MOUNT NEWS

Campus Activities Center Opens

THE CAMPUS ACTIVITIES CENTER, a 5,700 square foot multipurpose student venue with a state-of-the-art video, sound and light system, opened for students at the start of the academic year. The Mount broke ground on the open-design building January 22 and received the building occupancy permit in mid-August shortly before first-year students moved in. The Rev. Martin Moran, chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, blessed the building before a picnic lunch on August 14, employee Opening Day. First-year students were the first undergraduates to use the facility, which hosted several orientation sessions. With the Mount’s enrollment growth over the past three years, and projected future growth, more space was needed on campus for social activities and other large-scale events. The building, funded in part by an anonymous donor, is flexible to accommodate various activities, ranging from hosting guest speakers and weekend social activities such as concerts, karaoke and bingo, to providing space for meetings of student life clubs and organizations. The venue, which has rollup doors that can be opened in warmer weather to a patio area and lawn, is located near Keelty Towers on the southwestern corner of John Walsh Way and Annandale Road. "Designed to help our students become more engaged in campus activities and fully connect with each other, this beautiful new space will help us fulfill our commitment to student success," said President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. "The building is expected to be hopping with activity all year long as students gather and engage with each other.” Centurion Construction Group, LLC, utilized a pre-engineered metal building structure with insulated metal panels to efficiently build this contemporary facility. The building, designed by Marotta/Main Architects, includes an event preparation area, a green room, a disc jockey space and a mezzanine level that overlooks the first floor.

6 months in 3 minutes!

Mount’s Boys High-Performance Academy Rugby Team Excels

THE MOUNT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSIT Y MEN’S RUGBY HIGH-PERFORMANCE ACADEMY (HPA) high school team is living up to its name, winning the Surfside 7s Tournament in July and finishing second with a record of 5-1 in the national High School 7s Rugby Championship at the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championships in early June. Developed last fall by Jay Myles, director of men's rugby at the Mount, the men's rugby HPA offers a unique pathway for high school rugby student-athletes to experience elite-level competition and coaching under the Mount men's rugby banner. It is the second program of its kind in the country. The team, featuring players from five states across the Mid-Atlantic region, competed in several tournaments and held training sessions last fall but only had a brief training session at the High School 7s Championship before beginning competition. Despite the lack of practice time together, the HPA team posted a 3-0 record on the first day of tournament play, with a point differential of 105. On day two the Mount rugby HPA beat Gorilla Rugby 24-5 in the quarterfinals, and Atlantis Rugby 15-0 in the semifinals to advance to Sunday’s final. The final, held in Talen Energy Stadium, saw the HPA team take on defending champion Bishop Shanahan from Philadelphia. In a tough battle, Shanahan held off the Mount rugby HPA 17-12 to retain the championship title. “It was just an incredible opportunity for these young players to showcase their talents at such a professionally run event!” Myles said. The HPA team is coached by Jon Grasso and Mike Williams, C'01. Grasso, a highly respected 7s coach, has coached for Beltway Elite and Stars Rugby. His strategic and developmental expertise provide the technical and fundamental foundation for the program. Williams is a former captain and standout player for the Mount. He came to the HPA program with close ties to the Philadelphia rugby community where he has coached in the high school program of the Media Rugby Football Club. The coaches work to identify potential team members based on talent, work ethic and character. “We are able to have success because we bring in hard-working guys who really care about winning and are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,” said Williams. The Mount rugby HPA team is financially supported by the Mount. Many of the HPA student-athletes have committed to attend the university. “Spending time with our HPA players and families at the CRCs was a great opportunity to see the future of Mount rugby," said Robert Brennan, C'85, a university men's rugby team veteran and the Mount's vice president for university advancement. "The level of play and the confidence of these young men was something I have not seen from high school players in the past. Coach Jay Myles has done an exceptional job of assembling a group of talented players and quickly forging them into a team that not only competes but enjoys the process.” Prior to the CRCs, the HPA team had competed last fall in a local Rugby Pennsylvania Tournament and the New York 7s Tournament, both of which it won. At the Surfside 7s in July, the team defeated rival Bishop Shanahan on the way to the championship. The HPA finished the season with three cup wins and a second place finish in four tournaments. “The Mount rugby HPA has the potential for greatly increasing the rugby skills and knowledge of top-level high school players in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new venture,” said Grasso. The high school team returns to 7s action in November, seeking to repeat as New York 7s champions.

Camp Uncovers Path to College

THE MOUNT COLLEGE EXPERIENCE CAMP, sponsored by Under Armour and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, is changing the lives of middle school students from Rosemont Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. The camp, which will be offered for the third time in 2020, is designed to demystify college for students who may not have considered their futures. Rosemont Principal Dwight T. Wheeler noticed improved grades and sharpened focus in the 2018-19 school year among students who came to the 2018 camp. “They see a pathway to college and know that they need to work hard,” he said. Led by Mount Associate Professor of Sport Management Corinne Farneti, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Human Services Tim Wolfe, Ph.D., and Director of Student and Faculty Engagement and Innovative Curriculum Bill Prudden, the five-night camp mixes academic, athletic and mindfulness activities. Boys participated in nature-based art classes with Professor Elizabeth Holtry, M.F.A., in the art studio and at ThorpeWood in the Catoctin Mountain area; wrote about their experiences; played baseball and basketball with Mount student-athletes and coaches; and did mindfulness exercises with Director of Counseling Services Gerald Rooth, M.S., L.C.P.C. Girls practiced math with Associate Professor of Mathematics Jonelle Hook, Ph.D., and yoga with Assistant Professor of Business Christina Yoder, Ph.D.; engaged in mindfulness exercises and journaling; participated in softball and basketball with Mount student-athletes and coaches; and hiked at ThorpeWood. Both boys and girls ziplined and swam at the PNC Sports Complex. Equipment provided for the camp by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation was donated to Rosemont. The campers also received a backpack and other gear from Under Armour, which also donated substantial financial support for the camp.

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Visit flickr.com/msmu/albums to see more photos from the camp.

Miracle Dog of Mount St. Mary’s

By John Singleton, C'86, MBA'87

AT NINE WEEKS ‘RUBY’ WAS A FETCH-PLAYING, tail wagging ball-of-fire, born to chase waterfowl on the shores of the Severn River. But at 13 weeks the golden retriever puppy began to present alarming symptoms to her owners, Tom and Molly Hall of Arnold, Maryland. “Her hind legs began to fail,” explained Molly. “She went from an exuberant puppy to what looked like a sickly, much-older dog.” The Halls rushed their golden puppy, robbed of stamina and mobility, to the local vet. Documenting the dog’s abnormal neurological function, the doctor could not identify the source of the debility. Further testing by a canine neurologist proved inconclusive. “We thought she had eaten something in the river or caught a tick-born disease,” added Tom Hall. “We tested her for everything but the doctors found nothing.” After the Halls spent thousands of dollars over several weeks, the situation grew desperate. Neighbor Gladys Billups suggested a visit to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mount St. Mary’s. Discovered by Fr. John DuBois in 1805 prior to the founding of the university, the freshwater spring at the grotto is well known for its restorative powers to the Rohri family of Hagerstown from which Billups hails. “The grotto is a holy place,” explained Billups, who grew up visiting the mountain shrine. “Many people have experienced healing under the golden statue of Mary who watches over the mountain. So I figured why not Ruby?” On the 90-minute car ride to Emmitsburg, Ruby was calm. The Halls had owned seven golden retrievers over the course of their marriage, all of whom had enjoyed robust health and long life. While it was difficult to watch Ruby suffer from a debilitating disease, the family noted that the puppy never lost her good humor despite her illness and fatigue. “Before that trip to the grotto, Ruby had never taken a car ride of any length,” said Molly Hall. “And she’d never been on a leash.” For Molly Hall, accompanied by Billups and friend Sue James, the first glimpse in the distance of the “golden lady” on the mountain filled her and her companions with hope. The date was August 15, 2016—the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. The grotto was packed with believers. Left to right: Molly Hall, Ruby, Gladys Billups and Tom Hall

Making a beeline up the grotto trail, the three women waited in line at the freshwater tap next to the fountain pool. Molly filled Ruby’s dog bowl with water, and the golden retriever lapped it up. Then, they climbed the steps to the three larger spigots, where they drenched Ruby in the same mountain water that had quenched so many over the centuries, including Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. “Then we stopped by the gift shop,” said Billups, who is a lifelong Roman Catholic. “We bought a bunch of medals, including Saint Francis, patron saint of animals, Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers, and Saint Peregrine, patron saint of cancer patients.” The ride home was quiet. Ruby’s feathered mane labored with each breath. Arriving in their quiet neighborhood between the Magothy and Severn rivers, Molly Hall popped the hatch and Ruby bounded into the front yard fully mobile and completely healed. All the range of motion had returned to her legs. “The Blessed Mother didn’t wait long to make a miracle,” added Billups. “We were all stunned.” Not taking any chances, the friends pinned the medals of Saint Francis, Saint Christopher and Saint Peregrine to Ruby’s training cage. From that day forward, the now threeyear-old golden retriever has never looked back. “Ruby is 100% healthy,” summarized Tom Hall. “To this day she is a very tenderhearted dog. If you’re sick, Ruby will not leave your side.”

The Halls received special authorization prior to bringing Ruby to the grotto. Please contact the Miller Family Visitor Center at 301-447-5318 regarding permission for your pet's visit.

Seminary Unveils a Coat of Arms

By Donna Klinger

MOUNT ST. MARY’S SEMINARY IS 211 YEARS OLD, but it just now has its first coat of arms, created by Rev. George E. Stuart, J.C.D., vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Washington. The series of events that resulted in the coat of arms began in 2016 with canon and civil lawyers drafting canonical statutes and civil bylaws to bring Mount St. Mary’s Seminary up to date with the Code of Canon Law. The newly drafted seminary governance structure, approved by the Mount St. Mary’s University Board of Trustees in 2018, clarifies that the seminary is distinct from the university but is not separate. Collaboration and consultation between the university and the archdiocese provide a strong operating structure to support the seminary mission. Among the changes to the seminary’s governance is the establishment of the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary Board of Directors. The primary responsibilities of the board are review and approval of the vision, mission and strategic goals of the seminary; review and approval of the human, intellectual, pastoral and spiritual formation program of the seminary as designed to ensure its conformity with the requirements of ecclesiastical law; submission of any changes to the academic program of the seminary to the university for implementation; fulfillment of fiduciary responsibilities in both canon and civil law; and the annual assessment of the performance of the rector in consultation with the university president. Members of the board, comprised primarily of bishops and chaired by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, S’77, are Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge; Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout, S’89; Lincoln Bishop James Conley, S’85; Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington Michael Fisher, S’90; Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer; Hugh Mohler, C’90; William Roohan, C’81; Robert Dondero, C’74; President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D.; and Robert Smith, C’64. The coat of arms, which Stuart volunteered to design, gives the seminary a symbol of its distinct identity while including elements that connect it to both the university and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Stuart developed the arms with “the principle in mind that arma sunt distinguendi causa, a coat of arms exists to identify its owner, as well as the corollary principles that a coat of arms should

be simple, noble and striking,” he said. “The coat of arms will literally symbolize the seminary and bring it to mind whenever it is seen.” Stuart, an expert on heraldic principles, has developed arms and shields for various Catholic organizations. The seminary’s arms is adapted from the arms used by Mount St. Mary’s College and Seminary from the 1960s to the 1980s. While it is a new design for a new time in the seminary’s history, it is recognizably a Mount design. Preserved from the original arms are the blue upper field and three silver crescents (silver is shown as white). The “line dancetty” in the older design gave the impression of mountain tops; in the new design the single peak formed by the chevronshaped division of the field more clearly alludes to “the Mount.” The three crescents, taken from the Seton family coat of arms, mark Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s ties with Mount St. Mary’s from its earliest days. The three crescents also call to mind the Holy Trinity, and the crescent itself is a traditional symbol of the Immaculate Conception, under which title the Blessed Virgin Mary is the patroness of the seminary and of the university. The lower portion of the shield has a field of gold with a “cross bottony” in silver and red. The original design had a lower field of red charged with a castle in silver, on which appeared a cross bottony in red and silver, the last taken from the coat of arms of Maryland. In the new arms, the castle has been removed to allow the cross to fill the lower field and be seen more clearly. The arrangement of colors on the cross has been changed from red and silver to silver and red to differentiate the cross from that on the Maryland arms and flag, and to conform it to the cross on the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The lower field’s background was changed to gold, providing a better contrasting background for the cross. The crest, also preserved from the original design, is a trefoil in gold placed on a torse, or wreath, in blue and white, which are the colors of the seminary and university, and also of the arms of Archbishop Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg, Bishop Simon Gabriel Bruté de Rémur and Bishop John DuBois. They are the colors traditionally associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary (preserved also in the silver crescents on the blue upper field of the shield). The motto is “Ascendite in Montem,” taken from Haggai 1:8: “Go up to the mountain....”

Understandably proud of the new coat of arms, seminary leadership has emblazoned it in a number of places.

Echo Field

Seminary staff members Paula Q. Smaldone and Diane Favret with coat of arms tumblers

Coffee mugs for sale at the Mount's bookstore

Mount 2000 Register Today!

February 7-9, 2020 https://mount2000.squarespace.com Mount 2000 is an opportunity for young men and women to encounter Christ through an immersion into the life of the Church. Led by seminarians from across the United States, those who join us at Mount 2000 are called to grow in Christian discipleship through an engagement with the Tradition of the Church, with scripture, and most especially by way of meeting Christ in the sacraments. United to Christ through the Eucharist and renewed in spirit through Reconciliation, students go forth from Mount 2000 strengthened in holiness and prepared to lead others to Christ under the protection of Mary, our Mother.

Celebrating 20 Years Helping Working Adults Improve Their Careers

During the last two decades, Mount St. Mary’s University has offered adult students and community college students in and around Frederick, Maryland, the opportunity to improve their lives through professional and continuing education. “The Mount, in Frederick, provides a multitude of educational opportunities for the adult learner. We are no longer just an MBA program,” said Jennifer Staiger, Ph.D., associate provost for graduate, continuing and professional education. “We now offer undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate certificate programs like accounting, biotechnology, criminal justice, cybersecurity, data science, education, human services, project management and regulatory science. Our personalized student-centric approach to advising helps students acquire the knowledge and credentials to live lives of significance.” As the Mount looks to the next 20 years and beyond, it will continue to expand on its educational offerings, ensuring that future generations of professionals will have access to relevant, meaningful and impactful educational opportunities that will help drive their careers forward.

FALL 1996 The Mount partners with Frederick Community College to offer weekend college for FCC students to complete their degree in education.

OCTOBER 1, 1999 Offering five-week courses meeting one night per week, the Mount’s Frederick campus opens to its first class of 22 students.

DECEMBER 1, 2000 Cindy DeSirant becomes the Mount’s first graduate from the Frederick campus, earning an accelerated undergraduate degree in business.

MAY 20, 2001 The first class of 10 students from the accelerated adult undergraduate degree program graduate, along with 50 Masters in Business Administration students, 14 Masters in Education students, and 13 weekend college students.

SUMMER 2001 The Mount earns the Distinguished Program Award for its Professional Accelerated Studies programs from the Maryland Association for Higher Education.

FALL 2002 Distance-learning classes begin at the Frederick campus, enabling students at four different locations to experience the same class simultaneously.

SPRING 2003 An accelerated Bachelor of Arts completion program in criminal justice is launched, along with a Master of Arts in teaching program. Additionally, a new facility for the Mount’s Frederick campus opens at 5350 Spectrum Drive, and includes meeting and conference center space to meet the needs of the greater Frederick community.

SPRING 2006 The Frederick campus begins to offer online courses.

SUMMER 2006 A 4+1 year program is created, helping undergraduate accounting majors at the Mount earn an MBA in just one extra year.

FALL 2010 New graduate-level certificate programs are offered in project management and organizational development.

WINTER 2011 In an effort to support our nation’s veterans, the Mount begins providing academic instruction for the Department of Veteran Affairs’ Warriors to Workforce program.

SPRING 2013 The Mount establishes a one-year MBA.

FALL 2013 A new graduate-level certificate program is offered in government contracting.

SPRING 2014 In U.S. News & World Report's inaugural list of "Best Colleges for Veterans," the Mount is ranked fourth in the North Region.

SPRING 2014 Offering opportunities to match the needs of professionals from the expanding 270 technology corridor, the Mount launches a master's degree in biotechnology and management.

AUGUST 2015 The Mount establishes the first, and still only, Master of Science in sport management degree program in the state of Maryland.

APRIL 2018 The Mount and Frederick Community College announce an agreement to provide FCC graduates a tuition reduction for programs at the Mount's Frederick campus. The Mount and AstraZeneca announce an agreement to offer employees a tuition reduction for programs at the Mount's Frederick campus. This partnership program is the first for the Mount in the biotechnology community in the Frederick area.

JULY 2018 An adult undergraduate completion program in accounting is launched, along with a graduate-level certificate in quality assurance and regulatory science.

FALL 2018 The university receives $1 million through the Maryland Department of Commerce's Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative and establishes a partnership with Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

FEBRUARY 2019 The Mount announces agreements with Montgomery College and the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce to provide tuition reduction for programs at the Mount’s Frederick campus.

FALL 2019 Graduate-level certificate programs are added in risk management and cybersecurity as well as data science.

TODAY With more than 20 graduate degree and certificate programs, along with six adult undergraduate degree options, the Mount continues to provide rigorous academic opportunities for working adults to support their career advancement in business, science, education, public services and many other fields.

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Teaching & Service

"Central to any student’s experience in higher education is the quality of classroom teaching, the professional expertise of faculty and the learning shared among students and academic mentors. Your example provides students the opportunity to encounter knowledge through a living voice, and, from your knowledge and encouragement, the potential to excel. You set an example of excellence."

Featuring

FRED CARTER, C'69, AND COACH JIM PHELAN Making Mount History, page 15

CAITLIN FAAS, PH.D., AND JON SLEZAK, PH.D. The Mount's Dynamic Duo, page 18

DAVID WEHNER, PH.D. A Stand-Up Professor, page 21

PATRICE FLYNN, PH.D. Mount Fulbright Scholar in Russia, page 24

STUDY ABROAD Mounties Expand Horizons, page 26

CLARKE HOOPER, C'19 Teaching Mount Values, page 28

BENJAMIN BUHRMAN Technical Director on Theater, page 29

STUDENT SUCCESS Mount's Newest Alumni, page 30