providence college magazine
Retired Prudential Financial CEO
Arthur Ryan ’63 Analyzes the Economy
winter 2009
Also in this issue: Campus is Green All Over • A New Ballgame for Ryan Gomes ’05 • Finding Grace at Midlife
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keeping the promise... through annual giving
To me, the education our daughter abby received at providence is like a stone thrown into a pond that creates a little ‘ripple.’
By supporting Providence College, you make a positive contribution to the ripple that our graduates create—both in our local communities and around the world.
and that ripple goes on and on, continuing into an ever-widening circle as it goes forward.
”
Your annual gift to Providence College ensures that our students benefit from a strong, liberal arts education in the Catholic and Dominican tradition, one that prepares them to question, to contemplate, and to transform themselves and society.
providence — susan maguire ’08p
To make your gift to the PC Fund or the Parents Fund, visit www.givetopc.org, or contact the Office of Annual Giving at 401.865.1296 to learn more about additional giving opportunities.
contr ibutor s Editor Charles C. Joyce Director of Editorial Services Art Director Jennifer W. Zevon Art Director for Design Services Managing Editor Patricia S. Vieira ’75 Associate Vice President for College Relations and Planning Consulting Editor Edward J. Caron ’70 Vice President for College Relations and Planning
Writers Staff Dea Antonelli Carcieri ’78 Associate Director, Communications Paula L. Keogh Director of Marketing Services Chris Machado Publications Editor/Writer Trisha Rojcewicz ’00 Media Relations Coordinator and Web Editor Students Allen T. Daniel ’11 Caitlin McGlinchey ’10 Joseph M. Miller ’10
Photography Constance Brown Tom Maguire ’72 Jesse Nemerofsky Patrick O’Connor David Silverman Providence College Archives Graphic Support Robert L. Booth Associate Director Emily Potts Editorial Support Department of Athletics Office of Athletic Media Relations Office of Institutional Advancement
© Providence College 2009 Providence College Magazine is published quarterly by the Providence College Publications Center, Division of College Relations and Planning, for alumni, parents, and friends. Opinions expressed in Providence College Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the entire College community. Send correspondence to: providence college magazine Providence College Publications Center 1 Cunningham Square Harkins Hall, Room 205 Providence, RI 02918-0001 or via e-mail to: editormagazine@providence.edu
providence college magazine • winter 2009
in this issue
features
4 10 36 52
powerful perspective Retired Prudential Financial CEO Arthur Ryan ’63 & ’90hon. identifies causes of the current economic downturn. By Diane M. Sterrett
departments 2
On Our Mind
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1 Cunningham Square
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PCQ
10 Campus News 22 Great Expectations
green all over From eliminating student food trays to converting the sun’s rays into power, PC is passionate in its environmental sensitivity. By Chris Machado
new ball game NBA standout Ryan Gomes ’05 takes his community conscientiousness to a new level: donating defibrillators. By Mike Scandura
Grace at Midlife With an openness to hear God’s voice, wisdom, and an acceptance of adversity, midlife needn’t be a time of crisis. By Rev. Joseph J. Guido, O.P.
26 Making a Difference 33 Keeping the Promise 36 Friartown 47 Networking 52 Reflections 60 Alumni News/Features 67 Connections 72 The Last Word
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on our mind
kindling your interest
Instant communication is ubiquitous. This is no revelation to readers who use a cell phone or Blackberry, send e-mail, read online publications, author blogs, or use the Internet to purchase or sell. This amazing convenience, however, comes at the price of information overload. Worthy messages are received with the same regularity as unsolicited advertising. Overwhelmed readers have become increasingly selective about what they read and believe. This phenomenon is the greatest challenge that editors and publishers face. It is one we are confidently confronting with a reorganization of our communications for Providence College alumni, parents, and friends. Following a readership study conducted last spring, the College’s Publications Center determined that our key audiences—who cherish their connections to Providence College—would be better served if our
publications were more immediate and engaging to loyal, but busy, readers. For timely news, in October we launched an entirely new, Web-based, weekly communication—PC Now. This “one-stop” source features the type of news and information about Providence College that previously appeared in various print and online publications. We encourage you to visit the Web site—www.providence. edu/pcnow—each week for news about the College. This issue of Providence College Magazine represents both a new direction and a journey “back to the future” of a single, alumni-targeted publication. We are combining the best elements of the Providence Digest—the news and feature tabloid newspaper previously produced—with the reflective elements of the predecessor providence magazine that readers most enjoyed. Our commitment is to create a new magazine that will, in the words of the survey, be “worth reading every time.”
In publishing this new quarterly magazine, we recognize it will be just one of several competing for your time and attention. We hope your bond to Providence College gives this publication an advantage. It’s our job to remain worthy of your interest. Though committed to “green” practices (evidenced by the FSC seal of approval on the back cover), we are not plunging into all-electronic publishing (as has the venerable Christian Science Monitor.) Nearly 75 percent of responders to our survey indicated they want to receive a print publication, and we respect that preference. The temptation (and coolness) of Amazon’s Kindle and other electronic book readers notwithstanding, we still revere the printed word fixed on paper. There is an essential satisfaction in the act of leafing through and reading a beautiful magazine with compelling stories that delight and inspire. With your encouragement and support, our expectation is to write, design, and produce that magazine.
patricia slonina vieira ’75 • Managing Editor
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1 cunningham square
the two-way street We’ve designed this section of the magazine with interactive intent. Not only will we share useful, “off-line” morsels of information with you but, more importantly, we look forward to receiving your thoughts on what you’re reading in each issue and what’s happening at the College.
Our new official address The official address of Providence College has changed from 549 River Avenue to 1 Cunningham Square. This follows the September 2008 dedication of the intersection at River Avenue and Eaton Street—the location of the main entrance to the campus—to honor PC’s 10th president, the late Rev. John F. Cunningham, O.P ’50.
Reflect and Reply We invite your response to questions we pose here. Our first is directed to anyone who enrolled at PC from 1971 on and navigated
introducing
the two-year Development of Western Civilization Program:
What impact has “DWC” had on your life, personally and professionally? Your one-stop source for Providence College news: www.providence.edu/pcnow We’ve gathered the type of news and information about Providence College that previously appeared in various print and online publications targeted to different audiences and are now presenting it in a more timely, convenient, and accessible way. Make it a habit to check in with PC Now each week and strengthen your
e-mail editormagazine@providence.edu postal Editor, Providence College Magazine Providence College Publications Center 1 Cunningham Square Harkins Hall, Room 205 Providence, RI 02918-0001
connection to Providence College through the news and features posted here!
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a problem solver’s
perspective . . . on the economy, a meaningful career, and living a good life by diane m. sterrett
As the recession stubbornly hangs on and financial instability continues, a prominent Providence College alumnus and seasoned financial services executive was asked for his insights on the issues. But Arthur Ryan ’63 & ’90hon. offered something better: the multifaceted perspective of a lifelong problem solver. As one would expect, Ryan’s distinguished career in the financial world at Chase Manhattan Bank and as the recently retired chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial informs his opinion. But equally as important are the skills he learned as a math major and liberal arts student at Providence College. “PC, through its dedication to the liberal arts, gave me the ability to learn how to learn,” Ryan said. “Learning how things work from the inside out and why they do what they do—that underlying skill of analysis and approach to problems has been the most useful tool for me in my whole career.” So, it’s no surprise when he applies a similar logic chain to explain how what was initially a U.S.-based subprime mortgage problem became a global financial crisis. Five root causes Ryan noted that most economists say today’s economic crisis was caused by a combination of very low interest rates and unprecedented levels of liquidity. But that snapshot analysis offers only the quickest glimpse without explaining the underlying problems, he said. “I think the issues go much deeper, and can be broken down into five root causes that are a combination of the traditional things with some new financial engineering that has exacerbated it,” he said. His synopsis:
Photo by David Decoteau, Downtown Photo
1. Lowered underwriting standards “Lenders clearly lowered their underwriting standards; that’s not uncommon in past troubling periods. What’s new was the role played by government-supported agencies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, who were encouraged by Congress to provide a mortgage vehicle for people who normally wouldn’t qualify, in an effort to increase home ownership. Standards were lowered to achieve that goal, resulting in loans for people who could not afford them, and they are now defaulting.” 2. Lack of transparency “Banks were able to package these loans as securities with far less transparency, and that is a new phenomenon. In prior periods, you could go to the banks, look at their balance sheets, and see the problem loans. Today, it’s very difficult to find them because they’ve been packaged as securities and been sold around the world, and that’s why there was so much hesitation and uncertainty during the early period of this crisis. Other banks did put them on their balance sheet but had inadequate capital to support them.” 3. Rating agency conflicts “Historically, if you saw something with a AAA rating, you thought it the nearequivalent of a U.S. Treasury note. That certainly wasn’t the case here. Rating agencies were rating things for people who were paying them. I think there is a conflict there.”
4. Investor greed “There are two sides to every equation, and there were lots of investors out there who had a lot of cash and were greedy and so they pushed for more yields which, in turn, caused more bankers to securitize, which, in turn, caused more lenders to originate loans and the cycle continued.” 5. Lack of regulation “There’s no question our regulators were both lax and uncoordinated in dealing with the situation. There were regulatory schemes that were heavily influenced by very brilliant economists like Alan Greenspan, extraordinarily successful over the years, but who really believed the free markets would self correct unto themselves. Even Adam Smith never said anything about no government regulation. We clearly had lack of government oversight because of a philosophy built around free markets.” “So when you have reduced transparency, conflicts of interest, and lax oversight. the problems get far deeper and go global that much faster, and therefore we have the problems we have today, affecting every country in the world,” Ryan summarized. It’s popular to point a finger at executive pay packages and greed as the problem. But Ryan disagrees. “This is not an Enron or a Worldcom where the compensation of a few executives appeared to have driven a lot of their
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aggressively
I don’t think we approached it early enough and
enough once we saw the problem.
behavior into a fair amount of fraud. I don’t think the greed I mention here anywhere near matches that. It’s due more to the fact of a world in which there was a lot of cash and not as many good investments. That’s quite different,” he explained. Right measures, tardy timing The good news is that the current government initiatives to transform the economy, although belated, are on the right track, Ryan said. That’s a reassuring point of view from a man credited with transformation at both Chase Manhattan Bank and Prudential. At Prudential, he is credited with focusing its strategy and transforming it into a publicly traded financial giant, while at Chase he engineered a rebound from a $334 million loss to a profit of $1 billion in four years. The past few months have seen the federal government commit $4 trillion dollars in guaranteed security purchases, getting capital back into the banks and initiating various fiscal stimuli to create stability in the financial system. “I think those are all the right steps, but I think they were delayed,” said Ryan. “I
don’t think we approached it early enough and aggressively enough once we saw the problem. And this is not a quick fix; it’s going to take quite a while.” He currently serves on the board of the Royal Bank of Scotland, which gives him a global perspective on the current economic crisis. “The British government has been very aggressive in intervening in the market, and it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
excellent economic experience. “And, of course, Paul Volcker, whom I’ve known for many years, was on my board at Prudential and is an extraordinary civic leader,” said Ryan. Volcker has been tapped as chairman of the newly formed Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Another part of the reason the crisis has become so pervasive is that it’s also a crisis of confidence, which will be a challenge for President Barack Obama.
Ryan also sees a role for business in turning the economy around: to continue doing business, to lobby their political leadership to break the logjam in the credit market, and to have the courage to transform their companies to be more competitive. And still, he is optimistic about the country’s future.
“The American people don’t have a lot of confidence in their leadership at this point in time, and that’s probably true of most people around the world. And frankly, what they want to hear from leadership is: ‘We know what the problem is, we’re going to fix it, and we’re going to be OK,’” Ryan said.
“We’re still a leader in the world in the technology business and in the biosciences, so we need to continue to invest and, of course, this is the best time to go back to the fundamentals of what made us great in the first place, and that’s to continue to invest in our education systems,” he stated.
Obama’s choices for his new economic team are more good news, Ryan said, noting the new secretary of the treasury and the new head of the National Economic Council have
Through it all, Ryan sees two major lessons learned. First, we must recognize that we have not eliminated the business cycle, that things will continue to go up and down,
and businesses must manage their world accordingly. Secondly, it’s time to reassess the oversight of our financial industry and eliminate conflict of interest. Becoming the problem-solver Two things from Ryan’s experience at Providence College stand out for him as being key to his development as a leader. Being a small, Catholic school, PC could pay more attention to the development of the individual. And it reinforced in his mind the importance of a liberal arts education. “There’s plenty of time in life to go on and become an expert on something, but the ability to learn how to learn, which is what a liberal arts education does, helped me enormously,” Ryan said. As a result, while in the military in 1964 he went to school to learn about a new field called computers, then went on to work in data processing at Control Data Corporation. “It opened many new horizons for me … no one could have predicted what it turned out to be,” he said. “I learned a lot about computers, but more importantly I learned about business and activities as I tried to apply computers to solve problems that previously were completed manually. I had to learn how things worked as a result of having to introduce automation. “When I went to Chase in 1972, I went into operations and essentially applied the same skills, which meant learning how the financial system worked operationally.” He advanced quickly through the ranks at Chase Manhattan Corporation and its principal subsidiary, Chase Manhattan Bank—from project manager to becoming
Arthur Ryan, pictured with children in a reading program, believes firmly in the corporate world's commitment to social responsibility.
responsible for their credit card and nationwide deposit-gathering businesses. In 1990, he was appointed president and chief operating officer.
return on equity. He also encouraged international expansion, a business that now accounts for 40 percent of the company’s earnings.
In 1994, it was partly his problem-solving abilities that led Prudential Insurance to part with 123 years of tradition to hire from the outside and choose him as its CEO.
Beyond the bottom line, Ryan said his biggest success is creating value in the institutions he ran.
“I think my experience in problemsolving was attractive to them. I think what encourages boards to think outside is when they believe they need to change. They had embarked on some new strategies in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and by the mid-’90s it was fairly obvious those strategies were struggling,” Ryan said.
“I look not only at shareholder wealth,” he said, “but how did the employees do, how did the communities in which we operated do? That has always been important to me. If I look at Prudential, it wasn’t just that it was fixed and we went public and made a fair amount of money. More importantly, we gave back to Newark, a community that clearly was in need.
His tenure at Prudential has been described as “the biggest turnaround the U.S. life insurance industry has ever seen.” In 2001, he took the mutual insurance company public, one of the largest IPOs in market history, and in 2005 achieved a 12.4 percent
“I really take seriously the notion that as a CEO I’m serving not only shareholders, but employees and communities as well. That was the greatest success I had at both Chase and Prudential, and that I would view as the most rewarding for me.”
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A lifetime of service began at PC Giving back is a core philosophy in Ryan’s life, and he credits that to his experience at Providence College as a Big Brother mentor. It was his first encounter with an organized effort to help others who had less support and encouragement to get an education. “I heard those boys’ stories and I realized that my own experience could help someone else. I think that led me on to what I wanted to do in my life,” he said. Of all the diverse social activities he has been a part of, a common theme is constant learning and education. He pursued graduate study at American University while a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, has long served as a volunteer in PC’s alumni and advancement activities—spearheading efforts to establish scholarships—and served as a member of PC’s Board of Trustees. In Newark, he advocated to improve public schools.
“Education is the key to any success we’re going to have in the future. When I walked into Newark and saw the public school system it was easy to understand what was going on, and it wasn’t good. Education is the greatest social weapon we have in this country, the way in which you give everyone the opportunity to be equal,” Ryan explained. Throughout his life, he has taken his personal sense of social responsibility and applied it to the corporate world. From helping schools improve to leading efforts to build Newark’s Prudential Center arena, from chairing the New Jersey Performing Arts Center endowment campaign to launching Prudential’s Spirit of the Community Awards that recognize young people’s volunteer efforts, it’s all part of what he sees as his role in life. “Corporate social responsibility is very important and, in fact, I think it is growing. I think some corporate executives are standing up to shareholders who don’t believe companies should do this, and saying they’re wrong. I’ve done it. We can go back in communities and enhance what
we’re doing and at the same time take some of our expertise—including that of our employees—to solve social problems. We can’t replace the government, we can’t replace those dedicated to doing it full time, but we can partner with them to make it work,” Ryan said. Public perception of CEOs has been skewed by scandals like Enron, Ryan said. But he very much believes that the majority of CEOs are well-intentioned executives who want to do more than make money for themselves, and that their responsibility to their communities is in the forefront of their minds. As an example, he tells of a group he belongs to called the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, co-founded by the late Paul Newman to work with corporate America. Today, more than 200 major companies participate, each with a commitment to give back to the community or to help solve the problem that is most related to their own corporate mission. Even now with six grandchildren to keep him busy, Ryan redefines what it means to
Patricia and Arthur Ryan
be retired. He describes it as community redevelopment with a strong emphasis on education. He continues to serve on the national board for the National Math and Science Initiative, which invests in training teachers and encourages students to take advanced placement courses, especially in math and science. With his son, a former golf pro, he’s involved with The First Tee, an organization that introduces learning through golf in the inner cities, particularly in New York and Newark. He and his wife are still very much involved in Newark—in the performing arts center, the parks, schools, and less fortunate neighborhoods—and he serves on the board of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. And still, his desire for constant learning continues as he works on the board of a biopharmaceutical company called Regeneron. “I’m the token accountant,” he joked. “I know absolutely nothing about biosciences, but it’s fascinating, the process of creating a drug. I’m learning how treacherous and difficult it is to produce a drug.” Living a good life Providence College’s mission is to transform students’ lives through a liberal arts education in the Catholic and Dominican tradition. A large part of that, said College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80, is teaching students to come
The Ryan record at PC In addition to a very full career, four children, and work with many charities and organizations, Arthur Ryan ’63 is a longtime volunteer leader in the College’s alumni and advancement activities, and a generous alumni benefactor. Among his contributions and accomplishments, he:
to know and choose to lead a good life. “We prepare students to live good lives, educating them about life’s purpose and the value of finding meaningful work, and instilling in them a sense of service and giving back,” said Father Shanley. To Ryan, that means each person must decide what living a good life means to himor herself as an individual. Long ago, he thought seriously about it and wrote down his three “good life” tenets. “First, my commitment to my wife and my family is foremost. For my children, I wish them independence, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation, but also that they recognize that family is important and they maintain those relationships over time. Second, that friends, as well as those who may not know me well, understand that they can depend on me, that I’m someone who is available for whatever reason might be important to
• led a PC Alumni/Chase Corporate Challenge campaign to establish the Chase Manhattan Scholarship Fund at PC which has grown to almost $200,000; • established the Ryan Family Scholarship Fund; • served as corporate chairman of the “Providence 2000” Capital Campaign; • served as a member of the Board of Trustees; • served as chairman of the Honorary Degree Selection Committee; • served on the President’s Council; • received a Personal Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association; • was recognized during the College’s Jubilee Celebration in 1992 with the 75th Anniversary Diamond Torch Award honoring his loyalty and service; • was awarded an honorary degree in 1990 in recognition of his outstanding record of service and support; • was a featured panelist at the Textron-Providence College Business Forum on Women and Minority Issues in 1998; and • donated $1 million toward the construction of the Smith Center for the Arts, where the 272-seat Ryan Concert Hall was named for Ryan and his wife Patricia.
them. And third is my commitment to my physical and spiritual well being.” Advice to young professionals As today’s young alumni are still forming careers and deciding how to live a full and meaningful life, Ryan pointed out three things to be vigilant for as they assess their own strengths and the marketplace needs. “Career planning is important,” he stated, “but as you’re starting out, just be the very best you can in whatever you choose to be. I think too many youngsters are looking for someone to give them a stepladder to success and it doesn’t happen that way, it’s more of a jagged path. So, if you focus—whether accountant, social scientist, mathematician, a computer nerd—just be the very best you can be and then start worrying about how you can apply it elsewhere.
computer science field gave me confidence to leave my industry and enter financial services. I would go home at night and think, ‘Even if I am unsuccessful in the financial services world, I can go back to doing what I did.’ “Secondly, get engaged 100 percent. Cynicism is an infection running rampant in our society, whether you look at TV or radio folks who opine about everything and take responsibility for nothing. Own your problems, fix them, see what needs to be done, and do it. “Third, look for differences in people or lifestyle choices or cultures. That was one of the great benefits of a liberal arts education. To me, that was so valuable, especially as I started traveling around the world. I embraced it and encourage others to do so as well.”
“Knowing I was the best I could be in the Diane M. Sterrett is a freelance writer from Tiverton, R.I.
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by chris machado
a steward of the
environment and social responsibility
It can be seen just outside the College’s spiritual center and under the feet of high-spirited students at one of the hubs of student life. The “it” is more than just the stone used at the War Memorial Grotto outside the main entrance to St. Dominic Chapel or the dance floor at McPhail’s in the Slavin Center that was once the floor in Mullaney Gym. These recycled materials represent a fraction of what is being done on campus to ensure that Providence College is a good steward of the environment.
From recycling nearly four miles of fluorescent light bulbs to harvesting rainwater that will heat and cool campus buildings, “sustainability” is flourishing at PC. Sustainability is commonly defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Much of the multi-pronged approach to environmental friendliness at PC is being led by Gale A. Gennaro, director of environmental health and safety, who believes the College’s “green” initiatives have more than just an environmental impact. “There’s a social equity component to what we’re doing,” she said. “As a community, we have to look at what we are doing to the Earth. We’re trying to be good stewards of our surroundings.” Recyclables have far-reaching impact Try to put your mind’s eye around a pile of trash that includes 92,000 pounds of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles, more than 121,000 pounds of office paper, 112,000
pounds of iron and steel, 10,500 pounds of electronic waste, and 1,200 pounds of batteries. Now, imagine all of that being used and then reused. Those are the recyclables collected in 2007 and only a small portion of the recyclables that have been collected by the College since the recycling program began in 1993. On top of those materials, the Rhode Island Donation Exchange, Hope of Life Ministries, and Rhode Island Head Start, all of which are based in Providence, are among the organizations that have received everything from desk chairs to mattresses from PC. In fact, more than 600 chairs, 200 beds, 230 mattresses, 15 refrigerators, and 13 stoves have been donated to the aforementioned non-profit groups since 2005. Although furniture donations are a priority for the College, end-of-school-year “move-outs” provide a windfall of clothing and food for other local assistance agencies. Over the past four years, more than 8,000 pounds of food and nearly 10,000 pounds of clothing have been shipped to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, respectively. Green is clean When campus roads and walkways are free of ice after a snowstorm, when the sun effortlessly shines through streak-free windows, and when lush green grass sprouts in the spring, the College’s “green” cleaning and landscaping practices are to thank. Warren S. Gray ’75 & ’85G, assistant vice president for business services, said the College’s cleaning program, run by Hurley of America, is almost completely “green.” This means the products used by Hurley employees are non-toxic and biodegradable. In addition to using environmentally friendly window and all-purpose cleaning products, the College has installed au-
tomatic soap and paper towel dispensers in all the restrooms on campus; the paper used in all dispensers is biodegradable. Gray said switching the dispensers has cut down on waste and proved to be more labor efficient. “The idea behind this is reducing consumption,” he said. The use of the environmentally safe products isn’t limited to just windows, restrooms, and floors, Gray noted. The College also has been using ecologically friendly fertilizer for grass and plants, and has changed the road salt it uses on icy cement surfaces. On a more basic ecological level, the number of trees being planted around campus has increased in recent years. Gray said for every tree that comes down during construction or because it’s in danger of collapsing, another is planted. When the new walkway near McDermott Hall was constructed, 16 new trees were planted, Gray said, noting that the College also has made an attempt to “recapture green space whenever we can.” Tray-less means pay less More than 1,000,000 meals a year are served in Raymond Dining Hall. At “Ray,” students can grab a snack on the go or enjoy a complete, sit-down meal.
top: Warren S. Gray ’75 & ’85G bottom: Gale A. Gennaro
Maybe the only thing the all-you-can-eat hall doesn’t offer now is trays—and this could lead to giant savings economically and ecologically. Gray said the College stopped offering trays in Raymond this past fall semester because there was some concern that too much food was being thrown away. He estimates that the College could see a “25 to 50 percent reduction in food waste” by going tray-less because students aren’t as likely to take more food than they will consume any longer.
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campus news feature “We figured we would have a high acceptance rate because half of the students didn’t use trays anyway,” he said. “This wasn’t even a blip for students.” Gray also noted that by eliminating the trays and glasses, less have to be washed. This cuts water use, cleaning chemical use, and labor. Buying locally, thinking globally It is estimated that food can travel, on average, more than 1,000 miles before it is in consumers’ hands. In comparison to buying locally, this means much more fuel usage, less money to the local economy, and more packaging, among other negative environmental impacts. In PC’s case, breads, dairy, and produce are all purchased from local dairies and farms. The campus’ coffee is purchased from Newport Coffee Traders in Lincoln, R.I. In addition to buying locally, the College gives its used cooking oil to a local company, Newport Biodiesel, which produces highquality biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Getting around campus and beyond The answers: 105 acres, and 10 minutes. The questions: How big is the College campus? How far is it to downtown Providence? With a small campus and a city literally minutes away, the College is attempting to make students less reliant on automobiles. With five bike racks already on campus, Gray said six more will be installed shortly. For students who need to travel off campus, the College operates a shuttle van system to area locations and has partnered with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) to offer bus rides for free. Just by swiping their PC identification card, students can ride the bus to any RIPTA destination in the state.
The search for efficiency Preserving resources could be something as small as shutting lights off in an unoccupied room or as large as buying more energyefficient electric chillers used to cool buildings on campus. In the summer of 2007, two, 1,000-ton chiller units were installed in the College’s Power Plant, replacing three smaller, aging units. Across campus, maintenance staff has replaced old light bulbs with more efficient bulbs and installed sensors that automatically turn lights off when nobody is in a room. In addition, little things such as having faculty and staff shut lights off in unoccupied rooms will conserve energy. “Despite the fact that we have added roughly 200,000 square feet in new space recently, we’re drawing electricity consumption down on campus,” Gray said. “We’re using better lighting systems, better HVAC systems. We’re doing more with less.” Gennaro also noted a water conservation project that was undertaken during the fall 2008 semester, when the College studied water use in a number of dormitories. Later, while students were away for the Christmas break, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators were installed in bathrooms in McDermott Hall, Fennell Hall, Raymond Hall, and Cunningham Hall. “We’ll go back and measure in the spring so we’ll be able to quantify water consumption and energy savings,” Gennaro said. Focus: reducing carbon emissions Each of the sustainability practices on campus is geared toward one specific goal: reducing the College’s carbon emissions, or gas released into the atmosphere principally from the burning of fossil fuels. Increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases trap more of the earth’s heat and are believed to be a contributing factor to climate change.
education, we have a shared social responsibility to do our part to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Without yet measuring how much carbon is emitted from the vehicles of students living off-campus and electricity on campus, Gennaro said PC’s partial carbon emissions stand at 13,000 metric tons. She said one of the College’s goals, at a minimum, is to reduce carbon emissions by 2 percent a year, leading to an 80 percent cut by 2050.
Sun, rainfall could provide boon Among the initiatives currently being explored by the College is a solar thermal project that would partially be funded by National Grid.
“Climate change has a tremendous effect on all of us, but even moreso on developing nations that struggle with droughts, food and water shortages, and sea level changes,” Gennaro said. “As an institution of higher
Gennaro explained that with the help of an incentive offer from the energy company, the College is studying the prospect of using solar thermal panels to supply hot water to the Alumni Hall and Peterson Recreation Center locker rooms, the Taylor Natatorium in Peterson, and the Alumni Hall Food Court. continued on page 15
renewable energy expert:
U.S. needs to move forward rapidly in 2009 From the U.S. oil crisis in the 1970s to the nation’s current quests to find alternative energy sources, create new, clean-tech jobs, and become more energy independent, Michael J. Zimmer ’71 has seen a lot in his 33year career as an attorney in the energy field. Zimmer, a member of the College’s Providence President’s Council, has worked with domestic and international companies, gas and electric utilities, advanced energy technology and industrial companies, energy project developers, financial institutions, universities, and embassies in more than 35 states and 20 countries during his career in independent and renewable energy. Currently of counsel at Thompson Hine LLP in Washington, D.C., Zimmer is national cochair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Renewable Energy Resources Committee. The committee examines and disseminates information on legal policies and implementation issues that affect expansion of markets for renewable energy resources,
such as wind, biomass, geothermal, ocean, and solar power, along with energy efficiency matters. He is also a member of the American Council on Renewable Energy Strategy Committee and served on several other industry committees including the Clean Coal Coalition, the Cogeneration and Independent Power Coalition, and the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition in their formative periods of organization in the 1980s. For the past 30 years, Zimmer has been invited regularly to testify before congressional committees and various federal and state departments and agencies on electric energy, renewable energy, natural gas, and energy tax proposals.
Michael J. Zimmer ’71
Here are the highlights of a recent conversation on renewable energy with Zimmer from his office in Washington, D.C.: continued on next page
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q&a
Are there misconceptions about renewable energy? The sources of energy are different; they’re new. They don’t rely on fossil fuel with many of their hidden cost consequences. All forms of energy are heavily subsidized in the U.S., led by fossil fuels, which have been with us for 100 years after replacing soft coal and whale oil. That being said, they also have lower operating costs, they’re highly efficient, their deployment costs are declining, and they’re highly technical so they’re good for economic development and jobs formation. The energy sector in New England has seen some of the greatest rise in employment and these are high-paying jobs.
What is the country to do about addressing these misconceptions?
What is different about the energy crisis of the 1970s and today? In the late 1970s and 1980s, it was only a hot topic for less than a decade. After we had a natural gas and oil shortage, oil prices declined in the middle-to-late 1980s. The current market conditions are much more complex than in the 1970s. We didn’t have the climate change impacts, U.S. fossil fuel challenges, and declining energy infrastructure, and we didn’t have the dire economic conditions on Wall Street impacting equity, debt, and project financing.
How does the U.S. measure up against foreign countries in alternative energy implementation and sustainability practices? We’re still not as advanced as Japan, Germany, Israel, and some other parts of Europe. The differences are in several areas. Here, many of the utilities are not as open to providing interconnection and transmission access to supplies of renewable energy. Second, our motor vehicle policies and pricing have exacerbated a dependence on foreign oil since 1975. Third, some other countries have more sophisticated building and appliance codes. Finally, they have public transportation and smart growth principles that have not necessarily been deployed here. But, for the first time since 1975, I detect a transformation, openness to alternatives, and innovation driven by investment, infrastructure costs, and job goals promoting a fresh examination.
We’re very much at a fork in the road. Are we going to participate or hold on to the past and face the challenge of declining jobs and loss of manufacturing base because we aren’t responding to the need for innovation and new markets? Our leadership and innovation created aerospace technology, consumer electronics, the first stage of renewable technologies, and the Internet. Renewable energy is now entering the same transformative period, and there is an opportunity for the U.S. to become the clean technology leader, offering real solutions to the global economy. What challenges do you see for President Obama? There will need to be policies put in place that are concentrated around the employment, tax planning, and economic development benefits. Capital formation as Wall Street is recovering will also be a challenge. These types of critical developments will be competing for diminished funding that will be available. Barriers from the laws of the past will need to be amended or removed. Leaders will also have to understand the growing recognition and impact of unbridled costs created in carbon, energy, inefficiency, and indirect costs of climate change, along with pensions, healthcare, construction, and costs of raw materials.
What can colleges and universities do? I think they have critical opportunities to share knowledge, promote innovation and leadership, and provide critical alternatives. A sense of stewardship and sustainability in curriculum for the future is wise. Hundreds of thousands of students a year will take their experience on campus into their personal lives, and it will make a difference in the years ahead. There’s a power in people educating themselves and taking action like we did in the 1967-71 period. Little things you do like recycling in the cafeteria, carpooling, using public transportation, or cutting down on energy consumption can give you context and meaning. Action with passion will arise, replacing passivity and inaction, in the public and private sectors.
What do you see happening over the next 10 years, both in your field of law and with renewable energy? There needs to be talk about diversifying new sources of energy supply and a focus on careful stewardship and how we use energy. The United States uses 25 percent of the energy in the world today—while providing only 3 percent of global supplies—and we are nowhere close to being 25 percent of the population. Also, energy prices will be escalating over the next 10 years, and we’ve spent little on infrastructure since the middle 1980s. This is an area that we need to catch up because the status quo is not sustainable by 2020. This is a transformational period of time when energy, economics, and environment, coupled with capital and information technology, are married together. The escalating growth of computer usage ups energy use 1.5 percent a year. The current car market is served 98 percent by gas. Building codes need to be updated so we can create a premium building environment with the highest valuation and highest demand after the next 10-year period, while meeting the needs of new, high-performance buildings for the future. We need the kind of transformation for energy use and supply like the retail market has been transformed by the Internet … similar in scope, scale, and in transformation.
continued from page 13 Solar plates will be installed on the roof of the Concannon Fitness Center and catch the sun’s rays. Water heated from the sun will flow through a collector and be stored in an insulated tank. The solar panels would allow the College to burn less fossil fuel to heat water, Gennaro said. “We have received a $10,000 incentive from National Grid to conduct the engineering study, which is currently under way,” she said, adding that the company has a renewable energy incentive program that would assist the project’s construction cost based on the amount of energy saved by installing the solar panels. “We will be applying for this incentive.” Another project, which focuses on harvesting rainwater, is also in the works. Currently, the roof drains from McVinney Hall, the fitness center, and the Power Plant are all
tied into a central storm drain. The plan is to add the Slavin Center and Peterson roofs to this common drain. Gennaro said an estimated 500,000 gallons of rainfall a month falls on those roofs. She added that the College is presently in the design phase of a project that would have two, 100,000-gallon storage tanks installed in the ground near Schneider Arena and the College’s tennis courts. Water stored in the tanks would be sent to the Power Plant and would ultimately be used to help heat and cool buildings on campus. In addition to the solar-thermal and rainwater harvesting projects, an 8,800-squarefoot addition to the Slavin Center will incorporate the use of photovoltaic panels, which will convert the sun’s rays into electricity. Engineers are predicting that the energy produced by the panels will be enough to
light the new addition and operate the College’s radio station, WDOM. Another aspect of the project would be adding a bio-retention area on the Slavin Center Lawn. The landscaping system would use native plants to absorb contaminants in stormwater before it flows through storm drains and into Narragansett Bay. All of the sustainability practices, either currently in place or planned for the near future, Gennaro said, represent “the basis of Providence College’s liberal arts education.” “The vision of sustainability recognizes the relationship among the environment, economics, and social equity,” she said. “Colleges and universities have significant environmental and intellectual resources. Given these resources, we can lead by example to address the challenges of climate change.”
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new deans prepared to lead newly formed schools
Dr. Shelia Adamus Liotta
One has presided over students’ scientific research and helped steer Providence College through the reaccreditation process. The other has dutifully guided the Graduate Studies Program for years and prepared future educators to lead their own classrooms.
On January 1, Dr. Sheila Adamus Liotta, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Thomas F. Flaherty, associate professor of education and former dean of graduate studies, added a new dimension to their extensive resumés: dean of two newly established academic schools at PC. As part of the Strategic Plan for 2008 to 2013, the College formed the new schools effective at the beginning of this year. With the creation of the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Professional Studies, PC’s academic organization expanded to four schools, including the School of Business and the School of Continuing Education (SCE). According to Dr. Hugh F. Lena, vice president for academic affairs, the benefits in going to the new “school” model include consistency to academic governance, an increase in faculty and departmental access to decision-making, greater identity and visibility to departments, and enhanced opportunities for fund raising. Leaders bring wide array of experience Adamus Liotta, who is dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, has been a faculty member at PC for 15 years. She was chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for eight of those years. Adamus Liotta has served on various committees, including the Chairs/Directors Task Force and the Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure. She served as co-chair of the Self-Study Steering Committee that helped the College gain reaccreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) in spring 2008.
Dr. Thomas F. Flaherty
Flaherty, who is the dean of the School of Professional Studies, has served the College in multiple faculty and administrative roles for four decades. He was appointed to the faculty in 1969. Flaherty served as chairman and vice chairman of the Department of Education for 20 years. He was the dean of graduate studies for the past 13 years and the director of graduate education programs from 19742008. He also has directed the Graduate Special Education Program. Goals outlined by new deans Flaherty said he wants to serve as a bridge between the faculty and the administration and noted that his history with the College should serve as a benefit in his new position. “I bring the advantage of an extensive knowledge of the College and its unique Dominican history, an understanding of the responsibilities of being dean, and the value of collaboration among the various offices of the College,” he said. Adamus Liotta said she also hoped to use past experience—namely her time as department chair and co-chair of the accreditation steering committee—as a foundation for her new position. “I believe my role will be to support my colleagues within the School of Arts & Sciences to make it easier for them to do what they do best, namely teaching and mentoring our students,” she said.
First Delasanta Award bestowed by Honors Program A faculty legend at the College was memorialized in special fashion during the Liberal Arts Honors Convocation in October. The convocation, which drew a record number of 190 faculty, students, alumni, staff, and friends, was highlighted by the presentation of the first Delasanta Award to David J. Laprade ’11 of North Smithfield, R.I. The Delasanta Award was established by the Liberal Arts Honors Program to honor the memory of Dr. Rodney K. Delasanta ’53, professor of English and the director of the program from 1987-2004. Dr. Delasanta died in April 2007 after teaching for more than 45 years at the College.
student in the two-year, four-course sequence DWC Program. It recognizes exemplary, sustained work. A philosophy major, Weber received a monetary prize and Father Thomson’s memoir. In another of the evening’s highlights, Ellen A. McNulty ’97 of Newton, Mass., gave the convocation’s Distinguished Alumna Address. An English major and a summa cum laude graduate of PC, McNulty is a founding partner of Corra Consulting, Inc. An innovative branding and design house, Corra works to create a bridge between highquality product makers from around the globe and the retailers that are best suited to bring those products to consumers.
The award recognizes the best student paper in freshman Honors Development of Western Civilization (DWC) classes. “The depth of Rodney’s commitment to the program, through years of tremendous growth, made the focus of this award easy to identify,” said Dr. Suzanne J. Fournier ’77, associate professor of English and associate director of the Honors Program. Laprade earned the first Delasanta Award for his essay “Potential Realized,” a paper on Cervantes’ Don Quixote. A biology major and a music minor, Laprade was presented with a monetary award and the memoir of the late Rev. Paul van K. Thomson, a professor of English and a co-founder and director of the Honors Program from 1957-65. Weber earns Thomson Prize The Delasanta Award was one of two accolades bestowed at the convocation. Elizabeth M. Weber ’10 of East Longmeadow, Mass., was presented the Rev. Paul van K. Thomson Prize, named for Father Thomson. The Thomson Prize is awarded annually in the junior year to the most outstanding
Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. with, from left, student award winners Elizabeth M. Weber ’10, David J. Laprade ’11, Dr. Stephen J. Lynch, and Dr. Suzanne J. Fournier. (Photo by Caitlin McGlinchey ’10)
Dr. Rodney K. Delasanta ’53
In her address, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish,” McNulty used anecdotes to convey the mistakes, doubts, and worries she experienced during three distinct times of her life, beginning as a freshman at Summer Orientation and continuing as a young college graduate in the workforce. Her ability to work diligently, to learn from her mistakes, and to be “foolish enough” to try strategies and ideas—regardless of her inexperience— sustained her as an undergraduate and in her career, she said. “Sometimes, our best plans take us nowhere and a plan created by someone far greater than ourselves can start to unfold if we let it. Just stay hungry and stay foolish,” said McNulty.
“The depth of Rodney’s commitment to the program, through years of tremendous growth, made the focus of this award easy to identify.” Dr. Suzanne J. Fournier ’77
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Scholarship fund provides fitting legacy for late Brother Francis Kevin O’Connell, O.P.
Although he was unable to attend the 80th Anniversary Gala of the Friars Club on October 4, the event was a special and memorable occasion for Brother Francis Kevin O’Connell, O.P. and the College. Brother O’Connell, who had been the Friars Club moderator since 1990, and the 10 previous club moderators were honored that evening with the endowment of the Brother Kevin O’Connell, O.P. Scholarship Fund. The fund will benefit children of PC alumni/ae with unmet financial need. As of December 31, the fund totaled $91,558. The honor proved providential as Brother O’Connell died exactly one month later after a serious illness.
Brother O’Connell served the College for 33 years, including the last 32 in the Office of Financial Aid, where he was an associate director for 20 years until his death. He also was a residence hall director for 19 years and the caretaker of the College’s mascot, a Dalmatian named Friar Boy, from 1993-2004. Closest to his heart, however, was the Friars Club, the campus and community service organization that he oversaw for nearly two decades. Brother O’Connell was a member of the Dominican Friars of the Eastern Province of St. Joseph and celebrated the golden anniversary of his religious profession
in 2005. He also was a member of the Dominican Community of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas on campus. “Brother Kevin embodied the deepest values of Providence College,” said College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. “He was Christ to the world, particularly to countless generations of PC students.” The Office of Institutional Advancement will continue to accept donations to the Brother Kevin O’Connell, O.P. Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact the office at 401.865.1296.
Happy to take part in the 80th Anniversary Gala of the Friars Club are Class of 2008 members and former club members, from left, Kevin Johnson, Meg Bannon, Vin Cocito, Katherine Hypolite, and Steve Kerr.
seen and heard on campus
Providence College hosted numerous national and local scholars and experts during the Fall 2008 semester. Among those visiting campus for presentations were. . . rabbi marc s. jagolinzer, a member
katherine brown, executive director
robert wood, a past president of the
of the Salve Regina University faculty and the Jewish chaplain at Johnson & Wales and Roger Williams universities, all in Rhode Island, spoke on “Days of Awe – The Jewish High and Holy Days: The Rites, Rituals, and Meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur” on September 16.
of the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, delivered a “Just Lunch” address on “Environmental Justice and Catholic Social Teaching” on October 29.
American Catholic Philosophy Association and former chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Dallas and the Institute of Philosophical Studies at the Braniff Graduate School, spoke on “Being Human and the Question of Being: On the Unitary Ground of Individual and Cultural Pluralism” on November 13.
patricia jaehnig, director of Peace and Justice Education for the Diocese of Providence, led a “Just Lunch” lecture and roundtable discussion on “Fair Trade and Catholic Social Teaching” on September 23.
dr. john edgar wideman, the Asa Messer Professor and professor of Africana studies and English (creative writing) at Brown University, and the author of 19 books, gave a Poetry and Fiction Series reading on November 4.
rev. dennis mcmanus, visiting assistant u.s. sen. sheldon whitehouse, D-R.I., spoke on his experiences as a freshman senator from Rhode Island, the economy, the environment, the importance of the presidential election, and the significance of the youth vote on October 9.
professor of theology at Georgetown University, a consultant on Jewish/Catholic relations to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and managing editor of Paulist Press’ Ancient Christian Writers series, spoke on “CatholicJewish Relations: A Catholic Perspective” on November 5.
dr. robert p. george, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics, spoke on “Natural Law, God, and Human Rights” on October 20.
rev. matthew lamb, professor of theology and director of the graduate theology program at Ave Maria University, presented “Vatican II: Renewal within Tradition” on October 22.
brother ignatius perkins, o.p., director of administration for the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph and coordinator of Health Care Ethics programs for the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry at St. Catherine of Siena Priory and Church in New York City, spoke on “Saints and Brothers to All: Martin de Porres and Juan Macias” on November 11.
Above left: Dr. Nikol Alexander-Floyd, center: Dr. Marion Orr, right: Rev. Matthew Lamb
elizabeth schapiowsky, executive vice president and director of training at Ruder Finn, global public relations giant, presented “Communications in a Global Environment” on November 18.
dr. donald p. kommers, the Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor of Political Science, professor of law, and a fellow of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, all at the University of Notre Dame, presented “Religion and the Constitution” during the third annual St. Albert the Great Lecture on November 19.
dr. nikol alexander-floyd, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies at Rutgers University, and dr. marion orr, the Fred Lippitt Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Urban Studies and the director of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown University, were panelists for a November 19 discussion on “After Obama: Conversations on Race and Gender.”
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Concannon Fitness Center design cited The Concannon Fitness Center was recognized for “Outstanding Design” by American School & University in its annual 2008 “Educational Interiors Showcase” issue. PC was one of 10 institutions cited nationally in the Physical-Education Facilities/Recreation Centers category. The recognition represented the fourth design-related honor for College facilities in the last two years. Awards previously were presented for the Suites Hall residence facility; Martin Hall, which houses the Office of Institutional Advancement; and the artificialturf field/underground parking garage.
Library renovations transform OAS Another phase of renovations to Phillips Memorial Library was completed this past fall, highlighted by a relocated and expanded Office of Academic Services (OAS). The new second-floor space measures roughly 6,300 square feet—more than double the size of the former layout on the library's ground floor. Dedicated to fostering academic excellence, the OAS serves students through a variety of development programming, including individualized and group academic assistance, tutoring, specialized workshops, and outreach.
Expansion of Slavin Center begins Construction activity began in late December on a $6 million, 8,800-square-foot expansion of the Slavin Center that will provide needed social and meeting space for students. The two-level addition is being constructed on the building’s south side, facing Slavin Lawn. The lower level will contain a student lounge with an adjacent coffee/smoothie area. The upper level will be a “quiet” student lounge space for studying and small social gatherings. A glass-enclosed lobby will become the new main entrance into the Slavin Center. The project, which also will expand studio space for WDOM and PCTV, is slated to be completed in September 2009. “Our goal is to reclaim Slavin Center as a vibrant student union through thoughtful renovations that can provide attractive common gathering spaces and support new program initiatives,” said College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80.
The new facilities include a Writing Center, an electronic classroom, a spacious tutorial center, a computer lab, a student-athlete study room, offices, a private testing room, and an electronic seminar room. The Writing Center will serve as a place for intellectual engagement in writing, reading, and oral communication and for more sustainable faculty support for writing instruction. The state-of-the-art electronic classroom features a projection system, network capabilities, and laptop computers. This phase of library renovations also included installing electronic compact shelving and new furniture on the second floor.
The electronic classroom in the newly relocated Office of Academic Services.
Father Smith Fellowships established The Office of Mission and Ministry is expected to award the first Father Philip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowships for Study and Service Abroad in February. The late Father Smith served as PC's 11th president from 1994-2005. The fellowships, which will enable students to participate in summer study or service at both Catholic and Dominican sites outside the United States, are being made possible through a gift from Katherine Tellier Murray ’83G and her husband, Thomas Murray, of Salem, Mass. Katherine served as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees from 2000-2008.
Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P. ’63
PC rated highly by national magazines
Sigma Xi induction casts spotlight on research
Providence College earned high marks from three national publications in 2008. PC placed 27th among the top 50 schools nationally in Kiplinger’s “Best Values” rankings and was rated 3rd among 179 colleges and universities in the North Region’s “Best Universities/Master’s” category in the 2009 America’s Best Colleges guide. The ranking is published by U.S. News & World Report.
Fourteen students were inducted during the official installation of the College’s chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, in October. The chapter installation and induction ceremony were preceded by poster presentations by student researchers majoring in biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and physics.
Additionally, PC placed 212th of the top 569 schools in Forbes’ “Best Colleges” ratings. Only Boston College (32nd) and Holy Cross (79th) placed above PC among competitor schools.
CCDS lectures endowed by Quinns Edward J. Quinn, Jr. ’63 and his wife, Kathleen Reilly Quinn, of Boston, Mass., have pledged a generous gift to the College to endow the four major, annual lectures presented by the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies. The gift will allow the College to sponsor nationally recognized scholars to present the lectures.
Founded in 1886, Sigma Xi is an international honor society that promotes the role of research in human progress and boasts more than 200 Nobel Prize winners among its members. Dr. Ann Williams, national Sigma Xi president and field studies coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, formally installed the chapter and welcomed the 14 students inducted that evening. The new inductees joined 25 faculty members and students—including several students who graduated last May—who were inducted last year as “at large” members. Abigail Mariga ’09 of Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, left, discusses her research poster with Dr. Ann Williams, national president of Sigma Xi. Mariga studied the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease on the brains of mice during an internship at Pfizer, a pharmaceuticals company.
The lectures are: the St. Albert the Great Lecture on Faith, Reason, and Science; the St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture on Philosophy and Theology; the St. Joseph Lecture on History, Justice, and Peace; and the St. Catherine of Siena Lecture on Spirituality and the Frontiers of Evangelization.
PC records 94% NCAA Graduation Success Rate Providence College’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) among studentathletes stands at 94 percent, ranking the College fourth among BIG EAST Conference schools in the most recent GSR data to be announced by the NCAA. The data show that student-athletes across the nation are graduating at the highest rate ever—79 percent. Still, Providence College’s GSR is 15 percentage points above the average GSR of all Division I colleges and universities for 2001—the most recent year for which the GSRs are available.
FAFSA deadlines approaching Parents and students: Have you filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) yet? Various deadlines for state and federal aid are quickly approaching. For more detailed information on financial aid programs and application deadlines and requirements, visit: www.providence.edu/Admission/ undergraduate+Financial+Aid/
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Dr. Robert B. Hackey
Dr. Margaret M. Manchester ’83G
National teaching honors add to Accinno Award recipients’ reputations Dr. Robert B. Hackey and Dr. Margaret M. Manchester ’ 83G have long been recognized as two of the finest examples of enlivened teaching and academic scholarship within the Providence College community.
Hackey honored for classroom distinction The U.S. Professors of the Year program is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
In the past two academic years, Manchester and Hackey have received the College’s Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award—presented annually to the tenured faculty member who best exhibits teaching excellence, passion, and enthusiasm for learning, and concern for students’ academic and personal growth.
Hackey, who has taught at the College since 1999, was chosen alongside 43 other state winners, four national winners, and winners from the District of Columbia and Guam. He was selected from among 300 nominees.
Now, they both have been recognized with prominent national teaching honors. Hackey, a professor of health policy and management, was named the Rhode Island 2008 Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in November. One month earlier, Manchester, an assistant professor of history and former director of the American Studies Program, was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to teach at two universities in Hungary, her native country.
Criteria for earning the honor include extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching and contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community, and profession, among others. Winners were selected in four categories: baccalaureate professors, community college professors, doctoral and research university professors, and master’s university and college professors. When reflecting on his time as a faculty member at the College, Hackey called PC “a very special place that provides for serious scholarship.” “As a faculty member here, you can do things that many of my colleagues at other institutions can only dream about,” he said. “I love that PC is a place that takes teaching and learning seriously. Many institutions pay lip service to good teaching but don’t provide the setting that nurtures it. We do.”
Fulbright returns Manchester to roots The Fulbright Program, which recognized Manchester, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It was founded to promote mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and other countries. Each year, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program sends 800 scholars and professionals to more than 140 countries, where they lecture or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. The Fulbright experience in Hungary will be a homecoming of sorts for Manchester. In 1960, her family immigrated to the United States shortly after the Hungarian Revolution. From February to June 2009, Manchester will teach a seminar on “The West in the American Imagination” and a course on American policy in the Middle East at the University of Debrecen and the University of Miskolc. She also will assist faculty members with curriculum development and assessment. “It’s a different world view, and I’m excited about exploring that,” she said of her return to Hungary. “For Hungarian students, the search for their truth and their history is an ongoing process. My goal is to restore a fundamental respect for truth and unbiased narrative.”
s p o t l i g h t o n n e w fa c u lt y
Largest incoming group ever welcomed to
DeGiorgis
The academic life at Providence College was further enriched this past fall with the arrival of 26 new tenure-track faculty members who each brought with them a wealth of knowledge, experience, and scholarly interests. Several also brought international roots from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Virtually all earned their advanced degrees at institutions ranked among the country’s top 100 graduate schools by U.S. News and World Report. Sixteen of these new faculty members left tenure-track positions at other colleges to join the PC faculty, and five joined PC with the advanced tenure-track rank of at least associate professor. “That’s a good sign for what we’re doing at Providence College,” said Dr. Hugh F. Lena, vice president for academic affairs. “It shows that we’ve been successful in attracting experienced faculty to PC, where their teaching and scholarship can flourish.” These men and women who represent several academic disciplines comprise the largest contingent of new faculty welcomed to PC in a single year. Several of them were hired to replace the 15 faculty members who retired last academic year, while others filled new positions that reflect enrollment growth in some academic departments.
Earley
Kang
In this issue of Providence College Magazine, we share career and educational highlights of five new faculty members as examples of the latest infusion of scholarly teaching and talent at PC: Dr. Joseph A. DeGiorgis, assistant professor of biology, earned his Ph.D. from Brown University and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. His specialty is neuroscience. DeGiorgis was a featured scientist in a September 2008 cover story, “A Lab for All Seasons,” about the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s weekly magazine, The Chronicle Review. Dr. Christine E. Earley, associate professor of accountancy in the School of Business, served as an associate professor at Bentley College. Areas of expertise for this Ph.D. graduate of the University of Pittsburgh are auditing and ethics in accounting. Earley has been invited to serve as a panelist and team leader at the American Accounting Association’s new Faculty Consortium in February in Leesburg, Va. Dr. Sang Woo Kang, assistant professor of music, earned his Doctor of Music (D.M.A.) degree from the Eastman School of Music. He also completed studies at The Julliard School and in France at the Academie Internationale Moulin d’Ande.
Longo
Sung
An accomplished pianist, Kang is giving several concerts in the U.S. this spring and will be touring internationally this summer, with concerts scheduled to date in Japan, Singapore, and France. He is also scheduled to appear at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall next November. Prior to joining the PC music department, Kang was a lecturer in piano and theory at the State University of New York-Fredonia. Dr. Nicholas V. Longo ’96, assistant professor of public and community service studies, was one of the first students to graduate from PC’s Public and Community Service Studies Program. Longo, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, is the new director of PC’s Global Studies Program. His areas of expertise are civic engagement and youth political engagement. Prior to returning to PC, Longo directed the Wilks Leadership Institute at Miami University, Ohio. He is the author of Why Community Matters: Connecting Education with Civic Life (SUNY Press, 2007). Eric Sung, assistant professor of art, joined PC from a similar rank at Southeastern Louisiana University. He earned his M.F.A. degree at Indiana University. An accomplished photographer, his work was exhibited in China this fall at the Ping Yao International Photography Festival.
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Q: A:
What do Providence College and the Harvard Divinity School have in common?
PC’s Dr. Joan R. Branham, associate professor of art history and chair of the Department of Art and Art History. The Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., has twice invited Branham to spend a year in its world-renowned Women’s Studies in Religion Program (WSRP). Last academic year, she served as acting director and visiting associate professor of Early Christianity and Judaism. In 2001-02, she was a research associate and visiting lecturer, sharing her expertise in ancient religious art and architecture.
Dr. Joan R. Branham
“My experiences at Harvard Divinity School (HDS) inform so much of what I do every day here at PC, both in the classroom and as department chair,” said Branham. “At Harvard, I was immersed in the leading scholarship on the history of religions and gender studies—learning from both students and colleagues. I was intensively challenged and rejuvenated by the scholarship there, and it gave me a fresh perspective to bring back to PC.” Branham believes that the PC-Harvard connection has been a mutually beneficial two-way street. “What I brought from the College enhanced the Harvard program, and I could not have accomplished what I did there without having directed the Center for Teaching Excellence, for example. Being involved with cross-campus initiatives, such as the Interdisciplinary Faculty Seminar and reinforcing the link between teaching and research, helped prepare me for the Harvard directorship. That was one of the reasons Harvard selected me for this position,” she said.
One example of Branham’s scholarship while at Harvard is the cover story in the autumn 2008 Harvard Divinity Bulletin. “The Temple That Won’t Quit” examines Florida’s Holy Land Experience theme park and relates to her HDS research theme of “Ritual, Gender, and Space in the Jerusalem Temple, Ancient Synagogues, and Early Churches.” In addition, Branham taught a graduate course at HDS focusing on sacrifice, ritual theories, and architectural history. Branham noted that the “high value placed on teaching at PC” helped train her for her Harvard classroom. Branham, who is vice president, chair of fellowships, and a trustee of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, also contributed to the two-hour PBS documentary The Bible’s Buried Secrets, which premiered on NOVA in November. She was part of an international team of scholars and researchers who examined issues in biblical archaeology. At the end of the first week of airing, NOVA announced that the program set new PBS records, having been watched by more than 6 million viewers. Her NOVA contributions brought her back to HDS this past fall for a panel discussion about the film. She later served on panels discussing the film’s archaeological revelations at WGBH-TV in Boston and at the Society for Biblical Literature Conference—the largest gathering of biblical scholars in the world—also held in Boston. Branham’s new book on sacred space in ancient Judaism and early Christianity goes into press this winter and will be published by Cambridge University Press.
engaged learning: Thirst for answers knows no research bounds Providence College faculty members and students regularly engage in research projects that enhance the academic experience at PC—whether through projects in campus laboratories, on an archaeological dig in the Mediterranean, or under the canopy of the tropical rainforest. Here are a few examples: •Last
summer, Dr. Thomas F. Strasser, assistant professor of art history, brought art history students Natalie Cooper ’08 (St. Paul, Minn.) and Chad DiGregorio ’08 (Upton, Mass.) with him to the Greek island of Crete, where he directs the Plakias Mesolithic Survey. The survey’s goal is to find the earliest human sites on the island from the Mesolithic Period of 9000-7000 B.C. Until now, the oldest archaeological findings are from the Neolithic Period of 7000-3000 B.C. “The discovery of these early artifacts demonstrates precocious sea-faring abilities in the Aegean. In addition, we have learned what ecosystems on Crete huntergatherers exploited,” said Strasser.
•Biology major Dan Moyer ’09 (Kennebunk, Maine) traveled to Costa Rica last summer with the Organization for Tropical Studies. His studies in tropical biology included visits to four research stations, field trips to volcanoes, and hikes exploring local flora and fauna. “Whether it was hiking in the forest observing birds, reptiles, primates, and insects, or eating at a local Costa Rican eatery,” said Moyer, “my experience is something that I will remember for the above: Dr. Joseph A. DeGiorgis with an El Rojo Diablo squid
rest of my life. This program was a great supplement to my Providence College education.”
•Dr.
Craig B. Wood, professor of natural science in biology, ventured to Cusuco National Park in Honduras last summer as a conservation biology research volunteer with Operation Wallacea, a UKbased organization that offers biological and conservation management research programs in remote locations around the world. In addition, one of Wood’s current student research assistants, Rachel Danforth ’09 (Westfield, Ind.), and Kate Maher ’08 (Yonkers, N.Y.) spent last summer in Operation Wallacea’s South African program. “The more our students get out and see the tropics the more they understand ecology, evolutionary biology, botany, and zoology—from Darwin to his contemporary, Alfred Russel Wallace, for whom Operation Wallacea is named, to present-day naturalists,” noted Wood.
summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Mass., on Cape Cod. Costello studied the relationships between fluid motions around gelatinous predators— such as jellyfish—and prey captured by those predators. Assisting him was Wes Beaulieu ’09 (Coventry, R.I.). DeGiorgis was an instructor in the imaging section of the MBL’s Neurobiology course and conducted summer research along with Jean-Pierre Sarkis ’10 (Cranston, R.I.). His research on “axonal transport” uses the North Atlantic Long-finned Squid, Loligo pealei, as a model for understanding neuronal physiology. This squid, he explained, has the largest known neuron, in terms of diameter, making it easy to manipulate and study. More recently, DeGiorgis conducted additional neuronal research on squid during a Christmas intersession trip to Chile. One of the species he came across during his research was a large squid called El Rojo Diablo, or The Red Devil.
•Closer to home, fellow biology professors Dr. John H. Costello and Dr. Joseph A. DeGiorgis pursued research interests last
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Students to manage $15,000 Fidelity grant for community A higher-education pioneer in public and community service studies, Providence College is taking another step in meeting the needs of the community with the help of a $15,000 grant that will be managed entirely by students. The College was chosen this past fall as one of 10 institutions nationally to participate in the Fidelity Investments’ Students4Giving program. The program is sponsored by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and Campus Compact. This spring, students in the PSP 470 – Special Topics in Public and Community Service Studies class, will plan and distribute funds from the Fidelity grant to
not-for-profit groups of their choice in the nearby Smith Hill area of Providence. “We’re preparing students in a very practical way,” said special lecturer William Allen, a former United Way of Rhode Island executive vice president, who designed the course in philanthropy and first taught it last spring. “It gives them skills they’ll use not only as students now, but also when they graduate.” In addition to evaluating and selecting the recipients, the 15 students will be responsible for fund-raising and improving the effectiveness of the community programs they choose.
“The Fidelity money adds a whole new dimension because it gives students real money to distribute,” said Allen. The grant, which includes an additional $3,000 for administrative costs, ideally will be the first step in a working relationship with the organizations selected. “Part of the commitment we made to Fidelity is that PC will be in it for the long run,” said Allen. “We have to make sure we can sustain the progress we make.” As home to the nation’s first public and community service studies major through its Feinstein Institute for Public Service, PC has a history of commitment to community engagement.
Canavan Sports Medicine Center fully operational Providence College celebrated the completion of the newly located and expanded Canavan Sports Medicine Center during a grand-opening ceremony in October. The 4,000-square-foot facility in Alumni Hall is a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and treatment center for student-athletes. It features a hydrotherapy room—the last phase of the construction work—that contains a rehabilitation pool and two “plunge” treatment pools, at left. The center also includes nine treatment tables, two doctor’s offices, and a multitude of cardiovascular equipment. It is named for College trustee M. Joseph Canavan ’65 and his wife, MaryBeth, who donated a significant six-figure gift toward its construction. Taking part with the Canavans in the ribbon-cutting are, from left, College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80; John P. Rock, assistant athletic director for sports medicine; and Mark Rapoza ’90SCE, assistant vice president for capital projects and facilities planning.
Learning from disaster
PC emergency management director’s expertise aids hurricane relief Two disastrous hurricanes that struck Gulf Coast states less than a month apart last fall sounded an alarm for Providence College’s director of emergency management, Koren Kanadanian. Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike killed more than 300 people, injured thousands, and inflicted an estimated $40 billion in damages. Kanadanian had a bird’s-eye view of the conditions and the devastation as a security specialist, safety officer, and emergency medical technician (EMT) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). Kanadanian, who was named the College’s first director of emergency management in January 2008, is a member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) of the
National Disaster Medical System, directed by the USDHHS. His particular team, which is based in Boston, comprises about 140 members. The team is required to have a roster of 35 members to be deployed. DMAT members are trained to provide medical care, safety and security, and other medical and support services during and after a disaster or other emergency. With the College’s permission, Kanadanian responded to both disasters in September and October. Coincidentally, his first deployment was to a college campus during Hurricane Gustav. He served as a safety and security specialist in the field house at Louisiana State University (LSU), which was designated a federal medical shelter (FMS).
Less than two weeks after returning to PC, he was redeployed to Galveston Island, Texas, to provide medical triage care in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. The Louisiana deployment was for 15 days and the deployment to Texas lasted 10, with shifts lasting 12-14 hours. When he slept, it was on a floor inside the field house in Baton Rouge and in a tent on Galveston Island. Providence College was in his thoughts when he was providing emergency relief at both locations, admitted Kanadanian. Disasters and emergencies affecting students, faculty, staff, and visitors are always a possibility on campus, he said. His divergent experiences in Louisiana and Texas carried additional importance continued on next page
Above photo: Members of the Massachusetts Disaster Medical Assistance Team assist an arriving patient during their response in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike at the University of Texas Medical Branch hospital on Galveston Island. (Photo courtesy of Koren Kanadanian)
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I need to learn as much as I can to bring back home. Any of these things could happen to us. —Koren Kanadanian, director of emergency management continued from previous page to him in light of the fact the College has been asked by the federal government and the Red Cross to consider serving as an FMS site and as an emergency evacuation shelter, respectively. Peterson Recreation Center would be the location for either use, he noted. While the College has emergency response and operations plans in place, Kanadanian said his deployments re-emphasized the value of planning and of having agreements in place with local, state, and federal agencies to establish needs and levels of responsibilities. The administration and the Emergency Response Committee must continue to discuss a multitude of topics including possible emergency scenarios; facilities to house victims and evacuees; adequate resources like generators, medical equipment, toilet and shower facilities, bedding, and food; safety and security; and more.
top: PC’s Koren Kanadanian, right, takes part in a briefing inside a tent on Galveston Island, Texas. bottom: The University of Texas Medical Branch hospital on Galveston Island., with hurricane debris in the foreground. (Photos courtesy of Koren Kanadanian)
Severe conditions and consequences The expanse and gravity of consequences in a disaster was particularly ingrained in Kanadanian in his response at LSU. DMAT unit members set up and staffed a 500bed special needs medical shelter in the field house. Gustav struck in the middle of the night and took 23 hours to pass. Part of the roof collapsed during the hurricane and power was lost, forcing officials to use generators. Team members cared for approximately 225 patients, ranging in age from 27 days old to 92 years old, and for 85 family members or caregivers. Many had acute needs. There
were patients on oxygen as well as evacuees with Alzheimer’s disease. There was one subset of 38 patients on hospice care, four of whom died at the shelter. Among the safety issues Kanadanian and others confronted, after severe damage to the LSU field house during the hurricane, at one point water was dripping near an electrical outlet that was being used for a ventilator for an infant. He also noted that officials were surprised to discover flammable liquids had been stored in the field house. “We had the National Guard, local and campus police, public health officials, and DMAT people there, and we all worked well together. We had the highest mission in mind: to provide the best medical care and keep everyone safe,” said Kanadanian. Totally different circumstances Unlike Hurricane Gustav, where the DMAT unit arrived before the disaster occurred, the deployment in Texas was “more like a mission,” he said. Members responded a little more than a week after Hurricane Ike ravaged the region to relieve another DMAT unit. The damage to the area where the unit responded—the University of Texas Medical Branch, a massive campus with 70 buildings on Galveston Island—was so monumental that it might not reopen. Damage estimates exceeded $710 million. Parts of the hospital where Kanadanian worked were under 12 feet of water before his unit arrived, and the emergency room was the only part of the facility open.
Vincent Marzullo ’69
In his role as an EMT assigned to perform patient triage, Kanadanian and his colleagues saw 60 to 80 patients a day. The extent of needs ranged from cardiac problems to snake bites and lacerations. Patients with more serious medical needs were transported by helicopter or ground ambulances to Houston or Austin. Many of the patients sought help at the hospital because they ran out of their medications, since travel and community operations were extremely limited. These included people on medication for psychiatric reasons such as depression and anxiety. A DMAT mobile pharmaceutical unit supplemented the hospital’s pharmacy to provide the medications. Kanadanian, who was a Franklin, Mass., police officer for 12 years before coming to PC, emphasized that his experiences in Louisiana and Texas gave him lots to “think about” in his role as emergency management director at PC. While he has been a member of DMAT for two years, these were his first two deployments. “You can’t get this training unless you see some of the things I’ve seen and been involved in,” he said. “I need to learn as much as I can to bring back home. Any of these things could happen to us.”
Federal agency program director helps coordinate relief and recovery efforts
Although Vincent Marzullo’s home office is in Providence, R.I., his base of operations is often the scene of the latest natural disaster to hit the United States. Marzullo ’69, who earned a bachelor of arts in social studies at Providence College, is the Rhode Island program director for the Corporation for National & Community Service, an independent federal agency which oversees federal volunteer and national service. Along with directing volunteer and service activities in Rhode Island, he responds to disaster sites nationwide to help coordinate the response of such agencies as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Red Cross, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Most recently, Marzullo spent nearly three weeks in Texas dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. He had just finished working for several weeks in Missouri after substantial flooding there in July. In Texas, Marzullo directed activities for 300 AmeriCorps members and helped coordinate overall disaster relief activities with 500 other federal officials who operated out of field offices in Austin. “For instance, we had to bring in and oversee deployment of the AmeriCorps members for providing shelter, food distribution management, debris removal, propping roofs, removing muck from flooded homes, and assisting FEMA in taking applications for assistance from individuals impacted by the storms,” Marzullo said.
Massive operation The scope of the disaster was enormous. “Houston did not have electricity for about two weeks, and there was considerable damage in the downtown area,” he noted. “About 75 percent of the homes in Galveston were either destroyed or substantially damaged. “About 10,000 displaced people were set up in hotels throughout Texas,” Marzullo said. “We provided support to two tent city operations that would accommodate up to 1,500 residents—and house federal officials and volunteers—and three smaller tent feeding facilities that would each accommodate up to 500 people.” Efforts are still under way, he said, to move people from hotels into mobile homes. “Most people are not aware of the tremendous governmental and community relations that occur to keep people updated and to figure out how to get help into an area, and then coordinate and support the responders to the area,” Marzullo explained. “When you are engaged in response and relief activities it is completely consuming work. Activities go on for 12 to 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.” Before leaving a disaster site, he said, “We try to get the local community back on its feet and the economy going again.” In addition to his relief and recovery efforts, Marzullo oversees the Rhode Island activities of AmeriCorps (a national service program), VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program), and the Foster Grandparents Program.
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Class of 2008 graduates
extend education with worldly service by kathryn mahon peach
For many, continuing education means spending more time in the classroom. But as five graduates of the Class of 2008 have discovered, at large can sometimes be the most
“Before coming to Belize, I did not realize how much I would learn about myself,” said Patrick Cassidy, a social work major from Northford, Conn., who is serving as a Jesuit volunteer in Punta Gorda, Belize. “Completely removed from the luxuries of my life in the States, I have been allowed the opportunity to look deeper into my life, my desires, and my faith.” Cassidy is one of three PC classmates who are serving with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), the largest Catholic lay volunteer program in the country. Founded in 1956, JVC gives men and women the opportunity to work full time among the poor in the United States and developing countries. Cassidy is serving two years in Belize. As a program officer for Socio-Economic Outreach’s “Fighting Poverty and Malnutrition” initiative, he helps Mayan families develop a sustainable lifestyle through the rearing of pigs and chickens. His responsibilities include visiting local families, vaccinating pigs, and developing training seminars. “Working alongside the poor and marginalized opens your eyes to the reality of the world and the troubles that many face each and every day,” noted Cassidy. “It allows you to realize how blessed we are to
volunteering in the world
effective way to further one’s education.
have what God has given us, including an American college education.”
group, giving talks, organizing field trips, and helping them market handmade goods.
Nancy Andrade, a Spanish/global studies major from Seekonk, Mass., recently returned from volunteer stints with the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, and ProWorld Service Corps in Urubamba, Peru. Her experiences allowed her to learn more about Nicaragua’s revolutionary history and witness firsthand the effects of political corruption on individuals.
Motivated to help the marginalized However, bringing their studies to life or “discovering themselves” were hardly the primary goals of these alumni when they signed up for volunteer service. Their chief hope was to use their talents and time to help those on the margins of society.
“Learning and studying is great, but it’s not the same as really experiencing it,” said Andrade. “By living with a host family in Nicaragua, I saw the everyday struggles that people have to do to get by. I saw people working so hard to improve their situations and how political corruption prevents many of them from getting ahead. I knew that I got to come back to [the comforts of the United States], but the people there have to keep living and surviving.” In Nicaragua, Andrade worked to educate women and helped develop a series of workshops for victims of domestic violence. In Peru, she assisted with an environmental education project, teaching students about everything from global warming to composting, and she worked with a women’s
Passionists missionary Betsy Rouleau ’08 visits with a local bush farmer, Mr. Brooks, in Jamaica. (Photo courtesy of Betsy Rouleau ’08)
“I really wanted an opportunity where I could give back in some way, and volunteering was the way to do it,” said Erica Carroll, a Spanish major from Long Island, N.Y., who is serving as a paralegal with JVC in Los Angeles. “I’ve discovered that I can contribute to bring substantial and meaningful change to people’s lives. I’ve become more serious about examining my choices and actions and seeing how they might contribute to injustice in our society.” In her volunteer work, Carroll serves as a translator, gives community presentations to young people about their legal rights, and participates in a free housing clinic each week. Betsy Rouleau, an education major from West Greenwich, R.I., joined the Passionists Volunteers International in Jamaica with continued on next page
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A foundation of inspiration All of these volunteers note that something in their Providence College experience—either their professors, their Campus Ministry involvement, or their service work—led them to this decision. “Just being at a Catholic college and being involved in Campus Ministry
Local schoolchildren in Jamaica love “Miss Betsy,” Betsy Rouleau ’08.
in one way or another meant that
(Photo courtesy of Betsy Rouleau ’08)
service was something that was the hope of making an immediate and substantial impact. “Before I came to Jamaica, I thought I was coming to save the world—to make big changes. I had big ideas about charity, justice, and poverty,” she said. “Being here, however, has shown me that I am just a tiny step in the process toward justice. If I can use my gifts, talents, or education to help the community, then that is wonderful … but it is the relationships with the people in the villages that are most important.” Rouleau serves as a social worker of sorts in four small, rural “mission” communities. She spends part of her time tutoring and assisting students in a village school. She also provides friendship and assistance to the sick, shut-ins, and elderly of the community, and works with a church and non-governmental organizations to provide locals with basic necessities. The passion Rouleau and others bring to their service reveals something deeper than a mere sense of adventure. For these young people, serving others across the
country and around the globe is a calling. By working with people on the margins of society, living a simple life in community or with a host family, and reflecting on the disparity between rich and poor, they have learned more about themselves and their vocation in life. “If I had gone immediately into graduate school or a work setting, I would have missed the chance to reawaken my real passion: serving the poor as Jesus did,” said Rebecca Guhin, a theology major from West Chester, Pa., who is serving as an outreach associate with JVC at Mustard Seed School for Homeless Children in Sacramento, Calif. “I have learned so much about myself … and it has given me the opportunity to discover … who I would like to serve in my life: homeless children.” Guhin’s day includes interviewing families who are new to Mustard Seed and assisting them in finding the necessary resources, reaching out to the community, driving children to and from school, and monitoring lunch and recess each day.
strongly encouraged and there were a lot of resources there for me to explore what I wanted,” said Carroll. Added Cassidy, “Since leaving PC, I have realized the amount of thankfulness I owe to the social work department, especially Dr. Susan Griffith Grossman, Dr. Marian Mattison, and Dr. Michael Hayes. Learning from my professors the strength of self-empowerment helped me to realize more clearly my dream of moving abroad to pursue a volunteer opportunity.”
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Shortly before his death in December 2005, the distinguished microbiologist bequeathed a gift of $5.2 million to PC for scholarships. It represented the largest single donation for scholarships in school history. With the receipt of several additional gifts since then—the latest of which is $3,041,000—from the ongoing sale of estate assets, as well as interest earned, Dr. Whitcome’s bequest has grown to $10,907,006.
Whitcome
estate eases students’ educational expenses
This amount was added to the Whitcome Family Scholarship Fund, which the generous PC benefactor established in 2001 for students with financial need who are studying the natural sciences. Today, the fund also benefits students studying mathematics or computer science. The scholarship fund helped a total of 25 PC students—mostly biology or biochemistry majors—pay their educational expenses during the 2007-08 academic year and the current academic year, according to Sandra J. Oliveira, executive director of financial aid.
A recent disbursement of more than $3 million from the estate of Philip J. Whitcome, Ph.D. ’70 has helped increase the College’s
Current, future impact These scholarships have helped set the stage for their futures, noted two of the recipients. Jennifer K. Le ’10 of Fall River, Mass., a first-generation student, is pursuing a B.S. in biology/optometry and a doctor of optometry degree through PC’s program with the New England College of Optometry.
largest endowed scholarship fund to nearly $11 million.
“This scholarship made it possible for me to be here at PC,” said Le, who did pharmaceutical research last summer that was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She hopes to open her own optometry office some day. “I also plan to go to Vietnam to provide free eye exams to the families in rural areas and hopefully help people with vision problems who cannot afford eye care,” she said. A biochemistry major and mathematics minor, Michael B. Ross ’11 of Dedham, Mass., said the scholarship has “eased the burden of my educational expenses” and will “help open doors.” He is considering pursuing graduate studies in chemistry or biochemistry, performing research in pharmaceuticals, and becoming a college professor. A Madison, Conn., resident, Dr. Whitcome earned a B.S. in physics at PC through the Experimental Honors Research Training Program of the National Institutes of Health; an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; and a doctorate in molecular biology from UCLA. Among his career highlights, he was a director and chairman of the board of Avigen, a company he founded to develop gene-based therapeutic products for treating inherited and acquired diseases, and president and chief executive officer of Neurogen Corporation, a pharmaceutical firm.
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keeping the promise In addition, he is a retired basketball referee for the NCAA and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League. Walker
Murphy
Kenneth R. Walker Family Scholarship Fund created for African-American education majors For nearly his entire adult life, Kenneth R. Walker, Ed.D. ’57 & ’83Hon. has given hope and opportunity to thousands of people. Whether it’s been through his role as chairperson of the Rhode Island Parole Board, teaching at Rhode Island’s colleges and universities, or volunteering for several local charitable organizations, Walker has dedicated himself to helping others. In honor of that selflessness, John Murphy, founder and chairman of Home Loan Investment Bank, FSB in Warwick, R.I., and a member of the College’s Providence President’s Council, has created the Kenneth R. Walker Family Scholarship Fund at Providence College.
A natural spirit of service Walker is a retired professor of secondary education at Rhode Island College (RIC) and an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at Johnson & Wales University. He is also a member of the College’s Providence President’s Council.
The endowed fund will award scholarships to African-American students who major in education. Walker was deeply moved by the gift, envisioning the tremendous opportunity it represents for students who “decide to come to PC after high school… and decide they want to become a teacher.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree from PC and a master of education degree from RIC, Walker earned his doctorate in education from Boston University. While studying at RIC, he worked as the assistant director of Project Upward Bound, a program for economically and educationally disadvantaged youths.
He said, “I was filled up with emotion when John first told me about this and I’m filled up now.” “Ken Walker is a hero as far as I’m concerned,” said Murphy, a close friend of Walker who has made substantial contributions toward the fund to date. “This is a man with a proud track record who should be honored.”
Walker has been widely recognized and honored for his community involvement and his work on the parole board. He was the recipient of the 2004 Vincent O’Leary Award from the Association of Paroling Authorities International. A philanthropist’s heart As Walker has dedicated his life to service, Murphy has devoted his resources to philanthropy. A graduate of Hope High School in Providence, he created the John Murphy MTI (Mentor Tutor Internship) Fund at the University of Rhode Island. He also has helped raise more than $1 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Murphy’s bank, Home Loan, made a sizable donation to continue a partnership in pediatric hematology-oncology research between St. Jude and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Dublin, Ireland. Other organizations receiving considerable support from Murphy include the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Providence Black Repertory Company, Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education, and the San Miguel School in Providence, among many others. In addition, Murphy made major contributions to St. Joseph’s Health Services of Rhode Island, making the hospital’s new operating center a reality.
Walker began his tenure with the Rhode Island Parole Board in 1980 and has served continuously over the past 28 years.
This latest gift, the Kenneth R. Walker Family Scholarship Fund, is a fitting tribute to a friend he has known since the 1950s, Murphy said, noting that he first came to know Walker as a basketball player in the Fox Point section of Providence.
His sterling community service and volunteer record also includes being the past president of Big Brothers of Rhode Island and a member of the Teen Drug Court of the Rhode Island Family Court.
“I was a city kid, and I’m not going to walk away from my roots,” he said. “Ken and I know there are a lot of kids out there who need our help, and we’re trying to help out as many as we can.”
t h e H a r k i n s S o c i e t y:
Lasting Support for PC The Harkins Society honors benefactors who have included Providence College in their estate plans through bequests or other deferred gifts. Two benefactors who have chosen to do so are The Honorable William C. Leary ’60 and his wife, Emily, who are longtime supporters of the College, the Department of Athletics, and particularly the women’s ice hockey program. In addition, Bill was the president of the National Alumni Association Board of Governors in 2003-04 and has served as a phonathon volunteer. “I am grateful for the education I received from Providence College, and I know I’ve received so much more than I could possibly ever give back,” said Bill. “I believe the generosity of PC alumni and friends will make a significant difference in the opportunities available to students attending the College.”
Bill retired last year after a distinguished 37-year career as a Probate Court judge for the State of Connecticut. The Learys live in Windsor Locks, Conn. Providence College invites alumni to consider following the example of Bill and Emily by making a lasting gift to PC. Individuals who establish a life income plan or make PC the beneficiary of an insurance policy or a retirement plan are invited to become a member of the Harkins Society. In addition to providing long-term financial security for the College, your planned gift often yields benefits to you and your family, including tax benefits and easing the tax burden for future heirs.
save the date sunday, april 26, 2009 Mass 10:30 a.m. St. Dominic Chapel
With a tribute to the late Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P. ’63, College president from 1994-2005
Brunch to follow Campus Ministry Center
For more on the Harkins Society and planned giving, contact Lisa M. Bousquet ’86, assistant vice president for development, at (401) 865-1514, e-mail development@ providence.edu, or go to www.providence. edu/alumni/plannedgiving.
2007-2008 A Celebration of the Arts
Scholarship Brunch
William C. '60 and Emily Leary
thursday, april 30, 2009 Smith Center for the Arts
Annual Donor Report available online The Providence College Annual Donor Report for 2007-2008, entitled “Keeping the Promise: One Donor at a Time,” can be viewed online at: www.providence.edu/Alumni/Giving+to+PC/
For updated information on these events, go to www.providence.edu/alumni and click on Events.
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friartown feature
a towering
on and off the court NBA’s Ryan Gomes ’05 is all about giving back
by mike scandura
Ryan Gomes ’05 volunteers reading to local children during his days at PC.
According to Boston Celtics’ President Rich Gotham ’86, Ryan Gomes ’05 had just finished his “breakout” game during his rookie season with the NBA team. After media interviews, Gomes remained on the court and signed autographs. “I was coming off the court and saw what Ryan was doing,” recalled Gotham. “I tapped him on the shoulder and asked ‘You’re not going big time on me?’ He said, ‘Oh, no … no!’ He took me seriously. “The thing that made Ryan different was he never thought about that stuff. He doesn’t have any of the trappings of success. He understands he’s in a position to help people, and he has a desire to do it,” said Gotham. Gomes’ desire to help people extends from his charitable endeavors for Providence College to his community work in Boston and now, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where he currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is far-reaching and genuine. A slam-dunk health initiative Perhaps Gomes’ most important mission is his Hoops for Heart Health initiative. The one-time Friar All-American is purchasing and donating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to community and recreational centers in all 30 NBA cities.
By the end of the 2007-08 season, the rugged forward had donated 14 AEDs in 13 cities, plus one to Stonehill College, where he met Philadelphia native Rachel Moyer in July 2008. Moyer’s son, Greg, collapsed and died of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during halftime of a high school basketball game in December 2000. Gomes learned from Moyers that if a defibrillator had been at the gym in East Stroudsburg, Pa., her son’s heart could have been shocked and revived, which would have allowed oxygen to resume flowing to his brain. A similar tragedy struck closer to home when Stanley Myers, who at one time had played against Gomes and his Connecticut Select AAU team, died from SCA at age 19, one month prior to the 2007-08 season at Morgan State, where he was enrolled. “He was younger than me, but I played basketball with him,” said Gomes. “After that, I wanted to figure out what I could do to help this situation. I felt because I was a pro athlete some people will listen, not just because people in their 50s and 60s can have heart problems but also people who are physically in the best shape. “Through a tragedy, maybe sometimes you can lift people up.”
Obviously, Gomes hopes the defibrillators never will be used. “If something does happen, it’s there,” he said. “At least you have a chance, and maybe you can save somebody’s life.” Gomes’ next steps can best be described as massive in scope. He aims to finish supplying AEDs to community and recreational centers in NBA cities by the end of this season. He has begun looking into the AED needs for men’s and women’s basketball teams at all approximately 340 Division I schools and, at last count, had donated defibrillators to 11 schools. “Then, I want to look into school systems in my area,” said Gomes, who was born in Waterbury, Conn. “If we put the word out, hopefully people will latch onto it.” He’s the real thing Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., PC associate vice president for athletics and athletic director, has his own opinion regarding why people are inclined to “latch onto” Gomes. “I have a collection of Ryan Gomes moments, including his interaction with young children,” said Driscoll. “At the conclusion of our games, you would see him ‘high-five’ young kids. He would sign autographs and take time to say a kind word to people. “He would greet fans who’ve been going
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“Ryan’s real. He is who he is whether the spotlight’s on or not. That’s what makes him special.” Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., PC athletic director
to Providence College games for 30 years. There’s a certain kindness he has in his heart. A lot of big-time players wouldn’t do that. You would see him do that when the camera wasn’t on.
Boston selected Gomes in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in two seasons with the Celtics, being voted to the NBA AllRookie Second Team in his first season.
“Ryan’s real,” continued Driscoll. “He is who he is whether the spotlight’s on or not. That’s what makes him special.”
Difficult to part with Prior to the 2007-08 season, he was traded with five other players plus a first-round draft pick to Minnesota for perennial AllStar Kevin Garnett—who subsequently helped the Celtics to the 2008 NBA Championship.
Gomes certainly had a special playing career at PC from 2001-05. “He was injured his senior year in high school,” recalled Driscoll. “I don’t think anybody ever thought he would become the greatest scorer in the history of Providence College basketball.” Gomes graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,138 points, breaking the 38-year record held by the late Jimmy Walker ’67. He also finished fifth in career rebounds with 1,028. As a junior, he earned nine All-America honors. He was voted to the BIG EAST Conference First Team twice in his Friar career. During his senior year, Gomes led the conference in scoring with a 21.6 pointsper-game average and was fifth in rebounding with an average of 8.2 boards.
Gomes played extremely well in his first season with the Timberwolves, averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. “It was difficult to see him go, but the magnitude of the deal dictated that we had to give up value to get value,” Gotham said. “Ryan became a beloved player in our organization and with the fan base. He’s a genuinely humble person who’s got a very positive attitude and is very sincere. “He doesn’t have a superstar ego or any pretense at all,” added Gotham. “Aside from the fact he’s 6-foot-7, if you met him and talked to him and didn’t know he was a professional basketball player, you still wouldn’t know it.”
While Gomes was with Boston, he reached out to children who were ill, who were from underprivileged backgrounds, and who were blind. After his rookie season, he received the Celtics’ Community Player of the Year Award. “We certainly didn’t have to twist his arm,” said Gotham. “He came to us with his own ideas regarding what he wanted to do. “He’s part of the Providence College mission of people who go out in the world, who are good at their job, and also give back.” Besides his Hoops for Heart Health initiative, Gomes has given back to his new community in Minnesota by participating in the Read to Achieve program, which is geared to elementary school students. “I talk to kids about how reading is fundamental,” said Gomes. “I try to tell them these stages are important and you want to get to the next level. “It’s important that they develop the right study habits so they can understand and define the words.” A Friar all the way Gomes also has immersed himself in activities involving PC.
Head Coach Doc Rivers, right, welcomes Ryan Gomes ’05 to the Boston Celtics in 2005.
He has attended the post-season men’s basketball banquet; participated in the annual Friar Golf Classic fundraiser; donated Celtics’ jerseys to the Department of Athletics; hosted alumni receptions prior to Celtics’ games where he’s addressed fellow alumni; and when he was with the Celtics, he practiced with the Friars.
“he doesn’t have any of the trappings of success. he understands he’s in a position to help people, and he has a desire to do it.” Rich Gotham ’86, Celtics president
“Ryan’s a great representative of Providence College and Providence College basketball,” said Steve Napolillo ’98, associate athletic director for the Friar Athletic Fund. “He’s someone who appreciates what Providence College did for him. He sees everything Providence College stands for, from community involvement, to the way he treats kids, to the way he comes to events for us. “He’s a great role model and a great human being.” Influenced by many Without question, Gomes is grateful for the support he’s received from family members and friends, especially his mother, Teresa. “What I saw her go through to raise me showed me the way to give back is by example,” he said. “If I use my story regarding where I am today, then I’ll be able to show kids they can get to this level.
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“I’m grateful and appreciative for what Providence College has done for me from day one . . . If it weren’t for my professors and coaches, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Ryan Gomes
“My thing growing up was the support I had in Connecticut and the people who put out their hand to help me become successful. That’s what I try to do. I let people know they have a chance to do this but they must take the right path. I want to give back to the community because I want to help people become successful and put smiles on their faces.” Gomes’ appreciation for what Providence College did for him knows no bounds. “I’m grateful and appreciative for what Providence College has done for me from day one, including offering me a scholarship so I could get my education,” he said. “If it weren’t for my professors and coaches, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” In retrospect, PC administrators, coaches, and instructors helped mold Gomes in body, mind, and spirit, he said.
of my main people was Father Morris [Rev. Robert A. Morris, O.P. ’44, retired special lecturer of theology and the former faculty athletics representative]. He was great to me even when I didn’t have his class. He always was putting out a helping hand. “The coaching staff [led by former head coach Tim Welsh] was awesome,” continued Gomes, “and so was Arthur Parks [associate athletic director for marketing and communications]. We go way back. We have a great relationship, and I know it will stand up over time. “Anything that Providence College asks me to do, as long as my schedule permits, I’m willing to do it because they gave me an opportunity to showcase my ability.” As much as anything, Gomes relished Providence College itself.
“I have to thank the whole staff,” he said. “Bob Driscoll has done a tremendous job with everyone there. He brings a positive vibe.
“Providence is a small college, but it’s so tight-knit,” said Gomes. “If I had a class on Monday but not on Tuesday, I’d see my teachers somewhere. You became friends with people and knew they cared about you.
“Father Smith [the late Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P. ’63, PC president from 1994-2005] was a great person whom I talked to a lot. One
“That’s what stuck with me about Providence College. Given all the calls I get, I know people care about me as a person. You
can put the basketball stuff aside. Sure, I’m in the NBA now. But when it’s over, do those friends look at you as a person and not as a basketball player?” A sensitive perspective One group of people literally wasn’t able to look at Gomes, which speaks volumes about the former Friar. “One time we went to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown for the Read to Achieve program,” said Gotham. “Afterward, we went to the gym and were playing games. Ryan put on a blindfold and was pitched to while playing Whiffleball. He was trying to put himself in the place of those kids and understand how challenging life can be for them. “It was a neat thing to watch him putting himself in their place and making that connection with them. That’s important because it’s the way you make an impact. “I was glad to see one of our guys get in there with the kids,” added Gotham. “It can be unnerving getting into a situation with kids who have physical problems. Ryan jumped in and was comfortable. That says what kind of guy he is.”
marinatto continues pc lineage as new big east commissioner
His appointment was made by a unanimous vote of the conference’s chancellors and presidents in November.
A Providence College tradition will continue at the administrative helm of the BIG EAST Conference. The conference has tabbed John Marinatto ’79, former PC assistant vice president for athletics and athletic director, as its next commissioner, effective July 1, 2009. He has served as senior associate commissioner of the conference since 2002.
Marinatto will be just the third commissioner in the BIG EAST’s 30-year history, and each has PC ties. He will succeed current Commissioner Mike Tranghese, who served as PC’s sports information director for seven years in the 1970s. Tranghese replaced former PC head men’s basketball coach, athletic director, and BIG EAST co-founder Dave Gavitt ’89Hon. as commissioner in 1990. “From a professional standpoint, I am obviously very gratified to know that the BIG EAST Conference presidents and chancellors have such confidence in my leadership skills and abilities,” Marinatto said. “Personally, it is an honor to be following in the tradition of Dave Gavitt and Mike Tranghese. Both have been integral in establishing the BIG EAST Conference as one of the premier athletic conferences in the country, and I look forward to continuing in their legacy,” he said. The BIG EAST, with 16 schools and more than 5,000 student-athletes, is the nation’s largest Division I-A athletics conference. Marinatto has held various positions with the BIG EAST. He has served as the chief operating officer and has been responsible for the daily administration of the conference office in Providence. In his current position as senior associate commissioner, he oversees all administrative operations, including NCAA governance, finance, compliance, communications, television, and championships.
From left, Mike Tranghese, John Marinatto ’79, and Dave Gavitt ’89Hon.
“For 30 years, the BIG EAST Conference has enjoyed tremendous success, and one of the keys to that success has been the stability in the commissioner’s chair,” said Richard L. McCormick, president of Rutgers University and chair of the BIG EAST Presidents. “John Marinatto has been a critical contributor to the growth of the conference for many years, and he will continue the lineage of effective leadership for the BIG EAST.”
(Photo courtesy of BIG EAST)
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eleven Friar greats selected for PC
Athletic Hall of Fame
Celebrated Providence College studentathletes and coaches from the 1950s to the 1990s will be rewarded for their contributions with induction into the PC Athletic Hall of Fame. A reception to honor the 11 inductees of the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be held at the Westin Hotel in Providence on February 20. Ten former players and two former coaches will be inducted. One of the honorees, Bob Amato ’63, ran cross country and track as a student, before going on to coach the program from 1969 to 1985. Another honoree, Moira Harrington ’95, was an All-America cross country and track runner who also played four seasons with the women’s soccer team. PC will enshrine two other former AllAmerica and Olympic runners, Sinead Delahunty ’93 and Marie McMahon ’98, into the hall.
Above left: Moira Harrington center: Bob Amato right: Eric WIlliams
Besides Harrington, the Hall of Fame will welcome a second soccer luminary in former men’s Head Coach Bill Doyle. Doyle posted a record of 207-155-35 over 27 seasons (1968-1994), led the Friars to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1983, and was a candidate for National Coach of the Year in 1984.
Two former basketball players also are on this year’s list—Eric Williams ’95, who scored 1,001 points in two seasons and helped the Friars win the BIG EAST title in 1994, and Shanya Evans ’91, who remains the women’s program’s all-time assists leader. All-time PC women’s ice hockey assist leader Stephanie O’Sullivan ’95 also will be inducted. This will be O’Sullivan’s second Hall of Fame ceremony in a matter of four months. She was one of 11 people inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame in November. Bob Reall ’56 is the other ice hockey player being honored. Reall scored 136 points over 66 career games for the men’s team and is 23rd on the program’s career scoring list. Ed Walsh ’88, the all-time home run leader in men’s baseball, and Deb Matejka ’91, an accomplished member of the volleyball program, round out the 2009 Hall of Fame class. Tickets for the reception can be purchased by calling Jennifer Cote, coordinator of athletic development, at (401) 865-1880. The inductees also will be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game versus the University of Notre Dame at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on February 21.
Black-and-white Blue Jay: toronto’s mcdonald keeps his eye on the ball—and a pc degree John McDonald is not your typical Providence College student. He reads for class on planes. He never sees his professors or classmates. He does his homework at big-league ballparks after taking batting practice.
He had a brief stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and then was traded back to Toronto, where he is currently a member of their active roster. Known for his spectacular defense, McDonald has a .971 career fielding percentage.
McDonald is a student, a husband, and a father. And he happens to be a Major League shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Unfinished business As he became established in the game and in the routine of being a professional ballplayer, McDonald said his thoughts turned to his incomplete education.
McDonald’s PC journey is long and winding. He transferred to the College in 1995 after two years at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. He chose PC for its sense of community, strong academic reputation, and the opportunity to play BIG EAST Conference baseball for the Friars.
“I had always planned on finishing what I had started at Providence College,” he said. “A few years ago, I felt that the time was right to begin chipping away at the classes I had left.”
During the 1995 and 1996 seasons, McDonald was PC’s starting shortstop and made Second Team All-Conference both years. Under the direction of then-coach Paul Kostacopoulos, who stressed the importance of middle infield play, McDonald was half of a keystone double-play combo that was ranked in the top five in the country in fielding percentage. In June 1996, McDonald received the news he had been dreaming about his whole life: he had been drafted in the 12th round by the Cleveland Indians. He left PC to pursue a career playing Major League Baseball. On July 4, 1999, McDonald had his first bigleague at-bat, in which he singled to center. For the past 10 seasons, he has shifted between being a starter and a utility player. He played for the Indians through 2004, when he was traded to the Blue Jays.
McDonald re-enrolled at PC through the School of Continuing Education (SCE) and has been taking distance-learning courses online over the past few years. “Playing 162 games in 182 days leaves little time for anything other than baseball and family. Starting back up with classes so long after I had left PC was certainly a challenge; however, it was an opportunity for me to be a better learner and student,” he said. McDonald cites the ongoing guidance of Joseph A. Gemma ’75—assistant professor of management and assistant dean of undergraduate studies who teaches in the SCE—as a strong source of support. “He has made continuing my education an easier transition than I could have imagined. He is a tremendous advisor who always has my best interests in mind,” said McDonald.
Former Friar and current Toronto Blue Jays shortstop John McDonald leaps to avoid the slide of the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez. (Photo courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays)
The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. McDonald only has three classes left. “There is no other place that I want my degree to come from than Providence College,” he said. “When I’m done playing, I would love to get involved in the business side of baseball, as well as continue to teach younger players the right way to play the game. A degree from PC can only help me in my pursuits by making me that much more marketable and able to compete for a job.” Not only was PC the place where McDonald was discovered as a ballplayer, but it was also where he met his wife, Maura Cignetti ’99, in a writing class in September 1995. They married in November 2004 and welcomed their first child, Jacqueline Alyse, on July 16, 2008. “The last piece of the puzzle is earning my degree,” McDonald said. “I was told by Coach Kostacopoulos that to this day, I am his only recruit who has yet to graduate from PC. Needless to say, he’ll be invited to the graduation party when I’m done.”
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team summaries
friartown
Cross-country teams compete at NCAA Championships The women’s and men’s cross country teams competed at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on November 24. The women placed 13th in a field of 31 teams while the men finished 20th among 31 teams. It was the 20th consecutive time the women’s team has qualified for the national meet and the 30th time, and fourth consecutive, that the men’s team has qualified. Danette Doetzel ’09 (Macklin, Saskatchewan, Canada) and David McCarthy ’11 (Waterford, Ireland) were the Friars’ top finishers—23rd and 17th in the women’s and men’s races, respectively—and each earned All-America honors. It was the second consecutive season Doetzel earned the accolade. Both teams automatically qualified for the national meets by virtue of finishing among the top two in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. The women’s team won the regional title for the second straight season, while the men’s team finished second. Previously, both teams had claimed fourth place in a field of 16 teams at the BIG EAST Championships. In addition, the men’s team placed 9th and the women 11th in fields of 41 teams at the NCAA’s prenational meet, also in Terre Haute, Ind.
Three Friars named All-Americans; two teams reach NCAAs Building on successful foundations laid by the teams that preceded them, four Providence College sports teams—women’s field hockey, men’s soccer, and women’s and men’s cross country—continued consecutive post-season tournament streaks during the fall 2008 season. In addition to team successes, three athletes earned All-America honors following the fall campaign.
Danette Doetzel ’09 women’s cross country All-American
top: David McCarthy ’11 men’s cross country All-American bottom: Nellie Poulin ’10 field hockey All-American
Men’s soccer reaches BIG EAST quarterfinal The men’s soccer team finished the 2008 season at 9-7-3 overall and 5-5-1 in the BIG EAST, earning its fourth consecutive post-season tournament berth. The Friars beat Villanova in the first round of the BIG EAST tournament but lost their quarterfinal match in overtime to St. John’s. PC secured a post-season spot in its regular-season finale by defeating Pittsburgh, 3-0, the team’s widest margin of victory of the season. Forward Timothy Ritter ’10 (Weston, Mass.) led the Friars in scoring with five goals and four assists for 14 points. He was followed by midfielder Matt Marcin ’11 (Wilmington, Del.), who had four goals and two assists for 10 points, and midfielder Ryan Maduro ’09 (Bristol, R.I.), who also collected 10 points. Maduro and Ritter were named to the Second and Third All-BIG EAST teams, respectively.
Field hockey in tournament again
Tennis team notches three victories
The field hockey team earned a trip to the post-season BIG EAST Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season, losing to nationally No. 3-ranked Syracuse in the semifinals. The team posted a 3-3 record in regular-season conference action and a 12-9 overall record.
The women’s tennis team posted a 3-2 record during the fall season. Ayushi Sinha ’11 (Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) finished with a 4-6 record in the number one singles position, and Ashley Rissolo ’09 (Southport, Conn.) ended the season with a 5-5 record out of the first and second positions. Rissolo and Sinha were also the top doubles pair with a 7-4 record.
For four consecutive weeks in October, the Friars were ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 programs in the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association Division I Poll. Forward Nellie Poulin ’10 (Oakland, Maine) led the team in scoring by posting a career-high 16 goals and one assist for 33 points. Poulin was named to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America Third Team. In addition, she was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Meanwhile, midfielder/defender Jessica Lane ’09 (South Windsor, Conn.) and goalkeeper Rachel Chamberlain ’10 (Branford, Conn.) earned spots on the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
In October, the team competed at the New England Tennis Championships in Fairfield, Conn., finishing sixth of eight teams. The Friars were scheduled to begin a 12-match spring season schedule on February 6 at Albany.
Women’s soccer posts six wins The women’s soccer team finished with a 6-8-3 overall record, which was the program’s highest win total since 2003. The Friars were 1-7-3 in BIG EAST Conference play. For the second time in three years, forward Jill Camburn ’10 (Doylestown, Pa.) led the Friars in scoring, posting four goals and four assists for 12 points.
Volleyball captures 15 victories The women’s volleyball team finished the season with a 15-20 record. Elizabeth Flynn ’09 (Bellerose, N.Y.) and Jeanette Toney ’09 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the team with 360 and 317 kills, respectively. Flynn and Lauren Fletcher ’12 (Syracuse, N.Y.) each finished the year with a perfect 1.00 serving percentage.
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around friartown • Men’s basketball great John Egan ’61 will have his #34 jersey retired during the Friars’ Homecoming Weekend game against Notre Dame on February 21 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Egan’s jersey will join those of Lenny Wilkens ’60, the late Jimmy Walker ’67, Ernie DiGregorio ’73, and Marvin Barnes ’74 in the rafters of “The Dunk.” Egan helped PC to the 1961 NIT Championship and earned All-New England accolades in both 1959 and 1961. • Chris Terreri ’86 was voted the top goaltender in HOCKEY EAST history as part of the league’s 25th Anniversary celebration. Terreri, the PC men’s hockey program’s all-time saves leader, won the league’s inaugural Player of the Year Award and helped the Friars to the first HOCKEY EAST Championship and an
NCAA Frozen Four berth in 1985. He went on to play for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team and spent 15 years in the NHL, most of them with the New Jersey Devils. • Cammi Granato ’93, the all-time leading scorer for the PC women’s ice hockey program, has been tabbed as the official namesake for the Women’s HOCKEY EAST Association’s Player of the Year Award. This was her fourth major honor in approximately a year. She was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in May and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in October. In late 2007, she was the first female recipient of the Lester Patrick Award from the National Hockey League.
keeping the promise... to student-athletes “PC’s donors truly make the athletic program what it is and give the student-athletes the tools necessary to continue on the road of success as Providence College Friars.” — kyle laughlin ’09, men’s ice hockey By donating to the Friars Forever Athletic Fund, you help student-athletes like Kyle carry on the tradition and compete in some of the toughest conferences in the nation.
Donate today at www.friars.com/foreverfund or contact: Steve Napolillo ’98 associate athletic director 401.865.2677 snapolil@providence.edu
Your donation ensures that PC can recruit and retain the best student-athletes and coaches and provide them with the scholarship support and first-class facilities that they deserve.
go friars!
friars forever athletic fund www.friars.com/foreverfund
• PC men’s hockey radio and television broadcaster Mike Logan received the 2008 Joe Concannon Media Award at the annual HOCKEY EAST Media Day gathering in September in Boston. Logan has called Friars’ games for various radio stations and Cox Sports Television since the 1995-96 season. • Brian Burke ’77, who recently resigned as general manager (GM) of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks to become GM and president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was one of four recipients of the Lester Patrick Award, which is given annually in recognition of outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Burke, who formally accepted the award in Minnesota in October, led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Championship as its GM in 2007 and has been chosen to be the GM for the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2010 Games in Vancouver. • Members of the Department of Athletics attended the NCAA’s 2009 men’s basketball preliminary-host seminar in Indianapolis, Ind., in August in preparation for when PC hosts the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. • PC was selected to host the 2009 BIG EAST Field Hockey Tournament at the Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. It will be the first post-season tournament the College has hosted on campus since the women’s soccer program hosted the 1993 BIG EAST Championship. • Former men’s soccer goalkeeper Chris Konopka ’07 compiled a record of 13-4-1 and helped the Bohemians FC to the Eircom League Premiere Division Championship in Ireland as well as the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) Ford Cup title.
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PC establishes Parents Leadership Council A new parents group—geared toward increasing parent engagement and financial support for Providence College— gathered for the first time on November 1 during Freshman Family Weekend. Members of the Parents for Providence Association’s new Parents Leadership Council serve as ambassadors to the College and parent communities. Council members share their perspectives as parents with College leaders and speak with fellow parents on behalf of PC. In addition, members lead efforts to bolster the Parents Fund, assist during Upperclass and Freshman Family weekends, and host incoming freshman receptions and regional parent and stewardship events, among other activities.
The initial leadership council consists of more than three-dozen parents, along with Bryan and Susan Koop ’11P & ’12P, co-chairs of Parents for Providence. Bryan Koop addressed the council at the recent meeting. “Susan and I are certain that with such a great group of parents contributing their time, talents, and treasures to PC, the Parents for Providence Association will truly be successful,” he said That same day, College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 and the Parents Leadership Council hosted a reception for 70 parents in Slavin Center ’64 Hall.
Alicia R. Greco ’12 of Warwick, R.I., attends the Parents Leadership Council reception with her mother, Nedria A. Greco ’83.
“We need your help and your insight,” he told the parents. “The purpose is not just to have you as ambassadors but also to get
feedback on what we can do better. Our best advertisement is our students and happy parents.”
Reception spotlights St. Dominic Society giving In recognition of their ongoing generosity and support, Providence College hosted the first reception for members of the newly restructured St. Dominic Society on November 15. Formerly known as the President’s Circle, the society is PC’s premiere leadership giving initiative.
aid, the ability to attract and retain nationally recognized faculty, a diverse curriculum, technology upgrades, and student services. Gifts are made at one of six levels, ranging from $1,000 to $2,499, to $50,000 and above.
As an audience of approximately 150 benefactors and friends of PC listened, President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 thanked donors and asked for their continued support.
The reception featured remarks by Class of 2009 Senior Giving Committee co-chairs Amanda Heinsen ’09 of Lake Bluff, Ill., and Kieran Murray ’09 of Garden City, N.Y., who also showed a senior giving video produced by Athena Fokaidis ’09 of Niantic, Conn.
“You are part of God’s providence,” he said. “You have provided for us to provide for our students.”
The video can be viewed on Facebook and at www.providence.edu/Alumni/ Giving+to+PC/Senior+Giving+2009.htm.
With more than 2,000 donors, the St. Dominic Society funds critical institutional priorities. These include student financial
After the video, Father Shanley stressed that he is committed to finding the resources to keep students in need at PC. He appealed
Enjoying the first St. Dominic Society reception are, from left, Theresa and Dr. Edmond Raheb, M.D., ’51 & ’01G, and Nancy and Dr. Philip E. Jones ’64, a member of PC’s Providence President’s Council.
for assistance in generating these critically needed funds. “It’s part of the ethos of this College to band together to meet our needs,” he said.
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Young alum credits PC program for quick start at Raytheon by diane m. sterrett
“Without the mentoring program, I absolutely wouldn’t be here today,” said Andrew Koen ’08 of Peabody, Mass. “Here” means embarked on a successful career at Raytheon Company, a Fortune 500 defense and aerospace systems company, and getting very positive reports from his supervisor. The program to which Koen was referring, the Providence College President’s Council Executive Mentor Program, “PC Advantage”, was launched in the fall of 2006. It matches promising junior-year
students with successful executives—many of them PC alumni—following a competitive application and selection process. Mentors provide career counseling, job shadowing opportunities, and advice over a threesemester relationship during the junior and senior years. Approximately 15 juniors are chosen each year. Koen’s mentor was Peter R. Smith ’68, director of international naval programs for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. They first met on campus for a career information session, then Koen spent a day shadowing Smith at work to get a feel for the job and
the company. They continued to meet to discuss career paths, workplace trends, and professional competencies. “Pete absolutely went above and beyond what the program required,” Koen said. “Anytime I needed advice, he was there for me. We met for coffee, e-mailed, and I’d see him at PC games and school events. He’s pretty impressive.” “I feel the program was successful because we maintained a constant dialogue,” Smith said. “I knew Andrew’s interests and his classes. I placed him where he could get the
Andrew Koen ’08, left, with his mentor, Peter R. Smith ’68, addresses an Executive Mentor Program audience in fall 2007.
most exposure—from program management to contract finance to supply chain, all the things that go into winning and executing a contract—and where it best tied into his courses.” Smith is no stranger to advising young people, with 30 years in the Navy mentoring young officers. Beyond showing Koen how business works, he helped with resumé tips, career networking, interview skills, and more. Koen feels part of the reason their relationship was so successful was that Smith challenged him to transform, much like Providence College did. “At PC, it’s not just what they give but what you put in. I think that’s why the mentoring program was so successful. Pete put so much into it, I couldn’t just sit back and let him do all the work. I had to step up,” Koen explained. A breakthrough Smith also was instrumental in connecting Koen with an internship opportunity in Raytheon’s Japan Management Office, and though Smith didn’t supervise him directly, they kept in touch. During the internship, he learned the ins and outs of international supply and even learned to speak Japanese. The experience gave him a jumpstart for his career and valuable connections. “I was exposed to things I wouldn’t have seen without it. Because of Pete’s mentoring and introductions, when I was hired I was ready to start on day one,” said the business management major. Koen currently works as a material acquisition professional in the Supplier Strategy and Execution Organization for Raytheon Integrated Supply Chain Quality in Andover, Mass. His chief responsibility
within the Rapid Group is to support eTransactions for Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) through various procurement solutions with key suppliers. Jessica Delia, material acquisition manager, is Koen’s supervisor. She feels the PC mentoring program and internship enabled him to start with more knowledge and confidence than most new employees. “I see a lot of new hires, and what’s different about Andrew is that he has a compelling desire to go further,” she said. “He’s only been here six months, and he has already reached out to vice presidents to talk about career development and what he needs to do to grow within Raytheon. He has a network to help him understand how the organization is intertwined and how Raytheon works, that he would not have had without the mentoring and internship. “He’s eager,” she continued, “to know more about the company, across all business units, not just his own. And he has a business perspective that I usually don’t see until someone has been here at least a year.” Delia also said he has a refreshing sense of accountability and doesn’t hide behind being new. “Everyone makes mistakes when they’re new, but he never says ‘I didn’t know.’ He says ‘Let me fix it, and you won’t see it again.’ We’re very glad to have him in our group.” His approach to business is partly due to Smith’s mentoring. Koen said it was an invaluable opportunity to learn how to be more professional and responsible. “Pete helped me prepare for the fast track. When I talk to friends still at PC, I tell them, when the day arrives that you can sign up for the mentoring program, be the first in
line. The people and executives you meet are invaluable; you just can’t make these connections anywhere else,” Koen said. There are now 27 business executives in the program. During the application process, students are asked to list three choices for their mentor company. “It’s a great program, there’s something for every major. I’m glad I was able to get Raytheon, my first choice,” he said. Council a two-way benefit PC’s President’s Council serves as a unique resource to provide diversified networking opportunities for students and engages council members as proactive partners in advancing students’ career development. “The most valuable thing about the program for the student is early exposure to how business works,” Smith said. “For me, it’s a chance to give back. I am where I am because of PC and the education I received. I’ve been gone from Rhode Island for 30 years, and now that I’m back I’m happy to be a part of the mentoring program. It fits well with me personally, and it’s rewarding to work with this age group and the enthusiasm that comes with youth.” Koen is similarly appreciative of his PC experience. “The education I received at PC really helped prepare me for my job; the classes related directly to what I’m doing. It transitioned seamlessly, not only the facts and figures, but also the real-life case studies and the business communications classes,” said Koen. With such a successful outcome, would Koen consider being a mentor in the future? “Absolutely,” he stated. “I’d appreciate an opportunity to give back.”
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they pass that information on to today’s students.” Costello reported that students found the presentations to be “informative, worthwhile, interesting, and relevant.”
program offers realworld career advice
In the theatre, a dress rehearsal is staged before a show opens. Potential car buyers take test drives. So, why not take on one of life’s biggest challenges—a job interview— by doing a trial run first? This past fall, students began taking part in mock interviews by real-life recruiters— and other employment and business presentations—through the Office of Career Services’ new Employers-in-Residence (E-i-R) program. Linda A. Ernst, assistant director/ recruiting coordinator, created the program to accommodate employers who want to enhance their traditional recruiting by giving mock interviews, resumé critiques, and career advice—and to connect faculty with employers offering such presentations. “This provides students with an opportunity to hear ‘real-world’ advice from employers,” said Ernst. Real-world expertise She noted that recruiters from several businesses that recruit at PC have offered to conduct mock interviews in classes. They are preceded by a talk about career search skills by a career services representative who also leads a follow-up discussion.
Linda A. Ernst
On November 4, four Business Communications classes taught by Robert Costello, adjunct instructor of management, witnessed mock interviews by recruiter Greg Clarkin of MEDITECH (Medical Information Technology, Inc.), a Massachusetts software vendor that provides integrated software solutions for health care organizations. During the last class, Clarkin “interviewed” volunteer job hunter Damiano F. Lo Basso ’09 of River Vale, N.J. Dressed in his best “interview suit,” Lo Basso fielded the same questions Clarkin would have asked him if he was interviewing for a MEDITECH client support specialist position. Clarkin complimented him on using examples from his past experience to answer questions, making eye contact, and presenting a professional appearance. “If there is one thing you leave here with today, it is the need to use your career services office,” Clarkin told the students. He emphasized that resumé-writing “is an art” and said Ernst and her colleagues “have gone out to these companies and have talked to people who have worked there. That makes a world of difference, because
David J. Tinsley ’09 of Sterling, Mass., noted, “You got a clear understanding of how to act, dress, and talk with an interviewer. I liked the questions that were asked by the interviewer, and the part about asking questions yourself so the interviewer understands that you have done your homework, too.” Ernst said faculty from all disciplines can request that recruiters—or other business representatives—give presentations on employment or business topics during their classes. Employers offer wealth of information Employers are also taking part in the E-i-R program in other ways. MEDITECH representatives have offered to conduct office hours during which they will answer career-related questions. One took part in a fall Career Fair Prep presentation and another in an employer panel on “The Inside Story on the Current Job Market and the Hiring Process.” Fidelity Investments, Inc. in Smithfield, R.I., will conduct mock interviews to help students prepare for interviews with any organization and is arranging a site visit by Dr. Vivian O. Okere’s finance class and Ernst.
Alumni discuss economy, career choices with students Representatives of John Hancock’s Boston, Mass., corporate office plan to hold office hours to answer questions. Sean Lopolito ’97 & ’02G, project director, annuities, took part in “The Inside Story” panel. “This spring, they plan to conduct mock interviews and give presentations on transitioning to a new job and communications etiquette,” said Ernst. So far this academic year, members of TJX, a fashion and retail/merchandising leader in off-price retail, have spoken to a Fashion Marketing class about careers in its corporate merchandising division, have taken part in “The Inside Story” panel, have presented to the College’s multicultural scholars through the Balfour Center for Multicultural Affairs, and will conduct mock interviews. Participants also make presentations to students after class hours. On November 6, a late afternoon program, “Building Your Personal Brand – An Employer Presentation,” was offered by Yvonne Rogers, relationship and program manager, U.S. Human Resources, of John Hancock’s Boston corporate office.
A trio of Providence College alumni came back to campus to speak to students about the current state of the economy and the impact it could have on their futures. On November 17, the Office of Career Services and the Office of Institutional Advancement sponsored “Careers and the Current Economy.” The presenters were Kevin Foley ’93, vice president at J.P. Morgan; Dan McMorrow ’85, president of Bayside Home Mortgage Corporation; and Martha Reynolds McVeigh ’80, senior economic crime investigator in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. McVeigh said the current economic downturn makes it even more important to explore various career prospects. “When we talk about the pitfalls of finding a job in this economy, there’s nothing that’s recession-proof,” she said. “If you have an opportunity to go try something, grab that opportunity.”
While the panelists acknowledged the economy’s uncertainty, Foley, an accounting major while at PC, said the College is instrumental in giving students “skills and a set of values that you need for the rest of your life.” McMorrow, who majored in American studies, added, “The liberal arts education puts you in a position where you can talk to people on many different levels in a business environment and learn how to think critically about a variety of issues.” All three speakers invited students to use them as a resource for their own questions. “We all look back so fondly on our time here, and we want to talk about what we did and help young people climb up the ladder and do well,” McMorrow said.
From left, Kevin Foley ’93 , Dan McMorrow ’85, and Martha Reynolds McVeigh ’80 (Photo by Joe Miller ’10)
Second-semester slots available Ernst encouraged all employers who want to become involved in the E-i-R program to contact her at 401.865.2184 or lernst@ providence.edu. “When possible, employers are encouraged to send representatives who are PC alums,” she said. “Students benefit two-fold when this occurs; not only do they hear realworld information, but they hear it from an alum.”
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In T h e Mi ddl e of Life ’s Way:
Finding Grace at Midlife rev. joseph j. guido, o.p. © All rights reserved - 2008 Editor’s Note: The following reflection was presented by Rev. Joseph J. Guido, O.P. during Freshman Family, Upperclass Family, and Reunion weekends during the 200708 academic year at Providence College. Father Guido is vice president for mission and ministry, assistant professor of psychology, and a counseling psychologist in the Personal Counseling Center at PC. Footnotes for his reflection are found on page 58.
Mount Kilimanjaro Photo courtesy of Getty Images/George F. Mobley photographer
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita Mi ritovai per una selva oscura, Che la diritta via era smarrita. In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to Myself in a dark wood, for the straight way was lost.1 his spring, many students in the first year of Civ will read these opening words of the Inferno and be introduced to Dante’s masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. Like generations of college students before them, they will follow Dante’s pilgrim on his descent into hell, alternately fascinated and appalled by the devilish punishments the author devised for sinners and, in some cases, enemies and friends whom he wished to admonish. A few will go on to read the Purgatorio and Paradiso and discover why, despite the horrors of the Inferno, the work as a whole is a comedy in the medieval sense of the word, that is, a story with a happy ending. Most will appreciate the necessity of sometimes having to leave what is known and familiar, like home, to journey through what is foreign and sometimes perilous, which college can be, in order to obtain what is desired: an education, a career, a deeper and richer sense of self. But few will appreciate the particular importance that such a journey assumes at mid-life, nor should they. They are at the beginning of their adult lives, not the middle, and their concerns are about finding their way and
discovering themselves. We hope and pray that no dark wood is yet in sight for them. The same cannot be said for us. Like Dante’s pilgrim, we are in the middle of the journey of our life and while we may have been more fortunate than he and not strayed far or lost ourselves along the way, all of us have known something of the dark wood.2 We have buried loved ones: parents, siblings, and friends, sometimes spouses, and rarely, but tragically, even our children. We have known reversals of fortune, whether it be the loss of a job, the undoing of a marriage, or the onset of illness. We have broken vows and compromised the truth, and have seen our political and religious leaders betray what is sacred and should have been inviolate. We have come to realize the truth of the old adage, “money cannot buy happiness,” and know that even faith cannot provide indemnity against ill fortune and heartache. If nothing else, we have been disabused of our youthful illusions about ourselves and about life. This is not to say that all is woe; far from it. Many of us account ourselves truly blessed and experience this time as one of great promise. The hard spadework is done. The
children are nearly grown and ready to set out on their own, the mortgage is paid off or will be soon, and there is more time now as a couple and for pursuing interests beyond the demands of the immediate. Yet even amidst what is good and promising we often feel a tug to something more, a sometimes inconstant but growing urgency. We can mistakenly assume that this means we are bored and restless, and cast about for a remedy—a new wardrobe, a new job, even a new spouse—or conclude that time is running out and that we must hurry up and do all that we said we wanted to do. But what if this tug to something more is an effect of grace, an invitation to a deeper faith and experience of God, and so to a deeper understanding of ourselves? I would like to suggest that grace at midlife bears a different mien than it does in youth. It is less about passion and zeal, and more about understanding; less about what is clearly defined and more about reconciling apparent opposites; and rather less about what we accomplish in the world than about what God accomplishes in and through us. Our passage from the dark wood, therefore, is not quick, like a youthful dash, but often
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slow, like a winding ascent to the summit of a mountain. Yet it is only from atop the mountain that we are afforded a broad and unobstructed view and can see things as they truly are, perhaps for the first time. Ascending the mountain Mount Kilimanjaro rises to a height of more than 19,000 feet in northeastern Tanzania. Free standing, it is majestic in its solitude and is the highest peak in Africa. It is also one of the most fabled mountains in the world. Known to some as the “House of God” and to mountaineers as one of the “Seven Summits”, it was made famous in the West by Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro. There it served as a symbol of Dante’s Mount Purgatory in the Divine Comedy, the mountain rising from the forest at the center of the earth where saved but imperfect souls could slough off their sins as they climbed to its Edenic summit. The real Kilimanjaro is hardly an image of Eden. Although at its base it sits astride the equatorial plains of east Africa, at its summit it is an arctic desert: dry, cold, and glaciated, with the thinnest of air. Climbers are advised to take “six up, two down,” that is, to allow six days to ascend the mountain and two to come down. This allows the body to become accustomed to the frequent changes in climate that the climb entails and especially to the low level of oxygen at higher elevations. Unfortunately, many climbers fail to heed this advice. Young people in particular grow impatient with the winding trails that switch back and forth across the mountain’s flank, and seeing the summit within reach and confident in their youth and of their strength, they make for the summit directly. Time and again they are felled by altitude sickness and must
Where once climbing the mountain had been a personal challenge, now it was a kind of pilgrimage, both an elegy and a requiem . . .
be brought back down the mountain. It is generally the more patient climbers, many of them middle aged and less assured of themselves, who succeed in reaching the summit. When they do, they have an unparalleled view of dawn breaking across the vast expanse of Africa, and even to the Indian Ocean. Several years ago good friends of mine set out to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Steve in particular was eager to make the climb since he harbored an ambition to visit the highest peak on each of the seven continents. His wife Kathy was less enthusiastic but willing, and joked that their next trip would be hers to plan, which meant a comfortable bed and breakfast in the west of Ireland. Both of them fit and well prepared, they met up with the rest of their party at a base camp, were introduced to their guides, and after a series of instructions and practice hikes, began their ascent. Two days into the trip they received word that Steve’s father had died suddenly from a massive stroke. After a quick turnabout, seemingly interminable delays, and an exhausting series of hastily arranged flights, they were able to return home in time for his father’s funeral. After caring for his mother
and siblings and settling the estate, Steve set about grieving the loss of his father. This was made all the more difficult because Steve and his father had been uncommonly close, although in many respects they were very different. His father had been a plumber, a friendly, patient, and optimistic man who had been raised by a single mother in the wake of the Depression. Steve is a physician and hospital administrator, bright, generous, and unfailingly honest, but also prone to worry. For Steve, his father was a man to emulate and one whose approval meant everything. This was especially evident when Steve was raising his own children and would share with his father his worries about one child or another. His father would offer a bit of advice but more by way of reassurance, “You’re doing fine, and they’ll turn out fine.” And they did. Several months after his father’s death I asked Steve whether he would consider returning to Mount Kilimanjaro. Characteristically, he paused for a moment and then said without hesitation, “Yes. My father would want me to and I want to do it for him.” I was struck by the change in his motivation. Where once climbing the mountain had been a personal challenge, now it was a kind of pilgrimage, both an elegy and a requiem, and in every respect a testament to a son’s love for his father. A year later and just before dawn on the sixth day, Steve and Kathy made it to the summit. There they watched as the sun rose in the east and with an unobstructed view of the horizon in every direction, they saw the earth as it truly is: vast, curved, and round, colored in hues of blue, green, and brown, and lit by the brightening day.
The different mien of grace at midlife Psychology has long acknowledged that adolescence and young adulthood are a time when religious questions often come to the fore and assume a particular immediacy. The American philosopher and psychologist, William James, for instance, noted the frequency with which adolescents undergo intense religious experiences and conversions.3 These serve to heal the divided soul, common to adolescence, and confirm the healthy soul in its identity and purpose in life. Such was the case with St. Francis of Assisi, who in one dramatic gesture literally stripped himself of his former way of life and, standing naked in the public square, was embraced and clothed by Christ in the person of his bishop. 4 Although psychology has come to appreciate midlife only belatedly, it is clear that the religious experience of adults is typically different from that of adolescents. For one thing, it is often less dramatic or public. We expect adolescents to experiment with different identities and roles, and although in some instances we may be dismayed we are not surprised when they pierce a nose, tattoo a bicep, or dye their hair fuchsia. We also understand that they often require an audience. Adolescent rebellion has little meaning apart from the adults it is designed to shock and the peers it is meant to impress. St. Francis of Assisi’s dramatic gesture, therefore, has all the earmarks of the youth that he was, and would have been untoward in a man of middle age. Indeed, it serves as a religious analogue to the youthful climbers who bound for the summit of Kilimanjaro, heedless of advice and sure of their path. Of course in the case of the beloved saint such impetuosity proved successful by the grace of God. We rather expect mature religious experience to have a certain sobriety and to be marked by greater discretion, like the seasoned climbers who are content to wind their way to the top of the mountain. It has more to do with intimations, not shouts, hunches, and not bold declarations, and is most often nudged, prompted, and led rather than pushed, shoved, and dragged along. As we read in 1 Kings 19:11-12, sometimes God can be found more surely in a “tiny whispering sound” or a “still small voice” than in the howl of the wind, the roar of a fire, or the menacing rumble of earthquakes.
Although psychology has come to appreciate midlife only belatedly, it is clear that the religious experience of adults is typically different from that of adolescents.
It is for this reason that the psalmist reminds us that what God asks of us is only “ears open to obedience” with which to hear this voice (Psalm 40). In this sense, St. Bruno and St. Teresa of Avila might serve as models for spiritual growth at midlife. Bruno was an 11th century German who became a priest, pastor, and teacher. He was also an accomplished administrator, serving as chancellor of his diocese, and was not unacquainted with political intrigues. Indeed, his own bishop conspired against him for a time, and he was forced to flee the diocese until he was able to secure papal protection. In his 50s, and amidst a busy and full life, he experienced a growing desire for the contemplative life. In time, he asked for and received permission to live as a hermit, and he and several companions retired to a mountain valley where they founded what would become known as the Carthusian Order. 5
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“For mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.” —St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa on the other hand did not so much change the venue for her vocation as to finally pursue it at a deeper level. For more than 20 years, she was a conventional Carmelite nun of the 16th century. She prayed, worked, and fasted, and although she is severe in her evaluation of her younger self, in fact her faults were minor: she could be flirtatious, liked to hear gossip, and did not always pursue her prayers with zeal. At age 41, she had a “final conversion” about which little is known except its effects. They were both interior, towards a deeply contemplative appreciation of the love of God, and outward in service of the reformation of the Carmelite order. She became a brilliant expositor of the life of prayer and the spirit, and would write, “For mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.”6
This suggests that a second way in which religious experience at midlife differs from that in youth is that it has less to do with the establishment of one’s identity than with its deepening. It is the task of young adults to choose among several and sometimes competing identities.7 They must find a way to adjudicate between the expectations of parents, the demands of society, and their own needs and interests. This is not always easy and, on occasion, young people feel constrained to make a choice, any choice, simply to allay the anxiety that they feel. At other times their newfound capacity to envision the ideal—a world without scarcity and war, for example—stands in stark contrast to what they see as the hypocrisy of their elders and leaders, and their own internal conflicts and divisions. This can lead them to temporize and affect a negative identity, “I am not (my parents) (the church) (like you).” Thus the very capacity to imagine the ideal can engender both young people’s devotion to it and their harsh judgment of failures to live up to its demands, their own included.8
In contrast, the challenge for midlife adults is to achieve a measure of wisdom. Outwardly, such wisdom can appear like a compromise, a tolerance for grays rather than an insistence on blacks or whites, and an acceptance of imperfection rather than a redoubling of efforts to achieve what is best. But internally, it represents a capacity to see a greater whole that subtends apparent contradictions, the links and connections between the blacks and whites, and between one perspective or opinion and another.9 It is also associated with humility about one’s own point of view and abilities, coupled with an assurance that what is not ours to effect can yet be within the purview of God to accomplish. As Mother Teresa was fond of saying, God asks us to be faithful, not successful; success is God’s responsibility. Such reconciliation of opposites and compassion towards others and even towards formerly disavowed aspects of oneself is often elusive in youth. St. Paul seems to have been aware of this in himself when he writes in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” He goes on to acknowledge that he is at best imperfect, “for I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” (Romans 7:19), and in Philippians 3:8 implies that he now accounts even his youthful attempts at righteousness to be so much dross: “I even consider everything
Above image: St. Teresa, church window, Spain, by Hakan Svensson
as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” From a dark wood to the love that moves the stars But wisdom comes at a price. As St. Paul noted, to gain Christ is to necessarily lose something else, and as Steve learned, sometimes the summit of the mountain can be attained only when one has found the right reason to make the climb. In this sense, there is an intimate, if often unsuspected, link between the dark wood where the journey begins and the summit with its view of how things truly are. In 1977, psychiatrist George Vaillant published the first substantive report on what is variously called the Grant Study or the Harvard Study of Adult Development. 10 The study was the largest and most important study of normal adult growth and aging ever undertaken, involving men and women from every social strata. Selected for their physical and mental health, participants agreed to be interviewed, tested, and assessed repeatedly over the course of more than 70 years, from the time they were adolescents until well into their old age. It provides a rare look at how lives actually unfold over the course of a lifetime. Some of the findings are surprising. Doing what adults do is important but tells us hardly anything about how meaningful one’s life is. Nor do income and gender. Nearly all the participants went on to work, marry, and have children, many were successful, and some became famous. But when measured against those who achieved little or lost much in the course of their lives, the successful were hardly distinguishable in
terms of how content they were with their lives. Nor were men and women appreciably different on measures of happiness and satisfaction. What did matter was adversity and how one responded to it. By age 50, every participant had experienced a major loss, crisis, or reversal in life. Whether in the form of illness, divorce, or financial ruin, adversity spared no one and accosted rich and poor, men and women in equal measure. How one responded to the adversity therefore became decisive. Participants who succumbed to the loss, who retreated into fantasy—how life might have been—or who set out to blame others followed a dismal course. Their lives had little meaning for them and less satisfaction, and they often lived alone or apart from loved ones, many of whom they had alienated. They were sad, angry, and embittered, victims of the dark wood in whose brambles they had become entangled. In contrast, those who accepted the reality of adversity and the losses it entailed fared far better. They may have been stung by its appearance and done what they could to evade it, and cried out to heaven in rage or to be spared its advance, but in time they came to accept it for what it was and to respond to it as best they could. In doing so, they exercised a common and even homely set of virtues. Undergoing their own suffering, they went out of their way to help others. Some cared for elderly parents, others volunteered time with a charity, and some simply went out of their way to be a good neighbor. They bit their tongues when it would have been more satisfying to do otherwise, took a wry and bemused view of themselves and their foibles, and prepared for what was to
come next: drafting a will, reconciling with estranged relatives and friends, and turning to God. In short, they were altruistic and temperate, had a good sense of humor, and exercised a measure of faith and hope. If this seems rather ordinary, that’s just the point. Adversity challenges our youthful fantasies of being special and invulnerable, and thus serves as a rebuke to our narcissism. But narcissism is not easily foresworn. That is why some people in the study were ensnared by the dark wood. Like the young people they once were they believed that acceptance of the limits imposed by life was tantamount to betrayal and came to define themselves by defiance: I will not yield, I will not cede, I will not accept that this is my life when it could have been so much more. But for those who can accept adversity for what it is and who choose to respond not unkindly but generously and with faith, the dark wood can lead them to become “prisoners of hope.”11 Like the souls in Dante’s Purgatorio, they are not yet in heaven and must yet shoulder the heavy burdens of this life. But with each step in the ascent they draw closer and in the process are changed. With each act of forbearance, each smile given for another’s sake, each chuckle about themselves, they are a little less narcissistic, less clouded of vision, and more nearly acclimated to the mountain’s height. In time and with patience, switching back and forth along the winding trail, they too will reach the summit and see things as they truly are. And when they do they will also have an intimation of what awaits them at the journey’s final end, not here on earth, but in heaven. There they will see, as Dante’s pilgrim finally did, “The love that moves the sun and the other stars.”
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Footnotes 1 Durling, R. (1996). The Divine Comedy of Dante Aligheri. Volume I: Inferno. New York: Oxford University Press. 2 A study of some two million people across the world and representing different social, economic, and cultural circumstances provides strong evidence that middle age is generally a time of relative discontent, compared to young adulthood. The good news is that for those who weather it successfully, who find a way to reconcile to the inevitable losses and disappointments that life entails, emerge from it with renewed happiness and a sense of meaning. See Oswald, A. & Blanchflower, D. (2008). Is well-being U shaped over the life cycle? Social Science and Medicine, 66 (6), 1733-1749. 3 James, W. (2001). The Varieties of Religious Experience. New York: The Modern library. 4 St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) was the privileged son of a merchant. Like many young men, he was both charming, fun loving, and enthusiastic, and narcissistic, vain, and self indulgent. The incident noted here took place after Francis’ conversion to Christ when his father, thinking him both mad and a thief – Francis had taken cloth from his father’s shop, sold it, and wanted to use the money to rebuild a church - dragged him before the bishop. In handing over the money and stripping himself of the clothes his father had given him, Francis also effectively severed his relationship with him. Holy he may have been becoming but he was still young and given to impetuous gestures that, however sincere, could be cutting and cruel because he had not considered their affect on others. 5 Lockhart, B. (2006). Halfway to Heaven: The Hidden Life of the Sublime Carthusians. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications. 6 Kavanaugh, K. & Rodriguez, O. (1976). The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila (Volume I). Washington, DC: Institute for Carmelite Studies, p.67. 7 One of the first and best accounts of the young adult’s search for identity can be found in Erikson, E. (1985). Childhood and Society. New York: W.W. Norton. Erikson was also the one to coin the phrase “negative identity” and to suggest that many young people require a “moratorium” in their search for identity, that is a period when they need not arrive at a definitive definition of themselves but are free to try on several different guises to see which one fits best. 8 The young adult’s capacity to imagine the ideal may be owed less to what they have been taught – content – than to their evolving capacity for abstraction – the structure of their minds. See Kegan, R. (1982). The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press for an interesting account of how the mind’s structure evolves over the course of a lifetime from less to more complex forms of thinking and understanding. 9 The acquisition of spiritual wisdom at midlife may depend in part on changes in mental structure that are generally more evident in middle age than in youth. These are sometimes described as an increase in crystallized intelligence, that is, an understanding of how things relate, or as an increase in cognitive complexity, that is, an understanding that the autonomy of thought that young adults value and the dependence that they eschew are in fact not in opposition but correlative. These changes in mental structure are presumed to correlate with changes in brain structure. The interested reader may want to consult Kegan, R. (1998). In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, and Vaillant, G. (1998). The Wisdom of the Ego. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Both are well written and do not presume any specialized knowledge. 10 Vaillant, G. E. (1977). Adaptation to Life. Boston::Little, Brown, & Co. 11 Carroll, J. (1971). Prisoners of Hope: An Exposition of Dante’s Purgatorio. Port Washington, NY: Kenikat Press.
1st Lt. Brian M. McPhillips ’00 (Photo courtesy of David McPhillips)
editor’s note: The following reflection appeared in The Wall Street Journal and on WSJ.com on December 23, 2008. The soldier referenced in the reflection, U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Brian M. McPhillips, was a finance major and a 2000 graduate of Providence College. A Pembroke, Mass., resident, he was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., when he was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2003. The author, William McGurn, is a vice president at News Corporation, where he writes speeches for CEO Rupert Murdoch. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush and as chief editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal.
Reprinted by permission of The Wall Street Journal, Copyright © 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. License number 2103071406301.
The President Comforts a Marine Mom by william mcgurn This Thursday morn, Julie McPhillips will awake to the great hope that is Christmas Day. And amid her joy for the Savior born of woman in a Bethlehem stable, she will offer two prayers. The first will be for her son, Lt. Brian McPhillips, killed in action in April 2003 as the First Marine Division fought its way into Baghdad. The other will be for the man on whose orders Lt. McPhillips was sent to Iraq: George W. Bush. You see, Julie McPhillips knows a side of the president that never seems to make it into the newspapers. Since a meeting in the Oval Office a few years back, the two have exchanged letters, many written in the president’s hand. Through the sadness that binds them together, they look eye to eye and let their hearts do the talking. In my years in the West Wing, I read many horrible things about this president. Some were by former military officers who ought to know better, especially the one who accused him in print of not caring about our war dead. More frequently, legitimate differences over the war led some to indulge in hateful accusations about the man who led it. Few came from people like Julie, who spoke directly with the president about a subject painful for both: the brave young lieutenant who was born to one and laid down his life under the command of the other. When Mrs. McPhillips came to the White
House, she was joined by her husband, David—a Marine combat vet of Vietnam—as well as Brian’s younger sister, Carolyn. They sat on one of the sofas in the Oval Office. When the president entered the room, he said, “I have two daughters, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to meet with the man who was responsible for their death.” “It’s comforting,” Mrs. McPhillips replied softly. And thence commenced a 45-minute exchange about Brian, about Iraq, about what the president hoped to accomplish in the Middle East, and so on. When the president learned that Carolyn was a teacher, he wrote a note to her kindergarten students, asking them to excuse her for missing class that day. At various points, their conversation was punctuated with observations on the challenges and consolations of faith. These days our public discourse finds it difficult to handle such talk, and any presidential mention of God is cheapened into a caricature of a man who launches wars on direct orders of the Almighty. In a particularly moving moment, the president spoke of what he did pray for, including the hope that through this “opaque piece of glass,” as he put it, people might catch a glimpse of what Christ wants us to be. That too can be ridiculed, but in fact and in context it was a statement of humility—a completely orthodox acknowledgment of the responsibility each Christian has to live a life that bears witness to the redemptive love we trace back to that Bethlehem manger. Lt. McPhillips would have understood that. Often his mother would ask him to remember to pray for the Marines who stood before him in formation. Always he would respond, “I will, Mom.”
I was never lucky enough to know Brian McPhillips in life. I know enough, however, to recognize in this Providence College graduate the kind of man you hope would be leading your son if your son were going into battle. The kind of man you pray will be waiting at the altar the day you walk your daughter up the aisle. These men are not born; they are formed—by families like the McPhillips, by institutions such as the Marine Corps, and by the convictions that extort sacrifices from any who dare to live by them. Even so, the holidays can be difficult for these families. These are the days when their thoughts turn to the son whose absence fills the room, the faithful Marine whose little niece will never know the strong and decent man who would have loved and spoiled her in the way only an uncle can. Yet on a day that celebrates the arrival of hope into our world, the McPhillips refuse to concede the last word to grief. This Christmas, Mr. Bush’s last as commander in chief, Mrs. McPhillips would like him to know how grateful they are that Brian served a president who was determined, at great cost to his own popularity, to ensure that their son’s sacrifice would not be in vain. “Mr. President,” she says, “Brian was proud to be a Marine. And he carried within him the same light that you do—a faith in God, in America, and in the dignity and worth of every man, woman, and child on this earth.” “A blessed Christmas for you and your family, Mr. President.” And to yours, Julie McPhillips.
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alumni news/features the legacy tradition
Sears Family
serves community and alma mater
Whether it’s through their community service, athletics, appreciation of PC’s Dominicans, or support of their alma mater, the Sears family—including Paul ’59 and his children, Josephine Sears Rodriguez ’86, Patrick ’88, Kevin ’93, and Brian ’95—is a “PC legacy family.” When first married, Paul and his wife, whose name also is Josephine, longtime residents of Springfield, Mass., volunteered with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity in the mountains of New Mexico and in inner-city Kansas City. Today, they serve with a Springfield group that facilitates housing for people in need and works with pregnant unwed mothers to keep their babies or have them adopted. “Our faith was born in Springfield, but for me, it was very much strengthened at PC,” said Paul, founder of, partner, and Realtor with Sears Real Estate in Springfield. He said his “very, very positive PC experience” was formed by the late Rev. Walter Heath, O.P. and other priests who were “real-world former military men who challenged us in the right way.” Paul and his children all have served as PC Fund phonathon volunteers, support PC financially, and serve their community. Paul personally established and supports the College’s Sears Family Scholarship.
Josephine followed her parents’ public service path and did missionary work. Today, she is the director of the Math Center and teaches math at Western New England College.
Joining PC legacy family patriarch Paul Sears ’59, second from right, at his home in Springfield, Mass., are, from left, Kevin ’93, Josephine Sears Rodriguez ’86, Brian ’95 , and Patrick ’88.
She shares her dad’s praise of PC’s Dominicans. “I loved their spirituality. It nourished me and helped me to become a mature adult,” she said. Father Heath also impressed her through his call to service to her and others in the Friars Club, which he moderated. A former Residence Board president, Patrick recalled a lesson from Father Heath, then-director of residence, which he employs today as president and co-founder of New Spirit, Inc., a non-profit youth ministry organization. “‘You were elected because you are popular,’ Father Heath said. ‘If you are going to be an effective leader, you need to be willing to sacrifice that popularity to do what is right, not what is popular,’” Patrick related. Patrick also dove into things, as a member of PC’s first swimming and diving team. Kevin, a Realtor and partner, oversees the family business’ property management division. He especially remembers the school motto—Veritas. “For me, it is something to live by—the truth,” he said. “I appreciate and cherish
my time at PC and the fundamentals the school instilled in me.” He exhibits his appreciation for these fundamentals in several ways. A longtime member of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, he will soon serve as its president-elect and then president. He also serves as a director of a not-for-profit retirement community that provides homes for poor, elderly persons in Springfield. Previously a C.P.A. and audit manager at KPMG LLP, Brian is now a partner and Realtor with Sears Real Estate. He knows the importance of supporting PC financially because of his previous audits of area colleges and universities. “I know the cost of running a college in today’s world and the importance of building the endowment,” he said. “Both my parents and Providence College have shown me the importance of giving back,” Brian added. He currently volunteers as president of the Forest Park Civic Association, as a member of his parish Finance Committee, and as a member of numerous professional boards and committees.
New Pr ov i de nc e C ol l e g e
Legacy Program debuts The new Providence College Legacy Program created by the Office of Alumni Relations debuted this past fall and featured two events. One of the events was geared toward prospective legacy students and their alumni families, and focused on PC’s admission process. The other was for current legacy students and their families to get to know—and keep in touch with—fellow legacy students and families at the College. “The new Legacy Program was developed to inform and update alumni parents on ‘life at PC’ during the new millennium,” explained Robert Ferreira ’83, assistant vice president for alumni relations. “Many things have changed with the admission process, campus life, and the
role that our students play in the Smith Hill community. We hope to engage our alumni in the Providence College of today and give them many opportunities to celebrate the spirit of their own PC experience with their sons and daughters,” said Ferreira. Twenty-five alumni families, including their prospective legacy students, attended the first-ever Legacy Admission Information Day on October 25 to learn about the admission process. They attended a breakfast at the Office of Alumni Relations in Martin Hall; a student panel and an admission presentation by Christopher P. Lydon ’83, associate vice president for admission and enrollment planning; a campus tour; lunch in Raymond Dining Hall; and a financial aid presentation by Sandra J. Oliveira, executive director of financial aid.
The second event, a Legacy Lunch, was attended by 34 legacy freshmen and their families on November 1 during Freshman Family Weekend. Mark Gasbarro ’97, vice president of the National Alumni Association Board of Governors, welcomed the families and encouraged them to “embrace your network” by becoming involved in the alumni association, especially while their student is at PC. Alumni then introduced themselves and their son or daughter so all could get to know the families they would be connecting with over four years. One of the families who made that connection was the Kunze family of Germantown, Md. “As we introduced ourselves, it was so amazing to hear the alumni and family members who have attended PC speak. It made me feel really blessed that Lauren [’12], our daughter, is now a part of the PC family,” noted Carole Ingallinera Kunze ’86, who attended with her husband, Steve ’85, and daughter. In light of the success of both events, the Office of Alumni Relations anticipates that they will become annual traditions.
Rev. John S. Peterson, O.P. ’57, PC National Alumni Association chaplain, greets Kunze family members, from left, Lauren ’12, Steve ’85, and Carole Ingallinera Kunze ’86, who attended the Legacy Lunch.
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Empowering golf and
life lessons for amputee soldiers We often take for granted simple things we do every day, such as walking or learning to play a sport. Soldiers returning from the war in Iraq without one or more arms or legs are learning—or re-learning—to do these simple things and more at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. Thanks to people like Brian M. Maher ’68 of West Islip, N.Y., whose left leg was amputated below the knee years ago due to medical issues, many of these soldiers take part in clinics held at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. The instruction helps them learn to play golf—and live—as an amputee. The clinics are conducted by the Eastern Amputee Golf Association (EAGA) and the National Amputee Foundation. The program helps soldiers realize they can still do whatever they want to do, said Maher, who is the president of the Providence College National Alumni Association Board
of Governors. He taught amputees during golf clinics last April and October.
their stump will shrink, and it will be less painful.”
“If they played golf before their injuries, we give them tips on how to play the game now. If they have not played before, we teach them how to use the game as a rehabilitation tool,” said Maher, whose charity work includes raising scholarship funds for amputees and their children.
Maher said the EAGA gives soldiers who don’t already own golf clubs a set that has been donated to the organization to ensure they can play after their hospital rehabilitation.
Maher said he and other clinic instructors who are amputees “give the soldiers another way to see they will be able to function in society. “They see we have gone on to be happy, productive people who also have some practical suggestions that are not necessarily related to golf,” he said. “For instance, if they think their pain will never end, we might tell them that ‘This pain is normal,’ and that in three months, the swelling of
He continues to marvel at the “positive attitude” of those he called “wounded heroes” who were looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. “One guy I was playing with—he had had one leg amputated above the knee, and one below the knee—figured he’d be in the hospital for rehabilitation for nine more months, which boggled my mind,” said Maher. “But, he was very optimistic.” Editor’s Note: To learn more about the golf clinics, visit www.eaga.org.
Brian M. Maher ’68 (putting above), whose left leg is amputated below the knee, now helps soldiers who are amputees learn the game of golf. (Photo courtesy of EAGA)
Acclaimed Hollywood movie carries John V. Brennan ’59 portrayed in PC link Frost/Nixon One of the recent holiday season’s most popular motion pictures had a surprising Providence College connection.
Directed by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon documents the televised interviews between British television reporter Sir David Frost and former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon in 1977. The story of the interviews and Frost’s attempt to get Nixon to admit to his guilt in Watergate—which he never did—is the basis for the movie.
John V. Brennan ’59, a resident of Palm Springs, Calif., and Little Compton, R.I., was portrayed in Frost/Nixon by actor Kevin Bacon.
Brennan negotiated the terms and modus operandi of the 1977 interviews. The actual interviews were aired in four, 90-minute segments that reportedly drew more than 50 million viewers. A Purple Heart veteran of the Vietnam War, Brennan served as the Marine Corps aide to Nixon throughout his presidency from 1968-74. When Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974, Brennan was one of the few people
on the helicopter and plane that flew Nixon to California. He remained the Marine Corps aide to Nixon until resigning from active duty on July 31, 1975. Brennan then became chief of staff of the Office of Richard Nixon in San Clemente, Calif. He held that role until resigning in 1980. A Universal Pictures film, Frost/Nixon received five Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, and was chosen one of the top 10 movies in 2008 by the American Film Institute. Although he said he understands Hollywood, Brennan disagreed with much of the factual content of the movie and said the portrayal “contradicts history.” “I know what really happened. I don’t want students at Providence College to think this was history,” he said. These days, the retired colonel does consulting and charity work, as well as traveling. He remains close to his alma mater and is an ardent follower of the Friars’ men’s basketball team. When he returns to Rhode Island in the warmer weather, he frequently visits the PC campus—usually to donate memorabilia to his John V. Brennan Collection – Providence College Class of 1959 in Phillips Memorial Library.
John V. Brennan ’59, right, with actor Kevin Bacon
“My Providence College education was very valuable in formulating my thought process and moral values. It’s stood me well all these years,” said Brennan.
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Classmates among PC’s latest authors Other PC graduates have written books recently as well:
Edward A. Iannuccilli, M.D. ’61
John J. Partridge ’61
Two members of the Class of 1961—Edward A. Iannuccilli, M.D., of Bristol, R.I., and John J. Partridge of Providence, R.I.—are among the latest Providence College graduates to author publications that range from a compilation of nostalgic essays to a murder mystery to “how to” advice for small business entrepreneurs.
“People call me and say, ‘You wrote my story. Weren’t those the good old days?’” said Iannuccilli, who was affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital for approximately 30 years and was the first appointed clinical professor at the Brown University Medical School. He is a member of the College’s Providence President’s Council.
Growing Up Italian: Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories (Barking Cat Books, Woonsocket, R.I.) is the first book by Iannuccilli, a retired gastroenterologist. Published in July 2008, this collection of nostalgic essays about growing up in Providence’s Italian-American Mt. Pleasant neighborhood features nearly 60 stories—from tales about family members and neighborhood vendors to recollections about the aroma of “gravy” (spaghetti sauce) cooking on a stove.
Partridge’s second murder mystery, Straight Pool, features Algy Temple, a sharp-witted, pool-playing attorney. Published in May 2008 as a sequel to his 2005 novel, Carom Shot, Partridge’s latest mystery features plenty of Rhode Island color and characters—all set within a background of city and state issues straight from the pages of the local newspapers. Both mysteries are published by Providence-based Chukar Books. “I start with a murder, and then find someone who would have the opportunity, motive, and ability to commit it,” explained Partridge, the founder and senior counsel at Partridge, Snow & Hahn in Providence and also a member of PC’s Providence President’s Council. “And then I have a sleuth who gets into it, and, hopefully, a convincing ending,” he added.
Alfonso J. Izzi ’62 of Little Falls, N.J., authored Small Business…Do it the Right Way!!! (Lulu), a guide on starting a small business. The book covers topics ranging from writing an effective business plan to obtaining a loan. A small business expert and entrepreneur with 40 years of experience with technology and financial institutions, Izzi is the president and CEO of PTR Technology Resources, a small business consulting firm. He also has consulted for the Small Business Development Centers at New Jersey City University and William Patterson University. Peggy M. Weber ’76 of East Longmeadow, Mass., wrote A Time for Listening: Daily Meditations, Activities, and Prayers (Twenty Third Publications, New London, Conn.). This 24-page booklet, published for Advent 2008, offers parents simple ideas for family time in preparation for Christmas. Weber is a reporter, producer, and columnist for the Catholic Communications Corporation for the Diocese of Springfield, Mass. Published in September 2008, Beautiful Struggles (Xlibris, Philadelphia, Pa.) is an autobiography by Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Jamel Thomas ’99. Thomas recounts growing up in the inner city, being raised by his aunt after his mother’s murder at 23, and being recruited to play basketball for the PC Friars. He went on to a professional basketball career in Europe and now plays for the Olimpia Athienitis Larissa team in Greece.
Volunteers help feed the hungry at FUSION/WIN, alumni events
Recent volunteers at the Mary House Meal Kitchen are, front row, from left, Holly Lebejko ’01 and Nicholas DelSesto; middle row, Tiffany Green ’01, Alyssa Snizek, Sarah Firetto ’03, Erin Timmons ’05, and Don Naber; and rear, Samantha DelSesto, Everett Gabriel ’71, Richard DelSesto ’83, Bob Ferreira ’83, and Kathy Bello ’75.
The National Alumni Association’s Women’s Involvement Network (WIN) and the Greater Boston Alumni Club hosted volunteer service projects to help feed the hungry this past fall.
FUSION facilitates networking and service opportunities among students, alumni, alumni clubs, members of the Providence and Boston President’s Councils, and community leaders.
WIN sponsored a FUSION (Friars United in Service In Our Neighborhood) outreach at the Mary House Meal Kitchen in Providence in December. Developed by the College’s Providence President’s Council,
At the Mary House project, approximately 20 alumni, staff members in the Office of Institutional Advancement, friends, and family members helped in a variety of capacities before, during, and after
Destination PC! Journey Home for Reunion Weekend: May 29-31, 2009
–for members of class years ending in ’4 and ’9 Journey back to campus to celebrate with your class, renew fond memories, and reconnect with Providence College. Enjoy an evening at WaterFire in Downtown Providence, a golf outing, the traditional Reunion barbecue, and much more! Alumni/ae are invited to get involved with your class reunion preparations and to commemorate this important milestone by joining classmates in making a special reunion-year gift to the PC Fund.
Visit www.givetopc.org to make your reunion gift, or contact the Office of Annual Giving at 401.865.1296. Plan your journey now by visiting www.providence.edu/alumni/reunion2009 or by calling 401.865.1909 for more information.
the weekly meal for the needy on two consecutive Mondays. Meanwhile, 50 members of the Greater Boston Alumni Club sorted and packed 11,072 pounds of food at the Greater Boston Food Bank in October. The amount was the equivalent of 6,844 meals.
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a
Pr ovi denc e
b
Bo s ton Roundtable runs on Caldeira ’81, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (a) a The Greater Boston Area Alumni Club sponsored its 5th Annual Breakfast Roundtable on October 15 at the Boston Private Bank & Trust Company. Nearly 70 alumni heard Steve Caldeira ’81, chief global communications and public affairs officer of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., talk about his corporate journey and global market opportunities for Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins. Hosts were Patrick Leahy ’02 and Neal O’Hurley ’79 of Boston Private Bank & Trust. From left are O’Hurley; Leahy; Caldeira; Steve Sypek ’84, president of the Greater Boston club; Judy Murphy ’83, secretary of the National Alumni Association Board of Governors; and Robert Ferreira ’83, PC assistant vice president for alumni relations.
C on ne c t icu t New London/Washington County Club honors Walter Brown ’61 (b) The New London/Washington County Alumni Club’s annual Fall Mass and Brunch on November 9 began with the celebration of Mass by Rev. John S. Peterson, O.P. ’57, chaplain of the National Alumni Association, at St. Edmund’s Church in Mystic, Conn. Guests were treated to brunch and a talk about PC’s new School of Business by its dean, Dr. Sue Lehrman, at the Seaman’s Inne in Mystic. The club paid tribute to longtime president Walter Brown ’61, who stepped down after eight years of service, and welcomed Michael Lynch ’83 as the new president. From left are Father Peterson, Brown, and Brian Maher ’68, president of the alumni association’s Board of Governors.
d
Special Event
At l a nta A r ea Atlanta alums celebrate Advent, support Kiernan Scholarship Fund (c) The Atlanta Area Club’s Annual Mass and Brunch, hosted by Monsignor R. Donald Kiernan ’45, took place on December 7 at the All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, Ga. Along with celebrating the season of Advent, club members supported The Monsignor R. Donald Kiernan ’45 Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to PC students from Georgia. From left are Hank Cushing ’56, Ann Cushing, and Bill Zaryski ’73.
c
Fan Fest tips off with “Brunch with Keno Davis” (d) The Mal Brown Club, the Greater Providence Chapter of the PC National Alumni Association, kicked off this year’s Friar Fan Fest with “Brunch with Keno Davis,” PC’s new head men’s basketball coach, on October 25. Close to 90 alumni and other Friar fans packed into McPhail’s in the Slavin Center to hear Davis speak about the season. Assistant coaches Rodell Davis, Chris Davis, Pat Skerry, and Cary Collins also attended, as did players Randall Hanke ’09 of New York, N.Y.; Weyinmi Efejuku ’09 of Auburn, Ga.; and Jonathan Kale ’09 of Hyde Park, Mass. The brunch preceded Friar Fan Fest, which was attended by about 1,000 people. The men’s and women’s basketball teams signed autographs, and the men took to the court for their annual intra-squad scrimmage. At the brunch are, from left, Natalie Machado Leonard ’93, Chris Davis, Rodell Davis, and Matt Leonard ’92, vice president of the Mal Brown Club, and daughter Lauren.
New Yor k C i ty Young Alumni enjoy Christmas camaraderie (e) More than 400 alumni enjoyed celebrating the Christmas season and reminiscing about their days as PC Friars at the 2008 Providence College Young Alumni Christmas Parties in New York City and Boston. In addition, $5 of each party ticket was donated to the PC Fund, raising about $2,000 for the College. Taking part in the festivities at Saloon’s in Manhattan on December 6 are, from left, Class of 2008 members Caileen Burns, Marissa Maffa, Laura Elfers, Kate Maher, and Amanda Genova.
e
For upcoming regional alumni club events and activities, log on to: www.providence.edu/Alumni/ Alumni+Events/
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connections class notes
class notes 1952 Thomas P. Kelly, Jr. of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was honored by Loyola Marymount University when it dedicated the Thomas P. Kelly, Jr. Student Art Gallery at its Los Angeles campus. The gallery showcases student and alumni art exhibits and performances and recitals by music and theatre students. Kelly is dean emeritus of the College of Communication and Fine Arts and founding dean of the School of Film and Television. John H. Roche of Dover, N.H., is a consultant with Measured Progress, a company which designs, implements, and scores secondary education standardized tests.
1964 Peter F. Martin of Newport, R.I., was elected in November to the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He will represent District 75, which includes most of Newport.
1965 Richard M. Gendron, M.D. of Kingsport, Tenn., was elected vice president of the Holston Medical Group (HMG) Board of Directors. A pediatrician who has held several leadership roles since joining HMG in 1996, he will assist executive leadership teams within HMG, take part in long-range planning, and continue to chair its quality assurance committee. He will devote the other half of his time to his pediatrics practice.
1968 Bob Donnelly of Millwood, N.Y., was named to Irish America magazine’s “The Legal 100: a Celebration of Irish Lawyers and Judges” listing of the most distinguished lawyers and judges of Irish descent in America in its October/November issue. He is an entertainment lawyer with the New York office of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King, and Stageberg.
1969 The Hon. Bennett R. Gallo of West Greenwich, R.I., was appointed an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court. Rev. Carmen Mele, O.P. of Fort Worth, Texas, is the director of Hispanic adult catechesis for the Diocese of Fort Worth. He is overseeing the diocese’s ministry training program and is implementing the new “Why Catholic?” program.
1971 Brian P. Foley of Alexandria, Va., was named provost of the Medical Education Campus at Northern Virginia Community College in Springfield, effective January 1. He oversees all campus planning, development, and policy matters, including the budget, personnel management and recruitment of faculty and staff, and program development and specialized accreditation. John P. Maguire of Warwick, R.I., was elected to the Board of Directors of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He has served as an English teacher at North Providence High School for 35 years and as president of the North Providence Federation of Teachers since 1988.
1973
legend * = School of Continuing Education ** = Graduate Studies All others are day school graduates. submitting a class note online
www.providence.edu/alumni/ news+and+photo+gallery. You will receive electronic confirmation that your message has been received. postal Providence College Magazine/Class Notes Providence College
John Amaral of Rochester, Mass., was appointed interim principal of Old Rochester Regional High School for the balance of the 2008-2009 school year.
Publications Center
The Hon. Maureen McKenna Goldberg of South Kingstown, R.I., was named in December as acting chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold the chief justice position. Goldberg has served on the Supreme Court since 1997.
Harkins Hall, Room 205
1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918-0001
Submissions are printed on a spaceavailable basis.
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1975 Paul A. Kearney, Jr., M.D. of Lexington, Ky., chief of trauma and critical care and medical director of the trauma and surgical intensive care units at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine’s UK Chandler Hospital in Lexington, was honored with the creation of the Paul A. Kearney, M.D. Endowed Chair in Trauma Surgery. The chair is funded by a donation from the HGG Family Foundation of Lexington.
1978
*Thomas N. Warren of Narragansett, R.I., was appointed assistant chief in the Providence Fire Department.
1982 The Hon. Robert M. Ferrieri of Johnston, R.I., was sworn in as a judge of the Rhode Island Workers Compensation Court. He was most recently a partner in the law firm Lombardi & Ferrieri, PC, where he concentrated in workers’ compensation, real estate closings, and personal injury.
Donald A. Cyr of South Kingstown, R.I., was named executive vice president and head of security and fraud for Citizens Bank. He oversees information security, physical security, business continuity, fraud prevention, and fraud investigation.
1983
John J. McCarthy of Chelmsford, Mass., has been appointed national sales director at ShoreGroup, Inc. of New York, N.Y., a systems management solutions and IT professional services firm.
1985
Thomas Rose of Cranston, R.I., a certified school business administrator, was named business manager for the Dracut, Mass., school system.
1979 Paula J. Ciotti of Plano, Texas, is now the compliance officer for PHNS, Inc. in Dallas, a healthcare services company which offers strategic solutions in information technology and health information management. Robert G. Madden of Deep River, Conn., a professor of social work at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, was named special assistant to the president for strategic planning in September. He will continue to teach half-time.
1981
Mary Moroney of Jamestown, R.I., was honored as one of 15 Woman of Achievement Award winners for 2008 by YWCA Northern Rhode Island at the agency’s 4th Annual Tools of the Trade Luncheon in September. Moroney, the director of library services at Bryant University, was recognized for her work as a co-chair of The Women's Summit at Bryant. Tom Ott of South Salem, N.Y., acting chief executive officer of Smithsonian Enterprises, was named president of Smithsonian Enterprises after a national search. He will continue to lead its media division, which includes the Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines and their online products and television’s Smithsonian Channel.
Michael J. Marcucci of Middlebury, Conn., has joined New England Bancshares in Enfield as executive vice president and chief risk officer. He is in charge of all credit, loan review, and portfolio administration functions.
*William J. Hawkins III of Greenville, R.I., a financial advisor with the Providence office of Wachovia Securities, LLC, earned the designation of Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor.
1985 Edward D. Burke of Sag Harbor, N.Y., has been named to Irish America magazine’s “The Legal 100: a Celebration of Irish Lawyers and Judges” listing of the most distinguished lawyers and judges of Irish descent in America in its October/November issue. His private practice, Edward D. Burke, Jr. & Associates, is located in Sag Harbor.
1987 Tom Archer of Avon, Conn., was promoted to coordinating producer of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, overseeing ESPN’s coverage of the final game telecast from Yankee Stadium on September 21. Alex Incera of Pomfret, Conn., was named president of Gerber Coburn, a provider of computer integrated optical lens processing systems in South Windsor, and corporate vice president of its parent company, Gerber Scientific, Inc. Thomas A. Makin of Northport, N.Y., was appointed vice president of customer care operations at Cablevision.
1988 **Sarah J. De Haas of Altoona, Pa., was named the Martin G. Brumbaugh Professor of Education at Juniata College.
Donald M. Demers, CFRE of Woonsocket, R.I., was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Development Conference of Hempstead, N.Y. Demers is the director of the Office of Institutional Advancement at Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket. Michael J. Melville of Boylston, Mass., was named president of IntelliSoft Group, Inc. of Nashua, N.H., in August. The company is a nationwide supplier of automated credentialing and provider management solutions for the healthcare industry.
1989 Teresa Lavoie, Ph.D. of Hopkins, Minn., was elevated to principal in the Minneapolis office of the law firm of Fish & Richardson P.C. She practices within the firm’s Patent Prosecution Group.
1990 **Andrew A. Brown of Lincoln, R.I., has been named chief financial officer at Abington Bank.
1991 Patrick Dwyer of Key Biscayne, Fla., a private wealth advisor with Merrill Lynch, was named a leading wealth management advisor in several nationally released annual lists. Kira M. Poplowski, Ph.D. of Santa Monica, Calif., was named vice president for public relations and marketing at Pitzer College in Claremont.
1992 **Gregory R. Rieben of Providence, R.I., was named a human resources officer at Amica Mutual Insurance Company in Lincoln.
1993 Gina L. DeRossi of Dartmouth, Mass., was elected register of probate and family court for Bristol County.
1994 **Jennifer Kay Anchukaitis of Barrington, R.I., was promoted to vice president in Citizens Bank’s Portfolio Administration department, where she is an operations manager. Karen DaPonte Thornton of Bethesda, Md., is now an adjunct professorial lecturer in law at The George Washington University Law School, where she teaches scholarly legal writing to juris doctor and master of laws candidates. She will continue working as a senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), where she was recently recognized with a GAO Meritorious Service Award.
1995 James A. Mello of Lebanon, Conn., was promoted to assistant provost for financial planning at the University of Hartford.
1997 Neil G. Mitchill, C.P.A. of Higganum, Conn., was admitted as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers on July 1. **Jennifer Dullea Norrell of San Francisco, Calif., was named community relations director for the San Francisco residences run by Agesong, a group of assisted-living senior communities with a holistic approach to care. Jason C. Tesini of Lowell, Mass., was named vice principal for student life at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, which is run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
1998 Susan Rowan Henrikson of Exeter, R.I., was promoted to account vice president at UnitedHealthcare, where she manages large public-sector accounts. Melanie Loiselle-Mongeon of Lincoln, R.I., was sworn in as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island at its 108th annual conference in October. She is vice president of the Loiselle Insurance Agency of Pawtucket. Scott C. Sharland of Bridgewater, Mass., was accepted into the Peace Corps. He is stationed on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean and will live there for two years while he teaches computer skills at a local school.
1999 G. Gregory Bernhard of Vienna, Va., cofounded Moran & Bernhard Wealth Management Services, located in Manassas. The business offers financial planning, investment, and insurance services for individuals and families. Katharine Milton of Seabrook, N.H., has been named one of 15 new members of the Boston Bar Association’s Public Interest Leadership Program. The program fosters the professional relationships that are essential to success.
2000 Christopher J. Hilton of Farmingdale, N.Y., is now senior vice president and chief credit officer at Empire National Bank in Islandia. He also is a board treasurer and a director for the Child Care Council of Suffolk Inc., a board member of the Long Island chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, and a director and board
treasurer for the Long Island Chapter of the Risk Management Association. Danielle Sasson Thomas of Port Orange, Fla., earned her master of science degree in elementary education with a specialization in reading and literacy from Walden University. She graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. Thomas teaches special education at Westside Elementary School in Daytona Beach.
2003 Benjamin K. Ahlstrom of Buffalo, N.Y., joined Hodgson Russ’ Business Litigation Practice Group in the law firm’s Buffalo office. He represents clients in complex litigation in both federal and state courts. Frederick J. Coughlin of Bensalem, Pa., received his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Princeton University after defending his thesis. He recently began working at Pharmasset in Princeton, N.J. *James C. Healy III of Warwick, R.I., was appointed director of human resources at Cumberland Engineering and is based in its South Attleboro, Mass., office. Jessica Nuzzelillo-Moran of Bethesda, Md., graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in May. She entered the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division’s Criminal Enforcement Section in September and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in October.
2004
Jennifer Aguilar of Branford, Conn., has joined Pepe & Hazard, LLP as an associate in the firm’s Construction Litigation Practice. A graduate of the Quinnipiac School of Law, she was recently sworn into the Connecticut Bar. Colleen Murphy Coughlin of Bensalem, Pa., received a master of music degree in vocal performance from Temple University. She is teaching music and performing in the Philadelphia area.
2005 BriAnne Bruni of Bristol, Conn., was appointed director of client management at Fenway Sports Group (FSG), a sports marketing firm and sister company of the Boston Red Sox. Eric J. Farrell of Wilmington, Mass., earned a master of education degree in higher education/ student affairs from Salem State College in May. Troy Quinn of Providence, R.I., is a special lecturer of music at Providence College, where he directs the Women’s Chorus and
teaches applied voice. He recently received a scholarship to attend the London Master Classes, where he conducted the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Boston Philharmonic Maestro Benjamin Zander. The master class was a week-long session involving seven top conductors from all over the world, including Quinn, one of only two Americans. The sessions were filmed and will be made into a DVD for music educators and conductors of higher education.
2006
MaryBeth Allen of Brooklyn, N.Y., a paralegal specialist for the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York, was part of a legal team that won the 2008 Director’s Award for Superior Performance by a Litigative Team at the 25th annual Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) Director’s Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C., in December. The team successfully prosecuted those involved in the theft of more than $2.5 billion from Refco, a financial services company. Dan Robb of Newton, Mass., completed his service with Jesuit Volunteers International at the Colegio Miguel Pro school in Peru in December.
2007 Michael K. Nisbet of Marlborough, Mass., is a new account executive with American Profit Recovery of Marlborough. Mallary J. Tenore of St. Petersburg, Fla., one of 30 journalists nationwide chosen for a sixweek summer 2007 fellowship at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, was named the institute’s Naughton fellow and spent a year writing, editing, and producing stories for Poynter Online. After a reporting internship at The Dallas Morning News in Texas, she returned to the institute as its first full-time copy editor. She writes on occasion for Poynter Online and for the St. Petersburg Times, owned by The Poynter Institute.
2008 Devin Driscoll of Veneta, Ore., served as a salaried field organizer for Barack Obama’s campaign for president of the United States. *Sue Ann Votta of Cranston, R.I., has been promoted to vice president and branch manager at the Wakefield office of NewportFed bank.
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connections deaths/in memoriam
the Honorable William J. McGair ’40
deaths The Honorable August C. Taveira ’39 The Honorable William J. McGair ’40 Nicholas S. Sperounis ’41 Norman Bilsky ’42 William J. Crawford ’42 Mario F. Pires, D.D.S. ’42 Frank J. Securo ’44 William F. Braziel, Sr. ’45 William G. Handfield ’46 Rev. Joseph H. Mulhern ’46 Edward M. Quinn ’48 Robert E. Doherty ’49 Francis P. Feeney ’49 Thomas J. Grady ’49 Francis J. Fisher, Ph.D. ’50 Joseph Morgan ’50 Roland W. Bisson ’51 Salvatore W. Ciresi ’52 John G. Marcaccio ’52 Robert L. Deasy ’53 William J. Reilly ’57 Maurice C. Paradis ’58 (former faculty)
Kenneth A. Willoughby, Sr. ’58 Edward T. Costa ’59 John J. Mitchell ’59 Samuel J. Amuso, Jr. ’60 Armando A. Ferrucci ’60 Emile E. Morad ’60 Allan Wilkening ’64 Dr. Edmund A. Harrington, Jr. ’65 Joseph H. Nolan ’65 Francis P. Feeney ’66 John J. Reilley ’66 Frank Tomassi ’72SCE Mark S. Whalley ’71 Sr. Mary Timothy McHatten ’72G Dennis A. Pereira ’72 William J. Swanson ’74 Nancy A. Degnan ’81G Dolores R. Larocque ’82G Leslie A. Barrett ’98G Erin Gorman ’01 Brother Francis Kevin O’Connell, O.P. (staff )
alumni online community, @pc keep you informed What’s the best way to stay informed about upcoming alumni events and activities, or to keep in touch with classmates? If you haven’t already, sign up for the Alumni Online Community at: www.alumniconnections.com/providence/ By joining the Alumni Online Community, you will receive the electronic newsletter, @PC. This monthly communication keeps alumni informed of recent and upcoming alumni news, events, and information, and includes such features as profiles and links to PC Now, the College’s new weekly, one-stop Web news page.
view, submit marriage and new arrival announcements Online Keep up with your classmates’ Wedding and New Arrival news online at: www.providence.edu/transitions. That’s also the place where you can continue to view and share group wedding photos. The online forms used to submit this news can be found on the PC Web site in the Alumni pages under News & Photos.
The Honorable William J. McGair ’40 of Cranston, R.I., an attorney, former Cranston probate judge, and former senior solicitor for the City of Providence, died on October 28. Judge McGair received his bachelor’s degree from PC in English. A loyal alumnus, he served over the years as a volunteer for varied National Alumni Association activities. Judge McGair received his Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School and his LLM in taxation from Boston University Law School. He was a naval intelligence officer during World War II. A member of the American and Rhode Island Bar Associations, he served as editor-in-chief of the Rhode Island Bar Journal and as a founding member of the R.I. association’s Young Lawyers Division. He is survived by his wife, Rita, and their eight children, all of whom are PC graduates: Joseph J. McGair, Esq. ’67; James J. McGair, Esq. ’68; William J. McGair, Jr. ’72G; Marcia McGair Ippolito, Esq. ’75; Marilyn F. McGair ’77; Marion J. McGair, Esq. ’79; Robert A. McGair ’80; and Thomas A. McGair ’83, as well as seven grandchildren, including Brendan W. McGair ’03.
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connections in memoriam
Robert L. Deasy ’53, retired PC professor Throughout his PC career, he taught more than 20,000 students in more than 560 classes in the undergraduate day school, the School of Continuing Education (SCE), and the Graduate Studies Program. He was presented the Distinguished Faculty Service Award at Academic Convocation in 2006. Mr. Deasy was an expert in presidential elections and served as a contributing editor for NBC News for its coverage of President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Robert L. Deasy ’53, a retired associate professor of history who taught at Providence College for 52 years, died on December 11 at his home in Rumford, R.I. A summa cum laude student, he was the first PC graduate with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. After serving in the U.S. Army, Mr. Deasy joined the PC faculty as an instructor in 1956. He retired in May 2008 as the College’s longest-serving faculty member.
One of his colleagues, Dr. Raymond L. Sickinger ’70, professor of history, called Mr. Deasy “the consummate teacher.” Sickinger, who knew him as a student, added, “He lived to teach, and he loved his students. It was in the fiber of his soul.” Mary Ann Dailey, assistant payroll manager at PC, took four graduate history classes with Mr. Deasy, including the last master’s
class he taught in the summer of 2008, 17th Century Europe. She recalled that he informed the class of his illness during the syllabus review and used it as “a teaching moment” to explain his philosophy of life. “The amount of time he had left was unimportant. What was important was what he did with these last moments, and he planned to live each one to its fullest,” said Dailey. Mr. Deasy was the husband of Dolores J. (Peckham) Deasy and the late Louise Ann (Gibbs) Deasy. Among his survivors are a son, Robert T. Deasy ’82, director of catering for Sodexho at PC, and three daughters, Leeann Dias ’81, Katy Krupa ’82, and Maribeth Knox. Contributions in his memory can be made to the PC National Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, 1 Cunningham Square, Providence, RI 02918.
Rev. Edmund J. Way, O.P. ’36 & ’77G, Capital Area Alumni Club chaplain Rev. Edmund John Way, O.P. ’36 & ’77G, longtime chaplain of Providence College’s Capital Area Alumni Club, died on November 22 in Washington, D.C. As club chaplain for more than 20 years, Father Way celebrated countless Masses and hosted or visited with alumni at numerous events. Club members commemorated his 65th anniversary of ordination with him at a Mass and reception on June 15 at St. Dominic Church in Washington. Capital Area Club President Bill Shea ’69 noted he was “the same Father Way until
the end—concerned for others and always optimistic.” Father Way received his bachelor’s degree in pre-ecclesiastical studies from PC in 1936 and his master’s degree in religious studies in 1977. His theological education was at the Immaculate Conception Pontifical College in Washington. He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1943. Father Way served at St. Dominic Parish in Detroit, Mich., from 1943-53. He was assigned to St. Dominic Priory in Youngstown, Ohio, from 1953-74, and in
1975, he was appointed to St. Dominic Priory in Washington to serve in parish ministry. Due to health issues, he had resided at the Dominican Friars’ Center for Assisted Living Unit at St. Dominic Priory since 2004.
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the last word
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Weathering and trusting In the light of Art Ryan’s insightful analysis of our current financial predicament in this issue of Providence College Magazine, many of you may be wondering how the College is weathering this difficult climate. A number of colleges and universities have recently announced plans to reduce expenses through cost-saving measures that include freezing budgets, salaries, and hiring, and postponing planned capital projects. These measures have been made to counter dramatic endowment losses that have severely impacted the funding of these institutions’ operating budgets. Providence College has a modest endowment compared to its cohort schools and other prominent liberal arts institutions. Our endowment funds are well-diversified and wisely managed. Though no sector has escaped the financial downturn, our sound investment strategy has minimized our losses. While other colleges have reported losses as high as 40-50 percent, our endowment has declined over the past 14 months by approximately 25 percent, or $40 million. At this writing, the endowment stands at approximately $120 million. Unlike many other schools, Providence College does not depend upon its endowment to support day-to-day operations. Use of endowment funds is restricted either for donor-directed purposes or for non-recurring, one-time capital projects. We also adhere to conservative budgeting practices; for example, we fully fund deferred maintenance to ensure that needed repairs and improvements to the campus
infrastructure are made on an annual basis. This approach has enabled us to maintain a moderate level of debt. While Providence College is not as endowment dependent as our cohort schools, it is, however, more tuition dependent. More than 80 percent of the College’s annual operating budget is derived from tuition income. With this income model, any negative change in the tuition base would adversely impact both our current students and our operating budget. That is why we are carefully monitoring a number of key economic indicators in the areas of student enrollment and retention, financial aid, and fundraising that we believe will alert us to any emerging problems. Our admission activity is encouraging, down slightly from last year, but consistent with or better than applications at our competitor schools. Retention rates for current PC students remained stable throughout the fall semester. The one indicator we are watching the closest is the number of appeals for additional financial aid. In the first six months of the current fiscal year, the College had already received 81 percent of the total number of appeals we received during the previous year. Given our mission as a Catholic and Dominican institution, we are committed to helping current students in unanticipated family distress complete their studies at Providence College. Helping students in difficult times has always been the Providence College ethos, and keeping our students in school is our top priority.
r ev. B r i an J. Sh anley, O.P. President u
We are monitoring carefully our current operating budget. As we finalize the budget for the 2009-10 academic year, we will redouble efforts to identify cost efficiencies and concentrate spending priorities on critical strategic goals that promote student formation and advance academic excellence. While a slowing economy may impact the pace of implementing certain strategic initiatives, those deemed critical to support student development will stay on track. For example, the expansion of the Slavin Center in order to provide more recreational space for our students is so important that we are going forward in accord with our previous plans. Some other planned capital projects may be deferred. While we do our best to be prudently provident for the College, we are keenly conscious that the future lies in the hands of God’s loving providence. We are confident that God will guide us safely through these turbulent waters. I see that Providence at work in the people who serve the College and in so many donors who continue to give generously. I am especially moved by those alumni who have responded so generously to our appeals to help us keep our students in school. And I am counting on the intercession of Brother Kevin O’Connell—who helped so many students in financial need to find a way to complete their education—to continue to inspire people to help us fulfill our mission. God will provide.
keeping the promise... through leadership giving
“
The country’s dramatic economic downturn has had a palpable impact on many of our students’ lives. PC needs your help to assist our students, whose families are facing difficult times.
”
rev. brian j. shanley, o.p., president
Many more of our students’ families are struggling to meet College costs—your leadership support through the St. Dominic Society plays a critical role in advancing the educational and spiritual mission of Providence College.
The St. Dominic Society—formerly known as the President’s Circle— reflects the mission and spirituality of St. Dominic, whose preaching and teaching flowed from a zealous service to others and search for truth.
In the spirit of St. Dominic’s legacy, please help PC keep its promise to students whose families face the extraordinary economic challenges of rising unemployment, a volatile stock market, declining home values, and more limited student loan availability.
To make your St. Dominic Society gift online, please visit
www.givetopc.org. To learn about additional leadership giving opportunities, we invite you to contact the Office of Annual Giving at 401.865.1296.
1 Cunningham Square Providence, Rhode Island 02918-0001
t r a ns for m you rse l f. transf orm so c i ety. providence.edu