A m er i c a n In t er n at i on a l C ol l e g e
INSIDE:
US Ambassador to Estonia Michael C. Polt ’75
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Welcome, Danielle I would like to introduce myself as the new Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at AIC. What a friendly place! Over the past several weeks, I have been welcomed warmly by alumni, students, and staff.
I am bringing AIC my thirteen years of experience in event planning and non profit community relations and fundraising. I hope to bring some fresh ideas to AIC while learning AIC’s important traditions.
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I am looking forward to bringing you social, educational and professional development events. When you have some time, please let me know about your goals for our alumni program. One of my biggest goals is to strengthen the AIC network. With more than
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Calendar of Events
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18,000 alumni worldwide, our community includes people with an incredible depth of knowledge and expertise. With your help I hope AIC can plan exciting events and programs to draw alumni and current students together.
I look forward to hearing from each of you and can’t wait to meet you in person. You can see all that is going on with our alumni chapters by visiting www.aic.edu/alumni or by calling the alumni office to inquire about upcoming events. Best wishes,
Danielle Goldaper
Scholarship to Honor Retirees The AIC community came together recently to honor two longtime faculty members who are retiring, and to establish a scholarship in their name. Mary Lou Longo, a biology professor for more than 30 years, and Judy Groff, AIC Softball Coach for more than four decades, were honored at a dinner dance in the West Wing of the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center. The event was organized by Tina Toohey ’74, director of auxiliary services at AIC, and close friend to both retirees. “Mary Lou and Judy have impacted the lives of hundreds of AIC students over their combined 80 plus years of service
to the college,” she said. “They are truly legends in their fields and will be greatly missed.”
The Mary Lou Longo/Judy Groff Scholarship was set up to benefit a student who is studying in the Health Sciences field and playing softball for AIC. The first recipient was Erin Glikes, a junior from Troy, New York, who is majoring in Nursing.
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Longo joined the AIC faculty in 1969 after graduating from the college with a bachelor’s degree in Biology.
Groff coached the Yellow Jackets for 43 seasons racking up 974 wins, eight NE-10 Regular Season Championships, three tourney and 14 NCAA appearances. In 2007, Judy received softball’s ultimate honor, election into the National Softball Hall of Fame.
Erin Glikes, the first recipient of the Mary Lou Longo/ Judy Groff Scholarship.
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Coach Calhoun and the team celebrate their victory at the NCAA tournament.
Jim Calhoun Celebrates #3 Jim Calhoun ’68, who began his Hall of Fame coaching career at the college as a men’s basketball graduate assistant following his three-year playing career at AIC, guided the University of Connecticut Huskies to their third NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball title with a 53-41 victory over Butler University April 4, 2011.
Calhoun’s third title puts him among some elite company in the college coaching ranks. He is just the fifth coach to win three NCAA titles, joining coaching legends John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight. He captured his first national championship in 1999 and led the Huskies to their second title in 2004. This past season marked the 25th year at UConn for Calhoun and his Lucent
39th as a collegiate head coach. He reached a number of milestones this season, including his 600th win at UConn, his 300th BIG EAST win and his seventh BIG EAST Tournament title, more than any other coach in conference history. To date he has compiled an overall record of 855367, which includes a record of 607230 at UConn. He posted a record of 248-137 at Northeastern University, his first and only other head coaching stop. Calhoun, who was a Charter Member of the AIC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2005, and in 2006 was a member of the Founding Class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. n
Lecture Series features AIC Alum “If it is predictable, it’s preventable.” That was the message from noted epidemiologist Dr. Leonard J. Morse, the keynote speaker at the Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture. The event, was held Wednesday, April 13 in the Griswold Theatre. Dr. Morse, a graduate of AIC (‘51), served as public health commissioner of Worcester from 2002-2010. He has had a long affiliation with the city’s Division of Public Health, going back to 1961. Before becoming public health commissioner, Dr. Morse served as a physician consultant and medical epidemiologist, with a special interest in bioterrorism.
The talk at AIC focused on education to address patterns of behavior that promote and preserve one’s health. “We are all susceptible to illness and disease, but there is much we can do to a live a fuller and healthier life,” Morse said.
They key, according to Dr. Morse is education. “You have to know an awful lot about your body in order to
protect yourself. We must continue to teach personal hygiene in the schools. The information has to be structured and integrated into the curriculum from kindergarten right through college,” he said.
Dr. Morse has been published in over 200 professional publications and has written more than 115 editorials and essays. For his talk at AIC, he selected eight events as examples of his experiences in infectious disease epidemiology. “Four instances have resulted in changes in public health guidelines (laws) and all have been published in referred medical journals,” he said. n
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Dr. Morse speaks at the Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture .
Congratulations
Assistant Dean, Dr. Nicholas Young was a contributor to the recently published American Association of School Administrator’s small tome entitled Leadership for Change. n
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Something is on the Air Something new is in the air at WAIC, American International College’s FM radio station. It’s still located in the heart of the campus, below the Dining Commons and part of the popular communications department, home to some 80 majors studying communications and new media.
But take a listen. The station has gone from its most recent identity as an adult contemporary station, to a more-tunes-than-ever ‘Jack format,’ which appears to be making music lovers happy.
The Jack format, in radio lingo, means a generous mix of classic rock, music from the 1980s and forward, some oldies, lots of one-hit wonders, and a smattering of Top 40. In other words, something for just about everyone. The format change also comes with a new name – 91.9 The Buzz – keeping in line with the college’s theme and mascot.
Professor Michelle Hook of the communication department orchestrated the switch, and now oversees daily operations. She said the new 91.9 gives the station a broader public appeal. “It’s a station that will hopefully have something everyone will like,” Hook said. “Listeners may hear a Supremes song from the 60s, back-toback with a rock song from the 90s.” Lucent
Robert in the WAIC station.
Hook said the college decided to make the switch in early spring. One thing that remains is the station’s vital link to students, via the communication department. “WAIC provides a hands-on learning tool for our students. There aren’t many communication programs out there that have their very own FCC-licensed radio station so students can broadcast live. There is no experience that equals being able to send our voice out in real time over the airwaves,” Hook said. “The Jack format enables students to learn a variety of music, and hopefully, to appreciate them,” she added.
Recent AIC graduate Robert Leavy helped to reformat the station. Working as a student employee and as an
intern, he learned a trade he hopes to turn into a career. “We switched to boost our ratings, and to give our listeners something a little bit different,” explained Leavy, who ended his time at the station in May as assistant program director.
“With the Jack format, you pretty much get a taste of everything, except for urban,” Leavy said. “You can hear songs from the 80s that you loved, and songs from today that you love. You never really know what you’re going to get. I listen to it all the time. It’s a good mix. We’re adjusting the music as we go along,”
“As a student, I got a hands-on experience about production, operations and programming. It’s been great. We have extra studios to train students. We don’t put them on live until they’ve trained and are ready to go on air,” Leavy said.
“I hope we can continue to use it as a teaching tool. It serves as a large part of our broadcast curriculum. We would like to have the opportunity to have more student DJs and producers so we have student-driven content. I would love for students to take great pride of ownership in creating a unique sound,” Hook said. n
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A Walk for Peace AIC students teamed up with members of the local community for the first annual “Walk for Peace,” Sunday, April 17 at the AIC Track. The event, sponsored by the AIC Student Government and the Western Mass. Food Bank, was aimed at bringing the college and community together as a united front against violence.
Justin Roberts ’11, AIC Student Government President, was the driving force behind the creation of the event. “We are hoping to make it an annual event which will be even bigger next year.”
Mary C. Akers, the assistant director of athletics at the college, helped organize the event and walked a mile as well. “I think it’s important for students to participate in these events and AIC students at the Walk for Peace. get to know the community they live in,” she said. “Springfield can be a beautiful place to live, and there are many wonderful things happening in the city that do not include crime and violence.” n summer shorts |
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Staff and Students Help Cleanup The campus of American International College may have been spared by the recent tornado, but that hasn’t stopped AIC students from providing assistance to those who were hit by the recent storm. Keshawn Dodds ’01, director of Greek Life at AIC, said students and staff members have been out in the streets helping to clean up the mess.
“We just go out and start cleaning, mostly in the area of Island Pond Road,” he said. Residents are a little taken aback at first when they see 10 or 15 of us show up with rakes and trash bags, but when we tell them we just want to help, they really appreciate it,” he said. The AIC volunteers are not limited to fraternities. “Because we have so many local students, we are able to muster up a large contingent of volunteers, including some of the college’s residence life staff,” Dodds said.
At least 15 students have show up at homes with rakes, chain saws and other tools to help clear the way. The students say they feel lucky their campus was spared by the tornado, and that’s reason enough to help out residents in need. “We were all affected and we are all neighbors. We want to make sure that Springfield is not known as the 12th worst city. Because, you see all the people out here helping. We want to make sure that there is a bright light and if somebody is hurting we want to give our time to help.” Wausa Onigbanjo ’11, a member of Phi Theta Fraternity and football player at American International College, said, “The first house we went to, we cleared a lot of leaves, but the second house was a disaster. We started chopping trees, moving debris, loading trailers. The damage is almost unbearable,” he said. n
Director of Greek Life, Keshawn Dodds helps in the clean up.
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Memorial for Professor Cavanaugh Friends and family of former AIC professor Miriam Cavanaugh gathered for a memorial luncheon April 15 at the Oak Ridge Country Club in Agawam. Professor Cavanaugh, who died recently, spent more than 30 years at AIC. She was chair of the English Department, advisor to the Yellow Jacket and coordinator of the Scholastic Press Forum.
A longtime West Springfield resident, Miriam earned her B.A. degree at the University of Missouri, a master’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts. n
She was also a reporter for the Springfield Newspapers, and published fiction and features in several major magazines.
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Professor Cavanaugh
Thanks for another Successful Outing The Fourth Annual President’s Cup Golf Outing was enjoyed by more than 100 golfers this June at The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, MA. Players competed for lowest Net and Gross scores, a putting contest and even “best dressed foursome” while they enjoyed the beautiful New England sunshine and shared stories about AIC. The competition from the course was carried on into the auction after dinner, where the top selling item went for more than $600.00.
Thanks to the golfers and sponsors, the President’s Cup raised more than $65,000 for American International College. Plans are already underway for the 2012 Golf Outing. We hope you’ll consider joining us! n
Honorary Chairperson Gale Kirwood starts the outing with the first drive.
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Nomadic Diplomat by Mimi Rigali
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ichael C. Polt ’75 has come a long way since his American International College days.
Polt is the United States Ambassador to Estonia, a tiny country wedged between Latvia and Russia on the Baltic Sea. The ambassador has been in the country less than two years, but fits in already he said by email. “My wife Hallie and I feel very comfortable and welcome already here in Tallinn (Estonia’s capital). You learn to adapt and make yourself at home very quickly in diplomatic life,” he said. That life is one that “at all levels is a family affair,” he said. “My wife and our two children have been a critical part of the Polt diplomatic team,” he added. “Moving around the world for our country has brought us closer as a family even as we have had to weather the difficulties of a nomadic lifestyle.” On any given day, his schedule may include a morning press briefing, do-
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mestic and international press, followed by a meeting with a group of visitors to the Embassy, lunch with the American Chamber of Commerce, a call on the Education Minister to discuss the International School in Tallin, office time for blogging and tweeting and meeting with Embassy colleagues, an evening event with a visiting Congressional delegation. Prior to his current 3-year assignment, Polt’s posts have included stints in Bonn, Mexico City, Copenhagen and Serbia and Montenegro, the later of which was notably different from his Estonia post. “In Serbia and Montenegro, my role as Ambassador was to help that country achieve what Estonia has already done – accomplish the transition from authoritarian rule to a free, future-oriented society and a strong relationship to the United States and Europe,” he said. Born to Austrian parents, Polt became an American citizen when he was 14 years old. His parents had
divorced and his mother remarried an American diplomat assigned to Vienna. His stepfather inspired his interest in diplomacy. His “love and now wife inspired my choice of AIC as a college to attend,” he said. “Hallie was getting her physical education degree at Springfield College and we did not want to be apart.” Polt’s degree from AIC is in English, a choice arrived at circuitously. “After starting out in pre-med and not doing well, I received good help from professors who helped me in making different choices and switching to English as my major,” he said. “I loved it and did well.” AIC also allowed him “to acquire more work/life skills,” he added. “If I remember correctly, as a junior and senior, I was the only undergraduate head resident of a dormitory (coed – imagine!). But that wasn’t my only job. I also used to run the college switchboard during the graveyard shift from midnight until 8 a.m. That good, old-fashioned liberal arts degree has indeed served Polt well. “It’s still the best all-around under-
graduate base for one’s future,” he said. “My English major made me smarter, more articulate, better informed about a whole host of things, and more confident in forging my future . . . “As a diplomat, I have had to be well informed and flexible in dealing with a broad variety of disciplines. Liberal arts was the perfect preparation for what I do today.” Polt also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Tennessee and is fluent in German and Spanish. That broad perspective has tendered the ability to assess and address issues particular to a country. In Estonia’s case, the verdict is admiration for a people whose “hospitality, friendship towards Americans, endurance and sense of purpose are legendary. This country has worked a miracle the past 20 years and the secret has been the Estonian people,” he said. Since the country has endured many military conflicts during the 20th century, a large amount of land mines remain and their removal is one of Estonia’s major initiatives.
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by Mary Ellen Lowney
“I love everything about it – the competition, the athleticism, I like hitting people hard after a hard day’s work,” she said. “To be able to just let it go is great. I have this whole other person in me when I put my skates on.” Lucent
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enee Forzano ’01, came to AIC in 1999 as a transfer student with a hankering for hands-on experience in the news business She left two years later, communication degree and diploma in hand, with classroom learning, news gathering and production experience that landed her in jobs at two area television stations – WFSB Channel 3 in Hartford and WGGB abc40/Fox in Springfield, where she remains as weekend news producer.
Never one to rest on her laurels, this 33-year-old is back at AIC, earning a master’s degree in counseling, along with a license, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies, all to help her in her latest career goal, to become a high school counselor and educator. Think that’s enough?
Forzano spends her weekends on roller skates, chasing a jammer as ‘Big Vinny’s Kid’ on Western Mass Destruction, one of five teams that make up the Pioneer Valley Roller Derby.
For Forzano, it’s all about throwing herself into what she loves, and living life to the absolute fullest. “You could say I always try to make the most of my experiences,” said Forzano with a laugh. “In high school, I was an okay student. But when I got to AIC, I just
found my niche. I was doing stuff that I wanted to be doing. And I just kept on going from there,”
Those who know her say she’s all on-top energy, and a quick study for whatever interests her. “From the moment she stepped on campus, Renee was full of energy and ideas,” recalled Craig Greenberg, who was then advisor to the AIC newspaper, the Yellow Jacket.
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Forzano’s enthusiasm for all things media and communication began when she was an eighth-grader in Ludlow. An English teacher suggested that she might find fun and learning in a journalism class, and Forzano bit the bait. She was hooked from the start, she said.
As a senior at Ludlow High School, and editor-in-chief of ‘The Cub’ newspaper, she won a news award at AIC’s annual Scholastic Press Forum. She was invited to join both the college and the Yellow Jacket newspaper, which she did following two years at a community college.
By the time she arrived at AIC, the Yellow Jacket was in a slump, and Forzano was asked to take over, a job she gladly took on. “We brought it from once a semester to once a month,” Forzano said. “During my last year, we upped it to twice a month. It was like we were starting from the ground up,” she said. “She brought new life Continued on page 14
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“Estonian explosive experts and mine-sweeping teams have removed more than 50,000 pieces of unexploded devices from the seabed and from land,” Polt said. “The United States contributed several millions of dollars in material and human resources to help in that effort,” he said. In his distinguished diplomatic career, Polt’s assignment in Panama remains “one of the most unusual experiences of my diplomatic career,” he said. “I arrived as a senior diplomat in a U.S. Embassy that did not recognize the de facto leader of Panama. And while our Embassy continued to operate, our diplomatic status, and thus its protections, was far from clear. There were daily confrontations between (Manuel) Noriega’s regime and our diplomatic and military presence in the country. Meanwhile, the United States maintained the responsibility for protecting the Panama Canal. Surreal was one way to describe the situation.” The situation eventually became so tense, Polt’s family had to return to the states for safety, while he remained at the Embassy.
“More than half a year after their departure, we intervened militarily to help the Panamanian people rid themselves of their dictator. The rest is history.” Lucent
As Polt looks over his 35-year career, he said he has given “a positive human face to the American image, power and reputation abroad. I have been creative and decisive in leading initiatives that have made American influence in the world count, even when our policies have not always been popular among all. I have always proudly represented American values.” In the end, Polt said he will always be a diplomat. “This is a vocation, not a job,” he said. “When I retire from the Foreign Service, my wife and I will stay engaged in international affairs and I would like to pass on to young people at a college or university some of what I have learned over the years . . . but I would like to have more time for sailing.” Polt has received repeatedly the Presidential Meritorious Service Award and numerous Department of State Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards for Outstanding Policy Leadership, Management, Crisis Performance and Political Analysis. Polt and wife relax sailing the Chesapeake Bay and the Virgin Islands, skiing the Swiss Alps, biking along the shores of the Baltic – and “playing with our iPads.” n
14 to the stagnant Yellow Jacket n e w s p a p e r, introducing a new format with a greater emphasis on writing and photography,” Renee Forzano Greenberg said. “During her time at the college, Renee became involved in a multitude of activities, including student government, the Garret Players, and she was even a DJ on WAIC,” he said. Forzano found a lot to love at AIC. “I was looking for hands-on experience, and AIC had a lot of adjuncts at that time who were working in the news industry. I loved that. I was able to learn directly from people working in the field itself,” she said. There were also a new TV studio and other modern equipment that made production true-to-life, she said.
Since graduating, Forzano has worked at Channel 3 in Hartford and at Channel 40 in Springfield. Currently, the television job is part-time. She works weekdays as a representative for Balfour, a national company that sells class rings, diplomas, caps and gowns, sweater jackets and other educational items. It was on her ongoing company visits to area high schools that Forzano realized she had found another calling. “I’ve
been working pretty closely with high school students, and I’ve found that I connect with them. I like them – they’re fun to be around, and I see that some of them need a lot of help,” she said.
Last year, it was back to AIC for Forzano. The program that she is enrolled in is rigorous. She will finish in 2014. But it’s a goal she’s more than happy to keep working at.
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Forzano is finding fun on the roller derby team, an involvement that began five years ago almost as a lark. “I went to an open skate looking for some exercise one night. I met two people who were starting a roller derby team, and I said, ‘Where do I sign up?’” she said. She plays on a team of 13, practicing twice weekly in Northampton and traveling to places like Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wallington, New Jersey, and even Kanata, Ottawa, for competitions. Forzano loves it. “I love everything about it – the competition, the athleticism, I like hitting people hard after a hard day’s work,” she said. “To be able to just let it go is great. I have this whole other person in me when I put my skates on.” n
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American International College 1000 State Street Springfield, Massachusetts 01109 www.aic.edu
Alumni Calendar of Upcoming Events For more information, please contact: Danielle Goldaper, Director of alumni Relations and Annual Giving 413.205.3929 | danielle.goldaper@aic.edu www.aic.edu/alumni/calendar
September 28 Career Planning Seminar Bradley Room, Schwartz Campus Center October 21 Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Hall of Fame Room, O’Donnell Hall of Fame October 22 Homecoming Weekend Join fellow alumni for a fun-filled day of football and feasting. Special events include a nursing reunion and varsity club flag football.