Manhattan Magazine spring 2012

M A N H AT TA N CO L L EG E s pr i ng 2 0 1 2

Looking Beneath the Surface

M ANHATTAN C OLLEGE s pr i n g 2 0 1 2 vo lum e 3 8 • n um b e r 1

editorial Kristen Cuppek, Editor Amanda Ferrarotto, Intern Nicole Bullard, Intern

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on campus Genocide survivor starts L.O.V.E. trip, the president goes to Africa, new study abroad trips arrive, board of trustees has new leadership, Lasallian Look,

Contributors Julie Achilles Patrice Athanasidy Annie Chambliss Joe Clifford Dorothy Conigliaro Liz Connolly Bauman Stephen Dombroski Christian Heimall Gabrielle Kaminsky Daniel Marra Photographers Ben Asen Joshua Cuppek Justin Fantl (cover) Hadley Hooper (illustration) Darcy Rogers Design Charles Hess, chess design Mallory Guillemette Published by the Office of Marketing and Communication Manhattan College Riverdale, NY 10471

news, lectures and more.

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Women’s lacrosse standout fights for more than just a goal, plus news and recaps of the fall and winter seasons.

22 EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Go behind the lens of an awardwinning photographer to view the College’s often overlooked beauty.

28 Mission possible With an intent on giving back and finding themselves in the process, follow a few Jaspers on their journeys since serving as Lasallian volunteers.

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development AECOM leaders receive the De La Salle medal, the student commons campaign progresses, and scholarships.

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Lydia Gray Executive Director, Marketing and Communication on the cover Looking down at the floor in Draddy Gym, where the track meets the basketball court, offers a different perspective of the active area.

sports

alumni Athletic Hall of Fame honors new inductees, alumnotes and Jasper profiles.

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obits In memoriam, John Fandel, Manfred Wanger

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parting shot

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Genocide Survivor Helps Homeland and Spreads L.O.V.E. in the Process

“w

e’re just happy that we survived,” says Alain Rwabukamba, a 1994 Rwandan genocide survivor and senior electrical engineering major, as he reflects on his experience.

“There’s no wealthier that you could be than just surviving.”

Rwabukamba was just four years old in the midst of the 100-day slaughter in Rwanda, which was triggered by the death of the Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana. A rocket brought the president’s plane down on April 6, 1994, and immediately genocide against the Tutsis erupted, resulting in the death of nearly 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

“At first, we were hiding together and then we were split up,” Rwabukamba remembers.

“Since the killers knew my mom and dad were different ethnicities, my family had to hide in different locations. In doing this, we had less chances of being recognized as a family and increased our chances of survival.”

As Rwabukamba explains, if he was caught with his mom, she would be forced to kill all of her children, and if she said no, she would be killed with all of them.

After hiding in several different locations, Rwabukamba and his family tried to cross the border into Burundi in a truck but were stopped by the militia.

“They started telling everyone to get off, and they started killing people from the trucks,” he says. Fortunately, Rwabukamba and his family were instructed to go back to the school where they were hiding, but the militia planned to kill everyone at the school soon after. Thanks to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) shooting the militia bus before they could arrive at the school, Rwabukamba and his family survived.

His family was eventually allowed to return to their home after living in a camp for a few months, and started rebuilding their lives.

As Rwabukamba’s schooling progressed, 2 N spring 2012

he became interested in computers, along with math and physics, and realized that knowledge of English was crucial to advance his education. At the time Rwabukamba was in school, Rwandans spoke Kinyarwanda (the native language) at home and learned French in the classroom.

In 2005, he ventured to Kenya to learn English and begin his freshman year of high school.

In the midst of studying in Kenya, Rwabukamba spent a month during the summer accompanying Ed Ballen and his daughter, Rachel, around Rwanda, translating and volunteering at the Hameau Des Jeunes orphanage and Duha Complex School. The pair was put in touch through a family connection, and Ballen developed an instant bond with Rwabukamba and ultimately asked him to come live with his family in Katonah, N.Y. In conjunction with Rwabukamba moving to the United States, Ballen was motivated to start the organization Rwanda Education Assistance Project (REAP) in 2008 to empower the Duha Complex School to become a model rural public school, where children from the Hameau Des Jeunes orphanage could attend school. REAP’s work focuses on strengthening community, promoting teaching and learning, and building infrastructure in its efforts to support the Duha School’s sustainability.

Once Rwabukamba moved in with the Ballen family and started adjusting to high school life at the Harvey School as a senior, he began searching for colleges.

Alain Rwabukamba ’12 (far right), a Rwandan genocide survivor, with fellow L.O.V.E. trip participants in Rwanda.

“I wanted a school that was close to the city but not in the city,” Rwabukamba says, remembering his first visit to the College’s campus. “I came to visit Manhattan, and I was in love with it. This was my top choice.”

Four years later, he is preparing to graduate and using his personal experience to educate his fellow classmates and make a difference in the lives of Rwandan children. On Dec. 30, Rwabukamba, eight classmates and three chaperones departed for a two-week Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (L.O.V.E.) in Rwanda.

Rwabukamba was inspired to share his experience with the Manhattan College community during the spring 2011 semester after watching Hotel Rwanda and a visit by Imaculee Illibagiza (author of Left to Tell, a New York Times bestseller, and Rwandan genocide survivor) to campus. By using REAP’s connections

Kenneth Rathgeber Appointed New Chair at the Duha Complex School and Hameau Des Jeunes orphanage and other contacts, planning for the recent L.O.V.E. trip evolved.

With the assistance of Mary Beierle, a senior majoring in special education, to establish the trip and Timothy Corini, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, to plan the two-week itinerary, as well as co-lead, Rwabukamba organized a trip to Rwanda for his fellow students.

The first week was spent experiencing the history and culture of Rwanda by visiting various genocide memorials, including the Kigali Genocide Memorial built on the site of more than 250,000 graves, and the Nyamata’s Catholic Church. The Nyamata’s Catholic Church is a place where many ethnic Tutsis thought they could take refuge from the militia, but a raid resulted in the death of 10,000 people.

“We also took a drive to see the Rusumo waterfall, and we stepped on the Tanzanian border,” Rwabukamba adds. “The waterfall is symbolic because people were thrown in the river, and more than 10,000 bodies floated about 100 miles on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda.”

During the second week, the L.O.V.E. students volunteered at the Duha Complex School and Hameau Des Jeunes orphanage.

Students were assigned a special task or skill relating to their majors or interests. In addition to playing with the children, the students fixed bookcases and desks, removed broken glass from windowpanes, used rice bags to create word and number posters, and cleaned the village’s well to improve the quality of the water.

“My goal was to help my fellow students understand poverty more, what it feels like to be an orphan of genocide, the danger of being in a war and the process of healing,” Rwabukamba says.

KEnneth A. Rathgeber ’70, retired executive vice president and chief compliance officer for the Investment Adviser and Fidelity Mutual Funds for Fidelity Investments, has been named chairman of the Manhattan College board of trustees. His appointment begins on July 1, and he will succeed Thomas D. O’Malley ’63, who has served as chairman since 2005.

(We look forward in the fall issue to acknowledge O’Malley’s legacy as board chair.)

“Ken Rathgeber has a remarkable record of commitment and service to the College, and has long been an active and valued member of the board,” says Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College. “He will be a wonderful chairman and a worthy successor to Tom O’Malley, under whose expert leadership the board has prospered.”

Rathgeber graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and, throughout his career, has remained dedicated to his alma mater. Since his appointment to the College’s board of trustees in 2005, he has been a member of the development committee, was elected to the board’s executive committee in June 2007, and is currently serving as vice chair of the board. In addition, he served as a chair of the College’s annual fund, has been a member of the De La Salle Medal Dinner committee for several years, and is presently co-chair of the Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons capital campaign project.

“Ken Rathgeber is an excellent choice to lead the board at this exciting time in Manhattan College’s history,” says Thomas D. O’Malley, chairman of PBF Energy LLC. “He is a respected professional, a seasoned and talented leader, and a strong and dedicated supporter of the College. I am leaving the board in very good hands, and I look forward to assisting Ken and my colleagues in carrying forward the great work of the College.”

Beginning his career with Fidelity in 1995 as chief financial officer and treasurer of Fidelity Mutual Funds, Rathgeber later became acting president of Fidelity Brokerage Services. He was named president of Fidelity Brokerage Group in 1997, and was promoted in 1998 to executive vice president and chief operating officer for Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company, Inc. He was the head of risk oversight from 2002-2008 and has maintained the position of chief compliance officer for Fidelity Funds since 2004.

Before working for Fidelity, Rathgeber spent 17 years with Goldman Sachs as chief operations officer for Asia, and was also a finance manager for Dillon Read & Company, a senior examiner for the New York Stock Exchange, and an auditor for Price Waterhouse & Company. He earned an M.B.A. from Long Island University in 1976 and is also a certified public accountant in the state of New York.

“It is a great honor for me to serve as chairman of the board of Manhattan College. I have worked closely with Tom O’Malley, who has been a great chairman and mentor for the last six years,” Rathgeber says. “Along with my fellow trustees, I am dedicated to seeing Manhattan College be a premier Catholic institution of higher education and preparing our students to succeed in the challenges that they will face.”

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Out of Africa President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., extended Manhattan College’s global reach by attending the 10th International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU) conference, Encuentro X, in Manila, Philippines from Feb. 27–29.

The conference, which takes place every three years, is a collaborative effort of IALU members to develop and facilitate plans for the advancement of Lasallian higher education, research, social impact and exchange internationally. The theme of this year’s conference was Lasallian Higher Education in a Knowledge Society: Challenges and Opportunities from a Comprehensive and Sustainable Human Development Approach.

Brother Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverria, FSC, superior general of the De La Salle Brothers of the Christian Schools, delivered a keynote address on the Lasallian tradition in light of the demands of current society. Jamil Salmi, coordinator of the World Bank’s network of tertiary education professionals, also spoke on assessing higher education, sustainable development and knowledge societies.

In conjunction with Encuentro X, O’Donnell then gathered with the Lasallian Association of College and University Presidents (LACUP) for its semiannual meeting in Hong Kong.

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N JANUARY, BRENNAN O’DONNELL, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College, made a 7,000mile journey from New York City to Africa to witness the life-saving work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS, the official humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, invited O’Donnell along with Mary Lyons, Ph.D., president of the University of San Diego, Sister Anne Munley, IHM, Ph.D., president of Marywood University, and the Rev. Stephen Privett, S.J., president of the University of San Francisco, to see the history, culture and progress CRS has made in war-torn Rwanda and Burundi for more than 50 years. Follow in O’Donnell’s footsteps, as he recounts the weeklong trip to Africa.

Tuesday, Jan. 10—Arrival in Africa

Kigali, Rwanda Wednesday, Jan. 11 Visit to the Genocide Memorial, built on the gravesite of more than 250,000 people who perished in the 1994 genocide “To stand in the midst of a modern city with that history under your feet is both moving and disturbing. It reminds us of how fragile peace can be, and how vigilant we all need to be in building peace.”

Thursday, Jan. 12 Visit to Akazi Kanoze Youth Livelihoods, a program maintained by CRS and funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development, that teaches job training, financial and professional skills to youth ages 14-24

Bujumbura, Burundi Friday, Jan.13 Meeting with Burundian Archbishop Evariste Mgoyagoye, Second Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri and U.S. Ambassador Pamela Slutz

President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., is taught how to pick tea by Languide Miburo during a visit to Busekera village in Burundi.

Catholic Relief Services works closely with the village to assist in various income-generating projects, and tea farming is a major source of income for the village.

Wednesday, Jan. 11 Visit to the Community Healing & Reconciliation Project, which is sponsored by the Catholic Church in Rwanda, sustained by CRS and bridges the gap between Hutu and Tutsi communities, helping them to recognize the reality of the genocide and move forward in peace and forgiveness Thursday, Jan. 12 Meeting with Rwandan Prime Minister Pierre Habumuremyi, Archbishop Thaddée Ntihinyurwa and U.S. Ambassador Donald Koran; appearance on Rwandan television Thursday, Jan. 12 Dinner with Manhattan College’s Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (L.O.V.E.) group visiting Rwanda and volunteering at the Duha Complex School and Hameau Des Jeunes orphanage “As I sat with our students over a meal in Kigali and listened to their stories, I was deeply impressed with how powerful such experiences can be and how important it is for us to provide the support and incentive for all of our students to have such experiences as part of their Manhattan education.”

Sunday, Jan. 15­—Departure for U.S. Friday, Jan. 13 Visit to AIDS clinic, part of the One World One Family project “The clinic we visited was among the more heart-wrenching of our experiences, as it was in a desperately poor neighborhood, where we saw a kind of grinding poverty that is difficult for us in the U.S. to imagine. The staff works heroically in very challenging conditions to educate expectant mothers and fathers, care for mothers and infants upon delivery, and treat and counsel those infected by HIV.”

Riverdale, New York City, U.S.A. Tuesday, Jan. 31 Faculty Convocation “I returned from Africa with a renewed sense of how important it is for us, as a Catholic and Lasallian institution, to have a global vision and a strong sense of our connection with our brothers and sisters in need. I look forward to working with our faculty, students and staff to strengthen our relationship with CRS as part of our mission of encouraging our students to develop a vision of global solidarity and service.”

PHOTO BY SALA LEWIS FOR CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES

President in Philippines

There’s Life on M.A.R.S.

portrait OF EMMA STRAUB by darcy rogers

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he Major Author Reading Series (M.A.R.S.) finished up its fourth successful semester at the College this spring and continued to give students the chance to meet acclaimed authors and partake in readings and book signings right on campus. The program, which is sponsored by the school of arts, student government, the modern foreign language department and Manhattan Magazine, seeks to expose students to modern literature by giving them the opportunity to listen to writers’ insights into their works.

The success of the program has brought to the College a variety of esteemed authors, including Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad; Rick Moody, award-winning novelist; and Tina Chang, the poet laureate of Brooklyn.

“The success of the M.A.R.S. readings tells me that students are willing to engage with their college on both personal and intellectual levels. I think that’s what students and faculty find at M.A.R.S. readings: a community, a place where the personal and the intellectual are formed,” says Adam Koehler, Ph.D., assistant professor of English. “My hope for the future of the series is that the community will continue to grow, students will continue to read — and to write — and that our students will continue to dazzle the writers who accept our invitations to spend an evening with us.”

Holding its first spring event in February, the College invited Junot Díaz, author of Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize, the National Books Critics Circle award, the Anisfield Wolf Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, African Voices, Best American Short Stories (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000), Pushcart Prize XXII and The O’Henry Prize Stories (2009).

Currently, he is the fiction editor at the Boston Review and the Rudge & Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Massachusetts Institute of Díaz discusses his works at the MaTechnology. jor Author Reading Series (M.A.R.S.) event in February.

“It was a wonderful event

that received a great response from the College community,” Amanda Ferrarotto ’12 says. “Mr. Diaz was a charismatic speaker who captured the audience through his unique use of language and his expressive feedback that was an inspiration to us all.”

In April, Emma Straub, author of Other People We Married and the forthcoming Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, visited the College and shared some of her latest work with the students. Straub, a New York native, has had various fiction and nonfiction stories published in Tin House, The Paris Review Daily, Slate, Cousin Corinne’s Reminder and many other journals. In addition, she is also a staff writer for Rookie, a website for teenage girls.

Bringing the spring program to a close, M.A.R.S. welcomed Claudia Emerson to the College, who received the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her book Late Wife. In addition, she is also the author of the poetry collections Secure the Shadow; Figure Studies; Pharaoh, Pharaoh; and Pinion: An Elegy, all in the Southern Messenger Poets series from LSU Press. Emerson is a professor of English and Arrington Distinguished Chair in Poetry at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va. Less than two years old, the M.A.R.S. program has gained quite a following on campus and has brought talented writers to Riverdale, giving students the opportunity to meet professionals whose work has helped shape modern literature.

Acclaimed author Emma Straub talks to students as part of the Major Author Reading Series (M.A.R.S.) in April.

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Jet-Setting in January AS students in Riverdale headed home for winter intersession, a handful packed up passports and cameras to spend their breaks abroad. In January, Manhattan College offered three new study abroad programs in Cuba, Scandinavia and Paris, in addition to its existing London program.

“These short-term programs give students the opportunity to explore — if even for two weeks — the history, art and culture of the host country of the program,” says Nancy Cave, coordinator of study abroad programs at Manhattan College. “It helps them gain the personal growth, development and maturity that will allow them to strive in a global economy.”

When the United States lifted its embargo

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on Cuba for academic exceptions, Laura Redruello, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish, jumped at the chance to lead a 12-day program to examine firsthand the effects of a country in revolution.

During the trip to Havana and Santiago de Cuba, 10 Manhattan students and three faculty soaked up staples of Cuban culture — from Santeria services to baseball games — and searched for native voices to tell the stories of everything from Cuban mass media, to cigar culture, to revolutionary José Martí.

“Even with all the differences, humans will always be able to relate to one another,” says Brenda Garcia, a senior international studies and Spanish major, who developed close ties with two locals through her research project on Cuban women.

“I’m proud that they observed, met locals and formed their own opinions,” Redruello adds.

While in Cuba, the cohort also visited Jesus del Monte Lasallian Center and, in partnership with the study abroad department and campus ministry and social action, donated $500 toward its mission and resources.

Summing up the experience, Eduardo Baez, a senior business management major, described one encounter that left an impact.

“I met a homeless man on the street, and he told me, ‘I may not have a lot of things, but people here have a lot of heart and a lot of sentiment.’”

Across the Atlantic, 17 students embarked on a whirlwind tour of Iceland, Sweden and Denmark with James Arnett, Ph.D., visiting instructor of English, and Cory Blad, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology.

The dark, wintry backdrop created an ideal setting for the class’s two-week examination of modern Scandinavian crime fiction, thrust into the international spotlight by Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

“Scandinavia has a long history of crime fiction and a real knack for depicting violence,” Arnett says.

“But their literature does not match the culture at all,” Blad adds. “The people were the best part of the trip.”

This perplexing contradiction revealed itself to the group as they met friendly locals in the streets, on a scavenger hunt through Copenhagen and in Swedish meatball shops.

Still, the class had one opportunity to mimic Scandinavian literature with an assignment to follow random subjects around Stockholm, noting details and writing a fictional narrative.

Between acting as private investigators for a day, eating everything from apple pie to puffin, and kicking back with books by Iceland’s hot springs, the group agreed that the experience was certainly nontraditional.

“The choice of literature was really good,” says Christopher Bednarz, a junior chemical engineering major. “It definitely put reading for fun back on the map.”

Further south in the City of Lights, eight Manhattan students spent their two weeks abroad traversing the streets of Paris with Andrew Skotnicki, Ph.D., professor of reli-

Autumn Honors

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gious studies.

“I realized that a lot of people who shaped the world politically, morally, spiritually and artistically started at the University of Paris,” Skotnicki says.

To uncover the history of such an ancient and esteemed higher learning institution, the group followed in the footsteps of its great students — Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Ignatius Loyola, T.S. Elliot, Victor Hugo — and held class where these figures once lived, worked and wrote.

“The best part about studying in Paris was being able to see the city as the authors of the texts did, and not just having to envision it or look at photographs,” says Ethan Van Ness, a junior government major and religious studies minor.

The Manhattan students kept critical journals of their findings at the Sorbonne, Notre Dame and Paris’ Medieval Museum, but never once sat in a traditional classroom.

“Paris has its own native charm,” Skotnicki says. “And to take advantage, we used the city as a classroom, just as Manhattan College uses New York City.”

With the success of all three study abroad programs, plans to return next winter are already in the works.

Students had the opportunity to travel to three new study abroad locales during winter break this January: Cuba, Scandinavia and Paris.

anhattan College inducted nearly 130 students from all five schools into its most prestigious honor society, Epsilon Sigma Pi, during the Fall Honors Convocation in October, held in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers.

During the ceremony, the College awarded an honorary Doctor of Science to Ambassador Charles A. Gargano ’79, former chairman and commissioner of Empire State Development and vice chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“Your work has indeed made a difference, and New Yorkers in particular owe you a debt of gratitude for all you have done to improve our quality of life and to support us and sustain us in good times and in bad,” said President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., in his introduction. “In addition, you have been a long and constant friend of this College, and it is fitting and right that we acknowledge that by bestowing upon you our highest honor.”

Gargano has been a loyal alumnus to the College, serving as a member of the board of trustees and establishing the Ambassador Charles A. Gargano ’79 Endowed Chair in Global Economics in 2009.

Earning a Master of Science in civil engineering from Manhattan, he holds professional engineering licenses in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Oklahoma and

Vermont, and has four honorary doctorate degrees.

President Ronald Reagan named Gargano deputy administrator of the Federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration in 1981.

Gargano later served as ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from 1988 until 1991, under both Presidents Reagan and Bush.

His distinguished public service followed a successful career as an engineer and principal at J.D. Posillico Engineering and Construction. His work at Empire State Development resulted in important capital investments for New York State, including the revitalization of Times Square and the redevelopment of Pennsylvania Station.

The former ambassador shared a few words of wisdom to the students and reminded them to embrace

change in whatever they do.

“My advice to you is to be unafraid of change and the opportunities it presents,” he said. “Embrace those opportunities. Yes, there is risk, but you, too, are splendidly prepared by Manhattan College, by your parents and upbringing to meet the challenges of constant change.”

O’Donnell echoed Gargano’s commitment to uphold the Lasallian tradition in his remarks to the students.

“As Ambassador Gargano’s life and work so clearly demonstrate, the Lasallian tradition is about being of service to our fellow human beings,” O’Donnell said. “It is a tradition that encourages us to think of ourselves as people who have not only a living to make or a career ladder to climb, but a vocation, a calling to work in some way to make the lives of others better, fuller and more meaningful.”

Ambassador Charles Gargano ’79, former chairman and commissioner of Empire State Development, addresses students at the Fall Honors Convocation in October.

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LASALLIANLOOK

First in Fairness

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Lois Harr, director of campus ministry and social action, Gwendolyn Tedeschi, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, and Jackie DeCarlo, manager of CRS domestic programs, show off the College’s Fair Trade status certificate at the event celebrating this achievement.

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or the past five years, Manhattan College has worked to expand fair trade to campus as part of the College’s commitment to social responsibility and, as a result, is the first college in New York City to receive Fair Trade College status. On Thursday, Feb. 16, a steering committee from Fair Trade Colleges and Universities in partnership with Fair Trade USA honored Manhattan College with a certificate of achievement at a gathering on campus.

At the event, Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College, accepted the certificate on behalf of the College, and Gwendolyn A. Tedeschi, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, discussed the importance of the College’s longstanding mission to social justice through promoting fair trade all across campus and the local community.

“Becoming a Fair Trade College means that we are integrating our Lasallian values into the very fabric of our school,” Tedeschi says.

“This institutional commitment to buying Fair Trade products will help us make positive impacts on the lives of the poor through purchases that we would normally make. It’s a way to live out our mission in our daily lives,

and hopefully it will help us attract the types of students, staff and faculty members that share our values.”

The Manhattan College community is dedicated to globally reducing poverty and building sustainable businesses by carrying fair trade products within all campus dining halls, restaurants, cafes and the bookstore.

The majority of fair trade-certified products in the United States are monitored by Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization that manages transactions between U.S. companies and international suppliers. Through a regimented process, Fair Trade USA ensures farmers and workers receive fair prices and wages, work in safe conditions, and provide tools, training and resources to help their communities.

“Fair trade practices respect human dignity and are committed to social justice — important elements of our mission,” says Lois Harr, director of campus ministry and social action and adjunct instructor of religious studies at Manhattan. “As a Fair Trade College, we can put our values into action everyday in clear and concrete ways.”

In order to educate students and employees further on the importance of fair trade, the College has also made a conscientious effort to schedule lectures, guest speakers, film screenings and tastings of fair trade products throughout campus. In addition, professors have added the subject of fair trade in the classroom and led discussions on fair trade within international studies, sociology, economics and M.B.A. courses.

“Catholic Relief Services (CRS) congratulates Manhattan College in its achievement of Fair Trade College status, and we at CRS have been gratified to witness the deepening commitments the College has made to fair trade principles as a demonstration of Lasallian tradition and engagement with CRS programming,” says Jackie DeCarlo, manager of CRS domestic programs. “By involving students, administrators and faculty in a series of awareness-building and learning activities, as well as working steadfastly on procurement policies that focus on farmers, the College has distinguished itself both as a Catholic educational institution and important CRS ally.”

COURSE Spotlight

Marketing and Finance of Engineering Projects (COMG 612) In an increasingly competitive world, it’s important for graduates to have a well-rounded skill set and a grasp on real industry issues before launching a career.

For Manhattan College engineers, a working knowledge of finance and marketing combined with the technical expertise gained through on-site training puts them one step ahead of the competition.

Course Description: Marketing and Finance of Engineering Projects examines the engineering-construction industry from a business development angle, starting with the principles of financial analysis and management. Students also learn the essentials of building business by developing strategic marketing plans to target prospective customers and improve communication with existing clients. Shying away from intimidating jargon, the class embraces cleverly worded lesson plans like April’s “Location, Location, Location” and May’s “Tax Man Cometh.” Midway through the semester, the course utilizes a series of Harvard Business School case studies to illustrate how the material relates to real-world problems in the engineering industry. Cases include “William Levitt, Levittown and the Creation of American Suburbia,” and “Master of the House,” which examines how The New York Times took an active role in the design and construction of its headquarters building.

Texts: Marketing Professional Services, 2nd ed.,

by Philip Kotler, Thomas Hayes and Paul N. Bloom Financial Management and Accounting Fundamentals for Construction

by Daniel W. Halpin and Bolivar A. Senior Lectures: Wednesdays, 6:30 ­– 9:20 p.m.

Professor: Peter Sweeney ’64, Ph.D., P.E., adjunct professor of engineering About the Professor: Sweeney is a 46-year veteran of the engineering-construction industry and currently works as a project manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff. An established leader in the field, he has served as officer-in-charge of U.S. Navy combat construction projects; as supervising engineer, project manager and division manager with top architect, engineering and construction management firms; as engineering program manager for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and as vice president of the New York City School Construction Authority.

Sweeney has taught as an adjunct professor at Manhattan College since 1995 and is an active member and former president of the Alumni Society. A proud product of Lasallian education at the elementary, high school and college levels, Sweeney received his B.E. in electrical engineering and M.S. in management from Manhattan College. He also holds an M.S. in nuclear engineering, an M.P.A. and a Ph.D. from New York University.

Civil Society JAspers learned to love thy neighbors on March 22 at the College’s Civility Teach-in held in Dante’s Den. As part of the Dean of Student’s Civility Campaign, nine professors participated in a series of three panel sessions held during the day and discussed the importance of civility as seen in their respected areas of study.

Manhattan has continued to set an example of civility in the Bronx community and recently received the Good Neighbor Award from the Methodist Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation in October. The College has also adopted a good neighbor policy, outlined in the student handbook, to ensure that students show civility at all times and accept the responsibilities of good citizenship, which benefits the students and the community at large.

The panelists included: Jeff Cherubini, Ph.D., associate professor of physical education and human performance; Claudia Setzer Ph.D., professor of religious studies; Kimberly Fairchild, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology; Eoin O’Connell, Ph.D., professor of philosophy; Thom Gencarelli, Ph.D., associate professor of communication; Andrew Skotnicki, Ph.D., professor of religious studies; Shawn Ladda, Ed.D., professor of physical education and human performance; David Bollert, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy; and Annmarie Flynn, D.Eng.Sc., associate professor of chemical engineering.

They discussed how their areas of expertise are affected by the concept of civility and how it often can be overlooked but remains an integral part in maintaining social stability in the community. The panelists urged the community to uphold means of building and maintaining civility at the College, whether on or off campus.

“Civility is a virtue and a characteristic associated with conducting one’s self while in society,” O’Connell explained. “It is the membership of a special kind of community and the cohesion of behavior within society.”

The teach-in reminded Jaspers that they must never take civility for granted and should actively practice building on current experiences at Manhattan to promote a civil campus community for everyone to enjoy.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 9

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A Distinguished Mentor

O

ne of the best ways to get a preview of one’s intended career prior to graduating is through networking and mentorship. Creating and nurturing relationships with experienced individuals can benefit students by easing the transition into their chosen career paths. In return, mentors get the chance to pass down their knowledge to their potential successors.

Manhattan College has excelled in creating these networking opportunities for students through the Mentor Program, where alumni work with students, share their experiences and help them to grow professionally before entering their selected fields.

To honor exemplary mentors, the program holds an annual Mentor Program dinner each year and gives a Distinguished Mentor Award to a mentor who has dedicated several years of his or her time, talent and energy to helping students pursue their career paths. This year, John McDonagh ’72, retired managing director of JP Morgan Chase Bank, was honored with the award. Held in February, the event brought all of the program’s participants together to discuss past successes and future aspirations for the academic year.

“Many students are the first in their family to go into their chosen career,” McDonagh said. “We try to provide the connection.

However, the responsibility belongs to the

students. It is their life, their career.”

The event expresses the College’s appreciation to the mentors for their help during the year. Students also have the chance to reconnect with their mentors at dinner and gain insight into industry news and upcoming networking or career development events.

“Through the Mentor Program, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and learn from outstanding Manhattan College graduates, becoming more familiar with the professional arena, as well as with several careers that electrical engineers may pursue,” says Jose Rodriguez ’13, an electrical engineering major. “The experience has provided me with networking, among other skills, resulting in several internship offers. I look forward to becoming a mentor when I graduate.”

Philip Amicone ’71, former mayor of Yonkers, was the featured speaker at this year’s event. Amicone received his degree in civil engineering and worked for both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He was commissioner of the Depart-

ment of Building for the city of White Plains prior to serving as deputy mayor of Yonkers for eight years.

Amicone discussed the importance of the program for students to consider their career paths while they are still at the College.

“The mentoring program is not only exceptional, it is essential for those who will soon enter the workforce,” Amicone said. “Experiencing a taste of the career a student may have chosen and being mentored by someone in that profession can strengthen their choice, or equally as important, help prevent them from making a big mistake in a choice of career.”

With President Brennan O’Donnell and Mentor Advisory Board member Rosanne Matzat ’82, John McDonagh ’72 (center), retired managing director of JP Morgan Chase Bank, receives the Distinguished Mentor Award at the College’s Mentor Dinner in February.

Community Service Verdict Rendered THe Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the U.S. Department of Education recently honored the nation’s leading colleges and universities, students, faculty members and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities through community service and service learning. And once again, Manhattan College was among those honored.

The College was admitted to the 2012 Honor Roll for its ongoing dedication to serving others locally in New York City and globally, as well as integrating service learning in the classroom and promoting community engagement.

“Through service, these institutions are creating the next generation of leaders by chal10 N spring 2012

lenging students to tackle tough issues and create positive impacts in the community,” says Robert Velasco, acting CEO of CNCS. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities.

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to longterm campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

At the initial meeting of the College Senate on March 28, 1972, the first officers were elected: Br. Conrad Timothy Burris, FSC, professor of chemical engineering and second deputy speaker; Joseph Sullivan, assistant professor of religious studies and secretary; Christopher Romano ’73, student and first deputy speaker, who started the position in May; and the Rev. John Mahony, then associate professor of chemistry and speaker of the Senate.

A Successful Senate Campaign MArking its 40th anniversary this year, the Manhattan College Senate, the formal and official voice of the College community, began in response to rebellion on campus in the 1960s. At the time, it consisted of 60 members: 27 faculty, 19 students, 12 administrators and two alumni. “It was to deal with matters that affected the College as a whole; veto power resided in the President,” writes the Arches of the Years, which details the College’s history.

Ratified by the student body, faculty,

president and board of trustees, the Senate held its first meeting on March 28, 1972, with Brother President Gregory Nugent, FSC, presiding.

One of the key issues it handled in the early years was bringing coeducation to the College. The concept had been “mooted” several times before according to the Arches. When a report was then submitted to the Senate, it was approved by an overwhelming vote — bringing the first women to campus in 1973.

By 1978, the Senate included several female representatives. In fact, the Student Caucus leader was Mary Moore ’78.

Today, the Senate consists of 28 members: nine students, 11 faculty, five administrators, two staff members and one alumnus. There are four officers of the Senate — the speaker, two deputy speakers and the secretary — and the speaker and deputy speakers, each elected for one academic year, must represent the students, faculty and administration.

Pres Gets Friendly Response PResident Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., who was recently recognized as one of the top figures in education with an Irish heritage by the Irish Voice newspaper, was an honored speaker at the New York City’s Society of Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Anniversary Dinner on March 16.

Following The Society of Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s tradition, the Anniversary Dinner, which had more than 1,000 attendees, included three speeches and toasts presented by Mark Codd ’71, president of The Society; Harry Smith, correspondent for NBC News; and O’Donnell. O’Donnell delivered his speech in response to “The United States” toast at the event, which was held at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Codd offered “The President of the United States” toast, and Smith replied to “The Day We Celebrate.”

“It is a great honor to be here before you, as we raise our glasses to our beloved country, the safe haven not only of our ancestors, but of wave after wave of immigrants from around the world; the seedbed of democracy; the incubator of genius and talent; the fertile ground of inventiveness and the entrepreneurial spirit, and, still, thank God, and despite powerful forces to the contrary, a land of religious liberty,” O’Donnell said.

The Society was formed in late 1783 by Daniel McCormick to aid impoverished and displaced Irish people living in New York City.

President Brennan O’Donnell, sitting with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who will receive an honorary degree at the College’s Commencement in May, and Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, was an honored speaker at the New York City’s Society of Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Anniversary Dinner in March.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 11

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lecture circuit Members of the Occupy Wall Street Movement in New York City protest in November 2011.

Renowned Author Examines Nonviolence

W

ith the Arab Spring progressing in the Middle East and Occupy Wall Street protests spreading all across the United States, nonviolent political movements have surfaced on a global scale and have become a means of attaining a peaceful civil life while pushing for social justice. Renowned author Jonathan Schell visited the College in April and presented his lecture Rise of Nonviolence, Fall of Empire? to discuss the presence of these movements and how they have shifted society’s concept of revolution and war.

Schell began his talk by breaking down the roles that both violence and nonviolence play in dictating the many conflicts occurring around the world today. He concluded that violence is even seen as the foundation of state and politics in general.

“All of this is the reason that nonviolence has an almost unshakable reputation, or has had until recently, for utopian idealism,” he explained. “That is why history is so important in nonviolence because history is the story of what really happened.”

Schell then discussed his past as a reporter for the Vietnam War in 1965 and 1966. Being in Vietnam at that time, he had a firsthand look at the roles of violence versus nonviolence. Because the United States had the technological edge, he explained, Vietnam was at a disadvantage and had to look to other approaches against the United States, including its political will, in an attempt to compete against the United States’ dominant military. He then went on to

12 N spring 2012

say that other major events, including the Cold War, were shaped by the political changes of the parties involved, and how the political tension between powers conveyed strength rather than military success.

At the end of his lecture, Schell connected with the audience by discussing his involvement in studying today’s nonviolent movements, specifically the Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Arab Spring, and paralleling their techniques with those that have been used in the past. He explained that today, because of advances in communication through the Internet, specifically social media, the organization of nonviolent movements has improved, which has made their efforts even more effective than in the past.

“That’s the amazing thing about nonviolent movements of any time,” Schell recalled. “They almost always come out completely unexpected.”

Schell is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Fate of the Earth, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, The Real War, The Time of Illusion, The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, and his most recent work, The Seventh Decade. He has taught at Princeton University, Emory University, New York University, the New School, Wesleyan University and Yale Law School. He is currently the Doris M. Shaffer Fellow at The Nation Institute, the Peace and Disarmament Correspondent for The Nation magazine, and a visiting lecturer at Yale University.

lecture circuit

Lecture Lineup Features NBC Sports Leader

S

treaming live from the University Club in New York City, Kevin Monaghan ’77, managing director and senior vice president of digital media at NBC Sports, discussed his road to success at the annual John J. Horan Lecture in April. Monaghan, who majored in peace studies, history and religious studies, shared the lessons he learned from his time at Manhattan College, which he said, “formed the DNA for my personal and professional life.”

Monaghan’s career path began within the walls of the College, where he served as sports information officer during his senior year. He later moved on and joined a public relations firm and then used those connections to land a job at NBC, where he was involved in the production of wrestling matches, football games and other televised sporting events. While at NBC, Monaghan had the fortune of working with legendary television executive Dick Ebersol for 23 years and became involved with digital media under Ebersol’s guidance.

With more than three decades of experience since his time in Riverdale, Monaghan stood before an audience of faculty, administrators and alumni to comment on the state of digital media and offer his own advice in his lecture, Manhattan College to Media: Shaping a Career.

According to Monaghan, the latest trends in digital media stem from the concept of live streaming, which allows people to not only tune into their favorite sporting events but also engage in the event with the application of social media to connect with others in the new digital audience. NBC Sports, under the direction of Monaghan, uses Social TV to redefine how sports fans get their news with the use of digital convergence technologies and create what is known as multiscreen sports.

Addressing the concern that many current students have, Monaghan also offered advice on how college graduates can get their foot in the door in New York City — leveraging the fact that the College is located within the media and business capital of the world.

“I really believe that today it’s not enough to have an education anymore,” he said. “I think that people have to have professional experience through internships and that the key is getting people real experience and contacts that are going to be critical for them when they graduate.”

While he has come a long way since his college years at Manhattan, Monaghan acknowledged that his time at the College built the foundation of his career, and he owes his success largely to the guidance and mentors that he found during his undergraduate years.

“If I went to another college, I know I would not be working at NBC today,” he said. “I am honored to speak with you today.”

The John J. Horan Endowed Lecture series is named in honor of the former chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Company, Inc. and alumnus of the College, John J. Horan. The lectures seek to inform, update and expand personal and professional development of Manhattan’s faculty by bringing small groups of educators together with leaders of American business, scientific, engineering and educational communities.

Kevin Monaghan ’77, managing director and senior vice president of digital media at NBC Sports, discusses how his Manhattan College experience shaped both his personal and professional life.

Like Us! JAspers have a new way to connect with the recent launch of the official Manhattan College Alumni Facebook page. “Like” the page for instant access to updates about alumni events on campus, in New York and around the country. Learn more about the Alumni Society, benefits and services, as well as how to get involved in regional chapters of the alumni network. Best of all, the Alumni Facebook page provides a daily digest of news and highlights from the Jasper community.

Whether you’re looking to see who won the big game, find a job posting or read about a successful graduate, you’ll see it here. Like us now at facebook.com/ManhattanCollegeAlumni to get the conversation started!

MANHATTAN.EDU N 13

sports

Forcing Through S

enior year for student-athletes can be bittersweet. For some, it’s the final season to play a sport they have loved since childhood. For others, it is a chance to impress those on the next level and continue the dream. For women’s lacrosse senior attacker Chrissy Gutenberger, it was an opportunity to return to normalcy.

Gutenberger remembers a series of events at the beginning of her junior campaign in February 2011 that would alter her life forever.

“The first weekend of preseason, we were outside on the field, it was a Saturday morning,” she says. “I thought I just had the best practice of my career. I was really happy

about it, so I called my mom as I walked back to my dorm. As I got closer to the dorm, I started to have a stomachache. I thought I was just really hungry.”

As she entered her room, showered and changed to go eat, Gutenberger felt something just was not right. The pains in her stomach got worse, to the point where she did not even want food. Her roommate brought her a bagel, which only intensified the pain.

Gutenberger’s next thought was to have something to drink, in the hopes it would settle her pain.

“I felt drinking a Gatorade would boost me

up,” she recalls. “But immediately, I was in the bathroom throwing up.”

For the next two days Gutenberger, the Jaspers’ leading scorer, was unable to hold anything in her stomach, and was constantly vomiting after attempting to either eat or drink. As the school week began, she didn’t attend any of her classes. A friend recommended taking Pepto-Bismol to quell her stomach issues. But it backfired.

“That was when the pain got worse,” she says. “I was going in and out of consciousness because it was so bad. At that time, my roommate decided to drive me to the hospital.”

Gutenberger and her roommate waited for four hours in a Bronx-area emergency room to learn what was wrong. Pale from dehydration and lack of food and showing signs of agonizing pain, the nurses first took Gutenberger’s blood work while her father rushed down from her native Stony Point, N.Y. “Maybe 20 minutes later, a team of doctors were running toward my bed,” she recalls.

Gutenberger was losing consciousness due to the pain. Her father, Eric, learned that his daughter was experiencing kidney failure.

Blood tests revealed Gutenberger’s serum creatinine level was elevated, meaning her kidneys were not functioning correctly. She spent eight days in the hospital under surveillance taking fluids intravenously, but her body was rejecting it. With the intravenous and pain medication not working, doctors then turned to a heavy dose of steroids that they hoped would jump-start her kidneys.

The steroid treatment was not effective, so they were forced to place her on dialysis.

Gutenberger endured seven hours of

portrait by darcy rogers

Life-threatening complication blocks but doesn’t sideline senior women’s lacrosse star

treatment during three consecutive days, one hour on the first day and then two days of three-hour sessions.

“It was the most excruciating pain that I have experienced in my life,” she remembers.

“One end of the machine goes into your heart, through your collarbone, and the other end goes down to the kidney. And you cannot move during the procedure.”

During the dialysis treatments, medical personnel were preparing themselves and the Gutenberger family for the worst. She recalls a moment near the end of her dialysis when a doctor gave her father a funeral packet in case the treatment failed.

Meanwhile, family and friends were joining the organ donor program and volunteering their own kidneys to help save her.

“It is amazing that people would do that for me,” she says. “But transplants are dangerous, so I was hoping it did not come to that.”

Gutenberger remembers her lacrosse teammates and coaching staff from Manhattan College rallying around her in the hospital. For some of them, it was too much to see.

“It was scary to see a friend going through something so serious,” says fellow senior and teammate Breana Leonard.

“A few of the girls had to leave because they were really upset seeing me in that condition,” Gutenberger recalls.

On her third day of dialysis, the doctors took a biopsy of her kidneys and later found out that her kidneys were coming back to full function. Gutenberger also felt well enough for a drink of water that morning. It was one of the first indicators that things were getting better.

“I remember not really being thirsty, but I just wanted try it,” she explains. “After it went down, I thought, ‘this is working, we need to let the nurses know.’”

The doctors ran a few more tests to confirm the biopsy results that indicated the dialysis successfully helped her kidneys return

to normal. Gutenberger spent two more days in the hospital until the doctors felt she was well enough to return home.

She wasted little time before she got back to playing the sport that she loves. Her immense desire to return to the field and the competitive nature that set her apart from other athletes propelled her back onto the playing field for her junior campaign. Gutenberger was back sooner than anyone could expect — her body felt fine, and her mind was even more prepared.

On March 10, in a home game against Central Connecticut State University, she made her official return to the turf.

“It was really great to have her back,” Leonard says. “To see someone win the fight against something so serious in a short amount of time and be able to bounce right back was awesome.”

The prolific scorer went right back to her trade and recorded a game-high five goals against Central Connecticut State. Her final goal that evening was the 100th of her career, a milestone that put her in elite company with only six other Jaspers in program history.

Since her ordeal, she has become active in causes to help others who suffer from kidney-related diseases by working with the American Medical Association (AMA) and encouraging folks to register as a donor. Today, one single organ donor can save up to eight different lives. Her friends and family even helped put together a video promoting the website www.AMASavesLives.com.

Gutenberger has also helped raise money to pay for patients’ treatments by collecting the tabs off aluminum drink cans, something she has encouraged friends, family, other students and athletes at the College to do as well. She even worked to set up an AMA benefit game at Gaelic Park on April 14.

Throughout her final season in Riverdale, she learned how to control some of the anxiety that comes from the thought of relapse.

Chrissy Gutenberger ’12, women’s lacrosse’s leading scorer, doing what she does best: making goals and setting records.

It is something that she says first-year head coach Diane Haddeland has helped with, mainly because of the new training program that she has instilled in the team.

Once again, Gutenberger led the Jaspers in scoring with 36 goals and 40 points in 2012.

She finished her career in Riverdale ranked second in Manhattan women’s lacrosse history with 164 goals and 196 points, and also is 10th in career assists with 32.

Gutenberger’s story has even attracted national attention. She was nominated for the Honda Inspiration Award, which is presented to an NCAA female athlete who has overcome hardship and returned to the field of play.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 15

sports

sportsshorts BROOKLYN HOOPS™ Holiday Invitational The men’s basketball team will participate in the BROOKLYN HOOPSTM Holiday Invitational at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season on Dec. 22, 2012. The Jaspers will square off with South Carolina as part of a doubleheader also featuring Seton Hall University and Long Island University. It will be the College’s eighth meeting all-time with the Gamecocks and the first since 1980–81.

“We are very excited to be involved with the Barclays Center in its opening year and to have the opportunity to go against a storied program like South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference,” says head coach Steve Masiello. “It is a great opportunity for our program.”

Scheduled to open in September 2012, the Barclays Center will be a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jack Powers ’58 & Sheila Tighe ’84 Recognized On March 2, Manhattan College basketball alumni Jack Powers ’58 and Sheila Tighe ’84 were recognized at the first annual MAAC Honor Roll Dinner at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Powers and Tighe were also enshrined in The MAAC Experience, the league’s exhibit at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., the site of the 2012 MAAC Basketball Championships.

Powers completed his collegiate career with 1,139 points and was a 1958 draft pick of the Syracuse Nationals. He helped the Jaspers to three postseason appearances — two NCAA Tournaments and one National Invitational Tournament (NIT). He served as the Jaspers’ head coach for 10 seasons and posted 142 wins, before spending nine years as the College’s athletic director. In addition to other organizations, Powers served as president of the MAAC and on the executive selection committees of the NIT. Tighe is Manhattan’s all-time scoring leader with 2,412 career points and has the program’s steals record with 310. She was one of only four players in conference history to earn back-to-back MAAC Player of the Year honors (1982-83 and 1983-84). Tighe played her last three seasons in the MAAC and is the all-time leader with 22.0 points per game and ranks 10th in points with 1,871. She was a three-time All-MAAC First Team member, and as a senior, she earned All-America honors.

New Faces in the Athletic Department Manhattan College named Noah LeFevre senior associate athletic director in January. LeFevre came to Riverdale from The College at Brockport, where he served as athletic director since 2010. While at Brockport, LeFevre oversaw the day-to-day operations of a Division III athletic program that consisted of 23 sports and more than 625 student-athletes.

Prior to his time at Brockport, LeFevre was an associate athletic director at New York University and also previously worked with the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and Hockey East Conference.

Kara Bucci ’11 was named assistant women’s soccer coach in January. Bucci was a two-time team captain for the Jaspers and started 59 of 70 appearances during her career. The three-time MAAC All-Academic Team honoree was a key part of a Jaspers’ defensive unit that 16 N spring 2012

posted 20 shutouts during her four years with the program.

Elvys Quezada joined the baseball program as an assistant coach. Quezada is a seven-year veteran pitcher of professional baseball and was a two-time Major League draft pick, once by the New York Mets in 2002 and again by the New York Yankees in 2003.

He spent five years with the Yankees minor league organizations before spending part of two seasons with the Mets. Quezada was a standout pitcher at Seton Hall, where he helped lead the Pirates to two NCAA Tournament berths in 2000 and 2001, including a Big East Championship in 2001.

Courtney Burhans was named assistant coach of the women’s lacrosse program. Burhans comes to Manhattan after a season as the assistant coach at Stony Brook University, where she oversaw the goalkeepers and defensive unit. A four-year letter winner at Loyola University of Maryland, Burhans was a two-time team captain playing goalie for the Greyhounds from 2007-2010. During her tenure in Baltimore, she helped Loyola advance to the Big East Tournament in 2006 and 2010.

Cross Country Named to All-Academic Team The men’s and women’s cross country teams were recognized for their academic success by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Jaspers were one of 147 squads named a Division I Cross Country All-Academic Team. The men had a 3.06 team GPA during the fall semester. On the women’s side, the Jaspers were one of 205 squads honored and posted a team GPA of 3.19 during the fall semester.

Women’s Soccer Recognized for Academic Success The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) recognized the women’s soccer team for its exceptional academic performance in 2011. The Jaspers earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award, an honor that is given to programs that hold a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 of higher.

Scholar Athlete Shines Junior guard Maggie Blair of the women’s basketball team was named to the 2012 Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team. A double major in finance and management, Blair was one of 22 student-athletes (11 men, 11 women) honored.

She boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA. A team captain, Blair helped the Jaspers to an 18-16 record and an appearance in the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) this season. She appeared in all 34 contests in 2011-12, averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per game.

Blair is a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection, as well as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She was chosen to represent the MAAC at the NCAA’s annual SAAC convention this summer. In addition, Blair is one of 10 student-athletes featured in the “A Day In the Life” video presentation as a part of the MAAC exhibit at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He’d Rather Be Golfing After 30 years on Wall Street, Jerry Wood ’75 has returned home to the College. The former captain of the men’s golf team, Wood is back with the program.

As its new head coach, he takes over for Walter Olsewski ’68, who retired after 14 seasons to focus on his role as the head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming programs.

“Jerry has been an extremely effective business leader and talented teacher whose skills will transfer over well to make us a regionally competitive program in the years ahead,” says Bob Byrnes, director of athletics.

“With the skills I’ve developed on Wall Street and having played golf competitively for more than 45 years, I think I bring a lot to the table,” Wood says.

Wood’s list of playing credentials is vast. He is a member of both the Huntington Country Club and Garden City Golf Club, and set a record at Huntington by qualifying for the club championship in 36 consecutive years, including one victory. A 2.3-stroke handicap golfer, Wood finished ninth at the 2010 Long Island Senior Open, a tournament that includes both amateurs and professionals. He reached the semifinals of the 2009 Havemeyer Senior Invitational and has played in both the Long Island Amateur and Travis Golf tournaments.

No stranger to the golf course, Wood is still a novice in one regard. This is his first head coaching role at any level. However, he doesn’t see that as a challenge. In fact, Wood draws on his management experience at Morgan Stanley.

“Managing and coaching are the same thing in a lot of ways,” he says. “In managing a very high-end sales force at Morgan Stanley, I found there were several things required for success. You need to set goals, motivate individuals, and set standards for them to perform. I think the combination of those and the knowledge I have from playing competitively are a good combination to help these student-athletes.”

With that formula for success in place, Wood sees no reason why the Jaspers can’t make an immediate impression on the golf course.

He’s set some high goals and believes his team has the talent to achieve them.

“My goal is to win the MAAC,” he says. “And without question, I think we have the skills on the team to do it.”

FUNFACTS

37

8

total school records broken by the

men’s and women’s swimming teams

during the 2011-12 season

three-pointers by sophomore Monica Roeder against East

Tennessee State on Nov. 19, which set a new school record and tied the preseason WNIT single-game record for threepointers in a women’s basketball game

2003

34

the last time both the men’s and women’s basketball teams reached the postseason in the same year prior to this season

consecutive conference wins by the Marist women’s basketball team before a 48-44 loss to the Jaspers at

5.22

Draddy Gymnasium on Feb. 4

16

height (in meters) of junior Brian McGovern’s Manhattan College and Irish under-23 national record pole vault on Feb. 23

1

straight MAAC Championships by the men’s indoor track and field team, a streak that continued in 2012

number of Division I women’s lacrosse head coaches younger than Manhattan’s

33

Diane Haddeland

members of the men’s basketball 1,000-point

club, which junior George Beamon joined

4

during the game against Iona on Feb. 4 Manhattan athletic teams (women’s basketball,

women’s soccer, women’s swimming, volleyball) that boast a perfect graduation rate, according to

15

the most recent NCAA report

more wins for the men’s basketball team this season than in 2010-11, the biggest improvement in the nation

Kidani Brutus ’12

sports

Men’s Basketball THe 2011-2012 season saw the Jaspers exceed all expectations behind the leadership of first-year head coach Steve Masiello, who quickly restored the winning tradition to the storied basketball program.

The Jaspers posted 15 more wins from last season and finished with a 21-13 overall record. Marking only the 11th 20-win season in the program’s 106-year history, Manhattan was also a legitimate contender for the MAAC title by posting a 12-6 conference ledger, which was good enough for a third-place finish. The Jaspers earned their first postseason invitation in six years and participated in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).

The thrilling campaign also featured several individual accolades for players who were key to this transformation. Junior guard George Beamon garnered All-MAAC First Team honors after leading the league in scoring with 19.0 points per game. On Feb. 4, he became the 33rd Jasper in program history to score 1,000-career points.

Senior guard Kidani Brutus joined forces as a co-captain with Beamon to help lead a talented crop of underclassmen and set the tone for the future success of the program. Brutus was one of the top sixth-men in the MAAC, averaging 8.3 points and hitting 63 threepointers, the seventh most in the conference.

Sophomore point guard Michael Alvarado and freshman forward Emmy Andujar were also major parts to the Jaspers achievements.

Alvarado was named to the All-MAAC Third Team, and Andujar earned MAAC All-Rookie team honors. The Bronx natives tied for second on the team, averaging 8.5 points per game, while also leading the Jaspers and ranking sixth in the conference with 3.2 assists per contest.

After picking up three wins in November, the Jaspers were on a

roll in early December. Winning five consecutive games, they delivered their marquee victory on Dec. 7 with a 34-point win over archrival Fordham before a capacity crowd at Draddy. Andujar was named the John “Doc” Johnson Most Valuable Player of the 104th Battle of the Bronx, after posting 14 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Manhattan won six of its seven games in December before starting its longest wining streak of the year in January. The team won eight straight MAAC games, three of which were televised on ESPN3, and had a thrilling victory at Iona on Jan. 12. They used a three-point buzzer beater by Andujar to stun the Gaels with their only home loss of the season in a 75-72 victory.

The season came to a premature end at the 2012 MAAC Tournament, when the Jaspers suffered a crushing two-point overtime setback in the quarterfinals to Siena. However, they were rewarded for their spectacular season with an invite to the CIT, where they advanced to the second round after defeating Albany, which marked the program’s first postseason win since the 2006 NIT. The Jaspers also enjoyed success off the court, as senior guard Liam McCabe-Moran, junior center Kevin Laue and sophomore forward Torgrim Sommerfeldt were named to the 2012 MAAC AllAcademic Team for their hard work in the classroom.

Women’s Basketball

Lindsey Loutsenhizer ’12

18 N spring 2012

after setting a school-record with 24 wins in 2010-11, the women’s basketball team continued to make history in 2011-12 .

The Jaspers began the season by playing in the preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) and ended it with their second straight Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) appearance.

It marked the first time in program history that they went to the postseason in back-to-back years.

In their first win of the season, sophomore Monica Roeder had a career-high 35 points and set a record with eight three-pointers in the contest.

Manhattan ended nonconference play on a four-game winning

streak and extended the streak to six straight after winning its first two MAAC games. On Feb. 4, televised on ESPN3, the Jaspers ended Marist’s 34-game MAAC winning streak with a 48-44 victory.

The Jaspers finished third in the MAAC for the second straight season after notching a 10-8 mark in conference play. But their hopes for a MAAC title were dashed with a loss to Siena in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament.

Following another successful regular season, the Jaspers were selected to play in the WBI for the second straight year. They knocked off Robert Morris, 77-54, in the first round, then beat Holy Cross, 78-63, to move into the

semifinals, where the Jaspers saw their season come to an end with a 67-54 loss to Minnesota.

The team finished with an overall record of 18-16.

Senior Lindsey Loutsenhizer earned a Second Team All-MAAC selection after leading in scoring and rebounding. She ended her career fifth on the program’s alltime scoring list with 1,421 career points. She’s also the all-time leader in games played (127).

Senior Schyanne Halfkenny was named to the All-MAAC Third Team after leading the Jaspers in scoring during conference play. In addition, senior Nadia Peters became Manhattan’s all-time leader in blocked shots (148 blocks).

Indoor Track and Field for the second year in a row, the men’s track and field team won the MAAC indoor title in 2012. The Jaspers defeated Rider by 60 points to earn their 16th consecutive crown.

On the women’s side, Manhattan finished second behind Saint Peter’s.

Manhattan got off to a great start at the MAAC Championships and took the first four places in the weight throw. Seniors Colin Quirke and Roman Ewald then went 1-2 in the shot put. Junior Brian McGovern defended his MAAC title in the pole vault, then broke his own school record in the event a week later.

Senior Albert Johnson III won the gold medal in the long jump, and senior Kevin D’Emic earned the conference title in the 800-meter dash.

A trio of freshmen also had strong showings at their first MAAC Championships. Abdias Myrtil won silver medals in the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash, while Sheldon Derenoncourt took second in the 400-meter dash. Greg Perrier placed second behind D’Emic in the 800 meters.

In addition to their MAAC championship,

the Jasper men turned in strong performances throughout the season. Manhattan secured second place in the team standings at both the Metropolitan Championships and the inaugural Millrose Games Collegiate Invitational. The team qualified 13 individuals for the IC4A Championships. Head Coach Dan Mecca was named MAAC Men’s Coach of the Year.

Leading the way for the women’s team at the MAAC Championships were juniors Cara Rostant and Andrea Nyback, as well as freshman Karolin Wagner. Rostant was named Most Outstanding Performer for Track Events at the MAAC Championships after setting a meet record in the 200 meters and also winning the 400 meters. Rostant then won a silver in the 4 x 400-meter relay.

Nyback and Wagner shared Most Outstanding Performer for Field Events honors.

Nyback scored points for the Jaspers in three different events, including a gold medal in the high jump. Earlier in the season, she notched the second-best pentathlon score in

Brian McGovern ’13

school history, finishing just eight points shy of her own school record. Wagner set a meet record in the pole vault at the MAAC Championships. She established a new school record in the event twice during the season.

The Jaspers also enjoyed success in the classroom. Ewald, Johnson, senior Pat Porteus, juniors Mike Carroll, Yardley Keshinover and Billy Wilkens, and sophomores Rokas Kirlys, Mikael Rojeras and Tom Voorheis were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team on the men’s side. Among the women, Nyback, senior Maria Jangsten, juniors Emmy Koskien and Melissa Yap, and sophomore Sarah Moore earned MAAC All-Academic Team selections.

Bridget Latino ’12

Swimming COntinuing to build upon the success of past seasons, the 2011-12 swim team brought the program to new depths this year. In a season that saw records shatter and swimmers continue to raise the bar, the Jaspers starred in both the pool and the classroom.

Head coach Walter Olsewski ’68 picked up his 150th career win on Oct. 21, when both the men and women swept local rival College of Mount Saint Vincent. It would begin what was an impressive year for both teams. The men’s program finished the year 12-6 in their meets, while the women were 7-11 in their competitions.

Led by the impressive sprinting of junior Robert Varieur, the Jaspers completely rewrote the program record book as they set 27 new school marks. Varieur now has his name next to seven different records including the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle events. The junior also took second in the MAAC at the conference meet in the 200 freestyle. Sophomore PJ Sweeney and freshman Mike Mackay also set new marks, while freshman James Kelly added a new feature to the men’s team in his ability as a diver.

Senior Bridget Latino finished off arguably the greatest career for the Manhattan women. After a second-place finish at the MAAC Championships in the 200-yard butterfly and fourth place in the East-

ern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships, she ends her career with 16 different school records, including 11 individual marks, and is the only four-time team MVP in program history.

In the classroom, both the men’s and women’s teams earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Team awards for the fall semester. The men were ranked 39th out of 72 teams, while the women made the list for the 30th consecutive semester (dating back to the spring of 1997), the longest streak in Division I. Eight individual swimmers, three men and five women, earned individual MAAC All-Academic honors.

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sports

Trevor Chiduku ’12

Men’s Soccer THe 2011 season in men’s soccer marked a startling change in the status quo. Entering the year on a 31-match winless streak, the Jaspers dropped their first 12 games of the season. Then a 2-1 victory at Canisius on Oct. 14 sparked a magical run that ended in the MAAC Championship game.

Senior transfer Trevor Chiduku pushed Manhattan in front on a penalty kick in the first half before junior goalkeeper George Ellis made a brilliant save against a Golden Griffins penalty kick in the final two minutes to preserve the Jaspers’ first win since Sep. 5, 2009.

After not finding a victory in 43 straight games, Manhattan put together an unbeaten streak during the next two weeks and earned wins over Niagara (10/16) and Marist (10/23) while battling to a 1-1 draw with Siena (10/21). The win over the Red Foxes fell on a morning during which three seniors were honored for their time in Jasper uniforms as defender Chris Holihan and forwards Deia Nassar and Chiduku played their final home games.

Despite dropping each of their final two games of

the regular season to finish at 3-14-1, 3-5-1 in conference play, Manhattan would find some extra magic when they traveled to the MAAC Tournament held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. In the first round, the sixth-seeded Jaspers would notch their first tournament win since 1999 when they knocked off No. 3 Loyola in the quarterfinals by a 1-0 score. Chiduku again provided the goal, sending Manhattan into the semis, where they would defeat favored Iona 1-0 in double overtime. Freshman striker Eugene Heerschapp redirected a cross less than one minute into the extra session and gave Manhattan a date with top-seeded Fairfield.

The Jaspers’ second ever trip to the conference finals ended what was a Cinderella season in a 3-1 loss to the Stags. Heerschapp provided the only goal for Manhattan, as he was named to the All-Tournament team along with Ellis and Holihan.

Second-year head coach Ashley Hammond will bring back a wealth of talent along with fresh faces to build on the team’s success in 2012.

Women’s Soccer THe women’s soccer team took steps under second-year head coach Brendan Lawler to work through a season plagued with injuries to key players. With a youthful roster that featured eight newcomers, the Jaspers rallied behind senior captain Devon Lutz, along with fellow captains senior Marissa Greco and junior Nicole Landes.

They earned their first victory of the season on Sept. 9 in the home opener against archrival Fordham. Lutz notched the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute, and junior goalkeeper Kara Davis put on a defensive show, posting eight saves to help the team take its first victory over the Rams since 2005.

Davis was superb in net for the Jaspers during the season, as she led the conference with 127 saves before missing the last

two games due to injury. She led the MAAC averaging 7.94 saves per game and was second in the league with a .836 save percentage. Lutz was equally impressive as she made a transition to the forward position, after playing her first three years on the defensive end of the field. She scored four goals and finished with 10 points, which were the second highest offensive numbers on the squad.

Sophomore forward Martine Diamond had a breakout campaign as she led the Jaspers with 11 points and five goals. Her five goals also ranked in the top 10 of the MAAC. The Jaspers delivered backto-back solid performances in late September as they battled at Wagner through double-overtime to earn a 1-1 tie with the Seahawks. Then four days later,

they earned their most impressive victory of the year when the Jaspers ran away with a 3-1 triumph over Albany at Gaelic Park.

Sophomore Keara Hunt posted her first career goal in the 55th minute, which proved to be the game winner. Davis finished with 14 saves in the contest marking her second of four double-digit save performances.

Manhattan had another good stretch in mid-October as the Jaspers earned a double-overtime tie with Fairfield at Gaelic Park.

Davis had eight saves as she posted her second shutout of the season and 10th of her career.

The Jaspers then picked up a win on Oct. 22 at Saint Peter’s with junior Allison Pfeiffer scoring a key goal in the contest.

The Jaspers also found much success in the classroom as seven members of the team were Devon Lutz ’12

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recognized for their academic excellence by the MAAC. Senior Megan Lavecchia, juniors Davis, Landes, Pfeiffer and Jordan Luithle, and sophomores Hunt and Maria Sanzari each earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors.

Additionally, the women’s soccer program was recognized for its academic success as a whole by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

LaKell Havens ’12

Volleyball THe volleyball team had another successful campaign in 2011. The Jaspers finished with a winning record for the second-straight season, going 16-15 overall. In addition, Manhattan was in contention for a berth in the MAAC Championships until the final day.

However, the team dropped its final match at Siena and just missed out on the conference tournament with a MAAC record of 9-9.

A season of dramatic matches got underway at Hofstra’s Asics Invitational on Aug. 26, when the Jaspers rallied from 2-0 down to defeat Radford in five sets. They would play seven five-set matches on the season and post an impressive 6-1 record in those contests.

After notching a 3-2 victory at Lafayette on Sept. 13, the Jaspers began their home schedule by sweeping Saint Peter’s on Sept.

17. Manhattan won its first six home matches and went 8-3 at Draddy Gymnasium. The victory over Lafayette started a streak in which Manhattan won eight out of nine matches from Sept. 13-Oct. 4.

On Oct. 16, the team hosted Marist and rallied back from 2-0 down to win for the second time this season. Two weeks later Manhattan

took on two-time defending MAAC champion Niagara, which had won 32 straight conference matches. The Jaspers pushed the Purple Eagles to the limit, saving six match points in the fifth set before falling 23-21.

The Jaspers sat tied for third place in the MAAC entering their final home match against Iona on Nov. 6. Manhattan dropped the first two sets against the Gaels before rallying to force a fifth set. They fought off a pair of match points in the final frame, then earned a match point of their own on a kill by freshman Malia McGuinness. Senior Brittany DeGagne then slammed a kill to cap the comeback victory and put Manhattan in control of its own destiny entering the final weekend.

However, the Jaspers dropped the rematch with Marist, setting up a winner-takesall showdown with Siena on the season’s final day. Manhattan won the first set against the Saints but was eliminated from playoff contention when Siena took the next three.

Several Jaspers took home MAAC honors during the season. Senior LaKell Havens was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26, while sophomore Mariana Furquim

received the same award on Oct. 17. McGuinness earned MAAC Rookie of the Week selections on Oct. 3 and Oct. 24, and freshman Hollegn Henderson was the MAAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 26.

McGuinness led all MAAC freshmen and placed fifth overall in the league in kills, averaging 3.40 per set. She was named Second Team All-MAAC and earned a place on the inaugural MAAC All-Rookie Team. Henderson was selected to the All-Rookie Team, while Havens was joined on the MAAC All-Academic Team by juniors Julie Bies, Jamie Collareta, Maddie Heck, Kelsey Huntoon and Alexa Lampasona.

Cross Country a mix of rookies and veterans combined to produce another successful season for the men’s cross country team. They were led by a different competitor seemingly every week, as seniors

Tom Daly and Zack Price, junior Billy Wilkens, sophomore Tom Voorheis and freshman Greg Perrier all put together solid seasons.

Wilkens was named MAAC Runner of the Week on Oct. 11 after finishing 35th overall in a season-best time of 27:04 to lead the Jaspers to fifth place in the team standings at the Metropolitan Championships.

Manhattan also took a solid 16th place at the Iona Meet of Champions and secured sixth place at the MAAC Championships. After finishing 29th at the NCAA Northeast Regional, the Jaspers ended the campaign with an impressive sixth-place showing at the IC4A Championships.

The very young women’s squad included seven freshmen

and three sophomores. The Jaspers were led by the only senior on the roster, team captain Maria Jangsten, who was Manhattan’s top finisher at every meet this season. Jangsten was named MAAC Runner of the Week on Oct. 11 after leading the Jaspers to a seventh-place finish at the Metropolitan Championships.

Freshman Alexandra Cappello had a solid rookie campaign, while sophomore Meghan Hayes was also among the Jaspers’ top finishers in every race. Other top performers included junior Meghan Marro and sophomore Elizabeth Rosenberger, as well as freshmen Shelby Niles, Janie Turek and Alyssa Windle.

The women started the season by capturing 15th place

at the highly competitive Iona Meet of Champions. The Jaspers also notched an impressive seventh-place showing at the Metropolitan Championships before placing ninth at the MAAC Championships.

In addition, both the men’s and women’s teams performed well in the classroom. Once again, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored each squad as an All-Academic Team selection.

Individually, Jangsten and junior Emmy Koskinen were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. On the men’s side, Daly, Voorheis and Wilkens were joined on the MAAC All-Academic Team by senior Joe Pluhowski and sophomore A.J. Hanifin.

Maria Jangsten ’12

MANHATTAN.EDU N 21

Eye of the Beholder. There is no doubt that Manhattan’s campus is beautiful.

From the lush blooms on the magnolia tree in front of the arches flanking Memorial Hall to the way the afternoon light from the multicolored window panes in the Chapel of De La Salle gives a glow to the dark woods that comprise the orderly pews and stately altar. But we wanted to look beyond that and the obvious prettiness of the College, and find the overlooked or less perceptible beauty that composes the campus. So we sent award-winning photographer Justin Fantl, who spent days and nights wandering the campus, to find its hidden beauty. We discovered that sometimes the very simplicity or starkness of a setting, or even a pattern, can be striking and contribute to the overall allure of a place. The following photos explore what lies beyond, above, below and everywhere in between that makes the College beautiful on the surface and from deeper within.

10 N spriNg 2012

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24 N spring 2012

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Page 22: The brightly colored chairs in Leo Hall add an inviting pop of color to the otherwise beige palette of this classroom. Beyond the color, photographer Justin Fantl was drawn to the playful sort of rhythm of how each chair is turned in a different direction.

Page 24: A small tree is framed in the window by the entrance to East Hill Hall. Fantl was interested in the strong lines of the building against the organic shape of the tree.

The diffused light coming through the frosted glass window mixed with the shape and color of what was outside reminded the photographer of an impressionist painting.

Page 25: There are few things more symbolic of learning and classes than the chalkboard. This one, in Miguel Hall, is attractive in its perfectly graphic nature, as well as its symbolism. The mailboxes in Thomas Hall are also symbolic of the college living experience. “The quality that attracted me to the mailboxes was repetition or the idea of visual rhythm,” Fantl says. “The repeating pattern was pleasing to me, and it’s the kind of thing that many people see but don’t really take the time to look at.”

Page 26: Beyond the obvious, there are several interpretations one can infer from the arrangement of the clock, skull and skeleton in this biology lab in Leo Hall. “All these objects are full of Jungian subtext, meaning and symbolism,” Fantl says.

“Then I went in to investigate and saw the skull on the counter with the clock behind it and immediately put the tripod down and started framing the image. It was one of those rare shots you just know is compelling.”

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MANHATTAN.EDU N 11

ac M co iss mp io n lis he d

Weaving together narratives of their own, focusing on community and collaboration, Jaspers who become Lasallian volunteers discover that they benefit from the experience just as much as the students they serve.

By Kristen Cuppek • Illustration by Hadley Hooper

Many Jaspers leave Manhattan College on a mission.

It may be to find that perfect career, pursue advanced education or even a combination of the two. For some, they are on a Lasallian mission. Their goal is to continue what they learned and lived at the College and apply those lessons of service to a volunteer position for a year or two.

One of the most popular programs, the Lasallian Volunteers of the De La Salle Christian Brothers has about 54 volunteers working in almost 30 ministries across 16 states, and the College is consistently represented among those ranks each year. The program’s mission is to provide dedicated, well-trained volunteers for one or more years of service to schools and agencies of the Brothers whose mission is to serve the poor. Acting out of faith, rooted in the Gospel, and sharing community with the Brothers and other Lasallians, the volunteers empower the poor by personalized service primarily through education.

Many Lasallian volunteers (LV) teach and tutor in schools and after-school programs, but they also serve as case managers and social workers, work in campus ministry, do retreat work and organize service projects, and coach sports teams, among other roles.

And while they may be contributing to the cause in different ways, they all share the same goals and hopes: to help those in need. They also all complete their service with the same impression — that being a LV was one of the most important and best experiences of their lives. LVs may change the world for the better, but they also discover themselves transformed in the process. Here are a few of their stories.

28 N spring 2012

Chenelle Bruce ’02 St. Frances Academy, Baltimore, 2002-2004 Chenelle Bruce ’02, a computer science major, initially wanted to build and repair computers and planned to get her master’s in computer engineering. She just didn’t want to go to graduate school right away.

Bruce figured she would volunteer for a year with the Lasallian Volunteers, after seeing a poster for the program and learning more about it, and then go to grad school. She’s been teaching ever since.

At St. Frances Academy, an inner-city high school in Baltimore, she taught algebra and SAT prep for two years, and coached the boys’ track team and girls’ volleyball team.

Now, Bruce is teaching algebra II and geometry at another Lasallian school, St. John’s College High School, in Washington, D.C. And she’s been there for seven years.

“I never ever thought I’d be a teacher — that was never in the cards,” she says. “Yet here I am, 10 years later, still teaching.”

Because the track athlete wasn’t an education student, she didn’t have a background in teaching, and volunteering initially was challenging.

“At first it was tough because I’m just out of college, I don’t know these kids, the demographics are different from where I grew up, and the kids are different from me when I was growing up,” she says. “But I think once they saw that I was there because I wanted to be there, and it showed in my actions, they took it easy on me.”

Bruce credits the great group of Brothers for helping and supporting her. Coaching also definitely helped her assimilate into the school. But it was the students that inspired her and changed her career aspirations.

“The connection with the kids, feeling like ‘I don’t want to let them down,’” she says, is what motivated her. “Just the bond that you have with the kids and watching all of the kids graduate and them coming back and saying thanks. I don’t think I would be happy anywhere else but teaching.”

In addition, the experience changed Bruce on a personal level.

“In my high school and my college experiences, I was kind of in a bubble, and becoming a volunteer definitely opened up my eyes to other people and other situations in life,” she says. “Once you volunteer, you know other people are depending on you, kids are depending on you, the school as a whole.”

Robert Vitelli ’97 LEO Center, Oakland, 1997-1998 While Robert Vitelli ’97 loved his major, mechanical engineering, he knew he wanted to do something else. The former crew team member was feeling drawn to a more people-oriented, community-organizing career path. Vitelli had learned about the Lasallian Volunteer program through social action, and when it was recommended to him, he jumped at the chance.

“It was a great transition opportunity for me in terms of working with young people and doing some community organizing,” he says.

“I think why I love the Lasallian Volunteer program is because it became another opportunity to learn about the Lasallian mission of serving the poor through education.”

Vitelli joined the LEO Center (Lasallian Educational Opportunities) as its first LV and helped run the program. The center has two programs, an afternoon session for middle school students, and one at night for high schoolers. He was assigned to managing the computer room and lab and helped the students enhance their computer skills, while also assisting high school students with identifying appropriate college opportunities.

“My year as a Lasallian volunteer at the 30 N spring 2012

LEO Center in Oakland was terrific,” he says.

“I had a chance to work with incredible young people, to live and work with four Lasallian Christian Brothers who were fantastic. They were incredible supports, incredible mentors, and the experience was amazing.”

After being a LV, Vitelli went to New York University and received his master’s degree in higher education administration. He loved

his involvement at the College and decided it would be great to help and support college and university students in a campus setting.

But a unique opportunity arose, one that was pretty close to his dream job. Vitelli found a community educator position at the Long Island GLBT Services Network that seemed tailored to his skills and experiences.

He’s been there now for 11 years. Vitelli has progressed from being a community organizer, to a director of education, then assistant director, its first fundraising officer, and currently the chief operating officer.

He credits his experience as a LV with molding who he is as a professional.

“When I was a Lasallian volunteer, it was about social justice, serving the poor through education. That meant a lot to me and is important to me,” he says. “Now, working at a gay and lesbian community center, really most of our work is about helping young people. To connect it back to being a LV, it is about that need, seeing and knowing people in your community and being able to help them. Not just do something for them so they can get by, but also addressing systemic change.”

Christina Caughey ’09 De La Salle High School, New Orleans, 2009-2010 Christina Caughey ’09, who studied English and religious studies at the College, became interested in being a Lasallian volunteer after taking Urban America: Crisis and Opportunity at the College. The class requires students to volunteer in the community, and Caughey served at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.

“This experience gave me the confidence and motivation to join the LVs,” she says. “I had heard the speeches that the LV alums gave in the classes — three classes in a row. Any good Catholic knows that three is a very significant number in the faith. I took this as a sign of my calling and haven’t looked back since.”

While deciding whether to accept an initial assignment in Portland, Ore., the Lasallian Volunteers program asked Caughey to be a pioneer LV, a founding member of the community who paves the way for all future LVs at that site, in New Orleans.

“I happily accepted the offer, and it changed my life for the better,” she says.

From May 2009 through June 2010, Caughey taught ninth-grade English and was responsible for two classes of a four-block schedule. She volunteered to coach the cross country and track and field teams, became a retreat leader to assist the campus minister with the school-wide retreats, and also worked with the guidance department helping with special-case students.

Now Caughey is working in real estate, leasing luxury apartments at TF Cornerstone. And she was just accepted to the New York School of Interior Design, which she starts in the fall, and will be working toward a Master of Fine Arts in interior design.

Although she decided not to pursue a career in education, the experience was helpful to her on many levels. For one, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a teacher or a designer, and serving as a LV helped her make that decision. But is also gave her the opportunity to serve those in need and find herself in the process.

“This afforded me the unique opportunity to essentially try out the profession before deciding to pursue a master’s degree in education,” she says. “Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I became lifelong friends with my fellow NOLA volunteer. I have already gone back twice to visit and plan to do so in the future. I would definitely recommend this opportunity to people interested in the field of education and social work, or just to help children in general. It affords you a year to find yourself and serve the greater good.”

Kathleen Bulson ’09 De La Salle North Catholic High School, Portland, 2009-2010 Kathleen Bulson ’09, a double major in psychology and communication, was active in campus ministry and social action before becoming a Lasallian volunteer. She was a founding board member of the L.O.V.E. program and went on a few service trips, including Galveston, Texas, Dominican Republic and Camp Sunshine, Maine.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve volunteered, whether with Girl Scouts, Key club or L.O.V.E. service trips. Part of me has always been called to give back through service,” she says. “Lasallian Volunteers combined all of my desires while offering me a gateway into the professional world, an outlet to challenge and deepen my faith.”

During her year of service at De La Salle North Catholic High School in Portland, Ore., Bulson worked in the Lasallian Youth Ministry office, where she headed up volunteering. She met with students before school to brainstorm and plan service projects both at the school and in the community, including a day of service for more than 200 people in 20 sites across Portland. Bulson also ran an afterschool help group for freshmen and tutored juniors in math throughout the day. In addition, she co-facilitated a peer-mentoring group for students to find positive ways to discuss challenging issues.

She says that volunteering with the LVs was the best decision she made at Manhattan College.

“The motto of the LVs is ‘touching hearts and teaching minds,’ but I feel like that was more of our payment for volunteering,” she says. “Being 3,000 miles from home, knowing no one, can be pretty daunting, but hearing my students’ challenging life experiences gave me strength to be a positive force of change and support in their lives. They were inspirational balancing complicated issues ranging from poverty, parents in prison, divorce, teen pregnancy to sexual abuse with rigorous academics ... It amazes me that a 20-something could make an impact just by listening and showing up.”

Now Bulson works as an early intervention service coordinator for Hear our Voices in the Bronx, where she advocates for families with infants with developmental delays to help them get the best services for their children. She also works in a residential treatment center in Westchester County for teens with mental illnesses.

“The LVs eased me into the ‘real world,’” she says. “While growing more independent, I also learned to be true to myself and my values.

These values of generosity, compassion and honesty were echoed in the Lasallian totems of faith, service and community, and were only enhanced by being in a faith-filled community.”

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Paul Avvento ’07 De Marillac Academy, San Francisco, 2007-2009

Kiera Maguire ’08 San Miguel Schools, Gary Comer Campus, Chicago, 2008-2010 A communication major with a minor in education, Kiera Maguire ’08 initially thought she would go into broadcasting, but after taking an education class, she fell in love with and felt a connection to teaching.

During her senior year, she was encouraged to become a Lasallian volunteer, and the former senior class president had a new aspiration. Maguire loves cities, so she was excited to learn of her placement at the San Miguel Schools, Gary Comer Campus, a private Catholic school that serves fifth through eighth grades on the west side of Chicago. There, she taught eighth-grade language arts and reading, helped out after school, and coached girls’ basketball.

The job wasn’t easy at first, especially because Maguire didn’t have student teaching experience.

“The school didn’t have any curriculum set up, the resources were limited, so it really challenged me professionally to create my own lessons and curriculum as a brand new teacher with little experience,” she says. “But I liked being thrown into it and having to figure it out. It wasn’t until the graduation of my first eighth-grade class, and the year came full circle, that I felt I definitely need to be here again for another year.”

After two years in Chicago, from August 2008 through July 2010, she applied for the Lasallian Association of College and University Presidents Scholarship for Lasallian Volunteers 32 N spring 2012

pursuing graduate study. She packed up and moved to California in August 2010 to attend Saint Mary’s College and started both of her master’s degrees in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and the single subject English credential in secondary education, which she hopes to finish in December.

In addition to being a full-time student, she’s teaching at a private Catholic school, St. Isidore, in Danville, Calif., as a seventh-grade English instructional assistant.

When she graduates, Maguire would love to return to an eighthgrade classroom, as well as the New York or New Jersey area, and again help underprivileged students. With a TESOL degree, she’s also thinking about a future stint abroad teaching English, possibly in Thailand.

“My experience as a LV has completely changed my life,” she says. “I think about my time in Chicago at least once a day. I miss the community I worked in, my students, the families and the camaraderie we all shared. My experience in Chicago helped me develop both professionally and personally. If it was not for my time as a LV, I would have never become a teacher. Working with my students day in and day out was what ignited the flame. I now hold a burning desire for teaching underprivileged students because of the passion I found while teaching at San Miguel Gary Comer Campus.”

A secondary education major with a concentration in history, Paul Avvento ’07 became interested in the Lasallian Volunteer program while in Rome at the Young Lasallian Symposium in 2006. Many of the other representatives had been volunteers already, and their enthusiasm for the program rubbed off on him.

The former student body president had been heavily involved with campus ministry and social action, and even spent a summer living and working at Resurrection School in Harlem, a Christian Brothers school, doing summer school test prep for the students.

“So I got to see what it was like to live in communities and work in a school designed for kids who need special attention and special focus, which I really enjoyed doing,” he says.

Avvento began his LV service at De Marillac Academy in San Francisco, which serves children from low-income and underserved households in the Tenderloin area. During his first year, he taught seventh- and eighth-grade physical education, and seventh-grade religion, and was a language arts teaching assistant for seventh-graders.

He chose to volunteer a second year and was scheduled to spend more of his time in the development office assisting the school’s fundraising efforts, but a week into the year, he was asked to fill a recently vacated spot and assume teaching responsibilities for middle school religion and eighth-grade social studies.

“This was a great opportunity for me to continue to grow in the craft of teaching,” he says.

Avvento was offered a permanent position at the end of his second year and is now in his fifth year at De Marillac Academy. He serves as director of student activities and teaches eighth-grade social studies and religion. As director, he oversees all clubs and elective classes, coordinates sports programs, and supervises the volunteers.

He also entered into the Lasallian Fellowship Program at St. Mary’s College of California, where he received his administrative credential and master’s in educational leadership. The program provides tuition remission for students who commit to teach in a Lasallian school for three years.

“I didn’t think it was possible to love a job as much as I do, and I strongly believe it’s because it’s a vocation for me at this point,” Avvento says. “Right now, I am firmly committed to doing whatever I can to help the families that we serve and to help those students reach the high potential that all of them have, even though for some of them, it’s tough to see it.”

Catherine Calogero ’10 John XXIII Educational Center, Racine, 2010-2012 Catherine Calogero ’10, a chemistry major with minors in math, biology and Spanish, began volunteering at the John XXIII Educational Center in Racine, Wis., shortly after graduation in August and will finish her second year in June.

Calogero had participated in two L.O.V.E. trips while at Manhattan, Ecuador and Kenya, and became more interested in campus ministry and social action projects, including Lasallian Collegians, as well as the Lasallian Volunteer program, as a result.

“Through those trips, I became very passionate about service for others,” she says. “I had come to Manhattan wanting to be a doctor, and throughout my coursework and time there, I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore. It just seemed kind of natural to me to take the time to decide what I wanted to do by taking a break and joining a program where I could serve others.”

The John XXIII Educational Center began three years ago as an after-school site for supervised study hall, mentoring and tutoring, and Calogero is responsible for overseeing study hall sessions, assisting students with homework, projects and school assignments, maintaining the library, and planning and organizing weekly social activities for the students. During the day, the Center offers outreach programs at various middle school sites, for which Calogero also facilitates four different mini courses on topics related to anger management, gossip, bullying, self-esteem and health-related issues.

While she was undecided about her career plans when she started the program, being a LV has provided her with a definite future goal.

Calogero will begin the New York City Teaching Fellows program in June and wants to teach science. And maybe further down the road, she

will start a program like the one in which she currently serves.

“I think the program we have in Wisconsin does a great service for a lot of students, those who may fall through the cracks with public education,” she says.

And the program has done a lot for her, too. Calogero credits her experience as a LV with changing her both professionally and personally.

“Everything I am doing now is something I said I never would do, so it has really been a growth experience for me,” she says. “It has been challenging for sure, and there have been times when I’ve questioned if I am really making a difference in what I am doing, but I think that the growth, the change and the accomplishment that I see in some of our students really outweighs the days when I am challenged by them, or maybe feel like what we are doing is not so important.”

Alberto Guerrero ’03 San Miguel Schools, Gary Comer Campus, Chicago, 2003-2005 Alberto Guerrero ’03, an elementary education major, went to La Salle Academy in Manhattan, so he was aware of the Lasallian Volunteer program, and it remained in the back of his mind throughout his time at the College. When he finished his student teaching experience and realized he didn’t want to teach in a New York City public school, the former Lasallian Collegian’s thoughts returned to that program.

Guerrero was a LV for two years at San Miguel Schools, Gary Comer Campus, which serves middle school students on Chicago’s west side. The school was only in its second year of existence, and the community wasn’t really established yet, but Guerrero thought it would be a good fit for him. He taught mostly math for sixth, seventh and eighth grades. He also started and coached the girls’ basketball team, and started the Saturday tutoring program.

After two years in Chicago, Guerrero became a full-time teacher at the school. He served on staff for an extra two years, before joining Brother Dennis Lee, FSC, the College’s former director of campus ministry and social action, in Kenya, where he taught English to ninth- and tenth-graders for four months.

Upon returning home, Guerrero pursued his master’s in social work and became a therapist for 19 months at an outpatient mental health facility. He’s currently a court advocate at the Osborne Association, which is an alternative to incarceration program.

“I always debated between social work and education, but when I started teaching, I felt like I became a good math teacher, but students would always say ‘my parents are incarcerated,’ ‘when I walk home from school, I have drug dealers trying to recruit me to sell drugs, to join gangs.’ I eventually realized that even if I became the greatest teacher in the world, a lack of education is just one part of what’s holding so many of the students back,” he says. “So I decided to get involved in more of a psycho-social aspect of their lives.”

Still in touch with his students, Guerrero realized that he could actually make a difference in their lives.

“One of the most lasting impressions from my time is just how strong the Lasallian experience really is,” he says. “There are so many different narratives all inspired by the same mission that was started centuries ago. To work with these, in many ways, forgotten communities, I think there’s power in that.”

MANHATTAN.EDU N 33

development

Future Building Has Alumni and New York City Support in Common

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An initial rendering of the student commons, though the structure is still undergoing revisions.

34 N spring 2012

aymond W. Kelly ’63, New York City police commissioner, has exemplified a distinguished record of public service, one that embodies the core values of a Catholic Lasallian education. As an inspiration to past, present and future Jaspers, Manhattan College is proud to recognize Kelly’s leadership and dedication to New York City through the naming of the proposed student commons. The new center will have a transformative effect on the campus and provide much-needed space for programming, gatherings and recreation.

“My education at Manhattan College, with its underpinnings of respect for dignity of human life and for social justice, has been a tremendous help

to me in my career,” says Kelly, who is honored to be the building’s namesake. “And not only has it been a part of my life, but Manhattan College has been a part of the lifeblood of this city for more than 155 years … And I can tell you that many, many Manhattan College graduates have made certain that New York remains the undisputed financial, cultural and communications capital of the world.”

With an ambitious campaign underway, word about the Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons is rapidly spreading throughout the College and New York City communities. Fundraising continues to be strong, even in this extraordinarily difficult economy, with more than $26 million being pledged to date.

“Ray Kelly has devoted his life to service, both to his country and, for the last 40-plus years, to our great city.

New York is my home and the global home of JWT, the 10,000-employee international advertising agency of which I am chairman and CEO. From both a personal and professional perspective, I am eternally grateful to Mr. Kelly for his continued tireless dedication to ensuring the safety and security of New York’s inhabitants. On behalf of JWT and as a fellow Jasper, I am proud to support the Manhattan College student commons in honor of him.”

—Bob Jeffrey ’75, Worldwide Chairman and CEO, JWT Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas O’Malley ’63 and President Brennan O’Donnell presented New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly ’63 with a framed rendering of the future Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons at last year’s De La Salle Dinner.

“We are enthusiastic about the support being shown by Manhattan College alumni, as well as the New York City philanthropic and corporate community,” says Eugene McGrath ’63, co-chair of the campaign and former chairman and CEO of Con Edison.

Recognizing the significance of this building both for Manhattan College and New York City, Thomas J. Moran ’74, chairman, president and CEO of Mutual of America Life Insurance Co., says: “As an alumnus, I’m thrilled that this project is being named for Ray Kelly. The building will stand as a lasting tribute to the commissioner for his revered service to the public. He has strengthened New York City as the student commons will undoubtedly strengthen Manhattan College.

As the leader of a major corporation in New York, I strongly encourage my peers across the city and country to celebrate and thank Ray Kelly by supporting this essential building.”

With alumni as the backbone of this campaign, many corporate leaders are also emerging, eager to commemorate Kelly and contribute to this project.

“I am excited to support this very important building that Manhattan is constructing,” says E. John Rosenwald Jr., vice chairman emeritus of J.P. Morgan. “The new student center — to be named for Ray — is honoring a 14-carat-gold citizen who has kept New York safe for the past 10 years.”

Design and construction documents for the student commons are being finalized, and the College aims to break ground on the new, state-of-the-art, 67,000-square-foot campus center by the end of 2012, with the much-anticipated opening slated for the fall of 2014. A few of the many amenities to be expected in the building include study and social lounge areas, a wellness/fitness center, a campus bookstore, dining alternatives and staff and student activity offices.

If you would like to support the Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons at Manhattan College, please contact Pamela Bottge, campaign director, at (718) 862-7502.

What’s in a Name? Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Manhattan College is proud to name the new student commons building in honor of Raymond W. Kelly ’63, a loyal Jasper and dedicated New York City civil servant.

Kelly graduated from Manhattan College with a B.B.A. in 1963. He then received a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, an L.L.M. from New York University School of Law, and an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Shortly after being selected for the New York City Police Department in 1963, Kelly accepted a commission to the United States Marine Corps Officer Program. Having served on active military duty for three years, including a combat tour in Vietnam, he later retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves after 30 years of service.

In 1994, Kelly became the director of the international police monitors in Haiti, a U.S.-led force responsible for ending human rights abuses and instituting an interim police force there. For his dedication, he was awarded the Exceptionally Meritorious Service Commendation by the president of the United States.

A lifelong New Yorker and 43-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, Kelly served in 25 different commands before being named police commissioner in 1992. He is the first person to hold the post for two nonconsecutive tenures. In 2002, Kelly was appointed police commissioner of New York City for the second time and created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department in the country. He also stationed New York City detectives in 11 foreign cities and established a Real Time Crime Center, as well as a new global intelligence program.

Kelly was honored with France’s highest decoration, the Legion D’Honneur, in 2006 by then French Minister of the Interior Nicholas Sarkozy. He has also received 15 citations for meritorious service in the NYPD. MANHATTAN.EDU N 35

development

2012 De La Salle Medals Awarded to AECOM Leaders

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John Dionisio, chairman and chief executive officer of AECOM (left), and Frederick Werner ’75, president of corporate development for AECOM (center), with President Brennan O’Donnell, were honored for their excellence in corporate leadership and commitment to serving local communities at the De La Salle Dinner in January.

36 N spring 2012

anhattan College honored two industry greats from AECOM Technology Corporation at its 36th De La Salle Medal Dinner on Jan. 17.

The crowd filled the ballroom at the Waldorf=Astoria to congratulate John M. Dionisio, chairman and chief executive officer of AECOM, and Frederick Werner ’75, president of corporate development for AECOM, for their excellence in corporate leadership and commitment to serving local communities.

Both 30-plus-year veterans of the engineering industry, Dionisio and Werner have played pivotal roles in projects including the Second Avenue Subway in New York City, the Tren Urbano transit rail system in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Southern California’s Metrolink commuter rail system, and the new World Trade Center PATH Terminal in Lower Manhattan.

The annual dinner, which raised more than $775,000 this year, not only honors New York’s most accomplished leaders but also provides for its future leaders “the kind of education that has for so long been so valuable to this city and this country,” said Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College.

“An education dedicated to cutting-edge academic excellence, steeped in timeless val-

ues, and aiming to produce men and women of intelligence and integrity who have the passion and the competence to be of service to their fellow human beings,” he continued.

Christina Costas ’12, a senior finance and economics double major and the 2012 De La Salle student speaker, illustrated this mission by sharing her own experiences implementing a volunteer financial literacy program for high school students, interning at high-profile finance firms and landing a job at American Express pre-graduation.

“And of course the key ingredient to getting those internships and being involved was my great Lasallian education,” she said.

“With your generous contributions, Manhattan College will continue to be a place where students can keep on creating themselves and become the leaders of tomorrow.”

The evening culminated with the awarding of the De La Salle medals to Dionisio and Werner, who graciously thanked the College’s board of trustees and dinner co-chairs Richard T. Anderson, president of New York Building Congress, Jane Chmielinski, chief operating officer and president of Americas operations at AECOM, and Douglas P. Rutnik ’62, partner at Rutnik Law Firm.

The honorees spoke positively about the impact that Jaspers continue to have in the city and beyond.

“The engineering profession is really changing so rapidly, and New York City being recognized as an engineering place, it’s just a wonderful place for Manhattan to be in to capitalize on that,” Werner said.

“Today we have Manhattan graduates working at all levels of the organization, all around the world, and some of them working on the most complex and iconic projects in our industry,” Dionisio added. “For us in the engineering and construction industry, [Manhattan College] is a crucial partner to our industry success and a key contributor to the engineering profession and the success of its students and alumni.”

Alumni Fund Scholarships OFtentimes, scholarship students will say a scholarship is the only reason they were able to attend a private college. At Manhattan College, many students depend on a combination of aid and scholarships to pursue their studies. According to Mary

Ellen Malone, director of planned giving, the students featured below are just a few of the many receiving aid. She receives letters of gratitude regularly from students telling their stories and how the scholarships have made all the difference in their lives.

Edward Rowe (J.K. O’Neill Memorial Scholarship)

Hyesu Kim (Colette Dans Memorial Scholarship) Hyesu Kim ’12, a senior majoring in math and minoring in music, is the recipient of the Colette Dans Memorial Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance to a female upperclassman pursuing a career in science or math education.

A member of several honor societies, including Pi Mu Epsilon and Phi Beta Kappa, Hyesu has served as a tutor both on and off campus. The Bronx, N.Y., native is interested in pursuing graduate work and a doctorate in mathematics.

“As a student who doesn’t have a strong financial background, the school’s support and care has helped me to concentrate on my education and success,” she says. “The scholarship has given me strength and courage to reach out for my life goals.”

Hyesu would like to share those educational possibilities with others, too.

“I hope that I can become a person like my scholarship donor who supports education and believes in students’ potentials and strengths,” she says.

Edward Rowe ’12, from Bethel, Conn., is the recipient of the J.K. O’Neill Memorial Scholarship, which was created to support students majoring in civil engineering who have demonstrated academic achievement and financial need.

Edward, a civil engineering major and math minor, currently serves as a mentor to freshmen in engineering. A member of Chi Epsilon and the American Society of Civil Engineers, he also did an internship at Skanska, a construction management company located in the Empire State Building. Edward has continued working there throughout his senior year and has been offered a full-time job upon graduation.

“I chose Manhattan College for its prestigious engineering program and career placement opportunities,” he says. “I lost my father during my junior year in high school. I firmly believe he passed his aptitude for math and science on to me. He studied engineering but unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to finish his degree due to family financial hardship. I know that he would be extremely proud of my accomplishments.”

Eric michelena (James Fennell Scholarship) and Thomas michelena (Horan Family Scholarship) Eric Michelena ’13 is officially a sophomore but has enough credits to count as an upperclassman already. A psychology major, Eric is the recipient of the James Fennell Scholarship, which provides a complete educational experience to worthy students with financial need. His brother, Thomas Michelena ’13, a junior also majoring in psychology, is the recipient of the Horan Family Scholarship, which emphasizes support for first-generation college students.

“I knew I would not be able to afford Manhattan even with loans, but my high school teachers encouraged me to apply and suggested I might be able to obtain a scholarship,” Eric says. “The scholarship helped us financially as a family. My family has three kids going to college right now.”

Both avid intramural competitors, the brothers are also actively participating in the Psychology Club.

Eric has also served as a volunteer at POTS (Part of the Solution). He has decided to concentrate in industrial organization psychology and plans on becoming involved with an internship and/or research in that area.

Thomas recently volunteered off campus with New York Cares, both in his hometown neighborhood of Queens and in the Bronx near the College. A tutor, he combined his love of sports with his volunteer time by supervising basketball in Queensbridge.

Thomas says the scholarships he and his brother received provide a more normal lifestyle.

“It is just a huge relief,” he says. “I wouldn’t be able to attend a college without scholarship money.”

alumni

Hall of Fame Inducts New All-Stars

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anhattan College inducted eight new members and two new teams into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Nov. 12 in Smith Auditorium: Robert T. Baker, football coach; Mark P. Connor ’72, baseball; the Rev. John Cullinane ’51, chaplain; James A. Gillcrist ’51, track and field; Lori Graham ’99, soccer and lacrosse; Thomas Leder ’61, baseball and basketball; Kathleen McCarrick Weiden ’79, basketball; Manny Silverio ’80, track and field; and the men’s basketball team (1930) and women’s cross country team (1986).

The longest tenured football coach at Manhattan College, Robert T. Baker is credited with saving club football in the 1970s. In 1982, the Jaspers earned the National Collegiate Football Association (NCFA) Atlantic Conference Championship and made their sole appearance in the National Club Championship game against undefeated Bentley. Baker was named NCFA Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1982. He coached at Pace University, as assistant, defensive and head coach, and was an assistant at Fordham.

Mark P. Connor ’72 pitched for three seasons before being recruited by the Minnesota Twins in 1971. He broke a strikeout record (20) and, in 1971, had a miniscule ERA (0.82). His honors included Manhattan’s Most Valuable Player Award (1971), an honorable mention from the NCAA NYC Metropolitan Conference All-Star Team and selection to the Outstanding College Athletes of America. Connor has served as pitching coach at the University of Tennessee and teams around the majors, including the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. The

38 N SPRING 2012

list of famous arms under his tutelage includes Ron Guidry, Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay and Randy Johnson.

The Rev. John Cullinane ’51 began as confidant to Hall of Fame coach Jack Powers. He was available to coaches and players throughout the tenures of Powers, Brian Mahoney, Gordon Chiesa, Tom Sullivan, Steve Lappas, Fran Fraschilla, John Leonard, Bobby Gonzalez and Barry Rohrssen. Father Jack, considered the Jasper chaplain for all athletics, was especially active with the track and field teams and dedicated to the Spiked Shoe Club. In his quiet way, he also supported athletics by sponsoring scholarships and the Jasper Open.

James A. Gillcrist ’51 was part of George Eastment’s track renaissance and competed in varsity shot put and high jump. He also placed while competing for the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1947. At Manhattan, Gillcrist medaled in everything from the Metro Intercollegiate to the Seton Hall Relays. At the IC4As, his high jump medal contributed to the Jaspers’ championship. As a senior, Gillcrist was captain, a title rarely given to a field competitor. He returned to jumping in the late 1990s and broke numerous records, including the American high jump record for 65-69-year-olds. Gillcrist is still listed in the Masters Athletics Track and Field All-Time World Rankings as No. 2 in the world in the high jump, even though he has not competed for nearly 15 years.

Lori Graham ’99 was a team leader in both soccer and lacrosse and served as captain for much of her career. In soccer, Graham graduated with the lowest career goals against average (2.02) in team history. She ranked 19th

nationally with eight saves per game in 1998 and became acting assistant coach upon graduation. In lacrosse, Graham ranked second in assists while also scoring 261 career points, still a Jasper record. The team took the MAAC Championship senior year. Graham’s many honors include: All-MAAC Team honors, MAAC Player of the Year award and MAAC All-Academic honoree. As a lacrosse coach, Graham was named Suffolk County Coach of the Year.

A two-sport athlete, Thomas Leder ’61 was named to the All-City Baseball Team twice and played in the select Journal American Sandlot World Series.

At the College, he was known for shutouts and a .300-plus average. His honors included: All-Star Team of the Metropolitan Collegiate Baseball Conference, Manhattan’s Most Valuable Player award and leading pitcher in the Met Conference. Recruited professionally throughout college, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds and earned a spot on the 1962 roster before an injury ended his career. In basketball, Leder shot better than 50 percent from the field and averaged more than six rebounds per game.

Kathleen McCarrick Weiden ’79 was one of the first students forging the way for female athletes. She became a leading force behind the creation of a women’s basketball club, collecting recruits she recognized on the Quad from her high school playing days. Within three years, the Jasperettes won the Hudson Valley League Women’s Championship — an amazing feat for a new team. What made it even more amazing was this was the only nonscholarship team in the league. The Lady J’s were born. A business major with a 3.8 GPA, McCarrick Weiden was a

member of Delta Mu Delta and Epsilon Sigma Pi and inducted into the prestigious Pen and Sword Society.

Manny Silverio ’80 set the mark high for the 16 lb. hammer and 35 lb. weight throwers. He came to the College with a high school national record for hammer throw of 231 feet and 11 inches, which lasted for 23 years. At one time, Silverio was also the Manhattan College recordholder in both the 35 lb. weight (64’ ¾”) and the hammer throw (212’ 6”). He received NCAA All-American and several All-East honors. He tossed for victory after victory in the Mets and IC4As, including his Jasper record throw of 212’ 6”, which earned him an opportunity at the Olympic trials. Silverio became a member of the Hudson County Track Association Hall of Fame.

Before the season began, The Quadrangle predicted a tough season for the men’s basketball team (1930). The Jaspers knocked off opponents, including rivals Fordham University and NYU, twice. According to Quad accounts, the entire campus was entranced by the team’s success, and chapel attendance was up before games. Before the Jaspers knew it, they had notched 16 victories for an undefeated start like no other in the College’s basketball history before or since. The only thing stopping their perfect season was St. John’s of Brooklyn, and the strong team did just that by beating the Manhattan squad 30-16. Even with that defeat, The New York Times selected Manhattan College as the No. 1 college basketball team in New York City.

Coached by Hall of Famer Neil Cohalan ’28, who had played three varsity sports, the 1930-31 team also included Hall of Famer Buddy Hassett ’33.

The women’s cross country team (1986) became the first Manhattan team to capture a MAAC Championship, only a decade after women joined the College community. They set school records that still stand today for the five-person (18:14.2) and seven-person (18:26.0) team average, and won the Met Intercollegiate Title, the Collegiate Track Conference Downstate New York Title, and the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Title. The team, coached by Fred Dwyer, included: Christine Balvo ’90; Lisa Donofrio ’89; Sheila Donohue ’87, co-captain; Gerry Fitzgerald ’90; Kathy Giovanniello ’87, co-captain; Deirdre Keyes ’91; Tara McDevitt ’90; Kathleen McVeigh ’89; Donna Meyer ’87; Laura Ann Nokland ’90; Tonja Rice ’88; Cheryl Simon ’88; Audra Thomson ’89; and Edith Vilarde ’89.

From left to right (back row): James A. Gillcrist ’51, Thomas Leder ’61, President Brennan O’Donnell, Mark P. Connor ’72, Manny Silverio ’80, the Rev. John Cullinane ’51; (front row) Robert T. Baker, Kathleen McCarrick Weiden ’79, Lori Graham’99, and Lisa Toscano ’79, chair of the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, at the induction ceremony in November.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 39

alumni

ALUMNOTES 1951

This year marked HARRY CAHILL’s 20 years at Pepperdine University, where he teaches international management. During most of the year, he works at the State Department, currently in the office of global information systems. He also has served as a consultant/ mentor to the Defense Department since 1999; training Army and Marine units in non-lethal operations ranging from host government relations to economic support projects and warfare. He has worked with Jasper grads in the military, including Major TOM MURTHA ’96, when he was chief of plans for the First Armored Division.

Rita and CHRISTOPHER SWEENEY of Stroudsburg, Pa., were recognized for their commitment to the Northeast Lions Eye Bank, with which they have been associated since 1985.

1952

Ann and JERRY VIER of Grosse Pointe, Mich., will celebrate 55 years of marriage on Aug. 24. They are blessed with five children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

1954

quiet, and to spend more time on his passion — woodworking.

1957

Bonita Springs, Fla,. resident JAMES CONNORS celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by hosting a dinner for 90 fellow alumni.

1958

THOMAS (RUSS) LAVAN, from Carmel, N.Y., was installed as grand marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Mahopac. He retired from IBM in 1992 after 30 years with the company and serving in many capacities in the United States and abroad.

1959

A letter from FRANK BOHAN recalls his last visit to Manhattan for his 25th reunion, feeling “fortunate to have had the Christian Brothers starting at Good Shepherd School, Manhattan Prep and finally at Manhattan College.” Bohan attended Cornell Medical College and for two years was a major in the Air Force and chief of professional services at Loring AFB. Now retired as a surgeon from the Olean Medical Group, he has been active in community activities. Unfortunately, he writes, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and says, “I am now three years with an incurable disease but have responded to the efforts of my oncologists.” He always likes to hear from those at Manhattan and can be emailed at briard@roadrunner.com.

JOHN J. MCDONNELL is chairman and CEO of Phoenix Managed Networks, a privately held payments company headquartered in Reston, Va. He is an industry pioneer in the innovation of data communication services for processors of retail credit card, debit card and ATM transactions.

A citation from the Massapequa board of trustees honors FRANK FLOOD for his dedicated service as commissioner of the Massapequa water district and for the years since he was first elected to the board. At his retirement last year, he was called one of the village’s most committed public servants.

KENNETH GORMAN’s fourth novel, Compelled, is now an eBook. His fifth manuscript, Patriotic Gamble, is completed, and he is now searching for an agent and publisher.

ANTHONY MCBRIDE has officially retired and closed his family’s funeral home in Adams, Mass. After working at the home, 1960 which had been run by his father and his From the Staten Island Sunday Advance: grandfather, for more than half a century, “Keeping the home fires burning is a way of McBride decided to sell his business. He life for JOHN NIKOLAI, who has made the plans to finally enjoy some peace and presentation of fire, through that ultimate

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symbol of warmth and comfort — the fireplace — his passion for the last 35 years.”

What started as a whim prompted him to create Jealan Fireplaces, Inc., one of the premier installers in the nation. For his attention to excellence, he was selected as the recipient in the Established Category of the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award.

1961

ROLAND EMMANUELE of Newburgh, N.Y., has been named president of the Ninth District Dental Association. Among his other posts, he served as captain in the Navy Dental Corps and as a colonel in the New York Air Guard. He also is a member of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Military Officer’s Association.

From Charlotte, N.C., JOHN RUECKEL writes that he is still retired, though he serves on the board of directors of his homeowners association and runs a job support group sponsored by his parish. He is still married to his high school sweetheart — 52 years and counting — and has five children, nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

1962

JACK KENNEDY ran for the selectman seat in his hometown of Franconia, N.H., but did not secure the position. Now retired, he has been living in Franconia for the last three years and has developed a love for skiing and golfing during that time.

JIM STRECANSKY serves on Florida’s Bonita Springs utilities board of directors.

PATRICK TORTORA and wife, Vivian, have begun a nonprofit foundation to serve children in Haiti. They first visited the country in 1981 and have been returning ever since, working for nonprofit and human rights organizations. Living there during the earthquake in January 2010, they collected funds to help the poor and decided to become a public charity, now named the KareDrew Haitian Children’s Foundation. The website is www.

KareDrewhaitianfoundation.org.

Charles H. Thornton ’61, Ph.D., P.E., chairman/ founder of ACE and founding principal of Thornton Tomasetti (center), was honored on Dec. 12 with the White House’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

Photo by National Science Foundation

An ACE in the White House Charles H. Thornton ’61, Ph.D., P.E., a prominent structural engineer, is changing the lives of disadvantaged high school students around the country with the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of America. The program, which Thornton started in 1995 in collaboration with Manhattan College’s school of engineering, encourages industry experts and college and university professionals to advise prospective college students on their own personal career experiences.

With more than 100,000 high school students in 40 states and 200 cities being guided and trained as a result of the ACE program, the program’s success was honored on Dec. 12 with the White House’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

The ACE Mentor Program received the presidential award during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. All recipients of the award were recognized for mentoring students studying science and engineering, especially in underrepresented areas.

Each recipient received $25,000 from the National Science Foundation to advance mentoring efforts.

As chairman and founder of the ACE program, Thornton has helped to facilitate more than $12.8 million in scholarships.

His own career as an engineer and industry leader began after graduating from the College with a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s and doctorate degrees from New York University. Teaming up with Richard Tomasetti ’63, they established Thornton Tomasetti, an engineering firm, which has constructed and designed projects around the world. He served as co-chairman of the firm until 2004.

1963

DAVID DANAHAR, Ph.D., a retired college president from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Mich., was appointed executive director of the Finger Lakes Boating Museum. He has held positions of administrative leadership at several institutions of higher education, including Southwest Minnesota State, Loyola University Maryland, Fairfield University and the State University of New York.

New York City Police Commissioner RAYMOND KELLY has been inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame.

JOHN MCGUIRK, New York State Supreme Court justice, will be retiring after 12 years of service on the Supreme Court. Before working on the Supreme Court, McGuirk was a family court judge for four years and a Cornwall town justice for 20 years.

JOHN YAMAMOTO is chairman of Pemco Ltd. He was recipient of Pacific Edge Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and recognized for his continued industry leadership and steadfast commitment to the Hawaiian business community.

1964

RUSSELL BESSETTE, M.D., former associate vice president for health at the University of Buffalo, has joined the University of Louisville as associate vice president for health affairs. A graduate from both the University of Buffalo’s Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine, he joined the faculty in 1989. He is trained in general and plastic and reconstructive surgery and has published articles and surgical textbook chapters on those subjects.

Glastonbury, Conn., Police Chief THOMAS SWEENEY retired in January after 12 years of service as chief and 50 years in law enforcement. Under his direction, the department attained one of the nation’s longest streaks of accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

1965

Dr. JAMES QUIGLEY was profiled in the Irish Voice last December. He is a professor in the cell biology department at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and an adjunct professor of pathology at the University of California, San Diego. He has been a speaker at Trinity College in Dublin and the Irish Cancer Society in Galway. Also a member of the Irish Cultural Society of Manhattan College, Quigley is married with two children.

1967

RICHARD COURAGE sends news of his recently published book, The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932-1950, co-authored by Robert Bone and published by Rutgers University Press.

1968

PADRAIC “PAT” MULVIHILL resides with wife, Mati, at the Deerwood Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. He is partner in the AXIOUN Group and provides project finance and strategic planning services internationally. He is also chair of the disaster relief committee of Rotary International of District 6970 and co-chair of the Aerospace Technology Center Academy.

1969

BILL BOSS of Greenwood Lake, N.Y., was the grand marshal of the 2012 Mid-Hudson St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He retired from the New York City Board of Education in 2007 after 38 years as teacher, supervisor and administrator. He and wife, Barbara, have four children and two grandchildren.

1970

On Nov. 18, BILL OTIVICH was honored by the O’Hara Foundation at its annual student-faculty basketball game, held at Irvington High School, for his contributions to the village of Irvington.

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1971

PATRICK MCCARTHY became president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Foundation focuses on helping at-risk children and families by providing child welfare services in New England and Baltimore.

SISTER MARY EILEEN O’BRIEN is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt and president of Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y. Congressman BILL OWENS (D-Plattsburgh), who was chosen to represent New York’s 23rd Congressional District in November of 2009, is running for re-election this November. Early in his career, after graduating from law school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a captain at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. After completing his service, he decided to stay upstate, where he built a successful law practice.

The College’s department of physical education and human performance awarded a 27th Annual Distinguished Service Award to ANTHONY SERVEDIO. THOMAS ROMESSER was recently selected for a three-year term on the prestigious National Research Council’s Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable. The organization supports NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and brings together the top representatives from industry and research to define and explore critical issues related to NASA’s aeronautics research agenda.

1972

Army National Guard Brigadier General PAUL GENEREUX ended nearly four decades of uniformed service in January. A retirement ceremony was held at West Point. His most recent assignment was assistant adjutant general for the New York National Guard, during which time he sought to reintegrate returning veterans to ensure a safe transition to civilian life.

The College’s department of physical education and human performance awarded a 27th Annual Distinguished Service Award to TERRENCE RYAN. JAMES WILSON is now senior vice president 42 N SPRING 2012

of Fidelity’s Devonshire international division in London, UK.

1973

Since 1998, JOHN FAHEY JR. has served as CEO and president of the National Geographic Society. In a recent address, he shared his views about the future of print publications and what National Geographic is doing to address the constant technological advancements.

1974

CARLO CALVI ran as the Independent candidate for mayor of Yonkers, N.Y., against John Murtagh and Mike Spano. He did not secure the position.

THOMAS MORAN has been president and CEO of Mutual of America since 1994. He serves on numerous boards and is the recipient of the Commissioner’s Award by the New York City Police Foundation and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In April, he was honored again with his induction into the Irish America Hall of Fame. True to his Irish roots, he serves on the Irish Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Board and the Irish Chamber of Commerce in the United States.

He and his wife, Joan, reside in New York City.

1975

TOM DRISCOLL has accepted a position with RockTenn as senior marketing manager with its graphic and packaging services group.

He serves as one of the Central New York alumni contacts for the Alumni Society and lives in Cazenovia, N.Y. JIM LAURIA is vice president of marketing for a manufacturer of clean technology water filtration systems for municipal, industrial, agricultural and commercial applications.

1976

ROBERT DENNISON retired in June as chief engineer with the New York State Department of Transportation after 36 years in government service. He has taken a position with VHB Engineering, a civil engineering firm in Watertown, Mass.

In July, WAYNE DUMONT will be climbing Mt.

Washington in the Seek the Peak hike-a-thon.

JOSEPH GREELEY, P.E., has joined McKim & Creed’s Sarasota office as project director.

He brings more than 35 years of experience in environmental design, water and wastewater facilities, and process design.

ELIZABETH STAGG ran as the Republican candidate for the council of Oakland, N.J. She was successfully elected to the position.

1977

After more than 33 years of service to Verizon, WILLIAM ALLAN, president of Verizon Delaware, will retire. Allan is also the vice chair of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the Christiana Care Health System Visiting Nurse Association, the Delaware Business Roundtable and the Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies.

STEPHEN GOBBO of Lansing, Mich., was sworn in as the chair of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly, the final policy-making body of the State Bar. In addition to his legal career, he has been active in community service as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and works on behalf of indigent clients.

The Linley Group announced that electronics industry expert KEVIN KREWELL has joined the company as senior analyst. He has more than 25 years of experience in the processor market and will become a key contributor to the industry’s leading processor newsletter. With 10 years of experience in product design, his projects ranged from graphics displays to shipboard radar systems, and hardware and software design.

HERBERT LITTS III ran for a position on the town board in Lloyd, N.Y. The Republican candidate successfully secured a position on the board.

1978

THOMAS CURRY, Esq., was named by President Barack Obama as the new comptroller of the currency, a position in which he will serve as the chief bank regulator and fiscal watchdog for the banking industry.

Greg Petry ’78, executive director of the Waukegan Park District in Illinois, received a distinguished service award for his work in parks and recreation.

Parks and Recreation Greg Petry ’78, executive director of the Waukegan Park District, has found a profession of which he can be proud.

Working in park districts for much of his career, Petry’s service has gone far from unnoticed.

On Jan. 30, at the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) awards banquet, Petry received the Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award. To earn this award, recipients must create an awareness of the importance of parks and recreation within the community, as well as have their efforts hold lasting value.

More than 30 years of Petry’s life has been spent working in the field of parks and recreation. Having graduated from Manhattan College with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he went on to get his master’s in parks and recreation from Pennsylvania State University in 1981.

His previous positions, including assistant director of the Mundelein Park District and superintendent of parks, has prepared him for his fitting position as executive director of 47 park sites, totaling 720.5 acres

1979

THOMAS SCARANGELLO was featured in an article in Structural Engineer. The magazine writes, “As if through serendipity, Thomas Z. Scarangello discovered the allure of engineering early in life. Not only did the young boy know what he wanted to do, but he found a place where leadership allowed him not only to pursue his passion without barriers, but also rise to the top. It’s been a career-long devotion. Now, in his role as chairman and CEO, he has led Thornton Tomasetti, an international building engineering and technology firm, in developing and

of land in the Waukegan Park District.

Under Petry’s leadership, the park district has received many awards, including first place IPRA Outstanding Facilities and Parks Award for Bedrosian Park in 2010 and first place Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) & Arts Alliance Illinois Arts in the Park Award in 2011.

Along with being fully committed to his district, Petry is also devoted to organizations such as the National Recreation and Park Association, IAPD and Midwest Institute of Park Executives. “[Petry] is a role model for other professionals,” his nomination letter lauded. “He serves a district with many challenges, all the while providing excellent service and outstanding facilities, as well as addressing community needs and all community demographics.”

Finding his own calling, Petry can only hope others are as lucky as he is.

“My only wish in life is that people find what they were wired for and follow their passion,” Petry says. “I am so fortunate to have found my way in a great profession.”

implementing transformative methodologies for how projects are created, visualized and delivered.” Scarangello credits his Manhattan professor, Nicholas Morris, for “opening my eyes to the knowledge I had gained and how it was applicable in my work.”

1980

MARK PFAFF is the executive vice president of New York Life’s vaunted career agency force in which he oversees 12,000 career agents. The system is considered the company’s most important market differentiator, with agents serving clients in cities and towns across America.

Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino has appointed JAY PISCO as commissioner of the Department of Public Works and Transportation, citing his “deep background managing both the design and construction of projects, which will be a tremendous asset in evaluating and overseeing the county’s infrastructure.”

JOSEPH WALSH has been re-elected to serve on the board of governors for the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. He has been an active member of the board since 2006.

Walsh currently works for Cohen and Wolf, P.C. and is chair of its personal injury group.

1981

With an M.S. in chemical engineering from Manhattan, ROBERT D’ALESSANDRO is working as director of process engineering at Evonik Degussa Corporation.

ANTHONY ENEA, specializing in elder law, has received several recognitions this year.

Super Lawyers magazine, a publication of Thomson Reuters, named him Super Lawyer of the Year, and he was also included in Best Lawyers in America for 2012.

GEORGE PAPPAS has more than 30 years of engineering experience, most recently as leader of design and construction inspection teams responsible for rehabilitations of major bridge structures throughout the New York and New Jersey regions, including the Tappan Zee Bridge, Whitestone Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Queensboro Bridge.

ROBERT ROGERS writes, “Thirty years after I graduated, I am still involved with soccer as a youth referee. I enjoyed playing in the alumni game at Gaelic Park and a month later being able to see the players who scored goals past me play in the MAAC Championship on ESPN3.” Rogers is an associate information officer with a major financial services firm. He and wife, Mary Pat (nee Walsh CMSV ’82), have three children, Katie (19), Kevin (17) and Kerry Anne (14).

ALAN ZALE, former photo editor of The Quadrangle, had the cover of The New York Times Sunday Magazine on January 15 with a picture that he shot more than 30 years ago, taken during the 1981 Brinks robbery. That MANHATTAN.EDU N 43

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Independent and Conservative candidate for the position as supervisor of the town of Warwick, N.Y. He secured the position.

1984

Jasper Bookshelf Douglas Nicholas ’64, an award-winning poet, has published his first novel, Something Red. Taking place during the 13th century, this fantasy depicts the journey of an Irish family during the coldest winters in northwest England. Nicholas has previously published three collections of poetry, Iron Rose, a set of poems inspired by New York City, The Old Language, a compilation of poems reflecting the companionship of both humans and animals, and The Rescue Artist, a collection of poems dedicated to his wife and to their love during a 45-year marriage.

Flirting With Disaster, a first novel for Janet Kleinman ’76, is a romance-thriller that jumps from earthquake-devastated Haiti to tropical Florida. In this suspense-filled novel, Gloria, in the heroine role, looks to love and be loved. Contending for her attention, three handsome men attempt to weave their way into her life through a tumultuous traveling plot. Having graduated from Brooklyn College and received her Master of Arts from Manhattan College, Kleinman spent much of her career as a teacher while also writing for Fortune 500 companies. Some of the pieces she has written appeared in Writer’s Digest, The South Florida Times and Lifestyles.

Henry Petroski ’63, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and History at Duke University, published his 17th book, To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure.

The book discusses the past and present failures of design in conjunction with cultural and socioeconomic constraints. Petroski explores these engineering accomplishments and failures through case studies, including collapsed bridges, oilrigs, space shuttles and apartment buildings. Beyond his published books, such as The Essential Engineer and Success Through Failure, Petroski has written more than 75 referred journal articles that have appeared in the International Journal of Fracture, Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Journal of Applied Mechanics, and Structural Safety.

was his break with the Times, where he has spent most of his photojournalism career as a freelancer and temporary staff photographer. He was recently commissioned by the Drug Enforcement Administration to create a custom action image of current DEA operations. The life size photo was installed as part of a permanent museum display at its headquarters in Arlington, Va.

1982

JAMES J. DIXON has been named chief legal counsel for Con Edison Development, which develops renewable and energy infra-

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structure assets, and Con Edison Energy, a wholesale energy company. In this capacity, he will oversee the legal services for both these companies.

PIA RIVERSO is a partner in Rivkin Radler LLP’s litigation and appeals, insurance coverage and litigation, and intellectual property practice groups. For more than 25 years, she has litigated complex civil matters, including commercial and bankruptcy litigations, intellectual property and construction disputes, and all aspects of insurance defense work.

MICHAEL SWEETON ran as the Republican,

CHRISTOPHER CAREY ran as the Republican, Conservative and Independent candidate for Rockland County, N.Y., legislature, district 9.

He did not secure the position.

The CB Richard Ellis Group has named DAVID GIALANELLA, executive vice president, brokerage, as head of the New Jersey management team.

MICHAEL MCGOVERN has been named head of debt capital markets by the PrinceRidge Group LLC. He brings more than 25 years of investment banking and debt capital markets experience to the position, and will work to help expand PrinceRidge’s banking and placement efforts.

G. RAY NAMI, a resident of Long Island, was a candidate for Hicksville fire commissioner, citing that his 30 years of experience in architecture, construction, procurement and administrative roles in the private and public sector would make him an asset to the residents of the district. He did not secure the position.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano has appointed WILLIAM SCHNEIDER as housing and building commissioner. Spano writes, “He has dedicated his life to public sector engineering and building regulation… and has been involved in every aspect of dealing with construction in the city.”

MetLife has named JOHN VAZQUEZ vice president of vendor sourcing and corporate services, as well as chief procurement officer. An expert in building vendor relations, he has extensive experience in contract, leasing and sourcing negotiations with major global firms.

Entergy Nuclear has named JOHN VENTOSA site vice president at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y. He will be the top official at the plant, responsible for its overall management.

1985

WILLIAM BARRON has joined KPMG LLP’s

international executive services practice as a managing director in its Short Hills, N.J., section.

GERI GREGOR is partner-in-charge of Grassi & Company’s consulting practice and is leader of the firm’s construction industry practice area. She was the first woman partner of the firm.

The Orangetown, N.Y., town board has named JOSEPH MORAN as the new commissioner of the Department of Environmental Management and Engineering.

1986

MICHAEL BRESLIN of Belle Harbor was named executive vice president of administration and finance at Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, Staten Island. He previously held leading financial positions at Ernst & Young and at Lenox Hill Hospital.

JOHN BUTLER, a former Genzyme executive, now leads a startup, Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals, which is devoted to developing treatments for hemophilia. The company, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., sent its first drug candidate to European regulators and will submit it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2012.

PETER PRYGOCKI ran for a seat on the town council of Cotuit, Conn., but did not secure a position.

1987

NICOLA PEILL-MOELTER is director of environmental sustainability at Akamai Technologies, where she oversees the strategy and execution of environmental initiatives across the company. Her impressive credentials include a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Caltech and an executive certificate in sustainable management from the Presidio Graduate School. She also holds a U.S. patent and has an interest in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.

1988

LAURA MARTORELLO received Manhattan College’s department of physical education and human performance’s 27th Annual Dis-

tinguished Service Award in February.

1989

CHARLENE FAISON, manager of nuclear licensing for Entergy, has been selected one of 25 Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal, a Westchester County business magazine.

The Long Island Water Conference (LIWC) has elected FRANK KOCH as its new chairman. He has been active in the LIWC for more than a dozen years and is the superintendent of water and sewer services for the village of Garden City. Koch calls Long Island’s water its “second most important resource after our people.”

1990

In December, KEITH ROBERTS joined the New Jersey law firm of Brach Eichler as a member of its healthcare practice group. His practice focuses in the areas of healthcare law, complex insurance litigation, personal injury protection and arbitration.

DENNIS ROMERO has been appointed regional administrator of the substance abuse and mental health services administration, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. He was formerly acting director of the administration’s Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse.

1991

JONSCOTT TURCO spoke and conducted workshops for soon-to-be graduates of several M.B.A. and undergraduate university programs throughout New York City. He aims to enhance their preparedness as they near graduation and “help them navigate through the arduous and confusing world they encounter as they plan their graduation, networking and negotiating strategies.”

1992

JIM MCALISTER ran for a position on the town council of Wethersfield, Conn., as the Republican incumbent candidate. He secured the position.

BRUCE WALKER has assumed the rank of deputy county executive for Putnam

County, N.Y., under the new MaryEllen Odell administration.

1993

THOMAS GRECH has been appointed to the board of directors of the Nassau Land Trust, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting open space in Nassau County. He currently serves as a managing director of JJT Energy in Rockville Centre.

SALLY CUMMINGS, a Rockland County resident, was named to the Cresskill Board of Education this year.

1994

K2 Global Consulting has named THOMAS BOCK as a managing director based in New York. He has more than 18 years of experience serving the financial services industry in the areas of anti-money laundering, regulatory compliance, fraud investigations and risk management.

At age 38, TONY CANALE became the youngest senior associate in the history of Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers in New York City. He has collaborated with foundation contractors on improvements in pile design and with structural engineers on the design of two New York buildings. He is also adjunct professor at Manhattan College and was a guest lecturer at Columbia, New York and Lehigh universities.

FRANK MUSCARELLA has been with WSP Flack & Kurtz for 17 years, all in the design of mechanical systems for a wide range of project types. Newly promoted to senior vice president of the company, he has worked on many notable projects, including the headquarters of Goldman Sachs and The New York Times.

1997

As pastor of Sacred Heart Church in the Bronx, Rev. JOSEPH FRANCO presides over a 1,800-member parish, where he oversees the daily maintenance of the 100-year-old church, rectory, convent and school. Now, he has been called upon to serve as chairman of the board for the new Northwest/ South Bronx region and oversee an ongoing MANHATTAN.EDU N 45

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reorganization of 27 borough schools.

Atlanta-based Document Technologies, an independent provider of facilities and discovery management services, has promoted JAMES GEORGETTI to managing partner for the company’s New York facilities. He will be responsible for oversight of the company’s sales, consulting and operations teams.

MICHAEL TESORO was promoted to managing director of GEN II Fund Services, an independent private equity fund administrator.

1998

EDWARD PFLEGING ran for the Oradell, N.J., borough council election and was successful in securing a position.

1999

DANIEL SCOTT practices trusts and estates and tax law in Chadbourne & Parke’s New York office. His practice focuses on domestic and international estate, tax and wealth planning for high net worth individuals and their families and businesses. He also counsels international clients on cross-border planning, pre-immigration tax planning and other issues.

2004

IGINO D’IPPOLITO was engaged to Melissa Scappatura, and the couple is planning a spring 2013 wedding. He is a project engineer with Granite Construction Northeast.

AMY MCGRATH and Carsten Klein have announced their engagement. McGrath is an accounting supervisor for Ogilvy Common Health Worldwide. A June 2012 wedding is being planned.

2005

MARINA YSAAC and PHILIP AMMIRATO ’07 were married last June at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, R.I. She is a senior strategist at the brand strategy and innovation consultancy Redscout. He is a vice president at the environmental commodities firm Evolution Markets. The couple resides in Manhattan.

2006

An article in the Irish Echo’s 40 under 40 features a profile of JENNIFER FRANKOLA, who practices law at Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles in New York. She is a first-generation American and native New Yorker, the story says.

GARY GENTLES and ADENIYI OMisORE ’04 both ran track at Manhattan. There they became fast friends and realized they both had a passion in common: IT and Web design.

They also had a passion for R&B music, a genre that had very few sites available. Partnering to form the MusicLife Entertainment Group, they founded Singersroom.com in 2006 to fill that void.

DEREK DECINTIO and DEVON LODGE have announced their engagement. DeCintio is employed at Granite Construction as a civil engineer, and Lodge is working as a clinical researcher.

KATHLEEN GOLDRICK was engaged to Joseph Belfiglio, and they will be married in September.

A note from JOSEPH ZAMBITO sends news that he was named one of the Top 20 Engineers in New Y0rk under 40 Years Old by Engineering News Record. His feature in the February 2012 edition of the magazine cited his work as project engineer for AECOM Energy in New York, and his work on Housing Authority programs that improve the quality of life for thousands of the city’s underserved residents. In addition, he is a mentor for Engineers Without Borders and works on agriculture and clean water projects in Africa, and a mentor to the next generation of Manhattan College engineers.

2003

2007

2002

Alison Major and JASON CORDARO were recently engaged. He works as branch sales manager and assistant vice president at a local bank.

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ALLAN NAPOLITANO ran as a candidate for the Harrington Park, N.J., council. He successfully secured a position on the council.

BIRTHS Michelle Baselice ’96 & Jeff Mitrione Daughters, Alexa & Jessica MARRIAGES

1999

Jennifer bechtel & brian parmelee 9/17/11

2003

Jennifer O’Hare & Paul Panico 7/31/11

2004

Paula Cea & Domenico DeVito 4/28/12

2005

Marina Ysaac & Philip Ammirato ’07 6/11 ADVANCED DEGREES PAUL PANICO ’03 has completed a master’s in business administration in financial management from Pace University.

2010

MICHAEL CATALANO and Tina Torricelli have announced their engagement. Catalano is currently employed as an administrative assistant at Con Edison. A March 2013 wedding is being planned.

BRENDAN MCHUGH has left the Riverdale Review and started a job at CBS Radio.

IF YOU HAVE ANY NEWS TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND IT TO ALUMNOTES@ MANHATTAN.EDU or go to manhattan.edu/alumnotes.

Prantik Kundu ’07 is working to improve MRI scans while part of the National Institute of Health-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program at Cambridge University.

Cambridge Calling

I

t just wasn’t working out at Carnegie Mellon University, so Prantik Kundu ’07 returned home after his freshman year. He moved in with his parents in Queens, while he tried to figure out his next move — he wanted something different.

Kundu decided to go to Manhattan College, the same school his father, Ranjit Kundu ’80, attended.

“I just wanted a place that had a tight-knit community,” says Kundu, who graduated with a B.S. in chemistry. “And my dad suggested Manhattan.”

Kundu spent much of his time as a student at Manhattan as a research scientist. Today, he is in his third year at the National Institute of Health (NIH)-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. The program, as he explains, is an accelerated, individualized doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to biomedical research careers.

It is based on the British system in which students perform doctoral research without required formal courses other than those that students take in relationship to their interests. Those selected for admission to the program have already developed a sophisticated scientific background by having engaged in research as undergraduates.

While in the program, students undertake a collaborative Ph.D. project in any area of biomedical investigation with two research mentors: one at the National Institute of Health intramural campus in Bethesda, Md. (where Kundu spent his first two years) and one at either Oxford or Cambridge universities (where he will spend his next two years).

Kundu decided to earn his Ph.D. from Cambridge and says that the university’s prestigious alumni, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, made his decision easier.

Even though the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program is fairly new, Kundu experienced a similar program while still at Manhattan in 2006. At the urging of his chemistry professor, Joseph Capitani, Ph.D., Kundu

participated in a program at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

At the completion of the program, he ranked first place out of the 200 student researchers.

“Manhattan and the professors were just super encouraging,” Kundu says. “They sent me to conferences and allowed me to get all this experience, and that’s really helped with [the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge] program.”

It’s a scholars program where Kundu routinely talks science with graduates of MIT, Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

“It was definitely a little weird in the beginning,” he says of starting in the NIH-OxfordCambridge Scholars Program.

Not coming from a traditional research school, Kundu was a little intimidated at first, but he soon realized that his time at Manhattan was more than enough to prepare him for the challenge.

“I didn’t feel like I was the classical student, but when I was at Manhattan, they gave me a chance to be creative,” he says. “They gave me enough access to make things happen, but it’s small enough where they will give you the attention you need.”

That attention and freedom was apparent early on to him.

Kundu, along with faculty and student support, began the Manhattan College HighPerformance Computer Initiative, a grant proposal to obtain high-performance computers for Manhattan.

“It’s a big processing system,” Kundu says of the computers. “It’s able to do real hard, computational math. That was a resource that wasn’t available for student use at the time. But Manhattan supported me and gave me an opportunity to pursue something I thought we needed.”

Kundu’s current project is a little bigger.

After spending his past two years in Bethesda at the National Institute of Health, Kundu, along with his fellow researchers, are nearing completion of an important change to the MRI system.

“We submitted a paper about the change, and we really think this could be a groundbreaking method,” he says.

According to Kundu, when an MRI scans a person’s brain, the patient needs to react or move in order for doctors to map out the different parts of the brain. However, with this new breakthrough, he says that within 10 minutes of having an MRI, this method automatically maps out a person’s brain without needing the patient to do specific tasks.

“If a person is unconscious or paralyzed, we’d still be able to map out their brain,” Kundu says. “This is something that’s important to neurosurgery because a surgeon needs to know how a person’s brain operates.”

Now that Kundu has headed to England to complete his Ph.D. program, he will finalize his MRI method. But while his first two years in this prestigious program have been a great learning experience, it’s those Manhattan professors that he credits for his success.

“I had really educated professors [at Carnegie Mellon], and I didn’t think I’d find people like that anywhere else,” he says. “Then I came to Manhattan, and there are some really, really smart people at this small liberal arts school.

“And they were more than willing to help out an eager student and give me the attention I needed. I don’t think I would have gotten that anywhere else. I know I wouldn’t be where I am without going to Manhattan.”

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Engineering Grad Shoots for the Stars

T

ernment pay scale,” she says, explaining that hree years ago, Annie Caraccio ’09 the co-op program is one of the only chan(B.S.) ’10 (M.S.) packed up and drove nels through which NASA hires its employees. her beat-up 1995 Mercury Cougar 1,000 miles from New York to Florida with her “They are investing in you for the future.”

With that investment comes a great deal of sights set on the skies. responsibility, Caraccio explains. Along with As her fellow graduates celebrated the a load of terminology and systems to learn, arrival of summer, Caraccio put her chemical each participant is given a predetermined engineering degree into immediate action project to work on under the guidance of a at NASA’s highly competitive co-op program mentor throughout the course of the tour. based at Kennedy Space Center.

One of Caraccio’s lab projects on self-heal“To me, the NASA sign, the NASA logo was ing systems for wiring insulation garnered untouchable, and something that always had the attention of others at NASA and was me in awe,” she remembers from her first trip submitted for patenting. to the Space Center at age 5.

After completing three mandatory co-op Although intimidated, Caraccio cast her tours and earning a master’s from Manhatdoubts aside during her senior year at Mantan College, Caraccio made her last trip to hattan and approached the NASA booth at a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) career fair. Florida and came onboard with NASA full time in February 2011 as a chemical engineer.

Refusing to let the opportunity slip away, she She now works in the engineering directorapplied for the co-op and remained persisate on two distinct projects. The first project tent in following-up. focuses on recycling efforts for deep space The reward was unexpected. Caraccio missions, while the second focuses on fiber received not one, but two offers for co-op composite development and repair for lightpositions at Kennedy Space Center. With the weight primary space vehicle structures. decision in her hands, she chose the research During the first six months, she worked and technology development department, her way through an intense accelerated kick- starting her dream job the summer between graduating and starting her acceler- training program; learning safety requirements, shadowing personnel at the Space ated master’s degree at Manhattan.

“You’re not just a summer intern getting an Center, and taking on an important project.

This project played a leading role in researchhourly pay. You are a civil servant on the gov-

ing lightweight composite materials for an aerodynamic shield that could protect rockets thermally and save the space program a tremendous amount of money and fuel.

“Everything we do hits back home on Earth in a positive way. We have so much good technology that comes out of study for space,” Caraccio says.

In the wake of all her success, Caraccio still kept Riverdale on her radar.

In need of a special computer-modeling program called HYSYS, she recently contacted Manhattan’s chemical engineering department for help on a new project involving deep space waste management.

The blossoming partnership has been well received on both sides — with five students doing hands-on research for a tangible, high-profile project, and NASA receiving real results on an important issue.

“Hopefully at Manhattan, it is the beginning of a long relationship with NASA,” she says.

“There has been a big push in our agency to bring in people from smaller schools. Diversity creates innovation, and that is what NASA is.”

Being proactive within the organization has continued to open doors for Caraccio.

She was recently one of only about 40 people accepted into NASA’s Foundation of Influence, Relationship, Success and Teamwork, an agency-wide leadership development program geared toward young professionals.

And she already is a role model outside of NASA, co-leading a middle school Cadet Girl Scout troop, and volunteering as a member of SWE and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronauts.

Three years after her first trip to Florida, Caraccio still has her eyes on the skies. She plans to answer the national call for astronauts in the next year or two, and says she will continue to apply for the chance to go into space well into her career. She also hopes to obtain her Ph.D. and teach at the high school or college level after a long career with NASA. “Every morning I wake up and think, I get to go to work today, and I get to do this,” she says.

“It is such an opportunity for me.”

Annie Caraccio ’09 on the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in July 2011, as the orbiter Atlantis is towed in to the processing facility.

4 N fall 2010

Emilio Emini ’75, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research at Pfizer, Inc., is passionate about developing vaccines.

Photo by Nathaniel Welch/Redux

W

Alumnus is Saving Lives One Drug and Vaccine at a Time

hen Emilio Emini ’75, Ph.D., first started his freshman year at Manhattan College, he was anticipating a future career as a high school science teacher.

A few semesters later, his strong interest in science research led to a change of majors (from education to biology) for this alumnus who would one day help transform the lives of many by developing lifesaving drugs and vaccines.

During his senior year at Manhattan, Emini was accepted into a National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellowship. After graduation, with his fascination in medical microbiology, he headed to Cornell University’s Graduate School of Medical Sciences to pursue a doctorate degree with his tuition, laboratory and living expenses supported by the fellowship. It was at Cornell that Emini was first exposed to the wonders of molecular biology, a technology in its infancy at the time.

Motivated by his experiences at Cornell and armed with his doctorate, Emini had the opportunity in 1980 to join the laboratory of Professor Eckard Wimmer, a well-known and respected virologist studying polioviruses at Stonybrook University.

“The early 1980s were a unique time in biomedical research because that was the time that ultimately became known as when the molecular biology revolution got started,” Emini adds. “The concept of cloning, making genetic alterations, the availability of monoclonal antibodies — all of those things really came to the forefront in the late ’70s and early 1980s.”

After spending three years studying the molecular basis of the polio vaccine, a new head of research at The Merck Research Laboratories, part of Merck & Co., hired Emini as an entry-level scientist. The new head had a vision for Merck to build out the vaccine research base by bringing in young research scientists who had newly acquired molecular biology experience.

Little did Emini know, he would spend the next 22 years of his career making history with Merck starting with the projects focused on the development of novel vaccines, including a vaccine for Hepatitis B, the first vaccine produced entirely through molecular techniques.

With the eruption of AIDS and HIV in the 1980s, Merck decided to use its research capabilities to combat the horrible epidemic, and Emini was at the forefront of this exploration.

“I started working on HIV back in 1988 both in vaccines and in the

anti-viral therapeutic area. As time progressed, I increased my focus in the anti-viral therapeutic area,” Emini says. He spent the next eight to nine years working on the development of HIV chemotherapeutic agents and facilitated the development of some of the first drugs to treat HIV, including Indinavir and Efavirenz. Emini also was involved in the development of the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy concept.

He was promoted to head of vaccine research in 1996 at Merck and spent the next eight years leading a research department that developed a number of vaccines, including vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus and rotavirus infections.

In 2004, Emini left the pharmaceutical industry and took a position with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a global not-for-profit organization. “I essentially wanted to see what the outside world was like,” he says.

Emini enjoyed his experience with the organization but a chance to lead vaccine research and development at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals crossed his desk in late 2005, and he jumped at the chance. The development of vaccines is Emini’s passion, and he was given the opportunity to join an expanding venture to develop a second-generation version of Wyeth’s Prevnar vaccine, which prevents pneumonia.

Seven years later, Emini has accomplished a great deal as senior vice president and chief scientific officer of vaccine research at Pfizer, Inc., which acquired Wyeth a couple of years ago.

Prevnar 13 was approved in 2010 for use in infants and young children, and as Emini says, “the impact has already been substantial.”

Recently, Prevnar 13 was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for use in adults aged 50 and older.

In addition to his work with Prevnar 13, Emini’s team has built up Pfizer’s vaccine R&D portfolio. Pfizer is currently in clinical studies with novel vaccines designed to help prevent meningococcal group B disease, as well as staphylococcal infections. Emini’s team is also studying a series of therapeutic vaccine candidates targeted at modifying various human diseases.

With his recent work at Pfizer and past work at Merck, Emini’s 30-year career in the pharmaceutical industry has resulted in the successful development of a number of drugs and vaccines, in many ways thanks to his change in majors while at Manhattan.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 49

obits

INMEMORIAM

Manhattan College records with sorrow the deaths of the following alumni: 1931

1951

Albert S. Commette, 10/20/11

Anthony P. Bertin, 12/9/11 Richard B. Devenuti, 12/8/11 Mario A. Grauso, 11/18/11 Philip P. Hanlon, 3/2/12 Thomas J. Wickman, 12/25/11

1935

Daniel G. Lyons, 2/12/12

1936

William E. Ennis, 2/27/12

1938

Alfred E. DiNapoli Sr., 12/6/11

1940

James J. Aiello, 9/19/11 Rev. Matthew O’Rourke, 3/9/12

1941

Victor G. Hajek, 1/24/12 Thomas F. Nolan Jr., 12/7/11

1942

Edward R. Kerwin, 7/20/09

1943

Eugene F. Mordente, 2/17/12 Edward T. Schneider, 1/31/12

1946

Frank H. Kopp, 12/31/11

1947

James B. Barrett, 12/11/11

1948

Joseph Inguagiato, 12/22/11

1949

Andrew V. DiFiore, 11/28/11 Francis J. Walsh Jr., 2/8/11

1950

Robert G. Baurley, 1/24/12 William T. Harnett, 12/26/11 Robert J. Matsen, 7/1/11 James B. Pollaci Jr., 12/19/11 Sister Ignatia Tice, SCC, 11/10/11

50 N spring 2012

1952

Donald Anthony Arles, 1/19/12 Allen Barkey, 9/24/11 Walter O. DeBellis, 4/24/11 Frank E. LeGere, 6/5/11 James P. Murphy, 11/27/11 Raymond J. Thomas, 10/18/11

1953

Sr. Esther Byrne, 3/12/12 Col. John Crane Conlin, 3/6/12 John Grogan, 3/16/12 James J. Keenan Jr., 3/1/12 Thomas J. Sciurba, 3/22/12

1954

William Mott Albert, 3/10/12 Angelo N. Capobianco, 1/7/12 Pasquale A. Gallo, 6/3/11 Patrick J. Kelly, 2/22/12 William M. Lenahan, 10/4/11

1955

John F. Duffy, 10/21/11 Fr. Jefferson J. Hammer, 3/6/12 John F. Quirk, 1/31/12 Sr. Ellen F. Schwenker, OSF, 11/7/11 Bruce V. Scullion, 12/23/11

1956

Daniel Call, 1/29/12 John W. Carfolite, 10/12/11

Roger J. Evans, 8/24/11 Michael N. Narducci, 12/8/11 Arthur S. O’Keefe, 1/19/12 Ernest Ranalli, 9/29/11

1957

Edward F. Cantow, 3/22/12 Robert A. Gottberg, 12/23/11 Fredrick W. Herman, 11/11/11 John T. Horan, 12/18/11 John A. Mulligan, 10/21/11 George P. Poggi, 1/17/12

1958

Stephen X. Doyle, 2/14/12 John A. Dooley, 10/22/11 John D. Flynn Jr., 10/15/11

1966

Frank J. Gratzer, 10/24/10

1967

Patrick Thomas Flynn, 1/1/12

1968

Sr. Patricia Geoghegan, 2/7/12 David A. Hillman, 1/14/11

1969

James Vulcano Sr., 1/19/12

James Joseph Kane III, 3/8/12 James F. Nestor, 3/25/12

1970

Richard A. Cornish, 10/14/10 Fr. Joseph Kiernan, 12/19/11 Michael J. Reynolds, 1/10/12

1972

1959

1960

Daniel Byrne, 11/25/11 John J. Finn, 12/2/11 Dorothy A. Kuveke, 1/27/12

1961

Donald F. Greene Jr., 3/24/12 Michael J. Thackaberry, 10/3/11

1962

Joseph M. Ballo, M.D., 1/5/12 Anthony V. Cardona, 12/04/11

1963

Michael P. Parker Sr., 10/29/11

1964

John Szeligowski, 2/8/12

Sr. Dorothy Burns, 10/31/11 Sr. Joan Dodge, OP, 1/21/12

Thomas J. Comerford, 9/26/11

1975

Jeanne M. O’Brien, 10/24/11 Warren E. Gordon, 10/19/11

1976

Rev. Peter P. Galdon, 11/9/11 Joseph J. Granata, M.D., 3/4/10

1977

Sr. Jeanne E. Miceli, OP, 10/28/11 James O’Leary, 10/26/11

1981

Paul Joseph Iwanowski, 3/10/12

1982

1965

Maura Walsh Ledrick, 3/25/12

Richard J. Boltman, 3/9/12 Kenneth J. Conrade, 1/27/11

Ava Wilson Dingle, 7/23/11

1999

John Fandel john Fandel, poet, artist and professor emeritus of English and world literature, died on Nov. 15. He was 86.

Fandel began teaching at Manhattan College in 1958 and served 29 years in various roles, including poet-in-residence.

Known at the College for his poems marking special occasions, such as the Sesquicentennial celebration and the inauguration of the two most recent presidents, Fandel was a renowned poet in his own right. He served as poetry ediFandel at Commencement tor at Commonweal magazine from 1963 in 1987. to 1979. Early in his career, he was honored with the Poetry Society of America’s Reynolds Lyric Award (1957). His poetry, including the notable collections Testament and Other Poems (1959) and 5 a.m. and Other Times (1981), have been widely anthologized and published in The Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times and The New Yorker, which published seven poems during the 1970s. He also published numerous pamphlets of verse from small presses; six collections of poetry, with the first collection being published in 1959 and the last being published in the 1990s; and pamphlets and three books on prayer.

MaryAnn O’Donnell, Ph.D., professor emeritus of English and former dean of the school of arts, recalled part of one of his most accessible poems, Students: I used to rewrite their compositions for them; Now in my Twenty-Fifth Year of correcting recieve, I accept their comic wrestling with the verb

And wait on the winner to be. Give them a year, Give them some future. How they parse into senior Sentences! “Remember the day you said in class...”

And I am a goner. What happened to Me-no-talk George?

Intelligence, beautiful as a semi-colon, Transpires. Who is responsible?

The Holy Ghost. It must be, certainly, Spirit Attendant on the Scene: Ghosts of the past Come back through George: I’m rapt in his seance.

Charlie comes through, speaking princely English, Whose syntax was once more original than sin: “Charlie, you have invented a new language.” Charlie Grinned to a B; now, he teaches grammar.

“It captures Manhattan, his love for the College, his love of teaching, and, most particularly, his love for his students,” O’Donnell says. “Every student he has ever taught will see himself or herself in that poem, but everyone who reads it will see John crossing the Quad on his way to class and stopping as he often did to chat with a student.”

June Dwyer, Ph.D., professor emeritus of English and world literature, considered Fandel “a mentor, friend and inspiration.”

Recalling a time as a young professor when she forgot her notes for a class while teaching in Leo Hall, Dwyer says Fandel told her, “It’s good to have that happen; it tests you as a teacher.”

A native of Yonkers, N.Y., Fandel attended Trinity College in Connecticut and was an H.E. Russell Fellow at Yale University. He earned a master’s from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English as a Robert Frost Poetry Scholar. Fandel presented poetry readings at 40 colleges, universities and schools and received numerous awards.

Manfred Wanger manfred Wanger ’61, Ph.D., assistant professor of German and alumnus of Manhattan College, died on Dec. 28. He was 71.

Wanger began and ended his teaching career at Manhattan College. He joined the faculty in 1963 and was instrumental in creating the College’s men’s soccer team, serving as its first coach in 1966. He also taught at Fordham University, the Goethe Institute at New York University and was a longtime member of the Somers High School faculty. At Somers, he developed a German program and was also involved in soccer. Upon his retirement from the school system, Wanger returned to Manhattan as an adjunct until 2003.

He was quite fond of the Brothers and the College, and in return, Wanger was also appreciated by students and faculty alike.

“My memory of Manfred is that of a superb colleague — intelligent, informed, caring and witty — whose passion for teaching inspired his students and stimulated their desire for learning beyond the course content into the fundamental concerns essential to all humanity,” says Joan Cammarata, Ph.D., professor of Spanish.

The former Jasper also earned an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from New York University.

He is survived by his wife, Nonie Wanger, assistant professor of French and Italian and director of the study abroad program at the College. The two were married on campus, where they met.

“He always considered Manhattan his second home,” she says.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 51

4 N FALL 2010

The College’s forecourt serves as the stage for Springfest’s carnival in April, where the main event is a professional westling match.

Josh Cuppek

pa r ting shot

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