Text
June 2007
Vol. 33, No. 4
Wireless Internet
on Campus
The Information Technical Services
Department is working to bring wireless
Internet access and legal music downloads
to campus.
More than 90 percent of the campus
will have access to the wireless network
by September, according to Chief
Information Officer Mike Pearce.
The wireless network previously had
been available only from the Mildred
Sawyer Library at 73 Tremont St., the
New England School of Art & Design,
portions of the Law School, and the
Sawyer lounge.
Continued on page 8
It was a doubly exciting commencement for Assistant Treasurer Mike Dwyer, far right, and his family as daughter Christina received a master’s degree and son Chuck received a bachelor’s degree.
(Photo by John Gillooly)
Centennial Commencement Celebration
NBA Hall of Famer and former Boston
Models of Success
Christina DiRico, Provost’s Office; Jessica
Merenda, Public Affairs; and Kristyn O’Brien,
Government and Community Affairs, are
dressed in the height of fashion as they
model BCBG fashions at Macy’s Downtown
Crossing. The stylish trio drew an enthusiastic crowd from the Suffolk community.
(Photo by George Comeau)
Celtics great Bill Russell, a longtime civil
rights advocate, delivered the commencement address to 1,672 students from the
Law School, College of Arts and Sciences
and Sawyer Business School May 20 at the
Centennial Commencement.
In addressing the graduates at TD
Banknorth Garden, Russell stressed the
importance of living in a kind and civil
society. He also talked about how Suffolk
provided the graduates with the guidance
and direction to become respected and
caring citizens.
“I have as much regard for Suffolk
University as I have for any school on the
planet, because this school not only gave
you lessons, but tried to impart a philosophy, a philosophy on how to be a good
citizen,” said Russell. “Now, your work is
just beginning. And again, I repeat to you,
do not be afraid.
“I also ask you to take the responsibility
of trying to make this society all that it can
be. And each of you is one of the instruments of change. And so I thank you for
being here today, because it makes me think
that some of the things that we have done
in the past have made this possible. …”
Russell’s message touched the heart of
Wendy Alterno, who received her bachelor
of science degree in criminology and the
law.
“When Bill Russell talked about how
“this is the beginning” and “don’t be afraid,”
it was like he was talking directly to me,”
said Alterno, purchasing coordinator in the
Business Office. “I could really relate to
some of things he had to say.”
Alterno, 25, moved to Boston from
Costa Rica when she was a young girl.
She has a daughter, Alexus, 7. Balancing
her responsibilities as a single mom and a
student was no easy task, but Alterno persevered with hard work and determination.
Continued on page 7
A Message
to Readers
As many of you know,
I will be leaving Suffolk
University this month.
After 13 wonderful years
I have decided to find
out what is in store as I
explore the next chapter
of my professional life.
I always will remember the great experiences I’ve had and the incredibly dedicated and caring people I have met while
I have been here. At the conclusion of a
spectacular Centennial year—thanks to
so many of you—I felt there would never
be a better time for me to start my next
professional adventure.
I have been very fortunate to have so
many loyal and trusted colleagues over
the years. Too often a person will hear
about how much others thought of their
work only after they decide to move on.
My experience has been that, through
the years, many of you have shown your
appreciation and support for my effort,
and for that I will always be grateful.
A few days ago a 5-year-old child to
whom I had recently given a Suffolk book
bag asked me about the torch in our seal.
He asked me what it was and what it
means. I said that we carry the torch of
education, and it is passed along from
one student to the next as they graduate.
He asked if I had ever touched the torch
and if it was hot! My answer was that I
hadn’t touched the torch but that I carried
the Suffolk torch for many years and
that it would be in my heart forever. I
guess that sums up how I feel about this
extraordinary place made up of so many
wonderful people, unforgettable stories
and a rich, rich history.
Thank you for letting me share the
past 13 years with you and experience the
wonders and greatness of this magnificent
institution. I will never be far away and
wish you all success and happiness as you
continue to carry the torch and pass it on
to others.
Most sincerely,
Rosemarie E. Sansone
University Data Now Available in Factbook
Eric Lee can’t help being factual when discussing Suffolk’s newest publication.
“This book has all the information you need to know at your fingertips,” said Lee,
assistant to the president. “It’s filled with facts about everything.”
The Suffolk University Factbook contains a little more than 100 pages of facts, figures,
graphs and charts spread over 14 sections. Those sections focus on a wide range of information, from enrollment, graduation rates, and University support services and resources
to faculty and staff, finance, alumni and advancement.
“The purpose of this book is to enable people in the Suffolk community to work with a
common set of facts and figures about the University,” said Lee.
The Factbook, which took nearly two years to complete, was compiled by the Office of
the Provost, Enrollment Research/Planning Office, Vice President-Treasurer’s Office and a
host of other offices throughout the University community.
“It was a collaborative effort to put this together,” said Lee.
Two hundred copies of the Factbook are scheduled for printing and distribution on
campus this month. The information also will be available online.
“This is a great step for the University as it moves forward to data-driven decision
making,” said Lee. “In the future, the Factbook will be updated each year by the end of the
fall semester.”
Theater Program Chooses Plotkins Musical
A new musical developed by Theatre
Chair Marilyn Plotkins has been accepted
into a competitive development program
run by the American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in association with the Walt Disney Company.
Out of the Blue, formerly titled Begin
Again, was one of four projects chosen
from 211 applicants by the ASCAP/Disney
Musical Theatre Workshop.
The workshop, directed by AcademyAward-winning composer/lyricist Stephen
Schwartz, is part of an ongoing series
sponsored by the ASCAP Foundation to
nurture new American musicals.
Out of the Blue is a modern love story
set in New York City. It concerns Des and
AJ, young, dedicated public schoolteachers
full of hopes and dreams. Then Des begins
to collapse under the weight of her fears.
Splitting apart under the strain, Des and
AJ struggle to find their way back to each
other. The lessons they learn, through
the children they meet, will change them
forever.
T h e SUN is Publishe d by :
Office of Public Affairs
73 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108
617-573-8447
2
SUN
Out of the Blue was first developed with
composer Jenny Giering and librettist
Laura Harrington with director Marilyn
Plotkins in two fall residencies at Suffolk as
part of the Boston Music Theatre Project.
The workshop production premiered with
a Suffolk student ensemble in the Studio
Theatre in spring 2006 and has been
gaining momentum ever since. Giering
and Harrington are negotiating with an
off-Broadway theater for a full professional
run next season.
Plotkins founded the Boston Music
Theatre Project in 1987 as the first professional organization in the Greater Boston
area dedicated exclusively to the development of new work in music theatre.
“We are thrilled that Out of the Blue has
continued to grow and gain recognition
after our successful run at Suffolk,” said
Plotkins. “I look forward not only to the
continued development of this piece but
of new projects that will bring important
musical theater writers to Suffolk
University to work with our students.”
Executive Editor
Rosemarie E. Sansone
Managing Editor
Nancy Kelleher
Staff Writers
Karen DeCilio
Tony Ferullo
Design
Heather Clark
Meservey Chosen to Lead Salem State College
Patricia Maguire Meservey is headed to
Salem State College, where she will assume
the presidency of the four-year public
institution.
Those who worked closely with her here
at Suffolk University applauded her record of
accomplishment.
“Pat Meservey has been an outstanding
provost, and I am sure she will be a great
president,” said Law School Dean Robert
Smith. “She came into a challenging situation as the University’s first provost and academic vice president. Instead of staking out
‘her turf,’ she has effectively used an inclusive
and facilitative approach to problem solving
and to planning.”
Meservey joined Suffolk University in
2004. As an academic leader, she promoted
faculty scholarship and strategic planning in
the academic and administrative realms.
Under her direction, the University instituted the Center for Teaching Excellence,
which brings together faculty members to
share best practices and provides resources
to enhance the outstanding teaching at the
University.
The provost introduced the Academic
Conference in spring 2006, with interdisciplinary presentations involving faculty from
all three schools. A second academic conference this past spring brought more than
300 members of the University community
together for two days of presentations and
poster sessions.
“She is quite unusual in that she is
someone who has a strong sense of mission
and sees the big picture, but also has a great
grasp of details and has the patience and
persistence to follow projects through to
completion,” said Smith. “She has been an
invaluable partner for the Law School and
for me personally. And deans don’t often say
that about provosts.”
Meservey also spearheaded the effort
to bring the Incident Command System
emergency management protocol to the
University and provided valuable direction
during the redesign of the University’s Web
sites.
“Pat has made many contributions to
the University in less than three years here,”
said Vice President Francis X. Flannery. “She
was involved in many efforts, including the
Incident Command team. Her work on the
budget with Maureen (Stewart) and me has
been a tremendous asset to us, and I will
really miss her.”
A new provost will be appointed at a later
date.
Students Win Robotic Competition
Teams of Electrical engineering students, under the guidance of Associate Professors
Craig Christensen and Mostapha Ziad, placed first and third in the annual Institute
of Electrical and Electronic Engineers robotic competition held at Fairleigh Dickinson
University this spring.
The IEEE Micromouse Competition requires that students create an autonomous robot
that must travel from one corner of a 16-by-16-grid maze to a single entrance in the maze’s
middle four squares.
The robot uses infrared or ultrasonic sensors to “see” the walls, stepper motors with
wheels to provide mobility, and a microprocessor to implement the search algorithm and
keep track of the maze walls and openings as it navigates through the course possibilities.
Most maze solutions are circuitous, with many alternate dead ends.
This year’s entrants were from the College of New Jersey, Cooper Union, DeVry
University, Fairleigh Dickinson, the City College of New York, Binghamton University, and
Suffolk University.
Suffolk’s first-place team consisted of seniors Gael Hatchue, Fernanda Zulkarnain and
Ilyas Hamdi. Their robot was steady and stable, with frequent realignment corrections.
The third-place team members included Jason Lin, Alimatou Ndiaye and Danny Wang.
Their robot was more aggressive, but less stable, losing its orientation about half-way
through the maze.
This years’ team of 10 members also included Fabrice Kabore and Chris Cheng.
This year also marked the first time that Suffolk has competed in the IEEE paper competition, in which a research effort is documented and presented. Gael Hatchue provided a
polished presentation of a wireless link using a camera and computer to control the actions
of robots on a playing field. Images from the camera were processed for position, orientation, and speed of the fighting robots. This information was sent to the robots, which
subsequently implement their own strategies.
Suffolk has a long history of success in the robotic competition, winning or placing
nearly every year since 2001.
Kevin White and Leonard Bernstein (Photo
by Charles Giuliano)
Charles Giuliano: Last
Call, A Retrospective
Longtime New England School of
Art & Design faculty member Charles
Giuliano marked his retirement with an
exhibit of more than 120 photographs
selected from his long career as an arts
critic and journalist.Charles Giuliano: Last
Call, A Retrospective opened with a reception and retirement party at the New
England School of Art & Design gallery.
Giuliano taught art history at the New
England School of Art & Design for 25
years and was associated with Suffolk
University’s Humanities Department
before the two institutions merged.
He has run the New England School of
Art & Design exhibition program since
the merger.
June 20 07
3
Potpourri
John Cavanagh, History, and wife Beth
enjoyed watching actor Paul Benedict star in
the A.R.T. production of Harold Pinter’s No
Man’s Land. After the play they met briefly
with Benedict, who received a bachelor of
arts degree from Suffolk in 1960. “Benedict
fondly remembered Professor Ed Hartmann’s history survey classes, having apparently scored far above the ‘triple F’ grade
for which Hartmann was legendary,” said
Cavanagh.
Andrew Beckerman-Rodau, Law
School, presented “The Choice Between
Patent and Trade Secrets Law Protection”
at the Cambridge intellectual property law
firm of Lowrie, Lando & Anastasi, LLP.
Frank Rudy Cooper, Law School,
participated in the invitation-only Criminal
Justice Roundtable at Yale Law School.
Ken Cosgrove, Government, presented
a paper “Brand Failure: the Republican
Party and the 2006 Congressional Election”
at the Midwest Political Science Association
meeting in Chicago. At the same meeting,
he also served as a discussant on a panel that
examined the impact of newspaper endorsements on election outcomes.
Robert DeFillippi, Management,
presented “Maintaining meaningful UK-US
collaboration,” focusing on his decade of
international research collaborations with
multiple UK university research partners,
at the British Academy of Management’s
conference on International Research
collaborations in London. DeFillippi’s
symposium, “Being and Becoming a
Management Education Scholar,” has
won the Best Symposium award from the
Management Education & Development
division of the Academy of Management.
This is the second time in three years that
he has won the award, which is sponsored
by McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
The Economics Department was
represented at the International Industrial
Organization Conference in Savannah, Ga.
Darlene C. Chisholm presented a paper,
“Product Line Rivalry: How Box Office
Revenue Cycles Influence Movie Exhibition
Variety,” co-authored with George Norman
of Tufts University, at a session, “Retail
Competition in Media Industries,” which
she chaired. At the “Modeling Travel
Demand” session, Shuyi Jiang, PhD
candidate in economics, presented a
paper, “Estimating Travel Demand with
Mixed-Logit and Multiple Index Models”;
4
SUN
Spring Fling Draws Enthusiastic
and Alfonso SanchezPenalver of the Beacon
Hill Institute, a PhD
candidate in economics, presented a paper
“Modeling the Household’s Simultaneous
Commuting Decisions.”
They also were paper
discussants at this session.
Best wishes in retirement to Paul Ladd,
Information Technology
Services, and Bette
Mandl, English.
Kate Matson, Law
Joining in the fun are Assistant Dean of Students John Silveria, Director
School, was selected to
of Health Services Art Klossner and Assistant Director of Health
participate in the first
Services Cathy Bieksha.
annual Cambridge Science Festival. Her group,
FILMprov, presented
her animated art films
accompanied by live
improvisational music in
the Science & the Arts
presentation, A Moment
in Chaos. Another set
of Matson’s films was
screened at the Museum
of Fine Arts with the
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra as
a part of April’s Jazz Week.
Thomas McGrath,
Mary Ann Sacks and Karen Schwartz, Budget and Risk Management Office.
Humanities and Modern
Languages, delivered
a paper, “CounterReformation Art and
Iconography in Late Sixteenth-Century
Industry Council in recognition of her
Milan,” at the annual conference of
efforts to create and pilot a program of
the Renaissance Society of America in
courses about college for Private Industry
Miami. He will serve as acting chair of
Council summer interns from Boston high
the Humanities and Modern Languages
schools.
Department for the 2007–2008 academic
Theatre News: Participating in the
year.
Boston Theatre Marathon were Ronan
Noone, with Sheet; Wesley Savick, who
Alfonso Sanchez-Penalver, Beacon
Hill Institute, attended a Heritage Foun
directed Robert Brustein’s Enter William
dation conference in Philadelphia, where
Shakespeare, a collaboration of the American
he met former Spanish President Jose Maria
Repertory Theatre and Suffolk University;
Aznar, who was the keynote luncheon
and Andrew Clarke, who wrote Vas
speaker.
Deferens, performed by the National Theatre
Bob Rosenthal, Communication and
of Allston, which is a Theatre department
Journalism, was interviewed by Fox 25
program. This summer Richard Chambers
News on the controversy surrounding the
will design for the Cape Playhouse producdismissal of radio host Don Imus.
tions of 2 Pianos, 4 Hands; Corpse!; and
Julie Schniewind, director of
Beehive.
Corporate Learning Initiatives, received
Elizabeth J. Wilson, Marketing, was
the 2007 Achiever Award from the Private
quoted in the March 5, 2007, issue of
Crowd to Pemberton Square
Athletic Director Jim Nelson teams up with Steve Becker and Anne
Macdonald of Web Services.
Faculty Publications
Ken Cosgrove, Government, has published the book Branded
Conservatives: How the Brand Brought the Right from the Fringes
to the Center of American Politics (Peter Lang USA).
Carol Dine, English, will publish her book Wild Brush:
Poems on the Art of Vincent van Gogh (The Bitter Oleander Press
2008). Since the book includes many of the artist’s drawings,
Dine will travel to Amsterdam this summer to work with the
drawings curator at the Van Gogh Museum.
Raul de la Fuente Marcos and Carlos de la Fuente
Marcos, Madrid campus, co-authored an article with five other
authors, “Observational templates of star cluster disruption.
The stellar group NGC 1901 in front of the Large Magellanic
Cloud,” in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 266, No. 3, May 2007,
pp. 931-941.
Kristin Polito, Executive MBA Program and Institute for
Executive Education, published an article “What is the Return
on Investment of the Executive MBA” in the online edition of
Human Resources Management Magazine.
Promotion and Tenure
The Board of Trustees has approved promotions and tenure
for the following College of Arts and Sciences faculty members
effective July 1, 2007:
Promotions
In-Mee Baek, professor of Finance
Jonathan Haughton, professor of Economics
David Gansler, associate professor of Psychology
Wallace Marosek, associate professor, New England School
The Sawyer Business School was well represented at the Spring Fling,
with Jennifer Gammon, Aneta Biernat, Caitlin Ryan and Carol Flores.
(Photos by John Gillooly)
of Art and Design.
Tenure
Craig Christensen, associate professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Banker and Tradesman on the True Blue advertising campaign
designed to reposition Eastern Bank in the New England financial
marketplace.
David Yamada, Law School. At the annual meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association in San Diego, he presented a
paper, “Regulatory Responses to Workplace Bullying: A Global
Law and Public Policy Perspective,” on the significance of employment law and employee benefits issues for health practitioners who
are treating individuals suffering from psychiatric illness due to
emotional abuse at work.
New Faces
Please welcome our newest employees:
Kelly Auchterlonie University Police
Craig Capavella Dean’s Office, CAS
Karen Jasinski Student Activities and Service Learning
Kerry Laroche Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Amy Leung Business Office
Elizabeth Maia-Peterson Advancement
Wallace Marosek, associate professor, New England School
of Art and Design
Richard Miller, associate professor of English
Susan Orsillo, associate professor of Psychology
Wesley Savick, associate professor of Theater
Thomas Trott, associate professor of Biology
Dmitry Zinoviev, associate professor of Math and Computer
Science
Joseph McEttrick III Law Academic Technology
Katrina Nunez Information Technology Services
Jose Perez Facilities Management
Matthew Petrarca Undergraduate Admission
Micka Pierre University Police
Denise Strum University Media Services
Danielle Towne Public Management
June 20 07
5
Centennial Commencement 2007
The Distinguished Professor of Law John E. Fenton, Jr., serves as University Marshal.
President David J. Sargent is joined at the Summa Dinner by Suffolk’s
newest trustee, George Ramirez, and his wife, Kathleen.
Employee Graduates
The following Suffolk University employees were awarded
degrees at the Centennial Commencement:
Honorary degree recipient John Gardner, the University’s oldest alumnus,
who will turn 100 in September, and Maria Palomino, who returned to volunteer at commencement weeks after leaving the Advancement Office.
Alumni Marshals Robert Dugan, director of the Mildred F Sawyer Li.
brary; Barbara Wilson; and Scott Solombrino.
Photos by John Gillooly
6
SUN
Wendy Alterno, Business Office, BS
Stephannie Barboza, Government, MS
Rosetta Baetzel, Law Registrar, MED
Williere Benjamin, University Police, BSBA
Alisa Berman, Dean’s Office, Sawyer Business School, BSBA
Corin Bourque, University Police, BSBA
Timothy Brown, Ballotti Learning Center, MED
Jessica Camelio, Law Library, BA
Matthew Courchene, Public Management, MPA
Leslie Cummings, Sociology, BS
Lindsey Darling, Undergraduate Admission, MED
Kelly Fitzgerald, Undergraduate Admission, MED
Racheal Galushkin, Dean’s Office, College, MS
Sarah Glassman, Economics, MS
Daniel Gottschalk, English, BS
Hang Law, Student Accounts/Bursar, BS
Katherine Landry, Advanced Legal Studies, MBA
Erica Mattison, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, MPA
Corey McGrath, University Police, MS
Jonane Nicolas, Law Library, BA
Nadia Parejo-Jean, University Police, BSBA
Darren Phaen, University Police, BSBA
Tiffanie Pierce, Center for International Education, CRT
Kathryn Rodrigues, Math & Computer Science, BA
Jessie Schloss, NESAD, BFA
Student Government
Awards
Continued from page 1
“I set a goal for myself years ago to get
my degree,” she said.
She went to school on a part-time basis,
including summers, for six years to fulfill
her academic requirements. That’s why
walking across the stage last month was
such a rewarding experience for her.
“It is a day I will never forget,” said
Alterno, who was a member of two
national honor societies and plans to
continue her education. “It was a very
inspirational time for me, and I’m so happy
to have accomplished what I did.”
Russell received an honorary degree,
as did Attorney John J. Gardner, JD
’31 Suffolk’s oldest alumnus turns 100 in
—
September; Margot Stern Strom, president
and executive director, Facing History and
Ourselves; and the Hon. Peter T. Zarella,
JD ’75, associate justice of the Supreme
Court of Connecticut.
The Student Government Association held
its annual Leadership Awards ceremony
Thursday, April 12, at the Colonnade Hotel.
The following members of the Suffolk community were honored:
Support staff of the year
Kristen Gleason
Administrator of the year
Susan James Leyva
Business Office Purchasing Coordinator Wendy
Alterno receives her undergraduate degree.
Faculty of the year, College
Wesley Savick
Faculty of the year, Business School
William Mee
Outstanding coach of the year
Ed Leyden
Student club adviser of the year
Bessie Chuang
Outstanding unsung hero, faculty
Judy Benson
Dorothy Zahir of the Center for International
Education with her husband, Quazi, who received his MBA.
Dakar Campus Holds First Awards Ceremony
Suffolk Dakar held its
first awards ceremony to
honor students, faculty and
staff and to show appreciation to the entire Dakar
community.
“I’m pleased that the
Suffolk Dakar community
had the opportunity to
connect,” said Tricia
Dakar Executive Director Dunham Rowley with Mohamed Manga,
Lawrence-Savane, director
Mary Chunu, Yannick Ilboudo, Macode Dieng and Thomas Haslam.
of student life for the Dakar
(Photo by Tom Lighnter)
campus, who organized the
event. “It’s very important for the development of our campus that everyone feels as if they
are part of the Suffolk family.”
The award recipients were chosen for best exemplifying the character of Suffolk
University Dakar through their service, honesty, diligence and leadership.
They are:
Outstanding Administrator of the Year
Macode Dieng, assistant to the director of Suffolk Dakar Administration
Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year
Thomas Haslam
Outstanding Support Staff of the Year
Mohamed Manga
Outstanding unsung hero, student
Mike Miccoli
Senior of the year
Chantha Toeum
Junior of the year
Cordelia Pisacane
Sophomore of the year
Megan Costello
Freshman of the year
Trevor Livingston
Transfer of the year
Cynthia Brown
Female athlete of the year
Michelle Quinones
Male athlete of the year
Will Feldman
Campus organization of the year
Seriously Bent
Campus-sponsored program of the year
Dinner Theater
Outstanding student organization of the
year
Women in Business
Student-sponsored program of the year
Program Council – Build a Bear
Most improved student organization
Women In Business
New student organization
The Suffolk Voice
Nearly 200 people attended the event, which featured entertainment by student groups
and a buffet of American “Soul Food.”
June 20 07
7
Wireless Internet
Continued from page 1
Digital entertainment will be available
to Suffolk students through the Ruckus
network beginning this summer.
“Ruckus provides a legal alternative
for music sharing,” said Pearce. “It offers
nearly 3 million music tracks free of cost
to students, and movies and television
shows are available for a fee.”
Emergency communication
The University is implementing a campus
emergency communication system, which
offers multi means of contacting students,
faculty and staff by e-mail, telephone,
cell phone and text messages on or off
campus.
The messaging system will be used
only for notification of emergencies or
campus closings due to events such as
snowstorms. To facilitate implementation
of the system, the University will use
pertinent telephone, e-mail and other
information.
A major challenge in having an emergency communications system function
properly is the accuracy of the contact
information. Please update information
when changes occur.
Web Listing Form
Now Online
News and events listed on the
University’s Web site show online visitors
that Suffolk University is a vibrant, active
institution.
Members of the University community
are invited to submit information for Web
news and events listings. All submissions
will be reviewed and considered for online
publications.
A form is available on the Public
Affairs Web page—www.suffolk.edu/
offices/1003.html—to simplify the
submissions process. Look for “Request a
Web listing” on the left-hand column
You are invited to submit information
about appointments, awards, programs,
grants and other activities that would
be of interest to prospective students
and parents, alumni, the media and the
general public.
8
SUN
Biologist Reports Changes in
Cobscook Bay Ecosystem
Associate Professor Thomas Trott presented research
on changes in the ecosystem of Cobscook Bay, Maine, at the
2007 meeting of the New England Estuarine Research Society
(NEERS).
The intense commercial harvesting of species that require
dredging, such as scallops and sea urchins, is the probable cause
of the faunal shift detected through field sampling, according to
Thomas Trott
Trott, of the Biology Department.
The dredging directly impacts species falling under the heavy
dredge path, according to Trott. A more insidious effect is the disturbance to sediments
that become suspended in the water column and redistributed throughout the bay by
strong water currents.
“When these sediments settle out, they change the bottom characteristics,” he said.
“The animals that I study have specific requirements for hard, rocky bottoms. The areas
that I sampled now have muddy bottoms, and so the animals that are now found there are
characteristic of that type of substrate.”
Mussel beds now predominate in the bay as a result of this faunal shift, and there is a
real concern that they may overtake areas where scallops normally are found.
“Because scallops are of high commercial value, there could be a serious impact on the
economy of local fishermen. Another impact is the change in community structure of the
bay. Because communities are connected through food webs, change could bring about
unforeseen changes in the abundance and distribution of many species, some that I did not
sample,” said Trott, who conducted his research at Suffolk’s R.S. Friedman Field Station on
Cobscook Bay through grants from the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
The July issue of Downeast Magazine will include an article on Trott’s work in Cobscook
Bay and his collaboration with colleagues
on the Canadian Biodiversity Discovery
Corridor.
The Friedman Field Station is located on
one of the very few macrotidal estuaries in the
United States and is an embayment that has
the highest biodiversity north of the tropics.
NEERS is a 500-member organization
of coastal research scientists and students
from New England and Atlantic Canada. Its
2007 meeting was co-hosted by the Bigelow
Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the Maine Outer Birch Island, one of five study areas in
Department of Marine Resources.
the Cobscook Bay region.
Save the Date
The annual 5K Road Race and Family Walk to benefit the Alumni Leadership
Scholarship Fund will take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, at Hatch Shell
along the Charles River.
For more information contact Rebecca Coyne, rcoyne@suffolk.edu, ext. 4231.
Vol. 33, No. 4
Wireless Internet
on Campus
The Information Technical Services
Department is working to bring wireless
Internet access and legal music downloads
to campus.
More than 90 percent of the campus
will have access to the wireless network
by September, according to Chief
Information Officer Mike Pearce.
The wireless network previously had
been available only from the Mildred
Sawyer Library at 73 Tremont St., the
New England School of Art & Design,
portions of the Law School, and the
Sawyer lounge.
Continued on page 8
It was a doubly exciting commencement for Assistant Treasurer Mike Dwyer, far right, and his family as daughter Christina received a master’s degree and son Chuck received a bachelor’s degree.
(Photo by John Gillooly)
Centennial Commencement Celebration
NBA Hall of Famer and former Boston
Models of Success
Christina DiRico, Provost’s Office; Jessica
Merenda, Public Affairs; and Kristyn O’Brien,
Government and Community Affairs, are
dressed in the height of fashion as they
model BCBG fashions at Macy’s Downtown
Crossing. The stylish trio drew an enthusiastic crowd from the Suffolk community.
(Photo by George Comeau)
Celtics great Bill Russell, a longtime civil
rights advocate, delivered the commencement address to 1,672 students from the
Law School, College of Arts and Sciences
and Sawyer Business School May 20 at the
Centennial Commencement.
In addressing the graduates at TD
Banknorth Garden, Russell stressed the
importance of living in a kind and civil
society. He also talked about how Suffolk
provided the graduates with the guidance
and direction to become respected and
caring citizens.
“I have as much regard for Suffolk
University as I have for any school on the
planet, because this school not only gave
you lessons, but tried to impart a philosophy, a philosophy on how to be a good
citizen,” said Russell. “Now, your work is
just beginning. And again, I repeat to you,
do not be afraid.
“I also ask you to take the responsibility
of trying to make this society all that it can
be. And each of you is one of the instruments of change. And so I thank you for
being here today, because it makes me think
that some of the things that we have done
in the past have made this possible. …”
Russell’s message touched the heart of
Wendy Alterno, who received her bachelor
of science degree in criminology and the
law.
“When Bill Russell talked about how
“this is the beginning” and “don’t be afraid,”
it was like he was talking directly to me,”
said Alterno, purchasing coordinator in the
Business Office. “I could really relate to
some of things he had to say.”
Alterno, 25, moved to Boston from
Costa Rica when she was a young girl.
She has a daughter, Alexus, 7. Balancing
her responsibilities as a single mom and a
student was no easy task, but Alterno persevered with hard work and determination.
Continued on page 7
A Message
to Readers
As many of you know,
I will be leaving Suffolk
University this month.
After 13 wonderful years
I have decided to find
out what is in store as I
explore the next chapter
of my professional life.
I always will remember the great experiences I’ve had and the incredibly dedicated and caring people I have met while
I have been here. At the conclusion of a
spectacular Centennial year—thanks to
so many of you—I felt there would never
be a better time for me to start my next
professional adventure.
I have been very fortunate to have so
many loyal and trusted colleagues over
the years. Too often a person will hear
about how much others thought of their
work only after they decide to move on.
My experience has been that, through
the years, many of you have shown your
appreciation and support for my effort,
and for that I will always be grateful.
A few days ago a 5-year-old child to
whom I had recently given a Suffolk book
bag asked me about the torch in our seal.
He asked me what it was and what it
means. I said that we carry the torch of
education, and it is passed along from
one student to the next as they graduate.
He asked if I had ever touched the torch
and if it was hot! My answer was that I
hadn’t touched the torch but that I carried
the Suffolk torch for many years and
that it would be in my heart forever. I
guess that sums up how I feel about this
extraordinary place made up of so many
wonderful people, unforgettable stories
and a rich, rich history.
Thank you for letting me share the
past 13 years with you and experience the
wonders and greatness of this magnificent
institution. I will never be far away and
wish you all success and happiness as you
continue to carry the torch and pass it on
to others.
Most sincerely,
Rosemarie E. Sansone
University Data Now Available in Factbook
Eric Lee can’t help being factual when discussing Suffolk’s newest publication.
“This book has all the information you need to know at your fingertips,” said Lee,
assistant to the president. “It’s filled with facts about everything.”
The Suffolk University Factbook contains a little more than 100 pages of facts, figures,
graphs and charts spread over 14 sections. Those sections focus on a wide range of information, from enrollment, graduation rates, and University support services and resources
to faculty and staff, finance, alumni and advancement.
“The purpose of this book is to enable people in the Suffolk community to work with a
common set of facts and figures about the University,” said Lee.
The Factbook, which took nearly two years to complete, was compiled by the Office of
the Provost, Enrollment Research/Planning Office, Vice President-Treasurer’s Office and a
host of other offices throughout the University community.
“It was a collaborative effort to put this together,” said Lee.
Two hundred copies of the Factbook are scheduled for printing and distribution on
campus this month. The information also will be available online.
“This is a great step for the University as it moves forward to data-driven decision
making,” said Lee. “In the future, the Factbook will be updated each year by the end of the
fall semester.”
Theater Program Chooses Plotkins Musical
A new musical developed by Theatre
Chair Marilyn Plotkins has been accepted
into a competitive development program
run by the American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in association with the Walt Disney Company.
Out of the Blue, formerly titled Begin
Again, was one of four projects chosen
from 211 applicants by the ASCAP/Disney
Musical Theatre Workshop.
The workshop, directed by AcademyAward-winning composer/lyricist Stephen
Schwartz, is part of an ongoing series
sponsored by the ASCAP Foundation to
nurture new American musicals.
Out of the Blue is a modern love story
set in New York City. It concerns Des and
AJ, young, dedicated public schoolteachers
full of hopes and dreams. Then Des begins
to collapse under the weight of her fears.
Splitting apart under the strain, Des and
AJ struggle to find their way back to each
other. The lessons they learn, through
the children they meet, will change them
forever.
T h e SUN is Publishe d by :
Office of Public Affairs
73 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108
617-573-8447
2
SUN
Out of the Blue was first developed with
composer Jenny Giering and librettist
Laura Harrington with director Marilyn
Plotkins in two fall residencies at Suffolk as
part of the Boston Music Theatre Project.
The workshop production premiered with
a Suffolk student ensemble in the Studio
Theatre in spring 2006 and has been
gaining momentum ever since. Giering
and Harrington are negotiating with an
off-Broadway theater for a full professional
run next season.
Plotkins founded the Boston Music
Theatre Project in 1987 as the first professional organization in the Greater Boston
area dedicated exclusively to the development of new work in music theatre.
“We are thrilled that Out of the Blue has
continued to grow and gain recognition
after our successful run at Suffolk,” said
Plotkins. “I look forward not only to the
continued development of this piece but
of new projects that will bring important
musical theater writers to Suffolk
University to work with our students.”
Executive Editor
Rosemarie E. Sansone
Managing Editor
Nancy Kelleher
Staff Writers
Karen DeCilio
Tony Ferullo
Design
Heather Clark
Meservey Chosen to Lead Salem State College
Patricia Maguire Meservey is headed to
Salem State College, where she will assume
the presidency of the four-year public
institution.
Those who worked closely with her here
at Suffolk University applauded her record of
accomplishment.
“Pat Meservey has been an outstanding
provost, and I am sure she will be a great
president,” said Law School Dean Robert
Smith. “She came into a challenging situation as the University’s first provost and academic vice president. Instead of staking out
‘her turf,’ she has effectively used an inclusive
and facilitative approach to problem solving
and to planning.”
Meservey joined Suffolk University in
2004. As an academic leader, she promoted
faculty scholarship and strategic planning in
the academic and administrative realms.
Under her direction, the University instituted the Center for Teaching Excellence,
which brings together faculty members to
share best practices and provides resources
to enhance the outstanding teaching at the
University.
The provost introduced the Academic
Conference in spring 2006, with interdisciplinary presentations involving faculty from
all three schools. A second academic conference this past spring brought more than
300 members of the University community
together for two days of presentations and
poster sessions.
“She is quite unusual in that she is
someone who has a strong sense of mission
and sees the big picture, but also has a great
grasp of details and has the patience and
persistence to follow projects through to
completion,” said Smith. “She has been an
invaluable partner for the Law School and
for me personally. And deans don’t often say
that about provosts.”
Meservey also spearheaded the effort
to bring the Incident Command System
emergency management protocol to the
University and provided valuable direction
during the redesign of the University’s Web
sites.
“Pat has made many contributions to
the University in less than three years here,”
said Vice President Francis X. Flannery. “She
was involved in many efforts, including the
Incident Command team. Her work on the
budget with Maureen (Stewart) and me has
been a tremendous asset to us, and I will
really miss her.”
A new provost will be appointed at a later
date.
Students Win Robotic Competition
Teams of Electrical engineering students, under the guidance of Associate Professors
Craig Christensen and Mostapha Ziad, placed first and third in the annual Institute
of Electrical and Electronic Engineers robotic competition held at Fairleigh Dickinson
University this spring.
The IEEE Micromouse Competition requires that students create an autonomous robot
that must travel from one corner of a 16-by-16-grid maze to a single entrance in the maze’s
middle four squares.
The robot uses infrared or ultrasonic sensors to “see” the walls, stepper motors with
wheels to provide mobility, and a microprocessor to implement the search algorithm and
keep track of the maze walls and openings as it navigates through the course possibilities.
Most maze solutions are circuitous, with many alternate dead ends.
This year’s entrants were from the College of New Jersey, Cooper Union, DeVry
University, Fairleigh Dickinson, the City College of New York, Binghamton University, and
Suffolk University.
Suffolk’s first-place team consisted of seniors Gael Hatchue, Fernanda Zulkarnain and
Ilyas Hamdi. Their robot was steady and stable, with frequent realignment corrections.
The third-place team members included Jason Lin, Alimatou Ndiaye and Danny Wang.
Their robot was more aggressive, but less stable, losing its orientation about half-way
through the maze.
This years’ team of 10 members also included Fabrice Kabore and Chris Cheng.
This year also marked the first time that Suffolk has competed in the IEEE paper competition, in which a research effort is documented and presented. Gael Hatchue provided a
polished presentation of a wireless link using a camera and computer to control the actions
of robots on a playing field. Images from the camera were processed for position, orientation, and speed of the fighting robots. This information was sent to the robots, which
subsequently implement their own strategies.
Suffolk has a long history of success in the robotic competition, winning or placing
nearly every year since 2001.
Kevin White and Leonard Bernstein (Photo
by Charles Giuliano)
Charles Giuliano: Last
Call, A Retrospective
Longtime New England School of
Art & Design faculty member Charles
Giuliano marked his retirement with an
exhibit of more than 120 photographs
selected from his long career as an arts
critic and journalist.Charles Giuliano: Last
Call, A Retrospective opened with a reception and retirement party at the New
England School of Art & Design gallery.
Giuliano taught art history at the New
England School of Art & Design for 25
years and was associated with Suffolk
University’s Humanities Department
before the two institutions merged.
He has run the New England School of
Art & Design exhibition program since
the merger.
June 20 07
3
Potpourri
John Cavanagh, History, and wife Beth
enjoyed watching actor Paul Benedict star in
the A.R.T. production of Harold Pinter’s No
Man’s Land. After the play they met briefly
with Benedict, who received a bachelor of
arts degree from Suffolk in 1960. “Benedict
fondly remembered Professor Ed Hartmann’s history survey classes, having apparently scored far above the ‘triple F’ grade
for which Hartmann was legendary,” said
Cavanagh.
Andrew Beckerman-Rodau, Law
School, presented “The Choice Between
Patent and Trade Secrets Law Protection”
at the Cambridge intellectual property law
firm of Lowrie, Lando & Anastasi, LLP.
Frank Rudy Cooper, Law School,
participated in the invitation-only Criminal
Justice Roundtable at Yale Law School.
Ken Cosgrove, Government, presented
a paper “Brand Failure: the Republican
Party and the 2006 Congressional Election”
at the Midwest Political Science Association
meeting in Chicago. At the same meeting,
he also served as a discussant on a panel that
examined the impact of newspaper endorsements on election outcomes.
Robert DeFillippi, Management,
presented “Maintaining meaningful UK-US
collaboration,” focusing on his decade of
international research collaborations with
multiple UK university research partners,
at the British Academy of Management’s
conference on International Research
collaborations in London. DeFillippi’s
symposium, “Being and Becoming a
Management Education Scholar,” has
won the Best Symposium award from the
Management Education & Development
division of the Academy of Management.
This is the second time in three years that
he has won the award, which is sponsored
by McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
The Economics Department was
represented at the International Industrial
Organization Conference in Savannah, Ga.
Darlene C. Chisholm presented a paper,
“Product Line Rivalry: How Box Office
Revenue Cycles Influence Movie Exhibition
Variety,” co-authored with George Norman
of Tufts University, at a session, “Retail
Competition in Media Industries,” which
she chaired. At the “Modeling Travel
Demand” session, Shuyi Jiang, PhD
candidate in economics, presented a
paper, “Estimating Travel Demand with
Mixed-Logit and Multiple Index Models”;
4
SUN
Spring Fling Draws Enthusiastic
and Alfonso SanchezPenalver of the Beacon
Hill Institute, a PhD
candidate in economics, presented a paper
“Modeling the Household’s Simultaneous
Commuting Decisions.”
They also were paper
discussants at this session.
Best wishes in retirement to Paul Ladd,
Information Technology
Services, and Bette
Mandl, English.
Kate Matson, Law
Joining in the fun are Assistant Dean of Students John Silveria, Director
School, was selected to
of Health Services Art Klossner and Assistant Director of Health
participate in the first
Services Cathy Bieksha.
annual Cambridge Science Festival. Her group,
FILMprov, presented
her animated art films
accompanied by live
improvisational music in
the Science & the Arts
presentation, A Moment
in Chaos. Another set
of Matson’s films was
screened at the Museum
of Fine Arts with the
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra as
a part of April’s Jazz Week.
Thomas McGrath,
Mary Ann Sacks and Karen Schwartz, Budget and Risk Management Office.
Humanities and Modern
Languages, delivered
a paper, “CounterReformation Art and
Iconography in Late Sixteenth-Century
Industry Council in recognition of her
Milan,” at the annual conference of
efforts to create and pilot a program of
the Renaissance Society of America in
courses about college for Private Industry
Miami. He will serve as acting chair of
Council summer interns from Boston high
the Humanities and Modern Languages
schools.
Department for the 2007–2008 academic
Theatre News: Participating in the
year.
Boston Theatre Marathon were Ronan
Noone, with Sheet; Wesley Savick, who
Alfonso Sanchez-Penalver, Beacon
Hill Institute, attended a Heritage Foun
directed Robert Brustein’s Enter William
dation conference in Philadelphia, where
Shakespeare, a collaboration of the American
he met former Spanish President Jose Maria
Repertory Theatre and Suffolk University;
Aznar, who was the keynote luncheon
and Andrew Clarke, who wrote Vas
speaker.
Deferens, performed by the National Theatre
Bob Rosenthal, Communication and
of Allston, which is a Theatre department
Journalism, was interviewed by Fox 25
program. This summer Richard Chambers
News on the controversy surrounding the
will design for the Cape Playhouse producdismissal of radio host Don Imus.
tions of 2 Pianos, 4 Hands; Corpse!; and
Julie Schniewind, director of
Beehive.
Corporate Learning Initiatives, received
Elizabeth J. Wilson, Marketing, was
the 2007 Achiever Award from the Private
quoted in the March 5, 2007, issue of
Crowd to Pemberton Square
Athletic Director Jim Nelson teams up with Steve Becker and Anne
Macdonald of Web Services.
Faculty Publications
Ken Cosgrove, Government, has published the book Branded
Conservatives: How the Brand Brought the Right from the Fringes
to the Center of American Politics (Peter Lang USA).
Carol Dine, English, will publish her book Wild Brush:
Poems on the Art of Vincent van Gogh (The Bitter Oleander Press
2008). Since the book includes many of the artist’s drawings,
Dine will travel to Amsterdam this summer to work with the
drawings curator at the Van Gogh Museum.
Raul de la Fuente Marcos and Carlos de la Fuente
Marcos, Madrid campus, co-authored an article with five other
authors, “Observational templates of star cluster disruption.
The stellar group NGC 1901 in front of the Large Magellanic
Cloud,” in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 266, No. 3, May 2007,
pp. 931-941.
Kristin Polito, Executive MBA Program and Institute for
Executive Education, published an article “What is the Return
on Investment of the Executive MBA” in the online edition of
Human Resources Management Magazine.
Promotion and Tenure
The Board of Trustees has approved promotions and tenure
for the following College of Arts and Sciences faculty members
effective July 1, 2007:
Promotions
In-Mee Baek, professor of Finance
Jonathan Haughton, professor of Economics
David Gansler, associate professor of Psychology
Wallace Marosek, associate professor, New England School
The Sawyer Business School was well represented at the Spring Fling,
with Jennifer Gammon, Aneta Biernat, Caitlin Ryan and Carol Flores.
(Photos by John Gillooly)
of Art and Design.
Tenure
Craig Christensen, associate professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Banker and Tradesman on the True Blue advertising campaign
designed to reposition Eastern Bank in the New England financial
marketplace.
David Yamada, Law School. At the annual meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association in San Diego, he presented a
paper, “Regulatory Responses to Workplace Bullying: A Global
Law and Public Policy Perspective,” on the significance of employment law and employee benefits issues for health practitioners who
are treating individuals suffering from psychiatric illness due to
emotional abuse at work.
New Faces
Please welcome our newest employees:
Kelly Auchterlonie University Police
Craig Capavella Dean’s Office, CAS
Karen Jasinski Student Activities and Service Learning
Kerry Laroche Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Amy Leung Business Office
Elizabeth Maia-Peterson Advancement
Wallace Marosek, associate professor, New England School
of Art and Design
Richard Miller, associate professor of English
Susan Orsillo, associate professor of Psychology
Wesley Savick, associate professor of Theater
Thomas Trott, associate professor of Biology
Dmitry Zinoviev, associate professor of Math and Computer
Science
Joseph McEttrick III Law Academic Technology
Katrina Nunez Information Technology Services
Jose Perez Facilities Management
Matthew Petrarca Undergraduate Admission
Micka Pierre University Police
Denise Strum University Media Services
Danielle Towne Public Management
June 20 07
5
Centennial Commencement 2007
The Distinguished Professor of Law John E. Fenton, Jr., serves as University Marshal.
President David J. Sargent is joined at the Summa Dinner by Suffolk’s
newest trustee, George Ramirez, and his wife, Kathleen.
Employee Graduates
The following Suffolk University employees were awarded
degrees at the Centennial Commencement:
Honorary degree recipient John Gardner, the University’s oldest alumnus,
who will turn 100 in September, and Maria Palomino, who returned to volunteer at commencement weeks after leaving the Advancement Office.
Alumni Marshals Robert Dugan, director of the Mildred F Sawyer Li.
brary; Barbara Wilson; and Scott Solombrino.
Photos by John Gillooly
6
SUN
Wendy Alterno, Business Office, BS
Stephannie Barboza, Government, MS
Rosetta Baetzel, Law Registrar, MED
Williere Benjamin, University Police, BSBA
Alisa Berman, Dean’s Office, Sawyer Business School, BSBA
Corin Bourque, University Police, BSBA
Timothy Brown, Ballotti Learning Center, MED
Jessica Camelio, Law Library, BA
Matthew Courchene, Public Management, MPA
Leslie Cummings, Sociology, BS
Lindsey Darling, Undergraduate Admission, MED
Kelly Fitzgerald, Undergraduate Admission, MED
Racheal Galushkin, Dean’s Office, College, MS
Sarah Glassman, Economics, MS
Daniel Gottschalk, English, BS
Hang Law, Student Accounts/Bursar, BS
Katherine Landry, Advanced Legal Studies, MBA
Erica Mattison, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, MPA
Corey McGrath, University Police, MS
Jonane Nicolas, Law Library, BA
Nadia Parejo-Jean, University Police, BSBA
Darren Phaen, University Police, BSBA
Tiffanie Pierce, Center for International Education, CRT
Kathryn Rodrigues, Math & Computer Science, BA
Jessie Schloss, NESAD, BFA
Student Government
Awards
Continued from page 1
“I set a goal for myself years ago to get
my degree,” she said.
She went to school on a part-time basis,
including summers, for six years to fulfill
her academic requirements. That’s why
walking across the stage last month was
such a rewarding experience for her.
“It is a day I will never forget,” said
Alterno, who was a member of two
national honor societies and plans to
continue her education. “It was a very
inspirational time for me, and I’m so happy
to have accomplished what I did.”
Russell received an honorary degree,
as did Attorney John J. Gardner, JD
’31 Suffolk’s oldest alumnus turns 100 in
—
September; Margot Stern Strom, president
and executive director, Facing History and
Ourselves; and the Hon. Peter T. Zarella,
JD ’75, associate justice of the Supreme
Court of Connecticut.
The Student Government Association held
its annual Leadership Awards ceremony
Thursday, April 12, at the Colonnade Hotel.
The following members of the Suffolk community were honored:
Support staff of the year
Kristen Gleason
Administrator of the year
Susan James Leyva
Business Office Purchasing Coordinator Wendy
Alterno receives her undergraduate degree.
Faculty of the year, College
Wesley Savick
Faculty of the year, Business School
William Mee
Outstanding coach of the year
Ed Leyden
Student club adviser of the year
Bessie Chuang
Outstanding unsung hero, faculty
Judy Benson
Dorothy Zahir of the Center for International
Education with her husband, Quazi, who received his MBA.
Dakar Campus Holds First Awards Ceremony
Suffolk Dakar held its
first awards ceremony to
honor students, faculty and
staff and to show appreciation to the entire Dakar
community.
“I’m pleased that the
Suffolk Dakar community
had the opportunity to
connect,” said Tricia
Dakar Executive Director Dunham Rowley with Mohamed Manga,
Lawrence-Savane, director
Mary Chunu, Yannick Ilboudo, Macode Dieng and Thomas Haslam.
of student life for the Dakar
(Photo by Tom Lighnter)
campus, who organized the
event. “It’s very important for the development of our campus that everyone feels as if they
are part of the Suffolk family.”
The award recipients were chosen for best exemplifying the character of Suffolk
University Dakar through their service, honesty, diligence and leadership.
They are:
Outstanding Administrator of the Year
Macode Dieng, assistant to the director of Suffolk Dakar Administration
Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year
Thomas Haslam
Outstanding Support Staff of the Year
Mohamed Manga
Outstanding unsung hero, student
Mike Miccoli
Senior of the year
Chantha Toeum
Junior of the year
Cordelia Pisacane
Sophomore of the year
Megan Costello
Freshman of the year
Trevor Livingston
Transfer of the year
Cynthia Brown
Female athlete of the year
Michelle Quinones
Male athlete of the year
Will Feldman
Campus organization of the year
Seriously Bent
Campus-sponsored program of the year
Dinner Theater
Outstanding student organization of the
year
Women in Business
Student-sponsored program of the year
Program Council – Build a Bear
Most improved student organization
Women In Business
New student organization
The Suffolk Voice
Nearly 200 people attended the event, which featured entertainment by student groups
and a buffet of American “Soul Food.”
June 20 07
7
Wireless Internet
Continued from page 1
Digital entertainment will be available
to Suffolk students through the Ruckus
network beginning this summer.
“Ruckus provides a legal alternative
for music sharing,” said Pearce. “It offers
nearly 3 million music tracks free of cost
to students, and movies and television
shows are available for a fee.”
Emergency communication
The University is implementing a campus
emergency communication system, which
offers multi means of contacting students,
faculty and staff by e-mail, telephone,
cell phone and text messages on or off
campus.
The messaging system will be used
only for notification of emergencies or
campus closings due to events such as
snowstorms. To facilitate implementation
of the system, the University will use
pertinent telephone, e-mail and other
information.
A major challenge in having an emergency communications system function
properly is the accuracy of the contact
information. Please update information
when changes occur.
Web Listing Form
Now Online
News and events listed on the
University’s Web site show online visitors
that Suffolk University is a vibrant, active
institution.
Members of the University community
are invited to submit information for Web
news and events listings. All submissions
will be reviewed and considered for online
publications.
A form is available on the Public
Affairs Web page—www.suffolk.edu/
offices/1003.html—to simplify the
submissions process. Look for “Request a
Web listing” on the left-hand column
You are invited to submit information
about appointments, awards, programs,
grants and other activities that would
be of interest to prospective students
and parents, alumni, the media and the
general public.
8
SUN
Biologist Reports Changes in
Cobscook Bay Ecosystem
Associate Professor Thomas Trott presented research
on changes in the ecosystem of Cobscook Bay, Maine, at the
2007 meeting of the New England Estuarine Research Society
(NEERS).
The intense commercial harvesting of species that require
dredging, such as scallops and sea urchins, is the probable cause
of the faunal shift detected through field sampling, according to
Thomas Trott
Trott, of the Biology Department.
The dredging directly impacts species falling under the heavy
dredge path, according to Trott. A more insidious effect is the disturbance to sediments
that become suspended in the water column and redistributed throughout the bay by
strong water currents.
“When these sediments settle out, they change the bottom characteristics,” he said.
“The animals that I study have specific requirements for hard, rocky bottoms. The areas
that I sampled now have muddy bottoms, and so the animals that are now found there are
characteristic of that type of substrate.”
Mussel beds now predominate in the bay as a result of this faunal shift, and there is a
real concern that they may overtake areas where scallops normally are found.
“Because scallops are of high commercial value, there could be a serious impact on the
economy of local fishermen. Another impact is the change in community structure of the
bay. Because communities are connected through food webs, change could bring about
unforeseen changes in the abundance and distribution of many species, some that I did not
sample,” said Trott, who conducted his research at Suffolk’s R.S. Friedman Field Station on
Cobscook Bay through grants from the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
The July issue of Downeast Magazine will include an article on Trott’s work in Cobscook
Bay and his collaboration with colleagues
on the Canadian Biodiversity Discovery
Corridor.
The Friedman Field Station is located on
one of the very few macrotidal estuaries in the
United States and is an embayment that has
the highest biodiversity north of the tropics.
NEERS is a 500-member organization
of coastal research scientists and students
from New England and Atlantic Canada. Its
2007 meeting was co-hosted by the Bigelow
Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the Maine Outer Birch Island, one of five study areas in
Department of Marine Resources.
the Cobscook Bay region.
Save the Date
The annual 5K Road Race and Family Walk to benefit the Alumni Leadership
Scholarship Fund will take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, at Hatch Shell
along the Charles River.
For more information contact Rebecca Coyne, rcoyne@suffolk.edu, ext. 4231.