Located about 25 minutes from campus, the fully air-conditioned indoor arena can seat up to 7,000 guests.

STUDENTS ELIGIBLE to participate in the May 2013 Commencement Ceremony include:

• Those whose degrees were awarded for Fall 2012
• Those who have applied for graduation with the Registrar's Office for Spring 2013 or Summer 2013.  These students must have earned more than 100 credits by January 18, 2013 (not including in-progress credits).
  
• Please note:  Students who will be completing their requirements in Fall 2013, will be invited to the May 2014 Commencement Ceremony.
  

GUEST TICKETS AND STUDENT READER CARDS will be distributed at the Adanti Student Center beginning Thursday, May 2 (see schedule below).

Eligible candidates must present their student ID in person. (no exceptions)

• Each candidate will receive up to four guest tickets (general admission). If you do not need all four tickets, please leave them so that others may use them. Students may also request additional tickets at that time (see below for information about the distribution of any additional tickets).
  
  
• All student candidates must have their Commencement Reader Card for admittance to the assembly area.
  
  
• All guests attending Commencement will be required to present a ticket upon entering the arena.

DISTRIBUTION SCHEDULE:

• Thursday, May 2
  10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  -  Adanti Student Center Ballroom Pre-Function area
• Friday, May 3
  8 a.m. to 3 p.m.   -   Adanti Student Center Information Desk
• Saturday, May 4
  8 a.m. to Noon   -    Adanti Student Center Information Desk

ELIGIBLE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN COMMENCEMENT MUST PICK UP THEIR READER CARD AND GUEST TICKETS IN PERSON BY MAY 4.

Up to two ADDITIONAL TICKETS  (if available after May 4) will be distributed per person on a first-come, first-served basis. Students who requested additional tickets will be notified by email regarding the distribution date.

CAPS AND GOWNS will be available beginning Monday, April 8, and cost $40.98.

Bookstore hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3p.m.

Candidates for the bachelor's degree must purchase a cap and gown at the University Bookstore in order to participate in the ceremony.

More detailed information will be available at in the coming weeks.

The Haven Quartet, of New Haven's Music Haven, is in its second year of residency at Southern and is comprised of Tina Hadari, violin 1; Yaira Matyakubova, violin 2; Colin Benn, viola; and Matt Beckmann,  cello. In the Dec. 4 performance, Mani Mirzaee will play setar, an instrument similar to the sitar. Kuss wrote Elegy for String Quartet and recorded sound specifically for this collaboration between the quartet and Mirzaee.

Kuss says of the piece, "An elegy is a musical remembrance of a person, usually someone recently past.  This one is too, but it is also a musical moment of engaging the unfamiliar--one way of seeing the world passes, another enters."

He says that the challenge of writing a piece for the quartet and setar was that a string quartet is a Western concept, part of the Western classical music tradition, whereas the setar, a Persian instrument, comes from a very different tradition.   

Mirzaee was born in Iran, and has lived in the United States most of his life, but travels back and forth between the two countries and maintains strong cultural roots. Kuss says that the musical style in which he plays involves a completely different way of understanding and projecting musical ideas and psychologies than what we are used to in traditional "western" and popular culture. 

"Mani is in my classes and I've been taken by his willingness to engage in strong dialog and discussion about music," Kuss says.  "I heard him play the Setar last year and was quite moved by the intimacy of the music and by the sounds of his instrument."

The Haven Quartet residency at Southern is sponsored by the Stutzman Family Foundation. Kuss talked with the members of the quartet over the summer about writing a new piece for them, and the idea of "the immigrant experience" was raised as an focal point for one of the concerts in the series. Kuss spoke to the group about Mirzaee and they liked the idea of a collaboration. 

"I have been working with Mani on the 'argument' of the piece -- what its meaning might be -- since September," says Kuss. "It has been an interesting and compelling collaboration."

In addition to Kuss' piece, the quartet will also perform works by composers Reza Vali, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and Mohammed Fairouz. Admission is $20 general public; $10 students and seniors; $5 SCSU community.

The concert is funded by a generous grant from the Stutzman Family Foundation.

Learn more about Music Haven and the Haven String Quartet at musichavenct.org/ 

WinterSession 2013 Dates:

December 19, 2012 - January 9, 2013

Register now!

For more information and to register, visit the Winter Session home page by clicking this button:

More than 75 graduate and undergraduate courses in the following areas:

 • Accounting
 • Anthropology
 • Art
 • Business Administration
 • Communication
 • Communication Disorders
 • Computer Science
 • Economics
 • Education
 • Educational Foundations
 • Educational Leadership
 • English
 • Exercise Science
 • Geography
 • History
 • Information and Library Science
 • Interdisciplinary
 • Journalism
 • Management
 • Marketing
 • Mathematics
 • Nursing
 • Philosophy
 • Psychology
 • Public Health
 • Recreation and Leisure Studies
 • School Health
 • Social Work
 • Sociology
 • Spanish
 • Special Education
 • Theater

Maria Mazziotti Gillan (right), a recipient of the 2011 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers, and the 2008 American Book Award for her book, All That Lies Between Us, will present workshops on editing and how to publish on November 26. The workshops will take place in the English Common Room (Engleman D253) from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and 5-7:30 p.m.

Gillan has published 14 books of poetry. Her latest book is The Place I Call Home. She is the founder /executive director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, N.J., and editor of the Paterson Literary Review. She is also director of the creative writing program and professor of poetry at Binghamton University-SUNY. Her books include The Weather of Old Seasons (Cross-Cultural Communications), Where I Come From, Things My Mother Told Me, and Italian Women in Black Dresses (Guernica Editions). With her daughter, Jennifer, she is co-editor of four anthologies: Unsettling America, Identity Lessons, and Growing Up Ethnic in America (Penguin/Putnam) and Italian-American Writers on New Jersey (Rutgers).

Gillan has read her work at colleges, universities, poetry centers, and festivals throughout the United States and internationally. She was named Connecticut State Touring Poet in 2009.

More information on Gillan can be found at  www.mariagillan.com.

For information on the workshops contact Vivian Shipley at Shipleyv1@southernct.edu.

"I visited one village where a few Muslim families had returned but now have fled again because last year someone built a Serbian Orthodox Church at the entrance to the village," Pettigrew wrote. "There are no Serbs in the village who would attend the Church but it has become the site of gatherings where the men fire their hunting weapons into the air. This frightened the Muslim families so they have left."

He also met with survivors of the genocide in Srebrenica who told him their harrowing personal stories. On July 11, at the commemoration and burial of 520 victims of the 1995 genocide whose remains have been identified, Pettigrew helped bury three brothers who were cousins of one of the students he had taught in a Summer University course in Srebrenica last year. Summer University is a two-month program for postgraduate students and researchers on topics related to genocide, transitional justice, post-conflict studies, and human rights.

Pettigrew presented a paper at this year's Summer University -- "Genocide and International Intervention: The Problematic Legacy of the Dayton Peace Accords 1995-2012" -- which was accepted for publication (in translation in the Bosnian language -- Bosanski) in a volume edited by the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law at the University of Sarajevo. 

Pettigrew's paper and his research were also the basis for an article roughly translated as "Genocidal Geography" in Dani, a prominent Bosnian magazine. He was also interviewed  on the Arabic news network  Al Jazeera  concerning  a letter he wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning the election law in Srebrenica. Earlier this fall, Pettigrew returned to Srebrenica as an accredited international observer for the Oct. 7 municipal elections in the city.

Below: David Pettigrew is interviewed at the Al Jazeera newsdesk. The subtitle, translated into English, reads, "I became involved in a project that is trying to tell the truth about the genocide." 

Click here to go to the SCSU Human Resources Website.

The Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) have announced that Carroll is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious award. A professor of the year was chosen this year in 30 of 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia. A total of 300 professors were nominated throughout the nation for the various state awards.  

"It is an honor to be named as the recipient of the award and I'm particularly honored to bring recognition to SCSU," she said. "I hope it affords me opportunities to share discussions, strategies and information about teaching with colleagues at all levels of education."  

Carroll credited her late mother, RoseMarie Carroll, with playing a key role in her selection, as well as her career. She passed away in March

"She valued education tremendously and instilled in me a burning desire for learning and all things educational," she said. "I consider myself to be a life-long learner and hope I can inspire others to be the same."

The Stratford resident said that on the first day of class each semester, she tells her students that they are on a journey together. "I've been to the destination before, but not with them," she said. "I look forward to our exploring the territory together, and to my learning to see the territory through their eyes... I look forward to sharing with my students the joy and excitement of learning new things and new ways of seeing the world and each other." 

SCSU interim Provost Marianne Kennedy said the campus is thrilled that Carroll has been recognized with the award. "Not only is she a gifted teacher and advisor, but she is also a gracious colleague, mentor and role model to other faculty," Kennedy said. "She epitomizes the teacher-scholar that we all try to emulate."

Judges for the competition evaluate nominees on four criteria:

• Impact on and involvement with undergraduate students
• Scholarly approach to teaching and learning
• Contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession
• Support from colleagues, as well as current and former undergraduate students

Carroll has been recognized during the last two years by both the SCSU and the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities communities. She was selected as the 2011 recipient of SCSU's J. Philip Smith Outstanding Teaching Award. And she was named in 2012 as a university-level recipient of the Board of Regents/Connecticut State University Teaching Award.  

Carroll has earned the praise of both colleagues and students. Cheryl Durwin, assistant chairwoman of the SCSU Psychology Department, said Carroll teaches all of her courses as writing intensive because she believes in the power of writing to help students understand course material and to think critically.

"It is the way in which Debby does so that sets her apart," Durwin said in a letter of support for Carroll. She pointed to an assignment in Carroll's Psychopharmacology class -- a course Carroll created -- as an example. "Students were required to explain how a particular drug affects brain functioning and subsequent behavior, but they were to write their response as if they were explaining this effect to (an elementary school student)," Durwin said. "This type of assignment challenges college students not only to understand the concepts, but to demonstrate their knowledge by translating a very complex process into simple language."   

Carroll's students often point out that while her classes are demanding, they actually understand what they are studying beyond what is necessary for the next test. Kelly Webster, one of Carroll's students who graduated earlier this year, said that is one of the characteristics that make her an effective teacher.   

"Dr. Carroll is fundamentally concerned with students learning the material, rather than regurgitating it," Webster said in a letter of support. "I'm sure every college student has taken at least one class in which their success was determined by a few multiple choice tests that could be crammed for," Webster said. "Students walk out of these classes feeling happy about their 'A'...but with no more knowledge about the subject matter than they started with. (Conversely), Dr. Carroll measures success in a manner that really encourages and evaluates understanding."   

The Professors of the Year program began in 1981, when one national winner was named. The awards program expanded in 1985 so that state winners were also named.   

The Carnegie Foundation is an independent policy and research center that supports needed transformations in American education through tighter connections between teaching practice, evidence of student learning, the communication and use of this evidence, and structured opportunities to build knowledge. CASE is a professional association headquartered in Washington, D.C. that serves educational institutions and the advancement of professionals at all levels who work in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and other areas.

 

The Department of Housing and Residence Life Sustainability Committee is excited to announce the first annual Fall Sustainability Programming Series. Residence Life is committed to working in collaboration with departments across the university to engage students in making healthy and environmentally-conscious decisions in all aspects of campus life.

The Sustainability Series kicks off on Tuesday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m. with a presentation in Wilkinson Hall on Sustainable Living at SCSU, given by Residence Hall Director Meg Hoffecker and graduate student employee Jim Hoffecker. The informative presentation will lay the groundwork for sustainable initiatives on campus by covering the environmental impact of petroleum and natural gas extraction, the process of climate change, and the effects of industrial agriculture. There will be an in-depth discussion of current Sustainable Southern initiatives, including the Plant It Forward Project, the Sustainability Living Learning Community on campus, and environmentally-sensitive transportation options available to students on campus. The presentation will also cover individual and community possibilities as students work towards a more sustainable future. The evening program will also include an interactive tour of community spaces in the residence halls with tips for sustainable living and fun recycled and environmentally-sensitive giveaways.

On Wednesday, November 14 at 8:00 p.m., the Sustainability Series offers a program in Hickerson Hall entitled "What's Cookin? Food, Inc." This educational evening will be keynoted by Danny Dawkins, resident district manager of Chartwells. Students will learn about Dining Services initiatives that are "earth, body, and community friendly."  The discussion will lead into the screening of the 2008 American documentary Food, Inc. This film examines what we eat as a nation, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation, and where we go from here.

On Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m., the Sustainability Series will recognize America Recycles Day in Farnham Hall. The evening of festivities will include signing of the America Recycles Pledge, activities from the popular social media site Pinterest, a demonstration of sustainable lighting options, tips for sustainable living on campus, the "Bet the Bottle Cap" game, and more. This event will generate awareness and excitement for the upcoming January 2013 Recyclemania competition. Fun recycled and environmentally-sensitive giveaways will be offered to students who attend. 

On Monday, November 26 at 9:30 p.m., chef Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi in New Haven will give a presentation in Hickerson Hall Main Lobby on Sustainable Sushi, along with a tasting. The event is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Miya's Sushi is a sustainable sushi restaurant in the Chapel West neighborhood of downtown New Haven. Miya's provides alternatives to environmentally destructive fish such as regionally-grown Atlantic Char. Connecticut seafood such as clams, oysters, tilapia and trout are also on the menu.  When possible, Miya's serves locally harvested produce from Connecticut farms, including Sugar Maple Farm, Boulder Knoll Farm, and the Yale Sustainable Food Project.

Miya's owner, Bun Lai fishes and forges a selection of items on the 28-page menu himself. He avoids popular sushi ingredients tuna and shrimp due to overharvesting, high mercury content and the bycatch common to their harvesting. Miya's has an invasive species menu featuring dishes made of foraged ingredients that are threatening to the region's indigenous species. The restaurant serves a number of unusual beverage infusions that feature ingredients such as hand-picked pine cones, wild sumac, dandelion blooms and chili peppers.

Bun Lai is recipient of numerous awards for his work with sustainable sushi, including Huffington Post's Greatest Person of the Day 2011, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Award 2011, and Fish2Fork's 2012 Top Three Most Sustainable Restaurant in the U.S.
 

Founded in the spring of 1993, Magevet has been entertaining audiences around the globe with delightful music and spunky schtick for 16 years. Their diverse repertoire spans from liturgical Renaissance arrangements to the folk melodies of the Abayudaya tribe -- and everything in between. Their performances always include a combination of old and new, near and far, and more than a modicum of humor!

The concert will take place in Engleman C112 (Charles Garner Recital Hall). Admission is free, and the concert is open to the public. For more information, contact David Levine at (203) 392-6642.

The number Nye will choreograph is from the show Yes Virginia the Musical, written by the creative team at Macy's and developed this summer at Stagedoor Manor, a well-known performing arts camp in the Catskills where Nye has worked as the director of dance for the past several summers. The musical was based on the Macy's team's Emmy award-winning TV special of the same story. The Macy's team won the Daytime Emmy this year for the song they created (and Stagedoor performed) to open the holiday parade last year; this number was also choreographed by Nye.

This year's finale will include 136 Stagedoor kids from around the world, Nye says. To accompany the number, he explains, there will also be four balloons -- the Virginia balloon and three elf balloons -- and the Santa float "with the big guy himself." 

To kick off the new musical, says Konnie Kittrell, the show's producer from Stagedoor, it was given free to 100 schools this holiday season, two from each state. Macy's also gave each school $1000 to produce the show. After this Christmas, the show will be released and available for everyone. The song from the show that will be performed in the parade is called "Santa By the Book" and is about how Santa looks different to children around the world, but the love and giving are the same. Seven Santas from seven world locations -- Hawaii, Russia, France, Talin, Sweden, England, and Holland -- will be a part of the spectacle.

In the original story of "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," little Virginia goes to the library to see if she can find the "truth" about Santa in a book. The song introduces the "real" Santa -- Macy's jolly star -- and serves as the parade finale. 

"Hoot Route Riders will know their shuttle's location and be able to project its arrival time at the location where they are waiting," said Gregory Power, a general manager with First Transit Group, which the university contracted to operate its shuttle service for the new academic year. "This enables the rider to schedule their day without guessing or calling transportation services," Tower said.  

The Hoot Route InRoute Web Viewer provides quick and convenient access that allows riders to view the location of shuttles in real time, along the route of their choice. The Hoot Route Mobile App provides users with a map view of each route that can be viewed on a smart phone or tablet. App downloading instructions are available at

First Transit is operating seven new handicapped-accessible shuttles on daily runs on campus and to Union Station.

On-campus service is available Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m.-3:00 a.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

A late-night shuttle (running Monday-Thursday 11:00 p.m.-3:00 a.m.) provides on-campus shuttle services after hours. The shuttle can be easily accessed in front of Hickerson Hall or by calling First Transit at (203) 281-5470 until 1:30 a.m. and University Police at (203) 392-7287 between 1:30 and 3:00 a.m. 

Shuttle services to and from New Haven's Union Station run Monday-Thursday from 7:15 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., and Fridays from 7:15 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. There currently is no on-campus shuttle service on the weekends, but off-campus shuttles run 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

First Transit will also be providing shuttle dispatch services from 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on weekdays and during weekend operating hours. Students should call  (203) 281-5470 for shuttle questions or concerns during these times.

Place: Adanti Student Center Theater

The 2012 Norbert Wiener Address featuring UNESCO Professor Luciano Floridi, will examine the important role of information technology in the newly developing era of Hyperhistory.

Panelists:
Joseph Manzella - Anthropology Department, SCSU
Troy Paddock - History Department, SCSU
Richard Volkman - Philosophy Department, SCSU

Luciano Floridi (pictured) (MA Laurea Rome "La Sapienza", MPhil, PhD Warw, MA Oxon, Dr. h. c. Suceava) is UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics at the University of Hertfordshire and Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford. His research concerns the philosophy of information and of information ethics. His most recent books are The Philosophy of Information (Oxford, 2011), Information - A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2010), and The Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics (Cambridge, 2010). He is Editor in Chief of Springer's Philosophy & Technology. He has received many awards and prizes, including the Barwise Prize, the Gauss Professorship, and both the Covey Award and Weizenbaum Award in 2012.

Other works will also be performed by the Hamden Symphony in this concert on Southern's campus, to take place in the Adanti Student Center, 3rd floor Ballroom on Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

This fall marks the beginning of the Hamden Symphony's 51st season. An all-volunteer orchestra of more than 50 members from the Greater New Haven area and beyond, its members include teachers, doctors, lawyers, and grandparents, as well as both students and faculty from local universities. Founded in 1962 by Ruth Brooks -- who continues to perform with the group -- the orchestra provides cultural enrichment to the Hamden and Southern communities through its series of concerts, its annual Young Musicians Concerto Competition, the Ruth T. Brooks Scholarship Award, the annual Benefit Concert, and by the orchestral experience it offers area musicians and soloists.

All welcome to attend the Nov. 8 concert. Admission is $5 at the door. Call (203) 392-6625 for more information.

The women who make up the Forum Theater Troupe are not professional actors. They are citizens of a centuries-­old freedom struggle: the struggle for self ­determination, justice, and equality for woman and families. 

The performers use Forum Theater as a tool to raise awareness and give voice and illustration to the conditions of oppression that women experience in Mexico, either as wives of abusive husbands, wives of migrants in the U.S., or migrants themselves.

Sueños Perdidos
Mariposa Viajera

(Both will be performed in Spanish with English subtitles) 

Sponsored by The Office of International Education
 

 

This past summer, he was invited twice to García Márquez's home in Mexico City, where he met the world-famous author of the novels One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera in July and returned in August to join him and his wife and a few close friends for dinner. Pelayo's friend Guillermo Hernandez, who knows García Márquez, had had the author sign copies of Pelayo's books for him, and after seeing the books, "Gabo," as his closest friends know him, asked to meet Pelayo.

"It was indeed both an honor and a dream encounter," says Pelayo.  "It was a most memorable day in my life and in my professional career.  There is no wonder why he's the most loved and most popular writer in the world today."

Pelayo says that García Márquez, who is now 85, no longer receives guests other than family and friends,  and he gave gifts to Pelayo of signed special editions of One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish, English and Russian. Pelayo was also given a signed parchment with the text of a talk on poetry García Márquez delivered in Stockholm the night before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1982.

Pelayo's meetings with García Márquez were his first personal encounters with the author, for whose work Pelayo has said he has had a near-lifelong passion. During his more than 15 years at Southern, Pelayo has been researching, writing, publishing and teaching about his life and works.

Aronson, professor of nursing, is this year's recipient of the Virginia A. Henderson Award -- one of several Diamond Jubilee Awards established by the Connecticut Nurses Association (CNA). She was honored recently during the organization's annual awards reception held at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell.

Carole Bergeron, CNA executive director, says in a letter to Aronson that the Diamond Jubilee Awards are given to those individuals or organizations having made outstanding contributions to nursing. Those accomplishments are made in the areas of practice, education, administration, political action and service to the CNA. "These prestigious awards are named after some of the most distinguished leaders in Connecticut nursing history and represent the highest honor that the nursing profession in Connecticut can bestow on one of them, a kind of 'Nobel Prize' in nursing," Bergeron says in the letter.

Aronson says she was both surprised and honored to be selected. "I am especially pleased to have been awarded the honor this year as we just have launched our new online Ed.D. in nursing education," she says. "One of the purposes of this program is to prepare our doctoral students to advance the science of nursing education research. Since my program of research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning, this award provides credibility for our collaborative program.

The Ed.D. program -- a joint venture with Western Connecticut State University -- is designed to address the state and national shortage of nursing faculty. With an increase in the number of nursing faculty, more students can earn their nursing degrees, which then helps ease the shortage of nurses.

A total of 18 students are enrolled in the program -- nine from both Southern and Western.

Elizabeth Keenan (right), coordinator of Southern's B.S.W. program, is this year's Social Worker of the Year, as chosen by the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Keenan, professor of social work, is a founding leader of CONECT (Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut), a multi-faith organization committed to social and economic justice.

Her teaching skills, combined with her leadership skills with CONECT, led to her selection for the award, according to the Connecticut chapter of the NASW. She is lauded for her work in a press release from the organization. "A dedicated educator and researcher, Liz works to provide students with essential tools for the enhancement of their learning, teaching them how to integrate class work into real life practice as they make their journey toward the professor of social work...Liz Keenan is a wonderful example of the values of the social work profession and NASW/CT applauds her contributions and this year of exceptional accomplishments."

Keenan says she was surprised by the honor. "It has been both a recognition AND a validation of how I have intentionally sought to be a social worker," she says. "I practiced as a clinical social worker for more than a decade, then moved into academia at Southern, and in the past few years have been shifting my practice into community organizing."

She has expressed her desire for greater civic participation by non-partisan groups to negotiate with public officials and business leaders regarding key issues affecting society today - such as education, healthcare and jobs.

Keenan adds that she has tried to reflect the values of the social work profession in her leadership work with CONECT, in her teaching and in writing a book, "The Common Factors Model for Generalist Practice," which she has co-authored with Mark Cameron, associate professor of social work. The book was published in September.

On October 30 at 8 p.m., novelist Elise Blackwell and poet and memoirist Randall Horton will read their work in the English Common Room (Engleman D253). The reading is an installment in the Creative Writing Program's Visiting Writers Series.

Horton (right) is the recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Bea Gonzalez Poetry Award and most recently a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Literature. Randall is a Cave Canem Fellow, a member of the Affrilachian Poets and a member of The Symphony: The House that Etheridge Built. He is assistant professor of English at the University of New Haven. An excerpt from his memoir titled Roxbury is published by Kattywompus Press. Triquarterly/Northwestern University Press will publish his latest poetry collection, Pitch Dark Anarchy, in Spring 2013. 

Blackwell (below) is the author of Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, Grub, and An Unfinished Score. Her work has been translated into several languages, and her books have been named to numerous "best of the year" lists, including the Los Angeles Times, Sydney Morning Herald, and Kirkus. Her short stories and cultural criticism have appeared in Witness, Topic, Seed, Global City Review, Quick Fiction, and elsewhere.

She is from southern Louisiana, though she has lived in many other places. She studied creative writing at Louisiana State and received an M.F.A. from the University of California-Irvine. Before publishing her first novel in 2003, she worked as a journalist and translator. Currently on the faculty of the University of South Carolina, she lives in Columbia with her husband, the writer David Bajo, and their daughter, Esme.

The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, call (203) 392-6745.

Meet faculty and staff and find out about programs and requirements.  Get info on financial aid, graduate assistantships, and more.

Register for the Open House using the form available at /openhouse or call Graduate Studies at (203) 392-5240 or email gradinfo@southernct.edu.

Caplan is president and co-founder of Or Music, an independent record label based in New York. Formerly a senior vice president at Sony's Epic label, Caplan has worked with artists like the Allman Brothers, G. Love and Special Sauce, Tower of Power, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

All are welcome to attend, and admission is free. Sponsored by the Music Department. Call (203) 392-6625 for more information.
 

Erin McPike (left), a reporter covering the presidential race for Real Clear Politics and a frequent guest on MSNBC, FOX and CNN as a political analyst, will be the keynote speaker. The event will include other speakers, a panel discussion and Q & A. The event is free and open to the public. 

Call (203) 392-5073 for more information.

Click here or on above graphic to register

White was the founding editor of the yearly fiction anthology American Fiction as well as the founding and current editor of the literary journal, Dogwood, published by Fairfield University. He is the author of six novels. His latest novel (William Morrow, 2010) is Beautiful Assassin, winner of the 2011 Connecticut Book Award for Fiction and finalist for the Lily Fellows Arlin G. Meyer Award.

Sponsored by a Faculty Development Grant.

For information contact Vivian Shipley at Shipleyv1@southernct.edu.  

Events will include:

• Sibling Night in the residence halls (Fri. evening, Sept. 28)
  
  
• Meet SCSU President Mary Papazian (11 a.m.)
  
  
• Club fair, with WSIN radio (11 a.m. on)
  
  
• Barbeque lunch (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)
  
  
• Football game vs. St. Anselm College (1 p.m.)
  
  
• Academic sessions (10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. & 1:30-2:30 p.m.)
  
  
• Tours of West Rock (10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m.) ~ At the base of West Rock, within the West Rock Nature Center property, is an archaeological site that is approximately 2,000-5,000 years old, dating to the Late Archaic period in prehistory. Dr. Michael Rogers (professor and chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Southern) has been taking students to excavate this site for the last eight years, and has uncovered thousands of stone artifacts. You will visit the site, discover stone artifacts, and possibly participate in the excavation. This tour requires a 10-minute hike on dirt trails, up and down a moderate-sized hill. Appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear is recommended.
  
  
• The Amazing Race (Think you're an expert on the SCSU campus? Test your knowledge by racing around campus, gathering clues, and hustling to the finish line to become the ultimate OWL FAMILY!)

The cost for Family Day is $10 per person (free for children ages 5 and under). Purchase of an Owl Family Day ticket grants you entrance to all events and meals. The day will begin with registration from 7:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. at Connecticut Hall.

Times for the above events are subject to change.

Click here to download a printable version of the schedule and information about overnight accommodations

All are invited to join the Southern community for the inauguration, and all members of the academic faculty, the administrative faculty, and management are invited to take part in the inauguration. Campus delegates may choose one of two ways to participate: to march in the formal procession or to attend the inauguration ceremony as an audience member.

• Those taking part in the procession should assemble at 1:00 p.m. on September 28, 2012, in Ralph Earl Hall.
  
  
• Those marching in the procession are requested to provide their own academic regalia. Rentals are available through the Southern Bookstore by August 28, 2012.
  
  
• All are invited to attend the Post-Inaugural Reception in the tents behind the north wing of Engleman Hall.
  

Complete information about events, area lodging, directions to campus, the RSVP form and more, can be found on the Inauguration 2012 website.

Questions may be directed to the Office of the President at (203) 392-5250 or by email to President@SouthernCT.edu. Please R.S.V.P. by clicking the link above by September 12, 2012.

[At right: During her investiture as the 11th president of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT, Mary A. Papazian receives the president's medal from Michael Meotti, executive president for the state Board of Regents for Higher Education,  (left) and Robert Kennedy, board president.]

"Public universities like Southern must lead the way in showing that what we can accomplish here is vitally important to the future of our society," Papazian said. "We must make it clear to the public, to the business community, and to the political establishment that investing in an institution like Southern is not only an investment in the students who attend the university, but also by extension, it is an investment in the whole community and - and this isn't overstating it -- in the very future of America."

She is the 11th president of the school in its storied 119-year history. She is the second woman to become president at Southern, following Cheryl J. Norton, who served from 2004 to 2010. She is also believed to be the first Armenian-American woman to lead a U.S. university, according to the Armenian Weekly. 

Lewis J. Robinson Jr., chairman of the state Board of Regents for Higher Education, presided over the ceremony and administered the investiture charge to Papazian. Other speakers included Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3), New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Hamden Mayor Scott P. Jackson.

Papazian, 53, is an accomplished scholar, particularly with regard to British literature. She has studied and written about John Donne, a metaphysical English poet from the late 16th and early 17th century. Among her other interests are Armenian history and culture. She and her husband, Dennis Papazian, have two daughters, Ani and Marie. They reside in Woodbridge.

"Together, we will work to ensure that Southern continues to develop into an outstanding, comprehensive, public university of significant value to the local community, the state that supports us, and indeed, our nation at large," Papazian said. "This is a university where we strive to give the students every opportunity to acquire a first-class education with a global vision in an enlightened, compassionate, supportive and diverse environment. And we intend to do more in the future...Together we will work to make Southern the most successful university in its class."

Wyman expressed confidence in Papazian's ability to lead the university, calling her dedicated, hardworking and innovative. "I have no doubt this is just the beginning of a great era for Southern Connecticut State University," Wyman said.

Papazian also expressed her desire for Southern to reach out even more to attract out-of-state and international students. She said not only does that help the university financially, but it enriches the social and education experiences of Connecticut students.   

And while much of her message focused on Southern's role in the public and its commitment to students, she also shared a glimpse into her management style. "This I pledge: I will have an open administration. I will provide equitable treatment for all, and I will fulfill without fail all official and unofficial responsibilities. My administration will be evenhanded and predictable." 

Click here to read the text of President Papazian's inaugural address.

The event embraces the NCAA Division II Community Engagement mission to develop students and communities by actively engaging in shared experiences and the NAACP's mission to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

Tickets, priced at $10 for the general public, $5 for children over 12, college students and seniors, will be available in person at the Jess Dow Field ticket window on gameday. Children under 12 are free. Southern Connecticut State students, faculty and staff are also free.

The day's events will feature an array of activities, including a Healthfair, Tailgate competition, NAACP Voter Registration, a Greek Fraternity and Sorority Step and Strolling Exhibition, and a 90-piece marching band.

The inauguration of Mary A. Papazian as the 11th president of Southern Connecticut State University on Sept. 28 will be culmination of a series of academic and cultural events highlighting many different aspects of the university. All events are free unless indicated. Highlights include:

Sept. 18, 6:30-8 p.m. • Graduate Student Reception.  Adanti Student Center Ballroom

Sept. 19, 1-3 p.m. • Student Festival Barbecue and Games. In the quad, outside Earl Hall.

Sept. 20, 8-9:30 p.m. • Book Discussion ~ This I Believe with editor 
Dan Gediman. John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts. Of all of life's big questions, "What do you believe?" is one of the most important. And for many, the answer may be one of the hardest to actually put into words. Gediman, executive producer of the radio version of "This I Believe," will discuss the history of this powerful idea, inviting the audience to listen to the beliefs of others and then consider their own. Reserve free tickets in advance at (203) 392-6154.

Sept. 21, 1 p.m. • Ribbon cutting for the new School of Business, now housed in the renovated former Student Center. The event includes a speaking program, reception and tours of the building.

Sept. 21, 7 p.m. •  Faculty Author Reception. Buley Library. Celebrating the research and creative works of more than 50 Southern faculty authors.

Sept. 22, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. • Ronald D. Herron Day of Service. More than 700 students work with New Haven Police on various community service projects in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Sept. 22, 7-9 p.m. • Alumni Welcome Cocktail Party. Under the tents between Morrill Hall and Engleman Hall. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, chocolate, dessert and espresso under the stars. $50 per person - call (203) 392-6500.

Sept. 24, 1-3 p.m. • Faculty Symposium "Liberal Education and the Professions." Adanti Student Center Ballroom. Ashley Finley, author of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) report "Making Progress?  What We Know About the Achievement of Liberal Education Outcomes,"  will speak about her findings, followed by a panel discussion.

Sept. 24, 7 p.m. • Book Discussion: The Sandcastle Girls with author Chris Bohjalian. Adanti Student Center Ballroom. Bestselling author Bohjalian, perhaps best-known for his novel Midwives, will be giving a talk and book signing on the subject of his latest novel, The Sandcastle Girls. Bohjalian's fifteenth book, The Sandcastle Girls, a New York Times bestseller, travels between Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and Bronxville, New York, in 2012 - a sweeping historical love story steeped in the author's Armenian heritage, making it his most personal novel to date.

Sept. 27, 4-6 p.m. • Reception for the art exhibition "This I Believe | Art as Salute to Excellence," curated by Vicki S. Hovanessian. Lyman Center Lobby. The exhibition, which runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 21 presents paintings, drawings and sculptures by 13 artists of Armenian descent.

Sept. 27, 5:30-8 p.m • Creative Arts Showcase. Charles Garner Recital Hall (Engleman C112). Southern alumni, faculty, students and staff will present an evening celebrating the creative talents of the Southern community. Creative expressions will include spoken word, a cappella, jazz, and poetry, among other types of performances.

Sept. 28, 1:30 p.m • Inauguration Ceremony, John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, followed at 3:30 p.m. by a dessert reception in the Adanti Student Center Ballroom (rain location).

Sept. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • Owl Family Day. Seminars, campus tours, a meet-and-greet with President Papazian, and more. Various campus venues.

Sept. 29, 1 p.m. • Football Game - Southern Owls vs. St. Anselm College. Jess Dow Field.

Sept. 29, 8 p.m. • Jazz Concert: Richard Elliot with Special Guest The David Benoit Trio.  John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.

Find more information on the inauguration and related events at: /inauguration2012 

A painting from the art exhibition "This I Believe | Art as Salute to Excellence," curated by Vicki S. Hovanessian

The construction of a 1,200-space parking garage (right) on what had been Lot 7 next to the Moore Fieldhouse is nearly finished, Sheeley says. "We expect the garage to be completed in late November and be put into operation for the start of the spring 2013 semester," he says. 

The garage will generate a net gain of more than 800 parking spaces. It will also include four charging stations for electric/battery powered cars as part of Southern's sustainability efforts, Sheeley says.

Meanwhile, the exterior of the older wing of the Buley Library (below left) has been demolished -- representing a major step toward the renovation of that portion of the facility. A proposed design for the renovations with an associated cost estimate has been developed and is under review by the state Department of Construction Services, as well as by several consulting firms and the university's facilities staff. The project is scheduled to go out to bid in October with construction anticipated by early February.

The design for the new Academic Science Building (below right) -- which would be located near Fitch Street next to Jennings Hall -- has been completed. The bidding process is scheduled to begin by early October with construction projected to start by early February. The building would be 98,500 square feet in size. 

"Both the Buley Library and the Academic Science Building will start at about the same time and will have a significant effect upon parking in the lots next to Engleman and Jennings halls," Sheeley says. Sheeley has been meeting with Executive Vice President James E. Blake and Police Chief Joseph Dooley throughout the summer to develop alternative parking plans.

Nevertheless, Sheeley says that these projects will produce a long-term benefit to the university. "The next two years of construction will forever change the look and feel of the university as a 21st-century institution of higher education," Sheeley says.

The Academic Science Building will house state-of-the-art laboratory and equipment and is designed to bolster the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines at Southern. 
The projects follow the completed  renovation of the former Student Center into a new School of Business facility. This has enabled faculty and staff to move from the dilapidated Seabury Hall, which will be demolished soon. The new building has a conference room, meeting rooms and a stock market trading room. A ceremonial ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sept. 21 as part of a series of events marking the inauguration of Mary A. Papazian as Southern's 11th president.

Transfer students!

Welcome to SCSU!

Are you looking for advice on the recommended course sequence in a particular major? Wondering what the difference is between various tracks and specialties in your major? Thinking about an internship or research opportunity in your field? Uncertain about what major to choose? Confused about when to apply to programs such as Education or Nursing?

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, August 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.!

Click here to download the day's schedule of events

TRANSFERmation 2012 is a unique "don't miss" opportunity for all transfer students to gather in the Lyman Center to hear one of the country's most requested college keynote speakers and entertainers, and then meet with faculty mentors from the appropriate department or program, who are there to "transfer important information" (="transfermation") to incoming transfer students.

To register, just complete the form found by clicking here and click "Done" at the bottom of the page. You will receive a confirmation email with a complete schedule and map of the campus.
 

Is this event mandatory? It is the only opportunity transfer students will have to meet with their faculty mentors as a group of incoming transfer students, and the faculty are putting together information specifically for the event. Here are some of the questions they will be addressing:

• Does the program/department require a separate admissions process? If so, what are the requirements and how and when do I apply?
• Is there a minimum required GPA within the major?
• What is the difference between different concentrations and tracks within the major?
• What are the department's advising policies? When and how do I make an appointment with an adviser?
• Are there any academic clubs related to the field? If so, when do they meet and who should I contact to join?
• Are there any professional organizations I should join, or conferences I should consider attending?
• What summer jobs does the department recommend students look for?
• Are there paid internship or research opportunities? How do I apply?
• What do students from the department or program typically do after graduation?
• Where have graduates from the department gone on to work or study?
• What should I do if I have questions about how my credits from other universities have transferred?
• Is there a particular recommended course sequence?
• What are the opportunities for independent study, earning honors in the major, etc?

If you don't know the answer to all of these questions, you should think of the event as "mandatory."

In other words, this is opportunity for faculty mentors from your major to "transfer" important "information" (="transfermation") about things ranging from the recommended course sequence, to internship and research opportunities, to the difference between various tracks or specializations, to how and when to apply, for departments with separate admissions processes. For students who are unsure about what to major in, it is also an excellent opportunity to meet a faculty member from a particular department, and learn about what that program has to offer.

Featuring a keynote address by Jermaine Davis, who grew up in the Henry Homers housing projects on the west side of Chicago. After losing six family members to violent deaths, he enrolled in college and
began studying success and motivational principles that changed the direction of his life. Now, he is the author or co-author of eleven books, the CEO of two organizations that specialize in providing workshops and creating resources to help students succeed, and is recognized as one of the country's most requested keynote speakers and college entertainers.

So: start off on the right foot at Southern -- don't miss this event! 

Madison resident Michael Kuszpa graduated from Southern in May with his M.S. in science education after completing his student teaching -- 10 weeks of biology at Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford. He also just finished teaching biology classes for the year for Wallingford's Adult Education Credit Diploma Program. And he is the author of a book, Captain K's Afghanistan Adventure.

Prior to coming to Southern, Kuszpa spent a year in Afghanistan -- from 2004-2005 -- embedded with Afghan forces as a tactical trainer, a liaison between U.S. Special Forces and a company of Afghan infantrymen. "I was their adviser and did on-the-job training," Kuszpa says. "They looked to me as their commander." He says he had "total operational freedom" because he was with the Afghan army, so he was able to go to many places in the country other Americans would never see. He developed conversational fluency in the Dari and Pashto languages and gained an intimate view of Afghan life and cultural traditions.  

While in Afghanistan, he participated with Special Forces on cordon and search operations, helicopter air insertions into the Hindu Kush mountains, and kill-capture missions. As an embedded trainer, though, he says, "the biggest thing we did was help the Afghan people." He and his unit spent much of their time "driving around, making the presence of the Afghan army known to the locals." They talked to the elders in villages, who would tell them that schools and medical care were needed. The soldiers handed out backpacks and pens to the children, and U.S. Army doctors provided medical care. 

Many Americans had a hard time acclimating to Afghan culture, Kuszpa says. "Time is unimportant in their culture," he says. To communicate with Afghan elders, for example, he and his soldiers would have to take the time to "sit down with them, make small talk and drink lots of tea. I couldn't approach them as an American." He did have an interpreter traveling with the unit but had to get used to working with him. And he didn't have much preparation regarding Afghan culture before becoming immersed in it. Instead, he learned about it firsthand.

When Kuszpa returned to the United States after his mission, he rejoined his wife and his daughter, Nicole. Nicole was only two years old, hadn't seen him in a year, and did not recognize him. She was still too young to comprehend what had happened to her father while he was away.  But a couple of years later, when Nicole was in nursery school, she asked him to print out some photos of Afghanistan for her to show her classmates in her "show and share" at school. 

Kuszpa had returned from Afghanistan with over eight gigabytes of photos and videos. So he opened up his computer files and started selecting photos. He added some text under them so Nicole's teacher would be able to read about what was going on in each picture. After several hours, what started out as a couple of pictures ended up being a small book. The book was a short timeline of Kuszpa's Afghan experience, written in words that his daughter would comprehend. Her nursery school loved it. As Nicole grew, Kuszpa later read the book to her first-grade class at Jeffery Elementary School in Madison, and the teachers there were excited about it and persuaded him to publish it. Thus was born "Captain K's Afghanistan Adventure." 

After Kuszpa eventually read the book to his daughter's second-grade class, news spread to Daniel Hand High School about his story. He was invited to share his story with DHHS students and has since given numerous classes and presentations to DHHS students and has essentially become part of the curriculum for the school's senior health class as a recurrent guest speaker/expert in Afghan culture. 

His book is available for sale on Amazon.com, and he is now writing a book for adults about his experience in Afghanistan. DHHS's TV and Video Production Department videotaped his Afghanistan culture presentation so he will remain a part of the senior health curriculum when he becomes a full-time teacher and is unable to give his lectures. He has been working as a substitute teacher in Madison while looking for a full-time position teaching either middle school or high school biology and/or general science.

Kuszpa has chosen to become a teacher because he "still feels a strong sense of service" after nine years in the military. He loved working with the Afghan soldiers and gained "such satisfaction from seeing them do things the right way," he says.



 

Their trials and triumphs are chronicled in Southern Librarian Lisa Bier's book Fighting the Current: The Rise of American Women's Swimming, 1870-1926, featured in the August 5 edition of the New Haven Register. See the story here: 
Women swimmers bucked tide of sexism to compete in Olympics 100 years ago; SCSU librarian's book says competition deemed 'too unfemale' (by Sandi Kahn Shelton).

The topic of American women's swimming seems especially relevant at Southern at the moment because Southern swimmer Amanda Thomas recently went to the Olympic trials after winning two national championships this spring at the NCAA Division II Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Mansfield, Texas. Amanda won the NCAA Championship in the 200 individual medley for the second consecutive year and set a new Division II record (2:00.09). She then won her second consecutive title in the 400 IM (4:16.25). She followed that race as runner-up in the 200 butterfly and with a third place finish in the 200 backstroke on the final day of the championships.

Bier's book looks at the beginnings of women's competitive swimming in the United States and discusses, among many other topics, the difficulty of finding clean places to swim; the awkwardness of women's bathing/swimming clothes; the fact that many people did not know how to swim recreationally and had to be taught; and the bias against women athletes in general and the belief that female swimmers were "unsexing" themselves. Bier writes about the beginnings of the lifesaving movement and lifeguards, and explains that the first year  American women were permitted to compete in the Olympics as swimmers was 1920 -- nearly 100 years ago.

Bier is related through her grandfather to Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, in 1926, and her discovery of this relation led her to research American women's swimming.

NEASC Reaccreditation Letter

A Website with complete information on the reaccreditation process and the NEASC Standards can be found by clicking here. 

Background to Reaccreditation

In the fall of 2011, the university underwent its 10-year comprehensive evaluation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In preparation for the evaluation, the university prepared a comprehensive self-study in which we analyze our effectiveness as a teaching and learning institution and assess the extent to which we meet each of eleven standards for accreditation.

On November 23, 2009, President Cheryl Norton charged the steering committee with creating a comprehensive and transparent self-study. The steering committee, after seeking wide participation by faculty, staff, and students, heard from a number of individuals who expressed interest in taking part in the self-study. Those who volunteered to take part spent 18 months working with members of the steering committee on crafting narratives that address the 11 standards.

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.

Doctoral Preparation for Nurse Educators

Students accepted into a new Ed.D. program in nursing education offered collaboratively by Southern and Western Connecticut State universities can have a portion of their tuition, fees and books paid through a federal loan - most of which is forgivable if they become nursing professors after earning their degree.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded SCSU and WCSU a grant of $98,720 to help students afford the cost for the three-year program that begins next month. The Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) initiative is designed to help address the state and national shortage of nursing faculty, which in turn, will help create a greater number of highly qualified nurses.

Most doctoral programs in the country fall under the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) or D.N.P. (Doctor of Nursing Practice) categories. The former focuses on research, while the latter centers on clinical skills. But the Ed.D. program is geared toward developing nursing teachers and is one of only a handful in the country, according to Barbara Aronson, SCSU professor of nursing and Ed.D. program coordinator.

"The program is really distinctive -- one of the few that specifically seeks to bolster the teaching of nursing," Aronson said. "With a shortage of nursing faculty, it is very difficult for colleges and universities to maintain or expand their nursing programs, even though there is both a serious need for more nurses and increasing student interest. The nursing shortage is projected to worsen in the years ahead. It is crucial to create a larger pool of nursing faculty so that we can develop more highly qualified nurses."

Aronson said she anticipates about 20 students will be accepted into the program before the start of classes next month, with a capacity of up to 25 students. Students accepted must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in a master's degree program in nursing from a regionally-accredited institution, as well as a current R.N. license. The Ed.D. requires students to earn 51 credits. The classes will be online. It will take about three years to complete the program on a part-time basis and eventually costs each student about $50,000.

"We believe this loan program will be very attractive to our students to help them afford their degree," she said. "The fact that we were awarded the federal grant is an indication of the quality of the program."

Student who participate in the loan program and teach for one year after earning their doctorate will have 20 percent of their loan forgiven. That proportion rises to 40 percent after two years of teaching, 60 percent after three years and 85 percent after four years.

"It is tremendously exciting to be able to offer support to the students entering this new program at its inception," said Laurel Halloran, coordinator of the Master of Science and Ed.D. programs at WCSU. "The collaboration with Southern has been a very rewarding experience for all of us involved in the Ed.D. in nursing education program at Western. We look forward to this exciting journey."

Patricia Zibluk, director of SCSU's Sponsored Programs and Research, pointed out that if 20 students earn their degree in three years, that could translate in up to 80 additional sections (classes) of nursing being taught. "That can have a significant impact on the nursing teaching shortage," she said.

Zibluk also thanked the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for awarding SCSU and WCSU the grant.

 

The School welcomes visitors -- come have a look around! It is located beside Engleman Hall, near the Lyman Center circle.

To find the new School on the campus map, click here and see #11.

To contact the School of Business, call (203) 392-5632.

"It was a tremendous honor for me to have been asked to serve by leading women's studies scholars," says Lin. "I know I couldn't have run without my own home institution's support." She calls the presidency of this organization "a hefty mission" but hopes to have fun with it.

Lin is the first person from the state of Connecticut to be elected president of NWSA.

Established in 1977, NWSA has as one of its primary objectives promoting and supporting the production and dissemination of knowledge about women and gender through teaching, learning, research and service in academic and other settings. Its annual conference now attracts over 1500 attendees. Lin says that the conference is "where feminist scholarship happens." In her role as president, she says, her job is to "make sure we keep this going, keep building up the conference."

Lin will also be working on policy and looking at guidelines for teaching women's studies on the national level. She has served as vice president of NWSA in the past, from May 2006-November 2010, and in that position worked on the organization's strategic planning process. "This work was so critical," Lin says, helping to shape the future of NWSA and the conference. 

Lin, who has been at Southern since 2004, focuses her research and teaching on ethnic, feminist, and post-colonial studies.

"The chance for SCSU to partner with the Boston Crusaders to host the Connecticut Drums DCI Marching Band Show is truly a great opportunity," says Craig Hlavac, director of bands at Southern. "Not only will we be hosting some of the world's greatest DCI corps, but our own Blue Steel Drumline will be able to work alongside these great musicians and learn from the best. Our Drumline will even perform at the event! We are so thankful that Dean Fredeen and our SCSU Athletics Department were willing to support this truly unique experience for our music students as well as for the entire New Haven community."

"Part of what makes the live drum corps experience incomparable is the sheer power and emotional connection audiences can feel when the production is right. This is an event you'll need to see live," says Crusaders Executive Director Thomas I. Spataro.

What is drum corps? From modest beginnings more than three decades ago, Drum Corps International (DCI) has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global, youth activity with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. Through the annual DCI Tour and more than 35 World Championships in 17 North American cities, Drum Corps International provides entertainment to millions through live performances and nationally-televised events. Drum Corps International is Marching Music's Major League™. 

Few activities offer the opportunities for personal development found in drum corps. It offers young people the chance to entertain vast audiences with a unique style of music, movement and showmanship. As an activity where championships may be won or lost by a tenth of a point, it also requires the stamina and precision of highly competitive team sports.

Other 2012 Connecticut Drums competitors include: Crossmen of San Antonio, Tex.; Colts of Dubuque, Ia.; Spirit of Atlanta of Atlanta, Ga.; Jersey Surf of Camden County, N.J.; Teal Sound of Jacksonville, Fla.; 7th Regiment of New London, Conn., and Spartans of Nashua, N.H.

Tickets prices start at just $15 and are on sale now. Group tickets are also available. To purchase online go to bostoncrusaders.com/events/tickets or call (617) 268-4600. 

"It's a pleasure to honor these outstanding faculty members across our universities," said Board of Regents Chairman Lewis J. Robinson. "Their commitment to our students, and to their craft, should be commended, and I'm pleased that they have chosen to teach at one of our four universities."

The system-level winner of the BOR/CSU Norton Mezvinsky Research Award was Leah S. Glaser, Associate Professor of History, Central Connecticut State University.

Southern's university-level award recipient was Valerie A. Andrushko, associate professor of anthropology (left). Through her research, Dr. Andrushko learns about the diverse ways in which ancient people confronted everyday challenges and how their bones act as a record of these activities. Her research and teaching are inextricably linked as she involves students in research at home and abroad - studying prehistoric and historic skeletons from Connecticut and in Peru. She has written nine peer-reviewed articles, two book chapters, nine research grants, made 16 conference presentations and 16 invited university lectures. Her research has received significant attention for its new insights on the ancient Incas and was part of a NOVA documentary "Ghosts of Machu Picchu" in 2010. Articles describing her work have appeared on Science News, National Geographic and Discovery Channel websites, magazines and newspapers.
 
The system-level winner of the BOR/CSU Teaching Award was Peter A. Drzewiecki, Associate Professor of Environmental Earth Science, Eastern Connecticut State University
 
Southern's university-level award recipient was Deborah A. Carroll, associate professor of psychology (right). Dr. Carroll works to foster a positive learning environment by communicating specific learning goals for each week, encouraging student questions and providing written feedback on all assignments. She adapts her teaching strategies to meet the learning needs of the students currently in her classroom, and students work in pairs to find solutions to problems. She created a psychopharmacology course to study the use of drugs as therapeutic agents for mental illness and the abuse of drugs. Students are required to design novel solutions for practical problems like developing a new drug for a hypothetical disorder. Dr. Carroll -- who is also the director of the B.S. Psychology Research Specialization -- teaches a capstone course where students gain valuable experience and skills and supervise students in field practice. She recently submitted a program revision to include a required capstone lab or field practicum experience that was approved by the University Curriculum Forum. 

Check out news coverage of this year's undergraduate commencement ceremony by visiting the SCSU Commencement home page.

Jessica Suckle-Nelson
Associate Professor of Psychology

Dr. Jessica Suckle-Nelson (right) exhibits a passion for teaching that is contagious to her students. She draws on a positive, well-articulated teaching philosophy that by challenging students in a nurturing classroom environment one enables them to reach their full potential. Her course evaluations show over 90 percent of her students reporting on the high quality of her instruction and her courses overall.

Dr. Suckle-Nelson teaches a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses for the Psychology Department, including Research Internship; Experimental Design; Design and Analysis in Psychology; Psychology of Women; and Problems in Psychology.  One member of the J. Philip Smith Outstanding Teaching Award Committee noted that Dr. Suckle-Nelson "excels in teaching Experimental Methods, traditionally seen as one of the more difficult courses in her discipline. She seems to achieve the perfect balance of challenging and encouraging students, continually engaging them in the learning process. She employs a wide variety of learning activities to appeal to different learning types, and her students definitely take notice of the efforts she puts into her teaching."

Dr. Suckle-Nelson also believes that including students in research projects is an important aspect of the educational process, and she works on behalf of her students, regularly including them in her own research projects. In his nomination letter, W. Jerome Hauselt, professor of psychology, stated, "Dr. Suckle-Nelson has an uncanny ability to present the research and statistical concepts in a way the students find both meaningful and memorable."

Members of the award committee were particularly struck by the high quality and excellent organization of her course materials and learning exercises. In addition to her work in the Psychology Department, Dr. Suckle-Nelson has made a strong contribution to teaching across the university, including the first-year INQ courses and courses within the interdisciplinary Women's Studies Program. In nominating Dr. Suckle-Nelson for this award, William M. Sherman, professor of psychology wrote, "We commend Jessica for her enthusiasm and dedication shown in jumping right into the new and experimental FYE/INQ course, a program that involves teaching novice students many of whom may not yet possess the study skills and acculturation required for college success."

The committee noted that, in addition to her teaching and advising commitments, Dr. Suckle-Nelson has maintained her attention to scholarly activity and professional development. She has authored and co-authored numerous research articles and conference papers for national and regional professional associations and was awarded an SCSU 2010 Curriculum-Related Activity grant to "create an online digitized library and interactive idea exchange for Experimental Research Methods in Psychology." 

Dr. Suckle-Nelson joined the Psychology Department as a visiting professor in 2006 and was appointed an assistant professor in 2008 and associate professor in 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Syracuse University, a Master of Science degree in general psychology from West Chester University, and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Rhode Island.

Leonard Santarsiero
Adjunct Professor of Psychology

Leonard Santarsiero (left) brings to his classes a unique combination of professional training and experience as a clinical psychologist and pedagogical experience as a long-time faculty member. His scholarly activity in the study of narratives is put to good use. Students regularly comment on the large impact that his "real life" stories have on the course content.  He uses his experiences within the clinical discipline to provide students with meaningful contexts for learning course material and ways to apply psychology to the real world.

Santarsiero uses a teaching style that makes his classroom a breeding ground for unparalleled interest in the subject matter. Students are consistently actively engaged in class discussions and are drawn in by his enthusiasm for the topics. In her nomination letter, Cheryl Durwin, professor of psychology, wrote, "One indicator of his effectiveness as an instructor is that whether he is teaching freshmen in an Introduction to Psychology course or seniors in a Topics in Development course, he has the knowledge, skills, flexibility, and rapport to relate to the students at that particular level. He is aware of students' level of background knowledge, and uses the appropriate teaching methods to scaffold their learning to take them to a new level of understanding."

Members of the J. Philip Smith Outstanding Teaching Award Committee were impressed by Santarsiero's students' praise for both his teaching and his caring attitude, exhibited by the tremendous number of unsolicited student nomination papers he received for this award. One student nominator wrote, "He made me want to come to class every day." Another student commented on how his class with Santarsiero impelled him to study further the field of mental health. A third student said that in the classroom environment Santarsiero creates, "I cannot wait to learn more, the subject is taught so clearly, and in a different light."

His colleagues regard Santarsiero as an expert within the classroom and within the clinical discipline. They believe he is such an effective instructor because he successfully uses his clinical expertise to enrich the experiences of students in his classes; views teaching and learning as a reciprocal, dynamic relationship that transforms both the learner and the teacher; and truly cares for the success of students at Southern. In her nomination letter, Deborah Carroll, associate professor of psychology, wrote, "The true test of a faculty member's teaching success in my opinion can best be measured by the direct effects on the students. I have taught and advised many students who have taken classes with Dr. Santarsiero. The students are transformed after one of Dr. Santarsiero's classes. They are more engaged in their own education and take responsibility for their learning. Students emerge with clearer goals and an understanding of what they need to do to obtain these goals. Truly, these effects are the result of interacting with an outstanding teacher."

Santarsiero joined the Psychology Department at Southern in 1994 as an adjunct professor of psychology. In addition, he maintains a private practice specializing in pediatric, adolescent and adult psychotherapy in Glastonbury.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and political science from Central Connecticut State University, a Master of Science in clinical psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University.

A total of 12 students are chosen for the award each year from the four Connecticut State University campuses, including four from Southern. It is considered among the university's most prestigious awards. Criteria include a 3.7 GPA or better and having demonstrated significant participation in university and/or community life.

Christopher Buter (right), a public health major, has a 3.79 GPA. He plans to pursue a master's degree program in public health at Southern, and eventually hopes to become a college professor.

Buter has served as a member of Zeta Delta Epsilon, a national honor society focusing on service, and Eta Sigma Gamma, a public health honor society. He also has been an environmental health intern at the New Haven Health Department and a volunteer with Faithcare International, Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael. He currently works in the adult daycare center of the Mary Wade Home in New Haven, where he assists senior citizens with physical and psychological disabilities. He is a registered nurse trained in his native Nigeria.

William Faraclas, chairman of the university's Public Health Department, says that Buter won the Public Health Award for Excellence in 2011, an award that recognizes both high academic achievement and exceptional community service.

"Christopher is a remarkable young man with an indomitable spirit, who has grown tremendously while a student at Southern," Faraclas says. "He represents (the university) so well, as a scholar and humanitarian."

Melanie Guillerault (left), an elementary education and psychology major, has a 3.82 GPA. She plans to pursue a master's degree in reading at Southern.

Guillerault has been a member of three honor societies - Kappa Delta Pi (education); Psi Chi International (psychology) and Zeta Delta Epsilon, a national honor society focusing on service. She has earned the Barbara G. Mastroianni Memorial Endowed Scholarship for her excellence as an education student. She has been a student teacher at various elementary schools in Hamden and has worked at Oakwood Child Care Center in Hamden as an infant and toddler teacher.

Laura Bower-Phipps, assistant professor of elementary education, says Guillerault worked extensively with her and distinguished herself as an outstanding scholar with a diligent application of college coursework to the profession. She notes that Guillerault has completed more than 80 hours of fieldwork in curriculum courses, as well as having spent between seven and 10 hours a day in the classroom as a student teacher and an additional two to three hours daily preparing for the next day.
"Throughout my work with her, I have been impressed by Ms. Guillerault's intelligence, commitment to the teaching professions, communications skills and work ethic," she says.

Christopher Knickerbocker (right), an exercise science major, has a 3.95 GPA. He plans to pursue a master's degree in exercise science/human performance at the California University of Pennsylvania starting this summer.

Knickerbocker is this year's recipient of Southern's Physical Education Outstanding Future Professional (OFP) Award. He has served as co-president of the Physical Education Club and as a community adviser for the Office of Residence Life. He also has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He has been selected to "Who's Who Among American College and University Students." He is a non-traditional student, having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications/public relations in 2001 from Susquehanna University.

Daniel Swartz, chairman of the Exercise Science Department, says that Knickerbocker also has been very active in his professional development. He points to various conferences and competitions in which Knickerbocker has participated as examples as to how he seeks to bolster his ability.
"When it comes to academics, there are few who equal Chris' achievements," Swartz says.

Jonathan Uhl (left), a chemistry major, has a 3.98 GPA. He plans to attend medical school this fall.
Uhl has earned the Dr. Harry O. Haakonsen Memorial Award in Chemistry (2011) and has been the vice president of the Chemistry Club. He has served as assistant medical director for Camp Abilities CT, a summer camp for blind and visually impaired youth. He has served as a certified nursing aide for Benchmark Assisted Living and is a self-employed math and science tutor, as well as a self-employed private piano teacher. He also is a youth basketball coach in Beacon Falls. He was home schooled until ninth grade.

Gerald Lesley, chairman of the Chemistry Department, says that Uhl has earned grades of "A" or "A-plus" in each of his courses, except for a lone "A-minus." "This is a rare feat in a program that should be recognized as one of the most difficult disciplines at SCSU," Lesley says. "I nominated Jonathan for the Barnard Award without hesitation knowing that he has performed at a level beyond that of almost every student I have observed graduating from our program in the past 12 years," Lesley adds.

Community leader Christopher J. Korenowsky, the executive director of the New Haven Free Public Library since October 2010, spoke at the School of Graduate Studies Commencement, held at the same venue the previous evening.

Two graduate commencement ceremonies were on campus at the Lyman Center for the last several years, but there was one combined ceremony at the Webster Bank Arena for 2012. The undergraduate commencement is also moving indoors at Bridgeport after being held outside at the Connecticut Tennis Center in Westville for the last eight years.  

Jenna Bush Hager (left) is a contributing correspondent to NBC's "Today" where she focuses on telling the inspiring stories of wonderful people doing great things across America. In 2006, Hager traveled to Latin America as an intern with UNICEF. During her journey, she was inspired to write Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, a New York Times bestseller based on the life of a 17-year-old single mother living with HIV and determined to shield her child from the abuse and neglect that riddled her own childhood. Hager shares her own stories of creating change in someone's life and leaves audiences with a call to action on how they too can improve people's lives in their own communities.
 
She is still very involved with UNICEF and is currently the chair of UNICEF's Next Generation, an initiative dedicated to reducing the number of preventable childhood deaths around the world. Hager visited Guatemala in 2010 where she reported on a product called "Sprinkles," a home food fortification which provides the proper iron, vitamins, folic acid and zinc required for healthy development in children.
 
Hager is a graduate of the University of Texas where she received a degree in English. Passionate about literacy, education and improving inner-city schools, Hager taught third grade at Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School in Washington, DC. She also served as a reading coordinator at the SEED Public Charter School in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to Ana's Story, she is the co-author of Read All About It!, a book that encourages children to read.
 
Hager and her twin sister Barbara are the daughters of former U.S. President George W. Bush and Former First Lady Laura Bush. They are also the grandchildren of former President George H. W. Bush and Former First Lady Barbara Bush. Hager was married in 2008 to Henry Chase Hager, the son of former Virginia Republican Party Chairman John H. Hager.

A graduate of Kent State University, where he received his Master of Library and Information Science degree, Christopher Korenowsky (right) has almost 18 years of public library experience gained through his work at the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, Ohio. From direct public services to administrative management positions, he played a strong role in helping to shape the Columbus Memorial Library from 1991 to 2009.
 
 In 2010, the Columbus Memorial Library was awarded the top prize in the industry when it was named Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine. Korenowsky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Ohio State University. In February 2009, he became the director of professional development for the Ohio Library Council, the statewide organization that advocates legally and educationally for all 251 public libraries in the state of Ohio.
 
In addition to leading library teams through successful fund raising, building projects and budget and revenue generating initiatives, Korenowsky has extensive experience in working with strategic messaging and branding initiatives in public libraries.
 

Two graduate commencement ceremonies were on campus at the Lyman Center for the last several years, but there will be one combined ceremony at the Webster Bank Arena for 2012. The undergraduate commencement is also moving indoors at Bridgeport after being held outside at the Connecticut Tennis Center in Westville for the last eight years.

A graduate of Kent State University, where he received his Master of Library and Information Science degree, Korenowsky has almost 18 years of public library experience gained through his work at the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, Ohio. From direct public services to administrative management positions, he played a strong role in helping to shape the Columbus Memorial Library from 1991 to 2009.
 
In 2010, the Columbus Memorial Library was awarded the top prize in the industry when it was named Library of the Year by Library Journal magazine. Korenowsky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Ohio State University. In February 2009, he became the director of professional development for the Ohio Library Council, the statewide organization that advocates legally and educationally for all 251 public libraries in the state of Ohio.
 
In addition to leading library teams through successful fund raising, building projects and budget and revenue generating initiatives, Korenowsky has extensive experience in working with strategic messaging and branding initiatives in public libraries.

Registration for Summer Session 2012 is now under way.

Summer Session 2012 Dates:

• Session A:  May 21-June 24 (5 weeks; no class May 28)

• Session B: June 25-July 29 (5 weeks; no class July 4)
  
  
• Session C: July 30-August 19 (3 weeks)

For more information on Summer Session and how to register, visit the Summer Session Website.

About This I Believe

In 1951, Edward R. Murrow hosted a daily radio program called "This I Believe," which reached 39 million listeners. Well-known Americans and everyday citizens read five-minute essays sharing their personal life philosophies. The broadcast became so popular that 50 years later, a not-for-profit organization, This I Believe, Inc., has been established to encourage learners young and old to examine their belief systems and write personal essays describing what they believe and why.

More than 100,000 people from around the world and all walks of life have shared their personal stories. Many of these stories are archived on the "This I Believe" Website, broadcast on public radio, chronicled in books and featured in weekly podcasts.

As individuals, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly (right), showed Americans how optimism, an adventurous spirit and a call to service can help change the world. As a couple, they became a national example of the healing power to be found in deeply shared love and courage, as Gabrielle began her long battle to recover from traumatic brain injury.

The lecture will take place at the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts (wheelchair accessible).

Tickets:

Regular Seating:

• $20 General Public
• $15 SCSU Faculty /Staff/Active Alumni, SCSU Student Guests
• $10 All Students with valid ID
• $10 Non SCSU students/Children

Premium Seating:

• $30

Reserved Seating: tickets.southernct.edu
or (203) 392-6154

A portion of the proceeds supports Southern's Endowed Awards of Excellence, a merit-based scholarship program.  

The event, "A Conversation with Dr. James P. Comer and Dr. Edmund Gordon," is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Metropolitan Business Academy, 115 Water St., New Haven. Comer and Gordon are considered to be two of the nation's most outstanding scholars and education reformers, according to Norris Haynes and Carlos Torre, event co-chairmen.

Haynes, professor of counseling and school psychology and director of the Center for Community and School Action Research, says the speakers are likely to address topics such as defining and measuring the achievement gap; the importance of adequate child development; how school reform is important, but not a sufficient answer to the problem; and why this gap can and should be eliminated in Connecticut.

In addition, the program is expected to honor Comer and Gordon, as well as outstanding educators and students in the New Haven Public Schools for their efforts to close the achievement gap. A question-and-answer period is also scheduled.

Comer (pictured above) is the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine's Child Study Center. He founded the Comer School Development Program in 1968, designed to improve social, emotional and academic outcomes for children. He is an associate dean for student progress at the Yale School of Medicine and is the author of 10 books, including Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World. He served as a consultant to the Children's Television Workshop, which has produced Sesame Street, and The Electric Company. He is a member of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.

Gordon is one of the founders of Head Start and is the director emeritus of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has written or edited 18 books and has done considerable research on those individuals who have succeeded in their education and in life despite coming from socioeconomic disadvantaged groups. He is the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, at Yale University. He also serves as chairman of the Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education.

The event is free and open to the public. For further information, call (203) 668-9940, (203) 688-0028 or (203) 392-6402.

SCSU placed fourth of 98 schools in the country in reducing its electricity use during the recent Campus Conservation Nationals 2012, a spring competition among colleges and universities to reduce energy consumption. SCSU posted a reduction rate of 20.5 percent during the three-week period from March 26 to April 16. A benchmark usage rate was taken at each school - generally in the weeks before the contest began.

The other top five schools in electrical energy savings were: Bowling Green University, University of Kentucky, Hofstra University and Western Technical College. The competition is coordinated by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The energy reduction posted by Southern - equal to 76,251 kilowatt hours - translates to a cost savings of $11,437 for the university. But as one of the top 10 schools in the conservation contest, Southern also will receive a credit for 200 megawatt hours of renewable energy from Sterling Planet, a company that works with organizations toward becoming carbon neutral. The 200 megawatt hours of free energy should be enough to power one of the university's smaller residence halls for about a year.

"This is very exciting for us - both from a sustainability standpoint and in terms of cost savings," said Executive Vice President James E. Blake. "Students applied their natural competitiveness toward achieving an incredibly positive result. Our university has really come a long way in the last five to 10 years in terms of energy conservation and this project exemplifies our efforts."

The money saved from the renewable energy credit will be used to fund future sustainability initiatives on campus, according to Robert Sheeley, associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations.

"Saving energy and preserving the environment have been and continue to be goals of the university and this is an example of what students, faculty and staff can do to accomplish those objectives," Sheeley said. "In particular, our resident students and housing staff, under the leadership of Housing Director Angela Todaro, have done a remarkable job. They all deserve to be congratulated."

North Campus Midrise - the largest residence hall on campus -- recorded the most significant savings of all nine residence halls with a reduction of 28.4 percent. Jenna Retort, director of the North Campus Residence Complex, said several initiatives took place before and during the competition in an effort to save energy.

"In our North Campus office, we engaged in an 'Operating in the Dark' effort in which we kept the lights off as much as possible during that three-week period," Retort said.

She also pointed to a "Caught Green-Handed" program coordinated by students in that residence hall.

Elizabeth Dishian, a student who spearheaded that program, said it entailed an interactive bulletin board that displayed the names of students who were particularly energy conscious during the three-week period. Students who qualified for such recognition also received a free T-shirt or reusable shopping bag.

"It was a lot of fun to see the residents get involved and active in the process of being energy conscious," Dishian said. "And it was a great feeling when we found out that our residence hall had the highest percentage of savings. Many of the students were shocked because most said all they did were the simple things - turning off the lights and the TVs when they left the room. But those small things truly make a big difference."

Josh Kwame Sumrell, a student serving as North Campus senior community advisor, said he participated in a "Discover: Sustainability" program in which he and other community advisors advocated sustainable practices to their peers on campus. "We wanted students to know the advantage of being a sustainable community."

Suzanne Huminski, an instructor of science education and environmental studies who helped coordinate SCSU's participation in the national contest, pointed out that many sustainability initiatives are in progress. "Southern is a very green university with campuswide efforts growing very quickly," she said.

She noted the following programs and projects are examples of sustainability efforts at SCSU in recent years:

*In 2007, SCSU became a charter signatory to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which calls for schools to bolster their conservation efforts in pursuit of eventual carbon neutrality.

• In 2010, Southern began purchasing graduation caps and gowns made from plastic bottles.
• The university adopted a single-stream recycling program last year.
• The university last fall installed solar panels on Brownell Hall, one of the campus residence halls.
• The soon-to-be opened School of Business also will have solar panels.
• The university annually participates in "Recyclemania," a national campus recycling competition.
• A community garden and orchard were created on campus last year.

She noted that next fall, Southern plans to launch a Sustainable Living Learning Community, in which students can opt to live in a residence hall with sustainability as a focus.

The funding will be used to significantly increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education, and to provide scholarships for eligible high school seniors. The Connecticut state GEAR UP project will serve 3,000 students attending 12 middle schools in East Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury through 2019, and will follow these students though middle school, high school and their first year of college. 

"We need to better understand and break down the barriers Connecticut's students face when they are preparing for higher education," said Gov. Malloy. "Access to higher education is critical not only for these students' own future personal success, but for Connecticut's future economic success as well." 

GEAR UP in Connecticut is a partnership among the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR), three higher education institutions in the state -- Southern, Manchester Community College (MCC), and Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) -- and their local school districts. The colleges and universities, collaborating with the local school districts, will develop, provide and evaluate services to students, parents and teachers in order to fit localized needs and specific provider strengths.

Southern will serve 7th graders from the following New Haven schools: Augusta Lewis Troup School, Brennan Rogers School of Communications and Media, Celentano Museum Academy, King-Robinson Inter-District Magnet School, Lincoln-Bassett School, L.W. Beecher Museum School of Arts & Sciences, Mauro-Sheridan Science, Technology and Communications School, Wexler-Grant School.

Manchester Community College, East Hartford, will serve 7th graders at East Hartford Middle School. Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury, will serve 6th and 7th graders at Michael F. Wallace Middle School, North End Middle School, and West Side Middle School.

"Innovative GEAR UP programs that intervene early give students the opportunity to determine if they are ready for college and can make all the difference in whether they attend college," said BOR President Robert A. Kennedy. "These grants provide the mentoring and support that gives thousands of students a chance to achieve academic success in postsecondary education."  

Grant funds represent about 42% of the total program budget, and about 3%, or about $2.5 million, is from private partners.