Media Mentions - Western Connecticut State University
Transcription
Media Mentions - Western Connecticut State University
W E S T E R N C O N N E C T I C U T S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y VOL. 10, NO. 1 S E P T. / O C T. 2 0 0 7 WestConn, City of Danbury form Charles Ives Authority for the Performing Arts naming sponsor is “huge for the authority.” Last spring, Danbury Mayor “With Union Savings Bank Mark Boughton announced the joining WestConn and the City formation of a new performing of Danbury, we now have the arts authority approved by the leading financial institution Common Council. A joint joining our other leaders,” endeavor between the city and Greenberg said. “All these Western Connecticut State community leaders lend such University, the Charles Ives value to our community and our Authority for the Performing Arts way of life. It’s impressive the was created to direct operations way they stepped up to the at the Ives Concert Park on the plate. Ives Concert Park is really university’s Westside campus. great for this city. Our goal is to The authority is overseen by make it into a junior a board comprised of nine Tanglewood — a destination for members: six appointed by the the arts. With support from our city and three appointed by partners, we hope to be able to WestConn President James W. do just that.” Schmotter. The university’s While many think of the appointees are Vice President for concert park as the place to go Institutional Advancement Dr. G. for summer rock and pop Koryoe Anim-Wright, Professor concerts, the venue was founded of Music Dr. Fernando Jimenez in the 1970s with the intent that and Professor of Theatre Arts it would provide an outdoor Frank Herbert. Anim-Wright will venue for the fine arts. Under serve as the board’s vice the new authority, steps are chairperson. under way to realign Ives Among the first Concert Park’s offerings with the accomplishments of the new original mission. authority was the cultivation of a The 2007 Summer Music partnership with Union Savings Series lineup included popular Bank, which will serve as a acts such as Earth, Wind & Fire; naming sponsor for Ives Concert KC & The Sunshine Band; Park events for the next four Foreigner; Chris Isaak; Kenny years. Loggins; and The Black Crowes. Ives Authority Chairman But other events that took place Steven Greenberg said the at the venue this summer were addition of the bank as the first decidedly more family-oriented. WCSU Photos/Peggy Stewart by Sherri Hill They included a performance by the Manhattan String Quartet, the interactive puppet show “Puppetpalooza,” and “Shalamazoo,” a musical-theatre event based on the children’s book by the same name written by WestConn alumnus Joe Shaboo. These events were made possible through the cooperation of WestConn’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, the Danbury Cultural Commission and the Ives Concert Park Authority. A late September event, billed as the Ives Concert Park Family Fair, showcased for the community the breadth of offerings that might be available at the site in the future. A daylong open house featuring a multitude of multicultural and children’s entertainers culminated with a performance Among this summer’s varied offerings at Ives Concert Park were: (top) The Manhattan String Quartet, (left) “Shalamazoo” and (above right) classic rockers Foreigner. Media Mentions Below is a sampling of mentions about WestConn that appeared recently in the local media. Unless otherwise noted, the articles appeared in The NewsTimes: Spring and Summer 2007 cont’d. on page 2 Community colleges, WCSU simplify admissions Levinson, NVCC President Richard L. Sanders and WestConn, Naugatuck Valley WestConn President James W. Community College (NVCC) and Schmotter. Schmotter praised the Norwalk Community College agreement for the support it will (NCC) signed an agreement in allow the institutions to give June that will allow students at students. both colleges to transfer easily “This will be more efficient, to the university to work toward more effective,” Schmotter said. a bachelor’s degree. “Students will waste less time The agreement will allow because they will have access to transferring students to both institutions at the same concentrate more on their time. It just makes so much education and less on the mechanics of the move between sense.” Sanders said students institutions. Often, transferring students lose credits because the entering his college will find a school they are moving to does streamlined admissions system. “This joint not accept every class from the admissions/transfer compact is previous school. That costs the like having the applicant receive students time and money. two acceptance letters, one from The agreement was signed by NCC President David L. cont’d. on page 2 A WestConn student observes some Spanish antiquities during one of the museum tours included in the Summer Study in Madrid program. Students reap benefits of global expansion anthropology and coordinator of WestConn’s International In the last few years, more Student Exchange Program. WestConn students have been “Also, students use travel to packing their bags to travel the become better acquainted with globe. Some are earning their own heritage.” credits in the process, but Elaine Nadel ’07 did just more often, students are using that. Of Spanish descent, she travel to add another participated last summer in dimension to their university WestConn’s Global Academy in experience. Puerto Rico. “These days, students are “I will never forget my trip going abroad so their lives can to Puerto Rico,” Nadal said. “It be informed by another was my first time there and I culture,” said Dr. Rob fell in love with my roots.” Whittemore, professor of cont’d. on page 4 by Irene Sherlock WCSU Photo/Contributed WCSU Photo/Contributed by Paul Steinmetz Pacete wins Provost’s Prize for turtle-nesting research See story on page 4. ‘LEAVING FOR THE REAL WORLD’: WESTCONN GRADUATES 850 STUDENTS The stands were packed with people. Blue and white balloons, the color of the WestConn Colonials, flew overhead, and music from the school’s marching band blared from the loudspeakers. … “You’re leaving for the real world,” Professor Harold Schramm told graduates and wellwishers who attended the school’s 119th annual commencement ceremony. “None of you would have made it without the support of family and friends.” MUSIC VENUE REVIVED: WESTCONN TO DIRECT OUTDOOR CONCERTS It’s a done deal. The Charles Ives Authority for the Performing Arts, created last month by the city and WestConn, will now direct Danbury’s open-air music center, which has operated for 33 years. CHARTING AMERICA’S COASTLINES: SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT ON THE COASTAL SURVEY IS NOW AT WESTCONN (NEW FAIRFIELD CITIZEN NEWS, HARTFORD COURANT, WATERBURY REPUBLICANAMERICAN, VOICES) Every day millions of tons of cargo arrive in American ports, and millions of tons of cargo leave. … Nobody thinks twice about this. That’s because the Coast of Geodetic Survey’s charts are so good that ships come and go without ever scraping their hulls. … To bring the Survey’s accomplishments to light, the Smithsonian Institution created a traveling exhibit, “From Sea to Shining Sea: 200 Years of Charting America’s Coasts.” The exhibit will be at WestConn’s Truman Warner Hall from Monday through July 8. cont’d. on page 4 A R O U N D Communique Communiqué is published bimonthly (September - December & February May) by the Office of University Relations at Western Connecticut State University. C A M P U S Kukk makes long journey from WestConn to homeland Sherri Hill Editors Paul Steinmetz Robert Taylor Photography Peggy Stewart Layout & Design Ellen Myhill Send comments/suggestions to: [email protected] Western Connecticut State University 181 White Street Danbury, CT 06810 (203) 837-9000 or toll free in CT 1-877-837-WCSU www.wcsu.edu Dr. James W. Schmotter President Dr. Linda Rinker Provost Maribeth Amyot Vice President for Finance and Administration Dr. Koryoe Anim-Wright Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Walter Bernstein Vice President for Student Affairs Lorraine Capobianco Chief Information Officer William Hawkins Enrollment Management Officer Charles Spiridon Dean of Human Resources Dr. Lynne Clark Dean, School of Professional Studies Dr. Walter Cramer Dean, Student Affairs Dr. Ellen Durnin Dean, Graduate Studies and External Programs Dr. Carol Hawkes Dean, School of Visual and Performing Arts Dr. Allen Morton Dean, Ancell School of Business Dr. Linda Vaden-Goad Dean, School of Arts and Sciences Western Connecticut State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer, fully committed to the goal of providing equal opportunity and full participation in its educational programs, activities and employment without discrimination. CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS This section is reserved for correcting errors or clarifying statements appearing in the Communiqué. Please report factual errors or items needing clarification by calling (203) 8378486 or sending an e-mail to [email protected]. COMMUNIQUE STAFF Paul Steinmetz Director, University Relations (203) 837-8771 [email protected] Sherri Hill Assistant Director, University Relations (203) 837-8774 [email protected] Dr. Christopher Kukk is returning home this fall to his family’s native land — 63 years after his father and grandparents fled the Soviet-occupied Baltic state of Estonia to begin a remarkable voyage to freedom in America. Kukk’s selection as a Fulbright Scholar teaching in Estonia during the 2007-08 academic year will afford the WestConn associate professor of political science a rare opportunity to learn first-hand about his cultural roots in a nation that emerged from the shadow of Soviet rule to regain its independence in 1991. His Fulbright assignment at the University of Tartu, one of the Baltic region’s elite academic institutions, will enable him to offer four courses and numerous guest lectures on subjects ranging from globalization and environmental policy to democratic institutions and economic reform. He will advise his Estonian hosts on plans to build a new curriculum in political economy at the university, which boasts a venerable academic legacy dating back to its founding by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632. As Kukk prepared for the journey to Tartu in September with his wife Elly and three young sons — 3-year-old Cade, 1-year-old Quinn and newborn Cole — his recollections took him back to faded photographs of the family’s farm near the (right): Chris Kukk on campus. “My dad and my grandparents escaped because their freedoms were being taken away,” he observed. “Now I am taking my kids back to a place where anyone can invest and own property, where everyone has the right to vote — the first country in the world where people can even vote on their cell phones.” In 2006, he noted, the State of World Liberty Index — a composite of four international surveys evaluating political and economic rights worldwide — ranked Estonia first among 159 nations in the community college and one from the university, in the same envelope, on the same day,” Sanders said. “What a great idea!” Levinson said Connecticut’s changing economy will require institutions of higher education to evolve, too. “The promotion of this kind of ease of transfer is important for all of us,” Levinson said. “Higher education, and the production of knowledge workers, is the backbone of the economy. This agreement will spur more and more collaboration and we will eventually become a seamless entity of higher education for students.” Under the terms of the “transfer compact,” students will be able to enroll in one of the community colleges and at the same time earn conditional WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart Sheryl Reynolds Secretary, University Relations (203) 837-8486 [email protected] To request additional copies, please call Sheryl at (203) 837-8486. (l-r): WestConn President James W. Schmotter and NVCC President Richard L. Sanders sign the transfer agreement. acceptance to WestConn. Academic advisers at the community colleges and the university will work with such students to ensure maximum transfer of credit to satisfy bachelor’s degree requirements. Students would enter WestConn with an associate degree from the community college and a minimum of 60 credits transferable to the university. Over the past five years, WestConn has enrolled an average of 144 students a year from NVCC and 50 from NCC. The agreement could increase those numbers. In March 2007, presidents of the 12 institutions of the Connecticut Community College System and the four universities of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS), along with the chancellors of the two systems, signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to streamline the transfer process for students. The agreements among WestConn, NCC and NVCC are the first to follow through on that commitment. State Rep. Robert Godfrey, D-Danbury, attended the signing ceremony in Warner Hall on WestConn’s Midtown campus. “This is the culmination of ideas that have been kicking around for the better part of a safeguarding individual freedoms, comparing favorably with the No. 8 ranking for the United States. As a specialist in U.S. government, international relations and comparative politics, Kukk expects to find a ready audience among Estonian students for his classes on such themes as diplomacy and intelligence, U.S. foreign policy, and international politics of the global environment. He noted his interdisciplinary approach to cont’d. on page 7 Ives Authority (cont’d.) Admissions simplified (cont’d.) Robert Taylor University Assistant, University Relations (203) 837-8826 [email protected] Vol. 10, No. 1 Sept./Oct. 2007 (above): This black-and-white photo shows members of the Kukk family seated aboard “The Prolific” along with companions among the 69 refugees who made the three-month voyage in 1948 from Sweden to North Carolina. The seated man wearing a captain’s hat at the front right is Chris Kukk’s grandfather, Verner Kukk. The baby girl perched on the shoulders of a seated man with a seaman’s hat is Chris’ aunt, Maimo Kukk; immediately to the right are his grandmother, Fronelly Kukk, and his father, Harald Kukk. WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart Estonian city of Parnu. “On so many different levels — my dad’s and my grandparents’ level, my own and my children’s — this experience leaves me filled with wonder,” he said. “I will go to Estonia with this sense of responsibility to a land that I’ve never seen, but I know is within me.” The odyssey for Kukk’s grandparents Verner and Fronelly Kukk and his father Harald Kukk began in 1944 as the Soviet Red Army regained control of Estonia in the closing months of World War II. “My father, grandfather and grandmother literally had to leave in the middle of the night to escape from the Communists,” he said. Crossing the Baltic Sea in a stolen Soviet vessel, the Kukks took refuge for four years in Sweden as they joined fellow emigres from Estonia to begin work on a self-made boat designed for a bold transAtlantic crossing to the United States. In 1948, the Kukks and 16 other families boarded the boat — christened “The Prolific” — and set off on the daunting voyage to America. They reached land in North Carolina and, after three anxious months at Ellis Island, Kukk’s father and grandparents were granted entry into the United States. The stark contrast between that flight from Soviet-ruled Estonia and his own return to an independent and democratic Estonia today is especially moving to Kukk. by Robert Taylor Associate Editor WCSU Photo/Contributed by the Kukk family Managing Editor Paul Steinmetz decade,” Godfrey said. “To have the benefit of curriculum and geography, and to have the best of both is a wonderful thing for Connecticut.” Lawrence D. McHugh, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CSUS, said the agreement will make life easier for students. “I applaud the efforts of President Schmotter and his colleagues at the community colleges, taking this important step forward,” McHugh said. CSUS Chancellor Dr. David G. Carter agreed. “These efforts are driven by a desire to enhance educational opportunities for students throughout Connecticut, and ease their transition at every step along the education continuum,” Carter said. “This is an approach that makes sense and will help students, which is our top priority.” NVCC in Waterbury offers more than 100 associate degrees and certificates to students living in 35 communities across western Connecticut. NCC serves about 5,000 students in 11 academic departments at its campus in Norwalk. by the Ives Festival Orchestra, under the direction of WestConn Professor of Music Dr. Fernando Jimenez. “The orchestra itself is made up of first-rate musicians from Fairfield County and New York City,” Jimenez said. “All the orchestral players on WestConn’s music faculty participated in the ensemble, as well as several advanced students.” They included: Eric Lewis, Judith Smith, Kerry Walker, Mark Snyder, Gina Cuffari, Marjorie Callaghan, Andrew Rogers, David Smith, Patrick Smith, Dan Goble and Javier Oviedo; and students Megan Burke, Hafez Taghavi, Seth Uricheck, Eric Glaviano, Ashley Williams, Laura Telman and Chase Bronstein. The Family Fair event was sponsored by the Ives Authority, under the auspices of the City of Danbury and in partnership with WestConn. Sponsors included Union Savings Bank, Savings Bank of Danbury, Ellen and W. Jason Hancock, the Danbury Cultural Commission and the WCSU Foundation Inc. Numerous local businesses and restaurants contributed to the event, demonstrating the community-wide support to keep Ives Concert Park — and Charles Edward Ives’ memory — alive. For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486. R E C A P 3 WCSU Photos/Peggy Stewart C O M M E N C E M E N T Graduate Commencement Ceremony The first separate Graduate Commencement Ceremony was held in Ives Concert Hall on Friday, May 18. Clockwise, from left: the dais party included Provost Dr. Linda Rinker, President James W. Schmotter and CSU Chancellor Dr. David Carter; Dr. Schmotter congratulates a graduate; the student a cappella group performs; proud graduates pose for photos. WCSU Photo/Ellen Myhill Supervisory management graduates put lessons into practice by Robert Taylor Carlos Pacheco didn’t have to wait to graduate from WestConn’s supervisory management program before putting his classroom lessons into practice at his workplace. Pacheco, a Waterbury resident who works full time as an operations manager at Ward Leonard Electric Co. in Thomaston, said he has applied what he has learned in courses such as Supply Chain Management, Total Quality Management and Managing People to advance his career — and help his employer. “All of these courses helped me to take my job with my present employer to a different level,” he observed. “And some of the things I’ve learned here have saved my company money. I’ve already set up a couple of programs at work that have made our supply chain management more efficient.” Pacheco received recognition for his accomplishments in the classroom and the workplace as the recipient of the 2007 WestConn at Waterbury Management Scholarship, awarded annually to a student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A) in Management degree with the supervisory management option. Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies and External Programs Dr. Ellen Durnin noted the supervisory management program, offered since 2000 by WestConn at Waterbury on the Naugatuck Valley Community College campus, was founded with students like Pacheco in mind. “Carlos exemplifies what we do in this program,” Durnin said during graduation ceremonies for 17 WestConn supervisory management students receiving their B.B.A. degrees last spring. “He has a full-time job, he is working to support his family, he has pursued his education, and he has moved ahead in his job and been promoted to a fast-track management program. “The majority of these students are working while they study,” she observed. “This is just as we envisioned it, providing a practical educational alternative to supply needed skills for the workplace and for professional advancement.” Dr. Ming Ling Chuang, assistant professor of management and coordinator of the WestConn at Waterbury supervisory management curriculum, said the May 10 ceremony to honor graduates — the first ever to be held on the NVCC campus — marked another milestone in the growing popularity of the B.B.A. program in Waterbury. She cited the students for their high academic standards, and their strong sense of commitment and self-motivation to balance their studies with their daily jobs. “When students come to the Waterbury program, they usually know what they want in their jobs and their professional careers,” Chuang noted. “They really want to learn and they ask practical questions like, ‘How can I use this at my company and in my position?’ They are more mature, and they know exactly what they want.” Pacheco, who must complete two more courses to meet his B.B.A. requirements, said he has enjoyed the close interaction and lively exchange of ideas with his professors and fellow students in small classes with enrollments averaging 15 or fewer at Waterbury. “What I have learned here is that you can never stop learning,” he said. “Even if you are able to take only one class each semester, it is going to build your professional skills and make you a better person.” Pacheco has taken special pride in sharing his achievements as a firstgeneration college student with his wife Silvia and their three children, who joined him at the Ancell School of Business honors convocation held on WestConn’s Westside campus in Danbury in early May. “My whole family has been very supportive,” he said. “I’ll be the first one in my family to get a college degree — it’s a big accomplishment!” WestConn recognized 17 students in the WestConn at Waterbury supervisory management program who fulfilled requirements to receive Bachelor’s of Business Administration degrees. Graduates who attended the May 10 event at Founder’s Hall on the Naugatuck Valley Community College campus are, left to right: Deon Stewart, David Kiley, Christine Rathkopf, Concetta Iovieno, Elizabeth Sanger, Andrew Kaplan, Wayne Terrell, Natasha Bell, Dritan Ajro, Cara Spragg, Hanna Xhema, Ryan Geise, Justin Duda and Kirsten Tracey. Graduates not pictured are Olubusayo Ola, Shannon Underhill and Matthew Weaving. WestConn’s first ceremony held in the Westside Athletic Complex came off without a hitch. Clockwise from left: Faculty and graduates fill the field; Dr. Harold Schramm displays the Presidential Medal he received as commencement speaker; a view from the stands; happy graduates; Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and State Sen. David Cappiello enjoy the ceremony. WCSU Photos/Peggy Stewart Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony A R O U N D 4 C A M P U S Students reap benefits (cont’d.) For the second year in a row, Dr. Stacey Alba Skar, chair of the world languages and literature department, hosted WestConn’s Global Academy in Puerto Rico, a two-week immersion in the Spanish language, which allowed students to experience Puerto Rican culture and society, and deepen understanding among current and future teachers at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. “Students toured museums, attended lectures and shadowed teachers in a classroom setting. They also participated in a community service project with the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez’s Community Institute. It was a great experience for everyone,” Skar said. This and other projects have been made possible through the President’s Initiatives Fund, unveiled last year. Theatre arts students have traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where they performed an adaptation of “Twelfth Night.” Students from five academic disciplines have trekked northern Vietnam –– some doing anthropological field study in the highland regions and others conducting archival research at Hanoi libraries on the history and development of the Red River region. As coordinators of the Red River Project, Assistant Professor of History and Non-Western Cultures Dr. Wynn Wilcox and Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Christopher Kukk prepared students for the trip through an introductory course in Vietnamese language and an interdisciplinary research seminar, Globalization in Northern Vietnam. The seminar explored development, water resource and globalization issues in Vietnam’s Red River basin, stretching from the nation’s agrarian heartland upriver to the heavily populated and industrialized delta region centered around Hanoi. “International travel is a time-tested educational practice that literally goes back centuries,” said President James W. Schmotter. “There are few more emphatic (or more effective) learning experiences than those gained by confronting cultural and national differences in a foreign setting. I’m delighted we are providing more of these for WestConn students today.” WestConn is one of 11 universities across the country chosen to participate in a pilot project resulting from a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the U.S. Department of State. The Global Access Project aims to increase American students’ Media Mentions (cont’d.) understanding of international affairs while promoting awareness about careers in international relations. This summer, two members of WestConn’s Roots & Shoots (R&S) University Program were among five college students selected to participate in an exchange between the Jane Goodall Institutes in the United States and in China. The group, led by R&S College and Youth Leadership Initiatives Manager Grace Felton and Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr. Howard Russock, traveled to Shanghai and Beijing for 10 days of cultural sharing and outreach. Dr. Dan Goble, Dr. Kevin Jay Isaacs, Dr. Margaret Astrup and Dr. Russell Hirshfield, along with seven students from WestConn’s music department, also were in China this summer for a cultural and educational exchange with SIAS International University. They presented three performances in 10 days, including a faculty/student recital to an audience of more than 1,000, and a performance of “Pirates of Penzance” before 2,000 appreciative music lovers. The music department later joined Ancell School of Business faculty on a six-day tour of China, including stops in Shanghai, Beijing and Haining. In a different part of the WESTCONN SUMMER LITERARY FESTIVAL (VOICES, HARTFORD COURANT, EL CANILLITA) WestConn in Danbury will present its third summer literary festival next Sunday through Aug. 3 in conjunction with its master of fine arts program in professional writing. … Norman Pearlstine, author of the new book “Off the Record: The Press, the Government, and the War over Anonymous Sources” will discuss his high-profile role in that controversy next Sunday at 7:30 p.m. $1M GRANT INTENDED TO AID HISTORY Danbury’s public school district earned its second $1 million federal grant to improve the teaching of American history in three years. ... This Danbury grant will pay for up to 24 history teachers from the three districts to earn a master’s degree in American history from WestConn. WestConn will become a movie set this week as scenes for “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” are filmed on campus. Actress Alexis Bledel, 25, who plays Lena, will be on campus and is expected to be joined by WestConn art students, who will be extras. EXTREME DREAM (CONNECTICUT POST, WTNHNEWS CHANNEL 8, TRIBUNA, EL CANILLITA, ) On a sweltering day Thursday, Gloria Brown received some cool news. Brown, whose fire-ravaged home was rebuilt for the ABC series, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, “ was told Thursday that not only would her three children receive full, four-year scholarships at WestConn in Danbury, but also that her mortgage on her razed Hollister Avenue home would be paid off as well. WestConn biology major Joy Pacete never imagined she was ready to pursue a major scientific research project until her faculty adviser invited her to rise to the challenge. “At first, I wanted to start out as a lab assistant,” recalled Pacete, a Danbury resident who just entered her senior year. “But Dr. (Theodora) Pinou approached me with a job as a research assistant for the summer of 2006 and, thankfully, she has been there for me to make this happen.” READERS SPELLBOUND BY FINAL BOOK: FANS DISCUSS THE END OF POPULAR SERIES AT HARRY POTTER FEST (NEW FAIRFIELD CITIZEN NEWS, REGISTER CITIZEN, VOICES, HARTFORD COURANT) Opinions on the last Harry Potter book were flying faster than broomsticks at a Quidditch match Saturday at WestConn. A “Harry Potter Fest” at the university brought out 30 devotees of the seven-book series to discuss “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows” by author J.K. Rowling. “I can’t imagine that we won’t see more from her,” said Professor Judy Sullivan. “Even if she goes in a totally new direction, it will be totally spellbinding, I’m sure.” “I still remember the first questions I asked her,” said Pinou, assistant professor of biological and environmental sciences. “‘Are you organized? Do you work hard? Can you fall in love with this?’ She seemed scared of my questions at the time, but now I think she believes me. Joy is definitely a hard worker.” Pacete’s hard work paid off with her selection to receive WestConn’s first-ever Provost’s Grand Prize, created by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Linda Rinker to provide the opportunity for a continuing student to present research findings at a professional meeting. She was one of 12 students who received awards at the third annual WestConn Research Day (WRD) in May. The event featured 70 poster and oral presentations by 90 undergraduate and graduate students who profiled their research projects in 12 academic disciplines ranging from management and nursing to the humanities and natural sciences. WestConn WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart “The word ‘nuoc’ in Vietnamese means water,” said Christopher Kukk, an associate professor of political science at WestConn. “It’s also the word for Vietnam. The heart and soul of Vietnam is water.” … Kukk is an expert in the international politics and economics of water. His WestConn colleague, Wynn Wilcox, an assistant professor of history and non-Western culture, is a Vietnam expert. Together, they’ll lead an ambitious research project in Vietnam this summer. Along with nine undergraduate students, they’ll go to Vietnam to study the economic, environmental, and social consequences of the privatization of the Red River water system. WESTCONN GOING HOLLYWOOD TODAY: SCENES FROM ‘THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2’ TO BE FILMED THROUGH FRIDAY (WTNH-NEWS CHANNEL 8 , EL CANILLITA) trip to Bangladesh, volunteers examined cross-cultural differences in health care. And during a trip to Cambodia, students volunteered at a day care center where they helped create a curriculum. While some students travel to other countries to do good, others simply make the journey to do what they are good at. For more than 10 years, students in WestConn’s theatre arts department have performed in the biennial production staged at the renowned Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Professor of Theatre Arts Sal Trapani blogged about the festival. “This is why people come to Edinburgh,” Trapani wrote. “If you are adventurous and search things out, Edinburgh will renew your faith in the theatre as an art form that can touch your soul.” (Top left to right): Students study globalization’s effects on waterways in Vietnam (photo: Sarah Douglas); anthropology students observe a medical team at a hospital in Bangladesh (photo: Katrina Kruzykowski); students participate in the Hearts and Hands for Cambodia program (photo: Ariel Jaquez); theatre arts students perform at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland (photo: Liz Popiel); Global Academy students encourage academic achievement at an elementary school in Puerto Rico (photo: Javier Campos). Pacete wins Provost’s Prize for research by Robert Taylor STIRRING THE WATERS OF VIETNAM: MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES ARE LOOKING TO PROFIT OFF THE NATION’S HEART AND SOUL — BUT AT WHAT COST? world, WestConn’s European Institute for the Study of Arts, Humanities and Politics was in session at the College for International Studies in Madrid, Spain. Led by Assistant Professor of World Languages and Literature Dr. Galina Bakhtiarova and Assistant Professor of History Dr. Michael Nolan, this language immersion program explored Spanish history, culture, literature, language and arts. Attendees resided with host families, attended classes, visited museums, and attended concert and theater performances. The institute culminated in a four-day trip to Andalusia, with visits to Granada, Seville, Cordoba and a flamenco show in the caves of Sacromonte. While travel affords an introduction to another culture, some excursions originate with the intent of improving the material, social and spiritual welfare of those in need. WestConn’s Alternative Winter and Spring Break trips have always focused on humanitarian efforts around the globe. During last year’s break, students accompanied by Adjunct Professor of Anthropology Jeannie Hatcherson and Professor of Education Dr. Darla Shaw traveled to Brazil where they contributed to a land preservation project. On another Joy Pacete stands in front of the display for her award-winning project. alumni judges selected 11 student participants to receive WRD 2007 Awards for Excellence in Research. The award-winning studies covered diverse subjects such as metal contamination levels in imported green tea, bacterial communities in Connecticut forests and gardens, and the use of bar coding in implementing more efficient administration of medications. Award recipients included: Valerica Albu, of Bethel; Mariah Bednar, of Woodbury; Annika Castaneda, of Wilton; John Curran, of Carmel, N.Y.; Mimi Davis, of Brookfield; Sylvester Foote, of Norwalk; David Gera, of New Fairfield; Christine Lener, of Danbury; David Melillo, of New Milford; Forest Robertson, of Newtown; and Laura Telman, of Litchfield. As a member of the student team assisting Pinou in her research activities, Pacete discovered her passion in a project that sought to determine whether there is a significant correlation between the nesting patterns of a sea turtle population at Teopa Beach on Mexico’s Pacific coast and the phases of the lunar cycle. Armed with nesting data for the Olive Ridley turtle species spanning a period from 1983 to 2003, she set to work plotting nesting patterns against levels of lunar cont’d. on page 7 A L U M N I & D E V E L O P M E N T 5 WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart (l-r): NVCC President Richard L. Sanders, Lisa Cantoni and WestConn President James W. Schmotter Dr. Eric Roman WestConn remembers Eric Roman determination to succeed. Her academic work and personal accomplishments attest to her diligence and growth as an individual.” While Cantoni emphasized she can offer no simple prescription to students who must overcome their own personal crises, she added, “I believe it is very important to talk to someone you can trust because you need to acknowledge that something isn’t right, and that you want to help yourself. It is so easy today to lose balance and let stress overwhelm you. “You have to take care of yourself before you can be devoted to something else,” she affirmed. “I got back on track and was able to return to school only after I realized that I couldn’t do it all on my own, and that I did need help. It all comes down to, ‘Know thyself.’ I really think that this is a key to personal happiness.” by Robert Taylor Dr. Eric Roman quietly passed the torch of his passionate love of teaching to a new generation of students when the longtime professor of history died in California at the age of 85 on May 9. Faculty and administration colleagues, former students and friends in the Greater Danbury community celebrated his life at a memorial service on the university’s Westside campus on July 1. “We will long remember Eric’s service here,” President James W. Schmotter observed as he recalled Roman’s tenure on the university’s history faculty from 1965 until his retirement last May. “I believe the students he taught, many of whom became teachers themselves, will spread his knowledge and love of learning to succeeding generations. Eric’s legacy will inspire students through the ages.” Memorial donations may be made to the WCSU Foundation (Attn: Dr. Koryoe AnimWright), 181 White St., Danbury CT 06810. Guests at the annual wine-tasting event compare notes about their favorite vintage. Wine-tasting tradition continues with ninth annual event by Sherri Hill Mark your calendars now for WestConn’s Ninth Annual Holiday Wine Tasting, which will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, in the Grand Ballroom of the Westside Campus Center on the university’s Westside campus. The $50 admission will provide access to one of the most popular fall events as friends, alumni and supporters come together to enjoy good food and fine wine while supporting the Caraluzzi Endowed Scholarship Fund. More than a dozen wine distributors will be joined by Nutmeg Discount Liquors, Caraluzzi Markets, Mr. Sushi, La Zingara restaurant in Bethel and Sodexho to provide a feast for the palate and the senses. The ever-popular silent auction and brown bag raffle also will offer the opportunity to support student scholarships. WCSU Photos/Peggy Stewart Lisa Cantoni has not taken the typical or easy road to begin studies this fall for a bachelor’s degree in English at WestConn — but the lessons she has learned along the way have only strengthened her will to succeed in her career and her life. The New Britain resident’s remarkable road back from depression and an obsessivecompulsive disorder that interrupted her high school education five years ago received recognition with her recent selection as the 2007 recipient of the President-toPresident Scholarship awarded jointly by WestConn and Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) in Waterbury. The annual grant pays full tuition costs for an exemplary NVCC associate’s degree graduate to complete the final two years of studies to earn a bachelor’s degree at WestConn. “Ms. Cantoni’s academic record and personal characteristics are indeed impressive, and we are pleased to accept her for this award,” WestConn President James W. Schmotter wrote to NVCC President Richard Sanders. “The academic performance of former President-to-President award winners has been outstanding, and I have little doubt that Ms. Cantoni will continue this record of accomplishment.” Cantoni finished her associate’s degree studies with a near-perfect grade point average of 3.98, and received the NVCC 2007 Anna-Margaret Fabisiak Distinguished Student Award recognizing outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements. A member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, she was a member of the NVCC Human Services Club and served as president of the Ambassador Club, an organization that promotes the community college to students in the greater Waterbury area. She has balanced her studies with a part-time job as a hotel guest service representative and active participation in a wide range of community service activities. She has volunteered as a tutor and group study leader for middle and high school students, a coaching assistant for a Prospect youth softball team, and a peer counselor and instructor in critical-thinking skills at correctional facilities in western Connecticut. Cantoni’s accomplishments are all the more impressive in view of her difficult but ultimately successful struggle to cope with trichotillomania, a disorder marked by the compulsive desire to pull out one’s hair. Cantoni withdrew from Holy Cross High School in Waterbury just two months before her scheduled graduation in 2002. She recalled how her family and friends helped her to acknowledge her condition and accept professional counseling to learn how to cope with it, enabling her to earn her high school diploma in 2003 and enroll in fall 2004 at NVCC. “I would not change the things I went through; the memories I have of my challenges and difficulties have given me strength and courage to fight back, do my best, and be happy doing it,” Cantoni said. “I want to work hard in school and do well. I think the drive to want to be there is truly essential. The same applies to deciding a future career — a person will work harder and be happier if she is in a career that she is building toward.” Cantoni’s love of books and the literary creative process has inspired her goal to become an editor at a publishing house, with a particular interest in children’s literature. She plans to major in English with a concentration in literature, and is considering a second concentration in writing to deepen her understanding and appreciation for creation of original literary works. NVCC Assistant Professor of Communication Lisa Kaufman, Cantoni’s faculty adviser, noted in her recommendation letter for the award that her former student displayed an uncommon passion for reading and writing and talent for self-expression in her compositions. “I would consider her truly gifted in her writing and speaking abilities,” Kaufman said. NVCC Associate Professor of English Dr. Patricia Pallis expressed admiration for Cantoni’s academic record and volunteer service as she has learned to cope with adversity. “I know she has come a distance to get where she is,” Pallis wrote. “These personal struggles help to define who she is, and certainly are part of her WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart by Robert Taylor WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart Cantoni receives Presidents’ scholarship (clockwise, from top): (l-r): Constantine “Deno” Macricostas and his wife Marie, seen here with Dr. Daphne Jameson and President James W. Schmotter, were the honorees at the 21st University Ball. WCSU Foundation Board Member Bernard Reidy and his wife Nancy kick up their heels. Alumnus Neil Wagner (center) celebrates his birthday as WCSU Foundation Board Member Tom Crucitti applauds. Old and new friends alike enjoy the evening’s festivities. For more information, call the Office of Institutional Advancement at (203) 837-8279. Always a popular part of the ball, the Silent Auction featured a variety of gift baskets, sports memorabilia, trips and more. 6 C A M P U S B R I E F S DHS students race the solar-powered cars they built this summer at WestConn. assistant director of WestConn’s ConnCAP/Upward Bound Danbury High School (DHS) program, puts it simply: With senior Akayla Boyd is collegecommitment and hard work, bound next fall — and the pride every high school student can was evident in her smile as the achieve a college education. last image of her slide show “The first goal of our flashed on the Warner Hall program is to make sure that all screen during concluding student our students get into college, presentations in July at and that they make the WestConn’s ConnCAP/Upward commitment to finish college,” Bound summer camp. Pote said. “Our goal is also to Overlaying a view of the alleviate any stress that students Virginia college where she plans may feel during their years in to pursue studies in psychology, high school, so that they can the title read: “Hampton College: focus on their academics.” The Perfect Place for Akayla The program currently Boyd!” enrolls about 100 DHS students, Boyd’s description of her recruited from households with quest for college admission, low income levels and without buoyed by a solid record of the experience of a college academic achievement at DHS, education in previous provided a fitting exclamation generations. Students accepted point to the core message of the after interviews with Pote and state-funded Connecticut ConnCAP/Upward Bound Site Collegiate Awareness and Supervisor Amanda Castro must Preparation Program (ConnCAP) demonstrate a commitment to and federally funded Upward seek a college degree. Bound initiatives at WestConn They participate in a sixand DHS. Rob Pote, who has week summer camp at WCSU served for the past four years each year, designed to provide individual and group studies on a designated research theme and practical training to strengthen their skills in the college admissions process. During the school year, the students meet for discussions, tour college campuses, attend college fairs, and participate in cultural and service activities as part of the program’s continuing support for college preparation. Pote noted that a primary purpose of the program is to make the college admissions process less intimidating for students and their families by providing assistance and counseling in coping with the mechanics of the process, from filing financial aid forms to writing an effective application essay. A steady rise in the number of DHS students participating in ConnCAP/Upward Bound is just one sign of its success. “The students we are getting now are more motivated,” Pote said. “They have direction, they are picking up knowledge about the application process, and they know how to attain their goals. In the past four years, we have had a 100 percent acceptance rate for our students in college and university admissions.” WestConn has ranked consistently among the most popular college choices of the program’s participants, enrolling five to six students from each graduating class. WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart WestConn, Danbury High work to keep students ‘Upward Bound’ Alexandra Chakar Centennial Baby enters kindergarten Our “Centennial Baby” Alexandra Chakar has turned 5, and she took her first step toward a WestConn degree when she arrived on Aug. 31 for the first day of kindergarten classes at Stadley Rough Elementary School in Danbury. Alexandra — who was selected to receive a four-year scholarship to WestConn thanks to her timely arrival as the first baby born at Danbury Hospital on the university’s centennial anniversary date of Sept. 14, 2002 — quickly adjusted to her new school and “she’s really gotten into the swing of it,” reported her mother Mirta. Mirta and her husband Charles, a 1994 WestConn alumnus, are looking forward to watching Alexandra’s future progress. “She’s on her way,” her mother said, “and hopefully it will take her straight to college!” here was to straighten out their confusion about our country.” The students had an intense workload with daily assignments involving lecture topics ranging from first impressions of America to immigration, the United Nations, global warming and American jazz. Jeanne Lakatos, an adjunct professor of English and an English professor in the program, said, “The students had a cultural interchange of ideas. They wanted to be immersed in the English language and American culture — and they were.” The students also enjoyed cultural tours and were brought to some of the largest tourist attractions in the country, such as the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations Building in New York. But it was in Danbury that the students fully realized they were in the United States. “Walking down Main Street, it hit them — they were in America,” Lakatos said. “They said Danbury reminded them of the American towns they see in movies.” WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart In June, a group of German high school students undertook American studies at WestConn, thanks in part to Dr. Renate Ludanyi, professor of world languages and literature and director of the German Studies Center, who helped coordinate “The International Experience — A Key to the World.” “I believe it is important to experience other countries, people of other countries, and learn about them to get rid of prejudices,” Ludanyi said of the 12-day program, which enabled high school students from Germany to immerse themselves in and learn about our culture. “America plays a big part in the world,” Ludanyi said. “The reason the students were brought German high school students learned about America this summer at WestConn. NEASC Accreditation Dr. Ellen Durnin, dean of Graduate and External Programs, Dr. Carol Hawkes, dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, and Provost Dr. Linda Rinker are leading a project to submit a five-year interim report to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) as part of a continuing process of accreditation. The report will include assessment of the university in 11 areas deemed by NEASC as important to continuing the university’s position as a strong institution capable of producing accomplished graduates. A WCSU Web site will be created for progress reports, dates of forums at which faculty, staff and students will be able to comment, and more information gathered during the committee’s work. NEASC, founded in 1885, claims to be the nation’s oldest regional accrediting association, serving more than 2,000 public and independent schools, colleges and universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, and American/international schools in more than 70 nations. Durnin said the five-year interim report will not require the same comprehensive and indepth approach as did the original report submitted in 2003. “It’s not going to be as difficult, but many people across the university will be involved,” Durnin said. “We’re starting on it now so we can proceed in a calm and thorough manner and get the project done before the deadline.” NEASC accreditation involves a peer review process, with thousands of educators engaged in assessing universities each year. An institutional selfstudy precedes the review, with specific scrutiny of school effectiveness, improvement and public assurance. As the NEASC Web site states, “Unlike popular magazines, this does not involve ranking institutions, but rather, establishes a level of acceptable quality for all accredited institutions.” Rinker said, “The fifth-year report provides us with the opportunity to reflect upon progress made since the last comprehensive written report and to identify areas of focus for the next five years leading up to the next review.” WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart German students experience America at WestConn Students from Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, whose teacher is enrolled in WestConn’s WISTR program, donned waders at the Westside Nature Preserve. WestConn Institute for Science Teacher Research brings learning outdoors Students in teacher Kristina Bjelko’s class at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk spent some time at the Westside Nature Preserve (WNP) as part of a WestConn Institute for Science Teacher Research (WISTR) program. Wearing waders, the students ventured into the vernal pool at the WNP. Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr. Dora Pinou, who runs the WISTR program, said the purpose of the exercise was “to try to identify living organisms based on what they had seen in class using preserved specimens. For some students, it was their first time visiting a vernal pool.” Congratulations! Clements recognized for journal, poetry Master of Fine Arts in Professional Writing Coordinator Dr. Brian Clements has been recognized for his prose poetry journal, “Sentence.” In addition to glowing reviews of the publication, four poems featured in “Sentence” have been selected for inclusion in “The Best American Poetry 2007” edition. “Four poems from one journal in any given year is rare, especially for a journal as new as ‘Sentence,’ and especially since the anthology contains 75 poems out of the tens of thousands published over the previous year,” Clements said. A poetry manuscript he’s written, “Disappointed Psalms,” also was awarded the Colombian Poetry Prize and will be published in 2008. If you have an announcement about a recent appointment to a board, award or other professional accomplishment you’d like to share, please e-mail [email protected]. A R O U N D C A M P U S 7 WestConn serves as backdrop for film, benefactor for reality TV show Fred, 16; Jana’e, 14; and Bobbi, 17. Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. G. Koryoe Anim-Wright made the presentations to the Browns outside their new home in early August. The four family members reacted with stunned surprise as the magnitude of the gift sank in. “I want to thank God for … Western Connecticut State University,” said Gloria Brown, the family matriarch. “Hooray! Hooray for everybody!” Anim-Wright said the children’s tuition and fees, should they attend WestConn, would be paid through a combination of grants, need- Schmotter said he agreed quickly to help the children because the university, as a state institution, should serve students who might not be able to get a college education elsewhere. “These three students, through no fault of their own, found themselves in a difficult situation,” Schmotter said. “I felt it was appropriate for WestConn to provide them some help to get back on their feet. I look forward to seeing them on campus.” … a campus that will probably already look familiar by the time they get here, since they can see it in the summer 2008 release, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.” (clockwise, left to right): WCSU student Emily Fromm on the set in a White Hall art studio. (l-r): Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and WestConn President James W. Schmotter had cameos in the film. As sound and lighting technicians stand by, Alexis Bledel and Michael Rady act out a scene from ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.’ Provost’s Prize (cont’d.) Kukk (cont’d.) teaching is well suited to the academic philosophy at the University of Tartu, and his expertise in non-Western and developing nations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America will offer fresh insights on political and economic development. Kukk plans to shape his curriculum offerings to the interests and experiences of his students at Tartu, recognizing the relevance of Estonia’s postSoviet democratic and economic reforms to the broader theme of political economy. He noted that Estonia’s successful reforms and regional leadership in efforts to clean up the Baltic Sea will offer useful points of reference for classroom discussions. “I plan to use Estonia as a model to grab the students’ attention and remind them that success can be found right here, in their own country,” he said. “Once they learn about what happens in other parts of the world such as Africa and Southeast Asia, they will recognize how fortunate their based scholarships and revenue generated from unrestricted sources of funding. “The provision of the tuition and fees assistance provided us with a way to participate in a broad-based community-wide initiative to support the Brown family in a manner that is consistent with our mission of providing access to higher education to the citizens of Connecticut,” Anim-Wright said. “Additionally, an education is one of the key factors to improving one’s quality of life and in that spirit, it was important for WCSU to participate in an opportunity that would further enrich the lives of the Brown children.” WCSU Photos/Peggy Stewart WCSU Photo/Peggy Stewart in exterior shots. He also needed an art studio that looked like it could be at RISD. The photographs were uploaded to a production Web site from the film’s location office in Stamford so the director, location manager, set designer and others on the West Fred, Gloria, Jana’e and Bobbi Brown react to Coast could take a look. Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Interested in what they saw, G. Koryoe Anim-Wright’s announcement that they traveled to Connecticut. the children will receive tuition and fees packages to attend WestConn. After a few hours of pacing the Quad and venturing into the third floor art studios in White by Sherri Hill and Paul Steinmetz Hall, it appeared that most of Opportunity came knocking the crew liked WestConn for the at WestConn twice this summer shoot. But they left without when the university was giving any indication if they’d be contacted by representatives back. from both a major motion film Two months went by and studio and a much-loved scouts for other films came and television show that airs on went, but on July 12, the ABC. In the first instance, it was location manager for “The the Midtown campus grounds Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that made us look good; in the 2” called and said they wanted second, it was genuine, kindto begin filming at WestConn on hearted compassion. July 18. With the cooperation of The first call from a film many departments and offices, location scout came into scenes involving actress Alexis WestConn’s Office of University Bledell were shot for several Relations in late April, and it days on the Midtown campus seemed like an interesting, Quadrangle and the third floor isolated event. But as the days art studios in White Hall. and weeks passed in early May, WestConn student Emily more and more calls came in Fromm was cast in the film. from scouts representing major “Being an extra in a sequel motion picture studios and starto a movie that I thoroughly studded productions. The enjoy was definitely a dream reason: recent legislation signed come true,” Fromm said. “It was by Gov. M. Jodi Rell making it almost unreal to see them financially advantageous for changing WestConn’s campus studios to film in Connecticut. into RISD.” One of the early campus Not long after the visitors was a Warner Brothers excitement of having a movie scout, looking for a college filmed on campus died down, a setting to film scenes for “The call came in to President James Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants W. Schmotter’s office from a 2.” He spent two days here in building contractor in New the pouring spring rain, taking Canaan that was participating in thousands of photographs of a build for “Extreme Makeover: classrooms in every academic Home Edition.” Schmotter didn’t building — as well as dorm hesitate when he was asked to rooms, our athletic facilities and help the Bridgeport family who even shots of the landscaping on were to receive a new house on both campuses. He needed to the show. He committed to find a location that could providing a tuition and fees reasonably pass for the Rhode assistance package for the Island School of Design (RISD) Brown family’s three teenagers, experience has been in Estonia.” At the same time, knowledge of the history and structure of the American political system will give his Estonian students a deeper understanding of the lessons of that experience for their nation’s young democracy, Kukk noted. “Understanding the effects of federalism in the United States, for instance, can provide constructive as well as cautionary recommendations for sharing power in a country such as Estonia, where tensions with ethnic Russians have been a focus of political debate,” he said. Kukk expects to play the role of student as well as teacher during his Fulbright appointment, as he studies Estonia’s post-Soviet experience for lessons in “how a country develops a successful political economy during the era of globalization,” he said. “Estonia is in the midst of completing the transition from an oppressed Baltic state to becoming the Silicon Valley of the European Union.” Nor will Kukk be surprised if some of the most important lessons he learns during his yearlong stay will come from the students themselves. “It will challenge me in a professional way, because I expect to get questions I’ve never had before,” he observed. “Teaching for me is a ‘Huck Finn’ experience where your intellectual raft is sometimes overturned by unexpected questions, and you don’t know for a few minutes which side is up.” Kukk’s personal voyage of rediscovery of his Estonian roots will provide a fitting epilogue to the extraordinary story that his father and grandparents began with their exodus from Parnu more than six decades ago. “For me, the juxtaposition of my father’s escape and my family’s return is profound,” he said. “I am so looking forward to seeing the farm where my grandparents and father lived.” illumination at time points over the same period. While the raw data initially revealed no apparent correlation, a much different picture emerged when she ran a more sophisticated analysis using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient at the suggestion of Pinou’s colleague Dr. Lawrence Gall at YalePeabody Museum of Natural History. “Sure enough, we found what we were looking for!” she said. “Not only did sea turtle nesting patterns relate to the different phases of the moon, but it showed a negative correlation. This means that as the moon’s illumination grows brighter, sea turtle nesting frequency drops.” Pinou observed this finding proved the opposite of what many turtle conservationists had assumed, evidenced by the fact that “moon parties” at nesting beaches are commonly held at the full-moon phase of the lunar cycle. With the Teopa Beach study in hand, Pacete this summer visited the Mote Marine Laboratory to examine nesting patterns for species in the Florida Gulf region. Researchers in Greece, India and the Cameroons also have signaled their willingness to share their long-term nesting data with Pinou’s team. The Provost’s Grand Prize will enable Pacete to present her research at an international sea turtle conference this fall in Baja, Calif., and preparations are being made to submit her study for publication in a major scientific journal. She admitted that research demands long hours and often tedious labor, but offers the reward of providing solid foundations as she explores future graduate school and career opportunities. “When you’re working toward answering something,” Pacete said, “you get to the point of challenging yourself and pushing your limits. In the long run, we still have more work to do, and this is just the starting point.” W H AT ’ S O N ? w w w. w c s u . e d u / ne w se v e n t s Oct.1-7 Homecoming Nov. 1-3 & 8-10 2007 Western Connecticut State University Monday, Oct. 1 • Danbury Heritage Heroes Program. 7 p.m., Student Center Theater, Midtown campus. Free and open to the public. Appropriate for children. Tuesday, Oct. 2 Alumni Association Golf Tournament. 10 a.m. shotgun start, Richter Park, 100 Aunt Hack Rd., Danbury. $700/foursome or $175/person. Reception immediately following tournament at Café on the Green. Open to the public. To register, call (203) 837-8290. • WCSU Field Hockey vs. Framingham State. 6 p.m., Westside Athletic Complex, Westside campus. Free and open to the public. • President’s Welcome and Roundtable Discussion: Freedom of Expression. 7 p.m., First floor, Warner Hall, Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, faculty and staff. • Wednesday, Oct. 3 • Reflections: WestConn Then and Now. 5:30 p.m., First floor, Warner Hall, Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, faculty and staff. • Alumni-Student Mentoring Reception. 5:30 p.m., Westside Campus Center Grand Ballroom, Westside campus. Free and open to alumni, students, faculty and staff. • WCSU Women’s Soccer vs. Westfield State. 7 p.m., Westside Athletic Complex, Westside campus. Free and open to the public. Thursday, Oct. 4 • Ancell School of Business (ASB) Distinguished Alumni Dinner. 5:30 p.m., Westside Classroom Building, Room 218, Westside campus. Cost. Open to the public. RSVP to (203) 8379600. • Faculty vs. Student Basketball Game. 7 p.m., Bill Williams Gymnasium, Berkshire Hall, Midtown campus. Free and open to the public. • Steven Neuwirth Lecture Series. 7:30 p.m., Science Building, Room 125, Midtown campus. Free and open to the public. RSVP to (203) 837-9400. • Coffeehouse. 8 p.m., Alumni Hall, Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, faculty and staff. The WestConn theatre arts department will present the Anton Chekhov play about an aristocratic family facing the end of a way of life. Performances will be at 8 p.m.* Berkshire Theatre, Midtown campus. Cost. wcsu.edu/tickets. (*Opening night performance at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 3.) Oct. 26 oktoberfest WestConn will host its annual Oktoberfest Jazz concert at 8 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the university's Midtown campus. Concertgoers are invited to attend in Halloween costumes. The event will be free and open to the public; donations to the music department will be accepted. Call (203) 837-8350 for more information. Nov. 4 Friday, Oct. 5 Hall of Fame Dinner. 5:30 p.m., Westside Campus Center Grand Ballroom, Westside campus. $50/person. Open to the public. RSVP to (203) 837-8290. • Oktoberfest. 6 p.m., Quadrangle, Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. Food and beverages provided. • WCSU Ice Hockey vs. UConn. 7 p.m., Danbury Ice Arena, 1 Independence Way, Danbury, Conn. Cost. Open to the public. • Mentalist Banachek. 8 p.m., Ives Concert Hall, White Hall, Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. • Saturday, Oct. 6 Athletic Hall of Fame. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., O’Neill Center, Westside campus. Free and open to the public. • Alumni and Friends Circle Rededication. 9:30 a.m., Alumni & Friends Circle (brick circle outside of Old Main), Midtown campus. Free and open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. • Alumni Breakfast. 10 a.m., Westside Campus Center Grand Ballroom, Westside campus. $5/person; children under 2 eat free. Open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. • Homecoming Tailgate Party. 10 a.m., O’Neill Center Parking Lot, Westside campus. Open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. Must be 21 years or older. • Homecoming Football Game: Colonials vs. William Paterson. Noon, Westside Athletic Complex, Westside campus. $6/general admission; $4/55 and older and children under 12. Open to the public. • Alumni Hospitality Tent. (Across from Westside Athletic Complex.) 2 p.m., Westside campus. $5/person. Open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. Must be 21 years or older. Featuring the band Future Tense. • Alumni Business Showcase. (Next to Alumni Hospitality Tent.) Come meet alumni business owners. 2 p.m., Westside campus. Free and open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. • Street Fair. 2 p.m., Westside campus. Food, beverages. Free and open to alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. • Tour of the Westside Nature Preserve. 3 p.m., Westside campus. Free and open to the public. • Alumni Ice Hockey Game. 5 p.m., Danbury Ice Arena, 1 Independence Way, Danbury. Cost. Open to the public. • WCSU Field Hockey vs. UMass Dartmouth. 6 p.m., Westside Athletic Complex, Westside campus. Free and open to the public. • Class Reunion Gala. 6 p.m. Westside Campus Center Grand Ballroom, Westside campus. Invitation only. $65/person. RSVP to (203) 837-8290. • Sunday, Oct. 7 • WCSU Women’s Soccer vs. Plymouth State. Noon, Westside Athletic Complex, Westside campus. Free and open to the public. For more information, call (203) 837-8290 or visit www.wcsu.edu/homecoming. President’s Initiatives Fund: ‘Learning Opportunities that Differences Create’ OPENHOUSE O’Neill Center, Westside campus 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. All faculty are encouraged to attend! A series of lunchtime panel discussions throughout the academic year will emphasize the theme of the next President’s Initiatives Fund: “Learning Opportunities that Differences Create.” The first panel will feature members of the Social Sciences faculty: Dr. Damela Isik, an expert on Islam in the Middle East; Dr. Rock Brynner, who spent much of his youth in travels outside the United States; and Dr. Steven Ward, a scholar in social and cultural theory. Dr. Robert Whittemore will moderate. Together, they will convey observations of the United States from a variety of perspectives. The panel will convene at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31 in Alumni Hall. Lunch will be provided to all who attend. The lecture series is an outgrowth of the university’s strategic plan, which strives to promote and take advantage of WCSU’s location in a cosmopolitan region, along with the educational benefits of relationships between the institution, its scholars and others. The series will include panels on globalization, in November; freedom of speech and the press, in February; the art of expression, in March; and the war in Iraq, in April. Check the university calendar at www.wcsu.edu for exact dates and locations for this series and all campus events. Or, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Holiday Wine Tasting Sunday, Nov. 4 Westside Campus Center Proceeds to benefit the Caraluzzi Scholarship Fund Raffles - Prizes - Great Food - Good Times Last spring, Danbury Mayor Mark a new performing arts authority approved by the Common Council. A joint endeavor between the city and WestConn, the Charles Ives Authority for the Performing Arts was created to direct operations at the Ives Concert Park on the university’s Westside campus. Nov. 4 Ninth Annual Western Connecticut State University Inside this issue: Boughton announced the formation of Oct. 31 Office of University Relations 181 White Street Danbury, CT 06810 Non-profit org. U.S. Postage PAID Danbury, CT Permit No. 40
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