Eastern Magazine, Spring 2016

Issue 25 Spring 2016

the arts are in!

Connecticut’s Public Liberal Arts University

Issue 25 | Spring 2016

Staff and Contributors

Executive Editor Kenneth DeLisaEditor Edward OsbornAssociate Editor Michael RouleauDesigners Kevin Paquin | Leigh BalducciContributors Meghan Carden | Joseph McGann Robert Molta | Christina Rossomando Sheila RuJoub | Michael Stenko Photographer Tom Hurlbut

EASTERN Magazine is published by the Division ofInstitutional Advancement for the benefi t of alumni,students, faculty, staff and friends of EasternConnecticut State University.

In th

is iss

ue

1 From the President

2 The Arts Have a New Home!

6 Eastern Thanks Major Donors with Evening Extravaganza

9 The Piches and Eastern—a Family Tradition!

10 Public Art Adorns Campus

12 Art Acquisitions Add Culture to Campus

EASTERN Magazine is printed on coated paper that is certifi ed by three environmental groups and manufactured with 30 percent post-consumer recycled fi ber.

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From the President

13 Community Policing with David DeNunzio ’90

14 Behind the Scenes in the Theatre Program

16 Eastern Professors Are . . .

19 Talented Undergraduates Shine at Eastern

22 Marc Freeman ’93 to Lead Medical Institute

23 Back in the Day with Janet Heck ’79

24 Like-Minded Roommates

26 Athletics

28 Matches Made at Eastern

30 Class Notes

36 Final Thoughts

37 New and Emerging Scholarships

EASTERN • Spring 2016 • 1

students take a core of liberal arts courses, including the arts, because Eastern has known for decades that a broad and vigorous intellectual experience covering a full range of arts and sciences disciplines is the best preparation we can provide students for the world that awaits them.

I also want to take time to thank all the generous donors who support Eastern and our students through scholar-ships and other assistance. Th ese acts of generosity provide students with unmet fi nancial need the means to attend Eastern and inspire the faculty and staff who have commit-ted their lives to our students’ success.

Th e new Fine Arts Instructional Center and the scholarship and creativity occurring there are just the latest examples of the academic excellence and dedication to students that have marked this University since its founding. I am so very proud to be a member of this academic family and thank you for being part of our success.

Elsa M. NúñezPresident

TTh is spring semester has been a special time at Eastern with the opening of our Fine Arts Instructional Center in Janu-ary! Th e 118,000-square foot facility is beautiful to admire from the outside, awe inspiring on the inside, and full of the creative energy and activity of our music, theatre and visual arts students and faculty.

In this issue of EASTERN magazine, we showcase this fi rst semester in the Fine Arts Instructional Center, hearing students and faculty describe their experiences accompa-nied by a rich array of photographs from public events, classroom and laboratory settings, and other activities that are taking place in the center.

Several spaces in the facility have been named after three major donors — the foyer, the studio theatre and lecture rooms on the third fl oor — and we have taken time to honor those donors with a special Dinner Gala that is chronicled in this issue. We are very grateful to these very special friends of Eastern — Susan Sukman McCray, Madeline Bernstein and Sandra Roth.

Other arts-related stories describe public art that is dis-played throughout campus and summer internships in the theatre program. Th is issue of EASTERN magazine also refl ects on other aspects of our campus life — student re-search, faculty renewal and innovation, athletics and more, so that alumni and other readers get a full and current picture of the exciting developments at Eastern.

Th e new fi ne arts center is not just of interest to students majoring in music, theatre and visual arts. All of our

On the cover: (top) Psychology major Rachel Pilver ’18 plays trumpet as the Eastern Concert Band performs for the fi rst time in the new Concert Hall. (bottom left) Visual Arts major Nicholas Khan ’17 enjoys the inspirational atmosphere in the new Painting Studio. (bottom right) Freshman Zoe Gerenda plays Athena in “Medusa’s Tale” in the new John J. DelMonte Jr. ’73 and Madeline Bernstein Studio Theater.

2 • Spring 2016 • EASTERN

Walking through the beautiful Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) — the newest building on the Eastern Connecticut State University campus — is a sensory explosion of sight and sound. The majesty of a choral rehearsal resonates down the corridor. Across the hall, actors, stage directors and sound technicians prepare for the center’s fi rst major theatrical performance. A student runs through scales on a grand piano; around the corner another student tunes her viola. Two fl oors up, a steady hand paints a countryside on a giant canvas.

The long-awaited center opened in January 2016, and with it, a new era for the arts began at Eastern. The 118,000-square foot facility features an array of state-of-the-art spaces already bustling with creative activity.

The four-story structure of brick and glass has three performance venues with modern projection and audio equipment. There is also an art gallery with adjustable walls, and spacious, modern studios for sculpture, drawing and other visual arts. Rooms are acous-tically optimized for band and choral ensembles, as are the other practice and rehearsal spaces. Additional workshops are designated for dance, costuming and other specialties, as are computer labs for digital art students.

paints a countryside on a giant canvas.

118,000-square foot facility features an array of state-of-the-art spaces already

equipment. There is also an art gallery

modern studios for sculpture, drawing and other visual arts. Rooms are acous-tically optimized for band and choral ensembles, as are the other practice and rehearsal spaces. Additional workshops are designated for dance, costuming and other specialties, as are computer

“When people fi rst walk in, their jaws drop and their eyes open wide,” said Music Professor David Belles. “We now have the facilities to support the needs and aspirations of our students.”

Theatre Professor David Pellegrini, co-chair of the Per-forming Arts Department, agreed. “There’s a different energy here. You can feel it even in a lecture class. The

students are just a lot more excited and happy to be in this environment.”

Belles, who is the director of vocal studies and also co-chair of the Per-forming Arts Department, is particularly excited about the FAIC’s band and choral rehearsal rooms. “We can tune the rooms with acoustic curtains so they match the sound of the Concert Hall. That way, for big performances, there are no surprises.”

For Pellegrini, the Proscenium Theatre is a special addition to campus. “Per-forming on a proscenium stage is really the standard throughout the country. It’s a different space and a special ar-rangement for students to learn how to perform.” The Proscenium Theatre has wing space and fl y space, enabling more room for backstage operations and the ability to hoist equipment and scenery. Balconies and tiered seating lend a classic touch to the theatre.

by Michael Rouleau


Above, Alexis Kurtz ’16 placed first in the College Musical Theater Division at the annual auditions of the Connecti-cut Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. “Listening back to my vocal recordings from the summer before freshman year, it is clear how much I can thank Eastern for fostering my growth towards the performance proficiency I now enjoy.”

Below, the 250-seat Proscenium Theatre provides students with the latest lighting, sound and stage tech-nology to allow them to present sophisticated theatrical productions.

Caitlyn Braasch ’17“The type of technology we’re investing in, the pro-jection equipment for example, is what they are using at rock concerts, Cirque du Soleil and Mohegan Sun,” continued Pellegrini. “It’s going to make a difference in terms of how we can prepare students for careers.”

The FAIC features more than $4 million in new sound, lighting and video equipment; new musical instruments; and i-Macs, large format printers and high resolution projectors for visual art students. This new technology means Eastern’s curriculum will continue to modernize.

“Over the years, our programs have seen tremendous evolution because of curriculum response to the workforce,” said Professor Anne Dawson, chair of the Department of Art and Art History. “We’re at a place where the curriculum is very ad-vanced, state-of-the-art, with tremendous resources we didn’t have before.”

The sheer size of the FAIC is an asset. “There were three practice rooms in Shafer Hall,” recalled Caitlyn Braasch ’17, a music major with a concentration in fl ute performance, who indicated that the rooms were rarely available. “You could hear what other people were playing through the walls, so that made it hard to focus,” she said. “And it made me self-conscious know-ing that students in the classroom next door could hear what I was practicing.” This is no longer an issue with the FAIC’s 11 soundproof practice rooms.

Music Professor Okon Hwang mentors students in the new piano lab.


“In Place, In Time” by photographer T. Harrison Judd drew parallels to the paintings of legendary Windham artist J. Alden Weir, and was the opening exhibition in the FAIC’s new Art Gallery.

(left to right) Graphic design students Stephen Horvath ’17, Kevin Shaw ’17 and Hayley Manzi ’17 collaborate in the new digital design lab.

Kyle Dennis ’16 works intently in the new drawing studio.Sinque Tavares ’16

For Nicholas Khan ’17, a visual arts major with a concen-tration in painting and drawing, “More classroom space means I don’t have to work as much at home.” A painter, Khan is in the middle of an independent study that requires him to work on his own time. “In the FAIC I can pop into a classroom and work whenever I want.”

Sinque Tavares ’16, a theatre major concentrating in dance and acting, echoed those sentiments. “There wasn’t a dance studio in Shafer; we had to walk across campus to the Sports Center. In the new building, we have everything in one place, you can go from class to class then straight up the stairs to the dance studio.”

The 400-seat Concert Hall also has much more space for the 100-person Eastern Concert Band, which has grown considerably over the past year. “The facilities in Shafer could barely house 80 players,” says Belles. “It was a strug-gle, and we had a hard time retaining people semester to semester.”


Freshman theatre major Jasmine McLeish plays Medusa in Carol Lashof's “Medusa's Tale” in the FAIC’s new studio theater.

More physical space means the visual and performing arts programs have room for more majors. “Last year we started a student-only ensemble called Eastern Wind Ensemble,” said Belles. “We have a jazz ensemble going, a woodwind ensemble and a string trio. We are able to offer so many more opportunities in different areas because we now have the facilities to accommodate those interests.”

At the same time that the new facility offers more space, new technol-ogy and growing opportunities for students, it is a work of art in and of itself. “Your aesthetic surroundings have an impact on your psyche,” said Dawson. “Having a studio with large windows to let in natural light is how artists are supposed to work. This facility is energizing and validat-ing for artists. The building is beautiful and the setting is inspiring; it’s a wonderful place to work.”

Housed for 70 years in Shafer Hall, “we were really on the margins of campus,” said Pellegrini. “Now we are up here in the center of campus, right in the heart of the action.”

Eric Ouellette plays “The Eleventh Hour,” written by Susan McCray’s father, Academy Award-winning composer Harry Sukman, on an ebony Steinway piano donated by McCray to Eastern and dedicated to the memory of her father, and her mother Francesca Paley Sukman. It is the same piano Sukman used to compose many of his classic compositions.

MMore than 250 alumni, donors and other friends of the University joined state and local dignitaries as well as Eastern students, faculty and staff , at a dinner gala in the new Fine Arts Instructional Center on April 9. Guests got to see the beautiful new building fi rst hand, while also hearing about three major donors whose generosity is helping fund student scholarships and other important University initiatives.

During her opening remarks, Eastern President Elsa Núñez noted that all Eastern students will take

with Evening Extravaganzacourses in the fi ne arts center as part of their liberal arts core. In refl ecting on the importance of art on the Eastern campus and in society, Núñez said, “Th e late Barbara Jordan observed that ‘Art has the potential to unify. It can speak in many languages without a translator.’ Art also encourages curiosity. Our lives are fuller, our hearts embrace more and our minds can imagine more because we have art and artists in our lives.”

Núñez recognized three friends of the University who have given generously in support of Eastern. “First of all, I

would like to salute our very special friend and supporter Susan Sukman McCray, and share her generous spirit with you. Susan is an amazing woman with a storied career as a casting director of iconic television shows, music producer, children’s

book author, fragrance designer, radio personality and philanthropist. We are proud to dedicate

this beautiful room as the Susan Sukman McCray Foyer in her honor.”

McCray has supported Eastern’s theatre students for almost two decades. In 1999,


President Elsa Núñez and Madeline Bernsteinoutside the new Studio Theater

Sandy Roth and daughter Deborah with portrait of David Roth

she established the Susan McCray Endowment Fund for Th eatre Arts to fund special initiatives for Eastern theatre students. McCray’s father was Academy Award-winning composer Harry Sukman, and she donated his Masters of Music Collection to the J. Eugene Smith Library in 2004. In 2008, in recognition of her generosity and support of Eastern, McCray received an honorary degree at the University’s commencement exercises.

During the tribute to McCray, Music Professor David Belles read a brief note from the Hollywood casting direc-tor, who expressed regrets that she could not attend the event and wrote, “I loved Eastern and wanted to support it from the fi rst day I saw it. Its faculty, its leadership, and everyone’s great love for its students and wanting to make it the best place it can be aff ected me greatly and always will.” A short video collage of some of the television

shows McCray cast the talent for — “Happy Days,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Little House on the Prairie,” and others — was also shown to the appreciative crowd.

Th e second donor recognized at the gala was longtime bene-factor Madeline Bernstein, who was on hand to see the John J. DelMonte Jr. ’73 and Madeline Bernstein Studio Th eater announced at the gala. DelMonte was Bernstein’s son and a 1973 Eastern graduate. After graduation, he forged a career as a writer, actor and director in New York City before his tragic death in 1991. Bernstein had previously given the University her son’s music collection of more than 300 comedy record-ings and librettos in 1993, and established the John J. Del-Monte Jr. Endowed Scholarship in 1997. She is also a member of Eastern’s Legacy Society.

Sandra Roth, secretary of the ECSU Foundation, was the third donor honored. Roth’s husband David was a member of Eastern’s History Department for many years before passing away in 1985. Th at same year she established the David M. Roth Memorial Scholarship in his honor to support East-ern history majors. Roth was unable to attend the gala, but provided a statement that was shared by Anna Kirchmann, chair of the History Department: “While David enjoyed his research and writing, he found great fulfi llment in working with students. It seems most appropriate then that his name should appear by a classroom in this beautiful new building.”

Jerry Franklin, president and CEO of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, served as master of ceremonies. Dur-ing the gala’s dinner service, Eric Ouellette played Sukman’s composition “Th e Eleventh Hour,” on an ebony Steinway piano donated by McCray; it was the same piano Sukman used to write many of his classic compositions.

Th e evening’s program included remarks from state leaders as well as people intimately involved in designing and construct-ing the facility. “I love this institution. It reminds me of when


I went to college and the impact of my liberal arts education in molding me to be the person I am today,” said Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Sys-tem. “Every time I come here, I am so impressed. The creativity, passion and discipline that students in the arts have is inspiring.”

William Rawn, the building’s design architect, described Presi-dent Núñez’s determination to have “two fronts” on the building — one facing the community, one facing the campus — as a symbol of her vision and commitment to Willimantic.

Representing the S/L/A/M Collaborative — the architect of record — Principal Richard Connell said the new building was bustling with activity, supported by the latest technology and “all about the students who are building their future.”

“The Art and Art History faculty are so grateful to be settled in this new facility,” said Art History Professor Anne Dawson. “It literally gave me goose bumps to see our students’ first impres-sions of this new building. They feel valued as artists, as scholars. They are inspired by the new equipment, materials and spaces in the Fine Arts Center.”

Theatre Professor David Pellegrini agreed. “The faculty and staff have been reinvigorated, inspiring us to collaborate across the visual arts, music and theater programs while seeking innovations in our classrooms and practice spaces.”

(above) Professor Emeritus Ralph Yulo and his wife Ruth pose with Josh Synott ’17, who dressed up for the evening as “Hoss Cartwright” from the television show “Bonanza” in honor of Susan Sukman McCray.

(below) President Núñez with SGA officers (left to right) Tyler Mack (treasurer), Justin Ahern (president), Christina Welch (public relations co-chair), Dr. Núñez, Clint Gosselin (BAM chair), Harrison Brooks (student issues chair), Megan Styrczula (senator) and Courtney Welch (public relations co-chair)


“It was lean and mean,” said Janet Heck of her time at Eastern. “A lot of the buildings were older, the heat was rickety and the air condition-ing was questionable. There were no shuttles, and classes were rarely cancelled.” The English major and basketball player discovered Eastern when she spotted a bro-chure for the University in her school library. The New Jersey native wanted to attend college in New England, and paid the small school in Willimantic a visit. When Heck was on campus she found the athletic department and asked the secretary, Eunice Murphy, if there was a women’s basketball team. “I then asked about the coach,” said Heck. “I asked for her name, and Eunice said that when she told me it was a man, my face went white.” Heck had never been coached by a man before, and didn’t know what to think. “Eunice told that story many times while I was a student.” At Eastern, athletics was the center of Heck’s world. She played basketball all four years and softball for two, and remembers the new Sports Center, built in 1973, as the jewel of the campus. Even with the new Sports Cen-ter, Heck recalls few amenities for the athletic teams. “It was bare bones, one small weight room and a tiny training room, with a work-study student as the trainer. It is unbelievable what they have now.” With little amenities, sometimes student athletes had to get creative. “Softball practice was cancelled one day because of the weather, so a teammate and I decided to play catch in the lobby of the Sports Center,” said Heck. “During the catch I missed the ball, and it hit a door and cracked the window.” Heck gathered her cour-age and told baseball coach Bill Holowaty what happened, taking full responsibility. “Afterwards, he said, ‘you admitted to doing what you did. Anyone else would have run.’” She still had to pay $100 for the window. Heck was also a work-study student, and one of her duties was to scout teams for bas-ketball Coach Bob Miller. “I would check out the state vehicle, and drive all over New England in the dead of night by myself to different high schools, no GPS, in any kind of weather. That wouldn’t happen today.” “My basketball experience was life chang-ing,” said Heck, who now lives in the Philadel-phia area and works as a nurse. “Our team paved the way for those who came next. I have some great memories from that time.”

(left) President Núñez visits with Jerry Franklin, master of ceremonies for the evening and president of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, and his wife Ida.

8 EASTERN • Spring 2016 • 23


Janet Heck ‘79By Meghan Carden


When their niece Heather Hudak graduated from Eastern in May 2015, Marlene (Hudak) Piche ’94, M ’99 and Ray Piche ’96 were able to boast three generations of Eastern graduates among their relatives. Each family member has enjoyed Eastern’s small school experience while witnessing tremendous growth and watching as the University has stayed true to its roots. “My mother, father and stepfather all attended Eastern,” said Ray. “Both of my parents attended as non-traditional students in their 40s, my father on the G.I. Bill.” In the early ’80s, Ray’s mother moved the family to Willimantic. During her time as an Eastern student, Ray’s mother became friends with Betty Tipton, the revered dean of students. There were close ties between students, faculty and administration, and it was common for all to come together for meals on Sundays.

“Living in Willimantic, we all felt a personal relationship to the school and town. It was a real college community feel,” said Ray. “Eastern was invested in both the school and the students, but also in creating a friendly, welcoming downtown.” Ray’s family talked about Eastern so much and so fondly that it became a tradition to attend, with Ray and his younger sisters Suzanne ’90 and Marianne ’92 all matriculating. Ray majored in fi ne arts performance as a trumpet player and walked to his classes from home. He ended up leaving Eastern before completing his degree, and eventually took a job at a local pub. It was there that he met Marlene. “He was a bouncer and I was out with my friends,” said Marlene. The couple hit it off, and in 1987 they were married. Although she was already working in banking at the time, Marlene wanted to learn more about business, and started looking at local universities. “With Ray’s family always talking about Eastern, it seemed like a natural fi t,” she said. Marlene enrolled as a business administration major, and Ray returned, this time majoring in computer science. Marlene liked Eastern so much she stayed on to earn her master’s degree in organizational management, while Ray received his master’s degree in software engineering project management

from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He now works as a software engineer at Computer Sciences Corp. and Marlene is a retail banking executive at

Union Savings Bank. Today the Piches remain committed to Eastern.

Marlene is a member of the Board of Directors of the ECSU Foundation, Inc., a position that she fi nds very fulfi lling.

“When Dr. Núñez comes to the meetings and talks about the hardships of today’s students, her concern shows. She wears her heart on her sleeve.” As a board member, Marlene helps raise funds so that fi nancially needy students can enjoy the same enrich-ing experience that she had. “It’s easy once you are in your career to forget how big a difference $1,000 can make.” Has Eastern changed much since the fi rst Piche attended? “It has never forgotten where it came from,” said Marlene. “My niece talks about Eastern in the same way that Ray and I do, in the same way that Ray’s sisters and parents do. It’s main-tained the small school, intimate vibe, the emotional connection among students, and Eastern professors still really care about each student.”

The Piches and Eastern

a Family Tradition!


People visiting Eastern’s campus will see a variety of artwork throughout the University’s 182 acres. Some pieces are built seamlessly into the structure of buildings, others are tucked away indoors, and some are nestled in the grassy landscape. Some pieces draw attention as they spin in the wind, while others are noticeable only when the sun sets. Some hang from walls, blend-ing in with other works. Others rest on walkways and are used by students to sit on between classes. There are 16 such pieces of “public art” on campus, with more to come. How did they get there, and why?

The public art on Eastern’s campus is the product of the state’s Art in Public Spaces Program. Initiated in 1978, the program requires that at least one percent of the cost of construction or renovation of state build-ings be allocated for artwork. The purpose is to enhance the setting and contribute to the cultural heritage of Connecticut. All citizens — and especially Eastern alumni — are invited to explore the campus and enjoy these beautiful works of art.

When the time comes for a new installation, a committee of building users, construction of-ficials and arts professionals selects a group of artists from the Art in Public Space Artist Regis-try. Artists are chosen based on their discipline and the aesthetics of the building. “The pieces of public art on this campus were designed to complement the buildings that their creation was based upon,” said Roxanne Deojay, coordinator for gallery and museum operations. “Our campus collection of public art speaks to the beauty and history of our state, and to the role that creative expression plays in the liberal arts at Eastern.”

www1.easternct.edu/onepercentforart


PUBLICADO NS

ARTEAS ERN


art Acquisitions add culture to CampusIn addition to “public art” supported by Connecticut’s state’s Art in Public Spaces Program (see article on pages 10-11), as well as the creative work of many faculty members and students, Eastern’s art collection has benefi ted from gifts made to the University and acquisi-tions of the ECSU Foundation, Inc.

For instance, “Modern primitive” wooden sculptures by Santa Fe, NM-based artist Greg Joubert can be found in the Sports Center and Student Center. Among the University’s collection are also works by international artists,

including a large (6 feet by 19 feet) mural “Quandamooka Dreaming, 2008” in the Stu-dent Center Atrium, created by the Salt Water Murris Aboriginal art collective in Australia. Four smaller works by the same artists form a quadtych near the Betty R. Tipton Room. A series of digital photographs of vintage automobiles in Havana, Cuba, created by Tufts University professor Marcy Pape, can also be found in the Student Center.

Alexandra “Sasha” Ovchinnikova, a painter from St. Petersburg, uses oils to depict rural life

in Russia. Heavily infl uenced by Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse, Ovchinnikova’s work, “Queen of the Poppies, 2010” can be found in Gelsi Young Hall.

Also found in Gelsi Young Hall is “Parent and Child, Maternidad, 1959,” an oil painting by the late Rafael Tufi ño Figueroa, a cultural icon in Puerto Rico; “Woman with a Violin” by Cuban artist Adrian Infante; and a mixed media piece by Korean artist Jae-Im Kim.

What do you enjoy most about law enforcement?Community policing is my favorite, when the department goes out and works with the community. It’s not all about making arrests, but getting involved and making the community better. I get to do a lot of community policing at Eastern — events and fundraisers such as ‘Tip a Cop,’ ‘Jail ‘N Bail’ and the ‘Law Enforcement Torch Run’ for Special Olympics. I get to know members of the community as people, not just someone you meet when they are in trouble.

Tell us about the Unsung Hero Award you recently won.I’ve been involved with the Special Olympics for more than 15 years. The Unsung Hero Award is for people behind the scenes who don’t typically get recognized. When I first came to Eastern we were raising around $500 a year for the Special Olympics; now we raise more than $12,000 in some years.

Why Special Olympics?When I go to an event and see the looks on the athletes’ faces, it’s their whole world — they love it. It gives them a sense of fulfillment. It’s my charity of choice.

What’s your favorite part about working at Eastern?We have time to interact with students, which is a different opportunity from those who work at a big police department, taking call after call. We get to meet our public and feel a sense of community.

with Officer David DeNunzio ’90


Several years ago, one of Associate Professor Chase Rozelle’s theatre students dropped out, skeptical of the degree he was pursuing. Ever since, Rozelle has vowed to help his students realize the value of their theatre degree. He does this annually by assisting high-achieving students in obtaining summer internships throughout New England. These internships are inten-sive, often full time and residential, and the students involved are usually upperclassmen with aspirations for theatre careers.

Last summer was the busiest year yet for the program, with 13 students placed across the region. “An integral part of the theatre program is to provide practical theatre experience,” said Rozelle. “Students come back from these internships excited with validation and opinions; they come back with ideas and conviction. They come back inspired. They come back with fabulous resumes and proof that what they are studying is relevant.”

Theatre major Nicole Garcia ’17 spent the summer at TheatreWorks in Hartford, loading, rigging and painting sets, welding and performing other construction projects. She said the internship helped her realize that she likes to build things. “The biggest challenge during my intern-ship was matching the professional level of the employees,” said Garcia. “I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do, but by the end of the summer I noticed a significant change. I learned how to act backstage in a professional manner and how to choreograph scene transitions that are quick, clean and pleasant to the eye.”

Nicole Garcia ’17


Last summer was the busiest year yet for the program, with 13 students

Nicole Garcia ’17

Most of these internships engage students in backstage/behind-the-scenes work, within the areas of design, technol-ogy and stage management. “The theatre industry is much more than acting,” said Rozelle, who also serves as technical director for theatre productions at Eastern.

Theatre major Paige Nee’s summer internship at Mohegan Sun continued through the fall 2015 semester, and then she was given a pay raise and made a part-time employee. As a spotlight operator, she was part of numerous productions in several of Mohegan’s venues, spotlighting such events as American Idol and a concert for The Who.

“The greatest challenges were the huge differences between theatre productions and concerts,” said Nee. “There’s so much more that goes into it; things I didn’t deal with in the Harry Hope Theatre at Eastern. It was a huge learning experience for me.” Nee will continue to work at Mohegan until she gradu-ates this May, and maybe even beyond.

Last summer, students were also placed at The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, NH, New Repertory Theatre in Wa-tertown, MA, and various Connecticut theatres like Hartford Stage Company and the Emerson Theater Collaborative in Mystic. Tasks ranged from designing costumes, to stage man-agement, to leading rehearsals for child actors, to administra-tive tasks such as dealing with contracts and finances.

Theatre and business administration double major Megan O’Brien ’16 interned at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, where she loaded in and loaded out sets for three professional productions and operated the spotlight. “Getting professional experience out of the classroom is really import-ant, especially for theatre,” said O’Brien. “This internship con-firmed that I enjoy theatre; I plan to continue in the electrical department.”

“It’s one thing to read about what you want to do, but it’s another to actually go out and do it,” said Nee. “After working last summer, I know I made the right choice of major. I’m surer than ever that this is the industry I want a career in.”

Left: Ty Collige ’16, a theatre and communication double major, interned at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, where he performed carpentry and run crew tasks.

Below: Paige Nee ’17


theatre productions and concerts,” said Nee. “There’s so much Megan O'Brien ’16

One of Eastern’s strengths has always been the close relationships

between faculty and students. Unlike at larger research institutions,

Eastern's full-time faculty teach undergraduates, personally mentoring

and guiding them in the process. Because they are scholars in their

own right, and are also committed to renewing and enhancing their

teaching methods, Eastern’s faculty members also engage in a variety

of research projects and innovative teaching strategies.

EASTERN FACULTY RESEARCHERS FEATURED ON TV. Th ree Eastern professors had an unusual fall 2015 semester. Because of their academic expertise and research activities — and a little bit of luck — they were pursued by nationally televised documentary programs.

Th is past fall, Bryan Oakley, assistant professor of environmental earth science, appeared on “Xploration Awesome Planet,” a television program hosted by Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed explor-er Jacques Cousteau. Producers of the program sought out Oakley because of his expertise in shoreline change along Napatree Point, RI — an undeveloped extension of beach aff ected by coastal weather. “Napatree is one of the few undeveloped regions along the New England coastline where we can study processes in a fairly natural sense,” said Oakley. Landforms such as Napatree (also known as “barriers”) “are formed by wind, waves and tides, so those same processes then impact them.” Th e intense conditions brought on by

storms particularly impact barriers — the shape of the shore, the width the beach, the height of the dunes and other features.

Sarah Baires, assistant professor of anthropology, will appear this May in “Ancient Mysteries,” a new documentary series on the Smithsonian Channel. She was sought out because of her knowledge of historic Cahokia, the largest indigenous city in North America north of Mexico. Located in southern Illinois, the short-lived metropolis (dating from 1050-1400 A.D.) is relatively unknown, despite containing approxi-mately 120 earthen mounds, some of which are among the largest in the world. Th e emergence of Cahokia perplexes scholars to this day. Baires has been researching Cahokia since 2007, participating in archaeologi-cal digs and using ground-penetrating radar to create maps of the city’s unexcavated features. Among the peculiarities surrounding Cahokia is the fact that it was built within a fl oodplain — a seeming disadvantage from an urban development standpoint. Yet approximately 20,000 people mi-grated to the area and immediately began constructing mounds and other

raised earthen features.

Top: Bryan Oakley recording the profile (position and elevation) of the beach at Napatree Point, RI, during the filming of “Xploration Awesome Planet” in October 2015. Photo credit: Janice Sassi, Watch Hill Conser-vancy. Below: Sarah Baires (left) working at a site three years ago (as a Ph.D. student) near Cahokia. She and her classmate were studying the site to determine the size of the Native American dwelling that once stood there.


EASTERN PROFESSORSARE…INNOVATIVE, HANDS-ON, GLOBAL

BY MICHAEL ROULEAU & CHRISTINA ROSSOMANDO


Thomas Balcerski addressing his class during the C-SPAN filming of “Lectures in History” in Webb Hall.

Below, Psychology Professor Jenna Scisco and her students on a study tour of London.

Above, Biology Professor Barbara Murdoch and student Lauren Atkinson ’19 display bacterial samples at the Church Farm Center for the Arts and Sciences in Ashford.

Thomas Balcerski, assistant professor of history, appeared on the C-SPAN program “Lectures in History” this spring semester. C-SPAN came to Eastern in November to film Balcerski delivering a lecture in front of one of his introduc-tory U.S. history classes, titled “Political Culture of Antebellum Congress.” The lecture focused on three aspects of the political culture of pre-Civil War America: “tobacco culture,” “political friendships” and “affairs of honor.”

“Through an investigation of Antebellum political culture, those three patterns emerge,” said Balcerski. Though this era is nearly 200 years in the past, its legacies carry on. “This stuff doesn’t die, it chang-es,” he continued. “The idea that you can lodge political power through your domestic arrangement, that’s not dead. The idea that businessmen and politicians drink together, that’s not dead. As far as challenging someone to a duel, while the actual affairs of honor are no more, the discourse about honor still persists in politics.”

TACKLING A GLOBAL PROBLEM.Among the world’s most pressing public health problems is antibiotic resistance, and Barba-ra Murdoch, assistant professor of biology, is dedicated to fighting it.

“Some bacteria are able to grow in the presence of the antibiotics that we currently have,” says Murdoch. Antibiotics are

routinely misused. For instance, they are wrongly taken to treat sicknesses caused by viruses — this and other inappropriate applications result in bacteria developing resistances. Further-more, there is a limited number of antibiotics, coupled with a downtrend in antibiotic discovery. “All of this creates the perfect storm,” says Murdoch, “so we’re in a real crisis situation right now where people are going to start dying from simple

bacterial infections.”

In 2013, using a grant from the Connecticut Space Grant Con-sortium, Murdoch and other researchers from Yale University presented an exhibit at the United Nations to raise global awareness on the issue. “We were successful,” she said. “The United Nations has put antibiotic resistance as a priority for the next 15 years.”

With the interactive exhibit fully assem-bled — involving an ant farm, microscope and tablet, and chem-istry demonstrations — Murdoch received another grant from the Institute for Life Sciences Collabo-ration to take the display around

Connecticut, with Eastern students assisting her in

the outreach. “The important part is the students don’t need any background in sci-ence,” says Murdoch. “The point is simply to educate people. Antibiotic resistance is a problem worldwide.”

EASTERN FACULTY IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE TEACHING STRATE-GIES. Jenna Scisco, assistant professor of psychology, engages her students via social media. “While in London for our global field course, students wrote blog posts and conversed with other students. For my upcoming trip to Dublin, Ireland, students will use social media to share pictures and brief trip summaries with other individ-uals,” said Scisco. “The positive of social media is that it can be shared with other people in the community, thus learning can extend beyond the classroom.”

Martin Mendoza-Botelho, assistant professor of political sci-ence, plays a game with his students called “Bring your Dictator to School Day.” Students are engaged in an entertaining manner to learn about other forms of government. “We live in the most enduring democracy in the world and students are not entirely familiar with other governments, where dictators are very com-mon,” said Mendoza-Botelho.

“Students are divided into groups and assigned a ‘favorite’ dicta-tor,” he continued. “They conduct research on basic aspects and bring it to class. We then give scores to each dictator.” Mendo-za-Botelho teaches global politics and Latin American politics and encourages his students to learn about more global issues. “Discussing these kinds of topics in a contained and scholarly environment, students are able to express their own views on critical issues such as human rights and their role as citizens,” said Mendoza-Botelho.

Faculty also use community projects to engage students. Terry Lennox, associate professor of art, had her students create promotional materials for the Windham Hospital fundraising gala event this past November. The students worked with tight deadlines that shifted as the event came closer, simulating workplace conditions. “I’m a real advocate for community-based projects,” said Lennox. “I find that when the stakes are high with real-life implica-tions, students step up to the plate and learning is accelerated.”

Whether uncovering ancient archeological mysteries, discovering new ways to use technology in the classroom or addressing global health issues, Eastern professors continue to seek new knowledge and new ways to share it with their students. Their discoveries form the basis of the engaged learning experiences that characterize Eastern’s liberal arts education.


Martin Mendoza-Botelho, right

Terry Lennox’s design students show off hats made for the Windham Hospital Gala.

When people think of small public universi-ties, undergraduate research does not always come to mind. Scholarly research is most often associated with deep-pocketed Ivy League schools or large research universi-ties, with research conducted by graduate students under the supervision of graduate school faculty. At Eastern Connecticut State University, however, undergraduates don’t have to wait to get into graduate school to conduct meaningful research and creative activities. Students from all majors engage in research, some as early as their fresh-man year. What is equally impressive is the quality of their work and their success on the national stage.

Eastern fares better than other Connecticut college and universities — public and private, large and small — in some of the country’s most prestigious undergraduate showcases. Among them is Posters on the Hill (POH), an annual conference held in Washington, DC, where students present their research to members of Congress and representatives of federal agencies. With an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent, only 60 projects from across the country are selected each year. In the past 10 years, Eastern has represented Connecticut fi ve times — in that span, only the University of New Haven has presented at POH more than once.

Sabreena Croteau ’16, a political science and history double major, represented Eastern at POH this spring. Her research, “Democratic Elections in the American States: A Case for Reform,” is about Washington State’s “top two” primary system. “The advantage of going to Eastern is the number of opportunities the University creates for its students and


Sabreena Croteau ’16 presents at the CREATE conference.

AT EASTERN

TALENTED UNDERGRADUATES

the interest that the faculty take in the success of their students,” said Croteau. “I don’t think you necessarily get that at other universities and I think that it’s an atmosphere Eastern has worked hard to create.”

Croteau also presented her honors thesis “Infl uence and Interference: U.S. Foreign Policy toward Saudi Arabia 1956-71” at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in April in Ashville, NC. NCUR is the largest conference of its kind in the country, with nearly 4,000 students applying annually. Eastern has historically done well at NCUR, leading Connecticut in participation for the past three years.

Economics major Ian Peters ’16 presented “It’s All Very Taxing: Interstate Tax Com-petition and the Balanced Budget” at NCUR. His research explores interstate corporate tax competition and impacts on the state economy and budget. “I believe the experience I garner from performing this research will be invaluable in graduate school and in my career,” said Peters, “as I want to conduct economics research for a living, whether it’s in academia or in the public sector.”

In addition to Croteau and Peters, eight other Eastern students presented at NCUR.

“Performing research is not the end goal,” said Carlos Escoto, psychology professor and coordinator of the Offi ce of Undergraduate Re-search and Creative Activity at Eastern. “The presentation of the research is also important.” An effective presentation involves communica-tion, public speaking and organizational skills that extend beyond the act of research.

“The increase in students submitting to prestigious conferences and their acceptance into them is proof that undergraduate research is gaining traction at Eastern,” said Escoto. What is also impressive is the range of topics. “Research varies by discipline,” he added, “and


Top left: Environmental Earth Science major Trent Stevens ’17 presented his poster at CREATE, which summarized his research on the petrological evolution of rock formations in western Connecticut.

Top right: Joshua Bartosiewicz ’16 collects a sediment sample from the seafloor around the Thimble Islands near Bradford, CT, as part of a research project with Environ-mental Geoscience Professor Bryan Oakley.

Lower right: History major Tyler Hinde ’16 plays a Korean flute at CREATE: “Other schools only offer music to people who are music majors. Eastern has allowed me to develop my musical talents while pursuing a different career.”

it’s not all test tubes and science.” History majors investigate archives and historical sites; political science majors do comparative studies; communication majors make documen-taries; English majors perform literary analyses; biology majors examine bacteria; and education majors study the impact of toys on child development.

Of course, not every student expects to present research on the national stage. They conduct research nonetheless, and hundreds of students present their fi ndings each year at more accessible symposiums — locally and regionally-based. The most exciting of these showcases is Eastern’s own CREATE conference — Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern.

Almost 300 students participated in CREATE this past April — the largest showing for an Eastern research conference ever. The exhibition included oral and poster presentations, art and photography displays, video and documentary viewings, and live music and dance performances.

“This is a very dynamic and action-packed event, balanced in subject matter, presentation type and departments represented,” said Professor Dickson Cunningham, co-chair of CREATE. Provost Dimitrios Pachis added, “It takes a highly motivated and intellectual-ly gifted student to produce this quality of work, and it’s important for other students to see this output as an example of what they are capable of achieving as well.”

Why such emphasis at Eastern on research and presentation? According to a study by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), undergraduate research has been shown to increase student retention, develop mentor relationships with faculty, support critical thinking and problem solving, and increase graduate school acceptance.

“With fellowships, project grants and connections to conferences around the world, as well as extensive laboratory space and other activities on campus, Eastern is developing into a comprehensive school for undergraduate research,” said Escoto. “Eastern’s funding for grants and travel, and our institutional focus on undergraduate research, is unique among liberal arts colleges and schools of our size.”

WWW.EASTERNCT.EDU/UNDERGRADUATERESEARCH/


Top left: With the support of Amy Groth, assistant professor of biology, Katherine Burgos is researching the effects of microgravity on neurocognitive and motor system performance. Astronauts returning from space often experience performance deficits, so research like Burgos’s can assist in overcoming the limits of long-term space travel. Burgos will be interning at Pfizer this summer.

Top right: Rachel Sawyer ’16 wants to be an activist for social justice. Reflecting on her video documentary “Black Lives Mat-ter,” she says “This doesn’t just happen in Compton; (shootings) happen right here in Connecticut.”


Marc Freeman ’93, Ph.D., has

been selected as the new

director of the Vollum Institute

at Oregon Health and Science

University in Portland, OR. The

Vollum Institute is a privately

endowed institute dedicated to

research that will lead to new

treatments for neurological and

psychiatric diseases.

Freeman received the ECSU

Alumni Association’s Distin-

guished Alumni Award in 2013

and says this of his alma mater:

“At graduate school I sat next to

students who had graduated from

Harvard and MIT, and I found

they hadn’t had as much opportu-

nity to work with professors or in

the lab as I had. That’s how good

the Eastern program is.”

A 1999 graduate of Yale Univer-

sity’s Ph.D. program in biology,

Freeman’s research has centered

on glial cells and has shown

that the most predominant and

least-studied glial cell — the star-

shaped astrocyte — is essential

to the brain’s signaling network

and allows for many complex

behavioral outputs. Freeman’s lab

was the first to describe a gene

responsible for driving the de-

generation of axons — the long

nerve fibers that link neurons to

one another or to muscle cells —

after brain injury. By identifying

that gene, Freeman’s lab paved

the way for the development

of potentially life-changing

therapies for patients with a

wide range of neurodegenerative

conditions.

Prior to his appointment with

the Vollum Institute, Freeman

worked as professor and vice

chair of the Department of Neu-

robiology at the University of

Massachusetts Medical School.

He was a Howard Hughes

Medical Institute (HHMI) early

career scientist from 2009 to

2013 and was named an HHMI

investigator in 2014. He also

received the Javits Neuroscience

Investigator Award from the Na-

tional Institute of Neurological

Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of

the National Institutes of Health.

Freeman will move his lab and a

number of his staff with him to

Oregon so that his research will

continue.

Marc Freeman

to Lead Medical

Research Institute in

Oregon

I went to college and the impact of my liberal arts education in molding me to be the person I am today,” said Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Sys-tem. “Every time I come here, I am so impressed. The creativity, passion and discipline that students in the arts have is inspiring.”

William Rawn, the building’s design architect, described Presi-dent Núñez’s determination to have “two fronts” on the building — one facing the community, one facing the campus — as a symbol of her vision and commitment to Willimantic.

Representing the S/L/A/M Collaborative — the architect of record — Principal Richard Connell said the new building was bustling with activity, supported by the latest technology and “all about the students who are building their future.”

“The Art and Art History faculty are so grateful to be settled in this new facility,” said Art History Professor Anne Dawson. “It literally gave me goose bumps to see our students’ first impres-sions of this new building. They feel valued as artists, as scholars. They are inspired by the new equipment, materials and spaces in the Fine Arts Center.”

Theatre Professor David Pellegrini agreed. “The faculty and staff have been reinvigorated, inspiring us to collaborate across the visual arts, music and theater programs while seeking innovations in our classrooms and practice spaces.”

(above) Professor Emeritus Ralph Yulo and his wife Ruth pose with Josh Synott ’17, who dressed up for the evening as “Hoss Cartwright” from the television show “Bonanza” in honor of Susan Sukman McCray.

(below) President Núñez with SGA officers (left to right) Tyler Mack (treasurer), Justin Ahern (president), Christina Welch (public relations co-chair), Dr. Núñez, Clint Gosselin (BAM chair), Harrison Brooks (student issues chair), Megan Styrczula (senator) and Courtney Welch (public relations co-chair)



(left) President Núñez visits with Jerry Franklin, master of ceremonies for the evening and president of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, and his wife Ida.



Janet Heck ‘79By Meghan Carden

Transfer (T3) theme housing community

REMEMBER when fi nding out who your college roommate was and meeting the “strangers” on your fl oor was exciting yet nerve-wracking at the same time? “Th eme hous-ing” is a new approach to developing residential communities that have a common bond from day one.

At Eastern, students with similar values and hobbies now can choose to live together. In spring 2016, 12 theme housing communities are active, ranging from “Civic and Commu-nity Engagement” to “First-G” (for fi rst-generation college students), to “Fun and Gamers” (video game enthusiasts), “T3” (for transfer students) and “Th e Green Th eme.” Th ese communities house more than 200 students.

“Eastern is seeing great success with our theme housing communities,” said LaMar Coleman, director of housing and residential life. “By providing an opportunity for students with similar interests, ambitions and backgrounds to live together, we’re able to capitalize on those commonalities and provide a meaningful experience that has positive outcomes all around.”

National data shows that student

engagement, connectedness to the university, academic achieve-ment and retention rates are all higher

for students who participate in theme

housing.

Students in theme housing are required to participate in meetings and run programs while working with the larger community. Each housing cohort is also tied to a campus department/organization that off ers support and resources. Th e “Gender Inclusive” commu-nity, for instance, connects with the PRIDE Room, while the “Social Justice” community works with the Intercultural Center.

Like-Minded Roommates

The Gender Inclusive Theme Housing team at the Bowlathon (front: Uniquewa Knowlin; back row: Advisor Angela Bazin, Lyla Maus, Judy Reid and Eric Keeler)


Students earn their way into a theme housing community — with good grades or extracurricular involvement — and once they are in, they need to maintain their status.

“I love having a community of like-minded thinkers with whom I can live and be surrounded by — students who share the same values that I do,” said Emma Avery ’18, environmental earth science major and a member of Honors Th eme Housing.

Students in the “Education and Math” community tutor fi rst-year students; those in the “Quiet and Substance Free” community host a drunk driving awareness social; and students in the “First Year Residential Experience” group participate in a campus resources scavenger hunt.

“As president of the Leadership community, I learned how to lead meetings, collaborate with my peers and network with other campus departments,” said Garland Mann-Lamb ’16, who is double majoring in sociology and women’s and gender studies. “I feel theme housing is an incredible opportunity for students, especially those looking to make friends, create change and get more involved on campus.”

An added perk to participating in theme housing is that each community is allocated a budget for extracurricular activities. For instance, the Green Th eme went to a zero waste conference in New Hampshire; Fun and Games went to Comic-Con, a convention for comic fans; and the Honors group went on a sightseeing trip to New York City.

“When I come home from class, I know I can knock on the doors of my fellow Leadership friends and be welcomed with a smile,” said Mann-Lamb. “Although we all come from diff erent majors and experiences, theme housing has brought us together to form lasting bonds.”

Calvin Underwood and Meredith Brennan of the Green Theme take time out from a recycling project.

Nuria Ryan and Alexandra Sordi of the Food for Thought Theme

Dani Jakobsen of the Leadership Theme at the

Theme Housing Fair

The Green Theme performs community service for the Railroad Museum.


Field Hockey Four four-year letterwin-ners helped a talented and determined senior class complete the turnaround of the program as the Warriors set season records for overall wins (13) and Little East Conference wins (8). The Warriors won a conference playoff home game for the first time (actually winning two) to advance to the playoff title game, where they battled eventual winner Keene State College on even terms in a 2-1 road loss.

Women’s Volleyball While the team in 2015 did not match its success of 2014 when it reached the Little East Confer-ence playoff finals under first-year head coach Megan Droesch, senior libero Allie Luppi finished in a tie for sixth all-time with 1,737 digs, and junior outside Adrianna Mihalek became the ninth player in pro-gram history to total 1,000 career kills.

Women’s Cross Country Fresh-man Samantha McKosky became only the second member of the women’s cross country team to earn All-Little East Conference honors in the past 17 years when she finished seventh in a field of 87 runners at the 2015 Little East Conference Cross Country Championships. McKosky was later named LEC Female Rookie-of-the-Year.

Men’s Cross Country Senior Lee Cattanach became the first member of the men’s program to receive All-LEC recogni-tion as many as three times when he fol-lowed up his 2014 individual title with a fourth-place finish in a

field of 71 at the 2015 Little East Conference Cross Country Champi-onships. Cattanach also

achieved the honor as a sophomore in 2012 with a fifth-place finish. Omar Abdel-same became the program’s highest-rank-ing freshman finisher in 16 years, captur-

ing 14th place overall as the Warriors’ No. 2 runner.

Women’s Basketball The top-seeded Warriors defeated UMass Boston at home in the Little East Conference tournament fi-nal for the second straight

year, giving them back-to-back titles for the first time in the 30-year history of the championship. Eastern senior forward Jill Ritrosky led all players with 20 points en route to tournament MVP honors. Junior Jordyn Nappi scored her 1,000th career point early in the fourth quarter of the 64-56 cham-pionship game victory.

Men’s Basketball The Warriors main-tained their dominance of the Little East Conference, capturing their fourth outright regular-season title in the past five seasons under head coach Bill Geitner and advancing to the LEC tournament semifinals for the fourth straight season. Eastern improved its record in LEC regular-season competition over the past five years to 61-9 (87.1 percent) by winning 11 of 14 games – its sixth straight season with at least 10 wins.

Women’s Swimming The swim team continued their recent success at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) cham-pionships, placing sixth in a field of 21 competing institutions. Senior co-captains Rebecca Stewart and Sarah Froelich and junior Natalie Stepniewski provided vet-eran leadership to a team which received tremendous contributions from freshmen, including four-time All-NEISDA perform-er Mollee Lasto – who broke all three backstroke records at the New England meet – as well as Danielle Souza, Amber Albe, and twin sisters Hayley and Carly Mangan.

Men’s Indoor Track & Field Senior Lee Cattanach became the first Eastern male to earn All-America honors in a running event more than once when he repeated a national seventh-place finish

at 800 meters at the NCAA Division III national championships at Grinnell, IA. Cattanach was seeded 14th in the event but advanced to the final by racing to a sixth-place finish in the preliminaries. His time in the finals was 1:57.45.

Women’s Indoor Track & Field Four team members earned recognition at the New England Alliance/Little East Conference indoor championships. Junior Sofia Amaral in the 5,000 meters and

sophomore Ariel Smith in the 3,000 meters earned All-Alliance and All-LEC recognition, while soph-omores Rachel Berkowsky in the 1,000 meters and Stephanie Hart-

nett in the high jump achieved All-NEA honors.

Women’s Soccer For the first time in

the 26-year history of the Little East Conference, the War-riors won all of their regular-sea-son LEC matches. It marked the fourth time in the last 11 years that the Warriors did not lose

an LEC regular-season game, having gone 6-0-1 in each of those previous unbeaten seasons. Defender Maggie

Bodington became the program’s third NSCAA All-America and

first sophomore.

Men’s Soccer The Warriors

finished with at least a share of the Little East Conference regular-season title for the sixth time in nine years under head coach Greg DeVito, improv-ing their LEC regu-lar-season record in that span to 46-9-8 (79.4 win-ning percentage). Eastern gave up only four goals in seven LEC regular-season games and only 12 in 19 matches during the season.

EASTERN • Spring 2016 • 27 EASTERN • Spring 2016 • 27

by the numbers

National Award-WinnersF A L L / W I N T E R

Number of times that men’s basketball guard Trachone Preston ’16 was named to the All-Little East Conference team, the most by any Eastern player in the 30-year history of the conference

The number of Eastern men’s soccer players named to the NSCAA Scholar All-America Team following the appointment of senior defender Cooper D’Ambrosio in 2015

Number of Little East Conference regular-season championships for the men’s soccer team in nine years under head coach Greg DeVito

Including Jill Ritrosky in 2015-16, number of All-America players in the history of the women’s basketball program

Record number of wins compiled by the field hockey team in fall 2015

Number of consecutive winning seasons – through 2015 – for the women’s soccer program

Including Allie Luppi in fall 2015, number of Eastern volleyball players named to the New England Senior All-Star Game since 1987

Number of E-Club Scholar-Athlete Award recipients in 2015-16

Number of student-athletes named to the fall and winter Little East Conference All-Academic Team – the most of any conference institution

Coaching win milestone achieved in 2015-16 by head women’s basketball coach Denise Bierly, the program’s winningest coach400

696025154

5

6

1013

Josh and Heather (Brine) Scussell ’10 My first encounter with Heather Brine was in fall 2008, in Emil Pocock’s “Introduction to American Studies” class. We sat next to each other but never really interacted. We officially met on the first day of classes in spring 2009, in Dr. Lin’s American Literature class. We soon started stopping by the Library Café for coffee every Tuesday and Thursday after class. When spring came, we would walk down to Memorial Park on Main Street and sit on the swings inside the playground. That became our spot. Still not officially dating, the semester ended and I thought I would never see her again. Heather worked for History Profes-sor Barbara Tucker that summer, and since she lived on campus, I would drive down from Stafford Springs to visit. On June 2, 2009, we walked down to the swings at Memorial Park as always, and I finally professed my admiration for her as dusk was settling in. I had never been more nervous in my life. Her response was “Okay. Do you want to get going?”

I walked her back to Nutmeg Hall and went home. I came back three days later and visited her in her room well into the morning hours watching movies. Just before leaving at 4 a.m., I asked her to be my girlfriend. “I thought I already was!” she said, and that was that.

(After Josh and Heather graduated in May 2010, Josh’s life story took a turn. In 2012, he was diagnosed with cancer. Despite chemo-therapy and a stem cell transplant, his cancer came back. Under the watchful care of Dr. Francine Foss at Smilow Cancer Hospital and the generosity of a stem-cell donor from Saskatchewan, Canada, Josh was finally able to beat his cancer. In October 2013, Josh and Heather were engaged, and they had a small wedding ceremony on Dec. 29, 2014 — in Memorial Park at their swings! — when Josh was in the middle of a year of isolation due to infection concerns. On Oct. 17, 2015, they had a big church wedding and reception before heading to Disney World for their honeymoon. In the middle of Josh’s health challenges, Heather got her master’s degree in library science at the University of Rhode Island and took a job last September as the first full-time teen librarian at Russell Library in Middletown. Josh has been working as a substitute teacher at Daniel Hand High School in Madison since returning to public life last fall.)

29

Karen (Roy) and Cory DeWeese ’90

Karen and I were introduced by a mutual friend during our

freshman year of high school and would occasionally run into each

other over the next few years. By coincidence (or as I say, “divine

intervention”) we both selected Eastern and enrolled in fall 1986.

We sat together in the cafeteria with a group of friends on our very

first night on campus, hanging out nearly every day after that. By

our second semester of freshman year, it was official! We’ve been

together ever since, even though Karen transferred to UConn

(family tradition!).

We were married on July 4, 1994, with many of our lifelong

friends from Eastern there to celebrate with us. Our daughter

Haley came along in 1997 to complete our trio and hear all about

our great memories from Eastern. We live in Trumbull, CT, where

Karen is vice president of operations for Third Door Media and I am

director of client services with Alcone Marketing.

I look back on my time at Eastern with great pride. I’m ecstatic

to see how it continues to grow, expand and inspire many genera-

tions of young learners. Eastern — the original match.com!

John ’11 and Jessica (Tones) ’12 Prouts

John and I met on campus in fall 2010. We both took the

“Stars and Galaxies” class in the planetarium as an elective for

extra credits towards graduation. When we both tried to register

for fall classes the previous spring, the classes we wanted were

full. Without knowing each other yet, we both registered at the

last minute for any class we could find in the planetarium.

Eventually we were assigned to a group project with two other

students and John and I ended up doing all the work! We got

close and realized we had a lot in common.

At the end of the fall semester, John asked me to sign up for

the “European Media” class that coming summer with him; it

included a trip to London and Paris. During spring semester we

became closer and I went to his graduation and met his family.

The trip to Europe changed everything. About three days in,

after an evening out with our classmates, John told me how he

felt about me. Our first kiss was at the top of the Eiffel Tower! We

spent the beginning of our relationship in London and Paris. It

was like something out of a movie!

We dated for two years before John proposed to me in

December 2013. We got married in January 2015 and have

booked a trip to go back to London and Paris this coming

February to celebrate our second wedding anniversary!

28

By Meghan Carden

49 Frances (Wilcox) Potter is still going strong at 95 and looking forward to 100. She is the proud daughter of Wells Wilcox, Class of 1918.

53 Doris (Chapman) White is retired and living in Florida. She is celebrating 56 years of marriage this year, and still manages to play an occasional round of golf.

54 Ada (Corn) Roth taught for 30 years and has been retired for almost as long. She loves retirement.

56 Mary (Pedace) Mahler enjoys living in Stone Ridge in Mystic, and sends greetings to her friends in the Class of 1956.

66 Dorothy Billington will move to Florida this year to start the next chapter of her life with her daughter Holly. Dorothy has been enjoying lots of relaxation, travel, new friends, fun and no more scheduled events and organizations. She has made younger friends and learned a new language. Dennis Bouley retired in 2012 after teaching in Connecticut and Florida public schools for 46 years.John LaPlante taught history in Hartford schools for 40 years; 25 at Hartford Public High School where he also coached football and indoor and outdoor track. John was also the football and basketball coach at Glastonbury High School. A father of four children and stepfather to three, John has 14 grandchildren and lives in Manchester with his wife Pat.

69 After closing her practice as a psychologist in South Easton, MA, to retire to Florida about a year ago, Carla Goodwin quickly changed her mind. She now works at her South Easton practice, Forum for New Directions, six months a year. Carla spends the other six months at her new home in Naples, FL, but she’s not exactly kicking back. In addition to providing counseling services part time, Carla serves as a crisis interven-tionist, volunteers for the Naples Council on World Affairs, has changed her approach to landscape painting with new techniques, and is working to improve her golf game while making sure to spend time with her grandchildren.

71 John Harrington has been semi-retired since 2011. He is now a part-time teacher with Middletown Adult Education. He and

his wife Mary are looking forward to their daughter Caitlin’s wedding in October.

75 Thomas Blake is a social worker for Hartford Public Schools.Stephen Gates served as an honorary co-chairman of the 2015 Manchester Road Race. He is a senior business consultant at the Aetna Insurance Company. Stephen lives in Manchester and serves on the town’s Board of Directors.

76 Claire Connelly is 80 years old and still active! Karen (Wyzykowski) Rehermann worked for more than 30 years as a computer programmer/systems analyst in Hartford insurance companies. She recently retired and is enjoying life! Eric Williamson is spending the summer working at refugee camps in Kenya with FilmAid International. Trenton Wright recently completed his 16th year as coordinator of institutional advancement at Middlesex Community College.

77 Kathryn Drouin has taught at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, FL, since 1992. She has taught AP Psychology since 2004, where her yearly enrollment has gone from 25 to 165 this year. She credits retired Psychology Professor Ann Marie Orza with inspiring her, as well as the entire Psychology Department. William A. Stanley is vice president for development and community relations at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, a job he has held for more than 16 years. His duties also include govern-ment relations, a responsibility that takes him to Hartford often when the legislature is in session to advocate for the hospital’s interests. Bill is the father of two grown sons and lives in Waterford.Linda Williams-Siler works as a school social worker with the Bridgeport Board of Education.

78 Elinore McCance-Katz is the new chief medical officer for the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmen-tal Disabilities and Hospitals. Elinore was the medical director for the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs until 2013, when she became chief medical officer for the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Elinore has authored or co-authored

I am so fortunate to serve Eastern and all of our alumni as pres-ident of the ECSU Alumni Association. It’s like having a front row seat to watch the transformation of Eastern to become a leading public liberal

arts university in the United States. I am also getting to see fi rsthand the transformative power of an Eastern education in the lives of our students. At its January 2016 meeting, the Alumni Association Board of Directors voted to grant $20,000 in academic scholarships for 2016-17, bringing the total amount of the Alumni Association’s contributions to Eastern

scholarships to $155,000 since 2008. I am always moved to read the letters of acknowl-edgement that we receive from scholarship recipients, because I know how important fi nancial support is in the achievement of their academic pursuits. In April, I sat with a table of our students at the annual Etiquette Dinner that is co-spon-sored by the Offi ce of Alumni Aff airs and the Center for Internships and Career Develop-ment. I was so impressed with the quality of our students and the hopes and plans that they have for the future! At the end of April, I was honored to serve as a judge for the Service Expo sponsored by Eastern’s Center for Community Engagement where I got to see outstanding examples of how our students are contributing to the quality of life in our community. And if all

of that wasn’t enough, I attended the opening gala in the new Fine Arts Instructional Center. Eastern is clearly having an important and positive impact on its students and alumni alike, and the university’s ongoing transfor-mation brings pride to every member of the Eastern family!

Ellen Lang ’81President, ECSU Alumni AssociationHelp Eastern rise even higher in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of Best Colleges in the North by making a gift to the University today. Alumni gifts support student scholarships, undergraduate research, clubs and organizations, varsity athletics and more! Contact the O� ce of Alumni A� airs at (860) 465-5302, or give online at www.easternct.edu/develop-ment/making-your-gift

Greetings FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Cla

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more than 100 papers and conducted extensive research in substance abuse and addiction, notably opioid addiction.Currently the weekend operations manager at the Frito Lay facility in Dayville, Paul Safin has been with Frito Lay for more than 35 years and has worked in environmental oversight positions since the late ’90s. An EES alumnus, he is also responsible for all aspects of environmental compliance at the facility in his current job. Paul and his wife Karen live in Pomfret Center and are the parents of two grown daughters, one of whom, Michelle, is a 2006 Eastern graduate.

79 Natalie Pfanstiehl was honored for her many accomplishments at the age of 94 in an exhibit at the Plein Air Painters of Narragansett Bay, a group she founded. Following her graduation from Eastern, Natalie taught children with learning disabilities and emotional problems in Vernon for about seven years. She and her family then moved to Newport, RI, where they had lived previously. There Natalie’s career as an instructor of watercolor and oil painting for adults began in earnest. She taught at the Newport Art Museum for 35 years and also taught watercolor painting at the South County Art Association in Kingston. An accomplished artist in her own right, Natalie has received more than 70 awards, and her work is included in collections in the United States, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. She is also a Coast Guard artist and has two paintings in the Coast Guard’s permanent collection.Dan Tenney is in charge of quality for 3M Purification in Meriden. The company develops and applies specialized liquid and gas filtration products and systems for the purification of a range of applications, particularly pharmaceu-ticals, industrial, food and beverage, and drinking water filtration. Dan has been with this 100-year-old company, formerly known as Cuno, for more than 17 years. Dan earned an MBA in operations management from Rensselaer Polytech-nic Institute in Hartford and is currently a Ph.D. student in technology manage-ment at the University of Bridgeport, where he is also an adjunct professor and student advisor. Dan and his wife Barbara-Anne live in Madison and have two grown children.

82 Roger Poudrier is a sales executive for Summit Technologies in West Hartford.

83 Michael Drobney is an associate director of Commonfund. Based in Wilton, Commonfund is an asset management firm focused solely on the non-profit community and public sector. A nonprofit organization itself, Common-fund manages more than $25 billion for nearly 1,400 clients. A math major at Eastern, Michael was originally hired to design and build the organization’s first relational database. Today Michael reports to Commonfund’s chief marketing officer and works directly with senior management and business development teams to establish best practices, provide training and design analyses that measure business effectiveness. Michael lives in Ridgefield with his wife Kristin and their daughter and son. Ruth Yulo M’86, M’89 graduated from Eastern in 1983 with a degree in elementary education. She continued her studies at Eastern, earning a master’s degree in science education in 1986 and a master’s degree in early childhood education in 1989. “I have always been grateful to Eastern for the education I received and for the career opportunities made possible by that education,” said Ruth. “Somehow, in a special way, the 30th reunion of my graduating class in 2013 reminded me of my debt of gratitude to the university that had done so much for me. I am making a special contribution to the NRY Scholarship Fund as well as to the Dorothy Gardiner Lackman Memorial Endowed Scholarship. Ms. Lackman was my daughter Julie’s kindergarten teacher. Ms. Lackman was an exceptional teacher and Julie’s year with her was wonderful and formative." Julie is also an Eastern graduate and is in her 31st year of teach-ing as a librarian/technical education director.

84 Karen (Hanson) Rain-ville is the executive director of the Con-necticut Association for the Education of Young Children. Her son, Ryan, is a junior at Eastern and a member of the Eastern Ice Hockey Club, which recently won its division championship for the first time.

David Whitehead was recently named the chief strategy and transfor-mation officer for Hartford HealthCare. David’s professional background includes positions as a human resources executive

for General Dynamics, a publisher and regional executive for Gannett, and most notably his time at Backus Hospital, where he served as vice president for communications and then strategy before being named president and CEO in 2009. David was most recently senior vice president of Hartford HealthCare and president of the health organization’s eastern Connecticut operations before taking on this latest assignment.

86 Jim Florence has been the vice president of sales of Munson’s Chocolate since 1996. Munson’s Chocolate was recently named Connecticut Retailer of the Year by the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association.

88 Karen (Macarthy) Ogorzalek is associate dean of students and director of campus events at Monmouth College, where she has worked for 25 years. Monmouth is a small liberal arts college in west central Illinois. She earned her master’s degree in public administration at Framingham State University in 1990. Karen and her husband Mark are the parents of two sons, Ryan and Patrick, and live in Monmouth.

89 Joseph Danao II retired from his job as a construction and facilities management officer for the Connecticut National Guard in January. He is cur-rently the director of projects and operations for the Connecticut Department of Veteran’s Affairs in Rocky Hill.Linda J. Ouellette is a photographer and digital artist and has been singing as a member of the Eastern Chorus and Eastern Concert Chorale for 31 years.

90 Shirley Audet M’03 was appointed as Eastern’s university controller in August 2015. Shirley has held many positions during her 27 years at Eastern, including fiscal affairs systems specialist, payroll coordinator, associate director of fiscal affairs for accounting and financial systems, and most recently, as interim university controller.Capt. Denise Lamontagne has been appointed as Cromwell’s new police chief. A 25-year veteran of the force, Capt. Lamontagne is Cromwell’s fourth chief. She joined the department in 1990 as a patrol officer and was transferred to the detective division in 2004, where she became the depart-ment’s first detective sergeant. She was promoted to captain a few years later.

91 Donna Czapiga is a nurse at Advanced Wound Care Center in Enfield. She was named the Outstanding Wound, Ostomy and Continence/Enterostomal Therapy Nurse of 2015 by the New England Region of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. Donna previously worked at Manchester Memorial Hospital and owned Czapiga Education Services LLC in Manchester.Lauren Perrotti-Verboven is the senior regional vice president of consulting operations for Intellinet, which merged with Innovation Computer Systems, Inc. in January of last year. Prior to the merger, Lauren was the vice president of operations for Innovation Computer Systems, Inc.

Karen (Hanson) Rainville and Ryan Rainville


94 Daniel A. Champagne was re-elected to his second term as mayor of Vernon.Kerry (O’Connor) Patton has been promoted to director of health and wellness at Quinnipiac University. Kerry is a licensed clinical social worker and previously was the director of counseling at Quinnipiac. Before coming to Quinnipiac in 2013, she was the program manager of the child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s St. Raphael Campus. She also is a member of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors.Lisa Smey-Adams recently returned to Willimantic to attend the 12th annual Romantic Willimantic Chocolate Festival. “We like to come back to my college town,” says Lisa, for whom the festival is a tradition she shares with daughter, Emilie.

95 Brett Kjellen is an optometrist with a group practice in Berlin. While at Eastern he majored in biology and worked closely with professors as a

teacher’s assistant while conducting research. Once in optometry school, Brett felt as well prepared as his peers. “You never think that Eastern would be such a powerhouse, but it really is, and for the sciences, it’s fantastic.” Brett still finds himself relying on his Eastern education. “They teach you how to be strict with the scientific method, and taught me

to think critically. When you’re diagnosing patients – if you’re asking the right probing questions, if you have the right hypothesis in mind – use your physical examination to test that hypothesis. That kind of scientific method is still paying dividends today.”

96 Thomas Giard III is the new superintendent of schools for Water-ford. Thomas was most recently director of personnel and then later assistant superintendent in Meriden, where he had worked since 2010. He taught middle school in Salem and Columbia in the mid-1990s and served as assistant principal in Colchester, after which Thomas was a middle school assistant principal and principal in Montville.John Natale is the head women’s soccer coach at the University of Hart-ford. The Hartford Hawks women’s soccer team has posted double-digit wins in the past five seasons and are back-to-back regular-season champions in the American East Conference. John is now tied as the program’s winningest coach.

98 Carol (Sweet) Patterson teaches math at Lewis & Clark Com-munity College. She lives in Illinois with her husband of three and a half years. In her spare time, Carol makes quilts and plays saxophone in a local band.Thomas Sawicki is assistant professor of biology at Florida A&M Univer-sity in Tallahassee. In a recent note to Biology Professor Ross Koning, Tom wrote that he is still cave diving, and that his research is now focused on the Floridian aquifer. His research remains rooted in systematics, a discipline he was intro-duced to as an independent study student at Eastern while working in Professor Michael Gable’s laboratory. He has discovered and is in the process of describing at least five new species from caves across Florida. He recently expanded his research beyond systematics to include population genetics, and fundamental community- and ecosystem-level ecological questions.

99 Marion Scavone is a realtor with Sentry Real Estate.

00 Monica (Morabito) Smith M’15 was promoted to social work supervisor with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. In 2015 her daughter graduated from high school.

02 Jan David Trzcinski is a national account sales associate at Crump Life Insurance Services.

03 Sarah Kannas was named recipient of the 2016 New Leaders in Banking Award, presented by the Connecticut Bankers Association, Connecticut Banking and The Warren Group. She was presented her award at a banquet at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Sarah is vice president, director of finance at the Savings Institute Bank and Trust. She also serves as treasurer of the ECSU Alumni Association.Laura (Assara) Mlyniec is the assistant registrar at Cornell University.Natasha (Billie) Stephens was recently appointed as the Title IX coordinator for Wichita State University. She received her Ph.D. in educational studies, with a specialization in educational leadership and higher education, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

04 Dannika (Byrd) Kemp Avent is a member of the Yale Dining Senior Leadership Team. She works in Hospitality Training and Development Management at Yale University Careers.Charlene (Davenport) Ferranti M’04 is a training program developer at Dryvit Systems in Rhode Island.Maryann Gorgone has joined Savings Institute Bank & Trust as a branch manager for the West Main branch inside of PriceRite. She had previously worked as assistant branch manager for Metro Bank in Lancaster, PA. Maryann lives in Willimantic with her husband Keith.Shari (D’Amico) Paci teaches physical education at Stamford High School, where she has been teaching for the past 11 years. She is also in her third year of coaching varsity softball at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Shari and her husband Matt welcomed their first son, Lucas Anthony, this past Thanksgiving.

05 Andrew Bessette is a glaucoma specialist for Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, TX. He and his wife Jessi (Robey) Bessette ’04 were married on Sept. 4, 2015, and have a two-year-old son. Andrew was recently elected to the board of directors for the Friends of Camp Quinebaug as the community liaison.Kierran Broatch was recently appointed as assistant director of development for parents and families at Quinnipiac University. Prior to this appointment, Kierran spent more than six years as the volunteer and outreach coordinator at Save the Sound.

06 Erin (Matthews) Hall has been named director of sales at Cov-enant Village of Cromwell, a faith-based, non-profit continuing-care retirement community. Erin will develop and execute the marketing and sales program for the 219 residential living residences, including one-story patio, cottage and apartment homes. Tessa (Smith) Jordan has been promoted to manager at the account-ing firm Nicola Yester. Since joining the firm in 2011, she has worked with clients in the construction, manufacturing, hospitality and medical practice industries. Tessa is a member of Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE), a member of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, and volunteers for the Channel 3 Kids Camp and Habitat for Humanity. The Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA) recently named Tessa as one of their “New and Young Professionals to Watch,” a select group of three up-and-comers, aged 35 and younger, who have set themselves apart as emerging leaders in the accounting profession.

EASTERN • Spring 2016 • 33 EASTERN •

07 Clayton Pollock is a biologist for the National Park Service. He received his master’s degree in marine and environmental science from the Uni-versity of the Virgin Island in 2013 and is currently working with the university on a project to monitor the movements of tagged animals, such as sea turtles, using underwater acoustic arrays.

Travis Carbonella, a freelance videographer and dedicated sto-ryteller in New Haven, was featured in the New Haven Independent for his work documenting the lives of the city’s residents. “I like showing the human experience, whatever that means, vulnerabilities and all,” he said. His videos, both commissioned and independent, are praised for offering a comprehensive and episodic perspective of the city. “If I can create an opportunity for someone’s voice to be heard, especially when that voice is normally not heard, overlooked, marginalized, I think that’s the most fulfilling thing for me.” Chelsea (Adams) Craig is the new director of communications and special events at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford (BGCH). Prior to joining BGCH, Chelsea worked for Hartford Public Schools leading their internal communica-tions and event marketing strategies. Most recently, she worked to develop a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy and community part-nership framework for the Expeditionary Learning Academy at Moylan School, a re-designed school in Hartford. Chelsea and her husband Matt reside in Bristol with their two-year-old son Bentley and chocolate lab Annabelle.Brooke (Nici) DiFormato is the athletic director at Ellis Technical High School, and has been the head varsity softball coach at Tourtellotte Memo-rial High School since 2009. She received her master’s degree in sports manage-ment from Southern New Hampshire University in August 2015. Brooke and her husband Steven were married in 2014 and had their first child in October.

Adam Wurtzel is the host, writer, and producer of the twice-monthly syndicated video segment “The Pickup,” a five-minute country music video news feature in Nashville that focuses on classic country artists and events and activities surrounding some of the country’s hottest current stars. Launched in January 2015, the show is now carried on the websites of about 70 radio stations around the country. Adam is the former host of Game

Show Network’s GSN Live and backstage correspondent for The Early Show on CBS. He moved from New York to Nashville in 2012 and most recently worked on-air at NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, in addition to appearing regularly on the syndicated Better Show.

Kelly Fitzgerald is the new youth-programming leader for Capital Workforce Partners. Prior to joining Capital Workforce Partners, Kelly was the associate director of workforce and education initiatives at the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund.Andrew Koniecko teaches language arts at New London Public Schools.Megan (Izbicki) Koniecko is a math teacher at Norwich Public Schools.

08 Ashon Avent was featured in the Hartford Courant for starting a chapter of Men Achieving Leadership, Excellence and Success (M.A.L.E.S.) at M.D. Fox School in Hartford’s South End. Ashon, a founding member of the original M.A.L.E.S. organization at Eastern, is a behavioral staffer at the school. Chris Carmean earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Metabolism and Nutri-tion from the University of Chicago in 2015. He is currently doing postdoctoral research in diabetes and toxicology at Kobe University in Japan. After 10 years in the field, Chris has independently obtained several fellowships including his current postdoctoral fellowship, has written two first-author papers, four middle authorships, 10 poster presentations and has an additional first-author paper under review.Megan Eza works as a front desk receptionist for Dr. Brian Ruggiero in Manchester. Tiffany (Jablonski) Marrara is a physical education instructor at Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, where she is also volleyball coach. She and her husband Nicholas have two sons.Andrea Pedraza is a licensed clinical social worker, with clinical expe-rience in hospitals and private and community clinics. She will start working for Eastern as a counselor on Aug. 22. Brian P. Sullivan joined the ECSU Foundation Board in January. After his graduation from Eastern, Brian earned his law degree from the University of Vir-ginia in 2011 and passed the Connecticut Bar Exam in July 2015. After law school, Brian was awarded a Robert F. Kennedy Public Service Fellowship to work in the fields of domestic violence policy and diabetes research. He currently runs the commercial lending department of Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, Inc., a non-profit financial institution that provides capital for affordable housing and energy efficiency projects, including solar installations. Brian and his wife, Marisa (Esposito) Sullivan ’08, live in Simsbury with their two sons, Neil and Finian.

09 Amy Cave is an outpatient clinician at the Colchester office of United Community and Family Services. She recently earned national certification as a licensed marriage and family therapist and lives in Mystic.Mike T. Greenberg is a category buyer for Kettle Cuisine.

Richard Cutting is a chiro-practor at Cutting Edge Chiropractic in Tolland. He received a bachelor of life sciences degree in 2010 from the College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO, and earned his doctor of chiropractic degree in 2012. He is an active volunteer for the Dan Orlovsky Foundation. In his spare time, Richard likes to stay active with sports and exercise, spend time at his lake house in northern New England, and hike with his beagle Rocky. He currently lives in Stafford Springs.


WeddingsAndrew Bessette ’05 to Jessi Robey ’04 on Sept. 4, 2015

Michael Bielewicz ’10 to Eileen Carabetta on July 17, 2015Rachel Mayle ’14 to Matthew Robertson on Nov. 4, 2015Katherine O’Neill ’13 to James Francis on June 6, 2016

10 Michael Bielewicz is an assistant store manager at Home Depot. He married his wife Eileen on July 17, 2015. Ebony Brown is a family support specialist for the African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities, Inc. Kayla Cortes works as a juvenile probation officer for the State of Connecticut. She is also on the board of directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.Ryan Froehlich was sworn into the Norwich Police Department, and in December graduated from the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden. Before joining the department, he worked as a case manager at The Connection Inc., a private nonprofit human service and community development agency.Stephen Lyon is a temporary assistant clerk for the Hartford Superior Court.Eric McKenzie is a counselor for the Connecticut Department of Corrections.Michael Palladini works as a staff accountant at Apple Rehab.

Brent Ramsey is a health teacher at North Branford High School and is the head coach of the girl’s outdoor track team.

After graduating from Eastern with a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Management and Marketing, Hilal Topal Tanyas moved back to her home country of Turkey. She married her husband Hakan in 2012, and they welcomed their daughter Hazel on June 3, 2015. The family lives in Istanbul where Hilal works at the British Consulate General. “My work at the Consulate is very dynamic and it changes on a daily basis,” she says, thanking the faculty in Eastern’s Business Administration Department for preparing her for a successful career. “Istanbul is a world-class city with a long history, and I enjoy discovering new

things in the city such as good restaurants, small boutiques and cultural places.”

Masio Williams is currently employed in Eastern’s Office of Residence Life as a residence hall director for Winthrop Hall.Jenilee Wirtz is a financial services representative at New York Life Insurance Company.

11 Ryan A. Howe works as an account manager for The Hartford.Jessica Moriarty is a teacher in West Haven and serves as the varsity girls basketball coach at West Haven High School. Joanne Michelle Ocampo is an infectious disease research project manager in Georgetown University’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. She recently co-authored a paper titled “Trajectory Analyses of Virologic Outcomes Reflecting Community-Based HIV Treatment in Washington, DC, 1994–2012.” Gloria (Lebron) Rivera is working at Eastern as the assistant to the director of financial aid. She re-joins her alma mater from Goodwin College.Charlotte Sibbesen is the graphic campaign coordinator intern at Olobolo in Denmark.Katherine Sowa works as a physical therapist assistant at Backus Health Care in Norwich.Khrystyna Stefak is the assistant director of alumni and parent relations at Wesleyan University.

Eloise Stevens is an assistant professor and instruction and outreach librarian at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. She earned a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh. She comes to Westminster from Chatham University, where she was a reference associate.Tim Talley graduated from the Liberty Theological Seminary with a master of theology degree. He has been the children’s pastor of the North Canton Chapel in Ohio since August 2014. Tim was ordained as a minister this past summer.Brittany Waller is a revenue agent at the Connecticut Department of Revenue.

12 Shaun Belton is a care coordinator at the Wheeler Clinic in Hartford.Allison Coleman is the head women’s basketball coach at Sage College in Troy, NY. She was named the 2016 Skyline Coach of the Year. Wiley Dawson works as the internship and career counselor at Albertus Magnus College.James Harakaly is the program manager at Republic Systems. Prior to joining the company James worked for Hamilton Sundstrand. James served his country as a member of the 17th Signal Battalion in Kitzingen, Germany, where he was a communications specialist for five years. During his time with the 17th Signal Battalion, James completed two tours of Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Elizabeth (Williams) Nelson graduated from Sacred Heart Univer-sity with a master’s degree in teaching and a certification in secondary English. She is currently a substitute teacher at Norwich Free Academy.

13 Federica Bucca was selected as the recipient of the 2016 Latino/a Knowledge Community Outstanding Graduate Student Award by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Federica was also awarded the NASPA’s Rhode Island Richard F. Stevens Outstanding Graduate Student award at their Region I conference in November.Karyn Colomonico is an associate customer development manager for LEGO.Sheriden Jansma is an accounting assistant at Eastern.Robert J. McDonald is a graduate student at the University of Connecticut and is working on a Ph.D. in mathematics.Katherine O’Neill is a community-based day support specialist for Class, Inc. in Massachusetts. Nathan Rouisse is a project engineer at DiMarco Constructors. Nicole Vitello is a long-term sixth grade substitute science teacher at Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy.

14 Stephanie Brault works as an ABA therapist for the Institute of Professional Practice.Pearson Davis is an events coordinator for the XL Center and Rentschler Field.

• The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes outstanding achievements by Eastern graduates who have demonstrated leadership or have achieved professional success or distinction.

• The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a graduate or former student who has rendered meaningful service to Eastern and/or his or her local community and has a demonstrated record of involvement with the University.

• The Hermann Beckert “Friends of the University” Award is presented to any friend* of the University who has rendered ser-vice to Eastern and the nation, and/or state and/or their local

communities. *“Friend” means an individual, parent of a current and/or former student, organization, corporation, or member of Eastern’s faculty or staff.

The awards will be presented at the annual President’s Leadership Awards Luncheon on campus in the fall. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at (860) 465-5302 or [email protected]. Nomination forms are available at www.easternct.edu/alumni/awards. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is Monday, June 6, 2016.

NOMINATIONS FOR PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AWARDS Each year Eastern Connecticut State

University proudly recognizes and honors alumni, faculty, administration, staff and friends of the University for distinguished pro-

fessional achievement and outstanding service to Eastern and the local community through the President’s Leadership Awards.

Nominations are now being accepted for the following awards:

Fredrick Hewett is the assistant indoor track and field coach at New London High School.Derwin Hill is an admissions counselor at Eastern. His territory is first-year students in Fairfield County, New York and New Jersey. He also assists in reviewing all applications of first-generation and low-income students of color and recommending them to the STEP/CAP program. Caitlin Kennedy is a behavior intervention specialist at the LEARN Regional Educational Services Center in East Lyme.Gabrielle Little was accepted to the professional strategic communica-tion master’s program at American University.Rachel Mayle works at the Reliance House in Norwich as a service coordi-nator. She married Matthew Robertson on Nov. 4, 2015.Nicole McBride is an account executive at 5W Public Relations. David Ngibuini works as an information protection specialist for Cigna in Bloomfield. David emigrated to the United States in 2004 from Kenya and was a computer science major at Eastern. He resides in Danielson. Anthony Peterson is a business operations analyst at Travelers. Tiffani Robinson is the lead direct care counselor for Adelbrook. Sheila RuJoub was hired as the events coordinator for Eastern's Fine Arts Instructional Center. Amy Vento works as a supervisor at Bath and Body Works.

15 Brittany Allen is a case manager for Rhode Island-based Gateway Heathcare.Tomas Colon, a 12-year military veteran who graduated with a degree in sociology, is now working as a fatherhood support provider for the Great Beginnings program at the Norwich nonprofit Madonna Place. He works with fathers of at-risk families, helping them understand childhood development in an effort to minimize abuse and neglect. Tomas says that the service learning required as a sociology major inspired him to apply for the position at Madon-na Place. “That’s the wonderful thing about Eastern in general. Students are encouraged to get out into the community and get a pulse of what’s going on. It’s a wonderful experience for undergraduates.” Tomas is enrolled in a master’s program in human services counseling at Liberty University. Jessica DiRoma is a preschool teacher at Norwich Public Schools. Jeannine Gemma is a residential counselor for CHR Health. Conal Koppisch is a sales associate for the PSE Agency.

Emily Cameron is completing her service with AmeriCorps VISTA, where her main role has been to work with local tutoring, mentoring and afterschool programs through Eastern’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE). She coordinates the program and mobilizes student volunteers. Emily, who volunteered with the CCE and interned with Windham Public Schools as a student, says that her liberal arts education helped solidify her desire to help people. “If I was just studying math, I wouldn’t have taken the ‘Latinos in the United States’ course that turned out to be

really eye-opening and helpful with my work here in Willimantic.” Emily next plans to travel to Australia, where she hopes to work with youth campus or community organizations. “I’m not really sure what I’m going to do in the future but my math education has been extremely beneficial.”

Molly Haynes works as an administrative assistant at Perception House. Michael Manzi works for Eversource Energy as an associate program administrator.Alex Mercier began his job as recreation supervisor for the Killingly Parks and Recreation Department in late January. Dane Paracuelles is an assistant residence hall director at Kent State University. Elizabeth Valenzuela is an educational assistant at Curious-on-Hudson in New York. Taylor Woronecki is a case manager for Community Health Resources.

In Memoriam


Howard Coughlin, Professor EmeritusArthur Charles Forst Jr. M’70Ellen (Day) Kochersperger '52Catherine Lynch, Professor Emeritus

Margaret Millette, Facilities/ElectricalKenneth Ring ’51

Stephen P. Seaward, Adjunct Professor of Business


Our grand opening Dinner Gala held this past April 9 was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the new Fine Arts

Instructional Center (FAIC) to many of our longstanding donors and friends. At the gala, we also honored three major

donors whose names now grace spaces in the FAIC. The Susan Sukman McCray Foyer is named after one of our

Theater Program’s staunchest supporters and a Hollywood legend. The John DelMonte Jr. ’73 and Madeline Bernstein

Studio Theater is named after another longtime supporter of Eastern’s Theater Program and her late son John, who

had a brilliant yet tragically short career in the New York theater industry. The Sandra and David Roth Lecture Rooms

have been named after an alumna and ECSU Foundation Board Secretary and her late husband, who taught history at

Eastern for many years.

The donations that came with these naming opportunities will assist hundreds of Eastern students in the coming

years and represent a tremendous commitment to the music, theater and visual arts students and faculty whose

creativity and energy are bringing the new fine arts center to life. If you haven’t visited yet, I encourage you to

attend one of the many public events taking place in the FAIC. It is truly a work of art, and a fitting home for the

student, faculty and guest artists who exhibit and perform there. At the same time that we are committed to sharing

this resource with the community, we know that our academic programs in the arts and the University’s reputation

are being enhanced by what transpires in this sterling new facility.

Not all the people who provide financial contributions to Eastern can write a six-figure check to the University or

bequeath their estate proceeds to support Eastern students. Most of the more than 3,000 people who donate

annually to Eastern make more modest contributions, although many have been doing so for decades. Not only do

these contributions add up, one of the criteria used in national college rankings is the percentage of alumni who give

to the University — not the size of their gifts. Over the past decade, we have seen this percentage grow, another

indicator of the strength of the commitment to our University shown by our loyal alumni and friends.

As we continue to face challenging times in managing the limited resources available through our state budget,

Eastern must depend upon philanthropic support to add value to the education our students receive. Every

contribution we receive, big and small, helps Eastern provide a quality liberal arts education to our students,

many of whom would not be able to attend college without your generous support. It is the commitment over

the years of “those who are Eastern” that has made this University strong. Our new Fine Arts Instructional Center

is the latest sign of that strength, and with the unwavering support that Eastern continues to receive from alumni

and our other donors, I am confident that even brighter days are in our future. Thank you.

Kenneth J. DeLisa Vice President for Institutional Advancement

The Anita N. Jean Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund…was established in October 2015 by Anita’s brother Paul and his wife Anne, three years after Anita’s death. Anita worked at Eastern for more than two de-cades as an accountant. She was a charter member of the Victorian Neighborhood Association and also worked to foster better relations between Eastern and town residents. In 2007, she received the Michael A. Atkind Service Award for service to Eastern’s athletic program. Th e Anita Jean Scholarship will be awarded to in-state students in good academic stand-ing with fi nancial need who are involved in extracurricular activities.

The Dr. Mohd RuJoub and Family Accounting Scholarship…was estab-lished by Accounting Professor Mohd RuJoub in December 2015. He began his teaching career at Eastern in 1999 and assumed his role as coordinator of the Ac-counting Program in 2003. His leadership has resulted in Eastern’s Accounting Pro-gram being one of the top programs in the region. Professor RuJoub also was instru-mental in recently reviving the University’s Master’s Degree in Accounting. Professor RuJoub’s daughter, Sheila RuJoub ’14, re-cently named the fi ne arts events coordina-tor at Eastern, has also made a signifi cant multi-year pledge in support of the family scholarship.

The Dr. Leo Schneiderman Founder of Psychology Scholarship…wasestablished in 2015 by Eastern’s Psy-chology Department to honor the late psychology professor. Schneiderman came to Eastern in 1956; he was a clinical psy-chologist with a background in psycho-analysis. Professor Schneiderman taught a variety of courses at Eastern, including developmental courses, clinical courses, and the Psychology of Literature, where students psychoanalyzed characters from literary works. He received emeritus status in 2003 and passed away in 2011. Th e Leo Schneiderman Scholarship will be awarded to psychology majors with fi nancial need.

� e ECSU Foundation manages more than 100 active endowed scholarships, most with balances of more than $20,000. � ese scholarships enable us to assist more than 300 students each year. Nonetheless, our resources are modest in comparison to many other colleges and universities, and therefore our scholar-ship awards are typically in the $1,000 range. We want to help more students with larger grants, and the only way to do so is to grow our scholarship funds. For students from less privileged circumstances, � nancial aid is crucial because it enables them to take a full load of courses and focus their energies on their studies. Whether you donate $300, $150 or $50, your gift is much appreciated as we move new scholarships to the endowed level and support other existing endowed funds.

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Documents

Eastern Magazine, Spring 2016