Dave

Unplugging, tuning out and taking off :)

The last couple of weeks have been relaxing and while I have been able to get out kayaking a lot, the rain in the East has dampened the spirits (and limited the activities) of a lot of people.  If we only had this much "precipitation" during the winter many of us would be ecstatic...... I have been doing some reading and planning for my classes for the fall semester and have heard from a number of students who will be in one or two of my classes.  I had lunch with David Hiltz our new SA President and have played racquetball with Jason Fuchs a couple of times.  Both of them will be in my classes in the fall and they are great students as I have had them both in my Abnormal Psych class in the past.  I continue to hear from former students (Chris Parent and his wife just adopted a new born baby - Rob Fardin sent pictures of his THREE kids as did Kainne Hansbury) and appreciate that those connections are still so strong beyond their time here at Saint Michael's College.  I was driving to Otis, MA to visit my sister and her family last Friday when my cell phone went off - I don't get many calls on that thing so was somewhat surprised - with the glare of the sun (the sun actually was OUT for a while on Friday) I wasn't able to see who was calling so I simply answered it - it was Pat Gallivan, our VP for Institutional Advancement and a good friend whom I have known since he was a first year student here many years ago - "hey Pat, where are you?" I asked and he responded "right next to you" - we were both on I-89 heading south - I am not sure why this cracked me up so much but it did.  He was heading to NH to visit Rick Cote and his family (Rick is a classmate of Patrick's) and I was heading to MA.  Small world. 

I leave in the morning for two weeks in Incline Village which is on Lake Tahoe.  I will see my friend Craig Farnum ('99) in Reno and then he will drive me to my other friends' home for the two weeks.  I will miss Craig's fiance Colleen who comes in the next day from New Mexico where she is studying to become a Physician's Assistant but at least I will have some time with Craig before they head back to New Mexico.  My friends live in a wonderful home nestled above Lake Tahoe in the woods - they leave on Sunday for a week in Greece to celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary and (heavy sigh) SOMEONE has to stay in their home while they are away................. I am leaving my laptop at home - cell phone coverage is VERY limited (I have to walk up to the end of their road to get coverage) and I will have my Canon EOS Rebel digital camera with me PLUS my Kindle so I will have lots of peace and quiet, good reading material AND my camera.  I WILL be taking Jon Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go There You Are with me as that is one of the required texts for my Practicum class in the fall and I just want to re-read his book on mindfulness - not a bad place to be reading about and practicing that technique. 

So I will be unplugged, tuned out and taking off tomorrow.  Please take good care, be well and please, please (I just read about the latest deaths of members of our military in Afghanistan) keep our troops and their families AND our veterans in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Summer - finally.

Both New York and Vermont have had more rain in June than sunshine but you can get very good at dodging those raindrops for some biking or kayaking.  It has been a good couple of weeks following Reunion 2009 - it was so good to re-connect with so many former students over that weekend and since.  Many have contacted me after being here at their "home" - at least the place which they describe as their "home" and have commented on how great it was to be "back home."  It is always difficult to decide which class to spend time with but in the end I went with the Class of '84 as they were really the first class that I got to know after I started here in 1982.  Good people.......

Yesterday was one of those amazing Vermont days.  I got up early and headed to the Burlington Bike Path and went for an 11.5 mile bike ride along Lake Champlain.  There wasn't a lot of traffic on the BBP and the view of the Lake always reminds me of how lucky I am to live here.  When I returned home I decided thatt it was just too nice outside to be INSIDE so I loaded my kayak on the top of my car and headed out to Indianbrook Reservoir (about 5 miles from campus and a great place to kayak, hike or showshoe) for a leisurely kayak around the Reservoir.  With lots of sunblock and my camera I spent about an hour going around the periphery of the Reservoir.  There were some families enjoying the water, a group of kids from the Burlington Boys & Girls Club also kayaking and some folks fishing.  Much like the BBP, I find thatt people are just plain friendly.  Two young girls swimming shouted out thatt they liked my kayak and a mother with her two kids in a canoe talked with me about the turtles in the Reservoir.  On the bike path, people in Burlington always speak and acknowledge each other - there is just something friendly about this area that allows folks to simply be nice to each other and to strangers.

I was on campus this week revising syllabi for two of my courses for the fall semester.  We want to make sure that our students have information about our classes and the texts we will be requiring in a timely manner so that, if they want, they can get their textbooks prior to the start of school.  While neither the students nor the faculty are READY to start over again with another semester just yet, it was nice to think about the fall semester.  I can honestly say that I did not have one bad class all last year - not one and that is a testament to our students.  I will be back on campus this afternoon to play some racquetball with one of my students who is working on campus this summer.  This weekend is the 25th annual Chew Chew Festival on the Waterfront and that is always a great event which brings lots of folks together to "sample" some of the food from popular local restaurants in a beautiful setting since it is right on the waterfront.

Facebook continues to intrigue me and it has been great to hear from people like Chris Gross (congratulations on your engagement and hi to your Mom, Dad and brothers Pete and Dan), Chris Callahan (Scooter), Mile Melville and several others who have "found" me on Facebook.  I have even heard from two of my former students from Pontiac, Michigan whom I have not heard from in over 40 years - this social networking phenomenon IS a reality and allows me to stay in touch with so many people who I would otherwise NOT be connected to except for that once a year Xmas card.......

So, life continues to be good in Vermont - I hope that YOUR summer is going well and that, as always, you take care, be well and keep our service men/women and our veterans in your thoughts and prayers. I head out to Lake Tahoe on July 8th so perhaps my next blog will come from there.  It is also nice to hear from folks who DO actually read the blogs - I am amazed when someone tells me that they have been or are reading this - please keep it up!

Dave

Reunion 2009

Every year the College hosts a summer Reunion which brings former students who have been "out" for 5,10,15 etc. years back to campus for a series of events and celebrations.  This past weekend was a huge success and since Reunion usually coincides with Burlington's Jazz Festival, there were so many people who came back to share memories, renew friendships and enjoy the uniqueness of Burlington.  I have now been at the College long enough to have connections with 5 returning classes.  The Class of '84 was really the first class that I was close to.  They invited me (and Jennie Cernosia) to join them for their dinner and their induction as "Silver Knights" on Saturday night but Friday afternoon found several of us (George, Glenn, Erin/Bill, Sharon/Andy, Tom, Joe/Nicki sitting down on the water's edge at Splash, a local bar/restaurant right on the water.  I was with them for about 3.5 hours and can only imagine how long they all stayed and enjoyed being together again.  Saturday morning all of the returning classes gathered in the Ross Sport Center as each class presented the President with their class gifts.  The class of '59 (Golden Knights) was out in full force and their comments, and the comments of each class representative who spoke addressed the impact that Saint Michael's College HAD and continues to HAVE on their lives.  It is amazing to listen to these people, some of whom have been "out" of college for 50+ years talk about their time at Saint Michael's College.  They remembered the fun times, celebrated the lives of those they have lost from their classes and pledged that this place they attended so many years ago WILL continue because they see that the values that they learned here so many years ago are still alive and well on campus today.  Talking with old friends, meeting spouses, seeing pictures of their kids, remembering, remembering, remembering AND celebrating being back together - all of these things made this a huge success.

On Saturday morning I had been asked to present what the College calls "Back to the Classroom" - this is an opportunity for one of us to present information on a current topic to those alums who might be interested.  My topic was Academic Achievement and Gender and even though this took place at 9:30 on a Saturday morning after a fun-filled Friday night, I had several folks who showed up and who not only showed up, but who actively participated in the discussion.  Priscilla Miller from the Office of Institutional Advancement was the facilitator and her presence was much appreciated.  I was particularly pleased that some of the '84 returnees were there as were some of the Golden Knights from the Class of '59. 

All in all, another great weekend at Saint Mike's - I continue hearing from recent alums and fortunately, some are reporting employment - others have heard from graduate schools - hopefully this trend will continue.  Alan WAS accepted in the Saint Michael's College Clinical Psychology program for the fall -

take good care, be well, and please keep our service men/women and their families as well as all of our veterans in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Stephen Colbert and Alan - Fenway - Psychobabble #3

First things first - this week on Comedy Central the Colbert Report (the t is silent) will be coming from Baghdad where Stephen Colbert is filming his show to help remind all of us that the War is still going on over there - he feels (and I agree) that too many of us have forgotten this fact - somehow, the economy seems to have eclipsed the WARS - he begins his show tonight and comes out wearing a business suit made of camouflage material. Much like Bob Hope used to do,(for those of you who don't know who I am referring to, ask your parents or grandparents)  he is there to entertain our troops and apparently ends up having his head shaved on "orders" from President Obama.  As today's New York Times reports: "...  he is unquestionably a real supporter of the troops, raising money through donorschoose.orgfor school supplies for children of soldiers, through his WristStrong bracelets for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which helps injured veterans, and by donating to the U.S.O. proceeds from iTunes downloads of this week’s episodes." Those of you who follow my blogging know who Alan is ('01)- he served our country in the Army for four years, went to Iraq and Afghanistan, was stop-lossed and returned to Afghanistan for an additional 18 months and is now out and applying to graduate schools for Clinical Psychology as he wants to work with our veterans - he was in town last week for his interview with Dr. Ron Miller, the head of SMC's Clinical Psychology graduate program.  Alan and I had lunch while he was here and every time we speak, either directly, via email or through letters, I am sharply reminded that WE simply MUST pay closer attention to what our men and women go through in their service to this country.  Stephen Colbert has an audience - he is currently one of the most popular comedians around and hopefully his four shows this week from Baghdad WILL serve as a reminder to all of us to continue paying attention to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Alan is the reason I end all of my blogs the same way.............

Fenway Park - what can I say?  Anyone who has ever been to that amazing ballpark knows the energy that it holds.  I first went there in 1999 when the SMC men's hockey team won the national championship - D-II hockey -and the Red Sox invited our captain (current head coach Chris Davidson) to throw out the first pitch and 60 of us traveled to Boston to see this. All of our seniors and then head coach Lou DiMasi were out on the pitcher's mound IN Fenway Park when Davey (a Yankee's fan I might add) threw out that first pitch.  I have been to Fenway several times since then and each time it has been an amazing time.  Marge and John Monahan have sent us their three sons and their one daughter.  Matt, Greg and Alex have all graduated and Jill just completed her first year.  Marge gets a number of tickets each year and invited me, along with Marilyn Cormier (President's Office) and her daughter Meaghan ('11)and Jill's friend Tim McDonnell ('13) to all gather on Yawkey Way for lunch and then to attend the game with them.  WHAT a great time - even though the Red Sox lost to Texas, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Boston AT Fenway Park with good friends - it doesn't get much better than that - thanks again to Marge and John, not only for sending us all of your "kids" but for yesterday's great adventure in Boston.

The third edition of Psychobabble has not been posted online.  Many departments at the College have now established an online newsletter to let graduates of our departments (and everyone else) know the latest happenings in those departments.  MANY thanks to Sarah Gabriele, Caroline Crawford and Buff Lindau - for your wonderful help and support on getting these online newsletters published.  I collect the information from members of the Psychology Department and take all of that over to Sarah who then does her magic and with the help of Caroline and Buff, we end up with a quality project.  You can find the latest version of the Psychology Department's online efforts at  ://www2.smcvt.edu/marcom/MAJORS/psychology/spring09/Psychology_Home.htm  Enjoy.....

Take care, be well, and, as always, PLEASE keep all of our soldiers, their families and our veterans and their families in your thoughts and prayers - they not only need it but they sure have earned it.

Dave

Camp Ta Kum Ta, NE-10 and seniors miss us already......

Just a quick update on the Kolkata India trip - I have been following their blogs and have also had emails from my friend/colleague Sue Kuntz - they have now just about completed two weeks of their three week volunteer experience in India.  Sue reported that they had a cyclone the other day - she relates that the people are incredibly nice, very giving and curious about our volunteers.  It has been an amazing experience and the student blogs give such a great "feel" for what they are experiencing.  I am looking forward to talking with them when they return in another week.

Last night I drove to South Hero where the staff of Camp Ta Kum Ta had gathered for their staff development weekend.  This Camp has been in existence for 25 years with 24 of those years spent at Holy Cross Camp in Colchester.  They had to find another place and were fortunate to secure over 100 acres in South Hero - this Camp is a place for kids, aged 7 - 17 who have cancer.  There has always been a close connection between TKT and Saint Michael's College.  The camp takes place for a week in August with over 60 kids who are living with some form of cancer.  The volunteers (over 100+) are an amazing group of extremely committed people who give of themselves so that these kids can have a unique experience.  There are several SMC folks who have been involved with Camp over the years including Don Sutton who is retired from SMC where he worked in many, many different positions over his years at the College.  Don is also active in the Knights of Columbus and they gave Camp TKT a gift of $45,000 this past week for construction of cabins on the new site.  Pat Gallivan, Seth Cole, some current and some former students also take an active part in making this such a special place.  I had been asked to do a workshop for the volunteers on how to take care of yourself while taking care of kids with cancer.  They also asked that I address how to deal with change and transition as they move to a brand new home.  It was a privilege for me to be with these wonderful people.

I head out tomorrow for a quick visit with my sister and brother-in-law in Otis, MA before heading to Mystic, CT for meetings of the NE-10 on Monday and Tuesday.  This will be the first time that FAR (Faculty Athletic Representatives), Athletic Directors, Senior Women Administrators and Compliance Officers of all 16 schools that make up the NE-10 will meet together.  There are many challenges that all colleges/universities face these days with the current economic situation and while Saint Michael's College is fortunate that we have NOT had to cut any of our athletic programs (we continue to field 21 varsity teams) others have not been as lucky.  It will be a good opportunity for us to review the Strategic Plan of the NE-!0 and Division II of the NCAA.  

Several of our very recent graduates have been in touch with me.  Unlike many years in the past however, these contacts have NOT been to tell me that they have all found great jobs.  The current economic situation has made it even more difficult for anyone to find employment.  Many of them have said how much they miss SMC already and while they struggle to find that first job, they are grateful that they DID utilize the services of the Student Resource Center where they found assistance in writing their resumes, developing job search strategies and establishing a network of alums of the College who are always willing to help out our students.  

I have written here in the past about my friend and former student Alan who is a recent veteran fo both Iraq and Afghanistan.  He is coming to the College this week for an interview for OUR Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology.  It will be good to see him.  I also did a letter of recommendation for another student the other day and sent it off to Kathmandu, Nepal as she is applying for a Masters in Buddhist Studies - I love the diversity of our student choices...................

Take care, be well, and as I always ask, please keep our soldiers, their families and all of our veterans in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Kolkata, India, Burlington's Marathon and Mt. Abraham Union Middle/High School

Good morning and I hope that your weather has been as great as ours has been here in Vermont.  I wanted to share with you a couple of things that have been/are going on around here now that Commencement is over with.  Other than my returning to my favorite past-time of kayaking - -

This past Monday night I drove to Bristol, VT and spoke to 200 students/parents at Mount Abraham Union Middle/High School at their Academic Excellence Banquet.  I had been asked to speak by Caroline Patrie Camara ('88) who is a science teacher there and one of the people who coordinated this event.  While some schools have done away with an academic recognition dinner, these folks, with the financial support of the Bristol American Legion Post (thanks Ron LaRose) recognized students in grades 9 - 12 for academic excellence.  These students have achieved high or highest honors during recent marking periods.  We had a very nice dinner served by the faculty and administrators and then I had the opportunity to speak with them.  I stressed the importance of recognizing and celebrating their academic achievements and quoted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who was our Commencement speaker last week.  They were very appreciative of my comments and it was a good evening - congratulations again to all of the students who have done so well academically.

Tomorrow (Sunday) will be the Keybank Vermont City Marathon which has become one of the premier marathons in the country.  I know two of our students ('09)who will be running (Alex Canning and Matt Alexander) but suspect that there are many more students/faculty/staff/administrators from the College who will be participating either alone or in relay teams.  This morning's Burlington Free Press has a front page article titled:  "Wheelchair champion passes on his skills, spirit" - I knew without even having to read the article that they MUST be talking about Pat Standen, a friend and colleague (he is a very popular professor of philosophy and a faculty mentor for our men's hockey team) who is the record holder and two-time defending champion in the wheelchair division.  The story goes on to talk about how Pat has been mentoring two youths who will be racing for the first time this weekend.  The marathon generates an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm in the area as people line the streets and bike path to cheer on these amazing athletes.  A few years ago I set up in Leddy Park near the finish with my camera and took pictures AND applauded as the runners went past me - they were so appreciative of the support that they received along the way.  I will be back there in the morning, armed once again with my camera and my encouragement for all of them.

While many of our students have gone home for the summer to begin summer jobs or to start their "life after SMC" - 8 of our current students or recent grads plus two staff/faculty members took off this past Monday for Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) India for three weeks of volunteer work.  Julia Berberan ('09) and Annie Brabazon are leading the trip and my friend Sue Kuntz (psychology professor) who is on sabbatical this semester is investigating the establishment of service learning being tied in with the classroom.  I have gotten to know some of the students on this trip through having had them in class (Julia) or through their fund-raising efforts on campus as they hosted a "cook-off" and worked all year to prepare for this adventure.  This is the seventh year that the MOVE Office has sponsored this trip and I just wanted to share their blog information in case any of you are interested (as I am) in following what they are experiencing in India -

http://smckolkata2009.blogspot.com/

Please enjoy this Memorial Day Holiday weekend safely, use lots of sunscreen and remember what this weekend is all about.  Our soldiers and our veterans are still facing challenges that we cannot begin to imagine - keeping them in our thoughts and prayers is a way to pay tribute to their sacrifices and to thank them for their service to all of us.

take care and be well

Dave

 

 

 

Commencement 2009 - a Senator with a camera and a Secretary with a message.

Thursday morning everyone gathered on campus for our 2009 Commencement.  Baccalaureate the day before had been on one of those amazingly beautiful Vermont spring days and while Thursday was not cold nor wet, it WAS breezy with sustained winds of over 25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph.  Caps and gowns were being thrown all over the place BUT the bagpippers did their job and the ceremony was a culmination of four years of hard work for our graduating seniors.  We always confer Honorary Degrees on distinguished friends of the College and this year was no exception.  What almost everyone I have spoken to has commented on is seeing one of the "most powerful" Senators in the United States Senate, someone who is featured on every major news show on a regular basis, standing in front of the dais taking pictures of his wife Marcelle as SHE was in the spotlight - Marcelle and Senator Leahy have been married for a very long time and are both great friends of the College.  Marcelle is a registered nurse who has been a pioneer in enpowering women to seek out careers in medicine.  She is a strong advocate for those confronting melanoma and has used her own experiences to help others understand the seriousness of this type of cancer and how early detection can lead to great success.  As a melanoma survivor myself, I know how important it is to get this message out to everyone and my students get tired of my harping on them before every summer break, every spring break, every family cruise, every ski trip to cover up and use sunblock.  Marcelle, along with Dr. Frederick Burkle '61 (how this man has time to breathe given the incredible number of accomplishments he has already done at his age amazes me and everyone else), and Sister Irene Duchesnear (another amazingly active leader in health care and in confronting hunger in Vermont) all received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.  I have had the privilege of meeting both Senator Leahy and his wife on a couple of occasions over the years and they are the most down-to-earth people I think I have met.  It was also very touching to see her "blow him a kiss" and to have him return that gesture in front of a very packed Ross Sport Center gymnasium.  

Senator Leahy was instrumental in securing Arne Duncan, Education Secretary of the Obama Cabinet as our Commencement speaker.  He has been going around the country on a "listening tour" to hear what educators and the public think about No Child Left Behind which is a controversial program that has been in effect for several years.  A very impressive man (he played professional basketball in Australia for four years and it is "rumored" that he played basketball here on Wednesday) he too was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.  His talk strongly urged our graduating seniors to head out from SMC and make a difference.  He said "you are educated and empowered to make a difference" - "Saint Michael's College is 'not just smart people but good people too'" - "you will lead our country where it needs to go" "you are a generation of activists who want to change things" "is the world ready for you?" - he also told the graduating seniors and all gathered there "you learned by being taught and teaching others" as he told those going into education that education is a key civil rights issue and a key priority of the Obama administration with $10 billion to be spent on making the changes necessary for the United States to provide that quality education for EVERYONE and not just the priviledged.  He WAS an impressive speaker and we were lucky to be able to have this man as our Commencement speaker and we ARE lucky to have him as the United States Secretary of Education.

I have to give kudos to senior Jeanne Marie Nauheimer who was chosen by her peers to deliver the Senior Address and who gave one of the most memorable senior addresses I have heard in a very long time.

After the Honorary Degrees were given and the speeches were completed, those receiving their degrees lined up, walked across the stage, shook hands with President Neuhauser and accepted their diplomas.  We all then moved into the Tarrant Recreation Center for hugs, handshakes and many pictures.  It was now time to say thank you to parents for sending us such amazing young people.  It was time to meet some parents for the first time and to renew friendships established years ago with parents and families of other seniors.  It was, for me, NOT a time to say goodbye.  I just can't do that anymore so I simply give a hug, a handshake and a "later."  I know that many of these new graduates will NEVER leave SMC - physically yes, but they will always carry this place that has been their home for the past four years in their hearts.  What an amazing journey it has been for all of us.

(Krysten Farrell, me, Brett Peryer)

Thanks to all of our seniors for what they have given to the College - we ARE a better place because of you - your passion, your challenges, your energy - take care, be well and, as always, please keep all of the members of our military in your thoughts and prayers.

"You outdid yourself on this exam Dave!" - quote from one of my students.

As I sit in my office grading the final exams from my Abnormal Psychology exam that I gave yesterday afternoon I still have to laugh at the comment above which one of my seniors made as he handed me his exam.  He told me that his friends asked him why he, as a senior, had taken a 200 level psychology course and he responded that he just wanted to better understand himself and others.  He thanked me for a great semester and we shook hands as he left the exam room.  I enjoyed his sense of humor, his interest in human behavior and his willingness to learn. 

Campus is beginning to empty out as parents fill vans/cars/trailers with the accumulated "stuff" of yet another year at SMC.  Our seniors have another week here but by a week from today Commencement will be completed and another class will be leaving us.  There is always a mix of emotions as these transitions ARE what they are supposed to be doing.  However, sometimes they don't realize that WE will miss them - we have had the privilege of watching them "grow up" over their four years here.  Most of them will stay in touch with each other and with many of us - another benefit of working at this amazing place.

Take care, be well and keep our soldiers and veterans in your thoughts and prayers.  I am also going to ask the same for our graduating seniors - these are difficult economic times in which to graduate and transitions are difficult enough without the additional burden of our current world situation.  They will continue to need our good thoughts, our prayers and our friendships as they begin another leg of their journey.

Dave

time flies when you are having fun AND keeping busy.................

Today (Friday the 1st of May) is the last day of our semester.  My classes ended yesterday and once again I am able to say that I did not have ONE bad class all semester - each of my classes presented amazing challenges and my students rose to those challenges.  Final exams begin on Monday and I will construct my final this weekend, post the review on eCollege and continue grading papers and projects that were handed in last week.  The projects from my Men & Masculinities course are amazing.  Two of my students are in a relationship (I was clueless :)) and they wrote about how their relationship grew here at Saint Michael's College from friends to a "relationship" and their final project applied my class to their relationship.  Two other students interviewed each other's mothers and used one of the chapters from William Pollack's seminal work - Real Boys to ask their mothers about such things as the expression "boys will be boys" and whether or not their mothers were pressured to "distance" themselves from their sons in middle school.  These two young women then edited home movies into their video project showing their mothers WITH themselves (my students)  and siblings when they were all young.  An amazing effort.  My Abnormal Psychology students submitted their Global Understanding papers in which they discussed three of the disorders/behaviors we have studied with someone from another country.  While they all complain about this assignment when it is first assigned, once they undertake it, they learn so much and express that gratitude in their papers.  Sports Psychology class ended with a showing of a video of Our Guys and a final discussion of Sports Moms and Dads.  It is rewarding to see how much these students have learned about the connection between psychology and sports/athletics over the course a semester and I appreciated all of the extra effort that they put into their work.

A week ago today the Psychology Department held a day-long Symposium which featured seven honors presentations by our seniors, the Psi Chi (International Honor Society of Psychology) Induction of new members and new officers and three "poster" sessions featuring the work of over sixty of our students.  While it is a draining and long day, it is amazing to see the variety of topics students in our department have investigated/researched/studied.  Dr. Tony Richardson coordinated this Symposium and did a great job.  I had the opportunity to meet many of my students' parents and I also took a lot of pictures which will be posted on both the department website and the department online newsletter. 

Last night we held the Block M dinner which honored and recognized all of the achievements of our student-athletes.  As the Faculty Athletic Representative, I am asked to speak and it was an honor to announce that 15% or 58 of our student-athletes had achieved a 3.5 or better.  Combining academic excellence with a very time consuming schedule of practices and athletic competition is not an easy task. The thing that was MOST rewarding for me was that when I made that announcement the students broke out in spontaneous applause for their teammates and then when I also asked everyone with a 3.0 or better to rise the applause just continued.  We struggle to keep the STUDENT in the student-athlete title but also challenge our students to achieve in the classroom as well as on the playing field and as I said last night: "We challenged you and you met our challenge - congratulations and thank you." 

I am about to be interviewed by the local Fox News on the topic of the psychological implications of the current economic crisis on those who are losing their jobs so I have to get back to getting a few things done before that interview.  A 15 minute interview may mean 10 seconds on the air but it will be interesting anyway.  The Athletic Advisory Council which I chair will meet for the last time of the semester this afternoon and then at 5:00 I get to celebrate the end of the year with the Office of Multicultural Affairs at a dinner where our graduating seniors will be honored and recognized.  This is always a wonderful tribute to those students who give so very much to this campus. 

As always, please take good care, avoid the Swine Flu and keep the members of our military and our veterans in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Where did March go?????

We only have two weeks of classes left in the semester and many of the faculty (and students) are asking what happened to March????  Time has flown by so fast this semester and it seems inconceivable that the end is in sight.  It has been a great semester but one packed full of papers, exams, projects and challenges.  The economy continues to challenge everyone and the "normal" frantic expectations for our seniors has been made worse this year due to the tenuous nature of "who is hiring out there?"  Fortunately the Student Resource Center career folks have been working overtime to make sure that they are there to assist anyone who is still struggling with "what am I going to do after SMC."

I traveled to Springfield, MA this past Friday for a meeting with other Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR's) from the sixteen NE-10 schools.  This is our athletic conference and one of my responsibilities is to serve as a liaison between our athletics department and the academic side of the College.  It has been a wonderful opportunity to talk with colleagues who struggle with some of the same concerns I have about making sure that our student-athletes have a good experience and that they don't forget that they are STUDENT-athletes.  Our gathering on Friday (15 of the 16 were present along with two folks from the Conference Headquarters) gave me a chance to renew friendships and to realize that we are doing a great job at Saint Mike's when it comes to a quality experience for our student-athletes.  As we discussed everything from how many baseball/softball games SHOULD be played in a season to comparing NE-10 academic achievement to other D-II schools across the country (we do very well in comparison) we also discussed the challenges that each of our institutions face with the economic downturn.  Fortunately we also agreed that providing quality athletic programs for prospective students is a great recruiting tool for our institutions.  We will get together again in June with all of the Athletic Directors and the Compliance folks to continue a collaboration that can only lead to good things.

It was good to get away for a couple of days and I combined a quick visit to my sister and brother-in-law's with this time away from campus.  Tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday are the days when most of my final papers are due - it will be fun to see how they rise to the challenges I have presented them with as while they would sometimes prefer that I tell them EXACTLY what I expect, it is more of a challenge to give them some guidelines and then "force" them to make some decisions on their own. Now all I have to do is to find time to grade everything...

As a "small world" story I share that two days after I attended the most recent Barefoot Truth concert at Higher Ground in Burlington I "hosted" a meeting of accepted students who are interested in psychology and their parents for an informal discussion.  I had put the department website and the online newsletter on the screen in a classroom and was explaining the departmental "blogs" when one of the women turned to her son and pointed out that I had a reference to Barefoot Truth in my blog.  When I noticed her response I just said that this is a group, mainly from SMC who are doing well with concerts and that they have been performing all around the Northeast.  I asked if she had heard of this group since she did have a reaction.  She laughed and told me that her nephew is Garrett Duffy, one of the members of Barefoot Truth and that she had sat behind me at the concert that Saturday night.  It is a good thing that I tend to "behave" myself at concerts :)   

take care, be well and, as always please keep our veterans and soldiers in your thoughts and prayers. 

Dave