Nichols college alumni magazine spring 2017 by Nichols College

MAGAZINE Volume 11, Issue 1 | Spring 2017

Going Interdisciplinary Professors collaborate on innovative courses

From the President M A G A Z I N E Vo l u m e 1 1 , I s s u e 1 Spring 2017

Building Better Leaders Through Teamwork When it comes to leadership style, there is no one size fits all. At Nichols, we define leadership as the quality that inspires others to individual and collective achievement. Some leaders boldly guide while others quietly serve as role models. But, regardless of where our aspiring business leaders may fall on that spectrum, we ensure that they are all practiced in the skills that characterize effective leadership, one of which is collaboration. In classrooms throughout campus, clusters of students are working collectively on projects, many of them real life. Recent examples include a social media challenge issued by the shoemaker, Crocs, Inc., to an honors Principles of Marketing class. Students worked in teams to create and manage an impressive marketing campaign, resulting in the donation of 200 pairs of the popular shoes to Haiti. As part of the Resort and Conference Management course, students proposed, planned and ran an event to help non-profit client, 15-40 Connection, raise awareness for cancer detection and prevention. And the Mass Media and Public Relations class, working in small groups, developed and implemented communication strategies to increase recycling on campus, including an informational video, social media contests, student class competition, and additional signage. Collaboration is about more than just the division of labor. Students take ownership of their projects. They gain independence as well as insight into group dynamics, learning to build consensus, navigate personality and cultural differences, and cultivate individual responsibility and equal participation—skills that sometimes elude even seasoned managers.

Our commitment to student collaboration extends to the educational environment. Four team-based learning classrooms, or TBLs, in the new academic building employ movable furniture, advanced technology, and plenty of accessible white boards to facilitate group interactions. One of the classrooms is surrounded by group work stations, each equipped with a large screen, where concentrated teamwork augments faculty-led instruction. (We have recently received a grant from the Fred Harris Daniels Foundation to outfit a second classroom with group screens in the academic building as well as convert several traditional classrooms to TBLs in Davis Hall.) Faculty attest that the set up promotes stronger communication, participation and collaboration.

EDITOR Susan Veshi VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Bill Pieczynski CONTRIBUTORS Brent Broszeit, Jim Douglas, Rae Glispin, Pete DiVito, Lorraine Martinelle, Heather Maykel, Jillian Riches, Ron Schachter, Len Suprise, Molly Thienel DESIGN Steve Belleville PRINTING Puritan Capital, Hollis, NH COVER PHOTO Dan Vaillancourt Patrick O’Connor Photography

Our students aren’t the only ones collaborating in this environment. The faculty are experiencing a renaissance in team teaching and have formalized a new program of interdisciplinary studies. The program offers unique opportunities to link disciplines, including those in business and the liberal arts, so that students can acquire the skills of using multiple perspectives to solve complex problems. It aims to encourage our students to be flexible thinkers–those who can survey a wide range of sources, synthesize key insights, and recommend actionable strategies to propel their organization into the future. You can read more about interdisciplinary courses on page 4. Collaboration, at both the student and faculty levels, creates employees who can assess and apply multiple approaches, readily contribute to a team effort and confidently lead a group to achievement. It is just one of the many ways we are building better leaders at Nichols College.

Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D. President

Shrewsbury, MA

Nichols College PO Box 5000 123 Center Road Dudley, MA 01571-5000 508-213-1560 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., M–F www.nichols.edu Periodicals postage paid at Webster, MA, and additional mailing offices.

Nichols College MAGAZINE (UPSP 390480) is published twice a year by Nichols College, Dudley, MA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Office of Advancement Nichols College PO Box 5000 Dudley, MA 01571-5000

Cover: Professors Dorrie Nang and Tom Savis blend music and psychology to engage students in a discussion of music, memories, and nostalgia, the subject of a new interdisciplinary course at Nichols.

CONTENTS

ON CAMPUS

2–3

Two new communications degree programs launched

Mount Wachusett Community College joins ABLE initiative

Nichols recognized as a Military Friendly® School for second year

Belden and Birtwell elected to Board of Trustees

4-5 Going interdisciplinary Nichols professors from different disciplines have for years joined forces to co-teach groundbreaking courses. Today’s faculty are expanding efforts to forge these innovative connections to produce critical, creative and flexible thinkers.

6-7 A major league of their own A T H L E T I C S Big Bison turnaround

9–11 9

From the Archives

Alumni shine in fall awards

McClutchy honors math professor with endowed scholarship

C L A S S N O T E S Catching Up With Crista Durand MBA ’01 Catching Up With Michael Frisbie ’90

NICHOLS REMEMBERS Professor Rick Hilliard – A lesson in giving

Several dozen Nichols sport management alumni have made it to the major leagues, using their talents on the business side of professional sports teams. Meet three young women who are making their mark.

14–20

8 You have arrived Major capital projects fund change across campus.

22-23 24

9–11 Big Bison turnaround With a total of five wins and 54 losses since 2010, the Bison football team faced formidable odds at the start of the 2016 season. It was do-or-die for the seniors, who pushed for success and saw a determined team emerge.

Nichols College Magazine

ON CAMPUS

Two new communications degree programs launched This fall, Nichols introduced two communications-related degree programs: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in integrated marketing communication (IMC), and a Bachelor of Arts in communication. The IMC concentration prepares students for careers as marketing managers, data analysis experts, communications/ digital media strategists, and sales professionals. IMC graduates will emerge from the Nichols program with the ability to make and shape business decisions. Meanwhile, the liberal

Len Harmon, associate professor of marketing and chair of the new integrated marketing communication program

arts-based communication major prepares students for careers in broadcasting, journalism, social media, public relations, and advertising. “In a rapidly evolving global marketplace, organizations devote substantial resources engaging with customers at every point of contact to create superior experiences. Increasingly, organizations must use data-driven decision making to offer the right product and services to the right customers at the right time,” said Len Harmon, associate professor of marketing and chair of integrated marketing communication. “They must also convey their brand message in ‘real time’ to customers, employees, and partners across multiple media channels and platforms. Every product, service, or idea needs effective communication strategies to capture market attention, build demand, and drive product use. Nichols’ new IMC program will prepare students to meet these challenges, head on.”

Drawing on an academic synergy with mathematics, psychology, sociology, and technology, the IMC program is designed for students who are interested in generating creative marketing solutions and effectively communicating these solutions to key stakeholders. Communication graduates can expect to find work with public relations agencies, colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, professional sports teams, television stations, magazines, newspapers, government, and in many other types of organizations. Communication majors will learn and apply critical- and analytical-thinking skills to build successful interpersonal relationships, and add their skill base to a strong sense of ethics and social responsibility. As part of their coursework, they take advantage of the state-of-the-art television studio, green room, and editing equipment available in the college’s academic building.

Mount Wachusett C.C. joins ABLE initiative Mount Wachusett Community College is the latest public community college to join the Nichols College ABLE (Affordable Business and Leadership Eduation) Initiative, which was launched in August 2016 to streamline and maximize the transfer-credit process and provide a seamless transition for students wishing to advance their education with a bachelor’s degree. Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Mass., signed a partnership agreement this fall, joining the three other public community colleges in three different states who previously signed agreements to create an affordable and smoother pathway for community college students seeking to further their education. They are the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, R.I.; Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, Conn.; and Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass.

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Spring 2017

Most pathway partnerships from community college to a four-year college or university are between institutions in the same state and are also between two public schools or two private schools. In the case of the Nichols agreements, the public-to-private pathway from schools in three different states is unique. And while other four-year colleges also guarantee admission, it is to their continuing education divisions, not as a fully matriculated student. At Nichols, students have the option to be a day student or enter the Undergraduate Adult Education Degree Program. Special pricing means that Nichols offers students who earn associate’s degrees from its partner institutions a rate that is lower than other private, four-year colleges.

Belden and Birtwell elected to Board of Trustees Alice C. Belden ’85 MBA ’92 and Jonathan M. Birtwell ’06 were elected to the Nichols College Board of Trustees at its January meeting.

Nichols recognized as a Military Friendly® School for second year

Belden worked at Rogers Corporation for more than 41 years, beginning in 1962 as executive secretary and retiring in 2003 as customer service and systems manager with experience in all levels of materials management, including production and inventory control, purchasing, distribution and logistics, warehousing, system design and customer service.

Nichols College has been nationally recognized as a Military Friendly® School by publisher Victory Media, for a second consecutive year. The 2017 Military Friendly® Schools list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the United States that support and embrace the educational pursuits of active military service members, veterans, spouses, and their children as students—and ensure their success.

She served two six-year terms on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, including a stint as vice president. She received the Ken Thompson Alumni Service Award in 2005 and joined the Board of Advisors as a charter member in 2007.

Criteria for inclusion on the Military Friendly® Schools list include a strong commitment to recruiting, retaining, and providing financial, academic, and social services to student veterans. Nichols College distinguished itself with its range of services to veterans, including waiving its admissions application fee and ACT and SAT scores (for military personnel and veterans who have been out of high school for at least two years); awarding college credit for military training and experience; and offering online courses, and Nichols’ generous Yellow Ribbon program and other financial aid to veterans.

On Veterans Day, the campus community honored veterans with a ceremony held outside Academy Hall by the flagpoles. Attendees were invited to share their thoughts and feelings related to veterans and those in service. The National Anthem was sung, and a moment of silence was observed. Campus community members also wrote notes of gratitude to enlisted soldiers as part of a student project.

Birtwell is a trader at PanAgora Asset Management where he is responsible for the daily portfolio construction, implementation strategies and trading responsibilities of a leading institutional quantitative asset manager. Previously, he was a portfolio manager at Natixis Asset Management, assistant vice president/ portfolio manager at Direxion Investments, and an associate in business development at John Hancock Investments. He has been an active volunteer at Nichols, and joined the Board of Advisors in 2013.

Jonathan Birtwell ’06

community.nichols.edu

Alice Belden ’85 MBA ’92

Nichols College Magazine

Going interdisciplinary by Ron Schachter

Nichols professors from different disciplines have for years joined forces to co-teach groundbreaking courses. In Technology @ the Speed of Marketing, for instance, Len Harmon, associate professor and chair of integrated marketing communication, and Nicholas Barnes, assistant professor and chair of technology and law, have merged their subject areas for the past several years. And the list of recent efforts goes on: The Psychology of Advertising, Statistics in Sport, Personal Wellness and Leadership, and more. But in the 2016-17 academic year, the college has brought interdisciplinary classes to a new level—propelled by a forward-looking strategic plan, creative professors eager to collaborate, and a new committee dedicated to that end. Mauri Pelto, vice president for academic affairs and professor of environmental science, has co-taught with more than half a dozen colleagues and underscores the heightened value of that model going forward. “When the faculty developed their strategic plan, one thing they were most excited about was interdisciplinary work. There’s been a long tradition of team teaching here, but it hasn’t been as expansive as the current faculty wanted it to be,” Pelto observes. “These professors really like working with each other.” Enter the newly established Interdisciplinary Program, which fosters the development of team-taught courses as well as shorter project-based modules. The new crop has included a presidential election poll combining political science with statistics; a Washington D.C.-based seminar that matched psychology and political science to study the political divide in the United States; and a course called Music, Memories and Nostalgia, which intertwines music with psychology.

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Erika Cornelius Smith, assistant professor of history, chairs the new Interdisciplinary Program, which aims to merge faculty talents and interests as well as to connect the liberal arts to the business side of the curriculum. “The interdisciplinary approach encourages students to think more creatively and become problem solvers. Critical thinking is a big part of what we’re trying to teach,” Smith emphasizes. Smith has led by example over the past year. In the weeks before the national elections, she joined Nick Gorgievski, professor and chair of mathematics, to involve their political science and statistics classes in a new Nichols College Polling Project. The two classes developed a wide-ranging election survey followed by a rigorous statistical analysis—according to factors including gender, ethnicity, and whether the participants were majoring in business or liberal arts. “Even though the students were taking two different subjects, they were in an environment where they could see how these disciplines are related in a real world way,” explains Gorgievski, adding that the final product followed the methodology of professional election polls. “We wanted to show our students the possibility of what they could do with

Professors Karol Gil-Vasquez and Erika Cornelius Smith use the subjects of economics and history to prepare students for a trip to Portugal this spring.

their learning,” agrees Smith, who extended that philosophy in January when she and Psychology Professor Brian McCoy led a class of students to Washington, D.C. They attended seminars, viewed a new documentary film about bridging the country’s political divide, and observed how the U.S. capitol readied itself for the presidential inauguration. “The theme of the trip was elevating political discourse,” Smith explains, noting that the course benefitted from the ongoing relationship between Nichols and the Washington Center, where a number of students have interned over the years. Smith adds that McCoy brought an additional dimension to the learning experience. “When you ask, ‘How do we find common ground?’ there’s a psychological element,” she says.

On the international front, Smith has collaborated with Karol Gil-Vazquez, the Keith T. Anderson Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance, on two overseas seminars—to Greece last year and Portugal during this year’s spring break. The trips and subject areas are connected, as both countries occupied the epicenter of the financial crisis that swept Europe at the end of the last decade. In the new course, Bodies in Motion, meanwhile, Gorgievski and Katie Moulton, associate director of enrollment for student success and retention, combine the fields of health psychology and analytics. The class utilizes fitness trackers to generate data and statistical analysis to discover meaningful patterns in health and fitness that are only visible when examined by analytics. “Every day we are continually bombarded with information about fitness and what we should do to be healthier individuals,” reads the course description. “Will eight hours of sleep really prevent the ‘freshmen 15’ weight gain? Do I really only need 10 minutes of exercise a day? Does walking reduce anxiety and stress and increase memory?” The course uses scientific methodology and draws on core concepts of health psychology to provide a framework for critically assessing health claims such

as these and empowering students to make informed decisions based on data. Music, Memories and Nostalgia— co-developed for the spring term by Thomas Davis, professor and chair of psychology, and Dorrie Nang, associate professor and chair of humanities— centers around student interviews about the favorite songs of four other people, starting with friends and family members and progressing to less familiar volunteers from a group of faculty and staff. The process includes playing 30-second clips from the preferred music of those interviewed and beginning a conversation about it. Nang notes that music can affect that conversation more than using just words. “It can be more gratifying for both people,” she says. “It gets the juices flowing.” Davis adds that the approach can help develop the interpersonal skills of students in an era in which people can become isolated by technology and social media can be as much a hindrance as a help. “This course came out of a classroom with people looking at their phones,” Davis explains. “It develops a valuable piece of emotional intelligence for this generation that crosses humanities and psychology.”

Professors Tom Davis and Dorrie Nang survey students about their favorite songs.

With that connection in mind, the course concentrates on the roles of music in strengthening memories, shaping personality, and providing a kind of psychological therapy. “Music is more essential to our lives than we think, from rites of passage to the every day,” says Nang, who is also bringing two board-certified music therapists into class to help process those effects and the connections between music and memory. A well-known radio station owner who has conducted hundreds of interviews will bolster that section of the course. At the same time, Davis says he appreciates the opportunity to work with both the course content and his musical counterpart. “You try to find a lever that will get students engaged and interacting with you,” he says. “This is the kind of course that both of us always wanted to teach.”

Classroom Collaboration Interdisciplinary courses have found a unique home in the new academic building. Four team-based learning classrooms (TBL)–one amply outfitted with enhanced technology–foster valuable teamwork skills and collective problem solving and provide an engaging setting for students and faculty alike. Since the opening of the academic building in 2015, TBLs have been in high demand. Luckily, this fall, Nichols received a generous grant of $200,000 from the Fred Harris Daniels Foundation in Worcester aimed at furnishing another classroom in the academic building with enhanced technology designed to facilitate group interaction and presentations and converting several standard classrooms in Davis Hall to team-based learning classrooms featuring flexibility, with movable tables, added technology and whiteboards that encircle the room. The grant will advance the college’s commitment to professional and leadership development in a dynamic learning environment.

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A major league of their own by Ron Schachter

The secret—and explicit—desire of many an athlete is to make it the major leagues. Several dozen Nichols sport management majors have done just that, not on the playing field but through their abilities on the business side of professional sports teams. Tim Liptrap, associate professor and chair of sport management, points out that for more than a decade, his former students have blazed trails throughout the sports-connected job world, from positions at college athletic departments and athletic shoe manufacturers to national sports associations and even the sports fantasy site Draft Kings. But those who have gone on to the major leagues inhabit a unique world, Liptrap adds. “Part of it is a dream,

part of it is magic, and part of it is a job,” he says, adding that he’s not surprised at the success of sport management alumni and alumnae in this arena. “We’re a business school, and these teams are businesses,” he emphasizes. “We’re a competitive program.” In recent years, women have continued to make inroads into what was once a male-dominated profession, and a growing number of recent female Nichols grads—Anna Dyakiv ’14, Rachel Dalrymple ’15, and Kara Buckley ’11

among them—have joined the club, literally, with significant positions on high profile teams. Buckley serves as human resource specialist for the Boston Red Sox (which has almost 300 employees in its front office), with the added perk that she works for the team she grew up rooting for. “There are two sides to it,” Buckley says of her job. “It’s very exciting, but the other side is this is still a business”—one that leaves little time for anything else during the baseball season, she notes. “But supporting this baseball team makes it fun.” Buckley is also proof positive that her academic background—she did a second major at Nichols in human resources—can pave the way to the majors. In the Red Sox HR department, she is involved in recruiting new employees, setting up co-op programs and internships for college students, and managing 700 game day employees such as ushers and ticket takers. When the Red Sox traded for superstar pitcher Chris Sale in December, Buckley’s department went to work on his benefits package and relocation plans. “He’s an employee,” she explains. Anna Dyakiv double majored in sport management and international business before landing a job with the Boston Celtics basketball team. “Both programs are phenomenal,” she says. “The professors were always pushing me and telling me I could do better, and to discover what I was best at. That’s a huge asset at Nichols.

Anna Dyakiv ’14 shows off the iconic parquet floor and Lucky the Leprechaun in her home court.

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Professor Liptrap presented me with opportunities I wouldn’t have had at other colleges.” As a VIP member experience executive, Dyakiv is responsible for about 300 season ticket holders. “I’m their contact if they’re coming to games with their families or with clients,” she says, noting that she handles any requests or concerns that they may have. “They’ve made a big investment in the Boston Celtics.” With that investment in mind, Dyakiv’s responsibilities don’t end with the final buzzer. The job description includes setting up visits for her VIP charges to team practices, meetand-greet opportunities with the players, and a gathering on college draft night. “It’s an ongoing communications process, and I’ve gotten to know them pretty well,” Dyakiv says, estimating that she reaches out to 20 to 25 every day by cell phone or email. “They are the Celtics’ extended family.”

With a growing number of alumni working for other teams—from the Miami Marlins in baseball to the Tampa Bay Lightning in hockey—the big league horizons of Nichols sport management majors have expanded further. “These alums come back to talk to students and offer internships,” Liptrap notes. For Rachel Dalrymple, working in the majors fulfills a lifelong ambition. “From such a young age, I’ve been so involved and engulfed with sports,” she admits. “I wanted to work for a professional team.” It didn’t take her long to achieve her goal, working as a youth soccer specialist for the New York Red Bulls soccer team, which employs almost a hundred in its front office. “We have one of the largest youth soccer networks (serving ages 6 to 18) in the league,” Dalrymple reports. “We have a whole training program, which sends out coaches to soccer camps, and offers discounted tickets for attendees.”

Dalrymple’s main responsibility is selling packages of tickets to youth soccer teams, and setting up game-day opportunities Dyakiv had plenty of preparation for the kids such as standing next to Professor Tim Liptrap the pros on the field for the National during her years at Nichols, where she volunteered with other sport management Anthem or actually taking the field to play majors for an international Fed Cup soccer at halftime. tennis match held in Worcester. During a summer break, she worked the European “I get to be a part of game day, being on the field, Soccer Championship in her native Ukraine. and making the kids happy,” Dalrymple says, addAnd in her senior year, she did an internship ing that the workplace at the Red Bulls reminds with the Celtics in the same department where her of Nichols. “It’s a tight-knit community of good she works now. people where I can grow and evolve as a person,” she explains. “It’s been perfect both times.” The internship program that Liptrap has helped forge at Nichols has created many of those Then there’s the prestige factor. “To say you work opportunities. They include longstanding for a major league sports team is the coolest thing,” relationships in Boston with the Celtics, Bruins, Dalrymple confesses. Red Sox, and Patriots, and in New York with the Knicks, Rangers, Mets, Yankees, and Major And what more could Buckley want from her dream League Soccer’s Red Bulls. job? “A World Series ring would be nice,” she responds.

Kara Buckley ’11

Rachel Dalrymple ’15

Anna Dyakiv ’14

When the Red Sox traded for superstar pitcher Chris Sale in December, Buckley’s department went to work on his benefits package and relocation plans. “He’s an employee,” she explains.

community.nichols.edu

Nichols College Magazine

YOU HAVE ARRIVED The Nichols College campus is changing. Major capital projects funded predominantly through the college’s Securing a Legacy of Leadership Campaign over the past six years have served to update and modernize facilities and, more importantly, to continually shape an engaging and dynamic learning and living environment for future leaders. Here’s a special glimpse: The stone piers that now border the campus signal your arrival to Nichols. They welcome you to a newly reconstructed and narrower Center Road which features period lighting and prominent crosswalks, and ensures safer passage for both pedestrians and vehicles. Colorful banners festoon the road, trumpeting the many ways in which Nichols

Our newly renovated fitness center represents the shape of things to come.

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students distinguish themselves, such as “Leaders,” “Idea-makers,” “Initiators,” “Collaborators,” and “Game-changers.” On opposite sides of Center Road, two new buildings characterize the changing landscape. The impressive academic building, opened last fall, has quickly become the favorite of both students and faculty who revel in the opportunities presented by the team-based learning classrooms and visual media suite with green screen room. The Fels Student Center, opened in 2012, is the hub for student activities, socialization, professional development, gourmet coffee, and snack food. With its smart technology and video-conferencing capabilities, the ticker room has been optimized for student presentations and projects as well as for hosting guest lecturers from around the globe. Tucked in the back of campus, Chalmers Field House boasts an updated new feel and function. A new addition houses modern fitness, weight and aerobic rooms overlooking Vendetti Field; major renovations have carved out new locker rooms, a lounge, and a state-of-the-art training room in Chalmers, and new tennis courts.

Completed in 2012, Fels Student Center offers 30,000 square feet of space for student services.

If you haven’t been back to campus in 50, 25, or even five years, you may be amazed at the difference. But a stroll around the grounds of this modern-day version will quickly evoke that familiar sense of community that made Nichols a special place in your day, and you’ll feel as if you never left.

AT H L E T I C S

Big Bison turnaround by Pete DiVito

Since the start of the 2010 season, the Nichols College football team posted a total of five wins against 54 losses— a winning percentage of .08. So it wasn’t a surprise when the 2016 New England Football Conference (NEFC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll was released in late August that the Bison were picked to finish dead last. They had not won a conference game since defeating UMass Dartmouth 26-16 on October 13, 2012. To help put in perspective how long ago that was, the Corsairs are no longer in the NEFC. So when Dale Olmsted accepted the offer to become the program’s 14th head coach in November 2013, he knew the kind of rebuilding project which lay ahead of him. Said Olmsted upon his hiring, “We’re going to create leaders at Nichols College. Our student-athletes will work hard, be accountable for their actions, and learn that there are no shortcuts to success. When they buy into these philosophies, the wins will come.” In his first season at the helm of the program, the Bison went 1-9, scoring a 10-3 win on Homecoming weekend against local rival Becker. Once NEFC play opened, the Bison lost all seven contests by an average of 24 points. In 2015, the team posted an identical overall and conference mark.

Photo: Jill Souza

So in 2016, wash, rinse, repeat, right? Not so much. While the defense was nowhere near a finished product, the team returned junior linebacker Brett McEvoy (Wrentham, Mass.), an NEFC First Team selection who led the league in tackles in 2015, along with senior captain Matthew McEvilly (Clinton, Mass.), who was second on the Bison with 82 tackles as a junior. The offense, meanwhile, had some playmakers at wide receiver, but they needed someone to get them the ball. So, when training camp began, the biggest position battle was at quarterback, where junior and returning starter Michael McCourt (Fairfield, Conn.), freshmen Chris Mullins (Centerville, Va.), and Tony Martignoli (Santa Rosa, Calif.) battled it out. Senior running back Grant Klimek (Toms River, N.J.) was set to share duties in the backfield with freshman Joshua Pierre-Charles (Millis, Mass.), whom Olmsted briefly coached in high school.

When asked about training camp, McEvilly explained, “It was do-or-die for the seniors. We wanted to get some wins and really emphasized that throughout camp. Continued on page 10

AT H L E T I C S

Mullins eventually beat out both McCourt and Martignoli for the starting job; however, both would make significant contributions at other positions during the course of the regular season. Pierre-Charles took over the starting running back duties after Klimek suffered an injury in camp and, following a season-opening loss at Westfield State, all three broke out in a 22-7 win over Anna Maria in the home opener on September 9. Mullins threw for 282 yards and a pair of scores while Martignoli caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown from the wide receiver position. The biggest story, however, was Pierre-Charles, as he rushed for a school-record 228 yards to earn NEFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The following week, the Bison earned a 16-13 win at Becker to move to 2-1 on the season. “One of our goals coming into the season was to go above .500 in our non-league games,” said Olmsted. “I’ve never seen a coach get an ice bath after the third game of the season, but the emotions for us during the final few seconds were overwhelming for many of us. Many of our seniors had only won two games in their careers coming into the season, so to win two out of the first three meant a lot to everyone involved in this rebuilding process.” However, the good feelings were shortlived as the Bison suffered blowout losses to the top three teams in the conference over the next three weeks, leaving them at 2-4 heading into a home contest with Coast Guard on October 22. “We all came together after

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those first three conference losses. They woke us up,” said Mullins. “We treated the rest of the schedule as a new season. Our goal was to win out. We left those games behind us and focused on winning the last four games.” “After losing to Western New England, Endicott, and Salve Regina, people still doubted us,” Martignoli explained. “We knew people were thinking, ‘Is this the same old Nichols team?’ We used that as motivation.” The Bison jumped on the Coast Guard Bears early, scoring 21 points in the opening 9:04 of the contest to earn a 24-14 win—their first NEFC win since downing UMass Dartmouth three years earlier. The Bears—who racked up 614 yards of total offense the previous week against Curry—were held under 400 yards and to just 14 points. Klimek picked up 117 yards on the ground, Mullins threw for 238 and two scores, and senior defensive back Brian Camacho (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded a pair of interceptions. Next up was Curry, which had won the previous 14 meetings with Nichols, dating back to 2001. In a back-and-forth shootout, the Bison emerged victorious by a score of 43-35 as Mullins threw for a school-record 432 yards and scored five touchdowns (three pass, two rush) to earn NEFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Martignoli hauled in 17 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown to earn NEFC Offensive

Rookie of the Week honors while sophomore Brenden Massey (North Attleboro, Mass.) caught six passes for 104 yards and one score. A win at Maine Maritime on November 5 would secure the program’s first .500 season since 2007, but to do so, the Bison would need to stop a four-game losing skid to their conference rivals from the north. The Bison fell behind 14-0 early and trailed 22-14 at halftime before ripping off 40 of the final 46 points to secure a 54-28 win and bring a 5-4 record (3-3 NEFC) back to Dudley. Mullins topped the 400-yard passing mark for the second-consecutive week and threw four touchdowns, PierreCharles scampered for 102 yards and one score. The defense, meanwhile, held the Mariners to zero passing yards as McEvilly, McEvoy, and sophomore Alex Swaby (New Britain, Conn.) combined to make 30 tackles. Nichols carried its three-game winning streak into the season finale against MIT, which won the conference just two years ago and, since the 2013 campaign, had dropped losses of 48-0 and 52-20 on the Bison. “Before the game, Coach Olmsted reminded us that we had a chance to make history and go 6-4, which hasn’t happened in years,” said McEvilly. “He said it was up to us and then pointed out the seniors. I had some jitters going into the game, not because I was nervous, but because we wanted to win so badly.” Photo: Erin Stanton

We noticed people working harder, even when the pads weren’t on. The first time we did 7-on-7 drills, we saw the [high] level of competition with the freshmen. That level set the tone. A few weeks later, our green-white scrimmage showed us who was ready to play and who wasn’t. Once I saw the number of players who were ready, I really felt that we had a good team and were ready to be successful. They wanted to win for the seniors, and that’s where it all began.”

Bison celebrate OT victory over the MIT Engineers, securing a 6-4 record for the men in black.

The Bison led 14-6 at halftime before a pair of third-quarter touchdowns left the home team trailing 21-14 entering perhaps the final 15 minutes of their season. As he had done all season, Mullins led the team down the field and capped a seven-play, 59-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run to tie the game. After the Engineers missed a potential game-winning field goal from 34 yards out, the two teams prepared to play overtime. Martignoli opened the scoring in the extra session with a 25-yard touchdown reception on the first play from scrimmage. The Engineers, however, answered right back with a touchdown of their own to tie the game and force a second OT, then took the lead at 35-28 with a score to open the second OT. Mullins and Martignoli accounted for all 25 yards of the ensuing possession, which ended when Mullins rushed in from six yards out to bring the Bison to within one point at 35-34. Olmsted elected not to attempt the game-tying PAT and instead go for the win, and when Mullins connected with Martignoli inside the left pylon, it set off pandemonium at Vendetti Field. Martignoli’s catch gave the Bison a 36-35 win and their first six-win season since 2003, as well as their first four-game win streak since 2001. “I would have been really disappointed if the play hadn’t worked. I knew we were the better team. It was sweet the way it ended,” said Mullins. The win took on extra significance for guys like McEvilly and Camacho, whose careers seemingly came full-circle with the triumph; their first collegiate game was an overtime victory, a 28-27 triumph over Westfield State at Vendetti Field on September 6, 2013. “I didn’t even watch the last play,” said McEvilly. “I was kneeling on the sidelines with my eyes covered. Then, I heard a bunch of people yelling. When I looked up, I saw a lot of hands in the air. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So much of my motivation this season was to show people that we were a good team. I took it personally. It couldn’t have ended any better.”

The postseason awards came in droves for the Bison, starting with the New England Football Conference. McEvilly and Martignoli were named to the First Team while McEvoy and Mullins earned Second Team honors. McEvilly closed the regular season leading the conference and ranked No. 6 nationally in tackles/game (12.7); nationally, he was also No. 27 in solo tackles (6.3 tackles/game) and No. 32 in tackles for loss (1.7 TFL/game). He was named the recipient of the Joe Zabilski Award as the best defensive player in New England at the Division III level, which is presented annually by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. McEvilly was also named the Worcester Area Football Association co-Defensive Player of the Year. Mullins established single-season marks for passing yards (3,016) and touchdowns (20), and also rushed for 256 yards and nine touchdowns. He led the conference in total offense (327.2 yards/game) and passing yards (301.6 yards/game), and was fourth in TD passes. “This year was the most fun I’ve ever had playing football,” said Mullins. “This was the first year I played football where I didn’t mind going to practice.” Martignoli, meanwhile, established single-season program records for receptions (62) and yards (940), and scored seven touchdowns. He caught a single-game record 17 passes for 198 yards in a win over Curry on October 29, this coming two weeks after recording 199 receiving yards at Salve Regina on October 15. Mullins was named the Worcester Area Football Association Offensive Player of the Year while both were named to the First Team at their respective positions. McEvoy was second in the conference in tackles (94) and notched five games with 10-or-more, highlighted by a 16-tackle effort in the finale against MIT, to earn both NEFC and Worcester Area Football Association Second

Team honors. Additionally, Camacho, Swaby, Massey, junior OL Jeff Perez (Quincy, Mass.), and freshman OL Patrick Porter (Natick, Mass.) were named to the Worcester Area Football Association Second Team at their respective positions. After posting a 2-18 record in his first two years donning the Nichols football visor, Olmsted was named the Worcester Area Football Association Coach of the Year. “Our program wouldn’t have been recognized if not for the hard work of our coaches and student-athletes,” said Olmsted. “They are the ones that have put me in this position. The faculty helped me keep our guys on the right course, and I’m so thankful for their efforts. I’m also happy for the alumni, who have stuck with this program a long time. I’m happy to have been part of the turnaround.” Perhaps Martignoli said it best, adding, “I remember looking into the stands at our first home game against Anna Maria, and there were not a lot of people. Some people didn’t expect us to have a good season. Once we started winning games, more and more people showed up. By the time the MIT game came around, we had a full house and a ton of support. It was awesome.”

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From the Archives a

Contributed by Jim Douglas

Learning about the past builds pride in the future This past summer I read with interest an article in the July 2016 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Why a College Should Teach Its Own History.” The author, a Cornell instructor, argued that the benefits of learning about a college’s past could include an increase in students’ institutional pride and sense of community, and help to build engagement in the future. The author lamented that few colleges offered such a course. Happily, Nichols recently joined the ranks of those select few. In the spring 2015 and 2016, as part of Nichols’ bicentennial observance, “Nichols College and Its History,” was presented by Paul Lambert, assistant professor of history, and Jim Douglas, the Nichols College Archives curator. Designed to inform the way students see and think about their “home-away-from-home” on the Hill, the course encouraged students to explore the history of Nichols through readings, lectures, discussion, research, and guest speakers. Although the focus was on Nichols, larger connections with local, regional, and national history were also considered. Initially, there was some concern there would not be enough interested students to run the class; actually, the class filled immediately each time it was offered.

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Spring 2017

To give students a sense of how historians “do” history, students had to locate and “interrogate” primary source materials from the college’s archives and write about their findings. Using yearbooks, newspapers, alumni publications, administrative reports, and photographs, students researched topics such as the development of the MBA program, co-education on the Hill, the student-run fire department, institutional marketing over the centuries, disasters (fires and the Hurricane of 1938), the impact of World War II, technology, and diversity. Oral history was also an important part of the class. Several guest speakers shared their experiences and insights. Among them were Marcia Behrens ’78, MBA ’89, associate professor of accounting, who grew up on campus in the 1960s and was one of the first women to attend the college in the ’70s; Charlie Robert, faculty associate for sport management, who served as field hockey coach and athletic director over a 19-year period; Frank Sweeney ’60 and Joe Regan ’70, alumni of the Conservation and Forestry Program; Len Harmon, associate professor and chair of marketing, who previously served as director of the Fischer Policy and Cultural Institute; President Susan Engelkemeyer; and the late Dr. James L. Conrad, Jr., author of the two-volume history of the college, Nichols Academy: The Spring on

the Hill, 1815-1931 (revised edition) and Nichols: A College for the Hill, 1931 – 1996, which served as the course textbooks. In several class sessions, campus “walkabouts” showcased physical changes that occurred over the years as well as some of the less visible aspects of the college’s history. One highlight was a stop on the staircase between the second and third floor of Academy Hall to view the remains of the building’s 19th-century indoor plumbing: a water closet with a wooden commode behind what is now a locked door. Perhaps the most memorable part, however, was ringing of the bell on top of Academy Hall, which is accomplished by opening a small panel in the wall of what is now an office on the second floor and pulling down and releasing a wooden lever with a rope attached to the bell. Students have been very positive about the class. One student spoke for many, saying, “I liked learning about the school and have a new appreciation for the things that [most] people don’t realize about it.” In the short term, the course gave students an opportunity to work with primary sources, engage in critical thinking, develop their writing/presentation skills and gain better understanding of the college’s history. We hope the deeper connection will lead to increased alumni engagement in the future. Time will tell.

Alumni shine in fall awards The talents and commitment of several Bison alumni were

and Jonathan Birtwell ’06, trader at PanAgora Asset

recognized this fall with awards presented by the Alumni

Management, were given the Alumni Achievement and

Association Board of Directors to honor alumni achievement

Young Alumni Achievement awards, respectively. And

and service. During homecoming weekend, Phil Collins ’66

Paul Zimmerman ’62 took center stage at the annual President’s

received the Ken Thompson Alumni Service Award on the

Society Dinner where he received the David F. Lombard ’65

occasion of his 50th class reunion at Nichols; John White ’71

Outstanding Alumnus Award, which was presented by the first

MBA ’79 and family—including three daughters and their

recipient of his new endowed scholarship, Erin Phelan ’19

spouses who all graduated from Nichols were honored with

(see the 1962 Class Scribe column on page 14).

the Legacy Award; and Mary Hoey, Bison spouse and parent

of two Nichols grads and one Nichols student, was dubbed an

Nichols College Athletic Hall of Fame: Jim Rattigan ’67,

Honorary Alumna.

posthumously, for soccer; Mindy (Aucoin) Battista ’97 for

soccer; and Jessica Porter ’09, for lacrosse and tennis.

At the fall meeting of the Board of Advisors in October, BOA

In addition, three new members were inducted into the

members Jeff Johnson ’90, president of Eagle Cleaning Inc.,

In far left and far right photos, Jeff Johnson ’90 and Jonathan Birtwell ’06 display their awards, with Bill Pieczynski, vice president for advancement, Peter Caruso ’90, co-chair of the Board of Advisors, and Bill O’Connell ’78, past president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. In the middle photo, Paul Zimmerman ’62 accepts his award from Erin Phelan ’19.

McClutchy honors math professor with endowed scholarship Trustee John McClutchy, Jr. ’72 has designated a new scholarship called the John H. McClutchy, Jr. ‘72 Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Professor William Steglitz. Steglitz, associate professor of math and chair of the math department for 20 years, retired from full-time teaching in 2006. During his 38-year tenure, he taught every aspect of math, and was responsible for transforming math from a service department supporting the business disciplines at Nichols to a full-fledged specialization. Steglitz, who earned his MBA at Nichols in 1985, had been cited as an Outstanding Teacher and made many contributions to the campus community, John McClutchy, Jr. ’72 as a student recruiter, coach, and president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. The decision to honor Professor Steglitz was a personal one for McClutchy, based on his deep respect and gratitude. “Both Professor Steglitz and I originally arrived at Nichols in the fall of 1968 and met during my first math class, which he taught,” says McClutchy. “It turned out to be a meeting that transformed me personally and led to the many successes that my Nichols College education has provided me.”

McClutchy recounts that Steglitz, recognizing some of his mathematical deficiencies, approached McClutchy and offered to tutor him, at no cost, on his personal time. The arrangement allowed McClutchy to continue his other studies as well as maintain a full-time job. “His efforts made me realize that with determination and the right help I could accomplish anything that I put my mind Professor William Steglitz to, including overcoming those things that most intimidated me,” McClutchy states. “The math that Professor Steglitz taught me gave me a foundation to go on and develop a successful career in real-estate finance, but the most important lesson he taught me is the need to give back. This is something that he did during his entire 38-year career at Nichols as a full-time teacher, something he continues to do to this day in the parochial schools in Thompson, Connecticut. I am sure that there are many other Nichols’ alumni who have benefitted from Professor Steglitz’s caring generosity and want to be sure that future students will continue to receive assistance in his name.”

To contribute to the scholarship, please contact the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations at 866-622-4766 or nicholsfund@nichols.edu.

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CLASS NOTES

1956

I contacted Pete Whitney who let me know that they weathered Hurricane Matthew. I have no idea how the Judds did in the Low Country of South Carolina, but no news is good news. Kate and I keep in contact with and see Hugo Pagliccia ’63 and his wife, Carol, a few times each winter. I am not sure what the plans are for a Naples, Florida, gathering this year, but we always enjoy the evening. For all of you former jocks, please consider supporting the Bison Club. For everyone else, your support of the college is very important in many ways, and especially to those students who benefit from your contributions to the Nichols Fund. It is hard to believe, but the 2017 Homecoming will be our 55th reunion. Include it on your schedule. If I can convince some of my lacrosse teammates to be part of the alumni game at Homecoming, it would be a blast. It’s all about “Bison Pride.”

Class Scribe: Arthur Fries 917 Jordan Ct. Nipomo, CA 93444-6625 805-343-6400 friesart@hotmail.com From the Class Scribe… Art Fries and his wife, Cindy, attended the 60th reunion for the Class of ’56 in late September. Ray Faucher also attended, and they were able to meet up for dinner. What we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality.

1957

> 60th Reunion

Class Scribe: Kent Tarrant 45 Valley View Dr. P.O. Box 496 Hampden, MA 01036-0496 413-566-5130 kent100@charter.net

1958 Class Scribe: Reverend Paul Price 3214 Sudbury St Springfield, OH 45503 pprice@woh.rr.com

1962 > 55th Reunion Class Scribe: Charlie Howe October - April 17468 Cornflower Ln. Punta Gorda, FL 33955 941-575-8150 charleskatehowe@gmail.com From the Class Scribe… We were all saddened to hear of the passing of Jim Conrad. To the class of ‘62, Jim represented the last faculty contact that we have with the Hill. His contribution to the college, in so many different capacities, will forever be remembered. Thank you, dear friend, for being a part of our lives. Unfortunately I do not have a lot of news to pass along, but would like to hear from you anyway. Bart Henkle writes from the Villages and is happy in retirement.

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Speaking of Bison Pride, we can all congratulate our Paul Zimmerman, who received the David F. Lombard ’65 Outstanding Alumnus Award for his professional achievements as an entrepreneur with thriving commercial real estate businesses in both New Hampshire and New Jersey. The award was presented at the college’s annual President’s Society Dinner in October. Here are some highlights provided by Alumni Relations:

“I’ve waited patiently for 55 years to come back to this hilltop campus, walk up on this stage, step to this podium, and put my public speaking skills to test,” joked Zimmerman, as he cited the five emphases of public speaking — voice, diction, poise, pronunciation and enunciation — that he learned as a Nichols student. The award was presented by Erin Phelan, a member of the Nichols College class of 2019 and the recipient of the newly created Deb and Paul Zimmerman Endowed Scholarship. “I am honored and grateful to be the first recipient of Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman’s generosity,” said Phelan. “…Thank you for the opportunity to continue my education at the only college I can imagine myself a part of.” In presenting the award, Phelan listed the various ways Zimmerman has contributed to his alma mater — as an ambassador to alumni and prospective students, as a member of the college’s legacy society, and as a supporter of important initiatives at the college, such as capital improvements and endowment growth. Zimmerman, in turn, lauded Phelan for her hard work, enthusiasm, and the leadership she has demonstrated in her college career. In a symbolic gesture, he gave Phelan his “Brown Bag” to fill with all the information, insight and business tools she is acquiring at Nichols, as he has done throughout his career.

“Attending Nichols College was a very cherished experience for me. It propelled me into the business world, well prepared, confident, and excited to apply the tools, ideas and concepts I learned,” Zimmerman told the more than 100 Nichols alumni and guests in attendance at the event. “Over the last five decades, I have worked hard and achieved what I consider reasonable business success…. “Thank you, Nichols College, for giving me the tools of business enabling my success which, in turn, allows me to stand here and give back. It has been a great trip to the top of the hill.”

1963 From Bruce Haslun… Hey brothers. My first-ever experience writing a letter of resignation. Been fired twice, quit twice but peaceful resignation is different. Know too that I have really loved this job of being your class scribe so I’m trying hard not to be sloppy sentimental about giving it up. I started this 13 years ago and it’s been serious fun “keeping us informed about us.” Interspersed among all the good laughs and reminiscences have been the terrible news of hurting brothers and their families, news of brothers no longer with us.

Please send your news directly to your class scribe. If you do not have a class scribe, news may be forwarded to classnotes@nichols.edu. Digital images are preferred, but please do not crop them! The higher the resolution the better – 300 dpi (dots per inch) is best. Digital images may be sent directly to the Alumni Relations Office – classnotes@nichols.edu. Prints may be sent to: Nichols College, Alumni Relations Office, and P.O. Box 5000, Dudley, MA 01571.

Spring 2017

The highlight, the apex, the mountaintop was our matching Tom Niles’ wonderful grant and establishing the scholarship fund. Tom, from my heart, no one connected to Nichols College can thank you enough for your great generosity; proud too of the brothers who took up and met that challenge.

distilled spirits. Ergo, we can’t be alcoholics, we must be spiritualists.

Somehow I think Colonel, sitting in judgment, would forgive all his sons of ’63 for all the dopiness of barn parties, panty raids, beer bashes, and other craziness. (“Ah wait! Son Brusman? Hmmm, I’d forgotten about son Brusman. [Long sigh.] Okay, son Brusman is forgiven!”)

With great brotherly love, Bruce

Our wonderful Alumni Office can keep us posted. I have no email capability. Carol tells me there may be something called an app that will allow me to speak my thoughts into the machine to transcribe them to paper. In my serious working days this was called a personal secretary. If she was a really good one you would, with great pride, call her “My Girl Friday.” She would take that as a great compliment, might have even blushed with pride. Remember blushing? Remember pride?!?

1964

So, here is the reason perhaps, why I need to resign. I truly don’t mind growing old. However, if I’m going to get “cranky old” I shouldn’t inflict it on y’all. Robert Frost had it that “I never dared be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.” Problem is I’ve dared become old and have no fear of my beliefs, all of which are conservative. I’d like to end my scribe years with lines from The Toz. He asks us to remember the last four letters of American, Republican, and Democrats. Art and I have decided we will no longer indulge in alcohol; we prefer

Please know that we all care about all of us. Keep in touch with our terrific Alumni Office. It has truly been a wonderful experience writing and worrying about y’all.

[Editor’s Note: We will miss Bruce’s charming and compassionate prose, and we will be sure to leave a light on so he can always find his way home to Nichols.]

Class Scribe: Warren Bender 3604 Kingsley Dr. Myrtle Beach, SC 29588-7714 843-492-6727 wbender@sc.rr.com From the Class Scribe… Not much to report. My yearly seasonal job has ended, and I look forward to April ’17. I just got back from two weeks in Deerfield, FL. Weather was so/ so. I am going back in February and hoping warm weather and less wind will prevail! Bob Hood ’66 paid his usual visit to Myrtle Beach on his way to winter digs in Titusville, FL, next to Cape Canaveral. Lila and I will pay him a visit in February. Please, somebody from ’64, send me some info. I am tired of talking about myself! How about POTUS Trump? Batten down the hatches and wear your seat belts…..this ride is going to be…. And the Beat Goes On

Catching Up With

Crista Durand MBA ’01 It can be a challenge to catch up with Crista Durand MBA ’01. As the president of Newport Hospital, she is a busy administrator multi-tasking on the hospital’s campus, at multiple off-site medical office buildings, or in advisory board meetings, and mentoring student interns and attending events. Catch her if you can running in regular charity road races, paddle-boarding in the ocean, or travelling for her two sons’ sporting activities around New England. Newport Hospital is one of five hospitals that make up Lifespan, the premier healthcare system in Rhode Island. Founded in 1873, its inpatient rehab and birthing center are just two areas receiving top industry recognition recently. The hospital recently had the busiest summer in 140 years, with tourism, driven by sailing and cruise ship season, at an all-time high. “I’m proud of the partners in care strategy implemented since I joined the hospital,” Durand states. She overcomes challenges of the healthcare industry, such as reimbursement pressures and unpredictable system changes, with the right leadership team. Surrounded by a diverse team with multidisciplinary talent, they work collaboratively with physicians and an advisory board to provide the best accessible care provided by Newport Hospital. “If you are not a team player, do not go into healthcare.” Durand advises. Years ago when a career change shifted her from finance director to an interim CFO at a hospital in Connecticut, she pursued her MBA at Nichols, a step she claims was “absolutely necessary to take on the executive administrator role.” This provided the skillset and business knowledge that she relies on today. The learning process is changing and evolving along with her chosen industry, and her education has helped with the demands for thoughtful business planning, understanding finance, and researching resources to have a successful community hospital that thrives in its system. – Molly Thienel

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CLASS NOTES

1967 >50th Reunion 1969 Class Scribe: Robert Kuppenheimer 4627 Tremont Ln. Corona del Mar, CA 92625-3130 rkuppy@gmail.com From the Class Scribe… Bill Pieczynski of the Nichols Advancement Office met with Joe Bodanza this summer. Following graduation, Joe was drafted and served in the U.S. Army at Fort Meade during the Vietnam War. When he returned, he worked as an accountant for a small firm in Boston, and eventually for Boston Gas. When Boston Gas was sold to Keyspan, he moved to New York and moved back when it was sold to National Grid. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, FL, and spends time with his daughter and two teenaged granddaughters. Tom Burke wrote an interesting note about his life after Nichols and an unexpected career in the military. Here are a few highlights: “When I left Nichols in 1969, the war in Vietnam was going strong and, like many others who graduated during those years, I joined the service…. Duty in the early ’70s was at the headquarters of the USAF Rescue and Recovery Wing that covered South East Asia, Alaska and Pacific…. “In the mid ’70s, I…was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington. That was one of three assignments in the five years I spent at the Pentagon. The last two years as executive officer for a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force led me into the personnel business. The next three years

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at an F-111 base overseas were the most rewarding and challenging…. The goal was to survive any type of attack (chemical, biologic, conventional, nuclear, terrorist, etc.) to allow the F-111s to continue operations and complete their NATO mission….Monthly war games, NATO readiness tests, inspections and real world terrorist threats brought a few thousand people together as a single, focused team like I’d never seen before, or since. “Two more stateside assignments and I ended up as the director of personnel for the Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB just outside Boston. They do the R&D and acquisition for advanced electronic systems for the Air Force, DoD and other U.S. agencies…. “I retired with 21 years active service, did some consulting, worked with an entrepreneurial start up, chaired our city’s conservation commission, then found my dream job managing a boat company. Ten years later, I fully retired. Donna, the love of my life since 1965, spent many fun weekends at Nichols and we married in 1969. We have two boys and the four of us saw much of the world together. We remain very close and each son has one daughter, awesome new little chapters to the Burke family. We live in Nashua, NH, love to boat and spend a little time in Florida each winter. This past winter we spent a delightful few days with my Nichols roommate Hap Hugh and his wonderful wife, Sandy. It had been 15 years since our last visit but we picked up as if we just finished the swing shift at Cranston Print Works together and were headed for a dinner of Rice-a-Roni at our illegal

Spring 2017

off-campus party apartment over a department store on Main Street in Webster.

is also looking to buy a home in the area so they will expand their lunch group in Ft. Lauderdale.

“Like the t-shirt says, ‘life is good.’”

Dan Stewart is recovering from back surgery and has moved to Arizona.

Jack Hills visited Jay Sherwood in NYC. Jay rode his bike to meet Jack at the Yale Club one time; the other was for drinks at the Union League. Jay is well, active on volunteer boards and taking lots of international travels. Jack was also visiting family in Oregon. Jim Jackson and some Nichols peeps were spotted in The Mint Bar sipping milk in Sheridan, Wyoming! Nichols people are everywhere! He was also recently visiting his grandchildren in southern California; he has more projects going than a 30 year old. Jim Kerley was spotted in Chicago for LIMRA. I suspect he was there for the World Series, not work! Mike LaFoley is trying out a new hip.

Gil Rochon, pictured with a sockeye salmon, writes: “I caught it last week at Crescent Lake in the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. This was my fourth trip in the last four years. My wife and I are also traveling to Switzerland to take a 10-day Viking River Cruise down the Rhine River to Amsterdam.” Rob Savage bought a place in Florida and says he and Jack Hills see each other for lunch a few times a year. Jim Maguire

1972

> 45th Reunion

Class Scribe: Mark Alexander mark1alex12@gmail.com

1977 > 40th Reunion 1982 > 35th Reunion 1983 Class Scribe: Michael Donehey 508-376-5469 (phone) 509 376-5043 (fax) mdonehey@live.com Sean Clancy has joined Great Bay Community College as the new associate vice president of corporate and community education. He will be leading both the Business and Training Center and the WorkReady NH divisions of the college, which provide professional development and entry level training options for the workforce of the greater seacoast region of New Hampshire. Most recently he served as the manager of leadership development for Portsmouth-based Legacy Supply Chain Services and has been an adjunct faculty member since 2004 at both the University of New Hampshire and Granite State College, among other local schools.

1985 Class Scribe: John P. Donahue 10 Corsham Drive Medford, NJ 08055-8434 609-257-8191 johndonahue1234@gmail.com From the Class Scribe… It has been some time since we heard from the class of ’85. I am living in southern NJ with my wife, Linda, and our Golden Retriever, Maximus. Our daughter, Nicole, was married in August and lives about a mile away from us. It is pretty awesome. I am not far from Lou Testa ’84 and Jay Accorsi, representing the Garden State with Bison pride! We played golf this summer and had some laughs about life on the Hill.

leadership and excellence in accounting, tax and business consulting services. She founded Hamilton Associates, LLC, and began operating Compass Accounting & Business Solutions in 2007. She has more than 25 years of experience in management, accounting, forensic accounting, internal auditing, process improvement, and taxation.

1987

1992 > 25th Reunion

1988 Class Scribe: Diane Bellerose Golas 90 Lebanon St. Southbridge, MA 01550-1332 508-764-6077 spongedicat@aol.com Paula Downer was named treasurer of the town of Lenox, MA, previously serving as the executive assistant to the school department superintendent. Downer joined the School Department in 2012 following 21 years at Crane & Co. in Dalton, where she advanced to manager of customer service. In addition to her Nichols degree, she earned an MBA from Western New England University.

John

1990

1986

Tom Nicalek, president of Renaud HVAC and Controls, Inc., announced that he purchased the company as of January 1, 2017. Located in Sutton, MA, Renaud HVAC provides heating and air conditioning installations and service for commercial clients throughout Central Massachusetts. Nicalek, a member of the Nichols College Board of Advisors, has been managing the company since its inception in 1998.

Annette Hamilton, president/ CEO of Compass Accounting & Business Solutions, has been recognized by Worldwide Branding for showing dedication,

Class Scribe: Donna Small 4905 Bay Harvest Ct. Clemmons, NC 27012-8245 336-712-1053 (home) 336-692-5157 (cell) dsmall9242000@yahoo.com

> 30th Reunion

I need to hear from you! It’s been a few years since our reunion, which was well attended. I am sure most of us have a wonderful story on family or career that is interesting or exciting. Likewise, it would be interesting to know who is still connected. I see a few on Facebook and imagine there are more. I will attempt to create a page for us. The Nichols network is important, so let me hear from you.

Class Scribe: Susan Zimonis 18930 Misty Lake Dr. Jupiter, FL 33458 561-707-8781 susanzimonis@bellsouth.net

1994

At a recent basketball game, Patrick and Michael, sons of Chris Galligan ’92 MBA ’96, a Hall of Fame inductee and 1,000-point scorer, show their Bison pride.

1994 Class Scribe: Danielle (Troiano) Sprague 20 Stagecoach Rd. Leominster, MA 01453 508-845-6604 thedwoman@yahoo.com From the Class Scribe… I am the Chef de Cuisine at The Gibbet Hill Grill Restaurant in Groton, MA. We are unique in that we have our own farm and farmer on the property. This year, Gibbet Hill had its first farm dinner on the actual farm itself. An intimate gathering of 24

guests were given a tour of the farm followed by a three-course menu I created utilizing produce from our farm and other local farms. It was a very special event and huge success for everybody involved.

1995 Ellen J. McGovern MBA, chief marketing officer at Clinton Savings Bank, has been named to the board of directors of the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, a Massachusetts-based national provider of programs and services for at-risk children and families. She has been with Clinton Savings Bank for 15 years, and also serves as a board member for the Nashua Valley Council Boy Scouts of America, volunteers with the Shrewsbury High School Committee, has been acknowledged as a Girl Scout Woman of Distinction, and has served on industry committees such as the Mass Bankers Public Affairs Committee, Banking and Financial Services Group, Marketing Professionals Network, Women in Banking, and the CMO Executive Network.

1997 > 20th Reunion 1998 Class Scribe: Emily (Seiferman) Alves millie.176@hotmail.com

2000 Class Scribe:Andrea Sacco andrea.j.sacco@gmail.com

2001 Class Scribe: David Twiss 978-979-7658 (cell) david.twiss@comcast.net

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CLASS NOTES

2002 > 15th Reunion Rob Cleary, president of ClearCom IT Solutions Inc. in Leicester, MA, was named a 40 Under 40 winner by the Worcester Business Journal in 2016. Cleary founded ClearCom IT while a senior at Nichols and grew the business from serving one client with one computer to serving clients nationwide and managing 2,500 computers and mobile devices. His firm achieved a 100-percent customer contract renewal rate for the last 11 years. He also serves on boards of Leicester Business Association and Spencer Exchange Club and as technology advisor for David Prouty High School’s vocational technical program.

2003 Class Scribe: Jillian (Hayes) Smerage jnhayes80@gmail.com From the Class Scribe… Megan (McKenna) Lynch and her husband, Peter Lynch ’02

have been living in Bangkok, Thailand since July 2014. They live there with their four boys, Brodyn (7), Parker (5), Camden (3), and Ryker, born in October 2016. She writes: “Pete’s career has provided us with this great opportunity. He has taken an expat assignment with his parent company, Essilor International (locally based in Dudley, MA, Gentex Optics), manufacturing polycarbonate ophthalmic lenses. It’s an exciting career and current opportunity with an even better mission: to improve lives, by improving sight.

2004

2008

Joe Cronin and his then-fiancé, now wife, Amy Salant, were featured in the Andover Townsman Online for opening Fitness Together personal training centers in Andover and North Andover. The couple was married in September 2016.

Class Scribe: Nicole (Silvio) Curley nms31@msn.com

“While there, the older boys are attending international schools, partaking in sports and taking in the Thai culture daily and a hot climate 365 days a year.”

2005

Meghan writes for a magazine for expatriates called Expat Life. She is the fashion editor, spending time at markets, meeting Thai designers, shoe makers and tailors and using that as her research and contributions. She adds: “The experience has been an amazing journey thus far with travel around Asia and Europe, making it even broader and more enriching.”

Class Scribe: Erica (Mello) Boulay erica.boulay@hotmail.com

Class Scribe: Melissa Jackson msmeljackson@gmail.com

2006

2007

> 10th Reunion

From the Class Scribe… About a year ago, Ryan Bessette hired Bill Pietras as general manager of his recently opened restaurant, Rogue Island Local Kitchen and Bar, a farm-to-table, craft beer bar and restaurant located in downtown Providence. Ryan and Bill met in 2004 while studying at Nichols and have been very close ever since. Ryan left Nichols his junior year to pursue his dream of mastering the cooking trade and owning his own restaurant. In October, Ryan and his LLC, Rogue Island Group, launched their provision company called Rogue Provisions. Rogue Provisions’ first two products are their popular house made sauces, Apple Habanero Hot Sauce and Bourbon BBQ Sauce.

Class Scribe: Meaghan Larkin meaglark@gmail.com Jeremy Koczan MBA was appointed CFO for Altamira Technologies Corp. Previously, he worked at Raytheon. In addition to his MBA from Nichols, he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bridgewater State University and is a registered Six Sigma Blackbelt.

2005 Mel Jackson was married to Steven Day on April 30, 2016, at the 3 West Club in New York City. Professor Wayne-Daniel Berard officiated the ceremony and attended the wedding with his wife (the lovely Christine). Nichols alumnae Katherine Guido, Leah Radzimirski ’04, and Samantha Dubois were part of the bridal party. Also in attendance were Jennifer (King) Hopkins, Chris Hull, Veronique Gourene, Erin (Walsh) Berthaiume ’07, Liz Freeman ’06, Caitlin (Devaney) Fortwengler, and Andy Gallagher. A great time was had by all!

Nichols College Magazine

Spring 2017

2008 John Curley married Nicole Silvio at the Villa in East Bridgewater, MA, on April 2, 2016, with many of their fellow Bison in attendance! Pictured, from left, are Lucas Wilson, Matthew Francis ’09, Gary Dalton ’09, John Curley, Nicole (Silvio) Curley, Nicole (Loscoe) Smyth, Peter Smyth, and Melissa Francis.

2009

2011

Class Scribe: Alexandria M. Hallam aliemchal@gmail.com

Terrence Mayrose announced his engagement to Nikki Ruane in May. There to celebrate, from left, are Josh Harris, Anthony Pillari ’10, Terrence Mayrose, Nikki Ruane, Carly Kelly ’11, Jon Snediker, and Tom Mulligan.

2010 Class Scribe: Katelyn Vella katelyn.vella@yahoo.com From the Class Scribe… Jen Gelinas and Josh Groenke were married on August 22, 2015, in Henniker, NH.

Jessica Morgan got engaged to Nick Smith over the summer. An October 2017 wedding is planned. Candice Ellis was promoted from manager of office operations to manager of investor relations and corporate communications at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA. She has worked at Ironwood for over six years and will begin teaching in the MBA program at Endicott College in early 2017.

2010

Kayla Latham ’10 and Keith Lyon ’09 were married in summer 2015, and were expecting their first child in December 2016.

Kevin Quinn married Emily Baker ’12 on August 20, 2016, in Plymouth, MA, with a Bison herd in attendance.

2012 > 5th Reunion

2014

Ryan Aitken recently joined Colantonio Inc., a Hollistonbased construction management firm, as assistant superintendent. He has four years of experience supervising large residential, commercial and retail projects and is working on a 96-unit historic mill renovation project.

Jacquelyn Brown MSOL, director of alumni relations at The Woodstock Academy, married Zachary Putnam, senior business analyst in IT business applications at MAPFRE Insurance, on June 11 in Danielson, CT. The Bison-filled reception featured a special appearance by the Nichols mascot, Thunder, who is pictured with the bride and her father, Ron Brown ’01 MBA ’04.

Kathleen Ells MBA was named as the Massachusetts and Rhode Island healthcare specialist for TD Bank’s Healthcare Practice Solutions Group. She will be sourcing new to bank practice finance business, focusing on independent dental, veterinary, medical and eye care practices. Prior to joining TD Bank, she served as a senior vice president of Citizens Bank’s HealthCare Practice Banking division and led the Wells Fargo Practice Finance Northeast Regional Team. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership at Nichols.

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Jason England was named manager of Worcester Credit Union’s full-service branch at Worcester Tech. During England’s junior year as a student at Worcester Tech, he became a student intern for WCU as part of the WCU Student Teller Training Program. He continued to work at the credit union while attending Nichols full time and was promoted to head teller before completing his degree.

Nichols College Magazine

CLASS NOTES

Catching Up With

Michael Frisbie ’90 Entrepreneur Michael Frisbie ’90 had already established a successful track record through his Hunter Development Company by developing top-tier gas station and convenience stores for major oil companies throughout the Northeast. His tenants’ success spurred him to develop his own chain. Over the past two years, he introduced Noble brand stateof-the-art automobile refueling stations and markets to the Hartford area. And he is just getting started. Frisbie has aggressive plans to expand his network and recently signed a preliminary agreement with a hydrogen company to design and construct 10 facilities in Connecticut over the next three years which will offer gasoline, hydrogen and electric charging stations. “In order for car manufacturers to bring hydrogen or electric cars to market, the consumer needs to be able to get the product somewhere; it may as well be at a Noble station,” Frisbie says. He sees an opportunity to replicate his business model in other cities along the East Coast to build the infrastructure needed to lead the way in responsible development. Then there’s Frisbie’s Dairy Barn, adjacent to his Noble station in New Britain, Conn. Frisbie converted the property, including a residence and abandoned ice cream dairy bar owned by the Guida family from 1945 to 1997, and sells premium homemade ice cream, fresh whipped cream, hot fudge, cakes and pies. Continuing the Guida’s tradition was Frisbie’s way of giving back to the community, who

fondly remembered the original. “Who isn’t happy eating ice cream?” Frisbie muses. (The store has earned four-anda-half stars on Trip Advisor.) Frisbie also sells his product in his convenience stores and hopes to one day expand to other retailers and restaurants. Before he scooped out a career as an entrepreneur, Frisbie tested his leadership skills at Nichols. “Nichols allowed me to become a leader on campus, something I would not have done at a bigger school,” he says. He was an RA for three years, captain of the hockey team, co-captain of the golf team, SGA vice president, and a member of the now-Fischer Institute. This fall, Frisbie returned to campus to address budding entrepreneurs, and he hosted several members of the Student Alumni Society in New Britain. He shared his vision for development, his business ideas and valuable life lessons. “I live by simple daily goals. Be the best dad I can be, eat right and exercise everyday, treat people the way I would like to be treated, and think big!” Frisbie told the Nichols students. “My business goals, like strategic network development and station expansion, are dependent on focused milestones, but my daily goals keep me going,” he later added. “I love what I do and it doesn’t seem like work to me. I tell my kids to find something they love to do and they will be happy. I strive to be a leader in the industry and so far it is working for me.” – Ron Schachter and Molly Thienel

Michael Frisbie ’90 and his sons gave out ice cream sandwiches at the Nichols-hosted Boston Landing hockey tournament on January 6 at the Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton. Giving back comes naturally for Frisbie’s Dairy Barn, which has been recognized in New Britain for helping youth and transforming a gateway to the city.

20 Nichols College Magazine

Spring 2017

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NICHOLS REMEMBERS John A. Christensen Jr. ’43, of Sarasota, Fla., Nov. 4, 2016. He was a retired district manager for the Faultless Caster Co. He is survived by his wife, Anita; three children; two stepdaughters; and eight grandchildren. Stanley Finn ’48, of Northhampton, Mass., June 22, 2016. After two seasons playing baseball in the minor leagues, he worked for over 30 years for the U.S. Postal Service. He was also a loyal 1948 class scribe for the Nichols College Magazine. Preceded in death by his wife, Louise, he is survived by seven children; 19 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

John E. Cheney Jr. ’54, of Dracut, Mass., Nov. 12, 2016. He served in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Naples, Italy, for two years. A printer for most of his career, he was most recently employed by the Lowell Building Authority at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; four children; a stepson; a grandson; and a step-grandson.

The Alumni Relations Office was informed of the death of Norman S. Schmidt ’50, of Tucson, Ariz., on Aug. 14, 2016. Russell H. Baird ’51, of Nashua, N.H., Aug. 9, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Joan; three children; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Philias E. Caron ’51, of Vero Beach, Fla., Aug. 1, 2016. He was a U.S. Army veteran and spent his career working in the hotel and hospitality industry in Florida at hotels such as the Fontainbleu, the Diplomat, the Americana and the City Squire. He is survived by his wife, Demetria; a son; two grandchildren; a stepson; and two step-grandchildren.

George R. Henault ’55, of West Warwick, R.I., July 11, 2016. He had been a licensed embalmer and funeral director since 1957 at Raoul G. Henault & Son Funeral Home, taking over the family business in 1980 and retiring in 2001. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Ann; a son; two daughters; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister. Stanley H. Bullard III ’58, of New Milford, Conn., Sept. 29, 2016. He worked for Charles Bachelder & Co. until the early ’80s when he moved to St. Thomas, VI, and started his own outboard motor business, Offshore Marine. Survivors include four children; six grandchildren; and two brothers.

Richard W. Meier ’52, of Clinton, Mass., Sept. 6, 2016. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Hill AFB in Utah during the Korean War. He was employed as a Massachusetts state park supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources for over 20 years before his retirement in 1990. He is survived by his longtime companion, Dorothy Hutchinson; a son; two daughters; ten grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a brother; and a sister.

22 Nichols College Magazine

Bruce B. Skiff ’53, of Wethersfield, Conn., Oct. 19, 2016. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1952-1956 and was employed as a driver for the town of Wethersfield and Peter Frasse Steel Co. He is survived by his wife, Jan; three daughters; and a grandson.

Charles G. Crones Jr. ’58, of Centerville, Mass., June 29, 2016. He owned the former J.A. Sanborn Company near Quincy Market in Boston. He is survived by his wife, Susan; three children; six grandchildren; and a sister. Albert W. Redway II ’58, of Westbrook, Conn., May 27, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army for two years. In 1965 he opened a Taylor Rental Center in Westbrook, retiring in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Corinne; a son; a daughter; three grandchildren; and a sister.

Spring 2017

Richard F. Skelly ’58, of Key Largo, Fla., July 21, 2016. Skelly began his career in sales with General Electric in Kansas City before relocating to the Northeast and eventually joining Clairol, where he became vice president for sales in 1967. He formed his own company, R.F. Skelly & Associates, a manufacturer’s representative firm, which acquired Meteor Associates in 1982 and was sold to Pezrow Corp. in 1994. After a brief retirement, he served as CEO of Bionaire, a Canadian manufacturer of air purification products. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; two children; three grandchildren; and a sister. James R. Curtis ’59 of Danbury, Conn., Apr. 11, 2016. He worked for a number of packaging companies in various executive roles. He retired in 2014 after having run his own consulting company for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, Susan; four children; eight grandchildren; and a brother. Harold O. Jones ’60, of Mansfield, Ohio, Nov. 21, 2016. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 to 1964 and worked for many years for Bell Labs on Army-contracted missile intercept projects. He later worked at ThemoDisk as a computer engineer. He is survived by his wife, Judy; seven children; 16 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. William W. King ’60, of Uxbridge, Mass., April 18, 2016. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and had been employed at the former New England Telephone/ AT&T companies for 30 years and at Waters Corp. in Milford for 18 years. He is survived by his wife, Sheila; three children; nine grandchildren; and a brother. Peter K. Carpenter ’61, of Plymouth, Mass., July 15, 2016. He served for two years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and later worked for the State of Connecticut as a senior field inspector, retiring after 25 years of service. Survivors include three sons; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

W. Michael Dannehy ’61, of Woodsville, N.H., Aug. 17, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves and worked for over 30 years with the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he was district conservationist for Grafton County for 25 years. After retiring from the USDA, he was a natural resource consultant and forester working throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. He is survived by his wife, Connie; a son; three grandchildren; and a brother. Robert L. Ansalone ’65, of Westhampton Beach, N.Y., June 14, 2016. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was a former sergeant and operations coordinator for the New York City Police Department. He also worked as a referee for the New York State Athletic Association and as a Long Island Lacrosse official. David A. Bates ’65, of Peace Dale, R.I., July 6, 2016. He was manager of several organizations, including Newport Creamery, Bay Storage, and Rose Hill Golf Club. He is survived by his wife, Jane; two sons; and six grandchildren. Gerald L. Kaplan ’65 of Newton, Mass., July 12, 2016. He was a furniture entrepreneur and owner of Designers Choice in Avon, Conn. He is survived by his wife, Meryl; two sons; a stepson; and a brother. Martin J. Lauer ’65, of Port Charlotte, Fla. and Springfield, Mass., July 1, 2016. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1969, including time on the Carrier Wasp in the North Atlantic, and was a reporter for the Springfield Newspapers from 1970 until his retirement in 2002. He is survived by his mother, Evelyn; his wife, Nancy; five children; ten grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a brother; and a sister.

John F. Platt ’65, of Foxboro, Mass., Oct. 21, 2016. He retired from NCR Corp. after many years of service, and is survived by his wife, Linda; two sons; three grandchildren; and two sisters. Dennis J. Smith ’67, of Zephyrhills, Fla., May 9, 2016. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1971 and spent 23 years as a police officer with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, officially retiring in 1994. He later joined the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. State Department as a deputy U.S. marshal. He is survived by his wife, Mariaelena; a son; a daughter; two stepdaughters; four grandchildren; and a brother. Thomas C. Gould Jr. ’70, of Rochester, N.Y., Oct. 17, 2016. A former restaurant manager at Perlo’s in East Rochester, he is survived by his three sisters. James A. Lavin ’70, of Spencer, Mass., May 7, 2016. He worked in computer circuit board manufacturing and later as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service in Auburn for more than 20 years, before retiring in 2011. He is survived by his two sons; and four grandchildren. Ronald P. Marshall ’70, of Hampton, N.H., Oct. 2, 2016. He was the retired president of Signature Computers Plus. Survivors include his wife, Carolann; a son; a daughter; and a sister. Charles R. Conant III ’71, of Hanson, Mass., April 24, 2016. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1963-1967 and as an accountant for the National Credit Union Administration for 30 years. He is survived by his wife, Ellen; four children; four grandchildren; and four brothers. Richard M. DeCrosta ’72, of North Haven, Conn., Dec. 14, 2016. He was a partner with Retirement Planning Partners of North Haven. He was a dedicated volunteer at Nichols College, and a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for several years,

also serving as vice president. In 2014, he received the Ken Thompson Alumni Award for service to Nichols. Survivors include his wife, Roxanne; his mother, Eleanor; two sons; and two sisters. David C. Szynal ’82, of Webster, Mass., May 17, 2016. He was a retired Massachusetts State Trooper, and a Vietnam veteran, serving in the United States Navy. He is survived by a daughter; two brothers; and a sister. Michelle A. (Martin) Clark ’86, of Saugus, Mass., Nov. 3, 2016. An executive recruiter for Wall Street, she is survived by her husband, David; a daughter; and a sister. Thomas M. Potash ’86, of South Egremont, Mass., Oct. 8, 2016. He had his own practice as a CFO/controller for small and medium businesses. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; and three daughters. Cheryl A. Arsenault ’89, of Grafton, Mass., April 28, 2016. She worked for more than 20 years at National Grid. She is survived by her mother, Patricia; and two brothers. Susan Infante-Despo ’92, of Leominster, Mass., July 28, 2016. She was vice president of finance at Vivify Technologies Inc. in Burlington. She is survived by her parents, Donato Infante and Janice Milano; her husband, James; a daughter; a son; two grandchildren; and two sisters. James B. O’Brien ’95, of Worcester, Mass., Aug. 11, 2016. He worked for several companies in south Florida as a client development executive. He is survived by his mother, Rita; a brother; and a sister.

Melanie A. Curran ’10, of Worcester, Mass., May 14, 2016. She served as a guidance counselor at Southbridge Middle/High School, and prior to that, worked for many years for the Worcester Public School system. She is survived by her fiancé, Frank Hight; a daughter; a son; and a brother.

Lowell C. Smith, PhD, the fourth president of Nichols College, died August 25, 2016 in Clanton, Ala. During his tenure at Nichols, from 1978 to 1996, Smith was credited with enhancing academic programs and developing the physical plant. Among the highlights of his administration are the creation of the Institute for American Values (now the Robert C. Fischer Policy and Cultural Institute) and the cultural experience; the PC Plan, which introduced computer literacy to future business leaders; and the construction of a new academic building, Davis Hall, and a new residence facility, Shamie Hall, as well as the Mary and James Davis Business Information Center and an outdoor recreation center with new tennis courts.

FACULTY/STAFF Nichols College mourned the loss of James L. Conrad, Jr., PhD, who died August 20, 2016. As the son of Nichols Junior College and Nichols College founder and president, Conrad had a close personal view of the college’s early development and later gained another perspective during his 45-year tenure as a college administrator and faculty member. He served as professor of history, director of admissions, dean of faculty, and vice president for external academic affairs, and was a member of the Nichols College Board of Trustees from 2000-2008. In 1999, he was asked to write a formal history of Nichols, which resulted in a two-volume set spanning 1815 to 1996. For his many contributions, Conrad received the Nichols Bicentennial Medal in 2014.

Vivian R. Ducharme, of Webster, Mass., former financial aid director, Oct. 28, 2016. She is survived by a daughter; a son; and four grandchildren. Zenona J. Jankowska, of Dudley, Mass., former custodian, May 9, 2016. Survivors include her husband, Boleslaw; two sons; a daughter; five grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter. Arnold Levine PhD, of Danvers, Mass., former instructor, Sept. 11, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; two daughters; a grandchild; a great-grandchild; and a brother.

Ryan C. Toth ’99, of Shrewsbury, Mass., Oct. 22, 2016. He worked for many years at Continental Resources in Boston, and later for Simply Green Landscape and American Builders on Cape Cod. He is survived by his parents, Bob and Carol; and a brother.

Allan H. Ojerholm, of Grafton, Mass., former accounting and tax instructor, Sept. 17, 2016. He is survived by three sons; and grandchildren.

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Nichols College Magazine

Professor Rick Hilliard

A lesson in giving By Heather Maykel

“Think of what it must be like to look forward to going to work every day for almost 30 years,” muses Rick Hilliard, as he sums up his successful career as an associate professor of management at Nichols College. Hilliard, who retired in 2015, has been sharing his gift for teaching and connecting with students since 1987. “I have joyfully maintained contact with many of my 22,000+ students for almost 30 years,” he says. “I delighted in watching my undergraduate students move on to successful careers and in watching my graduate students enjoy career success… and retire. Many retired before me!” Before joining Nichols, Hilliard had a prosperous and diversified career in corporate America. And before his corporate life, Hilliard casually offers that he “served on intelligence missions abroad as a field counterintelligence officer with the U.S. Army.” Who knew the unassuming, tweed-blazer-wearing, distinguished professor had a secret life of spy? While he’s lived in many glamorous cities and has experienced exciting adventures, Hilliard still feels most connected to his teaching career at Nichols, a school he did not attend yet is so proud of just the same. “I loved being part of the Nichols family… working with a superb group of people ranging from the facilities management team who make the ‘old’ look new, my caring and gifted fellow faculty members who use the ‘old’ to explain the ‘new,’ and our devoted and competent staff, including the five Nichols presidents I served under, who helped link the ‘old’ and the ‘new,’” Hilliard says.

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Despite the fact that he has retired, Hilliard regularly visits campus to work with faculty and staff. “We seek Rick’s sound input regularly on various affairs that affect the Nichols community,” offers Bill Pieczynski, vice president for advancement. “His perspective, developed after 30 years of teaching at Nichols, is invaluable. He has the same level of passion for the institution that we find in our most dedicated alumni.” It is this passionate devotion that made Hilliard link his legacy to that of the college he loves so much. “I am proud to have been part of the Nichols College success story,” he states. “I am delighted to be able to continue helping the college that has meant so much to me, by joining the Colonel Conrad Society because of the provision I have made for the college in my will. I encourage others to consider giving to Nichols College in this way.”

As a former field counter-intelligence officer, Hilliard shuns the spotlight. He initially wanted his planned gift to remain anonymous; but, after privately learning from Colonel Conrad Society Chair Henri David, Jr. ’64 DBA (Hon.) ’09 that telling his story could possibly inspire others to make similar plans, Hilliard made his intentions known. “We are grateful to Rick for making the college one of his beneficiaries, and we are pleased that he has allowed us publicly to share his story,” says David. “This lesson in giving is another one that Professor Hilliard will teach the Nichols community.” If you would like to learn about ways that you can make donations to Nichols through your will or other planned gift vehicles, please visit www.nicholsgiving.org or call the Advancement Office at 866-622-4766. We welcome all inquiries and considerations.

“ I delighted in watching my undergraduate students move on to successful careers and in watching my graduate students enjoy career success… and retire. Many retired before me!”

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