Exercise may actually be the best medicine.

And Southern has a contingent of exercise science students who have prescribed a healthy dose of questions designed to get the campus community thinking more about their own exercise program. For their efforts, the American College of Sports Medicine recently awarded SCSU a gold-level recognition for its Education is Medicine (EIM) program.

EIM is designed to create a culture of wellness on college campuses across the country. Southern was one of about two dozen schools throughout the nation – and only two in Connecticut — to earn gold-level status.

Robert Axtell, SCSU associate professor of exercise science, said he was excited for the exercise science students to earn the award. It was largely based on the Exercise Physiology Club students working with Dr. Diane Morgenthaler, director of student health services, to add questions to a survey that students fill out when accessing health care at the Student Health Center.

“It’s an honor for the students to be recognized for their efforts,” Axtell said. “Exercise is undoubtedly an important factor in the health of individuals, and our students are trying to attain information that can help people better understand that concept.”

The questions included:

• How many days per week do you do moderate-to-strenuous exercise?
• How many minutes do you exercise at this level?
• What is the total number of minutes per week?

“The main goal of the Student Health Survey was to understand the physical activity and exercise habits of Southern students,” said Ted DeConne, a student in the Exercise Physiology Club who helped lead the push to become recognized by EIM. “We hope that we can use this information to further educate the on-campus community.”

DeConne said other steps were taken in addition to the questionnaire. He said the students spoke about the EIM initiative during the Week of Welcome; informed students and faculty about the benefits of exercise; and encouraged students to join the Exercise Physiology Club.

This summer, two groups of Southern students — one studying special education, and the other, public health — traveled extensively in rural Guatemala during a two-week short-course abroad. Journeying together, while learning in two separate courses, participants from both groups explored the colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala, and its surrounding pueblos; Mayan villages in the country’s central highlands, including breathtaking Lake Atitlán, the caldera of an ancient volcano; and the lush jungle rainforest at Tikal National Park, site of vast archaeological ruins.

Students enrolled in the special education course, led by Dr. Kara Faraclas of the Department of Special Education and Reading, visited a variety of schools and programs for persons with disabilities, and met their inspiring founders and directors. Public health students, led by Dr. William Faraclas of the Department of Public Health, explored health program and facilities and engaged other providers of health services in Guatemala, including shamans and traditional birth attendants. The use of field guides developed especially for the two programs — the Quest for Understanding for public health students, and the Field Guide for the Journey for the special education group — fostered the interaction of students with people in the communities they visited, as students sought and analyzed information provided by cultural informants, used to compose essays for their field guides and perform community assessments.

During their time abroad, participants in both courses distributed greatly needed supplies they had carried from the United States. Students in the special education course provided materials to support the work of teachers of students with disabilities, and those in the public health course presented greatly needed medical supplies to health clinics. Accentuating and complementing the academic experience, students in both courses spent a day with an indigenous Mayan family, hiked to outlying villages, climbed ancient pyramids, sighted monkeys and toucans in the wild, and observed smoke and fire from an active volcano.

Both courses focused on an underlying theme of culture as a way to prepare teachers, health practitioners and participating students from other disciplines to work effectively with an increasingly diverse population in the United States and for opportunities in other countries. Several past enrollees were accepted into the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, and this year’s students in both courses reported gaining from their experiences in Guatemala a new understanding of how their studies at Southern would enable them to work globally or at home to help alleviate suffering and promote social justice.

Planning for next summer’s trip is underway, and graduate and undergraduate students in all majors are welcome to participate. For information, contact:

• For the special education course: Dr. Kara Faraclas (faraclask1@southernct.edu)
• For the public health course: Dr. William Faraclas (faraclasw1@southernct.edu)

Southern has been awarded a $10,000 Seeds of Hope grant – an allocation that will enable the university to develop a support program for students already in recovery from substance abuse disorders.

The grant emanates from the non-profit organization “Transforming Youth in Recovery,” which focuses on the creation of campus collegiate recovery programs across the nation. It has been awarded at a time of a growing opioid abuse problem throughout the country.

Sarah Keiser, SCSU’s coordinator of alcohol and other drug services, said the three-year grant will enable Southern to provide the social, academic and in some cases, residential support systems for these students.

“The idea is to create a community for these students to engage with others who have similar interests and who want to live a healthy, sober lifestyle,” Keiser said. “In higher education, we are seeing students who not only faced an addiction problem in high school, but who received recovery treatments at that age. That is a big change from 20 years ago.”

Keiser said the focus of the first year of the grant will be to identify the students who are in recovery and need assistance. “We want to know how many students are in need of help, who they are, and how Southern can help them.”

She said that in the second year, the university will seek to establish programs and means of support. Keiser said among the possibilities are the creation of a lounge area for the students; connecting them with the Academic Success Center and peer-mentoring programs; and the development of a living, learning community and roommate pairing.

The third year of the grant would be focused on maintaining programs after the funding ends. “The good news is that the costs associated with these kinds of support are relatively small,” Keiser said. “And we may even be able to tap into other grants and sources of funding.”

Keiser said that in addition to the primary objective of helping students maintain a clean living style in recovery, the programs that will be funded through the grant also can have a positive effect on student retention and graduation rates.

She applied for the grant in April, and received word that Southern would be a recipient at around the time fall classes began a few weeks ago.

It’s the Holy Grail for many accounting students: a position with one of the “Big Four” accounting firms — Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG — widely recognized as the largest professional services networks in the world. In 2016, they earned a combined revenue of $128.2 billion through work in auditing, advising, consulting, tax services, and more.

Deloitte is the largest of the Big Four in terms of revenue ($36.8 billion in 2016) and number of employees (244,400) — the latter figure receiving a boost from a growing number of Owls who recently joined Deloitte’s Stamford, Conn., office as interns and full-time employees.

“Once I became an accounting major, my only goal was to work for a Big Four firm. The goal now is specifically [to become] a partner at Deloitte,” says Kayla Seminoro, ’17, who graduated from Southern with a degree in business administration and a concentration in accounting. In September, she moved closer to realizing that dream, joining Deloitte as an audit assistant after interning there.

Her interest in accounting came relatively late in her college career. After transferring from Central Connecticut State University, she took her first college-level business course at Southern — an accounting class taught by Janet Phillips, professor of accounting and chair of the department. Several years later, Phillips recommended that Seminoro apply for an internship with Deloitte.

“The best advertisement for Southern’s accounting program is definitely our students,” says Phillips. Her confidence in Seminoro was well placed. After interviewing online and in person, she was selected for the highly competitive internship, which began at Deloitte University, The Leadership Center, a 700,000-square foot training facility in West Lake, Texas.  She was then assigned to a client-team, receiving extensive real-world experience. “Deloitte values the importance of networking and making genuine connections with the professionals around you. This is one of my favorite aspects about both the firm and my internship experience,” says Seminoro.

Such positive feedback is icing on the cake for Lori Charlton, a partner at Deloitte based in its Stamford, Conn., office. Southern flashed on Charlton’s radar screen several years ago when she was working with an especially talented young colleague. “I asked her where she went to school, and she said Southern,” she says.

Soon after, Deloitte made its first campus presentation. “We had a very good turnout. The students were well-dressed and well-prepared, with resumes in hand. They asked great questions and were very enthusiastic,” says Charlton. “The faculty also came, showing a lot of support for their students and for us being there.”

In September 2017, Deloitte made its fourth campus visit — and many Southern students now know a classmate who’s interned or become an employee there. “They’ve been terrific,” says Charlton of the students and alumni who’ve received offers in both the audit and tax practices. “They interviewed very well and were very competitive. . . . It’s been a great success from my perspective. We’re really encouraged by our partnership with the university and want to keep the relationship going.”

Deloitte rates first among accounting companies for formal training, according to Vault, which annually ranks firms on numerous criteria. The services provider also finished among the leaders in the “prestige” and the overall accounting categories.

Muhamad Chowdhury, ’16, knew of Deloitte’s reputation. Before graduating in December, he’d explored different career options, including a potential winter internship with the organization. But after an in-depth interview process, Deloitte offered him a full-time position as an audit assistant in financial services. He started in January 2017.

His success comes after a period of intense struggle. In 2014, Chowdhury was a full-time junior at the University of Connecticut, among the first generation in his family to attend college. His parents both immigrated from Bangladesh to the U.S., where they built a successful life operating several Subway franchises in the Wallingford and New Haven areas. Then the family patriarch became seriously ill. Chowdhury left UConn, returning home to help run the family business. He also enrolled at Southern — working full time, attending school full time, and commuting.  “It came out of a difficult situation, but I have to say it was the best decision I ever made,” he says.

At Southern, he majored in business administration with a concentration in economics — a program he says develops a comprehensive understanding of the business world. He also volunteered with the campus VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, which helps those with low-incomes, disabilities, and limited English. “My career is not in taxation, but the knowledge and experience I gained translate to any business environment,” he says of the program overseen by Frank Bevvino, associate professor of accounting.

Today, things are looking up. His father has recovered, and Chowdhury’s transition to Deloitte has been remarkably smooth. “After working for Deloitte for six months, I can absolutely say that this was the right decision for me. It’s been priceless in terms of the experience and many benefits,” he says.

Lubna Sparks, ’17, also transferred to Southern — and says her interest in Deloitte peaked after the organization made a presentation to the SCSU Accounting Society. After interning at the company last year, she’s been offered a full-time position. But she asked to remain an intern while preparing for her examinations to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) — a request Deloitte honored.

A fellow graduate of the Class of 2017, Louis Signor is preparing for his CPA examinations as well. It’s a welcome development for the talented alumnus who had worked at Home Depot for about six years when, in 2016, his position as an asset manager was eliminated.

“I’m not a typical student,” says Signor, who graduated from Southern at the age of 29. He’d attended Utica College right after high school, but didn’t return after his first year. Instead, responding to his father’s request to “get a job,” Signor applied at Home Depot — and steadily moved up the corporate ladder. Armed only with a high school degree, he ultimately found himself overseeing asset protection for all stores in the Norwalk, Conn., and New York Metro area — a market grossing $105 million.

“At the age of 24, I had a really good job making much more money than I thought would be possible,” says Signor. A watercooler conversation with coworkers changed his perspective. “The general consensus was that they felt stuck. They were paid well. It wasn’t a bad situation, but they didn’t have alternatives,” he says. He began attending Southern part-time, using Home Depot’s tuition reimbursement benefits. Then in August 2016, Home Depot underwent a corporate restructuring and his position was eliminated. Signor took the compensation package and, as a Southern senior, began attending the university fulltime for the first time ever.

In May 2017, Signor became the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating magna cum laude. He interviewed with six employers and received five job offers — including one from Deloitte. He started in September.

The Interns

Deloitte consistently earns top ratings for its formal training program, a benefit experienced firsthand by a growing number of Owls, including four who participated in coveted summer internships in 2017. The interns — all business administration majors with a concentration in accounting — are students Luke Velez, Lyman DePriest, and Brooke Davis, and alumnus Nicholas Intino, ’17.

Velez and DePriest completed Deloitte’s Discovery Internship, with time spent exploring two company functions — audit and tax services. The hands-on learning kicked off at Deloitte University, the Leadership Center, in West Lake, Texas, where they connected with other high-achieving students from around the U.S.

“Before heading to Deloitte University, I heard so much about it that my expectations were through the roof. . . . Those expectations were met,” says DePriest.

During one team-building exercise, the students were placed in groups and challenged to develop a presentation. DePriest’s team took first place out of 25, earning an assortment of Deloitte gear.  The victory was particularly sweet for DePriest. His team’s presentation focused on a startup mobile application that he is developing (myhypeeye.com) — Here Are Your Parties and Events Everywhere.

Looking forward, there is certainly a lot to celebrate. After completing their summer 2017 internships, Intino and Davis received offers to join Deloitte’s audit practice. Meanwhile, Deloitte’s Discovery Internship will continue for DePriest and Velez. Both chose audit as their area of focus and are invited to intern with Deloitte again: Velez in summer 2018 and DePriest in the winter. “It’s a very unique experience because it allows you to get a glimpse of both aspects of accounting to possibly steer your career decision-making before you graduate,” says DePriest.

Southern senior Yenny Bayas, who interned with Deloitte in the winter of 2017, agrees, noting the experience confirmed her career aspirations. Although she’s wanted to study business since high school, she was unsure what specialization to select. But she loved her accounting classes — and a trip to a major European accounting conference with Robert J. Kirsch, professor of accounting, and three other Southern students cemented the deal. Southern was the only college or university from the U.S. at the event. “That’s where I really fell in love with accounting,” says Bayas. “But my internship at Deloitte made that even clearer.”

Like the others who won internships after completing several rounds of interviews, Bayas is a hard-working, high-achieving student. She — and classmate Velez — are School of Business ambassadors, two of only nine in the selective leadership program. At the age of 23, she has also been a licensed realtor for several years. In sum, Bayas — a native of Ecuador and a first-generation college student — is no stranger to a challenging workload. Still, she concedes that her Deloitte internship, conducted during the busy tax season, was very intense at times. “I loved the challenge,” she says.

In terms of a future career, she says being an accountant who specializes in real estate would combine her passions. But she’s also drawn to audit services. “I like that you are with a team and that you are investigating,” says Bayas. “You see the financial statements, think about the facts and numbers, and combine them into the story to make sure it all makes sense. I discovered that I really enjoyed that at Deloitte — and that’s one of the things I loved most about my internship.”

Southern Connecticut State University will soon be the new home for over 3,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The culmination of over two years’ planning, the renewable energy project will generate over a million kilowatt hours of electricity annually and will be installed with no capital investment or up-front cost by Connecticut taxpayers.

The Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) has partnered with Current powered by General Electric and Connecticut Green Bank to install the solar energy system on the SCSU campus in order to decrease operating expenses. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2018.

Solar panels will also be installed at Manchester and Middlesex Community Colleges, with the goal of extending to other campuses including Central, Housatonic, Asnuntuck, Quinebaug, Tunxis and Western in the next two years. The solar energy initiative is funded entirely with private capital sourced by Connecticut Green Bank and once fully implemented is estimated to save CSCU more than $10 million within the first 20 years.

SCSU’s panels will be installed in three arrays: as a combination ground mount and carport array in parking lot 9 near Brownell Hall, and a rooftop array at Wintergreen garage. The panels will help power the west side of campus, which largely comprises residential areas and business operations. Eric Lessne is the associate director for project management and engineering for the CSCU system, and has a long track record improving SCSU’s energy efficiency. “This is a public-private partnership with Current, powered by General Electric, and the Connecticut Green Bank,” Lessne says. “SCSU will purchase the electricity that the solar panels produce with substantial and immediate savings compared to our current utility rate. These solar panels will power about 4% of our electricity use as a campus.”

SCSU President Joe Bertolino, who in early summer 2017 signed We Are Still In, joining over a thousand business leaders, university presidents, mayors and governors to support climate action to fulfill the Paris agreement, is very pleased about the project. “Clean renewable energy and social justice go hand in hand,” Bertolino says. “There was no question we wanted to do this. We’re already planning a second project.”

Robert Sheeley, SCSU associate vice president of facilities and capital budgeting, chairs the SCSU Sustainability Committee. “Our partnership with GE and CT Green Bank is a triple bottom-line win for the environment, our campus community, and for taxpayers,” Sheeley says. “Ten years ago, we dreamed about projects like this. We’re looking forward to breaking ground next year.”

Suzie Huminski, SCSU’s sustainability coordinator, explains, “We chose sites for this solar project that are best for maximizing energy production and don’t compromise other potential land uses or ecological value. Even though our goal is to maximize solar installation, it is just as important to consider ecosystem and community value for potential sites as it is to consider southern sun exposure. We’re proud to take such a big step forward with our climate leadership efforts.”

SCSU students have been involved in the process as well. Huminski recalls that in 2015, four students worked with her as part of a fellowship funded by Energize CT. Together, the student fellows worked with consultants at Celtic Energy to conduct a campus solar feasibility study. The university was already in early stages of solar planning, and these students got a real-time firsthand view of planning a large commercial renewable project.

Of the four fellows, Huminski reports that Skyler Edmondson, ‘16, got a job working in the solar industry after graduation, and another fellow, Justin Lipe, M.S. Chemistry, ’16, now works at Quantum Biopower, Connecticut’s first anaerobic digester located in Southington. The facility converts food scrap to renewable energy and landscape products.

“Anything we can do to make our system and our planet more viable and sustainable in the future is a step we’re willing to take,” said CSCU President Mark Ojakian of the solar project. “I want to sincerely thank all our partners who worked hard to make this important project possible.”

“The CSCU has shown tremendous leadership with this initiative,” commented Connecticut Green Bank President and CEO Bryan Garcia. “The Connecticut Green Bank is thrilled to be supporting CSCU’s efforts to go green. By not only installing solar energy systems across multiple campuses at once but using private capital to finance the projects, CSCU will be saving significant dollars for the State. And with a high-quality partner like GE overseeing the installations, there is little question these systems will perform and create a win-win-win for all involved.”

“This project is a great representation of the potential of solar generation,” said Amol Kapur, Current by GE’s business development manager for the CSCU portfolio, “CSCU is demonstrating the value of bringing together engineering, technology and finance to support both business and sustainability goals.”

Former Southern track and field All-American Collin Walsh, ’08, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and has been paralyzed from his mid-section to his toes, competed in the 55 meters at the James Barber/Wilton Wright SCSU Alumni Track and Field event on November 11 at Moore Field House. Owl Nation cheered him on every step of the way, especially when he successfully completed the 55 meters at the event.

Walsh was an All-American during his undergraduate career at Southern and competed with the cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field squads. He was an All-New England performer and conference champion, and was also recognized with numerous academic honors. Walsh also completed an internship at the White House during his senior year.

After graduation, he went on to serve as a Milford police officer and pursued additional graduate coursework at UConn, Indiana University and abroad in India. In April 2016, he headed to Washington, D.C., to work for Diplomatic Security Service as a special agent specializing in counter-terrorism.

However, after just days there, he became stricken, and during his hospitalization was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Walsh became paralyzed and unable to walk. Since then, he has undergone extensive medical treatment, even going to India for treatment.

Walsh’s participation in the event garnered local media attention:

New Haven Register: “Former SCSU runner with MS participates in alumni track meet”
By Clare Dignan

Fox 61: “Former police officer, track star with MS walks in track meet”

News 12: “Former Milford officer who was told he’d never walk again defies odds”

Milford Patch: “Former Milford Cop Doesn’t Let Crippling Illness Slow Him Down”

For more than a decade, Philosophy Professor David Pettigrew has been traveling to Bosnia to perform research, give lectures and interviews, and advocate for the victims of atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia on March 1, 1992, triggering a secessionist bid by the country’s Serbs backed by the Yugoslavian capital, Belgrade, and a war that left about 100,000 dead, including the mass slaughter of many Bosnian Muslims by Serb forces. In addition, the crimes committed at the town of Srebrenica have been ruled to be genocide.

While all his efforts are part of a personal commitment to human rights and social justice, Pettigrew’s work on Bosnia also has an academic dimension, expressed through his lectures, publications, film screenings, and other work. He also teaches a holocaust and genocide studies course at Southern.

In late November, Pettigrew traveled to Bosnia to give two lectures in Sarajevo and an interview with the Federal News Agency (FENA) regarding the then-impending verdict in the Ratko Mladić case. The case concerned crimes Mladić committed during the Bosnian War in his role as a general in the Yugoslav People’s Army and the chief of staff of the Army of Republika Srpska. The verdict was delivered on November 22: Mladić was convicted of 10 of the 11 charges against him, including genocide, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Following the verdict, Pettigrew was called upon for expert analysis, appearing on one of the most popular talk shows in the Balkans, seen by Bosnians around the world, and now with over 20,000 views on YouTube.

Earlier this year, in July, Pettigrew was in Bosnia for about three weeks, during which time he gave lectures and interviews and engaged in activities around genocide recognition. He gave three lectures: one for KRUG 99, an association of independent intellectuals in Sarajevo; one for the International University of Sarajevo Summer Program; and one for the American University in Bosnia Summer Program. His lectures largely addressed obstacles to justice and reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also gave three interviews, two for television and one for an academic journal, Novi Muallim.

During the July trip, Pettigrew also met with representatives from the International Commission on Missing Persons, the United Nations Development Program, and the European Delegation in Sarajevo. He attended a book launch by a genocide survivor and met with a foreign affairs adviser to the Bosnian president. In Višegrad, he went to see the new 15-foot-tall Russian cross that had been erected in honor of the Russian volunteers who served (that is, “committed atrocities,” says Pettigrew) with the Bosnian Serbs. Pettigrew calls the cross “another example of the glorification of the perpetrators.” He traveled to Srebrenica in order to help receive 71 coffins of genocide victims who had been identified for burial this year. He was an invited guest at a commemoration ceremony on July 11 with genocide survivors and dignitaries from around the world.

Pettigrew was also able to visit a new museum, a permanent exhibition installed in February 2017 in the Potočari Memorial Center in Srebrenica. He was seeing the museum for the first time, after having edited all the texts in the exhibition, the first permanent comprehensive educational exhibition of the Srebrenica genocide. He also proposed the title for the exhibition: “Srebrenica Genocide: The Failure of the International Community.” Instead of the word “war,” he proposed “Serb aggression,” or “genocide.” Instead of “fighters,” he referred to the armed militias that defended the civilians of Srebrenica as “defenders.”

The language used to describe what happened in Srebrenica matters, Pettigrew says. Different groups use the words “war” and “genocide” to describe the same events. “My research has addressed the extent to which the rhetoric of the ‘90s has been in full operation since 2007,” he says, “with the glorification of war criminals, genocide denial, threats of secession, a referendum challenging the authority of the national court, and many other provocations attempting to prevent refugee return.”

At the memorial service Pettigrew attended in the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Cemetery in July, people were burying their loved ones whose remains had been exhumed from mass graves and identified for burial. At one point, after Pettigrew had helped one family bury a loved one’s remains, a man stopped him and said “I know who you are and what you are doing, and I want to thank you for everything you are doing for my country [Bosnia]. I only ask that you promise that you will never give up.” Pettigrew promised the man he would not.

“Sometimes,” he says, “people ask me how I keep going in the face of the cruelty of genocide denial, the glorification of war criminals, and other human rights violations in Republika Srpska, along with the numerous tactics designed to intimidate Bosnian Muslims from returning to their former homes. Given the circumstances, giving up is not an option. Elie Wiesel wrote in his Nobel lecture that ‘There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.’ And I am always inspired by young people in Bosnia who lived through the genocide and through exile as refugees and who have kept their hearts open to the hope that telling the truth about the genocide will lead to justice.”

Media links:

December 9, interview that appeared in Al Jazeera Balkans website:
http://balkans.aljazeera.net/vijesti/david-pettigrew-rs-je-u-daytonu-nagradena-za-uspjesan-genocid

November 24, interview on popular FACE TV (international program) by host Senad Hadžifejzović, perhaps the most famous journalist in Bosnia. The program, FACE TO FACE, is watched all over the world by Bosnians. It had over 19,700 views on YouTube as of December 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO0uTK7ZYKs&feature=youtu.be

November 22, after the verdict, interview with TV1:
http://tv1.ba/video/gost-dnenvika-david-pettigrew-profesor-filozofije-holokausta-i-genocida/

November 21, interview with Mark Gollum of Canadian Broadcasting Company:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ratko-mladic-tribunal-verdict-bosnia-1.4410805

November 18, interview with FENA (federal news agency), published in Bosnia press:
http://bnn.ba/vijesti/pettigrew-osudujuca-presuda-mladicu-moze-biti-prekretnica-0

July 10 and July 11, 2017, interview on N1, a CNN affiliate:
http://ba.n1info.com/a173899/Vijesti/Vijesti/N1-na-1-sa-Davidom-Pettigrewom.html

July 2, interview on national TV (TV1) in Sarajevo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZw0jznUVQ

Press coverage for the KRUG99 lectures:

November 26, 2017 KRUG 99 press conference and lecture:
http://avaz.ba/vijesti/bih/325545/petigru-podrinje-bi-trebalo-identificirati-kao-nacionalno-spomen-mjesto

From July 2017:

https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/americki-profesor-pettigrew-ne-smijemo-zaboraviti-srebrenicu-jer-je-konstantno-negiraju/170702035

http://ba.n1info.com/a172290/Vijesti/Vijesti/Ne-smijemo-zaboraviti-Srebrenicu-zbog-istine-i-prezivjelih.html

http://www.avaz.ba/clanak/301159/david-pettigrew-ne-mozemo-i-ne-smijemo-zaboraviti-srebrenicu

http://www.bhrt.ba/vijesti/bih/david-pettigrew-ne-mozemo-ne-smijemo-zaboraviti-srebrenicu/ 
(includes a video link)

Southern will provide residential leadership scholarships that cover housing expenses for 10 incoming New Haven Promise scholars beginning next fall.

The selected students — known as Promise Community Ambassadors — will provide mentorship and outreach to Southern’s New Haven Promise scholars and high school students in the New Haven Public Schools. To date, SCSU has had more New Haven Promise scholars (339) than any other university. To be eligi­ble, students will be able to indicate interest and submit an essay on the New Haven Promise senior application. In addition, they will be instructed to supply a letter of recommendation.

“At Southern we are committed to academic excellence, access, social justice, and service for the public good,” said SCSU President Joe Bertolino. “As part of this mission, it is vital that we support our home community by providing educational opportunities and pathways to academic and person­al success for New Haven students.”

University officials — in collaboration with New Haven Promise — will select the recipi­ents of the residential leadership scholarships.

“We are thankful to Southern for providing this deep leadership development opportunity designed to support our many scholars at the university and for those students to give back to New Haven Public Schools,” said New Haven Promise President Patricia Melton. “This immersion into campus life is guaranteed to provide voice and agency for our scholars and we are proud that Southern has com­mitted to that.”

New Haven Promise Community Ambassadors will participate in the Freshman Leadership Experience (FLEX) pro­gram, a six-week leadership experience beginning in August of their first semester, which will prepare them to serve in their campus and community roles. Ambassadors will explore their leader­ship potential, participate in meaningful leadership experiences, interact with current student lead­ers, faculty and staff, and discuss topics impacting students. The program commitment will last the entire academic year.

The New Haven Register, New Haven Independent and Channel 8 each ran stories about the press conference and the new scholarship program.

It’s a three-peat for Southern’s business students in the Connecticut Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC).

The team of Paige Decker, Tyler Fedak and Mike Sullivan earned first-place honors recently to mark the third consecutive year in which an SCSU trio triumphed in the event. Student teams from Connecticut colleges and universities presented business and investment plans for hypothetical companies, which were evaluated by investment industry professionals. The program was held at Gateway Community College.

Connecticut is the only state with its own VCIC competition, according to Mike Roer, president of the Entrepreneurship Foundation Inc., which sponsors the statewide event. On the basis of its victory, the SCSU team advances to the New England Regional Finals in Boston on Feb. 24. Southern will compete against schools such as Boston University, Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania), Yale University, Cornell University, and Babson College. In addition to retaining the Connecticut team trophy, the team also earned $1,000 for travel expenses to the Northeast Regional competition.

“The consistent professionalism and courage of the Southern team speaks well of the acumen and state-of-the-art curricula of the (academic) Finance Department and School of Business,” Roer said. “The Entrepreneurship Foundation is proud to support the SCSU contingent by underwriting the entry fee and providing a travel stipend.”

Benjamin Abugri, chairman of the SCSU Economics and Finance Department, said he was proud of the students.

“As business faculty, we all celebrate the impactful achievement of our students and their two faculty advisers, Drs. Han Yu and Dave Tyson,” Abugri said. “Winning the trophy three consecutive times, taking the Connecticut State trophy for keeps at the SCSU Business School and advancing to a regional final for the second time as state representatives are historic achievements.”

Roer explained that under the rules of the VCIC program, the first team to win three competitions gets to keep the team trophy. A new one will be purchased for future competitions.

Decker said she learned much from participating in the event. “This competition was a great real world experience for my fellow classmates and me,” she said. “We were able to be venture capitalists for the day, judging startup ideas from various local colleges. We won the competition and had a lot of fun participating.”

A new agreement between Southern and the state’s community colleges will make it easier for those with an associate degree in nursing to earn a bachelor’s degree in that field.

Students who are accepted into the nursing program at one of the community colleges will automatically be offered admission into SCSU’s R.N. to B.S.N. program.

This agreement – which was launched during the fall — comes at a time when hospitals and other health-care providers are placing increasing emphasis on bachelor’s degrees when hiring nurses. It also is designed to address a national push for 80 percent of all registered nurses to have a bachelor’s degree.

“We have 75 students who accepted this invitation this fall,” said Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the SCSU Nursing Department. “These students started this semester at one of the community colleges. Upon completion of their associate degree and passing the test to gain a license as a registered nurse, they can begin taking classes at Southern. In the meantime, they are welcome – even encouraged – to use our facilities and resources, such as use of the library.”

While credits earned at the community colleges already were accepted at SCSU, there had been no guarantee the students would be admitted into the nursing program at SCSU. And although students always could apply to SCSU after obtaining an associate degree, relatively few did.

Rebeschi also said studies show that patients who are treated by nurses with a bachelor’s degree tend to have better treatment outcomes.

In addition, the new program will increase the number of nursing students at SCSU. In turn, that will help boost SCSU’s enrollment, as well as address the national nursing shortage.

SCSU – a statewide leader in the field of training nurses – offers a variety of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

(Above, left to right: Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs; Daphney Alston; Barbara Cook; Sean Wilder; Jessie Holman; Maria Krol; and Dian Brown-Albert)

The Top Owl Social Justice Award is given to recognize contributions in helping the university achieve its mission of creating and sustaining an inclusive community that appreciates, celebrates and advances student and campus. This award, selected by the President’s Commission on Social Justice, will be awarded each month from September-March to recognize the contributions, leadership, and service of a worthy faculty, staff, part-time and full-time student. Each award recipient is nominated by another member of the Southern community or is self-nominated. Individuals are nominated based on their work in addressing issues of diversity, inclusion and social justice through:

• education of self and others;
• participation in events, programs, and activities addressing diversity and social justice issues;
• advocacy with and on behalf of targeted communities; and
• organizing around diversity, inclusion, and social justice issues for sustainable change at Southern

Southern’s very first recipients of The Top Owl Award – the November Top Owls — were honored at the Social Justice Month closing event in November. Those recognized were Barbara Cook, assistant professor of communication disorders; Daphney Alston, assistant director of clubs and organizations; student Sean Wilder, and student Jessie Holman.

Deborah Weiss, professor of communication disorders, nominated Cook, writing that Cook “has run numerous educational sessions for students, faculty, and staff on autism and other disabilities in order to facilitate the inclusion and acceptance of individuals with disabilities on our campus. She continuously seeks new information and research that will improve the lives of those with disabilities in order to incorporate this knowledge in her teaching and her clinical work in the Center for Communication Disorders.

“She has been very active in social justice committees and activities on campus. She initiated and chaired a committee on campus that was convened by the Provost to explore campus services for individuals with autism. This was later expanded to include all disabilities. She continues to work for implementation of the organization and accessibility of these services and as a tireless advocate on behalf of this community.”

Mandi Kuster, associate director of residence life, who nominated Alston, wrote that Alston “Alston carries out the social justice mission every day. . . She was a part of the Student Affairs Cultural Competency Committee and has been an integral part of the planning and training team for the Student Affairs division. She has done numerous training around the topic of Social Justice for Peer Mentors, RAs and staff members. Her work in Student Involvement/Leadership Development is daily around Social Justice and educating our students.”

Sal Rizza, director of new student and sophomore programs, nominated Wilder, and wrote that, “As the President of Phi Beta Sigma’s Omicron Theta Chapter, Sean has been working hard to incorporate social justice in everything the chapter works on. Most specifically, Sean provided leadership in coordinating the Chapter’s program for Social Justice Month “All American: A Panel on Sports & Politics” in which a panel including the Director of Athletics, a student Veteran, and several students discussed the ongoing conversation regarding sports and politics. Additionally, Sean carries the mission of social justice in all of his positions including in his role as a SEOP Peer Mentor, Resident Advisor and Orientation Coordinator by creating inclusive and welcoming environments which align with our university mission.”

Julia Irwin, professor of psychology, nominated Holman. Irwin wrote that Holman had “just presented her Honors Thesis, which is a Bystander Intervention Training to prevent sexual assault on campus. Jessie trained over 300 SCSU students in INQ with this program, making the campus a safer place. She will leave this program, a self-contained peer intervention to the University, when she graduates in May. Jessie is a co-founder of PEACE (Peer Educators Advocating for Campus Empowerment) and has worked to assist victims of human trafficking.”

The December Top Owls included Anna Rivera-Alfaro, academic and career advising; student Haroon Chaudhry; and Jessica Powell, assistant professor of education and co-director of the Urban Education Fellows Program.

Alfaro was nominated by both Christine Barrett, associate director of academic advisement, and Jordan Jones, adviser in interdisciplinary studies. Barrett wrote in her nomination that Rivera-Alfaro “exemplifies cores values of social justice in her work as the advisor to the Organization of Latin American students since 2008.” Beyond the university, Barrett wrote, Rivera-Alfaro’s community involvement includes providing free tax preparation and Spanish translation services to low-income families through a School of Business program; representing Southern at local Latino college fairs; doing college outreach to Latino communities in Meriden and New Haven; and currently researching the possibility of SCSU hosting the annual New England Latinx Student Leadership Conference, among other activities.

Jones wrote that Rivera-Alfaro “has long been committed to Southern’s core values of access, diversity, student success, life-long learning, and community involvement, long before those values were formally established/recognized at Southern.” Jones referred to her work with OLAS and with the free tax preparation service and added that she “has actively engaged in recruitment of underrepresented students and employees, representing the university at numerous evening and weekend events, including Hispanic-focused events. . . [and] spends countless hours per week giving back to our students, to our community and building important bridges for the University. She’s often tapped to provide representation for the university at various community and regional events.”

Dian Brown-Albert nominated Chaudhry, calling him “a remarkable young man who has inspired his peers, faculty, staff and the Southern community to live up to the SCSU core values around social justice.” Brown-Albert wrote that “Haroon’s participation in the SCSU 2017 Social Justice Retreat where he dialogued with students around issues of race, class, faith, and sexual orientation was amazing. As a Muslim student, Haroon travels to classes where he does presentations on Islam. This is free of charge and out of his commitment to teaching people about the beauty of Islam. Due to his passion and commitment to his faith, he advocates for the Muslim community through his everyday life by being respectful, compassionate and coordinating activities around these issues.”

Albert added that Chaudhry is part of the Muslim Student Association where he works with them to promote and produce programs for the university, such as National Hijab Day. “He is dedicated to maintaining the culture, heritage, and practices of Islam and Muslims,” Brown-Albert wrote, “as well as combating common stereotypes and misunderstandings about Islam and Muslim . . . Haroon is truly an asset to our institution as he dedicates his life to promoting human dignity and inclusivity at SCSU.”

Jessica Powell was nominated by Laura Bower-Phipps, associate professor of elementary education, who wrote that “The foundation for Dr. Powell’s teaching and her scholarship is social justice. She is a true scholar activist. Her scholarship addresses the need for white individuals to join in the Black Lives Matter movement not only as activists, but also as accomplices who take risks to support marginalized groups and individuals. Other scholarship calls for early childhood teachers to queer their practices to create spaces for children who are transgender and gender creative. Within her teaching, Dr. Powell encourages her students to critique educational systems that do not treat children equitably. I teach many of the same students as Dr. Powell, and I can say with certainty that they are changed as a result of her classes. Not only does Dr. Powell embrace social justice, she inspires her students to do the same.”

To nominate a member of the Southern community for a Top Owl Award, visit the Social Justice website.

(Above:  Lewis J. DeLuca, Jr., coordinator of Student Financial Literacy and Advising, advises students on financial literacy.)

What if your college education included learning how to manage your finances, including student loan debt? At Southern, students are able to take advantage of the Student Financial Literacy and Advising program, which helps them do just that. Financial literacy initiatives have become popular on college campuses in large part because of the inflated expenses required to attend these institutions. Like Southern, many schools now offer workshops, courses, one-on-one consultations, and incentivizing programs to teach  students to become fiscally responsible.

The website LendEDU has released its annual Top 50 Financial Literacy Programs report, and Southern made the list for the second year in a row. After analyzing more than a thousand colleges and universities based on LendEDU’s unique scoring system, LendEDU placed Southern in the top 50, at #29.

LendEDU is a marketplace for private student loans, student loan refinancing, credit cards, and personal loans, among other financial products. LendEDU’s goal is to create transparency in these markets to help consumers make educated decisions and better manage their money. It annually compiles a ranking of the 50 best financial literacy programs offered at colleges throughout the United States, looking at hundreds of colleges and universities that are known to have a financial literacy program.

According to LendEDU’s assessment of Southern’s financial literacy program, the university’s financial literacy website “has an impressive collection of financial literacy resources and tools. Besides offering one-on-one financial literacy consultations and presentations, Southern Connecticut State University offers customized financial planning sessions with individual students. Individual financial plans can be created for each student according to their financial situation and academic goals.” To date, over 2039 individual financial plans for Southern students have been created and aligned with academic goals for timely degree completion.

Read LendEDU’s full report.

Learn more about Southern’s Financial Literacy and Advising Program.

As the number of Spanish speakers continues to grow in the United States, understanding the language and Latino culture can be a valuable asset. This awareness is perhaps most valuable in the medical community, where effective communication can make a difference in the health and well-being of patients.

In an effort to address this need, Southern has created a certificate program in Spanish and Latino Cultures for Health Professionals. The 12-credit program will be launched in the summer. All students will take a course called, “Advanced Spanish for Health Professionals.” In addition, students will choose three of the following four courses: “Medical Spanish,” “Spanish IV – Latino America,” “Spanish Conversation” and “Theory & Practice of Translation.”

While proficiency in Spanish is helpful to enter the program, those who are not proficient may apply, as well. The program requires those who are not proficient in Spanish to take two additional language courses – “Elementary Spanish for Health Professionals I” and “Elementary Spanish for Health Professionals II.” Applicants can take a placement exam from home to measure their proficiency level.

“Upon completion of the certificate program, students will be able to communicate in Spanish with a command of the vocabulary needed to establish relationships with patients and other members of the Spanish-speaking local community,” said William Flores, SCSU associate professor of world languages and literatures and coordinator of the certificate program.

“In addition, students will have an awareness of the Latino cultures in America to help in those relationships.”

Flores said students will be able to complete the program within a year by taking one or two classes at a time. While it is open to people in all fields, the program will focus on health and human services professionals, such as nurses, doctors, EMTs, social workers, speech pathologists and psychologists/counselors.

He said the cost — $999 per course – is significantly less expensive than the standard tuition rates, although the courses are part of the undergraduate curriculum. Flores also said those who can demonstrate financial need are welcome to apply for tuition stipends to help defray the cost.

“If a student has a particular concern or conflict, they are welcome to speak with me about their situation,” Flores said. “We will be as flexible as we can, while still maintaining the standards necessary to ensure that students will leave the program with language and cultural proficiency.”

Flores said he is hopeful that at least 20 students will be enrolled by the summer. The certificate program was actually recommended by an advisory board of key community leaders.

Flores, a native of Peru, came to the United States in 1993. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of California at Riverside. He has 18 years of high school and college teaching experience, and before coming to SCSU, served as director of the Spanish program at California Baptist University. He, along with other SCSU faculty members, will teach the classes.

The first course will be taught during Summer Session A. Those interested in the program are asked to contact Flores at (203) 392-5374, or at floresw2@southernct.edu. An application will be posted on the SCSU website at: www.SouthernCT.edu.

The first few weeks of February have been extremely fruitful for winter programs within the Southern Connecticut State University athletic department.

These Owls haven’t had to worry much about seeing their own shadow due to the collection of trophies accumulating inside Moore Field House.

Since the turn of the calendar to February, Southern Connecticut’s teams have claimed four Northeast -10 Conference team championships, four more individual awards and one additional team runner-up placing.

Things kicked off with the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each capturing NE10 Championships on Feb. 11. It was the 13^th title in 16 years for the men and 12^th for the women – bringing the program’s combined total to a whopping 25. In addition, Katherine Crochet (Watertown, Conn.) was named the Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer for the second time in her career while Tyler Prescott (Meriden, Conn.) collected Men’s Most Outstanding Swimmer laurels.

Thirteen proved to be a lucky number as well for the men’s indoor track and field team the following weekend as the Owls won their 13^th NE10 indoor title and 27^th overall. The women’s squad also finished as the runner-up for the fifth straight year.

Destiney Coward (East Haven, Conn.) was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer for the third straight year after winning both the shot put and weight throw. On the men’s side, Turner Kelly (Amityville, N.Y.) earned the same honor after also taking the top spot in those two events.

Finally, the women’s basketball team claimed its first-ever NE10 Southwest Division title when the final game of the regular season concluded on Feb. 20. The Owls ended the regular season with 20 wins – including an earlier triumph over Division I Rhode Island – and are poised for a run deep into the post-season.

ReelAbilities is the largest disability film festival in North America dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different abilities. This spring, Southern is joining venues in New York, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco, among others, to feature films selected from over 1000 competitive submissions from an international community and reviewed by the screening committee in New York City, where the festival premieres each year in March.

Southern’s contribution to the 2018 festival — the first time the festival has been in Connecticut — is a screening of Mary and Max, a tale of friendship between two unlikely penpals: Mary, a lonely eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and Max, an obese, middle-aged Jewish man with Asperger’s, living in New York. “This film will be the first time ReelAbilities has been in Connecticut,” says Fran Prezant, of the Department of Communication Disorders, “and it will be here at SCSU.”

The film, to be screened in the Adanti Student Center Theater on March 19 from 5-7:30 p.m., has some adult content and is not appropriate for young children. A panelist talkback will follow the screening of the film, and light refreshments will be served. Admission is free. The theater is physically accessible and the film is captioned.

Initiated in New York in 2007, the ReelAbilities Film Festival presents award-winning films by and about people with disabilities in multiple locations throughout each hosting city. Post-screening discussions and other engaging programs bring together the community to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.

“At a time when discussions about differences and inclusion are so important in this country,” Prezant says, “recognizing the strength in diversity and challenging stereotypic notions is important.” The festival offers a great opportunity, she says, “to discuss differences rather than ‘deficits,’ bust stereotypes, and challenge long-held and often erroneous assumptions.”

ReelAbilities events have been held in over a dozen cities in North America and have expanded from the United States to Canada and soon, Latin America. Since its start, ReelAbilities has been consistently receiving an increasing number of outstanding film submissions from across the globe.

The campus screening is sponsored by Judaic Studies with contributions from Deans’ Offices: Arts & Sciences, Health and Human Services, and Education; and the Department of Communication Disorders.

With support of the SCSU National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Autism Awareness and Advocacy Club

Learn more about this screening.

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will deliver this year’s Mary and Louis Fusco Distinguished Lecture on March 23 at Southern Connecticut State University.

The event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.

Biden, a former six-term U. S. senator who went on to serve two terms as vice president under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, is expected to speak on some of the most pressing issues facing the nation in a moderated conversation. These include domestic and foreign policy, as well as his commitment to cancer research though the Biden Cancer Initiative, which he co-founded with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden.

He is the author of the book, Promise Me Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose, released by Flatiron Books last year. The book examines how the loss of his son, Beau, affected his life.

The talk marks the 20^th installment in the Distinguished Lecture Series, which began in 1999. Among the past speakers are: Gen. Colin Powell; the late Walter Cronkite, iconic CBS anchorman; former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Tickets for this year’s event are sold out. Parking will be available in the Wintergreen Parking Garage.

Over 50 members of the campus community were honored at a recent campus celebration to mark Southern’s official designation as a Breastfeeding-Friendly Campus by the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC) — the first college or university to receive this designation in the state and in the nation. These community members, who have volunteered to serve as “Breastfeeding Champions,” are a critical component of the breastfeeding-friendly initiative. At the celebration, Public Health Professor and Director of Faculty Development Michele Vancour and President Joe Bertolino were presented with a certificate by Chandra M. Kelsey, Vancour’s CBC co-chair — an award, the CBC says, that “distinguishes SCSU for their work of making the campus accessible and providing lactation space to students, faculty, and visitors. Their unique approach to recruiting breastfeeding champions and alternate spaces alongside information and on-site professional lactation support set a new standard for providing necessary support on campus.”

This step is important for Southern because it is building an awareness that mothers who breastfeed their babies need access to safe, clean, and private spaces to express milk, says Kelsey. “Mothers who return to work or to school should be encouraged and supported both in their pursuits as well as their desire to provide food for their baby. A majority of students are not mothers, but bringing awareness to the need and the space changes social norms. Personally, I see it as a way to empower women.”

State law protects the rights of women who wish to breastfeed or express breast milk at their place of employment, during breaks and in private spaces designated for these purposes. But students are not protected by the workplace law, Vancour points out. “The culture is different for students from employees,” she says. “As a result of unequal access to supports, students are forced to leave school, miss classes, or pump milk in unsafe environments like bathrooms and cars.” The Breastfeeding-Friendly Campus initiative broadens support to include students and even visitors to campus who may wish to breastfeed or express breast milk.

The designation certainly “sends a signal about what kind of campus we are,” says Terricita Sass, associate vice president for enrollment management, who is a volunteer Breastfeeding Champion.

Kelsey agrees, adding, “Southern is off to a great start towards being a family-friendly environment for students and faculty by going a step beyond offering a basic lactation space. What they have done is to create a culture of support with faculty volunteering to be breastfeeding champions. These champions serve to bridge the gap when accessing the space is too far from their next class or next meeting. They work within their departments to identify a space that can be used on a temporary basis as well as be a point person if a mother needed more resources. This is not only an important piece, community support, for breastfeeding moms, it also benefits the university as a work place (reduced absenteeism, health care savings, employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity).”

Vancour believes that Southern can serve as a model for other campuses around the country and in fact has been contacted by individuals at other universities who are working towards attaining the Breastfeeding-Friendly designation.

The Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC) is organized around the six sectors identified in the 2011 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding (SGCTA). Each Sector has a committee that is led by a board member-liaison and is responsible for implementing actions in response to the SGCTA. Each committee is tasked with contributing to the discussion and advancement of breastfeeding goals within the state. The CBC’s overall mission is to “improve Connecticut’s health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.”

Academic and local government entities often talk about the importance of town-gown relationships. But a partnership that includes Southern, the city of New Haven and regional bioscience companies has evolved into what could be described as a “town-gown-downtown” relationship.

And in just three years, that relationship has borne substantial fruit in a variety of areas — academic programs, community outreach and development of industry and career collaborations. Taken together, a Bioscience Academic and Career Pathway Initiative (BioPath) has been created that promises to benefit the Greater New Haven region, which is home to the second largest cluster of biotechnology companies in New England.

“One of the goals of BioPath is to help sustain the region as a leader in bioscience by generating a pipeline of highly skilled and well-educated citizens and workers,” said Christine Broadbridge, interim dean of the SCSU School of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovation. “It really is becoming a win-win-win for the university, the Greater New Haven bioscience industry, and area communities, in general.”

On the academic front, SCSU launched a Bachelor of Science degree in biotechnology last fall. The new major provides students with an opportunity to take their scientific knowledge and conquer real world problems in the areas of medicine, genetics and other related fields. The program has aligned a series of pre-existing and new courses with the needs of the biotech industry, according to Nicholas Edgington, associate professor of biology. “As a result, students will come away with a background that will enable them to be competitive for good, high paying biotechnology positions,” he said.

In addition, SCSU has created a biochemistry concentration in the B.S. degree in chemistry, and is in the process of developing other academic programs that also are sensitive to the needs of the bioscience industry.

The enhanced relationship between SCSU and the bioscience industry has led to increased internship opportunities. Broadbridge said those internships are invaluable to students from an experience standpoint, and often lead to first jobs after graduation.

SCSU, in partnership with The Jackson Laboratory and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, are sponsoring a bioscience careers forum to provide college students with information about industry trends and career opportunities. Speakers for the April 27 event include those from area bioscience companies. A group of local high school students also have been invited to attend.

The university has reached out to the public-at-large with a variety of science-related events. Family science nights have been developed in an effort to generate increased interest among students in the New Haven Public Schools. SCSU has sponsored public lectures and tours of its state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in a new science building that opened in 2015. SCSU also has continued to reach out to area educators, particularly with summer science programs aimed at “teaching the teachers.”

Greater research opportunities have become available, as well, through the acquisition of cutting-edge equipment, and participation in an International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition during the fall of 2016. SCSU became one of only a few Connecticut universities to have ever competed in the event since its inception more than a decade ago. The team of SCSU undergraduates earned a bronze medal for its efforts during the summer and fall to develop a screening test that would help expedite testing for tuberculosis, while also maintaining a high level of accuracy. Although time constraints did not allow the team to fully complete its research, the work was sent to the IGEM headquarters repository for future teams to advance.

Middle East History Professor Steven Judd says he doesn’t “shy from controversy” when it comes to scholarly work or university life – and he’s demonstrated that in his recent book: Religious Scholars and the Umayyads: Piety­ minded Supporters of the Marwanid Caliphate.

The book forces scholars to re-examine long held assumptions about the early history of Islam.

Judd is this year’s recipient of the Faculty Scholar Award, an honor conferred jointly by the Faculty Scholar Award Committee and the university president. The award recognizes scholarly and creative work of exceptional merit by a full-time member of the SCSU faculty.

Judd’s book argues that opposition to the Umayyads was not universal and that a substantial network of pious religious scholars actively supported the regime. “Religious Scholars and the Umayyads was meant to disrupt,” Judd wrote of his book.

Judd asserts in his work that “the standard historiographical approach to the period falls victim to the biases of a few selected sources and that a broader array of sources provides a necessary corrective.”

He goes on to explain, “By exploiting different sources, I reconstructed the network of religious scholars who supported the supposedly Godless regime and demonstrated their influence on Islamic legal development.”

A colleague reflecting on the book informed Judd that he and others were “impressed by the depth of your scholarship, your imaginative use of biographical sources, and the fact that your book forces scholars to re-examine long held assumptions about the early history of Islam.”

Another colleague wrote: “Dr. Judd’s imaginative use of biographical sources is used to shed new light on an era that is forcing even the defenders of the orthodox position to acknowledge that some assumptions need to be re-examined.”

In describing the book, Judd writes that the Umayyad century, between 661-750 CE, has traditionally been treated “as an interregnum, characterized by ungodly rulers confronting pious opponents whose resistance ranged from rebellion to quietist withdrawal.”

Judd’s book has been well-received by scholars in the field, he says, “despite its disruptive intent and its critique of long-standing historical and historiographical paradigms.”

Reviews of the piece have appeared in diverse venues, including American, German, Turkish and Italian publications. The work has also been cited extensively in a variety of publications.

Hamza Zafer, the leading Islamic historian at the University of Washington, asserts that the work “changes our understanding of lslam’s early development,” and “upends the standard Western and Muslim narratives.”

David Powers, senior Islamic legal scholar at Cornell and long-time editor of “Islamic Law and Society,” describes the work as ”a solid and persuasive monograph” and “an important contribution.”

In addition to formal reviews, Religious Scholars and the Umayyads has been cited in a variety of articles, including by Nimrod Hurvitz, a leading Israeli scholar who notes that Judd’s work “marshaled a convincing body of historical ‘evidence that contradicts the ‘opposition paradigm.”

Judd says that broad and largely positive interest shown in the book around the globe suggests that it will have a long-term impact on the field and force scholars to question long-standing historical and historiographical paradigms.

“If that is the case,” he said, “the book will have accomplished its purpose.”

Judd holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College. He counts among the courses he teaches: Islamic Civilization, Muhammad to the Mongols, Modern Iraq, Islamic Fundamentalism, and The Medieval Middle East.