Sgt. Robert McEvoy (left) and Lt. Matthew Rushton

Street Smarts

Posted on May 23, 2012 - Permalink
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MADD Massachusetts recently honored the Bridgewater State University Police Department for its commitment to enforcing drunk driving laws and keeping local roads safe.

The deparment as a whole was honored for actively engaging in high-profile DUI and underage drinking enforcement, demonstrating strong traffic enforcement with measureable results and engaging in safety belt and sobriety checkpoint enforcement. MADD Massachusetts officials said the BSU police department has developed a statewide reputation for effective DUI and underage drinking enforcement.

Individual officers were also honored. Lt. Matthew Rushton earned the 2012 MADD Hero Honorable Mention Award for his exceptional work in the area of DUI and underage drinking enforcement. Sgt. Robert McEvoy, meanwhile, earned the 2012 MADD Drive for Life Award for leading the department in DUI and other alcohol-related arrests in 2011.

"I am extremely proud of the efforts of the entire police department, and particularly those of Lt. Rushton and Sgt. McEvoy," said BSU Police Chief David Tillinghast. "A high number of DUI arrests is bad news for drunk-drivers, but good news for students and employees on the Bridgewater State University campus. Drunk-driving is a major concern in a heavily populated area such as a university campus, and these officers are making a difference. The students are in good hands."

MADD's annual "Drive for Life" law enforcement recognition breakfast was held at Devens Common Center on May 23. There are roughly 16,000 DUI arrests in Massachusetts every year, averaging out to nearly 44 drunk driving arrests per day. One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime.

"Keeping our roads safe is dangerous and thankless work," said David DeIuliis, MADD spokesman. "We consider the men and women of law enforcement everyday heroes and it is our honor to recognize the Bridgewater State University Police Department and say thank you for their commitment to enforcing our impaired-driving laws."

Snapshots of Excellence

Posted on May 16, 2012 - Permalink
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Academics

Students in COMM-470, Event Planning, worked with Quincy-based Interfaith Social Services to organize the 38th annual South Shore Walk and Family Fun Celebration. The event, held at the Kennedy Center in Quincy, raised $30,000 that will help feed families and individuals in need. Rick Doane, director of Interfaith, credited the BSU student volunteers with making this year's event so successful. In fact, the amount raised was nearly double the usual.

The Spring 2012 Video Showcase and Awards Ceremony honored the work of more than a dozen students in five categories. The annual event, coordinated by Instructor Gregg Seibert, provided an opportunity to recognize media students for their hard work and showcase their productions to the BSU community. And the awards went to: Community Service Award for Best PSA/Commercial, "Calculator" by Mike Shanahan; The Chair's Award for Best Documentary, "Canobie Lake Park" by Rob Morton; The Dean's Award for Best Dramatic Short/Trailer, "First World's Problem Man" by Brett Getchell, Alex Smith, Joe Steinkrauss and Derrik Darmondy; Special Recognition Award to Christina Gromada and Michael Vaz; and The President's Award for Best Overall Program, "One Moment" by Mac Capen, Mike Shanahan, Kristen Berghane, Jonathan Sikora and Alex Yarmosky.

The Forensic Team took third place at the Northeast Regional Championships held at Suffolk University, and BSU student Taylor Pettiford qualified for Nationals in Prose Interpretation and Informative Speaking. Team members are Andrew Zbyszewski, Alexandria LaRose, Emma Hao, Matt Bates, Shannon Lynch, Hillary Howarth, Justin Perry and Mr. Pettiford. Professor Susan Miskelly is the team's adviser.

Brockton native Sharlene Paul, a psychology major with a minor in social welfare, has become inaugural recipient of the Adam London Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was established by Dr. Howard London, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and his colleagues, in memory of his son, Adam, who died August 2010 in a single-car accident at the age of 17. Sharlene, who will earn her bachelor's degree this summer, aspires to attend graduate school and enter the mental health field to help adult populations, the elderly and people with disabilities. In a thank you letter to Dr. London, Sharlene wrote, "I thank you very much for creating this scholarship. Not only does it help others, but it inspires people like me to keep striving for greatness."

The latest publication of Dr. Yongjun Shin (communication studies) was featured in the Journal of Urban Technology. The article is titled, "Community Informatics and the New Urbanism: Incorporating Information and Communication Technologies into Planning Integrated Urban Communities." Dr. Shin also presented his work on "Conceptualizing a Bourdieusian relational framework for urban politics research" at the annual convention of the Urban Affairs Association in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi (communication studies) announced that BSU signed a memorandum of cooperation with two Iraqi universities: University of Kufa UOK and Kirkuk University KU. Executive Vice President and the Vice President for External Affairs Fred Clark signed the agreements in Washington, D.C. with the presidents of the institutions. The memoranda promote faculty and student exchanges, joint research activities, collaboration in research and publication, organizing professional conferences, sabbatical, curriculum assessment and cooperation in the promotion of the cultures and economics of Iraq, Massachusetts, the Middle East, and the United States.

Athletics

Junior Nicholas Desisto, was named to All-Little East Conference Men's Tennis Team. The selection was made by the coaches of the league. Nicholas is a second team selection at the sixth singles flight. A native of Uxbridge, he posted an overall singles record of 6-3 on the season including a 6-2 mark at the sixth flight. He also went 3-2 versus Little East opponents. In double play, Nicholas went 7-5 competing mostly at the third flight. He teamed with sophomore Cody Farrell of Scituate, at number three as the duo went 5-4 in nine matches. The BSU men's tennis team posted a record of 9-6 in 2012 and finished second in the Little East standings with a 4-2 conference mark.
(Compiled by Kirsten Whitten, communication studies; and Rob Matheson, '07, G '12, University Advancement)

In keeping with the "cars" theme, faculty books are on display with the authors' photos positioned in model cars

President Dana Mohler-Faria delivers opening remarks

Dr. Andrew Harris (far left) delivers closing remarks for a crowd of faculty and staff

Annual CARS Celebration Held

Posted on May 16, 2012 - Permalink
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The 16th annual Center for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (CARS) celebration held in the Moakley Center included more than 50 presentations and panel discussions that focused on top faculty and librarian research, creative endeavors and other modes of scholarship.

Opening remarks for the ceremony were provided by President Dana Mohler-Faria and Dr. Howard London, provost and vice president for academic affairs. They praised both the faculty and the event for its focus on teaching issues and professional development.

"As we think about the future of BSU, the most important element is teaching," said President Mohler-Faria to a capacity crowd of faculty and administrators in Moakley's auditorium. "It is important to invest heavily in our faculty and professional development."

CARS is formerly CART (Center for the Advancement of Research and Teaching). Formed more than 20 years ago, the CART advisory board last year adopted a new mission statement to reflect its broader objectives and voted to change the organization's name to CARS. The center's aim is to foster and provide resources for the development of research, creative endeavors and scholarship for faculty and librarians.

The presentations held throughout the two-day event represented a wide range of topics in a variety of disciplines. Some focused specifically on teaching, including, "Learning Assistance: What it is, How it works, and How Faculty are the Key to its Success?" and "Teaching the Whole Student: Using Intersectionality to Inform Curricular and Co-Curricular Work." Others had an international lean, such as "Health and Cancer Beliefs and Attitudes among Urban Chinese" and "Reading Instruction and Reading Attitudes in the Republic of Cape Verde." There were also sessions that focused on specific areas of research, such as, "Basking Sharks, Ocean Sunfish and Marine Turtles" and "The Mathematics of Escher's Path of Life III.'"

Poster presentations in the Moakley Center's atrium highlighted faculty scholarship. Titles included: "Conductors, Charisma, and the Affective Communication Test," by Professor Donald Running, music; "Crisis or Crossroads? Child Welfare Professionals and Child Maltreatment Fatalities," by Dr. Emily Douglas, assistant professor of social work; and "Tea Time for the Coffee Maven," by Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan, professor of geography. For a complete schedule of the event click here.

In his closing remarks on day two, Dr. Andrew Harris, associate provost for faculty affairs, thanked the more than 80 faculty and administrators who had participated in the celebration. "It's been such a privilege and a pleasure, both personally and professionally, to have been part of this year's program and to have had the opportunity to admire your talent, ingenuity and scholarship," he said. "I know I speak for our entire community when I applaud you for your participation in this extraordinary event."

Dr. Harris, who has announced he will be leaving BSU this summer to take a position at another university, expressed his appreciation to his colleagues. He also offered special thanks to the CARS coordinators, Dr. Karen Fein, associate professor in the master of social work program, and Dr. Pamela Russell, professor in the Department of Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies. "Your extremely hard work to plan, coordinate and present this year's celebration has been outstanding in every respect," he said. (David K. Wilson, '71, University Advancement; top two photos by Rob Matheson, '07, G '12)

Sarah Hogue during the 'Top Sustainability Chef' competition

Competition judges (from left) Terry Walters, Dr. Arthur Lizie and Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan

Above and below are scenes from the Just Trade Fair

Thinking Green

Posted on May 16, 2012 - Permalink
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The Center for Sustainability held its annual Earth Week, which included a long list of fun and informative events across campus, each taking a different approach to food and water sustainability practices.

Co-organizer Dr. Deniz Leuenberger, associate professor of political science, said a primary purpose of Earth Week is to spread awareness about BSU's numerous green initiatives that take place throughout the year on campus, including recycling projects, lectures and other programming.

"Earth Week aims to bring more people to the conversation, to get to know us better and get more involved with us," said Dr. Leuenberger. "The ultimate goal is then to move toward action."

A highlight of the week was the "Top Sustainability Chef" cooking competition held in the East Campus Commons cafeteria, which promoted clean cooking with sustainable food sources in the spirit of popular cooking shows, such as Top Chef and Iron Chef.

For the competition, three competing chefs from the campus community created three plates for guest judges within a 30-minute time frame using only organic ingredients. They were awarded up to 20 points by each judge: 10 points for taste, five for presentation, and five for originality.

The chefs: Sarah Hogue, visiting lecturer of sociology; Ross DeLuca, visiting lecturer of communication studies; and Dr. Sandra Clark, professor of geography.

Guest judge was Terry Walters, author of Clean Start: Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well with 100 New Clean Food Recipes and Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You. Additional judges included Center for Sustainability advisory board members Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan, professor of geography, and Dr. Arthur Lizie, chairperson for the communication studies. Event emcee was Jeff Fowler, '03, a BSU graduate who is station manager for Bridgewater Television (BTV) and executive producer of Bears Sports Network.

Another Earth Week highlight was the Social Justice League's fifth annual Just Trade Fair in the campus center's large ballroom. The fair each year presents campus and community members with information about socially and environmentally conscious products sold by various companies, some from the region. Fair-trade products on display included sweatshop-free clothing, organic coffee and food products, as well as free Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Dr. Leuenberger said organizers aimed to offer a wide range of events for all types of audiences -- college students, faculty, staff, children and community members -- and promote a broad definition of sustainability and environmental issues. "We tried to reach out to as many audiences as possible," she said. "That way, people can find what best interests them."

Additional events featured numerous guest speakers, including Ben Hewitt, author of The Town that Food Saved, which is this year's One Book, One Community reading selection, and Sara Cogswell of Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP).

Local school children also got in on the action, with Bridgewater/Rayhnman High School students participating in the "High School and Community Partners Celebration," hosted by Dr. Leuenberger, with keynote speakers Dr. Nancy Van Leuven, assistant professor of communication studies, and Danielle Newton. Additionally, local fourth-graders acted in a presentation of "The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to having Enough -- Dia de los ninos/Dia de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book)," a play adapted and directed by Professor Lisa Troy of BSU's Arts for Youth program and hosted by Pamela Hayes-Bohanan, associate librarian.

The week was co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainability, the Students for Sustainability organization, and the One Book, One Community program, among others. Next year's focus will be on work and labor. (Rob Matheson, '07, G '12, University Advancement)

Getting ready...

President Dana Mohler-Faria addresses the crowd

Bruce Bartlett (above) and (below) scenes from the commencement ceremony

Setting Sail (Multimedia)

Posted on May 12, 2012 - Permalink
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James Oliveira of New Bedford still can't believe it's over.

"It's a big sigh of relief, though I still wake up and say 'what's due today?'" the athletic training major said, as he waited to take his place in the line of graduates about to participate in Bridgewater State University's 171st spring commencement ceremony. "It hasn't sunk in yet."

Mr. Oliveira was one of roughly 1,100 students who graduated Saturday morning under beautiful, sunny skies.

Each of the university's four colleges were represented: Louis M. Ricciardi College of Business, Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and College of Education and Allied Studies.

(Click here for videos of the commencement ceremony courtesy of Moakley TV Studio.)

President Dana Mohler-Faria presided over the ceremony, which was held under a large tent on the Boyden Quadrangle before thousands of family and friends of the graduates and special guests. He congratulated the graduates, but told them to remember they now have a higher purpose as citizens of the world.

"You must understand that you have a purpose besides survival and consumption," he said. "Your life is not just about yourselves. You are a thread in the fabric of humanity and you have an obligation to improve the human condition."

President Mohler-Faria is in his twentieth year at Bridgewater, the last ten as its president. Trustee Chairman Louis Ricciardi, '81, pointed out these milestones at the start of his remarks. He then encouraged the graduates to continue to take on the challenges that life brings. Citing that 90 percent of BSU students work either part- or full-time, and do it without complaining, he told them, "Occupying reality was the real path to your success."

Dr. Jean F. MacCormack, retiring chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth was presented with an honorary degree. She recounted her life, as a girl from Dorchester who was the first in her family to attend college. Recounting her career, she told of the detours she embraced along the way and the benefit of taking chances and working hard.

"Life is often not a straight line to get to your goal," she said.

Ultimately, she asked graduates to remember to, "Yes, make a living, but don't forget a meaningful life."

Scott Lang, former mayor of New Bedford, received a Distinguished Service Award for his community service work. After remembering late BSU Administrator Dr. Edward Minnock, he said he plans to continue working for the betterment of his city and beyond and inspiring others to do the same.

"I hope to use this award to encourage our residents to participate in our ever-changing society," he said.

Bruce Bartlett, '68, of Duxbury, who along with his wife, Patricia, '67, recently donated $2 million to the university, also addressed the graduates. He recalled how the campus used to look when he was a student. From the podium he pointed to the place where he presented his wife, then his girlfriend, with his fraternity pin.

Mr. Bartlett looked back over a career path that included not only the founding of a successful nuclear company, but also a stint as "mall cop."

"What did I learn from all these part-time jobs? I learned I needed a college degree," he said.

He left the graduates with a bit of advice, words he said that have served he and his wife well.

"Never worry about what path you take but always work hard, believe in yourself, love life and think about how you can make life better for others," he said. "And thank you Bridgewater State University for having such a profound influence on our lives."

Delivering the student address was mathematics major Melissa Hughes. She praised fellow classmates who have made a difference on campus and beyond, especially those who fight for social justice.

"Each of these individuals is great; one person can make a lasting difference in this world," said the Millville native. "But it is not the power of one that we celebrate today. No, today we represent the power of 'we.' Recognizing and utilizing the power of 'we' is what transforms a great idea into a great success."

Commencement marked the culmination of years of striving and studying for the graduates. Josh Mattson of Taunton, who received his degree in athletic training, was happy to reap the rewards of his efforts.

"It's been a long time coming and we've put in a lot of work," he said. "It feels good to be rewarded for all we've done over the past four years." (Story by John Winters, G '11; photos by Robert Matheson,'07, G' 12; University Advancement)

VIDEO:

A photo montage of the commencement ceremony.

Diana Ramos receives her award from Gov. Deval Patrick (photo courtesy of KulbakoPhoto.com)

The Chosen Few

Posted on May 11, 2012 - Permalink
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This is a winning week for Worcester's Diana Ramos. Two days before earning her bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy at Saturday's undergraduate commencement, she was among the state's top students honored at the "29 Who Shine" celebration in Boston.

The list created by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education is comprised of outstanding students representing each of the 29 public higher education institutions in Massachusetts. The honorees are chosen based on their academic achievements and record of student leadership and community service. The ceremony held in the Massachusetts Statehouse is attended by Gov. Deval Patrick and other officials.

"It means a lot for me to be here. It's hard to find words to describe it," said Ms. Ramos. "I would never have imagined myself in this spot."

Ms. Ramos remains modest about her achievements, but she boasts an extensive résumé dating back to her freshman year at BSU. On campus she was a member of the Social justice League and Diversity Council, founding president of the Students for Sustainability organization, and publicity chair for AWARE, a student-run organization for GLBT students and allies. In the past, she served as member of the Fair Trade University Steering Committee and publicity chair of Active Minds, a peer-to-peer organization dedicated to mental health awareness.

Off campus, she served as outreach volunteer at Nuestro Huerto, a community farm in Worcester, at various Boston organizations, and has interned in Sen. John Kerry's office, at the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement in Washington D.C., and at Centro de Amigos para la Paz (Friends Peace Center) in Costa Rica. And the list goes on.

(For more on Ms. Ramos click here.)

Before presenting Ms. Ramos and the other honorees with awards recognizing their achievements, Gov. Patrick lauded the students for their academic success, community service, leadership, and their potential to give back to the commonwealth. "We're not just proud of you, we're grateful," he said.

Additional remarks were delivered by Richard Freeland, commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, who praised not only the students, but also Massachusetts public higher education. "Today's event isn't just about the individual achievements of the students, but the collective success of our state universities," he said.

President Dana Mohler-Faria made the trip to help honor Ms. Ramos.

Other speakers included: Charles F. Desmond, chairman, Massachusetts Board of Higher Education; Paul Reville, the commonwealth's secretary of education; and Michael Mizzoni, a UMass Lowell graduate and former "29 Who Shine" honoree. (Rob Matheson, '07, G'12, University Advancement)

Picture Perfect (Multimedia)

Posted on May 11, 2012 - Permalink
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Nearly 500 graduates were honored at the seventh annual graduate commencement convocation. From the RCC ballroom to the auditorium stage, these images capture the event.

Here are two slideshows from the event. The first is by Arthur Slotnick of the Moakley TV Studio. The second by University News.