Southern Alumni Magazine Spring '22

a publication for alumni and friends of Southern Connecticut State University

ALUMNI MAGAZINE | Spring | 22

MAKING HISTORY with Laura Macaluso, ’94, and Jeffrey Nichols, ’96

F E AT U R E S

14 Moving Days

An advanced look at the soon-to-open College of Health and Human Services building.

Heart 20 The of the City

Longtime Brooklyn resident Jocelynne Rainey, ’89, is the ultimate good neighbor — leading a public foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn’s charitable community.

Share Southern Do you know someone who’d be a great fit for Southern? Please share this issue with a prospective student. Thank you!

Expect more.

Be more.

Southern.

30 The Storytellers

A new semester brings a play to the stage courtesy of Southern students turned playwrights and actors.

24 A More Perfect Union A history power couple builds a life around examining the past — from Benedict Arnold to the American Civil War.

Spring | 22

DE PARTM E N TS

Southern |

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

2 ■ From the President 3 ■ Campus News 10 ■ Hidden Campus 12 ■ True Blue 19 ■ Social Southern 32 ■ Supporting Southern The Eren family has a deep connection to Southern — one that includes five degrees, the establishment of the university’s Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a true-blue commitment to supporting students.

34 ■ Owl Update

A new superhero is destined for the big screen — a powerful, spiritually minded champion created by artist Chaz Guest, ’85.

36 ■ Spaces & Places in New Haven New Haven’s legendary Toad’s Place

38 ■ Alumni News 44 ■ Alumni Notes 48 ■ Seen on Campus

DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS...

a public institution with almost

schools, nonprofits, and the corporate sector abound.

2,000 graduates a year — 85

Excellent examples of this include BioPath — our

percent of whom stay in

long-standing collaboration with the City of New Haven

Connecticut to live and work —

and its burgeoning bioscience industry — and the

Southern has a vital role to play in

Obama Magnet University School on our campus.

preparing students to enter the

Both offer wonderful hands-on learning for our

post-COVID world.

budding bio-scientists and teachers in training.

We look forward

By necessity, we must adjust this role as

to the fall opening of

we emerge from the

our new Health and

pandemic. We will

Human Services

review essential

Building. It will

elements of our social

provide an array of

justice-driven mission

clinical services for

and how to enhance

the wider community

them, with a focus on

and wonderful

access, affordability,

training facilities for

and retention. We will

the nurses and health

look to improve the

practitioners

strength of our curriculum, including online options while

preparing to join the thousands of Southern alumni who

capitalizing on new philanthropic opportunities. And we

served during the pandemic.

will strive to build a more diverse community of faculty and staff that reflects our student population.

One positive by-product of the pandemic is that all of us have been forced to think in innovative ways, and Southern will continue to enhance our programming to

We also are constructing a new home for the School of Business. The first state-constructed building to be netzero in terms of its carbon footprint, it exemplifies our commitment to creating a sustainable campus.

In the wake of a crisis, strong communities work

support Connecticut’s evolving workforce needs.

together to find positive ways to move ahead, in

Recently, for example, we added an executive master’s in

partnership with their neighbors — and I am confident

public health; graduate degrees in applied behavior

that we are doing just that. I thank you for your past

analysis, and physical activity and chronic disease; and our

support and encourage you to join with Southern as we

fourth doctorate, an Ed.D. in counseling education and

work to ensure that every student is valued and has an

supervision. There are also an array of new 4+1 programs,

opportunity to succeed.

which allow students to earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees in just five years, along with cutting-edge

Sincerely,

certificate programs in data science and cybersecurity.

Joe Bertolino

Opportunities for experiential learning, internships, off-campus employment, and new partnerships with area

2 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

President

Making Care a Family Affair

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Southern

ALUMNI MAGAZINE n VOL 18 • NO 2

Joe Bertolino, President Michael K. Kingan, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Executive Director, SCSU Foundation, Inc. STAFF

Patrick Dilger, Director of Integrated Communications & Marketing Villia Struyk, Editor Mary Pat Caputo, Associate Editor Marylou Conley, ’83, Art Director Isabel Chenoweth, Photographer Kara Catapano, Student Photographer Jason Edwards, ’21, Contributing Photographer Mary Verner, ’14, MBA ’18, Alumni Notes OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Gregory Bernard, ’04, Director of Alumni Relations (203) 392-6500 EDITORIAL OFFICE

Southern Connecticut State University Office of Integrated Communications & Marketing/Southern Alumni Magazine 501 Crescent Street New Haven, CT 06515-1355 Telephone (203) 392-6591; fax (203) 392-5083 Email address: StruykV1@SouthernCT.edu University website: SouthernCT.edu Printed by The Lane Press, Inc.

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riplets Andrew, Zachary, and Luke Horobin (above) are majoring in nursing — bucking national trends at a time when about 12 percent of registered nurses in the

United States are men.* Maria Krol, associate professor and director of the bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) program, welcomes the opportunity to share their story. “It is good for young men in high school to hear because while nursing is gaining in popularity, it is still dominated by women, and that deters some men,” she says.

In contrast, the Horobin brothers were long drawn to the nursing profession. “It’s always been in our family,” says Luke, of a multi-generational commitment to healthcare and the helping professions. As high school students at Lyman Hall in Wallingford, Conn., the brothers participated in the school’s Certified Nursing Assistant Program.

Andrew and Luke also became volunteer emergency medical technicians and firefighters, following in their father’s footsteps. All three brothers were accepted into Southern’s nursing program directly from high school, a special distinction that requires high academic grades.

At Southern, men comprise about 15 percent of nursing majors in the traditional BSN and Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) BSN programs. The ACE program, which can be completed in 12 months, is for those with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing who want to change careers.

Southern Alumni Magazine is published by the university in cooperation with the SCSU Alumni Association two times a year and distributed free of charge to alumni and friends of the university.

Opinions expressed in Southern Alumni Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the university or the SCSU Alumni Association. Although the editors have made every reasonable effort to be factually accurate, no responsibility is assumed for errors.

Postage paid at Burlington, Vt. Southern Connecticut State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or criminal record. Inquiries related to nondiscrimination policies and Title IX may be forwarded to Paula Rice, Title IX Coordinator and Director of Diversity and Equity Programs, 501 Crescent Street, BU 240, New Haven, CT, 06515; (203) 392-5568; RiceP1@SouthernCT.edu.

* U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Spring 2022 | 3

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Owl Awarded Congressional Internship

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rowing up in Bogota, Colombia, Rosana Duarte became interested in politics and foreign policy

as a teenager after observing the challenges facing

Southern at United Nations Climate Change Conference

elegates from about 200 countries attended the United Nations International Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, in November — including a team of Southern faculty members invited to observe the deliberations that sought to avert a growing environmental crisis. Southern, which respresented the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, was one of about 300 universities from around the world granted observer status — and joined Yale University and the University of Connecticut from the state.

Observer status is a highly prestigious designation for any higher education institution to hold and builds on the university’s position as an ecological leader. In 2019, Southern was among the first universities in the nation to declare a climate emergency. It is part of a coalition of colleges and universities that have formally committed to net-carbon neutrality by 2050.

Southern’s team included Miriah Kelly and Stephen Axon, assistant professors in the Department of Environment, Geography, and Marine Sciences, and Suzanne Huminski, sustainability coordinator.

More, including a daily video blog from COP26, at SouthernCT.edu/cop26.

COP26 conference photos courtesy of UNclimatechange

her homeland. This spring, the junior took that passion to Washington, D.C., where she is a Congressional intern, a position awarded through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. The 12week internship — designed to provide leadership training to promising Latinx undergraduates across the country — includes an educational component, housing, and a stipend. Duarte, a political science major who is minoring in journalism and environmental studies, is the second Southern student selected for the highly competitive program and one of only 23 nationwide to receive the honor this spring.

Southern’s team (top right) shares a video update from COP26.

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• Southern offers graduate degree programs, including four leading to doctorates: educational leadership, nursing education, social work, and counseling education and supervision.

•

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Fast Facts.

Good News.

publications, books, journal articles, and chapters were produced by faculty this fall — including 70 38 publications in journals such as the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, the Journal of

Chinese History, the Journal of International Technology and Information Management, Ecomusicology Review, and Research on Aging.

• The Master of Library and Information Science program is accredited by the American Library Association.

• The Southern Educational Opportunity Program (SEOP), which provides students with the tools for successful college admission and completion, is celebrating its anniversary in 2022. SEOP has helped thousands of talented, motivated students, who faced educational or economic disadvantages that impacted their preparedness for college, find success at the university.

50th

• Southern’s faculty to staff ratio is public universities.

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1 of only 2 in New England

11 to 1 as of fall 2021 — the lowest among all Connecticut

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$637,000-Plus Grant Supports Student-Parents

MORE THAN ONE IN FIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE U.S. ARE PARENTS. They’re a dedicated, hardworking group, with

higher GPAs on average than those without children. But they also balance major responsibilities — earning a living; finding quality, affordable childcare; attending classes; collaborating with peers; and doing homework — and at the national level, about half do not complete their degrees.

“Even for the most successful jugglers, success is often out of their reach without support,” says Michele Vancour, associate dean of the College of Health and Human Services. At Southern, student-parents will get a much-needed helping hand thanks to a $637,625 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for COMPASS (Childcare Opportunities Mean Parents Achieve Success at Southern).

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College of Education Meets National Standards for Excellence

SOUTHERN’S COLLEGE OF EDUCATION WAS REACCREDITED BY THE COUNCIL FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF EDUCATOR PREPARATION (CAEP) —

a nationally recognized standard developed to ensure excellence. Southern was one of just 462 total providers meeting CAEP’s rigorous benchmarks as of fall 2021, according to the organization.

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATOR PREPARATION ACCREDITATION

The program is designed to help student-parents succeed and graduate. Initiatives include the creation of a Family Resource Center — an on-campus location where parents can have their children with them while studying. COMPASS also will provide student-parents with referrals to childcare centers in the vicinity.

And it eventually will fund a drop-in childcare center, where care is provided while parents are on campus or nearby. Other initiatives include a family-friendly toolkit and the creation of a Student-Parent Task Force.

In addition to Vancour, the program’s principal investigators are Katie De Oliveira, director of the Center for Academic Success and Accessibility Services; Kari Swanson, associate librarian, acquisitions and collection development coordinator; and Lauren Tucker, assistant professor of special education.

From left: Michele Vancour, associate dean of the College of Health and Human Services; Ketia Similien, ’20, a graduate student in the public health program, with her son Avery; nursing major Eunice Donkoh; and Lauren Tucker, assistant professor of special education

Furthering the achievement, Southern received full accreditation without requests for supplemental information or revisions. In contrast, programs often are granted short-term or probationary accreditation by CAEP, with more data or changes sought by the evaluation team.

Southern has been a leader in preparing Connecticut’s teachers, principals, and school administrators since the university’s founding as New Haven State Normal School in 1893. The College of Education’s alumni regularly receive high accolades at state and national levels, and include the 2016 National Teacher of the Year (and now U.S. Representative) Jahana Hayes, ’05.

The college also received major national grants to further its efforts to boost the ranks of teachers of color in K-12. Recently, the National Science Foundation awarded Southern $1.4 million to bolster science and math education in the state’s high-needs school districts by recruiting and training a diverse, high-quality pool of future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers.

Previously, the College of Education launched the Minority Educator Initiative, a project designed to increase the number of minority students pursuing a career in K-12 education by offering scholarships and a high school mentorship program.

And, in December, a new Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning was launched to address pressing challenges to education at both the pre-K through 12 and higher education levels.

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New Home for the School of Business Rises

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ONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON A NEW HOME FOR THE SCHOOL OF

BUSINESS

— with the final structural beam set in place in January.

The four-story, 60,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed by early 2023 and will be the first net-zero-emissions

building constructed by the State of Connecticut. Located at the corner of Wintergreen and Farnham avenues, the building will provide more than twice the space currently allotted for the School of Business, and will include many

The School of Business is moving toward accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) — a premier level of distinction held by only 5 percent of business schools nationwide.

features to support students and the business community, among them:

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Faculty Honors

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded a $60,000 grant to Armen Armen Marsoobian Marsoobian, professor of philosophy, to create “A Virtual Exhibition of Ottoman Era Anatolian Armenian Vernacular Photography, 1880s–1920s.”

Marsoobian was one of only eight philosophers across the country to receive an NEH grant for the funding cycle reported in January 2022.

The J. Philip Smith Faculty Teaching Award was presented to two outstanding Southern educators: Brandon Hutchinson, associate professor of English (story on page 7) and Patricia Mottola, ’87, M.S. ’90, M.F.A. ’11, an artist, poet, and adjunct English instructor. In Patricia Mottola addition to her work at Southern, Mottola teaches art and poetry to senior citizens throughout Connecticut and is president of the Connecticut Poetry Society.

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• A dedicated MBA classroom and administrative suite.

• A 1,200-sq.ft. space designed for financial market and data analytics.

• The Business Success Center with space for programs to assist students with job searches and career planning.

• A Behavioral Lab with observation room.

• A stock market ticker, observable outside the first floor.

• The Lindy Lee Gold Leadership Suite, supported by the Amour Propre Fund. The suite was named in recognition of Gold’s support of the School of Business Endowment for Leadership Development at Southern.

MORE AT:

An architectural rendering of the new School of Business and the site of the future building.

SouthernCT.edu/business/new-building

HA P P I N E S S I S A WAR M P U P P Y Say hello to Jules, a black Labrador who joined the campus community in January as a therapy dog. Jules, who is teaming up with the University Police Department, comes to Southern from Puppies Behind Bars, a nonprofit agency that teaches prison inmates to raise service dogs for law enforcement, wounded war veterans, and first responders.

K9 Jules serves with Sgt. Cynthia Torres.

faculty spotlight

Brandon Hutchinson associate professor of English

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Hutchinson is the recipient of the 2021 J. Philip Smith Faculty Teaching Award. She is the first Black woman to receive the honor, which is among the university’s most prestigious.

COURSES TAUGHT: In addition

to first-year writing, Hutchinson teaches advanced classes on Black women writers, the Harlem Renaissance writers, and young-adult literature.

THOUGHTS ON THE CLASS ROOM : “Teaching excellence,

in my opinion, requires an intentional type of ‘attunement,’” says Hutchinson.

“When I prepare for class, I think about space — who feels empowered enough to take it?

And I also think about how, in my role, I can help students to inhabit it in an equitable way.”

HIGH PRAISE : Hutchinson

strives to create a sense of community, and her students feel that commitment. “Dr. Hutchinson’s dedication to mediating full-class discussions on inconceivably difficult topics impacted me in a way that no instructor ever has,” says Stephanie Sirois, ’20, who majored in English with a focus on creative writing. “She never shrinks away from difficult-todiscuss issues when the discomfort becomes palpable and fills the whole room. But she expertly handles such topics with a level of emotional intelligence that I had never seen in a teacher.”

ONE OF MANY CAMPUS CONTRIBUTIONS :

Hutchinson is co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council.

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Best-Selling Author Inspires and Entertains

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Spotlighting New Haven’s Mayors

Front row, from left: Former New Haven mayors John DeStefano and Toni Harp join Justin Elicker, the city’s current mayor, along with (back row, from left) Southern President Joe Bertolino, Neil Thomas Proto, ’67, and Bruce Kalk, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

THE NEW HAVEN MAYORAL ARCHIVE , housed at Southern’s Buley

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EW YORK TIMES-BEST SELLING AUTHOR ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS IS IN HIGH DEMAND.

Her debut

novel The Other Black Girl garnered a

Library and accessible online, includes a treasure trove of information on former New Haven leaders: Biagio DiLieto (1980-1990), John Daniels (1990-1994), John DeStefano (1994-2014), and Toni Harp (2014-2020).

An exhibit based on the collection — Righting Urban Renewal: Four Mayors Grapple with the Legacy of Urban Renewal in New Haven — was displayed in the Lyman Center art gallery in the fall. The mayoral archive exhibit, and much of the collection itself, would not be possible without the generosity and vision of attorney and author Neil Thomas Proto, ’67.

seven-figure book contract (after a 14bidder auction, says Entertainment Weekly) and an adaptation deal with Hulu. On Nov. 12, Harris took the stage at Southern’s Lyman Center for a book reading and Q&A led by Brandon Hutchinson, associate professor of English.

The event was a homecoming of sorts for the author, who is a native of Hamden, Conn., and the daughter of Frank Harris III, professor of journalism at Southern. The proud dad kicked off the evening with introductions, charming the enthusiastic crowd. Literary critics are enamored as well. The Other Black Girl was named a “Most Anticipated Book of 2021” by Time and The Washington Post; a People “Best Book to Read This Summer;” and a Good Morning America, Esquire, and “Read with Marie Claire” book clubs pick.

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Not sure if you have sleep apnea?

There’s an app for that.

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early 30 million American adults have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a chronic disease involving the repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep, causing a shortage of oxygen to the brain. The ramifications are serious: OSA increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other health issues.

Treatment is available, but diagnosing OSA traditionally involves visiting a sleep lab for monitoring — and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that about 80 percent of cases are undiagnosed.

A team of Southern professors and other researchers are developing an additional option — a mobile application to help diagnose OSA. Users respond to a series of questions, including age, weight, and body mass. The app uses machine-learning modules to determine the likelihood of a person having sleep apnea.

The project’s dream team (pun intended) includes Alaa Sheta (above) and Shafaeat Hossain, both associate professors of computer science at Southern; Salim Surani, an adjunct clinical professor at Texas A&M University; and other researchers from the U.S., Jordan, China, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia. The Torr Sleep Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, is also assisting.

Sheta says the app currently is 75 percent accurate, which “for the physician is great, but for me as a computer scientist, it’s not good enough.” So the research continues, supported by grant funding.

Sheta published the mobile app under the Cognitive Computation and Machine Intelligence Laboratory website at SCSU for possible use by both physicians and patients. It works on the Android platform. https://sites.google.com/site/profalaasheta/ccmil-lab/sleep-apnea

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Supporting those with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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outhern’s Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders offers a variety of programs and services — including a professional development video series about teaching students with autism. The 20session program, viewable on-demand and free of charge, is geared toward parents and caregivers, teachers, and school staff. Topics range from an “Introduction to Autism” to “Facilitating Social Interactions” to “Supporting Academics.” Guidebooks and transcripts are available for an additional fee.

More at inside.SouthernCT.edu/asd-center/lectures-special-events/training.

In related news, the University Police Department is working to make traffic stops go more smoothly for members of the autism community. It’s a commitment with large-scale implications: by age 21, one in three people on the autism spectrum without an intellectual disability are licensed to drive, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Southern’s efforts include on-campus training for police as well as a training video, created in collaboration with Southern’s autism center.

See best practices in action at: news.SouthernCT.edu/seeking-to-improvetraffic-stops-with-drivers-on-the-autismspectrum/.

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Three Join SCSU Foundation Board

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HREE BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS, ALL SOUTHERN ALUMNI, were elected to serve a three-year term on the SCSU Foundation Board of Directors. The foundation manages and administers philanthropic gifts to advance Southern’s educational mission, including providing scholarships and other financial aid.

• Jodi Euerle Eddy, ’96, is the senior vice president and chief information and digital officer for Boston Scientific, a manufacturer of medical devices. Her responsibilities include overseeing the company’s strategy for digital health, data analytics, and cybersecurity. She majored in computer science at Southern.

• Louis Gianquinto, ’94, has served as president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s commercial health plan in Connecticut since December 2020.

As an undergraduate at Southern, he majored in business administration with a concentration in management and went on to earn an MBA from the University of New Haven.

• Jocelynne Rainey, ’89, joined the Brooklyn Community Foundation as president and chief executive officer in December 2021. The foundation, which was founded in 2009, has provided more than $75 million in grants to nonprofits throughout the borough. Rainey majored in sociology at Southern and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Metropolitan College of New York and a doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College.

She also holds a certificate in nonprofit executive leadership from Columbia University.

MORE AT

SouthernCT.edu/scsu-foundation

Nation’s Education Leader Speaks on Campus UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION MIGUEL CARDONA

visited Southern in September to talk about the country’s pandemic response and other key education issues. The presentation was conducted as part of Southern’s celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month.

Cardona, who began his career as an elementary school teacher, was sworn in as the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education on March 2, 2021, a post he describes as “the honor of my life.”

He previously was Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut and is a proud graduate of the state’s public universities.

Spring 2022 | 9

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From the pool to the playing field, a look at SOUTHERN ATHLETICS.

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Scoring His Way into the Owl Record Book

Tylon Papallo was waiting for his moment. A star college football player in Pennsylvania, he had transferred to Southern in spring 2020, mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled what would have been his first season with the Owls. “I was really looking forward to working out as a team, getting to know people since it was my first semester. It was difficult,” says Papallo.

Fast forward to fall 2021. The Owls are back in action, and one thing is abundantly clear. When Papallo hits the field, it’s a sight to behold. On Oct. 23, he made program history — becoming the first Owl to pass, run, and also catch a touchdown in the same game. Even more impressive, he actually ran for two touchdowns, helping Southern to a 43-24 victory over Franklin Pierce University.

“When they decided to put me in at quarterback for some plays, I had a feeling that it would be something I’d try to do.

But I didn’t know it would make Southern history or anything like that,” says Papallo, who first learned his performance was a record breaker on a Twitter post. “It felt really good,” he says.

Papallo hails from a football family. A score of cousins played high school ball, and he’s been playing since age 6. “It’s the most physical of sports. I fell in love with it as a kid,” he says. He was a star player at Orville H. Platt High School in Meriden, Conn., then headed to Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania, where he earned an associate degree in business before transferring to Southern.

He’s a sport management major, with a long-term goal of working as a coach or, perhaps, opening a gym.

He loves being back in Connecticut where family is a short drive away. He can visit; they can attend home games.

Unfortunately, they missed his recordbreaking “three-way-touchdown” performance in New Hampshire. “My dad comes to all of my games,” he says. “That was probably only the second game he ever missed in my life. But they all watched it online, so I feel completely, 100 percent supported regardless.”

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Tylon Papallo

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A Mighty Team of Owls

GYMNASTICS HEAD COACH BYRON KNOX, ’82,

was making history even before the season began, with a team that includes 23 freshmen studentathletes — the largest in NCAA history. Knox’s roster features 38 Southern competes in the newly formed student-athletes, with just five who Gymnastics East Conference. The program previously competed for the Owls. unites eight top programs in Div. I and II. They include three-time AllAmerican Hannah Stahlbrodt, 2020 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year Bianca Leon, and 2019 ECAC WANT SPORTS? Rookie of the Year Noely Macias, as well as Cassidy Girolamo and Chelsea Baker.

Knox took the helm at Southern in fall 2020. But this is his first year competing with the Owls since last season was canceled due to COVID-19. Still, the team and Knox’s coaching prowess already have generated a buzz, including coverage on the popular website CollegeGymNews.com. “They see my roster, and they go, ‘There’s no way I would ever do that.’

Well, I have a different love,” Knox told College Gym. “I have motivation. For me, it’s a little bit different. I love the challenge.”

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RecordBreaking Runner

Meet the Student-Athlete

Jazmyn Martinez Senior with a double major in psychology and sociology Softball team, pitcher and utility player Hometown: Middletown, N.Y.

Team Player: She’s played softball since age 5 and started pitching when she was 7.

Becoming an Owl: “I choose Southern because they pride themselves on a

commitment to social justice — and there was that feeling: when you step on campus and know it’s the place for you,” says Martinez.

Nigel Green set the NCAA Division II all-time record in the indoor 300-meter dash with a time of 33.16 seconds, kicking off the season in spectacular style at Boston University on Dec. 4. In the process, he also set records for New England, Boston University’s Track and Tennis Center, and the Owls — surpassing his own Southern mark of 33.42 set on Dec. 7, 2019.

This is the latest in a long list of achievements for Green, a native of Shirley, N.Y., who is majoring in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in coaching and exercise science. The multievent All-American athlete is also the Southern program record holder in the 100-meter dash (10.37 seconds), the 200meter dash (21.32 seconds), and the distance medley relay (9:42.99). Stay tuned for more from Green who was named the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Men’s Track Athlete of the Year in 2021.

SCSUowls.com SOUTHERN’S ATHLETICS WEBSITE

provides an inside look at the university’s winning sports program. The site, which has a mobile-device friendly design, includes expanded video content, competition highlights, game day schedules, a social media hub, photo galleries, student-athlete profiles, and access to the Owls online store.

MORE AT SCSUowls.com

A community leader: She took the lead on university-sponsored forums on

racial injustice and helped found Athletes Fighting Injustice. The organization helps student-athletes take a leadership role in forwarding anti-racism efforts.

Career aspirations: Becoming a police officer was a long-held goal, but

Martinez says her commitment strengthened “after George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, and everyone who was taken at the hands of police brutality and injustices.” She continues: “If I can be that person who helps build back trust in the community. If I can help one person and change their perception of the police, that’s a start. That’s how we begin to move forward.”

Learning by doing: Her internship with the SCSU Police Department in the

spring semester provides real-world experience. In the first week, Martinez rode along on patrols, toured the New Haven Police Department, sat in on court proceedings, and was trained to work with K9 officers, Brody and Jules.

Words to live by: “My dad always told me, ‘Whatever you are involved with, leave it better than you found it,’” says Martinez.

She strives to live by that adage: “During my time at Southern, I’ve started conversations that weren’t really being talked about in-depth. I helped create an organization that gives athletes a safe space to speak and brought very difficult issues to light,” says Martinez. Other points of pride include serving on the search committee that led to the hiring of Chris Barker, the new athletics director, and mentoring team members.

A few of many campus mentors: Tracy Tyree, vice president for student

affairs; Kenneth Sweeten, associate director of athletics; field hockey coach Kelley Frassinelli, ’93, M.S. ’20, senior woman administrator; and head softball coach Jillian (Ortega) Rispoli. “They gave me so many opportunities, which I took advantage of,” says Martinez. “I wouldn’t be where I am today, without them.”

Describe yourself in five words: Determined. Authentic. Persevering over adversity.

Advice to incoming student-athletes: Mental health always comes first,

says Martinez, noting the physical and emotional challenges facing studentathletes. “Focus on building relationships with other students and your teammates,” she says. “You’re not going to remember whether it was a good game or a bad game. You’re going to remember the fun moments and the memories you make with your teams. So, enjoy the ride.”

Spring 2022 | 13

Moving Days

An advanced look at the soon-to-open College of Health and Human Services building.

It’s

MID-MARCH AND THE COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

(CHHS) IS MOVING INTO A NEW HOME:

a 94,750-square-foot, four-story building designed to take learning to the next level.

The end result? Most of the college’s disciplines will relocate from eight buildings across campus to a single state-of-the-art facility — echoing the real world, where healthcare and human services personnel join forces to best serve the community.

We’ll

report more in the fall when the building, which is located on Fitch Street next to Pelz Gymnasium, is

fully operational. But as we emerge from these most challenging of times, there’s good news to share about the facility, which promises to forward Southern’s position as a leading educator of health and human services professionals.

What to expect? First, the building will help Southern graduate more students to meet workforce needs with a focus on access, affordability, and diversity. The nursing program provides a telling example. Southern plans to double the number of students who graduate with a nursing degree by 2026, supported by a partnership with Yale New Haven Health which provides $4.8 million over four years for staff resources, clinical placements, and financial support. “It’s thrilling, because the nursing profession is really in a crisis, and the building affords an opportunity to partner authentically to address critical workforce needs,” says Sandra Bulmer, dean of the CHHS. “We can all be proud that Southern is responding to the nursing workforce shortage in ways that are meaningful to our community.”

The facility also will include cutting-edge technology to advance education. Examples include several Healthcare Simulation Centers that replicate both a “hospital floor” and a fully functioning apartment where students learn to care for patients in a home setting. Similarly, larger, enhanced laboratories/clinics will bring opportunities for hands-on learning and research (page 17) and offer services to the public. On any given day, Southern students and faculty will be immersed in this work. Analyzing a runner’s gait to prevent injury or improve performance. Helping stroke victims regain speech and swallowing abilities. Sharing opportunities with people with disabilities to participate in adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The new building also will encourage students and faculty to work together across disciplines. One example is the 1 Interprofessional Collaboration Suite — with shared meeting and conference rooms, hoteling offices that can be “booked” by faculty to work for a set time, and more. It reflects the college’s long-held commitment to interdisciplinary learning.

“You will not find a configuration that is similar to ours, with so many specific disciplines housed in one college. (See page 18.) So, we are able to ensure students, faculty, and staff have this interprofessional experience,” says Bulmer.

She notes that health/human services accreditation organizations charged with evaluating college programs consistently require a commitment to interdisciplinary learning. Southern provides it, and the best is yet to come, she says: “The building offers a special set of opportunities for students to see how multiple professions work together toward a similar goal: caring for people.”

16 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The College of Health and Human Services at Southern 15,100+: current alumni,

many with multiple degrees

2,759: students, including

659 graduate students

2 OF THE 5 top majors chosen

by entering first-year students are in the CHHS: healthcare studies and nursing.

* Fall 2021

Some of Many Key Features Healthcare Simulation Centers The building will house several Healthcare Simulation Centers, including a “hospital floor” with patient rooms. 2 There, programmable, high-tech medical mannequins (among them, pediatric and geriatric models and one that “gives birth”) will present with various health conditions to educate students in a low-pressure environment. There are adjacent areas for observation/programming of the mannequins, and sessions will be recorded for review to further education.

Nearby, a “home suite” with appliances, a standard-size bathroom, etc. echoes a home healthcare setting. And on the same floor, there are 3 four large laboratory classrooms, each equipped with six hospital beds and six examination tables.

Combined with clinical placements, it’s the best of all worlds.

“Research shows that simulation education is very effective.

You might be in your clinical for 100 hours and not experience all of the scenarios seen in the 10-hour planned simulation,” says Sandra Bulmer, dean of the CHHS.

Exercise and Sport Science Laboratories These high-technology labs will focus on exercise physiology, neurophysiology, biomechanics, and assessment of health, fitness, and metabolism. Equipment will be cutting edge: for example, a Bod Pod machine measures body-fat percentage using air displacement. (Previously, you needed to climb into a water tank for testing.) The facility also will house the Connecticut Running Injury Clinic, which uses motioncapture technology to analyze running gait. Fun fact: a large door opens to the adjacent courtyard; during testing, runners travel toward it at full speed and exit the building.

Athletic Training Teaching Laboratory Athletics training tables (designed to fold into desks as needed) as well as a whirlpool and other therapeutic modalities will be included.

Spring 2022 | 17

THE COLLE GE O F H EALTH AND HU MA N SERVIC E S INCL U DES

22

DISCIPLINES H OUSE D WITH IN DE PARTME N T S , CENTE R S, CLIN IC S, AND INSTITUT ES. Athletic Training Child Life Specialist Clinical Exercise Physiology

Center for Communication Disorders Clinic With a long history of providing speech, language, and hearing services to the community, the clinic will have significantly more space in the new building. There are medium- and large-sized rooms (perfect for group sessions and support groups) — all with observational areas for parents/caregivers and students. One new feature: audio-visual capture technology. It’s a benefit to caregivers who might watch sessions remotely as well as students who learn from viewing recorded sessions. The clinic is a teaching facility, where graduate students are mentored and supervised directly by licensed clinicians.

Expanded services, including bedside swallowing evaluations, also will be possible in the new building.

Audiology Services The CHHS is a longtime provider of hearing services to the community, including diagnostic hearing evaluations, hearing aid counseling, and more. Among the potential expanded services the new facility will support: cochlear implant mapping for children and adults. Mapping, which is done by a specially trained audiologist, involves programming the implant so the user can hear very soft sounds and loud sounds at a comfortable level. Each “map” is individual to its user and changes over time.

The Institute for Adaptive Sports and Inclusive Recreation For the first time, the CHHS will have a designated area for people with different abilities to participate in recreational opportunities under the supervision of graduate and undergraduate recreational therapy students.

Communication Disorders

Demonstration Kitchen Classroom

Exercise and Sport Science

Many academic programs will use this instructional, interdisciplinary space; screening technology will display the cooktop surface to the audience. Possible topics: student nutrition and food safety (public health), sport nutrition (health and movement sciences), and offerings from Southern’s newly launched degree program in tourism, hospitality, and event planning. Plus, healthy cooking demonstrations for the community. The space converts to a classroom.

Health Science Healthcare Studies Marriage and Family Therapy Nursing Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Physical Education Public Health Recreation Administration Respiratory Therapy School Health Education Social Work Speech Language Pathology Sport and Entertainment Management Sport Psychology Therapeutic Recreation Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management Youth Development and Leadership

Students will learn to provide care in the Home Simulation Suite, a fully functioning studio apartment.

18 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Look Whooooo’s Talking

Posts, ’Grams, Tweets, and More TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform of all time, and Southern is among those taking the app by storm, even going viral along the way.

President Joe Bertolino brought the gift of music to tens of thousands through his holiday message. An award-winning accordion player, he’s practiced for more than 40 years and resumed study of the instrument to entertain his aging parents, including his mother who passed in late 2020. WTNH-TV news anchor Ann Nyberg was among those who shared more of the story.

“Can your college president do this?”

“That was lovely! My grandpa, dad, and myself all played accordion. My dad was in a polka band! I haven’t touched my accordion in years, but you have inspired me.”

Senior Muhaymina Plair, a business administration major with a concentration in public utilities management (PUM), capped off her education with an internship with the Regional Water Authority (RWA). Opportunities abound for those in the program: one-third of the PUM workforce are eligible to retire within five years.

Southern is a leader in sustainability efforts, including addressing food waste. In fall 2021, this meant: • providing much needed, high-quality food to nonprofits while diverting 4,000 pounds of prepared food from landfills and •composting 33,500 pounds of food waste with campus dining partner Sodexo USA.

FACEBOOK • SouthernCT • 28,380+ followers

Join the Conversation!

Follow Southern on:

TWITTER • @SCSU • 8,640+ followers INSTAGRAM • @southernscsu • 7,125+ followers LINKED IN • Southern Connecticut State University • 55,000+ followers TIKTOK • @SCSU • 1,200+ followers

Connect with President Joe Bertolino: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SCSUTopOwl

Spring 2022 | 19

20 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The Heart of the Ciy Longtime Brooklyn resident Jocelynne Rainey, ’89, is the ultimate good neighbor — leading a public foundation solely dedicated to Brooklyn’s charitable community.

By Natalie Missakian

Spring 2022 | 21

OCELYNNE RAINEY, ’89, is passionate about breaking down

barriers and advancing racial and social justice. While working as the chief administrative officer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., she helped build job training programs and connected local residents, many of whom were lowerincome and people of color, with jobs in the booming industrial park. At her next post, heading up the East Harlem-based nonprofit Getting Out and Staying Out, she worked with young men who were formerly incarcerated, helping them access school, jobs, and emotional support services.

Now, she’s bringing that same passion to her new role as president and chief executive officer of the Brooklyn Community Foundation, an organization with more than $120 million in assets and a track record of helping Brooklyn nonprofits tackle racial inequities.

One of her first official duties on the job? Notifying the winners of the organization’s annual Spark Prize, which awards $100,000 “no-stringsattached” grants to five Brooklyn nonprofits with an outstanding commitment to racial justice. It was especially satisfying for Rainey, who knows all too well how difficult it is for a small nonprofit to raise money — and how much good can be done with an unexpected windfall. “I had the opportunity to call those nonprofits and feel their joy,” she says.

Rainey, who lives in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, credits her father, James Strachan, for sparking her passion for racial justice. At the family dinner table, he’d often talk about his own experiences with racism in the 1960s, as a college-educated, Black man working as a district sales manager for General Motors.

“He would say things like, ‘You know, I don’t get the same bonus even though I’m doing great,’” Rainey recalls. “He was never angry. It was just, this is what it’s like. He shared those things in a way that was teachable.” He also emphasized the importance of serving the community. “We’re not doing well unless we’re making sure that other people in our community are also doing well,” Rainey recalls him saying.

“That resonated and stayed with me. I’ve been lucky enough to bring it into my work,” she says.

Her own life experiences also shape and inspire her work. Rainey’s parents divorced when she was young, and she recalls spending summers and school vacations living with her father and stepmother in Hamden, Conn. During the school year, she lived with her mother, who moved frequently between New York City and Richmond, Va. “I went to a new school every year from elementary school through high school,” says Rainey. It affected her deeply, making it difficult to form friendships or focus on her studies.

“It helped me to see how instability in any area of your life brings instability to every area of your life. So, one of the things I’m most passionate about is trying to figure out ways to ensure that young people have stability,” she says.

Rainey found that stability at Southern, the only college she applied to, after her father mailed her an application. (She comes from a family of Owls, including her stepmother Lynne Strachan, ‘76, M.S. ‘77, 6th year, ’81, and sisters Jamison Strachan, ’92, and Candace Strachan, ’99, who followed Rainey’s college path.)

22 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

“Watc my stude their le activis inspir

A

hing fellow nts and vel of m really ed me.”

commuter student, Rainey immediately fell in love with the campus and all it had to offer. She joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first intercollegiate Greek letter organization established by Black college women in the U.S., founded in 1908 at Howard University.

She also became involved with the Black Student Union. Both organizations provided the underpinnings for her future as an advocate and activist.

“Watching my fellow students and their level of activism really inspired me,” says Rainey, who also holds a master’s in public administration from Metropolitan College of New York and a doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College.

After graduation, she moved back to New York, where she began her career in human resources. She initially worked at nonprofits and then for corporate brands like Boar’s Head Provisions, where she was committed to increasing the hiring of women and people of color. She joined the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. in 2011, rising to chief administrative officer and executive vice president. In 2020, Getting Out and Staying Out came calling, and she seized the opportunity to run the nonprofit. When the Brooklyn Community Foundation job opened, she knew it offered a way to help even more charitable organizations do good work in the borough that she loves. “I knew it was what I had to do,” she says.

Her appointment brought accolades from a long list of New York City leaders, including newly elected Mayor Eric Adams, who knew Rainey from his years as borough president. In a statement announcing her appointment, Adams applauded Rainey’s “long track record of working towards the betterment of our borough.”

“I cannot think of a more appropriate role for her to continue her commitment to empowering all Brooklynites,” he added. Rainey, likewise, notes that she’s “a big fan” of the new mayor, who she says is vocal about the important role nonprofits play in their communities. “I’m looking forward to seeing the work that he does in the city,” she says.

For her part, Rainey’s commitment to philanthropy and nonprofit work extends beyond her professional life. Each year, her family awards a scholarship for non-commuting, college-bound Brooklyn high school students. The students receive a $250 monthly stipend to be spent however needed. She was motivated by stories of students who attended college on need-based scholarships but couldn’t afford plane tickets home, or whose schoolwork suffered because they needed to spend so much time working to make ends meet.

She also volunteers on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the New York City Workforce Investment Board and the Murray Kopelman School of Business at Brooklyn College. Crain’s New York Business named her one of its “Notable Black Leaders and Executives” in 2021.

Last July, she was elected to serve on the SCSU Foundation Board of Directors. ”I love Southern, and I care about outcomes for young people, so it was a no-brainer,” she says.

Her advice to Southern students and younger alumni? Give back, however you can.

“Everyone can be philanthropic in some way. It can be with your time. It can be with your expertise,” she says. “You don’t have to be wealthy, you just have to find your space.” n

— Jocelynne Rainey, ’89 Spring 2022 | 23

A More Perfect

UNION A history power couple builds a life around examining the past — from Benedict Arnold to the American Civil War.

By Natalie Missakian

Laura Macaluso, ’94, and Jeffrey Nichols, ’96, recently moved to the historic village of Boiling Springs, Penn., named for the natural, artesian-well springs located in and around the town.

HEN JEFFREY NICHOLS, ’96, AND LAURA MACALUSO, ’94, WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HOUSE they bought in Pennsylvania in late 2021, they see cornfields, cows, and a small lake — a view seemingly out of time. Their tiny village — Boiling Springs — has no traffic lights and looks much like it did in the late 19th century, when its founder, abolitionist Daniel Kaufman, helped smuggle enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

The couple’s brick, Federal-style house, which was built in 1880, sits just down the street from where Kaufman lived.

Hunkered down there on a snowy weekday afternoon last January, the couple spoke by phone about their long-term plans to restore their home, which sits on the Appalachian Trail and is a half-hour drive to Gettysburg.

“It needs work, but for a history major and an art history major, it kinda fits the bill,” says Nichols.

Macaluso chimes in, laughing, “Basically we were the only people who weren’t scared of it.”

It’s true, Macaluso and Nichols know a few things about historic houses. The couple, who married in 2001, spent years as caretakers of the 1700s-era Pardee-Morris House in New Haven, which was burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. They later oversaw colonial homes owned by the Milford Historical Society.

Then, in 2008, Nichols became executive director of what is arguably Connecticut’s most famous historic house — the Hartford-based former residence of novelist Mark Twain.

Nichols later left the museum for a similar job running Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, the third president’s 317-acre private retreat outside Lynchburg, Va. Meanwhile, Macaluso’s scholarly pursuits have gravitated toward the intersection of art, architecture, and history, including historical homes.

Her most recent paper, Benedict Arnold’s House: The Making and Unmaking of an American, was published in the October 2021 issue of the history journal Commonplace.

Macaluso examines the life of the traitorous American Revolutionary War general through the lens of houses he bought or built.

Now, with Boiling Springs as their home base, the couple is beginning a next chapter in their story as husband-and-wife historians. Nichols is less than a year into his new job as executive director of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Penn., while Macaluso is part of a team planning a spring excavation at the site of Benedict Arnold’s former New Haven home. In February, she joined the York County History Center in York, Pa., as the manager of institutional giving — and May 2022 will see the publication of her latest book: A History Lover’s Guide to Alexandria and South Fairfax County.

The couple’s own history dates to 1989 in Naugatuck, Conn., where they both grew up but never crossed paths.

Nichols went to the local public high school; Macaluso attended Sacred Heart, a Catholic School in Waterbury.

Mutual friends set them up on a blind date, and he took her to see Major League, which had just come out in theaters.

They instantly clicked, but if their shared love of history cemented the bond, neither realized it at the time.

From left: The couple stands at the front door of their new home. Other local historic places include this picturesque tavern and the homesite of abolitionist Daniel Kaufman.

26 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Many Stories to Tell haring history is a heartfelt pursuit for Laura Macaluso, ’94 — inspiring

S

numerous projects. The author’s latest book A History Lover’s Guide to Alexandria and South Fairfax County (History Press), will be published in May 2022. Also slated for release this year: Objectify Benedict Arnold: Making Memory of America’s Traitor, a storytelling website created with Rachel Boyle of Omni History. Another digital exhibit — Celebrating CETA: When Public Art Made the Walls Talk — will expand on Macaluso’s 2019 showcase of the City of New Haven’s first community-based public art program. Lori Goldstein,

MELANIE STENGEL PHOTOS

manager of the Public Art Archive, is the co-curator.

“I never really thought about whether that was a connecting point for us,” Macaluso says. “We were kids, and we were just having fun.”

Both ended up at Southern (Macaluso enrolled as a freshman in the Honors College and Nichols later transferred from Eastern) where they flourished in their respective majors. Nichols had planned to get his teaching certification but gravitated toward public history after volunteering in the curatorial department at the New Haven Historical Society (now the New Haven Museum) while at Southern.

Macaluso double majored in English and art history and minored in Italian at Southern, but it was art history that resonated most. She gives credit to dedicated faculty like David Levine and Camille Serchuk, professors of art history; a study abroad opportunity in Italy; and New Haven itself, with its rich historic architecture and free access to Yale museums.

Uncovering Buried Secrets of Benedict Arnold in New Haven Local historian Robert S. Greenberg examines pottery found at the site of Benedict Arnold’s New Haven home in December 2021.

Debbie Surabian, a soil scientist with the State of Connecticut, uses ground-penetrating radar to collect data.

Laura Macaluso, ’94, who has written extensively on Arnold, helped organize the expedition. The dig is slated to continue this spring.

Spring 2022 | 27

COLLECTION TORICAL SOCIETY CONNECTICUT HIS

HE REKINDLED HER CONNECTION TO THE ELM CITY YEARS LATER. After

earning her master’s in art history from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy, she took a part-time job with New Haven’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Division. Then, while earning her doctorate in humanities at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., in 2016, she wrote her dissertation on New Haven’s public art collection.

It was through the city’s artwork that she became fascinated with Arnold, who was memorialized in the works not as a traitor, but as an early leader in the Revolution. A painting that hung in City Hall portrays his role in “Powder House Day,” when he demanded the keys to New Haven’s powder house to collect munitions before leading a local militia north to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

“My particular interest in the Arnold story is to tease out the ways in which his image was crafted — both by himself and by others,” says Macaluso. “That’s why I take material and visual culture as historical evidence — and interrogate it and interpret it.”

Now, Macaluso is joining her friend Robert S. Greenberg, a New Haven historian, and state

28 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

archeologist Sarah Sportman for an excavation at the site of Arnold’s former house on Water Street.

Remnants of the home are buried beneath the parking lot of New Haven’s High School in the Community. The trio and other experts were on-site late last year, using ground-penetrating radar to scan for man-made structures to help inform the future dig.

Macaluso hopes the endeavor will ultimately shed more light on how Arnold lived and reveal the truth behind “myths and lore.” Among them, whether Arnold built a secret tunnel from his house to the harbor to smuggle goods.

“I’m interested in telling the full story, always and as much as possible,” says Macaluso.

continues on page 47

Clockwise from top left: Macaluso’s research covers many topics, including Benedict Arnold (in silhouette) and New Haven (depicted in this early sketch of the city green).

• The statue marks the entrance to the National Civil War Museum. • Weapons held by the museum include this rifle manufactured by the New Haven Arms Co. of Connecticut. • These pants were worn by a child who was enslaved, likely in the 1840s. • “A House Divided,” an exhibit on America in 1860, provides educational context.

Sharing History Long connected to popular historical sites through his work, Jeffery Nichols, ’96, continues to host history buffs and scholars as the newly named chief executive officer of the National Civil War Museum. The museum, which opened in 2001 in Harrisburg, Penn., has welcomed more than 950,000 guests from all 50 states and 39 countries. It features more than 4,400 artifacts and 21,000 archival pieces, including weapons, uniforms, and camp and personal effects, and is part of the Smithsonian Institutions Affiliations Program.

Sharing History ong connected to popular historical sites

L

through his work, Jeffrey Nichols, ’96, continues to host history buffs and scholars as the newly named chief executive officer of the National Civil War Museum. The museum, which opened in 2001 in Harrisburg, Penn., has welcomed more than 950,000 guests from all 50 states and 39 countries. It features more than 4,400 artifacts and 21,000 archival pieces, including weapons, uniforms, and camp and personal effects, and is part of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program.

(From top) Nichols stands on the main staircase of the National Civil War Museum, which includes two floors of galleries. * An exhibit on the “Presidential Election of 1860” includes Abraham Lincoln’s hatbox, a ballot box, and a pendant with an image of “Old Abe” worn by a member of the Republican Party.

Spring 2022 | 29

30 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

S

THE

torytellers The fall semester brings a new play to the stage courtesy of students turned playwrights and actors.

TUDENTS ENROLLED IN THEATRE 298 (DEVISING THEATRE) HAVE A LOT ON THEIR MINDS — and brought those thoughts, talents, and energy to the stage for Out of Bounds, a new play they wrote and performed in collaboration with the Crescent Players. The seeds of the production began in August when the course instructors and play directors — Gracy Keirstead, ’98, and Sarah Bowles, both adjunct faculty members in the Department of Theatre — greeted students with five large blank sheets of poster board, markers, and a question: What stories do you want to tell?

Several months later, the students’ responses have evolved into Out of Bounds, which addresses the spoken and unspoken expectations of society. The play was presented to enthusiastic audiences in Southern’s Robert E. Kendall Drama Lab in November. It was then honored as one of only four productions invited to the Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, which represents Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northeastern New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The festival was held virtually due to COVID19; Southern presented a recording of the performance, which in keeping with the student-driven focus was filmed by Jessenia Fuentes, who is majoring in communication. On the night of the festival screening, the Out of Bounds cast gathered for a watch party in Lyman Center. They also enjoyed a mentoring session with award-winning actor Kelli Crump.

“We could not be prouder of how Out of Bounds turned out, and that the original ideas, concerns, and voices of our students were amplified in such a profound way,” notes Bowles, who is also the education program manager at Elm Shakespeare Company, the university’s theatre-inresidence. Keirstead concurs. “‘My heart is so full right now,’” she said in a post-production interview with the Arts Paper, an independent arm of The Arts Council of Greater New Haven. “‘They created this from nothing. For a lot of these students, it’s the first time they’ve been on stage. . . . It took real bravery to tell these stories. They put their whole hearts in it.’” n

Spring 2022 | 31

SUPPORTING SOUTHERN ■

Answering the Call

The Eren family counts five Southern degrees among them. Now they’re lending their support to the next generation of Southern students through their family business: Classic Turf. [From left] John and Kathryn “Kate,” who earned MBAs in 2011; Tumer; and Ruth, Southern alumna and professor emeritus of special education.

32 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The Eren family has a deep connection to Southern — one that includes five degrees, the establishment of the university’s Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a true-blue commitment to supporting students.

by John Rosengren

P

RESIDENT JOE BERTOLINO SOWED THE SEED AT SOUTHERN’S 125TH

ANNIVERSARY GALA in October 2019; it took root that night in the hearts of Ruth Eren, professor emeritus of special education, and her husband Tumer. In his remarks on stage, Bertolino spoke about an initiative to start an on-campus food bank for Southern students, but mentioned it was short $10,000. “I couldn’t believe it. That these kids couldn’t afford to buy food,” says Tumer, who was touched by the sincerity of Bertolino’s speech. He told his wife, “We have to do something.”

It didn’t take long for them to write a check. They had made generous but smaller contributions to the SCSU Foundation over the years, but their $10,000 gift designated to the Support Our Students (SOS) Fund was their first sizeable donation to Southern. They followed it with leadership-level support of the College of Education during Southern’s annual Day of Caring in 2021 and 2022. By making “matching-gift challenges” on those days through the family business, Classic Turf Company, they also inspired many more to contribute. “As a family, we want to see others have the same opportunities at SCSU that we had — and experience a campus environment that is warm and friendly with outstanding, caring faculty and very committed students,” says Ruth.

A student turned professor at the university, she holds three Southern degrees: a bachelor’s in special education (1971) and two master’s degrees earned in 1984 — one in special education, the other in school psychology. After finishing her doctorate in educational leadership at Nova Southeastern University, she worked for 14 years as a special education administrator in Connecticut public schools. That’s where Ruth developed an affinity for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). “We saw the public schools [in Connecticut and around the country] inundated with kids with autism spectrum disorders,” she says. “I learned as much as I could about it. Along the way, I recognized the need for others to have information about ASD.” She returned to Southern in 2002 to teach in the Department of Special Education with the goal of starting a master’s program with a specialty in ASD, because there weren’t comparable programs to train teachers at the time. Hired as an adjunct professor, she was promoted to a full faculty member the following year, and eventually chaired the department.

During her career, Ruth established herself as an expert in ASD. She served on the state task force that wrote the Connecticut guidelines for educating children with autism in public schools. She consulted with school districts on program development and curriculum for students on the spectrum.

She wrote or co-authored more than 20 papers on various aspects of autism — from examining transdisciplinary training models for teachers to helping individuals with Asperger’s syndrome become independent adults.

continues on page 47

Spring 2022 | 33

OWL UPDATE ■

A Chaz Guest, ’85 Artist 34 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

NEW SUPERHERO IS DESTINED FOR THE BIG SCREEN —

a powerful, spiritually minded champion created by artist Chaz Guest, ’85. The character — Buffalo Warrior — was inspired years ago by the painter’s then 9year-old son Xian, who asked his father to create a superhero, someone who looked like them.

“It was a gift,” notes Guest, who went to bed thinking about the request.

He woke with the Buffalo Warrior character fully formed in his mind, including the hero’s backstory

and imagery. Building on the inspiration, he created a series of Buffalo Warrior paintings as well as a graphic novel. Both tell the story of a boy born into slavery who grows up and enlists in the U.S. Army as a member of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, the all-Black regiments established by Congress in 1866. Guest’s soldier dies in battle, but ultimately is reborn as the superhero Buffalo Warrior, dedicated to fighting evil.

In September, Meridian Pictures acquired the rights to turn Guest’s Buffalo Warrior into a feature film. The project is out to

writers and directors. “These paintings and graphic novel are rich and tell a timeless tale of our shared humanity and the hope for a better tomorrow that will entertain audiences around the world,” says Eric Paquette, chief executive officer at Meridian, commenting on the film industry website Deadline.

The film promises to dramatically increase Guest’s already significant fan base. Among those who own his work are former U.S. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, movie mogul Tyler Perry, jazz legend Herbie Hancock, Netflix Co-Chief Executive Officer

Ted Sarandos, and Angelina Jolie.

The latter commissioned a portrait of her daughter Zahara after buying a painting from the artist’s Buffalo Soldier collection. Guest, who is a sculptor as well as a painter, also created the statuette presented to winners of the ICON Mann award.

Past recipients include Spike Lee, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and costume designer Ruth Carter.

Guest arrived at Southern as a gymnast on scholarship, uncertain of the direction he wanted his life to take. He studied graphic design and credits two Southern art professors with helping him find his

calling: David Levine, who retired in 2020 as a Connecticut State University professor emeritus of art history, and the late Howard Fussiner. “These two put me on the path of the life I have now as a painter,” he says.

Looking forward, Guest hopes the Buffalo Warrior film will likewise inspire. “[Buffalo Warrior] not only satisfies that little boy in me that wanted to see a superhero come out of the cotton fields of American slavery . . . but will satisfy the imagination of generations of young and old that share the same desire,” he said in a release. n

A recent painting

by Chaz Guest draws from his Buffalo Warrior saga: Spare Him to Tell the Others Oil, ink, and coffee on linen Diptych 80" x 40" 2021

Spring 2022 | 35

SPACES & PLACES IN NEW HAVEN ■

OWL TERRITORY

NEW HAVEN

S

David Bowie

INCE THE 1970S , a legion of music fans, including countless Southern students,

have made the short trek to Toad’s Place to listen to the legends. Located at 300 York St. in New Haven, the relatively small club holds about 750 — providing an upclose-and-personal view of music royalty. B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Blondie, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, David Bowie, R.E.M., The Black Crowes, Snoop Dogg, and Kanye West are among the artists who’ve headlined there.

A new book, The Legendary Toad’s Place: Stories from New Haven’s Famed Music Venue [Globe Pequot] shares the behind-the-scenes tales from the club’s 40plus years. Rich in detail, it’s a labor of love from Toad’s owner Brian Phelps and journalist Randall Beach, and their memories are the stuff of rock ’n’ roll history.

Bruce Springsteen jamming at Toad’s after performing at the New Haven Coliseum in 1978. A then-unknown group called U2 opening for Barooga Bandit in the early ’80s. The Rolling Stones playing a “secret” pre-tour show in August 1989. (The band hadn’t performed together in eight years and wanted to test the waters before hitting the stadiums. Tickets were $3.01 for what was billed as a Sons of Bob show.)

“I’ve always said that the best way to tell if a band is any good or not is to hear them in a club like Toad’s Place. We love that joint.”

–– Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and the News The Rolling Stones 36 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

John Cafferty and Bruce Springsteen

U2

Eight to the Bar “What I loved about Toad’s Place is that they let you do more than just show up and set your band up and play. You could actually curate some kind of show that was interesting to people, different.”

–– Cyndi Lauper Toad’s also has long championed up-and-coming local musicians. Southern graduate Cynthia Lyon was among them. She graduated in 1975 with a degree in English. But she dreamed about a music career, so she wrote a newspaper classified ad seeking bandmates. The resulting group — Eight to the Bar (ETTB) — recorded its debut album live at Toad’s in 1979.

ETTB continues to perform today, with Lyon serving as band leader, vocalist, keyboard player, and primary songwriter. She’s toured the nation and beyond, but a certain New Haven club will always hold a special place in her heart. “When you play at Toad’s you feel like you’ve hit the big time. It has that aura,” she says.

The book is available from major retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as smaller bookstores.

Spring 2022 | 37

ALUMNI NEWS n

n

Reporting Back

E

mployment at newspaper newsrooms fell 57 percent between 2008 and 2020, from about 71,000 jobs to 31,000, according to the Pew Research Center. Report for America, a national service program launched in 2017, is helping stem the tide by placing talented journalists with news organizations throughout the U.S. to report on under-covered issues.

The program is highly selective: news organizations and emerging journalists compete separately to be part of it.

Winners are then matched, with Report for America paying up to 50 percent of the salaries of selected journalists for up to three years.

Lynandro “DJ” Simmons, ’18, was among the journalists invited to join the Report for America Corps in 2021. A journalism major and political science minor, he is covering marginalized communities for the Athens Banner-Herald in Athens, Ga. “For me, local journalism is more important than ever, with national politics in such a divisive period,” says Simmons. “This was the best opportunity to help provide meaningful change through impactful reporting while also sharpening my skills.”

Here’s more on his Report for America (RFA) newsbeat.

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• Simmons brings experience as an award-winning local journalist to the Banner-Herald. He previously worked for the Westport News and Hearst Connecticut Media, a network of newspapers and websites.

• Since early childhood, Simmons was an avid reader who enjoyed writing. “But I never saw journalism as a feasible career path. It wasn’t until I took a journalism course at Southern that I felt this was something I would truly love to do for a living,” he says.

• He got experience at Southern News, working as editor-inchief of the student-run newspaper. It’s the most diverse newsroom he’s been in to date, one that “affirmed my belief that there’s space for everyone in this field,” he says.

• Southern News was also a great training ground. “It was my first time experiencing real deadlines, beyond just submitting papers to teachers. Our advisers at the paper gave us a lot of independence to grow and make mistakes, which helped me in my growth as a young reporter,” says Simmons.

• In his first year with RFA, he’s written on far-reaching subjects, including an organization providing jobs for the homeless, the first city commissioner to give birth while holding office, the city’s Black-owned restaurants, a new museum focused on Black history, and more. “The most rewarding experience I’ve had so far was residents telling me they’re happy to see new faces centered in the stories impacting the city today,” he says.

New Owls on Board

TWO SOUTHERN GRADUATES have

joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors, filling posts left after several members stepped down.

38 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Madi Csejka, ’19, is the executive assistant to the commissioner of education at the Connecticut State Department of Education. Previously, she worked in college consulting and tutoring. Her membership on the board builds on extensive on-campus experience at Southern, where she worked with the Center for Academic Success and Accessibility Services and the Southern Educational Opportunity Program (SEOP), an intentionally diverse learning community that is committed to academic excellence, access, social justice, and service for the public good. She was a teaching assistant and peer mentor.

Also newly named to the board, Aaron D. Johnson, ’04, is an award-winning high school educator and civic leader. He is the assistant principal of Freeport High School in New York, having previously been a teacher at Bay Shore Senior High School in Long Island for more than 15 years. He has received numerous honors in recognition of his civic involvement, among them, a New York State Proclamation for education and activism from the New York State Assembly and a citation from New York Assemblyman Philip Ramos for his “dedication as an advocate for children.” Johnson holds numerous academic degrees, including a Doctor of Education from St. John’s University and a master’s degree in liberal studies, with a concentration in history, from Stony Brook University, State University of New York (SUNY). He majored in history at Southern, which he attended on a full athletics scholarship for basketball.

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Scientist. Alumnus. Organ Donor.

T

he Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — the philanthropic organization established in 2015 by the Facebook founder and his wife to address some of society’s most pressing problems — is a fitting work space for Norbert K. Tavares, ’06.

A scientist long committed to working for the greater good, he joined the organization in 2019 as a microbiologist and program manager. His responsibilities range from supporting the Human Cell Atlas (an international effort to map all cells in the human body) to managing a grant portfolio of more than 67 projects, representing researchers in 30 countries.

On Nov. 16, he took his commitment to a new level, donating his kidney to an unknown recipient — a decision chronicled by the news organization People.com. The prospect of saving a life is its own reward, Tavares says in the article. But he also hopes to raise awareness of the need to increase diversity in medical research and organ donation. The operations were successful and both Tavares and the recipient are doing well. “`Part of my job has been to develop programs and increase the participation of people of color in research. It’s one thing to do that, it’s another thing to live it,’” he told People in the article published on Nov. 5.

Tavares transferred to Southern and found the support he needed in Nicholas

Edgington, professor of biology. “He was the first academic adviser I had at three separate institutions who actually gave me good advice specific to my desires [to become a biologist],” said Tavares in a 2019 interview with Southern Alumni Magazine. Tavares worked in the lab with Edgington and was awarded a highly competitive grant from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, after his professor nominated him for membership. “I owe a great deal to Dr. Edgington,” says Tavares.

He graduated magna cum laude from Southern with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry — and went on to earn a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Georgia. He later was named a Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, working with the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Today, he continues his commitment to science and social justice at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and in his personal life. “‘People of color have real and genuine legitimate apprehensions about participating in research because of historical misdeeds and oversights. . . . Telling my story in a way that can help motivate others and help people that look like us is an important thing that I’ll continue to try to do,’” he comments in People.

2021-22 SCSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LaShanté Kelley-James, ’04, M.S. ’14, President Renee Barnett Terry, ’76, Vice President Karl Stephen Wilson, ’02, Treasurer James “Jimmy” Booth, ’97, Secretary Madison Correia, ’19, M.S. ’20 Madi Csejka,’19 Angela Hudson Davis, ’88, M.P.H. ’97 Shermaine Edmonds, ’04, MBA ’06 Valencia Goodridge, MBA ’08 Aba Hayford, ’10 Jodi Hill-Lilly, ’88, M.S.W. ’94 Kelly Hope, ’03, M.S. ’10 Aaron Johnson, ’04 Andrew “Mo” Marullo, ’10, M.S. ’14 Patricia Miller, ’69, M.S. ’75, 6th Yr. ’81 (Emeritus) Montrel Morrison, ’18 Grace Mukupa, ’02 Adwoa Ansah Rey, ’05 Teresa Sirico, ’70, M.S. ’73 Anthony Tamburri, ’71 Carolyn Vanacore, ’52, M.S. ’68, 6th Yr. ’73 (Emeritus) Brian West, ’80 Southern Connecticut State University Office of Alumni Relations Alumni House 501 Crescent Street New Haven, CT 06515 Gregory Bernard, ’04, Director BernardG2@SouthernCT.edu Doreen Cammarata-Gilhuly, ’89, Associate Director GilhulyD1@SouthernCT.edu

Spring 2022 | 39

ALUMNI NEWS n

n

Grad Receives National Coaching Award

M

ore than 147,000 coaches regularly assist with Special Olympics North America (SONA) — including Jennifer LaCapra, M.S. ’07, who was recently honored as the organization’s first-ever “Outstanding Unified Champion School® Coach of the Year.”

The Special Olympics Unified Sports® program unites people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It’s offered in more than

4,500 schools in the U.S., with LaCapra leading the charge at Oxford High School in Connecticut. In addition to being head coach of the program, she is a wellness teacher and department chair as well as the adviser to the Best Buddies club. (The latter is dedicated to ending isolation among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.)

LaCapra launched the Unified Sports program at Oxford High 10 years ago. The school’s unified teams now compete in soccer, kickball, basketball, volleyball, and, most recently, flag football. There are 63 students participating this year, ranging in age from freshmen to students in the “Career Exploration” program for 18- to 21-year olds. The athletes gather four times a week, during first period when Trumbull High offers the program as an elective.

40 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

“It’s the best way to start my day. I love seeing the smiles on the faces of my students/teammates when they are working with one another — creating memories and friendships that may or may not have formed without Unified Sports,” says LaCapra.

She comes by her love for the education field naturally. Her parents — Janet Behr, ’74, M.S. ’81, and Raymond

Award-winning coach Jennifer LaCapra, M.S. ’07, was honored at a heartfelt ceremony at Oxford High School.

“I love seeing the smiles on the faces of my students/teammates.”

— Jennifer LaCapra, M.S. ’07

Behr, M.S. ’76 — are retired teachers and Southern graduates. “They always spoke highly of the university, and they were happy I decided to go there for all of my graduate work,” says LaCapra, who majored in special education as an undergrad at Central Connecticut State.

At Southern, she earned cross endorse-

ment in physical education as well as a master’s degree in health education.

She credits her dad with introducing her to Special Olympics decades ago. He first invited his then 8-year-old daughter to volunteer at an annual basketball event he organized. “I went every year, and I was always beyond excited to attend,” she says.

That commitment has never wavered. Asked to describe her coaching style in one sentence, LaCapra

answers easily: “Show empathy, passion, structure, and dedication.” It’s a winning formula. Last spring, Special Olympics presented the coaching award at a surprise ceremony at Oxford High. LaCapra was leading the first-period class when one of her favorite songs — Positive Vibration by Bob Marley and The Wailers — began playing over the loudspeaker. Her husband, son, and other family members entered the gym, followed by colleagues from Special Olympics who announced the award.

They spoke about her accomplishments, then invited her to address the crowd. “I barely got my words out,” says LaCapra of the emotion-packed celebration, “but pretty much talked about how grateful I was to be part of something so special and that brings me so much happiness.”

n

Called Back to Room 112C SCENES FROM A TRUE-BLUE LIFE:

(clockwise from left) Andrew Carrano, ’75, M.S. ’77, 6th Yr. ’79, prepares to deliver his final Southern lecture, as a young student, and posing at commencement.

S

OMETIMES FATE TAKES YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE.

Just ask Andrew Carrano, ’75, M.S. ’77, 6th Yr. ’79, who has taught in the Department of Psychology as an adjunct professor for 22 years.

In fall 1971, he was a 17-year-old college freshman enrolled in “Psychology 100,” which was held in Engleman Hall, Room 112C. Fifty years and three Southern degrees later, he presented his last Southern lecture on Dec. 7, coincidently in the exact same classroom. “It is a full circle. I find that amazing,” says Carrano, who in 2012, retired from Wallingford Public Schools after an almost 35-year career as a school psychologist.

Carrano has a far-reaching connection to Southern. He met his wife, Donna [Spadory] Carrano, ’77, at the university. She majored in nursing and had “retired,” but was invited back to the Yale School of Medicine, where she’s a clinical research nurse. The couple’s three children — Erica, Ashley, and Daniel — also attended their alma mater. Together, the family holds eight Southern degrees.

Carrano says he’s fully cognizant of the role Southern has played in all of their lives — and is thankful to have had the opportunity to acknowledge some of his mentors. Years ago, he ran into one — Jack Novick, professor emeritus of counseling and school psychology — at the Branford town library.

The two chatted. It was coincidently Novick’s birthday, and Carrano took his former professor to lunch. “I thanked him for setting everything in motion,”

n

Seeking Writers and Other Creatives SOUTHERN ALUMNI ARE INVITED TO JOIN

THE ALUMNI AUTHORS NETWORK.

Its mission is to provide a space for aspiring writers, publishers, editors, illustrators, and other creatives to engage with each other for education, mentorship, critique, and conversation. Initiatives will include, but are not limited to, a speaker series, network sessions, master classes, book fairs, and an opportunity to share your work through our Virtual Book Nook, coming in summer 2022.

TO JOIN, VISIT:

SouthernCT.edu/alumni/authors

he says. “I thanked him for changing my life.”

Spring 2022 | 41

ALUMNI NEWS n

Football, food trucks, drive-in movies, and more.

With both in-person and virtual events, the celebration offered something for everyone.

OUTHERN GRADUATES CAME OUT IN FULL FORCE

for Homecoming and Family Day, an action-packed celebration that included traditional, on-campus gatherings and a variety of new-favorite virtual events held throughout the week of Oct.16. More than 1,000 members of the Southern community watched the Owls take on Bentley College at Jess Dow Field.

Adjacent to the game, the newly launched “Owl Town” was a popular destination; President Joe and various athletics teams hosted separate tents where guests met with coaches, student-athletes, and former Owl team members to reminisce and reconnect.

Off campus, athletics donors enjoyed barbecue at Bear’s Smokehouse in New Haven on Oct. 15, while carloads of Owls queued up for an on-campus drive-in movie night. A variety of online events with about 900 participants rounded out the entertainment throughout the week — including an interactive paint night, the Bob Corda 5K (held virtually), a comedy show, bingo, and more.

Owl spirit ran sky high, demonstrated by a record level of giving in support of Southern and its students. The “Owl Way” Homecoming campaign raised more than $87,000 from a record-breaking 724 donors, a 30 percent increase in participation compared to the previous year. Stay tuned for information on Homecoming 2022 and make plans to come back to Southern. n

42 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Spring 2022 | 43

A L U M NI NO T ES ■

1970s

THOMAS HOWARD, ’71, was

appointed interim director of physical education, health, and interscholastic athletics of Manhasset Public Schools in New York.

ROBERT J. DEVLIN JR., ’72, was

chosen unanimously by the State of Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission to serve as deputy chief state’s attorney, inspector general. He will lead the recently established office in investigations of cases involving the unjustified use of force by police or corrections officers. The office also will make recommendations to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

LYNN AUSTIN, ’73, was honored by the

Holland, Mich., chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) with the “DAR Women in the Arts Recognition Award.” Austin is the author of 30 novels, including one adapted into a Hallmark movie.

KATHLEEN “KATHIE” VIGNEAU DAVIS, ’73, is continuing the study of

Reiki healing and other healing techniques. She moved to the East Coast, after retiring from teaching on the West Coast for 30 years.

LYNSEY “LINDA” DESMOND, ’75,

recently retired as a visual arts educator, after more than 31 years of teaching, predominately at the elementary school level. She also spent many years working with high school students as well as middle schoolers.

DONNA GAGLIARDI, M.S. ’77, retired

from her career as a mathematics teacher at Branford High School in Connecticut.

MARY BIANCO, ’78, retired from the

position of youth services librarian at Hyannis Public Library in Massachusetts after more than 30 years of service.

JOHN PALMER, ’78, is certified as both

a recovery coach professional and recovery coach trainer. He recently was the guest speaker for Learn to Live Recovery’s family support group.

1980s

DANIEL C. YOUNG, ’81, is managing

director and chief compliance officer for Quantum Capital Management, an investment advisory firm in San Francisco. Young is also chairman of the Board of Directors for Hanna Boys Center, a treatment and residential center supporting youth, families, and communities impacted by trauma and adversity.

CHRISTOPHER CLOUET, ’82, was

named an assistant professor of edu44 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

cation at Mitchell College. He is the former superintendent of schools for New London, Conn., and previously served as a special adviser to the commissioner of education for the Connecticut State Department of Education.

ELIZABETH FRANCO-SPANO, ’83,

M.S. ’92, 6th Yr. ’99, is appointed recreation director for the city of East Haven, Conn. She brings to the position more than 35 years of experience as a physical education and health teacher. She was named “Teacher of the Year” for the district in 2020.

GINA MARINO, ’83, was appointed

director of the new senior center in Rocky Hill, Conn. She previously was director of the West Hartford Senior Centers for 33 years.

TAWNY NELB, M.A. ’83, received “The

History Hero Award,” the highest honor bestowed by the Historical Society of Michigan. Since 1986, Nelb has provided archiving services for organizations through her own business, Nelb Archival Consulting.

Previously, she worked with the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and the Yale University Manuscript and Archives Department.

CAROL STIFF, ’83, M.S. ’89, was

inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 21, 2021. In other news, she was named a trustee for the University of Saint Joseph.

ALFRED THOMAS JR., ’83, received the

“Stamford Icon Award” in June 2021.

The award was created to honor African Americans who have lived in Stamford, Conn., for long stretches of time and had a positive impact on the community. Thomas has had a lengthy career in higher education and held numerous roles at Norwalk Community College, including in admissions and as coordinator of the Multicultural Affairs Center.

BRIAN ENRIGHT, ’84, was recognized

among “The Best Lawyers in America” for 2022, a compilation based on peer-review evaluations. A partner at the law firm of Halloran Sage, he is based out of the firm’s New Haven office. An active member of the community, he serves on the Board of Directors for the New London Meal Center and on the Executive Board of the New Haven Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

GREGORY BEYER, ’85, M.S. ’88, retired

after 32 years as an English teacher and school librarian. He lives in northwest Arkansas.

NANCY MANNING, ’85, M.F.A. ’21, is

the “Teacher of the Year” for the Regional School District 16 in

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Connecticut. She is an English teacher at Woodland Regional High School.

PETER MARRA, ’85, authored the lead

article on the decline of the bird population in the 2021 Connecticut Audubon Society State of the Birds report. Marra is on the faculty of Georgetown University, where he is the director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative, the Laudato Si’ Professor in Biology and the Environment, and a professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy. Previously, he was with the Smithsonian Institution, most recently as director of the Migratory Bird Center.

BETSY O’NEILL, ’85, is the 2021-22

“Teacher of the Year” for Region 12 schools. O’Neill has worked 34 years as a special education teacher for Region 12, which includes the towns of Bridgewater, Washington, and Roxbury.

DOROTHY WILSON, M.S. ’85, retired

after 37 years of service in the municipal government in Connecticut. She worked as a senior planner for the city of Norwalk and, previously, as a neighborhood planner for the city of Stamford.

Wilson continues to work in the field, promoting vibrant and walkable downtowns throughout the Northeast.

FRANK CHILINSKI, ’87, completed the

narration of his 100th audiobook, and recorded and produced his 10,000th radio commercial for his voice-over and production company.

LORI CHMURA, ’87, was named to the

Board of Directors of OpSens, a medical device company focused on cardiology. Chmura is president and chief executive officer of Soundbite, a privately held medical device company focused on interventional treatment of coronary and peripheral arterial diseases.

JEANNE-MARIE FLEMING, ’87, retired

from the Lakeland School District and was accepted into the MFA program for writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

ROBERT MADORE, ’87, was appointed

chief financial officer for Cronos

Group, a global cannabinoid company. Previously, Madore was chief financial officer of American Eagle Outfitters from 2016 to 2020. Prior to that, he held key financial and operational roles at Ralph Lauren Corporation, most recently as chief financial officer.

JOHN CARLSON, ’88, M.S. ’99, is a

research fish biologist at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He specializes in sharks, providing data and analysis on populations and recovery plans.

1990s

DONALD CASEY JR., ’91,

M.S. ’91, who volunteers through the Pyramid Shrine Temple in Stratford as a clown, participated in several local events, including the 44th annual Faxon Law Group Labor Day Road Race.

DONNA DEROBERTIS, ’91, shares that

she has a daughter, Joleigh.

TROY WHITE, ’91, was appointed

executive director of the Metro Development and Housing Agency in Nashville.

DAYNA SNELL, M.S.W. ’92, is the

founder and executive director of the Queen Ann Nzinga Center, a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering children’s development. She was a recent guest speaker at “Plainville United: A Celebration and Conversation about Diversity and Inclusion,” organized by the town’s library.

JOHN MCEACHEN, ’93, retired from

the United States Border Patrol after serving more than 25 years.

ARISSA SHULMAN, ’93, was promoted

by Compass to the position of senior compliance auditor for Southern California.

ELBA LLANTIN-CRUZ, ’94, was named

the instructional supervisor of equity and engagement for the Milford Public School District.

ANGEL ORTIZ, ’96, was reassigned to

Homeland Security Investigations as the domestic operations manager.

KENNETH STEINER, ’97, began a new

position as an immunohematology specialist in New York and New Jersey with Grifols, a global medical company.

ANGELA CAPINERA, ’99, is the

founder of Your Mind in Bloom, which provides a variety of services, including assistance with business writing, resumes, and academic tutoring. The business celebrated its 10th anniversary in October.

DANIEL SINGLETON, ’99, received the

2021 Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award, which recognizes the “civic-mindedness and tireless energy of individuals or organizations that work to make Staten Island [New York] a better place and help community members in need.” Singleton is the principal of Public School 31 in New Brighton.

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2000s

JENNIFER COLANGELO, ’00, was pro-

moted to the position of director of human resources of the YMCA of Greater Nashua in N.H. KIM LUSK, ’00, was appointed athletic

director at Lincoln Charter School in North Carolina.

BRIAN O’CONNOR, ’00, M.S. ’15, has

started a new job as the information technology manager for Connecticut operations of Assa Abloy.

ARLEVIA SAMUEL, M.S. ’02, was

appointed director of the Livable Cities Initiative (LCI) by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. She was acting director of LCI since October 2020. Her team is responsible for enforcing the city’s housing code, addressing blight, and implementing improvements and programs to facilitate safer, healthier, and more attractive communities.

JAMES WILHELM, ’02, has joined

Burzenski & Company as a tax director.

LAQUITA JOYNER-MCGRAW, MBA

into the veterinary technology program at Middlesex Community College.

’03, is the founder of Youth Entrepreneurs, an educational and experience-based program for tweens and teens, designed to help them become productive leaders.

KELLY PINHO, M.S. ’02, is principal of

MICHAEL CROCCO, M.S. ’04, 6th Yr.

JANICE BERGERON, ’01, was accepted

Mitchell Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn.

In Print and On Screen

Albert Ruggiero, ’70, M.A. ’96, published a collection of writings and short stories by his wife Carol Ann who passed away in 2020. Pearls from Carol, a loving tribute to his wife of 35 years, is published by BalboaPress.com.

Anthony Tamburri, ’71, published two books this summer: Signing Italian/American Cinema: A More Focused Look (Ovunque Siamo Press, 2021) and The Columbus Affair. Imperatives for an Italian/American Agenda (Casa Lago Press, 2021).

MaryEllen Beveridge, ’72, is the author of Permeable Boundaries, a collection of short stories published by Fomite Press in June 2021. Her short stories have appeared in literary magazines including Pembroke Magazine, The Carolina Quarterly, Other Voices, Notre Dame Review, Cottonwood, Crab Orchard Review, Louisiana Literature, and War, Literature & the Arts.

Eva Jo (Spence) Johnson, ’75, M.S. ’78, is the author of My Other Children, Where Teachers Learn and Learners Teach—Inside and Outside the Classroom. She is a retired educator who focused on special education and alternative educational programs in Connecticut.

Marybeth Wishart, ’77, has published her first children’s picture book, Parker the Purple Penguin. The book placed second in the 2021 Feathered Quill Awards in the picture-books category. A retired special education teacher, Wishart taught at the elementary and high school levels for more than 34 years.

Michael Desroches, ’99, is the author of There is a Moth in Daddy’s Coffee, his first children’s book (Outskirts Press).

Katelyn Peterson, ’13, has published her first book, California Betrayal, with Amore Moon Publishing.

Marissa D’Angelo, ’16, M.S. ’18, is the author of Chasing Time, a memoir about finding her voice through therapy. The nonfiction book covers her many challenges, including bullying and the loss of family members.

’07, was named principal at Southington High School in Connecticut.

DOUGLAS MICHLOVITZ, M.S. ’04, is

an athletics trainer at Newtown High School, helping to keep Nighthawk athletics “in the game.”

ALANA SEJDIC, ’04, M.S,’10, is the

director of academic and student disability services at Albertus Magnus College. Sejdic recently published three articles.

LISA DADIO, M.S.W. ’05, is director of

the University of New Haven’s Center for Advanced Policing, a senior lecturer, and a former New Haven Police lieutenant.

JESSICA MONTE, ’05, was accepted

into a doctoral program in education at George Washington University.

Monte will work with a national museum institution to create curriculum and instruction materials. She also is the founder of an educational program that produces Loudoun County Magazine in collaboration with Loudoun Community Press. Her work with the project included overseeing a partnership between the public schools, the library system, and the Loudoun Literacy Council.

JAMES THROWER, ’05, is pursuing an

MBA at Fitchburg State University. He has earned certification in planning and inventory management.

JESSICA OCASIO, ’06, M.S. ’09, was

promoted to principal of Walsh Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn.

DANIELLE BEERLI, M.S.W. ’07, was

honored by the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce with the “Service Organization Award” in January. She is the founder of Empower Her, a nonprofit organization based in Bethany, Conn., dedicated to connecting and supporting women and girls.

MOLLIQUE JOHNSON, ’08, competed

as a cast member on the 18th season

of the Bachelorette. He works as a higher education administrator.

2010s

THOMAS CRIBBIN, ’10, has worked

with the U.S. Department of Justice since May 2018. Previously, he practiced law in the private sector for three and a half years in Connecticut.

JENNIFER RUGGIERO, ’10, was elected

president of the New England Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. She assumed a new role as assistant dean of the College of Education in March.

SCOTT SNELL, ’10, was named athletic

coordinator at Shelton High School in Connecticut.

BRYAN DARCY, 6th Yr. ’11, was

appointed principal of Jonathan Law High School by the Milford Public School District.

BENIKA DIXON, M.P.H. ’11, is the first

Accountability, Climate, Equity, and Scholarship Fellow at Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health.

Following the two-year fellowship, Dixon will become a tenure-track assistant professor at the university.

Her research interests include the health impacts of environmental exposures and hazards as well as COVID-19 and environmental exposure in prison populations.

CAROLINE RAYNIS, MBA ’11, was

appointed to the Board of Directors of Coram Deo Recovery, which provides support services and recovery housing for women struggling with addiction.

ARLETTE JOHNSON, ’12, is the assis-

tant principal at Franklin Elementary School in Stratford. In 2017, she received the “Theodore and Margaret Beard Excellence in Teaching Award,” which recognizes the best teachers in Bridgeport, Conn. The honor includes an unrestricted $20,000 cash prize.

ADHAM CONAWAY, ’13, is the interim

assistant principal at Davis Street Magnet School in New Haven. Prior to the appointment, he was a sixthgrade teacher at Davis.

DAVID C. LANGER, ’13, is the educa-

tional technology coordinator at Independent Day School in Middlefield, Conn.

BENEDICT VETTER, M.S. ’14, is the

director of membership at the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce.

ALLISON COSTANZO, MBA ’15, has

been a financial analyst for John J. Brennan Construction Co. since 2015.

LUZ CARRASQUILLO, ’16, is enrolled

in the master’s program in social work at Capella University.

Spring 2022 | 45

A L U M NI NO T ES ■

Carrasquillo is an economic benefits technician for Wake County, N.C. CHAKA FELDER-MCENTIRE, Ed.D. ’16,

is the associate principal at Naugatuck High School.

MICHELLE KELLY-BAKER, Ed.D. ’16, is

the district school climate and Title IX coordinator for New Haven Public Schools.

MICHAEL PEREIRO, ’17, a Shelton res-

ident and volunteer emergency medical technician, participated in a 24-hour marathon to raise money to

help Echo Hose Ambulance purchase a paramedic first-responder vehicle.

MEAGHAN TETRO, ’17, was awarded

an administrative fellowship with Yale New Haven Health System, a competitive program designed to train future leaders in the field. She completed a graduate program in public health at Boston University.

KATELYN ZAROTNEY, ’17, was

inducted into the Berlin High School Athletics Hall of Fame. Zarotney ranks first in Berlin hoops history in

Share your good news

WITH SOUTHERN FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES. • MAIL this completed form to Southern Alumni News: SCSU Alumni Relations Office, Alumni House 501 Crescent St., New Haven, CT 06515-1355

• OR EMAIL: AlumniINFO@SouthernCT.edu

Name ____________________________________________________________ Street Address ____________________________________________________ ________________________________State ______________Zip______

l Check if this is a new address.

Phone (

KATHLEEN COLLINS, M.S.W. ’18, is the

)____________________________________________________

Email ____________________________________________________________ Twitter Handle (if applicable): ________________________________________ Instagram Handle (if applicable): ____________________________________ SCSU Degree/Year __________________ Major ________________________ Name under which I attended college ________________________________ News Item ________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Signature ______________________________________________Date______ Spouse’s Name ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 46 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE

NANCY ANN GOTWALT, ’49, Nov. 10,

2021 ANGELO DIRIENZO, ’53, M.S. ’59, Dec.

BRIANNA CORDONE, ’18, is working

ROCCO ORLANDO, ’53, dean emeritus

as a traveling registered nurse.

KEVIN DOYLE, ’19, is a client service

specialist with Emerald Medicare in Stony Point, N.Y. KENDRA SAVAGE, ’19,

MBA ’21, is a university assistant in the Southern Testing Center at the university.

Operating under the umbrella of the Center for Academic Success and Accessibility Services, the center provides test administration services to students, faculty, staff, and community members.

2020s LAVELLE HALL, ’20, is a graduate stu-

STACY LEE, ’20, is a state-appointed

criminal justice liaison (CJL) in Tennessee. CJLs assist individuals in the legal system because of mental health and/or substance-use issues.

CJLs communicate with police agencies, assist at court hearings, meet with incarcerated individuals, and transition individuals from jail to community resources and rehab facilities. She is married to a 20-year veteran police office, Fred Darrell Lee. RICHARD MURRAY, ’20, is working in

the television and entertainment industry in Los Angeles.

ANNA VENARD, ’20, is attending grad-

uate school, studying human nutrition and dietetics at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

W. TANNER BRYANT, ’21, cowrote an

article with Jodie Gil, ’06, associate professor of journalism, on sexual abuse in prisons as part of the Connecticut Health Investigative Team. Bryant worked under Gil’s mentorship and began researching the story in a data journalism course.

JAMES BUXTON, ’21, was spotlighted

by Yahoo life and other media sources as an entrepreneur who helps people learn to trade online cryptocurrencies.

SPOUSE'S SCSU DEGREE/YR.

Children’s Names/Ages ____________________________________________

In Memoriam

program manager at Lapham Community Center in New Canaan, Conn.

dent at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

• OR FAX: (203) 392-8726

City

career field goals (488), rebounds (829), and blocks (113), as reported in the Record Journal.

26, 2021 of the School of Education, Jan. 6, 2022 DOROTHY J. MARTINO, ’54, M.S. ’69,

Oct. 30, 2021 JEAN BRASSIL, ’55, May 14, 2020 JEANNETTE PALLUZZI, ’55, M.S. ’73,

July 24, 2021 OLGA SEMANCO ABRIOLA, ’57, Aug.

14, 2021 DEBORAH BRADLEY FITZSIMMONS,

’57, Oct. 20, 2021 ANN INESON, ’58, M.S. ’89, July 8, 2021 GEORGEANN PARKES, ’62, Dec. 21,

2021 RICHARD FREDERICK JOHNSON, ’67,

6th Yr. ’79, Aug. 5, 2021 BARBARA GALLEHER TONRY,

M.S.

’67, July 21, 2021 BARBARA KARLAK MULLEN, ’68, Oct.

4, 2021 JOYCE SACKMAN, ’68, June 21, 2020 CECILIA E. ANDERSON, ’73, June 26,

2021 GARY ARTHUR BARRERE, ’75, Dec. 12,

2021 RONALD BLANK, ’78, Oct. 19, 2021 KAREN HARRISON, ’78, M.S. ’86, Sept.

16, 2021 ANN MARIE (MADIGAN) SANDAGATA, ’81, Aug. 19, 2021 WILLIAM KINLOCH, M.A. ’82,

Nov. 16,

2021 ALICIA BUTLER, ’84, June 24, 2021 JAMES T. HULTGREN, ’84, Aug. 20,

2021 MICHAEL J. CAUDLE, ’86, M.S. ’89,

Sept. 30, 2021 ROSEMARY RING WOOLWICH, 6th

Yr. ’91, Sept. 9, 2021 CHANDLER CROSBY, ’03, July 26, 2021 JOSEPH C. DELUCA, ’03, July 28, 2021 JONATHAN ALLISON, ’12, Oct. 29,

2021 LORRAINE K. YOUNG, MBA ’13, Aug

7, 2021 JASON MICHAEL CROWELL, ’20,

Marriages

M.S.W. ’21, July 17, 2021 MEGAN CASEY, ’21, Jan.1, 2022

DANIELLA DIAZ, ’12, was married on

Jan. 1, 2021.

SARAH [LAUTURE] PULLEN, ’15, was

married to Dwight H. Pullen III on May 27, 2021, in Nashville.

Alumni Notes are compiled from alumni submissions as well as announcements made in the news media.

Supporting Southern continued from page 33 In 2010, Ruth co-founded — along with the late James Granfield, the former interim dean of what is now the College of Education — the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders at Southern. Its mission is to develop and deliver training rooted in evidence-based practices for teachers and others working with children with ASD. She became the center’s first director, a position she held until her retirement. In 2015, the university named Ruth the Goodwin Endowed Chair in Special Education, the first endowed professorship in Southern’s history. Following her retirement as a faculty member in 2017, she joined the SCSU Foundation Board of Directors.

While Ruth’s desire to support higher education seems a natural extension of her life’s work, her husband’s motivation may not appear as obvious, since he dropped out of college to join the Turkish Army. A former Olympic-level alpine skier, Tumer taught members of NATO’s special forces in Turkey to ski. The Turkish native immigrated to the United States in 1978 at age 33 with only “a small backpack, very little money, and a big dream to become a successful American citizen.”

Tumer soon found work as a ski instructor at a ski and racquet club in Connecticut’s Litchfield County. That led to a side hustle repairing cracked asphalt tennis courts. But he was frustrated to see the courts soon crumble again in the harsh New England climate. So he developed and patented a concrete surface that he could guarantee for 20 years or more and founded the Classic Turf Company in 1980. His was the first company to build post-tension concrete courts in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, eventually expanding the technology to basketball, track, and multipurpose courts. The business took off during the pandemic, registering $10 million in annual sales.

Along the way, Tumer met and married Ruth. They had two children — John and Elizabeth — and now have three grandchildren. They raised their family in Woodbury, Conn., and recently moved to a house along the

Niantic River. Ruth says it’s their retirement home “if Tumer ever retires.”

The business is clearly in a growth mode. With more than “40 years in the game,” Classic Turf boasts an extensive portfolio of courts, tracks and fields — ranging from home playscapes to dramatic rooftop basketball and tennis courts. Clients include sports clubs, high schools, universities, municipalities, and homeowners, among them, the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, the Aspen Alps sports club in Colorado, White Plains City Center in New York, and, yes, Southern Connecticut State University.

Though a self-made man, Tumer believes deeply in the value of education. He not only encouraged his children’s studies, he provided the necessary financial support for three nieces and nephews from Turkey to earn college degrees in the U.S. The Erens’ son John and his wife Kate both completed their MBAs at Southern. They now work in the family business. John, MBA ’11, who earlier earned his civil engineering degree from Northeastern University, is vice president and an engineer with Classic Turf Company. Kate, MBA ’11, is the company’s director of finance. The Hartford Business Journal named John a “Rising Star,” honoring the company with one of its “Family Business Awards” in 2021.

When President Bertolino made his pitch at Southern’s anniversary gala, the time was right — their children’s educations paid for, the family business prospering — for Ruth and Tumer to respond in a more significant way than they had been able to before. “In the past, I contributed very modest amounts to Southern. Only after Tumer’s company really took off were we able to begin to make more substantial donations,” Ruth says. “Whether large or small, we think our donations always were made in the spirit of giving back.

“Southern has given me the opportunity to have a very rewarding career in education and has now given our son and daughter-in-law, with their recently earned MBAs, an opportunity to lead the family company and continue its legacy of philanthropic support.” n

A More Perfect Union continued from page 28 Nichols, who holds a master’s in museum studies from Bank Street College of Education and an MBA from the University of New Haven, is relying on the same approach in his new role at the National Civil War Museum, which boasts a collection of more than 25,000 artifacts, documents, and photographs and aims to present a balanced view of the war.

He recalls a story Jon Purmont, M.S. ‘64, Southern professor emeritus of history, told his students about English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, who, while sitting for a portrait, instructed the artist to paint him “warts and all.”

“I remember him saying that’s a good way to think about history,” Nichols says.

Nichols plans to introduce new educational programs at the museum that focus on the war and its legacy, including the unfulfilled promises of reconstruction. He also wants to tell the stories of marginalized groups, such as the 180,000 Black soldiers who fought in the war.

He credits Southern for teaching him how to think critically about history, a skill that’s especially crucial in today’s politically

An exhibit focuses on drummer boys and buglers at the National Civil War Museum. The Civil War marked the first time Taps was played as the official “lights out” bugle call.

polarized climate, as debates rage over the removal of Confederate statues and as Congress continues to probe the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Obviously we live in an era that’s very

challenging. We have a country where we are truly at each other’s throats,” says Nichols.

“Looking back at Lincoln and the Civil War era is an important part of analyzing where we are today, and hopefully we can make better decisions than they did.” n Spring 2022 | 47

SOUTHERN’S DRONE ACADEMY PROVIDES EXPERIENCE IN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, FAA-CERTIFICATION EXAM PREPARATION, AND MORE.

| S E E N O N C A M PU S ■

On April 13, 2022,

Southern will celebrate its 7th Annual Day of Caring — the university’s largest fundraising event that enhances scholarship and programmatic support to ensure every student has access to an exceptional education.

Last year, the Southern community raised more than $600,000 during the Day of Caring, which provided financial aid for internships; funded research projects, state-of-the-art teaching technology, and athletics equipment; and enhanced scholarship opportunities by over $150,000.

On April 13 — together as ONE — the Southern community will once again empower the future of Southern and its students during Southern’s Day of Caring.

How You Can Join the Celebration: • On April 13, make a gift to the fund of your choice by visiting

SouthernCT.edu/DayOfCaring.

•

Scan the QR code to discover ways you can become an advocate and share your Southern pride on April 13!

•

Mail a check made payable to the SCSU Foundation to PO Box 846120, Boston, MA 02284-6120.

Indicate the fund of your choice in the memo.

Over $150,000 in matching gifts, challenges, and ways to win fabulous prizes

— all while supporting Southern!

Office of Annual Giving (203) 392-6514 AnnualGiving@SouthernCT.edu go.SouthernCT.edu/giving

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Burlington, VT Permit No. 19

Alumni Association 501 Crescent Street New Haven, CT 06515-1355 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

THE FINAL TOUCHES ARE BEING PLACED ON THE NEW HOME OF

THE COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. IT WILL UNITE DEPARTMENTS FORMERLY HOUSED IN EIGHT BUILDINGS ACROSS CAMPUS AND INCLUDES CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCE EDUCATION WHILE SERVING THE COMMUNITY.