ASSUMPTION THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY FALL / WINTER 2023
Welcoming a New President Greg Weiner, Ph.D.
A LOOK AT ASSUMPTION LEADERSHIP FROM ALL ANGLES:
TOP DECISION-MAKERS, FACULTY, ATHLETICS, AND CURRICULUM
IN THIS
ISSUE ON THE COVER
Greg Weiner, Ph.D., Assumption University’s 17th president and the first Jewish president of a Catholic institution of higher education, delivers his inauguration address.
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A combination of rich, formal traditions and new, casual events marks a day of celebration on the Worcester campus.
Assumption proudly sends 19 compassionate students off to careers of caring.
President Greg Weiner, Ph.D.: AU’s #17
Nursing Program Graduates Inaugural Class
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A Doorknob Saved His Life!
D E PA R T M E N T S
Coach Kerry Phayre brings the Women’s Basketball team to the NCAA Division II Championship.
A former Assumption Prep School teacher shares an amazing personal account of Worcester County’s 1953 tornado.
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Assumption’s Winningest Coach of All Time
2 FROM THE PRESIDENT 38 CLASS NOTES
FROM THE
president I’m a political scientist. I’ve also reached roughly the age at which it’s customary to start worrying about the society we’re leaving our children. From all ends of any issue, Americans are anxious about our future.
Photo Courtesy: Worcester Telegram & Gazette
I’m not.
Leaders at Assumption: Those We Have and Those We Make
Why? Because every day, I have the privilege of working with the young people whose ideas and values are going to shape that future. They are the leaders we make – not simply by teaching them how to lead, but by helping them encounter ideas that endure because they speak Every day I have the to the permanent questions privilege of working of the human condition. And precisely because they with the young people endure, a conversation whose ideas and between those ideas and values are going to professional skills ensures our graduates can adapt shape [the] future. nimbly, disagree civilly, behave ethically, communicate effectively, and more. There is no degree of cynicism or anxiety that a few minutes with these students and the faculty and staff who are educating them won’t cure. That is the education your support of Assumption makes possible. It is Catholic liberal education that enlivens the Augustinian charism of the Assumptionists – a tradition of learning through friendship and of faith that is inextricable from education.
MAGAZINE ARE ABOUT LEADERSHIP. YOU’LL READ ABOUT
I often tell alumni that there are two reasons to visit our campus. One is to see what has changed: from new programs to new buildings. The second is to see what never will: our essential and animating commitment to Assumption’s mission of Catholic liberal education, a mission that by its nature speaks universally – to people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
That’s exciting news, and I hope you enjoy reading about it. But what’s far more exciting, and far more pertinent to your support of Assumption, isn’t the leaders we have. It’s the leaders we’re forming: our students.
It’s also a tradition of education that is becoming increasingly rare. That means it’s increasingly important that we provide it, and that you and other members of the extended Assumption family support us. This kind of education doesn’t speak to everyone. But it should be accessible to anyone who seeks it and is qualified to succeed. If Assumption changed your life, please help us continue to change the lives of our students now and in the years to come. And thanks for being part of Greyhound Nation.
THE PAGES THAT FOLLOW IN THIS ISSUE OF ASSUMPTION
my inauguration as Assumption’s 17th president, the election of the first woman to chair our Board of Trustees, and a senior leadership team that combines exciting new perspectives with extensive institutional history.
Assumption students are different from students at so many other institutions. They are defined by what they have – grit and determination – and what they lack – entitlement. They enjoy learning precisely because they possess that invaluable and rare human quality of knowing – and rejoicing in – how much all of us have to learn rather than how much we think we already know.
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Greg Weiner, Ph.D. PRESIDENT
Portraits of Assumption’s past leadership are proudly displayed on the walls of “Le Salon” in La Maison Française on the Worcester campus. 1. Rev. Isidore Gayraud, A.A. (1904–1905)
2. Rev. Tranquille Pesse, A.A. (1905–1909) 3. Rev. Omer Rochain, A.A. (1909–1919)
4. Rev. Marie-Louis Deydier, A.A. (1919–1923) 5. Rev. Clodoald Serieix, A.A. (1923–1929)
6. Rev. Crescent Armanet, A.A. (1929–1935) 7. Rev. Rudolphe Martel, A.A. (1935–1946)
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8. Rev. Wilfred J. Dufault, A.A. (1946–1947) 9. Rev. Henri J. Moquin, A.A. (1947–1952)
10. Rev. Armand H. Desautels, A.A. (1952–1964) 11. Rev. Louis F. Dion, A.A. (1964–1968)
12. Rev. Georges L. Bissonnette, A.A. (1968–1971) 13. Dr. Pasquale di Pasquale Jr. (1972–1977) 14. Dr. Joseph Hagan (1978–1998)
15. Dr. Thomas R. Plough (1998–2007)
16. Dr. Francesco C. Cesareo (2007–2022)
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Magazine Team FALL / WINTER 2023 VOL. 21 NO. 2 / ISSN 1089-1296 Chief Marketing Officer Suzan Brinker, Ph.D. Co-editor Maria LeDoux ’22 Co-editor and Project Manager Judith Tonelli-Brown
Art Direction/Design Keating Associates Worcester, MA Contributing Writers Richard Bonanno, Ph.D. Christian Gobel, Ph.D. Maria LeDoux ’22, David Pepin ’20 Benjamin Shen ’54 Photography Robert Davis ’23, Julia Jacobsen ’22, ’23, Katie Morrison, Patrick O’Connor, Paul Schnaittacher
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
508.767.7239 acpa@assumption.edu www.assumption.edu/magazine
Assumption Alumni Magazine is published by the Office of Integrated Marketing and distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the University. Printed copies of the magazine will be made available by request by emailing acpa@assumption.edu. Its purpose is to share stories and conversations that help alumni and friends stay meaningfully connected to the University.
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In the company of friends, we will confront challenges and seize opportunities and, make no mistake, in the company of friends, in the face of any tests, committed to our enduring mission and constant renewal, Assumption University will thrive.” PRESIDENT GREG WEINER, PH.D.
Despite drizzly weather, President Weiner’s many student fans line the sidewalk to cheer him on during his procession from the Tsotsis Family Academic Center to Plourde Recreation Center.
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Welcoming a New President Encountering Truth, Goodness, and Beauty through an Assumption Education ON MARCH 23, 2023, GREG WEINER, PH.D., was installed as Assumption University’s 17th president. The inauguration ceremony featured long-established University traditions with an academic procession including faculty, trustee representatives, and delegates from regional colleges and universities, musical selections, community speakers, and the traditional president’s address, where Dr. Weiner shared his vision for the future of the University.
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Dr. Weiner is a person who listens. … For students, he is the greatest kind of president.” LAWRENCE MOUNDS ’23 Q&A with President Greg Weiner, Ph.D.
What is unique compared to other institutions is that our students are profoundly teachable, open to discovery, and not entitled. Our students do not take for granted their grades or that they are getting a college education. While many students may know what they want to study, together they all take the same foundational classes, allowing them to be open to wonder and discovery.
How would you describe your leadership style?
What is the most challenging part of the job?
I try to be collaborative, listen, and empower people throughout the University to do their jobs in creative and innovative ways. I am a big believer in people taking initiative. It is important to encourage others to be responsibly bold, while unleashing their expertise and their shared passion for the mission of the University.
The business of higher education is certainly challenging. It is a crowded marketplace. The number of 18-year-olds, particularly in this region, will be shrinking in the next few years. On the other hand, in a crowded market with fewer potential candidates, brand differentiation is an important thing. Assumption offers something more, and I have every confidence in the institution growing and thriving.
Although newly inaugurated, what is your favorite part of the job? By far it is spending time with students. People my age and up tend to say that they are worried about the future of the country and society. While I may have been guilty of this in the past, I now know this to be false because I have the privilege of spending time with the country’s future in the form of our students. There is no tough day or challenge that spending time with students will not cure.
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In your opinion, what makes Assumption special? As Pope John Paul II wrote in his apostolic constitution on Catholic universities, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, an institution must be both “Catholic” and a “university.” This means that the scientific and technological, the social and cultural, are important but, most deeply, it is our duty to seek the meaning of the human person.
Two things stand out: First is that we understand our Catholic identity in educational terms, enlivened by the charism of the Assumptionists with a particular view of the human person that leads to a particular education. The second is that what employers need to understand about our students is not what they know but that they will show up on the first day of work and adapt nimbly, act ethically, and collaborate effectively.
What does the future look like? There are two things that are pertinent to our future: one is what will change and the other is that which will never change. I knowingly reiterate when I say that Assumption provides a Catholic education enlivened by the charism of the Assumptionists and, perhaps more importantly, it imbues the entire institution – whether that is a course, a student activity, or an athletic event – it permeates the whole institution. We need to bring that mission to life in ways that serve more and new people.
Having worked in politics, has this knowledge served you in any unique way as Assumption’s new president? My experience in politics taught me that ideas are intrinsically valuable and intrinsically useful. They are pertinent to our lives as citizens, employees, partners, parents, and so on. So this apparent division between the academic life and the “real world” is artificial. When I worked in the Senate, it was still a place where forging consensus was really important. There is no limit to what you achieve when you don’t care who gets the credit. You had to listen and have humility about your own ideas. If two people disagree, there might be something you can learn from each other.
(L–R) Lawrence Mounds, Jr., ’23; former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Francis J. Bedard, Esq., CPA ’81; President Greg Weiner, Ph.D.; Bishop Robert J. Mc Manus, HD’12, DD, STD of the Diocese of Worcester; Rabbi Aviva Fellman of Congregation Beth Israel, Worcester, MA
Hannah, Theodore, Rebecca, Greg, and Jacob Weiner pose for a family portrait on inauguration day.
George F. Will has written that you are “among the most prolific and profound contemporary writers on political philosophy.” You have written four books, two about U.S. presidents. Are there any themes that stand out in your writing? If there is a theme to what I have written about, it is prudence, and to me prudence is the application of abstract principles in a world that is complicated and messy. “We see through a glass darkly.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) I am an admirer of Lincoln. I think his commitments to prudence and moderation are not as well understood because he is popularly viewed as a man of great principle who transformed the country and got us through the Civil War. While this is true, he was a great leader because he was a listener to public opinion. He was criticized during his time for being too moderate. For that reason, he was able to lead the way he did by being prudent.
What is the role of your family in this career change? It is a whole family commitment. My wife, Rebecca, has been a personal support and has been very involved in the life of the campus, from bringing our dogs to campus, to helping to host events, and more. My three children have been very supportive. My daughter, who lives in Israel, flew back for the inauguration, and my two sons are an inspiration in terms of their own curiosity. Of course, our greyhounds are the most excited to visit campus, often to be greeted by our community members.
The recipient of this education stands out in his or her ability to think, to reason, and to see things as they really are.” MARC D. GUERRA, PH.D., PROVOST & VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
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Informing Assumption’s Biggest Decisions — Who and Why? THE PRESIDENT CHOOSES HIS CABINET
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he primary function of a university cabinet is to recommend and review principles, policies, and rules of university-wide significance. The president seeks the advice of this senior leadership team on issues of university direction, policy, and planning, including, but not limited to: long-range planning for faculty and academic program development; strategic planning on financial, facilities, and fundraising matters; faculty and student affairs; and personnel policies and other matters as appropriate or necessary. Assumption’s president, Greg Weiner, Ph.D., assembled a new cabinet and serves as its chair. The membership includes the provost and vice president for academic affairs, vice president for mission, vice president for finance and administration, vice president of enrollment management, vice president for University advancement, vice president for student affairs, general counsel and vice president for strategy, vice president for student success, and chief marketing officer. When asked how he went about building his team, President Weiner — in his signature humble and humorous style — answered, “One of me is enough!” He went on to explain his plan to surround himself with people who have genuine differences of perspective, providing healthy
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debate but with a common commitment to the mission of the University. As cabinet chair, he purposefully facilitates disagreement in order to elicit challenging views.
“I couldn’t be more impressed with the cabinet that has been assembled in the last several months. Without exception, the team is obviously engaged, strategic, and clearly demonstrates deep expertise in each of their disciplines. I look forward to working with Greg and his cabinet in our new chapter for Assumption. We are set up for success!” BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR CANDACE RACE ’78
Most of the current cabinet members are relatively new to Assumption and/or their positions. “I think the personal and professional chemistry is terrific,” says Weiner. “It’s a team of people who support one another and try to lift each other up.” Aside from sharing information, the cabinet focuses on their time together as forward-looking and strategic. Reflecting on their first cabinet retreat in May, he remembers noticing that, despite how shallow and new their personal relationships were so early on, there was a “profoundly deep and immediate connection to the educational enterprise as we are trying to conduct it here.” In developing a new strategic plan, the cabinet has made a concerted effort to use existing governance structures instead of creating extra committees. This puts more of a burden on these leaders, but they are up to the challenge and are cultivating the same spirit of constructive and open dialogue within their divisions as they practice in cabinet meetings.
INTRODUCING PRESIDENT WEINER’S CABINET
MARC GUERRA
PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS HOMETOWN: Hopedale, MA EDUCATION: B.A. Psychology, Assumption College; M.A. Theology, Assumption College; Ph.D. Theology, Ave Maria University PROFESSIONAL GOAL: To place Assumption’s distinctive intellectual, educational, and academic goals at the center of every decision as we make strides as a University.
I am honored and humbled to be in a position where each day I have the opportunity to advance and infuse the essential academic interests and ends of an Assumption education across our University.”
FR. DENNIS GALLAGHER, A.A. VICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION HOMETOWN: Chelmsford, MA EDUCATION: B.A. Philosophy, Assumption University; M.A. Divinity, Weston College School of Theology; M.A. Theology: Systematic Theology, Boston College PROFESSIONAL GOAL: To assist in a community-wide reflection on the nature and goals of Catholic liberal education in the Assumptionist spirit.
As the senior member of the cabinet, I hope to join my knowledge and love of the University’s mission to the renewed impetus provided by a fresh and bold strategic plan.”
CHRISTINA GRAZIANO
GENERAL COUNSEL AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGY HOMETOWN: Agawam, MA EDUCATION: B.A. Political Science, Assumption University; Juris Doctor, Suffolk University Law School PROFESSIONAL GOAL: To provide excellent strategic guidance, consultation, and support to senior University administrators, faculty, and staff on a comprehensive range of legal and associated issues involved in carrying out the mission of the University.
As a proud alumna, it is a privilege to serve this institution under Greg Weiner’s leadership. I owe an incalculable debt of gratitude to AU for the transformative education I received here, and I look forward to helping the University thrive in the years to come.”
PETER WELLS
VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, TREASURER HOMETOWN: Spencer, MA EDUCATION: B.S. Business Administration, Worcester State University; M.A. Business Administration, Nichols College PROFESSIONAL GOAL: Work closely with the president, cabinet, Board of Trustees, and the entire campus community to implement continuous improvement and achieve long-term financial stability for Assumption University.
It is an honor to be a member of the president’s cabinet and to be part of a dedicated team adding value to the Assumption University experience, using a collaborative approach to deliver business service, finance, human resources, information technology, and public safety functions.”
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INTRODUCING PRESIDENT WEINER’S CABINET
JILL WIERBICKI ABRAHAMS
CONWAY C.S. CAMPBELL, SR.
LAURA PEÑA PANTANO
VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS HOMETOWN: Manchester, Jamaica
HOMETOWN: Hopkinton, NH
HOMETOWN: Natick, MA
EDUCATION: B.A. English, University of Connecticut; M.Ed. Educational Administration, University of Massachusetts at Lowell; Ed.D. Higher Education Leadership, Regis College
EDUCATION: B.A., St. Mary’s University; M.S., Western Illinois University; Ed.D., The University of Texas at San Antonio
EDUCATION: BSBA, Stonehill College; M.S. Management, Mount Ida College; MBA, UMASS Dartmouth; Certification in Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School PROFESSIONAL GOAL: Teaching and advising individuals on how to leverage their philanthropy to make a difference in the world; ensuring access to a liberal arts education, professional growth, and workforce development to all who seek it and are qualified to receive it; and creating a culture within higher education that welcomes and provides a platform for civil discourse.
It is inspiring to be around a table with Greg and my cabinet colleagues to discuss ways in which we can ensure Assumption University thrives. Our commitment to the community, and especially our students, runs so deep that we each embrace Assumption as ‘my school.’ My 36 years of experience in philanthropy, largely in higher-education institutions, are enhancing our discussions and plans for Assumption’s very bright future.”
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PROFESSIONAL GOAL: To help all students (especially those who are underserved) succeed in life and gain upward mobility.
I am thrilled to work with my cabinet colleagues in understanding who our students are and to work together toward their success.”
VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS
PROFESSIONAL GOAL: Work with an amazing team of professionals to support students and enhance the student experience.
It is an honor to be working with Greg and the Assumption senior leadership in redefining what it means to receive an Assumption education. I am excited to work with this group of dedicated professionals who have a shared vision and commitment to take Assumption to the next level.”
WILLIAM BOFFI
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT HOMETOWN: Providence, RI EDUCATION: B.A., Providence College; MBA, URI PROFESSIONAL GOAL: To play a role in helping Assumption University reach our strategic goals, including improving access and achieving record-level enrollment.
Assumption has been a special place for a very long time. The students and teammates I get to work with every day are incredibly special. I am honored and excited to be at AU at this moment of positive change.”
ABOUT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Thank you.
“ FRAN BEDARD, our former Board of Trustees chair, led Assumption through one of its most challenging times ever with patience, skill, and fortitude. He became a valued friend to me in the process.”
SUZAN BRINKER
FRACTIONAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER HOMETOWN: Concord, MA EDUCATION: B.A. English, St. Norbert College; M.A. Communication, Marquette; Ph.D. Higher Education, Penn State University PROFESSIONAL GOAL: Build sustainable, best-in-class teams that can navigate the future of higher education with an entrepreneurial mindset.
I am thrilled to be working with Greg and his brilliant cabinet on transforming Assumption into a top national liberal arts institution. I was lucky to benefit from Catholic liberal education myself and feel fortunate to be able to define and promote its benefits in this role.”
Welcome.
“ CANDACE RACE, our new Board of Trustees chair – and the first
woman to serve in this position – is ideally suited for this moment. She brings a wealth of fresh perspectives, as well as being a shining example of the enormous diversity of professional adventures one can engage in with an Assumption University education.”
– PRESIDENT GREG WEINER
The place to say “I do” and more. Located on 185 picturesque acres just minutes from downtown Worcester, Assumption University offers a number of comfortable facilities for your wedding,* social event, conference, meeting, or summer camp. A beautifully landscaped piazza and fountain are located adjacent to a state-of-the-art building featuring a 300-seat ballroom, separate performance hall, and a number of classrooms and conference rooms, all equipped with advanced technology. Host your next event at Assumption and celebrate with us. www.AssumptionEventPlanning.com *Weddings are only available if the
chapel is used for your ceremony.
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LIVING THE MISSION OFFICE FOR MISSION
Inspired to “Continue the Journey,” Young Alumni Carry Assumption Mission Through Life
When Ralph Cola ’16 and Jacqueline Raftery ’17 began studying at Assumption University, they had no idea how, in many capacities, their Assumption education and the people they met along the way would change their lives. Nearly a decade ago, Cola and Raftery were merely acquaintances who attended and led the Horizon Retreat together, a twice-annual off-campus retreat for students of all class years to come together for a weekend of reflection and prayer with the opportunity to grow in one’s understanding of God, themselves, and how to put faith into action. The motto of the retreat was “Continue the Journey,” a nod to the constancy of life’s changes. 12 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Today, the pair are both engaged to be married and involved with inspiring careers – two paths that began at Assumption University where the foundation was laid for their life’s journey together. Reflecting on their time at Assumption, Cola and Raftery credit their experiences in Campus Ministry that allowed them to develop the tools to better understand themselves, each other, and their peers. Once shy and timid, Raftery grew in confidence. Once uncertain and curious, Cola grew in his faith. According to the pair, they both “marched to the beat of their own drums,” but these differences “drew them together.” They stated that they shared much joy in their weekly meetings, larger group meetings, and all of the personalities that came together. During these times, while working toward a common
This April, Ralph Cola ’16 and Jacqueline Raftery ‘17 ran the 127th Boston Marathon together in support of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, crossing the finish line at the exact same time. Since their graduations from Assumption, the pair have used their education and experiences from their time at AU and carried them into the world beyond their physical home at Assumption – into the lives of children and their families, inspiring curiosity, comfort, and faith through their work.
goal to plan the retreats, fellowship with one another was inevitable and now brings about fond memories; however, the skills they gained connecting with others carry on with them into their careers and personal lives.
care in Worcester before receiving a master’s degree from Boston University in child life and family-centered care, where she found a love of working in clinical settings. As a CLS at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston, specializing in burn injuries and genetic anomalies, she works with patients and their families, supporting them through difficult times and educating in age-appropriate capacities about the child’s treatment and development. According to Raftery, her Assumption education helped her to find her passions and realize her long-term goals of writing a children’s book, working more in the community, and teaching.
Their Journey Together Despite differences, both Cola and Raftery knew they wanted to work with youth and serve others using their talents and gifts. Their faith journeys only blossomed and flourished as they engaged in conversations, served, contemplated, gained wisdom, and opened their hearts in the company of friends during their time at Assumption.
Cola’s Story Cola’s involvement in Campus Ministry during his undergraduate studies helped him to “rediscover faith and grow closer to God,” he stated. In addition to his personal and spiritual growth, at the same time Cola was growing intellectually, particularly through his courses in the education and history departments. “The tools I learned in my education classes at Assumption, I still use,” said Cola.
Cola and Raftery have decided to actively live out the hallmarks of an Assumption education, both professionally in their work with children and families and in their personal relationships, particularly their own.
Today, Cola is a teacher at Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket, RI, where he teaches history and religion. Next year, he will also be the campus minister. “If you had told me that seven years ago, I would have told you that you were crazy.” Looking back on it, according to Cola, his passion for history, education, and campus ministry can “all be traced back to Assumption.” He continued, “I credit Assumption, the community, and the experiences we received with enabling me to learn about what ministering to others is – what it really means to go out into the community and help others.” He received a master’s degree in ministry from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton and is currently enrolled at Providence College where he is working toward a Master of Education in School Leadership. Cola hopes to become a principal one day.
“Faith is a journey, not a destination. … The journey never ends.” RALPH COLA ’16
Raftery’s Story For Raftery, she had always dreamed of becoming a child life specialist (CLS), impressed by the Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies program at Assumption. “It was the perfect school for me,” she stated. Raftery’s dream of becoming a CLS came true. Following her graduation from Assumption, she worked in pediatric palliative
“During my Assumption education, nothing was ever stagnant – personally, professionally, spiritually – and now I carry those enriching experiences with me. My education went beyond the education, those conversations with my peers, and moments in prayer. We may not still be living in the Assumption days, but our Assumption experiences are carrying us through our days,” said Raftery. “You’re not always going to be in a place that shares the same ideals as you, and it is up to you to share your faith with the world whether that be personal or professional – for me, working with kids, I know I am living out my faith every day. We have a responsibility to do that with others and in our relationship too.”
Cola agreed, stating, “We try to ‘Light the Way’ in our unique careers. We can’t make a student believe, but we can give them the resources to do so. It’s free will.” Looking back on all of life’s “twists and turns,” Cola stated, “Faith is a journey, not a destination. Pay attention and listen to where God is calling you. The journey never ends.” The “journey” certainly continues. Cola and Raftery look forward to their wedding on June 8, 2024, at St. Anne/St. Patrick Parish in Fiskdale, MA, a place with strong Assumptionist connections.
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We will continue to go above and beyond to work toward the best academic and professional outcomes for the brave men and women who have served or are currently serving as members of the armed forces.” MICHAEL RUBINO, FORMER ASSUMPTION GENERAL COUNSEL & VIETNAM VETERAN
Assumption Ranked within the Top 10 “Military- Friendly” Institutions A
ssumption University has earned the distinction of being among the country’s top military-friendly schools of higher education. In a survey of 1,800 participating colleges and universities, conducted by Military Friendly®, Assumption University was acknowledged as a “Top Ten” militaryfriendly institution – an achievement reached by only a select number of schools within the pool of participating organizations. • Assumption is one of only two four-year schools that made the Top Ten list in Massachusetts. • Assumption is one of just four four-year schools that made the Top Ten list in New England.
Da Nang, Vietnam 1968
• Assumption has been recognized as a military-friendly school by Military Friendly every year since 2019 due in large part to the work of the University’s Veterans Success Committee, comprised of administrators, faculty members, and students. The survey, conducted annually since 2003 by Military Friendly – owned and operated by veterans – measures an organization’s commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunities for the military community. A school’s ability to meet benchmarks for student retention, graduation, job placement, repayment, persistence, and loan default rates for student veterans is considered. Public data sources, proprietary data from the survey, and personal data from surveys of veterans themselves all are used to evaluate the opportunities schools create for the military community.
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Remembering Father Robert Gariepy ‘58 1930–2022
Father Robert Gariepy passed away on February 11, 2022, but he leaves behind a legacy of profound courage, faith, and service. Father Gariepy was drafted into the Korean War following his high school graduation and went on to graduate from Assumption in 1958. He pursued further study and received a master’s degree from Laval University, Quebec City, and graduated from the Grand Seminary in Montreal, Canada, in 1963. That same year, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester. Father Gariepy served as a chaplain with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam for three battalions from 1967–1968. Having served in the Army for 23 years, he retired as a lieutenant colonel. “Robert always maintained his best year of ministry was the year he spent in Vietnam,” said his brother, Richard Gariepy ’66, also a graduate of Assumption University. “Our Sky Pilot,” written by David Hilger, a medic of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, recounts the courage of the chaplain who risked his life, riding through the minefields of Vietnam to catch up to his troops and bring “mercy” and “calmness” to the “young soldiers [who] become old in one night.” “Assumption takes great pride in earning the Top Ten award from Military Friendly. The strategic and thoughtful work turned in by our dedicated Veterans Success Committee has had one goal in mind from its inception – to help military veterans achieve success in academics and in transitioning from combat zones to college life,” said Assumption’s former General Counsel Michael Rubino, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and who chaired the Veterans Success Committee on campus.
As Hilger packed the jeep with weapons and ammunition and devised a plan to cross the two men over enemy lines, he remembers the confidence of faith that Father Gariepy showed in his words and actions, which in turn calmed Hilger in this life-or-death mission. Hilger described him as a “fearless man of God.” As they came upon a sign that indicated the active minefields, Father Gariepy told Hilger to keep an eye out on his side and he would do the same on the other side. They drove through it.
“Being on the ‘map’ as one of the top military-friendly schools in the nation is extremely gratifying. But our work does not end here. We will continue to go above and beyond to work toward the best academic and professional outcomes for the brave men and women who have served or are currently serving as members of the armed forces,” Rubino said.
Reaching their destination, Father Gariepy celebrated Mass, and soldiers gathered around. “Even those who knew little of the Catholic service showed reverence that was truly admirable,” wrote Hilger. These men who saw the horrors of war clinged to religious artifacts that Father Gariepy gladly gave away.
Assumption has several programs and services to assist veterans in their educational journey by providing a network of support, particularly through the Veterans Success Committee, by working personally with active-duty servicemen and -women, veterans, and their families. Among other opportunities, Assumption waives all application fees, offers veteran-specific financial aid programs and packages, hosts an annual Veterans Day observance ceremony along with an educational lecture presented by a veteran or active military person, and offers a Veterans Lounge at the center of the campus for veterans to meet, study, and learn from one another.
“I saw hope, respect, and even love on [soldiers’] faces, for this man, this chaplain, who without any earthly concern for his own safety found these boys, these grunts so important that he walked through the jungles (many times) of this dangerous country to be with them and to give them spiritual strength in their most desperate hours … [they] paid little attention to words, but noticed sincerity and fearlessness of deeds …,” said Hilger. These quotes were excerpted from “Our Sky Pilot” in The Heart and Soul of a Combat Medic by Dave Hilger, brought to the attention of Assumption University by Richard Gariepy.
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CAMPUS NEWS Class of 2023 Commencement This past spring, following weeks of preparation and excitement, the Assumption community celebrated the Class of 2023 with three different graduation exercises. The first, on May 5, was a Nursing Pinning for the Froelich School of Nursing (SEE PAGE 18); the second, for the undergraduate class, was held on May 7 at the DCU Center in Worcester and the third was for Graduate Studies, held on May 13 in the Plourde Center on the Assumption campus. This time of recognition and, of course, the conferral of degrees was the culmination of years of study and hard work. Assumption University is proud to congratulate the Class of 2023 and welcome them to our alumni family.
“I have often heard it said that Assumption is the kind of place where people open doors for each other. But it is also the kind of place where we open doors for one another in another sense. Assumption students are open to discovery. You have been formed here by an education that prepares you for so much opportunity and hardship, successes and stumbles, questioning and belief.” GREG WEINER, PH.D., PRESIDENT
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Ricardo Reyes, Class of 2023 and seminarian for the Diocese of Worcester shows enthusiasm as his name is called to receive his undergraduate diploma.
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CAMPUS NEWS
“Today I stand in front of tomorrow’s lawyers, nurses, CEOs, doctors, teachers, social workers, priests, and others who have felt similarly called to work with deep personal meaning that goes beyond receiving a paycheck. In the company of our friends, we have been able to learn, grow, and experience the community that is Assumption University.” EMMA KEARNEY ’23, VALEDICTORIAN 1
2
4 3
“We live in a world that is desperately waiting for you to become who you are meant to be. If you were to become who you were meant to be, you would ‘set the world on fire’* and I believe that to be true about you in an extraordinary way because of the Catholic liberal education you received here.” CURTIS MARTIN HD ’23, FOUNDER AND CEO, FELLOWSHIP OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
*St. Catherine of Siena 5
1. Assistant professor John F. Bell, Ph.D., with undergraduate students from the Class of 2023. 2. Emma Kearney ’23, Valedictorian. 3. Professor Nicholas J. Cioe, Ph.D., Associate Professor and director of the Rehabilitation Counseling program places a hood on a class of 2023 graduate student. 4. Francis J. Bedard, Esq., CPA ’81 is bestowed an honorary degree for his years of service to Assumption University. 5. Timothy Cody, a 2023 graduate student. 6. Peter W. Moran, the keynote speaker for the School of Graduate Studies commencement ceremony receives an honorary degree. from left: Father Dennis Gallagher, A.A, Dr. Moran, President Greg Weiner, Ph.D. assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 17
CAMPUS NEWS
Assumption’s Nursing Program Graduates Its Inaugural Class The Froelich School of Nursing at Assumption graduated its inaugural class of 19 students on May 5, 2023. With a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate (first-time pass rate on NCLEX-RN for the Froelich School of Nursing), all our graduates are employed as registered nurses at hospitals in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Montana, and California. The following students, having displayed exemplary leadership in the nursing field, received awards: •
Dr. Jerome and Marie Froelich Family Award of Clinical Excellence – Sydney Brierley
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Clarke and Cheryl Alderman Family Award of Academic Excellence – Jaclyn Landry
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Dean’s Award – James Bachini
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DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students – Monica Risso
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CAMPUS NEWS I am proud of this cohort! They were trailblazers when they stepped on campus in fall 2019 and became a cohesive group as they supported each other through COVID-19 and the demands of nursing school. I would be honored to have any of them take care of me or someone that I love.” DEAN CAITLIN STOVER, PH.D., R.N.
Nursing Award Significance Clarke and Cheryl Alderman Family Award of Academic Excellence Clarke Alderman ’76 passed away suddenly at age 68 after fulfilling a life of meaning and friendship. He and his wife, Cheryl, held education and healthcare practitioners, especially nurses, in very high regard. Clarke was thrilled that his alma mater launched the nursing program, and he appreciated the rigorous program that fluently integrated the liberal arts into professional practice education. In memory of the excellence with which Clarke completed his academic studies at Assumption and in memory of Cheryl, who provided career counseling to college students with compassion and understanding, this award is presented to the senior nursing student with the highest overall grade point average at the end of the program.
Dr. Jerome and Marie Froelich Family Award of Clinical Excellence
Dr. Jerome Froelich ’76 served as a captain in the Army and then joined his father in the family medical practice. With endless support from his wife, Marie, Jerome conducted “house calls” up until the time of his passing in 1992. He delivered thousands of babies, attended to the entire family during house visits, and provided free care to the priests and nuns of Blessed Sacrament Grammar School and St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. This award recognizes the senior nursing student who has consistently demonstrated excellent nursing care in the clinical setting. With a practice based in Catholic healthcare ethics, this senior nursing student emulates the professionalism, respect, and compassion demonstrated by Dr. Jerome and Marie Froelich in their care of patients across the ethnic, racial, age, and medical specialty continuum.
The DAISY Award
The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes. He was 33 years old and died of complications of the autoimmune disease ITP. Right after Pat’s death, the Barnes family established the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The family was very impressed by the clinical care Pat’s nurses provided, but what really overwhelmed them was the compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to Pat’s bedside day in and day out. Pat’s family created the DAISY Award to honor nurses who go above and beyond and make extraordinary differences in patients’ and families’ experience in healthcare. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students is designed to remind students, even on their toughest days in nursing school, why they chose nursing.
Dean’s Award
The Dean’s Award is presented to the senior nursing student who personifies the Froelich School of Nursing core values, established by founding Dean Caitlin Stover. This student is characterized by integrity and compassion, and advocates for all patients, families, and populations by embracing cultural humility while delivering person-centered care. Excellence in the classroom and clinical setting is achieved by encompassing liberal arts and nursing science philosophies, theories, and knowledge into evidence-based practice. Despite the chaotic nursing student schedule, this student demonstrates service and commitment to the FSoN team.
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CAMPUS NEWS
Assumption University joins an elite group of Massachusetts universities and colleges to earn the highly sought-after NSA designation, and becomes the only school of higher education in central MA to achieve the distinction.
Cybersecurity Program Deemed “Excellent” by the NSA On May 3, 2023, Assumption became one of only four universities or colleges in Massachusetts – and the only one in greater central Massachusetts – to be designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Assumption’s Cybersecurity program was established only five years ago, and received this honor on its first attempt at application – a rare achievement, given the NSA’s stringent requirements. This CAE-CD designation, which is guaranteed through academic year 2023, ensures that Assumption’s Cybersecurity program students and the school itself align with national standards for cyber defense education. Graduates of a CAE-CD designated cybersecurity program enjoy increased marketability and job benefits. Demand for cybersecurity professionals is at crisis level: • The shortfall for graduates to enter the cybersecurity workforce is estimated at over 750,000 workers, according to Cyberseek.org, which provides data about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market. • According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of information security analysts is set to soar by as much as 35 percent through 2031 – much faster than the national average for all occupations. • The BLS also reports that the median annual salary for information security analysts is $120,600 – more than double the national median earnings of workers across all industries. 20 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Annie Becker, National Center for Academic Excellence program manager, NSA, in informing Assumption of the designation, said: “Your ability to meet the increasing demands of the program criteria will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the national information infrastructure. … A highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national advantage.” Raymond Albert, professor of practice and director of the Cybersecurity program and the University’s Center for Cybersecurity, stated: “Five short years ago, Assumption leadership recognized the urgency to establish a Cybersecurity program that would uplevel the workforce with highly skilled and knowledgeable cybersecurity professionals. The well-known, severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals has put the country’s cyberspace at risk. Assumption is excited to be part of the effort to protect the nation’s interconnected communications networks that its citizens rely on for safe access to information.”
For more information about Assumption University’s Center for Cybersecurity, please scan the code.
CAMPUS NEWS
Reflecting on Personal Recollections: Professor Bernard Dobski Is Selected as a Quarry Farm Fellow by the Center for Mark Twain Studies
Professor Bernard Dobski has been selected as a 2023 Quarry Farm Fellow by the Center for Mark Twain Studies (CMTS). Dobski, a professor of political science and a scholarly expert on Greek political thought, has also written, edited, and contributed to many publications with a particular focus on William Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Currently, Dobski is writing a book-length commentary on the political wisdom of Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Twain. This unique opportunity provides fellows with the chance to be in the same location as Twain was, Quarry Farm, when he wrote the famous works of literature that are still widely read today, such as: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, among others. Additionally, fellows receive access to the personal library of Mark Twain, held in the Gannett-Tripp Library of nearby Elmira College, and can read the writings that informed the prolific author’s career at the time. According to Dobski, it will be beneficial to reflect on Twain’s works and more deeply on his personal thoughts by seeing the notes in the margins of these books. “To establish that Twain was deliberately engaging with and contributing to the tradition of political philosophy that has defined the West for the last three millennia requires access to those political, religious, and historical texts ...,” said Dobski. “Quarry Farm’s archival materials will allow me to ground more firmly the basis for taking seriously Twain’s contributions to political philosophy, opening a new window onto the moral, political, and philosophical themes occupying the mind of America’s foremost man of letters.”
Quarry Farm’s archival materials will allow me to ground more firmly the basis for taking seriously Twain’s contributions to political philosophy, opening a new window onto the moral, political, and philosophical themes occupying the mind of America’s foremost man of letters.”
The last book ever written by Twain was dedicated to Joan of Arc, a French Catholic girl who “represents the antithesis” of the author’s seemingly determinist view, having no education or military background, yet, as a teenager, convincing the authorities in France to lead armies against the English. “She defies all BERNARD DOBSKI, PH.D. this determinism and forges PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL a new destiny. Joan is someSCIENCE one who represents the pinnacle of human agency,” said Dobski. By analyzing the works of Twain, Dobski is commenting on his theological critique, which “contains his most profound reflections on the involvement of God in human affairs.”
Dobski noted that, although Twain is a comic, “when you take him seriously, he proves himself to be a man of great depth and wisdom, concerned with questions of the utmost human importance,” because “great comedy is rational. It opens up a space for reason and deflates the pretensions, allowing you to step in and look more deeply.” Twain, a well-read and informed novelist, took political philosophy seriously and, through his literature, is taking a unique approach to educating the audience through his characters who do not “cheapen reality,” but rather “reveal the depths of humanity,” he noted. This fellowship provides an in-depth integration of disciplines in the liberal arts. assumption.edu assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER | WINTER 2023 21
CAMPUS NEWS
MA in Organizational Leadership Prepares Assumption Graduates for Navigating and Leading Change
Assumption has launched its Master of Arts (MA) in Organizational Leadership – a new graduate program offering within the Grenon School of Business that prepares working professionals for higher levels of management by advancing their leadership skills. The program is led by Director Michael Lewis, Ph.D., a 16-year faculty member of Assumption’s business school programs.
“As the world becomes more complex and uncertain, the need for leadership is more important today than at any time in recent memory,” said Dr. Lewis. “Through the University’s new Organizational Leadership program, students will learn what it means to be a leader, how to navigate and lead change, how to best lead teams, and how to communicate effectively. And, as is equally important, we will be emphasizing leadership as a responsible and ethical practice.” Dr. Lewis holds a Ph.D. in Human and Organization Systems from Fielding Graduate University and an MBA from Assumption. His work has appeared in several academic and behavioral science journals.
Faculty Publications
Assumption University faculty spend their time not only educating and mentoring students in the classroom, but as lifelong learners and thinkers. Faculty share their expertise and talent, spending countless hours growing in their disciplines through publications, whether writing or editing books, academic journals, or research publications or editing and reviewing other authors. Ty Paul Monroe, Associate Professor of Theology Putting on Christ: Augustine’s Early Theology of Salvation and the Sacraments Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2022
Putting on Christ aims to situate Augustine’s early soteriology and sacramental theology within the context of his personal history and intellectual development. Beginning with an extended analysis of the theology of salvation and sacramental efficacy contained within Augustine’s Confessions (ca. 400), the study then traces the maturation of his views on these matters. The journey entails treating Augustine’s earliest discussions of Christ’s person and his saving work, as well as the believer’s subjective experience of conversion and salvation. 22 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Assumption’s MA in Organizational Leadership, an online program, is organized around four core competencies: •
Reflective thinking – a rigorous and systematic process and practice of examining one’s work experiences and ideas
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Professional mastery – developing a mastery orientation to increase one’s leadership competency and professional success
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Adaptive leadership – the acknowledgment that leadership issues and success do not come from the technical domain but through the human domain in an environment of dialogue, debate, experiment, and flexibility
John Frederick Bell, Assistant Professor of History Degrees of Equality: Abolitionist Colleges and the Politics of Race Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 2022
John Frederick Bell’s Degrees of Equality analyzes the trajectory of interracial reform at Oberlin, New York Central, and Berea, noting its implications for the progress of racial equality in 19th-century America. Drawing on student and alumni writings, institutional records, and promotional materials, Bell uses case studies to interrogate how abolitionists and their successors put their principles into practice. The ultimate failure of these social experiments illustrates a tragic irony of interracial reform, as the achievement of African American freedom and citizenship led whites to divest from the project of racial pluralism. Christian Gobel, Professor of Philosophy Charakter – Haltung – Habitus: Persönlichkeit und Verantwortung in der Bundeswehr (Character – Conduct – Habitus: Personality and Responsibility in the Military) Springer VS, 2022
CAMPUS NEWS •
Systemic awareness – the ability of a leader to see organizations and their environments as systems with interdependent parts and relationships
According to a recent survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), a global association of graduate business programs, leadership skills appear at the top of the list of needs across all organizations. And, according to the most recent survey by Development Dimensions International (DDI) – a global consulting firm focused on leadership – only 11 percent of surveyed organizations reported a “strong” or “very strong” leadership bench, the lowest level reported in more than a decade. The Organizational Leadership program at Assumption is designed for students with at least three years of professional experience and ideally some supervisory management experience. Although the program is focused on advancing careers in management and leadership,
professionals in HR, organizational learning and development, and corporate training will also benefit.
brought about a strong need for leaders to pivot and adapt to fast-changing work environments.
“Among the key differentiators of our Organizational Leadership program is that it is value-based, so we will focus on the underlying beliefs that help guide a leader’s decision-making. And the program’s real-world focus means the case work is always relevant. Since our classes are online, the program provides our ‘working’ students with great flexibility and with the personal attention we realize is necessary to develop engaging relationships,” Dr. Lewis added.
“And when you factor in the fiercely competitive ‘war for talent,’ organizations are recognizing the urgent need to strengthen their ability to recruit, retain, motivate, and grow their most valuable resource – their employees. Assumption’s MA in Organizational Leadership effectively addresses these important issues by teaching students the durable management and communication skills, among other traits of great leaders, that are in high demand.”
Assumption Board of Trustees member Carolyn Clancy, a former senior executive with Fidelity Investments for more than 22 years and a 1982 graduate of the University, said, “The pandemic is an excellent, albeit unfortunate, example of an event that influenced great change in how businesses operate and how leaders manage employees. The abrupt establishment of a remote workforce, for example,
Father Chi Ai Nguyen, A.A., Provincial Superior of the North America Province A Delightful Lenten Journey Vietnam: Bayard, 2022
This book seeks to show the unity of the Bible in order to help the reader pay attention to the unity of his or her life. “I completed this book when everything was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I gathered the homilies that I gave at Assumption University, translated some meditations that I wrote in French for Living with Christ, and reworked a few writings published by the same magazine in Vietnamese. For me, writing became a place where I talked to myself, opened myself up to the mystery of human life, and thought about the meaning of human existence. This joy of the Resurrection is the starting point of our Christian existence. This joy gives meaning to all of the activities of our daily lives. Let this joy be always with us in ‘our own Galilee’!”
Said Jon Weaver, president and CEO of biotech incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and an Assumption Board of Trustees member: “Leadership is all about doing the work – learning the necessary skills to navigate complex business challenges before they happen. It’s exciting to see Assumption fostering the next generation of business team leaders with its Organizational Leadership program.”
Juan Carlos Grijalva, Professor of Spanish Las mujeres de los Andes (siglos XIX-XXI): entre la participacion y la disputa (Women from the Andes (XIX-XXI Centuries): Between Participation and Dispute) Crisol, an online journal of the Center for Spanish and Spanish American Research at the University of Paris Nanterre, 2022
Steven J. Theroux, Professor of Biology A Most Improbable Story: The Evolution of the Universe, Life, and Humankind Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2022
This book is a “big history” of the evidence regarding how life came to be. Exploring philosophical thought on how the past might affect the future, the text reviews different perspectives and the strengths and weaknesses of each. This journey highlights the history of life, the emergence of life forms, and the evolution of complex creatures.
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CAMPUS NEWS “Every person needs to go to Rome,” states Lazar, who speaks in terms of “a total experience. The vision of Fr. d’Alzon in the 19th century – to have faculty and students living and learning together – is being realized in the 21st century at the Assumption Rome Campus.” That experience has brought together students, faculty, and staff over the last decade and left its mark on so many.
Buon Anniversario, Assumption a Roma! Assumption Celebrates 10 Years in Rome Lauded as “one of the 10 best study abroad programs in America” and one of the “most desirable study abroad opportunities in the United States” by Best College Reviews, Assumption University’s Rome Campus celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Now, though, the program (which offers fall, spring, and summer semester options) is back in full swing. In the words of Associate Professor of History and Director of Medieval & Early Modern Studies Lance Lazar, Ph.D., after 10 years, the Rome Campus is like “a well-oiled Lamborghini.”
Established in 2013 on the property that housed the Augustinians of the Assumption’s library in their international headquarters – a short walking distance to St. Peter’s Basilica – the program is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. So far, over 200 students have pursued this remarkable opportunity, and the numbers would have been considerably higher, had COVID not put the brakes on the program for approximately one and a half years.
Lazar has been an active collaborator on the Rome Campus since its inception when the vision of President Emeritus Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., led to the renovation of the building owned by the Augustinians of the Assumption and the establishment of the University’s unique academic programs. The multipurpose facility was christened Villino Dufault in honor of Father Wilfrid Dufault, an Assumption College graduate who became the first non-Frenchman to serve as superior of the Order.
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Indeed, the University has been uniquely positioned to promote and support this community-based program thanks to its highly dedicated and capable faculty and staff. Dr. Eloise Knowlton, associate vice president for academic affairs and director of study abroad, has spearheaded recruitment efforts over the last decade while several talented faculty members have served as program director in Rome, lending their expertise in the open-air classroom and overseeing operations in Italy. These highly dedicated members of the Assumption faculty include Professors Christian Gobel, Paul Ady, Patrick Corrigan, and Cary Leblanc. Several others have served as faculty in residence, and their work has also contributed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of participating students. Student testimonials attest to the transformative nature of academic programming, which promotes a sense of community and fosters independence and confidence. “One thing I really loved about studying in Rome was that the city really was your classroom. So, on Monday we would learn about a painting or a sculpture, then on Wednesday we would get to see that very painting or sculpture!” – Anne Mullen, Psychology Major
CAMPUS NEWS
Current students who have participated in Assumption's Rome Campus program reunite to reminisce and happily pose in their celebratory shirts.
“The relationships you build with your peers had to be one of the highlights. Toward the end of the trip, we truly were a family. … After the journey you have gone on together, it’s impossible not to feel like a family.” – Joseph Smith, Secondary Education and Business Major “Having to be a person in a place that is completely foreign to you is something you can’t get in college in the U.S. One of my favorite memories from my time in Rome was when a native speaker couldn’t tell that I was a foreign speaker.” – Thomas Ross, History and Political Science Major Richard Bonanno, professor of Italian at Assumption, served as founding program director and played a role in overseeing the renovation of the building and establishing the academic programs. “Doing business in Italy is fraught with something I like to call ‘green, white, and red tape.’ Getting the program up and running
was no easy task, but we have managed to create something truly special and enduring. I feel tremendously fortunate to have worked not only with some truly talented Assumption faculty, staff, and students, but also with extraordinary collaborators and friends in the Eternal City. Over the next decade, I look forward to contributing to our unique community and hearing, above all, more inspiring reports from our returning students.” These testimonials barely scratch the surface of what the experience of living and learning at Assumption’s Rome Campus means to the students who take part: there are daily “family” meals prepared by Monica, who has been the chef for the entire span of 10 years; there are trips to other Italian sites – Capri, Assisi, Firenze, and Venezia, to name a few; there’s the experience of traveling on the public transportation system and conversing in a new language; and there’s living like a family with a group of students, most of whom were not your chosen friends.
The Assumption community reflects on the success of the Rome Campus as we mark the 10th anniversary of its founding. The celebration includes a lecture by Fr. Richard Lamoureux, A.A., titled “Listening to Architecture: Michelangelo’s Design for Rome’s Capitol” and other student-centered activities involving social media and a reunion. For more details about Assumption’s Rome Campus, please scan code or visit www.assumption.edu/explore-academics/ undergraduate-studies/rome-campus.
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FA C U LT Y
profile
Michael T. Matraia, J.D., M.S., C.P.A. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE, ACCOUNTING
Education M.S., University of Connecticut, 2011 J.D., Suffolk University Law School, 1996 B.A., Assumption College, 1990
Professional Licenses Certified Public Accountant, Massachusetts (1993) Attorney, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1996) Attorney, New York State (1997)
Courses Taught at Assumption Advanced Accounting, Auditing, Business Law, Issues in Corporate Governance and White-Collar Crime, Principles of Accounting I, II
What did you study as an undergraduate at Assumption? I majored in accounting and had a minor in English. I loved accounting as well as reading and writing and thought it would be a great combination.
What do you like to read? All kinds of things but a particular favorite is Gothic literature … Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James … Stephen King. As an undergraduate, I took a class called Gothic Literature with Prof. Ady, which really sparked my interest.
As an alumnus, are there any memories or lessons that you remember from your undergraduate studies that stick out to you? The relationships with the professors are enduring. I remember them knowing my name and me being comfortable to ask them for help. That is something very special about Assumption that has not changed. I also remember fondly the friendships I made here that exist to this day.
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What inspired you to become a professor? I remember my graduation day well. It was a beautiful, sunny day and, as I was driving home, I was reflecting on my very special experience here. I am pretty sure that was the day I became committed to coming back to teach someday and help students the way I was helped. In some ways I feel like I was preparing to come back my whole career.
Why accounting and law? I really liked accounting and I wanted to go to law school, but I didn’t know what that would be like, so I decided to get some work experience. After three years of practice in accounting I went to law school and, as luck would have it, I came across an opportunity in a law firm that represented defrauded investors in accounting fraud cases, and I was able to apply my auditing and accounting knowledge and experience in those cases. I later went on to represent companies and helped them create stronger compliance systems. I credit so much of my professional success to my Catholic liberal arts education, which helped me develop the skills to write, speak, and think clearly and persuasively.
What is the significance of the abacus and the scales of justice? I was talking with Prof. Vaughn in the political science department a while back and he referred to the history of accounting. It made me realize that I knew very little about that history. That discussion inspired me to learn more about accounting’s ancient history. The abacus was a way to pay tribute to the historical origins of accounting, which has been foundational to our whole system of finance and trade. The scales of justice are an iconic image. When you think of law you want justice and fairness, and so the scales made perfect sense.
What is your favorite course to teach and why? This is like asking someone who their favorite child is! I love all my classes. However, if I could look back and identify one class that I wish I had when I was a student here, it would be my Issues in Corporate Governance class. The concepts are so useful in understanding corporations and related systems more broadly and how those systems interact and operate in the world. It is exciting to bring these kinds of ideas and problem-solving skills to our students.
Timothy M. ’66 and Suzanne Barnicle Assumption provided Tim Barnicle ’66 with more than just an education. During his undergraduate journey as a foreign affairs major, Tim had the privilege to learn from Professor George Doyle and the Assumptionist Fathers, many of whom he developed lasting friendships with and who taught him life lessons which he will never forget. Mr. Barnicle joined the Board of Trustees in 1999 and served through the Centennial Campaign, ending his service in 2006. When asked to support the recent Light the Way Campaign, he and his wife Suzanne enthusiastically said “yes,” followed by “How can we help?” Their support for Assumption spans decades and has been unwavering and true. A part of Mr. and Mrs. Barnicle’s support during the campaign included adding Assumption University to their estate plan. They were motivated by their love of Assumption and the values-based Catholic liberal arts education that Mr. Barnicle and their two nephews, Michael Dowd, Esq., ’80 and Timothy Dowd ’85, received. They remain dedicated to Assumption through alumni activities both on campus and in the Washington, DC area. Their gift will ensure that Assumption students are provided with a well-rounded liberal arts education, transformative experiences, and preparation for a bright future. For more information on how you can support Assumption with a legacy gift, contact Melanie Demarais, Associate Vice President for Leadership Giving and Stewardship, at 508.767.7332 or visit assumption.edu/plannedgiving.
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LET’S
First Season for Assumption Greyhounds Women’s Ice Hockey Team Assumption Greyhounds Women’s Ice Hockey players celebrate a goal during their first game.
On September 29, AU’s Women’s Ice Hockey team officially dropped the puck in their inaugural NCAA season against the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Tigers. The team had previously competed exclusively as a Blue & White club sport since 2019. “It’s amazing to be a part of this first team,” captain Sheridan Terrazzano, a business management major from the Class of 2025, said. “It’s also nerve-racking because we get to build something that started from nothing.” Terrazzano scored the first goal in program history early in the second period off an assist from teammate Caroline Lilley, a member of the Class of 2027. “I don’t know if I can even find the words to describe the feeling. I was thrilled … and knowing we got that first goal out of the way was sort of a relief,” Terrazzano said. “It didn’t matter who had gotten that goal; it was just the fact that we had gotten it as a team.”
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GO!
ATHLETICS
“This was a truly special moment for the University and our athletics department,” Eric Gobiel, director of athletics, said. “The inaugural game was years in the making and was the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. While we are just beginning this new era of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, we are extremely excited for the future of this program and what they will accomplish this year and in the years to come.” To honor the first game in program history, along with the start of the Women’s Ice Hockey season for Assumption, President Greg Weiner dropped the ceremonial first puck in front of the spirited Family Weekend crowd at the Worcester Ice Center. “The support from the community has been great,” Terrazzano said. “A lot of the parents from our team were there, along with the entire Men’s Hockey team. There were also players from other Worcester teams; it wasn’t only the Assumption community supporting us, but the Worcester community as well.” Head Coach Jack Sweeney, previously director of operations for the Eastern Hockey Association, also emphasized the importance of community, saying that being on campus and being able to create a strong community within a women’s ice hockey program was what drew him to take on the head coach position in the first place. “Having worked in New England, I knew Assumption and the strength of its community,” Sweeney said. “I wanted to be able to connect with my players and have
President Greg Weiner drops the puck during pre-game ceremonies to Sheridan Terrazzano (left) and RIT captain Lindsay Maloney (right).
those strong relationships, and this was a fantastic opportunity for me to get exactly what I was looking for.” As captain, Terrazzano said her primary focus is on establishing a positive culture and inspiring the future of the program. “It’s about the future teams and the future players that are going to come here,” she said. “I want to show the first-years on the team what it means to be an upperclassman on a Division I team and everything that comes with that, and how they need to someday be the upperclassmen that are going to continue to build this team.” Coach Sweeney echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing how he hopes the team will not only impact future Assumption players, but will inspire more girls in the Worcester community to play the game as well.
part of the developmental process for young girls so that they can aspire to not only play at the highest level, but also have a great experience playing.” Sweeney’s emphasis on players’ mental health and creating a great experience for players is what drew Terrazzano, who transferred to Assumption this summer, to this team. “The support that [Sweeney] was already giving me before I had even committed was a level of support I had never gotten before,” she said. “He really sold me on the fact that this team was going to be exactly what I wanted.” “The importance of this program cannot be overstated,” Sweeney said. “Assumption University adding this program opens the door for 25 more women to live their dream of playing Division I college hockey.”
“If we’re not advocating for the youth, we’re not helping to grow the game,” Sweeney said. “I want our team to be
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 29
Coach Kerry Phayre in Record-Breaking Basketball has been a part of Kerry Phayre’s life for much longer than it hasn’t. Yet even in the 40th season of her coaching career (31st as a head coach, 27th with Assumption), Coach Phayre still finds new ways to raise the bar. The 2022–23 campaign, which celebrated the team’s 50th anniversary, will long be remembered as the year of broken records and milestones for Phayre and the Greyhounds, who finished with a program-best record of 27-6 and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. In November 2022, the longtime Women’s Basketball head coach also became Assumption University’s all-time winningest coach, earning her 413th victory for the Greyhounds in a 64-31 blowout of Saint Michael’s College at home in Laska Gymnasium to surpass former softball coach Ralph DeLucia’s record of 412. “The team was just so excited for her,” Associate Head Coach Sue Cahill, who is in her 24th season with the Greyhounds, said. “It’s been a long time in the making and has resulted from the effort of so many players throughout the years – it was just such a special moment to be a part of.” “From a coach’s perspective, this record mostly makes me reflect on the team and all of the great players that I had an opportunity to coach,” Phayre said. “The wins are a result of the combined effort of all the players and coaches that make up the teams I’ve been proud to have had the opportunity to coach in this program.” Success has always been defined as a team accomplishment for Phayre, who, prior to her coaching career, was one of Rhode Island’s most outstanding female basketball players, leading Saint Xavier High School (Providence, RI) to a 76-4 overall record over the course of four years before captaining a Providence College team that went 66-27 during her tenure. She was named a finalist for the
30 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Leads Greyhounds Season Margaret Wade Trophy in 1982, given annually to the National Collegiate Player of the Year, and was a Kodak All-American during her time with the Friars. Even from her earliest playing days, Phayre, who looked up to legendary University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, had always known that her destiny was to become a coach. “I knew I wanted to coach when I was in high school,” Phayre said. “I had a very influential high school coach who transformed me as a player and inspired a love of the game. He had a massive influence on my life – especially in sports and competition – so I knew early on that I was going to become a student of the game so that when I graduated college, I could do what I wanted to do: coach.” After graduating from Providence in 1983, Phayre immediately began her coaching career in a variety of assistant and head coaching roles at the University of Vermont, St. John’s University, Boston College, and Columbia University before eventually joining the Greyhounds in 1996 as the third head coach in program history.
“When I took the job at Assumption, I certainly didn’t know that I would be here for 25+ years, but after only a couple of years in the program, I knew this was the team I was always meant to coach,” Phayre said.
Over her 27 years as head coach of the Women’s Basketball program, Phayre has compiled an overall record of 432–309 (.583). Those close to Phayre attribute her long-term success with the program largely to her dedication and ability to prepare players for situations they might encounter both on and off the court. “The way she coaches, it’s not just about basketball,” Cahill said. “There are many life lessons the players learn from her about being successful in the real world, and she truly cares about developing each player and coach into the best version of themselves.” “The impact she has had on our institution and community is immeasurable,” Director of Athletics Eric Gobiel said. “She is a selfless, strong, and mindful leader who has always put the needs of her studentathletes above all else. She epitomizes what it means to be a leader and couldn’t be more deserving of the success she has had throughout her career and this season. Becoming the University’s all-time winningest coach is an amazing accomplishment and is truly a byproduct of her dedication and commitment to her student-athletes and craft.”
ATHLETICS Coach Phayre partakes in the tradition of “cutting down the net” in celebration of the win that sent the Greyhounds to the NCAA Division II Championship. Coach Phayre and her team share one of their more serious moments.
Phayre’s Greyhounds, who finished the season with the nation’s top defense – holding opponents to just 50.8 points per game and a 32.9% field goal percentage – were named the number one seed in the East Region for the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament and played host in Laska Gymnasium for the first time in program history. In an NCAA East Regional Championship game against the number three seed Jefferson Rams, Phayre’s Greyhounds battled back to erase two separate double-digit deficits and take their first lead with just 3:29 remaining in the championship game. The Greyhounds never gave the lead back, holding Jefferson to just eight fourth-quarter points on their way to a 62-57 victory, the first East Regional Championship in program history, and a berth in the 2023 NCAA Division II Elite Eight round. For Phayre, who has coached more than half of all the games in the Women’s Basketball program’s history, the 2022–23 campaign will go down as one of the most memorable in her remarkable basketball career. This season cemented her legacy in the Assumption University athletics history books as a leader with passion, commitment, and selflessness.
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 31
SAVED BY A DOORKNOB: Memories of the 1953 Worcester Tornado SEVENTY YEARS AGO, ON JUNE 9, 1953, A CATASTROPHIC TORNADO SWEPT THROUGH THE WORCESTER AREA, KILLING 94 PEOPLE, injuring 1,288, and all but destroying the original campus of Assumption College in the Greendale section of Worcester, MA. The Assumptionist, Worcester, and Assumption Prep/College communities banded together during this time of upheaval and grief as they mourned all the damage sustained, all the lives lost, and in particular the deaths of an Assumptionist priest and two nuns. Today, Assumption University commemorates this significant moment in our history that set the wheels in motion for a move to establish our current campus at 500 Salisbury Street. The following account was written several years ago by Benjamin Shen ’54 (1931–2022), who taught at Assumption Prep School from 1954 to 1956, and was the Reese Flower professor emeritus of astrophysics and a former provost of the University of Pennsylvania.
32 ASSUMPTION Magazine
June 1953, a few days before tornado.
(L–R) Robert Dowling, Stan Dupre, Fr. Bavo Theys,
Edgar Gauthier, Benjamin Shen ‘54.
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 33
THE FIRST SIGN THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG CAME WHEN THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT IN THE SECONDFLOOR CLASSROOM OF THE MAIN COLLEGE BUILDING WHERE I WAS TUTORING A HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENT IN ALGEBRA.
“I must have instinctively grabbed onto the doorknob as I sailed past, for the first thing I knew I was hanging from it by my fingers, with the rest of my body fluttering in the wind, horizontally, Superman fashion.” Benjamin Shen ‘54 stands on campus three days after the disastrous tornado.
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Though it was an afternoon in June, the sky had turned dark gray. A bad storm was coming, I thought to myself. Even today, I still tell anyone who will listen that if the lights go out unexpectedly in foul weather, head for the cellar – if you are in tornado country, that is. But in Worcester, Massachusetts? June 9, 1953. Only two days earlier, I had finished my junior year at Assumption College as a foreign student from China. The campus was emptied of students, except for the few of us who stayed behind to work. Minutes after the lights went out, as I walked toward the blackboard, I had the odd feeling that the entire wall was tilting toward me – ever so slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Without another thought, my student and I bolted for the doors, he toward one and I toward the other. As my door swung open, I lost control and was sucked into the corridor, now a giant wind tunnel. I must have instinctively grabbed onto the doorknob as I sailed past, for the first thing I knew I was hanging from it by my fingers, with the rest of my body fluttering in the wind, horizontally, Superman fashion.
Guardsman Bill Ormand ’53 takes watch at the site of the wreckage.
Such was the tornado’s fury that if I had I lost my grip, heaven knows where I would have landed! For that’s what a tornado does best. It picks you up – like Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz – and drops you where it wants. Holding onto a doorknob, however, was not without a downside. There was absolutely no way to avoid being bombarded by a furious stream of tiny debris, like so many flying darts, giving me something akin to torture by a thousand little nicks. But it was a small price to pay. As a spiraling tornado moves past you, you are first blown one way, then the other way, but with a distinct lull in between when you go through its windless center, the so-called “eye.” I didn’t know it then, but Assumption College was at that moment passing through the eye of the 1953 tornado. The lull was so complete that the wind’s deafening roar turned into total silence, and for a moment nothing stirred. Just as I was picking myself up from the floor, the wind started again with renewed fury, giving me just enough time to grab onto my doorknob once again and hang on for dear life. Only this time, I fluttered in the opposite direction and, needless to say, managed to intercept more debris. This was not the first time I had been in the eye of a storm. When I came to America on a Danish freighter, it ran into a major typhoon (hurricane)
while docked in Kobe, Japan. The captain cleverly unmoored the fully laden ship and allowed it to bob up and down in the violent open sea for two days and nights, causing no major damage beyond massive collective nausea. “Where’s my student?” was my frantic thought when the wind died down for the second and last time. He was nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, I scrambled down the stairs, only to discover the full scope of the disaster. The massive bell tower of the building had collapsed and crashed through all three floors. I rushed out the front door and there, miraculously, was my student, disheveled, stunned, but unhurt. Even though as a child in the 1930s and ’40s I had lived through horrible air raids in China, I had never been at the very center of a disaster scene. Now an eerie silence had descended on Assumption’s old Greendale campus, broken only by the muffled sound of frantic digging by the first rescuers. As I stepped in to lend a hand, I quickly realized that my right arm was not working right. One glance told me that there was a gash reaching all the way to the bone, by then no longer bleeding or, strangely, even painful. The rest is history. Within a few minutes, the tornado claimed 94 lives around Worcester, including three at Assumption: Sister Marie S. Jean Martel, Sister Marie Ste. Hélène Simard, and Assumptionist
Father Engelbert Devincq, whose French literature course I had just finished taking. To them, I dedicate this short essay. It also forever changed the course of the College. In one bold move, the Collège de l’Assomption metamorphosed into Assumption College, now University. From a peerless, bilingual collège in the classical French mold, it became a gem of an American liberal arts college, nurtured all along by its Catholic tradition. The tornado made that transformation inevitable, and three years later, Assumption College began a new life on Salisbury Street. As far as I know, no comparable makeover has ever been attempted, let alone so successfully accomplished, in American academia. As for me, in the late evening of that fateful day, a truck commandeered by rescuers delivered me to a clinic in nearby Holden, itself without electric power, where around midnight an exhausted surgeon meticulously patched me up by candlelight. Today, a scar on my right arm bears lone witness to that incredible disaster almost six decades ago. Benjamin Shen ‘54, Philadelphia, PA
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 35
ALUMNI NEWS Dear Alumni, Since my arrival at Assumption in May, I have had the pleasure of spending time with our students and alumni. These meetings have helped me understand how much Assumption’s alumni love and appreciate their alma mater, in ways not often seen at other colleges and universities. In nearly every conversation with a Greyhound, I heard stories about each person’s experience: their lifelong friends who are like family, their education, and of course their special relationships with faculty and how this has influenced their
2023 Alumni Awards
This past June, the three days of Reunion 2023 were, once again, very well attended. Highlights included the annual alumni awards, Houndfest, and an on-campus Pub Night. Congratulations to the 2023 Alumni Award winners: Libby Ginnetti ’63, who received the Jack L. Bresciani ’72 Outstanding Alumni Award; Megan Evangelista ‘13, the Young Alumni Award; and Bouba Coulibaly, Assumption University Buildings and Grounds, who was given the Honorary Alumni Award.
lives. We are so fortunate that, because of their strong feelings about AU, alumni want to stay engaged with the University. From helping with move-in day to speaking with students to recruiting on campus and making donations to the Assumption Fund, you are examples of what it means to be a Greyhound. In this issue of Assumption Magazine, we are highlighting leadership – leadership in administration, amongst our alumni, our students, and with our faculty. You will read how this leadership has driven the University’s remarkable growth and is helping to prepare us for the future. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Assumption University. AU is a very special, welcoming place, and I am so grateful to be one of the newest members of our community. Jill Wierbicki Abrahams VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
Empowering the next generation of leaders During Accept Assumption for prospective students, Sadiya Bruce ’14 served on a panel with ALANA students for First Generation and Students of Color. Ms. Bruce is a senior manager for learning and development, talent management, and DEI at Reebok.
Alumni Ambassadors at Accept Assumption in April
L–R: Artie Rogan ’04, Lynn Pimental White ’94, P’94, Chris Ayers Martin ’86, P’16,
Mary Anne Matys ’79, Amy Logue Gontarz ’01, G’08, Executive Director of Alumni and Donor Engagement, and Bob Martin ’86, P’16.
JOIN OUR ALUMNI AMBASSADOR PROGRAM!
For more information on the Assumption Alumni Ambassadors, please contact: Amy Logue Gontarz ’01, G’08, Executive Director for Alumni Relations and Donor Engagement, at alogue@assumption.edu / 508.767.7011 36 ASSUMPTION Magazine
ALUMNI NEWS
50th Reunion – Last all-male class
In June 2022, the last all-male class at Assumption celebrated their 50th Reunion. With a great turnout of alumni, spouses, and friends, they enjoyed a lively dinner at O’Connor’s Restaurant in West Boylston, MA, participated in a golf tournament at Cyprian Keys Golf Course, joined in several campus activities, attended the
50th Reunion dinner, and gathered for the Golden Greyhound brunch. At the dinner they announced that they had raised $87,935 to support the Jack Bresciani ’72 Scholarship with two planned gifts, which brought their class total to $712,935, the second largest class gift in University history.
President Weiner, Ph.D., and young alumni gather in Washington, D.C. LEFT SIDE: Kashmir Flood ’20,
President Greg Weiner, Ph.D., Jose Garcia ’19, Tess Haller ’20, Katie Samalis-Aldrich ’19. RIGHT SIDE: Pablo Sierra-Carmona ’15, Alexis Wilusz ’18, Gabriella Humphries ’21, Lauren McCarthy ’16, Doug Blair (guest of Katie Samalis-Aldrich).
Grall Neafsey lecture
In addition to students, faculty, and staff, alumni gather at the fifth annual Grall Neafsey lecture for a presentation entitled “25 Years of Peace in Ireland.” L–R: Neal Burgess ’72, John DiPietro ’72, John Laracy ’73, Hon. Edward M. Neafsey, JSC-Ret. ’72, David McCarthy ’72, Bob Hunter ’72, and Mike Neafsey.
Endowed scholarship luncheon
There were 201 Endowed Scholarships awarded to students in the 2022–2023 academic year. “It is a great opportunity for these students to connect with their donor who is an important part of the Assumption community,” said Sueellen Dean, senior assistant director of financial aid. ABOVE: Maureen and Pete Marcotte ’67 with Mia Colon-Padovano ’24
Frank R. Levstik Award
William H. Mulligan, Jr., Ph.D., ’70 (CENTER), professor emeritus of history at Mulligan State University, was awarded the Frank R. Levstik Award for Professional Service from the Kentucky Historical Society. assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 37
CLASS NOTES Submit your news online at assumption.edu/classnotes. Weʼd love to hear from you!
1979 45TH REUNION
Michael R. Labrie was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coach Association (MBCA) Hall of Fame in November 2021.
1981
Patricia Murphy, an assistant district attorney heading the Sexually Dangerous Persons and Mental Health unit, received the Massachusetts District Attorney Association Spotlight Award. The award recognizes the outstanding service, spirit, and professionalism of an assistant district attorney. Patricia (Bermudez) Smith has joined the leadership team at Cornerstone Bank, serving as vice president and senior market manager at the Webster branch.
1985
1969 55TH REUNION
John (Jack) Dubois (ABOVE CENTER) has been inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Hall of Fame for over five decades of devotion to high school athletics in New Jersey.
1978
Donna O’Neill Connolly and Ken Bates G’90 were part of a group of local citizens from Worcester County who received the Ted Coghlin Community Citizen Award for their work with the Seeds of Hope Shelter. Open Sky Community Services, Blessed Sacrament Parish, and the City of Worcester Department of Health and Human Services came together to make sure that those without a home would be safe from the cold. They provided more than shelter; they offered wrap-around services including counseling and training. Over the 105 days that the shelter was open, 128 different individuals stayed there at least one night, and nearly 50 percent have moved into permanent housing. 38 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Holly Polglase, Esq., has been named partner at Clyde & Co. following the company’s expansion into Boston. Polglase is a trial lawyer specializing in complex product liability, pharmaceutical, medical device, toxic tort, asbestos, general liability, and commercial law matters. She advises major national and multinational companies, representing product manufacturers, sellers, and other businesses following catastrophic losses.
1986
Terry Murphy has become the assistant health director and health educator at New College of Florida.
1987
Neil Isakson has been appointed Director of Stewardship and Communications for University Advancement at Assumption. Previously, he was director of development operations and external communications at Worcester Academy.
1988
Marie D. (Aselton) Morse, Ed.D., has been appointed assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for the Worcester Public Schools.
1989 35TH REUNION
Mark Brown started a new job in December 2022 as administrative coordinator for the Physical Therapy
Department at Saint Joseph’s University. Since moving to the Philly area two years ago, he enjoys singing with the choir and keeping in touch with the Religious of the Assumption Sisters at St. Francis de Sales Parish in West Philadelphia, singing with the Archdiocesan Choir, and exploring the city, especially through the Walk Around Philadelphia project.
1990
Andrew Coston became the vice president of student affairs at Elms College in October 2022.
1996
Cynthia (Paltrineri) Klocek is a realtor in Worcester with Coldwell Banker Realty. She enjoys working with buyers, sellers, and seniors who are transitioning.
2000
John Barata received the 2022 Youth Coach of the Year Award from United Soccer Coaches Foundation. Barata is the founder, chief executive officer, and director of coaching of the Legacy Soccer Club in Hanson, MA, where he coaches both boys’ and girls’ teams in the U-14, U-15, and U-17 age groups. He also serves as the head boys’ coach at Oliver Ames High School in Easton.
2003
Terence Miller ’03, G’06 was awarded the City & State New York Above & Beyond: Innovators Award, which recognizes the groundbreaking work of 50 innovative individuals in New York’s public, private, and nonprofit sectors and the positive impact they’re having across the state. He said, “Those crucial formative years at Assumption and founding the ALANA Network on campus with the full support of President Plough, Catherine Woodbrooks, Mario Silva, and Bob Ravenelle emboldened me to lead and lean into diversity.” Ryan Murphy ’03, G’10 was named vice president of advancement at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA. Murphy was previously at the College of the Holy Cross, where he solicited major gifts and planned gifts for the advancement team. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in organizational leadership from Nichols College.
2014 10TH REUNION
Megan McCann and James McNamara ’15 (PHOTO PAGE 40) got married on December 2, 2022, in Middletown, CT. Other alumni in attendance included: Steve Gorman ’15, Jennifer Gorman ’15, Mary Hilliger ’15, Lily Wood ’15, Julia Gilberto ’15, Alexandra Amico ’15, Dan Foster ’15, and Emma Foster ’16.
Jacki Carlson ’12 was married on March 25, 2023, to Eric Resman with many AU alums in attendance.
2006
Kerry (Sullivan) Moore is a strategist at Kindle Communications, a Chicagobased experiential agency leading in live and virtual events, corporate communications, and digital solutions. She advises and writes for C-suite clients in regulated industries including pharma and consumer goods. Dawn Perry is an adjunct professor at Hult International Business School, director of the National Virtual Telehealth Program, Aviv LLC, and an EMDR therapist. Additionally, she is the owner of an outpatient mental health therapy practice, Dawn Perry LLC. birth: Christopher Zoto and his wife,
Audrey, welcomed their son, Arthur Christopher Zoto, born on April 21, 2023. They are currently living in Woonsocket, RI.
2008
birth: Eric Thanas and Jennifer (Paglio) Thanas ’09 welcomed a son, Conor Austin Thanas, on May 8, 2022.
2010
Lindsay (Schoen) Lane has been promoted to principal in the New York and Boston offices of Caldwell Partners, a leading retained executive search firm connecting clients with transformational talent. Lane joined Caldwell from Brown Brothers Harriman, a privately owned and managed financial services firm, where she worked in Investor Services and previously held roles in corporate communications and marketing.
2011 Jack Barry started a new position as manager, media sales for SKRATCH at PGA TOUR. Julia Brough, graduate of the UVM End of Life Doula Certificate Program, in collaboration with her friend, Judith Stuphen, established a Rhode Island-based collaborative to organize EOL doulas and begin community educational outreach.
birth: Stephanie (Plotkin) Murin and her husband, John Murin, welcomed their daughter, Sarafina Lynn Murin, on January 5, 2023. She weighed 5 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18.5 inches long. In addition, Stephanie stepped away from special education after six years and is now an assistant director of admissions for Assumption University.
Devin Raeli has been hired as a senior campaign marketing manager with SoftServe, an IT services and consulting agency.
2015
Katie Storer has been hired as a recruiter for The Kraft Group at Gillette Stadium.
Caitlin Ackerman has become the director of client success at FitPros, a premier workplace wellness provider that delivers physical and mental health programs to improve employee lifestyle habits.
2012
2016
Jacki Carlson (PHOTO ABOVE) was married on March 25, 2023, to Eric Resman. Other graduates in attendance included: Steve MacDonald ’11, Elizabeth Villano MacDonald ’11, Kelly Simollardes ’12, Michelle Lubas McGinnis ’12, Ashley Caissie Buckley ’12, Katrina Mitchell ’12, Caitlin Fitzpatrick Erickson ’12, Delia Valianti Nowak ’12, Quinton Preston ’14, Taylor Parent Beinert ’12, and Timmy Beinert ’12. Melanie (Hentz) Laurin accepted a new position as director of early college initiatives at Springfield Technical Community College. Nicholas Peters of the Bulfinch Group has been named a Leaders Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian). Leaders Club is one of the highest honors annually awarded by Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients.
ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES
Steven Zembruski has been promoted to senior partner success manager at Lytx.
Eric Cyr ’16, G’17 and Allie Zinni ’16 (PHOTO PAGE 40) were married on October 23, 2022, at Searles Castle in Windham, NH, and were surrounded by lots of Assumption friends! The pair met in West Hall in 2014 and have been together ever since. Other alumni in attendance were Adam Cabral ’16, Veronica Clifford (Eramo) ’16, Ally Fillebrown ’16, Allison Chann ’16, Shannon Porter ’16, Cody Forbes ’16, Kyle Forbes ’16, Tommy Carlaccini, Lorin Bernard (Colucci) ’16, Rachel Berten (Montgomery) ’16, Hardik Patel ’16, James Connolly ’16, Jordan Aubin ’16, Ryerson Ciesluk ’16, Alex Smith ’16, Mike Bohane ’16, Col Smith ’16, Tyler Greenberg ’16, Bianca Monaco ’15, Marissa Smith ’17, Chris Vasapolli ’16, Kaitlin Bevins ’09, Sadiya Bruce ’14, Courtney Woods ’15, and David Allen ’18.
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 39
ASSUMPTION CLASS NOTES
Kathryn Severance started a new job as a digital marketing manager with Riskonnect in April 2023.
2018
Emily (Zraunig) Clayton and Russel Clayton ’15 married on September 3, 2022, at Valley View Farm in Haydenville, MA. The pair met at Assumption, and Russell played on the Assumption College football team. Marina Gigliello is celebrating five years of employment at Erickson Senior Living as a resident services coordinator, working with the geriatric population.
2019
5TH REUNION
Jose Palomino became a police officer in Needham, MA, in February.
2022
Jack Supernor accepted a new job as a cybersecurity operations analyst at UMass Memorial Health.
2023
Skyler Bradley’s poem, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” has been published in the literary magazine Outrageous Fortune, founded at Mary Baldwin University.
GRADUATE STUDIES G’76 Megan McCann ’14 and James McNamara ’15 (TOP) were married on December 2, 2022, and Eric Cyr ’16, G’17 and Allie Zinni ’16 (BELOW) were married on October 23, 2022, surrounded by Assumption University friends.
John F. Rankin IV was named coordinator of business development and facilities operations at Babson College. Rankin spent nearly two years as a client services representative for MFS Investment Management before moving on to Merrill Lynch in 2018 as a registered wealth management client associate. He also has served as the boys’ Junior Varsity lacrosse head coach at Marshfield High School since 2019.
CLASS NOTES SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
2017
Ryan Litchfield has been promoted to a full-time autism life coach with ASD Life Coaches LLC, working with autistic adults both virtually and in person across the United States on independent living and social goals and needs. He has also recently been recognized as a Certified Cognitive Coach (CCC) through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.
Assumption Magazine publishes Class Notes in each issue. Submissions can be made at alumni@assumption.edu or by mailing us your information. The Magazineʼs editorial staff makes every effort to accurately print announcements, but cannot always verify the accuracy of information submitted for publication.
40 ASSUMPTION Magazine
Dr. Shirley F. B. Carter is pleased to share that she has authored three books: The Roan, The Earl of Lee Heights, and Colored, of Course.
G’94
Father Stephen Lundrigan was named college chaplain at Anna Maria College. He will also serve as an adjunct professor at Anna Maria College, teaching both theology and psychology courses.
G’13
Joel Kent has been promoted to chief operating officer at Fontaine Brothers, Inc. and appointed to the Millbury Federal Credit Union (MCU) board of directors.
G’18
Andrew Howard has been promoted to senior vice president at Middlesex Savings Bank.
RESILIENCY IN THE HELPING PROFESSIONS
This Graduate Certificate Program increases professional effectiveness for school counselors, educators, social workers, mental health counselors, rehabilitation counselors, and healthcare professionals. Program Overview Resiliency is an adaptive mechanism people employ when faced with stress, challenges, crises, adversity, trauma, and threats to development. It is that ability to navigate challenges with emotional regulation, impulse control, realistic optimism, flexible thinking, selfefficacy, empathy, and social support. The Resiliency in the Helping Professions program has broad professional applicability and is targeted to increase professional effectiveness for professionals who are school counselors, educators, social workers, mental health counselors, rehabilitation counselors, and healthcare professionals.
One of only four schools in Massachusetts to be “Approved with Distinction” by DESE.
Course work in this six-course, 18-credit, hybrid program focuses on resiliency cultivation strategies for helping professionals and their clients, students, patients, and consumers. The factors of resilience, selfcompassion, and mindfulness are some of the areas that are studied. Emotionally intelligent leadership is a focus as many effective helping professionals advance to leadership and supervisory roles. The Resiliency in the Helping Professions Certificate of Graduate Study (C.G.S.) and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) are grounded in evidence-based approaches that are valuable for career longevity and the professionals’ investment “in themselves.”
“The C.A.G.S. in Resiliency is a must, no matter your role as an educator, counselor, or related provider. “My self-awareness, self-care, confidence, and positive world outlook have developed in the journey. From gaining self-compassion to more awareness of how I lead, the program has helped me to develop a vision for my personal and professional life.” Patricia Grenier, MSPT, CEIS
Resiliency in the Helping Professions 2022 Physical Therapist, Oxford Public Schools
For information about our RESILIENCY IN THE HELPING PROFESSIONS PROGRAM email graduate@assumption.edu or call (508) 767-7387 FIND OUT MORE!
Visit us online at www.assumption.edu/graduate/ assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 41 resiliency-helping-professions
Virginia A. Halloran CE’61, P’64 1923–2023
Virginia A. Halloran CE’61, P’64 passed away October 6, 2023. She was the College’s first female graduate, receiving a bachelor’s degree through Assumption’s Continuing Education program in 1961. It was another eight years before Assumption would officially add women to their enrollment. After graduation, she earned a master’s degree in education from Worcester State College. She served as director of pupil personnel services for the Worcester School Department until 1970 when she moved to New Seabury and continued her career in the Dennis Yarmouth Schools and the Mashpee/Sandwich Schools as a school psychologist.
IN MEMORIAM Rev. Norman A. Meiklejohn, A.A., AP’46, AU’50 1928–2023
Reverend Norman Meiklejohn, A.A., 94, passed away on March 5. Fr. Norman’s apostolic work at Assumption University, then Assumption College, included assignments as dean of students, director of the Evening College, professor in the history department, and trustee. Ordained in 1954, he received his formation as an Assumptionist in Quebec and in Rome. After completing a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Angelicum in Rome, Fr. Norman pursued further studies at Georgetown and at Columbia University, where he received his Ph.D. in Latin American studies. He conducted research as a Maryknoll Priest Associate in Peru, and from 1986–1999 he served as the chaplain to the diplomatic community in Moscow, the last of a 75-year line of American Assumptionists in that assignment. During his later years, Fr. Norman was active on campus as a participant in theatre productions and a mainstay in the WISE program. He was also a docent at the Russian Icon Museum in Clinton, held until his untimely passing.
42 ASSUMPTION Magazine
On the occasion of her 50th Assumption reunion, she established the Mrs. Virginia Halloran CE’61 Scholarship to be awarded to students with demonstrated financial need. She established the scholarship to show gratitude for the kindnesses the Assumptionists extended to her to complete her education in her time of need. She leaves a daughter, Mary Lou Neagle, and a son, Michael Halloran AP’64.
Donald R. Boulanger AP’62, Benefactor 1944–2022
Donald R. Boulanger AP’62 passed away on November 14, 2022. A proud graduate of Assumption Prep and Harvard College, he was founder and CEO of the National Deposit Finance Corporation and the National Deposit Life Insurance Company. Formerly, he was vice president of the Sun Life Group of America. Donald leaves his wife, Jasmina, a past Assumption trustee, of San Clemente, CA. The couple have been generous friends of Assumption over the years, supporting many major initiatives.
† Sylvio G. Landry, M.D., ’62
† Paul A. Rizkalla ’00
† Paul Camille Rheaume ’58
† Robert F. Cornell ’81
† Deborah Marinone
† Vincent M. Bilotta, Ph.D., G’82
† Patricia A. (O’Leary)
† Robert Raymond, DDS, AP’60,
October 4, 2020
Seymour ’77
October 30, 2021
† Donald R. Boulanger AP’62 November 14, 2022 Benefactor; late husband of former Trustee Jasmina T. Boulanger
† Joseph J. Tamulevich G’81 November 21, 2022
† Marcel Montcalm Dursin, Jr., AP’48
November 23, 2022
February 8, 2023
February 16, 2023
† Atty. Anthony J. “AJ” Gryk, Jr., ’81
February 20, 2023
† Kathleen Mary “Kay” (Sullivan) Quinlivan CE’72, G’75 February 24, 2023
† Frank Savoy G’73 February 28, 2023
† Virginia Joanne (Ashman) Fearing P’98
December 7, 2022
March 3, 2023 Assumption Housekeeper for 22 years
† Dennis F. Bean ’79
† Rev. Norman A. Meiklejohn,
† Paul Bibbo ’68
December 24, 2022
† Joseph Emmanuel “Mel” Dutremble AP’53 January 14, 2023
† Deborah Christine (Meikle) Cahoon G’73
January 15, 2023
† Kathleen A. (Underhill) Desjardins CE’04 January 15, 2023
† Sister Mary Francesca DiFederico G’73 January 20, 2023
† Patrick John (“PJ”) O’Connor ’60
January 20, 2023
† Robert K. Jenkins ’81, P’20 January 29, 2023
† William Bradford “Toby” Harwood III G’74 February 5, 2023
† Francis (Frank) Leo Rousseau ’59
February 6, 2023
† Josephine “Jo” D. Ziegler G’78
February 6, 2023
† Francis X. Dever, Jr., Esq., ’66 February 8, 2023
A.A., AP’46, AU’50 March 5, 2023
† Pierre “Pete” Joseph Pelletier AP’55, AU’60 March 5, 2023
† Mary Fitzgerald Krasnoff ’82 March 21, 2023
† Anthony M. Feeherry AP’65 March 22, 2023
† William F. Foley G’79 March 25, 2023
† Barbara J. Rosen CE’95 March 26, 2023
† Roger Lemenager ’57 March 27, 2023
† Herbert John O’Connor G’78 March 31, 2023
† Pamela Elizabeth (Noonan) Montimurro G’67, P’91 April 2, 2023
† Mary E. (Clayborne) Dupre ’76, G’97 April 3, 2023
† John M. Matraia G’01, P’90 April 3, 2023
† Caron Joseph Keenan G’62 April 5, 2023
† Suzanne E. (Bastien, Valente) Peterson ’80 April 5, 2023
April 9, 2023
July 12, 2023
Giangrande ’88
AU’64, P’89, ’91
April 17, 2023
July 14, 2023
† Antonella Doucette
† Brady Petrucci ’26
† Derek D. Nalle G’00
† Constantine L. “Dino”
April 19, 2023
July 15, 2023
Mourginis G’72
April 28, 2023
† Vincent Pelletier, Ph.D., AP’65, AU’69, G’72 May 1, 2023
July 17, 2023
† Patricia A. Lapierre CE’87 August 16, 2023
† Timothy Joseph Connolly
† Ronald J. Collette CE’86
’77, G’80
August 21, 2023
May 3, 2023
† Elizabeth A. (Varga)
† Kelly E. Flynn ’02
Robinson ’81
May 8, 2023
August 21, 2023
† Adrienne B. L’Esperance G’69 May 11, 2023
† John Saulnier AP’54
† Lorraine Leclerc August 30, 2023 Benefactor
† Al (Aldoria) Evariste Leger ’61
May 25, 2023
August 30, 2023
† Barclay “Barry” F.
† Raymond Lauring HD’13
Wood HD’98
September 1, 2023 Benefactor
June 2, 2023 Benefactor
† Diane Rondeau Dwyer ’87,
† Eileen Birch CE’87, G’93
P’16, P’23
June 3, 2023
September 7, 2023
† Bill Dwan III ’70
† Ann L. Parkinson G’92
June 3, 2023
† Francis “Buzz” Harrington ’78 June 13, 2023
September 12, 2023
† Timothy D. Haylon G’94, G’05, P’15
† John Joseph Nyhan
September 28, 2023
Deignan ’89
† Gerald A. Croteau Jr., Ed.D., ’59
June 16, 2023
† Raymond Brien AP’58, AU’62 June 21, 2023
September 30, 2023
† Virginia (Moriarty) Halloran CE’61 October 6, 2023
† Wilberto Rivera Perez ’86, P’90
June 23, 2023 Late husband of current Trustee Edda Colon-Irizzary ‘88
† Edward Amaral October 13, 2023 Benefactor
† Sister Judith Kappenman G’84 July 1, 2023
† Sister Annette Boyer G’73 July 7, 2023
† Jacqueline D. Cotter CE’96 July 10, 2023
assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023 43
LAST WORDS
Ethical Leadership in the Military CHRISTIAN GOBEL, PH.D. (PHILOSOPHY), PH.D. (THEOLOGY), IS PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY AT ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY AND SERVES AS A LIEUTENANT COLONEL IN THE GERMAN ARMY RESERVE.
The qualities Assumption University seeks to form in its students are those good leaders need: devotion to the truth and the common good, a sense of meaning, thoughtful citizenship, companionship. We believe that leadership must be ethical leadership. This belief is shared by an institution that has produced archetypal leadership: the military. Military ethics training is character education; service academies are liberal arts schools which aim to transform the entire person. The Air Force Academy sees Aristotle as an “intellectual father.” Forming Stoic virtues like resilience isn’t enough; soldiers who have developed character can deal with the biggest ethical challenge the military profession poses: the precarious balance between the need to acquire an ability to kill and the awareness that killing is, in principle, immoral. It is not those who are merely good fighters who are truly excellent humans; rather it is those who retain their humanity even on the battlefield, fully conscious of their responsibility toward themselves and others, including civilians and the enemy. Contemporary military training aims to form “strategic sergeants”: junior leaders with some autonomy who are aware that their decisions can have a strategic impact. NATO forces have adopted the leadership principles of “Mission Command”: mutual trust, understanding, shared responsibility, creative thinking, moral judgment. We can’t afford soldiers whose unethical behavior jeopardizes operations where we need to “win over the hearts and minds” of the people. But ethical leadership is not only a strategic necessity. Senator John McCain, who was himself tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, made this clear: no matter what our enemies do, if we claim to defend human rights, we cannot waterboard. Military ethics calls for more than traditional values like loyalty, duty, courage, and selfless service. These are secondary virtues
44 ASSUMPTION Magazine
that, if not grounded in an objective good, could be claimed even by Islamic State terrorists or Nazi criminals. Germany’s post-World War II army instilled in the military the core values of the human rights ethos. Soldiers are regarded as “citizens in uniform”: military professionals prepared to fight, but also responsible citizens and free human beings endowed with a conscience. Where the fundamental commitment to human dignity is at risk, duties as human beings and citizens can supersede the more specific duties soldiers have. Soldiers cannot merely serve the state as “machines” but must do so as moral agents (Kant, Thoreau).
An army that disregards its soldiers offers them no sense of purpose, identification, or morale. The Ukraine war shows what happens when the military lacks a moral fabric: a regime of violence prevails within Russia’s army, and Putin’s brutalized troops have committed innumerable war crimes. This lack of ethical leadership has strategic consequences: Ukraine is experiencing overwhelming support that has enabled it to operate successfully against a superior aggressor. And the weak internal structure of Putin’s military is a key reason for its unexpectedly weak performance on the battlefield. An army that disregards its soldiers offers them no sense of purpose, identification, or morale. This calls to mind the anthropological foundation of virtue ethics: morality is about flourishing as human beings. Our soldiers don’t merely defend one nation’s freedom but the global good of human rights. (It is the duty of political leaders and thoughtful citizens to ensure that military force does indeed serve such goals.) Rooted in a Christian humanist anthropology, the value framework Assumption’s liberal education provides for future leaders is uniquely suited to strengthen, in soldiers and their families, a sense of meaning arising from this fact: despite the challenges soldiers face, military service – and any service to human dignity – provides an opportunity to activate the human potential for true fulfillment and happiness.
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in the company of friends THE ASSUMPTION FUND
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assumption.edu | FALL/WINTER 2023
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