ECNewsMay2011

Emmanuel News

campus news

MAY 2011

Abram ’11 Named Emmanuel’s First Male All-American

Emmanuel Campus Recognized for Commitment to Revitalization

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its 8th Annual AVCA Men’s Volleyball Division III All-America Teams on April 11th. Emmanuel College’s Curtis Abram ’11 was among the 20 Division III players nationwide voted an AVCA All-American.

Emmanuel College was recently awarded a Paul E. Tsongas Award

by Preservation Massachusetts. This year’s awards recognized and honored “Massachusetts colleges, universities and preparatory schools that have utilized and embraced preservation into their educational identity.”

Emmanuel was honored at the Preservation Massachusetts’ Preservation Awards Dinner on May 4th at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Tournament appearance. Abram finished the year ranked 2nd nationally in service aces (0.83 per set), 5th in kills (4.27 per set), and 9th in hitting percentage (.342), while leading the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in both aces and kills.

Abram is just the second Emmanuel student-athlete and first male at the College to ever receive All-America honors. Lesa Dennis ’88 received Kodak All-America honors for women’s basketball.

This season, Abram led the Saints men’s volleyball team to a programbest 28 wins and a 3rd-straight NECVA

Curtis Abram ’11

The AVCA voted 10 players 1st Team All-Americans and 10 players 2nd Team All-Americans. Abram was among the 2nd Team selections. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter is a three-time All-GNAC pick and was named the GNAC Player of the Year and a 1st Team All-NECVA selection this season. He was recently honored at Emmanuel’s annual Athletics Banquet as one of three Senior Athletic Achievement Award winners.

“Curtis is the most decorated and arguably the best male student-athlete in the history of Emmanuel’s athletic program,” said Director of Athletics & Recreation Pam Roecker. “His athleticism, explosiveness and overall ability has been amazing to watch and Curtis is undoubtedly one of the main reasons our men’s volleyball team has recorded consecutive record-breaking seasons.

“Curtis has received many well-deserved awards and accolades over his four years,” she added. “I am extremely proud of the career Curtis has had, of his contributions to our entire college community and of the fact that he is the Saint’s first male All-American.”

“We are honored to receive this award given by Preservation Massachusetts,” said Treasurer Sister Anne Donovan, SND. “Emmanuel, along with our

architects Goody Clancy, has worked very hard to construct modernized facilities that honor the traditional architecture. The College is committed to providing the best amenities to our students while maintaining the integrity and history of the campus.”

The Tsongas Award acknowledges those “who have played an extraordinary role in promoting the preservation of [the] Commonwealth’s past for the benefit of the future.”

Fellow higher education institutions honored this year include Amherst College, Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, Emerson College,

Emmanuel College was one of 12 institutions of higher education awarded a Paul E. Tsongas Award by Preservation Massachusetts.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Candidates for Distinction in the Field Present Work

Saints Ever-Present During 115 Running of Boston Marathon th

Gregory Brown ’12 (Cross Country/ Track & Field), Abdi Ibrahim ’12 (Cross Country/Track & Field), Mark Poirot ’14 (Cross Country/Track & Field), Nathalie Victoria ’13 (Volleyball, Track & Field), Joslyn DelSignore ’13 (Cross Country/Track & Field), Sarah Gaman ’14 (Cross Country/ Indoor Track & Field), and Danielle Martin ’14 (Cross Country/Track & Field).

Emmanuel College students, athletes, coaches and alumni were a tremendous presence on “Marathon Monday” in Boston on April 18th. Whether embarking on the 26.2-mile journey or working behind the scenes to ensure the day was a success, the Saints made their presence felt during the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.

Women’s soccer players Kelsey Fitzpatrick ’11 and Sarah Maki ’13 were two of the nearly 27,000 runners who toed the line that day. The duo initially planned to run in support of the pediatric hematology-oncology program at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, but were touched when they were contacted to race for a young boy.

“I met David two years ago when he was five,” Maki recalled. “He has leukemia and when we decided to run, we were contacted to see if we would run for him. He is one of the most precious little boys you will ever see and he is always smiling.

“This was my second marathon,” she added. “I ran my first Boston Marathon the week after I turned 18.

I have been volunteering for Mass General for six years and have always wanted to be involved in the marathon program. I met Kelsey on the soccer team this fall and somehow coaxed her into it.”

Being no stranger to Marathon Monday, Fitzpatrick embraced the task with open arms, looking to follow in her family’s footsteps.

“My mom has done it for a couple years,” she said. “We always went and supported her, so it was always something in the back of my mind that I wanted to do, but never had the opportunity to train and get a number.”

Both agreed that it was absolutely worth every bit of effort that it took

Kelsey Fitzpatrick ’11 and Sarah Maki ’13 were two of the nearly 27,000 runners who competed in this year’s Boston Marathon.

to get from start to finish. While they agreed they were not ready to compete again in the near future, they definitely left the door open for a potential sequel.

“We say that we don’t want to do it again now,” they said together. “But wait until next December when people start talking about it and we’ll see where we are.”

While Fitzpatrick and Maki were making their way from Hopkinton back to Boston, Lauren Prall ’11 and Leslie DiBona ’11 were in the WBZ-TV4 studio helping to ensure a successful broadcast.

As part of their internship with TRACS, Inc., a global sports marketing and event management firm, the Emmanuel students were key members of the Race SpotWatch live coverage team, comprised of volunteers responsible for tracking the progress of elite athletes throughout the race.

Prall and DiBona, both management majors, remained in-studio during the marathon, relaying timely reports from spotters on the course to producers, directors and on-air talent.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel representatives were on the course volunteering and working with the race’s elite athletes.

Emmanuel’s Head Track & Field and

Cross Country Coach Tony DaRocha was responsible for the men’s elite race timing, calling out the runners’ splits from the back of the lead vehicle.

Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach Alice Kramer drove the lead vehicle for the women’s wheelchair race. Incredibly, this was Kramer’s 27th year volunteering at the Boston Marathon. Assistant Track & Field Coach Steve Keyes worked the starting line in Hopkinton, while Emmanuel alums Carlos Escobar ’07 and Holly Rosa ’07 drove the lead vehicle for the hand cyclist race and the trail vehicle, which helped to re-open the roads.

Emmanuel’s eight student-athlete volunteers included: Wesley Cowles ’12 (Cross Country/Track & Field),

The Class of 2011 candidates for Distinction in the Field brought a broad range of topics to the table during the College’s sixth annual presentation forum on April 28th. In all, 44 members of the senior class presented their work in various locations throughout campus.

The Emmanuel athletes were escorts to the top finishers for the U.S. Antidoping Agency Testing Program at the finish line on Boylston Street. They also handed out water to the top elite athletes. “Our student-athletes had a great experience and witnessed the fastest marathon ever run in the world.

It was an amazing race. They were so excited and it was great to see them be a part of something so special,” said Coach Kramer.

Examples of presentations included: art major Brittany Jordan ’11, “Art as Therapy in a Vocational Setting Increases Self-esteem Among Clients Who are Deaf and Blind”; global health major (individualized) Elyse Whitehead ’11, “The Word Became Flesh and Continues to Dwell Among Us”; English major Jonathan Ahern ’11, “Reproduction in Pixar: Capitalism’s New Frontier”; and global studies major Torrey Joyner ’11, “Diversifying Capital: How First-Generation Immigrant Students Overcome Barriers to Academic Success.”

“It was a great experience to be able to work with the elite athletes,” said DelSignore. “Not many people can say that they escorted world-class athletes from the finish line. I had the opportunity to witness the fastest marathon ever, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’m grateful that our coaches allowed us to have this experience.”

For a complete list of Senior Distinction Projects, visit www.emmanuel.edu, click on “2011 Commencement and Baccalaureate Information” and then select “Senior Distinction Presentations.”

For video highlights of student presentations, visit our Youtube page at www.youtube.com/EmmanuelBoston.

IN THIS ISSUE

Emmanuel Students Selected for Teach for America Program

Abram ’11 Named Emmanuel’s First Male All-American

2 LaPorte ’11 To Teach in Thailand on Fulbright Scholarship

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campus news

campus news LaPorte ’11 To Teach in Thailand on Fulbright Scholarship

Fr. Spencer Named New Director of Campus Ministry, College Chaplain

Megan Rose Carr LaPorte ’11 has received notification that she was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Thailand in English. The United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced the list of Fulbright recipients in late April.

Emmanuel College is pleased to welcome Fr. John P. Spencer, SJ to the Emmanuel College community, who was recently appointed Emmanuel’s Director of Campus Ministry and College Chaplain.

Fr. Spencer, a Jesuit, has extensive experience in pastoral ministry, working with college students in the residence halls at Boston College and as a clinical social worker. He holds degrees from Boston College, Weston School of Theology and Boston University School of Social Work.

“I am grateful to the students, faculty and administrators who participated in the search process over the past several months,” said College President

LaPorte is one of over 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Fr. John P. Spencer, SJ

Sister Janet Eisner, SND. “We look forward to welcoming Fr. Spencer and to continuing a vibrant campus ministry program which serves the College and the wider community.”

The Emmanuel College Theatre Guild presented its spring performance, “Vikings from Outer Space” on April 27th.

Three Emmanuel Students Selected for Teach for America Program Emmanuel College students Jacob DeLuise ’11, Jessica Robinson ’11 and Kaitleen Gillis ’11 have been selected to join Teach for America, an American nonprofit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation’s most promising future leaders to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States.

Teach for America corps members dedicate their time to improving the education of low-income students within one of the programs 39 regions. These areas have high levels of educational inequity which corps members look to correct. According to Teach for America, educational inequity begins at a young age and increases as a child gets older. A child living in a low-income community will already be two to three grades behind their higher-income counterpart upon reaching the fourth grade. A statistic posted on their website notes that only half of low-income students will graduate from high school by their 18th birthday, and those that do gradu-

inspiring her to “want to become one of those teachers.” After hearing about Teach for America through a career/ volunteer fair at Emmanuel College, Gillis knew the program was the perfect fit for her. “I knew I wanted to volunteer after college while staying in the States. Teach for America proved to be the ideal fit,” she said. For her, the program allows a head start on a teaching career, while helping to pay for the graduate school classes she will attend in the evenings.

Jacob DeLuise ’11

ate perform, on average, at an eighthgrade level.

The nine-step application process begins in August with initial applications and continues to whittle down the applicant field, until the final selection date in April. Accepted applicants then attend a five-week training course in one of six locations across the United States. Both DeLuise and Gillis will travel to Philadelphia to

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pr@emmanuel.edu www.emmanuel.edu

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Emmanuel News MAY 2011

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Kaitleen Gillis ’11

develop the foundational knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to be highly effective beginning teachers. Following their time in Philly, the two will return home for a week before heading to their respective regions to begin their two-year stint as teachers.

Gillis’s path to joining Teach for America began well before college with her enrollment in a private secondary school. While there, her teachers “loved what they did and wanted to help us 150 percent,”

Teach for America also looks for corps members that bring leadership values from outside the field of education.

DeLuise brings with him plenty of leadership experience as a three-year captain of the Emmanuel College men’s volleyball team. As a corps member, he will attempt to translate his experience in athletics to the classroom by holding his students to high standards, which he feels plays a large role in a their success. When asked how he plans to help fix educational inequity he responded, “I believe the key to students reaching their full potential is pushing them beyond what they’ve been told they can accomplish.”

Williams Recognized for Teaching Excellence Associate Professor of Biology Todd Williams is the 2011 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Williams was selected for his outstanding teaching and for his commitment to helping students achieve a level of excellence. Both his colleagues and students have remarked on the high level of enthusiasm and the interactive teaching approach he brings to the classroom. His contributions have made an indelible impact on the life of the College.

Congratulations, Dr. Williams!

Dr. Todd Williams

“I am very excited,” said LaPorte. “I wanted to go abroad with a program that is well respected. I chose Thailand because it offers a cultural perspective much different than ours. I hope to learn some Thai and meet some people I would not have had the chance to interact with in the U.S.”

Megan Rose Carr LaPorte ’11

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright

Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

LaPorte will serve as an English teacher during her time in Thailand.

She says her participation with Emmanuel’s English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, which she served as the student coordinator of for the past two years, provided her with valuable knowledge. She credits

Assistant Professor of History Caroline Reeves for her assistance in making the Fulbright Program a reality.

“I cannot overstate how integral she was to the application process,” she said of Reeves. “I would not have even applied had it not been for all of her hard work. She was central to my success.”

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Academic Advising’s Aguiar Presents at NACADA Conference Academic Advisor Susan M. Aguiar presented “Designing a Four-Year Academic Plan” at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Region One Conference in Burlington, Vt. in March 2011. One of 10 poster presenters, Aguiar displayed and discussed Emmanuel College’s use of the four-year academiplan (4YAP), which first-year students are expected to draft during the spring semester.

Emmanuel students are not required to

declare a major until sophomore year, but the 4YAP, designed by the student in collaboration with his/her academic advisor, is intended to give students a clear understanding of curriculum options and to motivate them to set and achieve their goals. During the conference, Aguiar also participated in a panel on academic planning with academic advisors from Hudson Valley Community College and Empire State College.

Academic Advisor Susan M. Aguiar

Emmanuel Campus Recognized for Commitment to Revitalization CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Middlesex Community College, Springfield College, Suffolk University, Tufts University, University of MassachusettsDartmouth and Wellesley College.

The architectural firm Goody Clancy, which designed the Jean Yawkey Center and Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center, submitted a nomination on the College’s behalf.

Emmanuel was one of three schools recognized in the “Campus Commitment for Revitalization” category, which highlighted projects that demonstrated an institution’s “commitment to community by incorporating educational facilities within the community fabric.”

Emmanuel’s submission focused on core planning goals created by Goody Clancy in 2000. These goals emphasized leveraging the College’s location in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, the development of a campus master plan, and guiding the architecture of future buildings

“The College is committed to providing the best amenities to our students while maintaining the integrity and history of the campus.”

– Treasurer Sr. Anne Donovan, SND to ensure that they would uphold the “spirit and the letter of the master plan as well as strengthen and honor the Administration Building as the symbolic center of the campus by building around it.”

From this plan emerged the Jean Yawkey Center and the Wilkens Science Center, two buildings that reinforce Emmanuel’s vision of a community of learning and offer academic and social space to expand and enrich the College’s curriculum while restoring the cohesive, interactive community. Emmanuel also recently embarked on the restoration of the historic Administration Building.

“Emmanuel is a very different place than it was a decade ago,” said Good Clancy Principal Rob Chandler. “The physical changes that grew out of the master plan – the Yawkey Center and the Wilkens Science Center – support a revitalized social and academic community. The new buildings, planned to shape and animate a new green quad centered around the restored Administration Building, reveal that community. As you walk across the campus and look through their glass facades, you see the life of the College and feel the vitality of Emmanuel.”

Emmanuel’s commitment to community and revitalization also speaks to the College’s “green” efforts in the

restoration and preservation of campus. The Wilkens Science Center was designed to LEED Silver qualification, while underground parking expanded the quad and created additional green space around campus.

In his official acceptance letter to Goody Clancy, Preservation Massachusetts President James W. Igoe praised both the College and the firm for their efforts.

“Emmanuel’s commitment to their historic campus showcases the incredible work and dedication of [Goody Clancy] and serves as a model for other Massachusetts colleges and universities to emulate,” he wrote.

Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage. It was established in 1989 and is supported entirely by members and concerned citizens. The organization works in partnership with national, state and local preservation organizations and individuals across the Commonwealth.

Emmanuel News MAY 2011

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