ACMag_Spring2012

Assumption Assumption College Magazine • Volume 10, Number 2 • Spring 2012

Magazine

Alumni excel in the business world Success Built on a Liberal Arts Tradition

PLUS

Ac Alumni succeed in business

notre dame’s Kelly ’83 to speak at commencement

college establishes rome campus

From The PreSIDeNT

Achieving Business Goals with Integrity and Values t seems that in recent decades the business world has been plagued by a series of practices that have negatively impacted the lives of countless individuals. Business decisions were driven by what best served the bottom line of a company without any consideration of the common good. Ethical principles were often absent among the considerations weighed by corporate leaders motivated by growing their profits rather than implementing sustainable business practices that benefit individuals. This should not be surprising when we consider the fact that less than one-third of business schools require their students to take courses in ethics or social responsibility.

Assumption’s business program, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, incorporates ethics as part of the learning model. Since its inception, the undergraduate business studies program has been grounded in liberal education with a core in the humanities, philosophy and theology. This foundation helps students analyze and clarify ethical issues, and provides them with a set of moral principles upon which they can draw when they assume their place in the business world. Guided by the vision of Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon, who saw education as a process of formation, our business program supports the development of personal character. We strive to foster an environment that encourages the development of good acts and moral habits, which will contribute to the development of ethical and socially responsible business practices.

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Assumption takes a broader view of what it means to be a successful business person, encouraging graduates to consider more than simply the bottom line.

In addition, the liberal arts foundation at Assumption encourages students to think for themselves, to ask questions and seek answers.

Students find themselves in courses that challenge and provide them with wide-ranging knowledge and unexpected perspectives. The written and verbal communication skills demanded in the various liberal arts disciplines and business courses are essential to the development of professionals who can grow in their careers. These criticalthinking and communication skills are sought by many businesses, large and small. While business studies has the largest number of graduates year in and year out, our liberal arts graduates find their degrees highly valued in the corporate environment as well.

At the graduate level, Assumption’s MBA goes beyond the applied ethics courses taught in many programs. Applied ethics focuses on the extent to which particular decisions fall within the parameters of the law, rather than determining whether the decision

chinese student xialong dong attends an mbA lecture in Fuller Auditorium.

is ethical regardless of its legality. Our MBA business ethics courses integrate theological and philosophical ethics, and encourage students to focus on questions of deep purpose for their lives, flowing from the Catholic intellectual tradition with consideration for the human condition.

Assumption takes a broader view of what it means to be a successful business professional. Working at a large corporation or a small entrepreneurial organization is a vocation, and our graduates have been encouraged to consider more than simply the bottom line as we cultivate in them a spirituality of work. They are well prepared to contribute to the success of a company, while also being aware of our individual and collective responsibilities to the community at large. The application of faith and reason can ensure that business practices look to long-term benefits rather than just short-term profits.

Our appreciation of the fundamental dignity of every human fosters the concept of the common good, which offsets the self-centeredness and individualism that can often permeate the business world.

Assumption alumni who have pursued a business career, such as those featured in this issue, are valued for the knowledge and skills they bring to the table, and for the perspectives and contributions they offer that go beyond the bottom line. Their education prepared them to offer creative solutions and ethical leadership in the business world; they demonstrate what happens when business education allows students to develop critical reasoning skills and a strong social conscience. As Fr. d’Alzon noted, “Our works are all those by which people can be raised up again, and instructed and learn about leading a good life.”

Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. President

spring 2012 Assumption College Magazine • Volume 10, Number 2 www.assumption.edu/magazine

Features

3 We encourage your feedback.

Please address your letters, class notes and story ideas to: Assumption College Magazine Assumption College 500 Salisbury Street Worcester, MA 01609-1296 e-mail: twatkins@assumption.edu

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notre dame Football coach named commencement speaker

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rome campus to open in 2013

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online Alumni community coming this Fall

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business makes the world Go ’round: Alumni in business

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integrity Pays in mbA Program

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career services for the 21st century

departments

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Assumption College Magazine Assumption College ISSN 1089-3903 Spring 2012 Editor Troy Watkins Executive Director of Public Affairs Renée Buisson Contributing Writers Fr. Dennis Gallagher, A.A. ’69 Katy Gloshinski P’11 Stephen Kostrzewa Lorraine U. Martinelle Elizabeth Walker

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Art Direction/Design Centuria Inc., Cambridge, MA Printing The Lane Press, Burlington, VT Assumption College Magazine is published four times a year (winter, spring, summer, fall) by the office of Institutional Advancement, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609-1296.

Telephone: (508) 767-7175. Periodical Postage Paid at Worcester, Massachusetts, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Forwarding address and correction requested. Send address changes to: Office of Institutional Advancement, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609-1296. Printed in the U.S.A., Assumption College Magazine is distributed free of charge to alumni, friends, faculty, staff, administration and parents of undergraduate students.

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editor’s Page

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campus news

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hounds watch

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Alumni news

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class notes

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in memoriam

18 on the cover Janine rock somers ’01 is director of marketing for stonewall Kitchen. coVer Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

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eDITor’S Page

Taking Care of Business

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hile Assumption College is known for its liberal arts tradition, business is the most popular area of study for today’s students, with approximately 30 percent of undergraduates majoring in one of the five academic programs: accounting, international business, management, marketing or organizational communication. The integration of business and liberal arts makes our students and graduates attractive to prospective employers.

This issue highlights alumni who have made their professional mark in business and have contributed their knowledge, skills and values to help shape this complex, changing world. You can also read

about this year’s Commencement, and our speaker, Brian Kelley ’83, who has reached the pinnacle of his profession. Spring is a busy time on campus, and you’ll find that reflected in our Campus News section.

If you have any questions, comments or story ideas, please contact me. I’m eager to hear from you and share more stories from Assumption alumni across the globe.

letter to the editor Welcoming Different Viewpoints I was disappointed to see the brief Campus News article reporting the role of Assumption guest speaker John Yoo (Winter 2012, p. 6), who played a role in providing the legal justification of “harsh interrogation techniques” during the Bush administration. Since the techniques were not defined therein and this terminology has certainly been used in recent years to refer to torture previously agreed to be without justification, this notice lacked due merit as it lacked detail. It struck me as a little glib to find such an offhand mention of a profoundly important topic.

Church teaching is clear on torture. In 1982 Pope John Paul II wrote, “The disciple of Christ spontaneously rejects every recourse to such methods [as torture], which nothing could ever justify.” It would seem to me appropriate to at least mention the Church’s position if not more exposition on the event as a whole. I understand the importance of brevity (in Campus News), but I can think of no other subject where the canonical position would be so egregiously omitted, at least as perspective. Nonetheless, I applaud Assumption for tackling this issue of humanity on campus.

Editor’s response Thank you for e-mailing Assumption Magazine regarding our coverage of the recent guest speaker John Yoo. Assumption College welcomes many guest speakers to campus throughout the academic year to explore important ethical, spiritual and human issues within the context of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Listening to individuals with different opinions and viewpoints and engaging in discussions with them is a valued component of our Catholic liberal arts tradition. As you can attest, critical thinking is one of the key skills that Assumption seeks to engender in its students. Those who have attended lectures have enjoyed the thoughtful and thought-provoking presentations.

On March 27, the College welcomed Jennifer Harbury to campus to present a different viewpoint than that of Mr. Yoo. A human rights activist, attorney and author, her talk was entitled “The History and Results of U.S. Torture Policies: The Guatemala Paradigm.” Again, thank you for your careful readership and response; it is most welcomed and deeply appreciated.

Donna MacDougall ’86, Cary, NC sent via e-mail

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

Alumni to Alumni Networking/ Job Posting site: http://www1.assumption.edu/alums/ services/jobs.html Alumni to Student Networking/ Job Posting site (Hound Explorer): www.collegecentral.com/assumption

CamPUS NewS

Notre Dame Football Coach Brian Kelly ’83 Named Commencement Speaker Moe Boisvert ’66, Bishop McManus and James Welu to Receive Honorary Degrees Brian Kelly ’83, head football coach for the University of Notre Dame, will deliver the address at the College’s 95th Commencement exercises on May 12. During the ceremony, Kelly will also receive an honorary degree.

Kelly has served as a head college football coach for 21 seasons and totaled the fifth most victories among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision coaches. He has guided the Fighting Irish to 16 wins and two bowl games in two seasons. As an Assumption student, he starred as linebacker of the Greyhounds’ club football team for four years, and served the College as linebacker coach and defensive coordinator (as well as softball coach) from 1983 to 1986. He led Grand Valley State University (MI) to 118 wins and two national titles in 13 seasons as head coach. He won a conference title during his three seasons at Central Michigan, then led the University of Cincinnati to a 34-6 record, two Big East Conference titles and two Bowl Championship Series games, while earning a record three consecutive Conference Coach of the Year awards and the 2009 ESPN/Home Depot National Coach of the Year Award.

The parents of three children, he and his wife Paqui host annual events to benefit the

maurice “moe” boisvert ’66

Kelly Cares Foundation, supporting several organizations, initiatives and programs.

Also receiving honorary degrees are Maurice “Moe” Boisvert ’66, president and CEO of Worcester-based Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc. (YOU, Inc.); Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, bishop of Worcester; and James Welu, director emeritus of Worcester Art Museum.

Boisvert has led YOU, Inc. for 31 years and was its first full-time employee and founding director in 1971. The nonprofit child welfare agency employs more than 600 and operates programs at 32 locations in Worcester County to offer school- and community-based and residential services.

A licensed clinician, Boisvert earned three Assumption degrees (Assumption Prep School in 1962, the College in 1966 and a master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1968) and a MSW from the University of Connecticut. The recipient of numerous honors for his distinguished service, he and wife Pam have been married for 44 years and have four daughters and nine grandchildren.

Bishop McManus was appointed as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester’s fifth bishop in 2004. He had previously served as

most rev. robert J. mcmanus

brian Kelly ’83

auxiliary bishop of Providence, RI. Bishop McManus earned bachelor and master of arts degrees from the Catholic University of America, a M.Div. from the Toronto School of Theology, and holds a licentiate and a doctoral degree in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, which is operated by the Jesuits.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1978, he served as a chaplain and associate pastor in Rhode Island until 1984 and earned progressively greater positions of responsibility in the Diocese of Providence until 1999, when he was ordained as Titular Bishop of Allegheny and Auxiliary Bishop of Providence. In 2008 he completed his term as chairperson of the Committee on Education for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Welu served as director of Worcester Art Museum (WAM) for 15 years before his retirement in 2010. A specialist in 17th century Dutch and Flemish art, he began working at WAM in 1974 as an assistant curator. He oversaw many improvements, organized several shows, and funneled increasingly scarce resources, into improving the display of the museum’s permanent collection, one of the finest in the country, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Since his retirement, he has remained active at the museum as director emeritus and a researcher and he is writing a book about WAM’s history. Welu taught studio art in college before pursuing further studies in art history. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Loras College, a master’s in studio art from the University of Notre Dame, a doctorate in art history from Boston University as well as honorary degrees.

James welu

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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SEND Service Immersion Trips Enrich All

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ach year, the Office of Campus Ministry organizes weeklong voluntary SEND Service Immersion trips blending service to communities in need with education about that area’s culture and personal introspection. SEND began in 1986, and trips take place during the winter, spring and summer breaks. Nine SEND trips were taken during the winter and spring breaks. Groups visited Ecuador, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC; and Camden and Trenton, NJ. Below are recaps of two of the trips.

SEND Ecuador Fifteen students visited Duran, Ecuador in January.

Nicholas Frazier, a senior, shared his SEND Ecuador experiences in an article published in the Feb. 1 issue of Le Provocateur, the College’s student newspaper.

The group met weekly for three months to prepare for its trip, learning about the country, according to Frazier. In Ecuador, they acclimated to meager accommodations, including a bed equipped with a net to tuck in to prevent insect bites at night, military style showers, and meals consisting of tuna, bread and warm water.

The group’s purpose and the mission of its host, Rostro de Christo, was ministry of presence, explained Frazier. Group members learned to understand the mission as they lived it, engaging the tight community of locals in “neighborhood time.” The Assumption group was welcomed with open arms, swapping stories and learning cultural differences. “Slowly, the importance of a ministry of presence became apparent,” said Frazier.

Working with children comprised another primary function of the mission, through after-school programs. Assumption students helped the children with homework or a constructive activity and played a lot of soccer games, highly popular among Ecuadorian children. The group also visited local schools to learn about their mission and witness daily operations; and a local infectious disease hospital, where they learned about the treatment and care of leprosy patients.

Despite some nervousness, the students were amazed by the graciousness of the patients and their incredibly positive outlooks on life.

In conclusion, Frazier shared that the difficult living conditions did not take away from an influential trip. “It was one of the best weeks of our lives,” he said. “We will remember the lessons learned and beautiful friends we made.”

SEND Alabama Traveling to Tuscaloosa, AL, in January were 13 students.

English Professor and Tuscaloosa native Mike Land and Paul Belsito ’00, executive assistant for government and community relations, chaperoned the SEND trip to Alabama. Thirteen students helped build a home in the Rosedale Courts housing development of Tuscaloosa, one of the places hit hardest by the April 2011 tornado

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

roger laFontaine AP’55, a weekly habitat for humanity volunteer in immokalee, Fl, met (coincidentally) a group of Assumption students on their spring break send trip through campus ministry. the Ac group volunteered with four organizations during their week of service. Front row (l-r): Ailed menendez mendoza ’14, Jes Petrangelo ’12, crismel calderon ’12, Ashton tierney ’12 and meghan mascola ’13. back row (l-r): carly surette ’13, Amy logue ’01, roger laFontaine AP’55, matt robinson ’12, Katerina reilly ’14, lisa marie capozzo '13

that killed more than 40 people. The group assisted local agencies Habitat for Humanity and the United Saints Recovery Project. Land blogged about the trip at www.servingthestory.com.

“Now that I’ve seen firsthand the college groups who impact my hometown of Tuscaloosa, I see that each of those trips brings fresh energy and young bodies to the long, slow grind of recovery – as well as reminding the locals that people elsewhere haven’t forgotten.”

Land also shared comments from Katrina Mitchell, student leader of the January trip, who has visited New Orleans, LA, four times on mission trips. “As a person who has always lived in the Northeast, nothing is more refreshing than the true Southern hospitality that remains consistent between each and every individual that you run into from the area…They may appreciate the work that volunteers do, but they do not realize how much we appreciate them for what they are able to show us through their warmth and compassion in accepting and welcoming us to their community.”

A highlight of the trip for the students was witnessing the unity that the region creates while rooting for the University of Alabama football team. The students enjoyed visiting the UA campus, its football team locker room and cheering the Crimson Tide to a 21-0 victory over LSU in the national championship game at a local sports restaurant.

Rome Campus to Open in 2013

Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 7 in Italy with the Augustinians of the Assumption to establish a Rome campus, with classes to begin in 2013.

The agreement is the culmination of three years of exploration and discussions to establish a campus in Rome as a way of enhancing the educational opportunities for Assumption students. Full-time Assumption faculty will live in Rome and use the Italian capital as a living classroom, offering on-site lectures throughout the city.

“This is an exciting initiative that will contribute to Assumption College’s distinctiveness in the region, as well as enhance our reputation for academic excellence,” said President Cesareo. “By studying in Rome, our students are going to be immersed in the best of the classic liberal arts tradition through the works they will study and the opportunities of the city.

The program will be located in a building on the property of the

General House of the Assumptionists, which is near the Vatican; building renovation plans are under way. The curriculum will be developed by a committee of faculty members, which will center around courses that would fulfill the general education requirements, according to College Provost Francis Lazarus. “A semester of five courses will be offered to start,” he said, “with on-site lectures throughout Rome and limited travel elsewhere. The plan is to accept about 20 students initially, and cover all but their airplane fare with the same overall charges that they would pay for a semester in Worcester.”

Future program development may include advanced course offerings after the first year or two.

The signing ceremony was attended by Massachusetts-based Assumption students, faculty and staff, as well as the Assumptionist community in Rome, and Fr. Benoit Griere, A.A., superior general of the Assumptionists.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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Faithful Citizens Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

BY FR. DENNIS GALLAGHER, A.A.’69, VICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION

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ne of the reasons for insisting upon a certain harmony between faith and reason as it concerns our Catholic educational mission is to underscore the possibility and the urgency of engaging with others in the public square. This has particular relevance when it comes to promoting the common good, where positions or policies supported by the Church are often marginalized by being portrayed as “Catholic” or “faith-driven.” In fact, the basis for positions such as opposition to the legalization of abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage are to be found in the first place in an appeal to reason and prudential political judgment, that is to say, in the inheritance common to all citizens. However partisan and even fractured these public debates become, the Church and Catholic colleges, if they are true to themselves, are never simply consigned to appealing to an authority outside the parameters of public discourse to substantiate their arguments. The hope here, at least in principle, is that a movement toward reasonable consensus is available.

Truth be said, even our Catholic students tend to a kind of fundamentalism when it comes to matters of faith. That questions related to faith are private concerns with little relevance to the arrangement of lives as citizens tends to be the reigning opinion. This opinion is bolstered by the sharp separation of faith and reason promoted by powerful and influential strains of modern thought, and is, if I may say so, the basis for the recent truncation of “freedom of religion” into “freedom of worship.” Thoughtful commentators rightly argue that these developments not only put into question the viability of religious witness in the

the mission public square, but also put at risk the constitutional foundation of the American project.

All the more reason, then, that the “religious literacy” of our students not be limited to learning the doctrines of faith, however desirable in itself. The education of an informed Catholic laity capable of bringing to bear the insights of the religious tradition into public life needs to be, more than ever, a central goal of Catholic colleges. The realization of such a goal should capitalize on one of the signal strengths of Catholic higher learning: the integration of knowledge.

Arguing the case for religious liberty, for example, requires a sufficient knowledge of the founding principles of the American regime, the character of participatory democracy, as well as a familiarity with the rich body of Catholic social teaching. To be serious about educating our students to be thoughtful citizens at a time when so much is at stake for the Church, for Catholic higher education and for American society is nothing less than a prophetic summons.

Online Alumni Community Launches This Fall

James Patout Burns Jr., emeritus professor of catholic studies at Vanderbilt university divinity school, gave the annual Augustine lecture in February. he presented “repentance, reconciliation and Forgiveness: lessons from st.

Augustine” for the fourth event of the 2011-12 President's lecture series.

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

The College will introduce an online alumni community this fall, allowing all alumni (undergraduate, graduate studies, Career & Continuing Education and Prep School) to locate and stay connected with classmates and friends. For each alumnus/a, the directory will be pre-populated with name, preferred address, telephone number, e-mail and occupation.

Each alumnus/a will have the option to

customize his/her profile and add a photo.

When a profile is updated in this passwordprotected system, the College’s files will be automatically updated as well for future communication purposes. The community will also enable online registration for events, easing that process for alumni.

More information will follow in the coming months.

Business Makes theWorld Go ’Round Today, nearly 30 percent

of Assumption students

major in one of our five business disciplines – and many more liberal arts students ultimately end up in the business world. Assumption is particularly attractive to individuals in pursuit of a well-rounded degree – balancing the rigors of a specialized area of business with the connective thinking, lifelong learning and communication skills that are the hallmark of a liberal arts education. Our alumni have achieved success throughout the business world, and they highlight the value of an Assumption degree.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

david ’89 and ralph marois ’87

Business Principles for Business Principals B Y T ROY WATKINS

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

AC in Business

David Marois ’89, Project Manager and Ralph Marois ’87, VP/Treasurer, Marois Bros. Construction

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unning a successful construction business is challenging, especially in these economic times. Running a successful family-owned construction business that has thrived since 1919 is an amazing accomplishment.

Marois Bros, Inc. stands as a testament to tradition and quality. Ralph Marois ’87 and David Marois ’89, fourth generation in the business, have taken their Assumption education and helped lead the company through good times and bad.

The Marois name has been well-known and well-respected in and around Worcester for nearly a century. In 1919 Deus Marois and his sons, Ralph, Isidore and George, established a sand and gravel business. Under Ralph, the company incorporated in 1924 as Marois Bros., Inc., expanding and specializing in industrial and commercial site development.

Ralph’s son, Normand ’57, went straight into the family business after graduating from Assumption and built on his father’s success.

The business and an Assumption education are traditions that run deep in this family. Norm and his wife Gloria had five children – Nancy ’80, Ralph ’87, David ’89, Jeffrey and Barbara. Nancy’s husband, David Winn, is president of Marois Bros. The younger Ralph serves as vice president/treasurer, David is a project manager and Jeffrey is a field superintendent.

Marois Bros. employs up to 100 people, depending on the season and workload. Ralph has a keen perspective on the keys to the company’s success. “Our industry is built on relationships, trust and performance,” he said. “People can rely on our company. That’s been our history, and if you operate that way, people will hire you again.”

David added, “We address issues as a team and hire people that are like-minded. Our goal is to always provide quality work – and that’s why we’re successful.” Their best advertising, they both believe, comes from the recommendations of satisfied customers.

“We are very fortunate to have numerous loyal, dedicated employees doing consistently great work in all areas of the business,” said Ralph. “It’s a family business that includes a lot of employees who become like family, which has helped us maintain our good reputation.”

Ralph’s family ties to Assumption, and the promise of its strong liberal arts program, drew him to the College. A non-traditional student, married with a child, he commuted to campus to earn his degree in management. After a few years working on a real estate development project owned by his father, he decided to rejoin the family construction business, and returned to Assumption for continuing education courses in accounting. He eventually worked his way up to his current position as treasurer.

David also grew up with the Assumption tradition and liked the size and sense of community at the College. He majored in accounting and enjoyed taking courses in a variety of academic disciplines. David was especially inspired by Professor Bill Sullivan, as well as Bro. Robert Beaulac, A.A. “I learned to be more self-reliant and self-motivated at Assumption, and I got more attention than I could have at a

large college,” David said. “As I get older, I appreciate my Assumption education more.”

“our industry is built on relationships, trust and performance. People can rely on our company. that’s been our history and if you operate that way, people will hire you again. it’s a family business that includes a lot of employees who become like family.” –RALPH MAROIS ’87 Though both David and Ralph “grew up” in the business working as laborers, they both tried their hands at something different after graduating from Assumption. Both brothers returned to the family business with a broader perspective and clearer focus. “I realized that I liked the business aspect of the construction industry and returned to the company at a management level (rather than accounting),” David explained. “Although the nature of each project is similar, it comes with unique challenges to address and overcome in order to make it a success. I enjoy that part of my job the most.”

Marois Bros., guided by Norm and Gloria, has been proud to support many local organizations, including Assumption College.

“We’re blessed with parents who have helped us recognize the benefits of being charitable,” Ralph said. “They’ve always loved the College and have supported it well through the years. As President’s Council members, we’re trying to continue the legacy of what our parents began.”

Both Ralph and David speak affectionately about their father and the reputation Norm built for himself and the company. “I’m constantly approached by individuals who know my father and who tell me how highly they think of him,” said David. “I think he remains the backbone of our company. We realize that we have a lot to live up to.”

The brothers contend that Norm’s pride of ownership and how well he treated his employees and his clients is a key to the business’s longevity and success. Today, the fourth generation of the Marois family continues that proud legacy.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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AC in Business

Janine Rock Somers ’01 Director of Marketing, Stonewall Kitchen

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uring her first semester at Assumption College, Janine Rock Somers ’01 learned all about return on investment (ROI) in a very challenging Spanish course.

Somers also discovered that the initial value of ROI is not always monetary. The return on her investment of many additional hours of study not only paid off with an “A” in the course, but it also made clear to her that she would take away from college what she put in to it.

“Initially, I felt that I was over my head in that course, even though I had done well in Spanish in high school,” said Somers, now director of marketing at Stonewall Kitchen in Maine. “I considered dropping it, but Professor Rubino encouraged me by saying every day, ‘It will get better. Come back tomorrow.’ I studied harder than I had ever studied before, ended up loving the course and earned my first ‘A’ in college.

It set me on the right path. I thought, ‘I can do this.’”

it’s not just about the bottom line. it’s exciting and challenging to be part of a brand that has true meaning and to work with a group of people that believe in it as strongly as you do.”

–JANINE ROCK SOMERS ’01 Four years later, the communications and Spanish double major was named valedictorian of her class and Assumption’s first Fulbright Scholar.

“The (Fulbright) fellowship offered an opportunity to blend an academic and cultural experience. I was through-the-roof excited when I got the award letter. Unfortunately, the tragic events of September 11 happened while I was in Spain. It was a scary time to be abroad with so much uncertainty and concern about security. Many of us came home.

The Fulbright was a wonderful opportunity, but regrettably, the timing was off.”

Instead, Somers forged ahead on one of the career paths she had considered as an undergraduate – marketing. When she joined the specialty foods company Stonewall Kitchen in August 2011 to direct its marketing efforts, she brought with her a decade of marketing acumen and project management experience from her positions

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

with national brand companies, such as Timberland, Stride Rite and Converse, and from “boutique” marketing agencies where she focused on client strategy and relationships.

“I’ve worked for wonderful companies that I’ve believed in and that stand for something,” she said. “That knowledge has influenced my career choices. The Timberland Company taught me the value of social justice in the workplace, and the importance of having a balance between doing business and giving back. I felt blessed to have the opportunity to utilize my educational background and marketing acumen, but also to know that everything I was doing was for the greater good. At Stonewall Kitchen, it’s the same thing. We stand for quality and innovation, but it’s not just about the bottom line. It’s exciting and challenging to be part of a brand that has true meaning and to work with a group of people that believes in it as strongly as you do.”

For Somers, there is no such thing as a typical week. In a dynamic company with 6,000 wholesale accounts, nine retail stores, a thriving Web and catalog division, and two product launches annually, her days are filled with leadership team meetings, planning the next catalog, strategic planning for online marketing and staff development. The business of marketing continues to change significantly as new technology offers new tools.

“Marketing today is about return on investment and analytics,” she said. “We’re also highly interactive in social media at Stonewall Kitchen. Social media is both a necessary communications platform and a fun tool. If you’re not part of the conversation, you’re letting others determine your brand.”

Somers is also highly active during her time away from the office.

She and her husband of two years spend family time having outdoor fun with her young stepson. When she has time to reflect, she is still grateful to Assumption for the valuable work ethic she learned and the wonderful friends she made on campus.

“Academically, I was looking for a college that offered small classes, somewhere I could get to know my professors one-on-one,” Somers said. “Assumption professors make you want to learn by exciting you about the process. Professor Lucia Knoles really brought to life what she was teaching to show us how it would apply later in life and in our careers. In Professor David Thoreen’s courses I learned about the power of writing to your audience. I have taken that with me in every job I have had. Assumption professors took the time to invest in their students and care about them. Recently, I’ve been back in touch with Professor Knoles. She’s still teaching me about life.

“Assumption had such a strong impact on me,” she said. “I knew I wanted to have a career that would challenge me to think and to be analytical. My experience at Assumption taught me that investing yourself in hard work really does pay off, but that you can have fun as well. I’ve looked for that balance in my work life choices. As I’ve grown my career, I’ve made sure I’m doing something I love with people I enjoy and who challenge me.”

Investing in Success Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

B Y E LIzABETH WALKER

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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Education in the First Degree B Y E LIzABETH WALKER

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

AC in Business

David Kennedy ’75 Director of Philanthropic Programs, The Atlantic Philanthropies

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avid Kennedy ’75 applied to Assumption because his mother told him to. Mrs. Kennedy had heard from other mothers in her parish that the College offered scholarships to talented boys like her son, David, the fifth of her 12 children. David received a scholarship, a loan and a work-study job, and lost most of it in his first year. With the help of professors, Assumptionists and friends, the economics major eventually developed the habits of success that enabled him to graduate on time, magna cum laude, and go on to an international career.

Kennedy eventually earned four graduate degrees, enjoyed a distinguished university teaching career on three continents, and now directs the Australian office of a multi-billion-dollar foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies. He is deeply grateful for the “many second chances” Assumption gave him, and is an exceptionally strong supporter of his alma mater.

When Kennedy arrived on campus in fall 1971, he was quickly overwhelmed by his lack of good study habits and time management skills, and the inherent distractions of college life.

“I was a very immature 17-year-old from a large working-class family from Haverhill,” he said. “It was my first time away from home.

I didn’t know how to study or even how to be by myself. I was used to having a bunch of Kennedys around all the time. When I lost my scholarship at the end of my freshman year, I came close to dropping out. But the Assumption community ‘picked me up and dusted me off.’ Great professors like James ‘Doc’ McCarthy and Pat Powers could see that I was struggling and made themselves accessible to me. ‘Doc’ McCarthy just about picked me up by the scruff of my neck and insisted that I find a way to finish. Looking back, I was very lucky to go to Assumption because it’s a small college with a close-knit, caring community. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Assumption undergraduate degree. It’s that simple.”

The job opportunities were tight for economics majors when Kennedy graduated, so he and a brother started a painting company.

The following year he decided that he wanted to work in the hotel industry, so he enrolled at UMass-Amherst, where he earned two degrees in 1979, a master of science in hotel administration and a master of business administration. He went to work for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation for several years before joining an executive search firm that specialized in recruiting executives for the hotel and resort industries. In 1988 he formed his own executive search firm.

“I was looking to do something different after 10 years in head hunting,” he said. “I had always wanted to teach, so I began teaching part-time at Boston University. Before long I realized I wanted to teach full-time but I needed a Ph.D. to have the kind of academic career I wanted.”

Kennedy was accepted into Cornell University’s highly selective doctoral program in hotel management and was awarded a fellowship.

To increase his career options, he eventually transferred to Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He graduated in 1996 with

a master’s degree in hotel administration and in 1999 with a Ph.D. in human resource studies and organizational behavior.

“I came away from Cornell with two graduate degrees and a wife,” he said. “She was Australian and working on a master’s when we met.

I relocated to Australia for love and took a position at Griffith University in its school of tourism and hotel management.”

Kennedy went on to faculty positions at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney. Five years ago, he joined The Atlantic Philanthropies as director of the foundation’s Australian philanthropic programs. He also oversees a number of the organization’s Founding Chairman’s grants in other countries including Thailand, Palestine, and the U.S. Most recently, he helped negotiate a grant from the Australian federal government of A$170 million that triggered a matching grant from Atlantic of A$102 million. The net result will be three new medical and technology buildings in Brisbane, Queensland with a built value in excess of A$734 million.

“i tell students that your bachelor’s degree is the most important. it’s the platform you need to change your career or change your life. that’s what Assumption did for me.” –DAVID KENNEDY ’75 Kennedy and Atlantic’s founder, Charles “Chuck” Feeney, were friends from before Kennedy went to work for the foundation. Feeney co-founded Duty Free Shoppers, which became the world’s largest luxury goods retailer. Atlantic has made grants totaling more than $5.5 billion in support of their philanthropic programs around the world.

Kennedy spends weekends enjoying Sydney’s “beach culture” with his wife and young son. He may return to teaching or pursue his research on aging issues at some future point. He has all the degrees he needs to do exactly what he wants.

“People say your last degree is your most important degree, but I don’t think so,” Kennedy said. “I tell students that your bachelor’s degree is the most important. It’s the platform by which, via further training or study, you can change your career and your life when you are ready. That’s what Assumption did for me.”

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Beyond the Numbers

B Y T ROY WATKINS

Dave McManus ’87 CPA, Co-president, Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co.

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hy choose a college known for its liberal arts education when you want to study accounting? For Dave McManus ’87, it was Assumption’s liberal arts that made it the right choice. “The wellrounded liberal arts background provides the tools needed to relate to people,” he said. “We are business advisors and find that communication and the ability to relate to people is important in our profession. Assumption provides that educational experience.

“The professors, in particular Bill Sullivan, were instrumental in helping me decide that this was the right profession,” said McManus.

“He taught life, inside and outside the classroom, and was a great mentor to many of us.”

Upon his graduation, McManus joined the CPA firm of Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. (AAF) in Westborough as a staff accountant. Through the years he was promoted and assumed progressive levels of responsibility. After 25 years, he’s a shareholder and co-president of AAF, one of the largest CPA firms in New England.

McManus provides audit, tax and business consulting services to both commercial enterprises and nonprofit organizations. He’s also the

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firm’s designated partner of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center and director of AAF’s Employee Benefit Division.

Formed in 1973, AAF boasted 35 employees and three partners when McManus joined the firm in 1987. Today, it has 14 partners and more than 100 professional staff, with offices in Westborough, Worcester, Wellesley and Cambridge, and plans to expand. A significant portion of AAF’s clients are nonprofits, such as the Pine Street Inn, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Alternatives Unlimited and The Bridge of Central MA. The firm also has a larger number of privately held businesses in a range of industries.

The demanding industry of public accounting requires AAF and its staff to keep current with the profession’s standards. “With the constant federal and state regulation changes and the new technological advancements, attention to detail is key to a successful career at AAF, McManus said. “It’s important that we offer the highest level of services to every client. To accomplish this, our staff must have state-of-the-art technology and receive the proper training and supervision to serve our clients effectively and efficiently. This aligns with our firm’s ultimate mission – to promote mutually beneficial client and staff relationships

Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

dave mcmanus ’87 (center) and fellow Assumption alumni/AAF employees

through the delivery of high quality financial services that contribute to the community.”

More than 90 percent of Assumption’s accounting majors accept jobs before graduation. With such a consistent level of achievement, it’s not surprising that AAF often turns to Assumption students and alumni. McManus explained, “We look to Assumption to fill internship and full-time positions, because Assumption consistently produces topquality professionals who are ready to work hard in the work force. We also have great relationships with the professors who know our culture, our business, and can help prepare their students for a successful career at AAF.” Currently, 14 alumni are employed at AAF, representing about 12 percent of its workforce. “We are proud of our relationship with Assumption,” said McManus.

He is enthusiastic about his profession and is devoted to his family – including wife Jane (Desnoyers) ’87 and children Rachel, Daniel and David. In addition, he still finds time to be active in his profession and community. “It’s important to me to take the time to be active,” he said.

A member of the AICPA and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants, McManus is also a trustee and current treasurer of The Ecotarium in Worcester. A former Greyhounds football player, he also serves as treasurer of the Shrewsbury American Youth Football and Cheer Organization, one of the largest youth football programs in the northeast. “All of our partners are involved with various boards of nonprofit organizations, and we take our commitment to the community to heart.”

With visionary leadership that includes the three original partners of the firm, a strong commitment to provide a personal touch to each client and a dedication to the community, it’s easy to see why McManus and AAF continue to grow and succeed.

Alumni at AAF * Nicole Ardine ’11 * Katie Brooks, CPA ’06 Emily Carleen ’04 * Lauren Duplin ’09 Jill Foley ’11 Caitlin Harvey ’10 Kevin Kittredge ’05

Matthew McGinnis ’06 Nichole McIntyre ’10 David McManus ’87 * Michael Pruell ’06 Jeremy Rice ’11 John Slyman ’08 * Davide Villani ’02

Joining AAF as staff accountants after graduating from Assumption in May Patrick Keeley John Landsvik Patrick McIntyre

Matthew Robinson * Erin Tegan * Tiffany Wopschall * former AAF intern

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Photo: dAn VAillAncourt

Integrity Pays B Y S TEPHEN KOSTR zEWA

mbA program director bart morrison, d.m., with student eric batista

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the key to this education is practical experience melded with theory. A strong emphasis is placed on critical thinking.

“I

ntegrity Pays” Those two words have served to become an unofficial slogan for Assumption College’s MBA program, now in its third decade. Proudly emblazoned in giant letters on a billboard recently erected on Interstate 290 East to promote the program, they also serve as a watchword for the more than 160 students and their instructors–and as a challenge to the idea that the bottomline is the only measure that matters.

It’s a challenge that J. Bart Morrison, D.M., the program’s director, takes seriously. A former professor at Assumption, he left briefly to serve as dean of the University of Charleston’s Graduate School of Business, before returning to Assumption. “We’ve been fooling ourselves,” he explains. “You cannot succeed in business in a sustainable way without being a certain kind of person, an honorable one.

Otherwise it doesn’t stand, it all falls down.”

That’s the other meaning of integrity: the idea of strength through “wholeness,” a concept the program works hard to embody. Ethics, balanced with knowledge and skill, make up its core elements, an ethos expressed through the “knowing, being, doing” mantra those associated with the program have been known to repeat. That ethos serve as a compass for a new sort of business education, one that attempts to chart a course in a financial world rocked by scandal and collapse.

The key to this education is practical experience melded with theory. A strong emphasis is placed on critical thinking, and understanding why things are done, not simply how. Academic concepts are solidified with real-life examples, drawn from case-studies and the students’ and professors own backgrounds. Students are taught to recognize the challenges, both financial and moral, they will face in the real world–and prepare for them by honing their moral compass. “We drag our examples in off the street,” Morrison explains with a grin.

Small class sizes further allow students to connect with their professors, many of whom have augmented their academic credentials with extensive business experience, and explore key issues in depth. Capstone courses provide the ultimate test of their education, pairing students with a variety of real businesses—local national and international—and real assignments and problems.

The program attracts a mix of students, some beginning their career path, others looking to grow and advance their careers, or perhaps change them entirely. There is a place for all of them. “You should get an MBA because you want to maximize your skills and your dreams.

You will not be able to be all of who you are without it,” argues Morrison.

Barbara Benoit, Assumption’s director of graduate enrollment management, echoes that belief. “I was speaking to an art major the other day who wasn’t sure if she should pursue an MBA; she wasn’t sure how it applied to her career path.” she recounts. “I told her ‘You’re going to own an art gallery someday; you’ll need to know how to manage it’.”

The program thrives on that diversity, striving to blend a diverse collection of backgrounds into teachable lessons and opportunities.

Younger students benefit from the experiences brought by their more established peers, who in turn are exposed to new ideas and fresh view-

points. In the end that synergy enhances the whole, expanding the discussion into fascinating and important new areas.

It takes time and effort to foster that sense of fellowship. Upon being appointed director last year, Morrison made a point of visiting every MBA class to personally introduce himself to the students, and, discuss the program with them. Also vitally important are the program’s “Meet and Greet” gatherings, held several times a semester, which combine networking opportunities for current MBA students and faculty with an information session for prospective students. Family members are invited to these gatherings as well, so they can gain a better understanding, and become part of the community.

The diverse student body has inspired a number of creative approaches. Students with little or no prior formal education in business can take “foundation courses” that quickly help them learn the “language of business” while preparing them for more advanced studies and concepts. They can also take part in the newly created “Early Career Track” program, an intense, full-time, one-year program tailored to the needs of recent graduates of liberal arts programs (with and without a business major). In addition to covering the core disciplines of business, the early-career track also offers a unique “professional practice” concentration that focuses on planning and launching a new professional’s career.

Another recent innovation is the introduction of “blended” courses, which combine classroom and online learning on alternate weeks, provide an ideal experience for established professionals by allowing them more flexibility. These classes have proven to be especially popular with students, as they preserve the face-to-face classroom environment while at the same time providing convenience.

As technology advances, the program hopes to incorporate other similar modifications into the coursework, adapting with the changing times. “I have a vision of professors being conductors of an orchestra through technology,” shares Morrison, “integrating ‘high-tech’ without abandoning our commitment to ‘personal touch.’”

In the end, that vision is just another aspect of the commitment to balance, to integrity, that drives the program. In Morrison’s words, “We have to rise above these false dilemmas – new vs. old, technology vs. humanity and personal touch, profit vs. responsibility. They don’t work without the other.”

It’s that dedication to a complete, values-based education that attracts the program’s students. “I’m excited to be part of an MBA program that matches my goals and my values,” says Eric Batista, a current MBA student. “It’s made me a more confident individual, but also it made me more marketable.”

Students like Eric emerge from the program with more than an MBA; they develop the values, knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. “We’ve put together a model program, and our students are sought after.” Morrison says “We want to be known as the place that’s developing the next generation of leaders for Worcester, central Massachusetts and the nation.”

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A

ssumption alumni understand that the College’s strong liberal arts curriculum leads to intellectual benefits – interdisciplinary thinking and understanding, the balance of faith and reason, and strong communication skills. The Office of Career Services is helping students and employers understand the benefits of an Assumption education.

“We have a comprehensive program that serves students for all four years,” said Bethany Rossi, director of career services. This fouryear approach is unique to Assumption, as many other college career services programs focus on juniors and seniors.

“We provide a lot of programming and advising for first-year students and sophomores through our Career And Lifelong Learning (CALL) Program,” she continued. “Suellen Lazarek Dean ’88, assistant director, meets with more than 90 percent of the students in the first two years to help them assess their personal skills, interests and where they fit it the Assumption community. She also advises students about creating a portfolio, and helps them find a career path.”

Lazarek Dean also oversees the First Year Mentor program, which pairs each freshman with an upperclassman to encourage involvement in cocurricular activities and ease the transition to life on campus.

As early as sophomore year, Career Services assists students in finding internships. “Applying their liberal arts education in a professional setting builds their résumés and their applications to graduate school,” said Rossi. “Being located in Worcester means there are internship options in virtually every field.

“We also are reaching out to our alumni bethany rossi and the parents of our students to expand our internship base. More than 50 percent of our students have a practical internship experience before they graduate, and we’d like to see students complete more than one internship.”

Job search, networking and interview strategies are part of the educational programming offered by Career Services. The College offers on-campus interviews and teaches students how to look for opportunities through social media or other avenues. Assistant Director Nikki DiOrio develops relationships with employers and teams with Rossi to advise juniors and seniors.

“I came to Assumption from the corporate setting, working

for Liberty Mutual Group in Boston,” Rossi said. “I know what I was looking for when I was recruiting in colleges. Many employers are less concerned about specific technical skills, which can be trained, and more focused on a person’s abilities to communicate and to think critically and analytically. That is exactly what an Assumption education does for our students.”

Many alumni offer their time and expertise through Career Services for mentoring, internship/job placement or serving on panels talking about various career opportunities. “Alumni can help us make connections to their employers to offer internships or to hire graduates. We are always looking to create, build and enhance relationships with our alumni,” said Rossi. “Alumni can sign up for our online mentoring network, which enables students to e-mail alumni about their careers. We have people who allow job shadowing or provide informational interviews. More than 60 internship opportunities were posted to our Web site in January alone.”

An Assumption College education is about helping student see, understand and think more deeply and more broadly. The Office of Career Services launches that knowledge to a successful and meaningful career path.

A sample of internship settings • Bank of America • Deloitte and Touche • UMass Medical School • Worcester Business Journal • Worcester District Court

A sample of employers • Abbott Bioresearch Center • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute • EMC Corporation • ESPN • Fidelity Investments • Genzyme • New England Center for Children • Pfizer • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC • Public school systems (e.g. New York City and Worcester) • Reebok • St. John’s High School • Youth Opportunities Upheld (YOU, Inc.)

Post an internship/job for Assumption students

Networking site for alumni

www.collegecentral.com/assumption Phone: 508-767-7409

Join the Assumption College Alumni Network group on LinkedIn and ‘like’ the Assumption College Alumni Relations Facebook fanpage.

Online job board for alumni

Graduate Studies or Career and Continuing Education alumni career services

www1.assumption.edu/alums/services/jobs.html.

Contact Tricia Paolucci at ppaolucci@assumption.edu or 508-767-7542.

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Career Services for the 21st Century B Y T ROY WATKINS

Assistant directors suellen lazarek dean ’88 and nikki diorio with Administrative secretary Kathleen Gannon.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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A Woman of Many Facets Cerilenne Menendez Mendoza ’11 B Y L ORRAINE U. M ARTINELLE

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ake one look at her resume, and you’d naturally assume Cerilenne Menendez Mendoza ’11 has been in the workforce for years. Currently in Mexico City on a 2011–12 U.S. Business Fulbright Scholarship, the 22year-old is national director of Toniic Mexico, an international impact investor network focused on socially and environmentally friendly entrepreneurs and enterprises. In her spare time, she takes MBA courses at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México as part of the Fulbright.

As an Assumption student, Cerilenne was a double major in accounting and Latin American studies; she minored in political science. She cites her Latin American studies courses and her relationships with Assumption professors who had lived in Mexico as keys to helping prepare her for the cultural transitions involved with this opportunity.

“My courses at Assumption helped me become familiar with the corporate and lifestyle structures that are seen both in the office and everyday life in Mexico,” she said. At Toniic Mexico, Cerilenne is responsible for finding investors and sponsors, and she has been successfully collaborating with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Banorte-Ixe, one of Mexico’s biggest banks. She is also charged with establishing alliances and conducting investor meetings, presenting deal options and engaging in due diligence.

In addition, New Ventures, the environmental think tank that brought her to Mexico through the Fulbright, has her working as a business development consultant for companies in the social- and environmental-impact sectors.

While Cerilenne was highly driven to succeed as a student at Assumption, the experience of working in a different country has provided her with new opportunities to excel. “It forces you to surpass what you may have considered your limits,” she said. “I believe that you develop as a professional at a faster pace, and you learn how to cope with change very quickly.

“You learn to appreciate the way people outside the United States do business,” Cerilenne added, “and you also have the option

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of embracing different business practices.”

Assumption’s small class sizes allowed her to interact with faculty and to form deeper professional relationships with them. This, in turn, has helped her flourish in the business world.

“Building relationships with faculty in my fields of interest was crucial in my desire to not settle for what was expected of me, and to instead push my limits,” said the native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

“Assumption faculty come from a wide range of experiences, and they all have different points of view. The differences among them made me consider different career paths and approaches to achieving my goals.”

Cerilenne’s Fulbright ends June 30, but she is grateful for the experience and is looking forward to exploring her career options – as well as to a new, rewarding and enriching adventure.

“Whatever it is that I end up doing after my Fulbright, I know I want to learn and be challenged.”

And, while she may be busy with completing her Fulbright work, building her career, (and not to mention being interviewed in March

by CNN Expansión and Assumption’s alumni magazine) Cerilenne never forgets how much she appreciates her Assumption education.

“I studied subjects I enjoyed. I had internships, and was involved on campus,” she said. “Assumption College was, and still is, home.”

hoUNDS waTCh

winter Sports Roundup MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

The Greyhounds finished with a 14-14 record, winning five of their last six games to qualify for the Northeast-10 Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals with a road win over Bentley in the first round. Senior guard Kevin Donahue earned NE-10 Second Team All-Conference honors after averaging a team high 16 points per game (ppg) and was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District selection. Junior captain Tim Beinert was a Third Team All-Conference selection (15 ppg and 8.2 rpg). Junior guard Ryan Rozsnaki led the NE-10 with 225 assists and his eight assists per game ranked third nationally.

The women’s team won its first nine games, the best start in Assumption history and rose to a College best No. 12 national ranking.

The team finished 17-10 and advanced to the NE-10 Tournament quarterfinals. First Team All-Conference selection, senior Kelly Meredith led the Conference with 18.9 ppg and finished her career with 1,612 points, second most in team history. Junior Gabrielle Gibson also surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, averaging 14.3 ppg and earning Third Team All-Conference accolades.

The team’s fourth place finish at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships was its best ever, and the women also placed third among 22 teams at the New England Championships. Sophomore Monique Haney claimed the NEISDA title in the 400 IM with a time of 4:37.12, while sophomore Carly Eckles won the 200 backstroke title with a time of 2:10.18. The team also achieved Scholar All-American status for the fall 2011 semester, presented by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America to teams with cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Greyhounds (with a 3.26 GPA) were one of just four NE-10 teams to receive this award.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD At the season-ending NE-10 Championships Jon-Scott Lutke placed 18th in the mile (4:35.83), improving on his time of 4:42.69 from his win at the MIT Coed Invitational.

Co-captain Peter Jusseaume placed 16th in the 400 meters at the NE-10 Championship and won that event at the MIT Coed Invitational in 52.3 seconds. For the women, freshman Nicole Massoud placed 12th in the mile at the NE-10 meet and was third at the MIT Coed Invitational with a time of 5:51.45.

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY Kevin donahue ’12

Gabrielle Gibson ’13

Kevin Glanzman ’12

Kelly meredith ’12

taylor larsen ’12

carly eckles ’14

The Greyhounds posted a 13-11-1 record, led by senior forward Taylor Larsen (13 goals, 19 assists), who was named the Conference’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and earned a place on the NE-10 Conference First Team for the third straight season. Senior Kevin Glanzman was named the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the NE-10 First Team for the second straight season. Senior goaltender Nick Blanchette finished his career with 30 victories, ranking second in team history.

Senior Pat O’Kane earned Second Team AllConference honors and finished his career with 107 points, while Larsen totaled 137 career points, ranking both among the top 15 all-time scorers in Assumption history.

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from the alumni association president SUZANNE RICE SIMONCINI ’78 Not only were we graced with a mild winter, but the season was filled with many special Alumni events…especially the annual Breakfast with Santa! Spring programs are the Children’s Easter program, President’s Receptions in Boston and Central MA, a new Women’s Leadership Forum event hosted by the Parents Committee and Women’s Studies departments as well as the dedication of the new Campus Ministry Center on April 27.

Especially exciting is our next planned trip abroad. President Cesareo will lead a three-day tour through the ancient streets of Rome in March 2013. From there we will spend five fabulous days in Tuscany. Details will be confirmed soon. We are constantly adding programs so please make sure we have your current e-mail address. Go online to check out the Calendar of Events as well as our weekly Facebook and LinkedIn postings.

Additionally, you can join the Networking/Job Posting Web site, where you can network with more than 2,000 alumni.

As it relates to networking, we are also delighted to announce that the Alumni Relations office will be implementing a new online community and event registration. Watch your mail for instructions.

Always gratifying at this time of year is the selection of Alumni Award recipients. The committee’s final selections are difficult, as we have so many alumni who are passionately dedicated to their work and the College. Take a few moments to read the biographies of this year’s recipients in this issue.

Alumni eVents

alumniNews May 1 • Boston President's Reception, the chart house

May 12 • Commencement

May 15 • Central MA President’s Reception, tower hill botanical Gardens

June 3, 4, 5 • REUNION

June 18 • Fr. Bissonnette Invitational Golf tournament, worcester country club

June 22 • Friends of Athletics Golf Outing, Pine ridge in oxford

Save the Dates: (www.assumption.edu/alumni)

• July 28 - Cape Cod Regional Club Event hyannis Yacht club • September 8 - Assumption Prep Reunion • September 29 - Fall Homecoming, Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame, Alumni Admissions Day • November 2–12 - wise trip to Portugal call 508-767-7513 for info.

Please provide us with your current e-mail address as events, locations, times and dates can frequently change. watch your e-mail or visit www.assumption.edu to confirm arrangements. if traveling, join fellow alumni at any regional event!

Like us!

Join thousands of alumni on the Alumni web site’s Networking/Job Posting page; our Facebook FANpage; and the LinkedIn Group site.

Questions? contact Alumni relations at (508) 767-7223 or e-mail alumni@assumption.edu

Discover Italy – March 2–10 2013 explore the ancient streets and ruins of rome with President Francesco cesareo. President cesareo spent many years in rome, speaks fluent italian, and often leads student groups through this gorgeous city. now he has graciously offered to take alumni “on and off the beaten path” and is looking into having a Papal audience! From rome, we are off to tuscany to taste and explore the fabulous cities of Florence, Pisa, montecatini and more!

Cost will be approximately $2,400 per person/double occupancy and includes airfare. A detailed itinerary will be posted online once it is finalized.

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Alumni Award Recipients Named Four distinguished individuals will receive awards from the Alumni Association at a June 2 ceremony during Reunion Weekend.

richard c. deslauriers ’82

James J. Paugh iii ’77

Amy beadle lacroix ’02

Professor daniel Jones

Fr. Louis Dion, A.A. ’35 Outstanding Achievement Award

Young Alumna Award

Rick DesLauriers ’82

A Class Agent since 2004, Amy received the Outstanding GOLD (Graduate Of the Last Decade) Class Agent Award in 2010, for leading her class to increases in the amount of donors and money raised that year. She was also named Outstanding Class Agent in 2005.

Amy and husband Jay ’00 have proudly supported the College over the years through several alumni events and committees. Co-chair of her 10th reunion, Amy is special events coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay.

Special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, Rick served as guest speaker at last year’s annual Honors Convocation. He earned a degree from Catholic University Law School and has worked for the FBI since 1987, holding positions in Alabama, New York and Boston, spending most of his professional career in counterintelligence. His late father, Richard, was a 1950 Assumption alumnus and a loyal supporter. A President’s Council member, Rick and wife Christine have a son, Stephen, and reside in southeastern MA.

Jack L. Bresciani ’72 Outstanding Alumnus Award Jim Paugh ’77 Jim has been a member of the College’s Board of Trustees (1993–2008), a President’s Council member [with wife Pat (Cahill), Ph.D. ’78] since 1999 and chair of the President’s Council since 2000. A tireless advocate and supporter of Assumption since his graduation, he has also served on numerous committees for the betterment of the College.

He’s enjoyed a successful career, primarily in worker’s compensation, and is president of WorkersComp Analytics in Worcester. Jim, Pat and son James IV reside in Worcester.

Honorary Alumnus Award Dan Jones A faculty member since 2005, Dan is an assistant professor of accounting and a member of the President’s Council (since 2009). He has served the College on several committees and is an academic mentor for the baseball team. He has endeared himself to countless alumni, many of whom were his former students, and many others he has met at alumni and sporting events.

Amy Beadle LaCroix ’02

Father Bissonnette Invitational Golf Tournament

Monday, June 18, 2012 Worcester Country Club Support our students through sponsorships, foursomes, auction items and program book ads.

Contact: Liz Vestal ’03 508-767-7026 or evestal@assumption.edu

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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FLORIDA

aLUmNI NewS

Alumni receptions

li-lee tunceren ’80, diana Zubrowski ’91 and sara reineman in st. Petersburg

Regional Florida receptions for alumni, parents and friends were held in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Naples from March 17 to 22. President Francesco Cesareo, Vice President Chris McCarthy, Director of Development Beth Howland and Alumni Relations Director Diane Laska-Nixon ’76 visited with alumni and friends and shared updates about the College’s progress.

Gloria and normand marois ’57 and deborah and Frank Vana, sr., P’86 in naples

Frances ortiz Palacios ’83, Jose Palacios ’83, beth howland, President Francesco cesareo, Aldo sicuso ’71 and reception host Karen Kamataris sutherland ’77 in orlando

John benestad ’67, msgr. tom benestad ’66 and President cesareo in west Palm beach

Easter Celebration Delights

Photo: christoPher trAJKoVsKi ’12

the annual Alumni children’s mass and egg hunt was held on march 25.

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Pictured (right): Fr. Vo tran Gia dinh, A.A. gathers with the children attending the easter mass

assumption College

40th

REUNION

clAss AGents John diPietro (originaljohndipietro@gmail.com) Jim Phelan (jdphelan@verizon.net)

’48 Msgr. Richard Collette AP’45 will celebrate his 60th anniversary of priesthood in 2012.

’57 Rev. Richard Fortin, AP’52 will celebrate 50 years as a priest in 2012.

’58 Rev. John Connell will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination in 2012.

e late Steve “Merc” Morris was honored by the Worcester college sports information directors in December when the Worcester Area Football Association All-Star team was renamed for its founder. e 21st Annual Steve “Merc” Morris All-Star Team, recognizing the top football players at Worcester colleges, was announced in December.

Edward Neafsey, a Mercer County (NJ) Superior Court judge, retired in August aer seven years as a jurist and 30 years of practicing law in New Jersey.

’73

clAss AGent

’65

maureen ryan doyle (mryandoyle@aol.com)

clAss AGent charlie Aleksiewicz (cmalek@charter.net)

Marc LePain, Ph.D., was featured in an online article on the Augustinians of the Assumption Web site (www.assumption.us) in February. A professor of theology, Marc has been teaching at Assumption since shortly aer he graduated.

’67

’72

Photo: stePhen sAlPuKAs/the colleGe oF williAm And mArY

ClassNotes

the deadline for summer 2012 is June 4.

45th

REUNION

Rev. Joseph Nally will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his ordination this year.

Ted Paulauskas will retire as Assumption’s director of athletics at the end of the 2011–12 academic year. He joined the College’s staff in 2003 aer 25 years of service to St. Anselm College. He and wife Louise plan to relocate to North Carolina.

’71

clAss AGents lou d’Abramo (ldabramo@grad.msstate.edu) dan micari (dmicari@yahoo.com)

Joe Callahan recently published Parenting for Crisis Avoidance: Discover 22 Powerful, Practical Parenting Tips & 101 Tools Used to Rear Responsible Children, based on 25 years of parenting, as well as experience coaching youth sports and mentoring with Junior Achievement. You can order the book at www.avoidparentcrisis.com.

Edward Connor, Jr. works at Wealth Advisory Services LLC in Worcester.

’76

clAss AGent maura connelly chasse (mchasse2@comcast.net)

Mike Burlas was recently appointed a “Justice of the Peace” in Massachusetts by the Governor’s Council.

’77

35th

REUNION

clAss AGent Jim Phaneuf (jphaneuf@bellandhudson.com)

Julianne McCarthy is an administrative assistant at Bristol Good Neighbors in Bristol, RI. alia Vitikos is an expressive arts therapist in Waltham.

Audrey Young Fearing was a standout volleyball player at Assumption. Her twin daughters are now standouts on the Marlborough High volleyball team, where Audrey is a math teacher.

’78 Suzanne Rice Simoncini was a guest speaker on February’s Careers in Science panel, sponsored

by Career Services and the Science Department.

Suzanne previously worked at GE Healthcare and is president of the Assumption College Alumni Board.

James A. Bill ’61 College of William and Mary Honorary Degree Recipient noted author and retired college professor James A. Bill ’61 received an honorary degree from the college of william and mary (w&m) during its charter day ceremony in February. “we’re proud to honor one of our preeminent professors and leaders,” said w&m President taylor reveley. “As the founding director of the reves center, Jim bill had a great impact on international education at w&m.”

Following a distinguished career as a professor of political science at the university of texas, bill joined the w&m faculty in 1987 as a chaired professor in the department of Government. in 1989, he became the wendy and emery reves Professor of international studies and the first director of the newly founded reves center for international studies, molding it into one of the country’s leading programs. considered one of the world’s top scholars on iran, he has authored or co-authored 10 books, including the highly acclaimed The Eagle and the Lion, which explores the relationship between the united states and iran from the 1940s through the iranian revolution. in 1992 he received an outstanding faculty award from w&m students and the James A. bill study Abroad scholarship endowment was established. he retired as director of the reves center in 1998 but continued to teach and was instrumental in creating the college’s middle eastern interdisiplinary Program. in 2004, he retired from w&m and was awarded emeritus status.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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CLaSS NoTeS

’79

clAss AGents roy Angel (rangel@massdevelopment.com) Kevin mcsherry (kevin195774@yahoo.com)

Dennis Ferrante ’72, G’75 Fostering a Partnership

Brian Lee, was appointed vice president for development and institute relations at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, effective April 1. He worked at Tus University for 25 years, most recently as senior vice president for university advancement, and serves as chairman elect on the Board of Trustees of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the professional organization for advancement professionals. In January he received the Quarter Century Circle Award from CASE, recognizing his 25 years of service for a non-profit organization.

Brian Kelly will deliver the commencement address at this year’s ceremony on May 12. Brian signed a two-year contract extension in January that will keep him as head football coach at the University of Notre Dame through the 2016 season. e Fighting Irish have finished 8-5 in each of Brian’s two seasons.

Rev. Steven LaBaire will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his ordination in 2012.

Michael Rezuke and Todd Solar spoke on a recent accounting panel at Assumption, sponsored by the student Accounting Club with the support of the Business Studies Department and Career Services.

’84

clAss AGent ed mcdonald (emcd6114@aol.com)

Dennis Ferrante ’72, G’75 is entering his 24th year as director of music at the church of Jesus christ the King on Pleasant street in worcester.

An organist while an Assumption student, dennis later served as music director of both st. John’s (1973–81) and st. Anne’s in shrewsbury (1981–88). he worked with Assumption to develop educational initiatives while serving as director of secondary initiatives, adult, career and vocational-technical education, business and community partnerships for the worcester Public schools (wPs) from (1988– 2010). he developed relationships on many fronts including collaborations on AVid, the collegiate success institute, curriculum development and youth summer employment programs. After retiring from wPs, he now serves as an educational consultant with local colleges.

Assumption boasts strong ties to christ the King, as one of the original designs for the chapel of the holy spirit was that of the present church of christ the King, and its stained glass windows were designed by the Assumptionist community. both christ the King church and Assumption college were designed by the nault family. christ the King Parish celebrated its 75th anniversary in november (1936-2011), which included a Gala Anniversary concert highlighted by the stellar performance of Assumption alumna and soprano Jane shivick ’90.

26

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

’80

clAss AGents colette Gushue rowland (rowlandhing@aol.com) sarah thomas tracy (sjttracy@cox.net)

Richard Burke has been named chair of the board of directors for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is president of senior care services for Fallon Community Health Plan.

’82

30th

REUNION

clAss AGents carolyn clancy (carolynmclancy@comcast.net) Phil sarocco (pwsarocco@gmail.com)

Brian Lynch is the general manager at Mount Pleasant Country Club in Boylston. He was previously the general manager of e International golf resort in Bolton.

Jay Marciano works for Lionbridge Technologies. He recently visited campus to participate in an English panel coordinated by Career Services and the English Department.

’85

clAss AGents erika olson duke (eduke98080@aol.com) tom duke (tedukeinsurance@aol.com) bob Knittle (r.knittle@verizon.net) sheila waldron Veideman (irish7663@charter.net)

Jeffrey Talley is president and CEO at Environmental Technology Solutions in Phoenix, Az. He is also an adjunct professor at e Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering.

’86

’83

clAss AGents

beth waldron boothe (bboothe4@gmail.com) brian bugler (brianbugler@yahoo.com) danielle dugas molleur (sixmolars@verizon.net) mike sullivan (linchris01@aol.com)

Richard Healey is a senior project manager at Commodore Builders.

Mark Kelley was appointed chief executive office of JP Morgan’s Worldwide Securities Services (WSS), Australia and New zealand division. He has worked for JP Morgan since 2006, most recently as head of America’s market management for WSS based in New York.

clAss AGents

Mary Beth Benison recently opened a gourmet cupcake and bake shop, CocoBeni Confections, at the Northborough Shopping Plaza.

Henry Howell was the special guest at the Assumption College Student Leader Dinner honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Henry is chief marketing officer for Alkaline Water Wave, an ionizer distribution company based in New York.

John downes (jdownsy@hotmail.com) catherine browne harrison (cathbrowne@optonline.net)

Send us your Class Notes online at www.assumption.edu/classnotes

’88

clAss AGent rob Ames (robames24@yahoo.com)

Marc LaPlante was re-elected to his fourth term as a Lawrence (MA) City Councilor in November. He is an enforcement coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Marc resides in Lawrence with wife Sue and their three children.

’89

clAss AGent chris Picard sawicki (sawicki3@comcast.net)

Ellen Guelfi is vice president at CWCapital, LLC in Boston.

Christine Picard Sawicki was a guest speaker on the Careers in Science panel in February, sponsored by Career Services and the Science Department. She works for CVS Caremark.

’93

clAss AGent scott cavallo (sac0019@yahoo.com)

Mark Cafferty was appointed president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation in December. Mark was recognized in December as the San Diego Business Journal’s most admired nonprofit CEO. He and wife Charlene have two children and reside in Point Loma, CA. Mike Myers was promoted in December to sen-

ior director of business and community development for the Worcester Sharks American Hockey League team. He oversees the corporate sales, community relations and merchandise departments.

’94

clAss AGents scott Klimaj (dr.scott2@yahoo.com) mike walsh (mpwalsh@snet.net)

Susan McAtee Posterro, Maria Campolito Borowski ’96 and Galina Shtivelman G’07 are serving on the board of the Tiny Sparrow Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lasting memories through photography for families with children that are facing lifethreatening illnesses. Posterro is creative director and family liaison, Borowski is a family biographer and Shtivelman is finance director.

Carin Bloomfield is an attorney at Picardi & Associates, Attorneys at Law, in Hudson. She handles real estate and business transactions and land use, zoning and environmental law issues.

Wayne Smith is senior vice president at Pathway Capitol Management in the Rhode Island office. He is responsible for investment analysis, due diligence, investment monitoring, performance analysis, client reporting and client serving.

Michelle Montecalvo is patient advocate, writer and social media coordinator for Patrick K. Sullivan, M.D., in Providence, RI. She is the lead writer, editor and content manager for print communications, Web site, blogs and social media.

Paul Ruane ’77 Community Hero Paul Ruane ’77 was the superintendent for the massachusetts department of correction until he retired in 2010 after suffering a heart attack. A few years ago he brought his son to worcester’s st.

Peter’s church for a thanksgiving food drive and witnessed the unmet need. he has since used his doc connections to work with wholesale food companies to purchase edible food that was nearing its shelf life date rather than have it go to waste. ruane purchased an old dump truck, which can hold pallets of food, to more easily facilitate its transportation, and is now affectionately known as the “Food Angel.” his efforts were featured in a column written by the worcester Telegram & Gazette’s diane williamson in december. ruane delivers food year round to pantries at st. Peter’s, st. Paul’s and st.

John’s, and to the Green island neighborhood center and the south worcester neighborhood center. some days, he might show up with 300 dozen eggs. other times, he’s hauling 500 bags of broccoli or 40 cases of raisins. each thursday, he rises at 5:30 a.m. and drives to Pepperidge Farm in shrewsbury to collect 52 racks of bread to drop off at the pantries, williamson wrote. “i can’t believe how much perfectly good food gets thrown away, every day,” said ruane. “i want to make sure we get as much food as we can to the people who need it.” in march, ruane received a community hero Award from the American red cross of central mA.

mark sirois ’93 enjoyed winter homecoming with his wife, Kerry, and children Anna and luke.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

27

CLaSS NoTeS

Derek Mohamed ’98 CrossFit Team World Champion Derek Mohamed ’98 and his team, crossFit new england, won the 2011 reebok crossFit Games in carson, cA, in July. comprised of three men and three women, the team completed a relay race of athletic events and beat 60 teams from around the globe to become Affiliate cup champions for the first time. it had qualified for the crossFit Games by winning every event at the north east regional competition. his team finished 16th at the 2009 crossFit Games and second in 2010. the team trains 5–6 days/week and plans to defend its title at this year’s Games. mohamed’s leg of the final relay required 30 “clean-and-jerks” with 135 lbs, which he completed in 91 seconds, as his team finished more than three minutes ahead of the runner-up. crossFit is an evidence-based fitness program combining strength and endurance with speed and balance in a variety of physical tests. it’s an up-andcoming sport with major sponsorship from reebok, rapidly increasing participation (26,000 athletes participated in 2011) and major prize money ($250,000 for each male and female individual champion). crossFit new england earned $30,000 in prize money, a portion of which it used to start a charitable fund to help those less fortunate. mohamed is a senior vice president with ubs Financial services, inc. in wellesley, mA. he and wife nicole have three children—david (11), bella (7) and Zach (2).

Assistant Alumni director Amy logue ’01 (second from right) reconnected at winter homecoming with mike ’00 and Kristen rittel caira ’01 and their daughter, caroline.

’95

clAss AGents matt Kojalo (matt@kojalo.com) Kiersten chapman marich (themarichs@mac.com) cindy denaples silva (csilva8462@gmail.com)

Cindy Levesque Walsh was appointed in January as national sales manager for WLNE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Providence, RI. Cindy previously worked in sales and direct marketing positions in television and radio and as a broadcast media buyer for Pro Media.

’97

15th

REUNION

clAss AGents

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

’99

clAss AGents lauren d’Angelo (laurend7@msn.com) laura ramsdell Parrillo (laura.parrillo@gmail.com)

Cheryl Oliver Cory recently published her second book, We Have Confidence! (CreateSpace, 2012). It is a sequel to her 2009 publication, Must’ve Done Something Good. Both novels are set in Worcester, where she and husband Matt reside.

Grant Miller is the regional director of CT for Glacial Energy.

Jaime Gamache is owner and head strength coach at e Way Human Performance Institute in Cranston, RI. He has worked in the field of strength and conditioning for 10 years.

Dominic Gaudiano is a divisional vice president and merchandise manager for TJX Companies.

Shelly Maynard-DeWolf is a compliance consultant at Mass Mutual Financial Group in Springfield.

’98

’00

carl cafaro (carl.cafaro@bankofamerica.com) Jon Jankowski (jjankows@hotmail.com) Anne-marie Kenney (annemariekenney@gmail.com)

doug brown (douglas_brown15@hotmail.com)

Jared bouzon (jbouz751@verizon.net) mark cleland (mcleland@assumption.edu)

clAss AGents

Asa Asadoorian is a member of KISS Forever, a KISS tribute band which was featured in a January

28

Telegram & Gazette article aer holding a fundraiser to benefit the fund established for the children of Worcester Firefighter Jon Davies, who died in the line of duty in December. omas Wales, Ph.D. was a guest speaker on the Careers in Science panel in February, sponsored by Career Services and the Science Department. He works in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern University.

clAss AGent Geoffrey Homoliski was recently promoted to vice president and credit analyst manager at Middlesex Savings Bank in the commercial lending division.

Send us your Class Notes online at www.assumption.edu/classnotes

’01 Joseph Kranz is a project manager at Davis Inman Inc. He manages the construction of highend, residential single and multiple family homes from preliminary surveying to final inspection for certificate of occupancy.

Beth Murray is a registered client service associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Rich Rubino, a political consultant, appeared on WGBH-TV’s Greater Boston with Emily Rooney in January, where he discussed his recently published book, e Political Bible of Little Known Facts in American Politics, on sale in the Assumption College book store.

BIRTHS: Katie Burns Whitney and husband Jon announce the birth of Dylan Patrick on 11/21/11. He joins brother Tyler.

’02

10th

REUNION

clAss AGents laura daros (laura.daros@gmail.com) Amy beadle lacroix (amy.b.lacroix@gmail.com)

Matthew Caceci and Jaclyn Maiorano were married 7/8/11 in Easthampton. Matthew is a premed student at the University of Hartford. e couple resides in Holyoke.

Benjamin Conery married Courtney Smith 6/4/11 in Fairhaven. Alumni Robert Belforti, Dan Degennaro and David Dupont served as a groomsmen. Ben is pursuing a law degree at Suffolk University Law School.

Keri Levis McDevitt works in human resources at One Beacon Insurance.

’03

clAss AGent

’04

’07

ryan cody (ryanjcody@gmail.com) Jill witham (jillianwitham@gmail.com)

Frank Galligan (fgalliga@yahoo.com) Kristen st. martin marshall (kristenrose1010@gmail.com) danielle st. martin (dstmarti@gmail.com)

clAss AGents

Carrie Darcey Bryant is a school liaison officer for the MCAS Miramar, ensuring quality educational opportunities for military children. Her husband serves in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Carrie was a finalist for the Marine Corps Spouse of the Year.

Artie Rogan in an implementation specialist at Unum in the individual disability insurance area.

5th

REUNION

clAss AGents

Sara Catanzarita is manager of online sales at Education First, college break division.

Max Holivar is a regional sales representative at WB Mason. He is also serving as annual fund chairperson for Xaverian Brothers High School.

Erin Parsons is an administrator at Oxford & Associates.

’05

’08

ryan brennan (rybrennan@gmail.com)

Kevin o’connell (oconnell@assumption.edu) Kevin Peterssen (kpeterss@assumption.edu)

clAss AGent Carrie Grimshaw, part-time library director at Ta Public Library in Mendon, was appointed in November as full-time library director at MerriamGilbert Public Library in West Brookfield. She is working both jobs and sharing ideas between the similar-sized libraries.

Jeff Laverty recently spoke to students as part of an English panel on campus. He works for Rhino Public Relations.

James Newman is working for Brait, a private equity firm and investment holding company, in South Africa.

Andrew Primeau is an associate creative director at Davis Advertising.

Marjorie Schepp is product development specialist for Free People, a women’s apparel and accessories retailer under URBN, Inc., located in Philadelphia, PA.

’06

Joe dicarlo (jdicarlo05@comcast.net)

clAss AGents

Kate Cullion recently completed the M.D./Ph.D. program at University of Massachusetts Medical School and is a pediatric resident at Yale-New Haven (CT) Hospital.

Daniel George is a lease analyst at REIT Management and Research.

Beth Ann Giovanoni and Kevin Bligh will be running in the Boston Marathon to benefit the Ace Bailey Children’s Foundation.

Alison Mason Shilinsky is director of compensation and benefits at Brown Rudnick in Boston.

She administers the firm’s benefit programs for all US and UK offices.

casey hatten (hatten.casey@gmail.com) Jay laperriere (jason.laperriere@gmail.com) erica mandeville (emandevi@gmail.com)

Mike Landry is a senior technical writer at Peoplefluent, where he creates a wide variety of technical documentation for end-users, administrators and support personnel.

Malory Miller works at GTC Biotherapeutics.

She recently spoke on campus on the Science panel, coordinated by Career Services and the Science Department.

clAss AGent

Lindsay Bohigian is contest and promotions manager for Paid, Inc., a marketing/web development company in Westboro. Among Paid’s clients is the legendary rock band Aerosmith.

Corey Diethorn is a business development manager at Plan4Demand in PA, a supply chain solution planning company.

Kristy Frazier MacDuff is a marketing associate at D. Francis Murphy Insurance Agency.

Jessica Kingston is an e-mail marketing designer at EF Educational Tours.

Pamela Mazzarella is a member of the steering committee for a project called ConnGAP and represents the CT Chapter of the American Association of University Women. She is working with the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women to help more women get top government jobs.

Kevin Peterssen spoke on a recent Careers in Accounting panel at Assumption, sponsored by the student Accounting Club with the support of the Business Studies Department and Career Services. He works for People’s United Bank.

Chris Pichette is an underwriter at Rhode Island Student Loan Authority. He was previously the youth ministry coordinator at St. Luke’s Parish.

’09

clAss AGents stephanie boucher (sboucher786@gmail.com) Andy rudzinski (andyrudz@yahoo.com)

Michael Andrews recently participated in a Careers in English panel on campus, sponsored by Career Services and the English Department. He

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

29

CLaSS NoTeS

works for the Boston Public Schools.

Megan Kellett, who works for the Wellesley Centers for Women, recently participated on an English panel at Assumption.

Kimberly Malgieri is a clinical case manager at Anchor erapeutic Aerschool Program.

DJ Napolitano was re-elected to the Common Council in Everett in November.

’10

clAss AGents dan Anastas (dganastas@gmail.com) brian Foley (brfoley@assumption.edu) laura hall (laurahall1228@yahoo.com) hugo Jury (hugojury@gmail.com) Austin Potter (austinbpotter@gmail.com)

Kevin Dabrieo is a staff accountant at Parent, McLaughlin & Nagle, CPAs. Molly Grace is a vineyard manager’s assistant at Grace Vineyard Management in California.

Christina Graziano is a legal intern at the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of the State Treasurer. She is attending Suffolk University Law School.

Matthew Jose is an intern for U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s campaign.

Matthew Kisil is a fund accountant at State Street Bank in Boston.

Jeremy Rathburn is a chemistry data manager at Pfizer in Groton, CT.

News to share? e-mail alumni@assumption.edu or your class agent (listed in class notes). include photos with names and graduation years of alumni pictured.

’11 Several former basketball players reunited for a pick-up game prior to the Assumption basketball games on Feb. 4. Participants included Mike Baldarelli ’11, Leroy Byron ’08, Courtland Bluford ’10, Tobin Haase ’11, John O’Neill, Dominique Price, Patrick Shea ’09 and Greg Twomey ’08.

Ashley Erkoc is a TDP Coordinator at Wyman Gordon. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in school counseling at Assumption.

Celia Fox is a volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and works as a theology teacher and campus minister at Bishop Ward High School in Missouri.

Molly Griffiths is an assurance associate at McGladrey in Boston.

Kerriann Lessard is a medical secretary at Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Associates. She is also a substitute teacher in the Norwood Public Schools.

John Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army and volunteered for the advanced infantry program.

He le for the training facility at Fort Benning, GA, in January.

Jessica Palladino is an autism support provider at e Northeast Arc. Nicholas Pardy is an account executive at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. Sara Paulsen is a group services representative at Fallon Community Health Plan.

Stephen Sime is an analyst at Pentegra Retirement Services in White Plains, NY. He also tutors students in Italian.

Avery Toppino in an auditor at J.H. Cohn LLP in Middletown, CT.

wEbLINk indicates that a wedding photo is Note: available online at www.assumption.edu/alums/ Alumni/weddings.html

graduate alumni Rev. C. Michael Broderick G’83 will celebrate 25 years of priesthood in 2012.

Timothy Flynn G’90 was the recipient of the 2011 Washington Post Distinguished Educational Award: Principal of the Year. He is the principal at Belmont Ridge Middle School.

Julie Purcell G’94 is the advancement director at Immaculate Conception School in Marlborough.

Maria Heskes-Allard G’99 was promoted to senior vice president, commercial lending, at Clinton Savings Bank in December.

Rachael Hurley G’06 is a disability examiner at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.

Scott O’Brien G’08 is a school guidance counselor at Tri-County in the greater Boston area.

John Faria G’11 is an operations router at Dunkin’ Donuts National DCP, LLC. He has also lectured for classes and graduate school functions at Assumption.

Prep Alumni at Florida Receptions

roger st. Germain AP’44, ’47 and executive VP for Finance and Administration chris mccarthy at the west Palm beach, Fl, reception.

30

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

milt AP’46, ’50 & dorothy camirand, lee & don lemenager ’56 and Joyce & tim cooney ’62 shared stories at the west Palm beach, Fl, reception.

IN memorIam

Paul George Guenette AP’43 Franklin, NC, died December 11, 2011 Born in St. Christine, Quebec, Canada, Paul was the youngest of 10 children. He was a teacher and administrator in the field of foreign languages. Aer retiring, he and his late wife Claire enjoyed traveling in an RV for 10 years. He leaves his sons, Richard, David and Michael; daughters Joceline, Elaine and Julie; 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Eugene Jalbert ’43 Concord, NH, died February 1, 2012 Dr. Jalbert was born in Woonsocket, RI, and graduated from Georgetown Medical School. He retired in 1987 from the Manchester Pediatric Group aer taking care of children for 34 years. He was also a pediatrician for Easter Seals. Dr. Jalbert was a communicant of St. Catherine Church for 35 years. He is survived by five children, Eugene, Julie, Camille, Helen and Celeste; 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Donald P. Gregoire AP’45 Worcester, MA, died January 3, 2012 Born in Whitinsville, Donald was a World War II Navy Veteran. A salesman for Sawyers & Somerville, Donald also worked as a barber for 20 years and was a member of Our Lady of the Angels Church. Donald is survived by his children, Nancy and John; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.

Adolphe T. Gregoire ’50 Rockville, MD, died January 26, 2012 Born in Putnam, CT, Greg graduated from Marianapolis Academy, received two degrees from the University of CT and earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He worked at Jefferson Medical College, the University of Michigan, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health Child Health Institute. He was a master gardener and avid photographer and won many awards at the Montgomery County Fair. Greg is survived by his wife, Charlotte; children omas, Marc, Elaine and Andrea; and 10 grandchildren.

Marthe Biron Peloquin HD’81 Westford, MA, died March 12, 2012 Born in Nashua, Marthe graduated from Lowell’s Saint Joseph’s High School, and earned a B.A. and M.A. from Rivier College and an honorary doctorate from both Assumption and Rivier colleges. She was a long-time board member of AC’s French Institute. Marthe was as a journalist for L’Etoile (1940–55) and for many French-language and bilingual publications in North America. In 1988, she was awarded the Yvonne Lemaître French Journalism Prize for her many contributions. She served on several boards and commissions in the Lowell area and spent much of her time promoting New England’s Franco-American culture and heritage, for which she received numerous honors from the government of France. Marthe leaves her children: Louise ’73, Laval ’77, Bernard and Marie;

seven granddaughters including Raphaële Fare ’13, and several nieces and nephews.

Ronald F. Messier AP’57, ’63 Chicago, IL, died November 18, 2011 A native of Worcester, Ronald moved to the Midwest aer graduating from Assumption and earned a doctorate in English literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He sold insurance in the Chicago area for several years before opening a restaurant in the mid-1990s with his wife, Pauline, in Andersonville, IL. Ronald established the Bowmanville Community Organization and organized numerous community events.

Pauline passed away in 2010. Ronald leaves his brothers, Francis, Gerard and John; sisters Priscilla and Mary Ann and extended family.

Mildred I. Marion G’65 Baldwinville, MA, died December 27, 2011 Born in Haverhill, Mildred earned a bachelor’s degree and nursing diploma from Fitchburg State College, an M.A. in guidance and psychology from Assumption and a M.S. in gerontological nursing from UMass-Amherst. She was a member of the American Nursing Association, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Central Mass Agency on Aging, among other organizations. Mildred leaves a son, Mark; daughters Kathleen and Patricia; brothers Bernard, omas, David, John and Kevin; sister Marjorie; and four grandchildren and extended family. omas J. Puchalsky ’59, G’69 Worcester, MA, died December 13, 2011 Assumption lost a dear member of its extended family with the passing of alumnus and retired professor Tom Puchalsky in December. Tom was a full-time faculty member in the English Department at Lincoln-Sudbury (MA) High School for 33 years and taught English at Assumption for 39 years, before his 2006 retirement due to declining health. roughout his teaching career, he touched and challenged generations of students, colleagues and family members with his passion for literature, music, language, social reform, religion and politics.

Never bowing to the pragmatic, his teachings and course curricula were innovative, demanding, and sometimes controversial. He was honored on Lincoln-Sudbury’s “Wall of Recognition” in 2006 for his exceptional service and teaching methods. As part of the educational experience, he coordinated many student exchange trips to Europe, taught a semester in an Assumption-sponsored program in Florence, Italy, and continually challenged everyone to take responsibility to serve their communities.

Tom leaves his sisters Adrienne, Pauline, Barbara and Ann; brothers David and Joseph; and 15 nieces and nephews.

Charles E. McManus ’65 Worcester, MA, died November 18, 2011 Born in Fitchburg, Charles earned a M.Ed. in guidance from Fitchburg State and taught at St.

Anthony Elementary School and at St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg in the late 1960s and ’70s. Promoted in 1977 to headmaster of Worcester’s Holy Name Central Catholic High School, he was part of a team that founded the Adopt-A-Student Program for the Diocese of Worcester. He was founding chair of the Parents Alliance for Catholic Education and retired as superintendent in 2004. He continued to serve the education field in retirement as a consultant for the Catholic Schools Office and for the FACTS Tuition Management Co. of Lincoln, NE. Charles is survived by his wife of 50 years, Beth; son Andrew; daughters Jean, Sheila and Barbara; brother Barry; sister Joan; three grandchildren and extended family.

Edward D. Henrichsen ’71 Saddle River, NJ, died January 27, 2012 Edward worked with security at Valley Hospital for many years. His wife, Wendy, passed away in 1988.

He attended Assumption’s Reunion Weekend in June 2011 with his best friend, Bill Esposito.

Edward is survived by his sister, Robin; niece Amanda; nephew Billy and great nephew, Ian. Mary F. O’Neil G’72 Worcester, MA, died November 28, 2011 A lifelong Worcester resident, Mary graduated from Worcester City Hospital School of Nursing and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Boston College. She received a M.A. in counseling psychology from Assumption and became a registered nurse. Mary served on the staff at Worcester City Hospital School of Nursing for 33 years, including several years as its director of student health, before her retirement in 1977. She leaves her sister, Kathryn; brothers Daniel, John and Paul; and many nieces and nephews.

Donna M. Holmes G’74 Holden, MA, died December 24, 2011 Born in White Sulphur Springs, WV, Donna graduated from St. Vincent Hospital School of Nursing and earned a B.A. from Clark University and an M.A. from Assumption. She was a professor of psychology at Becker College before her retirement in 2010. She leaves her husband of 19 years, Jon; sons Mark and Glen; daughters Brenda, Debi and Karen; and eight grandchildren.

Paul Francis Goodney ’70, G’75 Durham, NC, died January 20, 2012 A native of Worcester, Paul retired aer 37 years as a dedicated employee of the State of Connecticut as director for the Workers Compensation Commission. His favorite pastimes were riding his Harley and making many new friends on his various journeys. He leaves his wife, Linda; sons Philip and Christopher; daughter Lauren; stepdaughters Tammy, Diane, Suzanne and Elizabeth; and 16 grandchildren.

Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

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IN memorIam

Robert Ferry, Jr. CE’86 Reno, NV, died January 5, 2012 Born in Woonsocket, RI, Bob graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Milford and City Hospital School of Nursing. He was a certified legal nursing consultant and started his own company, Meadowstar Consulting, LLC. He leaves his wife, Claire; son Sean; daughter Kristine and granddaughter Olivia.

Frances A. Rourke CE’93 Holland, MA, died December 25, 2011 Originally from Springfield, Frances was a graduate of Cathedral High School. She worked for 10 years as the children’s librarian at the Monson Free Library as well as the Holland Elementary School

and Holland Libraries and was a communicant at St. Christopher’s Church. She received the Pope Pius Award from the Springfield Diocese for her work teaching CCD. Frances leaves a son, Matthew; daughter, Maria; one granddaughter; and brothers Robert and John.

Friends of the College Gloria Bayliss, mother of Scott ’75; Genevieve Bourdon, mother of Tom ’80 and Peter ’82; Catherine Cassidy, mother of Suzanne Cassidy Neuman ’90; J. Richard Christianson, former AC dean of students and vice president; Irene Colacchio, mother of Joanne, AC administrative secretary for Natural Sciences; Maria del Carmen

Candau Parias, mother of Maria Cevallos Warren, AC instructor of Modern and Classical Languages, Math and Computer Sciences; Maureen Hunter, sister of Gale Racine, AC Director of Purchasing; Bernice Ladner, mother of Joan Ladner Mardin ’78; Francis Lepore, former AC employee and father of Jack ’87; James Lewis, brother of Robert ’74; J. Bradford Powers, former AC faculty member; Valerijonas Rozevicius, father of Anthony ’85; Joseph Scully, former AC professor in CCE program; Paula Tivnan, sister of Brian, AC visiting instructor of eatre Arts; Kathleen Toscano, sister of Joanna, AC gi processor in Institutional Advancement; Alfons van der Linden, former AC and Assumption Prep math professor; MaryJane Wurm, mother of William ’77 and omas ’80.

the Assumption college

Annual Fund Remember... . . . the faculty who encouraged and challenged you –the lessons inside and outside the classrooms

. . . the friends and fun – whether you were involved in student government, sports, campus media, or the ROC

. . . the people who helped you succeed – they may be in the Academic Support Center, Career Services, or Campus Ministry.

Your gift to the Annual Fund helps support all those experiences, and the financial aid that makes it possible for students to attend Assumption College. To give: Online: www.assumption.edu/donate By Phone: 508.767.7464

By Mail: office of Annual Giving, Assumption college 500 salisbury st. worcester, mA 01609

Every gift can make a difference to every student.

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Assumption College Magazine • Spring 2012

reunion

2012 Friday, June 1 special individual class dinners for the classes of ’62, ’67 and ’72 housing in an air-conditioned, suite-style residence hall

Saturday, June 2 reunion breakfast “conversations with the President” Alumni Awards ceremony Family southern barbecue campus tours Family gym, swim and golf career services program reunion mass special individual class dinners/events for the classes of ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97, ’02 and ’07 housing in an air-conditioned, suite-style residence hall

Sunday, June 3 breakfast mass Golden Greyhound brunch for all alumni who graduated 50 years ago or more

Renew Friendships, Relive Memories

500 Salisbury Street Worcester, MA 01609-1296 www.assumption.edu

Assumption takes root in rome new campus to open in 2013. see page 5 for full story.