CMSV News Summer 2015

N E W S

SUMMER 2015 ALUMNAE/I, STUDENTS, AND FRIENDS

Combatting the GLOBAL EPIDEMIC of Modern-Day Slavery

MOUNT STUDENT RECOGNIZED AS STATE LEADER FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

The College of Mount Saint Vincent is leading an exploration of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, to raise awareness for all who are victimized by what Pope Francis has called a “crime against humanity.” In April, the College hosted, “Trafficking, Migration, and Freedom: We Are All Migrant Peoples,” a successful one-day conference, and will host a second symposium on the issue on Friday, September 25, 2015.

Ciara Rosa ’15 was one of 10 inaugural recipients of the Independent Sector Community Service Awards presented by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU). Ms. Rosa, along with the other winners—all of whom are New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) recipients—college and university presidents, and New York State Senators and Assembly members, gathered for the reception and awards ceremony in Albany, N.Y. in March 2015.

The Mount’s activism began in the months leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, when students engaged in advocacy to prevent trafficking. These efforts contribute to a greater national awareness of the issue.

Since the beginning of 2015 the House of Representatives passed 12 bills to prevent trafficking, and in his World Day of Peace message, Pope Francis urged all nations to combat modern forms of slavery.

The U.S. Department of State says that 2.5 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking at any given time. The estimate is conservative: Other sources claim that as many as 36 million people in the world are trafficked or enslaved. The State

Mount students who engaged in antitrafficking efforts in conjunction with Super Bowl XLVIII.

Department also cites a May 2014 report from the International Labor Organization, which found that worldwide, illegal profits in the private economy from the use of forced labor amount to some $150 billion per year. Two-thirds of these profits stem from commercial sexual exploitation, and more than one-third from domestic work, construction, manufacturing, and other industries, the report says.

The recipients were recognized for their leadership in community service, and each received a $500 scholarship from the H.D. Paley Memorial Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the CICU’s third president. CICU established this new award to demonstrate how volunteerism and community engagement are emblematic of an independent and wellrounded education.

CICU is a statewide association representing the public policy interests of more than 100 independent colleges and universities in New York State.

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NEW MAJORS EXPAND ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND THE COLLEGE’S SOCIAL IMPACT The College has received approval from the New York State Education Department to launch two new undergraduate degree programs: a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Science in Market Data Analytics. The interdisciplinary programs are supported by the College’s new Fishlinger Center for Public

Policy Research. Established through the generosity of William J. and Joan Fishlinger, the Center will explore public opinion on key public policy concerns through independent and objective research, in order to inform meaningful dialog and advocacy on carefully selected topics.

6301 riverdale avenue, riverdale, ny 10471-1093

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Chair of the CICU Board of Trustees Todd S. Hutton and CICU President Laura Anglin congratulate Ciara

• p: (718) 405-3200 • mountsaintvincent.edu

COLLEGE NEWS

LEADING AND LEARNING

The Mount’s Culture of Service and Outreach Creates Unique Educational Opportunities From Hanoi to Thailand, Mount students engage in research and service Before the start of her final semester at the College, Karen Cantor ’15 spent three weeks in Vietnam, conducting research and performing community service. Ms. Cantor, a nursing graduate, interviewed doctors and traditional healers about how they treat pain and she learned about herbal remedies that figure significantly in Vietnamese medicine. She gained insights into Vietnamese values about illness and health, especially the emphasis on holistic living.

“As a future psychiatric nurse in New York, I’m going to meet patients with different customs, so it’s important to know how to provide culturally competent care,” said Ms. Cantor, whose honors thesis compares American and Vietnamese approaches to pain management. “I’m more aware that patients are not just illnesses and symptoms, but people with emotional, social, and family backgrounds.”

Todd Gable ’15 had a similar life-changing experience during his time abroad.

He knew that he wanted to be an English teacher and work with economically and socially underserved teenagers, but student teaching was disheartening, especially his experience at a Bronx high school where test preparation trumped learning about literature. “It was not what I thought being a teacher should be about,” he recalled.

Mr. Gable enrolled in a service project that

sent him to Thailand to teach English to Burmese refugees. He spent seven weeks at a school that housed students and teachers alike. It was more than a school, he said—it was a community seeking a better life through education. “It revitalized my ambitions for teaching and what that can mean. It shared the qualities that make me love the Mount.” He will build on these experiences through a two-year service period with the Peace Corps, beginning in August 2015.

Ms. Cantor and Mr. Gable’s experiences were made possible through the College’s partnership with IPSL, a 30-year-old service learning organization. The partnership allows students to participate in international service learning projects in 14 different countries, and the alliance supports the Mount’s graduate program in International Development and Service.

For more information about IPSL and the master’s degree program in International Development and Service, visit mountsaintivencent.edu/ipsl.

Mission in action—connecting the classroom to the world Mount Saint Vincent students annually volunteer more than 10,000 hours of service to those in need. During College breaks and between semesters, students seek additional outreach opportunities on campus, stateside, and abroad. This year, more than 60 students participated in mission trips organized by the Office of Campus Ministry.

“Participants in mission trips always gain more than they give,” said Kathryn

Angeline Malave caring for an infant during her mission trip in Guatemala.

O’Loughlin, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry. “We framed these trips to let students know that they were only a link in a chain—and that with the knowledge they have gained from such projects conducted outside the classroom, they can put into practical use everything they have learned in class that aligns with the mission of the College.”

In early January, Mount students Nephthalie Charlestin ’16 and Olivia O’Neill ’18, were among 120 female college students from across the country to travel to Louisiana to work with the Sisters of Charity Federation and House of Charity. Volunteers traveled to locations within the St. Bernard Parish in Southeast Louisiana to rebuild homes that are still destroyed from Hurricane Katrina.

“Through this experience I was able to better understand the Sisters of Charity,” said Ms. O’Neill. “I learned more about who the Sisters are and what their mission is about.”

Also in January, and for the fifth consecutive year, a group of Mount nursing students participated in a mission trip to rural areas of Guatemala to work in health clinics run by the Sisters of Charity. Chelsea Faughnan, Marisa Rosario, Angeline Malave, Jessica Gonzalez, and Marjorie Abreu—each of whom graduated in May— served in four clinics, checking vitals and preparing individuals for examination,

Karen Cantor experiencing traditional healing practices in Vietnam.

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COLLEGE NEWS

COLLEGE OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT

NEWS

Editor Leah Munch, Associate Director for College Relations Contributing Ana Barbu, Michael Doughty, Andrea Kott, Writers Donna Moriarty, Daniel Regan Photography

Ben Asen, Brandon Charlton ’18, Roy Groething, Kathryn O’Loughlin, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU), IPSL

College of Mount Saint Vincent News is a publication of the College of Mount Saint Vincent Office of Institutional Advancement and College Relations.

Madeleine Melkonian Vice President for Admission and External Relations Send all letters to the editor and suggestions for future issues to: College Relations College of Mount Saint Vincent 6301 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale, NY 10471 (718) 405-3341 or collegerelations@mountsaintvincent.edu Send all Address Changes and Alumnae/i Updates to: Alumnae/i Relations and Giving College of Mount Saint Vincent 6301 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale, NY 10471 (718) 405-3334 or alumnioffice@mountsaintvincent.edu

NEW MAJORS continued from page 1

“By enabling students, faculty, and staff to become trained, involved, and engaged in public policy, opinion, and research, the Fishlinger Center will provide a forum for discourse that can open new opportunities,” said Charles L. Flynn, Jr., President. “We hope the Center will position the College as a premier source for current public opinion research and analysis. What we know is that it will enhance the reciprocal relationship between the College community—the students, faculty, administration, and alumni—and the needs of the broader community.”

The B.A. in Public Policy program will stimulate and encourage students to en-

LEADING AND LEARNING continued from page 2

some of which were the only health care facilities for many miles. Resources for patients are slim, as only one doctor serves all four clinics. The trip challenged this group of students to provide effective care, exposing them to health care disparities that affect individuals in rural areas and with limited economic means.

During spring break in late March, working with the theme “Charity Begins at Home,” more than 30 Mount students served on

ON THE WEB The College of Mount Saint Vincent has a brand new responsive website, which reflects its vibrant campus community of students and faculty. The website is your virtual window into the Mount’s rich academic programs and student opportunities outside the classroom, including, service programs, competitive athletics, intramurals, and countless clubs and activities.

MOUNTSAINTVINCENT.EDU is the best way to stay informed about all of our student and faculty achievements. Visit now and learn about: • Sociology Students Pursue Joint Degrees in Social Work at Fordham University • Mount Saint Vincent Chaplain Honored as FDNY Holy Name Society Man of the Year • Business Students Gain Industry Knowledge Outside the Classroom • Leaders in Service Provide Resources and Comfort to Manhattan’s Homeless Community

ter careers in the public sector devoted to the pursuit of effectively fighting perennial socio-economic problems in the U.S. and globally. Grounded in the principles of human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common good, this program examines public policy and service in areas of government agencies and non-profit organizations “By offering a major in public policy, we are responding to students’ expressed interest in exploring the human experience in the world through the analysis of data and information,” said Guy E. Lometti, Provost and Dean of Faculty and Chair of the Fishlinger Center’s Advisory Board. “Students will gain professional expertise and confidence, and will be encouraged to develop a strong work ethic, as well as the ethic of treating self, others,

mission and ministry trips with six organizations throughout New York City, including the Midnight Run, the Mexican American Students’ Alliance (MASA), POTS soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Dance for PD, and the Life Experience and Faith Sharing Association (LEFSA).

Another group of students traveled to Kentucky during spring break to volunteer with the Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) WorkFest. Owen Smith ’18, Sirinda Arturi ’18, Emilie Swartvagher ’18, Mikey StephensEmerson ’18, Sheila Buenaseda ’15, Brandon Rutishauser ’15, Jaymee Wilson ’15, Steven

and society with dignity and respect.”

The B.S. in Market Data Analytics program will encourage students to delve deep into the study and application of marketplace data and to develop a host of skills including advanced statistics, digital media marketing, and data mining. The program strives to educate students in the understanding, examination, and utilization of marketplace data using analytical procedures, quantitative reasoning, and rigorous deduction and will establish the College as a leader in the area of “Big Data” and digital marketing and media analysis.

To learn more about the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy Research, visit mountsaintvincent.edu/fishlingercenter.

Quinones ’15, and Jon Salamak, Graduate Assistant for the Office of Student Activities, Leadership, and Commuter Life, worked in teams to repair substandard housing and build new homes for low-income families. The students, accompanied

by Kathryn O’Loughlin, were able to interact with homeowners and families struggling with poverty, further emphasizing the importance of service-learning, community, and spirituality. “They clearly understood they were not only repairing homes, but also rebuilding a community,” said Ms. O’Loughlin.

SUMMER 2015 3

COLLEGE NEWS

MOUNT STUDENTS WIN SCHOLARSHIPS FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Ideline Gomez ’16 and Danica Luc ’16 have been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Ms. Gomez, a psychology and Spanish major, was awarded the scholarship as an early applicant, and will study abroad with IPSL in Cusco, Peru in Summer 2015. Ms. Luc, a biology major and member of the Honors Program, will also study abroad with IPSL, visiting Greece in Fall 2015. After completing their travels, they will lead efforts to promote international education

to their classmates.

The scholarship—sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs—is awarded to undergraduates with the desire to study and intern abroad, who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints. More than 9,000 students apply to the Gilman Scholarship program each year. Recipients are selected based on an essay describing their education goals and through an interview process.

Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward their study abroad or internship program costs. The program—aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies—making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector.

ART | NYC

Experience Art in New York City Art students across the country will use the Mount as a gateway to a rich and enduring engagement with the visual arts through the new ART | NYC Program.

ART | NYC is an intensive new program for motivated and creative undergraduate art majors who want to experience the visual arts in the cultural capital of the world. Offered annually during the spring semester, students from other institutions will come to the Mount to learn and grow intellectually, creatively, professionally, and personally in the College’s supportive and welcoming academic environment.

“For many studio and art history majors around the country, a great deal of learn-

GLOBAL EPIDEMIC continued from page 1

The April conference included a keynote address by world-renowned activist Father Leonir Chiarello, Executive Director of Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN). The keynote was followed by breakout sessions conducted by representatives from the New York Foundling, Covenant House, Lifeway Network, the New York City Police Department, the IPSL service-learning program, and Gabriela Isler—Miss Universe 2013 and founder of the Universe of Blessings Fund, a humanitarian foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls globally, especially those victim-

4 SUMMER 2015

ing depends on viewing reproductions, whether of a celebrated masterpiece from the past or the latest, game-changing work of public art,” said Marcia Vetrocq, Director of the ART | NYC Program.

“ART | NYC is an opportunity to experience art first-hand—on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum, in the landscape of the Hudson Valley, or during a downtown open studio event.”

Part of the unique allure of the ART | NYC program is the students’ opportunity to pursue individual creative, academic, and career interests through directed study with mentors and through an internship with a museum, arts organization, gallery, or professional artist’s studio in New York.

ized by human trafficking.

The conference allowed students to hear from peers who have worked with trafficked individuals, and how they can get involved with the Mount’s commitment to promote the sacred dignity and worth of all people, especially those who are most in need. “We want to create students who become global citizens by working with them on issues where they can have an impact,” said Heather Alumbaugh, Associate Professor of English, Director of the Honors Program, and Co-director of the Women’s Studies Program.

At the Mount, first-generation college students—many from families that immigrated to the United States—make up 50 per-

“In the [internship] process, you come to understand how things work ‘on the ground,’” Dr. Vetrocq said. “How a project is conceived, how an exhibition comes together…or how an artist builds a career.”

To learn more about the ART | NYC experience, visit mountsaintvincent.edu/artnyc.

cent of the student population. “Students are connected to the issue of trafficking because they are intimately connected to issues of migration, as first- or secondgeneration Americans,” Dr. Alumbaugh said. “They want to understand how to be part of the solution.”

“We work with students at the grassroots level to raise their awareness of human suffering,” said Matthew Shields, Director for Campus Ministry. “It was the perfect time to host this vitally important conference.” The success of the symposia reinforced the Mount’s conviction that greater public awareness of the issue will have a decisive impact on its eradication.

COLLEGE NEWS

FACULTY News and Notes

Katherine Alexander (Assistant Professor of Psychology) along with a student research assistant, Alaysia Carrington ’16, presented the poster, “Attachment Anxiety Leads to Fear of Becoming Fat Due to Increased Binge Eating,” at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in March 2015.

Margaret Egan S.C. (Professor of Teacher

Daniel Amarante

Biology) has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study late-stage maturation of spermatozoa in fruit flies, or Drosophila melanogaster.

(Assistant Professor of Chemistry) presented, “Synthesis and Characterization of Late Transition Metal Complexes as Models for the Active Site of Hydrogenases,” as part of the Chemistry Seminar Series at Lehman College in October 2014.

Richard Barnet’s (Associate Professor of Fine Arts) work was featured at the Art Students League of New York, the “Art From the Boros II” exhibition, and the Sideshow Gallery in Brooklyn. He had two sculptures on exhibit at the Sculptors Guild at Governors Island from May through September 2014, and will have two more exhibited from May through July 2015. His sculpture, Seated Figure, was on display from July through September 2014 at the Greenhut Gallery in Portland, Maine. Additionally, his work was featured in LINEA: The Journal of The Art Students League of New York.

Stephanie Berger (Associate Professor of

Psychology) presented at three conferences this year, with help from student research assistants, Emily Forsyth ’15, Kelly Bloom ’15, and Jaymee Wilson ’15. She presented the poster, “Achievement Goals as a Predictor of Academic Satisfaction,” along with her research assistants at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in March 2015, and she presented the poster, “Goal Strength and Recall of Autobiographical Memory,” at the Psychonomic Society’s 55th Annual Meeting in November 2014.

She will present, “Identifying Qualities that Predict Accurate Recall of Autobiographical Memory,” at the 11th meeting of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition in June 2015.

Seonhee Cho

(Associate Professor of Teacher Education) reviewed, “Crafting Critical Stories: Toward Pedagogies and Methodologies of Collaboration, Inclusion, and Voice by J. F. Carmona and K. V. Luschen,” from the Journal of Latinos and Education. She presented, “Perceptions on Accents: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover,” at the New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Conference in November 2014, and she presented, “Content-area Teachers’ Compulsory ESL Practicum Experiences: Perils and Promises,” at the International Convention and English Language Expo in March 2015. She, along with Chair and Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Mary Ellen Sullivan, received an Independent Sector Faculty and Staff Development Project grant from the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.

Brad Crownover (Assistant Professor of Communication) had the chapter, “Me and My Shadow(s): Narratives on Self and Identity,” featured in Critical Articulations of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation.

Education) received the R. Neal Appleby Outstanding Teacher Educator Award from the New York State Association for Teacher Educators at their annual conference with the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in October 2014.

James Fabrizio (Associate Professor of

David Gallo (Associate Professor of History) presented his paper, “A Provincial Noble at Versailles: Jean Plantavit de la Pause, Marquis de Margon, at the Reception of the Doge of Genoa, 15 May 1685,” for the panel, “Center and Margins/Centre et Marges,” at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary French SeventeenthCentury Studies in October 2014.

Enrico Giordano (Associate Professor of

Fine Arts) had a solo exhibition of over 30 mixed media paintings and works on paper at the Cartus Corporation Headquarters from January through February 2015.

He also had an exhibit at the Art Gallery at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve running from September through October 2014.

Rob Jacklosky (Director of Writing and

Professor of English) has been appointed as the new Director of the Core Curriculum at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

Pamela Kerrigan (Associate Professor of

Chemistry) has been re-elected to a second term on the Board of Directors of Sigma Xi as the Northeast Regional Director. She is also serving on the editorial board as the biochemistry ediotor of the American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR).

Deborah Kramer’s (Associate Professor

of Nursing) column was featured on the American Holistic Nursing Association’s website in January 2015. She was featured in an American Holistic Nursing Association webinar, “Preparing A Holistic Research Abstract: Think Success!” and she will present, “Helping the Helpers: Burnout in Pediatric Hematology Oncology,” at the Israel Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Rambam Medical Center in June 2015.

Guy Lometti (Provost and Dean of Fac-

ulty and Professor of Communication) announced his retirement at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.

Cynthia Meyers (Associate Professor of

Communication) was chosen to serve as a judge on the faculty screening committee for the 57th Annual Peabody Awards. She was also invited to serve as a panelist for a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant program for media archives in November 2014, and chaired, “Branded Entertainment”: Digital Advertising and New TV Business Models,” a roundtable at the Flow Conference in September 2014. Additionally, she was named a Regional Director, Eastern Division, for Radio Preservation Task Force, a Library of Congress project of the National Recording Preservation Board.

Victor Miroshnikov

(Assistant Profesor of Mathematics) published the papers, “Nonlinear Interaction of N Conservative Waves in Two Dimensions,” “Interaction of Two Pulsatory Waves of the Korteweg-de Vries Equation in a Zigzag Hyperbolic Structure,” “Deterministic Chaos of N Stochastic Waves in Two Dimensions,” and “Conservative Interaction of Ninternal waves in Three Dimensions,” in the American Journal of Computational Mathematics. Additionally, he presented, “New Exact Solution for Nonlinear Interaction of Two Pulsatory Waves of the Korteweg – De Vries Equation in An Invariant Zigzag Structure,” at the SIAM Conference on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures.

Joseph Molinatti (Assistant Director of the Nursing Program and Associate Professor of Nursing) had the chapter, “Impact of the Aging Population on Health-Care Delivery,” featured in Nursing Now! Today’s Issues, Tomorrow’s Trends.

Sumi Raghavan (Assistant Professor of Psychology) presented, “Using Participatory Methods to Develop an Asset-Building Depression Intervention for Immigrant Women,” at the 14th Annual Diversity Challenge Conference at Boston College. The paper is currently in press as, “Using Participatory Methods to Develop an Asset-Building Mental Health Intervention for Bangladeshi Immigrant Women,” to be published in Progress in Community Health Partnerships.

Jonathan Rosenberg (Visiting Instructor

of Business and Economics) presented, “The Business of Sport: Profiting from Human Rights Violations at Global Athletic Events,” at “Migration, Trafficking, and Freedom: We Are All Migrant Peoples,” in April 2015.

LinDa Saphan (Assistant Professor of So-

ciology) is an associate producer and principal researcher for the documentary film, Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll.

Ron Scapp (Professor of Humanities and Teacher Education) presented the lecture, “The Assault on Ethnic Studies: An Assault on Democracy?” at Stony Brook University in March 2015.

Joseph Skelly (Chair and Professor of His-

tory) published a review article of Michael F. Cairo’s book, The Gulf: The Bush Presidencies and the Middle East in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. He presented, “Who Lost Iraq? The American Ruling Class,” at the Annual Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa Conference. He was also named as one of the top 100 Irish Americans in the field of education by the Irish Voice newspaper. Additionally, he was appointed logistics and movement officer for the 405th Combat Support Hospital, a battalion of over 500 soldiers, after serving for three years as a company commander in the United States Army Reserve.

Sarah Stevenson (Dean of the Undergraduate College and Associate Professor of English) has been appointed as the new Provost and Dean of Faculty at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

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COLLEGE NEWS

ATHLETICS ’14-’15 This past year was one of the best in the Department of Athletics and Recreation’s history. On its way to posting the College’s best ever finish in the Skyline Conference President’s Cup, the Mount saw seven programs qualify for their respective conference tournaments. Men’s basketball and women’s volleyball advanced to the semifinal round and women’s basketball claimed its first conference championship, earning the program’s first berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The successful academic year started in the Fall with women’s soccer posting a program best 13 victories and making its second ever appearance in the Skyline Conference Tournament, hosting St. Joseph’s-L.I. in the opening round. Men’s soccer made its first ever appearance in the Skyline Conference Tournament in 2014, also hosting St. Joseph’s-L.I. in the opening round of the event. Women’s soccer featured three AllSkyline Conference selections, while the men’s team featured Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year Dennis Reyes ’18.

Women’s volleyball advanced to the semifinal round of its conference tournament in 2014 under first year head coach Alyssa

Kaufman. The Dolphins earned two AllSkyline Conference nods following the season, with Ashleigh Scozzari ’16 being named First Team All-League and Nicole Henderson ’18 earning Second Team AllSkyline Conference recognition.

In cross country, Patrick Goldberg ’17 was named First Team All-Skyline Conference after placing third at the conference championships and attended the NCAA Atlantic Regional meet for the second straight season. On the women’s side, Daisy Pogyo ’17 earned Second Team All-Conference recognition with a 10th place finish at the conference championships and ran at the NCAA Atlantic Regional meet for the first time in her collegiate career.

The men’s basketball team—under the direction of Brian Nigro ’00—had its first winning season since the 2010-2011 campaign, posting an 18-9 overall record and finishing tied for second in the Skyline Conference standings. The Dolphins advanced to the semifinal round of the Skyline Conference Tournament and featured three players who received postseason honors from the conference. James Zuccaro ’15 was made a First Team selection, Antonio Johnson ’15

earned Second Team honors, and Ammad Alkhulaidi ’18 garnered league Rookie of the Year accolades.

The spring season saw Softball make its second straight appearance in the Skyline Conference Tournament, featuring First Team All-Skyline Conference selections Mackenzie Heizer ’17 and Rachel Heizer ’18.

Rachel Heizer was the league’s Rookie of the Year, clubbing six home runs and hitting .410 in her first collegiate season.

Overall, Mount Saint Vincent placed fifth in the Skyline Conference President’s Cup standings, posting its best ever point total (67.00) and rating (.567) in the standings since in inception for the 2007-2008 academic year.

The Dolphins featured 20 All-Skyline Conference selections during the 2014-2015 academic year and four major award winners, including three Rookie of the Years and a Defensive Player of the Year. The Dolphins received Four ECAC All-Star selections and two Regional honors, with Dennis Reyes being named Third Team NSCAA/Continental Tire Third Team All-East Region and Kelly Fraser earning D3Hoops.Com Third Team All-Atlantic recognition.

TEAM WORK MAKES DREAMS WORK Members of the Mount’s men’s and women’s basketball teams held a basketball clinic for some 50 special needs teenagers from nearby Leake & Watts and the Hawthorne County Day School on Thursday, May 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the College’s Peter Jay Sharp Athletic and Recreation Center.

Student athlete Andrew Curiel and TeamWork Makers Dreams Work participant.

Spencer Bode ’18, a freshman student athlete who developed the idea with the help of some of his basketball teammates and student volunteers, dubbed the program “TeamWork Makes Dreams Work.” The goal was to bring together college athletes and special needs students for a day of friendly competition

and skill practice at the basketball clinic, along with pizza, team tee-shirts and all-around fun.

“We feel there’s a tremendous opportunity to give back to young people in our community who are living with disabilities,” said Mr. Bode. “By offering the use of the Mount’s beautiful, newly renovated athletic center, and the support and friendship of our students, we felt we could make a really special outing for these special athletes, and bring them into our campus family. It’s important to strengthen Mount students’ connection to the community in which it thrives.”

SCHOLARSHIP TRIBUTE DINNER The annual Scholarship Tribute Dinner on May 6, 2015 at Cipriani Wall Street raised over $508,565 toward scholarship funds for talented and deserving students. This year’s honorees were William M. O’Connor, a partner in the New York office of Thompson & Knight LLP, where he serves as co-chair of the Real Estate Capital Markets Practice Group, and Sgt. Cheryl C. Shea, of the New York City Police Department’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Training.

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Honoree William M. O’Connor, Honoree Cheryl C. Shea, Board of Trustees Chair Noreen M. Culhane, Scholarship Tribute Dinner Co-chair and Trustee Stephen A. Manzi, and President Charles L. Flynn, Jr.

COLLEGE NEWS

2015

COMMENCEMENT

President Charles L. Flynn, Jr. introduces honoree Deryck A. Palmer.

The College conferred 374 bachelor’s degrees and 64 master’s degrees at its 103rd annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 23. Graduates of the Class of 2015 were challenged to use their talents and the benefits of their education in service of others by President Charles L. Flynn, Jr., who said, “please remember to care about those you know and those you do not—remember goodness, discipline, and knowledge.”

An honorary doctorate of laws was awarded to Deryck A. Palmer, a trustee of the College and a partner in the Insolvency and Restructuring practice of the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Mr. Palmer is

a member of the American Bar Association’s Business Bankruptcy Committee and the New York State Bar Association Committee on Bankruptcy and Committee on Courts and the Community. For more than a decade, Mr. Palmer served as a foreign advisor on U.S. bankruptcy law to the Chinese government and was instrumental in drafting the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, adopted in 2006. Mr. Palmer is a coauthor of multiple articles and three books, The PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law: The People’s Work in Progress, History of Bankruptcy Law in the Second Circuit, and Restructuring: The Search for Value in a Troubled Enterprise.

In his Commencement address, Mr. Palmer told the graduates they will find success by building on their experiences at the College. “The values and the ethics you learned here will be your guides,” he said. “Never lose faith; never lose sight of what those values are.” Mr. Palmer also instructed the graduates to be unafraid of challenges telling them, “Our inner strength and our potential are only known to us—hold on to it, it will allow you to achieve every dream you have.”

Commencement Exercises began on Friday, May 22, with a Baccalaureate Awards

Mount graduates of the Class of 2015 process down the Centennial Stairs.

and Hooding Ceremony—when medals were bestowed for excellence in each academic discipline, and 250 students were recognized for their induction into national honor societies—and a Baccalaureate Mass, celebrated by the College’s Chaplain, Christopher Keenan, OFM. Exercises continued Saturday morning, as degree candidates from the School of Professional and Graduate Studies participated in a hooding ceremony immediately preceding Commencement.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CLAIMS FIRST EVER SKYLINE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP The women’s basketball team had a historic season in 2014-2015—the most wins on record in program history, the program’s first ever conference championship, and a resulting berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The Dolphins finished the 2014-2015 season with a 22-6 overall record and an 11-1 mark at the Peter Jay Sharp Athletic and Recreation Center. As the second seed in the conference tournament, the Mount downed Sage in the opening round, before posting a convincing 76-50 win at top-seeded Farmingdale State to secure the conference crown. Kelly Fraser ’15 was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds in the event.

Following its championship game win, Mount Saint Vincent traveled to Brunswick, Maine to take on Ithaca in the National Tournament, falling to the Bombers 82-72.

Ms. Fraser finished off her career with a 27 point, 11 rebound performance and rounded out a stellar four year career with 1,433 points and an even 1,000 rebounds.

Individually, the Mount saw Ms. Fraser earn First Team All-Skyline Conference honors

The 2015 Skyline Women’s Basketball Conference Champions.

and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season.

She went on to be named an ECAC Metro Division All-Star, a D3Hoops.com Third Team All-Atlantic Region pick, and a Second Team All-Met Writers selection. Christina Barone ’17 was named First Team AllSkyline Conference and Brittany Carroll

’17 was made a Second Team All-League selection for the Dolphins.

Additionally, head coach Kevin Clifford was recognized as Co-Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Writers Association for the 2014-2015 season, his third leading the program.

SUMMER 2015 7

college of

mount saint vincent 6301 riverdale avenue riverdale, new york 10471-1093

SAVE THE DATE Return. Reconnect. Reminisce.

REUNION Homecoming and Family Weekend

Oct. 16-18, 2015 Celebrating Classes 0 & 5