2018 Spring Lucent

The Alumni Magazine of American International College

Spring 2018

INVINCIBLE IN A LIFE FILLED WITH ADVERSITY, AIC'S OWN VINCENT HALL FOUND A WAY TO RISE UP

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Greetings,

The 2017-18 academic year at American International College has been marked by outstanding growth, outreach, and achievement. The members of the Class of 2021, one of the largest incoming classes in AIC history, successfully completed their freshman year, while the Class of 2018 is on the precipice of life’s next journey. They are all to be commended for carrying on the traditions of academic excellence at American International College.

Service to the community is paramount at AIC, and there have been numerous efforts to support those facing hardships. In keeping with the College mission, which is firmly rooted in a commitment to access, opportunity, and diversity, AIC created the Puerto Rico Relief Scholarship in response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria. The College invited displaced students to continue their education and join AIC’s vibrant student body, with our compassionate staff guiding them through the process.

Further, AIC launched Rex’s Pantry, a food and necessities pantry housed on campus that assists community members in need. Inaugural deliveries of food and winter clothing were made in late December to local nonprofit organizations and shelters. Most recently, Rex’s Pantry volunteers, including members of Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, the men's ice hockey team, and campus ministry, prepared and served meals to hundreds of men, women and children in Springfield, MA.

Ever mindful of those who have gone before us in serving and immortalizing others, American International College hosted a display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in observance of this traveling monument’s 30th anniversary. The AIDS Quilt honors and gives voice to the thousands of individuals who passed away due to AIDS-related complications.

This powerful and important learning opportunity was held in the West Wing Gallery, and was viewed by students, faculty, staff and the public.

From our distinguished faculty encouraging our students to reach their fullest potential, to our administration and staff, dedicated to the values of integrity and selfless service, the AIC community never fails to amaze and inspire me. In turn, I hope the people—the alumni, students and faculty—you will read about in this latest edition of Lucent magazine will amaze and inspire you as well.

I wish each of you a happy and healthy summer.

Sincerely,

Vince Maniaci President

Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16

INSIDE THIS ISSUE LUCENT Magazine Spring 2018 Editor

Bob Cole Art Director

Mike Eriquezzo Contributors

Garry Brown '55 Eugene Deykin Ellen Dooley Heather Gawron Seth Kaye Lani Kretschmar '77 Candy Lash Justin Lewis Chris Maza Leon Nguyen '16 Michael Reid Dan Surdyka

FEATURES 4 NEW DIGS 6 AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT EXHIBITION 10 PERU 12 10,000 HOURS 16 INVINCIBLE 22 STINGER UNPLUGGED 24 JUJUBEE @ AIC 26 HEART OF A CHAMPION 28 BUILDING THE CITY OF GOD

ON THE FRONT COVER AIC physical therapy student Vincent Hall of Long Beach, New York.

Full story by Garry Brown '55 on page 16.

32 A STARZYK IS BORN 38 MAKING THE DIFFERENCE 42 THE MASTER OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

ON THE BACK COVER

48 IN THE ZONE

Rex Report: Jason Coscio '16, MBA '18

52 REX'S PANTRY 54 SEEING RED

Join AIC's Alumni Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Email us at alumni@aic.edu or give us a call at 413.205.3520.

62 BACK IN THE GAME

American International College 1000 State Street Springfield, MA 01109 www.aic.edu

68 CLASS NOTES

2 CAMPUS UPDATE 60 ALUMNI NEWS

70 GO YELLOW JACKETS! AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 1

AIC CAMPUS UPDATE

AIC JOINS HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

INAUGURAL DOCTORAL GRADUATION AND HOODING CEREMONY AT THE GRISWOLD THEATRE

American International College recently joined the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as an associate member. Established in 1986 with a founding membership of 18 institutions, HACU now represents more than 470 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, and Spain. While member institutions in the United States represent only 13% of all higher education institutions nationwide, together these colleges and universities are home to two-thirds of all Hispanic college students.

AIC OFFERS HELPING HAND AFTER HURRICANE MARIA In December 2017, AIC announced the establishment of the Puerto Rico Relief Scholarship, a temporary program that allows students to continue their studies while Puerto Rico rebuilds its infrastructure following the impact of Hurricane Maria. Students who were displaced were invited to attend AIC during the spring 2018 or fall 2018 semester at a greatly reduced cost. Participants can apply for additional federal financial aid, while the College guides prospective students through the application and financial aid process.

"It is not just the reduction in AIC’s tuition that is beneficial, it is the College’s sincere humanitarian interest in reaching out to students during a period of uncertainty that is commendable. Truly, AIC is committed to access, opportunity, and diversity, and we are all the richer for the institution’s generosity and higher dedication to the academic pursuits of all students."

Marcos A. Marrero Director Planning and Economic Development City of Holyoke

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American International College conferred 48 doctoral degrees at the inaugural Doctoral Graduation and Hooding Ceremony in the Esther B. Griswold Theatre on the AIC campus on May 12, 2018. The event attracted a standing room only crowd in recognition of the significant academic achievements of the graduates. A reception in the West Wing Gallery immediately followed the doctoral ceremony.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE'S 133RD COMMENCEMENT President Vince Maniaci and the Board of Trustees led the American International College community in honoring more than 1,000 undergraduate students and master’s degree candidates at the College’s 133rd Commencement at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA, on May 12, 2018.

Darnell Williams ’79, Hon ’18, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for his outstanding achievement in the social sciences and significant community contributions at the local and national levels.

Darnell Williams ’79, Hon ’18, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, delivered the 2018 commencement address.

AIC lauded the academic achievements of (from left) Allison Reardon '18, salutatorian; Jesse Cram '18, co-valedictorian; and Bryant Christian '18, co-valedictorian.

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NEW DIGS

In response to the need for dedicated graduate student housing, American International College has begun construction on the new Acorn Graduate Residence Hall, located at 181 Acorn Street adjacent to the College’s athletics facilities.

The official groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 24, 2018, and included remarks from AIC President Vince Maniaci, Denise Jordan, chief of staff for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Hon ’16, AIC Board of Trustees Chair Frank Colaccino ’73, Hon ’12, Kevin Kennedy, Springfield’s chief development officer for the Office of Planning and Economic Development, and Brian O’Shaughnessy, AIC’s vice president for student affairs.

Once completed in late summer of 2018, the three-story building will total 13,929 square feet and include eight fully furnished units, which will feature four single bedrooms, as well as full kitchens, dining and living spaces. The two first-floor units will be fully ADA compliant. On-site parking and laundry facilities will be available.

Kerry Cole Dean of Graduate Admissions, AIC

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Kevin Kennedy Chief Development Officer, Office of Planning and Economic Development, City of Springfield

Denise Jordan

Frank Colaccino ’73, Hon ’12

Chief of Staff for Mayor Domenic Sarno, City of Springfield

Chair, Board of Trustees, AIC

Photo Credit: Leon Nguyen '16

Alexander Cross

Jeff Bednarz

Vince Maniaci

Brian O’Shaughnessy

Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct, AIC

Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services, AIC

President, AIC

Vice President for Student Affairs, AIC

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WO R L D A I D S DAY

12.1.17 American International College’s West Wing Gallery in the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center played host to sections of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in late November and early December 2017.

The College proudly displayed The Quilt for the public in conjunction with its 30th anniversary.

Photo Credit: Seth Kaye

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Photo Credit: Leon Nguyen '16

T

he internationally celebrated 54 ½-ton, handmade tapestry has stood as a memorial to and celebration of the lives of more than 96,000 individuals lost to AIDS since 1987. Many who died of AIDS-related causes in the 1980s did not receive funerals due to the social stigma attached to the disease and the refusal of many funeral homes and cemeteries to handle the deceased's remains. Without the ability to hold memorial services or have access to burial sites, The Quilt was often the only opportunity family members, friends, and survivors had to remember and celebrate the lives of those they lost. Individual quilt panels are typically very personalized and are created by the loved ones of an individual who died of AIDS-related causes. By design, each panel is three feet by six feet, the size of a human grave.

The College displayed 20 blocks, and response was very positive, with requests from the Boston area, Cape Cod, and Connecticut to have specific panels included.

The Quilt, maintained and displayed by The NAMES Foundation, serves two purposes—to bring awareness to the enormity of the AIDS pandemic and to provide support to those affected by it, and to raise funds for community-based AIDS service organizations and to increase funding for AIDS prevention and education.

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Photo Credit: Seth Kaye

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PERU WITH AN EYE TOWARD THE FUTURE, AIC’S SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES CONTINUES TO FIND NEW WAYS TO BROADEN STUDENTS’ HORIZONS.

During the spring of 2018, Kate Barlow, OTD, MS, OTR/L, an assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Therapy (OT), led eight intrepid students to Peru, where they received hands-on training as well as new cultural experiences as part of the College’s International, Interprofessional Service Learning course.

Five occupational therapy students and three nursing students worked in a residential pediatric hospital-based clinic in Cuzco, helping children ranging in ages from two to 15 years old—most with cerebral palsy—develop feeding and self-care skills, and improve range of motion.

Barlow says the work in the clinic exposed the students to opportunities that typically aren’t available in the United States due to stricter regulations.

“It was a great opportunity for students to feel tone because usually you’re not able to feel that until

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you’ve finished your entire academic program at a school because in America we have such strict guidelines on students touching anybody,” she says.

“In a foreign country where there are no therapists, they’re like, ‘Great, come help us.’”

Barlow explains the class was deliberately designed to incorporate students from the OT and nursing programs because “interprofessional education is the way of the future in health care” and the College hopes to develop more classes with similar models in the future.

While the time in the clinic was invaluable from a training perspective, first-year OT graduate student Victoria Lehr adds the group especially appreciated the chance to venture out into the country with their tour guide, visiting the ancient city of Machu Picchu, as well as the communities of Luquina and Puno.

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Photo Credit: State Street Corporation

By Ellen Dooley Lou Maiuri ’86, an executive vice president at State Street,

one of the world’s oldest and largest financial institutions, began his journey from athletics to algorithms in a rather unlikely and unassuming place: an 1980s-era computer lab at AIC. As an ambitious, intellectually curious undergrad with the drive of an athlete and an insatiable appetite for the new, perhaps it's not surprising that Maiuri gradually shifted his focus from the hockey rink to a career field so cutting-edge, complex, and constantly evolving, its implications and applications wouldn't be fully appreciated for decades to come. Even Maiuri, whose predictive powers are far greater than most, couldn't have anticipated where the odyssey would eventually lead.

“I came to AIC to play hockey,” said Maiuri, “and I started out as an accounting major, but I always had an interest in computers, so I switched to information systems management with a concentration in finance. AIC built a computer lab—a mini-frame is what we had then—and not many schools had them. Everything was pretty primitive compared to today, but I was taking programming classes and running the lab, helping other students with their homework. My professor was awesome. He encouraged all of this, got me hooked on it, and then let me run the lab.”

Maiuri references the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell's work exploring the factors that contribute to world-class levels of expertise and success, including the now-famous 10,000-Hour Rule.

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“

AIC BUILT A COMPUTER LAB—A MINI-FRAME IS WHAT WE HAD THEN—AND NOT MANY SCHOOLS HAD THEM...

MY PROFESSOR WAS AWESOME. HE ENCOURAGED ALL OF THIS, GOT ME HOOKED ON IT, AND THEN LET ME RUN THE LAB.

”

“I got exposure to computers in the '80s at AIC when most people didn’t have the untethered access that I had,” said Maiuri. “I would be working in the lab until midnight and all of that immersion was like my own version of Outliers, though I didn't know it at the time. I also had a little business on the side helping people build databases for their companies. I ended up having my own software company. My undergrad experiences kind of launched and informed my career.”

Maiuri's career officially began with his first job after college as a programmer for Travelers Insurance. From there he worked in the fixed income and equity investment divisions at Fidelity Investments, and went on to hold top executive positions at Eagle Investment Systems, LLC, a software company he founded with three partners and later sold to BNY Mellon, where he was a member of the Operating Committee and head of the global financial institutions group.

More than two decades ago, Maiuri was vice president of technology at State Street, and today he leads two of the firm's businesses: State Street Global Markets and State Street Global Exchange, providing research that improves the efficient use of client capital, utilizing sophisticated real-time data, analytics and electronic trading solutions.

He is also a member of State Street’s Management Committee, the company’s most senior strategy and policy-making team.

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His leadership style is best explained by a question his son once asked him, “Dad, what do you actually do?” Maiuri replied, “I don't do anything—I get things done through people.

“My role is leading, influencing. I'm like a coach.

Can I pick the right players, set the winning strategy, create the right culture, hold them accountable?

I like building businesses, building high-performing teams where we work together to solve problems. I get a great deal of satisfaction from that.”

Over the course of his 30-plus year career, Maiuri has seen changes and developments in the cyber-financial fusion that boggle the mind. “The single biggest thing that we see today is that technology is playing such a huge role in most every industry. Bitcoin, for example, can be very disruptive to the financial services industry. The rate and speed of technology change is happening at a far greater speed than I have ever seen. The impact of this change is that some jobs are going away and new jobs are being created. Data is at the core of most every industry and understanding data science and quantitative methods are skills that are imperative in today’s workforce. One of the reasons I'm in the position I'm in is my background in both technology and finance. Having that woven into the very fabric of what I do, that powerful combination makes us agile and effective. The work I do is exciting and hard. Just when you think you've ‘got it,’ it can be disrupted by someone or some event.”

Maiuri is up at 4:30 a.m. every morning, off to the gym, and in the office by 6 a.m., checking in with his teams around the globe. From dawn to dusk he is in nonstop meetings with stakeholders, from clients to regulators to employers. “I work seven days a week,” Maiuri said. “I keep crazy hours, but it’s not a burden. Every day is different.

“I have this philosophy that I share with the people I work with. I was a student-athlete, and I ask them, ‘Who was an athlete? Did you practice? How many of you practice your work?’”

If it sounds as though Maiuri is assigning “homework,” that’s because he is—and it’s nothing he doesn’t expect of himself.

“I read a lot of macro-economic research, usually between 5 and 8 a.m. on the weekends so it doesn’t interfere with family time. Sometimes I read inspirational material just to get me to think differently.

I’m inquisitive. I always want to learn new things.”

To relax and unwind, Maiuri turns to his family, golf, music, and video games.

“Some of the best times I had at AIC were with my Tau Kappa Epsilon brothers, and I still play golf with some of my fraternity brothers. I also play musical instruments, mostly guitar and drums. It’s more therapeutic than anything.

“I also really like playing Xbox. Playing video games is not only fun, it keeps me alert to the art of the possible. The computer power is amazing. I tell my wife it’s so I can be innovative, but I really just enjoy playing the game. People see me as a banker, but I have a creative side.”

10,000 hours. And then some.

AIC CIRCA 1986: In addition to being president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, playing varsity ice hockey and serving as a member of the Data Processing Management Association, Maiuri was perhaps most well known for his role as Student Activities DJ. Photo Credit: Paul Zielinski AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 15

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VINCIBLE

BY GARRY BROWN '55

ABANDONED. REJECTED. HOMELESS.

Knocked down twice—once by a sports injury, once by a car accident. Yet AIC senior Vincent Hall of Long Beach, New York, still stands tall, sights firmly set on his goal—a doctorate in physical therapy.

In a life marked by heartbreak, rejection and deep disappointment, this 6'5", 230-pound gentle giant has managed to maintain a can-do attitude, always looking ahead, no matter what.

How does he do it? He says the answer can be found on a tattoo on his chest. It's taken from a quote by the rapper Drake: “live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending, speak without offending.”

Photo Credit: Seth Kaye

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T

he story begins with Vincent and his fraternal twin, Princeton Hall, about to enter preschool in Long Beach, when their parents decided to divorce. Their mother took them to Florida, where they lived for eight years. During that time, they lost contact with their dad. When they became adolescents, their mother felt they needed a male figure in their lives and chose to place them in boarding school.

“She first sent us to Oneida Baptist Institute (in Oneida, Kentucky) for sixth grade. A year later, she switched us to the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch (in Live Oak, Florida),” Vincent said. While there, Vincent’s mother decided to move to California, and left the boys behind, at the boarding school. “She packed up and left without a word,” Vincent said.

What would happen to them? They feared they would become wards of the state. Fortunately, they were saved from that by an aunt, who brought them back to Long Island, where she was able to track down their father.

“My aunt found out that he was getting married, so the three of us crashed the wedding. Our dad's new wife was stunned to see us—she didn't know he had kids.”

His new wife soon made it clear that she didn't want the twins around—more rejection in their young lives.

“Our dad didn't abandon us, but he didn't want to be with us, either. He got us an apartment in a rundown building in a Long Beach ghetto. He'd bring money every week, but we were basically living by ourselves while we were in eighth grade. We kept quiet about it— didn't tell anybody at school,” Vincent said.

INTO THE ARENA As a rebellious eighth grader, Vincent had a discipline problem that put him in danger of being suspended from school. He had to face Raymond Adams, dean of the school who also happened to be the wrestling coach.

“He basically told me that I could be suspended, or I could go out for the wrestling team. I said, ‘Is that anything like the World Wide Wrestling Federation?’ He said, ‘No, come out and we'll show you.’ That's when I found the father figure I was looking for. Coach Adams took me under his wing; treated me like one of his own.

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LIDO BEACH, NY - JAN 30, 2008: Vincent Hall of Long Beach, top, gets the better of Pat Zagarino of Bellmore JFK en route to a victory by decision at 171 pounds during varsity wrestling competition at Long Beach High School. Long Beach won the match 33-23. © James Esche

He taught me how to wrestle, and how to have good sportsmanship on and off the mat. Being part of a team gave me a family kind of feeling I never knew before.”

As a rookie wrestler, Vincent did well. He won eight of nine matches, showing promise for the future.

“During the summer before ninth grade, our dad came around and made it clear again that he didn't want us.

His new wife was a lawyer, and he had a house, a BMW, a lavish lifestyle. He said, ‘You think I'm going to give all that up for you?’ That really tore me up, but it also made me push harder with wrestling—in part, to win my dad’s favor.”

Vincent trained, lifted weights and went into ninth grade at 160 pounds. He made the high school varsity team (also coached by Adams) as a freshman and earned a spot in the starting lineup. It was a good year for Vincent. He placed fourth in the state, and went to the nationals in Fargo, North Dakota.

“That was another thing wrestling did for me—I got to travel,” he said. Now up to 171 pounds, Vincent went to the nationals again as a sophomore after pinning the No. 2-seeded wrestler in the Nassau County sectional tournament.

“The meet was at Hofstra University before a big crowd. I got tremendous applause for that pin. A great feeling,” he said.

Photo Credit: Leon Nguyen '16

Vincent really blossomed as a junior, bigger and stronger than ever. Wrestling in the 189-pound class, he went 44-4 with a high percentage of pins. However, in the Nassau County sectional tournament, he ran into a kind of adversity he had never encountered before—an injury.

“I was wrestling this kid, and somehow he turned my right knee the wrong way, like at a 90-degree angle.

That was it—a torn meniscus. I was devastated. At that age, I thought I was invincible. Never thought I could be hurt.”

With the injury came orthopedic surgery, followed by his introduction to physical therapy.

“When I started PT, I thought I would never walk again, but it brought me all the way back. I was so impressed, I knew right then that I wanted to be a physical therapist. Toward the end of that summer, I was able to lift weights and I was running three miles every morning.

I went into that wrestling season with fire in my eyes.

I loved my coach. I was ranked fourth nationally, and second in Nassau County. I was at 210 pounds and solid. I felt stronger than ever. PT helped me believe in myself again,” Vincent said.

Then … a setback out of nowhere.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT “It was a gloomy day, and my brother came banging on my door, wondering where his bike was. I told him I left it at my friend's house, and I said I would go get it right away. He said ‘Why'd you do that?’ Then he punched me in the face and ran out the door. I chased him and slammed him to the ground. He got up, went inside, grabbed a kitchen knife from the drawer and stabbed me twice in the lower back and left side.” The stabbing severed nerves, and Vincent lost sensation in his left leg. While in the hospital, the doctor advised Vincent to give up wrestling for the remainder of the season.

The stabbing incident happened a week before the first tournament of his senior year. Still, he had the willpower to carry on. Vincent forgave his brother, refusing to turn him in. Instead, he spent that wrestling season on the sidelines, cheering on his teammates. He was team captain, but could not compete.

“What a time to be out. It was depressing. I had to watch the team win, but not perform. The team had a great year, won everything,” he said. Once again, though, Vincent was able to summon inner strength and carry on. He concentrated on finishing his senior year, graduating in 2010, and by that time the nerve damage was fully healed.

He went on to Jamestown Community College in upstate New York, but the year went so badly for him he was dismissed from school. He went back to Long

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 19

Beach, and was living with his father. Again, though, his dad decided to remarry, and “he kicked me out of his house.” At that point, Vincent was homeless.

“The only person who could help me then was Coach Adams,” Vincent said. “I told him my situation, and he was in a state of disbelief. He knew my potential, and he didn't want me to fall victim to doing or selling drugs and being in and out of jail. So, he and Assistant Coach Leo Palacio found me a place to live for a year. It was with the Palacio family. They helped me get a job at a Marshalls clothing store. As it turned out, I didn't like retail, and I feared that I'd be stuck with that if I didn't get back to school.”

After that year, he reapplied at Jamestown, convinced the registrar that he could redeem himself, and did it.

“I made the Dean's List—an amazing feeling,” he said.

THE LONG ROAD Vincent then decided to leave Jamestown and transfer to Nassau Community College on Long Island. That meant he was about to be homeless again.

Adam DeJesus, his best friend on the high school wrestling team, stepped up and told Vincent he could stay with him. “It meant some sacrifices for Adam, because his place was crowded, but he was willing to do it. He wanted me to continue my education,” Vincent said.

DeJesus also was at Nassau. He graduated while Vincent was still there and moved away from Long Beach.

The result: Vincent was homeless once more. He moved into his cousin's vacant house, rife with “drug dealers, crackheads, roaches and bed bugs.” He stayed there for a year and a half, sleeping fitfully on couches, trying to avoid any trouble. Through all of that, he never missed classes.

“James Hodge (director of the Martin Luther King Center in Long Beach) knew of my daily battles, and helped me. When I told him I needed a chemistry tutor, he put a request on Facebook.” A reply came from Johanna Sofield, founder of The Long Beach Christmas Angel Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting families in the Long Beach City School District with financial difficulties.

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“She reached out and helped me find a tutor. When I asked her about the cost, she said, ‘Just show up. It's all taken care of.’ Then, she found me a place to live. At first, she let me stay in one of her houses. Later, after she got to know me well enough, she asked her husband, daughter, and three sons if I could move in with them. They said yes right away, and I have been with them for over two years now. They feel like the family I never had,” he said.

In 2016, Vincent received an associate’s degree from Nassau Community College. Then he went to work at the Long Beach Recreation Center as he looked for colleges that could lead him to his PT goal. He applied to 12 schools that allowed transfer from a community college, and gained acceptance from each one.

Meanwhile, his twin saw Vincent’s success at Nassau and followed him there, earning an associate's degree in criminal justice. “He’s in Queens now, working on special-needs cases. We're good. We're brothers. I love the guy,” Vincent said.

In his search for schools that offered 3+3 PT programs, American International College stood out. The College's offer of “small classes, big impact” seemed just right for him. Mrs. Sofield offered to take him to Springfield for a tour of the AIC campus.

“She was impressed and encouraged me to pick AIC. When she heard that it also offered tutoring services, she said, ‘This is the school for you!’ It was a no brainer. AIC just felt right.”

But Vincent had to deal with one more setback. On Aug. 20, 2016, seven days before he was scheduled to start at AIC as a junior, he was struck by a police car as he was riding his bicycle in Long Beach.

“The vehicle seemed to come out of nowhere. It knocked me unconscious and I wound up in the hospital with side, shoulder and back injuries—and memory problems.

“The doctor suggested that I take a semester off to recuperate from the level three concussion I suffered in the accident, but I was 25 years old and didn't want to delay any longer,” Vincent said.

His first semester at AIC was “super tough,” but a course in cognitive psychology taught by Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Psychology Sandra Sego

helped a great deal as he sought to bring his memory all the way back. He learned how memory works, which in turn helped him learn how to make his own memory more efficient and effective.

Still, he was troubled in the early weeks by low grades, which made him fearful of his future at AIC. “There was a week off from classes around Columbus Day, and I was supposed to go back to Long Beach for the break.

I wanted to go, but I stayed here to figure out school.

I'd get up at 5 a.m., watch YouTube videos relating to my classes, and get to work. I was relentless. My grades skyrocketed after staying here that week.”

To help compensate for the memory loss caused by the car accident, Vincent took advantage of AIC's Supportive Learning Services, which provides one-on-one tutorial assistance in addition to study skills workshops tailored to the unique needs of each student. He also utilized AIC’s Center for Academic Success, working on chemistry with student tutor Stefanie Dufresne.

“She explained a lot—made it easier to understand,” Vincent said.

HIGHER DEDICATION Since that fateful October week, he has steadily boosted his GPA to 3.47 as he continues on the path leading to his doctorate in physical therapy.

All the while, Vincent is still dealing with the aftermath of the other injuries sustained when he was hit by the car. His memory is still recovering, and he underwent shoulder surgery in February 2018. He also attends regular physical therapy sessions at ProEx in downtown Springfield.

“My dream is to help others, just as physical therapy helps me,” Vincent says. “I will have hands-on experience with patients, and with being a patient. I feel I can impact people's lives, doing something that makes them feel better and makes me feel good at the same time.”

Editors note: Vincent is scheduled to begin his doctoral program at AIC in the summer of 2018.

Photo Credit: Seth Kaye

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UNPLUGGED Good music, good friends – both old and new – and dozens of AIC alums, current students, faculty and staff, found common ground when the College presented the Stinger Unplugged on May 2, 2018, in the on-campus pub where everyone knows your name.

AIC communications major Annie Norton '19 and Mike Eriquezzo, AIC's art director/senior graphic designer kicked off what will go down as one of many regular performances of live music in the recently rebranded venue.

Plans are already underway for the next volume of the Stinger Unplugged series in fall 2018. The AIC family hopes to see you there.

Photo Credit: Leon Nguyen '16

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AIC’s Student Activities Board in conjunction with PLUS, a campus initiative to support LGBTQ individuals, presented RuPaul’s Drag Race and Drag Race All Stars alum Jujubee at the Griswold Theatre on April 14, 2018.

Jujubee is the stage name of Airline Inthyrath, a professional performer, makeup artist, singer, and comedian from Boston, MA. Jujubee was joined onstage by four other entertainers and AIC’s own Assistant Professor and Director of Theater Frank Borrelli.

Photos by Seth Kaye

Jujubee with AIC's Student Activities Board From left: Sarah Carvalho, Treasurer; Jazmine Baehr, vice president; Jujubee; Kiana Robinson, president; Gabriella Martinez, publicity coordinator

Jujubee with members of PLUS: From left: Samira Karim, vice president; Kei'Shairra Jackson, president; Jujubee; Alexis Johnson, member; Jevon Smith, secretary and resident advisor

Jujubee with AIC Theater Arts students: From left: David Padilla, Jujubee, Nayoby Jimenez, Sophia Oliveira

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Photo Credit: Mike Reid

HEART OF A CHAMPION When a cardiac condition put her rugby playing career—and possibly her educational future—in doubt, AIC alum Maggie O’Rourke '17 proved that her heart was, indeed, stronger than most.

O'Rourke was in her sophomore year when she was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), a condition in which electrical signals interfere with the heart’s natural pacemaker, the sinoatrial node. This interference causes a person’s heart rate to exceed 100 beats per minute even at rest, with only minimal activity often accelerating the rate to dangerous levels. This compromises blood flow to the entire body and can lead to extreme weakness, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fainting.

While a disconcerting diagnosis for anyone to face, it was especially so for a 19-year-old rugby player in the prime of her collegiate athletic career.

“It was difficult in a lot of ways,” remembers O’Rourke. “I was on scholarship, so if I couldn’t play anymore I didn’t know if I would be able to afford school. But then there were the questions of whether I could physically do it at all and whether there would be any long-term effects if I did play.”

Yet O’Rourke explains that the real work came with the constant monitoring of her condition. “There were always questions on a daily basis: Can I continue doing this? Is my heart rate going to suddenly get too out of control? What can I do to help my body? My cardiologist and parents and coaches always left the decision up to me, at least until it got too dangerous.”

That only happened twice during O’Rourke’s time at AIC—once toward the end of the spring season in her sophomore year and again in her senior year after the team’s second spring tournament, which sidelined her for the rest of the season. The first incident happened because her body was having a difficult time recuperating, the second because

she was having continued trouble controlling her heart rate while playing.

In both instances, O’Rourke says the support of her teammates and coaches helped. She also stresses that despite the symptoms and the risks, she never seriously considered quitting the game she loves.

O’Rourke’s ability to accept and manage IST may have something to do with her academic background. As a human biology major, her interest in physiology gave her a unique perspective on her condition and its management. In fact, O’Rourke based her senior seminar project on the possible causes and pathophysiology of her situation, aiming to confirm that it was genetic in nature. Her grandparents did, in fact, have similar symptoms.

A second project in her senior year—this one for a microbiology course—brought her academic career to an impressive conclusion. Working with Jessica Smith, assistant professor of biology at AIC, O’Rourke isolated and analyzed her own physical bacteria from everyday objects, a study that may lead to some exciting discoveries.

“I ended up using chocolate chips as my base object, and the bacteria we found was similar to the bacteria that causes food poisoning,” says O’Rourke. “Once we finished with the DNA extraction, everything was sent off to labs in Germany and Japan for evaluation.”

When asked about her future plans, O’Rourke says that she’s looking into pharmaceutical sales before going back to graduate school to be a physician’s assistant, and, of course, continuing to play rugby.

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BY CHRIS MAZA :: PHOTOS BY LEON NGUYEN '16

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A

s a young man, Fr. John P. McDonagh STL, JCL, MBA made his way from Boston to the University of Massachusetts Amherst with aspirations of pursuing a career in urban planning. Upon meeting Fr. Joe Quigley, director of the University’s Newman Catholic Center, however, McDonagh decided instead he would work on “building the City of God.” Now, McDonagh’s path—which has wound its way to Rome and back and up and down the East Coast—has brought him to the City of Homes, where he serves as the director of campus ministry at American International College.

McDonagh, who also teaches English and religion courses as an adjunct professor, said Quigley, who once attended AIC, and Fr. Merle Lavoie had profound impacts on his decision to enter the priesthood and his ministry since he was ordained in 1982.

“He was a good preacher, he was very accepting of students, and he had a perception that a number of students were enslaved by neglect and they needed to be liberated,” McDonagh said of Quigley, adding of Lavoie, “He was also a very fine preacher, calling upon literature and utilizing literary references to explain the Scripture.”

At AIC, those inspirations as well as the words of Rev. John DeBonville, continue to guide McDonagh in his vocation as a spiritual leader and teacher. “He said, ‘How can we expect students to be interested in church if we are not interested in them?’” McDonagh recalled of the beloved DeBonville, his predecessor at AIC who passed away suddenly in the summer of 2014.

With a rich background in campus ministry that started when he returned to the Newman Center as its director, and included stops at Amherst College, Duke University, and Seton Hall University before he was summoned back to Western Massachusetts by then-Bishop Timothy McDonnell to become coordinator of campus ministry outreach for the Diocese of Springfield, McDonagh said helping the students of AIC “discover the holy in their life” has become his mission—a mission that extends to the entire campus, not just one faith community.

“The way I put it sometimes is—I try to enable students to trip over the God in their life,” he said. “Our Catholic faith is that God is not limited to Catholics. He is present in all of us.”

In the classroom, McDonagh teaches courses covering world religion, spirituality and healing, and Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, as well as writing courses that incorporate themes related to social justice, ranging from climate change to income inequality.

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“

IT’S EXCITING TO BE PART OF AN INSTITUTION THAT IS TRANSFORMING LIVES SO THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN TRANSFORM OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.

“I feel I’ve grown as a teacher. It’s a privilege to convey to students part of the liberal arts tradition. I find it very energizing and I think the teaching has enabled me to improve my preaching,” he said.

In examining various religions and customs, as well as spiritual and societal topics in literature, McDonagh said his goal is not only to broaden students’ understanding of the world around them. He explained he encourages reflection on how these lessons can be applied for the enrichment of their own lives. “I try to teach in a way that helps students get in touch with their own story.”

Creativity, he said, is a key to effectively teaching at AIC, and something he tries to incorporate into every class to help his students grow.

“In one class I taught, I actually put a challenge out there to the class and that challenge was to go and ask someone out on a date—face-to-face, no texting,” he said. “It was an exercise to teach the students the skill of confidence, and that lesson can carry over to give them the confidence to ask for a raise, speak up with a new idea at work, and to be innovative with their families.”

When ministering to the campus community, in addition to celebrating weekly Sunday Catholic

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”

Mass in the College's Breck Hall and holding office hours in Lee Hall, at President Vince Maniaci’s suggestion McDonagh is a regular in the Dining Commons where he connects with students in what he finds to be a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

“A big part of campus ministry is just to be present—to listen to their stories, to encourage them, to support them,” he explained. “I’m also very good at introducing people to people and networking.

In a way I find Andrew to be one of my patrons— there’s only one time he’s mentioned in the Gospel where he’s not introducing someone to someone.

Sometimes people feel isolated, especially in some very competitive majors, and finding someone who shares similar interests can be important and I’m very good at helping people make those connections.”

His weekly emails to faculty, staff, and students with spiritual messages discuss the presence of God in their lives as it pertains to that week’s scripture.

He has also been active in efforts to feed and clothe the city’s less fortunate, and is a regular participant in activities sponsored by Rex’s Pantry, AIC’s food and necessities pantry.

In his teaching and his ministry, McDonagh draws from a lifetime of wide-ranging experiences since

he completed his graduate studies in theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

McDonagh’s responsibilities have run the gamut— he has been parochial vicar at a handful of area parishes, vocational director for the Diocese of Springfield, a member of the diocese’s Marriage Tribunal, and assistant to the vicar of finance after achieving his master of business administration degree from Western New England University in 1996.

“I look at my experiences and I try to think about how they can apply,” he explained. “For instance, my MBA background helps me to see the value in the College raising up business leaders in the nonprofit and profit world, and the takeaway for me is figuring out how we encourage leadership in people. Rather than having a passive community, how can we engage?”

As a first-generation college graduate himself, McDonagh said he appreciates and wants to foster the entrepreneurial spirit and grit he sees in many AIC students. Those qualities, he said, will help them make significant impacts in the world, “especially as first-generation students—they’re thinking outside of the box, they’re not doing the same old thing. I absolutely think they are entrepreneurial and that kind of spirit needs encouragement. I try to offer that,” he said.

“These are students who are going to fight for their patients, for the victims of crimes that they deal with, for their customers, and that’s exciting. It’s exciting to be part of an institution that is transforming lives so that our students can transform other people’s lives.”

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BY ELLEN DOOLEY

In 1984, David Starzyk graduated from AIC with a degree and a dream.

Determined to follow his passion for the stage, he embarked on an adventure that led him from the East Coast to the West, building his career as a thespian one gig at a time.

Starzyk's credits run the full range from musicals to comedies to dramas. He has worked in daytime television (The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives), on hit sitcoms (Home Improvement, Two and a Half Men, Hot in Cleveland), and in such shows as Blue Bloods, CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds and Mad Men. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including producers Steven Bochco, Jerry Bruckheimer, David E. Kelley, and Rob Thomas, to name just a few.

Given the length and scope of his career, one of the most remarkable things about Starzyk is his sweet, down-to-earth manner, and the absence of any Hollywood "horror stories." In fact, this consummate professional has nothing but good things to say about his experiences in one of the toughest industries on the planet.

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“I've done 117 parts,” said Starzyk, “and in all of those jobs, there's only one person I’d not want to work with again. That’s it. The bigger the people are, the nicer they are. I have found that even people about whom I’ve been warned have treated me well, even warmly. When I did Love Boat: the Next Wave, people cautioned me about approaching Robert Urich. But when I told him my mother was a fan, he gave me a signed picture for her. He was the nicest guy.

When I did Hot in Cleveland, Betty White had to say lines in Polish, so we called my mother to get the correct pronunciation, and afterwards they sent her more flowers than she could fit on her dining room table. People here are very generous, bright and talented. As long as you know how to do your job, they’re grateful and gracious.”

Now, from his Shakespeare in the Park days in Boston, to his years Off-Broadway, to his life as an actor in LA, Starzyk looks back on his time as an undergrad where the journey began, and gives us a peek behind the scenes of how it's all been playing out.

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What made you choose AIC? I was born and raised in Springfield, and didn't really know what I wanted to do. Attending AIC allowed me to commute, which I did for two years before pledging my fraternity. I knew as a commuter I was missing out on the full college experience, but the chance to eat my mom's cooking and sleep in my own bed, combined with my parents wanting me to still live at home, influenced my decision. My folks wanted me to go to law school, then, perhaps, into politics. I thought maybe I'd go into personnel management, but all of that changed when I decided to major in English and minor in philosophy. Believe it or not, I use what I learned studying those subjects in my work almost every day.

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David Starzyk & EmmyŽ award-winner Jon Hamm in Mad Men Š AMC Copyright 2012

Were there professors/classmates you remember as especially influential?

Absolutely. Professors Habbermehl, Birnbaum, Cavanaugh, and Williams left an indelible mark on me. Habbermehl was the head of the Philosophy Department, and he taught me to question things I'd been taught since childhood, as well as to think critically, and that has been invaluable to me as an actor. Dr. Birnbaum was head of the English Department, and he taught a first-rate class in Shakespeare. He turned me on to ideas and plays that would influence my entire career. Dr. Barton was another English teacher who was very influential. Dr. Cavanaugh taught poetry in a way that made it accessible, and Mel Williams was just a warm, wonderful, smart man, who taught English in a way that made it interesting and engaging. As for classmates, my fraternity brothers at Alpha Sigma Delta were instrumental in bringing me out of my shell and helping me become more social than I ever thought possible.

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Were you active in campus organizations, clubs, and/or teams?

My fraternity, naturally, and also The Garrett Players at AIC, who, of course, set me on my career path. I was also allowed to do an internship at StageWest, the local resident professional theater company in Springfield, MA, where I saw that my dreams were doable, and I met actors and friends, some of whom I still maintain a friendship with today. At the Garrett Players, our director was George Dawson, an actor who had gone to New York City in his youth, got scared, and left. He was most encouraging when I stated I wanted to become a professional actor. In fact, one of the most profound things said to me by anyone in those days came from him. As I was mulling over the decision to become a thespian, (a decision which horrified my parents, by the way, particularly my mother,) he said, "You don't want to be my age and wondering 'What if?' Follow your dreams."

What is the most important lesson you learned at AIC? I learned I could stand up on a stage and speak and sing and act. Having suffered with a stammer for years as a teenager, when I applied to AIC I told a white lie, that I had been in the plays and sung in the choir in high school. I thought it would make me more interesting and attractive.

As a result, however, I kept getting invites to join both while I was in college, and finally I got up enough nerve to audition. I ended up getting the part of El Gallo in The Fantasticks, was able to do it well, and the rest, as they say, is history.

What was your first big break?

New York City is where I met people interested in the things I was interested in—actors, writers, directors. That's also where I met my wife, Kimberly Ann Fitzgerald. She had a small theater company and I fell wildly in love with her. I took one look at her and thought, 'I'm going to marry her!' So I blossomed there personally and as an actor, but there was no television in New York at that time except for Law & Order. I didn't have an agent or rep of any kind. After doing many Off and Off-Off-Broadway plays, we moved to Los Angeles where I first did television. I would

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say my big break was my first TV show, University Hospital. It was an Aaron Spelling production and it showed my agents and managers that I was hireable, plus it was the most money I'd ever made acting!

What's a typical day like for you?

I get up, make breakfast and lunch for our younger son, Finn, who is a senior in high school, then, depending on the day's schedule, (which can change even that day) I either go to the gym or get myself ready for auditions. On a typical day I might have a voice-over audition, a commercial callback, and a "legit" audition (TV or film).

There are days when I am running all over town, in heavy traffic, trying to make my appointment times; others when there is nothing doing at all.

Those days are the definition of my favorite actor joke: "Why didn't the actor look outside in the morning?" "Why?" "So he'd have something to do in the afternoon." Then I make dinner, (I cook about 80% of the meals in our house—a great

What do you find most challenging?

Rejection. There's an old saying in showbiz: "You never know why you don't get a job, and you never know why you get one." After all this time, I still get upset when I don't get a gig. Imagine that!

creative outlet!), watch the news, and, if there are appointments the next day, I read scripts and go over my sides. If I am fortunate enough to be working, I go over the dialogue for the next day. On days when I work, I get up early, if that's when my call is, get ready, drive in, sit in hair and makeup, then rehearse, wait until they call me on set, and do my job.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

The actual working. It's easy at this point. Finding the jobs is what's hard. But my work is creative, interesting, fulfilling, and fun. My fellow artists are usually warm, professional, welcoming, and there is a camaraderie among those of us who are the "last men standing," as opposed to when I was younger and we all eyed each other with disdain, mistrust—definitely as competitors.

Now, since so many of our colleagues have gone by the wayside, we are much more welcoming when we see each other, and supportive as well.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known in college?

That life goes by quickly, and not to waste time.

And not to be fearful. When I was a kid, no one wanted me to become an actor. Not my parents, not the friends I grew up with. No one considered it a viable profession. I think I would tell my younger self to have strength and confidence, to go after my dreams in less of a roundabout way. I started in Boston, was in London for a while, went to New York, then to LA. I needed to get my sea legs, as it were, so I started small. I did enjoy living with some of my frat brothers in Boston, but I should have gone straight to NYC. If it hadn't been for a few of my very encouraging fraternity brothers and George Dawson, director of the Garrett Players (who was so effusive in his praise of my abilities, talking to me about being brave, and being able to see the consequences of not pursuing your dreams), I don't know that I would have done it. And acting has given me everything. My wife, my kids, my life here, my career. It's amazing to stand back sometimes and see how it all came together.

What's next on the horizon?

I've always written plays, little things that have been done. I have a literary agent and I've co-written a film script about the first guys—two Brits actually—to cross the Atlantic, and I've written a buddy comedy about two Shakespearean actors based on the real story of how Shakespeare's plays were salvaged and passed down.

I've written about factory life in Western Massachusetts, and I have George Clooney looking at something right now.

That's a wrap. For now.

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MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

BY ELLEN DOOLEY :: PHOTOS BY LEON NGUYEN '16

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LINA RACICOT, EdD, DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY AT AIC, HAS A MISSION. This educator, researcher, clinician, advocate and author is bringing decades of personal experience and professional expertise to the work of finding real and lasting solutions to some of today's most tragic and intractable problems—problems that affect the youngest and most vulnerable members of society.

“Children and their needs have always been a driving force for me,” said Racicot. “That's what drove me to my dissertation. What's going on here? What's happening to children affected by substance abuse? That was the beginning of my path working with addiction issues.”

Racicot's doctoral work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, “Understanding the Educational, Psychological and Social Issues of Children and Adolescents Being Raised

by Grandparents Due to Parental Substance Abuse,” was her first focused exploration of the wide-ranging negative effects of alcohol and drug abuse, and the devastating impact it has on the families of the afflicted.

“The crack epidemic is over,” said Racicot, “but grandparents are still raising their grandchildren. Now there's the opioid epidemic and heroin addiction. It's a struggle for these older adults, and some of them have to use their retirement savings to deal with all the implications, including sometimes having to go to court. There is a social, economic and emotional impact. I think there are resources available now that were not in place 20 years ago, but we need support for these grandparents and the children they are raising.”

Since her dissertation, Racicot has written extensively about addiction and the havoc it wreaks on individuals, families, and commu-

nities. She also knows firsthand the heartbreak of losing a loved one to this terrible disease, the grief and the guilt that accompany such a loss. In her article, “When Addiction Hits Home,” she states, “Whatever the reason behind addiction, families and friends... wonder what they did wrong ... I often think about what I would have done differently ...

It is difficult for anyone to know when they have crossed that fine line of enabling versus helping.”

Fortunately, Racicot found “a true warrior against addiction” in Dominique Simon-Levine, the founder of Allies in Recovery (alliesinrecovery.net), and CRAFT, a scientifically-proven method of combating substance abuse while simultaneously helping caregivers to cope with the attendant stress, depression, and anger. According to Racicot, “The state of Massachusetts has recognized Allies in Recovery as a crucial resource for families and has purchased a free membership for anyone living in Massachusetts. There are ways you can help your loved one and Allies in Recovery will guide you. You are not alone.”

Racicot's experiences living with, and eventually losing, someone to serious mental health and addiction issues led her to write Living With the Little Devil Man, a book described as “an epic tale of the struggle with schizophrenia and heroin addiction,” a story so difficult and painful to process, it took Racicot years to reach the point where she felt she could share it. “It was so close to my heart; it was hard to let it go. I held it in for so long, but it had to get out.

“The young man I write about lived with me for 10 years, from age 19 to 29. My daughter brought him home to me, and I felt as though

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he was mine, as though he belonged with us, and he did fairly well while he was here, but he fell back to self-medicating with alcohol and marijuana. We have medications to help treat the kind of mental health issues he suffered with, but they’re not a cure.”

Another area of passionate involvement for Racicot is the juvenile justice system. “I got involved in the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI), which is a national initiative and very strong in Massachusetts. I invited them to AIC and we meet on campus once a month. They needed someone to evaluate the program, to compile and interpret the data, so I applied for that position through the state and it was awarded to me.

“

Racicot is also actively working to raise awareness around racial disparity in the juvenile justice system. JDAI produced the film Seeing Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED), a tool created for group screenings to spark discussion around the issues of implicit bias, best practices, and how to address the challenges. “I have been trained as a facilitator under the RED program,” said Racicot, “and Hampden is the state's lead county.”

Another way Racicot is reaching out to improve the well-being of local children is by evaluating the impact and stabilizing effects of mindfulness training. “The Brookings (Elementary School, in Springfield, MA) Mindfulness Program started last May and it's introducing meditation at the el-

I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO COME TO GRADUATE SCHOOL, BUT THEY'RE AFRAID. IF I COULD GET ANY MESSAGE OUT TO THEM, IT WOULD BE 'DON'T HOLD YOURSELF BACK.'

“I am now evaluating dually involved youth, adolescents who are in both the foster care system and the juvenile detention system because of nonviolent offenses. Instead of sending them off to detention, we're looking at gaps in a child's life. We're bringing in community resources, parents, schools, whoever is part of that team, and we're sitting down together to decide what to do. We're putting in place mentors for these children, in-school support, helping families who may have very limited resources, and then we're looking to see if there is a significant difference in recidivism for these adolescents. We're trying to make a difference.”

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”

ementary school. It's being implemented at every grade level, but we're mainly looking at third and fourth grades. The students do a morning meditation together as a school, and then in every gym class. We're hoping to move the program forward in other ways and at other locations. It's all about trying to figure out what helps.”

Trying to figure out what helps—and doing whatever it takes—is what Racicot is all about, and it's what she emphasizes with her graduate students.

“I love learning about the students, about what brought them to the program, what they're going to do to help people once they graduate.

Racicot with her new doctoral student, Narcotics Detective Jaime Bruno. Together they have teamed up to present on the psychology of addiction. Racicot welcomes students with real life experience in the fields of psychology and human services.

“I always wanted to help people in need,” said Racicot. “I have always known that my journey through life, no matter what role I was in, would involve helping others. When I was a child, I wanted to be a mother, or a nun. Those were the role models available to me. So I grew up, got married at 21, and raised my family. But I was driven to get more education. I knew I had a purpose. I wasn't sure what it was when I began, but now I'm finally at the right place and time. I can do research. I can be a writer, a therapist, a teacher.

“I was a nontraditional student, always taking classes, but I didn't finish until I was older, so I remind my students to keep moving forward.

I know there are people who want to come to graduate school, but they're afraid. If I could get any message out to them, it would be ‘don't hold yourself back.’ I went back as an adult and it has brought me to many places that have shaped and informed my life. It's not too late. It is never too late to make a difference.”

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THE MASTER OF

BY ELLEN DOOLEY :: PHOTOS BY SETH KAYE Of all the things scientists, artists, and mystics have in common—and they have more in common than meets the eye—the most obvious might be their desire to gaze into the heart of mystery, to look closely and intently at whatever they're observing: the way a paramecium wriggles on a slide; the play of light and shadow across a familiar face; the constellations wheeling overhead. Whether they're peering into a microscope, studying a subject to be painted, or staring up at the stars, scientists, artists, and mystics possess a uniquely intense way of apprehending the world.

Luzgin's artistic gift came to light as a young child when his father provided him and his siblings with pencils and paper and encouraged them to draw. “It started by accident,” said Luzgin. “My father was a minister in a place where Christian art was illegal, so he was desperately looking for a talented artist. He basically gave us a bunch of pens and pencils and said, ‘Here are the tools, see what you can produce,’ and we started drawing.

I was about five or six, and it became clear that my brothers and I had a talent. I had always loved art, but never knew I had any talent until my father discovered it.”

David Luzgin, faculty member and AIC alum (’02, MEd ’10), looks at life through just such a trifocal lens. He is an instructor of biology, a visual artist of extraordinary talent, and a person of deep faith, whose contemplative nature draws him outside to behold the heavens for an hour or two every night, a silent and solitary ritual he practices without fail, no matter the weather.

One might say he has been triply blessed.

At 12, Luzgin won a contest sponsored by the mayor of Chicopee, Massachusetts, for best Christmas card design, and by the time he was in middle school, Luzgin's prodigious talent had come to the attention of art teacher Lorraine Roussi-Liden. From seventh grade on, “she pushed me and told me I had to continue, I had to be an artist. She was my teacher all through high school and she promoted my work, pushed me to enter competitions, and she made my work known.”

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In high school, Luzgin was taught by a university professor the school brought in to provide one-on-one, individualized instruction. “He would guide me by standing next to me and tell me how to improve this or that, how to achieve a certain effect. I was always afraid to mess up, but he was very considerate and respectful of that sensitivity.”

As a college student, Luzgin studied with Richard Doyle, the famous “twig artist,” whose signature technique involved using a sharpened stick in lieu of a pen, pencil or paintbrush. “I saw that when he painted sky with twigs, it took forever and it looked choppy,” said Luzgin, “so I took a cotton swab, dipped it in the ink, and used that instead. He [Doyle] agreed that it was better, so in that small way, I helped to improve his style.”

And speaking of style, Luzgin is a realist, artistically, professionally and personally. His

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artwork is so exquisitely detailed, one could mistake many of his drawings and paintings for photographs. “The artist I most aspire to is Leonardo da Vinci,” he said. “Da Vinci was an engineer as well as an artist, and a perfectionist. I am very meticulous, but I'm not there yet.

I strive for that level of excellence.”

Though Luzgin was offered a full scholarship to an art school on the West Coast, he made the surprising but pragmatic decision to major in science. “Most artists struggle to make a living,” he noted, “but science is very stable. It's a reliable career.”

Luzgin chose to attend AIC for a variety of reasons, including location, small class size, quality of the faculty, and the College's embrace of international students. “English is my second language and I'm not a great test taker, but my AIC professors were very understanding, very encouraging. The late Dr. Mary Baker would

explain the subject from beyond the textbooks.

She worked in industry and then got her PhD in organic chemistry, so she could teach us from her own experience. Dr. Augustus Pesce was an inspiration to me in graduate school. He's in his 80s now and still teaching.”

But Luzgin's talent for teaching came as a complete surprise to him. “I never thought about becoming a teacher,” he said. “I always wanted to be a biochemist. I figured I would do research and work under some doctor in a corporate lab.”

Combining science and art comes naturally to Luzgin, whose talent as an artist informs his teaching and helps him bring lessons to life. “A big misconception is that science and art are opposed. All scientists have talent; they are curious; they investigate. I use my art all the time in the classroom. Explaining mitosis or the development of an embryo, you have to draw pictures. When I draw it on the board, I explain every detail.”

Life had other ideas, however. “I got a call from Dr. (Amelia) Janeczek, chair of the biology department, and she asked if I would be interested in teaching a lab.” Since Luzgin hadn't yet found a corporate position, he agreed, though he admits he had a few misgivings. “I was never comfortable being in front of people. I asked another professor to help me with the first lab, and he did. Then once I saw what I was supposed to do, it was fine.”

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David Luzgin Ware, Massachusetts

Pencil drawing on paper

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Luzgin's students thought it was more than just fine, and responded with an enthusiasm he never anticipated. And that pedagogical chemistry has only intensified over the years. “I had one student who came in with his earphones on, not really paying attention. I said to him, ‘Look in the microscope. Look at the paramecium.’ The next semester, he had only one earphone on and he paid more attention. Then he passed with flying colors.

“I saw him a few years later and I almost didn't recognize him. He told me he was going for his PhD in psychology. He said, ‘It was because you inspired me to look into the microscope, to enjoy the lab, to actually learn something.’”

Despite his talent as a teacher and an artist, Luzgin is quick to point out that he accepts no credit for what he believes are gifts from God, especially when it comes to his art. “I truly believe that it is a God-given talent, through which I can help other people and make them happy. My father also had a lot to do with this, since he was the one who encouraged me to do good work.”

Luzgin is especially devoted to his father, taking him to all of his dialysis appointments and attending to his needs as he ages, while also helping to care for a brother, who is paralyzed. His responsibilities are daunting, but for Luzgin, they are a labor of love, and he finds strength in his faith. “Faith gives me hope,” he said. “Faith keeps me going.”

Friends, too, keep him going, and he remains close to those who have played an important part in his life, showing his affection and appreciation through gifts of his art. “When I was in high school, I worked at Bernardino's, a Portuguese bakery in Chicopee close to where we lived. Victor Augusto and Manuel Silva, along with Mr. Cunha, all owners of the bakery, gave me a job where I had to pack bread. I worked 16 hours sometimes with a 30-minute break. It taught me discipline and time management. I also realized how hard these people worked and they never complained. Manny became my friend and I started buying flour from him. This is a special organic flour, and I felt I was always nagging him, so I drew him three pictures. It was my way of saying ‘thank you.’”

Luzgin also speaks fondly of Pauline Tran, a former work-study in his department and fellow AIC alum, who now teaches at Springfield High School of Science and Technology. “Pauline got interested in my art work, so I drew a couple of pictures for her and her husband. Since she also knew my sisters, we became friends with her family.”

When Luzgin isn't teaching or drawing or caring for others, he enjoys learning about new scientific discoveries. “I love reading science articles about NASA and medicine,” he said. Luzgin also plays piano and accordion, and spends as much time as he can outdoors. “I love working outside, chopping wood, building a stone wall. I'm always doing things like that. My favorite pastime is just enjoying nature. If people did that more, they would be so much more relaxed and productive. You need time to be yourself.”

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 47

IN THE ZONE IN PARTNERING WITH SCHOLAR ATHLETES TO HELP SPRINGFIELD HIGH SCHOOLERS OVERCOME HURDLES TO EDUCATION, AIC HAS FOUND NEW WAYS TO INSPIRE ITS STUDENTS TO SUCCEED.

BY CHRIS MAZA A few years ago, Susan Petrucelli, EdD, director of developmental education at AIC, was part of a team that was presented with a challenge.

“I work a lot of times with freshmen and one of the biggest challenges that I’ve seen at AIC is that some of our students come in and they lack study skills, they lack the confidence to be successful in academics,” Petrucelli explains.

It was during a period of research and discussion on how to improve the way the College serves its student-athletes on campus, especially those struggling with the transition to the rigors of college life, that an unexpected proposition opened a door that has helped students thrive.

That’s when Scholar Athletes, a Roxbury, Massachusetts-based nonprofit specializing in student-athlete achievement at the high school level, approached AIC about a partnership.

After finding success with its program, which launched in the Boston area in 2009, Scholar Athletes was looking to expand its programming in 2014. Springfield was one of the potential landing spots.

AIC became Scholar Athletes’ first partner in the region, and with that, found a solution to the puzzle of how to assist the College’s students—

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athletes and non-athletes alike—in recommitting to their academic goals.

SCHOLAR ATHLETES Scholar Athletes was the brainchild of John Fish, a Boston-area businessman who partnered with the late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and former Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson to pilot the initiative. The goal was to assist in bridging the opportunity gap many inner-city public school students face, utilizing athletics as a springboard.

The program works with schools to establish Zones—classrooms dedicated to the program that offer a place to study, complete homework, investigate the college application process, and learn skills that will help them succeed beyond the walls of their high school.

With the organization’s expansion, Springfield Scholar Athletes is now operating Zones in three of its high schools—Springfield High School of Commerce, Springfield High School of Science and Technology, and Roger L. Putnam Vocational-Technical Academy— with plans for future expansion being explored.

Photo Credit: Seth Kaye

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 49

Susan Petrucelli, EdD, director of developmental education, center, surrounded by her students.

Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16

AIC IN THE ZONE When approached by Scholar Athletes, Petrucelli saw a unique opportunity to engage in valuable community service while implementing a “learn by teaching” model that could help AIC’s own students develop skills that would help them flourish in the college setting.

“I knew it had to be some combination of experiential learning and community service that could serve our students. One of the biggest things about study skills is that you can’t just tell someone, ‘This is how you do time management.’ I have been an educator for a long time, and it is the hardest skill to teach someone. Unless you are teaching it, you really don’t embrace it,” Petrucelli explains.

With Scholar Athletes’ three focuses on health and wellness, academic coaching and mentoring, and college and career readiness in mind, Petrucelli put together the outline for a one-credit course with a heavy emphasis on service. The course was piloted in the spring of 2015 and became official as 50 :: HIGHER DEDICATION

the community service and learning experience course in January 2016. It remains the only structured course involving Scholar Athletes offered by a Springfield-area college.

Students taking the course meet once a week on campus and, depending on the semester, spend nine to 11 weeks at one of the Zones as a volunteer for two hours, working with students either individually or in a group. In working with the students at the Springfield high schools, Petrucelli said AIC students have been able to absorb and develop techniques that transfer to their own experiences. Data illustrates dramatic jumps in grade point average and retention.

“What I find is they find out so much about themselves,” Petrucelli says. “They’re learning self-regulation, financial literacy, time management, and all of these critical thinking skills needed to be persistent in their education.”

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM A large portion of the course is based on self-reflection, and Petrucelli says she’s seen students grow in ways that can’t be measured with graphs and statistics.

“I had one young lady who was from the farmlands of Ohio, and in one of the first classes she asked, ‘How am I going to have anything in common with the students at the high schools in the surrounding neighborhoods of AIC? There were days when I rode a John Deere tractor to school,’” she laughed. “We talked about how you talk to people, how you become a better communicator, and how you connect with people. I think that’s one of the biggest lessons they’re learning when working with the high school students—they’re learning how to connect with people.”

Another student in the School of Health Sciences was extremely shy, Petrucelli recalls, but her work with Scholar Athletes helped her develop interpersonal skills she feels will assist her in connecting with her patients.

Through the positive experiences, AIC’s involvement in Scholar Athletes has evolved. Several students have continued working in Zones after completing the course through internships. An AIC student who graduated in 2017 after taking the course during her senior year even received a full-time position with Scholar Athletes in the fall.

While students—both at AIC and in the high schools—are the primary beneficiaries, Petrucelli feels the partnership with Scholar Athletes has also augmented the College’s connection with its surrounding neighborhoods.

“Not only do our AIC students work in the Scholar Athletes Zones, but they also work with other organizations like the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.

One of our students works with the Keystone Club and she sees a lot of the same faces that she sees during the day in the high schools,” she says. “I think it’s a great connection because AIC becomes more of a face in the Springfield community.”

Photo Credit: Seth Kaye AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 51

During the 2017 holiday season, American International College launched Rex’s Pantry, a food and necessities pantry housed on the College campus to assist community members in need.

Rex’s Pantry is a collaborative effort at AIC. Food is prepared by Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services. Additionally, campus vendors C&W Services and G4S donate essential items including cold weather wear and nonperishable goods.

The overarching Rex’s Pantry effort is coordinated by the Office of Marketing and Communications. The creation of Rex's Pantry was led

by AIC's Vice President for Marketing and Communications Robert Cole in association with the College's Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services Jeff Bednarz, and Todd Alden, Chartwells director of dining services at AIC. Inaugural deliveries from Rex’s Pantry took place in December 2017, when AIC delivered 100 Rex to the Rescue kits containing an assortment of hats, socks, gloves, foot- and hand-warmers to Friends of the Homeless, a local nonprofit organization that provides emergency shelter to nearly 1,000 men and women each year. The College also distributed 100 kits containing boxed lunch-

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es, bottled water, snacks, and nonperishable items to the Springfield Rescue Mission.

In the spring of 2018, Rex’s Pantry, in partnership with Chartwells, provided hot lunches and dinners to more than 400 people through the Loaves and Fishes program. Members of AIC’s men’s ice hockey team and Campus Ministry prepped and served meals at the South Congregational Church and Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield. In addition, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams conducted a clothing and necessities drive to benefit Friends of the Homeless in Springfield.

If you would like to volunteer to package donations, prep meals, or serve at a future Rex’s Pantry event, please email rexspantry@aic.edu or call 413.205.3336.

Rex’s Pantry also welcomes canned goods and living necessities, including toiletries, underwear and socks (in original packaging).

Donations are welcomed in the Office of Marketing and Communications, in the lower level of the Schwartz Campus Center, during regular business hours.

Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16

Photo credit: Leon Nguyen '16

Photo credit: Seth Kaye

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 53

BOSTON, MA: Bullpen coach Dana LeVangie grabs items from fans for autographs during the Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park in Boston Massachusetts on Wednesday, May 6, 2015.

Photo by Erin Kirkland/The Boston Red Sox

SEEING RED AS A CATCHER FOR AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE IN 1991, DANA LEVANGIE HIT .462 WITH 13 HOME RUNS, AND HIS 75 RBI IN 44 GAMES LED THE NATION'S DIVISION II PLAYERS. HE MADE ALL-AMERICA AFTER LEADING HIS TEAM TO A 32-12 RECORD AND A BERTH IN THE NCAA DIVISION II WORLD SERIES. IN JUNE OF 1991, THE BOSTON RED SOX DRAFTED AND SIGNED HIM, SENDING HIM TO PLAY FOR THEIR CLASS A NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE AFFILIATE IN ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

BY GARRY BROWN '55

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AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 55

FORT MYERS, FL: Pitching coach Dana LeVangie of the Boston Red Sox jogs on the field during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 27, 2018 in Fort Myers, Florida.

Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

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“

AIC IS WHERE I REALLY COMMITTED MYSELF TO THE GAME ...

WE HAD PLAYERS WHO BOUGHT INTO IT AND WERE WILLING TO DO THE EXTRA LITTLE THINGS TO HELP US WIN. GOING TO THE DIVISION II WORLD SERIES WAS THE MOST SPECIAL PART OF MY TWO YEARS AT THE COLLEGE.

”

You'll now find LeVangie, 48, in his 28th season with the Red Sox organization—and his first as the team's major league pitching coach. His new role is a huge promotion after his years of varied and faithful service as bullpen catcher, advance scout, catching coordinator, minor league scout, bullpen coach and interim bench coach.

Shouldn't a pitching coach be a former big league pitcher? Generally, that's how it works, but new Red Sox manager Alex Cora had a different plan.

“Alex told me right away that he wanted Dana as the pitching coach,” Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski told the Boston Herald. “He has known him for years and kept the relationship, so that was an easy one, with Dana already under contract.”

Cora played for the Red Sox from 2005 through 2008 as a backup infielder. Over that time, he came to know LeVangie as a valued member of the Boston organization.

During spring training, Cora talked to the Red Sox press corps about his decision.

“When everyone started talking about me being the manager, Dana was a guy I always considered would be part of my staff,” Cora said. “He is well prepared and versatile enough that he can work with catchers and be a pitching coach. I’m very

comfortable with Dana in this role. He knows the guys. He’s been through this whole process the last few years (as bullpen coach). He’s someone I’m going to really rely on, and trust.”

It is unusual to have a non-pitcher in such an important role, but certainly not unprecedented. For instance, Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa won pennants and world championships with the Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals while having a former catcher, Dave Duncan, as his pitching coach.

As for the Red Sox, LeVangie is only the fifth catcher to have the job, and the first since Mike Roarke in 1994. Darrell Johnson, another ex-catcher, served as Sox pitching coach in 1968 and 1969, then came back to the team in 1975 as manager of a pennant winner.

Now, as LeVangie works to prepare Red Sox pitchers for success, he can pause and look back fondly on his AIC days.

“I was transferring in from Cape Cod Community College as a junior, and it was probably the first time I stepped into a true college environment and felt comfortable with it,” he said. “AIC wasn’t too big of a school, and knowing that we were going to have a competitive baseball team was something I appreciated.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 57

“AIC is where I really committed myself to the game. We had a pretty successful team.

We had players who bought into it and were willing to do the extra little things to help us win. Going to the Division II World Series was the most special part of my two years at the college.”

to our pitching staff for the next couple of hours before heading out to work with our pitchers, leading up to batting practice, then the game. I take no day for granted, because I don’t know everything about this game, nor do I know everything about each individual pitcher.”

Over LeVangie’s seasons, AIC baseball teams coached by Tom Burgess went 5825. Their 32 victories in 1991 still stand as the school record.

When he’s not at a ballpark somewhere across the land, LeVangie makes his home in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, with his wife Traci. They have a son, Liam, 17, and a daughter, Avery, 14.

In the Red Sox farm system, LeVangie played for six seasons, but never hit well.

After spending the 1996 season in Double A, he needed surgery on his left hand.

With his playing career in doubt at that time, the Red Sox offered him the job of bullpen catcher with the major league team. He took it and served that role for eight seasons, including the 2004 World Series-winning year.

“The most challenging part of my job is finding time for my family. If there were 26 hours a day, then there might be enough time to fit it all in,” he said.

It all revolves around his love for baseball, which can be traced to his growing-up years in the Eastern Massachusetts town of Whitman.

In 2005, he switched to scouting for the Red Sox. In 2007, his advance reports on the Colorado Rockies helped the Red Sox sweep them in the World Series.

“I can't exactly remember when I got my first taste of baseball, but I do know it was at a really young age. I had two older brothers and a dad who loved the game,” he said.

In 2013, LeVangie became bullpen coach and earned his third World Series ring. He served as interim bench coach late in the 2015 season, then returned to his roles as bullpen coach and catching instructor until his big promotion to pitching coach.

What about growing up in Massachusetts, being drafted by the Red Sox, and spending 27-plus years with his favorite baseball team?

In a chat with AIC baseball coach Nick Callini during spring training, LeVangie described a typical day in the life of a pitching coach: “My day starts around 7:30 a.m., studying opposing hitters and game planning on how we are going to approach them. Leave for the ballpark around 10:30 a.m., work out for 40 minutes, then get back to the video room and study the opposition for a couple of hours. Then, switch

In 2006, he was enshrined in AIC's Athletic Hall of Fame—another “dream come true” for LeVangie as he travels a very unusual baseball path, from slugging college catcher to big league pitching coach.

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“A dream come true,” he said.

Red Sox fans will be watching LeVangie's work closely. They'd love to see Chris Sale win 20. Maybe David Price, too.

FT MYERS, FL: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches as pitching coach Dana LeVangie looks on during a team workout on February 14, 2018, at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida.

Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 59

ALUMNI NEWS

EXTRAOARDINARY

AIC CREW TEAM REUNITES; MAKES A SPLASH

The 2017 AIC alumni crew team: Ken Geromini '68, MS '72; Doug Mattson ’70; Paul Carabillo ’70; Al Collings ’64

KEN GEROMINI ’68, MS ’72 was a part of AIC crew when it was in its heyday. At its peak from the 1950s until the early 1970s, the Yellow Jackets ruled the Connecticut River as part of a burgeoning rowing community, along with other local colleges and all of Springfield’s high schools.

So when he was challenged to a race in 2017 by Springfield College alum Robert Englebrecht—a fellow member of Springfield’s Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club (PVRC)—Geromini couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

The two agreed to square off on the river in September 2017 as part of the PVRC’s Rockrimmon Regatta and Geromini set off to recruit former rowers to man his boat. With the help of AIC's Alumni Relations Office, he found former teammates Doug Mattson ’70 and Paul Carabillo ’70. In need of one more member to fill their four-man vessel, Geromini reached out to Al Collings ’64, who, as it turns out, “lives on a lake and he has his own shell, so he still rows,” says Geromini.

SAVE THE

DATE

With a team assembled, Geromini said the group managed to get three practice sessions in during August 2017, and then the race was on. Tasked with rowing from the Memorial Bridge to the North End Bridge—“a 1,000-meter dash,” as Geromini calls it—the AIC team enjoyed sweet success in the form of a 200-meter victory in front of a sizable contingent of fans.

He added that AIC hopes to put an alumni team in the water again in 2018. Regardless of whether Springfield College participates in a rematch, he said four Yellow Jackets will participate in the Rockrimmon Regatta. Unlike the short sprint the two college alumni teams participated in this year, the Rockrimmon Regatta is a head race in which all teams are timed as they complete a 5,000-meter course between the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the North End Bridge.

“What’s going to be difficult is getting more practices in, because we are going to need it,” Geromini chuckles.

HOMECOMING 2018

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LANG-LETENDRE-O'DAY SCHOLARSHIP CREATED BOB LETENDRE ’58, HARLAN LANG ’58, AND PAUL O’DAY ’58, HON ’97 first became friends at American International College. After graduation, they went their separate ways, but decades later they all found themselves together again. Now, in the wake of the recent passing of his friends, Letendre has helped endow a scholarship in the name of the three alumni.

HARLAN LANG '58

He says he hopes the Lang-Letendre-O’Day Scholarship will help students realize opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have available to them with the challenges present-day students face.

“We all came from working class families,” Letendre explains. “AIC helped me directly because my father had died and it was a place I could get an education I could afford, so it was a good combo in many ways. I worked during the school year and the summer in order to afford AIC and, thanks to AIC, I was able to get into Cornell's law school. These days it’s hard for people and families to deal with the cost of college. How can anyone afford it?”

When Lang fell ill before his death in 2016, his two AIC companions visited him regularly. Not long after, O’Day’s health also began to fail. Upon his death, O’Day’s wife, Nancy, requested donations be sent to AIC’s Alumni Office in lieu of flowers. The impact AIC played in her husband’s life, she says, made that decision easy.

BOB LETENDRE '58

The College received more than $3,000 in gifts made in Paul O’Day’s memory. Letendre decided to donate $22,000 in order to reach the $25,000 requirement to endow a scholarship. It was a surprise to the O’Day family.

“I was really kind of shocked. Bob called me and asked how much had been raised and I didn’t know what he planned to do. He took it upon himself,” Nancy O’Day says. “It certainly shows the bond of friendship they developed (at AIC). It was obviously a strong bond that stayed faithful and continuous.”

PAUL O'DAY '58, HON '97

OCTOBER 12–14 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 61

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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

IT WAS DECEMBER OF 1960, AND JIM CALHOUN ’68, HON ’00 KNEW WHAT HE HAD TO DO—GIVE UP HIS BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP TO LOWELL STATE AND DROP OUT OF COLLEGE TO HELP HIS FAMILY. HE WAS ONE OF SIX KIDS GROWING UP WITHOUT A FATHER, WHO HAD PASSED AWAY WHEN JIM WAS 15 YEARS OLD.

BY GARRY BROWN '55

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 63

F

or a time, he took whatever job he could get: granite cutter, junkyard worker, gravedigger.

He even worked a stint in a shampoo factory.

At the age of 75, his basketball career is still going. Five years of retirement, and he could take no more. He had to get back to coaching.

Then, along came Gayton Salvucci, a Quincy, MA native who was coaching football at AIC. He knew of Calhoun's career as a basketball star at Braintree High School, and urged him to get back to college.

An opportunity came his way when the University of St. Joseph (USJ) in West Hartford decided to have male undergraduate students for the first time, starting with the 2018-19 academic year.

Along with that, the school announced plans to institute an NCAA Division III men's basketball program.

“Sal approached me about giving AIC a look. I did that, and it all worked out for me. I got another basketball scholarship, and I became team captain in my senior year. I had some great teammates, and to this day, I'm still in touch with some of them.”

He led the team in scoring as junior and senior. In 1966, he helped AIC to its first Division II playoff appearance. His teammates included Henry Payne, Larry Freed, Moose Stronczek, Sal Sillari, Jim Miele, and Paul Procopio, all outstanding performers in their college days.

“No question, AIC was the springboard for me into my coaching career,” Calhoun said.

What a career. Forty years of college coaching—14 at Northeastern, 26 at the University of Connecticut. Three Division I national championships at UConn (1999, 2004, and 2011). A combined record of 873-369. Enshrinement in the AIC Athletic Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, both in 2005. Also, Calhoun has seen 31 of his players go on to careers in the National Basketball Association.

All of that would seem to be enough for any coach, but it isn't for Calhoun.

“

Bill Cardarelli, a former Calhoun assistant at UConn, now serves as USJ athletic director. He first asked his old friend if he would help him get the program going. When Cardarelli began considering who to hire as coach of the new team, he decided to ask Calhoun if he might be interested. The answer was a resounding yes.

He signed on with USJ on Sept. 28, 2017. He was hired as a consultant rather than a coach, because he was still under contract with UConn until March 31, 2018.

“I fully expect to be coaching (at USJ) in the 201819 season,” he said.

Terms of Calhoun's deal with the school were not announced. In an interview with the Associated Press, he joked that his contract was “in line with the Catholic teaching that poverty is a virtue.”

“For me, coaching is all about the players. I love being around them, working with them, helping them develop as student/athletes. I really miss that,” he said.

HE WAS A FIERCE COMPETITOR. IF ANYBODY HAD BLOOD ON HIS UNIFORM AT THE END OF A GAME, IT WOULD BE JIM. AIC HALL OF FAMER HENRY PAYNE '68

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”

SPRINGFIELD, MA: James Calhoun #32 faces off against the University of Connecticut in the 1965-1966 season opener held at AIC's Butova Gymnasium.

“

NO QUESTION, AIC WAS THE SPRINGBOARD FOR ME INTO MY COACHING CAREER.

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”

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Yes, but what about stepping down from the heights of Division I? “That doesn't matter at all,” he said. “Basketball is basketball, whether you're coaching the Celtics or a Division III team. It will be an honor to work with Dr. Rhona Free (USJ president) and the Sisters of Mercy, and play a role in starting something great with the school's first men's basketball team.”

Calhoun is not the first high-profile coach to switch to Division III. Rollie Massimino, who won a national title with Villanova in 1985, came out of retirement to coach Northwood (now Keiser University) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, holding that post until he passed away last summer at 82. Jim O'Brien, who coached at Ohio State and Boston College, finished his career at Emerson College of Boston.

At Calhoun's first St. Joseph press conference, Dr. Free said, “When our men's basketball team is formed for its inaugural season, it will be founded on the principals and insights of someone who shares our commitment to preparing students for lifetime success. Coach Calhoun's stature will be a game-changer in the awareness of USJ nationally, and illustrates our commitment to overall excellence of faculty and staff throughout the institution.

“In 1986, when he accepted the job as head men's basketball coach at UConn, he famously said he thought succeeding in that role and putting UConn on the college basketball map was ‘doable.’ We all know what a historic success that turned out to be. We are grateful that he will apply his expertise to set our program up for success from the start.”

“Whether it's 1,200 or 12,000, it wouldn't matter with Jim. He'll do a great job, because coaching is in his blood. If you want to see what kind of a coach he is, just look at the number of his former players who show up at any event involving him.

They come back for their coach. That tells you a lot,” Payne said.

In his AIC days, Calhoun's teammates could sense that he was a coach in the making.

“He was a fierce competitor. If anybody had blood on his uniform at the end of a game, it would be Jim,” Payne said. “And he was very astute about basketball. In our time-outs, he'd always have an opinion about what we should do next.”

Calhoun and his wife, Pat, have been married since 1967, with two sons and six grandchildren. The couple, both of whom lost parents to heart disease, are known for their philanthropy, including the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn and the annual Jim Calhoun Holiday Food Drive, which supports food assistance agencies that help families in need throughout Connecticut. In 1998, a $125,000 gift from Calhoun and his wife established the Jim and Pat Calhoun Cardiology Research Fund at UConn Health Center. The Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament was launched in 1999, and has since raised millions in support of the endowment fund.

Come October, Coach Jim expects to be back where he belongs, on the sidelines, working with a basketball team.

“Will I be at Jim's first game? You bet I will— wouldn't miss it,” Payne said.

AIC Hall of Famer Henry Payne ’68 said he was delighted when he heard that his old teammate would be returning to coaching—at a college with an enrollment of 1,220 full-time students.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 67

AIC CLASS NOTES 1950s

GLENDORA FOLSOM BUELL '50, host of A Chat with Glendora, the longest-running public access program in the United States, was a featured speaker at SYMPOSIUM: Utopian Potentials and Media(ted) Realities, in April of 2017. Over her nearly 50 years as a television host and producer, Glendora has used video capture and distribution technologies from the PortaPak— which she first used to cover community events—to YouTube.

The new hardtop tennis courts in Springfield's Forest Park were dedicated in the name of JERRY RADDING '50, a retired sports staffer from The Republican who covered and boosted local tennis during his 40-year writing career. Radding, now 91 years old, graduated from American International College after serving in the Army in World War II. He played varsity tennis at AIC, and remained active as a player until 2011.

1960s

STUART R. LAVIN '67 has two new publications: Mahat (Lady June Press) a historical novel, and EIN SOF (Prose and Poems, Jerusalem House). The books are available on Amazon.com or by visiting his website: www.srlavin.com.

1970s

JAMES ROSATI '72 recently retired after a 43-year career in outside sales. Rosati served as a sales representative for 3M, Pitney Bowes, and Lorillard Inc., and most recently worked for Reynolds American Inc., where he helped facilitate the company’s merger with Lorillard.

GLENN SURPENANT '76 has been elected as the 108th Potentate for the Melha Shriners. After graduating from AIC, Surpenant went on to become a registered medical technologist and worked in a laboratory. He is currently the director of inpatient imaging at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. SYLVIA ROSEN '77, MEd '80 was honored by the Springfield Jewish Community Center for her 30 years of teaching writing skills at the JCC with a luncheon in May 2018. Over the years, Rosen, 99, has taught scores of students how to improve their writing skills through the JCC’s creative writing class, a part of The William & Margery Sadowsky Center for Adult Learning.

1980s

ELIZABETH OLEKSAK-SPOSITO '80 was appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the Board of Trustees for Springfield Technical Community College. Oleksak-Sposito worked as a clinical care manager at Boston Medical Center Health Plan from 2012 until her retirement in 2016. She provided holistic medical care management services for plan members with chronic conditions and complex care needs. A certified case manager prior to her retirement, OleksakSposito holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

DANIEL VETRAS '81 has been ranked among the top 25 CEOs for small to mid-sized companies

by Comparably.com. Vetras is approaching his seventh year as CEO for Kollective Technologies, and has served in senior leadership positions for the majority of his career. He has been president or CEO of Captura, Talisma Moxie Software, and Visible Technologies.

JOHN W. SCHNEPP III '81 has been named vice president of marketing at Big Y Foods, one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England with 78 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. In this role, Schnepp will oversee marketing and advertising for the company by coordinating all print, electronic, digital and social platforms, as well as internal and external communications across all Big Y brands. Schnepp’s career with Big Y spans more than 40 years.

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DR. DENNIS STILES '82 has been elected to the Board of Directors at the Pankey Institute, a nonprofit educational organization in Key Biscayne, FL, dedicated to helping dental professionals master advanced technical skills, improve behavioral skills, and nurture a positive philosophy towards life and practice.

1990s

CHARLES JEFFERS II '90 has joined Visit Baltimore, the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore, MD, as chief operating officer. As COO of Visit Baltimore, Jeffers will lead and manage the Operations and Finance Departments, where he will oversee the operation of the administrative, information technology, research, human resources, accounting, finance, and hospitality functions of Visit Baltimore.

KERRY SOCHA '93 announced that she intends on running for probate judge in the Ellington and Vernon district of Connecticut. Socha majored in business administration and has more than 20 years of litigation experience in service to the public.

2010s

TIFFANY BOLDUC MEd '12 has been welcomed as the new assistant principal at Tiverton High School in Tiverton, MA. Bolduc went to Tiverton from Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth, MA, where she was a member of the Faculty Council and Spartan Support Team.

KELLEY BOSTWICK MEd '12 has been appointed director of R.I.S.E. Preschool/team chairperson for Reading Public Schools in Reading, MA. Bostwick is the special education team chairperson at Reading's Birch Meadow and Wood End Elementary Schools, a post she has held for four years. She was previously the team chairperson for the Barrows and Killam Elementary Schools, also in Reading. Bostwick taught special education for 13 years at the elementary and middle school level in Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

BRANDON LUBIN '16 has joined an East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) hockey team, the Fort Wayne Komets. Lubin attended AIC from 2012-2016 and was named in the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team for 2012-2013. Lubin made his pro ECHL debut last year for Utah while skating 37 Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) games with Evansville, registering four goals.

Harmon Leonard '41 Marguerite Montagna '41 J. W. Abar '42 Nicholas Preston '43 Robert Hitchins Sr. '48 Samuel Giansante '49, MA '50 K. Baronian '50 Francis Conti Sr. '50 Richard Lamothe '50 Donald Pulsifer '50 Jerome Shea '50 Robert Bousquet '52 Richard Bozzuto '52 Joseph Medolo '53 Alan Moffett '53 Robert Morris '53 Francis Oleskiewicz '53 Francis Cote '54 Donald Cotnoir '54 Robert Crosson '55 Sidney Kittredge '55

John McDonough '55 Catherine Murphy '55 John Robbins Jr. '55 J. Robert Ford '56 Roland Roberts '57, MA '60 Donald Welch '57 Philip Braica '58 Paul O'Day '58, Hon'97 Howard Safstrom '58 Paul Premo '61 Paul Tarsa '61 Mary Ann Herndon '63 Wilfred Blanchard '64 Thomas Meehan '64 Robert Pickford '64 Anthony Arruda III '65 John Hollander Jr. '65 Joan Trinceri '65 Joseph Funcasta '66 Vivian George '66 Lois Brown '67

David O'Donnell '68 Paul Basamania '69 Jenny Cramer '69 William Connolly Sr. '70 Rudolph Szady '70 Edwin Johnson '71 Thomas Triggs '71 David Crosier '73 Peter Light '73 Vanessa Annaloro '74 Rodney Arsenault '74 Edward Beckman '74 Willie Hunt '74 John Gasparini '75 Delmar Moorhouse '76 Jayne Leigh '81 Diane Bitsacos '86 Kevin Wortman '91 Lorraine Lentini '12

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 69

GO YELLOW JACKETS

AIC HOCKEY MAKES HISTORY While it ended in defeat in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey Conference (AHC) tournament, the AIC ice hockey team’s 2017-18 season was one for the history books.

Led by second-year head coach ERIC LANG '98, MS '08, the Yellow Jackets recorded their highest win total in the program’s Division I tenure with a 15-20-4 record. Their 11 wins in conference play were also the most since the 1998-99 campaign, the team’s first as a member of the AHC. Seeded eighth in the AHC tournament, the Yellow Jackets hosted a playoff series for the first time, and in completing a two-game sweep of No. 9 Niagara, won its first postseason series.

The program received its first-ever point in the USCHO Division I poll, and was highlighted in a segment of ESPN’s College Hockey Nation.

WATTS HONORED AS AN ALL-AMERICAN AIC women’s basketball forward DANA WATTS earned honorable mention status in this year’s Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-American awards for the second consecutive season. With 552 points during the 2017-18 season, Watts, a psychology major, moved into third place on the Yellow Jackets’ all-time scoring list with 1,587 points. She has also accumulated the program’s fourth-highest rebound total of all time with a count of 844.

KIPKOSGEI NAMED ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AIC track and field star LEAKEY KIPKOSGEI was named the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year on March 28, 2018.

At the conference championships, Kipkosgei captured four gold medals, winning the one mile (4:12.20) and 3,000-meters (8:34.40), in addition to being part of the first-place distance medley relays and 4x800-meter relays. The four first-place finishes are the most by any AIC athlete at a single championship meet in program history. He was named the meet's Most Outstanding Performer. Kipkosgei also earned the conference’s Athlete or Relay of the Week honors four times this season.

CHRISTIAN GOES VIRAL AIC hockey forward BRYANT CHRISTIAN’s last game as a member of the Yellow Jackets hockey program was, indeed, a memorable one. After suffering an injury that was later discovered to be a fractured tibia in the first period of AIC’s 3-0 loss to Canisius in game three of the Yellow Jackets’ Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinal series, Christian skated one last shift on that broken leg, capturing the attention of the national media. With video of his final shift spreading rapidly over the Internet and social media, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski dubbed Christian “the best player in the world of the week,” and Christian, along with head coach Eric Lang, appeared on the NHL Network’s NHL Now program.

Christian proved he was a champion on and off the ice at the MassMutual Center, when he was named co-valedictorian at AIC's 133rd Commencement on May 12, 2018. Christian had a perfect 4.0 GPA. 70 :: HIGHER DEDICATION

YASMINE GRAZIANI

BRAMBLE EARNS ALL-AMERICAN STATUS Senior DANA BRAMBLE put forth an All-American performance for the AIC women’s indoor track and field team at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 10, 2018, becoming the fifth female Yellow Jackets track and field athlete ever to do so. She placed seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 12.34 meters, breaking her own school record for the third consecutive meet.

KAPCHECK NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Freshman BRENNAN KAPCHECK was named the 2017-18 Atlantic Hockey Conference Rookie of the Year, becoming the first major award winner in AIC ice hockey’s Division I program history. Kapcheck, an international business major with a minor in marketing, led AIC in scoring with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists), appearing in all 34 conference contests. He ranked fifth in the conference in points by a defenseman, third in points among conference rookies, and first among rookies in assists.

GRAZIANI & RIBEIRO HONORED Freshmen YASMINE GRAZIANI and JESSIKHA RIBEIRO of the AIC women's track and field team earned postseason honors from the Northeast-10 Conference on March 28, 2018. Graziani was named the NE10 Track Rookie of the Year, while Ribeiro was selected as the NE10 Field Rookie of the Year.

Graziani earned All-East Region honors for the 800-meters with a seasonbest converted time of 2:12.63 in addition to an All-Region selection for the distance medley relay. She was also the NE10 champion in the event with a time of 2:14.16, and placed second with the distance medley relay and 4x800-meter relay teams.

Ribeiro was All-Region in five events—the 60-meter hurdles, the distance medley relay, the high jump, the pentathlon and the long jump. She qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in the pentathlon and high jump, finishing with the seventh-best mark in the nation in the high jump (1.72 meters), and the third-best point total in the pentathlon (3,762).

YELLOW JACKETS GO PRO AIC ice hockey’s senior forward JOHNO MAY signed a professional contract, inking a deal with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, an ECHL affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers, and made an immediate impact. In his first game, May scored his first professional goal and was the game’s second star.

Senior defenseman ANDREW DEBRINCAT also went pro and scored his first professional goal with the South Carolina Stingrays, the Washington Capitals’ ECHL affiliate.

JESSIKHA RIBEIRO AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE :: 71

72 :: HIGHER DEDICATION

For more information, please contact the Alumni Office at 413.205.3520 or Heather Gawron at 413.205.3004 or heather.gawron@aic.edu

AKA - REX 2.0 Well, it had been a while and Rex, AIC’s mascot extraordinaire, was in serious need of new school clothes. You really can’t blame Rex—after all, he had been wearing his compadres’ hand-me-downs season after season.

Since his makeover into a Springfield bon vivant, Rex is feeling like quite the cool operator, especially now that his custom duds are taking up space in his locker.

What’s next for Rex? The cover of GQ? Walking the runway at New York Fashion Week? Hosting Saturday Night Live?

One thing is for sure, he’s going to continue leading the cheers at every AIC men’s and women’s sporting contest. Now those uniforms, and the players who wear them, make us proud. And so does Rex.

1000 STATE STREET SPRINGFIELD, MA 01109 www.aic.edu

REX REPORT NAME:

Jason Coscio

HOME TOWN: Hopewell Junction, New York AIC AFFILIATION: Bachelor of science in business administration '16, MBA candidate summer 2018, graduate assistant in the developmental education department, mentor in the Scholar Athletes program IN BRIEF: A hardworking, adaptive, and motivated individual who cares about helping others and giving his all in everything he does HONORS: 2018 Yellow Jacket of the Year Award winner (presented to the student-athlete that best exemplifies AIC athletics in character, talent and spirit), Dean's List, Athletic Director's 3.0 Club HIGHER DEDICATION: Organized the baseball team’s 2017 food drive, which yielded 1,400 pounds of canned goods for local charities BIGGEST LIFE LESSON: Not to take anything for granted—every moment in life is precious; and to live each moment with focus, understanding and purpose ON THE MOUND: Two-year captain of the AIC baseball team, starting pitcher, top reliever, all the while being legally blind in one eye HOBBIES: Fishing, bike riding, pickup football, reading, working out, Fortnite FUN FACT: Has a collection of Rubik's Cubes and can solve them PHILOSOPHY: “If serving is below you, then leadership is beyond you.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Graduating from AIC with an MBA in August, then working in NYC TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MBA PROGRAM AT AIC, VISIT:

www.aic.edu/admissions