Manhattan Magazine Fall 2012

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The Cardinal Takes Manhattan

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on campus Education and MBA students enrich their studies abroad, Jasper engineer helps to clean water in the Philippines,

editor Kristen Cuppek

Thomas O’Malley ’63 gives largest gift in College’s history, Lasallian Look,

staff writers Julie Achilles Patrice Athanasidy Liz Connolly Bauman Amanda Ferrarotto Contributors Annie Chambliss Joe Clifford Dorothy Conigliaro Stephen Dombroski Christian Heimall Amy Surak

news, lectures and more.

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sports Jasper track and field celebrates 100 years, plus news and recaps of the spring season.

22 IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN With the opening of the new Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability, the College is making strides toward becoming greener.

Interns Nicole Bullard Molly Pekarik Kevin Shiraldi Photographers Ben Asen Bleacher and Everard (cover) Matt Carr Joshua Cuppek Darcy Rogers Paul Hoppe (Illustration)

30 The INTERNSHIP advantage Knowing how competitive the job market can be, some seniors are improving their odds with inspiring internships.

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The College celebrates recent grads at its Commencement ceremonies.

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development CBS star Julie Chen will receive the De

Design Charles Hess, chess design Mallory Guillemette Published by the office of Marketing and Communication Manhattan College Riverdale, NY 10471

COMMENCEMENT

La Salle medal, James Patterson ’69 starts more scholarships, reception celebrating donors debuts, and more.

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alumni Reunion Weekend, alumnotes, Jasper profiles and a new column exploring

Lydia Gray Executive Director, Marketing and Communication on the cover Cardinal Timothy Dolan excitedly processes out of the College’s Commencement ceremony in May.

long-lost traditions.

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obits In memoriam, George McGeary, Br. Christopher Dardis, Anthony Ventriglia

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parting shot

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Business in Brazil

During a nearly two-week trip to Brazil, seven MBA students had the chance to visit several of the country’s sites, including a “flooded” hotel in Manaus and the iconic statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro.

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seven new mba students received a head start on their graduate studies with a nearly two-week summer trip to Brazil to learn more about the country’s growing economy.

The trip is part of a three-credit experiential course called Doing Business in the BRIC Economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and followed last year’s inaugural trip to India.

On May 21, the Lucky7 (as the students referred to themselves in a class blog) and their chaperone Yassir Samra, Ph.D., assistant professor of management and marketing, embarked on the trip of a lifetime to explore the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus and the Amazon rainforest.

Upon arriving in the city of São Paulo, the first day was spent examining the culture of the city and visiting the Paulista Museum to hear about the history of the country and how it gained its independence. The next day included a visit to the Brazilian Stock Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) in the city center, the largest stock market within Latin America and the fourth largest equity index in the world.

“The Bovespa visit showed us how their stock exchange correlates with the United States’, and actually something very interesting about Brazil’s is they have a lot of social responsibility for the country as a whole,” says Anne Mahany ’12, a recent graduate who received a B.S. in management with a minor in marketing.

After touring the stock exchange, the group visited one of the city’s tallest buildings, the Bank of the State of São Paulo (Banespa), which offers tremendous views of the city and is comparable to New York City’s Empire State Building. The day wrapped up with a meeting at the U.S. Consulate General, where the group gained more insight into opportunities and challenges that U.S. companies face when conducting business in Brazil.

During a day trip to Rio de Janeiro, the Lucky7 and Samra also visited Petrobras, one of the largest oil companies in the world.

“We learned of the many initiatives that the company is undertaking in order to preserve the environment and satisfy the growing demand for energy consumption,” Samra says.

“The most interesting part is how they are going to break under the sand farther, deep into the ocean for oil, so they are more sustainable for the future,” Mahany adds. She went on to point out how Petrobras’ sustainable process distinguishes itself from its competitors.

After finishing up the Petrobras visit, they saw the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro and took a train up the mountainside to see the breathtaking Christ the Redeemer statue. The day in Rio concluded with a nighttime cable car ride up Sugarloaf Mountain.

Early the next day, the group departed for the city of Manaus and took a 90-minute boat ride to their treetop hotel, the Ariau Amazon Towers in the Amazon rainforest.

Throughout the four-day visit to Manaus, the group participated in a variety of excursions at the hotel, such as visiting an Amazonian village tribe and a fishing village, and exploring the medical plants in the rainforest.

“We were instructed by our guide, Michael Cartwright, on the various leaves and barks of trees that could reduce, if not cure, different ailments ranging from bruises to diabetes and prostate cancer,” Samra says.

The group also met with the general manager of the hotel to acquire more background information on the hotel marketing plan. The students were assigned an analysis of the Ariau Amazon Towers and developed marketing strategies for increasing awareness and generating tourism to the rainforest.

Since the Lucky7 have arrived home, they have been working as a team to combine their knowledge into a successful marketing plan for the hotel, and have been continuing to expand their global business skills during their MBA studies this past fall.

Helping Hands in the Holy Land in may, 14 students and Faculty from the College traveled nearly 6,000 miles out of their comfort zones in New York to the crossroads of the ancient world.

This two-week trip to Israel and Palestine was the second international service-learning experience run by the College’s chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, after its trip to Namibia last year.

Led by Brother Raymond Meagher, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, Karen Nicholson, Ph.D., associate professor of education, and William Merriman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education and Health, the journey provided an unforgettable look at the religious, political and educational values of a conflicted area.

For Michael Dugan, a sophomore elementary/special education major, the trip was full of firsts — first plane ride, first time traveling abroad and a firsthand look at the IsraeliPalestinian struggle.

“I guess I was blissful not knowing about what was really happening over there,” he says. “Seeing it for what it really is, the actuality of what’s going on is incredible.”

Like Dugan, many students were stunned by the close proximity of war and peace.

In the same week they visited the beautiful biblical sites of Galilee, Nazareth and Cana, the cohort also witnessed the consequences of political unrest at the Aida and Dheisha refugee camps in Palestine, where simple necessities, such as water, are controlled to the extreme.

Reflecting on her first day across the border in Palestine, Rachel Swartz ’12, who majored in English, wrote: “What

must it be like to feel out of place and unwanted in the only place you can now call home? To not have witnessed or partaken in the creation of this religious rift, yet to have to suffer from the repercussions must be a difficult way to live … it is so ironic that such violence has occurred in the places where Jesus was born and lived.”

As the service component of their trip, the group visited three schools in Bethlehem — SIRA School, a school for learning-disabled children, as well as SOS School and the Creche, both residential homes and schools for orphaned or abandoned children.

“I loved watching our students interact with the students there,” Nicholson says. “To see how, even though they didn’t speak the language, there was universal, nonverbal communication, and how they showed respect and compassion for them.”

Nicholson recalls how very few resources and supplies the schools had to work with, yet how passionate the administrators were, and in turn, how eager the students were to learn.

“There is a sense of ease within the classroom, completely contrasting that of the country’s political situation; school is a safe and happy place that shelters children with walls of knowledge,” Swartz wrote in the class blog.

While in Bethlehem, they also had an opportunity to meet pen pals from Bethlehem University, a fellow Lasallian college and the first university established in the West Bank.

“Lasallian schools around the world have a common foundation but different missions,” Nicholson says. “We wanted to show our students that they’re part of a bigger family.”

Before departing for New York, the group went on camel rides and for a swim in the Dead Sea, and seized a once-in-alifetime opportunity to be re-baptized in the River Jordan.

Since returning home, the students continue to reflect on their experiences, the problems that plague the West Bank, and the need for good teachers in the world.

“It was a life-changing experience,” Br. Ray says. “Sometimes we change by just putting new wrapping paper on ourselves, but we’re hoping that our students opened up their minds and hearts and will continue to do some interior redesigning about who they are.”

Education students Guiliana Addesso ’14 and Michael Dugan ’14 work with children at the Creche, an orphanage in Bethlehem, while on a trip to Israel and Palestine.

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Senior Starts Safe Water System in Sibariwan

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Kevin Fischbach ’12 spent two weeks in the Philippines helping to bring clean water to an impoverished elementary school.

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lthough Kevin Fischbach ’12, a master’s chemical engineering student and recent B.S. graduate, is not physically in the Philippines, he is still dedicated to bringing clean water to Sibariwan, a rural village in the town of Dumarao, Capiz.

This past May, Fischbach embarked on a two-week trip to Sibariwan with the Advancement for Rural Kids, Inc. (ARK) to assist in designing and building the first rain catchment and filtration system of its kind at the Sibariwan Elementary School, along with parent, teacher and student volunteers.

“A big part of ARK’s mission is to help improve the health of kids in impoverished rural communities,” Fischbach says.

“If they can alleviate health needs, I think that it will inspire the kids to work hard in school and will be a constant reminder of the long-term hazards of unclean water, which will improve awareness.”

Fischbach’s research for the rain catchment and filtration system stemmed from Manhattan College’s Sustainable Aqua Filtration Equipment (SAFE) project, which was created during the 2010–2011 academic school year with the help of nine chemical engineering students. SAFE is a smaller water filtration system that runs on gravity and removes 99.99 percent of dirt and germs, and was developed from previous patented analysis conducted by Fischbach’s professor of chemical engineering, Gennaro Maffia, Ph.D. “This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for a student to apply what he has learned in a global context and make a positive difference in the world,” Maffia says.

By following the principles of the SAFE project, Fischbach worked to construct a process that would facilitate making rainwater viable for drinking use. The system first collects rainwater in an upper tank, which runs through a sand filter bucket and into a lower storage tank, where it is then ready for consumption. This system joins the ARKfunded in-school organic garden and student healthy lunch program already in place in Sibariwan to improve the health and well-being of the community.

“Using relevant scientific calculations he learned from Manhattan College, Kevin fine-tuned the design, ensuring the system is capturing the maximum amount of rainfall and filtering the water at a good rate,” says Ayesha Vera-Yu, chief executive officer and co-founder of ARK. “He also helped to inspire students and parents with his generosity to share his knowledge and his eagerness to learn from them.”

The ARK project team consisted of Bruno Levine, an ARK senior adviser who has more than 25 years of water engineering expertise, and the company CabioKid, which designed the catchment and trained the community to build it.

Once construction was completed, the people of Sibariwan utilized the system for a few weeks and were able to drink clean water.

Shortly after returning from the Philippines, Fischbach heard from the ARK staff that pinhole leaks had been found in the rain catchment and filtration system. As a result, the Sibariwan village stopped using the system to further investigate the problem and repair to ensure clean water was being delivered.

Fischbach remains involved in the repair process by corresponding with the ARK team and the local engineer they hired via email. Once the rain catchment and filtration system are in working condition again, he plans to work with the ARK team, engineer and people of Sibariwan on completing an operations manual. The manual will instruct the community and other communities on how to build a catchment, use the system and maintain it.

After graduation and his time in the Philippines, Fischbach spent the past summer interning as a cosmetic chemistry intern at BASF Cosmetic, a personal care company in Tarrytown, N.Y. “It was an awesome experience, and I got to see how a research and development site works,” Fischbach says. “I worked in a lab doing effect pigments.”

This experience has enticed him to apply for the company’s professional development program after graduating in spring 2013 with his master’s in chemical engineering.

Authors are from M.A.R.S.

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or the fifth consecutive semester, Manhattan College students met and learned from famous writers through the Major Authors Reading Series (M.A.R.S.) held on campus. The M.A.R.S. program, sponsored by the English department, in conjunction with Manhattan Magazine, gives students the opportunity to listen to and interact with successful authors, in order to further expose them to modern literature.

After reading a selection of their work, the authors invite the students to ask questions, which gives them the opportunity to learn directly from the author about methods and techniques used, along with certain messages conveyed.

For the first event of the fall semester, the College invited award-winning writer Joshua Ferris to campus in September. The author of two novels, including one of The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2007, Then We Came to the End, Ferris has received many acclamations for his work. After being recognized as a National Book Award finalist, he also won the 2007 Hemmingway Foundation/PEN Award and the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. Ferris released his second novel, The Unnamed, in 2010, and has been published in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Tin House and others.

Currently, Ferris is working on his third novel, to be released in 2013, The Third Bishop, from which he read an excerpt to the students at the September event. In the sneak preview, the students were exposed to the artful, thought-driven writing style used in the novel.

“Unfortunately, there is no magic secret to writing,” explained Ferris, after being asked for writing tips. “You just have to sit down, focus, get rid of all the distractions and have fun with it. Despite the necessity to write, the key is to have fun.”

In November, the M.A.R.S. program concluded with poet Patricia Smith, author of seven acclaimed volumes of poetry, including a 2008 National Book Award finalist, Blood Dazzler. A four-time National Poetry Slam champion, Smith is the most successful poet in the history of the competition. She presented some of her most recent work, followed by a meet and greet with the students.

Since the start of the M.A.R.S. events, many esteemed authors have visited the campus, including Pulitzer Prize-winners Jennifer Egan, Junot Diaz and Claudia Emerson, along with novelist Rick Moody, essayist Phillip Lopate, and the Poet Laureate of New York state Marie Howe.

Now an established program, Manhattan students have had the opportunity to glean some insights from the professionals who have influenced modern literature by hearing these authors speak and interacting with them on a collegial basis.

Award-winning author Joshua Ferris gives Manhattan students a sneak preview of his upcoming third novel at the M.A.R.S. event in September.

Not So Minor New Academic Offerings This semester, students had the opportunity to expand their areas of study with the creation of three new programs launched in the Schools of Arts and Business.

New Minor: Catholic Studies The Religious Studies department has created a Catholic Studies minor for students who wish to pursue their studies in Catholicism across a variety of disciplines, including fine arts, literature, history, philosophy and religious studies. These courses discuss Catholic beliefs, religious practices, moral teachings, and the role that Catholicism has played both in history and within present day society. To complete the minor, students must take 15 credits within the three categories being offered: foundations, discipline areas and elective classes.

New Minor: Theater The College sends its regards to Broadway by allowing students to pursue a minor in Theater, offered through the Fine Arts

department. The minor allows students to gain insight into the historical, analytical and applied knowledge of the theatrical arts. Students fulfilling the 15-credit minor are able to improve their business skills, while also becoming equipped with the tools necessary to pursue a career in the performing arts, as well as the opportunity to fulfill internships with prestigious theater programs and dance studios for credit.

New Co-Major: Business Analytics The School of Business has introduced a new co-major in Business Analytics. Four classes are being offered in the curriculum, with an additional course for students based on their field of study, and will expose students to various analytics programs used in some of the most successful companies. By learning to process and manage data efficiently, students will have the ability to predict market trends and optimize decision modeling, which can be utilized in today’s business world.

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Ground-Breaking Gift former chairman of the board of trustees Thomas O’Malley ’63 has committed $10 million toward the building of Manhattan’s new Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons. O’Malley’s contribution is the largest gift in the College’s history and will benefit a muchneeded space for the growing campus community.

“Mary Alice and I are pleased to be able to continue our support for Manhattan College, and particularly to have the honor of the lead gift for a building that will be named after a Manhattan graduate who has and continues to give great service to his city and his country,” says O’Malley, executive chairman of PBF Energy Company LLC. “Police Commissioner Ray Kelly does, in our view, reflect all that Manhattan College teaches. His success, service and unblemished reputation provides the model that we ask our students to aspire to.”

The $10 million contribution will advance the College’s ongoing campaign to build a state-of-the-art student commons, which will break ground at the end of the year.

“My classmate Tom O’Malley’s generous contribution of time and personal wealth to our alma mater is in the finest traditions of the College and its patron saint, John Baptist de La Salle,” says Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. I am honored beyond measure to have the new student center named after me, which I recognize as a tribute also to the life-saving work of the entire New York City Police Department, and to the many outstanding Manhattan alumni who have served in its ranks.”

“Tom and Mary Alice O’Malley are true heroes of Manhattan College,” says Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president. “Their past generosity, in funding the O’Malley Library and other initiatives, has already strengthened the institution enormously; this unprecedented new gift in support of the Kelly Commons will allow yet another huge stride forward.”

Thus far, the College has raised $30 million toward the student commons, which includes O’Malley’s recent gift.

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A Terrific Tenure

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homas O’Malley ’63, a distinguished alumnus and leader, an enthusiastic philanthropist, and an internationally renowned businessman, completed his term as chair of the College’s board of trustees this June after a quarter century of service.

Among the many distinctive qualities for which the Manhattan College board of trustees elected O’Malley as a member from 1987 to 2002, and as chairman from 2005 to 2012, is his ability and willingness to provide leadership and support wherever and whenever it was needed. He has given generously of his time, expertise and resources to make a difference in the lives of Manhattan students and the quality of life in this community. O’Malley’s deep and consistent commitment to the College’s mission is evident to all, most notably in the naming of the Mary Alice and Tom O’Malley Library.

In addition, he was awarded the De La Salle Medal in 1994, and eagerly served as dinner chair in 2011 — the most successful dinner in the College’s history. He also chaired the 25th anniversary reunion celebration for the class of 1963.

A native of New York City, O’Malley graduated from the College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in economics. He served his country in the Army Reserve and began his career working in the mailroom of Philipp Brothers. After dedicating 10 years to Philipp Brothers’ European operations, he then effectively directed the company’s energy business.

When Philipp Brothers merged with the investment banking firm Salomon in 1981, O’Malley became vice chairman of Salomon Brothers. Five years later, he founded Argus Investment, and then served as chairman and chief executive officer of Tosco Corporation. After having trans-

formed Tosco into one of the most successful companies in the industry and the largest independent refinery in the United States, he sold it in 2001 to Phillips Petroleum and stepped in as vice chairman.

In 2002, O’Malley joined Premcor, a privately owned refinery, as chairman and chief executive officer. Following this, he was named chairman of Petroplus Holdings A.G., Europe’s largest independent oil refiner and wholesaler, where he served until retirement from the board of directors in 2011. He now serves as chairman of PBF Energy.

O’Malley’s indisputable reputation as an energetic community member has made him a much sought-after participant of many boards, including the National Petroleum Council, the Listed Company Advisory Board of the New York Stock Exchange, Lowe’s Companies, PetSmart Inc., Phillips Petroleum, and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.

With a profound passion for giving back to philanthropic causes, he has also served as a member of the board of trustees for Boston College, the Brunswick School, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greenwich, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Connecticut, and the Riverview School on Cape Cod. Among the numerous honors O’Malley has received, including a Doctor of Humane Letters from the College at its May Commencement, are: the Refining Leadership Award from Harts, Director’s Award for Global Vision from the Mercantile Exchange, Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians & Jews, and Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

O’Malley has left an indelible legacy at the College, and Manhattan always will be indebted to his strong leadership and continuous generosity.

Locke’s Adds a Little More Loft After a summer of anticipation, the College unveiled a newly renovated Locke’s Loft Dining Hall this fall. Located on the third floor of Thomas Hall, the new 9,500-square-foot space contains a variety of dining stations, which include an exhibition, a home kitchen, and a pasta/wok station, in addition to the updated main servery. Gourmet Dining, the College’s food provider, has recreated the all-you-can-eat experience, so students have a place where they can get together and share a meal in a comfortable new dining scene.

Utilizing an open concept floor plan, the new Locke’s Loft increased the student dining space, while also linking all of the dining stations together within the dining hall.

Locke’s now gives students a large menu selection that is available every day and includes: Tex Mex, carvery, rotisserie, grill, a sushi bar, a salad bar and deli area. Students can also enjoy brick oven pizza, a bread and breakfast area, a sweets station, and a vegan dining option that prepares good food and satisfies the dietary needs of many students looking for a healthy food selection. There is also a home kitchen area that aims to recreate the dishes that students may be missing while they’re at school.

A new perk that Locke’s is providing for students is the option to order a Meal-2-Go, which allows them to request a box meal that they can bring with them to a class or internship rather than having a sit-down meal. All students need to do is place their order online and pick up the prepared food at the designated time.

The new space has a modern, sleek look as a result of the plank vinyl and porcelain floors that replaced the previ-

ous standard vinyl flooring tile before the renovation. New, graphic accent wall tiles were introduced to tie all of the stations together, and the dining tables and chairs match the wood slat walls.

One final touch to the renovated Locke’s Loft is the brand new president’s dining room and lounge area that were created to host formal dinners, business meetings and other social gatherings at the College.

Every new aspect of Locke’s Loft serves to create a unique food experience for the Jasper community. From the food stations to the flooring, the renovation has transformed the dining hall and has created a taste-filled environment that everyone can enjoy.

Locke’s Loft debuts its summer makeover.

Granting Teachers with Advanced Opportunities

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ith the crucial task of preparing highly effective teachers, it never hurts to have as many resources as possible. Partnering with the School of Education and Health, the Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) initiative is lending a hand by helping more local teachers to advance their education. The New York State Education Department Office of K–16 Initiatives and Access Programs Teacher Development

Programs is sponsoring the TOC initiative for another three years, and it provides nearly a half a million dollars in funding toward graduate education at Manhattan for teachers working in high-need public schools in New York City (Districts 10 and 11) and Yonkers.

A new component to the TOC initiative at Manhattan is a bilingual extension option with the master’s in education degree. The master’s offers certification in New York State

childhood (grades 1–6) and special education.

Funding for the TOC initiative at Manhattan College started in 1987 to improve special education in Districts 10 and 11, and was developed in response to the critical shortage of highly qualified educators. Since 2001, 87 percent of the participants have completed the program, and 11 percent are continuing in the program, while teaching in high-need schools.

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LASALLIANLOOK

Leading by Example

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Lois Harr, dirctor of Campus Ministry and Social Action at Manhattan College, was honored with one of the Christian Brothers’ top awards.

ois Harr, director of Campus Ministry and Social Action (CMSA) at Manhattan College, received the annual Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award at the Huether Lasallian Conference in November. The award honors educators for their outstanding work and dedication to exemplifying the ideals of St. John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers.

The Brothers of the Christian Schools, District of Eastern North America (DENA) surprised Harr with this honor on Oct. 19.

“In the context of this year’s Huether Lasallian Conference theme, Faith in Action: Global Engagement through Lasallian Education, Lois epitomizes the ideals of Christian service, especially to the poor,” said Alan Weyland, executive director for mission and ministry at DENA. “Lois’ tireless work for social justice and civic engagement, along with her unwavering faith and zeal, as educator, mentor and advocate, make her a most deserving recipient.”

Harr, a lifetime resident of the Bronx, has integrated faith with her profession to educate the College community on the importance of helping others. In addition to working as director of CMSA since 1998, she is the assistant to the vice president for

Student Life and is an adjunct instructor of religious studies. In Harr’s Urban America and Catholic Social Teaching course, students are required to complete 25 hours of service-learning community work outside of the classroom and have partnered with a number of community organizations to make a difference.

During Harr’s time at the College, she has organized a variety of service opportunities for students, including blood drives, trips to the Part of the Solution (POTS) soup kitchen in the Bronx, and fair trade events on campus, which helped Manhattan become the first Fair Trade Certified college in New York City.

She has also helped to plan many Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience trips (L.O.V.E.), and attended trips to Ecuador, Kenya and Rwanda. The program was created to further promote the College’s Lasallian tradition of expanding the pillars of service and social justice by building community, deepening spirituality and experiencing cultural immersion.

Harr graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in religious studies from St. Joseph’s Seminary.

Racking up the Rankings Payscale — Manhattan College placed 19th among 850 U.S. colleges and universities on the Payscale.com 2012 Return on Investment (ROI) Rankings: College Education Value Compared survey earlier this spring, which further demonstrates the long-term professional success of Manhattan graduates.

In the past two years, Manhattan College’s ROI ranking by Payscale.com has moved from 37th in 2010 to 19th in its current position.

The survey cited a 30-year return on investment of more than $800,000 for Manhattan by calculating the average salary of a graduate after deducting the net cost of a four-year degree.

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U.S. News & World Report — For the sixth year in a row, Manhattan College was ranked in the top 20 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Colleges rankings in the category of Best Regional Universities in the North. The report, which hit newsstands on Sept. 18, lists Manhattan as No. 17.

The College’s School of Engineering also earned a national placement of No. 35 in the Best in Undergraduate Engineering category, advancing from No. 40 in the 2011 rankings. This particular category evaluates engineering schools that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but not doctoral degrees.

COURSE Spotlight

Wall Street Meets De La Salle Hall

Take a stroll down the main corridor of De La Salle Hall, and you may just mistake where you are for an office on Wall Street. This summer, the School of Business installed a new, state-of-the-art finance lab that is connected to Morningstar, an independent research provider that allows real-time data for more than 90,000 international stocks to enter the classroom at the click of a button.

The new lab includes: One HP Thin Client teachers station, 24 student desktops with 22” monitors, a Dell HD projector, and two 42” LCD TVs that will be able to display all companies’ statistics through the Morningstar program, as well as the LED stock ticker that runs across the wall.

With improvements constantly being made to enhance the experience for both students and faculty, the finance lab is still a work in progress. Professors in the School of Business have modified their courses’ frameworks to incorporate Morningstar into the program, which makes the classes more hands-on than ever before. Having access to company profiles within seconds after a student asks a question changes the entire dynamic of the class, so professors not only can give an answer but also actually show the answer instantly.

“The finance lab enables us to provide the students with real-time information at any moment we want to use it, whether it’s a stock quote, the transcript of the board of directors’ meeting of a company, or a research report just published an hour ago,” says Kudret Topyan, Ph.D., professor of economics and finance, who is using the room to teach his Corporate Structure and Financing (FIN 340) class this fall. “It goes beyond the United States, enabling us to find any financial information about companies around the globe, which is a valuable teaching tool for professors.”

In addition to utilizing the Morningstar program in their courses, students also have the opportunity to obtain Morningstar certification at the end of the semester — something that is held in high regard beyond academia and in the business world. This certification deems them expert Morningstar users, which is achieved after passing 10 difficult examinations within the program.

The finance lab already is being utilized by various professors within the School of Business and will continue to be incorporated into multiple classes for the rest of the year. The lab also will be continually upgraded, with the hopes of adding other major financial data programs, so students will be familiarized with them before entering the world of finance.

Christian Brothers Celebrate Milestones While the Queen celebrated her jubilee across the pond, the College marked the jubilees of some of its own luminaries. This year, five dedicated members of the past and present Manhattan College community are celebrating significant anniversaries as Christian Brothers.

Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, Auxiliary Visitor, District of Eastern North America, celebrates his 5oth anniversary.

Before serving as Manhattan’s president for 22 years, Br. Thomas was vice chancellor and chief executive officer of Bethlehem University.

Brother John Guasconi, FSC, also is marking his 50th anniversary. Br. John was a member of the College’s Admissions office from 2005–2009. He recently finished a distinguished three-year term as Director-General of the Brothers’ Generalate in Rome, and has returned permanently to New York City.

Also celebrating 50 years, Brother Raymond Meagher, FSC, has taught at Manhattan since 1994 in both the graduate and undergraduate education programs, and has served as a counselor of Kappa Delta Pi since 2006.

Previously, he spent more than 20 years in administration at St. Raymond’s High School in the Bronx.

In addition, Brother John Muller, FSC, and Brother David Van Hollebeke, FSC, are celebrating their 60th anniversaries.

Br. John arrived at Manhattan in 1968, earned the title of associate professor emeritus of government, and served as assistant to the president, executive vice president and director of planned giving. Br. David arrived at Manhattan in 1970 and served as an adjunct instructor of math and associate director of Admissions, specializing in financial aid.

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Jasper-started seventh-inning stretch celebrates 130 years The Jaspers, with their impressive stats, won the chance to compete against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in April of 1886. The team, shown here with Brother Jasper of Mary, FSC, proudly displays its April Games banner.

ONe of Manhattan College’s most famous claims to fame is that Brother Jasper of Mary, FSC, first coach of the baseball team and prefect of discipline, was the unintentional inventor of the seventh-inning stretch. It’s recorded at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., which notes that Br. Jasper noticed that the students and fans were becoming restless and edgy from the hot and humid weather during a baseball game.

To relieve the tension, he called a timeout before the Jasper at-bat in the seventh inning and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed.

As the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880s and into the 1890s at the Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the seventh-inning stretch spread into the major leagues, where it has become a time-honored tradition practiced by millions of fans annually — for 130 years!

Googling it for Charity Armed with a competitive spirit and a desire to help a needy organization, students taking CIS 431 stepped outside of the classroom this spring and into the real world of search engine-based advertising.

School of Business seniors in the Analysis, Design and Implementation of Information Systems course participated in the annual Google Challenge, an international competition that gives students a handson introduction to the world of search engine-based advertising using Google’s AdWords technology. The competition required students to select a nonprofit organization and create an AdWords campaign that would achieve specific business goals.

“The Google Challenge benefits all parties involved — the students conduct a real advertising campaign, the target organization receives free online advertising, and Google gets to demonstrate the benefits of search engine-based advertising,” explains class instructor Marc Waldman, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting, law and computer information systems (CIS).

The College’s Google Challenge team consisted of Kaitlin Begley ’12, Matthew Jordan ’13, William Mauro ’12, Rory O’Connor ’12 and Lisa Pulis ’12, all CIS majors. The group focused its AdWords campaign on Catholic Charities of Rockville Centre, an organization that has a personal connection to the College through its CEO Laura Cassell ’79, a member of the School of Business Board of Advisers.

“From my perspective, the real joy of this was the collaboration itself,” Cassell says. “This project offered the opportunity for Manhat10 N fall 2012

tan students to connect the Catholic values that are so central to their education to the charitable mission of the larger Church.”

The AdWords program allows organizations to associate keywords with small online ads. When a potential customer enters one or more of the keywords into a search engine, the associated ad appears alongside other relevant web page links, and gives organizations the opportunity to conduct a targeted online advertising campaign.

Based on its initial research of Catholic Charities, the team decided to focus the AdWords campaign on three areas, including services, donations and volunteers. The team then had to identify target keywords, and participate in an AdWords auction to buy their keywords, for which Google provided each team with a $250 AdWords voucher valid for one month.

To help the team make wise budget and keyword decisions, Google also provided tools that summarized activity in an AdWords campaign, such as the number of times a particular ad was clicked on, and keyword search frequency.

The team’s campaign was most successful in the area of increasing the recruitment of volunteers for Catholic Charities. They found that ads for donations and services faced a surprising amount of competition from other not-for-profit organizations and, therefore, didn’t get displayed as often as the volunteer recruitment ads.

“I feel that not only has this course provided me with a valuable learning experience but also the opportunity to help a wonderful organization like Catholic Charities,” team captain Pulis adds.

Did you know?

This fall, Manhattan welcomed the largest number of new students in more than two decades: 842 new freshmen and 143 transfers became Jaspers.

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Author Looks Back at 1936 Olympics All eyes were on London this summer, as the city hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the world was enthralled by tests of athleticism and the spirit of competition.

But the situation was very different in 1936, when the Summer Games were held in Berlin, Germany, during the rise of the Nazi Party. While the Olympics serve as a symbol of global unity and peace, Hitler’s regime saw this as an opportunity to declare his party’s racial supremacy by prohibiting Jews and African Americans from participating in the Games.

Allen Guttmann, Ph.D., Emily C. Jordan Folger Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College, presented his lecture Jewish Athletes At and After the “Nazi Olympics” of 1936 at Manhattan College during the 11th annual Costello Lecture, where he discussed at length the strains that the Nazi regime put on the Olympic Games and the impact that the Nazi party had on the leaders, athletes and people of the participating nations at the Games of the XI Olympiad.

During the September lecture, Guttmann discussed the threat that the Germans imposed, when nations were prepared to boycott the Games in fear that their athletes would be endangered if they entered Berlin at that time. He explained that Jews were excluded from Olympic clubs and treated with open contempt and hostility when they tried to attend the Olympic training camps hosted by the Nazi party. This restriction impacted every team that had Jewish athletes competing around the world, not just the German Olympic team.

“Most Jewish athletes decided to go to the Games to show the United States and the world that Jewish athletes were as good as the others, even during this difficult time,” Guttmann says. “There are so many stories about how athletes felt regarding their decision to compete or not, and interestingly enough they all say that they did the right thing in the end.”

With ongoing pressures from the International Olympic Committee regarding the restrictions the German government set on the Games, the Nazi party added Helene Mayer, a world champion fencer, to the German team to show that Jews were welcome to compete. In his presentation, Guttmann explained that Mayer, ironically enough, was recruited by the Germans after being forced to move to America because of her Jewish heritage on her father’s side.

Guttmann has written 14 books and is best known for Women’s Sports: A History, Games and Empires: Modern Sports and Cultural Imperialism, and The Erotic in Sports.

His most recent book is Sports and American Art from Benjamin West to Andy Warhol, which was published in 2011.

“Professor Guttmann’s lecture was student-centered and provided insight into the Olympic Games’ history, not just as sport but as an aspect of international politics,” says Jeff Horn, Ph.D., chair of the history department. “The School of Arts and the History department particularly enjoy the Costello Lecture because it reminds us of all the strengths of the Lasallian pedagogical tradition.”

Manhattan College hosts the annual

Allen Guttmann, Ph.D., professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College, discusses the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Costello Lecture series each fall in memory of Brother Casimir Gabriel Costello, FSC, former chair of the history department and dean of the College. The series began when a generous donation was made by one of Br. Gabriel’s students, Roger Goebel, professor of law at Fordham University and director of the Center for European Union Law. Br. Gabriel believed that a liberal arts education should be given to all students, despite their area of study, and strived to uphold the core of the Lasallian tradition in his teachings, which is celebrated through the series in his memory.

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on c ampus Did you know?

In recognition of its innovative programs in allied health, exercise science, physical education, nuclear medicine technology and radiation therapy, the School of Education officially changed its name to the School of Education and Health in July.

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Putting the Liberal Arts in Perspective “Questions about where we’re going and how we propose to get there transcend issues about efficiency and effectiveness,” said John Churchill, Ph.D., secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honorary society, during his lecture Saving America from Efficiency: The Primary Meaning in Higher Education as part of Manhattan College’s Newman Lecture series. “If you’re headed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t matter how efficiently you go there.”

The lecture, held in September, challenged the emerging corporate model in higher education administration that pushes the idea of utility in education, and argues that the role of liberal arts is to continue to grant reason and meaning to education.

The College launched the Newman Lecture Series in 2010 to celebrate the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. Newman’s book, The Idea of a University, stressed the central place of the liberal arts in the Catholic intellectual tradition, as well as education in the professions. Likewise, the Newman Lecture Series aims to reaffirm the significance of liberal arts as the core of undergraduate education.

“We’re about a decade deep in one of the great periods of change in American higher education,” Churchill noted.

This shift in our culture and in higher education institutions emphasizes practicality in every aspect of life or, what Churchill dubbed, a “means-ends model.” This model notes that education, just as in business, engineering or sciences, should be used as a means to achieve a specific job or set of skills as an economic end. In this mode of thought, pursuing the liberal arts and the ambiguous well-rounded individual they mold, is “seen as wasting time and money,” all too

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dangerous in a time of recession and recovery. He explained that vocational and technical institutions are expanding rapidly, while at the same time “the humanities and the humanistic social sciences are in jeopardy because in an age of insistence on practical results, they have been misunderstood as useless ornamentation.”

Churchill posed his solution to proving the utility of higher education in four distinct points, and a fifth overarching charge to the necessity of the liberal arts in our world.

“A liberal arts education is professionally useful, it’s preparation for citizenship, it makes a better you, and it’s simply good in itself,” he said.

Each of these answers is successful because it calls out a specific end that liberal arts serves as a means to. The real worth of higher education that Cardinal Newman wrote about though, Churchill noted, lies outside of the meanends model. The real necessity of a liberal arts education lies in its ability to make people ask not only, what is the best means to achieve the end I want, but also the more significant, what is the best end to want?

In an age of economic pressure, sometimes it is hard to answer the question of what the utility of the liberal arts is.

But Churchill’s lecture demonstrates that we can ask those very questions and seek the best solutions to them, which is in itself the very answer to that question. The liberal arts allow us to ask and ponder, and ask again. This intellectual tension is key to the progress for which efficiency strives.

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Series Brings Olympics to Riverdale

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he College community was able to share in experiences of inspiration with some of the world’s top athletes during Manhattan’s weeklong Olympic Lecture Series, which was held from Sept.

17–21 in celebration of this year’s Olympics in London. Speakers included medalists Cullen Jones, Nastia Liukin and Amanda Beard, along with Manhattan College’s own Olympians Aliann Pompey ’99 and her coach Joe Ryan ’81, and Lindy Remigino ’53.

Starting off the week, three-time U.S. medalist Jones shared his inspirational story of nearly drowning at the age of 5 to becoming an Olympic swimmer. Through hard work and focus, two key messages that Jones imparted in his discussion, he was able to accomplish goals that he was told were impossible. Along with being a member of the famous 2008 U.S. men’s 4x100 freestyle relay team that won a gold medal in Beijing, Jones took home two silver medals in the recent London Games.

The following night, Liukin, a five-time medalist, built upon the message that Jones conveyed by adding that anything is possible.

One of only four American women to ever win a gold medal in all-around gymnastics, Liukin backed up her inspirational message by sharing her incredible story of success in gymnastics during the 2008 Beijing Games.

Representing the Manhattan College community on Sept. 19, Pompey and Ryan both shared their experiences from their

trips to the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, where Pompey competed as a member of the Guyanese track team, and Ryan served as her coach. Telling anecdotes from the time Pompey first started running track at Manhattan College all the way through to their experiences in the Olympic Games, Ryan and Pompey engaged the audience with a heartfelt presentation. After sharing memories of their favorite experiences, the duo showed a video of their joint Olympic journey.

Manhattan College’s first gold medalist, Remigino, returned to Manhattan on Sept.

20, where he told his story about the 1952 Helsinki Games. Remigino explained how his life changed forever after winning the gold medal in the 100-meters during his junior year at Manhattan College. No longer a normal college student, he was transformed into a hero after being declared the fastest man on earth in 1952. Along with taking home a gold medal, Remigino was inducted into the Jasper Hall of Fame in 1979 after setting several college records and performing at an All-American level during his time at Manhattan.

Concluding the week, seven-time Olym-

Olympians Lindy Remigino ’53, Cullen Jones and Nastia Liukin discuss their experiences at the Games on campus in September.

pic medalist Beard shared her journey as a swimmer, including the anxieties of being a young phenomenon and how she handled the pressure of swimming in the Olympics. After becoming a star at only 14 years old following her performance in the 1996 Atlanta Games, Beard was overwhelmed with pressure throughout her high school years, to the point where she almost quit swimming forever.

Regaining her passion for the sport by remembering why she started swimming in the first place — love for the sport — Beard went on to participate in three more Olympic Games.

Adding to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, the students were then able to meet and take a photo with the famed Olympians.

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The first varsity track team, 1912-13

Celebrating a Century of Manhattan’s Track Tradition

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raditionally, the track and field and cross country programs have been among the most successful varsity teams at the College. Throughout the years, the Jaspers have won 63 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships, 22 Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletics of America (IC4A) Championships, one National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship and three Olympic gold medals. In addition, Manhattan has maintained two remarkable streaks (both are still active): the College has sent at least one athlete to the NCAA Championships every year

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since 1952, and has boasted at least one IC4A individual champion every year since 1969. This year, the program celebrates yet another milestone — its 100th anniversary.

In the Beginning The track and field program was founded by Brother Sulpicius of Mary in 1912, and that initial team was comprised of students from both the College and Manhattan Prep. Br. Sulpicius, athletic director at the time, organized two meets at the 69th Regiment Armory during that inaugural season — the Manhattan College Indoor Meet and the

Jasper Three Quarter. Both remain annual fixtures to this day.

Br. Sulpicius passed away in 1913, and the Rev. Murray took over organizing the 1914 annual Indoor Meet, which was remembered in the Manhattanite as “the greatest athletic achievement of the year” and “the most successful meet ever conducted

by Manhattan College.” The team also was officially elevated to varsity status in 1914.

War and Waters In 1917, the program went on a seven-year hiatus due to World War I. Track and field returned to the College in 1924, and two

In 1928, a wooden track was on the site of Draddy Gym.

years later, a pair of significant events that would shape the future of the program took place.

The first was Manhattan’s joining the IC4A, which firmly established the Jaspers’ place among the elite of collegiate track and field. Then, in 1926, the legendary Pete Waters took over as head coach, a position he would hold for the next 18 years.

Under Waters’ leadership, Manhattan quickly emerged as an IC4A power; winning its first cross country title in 1932 and the first of three straight indoor championships in 1934. The Jaspers also won three Mid-Atlantic States Championships during his tenure. Frank Crowley ’34, who became Manhattan’s first Olympian when he ran the 1,500-meter for the United States at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, earned the College’s first national title when he won the two-mile run at the 1934 NCAA Championships.

A year later, Manhattan won the mile relay at the Penn Relays for the first time.

The Eastment Era Waters retired in 1943, and the next two seasons were canceled because of World War II. When the program was restored in 1946, George Eastment took over as head coach. The Eastment era would mark the greatest period of success in program history, as he led Manhattan to 38 Metro-

politan Championships and 10 IC4A titles during his 18 years at the helm. Thirteen Jaspers were named All-American, and two won national championships under Eastment’s leadership.

Led by Ed O’Toole ’47, who would represent the United States in the 10,000-meter at the London Olympics a year later, Manhattan won the 1947 IC4A Cross Country Championship. Bill Lucas ’52 became the Jaspers’ first All-American in 1949 when he finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The 1950s was the Golden Age of Manhattan track and field.

The Jaspers won five IC4A indoor titles from 1951-56, four outdoor championships from 1952-56, and the 1954 IC4A cross country crown. The relay squad of John O’Connell ’53, Lindy Remigino ’53, Joe Schatzle ’53 and Bob Carty ’52 consistently ranked among the best in the nation and captured the Championship of America at the Penn Relays in both the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays in 1951 and 1952. All four claimed individual IC4A titles during their careers, as well. Meanwhile, another Manhattan quartet — Vernon Dixon ’54, Lou Jones ’54, O’Connell and Carty — set a world record in the sprint medley relay at the 1952 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Championships.

At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Remigino won the gold

medal in the 100-meter and set a school record that still stands of 10.4 seconds. He added a second gold in the 4x100 meter relay and was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100 for 1952.

Two-time All-American Charlie Pratt ’55 won the 1955 NCAA title in the 220-yard hurdles, and Ken Bantum ’57 made history the next year when he became the first collegian ever to shot put 60 feet.

After winning the 1956 NCAA Championship, Bantum represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Melbourne and finished fourth in the shot put. Jones, who held the world record in the 400-meter heading into the 1956 Olympics, returned from Melbourne with a gold medal in the 4x400 relay. Tom Murphy ’58, who took second in the 880yard run at the 1958 NCAA Championships, ran the 800-meter at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Jim McHugh took the reins upon Eastment’s retirement in 1963. Under his tutelage, Bob Mead ’66 became the first NCAA champion in the weight throw in 1966. Mead was among seven individuals and two relay squads to earn All-America honors during McHugh’s tenure.

The Dwyer Days McHugh coached the Jaspers until 1969, when Fred Dwyer took over. Dwyer continued the winning tradition and guided John Lovett ’73, Mike Kenny ’71, Al Novell ’70 and Tom Donahue ’71 to the 1970 NCAA Championship in the distance medley relay. Behind a pair of 1972 Olympians — Tony Colon ’75 (who represented Puerto Rico in the 1,500-meter) and Mike Keogh ’74 (who ran for Ireland in the 5,000-meter) — Manhattan won the 1973 IC4A cross country title. The team also added the IC4A indoor crown.

At the 1973 NCAA Indoor Championships, the Jaspers made history. They won the team title for Manhattan’s first (and, so far, only) NCAA Championship in any sport. Ken McBryde ’75 and Cliff Bruce ’74 earned All-America status with third-place finishes in the triple jump and 1,000-yard run, respectively, while Keogh won the national title for the two miles. The championship was clinched when Lovett, Ray Johnson ’76, Joe Savage ’74 and Colon set a world record of 9:43.8 in the distance medley relay.

In 1974, the Manhattan foursome of Pete Squires ’74, Matt Centrowitz, Savage and Colon

Lindy Remigino ’53 (#981) takes gold at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

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set an American record in the 4x1 mile relay, and the Jaspers were again represented at the Olympics in 1976 when Errol Thurton ’76 ran the 400 for British Honduras in Montreal.

Draddy Debuts With the opening of Draddy Gymnasium in 1979, the Jaspers had an on-campus facility for the first time in program history.

Housing the largest indoor track in New York City at the time, it quickly became a training ground for world-class athletes, and several world records were set here.

In 1988, the facility began hosting the Millrose Games shot put and weight throw competitions, which annually drew top athletes from around the world. The 200-meter oval was resurfaced in 1996 and dedicated in 2002 to the late Joseph Kearney ’67, a threetime All-American who at one time held nine different school records. In 2011, the track surface was completely replaced with state-of-the-art Mondo material.

A Team of Their Own A new era in track and field history dawned in 1984, when the women’s program was added.

Under the direction of Dan Sullivan, the women’s team quickly established a winning tradition of its own and finished second at the inaugural Metropolitan Cross Country Championships in 1985 and third at the 1986 Metropolitan Indoor Championships. In just their second full season, the Jaspers won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Cross Country Championship in 1986.

The men’s team continued to thrive during this period, too, with Sam Summerville ’80, Louis Ostolozaga ’81, Willie McLaughlin ’85, Gary Halpin ’88 and Bruce Phillip ’89 all earning multiple All-America selections. Halpin was the 1988 NCAA champion

in the weight throw. In 1992, Manhattan won the IC4A indoor title, its first IC4A crown in nearly 20 years. Later that year, Paul Quirke ’86 became the Jaspers’ first Olympian in 16 years when he represented Ireland in the shot put at the Barcelona Games.

Dwyer retired following the 1993 season after coaching 41 AllAmericans, including four NCAA champions and four Olympians during his 24-year tenure. Manhattan won one NCAA Championship, four IC4A Championships and 19 Metropolitan Championships under Dwyer.

A Running Mecca Dan Mecca, who had assisted Dwyer since 1986, became head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs in 1994 and has continued to build upon the legacy of his predecessors. In his first season, Pat McGrath ’95 and Patrick Martin ’95 both earned All-American status in the weight throw. McGrath represented Ireland in the hammer throw at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. At the 1995 NCAA Indoor Championships, Michael Williams ’96 won the title in the 800-meter.

Dine Potter ’97 became the Jaspers’ first female Olympian, when she represented Antigua & Barbuda in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Legendary coach Pete Waters, 194os

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The distance medley relay team of Tony Colon ’75, Joe Savage ’74, Ray Johnson ’76 and John Lovett ’73 broke the NCAA Championship record with a time of 9:43.8 at the Indoor Track Championships in Detroit on March 10, 1973.

Steve Agar ’92 also competed in the Atlanta Olympics and ran the 1,500 for Dominica.

The MAAC, which has been holding a Cross Country Championship since 1981, began sponsoring the annual Indoor Conference Championships in 1997, with the MAAC Outdoor Championships added in 1998.

Manhattan, a founding member of the conference, has dominated both meets since their inception. The Jasper men have won 16 straight indoor MAAC titles and 14 of the 15 Outdoor Championships. The women have been just as successful, and have won the indoor 13 times and the outdoor 11 times, along with six Cross Country Championships.

Worldwide recognition This success at the conference level carried over onto the regional and national stages.

Aliann Pompey ’99 became the first Manhattan woman to win a national title when she won the 400-meter at the 2000 NCAA Indoor Championships. She would make her first Olympic appearance for her native Guyana later that year in Sydney. She competed in the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, as well.

Also in 2000, Jake Freeman ’04 earned All-American status in both the weight throw (indoors) and hammer throw (outdoors) as a freshman. Freeman would gain this distinction in both events in each of the next three years,

and became the first eight-time All-American in school history. He earned two national crowns: winning the weight throw at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships and claiming the title in the hammer throw at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Freeman also made history by winning four straight IC4A Championships in both events, while Manhattan won the team title at the 2004 IC4A Indoor Championships.

Just one year later, the College again made history at the 2005 IC4A Championships, when Zoran Loncar ’07 led a 1-2-3-4 finish in the hammer throw. It was the first sweep of a field event ever at the IC4As. In addition, all four Jaspers threw more than 200 feet, which marked the first time in NCAA history that one school had four 200-foot performances in the same competition.

More recently, Milan Jotanovic ’09 was a five-time AllAmerican in the shot put from 2006-08. He capped his Manhattan career with a fourth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which was the last time the Jaspers received a team score at the national meet.

In 2010, Malin Marmbrandt ’11 won the long and triple jumps at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships, and became the first woman to pull off the double in the event’s history.

There’s no telling how many more memorable moments and legendary athletes will emerge in the program’s second century.

sportsshorts Aliann pompey answers london’s call Former Manhattan College track and field star Aliann Pompey ’99 advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 400-meter at the 2012 London Olympics in August. Representing her native Guyana, Pompey posted a time of 52.10 seconds in her quarterfinal heat at London’s Olympic Stadium. It was the third straight Olympics in which Pompey advanced to the semifinal round. Manhattan assistant track and field coach Joe Ryan ’81 served as a team official for the delegation from Guyana for the second straight Olympics and coached Pompey.

Volleyball sets up an Academic Award The volleyball team was presented with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Award for its success in the classroom during the 2011–12 academic year. The award is given out annually to all college and high school programs that maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Swimmers go the distance in Team Honors The men’s and women’s swimming teams have been recognized for their success in the classroom by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). Both squads were named CSCAA Scholar All-American Teams for the 2012 spring semester.

This marks the 31st consecutive semester that the women’s team has received the honor. On the men’s side, the Jaspers were selected for the fourth time in the last seven semesters.

The CSCAA gives out the Scholar All-American Team award each semester to all college swimming and diving programs with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, the women’s program received a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for its academic excellence.

Women’s Lacrosse scores Academic Recognition The women’s lacrosse team was cited for its academic success during the 2012 season by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). The Jaspers were one of 42 Division I programs to earn academic squad honors by having a combined team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Manhattan Unveils Jasper Athletic Club Manhattan College has launched the Jasper Athletic Club, the official fundraising arm for the department’s NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Jasper Athletic Club will assist in enriching the student-athlete experience at Manhattan and foster an environment where the athletic programs are able to successfully compete on a national level. Visit GoJaspers.com to find out more about the club.

New Faces in the Athletic Department Manhattan College named Amanda McEntire assistant athletic director for facilities and event management. McEntire will oversee the operations and scheduling for Manhattan’s athletic facilities at Draddy Gymnasium, Gaelic Park and Van Cortlandt Park. She comes to Manhattan from New York University, where she most recently served as the athletic department’s facility and event manager, a position she held since 2010.

Ezron Bryson was appointed assistant director of sports medicine after spending two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan. Bryson previously worked on the New York Jets training staff. A 2009 graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in athletic training, he received a master’s degree in sports management from Michigan in 2012.

Steve Manitta was named head coach of the men’s lacrosse program in July. He comes to Manhattan after three years as head men’s lacrosse coach and assistant athletic director at Mercy College. Manitta was hired as the first head coach of Mercy’s fledgling program in 2009. In 2011, he was named East Coast Conference (ECC) Coach of the Year after leading the Mavericks to an 11–3 record and national ranking, peaking at No. 7 in NCAA Division II. Manitta will be assisted by Matt Nealis, John Lade and Sal Marinello.

Rasheen Davis and Oliver Antigua are the newest members of the men’s basketball coaching staff. Davis, a New York City native, returns to his hometown and brings five years of high-level NCAA Division I experience to the program. He spent the past two years as an assistant coach at Xavier, where he helped the Musketeers with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2012. Antigua enjoyed a successful coaching career at St. Raymond High School in the Bronx. He coached the Ravens to five Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Class AA Championships during his 13-year tenure.

Bridgette Ingram was hired as assistant track and field coach.

Ingram is a former Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) heptathlon champion from Seton Hall, where she served as the captain of the track and field team.

Jaspers Go Live In October, the Athletic department launched the newly redesigned GoJaspers.com, which features the JasperVision.tv multimedia portal. JasperVision.tv provides fans with the opportunity to watch live and on-demand Manhattan athletic events, including all non-televised home men’s and women’s basketball games, in high definition on their computers or iPads. Conference road games against Canisius, Iona, Marist, Rider and Saint Peter’s will also be available to JasperVision.tv subscribers as a part of the MAAC.tv package.

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Men’s Lacrosse Playing a challenging nonconference schedule that featured nationally ranked opponents, the men’s lacrosse team struggled out of the gate in 2012. The Jaspers dropped their first two contests of the season on the road, including a competitive effort at No. 11 Princeton, before playing their first home game on March 3.

The squad stepped up in front of the Jasper faithful as they came away with an impressive 11–9 win over Providence at Gaelic Park. Freshman Matt Thistle scored a career-high five points, including three goals, in the victory. Manhattan then embarked on a three-game road trip to take on No. 2 Johns Hopkins, Sacred Heart and Mercer. After dropping the first two games, the Jaspers’ defense held off a late rally for an 8–6 win over Mercer. That victory would be a spark for the next month, as Manhattan won four out of five games to get back to .500 on the season.

A nail-biting home win over Binghamton on St. Patrick’s Day was shortly followed with an impressive victory over MAAC preseason favorite Detroit on March 31. A career-high 19 saves in net by sophomore Rich Akapnitis and three goals from senior Brian McGrath propelled the team to the 8–6 win.

The Jaspers would cap off their impressive streak of play with their largest offensive output in more than five years with a 20–5 win over Wagner at Gaelic Park on April 3. Junior Tyler Jarvis scored five goals in the victory, while senior Brendan Rogers had a career-high eight points, including a personal best seven assists.

Unfortunately for Manhattan, the hot play would not carry for the remainder of the season, as the team lost its final four games and finished the year at 5–9, including 1–5 in the MAAC. The Jaspers missed the conference tournament for the second consecutive year, but a plethora of talent will return in 2013 — Jarvis will help pace the offense as the goalkeeping tandem of Akapnitis and freshman Michael Wiatrak will both be back next season.

Five Jaspers were named to the MAAC All-Academic team, as senior Steve Harvey, juniors Jon Crean and Paul Moreau joined sophomores Mike Casson and William Gerard on the list.

Tyler Jarvis ’13

Women’s Lacrosse The women’s lacrosse team quickly adapted to the new coaching style of firstyear head coach Diane Haddeland. Despite opening the year with a loss to Stony Brook, Manhattan bounced right back in its home opener defeating Bucknell 13–12. The victory was highlighted by freshman goalkeeper Christina Fiorinelli’s career-high 19 saves, including one with five seconds remaining in the game.

Throughout the season, the Jaspers struggled to find a consistency out on the field, yet managed to play quite well at Gaelic Park.

After enduring a four-game road trip in March, Manhattan returned home to face conference rival Marist on April 4.

Trailing by five as time wound down in the first half, the Jaspers scored three goals to go into the locker room trailing by just two. After the break, freshman Donna Jo DiNorcia continued the comeback trail for Manhattan, as she scored a career-high five

goals, and the Jaspers came all the way back for a dramatic 13–12 victory. It would not be the last time they found a little magic at Gaelic. On April 14, hosting MAAC opponent Niagara, Manhattan fell behind 13–7 with 20 minutes remaining in the game. The Jaspers would score eight of the final nine goals, including a game-winner from junior Kelsey Rehain with 1:03 left to defeat the Purple Eagles 15–14.

Although the team dropped its final game of the year to Iona and missed out on the conference tournament, it did place six Jaspers on All-MAAC teams. Seniors Chrissy Gutenberger, Elizabeth Dugan and Breana Leonard were each named All-MAAC Second Team performers, while DiNorcia, Fiorinelli and sophomore Domenica O’Brey earned AllMAAC Rookie Team honors.

Gutenbeger finished off one of the best offensive careers in Manhattan history as she finished the year second all-time in points Chrissy Gutenberger ’12

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(196), goals (164) and tenth in assists (32).

Meanwhile, Fiorinelli was recognized as the NCAA leader in ground balls per game with a 3.79 average in her freshman year.

Roman Ewald ’12

Track and Field One year after losing the conference title to Rider for the first time ever, the men’s outdoor track and field team was back at the top of the MAAC in 2012. The Jaspers beat Rider by a margin of more than 50 points to regain their MAAC title.

Senior Roman Ewald was named Most Outstanding Performer for Field Events after winning the shot put and discus and also finishing second in the hammer throw. The Jaspers also got first-place finishes from freshman Anastas Papazov in the hammer throw, senior Pat Consoli in the javelin, junior Brian McGovern in the pole vault, and freshman Greg Perrier in the 800-meter. In addition, head coach Dan Mecca was named MAAC Men’s Coach of the Year.

On the women’s side, the Jaspers finished second to Saint Peter’s for the second consecutive season. Manhattan’s sprinters turned in impressive performances, as junior Ashley Bowman won the 100-meter, and junior Cara Rostant grabbed first place in the 200-meter.

The team also captured both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay titles, while freshman Karolin Wagner added a conference championship in the pole vault.

The MAAC Championships were the highlight

of another successful campaign for the Jaspers that also featured freshman Phil Ragan setting a school record in the javelin throw. He would later win the event at the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympics and earn Junior All-American status after placing seventh at the USATF Junior Championships.

At the Metropolitan Championships, junior Andrea Nyback beat her own school mark in the heptathlon, and the men’s squad defended its team title. Junior Felix Siljeback-Larsen won the decathlon at the IC4A Championships, extending Manhattan’s streak to 43 consecutive seasons with an IC4A champion. In addition, Papazov captured the men’s hammer throw Championship of America at the Penn Relays.

Senior Albert Johnson III was fifth in the men’s long jump Championship of America at the Penn Relays, his second career top-five finish in the event.

Three Jaspers qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round — Johnson in the long jump, Ewald in the discus, and Papazov in the hammer throw. With a sixth-place finish, Papazov advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He placed 16th at the NCAA Championships to earn Second Team All-America honors.

Women’s Tennis The women’s tennis team came within one match of qualifying for the MAAC Tournament in 2012. The Jaspers posted a thrilling 4-3 victory over Saint Peter’s on April 12 but saw their postseason hopes dashed with a 4-3 loss to Niagara three days later. Overall, Manhattan ended up with a 5-13 record, including a 2–5 mark in MAAC play.

All five of the Jaspers’ victories came at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including back-to-back triumphs over Rider and Monmouth to begin the season. Manhattan also posted dominating wins over Hartford (6–1) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (7–0) before the dramatic finish against Saint Peter’s.

With the match even at 3–3, freshman Alyssa Rosello came back from one set down to post a 5–7, 6–4, 6–1 victory that clinched the win for the Jaspers. Manhattan’s contest with Niagara also came down to the final singles match, but Niagara prevailed and knocked the Jaspers out of the postseason.

After the season, Rosello and senior Christina Ton were recognized by the conference’s head

coaches with a selection to the All-MAAC Second Team at No. 3 doubles. Rosello also became the first Manhattan player named to the All-MAAC singles squad since 2006. She earned a place on the AllMAAC Second Team at No. 6 singles. Rosello took over the No. 6 position late in the season and finished 6–5 overall and 4–4 in dual matches.

Other top performers for the Jaspers included junior Lili Johnson, who played No. 1 singles in all 18 dual matches, and sophomore Brianna Turano.

Johnson recorded nine singles victories, while Turano, playing mostly in the No. 4 position, led the team with 10 singles wins. The duo was also Manhattan’s top doubles team. Johnson and Turano played together at No. 1 doubles in every dual match and posted a 9–9 record, including a 4–3 mark against MAAC opponents.

In addition to their exploits on the court, the Jaspers excelled in the classroom. Johnson and Ton were both recognized for their academic success with selections to the MAAC All-Academic Team.

Alyssa Rosello ’15

sports

Kate Bowen ’14

Softball The 2012 season was one of transition for the softball program. After the graduation of eight seniors from the 2011 squad that set a school record with 12 MAAC wins, new faces graced the diamond at almost every position, and a number of different Jaspers found themselves stepping into new roles.

Despite some early struggles, this group improved as the season went on. However, Manhattan saw its run of three-straight MAAC Tournament appearances come to an end.

The Jaspers turned in several memorable performances during the season. On March 12 against Lafayette, sophomore Kate Bowen and junior Kelsi Redding combined on a brilliant three-hit shutout, as Manhattan notched a 1–0 victory. Redding then tossed a complete game shutout (with eight strikeouts) against Quinnipiac on April 18, while Bowen shut out Canisius on April 21. That victory was historic, as it marked the thirdstraight year in which Manhattan posted a win over Canisius, the first time in program history that has occurred.

Bowen also had a number of sensational offensive performances. She finished a homerun shy of the cycle in a 12–4 win over

Niagara on April 28, then belted the gamewinning three-run homer in a 4–2 victory at Marist the following day. In Manhattan’s home finale against Fairfield on May 5, Bowen pitched a two-hit shutout and delivered a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Jaspers a 4–0 victory. She was named MAAC Player of the Week for that performance.

Bowen was named First Team All-Northeast Region as a utility player and Second Team All-MAAC as an infielder after leading the Jaspers in RBIs and batting average for the second consecutive season. She finished as team leader in every major offensive category and had the lowest ERA on the squad.

Regular contributions also came from junior Amanda Babcock, who started every game at shortstop, and junior captain Jen Keller, the Jaspers’ starting center fielder in every contest. Junior Jocelin Whitmore was a full-time starter for the first time. She played stellar defense in right field — not committing an error — and contributed nine outfield assists, while also serving as Manhattan’s primary leadoff hitter.

Junior Meghan McDevitt emerged as

one of Manhattan’s top power threats and led the team in home runs, while freshmen Amanda Paxson and Mickayla Romero were both among the team leaders in RBIs. Redding paced the pitching staff in both appearances and innings. She also registered teamhighs in wins, strikeouts and saves.

The Jaspers were also successful in the classroom, as five players were placed on the MAAC All-Academic Team. Bowen and Babcock were joined on the All-Academic squad by seniors Kelly Murray and Amanda Berrios, as well as junior Anna Gallacher.

Golf For the golf team, the 2011– 2012 season was a little different.

For the first time since the turn of the century, the Jaspers were under the direction of a new coach.

Alumnus Jerry Wood ’75 returned to the College where he served as team captain his senior year and won the prestigious Jasper Award given to the student-athlete with highest cumulative GPA. Although they had a new coach, the players didn’t seem to need much transition time.

In their first tournament of the year, they broke the school record for lowest combined score in a nonconference tournament and Matthew Creamer ’13

finished sixth at the Central Connecticut State Blue Devil Fall Invitational after a total score of 296.

Junior Matthew Creamer paced the team with a fourth-place individual performance.

Creamer would go on to have six top-20 finishes throughout the year, including an individual championship at the Susquehanna Fall Invitational on Sept. 24, which paced Manhattan to the team title. Later, he would finish eighth at the Yale Opener and 10th at the MAAC Tournament at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course.

His conference tournament score of 220 broke the College’s three-

round score record previously held by Chris Damiano ’04 in 2002.

He was also named a 2012 MAAC All-Academic Team member.

Chris Calabro also shot well all year for the Jaspers with three top-15 finishes in his sophomore season. He led Manhattan at the La Salle Invitational, finishing eighth, and then followed that up with a 10th place finish at the Peter King Memorial and 13th at the Peacock Invitational. Creamer was joined on the All-Academic Team by senior Robert Kehoe, as well as sophomores Marc Delzio and Jonathan Feuer.

Taylor Sewitt ’12

Baseball The baseball team enjoyed one of the most memorable campaigns in program history. The Jaspers repeated as MAAC champions in thrilling fashion and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the previous seven seasons.

Manhattan was paired with NCAA regional host South Carolina, the two-time defending College World Series Champions, and then faced Coastal Carolina in the elimination round in which the Jaspers’ magical season came to an end.

The team made national headlines after a historic run in the 2012 MAAC Tournament. Manhattan became the first club in conference history to rally for the title after losing the first game of the double elimination tournament. The Jaspers were forced to win four games in three days to capture the program’s second-straight league crown, the third since 2006.

Senior pitcher Taylor Sewitt earned MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, after delivering one of the more impressive performances in college baseball history.

Sewitt pitched 22 scoreless innings during the last three days of the tournament and won three games. He finished with 20 strikeouts, gave up only 10 hits, and threw a total of 296 pitches.

Juniors Nick Camastro, Ramon Ortega, Joe Rock and Brendan Slattery joined Sewitt on the MAAC All-Tournament Team.

Camastro finished the MAAC Tournament with a .476 batting average. He had his biggest hit of the year with a leadoff triple that led to the game-winning run in the 10th inning of the first game of the championship round against Canisius. Slattery had the game-winning RBI in that contest, while Rock also kept the Jaspers’ season alive with a game-tying homerun in

the bottom of the ninth that forced extra innings. Ortega contributed with a tournament-high six RBIs over five games.

Junior Kyle Murphy was a star in the title contest and posted the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to take a 3–2 triumph over Canisius. Sewitt finished off his spectacular pitching performance by recording every out in the championship game. For his superb effort, he was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

Among the many highlights of the 2012 season, the Jaspers collected their fourth MAAC regular season title in the last five years and made the program’s 10th consecutive bid into the conference tournament four-team field. The Manhattan ballplayers were also unstoppable at Van Cortlandt Park, where they posted a perfect 18–0 record and were the only team in NCAA Division I to go undefeated at home.

Sewitt and junior outfielder Anthony Vega garnered Northeast Region honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). Sewitt was named to the ABCA First Team, and Vega received Second Team recognition. Vega also earned First Team All-MAAC honors and was selected in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He was joined on the All-MAAC First Team by teammates sophomore Yoandry Galan, junior John Soldinger, Camastro and Ortega.

The Jaspers placed four student-athletes on the MAAC All-Academic Team for their success in the classroom. Sophomores Chris Kalousdian, Michael Martin, Scott McClennan and Murphy received this award.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 21

With the continuous focus on sustainability in New York City’s five boroughs, Manhattan College maintains a commitment to making its campus more sustainable and to decreasing the College’s carbon footprint. As a way to further promote the importance of urban sustainability and environmental justice within the academic community and beyond, Manhattan recently opened a new Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (CURES).

By Liz Connolly Bauman // Illustration by Paul Hoppe

FINDING A CURE

The Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (CURES) plans to become a resource for faculty to advance and disseminate their existing and future research.

The diverse research covers a broad range of topics, including watershed management, green building design, alternative energy, urban planning, environmental politics, sustainable business practices and environmental ethics.

The Center will support outreach to private and nonprofit organizations, while fostering the further integration of environmental education into Manhattan’s undergraduate program. Along with the College’s minors in environmental studies and environmental engineering, and a master’s program in environmental engineering, CURES will encourage the launch of additional majors and minors pertaining to sustainability education.

“My biggest hope for CURES is that we can support and 22 N fAll 2012

facilitate the kind of interdisciplinary research that’s going to be necessary to help make cities and their surrounding regions more resilient, sustainable and just,” says Jeffrey Myers, Ph.D., director of CURES and associate professor of English. “Thus, with the new Center, they will have the ability to share their knowledge with students, academic peers and with the greater community at large.”

In the next year, the Center will host lectures with environmental experts to further expand the College community’s understanding of sustainability and green practices.

Yet, the launch of CURES is just one of the many green initiatives happening on campus.

A GARDEN WITH A VIEW

In conjunction with CURES, Manhattan College’s campuswide Sustainability Committee, comprised of faculty, students

MANHATTAN.EDU N 23

Students and staff from Gourmet Dining participate in a garden harvest in the East Hill Garden and a cooking class in Locke’s Loft in September. From left to right: Casey Barrett ’15 and Laurel Day ’16; Julianna Weiss ’16 and Kevin Woodford ’14; picked vegetables; Barrett, Kathleen O’Connell ’14 and Christopher Vernier ’15; Nicholas Valinotti, director of marketing and community relations for Gourmet Dining; and one of the many delicious dishes.

24 N fall 2012

says. “The presence of the rooftop garden will enable the College to lower its carbon footprint because of the essentially negligible distance required to transport these fruits and vegetables from source to table.”

Since the first plantings in early July, the rooftop garden has produced watermelon, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, squash, broccoli, lettuce, pumpkins and beans. Hunter also mentioned that Kathleen Bringley ’13, a biology major and minor in math and chemistry, was instrumental in helping to coordinate the planning and development of the garden.

“I have been happy with the progress of the garden thus far.

This summer, being a trial year, has taught me so much, and I look forward to implementing changes next spring,” Hunter says. “This winter, I plan on storing some things like buckets indoors but also taking a risk and leaving some exposed to the elements to see how they fare. It will be the Green Club’s role to expand the garden, finding funds through grants, donors and the College. I hope to have a more systematic business model set in place by utilizing students from all departments on campus.”

EAST OF GARDEN

During the summer of 2011, the College’s dining service provider, Gourmet Dining LLC, teamed up with 15 students and constructed a fruit, vegetable and herb garden next to East Hill Hall. This garden, similar to the rooftop garden, is meant to bring homegrown products to a variety of campus meals, and to demonstrate the value of growing locally and Manhattan’s commitment to sustainability.

Both gardens are maintained by a dedicated group of student volunteers, and staff from Gourmet Dining contributes to the upkeep of East Hill garden.

FARM TO PLATE

In addition to receiving some fruits, vegetables and herbs from the two campus gardens, Gourmet Dining is dedicated to investing in local companies. The New Jersey-based company started an initiative in 2005 to make purchasing locally

PHOTOs BY joshua cuppek

and administrators, is also dedicated to linking the greening of campus with classroom learning and civic engagement, and plans to partner on future initiatives with the Center. One particular initiative to build a rooftop garden was organized by the student-run Green Club and the Sustainability Committee earlier this year.

Last spring, 30 seniors from Chemical Engineering Laboratory II broke into seven teams to come up with a design for an irrigation system that could be utilized to grow fruits and vegetables on the 2,300-square-foot roof of the College’s Broadway parking garage. James Patrick Abulencia, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemical engineering, decided to focus the class solely on designing something that would be useful for the campus community.

“My team and I spent several hours thinking of how to create a truly innovative way to solve a practical problem,” explains Michael DiDonato ’12, a chemical engineering graduate student. “We wanted to create a rooftop planter that required the minimum amount of maintenance but yet would provide the fruits and vegetables our cafeterias needed.”

DiDonato and his three teammates came up with the winning design in Abulencia’s class.

“Our green space rooftop planter is a small system that allows vegetables and other plants to be grown on a rooftop without fear of the system’s soil running dry, as well as flooding, both of which would kill the plant,” DiDonato adds.

This past summer, students from the Green Club assembled for a few weeks in July to use this winning design to create a garden under the leadership of Nathan Hunter ’13, president of the Green Club, who is a marketing major and environmental studies minor. By combining plastic storage containers, drywall buckets, T-shirts and PVC pipes, the team created a reservoir system to allow the water to connect with the soil, and to start growing a variety of crops.

“This project not only benefits our students by allowing them to apply the engineering principles they learned in the classroom, but it also benefits the College community by generating fresh, local produce for our dining halls,” Abulencia

a top priority, especially seasonally from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Northeast region. This initiative includes all food, from meats, seafood, cheeses and artisanal goods to seasonal produce and baked goods.

As a company, in 2012, Gourmet Dining has doubled its composting levels to 420,000 pounds of food waste per year from its various campus kitchens. Throughout the academic year, it also hosts different themed events to encourage the Manhattan community to become involved in going green, from working in the community garden to an Earth Day promotion on the importance of saving water, recycling and more.

Once a month, a local farmer’s market or artisanal producer’s food is used in the cafeteria.

GETTING THE GREEN LIGHT

Since Manhattan College first signed on to follow Mayor Bloomberg’s push to create a greener, greater New York City with PlaNYC, the College has increased its sustainability efforts throughout campus. PlaNYC was an initiative taken in 2007 to prepare New York City for 1 million more residents, improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers, combat climate change and strengthen the economy.

One key effort the College signed on to was a partnership with the New York Restoration Project in 2009. As part of this partnership, Manhattan planted 24 trees with the MillionTreesNYC initiative, a citywide, public-private initiative to plant and care for 1 million new trees across the City’s five boroughs by 2017.

The College also joined the Association for Advancement in Sustainability for Higher Education (AASHE) in 2008 to help guide efforts in reducing its carbon footprint. Currently, Manhattan utilizes this membership as a way to connect to other institutions of higher education and also is considering AASHE’s benchmarking system, STARS (Sustainability Tracking and Rating System) for the future.

“Last year, the campus-wide Sustainability Committee was reactivated, and we made terrific progress on our goals for the year, which included the expansion of the community garden,

installation of a hydration station, and standardizing campus recycling efforts,” says Richard Satterlee, Ph.D., vice president for student life at Manhattan College.

As Satterlee mentions, in addition to the community gardens, the Sustainability Committee achieved the placement of a Brita hydration station in Thomas Hall, and all of the recycling bins now have proper labels. Residence Life is also doing its part to give residents, when they arrive on campus, tips to having an eco-friendly dorm and maintaining a proper battery-recycling receptacle in each residence hall. A few of these tips are to purchase shared Energy Star-compliant appliances, turn off lights and air conditioners, close mini-blinds to cool rooms, open windows as an alternative to using air conditioners, and minimize water consumption when bathing and brushing teeth.

The committee is now planning for the 2012-2013 year and focusing on reducing the use of office paper, installing another hydration station in Leo Hall, expanding the College’s composting efforts, and possibly purchasing a recycling machine to add to one of the dorms.

50 SHADES OF GREEN

As part of the College’s ongoing renovations throughout campus, all interior and exterior painting is being completed with low VOC (minimal to no pollutants) latex paint. Lighting on campus is also being updated with energy-efficient light bulbs and LED (light-emitting diode), where appropriate.

“Over the past year, two major projects were undertaken [fuel conversion of the Thomas Hall boilers and replacement and fuel conversion of the Overlook residence hall boilers], which will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 96 passenger vehicles off the road,” says Andrew Ryan, P.E., vice president for facilities.

“The College will continue these efforts with the planned replacement and conversion of the Leo boilers in 2013. We are also investigating other cost-effective energy conservation measures across the campus.”

As Manhattan College prepares to break ground in DecemMANHATTAN.EDU N 25

Nathan Hunter ’13, president of the Green Club, tends to the vegetables on the rooftop garden, on top of the Broadway parking garage. A blooming dill plant flowers from a plastic storage container also on the rooftop garden, which featured a variety of vegetables during the summer and fall.

ber for the Raymond W. Kelly ’63 Student Commons, the College anticipates opening its first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

GANG GREEN

The College’s Green Club launched in 2011 as an active student organization that seeks to educate members about environmental issues and topics of conservation through events, discussions and volunteer opportunities.

In addition to maintaining the rooftop and East Hill gardens, the Green Club was busy this semester planting daffodils throughout campus and the neighborhood on behalf of Project Daffodil to honor those who died on Sept. 11.

In early October, the Green Club visited the Science Barge in Yonkers, N.Y., which is doing cutting-edge work in zeroimpact hydroponic gardening. Members also attended the Amp Up Environmental Summit, a free environmental youth conference in October, and along with students from the Government department and Environmental Studies program, participated in an educational walk on the Croton-Aqueduct Trail in September.

The Green Club also started small-scale composting beside the East Hill garden, which consists mainly of garden waste with NYC Compost Project in the Bronx. This initiative began with the help of Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., associate professor of government, who put Hunter in contact with NYC Compost Project, which is funded and managed by the Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recy26 N fall 2012

cling and hosted at the New York Botanical Garden.

“In the near future, we plan on doing an audit on waste streams and look to divert compostables from entering the landfill,” Hunter adds. “We are officially designated as a community compost site, meaning we are able to get advice from a contact and are able to have them assist in development and expansion of future composting decisions.”

As part of a joint partnership between the Green Club, the Arches program and Van Cortlandt Park, members of the Green Club were trained in November by gardeners to identify invasive species and techniques for forest management in the wetlands area of the park. The partnership permits members to maintain the area of the park long-term, and also opens up an ongoing project for the Manhattan College community.

The student organization JustPeace also works to spread awareness and take action on social issues worldwide, such as fair trade practices, and was established in 2005 thanks in a large part to Groarke and Lois Harr, director of Campus Ministry and Social Action, assistant to the vice president for student life, and adjunct instructor of religious studies.

JustPeace was instrumental in helping the College become the first Fair Trade Certified College in New York City and the fifth in the nation earlier this year. The Manhattan community is dedicated to globally reducing poverty and building sustainable businesses by carrying fair trade products within all campus dining halls, restaurants, cafes and the bookstore.

“In the spring of 2007, members of JustPeace collected more than 80 comment cards asking for fair trade coffee and delivered them to Sodexho [the College’s former dining provider] and that led to Manhattan having fair trade coffee that fall,”

Mohammad Naraghi, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the department, instructs students on the solar photovoltaic panel on the roof of the Research and Learning Center (RLC). Clara Alcaraz ’13, a mechanical engineering major, analyzes the newly installed solar panel, which can provide hot water for the entire building.

Harr explains. “Members took the lead on the initiative from attending fair trade conferences, by giving away free samples, asking the bookstore about fair trade options, and holding fair trade events, such as desserts, tastings and a Jeopardy game.”

Members of JustPeace worked closely with the Fair Trade Steering Committee this October to plan various activities in honor of Fair Trade month. The different events included weekly fair trade banana desserts in Locke’s Loft and giving out chocolate samples at Halloween with Lasallian Collegians.

They also held a video screening of Sun Come Up, an awareness film about the first environmental refugees that focuses on the effect of global warming on the Carteret Islands, with Campus Ministry and Social Action, the Sustainability Committee and a few other groups on campus.

“Another educational awareness campaign we will be working on this semester is with water,” says Kathleen White ’14, current president of JustPeace and a double major in history and peace studies. “Although we have many events on the human rights side of it, we will also focus on the environmental side and lack of water in the world.”

STUDYING SUSTAINABILITY

Manhattan College offers a vast assortment of courses across all of its disciplines in arts, business, education and health, engineering, health and science that pertain to the environment, sustainability, environmental policy and justice. The following is a peek at a few of these courses, majors and minors.

All undergraduate students at Manhattan have the opportunity to minor in interdisciplinary environmental studies, as a way to strengthen environmental education for students in-

terested in future careers in the fields of environmental policy or education. In addition, the minor offers science or engineering majors a crucial background for understanding the social context in which their future work will take place.

One particular course, Environmental Politics, is a requirement within the environmental studies minor, taught by Pamela Chasek, Ph.D., professor of government and director of the international studies program (see sidebar on page 29 to read more about her participation in Rio+20). The course examines environmental politics at the local, national and international levels to expose students to the role of government and politics in the formulation of these policies.

An exciting part of the class is the chance for students to work on a group project that will benefit the College’s movement toward sustainability. The fall class worked on a rainwater-harvesting project proposal to submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of a national competition, and an examination of the possibilities of using renewable energy on campus.

Another course in the School of Arts, Environmental Ethics, taught by Eoin O’Connell, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, analyzes the major schools of environmental ethics and also explores the social, political and economic dimensions of environmental problems, such as climate change, sustainable business, energy and food. O’Connell was also instrumental in helping to guide the Sustainability Committee and Green Club on starting a rooftop garden.

In the School of Engineering, any engineering undergraduate can minor in environmental engineering. In addition, the graduate program has both Master of Environmental EngiMANHATTAN.EDU N 27

Green Club members Erica Morrin ’16 and Britney Sampson ’14 (left) and Lauren Cordova ’14 and Tyler Travis ’14 (right) planted daffodils on campus in late September to honor those who died on Sept. 11.

THE COLLEGE’S RECYCLING AT A GLANCE With the continued support and efforts of the Physical Plant staff, Manhattan College is committed to recycling throughout campus whenever possible.

Here are some of the annual statistics from 2010 and 2011.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION Recycled Paper and Cardboard = 25 tons per year Recycled Plastic, Glass, Metal = 12 tons per year UNIVERSAL WASTE (PROVIDED BY AMERICAN LAMP COMPANY) E-waste (computers, etc.) = 3 tons per year Batteries = 500 pounds per year Bulbs (mercury containing) = 4,000 per year Ballasts (PCBs) = 1,200 pounds per year

28 N fall 2012

neering and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering degrees, which date back to 1939 and further train engineers seeking careers at environmental consulting firms, in government agencies and in private industry. A few courses include: Advanced Hydraulic Design, Biological Treatment, Environmental Experimental Analysis, Environmental Fate and Effects of Toxic Contaminants, Environmental Sustainability: Water Reuse and Resource Recovery, and Water Treatment.

Many also don’t realize that within the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, some undergraduate and graduate students are exploring the fundamentals of solar energy. In fact, students and faculty devised a plan for the College to save on heating costs by the installation of a solar water heater on the roof of the Research and Learning Center (RLC) building this fall. In the future, the solar water heater will be used for other mechanical engineering classes to collect data, starting with Solar Energy System Theory and Design in spring 2013.

“Green engineering is incorporated throughout the mechanical engineering curriculum, and a number of design projects in senior courses are involved in renewable energy projects, including a solar powered cooler, solar chimney and biogas plant,” explains Mohammad Naraghi, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the department. “As a part of the senior capstone design project (MECH 401), students are redesigning the greenhouse on the top floor of Leo Hall to convert it to a renewable energy laboratory.”

The Mechanical Engineering department also has a photovoltaic solar panel on the roof of RLC and a portable one in Leo Hall, which are both utilized for different classes. For example, the Introduction to Engineering course, which is required for all freshmen engineering students, has a mechanical engineering module and offers students insight into sustainable energy with experiments on solar panels and fuel cells.

“Seeing a picture of an actual system or schematic does not usually leave the same impression as seeing the real thing,” adds graduate student Mark Kaszczak ’11 on the benefits the panels brings to current students. “Possibly, the system may cause a spark of creativity, and that student may revolutionize the industry as we know it.”

During his time as an undergraduate, Kaszczak installed the photovoltaic solar panel on the roof of RLC as an active solar system, and initially used a few computers and lights to test the system. Currently working as a CNC machinist at Stoffel Polygon Systems in Tuckahoe, N.Y., he will complete his master’s in 2013.

One course in particular, Energy Dynamics of Green Buildings (formerly called Analysis and Design of HVAC Systems), offered insight for 14 graduate students this fall on how exactly building design affects energy use. In fact, draft chapters from Naraghi’s forthcoming book Energy Dynamics of Green Buildings were utilized as the course textbook. The course taught by Frank Henry, Ph.D., visiting professor of mechanical engineering, discusses technology and methods for maintaining comfortable conditions and ecological balance within buildings, with an emphasis on high performance sustainable design, human comfort, social responsibility, ecology and sustainability.

Henry points to the recent example of the upgrades made to the Empire State Building last winter, which reduced the building’s energy consumption by nearly 38 percent, as a key reason why the course is important to the master’s program.

A few other mechanical engineering courses related to sustainable energy are Alternative Energy Systems, Energy Conversion, Energy Dynamics Green Buildings II and Sustainable Materials Selection.

“A large number of our graduate students conduct master’s theses or research projects related to solar engineering,” Naraghi says. “Their work has resulted in more than 10 publications in prestigious journals and conferences, most notably are two publications in the recent issue of Solar Engineering Journal coauthored by Adrien Harant ’11 and Charline Seytier ’10.”

In addition to the courses mentioned, Manhattan College also has offered the following courses: Energy Management, Engineering Economy, Environmental Literature and Ecocriticism, Environmental Quality, Environmental Economics, Environmental Law, Environmental and Safety Issues in Construction for Engineers, General Ecology, Green Engineering Design, Intro to Civil Engineering, Intro to Meteorology, Modern Architecture and the Environment: Ecologically Sustainable and Socially, Principles in Public Health, Pollution Prevention, Project Management and Religion and Environmentalism, and Topics in Applied Conservation.

The future looks green

The College continues to focus on sustainability and going green whenever possible through the new CURES Center, campus gardens, environmental improvements on campus, green student organizations, and educating the future leaders of tomorrow with numerous green course offerings. As Manhattan prepares for another semester and a new year, the College is dedicated to expanding and strengthening sustainability throughout campus.

Green with energy

Pamela Chasek, Ph.D., professor of government and director of the international studies program, devoted some of her summer to expanding her own sustainable development and environmental justice knowledge at a global summit. In June, she attended the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil on behalf of Earth Negotiations Bulletin, for which she is the co-founder and executive editor, to help provide real-time coverage of the negotiations and numerous events.

Earth Negotiations Bulletin, part of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is a reporting service on environment and development negotiations at the UN. Chasek’s involvement with sustainable development stems back to the first Rio Earth Summit in 1992. She also recently co-edited The Roads from Rio: Lessons Learned from Twenty Years of Multilateral Environmental Negotiations, a book that reviews the accomplishments and shortcomings since the first Rio Earth Summit.

“The aim of Rio+20 was to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress, and address new and emerging challenges,” Chasek says.

Many of the new initiatives, policies and ideas were described in Rio+20’s final document, titled The Future We Want. One goal will hopefully put into place a plan to prevent dryland degradation, and was further discussed at the Fourth International Drylands, Deserts and Desertification Conference in Israel, in which Chasek participated.

Another major point that Chasek reiterated from her own experience in higher education and in the aftermath of the conference, is the role education plays in sustainable development. A side event at Rio+20 announced a declaration for educational institutions around the world to reduce their carbon footprint and integrate sustainable development in the classroom, in research and within the community.

With the recent establishment of the Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability, Chasek is optimistic that the Center will help the College to further expand its contribution to sustainable development.

This fall, Chasek has integrated many of the key themes from Rio+20 into her classroom. Her Environmental Politics course analyzes global environmental politics and the major issues involved in ecological sustainability and development (see page 27 for more information about the class).

The Intern advantage

W

By Kristen Cuppek + Photos by Darcy Rogers

hether they visit the Center for Career Development, talk to their professors, go to the Career Fair or investigate opportunities on their own, Manhattan students understand the value of an internship and the importance of gaining some industry experience before leaving the College. And they definitely take advantage of Manhattan’s convenient location. In fact, 95 percent of students who intern, do so in New York City.

With 143 students interning this past summer, here is just a sample of what a few enterprising Jaspers did during their break and how they got their impressive positions.

Isjana Dizdari ’12 Major: Finance Internship: J.P. Morgan

Isjana Dizdari ’12 has practically been interning since she graduated from high school.

While in high school, she participated in Virtual Enterprises International, an in-school entrepreneurship program and global business simulation in which students create and manage business ventures.

Through the program, she landed a summer internship in corporate operations at J.P. Morgan. Afterward, Dizdari stayed in touch with her manager, whom she asked about any other internship opportunities throughout the company. Her manager was able to set Dizdari up with an internship in the commercial banking global funds group, and the Bronx senior has been at J.P. Morgan, part time throughout the school year and full time in the summers, since her sophomore year.

As an operations intern in the company’s Park Avenue office, Dizdari’s work goes above and beyond the simple tasks typically associated with internships. She does a lot of the group’s auditing and manages her own projects.

“I now house a system, and I basically check on every single one of our clients,” she says. “About now, I think I have about 3,000 clients.

I talk to auditors, brokers and attorneys sometimes for hedge fund administrative companies.”

Being a year-round intern takes a considerable amount of dedication and effort, but it has been worth it for Dizdari.

“It has been eye-opening. It is interesting to work in business and then sit down in a business course and learn everything,” she says.

“What I have learned at my job isn’t necessarily what I am learning in my finance courses, but it is what I am learning in my management courses or in my advertising courses. So I am getting a feel for everything, but I think it’s great to really get the real-world experience while still learning everything in school.”

Expecting to graduate early in December, Dizdari is keeping her options open and is thinking of moving into more of a finance-based position, preferably as an analyst. She likes being on the client side, but would like to work more with numbers.

“I think it has given me perspective that I really want to be more finance-based,” she says. “It is great to have the background that I have because I’m dealing with clients, and not a lot of people can say that.”

MANHATTAN.EDU N 31

Bilal Abdul-Nabi ’13 Major: Computer Science Internship: HBO Actively searching for a summer internship, Bilal Abdul-Nabi ’13 found guidance from the Center for Career Development and one his professors, who recommended that he apply to HBO. A little skeptical about his odds of landing an internship with the premium cable network, the Bronx techie cast aside his doubts and applied. A week later, he was scheduled for an interview in which he was grilled about the Java programming language. Although he didn’t quite answer the questions correctly, his enthusiasm and deductive reasoning won over his interviewer.

As an applications developer in the information technologies department of HBO, Abdul-Nabi was part of a team responsible for adding features and fixing bugs for a high-management level application, which was implemented in Java.

“I’m proud that, after two months of steady programming work, a substantial amount of code fixes have been done by my team and me,” he says. “I think most of the software development highlight is saved for when the first deployment of an application is sent out to the users.

Diligently working toward that end goal is something I was proud of.”

HBO also offered some extracurricular learning and executive mingling for its interns through its weekly Speaker Series, in which high32 N fall 2012

level managers talk about what they do and answer questions.

“It was a great way to connect and network with some senior members of HBO,” says Abdul-Nabi, a member of the College’s Games Club.

“Plus, I got to meet Otto Berkes, one of the architects for Xbox, which was pretty awesome!”

Since his sophomore year, he also has been working in Manhattan’s Client Services (formerly known as JET). He credits his work-study job with helping him to obtain his first internship at Quantum Networks, which, in turn, helped him get his second internship at HBO. Among the many perks, his work at HBO has shed light on a few career queries, such as advancement opportunities for software engineers, too.

“The internship experience was great because I got to prove what I learned at Manhattan College in a real-world setting,” he says. “It also gave me a reasonable amount of confidence in my skills as a programmer, since my changes to the source code are now implemented in a real-world company.”

After graduation, Abdul-Nabi hopes to go to Japan — a lifelong dream of his — and participate in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, in which he would teach English to high school students.

Maria Rodriguez ’12 Major: Nuclear Medicine Technology Internship: New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center

For almost 180 days, eight hours a day, Maria Rodriguez ’12 has been interning in the nuclear medicine department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center — her first choice of hospital assignments. Rodriguez started this past January and anticipates finishing up her requirement in January 2013.

As a student intern, the Yonkers, N.Y., native has had the opportunity to work on almost all of the patient imaging procedures in her department.

“You pretty much learn to do everything a technologist does,” she says. “Obviously, it takes time, but I can do bone scans, lung scans and PET [positron emission tomography] scans. I pretty much have learned how to be a real-life tech.”

Under the guidance of about eight technologists, Rodriguez has been learning from each of them about the different types of scans and protocols, including getting a peek at some unique images.

“We had a bone marrow scan, which is not the norm, it is rare, and I saw it,” she says. “It was really cool. They all taught me how to do everything.”

Now that she’s finished her PET rotation, Rodriguez can do anything related to PET scans. She also completed a cardiology rotation, among other imaging.

“The only thing I have to do is my hot lab rotation, which is basically working with the radiopharmaceuticals and measuring the doses,” she says.

Rodriguez can be working on practically anything on a typical day, as the nuclear medicine department performs a variety of different scans daily.

Reflecting on the many highlights of her internship, including learning from great teachers, she especially enjoyed her PET rotation.

“I think PET was my favorite out of all of them,” Rodriguez says. “The scans were just really cool. They do fusion imaging with CT [computed tomography] , so the images were awesome.

And the people I worked with there were really knowledgeable.”

She loves the field of nuclear medicine, and being at Columbia this past year has further reinforced her career choice.

“I feel like the internship really put everything together,” she says. “You learn about books and all these scans, but when I went to the internship, it was kind of like a light bulb went on. It is different seeing it than just reading about it.”

Once Rodriguez graduates in December and finishes her 180 days, she’ll take the boards, and then hopes to get a job working as a nuclear medicine technologist at a hospital — and would love to return to Columbia.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 33

Sara Jones ’13 Major: Chemical Engineering Internship: L’Oréal USA

For Sara Jones ’13, getting an internship at L’Oréal USA was all about making herself memorable. When the company came to the College for a case study with the School of Engineering during her sophomore year, she attended, but when they came back in her junior year, Jones decided to talk with one of the plant managers. When three representatives later participated in the Career Fair, she made a point of getting in line three times to make sure she spoke to each of them.

Jones, who is a national representative of the Society of Women Engineers, also ran into a L’Oréal plant manager at a Women’s Day panel event, who remembered the tenacious soccer player. By the time she arrived at the Franklin, N.J., plant for her internship, she learned that she had been remembered by several people.

She interned in the performance improvement department, where she focused on creating new education and training videos for the company.

“I created a new safety video to make sure that everybody in the plant — we actually go up, above and beyond the actual requirements for safety — has to watch before entering,” she says. “I made a video on good manufacturing practices, which are ways to make sure all of our products are up to standard.”

Jones actually made four videos, and the California native had never used a Mac or any of the software required to make a video. Not surprisingly, she taught herself how to use the programs and dove into the process of creating a film.

While not strictly using her engineering background, Jones credits her studies with helping her to approach these new, learning-intense projects.

“Mostly what chemical engineering is, is problem-solving,” she says. “So it wasn’t really using as much of my chemical engineering background, like the actual technical things, but more of what I’ve used throughout the years, which is problem-solving and persistence. Just sticking it out when things are hard.”

Always knowing that she wanted to work in the makeup industry, Jones has nothing but enthusiasm for the internship and the company.

“I think it was the best learning experience I had,” she says.

“It was a real eye-opener as to what the real world is like and not just ‘here’s all these equations that you have to memorize.’ I have to really apply things that I had learned in the real world.”

Jones received a job offer from L’Oréal in September and will enter its management development program after graduation, where she’ll rotate through the company’s various plants and learn all about the different manufacturing processes.

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Yuri Merezhko ’13 Major: International Relations Internship: Human Rights Watch

Yuri Merezhko ’13 considers himself lucky to have landed his internship.

But his persistence is what really played a big part. At the suggestion of his sister, he sent his résumé to Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, though there weren’t any listings for internships.

With some help from the staff at the Center for Career Development, who reviewed his résumé and prepared him for the interview, Merezhko must have impressed someone in the Europe and Central Asia division — his area of interest — as he received a call for an interview.

In fact, his internship director commented on his determination in pursuing the position with the New York City-based organization.

Fluent in Russian, the Yonkers, N.Y., senior primarily helped with Russian to English translation during his internship. At the time, the division was writing a press release on an anti-rally bill in Russia, which massively increases the size of fines for unapproved rallies in that country, and he basically helped translate the actual parts of the bill for the press release.

“I also made phone calls to embassies to get information,” Mer-

ezhko says. “I did a release and information-gathering on China’s aid in Central Asia. So I did a lot of research, too.”

An important focus of his division, he spent a lot of time devoted to the rally bill translation, in addition to working on the issue in Central Asia, and even had the chance to delve into a project that his group was just starting — the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“Everything I have learned in class actually applied to my everyday work,” says Merezhko, who also minors in Spanish and music. “Foreign policy classes, classes I took on the Middle East and Central Asia, everything applied.”

Equipped with an enthusiasm and facility for languages, as well as a great internship experience, he wants to do translation work after graduation and would definitely like to return to Human Rights Watch.

If not there, then he’d still like to work within some kind of international organization, such as the United Nations or UNICEF. “I’m interested in translation, and I got to do a lot of that,” he says.

“It was firsthand experience in the workplace. I was basically doing a lot of what some of the associates do there. It was really fulfilling.”

MANHATTAN.EDU N 35

c o mm e n c e m e n t

Spiritual Speaker Adds Cardinal Value to Commencement Cardinal Timothy Dolan Offers Heartfelt Blessings at Manhattan College’s 170th Commencement.

O

n May 20, nearly 750 students joined the ranks of prestigious Manhattan College alumni — some opting to pursue advanced studies and others heading into the workforce — but all equipped with a degree in love.

As seniors from the schools of Arts, Science, Business, Education and Health, and Engineering processed into Draddy Gymnasium for the 170th Commencement exercises, they were joined by a new Jasper — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, honorary degree recipient and keynote speaker.

“So here I trust, graduates, you’ve learned

36 N FALL 2012

to love,” he began. “Yes, you’ve learned to love friends, learning itself, New York City, life itself, your field of study, but also I trust you’ve learned to love even better God and other people.”

Love was certainly evident on campus that morning, as families held hands during the Lord’s Prayer at Baccalaureate Mass, as students shook the hands of their favorite professors, as parents gathered excitedly around their soon-to-be graduates, helping to smooth gowns and readjust caps before the first notes of Pomp and Circumstance.

Valedictorian Meredith Mayer ’12 shared

new spin on senior walk Senior Walk is a time-honored tradition at Manhattan College, but in recent years, incoming freshmen have started a new ritual that foreshadows their walk of fame four years later. At orientation, all incoming Jaspers must walk backward down the central pathway of campus from Smith Auditorium to Memorial Hall and recite a pledge to use only the perimeter of the Quad and not set foot on Senior Walk until they’ve earned senior class standing. Ceremonially, on Leadership Day in the spring semester, the newly elected senior officers become the first of their class to take the walk with the Senior Deed, which is handed down from the previous year’s class officers.

Trustee Michael Paliotta ’87 assists in the hooding of honorary degree recipient and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Thomas O’Malley ’63 during the College’s Commencement ceremony in May. Valedictorian Meredith Mayer ’12 inspires her classmates to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities.

own degrees, the words of Cardinal Dolan with her classmates the lessons of love she resonated through the rafters, inviting each gathered during a backpacking trip through India. With very few resources, she explained, student to consider his or her vocation.

“As Archbishop of New York, I meet alumni the locals still managed to create opportuniof Manhattan College helping in our soup ties for themselves and appreciate life. kitchens and homeless shelters, I see them “Seize opportunity from the things standteaching in our inner-city Catholic schools, I ing in your way. Find a need. Then find the see them wheeling kids with cancer to their solution. All of us have the tools and ability next MRI or blood test, I see them soothing to succeed. We just have to be mad enough the face of the dying at Calvary Hospital, I to use them,” Mayer encouraged. “Consee them as policemen and women walking gratulations, class of 2012. Here’s to joining the beat as dedicated cops or advising a climethod with madness.”

After Mayer’s speech, Brennan O’Donnell, ent on a morally upright way to invest his or her money. I see them as engineers helping Ph.D., president of Manhattan College, preto repair St. Patrick’s,” Cardinal Dolan said. sented Cardinal Dolan and Thomas O’Malley “I’ve seen the data folks, Manhattan College ’63, then outgoing chairman of the College’s teaches love.” board of trustees and executive chairman Following the awarding of diplomas, of PBF Energy Company LLC, with honorary O’Donnell concluded the Commencement Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. ceremony with a benediction, a prayer As the graduates prepared to receive their

for the graduates and their families that summed up the theme of the day.

“And finally I ask for you, that wherever you go and whatever you do, that the love you have known here at Manhattan College will forever make this place your hearts’ home,” he said. “We love you, and we’ll miss you. Congratulations, and God bless the class of 2012.”

Earlier in the week, Manhattan’s top 300 seniors were recognized for their academic achievements at the Spring Honors Convocation by being inducted into 33 honor societies. The deans also awarded 42 medals and prizes to students who excelled in their specific fields of study, and O’Donnell distributed eight medals of excellence, including the Valedictory Medal and the Joseph J. Gunn Alumni Medal, which was awarded to Christina Costas ’12.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 37

commencement

Chasing the Cardinal

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PHOTOs BY BLEACHER + EVERARD

rom the moment Cardinal Timothy Dolan stepped onto campus, his presence was felt throughout the College community. Whether it was through the countless smiles, the friendly handshakes or the simple heartfelt greetings, everyone — graduates, families and staff — shared in the excitement of meeting one of the Church’s most charismatic leaders. Emanating enthusiasm to be at Manhattan College, as well as elation over his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, he bestowed his genuine sincerity on all those with whom he met.

Follow the cardinal’s footsteps, as he makes his way from Memorial Hall, down Senior Walk and into Draddy Gymnasium, and embues the ceremony with a little pomp and circumstance and lots of love.

38 N FALL 2012

in his own words

“I sure rejoice and am glad in the honorary degree from a college that I admire very, very much — the degree that you just presented to me. Especially since I just last year finished paying off the tuition for the real one I earned 30 years ago!”

Meet The Cardinal Cardinal Timothy Dolan: • Has served as Archbishop of New York since 2009 • Elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 18, 2012 • Current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops • Named to Time magazine’s 2012 list of 100 Most Influential People in the World Before New York: • Ordained a priest in 1976 • Earned a doctorate from The Catholic University of America • Named Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis in 2001 • Served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002–2009

MANHATTAN.EDU N 39

c o mm e n c e m e n t

Honoring a Commitment to Educational Excellence at Spring Commencement

F Beverage industry leader John Esposito ’69 is awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at the College’s Spring Commencement in May.

40 N FALL 2012

or some, May 19 marked the culmination of formal schooling. For others, the completion of a longstanding promise to finish a degree. Whatever the occasion, Manhattan College’s Spring Commencement marked the proud end of an era for many.

Nearly 300 students were awarded master’s degrees from the Schools of Business, Education and Health, and Engineering, bachelor’s degrees from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS), and professional diplomas from the School of Education and Health.

The College also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to keynote speaker John Esposito ’69, former president

and CEO of Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. and Bacardi North America.

A leader in the beverage industry for more than 40 years, Esposito shared with the graduates his insights on building a successful career, becoming a lifelong learner and the importance of friends and family that help along the way.

“As you go forward, think about being a creator, an innovator. And think about taking smart risks. Anybody can sit on the sidelines.

It’s the creators and innovators who will step forward,” he said. “And even if you fail, remember, failure is often our greatest teacher.”

Gregory A. Player, a 2012 graduate of the civil engineering master’s program and a 2009 bachelor’s degree recipient, delivered

William Merriman, dean of the School of Education and Health, hoods Maria Gonzalez ’12, who earned her master’s in mental health counseling. Gregory Player ’12 stresses the importance of service to fellow graduates in his valedictory speech at Spring Commencement.

the valedictory speech at the ceremony.

“As the term commencement denotes, this is a beginning — the beginning of a longer journey to becoming leaders in the development of a safer, more ethical and more socially just future,” he said, stressing service through the Lasallian heritage.

After the awarding of diplomas, President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., sent the class of 2012 into the world with inspiring words and thanks to the families who sacrificed for their graduates.

“You’ve been with them in good times and in bad to cheer them on and support them. You’ve witnessed their dedication and their drive to succeed. And it’s been your voice that’s spoken to them when the world and all its pressing obligations and distractions seem to be saying ‘No, you can’t do this,’” O’Donnell said. “At those times it was you, shouting above all the noise, who said, ‘Yes, you can.’”

Out on the Quad following the ceremony, Toni Biaggi ’12, a graduate of the school counseling master’s program, took the words to heart and celebrated with her two daughters who earned degrees of their own in the same week — one, a law degree from Fordham University, and the other, a bachelor’s degree from New York University.

“It was difficult — I have a full-time job — but when I hit this campus, I came alive,” Biaggi said. “It was the best thing I ever did.”

SPRING COMMENCEMENT

BY THE NUMBERS

271

Students graduated

31%

42%

From the School of Education and Health

From the School of Engineering

7% 20% 200 55

From the School of Business

From the School of Continuing and Professional Studies Master’s degrees awarded

16

56

Bachelor’s degrees awarded

Professional diplomas awarded

1st

Class of students to graduate from MBA program

Students inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, the national education honor society

MANHATTAN.EDU N 41

development

Award-winning author James Patterson ’69 starts a bestseller on campus, the establishment of 16 scholarships in his name.

Along Came a Scholarship

A

ward-winning author and generous alumnus James Patterson ’69 has just released a new popular series at Manhattan College — the James Patterson Scholarships.

Since the establishment of 16 James Patterson Scholarships was first announced in May, Manhattan College has been reviewing the applications of several hundred students.

As of October, eight juniors and eight seniors from various disciplines were selected as recipients for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Patterson started the scholarship program as a way to recognize and reward the academic achievement and leadership potential of Manhattan students. The 16 recipients were chosen based on merit, need and involvement in activities related to the College’s mission, and all exemplify hard work, determination and leadership in the classroom and within the campus community.

“The scholarship program will support students whose success thus far gives promise of extraordinary accomplishment, leadership and service,” Patterson says. “My hope

42 N fall 2012

is that this recognition will encourage these talented young men and women to continue their good work, and inspire them to go out after graduation to make a real difference in their communities.”

In its first year, the scholarship program will award all 2012-2013 recipients with $5,000 each. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Patterson will increase the scholarships from 16 to 18, and recognize eight juniors and 10 seniors with awards. In addition, next year, four of the senior scholarship recipients will be awarded $7,500 each based on essay submissions about their personal contributions made to the College throughout their junior year.

“The students selected as recipients of the new Patterson scholarships are our future leaders,” says Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College. “They are young men and women who are excelling both in their coursework and through their contributions to our community and our mission.”

In addition to the James Patterson Scholarships, Patterson currently funds the James

Patterson Minority Scholarship at Manhattan, which started in 2006 and has supported the education of 25 students.

He has had 19 consecutive No. 1 novels on The New York Times Best Sellers List, and holds The New York Times and Guinness World Records for most hardcover fiction best-selling titles by a single author (76). His books include the top-selling detective series Alex Cross, featuring Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls, and the popular Maximum Ride, Daniel X and Witch & Wizard series.

A lifelong champion of books and reading, Patterson is passionate about encouraging people of all ages to read. In fact, he launched the website ReadKiddoRead.com as a tool for adults to help find books for kids to read. He also rewards groups or individuals who use creative and effective ways to spread the joy of reading with the James Patterson Pageturner Awards, and makes regular donations of thousands of books to troops overseas.

List of scholarship recipients >>

The scholarship recipients include: • Giuliana Addesso, junior, secondary education (Yonkers, N.Y.) • Morgan A. Maclearie, junior, special and elementary education (Toms River, N.J.) • Claire C. Miksad, junior, elementary education (Ridgefield, Conn.)

• Maria A. Sanzari, junior, special and elementary education (North Haven, Conn.)

• Eric Scattaretico, junior, special and elementary education (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) • Justin M. Vento, junior, chemical engineering (Lincroft, N.J.) • Kathleen P. White, junior, history and peace studies (Keansburg, N.J.) • Kathryn E. Wojtkiewicz, junior, philosophy and English (Lancaster, N.Y.) • Walaa K. Abdallah, senior, chemical engineering (Yonkers, N.Y.) • Marianna Belfiore, senior, elementary education (Howard Beach, N.Y.) • Lauren M. Buckheit, senior, allied health (Bayport, N.Y.) • Dimitri E. Mezidor, senior, finance and global business studies (Bridgeport, Conn.)

• Clare E. O’Connell, senior, elementary education (Fairfield, Conn.)

• Jeanette D. Settembre, senior, communication (Yorktown, N.Y.) • Nicole M. Vacca, senior, communication (Bronx, N.Y.) • Colleen E. Walsh, senior, secondary education (Baltimore, Md.)

CBS Host Expected To Take Home the Medal

J

ulie Chen, co-host of The Talk and host of Big Brother on CBS, will be the 2013 recipient of the De La Salle Medal at the College’s annual dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the Waldorf=Astoria.

The De La Salle Medal Dinner honors executives and corporations that exemplify the principles of excellence, corporate leadership and service to society. Former honorees include: Anne Mulcahy, chairman, Xerox Corporation; Sy Sternberg, chairman and chief executive officer, New York Life Insurance Company; Rudolph Giuliani ’65, former mayor of the City of New York; Eugene McGrath ’63, former chairman and chief executive officer, Con Edison; and Bill Klesse, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Valero Energy Corporation.

As co-host and moderator of The Talk, CBS’s daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show that examines topical events and contemporary issues through the eyes of five female hosts, Chen shares those duties with Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler. In addition, she hosts the summer reality series Big Brother.

Prior to her most recent assignments, Chen served as special contributing anchor (2010-2011) and co-anchor of The Early Show (2002-2010), CBS News’ weekday morning broadcast. Previously, she served as the news anchor of The Early Show and anchor

of CBS Morning News, the CBS Television Network’s early-morning, half-hour broadcast, since 1999.

She has covered several major news stories for The Early Show, including the war in Iraq, and in March 2003, reported during the conflict from Kuwait and Qatar.

Chen has interviewed newsmakers, such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ’65, Queen Rania of Jordan and former Defense Secretary William Cohen, and celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie, Chris Rock and Jennifer Lopez.

Before The Early Show, Chen worked as a reporter and anchor for WCBS-TV, the CBSowned station in New York (1997-1999).

She was born in Queens, N.Y., and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1991 with a degree in broadcast journalism and English. Chen lives in New York and Los Angeles with her husband, Leslie Moonves.

Proceeds from the dinner provide discretionary resources for the College and are applied to a wide variety of needs. For more information about this event and how you or your company can participate, please call Tiana Sloan, director of corporate and foundation relations, at (718) 862-7431 or email tiana.sloan@manhattan.edu.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 43

development

Generous Donors Meet Grateful Students

F

or years, alumni have been giving back to the College by providing financial support to students pursuing various areas of study but have never had the chance to meet the students whose lives they’ve touched. This year, both donors and recipients had the opportunity to meet the faces behind the funding — adding more meaning to the endowment program that made it all possible. In April, the College recognized donors and students at the inaugural Presidential Reception Celebrating Scholarship Donors and Student Recipients.

The event was held in Café 1853, where more than 90 people gathered for the reception. Students had the unique chance to meet the people behind their scholarships, and thank those who have supported them in their pursuit of a college degree. Thomas Mauriello, vice president for advancement, began the event by discussing the history of the scholarship program, and the impact donors have on the students’ academic success.

Afterward, Hyesu Kim ’12 reflected on her experience at Manhattan and how the Colette Dans Memorial Scholarship, established by Peter Dans ’57, has provided her with the support that has helped her achieve success and fulfill her dreams. She graduated with a degree in mathematics in May and is pursuing a doctorate at Syracuse University this fall.

“Manhattan College has created a comfortable environment for me to focus on my studies and work toward success,” said Kim. “The financial and emotional support I received to pursue my education and my dreams has changed my life.”

President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., spoke about the significance of the scholarship program and the role that alumni continue to play to better the College.

“The names change, but the aspirations and dreams remain the same,” remarked O’Donnell. “Thanks to your generosity, Manhattan College continues, more than a

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Philip Messina ’13, recipient of the Anne and George Skau ’59 Scholarship, gets face time with his benefactor, Skau, along with Jordan Heath ’13, last year’s student body president.

century and a half after it was founded, to be an educational escalator to opportunity — a place where talent is nurtured, where lives are transformed, and where dreams become reality.”

Fifty scholarships were celebrated by the College this year, including: the Ambassador Charles Gargano Scholarship, Brother Francis Charters Memorial Scholarship, Donald R. Broderick Memorial Scholarship, Christian Brothers Scholarship, Christian Hughes Scholarship, and the Horan Family Scholarship.

One such example is the William and Mary Harkins Endowment, which William Harkins ’67 created in 2011 to offer funding for the mechanical engineering program’s senior-class design projects. Harkins was motivated to give back to the College, where students can apply the endowment to projects that are directly related to their major and have the financial support to complete their final year.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of the event was the one-on-one time students had with the donors of their scholarships. For many of the recipients, this was the first time they had met, which they agreed added much more significance to the entire program.

All of the donors shared that feeling, including Mary Ann Avella, who for the past 17 years has funded a scholarship in memory of her brother, the John V. Avella ’64 Memorial Scholarship, a former professor of chemical engineering.

“I never had the chance to meet the students,” Avella said. “This event was a wonderful way to put the face with the scholarship, and I am grateful to have met all of them.”

Alumni Fund Scholarships all scholarship students at Manhattan College have a story about why they chose Manhattan and how a scholarship made attending the College possible. Mary Ellen Malone, director

of planned giving, says hearing these students’ stories is one of the best parts of her job. She works closely with those giving and those receiving scholarships to create good matches.

Ian Kennelty ’16

Alexandra Gomez ’13 (Gerard and Susan Caccappolo Scholarship) Alexandra Gomez ’13, a senior biology major from the Bronx, is a commuter preparing for medical school. The recipient of the Gerard and Susan Caccappolo Scholarship, she says: “The scholarship really is important because it will prevent great indebtedness upon graduation.”

A member of Beta Beta Beta, the biology honor society, Gomez says she chose Manhattan over a number of New York City colleges because she preferred the small classes and close interaction with her professors.

“My professors are great,” she says. “They are always available.”

Gomez interned this summer at the American Lung Association in the research department. She also works part-time during the school year at St. Jean Baptiste Rectory in New York City.

“I love children, so pediatrics would be great, but I also think I would like obstetrics because I could be a great help to women at a time when they need a lot of support,” she says, looking ahead.

(DGC Capital Construction Corporation Scholarship) Ian Kennelty ’16, a mechanical engineering student from Yonkers, N.Y., is the first recipient of the DGC Capital Construction Corporation Scholarship. This scholarship is unique in that it provides financial support along with an internship opportunity and professional mentoring.

Gerry Ryan, president of DGC and chairman of Fulfilling a Dream Fund, says the fund exists “for the benefit of young people who, because of life circumstances, have limited financial ability to pursue higher education, expand their horizons and fulfill the dreams of their lives.”

“I am very grateful to the DGC Capital Construction Company for providing me with a college scholarship and for giving me an even better opportunity to succeed at Manhattan College,” says Kennelty, a commuter. It is an honor and very humbling to know that not only is a person interested in my ability to do well in college but also a whole company.”

A member of stage crew at Stepinac High School, he realized he enjoyed building and decided on a career in engineering.

“I chose Manhattan College for its engineering program. The professors were up front with their expectations of me,” he says. “I felt that they put a great deal of effort into the students in order for them to achieve their goals. I also enjoyed the fact that Manhattan College is a small community, and I would not just be a face in the crowd.”

Ilena Derosa ’15 (John E. Hogan Scholarship for Engineering) Ilena Derosa ’15 has been the John E. Hogan Scholarship for Engineering recipient for two years now. A Carmel, N.Y., resident, she is a member of the Society of Women Engineers.

A member of a variety of clubs, this mechanical engineering major explores her creative side outside of the classroom. She is a member of the Singers and has performed violin as part of the College’s musical theater productions. A cheerleader, Derosa also volunteered her time at the breast cancer walk in New York City and cheered on the walk participants. She really enjoys being active in campus life.

“Manhattan College was my top choice when choosing a school because it had everything I wanted — a great engineering school with small class sizes, a chorus, an orchestra and a cheerleading team,” she says. “I knew I had to go here!”

When discussing the scholarship, she says: “College is a wonderful place to discover who you really are. I am so grateful for the scholarship that has given me the chance to have this experience.”

Martha Benshoff, niece of John E. Hogan, says she created the scholarship to make a difference in a student’s life. Knowing how much Hogan’s education at Manhattan College meant to him and how proud he was to be a Jasper, she says, “I remember how exciting it was to be accepted into college, but that paled in comparison to opening a scholarship letter.”

alumni

Reminiscing at Reunion Weekend

M

ore than 400 alumni from across the country reconnected in Riverdale at the College’s 143rd Reunion Weekend, held June 1-3 on campus.

The celebrations kicked off Friday afternoon as old friends and classmates met up at Jasper’s Tavern in Café 1853, while the class of 1962 departed for a golden anniversary dinner cruise around New York Harbor.

President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., welcomed classes marking their 15th through 45th anniversaries to dinner in Dante’s Den and presented silver anniversary medals to the class of 1987 in Café 1853.

“So welcome home to everyone. When I say goodbye to the exiting classes, I always tell them that I hope for them that they will always think of this place as their home, as their hearts’ home,” O’Donnell said. “I’m asking them really to be people like you; that is who have stayed connected, who have stayed in touch, who have committed yourselves to making sure that the institution that was so important to you will continue to be able to continue its mission.”

Capping off the night, young alumni — and the young at heart — indulged in dancing, karaoke and a costume photo booth in Smith Auditorium, and reconnected into the early hours of the morning.

“Manhattan College alumni have a very strong presence in a number of industries and really take care of one another, is what 46 N fall 2012

I’ve found since getting into the workplace,” Michael Duffy ’08 said. “So it’s really nice to come back and see and talk to people.”

Saturday’s festivities began with a breakfast buffet and estate-planning seminar in Thomas Hall. Afterward, 50th and 60th anniversary Jaspers gathered for a special brunch in Dante’s to receive their Brother C. Thomas Jubilarian class medals.

This year, anniversary class gifts totaled three quarters of a million dollars, made possible in large part by a generous $425,000 donation to the College from the class of 1962.

“I’ve been on campus quite a bit in the last 10 years, but many of my fellow classmates, not at all,” said Joseph Dillon ’62, class co-chair and president of the Alumni Society.

“It’s great to see them.”

Following a lunchtime barbecue, visitors had the option of attending a performing arts showcase in Smith Auditorium or a wine and food pairing in Café 1853.

One father-daughter duo raised their glasses to celebrate a 50th and a 10th anniversary at the College that inspired them both to pursue medical careers.

“I transferred [to Manhattan] in the middle of my sophomore year, and I never looked back,” Charlotte Clark ’02 said. “I made a lot of great friendships.”

“I love this school, and we’re very appreciative,” Harold Clark ’62 added.

Leading the procession into the Chapel

for evening Mass were the gold and silver anniversary class officers boasting their jubilee banners, followed by the celebrant, Father Joseph A. Franco ’97, who spoke about nurturing the fruits of Manhattan’s Lasallian community in his homily.

“Years have passed. The location has changed for us, we’ve moved away,” he said.

“But we come back, and we see that the mission is still ours and it’s not too late.”

As evening fell, a lively Glee Club recording of Manhattan Men floated through the campus as alumni streamed onto the Quad for a dinner buffet, followed by dessert, dancing and, of course, nostalgia.

“It feels wonderful,” said Joseph Gallagher ’49, a Riverdale native, Manhattan Prep grad and the oldest alumnus to attend Reunion.

“In my heart, I’ve never left the campus. I’ve always been a Manhattan Jasper.”

Jasper Open Scores a Hole in One On May 7, more than 120 alumni golfers and guests joined the College for the 24th annual Jasper Open at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. More than $150,000 was raised in support of scholarship and athletic programs at the College.

For pictures, details and more information on next year’s special silver anniversary of the Jasper Open, visit manhattan.edu/jasperopen.

A fine foursome: Jim Coleman ’80, Bill Houlihan ’77, Bill Farrell ’67 and Ken Rathgeber ’70.

What Ever Happened to … the beanies?

While it can be easy to identify new Jaspers by the crumpled class schedules in hand and exasperated looks as they ascend staircase after staircase on campus, it was once much easier to tell who the freshies were.

In the early 1900s, it was customary for many fraternal organizations to wear beanies emblazoned with crests to show school spirit and support. As a way to distinguish themselves as “veteran” Manhattan men, the sophomore class of Jaspers adopted the trend and required freshmen to wear Kelly green beanies as part of their initiation, while they sported more fashionable fedoras.

By the time the College moved from Manhattan to its Riverdale location in 1923, the practice had become a well-established tradition, part of a growing freshman-sophomore rivalry that included a flag rush contest, tugof-war, class football game and debate.

During their first six weeks on campus,

freshmen were not only required to wear the beanies but also follow rules stipulated by the sophomores, which often included having to sing and dance on a whim, weed the senior walk and chant the Alma Mater.

Fifty years ago in 1962, the nearly 900 freshmen of the class of 1966 became the final batch to don the beanies. As hazing rituals were gradually stamped out, the tradition faded, although the caps were sold to raise money for the freshmen and sophomore tea dances that year.

A reminiscent Kelly green beret topped with a white pompom was spotted at sporting events throughout the 1960s as a symbol of school spirit, but the beanie itself had gone extinct.

Nevertheless, each year at Manhattan’s Reunion Weekend, a beanie or two will show up on campus and prompt a good story for old times’ sake.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 47

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ALUMNOTES 1943

The Rev. Robert Kayser was profiled in the Long Island Catholic newspaper in August.

He recalled his journey to and through the priesthood, his time in the Navy, and the various parishes he served through his vocation.

Frank Mascola and his wife, Marcey, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 20. They celebrated their anniversary with a romantic sunset dinner at the Red Hat on the River in Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.

1951

At 87 years old, Michael Campagna Jr. writes that he is enjoying retirement in Nokomis, Fla. “Until last year,” he writes, “we were considered ‘snow birds’ as we spent six months at our farm in Dutchess County and six months in Florida.” Now a full-time Florida resident, “I am enjoying my final years under a swaying palm tree.” During his working years, he had been a senior tax compliance agent for the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance for 23 years, retiring in 1996.

1954

Don Costello is associate professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska, where he teaches cryptography and software engineering. He was recently a guest lecturer and consultant on software systems support for photovoltaic systems at the University of Graz in Austria.

1955

Charles Quaintance, a retired justice, was honored by the Town of Highlands Democratic Committee on March 25 with its annual Evelyn Drew Service Award for his dedication to the community.

1956

Real estate developer Dick Ford, a Korean War Marine veteran, saw great possibilities in a struggling development in James City County, Va. Along with his two sons, he presented a revised master plan for the

48 N fall 2012

property known as Ford’s Colony, and it is now celebrating its 25th year of successful operation as a Homeowners Association.

1957

Cynvenio Biosystems, a developer of rare cell isolation systems for biomedical research in circulating tumor cells and molecular diagnostics of cancer, has named Santa Barbara resident Fred Gluck its co-founder and chairman of the board. Gluck was the recipient of the 2012 South Coast Pioneer Award and was also named co-chairman of TrueVision 3D Surgical’s board of directors.

1959

Founding partner at Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn, Frederick Sullivan has been named to the esteemed 2011 Irish Legal 100. The list, sponsored by the Irish Voice newspaper and Irish America magazine, recognizes distinguished and accomplished men and women of Irish decent in the legal profession.

1961

The New York-based Concrete Industry Foundation has presented Charles Thornton and Richard Tomasetti ’63, founding principals of the structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., with its Humanitarian Fellow Award. The two Jaspers established the Thornton Tomasetti Chair in Engineering at Manhattan College. Thornton also received the prestigious Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Civil Engineering for his contributions to design. Thornton is chairman of Charles H. Thornton & Company L.L.C., and is founder of the ACE Mentor Program.

1962

Renowned poet Paul Mariani was a guest at St. Sebastian School’s lecture series in Needham, Mass. Mariani is the author of six poetry collections, including his most recent, Deaths and Transfigurations, published by Paraclete Press in 2005. A professor at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst for more than 30 years, he currently holds a chair in poetry position at Boston College.

Jim Strecansky has been re-elected to serve on the board of Bonita Springs Utilities, a not-for-profit water and wastewater utility in Florida.

1963

At the pinnacle of his career, Raymond Kelly is known as “New York’s Top Cop.” Irish America magazine says of him: “An exmarine, former beat cop and the only person ever to serve two non-consecutive terms as New York City Police Commissioner, he has dedicated his life to serve his country and his city.”

Dr. Henry Petroski, who is the Aleksander Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering at Duke University, has received the ASME BarnettUzgiris Product Safety Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the safe design of products through teaching, research and professional accomplishments.

Major George Wadagnolo, U.S. Air Force, retired, celebrated his 47th anniversary in June with his wife, Julie. The Victorville, Calif., residents met while attending Penn State and have a son and daughter. Their two grandsons are recent college grads.

1964

Douglas Nicholas’ novel, Something Red, was hailed by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of fall 2012. From a Publishers Weekly review: “Rich in historical detail, this suspenseful coming-of-age fantasy grabs the reader with the facts of life in medieval England and the magic spells woven into its landscape.” Kirkus Reviews calls it “a saga vibrant with artful description … a hauntingly affecting historical novel with a touch of magic.”

1965

After a 35-year career as an environmental leader, Gerald McCarthy has announced

his retirement. He will be stepping down from the role of the executive director of the Virginia Environmental Endowment, which awards grants to create environmental groups, fund scientific research, and get children actively involved in their environmental communities. “I expect to remain interested in philanthropy and conservation,” McCarthy says. “After all, it has been my life’s work.”

1966

Anthony McGuire was recently elected to the board of directors for the Union League Club of Chicago. He is the chairman of McGuire Enterprises, the mechanical, electrical, plumbing design and consulting firm founded in 1986.

1967

Neil Mahlstedt, retired president of Neopost, and author for the website MaskedAvenger.me, has been recognized by Worldwide Who’s Who for dedication, leadership and excellence in business management. As head of the North American operations of a troubled middle-market mailroom equipment supplier, he led efforts to improve employee participation and lower costs. His goal was achieved, and the company turned profitable within two years.

1969

Charles Murphy was featured in Bloomberg Businessweek’s Favorite Professors series, which profiles beloved undergraduate business teachers. Murphy teaches investment banking and the financial services industry at the Stern School of Business at NYU.

1970

Oasis International, manufacturer of water dispensing solutions for business and home, has named Larry McIsaac its new president and CEO. The Rev. Frank Bassett has been assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Marlboro, N.Y., having served previously as parochial vicar of St.

Jasper Bookshelf Richard Courage ’67, professor of English at Westchester Community College/SUNY, is co-author of The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932-1950, an account of the creative awakening that occurred on Chicago’s South Side from the early 1930s to the Cold War. Artists such as Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks, Katherine Dunham, Gordon Parks and Muddy Waters created literature, art and music comparable in importance to the Harlem Renaissance. His book recently won a Superior Achievement in Historical Scholarship award from the Illinois State Historical Society.

Richard O’Connell ’60, Ed.D., has collaborated with autistic teenager Alex Olinkeiwicz to coauthor In My Mind, a book about Asperger’s Syndrome based on the popular YouTube video of the same name. In both, Olinkeiwicz speaks out about what it’s like to live with Asperger’s. O’Connell, who earned two master’s degrees from the College in counseling psychology and English literature, has had a long career in education and guidance counseling. He has also written Motivating Kids to the Max and The Secrets to Being a Great School Counselor.

William Groneman III ’74, retired FDNY captain of Engine Company 308, describes his experiences of the dark day and the weeks that followed in his book September 11, A Memoir. His highly personal account not only shares the story from the point of view of an FDNY captain but also from the point of view of a writer, with careful attention to the factual record. Groneman retired in 2002 to pursue his writing and speaking career after serving the fire department for 25 years.

Anthony’s in Nanuet and an administrator at Sacred Heart in Newburgh and St. John’s in Goshen.

Edward Ciaccio has published a collection of poems, song lyrics, personal essays and memoirs, titled Heartlines: Selected Personal Works 1966-2011. It is available at amazon.com and createspace.com.

1971

Dan Soldano notes that he is currently working for NDI Engineering Company as senior engineer, generally working with control systems in new constructions on Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships. He is a retired Navy commander and was recently married to the former Mary Catherine Twisler of Haddon Township, N.J., where she works as the township’s municipal court administrator.

Donald Deieso, Ph.D., was appointed to the board of Innovative Medical Device Solutions (IMDS). He is also an operating partner at Arsenal Capital Partners, where his areas

of focus are health care and technology.

In April, Patrick McCarthy became president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which focuses on at-risk children and families. He began his career as a psychiatric social worker, and has taught at USC’s Graduate School of Social Work and Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

With three new counties added to his district, Congressman Bill Owens of Plattsburgh, N.Y., describes himself as a centrist, “mostly because I am someone who is looking to secure the facts on every issue and apply common sense.”

Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester has announced that President and CEO John Spicer was named to the Greater New York Hospital Association Board of Governors.

1972

Joseph Steuer has been named to the board of Peirce College, Philadelphia’s leadMANHATTAN.EDU N 49

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1973

The Art of the Pass At 6:08 p.m. on July 22, in Bexley, London, former Lady Jasper Rosalee Mason ’04 was the only person to have her hands clasped around the Olympic torch.

Nominated by the National Governing Body for Sport in the United Kingdom, known as England Basketball, Mason was awarded the privilege of being one of 8,000 torchbearers.

Honored by the chance to have a hand in history at the 2012 London Olympics, Mason stood waiting to perform the celebrated “kiss” of torches, while her brothers and sisters looked on.

“I was very humbled and appreciative for the opportunity to welcome the Olympic torch on its second day through London,” Mason says. “During the moment, I was quite nervous because I only then truly realized how significant that moment was.”

Mason carried the flame for an estimated 300 meters along Hall Place Access Road to Bourne Road, located in the borough of Bexley.

A former Manhattan College star player, Mason, with an outstanding record of 1,217 rebounds, understands the importance of a smooth and accurate pass of both a basketball and an Olympic torch.

“In a flash, I was reminded that the game of basketball brought me here,” Mason says.

50 N fall 2012

Dennis Fenton, Ph.D., has been elected to the board of directors of Hospira, Inc., a leading provider of injectable medicine and infusion technologies. Fenton spent more than two decades at Amgen, serving as its executive vice president of operations until his retirement in 2008.

Lighthouse International, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who are blind and visually impaired, has appointed Joseph Ripp as chairman of the board of directors. The Wilton, Conn., resident is currently chief executive officer of Cannondale Investments.

Peter Tortorelli, Ph.D., is deputy director of the Materials, Science & Technology division of Oakridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

1974

The Rev. Joseph Quinlan was ordained in 1952 and has held various assignments, including pastor of St. Mary, Rahway; St. Cassian, Upper Montclair; and Our Lady of Sorrows, Garfield, N.J. Thomas Moran, chairman of the board of Mutual of America, will receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the National Catholic Educational Association for his benevolent corporate sponsorship within the Archdiocese of New York. He is a champion for educational organizations, such as the Inner City Scholarship Fund, the Archdiocese of New York Office of Catholic Schools, and the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, N.Y.

1975

The Pelham Civic Association named Joe DelVecchio as one of its 2012 Persons of the Year. He was recognized because his leadership and achievements help to improve the quality of life of the youth, elderly, financially needy, and physically and mentally challenged in his local community. DelVecchio is athletic director of the Pelham Schools and will retire at the

end of the school year — a career that has spanned 30 years.

1976

Joe Long, business development officer at Otis Elevator, always regretted not having taken more literature courses. He recently followed his passion for Irish history and enrolled in the master’s program in IrishAmerican Studies at NYU. Upon graduation, the teachers and staff at Glucksman and Ireland House NYU held a party for the recent graduate.

Wayne Dumont participated in the New York City Century Bike Tour and completed 35 miles, only nine days after he did the NFL Back to Football run, where he came in 2,832 out of 3,442 who completed the run.

Mount St. Michael Academy launched its new Sports Medicine Academy in September with advanced curriculum in internships. The program’s chief advisor is Anthony Maddalo, who is team doctor for the New York Rangers and an orthopedic surgeon in Yonkers, N.Y. He also is the team doctor for Manhattan College. Fellow Jasper Ben Borsollino ’77 was also instrumental in establishing the new program.

Janet Kleinman’s book Flirting with Disaster is now available in paperback from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It was previously released in electronic format.

1977

New York resident William Bryk has never stepped foot in Wyoming, but that isn’t stopping him from trying to represent the Cowboy State in the U.S. Senate. Bryk filed to run in Wyoming’s U.S. Senate Democratic Primary largely because he wants voters to have more choices, he says.

Jim Kosch has been active with the Toxic Tort Environmental Law Committee (TTEL) since the early 1990s. He is a member of the ABA’s section of environment, energy and resources. For eight years, he served as director of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee. As an active alum, he heads the College’s alumni mentoring program for pre-law students.

He and wife, Joan, are the parents of three grown children.

William Moore, former principal of John A. Holmes High School in North

PHOTO BY nadine oba

ing, private, four-year accredited institution for working adult learners.

Luis Zayas, Ph.D., was named dean of the School of Social Work and Centennial Professor for Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin.

Carolina, filed for candidate of the school board in July.

1978

Margaret Flanagan was appointed to the Eastern Long Island Hospital’s board of trustees.

1979

Lifelong Garden City resident Judith Courtney is an integral member of the village and volunteers her time with its Athletic Association and Parent Teacher Association. She is also president of the Eastern Property Owners’ Association.

1980

Jim Avery was profiled in the San Diego Daily Transcript for his work at San Diego Gas & Electric, and his ongoing strives toward making renewable energy more prevalent in power companies.

Thomas Brophy has more than 20 years of experience in public finance. Currently, he is portfolio manager at Spring Mountain Capital in New York.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has named Robert Hanna president of the state’s Board of Public Utilities. He also serves as a member of the governor’s cabinet. Hanna was previously director of the division of law in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety.

1981

Anthony Enea has been named chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Elder Law section.

1982

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano named John Delaney as the city’s new budget director.

Delaney will assist Yonkers’ commissioner of finance in overseeing and monitoring the city’s capital and operating budgets.

After 24 years with the Journal News Media Group based in White Plains, N.Y., Barbara Moroch has launched Swirly Girl Marketing, a full service marketing communications/creative agency in Tarrytown, N.Y., specializing in print and online collateral and publications. She is also currently editor-in-chief of Rockland Magazine. This fall, she will serve as an adjunct faculty

member at Westchester Community College and teach mass media.

With more than 20 years of experience in records and information management, Fred Pulzello is a well-known figure within the RIM world. He is the treasurer for ARMA International and chair of the task force that developed Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles.

1983

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., a leader in specialty coffee, beverages and brewers, has named Michael Jacobs chief logistics officer and executive officer. He previously worked at Toys “R” Us, Inc., where he was senior vice president.

David Ferrucci has been at IBM’s TJ Watson’s Research Center since 1995, where he heads up the semantic analysis and integration department. In 2007, he took on the Jeopardy! Challenge to create a computer system that can rival champions at the game. His team at IBM consists of 32 researchers and software engineers focusing on developing technologies for automatically discovering valuable knowledge in natural-language content, using it to enable better decision-making, and leveraging those technologies in a variety of intelligent search, data analytics and knowledge-management solutions.

Lorenzo Vascotto is managing director of VVA, L.L.C., a leading independent construction project management firm. He lives in Glen Cove, Long Island, with his wife and three children.

1984

Raymond Lodato was one of five Democrats on the March primary election ballot in the First Congressional District in Illinois.

He earned a degree in government and peace studies from Manhattan College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago.

The New York State Restaurant Association has selected three officers, including Anthony Dell’Orto, whose family has been in the restaurant business since 1890. He is owner of Manganaro’s Hero Boy restaurant on the West Side of Manhattan.

Steven Hammer was named a senior vice president of Lilker Associates. With a back-

ground in construction project management, he has built an extensive portfolio of projects in ground-up MEP designs.

1985

Peter Weber was recently selected for the position of councilman for the City of Lake Elsinore, Calif., filling in for the mayor who had left her position. This is a 13-month position.

Barbara Bullock, longtime principal of St. Joseph School, Ft. Collins, retired this year. She spent her entire career in Catholic schools, including six years teaching middle school in upstate New York before her 1984 move to Colorado.

Geri Gregor, certified public accountant, is partner in charge of Grassi & Company’s business advisory practice, managing and directing the firm in areas such as business advisory, forensic and litigation support, and risk management. The firm has offices in Long Island and New York City.

Longtime video display industry veteran David Naranjo has joined Coby Electronics as TV/video national marketing manager.

1986

Patrick DiJusto lives in Brooklyn, is the writer of the “What’s Inside” column for Wired magazine, a part time columnist for Gizmodo, and a contributor to Popular Science magazine. He has written the books Environmental Monitoring With Arduino and Atmospheric Monitoring with Arduino for O’Reilly media, about using DIY electronic equipment to monitor background radiation, water purity and the state of the upper atmosphere. He was formerly a robotics programmer for the Federal Reserve and a lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium. He has designed experiments that have flown on space shuttle mission STS-107.

1987

Kevin Fitzgerald is practicing interventional cardiology at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Edgewood, Ky. He is married with 7-year-old twins and resides in Cincinnati.

As director of environmental sustainability at Akamai Technologies, Nicole PeillMoelter oversees the strategy and execution of environment initiatives across the company. The chemical engineering graduate holds a Ph.D. in environmental engineerMANHATTAN.EDU N 51

alumni

ing/science from Cal Tech and has a strong personal interest in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.

1988

Sue Rogan has been promoted to the position of assistant treasurer, commercial lending, from commercial lender at the Adirondack Trust Co. She joined the company in 2006 and has 12 years of commercial banking experience.

The international engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti has named Michael Pagano as vice president of its Newark office. Pagano has 25 years of electrical engineering experience and is a member of the firm’s MEP team.

He will support the building performance and property loss consulting practices.

Greeley and Hansen, a national civil and environmental engineering firm, has named Stephen McGowan managing director of the its Midwest operating group. He is a member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Water Environment Federation.

1989

Darron Cash, a former Free National Movement (FMN) Senator, serves as chairman of the board of the Bahamas Development Bank. He has held a number of

leadership positions in organizations such as the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the Bahamian Interest Forum, and the Rutgers University Black MBA Association.

Charlene Faison, a Georgia native, is the manager of nuclear licensing programs at Entergy Nuclear Operations. She is responsible for ensuring that the Indian Point Energy Center, located in Buchanan, N.Y., as well as Entergy’s 11 other nuclear plants in the north and south of the country, meet stringent federal regulatory requirements.

Don Herbert was recently named sales manager of engineered solutions in the South Central region for Middletown, Ohiobased Contech Construction Products, a civil engineering services company.

MaryAnn McCarra-Fitzpatrick placed third in the 41st annual Greenburgh Poetry Competition with her poem The Coach Painter (1826, Bridgetown, Barbados), which will be included in the anthology Let the Poets Speak (fall 2012). She was an invited reader at the EMBARK/Peekskill Performing and Literary Arts Festival in October, and two of her collages were included in the traveling art exhibition, Circus Terminal. Her Kindle book, Metropolitan Diary, is now available on Amazon.com.

Michael Murray has been appointed managing director of sales at Onix Solutions Ltd.

(OnixS). He will be responsible for continuing the rapid growth of the OnixS direct market access product offerings.

1990

Dennis Romero was appointed as the first regional administrator of the substance abuse and mental health services administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was previously acting director for the office of Indian alcohol and substance abuse, has served on many professional committees and advisory boards, and is now an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives.

1991

Professor Kathe Newman was named director of the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

1992

Attorney Julio Gonzalez is running to become Broward County circuit judge. He has been assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., and an assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade County.

Cynthia Mento, director of diagnostic imaging at Crystal Run Healthcare in Wallkill,

Matthew of arabia One year ago, if someone had asked Matthew Flood ’12 where he would be in a year, he would not have guessed that he would be abroad, living in one of the richest cities in the world.

Nearly 7,000 miles away from New York City, Flood is spending this year working as a global academic fellow in writing at New York University Abu Dhabi.

Located in the Persian Gulf on the northeast coast, Abu Dhabi is the capital and largest of the seven United Arab Emirates that lie on the Arabian Peninsula.

Learning about this opportunity through the College’s Center for Career Development, Flood, a double major in English and philosophy, read about the fellowship and decided to apply. He is definitely being kept busy at NYU Abu Dhabi, where he teaches a writing class, runs individualized tutorials, staffs the university’s writing center and works on a scholarship project on the side.

“I’m doing a lot of teaching, so it has been interest52 N fall 2012

ing to be on the other side of the classroom,” Flood says. “It’s very challenging, but I also have a lot of freedom to try different methods and experiment. It has really made me appreciate all the great teachers I’ve had, seeing how difficult it can be.”

While the work is demanding, Flood still has been able to explore the city of Abu Dhabi to its fullest.

Living abroad has exposed him to new types of people, new food and new cultures to which he has never had access before. He also travels on weekends and visits other Arabian states on the coast.

His most recent venture has been exploring Oman, a place that he had never dreamed he’d one day have the chance to see.

With the fellowship ending in May, Flood plans to apply to graduate schools but insists on keeping his options open in case he decides to look for a full-time job or continue to travel. Whatever the case may be, he is thrilled to have this experience.

projects, as well as the company’s safety program. He lives in River Vale, N.J., with wife, Erin, and their three children.

ginia Beach structural engineering firm, has obtained professional engineering licensure in Virginia.

The law firm of Quarles & Brady announced that seven of its attorneys have been named by Florida Super Lawyers magazine as among the top 5 percent of attorneys in Florida for 2012. Among them was general litigation lawyer Patrick Costello.

Costello has also been named to Gulfshore Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 list.

Michael Gentile attended the London School of Economics and Political Science and completed an executive summer course in Strategic Decision Making for Management.

Four-time Olympian Aliann Pompey represented her native Guyana in the 2012 Olympics 400-meters. As director of educational development for the Armory’s college prep program, she and her staff work to help hundreds of high school track athletes prepare for and stay in college.

1996

2000

Veggie car wunderkind wins awards Eric Spargimino ’06 is famous around Manhattan College for his Veggie Car project, in which he overhauled a 1974 Mercedes to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO) and drove 3,200 miles to San Diego to attend the 2007 Water Environment Federation’s annual conference, WEFT-EC. Today, he is continuing his environmental legacy, winning both the 2012 Young Professional of the Year award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the 2012 Young Professional of the Year award from the Massachusetts chapter of ACEC. Additionally, he is nominated as one of ACEC’s 2012 New Faces of Engineering.

N.Y., was appointed a certified radiology administrator, which signifies her professional competence in the management of medical imaging, assets, communications and information management, as well as financial and human resources management.

1994

Last September, Steven Birkeland was promoted to education administrator, New York City Department of Education, Committee on Preschool Special Education.

Susan Mossey and husband, Derek, are the new owners of the Nancy Langlois School of Dance in Plattsburgh, N.Y. After studying dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York and the Bronx Dance Theater, she moved back to Plattsburgh in 1994 and began offering the region’s first hip-hop classes.

WSP Flack + Kurtz, an international engineering firm, has promoted Frank Muscarella to senior vice president. He began his career with the firm 20 years ago, and his projects have spanned the globe from New York to California, Hong Kong to France, and Saudi Arabia to Brazil.

Patent lawyer Brian Pollack joined the firm Day Pitney as a partner in its intellectual property department. He has worked in patent preparation, prosecution and product clearance, as well as patent litigation, trademark and copyright counseling.

Patrick Oates is vice president of operations for Jacobson & Company and is responsible for the staffing and performance of all

Currently working at CDM Smith as an environmental design engineer, Spargimino is particularly involved in the design and sizing of biological nutrient removal facilities, solids production and chemical feed systems. He is active in Water For People, a nonprofit focusing on improving quality of life in developing countries by providing locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and hygiene education programs. He is a member of the New England Water Environment Association’s exhibits committee and a coordinator for CDM Smith’s participation in the Run of the Charles canoe and kayak race event.

James Galleshaw, along with his law The Institute of Notre Dame, the oldest partner Keith Sullivan, has been named to Catholic girls school in Baltimore, has the 2011 Irish Legal 100 list. The list, sponnamed Sister Karen Kane as dean of sored by the Irish Voice newspaper and Irish students. She also served in that capacity for America magazine, recognizes distinguished the past eight years at the Academy of the and accomplished men and women of Irish Holy Angels in Demarest, N.J. decent in the legal profession.

As Scarsdale’s new water superintendent, 2002 Antonio Capicotto is charged with ensurBrooklyn resident George Fontas is a ing the purity of its water supply and overmember of Community Board 10 and serves as seeing the entire water department, from chairman for the public safety sub-committee billing to system maintenance to operation and a member of the transportation commitof the pumps. He and his wife, Margherita, tee. A lifelong Brooklyn resident, he reflects, have three children and live in White Plains. “Bay Ridge is a special place for me. It’s where Vaughn Denton is the newly appointed I’m from, it’s where my parents made their principal of Coram Elementary School in home, and where my mother was raised.”

Middle Island, N.Y. He earned a Bachelor of Science in special education from Manhat2003 tan College, began his career as a special Jean Leon has opened a Junk King franchise education teacher in Yonkers and went on that covers Rockland and Westchester Counto become a technology coordinator and ties. The Pearl River Patch reports, “With a school administrator. degree in organizational management from The new facilities chief for the Greenwich Manhattan College, green junk removal and Public Schools is Ronald Matten, who has recycling makes sense.” more than 20 years experience as a school facilities professional, most recently at the 2005 Ramaz School in New York.

Paul Dispensa, a mechanical estimator, is an HVAC specialist who has joined Plaza Construction, developing conceptual budgets 1999 for complete BMS and HVAC systems.

Dennis Altman, an engineer with a VirMANHATTAN.EDU N 53

alumni

2006

Shannon Reilly and William Knecht have announced their engagement. Reilly is currently pursuing her master’s degree in nursing at SUNY and is employed as a nurse with Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn.

Emily DeVito has been accepted into the Peace Corps, and was scheduled to leave on Sept. 19 for Cameroon, Africa, where she will be a community development agent working on promoting health education. She writes, “All of my dedication and pursuit of the Peace Corps was heavily influenced by my participation and role with L.O.V.E.” A rising star in country music, Nicole Frechette has performed in Europe and the U.K. The Madison, Conn., native composed each of the songs in her second album Listen Hair, which took her almost six years to finish.

Doug York oversees and operates all aspects of the programming aired on SAU 16 Educational Channel and the Exeter (N.H.) Public Access TV channel in his role as production manager. He has produced numerous music videos for artists throughout New England and short form documentaries for nonprofits and local businesses.

2007

Allan Napolitano has begun work for Vision Import Group L.L.C. in River Edge, N.J., as a sales associate. He brings his knowledge of technology to his job with him.

The St. Rose boys’ soccer team has a new head coach, Daniel White. He is a former player with the team he now heads, and he also worked as assistant athletic director and history teacher, as well as coach of the school’s wrestling program.

2008

Amy Colantuono and Erik Lucas have announced their engagement. She is currently a physical education teacher in the Pelham School District, and he is sales manager with Zico coconut water. They have planned a November 2012 wedding.

Nick Benedetto has joined TD Bank as commercial portfolio manager in middle market lending for Long Island. A Rockville Centre resident, he serves on the board of Manhattan College’s Mentor Program and as a volunteer firefighter with the local fire department.

54 N fall 2012

Bellport, N.Y., native Senior Airman Ryan Smith earned the title of Air Mobility Command’s Airman of the Year in March. He is an air transportation airman who works as a passenger service agent with the 3rd Aerial Port Squadron at Pope Field, N.C. The New York Archdiocese has named BriAna Pechin as regional manager of the newly established Northwest/South Bronx region for its consolidated elementary schools. Pechin previously served as principal at the School of the Incarnation in Washington Heights.

2009

Alexander Gershner has joined the international consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal as a senior associate in the global forensic and dispute services practice of its New York office. Gershner previously worked as an associate in the banking and capital markets group of PricewaterhouseCooper’s assurance practice, and has held several summer analyst positions. He is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner.

Kyle Davis of Wallkill, N.Y., was recently engaged to Tiffany O’Leary. He is a project engineer with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

2010

Joseph Battipaglia and Ashley McDonald have announced their engagement.

McDonald, the 2010 senior class president, began a new position as an elementary special education teacher in the fall, while Battipaglia works as a project manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

They are planning an August 2013 wedding.

2011

Joseph DiBello has been offered a position of a probationary physics teacher at Pelham Memorial High School.

CORRECTION: Christopher Carey ’84 was reported to have not secured the position of Rockland County, N.Y., legislator for District 9. He, in fact, did win the seat. We apologize for the error.

BIRTHS Joy Cappelli-Spiegel ’92 & Philip Spiegel ’93 son, Philip Terrance, 4/12/12 Danielle Correale ’06 & Matthew Andrews ’06 daughter, Arden Grace, 6/3/2012

MARRIAGES

2000

Martin Galvin Jr. & Emer Larkin, 8/30/12

2001

Brian Barry & Katie Onesios, 5/12/12

2005

Irene Cresto & Shane Bolin ’01, 6/30/12

2008

Frank Caramanica Jr. & Susan Gallagher, 9/22/12 Kate Garrido & Bret Parsons, 7/9/12

Advanced Degrees

2003

Gerarda Shields received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York in May.

2005

Peter Lindner received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology in February.

2007

Shannon McCourt has received her master’s in social work from Columbia University.

IF YOU HAVE ANY NEWS TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND IT TO ALUMNOTES@ MANHATTAN.EDU

PHOTO BY darcy rogers

Bridging the Gap For Andrea Giorgi Bocker ’80, the apple didn’t fall far from the bridge.

Growing up in the Bronx, she often visited the majestic George Washington Bridge with her father, who managed the bridge at the time, knowing that she wanted to do the same.

“I learned that the way to build something like that was to study civil engineering,” she says. “It became my quest.”

Giorgi Bocker excelled at Cardinal Spellman High School and graduated a year early, just shy one credit.

The College accepted the eager 16-year-old into the Civil Engineering program under the provision that she would complete a freshman year English course during her first semester and earn the missing credit.

Fast-forward 36 years, and Giorgi Bocker has more credits to her name than most.

After graduating from Manhattan, she earned a master’s of engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology and her professional engineering licensure in New York and New Jersey.

She currently serves as engineer of construction for the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station, a division of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Under her leadership, a team of skilled engineers repairs and maintains the busiest bridge in the world, serving more than 300,000 drivers a day.

“My worst day in construction was better than my best day anywhere else,” says Giorgi Bocker, who started at the Port Authority out of college as an engineering trainee, then worked in design for nine years, project management for 10, and now construction for 13 years. “Because there’s no way to know what’s going to happen next. There’s always a surprise, good or bad, and always a problem to solve, which is what engineering is all about.”

Turning 82 years old in October, the George Washington Bridge will soon undergo suspension rope replacements on top of a half-a-billon dollar rehabilitation project, which will include repairs to the 178th and 179th Street bus ramps, the Center Avenue and Lemoine Avenue bridges and the bridge’s lower level.

“I’m wherever I need to be,” she says, explaining that the job often takes her off campus from her Fort Lee, N.J., office to on-site projects and meetings with contractors; or sometimes, 600 feet above the Hudson River on top of the bridge itself — her favorite perspective of the New York-New Jersey landmark.

“Engineers are behind the scenes, creating and keeping so much infrastructure running, but sometimes people only see the barrel out in the lane, stopping them from going where they’re going,” she says.

Andrea Giorgi Bocker ’80 at home by the George Washington Bridge.

To keep the dreams of future engineers in motion, Giorgi Bocker has volunteered as a mentor to Manhattan College students for more than 10 years.

She knows firsthand what a challenging road it can be, both in school and having to prove herself in a traditionally male-dominated field.

“I think the most important thing was simply knowing that she existed,” says Gerarda Shields ’03, ’04, a former mentee of Giorgi Bocker’s, an associate professor of civil engineering at CUNY and an adjunct at Manhattan College. “Knowing that there was a woman out there who was successful as an engineer and still had a family life, that was important to me and made me want to emulate her.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Giorgi Bocker’s best advice to Manhattan’s aspiring engineers is to remain close to other Jaspers and use those connections. She tells her students to always believe in themselves and work as hard as possible to achieve the goal in mind, without the possibility of regret.

“Manhattan College is family,” she says. “It’s a Manhattan College engineer who interviewed me and gave me my first chance.”

Perhaps, then, the next caretaker of the iconic landmark will also hail from the Jasper family tree.

“It’s so great as a civil engineer to be a part of the bridge and have a hand in keeping it going in its best condition,” she adds. “And then turning it over to next generation of engineers to continue the legacy.”

Did you know?

• Not only is the George Washington the world’s busiest bridge, but it also has more lanes than any other bridge.

There are 14 lanes between the upper and lower levels.

• On holidays, the George Washington Bridge boasts the largest free-flying American flag in world — 60 feet by 90 feet.

• Originally, the George Washington Bridge was to be encased in concrete and granite, but because of material costs during the Great Depression, the exposed steel was left as is, and it has since become a recognizable part of the landmark.

• When the George Washington first opened in 1931, it was twice as long as any previous suspension bridge.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 55

alumni

The Buck Stops Here

T

hroughout the midst of the late 1980s New England banking crisis and the most recent financial disaster on Wall Street, Thomas Curry ’78 has remained at the center of it all, through his career in regulatory law, which continues to advance, thanks to a boost from President Barack Obama.

Curry was nominated by Obama in 2011 to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and was officially sworn in on April 9, 2012.

As comptroller of the currency, he is in charge of overseeing more than 2,000 national banks and federal saving associations and about 50 federal branches and agencies of foreign banks.

“What is great about being here at the OCC is the breadth of responsibilities we have for our national banks and federal thrifts,” Curry says. “This agency really covers the whole range of financial institutions, from community banks in small towns throughout the United States to the world’s largest globally active financial institutions.”

In his six-month tenure at the OCC, Curry’s responsibilities vary from formulating a national bank regulatory policy to managing activities affiliated with the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The 2010 act requires more accountability and transparency in the financial system, and the OCC plays a crucial role in implementing the statute and monitoring its progress.

“This agency’s primary goal is to supervise, which means conducting on-site examinations into the financial affairs of the national banks and federal thrifts that we supervise, and also to make appropriate policy determinations about those activities,” he explains.

Curry is also excited about the OCC’s history, which stems back to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, when he established the agency to help finance the Civil War. On Feb. 25, 2013, the OCC will celebrate its 150th birthday, and a history of financial and regulatory innovation.

56 N fall 2012

“I want to make sure the agency has a firm foundation for the next 150 years,” he says. “We consider ourselves to be the premier bank regulatory agency in the United States, if not the world, and want to maintain that position.”

Prior to coming to the OCC, Curry served on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) board as director for eight years.

Nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003, he gained a tremendous amount of experience at the FDIC in the middle of the global financial crisis and the initial development of the Dodd-Frank Act. Curry will also stay involved with the FDIC as an ex officio member of the board.

In addition, while working at the FDIC, he served as chairman of the NeighborWorks America board of directors, which is a nonprofit, with local affiliates throughout the country, that develops national solutions to combat the foreclosure crisis. It creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing.

Because NeighborWorks is chartered by Congress, he will remain involved as a member of its board.

He spent 22 years with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, working for five Massachusetts governors. Curry was commissioner of banks from 1990 to 1991 and from 1995 to 2003, and served both parties, including Governors Mitt Romney and Michael Dukakis.

He graduated from Manhattan College in 1978 with a B.A. in history and a minor in philosophy, and went on to receive a law degree from the New England School of Law. Curry’s familiarity with Manhattan College started long before his college search. Both his father, William Curry Jr. ’38, and uncle, Matthias Leckey ’36, attended the College in the 1930s, and eventually his three brothers (John Curry ’74, William Curry III ’76 and Peter Curry ’81) and he followed in their footsteps.

In 2013, the family will celebrate even more Jasper milestones: his niece Clare O’Connell, an elementary education major with a concentration in Spanish, will graduate from Manhattan, and Curry will mark his 35th graduation anniversary and the 75th for his deceased father.

“I think the Lasallian tradition is one that has served me well throughout my life as an individual and in my professional capacity,” adds Curry, who has been active in a variety of federal and state regulatory commissions and associations.

As Curry reflects on his more than three decades since graduating from Manhattan College, he highlights how rewarding it has been to have the opportunity to work in public service.

“I think I have been very fortunate to be able to offer whatever skills I have to the American people from a regulatory standpoint,” he says. “And I think some of that desire to give back and have a role in serving the greater societal good comes from my experience at Manhattan College more than 30 years ago.”

Creative Coach Thinks Outside of the Court

PHOTO BY Daniella Zalcman

I

n the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx where street basketball and playground football reign supreme, Mike Rosario ’98 is changing the name of the game — to rugby.

Rosario is the physical education teacher and rugby coach at PS/MS 279. Just five years ago, his title didn’t include the latter.

It wasn’t until he attended a Department of Education workshop in 2007 that he discovered the game, which is played widely throughout Great Britain, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Tired of flag football and in need of something fresh to keep his kids interested, active and off the streets, the Bronx native gave flag rugby a shot.

“Ten minutes later, I was drenched in sweat,” he laughs, remembering the nonstop workout.

Partnering with Play Rugby USA, an organization started by professional rugby player Mark Griffin, PS/MS 279 became the first school in the Bronx to implement the program.

At first, no one even knew what it was. In rugby, you score tries instead of touchdowns; you play on a pitch, not a court, Rosario ex-

plained to his students. Once the middle-schoolers tried it, they were hooked.

Every year since then, the rugby program at PS/MS 279 has grown. This year, Rosario is anticipating a group of about 75 kids broken down into four teams that will compete at tournaments throughout the city.

“It’s going to be huge,” he says, noting that younger kids who are now in sixth grade have heard about the program. “If I could take 100 kids I would.”

It’s this type of attitude that makes Rosario’s job a labor of love. He recalls one spring morning at 6 a.m. when he single-handedly shepherded 58 students on two trains and a bus to Brooklyn for a rugby tournament.

His teams won four out the six trophies that day, carrying them proudly all the way back to 181st Street and Walton Avenue on the subway.

What makes Rosario’s wins so unique is the fact that his teams are almost always comprised of more girls than boys. In fact, 14 of his girls played in last year’s New York City Rugby Cup — two of whom were on the team that won the championship, beating several all-male teams with big, six-

foot starters. Two were also awarded with Spirit of Rugby (MVP) awards.

“If you have the patience, it doesn’t matter how fast or strong you are,” he says, explaining that once a player’s flag is pulled, he or she has three steps to take or three seconds to pass the ball.

“With the training I received from Manhattan College, Title IX was always in the back of my mind,” Rosario says. “Equal opportunity for everybody.”

“I am proud to say that Mike is a Manhattan College graduate,” adds Shawn Ladda, Ph.D., chair of the Physical Education and Human Performance department at the College and a national activist for Title IX, which requires equal athletic opportunities for women and men. “He is inclusive with his students regardless of background or gender. His female students have led the way with his school rugby team in city competitions.”

But for Rosario, it’s not the wins he’s counting. It’s the lives he’s changing.

Like that of Alondra Sanchez, a pre-diabetic student who lost 20 pounds in three months playing rugby; or Rahsaan Graves, who was failing out of school before

joining the team, and came back the following year with a 92 percent average.

To follow their progress, Rosario requires them to bring a “tracking sheet” to their classes to ensure they are showing up, doing their homework and acting responsibly and respectfully.

“They have to behave so, in turn, all the other kids behave,” he says. “It changes the whole community.”

Last year, Rosario and his physical education staff at PS/MS 279 — fellow alums Clifford Jéan ’99 and Michael Otero ’05 — were honored with the College’s Physical Education and Human Performance Distinguished Service Awards for their innovative work at the school.

“Mike’s work as a teacher, coach and counselor show his deep commitment to improving the fitness and wellbeing of children,” says William Merriman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education and Health, who appointed Rosario to the School’s Board of Education Consulters.

“The rugby part is easy,” Rosario adds — and after 21 trophies, you have to believe him. “I don’t expect to win the cup. If they do well, they do well. But I talk to the kids about life.”

Mike Rosario ’98 teaches Bronx students teamwork and responsibility through rugby.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 57

obits

INMEMORIAM

Manhattan College records with sorrow the deaths of the following alumni: 1937 Br. John Brown, FSC, 5/4/12 John J. McCourt Sr., 9/6/12 Francis M. Stanis, 5/9/12

1940

John Joseph Horan, 6/8/12 John R. O’Connor, 7/27/12

1941

Andy Neidnig, 8/6/12 Thomas F. Nolan Jr., 12/7/11

1944

John J. O’Donnell, 6/22/12

1945

Edward V. Schaffer, 10/1/12

1946

James M. Gauriloff, 5/8/12 Michael Lakomski, 3/14/12

1947

Joseph N. Dottino, 6/23/11

1948

John C. Beckerle, 5/14/12 Sr. Rita Doyle, PBVM, 7/28/12 Rev. Alfred Pucci, 6/12/12 Sr. Mary Charles Scholl, 7/23/12

1949

Frederick J. Ferro, 8/5/12 Rev. Richard Pendergast, SJ, 6/27/12

1950

William A. Brennan Sr., 5/31/12 Frank P. Calabro, 7/4/12 Thomas J. Kealy, 5/17/12 Frederick J. McCarthy Jr., 9/17/12 Thomas J. McLinskey, 5/24/12 Frank J. Mullin, 4/16/12 Francis J. Murphy, 5/23/12

58 N fall 2012

Robert G. Nystrom, 3/19/12 Donald J. Petrie, 8/30/12

1951

Edward J. Byrnes, 12/9/11 Thomas F. Davoren Jr., 6/1/12 Howard Adrian Kelly, 6/3/12 Robert D. McKeon, 7/18/12

1952

Raphael A. Rovere, 9/30/12

1953

Robert G. Bell, 5/17/12 Robert J. Mahony, 12/12/11 Donald J. Mason, 10/22/11 Robert T. Mellett, 6/11/12 Hon. John V. Vaughn, 6/19/12

1954

William E. Griffin, 9/1/12 Edward E. Hammer, 7/16/12 David F. Richey, 8/19/12

1956

James J. Daley, 8/29/12 John J. Heaney, 6/17/12

1957

James D. Brierley, 8/16/12 John T. McLaughlin, 6/4/12

1958

J. William Brandner, 9/20/12 Peter F. Curran, 9/24/12 Thomas M. Higgins, 9/10/12 George W. Mastaglio, 6/9/12 Peter M. McCole, 9/14/12

1959

Donald H. Colston, 4/25/12 Daniel J. Geelan, 9/21/12 Patrick E. McMahon, 5/26/12

1960

Martin D. Fogarty, 8/20/12 Albert Pedicini, 3/11/12 Michael A. Sciepura, 4/1/12

1961

1972

Malcolm R. Didio, 9/15/12 Ronald J. Kraus Sr., 7/11/12 Theodore R. Simpson, 4/15/12 Raymond P. Urtz, 10/8/12

Joseph “Sam” Bernath, 3/26/12 Rev. Thomas E. Kelly, 8/6/12 Mark Francis Nichik, 1/28/12

Patrick J. Kelly, 1/22/12

James K. Flynn, 4/20/12 Francis N. Pintauro, 10/7/12

1962

1964

1973

Gerard M. Sweeney, 5/15/12

1975

Joseph A. Laveglia, 7/4/11

Sr. Catherine Duignan, OP, 6/25/12

1965

1966

1976

Anthony R. Camuso, 7/27/12 Nicholas J. Criscione, 5/21/12 Robert C. Griffith, 5/30/12

John A. Ewart, 8/11/12

1977

David J. Wall, 3/23/12

1967

1979

Michael J. Jordan, 5/24/12 Sr. Mary Eileen Kenney, CSJ, 7/5/12 John V. Lahey Jr., 6/4/12 Walter F. Werner, 5/1/12

Thomas J. Woods, 7/7/12

1968

Sister Helen Marie Clancey, CSJ, 6/25/12 Michael J. Fellerman, 9/2/12 Richard Urban Kaufmann, 8/6/12

1980

Thomas J. Calogero, 7/19/12 Philip D. Treccagnoli, 8/14/12

1982

Thomas G. McNally, 7/27/12 Thomas Sinclair Jr., 6/2/12

1984

John A. Loffredo, 4/8/12

1993

Dorothy E. Morris, 5/25/12

1969

1996

Daniel Eignor, 5/25/12 Br. Kevin J. Malinowski, 5/19/12

AnnMarie Sofo Pierro, 5/11/12 Thomas J. Sullivan, 5/1/12

Thomas Podgurski, 3/16/12 Charles W. Quinlan, 4/14/12

Christine A. Gallagher, 8/14/12

John J. Mitchell Jr., 10/2/12 Nora Sharkey Murphy, 4/9/12

Mariela Vozhilla, 8/30/12

1970 1971

2007

2008 2012

George McGeary George McGeary, Ed.D., assistant dean in the School of Arts and Sciences, chair of the Fine Arts department and associate professor of fine arts emeritus, died on July 15. He was 83.

McGeary became an assistant professor of fine arts and chair of the department in 1968 after serving as a part-time lecturer for several years. He attained the rank of associate professor in 1975 and was named assistant dean in 1981, for which he served under Albert Hamilton, Ph.D., dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

When he was appointed assistant dean, Hamilton had no doubt that McGeary would be a valuable addition to the dean’s office.

“Dr. McGeary will bring to the assistant dean’s office the fruits of his experience and his leadership abilities, yet it is his profound concern for the welfare of our students and the development of their education within

the Manhattan College tradition that assures me he will be a very vital person in his new post,” Hamilton said that year.

Moderator of the College’s Brass Ensemble, McGeary was also a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity, the American Musicological Society and the Music Educators National Conference. During his tenure at the College, he earned National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar Grants to Harvard University and the City University of New York.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in piano in 1952 and master’s degree in music theory in 1954 from the Juilliard School, as well as his doctoral degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1973.

“George was a combination of cynicism and wit. Yet he was never negative. He was very committed to teaching. In that respect, he was sort of the soul of Manhattan College,” says Harry Welsh, former director of the libraries at the College.

Brother Christopher Dardis, FSC Brother Christopher Dardis, FSC, assistant professor of education, chair of the Education department, director of graduate education, and head of the College’s Center for Teaching during his more than 60-year tenure at Manhattan College, died at La Salle House in Lincroft, N.J., on March 23. He was 92.

Brother Raymond Meagher, FSC, assistant professor of education, says he felt it would be hard to capture Br. Christopher in a quote.

“Br. Christopher was an extraordinary person with a brilliant mind and a heart of gold for all the people he encountered, especially his students,” he says.

Previously, Br. Christopher taught at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany; St. Augustine’s in Brooklyn; and Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. He also served as principal at St. Nicholas of Tolentine in the Bronx and St. Joseph’s in West New York, N.J. He was involved in all aspects of school life, including coaching the varsity baseball and football teams, and teaching driver's education.

As assistant superintendent and supervisor of schools for the New York Archdiocese, Br. Christopher shared his administrative

skills in several key positions for the Christian Brothers, including as a national advisory board member of the National Council of Christian Brothers.

Br. Christopher is a graduate of The Catholic University of America and earned master’s degrees from both Manhattan College and St. John’s University. He also earned a doctorate from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale.

Born Donald Christopher Dardis, he entered the Christian Brothers Barrytown Juniorate in 1933 and the Novitiate in 1936 and took the name Br. Christopher Victor. He pronounced his perpetual vows in 1944.

“Br. Christopher and I met over 50 years ago when we were both students at St. John's University,” says Francis J. Lodato, professor emeritus of education at the College, in summing up Br. Christopher’s character. “He was the personification of what it means to be a Christian gentleman.”

Anthony Ventriglia Anthony E. Ventriglia, associate professor emeritus of mathematics and computer science, died on Aug. 28. He was 90.

Ventriglia received an A.B. from Columbia College in 1942 and a Sc.M. from Brown University the following year. He then pursued advanced studies at Cornell, Columbia and New York universities. Early in his career, he worked as a physicist with the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics at Langley Field, Va. He began his Manhattan tenure as a math instructor in 1947 and became assistant professor in 1953. From 1962 until his retirement in 1992, he continued his 45-year distinguished career as associate professor of mathematics and computer science.

In a touching tribute, Nicholas DeLillo, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and computer science, remembers Ventriglia first as his professor in an undergraduate course.

“He was very concerned about the welfare of all of his students, especially those of us who were preparing to undertake graduate study in mathematics,” DeLillo says.

Another colleague, Thomas Smith, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and computer science, recalls him as an outstanding teacher who was, to his peers, “a person whose wise counsel was sought and followed.”

Besides carrying a full teaching load, Ventriglia spent time as an adviser to seniors entering graduate schools and to engineering freshmen. He also taught a graduate course in mechanics to the Christian Brothers on Saturdays and served as moderator for Pi Mu Epsilon honor society.

In the late 1950s, Ventriglia received a National Science Foundation Fellowship, as well as a Social Science Research Council Fellowship, and he was listed in Who’s Who in American Education, Men of Science. He is also the author of numerous articles in his subject, and was a member of several organizations, including the American Mathematics Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and National Geographic Society.

Ventriglia is survived by his wife, Lois; daughters Patti Maguire and Linda Carella; and five grandchildren.

MANHATTAN.EDU N 59

PA R TING SHOT

JOSH CUPPEK

4  2010

PHOTOS BY BLEACHER & EVERARD

Manhattan students partner with St. Francis de Sales Parish to help with the relief efforts in the storm-ravaged Rockaways in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

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The College welcomes prospective students and their families to campus during an introductory address in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers at Open House in October.