Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit institutions of higher education since 1915, recently inducted 44 students from Fairfield University. For the first time at Fairfield University, graduate and part-time students were among those inducted.

Students who rank in the top 15 percent of their class may be considered for membership in the honor society. The inductees are recommended by the deans of Fairfield University's six colleges (College of Arts and Sciences, Dolan School of Business, School of Nursing, School of Engineering, Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, and University College).

Fairfield University's president, Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., has made it an important goal of his presidency to ensure that the Jesuit values prominent in the University's undergraduate curriculum also be instilled in its graduate and professional education programs.

"We're delighted to have graduate and part time students become members of Fairfield's Chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu," said Rev. Charles Allen, S.J., executive assistant to the president and faculty moderator for Alpha Sigma Nu. "The University's graduate programs have been growing in recent years we are pleased to offer this avenue of recognition to the students."

Graduate and part-time student inductees in the honor society this year were:

Sharon Kay Benard , a resident of Wallingford, obtained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Ball State University, in Muncie, Ind.

Benard is currently employed as a nurse associate with The Cardiothoracic and Vascular Group. She is a volunteer with the American Red Cross and the Wallingford Health Department mass vaccination team. She is also a coordinator of National Primary Care Week and was acknowledged as such by Governor Jodi Rell. She is currently enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track at Fairfield University, which she plans to complete by May 2005.

From Union City, N.J., Kathleen D'Amico has been a resident of Connecticut since 1983. D'Amico and her husband have two daughters. She graduated in 1979 with a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in both education and psychology and received a New Jersey certificate in teaching at the same time. Having pursued most of her master's in Business Administration in the late eighties, she decided to go back to higher education with a focus on attaining a master's in education. Accepted into the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University in fall of 2003, she has completed seven of her graduate courses. A resident of Fairfield, she sits on several volunteer boards and has served on many community committees and programs.

Peter J. Daniels is a resident of Milford. He and his wife Sheila have three daughters. He has been employed at Sikorsky Aircraft for 22 years and hopes to earn a Bachelor of Science in business management from University College in May 2005. At Sikorsky, he is serving as the integrated program team leader for the US Navy's new generation of helicopters. Daniels has been in involved with Habitat for Humanity and Connecticut Special Olympics. In the future, Daniels looks forward to his youngest daughter completing her degree and being able to spend more time with his granddaughter. Ultimately, he hopes to lead the MH-60R team towards the successful manufacturing of the aircraft that will become the US Navy's future.

Fairfield resident Mike DeMarco graduated from Fairfield University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and will finish the MBA program in the Spring of 2005.

DeMarco has worked at the Caldor Corporation and Bresnan Communications and is currently the senior director of operations at PanAmSat, a privately owned satellite operator based in Wilton. DeMarco is married to Cissi DeMarco, a 1992 graduate of Fairfield University and they have two daughters.

Catherine Desmarais received her bachelor's degree from Fairfield in 1993 and is a resident of Ridgefield. She is pursuing a master's degree from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

Christine Duffy , who has been an employee of Fairfield University for 11 years, will be graduating this spring with a bachelor's degree from University College, in American Studies. Duffy, a resident of Stratford, is a mother of three children. Her goal was to graduate from Fairfield before her youngest child, who is a sophomore this year at Fairfield. After graduation, Duffy will pursue a master's in American Studies.

Fairfield resident Lydia Greiner is a graduate of the Reading Hospital School of Nursing and the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently pursing her master's degree in nursing in the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner track. She is employed full-time as the manager of community services for the Fairfield University School of Nursing Health Promotion Center, working with students and faculty to provide health and wellness services to the underserved. Greiner's commitment to service is evident in her work with Campus Ministry at Fairfield as well as her leadership of Volunteers in Mission teams for the United Methodist Church.

Marianne Gumpper , a Fairfield resident, graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She was introduced to Jesuit higher education when she spent her junior year abroad at Loyola (Chicago) University's Rome Center campus. Currently, Gumpper holds the position of director of Graduate and Continuing Studies Admission at Fairfield University. She is now working towards her master's degree in American Studies.

Monroe resident Pam Kelly has been an employee of Fairfield University for five years. She is the mother of a college sophomore and a high school junior.

Kelly is a double major in English and Art and hopes to graduate in 2007. She would like to pursue a master's degree in teaching or counseling.

Paul Roland Lizotte resides in Oxford and earned his master's degree from the School of Engineering. He is a test engineering supervisor at DRS Power and Control Technologies in Danbury, where he is in charge of testing the product that is used for power and control systems on US Naval ships and submarines.

Melissa Reardon , a resident of Bridgeport, is an assistant chaplain in Campus Ministry at Fairfield University where her responsibilities include working with students to coordinate community service and outreach programs and social justice initiatives. She received her undergraduate degree from John Carroll University. She is currently studying in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions and will be graduating with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction in May, 2005.

Weston resident Deirdre Magner Schoenster is a Spanish teacher at Fairfield Prep where her son graduated in 2001. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University and her Master of Arts from Fairfield University. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Study from Fairfield in TESOL, bilingual and foreign language teaching. At Fairfield Prep, she is a faculty advisor, has participated in the Kairos, Appalachia Immersion trip, and also serves on various school projects in her community.

Nancy Watsky resides in Branford with her husband and two daughters. She will earn her master's degree in May 2005 as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She has worked at the Connecticut Mental Health Center for the past 25 years. She was also recently inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the national nursing honor society.

Posted On: 12-15-2004 10:12 AM

Volume: 37 Number: 118