At the recent New Rochelle’s State of the City dinner held at the Davenport Beach Club, Vice President for Financial Affairs and President-elect Judith Huntington, was greeted and welcomed to the annual event by City Councilman Albert Tarantino. 

Councilman Tarantino represents District Two, which includes the Main Campus of CNR. As Councilman Mr. Tarantino is an important figure in the daily life of College Community as he handles our concerns with regard to traffic, safety and quality of life issues. Vice President Huntington had the opportunity to thank the Councilman for his continued support of CNR.  

The Wellness Center was the recipient of Contract Magazine 31st Annual Interiors Award in the Spa/Fitness category. It was presented to the ikon.5 architects/Galina Design Group, designers of the Center for CNR. The award was announced in Contract Magazine January/February 2010 issue. Each year they recognize the accomplishments of the most innovative design teams in several different categories. Held since 1979, the competition is judged by a select group of respected industry leaders.

In commenting on winning the award in Contract Magazine, Joseph Tattoni , the principal of ikon.5 architects, said that he approached the design in the same way that the College approaches teaching, as “total human wellness, which includes not only the body but also the mind and spirit.”

Vice President for Financial Affairs and President-elect, Judith Huntington, who was heavily involved in the planning of the building, said, “It was very important for us to make that statement. This is a wellness center, and integrating that concept holistically is part of our goal.”

The jury in awarding the design agreed, “The seamless blending of architecture and interiors conveys an athletic facility emerging from the ground plane, complete with natural materials that move between interior and exterior. Skylights, clerestory, and extensive use of framed views create a great vessel to capture the light.”

The overarching theme of the facility, designed to achieve a LEED silver rating, was a “Garden of Eden”—a paradise of total health with a sustainable design that evokes the wider health of the planet as a whole.

This is the seventh award received by ikon.5 architects/Galina Design Group for their design of the College’s Wellness Center.  

The College's Women’s Studies Program hosted a showing of A Summer Rain on March 3, 2010, in Romita Auditorium on the Main Campus. The showing was part of LUNAFEST®, the national organization established by LUNA, the whole nutrition bar for women, that celebrates and inspires women through the art of film and community fundraising. LUNAFEST®, is a film festival of ten short films by women filmmakers and A Summer Rain, a 16-minute film about a young Israeli immigrant struggling with her transition to American life, was the first film in the festival. It was directed by Ela Thier, guest of the Women's Studies Program, who took questions from the audience after the showing. This festival is held annually in March, Women’s History Month, by the Women’s Studies Program of CNR

Proceeds from event were donated to The Breast Cancer Fund and to My Sister’s Place, a non-profit organization that supports women in Westchester. Posing here are: Jennifer Aybar SAS’10; Nancy Levin, Director of Development and External Affairs of My Sisters’ Place; Kristen Diaz SAS’11; Gene Green SAS’12; Ela Thier; Dr. Roblyn Rawlins, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Division of Social Sciences; Dr. Judy Gordon, Associate Professor and Chair of Social Work; and Dr. Jennifer Scuro, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Women’s Studies Program.

The Office of Government Relations sponsored a student aid advocacy event on March 2, 2010 to encourage students to send e-mails to the Governor’s office and to state legislators explaining how important student aid is to them and their families. Terri Eberle, Director of Government Relations for CNR, stops by the table in the Student Campus Center to encourage Kara Sherrisse Lawrence SAS’10 (l) and Gene Green SAS’12 in their letter writing efforts. 

The School of Arts & Sciences Women’s Studies Committee hosted a “Celebration of Student Achievement” on March 3, 2010, in the Student Campus Center.  Students, nominated by faculty for exceptional work, presented their achievements. The evening of celebration included PowerPoint presentations, mock tribunal testimonials, poetry and song. Pictured here: (back row l-r) Dr. Judy Gordon, Associate Professor of Social Work; Angelia Desrochers SAS’12; Tiffany Cruz SAS’10; Anamaria (Annet) Nankusu SAS’10; Cassandra Irons SAS’12; Kimberlee Haldane SAS’10; Natalia Martinez SAS’10.(front row l-r), Eglantina Bacaj SAS’10; Mary Henderson SAS’11; Mary-Elizabeth Smith-Mitchell SAS’12; and Jasmine Reed SAS’11.

The nominees and their achievements:

Marissa Schroff SAS’10 and Mary Harris SAS’10) presented group Senior Art Exhibition, Inner Voice, Outer Emotion.
 
Three Mock Tribunal testimonials were performed by Tiffany Grimes SAS’10 on Foot Binding in China; by Tiffany Cruz SAS’10 on a Stoning in Iran; and Anamaria (Annet) Nankusu SAS’10 on Child Mothers in Northern Uganda, East Africa.  

Eglantina Bacaj SAS’10 read her poem, Natural Embrace, a reflection on a momentary experience of oneness with nature.  

Angelia Desroschers SAS’12 gave a PowerPoint presentation of her research on memory, memorialization, and Spain’s Valley of the Fallen (El Valle de los Caídos) entited, The Valley of the Fallen: A Tribute to Whom?  

Katherine Martinez SAS’10 read a poem written by her grandfather as a tribute to him, Tú Eres La Poesía and then read her own poem, Exit.  

Natalia L. Martinez SAS’10 presented her work and described her experience working on breast cancer research over the summer at SUNY Albany, The Role of Vitamin D in Breast Cancer: The effects of radiation on vitamin D actions in normal mammary cells.  

Mary Henderson SAS’11; Cassandra Irons, SAS’12; and Jasmine Reed, SAS’11 presented their experience Establishing CNR Spectrum, along with April Casstevens SAS’12, who was unable to attend this event.  

Kimberlee Haldane SAS’10 read her poem, Lay down low the conquered arm poised to fight: A Villanelle modeled after Dylan Thomas' poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.  

Mary-Elizabeth Smith-Mitchell  SAS’12 described her experience preparing for and performing in Dreamgirls, also reprising her performance of the song, I am Changing.    

The exhibit "recurrent PERFECT CIRCLE," a selection of work by Dr. William Maxell, Professor of Art in the School of Arts & Sciences, completed during his 2009 sabbatical leave is now on display in the Mooney Center Exhibit Hall on the Main Campus. The exhibit includes encaustic painting, drawing, monoprinting, photography, and digital printmaking. Of his work, Dr. Maxwell says, “For me, the best art is both truth and illusion, individual and whole, particular and universal, utopian and dystopian, free and disciplined, precious and worthless.  It is within this slippage (the paradoxes of art) that I locate my work.” On Wednesday, March 17 at 6:45 p.m., Dr. Maxwell will lecture on his work. The exhibition will run until March 22, 2010. 

Alianna Cordova SAS’10 (l), pictured here with Director of The Wellness Center Harold Crocker and teammate Tiffany Mann (r), is the only member of the Blue Angels Basketball Team to  play for four years at CNR.  Hardworking and committed, Alianna was second on the team in overall rebounding, and second in offensive rebounding, having the highest vertical leap on the team. Alianna was also the team captain. Tiffany Mann SAS’10 played two full seasons for CNR, and this year was second in team scoring this year.  

At a party given on the afternoon of February 9, 2010, to celebrate the arrival of new state-of-the-art equipment, three students pose before the floor-to-ceiling green wall in the studio. The afternoon dance party was to celebrate the arrival of new digital equipment that has been added to the studio for student use. The equipment includes a Sony digital high-definition widescreen camera and tripods; high-definition video switcher and widescreen monitoring; TelePrompters for the cameras; Apple Macintosh computer w/ 3.5 TB RAID for recording broadcasts directly to disk. The television studio also boasts four Sony EX-1 high definition widescreen cameras with energy-efficient LED lighting. These cameras record directly to memory cards and can be used by students for filming outside of the studio itself. According to Dr. Grabowski, Associate Professor of Communication Arts, “Using our new widescreen, HD tapeless cameras and studio, students are producing amazing projects and are learning how professional studios are adapting to digital technologies. This equipment gives them a leg up over students still working with low-resolution videotape.”

The Fifth Annual Poster Session “Journey to Ways of Knowing” of the School of New Resources class was held in the Student Campus Center on February 2, 2010. In their posters students presented their experiential research conducted in the Life Arts Project class, a final year project. The posters vary in topics and experiences. Many of the posters discuss the value of the liberal arts, while others depict the student’s own life journey. The students displaying their posters are all enrolled in the Ways of Knowing seminar, taught by the Director of the New Rochelle Campus of SNR, Dr. Elena Bront. This class is taken after a student has completed 90 credits, including 30 credits in the student’s area of interest. Here Shylethia Brown explains her poster to interested students.

The Feast of St. Angela Merici was celebrated on January 27, 2010, on the Main Campus of the College. Following a Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy in Holy Family Chapel, an Italian Luncheon was served for the College Community in the Student Campus Center. At the luncheon four students, representing all of the Schools of the College, received Ursuline Educators Service Awards. Each student had completed a specific act of service in the previous academic year. This program is a national award sponsored by Ursuline Educational Services. UES is a collaborative effort of Ursuline congregations to carry their educational traditions into a new millennium. The students and President Sweeny pose after the awards were presented: (L to R) Mirham Rojas SAS’10; Jayne Howard SNR’10; President Sweeny; parents of honoree Ugo Ogbuagu SN’10. Graduate student honoree Dianna Barber was unable to attend.

Wellness Coaches Tania Veloz SAS’12; Catherine Postrano SAS’12; and Hellen Konyango, SAS'11 launched the "Healthy Monday" program on the Main Campu of CNR on February 1, 2010. "Healthy Monday" is a national program to raise health awareness and is offered on college campuses across the nation. All this spring semester, these Wellness Coaches will offer different programs and events on Mondays to raise health issues with students. The theme for this first week was "Do You SEE?” Students guessed what SEE is and in one week a “Wellness Basket prize” will be awarded to the winner of the SEE contest. Healthy Mondays are sponsored by the CNR Wellness Coaches, Wellness Education & Program, Health Services, Athletics, and Student Services. Wellness Coaches at CNR are students who are interested in learning to make healthy decisions and in helping develop programs and events, such as Healthy Mondays, to educate others on healthier lifestyle choices.

The Graduate School and the Office of College and District Partnerships hosted the Dual Language Educators Institute, “Mining the Expertise of Dual Language Educators,” on January 29, 2010, on CNR's Main Campus. The Institute brought together dual language teachers and administrators from the school districts of New Rochelle, White Plains, Port Chester, Ossining, and the Tarrytowns for a day of guest speakers and workshops. In addition to providing a forum for networking and the sharing of best practices in the classroom, the Institute invited Dr. Luisa Costa Garro, a faculty member from Bank Street College of Education, and an expert in language acquisition and development and in comprehensive literacy in two languages, to be the keynote speaker. 
Dr. Andrea DeCapua, Assistant Professor of Multilingual/Multicultural Education in the Graduate School, and Estee Lopez, Instructor in the Literacy Education program, provided the closing presentation.  More than 60 attendees participated in the institute held in Maura Ballroom.

For the seventh time Dr. Amy Bass, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Honors Program in the School of Arts & Sciences, is working at the Olympics. Dr. Bass is spending part of her sabbatical as supervisor of NBC’s research operation at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Bass has published extensively on the racial politics of sports, including her book Not the Triumph but the Struggle: The 1968 Olympics and the Making of the Black Athlete, and her edited collection In The Game: Race, Identity, and Sports in the Twentieth Century. Here in Vancouver, she poses with Evan Lysacek who proudly shows off his gold medal won in men's figure skating. Lysacek grabbed the gold medal in close competition with Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko.
 
To read Dr. Bass' blogs from the Athens Olympics in 2004 click here, and Torino Olympics in 2006 click here.

 

CNR students and staff participating in the 2010 Plunge service trip to New Orleans assemble on the front steps of the home they helped to build over the College’s Winter Intersession. This is the second year that CNR students traveled to New Orleans to aid in the recovery work in the Lower Ninth Ward following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The CNR volunteers worked with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area. Leading the group of volunteers was Director of Campus Ministry Helen Wolf (top left).

The first recipient of the Mary Ellen Donnelly Critchlow (SAS’69) Endowed Chair in English is Daniel B. Smith, an author, journalist, and editor. Professor Smith will be teaching creative writing in the fall of 2010, and conduct workshops on writing for groups of students from all four schools this spring semester. He has written extensively about mental health and psychology, as well as about subjects ranging from the “cultural commons” to the lives of American expatriates in Dubai. His first book, Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Hearing Voices and the Borders of Sanity, about the history and meaning of auditory hallucinations, was published in 2007. A former staff editor at The Atlantic Monthly, he has contributed essays and articles to numerous publications, including The American Scholar, The Atlantic Monthly, Granta, The New York Times Magazine, and New York. The Endowed Chair was a gift made by Lillian Brennan Carney SAS'69 and her husband Patrick to the School of Arts & Sciences. Lillian and Mary Ellen were roommates as undergraduates at CNR.

Dr. Amy Bass, Associate Professor of History and SAS Honors Program Director, spoke on  December 15, 2009, on her new book, Those About Him Remained Silent: The Battle over W.E. B. Du Bois. Sponsored by the Office of Mission & Identity, Bass' lecture focused on the collision of racism, patriotism, and global politics that she explores in the book. Du Bois - author, civil rights activist, pan-Africanist, historian - was born in the small Massachusetts town of Great Barrington.  Residents of the town recognized his talent, funded his education, and - much later - after his death in 1963, proposed the creation of a memorial park in his name. Debate over this proposal bitterly divided the community and brought to light the complex intersection of global politics, racism, and cold war patriotism. In her evening lecture Bass demonstrated how debates over the legacy of Du Bois are increasingly relevant in contemporary American politics.

CNR students take time out on the Main Campus to send Christmas cards to U.S. Troops currently on duty overseas. This special Community Service event, organized by the Office of Campus Ministry, was held in the Student Campus Center of the Main Campus on the afternoon of December 15, 2009. Here, Suzette Walker-Vega (on right), Assistant Director of the Office of Campus Ministry, directs students who had stopped by her table to sign Christmas cards fo the soldiers.

Rev. Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., president emeritus of Georgetown University and a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, spoke on “Madonnas  At the Met: A Beloved Theme at a Beloved Institution” on the Main Campus of CNR on December 8, 2009. The lecture was a continuation of Father Leo’s four-part lecture series last year, “Finding God in All the Galleries.” According to Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President of Mission and Identity, Father Leo’s lecture, “once again explored the relationships between art and faith and the role of visual art in the endless project of human self-understanding.”    “As the Advent Season celebrates the mystery of the Birth of Jesus, so art over the centuries has imagined and re-imagined that story, its forms, and its meaning,” said Father Leo as he began his talk. Beginning with Mary as Byzantine Empress with her son and then seeing her as Medieval Queen, a noble young woman of the Renaissance, a mother with her child in ordinary late 19th century life and more, the lecture considered how the image of the Madonna both shows the values of a culture and in turn shapes those values.   Following the lecture, Father Leo spoke to students from the School of New Resources who attended the evening lecture in Romita Auditorium.  

Campus Ministry co-sponsored an AIDS Walk on December 7, 2009, with the Junior Class. Students walked the track in The Wellness Center to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. Funds raised benefited “Keep A Child Alive,” a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care, and support services to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Information was also shared about The Lord’s Pantry, a meal delivery service for people suffering from AIDS in Westchester. Campus Ministry partners with The Lord’s Pantry twice a month by delivering meals on Thursday evenings to families in New Rochelle.

New York State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer discussed "Women and Society Being and Becoming" on December 9, 2009, on the Main Campus of the College. A guest of CNR Office of Government Relations and School of Arts & Sciences Women’s Studies Program, Senator Oppenheimer discussed her own political career and how women must take risks and seek opportunities.  Oppenheimer, who has been a member of the New York Senate since 1985, received her undergraduate degree from a women's college and was one of the first women to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.  In his introduction, SAS Dean Dr. Richard Thompson said, “Senator Suzi Oppenheimer has been an energetic and vocal advocate for education, environmental protection, child care, health care, fiscal reform, the arts, and the rights of women. Her record of community service, local government experience, and leadership on statewide issues has enabled her to work in a bipartisan manner to address the concerns of constituents.”

On December 3, 2009, the College Community gathered on Chidwick Walk for the traditional blessing of the crèche and the lighting of the tree. CNR President Stephen J. Sweeny, Campus Ministry Director Helen Wolf, and Chaplain Fr. Joseph Flynn, OFM Cap, led the students, faculty, and staff in this annual Christmas Season event. In his remarks at this joyful College event, Father Joe recounted the origin of the crèche/manger, saying, “It began on Christmas Eve in the small city of Assisi in the year 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi desired to celebrate the wondrous event of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in a memorable way. He gathered the people of Assisi, as well as a number of animals, to create a living crèche. This began a wondrous tradition for the church so each Christmas people of faith gather around a crèche to be reminded of this awesome moment in the history of salvation by our God.”

Anne Sweeney SAS’79, Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney•ABC Television Group, took the top spot on the 2009 Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women in Entertainment list on Friday in Beverly Hills.   

Watch Entertainment Tonight story.

Other women taking top spots were Amy Pascal, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group and co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Nancy Tellem, president of CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group, and Oprah Winfrey, chairman of Harpo.

In September 2009, she was named No. 16 in Fortune Magazine's list  of "50 Most Powerful Women." 

As co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, Sweeney is responsible for The Walt Disney Company's entertainment and news television properties globally. In this role, she manages the ABC Television Network, which provides entertainment, news, and kids programming to viewers via more than 200 affiliated stations across the U.S. in addition to other technological platforms.

Students who played on Blue Angels teams this fall semester were honored at halftime of the CNR-Bard basketball game on December 3, 2009, for their outstanding play. Members of the Volleyball, Cross Country and Tennis teams were recognized.

The 2009 HVWAC Championship Blue Angel Volleyball team went undefeated in conference play this season and reached the championship game by beating Medgar Evers, and captured the title against tough Pratt College. Zena Jamal SAS’12, Elizabeth Johnston SAS’13, and Kristina Nilaj SAS’13 made the 2009 All-Conference Team of HVWAC and Patrice Marshall SAS’11 was MVP for the HVWAC Volleyball Tournament.

Photographed here with their Volleyball coaches are (back row): Assistant Coach Javier Lugo, Karlene Henriques SAS’10, Jacqueline McCloud SAS’12, Christine Biskup SAS’13, Kristina Nilaj SAS’13, Elizabeth Johnston SAS’13 (Captain), Valencia Andrews SAS’11, and Head Coach Georgia Efthalitsides; (front row): Alianna Cordova SAS’10 and Zena Jamal SAS12

Sr. Mary Sullivan, Provincial Superior of the Ursulines of the Eastern Province of the United States, offered a special reflection at a midday Mass in honor of the four women martyrs of El Salvador on December 2, 2009, in Holy Family Chapel on the New Rochelle Campus. This annual College event honors the lives of Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, lay missioner Jean Donovan, and Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke. These four American churchwomen were martyred in 1980 while working with the poor in El Salvador. The special liturgy was sponsored by the Office of Campus Ministry.

The Office of Campus Ministry held a theological reflection on the Main Campus at a “thanksgiving lunch" on November 23, 2009. According to Helen Wolf, Director of Campus Ministry, “a theological reflection is a dialogue about God’s abiding presence that can lead one to personal and social transformation.” Participants who served as liturgical ministers and/or community service volunteers during the fall semester reflected on faith and its impact on their ministry and service. Photographed here are the students, staff, and faculty who offered insights from their various faith traditions.

The CNR Gospel Choir held its annual Banquet Night on Saturday evening, November 21, 2009 in Maura Ballroom on the Main Campus of CNR. According to Helen Wolf, Director of Campus Ministry, “this night was an opportunity for the choir, as well as individual members and guests, to praise God in music, dance, poetry, and fellowship.” Under the direction of Scott Patterson, the Gospel Choir is in its seventh year at CNR. Mr. Patterson studied classical piano performance at The Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and at the Manhattan School of Music. Currently, he is also the Music Director of St. Mark, the Evangelist Church in Central Harlem.  Here, Scott Patterson plays a little classical music of his own.

On the evening of November 19, 2009, Sr. Clare Nolan, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, highlighted the global issue of human trafficking before an audience of more than 100 students, faculty, and staff in Romita Auditorium on the Main Campus.  “Stuck in Traffick: A Human Trafficking Event" was part of the Fall Social Justice Series facilitated by the Office of Campus Ministry. Assisting Campus Ministry in this advocacy effort was the Office of Government Relations, headed by Terri Eberle. The talk was broadcasted live on streaming video, and students at the School of New Resources campuses in New York City were able to log on and participate from their classrooms. Campus Ministry also presented a slide show that detailed the global crime of human trafficking, and students and faculty and staff were then encouraged to write to their congressional representatives and urge them to help eradicate this modern-day form of human slavery.

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd is an international congregation that sponsors direct social service projects in over 60 countries. The Congregation has Special Consultative Status with the Economic Social Council of the United Nations. From 1999 until last year, Sr. Clare was the Non-Governmental Organization Representative for her Congregation at the United Nations. While serving as the NGO representative for her order, Sr. Clare led initiatives that supported the work of non-governmental organizations in preventing, suppressing, and punishing those who trafficked in persons, especially women and children.

Flanking Sr. Clare Nolan are Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Suzette Walker-Vega and Peer Ministers Sr. Annet Nankusu SAS’11; Sherly Mathew SAS’10; Mirham Rojas SAS’11; Princy Philip SN’10; Yasmin Molly SN’11; Hellen Konyango SAS’11; and Laura-Ann Vailonis SAS’11.  

Olga Miedzybrodzka SAS’10 has been selected as this week’s Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week after sharing the honor last week. The senior from New Rochelle placed first in all three individual events she swam in against York. She opened the meet taking first in the 400-meter Free (7:07.95) and then won the 50-meter Fly (1:12.17) and 100-meter Fly (2:43.03).

Campus Ministry hosted its annual Fair Trade Sale on November 12, 2009, in the Student Campus Center on the Main Campus. Handicrafts and products, such as coffee and chocolate from the developing world, were on sale as gifts for the holiday season.

Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. Based on the principle that people should earn a fair profit for the items they produce, Fair Trade guarantees fair wages to disadvantaged artisans, farmers, and workers. Fair Trade proponents include a number of international development aid, social, religious and environmental organizations such as Christian Aid, SERRV International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Catholic Relief Services, and Caritas International.

Catholic colleges, like CNR, serve exclusively Fair Trade coffee as a demonstration of their commitment to live out Gospel values. The number of Catholic individuals, organizations, and colleges, such as CNR, that are involved in the Fair Trade movement increases every year.

CNR Wellness Coaches (from left) Tania Veloz SAS'12, Sasha Winslow SN’10, (eynote speaker Jineea Butler-Graham of Social Services of Hip-Hop in center) Hellen Konyango SAS’11, and Erika Alvarado SAS’12 presented the workshop “Are My Relationships Healthy” at the Giolai Girls Leadership Summit held at Mercy College. The Leadership Summit was part of “Make A Difference Day,” where high school students were given leadership training and participated in volunteer activities, including creating a garden for patients at the VA Hospital. The participation of the CNR students was arranged by Adrienne Wald, Director of Wellness Education and Programming.   

Pictured (l.-r.): Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President for Mission & Identity, moderator of the Founder's Day Panel, with panelists Fr. Joseph Flynn, Chaplain; Dr. Elisabeth Brinkmann, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies; Dr. Roblyn Rawlins, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Social Science Division; and Dr. Daniel Garcia, Assistant Professor of History.

A faculty staff panel on Monday evening, November 9, concluded the Founder’s Day events for 2009. Dr. Elisabeth Brinkmann, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies; Fr. Joseph Flynn, Chaplain; Dr. Daniel Garcia, Assistant Professor of History; and Dr. Roblyn Rawlins, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Social Science Division of the School of Arts & Sciences, spoke, and led a discussion on the topic “Caritas and Capitalism.” This interdisciplinary panel focused on Catholic social teaching and capitalism, responding to news coverage of how Archbishop Reinhard Marx’s book Das Kapital and Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) both suggest today's troubled economies need to reconnect with fundamental Christian values to be restored to health and that incorporating Catholic social teachings can help create a more just economy that provides for the common good. Dr. Garcia gave an overview of the historical development of capitalism in the United States from colonialism through neoliberalism. Dr. Rawlins spoke of how the social teachings of the Catholic Church and the ideas of Karl Marx share an emphasis on the primacy of meaningful work in securing human dignity. Fr. Flynn posed and suggested answers to the following questions: Has Catholic social teaching anything to say about capitalism?; Does capitalism have any redeeming qualities?; What does Caritas in Veritate  have to say about capitalism? Dr. Brinkmann discussed Catholic higher education generally and CNR specifically in the context of capitalist competition. The panel discussion was held in Romita Auditorium in the Mooney Center on the Main Campus.

On November 8, 2009, three high school women artists were recognized for their outstanding work at the closing reception of the CNR 16th Annual High School Women Artists Exhibition. Here the winning students pose with Dr. Richard Thompson, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, (l.) The winning students are (l.-r.) Elizabeth Renck, a senior at Convent of the Sacred Heart (Greenwich, CT); Jisel Nunez, a senior at Lincoln High School (Yonkers, NY); and Amber Gullas, a senior at New Rochelle High School. In presenting the awards to the students, Dean Thompson quoted the American novelist, Katherine Anne Porter, who wrote, "Human life itself may be almost pure chaos, but the work of the artist is to take these handfuls of confusion and disparate things, things that seem to be irreconcilable, and to put them together in a frame to give them some kind of shape and meaning." This, Dean Thompson told the young artists, "you have done well, and for that you deserve our gratitude." 

This year a record 85 high school women from 25 different high schools submitted art work to the competiton. The show included work in acrylic paint, photography, charcoal, pencil, clay, mixed media, and oil. The judges for the exhibition were Jo-Ann Brody, sculptor and artist resident teacher in schools throughout New York City and Westchester County, and Marcy Freedman, multimedia artist, lecturer, and art historian.

Senior international studies major Dianne Marques SAS’10 presented her research on the international reaction to Hurricane Katrina at the National Collegiate Honors Council's annual conference, this year held in Washington D.C. in October 2009. Here Dianne pauses in front of the White House while touring the city. 
    
In addition to exploring our nation's capitol, students attended a special screening of the award-winning documentary "The Linguists" and had a chance to speak with its producers; saw a performance of the famed "Capitol Steps" theater group, and listened to a range of speakers on a variety of subjects. Sophomore political science major Samantha Avery SAS’12 also attended the conference and moderated a student research panel. The two CNR undergraduates were accompanied by Honors Program Director Dr. Amy Bass.

Established in 1966, NCHC is an organization of college and university faculty, students, administrators, and others committed to honors education.  Its mission is to serve as a voice for excellence in undergraduate education. In order to be in the CNR Honors Program, students must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade point average. To be graduated with an Honors Diploma, students need to complete eight honors experiences, as well as demonstrate leadership throughout their four years.

 

Five alumnae/i of the School of New Resources received “The Achievement Award for Life-Long Learning and Service” given by the School of New Resources of The College of New Rochelle. The awards recognize the contributions made by these graduates of SNR to their communities. The alumnae/i were cited for modeling “wisdom for life,’ fostering positive change, and implementing the values of the Ursuline founders of The College of New Rochelle. A reception was held, and the awards presented, on October 19, 2009, at The National Arts Club in New York City. 

Front Row (left to right): June Blain-Joseph '04, Roberta Apuzzo '92, Barbara Grodd '75, Elizabeth Gabriel and Elias Gabriel (behind Elizabeth), accepting for Edward Gabriel '89, and Rev. James A. Kilgore'96. 

Back Row (left to right): Robert Carmona '75, Committee co-chair, Donn Weinberg, entertainer, Elza Dinwiddie-Boyd, SNR Dean, Dr. Dorothy Escribano, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Harold Dow, Master of Ceremony, of CBS' 48 Hours.

The College of New Rochelle Blue Angels Volleyball Team is the new HVWAC 2009 Tournament Champions. They upset Sarah Lawrence, Pratt, and Medgar Evers Colleges to win the title on November 1, 2009. CNR also went undefeated in conference play this season. CNR junior Patrice Marshall was named 2009 HVWAC Tournament MVP. In the semifinal and championship games, Marshall tallied 32 digs, 10 kills, five aces and a block. The junior committed only five hitting errors in 53 attempts. Three CNR players, Zena Jamal SAS'12, Elizabeth Johnson SAS'13, and Kristina Nilaj SAS'13 were named to the 2009 All Conference Team.

CNR sophomore Alyssa Beasley SAS’12 captured 1st place in the women's HVWAC championship race at Purchase College on October 25, 2009. Alyssa, running with four others behind the leader over the first mile, came out of the pack to challenge Sarah Lawrence's Erica Nichols and take 1st - winning in 22:26 by 6 seconds. CNR's Cynthia Rodriquez SAS’11 finished in 15th place with a time of 25.30 to win her first medal of the season. Nine runners from The College of New Rochelle competed in this championship race.

“Issues of Catholic Social Justice” was the topic at a lecture by Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodriguez Maradiaga, SDB (seen here being introduced by Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President for Mission and Identity), on October 23, 2009 on the Main Campus. The event was part of the Founder’s Day celebration at the College. 

TO READ TEXT of Cardinal Maradiaga's speech, click here.
 
TO WATCH VIDEO click on either link:   Windows    Mac
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About Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB

Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, is only the second cardinal from Central America. He has spoken out repeatedly on social justice issues and in defense of millions living in abject poverty. He was the Vatican's spokesperson with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on the issue of Third World debt. Born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1941, he entered the Salesian order in 1970. Eight years later he was appointed Titular Bishop of Pudenziana and Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa. In 1993 he was named Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and in 2001 he became his country’s first cardinal. At Commencement in 2008, The College of New Rochelle awarded him an honorary degree.

As part of the Founder’s Day Celebration for 2009, Dr. Christine Firer Hinze, Professor of Theology at Fordham University, shared her insights on the changing role of women in American society and how key women, from Mother Irene Gill to Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly, advanced the role of women through education, on October 22, 2009 on the Main Campus. Dr. Firer Hinze was welcomed to the College by (r.) Vice President for Financial Affairs and President-elect Judith Huntington and (l.) Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President for Mission and Identity, who invited Dr. Firer Hinze to speak at The College of New Rochelle on “Follow the Women: Charting Paths to Economic Justice for All.”  Dr. Hinze has her Ph.D. in Christian Social Ethics from The University of Chicago. Her research interests include Christian social ethics, Catholic social thought, liberationist and feminist ethics, foundational issues in Christian social ethics, power and social transformatioin, and economic ethics in relation to work, family, and gender. 

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2009 Serviam Award Recipients: Students from the School of Nursing, School of Arts & Sciences, School of New Resources, and the Graduate School were recognized for their service. Photographed here are (left to right) Executive Vice President Dr. Ellen Curry Damato; School of New Resources student Miriam Williams; Graduate School student Leigh LaBrake; School of Nursing student Yasmin Molly; School of Arts & Sciences student Natalia Martinez; and Dr. Joan Bailey, Vice President for Mission and Identity.

On October 22, 2009 The College of New Rochelle began its Founder’s Day celebration with a Liturgy of the Eucharist in Holy Family Chapel. Following the liturgy, a luncheon was held in the Student Campus Center.

Speaking about her connection to the Ursulines and The College of New Rochelle was Linda David, Executive Director of Capital Campaigns. Linda has been with CNR, in the Office of College Advancement, for over 30 years.

Vice President for Mission and Identity Dr. Joan Bailey introduced the Serviam Award winners for 2009. Dr. Bailey noted that “The Serviam Award at The College of New Rochelle, inaugurated by the Ursuline Institute and now continued by the College, highlights extraordinary volunteer service to family, church, school, community, society, and/or the larger world.”  

Alyssa Beasley SAS’12 was selected as the HVWAC Cross Country Runner of the Week in October 2009 for the second time this year. The sophomore captured a fifth place finish at the Brooklyn College Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on October 11, 2009,  finishing the 6K course in 27:33. On Sunday, October 25, 2009, she finished 1st in the HVWAC Cross Country Championships. 

A biology major, Alyssa is in her 2nd season on the CNR Cross Country Team, and this year she is the team captain, and the top runner. In addition to her success on the Cross Country Team, Alyssa is also one of CNR’s Wellness Coaches, a new initiative at CNR in which students receive 12 hours of training as peer educators and pass a national certification exam, enabling them to assist the Director of Wellness Education with programming. Here is Alyssa, in the center (kneeling), with her teammates. 

Dr. Stephen J. Sweeny, President of The College of New Rochelle, was honored at a reception on October 8, 2009, in New York City, as one of the Top 100 Irish Educators in America. The Top 100 list was compiled by Irish Voice and Irish America Magazine. This year marks the Irish Voice's inaugural Education 100 list. The awards ceremony was held at the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue.

Of these women and men, Niall O’Dowd, Publisher of the Irish Voice and the Irish America magazine (pictured here with Dr. Sweeny), said, “The Irish created much of modern America. The Irish donated one great institution to America---the Catholic school system which has stood the test of time. The Irish are wonderful educators. They are natural teachers. We are indeed proud that we have been able to identity and acknowledge so many Irish who have put such extraordinary effort into educating generations of Americans from coast to coast.” 

On October 15, 2009, in celebration of Italian Heritage Month, the College hosted a return visit of the Bersaglieri, a marching band visiting from Bergamo, Italy. The band, dressed in traditional costume and sporting elaborate feathered caps, entertained faculty, staff and students gathered at the Student Campus Center. Because of the weather, the band performed inside of the Center. The inclement weather, however, did not lessen the grandeur of the performance or the audience’s enjoyment.

 

Undergraduate nursing student Ugo Ogbuagu has won this year’s Veronica O’Day Leadership Award by Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society in Nursing, for her work in developing a Peer Support Group at CNR. Ogbuagu, who is from the Bronx, established this mentorship program to provide help to incoming students.

“The purpose of the programs,” said Ogbuagu, “is to build a helping relationship among the students. Nursing education is unique and different from any other educational experience.” Dr. Connie Vance, Professor of Nursing at The College of New Rochelle, nominated  Ogbuagu for the award, which is presented annually to an undergraduate nurse who has the potential to become a member of Zeta Omega Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau. Ogbuagu is also involved with the National Student Nurses Association, and is the Community Health Director for New York State Student Association. She is the president of the Students Nurses Association at the College. In winning the award, Ogbuagu says, “I hope that it will encourage other CNR students to get involved.”

The Annual Fall Senate Picnic was held on the Main Campus on September 30, 2009. This event, sponsored by the College Senate, brought the College Community together on a sunny early fall day to share news of the summer and discuss upcoming plans for the new semester. Over 600 students, faculty, and staff enjoyed the noon-time special event on Maura Lawn. Students on their way to afternoon classes paused to enjoy the surroundings and the hot dogs.

On September 17, 2009, the 2nd Annual Fitness For Life! Day was held on the Main Campus. The day was filled with activities to promote an active, healthy lifestyle. Events included a 1 mile fun run/walk, seminars, workshops, and exhibits, a tour of The Wellness Center, and information on joining intramural and CNR club teams. The day’s activities concluded with a lecture by women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer speaking on “Empowering Women Through Athletics” in Romita Auditorium. Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.

Click here to watch video of Kathrine Switzer speaking at CNR's Fitness For Life! Day lecture. 

On September 15, 2009, the CNR Community gathered in Maura Ballroom to celebrate the opening of the new academic year at a special Mass celebrated by Fr. Josephy Flynn, OFM Cap.

The Castle Gallery hosted an opening reception on September 13, 2009 for three women, the first exhibition of its 2009-10 season. Three women is a multi-media exhibit featuring the works of artists Joan Giroux, Whitney Huber, and Lisa Kaftori. The exhibit runs through November 8, 2009.  
       
Three women, collaboratively curated by the three artists, features sculpture, video, installation, and performance.  “The exhibit invites visitors to explore interconnections between the social, emotional, and material textures of women’s lives: paper, flowers, glass, silk, water, sugar, steel, thread, strawberries, buttons, ink, dresses, and neon,” says Dr. Jean Petrolle, author of Religion Without Belief: Contemporary Allegory and the Search for Postmodern Faith.

The Gallery will also present an Artist Panel on Wednesday November 4, 2009, from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m.  The exhibit, reception, and artist panel are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the Castle Gallery website by clicking here.

President Sweeny greets a member of the Class of 2013 at the 2009 Freshman Convocation.

The Freshmen Convocation for the Class of 2013 was held on September 8, 2009 in Maura Ballroom. President Stephen J. Sweeny, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dorothy A. Escribano, and the Deans of the School of Arts & Sciences and School of Nursing welcomed the new students to the College. The students signed the Class Matriculation Book and were presented with a gift from the College. Mary Dawson McGuinness, Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing, spoke to the students about the challenges and opportunities that awaited them in their new education venture. The convocation concluded with a reflection by Dr. Sweeny on the Class Quote by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, “With every deep you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.”

On May 21, 2009, The College of New Rochelle celebrated its 102nd Commencement as it graduates the Class of 2009. The College awarded approximately 1,200 baccalaureate and master’s degrees, during commencement exercises at Radio City Music Hall.  Pictured here is Gina Jones moments after receiving her master’s degree.

LINKS

2009 Commencement Videos  |  2009 Hooding Ceremonies

Journal News Article on CNR Commencement  |  Additional Photos


This year at Commencement, The College of New Rochelle conferred honorary degrees on three distinguished recipients. Pictured here with CNR President Stephen J. Sweeny are (l.-r.) Michael J. Brescia, Executive Medical Director of Calvary Hospital; Joan E. McVetty Bristol, Vice President for Student Services, The College of New Rochelle; and Brother Tyrone Davis, CFC, Executive Director, Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York


ABOUT THE HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS

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MICHAEL J. BRESCIA

Michael J. Brescia, Executive Medical Director of Calvary Hospital, models the mission of The College of New Rochelle in his commitment to inclusiveness, respect and concern for each individual while trying to respond to the needs of society as a whole.  Early in his career, his pioneering efforts, research and significant accomplishments in the field of nephrology brought him to the forefront of medical science and changed the outcome of terminal kidney disease for thousands of patients when he co-invented new technology for patients to experience successful repeat dialysis treatments.  He later joined the staff of Calvary Hospital as attending physician and in 1994 became its Executive Medical Director. Dr. Brescia played an integral role in establishing the pioneering and unparalleled care that is synonymous with Calvary Hospital. 

Dr. Brescia earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Fordham University and his medical degree from Georgetown University.  Dr. Brescia has held positions in Nephrology at the Bronx VA Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Our Lady of Mercy Hospital and served as a Nephrology consultant to the New York City Health Department. He serves on Advisory and Leadership Boards of the Catholic Health Care Network and is coordinator of International Health Support and Outreach for the Department of Health and Hospitals of the New York Archdiocese.  He has been honored with numerous awards, including The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Catholic Health Association Award, the Il Leone de San Marco Award for Medicine from the Italian Heritage Committee, the Good Samaritan Award from the National Catholic Development Council and the Americus Award for Outstanding Physician from Bronx Community College.

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JOAN E. McVETTY BRISTOL

Joan E. McVetty Bristol, Vice President for Student Services, The College of New Rochelle. A woman of faith whose vocation is education, she is committed, in the words of the College’s Mission Statement, “to challenge students to achieve the full development of their individual talents and a greater understanding of themselves.”  Early in her career at the College, she proved herself a mission-centered mentor, teacher, leader and educator who in the years that followed would transform many students, staff and colleagues not only at The College of New Rochelle but well beyond its campuses. A native of Long Island, she earned her associate’s degree from Nassau Community College, bachelor’s degree from The State University of New York at Brockport and master’s degree from The State University of New York at Albany.  As Vice President for Student Services since 1981, she has modeled a passion for learning.  She seeks and creates myriad opportunities for furthering professional development for herself and those around her and, like Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly, her mentor and model, she too finds the potential gifts and talents in others and facilitates their development.  She has served on accreditation teams for the Middle States Commission of Higher Education, and her wisdom and experience have been sought for planning and policy development by student personnel professionals throughout the educational arena. Beyond her expert leadership at CNR, she has given extraordinary service to the City of New Rochelle as Board Member and then President of the Residence Park Neighborhood and Civic Association, organizing many of their annual events and projects, Board Member and Co-Chair of the Confederation of Neighborhood Associations, Delegate to the Inter-religious Council of New Rochelle and Board Member of the YMCA of New Rochelle.  She has been widely recognized for her service with awards from these organizations.

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BROTHER TYRONE DAVIS, CFC

Brother Tyrone Davis, CFC, Executive Director, Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York. Brother Tyrone Davis is a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice. He is deeply engaged in pastoral work and is an attorney admitted to practice in the State of New York. As its Executive Director, Brother Tyrone leads the Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York, an office whose mission is to serve the needs of African, African-American and Caribbean people of New York, celebrating the rich cultural expressions of faith and worship of Black Catholics. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he attended public and Catholic elementary school and Catholic high school.  He earned his undergraduate degree in elementary education and speech from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. During his years at Case Western Reserve, he had the privilege of studying at the University of Nairobi-Kenya Science Teacher’s College in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa and was very active in the African American Students Society.  He held teaching positions, including that of elementary school principal, in public and Catholic schools in Cleveland, OH. After returning to the East Coast, he joined the Christian Brothers, and as a religious brother held teaching and administrative positions in various Christian Brothers high schools in New York and New Jersey.  He studied secondary educational administration at the graduate level at Jersey City State College  before attending Seton Hall University School of Law, where he earned his Doctor of Law degree.  Upon graduation, Brother Tyrone began practicing law as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, Brooklyn, NY. Brother Tyrone is an Implementation Team Leader for the National Black Catholic Congress, was a partner in the founding and continues actively on the Board of the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life and serves on the Board Advisory Committee of the Catholic Guardian Society and Home Bureau.

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The first Catholic college for women in New York State, The College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order. Today, it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three schools which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult learners), the School of Nursing and the Graduate School. The main campus of the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of New York City. The College maintains five other campus locations in New York City. Visit the College’s website at www.cnr.edu.

Freshman Honor student Akosuah Agyei, a double major in chemistry and biology, was recognized for her academic achievements at the Student Achievement Awards Dinner of the Westchester Chemical Society on May 6, 2009. Freshmen Chemistry students who excelled in scholastic performance, aptitude in the laboratory and the probability of a future career in the chemical sciences were presented award certificates and special prizes by the Westchester Chemical Society, a local New York branch of the American Chemical Society.

Akosuah was acknowledged by the College’s Science Department for her work in CNR’s Center for Academic Excellence where she was active as a chemistry tutor for the students in the School of Nursing. Also this semester at the annual Sonia Kovalesky Day for high school students, she co-taught a forensic science workshop for visiting high school students.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, Akosuah is the daughter of a pharmacist, and early in her life became fascinated with her father’s work because it resulted in helping people and saving them from serious African illnesses. She now wants to follow in her father’s footsteps. Akosuah is a graduate of the Colonie Central High School in Albany, NY.

 

Kathie Levache, Professor Emerita of the Physical Education Department, and past Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, congratulates Megan Showell, SAS’09, winner of the Blue Angel Award.

The College of New Rochelle's annual Sports Awards & Student Leadership Banquet 2009 was held on May 6, 2009. More than twenty sports awards were presented to student athletes, including the top Blue Angel Award to Megan Showell, SAS’09, and the Senior Scholar Athlete Award to Rachael Unger, SAS‘09. The Scholar Athlete Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA.

In addition to the sports awards, Helen Wolf, Director of Campus Ministry, recognized the contributions to the College Community made this year by Peer Ministers, and Rosanna Santos-Elliott, Director of Student Development and Tiffani Blake, Associate Director of Students Development, recognized the contributions of the Resident Assistants and the student leaders of the campus clubs and organizations.


Posing with their awards are Janine Napierkowski, SAS’09 Swimming & Basketball; Elaine Campos, SAS’09 Volleyball & Basketball; and Siddiqua Hosein, SAS’09 Tennis.

Dianne Marques SAS'10 with her project on international media reactions to the U.S. government's actions and inactions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Marques' project was selected by the National Collegiate Honors Council for its annual conference that will be held next fall in Washington, D.C. 

On April 30, 2009, the Annual Honors Conference Day was held on the Main Campus of CNR. Many of the students featured were members of the Honors Colloquium “Catastrophe! The Course!” – a  six-credit interdisciplinary seminar engaging students in intensive readings and conversations that focused on the socially constructed concept of ‘catastrophe.’ Students explored the cultural, political, and social ramifications of spectacle events, with a particular focus on Hurricane Katrina and 9-11. The course demonstrated how the Honors Program, as governed by the student-faculty collaboration of the Honors Board, fostered learning that is both issue-oriented and responsive to diverse perspectives.  Other students featured at this year’s Conference Day were those who engaged in Honors Contracts, study abroad, or other paths of individual learning, working one-to-one with a faculty mentor.


Jelena Krstic SAS'10 with her junior colloquium project on comparative ideas of terrorism in the 21st century. Jelena served this year as the Honors Conference Day Coordinator.

2009 CNR Community Service Day participants pose with New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and New Rochelle Parks & Recreation Commissioner Bill Zimmerman.

The City of New Rochelle’s Huguenot Park and Jack’s Friendship Garden Park received a spring cleaning on April 28, 2009, thanks to a team of 50 volunteers from The College of New Rochelle. This was the final community service event of the spring semester coordinated by CNR’s Office of Campus Ministry. Following a welcome by New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and New Rochelle Parks & Recreation Commissioner Bill Zimmerman, CNR Chaplain Fr. Joseph Flynn, OFM Cap offered a prayer for the environment. CNR volunteers then got to work painting benches and picnic tables, spreading topsoil and cleaning up Twin Lakes shoreline. The event was coordinated in partnership with the Volunteer Center of United Way. 

"This community collaboration recognizes the thoughtful coordinating efforts of The Volunteer Center of United Way partnering with the spirited volunteers representing The College of New Rochelle, our city has greatly benefited from this extraordinary day of park service!" said New Rochelle Parks & Recreation Commissioner Bill Zimmermann.

Photos courtesy of Thomas O’Connell and United Way.

CNR volunteers cleaning up Twin Lakes shoreline.
 

CNR volunteers applying a fresh coat of paint to bridge at entrance to New Rochelle’s Huguenot Park.

On March 18, 2009, the Verizon Foundation presented a two-year, $50,000 grant to the College’s School of Nursing for a telenursing pilot program. The School is one of the first baccalaureate nursing schools in the nation to incorporate telenursing into its formal Home Healthcare Nursing curriculum. Pictured at the presentation ceremony are (l.-r.) Tom McCarroll, Verizon executive director of state and local government affairs; Dr. Mimi Donius, Dean of the School of Nursing; and Patrick Gaston, Verizon Foundation President.

The College of New Rochelle received a two-year, $50,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to support a telenursing pilot program at the College’s School of Nursing.  The School is one of the first baccalaureate nursing schools in the nation to incorporate telenursing into its formal Home Healthcare Nursing curriculum.

Working in a simulated home healthcare environment with a computerized manikin “client,” CNR’s nursing students will use telenursing technology – Internet connection, video and voice and data communication telemonitoring set attached to a TeleStation – to allow clients or caregivers to perform their own measurements at home. These measurements may include vital signs, heart rhythm strips, and other important data. The results are automatically transferred via the Internet and sent to the care manager who has access to clinical review software. This technology may replace a home visit, or show that a visit is needed. The telenursing simulation experience will enable students to master new technology and to promote further technological innovation related to providing access to better home health care. In addition, the simulation experience will foster student understanding of how to educate clients and families in the use of technology to access reliable Internet information, thereby increasing self-care and independence.

“Verizon’s generosity will allow our students to master critical skills through telenursing hands-on technology,” says Dr. Mary Alice Donius, Dean of the School of Nursing, “thus directly addressing the critical nursing shortage by enabling them to offer future clients greater and more immediate access to healthcare.” 

Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston presented the grant to Dr. Donius today at the College’s Wellness Center.  Those attending included New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, Tom McCarroll, Verizon executive director of state and local government affairs, and John F. Butler, Verizon director of government and external affairs.

“Technology provides a tremendous tool for expanding training opportunities to health care professionals and improving care for patients,” said Gaston. “We are proud to partner with The College of New Rochelle on this innovative program.”

The Verizon Foundation (www.verizonfoundation.org) is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications. In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad and matched charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits.  Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than three million hours of community service since 2000.