Mount Saint Mary College Magazine: Summer 2017

Mount Saint Mary College

MAGAZINE

Newburgh, New York

Owning it!

Mount alumnae embrace entrepreneurial spirit

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Celebrating the Class of 2017 Lacrosse team on the rise Newburgh Ministry partnership

Summer 2017

Letter from the President

S

ince I arrived at Mount Saint Mary College nearly a year ago, I have seen the campus in all its loveliness through all four seasons and witnessed our students’ ongoing academic success. What I can very happily convey to you is that we are always making progress.

Mount Saint Mary College Magazine Volume 39, No. 2 The Office of Marketing and Communications prepares this magazine for alumni, students, parents, and friends of the college.

EDITOR / DESIGN DIRECTOR Dean DiMarzo MBA ’13

SENIOR WRITER Matt Frey ’05 MSEd ’10 PHOTOGRAPHER Lee Ferris DESIGNER Sten Miller Perkins CONTRIBUTORS Michael Doughty Lynn Frank Michelle Iacuessa ’94 Emily Ricci ’15 COPYEDITOR Mayde Pokorny MBA ’16

CIRCULATION 9,000 ©2017

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The greatest celebration for any college is the annual commencement ceremony. This year, under the big tent, we awarded more than 600 degrees. We also proudly awarded two honorary doctorates: one to keynote speaker John McAvoy, CEO of Consolidated Edison, and another to Mr. Alvin Mann ’16, our inspirational 94-year-old graduate. Mr. McAvoy summed it up when he said, “Expect nothing but the very best from yourself and you will always be proud of what you have done.”

The most important thing I imparted to all those graduating is that the Mount is now part of their DNA and will forever be their home. Our graduates will always be welcome here and they can pay no greater compliment to their alma mater than to come by and let us know how they are doing. Being a Knight is being part of a large, growing, and increasingly national body of alumni. This year’s graduates came from 12 states and we see greater geographical diversity each year. The more we see of the graduates of 2017 — and all of the graduates who are reading this letter — the better we will all feel.

With the commencement ceremony a success, we now turn our attention to the challenges currently faced by private, non-profit colleges — especially in the northeast. This year I am happy to report that enrollments are sharply up from a year ago and we are dedicated to keeping the upswing going. However, high school graduation numbers in our core recruiting areas are falling and competition for students is rising.

We have emphasized the quality of our education, the excellence and commitment of our faculty, the spirit of our students, and the beauty of our facilities and location. Our alumni can play a role as well: Whether you live near or far, we are asking your help in letting everyone know about the advantages of a Mount education.

Many have asked me about the important developments in New York State in terms of student financial aid. The Governor has committed himself to the Excelsior Scholarship program, which provides free tuition at state campuses for children of families with incomes of less than $100,000 per year. A related Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA) program for private non-profit schools will ultimately provide more support for similarly placed low-income students. Since its beginning, the Mount has provided education to first generation, middle-income students, and now state campuses will be more attractive to that group. Although two-thirds of New York’s private colleges have so far opted out of the ETA program, the Mount has opted in. Our commitment from the beginning has been to provide quality, affordable education, and we will continue to explore any avenue that can support that.

There is a lot more going on here at the Mount, from study in China to happenings at the Newburgh Ministry here at home, and you can read about it in this edition.

Enjoy the summer, stay well, and always keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Dr. David A. Kennett

INSIDE

26 Celebrating the Class of 2017

3 New programs 12 Education Innovations 13 Scholars’ Brunch 14 Relay for Life 18 Spring comedy 19 Graft Cider 32 Sports roundup 40 Alumni notes 44 Academy alumna 45 A look back

4 News & Notes

17 Newburgh Ministry

20 Entrepreneurial Spirit

35 Lacrosse on the rise

36 Pros & iCons

42 Annual Invitational

Visit the Mount now through our Virtual Tour

Online Extras

Take a tour of the Mount with 360° photo panoramas, videos, and images from around campus. Use your smartphone, computer, or tablet to access the virtual tour at msmc.edu/VirtualTour

Find this issue and much more at msmc.edu/Magazine

MSMC Magazine online

Stay in touch at msmc.edu/Connect

Preparing students for endless possibilities through the liberal arts

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lab class buzzes with about 20 first-year students, clad in goggles, examining slides under microscopes, and taking notes for their Science of Viral Discovery course. Each one has discovered a previously undocumented virus and is diving deep into its RNA to see what makes it tick.

And not a single one of the scholars is a science major.

Thanks to the college’s rich liberal arts core, Mount students are able to enjoy courses outside of their major and build up a broad array of general knowledge, from fields such as philosophy and language arts to mathematics and the natural

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

sciences. The problem-solving skills and critical academic tools learned in these courses can be applied to any field of study.

For undeclared students, the Mount’s liberal arts core can be vital in selecting a major.

“It’s great to see non-science majors taking such an interest in this course and developing their skills,” said Viral Discovery teacher Evan Merkhofer, assistant biology professor.

After being offered for the first time in the Fall 2016 semester, several students in the course expressed interest in becoming biology majors.

And plenty of other Mount success stories began that same way.

New academic programs added

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ount education students now have more options for completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just five years. With the addition of two new 5-year Education programs, students can now choose to pair a History, Math, Chemistry, Biology, or English major with their Education certification.

The Division of Education also added a dual certification option for teaching Birth-Grade 2 in its Childhood Education Grades 1-6 program, which will allow candidates to earn an extension certification for teaching pre-kindergarten and kindergarten in public schools.

Business students also have fast-track options through 5-year programs that combine an accounting or business management bachelor’s degree with an MBA. Separately, a new MBA health care concentration was added for those seeking advancement in the health care management field.

The Division of Mathematics and Information Technology also added two new concentrations: Actuarial Science, which provides a solid foundation in math and business; and Cybersecurity, which provides comprehensive coverage of technical, ethical, legal, and contemporary topics in the field.

These programs join other recent additions, including a new Criminology major and the Sports Management concentration.

Tara Doughty ’06 enjoys her role as director of program management at the medical education company Hospicom, Inc. To get where she is today, Doughty had to draw on tools she acquired not only in her public relations and business administration majors, but also those from her liberal arts education as well.

Her advice to current and future Mount students is simple: “What’s important is to have a strong skillset in communications, strong writing skills, and an outgoing personality.”

Of course, students don’t wait until their job search to utilize the Mount’s liberal arts education: the college offers them freedom to forge their own academic paths. They can nurture secondary passions, or even combine courses from different fields to strengthen their major studies.

‘

What’s important is to have a strong skillset in communications, strong writing skills, and an outgoing personality.

’

Tara Doughty ’06

Interdisciplinary majors such as Technology and Digital Media, and new concentrations such as Actuarial Science and Cybersecurity, allow students to further diversify their degree.

The Mount’s liberal arts curriculum is designed to prepare students for their future, wherever it may lead them. As Doughty suggested, “Never be closed to an opportunity you didn’t plan.” www.msmc.edu

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News&Notes Happenings at the Mount

Business connections cross borders

More than 60 students from a dozen countries completed a business course at the Mount. The scholars learned U.S. business practices and soaked up American culture by visiting landmarks in New York City and beyond.

International flavor

A week-long celebration of the international education and study abroad programs included film screenings, panel discussions, and the Seventh Annual Cultural Expo. The campus enjoyed music, dance performances, and foods from around the world.

Volleyball showdown

In the Sixth Annual Volleyball Showdown, the Knight Strikers student team defeated the Top Gun faculty team. Even though the Top Gun team didn’t find victory this time, they’re already looking forward to heading into the danger zone again next year against a new Knight Strikers team.

Shaving for a cause

A St. Baldrick’s Foundation head shaving fundraiser, organized by journalism and English student Tanner Tait, helped to fight childhood cancer through donations of more than $750.

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Recovery across the Lifespan

“Although addiction can begin at any time in life, so can recovery,” noted author Mark Bryan at the Recovery Across the Lifespan conference, hosted by the Mount’s Center for Aging and Policy and the Center on Adolescent Research and Development.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Paint fundraiser

The Mount and Orange Regional Medical Center hosted the Paint It Forward fundraiser for the Cheryl L. Walker Nursing Scholarship.

Cultivating film and media production

The Mount hosted the Upstate Venture Association’s 2017 Annual Celebration, featuring keynote speaker Mary Stuart Masterson. The “Fried Green Tomatoes” star discussed the area’s film and media production industry.

President’s tea at Desmond Campus

Friends of the Mount enjoyed an afternoon tea with Dr. David A. Kennett, Mount president, and his wife, Dr. Susan Correll Kennett, in June. The event was held on the Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment.

Spring concert

The Mount Choir welcomed springtime with a concert featuring music by Billings, Tallis, Palestrina, and Webber.

Durward Entrekin, professor of music, leads the choir.

Red for a cause

Mardi Gras at the Mount

The Mount celebrated Mardi Gras in style with a live band, Cajun food, a fire juggler, and more at an event sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Office of Student Activities.

Celebrating writing

The Writing Center recognized the accomplishments of students, faculty, and staff at the Celebration of Writing event. The winners of the 2017 MSMC Writing Contest were, left to right, Christian Plaza, Troy Watson, Lily Goodman, and Smitha John.

The Mount community raised $500 to fight heart disease on National Wear Red Day. Kathleen O’Keefe, associate director of the Career Center, facilitated the event on campus.

www.msmc.edu

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News&Notes SERVICE Midnight Run

Mount students distributed sandwiches, water, clothing, and toiletries to the homeless at the recent Midnight Run event in Manhattan.

Tax Aide

Through the long-running Tax Aide program, accounting students provided free tax preparation for local middle- and low-income families at 35 locations throughout Dutchess and Orange counties. Now in its sixth year of involvement, the Mount provided nearly 20 student volunteers.

Blood Drive

The School of Nursing recently hosted a blood drive and members of the college’s Nursing Student Union (NSU) were among those assisting. The NSU was recognized by the New York Blood Center for their frequent blood drive efforts, collecting a combined yield of more than 1,000 pints in the last two years alone.

Jessica Tobar (left), a Mount accounting student, works with Cornelia Major during the quality review for a client’s taxes at the Newburgh Free Library in March.

Parkhurst

As part of an ongoing initiative, the Mount’s food vendor, Parkhurst Dining, routinely donates meals to the Newburgh Ministry charitable organization. Each donation contains enough food to make 100 lunches.

ACADEMICS MHFPC Clinical

Half a dozen accelerated nursing students cared for patients at the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center in New Hampton, N.Y., completing 45 clinical hours each.

Mount students participated in a recent Midnight Run event in Manhattan.

Natural Science Research

Biology majors Lily Goodman and Jacqueline Copeland presented their original research at the 71st annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. A week later, seven Mount students attended the NYC Regional SEA-PHAGES Symposium at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y.

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Mount professors and students at the 71st annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference at Wilkes University.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Mount student Kiera Ahern of Kings Park, N.Y., registers to donate at the Mount’s February blood drive.

LIBRARY & FACULTY Mount authors honored

The Faculty Library Committee and the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center recently celebrated the achievements of nearly 20 faculty who have published books, articles, and essays in the last year. Books published this academic year include: • The Joy of Letting Go by Victoria Caruana, assistant education professor.

• Childbirth, Maternity, and Medical Pluralism in French Colonial Vietnam, 1880-1945 by Thuy-Linh Nguyen, assistant professor of history.

• Fabulae Caeceliae: Fabula II by Frances R. Spielhagen, professor of education.

• Looking Back at the Jazz Age: New Essays on the Literature and Legacy of an Iconic Decade by Nancy Von Rosk, associate professor of English.

• Disability and Aging: Learning from Both to Empower the Lives of Older Adults by Jeffrey Kahana, associate professor of history.

Mount authors – Front row, left to right: Jen Park, assistant librarian for access and outreach services; Frances R. Spielhagen, professor of education; Priscilla Sagar, professor of nursing; Rebecca Norman, associate professor of education; and Jodie Fahey, assistant professor of chemistry. Back row: Thuy-Linh Nguyen, assistant professor of history; Sarah Uzelac, associate professor of psychology; James Phillips, associate professor of theatre; Denise A. Garofalo, associate librarian for systems and catalog services; Robert Miller, assistant professor of religious studies; and Vicki Caruana, assistant professor of education.

Library Week

The Kaplan Family Library hosted its 11th Annual Library Week earlier this year. Programs included guest speakers, a technology “petting zoo,” in-depth conversations on banned books, and more.

Amazon Rainforest

Author and explorer Paul Rosolie recently presented “The Wildest Places on Earth: Journey into the Amazon Rainforest.” Rosolie discussed his adventures, including being a surrogate mother to an orphaned baby anteater.

The rainforest, he explained, “is like stepping into the movie Avatar.”

Fulbright Scholar

Yasmine Kalkstein, associate psychology professor, was recently named a Fulbright Scholar. She will be doing research at the Center for Medical Decision Making at Ono Academic College in Kiryat Ono, Israel over the course of four months.

“Beacon Train Station at Night,” a photograph by Dakin Roy

Kalkstein

Photography Exhibit

“Beacon Train Station at Night” by Dakin Roy, instructional media coordinator and adjunct professor, was selected to be part of the 2017 juried exhibition for the Vermont Center of Photography. The exhibition features 40 photographs culled from more than 800 submissions, chosen by Karen Haas, Lane Curator of Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

www.msmc.edu

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News&Notes CAREER

Senior Development Conference

With fewer than 100 days until graduation, Mount seniors flocked to the Students Today, Employees Tomorrow, Knights Forever professional development conference.

Sponsored by the Career Center and the Office of Student Activities, the fourth annual conference featured breakout sessions, a panel of Mount alumni, and a networking reception.

Mock Interview Week

Professionally dressed and with portfolios in hand, Mount students practiced interviewing with local employers during Mock Interview Week. Nearly 20 employers came to the college to interview almost 60 students. The annual event was coordinated by the Career Center.

Real World Connections

The Career Center hosted another round of the ongoing Real World Connections series, giving graduating seniors the opportunity to network with a plethora of professionals. Students met with dozens of specialists in fields such as information technology, communications, nursing, marketing, and more.

TRIPS NPR

Nearly 20 students recently visited New York Public Radio in New York City. They were given a tour of the building’s information technology infrastructure and learned about the station’s broadcast environment.

Fox News

Above, students tour the set of the Fox Business Network in New York City.

Right, students and faculty learned about sports facility management at Yankee Stadium.

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Students recently got an inside look at the television business through a tour of the Fox Business Network studio in New York City. In addition to meeting Fox and Friends host Steve Doocy, the group enjoyed a question and answer session with Mount alumni who work at Fox: Brian Punturieri ’07 and Domenico D’Atria ’12, camera operators; and Audrey Pooley ’15, a guest booker.

Yankee Stadium

About 30 students, faculty, and staff toured Yankee Stadium as part of assistant business professor Scott Russell’s Sports Facility Management course. The students learned how the stadium adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

CDI

Spring Talks

The Catholic and Dominican Institute celebrated the Mount’s Dominican heritage with another season of thought-provoking talks.

Holly Ordway, an English professor and author, discussed becoming a Christian in “Not God’s Type: From Atheism to Catholicism.”

Sr. Bette Ann Jaster, OP, a Dominican Sister of Hope, presented “Catholic Social Justice Teachings Made Real and Active in our Time.”

Philosophy Workshop

Sr. Valerie DaSilva, OP, a Dominican Sister of Amityville, detailed her trip to the home of the Rhineland Mystics, a group of spiritual scholars dating back hundreds of years.

Rabbi Daniel F. Polish, an author and spiritual leader of Congregation Shir Chadash in Poughkeepsie, discussed “The Book of Psalms: A Gift in Times of Need.”

Fr. David Orique, OP, an accomplished author and the director of Latin American Studies at Providence College in Rhode Island, presented “Dominicans in the New World.”

William Carroll, a theology faculty member of the University of Oxford, presented “The Philosophy of Nature and Contemporary Science: Why Thomas Aquinas Remains Relevant.”

CONFERENCES Literacy Conference

Philosophy Workshop

The Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute hosted the seventh annual Philosophy Workshop on Thomas Aquinas, “Aquinas on Metaphysics,” in June and July.

Speakers included Fr. James Brent, OP, of the Catholic University of America, Jeffrey E. Brower of Purdue University, and Edward Feser of Pasadena College.

ET4ALL

The Mount’s 24th Annual Conference on Literacy, focusing on arts-based literacy, featured more than a dozen workshops covering a broad range of topics and a talk from illustrator Susan L. Roth. The event was sponsored by the Mount’s Collaborative for Equity in Literacy Learning.

Teach the Change

The Mount hosted its annual Teach the Change conference – a career development event for teacher candidates and high school students interested in becoming educators – on May 1. About 200 people attended the event, which featured keynote speaker Amanda L. Aiken, senior director for schools for New Orleans college prep charter schools.

Amanda L. Aiken

ET4ALL

The Sigma Tau chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society of Education, hosted the Educational Technology for Authentic Lifelong Learning (ET4ALL) conference.

Participants enjoyed workshops detailing the use of iPads in classrooms, virtual reality, copyright and fair use, and cyber security. www.msmc.edu

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News&Notes RESEARCH Honors Program

The Honors Student Research Symposium featured the work of honors students from across all majors.

Students had the opportunity to show their research projects in poster or presentation form.

Student Presentations

The annual Student Research Poster Presentation showcased student research conducted throughout the semester.

iROC

During the spring semester, the popular Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) seminar series presented the past, present, and future to the Mount community:

Christina Antico shares her work at the Honors Student Research Symposium.

Adjunct art professor Elizabeth Cappello kicked off the semester’s seminars with a demonstration of how a smartphone and Google Cardboard can bring art from far off places into the classroom in a more compelling way than textbook photos.

Jacqueline Copeland, a biology/premed student, explained how her study of saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as baker’s yeast, could one day be used to better diagnose and treat human diseases like cancer, spinal muscular atrophy, and cystic fibrosis.

Professors Evan Merkhofer and Suparna Bhalla discussing crowdsourcing.

Nancy Von Rosk, associate professor of English, explained how the Jazz Age era still holds our interest in popular culture.

Stephen Cheskiewicz, assistant professor of information technology, explored the stark difference in the way students in the U.S. and those from other parts of the world use technology, particularly social media.

Evan Merkhofer, assistant professor of biology, and Suparna Bhalla, associate professor of biology, demonstrated how crowdsourcing provides authentic research opportunities to a

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Stephen Cheskiewicz sharing how students use technology differently around the world.

Jacqueline Copeland presenting her research and explaining how it might be used in the future.

large number of students when factors such as time or lack of resources would otherwise make it difficult.

can be powerful teaching tools.

David Gallagher, associate professor of education, explained how podcasts are shaping opinions, and how they

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Dean Goldberg, associate professor of communication arts and film studies, discussed how service to others is neither strengthened nor hindered by a person’s religious beliefs.

TALKS

The Mount Speaks Out

A panel of Mount students and staff discussed their college experience as members of the LGBTQA+ community, recounting their personal challenges and successes. The event was the first in the three part The Mount Speaks Out series, which focused on hardhitting issues facing today’s college students. The other talks examined politics and race.

Nonfiction Addiction

National Poetry Month

The Division of Arts and Letters celebrated National Poetry Month with its annual poetry series, this year featuring acclaimed authors Mary Makofske and Jo Pitkin. Both readings were hosted by the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center.

Dr. Robert Gore

My-So Called Enemy

Director Lisa Gossels screened her award-winning documentary My So-Called Enemy, hosted by the Catholic and Dominican Institute, the Division of Arts and Letters, and the Kaplan Family Library.

Anti-Violence Seminar

The Center for Adolescent Research and Development (CARD) and the 100 Men of Newburgh organization recently presented a community seminar on anti-violence. Dr. Robert Gore, founder/executive director of the Kings Against Violence Initiative, delivered the keynote address.

Wellness Week

The Mount’s Week of Wellness promoted mental health in the college and local community. The flagship event was the original play Nonfiction Addiction: The True Stories of Addiction, presented by Cornerstone Family Healthcare Center for Recovery. The play examined addiction through the eyes of those who struggle with it every day.

Holocaust Remembrance

Victims and survivors of the Holocaust were honored at a recent Mount cer-

Dr. David Kennett, president of Mount Saint Mary College, accepts an award from Stefanie Kostenblatt, program director of the Newburgh Jewish Community Center, on behalf of Sr. Peggy Murphy, OP, religious studies professor. emony. Members of the local community joined faculty, students, and staff at the 17th annual event. About 100 were in attendance. S. Mitchell Weitzman, author of The Rose Temple, was the keynote speaker.

Family Business Panel

Six local business leaders offered their insight in the Future Unknown: The American Family Business panel.

Panelists included Mike Arnoff of Arnoff Moving and Storage; Paul Daubman Sr. and Paul Daubman Jr. of Daubman Corporate Interiors; John Yelle, visiting professor of accounting; and Alan and Justin Zuckerman of Verticon Construction Services. www.msmc.edu

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Celebrating Education

Professor Bojan Lazarevic (left) sharing info about Virtual Reality technology.

Sharing success

New Mount cooperative focuses on innovation

G

ive yourself time. Let your ideas percolate. Be comfortable with your surroundings.

As part of his Creativity and the Creative Process course, assistant theater professor James Phillips and his class brainstormed ways to harness a more inspired state for both body and mind.

But it wasn’t just Phillips’ students who got the creative juices flowing: several Mount faculty and staff members were also immersed in the lesson.

And it was happening in classrooms throughout the college – from mathematics and psychology to criminology and science – allowing the Mount community to examine the teaching strategies of their peers.

The daylong open classroom program is one of the first from the Mount’s new initiative, The Davidson DiPaola Educational Innovations Cooperative (DDEIC). The DDEIC is committed to the continuing study of sound educational practices and promoting the professional development of faculty as instructors, researchers, and scholars.

Through activities like observing fellow professors in action, the DDEIC fosters critical thinking and communication in student learning.

The cooperative was spearheaded by co-directors Dee Berlinghoff, professor of education, and Ed Teall, professor of philosophy.

“We want this to be a shared resource for all Mount faculty,” explained Teall. “We all have differ-

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ent ideas of how to teach. This is a way we can exchange and share those ideas and give our students a better classroom experience.”

The cooperative aims to “enhance the teaching” of Mount faculty to “prepare our students to be lifelong learners,” as detailed in Mount Saint Mary College’s overall mission.

It is the Mount’s fifth Center for Excellence, joining the ranks of The Catholic and Dominican Institute, The Center on Aging and Policy, The Center for Adolescent Research and Development, and The Collaborative for Equity in Literacy Learning.

The cooperative is named after the late Mount professors Virginia Davidson, English, and Lucy DiPaola, education. Davidson and DiPaola shared a passion for teaching that embodies the spirit of the DDEIC’s goals, noted Berlinghoff.

“Consistent with the college mission, they interacted with students in an effort to enable them to reach their potential as lifelong learners,” Berlinghoff explained.

In the future, the cooperative will offer workshops on teaching strategies and classroom activities, individual and small group support for implementing instructional approaches, lectures on topics relevant to Mount faculty, access to specialized equipment and software, additional open classroom opportunities, programming to support new faculty, facultyto-faculty training; and more.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

A few days before the Mount’s 54th annual Commencement ceremony, the Division of Education celebrated the many accomplishments of the graduating teacher candidates, as well as the illustrious alumni who have come before them.

Four students were recognized for their excellence in education: The Dr. Lucy DiPaola Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Lauren Skinner. The Sister Mary Consilia O’Brien Award for excellence in special education was presented to Kelley Raich. The James Pratt Award for excellence in secondary education was awarded to Christina Antico. The Sister M. Thomasina Award was awarded to Olivia Proulx.

Rebecca Quackenbush ’05 MSEd ’08, a teacher at Chester Elementary School, was one of two keynote speakers. She encouraged the future teachers to foster a sense of wonder in their students.

“Awaken the seeds of curiosity that are so naturally a part of what makes us human beings,” she said.

The second keynote speaker, Janaina Middleton MSEd ’13, discussed her experiences as a special education teacher at Newburgh Free Academy.

She said that most of the time, unfocused students just need a little push in the right direction.

“As long as you treat students with the respect they all deserve and keep them challenged, they will show you amazing things,” Middleton said.

The program also honored Debra Calvino ’81 and Dana McDonough ’91 MSEd ’00, respectively the 2010 and 2016 New York State Teacher of the Year.

Mount Saint Mary College has produced two New York State Teachers of the Year in the last decade: Debra Calvino ’81 (2010, left) and Dana McDonough ’91 MSEd ’00 (2016, right).

Elaine Squeri ‘64, Kelsey Si mone, and Ron Fren ch

Nirmala Sing h, Larry Arnol d, Danangelo Spencer, Wilb we ur Higgins, an d John Smith

Matthew Ana stasi, Meg Dav idson, and Matthew Foley

Honoring academic achievement

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he 3rd Annual Scholars’ Brunch spotlighted the academic achievements of dozens of students during the Mount’s annual Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity.

The brunch honored the successes of MSMC Scholarship recipients and donors, Ralph Scholars (top 5 percent of the sophomore class), Aquinas Scholars (top 5 percent of each division/school for juniors and seniors), Boyle Scholars (high-achieving seniors

in the Adult Degree Completion program), members of the college’s Honors Program, and members of each of the college’s nearly 20 honor societies.

The gathering also provided the opportunity to thank the friends of the college who have sponsored endowed scholarships for deserving Mount students in the last year.

Dr. David Kennett, president of Mount Saint Mary College, recognized the contributions of all of the Mount’s patrons.

“This institution, like any other, rests upon its people,” he said, noting that without the benefactors, many students would not have had the chance to attend college.

The high-achieving students were served a brunch by members of the faculty “who made students feel like true guests of honor,” said event co-chairs Barbara Petruzzelli, director of the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center, and Doug Robinson, professor of biology.

Dominican Scholars of Hope off to strong start For the 2016-2017 academic year, Mount Saint Mary College was proud to offer a new initiative for highlymotivated freshmen, the Dominican Scholars of Hope. The nonacademic living and learning community is guided by the four pillars of Dominican life: contemplation, study, community, and service. The program seeks to cultivate the intellectual, spiritual, and moral capacities of students.

Under the tutelage of the Catholic and Dominican Institute and its director, Charles Zola, a dozen Dominican Scholars of Hope participated in community service and campus events throughout the year.

In the spring, the Scholars donated nearly $350 to help

children of the war-torn city of Aleppo in Syria. The money was presented to Sr. Bette Ann Jaster, OP, a Dominican Sister of Hope, before her recent Mount lecture, “The Catholic Social Justice Teachings Made Real and Active in our Time.”

It will be utilized in the Dominican Sisters’ “We Have Family in Iraq” charitable program. www.msmc.edu

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Standing up to cancer Relay for Life lifts spirits while raising funds

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ount Saint Mary College’s eighth annual Relay for Life earned more than $21,000 for the American Cancer Society, thanks to the efforts of students, faculty, staff, and volunteers from the community.

About 300 members of more than 30 teams took turns walking laps from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to honor those who have or were lost to cancer and to raise money for a cure.

Survivors, including students, faculty, and alumni, were guests of honor.

The Mount Relay Leadership Committee was spearheaded by Briana Cherwinski, Shannon Ryan, and Marissa Siegel.

Relay for Life was sponsored by the Colleges Against Cancer Club, the Student Activities Office, and the American Cancer Society. It has raised about $225,000 to fight cancer in the last eight years.

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Cancer survivors and their caregivers led the first lap of the Mount’s Relay for Life.

Service a world away

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bout 20 students from Mount Saint Mary College’s MEDLIFE chapter lent a healing hand to the people of Lima, Peru during a recent medical service trip.

The group spent three days serving in mobile clinics. They assisted doctors by taking patients’ blood pressure, height, weight, and temperature, giving fluoride treatments, educating on the benefits of brushing one’s teeth, and transporting patients. They also spent a day building a staircase through rocky, steep terrain with the help of community members.

The Mount’s MEDLIFE chapter was formed about a year ago through Campus Ministry. They were aided by donations from the School of Nursing and were helped with travel plans by the college’s Office of International Programs.

Shacore Graham, a biology major on the pre-dental track, said that the people and the culture of Peru left a lasting impression on him.

“They have so little, but appreciate everything they have and make good use of their resources,” he explained.

Jenna Sanfilippo, president of Mount Saint Mary College’s MEDLIFE chapter, administers fluoride to a young girl in Lima, Peru.

The president of the Mount’s MEDLIFE chapter, Jenna Sanfilippo, a biology major on the pre-physician assistant track, noted that the trip was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.

“No amount of money can give you the joy of making a difference in someone’s life,” she said.

The students also learned about Peruvian culture through a boat ride around the Ballestas islands, sandboarding in the Ica desert, and more.

The Mount’s MEDLIFE chapter plans to continue their humanitarian work by hosting fundraising events on campus to help people in the Newburgh area.

East meets west While their peers were gearing up to start the Spring 2017 semester, halfway around the world in Shanghai, China, about two dozen Mount students were immersed in a hands-on course in integrated medicine.

Shanghai is located more than 7,000 miles – a 16-hour flight – from New York.

Over three weeks, the students earned credits in biology or sociology through the Mount faculty-led course, called “When East Meets West: Exploring the Health Benefits of Integrated Medicine.”

The program was spearheaded by Suparna Bhalla, associate professor of biology at the Mount, and Elizabeth Harper, assistant professor of biology.

The Mount students lived and learned on the campus of East China Normal University in Shanghai with both Chinese and international stu-

Mount students in Shanghai

dents. In their classes, they explored new approaches in integrated medicine, which healthcare providers are implementing in the United States to combat high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and more.

“The future of health care will be in integrative medicine,” explained Harper. “We hope this course planted a seed of appreciation for forms of healing and medicine outside the Western medical paradigm.”

The students also took cultural excursions to traditional water towns like Whuzhen and Hangzhou, with a final destination of Beijing. Stops included the Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum, the Shanghai Chinese Tea City, and meetings with practitioners in the fields of reflexology and Eastern medicine. They also explored health practices like Tai Chi and Chi Gong, and learned Chinese language and calligraphy. www.msmc.edu

15

Welcoming

spring With finals looming and warm weather calling, the Mount community unwound with Spring Weekend, an annual on-campus celebration held near the end of the academic year. Students enjoyed a block party with a barbecue, games, student performances, and more.

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Left, Dean and Susan Goldberg chat with Colin Jarvis, executive director of the Newburgh Ministry, and Dr. David A. Kennett, president of Mount Saint Mary College, at a recent celebration of the Mount’s partnership with Newburgh Ministry.

Below, Mount teacher candidates tutor young students at Newburgh Ministry as part of a literacy program that they developed.

Together, we are more Mount, Newburgh Ministry celebrate powerful partnership

F

rom nursing students serving at a free clinic to literacy programs for area youth, Mount Saint Mary College and the Newburgh Ministry have enjoyed a longstanding alliance that strengthens both the local community and the college’s academics.

Newburgh Ministry is a culturally diverse, grassroots organization located in the City of Newburgh’s east end. It offers dignity and hope to those seeking shelter, resources, solace, and fellowship.

Dean Goldberg, associate professor of communication arts and film studies, serves as vice president of the Newburgh Ministry Board of Directors.

“For many years, the Mount has been very important to the Newburgh Ministry, and vice versa,” said Goldberg.

“The Mount is very much steeped in the tradition of service, and the Newburgh Ministry is a great reflection of that.”

“The collaboration was made in heaven,” said Colin Jarvis, executive director of the Newburgh Ministry. “We continue to serve the poorest of the poor and help them transform their lives – and the city. There’s a lot of work to be done, and the partnership we have now with the Mount will further advance what we’re all trying to do.”

The Mount’s School of Nursing has assisted Newburgh Ministry’s physician in charge through the aid of nursing students, who temper their classwork with the real-life experience. The School of Business has also volunteered their time and students, including helping the underserved

complete their taxes in February, March, and April through the Tax Aide program.

The college’s Sigma Tau chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society of Education, initiated a literacy program at the Newburgh Ministry. Developed by Mount teacher candidates, it has been enjoyed by dozens of young, at-risk students. After only a few months in operation, the successful program was awarded a $15,000 technology grant from Warwick Savings Foundation to purchase tablets, laptops, software programs, and other digital equipment.

The Division of Arts and Letters’ public relations students have worked with the Newburgh Ministry, as have members of Mount Media, the college’s creative agency made up of students. The group created a video for the 30th anniversary of the Newburgh Ministry that aided in the organization’s fundraising efforts.

Through the college’s Campus Ministry, students regularly donate hundreds of food and clothing items per year, as well as volunteering their time. In addition, the Mount’s food service provider, Parkhurst, routinely donates meals to the organization.

Sr. Margaret Anderson, OP, Mount Saint Mary College Board vice chair; Sr. Patricia Sullivan ’64, OP, professor emerita of mathematics; and Fr. Francis Amodio, O.Carm., campus chaplain and director of the Mount’s Campus Ministry, have all served as members of the Newburgh Ministry board. www.msmc.edu

17

Development of new comedy draws on students’ creativity

M

ount Saint Mary College recently presented The Saviour of Venice, an original comedy co-written by the cast and director James Phillips, associate professor of theatre.

The Saviour of Venice is the third commedia dell’Arte style (improvised) play Mount students have performed under Phillips. But unlike the previous two, which were adaptations of 16th century scenarios, Saviour was the first to use an original plot outline. The students filled in blanks, Phillips explained.

“Everything that’s said has come out of the rehearsal process,” he noted. “This is a form that allows for improvisation, and certainly the renaissance productions of commedias would have a lot of improv too.”

Phillips views creativity as a form of problem solving, and said that The Saviour of Venice was a series of creative problems the cast needed to solve in order to unlock the potential of the show.

“I’m really interested in developing the creative skills of the actors,” Phillips said. “Those skills can be carried into any career.” He noted that among the cast, majors ranged from nursing and pre-med to education and accounting.

“Part of what this forces the cast to do is make decisions – and it guarantees failure in the rehearsal process,” said Phillips. “What I want them to get out of this is that failure is not the end, but a new beginning point. Failure’s only a problem if you give up.”

In pooling their creative talents, the cast created “a ridiculous physical comedy,” he said. “It is extremely fast, extremely silly, all built around a classic, romantic love story. But the love story isn’t as interesting as the ways everything falls apart – and then miraculously comes back together.”

Phillips says directing is one of his greatest joys as a Mount professor.

“Starting from an idea and figuring out how to make something that will hopefully touch the audience is a joy,” he said. “Working with students in this way, for hours and hours a week, is an intensity you just can’t get in a classroom.”

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

The cast of The Saviour of Venice was: Langley Phillips, Meghan Hartnett, Brian Lopez, Lindsay Ostrander, Lily Chimenti, Danielle Petricca, Destiny Bettica, Troy Watson, Montana Taylor, Steven Scodes, William Biersack, Nathan Herring, Joseph Certa, and Alexander Perlak.

Something for everyone at Desmond Campus

Kyle Sherrer, founder of Graft Cider, with some of his company’s product.

Mount’s START-UP NY partners with Graft Cider

T

he Mount’s latest START-UP NY partnership is providing a big boost to a local business: Graft Cider, located at 218 Ann St. in the City of Newburgh, will enjoy ten years of tax-free operation in New York State through the program.

“START-UP NY has provided us with the ability to get off the ground and running much more smoothly,” said Graft Cider founder Kyle Sheerer.

“It has also helped us start to bring in skilled workers with better wages.”

Graft Cider brews a variety of hard ciders, three or more per month. The ciders are aged for about eight weeks each and the cidery currently produces about 5,000 gallons a month.

Since moving into the space in late 2016, Graft Cider began selling their products on draft and in cans. The company’s hard cider can be found in about 300 establishments in the Hudson Valley, including stores, bars, and restaurants, as well as locations in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

The START-UP NY initiative at the Mount was spearheaded by James Raimo, vice president for facilities and operations, and Michael J. O’Keefe, executive director of operations and risk management.

Aside from bringing more businesses into Newburgh to improve the city’s economy, O’Keefe says the program will also enhance the educational experience for students of the Mount.

“There’s been excellent synergy between the company, the college, and our academics,” O’Keefe said.

In the Fall 2016 semester, the students in assistant biology professor Evan Merkhofer’s genetics course applied their classroom knowledge to the real world through the cider company. Through a technique called DNA barcoding, which uses short genetic sequences to identify DNA’s source organism, Merkhofer’s students pinpointed the unknown wild yeast strains that are being used in fermenting Sheerer’s ciders.

“This allowed the students to utilize genetic techniques and analyze data in tackling an interesting practical question by pairing with a local small business,” Merkhofer explained.

Sherrer added that the company will also look to hire interns from the Mount in future semesters. Interns will “pick up real-world skills that will get them a foothold into the burgeoning craft beverage industry or potentially a job working at Graft,” he said.

O

n a sunny afternoon in the early springtime, Kevin Cleary of Pennsylvania enjoys learning how to knit at Mount Saint Mary College’s Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment.

Upstairs, a roomful of art enthusiasts is wowed by “Vincent Van Gogh: Navigating the North and the Studio of the South,” a lecture by Laura Nicholls, Desmond Campus art instructor, certified calligrapher, and former art teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

It’s just a typical day at the campus, which offers hundreds of non-credit classes each year for the adult learner, including Zumba Gold, Hatha Yoga, T’ai Chi, oil and acrylics, drawing, guitar workshops, art history, foreign languages, technology, and more. Classes are offered during the day, in the evening, and on Saturdays.

L.I.F.E. Program courses, which are designed for adults 55 or older, cover a range of topics including estate planning, investment strategies, and educational nature walks.

The Desmond Campus organizes several bus trips to arts events or historical sites each year. Special events including themed wine and cheese pairing parties, art shows, movie nights, special lectures, and the ever-popular Back Porch Concert Series are also hosted at the campus.

Learn more and see the catalog at msmc.edu/Desmond. www.msmc.edu

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SPIRIT

ENTREPRENEURIAL Alumnae founders flourish in the business world

Woodruff Smith on location

From ‘Regis’ to Netflix

J

ust last year, Mount Saint Mary College alumna Audra Woodruff Smith ’04 and her husband, Courtney, founded their New York City-based media company, Turn Card Content LLC. Since then, the Smiths have gone on a whirlwind tour of the United States with Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino, searched for America’s best junior barbecue chef, and chronicled an 8,000 mile, nine-month journey across the Pacific Ocean.

A typical 9-to-5 job this isn’t, noted Smith.

Turn Card Content is an unscripted television company, producing reality TV, digital content, and documentaries on topics such as food, travel, social experiments, and more. The company’s latest – and largest – project to date is Losing Sight of Shore, a documentary in which four women travel from California to Australia in a rowboat.

Smith and her husband, the executive producers of the project, premiered the film in New York City in late April and at Newport Beach Film Festival in May. Currently, Losing Sight of Shore is available on Netflix.

“This documentary was a totally new experience and probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” said Smith. “As executive producers, we helped fund the project and also worked on it in the post process, molding the story into a film.”

In addition to Losing Sight of Shore, Turn Card has produced Food Network’s Kids Barbecue

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Championship and the Cooking Channel’s Vinny and Ma Eat America, featuring Guadagnino. In the digital realm, the company has taken the reigns on Food.com’s Genius Kitchen, TravelChannel.com’s Behind the Like, and FoodNetwork.com’s Eddie Jackson’s Game-Day Playbook.

“It’s all very fun, positive programing,” Smith said.

The Smiths commute to their city office from Sayville, N.Y. on “normal days,” Smith explained, but “there’s a lot of breakfast meetings, after-hours meetings over drinks, and everything in between. It keeps you on your toes.”

“Normal” workdays only come around once or twice a week. The rest of the time, the Smiths are on site at their current project.

“It’s a great opportunity and a lot of fun,” she said, noting that while working on Vinny and Ma, she and her husband visited eight states in two weeks. “We get to see a lot of great cities.”

Smith got her start in the television industry with the aid of the Mount’s Career Center. Janet Zeman, executive director, helped her to land an internship with the show Live with Regis and Kelly.

She recalls searching for internships in event planning, but changing her mind once she learned of the Live opportunity.

“Before that, I had really never thought of going into television,” she explained. “Through that internship, I realized I wanted to work in TV. It launched my career.”

Smith praised former Mount communications professors James Beard, Sr. Catherine Walsh, OP, and Irene Nunnari, as well as Sr. Peggy Murphy, professor of religious studies. It was their combined efforts that helped to mold her into the professional she is today, she said.

The Mount professors “know your name and really support you,” she said.

“Another thing I really appreciated about the Mount was the liberal arts education,” said Smith. “I enjoyed that I could take so many different kinds of classes: psychology, business, theology, or even the class I took on Harry Potter novels. Having a little knowledge in a lot of areas has helped me in my career because I work on so many different kinds of shows.”

“

Through that internship (‘Live with Regis and Kelly’), I realized I wanted to work in TV. It launched my career.

”

Audra Woodruff Smith ’04

Turn Card Content

AUDRA WOODRUFF SMITH ’04 • Turncard.TV

Audra Woodruff Smith, left, and Courtney Smith. www.msmc.edu

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Oakland Valley Campground KRISTI FINNIGAN MBA ’15 • OaklandValleyCampground.com

Andrew and Kristi Finnigan stroll through their campground.

Happy campers

F

rom moms and dads grilling burgers to children playing all day with new friends, the Oakland Valley Campground in Cuddebackville, N.Y. saw about 2,000 visitors on Memorial Day weekend – and it all started with a Mount Saint Mary College student’s business plan.

One day while Kristi Finnigan MBA ’15 worked on a take-home test for her Quantitative Methods course, she requested that her husband, Andrew, take their two children camping. The quiet would help her concentrate, she said.

Little did they know, the outing would change the course of their personal and professional lives.

Camping was an eye-opening With [the experience for Andrew, who had just completed a 12-year career Mount], I in the military, which included a was able to deployment to Afghanistan. make our “He came back from that trip plan come and said he knew what he wanted true. to do with the rest of his life: buy a campground,” Finnigan explained.

Kristi Finnigan After some initial hesitation – MBA ’15 Finnigan’s background includes aiding people with disabilities and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to switch career paths – the idea grew on her. But when Finnigan started drafting a business plan and hit a few roadblocks, she put the venture on hold and concentrated on her master’s of business administration.

Later, in Finnigan’s capstone class at the Mount, business professor Moira Tolan assigned the students a project – create a business plan.

“

”

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

“I took that as a sign from God,” said Finnigan.

“Getting this business plan ready was my only hang-up. I followed her course outline and made it real.”

After refining the plan during her entrepreneurship class with Peter Gregory, assistant business professor, Finnigan used it to get their business loan. And so, in July 2016, she and her husband purchased Oakland Valley Campground and started their journey as entrepreneurs.

Tolan and Gregory “helped me so tremendously, really fine-tuning everything and letting me pick their brains,” she said. “With their help, I was able to make our plan come true.”

Oakland Valley Campground is open from April to October, weather permitting. The 50-plus acre camp, situated alongside the Neversink River, offers fishing, swimming, hiking trails, an inground swimming pool, an arcade, a playground, and new group activities every week. Campers can park on the grounds in their RV, pitch a tent, or stay in a cabin.

The campground’s family-friendly atmosphere has been a benefit not only to Finnigan’s customers, but to her own children as well. Her 12-year-old son, Matthew, enjoys playing with the children who visit the camp.

“They call him ‘Mayor Matthew,’” she said.

Finnigan’s 15-year-old son, John, has autism. He has a difficult time indoors thanks to artificial light, the hum of electronics, and other kinds of stimuli, Finnigan explained. Spending time outdoors in the camp has helped him to blossom socially.

“He loves chatting with new people,” she noted.

“It’s great to see him doing so well.”

MaxFlight Helicopter Services AUSTI TARTER ’01 • MaxFlightHeli.com

“It was a “huge risk, but I went for it because it was a really cool opportunity.”

”

Austi Tarter ’01

Austi Tarter ’01, left, at work.

Dreams take flight

H

igh above the Magic Kingdom, cruising over Sea World, or zooming past Universal Studios is where you might find Austi Tarter ’01, licensed pilot and founder of MaxFlight Helicopter Services, Inc. of Kissimmee, Fla. MaxFlight offers flight training, sightseeing tours, and charter flights. The company has also been hired to help families search for missing loved ones, for television news coverage, and even to assist ranchers in wrangling wayward cattle.

When Tarter founded the company nearly five years ago, she started with a single two-seat helicopter.

MaxFlight Helicopter Services currently utilizes five choppers of various sizes and employs about a dozen people, from commercial pilots to instructors. In addition to its Florida site, MaxFlight also has a sister location in Michigan, right outside of Detroit.

Like her employees, who hail from places like Scotland, Nigeria, and the Dominican Republic, Tarter’s journey from Mount grad to business owner has taken her around the world. She grew up in Atlanta, Ga. and joined the military. After being stationed in Japan, Uncle Sam brought her to Newburgh, where Tarter chose to attend Mount Saint Mary College.

Tarter didn’t always have her head in the clouds: the future aviation enthusiast majored in psychology.

But thanks to some advice from former Mount professor Lucien Mott, she took a minor in business, nurturing the skills she needed to found MaxFlight.

“Having all that experience helped me when I was forming my company,” she explained, adding, “Lucien was always helping me steer my career. Even when I wasn’t sure what to do or what direction to go in,

Lucien and I sorted it out.”

Upon graduation, Tarter soon discovered the corporate world wasn’t her calling. While looking for another career path, her father suggested she take helicopter lessons in Orlando. Tarter immediately knew she had found her passion, but halfway through her training, the flight school she was attending shut down.

Unfortunately, the Mount grad was left high and dry.

Or so she thought.

Not willing to give up her highflying dreams, Tarter and one of the displaced flight instructors hatched a plan: they’d lease a small R22 helicopter and finish training the other students. The gamble paid off, and soon, Tarter had gotten MaxFlight Helicopter Services off the ground.

“It was a huge risk, but I went for it because it was a really cool opportunity,” she said. “It took a lot of hard work, but things turned out nicely.”

Tarter’s advice to current Mount students is simple, but poignant: “Don’t stress over making a final career decision when you first begin,” she said. “Pick the major that suits you best and everything will help mold you along the way. Even if you wind up on a different path, you’ll be able to use what you’re learning for something in your life.” www.msmc.edu

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Commencement 2017

Nearly 620 new alumni move on to the next chapter

A

s the skirl of bagpipes filled the air, English professor James Finn Cotter led a long procession of proud graduates to Mount Saint Mary College’s 54th annual Commencement Ceremony in May.

“

Mount Saint Mary College will always be your home. These beautiful grounds are still yours. You will always be welcomed home.

”

Dr. David A. Kennett President, Mount Saint Mary College

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

The ceremony was presided over by Charles Frank, chair of the Board of Trustees. The invocation was given by Fr. Francis Amodio, O.Carm., college chaplain and director of Campus Ministry.

Dr. David Kennett, president, congratulated the faculty, the parents, and the seniors on a job well done.

“The greatest thing about the Mount is its people, especially the students,” Kennett said. “I’ve been impressed by the quality of your research, the achievement of your athletics teams, your cheer, and your deep concern for others that you exhibit by the extent of your voluntary activity here in the community. You deserve thanks for that, and I thank you sincerely.”

He added, “Although you cease to be students, Mount Saint Mary College will always be your home. These beautiful grounds are still yours. You will always be welcomed home.”

DO CE ME

N

EW

”

IVER EM TAT

.Y .

MOUN T

and you will always be proud of what you have done, which is amongst the most important measures of success.

LEGE OL

Expect nothing but the “very best from yourself

INT MARY C SA

B U R G H, N

54th Annual Commencement Ceremony

John McAvoy Chairman, president, and CEO Consolidated Edison, Inc.

Degrees granted

498 121

Bachelor’s degrees

Master’s degrees

Largest programs

169 136 109 Nursing

The Class of 2017 eagerly processes to the 54h annual Commencement Ceremony.

The graduating students then heard from commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient John McAvoy, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Consolidated Edison Inc. McAvoy was honored for his role as an outstanding business leader and his long-standing commitment to communities across New York State.

McAvoy oversees Consolidated Edison’s two regulated utilities, Con Edison Company of New York, and Orange and Rockland Utilities, which energize the lives of the 10 million people in its service territory. Under his leadership, Con Edison has invested more than $2.6 billion in renewable energy projects through its Clean Energy Businesses.

He serves on the board of directors of the American Gas Association, the Edison Electric Institute, the Partnership for New York City, the New York State Energy Research and Develop-

ment Authority, and The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. He also serves on the board of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

McAvoy gave the graduates three tips for success in their careers. First, he encouraged them to be “relentless” in their self-improvement efforts.

Students should employ “persistence, tenacity, [and] an unwavering sense of commitment” in the workplace and their personal lives, he noted.

“Winston Churchill’s quote captures it: ‘Never, never, never quit.’”

The second tip was to be “a team player,” he said. “Most issues and challenges are complex, and it takes the power of a team to solve them,” explained McAvoy. “Empathy may be the most needed characteristic, along with self-awareness, self-control, and social skills. These are all traits that need to be practiced and honed to become a great team player.”

Business

Education

A tradition continues

38

Years that Professor James Finn Cotter has been Master of Ceremonies

25

Commencement 2017

Dr. David A. Kennett awards degrees during the ceremony.

Markel earns Faculty Award

The 2017 Commencement ceremony touted the achievements of graduates, but it also recognized the dedicated service of this year’s Mount Saint Mary College Faculty Award recipient: Maureen Markel, professor of information technology.

Markel, who has taught at the Mount for nearly four decades, retired at the end of the academic year. During her time at the Mount, she served as chair of the Division of Mathematics and Information Technology and helped to oversee the development of several new programs.

“I’m truly so honored, so humbled, and so touched,” said Markel. “Thank you, my beloved faculty and institution.”

26

Alvin Mann ’16 addressed the crowd after receiving an honorary doctor of humane letters. The 94-year-old shared gratitude and news of his recent engagement.

The last and most important element for success, he revealed, is integrity. “Integrity is not just keeping your hand out of someone else’s wallet, but a willingness to stand by an ideal, a principle, and do what you think is right,” he said.

McAvoy added, “Expect nothing but the very best from yourself and you will always be proud of what you have done, which is amongst the most important measures of success.”

Alvin Mann, a 94-year-old World War II veteran and retired businessman, also received an honorary doctor of humane letters in recognition of his dedicated service to his country and his commitment to lifelong learning.

Mann earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the Mount in May 2016. His hands-on experience of the subject gave him a unique outlook on his coursework.

In the early 1940s, Mann joined the war effort as a merchant seaman. After his time in the Armed Forces, Mann opened a short term staffing service in Manhattan called Temporary Office Services of New York. He supplied clients with secretaries, typists, clerks, bookkeepers, and more. He continued running the multi-million dollar business for some 25 years.

“I’m humbled and grateful for this distinction,” said Mann. “I always planned to visit my alma mater, but this really makes me hold my head

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

high. My thanks to my advisors, my wonderful, knowledgeable instructors – especially my IT tutors – the finance office, and to all the students who believed I really was an aging Baby Boomer.”

Mann will be marrying his best friend, Gertrude Mokotoff, the former mayor of Middletown, N.Y., on August 5 of this year.

“We’ll be married in front of our seven children,” said Mann. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so honored to be marrying Gertrude…that’s the story of my life, and I love it.”

Bernadette Claravall, senior class president, thanked professors and staff for their unwavering commitment to her and her fellow graduates. She also thanked her family for being there over the course of her college journey.

“You will always need your family,” Claravall reminded her fellow graduates. “If there is one thing that has remained constant in our entire lives, it is the love and support from our family and friends that embraces us every day.”

She added the same tenacity that got the graduates through college will serve them well as they move on to the next chapters of their lives.

“I wish you all the best of luck,” she said. “I know that your hard work and your hearts will lead you to many great destinations. Congratulations to the Class of 2017.”

Nursing grad Christopher Kelley gave his reflections on learning his profession over the last four years.

Family members and friends took part in the nurse pinning, presenting the pins to each of the nurses.

Smitha John received the Sigma Award from associate nursing professor Teresa Hurley for her hard work.

90 receive nursing pins, 35 earn white coats

T

he day before Commencement, 90 Mount graduates proudly received their nursing pins.

Fr. Francis Amodio, O.Carm., campus chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, blessed the pins, which were presented to the graduates by chosen family members and friends.

The pins display the college seal and the motto, “doce me veritatem,” which translates as “teach me the truth.”

“Take your pin and wear it with pride,” said Dr. David Kennett, president of the Mount. “You’ve worked very hard to join a wonderful profession.”

Mount nursing professors Ann Corcoran, Teresa Hurley, Jill Sussman, and Dianne Murphy, School of Nursing co-chair, offered the graduates words of encouragement and advice for their upcoming nursing careers.

“Nurses are often on the forefront and we see the best and worst humankind has to offer,” said Sussman, the event’s keynote speaker. “You will need to think outside the box, be flexible, advocate on the part of families and patients, and be above reproach. Stay true to your calling and never forget why you chose nursing in the first place.”

Christopher Kelly, president of the Mount’s Nursing Student Union, credited the group’s professors with

Green thanked her instructors for “instilling me with their knowledge and experiences that inspired me to keep growing and striving.”

Isamar Hernandez thanked her parents and brother for their “unconditional love and support throughout this journey.”

Nurse practitioners honored

Fr. Francis Amodio, O.Carm blessed the pins of the Mount’s newest nurses.

molding them into the confident nurses they are today.

Award recipients were Jaclyn Tremblay (General Excellence in Nursing Award), Danielle Nunziato (School of Nursing Clinical Excellence Award and the School of Nursing Leadership Award), Amy Fredette (Spirit of Nursing Award), Edward Flowers (Perseverance Award), and Diana Pernicano (Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award).

To close out the ceremony, the proud graduates recited “A Nurse’s Prayer,” which speaks of dedicating one’s life to helping others.

The new nurses were excited for the journey ahead, but took a few moments to thank those who had helped them get to this point. Amanda

The previous week, about 35 students were honored at a White Coat Ceremony, reflecting their transition to the professional nurse practitioner role.

According to Christine Berté, assistant professor, director of the graduate nursing program, and co-chair of the college’s School of Nursing, Mount nurse practitioner graduates began their journey as registered nurses and can now enter primary care practices, including family health and internal medicine. They may also practice in acute care settings, such as hospital positions and urgent care/fast track health access points.

“You’ll be participating in a critically important role, providing care to thousands of patients a year,” explained Anne-Marie Uebbing, associate professor of nursing. “We, the faculty, are truly proud of your accomplishments.” www.msmc.edu

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Commencement 2017

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

www.msmc.edu

29

Commencement 2017

For his senior project, Danangelowe Spencer hosted an art show that featured visual and performing arts.

Projects highlight talent, knowledge, and service

P

rior to graduation, the Class of 2017 completed several senior projects to utilize the skills they’d obtained throughout their classes at the Mount. Media studies – production major Danangelowe “A.J.” Spencer hosted the Art, Reality, Truth (A.R.T.) Show that featured the artistic work of students, faculty, and staff. The event showcased paintings, photographs, sculptures, digital designs, and performances by the Mount community. It also highlighted Spencer’s video, which illustrated how the Mount embraces art, reality, and truth on campus. The goal was to “rejuvenate the appreciation and expression of the arts here at the Mount,” Spencer said. “Personally, my aim is to inspire students to create, share, and inspire.”

Across other academic divisions, senior students put together a number of other projects and events, including the creation of a fashion and lifestyle magazine called Moda by Amanda Bocekci; Get Hired Today, an event for business students spearheaded by Isabella Tartaglione that discussed recruiting methods; Glo Run 5K, a fundraising event by Kayla Senno that featured a glow-in-thedark course in the parking lot of Hudson Hall; and an informational event for psychology majors called Life as a Psych Major by Elizabeth Lavin and Daria Sullivan, which highlighted job opportunities, graduate schools, clubs and internships, and successful alumni.

To read more about some of the Class of 2017’s senior projects, visit msmc.edu/SeniorProjects2017.

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Diana Pernicano received the Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award at the annual nurse pinning ceremony.

Strengthened by adversity Diana Pernicano graduated a year later than anticipated, but what might have been an inconvenience for some was a cause of celebration for the young nursing student.

Pernicano began her studies at the Mount in the fall of 2012, and her battle against cancer started in the fall of 2013. She found a lump in her neck during a hands-on nursing lesson at the Mount, and she credits the course with saving her life.

She received treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma immediately and is now free of the disease.

“They say it takes a village, and it took the help of a lot of people to get me well enough to continue at the Mount,” Pernicano explained, including her family, friends, and caregivers. “Thanks to everyone who gave me a hand.”

When she returned to the Mount after treatment, Pernicano did so with a renewed sense of purpose. In addition to resuming her honors-level studies, she held leadership positions in the Colleges Against Cancer club and co-chaired the Mount’s 2015 Relay for Life, which raised about $35,000 to help fight the disease. She raised more than $2,000 on her own.

The day before Commencement, at the college’s annual Nurse Pinning ceremony, Pernicano was given the Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Award commemorating her excellent work.

“The first thing I thought of when I got the award was the American Cancer Society,” she explained. “Without them I wouldn’t be here today. That award was really for everybody fighting cancer, not just me.”

Then & Now: From freshmen to graduates

2013

2013

2013

Olivia Bogle

Tamryn Mistretta

Daria Sullivan

n August 2013, Olivia Bogle lugged food, clothing, and her trusty guitar up the stairs to her new home in Sakac Hall.

Since that day, she’s been on the Dean’s List, earned the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Award, presented to her peers on a variety of subjects both academic and social, and taught elementary school students the basics of psychology through assistant professor Yasmine Kalkstein’s Beginnings in Psychological Science program.

“I’ve become much more confident in my ability,” she said. “I’m ready to go out into the world.”

As she prepares to study law in graduate school, Bogle recently accepted a job in Orange Regional Medical Center’s legal department.

One thing hasn’t changed since Move-in Day – her love of playing guitar.

“It stayed with me all four years,” she explained, “and I’m happy I still have it.”

amily has always been an important part of Tamryn Mistretta’s life. On the day she moved into her residence hall, her mother and father were there alongside her, helping to unpack and prepare for her first day of college classes.

Four years later, Mistretta’s parents were honored to present her with a nursing pin at the college’s annual pinning ceremony.

“I dedicate this pin to my mom and dad,” she said. “You have done so much for me and always with such love. I am so proud to be receiving my nursing degree with you both here with me.”

The day before Commencement, Mistretta reflected on why she had chosen the Mount.

“It’s a really close-knit community with a beautiful view,” she explained.

“All of our professors know our names and really care about us.” She added, “Four years ago, this day seemed so far away, and now we’re here. I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved.”

hile she unpacked her things in her new dorm four years ago, Daria Sullivan wondered what kind of people she would meet and which service programs she might join.

The day before graduation, she reflected on the confident pre-professional she has become.

“The Mount really changed me as a student and as a person,” she explained. “I’ve become much more of a leader.”

Sullivan, a Leadership Scholar, recently gave her original talk “The Psychology of a Vulnerable Leader” to a packed audience of Mount students and staff members. The presentation had its roots in the college’s Beginnings in Psychological Science program, in which Mount students teach elementary school children the basics of psychology.

After graduation, Sullivan began her job as a behavioral assistant at Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. of Sparta, N.J., where she had interned.

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2017

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2017

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2017

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Knights Roundup

Men’s Basketball

The Mount Saint Mary College Men’s Basketball team finished the 2016-17 season with a 12-12 overall record. The season featured a four-game winning streak, including wins against Greensboro College and a 74-72 overtime win over Penn State Abington. The Knights posted a 2-0 record in overtime games, including a 99-96 win at league rival Purchase College. Junior Gerard Nocera picked up Second Team All-Skyline Conference honors after averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Women’s Basketball

The Knights improved their win total for the third straight season under head coach Michael Coppolino. They finished the season 19-6 overall and an impressive 15-3 against conference rivals.

The Mount finished in a tie for first in the Skyline Conference standings and entered the conference championship as the second seed. The Knights opened the season with seven straight wins, and finished with an 11-2 record. Jessica Rini, Kayla Cleare, and Jordyn Hellpap all earned Skyline Conference weekly awards with Rini earning First Team AllSkyline Conference accolades and Cleare landing on the Skyline Conference’s

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Second Team. Coppolino picked up Skyline Conference Coach of the Year honors in his fourth season at the helm.

Men’s Swimming

The Knights continued to be near the top of the Skyline Conference in the pool during the 2016-17 season, posting six dual meet wins, including four against conference rivals. The Mount finished third in the Skyline Conference Championship Meet and placed 12th at the Metropolitan Championship Meet. The Knights set six school records at the Metropolitan Championship Meet, including the 500-yard freestyle by junior Ryan Ward, as well as the 100- and 200-yard butterfly standards by freshman Robert Kohlus.

Women’s Swimming

The Knights ended the 2016-17 season with a 10-5 record in dual meet competition, and a 7-1 mark against Skyline Conference opponents. The Mount won eight of its last 10 dual meet decisions and went on to place second at the Skyline Conference Championship Meet.

Sophomore Harley Illingworth picked up Skyline Conference Women’s Swimmer of the Year honors after setting a trio of championship meet records and finished the season with 10 new school records.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

At the Metropolitan Championship meet, the Knights set 11 school records and finished the event eighth, the highest finish in program history.

Men’s Track & Field The Knights set an impressive nine school records during the indoor season and added six more school marks during the outdoor season. Freshman Nick Murphy set the indoor 100-meter record in his first collegiate season, while Isaiah Bevans-Didymus posted a pair of indoor records on the track, posting new standards in both the 200- and 500-meter races. Freshman Jahnique Dessaline posted the 100-meter school mark, while the 4x100-meter relay team broke the school record on five occasions. Thomas Quinn added a school record for the Knights in the shot put.

Women’s Track & Field The Knights had a strong 2016-2017 season. Senior Kristen Maddock highlighted the season for the Mount by setting a school record in the pentathlon during the indoor season and breaking her own school record in the pole vault on three occasions during the outdoor season.

Athletics Baseball

Surdan set the career mark for RBIs with 88. Junior Cindy Connoly holds the career record in strikeouts with 436 and was named First Team AllSkyline Conference and the league’s Pitcher of the Year for the third straight season. Sommer and Surdan along with Nicolette Moustouka joined Connoly on the Skyline Conference’s First Team, while Amanda Almodovar was named Second Team All-Conference. Head Coach Jessica Mushel was tabbed the conference’s Coach of the Year for the third straight season.

The Knights closed the 2017 season as the runner-up in the Skyline Conference, advancing to the championship final with victories over the United States Merchant Marine Academy and top-seeded St. Joseph’s College, Long Island. Five Knights finished the season hitting better than .300, led by a .367 average from newcomer Kevin Edgar.

Christopher Introcaso led the Mount with four home runs and 24 RBIs, while freshman John Santana posted a .323 average with a team-high 10 doubles.

Senior Stephan Sookdeo posted a 2-0 record and a team best 4.44 earned run average with Santana going 2-2 with a team-high 37 strikeouts on the mound.

Men’s Tennis

Men’s Lacrosse

The Knights recorded the most conference wins in program history in 2017, winning four games against league rivals and earning a berth in the Skyline Conference Championship for the first time ever. Junior Dylan De Meo had a historic year for the Knights, setting single season and career records in both points and assists. De Meo became the program’s first ever 100 point player in a season with a single season record 105 points and set the single season and career mark in helpers with 65 and 132, respectively. Danny Kugler earned a single season record 47 goals, and Christopher Doerr ended the year with a program record 20 wins and 503 saves. De Meo closed his historic season with First Team All-Skyline Conference Honors and an USILA Honorable Mention All-American citation.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Knights finished the 2017 season with seven wins, including five against league opponents on its way to being the fourth seed in the Skyline Conference Championship. The Mount hosted Sage in the opening round of the championship and won a game in the event for the first time in program history. Senior Katie Gattoni finished her year with the career record for the Knights in goals (235), assists (50), and points (285), becoming the first player in program history to eclipse the 200

goal mark, and just the second to record 200 points. Gattoni was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Week in 2017, and was made a First Team All-Skyline Conference pick for the fourth time in her career. Amanda Clemens joined Gattoni as a First Team all-League pick, while Morgan Cordes and Amanda Picillo earned Second Team All-League honors.

Softball The Knights set a single season program record for wins with 27 and claimed their second straight Skyline Conference Championship, earning them their second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Senior Shannon Sommer posted the career record for hits (195) and runs scored (121), while classmate Michelle

The Mount’s Men’s Tennis team rounded out the year at 9-7 overall, and 5-3 in conference play, earning its sixth straight berth in the Skyline Conference Championship where they made it to the semifinals. Senior Matt Anastasi finished the season at 13-1 in singles play, including a 7-1 mark against league rivals, and won each of his last 10 decisions. Sophomore Chris McGorty rounded out the year at 10-4 overall at the second single flight and went 8-1 in his final nine decisions. Anastasi was named First Team All-Skyline Conference for his stellar season, while McGorty landed on the Second Team for the second straight year.

Women’s Tennis The Knights posted five wins during the 2016 season, including 9-0 sweeps of College of New Rochelle, St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn, Brooklyn College, and York College. Freshman Michelle Carnovale burst onto the scene, compiling a 14-1 record at first single to go along with 11 more victories at first doubles competition. Carnovale won Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week honors three times and was made a First Team All-Skyline Conference selection.

Carnovale picked up both major awards in the conference at the completion of the season, being named Skyline Conference Player and Rookie of the Year. www.msmc.edu

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Athletics

Knights Softball

Record setting season capped by second straight NCAA tournament appearance

T

he Mount Saint Mary College Softball team put together the best single season in program history in 2017, and had three players break a total of four career program records. In all, the Knights won a program best 27 games, won their second straight Skyline Conference Championship, and made the program’s second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Senior Shannon Sommer hit .401 in her final collegiate campaign, leading the Mount in hits (61) and runs (39). She ended the season as a First Team All-Skyline Conference selection and capped her career as the career leader in hits (195) and runs scored (121).

Classmate Michelle Surdan finished off her career with the Mount as a First Team All-Skyline Conference selection after hitting .284 with seven doubles. She completed the season tied for third on the team in runs batted in and holds the career record in RBIs with 88.

Junior Cindy Connoly continued her dominance of the Skyline Conference with her third consecutive Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year Award. She added an AllECAC nod, a Second Team NFCA All-Northeast region selection, and a Fastpitch News Honorable

Mention All-American honor to her résumé.

Connoly set the program’s single season record for strikeouts with 190 and holds the career mark in the category with 436. She went 3-0 in the Skyline Conference Championship on her way to being named the event’s Most Outstanding Player, and after striking out 14 batters in 12 innings during the NCAA Tournament, she was named to the Union Regional All-Tournament Team.

The Mount had six studentathletes earn All-Skyline Conference honors, with Nicolette Moustouka and Courtney Barbara joining Connoly, Sommer, and Surdan on the First Team, while sophomore Amanda Almodovar was a Second Team selection. Head Coach Jessica Mushel picked up her third straight Skyline Conference Coach of the Year Award after leading the Knights to the regular season crown.

The Knights put together winning streaks of eight and 10 games in 2017, and finished third in the Skyline Conference in team batting (.313), and first in the league in team earned run average (2.01).

The Mount finished the season 27-14 overall and 17-1 against Skyline Conference rivals.

2016-17 sports awards winners 2016-17 Athletic Department Awards winners, left to right: Nick Murphy, Men’s Track and Field, Male Rookie of the Year; Michelle Carnovale, Women’s Tennis, Female Rookie of the Year; Cindy Connoly, Softball, Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Shannon Sommer, Softball, Female Senior of the Year; Amanda Pecorella, Women’s Cross Country, Female Knight of the Year; Owen Heath, Men’s Basketball, Men’s Golf, and Men’s Tennis, Male Knight of the Year; Tyler Biscone, Men’s Soccer, Male Senior of the Year; Dylan De Meo, Men’s Lacrosse, Male Athlete of the Year; Jakob Hama, Men’s Lacrosse, Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Harley Illingworth, Women’s Swimming, Female Athlete of the Year.

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MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

De Meo highlights Men’s Lacrosse season with USILA Honorable Mention All-American nod

C

oming off a 10-win season in 2016, the Mount Saint Mary College Men’s Lacrosse team posted the most conference wins in a season in program history and made its first ever appearance in the Skyline Conference Championship during the 2017 campaign.

The Knights posted a pair of overtime wins this season, topping Marywood University 10-9 in the 2017 home opener and downing Gwynedd Mercy University 11-10 on the road.

The Mount went 5-3 at Kaplan Field on the season, and over the past two seasons, has recorded 11 home wins.

Three individuals earned program and single season records in 2017, including Dylan De Meo who finished with the single season and career marks in both assists and points. De Meo rounded out the year with 105 points, becoming the first player in the program’s history to amass 100 points in a single season. He surpassed his previous single season record of 85 points set in 2016.

In addition to his point record, De Meo handed out a single season record 65 assists and closed his junior season with the career record in both points and assists at the Mount with 240 and 132, respectively. To date, he stands as the

only player in the program’s history with as many as 200 points and is one of just two players with at least 100 assists.

Classmate Christopher Doerr recorded the career record in both saves and wins as a goalie in 2017 and fellow junior Danny Kugler scored the most goals in a single season in program history in 2017. Kugler potted 47 goals, besting the previous record by four, and stands second on the career list in tallies with 112.

Doerr finished off the 2017 season with five wins in goal and 171 saves.

He holds the career mark in triumphs with 20 and holds the career standard in saves heading into his senior season

with 503, 79 more than the second highest total.

Following the 2017 Skyline Conference Championship, De Meo was tabbed the Skyline Conference Offensive Player of the Year to go along with a First Team All-League nod. He was named First Team All-Conference for the second straight year and picked up the program’s first ever major award from the conference after leading the league in assists per game (4.1) and points per game (6.6). De Meo went on to be named a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable Mention All-America, the first such honor ever for the program.

Special Olympics

Newburgh cleanup

Knights in the Community: Over 65 student-athletes and coaches volunteered at the Special Olympic Winter Games held at Holiday Mountain in Monticello, N.Y. on February 18. Activities included making signs of encouragement and serving as ‘Fans in the Stands’ during the Alpine events.

Helping Hand: Members of the Mount Saint Mary College Men’s Soccer team volunteered their time as part of the Knights in the Community program during the annual Newburgh Cleanup Day.

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Pros & iCons performs for the first time at a Mount coffeehouse event in the Knight Spot in 2013.

Joseph Mastando ’14 on stage at a performance with his band, Pros & iCons.

Photo credit: Vladislav Grach Live Entertainment Photographer

‘Pros’ in the making Band formed at the Mount goes national

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hen he was a student, you could find Joseph Mastando ’14 working on the latest issue of Mount Messenger, the student newspaper that he managed; acting in one of the college’s mainstage theater productions; or studying in the library for one of his English or Honors classes.

Today, you’ll find him on stage, entertaining fans across the country.

Mastando is the lead singer and a founding member of the band Pros & iCons, which mixes pop, rock, and hip-hop into their own unique take on music. The band features three other members: Lenny Morales and Nicholas Vaude on guitar and Tyler O’Leary, brother of Shawna O’Leary ’15, on bass.

Pros & iCons’ popularity has skyrocketed since their beginnings at a coffeehouse in the Knight Spot in 2013 and the Mount Battle of the Bands in spring 2014. Their first EP, iConography, was released in 2014. That same year, they won Z100 and State Farm’s Hometown Hero contest, and were asked to perform alongside some of pop’s biggest names, including Meghan Trainor, Charlie XCX, Shawn Mendes, and Jessie J. The exposure thrust Pros & iCons into the limelight. In 2015, the band was named WixMusic’s artist of the year and

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Pros & iCons can be found on: YouTube at www.youtube.com/ prosandicons @prosandicons on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. iConic is available on iTunes and Spotify. one of their songs was used in a Jaguar car commercial. They have since written for and with Sony/ATV and Warner/ Chappell artists and performed shows throughout the tristate area and beyond.

In June of 2017, the band released its first album, iConic, which Mastando says takes “the energy of 1980s arena rock, blending it with the mainstream of today.”

Mastando said he is humbled by his band’s success and has enjoyed building Pros & iCons into something special.

“The most exciting moments happen on stage,” he explained. “Interacting with fans and hearing our songs sung back to us by hundreds of people is truly one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve experienced.”

His time at Mount Saint Mary College,

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Mastando noted, gave him the confidence to step outside his comfort zone and reach for his dreams.

“The Mount was the first place I performed,” he said. “The Aquinas mainstage became my home away from home and helped me develop the courage to break into the world of entertainment.”

Mastando credits several professors for helping to mold him into the professional he is today.

“I’m forever thankful for the many incredible professors I had in the Division of Arts and Letters,” he said, including Marie-Therese Sulit, associate professor of English, who “helped shape my artistic mind and make sense of all the abstractions in my brain.”

Mastando also thanked James Phillips, associate professor of theatre, for urging him to break out of his shell.

In addition to encouraging him to perform in Mount productions, Phillips “helped craft the raw talent I had, and much of the philosophies he preached I enact on stage and in front of the camera,” Mastando explained. “These moments inspired me to put my voice into the world.”

Alumni Notes 1966

Jayne Jarvis Henninger will celebrate the 25th anniversary of her company, Remedy Staffing, on August 2, 2017.

She is planning a big celebration and the Metro Chamber will host a ribbon cutting ceremony. Remedy Staffing is a family-owned staffing company with Jayne’s son, George, and his wife, Joy, as the principal owners.

2017, Beth taught a study abroad course in London and Dublin and returned to Dublin in July 2017 to present her latest research at the 21st International Research Congress of Sigma Theta Tau International.

1973

1971

Natalie DiDomenico Karl retired from teaching but has a part-time position as a student teaching supervisor at SUNY New Paltz. Natalie is proud to be a CASA volunteer and recently began a home-based travel business, That Special Touch Travel.

She has been married for 36 years, has 10 grandchildren, and enjoys traveling whenever possible. “Retirement is wonderful,” she said.

Barbara Hampton Reuschle is proud of her twin nephews, Sean and Will Madden, who will be attending the Mount in the fall. Welcome Class of 2021!

1972

Dr. Beth Scannell-Desch has been promoted to full professor with tenure at Rutgers University, where she is the associate dean of the School of Nursing. Dr. Scannell-Desch and her sister, Dr. Mary Ellen Scannell Doherty, had their second book, “Nurses After War: The Reintegration Experience of Nurses Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,” published

by Springer Publishing, N.Y., in July 2016. In May

Michele Gallo Cook, Rosemarie Iachetti Rizzo, Claire McGovern Boland, Eileen Gahan Curtin, and Eileen McElhill Brucia met in Tarrytown, N.Y., in March to celebrate Rosemarie’s birthday. Seated: Rosemarie Iachetti Rizzo, Claire McGovern Boland, Eileen Gahan Curtin. Standing: Eileen McElhill Brucia, Michele Gallo Cook.

Dr. Joseph O’Connor and Ellen (O’Brien) O’Connor enjoy swing dancing. They rocked the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum over Memorial Day Weekend with “The Battle of The Bands.”

Joseph O’Connor is a Vietnam veteran who was on a destroyer that operated with the Intrepid, 674 85 83 USN.

1979

Harold Spellman recently retired and is now looking forward to more family time, especially with his three granddaughters and a grandson on the way.

1980

Terry McDermott Boylan retired in 2014 from her job as a school nurse when her husband’s job was transferred to Florida. Now they enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine and don’t miss the snow.

Ramute Kemeza-Kazlauskas has been at Loyola University Health System for more than 30 years. Ramute created a new position as wellness nurse for Archdiocese of Chicago priests, doing annual wellness physical testing, presentations at deanery meetings on health issues, and promoting wellness within the Archdiocese.

Frances Cannova Oddo is enjoying her retirement after 33 years of teaching.

Frances and her husband, Ron, have enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Bahamas and a week in Yellowstone National Park, as well as many trips to North Carolina to visit their three grandchildren. They are looking forward to their next cruise later this year. Frances spends some of her free time substituting in the local schools and tending to her flower gardens.

ALUMNI

SPOTLIGHT Mary Deatherage ’73

M

ary Deatherage ’73 has always been on the move (she graduated from the Mount a year and a half early) and life hasn’t slowed down yet. After graduation, she married her husband and moved to Panama, where she utilized her degree in secondary education and French teaching 7th and 8th grade students.

After moving back to the States, Deatherage wanted a change of pace, so she returned to school to earn a degree in accounting. She became a CPA and went to work for Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) for five years, then began working as a wealth advisor in 1986, allowing her to utilize the technical and interpersonal skills gained through her education and previous careers.

Deatherage fondly recalls living in the Villa when it was a dorm, as well as the influence of professor Margaret Dames, whom she reached out to several years ago in gratitude for her past impact. “So I found Dr. Dames and all of a sudden the ‘extreme’ age difference of maybe 5 years back at the Mount didn’t seem so big,” she recalls, noting their continuing friendship.

Deatherage and her husband have two sons, and she remains passionate about education. In her free time, she works with the Archdiocese of Newark through the Catholic Urban Schools Partnership, an advisory board for some of the most challenged inner city parochial schools.

Her advice to current Mount students is “Try new ideas [and] take a risk on yourself! You can’t name…a better investment to make than you!” www.msmc.edu

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ALUMNI

SPOTLIGHT Deborah Shanley ’73

D

eborah Shanley ’73 has been part of the CUNY system for more than 35 years.

This year, just as she was settling back into teaching full time at Brooklyn College after 16 years as the Dean of the School of Education, she got a call from the new president of Lehman College in the Bronx asking if she would serve as the Interim Dean of the School of Education.

She accepted the position and hopes to build upon the strong foundation already in place in the school with a special emphasis on deepening the student’s clinical experiences and expanding Lehman’s community partnerships in their work.

Shanley also recently co-authored a book, Working Together: Enhancing Urban Educator Quality Through School-University Partnerships, which evaluates school district partnerships with local universities. Shanley worked with Brooklyn College to write about their long relationship with the American Museum of Natural History in preparing science educators. The goal of the book is to describe what works in such partnerships and discuss openly the challenges faced when large organizations are brought together around a shared vision. The book is available on Amazon.

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Alumni Notes 1982

Jean Marie Olson Fortunato has been teaching at the Copiague High School for 32 years.

1987

Susan Henderson Nelson moved back to her home state of Mississippi in 2013. She married Ricky H. Nelson in 2016 and lives in the city of Brandon.

Susan is working in a Level 3 NICU in Jackson, Miss. after 24 years at a NICU in Niskayuna, N.Y. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in nursing education. She has one son who is a senior at USM studying history and secondary education certification and is a 9-year veteran rugby player.

1991

MaryAnn Obertubbesing Stroiney is currently a nursing supervisor for Enfield Public Schools.

1992

Barbara Russell received a master’s level certificate in Disability Studies from CUNY in the spring of 2016.

Barbara enjoys art classes at the Desmond Campus and participates in The Restorative Center’s Circle meetings in Newburgh, N.Y.

1995

Christopher C. Torre is the head of marketing for TulnoyChelsea Forest Lumber Co., a commercial lumber and building material supplier in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. “Mount Saint Mary College helped me build the skills needed in business to

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

mold a strong foundation,” he said. “The professors’ hands-on approach to teaching helped inspire my career.”

2008

1997

Mike McCarville is currently fostering children in Orange County, N.Y., with his wife Deirdre. Mike was recently promoted to team leader with the PRP treatment apartment program for adults with severe and persistent mental illness.

1998

Janis Majewski Goerres has been named interim coordinator of academic support at SUNY Orange. Janis received her BA in English and elementary education from the Mount and is currently completing her MEd in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at Penn State World Campus.

1999

Wayne Keller is attending Alliance Seminary and serving as compassionate ministry director in Middletown, N.Y., working toward establishing the Compassion Connection to care for, share with, and prepare the underserved in our community. “Volunteers with a heart for people are welcome to reach out as this opportunity to give back unfolds,” he said.

Patrick Quinn, Life of Dad co-founder, and his partner Ryan Hamilton, earned “Best Sponsored Content” at The Iris Awards for the Cheerio Challenge.

2004

Frank Izzo has been named senior associate with the Iseman, Cunningham, Riester & Hyde LLP law firm.

Katelyn Biggane Moore ’08 MSE ’10 had the opportunity in April to attend the United States Marine Corps Educators Workshop and experience life as a Marine recruit for a week at Parris Island, S.C. In May, she graduated from the FBI New Haven Citizens Academy, an eight-week program that gives community leaders an inside look at federal law enforcement to foster partnerships and initiatives in the local area.

2010

Brandon Roberts is an assistant professor of criminal justice and the criminal justice program coordinator at Piedmont College, Demorest, Ga. Brandon received a PhD in Public Policy and Administration Criminal Justice from Walden University.

Angel Santana ‘10 and Carolyn (Cabreja) Santana ‘11 welcomed their first child, Natalie Rose Santana, on October 20, 2016. Angel is the director of government relations at the N.Y. Botanical Garden and Carolyn is an associate college counselor at the Young Women’s Leadership Network - College Bound initiative.

2012

Jessica Scheibling-Kelly is currently working as the associate registrar at SUNY Orange and was previously the assistant to the registrar at Mount Saint Mary College.

ALUMNI

SPOTLIGHT Leanne O’Reilly ’14

Alumni, faculty, and staff marched in the 255th New York City Saint Patrick’s Day parade.

Eileen Sassmann ’66 marched as Grand Marshal in the 2017 Wappingers Falls St. Patrick’s Day parade.

2013

Steven Broschart, after working for a year as a teacher in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, will be traveling to Guyana as part of a teaching fellowship for the summer. Steven will be part of a local team of teachers who are working towards developing literacy skills of the underserved population.

2014

Rachel McGinty ’14 MBA ’16 recently began working as the assistant director of student activities at Mount Saint Mary College. Rachel hopes that with this new position she will be able to give the current students the same experience, if not better, than she had when she was a student.

2015

RoseMarie DiStefano recently finished serving a term as an engagement advocate with Americorps, where she created

Alumni admissions gathering A group of alumni, staff, and prospective Mount students gathered together at the Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage State Park on Long Island.

a program that raised enough money to provide more than 300 underprivileged students with gifts for the holidays.

RoseMarie will be graduating from Montclair State University with a master’s degree in counseling this summer. She will be interning this summer at MSU as an academic advisor for student veterans and incoming freshmen.

Milinda VanDuzee Mejorado is currently working as an RN in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.

Kristina Amerkanian Wilson married Matthew Wilson on September 17, 2016 in Indianapolis, Ind.

2016

Victoria Goldbach landed her dream job in the NICU at NYU Langone Medical Center before graduating from Mount Saint Mary College. Since then, she has loved every second of working with these teeny

tiny lives. “I couldn’t imagine a more rewarding career and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else,” she said. “I’m forever grateful to the Mount Nursing Program for getting me where I am today.”

Alvin Mann was a guest speaker and an honorary doctorate degree recipient at Mount Saint Mary College’s May 2017 Commencement.

“My personal talk was received with enthusiasm and the announcement of my impending marriage tore the house down,” he noted.

“Meeting the board chairman and the others on the dais, especially the 600-plus grads, made me a proud alumnus of Mount Saint Mary College.”

Briana Podlovits is working at the Diocese of Brooklyn as the marketing coordinator in the Office of the Superintendent. Briana is in charge of the marketing operations for 85 Catholic elementary academies and schools in Brooklyn and Queens. She works with the academies school’s governing board of directors and their marketing committees to retain and enhance enrollment within the diocese.

L

eanne O’Reilly ’14 has certainly been busy since graduation.

After completing several internships and founding the Student Business Association during her time at the Mount, she launched her career as a marketing coordinator for a global real estate company.

In the fall of 2016, O’Reilly traveled to Australia for six weeks to work for Good Business Matters, a start-up company in Melbourne. One of the projects she worked on while there was putting together a PR pack for the Good Xmas Trail initiative to promote ethical and environmental shopping during the holidays, as well as highlight local businesses through website design and social media outreach. O’Reilly enjoyed the experience so much, she has taken up an interest in international branding and marketing and hopes to pursue a career in that sector.

O’Reilly credits her time at the Mount as the launchpad for her international career: “The Mount gave me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and pursue a career that I love. With the internship and club experience along with the immense guidance and support of the professors, I felt ready for the real world upon graduation.

The Mount was truly able to provide me with the tools that I needed for a successful career.” www.msmc.edu

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In Memoriam William “Bill” Adams, husband of Shirley Adams ’10 MBA ‘12, passed away on April 21, 2017.

Remembering

Patrick DeLuca, PhD

Jean Adams, mother of Donna Adams ’11, passed away on November 30, 2016.

Anthony “Tony” Angelo, father of Margaret Angelo Ray ’75 and father-in-law of James Ray ’75, passed away on December 8, 2016.

Lewis D. Carrington, father of Brian Carrington ’75 and father-in-law of Denise Slabicki Carrington ’74, passed away on May 4, 2017.

John Collins, father of Theresa Collins Canfield ’88, passed away on January 28, 2017.

Michele Petrie Houman ’78 MSE ’88 passed away on February 25, 2017.

Mary DiTrapani, mother of Norma Pettus ’05, passed away in January 2017.

Margaret “Peg” Keeve ’73 passed away in July 2016.

Mary T. Morreale, mother of Paula Morreale Curtis ’80, passed away on January 28, 2017.

Maureen O’Connell, mother of Patricia O’Connell McGee ’85, passed away on April 16, 2017.

George J. Pallace, father of Anastasia Pallace ’94, passed away on October 11, 2016.

Erin Reilly ’11 passed away on February 16, 2017.

Francis L. Rich Esq., father of Margaret Rich Carlson ’82 and Francis L. Rich Jr. ’93, passed away on July 10, 2016.

William R. Spence, husband of Margaret Spence ’66, passed away in February 2017.

Grace D. Ward, mother of Valerie McCloskey ’04, passed away on March 30, 2017.

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he passing of biology and medical technology professor Patrick DeLuca on February 1 came as a shock to the Mount community. Many of us remember him fondly as a dedicated colleague, teacher, and kind friend. He touched many lives during his 37-year career.

Dr. DeLuca was assigned to be my pre-vet advisor and was my instructor through five courses. I benefitted from his availability and additional guidance outside the classroom. He helped me to excel with my dissections, examinations of unknown microorganisms, and the bane of many genetics students’ existence, the dreaded Drosophila. He pushed me to focus on my interests in veterinary medicine, a highly competitive field. It was his recommendation of considering a veterinary school outside of the United States that significantly changed the direction of my life. He served as one of my references, reviewed my essays, and was later one of the first people with whom I shared my letter of acceptance.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

I kept in touch with Dr. DeLuca while I was overseas, many times by assistance of Ms. Petronella, the natural sciences administrative assisstant, who seemed the only one who knew his whereabouts at any given moment – his office, the laboratory, or elsewhere. He was always proud of me and my accomplishments. His dedication to my education was evident from the first day we met to the last time I saw him, only a few years ago.

I’m sure I echo the sentiment of so many fortunate enough to have been taught, mentored, and guided by Patrick DeLuca. For the voice of many, thanks Dr. D! Your kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. I will remember you as a kind and humble man in a solid color sweater covered with varying amounts of chalk dust, enjoying his chewing gum as he bustled down the hallway with a stack of acetates, on time and ready to guide the next set of bewildered biology and nursing students.

— Dr. Joseph Palamara ’98

Meet a Mentor

Alumni mentor Mount pre-professionals

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early a dozen successful Mount Saint Mary College graduates headed back to their alma mater recently to mentor the next generation of pre-professionals.

The 8th Annual Meet a Mentor Dinner, organized by the Office of Alumni Affairs, provided the college’s forward-thinking students valuable insight into the work world while breaking bread with a variety of Mount alumni.

Mayde Pokorny MBA ’16, assistant director of digital communications at the Mount, told students to take advantage of the information that, thanks to technology, is always at their fingertips.

“Arming yourself with knowledge will help you get ahead,” she explained.

“Make sure that you’re prepared for each situation before going in. Don’t lose out on an opportunity because you didn’t take a few minutes to look up what you needed ahead of time.”

Mount student Raina Chislom said that her time with Karen Neary ’15, registered nurse with oncology at Westchester Medical Center, helped her to see what a future in the healthcare field would entail.

“Her lessons can make my college experience better,” said Chislom. “She’s

Keynote speaker Michael Quinn, president and CEO of Rhinebeck Bank, advised Mount students to keep a positive attitude and remain committed to their success.

Top, Crystal Johnson ’06 MBA ’09, account manager at Walden Savings Bank (center), discusses the trials and triumphs of her career with eager Mount students.

giving me a blueprint of what I’m getting into.”

Keynote speaker Michael Quinn, president and CEO of Rhinebeck Bank, offered simple, poignant advice to the Mount students.

“As you prepare to leave the Mount and go out into the job market, remember there are many opportunities for

intelligent, hardworking, and openminded people,” said Quinn. “These opportunities may not be self-evident.

You may have to work to find your place and fit. But the opportunities are there to be found.”

Other Mount alumni bringing their advice to the table were: Sean Barton ’13 MBA ’15, financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual; Debra Calvino ’81, director of curriculum, instruction, and testing at Valley Central High School as well as the 2010 New York State Teacher of the Year; Megan Doyle ’16, autism behaviorist at Vital Behavior Services; Sean Glander ’06, senior accountant at Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni and Weddell, LLP; Victoria Goldbach ’16, RN NICU at NYU Medical Center Langone; Kim Grey ’99, a forensic scientist at Mid-Hudson Crime Lab; Torrance Harvey MSEd ’03, a history teacher at Newburgh Free Academy; Crystal Johnson ’06 MBA ’09, account manager at Walden Savings Bank; Kara Miller ’06, care manager at Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc.; and Margaret Treacy ’13, a marketing associate at Greater Hudson Valley Family Health Center. www.msmc.edu

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The Mount’s Annual

Golf and Tennis Tournament raises $100,000 N

early 200 friends of the college participated in the Mount’s 39th Annual Invitational Golf and 6th Annual Invitational Tennis Tournament, which raised about $100,000.

The tournament, held at the Powelton Club in Newburgh, N.Y., honored longtime Hudson Valley residents Ron and Jill Barton MBA ’09 (golf), and Dr. James and Bonnie DiLorenzo ’95 (tennis). The funds raised through the tournament assist the college in its efforts to keep the cost of a Mount education within the reach of deserving students, many of whom are among the first in their families to attend college.

Ron Barton, a native of Newburgh, is a graduate of the Newburgh Free Academy and an alumnus of Northwood University in Midland, Mich. He is currently the owner of Barton Chevrolet Cadillac located in Newburgh.

Jill Barton is a graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, Northwood University, and a 2009 graduate of the MBA program at the Mount.

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She has spent most of her professional career on the finance team of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, where she currently serves as the vice president of finance.

Dr. James DiLorenzo, a Newburgh native, attended St. Patrick’s High School, Manhattan College, and Albany Medical College of Union University. In 2011, Dr. DiLorenzo joined the St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Medical Group where he still sees patients daily. In 1980 he became part of the Mount’s health services team and has been helping students in the Mount’s health center on a regular basis since then.

Bonnie DiLorenzo moved to Newburgh from upstate New York in 1970 and attended Orange County Community College for Medical Technology. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the Mount in 1995.

She began teaching elementary school in the Beacon City School District immediately after obtaining her degree.

MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017

Above, Tennis Honorees Dr. James DiLorenzo and Bonnie DiLorenzo ’95, Dr. David Kennett, Golf Honorees Jill Barton ’09 and Ron Barton

For more photos from the event, go to msmc.edu/flickr

www.msmc.edu

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Academy Profile

Delia Bellarosa Mount Saint Mary Academy ’39

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elia (Nicoletti) Bellarosa, Mount Saint Mary Academy ’39, looks back on her years at the Mount with fondness.

The nonagenarian noted that it all began in 1927 after a hospital stay due to fluid in her lungs. Bellarosa’s father promised to send her to a place with “plenty of fresh air and sunshine” if she recovered.

In 1928, Bellarosa joined six other students in Casa San José at Mount Saint Mary Academy, where she thrived in the new environment and often took the time to visit the statue of St. Joseph to pray for “a happy family.”

After graduating from Mount Saint Mary Academy as valedictorian in 1939, Bellarosa pursued music through piano and harp lessons at Yale and studied languages on scholarship from the Academy at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn., graduating with a degree in romance languages. She eventually earned her master’s degree in education at Columbia University.

After college Bellarosa yearned to visit Italy, her father’s homeland, but she was unable due to the ongoing

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hardships of the Second World War. So she took a job in Arlington, Va. as a cryptanalytic aide. There she worked with cryptologists who broke the Japanese code by intercepting their mail. Thankfully for the Allies, the Japanese used the same code as they did in World War I. Bellarosa said breaking the code was similar to building a crossword puzzle.

After the war, Bellarosa fulfilled her lifelong dream to visit Italy, traveling by ship on the Andrea Doria. While there, she translated mail correspondence for the Marshall Plan, an American initiative to help rebuild Europe. She found lodging with nuns and studied Italian and art in the University for Foreigners in Perugia.

Delia then travelled to France and heard they were hiring Americans. She took a crash course in shorthand and typing and then took a job as the secretary to the Chief of Design at the Joint Construction Company/NATO. They worked on projects like building schools, hospitals, and Camp Darby in Italy.

In the late 1950s, Bellarosa cared for her ailing father. After his passing, she met a carpenter, Michael Bellarosa, who she hired to do odd jobs around

the house. Soon, however, he became more than just the family handyman: They were married in 1958 and had two boys, Michael and Sam. Her childhood prayers to St. Joseph were answered, she said: Bellarosa was indeed blessed with a very happy family. She spent her 27 years of marriage building her family, and teaching English and French to schoolchildren in Cornwall and Wallkill High School.

Now a widow, Bellarosa is grandmother to two grandchildren, Ciara and Sean.

Her eyes were on the arts

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he artistic legacy of Alice Curtis Desmond – an author, illustrator, and photographer – lives on at Mount Saint Mary College’s Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment.

Alice Desmond spent 60 years living in the beautiful home that is the centerpiece of the estate (inset). Over her lifetime, she wrote about two dozen books, illustrating many of them herself.

Steeped in the deeply creative tradition of its most famous owner, the Desmond campus was born of Alice Desmond’s lifelong love of creativity and learning: Upon her passing nearly three decades ago, she bequeathed the estate to the Mount.

Mount Saint Mary College 330 Powell Avenue Newburgh, NY 12550

Save the Date SEPTEMBER

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Admissions Fall Open House Alumni and Family Weekend begins

DECEMBER

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Eighth Annual Gala celebration