New BegiNNiNgs 2011 Report of the President
DeAR FRieNDs OF sOUTHeRN,
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hen I applied for the presidency of this university, I felt a strong resonance with Southern’s powerful mission of engagement, social justice, and creating access, aligned with its strong commitment to excellence. As you will read in the pages of this annual report, I am fortunate to have received the opportunity to lead Southern at a time when so much has been achieved by the campus community and its leadership. My challenge as president is to build on these accomplishments and bring all of us together in a way that will continue to move the institution forward. One of my long-term goals is to ensure that Southern continues to be a significant player in the higher education landscape in the state of Connecticut and the region. As a public institution, Southern is committed as part of its mission to engage actively with its community and to create pathways to success for students who might not otherwise have them. I am strongly committed to our mission of access, while always striving for excellence. As we all know, the 21st century is knowledge-based, and therefore we need to be developing a knowledge-based workforce. Southern’s curriculum has a very strong liberal arts core that prepares our graduates to reshape themselves as the economy reshapes itself. Southern’s liberal arts core enables our students to become more independent in their thinking and, ultimately, to become leaders in their chosen fields. In the years ahead, I am committed to ensuring that this university maintains and strengthens the balance that currently exists between the liberal arts core and professional education to best prepare students to become leaders in the workforce of the 21st century. I am excited about what the future holds for the next year and beyond. Yes, these remain uncertain economic times, but I am convinced that as a community we can embrace the opportunities and address the ongoing challenges facing Southern and all state universities. I grew up and went to school in California. I worked in Michigan, New Jersey and New York — all are states that have had their share of budgetary challenges. Limited budgets are the nature of public higher education today. Our task is to work within these constraints, while building resources and support from those who believe in our mission. Then we can continue to move forward with a positive agenda. To this end, I plan to be a vigorous advocate for this university and its mission on campus, in Greater New Haven, in Hartford and further afield. We must make it clear to the public, the business community and the political establishment that investing in an institution like Southern is the right thing to do. It is not only an investment in our students, but also by extension an investment in our whole community and indeed, the very future of America.
Sincerely,
Mary A. Papazian, Ph.D. • President
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academics 69 undergraduate, 45 graduate degree programs accreditation In 2002, Southern received its 10-year reaccreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. alumni 84,500 athletics Ten national NCAA Division II team titles and 72 individual championships campus Nearly 172 acres diversity More than 500 students with disabilities. Minority students comprise about 25 percent of the total enrollment.
s O U T H e R N AT A g l A N c e endowment $9.4 million enrollment 11,533 faculty 433 full-time; 79 percent with doctoral and other terminal degrees graduate students 2,837 operating budget $196 million residence life More than 2,700 students live on campus in nine residence halls undergraduate students 8,696, including 1,334 new full-time freshmen
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M A s T e R p l A N M Ov i N g A H e A D
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fter a wait of two years, bonding to renovate the former Student Center as a new home for the School of Business was approved last spring. The building, which will encompass about 23,000 square feet, will house business faculty offices, classrooms, meeting rooms and workshop space. It will enable faculty to relocate from the dilapidated Seabury Hall, which was built in 1956 and is considered to be woefully inadequate as an office building. Plans call for Seabury, a former dormitory, to be demolished after the renovations are completed — almost 20 years after it was first slated to be torn down. The $6.6 million project will take about 12 to 15 months to complete and will be a LEED Silver Certified project. Other major construction projects are also moving forward. Design is underway for the long-awaited completion of the Buley Library renovations. The renovated area will incorporate general classroom space, a learning commons, information technology operations offices, an adaptive technology area, faculty offices and storage/display space for the university’s art collection. Design is also proceeding for a 98,332-square-foot science building that would house teaching and research laboratories for nanotechnology, physics and optics, cancer research, astronomy and other sciences. The campus parking crunch should be eased by the construction of a new 1,200-space parking garage on the site of Lot 7, at the side of Moore Fieldhouse. The project should be finished by fall 2012 and will net about 800 parking spaces for students and employees.
left: Renovations proceed on the new home for the school of Business.
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A l e A D i N g pA R T N e R i N M AT e R i A l s s c i e N c e
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outhern received its largest-ever research grant — $1,763,000 — as part of a partnership with Yale University that promises to expand cutting-edge scientific research and bolster educational opportunities for students and faculty in the New Haven Public Schools. The National Science Foundation allocated a six-year, $13 million grant to enhance the universities’ joint materials science center, known as the Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP). Materials science is a discipline that includes the creation of technologically-advanced items, ranging from computer chips to biological implants. The center enables students to create and examine new materials at the atomic level. It also helps to foster interdisciplinary research by faculty and students at both institutions. Among the disciplines are physics, chemistry and engineering. “This grant is extremely important as it supports both innovative research and teacher development at a crucial time for Southern and the state of Connecticut,” says SCSU Physics Department Chairwoman Christine Broadbridge, who is the center’s director of education. “Math and science have taken on an increasing importance for our state and nation’s future.” Broadbridge says one of the major benefits to the grant is the ability to work even more closely with the New Haven School District to encourage students to consider the math and science fields. Workshops offered by CRISP have sought to improve the professional development of science teachers in the area during the last six years. Right: christine Broadbridge is the Director of education for the joint yale-southern materials science center.
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New leADeRsHip iN Key pOsiTiONs
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fter 15 years guiding Eastern Connecticut State University through the ups and downs of student enrollment, Kimberly Crone brought her enrollment management talents to Southern as associate vice president for academic student services.
Crone oversees the Admissions Office, Registrar’s Office and Academic Advisement Center and her passion for the job is palpable. “Higher education is absolutely my calling,” she says. “I really love what we do — helping students succeed in attaining their goal of a college education.” Then-Provost Selase Williams said that Crone “brings a wealth of experience in enrollment management that we have not had at this institution for many years. It is a discipline that requires understanding who your students are in a detailed way.” That will assist the university to analyze the yield rate of applications to enrolled students, and boost efforts to close the achievement gap for minorities and low-income students, the provost said. During her 15 years at Eastern, Crone twice earned the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award, Silver Innovation Prize. In 2002, it was for the development of Eastern’s admission rating system, while in 2004, she was recognized for her role in the development of the transfer compact between Eastern and the Connecticut Community College system. Three senior university administrators also assumed key leadership positions on an interim basis in mid-2011: • Marianne Kennedy, who has served as associate vice president for assessment, planning and academic programs since the fall of 2008, was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. • Peter Troiano, dean of students, was named interim vice president for student and university affairs. • Gregg Crerar, director of development, was named interim vice president for institutional advancement. left: Kimberly crone is passionate about helping students attain their goals.
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s TA R R e s e A R c H e R
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lliott Horch, an associate professor of physics who is highly regarded in the field of astronomy for his optics research, was selected as the 2011 recipient of the Connecticut State University System’s Norton Mezvinsky Trustees Research Award. Horch recently developed a cutting-edge telescopic attachment that enables astronomers to see images of distant stars with crispness up to 20 times better than ever before. The instrument, called a Differential Speckle Survey Instrument, was described by Horch as being similar to putting “eyeglasses on a telescope.” He provided it to the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. The project was made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation and was designed to improve astronomers’ body of knowledge of binary stars, of which our own sun is likely to have been one. Horch’s work on the telescopic device — which includes two cameras and a scanning mirror system inside a rectangular box — earlier led to his selection as the platinum recipient of the 2009 Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) Innovation Prize. Several other Southern faculty received awards for pedagogy during the last year: Misty Ginicola, assistant professor of counseling and school psychology, earned a university-level Trustees Teaching Award from the CSU System. Steven Corbett, an assistant professor of English who has been teaching his composition courses via a paperless process was named the university's Technological Teacher of the Year. Kate Marsland, associate professor of psychology, was the first recipient of Southern’s Outstanding Faculty Academic Advising Award. And Deborah Carroll, associate professor of psychology, was awarded the J. Philip Smith Outstanding Teaching Award at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Right: elliott Horch is highly regarded for his optics research.
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A splAsHiNg sUccess
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outhern’s sophomore swimming sensation Amanda Thomas captured the national title in the 200-yard individual medley last March. Thomas finished with a time of 2:00.88, just .32 seconds off of the NCAA record. In addition, she was the runner-up in the 400-yard individual medley, actually breaking the NCAA record en route, with a clocking of 4:15.59. She also notched a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly. In all, Thomas collected All-America honors in four events during the Division II championships (she was also fourth in the 200-meter backstroke). “She didn’t come in as a big student-athlete who was destined to win national titles,” says Southern swim coach Tim Quill, who has now coached individuals to 15 NCAA titles. “She’s a good example of how if you set goals for yourself, short-term and long-term, and you work towards those goals on a daily basis, sometimes you will see the results.” Thomas made an immediate impact last year as a freshman, taking home All-America honors in six events and being selected as the Most Outstanding Performer at the league championship. The spotlight of an NCAA championship competition was uncharted territory, but her success was almost immediate, as she reached the pinnacle of the sport on her first swim of the championships.
With a national title in the books, Thomas and Quill set their sights on new goals. And at the time of publication, those goals had been exceeded. Thomas was named the 2012 NCAA Division II Women’s Swimmer of the Year after winning national titles in both the 200 and 400 individual medley, placing runner-up in the 200 butterfly and finishing third in the 200 backstroke at this year’s championships — breaking the NCAA record in the 200 individual medley event. She now holds three NCAA individual titles, three NCAA runner-up marks and is a 14-time All-American for her career. To cap a wonderful run of success, she later qualified for the June U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 individual medley. left: sophomore Amanda Thomas is proving to be a star in southern’s swimming program.
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BOOsTiNg THe NUMBeRs O F N U R s i N g FAc U lT y
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outhern will offer the second doctoral program in its history this fall when it launches an Ed.D. in nursing education — an initiative designed to help address the state and national shortage of nurses and nursing faculty.
The program will be collaborative with Western Connecticut State University and geared toward individuals with a master’s degree in nursing who would like to teach. The Southern/Western program will be among only a handful in the country offering an Ed.D. in nursing education. “We are thrilled that we will be able to increase the number of nursing faculty in Connecticut at a time when such positions are in short supply,” says Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the Nursing Department. “By training more individuals to teach nursing, more students can be accepted into nursing programs and eventually earn degrees in the field. This helps address the state and national nursing shortage.” The Ed.D. in nursing education will require students to complete 51 credits, including hands-on experience in teaching. Twenty-five students will be accepted into the program in the coming months, divided about evenly between the two schools. The program is targeted specifically to educators in nursing, and to nontraditional students already in the workforce, by being almost entirely online. Southern continues to be one of Connecticut’s leading producers of qualified nurses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The popularity of the baccalaureate program is at an all-time high with 886 undergraduates identifying themselves as either nursing or pre-nursing majors in fall 2011 — the most at any time since the program began in the fall of 1969. Right: The joint ed.D. in nursing education, collaborative with wcsU, will help increase the number of nursing faculty in the state. Barbara Aronson (center) is the program’s coordinator.
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T H O U g H T- p R OvO K i N g s p e A K e R s
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rom music to civil rights, from sports to social justice, speakers on campus throughout the year offered their views on a wide range of compelling topics.
In February, classical conductor George Mathew, founder of Music for Life International, spoke to the university community about music and conflict resolution. Mathew has emerged as one of the leading forces in the classical music world, bringing symphonic music to focus on global humanitarian issues and crises. In March, the fourth annual Essence of Beauty event brought Freedom Rider Lula Mae White to campus to speak. The Freedom Riders traveled into the South during the civil rights movement of the 1960s to challenge laws sanctioning racially segregated bus and train stations. In April, the inaugural event of the Recreation and Leisure Department Sports Management Program featured a personal appearance by Bobby Valentine, who in 1985 became the youngest manager in Major League Baseball (with the Texas Rangers) and is now the manager of the Boston Red Sox. Actor Michael J. Fox of the Back to the Future movie series delivered the 13th Mary and Louis Fusco Distinguished Lecture at Lyman Center in May. Fox spoke to a packed house about his journey of self-discovery and reinvention after receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 30. The fall brought campus appearances by speakers addressing issues of social justice and urban poverty. Author Jonathan Kozol spoke on “The Shame of the Nation: Race, Poverty, and the Public Schools.” Waverly Duck spoke in October on “How Poor Neighborhoods Make Sense of Drug Dealing.” And Wes Moore spoke about his New York Times bestseller The Other Wes Moore – the fascinating story of a man who shared his name and a similar personal history but arrived at a very different fate. The book was the Common Read selection for the year’s freshman class. left: Michael J. Fox entertained and moved an enthusiastic lyman center audience. A N N U A l R e p O R T s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y 1 7
D e F y i N g e X p e c TAT i O N s
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ou could call Southern students a bit “misunderestimated.” A national assessment test measuring critical thinking skills showed that Southern made larger gains between their freshman and senior years than most of their peers across the nation on the 2010-11 Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). Seniors reached the 91st percentile nationally in terms of exceeding expectations in the educational gains by its students between their freshman and senior years. Expectations are based in large part on the SAT scores of incoming students.
“We are very proud of our students and the academic progress that they demonstrate during their years at Southern,” says Marianne Kennedy, interim provost/vice president for academic affairs. “The positive result from this test is indicative of the quality of our faculty and the strong work ethic of our students. Our faculty members are dedicated first and foremost to effective teaching and the test results exemplify their success in reaching our students.” In addition, the university was selected to participate in an assessment test that measures critical thinking skills of students across the globe. Southern was one of only 10 schools in the country — and the sole Connecticut representative — to be chosen. While international tests exist that compare high school students’ skills, this test is believed to be the first to measure college students’ skills around the world. The international test is a pilot program, and if successful, could become an annual program. Southern’s academic improvements dovetailed last year with perceptions of students, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The most recent survey showed that 84 percent of freshmen and 79 percent of seniors reported their overall educational experience at Southern to be “good” or “excellent.” A total of 76 percent of freshmen and 73 percent of seniors said they would “probably” or “definitely” come to Southern for their college education if they could start again. Right: southern students exceed expectations academically, a national assessment test showed.
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DAy OF s e Rv i c e 2 011
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he University Choir, conducted by Terese Gemme, enjoyed a stellar year at home and abroad.
Its ranks bolstered by members of New Haven’s Heritage Chorale, the choir accompanied Diane Bish, celebrated organist and host of the Joy of Music television series in a fundraising concert last April. Bish is the most visible and influential classical organist performing today. A concert and recording artist, composer, conductor, and international television personality, she brought her dazzling virtuosity and unique showmanship to a full house at Yale University’s Battell Chapel. Proceeds from the event supported a year-end visit by the choir to London, where at 1,000-year-old Southwark Cathedral they took part in a performance of George Friedrich Handel’s “Four Coronation Anthems,” music still used at the coronation liturgies of England’s monarchs. The festival concert, conducted by Simon Carrington, kicked off a monumental year in London that will see the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the staging of the Olympic Games. Prior to the London event, the choir performed its own concert at Bristol Cathedral. The visit was also made possible thanks to support from the Stutzman Family Foundation, which has supported numerous programs and initiatives in Southern’s Music Department during the last few years. The choir previously performed in Ireland in June 2009 as part of an event recognizing the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death. Carrington also conducted that performance and invited the Southern choir to return for the 2012 event. The former director of Yale University’s Schola Cantorum, Carrington co-founded the British vocal ensemble The King’s Singers at Cambridge University. Right: simon carrington conducts a rehearsal of the festival concert in london in January. 2 2 s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y A N N U A l R e p O R T
gRADe A sTUDeNTs iN clAssROOM AND cOMMUNiTy
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outhern students earned notable awards for academic achievement and community service in the last year.
Graduate student Jessica Schumacher’s passion for breaking language barriers and her proficiency in the Spanish language (oral and written) have enabled her to become the first Southern student ever selected as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship recipient.
Although her bachelor’s degree centered on advertising, Schumacher’s graduate studies focus on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). As a Fulbright fellow, she will travel to Argentina for eight months and help train individuals who are in the process of becoming English teachers in that country. During her stay, Schumacher will further study the Spanish language and hopes to pursue the personal project she proposed in her application: to film interviews with Argentinean people to expose students to the dialect in Spanish classrooms. Four Southern students — including two student-athletes — were selected as the 2011 recipients of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award. • Samantha Benson, a theater major and president of the Crescent Players Theater Group, has a 3.88 GPA. She plans to attend graduate school for arts administration and pursue a career as an advocate for arts education. • Logan Lentz, an exercise science major and captain of the women’s basketball team for the last three years, has a 3.94 GPA. She plans to attend graduate school and become a certified conditioning specialist. • Raymond Nardella, a political science major and president of the Class of 2011 for all four years, had a 3.83 GPA. He plans to seek a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, and eventually intends to pursue a law degree. • Jennifer Peterson, an elementary education and psychology major and captain of the field hockey team, has a 3.78 GPA. She plans to pursue a career in teaching and a master’s degree in special education. Above: Jessica schumacher. clockwise, from top left: logan lentz, Raymond Nardella, Jennifer peterson, samantha Benson.
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H i s TO R i c s e A s O N F O R BA s e BA l l
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oming off a 38-win season in 2010 that included a Northeast10 Conference regular season title and a trip to the NCAA Regional finals, the Southern baseball team put on quite an encore in the 2011 campaign. The Owls jumped out of the gate with 22 consecutive victories to open the year, which marked both the longest winning streak and best start to a season in school history.
But the best was yet to come. After winning the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title for the second straight year, the Owls had to rally from the losers’ bracket with three wins in less than 24 hours in NCAA Regional play to advance to the College World Series for the second time in school history. Southern defeated Adelphi University, 9-1 and 2-1 on championship Sunday to move on to the CWS in Cary, N.C. After an opening loss, the Owls upset No. 1 nationally ranked Grand Valley State (Mich.) and then earned its first-ever CWS national semifinals spot with an 8-6 win over Sonoma State (Calif.) after rallying from a 3-run deficit. The Owls lost in the semi-finals 7-5 to Winona State (Minn.), finishing the year with a school-record 45 wins and a highest-ever No. 4 national ranking. “It was one of those seasons that you have where you know where that’s where you’re supposed to end up,” says Coach Tim Shea. “Our trademark is our pitching and it never let us down.” The spring was also productive for other sports. The softball team captured the NE-10 Tournament title for the second year in a row and reached the NCAA Regional finals. The men’s outdoor track and field team finished ninth at the NCAA championships, also winning its firstever New England Championship and 18th straight Northeast-10 title. And the women’s indoor track and field team was third at the New England’s and won its third straight NE-10 crown. Right: All-American junior chris Zbin’s 10 wins – tied for the most in a season in school history – along with an 1.25 earned run average and 112 strikeouts helped carry the Owls to their longest-ever winning streak. 2 6 s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y A N N U A l R e p O R T
H O p e T H R O U g H e D U c AT i O N
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egendary comedian Bill Cosby brought his contagious brand of humor and community activism to Southern, supporting the university’s new grassroots educational initiatives in New Haven. Stressing the importance of education, Cosby took his message to the streets in the Newhallville section of town and thrilled students and teachers at neighboring elementary schools. He also headlined a fundraising concert at Southern’s John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, along with jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis. A friend of interim President Stanley Battle, Cosby was a high-profile proponent of the new Southern Academy — a year-round educational effort dedicated to addressing the achievement gap in children’s developmental years. The first group of 25 students, all fourth graders drawn from neighboring New Haven schools, participated in a five-week literacy camp last summer, and the educational outcomes were highly positive. Students were given pre-tests that assessed current reading comprehension levels and writing ability. Significant improvement was shown in all areas during testing at the conclusion of the program. For example, using a six-point scale, 75 percent of students scored at level 3 or 4 for writing in the post-test, compared with just 30 percent in the pre-test. Southern Academy received major sponsorship from Dell, with the laptop computers that the company provided to each student serving as a wonderful enhancement to the children’s learning experience. Academy students will be supported and tracked through high school. Plans are to increase enrollment in the second year to 75 students drawn from a wider range of ages, building to a capacity of 200 students by year four.
left: New Haven schoolchildren welcome Bill cosby to town. A N N U A l R e p O R T s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y 2 9
A c e N T e R F O R N A N OT e c H N O l O g y
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ith the help of a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Southern and the Connecticut State University System are poised to be at the forefront of a new frontier in science with the creation of Connecticut’s first-ever research center devoted solely to nanotechnology.
Based at Southern, the new center will also be the fulcrum of a new graduate certificate program in nanotechnology set to begin at the four CSUS universities in fall 2012. The first nanotech graduate course was offered at Southern last summer. The new nanotechnology center will include specialized equipment, including a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope, which uses electrons to image materials on the atomic scale. It will be directed by Christine Broadbridge, chairwoman of Southern’s physics department who had been leading the CSUS initiative in the area of nanotechnology and has provided national leadership in the area of material science education. Nanotechnology is the study and manipulation of matter on the nanoscale, which ranges from 1 to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. A human hair, for instance, measures about 10,000 nanometers in diameter, while a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. The National Science Foundation estimates that 2 million workers will be needed to support nanotechnology industries worldwide. The science is currently being used to produce new medicines and improved medical imaging tools, more durable building materials for infrastructure, as well as energy-efficient power sources like fuel cells, batteries and solar panels. Right: The state’s first nanotechnology research center is based at southern.
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R e T U R N i N g s O U T H e R N TO i T s R O OT s
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he Sustainable Southern-Plant it Forward Initiative (SPIFI), is a long name for an urban agriculture demonstration project that is bringing gardening and farming to Southern’s campus on a whole new level. The grassy area of campus behind Davis, Jennings, Morrill and Engleman halls, around the pond and the baseball field, is being transformed into a kind of urban farm. The project is bringing the land back to its roots as a working farm, owned by the Farnham family, that a century ago grew largely strawberries and corn. Building beyond the organic garden that was started on campus several years ago by the Environmental Futurists, a student club focused on sustainability, the Plant it Forward project eventually will include orchards and a vineyard, along with a new greenhouse, outdoor classroom and apiary. Some fruit trees, such as peach and apricot, have already been planted, and others, including apples, are planned for the near future. Part of the orchard portion of the project is unique in the New Haven area in that fruits are being grown on intensive agriculture techniques — growing more in less space. Such techniques will be critical in the future as the percentage of people living in urban environments is expected to grow locally and globally.
Students from various courses and programs will be able to avail themselves of the orchard trees, garden and eventually the greenhouse for extending the classroom experience to real-life applications. Plans also include reaching out into the community to teach, support and encourage local residents to grow their own food in their backyards. left: An open area of campus is being turned into an urban farm.
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viBRANcy iN THe ARTs
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he visual and performing arts remain alive and well at Southern, making 2011 another year filled with music, dance, theater, writing and art.
The university has established a partnership with local organization Music Haven and its official resident ensemble, the Haven String Quartet, giving the group the opportunity to be in residence at Southern. The Haven String Quartet will integrate into campus life in a number of capacities, via concerts, workshops and class participation. Thanks to a generous gift from The Stutzman Family Foundation, students interested in pursuing a career in the music production industry now have a campus resource to help them realize their dreams. The Music Department’s new electronic music studio, housed in Engleman B014, is a state-of-the-art studio that enables students to create digital music as well as to record music. Larry Nye, associate professor of theatre, was in New York City during Thanksgiving week choreographing the opening number of the 85th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The performance featured 140 students from Stagedoor Manor, a well-known performing arts camp in the Catskills where Nye has worked as the director of dance for the past 15 summers. He collaborated with national-level colleagues and taught the young dancers an original piece he created to kick off the extravaganza. Southern student Luisa Caycedo-Kimura was selected as a 2011 Connecticut Student Poet by the Connecticut Poetry Circuit, one of just five undergraduates to receive this honor. Caycedo-Kimura, an English major, has published her poetry in Connecticut Review, San Pedro River Review and Folio. Patrick Lawrence, an award-winning graduate student in Southern’s art education master’s program, exhibited painted portraits in a unique show titled “Living Relics.” The paintings highlighted the accomplishments of local African American men and women. Right: The Haven string Quartet is now officially in residence at southern.
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e X A M i N i N g T H e H e A lT H OF lONg islAND sOUND
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outhern’s central location along the heavily urbanized Connecticut coastline in close proximity to a variety of diverse natural habitats provides excellent opportunities for research and education focused on environmental preservation. Southern’s Center for Coastal and Marine Studies (CCMS) draws on the advantages of its location to focus on faculty-directed student research designed to address environmental issues of local and regional importance. For example, faculty and students have sampled and determined heavy metal content in sediments from Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, Branford and New London harbors. Supported by a federal grant, studies have also been made of the health of the Connecticut oyster population in Long Island Sound and the resulting effects on the state’s oyster industry. The high population density surrounding Long Island Sound and the resultant competition for resources within this nationally protected estuary present unique problems and opportunities for students, educators and scientists. While its waterways represent a major site for recreation, transportation and fishing activities, the sound is also a repository for wastes and contaminants derived from various sources. The research and educational programs of Southern's CCMS have received a major boost through more than $400,000 in support from the Werth Family Foundation, which provides funding targeted toward student environmental research. The foundation support enabled the center to pay a stipend to students over the summer, allowing them to further their own research or career goals. The Werth gift also funds boats, chemicals and other supplies and the center has been able to purchase state-of-the-art equipment to help the students with their research.
Right: students examine marine life from long island sound on a boat excursion in New Haven Harbor.
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outhern’s faculty members were regularly spotlighted in the media for their research during the past year. Their work demonstrates academic vigor and provides a valuable resource for the public. In addition, their background in a wide variety of subject areas makes them popular sources for expert commentary. A sampling of Southern faculty members whose research made the news follows: • James Mazur, CSU Professor and professor of psychology, has researched impulsiveness and procrastination. His nationally recognized study has examined what makes some people procrastinate, while others start projects early. • Frank Harris, chairman of the Journalism Department, is researching how African Americans have been referenced historically in newspapers. He is looking at articles from the early days of the United States to the present day. • Suzanne Carroll, coordinator of the Marriage and Family Therapy program, has researched parenting techniques and how they have changed in America, as well as cultural differences in how parents raise their children. • Charlie Dellinger-Pate, associate professor of media studies, has studied the interplay between comedy and politics. In particular, she has examined comedians like Stephen Colbert and Jonathan Stewart and how their ironic humor has affected politics and the media. • Rosemarie Conforti, associate professor of media studies, has studied how the social media revolution has changed the American culture, particularly for young adults. • Rebecca Silady, assistant professor of biology, has researched the development of drought-resistant corn, as well as Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. Arabidopsis thaliana is a plant that is part of the mustard family. • Kevin Colwell, associate professor of psychology, has co-authored a test that helps determine whether a criminal defendant is feigning a mental illness or cognitive impairment in an effort to avoid persecution. This is a fine-tuned version of an earlier test he helped develop, and has proven to be exceptionally accurate in identifying when a person is faking.
left: Journalism professor Frank Harris is researching the portrayal of African Americans in newspapers throughout history. A N N U A l R e p O R T s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y 4 1
g e N O M i c s O N A N AT i O N A l s c A l e
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early two dozen freshmen in Southern’s Honors College are joining hundreds of undergraduate students throughout the country this fall in an innovative genomics research program created by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Southern was among 12 colleges and universities — and the first in Connecticut – chosen for full membership in the Science Education Alliance, a national network of scientists and educators committed to the improvement of undergraduate science education in the United States. In 2008, the alliance created the National Genomics Research Initiative, a program in which college students participate in cuttingedge research techniques, such as DNA analysis. A dozen colleges and universities are picked each year for full participation in the program. It enables students to engage in scientific discovery, a vital component in sparking scientific curiosity. During the two-semester genomics course, the Southern students will isolate unique bacterial viruses, or phage, and decode their genomes. They will later purify the phage and extract its DNA, which will then be sent to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to be sequenced. Students will later receive files about their phage’s DNA sequence and use bioinformatics tools to analyze and annotate the genomes from their phage. “We are thrilled to become part of a national network of science educators who seek to improve student learning and generate excitement about authentic scientific discovery,” says Nick Edgington, associate professor of biology, one of the instructors of the course. Right: southern students are taking part in a national genomics research program.
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T R A i N i N g e D U c ATO R s TO T e Ac H e N g l i s H l A N g U Ag e l e A R N e R s
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five-year, $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will bolster the university’s continuing efforts to improve the education of non-native, English-speaking students. The grant — among the largest ever awarded to Southern — focuses on providing training for teachers, administrators and staff members in the New Haven and Hamden school systems. This includes workshops on innovative and effective approaches in teaching students whose first language is not English. In addition, the grant provides opportunities for certification and participation in a 3-credit course. Southern will be able to offer 28 scholarships during the next five years for students pursuing an M.S. in TESOL. The Training for All Teachers (TAT) program will coordinate the university’s efforts. “We will be able to continue the work we have been doing to help mainstream public school educators learn how to best teach English language learners who are in their classrooms,” says Lorrie Verplaetse, professor of world languages and literatures and TAT project director. English language learners are the fastest growing subgroup of students in today’s public schools, Verplaetse says, with conservative estimates that by 2030 40 percent of students will speak a language other than English at home.
This marks the third time that Southern has received a federal grant for the TAT program, which began in 2001. Since then, more than 500 Connecticut teachers, school administrators and student service personnel have received training from TAT, while about 150 mainstream instructional units in grades K to 12 have been modified to reach English language learners. left: TAT program Manager Marisa Ferraro and TAT project Director lorrie verplaetse are coordinating the university’s efforts to improve the education of non-native, english-speaking students.
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s c H O l A R s H i p s F O R M AT H / scieNce sTUDeNTs
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he PAcE Scholarship Program is a National Science Foundation-supported program that provides $600,000 in scholarship funds for students who wish to major in science or mathematics, and have academic promise and financial need.
PAcE scholarships pay for any allowable educational expense up to $10,000 per year for four years of study at Southern. For the 20112012 academic year, 12 students were accepted into the program. Five of the 12 (42 percent) accepted students are from underrepresented groups (drawn from New Haven (4) and Bridgeport (1) and four of the 12 (33 percent) students are women. The students’ success is enhanced through early involvement in faculty-mentored research and internships, and through the formation of cohort groups and learning communities. Students also take part in a service learning course that will take them back into the primary and secondary schools they attended to serve as mentors for the next generation of scholars. PAcE is one of a number of programs developed under the umbrella of Southern’s Center for Excellence in Mathematics and the Sciences, which has the overarching goal of increasing the number, quality and diversity of students pursuing careers in these fields. The center seeks to create a forum for interdisciplinary math/science collaboration in teaching and research at Southern. It also works to enhance the capacity of K-12 schools in Greater New Haven to teach math and science effectively to all students. Right: pAce scholarships boost math and science learning for eligible students.
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Z i p p i Dy- D O - c A R
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Ford Focus and Honda Insight are conspicuous additions to the parking garage next to Southern’s West Campus Residence Complex. They are part of the Zipcar fleet — a car-sharing service that offers students new transportation options. The Zipcar program provides students with the option of sharing transportation expenses, as well as enabling them to reserve a car when they don’t have a ride somewhere. “If a student needs to go back home for a doctor’s appointment and they don’t have a car here on campus, how are they going to get there? You can use this program to reserve a car,” says Carol Wallace, director of administrative support services. “Or if you had three other friends who wanted to go grocery shopping, all four students could go and split whatever the cost is for a couple of hours,” Wallace says. Students, faculty and staff can join Zipcar’s car sharing program for only $25 per year. New members receive a $35 credit that can be used towards the sharing program’s hourly rates, which start at only $8. This includes mileage, insurance and gas — and the cars are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Another transportation initiative designed to make students’ lives easier is the U-Pass, which entitles them to free rides on CT Transit buses throughout the state. The pass has been popular — more than 500 were issued in the program’s first month. The R.I.D.E.S. program, or Reducing Individual Dangers and Encouraging Safety, is also available to students who need a ride — specifically for those who need one under special circumstances. The program is a “no questions asked” way to return home. Students can call either Heritage or Easy-One taxi services at any time and ride for free. The fare can be repaid up to 14 days later. left: The Zipcar program is one of several transportation options offered by the university.
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s l Ow l e y R U s H e s TO pAy D i R T
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or his first three seasons, Southern senior running back Rashaad Slowley was one cog in a talented backfield rotation for the Owls. An important cog, mind you, as he stamped himself as enough of a formidable running threat to earn AllNortheast-10 Conference honors as a sophomore.
But last fall, Slowley emerged as one of the top running backs in all of college football. He set a school single-season record of 29 touchdowns — No.3 in the nation among all college football players at all levels. Slowley also ranked No. 3 in scoring (174 points) and No. 5 in rushing yards per game (158.4) among all NCAA players. He ranked second in Division II in scoring, third in yards/game and sixth in all-purpose yards/game (181.7). And he compiled nine straight 100-yard games — including three games in which he surpassed the 200-yard plateau. All told, Slowley was a vital force for the 7-3 Owls last season, and was named a 2011 Harlon Hill Award finalist (for the top player in Division II), an All-American by four separate organizations and the NE-10 Most Valuable Player for his efforts. His performance in crunch time was especially noteworthy. In a September game against St. Anselm, Slowley scored six touchdowns — establishing a new school record and leading the Owls to a 59-34 win. Two weeks later, with Southern trailing by 14 points at halftime against Assumption, Slowley ran for 236 of his 288 yards after the break to ignite an Owls’ comeback. Slowley finished his Southern career ranked No. 2 all-time in rushing yards (3,460), touchdowns (45) and points (272). Right: senior running back Rashaad slowley shows his speed and agility on the field.
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H O M e c O M i N g 2 011
A yeAR OF giviNg
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a still-challenging economic climate, fundraising results for fiscal year 2011 were positive with $1.5 million raised,
significantly surpassing a goal of $1 million. Combined with new multi-year
commitments, total support received was more than $1.72 million. The primary focus of endowed giving continued to be student financial assistance. The Oaklawn Foundation sustained its long tradition of providing substantial scholarship support to Southern students and bequests from alumni Blanche B. Baldwin, ’51, and Richard T. Dwyer, ’73, added additional monies to existing scholarship funds. In appreciation for their leadership-level gifts, the Southern Connecticut State University Alumni Association and the Southern Connecticut State University Foundation recognized donors at the inaugural “Celebration of Philanthropy.” This expanded event recognized the philanthropy of alumni and friends not only for their generous contributions to scholarship funds but also to athletics and academic programming. Those in attendance included donors, recipients, faculty and deans. October 28 found the alumni association recognizing some of its best at its annual Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon. Thomas W. Organ, ’75, traveled from Australia to receive the Distinguished Alumnus award. Tom was recognized for his selfless contributions to the betterment of the lives of New South Wales’ physically disabled students and disabled athletes around the world over the last 35 years. Honors and acknowledgments continued the following day as more than 100 guests attended the President’s Donor Recognition Breakfast and the Alumni Association President’s Medal was presented to Miles Kirschner, ’90. Kirschner accepted the award on behalf of the more than 66 alumni who have served in the Peace Corps. Right: Distinguished Alumnus Thomas Organ, far right, with his wife, Julie and son, Daniel.
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eAsiNg liFe TRANsiTiONs THROUgH TecHNOlOgy
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hrough its new Center for Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Southern is taking the lead in increasing awareness of new technologies that can help individuals with a form of autism to live more independent and productive lives. “We believe that technology has the potential to do for individuals on the autism spectrum what the wheelchair has done for people with physical disabilities,” says Ruth Eren, center director. Studies show that the rate of high school graduates attending college is substantially lower for those with an autism spectrum disorder, even those without an intellectual disability. (50 percent versus 69 percent overall). Demonstrating how the technology boom that has exploded throughout the country has the potential to reduce that education gap, Southern’s autism center coordinated a symposium on “Autism, Transition and Technology” last fall. Co-sponsored by AT&T, the symposium highlighted the latest developments in technology the use of iPhones, iPads, iPrompts and other recent advances. AT&T also donated 15 iPhones to the center for research purposes. “With the proliferation of consumer mobile devices, people with autism now have cheaper and sometimes far more robust options to meet their communication needs,” says Lee Mabie, marketing director for AT&T. “Additionally, the mobile software community has created a variety of apps that can assist the consumer to live a more independent life, such as picture schedulers and video models.”
Promoting research and dispensing information on new technological advances are just two of the roles of Southern’s autism center. The center also trains current and future educators and professional staff in the best practices of teaching students with any of the autism spectrum disorders and undertakes practical autism research designed to benefit these students. It also offers direct service through such activities as evaluating children, conducting clinics and holding special events. left: Ruth eren and students discuss how iphones can be used to help individuals on the autism spectrum.
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J O U R N e y TO g U AT e M A l A
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firm believer in the power of learning by doing, Professor of Public Health Bill Faraclas has been taking students abroad since 1976, first traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Since 1995, the Department of Public Health’s annual International Field Study in Health has been conducted in Guatemala — the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, but a land nonetheless rich in human spirit and stunning natural beauty.
The six-credit field study, open to undergraduates and graduate students, is challenging and enlightening. Last summer, students visited health clinics and schools; volunteered at Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro, a 230-bed residential facility for people with physical and mental disabilities and the poor, and learned firsthand from Guatemalan health care providers. Among these providers was Anna, a midwife who shared knowledge she has gained from delivering babies for more than five decades. An academic quest, a major component of the course, led students to seek out information on health care issues at numerous locations, including the local marketplace, pharmacy, water department and dump. The trip was a boon in more ways than one for master’s degree candidate Alicia Hanke (right), whose experience there, together with her graduate work, caught the attention of Eta Sigma Gamma, a national professional honor society for individuals in health education. The organization selected Hanke for the 2011 John P. McGovern, M.D., National Scholarship Award, which has only one recipient per year. Hanke has been involved in organizing disease prevention programs on campus. As an undergraduate, she served as president of the Public Health Society. She is particularly interested in raising awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and their prevention, and her graduate thesis pertains to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. HPV is a disease that can cause cancer in some cases. Right: New friends in guatemala smile for a photograph.
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F i N A N c i A l Ov e Rv i e w
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2011 Southern continued to exhibit strength in its principal “lines of business:” teaching, research, and public service. From the state’s resources allocated to the university, the appropriation block grant continued to decline, and represented only 35.3 percent of total revenue for the fiscal year. The other main sources of revenue, such as tuition, fees, and sales of auxiliary services, continued to maintain their share of the revenue budget. Student enrollment experienced modest increases in 2011, but fell slightly short of goals established for the year. Student tuition and fees, following Board of Trustee guidelines, were increased conservatively, with an effort to keep the cost of a Southern education affordable. To maintain a balanced budget, the university sustained the cost containment program first established in 2008. The containment plan represents a continual effort to spend resources only on essential services, while at the same time providing a quality educational experience for Southern’s students. Expenditures in 2011 increased primarily due to two reasons: the refilling of fulltime faculty and some staff positions vacated during the 2009 Retirement Incentive Program (RIP), and increases in student financial aid resources. Southern completed the year with a modest surplus and was able to maintain the operating fund balance guidelines established by the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System. Looking forward to the 2012-13 fiscal year, the university stands ready to face the continued challenge of reduced state resources and adapt to changes resulting from the reorganization of Connecticut’s Higher Education System.
FY 11 Operating Revenues
FY 11 Operating Expenditures
Indirect Cost Recoveries 1.5%
Scholarships and Fellowships 13.2%
Private and Local Grant Revenues 0.1%
Plant Operations and Maintenance 7.4%
Other Sources of Revenue 10.4%
Tuition and Fees 42.7%
Investment Income 0.1% State Grant Revenues 0.8% Federal Grant Revenues 2.5% Auxiliary Sales and Services 6.6%
Institutional Support 14.3% Student Services 9.6%
State Appropriations 35.3%
Academic Support 2.9%
Auxiliary Enterprises 12.6%
Instruction 35.8%
Library 2.9% Public Service 0.2% Research and Sponsored Programs 1.1%
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A pA s s i O N F O R H i g H e R l e A R N i N g
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ardworking,” “strong” and “visionary” were just some of the adjectives used to describe new President Mary A. Papazian when her appointment was announced to the Southern community in December. “Dr. Papazian is a fantastic choice to lead the campus of Southern Connecticut State University into the future,” said Robert Kennedy, president of the state Board of Regents for Higher Education. “Her strong academic and administrative experience, and importantly, her work strengthening and supporting research and development at Lehman College will be of great benefit to Southern’s campus.” Papazian succeeded Stanley Battle, who was interim president of Southern for 18 months. Since 2007, she has served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Lehman College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. At Lehman, Papazian helped articulate a strategic vision and long-term goals for the college and played a lead role in their implementation. She also supported efforts to build strong community relationships with the college and was a key member of the leadership team that launched the college’s first capital campaign. Papazian received her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. She began her career as an assistant professor of English at Michigan’s Oakland University and later became its associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She then served as dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, N.J. Her scholarly work focuses on the 17th-century English poet and clergyman John Donne and has been published in a wide range of academic venues. Emphasizing Southern’s “enormous potential,” Papazian said she would strive to help the university build on its many recent accomplishments and become “one of the leading lights in higher education in the state of Connecticut and across the region and across the country. “I promise to each of you today that it will be a journey of respect,” she told a gathering of students, faculty and staff. “It will be a journey of commitment. It will be a journey dedicated to excellence and to human dignity.”
Right: president papazian: seeking to establish southern as a “leading light in higher education.”
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connecticut state colleges & Universities Board of Regents for Higher education
senior Administrative Officers for the connecticut state colleges & Universities
Lewis J. Robinson, Jr. • Chair Yvette Meléndez • Vice Chair Richard J. Balducci Naomi K. Cohen Lawrence DeNardis Nicholas M. Donofrio Matt Fleury Michael Fraser Merle W. Harris Gary F. Holloway Craig Lappen René Lerer Michael E. Pollard Alex Tettey Jr. Zac Zeitlin Ex-Officio Members: Glenn Marshall Jewel Mullen Stefan Pryor Catherine Smith
Robert Kennedy President Michael P. Meotti Executive Vice President Louise H. Feroe Interim Vice President for Connecticut State Universities David L. Levinson Interim Vice President for Community Colleges
Officers for southern connecticut state University Mary A. Papazian President Marianne Kennedy Interim Provost / Vice President for Academic Affairs James E. Blake Executive Vice President Peter Troiano Interim Vice President for Student and University Affairs Gregg Crerar Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement Marcia Smith Glasper Executive Assistant to the President / Director of Diversity and Equity
produced by the Office of public Affairs Patrick Dilger Director Patrick Dilger, Betsy Beacom Editors Betsy Beacom, Mike Kobylanski, Joe Musante, Villia Struyk Writers Isabel Chenoweth, John Steady Photographers Alisha Martindale Assistant Photographer Barbara Kagan Designer Tiger Press Printer
Mission statement Southern Connecticut State University provides exemplary graduate and undergraduate education in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. As an intentionally diverse and comprehensive university, Southern is committed to academic excellence, access, social justice, and service for the public good.
501 Crescent Street New Haven, Connecticut 06515-1355 www.SouthernCT.edu