Accent Summer Edition

a magazine for Neumann University alumni, family and friends

Vol. 46, No. 2 • Summer 2018

e h t o t e m o c l e W

We lve the Knight life

October 11 – 14 d n e k e e W y & Famil

2018

Featuring the

Best Homecoming Celebration Ever Saturday, October 13 • 12 noon – 4 p.m. (Rain or Shine)

Wear your Blue and Gold and meet us at Neumann for an afternoon of fun, food and Neumann Knight pride.

Look for new additions like the Alumni Beer & Pizza Pairing Event and Nick’s Famous Roast Beef Trucks, as well as sporting events and seasonal attractions.

Let us help you arrange your reunion with your classmates or cohort.

Congratulations to our Class of 1968, golden Alumnae celebrating their 50 Year Golden Anniversary, and Class of 1993, celebrating their 25th Silver Anniversary. Classes celebrating a reunion this year are: ’68, ’73, ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03, ’08, and ’13!

To help plan your reunion of any size, please call the alumni office at 610-558-5544 or email alumni@neumann.edu

Don’t miss an invite Join our facebook Neumann University Alumni #nuhomecoming18 #reunknight

All things Homecoming:

Visit www.alumni.neumann.edu/homecoming18

 Light the Knight Fireworks  Alumni Sports Games  Alumni Only Beer and Pizza Pairing Event  Nursing Reunion Breakfast & Endowed Lecture (CEU credits pending)  Alumni Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner  Faculty Follies

r o f t u o e y e n Keep ahese Fall events, too: t

Knight to Knight Student and Alumni Dinner (limited seating)

President’s Thanksgiving Reception

Accent

a magazine for Neumann University alumni, family and friends Vol. 46, No. 2 • Summer 2018

President

Dr. Chris Everett Domes

f e at u r e s

Vice President for Institutional Advancement and University Relations

Henry A. Sumner, M.A., CFRE

’04: 9 McIlwaine Mural Magic in Mullen

14 Welcome to the Atlantic East

On the Cover: The draft logo of the Atlantic East, Neumann’s new athletic conference

in the Spotlight 18 Alumni at Scholarship Gala

Named to Top 40 22 Alumna under 40 in Sports Business

D e p a r t m e n t s 3 From the President 4 Around Campus 25 Class Notes

Executive Director, Marketing and Communications

Stephen T. Bell Director of Publications

Carol DiAntonio Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement

Judi Stanaitis ’07 ’13 Contributors

Christina Farrell ’18 Danielle Friel ’09 Carolyn Seagraves ’84 Jill Weigel Photography

David Jackson Kelly & Massa Hunter Martin Jerry Millevoi Accent Magazine is published two times annually

by Neumann University, Office of Public Relations and Marketing, One Neumann Drive, Aston, PA 19014-1298 (610) 558-5549 Copyright by Neumann University.

Accent Magazine is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of Neumann University and is printed on recycled paper.

Information in this issue was received by 5/30/18.

Please send change-of-address correspondence to: Office of Institutional Advancement Neumann University One Neumann Drive Aston, PA 19014-1298 or to alumni@neumann.edu.

Save the Date Neumann Day of Giving

Your

GIFT. Choice.

Impact.

Friday, October 5, 2018 #NUKnightsgive

From the president

To Our Alumni and Friends, As I complete my first year at Neumann, I am even more optimistic about the future of the University now than when I arrived. The series of listening sessions that I held early last fall made me aware of the deep commitment to our Franciscan mission from faculty and staff. Those sessions also revealed an eagerness, in every department on campus, to help Neumann grow and thrive.

Support from every corner has helped us make significant progress in 2017-18. In this issue of Accent, for instance, you will read about our new athletic conference, the Atlantic East. Its members include several traditional athletic competitors and some new colleges, all institutions that value the integration of academics, leadership, ethics and athletics. The Atlantic East will improve the quality of our student-athlete experience and expand the region in which we can recruit excellent undergraduate students.

Another example of our progress is the construction of the new Health Sciences Center. When it is completed in the fall semester, it will provide an enhanced academic experience for students in Health Sciences, Pre-Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, and Nursing. Our stellar reputation in these fields of study will grow.

Our enrollment management strategies have resulted in sharp increases in the number of applications and deposits we received for the fall of 2018, and the outlook for 2019 is strong. A new University website, recently launched and based on best practices, will assist us in attracting students who will succeed here.

Finally, we are in the process of crafting a new strategic plan for the university. Based on the values of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia who founded Neumann University 53 years ago, the plan will take effect in 2019 and define the next steps in our journey.

Dr. Chris Everett Domes President

Summer 2018 3

Broadcasting Scholarship Andrea Roe, a Communication and Digital Media major, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. She is one of only 20 college students in the Delaware Valley chosen for these awards. The scholarships are given to current college sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and professional potential. To qualify, students must be studying radio, TV, film production or associated fields, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Andrea is executive producer of the Neumann Update (the university’s weekly news show).

d n u o r A

Second in National Writing Competition English major Bettina Bowers won second place in the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Competition in Creative and Scholarly Writing for her paper, “Mandatory Vaccinations in the United States.” The contest included five categories: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction/personal essay, critical/analytical essay, and scholarly research. Delta Epsilon Sigma is the national scholastic honor society for students, faculty, and alumni of colleges and universities with a Catholic tradition.

There are more than 38,000 members and 119 chapters.

Fighting Fake News College campuses have long been bastions of free speech and opponents of censorship. How does this stance play, however, in the era of fake news, when Russian bots spread false stories on social media sites and conspiracy theorists spew evidence-free tales in the mainstream media? According to Maureen Williams, the coordinator of information literacy at Neumann’s library, the answer is not to surrender to the temptation of censorship but to fight back with education. That’s why she’s bringing her presentation on fake news to as many classes as she can.

Her one-hour analysis includes an excerpt from a TED Talk on how to assess credible news, and her own collection of three fake news stories. She closes her presentation with some useful tips regarding websites that focus on the objective analysis of truthfulness in trending stories: factcheck.org, politifact.com, and snopes.com.

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Dining Hall Is Transformed

Thanks to a three-month effort by Sodexo Campus Services, students discovered a completely new dining hall at the March 6 ribbon cutting for the new space. The entrance from the Life Center parking lot is now flanked with glass walls, providing an open view into the dining area and the McNichol Room. Seven different seating styles have been incorporated into the space, including booths that are the first to fill at any meal.

Two new ordering kiosks and a 24-square-foot cooking station reduce lines and wait times for getting meals while new pizza and rotisserie ovens improve the efficiency of food preparation.

Decorative glass, brightly colored banners, and a variety of lighting fixtures give the dining hall a warm and attractive ambiance.

Several 4K LED television screens add a restaurant-like touch to the area.

Anchors Away for SEA-Phages Neumann has been designated as a SEA-PHAGES institution by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). SEA-PHAGES stands for Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science. The HHMI is a science philanthropy whose mission is to advance basic biomedical research and science education for the benefit of humanity.

Beginning in the fall of 2018, freshman and sophomore Biology majors will be able to enroll in a two-semester discovery-based undergraduate research course where students will learn to isolate and identify bacteriophages, viruses that attack bacteria, and have the opportunity to have their research published in national venues before the end of their junior year, making them highly competitive for industry jobs after graduation. Students will also be introduced to various methods to isolate bacteriophages and the use of computer systems in a bioinformatics class.

“This is a great opportunity for Neumann students to get practical research experience in a laboratory setting, where they get ownership of their own projects,” said Dr. Matthew Mastropaolo.

s p u m a c Runaway Slave

The celebration of Black History Month included a program featuring Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, African American historian and author, who spoke to a group of faculty, students, and staff about Ona Judge and her unwavering quest for freedom. One year after the release of her book, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, Dr. Dunbar spoke in detail about Judge, chief attendant and favorite slave of Martha Washington, first lady of the United States of America.

Dunbar first came across her famed character about 15 years ago while completing research for her first book Fragile Freedom. She spent nine years uncovering the life of a brave woman who longed for liberation and “George Washington’s determination to recapture his property by whatever means necessary.”

Award for Compassionate Care Receiving first place from the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society (PATS) in its Student Public Relations competition was simply icing on the cake for students Ashley Girard ’18 and Stephen Smith ’18. The real highlight for these two senior athletic training majors was the work that got them the $500 award. The theme of the contest was “Compassionate Care for All.” Ashley and Stephen volunteered at the Assisi House, the retirement convent for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

During the month of March, they assisted in physical therapy sessions with the sisters and taught a balance class. “We worked with the physical therapist, and she let us run the entire hourlong balance class. It was a lot of fun and the sisters were so great,” said Ashley. “They were funny, enthusiastic and they loved to chat!”

Nine Students Join the Church Nine students completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and joined the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, April 22, at Our Lady of Angels Convent. The students are Kianna Caiby ’18, Megan Davidson, Chelsea Fonseca, Bianca Harbold, Julia Howell, Ashley Onorato, MiKayla Radisch, Dalton Valentine, and Rayanna Williams ’18.

“The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a program intended to provide those students who express a desire to be fully received into the Catholic Church, with preparation for the reception of the sacraments,” explained Patrick McKenzie, director of Campus Ministry at Neumann.

Field of Dreams Freshman Ashley Barba really stepped up to the plate when it came to getting her first summer internship. This Sport Management major from the Bronx took a big swing and knocked one out of the park. Ashley has a paid summer internship with the New York Mets in the team’s group sales division. For a girl who has lived in New York her entire life and is a huge Mets fan, this opportunity is beyond her wildest dreams. She credits her first year classes with giving her the tools and insights to pursue this dream internship “My dad is a huge Mets fan, so I grew up watching them. Obviously working for them is a dream come true. It’s honestly the best thing ever,” she said. “My dad is so proud of me. He’s in shock.”

WNUW Celebrates 10 Years On January 24, 2008, Neumann Radio launched at 9 a.m. in the basement of Bachmann Main Building. With 14 students, the adventure started as an internet only, free-format college radio station. Today, Neumann Radio lives on 98.5 WNUW and has become an awardwinning, student-run media hub at the University. Under the direction of Sean McDonald ’08, ’11, Neumann Media is comprised of 98.5 WNUW, NeuTube TV, Neumann Sports Network, and NeuPress.

Based in the John J. Mullen Communication Center, Neumann Media includes two television studios, three radio studios, soundisolation recording rooms, and a multipurpose hall with smart board TVs, robotic cameras and wireless microphones. Since 2012, Neumann students have won three Student EMMY Awards from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Summer 2018 5

Reviewing plans for the Health Sciences Center with Dr. Theresa Pietsch, associate dean.

Greeting graduates during his first Neumann Commencement.

The Domes Presidency: It was a year ago, July 17, 2017, that Dr. Chris Domes assumed the office of president. Since that day, he has been omnipresent on campus and in the community, gathering the information to help him understand the Neumann culture and construct a vision for a successful future.

From the listening tours he conducted in his first weeks to the projects he identified as priorities (enrollment, the Health Sciences Center, a redesigned website), he has illustrated a willingness to engage in meaningful dialog and address the challenges at hand.

Getting to know students in May 2017, even before he took office.

6  Accent Magazine

Here is a photographic retrospective of the first year of the Domes presidency.

Giving a thumbs up at his October 6 inauguration.

Posing with his wife Mary and Mark and Ann Baiada at Evening in New Orleans.

A Look Back at Year One Chatting with Fox 29’s Bob Kelly during a live April broadcast from campus.

Participating in the March 14 Charter Day liturgy.

Connecting with alumni like artist Alloyius McIlwaine’ 04.

Strengthening the bond with Wawa at the Scholarship Gala.

Summer 2018 7

s u p m a C d n u o r A

Sport and Spirituality Award to Penn Mutual

It is hard to imagine there could be many parallels between an English sport and an insurance company — but not so for rugby and Penn Mutual.

Eileen McDonnell, chairman and chief executive officer of the corporation, named a multitude of similarities between Penn Mutual and rugby at the the Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award ceremony held on April 9 in the Mirenda Center.

“What we saw in rugby,” McDonnell said, “was the same values we live by, the same values honored in our Penn Mutual ‘Life of Significance’ award . . . Integrity.

Respect. Relationships. Service.”

“I believe that the living tradition of rugby . . . has something to teach us all,” she added, “something you are honoring with this award.” McDonnell accepted the Institute Award on behalf of the entire company, calling it a “true privilege.”

Since 2011, Neumann’s Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development (ISSCD) has awarded this honor to “outstanding individuals and organizations whose work in the sports world inspires an awareness to something deeper than game-day X’s and O’s.” Previous awardees have included Ron Meyer (2016), Haley Scott DeMaria (2015), and The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation (2014).

Starting in 2014, the award has been given in honor of the late Joseph P. McFadden, Bishop of Harrisburg, at the request of an anonymous donor.

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Eileen McDonnell, chairman and chief executive officer of Penn Mutual, holds the 2018 ISSCD award, joined by Dr. Chris Domes, university president; Sr. Marguerite O’Beirne, OSF ’70, vice president for mission and ministry, and Lee DelleMonache ’05, institute director.

That same year Penn Mutual became the title sponsor of the Annual Collegiate Rugby Championships. According to McDonnell, United World Sports presented the opportunity to Penn Mutual, looking for a sponsor in the area, and the more exploration the company did into the sport, “the more connections we found.”

In 2015, Penn Mutual introduced its “Life of Significance” Award, given annually to a player in the Collegiate Rugby Championships who has made substantial contributions to society and their

community, and who exhibits the values of integrity, commitment and respect.

Other Penn Mutual involvement in the sport includes sponsorships for the National Small College Rugby Organization and the Rugby Business Network, the creation of the Premiership Rugby American Series, and the production of Rugby Rising, an award-winning documentary that provides an in-depth look behind the scenes at Olympic Rugby.

“We are honored to recognize Penn Mutual and proud to provide Eileen McDonnell the opportunity to share Penn Mutual’s story with the Neumann University community,” said Lee DelleMonache ’05, director of the Institute.

Dr. Chris Domes, president of the university, added, “Tonight was a great gift to Neumann . . . Neumann University’s values can exist in the corporate world and Penn Mutual is a perfect example of that.”

Mural

Magic in Mullen

Alloyius McIlwaine ’04 has painted murals in Paris, Madrid, Casablanca, Miami and New Orleans. He can now add Neumann University to his list.

A 2004 graduate of Neumann, McIlwaine shared his talent with his alma mater on March 12-14 by creating an enormous four-part mural in the hallway of the John J. Mullen Communication Center, a high-tech studio complex that opened in the fall of 2016. The mural, entitled Canticle of the Creatures, includes segments that represent the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.

One large figure dominates each section. The sun is prominent in the fire segment, filled with bright yellows; a knight is central to a blue-themed water portion; St. Francis is the focus of the earth segment, awash in browns and golds; and students fill the air section in front of blue skies and bright, white clouds.

McIlwaine painted for more than eight hours each day (including one all-nighter) in order to finish on Neumann’s Charter Day, the annual celebration of the signing of the university charter in 1965.

Students walking to and from class described the mural as “beautiful,” “unique,” “amazing” and “awesome.”

The artist expressed appreciation for the university’s invitation to paint a mural on campus. “It’s an absolute honor to have my artwork here. This place meant a lot to my development as a person, and when your school appreciates what you’re doing enough to invite you to do something permanent on the wall here, it means a lot.”

“We are very proud of Alloyius and extremely grateful that he was willing to share his artistic talent with the campus community,” said Dr. Chris Domes, university president. “His work embodies

our values, and his success is a model of innovation for our students.”

McIlwaine, a self-taught artist, has created 87 murals worldwide and had a European trip scheduled for June 2018 with stops in Dublin, London and Amsterdam. His style is abstract and colorful, and he incorporates aspects of graffiti, street art, comic book art and traditional art into his murals and paintings.

Fascinated by art since his childhood, McIlwaine put his talent to good use when he enrolled at Neumann in the fall of 2000. He began to develop sketches of his art on clothing, creating and selling handpainted, customized t-shirt designs. What started as a way for a gifted business major to make some extra money in college soon blossomed into a professional career.

To see samples of his art, visit www. alloyiusmcilwaineart.com.

Alloyius McIlwaine ’04 brought the Mullen Communications Center hallway alive with his art.

Summer 2018 9

t n e m e c n e mm o C

More Than 650 Earn Degrees at Commencement The valedictorian, 11 trailblazing graduates, and two preschool instructors were the stars of the show at Neumann University’s Commencement Exercises on May 12.

In all, Neumann awarded degrees to 654 students. Graduates received 40 doctoral degrees, 167 master degrees, 445 bachelor degrees, and two associate degrees. The 2018 ceremony marked the first time that Dr. Chris Domes, president, officiated Neumann’s Commencement Exercises and the first time that the university split graduation into two events.

Graduate and adult students received their degrees at 10 a.m., undergraduates at 3 p.m. Both ceremonies were held in the Mirenda Center for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development.

Dr. Domes told the graduates that “by following your heart and your passion, you have earned something precious — a Neumann University education.” He urged

10 Accent Magazine

each graduate to “be a leader who lives up to the values you learned here.”

Julia Fair ’18 In addition to being named valedictorian, Julia Fair ’18 also won the Excellence in Business Administration, John A. Phillips Scholar-Athlete, and Presidential Ambassador Awards. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Administration (a double major), and a master’s degree in Accounting.

Julia served as captain of the women’s ice hockey and golf teams and as president of Delta Mu Delta, the business honor society. Her community service included coordinating a Veterans Wellness Fair with information about PTSD and career development advice, supervising a paper shredding project to support a local pet-rescue organization, and mentoring freshmen students.

Valedictorian Julia Fair ’18 urged graduates to “never give up,” the motto painted on the back of her goalie helmet.

During her years at Neumann, she also completed two internships and launched her own coaching business, Knight Way Goaltending. Last winter, she helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in the World Ringette Championships.

In her valedictory address, she shared an emotional memory of her sister, “who had Cerebral Palsy and struggled every day to just lift her head up, yet she never gave up during her lifetime.”

Social Work Pioneers Eleven students received the first degrees in Social Work ever awarded by the university.

Neumann launched the program in the fall of 2015 under the direction of Andrea Murphy, program director, and Rina Keller, director of field placement.

The two faculty members provided the leadership, academic instruction and practical experience that resulted in five of the graduates securing full-time jobs in the field and five others gaining admission to graduate school programs by the date of Commencement. During the first three years of the major, Murphy and Keller also achieved program accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education.

The graduates are Donier Cook ’18, Carla D’Angelo ’18, Amirah Guerrero ’18, Kirstin Hilliard ’18, Kezia Mathew ’18, Emma Ross ’18, Laila Sheriff ’18, Nicole Sipp ’18, Nicole Strofe ’18, Christa Thomas ’18, and Michelle Wilson ’18. All are students who were already at Neumann when the program was launched and who changed majors to study Social Work.

Eleven students were the first to graduate with degrees in Social Work. Ten are pictured.

Geneva Alvin ’18 and Diane Watson ’18 Geneva Alvin, 64, and Diane Watson, 65, have 74 years of Head Start experience between them. They both retired from the Delaware County Intermediate Unit Head Start program in June of 2017.

Despite leaving the classroom, both ladies decided to continue pursuit of their BS in Education degrees, a journey that they had started in 2010. “After doing all that work, I wanted my degree,” Diane chuckled.

“It was all about personal achievement,” said Geneva, noting that, after retirement, their motivation was obviously not about promotions or increased salaries.

The two have known each other for more than 30 years and supported each other on the path to a college degree with good advice, expressions of confidence and reminders that assignments were due. “We went through this whole journey together, and she was my anchor,” said Diane, pointing to Geneva.

Honorary Degrees Honorary doctor of humanities degrees were awarded to James and Jacqueline Delaney, each of whom addressed the graduates.

Mr. Delaney, a prominent businessman and chairperson of the University Board of Trustees, told the class of 2018 about a pivotal experience in his life. He broke his neck during a football practice at Monsignor Bonner High School but recovered and returned to the football field the next year.

“My advice for you today: take time to capture and cherish your defining moments because they will tell the world who you are,” he said.

Mrs. Delaney, a volunteer for numerous Catholic organizations and chairperson of the University Scholarship Gala, asked the graduates to remember three quotes.

From George Lucas: “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”

From Bill Gates: “We overestimate what we can accomplish in one year and underestimate what can be accomplished in ten years.”

And from Helen Keller: “Think of your life as a hill that must be climbed. There’s no correct path to get to the top . . . At some point, you’ll slip, you’ll fall, you’ll tumble back down again. But if you get back up and keep climbing, I promise you . . . you will reach the top.”

In the morning ceremony for graduate and adult students, Judge Kevin F. Kelly, Delaware County’s president judge, advised the graduates to “Be proud of your professions. Be conscientious in your responsibilities. Be fair in your decision-making. Be judicious in the exercise of your discretion. Be directed by a morality of true justice and be guided by Neumann University’s core value of excellence.”

James and Jacqueline Delaney received honorary doctor of humanities degrees and addressed the graduates.

Dr. Chris Domes officiated his first Neumann commencement.

Andrew Miller, History instructor, received the Charles R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching from Dr. Lawrence DiPaolo, vice president for academic affairs (left) and Dr. Chris Domes, president (right).

Diane Watson ’18 and Geneva Alvin ’18 finished their journey to bachelor degrees after retirement.

Summer 2018 11

SPORTS WINTER Men’s Ice Hockey

10-15-2, 8-6-2 UCHC • First Year in new conference Defensive Player of the Year: Jake Davidson First Team: Jake Davidson Second Team: Liam Board Philadelphia Inquirer At-Large Performer of the Year: Jake Davidson Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area: Jake Davison, Liam Board

Bek Lucas, the NCAA statistical champion in goals per game.

CSAC Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the year, Aaron Johnson-Chavis.

Women’s Ice Hockey 12-11-2, 9-6-1 UCHC • First Year in new conference Rookie of the Year: Katelyn Brown First Team: Bek Lucas All-Rookie: Katelyn Brown Philadelphia Inquirer At-Large Performer of the Year: Bek Lucas Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area: Bek Lucas and Jackie Schneider NCAA Statistical Champion: Bek Lucas (goals per game)

Men’s Basketball 23-9, 13-5 CSAC • CSAC Runner-Up • ECAC Runner-Up Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Johnson-Chavis Rookie of the Year: Aaron Johnson-Chavis First Team: Tyaire Hudson Honorable Mention: Raquan Brown-Johnson, Aaron Johnson-Chavis Sportsmanship: Adam Robinson D3hoops.com Co-Rookie of the Year: Aaron Johnson-Chavis D3hoops.com Third Team: Tyaire Hudson ECAC DIII Rookie of the Year: Aaron Johnson-Chavis ECAC Honorable Mention: Tyaire Hudson

Women’s Basketball 20-8, 13-3 CSAC • CSAC Runner-Up Player of the Year: Nafisa Saunders First Team: Nafisa Saunders Sportsmanship: Rukiya Davis D3hoops.com Second Team: Nafisa Saunders ECAC Honorable Mention: Nafisa Saunders Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area: Lauren Legler

Men’s Volleyball 0-22, 0-13 CVC • Inaugural Season 12 Accent Magazine

CSAC Player of the Year, Nafisa Saunders.

Wrap-Up John Schoelkopf, CSAC First Team.

Jordan Collins, CSAC First Team (singles) and Second Team (doubles).

SPRING Baseball

20-23, 10-6 CSAC First Team: John Schoelkopf (IF), Grant Wallace (SP) Second Team: Zach Ray (C), Dan Padilla (OF) Honorable Mention: Cody MacNair (DH), Josh Cruz (SP), Isaiah Morales (RP) Sportsmanship: Dave Clay D3baseball.com All-Mid-Atlantic Region Third Team: John Schoelkopf ECAC Honorable Mention: John Schoelkopf ABCA/Rawlings All-Mid-Atlantic Third Team: John Schoelkopf

Softball 24-17, 17-5 CSAC • CSAC Runner-Up First Team: Kierstin Fallers, Jen Sieminski Second Team: Julia Cox, Kate Korté, Jackie Schneider, Taylor Sirolli, Bri Lagroteria Honorable Mention: Rachel Albertson, Kristina Del Gaiso Sportsmanship: Julia Casson NFCA All-Region Second Team: Kierstin Fallers NFCA All-Region Third Team: Julia Cox, Jackie Schneider ECAC First Team: Kierstin Fallers ECAC Honorable Mention: Jen Sieminski

Kaitlyn Conrad, CSAC and ECAC First Team.

Men’s Lacrosse

Women’s Tennis

4-11, 3-4 CSAC Second Team: Eric Conlon, Alex Rucci Honorable Mention: Chris Augustine, Ryan Martin Sportsmanship: Alex Rucci

1-9, 1-9 CSAC Sportsmanship: Mia Cimino

Women’s Lacrosse 10-9, 5-3 CSAC First Team: Kaitlyn Conrad, Gabby Curry, Brittany Cassidy Second Team: Lydia Beckman Sportsmanship: Gabby Curry ECAC First Team: Kaitlyn Conrad ECAC Second Team: Gabby Curry

Men’s Golf Second Team: Joe Mitchell Sportsmanship: Justin Howe

Women’s Golf First Year in Centennial Conference Sportsmanship: Julia Fair

Men’s Tennis 7-4, 5-2 CSAC First Team: Jordan Collins (singles) Second Team: Jordan Collins and Rod Bradbury (doubles), Christina Cortese (singles) Honorable Mention: Evan King and Billy Swontek (doubles), Evan King (singles) Sportsmanship: Christian Cortese

Outdoor Track & Field Women: Second Team: Cheyenne Sovae-Beattie (400-meters, long jump) Honorable Mention: 4x100 relay (AAliya Hayes, Cheyenne Sovae-Beattie, Diamond Talley, Nafisa Saunders), 4x400 relay (Cheyenne Sovae-Beattie, Brianna McDonnell, AAliya Hayes, Siobhan Cunningham), Nafisa Saunders (high jump) Sportsmanship: Ashley Parker Men: First Team: Khalil Queen (100-meters, 200-meters) Honorable Mention: Nafees Norris (800-meters), Rasheed Ross (400-meter hurdles), 4x100 relay (Joe Richardson, Khalil Queen, Kasib Darden, Rasheed Ross) Sportsmanship: Nyanye Donnie

Summer 2018 13

Remember when the Big 10 had ten teams?

Remember when Syracuse, Pitt and Boston College were part of the Big East?

Remember when Texas A&M and Missouri played in the Big 12?

If you recall any of these things, which were all true not so long ago, then you’re familiar with the tendency of large universities to switch their athletic conference affiliations, abandoning traditional rivalries and ignoring reasonable geographic groupings, often with twin goals: money and status. According to a 2014 article in Bleacher Report, 78 football programs changed conferences in the BCS era (Bowl Championship Series, 1998-2013), some more than once.

But what about Division III colleges?

These institutions are usually smaller than

their Division I and II kin, based on data published by the NCAA on its website.

The median undergraduate enrollment among the 443 Division III schools is 1,748, compared to 2,485 at Division II and 9,629 at Division I. The pivotal differentiating factors for Division III college sports, however, have nothing to do with size. DIII schools are different because they do not offer athletic scholarships and are not offered lucrative television contracts for game broadcasts.

According to Statista, a website devoted to publishing statistics, “the NCAA’s revenue from its television and licensing rights agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting System Inc., which runs from 2010 through 2022,” will generate $857 million in revenue just in 2018. By 2022, the annual total will reach $920 million.

These contracts represent good business practice by the NCAA and benefit the member colleges. The organization’s leverage in negotiating these contracts is based on the massive and passionate audiences that follow Division I football and basketball.

No media moguls are beating down the door for the rights to broadcast the Whitworth Pirates play the Willamette Bearcats, though, and that is the genius of Division III athletics. By distancing themselves from the influence of external money, Division III colleges embrace the best features of amateur athletics — love of competition and love of the game. So what’s the benefit for Division III schools to switch conferences or become part of a fledgling group?

The conference will be eligible for NCAA postseason automatic qualifiers beginning in 2020-21. Teams can receive at-large invitations during the next two years.

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The Rationale According to Chuck Sack, Neumann’s director of athletics and recreation, “It’s about qualitative improvement of the studentathlete experience.” Some factors that contribute to this enhanced experience are geographic proximity Charles “Chuck” Sack, and mission similarity.

Neumann’s director of athletics and recreation, But one of the most pivotal was the animating force characteristics in the quality behind the founding of of the student-athlete the Atlantic East. experience, Sack admits, is the level of competition. Few college students want to play on a team that easily beats every conference competitor or on a team that is a league doormat year after year.

“Student-athletes want to be in a league in which the teams are athletically competitive,” says Sack.

They want to “have to bring their ‘A’ game” to every contest.

That’s one of the reasons why Neumann is joining the Atlantic East, a new Division III conference that will begin play in the fall of 2018. The seven founding institutions are Cabrini University, Gwynedd-Mercy University, Immaculata University, Marymount University, Marywood University, Neumann University, and Wesley College.

Launching the conference was the culmination of a multi-year effort by the presidents and athletic directors of the seven institutions. In a statement announcing the formation of the new league, Dr. Matt Shank, president of Marymount University and chair of the Atlantic East Presidents’ Council said, “We are all excited to bring institutions together that share similar missions, values and beliefs along with the common understanding that athletics play an important role at our institutions.”

“This new conference will offer an exciting opportunity to our student athletes and coaches,” said Dr. Chris Domes, president of Neumann.

“The conference is comprised of excellent institutions with great academic and athletic reputations. Neumann University is very pleased to be a founding member of the Atlantic East.”

Continued 0n page 16

Cabrini University* Gwynedd-Mercy University* Immaculata University* Marymount University Marywood University* Neumann University* Wesley College * Left the CSAC to form the Atlantic East

Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Formed in 2008, the CSAC was formerly known as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC), established in 1992. Remaining members are: Cairn University Cedar Crest College Centenary University Clarks Summit University Keystone College Notre Dame of Maryland Rosemont College Summer 2018 15

Meet the Commissioner The newly formed Atlantic East has hired Jessica Huntley as its first commissioner. Huntley comes to the Atlantic East after a six-year stay at the Centennial Conference where she was the assistant executive director for five years before being promoted to associate executive director in July 2017.

During her time in the conference office, she was involved in daily operations, including organizing 20 championship events, serving as staff liaison to coaches’ committees and as administrator of the NCAA DIII Conference Grant Program, handling all officiating activities and awards administration, and serving as the administrative liaison to the Centennial Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also coordinated special events, including managing all aspects of the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in 2015 and 2018.

Prior to her Centennial experience, she was director of Division III for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), assistant commissioner of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, assistant director of athletics and women’s basketball coach at Bay Path College, and director of men’s basketball operations at Harvard.

A former Division III student-athlete herself, Huntley was a fouryear letter winner and captain on the York (PA) basketball team, and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor of science degree in sport management and a minor in business administration. She continued her education at Boston College where she received a master of arts in higher education administration in May 2009.

Huntley is also a Disney Institute trained ambassador for the NCAA’s “Game Day the Division III Way” Program, a member of the NCAA DIII Membership Committee, and serves on The Sport Management Advisory Board at York (PA). She has also been a member of the NCAA Woman of the Year Committee, NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for Women’s Golf, and After-School All-Stars Philadelphia Advisory Board.

NCAA Members

Number of colleges Median undergraduate enrollment % of student-athletes

The Atlantic East’s geographic footprint offers each institution the opportunity to recruit in a broad area that parallels the I-95 corridor. That footprint stretches from northeastern Pennsylvania through the Delaware Valley and as far south as the Washington D.C. area. Sack, who also serves as chair of the Atlantic East Athletic Directors’ Council, stated, “The collegiality and vision of this group of institutions is very compelling.” He reiterated the geographic connection, similarity of academic missions, and commitment to a “vibrant and dynamic student-athlete experience” as the factors that will make the league successful.

The colleges will compete in 19 sports. Men will play in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, outdoor track, soccer and tennis. Women will play in basketball, cross country, field hockey, indoor track, lacrosse, outdoor track, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Neumann teams not included in the Atlantic East include men’s and women’s ice hockey (playing in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference), women’s golf (Centennial Conference), men’s volleyball (Continental Volleyball Conference), and women’s swimming (independent).

Tournament Play For two years, the Atlantic East will not be granted any automatic qualifiers (AQ) to NCAA tournament competition. AQs are conference champions as determined by individual leagues. Atlantic East teams will be eligible right away, however, to be selected as independents or receive at-large invitations to NCAA tournaments.

Division I

Division II

Division III

351

308

443

9,629

2,485

1,748

4%

9.1%

26%*

* On some web pages on www.ncaa.org, this percentage is listed at 21 and 16.7.

16 Accent Magazine

Recruiting

Continued from page 15 Conferences have to have seven institutions compete in any sport in order to gain automatic qualifier status. The Atlantic East meets that minimum number in 19 sports, so AQ status should not be an issue, starting in the 2020-21 academic year.

“Eventually, we want to grow to 10 institutions,” Sack predicted, adding schools of comparable quality and with comparable athletic budgets.

The Process He admits that he’s been working on this concept for six or seven years, often talking with Associate Athletic Director

Len Schuler about colleges that would be a good fit for Neumann. The conversation became more serious in March of 2017 when an athletic director from another school called Sack to inquire about joining the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC).

Discussions soon broadened to focus on the creation of a new conference. From March through May, athletic directors from prospective members held meetings, and shared the idea with their vice presidents and presidents. Sack wrote a white paper to formalize the proposal.

“It’s not abnormal for teams to give two-year notice” before leaving a

conference, Sack admits, but “others knew that the current alignment wasn’t working.”

In June of 2017, Neumann and four other schools submitted formal notice that they would leave the CSAC in one year. On January 30, 2018, the seven members of the proposed Atlantic East applied to the NCAA. On February 14, the NCAA approved the proposal and granted official recognition beginning September 1, 2018.

Neumann will play its first Atlantic East home game on Tuesday, October 2 — a women’s volleyball match vs.

Marywood.

Atlantic East colleges will compete in 19 sports, including baseball and softball.

Summer 2018 17

Alumni in the Spotlight at

p i h s r a l o h c S ala G

Mrs. Mary and Dr. Chris Domes with the Presidential Ambassadors.

18 Accent Magazine

Angel Smedley ’90 served as the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Neumann’s alumni stepped into the spotlight more than ever before at the 19th Annual Scholarship Gala on April 7, 2018.

In addition to 46 alumni attending the event, several helped to shape the fundraiser by serving on the Scholarship Gala Committee: Teresa Vandiver Coffey ’83 ’96, Deborah Love ’77, Eileen Mielcarek ’80, Angel Smedley ’90, and Kelley Stenger ’90.

Smedley went above and beyond committee participation by donating her talent and serving as master of ceremonies for the evening. She is a cable television on-air personality who has been at QVC for more than 20 years. After beginning as one of the Quacker Factory models, Smedley soon became one of the brand’s design team and eventually an on-air presenter. In 2011, she became the principal guest host representing the Quacker Factory brand on QVC.

Advancement

Henry Sumner, vice president for institutional advancement and university relations, greets the crowd at the Drexelbrook.

Alloyius McIlwaine ’04 created original art for the silent auction.

The Gala also included a video that features eight successful alumni.

It illustrates that, with a Neumann education, there are “no limits to your success” and that the Neumann experience can transform a life and professional career.

Giving generously of their time to contribute to this video were Scott Giacomucci ’13, trauma treatment specialist and clinical skills trainer at Mirmont Treatment Center; Artie Halstead ’02, senior producer at Comcast Spectacor; Bethany Hiriak ’13, a nurse in the surgical/trauma Intensive Care Unit at Christiana Hospital; Deborah Love ’77, regional director of burn services at Crozer Keystone Health System; Alloyius McIlwaine ’04, mural artist; Steve Pizzi ’01, associate athletic director of facilities, operations and events at the College of the Holy Cross; Denada Ramnishta ’04, vice president for business development and partnerships at Lendio; and Lincoln Schrock ’09, head of athlete development at Canlan Ice Sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

• P roviding disaster relief to communities affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria Since launching The Wawa Foundation in 2014, the company, the foundation, customers, and associates have together contributed more than $49 million to non-profits.

Accepting the award on behalf of Wawa was Vince Cipollone ’04, director of retail fuels and a 2004 graduate of Neumann University.

The first Wawa Food Market opened in Delaware County in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa employs more than 30,000 associates in over 790, 24-hour convenience retail stores — complete with gas pumps and ATM’s. Best known for its built-toorder foods, beverages, and coffee, Wawa now has stores located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and the District of Columbia.

Humanitarian Award to Wawa Neumann also presented its annual Presidential Humanitarian Award to Wawa, Inc. that evening.

The award was established anonymously in 2002 in honor of Dr. Rosalie M. Mirenda, president emeritus of the University, and her husband Tony. It is given to an individual or organization whose life or work reflects a commitment to serve humanity, devotion to religious and family values, appreciation for philanthropy, willingness to take risks in the pursuit of vision, and a demonstrated respect for education.

Wawa was selected because of its core belief that, as a company, it has a role in making the world a better place. Examples of Wawa’s community service include: • S upporting The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Riddle Memorial Hospital since the 1960’s • P artnering with local food banks such as Check-Out Hunger and Philabundance • E stablishing the Hoagies for Heroes program to support local firefighters, police officers, and emergency responders, and

Dr. Chris Everett Domes, University president, congratulates Wawa’s Vince Cipollone ’04, who accepted the Presidential Humanitarian Award on behalf of the company.

Summer 2018 19

s w e N i n m u l A Dear Alumni, It is with gratitude, yet sadness, that I announce the end of Michele Szkolnicki’s ’86 tenure as the president of the Alumni Association’s Executive Board.

Michele’s legacy as president will be the strong foothold created by the Alumni Association’s strategic plan. The strategic plan highlights the direction and opportunities to mutually benefit the University and its alumni moving forward. The plan recognizes future opportunities to connect with alumni and strengthen the professional network of alumni already in place.

Michele will finish her last year as a member of the board and is currently serving on the Neumann University Development Committee, a subcommittee of the Neumann Board of Trustees. We wish her continued success, and are grateful for all of her contributions over the years.

A New Chapter for Neumann Congratulations to the alumni of the Division of Education and Human Services!

With the assistance and enthusiasm of Louise Whitelaw, Ph.D., assistant professor and Education field experience coordinator, and Rina Keller, assistant professor and Social Work director of field placement, there is a new chapter forming. The EHS chapter, as it will be known, will focus on bringing social, educational and service components to enrich the EHS alumni community.

A successful focus group met in spring, and plans are underway to build programming as early as this fall. Graduates of Education, Pastoral Counseling and Social Work are encouraged to join the chapter as well as the executive board.

To learn more, please visit www.alumni.neumann.edu/joinachapter.

On The Road Again During the past twelve months, the Office of Alumni Relations hit the road to join Dr. Chris Domes as he met alumni, parents and prospective students in Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Each event allowed guests to connect with the president in their own home town. It was a chance to learn about Neumann’s alumni, their successes and their memories, and to inspire alumni about the journey that Neumann is on today. This coming year Alumni Relations will hit the road again and plan regional receptions in New York, Baltimore, and Hershey. If you would like to suggest a regional reception, please email alumni@neumann.edu.

Show Your Pride on Your Ride The NU Alumni Association is taking orders for the Pennsylvania Specialty “Neumann University” license plate.

Ordering your plate is easy and just $35!

We welcome Jasmine Salgado Losinno ’10 as the new president and Lori Pellegrino Smith ’99 ’05 as the new vice president effective July 1, 2018.

With Neumann Pride,

Judi Stanaitis ’07 ’13 Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement

Visit alumni.neumann.edu/plate for more information and to place your order.

20 Accent Magazine

Brendan P. Kelly ’87 Celebrity Golf Classic

Tracey DiSerafino, women’s golf coach, and Mary Domes, Neumann’s first lady, celebrate a long putt, made by Julia Fair ’18 (right), who was captain of the 2018 women’s golf team.

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Summer 2018 21

e l i f o r P i n m u l A Alumna Named to Global Top 40 Hard work pays off. Just ask Ashley Dabb ’10, who earned her MS in Sport Management at Neumann University in 2010. She was recently recognized at the Leaders Under 40 Awards, the global search for the best talent in the business of sport under the age of 40.

Dabb was nominated by National Lacrosse League Commissioner and mentor, Nick Sakiewicz, who has referred to her as “an invaluable asset to the league.”

Dabb was selected out of 585 nominations from 51 countries along with 41 other candidates to join the Class of 2017 under the category of marketing and communications.

After the Leaders Under 40 Awards Class of 2017 was announced, the members were celebrated at an awards dinner, held in October at the Natural History Museum in London.

Dabb, who is currently the Chief Marketing Officer for the National Lacrosse League (NLL), oversees all branding, marketing and communications efforts and coordinates with PR, marketing and digital staff on each of the NLL’s nine teams across the U.S. and Canada.

Under Dabb’s leadership, the NLL’s digital footprint has been able to expand through initiatives she spearheaded to give fans an unprecedented level of access to the game including a brand new website for NLL.com to house the rebranded league logo, a live-streaming partnership with Twitter and CBS as well as the launch of the NLL Productions studio and NLLTV. 22 Accent Magazine

Ashley Dabb ’10, chief marketing officer for the National Lacrosse League.

Prior to her position at the NLL, Dabb spent nearly a decade at the Philadelphia Union, Major League Soccer’s 16th franchise, climbing the corporate ladder.

She started at an entry level position, “I was an administrative assistant, which is not what I went to college for or what I wanted to do, but I had my foot in the door,” Dabb says. “It was basically a catch-all position, and it was a good start.”

Here’s the evidence that her hard work did pay off. After being promoted several times, Dabb eventually was named Vice President, Marketing and Communications at the Union.

“It was here [at the Union] where I was able to see Ashley’s passion and drive for creating memorable fan moments through engaging content, special events and communications. No matter what the task is, Ashley tackles it with enthusiasm and vigor and is always looking for ways to innovate and push the envelope,” Sakiewicz adds. During Dabb’s tenure at the Union, Sakiewicz was at the helm as CEO of the soccer team.

Today, there is no sign that Dabb’s enthusiasm and vigor are diminishing. In fact, Forbes magazine was so impressed with Dabb that the magazine has identified her as one of the “Women in Sports to Watch in 2018.”

Her advice for women in the industry, “Advocate for each other, appreciate each other and band together.”

So what’s next for Ashley Dabb?

This spring she returned to Neumann, but this time as an adjunct for the Master in Sport Business program. This will be her first experience with graduate students and she is looking forward to the higher level interactions, a change of pace from her previous experience as an adjunct in undergraduate programs at St Joseph’s and Widener Universities.

Most of the instructors in the program have direct industry experience, and Dabb believes this is more beneficial for the students. “Learning from the book is fine, but the experts and guest speakers are invaluable.” She wants to help students be successful, “It’s our duty to give back,” she adds.

Annmarie Kelly ’01: Giving Back in Support of Victorious Woman Author, radio host, inspirational speaker establishes scholarship Annmarie Kelly has made quite a name for herself since graduating in 2001, despite the fact that becoming famous wasn’t her goal. In September of 2004, Kelly launched The Victorious Woman, a website “for women in Midlife who have spent most of their life cajoled into living the ‘good girl’ lifestyle.” For those who have not found happiness, success or fulfillment on that path, Kelly’s website is “a repository of tips and guides” for creating a life women will love living.

“I’m so proud to be a Neumann alum,” says Kelly. “It was a risk to go back to school that many years out of high school. But if I hadn’t chosen Neumann and was so encouraged, I might never have written a book that changed the trajectory of my life.

The reward was definitely worth that risk.”

She is the author of Victorious Woman!

Shaping Life’s Challenges into Personal Victories, Victory by Design: The Victorious Woman’s Guide to Her Best Life and The Five Year Marriage. In 2008, she founded The Victorious Woman Project, which focuses on inspiration, education

and encouragement by providing resources for women who are starting over and leadership skills for women in the workplace. She is the author of many articles on a variety of topics for women, including emotional intelligence, goal achievement, behavior-focused performance improvement, mentoring and life balance.

In addition, Kelly runs an annual fundraiser, A Victorious Woman Celebration: The Girlfriend Gala. In 2017, she decided to establish the Victorious Woman Scholarship at Neumann University to help women return to school to earn an education degree — the ultimate “giving back” career. At the 2018 Gala, her educational roots stepped into the spotlight when Mary Ann Diggs ’16 ’18, another Neumann alumna, received the first Victorious Woman Scholarship in the amount of $3,000.

To learn more about establishing a scholarship, contact The Office of Institutional Advancement and University Relations at 610-558-5513.

Mary Ann Diggs ’16 ’18 (left), a student in the Rising Star program in Early Childhood Education, received a Victorious Woman Scholarship in June. With her are Annmarie Kelly ’01 and Barbara Hanes, dean of Education and Human Services.

Losinno ’10 to Lead Alumni through 2020 Michelle Szkolnicki ’86, president of the Alumni Executive Board since 2016, has fulfilled her term as of June 20, 2018. Under her leadership, the board focused on the ongoing strategic plan to build alumni engagement with an emphasis on chapter foundations and formation. Jasmine Salgado Losinno ’10, who worked closely with Michelle over the past two years, will assume the presidency through 2020. Lori Pellegrino Smith ’99 ’05 has accepted the position of president-elect.

Members of the Alumni Association’s executive board are: Jeremy T. Apelian ’12 Elizabeth C. Bush ’83 Dylan T. Diodato ’18 Carol A. Dougherty ’86 Annette C. Frawley ’92 Beth A. Gibney ’04 Scott L. Hammell ’12 ’15 Sabrina C. Haschak ’04 Heather L. Hastings ’01 ’07 Jasmine L. Losinno ’10 Kevin J. Oleszewski ’12 Lori A. Smith ’99 ’05 Bonnie C. Stufflet ’73 Michele A. Szkolnicki ’86 Richard W. Tutak, Jr. ’15 Evan J. Zielinski ’14 Several board vacancies will occur in 2019-2020, and we welcome nominations. To learn more about the board and serving your alma mater, visit www.alumni.neumann. edu/aebapply.

Summer 2018 23

The Show Must Go On A symphony ensemble performed Brass Jambalaya.

Donning a mask and beads, Mrs. Mary Domes and Dr. Chris Domes were ready for a party.

Even major construction in the Bruder Life Center couldn’t keep the Arts Guild from staging its 18th fundraiser for the arts in January. The Great Hall, which traditionally frames the guest experience with tantalizing food and drink before the show and a champagne reception afterward, was closed for a major construction project to reinvent student dining on campus.

Undeterred and under the direction of Nick DiMarino, coordinator of cultural programming, the University transformed the adjacent 35-year-old athletic center into the French Quarter, and three Arts Guild organizations created a memorable program for 250 guests.

Center Stage Productions (CSP) opened the show with “Crazy ’Bout Ya Baby” from

Forever Plaid and closed the evening’s entertainment with a rousing rendition of “One More Day” from Les Miserables.

In between the two CSP numbers, International Ballet Classique performed A Blues Walk and La Petite Fille, and the Delaware County Symphony got toes tapping with Brass Jambalaya, a melange of New Orleans jazz classics.

Center Stage Productions brought the crowd to its feet with an emotional performance of “One More Day.”

24 Accent Magazine

s e t o N ss a Cl

BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS

Lori Smith ’99, B.A., ’05, M.S., and husband Ken ’99, B.S., welcomed

Charlotte James Smith on April 2, 2018.

CAREERS

Mary Ann McLane, PhD, MLS(ASCP) ’76, B.S., was awarded Cardinal Health’s

2018 urEssential Medical Laboratory Professional of the Year Award, which comes with a $25,000 grant which she gave to the University of Delaware Medical Laboratory Sciences program to benefit students. “I have Neumann’s program to thank for my beginning this journey of service in the healthcare field, and officially retiring from it as of January 2018.”

Denise Pitts ’86, B.S., has been

promoted to Vice President of Growth at Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Richard Boulay ’04, B.S., and Jennifer Boulay ’04, B.A., welcomed Eva Claire

Boulay into the world on February 23, 2018.

Elizabeth Rigaut ’09, B.S., and her

husband welcomed Conor James into the world!

Victoria Salasky ’10, B.A., and husband

Jax, welcomed new baby, Nola Mae Louise into the world on March 13, 2018.

Ashlea Detweiler ’10, B.S., and husband Andrew, welcomed new baby, Nora Grace into the world on April 26, 2018.

Jessica Gooch ’11, B.S., and husband

David, welcomed Alexis Marie Gooch into the world on January 22, 2018.

Karen Tomasetti ’89, B.A., has been

named the Principal of Saint Dorothy Roman Catholic School in Drexel Hill, PA. Dale H. Plummer ’02, M.S., the firstever graduate of the Master of Sports Management program, was recently named to the Board of Directors for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). He has spent the past thirty years as the Athletic Director/ Sports Center Manager at Williamson College of the Trades.

Allison Purcell ’03, B.A., has recently returned home to Neumann as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving!

Stephanie Fortunato ’13, M.S., ’18, M.S., has passed the National

Counseling Exam, making her a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). Stephanie has also recently acquired the position of Program Specialist/Counselor at Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia. Stephanie was also awarded the St. Francis of Assisi Award, bestowed upon the outstanding graduate in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Maria Sotomayor-Giacomucci ’13, B.A., was awarded the 2017

Social Justice Humanitarian Award

by The Social Justice Initiative at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

Marguerite DeGrassa ’14, B.A., was recently

licensed as a real estate agent in PA. To contact her, email mdegrassa@ yahoo.com.

Dominique Levitsky ’14, B.A., has

been promoted to Content Editor at Pearson VUE.

Colleen Graf ’15, B.S., has recently

returned home to Neumann as the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations!

Lauren Hoyt ’15, B.A., has acquired

the position of Reading Specialist at Upper Darby High School.

Continued 0n page 26 Summer 2018 25

d e u n i t n o c s e t Class No

John Carey ’18, B.S., has acquired a Sales

Stephanie Michel ’15 B.S., finished her

first season as the Assistant Women’s Volleyball Coach at a Penn State Brandywine.

Johanna Metzger ’16, B.S., has landed

a special education teaching position at Seneca High School in NJ.

Becca Wallace ’17, B.A., has acquired the position of a Lacrosse Coach and Videographer for the Athletics Department at Howard Community College.

Aí-Janaya Ward ’17, B.A., has acquired

the position of School Therapeutic Services Case Manager with Progressions Behavioral Health Services, Inc.

Associate Position with the New Jersey Devils.

Jiselle Oteyza ’18, B.S., has passed her

Nursing Boards, officially making her a Registered Nurse.

Amanda Hamilton ’18, B.S., has passed her Boards, officially making her Amanda Hamilton, BSN, RN.

EDUCATION Emily DiGuglielmo ’15, B.A., graduated

from Rosemont College’s graduate program summa cum laude with an MA in Counseling Psychology with concentrations in addiction and trauma studies.

Where

are you and

what

are you doing?

Let us know of any changes in your life that you would like to share at

www.alumni.neumann.edu/ classnotes

26 Accent Magazine

ENGAGEMENTS AND WEDDINGS Cynthia Fabritz ’13, B.S., became engaged to Andrew Rohanna of Upper Chichester, PA on June 25, 2017. The couple got engaged on the beach in Holgate, NJ (located on Long Beach Island). The couple will be married on August 11th, 2018 in Mt. Holly, NJ with a reception to follow in Hainesport, NJ.

IN THE NEWS Debra DeMasi ’80, B.S., was recently

sworn in as an Official Member of the Rose Valley Borough Council.

Maria Rolston,’01, B.S., ’04, M.S.,

Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union VP & Director of Talent Management, has been nominated for HR Person of the Year by Delaware Valley Society of Human Resources Management.

Kylynn McNichol ’08 B.A., was inducted

to the 2018 Delaware County Hall of Fame as Coach of the Year.

Allison MacNeill ’12, B.A., is currently in training for the Boston Marathon, where she will run to support the “Stepping Strong Center”, an organization that works to support trauma research and those who have suffered the life-altering effects of traumatic events and injuries.

Emily DiGuglielmo ’15, B.A., raised,

to date, over $500 for the National MS Society Foundation for her 25th birthday in honor of her mom’s constant uphill battle with Multiple Sclerosis for the last 13 years.

Corey Jackson ’17, B.S., has been awarded

the Clarence Schrenk Young Alumnus Award from the Board of Trustees of Williamson College of the Trades.

In Memoriam



Sr. Rita Burian, O.S.F. ’72 Sr. Mary Teresa Carmichael, O.S.F. Maureen A. Dragoni ’10 Anne M. Jennings ’77 Karen M Okoorian ’17 Ashley C. Payton ’14

Elizabeth “Bess” Brooks A tireless advocate for the Margaret Mary Kearney Scholarship fund, a scholarship for non-traditional women at Neumann University.

Bess volunteered for more than 27 years as a member of the Cultural Arts Forum serving in numerous leadership capacities over the years, including Treasurer and Fashion Show coordinator.

Summer 2018 27

Faculty Publications, Conferences and Awards Heather Dillon Anderson, assistant professor of physical therapy, and Scott Biely, associate professor of physical therapy, published the manuscript, Baseline King-Devick scores for adults are not generalizable; however, age and education influence scores, and co-presented the poster presentation, Mobilization for Persons with Acute Stroke: A Survey of Current Physical Therapy Clinical Practice at the Physical Therapy Combined Sections meeting in New Orleans, LA in February 2018. Anderson also gave a guest lecture at the University of Pennsylvania entitled, Treatments to improve vestibular, cardiovascular and/or balance impairment after concussion at the Mind Your Brain Conference in March 2018.

Lori Blount, director of transitional education, successfully defended her dissertation: A Quantitative Analysis of Academic and Social Conditions Influencing Sophomore Student Satisfaction and Intent to Re-enroll at Neumann University and is now officially an Ed.D. Gail Corso, professor of English and humanities, published a paper, The phantom in contemporary American fiction: A psychoanalytic interpretation of silent

James Kain: On-Course Ambassador of the Year James Kain, assistant professor of English, was recently recognized as the On-Course Workshop’s Ambassador of the Year.

The On-Course Workshop program was created by Skip Downing, author of the text, On Course, which is one of the most used texts in Freshman Experience programs across the country. The workshops are an extension of the principles and strategies in the text, which are based on the idea that students who take responsibility for their learning are going to be more successful. So the role of the teacher is to create opportunities for students to take control of their learning.

Kain first learned about the On-Course Workshop concepts at a conference in 2006.

“I was immediately impressed with how well Downing integrated theory, research, and 28 Accent Magazine

presences for three characters, in The International Journal of Literary Humanities.

She presented Journey To Love: William Carlos Williams’s introspective journey and his testament to the other and its sacredness in the thisness of life for the New Directions in the Humanities International Conference at the University of Pennsylvania in July 2018.

as part of the math colloquia they created at Neumann University.

David DiMarco, professor of mathematics, and Ryan Savitz, professor of mathematics, presented Math Races and Jeopardy Games at the Mathematical Association of America, New Jersey Section in April 2018. In April, 2018, they also hosted their sixth speaker, Dr. Radha Railkar from Merck & Co.,

Andrea Di Trani Lobacz, assistant professor of athletic training, presented A Multimodal Approach to Hamstring Strain Injury Rehabilitation at the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainer’s Society (PATS) Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposium in Erie, PA in June 2017. She also gave poster presentations at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Houston, Texas in June 2017 entitled Sensory Disconnect and Force Control Deficits Following Hamstring Strain Injuries and Neuromechanical Links Between Cortical Activity and Knee Stiffness During Joint Loading, as well as the poster presentation entitled Altered Brain Activity During Joint Loading After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction presented at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado in May 2017. Most recently, she presented Is Imaging More Accurate than Patient History & Clinical Exam in Estimating Time to Returnto-Play in Patients with Hamstring Strain Injuries? at the Delaware Athletic Trainers’ Association (DATA) Annual Education Forum & Business Meeting in Newark, DE,

practice — how it triggered a fundamental change in how we think about teaching,” Kain said.

Faculty decided to use the On Course text in Neumann’s Freshman Experience course that year, and Kain began to study and apply these new strategies. He soon realized this model of teaching could be applied to any course and in any student encounter, such as advising or mentoring.

Over the years, Kain has attended workshop retreats for faculty development offered by the On-Course Workshop program.

He also became an On-Course Ambassador quite a few years ago and has presented at the National Conference annually since 2012, the last 2 years by invitation.

“I am honored to be able to present there, as I meet many new educators hungry for these kinds of ideas, and I feel that I can pass the gift along to them, just as I had once received it.”

“As an Ambassador, there is a responsibility to share ideas and success stories through

the On-Course website, list-serve, and conferences. There is a commitment to being available as a resource for other educators seeking to improve their teaching,” he adds.

According to the On-Course Workshop website, The Ambassador of the Year is awarded to “individuals and/or teams of OC Ambassadors who have ‘played big’ to advance our group’s mission: to introduce our students and colleagues to On-Course principles and practices and thereby transform our colleges and universities into learner-centered institutions that empower students to become active, responsible learners. Our ultimate goal is to bring about a significant increase in student learning, academic success, and retention.”

Other On-Course Ambassadors from Neumann University are William Hamilton, PhD., assistant professor of English; Lori Blount, EdD, director of Transitional Education; Anne Leibig, academic advisor; and Michael Mullen, dean of Academic Support Services.

Lee DelleMonache, director of the institute for sport, spirituality, and character development, was part of a panel at the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) Annual Conference in February 2018 in Washington, DC entitled: Our Soul and Our Survival: Mission Integration in Athletics and Student Life.

She presented on the unique programs offered at Neumann University through the Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development.

in December 2017 and The Clinical Evaluation of Hamstring Strain Injuries: Using Patient-Reported Outcomes to Assess Re-injury Risk and RTP Time at the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society (PATS) Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposium in Erie, PA in June 2018.

Jillian Donnelly, dean of continuing adult and professional studies, presented on Professional Development at the Philadelphia Fire Department Presents: Progress for Women in Public Safety in March 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guillermo A. Gómez, reference librarian, composed all original music for the WWI “Memories of the Great War” documentary in September 2017. He was also commissioned by the Church of the Holy Apostles in Wynnewood, PA to compose the music for an anthem based on Psalm 43 for the installment of their new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutierrez.

Nathan Hardy, assistant professor of marketing, published the article, Writer’s Toolbox: Marketing — Sales Psychology in the Penn Writer Newsletter.

Leanne Havis, professor of criminal justice, presented Using an ‘Exam Autopsy’ Approach to Promote Self-Regulated Learning at the Teaching Professor Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA in June 2018.

Mehdi Hojjat, professor of finance and international business, presented U.S. – Peru Trade, Peru’s Global Competitiveness at the Global Conference on Business and Finance in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in January 2018 and presented Career Development Opportunities for Business Students at the Pennsylvania Economic Association Conference in Altoona, PA in June 2018.

James Houck, professor of pastoral clinical mental health counseling and director of the doctorate in pastoral counseling program, presented a paper on When Ancestors Weep: Healing the Soul From Integenerational Trauma at the Association for Death Education and Counseling National Conference in April 2018.

James Kain, assistant professor of English, published a new book of poetry called Playing with Words with XLibris press.

He presented a faculty workshop entitled Becoming your own hero: Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as a model for successful students on April 13, 2018 at the On Course National Conference 2018 in Anaheim, CA. Robert Kennedy, academic advisor, presented the presentation, Crisis 101 at the NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) Regional Conference in Dover, DE in March of 2018.

Julie Lanzillo, assistant professor and director of sport management and sport business, co-published the article, Engaging fans on social media in US minor league soccer: A content analysis of consumer promotion on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, in the Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing. She also gave the presentation, Blending Academics and Practitioners: A Dedicated Approach to Sport Industry Relations at the COSMA Annual Conference in Jacksonville, FL in February 2018.

Continued 0n page 30

Business: All about the Benjamins?

Kudos

Corporations are in business to make money, and CEOs are in business to get rich. Pure and simple. End of story. Or is it?

According to Dr. Robert Till, associate professor of management, and Dr. Mary Beth Yount, associate professor of theological studies, the current governance theories by which corporations are run may affect society negatively in several ways, the most critical of which is the trend toward everwidening income inequality.

In “Governance and Incentives: Is It Really All about the Money?” (published in the February 2018 issue of the Journal of Business Ethics), Till and Yount explain modern governance theories and propose a new one.

Traditional governance models include agency, stakeholder and stewardship theories. In corporations run according to agency theory, boards use financial incentives to motivate opportunistic managers to focus on wealth creation for the stockholders and themselves. Stakeholder theory broadens the managerial goal a bit, write the authors, to include the “interests of varied groups who are impacted by the company but still assumes managers are financially opportunistic and self-centered.” According to Yount and Till, these first two philosophical approaches lead to “increasingly higher executive compensation and wider disparities of income within the organization.”

Stewardship theory expands the understanding of managerial motivation to include a genuine concern for the organization as a whole. It “challenges the individualistic and financially self-interested assumptions of agency theory and assumes that moral managers are pro-organizational and collectivist.” Its weakness, however, is that it “does not consider the complexity of the broad array of needs and drives of an individual and the impact of societal values on those needs and drives.”

The Neumann professors believe that all three of the existing theories have a limited view of the motivations of managers and “lack fundamental guidance about fostering dignity and altruism as well as more specific considerations such as how to fairly reward managers and employees.”

They propose infusing stewardship theory with principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST) to create the justice-stewardship governance model. This new approach incorporates elements of the other three theories. The application of CST, however, “not only elevates the importance of the employee as a stakeholder and outlines the responsibility of the CEO to treat their employees with justice and dignity, but it also provides fundamental guidance about nurturing dignity and altruism within cultures.”

Till and Yount conclude that when boards assume a well-rounded perspective regarding the motivations of managers, going beyond an overemphasis on financial compensation as the primary way to motivate senior managers, they are better equipped to “challenge CEOs to pay living wages, treat employees with respect, give them a voice in decision making, and provide a path for employees to reach their full potential.”

Summer 2018 29

d e u n i t n o c s o d Ku Janet Massey, professor of accounting, gave a lecture entitled, Ethics Update for Accountants and Attorneys at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Regional Annual Tax Conference in Aston, PA in November 2017, she presented Financial Literacy Initiative to Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants at Prince Hall Elementary School, Philadelphia, PA, in May 2018, she also presented her paper, Relationship Building Experience Integrating Knowledge of Discipline with Sacramentality of Spirit at the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities Symposium in Joliet, IL in June 2018.

Sr. Suzanne Mayer, IHM, professor and director of pastoral clinical mental health counseling, was named to the editorial board for Journal of Counseling, Leadership and Advocacy, she reviewed the following articles for publication, Through a glass darkly: Comparative analysis of a racial incident at a college campus in April 2018 and Connecting with others: Counselor Educator Identity development in hybrid doctoral programs in December 2017. She also presented More than Many Sparrows: Retreat Day for the Mothers of Special Needs Children as part of The Spirituality of Caregiving series at the Malvern Retreat House in May 2018.

John Mizzoni, professor of philosophy, chaired the Session on Evolution at the 41st Annual International Meeting of the American Maritain Association: Thomism and Science, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, PA, in March 2018, presented the paper, Truth Cannot Contradict Truth: Pope John Paul II and Evolution at the FortyFirst Annual International Meeting of the American Maritain Association: Thomism and Science, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, PA, March 2018, and he took part in a panel presentation at the SEPCHE Faculty Development Conference, Chestnut Hill College, Chestnut Hill, PA in May 2018.

Robert Post, professor and director of physical therapy, presented The Effects of Class 4 Infrared Laser Irradiation of the Anterior Forearm and Carpal Tunnel Region on Median Nerve Distal Motor and Sensory Latencies in Healthy Subjects at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), New Orleans, LA in February 2018.

30 Accent Magazine

Marisa Rauscher, associate professor of education, gave a keynote address entitled, The 4 Pillars of Connection at Elwyn’s (The Davidson School) Commencement Ceremony in Media, PA in June 2018. She presented QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer — Suicide Prevention Training. Presented at The Catholic Urban Education Seminar in Philadelphia, PA in June 2018 and presents monthly Discussing the Academic and Personal: A TedTalk Series, at Wesley Enhanced Living in Media, PA.

Lisa Selby-Silverstein, professor of physical therapy, gave the following poster presentations at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting in New Orleans, LA in February 2018, Reliability of Biomechanical Measures and their Concurrent Validity with the Lower Extremity Function Scale (LEFS), University Student Experience with Leg Pain: A Survey Study, and Effects of Physical Therapy vs Physical Therapy with Tortle™ on Head Shape in Infants with Plagiocephaly.

Sr. Linda Sariego, OSF, associate professor of Spanish, was an invited participant in the Teagle Foundation Grantee Convening Session in April 2018 in New York, NY. She was also a member of the presenting panelists for the Infusing Humanities into Business Courses: workshop on the aspects of the Teagle Foundation Grant at the Neumann University Faculty Symposium on May 7, 2018 and was a co-presenter along with James Kain, assistant professor of English, Karen Graziano, and Feridoon Ariyani, both adjunct faculty, for the Integrative Learning Session: Engaging Business and Liberal Arts through Social Impact workshop at the May 8, 2018 SEPCHE Faculty Development Conference in Chestnut Hill, PA.

Marco Sifoni, coordinator of programming for the institute for sport, spirituality and character development, presented Team Chaplaincy: Bringing your School’s Values to Life through a Lay Ministry Program at the 2018 National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) Visions for Excellence Soul of Youth Sports Conference in Lenexa, Kansas in February 2018.

Ryan Savitz, professor of mathematics, published the article, The relationships between state party leadership and economic performance: an empirical analysis, in the Review of Business Research and presented the paper, The relationships between state party leadership and economic performance: an empirical analysis at The International Academy of Business and Economics spring meeting in March, 2018. He also reviewed manuscripts for the journal Problems, Resources, and Issues in Undergraduate in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, and The International Journal of Business Research.

He and student Helen Cooney were awarded a Clare-Boothe Luce grant to conduct sabermetric research this summer.

Megan Scranton, associate professor of education, presented Co-treating Phonological Awareness and Articulation Difficulties at the 2017 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Los Angeles, CA in November 2017.

Cynthia Speace, director of the Ed.D. program and associate professor of education, has accepted the position of Assistant Dean for the Division of Education and Human Services. Her primary responsibilities will be related to oversight of all graduate programs in the division.

She will continue to direct the Ed.D. program as well.

Mary Beth Yount, assistant professor of theological studies, had her chapter, “Share Responsibility: Practical Involvement of the Laity” in the book Full, Conscious and Active: Lay Participation in the Church’s Dialogue with the World published in February 2018. She also co-presented The Pope and the Nones’ New Habits: Pope Francis, the Millennial Generation, and the Post-PostConciliar Church at the Institute for Catholic Social Thought at Villanova University’s special conference on the fifth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis in Philadelphia, PA in March 2018. Her review of the book Empirical Foundations of the Common Good: What Theology Can Learn from Social Science by Daniel K. Finn was published in May 2018.

Faculty Focus: Alice McDermott’s Fiction Gail Shanley Corso, PhD, professor of English and Humanities, recently had her edited volume, Alice McDermott’s Fiction: Voice, Memory, Trauma and Lies, published

by Peter Lang. McDermott, a contemporary American fiction writer and National Book Award recipient, has written eight novels and dozens of short stories. She has been a finalist three times for the Pulitzer for fiction.

Alice McDermott came into Corso’s life as a young girl. “Alice and one of my younger cousins were best friends when they were younger. When I visited, I observed them playing,” said Corso.

Although Corso and McDermott grew up and apart, Corso stayed connected to McDermott through McDermott’s fictional work. McDermott has authored eight novels that focus on human dramas, often of those of Irish Catholic descent, set in the common suburban life. She presents her characters sympathetically, yearning to fill a loss that they can never achieve but attaining a kind of dignity instead.

In 2010, Corso asked herself, “Why hasn’t a book been written about Alice McDermott’s fiction?” Corso enlisted the help of six of her colleagues, four of whom were Neumann University colleagues, to contribute their understandings of McDermott’s characters, stories, and themes through their varied disciplinary lenses.

In 2018, Alice McDermott’s Fiction: Voice, Memory, Trauma and Lies, was published.

Claudia Marie Kovach, PhD, Professor of English and French, Martin LoMonaco, PhD, professor of Communication and Media Arts (posthumously), Sr. Suzanne Mayer, IHM, professor and director of

Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Colleen McDonough, PhD, professor of Psychology, were the contributing authors from Neumann University.

So why does everyone love Alice McDermott?

Dr. Claudia Kovach was first introduced to Alice McDermott through her novel, That Night, by Corso about four or five years ago. The novel is set in the 1960s, and narrated through the lens of a 10-year-old girl fascinated with the romantic lives of two Long Island teenagers.

This piece of work dug at Kovach’s heart from two perspectives. At the time, she was raising two teenage daughters and was always reading about what to expect when raising teenagers. The neighborhood described in the story was also similar to the one in which Kovach grew up. “This was my era, the dynamics were very similar,” she said.

“Her work is wonderful and very accessible,” Kovach said about McDermott. “At the surface, it seems simple, so you might miss the depth, but it’s there.”

“Alice has very strong ideas about the characters . . . and she uses hidden metaphors and imagery. The things people don’t say sometimes are more important that what is said.” Corso adds, “She writes about our realities and the search for happiness.”

Both Corso and Kovach noted McDermott’s high level of respect for young people. Last fall, while McDermott was promoting her latest novel, The Ninth Hour, one of her stops was at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Corso and her senior seminar class attended the event. Before the public reading and signing of the book, McDermott met privately with Corso’s class.

Recent graduate, Megan McDermott ’18 B.A., (no relation to Alice McDermott) attended the event as a student in the seminar class. “This was the first time I had met a published author. We were able to ask questions for our thesis and she gave us her personal email.”

Corso has said that McDermott’s stories are adapted from real-life experiences of people she knows, which would explain why others find her characters so easily relatable.

“McDermott has a way of weaving so much into what at first seems a simple, quiet walk in the park, or in her case, along the roads of the Hamptons or Long Island. Her characters, drawn from a long line of Irish immigrants who came to the States to move up in the world for their families, pull along with them those families and all the haunting history that makes them Irish,” adds Sr. Suzanne.

“What sets McDermott’s stories apart for me in my discipline as a pastoral counselor is the issue of rite, ritual, sacramental quality of life, and the sense of reverence for person that wraps around and through her works.

McDermott has said of herself that she does not intentionally attempt to bring the Catholic, the Christian, the sacred into her writing, but, because it is so much of her lived experience and vision of the world, it . . . pulses into her plots, characters, even settings,” concludes Mayer.

When McDermott is not writing, she is Johns Hopkins University’s Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities. Her novel, Charming Billy, which tells the story of Billy Lynch and his lifelong struggle with alcohol after the death of his first love, won an American Book Award as well as the National Book Award for Fiction.

Five professors contributed to the book on Alice McDermott Left to Right: Drs. Colleen McDonough, Claudia Kovach and Gail Corso.

Sr. Suzanne Mayer, IHM Dr. Martin LoMonaco (deceased)

Summer 2018 31

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Become a member of The Guardian Angel Society today!

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For more information on planned giving visit www.neumann.plannedgiving.org information on planned giving, visit www.neumann.plannedgiving.org or callFor Themore Office of Institutional Advancement and University Relations at 610-558-5513. or call The Office of Institutional Advancement and University Relations at 610-558-5513.

ll a F This Two Stellar Speakers This fall, the university hosts two outstanding speakers Annabel Liu Author of Life Is a Rough Draft

Friday, October 19, at 1:30 p.m.

Meagher Theatre Admission: Free will donation RSVP: 610-558-5626 A bilingual writer who began writing in English at the ripe old age of 75, Lui has written three memoirs, each about a different and significant facet of her life. She was born in Shanghai, China, and has written many essays, feature stories and eleven books in Chinese and English. She taught journalism at Iowa State University and the University of Tennessee.

Monica McGoldrick, PhD Director of the Multicultural Family Institute Professor of Clinical Psychiatry

Saturday, November 3, at 10 a.m.

Schmidt Multipurpose Room Admission: $25 fee includes continental breakfast RSVP: 610-361-2292 Author of several best-selling, classic books in her field, Dr. McGoldrick speaks on issues such as culture, class, the family life cycle, loss, genograms, remarried families, and siblings. Three of her books have become best-selling classics, and she has received the American Family Therapy Academy Award.

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We lve the Knight life

October 11 – 14 d n e k e e W & Family

2018

Featuring the

Best Homecoming Celebration Ever Saturday, October 13 • 12 noon — 4 p.m.

(Rain or Shine)

All things Homecoming: Visit www.alumni.neumann.edu/homecoming18