Summer 2014 | Volume 7 | Issue 2
Summer 2014 | 1
From the President
AIC is quiet in the summer, but it is certainly not idle. While our students are at home with family or out in the world gaining experience at jobs and internships, we relish the opportunity to reflect on what the passing of another academic year has taught us. Then we get busy. When students arrive on campus this fall, they will be greeted by a significantly upgraded AIC. First and foremost among the improvements waiting for them is the complete overhaul of our campus security services. As part of our ongoing effort to ensure that our students enjoy a comfortable and secure campus environment, AIC has partnered with G4S, a leading international security solutions company. The partnership will markedly increase the number of AIC’s on-campus officers and dispatch personnel, as well as more than triple the number of campus security cameras. This summer will also see exciting renovations and/or improvements to a number of campus buildings, including the Griswold Theatre, the second floor of Mallary Hall, the first and second floors of Adams Hall, and the lower level of the West Wing. I am sure students will also be glad to hear that a new contract with our dining services provider will bring improved variety and quality to all their meals. Finally, I am happy to announce that AIC will be transitioning to the Office 365 email system, which, in addition to improving campus communications, will also enable students to download Microsoft Office for free. I believe that all of these projects, along with the new academic programs that will launch this fall (see page 3 for more information), have the potential to make the AIC experience more meaningful to students. After all, their success—and the quality of their preparation to pursue their dreams—remains our utmost priority. And what a successful year we have just had! Over 1,300 students received diplomas at our 129th commencement ceremony in May. I am so proud of each and every one of them. Speaking of pride, I would like to acknowledge the recent success of our women’s rugby team. In their first year as a Division I competitor, they reached the Final Four in Palo Alto, California, where they came in third. On their way to this impressive finish, they beat perennial national athletic powerhouses like the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Indiana Hoosiers. Congratulations! Thank you for giving the AIC family yet another reason to celebrate.
Vince Maniaci, President
lucent EDITORIAL BOARD Joel Anderson Heather Cahill Maureen Fitzgerald Timothy Grader Craig Greenberg CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jeremy Church Thomas Friedmann Craig Greenberg Michael Reid Scott Whitney SENIOR WRITER/EDITOR Joel Anderson ART DIRECTOR/ PROJECT MANAGER Shawn Vallee ON THE COVER: Benjamin Roach ’14 and President Vince Maniaci celebrate AIC’s 129th commencement with an impromptu selfie.
inside this issue Summer 2014 | Volume 7 | Issue 2
departments
features
2
Campus Update
6
21
Class Notes
10
22
Thank You and Goodbye
14 Commencement AIC’s 129th graduation celebration
24
Find out about the latest developments, on campus and off
Check on your fellow alumni and see what they’re up to
Tom Fitzgerald & Rich Bedard retire after exemplary AIC careers
From the Ground Up
Michael ’89 and Barbara Feigin ’88 build a future in the Lone Star State.
Mind & Life
Dean Brian O’Shaughnessy’s vision for the whole student
16
A Little Help From Her Friends
20
Run for Education
In Memoriam
Bryony Parker ’13 and the road to recovery
AIC’s third annual 5k raises funds for area schools
What have you been up to? Join AIC’s Alumni Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and follow us on Twitter. Feel free to email us at alumni@aic.edu. Please send any comments or suggestions about this publication to editor@aic.edu. We’d love to hear from you!
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Making it Easy to Move Ahead AIC Launches Collaboration with CCRI AIC has announced the signing of a new joint articulation agreement ( JAA) with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). The agreement will give CCRI students a convenient and easy way to continue their education and successfully complete a bachelor’s degree.
AIC
AIC provost Todd G. Fritch, PhD, said the collaboration was developed as a model for similar agreements. “We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership. CCRI offers its students a robust two-year experience, and AIC is glad to be able to step in to offer a smooth transition to the bachelor’s degree. Now more than ever, students and families need options, and at the end of the day, that’s what this agreement is all about—providing students with easy and meaningful access to higher education.”
CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale, former president of Springfield Technical Community College, said he was happy to partner with AIC. “I worked in Springfield for twenty years and it’s been nice to reconnect with colleagues and President Vince Maniaci. AIC really reached out to us and this agreement gives our students another chance to advance their education. This is an outstanding partnership and we’re delighted to give our students the opportunity to attend a fine private institution with a great academic reputation.” The agreement is designed to provide CCRI students extensive benefits that go above and beyond the standard transfer process. Under the agreement, CCRI students will receive a $4,000 scholarship in addition to an earned merit scholarship and before any need-based aid is awarded. CCRI students will have status as a JAA AIC Student, which includes an AIC Student I.D., giving them full access to the AIC campus, including all sporting events. CCRI students will also be assigned a personal AIC academic advisor to help with scheduling and course planning. n
In Loving Memory of Craig Greenberg Public Relations Professional by Day and Guitar Player for Life We are sad to share the news that Craig Greenberg, AIC’s longtime director of public relations, passed away on June 24 after a battle with brain cancer. Craig was a fixture at AIC and on the Springfield media scene, having worked since 1980 to spread the word about all the good things happening here on campus. He was known and beloved by many AIC students. He loved people and people loved him back, and in this way he was a natural fit for a career whose success was measured by the quality of the relationships he built and nurtured. He was also a lifelong lover of music, playing guitar in several bands, most recently with The Jus Us Band of Springfield. We’re so grateful to Craig for all the joy and music he brought to our lives. Craig Greenberg and Jus Us Band of Springfield We will miss him dearly. n 4 | Lucent
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New Academic Programs in Fall 2014 New Degrees Meet the Needs of Students and Region AIC is proud to announce a significant expansion of its academic offerings. This fall, the college will launch fourteen new programs across a variety of disciplines. The most significant growth will take place at the graduate level, as AIC unveils four new master’s degrees and four new graduate certificates. All of the degree offerings aim to prepare students to fill employment needs in the region. The most significant example of AIC’s responsiveness to regional economic opportunities is the new MBA in resort and casino management. Students will also be able to pursue a graduate certificate in the same discipline. Other new master’s degrees include a master’s in creative writing, a master’s in general psychology, a master’s in leadership, and a convenient “4+1” MBA that allows students to seamlessly transition to a one-year MBA program after completing a bachelor’s degree. The shorter graduate certificate programs allow students to take classes in a number of disciplines without having to commit to a full-length master’s program. Should students wish to get a master’s degree after completing a certificate, a convenient credit-transfer system will allow for a smooth transition to the master’s level. Starting this fall, students can earn graduate certificates in general psychology, leadership, management, and resort and casino management.
AIC will also offer five new undergraduate programs. The RN to BSN program allows registered nurses an accessible, convenient way to complete their bachelor’s in nursing. Similarly, the accelerated degree completion program offers students with an associate’s degree, or students who started but did not finish an undergraduate experience, a way to earn a bachelor’s degree. AIC has also added a new undergraduate major in visual and digital arts, and minors in speech-language pathology, and fraud and financial crimes. “We are excited by the opportunities these new programs present to students and the value they can provide to Springfield and the region,” says Vince Maniaci, president of AIC. “They really get to the heart of AIC’s mission of transforming lives, because whether you are just beginning your college career or are looking to come back to school, these programs present real and accessible opportunities for learning and career growth.” n
The Alumni Staff Are Relocating
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And we want to make sure you know where to find us. If you come to campus and want to drop in on us (which you should!), you can find us in the lower level of the Dining Commons. Hope to see you soon!
Your Opinion Matters
Make sure we have your email address so we can include you in AIC’s branding project. Contact Heather Caisse at 413.205.3004 or heather.caisse@aic.edu.
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AIC’s New Athletic Director Matt Johnson Takes On a New Role for Yellow Jackets Matt Johnson was named AIC’s new athletic director effective July 1. Johnson has been at AIC since 2005 as the assistant athletic director and head women’s soccer coach and was promoted to associate athletic director in 2011. He will take over for Richard Bedard, executive vice president for athletics, who announced his retirement earlier in the school year. During Johnson’s time at the College he has rebuilt the Yellow Jackets’ program, transforming the women’s soccer team into a national championship contender. He has chaired the Northeast-10 women’s soccer committee since 2009 and chaired the Northeast-10’s Committee on Sports Administration since the beginning of the 2013 academic year.
A native of Holyoke, Johnson played soccer at Merrimack College, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in finance before going on to earn a master of physical education in athletic administration from Springfield College. He was selected from among a strong pool of highquality candidates for his athletic administration skills, success in the area of recruitment and retention of quality student-athletes, his vast experience with NCAA Division I and II collegiate athletics, and knowledge relating to issues of compliance. In his new role as athletic director, Johnson will focus on the future growth of athletics within the college while maintaining the school’s mission. n
Tutu Lecture Series Enters Fifth Year Speaker Says There Is “Moral Obligation” to Improve Health Care “The US needs to do more in the area of health care.” That was the message from Sheila Davis, the chief nursing officer at Partners In Health (PIH). Davis was the keynote speaker at the 5th annual Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture Series at AIC. Students, staff, faculty and members of the community gathered for the event, which was held Wednesday, April 30 in the Griswold Theatre. Since 2010, AIC has hosted distinguished speakers in its annual Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture Series. Archbishop Desmond Tutu served as the series’ inaugural speaker and its namesake. In her address, Davis told the audience the US ranks 169 out of 224 countries in infant mortality, and 136 out of 184 countries for maternal mortality. “Yet, we are in the top third of countries when
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it comes to spending on health care. It’s a good example of more money doesn’t always mean better health care,” she said. Davis has worked in the field of HIV/AIDS and global health delivery for the past three decades. In addition to her role with PIH, an international non-governmental organization working in twelve countries globally, she is an adult nurse practitioner, specializing in HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases, and has had an active clinical practice at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic since 1997. Inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2008, Davis is a frequent national speaker on global health and clinical topics, including HIV/AIDS and the role of nursing in human rights. n
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AIC Rugby Shines on National Stage Women and Men Cap Winning Seasons with Big Victories A young but confident AIC varsity women’s rugby team shook off an opening loss to Stanford University in the USA Rugby Division I College National Championship and beat West Chester University to claim third place. The tournament was held at Steuber Rugby Stadium at Stanford. The victory capped a 15-5 winning season for the team, which includes twelve freshmen. “We are so proud of the achievements of our women’s rugby team,” says President Vince Maniaci. “They truly are the embodiment of ‘post tenebras lux’ or ‘after darkness, light’ which is the motto inscribed on AIC’s college seal. The road to the national championship required them to meet challenge after challenge, shake off disappointment at times, and work as a team to achieve this historic accomplishment for the College.” West Chester did not make things easy for the Yellow Jackets. Down 14-10 at halftime, AIC regrouped and took the lead in the second half with the help of Jessica Davis’ hat trick. The team held on to the lead, eventually winning 37-31. The AIC Yellow Jackets compete in a tough Northeast Conference that includes teams from Army, Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard University. After winning their conference to get to the Final Four, AIC rugby beat Indiana University and the University of North Carolina, both winners of their respective divisions.
The AIC Haley Schafer ’16 makes a tackle against Northeastern University in a 62-0 Yello men’s rugby Jackets victory. team also completed a very successful season, ending the year on a high note by winning the American Collegiate Rugby Championship Sevens. They finished the year ranked third in the country in college sevens, ahead of teams like UCLA, Notre Dame, and Michigan. n
The men’s rugby squad celebrates in the rain after winning the Armory Collegiate Sev
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Michael ’89 and Barbara Feigin ’88 build a future in the Lone Star State by Scott Whitney
Michael Feigin couldn’t have known at the time, but being unprepared for class would prove to be one of his shrewdest personal and professional moves. It was test day and Mike had neglected to bring a pen (a common problem on any college campus). On his way into class, he asked a classmate he didn’t know, Barbara, if she had one he could borrow. When he returned it, she asked him out — launching a twenty-five year partnership in both marriage and business. With respective academic backgrounds in marketing and accounting, Mike and Barbara’s future in business seemed as promising as their ambition would allow. In fact, since that fortuitous meeting on the campus of American International College, the couple has created nothing less than a home-building empire in the Houston and San Antonio, Texas area. After earning their degrees at AIC, the couple relocated to Mike’s native state of Texas, where they started a family and accepted positions with two local companies. In Mike’s case, this meant computer sales. Though he felt fortunate to be using his degree, the job was not a perfect fit. “I love sales, but selling computers felt impersonal. Most of our customers would throw them out in two years because the technology changes so fast…not a lot of satisfaction there,” said Mike. Laying the Foundation Throughout his teenage years and during his summer breaks while in college, Mike worked construction jobs — and as he planned his next career move, he recalled the satisfaction the work brought him in comparison. “I like to see a completed product, to step back and say, ‘We built that and it’s going to stand for a long, long time.’” That longstanding passion brought him to a position with a Houston-based homebuilder, where he quickly rose in the ranks and oversaw the construction of 450 homes a year as a division president. However, his “aha” moment occurred while drawing up a business plan for the same company. “I never wanted to be an entrepreneur; I just like creating things,” he explained. “And as I drew up this business plan for custom build homes, I realized, ‘You know what…I can do this myself.’” Summer 2014 | 9
He shared his epiphany with Barbara, who helped him craft a new business plan—this time, their own. They would soon launch Design Tech Homes, a design-tobuild company intended to give would-be homeowners complete control over the look and feel of their new home, while simplifying the home-building process. “When you come to Design Tech, we have architects and interior designers on staff. You can choose from one of our basic plans, or we can start with a blank piece of paper and draw something,” said Mike. “We build for every demographic profile, but our idea was to give the same custom home-building experience to someone building a $150,000 home as to someone building a $1,000,000 home.”
" our idea was to give the same custom home-building experience to someone building a $150,000 home as to someone building a $1,000,000 home."
Down on Main Street Seventeen years and more than 2,000 homes later, Design Tech has expanded to the San Antonio area and has gone from fifteen basic home plans to more than forty. And though Mike is modest about the entrepreneurial spirit he and Barbara share, it was no less apparent than when he undertook his next great vision: Main Street America. Located on thirteen acres outside of downtown Houston, Main Street America is a home-building theme park that includes twelve fully furnished demonstration homes, a furniture store, tile store, real estate and lending offices, and an accessory store. Oh, and a cooking school, of course. “It’s like Disneyland for adults,” said Mike. Every visitor to Main Street America is equipped with a unique Android device named TED (Technological Education Device), which provides a self-guided tour of each home within the park. By using scannable radio frequency identification (RFID) tags throughout the tour, guests can hear the story behind each room they visit, or learn more about a particular product or piece of furniture that strikes their fancy. “The idea for TED came from trade shows I’d go to. I’d see really neat stuff, but the sales reps couldn’t always give a great explanation of the products,” Mike said. “With TED, you don’t need to wait for a sales rep to explain something to you; you essentially have a website with you at all times.”
Custom homes built by Design Tech.
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The Feigins’ theme park features homes in a variety of styles, from urban townhomes to a coastal beach house—all well appointed and perfectly landscaped. “Customers have said that entering the park feels like walking on the set of the Truman Show,” said Mike. “Barbara and I wanted to create a place that inspires you: you can get inspired by a piece of furniture, or inspired to build from the ground up.”
"I may be the idea guy, but Barbara puts the business logic behind the idea. She handles all of the operations, and she's awesome at it,"
A Dynamic Duo With both Design Tech Homes and Main Street America, Mike stresses his partnership with Barbara as integral to the success of their companies. “I may be the idea guy, but Barbara puts the business logic behind the idea. She handles all of the operations, and she’s awesome at it,” said Mike. And what of working so closely with a spouse? Again, the match is a good one. “We know each other’s boundaries and let one another do our jobs. On most days, we ride to work together and back home at the end of the day.” One might imagine that managing two growing businesses and parenting two children would keep Mike plenty busy, but for the past ten years, he has carved out time for another role: radio show host. Each Saturday morning, he and his cohost, Dale Phillips, treat the Houston radio waves to the Better Home Show, a program about home-building and remodeling. With nearly sixty years of combined home‑building experience, Mike and Dale provide callers the opportunity to call in and plumb the depths of their construction expertise. Just another day at the office. For Mike, a Texan born and raised who returned to his home state after a collegiate detour in the Northeast, college memories must seem a world away. However, he is quick to acknowledge that he and Barbara laid the groundwork for their successes in the classrooms of American International College. “I was never much of a school guy, to be honest,” Mike admitted. “But they say that college teaches you how to think. And that was certainly true for me.” n
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Mind Life &
Dean Brian O’Shaughnessy’s Vision for the Whole Student
photo by Michael Reid
by Michael Reid
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photo by Sandra
The first thing you notice when you walk into the office of Brian O’Shaughnessy, AIC’s dean of students, is the room’s sparseness. There are, of course, the usual hallmarks of academia—shelves filled with books and binders, stacks of paper neatly arranged on an L-shaped desk, diplomas hanging on the wall—but it doesn’t have any of the opulence you might imagine when you first see the title on the door. There is no plush carpet or wood paneling. Instead, the room feels forthright and purposefully free of distraction. These shared experiences In other words, you immediately understand that this is a place where real work gets done every day—and there’s a great deal of work to do.
not only connect a student’s academics to the world, but they give students an opportunity to connect with each other, to learn about their differences and to share their life experiences. Summer 2014 | 13
The AIC Experience Brian O’Shaughnessy became AIC’s dean of students in September of 2012, a position that gave him direct oversight of the college’s residence life, student activities, campus recreation, and Greek life offices. He also helps support the school’s campus police, health and counseling services, international student affairs, and multicultural affairs. In short, the work done by O’Shaughnessy and his office affects almost every aspect of a student’s daily life at AIC. It’s a daunting amount of responsibility, but while O’Shaughnessy acknowledges the number of day-today details that require his attention, they never seem to weigh down his enthusiasm for the aspirations he has for his office. On the contrary, he takes a much more holistic view of what he wants for the students of AIC. “Ultimately, I want to help change the dynamics of the college experience,” O’Shaughnessy begins when asked what he sees as his office’s broadest objective. “There are a lot of little changes that can go into that goal, such as reconfiguring our services so that a student only has to go to one office instead of three, and a lot of larger, systemic changes that take more time. For example, when I first got here, the administration was almost solely focused on supporting academics, which is obviously important, but there wasn’t a model in place to connect academics with real-world understanding. No one was looking at how to provide students with a common shared cultural experience. Helping to create these connections, to adopt a more comprehensive approach that makes students feel as though they’re included in a real community that supports their needs, those are the challenges driving what we do every day.” A Changing Campus To better understand that goal, you have to look at how far the college has come in the seventeen years since O’Shaughnessy started at AIC. Hired in 1997 as the school’s director of housing (a position that would later become director of residence life) after receiving his master’s in education from the College of William and Mary, O’Shaughnessy arrived at an AIC that was in many ways still stuck in the 1960s—dated dormitories, 14 | Lucent
low residential occupancy, and few opportunities for the students who did live on campus to grow personally or emotionally. “It was more of an institutional system back then,” says O’Shaughnessy. “Many students stayed in the same exact room for four years because they just got comfortable, but that’s not really demonstrating any maturity or independence. Students weren’t really being prepared for life beyond college. So the first thing we needed was a fundamental change to that model.” A major step in that transition came in 2004 when the school renovated Broadhurst Hall and connected it to the newly built Edgewood Complex, an action that increased the number of independent living options for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. That one initiative almost doubled the amount of students staying on campus, and steadily began a transformation of AIC’s residential experience. Other major initiatives followed, which O’Shaughnessy credits with AIC’s commitment to building a top-tier leadership team that has made understanding and addressing student’s needs its top priority. “Vince [Maniaci, president of AIC] has really shifted the attitude of the campus from ‘making do’ to asking, ‘What can we do?’ That type of energy is infectious, and you can see it everywhere. Whether working with Chris Mercurio [director of campus recreation] to build our intramural sports, club sports, and fitness and wellness programs, or working with Mary Paquette [director of health services] to help modernize our health services so that we can provide the types of care and testing resources that students need—I’ve seen each step get us closer to the school we know we can be. It’s been a challenge, but that shift in attitude has meant everything. Every time we meet a student need, no matter how small or how significant, we create a more supportive environment. The more supportive the environment, the more we can build on that framework.”
A Unique Perspective These are responsibilities for which O’Shaughnessy is uniquely suited. After leaving as director of residence life in 2008, he obtained his certificate for advanced study in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2010. He then began the doctorate in education program at AIC in 2011 (to be completed in May of 2015), a year before becoming dean of students. Which leads to the obvious question, “How does being a student affect one’s approach as dean of students?” When asked this, O’Shaughnessy stresses that his doctorate, while an important personal goal, is far second to his commitment to the students of AIC. Yet one role naturally informs the other. He says that all of his experiences have made him far more open to different perspectives and opinions. It’s a quality that many of AIC’s students have engendered in him, and one he wants for all students at the school. “It’s about engagement. Again, academics are vital, but at the end of freshman year, we want students to be able to say more than, ‘I took Chemistry 101.’ Many of our initiatives now are outcome-based. We want to provide students with opportunities to connect with a club that supports their major, or to make sure they have access to a cultural event on campus or in the Springfield area. We’ve refocused our career development team to be more directly engaging, to go into the classroom for workshops on building résumés and on proper interview etiquette. These shared experiences not only connect a student’s academics to the world, but they give students an opportunity to connect with each other, to learn about their differences and to share their life experiences. That’s the direction we continue to move. “As for me, there are so many different experiences that I would have never had any knowledge of except for coming here and engaging with those different perspectives. It forces you to understand that conversation is more important than judgment—that every person you meet is far more than what a first appearance or one bad choice would lead you to believe.” That last point is particularly important in an age of smart phones, social media, and twenty-four-hour connectedness. O’Shaughnessy began at AIC when there was only one pay phone on each dormitory floor. He admits that living in a world in which any picture, message, or bit of news can go viral in an instant is a challenge.
“Every student is dealing with a unique set of challenges, and a big part of this job is working with that fact in mind. One student may smash a window because she was intoxicated, but another student may have done the same thing because his sister was in a car accident, and someone else might have broken up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend. People can lose that perspective when they make quick judgments based on small bits of information. All of us sometimes do things that don’t reflect who we truly are, but I want this to be a place where we take the time to understand actions instead of just being quick to pass judgment.” The AIC of Tomorrow Many of the initiatives that O’Shaughnessy has begun are still in their infancy, but he feels that AIC now has a team in place that asks, “How can we improve the student experience?” with each decision they make. With that, he’s confident that AIC will continue to evolve in dynamic ways. “My dream is to make AIC a place where no student need is unmet. Part of that dream is material. For example, a huge goal would be to build a modern campus center that better centralizes the school and lives up to the twenty-first century expectations of our students. Between those major goals, though, are the daily interactions and connections that we need to make, the small needs that have to be met. It’s about perspective, it’s about engagement, and it’s about understanding.” This is how the interview ends. There are handshakes, and a few pictures, but O’Shaughnessy seems eager to get back to work. Other people are waiting to see him. Before the door closes, he’s already talking on the telephone and checking his computer, attending to the next student need. n
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cOMMEN
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NCEMENT We are so proud of the all the undergradute and graduate students who received their AIC diplomas on May 17 at the MassMutual Center. Congratulations! We wish you all the best on your postAIC journeys.
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A Little Help From Her Friends Bryony Parker ’13 and the Road to Recovery by Thomas Friedmann In 2009, Bryony Parker’s dreams had come true; she was the recipient of a four-year scholarship to play soccer at American International College. Traveling from Leeds, England, Parker left behind her friends and family to pursue her passion. Unfortunately, after only a season on the field, she suffered a dislocated patella—a painful knee injury that kept her out of the game for two years. Although she was able to beat the odds to rejoin her fellow players for a playoff game this past season, Parker’s dreams are no longer focused around the field. Stepping forward from an injury that redefined her life’s goals, Parker asked the question, “What do I do now?” As the subject of previous pieces in both Lucent and MassLive, Parker’s story is an American dream tale with a twist. When she arrived, Parker’s plans were simple: she would make herself an asset on the soccer team and enjoy American culture while she was at it. “At 18, all I wanted to do was play soccer full-time at a competitive level and I thought the rest would fall into place,” Parker recalls. “It was a fresh start for me so I wanted to form connections and friendships, have fun, and immerse myself in a completely novel lifestyle and culture.” The only impressions Parker had of American International College were what she had read online and what she had gleaned from conversations with AIC Soccer Coach Matt Johnson.
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Johnson convinced Parker to join the team after having seen only a video of her playing abilities. After Parker’s injury, Johnson kept her scholarship active despite her inability to play. “Coach Johnson stood by me throughout four knee surgeries,” Parker
relates. “For three years I was no good to him and he could have pulled my scholarship and sent me back to England. But he didn’t and for that I will be forever grateful.” Though the pain in her knee was too severe to participate during that time, Parker continued to attend all soccer games and practices. However, Parker was resolved to recondition her body. She spent countless hours doing rehabilitation exercises, icing her knee, and pumping away on the rotary bike, as a part of a daily routine—determined to get herself back on track with the dreams that she had come to the States to enact. Parker remembers the injury. One inclement game-day, she was pursuing an opposing player who was traveling downfield with the ball. Parker caught up and suddenly stopped her feet to pivot, but because the field was slick from rain, her left knee kept traveling—twisting her kneecap out of place. By itself, this may not have been a serious injury. But the inertia that Parker was traveling with sent her kneecap back again with a violent grind that sheared off her cartilage. Although it was not apparent to onlookers that serious damage had occurred, the dislocation of her kneecap resulted in two painful lesions—craters in her knee where the cartilage had been. Over the next two years, Parker’s consulting doctors told her she would not be able to play again. The blow of this reality was devastating to her at the time. “Soccer was my life,” Parker said. “I had lost everything and unfortunately the pain that came with a light practice was too severe. I was taking strong painkillers daily just to be able to walk.” Although she did not want to believe it, Parker’s body had changed. At one point in the resting period she was forced to take, the calf on her injured leg became larger than her quad, which had atrophied. In the stories of injured athletes, this moment is an important pretext to action. Sadly, and too often, the
2013-14 AIC women’s soccer team.
storyline is that athletes become engulfed in their sadness, seeing no way out of their loss. “My dreams were shattered,” Parker said. Although she certainly struggled with the loss, she took an important next step to move herself into a second chapter: she relied on her community. “There were moments throughout my recovery that I thought about throwing in the towel and going home. I needed to be with my family,” Parker admitted. “AIC became my family away from home and was there for me every step of the way.” Although she had daily calls with her parents in England, the face-to-face support and encouragement of Parker’s coaches, instructors, and friends at AIC helped her to feel that despite her homesickness for England, she could regroup and start again. Parker’s new path was something she had not given much thought to previously: her academics. “A degree was the last thing on my mind,” Parker recalled of her early college ambitions. “I honestly thought it would be an added bonus.” After the injury, the focused energy that Parker had put into her physical ability, she now aimed at her undergraduate studies, with impressive results. Parker graduated in 2013 with a bachelors of science in psychology and a bachelors of arts in communications. With a cumulative grade point average of 3.99, she graduated from her class as salutatorian. In addition to completing her dualdegree while still on the soccer team schedule, she was a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Vice President of Psi Chi, a staff writer for the AIC Yellow Jacket, and a peer tutor. Although soccer took a necessary backseat for her, Parker had a comeback to share in more glory with the Yellow Jackets. In her senior year, the women’s AIC soccer team totaled eighteen wins, two losses, and
AIC ended its season with a school-record 18 wins, at 18-3-2, and first ever East Region Championship and Final Four appearance.
two ties, sending them to Evans, Georgia to compete in the NCAA Division II Final Four. Despite the negative prognoses she had received, Parker was able to play for short stints in these games. “Although I was a shadow of my former self, I had defied the odds and proved the critics wrong. I wasn’t supposed to ever play soccer again.” Parker confessed that even those brief opportunities were very painful, but the hours of work that allowed her to be back on the turf represented her love of the game, and for her team. “I feel so fortunate to have been just a small part of it. The experience was unforgettable and I have memories that I will cherish forever. It really was a special group of players.” At the Final Four player’s banquet, The NCAA presented Parker with the Elite 89 Award, conferred upon players with the highest grade point average who participate in playoff games. Anyone would have understood why Parker might have left AIC after her injury. But she didn’t leave. In fact, she still hasn’t left AIC. Instead, she has challenged herself to more academic goals, shining as a valued member of the AIC community. Currently, she is enrolled in AIC’s clinical psychology master’s degree program, a demanding sixty-credit program ending in a six-hundred-hour internship. Parker aims to become a licensed mental health counselor, providing care for children and adolescents with conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and autism. In the meantime, Parker works as a counselor in the AIC Admissions Office, helping students fulfill their own college dreams. Such demanding work requires determination and integrity, and those are qualities Parker has in spades. n
Brad Campion and Bryo Parker received the Elite Award at the NCAA Di Final Four banquet.
Summer 2014 | 19
Thank You by Jeremy Church
One of the things we hear repeatedly from students and alumni is that their AIC experiences were so personal. Partly that’s due to our size—we’re justifiably proud of our intimate atmosphere—but it’s also due to the many faculty and staff who go out of their way to make meaningful connections with students. This year two longtime campus favorites, Rich Bedard and Tom Fitzgerald, are retiring from AIC. They are invaluable, irreplaceable, and we miss them already.
Professor Tom Fitzgerald When Tom Fitzgerald took the mike at his retirement party in the Schwartz Campus Center, nobody was off limits from the barbs of the former Springfield police chief and longtime criminal justice professor. Fitzgerald retired in May after twenty-three years at AIC, but not before killing it at his retirement party. “Vince [Maniaci], of course, couldn’t be here even though he loves to speak. Our president’s eclectic apparel is more a cry for help than a fashion statement.” It was all in good fun, of course. But to think of Fitzgerald only as a funny man is to neglect his achievements at AIC. Fitzgerald graduated from AIC in 1966 and then joined the Springfield police department. His timing couldn’t have been better. A generation of police who’d been soldiers in World War II was retiring or near retirement during Fitzgerald’s early years on the force. He rose through the ranks quickly, especially given his willingness to accept any post and shift asked of him. By 1988 he was chief. The demands of his career to that point—always being on call and working his share of overnight hours, to say nothing of the very nature of running a police department in a city with its share of problems—had taken time away from his growing family, so he sought a new direction. (At his party he mentioned that some 20 | Lucent
people laugh at his short tenure as chief, to which he pointed out to great laughter: “I just am amazed at their lack of ability to do math. I figured out that pension real early.”) Within a year of stepping down as chief he was a professor in the criminal justice program at AIC. Over the years he’s played a key role in developing the program, along with his dear colleagues Jill McCarthy Payne and Dave Kuzmeski ’78 MS. The department’s internship program has been particularly successful. Students receive internships for credit and gain handson experience that helps them land jobs immediately after graduation. Fitzgerald cites the close attention he was able to give students in the internship program as just another example of perhaps AIC’s greatest strength. “Every part of the college is dedicated to our kids,” Fitzgerald said towards the end of his retirement speech, when there were no more colleagues to roast. “There’s not a single person on this campus that I would be hesitant to call in support of one of our students. Everybody responds.”
and Goodbye
Richard Bedard Rich Bedard wasn’t on any Major League Baseball team’s radar heading into his senior year at Amherst College. He’d been an All-Western Massachusetts third baseman at Springfield Technical High School, but in college he didn’t stand out until his senior year. The Pittsburgh Pirates liked what they saw and drafted Bedard in the eighteenth round in 1971. His pro career wasn’t meant to be. He realized he couldn’t hit pro pitching, a hard reality experienced by many rookies, whether they’re drafted in the eighteenth round, the first round, or the fortieth. It was humbling but Bedard had an interest in coaching and a freshly beefed up CV. After a coaching apprenticeship at Amherst he became the assistant baseball coach at AIC, and in the following year he was named head coach. He was twenty-four. As in his one year of pro ball, he felt a bit overmatched. This time recruiting—one of the most important jobs for a college coach—was his weakness. In keeping with Bedard’s trajectory and work ethic, it didn’t take him long to learn. The AIC team struggled for several years until he recruited a crop of talented ballplayers from Pittsfield in the mid-1970s. In 1979, with those players at its core and Bedard at the helm, AIC baseball won the ECAC Div II-III Championship.
positions for the middle years of his career at AIC. And for the last eight years he’s served as athletic director. Bedard points to two major turning points for AIC during his tenure at the College: the development of the north side of State Street in the seventies— which was critical to both the college and the neighborhood—and the growth of the School of Health Sciences with the addition of programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy. He leaves knowing that the school has a growing tradition of competitive sports programs with student athletes who are as committed to their studies as they are to athletics. The 3.0 Club, instituted during Bedard’s time as AD, is one example. Every September, during the first week of school, Sketch of Bedard by author Jim Trelease. student athletes with a 3.0 or higher grade point average receive a t-shirt recognizing their dedication to the classroom. They walk across a stage to cheers for their academic standing. “It’s been a great message,” Bedard says. One he should be very proud of. n
Bedard moved on from coaching into administrative Summer 2014 | 21
3rd Annual
RUN for education
On April 27, AIC’s third annual Run for Education donated more than $6,500 to area k–12 schools. Kicked off by Rep. Richie Neal ’72, it was a great day of fun and fitness. Congratulations to all the participants! We hope to see you again next year!
WinnERS Women
1st: Abigail Rigney 2nd: Amy Grindle 3rd: Kiana Eaton Men
1st: Ben Parzick 2nd: Tyler Roberts 3rd: Zachary Bail Teams
1st: Team: Granger Elementary School 2nd: Team: Jabish Brook Middle School 3rd: Team: Brightwood Elementary School
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| class notes |
Chipman Golf Tournament Winners: The 37th Annual AIC AlumniBob Chipman Memorial Golf Tournament was held on Friday, May 16 at the Oak Ridge Golf Club in Agawam (Feeding Hills), Massachusetts. All of the revenue from this event benefits AIC’s Bob Chipman ’71 Memorial Scholarship Fund.
President’s Cup Golf Outing: The Seventh Annual President’s Cup Golf Outing was held at Crestview Country Club on June 12. Proceeds from the tournament directly benefit AIC’s student-athletes. Honorary Chairperson Michael Bailey ’73, PGA Professional at the Stow Acres Country Club, started the tournament with the first drive. A great day was had by all in attendance.
First Low Gross
Steve Wright ’75 Clem Morrison ’73 Edgar Alejandro ’76 Bill Urquhart
Bill Shanahan, Bob Champigny, Paul Champigny, Jim Gavron from Futures Education sport their melon shirts.
Second Low Gross
Glenn Sherman Jim Prokop Herb Ludwig Third Low Gross
Steve Nemphos ’81 Joe Czerbinski ’69 Paul Montefusco ’76 Justin Roberts ’11
Travis Rogers and Joe Mroz of K-12 Teacher’s Alliance spend the day with Vice President Greg Schmutte and President Vincent Manaici.
Closest to Pin Hole #8
Bill Urquhart
Closest to Pin Hole #13
Edgar Alejandro ’76
Drive Closest to Center Line Hole #10
Ken Grip ’71
Maroun Hannoush ’14, Justin Roberts ’11 and Steve Roberts celebrate after a day of golf.
Matt Schimenti Jr.
Summer 2014 | 23
| class notes |
1940s
1980s
Todd Farnsworth ’84 is the new pastor at the Federated Community Church of Hampden, MA. Ordained in 1987 Farnsworth has served at the Second Congregational Church in Londonderry, VT and the Belchertown United Church of Christ, MA.
Mary Raissi Stewart ’42, Rollin Baldwin ’44, and Eva Jackson Barnfather ’44 gathered on
campus at a luncheon to celebrate their 70th and 72nd reunions.
1950s
Lester Lefkowitz ’53 of La Mesa, CA
Alan ’66 and Ronnie Goldstein met at this very door of the campus center (Alan held door open for Ronnie) and finally returned back for the first time since 1966.
1970s
Jackie Squires Marshack ’70
became a librarian for the Los Angeles County Library system.
Bruce Spongberg ’58 of Mission Viejo, CA
1960s
Left to Right: Stan Katzer ’69, Andy Hastings ’69 and Elliot Feldman ’69
Brian Saunders ’65 and Pat Saunders of San Diego, CA
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Frank Colaccino ’73, HON ’12 of Suffield, CT, CEO of
the Colvest Group, was the first speaker in the new Faces of AIC lecture series at American International College. More than 100 students and faculty and staff members packed the West Wing of the Sprague Cultural Arts Center to hear Colaccino, a member and former chair of the AIC board of trustees.
After nearly 23 years as diocesan vicar for religious, Sister Paula A. Kelleher ’75 MS, who retired in February 2014, plans to take a little time off. She has been a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph for 61 years. She will continue her efforts to raise awareness for the Retirement Fund for Religious which raises money to take care of those who are retired and/or sick.
Dan Vetras ’81 returned to
campus in February to host a lunchtime round table with current students. Dan, a current trustee, is president and CEO of Kontiki with over 30 years of experience in business and technology leadership.
Joanne Wilson ’89, instructional leadership specialist at Elias J. Brookings Elementary School in Springfield, has accepted the position of principal of Mile Tree Elementary School in Wilbraham, MA.
1990s
Joseph D’Ascoli ’90 was named
executive director of Manchester, CT Housing Authority. The Manchester Housing Authority serves about 400 families in seven complexes and a variety of sites. The local agency is run with state and federal funds and governed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
| class notes | Certified public accountants Brian Dillon and Catherine Bodley ’99 recently formed Dillon & Associates LLC.The new firm provides tax preparation and planning for individuals, small businesses, and corporations Bodley lives in Belchertown, MA and received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from AIC. She has been a certified public accountant since 2001, and she holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant designation. Lt. Col. Beth Dion ’93 assumed
command of the 20th Medical Operation Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base in SC on June 30, 2014. Southern Connecticut State University announced Tom Godek ’98 MEd as the school’s next head football coach, replacing Rich Cavanaugh ’76, who recently retired after 29 years. Godek has served as the team’s offensive coordinator for the past 13 seasons. Godek coached for seven seasons (1994-2000) at American International College as offensive line coach and assistant to the head coach. Michael Grandfield ’94 was
named vice president/commercial lender of Florence Savings Bank, a mutually-owned savings bank serving the Pioneer Valley. He will help oversee and further develop the bank’s commercial lending portfolio. Grandfield comes to Florence Savings Bank with more than 25 years of banking experience.
2000s
Jesse Archer ’00 and Madeline
Aylward, both of Jackson, MS were married. Jesse was recently awarded a Merit Scholarship at the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, MS.
Amber Radomski ’03,
in conjunction with Total Performance Sports and Fitness, hosted a “Softball Tryout” clinic for CT area softball players. Amber played professionally in Caserta, Italy in 2004 and 2005. Since her return, she has played the last eight seasons with Stratford Brakettes, winning multiple ASA and WMS National Championships. Currently with the Brakettes, Amber is a player/coach assisting legendary manager John Stratton. Prior to that, she assisted NFCA Hall of Fame Coach Judy Groff at AIC. Her collegiate playing career consisted of three NCAA Regional appearances along with an NE-10 Conference Championship as a senior. She was named NE-10 All Conference First Team in 2003. A native of Easton, CT, Amber currently resides in Branford, CT.
2010s
Lindsie Simpson ’11 has a
new job—senior hedge fund accountant at SS&C GlobeOp.
Adam Pleskach ’13 was named
the recipient of the Central Hockey League Rookie of the Month for February 2014. He recorded points in seven of the Oilers 10 games in February with multiple-point games in four of them. He finished the month
Zachary Kalemba ’00 of Carlsbard, CA and his son, Luke Kalemba, a future AIC alum.
with five goals, two of them game winners, along with seven assists. Daniel Pugliese ’13
made up 50% of the team that is now the reigning cornhole champion of Beijing. It was a journey that started many years ago at AIC and now continues on the other side of the world. Dan spent a year teaching in China with other AIC students. Ben Meisner ’13
was named the CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Feb. 23, 2014. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native made his pro debut in the ECHL last season posting a 3-1-4 record in eight games with Utah after completing four seasons and 114 games with AIC in the Atlantic Hockey Association of the NCAA.
Summer 2014 | 25
| in memoriam | 1940s
Peter G. Ellis ’41 Ruth (Kuusela) Wiita ’41 Clifford Floyd ’43 Seymour Russell ’43 Florence Giorgi ’44 Edith Caswell ’47 Anderson Kelley ’48 Marjorie Hall ’49 Stamos Zades ’49
1950s
Alfred Zanetti ’50 Louis Morace ’52 Joseph Connors ’53 Thomas Roche ’55 Arthur Bertrand ’56 Harlan Lang ’58
Howard Leavitt ’58 Elizabeth McGregor ’58 Dorothy (Prokop) Sajdak ’58
1960s
Louis Morace ’60 Robert Myco ’60 James Chartier ’61 George O’Brien ’61 Terry Rhicard ’64 Thomas Roche ’65 Joseph Shore ’66 Mitchell Wilson ’66 Robert Carlson ’68 Dorothy Richardson ’68
1970s
Lawrence McPhee ’70 Albert George ’72 Sheilah Carroll ’73 Dorothy Richardson ’73 David Cocchi ’76 Barbara Katz ’79
1980s
Arthur Van Sciver ’80
2000s
Andrew Joseph Desjardins ’01
Faculty/Staff John DeBonville Craig Greenberg
In Loving
Memory The Reverend John DeBonville wasn’t a graduate of AIC, but he meant so much to our students and alumni, and it is with great sadness that we share the news of his passing. Since the news became public, the numerous postings of former and current students on social media serve to remind us what a good and decent person he was and the impact he had on so many lives. John was encouraging, supportive, caring, and compassionate towards the people he met, and there will be no one who can replicate his unique approach to serving the students of AIC.
A graduate of Providence College, John studied at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and Andover-Newton Theological School. Since 1982, John has served AIC in several roles, first as dean of admissions, then as director of alumni relations, and then as director of campus ministry and international student advisor. He was also a professor of religion. In 2008, John was appointed the 7th Rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in West Springfield, after serving two years as Priest-in-Charge. A celebration of John’s life will be held this fall when students whom John mentored and worked with will be able to participate.
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Calendar of Events
For more information on these events, visit www.aic.edu Faces of AIC
Alumni Night
Jeremy Casey, ‘12 MBA, 11:00 a.m. at the Campus Center Auditorium
Join us for dinner and drinks in the Champion’s Club at Fenway Park at 3 p.m. and then enjoy a full game as the Red Sox take on Tampa Bay at 7:10. For tickets or more info contact Heather Caisse at 413.205.3004 or heather.caisse@aic.edu.
Tuesday, September 16 Tuesday, October 21 Kevin Saremi, ‘83 MBA and Deborah Lerewski Saremi, ‘84 MBA
Tuesday, November 18
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Gale Kirkwood
Homecoming
Preview Day
Come be a part of tradition at AIC’s homecoming weekend. Go Yellow Jackets! NEW THIS YEAR – Reserve a tailgating parking space and help us cheer on the YJ football team as we take on the University of New Haven by contacting Heather Caisse at 413.205.3004 or heather.caisse@aic.edu.
AIC’s Preview Day is a great way to see the campus through the eyes of an AIC student! Spend the day in real AIC classes, learning from our faculty and seeing what college is really about.
Fall Open House
Veteran’s Day
AIC’s fall Open House is an opportunity for prospective students to tour campus, learn about our programs of study, and talk to current students.
American International College hosts our annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, 11:00 a.m. on the campus quadrangle.
Friday & Saturday, October 17 & 18, 2014
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014 & Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Summer 2014 | 27
American International College 1000 State Street Springfield, Massachusetts 01109 www.aic.edu
WELCOME Alumni
Homecoming Weekend
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Friday & Saturday, October 17 & 18, 2014
Come be a part of tradition at AIC’s homecoming weekend. Tour the campus and see where we have been and hear about where we are going. End the day with a tailgate barbecue and help us cheer on our Division II football team! Go Yellow Jackets! Friday, October 17 Open Classes Co-Curricular Hall of Fame Induction and Reception Evening at the Stinger  Saturday, October 18 Alumni Sports Games Breakfast with President Maniaci Football Game 25th and 50th class Reunion Dinners
New
$25.
Reserve a guaranteed tailgate parking spot for
For information, contact Heather Caisse at 413.205.3004 or heather.caisse@aic.edu.