Assumption College Magazine | Winter 2020

ASSUMPTION THE MAGAZINE OF ASSUMPTION COLLEGE WINTER 2020

Inspiring Success Assumption’s new Division for Student Success takes a unified, campus-wide approach to helping all students succeed.

TOMORROW’S NURSES

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ESPORTS: GAME ON

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NFL GREYHOUNDS

in this issue 6

A Unified Approach to Success The new Division for Student Success brings different campus offices and initiatives together in an integrated approach to promoting academic advancement.

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Preparing Nurses Who Think on Their Feet Assumption’s new direct-admission Bachelor of Science in Nursing program answers the call for nurses qualified to work in an increasingly complex, high-tech healthcare system with a compassionate approach to delivering care.

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Game On: Esports Arrives at Assumption Esports brings the competitive and community aspects of gaming to Assumption.

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From Greyhound to the NFL Defying the odds, several former Assumption football players are achieving their NFL dreams.

D E PA R T M E N T S 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT 12 CAMPUS NEWS 36 HOUNDS WATCH 41 CLASS NOTES 48 LAST WORDS ON THE COVER

Under the guidance of Conway Campbell, Ph.D., vice president of the new Division for Student Success, students are hitting, and maintaining, their stride at Assumption.

See story on page 6

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REFLECTIONS

On a wintry sunny day, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit reflects the wonders of Mother Nature.

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FROM THE

president These factors contributed to the creation of the Division for Student Success, which launched in July of last year, with the purpose of enhancing a culture on campus that is dedicated to providing an array of services to ensure that such are accessible and readily available to serve students from all backgrounds. In addition, we have already begun a process by which to identify any obstacles that students may encounter during their time at Assumption. For instance, there is greater attention provided to first-year students who struggle with the transition to college.

Instead of reviewing their challenges during an exit interview, Student Success staff intervene early in the process to formulate a plan to alleviate those challenges. This is one of many examples of a community-wide renewed emphasis on the success of each student.

Redefining Student Success in the Modern Age THE IDEA OF STUDENT SUCCESS HAS EVOLVED.

No longer is success solely synonymous with a student’s grade point average, but rather with a list of extracurricular activities, internships, and engagement in community service that fully form the Assumption graduate. As the institution welcomes different types of students, such as first-generation students, we’ve discovered that these individuals make meaningful contributions to Assumption’s vibrant campus life, but also encounter challenges relative to adjusting to the demands and rigors of college life. For some of these students, success was often defined as merely finishing each semester.

At Assumption, we are constantly innovating, evolving our programs to ensure all students have a successful and fruitful experience during their four years at the College. Each member of our faculty and staff, regardless of position, enjoys this singular uniting purpose: to educate and ensure student success as we form them to be individuals of unparalleled character who are prepared and possess a zeal to make a meaningful difference in the world.

As we prepare for a student population that is more diverse, the services and opportunities we provide them must meet their evolving needs. Enhancing the various resources afforded to students, in particular first-generation students, is key to ensuring their academic success, resilience, retention, persistence to graduation, and employability.

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The Division for Student Success demonstrates how Assumption empowers and equips all students to pursue what were perhaps insurmountable challenges in pursuit of a personal or career dream.

At Assumption, we are constantly innovating, evolving our programs to ensure all students have a successful and fruitful experience during their four years at the College.

Whether students dream of becoming CEOs, by way of our newly anointed Grenon School of Business, or competing in the National Football League, as several former Greyhounds are doing today, Assumption is committed to supporting students each step of the way as they pursue these dreams and accomplish their goals. In this issue, you’ll learn how Assumption has prepared students academically, physically, and spiritually to compete not just in the classroom and boardrooms, but on football’s biggest stage.

And therein lies the intrinsic value of the liberal arts. Here, students are prepared to pursue careers as teachers, business leaders, scientists – and soon nurses and physician assistants – and even professional athletes who, with their Assumption education, will positively impact those around them.

At Assumption, student success comes in many forms, as you will read in the pages that follow. And while the higher education landscape changes, the College will continue to innovate to ensure our students receive the best education, rewarding opportunities, and most importantly, the full and unwavering support of a dedicated faculty and staff to ultimately succeed.

Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. PRESIDENT

THIS IS US A number of independent organizations regularly recognize the value and strength of an Assumption education. These rankings showcase the College’s exemplary academic programs, value, and Catholic identity.

Best Colleges for Your Money (MONEY, 2019), Best for the Money (College Factual, 2019), Best Bang for the Buck (Washington Monthly, 2019), Best Value Colleges in America (Niche, 2020).

Best Regional University,

Best Value School, Best

Undergraduate Teaching, Social Mobility (2020) by U.S. News & World Report.

TOP 10

Assumption’s Rome Campus was named one of the top 10 “best study abroad programs in America” by Best College Reviews.

The Princeton Review named Assumption to its 2020 edition of “The Best 385 Colleges.”

Named to Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges list (2018, 2019).

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Assumption has been recognized

by Colleges of Distinction for providing students with “a personalized education catered to students’ interests” for the fourth consecutive year.

Assumption has been named to the top colleges list by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education (WSJ/THE) since their college rankings were established three years ago.

Magazine Team WINTER 2020 / VOL. 18 NO. 1 ISSN 1089-1296 Executive Director of Communications Michael K. Guilfoyle Director of Public Affairs Kimberly E. Ruscitti Art Direction/Design Keating Associates Worcester, MA

Contributing Writers Erin Casey; Fr. Richard E. Lamoureux, A.A. ’64; Holly Robinson; and Kimberly Ruscitti Photography Tracey Brown, Kindra Clineff, Matthew Levins, and Nancy Terlato. NFL photos courtesy of New Orleans Saints / Michael C. Hebert, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Printing The Lane Press, Burlington, VT We encourage your feedback.

Please address your letters, class notes, and story ideas to: Assumption Magazine 500 Salisbury Street Worcester, MA 01609-1296

508.767.7173 acpa@assumption.edu www.assumption.edu/magazine

Assumption Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Communications.

Assumption Magazine is distributed free of charge to alumni, friends of the institution, faculty, staff, administration, and parents of undergraduate students. Its purpose is to share stories and conversations that help alumni and friends stay meaningfully connected to the College.

STAY CONNECTED For web-exclusive content and links to our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, visit assumption.edu.

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// LIVING THE MISSION // FR. RICHARD E. LAMOUREUX, A.A. ʼ64 VICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION

“I want to communicate or teach the children I work with that there is hope.”

John Rodriguez ’97, G’09

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The Power of Education and Service John Rodriguez ’97, G’09 experienced Assumption unlike many other students.

One of 11 children, his family sustained itself on a paycheck he earned from his part-time job and his mother’s welfare check.

He commuted to Assumption each day by taking two WRTA buses from his home across the city in Great Brook Valley. A chance encounter with Brother Robert Beaulac, A.A., would provide a place to store his bike during the days he replaced the lengthy bus ride by biking the five-mile trip to campus. Each day for two years.

“He told me I could leave my bike in his office but under one condition: I had to read for 15 minutes in a rocking chair that he had,” said Rodriguez. “This gave me the opportunity to polish up my reading and catch up on my classwork. This was important because Brother Robert made me feel accepted on campus, and because of people like him, I am who I am today.”

As a school counselor at Worcester East Middle School, Rodriguez, who received a certificate of advanced graduate studies from Assumption in 2012, knows firsthand the struggles students face, but empowers them with opportunities to lift them out of poverty. Instead of commuting across the city each day, he now spends his days helping others find their path. It’s something he learned the value of – and something that others did for him – as an Assumption student.

One of his classes, The Problem of God with Sister Nuala Cotter, R.A., changed the course of Rodriguez’s life. Through this class, he met the Religious of the Assumption, who he said “became a family to me.” Sr. Nuala invited Rodriguez on a summer mission trip serving children in McAllen, TX, where he also met Sister Maria Isabel Galbe, R.A., better known as Sister Chabela. Over the next few years, Rodriguez worked with Sr. Chabela on mission trips and, when she came to Worcester, she and Rodriguez volunteered in his neighborhood, providing social services to families in public housing. When Sr. Chabela was assigned to help a community in Chaparral, NM, Rodriguez began bringing high school youth from his parish, Saint Joan of Arc, to Chaparral for weeklong mission trips “to help our students realize that helping others and valuing what they have are important.”

He continued, “I do this work to give back to our youth something that I received as a youth. To value what you have and given to others without expecting anything in return.”

Rodriguez has worked in the Worcester Public School system for 13 years, teaching at the Safety Center and working with special education students before becoming a counselor, which he calls the “best profession you can ever have” because “you are making a difference in a young person’s life.”

Rodriguez has also served with Worcester Latino Dollars for Scholars since its inception in 1994, ultimately becoming its president. “It is one of my passions to help students graduate from high school and attend college,” he said. “I learned myself that the only way out of poverty is education.”

“Assumption guided me in my career by providing me the tools I needed to have compassion for others and to always lend a helping hand to anyone in need,” said Rodriguez. “The Catholic values I learned at Assumption have built me into who I am today. Whether I do volunteer work or work in my career, I always think that serving is a way of life, and by growing my Catholic faith, I have been able to accomplish a lot.”

He is also the president of the Saints Basketball League, a league for youth aged 4 to 16 from the parishes of Saint Bernard and Saint Joan of Arc; board member of Worcester Comprehensive Education and Care; youth minister and confirmation teacher at Saint Joan of Arc, as well as a choir member; a board member of Casa Boricua, which promotes Puerto Rican culture in Worcester; and a former trustee of Quinsigamond Community College.

Rodriguez credits his professors and people like Br. Robert and Allen Bruehl, director of the Academic Support Center, for his success. “They motivated me and were always there for me when I needed them,” he said.

“I want to communicate or teach the children I work with that there is hope,” he said. “That no matter what obstacles they face, there is always hope in God … and I will always be there for them. If I did it, they can also do it.”

 Rodriguez and Sr. Chabela with children

attending the camp in Chaparral, NM.

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HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? 6

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The new Division for Student Success is inspiring an integrated, community-wide approach to empower Assumption students to succeed and discover their purpose.

Students in Assumption’s ALANA Network (African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) gather for a preorientation before the start of the 2019–20 academic year.

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What does it mean to be a successful student?

That depends on who you ask.

For Conway Campbell, Sr., Ed.D., vice president of the College’s newly created Division for Student Success, it’s about a lot more than academic achievement.

“To be truly successful, our students must understand why they’re here at Assumption – to know not just why they enrolled in college, but what their purpose in life is,” he said. “Through their time with us, we hope they’ll realize their purpose and develop the tools and skills they need to be able to fulfill it after graduation.”

In the field of higher education, “student success” is defined as the institution’s ability to retain students from first year to graduation. Retention and graduation statistics vary widely nationwide, but by all accounts, Assumption is doing better than most institutions.

According to a recent U.S. News & World Report study, the national average retention rate for 2016 was about 61 percent. (In other words, 61 percent of freshmen returned to their schools for sophomore year.) At Assumption, the retention rate was 84.5 percent last year – well above that national average.

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“Sure, that’s pretty good,” said Campbell, “but we still don’t feel like that’s good enough. We have an ethical responsibility to help more students continue through the institution to reach their goals.”

The College’s graduation rate is also impressive. The federal government mandates that any institution of higher education that receives federal student aid dollars must report the percentage of full-time students who graduate within six years. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the national average for full-time students graduating within six years hovered at around 60 percent, while Assumption’s graduation rate was 72 percent in 2018.

That’s a better graduation rate than most, said Campbell, “but that’s a number we’d like to see improve even more. That’s what the Division for Student Success is all about: inspiring a collectively integrated, intentional, and systematic approach to success for all students.”

A Human Capital Campaign President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., who originally conceived of establishing this new division and approached Campbell about heading it last fall, says the Division for Student Success supports the very heart of Assumption’s mission, which is “to prepare young men and women to lead successful, meaningful, purposeful lives.

The only way that can happen is if they have positive experiences at Assumption and successful college careers. It is critical that we identify issues that could impede the ability of a student to succeed and address them as early as possible.”

As he sees it, “everything is about student success, and any obstacle that gets in the way of that needs to be dealt with quickly.”

Those obstacles run the gamut from academic struggles to issues with roommates, organization, or financing college.

Kashmir Flood ’20 knows this scenario all too well. A sociology major who attended a magnet school in Hartford, CT, Flood was raised by a single mother who was enrolled part-time in college classes.

“There would be times when she’d have to skip a semester to make sure she could support our family,” Flood said, “while other times I’d come home, have dinner, then sit down and do homework with her at the dining room table. I don’t know how she did it, but she did.”

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Conway Campbell, Sr., Ed.D., vice president of the Division for Student Success, meets with students in his office on the third floor of the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library.

Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation, believes that fostering a sense of belonging in students is one of the most important factors of student success.

Flood, who just completed an internship with the Worcester District Attorney’s office and hopes to attend law school, said that some of the biggest hurdles to succeeding in college “are definitely financial. It’s important for institutions to have conversations with students about how to manage financial aid so they can afford school.”

In addition, she sees many students, especially those whose high schools or families didn’t prepare them academically, struggling to make the adjustment to college-level studies. “In college, things are more fast-paced and you have to learn more independently. At the same time, you’re adjusting socially and struggling to make friends and figure out what you want to do, so it can be pretty stressful.”

Assumption’s population is more diverse than ever, and many of these students are the first in their families to attend college. Due to shifting demographics across the Northeast and a commitment to recruit a more diverse student population, students of color now make up 20 percent of the College’s enrollment – up from only five percent just 15 years ago.

That growing diversity in the student population, in particular first-generation students, means that the College must provide more services, said Campbell. “We have to pay attention to those who might need more support to get them through.”

“To help students be successful, we want to encourage them to be sponges, to take advantage of as many opportunities as they can and assumption.edu | WINTER

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Cedric Ellis ’84 (center) funded the three-day ALANA pre-orientation that provided students an opportunity to connect with each other, as well as with faculty and administrators.

find a balance between academics and a social life,” said Cedric Ellis ’84, executive vice president and chief enterprise services officer of CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, WI, during a visit with ALANA students at their pre-orientation in August.

Ellis, who funded the three-day pre-orientation program that provided students with time to connect with faculty, administrators, and fellow students, said, “We emphasize the importance of an education as a means of giving them the opportunity to go many places in life and open many doors.”

In essence, added President Cesareo, “This Division was put together as we looked at what’s happening with students when they arrive here, what challenges they experience, and how we can help them overcome those challenges so that our students persist through graduation. The College was doing a lot in the area of retention already, but it was decentralized. Equally important, we are focusing on student success from an institutional perspective rather than a divisional perspective.”

Because there were different offices focusing on different aspects of student success instead of a more coordinated, intentional, systematic effort, “that led to some students falling through the cracks. By bringing all of these efforts together under a vice president to oversee and centralize all efforts that relate to student success, we’ll be able to address issues much earlier, allowing us to intervene and help students overcome obstacles they may be experiencing.”

Bottom line? “We’re a school that should have a retention rate of 90 percent,” he said. “The Division will focus on efforts to achieve that benchmark.”

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The Four Pillars of Success The Division for Student Success is building on four pillars that are key to helping every student succeed: retention, persistence, graduation, and employability. The Division’s goal is to make student success a unified, campus-wide endeavor across all departments. To accomplish this, the Division physically combines certain offices, like the Center for Purpose and Vocation and the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence (DCTE), which draws faculty members into the effort. The Division also includes the Cross-Cultural Center, which helps connect various campus areas around race and ethnic diversity issues, and the Career Development and Internship Center, which reaches out to students with help in finding internships, writing resumes, identifying experiential learning opportunities, and locating jobs. How is this work being carried out on a practical, day-to-day basis?

Recently, the DCTE brought 50 faculty members and staff together to discuss a book, The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During the College Years. Participants brainstormed ideas about how to address students’ mental health needs, and a panel of experts put together by the DCTE – including Assistant Professor of Psychology Adam Volingus, Ph.D., and Julie LeBlanc, director of Accessibility Services – responded with resources and information.

The next morning, Campbell received an email from a staff member who had attended the DCTE event, saying that she was concerned about a particular student. “We were then able to talk about what we were each noticing about that student and how to help him. If we can get other people thinking, ‘Wait, I’ve noticed something seems off with a certain student, and I’m going to say something,’ we can intervene sooner when students need help.”

The Division for Student Success In unifying campus-wide efforts to support student success, the new Division for Student Success will connect offices and initiatives together to enhance work and student services, including: The Academic Support Center The Care Team Career Development and Internship Center The Cross-Cultural Center

Experiential Learning The Mentor Collective The Retention Committee Student Accessibility Services

“A good college education needs to encourage students to examine their own lives and find their true selves, so that they can better understand the kind of life they ought to live.”

PROF. ESTEBAN LOUSTAUNAU, PH.D., DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR PURPOSE AND VOCATION AND THE SOPHIA PROGRAM

The DCTE is naturally allied with the Division for Student Success, said Professor of English James Lang, Ph.D., who directs the Center. “We have the same goal of helping students succeed, but our focus is on how the faculty can play a role in that success.”

He sees a rising number of students who have challenges with learning differences and mental health issues, which means faculty members need a better awareness of those specific issues and how to address them. The increase in the number of international and first-generation students also means that the faculty must be aware that they come in with different assets and needs.

A few decades ago, the faculty focused primarily on teaching content, he added, whereas “today we’re more aware that we can help students succeed beyond learning our specific subject matter.

“Knowledge fields change,” Prof. Lang continued. “We have to help students develop the skills, knowledge, confidence, and desire to learn beyond their individual classes and degrees, as well as how to be effective communicators and how to manage multiple projects and deadlines.”

Fostering a Sense of Belonging After growing up in Monterrey, Mexico, and having the opportunity to attend a liberal arts college in Minnesota, Professor of Spanish Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., has a firsthand appreciation of how good mentors can help students navigate the rigor and complexities of new cultural and academic environments.

“Building purposeful lives with a strong sense of meaning and belonging is another way in which the Division for Student Success supports Assumption students,” said Prof. Loustaunau, director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation and the SOPHIA Program.

Prof. Loustaunau believes that fostering a sense of belonging is the most important factor in supporting student success.

“It really comes down to building personal relationships,” he said. “To be successful, students need to connect with mentors. It could be a staff member, a professor, or an older student. Anybody who believes in them.” Having those mentors allows students to manage better as their friendships and living situations change, when they choose a major, or if they’re struggling in a class.

Students often arrive on campus the first year “wearing someone else’s face,” Prof. Loustaunau added. “A good college education needs to encourage students to examine their own lives and find their true selves, so that they can better understand the kind of life they ought to live.”

Student Government Association President Colin McQuillan ’20 had a similar experience. “I had no clue what I wanted to do when I came to Assumption,” he said. He ended up in marketing, and has held various student government roles during his four years here.

“My biggest goal has always been to ensure that other students can feel the same way I’ve felt here,” he said, “which is that Assumption has changed me for the better.”

Now McQuillan tries to do the same for other students. For instance, when his roommate was feeling undirected at Assumption and thinking of transferring, McQuillan “pushed him to join student government, and he found his place.”

For many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college, there is a great deal of pressure. “They think they aren’t only getting an education for themselves, but for their entire families,” Prof. Loustaunau said, “because they feel their families are depending on them to climb the ladder of success. Part of what I do is help them see that you shouldn’t pick only from careers that pay the best, but from careers that will make you feel engaged and satisfied. That’s a measure of true success.”

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campus news Doing Business the Grenon Way: Ethics, Vision, and Leadership In his remarks during the October 21 unveiling of the Grenon School of Business, the first of the College’s five schools to be named, David Grenon AP’57, HD’86 had some unusual advice for business students.

“I know you have the dream of being a CEO, a chief executive officer,” he said. “I’m going to challenge you to be something different than just the CEO. I want you to be the CCO: the chief creative officer.

If you have that wisdom, that imagination, that leadership, you’ll be able to do extraordinary things and have an opportunity to make an impact, infusing ethics throughout your career and your life.”

This view of doing business dovetails with Assumption College’s mission, said President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “A cornerstone of Assumption’s business studies program is forming students who are not only entrepreneurial, but educated within the context of the liberal arts and committed to ethical business practices,” he shared.

David Grenon AP’57, HD’86, a longtime supporter of Assumption, speaks during the official unveiling of the new Grenon School of Business.

Assumption Authors Assumption College faculty are committed to excellence in teaching students and actively contributing scholarship to the community and to the academic world. Each year, a number of faculty write scholarly articles, contribute chapters to or edit academic publications, and release books that showcase their expertise. Here are several faculty who have authored books that were published during the summer.

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In support of that mission, Grenon and his wife, Rosalie, made a seven-figure gift, the second-largest gift made to the current Light the Way: Capital Campaign for Assumption College, in support of the College’s School of Business. (The other schools under the new school structure include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions, and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.)

Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and associate director for grants and research for the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence, has published a new book, Hivemind: The New Science of Tribalism in Our Divided World (Grand Central Publishing). In the book, she provides an overview of contemporary social neuroscience, a consideration of the degree to which the advent of smartphones and social media has amplified both the promises and perils of our hypersociality, and an appeal to attend to the collective aspects of our well-being. Leading a narrative journey from the site of the Charlottesville

riots to the boardrooms of Facebook, considering such diverse topics as zombies, cults, and honeybees, Prof. Cavanagh leaves no stone unturned in her quest to understand our contemporary challenges.

John Hodgen, writer in residence, published a book of poems, The Lord of Everywhere (Lynx House Press), which are, according to the book description, “about strength and courage and the will to hold on, and about home and homelessness,” and the tensions “between knowing what home means and finding our true home.”

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Grenon, who earned an economics degree from Villanova University after graduating from Assumption Prep, has an astonishing array of professional accomplishments. In addition to founding the Protector Group Insurance Agency, Inc., he was one of the original directors of Commerce Insurance Company, as well as a past chairman of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and past director of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, among others.

He has also served his community in wide-ranging roles, including on the board of Fallon Community Health Plan and as chairman of St. Francis Community Healthcare Foundation.

Members of the Assumption and Worcester business communities gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the Grenon School of Business.

“It’s imperative that the soul of Assumption maintains the core liberal arts, infusing ethics into all aspects of its academic programs.”

He and Rosalie enjoy a long history of support for the College as well. In recognition of his extensive service in support of Assumption, Grenon was named an honorary alumnus in 1975, earned an honorary degree in 1986, served as a trustee from 1974–85, and holds the title of honorary trustee. From 2002–06, he chaired the College’s successful Centennial Campaign that raised $33 million in support of institutional efforts to construct the Testa Science Center and the Multi-Sport Stadium, and grow endowment resources for financial aid. The Grenons are members of the President’s Council.

Grenon added: “It’s imperative that the soul of Assumption maintains the core liberal arts, infusing ethics into all aspects of its academic programs.” He hopes Assumption’s business graduates develop into “ethical leaders who positively impact society” by being focused on the greater good and “a lifetime of sustainable values.”

One of the biggest changes in doing business today versus when he started out is that “our high-tech society lacks the human touch,” Grenon said. “Because everything is done at the push of a button, it’s more difficult to build long-term relationships between business owners and customers.” That’s a problem, in his view, “because when you have long-term relationships, you’re more likely to uphold high ethical standards. That’s key for any successful business.”

He continued, “Life is very similar to driving an automobile.

DAVID GRENON AP’57, HD’86 The windshield is a heck of a lot bigger than the rearview mirror.

The rearview and that behind you will never happen again.

I want you to respect the past, but not to live in it. I want you to understand, in this fast-changing society, that we have a great future ahead of us.”

Greg Weiner, Ph.D., provost and academic vice president, published two books. The first, Old Whigs: Burke, Lincoln, and the Politics of Prudence (Encounter Books), links Edmund Burke and Abraham Lincoln in a study of the paramount political virtue: prudence.

His second book, The Political Constitution: The Case Against Judicial Supremacy (University Press of Kansas), is, according to Prof.

Weiner, “not just about what the Constitution means, but also about the authority and responsibility of the people to interpret and follow it.”

Thomas Wheatland, Ph.D., associate professor of history, recently published a book he co-authored about the legal and political theorist Franz L. Neumann. Wheatland’s Learning from Franz L. Neumann (Anthem Press) examines Neumann’s social and political theory in the context of his career as a learner and teacher.

A labor lawyer and publicist of weight in the Weimar Republic, Neumann devoted his 21-year exile, after 1933, to understanding the failure of arrangements supposed to be in the line of social progress.

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// CAMPUS NEWS // Assumption Leads on Public Health Initiative; Vaping Banned on Campus Last Spring Recognizing the emerging dangers of vaping, following extensive research, Assumption, in April 2019, made the decision to become a vape-free campus.

“While much research is required relative to this new form of nicotine delivery, the College decided to ban vaping well before recent incidents made headlines,” said President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “The wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance for the College, as we are a community that is committed to the health of all. Knowing the potential harm e-cigarettes and vaping can cause in the health of young adults, as well as the safety issues surrounding these devices, it was necessary to enact such a policy.”

The new policy was effective June 1, 2019, prior to the national outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths. In September, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker suspended all sales related to vaping, a move that came after news of more than 2,200 vaping-related illnesses and nearly 50 deaths throughout the country.

Assumption Welcomes New Members to Board of Trustees The Assumption College Board of Trustees recently elected five new members. Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to uphold and advance the mission of the College as they provide overall governance of the institution.

“Trustees make meaningful contributions to the direction and future of the College, using their expertise in an array of fields and acting in the best long-term interest of the institution,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Francis J. Bedard, Esq., CPA ’81. “I am pleased to welcome to the Board five individuals with varied backgrounds who will provide reliable counsel as the College continues to innovate in this challenging environment for higher education. I would also like to express my gratitude and that of the Board to Jack Barnosky, Esq. ’64, Michele D’Amour HD’10, Robert E. Longden, Jr., Esq., and Candace McGovern Race ’78 for their years of selfless service in support of the mission, students, faculty, and staff of Assumption College.”

Suzanne M. Besnia, Esq. ’79

A shareholder of Riezman Berger, P.C. in St. Louis, MO, Besnia represents accident victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases and represents individuals in workers’ compensation claims. In addition to her impressive legal credentials, Besnia is also active in her community: she is a trustee of the St. Louis Art Museum and serves on its Beaux Arts Council, has held several board and council positions with the First Congregational Church in St. Louis, serves as a mentor for students in the Olin School of Business at Washington University, tutors foster children, and is a former mentor and board member for Mentor St. Louis.

Besnia earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Assumption and her J.D. from the St. Louis University School of Law.

“TRUSTEES MAKE MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO TH THEIR EXPERTISE IN AN ARRAY OF FIELDS AND ACTING FRANCIS J. BEDARD, ESQ., CPA ’81 – BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN

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// CAMPUS NEWS // Micheál J. Kelly, Ph.D. ’70

Kelly serves as dean of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. He also serves as a director of Economical Insurance, Waterloo North Hydro, the ADGA Group, and CATA Alliance – Canada’s high-tech industry association. In addition to his academic endeavors, Kelly held senior positions in the Canadian Federal Government, including 10 years as an executive in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Kelly has received several awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in foreign affairs and economics, cum laude, from Assumption; a master’s degree in political science and international relations at the University of Ottawa; and a doctorate in political science at Carleton University.

Fr. Vincent Laclercq, A.A.

A medical doctor by profession, Fr. Vincent earned a doctorate in moral theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He taught moral theology and bioethics at the Catholic Institute in Paris and at various seminaries in Kinshasa (Congo), where he also served as a member of the local formation team.

For many years, he served on the leadership team of the Assumptionist Lay-Religious Alliance in France. He has published a book on end-of-life issues, Fin de Vie: Pourquoi les chrétiens ne peuvent pas se taire – End of Life: Why Christians Cannot Be Silent, authored many articles, and presented at numerous conferences. Fr. Vincent earned his medical degree in 1996 from the Faculté Libre de Médecine de Lille.

HE DIRECTION AND FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE, USING IN THE BEST LONG-TERM INTEREST OF THE INSTITUTION.”

Christine (Cannon) Marcks ’77

Marcks, a retired chief executive officer, currently serves as senior advisor to a New York-based private equity firm and recently completed Harvard Business School’s Women on Boards program.

Marcks held numerous leadership roles at ING and Aetna, and served as an economist in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and as a legislative assistant in the United States Congress. She was honored by the Employee Benefits Research Institute with the notable Lillywhite Award, bestowed upon those “who have had distinguished careers in the retirement and investment management fields and whose outstanding service has enhanced Americans’ economic security.” She is also the recipient of the National Conference for Community and Justice Human Relations Award and the Harold C. Smith Award for Distinguished YMCA Service. Marcks earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs, magna cum laude, from Assumption and a master’s degree in economics from Georgetown University.

Stephen Skoly, D.M.D., ’78

Founding partner of Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Skoly also serves as a consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery for the State of Rhode Island’s Department of Corrections and Medical Examiner’s Office. Dr. Skoly is a former chair of the Oral Health Advisory Committee for the State of Rhode Island. In addition to his contributions in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Dr. Skoly is the founder of Jawdoc Productions, a media production company, which is currently showcasing the films Donald Cried and Porto on Netflix. Dr. Skoly earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Assumption, then pursued a D.M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. He earned his certificate of general practice residency from Cook County Hospital in Chicago and a certificate of oral and maxillofacial surgery from the University of Illinois. assumption.edu | WINTER

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// CAMPUS NEWS //

Finding One’s Calling For years, individuals around the country have interviewed those who inspire them and archived those conversations in perpetuity. Before students of the Class of 2023 arrived on campus, they participated in a similar exercise, embarking upon a journey of personal exploration and discovery.

college students, and the opportunities for developing cocurricular applications and events. “It is powerful in capturing so many different voices and in showing us that there are many ways to find meaning and purpose in how we live and what we do,” she said.

“We were excited by the opportunity to have students participate in a StoryCorps-like project where they could interview family members and others who inspire them,” shared Jenny Morrison, Ph.D., assistant vice president for academic affairs, who collaborated with Spanish Professor Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., director of the College’s Center for Purpose and Vocation (CPV), and Associate Professor of English Becky DiBiasio, Ph.D., to develop a project for first-year students to share and archive stories of inspirational people in their lives. “We hope this project will help incoming first-year students begin their journey to find meaning and purpose in life and work.”

Matthew McNaughton ’23 learned that one’s calling in life does not necessarily have to be job related after interviewing his marathon-runner mother, who calls running her “sanctuary.”

“I learned that your calling can be something that is a positive outlet in your life,” said McNaughton. “That this positive outlet can serve a bigger purpose, as it helps you in every aspect of your life, pushes you to be the best version of yourself, and helps you discover not only your path in life, but who you are as a person.”

StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization dedicated to gathering and archiving interviews of people’s stories. All first-year students were required to read Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, which was edited by StoryCorps founder David Isay, and subsequently record an interview with someone they admire and believe to have an interesting job or purpose in life. The interviews focused on how the chosen individual discovered a “calling” through employment, community service, a specific talent, etc.

According to Morrison, Callings – the first-year common book for the Class of 2023 – distinguishes itself particularly in its accessibility, its relevance to this moment in the lives of new 16 ASSUMPTION Magazine

Sarah Mattison ’23, whose interview with best friend Kaydi inspired her to pursue her dream of dance at Assumption, believes others’ stories are important because they can serve as learning experiences. “They allow us to explore all different domains of who we are physically, socially, and emotionally,” she said. “We can use these stories as inspiration and as fuel to empower ourselves and others.”

McNaughton agrees. “Empowering stories can motivate young minds and help them relate and discover their aspirations and goals in life,” he said.

The CPV advances institutional efforts to build a dynamic and inclusive culture of vocational engagement at the College and encourages students to explore their passions and how their chosen vocations can benefit the world in which they live.

// CAMPUS NEWS //

Claire DeSilva ’23, Sarah Mattison ’23, Markkie Fleming ’23, and Matthew McNaughton ’23 hold photos of their interview subjects.

“It is powerful in capturing so many different voices and in showing us that there are many ways to find meaning and purpose in how we live and what we do.”

JENNY MORRISON, PH.D. ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Many students found that knowing one’s vocation isn’t always straightforward. “From this project I learned that what you are meant to do will not always come right to you. Sometimes you have to go and search for things,” said Molly Bates ’23, who interviewed her mother, Kristie Bates, an occupational therapist.

“By learning about my mother’s story, I can see that I am not the only person trying to find my ‘calling.’”

Elizabeth Stone ’23 not only learned more about her father, Michael Stone, a portrait photographer, through their interview, but also that “there are so many different career paths in life, and understanding that these may change over time is perfectly fine and may sometimes be for the better. You find what your passion is and pursue it with everything you have.”

Assumption Professor Recognized for Research on Racial Bias in the Classroom Cinzia Pica-Smith, Ed.D., associate professor of human services and rehabilitation studies and coordinator of the Working with Children and Adolescents in Community Settings concentration, was recognized with the 2019 American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Book Award for a book she co-authored, Social Justice Education in European Multi-Ethnic Schools: Addressing the Goals of Intercultural Education (Routledge Press). This book examines the conceptual and theoretical framework of intercultural education, contextualizing it historically, socio-politically, and as a pedagogical extension of interculturalism in the European context.

Former VP of Mission Pens Book about Assumption

Rev. Dennis M. Gallagher, A.A. ’69, who served as Assumption’s vice president for mission from 2001–17 and is currently provincial of the North American Province of the Augustinians of the Assumption, independently published the book Liberal Education at the Crossroads: Thoughts on the Educational Mission of Assumption College. The book is a collection of short columns on education that Fr. Gallagher wrote for Assumption Magazine over a period of 16 years.

Together, they offer a defense of Catholic liberal education at a time when its value is being called into question by the larger culture and even within the academy itself.

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Assumption Welcomes New Faculty to Campus This fall, Assumption welcomed 18 new faculty members across an array of departments, including the College’s new nursing and physician assistant studies programs.

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// CAMPUS NEWS // 1 | Ali Al-Faris, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics 2 | John Frederick Bell, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, History 3 | Soraya Betancourt-Calle, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Biological and Physical Sciences 4 | John Chetro-Szivos, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Management, Marketing and Organizational Communication 5 | Bradford Dumont Director of Choral Activities, Art and Music 6 | Jeffery Giarnese, PA-C, MSPA Professor of Practice and Director of Clinical Education, Physician Assistant Studies 7 | Maria-Teresa Herd, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Biological and Physical Sciences 8 | Heath Hightower, ACSW, QCSW, DCSW Professor of Practice, Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies 9 | Nicolas Lessios, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Biological and Physical Sciences 10 | Nicholas Marshall, MS, PA-C Professor of Practice and Director of Didactic Education, Physician Assistant Studies 11 | Michael Matraia, CPA, JD Professor of Practice, Accounting 12 | Meghan McCrillis, DNP, RN, CNE Professor of Practice, Nursing 13 | Ryan Paskins, Ph.D. Professor of Practice, Rehabilitation Counseling 14 | Gary Senecal, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies 15 | Walter Shelley, Ph.D. Professor of Practice, Sociology and Criminology 16 | Stacey Waite, DNP, RN Professor of Practice, Nursing 17 | Kyle Woolley, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor, Sociology and Criminology 18 | R. Kevin Ferguson, M.D. (not pictured) Director, Physician Assistant Studies

French Government Awards Research Grant to Assumption Professor Assumption College Associate Professor of History Stuart Borsch, Ph.D., is part of a research project that was awarded funding from the French and German governments.

The grants will support the EGYLandscape Project, a three-year research project that explores the historical landscapes, agriculture, nature, and climate of Egypt throughout the Mamluk and Ottoman periods (13th–18th centuries).

“My role in this project will be to conduct research on Egypt’s past economic performance, with a focus on agrarian production,” explained Prof. Borsch, who was invited by the French government to participate in the three-year project as they were familiar with his prior work on Egypt. He said he plans to travel to Egypt to conduct research in the summer of 2020 and perhaps again in 2021. “I will be applying my own theories to provide a clearer picture of how Egypt’s agrarian economy performed over a thousand-year interval – from about 800 CE to 1800 CE.” Prof. Borsch’s two theories include a systems ratio analysis, which studies land surveys over time by quantifying ratios between upstream and downstream regions along irrigation canals, and linguistic hydrology, which is a subset of systems ratio analysis applied to the changing of village names from Coptic to Arabic.

According to the project proposal, the “first-of-its-kind” project will study “Mamluk and Ottoman Egypt’s agriculture, land use and tenure, biology (plants and animals), climatology, hydraulic systems, demography, and more. Using archeological, digital, and textual methodologies, EGYLandscape will bring together a team of researchers and scholars from a variety of backgrounds to collaborate on the issues at hand.”

The project features team members at 21 universities and institutes in six different countries, and will be coordinated online through digital fora, discussions, webinars, and working papers as well as three workshops and a conference. In September, the team held its first project workshop in Marburg, Germany, during which participants introduced their research projects and plans and discussed the overall framework. Prof. Borsch presented on “Linguistic Hydrology: Systems Ratio Analysis (SRA) for Diglossia (Coptic-Arabic)” during the workshop.

For more information on the EGYLandscape Project, please visit www.egylandscape.org.

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// CAMPUS NEWS // Visionary Student Development Leader Appointed V.P. of Student Affairs/Dean of Students Deborah Cady Melzer, Ph.D., was appointed vice president of student affairs/dean of students, where she is responsible for administering a variety of operational, educational, and counseling functions designed to foster personal development, accountability, and community within Student Affairs. Cady Melzer also provides leadership and support to highly productive student affairs personnel at every level, each of whom will enhance student services and collaborate to form students in the context of Catholic higher education.

Cady Melzer was appointed to the position following the retirement of Catherine WoodBrooks, Ph.D., after the 2018–19 academic year.

“As Assumption embarks upon the formulation and implementation of a new strategic plan that reaffirms the institution’s

Presidential Awards Recognize Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship, and Contribution to Mission Four members of the Assumption community were honored with Presidential Awards at the College’s annual Convocation on September 23. Pictured on right (L to R): Adam Volungis, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, received the Michael O’Shea Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching; Gregory Weiner, Ph.D., provost and academic vice president and associate professor of political science, was a co-recipient of the Paul Ziegler Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship; Ted Zito, associate dean of students, received the Kathleen Murphy Presidential Award for Excellence in Contribution to the Mission; and Paula Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., professor of psychology and dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, was a co-recipient of the Paul Ziegler Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship.

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commitment to providing students an exemplary academic and cocurricular experience, I am pleased to appoint Dr. Cady Melzer to this critical leadership position,” said President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “In this role, Dr. Cady Melzer will enhance the culture of Assumption by inspiring staff and students in cultivating a sense of community and a shared vision for the Division of Student Affairs. With a belief in the transformative nature of a Catholic liberal arts education to form students to pursue lives of meaning and purpose, Dr. Cady Melzer will help shape the student culture and create a campus environment that contributes to student formation.”

Cady Melzer carries out the educational mission of the College by leading a cohesive Student Affairs Division, which includes the departments of Residential Life, Student Conduct, Student Activities, Health Services, Counseling Services, and Campus Recreation.

She comes to Assumption after nine years of service at LeMoyne College in New York.

“… Cady Melzer will enhance the culture of Assumption by inspiring staff and students in cultivating a sense of community and a shared vision for the Division of Student Affairs.”

PRESIDENT FRANCESCO C.

Cady Melzer holds a Ph.D. in CESAREO, PH.D. higher education administration from Boston College; an M.Ed. in higher education and student affairs from the University of Vermont; a B.A. in psychology from Saint Michael’s College; and a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University.

FACULTY PROFILE

Cinzia Pica-Smith

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HUMAN SERVICES & REHABILITATION STUDIES COORDINATOR, WORKING WITH CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS CONCENTRATION

Education Ed.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst Ed.M., Harvard University M.S.Ed., The College of Saint Rose B.A., The College of Saint Rose

Classes Taught at Assumption Diversity in Schools Family and Disability Individuals in the Community Interviewing Techniques Loss and Bereavement Prevention and Intervention: Models and Approaches with Youth Principles of Case Management

What are your areas of expertise?

My areas of expertise include critical multicultural and social justice educational and counseling frameworks to support students, families, and communities. In particular, my research has focused on intergroup relationships.

How were you first attracted to this discipline?

I began my professional journey as a therapist working with children and families in community settings. Here, I learned what I appreciated about the profession and what was missing both in the field at large and in my own training and education. That’s when I decided to continue my graduate work and focus on a more critical and social justice orientation.

You recently gave a TEDx talk regarding your research on interracial friendships. What sparked your interest in this topic?

In graduate school, my research team was studying youth activists, and I met a group of friends who were part of an interracial friendship group. They taught me so much about the power of their

alliance and cross-race friendship and the benefits and the challenges of their bond. Cross-race friendships became the focus of my dissertation.

In the U.S., these friendships are still rare in both children and adults. Our lives are quite segregated by race.

We live in racially segregated neighborhoods, attend predominantly racially segregated schools, and our friendship groups are mostly racially homogeneous. Yet, cross-race friendships are linked to a myriad of positive outcomes including prejudice reduction, increased cultural competence, increased empathy, increased capacity for multiperspectivity, and decreased outgroup anxiety.

So intergroup friendships are an important area of study and continue to interest me years after that initial encounter in graduate school.

What is your greatest career accomplishment?

My most recent publication, the book Social Justice Education in European Multi-Ethnic Schools, won a 2019 American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice Book Award.

I’m deeply humbled and honored to join scholars I admire who have both won this prize and deemed the book a contribution to our field.

What is something that most people don’t know about you?

After college, I drove from Albany, NY, to Rio Blanco, Nicaragua, where I spent three months working in a women’s collective. I then spent three years in Asia – two years working in China and one traveling from Tibet to Indonesia with only the belongings I could carry in my backpack. This was before cell phones and internet, so I was halfway across the globe, away from family and friends, immersed in a different cultural context than the one I knew. These experiences deeply shaped the way I understood myself in relation to the world around me and impacted who I am today.

If you weren’t teaching, what would your preferred vocation be?

I would like to be a photojournalist when I grow up. I greatly appreciate the work of social documentary photographers. I spent many hours in the darkroom as a young person; I’d love a chance to do it again. assumption.edu | WINTER

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// CAMPUS NEWS //

Compassionate Care Cornerstone of Assumption’s New Physician Assistant Program The medical field is changing. No longer are doctors the sole providers of a patient’s care; physician assistants (PAs) are becoming increasingly present in hospitals, doctor offices, and every aspect of care.

“The practice rules are changing,” said Michael Whitehead, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, dean of the School of Health Professions and founding director of Assumption College’s new physician assistant studies program. “PAs are part of the healthcare team, working with physicians and the rest of the healthcare providers.

It is a collaborative agreement between doctors and PAs.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for physician assistants is predicted to increase by 37 percent between now and 2026, significantly faster than the average for other professions. The American Academy of Physician Assistants states that “the demand for PAs is so high that three quarters of PAs receive multiple job offers upon graduation.”

This demand, and the parallels of the field with the College’s mission, influenced Assumption to create a program. The 28-month, 113-credit Master of Science degree program (completed over seven consecutive semesters) will provide the breadth and depth of education required of today’s practitioners and a rich learning experience for Assumption PA students.

“The Catholic principles will play a role in how the program is conducted,” said Dean Whitehead. “We want students to feel that there is an overarching glow to the program of empathy, compassion, and dignity of every human being. That’s been a belief of mine since I started practicing 35 years ago.” Dean Whitehead previously worked at Wingate University and MCPHS University and is no stranger to building a program from the ground up; he did the same at Clarkson University for their physician assistant program.

“In some programs, often the medicine and the science become 90 percent of the message,” he said. “While it is a significant part of the message that we will certainly deliver, our overarching theme is compassion, kindness, and reminding the students of that on a constant basis. We’re not taking care of an illness; we’re taking care of a patient who has an illness, and 22 ASSUMPTION Magazine

Members of the administration, along with the first class of nursing students, sign the last I-beam of the new Health Sciences building.

THE DEMAND FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS IS SO HIGH THAT THREE QUARTERS OF PAs RECEIVE MULTIPLE JOB OFFERS UPON GRADUATION.

there are many layers of a human being that we have to appreciate.

“The broad-based liberal arts education makes you a better grounded human being,” continued Dean Whitehead.

“Medicine isn’t just about the science. It’s about the things you know and the way you react to them. The education you are getting here is different than that of other colleges. The best humans make the best providers.”

The Assumption College Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies is currently in the accreditation process and anticipates matriculating its first class in January 2021. The program will also offer Assumption students (beginning with the Class of 2024) the opportunity to enroll in a dual degree program in which they can earn their bachelor’s degree and the master’s in physician assistant studies – one of only three programs of its kind in Massachusetts.

Physician assistant and nursing students will be the first to utilize the new state-of-the-art, 41,000-square-foot Health Sciences building, currently under construction between the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library and the Hagan Campus Center.

// CAMPUS NEWS //

Assumption Community Celebrates Construction Milestone

In addition to nursing facilities, the building features four classrooms of varying sizes, each fully equipped with a recording system for simulations, and, on the physician assistant floor, a practice lab with 11 exam tables, two simulation labs, and four objective structured clinical examination rooms where live “patient-actors” will help teach students how to take a medical history, diagnose a patient, and perform a physical exam.

“We are building a program that will make us proud and will be representative of Assumption’s standing in the community,” said Dean Whitehead. “Students will want to come here, healthcare systems will want to hire them, and patients will want to be seen by an Assumption PA. They will be professional, compassionate, kind, and reflective of the principles of the College.”

On September 26, hundreds of members of the Assumption College community signed the last I-beam before it was placed on the frame of the College’s new Health Sciences building, cementing their place in Assumption history. The state-ofthe-art, 41,000-square-foot building, which will welcome students next fall, will house the College’s new nursing and physician assistant programs.

“Today at Assumption, we are providing greater opportunities for students. Opportunities that provide students a very distinct type of learning, one that forms individuals to be compassionate caretakers,” said Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., president of Assumption College. “In this building, we will form future healthcare practitioners to treat the human person and to do so with compassion. Empathy will become synonymous with Assumption nursing and physician assistant graduates, and those who graduate from our health sciences program as well. Individuals who respect the dignity of the person and the needs of the family who are also enduring the challenges of illness.”

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CAREGIVERS COMPASSION How Assumption Is Meeting the Critical Nursing Shor✚age Assumption College’s new direct-admission Bachelor of Science in Nursing program prepares compassionate nurses who treat the whole person.

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S WITH N THINKERS WITH CLINICAL JUDGMENT

Jillian Florent ’23 and Jaclyn Landry ’23 are part of the first cohort of Assumption's new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which teaches students to treat the whole person.

WHEN CAITLIN M. STOVER, PH.D., RN, WAS EARNING HER

BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN NURSING, “I COULDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY I HAD TO TAKE MULTIPLE COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY OR WRITE THEORETICAL PAPERS,” SHE SAID.

Her “a-ha” moment came after graduation: While conducting home visits as a nurse for Head Start in Worcester, she discovered how home environments impact the health of children and families.

Her liberal arts foundation gave her the ability to better analyze problems, arrive at creative solutions, and communicate with her diverse patient load.

“Health isn’t just about disease,” she said, “but about focusing on the whole person. Once you feel confident as a clinician, you can explore those factors and ask difficult questions that might lead to better health for your patients.”

Now, as the dean of the School of Nursing for Assumption College’s new direct-admission Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), she hopes to prepare nursing graduates to understand the various factors impacting health from the beginning of their studies. “Our program will not only deliver much-needed nurses to the workforce, but nurses with a liberal arts foundation steeped in academic excellence, a commitment to service, and ethical healthcare practices. Nurses educated at Assumption will practice solid clinical judgment and stand out as leaders in healthcare who are expert communicators and deep thinkers.”

A History of Nursing Education and a Critical Shortage The College’s new BSN program officially launched in fall 2019, but this isn’t the first time Assumption has educated future nurses.

From 1980–95, Assumption offered a flexible, part-time evening program through the Center for Continuing and Professional Education for Registered Nurses (RNs) who wanted to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

Marjorie Tremblay, MSN, RN, who taught in that program and served as its acting chair, is a firm believer that nurses need bachelor’s degrees, “because that academic foundation helps broaden your perspective and gives you a wider understanding of the world around you.”

The push for adding a new direct-admission BSN program to Assumption’s growing number of health science majors came about in large part because the U.S. is facing a critical nursing shortage. Over the next decade, more than 500,000 experienced nurses are expected to retire from the clinical workforce.

Meanwhile, the demand for nurses will increase sharply due to an aging population of baby boomers and longer life expectancies, often accompanied by chronic health problems. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for Registered Nurses are expected to grow by 12 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than for other occupations.

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I like to remind the nursing students that they will not be treating an illness, but rather a person who happens to have an illness.

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PRESIDENT FRANCESCO C. CESAREO, PH.D.

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Bradley Appo ’23 was inspired by his parents, who both work in the medical field, to help others through his vocation, leading him to enroll at Assumption for its new nursing program.

Preparing for an Increasingly Complex Healthcare System In particular, there is a booming call for nurses with BSN degrees.

Currently, the American Nurses Association is calling for an increase in the proportion of nurses with bachelor’s degrees from 50 to 80 percent.

Compelling evidence links a BSN education with lower rates of patient death and medical errors, and better patient outcomes in our complex, high-tech healthcare system.

“The need for nurses will continue to grow, and we understood that we could meet the demand for nurses in a way that’s consistent with our mission and the education we offer,” said President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. Having a strong liberal arts background provides Assumption’s nursing graduates with a “well-rounded education,” he noted, “so that they’re not simply trained to do one thing, but have a foundation of knowledge that allows them to ask different kinds of questions, analyze situations effectively, engage in critical thinking, better communicate with patients and family members, and make ethical decisions. Our nursing students will have the ability to go beyond possessing the skills and knowledge of competent nurses to be effective caregivers in the broader sense of the word. I like to remind the nursing students that they will not be treating an illness, but rather a person who happens to have an illness.”

Assumption’s program is unique, he added, in that it reflects “Catholic healthcare and moral and ethical principles. We’re preparing students to respect the dignity of all humans and giving them the framework to think through the moral dilemmas they’ll encounter, helping them navigate through them successfully.”

Both the College’s liberal arts foundation and its emphasis on Catholic values led nursing student Alyson Landry ’23 to choose Assumption for her studies after graduating from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, NH. “Having a background in liberal arts helps you develop into a wellrounded person who knows about topics other than science,” she said, noting that her history class this year has helped her improve her skills in analyzing and writing about what she reads. “If I work in a hospital one day and a superior comes to me at the end of my shift, I’ll be able to communicate more effectively and be more confident about documenting my work based on my education at Assumption.”

Landry is also pleased by the new health science facilities Assumption is building on campus. “It’s exciting to lead the way for the students who come after us.”

Jillian Hamblin ’23, who is thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner after she completes her BSN degree, was initially surprised to discover that she would be taking a balance of science and non-science classes during her first year. Now she likes the idea. Her literature class is helping her improve her reading and writing skills, she said, while her class in world music is introducing her to different cultures.

“We’re learning about Indian music right now,” she said. “It might not seem like it has much to do with nursing, but knowing about different musical traditions around the world will help us understand cultural differences when we become nurses.”

Put Simply: Nurses Need to Know More Dean Stover describes the program structure as being “almost like a two plus two program,” in that students spend the first two years completing core curriculum and biology courses, plus a nursing course in spring of sophomore year, while juniors and seniors primarily focus on taking nursing courses and earning hands-on clinical experience on campus and through internships. Students graduate with a BSN and a minor in biology.

“The liberal arts courses are so foundational to a nursing education that it was important for me to ensure that our students finish those courses first,” she said. “A solid foundation will allow the nursing faculty to do what they do best: build nursing knowledge.”

Why? Put simply, “These days, nurses are expected to know more,” she said. “We’re building our program on how the future of healthcare looks and on the many roles nurses can play.”

By next year, students in both Assumption’s new physician assistant studies and BSN programs will benefit from the College’s new Health Sciences building next to the library (see sidebar).

“I’m calling it a clinical learning suite,” Stover said, noting that the second floor will house a clinical skills lab, medication administration room, four high-fidelity simulation labs, and state-of-the-art technology, all of which will allow nursing students to learn in an on-campus environment that prepares them to work in hospitals and clinics. “We’re doing everything possible to ensure that Assumption graduates will not only be expert healthcare practitioners, but leaders in their field.”

Assumption’s Newest State-of-the-Art Health Sciences Building By fall 2020, Assumption nursing and physician assistant students will be housed in the College’s new state-of-the-art, three-story Health Sciences building.

The 41,000-square-foot facility is located next to the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library, across from the Hagan Campus Center, and offers:

NURSING FLOOR • Four classrooms equipped with full audio/visual Apple technology to facilitate active learning • A large nursing clinical skills lab with seven full sized hospital beds for teaching patient care

Jaclyn Landry ’23 and Jillian Florent ’23 engage with Dean Caitlin Stover. Nursing students will spend their first two years building a liberal arts foundation.

• Four simulation labs with high-fidelity mannequins, which can simulate actual patient conditions (vitals, seizures, cardiac arrest, childbirth, etc.), all of which are controlled remotely and include a recording system to be used for debriefings following lab exercises

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) STUDIES FLOOR • A practice lab with 11 exam tables for teaching diagnostics •

Two simulation labs comparable to the nursing floor, plus four objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) rooms where live actors dictate a script of medical maladies to teach students how to take a full medical history and diagnose a patient

• PA practice lab

SPACES FOR STUDY AND COLLABORATION Throughout the spacious building with an interior illuminated by natural light, students will have access to lounges; smaller breakout spaces, debriefing rooms, and conference rooms; nine offices for faculty and staff; and suites for each of the deans. assumption.edu||WINTER WINTER 2019 2020 27 assumption.edu

By Erin Casey

READY PLAYER ONE James Bachini ’23 and fellow Assumption gamers enjoy collaborating and playing together, bringing a community element to the College’s new esports program.

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Sometimes scoffed at and often misunderstood, esports – organized, multiplayer, computer-based competitions – are hugely popular and, in recent years, have exploded on college campuses.

This fall, Assumption established a team in one of the country’s fastest-growing industries.

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Esports is one of Assumption’s new Blue & White Club Sports, an initiative created in 2018 to encompass three new club sports programs (men’s swimming and women’s ice hockey are the others) that are not part of the College’s official NCAA teams but function at a higher, more competitive level than the school’s traditional club sports model.

Assumption esports is in its first season, under the direction of head coach Robert Skinnion. Comprised of 15 students, five of whom were recruited to the College’s team, the program includes players involved in a main League of Legends (a multiplayer online battle arena video game) team, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (the fifth installment of Super Smash Bros., a series of crossover fighting video games that feature characters from various Nintendo franchises). Future expansion may include games like FIFA Soccer, Madden NFL, and Rocket League.

College President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., noted that while it seems nontraditional now, esports are expected to become commonplace within collegiate athletics programs. “At first glance, it would seem that esports is inconsistent with any academic institution, because students already spend an enormous amount of time engaging via

technology as opposed to engaging person to person,” President Cesareo said. “But what you have to do in esports competition is come together and work as a team.”

The opportunity to be included on an esports team attracts students like James Bachini ’23, who has been a gamer most of his life and is drawn to communities and team-based play. “I became involved in this program at Assumption when I shadowed a student on campus,” Bachini said. “I was instantly pulled in. The thought of being on a team was amazing, and the idea that someone was interested in me playing on a team made me so happy and eager to try out.

Esports brings a whole new level of team involvement to someone who wants to play a collegiate sport but not a physical one.”

There is a new community gaming space – an esports arena – in the Hagan Campus Center where players in the program

Assumption’s esports program’s League of Legends team battles in the esports arena, a new space on campus for community gaming and events.

30 ASSUMPTION ASSUMPTIONMagazine Magazine

practice and compete, and other community events such as movie and casual gaming nights will take place. “The space Assumption has provided is truly one of a kind here in New England,” Skinnion said. “The experience we can provide for collegiate events, watch parties, and tournaments is unequaled.”

That space drew the attention of Hayley Orkins ’20, who volunteered to assist the program with marketing, as she has extensive gaming knowledge and skills earned through years of gaming with her brothers.

“After hearing about the program and what it would offer Assumption students, I became even more enthralled,” Orkins said.

“I wanted to be able to share my passion and have a positive impact on others, since gaming in general seems to garner some negative opinions from those who don’t fully understand its growing presence and importance in our society.”

Students who participate in esports, according to Skinnion, are also able to tie their gaming interests to potential future careers.

“With an industry this large, there are many job opportunities, not just playing games but making events happen, building service companies, and working in the areas of media, production, and audiovisual,” Skinnion said. “Students who love gaming can find careers around their interest, applying what they learned in school.”

Not only are there ample career opportunities, but, according to President Cesareo, esports is congruent with Assumption’s mission.

“As any sport does, it teaches respect, teamwork, perseverance, and commitment to doing what needs to be done in order to excel,” he said. “All of these different aspects of any athletic competition flow out of the mission of the institution in the development of all aspects of the person.”

Skinnion said there has been an overwhelming response campus-wide from interested students. “Building an interactive experience on campus that invites students to engage with their community, meet other community members with shared interests, and connect over games, technology, and media is critical to building the campus of the future,” he said. “We’re seeing a major shift in how Gen Z and others consume media, and these kinds of programs and the content we’ll be able to produce around a program like this will help Assumption succeed in its educational mission for decades to come.”

Students who love gaming can find careers around their interest, applying what they learned in school.

ASSUMPTION ESPORTS HEAD COACH ROBERT SKINNION

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F I E L D

The path to the NFL is hardly blazed through Division II schools such as Assumption.

But with faith and determination, several former Greyhounds are making their marks on the gridiron.

By Kimberly Ruscitti

G O A L S

A

FTER GRADUATING FROM ASSUMPTION COLLEGE, ZACH TRINER ’15 MOVED ACROSS THE COUNTRY

FAITH AND PATIENCE

COURTESY TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Zach Triner ’15, now the long snapper for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had 13 tryouts over four years in his quest to make it in the NFL. He never gave up, crediting his faith and Assumption education for helping him persevere during the times of uncertainty.

to San Diego, where he lived in his Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot of former NFL kicker John Carney’s training facility. Triner, undrafted and hoping to make it to the National Football League (NFL) – a dream he’d had since writing it down in his second-grade yearbook – with unwavering faith was willing to do whatever it took to make his dream come true.

“Someone along the way told me it would be impossible or too hard,” the Marshfield native said about abandoning his dream of playing professional football for lacrosse in high school. “You don’t want to listen to it, but it’s hard not to have it in your subconscious.”

Five years later, Triner is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ long snapper, but it wasn’t an easy road; it took a lot of faith to get there. Over the next four years, Triner had workouts, tryouts, or participated in camps 13 times, eventually moving back east to put his psychology and political science degrees to use working for Fidelity Investments in between, but he never gave up.

“I tried out for a third of the League and heard no after no after no, signed a contract and got cut, signed a contract and got cut,” he said. “You have to be some kind of psycho to keep going. But Assumption did a good job in helping me realize that if you believe it, and are willing to put in the work, and have faith, then you can do it. People hear the word faith and think it’s religious and don’t want to touch it, but what faith really means is do you believe in it?”

Triner, who decided to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL when he enrolled at Assumption in 2012, credits the College for providing him with the skills needed to succeed both on and off the football field.

Triner said he learned how to carry himself and to work hard at all times, even on the days he did not necessarily feel up to it. He shared that then-Assumption head football coach Bob Chesney taught him that if you work on yourself throughout the day, work on small things that make you a better person, like picking up a tipped-over trash can or holding the door for someone, it will carry over onto the field.

“When you get to practice, you start looking for the small things to improve upon,” he said. “When you try to be a better person off the field, you would be surprised how easy it is to become a better player and find things to do better.”

Triner maintained that work ethic and, although he is the oldest rookie in the NFL this season, he’s already making an impact on his coaches and teammates. “I think what Zach brings to the team is energy and toughness,” said Buccaneers’ Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong. “He is a competitive person and he is a tough kid.”

Armstrong said that Triner “does a heck of a job running our meetings” when he isn’t in the meeting room. “When you talk about off the field, I also think he has some leadership abilities. He’s got a good chance to be a leader – he is a serious kid and he studies the game.

I am very happy to have him,” he added.

“Assumption did a good job in helping me realize that if you believe it, and are willing to put in the work, and have faith, then you can do it.” zach triner ’15

Along with the support of his wife (high school sweetheart Carissa), the lessons learned at Assumption and his faith are what helped Triner push through the hard times.

Though Triner grew up a Catholic, with age he drifted from the Church. He said two friends, Blake Nold ’15 and Jack Dustin ’15, were helpful in bringing him back. “Blake and Jack, every week, no matter if they went out the night before, would get up and go to church,” he said. “They showed me that you can do both. You can have a social life and your faith.

It was the ultimate thing to strive for.”

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Scott Simonson paved the way for Triner and Deonte Harris (see sidebar) when he was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Simonson would become the first former Greyhound to play in a Super Bowl.

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COURTESY OF NEW ORLEANS SAINTS MICHAEL C. HEBERT

COURTESY OF CAROLINA PANTHERS

PAVING THE WAY

Triner’s faith grew as he continued to pursue his dream. In San Diego, Carney, who traveled a path similar to Triner’s before spending 23 years in the NFL, gave him a Bible; he is someone Triner considers an important influence and “one of the good guys in an industry that can be very money focused.”

During that time, one moment in particular has stuck with Triner. While grabbing lunch at an In-N-Out Burger, Triner paid the tab of a young man in front of him whose card was declined. The man, who was going through a tough time like Triner, thanked him and shared the message that even through hard times, Jesus loves you.

“It was one of those times when you strip everything away and see what you have left,” he said. “And I realized there’s that unconditional love from Jesus. If you slip and fall, make mistakes, it’s still there.”

Triner’s faith remains one of the most important parts of his life. When he was working with the Green Bay Packers during the 2018 off-season, he and a few other players gathered for an impromptu Bible study group. In Tampa Bay, he attends the team’s weekly Bible study meetings.

“Someone in my Bible group said it’s OK for it to be difficult. It’s OK to not be OK, just as long as you don’t stay there,” he said. “As long as you put one foot forward toward your goal, you’re OK.” Triner said that through everything, he just kept taking the next step forward and leaned on those around him, including former Assumption teammate Scott Simonson, who in 2014 was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent and went on to play for both the Carolina Panthers and currently the New York Giants.

“I am lucky that Scott had the success he did,” said Triner.

“To have someone blaze a path and to have that path to follow is so important. It goes back to having faith and belief in your goals. I saw him have success and knew if he could, I could do it.”

Simonson is delighted for his friend and former teammate. “When he was going through the process of getting a job with a team, which to people who haven’t experienced it can be very grueling and disheartening at times, I told him to just try and eliminate all the noise and control what you can control,” he said, which included his training habits, his technique, and who he was as a football player. “You can’t get caught up and waste time or energy on something you don’t have control over. … Now Zach has done a terrific job of getting an opportunity and using his skills to make a roster and have an impact for his team, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Simonson also faced an uphill battle to the NFL. His only playing time in high school came during his senior year, and, according to the tight end, Assumption was the only place to give him a shot. “Assumption helped to continue to boost my confidence in myself as a football player,” he said. “After having success at Assumption and still being doubted by NFL scouts because of coming from such a small school, it really gave me motivation and a desire to prove those who have doubted me wrong.”

Like Triner, Simonson listed his future career as “NFL player” in his fifth-grade yearbook and held fast to his belief in himself despite the warnings from scouts that he had an “impossible goal” and “no shot.” And it paid off. He was the first former Greyhound to play in the Super Bowl,

appearing in Super Bowl 50 with the Panthers, and scored his first NFL touchdown with the Giants in 2018. Simonson is proof that someone from a small Division II school can find success on his sport’s biggest stage.

“It means a lot to me to represent the Assumption Greyhounds in the NFL because it shows that if you can play football, or whatever sport you choose, and you're good enough to make something out of it, someone will find you,” he said.

Simonson added that he looks at guys like Triner, Deonte Harris (see sidebar), and Nick Haag ’13 – his former roommate who has had stints in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants and currently plays in the Arena Football League (AFL) – with “the utmost respect because I know what it takes to even get a small chance and then how much more it takes on top of that to stick around in the league. Only a very small percentage of people can make it there from college. So it gives me great pride to say I'm one of only a handful of Greyhounds to [represent Assumption] in the NFL.” Triner vividly remembers one of his political science classes at Assumption that dissected ways to get around the “red tape” when it interfered with getting what one wants or needs. “There is a certain path set out for you, whether it is to go to the NFL or get the best job, but just because there is a hurdle, a little red tape, you have to figure out how to get over it,” he said. “Be careful who you listen to. Listen to the whisper in the back of your head – if you want to call it God, you can – but if it is your goal, it’s your goal.”

“Assumption helped to continue to boost my confidence as a football player.”

SAINT(S) DEONTE Zach Triner ’15 and Scott Simonson aren’t the only former Assumption Greyhounds making noise in the NFL this season. After an impressive preseason, Deonte Harris, a wide receiver and kick returner, signed with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie undrafted free agent, and continues to impress.

“To be able to represent Assumption College, a small Division II school, is just a blessing. It’s an honor,” said Harris. “Not too many people get the opportunity, especially coming from a school with 2,000 people. So, for me to be able to say that I came from Assumption and I beat the odds is just truly a blessing.”

Deonte Harris

Just like Triner and Simonson, Harris’s success story – coming from a Division II school and having an immediate impact on an NFL team – is inspiring and an important lesson in hard work and belief in

scott simonson

COURTESY OF NEW YORK GIANTS

oneself. “Nothing’s really impossible as long as you put your mind to it, as long as you believe, and as long as you surround yourself with people who believe in you,” he said. “Just surround yourself with positivity. … Always keep God first. Know that He’s the reason that everything happens. So just keep your faith in God and stay level-headed, stay positive, and do everything that you possibly can.”

Nothing’s really impossible as long as you put your mind to it, as long as you believe, and as long as you surround yourself with people who believe in you. deonte harris Harris is certainly doing all he can on Sundays.

In Week 3 versus the Seattle Seahawks, Harris returned a punt for a 53-yard touchdown, and, for the first several weeks of the season, led the NFL in kick return and punt return yards. After an explosive Week 14 in which he amassed 205 all-purpose yards, at press time, he was on pace to become one of the Saints’ top return specialists in recent history and was named a 2020 Pro Bowl starter. While at Assumption, the 5’6” Baltimore native, who was deemed too short to play

Division I football, set the NCAA Division II record with 14 career punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns and served as a team captain. He holds a slew of school kickoff and punt return records, as well as the records for career touchdowns (45) and all-purpose yards (6,173).

At Assumption, Harris not only learned a mental toughness needed to succeed on and off the field, but learned the importance of teamwork. “It’s bigger than you,” Harris said.

“Knowing that this game is much greater than just an individual. It’s a team sport and you’re not in it by yourself. That’s probably the biggest thing I apply to my daily life.”

Though Harris misses his teammates and the tight-knit community, Assumption is never far from his mind. One semester short of earning his degree in organizational communication, Harris plans to someday come back and finish.

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about and talking to my family about,” he said.

“I definitely want to finish.”

In the meantime, he’ll continue to dominate a different type of return. assumption.edu | WINTER

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// HOUNDS WATCH // SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

Men’s Soccer With its best season in program history, Men’s Soccer claimed the Northeast-10 Championship as the fifth seed and competed into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hounds, who finished the year with a 12-7 record, 7-5 in conference play, traveled to Le Moyne College where they captured their first-ever program playoff win before defeating American International College at home in a semifinal matchup.

The Hounds then hosted the College of Saint Rose, whom they defeated 2-1 in the championship game to capture their first-ever title.

The Hounds went on to defeat West Chester University (PA) in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Gannon University (PA) in the second round.

Alex Moschella ’20 was named the NE10 Championship Most Valuable Player, while Moschella, Brian Flynn ’20, and Sebastian Jimenez ’22 earned first-team honors. Jimenez won NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year while Jason Lages ’20 and Nicholas Cardona ’21 were both named to the NE10 All-Conference First Team. Juan O’Neill ’21 was selected to the Third Team All-Conference.

Kialeigh Marston ‘20

Fall 2019 Sports Highlights  Men’s Cross Country concluded its impressive season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA East Regional on November 9. They tied for the highest finish in program history, and three different runners finished in the top 50. This built on the team’s sixth-place showing at the Northeast-10 Championships. First-year runner Claudio Rocha ’23 finished 18th overall in the conference championship. Rocha and Shawn Scullion ’21 were voted to the Third Team All-Conference.

Riley Brackett ‘22

 Women’s Cross Country finished its season by placing sixth at the NCAA East Regional on November 9. Kialeigh Marston ’20 took 24th overall in the event out of 162 runners. Two weeks earlier, the Hounds earned a fifth-place finish at the Northeast-10 Championships, led again by Marston, who won her first individual title, the 6K, and was named the 2019 NE10 Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year.  Women’s Soccer finished its

season 10th in the Northeast-10 Conference with a 7-4-5 overall record and 4-4-5 in conference play. Diana Bruggeman ’22 finished with six goals, while Alexis Stowell ’20 and Brooke Shatney ’21 each notched four goals on the season.

Goalkeeper Alexis Nason ‘20 finished her collegiate career with 71 saves on the season and five wins.

Alexis Stowell ’20

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Samantha Leary ’21

Samantha Tepper ’20

 Football concluded its 2019 season with a 6-4 record and 5-3 conference record, finishing third in the Northeast-10. Fifteen different players earned All-Conference honors: Quentin Hall ’20 was selected as the NE10 Offensive Lineman of the Year as well as a First Team selection alongside tight end Tighe Beck ’20; Carlins Platel ’21 and Seamus Wallace ’20 were named to the First Team All-Conference for defense; Second Team Offense was awarded to Doug Santos ’20, Noah Brown ’20, and Joseph Kellum ’22; Second Team Defense was awarded to Egan Bachtell ’20, Trenton Wright ’20, and Mason Spence ’20; Third Team All-Conference included Khaleed Exum-Strong ‘20, Elijah Riley ’20, and Antoine Williams ’21; and Patrick May ’23 were named to the conference’s All-Rookie team. Santos and Exum-Strong finished fourth and fifth respectively in the conference in rushing yards per game. Exum-Strong finished secondoverall in touchdowns (15), and Mac-Brian Nkongchu ’20 finished the season with a team-high 62 tackles.

 Field Hockey won its final two  Men’s Golf capped off its best fall season in history by winning its first Northeast-10 Championship in program history.

The team placed fourth or higher in each of its competitions all season, including the NE10 Championships in which Andrew Sanzaro ’21 led the Hounds with a one-under 71 and a spot on the All-Championship team, while teammate Mark Bryant ’20 was close behind with an even-par 72.

 Women’s Golf capped its season with a runner-up finish at the Northeast-10 Championships in Verona, NY. Catherine French ’20 finished in third place with a score of 152, while Christine Cutting ’20 took seventh with a score of 161.

Earlier in the season, French finished first in the Franklin Pierce Fall Invitational.

Women’s Volleyball,

which featured just two seniors, earned victories against Mercy College and Felician University during the season, as well as a big road win against Saint Michael’s College. Tess Haller ’20 recorded 116 kills during the season, while Brenna Chrisom ’20 recorded 72 sets.

games of the regular season to earn the No. 5 seed in the Northeast-10 Tournament. The Hounds upset No. 4 Stonehill College in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual NE10 Champion top-seeded Saint Anselm College in the semifinals.

After being nationally ranked for nine consecutive weeks by the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association Division II National Coaches’ Poll, reaching seventh best in the country in November, the Hounds were ranked fourth in the East Region for the NCAA Tournament, where they were defeated by East Stroudsburg University (PA) in the first round.

The team finished the year with a 16-5 record and had three players named All-Conference: Deirdre Burchill ’21on the First Team, and Summer Walsh ’22, Lucy Malia ’22, and Courtney Sickel ‘20 on the Second Team.

Veronica Op ’21

 Women’s Tennis finished the year with a 5-7 record, 4-6 in conference play. At the end of the regular season, Ana Escudero ’22 was named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference Second Team and earned Second Team honors with her doubles teammate, Veronica Op ’21. assumption.edu | WINTER

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ALUMNI NEWS Happy New Year, Greyhound Family!

For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I am Thomas E. Wales, Ph.D., Class of ’98, and I will be serving as chair of the Alumni Ambassador program leadership team. I am joined

by Chris (Ayers) ’86 and Bob Martin ’86, Kevin Peterssen ’08, Artie Rogan ’04, and Christina Graziano ’10, who will each lead one of four focused ambassador groups: Admissions, Flagship/Campus Events, Alumni Networks, and Career Networking, respectively.

L–R: Andy Rudzinski ’09, Stephanie Boucher Rudzinski ’09, Erica Henrickson Anastas ’12, Dan Anastas ’10

I am beyond excited that this new program engages alumni in a unique and meaningful way to support our Assumption family with our collective time, energy, and enthusiasm. Since the official launch of the program in August 2019, over 125 alumni have signed up to be Ambassadors. We range in class years from 1952 to 2019, and we hail from all over New England to California to the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico.

During Homecoming on October 26, the Ambassadors held our inaugural on-campus gathering before the Alumni Tailgate and football game. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat not only with each other, but also with the deans of the newly restructured schools and President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. To those alumni who have already signed up to be Alumni Ambassadors, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you would like to join us on this new adventure, please visit www.assumption.edu/alumni. We would love for you to participate at whatever level you can.

I hope that you all have a great start to 2020, and I look forward to seeing you at an alumni event on campus or otherwise (see back cover for dates) very soon.

Thomas E. Wales, Ph.D. ’98 For more information on the Assumption Alumni Ambassador program, please contact: Amy Logue Gontarz ’01, G’08 Director of Alumni Relations alogue@assumption.edu / 508.767.7011 38 ASSUMPTION Magazine

L–R: Mike Carpentier ’14, Faye Catalan Carpentier ’14, Fr. John Franck, A.A. ’70, and Mark Carpentier ’18

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL DINNER

On Saturday, October 19, members of Assumption’s leadership giving society, the President’s Council, gathered for the annual dinner celebration in the ballroom of the Tsotsis Family Academic Center.

HOMECOMING

On Saturday, October 26, more than 500 alumni returned to campus for a day of reconnecting with old friends. Attendees gathered at the annual Alumni Tailgate under a tent in the end zone before watching the Hounds beat undefeated division rival Stonehill College in double overtime. Earlier in the day, members of the new Alumni Ambassador program met with President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., and the deans of the College’s five new schools (see photo below).

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST COED CLASS

Members of the Class of 1973 enjoy the luncheon and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first coed class at Assumption.

On Sunday, October 27, 85 alumni, students, faculty, and staff commemorated the 50th anniversary of Assumption’s first coed class.

Guests enjoyed a luncheon and panel discussion, “Sharing Memories of the Fall of ’69,” which featured panelists from the Class of 1973 – Bob and Mary (Connors) Bourque, Maureen (Ryan) Doyle, and John Laracy – and was moderated by Charlene (Longhi) Martin ’78. In honor of the first coeducational class, the female members of the Board of Trustees – Laure Aubuchon, Suzanne Besnia, Esq. ’79, Carolyn Clancy ’82, Alison Kenary, Christine Cannon Marcks ’77, Lilliam Alonso Miller ’89, and Candace McGovern Race ’78 – sponsored the event.

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Maureen and Armand “Pete” Marcotte ’67 Armand “Pete” Marcotte ’67 and his wife, Maureen, have been loyal supporters of Assumption, always attending reunions, Florida receptions, and gatherings with New Hampshire Greyhounds. For this reason, they decided to name Assumption College in their estate plan. As Pete started to think about supporting the college he loves, he asked his nieces and nephews, who have established a family foundation, if they would be willing to create a scholarship at Assumption.

The family foundation loved the idea and approved it at their first meeting. The Leclerc Family Foundation will support students in the future from Fitchburg/Leominster and southern New Hampshire.

For more information on how you can support Assumption with a legacy gift, contact Melanie Demarais at 508.767.7332 or visit www.Assumption.edu/plannedgiving.

40 ASSUMPTION Magazine

CLASS NOTES Submit your news online at assumption.edu/classnotes.

SUMMER 2020 issue deadline is March 15. Weʼd love to hear from you!

Mike Myers ’93, president of the Worcester Railers Hockey Club, talks with students during Assumption’s Alumni Career Networking Night in November.

1962

Tim Cooney served as the emcee of Charlie’s Surplus 10-Mile Road Race held on June 1 in Worcester.

1965

55TH REUNION

Bob Kenney and Jim Monahan were featured in a Catholic Free Press story about their participation in the Bishop George E. Rueger Memorial Golf Tournament.

1968

Michael Moran, newsletter editor for Pax Christi Massachusetts, honored the late Michael True, Ph.D., former professor emeritus of English at Assumption, by writing a column about his influence in the classroom and beyond in the newsletter’s summer/fall 2019 issue. Michael retired last year from Bay Path University, where he served as director of library and information services for 10 years.

1969

Ron Coderre ’69, G’72 and three Assumption classmates – Bob Tetreault ’75, Bob Jacques AP’63, and Bob Mercier AP’64, ’68 – competed in the Ronald P. Coderre Putnam Rotary Club Golf Tournament, held in May 2019 at the Connecticut National Golf Club. The tournament was named in Ron’s honor in 2010; he has been a Rotarian since 1982.

1973

Frances Anthes retired from the Family Health Center of Worcester after 28 years, where she served as president and CEO for the past 22 years. Fran now volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for children and is in training to become a docent at the Worcester Art Museum. Fran and her husband reside in Worcester and have three children and seven grandchildren.

Bill McAndrews retired in June 2019 after 46 years of teaching in the Diocese of Bridgeport (CT). Bill taught algebra and geometry at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, a position he held since 1991.

1977

Joseph F. Hogan has received his Class C Water Operator license, issued by the New York State Department of Health.

Terry Shanley retired from the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, a leader in child welfare and juvenile justice in MA.

1982

Carolyn Clancy, an Assumption trustee, co-chair of Assumption’s Light the Way Campaign, and executive vice president for Fidelity Investments, was a speaker at the annual NICSA conference, a not-forprofit trade association that connects the global asset management industry.

Fellow alumnus Jim Fitzpatrick is president of NICSA.

Michael Skeary received his LL.M. in taxation from Boston University School of Law in May 2019. He previously received his LL.M. in estate planning and elder law from Western New England University School of Law in 2012.

1983

Brian Kelly, head coach of the University of Notre Dame football team, was enshrined, along with the 2009 University of Cincinnati football team, in the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2019.

Kelly coached the 2009 team, one of the most successful in school history, which finished a perfect 12-0 regular season, won the Big East Conference Championship, and played in the 2010 All State Sugar Bowl.

Fr. Steven LaBaire has been appointed the new pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in West Boylston.

1985

35TH REUNION

Leslie (Laquerre) Campbell, Art.D., was recently appointed the program director for the International Business Ph.D. Program at Southern New Hampshire University. In August, she presented her research at the Teaching and Learning Conference at the Academy of Management annual meeting in Boston.

Richard DeCusati was recently named the senior sales manager for the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Sturbridge. assumption.edu | WINTER

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ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

A Lifetime of Serving Others

BY ERIN CASEY

After dedicating her career to serving others, Sr. Cathleen Toomey, R.S.M. G’69 retired in December 2018, but not before leaving a significant impact on both the Assumption and Worcester communities.

She credits her Assumption education for giving her the strength and skills needed to serve others during her many years of ministry.

While completing her master’s degree at Assumption, Sr. Cathleen taught students with special needs at the Mercy Centre in Worcester before taking on positions in her religious community and throughout Worcester. In 1981, she found her way back to the College, becoming a member of the first Campus Ministry team, at which time she learned the value of leadership from Assumptionists Fr. Roger Corriveau, A.A. ’69 and Fr. Dennis Gallagher, A.A. ’69, with whom she would later collaborate in his role as provincial superior for the Assumptionists.

“Working with both of them was a blessed opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills,” she said.

For the next 14 years, Sr. Cathleen dedicated herself to the religious community, serving as a member of the leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy, as major superior of her community, and as pastoral associate at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northborough.

“IN EACH OF THESE ASSIGNMENTS, I WAS FORTIFIED BY MY MASTER’S DEGREE FROM ASSUMPTION.” SR. CATHLEEN TOOMEY, R.S.M. G’69

“In each of these assignments, I was fortified by my master’s degree from Assumption,” Sr. Cathleen said. “Providing pastoral counseling and my experiences in various forms of leadership prepared me to take on whatever was asked of me, including spending many nights with students who were hospitalized following accidents or sudden illnesses, comforting and supporting students and families alike. As a woman and a Sister of Mercy, I was able to represent both the Sisters of Mercy and the Assumptionists, bringing the mercy of God and the heart of the Venerable Father Emmanuel d’Alzon to those whose lives I touched.”

From 2001–06, Sr. Cathleen served as director of Assumption’s Campus Ministry. Among her many duties was the “exciting challenge” of taking on a leadership role in the development and design of the Tinsley Campus Ministry Center. In conjunction with her colleagues, she also developed student programs that emphasized spiritual growth in the students who participated.

“Our hope was that we would help [our students] to become servant leaders themselves,” Sr. Cathleen said. “Ongoing contact with many alumni indicates our hopes have in many ways become reality, and that our continued prayers for them have not been in vain.”

CLASS NOTES SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Assumption Magazine publishes Class Notes in each issue. Submissions can be made at alumni@assumption.edu or by mailing us your information. An icon may be placed by a wedding announcement, indicating a photo is posted online. The Magazineʼs editorial staff makes every effort to accurately print announcements, but cannot always verify the accuracy of information submitted for publication.

42 ASSUMPTION Magazine

1987

Gregory Kaminsky recently joined Alcentra, a global asset management firm, as a managing director.

1990

30TH REUNION

Andrew Coston has been hired as the executive director for the Center for Career Development at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN.

1996

Colleen Bamford Wamback has been named associate director of public relations and government communications at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Colleen resides in Worcester with her husband and two children.

1999 birth:

Jeffrey Logee and his wife, Tanya Hank, welcomed Otto Wayne on April 18, 2019. The family resides in Bar Harbor, ME.

2000

20TH REUNION

Julie (Phipps) Morancy joined the Assumption College faculty as an adjunct professor in the Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies and began teaching in the school counseling program in fall 2019. She is in her 18th year as a school counselor at Robert E. Melican Middle School in Northborough.

2003 birth:

Kristine (Bergevin) Churchward and her husband, Scott, welcomed daughter Keira Lynn on June 30, 2018.

2004 birth:

Laura Tsotsis-Olson welcomed a son, Henry Michael Olson, on June 19, 2019. Henry’s grandparents are Dot and Michael Tsotsis ’71.

2005

15TH REUNION

Daniel J. Gilmore has joined Granite Telecommunications in Quincy as a financial analyst, where he is responsible for margin analysis, credit calculations, and pricing recommendations.

2007

Tara Carlson married Gordon Tam on June 1, 2019, in County Clare, Ireland.

They currently reside in Singapore.

ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES left to right Bob Tetreault ’75, Bob Jacques AP’63, Bob Mercier AP’64, ’68, and Ron Coderre ’69, G’72 played in the Ronald P. Coderre Putnam Rotary Club Golf Tournament in May 2019.

Jacqueline Avola ’18 was recently promoted to corporate fulfillment and game operations manager for the Worcester Railers Hockey Club.

Molly (Sweeney) Prospect ’16 was named the first director of marketing communications at East Catholic High School in Connecticut.

Stephanie Joy Bouley ’12 received her doctorate from Dartmouth College in June 2019.

2009

birth:

birth:

Heidi (Lukas) Baj and her husband, Steven, welcomed their son, Michael Clement Francis, on August 4, 2019. He joins his sister, Celestine Mira Sophie.

2010

Carolyn Clancy ’82 and Jim Fitzpatrick ’82 at the NICSA conference, during which Carolyn served as a speaker.

Jim is president of NICSA.

10TH REUNION

Colleen Fish married Sean Cassidy on July 27, 2019, in North Falmouth.

Marie Torto has worked as a communications and social media marketer for Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli since 2013.

She married Sean Bucklin in June 2016.

Alumni in attendance included Amy (Laurendeau) Basbas ’09, Matthew Kisil and Kimberly (Ricciardone) Kisil ’09, Jennifer (Clancy) McWhirter, Alyse Moccia, and Sarah Wyman. They welcomed a baby girl, Lena Marie, in September 2019.

Kara (Soteropoulos) VanSlyke and Bill VanSlyke ’08 welcomed a baby girl, Shay Katherine, on September 16, 2019.

2011

Julia Brough has been working as a digital project manager at Linchpin since June 2016. For the last six years, she has been living in Providence, RI, and traveling the country with friends.

Katie Barthelette married Alex Cuscovitch on June 28, 2019, at Valley View Farm in Haydenville.

Lauren Keating was recently hired as a special education teacher and girls’ varsity soccer coach at Nashoba High School.

2012

Stephanie Joy Bouley graduated from Dartmouth College with a doctorate in experimental and molecular medicine in June 2019. Her dissertation focused on the identification of novel synthetic lethal targets in NF1 and RAS dysregulated tumors.

She is now employed at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she will continue to work on identifying new therapeutic targets for treating neurofibromatosis type 1.

Nick DiAntonio has been a volunteer with Special Olympics Massachusetts for the past 17 years. He recently established and started coaching a powerlifting team; he previously established and coached a wrestling team for three years.

assumption.edu | WINTER

2020

43

ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES

2013

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Alumnus on the Forefront of Worcester’s Biotech Innovation

BY ERIN CASEY

by the work they did and the opportunity for develJon Weaver ’06, G’16 chose Assumption for its top opment in Worcester and decided to stay in the city liberal arts education and discovered a passion for and contribute first at the South Worcester Neighcreating value in both companies and the commuborhood Improvement Center and then eventually nity. In early 2019, Weaver was named CEO of the at WBDC, MassDevelopment, and now MBI.” Worcester biotechnology incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), and within a year oversaw an expansion “MY CAREER IN The life science companies incubating at MBI – using lab space and MBI’s project doubling MBI’s laboratory WORCESTER suite of services – include a company space, which will foster a far greater sterilizing blood for transfusion, several number of early-stage companies.

STARTED AT companies researching cures for cancer, ASSUMPTION.” and a company eliminating the need “My career in Worcester started at JON WEAVER ’06, G’16 Assumption,” said Weaver, who for ear and eye surgeries. resides in Sturbridge with his wife, “MBI is home to some game-changing companies.

Katie (DiBuono) Weaver ’08, G’15, and their three They are the most exciting part of our story,” Weaver children. “My senior year, I ran for student governsaid. “MBI is creating a business strategy effort to ment president, and part of my focus was better support our companies on the business side to help connecting [the campus] with the city of Worcester. craft a strategy, build out their management teams, We worked to move a bus stop to the center of and seek investment. The greatest victory for us is to campus, created a consortium of the area college help companies transition from the lab bench to the student governments, and provided the student marketplace. In biotech, success is personal, as there perspective on local development projects. It was in that role that I first met the team from the Worcester are patients and family members eagerly awaiting these therapies.”

Business Development Corporation. I was fascinated

Jennifer (Kennedy) Rawson and husband Christopher Rawson announced the birth of their daughter, Maddison.

Erica Micciche married Adam Williamson on July 26, 2019, at Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson.

Monique Girard and Laura (Micciche) Valladares ’10 served as bridesmaids, while other alumni in attendance included Brenda (Wyman) Bachant ’88, Jill Foley ’11, Shannon (Murtagh) Hulton ’10, Keri Lamontagne, Kate (Janosko) Lemire ’09, Michael Quinn, Jennifer Ryan, Kaitlin (Owen) Spinna, and Lucas Spinna ’14. Erica, who played tennis during her four years at Assumption, works as a graphic designer for Smartfish Group. She and Adam, who served as Assumption’s head tennis coach from 2016–18, live in Paxton.

Join Fr. John Franck on a 2014 Nicole Millick completed her M.S. in 10-Day Holy Land Experience clinical mental health counseling at

Walk where Jesus walked and watch the Bible come alive!

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Rhode Island College in May 2019.

She works as a home-based clinician at Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI), serving children and their families who have experienced trauma. She previously worked at FSRI as a case manager for two years while in graduate school.

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per person Price based on double occupancy $100 Early Bird Discount with deposit by February 12, 2020 or $50 Early Bird Discount with deposit by May 12, 2020

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Mike Uva, a sports anchor at WACH FOX in South Carolina, recently served as master of ceremonies at his alma mater, St. John’s Prep, for their Homecoming Athletic Hall of Fame breakfast and induction ceremony.

Uva was named Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 2018.

2015

“Even though I’m on the business side of healthcare services, I’ve ensured I’ve always had the patient and those in need kept in mind,” said Murphy. “It’s not about just focusing on the dollars, but also focusing on the person receiving services.”

5TH REUNION

Kaitlyn Poirier earned her doctoral degree from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

2016

Molly (Sweeney) Prospect married Daniel on August 17, 2019. Alumni in attendance included Shanell Cartagena ’16, G’17, Jennifer Faenza, Amy Logue Gontarz ’01, G’08, Caroline Kenney, Marianne Knoegel, Brian Morrone, Bea Patino G’07, Kari Thoresen, and Jessica Wisniewski ’17. Molly was recently named the first director of marketing communications at East Catholic High School in Connecticut, where she previously served as assistant director of admissions.

Kevin Flaherty and Ralph Cola summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in July 2019.

They used the trek to raise $3,300 for the David Louis Cunha Foundation, established in memory of one of Kevin’s friends who passed away while he attended Assumption.

Kevin currently serves as treasurer of the foundation.

Patrick Murphy ’84 Brings Compassion to Healthcare Industry

BY ERIN CASEY

It was by chance and opportunity that Patrick Murphy ‘84 discovered a career in healthcare after a decade with a national accounting firm. But in the many years since he entered the healthcare sector, Murphy, recently appointed chief financial officer at the rheumatology care management organization United Rheumatology (UR), has found his work to be in line with the values instilled in him while at Assumption.

ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES

Ian Mack is working at a startup in Boston called CloudHealth, which was recently acquired by VMware for $600 million.

Prior to settling into his new role at UR, Murphy was CFO at CleanSlate Centers, where the company‘s work focused on treating individuals coping with opiate addiction. “We provided leading-edge treatment to those suffering from addictions whose needs were not being met,” Murphy said.

“We also provided other social rehabilitation aspects of the recovery process.”

Murphy, who resides in Rocky Hill, CT, with his wife and with whom he has twin sons, believes his Assumption education provided him with fundamental skills to pursue a career. “There was a focus on the idea that there’s more to a career and a life than just books. It’s dealing with real-life experiences and challenges that are not going to be covered in a textbook. … The liberal arts component provided more than just a business focus. Compassion, friendship, and the social aspects were as important as the business side of things.”

“THE LIBERAL ARTS COMPONENT PROVIDED MORE THAN JUST A BUSINESS FOCUS.” PATRICK MURPHY ’84

2018

Jacqueline Avola was promoted to corporate fulfillment and game operations manager of the Worcester Railers Hockey Club, where she works closely with the corporate team as well as oversees game day operations and promotional efforts.

She previously worked as the organization’s corporate fulfillment coordinator.

GRADUATE STUDIES G’16

Brittany Hanna was recently hired as a school counselor at Wachusett Regional High School.

G’18

Daniel F. DosSantos serves as a compensation analyst at Lifespan.

The perfect venue for your event. weddings • conferences • meetings • social events Call 508.767.7423 for more information. www.AssumptionEventPlanning.com assumption.edu | WINTER

2020

IN MEMORIAM Christopher Beyers, Ph.D. 1962–2019

Christopher Beyers, Ph.D., 57, served as a professor of English for more than 20 years. He was committed to the importance and value of the liberal arts and had a variety of academic interests, manifested in the many courses he taught, ranging from American Literature and American Poetry to African American Literature, Romanticism, and Children’s Literature. An excellent writer, he was a nationally recognized expert in American poetry, in particular the history of free verse. Beyers served on the Representative Faculty Senate and various committees, and actively participated in mission-related faculty seminars and reading groups.

He leaves behind his son, William, a member of the Class of 2022.

Catherine Pastille, Ph.D. 1958–2019

Catherine Pastille, Ph.D., 61, passed away on June 25 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Pastille served as an assistant professor of management in the Department of Business Studies since 2012. After earning her B.S. from Rhode Island College, Pastille worked in many capacities in the Catholic Church and with several agencies that offered assistance to those in need. A perpetual learner, she returned to earn two master’s degrees from Rhode Island College and Bryant University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island. Pastille then embarked on a career in teaching to train the next generation of business leaders, working at Bryant University, the University of Hartford, Providence College, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and most recently, Assumption.

Fr. Paul Vaudreuil, A.A. AP’55, AU’59

Soledad Garcia-Guzman 1970–2019

Soledad Garcia-Guzman, 48, passed away suddenly along with her mother on July 20 while in Mexico. Born there, Garcia-Guzman moved to Worcester in 1999 and worked as a catering supervisor for Sodexo for the last 16 years. She was deeply committed to the Assumption community. Whether overseeing a special event for the College or working in Taylor Dining Hall, Garcia-Guzman brought an inner joy and smile that made those who met her feel welcome on campus. While she was an employee of Sodexo, she was truly a member of the Assumption family who is greatly missed.

Francis L. McKone 1934–2019

Francis McKone, 85, passed away on September 13. Throughout his life, he was a passionate advocate for education, serving on and for many boards and organizations, including the Assumption Board of Trustees from 2006–09. McKone was the former president, CEO, and chairman of the board of Albany International Corp., the world’s largest producer of paper machine clothing and high-performance industrial products. He joined the company in 1964, retired in 2001, and remained on their board until 2006. He served his country as an officer in the United States Navy from 1957–60 and received his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

46 ASSUMPTION Magazine

1937–2019

Fr. Paul Vaudreuil, A.A., 81, passed away on July 6. For many years, Fr. Vaudreuil was a fixture on the Assumption campus, a graduate of Assumption Prep and the College.

He entered the Assumptionist order and pronounced first vows on August 28, 1960. He completed his scholasticate in Lyons, France, from 1960–64 and was ordained a priest there on February 29, 1964. Fr. Vaudreuil served as a campus minister at Assumption and was a founding member of Emmanuel House, where he served as its treasurer. He was the secretary of the provincial of the North American Province for several years, and from 1996–2003 served as an associate pastor at Saint Anne’s Shrine in Fiskdale. Before retiring, Fr. Vaudreuil was the superior of the Assumptionist community at Old English Road in Worcester; he also served as an Assumption trustee from 1993–2012.

† Mary Guerin G’90, P’87 April 22, 2018

† Joel Argento AP’65 November 22, 2018

† A.W. David Lavigne AP’45, AU’48 May 23, 2019

† Gerald R. St. Martin, Ph.D. ’68 May 31, 2019

† Ronald Cloutier ’63, G’78 June 18, 2019

† Joseph A. Simoneau, Ph.D. AP’60, AU’64 June 25, 2019

† Marianne J. Geary G’80

† Roger J. Neault, O.D. ’46

† Richard L. Gaudette ’52, G’63

† Claude P. Van Vooren AP’54, AU’58

† Maurice “Moe” Facques AP’59

† Maria Santos CAGS ’14

† Robert Jandrow, Jr. AP’43

† Barbara K. Zappone CE’94

† Sr. Sheila A. Finnigan, S.N.D. G’70

† Norman Plourde G’65

† Marcia H. Downs ’78

† Nelson Traquina ’70

† Jeanne Blackett Harmon ’82

† David R. Lemire AP’65, AU’69

† Joseph “Joey” A. Bouchard AP’54, AU’58

† Judith I. Butler ’89

† Gerard R. Bergeron AP’61, AU’67

† Russell A. Gagnon ’69

† Michael S. Marchand CE’95

† Thomas M. Clark, III ’71

† Colleen Rooney McDermott ’80

† Roger E. D’Amours, J.D. AP’54, AU’58

† Naomi R. Caplin-Shermer G’75

† Br. Raymond M. Tetreault CE’72

† Roger St. Germain AP’44, AU’47

† Roland A. LaRoche AP’61

† Matthew J. Blanding ’03

† Sr. Miriam C. Cripps G’88

† Joseph F. Sumanski ’70

June 29, 2019 July 5, 2019 July 6, 2019

July 26, 2019 July 29, 2019 July 29, 2019

August 3, 2019 August 4, 2019 August 4, 2019 August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

August 12, 2019 August 12, 2019 August 13, 2019 August 13, 2019 August 14, 2019 August 18, 2019 August 24, 2019

September 7, 2019

September 17, 2019 September 19, 2019 September 24, 2019 September 26, 2019 September 27, 2019 October 2, 2019 October 2, 2019 October 6, 2019 October 6, 2019

September 14, 2019

Introducing the Physician Assistant Studies Graduate Program

Assumption’s 28-month program provides the breadth and depth necessary to achieve success in today’s complex healthcare industry, with a focus on empathy, compassion, and the understanding that each patient is an individual to be cared for, not just a disease.

Highlights of the Program: •

Brand-new Health Sciences building will feature the latest innovations

•

Patient simulation with mannequins and live patients

•

Use of Apple technology in the classroom

•

State-of-the-art patient assessment and clinical skills lab

•

Exam rooms with video recording capability

•

Mannequin simulation rooms with video recording capability

Applications open May 2020; first cohort begins January 2021

For information about our Physician Assistant Studies program, visit www.assumption.edu/pa Accreditation Status: The Assumption College Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The Program anticipates matriculating its first class in January 2021, pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the September 2020 ARC-PA meeting. “Accreditation-Provisional” is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

If the Assumption College program is not granted accreditation, no students will be enrolled in the program, and any deposits paid will be refunded.

CASPA application fees will not be refunded. assumption.edu | WINTER 2020 xx Program is pending NECHE approval.

// LAST WORDS //

Be Smart and Social

BY SARAH ROSE CAVANAGH, PH.D. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR GRANTS AND RESEARCH FOR THE D'AMOUR CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE IN MY RECENT BOOK HIVEMIND: THE NEW SCIENCE OF TRIBALISM IN OUR DIVIDED WORLD, I REVIEWED ALL OF THE RESEARCH I COULD GET MY HANDS ON THAT EVALUATED THE

impact of recent social technologies like smartphones and social media on mental health.

I also did a fair bit of traveling around the country, interviewing various experts for their insights. In sharp contrast to the doomsday pronouncements you read in the popular press, the relationship between smartphones and mental health is complex and not without positives.

Here are seven tips for using your smartphone productively:

1

BE ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE, IN YOUR USE OF SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY

Research is clear – if you’re going to use social media, do not lurk. Like, tweet, share, comment. Engage in a personal way.

Offer a sincere, tailored congratulations on good news rather than clicking the little wow face.

2

SEEK CONNECTION – WITHIN AND OUTSIDE YOUR IN-GROUPS

Some of social media’s strongest benefits reside in its ability to connect you to other people with similar interests and activities.

Exchange information and traditions with people who share your ethnic heritage, use Meetup.com to join others obsessed with role-playing games, find long-lost friends from grade school. But be wary of forming connections only with people you already agree with – use social media to diversify your viewpoints and news sources and to read the stories of people with a variety of experiences and backgrounds.

3

DON’T ENGAGE IN “SOCIAL SNACKING”

Just like too many Cheez-Its can ruin your appetite for a more nourishing dinner, using social media to take the edge off your social needs can be unhealthy if it means you don’t then have more meaningful interactions with your loved ones. Don’t let a heart on Instagram substitute for a lunch date.

48 ASSUMPTION Magazine

4

CREATE A HOUSEHOLD “MEDIA ECOLOGY”

5

USE YOUR PRIVACY FILTERS

If you have children, work with them to develop healthy habits. Are screens banned from the dinner table for adults and children alike? How much Netflix are family members allowed to stream before it is time for physical activity?

Most social networks have options for filtering which of your friends and followers see your information. You don’t want potential employers to see you tipsy on the dance floor or your close friend to see she wasn’t invited to your bachelorette party – so go ahead and use those filters. But you should probably know that there is no true privacy anymore. When you’re posting something very private, consider for a moment how you’d feel if the whole world could see it, and reconsider.

6

REMEMBER THERE ARE PEOPLE BEHIND THOSE AVATARS

Outrageous things have always happened in the world. Outrageous things are happening right now – in our country, in your school system, on your street. But moral outrage spreads further and faster than calm dialogue and ramps up rather than down the temperature on our currently polarized state. Take a breath, engage rationally, and speak to people’s values.

7

PRACTICE MODERATION

If you are peering at your handheld device the better part of your waking life, that means that you are not dedicating a healthy amount of hours to sleeping, cooking, spending time in green spaces, playing with your children, laughing with friends, exercising, sharing intimate moments with your significant other, or being productive.

Use your smartphone to enhance your life – not to eclipse it.

THE ASSUMPTION FUND

Why Giving Matters

CLASS OF 2023

You will have an immediate impact on all Assumption students with your gift to The Assumption Fund.

Your support helps Assumption students find success in the classroom, laboratory, library, and on the playing field. You help enrich the lives of our students and make their Assumption experience unique.

Light The Way for today’s students, so that they can find their way to impact the world.

To make your gift today, please visit www.assumption.edu/donate or call 508-767-7373.

Thank you for your support. Your gift every year makes a difference every day. assumption.edu | WINTER

2020

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500 Salisbury Street | Worcester, MA 01609-1296

save the date

Event information: assumption.edu/alumni/events

ALUMNI EVENTS Sunday, January 26 San Francisco Bay Area Alumni Reception Presidio Social Club Wednesday, February 5 Naples, FL Alumni Reception The Club at the Strand

PAWS UP!

Celebrating Homecoming weekend 2019.

Week of March 9 NYC Alumni Reception Wednesday, April 29 Washington, DC Alumni Reception Cosmos Club Friday, May 29 – Sunday, May 31 Reunion Weekend 2020