UNotes

NEWS FROM CAMPUS

Nikki Giovanni with UHart’s gospel choir

Celebrated poet Nikki Giovanni (far right), a leader of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and ’70s, was the featured guest at the University’s winter observance of Martin Luther King and his dream of equality and justice for all. She joined UHart’s gospel choir as they sang “We Shall Overcome.”

Water Strider

Student’s invention gives children with cerebral palsy freedom in the pool

Like most four-year-olds, JR Ellis loves to play in the pool. But because he has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects his muscle control, the only way he could safely enjoy the water was in his parents’ arms.

Now, thanks to an innovative device called the Water Strider, JR is able to play in the pool independently during a test of the product. The Water Strider was designed and built by Josh Breighner ’20, a student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, as part of a research project with College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions faculty members Sandra Saavedra, associate professor of physical therapy, and Donna Snowdon, assistant professor of physical therapy.

“From a parent’s perspective, this is a game changer,” says Sara Ellis, JR’s mother. “When your child has a disability and can’t use typical water toys, you can’t just go to the store and find something that works. The Water Strider is incredible because it gives JR independence, which is something he doesn’t have a lot of. He just lit up when he used it.”

The Water Strider has been such a success that Breighner and the University have filed a patent application for it. Breighner hopes to locate a company that will help develop the device to make it commercially available in the future.

Freedom to play

Saavedra studies development of trunk control in children who are non-ambulatory with a special focus on children, with cerebral palsy. As part of her research, she examines how adaptive devices can help children participate more fully in the classroom and in recreational activities.

Commercially available pool toys don’t provide enough support to children who can’t hold their heads above water. For this project, Breighner and Saavedra wanted to develop a device that would provide enough trunk support to keep a child upright in the water and allow more autonomy and independence.

“Children who aren’t able to walk don’t get to learn how their body works in space because they can’t control gravity,” Saavedra says. “But in the pool, this device gives them the ability to be upright and explore what their bodies can do.”

Breighner designed the Water Strider with common materials such as PVC pipes, pool noodles, and pool skimmers. For children with more severe cerebral palsy who need extra support, he added a headrest and tray support made from foam kickboards. The Water Strider also includes a neoprene vest with Velcro to firmly hold the child in place.

Striking results

Breighner and his research team tested the Water Strider with eight children using the pool at the nearby Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford in the spring and summer of 2019. The results were striking. Children with milder cerebral palsy were able to kick and propel themselves around the pool, and children with more severe cerebral palsy were able to stay upright and engage with their parents and other children in the pool. “The kids could spend half an hour in the pool and not be exhausted. It was a huge difference,” he says.

“There hasn’t been any family in the study that hasn’t wanted one,” Saavedra adds. “JR’s mother also asked Josh to design a support for the bathtub.”

Breighner said the process of developing the Water Strider moved quickly, from testing a preliminary design in his bathtub to working with children in the pool in only a few months. Adding the work of the patent application was an additional challenge. “But seeing the kids enjoying it makes it all worthwhile,” he says. Saavedra adds, “Giving a child who has no independent ability in the pool that freedom is a really rewarding experience.”

Breighner, a May 2020 graduate, says, “My long-term goal is that you walk into an aquatic therapy facility and see the Water Strider. It can be used for so many populations—children with cerebral palsy or adults with spinal cord injuries. This can help even more people enjoy being in the water.”

Women’s Advancement Initiative LEAD students volunteering at Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Florida.

Far left: For children who need extra support, a head rest and tray can be attached to the Water Strider for added stability. Left: Sandra Saavedra (left), associate professor of physical therapy, with Josh Breighner ’20

Spanning the Globe

This past winter break, UHart students traveled far and wide to research, study, and serve.

While many are refueling between semesters or simply recovering from the hectic holiday season during the first half of January, groups of University of Hartford students find this time perfect to travel to conduct research, to learn about different cultures, or to engage in community service.

Researching and Studying Abroad

Katharine Owens, associate professor of politics, economics, and international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, brought several of her students to India to help her research marine debris and its impact on the world’s oceans. The group spent 10 days in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, collecting and cataloging debris, making a report for local policymakers, and creating an instructional video of cleanup methods.

This was a return trip to India for Owens, who recently spent six months in the country thanks to a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study marine debris. Owens also collaborated with teachers from across India for a training workshop on engaging students in marine debris collection.

Learning About Polynesian Culture

Students enrolled in the Hillyer College Honors Program spent Winterterm studying Polynesian history, culture, religion, and art at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. As part of this annual trip, the students visited historic sites, including Iolani Palace (the only royal residence in America), the Byodo-In Temple, and the Bishop Museum.

The Hawaii trip is a hallmark of Hillyer’s Honors Program, which is specifically designed for students with high academic achievements.

Serving the Community

Members of The Women’s Advancement Initiative volunteered at Give Kids the World Village, a resort in Orlando, Fla., that provides free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses. The students spent a week at the resort doing everything from serving ice cream to reading bedtime stories to the kids.

This trip is an annual tradition for The Women Advancement’s LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) program. It provides students with the tools, training, and community to successfully navigate the journey to and through college to life and careers.

Opening Doors

New Scholarship Initiatives for State Residents, Future Engineers

Pratt & Whitney Scholars

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies (UTX), has gifted $100,000 to a scholarship program for students in the University of Hartford’s mechanical engineering program in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA).

The scholarship program aims to foster diversity and inclusion in the field of engineering. Six sophomores and juniors were initially awarded $10,000 scholarships and named Pratt & Whitney Scholars. The remaining scholarship funds will be used for scholarships in future academic years. Scholarship recipients can be sophomores, juniors, or seniors and must be declared mechanical engineering majors. Students are nominated by mechanical engineering faculty and Hisham Alnajjar, dean of CETA, and the final recipients are reviewed and selected by UHart and Pratt & Whitney.

“We are thrilled that Pratt & Whitney is offering such a generous scholarship to University of Hartford students, and that they will have the excellent opportunity to make connections with the world-class engineering team at Pratt & Whitney,” Alnajjar says.

As part of the scholarship program, the recipients will have the opportunity to network with Pratt & Whitney executives and potential hiring managers. They are encouraged to apply for internships and full-time employment opportunities.

“Pratt & Whitney’s diverse workforce is a key driver of innovation and critical to our continued success,” says Chris Kmetz, vice president of engineering, module centers, Pratt & Whitney. “We are excited to offer scholarships to high-potential University of Hartford students to support the next generation of young professionals in STEM careers.”

Connecticut Pledge Scholarship

The University of Hartford is becoming more affordable for lower-income Connecticut students.

Starting this fall, the new Connecticut Pledge Scholarship will be available for qualifying first-year students who are from the state. The scholarship is worth $12,000 over four years.

The University is committed to contributing to the state’s economic growth by making higher education accessible and preparing the next generation of innovators, makers, and creative thinkers. Connecticut is home to more than 30,000 alumni, the highest number of any fouryear private institution in the state. They work in diverse fields including business, engineering, health care, and the arts. Collaborations with local companies, agencies, and nonprofits give students hands-on training in the fields they love, while creating a pipeline of qualified potential employees.

“We are making an important investment in the future of our region by helping talented students attend UHart to receive an exceptional private college education,” says Katherine Deacon, UHart’s director of financial aid. “We greatly raise the probability that these students will remain in the state to enter the workforce—and contribute to the local economy—upon graduation.”

The Connecticut Pledge Scholarship can be combined with the University’s other scholarships for academic merit, program-specific interests, and artistic talent and performance.

We are making an important investment in the future of our region.

—KATHERINE DEACON

Sound Pioneer

Internationally renowned artist Meredith Monk performs, works with students

The University of Hartford celebrated Meredith Monk, widely recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, during a series of events, including a performance, workshops, lectures, a film retrospective, and an art exhibition this past fall. Monk, who is a composer, singer, director, choreographer, and filmmaker, visited Hartford last November as part of the Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series. Monk is a pioneer in what is known as “extended vocal technique” and “interdisciplinary performance.” Her groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument—as an eloquent language in and of itself—expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words. Celebrated internationally, Monk’s work has been presented at major venues throughout the world. Monk’s visit was made possible by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Meredith Monk was awarded an honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

Briefs

The University of Hartford is introducing new academic programs in fields with strong career outlooks, including robotics, exercise science, nursing, and business analytics. These majors join a list of growing programs designed to meet the needs of future innovators, makers, and leaders. Robotics puts students in an intellectually stimulating and project-based environment, learning to program and operate robots and autonomous vehicles. Exercise Science is the study of the bodily movements that contribute to human fitness, holistic wellness, and longevity. The direct-entry Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offers small class sizes, clinical placements at leading hospitals, and simulation labs. Students will gain eligibility to sit for the national exam for licensure as a registered nurse. Business Analytics and Managerial Economics gives students a strong understanding of the fundamentals of analytics. In addition, a new minor has been introduced in data science, an emerging field that has numerous applications in many career areas.

The University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business is one of the nation’s most outstanding business schools in 2020, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles the school in its listing of the “Best Business Schools for 2020.” Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief, explains that the uniqueness of the “Best Business Schools” designation “is that we take into account the opinions of students attending the schools about their campus and classroom experiences. For our 2020 list, we surveyed more than 20,700 students at 248 business schools.” Among the quotes included from Barney School students: “Classes are small enough that you are able to network and have established communication with your professor and classmates, but large enough for a diverse discussion.” Another student commented, “The Barney School also frequently invites alumni to return to campus to discuss their career trajectory with current students. Most importantly, the University does a fantastic job of partnering with all types of businesses—from large corporations to small nonprofits and government organizations.”

The University of Hartford’s new partnership with Hartford HealthCare (HHC) was celebrated on Feb. 12 with Hartford HealthCare Game night at the Sports Center. UHart President Gregory Woodward, HHC President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks, and HHC physical therapist and rehab site supervisor Latasha Raineault ’08, D’10 spoke of the valuable partnership at halftime of the Hawks’ men’s basketball game versus Albany. “This partnership with Hartford HealthCare is built on our shared vision of excellence in service and education,” Woodward said, in explaining the significance in unifying all health-care needs on campus. Raineault, who was an outstanding track and field athlete at UHart, commented, “This collaboration provides so many opportunities to students, faculty members, athletes, and the entire University community. From clinical experiences and a potential career path to individualized patient care and enhanced performance by our athletes, we are embarking on a special journey. It’s a great day to be a Hawk.” Hartford HealthCare operates the University’s Student Health Services Center and provides non-emergency after-hours care through a phone line staffed by registered nurses.

All Rise

Connecticut Supreme Court brings experiential learning to campus

“Court is now in session,” resounded through Lincoln Theater on a fall day as a Connecticut Supreme Court bailiff banged his gavel and the state’s seven supreme court justices sat down in a replicated courtroom to hear oral arguments on two appellate cases.

Dozens of students, faculty, staff, and community members attended and took advantage of the opportunity to observe and learn about how our judicial process works. Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson says that’s exactly the reason for the program called “On Circuit” that takes court sessions to campuses in the state.

“College students are fantastic,” Robinson said. “They are like sponges when it comes to learning. We come to a college campus so they can actually see us, how we do things, and how our system works.

That is vitally important because some of the problems we face today are because people don’t understand our government, they don’t understand our courts, and they don’t understand their roles in our society. We need to get out and help educate people in what we do and how we do it.”

In his welcoming remarks to the Supreme Court justices and audience, University of Hartford President Gregory S. Woodward said, “This is a special day when our University values statement comes to life. Today, our hard-working students and interested citizens are invited to witness a process that is driven by integrity, respect, and a strength of community.”

Students in the University’s prelaw advising program were among those in attendance and were invited to meet and talk with the justices before court began. The event was affirming for many, including Gabriella Silva ’20, an international studies and economics major, who was appreciative that “the justices

I spoke with were very encouraging of my goals and provided advice that I know will help me in my future career. Sitting in the oral arguments and listening to the interpretations of statutes reminded me of the beauty of law and further confirmed my decision to go to law school.”

Olaleye Onikuyide ’20, a double major in economics and politics & government, said, “It was a lot of fun discussing the cases and their salient points with fellow pre-law students during the recesses. We also had an impromptu discussion outside the theater after the event before we went our separate ways for the day.”

The justices heard arguments in two criminal cases. For each case, a defense attorney and a prosecutor had 30 minutes to present to the seven justices who peppered them with questions throughout. There was a 20-minute question-and-answer period between the attorneys and attendees following each case without the justices present.

Beyond Books

The campus library adapts and thrives under its energetic leader

Randi Ashton-Pritting (M’98, D’03) was ahead of the curve. She knew that the library she started working at in 1980—a time when even the sound of a whisper would be met with an evil eye by other patrons—in no way resembled the gathering place that a 21st-century campus library needed to be.

So, in her true cheerleader style, Ashton-Pritting starting presenting and selling new ideas to consolidate and energize UHart’s library system, today known as Harrison Libraries. The number of physical print books circulating will never be what it was in the 1980s, but with a technology-rich classroom, full version of the popular Starbucks eatery, and offerings ranging from lunchtime concerts to pet therapy, the library today is attracting students and community members in eye-opening fashion: before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the library to a virtual environment in March, Harrison Libraries was on pace to see 450,000 visits this past academic year.

Honored by UHart this year for 40 years of service, Ashton-Pritting explains that it was fate that forged her career as a librarian. After stints in retail, banking, inventory control, and even running her own business making dolls, she interviewed at the University at a time when you did not apply for any specific job; the employer determined possible matches. Ashton-Pritting was told to interview for a job as library stacks coordinator. She wound up in that job and has climbed every step of the librarian ladder over the ensuing four decades: cataloguing, interlibrary loan, reference, periodicals, head of acquisitions, assistant director, interim director, and director.

Back when she started at UHart, Ashton-Pritting never envisioned that working in a library would be a longterm venture. “I thought this was a transition to give me a couple of years to figure out what I wanted to do,” she recalls. Instead, during those couple of years, she discovered how much she loved working with students in a university setting.

Ashton-Pritting has carried her enthusiasm for what the library can bring others out into the larger community, where she’s advised public schools in the city of Hartford. Her outreach has extended far beyond the local area.

Upon becoming aware that students at the Fort Hood Native American School in North Dakota did not even have a dictionary to access, Ashton- Pritting contacted librarians throughout Connecticut. In short order, hundreds of dictionaries were sent to the school. Not only did every classroom receive one—students could take a dictionary home as needed.

Ashton-Pritting has orchestrated an even more powerful outreach over the past eight years, working with American Friends for Kenya to ship boxes of crayons to youngsters in Africa. Ashton-Pritting treasured the photos she received as well as the positive comments of how much the kids loved their “sticks” (Kenyans do not have a word comparable to crayon). In fact, the crayons were so popular that each child only could be given one initially.

Yet, Ashton-Pritting learned how even one crayon can be a life changer.

Students today can check out everything from tablets and laptops to prayer rugs.

Recently retired Assistant Dean of University Studies Karen Sullivan (M’08), pictured with husband Keith Campagna, had a storybook wedding ceremony and reception in the library a decade ago.

President Emeritus Walter Harrison lines up a putt on one of 18 holes designed through the stacks and nooks of the library during Community Day 2009.

No one could understand why one of the children in Kenya kept using a black crayon to fill in her paper. It was soon discovered that the child was a victim of abuse and was using the black crayon to express the danger she was feeling. A simple crayon was able to inform authorities that a child needed help. “It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it,” Ashton-Pritting shares.

She now donates 1,000 boxes of crayons annually, a significant increase from the 100 boxes she sent over the first year.

Her staunch advocacy of the library’s evolving role has been recognized on a statewide level where she’s received multiple honors, including receiving the Connecticut Library Association’s most prestigious award— Connecticut’s Outstanding Librarian of the Year—in 2012.

Ashton-Pritting considers lending out, as she puts it, “anything you can slap a barcode on.” Students today can check out everything from tablets and laptops to prayer rugs. As she looked around one February afternoon and saw Starbucks bustling with activity, and collaboration carousels filled with students, Ashton-Pritting fully realized that she’s been successful at silencing those who said the demise of print books would render libraries obsolete.

She’s quick to point out that those at the University of Hartford were not among those naysayers. “None of the transformation would have taken place if the University administration did not recognize the importance of their libraries and value what the staff of Harrison Libraries brings to the educational experience of our students,” she says.

Randi Ashton-Pritting (M’98, D’03)