Putting off the office purge?  RecycleMania is the perfect time to spring-clean the office. Time to recycle all those old phone books and old journals you no longer need.  Clean out your desk and free yourself from all of the unnecessary paper in your office.  If you need an extra bin to assist in your purge, call the Recycling Office at x26931.  We will make all the arrangements to have you clutter free in no time.  If you want to win, put it in the bin! 

To see how Southern ranks or for more information about upcoming events, visit

February 1, 2012

Dear Colleagues,

Today is the first day of my presidency at Southern, and I'm thrilled to be part of such a vibrant campus community. Southern is a distinguished and highly respected institution with strong values and traditions, and I am honored to lead the university through the next critical chapter of its history. I feel truly fortunate to have received this opportunity at a time when so much has been achieved by your community and its leadership in recent years. My challenge as president will be to build on these accomplishments and bring all of us together in a way that will continue to move Southern and higher education in Connecticut forward.

Since my selection as president in December, I have been completing my work at Lehman College, where I have spent the last five years as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Lehman is a similar size to Southern with about 12,100 students, and is one of the seven major senior colleges of The City University of New York. At Lehman, I helped articulate and implement a strategic vision and long-term goals, worked to build new community partnerships and assisted in launching the college's first major capital campaign. In recent years, admission standards were raised to better serve the student base, new strategies were implemented to support student success, and there was growth in both facilities and faculty.  These initiatives led Lehman to be designated for the first time as a "top tier public institution in the northern region" by U.S. News & World Report.

I envision similar development opportunities at Southern. I look forward to working with all of you to strengthen enrollment and academic standards and begin work on a strategic plan that will help us to set our priorities for the coming years. Building on recent advances, I also will look to forward research and development and expand the impressive array of public-private partnerships that has been successfully implemented here. I believe that this university has the potential to become a leading light in higher education: a university where our students are given every opportunity to acquire a first-class education with a global vision in an enlightened, compassionate, supportive and diverse environment.

During the weeks ahead, I plan to learn as much as I can about Southern and the Greater New Haven community.  Starting today, I will be a visible presence on campus, getting to know the faculty, students, administrators and support staff -- if you see me, stop me and say hello! I will also have regular office hours so that you can drop by and talk with me. I believe that an open, collaborative and responsive administration can bring out the best in everyone and ensure the success of a common enterprise. All of you play an important role in advancing our academic mission, and your insights and ideas will help me to develop a vision that will move us forward.

In the short term I will be commuting to campus from my home in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., so that my husband, Dennis, and I have time to buy a house here (and sell our house in New Jersey), and so that our younger daughter, Marie, can finish her final year in middle school.  Fortunately, our older daughter, Ani, has settled nicely into her freshman year in college. We are eagerly looking forward to moving to this area and becoming fully engaged in the rich mix of intellectual, social and cultural opportunities that this region provides.

I am excited about what the future holds for the next years and beyond.  Yes, these remain uncertain economic times and understandably there is some anxiety regarding the changing landscape in public higher education in Connecticut.  But I am convinced that together we can successfully embrace the opportunities and address the ongoing challenges facing Southern and all state universities.  I plan to be a vigorous advocate for this university and its mission in Greater New Haven, in Hartford and further afield. We must make it clear to the public, the business community and the political establishment that investing in an institution like Southern is not only an investment in our students, but also by extension an investment in our whole community and indeed, the very future of America.

In closing, I want to thank all of you who welcomed me and my husband so warmly at my December introduction. As I stated at that time, the journey on which we are about to embark will be one of respect. It will be a journey of commitment, a journey dedicated to excellence and to human dignity. And it will be a journey that I look forward to sharing with each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Mary A. Papazian, Ph.D.
President

 

On  February 1, 2012, the university held a Transportation Fair to inform the campus community about transportation options. The fair will be held in the Adanti Student Center Ballroom.

Presenters included:

• Zipcar (car sharing service)
  
  
• U-Pass (CTTransit bus pass for university students)
  
  
• Diverse Transportation (SCSU Shuttle Services)
  
  
• R.I.D.E.S. (MetroCard via SCSU's Drug & Alcohol Resource Center)
  
  
• Connecticut Commuter Services (carpooling)
  

Tables for each program were set up around the room, and students met with representatives and enroll in Zipcar, obtain their U-Pass and R.I.D.E.S. MetroCard, and obtain shuttle bus information/schedules.

For more information, visit the Transportation website. 

Click here to download a printable flyer

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the Hamden Chamber of Commerce and Southern Connecticut State University will co-present the first in a leadership series of conversations with business visionaries. Mike Katz (right), '66, owner/operator of Planet Fitness, will be interviewed by journalist and former WTNH anchor, Ted Koppy in the Grand Ballroom of the Michael J. Adanti Student Center at Southern. An informal lunch will be served. 

Katz is most famous for his appearance with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1977 bodybuilding documentary film Pumping Iron. Katz also qualified for the 1976 Mr. Olympia, placing fourth in the heavyweight division, and served as a professional football player with the New York Jets.

This is a great event for business, exercise science, and education students and faculty. Students and faculty are free, but if possible, please call Nancy Dudchik at the Hamden Chamber ahead of time to reserve seating: 203-288-6431. Admission for all others, $10.  

Watch an interview with Ted Koppy about the event

Click here to download the flyer

Not only has Southern scored well on the surveys compared with other schools, but it has shown significant improvement during the last seven years in most of the specific categories measured by the survey.

"It is quite an honor to be selected for this study," says interim Provost Marianne Kennedy. "The site team was very complimentary and genuinely seemed impressed with what we are doing. In particular, they noted how multi-faceted and complex our efforts have been.

"The results of the survey each year affirm our belief that the First-Year Experience (FYE) program has been a catalyst for the improvements," Kennedy says. "The biggest gains that we have seen with first-year students came right after the FYE was fully implemented."

Kennedy also says that other programs, such as the New Student Orientation, peer mentoring, faculty development efforts and co-curricular activities, have helped as well. NSSE asks freshmen and seniors a variety of questions to determine their perceptions in five categories: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. Studies have shown that those areas are predictors of future student success.

This fall, Southern's freshmen scored higher than most of its peers in four of the five categories, most notably in the areas of student-faculty interaction and providing enriching educational experiences.

Among this year's findings:

•  84 percent of freshmen and 79 percent of seniors reported their overall educational experience at Southern to be "good" or "excellent."
•  76 percent of freshmen and 73 percent of seniors said they would "probably" or "definitely" come to Southern for their college education if they had an opportunity to start again.
•  79 percent of freshmen and 81 percent of seniors talk at least occasionally about their career plans with faculty.
•  50 percent of students had participated in some form of community service or volunteer work by the time they were seniors.

The School of Arts and Sciences recently extended to Music Haven and the Haven String Quartet the opportunity to be in residence at Southern. Music Haven's mission is "to use a string quartet to build a vibrant urban community through performance and music education that empowers young people, their families, and professional musicians."

Yale School of Music graduate Tina Lee Hadari founded Music Haven in 2006, convinced that a professional string quartet could contribute to social change in New Haven's urban communities. In starting Music Haven, she created the opportunity for a string quartet to teach and perform in four of the city's most underserved neighborhoods. The Haven String Quartet -- which includes Hadari and Yaira Matyakubova, both violinists; Matt Beckmann, cellist; and Colin Benn, violist -- will integrate into campus life in a number of capacities: via concerts, workshops and class participation. The Southern community can expect concerts and learning opportunities to take place on campus for the next few years.

Admission to the Jan. 24 concert is $5 at the door. The event will take place in the Garner Recital Hall (Engleman C112).For directions visit /map/

For more information, contact the SCSU Music Department at (203) 392-6625.

Click here to access the blog.

At top of page: students with Okrent at the Connecticut Business Plan Competition; at left: students with Okrent and others at the intramural competition.

"This is great news for Southern, and for students in Connecticut who want to further their physics education in two critical sectors in our state," said Board of Regents Interim President Robert Kennedy. "I commend the Board of Regents for approving this program, and congratulate Southern for crafting this interdisciplinary, cutting-edge program." 

The M.S. program in applied physics has two tracks - materials science/nanotechnology and optics/optical instrumentation - intended to develop the state's workforce in the established optics industry, as well as in the emerging nanotechnology sector.  The program will begin in fall 2012 and be licensed through Dec. 31, 2014. Currently, Yale University is the only institution in Connecticut to offer a graduate program in applied physics.
 
Elliott Horch, SCSU associate professor of physics, will be the graduate program coordinator. "The program was designed in two tracks to align with the needs in the region's high-tech industry," said Horch.  "Our graduates will be adaptable to leading-edge technology development and able to fill leadership roles in research and development throughout the state."
 
The program is interdisciplinary between SCSU's School of Business and departments of Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science with courses aligned to meet industry needs. The M.S. in applied physics program is in the model of the Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree program that includes science training combined with management, marketing and entrepreneurship, making graduates highly marketable within Connecticut's technology sector.
 
DonnaJean Fredeen, dean of SCSU's School of Arts and Sciences, said the program addresses current workforce needs as Connecticut becomes a knowledge economy. "In addition to the technical background, students are going to have a much better understanding of the business process, project management and how to take a product to market," she said.
 
The M.S. in applied physics program was initially developed in consultation with an industrial advisory committee that will continue to guide the program as it matures.  Companies represented on the Advisory Board include Smiths Detection, Phonon Corp., Nights Inc., Sikorsky and Zygo Corp.
Horch said companies - such as Zygo Corp. in Middletown and Goodrich Optical Systems in Danbury - have manufactured optical systems for many years. "We felt the optical track represents an established industry in Connecticut and our graduates can help sustain this industry," said Horch, who specializes in optics, electro-optics and interferometry.
 
Professor Christine Broadbridge, chairperson of the Department of Physics said SCSU has a good working relationship with the state's businesses and the department's existing collaboration with Yale University creates a synergy with the new M.S. in applied physics program. The National Science Foundation recently awarded a $13 million grant to Yale University and SCSU to establish a Center of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation also known as a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
 
Broadbridge said SCSU graduates of the M.S.in applied physics program will have immediate impact on companies who hire them, serving the needs of high quality engineers and scientists in Connecticut.
 
"This program will have a substantial impact on workforce development as we train future manufacturing leaders for established businesses and emerging technologies," said Broadbridge - a leading researcher in nanotechnology, recognized by state government as a key area of economic opportunity. "Southern students stay in Connecticut and these programs prepare them for jobs that benefit both them and the state," said Broadbridge.

Learn more about the M.S. degree program in applied physics

Winter Session 2012 Dates:  December 27, 2011 - January 13, 2012

Register at

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On Thursday, Papazian said she is fortunate to join the Southern community on the heels of so much good work that has been done at the university. She said she will strive to help the university build upon those accomplishments.  She said she will fight so that Southern students are afforded the best education possible. "I want students to have the opportunity to participate in the American Dream." 
She said she is excited to embark on an exciting journey with the students, faculty and staff at Southern.  "I promise you a journey of respect and commitment -- one that is dedicated to excellence and human dignity.  Our students -- at the end of the day -- are the reason why we're here."

Papazian's first day at Southern will be Feb. 1, 2012. Interim Provost Marianne Kennedy is serving as the lead campus administrator through the month of January.

Dr. Papazian received her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in English literature. She began her career at Oakland University in Michigan as an assistant professor of English and ultimately became the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences there. Following her time at Oakland University, Dr. Papazian was the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, a comprehensive public university with 17,000 students and 500 full-time faculty members. There, she recruited more than 30 diverse faculty members, managed the college's nearly $23 million budget and set spending priorities that supported the students even while budget dollars tightened. At Montclair State, Dr. Papazian also created a strong partnership between liberal arts and education, helping to strengthen the teacher education program at the school.
 
In 2007, Dr. Papazian became the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Lehman College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. At Lehman, Dr. Papazian is responsible for a $60 million budget, more than 750 full- and part-time faculty members and 200 staff, as well as the management, planning, development and quality control of all academic programs at the college. Dr. Papazian helped articulate a strategic vision and long-term goals for the college and has played a leading role in their implementation. She also supported efforts to build strong community relationships with the college and was a key member of Lehman's leadership team as it launched Lehman's first capital campaign with a $40 million target by 2014- $34 million of which has been raised or pledged to date, including nearly $1 million for scholarships.
 
Focusing on Lehman's position as a comprehensive college within a research university, Dr. Papazian strengthened Lehman's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to leverage support in that community for Lehman. She has hired dozens of research active faculty to join a group that has already been awarded $20 million annually in external funding.
 
Dr. Papazian has published a number of books, articles and reviews, including her most recent book, The Sacred and Profane in English Renaissance Literature. In 2009, Dr. Papazian presented to the "University Education for the 21st Century" conference in Armenia, focusing on the future of teaching and learning in the new millennium.
 

The Haven String Quartet will integrate into campus life in a number of capacities: via concerts, workshops and class participation.  In addition, the group will have the opportunity to offer its high school outreach program on the Southern campus once the program is initiated. The Southern community can expect concerts and learning opportunities to take place on campus for the next few years. 

Music Haven was founded on the idea that excellence and equity need not be competing or mutually exclusive goals, and that all people should have access to quality arts learning opportunities. The organization was also founded with the goal of bringing together people of all races, ethnicities, socio-economic class, genders, and ages to support each other through music, to make the world a better place.

Yale School of Music graduate Tina Lee Hadari founded Music Haven in 2006. Convinced that a professional string quartet could contribute to social change in New Haven's urban communities, she created the opportunity for a string quartet to teach and perform in four of the city's most underserved neighborhoods. 

In collaboration with generous individual donors in the New Haven region, a small Board of Directors, and the Vinca Quartet, Hadari launched Music Haven to provide programs that engage and inspire New Haven youth and their families.

In the Fall of 2008, the Haven String Quartet was founded to fulfill the needs of Music Haven's mission. Each member of the Haven String Quartet teaches instrument lessons, mentors students, and performs for the entire community.

The quartet's first on-campus concert will take place on January 24, 2012, at 8 p.m. in the Charles Garner Recital Hall (Engleman C112).

(Pictured above, from left to right: Yaira Matyakubova, violinist; Matt Beckmann, cellist; DonnaJean Fredeen, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences; Colin Benn, violist; and Tina Lee Hadari, violinist and executive director of Music Haven)

The choir performed in Ireland in June 2009 as part of an event recognizing the 250th anniversary of Handel's death. Carrington also conducted that performance and invited the Southern choir to return for the 2012 event. The former director of Yale University's Schola Cantorum, Carrington co-founded the British vocal ensemble The King's Singers at Cambridge University.

Composer Handel was born in Germany in 1685 and died in England in 1759. He is perhaps best known for his compositions "Messiah" and "Water Music."

Fewer than 10 students in the current choir went on the Ireland trip, says Terese Gemme, professor of music and director of the choir. "It was such a life-changing experience for the students who went on that trip, they knew they had to do it again."

Gemme refers to the cultural dimension of the trip as being especially significant for the students. "The exposure to history, and the connection of music through history is powerful," Gemme says. "This music has continued in this place since 1759." 

Southwark Cathedral, has stood for over 1000 years on the south bank of the river Thames in London. Shakespeare and Chaucer are among the historical figures believed to have worshipped there. 

Several choirs from the United States and Great Britain will take part in the London concert. Gemme estimates that about 85 singers will participate; nearly half of those singers will be from Southern. Southern will be represented by 53 people, including not only the choir members, Gemme and the accompanist, but also Donna Jean Fredeen, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Walter and Esther Stutzman, whose family foundation is helping to support the trip. 

The Stutzman Family Foundation, which has supported other programs and initiatives in the Music Department over the past few years, has donated close to $100,000 toward the cost of the trip. The cost per student to travel to England and participate in the concert is $2,595. To help ease the financial burden on the students, President Stanley Battle is donating proceeds from the university-sponsored Diane Bish organ concert, held last spring at Battell Chapel. Each student is responsible for contributing $600 towards his or her fees, and the choir has held fundraisers such as sales of candles, cookie dough and candy bars. The fundraising began a couple of years ago, after the Ireland trip, Gemme says.

Walter Stutzman says, "it is the Foundation's goal to enable students to become the musicians they want to be.  As important as instruction, programs and facilities are, music is ultimately something to be shared. Southern's educational mission has recently placed increased emphasis on integrating a global perspective. One way to achieve this goal is to enable students to travel overseas.  Many types of learning, formal and informal, take place when musicians work together in an international venue.  This was certainly the case with the University Choir's trip to Ireland in 2009 and will no doubt be the case as the choir celebrates the opening of the 2012 Olympic year in London."

Prior to the London concert, the choir will do its own concert at Bristol Cathedral in Bristol, England. While in London, they will visit such historical sites as Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge, among others. A celebration dinner will follow the concert. Overall, the trip will be eight days long.

The choir performed the Coronation Anthems at its winter concert on Dec. 5, along with brass, timpani, and strings. About 70 singers performed at this concert.

"It will be exciting to be in London on New Year's Eve," Gemme says.

Interested students may register at gmsnewhaven.eventbrite.com

Click here or on the image at right for a printable flyer.

Click here for a printable version of the schedule of events, or see below.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? STUDENTS WHO ARE...

• African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American; and
• 11th graders who have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, 12th graders who have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or above, both on a 4.0 unweighted scale, and those who have earned a GED. (GED recipients have no GPA requirement to attend.)

YOUR PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE ALSO HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

WHAT IS THE GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS PROGRAM?

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, was established in 1999 by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. The goal of GMS is to educate "Leaders for America's Future"™ by providing eligible students with the opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in the discipline of their choice and continue through to a doctoral degree in seven GMS funded fields.

For more information, contact Kimberly M. Crone at (203) 392-9999 or cronek1@southernct.edu.

Schedule of Events 

Welcoming Remarks               

• Dr. Stanley Battle, SCSU President                  

Gates Millennium Scholars Program Presentation

• Mr. Ryan Davis, GMS Outreach Manager

Student Session - Navigating College Admissions

• SCSU Admissions Staff

Parent/Educator Session - Planning and Resources

• Mr. Ryan Davis, GMS Outreach Manager
  

Questions and Answers Session

Lunch

Next Steps

Departure

Kander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with actresses Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote material for the stage, concerts, and television.

A complimentary reception in the lobby and dedication of the Crescent Players' newly restored photo gallery will follow the performance. 

Tickets are $25 for general admission; $20 for active alumni (current membership card) and Southern faculty/staff; $5 for students; and $35 for a special Alumni Association membership ticket, which includes a one-year membership in the association. 

For tickets visit tickets.southernct.edu or call the Lyman Center Box Office at (203) 392-6154.

Nye choreographed the number to an original song written specifically for the event, which was a special celebration of the famed parade's 85th anniversary. He collaborated with national-level colleagues, including an Emmy-winning composer, and taught the young dancers an original piece he created to kick off the extravaganza. The performance is available for viewing on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPKiXc8T5_o

This is the third year that Stagedoor Manor kids have performed in the parade and the second year for Nye as director/choreographer. Last year, he choreographed for a new float by Office Max called "Elves Raise the Roof."

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationally on NBC-TV to an estimated 50 million viewers. An article about the Stagedoor Manor performance appeared on BroadwayWorld.com.

In his book, Moore tells the fascinating story of "the other Wes Moore" -- a man who shared his name and a similar personal history but arrived at a starkly different fate.

Compelled by their similar upbringings, Moore wrote The Other Wes Moore in an effort to discover how small choices make big differences.

The Other Wes Moore was this year's selection for the freshman Common Read. 

This event is free for Southern students and staff. 

For more information, contact the Lyman Center Box Office at (203) 392-6154.

But often under the radar screen today is a different kind of education gap. The rate of high school graduates attending college is substantially lower for those with an autism spectrum disorder, even those without an intellectual disability. In fact, 62 to 69 percent of high school students in the United States pursue post-secondary education, compared with 50 percent for those with an autism spectrum disorder who do not have an intellectual disability, according to a July 2010 article in the Journal of Autism and Development Disorders.

Fortunately, the technology boom that has exploded throughout the country has the potential to reduce that education gap, as well as increase the number of individuals with a form of autism to live a more independent and productive life, according to Ruth Eren, director of the Center for Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders at Southern (pictured above with students).

In an effort to increase the awareness of the latest technological advances, the center recently coordinated a symposium, "Autism, Transition and Technology," which attracted nearly 100 people. The symposium, co-sponsored by AT&T, highlighted the current trends in technology and research. AT&T recently donated 15 iPhones to the center for research purposes in a joint effort to help improve technology for those with an autism spectrum disorder.

"We believe that technology has the potential to do for individuals on the autism spectrum what the wheelchair has done for people with physical disabilities," Eren says. "It can help them lead more productive, fulfilling and independent lives. Teachers and others in education are aware of many of the developments within the classroom, but this symposium will look at the technology that is going on both inside and outside the classroom."

Eren says technology advances, such as iPhones, iPads and iPrompts have the ability to help those with autism lead more independent lives.

Peter Gerhardt, director of education for the upper school at the McCarton School in New York City, served as the symposium's keynote speaker. He serves as chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research and is on the advisory board of the Autism Society of America.
Other speakers included Avi Glickman, program director at Preparing Adolescents for Adult Life in Downington, Penn., and Megan Wilson, a special education teacher and assistive technology specialist at the Amity Middle School in Orange.

Barbara Cook, coordinator of training for the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, says it is becoming increasingly important for those with an autism spectrum disorder to be able to live independently. State funding for financial assistance is becoming more limited, especially with the stagnant economy. 

"The most important thing is improving the quality of life for these individuals," Cook says. "You can't put a price tag on that. But it also helps the state financially if more people are able to work productively."

Lee Mabie, a marketing director for AT&T, says that the technology is improving and that further enhancements are bound to continue.

"With the proliferation of consumer mobile devices that have the ability to serve as augmentative communication devices, people with autism now have cheaper and sometimes far more robust options to meet their communication needs," Mabie says. "Additionally, the mobile software development community has created a variety of apps that can assist the consumer to live a more independent life, such as picture schedulers and video models."

The center was launched two years ago to focus on three avenues: the training of current and future educators and professional staff in the best practices of teaching students with any of the autism spectrum disorders; practical autism research designed to benefit these students, and direct service through such activities as evaluating children, conducting clinics and holding special events. 

Zdanys is the author of 39 books, 36 of them collections of poetry written in English and in Lithuanian and of translations from the Lithuanian, most recently The Thin Light of Winter: New and Selected Poems (2009) and Artistic Cloning: Poems by Agnė Žagrakalytė (2010). He has received a number of prizes and book awards for his own poetry and for his translations of Lithuanian poetry into English. 

Zdanys served for more than a decade as the state of Connecticut's Chief Academic Officer, and is currently professor of English at Sacred Heart University, where he teaches creative writing.

The program is sponsored by GSAC and a Faculty Development Grant. For information, please contact Vivian Shipley at Shipleyv1@southernct.edu.

This event is recommended for children between the ages of 3 and 10, but will be fun for everyone! Light refreshments will be served, and books will be available for purchase and signing.

Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. The event will take place in Hilton Buley Library, on the ground floor. 

Directions: http://www.southernct.edu/development/httpRoot/../../aboutscsu/map/

For more information, contact  Shirley Cavanagh at (203) 392-5768.

Those interested in attending are asked to R.S.V.P. using the form linked below or by calling the School of Graduate Studies at (203) 392-5240. 

Click here to R.S.V.P.

One's twenties can be a time of possibility, inspiration, and the discovery of one's deepest values and truths. It can also be a time of challenge as the individual begins creating the kind of life his or her soul is calling for.

Kozlowski's workshop is designed for young adults interested in cultivating an authentic life of meaning and purpose. Surrounded by a community of like-minded peers who share a quest for meaning, and guided by an expert facilitator, participants will embark on a journey to the heart of their own spiritual quests. During this journey, you will:

• Tap into the leader you can be in your own life
• Explore tools for personal empowerment
• Find strength amidst doubt and insecurity
• Immerse yourself in nature and ceremony 
• Learn to build a life based on your inherent wisdom.

This revolutionary program sets the stage for an extraordinary life. You will be supported in the process of tuning into your inner knowing and making decisions from that place.

The workshop will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Farnham Hall Program Space. Free refreshments, raffles and giveaways!

Photography and text by University Photographer Isabel Chenoweth (except where noted) and design by Barbara Kagan, graphic designer in the Office of Public Affairs, capture the wide range of activities and places touched by members of the Southern community.

The exhibit, sponsored by the SCSU Office of Public Affairs, is free and open to the public.

The exhibit focuses on two aspects of Southern's outreach efforts:

Inside the Borders:  Southern Reaches Out to its Neighbors
Southern Connecticut State University's campus borders several New Haven neighborhoods: Newhallville, Dixwell, Westville, and the town of Hamden. Hundreds of students, staff and faculty have joined service projects, or have taken part in collaborative educational programs. On campus,
the new Southern Academy provides an exciting educational opportunity for young people.

Outside the Borders:  Southern Travels the Globe
Southern students have a wealth of opportunities to learn about the world around them. The summer international programs introduce students to other cultures, often exposing them to global health, educational, and environmental problems on a personal level. The students venture out of their comfort zones to conduct invaluable field research into issues such as malnutrition, poverty, pollution, energy production, and other global crises.

Masks, jewelry and textiles in the exhibit are on loan from William Faraclas, professor of public health.

Special thanks to Interim President Stanley F. Battle, Patrick Dilger, Mary Pat Caputo, William
Faraclas, Deborah Flynn, Patrick Heidkamp, Thuan Q. Vu, Camille Serchuk, Yan Q. Liu, Leon Weinmann,
Lisa Kornfelt, Alexandria Lolos, Alisha Martindale, Service Point USA, and Joseph Cifferelli.

For more information about the exhibit, contact the Office of Public Affairs at (203) 392-6594.

The Board of Regents for Higher Education has approved the creation of the Ed.D. (Doctor of Education degree), which will be a collaborative program with Western Connecticut State University. The vote marked the final approval needed before the program could be implemented. "We are thrilled that we will be able to increase the number of nursing faculty in Connecticut at a time when such positions are in short supply," said Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the SCSU Nursing Department. "The program will be geared toward those individuals with a master's degree in nursing who would like to teach. By training more individuals to teach nursing, more students can be accepted into nursing programs and eventually earn degrees in the field. This helps address the state and national nursing shortage."

The SCSU/WCSU program will be among only a handful in the country offering an Ed.D. in nursing education. Doctoral nursing degrees most commonly awarded are the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) and the D.N.P. (Doctor of Nursing Practice). The Ph.D. focuses on research and the D.N.P. centers on clinical skills. The only doctoral program currently offered by SCSU is an Ed.D. in educational leadership, which began in 2002.

The Ed.D. in nursing education will require students to complete 51 credits, including hands-on experience in teaching. An on-campus orientation will be held at the start of the fall semester, either at Southern or Western. Rebeschi said a total of 25 students will be accepted into the program in the coming months with the students divided about evenly between the two schools.

"This program is targeted specifically to educators in nursing, and to non-traditional students already in the workforce, by being almost entirely online," said Greg Paveza, dean of the School of Health and Human Services. "We are appreciative of the Board of Regents recognition of the growing demand for nursing faculty, and its recognition that Southern and Western are the ideal universities and programs to offer this innovative educational experience."

SCSU continues to offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate level programs for nursing students. The popularity of the baccalaureate program is at an all-time high with 886 undergraduates identifying themselves as either nursing or pre-nursing majors, the most at any time since the program began in the fall of 1969. Only about 80 students (50 percent of applicants) are actually accepted into the traditional baccalaureate program each year, while another 30 students (about 30 percent of applicants) are accepted into the Accelerated Career Entry (ACE)  program. An additional five students are accepted into the RN to BSN program.

SCSU currently has 15 full-time and 31 adjunct faculty members. 

For more information about the new Ed.D program, visit the program's Website.

DARC is collaborating on this program with a number of campus organizations, including Greek Life, Residence Life, and University Police, as well as the New Haven Fire Department. Awareness activities will take place on campus during the course of the day on November 2, and the crash will take place in front of Wilkinson Hall at 7 p.m.

The program will involve the re-enactment of a DWI arrest and motor vehicle crash, followed by a speaking presentation by Aaron Cooksey, a young athlete who killed a good friend in a drunk driving accident while a college student and was convicted of this crime. Mr. Cooksey will speak about how this accident changed his life and the consequences associated with drinking and driving.

For more information on the event, contact the DARC office at (203) 392-5087.

The story appears here:

www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/southern_lands_a_new_way_/

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The Expo will provide students with information about the wide variety of majors that are available, about the process for declaring/changing a major, and about career and post-baccalaureate program opportunities.

The Expo will help students to:

• Explore majors that Southern offers
• Make connections with faculty, staff, upperclassmen, and alumni
• Learn about career options as they relate to your major

For more information contact the Academic Advisement Center at (203) 392-5367 or the Center for Career Services at (203) 392-6536.

Indian conductor and humanitarian George Mathew will spend a day on campus on October 19, 2011, from 1-2 p.m. He will give a presentation in Engleman C112 (Charles Garner Recital Hall) entitled "Ensemble Music as An Engine for Social Transformation." The lecture will consist of a 30-minute lecture-rehearsal and 30-minute question/answer session on issues and topics arising from the rehearsal and the observations/responses of the audience with a focus on how interdisciplinary enquiry and application can inform all participants including musicians, audience, lecturer/conductor and transform the experience of music to go beyond "just music." 

The event will consist of a working rehearsal with 14 musicians of two movements from the Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings.

The conductor and orchestral paradigm have long been seen as the last publicly acceptable dictatorship -- the conductor moves his hand or baton and the orchestral follows the instruction without question. Today that paradigm has evolved considerably. Professional orchestral musicians are some of the most accomplished artists in any environment. Many orchestras can play at a very high level without a conductor. The conductor's role is now increasingly recognized as that of a facilitator, an enabler of a deeper and richer community than would have existed without him/her, an empowerer of the artistic sensibilities and leadership potential of the individual musicians and musical communities within the orchestra -- i.e. Leadership that empowers and facilitates capacity development within the orchestral community. 

ABOUT GEORGE MATHEW

Singapore-born Indian conductor, George Mathew, has emerged as a leading force in the classical music world, bringing symphonic music to focus on global humanitarian causes. He has conducted several acclaimed global humanitarian concerts at Carnegie Hall for Darfur, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Pediatric AIDS and the 2010 Floods in Pakistan. These concerts brought together some of the world's leading orchestral musicians from orchestras, including the New York and Berlin Philharmonics, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia and MET Orchestras, and partnered with such organizations as UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, the Acumen Fund and Refugees International.

In March 2010, George Mathew spoke at the United Nations Development Program's 'Capacity IS Development' Global Event in Marrakech, Morocco, presenting the orchestral paradigm as a new leadership model for developing institutions and capacity in the twenty-first century.  In December 2010, he was a featured speaker at the INK conference held in association with TED, in Lavasa, India. In October 2011 Mr. Mathew will be the 2011 S.T. Lee Lecturer on Social Justice and Public Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

He made his Central American debut in June 2010 at the Music Festival of Panama in Panama City. In May 2011, he made his African debut with the Johannesburg Philharmonic. In 2012, he will lead the world premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Bollywood legend Javed Akhtar's Hindustani language translation. He will make his debut in China conducting the Chinese premiere of SCSU Professor Mark Kuss's Sounds Distant in the 2011-12 season.

In 2010, Mr. Mathew was named Artistic Director and Conductor of the New Year's Eve Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. This historic concert, held annually in the largest Cathedral in North America, was founded in 1985 by Leonard Bernstein.

In December 2010, Mr. Mathew launched UBUNTU-SHRUTI, a new professional training orchestra of young empowered musicians and distinguished mentors creating inspired music and programming dedicated to immigrants, community, and education through music. The Orchestra will be modeled after the Berlin Philharmonic Academy and be mentored by distinguished musicians from the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, MET Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In March 2010, George Mathew spoke at the United Nations Development Program's 'Capacity IS Development' Global Event in Marrakech, Morocco, presenting the orchestral paradigm as a new leadership model for developing institutions and capacity in the twenty-first century.  In December 2010, he was a featured speaker at the INK conference held in association with TED, in Lavasa, India. In October 2011 Mr. Mathew will be the 2011 S.T. Lee Lecturer on Social Justice and Public Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

This event marks his second visit to Southern Connecticut State University.

Contact Information: Mark Kuss, (203) 392-6626

So far, Troy's book has garnered some positive reviews. Debra Magpie Earling, author of "Perma Red," says, "'Liberty Lanes' is a transcendent story about the power of love and friendship. You're never too old to discover the wonders of love." Deirdre McNamer, author of "Red Rover," says, "'Liberty Lanes' is a wonderfully calm and large-hearted examination of the ways that ordinary people meet the demands of age and infirmity with surpassing grace."

Troy says she began writing the novel on a CSU grant in 2006, during the summer after she first came to Southern. She was inspired by a group of senior bowlers she had come to know in Missoula, Mont., where she was a graduate student in the University of Montana's M.F.A. program and a reporter for a local newspaper.
Around the holidays, Troy's editor at the paper asked her to write a feature story about someone playing Jesus in a pageant. Troy asked around but couldn't find anyone playing Jesus. She told her editor she could do a story instead about a 70-year-old man she knew who played Santa. Each year at Christmastime, he would dress up as Santa and board a helicopter with another man dressed as an elf, and they would fly to several Montana towns, delivering chocolate Santas and outdated chapsticks donated by Avon. 

"I met him when he was in his 30th year of playing Santa," Troy says. "We really hit it off." He invited her to meet him at the local bowling alley to finish her interview for the article.

"I walked into that bowling alley, and whammo!" Troy says. The place was full of people in their 70s, 80s and 90s, "and there was such positive energy and perspective, I just immediately wanted to be a part of it." She started spending time with the bowlers.

During the three years that she was in Missoula, working on her degree, Troy says, "these people made a real difference" for her. They have parties on the weekends, to which she was invited, and "by the end, I was like a member of the family." 

"This group was a fantastic illustration of what it's like to be in your 80s and really living with spirit," Troy says. The characters in the novel are inspired by the people she knew, Troy says, but no one character is any one real person. 

In the novel, Liberty Lanes is a bowling alley in a small Montana town where a senior bowling league meets three times a week. Nelson Moore, one of the bowlers, has recently become a local hero by saving a teammate from choking on a happy hour chicken bone. Now he must deal with his newfound fame while coping with the early stages of dementia. 

Troy felt she might have some trouble finding a publisher for her book, given what she perceived as low interest regarding the elderly as subjects of a novel. But she met an editor at a book fair and after they talked, Troy says she "knew that this book had found a home." She revised the manuscript based on extensive feedback from the publisher and got the final word last spring that it would be published.
"The editing was very careful and loving," Troy says, "but I had to tone down a lot of the language. These are tough, no-nonsense people. Many do manual labor or worked for the state, and they all came to know each other through bowling." 

Troy has recently returned from a trip to Missoula to read from her new book at the Montana Festival of the Book. While in Montana, she saw her bowling friends, did a couple of book signings and gave a radio interview. "This is really a celebration of these people for me," Troy says. 

She will give a reading at Southern on Nov. 10 with CSU Professor and poet Vivian Shipley. Troy is also the author of another novel, Floating.

So says Recycling Coordinator Heather Stearns (right), who recently announced the change and other green initiatives being taken by the university.

"Most recyclable materials can be placed into one container, rather than having separate containers for papers, bottles/cans, plastics, cardboard and other items," Stearns says. "That should make it more convenient for people to discard recyclables in an appropriate container, rather than dumping them into the general waste barrels."

The new all-purpose recyclable containers are blue and have been placed throughout the campus.
Stearns says that regulated waste, such as batteries, bulbs, confidential items, hazardous waste materials, electronic waste, toner and ink cartridges, are not part of the new single-stream program. Nevertheless, they should continue to be recycled separately.

Stearns also has announced that two additional "Big Belly" trash compactors have been placed on campus. The solar-powered compactors, made by the Massachusetts-based company BigBelly Solar, have the capacity to crush 150 gallons of garbage and reduce the volume by 80 percent. The gray units also include a battery as a backup energy source, even though the solar panels can absorb energy from the sun even on many overcast days. They also have a recycling receptacle attached to the compactor.
Southern last year purchased two Big Belly compactors, which were placed near the Michael J. Adanti Student Center and next to the student lounge area of Engleman Hall. The two new units will be placed outside of Engleman Hall - one near Buley Library and the other near Morrill Hall.

The move to a single-stream recycling program and the additional compactors are expected to decrease the number of regular garbage containers and dumpsters needed on campus. Stearns says that because the new recycling containers will be more convenient to use, fewer recyclable materials will be dumped inappropriately into garbage containers and dumpsters. And because the Big Belly trash compactors have the capacity to hold five times the waste that regular containers do, the need for regular waste containers is less, as well.

In turn, that will decrease the amount of time custodians need to dump regular waste containers into the dumpsters, which reduces labor costs, according to Stearns. The reduction of garbage containers will save the university money and the frequency of pickup will be evaluated during the academic year, she says.

Click here to read the interview.

The NEASC site team is on campus Oct. 17-19, 2011, and is holding a series of open meetings with various constituencies within the university community. The following meetings have been scheduled:

• Open Meeting with Students - Monday October 17, 2011, 11:00am-1:00pm, EN B 121 A/B (lunch will be provided)
  
  
• Open Meeting with Faculty - Monday October 17, 2011, 1:15pm-2:30pm, EN A120
  
  
• Open Meeting with Staff - Tuesday October 18, 2011, 2:00pm-3:30pm, ASC Theater
  
  
• Exit Report (all are invited and welcome) - Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 10:00-11:30 a.m., Adanti Student Center Theater 

All are welcome at these meetings. 

SCSU was last reaccredited in 2001, and that status was reaffirmed by the commission on the basis of interim reports submitted in 2006 and 2008.

Southern Connecticut State University Presents

Author Jonathan Kozol on "THE SHAME OF THE NATION: Race, Poverty, and the Public Schools"
 
Author Jonathan Kozol is the founder of Education Action, a non-profit dedicated to grassroots organizing of teachers across the country who wish to help create a single, excellent, unified system of American public schools.

A tireless and influential advocate for America's public education system, Jonathan Kozol has played a major role in placing schools on our national political compass. In a campus talk on Monday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m., Kozol will discuss his observations of race and isolation in inner city schools. 

Death at an Early Age, his first non-fiction book, is a description of his first year as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools. It was published in 1967 and received the 1968 National Book Award in Science, Philosophy, and Religion. It has sold more than two million copies in the United States and Europe.

Among the other books by Kozol are Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, which received the Robert F. Kennedy Book award for 1989 and the Conscience-in-Media Award of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, which won the New England Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992.

His 1995 book, Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation, described his visits to the South Bronx of New York, the poorest congressional district in the United States. It received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1996, an honor previously granted to the works of Langston Hughes and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kozol draws a clear line between the empty dialogue applied to the issue by pundits, and the real, harrowing issues faced by teachers and students on the ground, helping an audience understand the lifestyles that come to pass in The Other Wes Moore, SCSU's 2011 Campus Read.   

The lecture will be followed by Q & A and a book signing.

Sponsor(s): Multicultural Center, Student Activity Allocation Committee, Office of the Vice President for Student and University Affairs, Office of the Dean for Student and University Affairs, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, Office of Academic Affairs, Office of Faculty Development, Library Services, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Health and Human Services with support from the Common Read Task Force, Social Work and Public Health Department.

Admission: Free and Open to the Public

Location: Adanti Student Center Ballroom

Contact Information: Multicultural Center, (203) 392-5888

southernct.edu/ecards

Simply select your eCard, add your personal message and hit the send button.

Enjoy!

For information call (203) 392-6515.

Welcome to Owl Family Weekend!

September 23-24, 2011

Come enjoy family fun activities, live entertainment, great food and much more!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Owl Family Weekend events begin at 6:00 p.m.; check-in begins at 4:30 p.m. and leads right into the football game against one of our biggest rivals, Pace University, a game you won't want to miss!  Be sure to get to bed early so you'll be well rested for a fun-filled day beginning at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

This wonderful weekend is the university's way of welcoming parents back and will include food, educational enrichment (see below), barbeque and lots of fun!

Check-In/Admission

Purchase of an Owl Family Weekend ticket grants you entrance to all events and meals. Tickets are $10 per person, available online only; children under 5 years of age are FREE!

The weekend event is RAIN or SHINE. Sorry, no refunds. Registration deadline is September 22, 2011.

CLICK HERE to register today. 

CLICK HERE for Sibling Night Registration

We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday's Mini-Lectures:

"Back to School for Parents" - A mini-lecture on options for parents who put off their own education to raise the family, and may be interested in pursuing a college degree.
 
"Current Events/Journalism" - How journalists cover the news today, and the state of the media today.
 
"Emotional Health & Well Being of SCSU Students" - The stressful challenges of students who are enrolled in college today.
 
"Tour West Rock" - Professor Michael Rogers, of the SCSU Anthropology Deptartment will lead an "expedition" to an archaeological site he has been excavating for evidence of Indian settlements; he will teach the skills of digging for artifacts and introduce you to the thrills of our human past.
 
"Amazing Race" - Groups are organized and given clues, and the group that solves the clues and returns to the finish line first wins a prize.
 
Yoga Class - Beginners' yoga instruction and demonstration.

Dr. Battle and his fellow awardees will be honored during a December 10 luncheon at the NAACP's 46th Annual State Convention at the Hartford Hilton. Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory will be the keynote speaker. 

During Dr. Battle's 14-month tenure as interim president, Southern has played an increasingly prominent role as a leader in scientific research and education. Recently, for example, it was announced that the university would be the host site for Connecticut's first-ever center devoted to nanotechnology. 

The university also received its largest science research grant: $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation to enhance a joint materials science center with Yale that promises to expand cutting-edge scientific research and bolster educational opportunities for students and faculty in the New Haven Public Schools.

These developments are timely, given the fact that the next pending project on Southern's master plan is a new academic science building. This will provide a state-of-the-art environment to train students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines, which are in high demand for Connecticut's workforce. 

Continuing the enhancement of the campus, Dr. Battle worked to obtain  $3.8 million to complete the construction of a new School of Business and reallocate $16 million to complete the long-delayed renovation of the university's library.

His collaboration with comedian Bill Cosby on efforts to help bridge the achievement gap through a range of educational initiatives has brought national recognition. These efforts include The Southern Academy, a year-round program geared to help New Haven school children enhance their learning skills in key areas, from reading to calculus, to computer science. The academy includes an intensive, five-week, on-campus program of education during the summer months. 

Dr. Battle previously served as chancellor of North Carolina A&T University, president of Coppin State University in Baltimore, vice chancellor for academic and multicultural affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and associate vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Connecticut State University. Earlier in his career, he was a faculty member at the University of Connecticut, Boston University, and the University of Minnesota. 

Dr. Battle holds four academic degrees:  a bachelor's degree in sociology from Springfield College, a Master's in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Connecticut, a Master's in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare Policy from the University of Pittsburgh.

 
 

All bid responses are due October 14. After that date, a schedule will be developed for interviewing and selecting the design consultant. Design work is expected to begin early in the new year and take about six to eight months.  

This summer, the state legislature and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy approved the reallocation of approximately $16.4 million in funding from other campus projects to kickstart the Buley project, which has languished since the completion of the 135,000-square-foot addition to the library in 2008.
 
The funds will be redirected from less critical code compliance and infrastructure improvements, as well as the 450-space parking garage slated to be built alongside the proposed Academic Science Lab building on Fitch Street. These projects will be deferred until funds become available through savings on other campus projects.
 
Since the original design plans for the Buley interior were 10 years old, a design review committee -- with representation from the library, information technology, academic affairs, finance and administration, and facilities planning -- was appointed to work with a library consultant and develop new recommendations on space usage for the renovated area. After meeting with library staff to review the "Phase 2" plan, the design committee finalized the Library Space Planning & Programming Study at the end of the fall 2010 semester.
 
The renovated portion of the library would incorporate the following features: general classroom space, a learning commons, information technology operations offices, an adaptive technology area, faculty offices and storage for the university's art collection, which would also be displayed throughout the new library. Plans also call for space for the First-Year Experience program, a Faculty Development Center, and a Graduate Student Study Area, as well as an allocation for the university's Data Center, which is now housed in Jennings Hall. 

The proposed Ed.D. program recently garnered the support of the state Advisory Committee on Accreditation, one of the last remaining hurdles before the program is adopted. The CSUS Board of Trustees gave its consent last fall, leaving the newly created Board of Regents for Higher Education as the final arbiter in terms of whether the program is approved.

The Board of Regents is scheduled to discuss the matter and potentially vote on it next month. If it is approved, classes would be slated for the fall 2012 semester. A total of 25 students - divided almost evenly between the two schools -- would be accepted into the program in the first year.

The program would be geared toward individuals with a master's degree who would like to teach nursing. Typically, it would take students about three years to complete the 51 credits needed to obtain the Ed.D. The students would take the classes part time so that they can continue working while they pursue their degree. The program would be online, giving students additional flexibility.

The degree is being designed to help address the state and national shortage of nurses and nursing faculty, according to Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the Nursing Department. The program would increase the number of nursing faculty, which allows a larger number of students to earn nursing degrees. In turn, that creates more nurses. The program is also intended to advance the science of nursing education.

The Southern/Western program would be among only a handful in the country that offers an Ed.D. in nursing education. The nursing degrees most commonly offered are the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) and the D.N.P. (Doctor of Nursing Practice). The Ph.D. focuses on research and the D.N.P. centers on clinical skills. 

The grant -- among the largest ever awarded to Southern -- will focus on providing training for teachers, administrators and staff members in the New Haven and Hamden school systems. That training will include workshops on innovative and effective approaches in teaching students whose first language is not English. It also will provide workshops, as well as opportunities for certification and participation in a 3-credit course. 

Southern's Training for All Teachers (TAT) program will coordinate the efforts. Lorrie Verplaetse, right, professor of world languages and literatures, serves as project director. Marisa Ferraro is the TAT program manager.
This marks the third time that Southern has received a federal grant for the TAT program. The new funding will enable the university to build upon the gains that already have been made. In 2007, TAT earned a five-year $1.5 million grant.

One of the priorities for this grant will be to target certified math and science teachers from grades 3 to 12, as well as the math and science curricula, in an effort to boost the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

The grant will run through the spring of 2016.  

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that it was allocating the money to enhance the schools' joint materials science center known as the Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP). Six years ago, NSF awarded $7.5 million for the creation of such a center, of which Southern received $1,484,000. The new award will enable the schools to build upon the accomplishments of the last six years. Southern will receive $1,763,000 -- one of the largest grants ever awarded to the university and the largest research grant. 

Materials science is a discipline that includes the creation of technologically-advanced items, ranging from computer chips to biological implants. The center enables students to create and examine new materials at the atomic level. It also helps to foster interdisciplinary research by faculty and students at both institutions. Among the disciplines are physics, chemistry and engineering.           

"This grant is extremely important as it supports both innovative research and teacher development at a crucial time for Southern and the state of Connecticut," said Southern Physics Department Chairwoman Christine Broadbridge, the center's director of education. "Math and science have taken on an increasing importance for our state and nation's future."

Broadbridge said one of the major benefits to the grant is the ability it provides to work even more closely with the New Haven School District to encourage students to consider the math and science fields. Workshops offered by CRISP have sought to improve the professional development of science teachers in the area during the last six years. Those programs will now focus more closely on the New Haven Public Schools and include an assessment component to gauge how effective they are at improving student learning.

"This is a natural partnership," she said. "In fact, we believe it will serve as a model for other urban school district/higher education partnerships."Richard Therrien, science supervisor (K-12) for the New Haven Public Schools, agreed. "The CRISP program has offered professional development to high school science teachers in the subjects of physics, inquiry, polymers, electricity and other relevant subjects," Therrien said. "Student learning has been enhanced as a result of these programs. This grant renewal will continue to strengthen our partnership."

He added that CRISP and Southern will offer New Haven teachers workshops not only in materials science and nanotechnology, but in math, engineering and technology, as well. "These are the skills that urban students need to be successful in pursuing jobs in the future and ensure that the New Haven region and Connecticut continue to have a pool of skilled workers and scientists," Therrien said.

Therrien also pointed out that Southern has provided New Haven students with access to its labs and other facilities, as well as tours of the campus and college student mentors.

Broadbridge noted that CRISP is considered by NSF to be a Center of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation -- one of several in the country, but the only small materials research center to have attained that designation.

Donna Jean Fredeen, dean of the SCSU School of Arts and Sciences, said Broadbridge has played a key role in the center's success. "Dr. Broadbridge is a nationally recognized material science researcher," Fredeen said. "Her outreach efforts through the center bring science alive to area high school and college students and provide guidance and opportunities for those interested in pursuing careers in the mathematics and science disciplines," she said. "I believe that Dr. Broadbridge is an inspiring role model for her colleagues and our students."

Broadbridge, Fredeen and Therrien will be among the speakers on Friday, Sept. 9 for a celebration of the university's achievements in the sciences. The program, "Southern Connecticut State University: Promoting Workforce Development through the Sciences," is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the lobby of the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts. 

A total of 216 students had signed a pledge to avoid intentional tanning before spring break. For Southern, spring recess occurred during the week of March 21 to 25. The pledge en masse enabled the university to be selected as a winner of the Melanoma Foundation of New England's "Your Skin Is In No-Tanning Contest." Southern was one of four Connecticut colleges and universities chosen. Criteria included getting at least 2 percent of the student body (in this case at the undergraduate level) to sign the pledge and to read information about tanning. Also, the number of students participating had to equal at least 50.

"It feels awesome to be recognized," says Keaghan Hamilton, a junior public health major who led the campus effort.

Hamilton actually spent part of her spring break in Concord, N.H., attending a forum sponsored by the Melanoma Foundation, where people learned about skin cancer and dangers associated with tanning and tanning beds.

She served as vice president of the university's Public Health Society last year and will be president for the upcoming academic year. The society actively recruited students to participate in the pledge.

"I am happy that the Public Health Society had the willpower to spread the word about tanning and skin cancer," Hamilton says. "I think this is a great step for our organization."

Deb Girard, executive director of the Melanoma Foundation, lauds the students for their efforts. "We commend their efforts to help create awareness about the dangers of tanning and the associated risks of melanoma," Girard says.

Hamilton says she has never been a "tanner," but concedes that she has been guilty of not using sunscreen when she should have, and of putting it on incorrectly. She says skin cancer runs in her family, so she was somewhat familiar with the subject.

"But what really sparked my interest was a flyer that my mother handed me one weekend about the Melanoma Foundation's 'Your Skin is In,'" Hamilton says. She then contacted the organization to learn more about the program and eventually spread the word among her fellow students.

Michele Vancour, associate professor of public health and faculty adviser for the Public Health Society, has praised the efforts of the students.

"I am so proud of them," Vancour says. "It was 100 percent their idea to come up with this project and it's obviously one that is both in the public consciousness and important to people's health."

Melanoma kills one person an hour in the United States and is the second most common type of cancer for women aged 25 to 29, according to the Melanoma Foundation. The organization stresses that it is the most preventable type of cancer and urges people to avoid tanning, both directly from sun and from tanning booths.

The CUWFA board is composed of up to 15 members plus the past president. The board stated that in making its decision, it was impressed with Vancour's organization of the CUWFA national conferences. The 17th annual conference was held in May. 

The CUWFA mission, as stated on its Website, includes providing "leadership in facilitating the integration of work and study with family/personal life at institutions of higher learning." 

Vancour says that the group's membership is a mix of administrators from human resources and diversity offices, vice presidents, people in faculty development and a growing constituency of faculty. One of her goals as a member of the board has been to broaden the membership. 

The group offers members a list serv, as well as the annual conference, and Vancour says both are great assets of the organization. "It's all about collegiality -- people trying to help each other," Vancour says. 

As president, Vancour will set the agenda for the organization for the next year. She is also responsible for finding ways to bring in revenue. "It's an amazing organization," Vancour says. "It's 100 percent volunteer, and members say they want to do it because they are so committed to the issues." 

Vancour sees her new role as an opportunity to share ideas and provide leadership in work/life areas at institutions of higher learning. Her term is one year, but a second year is possible.

The efforts of the faculty, staff and students associated with the CCMS focus on coastal and marine research and education along Connecticut's urbanized coast and harbors. The CCMS, a Connecticut State University System (CSUS) center, provides a means for faculty and students from throughout the CSUS to participate in collaborative and interdisciplinary research and education projects. The center coordinators are Vincent Breslin, professor of science education and environmental studies; James Tait, associate professor of science education and environmental studies; and Dwight Smith, professor of biology.

Since 2001, faculty and students from the CCMS have sampled and determined sediment metal contents from Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, Branford and New London harbors. The Werth gift has supported much of the work involved in this project.

Recently, Breslin, Tait and three of their students took members of the Werth family on a boat excursion in New Haven Harbor to demonstrate some of the work they've been doing (left). On the boat, students performed sediment grabs, using a claw-like implement that pulls up sediment from the bottom of the harbor, which is 7 to 10 feet deep in most places. 

Breslin explains that disposal of waste anywhere in the state impacts Long Island Sound. Water from storm drains and highways runs off into the rivers and eventually the sound. In New Haven Harbor, materials containing metals from the oil tanks and other nearby industrial areas leaches into the water. The heavy metals then settle into the sediment.

The three major tributary rivers that feed into New Haven Harbor are the Quinnipiac, Mill, and West rivers. On the boat, in the shadow of the Q Bridge, when students scoop up a sediment sample in the area where these three rivers empty into the harbor, they collect a bucket of what Breslin refers to as "black mayonnaise -- foul, mucky sediment, and one of the worst-case scenarios in terms of sediment quality." Such sediment contains a high concentration of metals. 

Later, off the West Haven shoreline, in an area where extensive oystering takes place, the students pull up another sample, this one completely different from the first. This second sample is sandier, with coarser grains and shells, and contains a few living organism such as snails and oysters. There is no evidence of a concentration of heavy metals. Breslin points out that New Haven Harbor is one of the greatest oyster-producing areas in Connecticut and adds that the sediment near West Haven is of "pretty good quality." 

The students drag a net behind the boat for several minutes as it makes its way across the harbor. When they finally pull up the net into the boat, caught in it are several fish -- mostly flounder -- and a large horseshoe crab, all of which are gently placed into a salt-water-filled tank on deck for observation (above, right). Breslin says, "This should be very reassuring, to see that there are living things in New Haven Harbor."

"We are excited about this research in the harbor because it is more far-reaching than we might think," Pam Werth says. These professors and students are able to do this research on our home turf. This research benefits not only the students and the university but the entire community." Suzanne Werth adds, "We would love to see this research end up being a valuable resource for developing and improving the sound." 

One way the Werth Family Foundation has been helpful, Breslin says, is in making it possible for the center to pay a stipend to students over the summer, allowing them to further their own research or career goals. The center has seven to 10 students doing research at any given time. 

The Werth gift also funds boats, chemicals, and other supplies, and the center has been able to purchase state-of-the-art equipment to help the students with their research. 

"There is no way we could be as productive as we've been as a center without the backing of the Werth Foundation," says Tait.

Pictured at right: James Tait and Vincent Breslin

Click here to learn more about the Center for Coastal and Marine Studies.

Marsoobian, a professor of philosophy (right, holding the glass negative of the photo below), recently received an award from the Hrant Dink Foundation in Istanbul, Turkey, based on an essay he wrote in response to its call last summer for projects highlighting individuals who acted on conscience during the 1915 Armenian genocide. The photograph was key to Marsoobian's essay, which dealt with the efforts of his grandfather and great-uncle in rescuing 30 young men and women from 1915 to 1918 in their hometown of Marsovan in Ottoman Turkey. For the award, Marsoobian received a prize of 1000 Euros, plus partial airfare and accommodations in Istanbul, to attend the award ceremony in March. 

The mysterious family photograph he discusses in his essay tells a secret story of courage and strength.

Marsoobian's grandfather and great-uncle, Tsolag and Aram Dildilian (below, with his great-aunt), were photographers employed both by Anatolia College in Marsovan, a town in Ottoman Turkey, and the local government. From 1890 to 1922, his grandfather was a significant photographer in the region where the family resided. A collection of photographs and glass negatives has come down to Marsoobian, and he now possesses over 600 photographs from the Dildilian brothers' collection, many of which date from the period 1910 to 1922, which encompasses the years of the genocide. 

Anatolia College is now located in Greece, and in 2009 Marsoobian was invited to the college to give a number of talks based on the photography collection. In doing research about the collection and his family history, Marsoobian received new information from members of the family. He learned that much had been written by his great-uncle and his great-aunt's daughter pertaining to the photographs, including include two lengthy memoirs, as well as family letters and diary entries.

Marsoobian explains that Armenians were a minority in Ottoman Turkey, but were instrumental in having Anatolia College come to Turkey. At first, the students primarily came from the Armenian and Greek communities. 

Last summer, Marsoobian learned that the Hrant Dink Foundation in Turkey had started a grant program for individuals who would write about a person or persons who acted on conscience and saved Armenians during the Armenian genocide. He knew that based on the family photographs and memoirs to which he had access, he would have a compelling story to tell.

The term "Armenian genocide" refers to the deliberate destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was carried out through massacres and deportations, with the deportations consisting of forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees. The total number of resulting Armenian deaths is believed to have been over 1 million.

Marsoobian says that the Turks generally avoid use of the word "genocide" and instead refer to the "catastrophe of 1915" or "events of 1915." The Hrant Dink Foundation is working to get Turks to come to terms with their own history and acknowledge the genocide. 

In reading about his family history, Marsoobian discovered that when deportations of Armenians were happening in August 1915, members of his family hid young Armenian men and women in secret chambers they dug under their houses and rooms they created within their homes. "They developed elaborate schemes to protect these individuals from deportation," Marsoobian says, feeding and clothing them for more than two years. His mother, who grew up in one of these houses (left), remembered a lot of strangers being in the house when she was a small child, and she didn't know why. Marsoobian says now he realizes that these mysterious strangers were the people being hidden by his grandfather and great-uncle.

Among the family photographs and glass negatives Marsoobian now possesses was a curious image that called for some investigating. He was able to piece together the parts of his family history with the help of a cousin who had done research into the family's past, and he used this research to put together the story of the photo, which was taken in January 1916 in Marsoobian's great-aunt's house.

The photograph (below) shows a group of people in front of a banner on the wall, gathered around a table holding a few items such as a glass, a dish and a small flag. Marsoobian learned that that the people in the photo include his great-aunt and great-uncle, and that the group is celebrating Christmas. He knows this because the banner says in Armenian: "Christ is Born 1916." Marsoobian points out that a few months earlier, in August 1915, his grandfather had a chance to save the family by converting to Islam and taking Turkish names. Those Armenians who didn't convert were taken off in oxcarts by the Turks.

Marsoobian explains that the photograph illustrates that his family's converting to Islam and assuming Turkish names was just a pretense, done for survival. The image is very resonant, Marsoobian says. By celebrating Christmas in January 1916, when they shouldn't have been, he says, and then photographing their celebration, his family is making a statement. "They are showing, 'we're here, we're not gone, we're not destroyed.'" 

Along with his family members, in the photograph are young men from Anatolia College, who should have been deported. These young men were being hidden, Marsoobian says he has come to realize. He solved the mystery of the photo with his cousin.

In June, Marsoobian traveled to Anatolia College in Greece to use the archives. He is planning an exhibition of photographs, which will go on display in an Istanbul gallery in April 2012. He also spent time in Turkey with the people who are organizing the exhibition, and then took a quick trip from Istanbul to Marsovan. He had never been to Marsovan before but was able to locate and visit his grandfather's house. Most of the images in the exhibition will be historic; some will be Marsoobian's from his recent visit.

"The exhibit will be controversial, given the circumstances," he says. April 24 is celebrated every year as Armenian Martyrs Day, the symbolic start of the genocide. For the first time two years ago, Marsoobian says, there were public commemorations of the genocide in Turkey. 

In spite of the Turks' general avoidance of the topic of the Armenian genocide, "There were Turks who tried to help Armenians," Marsoobian says, adding, "I don't want to demonize the Turks." 

July 26, 2011

Hi All, It's amazing how quickly the month has passed-we are trying to squeeze the most out of each day, and we have really been busy.  The weather has been a mixed blessing: unlike the heat wave you have been having at home, here it's been unseasonably cool and rainy. The thermometer is finally inching up above 70 degrees for our last week, and it's a relief to be able to take off our raincoats and sweaters.

Since our last report, we have been busy! We traveled out of the city to visit the Chateau of Versailles, the sumptuous royal residence initially built for Louis XIII, but which was expanded extensively by Louis XIV and Louis XVI.  The forecast had called for hot dry weather, and instead, as we arrived it began to pour.  We spend several hours visiting the palace and decided that it was time to go back to Paris: had it just been raining we might have ventured into the gardens, but there was thunder and lightening and we preferred to play it safe.  Versailles is a short and easy trip by train from Paris, and the students want to go back to visit the gardens on their own.  They have been waiting for good weather, and the trip is now planned for Thursday.  They are very excited to explore the more than three square miles of terraces, canals, fields and wooded areas especially now that they have studied other French gardens and parks.

On the fourteenth of July, the French national holiday known in English as Bastille Day, we didn't hold classes, but in the late afternoon we headed out to secure a good location on the Champs de Mars, the vast lawn beside the Eiffel  Tower, which affords the best view of the fireworks.  We found a spot big enough for our tarp and our picnic--we  had come prepared with an elaborate, multi-course meal--and sat down to enjoy a beautiful evening.  The fireworks over the Eiffel Tower began promptly at 11PM, with a wonderful soundtrack of music from Broadway; it seemed a little incongruous to us to hear selections from West Side Story while the fireworks exploded around the Eiffel Tower, but it was quite a spectacle and the students really enjoyed it.

We took the weekend off, but Monday morning we were back to work.  Professor Serchuk's class began the week by considering some of the architectural and urbanistic changes to the city that were made in under Napoleon.  Professor Vu took his students to draw in the Louvre, sharing with them the wonders of the Dutch and Flemish painting galleries.  Professor Jean-Jacques Poucel went to the movies with his students of French, and led them in conversation about the film that they had seen.  In each course, the students are benefiting from learning on the spot in Paris, in front of buildings or original works of art, or in the cinema without subtitles.  We always say of our program that Paris provides the classroom.

On Tuesday of last week, we turned our attention to the Second Empire.  In particular we considered the legacy of Baron Haussmann, who was responsible for most of the grand vistas and wide avenues of Paris: more than any other individual, he shaped the city as it is today.  One of the important monuments built under his direction is the elaborate Paris Opera, and we decided this year that we wanted for the students to see the lavish interior.  We visited the whole building, including the sumptuous grand staircase, the lavish ballroom, and the magnificent auditorium.  Every surface is decorated, and 33 different kinds of colored stone were used to provide the richest possible effects.  The students were completely dazzled; many said later they even admired it more than Versailles.

Wednesday we met at the Rodin museum, where we explored the gardens and the rich collection of sculptures.  Some of the students were unfamiliar with the work of this important artist and the museum provides a wonderful introduction to his complex and challenging work.  In the evening we made our customary Wednesday excursion to the Louvre.  This week, our  destination was the enormous gallery of paintings that illustrate the life of the French queen Maria de' Medici, as painted by Pieter Paul Rubens.  The cycle is huge--twenty-four paintings--and every one over life-size.  The students initially seemed a bit skeptical--we planned  to spend an hour in one gallery?  But as we explained the  extraordinary story of Maria's life, shown in spectacular detail by Rubens, they were won over; by the end, they were rapt at attention, devouring the paintings with their eyes and full of questions.  Even though these are not the most famous works of art in the Louvre, they may be the ones we most enjoy teaching together; as a painter and an  art historian, we are able to elucidate different dimensions of these astonishing paintings and discover new things in them every time.

Because the weather has been so cold and nasty, we decided to hold our group dinner at a restaurant that specialized in food that was warm and hearty, and that represented a French regional cuisine that the students might not know well.  So we went out for fondue: delicious, novel, and an interactive meal that led the students to try something new.  It was a huge success.

Thursday morning we visited the Museum of the Orangerie, where Claude Monet's  huge canvasses of waterlilies are installed in special galleries illuminated with natural light.  The works of art are breath-taking--and presented in  a unique way that can't be recreated in the classroom.  The students drew and took notes in the galleries, inviting the admiration of other visitors.  The drawings they made showed wonderful insight into Monet's work and his handling of color and light.  After taking a break for lunch of the Alsatian specialty tarte flambee, we headed to the Musee Marmottan, a small private museum in a beautiful neighborhood in the west of the city.  There we feasted our eyes on the painting that gave the name to the movement: Monet's Impression, Sunrise.  The Marmottan isn't very well known; it's a quiet, intimate place where it's possible to get close to the works of art and sit and contemplate them without competition from a big crowd. 

The students had the weekend off.  Some traveled out of the city; some witnessed the end of the Tour de France on the Champs Elysees; others returned to the Centre Pompidou and other museums to take advantage of the rich artistic resources of the city.

Yesterday morning we gathered at the Gare St. Lazare for a trip out of the city.  We were headed to Vernon, in Normandy, from which we would then make our way to Claude Monet's famous house and gardens at Giverny.  The morning had been cloudy and dark in Paris, and so the customary crowds stayed away.  But the weather brightened, and the gardens were quieter and (because of all the rain we have had) and more lush than usual.  It was delightful to sit on a bench in the shade of the willows and admire the water lilies and the Japanese bridge.  We spent several hours drawing, reading and relaxing in this beautiful place.  We take students to Giverny every year, and every year it is a little different.  The calm this year was delightful.  It was a treat to get out of the city on what turned out to be a lovely day.

Today, we spent the morning at the Museum of the History of the  City of Paris, known as the Musee Carnavalet.  With the help of its  vast collection of Parisian views, we learned how the face of the  city had changed over time.  We challenged the students to situate themselves in the works of art: where were the scenes painted from?   We start our program by giving the students maps of the city and of the Metro, essential tools of navigation here.  Some of them have relied on GPS so much that they have lost the knack of reading a map, and this skill is essential in a city that is not built on a grid.  Our time in the museum helped them realize how well they had come know their surroundings--they could identify locations in paintings from the seventeenth century! In the afternoon Professor Serchuk took her students on an architectural tour of the 16th arrondissement, where they saw the work of Hector Guimard, who also designed many of the Metro entrances.  The students were absolutely enchanted by the work that first brought Guimard fame, the Castel Beranger.  The concierge of the building saw them looking and taking notes and pictures and opened the gates and gave the class a tour of the lobby and entryway!  It was an unexpected and exciting end to a great day.

Tomorrow we are going to wrap things up so that we can give the students a few days to complete all of their assignments.  We have one last trip to the Louvre scheduled, and we are looking forward to our banquet at the Grand Colbert on Saturday night before we leave.  None of us can believe that the time has passed so quickly!  We will be on our way home on Sunday, and we are all already planning our next visit to this wonderful city.

All best regards,
Camille and Thuan

______________________
Camille Serchuk & Thuan Vu
Co-directors, SCSU in Paris
Southern Connecticut State University
 

July 15, 2011

Hi All,

We have been off to a great and frantically busy start!  After a frustrating plane delay, Professor Vu arrived with the  students last Friday morning. Professor Serchuk met everyone at the airport with fresh croissants, and then we all got into the RER train and headed to the Cite Universitaire, in the south of the city, where the students are staying.  From the very outset, it was obvious that we have a great group this year: curious, responsible, cooperative, and full of energy! We arrived at the Fondation des Etats-Unis, the American dormitory and the students got into their rooms. We then we took them for lunch at the cafeteria at the Maison Internationale, just steps away from the dorm. This convenient restaurant is heavily subsidized and provides good food at a great value. We did a brief orientation and then then sent the students back to the dorm for a brief rest. 

That evening, after giving the students their Metro passes (unlimited access, all month) and teaching them the ins and outs of the famed Paris transport system, we set off for the Louvre. The students have special passes that entitle them to easy access to the museum, and we meet there as a program once a week. For our first visit, we focus on orienting the students to the vast collection and showing off its greatest  hits, including Michelangelo's Dying Slave, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, and Gericault's Raft of the Medusa. We left the museum and crossed the river on the romantic pedestrian bridge called the Pont des Arts, and we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. We then set the students free to explore and find dinner on their own in the Latin quarter. They used their Metro passes to get home, and everyone was pleased with how easy it was travel around the city.
Our first task the next day was to set up the students with cell phones. Phones are inexpensive here, and with a pay-as-you-go plan, students have a great and affordable way to stay in touch with each other and with us. We then had lunch in the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, and then hopped on a bus to Trocadero, the best spot in Paris from which to view the Eiffel Tower.  It was a great day for photographs, and the students were thrilled to see this iconic Parisian monument for the first time. We walked them towards the Arc de Triomphe and let them explore the Champs-Elysees on their own that afternoon. That evening, we met for dinner at a charming restaurant on the Left Bank with a great view of Notre Dame. The students had their first introduction to authentic French cuisine at the restaurant Le Montebello. We were pleased to see their openness to try new foods and new flavors-everything was delicious, and we all had a wonderful meal. 

On the first Sunday of every month, French museums open their doors for free. We met at the Centre Pompidou, the National Museum of Modern Art, and explored its marvelous collection of twentieth century art. After having some time to explore, each of the students spoke about his or her favorite work of art, drawing our attention to ideas and images we might have overlooked. It was so interesting and so gratifying to hear them speak from their own perspectives, and to make connections between what they were seeing in the museum and their own work in the studio.

Monday, the students  began their studies in earnest. Professor Vu's students began  to draw in the Luxembourg Gardens, and Professor Serchuk's students visited the remains of the Roman city of Lutece, which mark the beginnings of the history of Parisian architecture; we also visited the Cluny Museum to see medieval sculpture and the Unicorn Tapestries. On Tuesday, we visited the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the first Gothic church ever built, and also the Sainte Chapelle, the luxurious chapel built in the thirteenth century by Saint Louis to house the  Crown of Thorns, which is thought by many to be the culmination of the gothic style. After these visits we felt the students had earned a treat, and we walked along the Seine to the Ile St. Louis, where we introduced the students to the great Parisian ice cream maker, Berthillon. More than a few enjoyed their cones (with flavors like white chocolate, mango, black currant and rhubarb) with eyes open with astonishment, asking: why don't we have this at home?

Wednesday morning we visited the Cite d'Architecture et du Patrimoine, which has plaster casts of great monuments from all over France, and architectural models of significant buildings. We thought this would be an interesting place for our students to draw, and also a great resource for them as they studied the architecture of the nineteenth century in the coming weeks. That evening, we returned to the Louvre for a brief survey of French painting from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, and we then headed out for a delicious Moroccan couscous dinner. For most of the students it was their first experience with this exotic and flavorful cuisine, and we were pleased that they were so adventurous and enjoyed it so much.

Thursday was our first visit to the Musee d'Orsay, the legendary collection of impressionist painting.  We spent three hours there, exploring and discussing the work of Courbet, Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir Van Gogh, and Cezanne. The Orsay is vast, and it's a challenge to take it all in -- every painting is a masterpiece! We covered as much ground as we could, but it's impossible to do it all.  This is another museum for which we have arranged for the students to have special passes -- they can come as often as they want and they don't have to wait in line (this in itself is a huge bonus, as the queues to get in are long and snake all around the building). A few have already been back for a second visit.  Our students have shown great initiative, and they have been eagerly exploring the amazing resources of this incredible city. They are a really special group.

We gave the students Friday off, but on Saturday we headed out of Paris to see Vaux-le-Vicomte, the palatial chateau built in the seventeenth century for Louis XIV's Minister of Finance. The elegance and luxury of the place made Louis so jealous that he hired the same artists and designers and built Versailles. Vaux is smaller, and more manageable than Versailles, but its beautiful rooms and magnificent gardens are no less lovely. We had an incredible day -- it was nice to be out of the city, and we more or less had the place to ourselves. Vaux is a well-kept secret, and it isn't spoiled by  crowds.  It has all of the dazzle of Versailles, but its smaller scale and quiet atmosphere make it a lovely place to walk, draw, and linger. 

As you can see, we hit the ground running! We have more visits planned for this week, including Versailles tomorrow. We've been very lucky with the weather, but above all, with our group. The students are just superb -- we are really enjoying working with them.

All best regards,
Camille and Thuan

______________________
Camille Serchuk & Thuan Vu
Co-directors, SCSU in Paris
Southern Connecticut State University