Dave

Class of 2014 (born in 1992) and a new garden on campus.

I was just over in Alliot Hall talking with Grace Kelly, our Director of Student Activities - as I walked into her office space I noted that it was FULL of sleeping bag and backpacks and so knew that another POW adventure was about to start.  POW is our pre-orientation weekend and while there are two actual weekends, there is also a mid-week POW.  This is an opportunity for incoming first year students to meet upper-classmen/women in a setting away from campus.  Along with the 30 first year students and approx. 20 upper-class students there are five members of the faculty/staff who head out to Stowe for a three day experience.  Each year student leaders are selected based on their level of maturity, their willingness to share their experiences and their leadership skills.  This year we have four such students who are leading all three of the POW's.  Katherine Hackett (just back from study abroad - we missed her around here), Molly Moore, Liz Siekman and Justin Kane are this year's leaders and they report that the first POW, last weekend was amazing - they were so impressed with the Class of 2014 and while we try not to have the leaders make comparisons, the leaders told me that the next two groups will have to be exceptional to top the first group.  Within hours of their return from POW, they had already set up a Facebook page specifically for POW participants.  The level of excitement and anticipation of the leaders is so high and it is great to have so many students back on campus.  There are three pre-registration days which coincide with POW so most of our entering first year class of 2014 will be here sometime this week - they meet with a temporary academic adviser, take language and writing tests and select their courses for their first semester.  There will be a reception for all of them this afternoon over in Alliot and I will head over there for a meet/greet with the new students and their families.

If you are interested in the latest addition to campus - the Word Garden, then by all means check out www.youtube.com/SaintMichael'swhere Mallory wood uploaded a video on the construction of our new Word Garden - Professors Valerie Bang-Jensen and Mark Lubkowitz and Grounds keeper Alan Dickinson worked hard with a local artist to create words carved in stones which will be be arranged any way that anyone wants - the video is very informative so check it out.

As I mentioned a while back in a blog, we are all working on the new curriculum and one aspect of that is that each professor has to examine each class we teach and while that may seem like a difficult task, it has actually been a great educational opportunity for us to critically look at what we teach and how we assess what we teach and what our students learn.  I have completed two of my four courses and look forward to working on the other two. 

The Athletic Department has been really busy over the summer working on an exciting new project.  Under the leadership of Athletic Director Geri Knortz, Senior Associate Athletic Director Zaf Bludevich and Associate Athletic Director Chris Kenny the Athletic Department has been meeting and constructing a new workshop which will focus on first year student-athletes.  This innovative program will take place beginning immediately after the College's New Student Orientation ends on Sunday morning, August 29th - there will be a series of panels comprised of current student-athletes and mentors who will help our new student-athletes better understand the importance WE place on academics, behavior, teamwork, leadership and good sports-person behaviors.  This is just the first of a number of new programs being initiated by the Athletic Department - future workshops for our student-athletes will include programs on leadership for our sophomore, junior and senior athletes.  I am very proud of the work being done by the Athletic Department and look forward to working with them on these new initiatives.  I have been selected to attend the FAR (faculty athletic representative) Leadership Institute this October, representing SMC and the NE-10 and will definitely be "bragging" about these new initiatives.

Take good care, enjoy the summer and while I realize that our entering first year students were born around 1992 and I was born in 1943, I really am looking forward to another GREAT year at SMC.  As always, please keep all of the members of our military and our veterans and their families in your thoughts and prayers.  We are going to have a meeting soon on campus which will involve a variety of offices on campus to see how we can best meet the needs of our returning soldiers who may be interested in attending SMC - we have a number of vets currently enrolled on campus and their input has been very helpful as we try to work with the vets and the VA to ensure that these veterans receive the appropriate and BEST treatment they can as they transition from the military. 

Dave

After graduation and a Summer Reunion at SMC

It has been a couple of weeks since Commencement and as the campus settles into a "summer schedule" and we have said "later" to our most recent graduates, the always interesting life of a faculty member continues.  We are working at the College in re-structuring our curriculum and that means that each of us has to take a critical eye to each of our courses as we determine exactly how they will fit into the new structure.  While this can be a labor-intensive activity, it is not a bad thing - I often tell my students how important it is to re-evaluate things on a regular basis.  So one of my tasks this week is to take each of my courses and complete the assessment we have been given by the Curriculum Committee - I enjoy this type of challenge because it forces me to critically look at exactly what I DO teach.

This past weekend was Reunion Weekend and we welcome back classes which have graduated 5,10,15, etc. years ago.  There is a reception on Friday night where benefactors of the College are welcomed back and where two or three students get to share their current experiences at SMC with some folks who have graduated MANY years ago and others who continue to be benefactors of the College even though they may not have ever attended SMC.  We also welcomed back current and past members of the Board of Trustees.  On Saturday morning there was an Awards Ceremony over in Ross and several of our alumni were honored.  Jack Russell '70, Denis Collet '85 and Deb Liberatore Leblanc '90 were honored as Alumni of the Year - it is always good to hear former students address a public forum and share how their experience HERE has impacted almost everything that they have accomplished in their lives.  We often wonder what the impact is of what we do and these folks didn't hesitate to let everyone know just how much their time here and their continued connection with SMC has impacted their lives.  Deb thanked Fr. Mike Cronogue and Jennie Cernosia in particular and all three commented on the value of a Catholic education and the presence of the members of the Society of Saint Edmund in their education.  Dennis Murphy '60 and his wife Julie were honored with the Rev. John Verret SSE '35 Award and the Col. Donald Cook' '56 USMC Good Citizenship Award was given to Walter Fitzmaurice '49.  After the awards, each of the returning class reunions chairpersons presented their class gift to the President.  I was sitting with several of the folks from Institutional Advancement along with Bill Wilson and Jerry Flanagan and Buff Lindau.  Tanya Makhlina '10 and Christine Amoresano '11 were sitting in front of us.  Tanya, who had just graduated a month ago and who just returned from two weeks of volunteering in Haiti and Christine who is working on campus this summer turned to us when the Class of '85 stood and announced their gift and said "they graduated 25 years ago and we aren't even 25 YET" - a sobering thought but one we all laughed over.  I was also struck that the Class of '60 who are back celebrating their 50th Reunion actually have a "Social Committee" - they graduated from SMC 50 years ago and their connection is still such a strong bond that they have a group of their classmates who plan social activities for this group - what a testament to them AND to the impact that SMC had on these men 50 years ago that continues today.

At the barbecue held after the Awards Ceremony many of our alumni gathered to re-connect.  One couple even got engaged at the barbecue - I guess they saw the amazing reaction to Jamie asking Rachael at Commencement.  I had a chance to see Vinnie D'Angelo and his wife Mary and their three kids - the last time I saw their oldest son he was 3 and now he is taller than Vinnie.  Katie Moran and her husband and their two kids were back and Tom Robinson and his partner Brian Moore were also back for the Reunion.  Between name tags and my memory, I was able to not mess up very many names.  After almost 30 years here it is sometimes difficult to put a name with a face and while I seldom forget a face, I often forget the name that goes with that face. :)

I had dinner last night with a group of us who have been connected to SMC and to each other for 25+ years.  We attempt to get together every other month for a dinner at one of our homes and we spend around 3 hours just catching up, sharing our lives and talking about our time here at SMC, politics, music, global issues, family, alums and any other "hot" topic of the day.  This is always such a wonderful time with good friends who were brought together by Saint Michael's College - Fr. Mike Cronogue, Jennie and Art Cernosia, Sue Kuntz and Ann Giombetti and her partner Karen Mickelson - a good group of good friends.  Fr. Mike is the Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund, Jennie has now retired but returns each fall to teach First Year Seminar, Sue continues to teach Psychology full-time and Ann who used to head up the MOVE program and who left to return to nursing school is now a nurse with the Vermont Department of Health and me.  I usually post on Facebook when we are getting together and am always pleased when so many of our former students send responses to the posting - the most common reply is "I am sooooo jealous." :)

We have a celebration in a few minutes where we will be honoring members of the staff and the faculty who have worked at SMC for 10, 15, 20, etc. years.  This is another time for the College to thank those of us who give so much to the College and to our students.  The barbecue that was scheduled for after this celebration has been canceled due to a pending rain storm but Campus Ministry promised us that they will re-schedule it for another time soon. 

Be well, take good care and PLEASE, especially as things in Afghanistan heat up and more and more of our soldiers are wounded or killed , please keep the members of our military and their families (and all of our veterans and their families) in your thoughts and prayers.  War  by Sebastian Junger is a book I just finished and it is one which helped me better understand the amazing bond that so many members of our military talk about - he is a journalist who was embedded with our troops in Afghanistan for several months - he has a documentary coming out this summer which is entitled Restrepo  which will be an incredibly powerful look at the reality of war..... 

Dave

Commencement(s) and a FIRST

Last Thursday morning Saint Michael's College held its 103rd Commencement exercises - we graduated over 500 students and the ceremony was marked by a first - Jamie Gorton was the student selected by his fellow classmates to deliver the address to the graduating class.  I was on Jamie's POW when he first arrived at SMC and have enjoyed a friendship with him ever since.  Although I never had him in class, I followed his successful career at SMC - he was actively involved in many areas of the campus and so I was not surprised when he was selected by his friends and classmates to deliver the student address.  What none of us were prepared for was how he ended his talk.  After providing many laughs ("nice of the faculty and staff to come to this commencement dressed as pinatas" - a reference to the many colors worn by faculty/staff which represent the colors of their individual colleges/universities) and providing a challenge to the students to make this a better world IF they can all work together to "make it work" - he asked Rachael to stand up - "you know which Rachael" he said and then he proceeded to ask his girl friend if she would marry him - I have attended 28 commencement ceremonies at SMC and this IS a FIRST.  Fortunately for Jamie and the rest of us, Rachael said YES.  There was thunderous applause as both Rachael (Roy) and Jamie are clearly favorites of their classmates.  I know Rachael fairly well as she has taken a number of my courses, including most recently my Men & Masculinities course - while we discussed a wide variety of topics in that class, this is one we did NOT talk about - how to respond when your boyfriend proposes to you in front of 3,000 people....... I wish them both the very best.

On Thursday afternoon I was honored to attend a wonderful luncheon hosted by the family of Lucia Suarez Sang - Lucia is from the Dominican Republic and ten members of her family traveled to SMC for Lucia's graduation.  She has been an active member of this community and she has been a joy to get to know and we are a better place because of the many contributions that Lucia has made here.  Her family was clearly so proud of her and it was wonderful to be able to share with her family just how much we love and appreciate Lucia.  I also had the chance to meet the family of Joy-Anne Headley and of Kemi Brewster - two of our students from Barbados.  I had met Joy-Anne's family previously but had not met Kemi's before.  Both of these amazing young women also have contributed much to our community and Commencement was a perfect time to express our gratitude to these families for sending their daughters to us.  

Several of the young men who were in my Men & Masculinities course introduced me to their parents and there were many, many pictures taken over the course of a few hours.  Getting to meet parents after WE have "had" their sons/daughters  with us for four years is always one of those additional joys of working here.  Of course, the morning began interestingly enough when Bill Collins, class of '84 came up to say hello - Bill and his wife Erin graduated from SMC in '84 and their's was the first SMC wedding I ever attended.  Bill gave me a handshake and a hug and them told me that they were here for their son Bill's graduation - talk about feeling old.........  It was also great to see several former students whose younger siblings are now graduating - time certainly flies these days and fortunately there are so many wonderful memories of so many current and former students.

On Saturday I traveled down to Boston where I attended the 'hooding" of my friend and former student Jim Howland.  Jim earned his Ph.D. from the School of Education at Boston University and I was privileged to serve on his doctoral committee.  His wife Liz, also an '88 graduate was there with their two kids - both sets of parents were also there and I had not seen them since Liz and Jim were married 17 years ago.  Jim is the social worker/teacher at the only school in MA for kids in recovery and Liz is a social worked/teacher in a Special Education program near their home in Beverly, MA.  Here is a picture of the three of us:

no pressure on their two kids, Ben and Marguerite but Mom has two masters and now Dad has his Ph.D.

  In addition to Jim's commencement, Seth Brown - '09 received his Master of Science Degree in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia this weekend.  It is extremely rewarding when I get to see my former students achieving their advanced degrees - we have so many of our students who are now going on to further studies and that speaks volumes about the programs offered by Saint Michael's College.  

I have already heard from a number of my students who just graduated.  Several have posted pictures from Commencement on Facebook and others have contacted me through Skype or emails.  They all seemed to understand when I said that I don't say goodbye but "see you later" - hopefully we will stay in touch for many, many years to come.  Good luck to you all and thanks to each of you for enriching my life here at SMC.

Take care, be well and please, please continue to keep all of the members of our military and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

  

Happy Mother's Day, some thoughts for our seniors and yes, it is snowing here again.......

As many folks are celebrating Mothers' Day with their friends and families, our seniors are in the third day of Senior Week.  Commencement is just a couple of days away (Thursday) and from all reports the seniors are having a good time despite the snow that has been falling for several hours - and they always ask why we can't have commencement outside???????  Two of my seniors (Dave Hiltz and Jason Fuchs) just took me out to lunch at Sneakers in Winooski - this place has been around since I began working here 29 years ago but now they have moved just a few doors down the street and they are better than ever.  Jason and David are both psychology majors and they have each taken several courses with me.  It is always such a time of mixed emotions as I know that they will be leaving soon (this is just a natural progression of how things are supposed to be) but they sometimes don't realize that THEY impact US as much as we impact THEM. Tomorrow evening there will be a reception hosted by the seniors for the faculty/staff of the College at the Catamount Country Club - this is always a great time for us to say those "see you later" remarks because I know that many, many of these seniors WILL be in touch with us for many years to come.  I had 13 of my students over for brunch at my home last week - this is my Practicum class and while 3 were not able to join us, the other 13 had a great time - it was a nice day and we were able to get a couple of pictures outside.  This group of 16 has been with me for the entire academic year and it is rewarding to read the evaluations provided by their site supervisors - it is also rewarding to remember back to September when they were all so tentative on their placements and to see them now after a year is truly a gift.  They have worked 8 - 10 hours a week in social service agencies throughout Chittenden County and have done an amazing job of learning all that they can about their agencies AND impacting both the staff and the clients of their sites.  I often remark on my blog about "the joy of teaching" and this certainly is one of those joys.

 

Last night I attended a graduation party for the son of good friends who used to live here in Vermont.  Three of their sons graduated from SMC and their youngest just graduated yesterday from Champlain College.  The Stratford family now lives in MA but it was good to have them all back here for Connor's graduation.  Matt and his wife, Denis and his wife and Tim (without his wife but with pictures ) are all doing well and their parents Denis/Marnie look great and it was just nice to re-connect with all of them. I marvel at how easily goof friends re-connect even though it has been quite a while since I have seen any of them - email helps but this is much better.

I hope that you all have a great weekend and that you get to celebrate the impact that mothers have had on all of us - whether you are lucky enough to still have your Mother in your life or you have lost your Mother, remembering that her influence in our lives lives forever......

Take care, be well and as always, please keep the members of our military and their families in your thoughts and prayers and to all of our graduates - since I never say goodbye, I will ask that you remember that you have been successful here at Saint Michael's College and therefore, there is absolutely NO reason for you to ever think, even for a nanosecond (whatever that is) that you won't be successful when you leave here.  On Thursday, President Jack Neuhauser will hand you your diploma and because you are polite, you will say thank you.  You do NOT give him back all of the good times, the challenging times, the good decisions, the bad decisions you have made here during your four years - you will take all that you have learned from those four years and, armed now with a diploma from Saint Michael's College - go out and make our world a better place - God knows we need you to make this a better place.........

Peace and Godspeed - "see you later"

Dave

Ok, so we have a little snow.........

On Monday students were outside on the lawn tossing frisbees dressed in shorts and short sleeved shirts - and today we have several inches of snow on the ground and it is still snowing - Jay Peak has even decided to re-open after closing for the season as they got 14 inches of new snow and are expecting an additional 7 inches today.  Of course, this IS Vermont and the temperatures this weekend are supposed to be in the 70's or even in the 80's - THIS is why I love Vermont.  I was planning on going kayaking this morning but instead will just ride the exercise bike in my home..... looking out the window at the snow continuing to fall and the accumulation of about 7 inches.

 Last night the SA (Student Association) had their final meeting of the year and Marilyn Cormier, adviser to the SA AND Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the College thanked the members of the SA for their good work this year and then presented SA President David Hiltz a gift from the President and the Board.  Even in the final meeting students were challenged to support farm workers in Florida in their attempts to get a ONE CENT per pound of tomatoes picked increase which would in effect double their income.  Several of our students/staff travel to Immokalee, Florida each year as part of the MOVE program and Josh Hoxie and one of his colleagues from the Student Labor Action Movement (SLAM) were part of that trip this year and asked the SA to sign a letter urging Sodexho to sign on to almost ALL major food producers in this requested increase.  Our students were unanimous in their support - I challenged the SA several months ago to get MORE involved in educating themselves and our campus about the plethora (love that word) of issues confronting our society and to their credit, they rose to that challenge. This year the SA has dealt with so many different issues and they have really made a difference in the increase of awareness on our campus.

A week ago our new men's head basketball coach, Michael Harding was introduced by David to the SA and Michael spoke about his goals for our basketball program and how he hopes to better engage our students.  He was a huge hit with the students as he is clearly comfortable working with young people - they want him to come back ("and bring your little boy with you") as he also asked them what THEY are looking for from our basketball program - a good choice and a good mix.

Tomorrow night we will hold our block M dinner. This is the end of the year Athletic Department celebration of a year of athletic competition.  Each team is honored and coaches talk about their seasons and recognize outstanding members of their teams.  It is a great time to thank our student-athletes for all of their hard work during the past year.  It is not easy for any college student today to combine work outside of the classroom with a rigorous academic schedule.  Student-athletes in particular spend countless hours both during and out of season on their sport.  As the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative I am asked to address the gathering and last year was incredibly proud to announce that 58 of our student-athletes had achieved an overall Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher.  In addition, I ask all student-athletes who have attained a 3.0 or higher to be recognized and am proud that more and more of our students attain that GPA each year. I am looking forward to tomorrow night and eagerly await the results of this year's academic achievement of our student-athletes.   I picked up the Burlington Free Press this morning and they have a section on College Honors.  Under academics was the following: " Dave Vorozilchak St. Michael's college:  the senior won the Northeast 10's Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award for men's hockey, recognizing success on the field and in the classroom.  He ranked fourth among NE-10 defensemen in points (19) and third in assists (15) while maintaining a 3.7 grade point average in engineering."  What the article doesn't include is what an amazing young man David is.  I have come to know him quite well over his four years here and his leadership both on and off of the ice has made major contributions to the College.  He served as a Resident Assistant in our Student Life Program, was an active member of our Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) and has served as the male student-athlete representative on the College's Athletic advisory Council which I chair.  His contributions to the College are very much appreciated and we will hate to see him graduate.  I have also gotten to know his Mom and Dad and they often travel from their home in Pennsylvania for David's home hockey games - it has been fun over the years to introduce David's parents to the various faculty and staff who attend the home hockey games as to a person, we all praise this young man and thank his parents for sending him to SMC.

Although our seniors don't want me saying this - Friday IS the last day of classes and with finals next week, perhaps the snow will result in an increased grade point average.  It is always emotional for seniors to find their time here coming to an end and sometimes they forget that we will miss some of them as much as they miss us.  It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to watch young men and women arrive on this campus as first year students and then to watch them grow and mature.  They make mistakes, they fall down, they get back up, they have their ups and downs and they LOVE their time here - you will be missed and I hope that you come back often........

take care, be well and please keep the members of our military and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Consortium of Vermont Colleges' Bus Tour - a successful concert, the "end" is near :) and we have a new men's basketball coach......

I just got back to my office after attending the breakfast on campus for the Consortium of Vermont Colleges' Bus Tour - this is an annual event which brings together guidance counselors and independent counselors from all over the country for a bus tour of all of the Vermont colleges/universities.  With several current students and members of the faculty and staff in attendance, Admissions Director Jacki Murphy gave a brief overview of SMC and then the participants had breakfast and a chance to talk with those of us representing SMC before they took their tour of the campus.  I met with a number of these folks and had the opportunity to answer a lot of their questions.  One woman from NY works at a community college and we had a great discussion of the value of that experience.  Since my first two years of college were at a community college we had a great talk.  She was asking about transfers.  Two other folks asked about athletics, the Catholic nature of the College, financial aid, student involvement in so many activities and the benefit of SMC being right next to Burlington.  It is a lively group and they will tour the entire state during this week.  As always, I am proud of our students as they are such great representatives of our overall student body. 

Three Eye Blind is the name of a very popular group who performed on Friday night at the spring concert.  From all reports, it was a great event and everyone I have spoken to so far had a fantastic time.  It takes so much effort to put on any event on a college campus while school is in session and a concert truly takes up the effort of so many people.  Grace Kelly, our Director of Student Activities and all of the students/staff who work with her to make these events a success are to be applauded.  Mark LItchfield, Director of Special Events always does a fantastic job working with all of us and he makes things to much easier just by the way he interacts with everyone - Well done.....

We have two weeks of classes left before the end of our semester.  This coming Friday the Psychology Department's Symposium will take place and seven of our students will present the results of their honors research to the community.  Jenny Pietroski, Morgan Powers, Jason Fuchs, Kate Amey, Greg Tatro, Caitlin Adamo and Betsie Miltner all have done some amazing research and they present to the Department and the community and then answer questions about their research.  This not only provides them with the chance to show their hard work but it also is great preparation for future work in the field of Psychology.  Tolerance and sensitization of d-amphetamine on a DRL 17.5-s schedule is Jason's topic and Parsing partisanship:  How strong political leanings might distort one's thinking  is Greg's.  Jenny is a wonderful student to have in class and her presentation is titled:  The effects of nicotine, nicotine abstinence, and acute psychological stress on cardiovascular reactivity and neuroendocrine functioning in a sample of habitual and intermittent cigarette smokers.  They have all worked closely with a member of the faculty in our department and this is one of the highlights of their four years here - that collaboration between a student and a member of the faculty which results in a public presentation of research - it doesn't get much better than that.   In addition, we will have the Psi Chi Induction ceremony where students who have achieved high grade point averages will be inducted into the Psychology Honor Society.  There will be 62 student poster presentation where our students get to showcase their activities over this past year.  Dr. Melissa VanderKaay Tomasulo is this year's Symposium coordinator and she has done a great job in preparing everyone for this event - thanks Melissa :)

Now that pre-registration is almost complete I have my class lists for the fall courses.  I received an email the other day from one of my "future" students who is studying abroad and who will be in two classes.  She is in Africa right now and while I know OF her, I don't know her yet so appreciated her email.  She also commented to me that her family reads my blog - as those of you who DO read this regularly know, that always amazes me since I simply blog but really have no idea who or how many people actually read all of this - to those of you who do - THANKS........

Our new men's basketball coach has been selected.  Michael Harding comes to us from Stonehill College and since I was on the Search Committee, I am really happy that Mike accepted our offer and will be joining us. He has a very strong stance on academic achievement for his student-athletes and I look forward to working with him on this.  He has already begun his duties here and on Tuesday he will be "introduced" to the local media.  During his interviewing we discussed a hope that there will be greater involvement with students and the community and to that end, I am taking Michael to the SA meeting on Tuesday evening where he will be introduced to the student leaders of the Student Association.  Both Matt Seklecki and Claire McQuillen will be returning next year to be the co-secretaries of programming and they are interested in increasing the involvement of ALL students with our athletic programs so they will not only attend the 4:30 "media" presentation but they will hopefully work with our new coach to bring more students to support our basketball program.  Welcome Michael! ! ! ! !

Enjoy the week, take care and please keep all of the members of our military in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

A VSAC presentation and lots of activities as the semester winds down FAST...

I drove to Lyndonville, VT this morning to Lyndon State College to do another presentation for VSAC - Vermont Student Assistance Corporation - this one was for around 200 parents of current high school juniors - the Governor welcomed the students and their parents and then the parents spent the next hour and a half with me talking with them about the transition from high school to college.  I enjoy doing these presentations and the questions that parents raise are excellent.  I know that much of the information I give them will make them uncomfortable and I challenge them to talk to their "kids" and to listen more.  I cover a wide range of topics including mental health issues, student-athletes' often difficult transition from being the "hero" in high school to sitting the bench for a year in college, to academic achievement and gender, drugs/alcohol and sex.  I appreciate that VSAC offers workshops like this to help parents with what can be a difficult time for them.  Oh yes, it snowed most of the way there this morning but by the time I left and drove home the temperatures had climbed to the mid-50's and the snow had melted - it WAS Mother Nature's way or reminding us that this IS early April and she may not be finished with us just yet - the average snowfall in Vermont is between 4 & 5 inches so even though our students are now wearing shorts and flip flops around campus things can change quickly.  Besides, with only three more weeks of classes left, I can sometimes hear grade point averages drop as the temperatures rise :)

As the semester DOES wind down most departments are hosting the work of their senior majors.  Our Psychology Symposium is on the 23rd which will include the induction ceremony for Psi Chi - the Psychology Honor Society, Journalism presentations will be soon, Phi Beta Kappa held their induction ceremony yesterday as did the History Department, Journalism and Education Departments, the Athletic Department hosts a speaker on Monday - this presentation, entitled Rachael's Challenge tells the story of the first young woman who was killed in the horrific Columbine massacre, Kathryn Markey '84 returns to share some of her writings and of course, several of our athletic teams are in the throes of their seasons. 

This is always a busy time on campus and I try to remind students, especially seniors to take some time to appreciate what they HAVE experienced here over the past one, two, three OR four years.  It is rewarding to be able to watch young people be challenged - to see them face those challenges and grow so much from these challenges - just another one of the joys of working here at SMC.

take care, be well, and please don't forget the members of our military and their families - keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Back from Spring Break and the race to the end begins....

Last week our students were on Spring Break.  While many of them headed to Florida for the traditional college "spring break" experience many others took this time to re-group, volunteer or rest and relax at home while our spring sports teams headed south for athletic competition.  I had the opportunity to address almost 500 parents at a VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation) College Pathways annual series of workshops designed for high school juniors and their parents.  I spoke to the parents about the transition from high school to college and while a good deal of what I presented made many of them "uncomfortable" and provoked a good deal of anxiety, it was important that parents more fully understand some of the issues I talked about.  I have received a number of emails from parents who attended my session and I appreciate their comments and inquiries. 

I met with my Practicum students yesterday and they began presenting their final yearlong projects which consist of a case study of a "client" at their internship sites.  Kate Amey was the first and she did an exceptional job in clearly and concisely presenting her case study.  My students interview someone at their site and then research whatever the presenting issues are and along with a site supervisor (and, of course respecting confidentiality and with the "client's" permission) prepare information for the class.  This project allows my students to pull together much of what we have learned over the past academic year (Practicum is a two semester course) and it is always gratifying to see how my students can incorporate so much of what we discuss/research in class.  I am looking forward to the rest of these case study presentations.  We also discussed the REALITY that we only have 4 more classes before the semester comes to an end.  While it was great that two of my students have now heard from graduate schools (congratulations to Rachael and Erika on getting their acceptances) it is also a somewhat frightening reality that the "race to the end" is upon us.  The good thing is that this class has really come together as a highly functioning group so they are able to talk openly with each other and with me about their plans (or lack thereof) after graduation.  Interesting and challenging times.

Men & Masculinities met last night and students did a presentation on Men & Masculinities and Film - this is an extremely thought-provoking topic and we ended with small group discussions on what THEY think the impact has been on them from all forms of media when it comes to the way in which they have been socially constructed to view men.  Each small group consists of 3 women and 3 men so the interaction/discussion is fascinating to watch.  This class also only has 4 more classes in the semester so they too are feeling the pressures of their time here coming to an end.  I have been hosting "dinner at Dave's" for the past several Mondays and last night had 5 of these students over for dinner after class.  I chased them out around 11:00 after a wonderful evening of food, discussion and their just having a chance to get off campus for a meal.  They are always so appreciative of this opportunity and it certainly is a pleasure for me.  My Practicum class now insists that I have THEM over for dinner too - we will work something out but they also insist on all being together so there won't be a splitting up as there has been with M&M - hummm perhaps pizza from Domino's????????

It is raining outside, dark and gloomy - much different from last week when they were all gone and I was able to get to the mountain and ski at Smuggler's Notch - temperatures last week were in the 50's and now they are hovering around 40 - but as I have often said, when the temperatures rise in the springtime their grades seem to fall - let's hope for some combination of studying and good weather.

Take care, be well and please keep the members of our military and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Skype - and our global connections - The Lonely Soldier by Helen Benedict

I have mentioned that I am just learning how to Skype in a previous blog.  Well, I am now putting it to good use in connecting with current/former students who are scattered around the globe.  On Wednesday evening I was checking my email from home when Tom Robinson who graduated from SMC in the mid-90's popped up on my computer screen - Tom left here and studied at UVM in their Higher Education Student Affairs Master's program - he has had a number of positions within Higher Education over the years and we have remained good friends.  When we connected through our computers, I asked him where he was and he responded Beijing.  He is currently working for Northeastern University in Boston and is in China for two weeks working on a program where Chinese students study English in China and then come to the United States for three years for their undergraduate education.  It was great to talk with him and to realize that I was in my home in Williston, VT talking with a friend/former student in China.  Yesterday I Skyped one of my current students who is studying in Spain.  Meghan Cormier is a second semester junior and one of my advisees.  We are getting ready to begin pre-registration for the fall semester and she and I discussed what courses she wanted/needed to take her senior year.  She was able to connect to the College's website, check her degree audit and tell me what courses she was interested in taking next year.  Normally, with our Study Abroad students, it is a matter of either hoping to be able to talk by phone or many emails before academic advising is accomplished - this Skype thing is so much better. She is having an amazing time over there and was even able to get to Ireland for four days a week ago.  Her Mom and sister are going over to visit her in a couple of weeks and she is so excited about that.  I received an email from my friend/former student Matt Dunn who is an emergency room doctor - he is in Chile about to begin a grueling extreme racing event which, in spite of the recent tragedy of earthquakes IN Chile is still being held.  I am going to see if Matt can Skype from where he is as the race progresses - he is in email contact with many of us here and we get to follow the progress of the race.  I am amazed that the Chilean government is allowing this race to go on given the devastation but they want this to take place as it brings a great deal of money into the country and they need that desperately now.  China - Spain - Chile  all connected with SMC through technology - not bad!!!!!!!

Campus has been really busy with winter sports ending and spring sports just beginning.  Many of our spring sports are heading to Florida for our Spring Break so that they can get a jump start on their seasons.  I have some baseball players in my classes and they are looking forward to a lot of games while in Florida.  With only a week before Spring Break, students are scrambling to get papers submitted and projects completed.  Once they return we then have Easter break and then classes end on the last day of April - while they don't always appreciate my reminders that the semester is going by VERY quickly, they are working hard.  I will, of course, remind all of them to use sunblock if they are heading to warmer climates :)   Our weather has been amazing lately - I went skiing at Smuggs on Wednesday morning.  While we haven't had a lot of snow lately, the slopes were well-groomed and the sun was shining brightly with temperatures in the mid-30's.  I hope to ski every day of our Spring Break.

Thanks to an invitation from Kim Swartz, the Director of the Center for Women and Gender, last Tuesday I was fortunate to attend a luncheon with Helen Benedict who was speaking on campus that night.  She is the author of a new book - The Lonely Soldier - she has interviewed a number of women who serve or who have served in the United States military.  Specifically, she was interested in the experiences of women in combat.  We met briefly and I told her about my Men & Masculinities class and that we were using Love My Rifle More Than You by Kayla Williams - Helen had just recently met Kayla and was impressed that there was a class here which WAS addressing this as an issue.  Her luncheon talk was riveting and I look forward to hearing how my students responded to her evening presentation.  This is an issue that has received very little coverage in the media.  I asked her if anyone was listening as SHE has given a voice to those women who have no "voice" - she has appeared before Congress and knows that "some" in the military are at least aware of her book but she isn't sure that the message is really being heard.  After writing The Lonely Soldier, she then wrote a play which has been on Broadway and is now writing a novel - all based on the interviews she has had with women in OUR military.......

Well, back to grading papers - please take good care and please keep all of the members of our military and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Enjoying the "fruits of our labor" -

 I returned late Friday evening from a 7 day trip out West where I visited with four of my former students.  I flew into San Francisco where Bob King ('84)met me at the airport and then the next day we drove up to Incline Village, NV to the home of our friends Davis/Ann Clark.   Davis and Ann are former students from Pontiac Catholic High School in Pontiac, Michigan and I have known them since they were my students in 1975.  We spent a wonderful time snowshoeing and skiing in Lake Tahoe.  Ann is a high school art teacher in Incline Village and Davis is the IT person at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe.  I have had the pleasure of going into Ann's school and presenting to her classes and to the entire school on issues of hazing, bullying, alcohol and drugs.  It is always such a joy to see former students who are now to actively involved in their communities.  Davis is the IT person who speaks "English" and not technobabble so he is much appreciated by those he works with at the Hyatt - again it is good to see how people greet him as he walks through that beautiful resort hotel.  He has also been a coach and a substitute teacher and since Incline Village is such a small community, whenever we are together they are both greeted by many of their current/former students.  Bob works in corporate America and was a work-study in the Student Resource Center when he was a student at SMC.  He is currently working at the person in charge of all video-conferencing for a global financial corporation but has never lost that sense of the Catholic nature of SMC and his personality shines through in everything that he does.  Bob is also VERY creative as he showed us when, after a day of skiing at Diamond Peak (ten minutes from DAvis/Ann's home) he created a You Tube video of MY adventures on the slopes.  It seems that these three have somehow forgotten that I AM 66 and so when they convinced me that I really could navigate Crystal at Diamond Peak, I foolishly believed them.  It was quite a challenge and while I survived, Bob's video camera caught some interesting footage which he turned into a very funny You Tube video - I have to admit that I NEVER thought I would be on You Tube.......  If you want a good laugh simply go to You Tube and put in Dave Landers Hallelujah - let me know what you think.......  After Bob returned to San Francisco another former student, Craig Farnum '99 drove up to Incline and hung out with us before driving me back to Reno with him where the next day I went with him into his high school and presented to the leadership class.  Craig is the Lead Counselor and at 33 is one of the youngest Lead Counselors in the State of Nevada.  Craig was a psychology major at SMC and a Spanish minor and he has made quite an impact on the people he works with.  The students clearly love him and two of his fellow counselors AND his principal took the time to tell me how much they value him as a colleague.  One of the senior students in the leadership class mentioned that she has always wanted to study Psychology but wasn't sure about exactly what she could do with that major - she is interested in a "job like Mr. Farnum" and after we talked I invited her to become part of my Practicum class when "Mr. Farnum Skypes into my class to talk with my college senior psychology students - - again, it is nice to be able to "enjoy the fruits of our labor" as I was able to see four people who are making a difference in our world but whom I have known for so many years.  I tell students that if you decide to go into education or counseling you had better understand the concept of "delayed gratification" as it can sometimes take many years for us to actually see the "fruits of our labor."

Now that I am back, I have just completed grading the first papers from my Sports Psychology class.  They are pretty good and I look forward to more of their critical thought and analysis on the many topics we are exploring in class.  Men & Masculinities meets tomorrow night and after class I will be hosting the first of 5 dinners at my home.  I have 6 students for dinner right after class on Mondays and while I cook, they talk and just enjoy being off campus and having someone else cook.  I have, in the past, had to throw them out around 11 because I need my sleep.  It was also interesting to note that when I mentioned hosting dinners at my house to the 30 students at Craig's school they were amazed - this is something they had no idea that college faculty do.  I know that this is NOT unusual here at SMC and I look forward every year to having these dinners.  

On this past Wednesday, in Lansing, Michigan, Louis Stamatakos was honored with the Silver Star, the third highest award that our government can give someone.  I had Lou as a professor in my earlier graduate school days at Michigan State University where I received my Masters Degree.  My brother-in-law Jim Wall also had Lou as a professor and they have maintained a wonderful friendship for many, many years.  Jim alerted me to the fact that Lou, while never discussing this with friends and family, had, at the age of 20 saved an entire airplane which was flying over Nazi Germany during World War II - two bombs became entangled inside the plane and had they hit the sides of the plane, all would have been lost.  Now, 65 years later - 65 years after the fact, Louis Stamatakos was honored this past week with the awarding of the Silver Star for untangling the bombs and saving the lives of all on-board. My best to Lou and his family on this long overdue honor.

 As our men and women fight in two wars I hope that WE don't wait 65 years to keep them in our thoughts and prayers and to honor their service to our country and to us.........

take care and be well.

Dave