Saint Michael’s This Week 

June 2, 2023

Community throws party for President Sterritt as she nears her retirement

The Saint Michael’s community threw a farewell party Thursday afternoon in Dion Family Student Center’s Archway Lounge for President Lorraine Sterritt, who is retiring at the end of June after five years at the helm of the College through challenging times including a pandemic. Guests mingled spiritedly starting ta 3:30 p.m. with high-end culinary treats from Cloud Nine caterers and a variety of beverages including wine, beer, cider, seltzer and soft drinks. 

Speakers included (from left below) Toni Messuri of Academic Support Services, Trustees Chair Patricia Casey, and Vernita Weller, academic success adviser of the Purposeful Learning Office, followed by Peter Harrigan ’83 of the Fine Arts/Theatre faculty, who entertained both with his amusing stories about his friendshp with and respect for President Sterritt, but also with posters all around the party space, based on scenes he created with his epic Barbie doll collection relating to Sterritt, who seemed to enjoy the fun in characteristic good humor (lower photo at right). 

The president thanked the community for all their suppor through many challenges of the past five yearst, and specially welcomed her friends, former Sen. Patrick Leahy ’61 and his wife, Marcelle, who attended, graciously standing for photos with many of the guests. Messuri presented President Sterritt with a special memory book of photos, remembrances and words of friendship created by staff. The president invited everyone to visit her and her husband, Bert (standing, foreground right of top photo), in North Carolina in the coming year once they move there this summer. Speakers assured Lorraine and Bert they always will be welcome back at Saint Michael’s.

— Photos by Patrick Bohan

 

SAINT MICHAEL’S NEWS

Welcome home, alumni!

It’s finally here! Today marks the beginning of Reunion 2023 celebrations here on campus and we can’t wait to see all classes ending in 3s and 8s on campus! Check in at Reunion Headquarters between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Dion Family Student Center to get started with your weekend! Now through Sunday, June 4, Purple Knights across generations will have the chance to flaunt their purple and gold pride with their classmates and other members of the Saint Michael’s community. With class events throughout Burlington and Winooski, a Purple and Gold Brunch honoring each class and their alumni contributions to the Saint Michael’s community, and a P-Knight Party on the 300s field to bring back all of your fondest P-Day memories, you won’t want to miss out on this chance to reconnect with SMC all weekend long! Check out the full schedule, see who’s coming, and make your class gift at this link. Happy Reunion, St. Mike’s! 

—- D. Sydney Rybicki ’18 M’21, assistant director for Alumni & Family Engagement

Staff in Purposeful Learning absorbing lessons as they go

Like the new Saint Michael’s College students it supports, the Office of Purposeful Learning is taking lessons from its first full year on campus to adjust course, adopting intentional strategies to build on successes with clear direction. Heidi St. Peter ’96, director of Purposeful Learning, said when students returned after COVID from extended remote learning that limited direct in-person mentoring, the campus culture felt changed. Pre-pandemic, she said, close involvement from all St. Mike’s community members in seeking and guiding students felt organic and natural, if more low-key and subtle. Yet in a quest after that remote learning period for return to post-pandemic “normal,” College leaders perceived the need for a high-profile program with more intentional outreach to keep those life-changing personal human interactions – always the distinctive appeal at Saint Michael’s — part of each student experience without anybody falling through the cracks. For St. Peter and her staff – student success advisors Vernita Weller, Lou DiMasi and Katie Barry – the over-arching goals of the Purposeful Learning Office, located in an inviting and homey space on the first floor of center-campus Joyce Hall, are to “meet students where they are, identify any needs, encourage their engagement in the community, and be present as a resource and support space.” “We wanted this office to be a space where they could just come and relax, connect with others,” she said. The mission feels accomplished after the first year on those broad program goals, St. Peter said, even though her staff learned valuable lessons to operate more efficiently next year. Above left, Weller with a student at a table outside the Joyce office, above right, director St. Peter; then at right, the team at year’s start (Barry, St. Peter, Weller, DiMasi).

Read full story on first year of Purposeful Learning>>

Academic study trips offer fun, learning and adventure

Faculty-led intensive academic study trips are returning or wrapping up soon, after memorable experiences of several days to weeks for Saint Michael’s students. They studied coastal biology in Ireland (May 12 – 27, having returned this week with biology faculty mentors Declan McCabe, Paul Constantino ’93 and emeritus Karen Talentino); another group studied cultural and political issues in Denmark (May 15 – 26,and  returned past week with faculty mentors Trish Siplon of political science and Paul Olsen of business), environmental policy and government in Wales (May 26 – June 9, still abroad with Jeffrey Ayres of political science and Laura Stroup of environmental science/studies), and language immersion in Quebec (May 14 – June 4, still out with Peter Vantine of French). These photos show some of the groups in action, and the link below is to a blog (in French) from the Quebec group, which one day visited “La Chute-Montmorency,” top right photo. The second photo at right shows the “Business, Government & Health Care the Danish Way” group in Copenhagen with Gerry Dolan ’78. Gerry was visiting his son in Denmark who works for DIS. “Gerry was also Bobby Grady’s music teacher, Bobby was on the study trip,” says trip co-leader Olsen.  Bottom right is the Wales group on a seaside jaunt. Ayres posted: “First days in Wales with best possible weather for the Saint Michael’s College Sustainability Summer School.” Cultural and government stops also were on the agenda. See more from the Ireland group directly below.

Read Quebec study trip blog for Francophones>>

Sunset ridge hike along Irish coast was ‘Fun way to spend an evening’

The study trip that recently returned after studying coastal biology of Ireland this week shared a photo folder with trip leader Declan Mcabe, who explains the image above: “[Student] Mary Kohn ’24 (second from right in photo) added this one….she’s in it so I’m not sure who took it. One of my favorite photos from the trip. We ‘made’ them take a sunset hike after dinner one evening to Cnoc Bhaile Uí Shé (elevation 2043 feet) ….most came and they loved it. We came along the shoulder of the ridge you can see over Mary’s head. The Village of Dingle is in the background and Dingle Bay which opens to the Atlantic to the left. The peak beyond the bay over Jackson’s head is Cnoc Ceathru which is topped by Eask Tower…about 600 feet …. we hiked that the next day. The tower was a famine-era project designed to provide work for local people and to mark Dingle Harbor entrance. But we were closer to 2000 feet for the sunset hike and from that vantage point we could see the Atlantic on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula and the south side (behind the students in the photo). Fun way to spend an evening.”

Fulbright students make hometown news; Fairbanks scholar Davidson off to Austria

In mid-April we were pleased to report about two Saint Michael’s seniors and a 2022 graduate who were winners this year of prestigious and highly competitive Fulbright scholarships to study abroad in the coming year: Hayley Jensen ’22 will study in Vietnam, Jeremy Little ‘23 in Spain, and Aisha Navarrete ’23 in Mexico. This week, media in the hometowns of these exceptional students carried reports to bring friends and neighbors in on the good news. The Manchester Journal in southwestern Vermont carried the Fulbright news about Aisha, of Pawlet, VT; the St. Albans Messenger had an item about Jeremy of Georgia, VT; and Mid Hudson News reported about Hayley of Washingtonville, NY. In other Saint Michael’s Fulbright news, Ben Davidson, the College’s most recent Henry G. Fairbanks Visiting Humanities Scholar-in-Residence, has been selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship to study in Austria for 2023-2024. Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is primarily funded by Congress with additional funding from participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries. Trish Siplon of the Saint Michael’s political science faculty oversees Fulbright activity on campus.

See Manchester Journal item>>
See St. Albans Messenger item>>
See Mid Hudson News item>>

MOVE volunteers back from Selma Missions, Ecospirituality Center 

Lara Scott, director of the MOVE volunteer service arm of Edmundite Campus Ministry on campus, reports: “Our last two service trips of the year returned on Saturday, May 27. We were in Selma, Alabama with the Edmundite Southern Missions, and Benson, Vermont with Mercy Ecospirituality Center for these last two and, again, the trips were powerful and meaningful in many ways.” MOVE also sent students on service trips to various locations around the region and U.S. over winter and spring breaks.
The five students and two MOVE staff leaders in Selma recently helped prepare and deliver food along with other service (top two photos) at the Missions, founded and run by the Society of St. Edmund, resident founding order of Saint Michael’s College. The group of four students and two staff in Benson helped with planting and other tasks at the Ecospiritualty Center (photo at right, with Director Lara Scott far left foreground).

Read full story on recent MOVE service trips>>

ALUMNI NEWS

Kuntz ’96 takes Education/Human Development dean position at Florida International University

Career news for Professor Aaron Kuntz, PhD ’96: Recently, leaders at Florida International University announced that Aaron will be the next Dean of the School of Education and Human Development in the University’s College of Arts Science & Education. From that announcement: “Dr. Kuntz is a Professor of research methodology and holds the Frost Professorship of Education and Human Development. Dr. Kuntz has also served as Chair of the Department of Counseling, Recreation, and School Psychology for the past three years. Before joining FIU, Dr. Kuntz was a faculty member at the University of Alabama where he was awarded the prestigious President’s Research Award in 2017 and served as Chair of the Department of Educational Studies from 2014-2020. Dr. Kuntz has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, including five books. His most recent book, Qualitative Inquiry, Cartography, & the Promise of Material Change, was awarded the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the Qualitative SIG of the American Educational Research Association. A strong advocate for public schooling, Dr. Kuntz grounds his research in empirical questions about the effect of research and teaching practices in the K-16 arena, faculty work in postsecondary institutions, and the impact of the built environment on learning. Dr. Kuntz’s scholarly and administrative activities have been recognized through a Service Award (FIU CASE), Community Engagement Award (University of Alabama), and award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching (University of Alabama). Dr. Kuntz will officially assume the position of Dean on July 1, 2023.” Thanks to Aaron’s mother, Saint Michael’s Emeritus Professor of psychology Susan Kuntz, for passing along the news. In Fall of 2019, Aaron presented the annual Humanities Lecture at Saint Michael’s on the topic “Are the Humanities a Problem? Challenging Convention through Inquiry.”

Fr. Brian glad to see fellow alumni in Jersey Shore race 

Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E. ’86, director of Edmundite Campus Ministry and St. Anne’s Shrine, is a dedicated runner, and this week he shared this photograph of him participating on May 27 with two fellow Saint Michael’s alumni in the 45th running of the Spring Lake (NJ) Five Mile Run along the Jersey shore — a favorite summertime destination for the Edmundite priest, who is a New Jersey native. With Fr. Brian (and also proudly wearing the school colors) are the family team of Susan Molzon ’12 and her dad, Paul Molzon ’76. Fr. Brian said he finished the five miles course in “45 minutes and change” for a 9:06 per mile pace.

 

Alumni family hits beach before campus ‘pilgrimage’

A Saint Michael’s alumni couple gave a shout-out to their alma mater during a Memorial Day weekend report on Local 22/44, the ABC/FOX affiliate for greater Burlington, about folks who chose to hit the beach given the nice warm and sunny weather. From the story by reporter Sam Israel, also appearing in print version on the My Champlain Valley website: “Memorial Day weekend brought pleasant weather and an abundance of visitors to North Beach, as families and friends flocked to the popular spot to enjoy the festivities. The beach was packed with campers and beachgoers on Saturday, creating a vibrant atmosphere …. Sarah and Matt from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, shared their love for camping on Memorial Day weekend, stating, ‘It’s Memorial Day Weekend. Nothing like getting out and camping; it’s good stuff. We just love it up here. So, we try and come whenever we get the chance.’ Sarah and Matt’s connection to Burlington runs deep, as they first met during their time at Saint Michael’s College. Despite living in Rhode Island now, they make it a point to return to Burlington every year. Sarah added, ‘We’re going to make our pilgrimage to St. Mike’s store to get them loaded up with St. Mike’s gear and show them where we first met. And it’s her first camping trip!”

Watch and read story on alumni beach fun>>

ATHLETICS NEWS

Sports column tells of Jacobs honoree Moore ’23

Tom Haley, the veteran sportswriter for central Vermont’s Rutland Herald, wrote nicely in his recent regular column about Saint Michael’s College senior Ryan Moore, who had the pleasant surprise at a recent-year end banquet to be named recipient of the George “Doc” Jacobs Award that goes to an individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to SMC athletics. From Haley’s column: “Moore began his work study in the school’s sports information office his freshman year and never left, managing statistics, taking photos and using social media. A highlight for Moore includes the first Purple Knights basketball game he ever worked. St. Michael’s is not a school where the rosters are peppered with in-state athletes in a lot of sports. Moore recalls how proud he was that CVU’s Walker Storey and Essex’s El DiGrande were both in the starting lineup for the Knights. When the Rutland High graduate was looking at prospective colleges, his final choices were down to Ithaca, Quinnipiac and St. Michael’s. ‘I visited all three. The last one I visited was St. Michael’s,” Moore said. “I really liked the community environment.’ It struck him on his campus tour that the tour guide said hello to four or five different people and that each one said hello back. ‘That does not happen everywhere,’ Moore said. He has no regrets about his choice. ‘It was one of the best decisions I ever made,’ he said.”

Read full Haley column on Ryan Moore>>

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Event Calendar

View upcoming public events  on the campus of Saint Michael’s College.

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Saint Michael’s This Week is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications and
written by Mark Tarnacki, Staff Writer, Marketing and Communications. 
Visit Saint Michael’s online at smcvt.edu