomed the participants to a pre-meeting luncheon.

The WIRED Leadership Group, composed of area executives from business, education, economic and community development, and government, as well as experts in regional economic transformation, will develop strategies to impact the region's workforce and economic development to ensure its future competitiveness. This initiative brings to life a proposal submitted earlier by The WorkPlace to the U.S. Department of Labor. As a result, the region has just been awarded $5 million to fund the WIRED initiative. Dr. Hadjimichael is assisting the innovation capacity team of the Leadership Group.

Dolan School co-sponsors World Hedge Fund Forum
The Charles F. Dolan School of Business is one of the sponsors of the first World Hedge Fund Forum, to be held in Greenwich on March 5 and 6, hosted by the state of Connecticut and the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell will give the welcome address and Emil Henry, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, will deliver the keynote speech.

The forum will bring together top fund managers, influential investors, leading academics, and powerful regulators, in a setting organizers hope will foster constructive dialogue, and help to shape the future of this changing industry.

The Dolan School has collaborated with the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association on other events, including a seminar on hedge funds held at the New York Stock Exchange in October.

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Jazzed about peace

The all-women jazz ensemble SAGE performed to an audience in the Barone Campus Center on Jan. 24 during the University's Peace Festival. The festival was part of the three-day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Photo by Peter Sarawit

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Campus raises $27,000 for Charitable Sharing Campaign

The 2006 Charitable Sharing Campaign, supporting the United Way and the Community Health Charities of Connecticut, raised $27,000 on the Fairfield campus, with 286 employees contributing to the effort.

"As chairman of this year's Charitable Sharing Campaign, it was an honor to lead this effort and work alongside so many people who have over the years given of their time, talents, and money to this community and beyond," said Dennis Amrine, associate director of the Career Planning Center. "Thanks once again to all who contributed to this year's campaign. Co-chairman Art Payne and I enjoyed working together and with all of the captains who helped us collect the pledges."

Fr. von Arx held a luncheon at his residence on Jan. 24 for the chairs and captains. At the luncheon, eight names from the 286 people who contributed were drawn to receive prizes. Karen Donoghue of Residence Life and Women's Basketball Head Coach Dianne Nolan each received a campus Bookstore gift card; Jean Mathurin of the Media Center received two men's or women's basketball tickets; Suzanne Strazza of Graduate Admission won a 2007 vehicle registration gift certificate; Patricia Palaka of Multicultural Relations and Gisela Gil-Egui of the Communication Department each received two Quick Center tickets; Darlene Dunn of Accounts Payable received a $100 gift certificate to Il Palio restaurant; and Fred Kuo of Student Activities received a $100 Ralph and Ritch's restaurant gift certificate.

Art Payne, director of Printing and Graphics Services, will serve as chairman of the 2007 Charitable Sharing Campaign.

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Catholic Charities COO to speak at Communion Breakfast on Feb. 11

The Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., director of the Center for Faith and Public Life, will celebrate a Mass for business professionals and leaders at 9 a.m. on Feb. 11 in the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola. A communion breakfast at the Barone Campus Center Oak Room will immediately follow the Mass.

Al Barber, president and chief operating officer of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Bridgeport, and former president of CNBC and chief financial officer of NBC, will be the event speaker. He spent 27 years working for General Electric. Three years ago, he was called by a "higher power" to run the largest social service provider in Fairfield County. Mr. Barber's topic, "From Corporate America to the Non-Profit World: Challenges, Frustrations, and Rewards," will examine the differences in culture and decision-making in both worlds based on Catholic Social Teaching.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Center for Faith and Public Life and the Fairfield County Chapter of Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice (CAPP), a lay-led Vatican organization founded by Pope John Paul II for education about Catholic social doctrine through business, professional, and academic leaders. Seating is limited. Tickets are $30 per person.

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A bear hug of appreciation

Lounging around Alumni House are some of the more than 850 teddy bears donated by alumni and members of the University community during the eighth annual Teddy Bears with Love Drive. These teddy bears gave "big bear hugs" to children in need during the holidays at ABCD Inc. and St. Jude's Hands Reaching Out Center, both in Bridgeport; Honey Bear Learning Center and Holy Name of Jesus Parish, both in Stratford; and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Trumbull. A big thank you to everyone who contributed!

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Buy Quick Center tickets with a click

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts has added another convenient way to buy tickets: online. To do so, visit www.quickcenter.com and click on the yellow box that says, "Click here to buy tickets, then choose seats for an event." In addition to the website, Quick Center patrons can also stop by the Box Office (Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and prior to performances) or call ext. 4010. There is a service charge for online and phone purchases.

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Campus Currents is the official news publication of the Fairfield University community. It is published monthly. The editorial office is located in Dolan West. Telephone: 254-4000, ext. 3392. Fax: 254-5554.

Editor
Alejandra Navarro
Publications Writer and Editor

Editorial Board
Martha Milcarek
Assistant Vice President for Public Relations
Barbara Kiernan
Director of University Publications
Jean Santopatre
University Photojournalist

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