_{Jessica Matuszewski Verblaauw ’12 receives the DAISY Award. Left to right: Sharon Geidel, Nursing Director Oncology Care Services at Orange Regional Medical Center; Verblaauw; Ann Diagastino, Nursing Administrator, Medical Surgical Services; Justine Geisler, Nursing Directorm Medical Surgical Services; and Scott Batulis, president & CEO Greater Hudson Valley Health System.} 

Though grouped by their majors and years of graduation, Mount Saint Mary College alumni are often unified in their professional successes.

Jessica Matuszewski Verblaauw ’12, an oncology certified Registered Nurse at Orange Regional Medical Center, was honored with the DAISY Award in the summer of 2016. She was nominated for the award in light of her special care and compassion for a patient battling lung cancer.

“Over three days I did everything I could to make her comfortable,” explained Verblaauw. “The patient’s sister wrote a beautiful letter about how much that experience meant to them. It was something I will remember forever, and as a nurse, it was so nice that I made a difference in someone's life.”

Additionally, Verblaauw also received the 1199SEIU joint labor management project’s Novice Nurse Award in 2014.

She said that her Mount education was a major key to her success.

“The Mount helped to shape my career by teaching me the fundamentals of nursing that serve as a solid foundation of my nursing practice,” she explained.

Cathleen M. Cavanagh ’77, a nurse at Patchogue-Medford High School in Medford, N.Y., was recently named 2016 New York State United Teachers Health Care Professional Member of the Year for her excellent work in the field.

For many years, Cavanagh was president of the NYSUT nurses bargaining unit, and in 2013, the Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers recognized her as a NYSUT “Friend of Education” for everything she does for the students and staff, as well as the community.

In addition to her work as a nurse, Cavanagh volunteers every Saturday at a soup kitchen and organizes Christmas gift donations, book donations, and other fundraisers.

Mount scholarship runs in the Cavanagh family. In addition to Cathleen’s son, Mark Cavanagh ’06 and her daughter-in-law, Jacqueline D’Amico Cavanagh ’05, her family members Patricia Cavanagh ’74 and Colleen Cavanagh-Bendernagel ’77 are also alumni of the college.

Cavanagh will be a featured speaker at the Mount’s Third Annual Nursing Symposium, presented by the college’s School of Nursing and Office of Alumni Affairs, on November 5. The event will run from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in Hudson Hall on campus. For more information, email rsvp@msmc.edu or call 845-569-3286.

A 2015 follow-up survey for Mount undergraduates found that 91 percent of respondents not attending graduate school full-time were employed six months after graduation, with more than half employed in three months. The Mount’s latest graduates are already experiencing success: Dharamhet Khangura ’16 of Livingston Manor, N.Y. recently accepted a technical position at EnviroTest Labratories, Inc., a Newburgh-based company that specializes in chemical and biological environmental testing. Amanda Pecorella ’16 of Fishkill, N.Y. began working at Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni & Weddell, LLP, a local accounting firm, on May 31, less than two weeks after commencement.

“After completing an internship with the firm during tax season my senior year, I was presented with an official job offer, and I was able to graduate knowing exactly where I was headed,” Pecorella explained. “The Mount’s accounting professors brought real life experience, as well as technical knowledge, into the classroom. I have found these personal perspectives to be the most valuable lessons as I’ve begun working in my field.”

The Mount will be celebrating all of its alumni during the annual Alumni and Family Weekend, September 24 and 25. The event is an opportunity for graduates to catch-up with former classmates, faculty, and staff. For more information about or to register, visit www.msmc.edu/alumni

_{Heather Fitzsimmons, coordinator of co-ops and internships, welcomed about 100 Mount Saint Mary College students to Sophomores: Survive and Succeed on Wednesday, September 14.}

About 100 Mount Saint Mary College students discovered the college’s abundant opportunities at Sophomores: Survive and Succeed on Wednesday, September 14.

The program is designed to help sophomores capitalize on their second year and to take advantage of the many resources available to them at the Mount, explained Heather Fitzsimmons, coordinator of co-ops and internships at Mount’s Career Center.

Representatives from all areas of Mount student life presented on topics such as co-ops and internships, graduate school, and choosing the right career.

The program was presented by the Mount’s Career Center, which prepares students for varied career opportunities in the Hudson Valley, New York City, the Capital Region, and beyond.

_{Ron Sella explained Ready Books, software that plugs into Quick Books to deliver business intelligence solutions for CPAs and small business owners, at the Mount’s SUN-RISE forum.}

September 2016 – Mount Saint Mary College’s SUN-RISE Breakfast forum delved into financial technology startups focused on underserved urban markets on Friday, September 16.

After presentations by Dr. David Kennett, Mount Saint Mary College interim president, and Mary McTamaney, City of Newburgh Historian, representatives of four local companies discussed technologies ranging from tax/accounting software to banking solutions.

- Ron Sella discussed Ready Books, software that plugs into Quick Books to deliver business intelligence solutions for CPAs and small business owners.

- Robert Singer described HEED HERO, which aims to enable home ownership in challenging financial and real estate markets.

- Amit Sharma described Verdigri, technology-enabled community banking solutions for the “un-banked, under-banked, and de-risked.”

- Meghan Taylor, director of Mid Hudson Regional office of Empire State Development, discussed strengthening the Mid Hudson economy through local businesses.

The objective of the SUN-RISE Breakfast Series is to stimulate exploration of the City of Newburgh and surrounding communities as a test bed for pilots, market research, and product development, just as Thomas Edison did a century and a half ago. Parallel to this is the mission to uncover academic linkages to the Mount’s academic offerings with educational and internship opportunities.

The SUN-RISE Breakfast Series is sponsored by the Mount, the START-UP Newburgh (SUN) business accelerator, START-UP New York, and iCANny.

_{Daria Sullivan of Sparta, N.J., Mount Saint Mary College psychology student, discussed “The Psychology of a Vulnerable Leader” on September 20 at the college.} 

According to Mount Saint Mary College psychology majors Elizabeth Lavin of Hicksville, N.Y. and Daria Sullivan of Sparta, N.J., a little vulnerability can be a big help to the evolution of a young leader.

In their talk “The Psychology of a Vulnerable Leader,” presented to a packed audience of Mount students and staff members on September 20, Lavin and Sullivan acknowledged that few people like to be vulnerable and open themselves up to the possibility of failure or rejection. However, much of one’s development as a leader occurs in these moments, they explained.

For example, feeling vulnerable is often a byproduct of taking risks, and sometimes, a good leader must do just that.

However, there is a difference between taking a risk and doing something unwise. Lavin and Sullivan define risk as “taking a chance on the unknown,” and note that risk is based on wisdom: “uncertainty plus wisdom equals risk,” Sullivan said.

Noting a feeling of vulnerability and determining if the situation at hand is a risk or simply an unwise move is one way to become a stronger leader, they explained.

Lavin and Sullivan’s talk had its roots in the college’s Beginnings in Psychological Science (BIPS) program, in which Mount students teach elementary school children the basics of psychological science. The program, spearheaded by Yasmine Kalkstein, assistant psychology professor at the Mount, aims to inspire young students with concrete experiences; educate parents and teachers about psychology; and create a medium for psychology students at the Mount to share their knowledge of the field. Both Lavin and Sullivan have contributed to BIPS since its inception in 2014.

The talk was part of the college’s Leadstrong Event Series, which strengthens the leadership qualities in the Mount’s pre-professionals. It was overseen by Brianne Thompson, leadership development coach.

_{Mount freshman Giselle Martinez of Newburgh, N.Y. learns how to properly use a fire extinguisher.} 

Mount Saint Mary College celebrated National Campus Safety Awareness Month with Safety Day on September 21.

The Mount community learned proactive safety measures from local experts. Armed with this information, participants will be better equipped to keep themselves and their communities safe.

Activities included a simulated residence hall fire demonstration, a City of Newburgh Police K-9 demonstration, a chance to wear the Stop DWI Fatal Vision Goggles, a practice session for using a fire extinguisher, information on how to help as a bystander who has been in an accident, a meet and greet session with local first responders, information on preventing common crimes, and more.

The event was sponsored by the college’s Office of Security and Safety, as well as the Office of Student Activities.

_{Thomas Dubetsky, assistant director of Security and Safety at the Mount, discusses fire safety tips with Mount students during a simulated residence hall fire. Dubetsky retired from the Town of Newburgh in 2015 as the assistant fire inspector.} 

_{Mount Saint Mary College teacher candidate Carla Maier of Ellenville, N.Y. works with a Bishop Dunn Memorial School fourth grade student using the Picturing Writing technique. Mount students on the education track now have the option of a 5-year bachelor’s/master’s degree program in either math or history, in addition to English, chemistry, and biology.}

Mount Saint Mary College is proud to announce the recent New York State Education Department approval of its 5-year BA/MSEd degrees in history and math.

The bachelor’s in mathematics/master’s in adolescence education and bachelor’s in history/master’s in adolescence education programs are available either with or without dual certification in special education.

The programs were developed by the Mount’s division of Mathematics and Information Technology and the division of Education, and the division of Social Sciences and division of Education respectively.

Teachers in New York are required to earn a master’s degree within five years of their initial certification, so the programs will help students complete their training in a shorter period of time, noted Monica Merritt, associate professor of education at the Mount.

“Another benefit of having a 5-year option for each adolescence education concentration is that teacher candidates will be able to go through the education portion of the program as a cohort [group],” she added, allowing students the opportunity to forge lasting academic bonds with their classmates.

With the approval of the mathematics and history programs, every discipline in the Mount’s adolescence education program now has a 5-year option. Other 5-year BA/MSEd options include English, biology, and chemistry.

Mount Saint Mary College’s rigorous education program has produced two New York State Teachers of the Year in the last decade: Debra Calvino ‘81 (2010) and Dana McDonough ‘91, MSEd ’00 (2016).

But Mount education students begin making a difference long before earning their diplomas. They enjoy many real-world, experiential learning opportunities during their Mount training.

The college’s Collaborative for Equity in Literacy Learning (CELL), established in 2012, provides tutoring and out-of-school literacy activities for children pre-school to grade 12 with a focus on reading, conversation, and activities. CELL explores multicultural books, offers family literacy courses, and more. Each semester about 60 Mount teacher candidates, graduate and undergraduate, help instill a love of reading in local youth through CELL as part of their community fieldwork requirement.

Weekly literacy programs, staffed by Mount faculty and students, have long been a staple at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center. One such program gives local children a chance to spend the summer writing and illustrating their own books before formally presenting excerpts to their friends and families. Other programs include English as a second language, the multidisciplinary Family Literacy Night, computer coding and iPad classes for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students, and more. They are held in the Armory on Saturday mornings, weekday mornings in the summertime, and weekday afternoons during the fall and spring semesters.

The Mount’s nationally accredited education program embeds fieldwork in coursework beginning in sophomore year, and earns high marks in preparing students for New York State licensure.

_{Julia Saltanovich, assistant director of admissions and recruitment at Albany College of Medicine, discusses the merits of grad school at the Careers in the Sciences event at Mount Saint Mary College. The panel was sponsored by the Mount’s Career Center.} 

Nearly 75 eager students attended Mount Saint Mary College’s Careers in the Sciences event on September 22, to get a leg up on their career.

Presented by the college’s Career Center, six local professionals discussed career paths that Mount science majors can take after graduation.

The speakers were:

• Julia Saltanovich, assistant director of admissions and recruitment, Albany College of Medicine
• Ed Sims, P.E., acting director of environmental health, Orange County Department of Health, Environmental Health
• Michael Reilly, DrPH, MPH, NREMT-P CEM, New York Medical College, Center for Disaster Medicine
• Sonya Hauser, PhD, assistant professor and post-bac program director, Sage College Graduate Program in    
• Nutrition, Post-Bac in Nutrition Science
• Ashley Adcock, assistant director for enrollment management, New York College of Podiatric Medicine
• SSG Angel Cruz, U.S. Army healthcare recruiter (Center Leader), U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Center, New Windsor, N.Y.

The event was spearheaded by Janet Zeman, executive director of the Career Center.

_{Vicki Caruana, Mount Saint Mary College assistant education professor, discussed the effects of fieldwork on educator confidence on September 22.} 

As part of the Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) series, Vicki Caruana, Mount Saint Mary College assistant education professor, discussed the effects of field experience on future educators’ attitudes toward special needs on September 22.

Her talk was based on a two year, multi-site research study conducted with a research partner from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Inclusion – placing special needs students in general education classes for most or all of their school day – has become routine in the American education system. Caruana said that about 70 percent of the 76 pre-teachers in her study indicated that they had high confidence in their ability to teach special education students.

Caruana noted that participants’ confidence in teaching special education students at the beginning of their fieldwork (10 hours in inclusion classrooms) can be used to predict their confidence level at the end of fieldwork experience (250 hours in inclusion classrooms). If a student indicated that he or she was highly confident at the beginning of the program, chances are they would maintain or increase that confidence. For students who felt less confident, they tended to maintain those lower levels.

The next step of the study is to “examine the low confidence groups to see what kind of learning experiences may help to increase their confidence significantly,” she explained.

Caruana has taught at Mount Saint Mary College for three years. Previously she taught at Regis University in Colorado. Caruana is the author of nearly two dozen books and more than 100 articles on topics of education and parenting.

The goal of iROC is to “provide a forum for Mount faculty, staff and students to showcase their research endeavors with both Mount Saint Mary College and the local community in a manner easily understood by attendees,” explained series coordinators Evan Merkhofer, assistant professor of biology, and Jennifer Park, assistant librarian for access and outreach services. Presentations include research proposals, initial data collection, and completed research projects.

Hundreds of successful grads, spanning five decades of Mount Saint Mary College history, headed back to campus the weekend of September 23-25 for the annual Alumni and Family Weekend.

The festivities started on Friday, as members of the Class of 1966 celebrated their 50th graduation anniversary with a dinner and cocktail hour in the elegant James Finn Cotter Villa Library. Alumnae and their families were met by Dr. David Kennett, interim Mount president; Sr. Anne Sakac, OP, former Mount president; James Cotter, longtime professor of English at the college; and many more friends.

On Saturday morning, several alumni gave back to the local community through working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.

Later that morning, alumni enjoyed a talk given by Mary Ellen (Scannell) Doherty ‘72 and Elizabeth Scannell-Desch ‘72 on their newly released book “Nurses After War: The Reintegration Experience of Nurses Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.” The book is based on interviews with nurses who were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the challenges they faced reintegrating into everyday life when they came home.

In addition, successful Mount grads reconnected with classmates, participated in an alumni baseball game, enjoyed a barbecue lunch and a dinner cruise, attended a remembrance Mass, and more.

On Sunday, alumni Amy Karls ’95 and Torrance Harvey ’03 were presented with the college’s Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing their contributions to society through their professional and volunteer work.

Click here to view the full photo gallery on Flickr.

Mount Saint Mary College is ranked a Top-Tier Regional University by U.S. News & World Report, and offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for careers in healthcare, business, education, social services, communications, media, and more.

_{A group of Mount Saint Mary College pre-teachers enjoyed ice cream while lending their skills to the Teach the Change initiative.} 

Mount Saint Mary College’s pre-teachers got a tasty treat while putting their passion for education into action at the Teach the Change ice cream social on September 22.

About 50 pre-professionals attended the event, which gave them the opportunity to join the college’s Teach the Change program.

Teach the Change is a comprehensive initiative of the college’s Division of Education, coordinated in conjunction with the Center for Adolescent Research and Development (CARD), under the leadership of Frances Spielhagen, Mount education professor.

The initiative has three major focus areas:

• Continuing to strengthen the teaching profession in the programs provided by the college.
• Creating a pipeline of teacher candidates from area high schools, especially first- generation college students and those who may be underrepresented in the teaching profession.
• Enhancing the current teaching force by providing teacher leadership training for area educators.

To help meet these goals, Teach the Change recently received a $10,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank.

“We are grateful to TD Charitable Foundation for its generous support of our Teach the Change initiative,” said Spielhagen. “We will use these funds to strengthen the schools in the Hudson Valley and support the teachers and students who strive every day to make education meaningful and worthwhile. What a wonderful way to launch the new school year.”

The TD Charitable Foundation grant will be used to implement Teach the Change programs from August 2016 through June 2017, including “Teachers as Leaders: Reclaiming our Schools” on October 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Teacher as Leaders,” open to all area educators and pre-teachers, has the support of the New York State Education Department and the United States Department of Education. For more information, email CARD@msmc.edu

Other Teach the Change programs include the Teach the Change/Educators Rising Initiative in local high schools and scholarships for Educators Rising undergraduate students.

_{Three Mount Saint Mary College alumni received awards for their community service. Left to right: Master of ceremonies Judith Ringwood Henderson ’66, a member of Alumni Board of Directors and the Alumni Awards Committee; Amy Karls ’95, Distinguished Alumni Award recipient; Mysia Haight-Hoogsteden ’84, president of the Alumni Association and James V. McEnery Alumni Service Award recipient; and Torrance R. Harvey ’03, Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.} 

Three outstanding Mount Saint Mary College alumni received awards for their community service during the college’s annual Alumni and Family Weekend on September 25.

Amy Karls ’95 and Torrance R. Harvey ’03 were presented with the college’s Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing their contributions to society through their professional and volunteer work.

Karls earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Mount and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She is a licensed veterinarian, USDA Accredited. She is also FEMA Certified for Basic Disaster Relief.

She has dedicated her career to helping animals. Since 2005, she has worked as a professorial consulting veterinarian at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., where she educates staff in general and specialty veterinarian practices. Previously, Karls was an associate veterinarian with Cats Limited Veterinary Hospital in West Hartford, Conn. and Mountain Lore animal Hospital in Plantsville, Conn.

Karls is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the American Animal Hospital Association, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.

Her love of animals goes beyond her profession. Karls regularly volunteers at the Baypath Humane Society in Hopkinton, Mass., as a member of the board of directors and the outreach committee. She also provides support as an exam veterinarian.

Karls credits her Mount Saint Mary College education as being the foundation of her success. She added that the college helped foster her strong sense of volunteerism.

“The sense of community and taking care of the world around us that is imparted to all MSMC students during their time there has clearly shaped my volunteer life,” she said. “The world is much bigger than any one individual, and it is our responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves.”

Harvey earned a master of science in education (history) from the Mount and a bachelor of arts in business administration and theater from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. in 1997.

Since 1999, he has been a social studies teacher at Newburgh Free Academy, where he educates up to 300 students per academic year, including both in gifted and special needs capacities. He is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society for education; the American Federation of Teachers; the Newburgh Teachers Association; The National Alliance of Black Educators; and more.

Harvey says he is committed to serving his community. He was recently elected to a four year term as councilman in the City of Newburgh, N.Y. The swearing in ceremony was held at Newburgh Free Academy, allowing his students to get a hands-on look at government in action.

This year, Torrance founded 100 Men for Newburgh, a non-profit anti-violence and mentoring organization. He also served on the Art& Cultural Commission for the City of Newburgh for three years.

Harvey’s Mount education has opened many doors for him. “My degree from Mount Saint Mary College has provided endless opportunities in not only my professional teaching career, but also in the realm of civic engagement,” he explained.

Mysia Haight-Hoogsteden ’84 earned The James V. McEnery Alumni Service Award. The award is presented to an alum who has provided exemplary service to the college community as a fitting tribute to the dedication of former professor James V. McEnery.

Haight-Hoogsteden earned her BA in English and Communication Arts, summa cum laude, from the Mount. She has been a member of the Mount Saint Mary College Alumni Association Board since 2005 and in 2009, she was elected to serve as president. In her role as president, she has served on the presidential search committee, the Alumni Awards Committee, the Alumni Legacy Scholarship Committee, and many more. While a student, Haight-Hoogsteden was active in the theatre productions as well as the ambassadors club and the choir.

Professionally, she is a freelance copywriter and editor. Her clients include AMACOM (the book division of the American Management Association), Harper Collins, and several boutique PR firms. Over her three decades in publishing, she has worked on books of every genre, from business to young adult fiction, and with authors from New York Times bestselling mystery novelist John Hart to Arizona’s outspoken Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Before going solo, Haight-Hoogsteden worked in-house as a publicist for Warner Books and New American Library, as a publicity manager for The Free Press (Macmillan Publishing), and as a publicity and editorial consultant for AMACOM, Ballantine Books, Simon & Schuster, and Dell. She began her career as a news reporter for WBNR-AM/WSPK-FM radio in the Hudson Valley.

_{Mount senior Maggie Jones of Hyde Park, N.Y., a human services major with a business minor, learns about the college’s master’s programs from Peggy Kent, associate director of admissions for graduate programs and adult degree completion.} 

Mount Saint Mary College students browsed many options during the Mount’s graduate school fair on Wednesday, September 28.

The Mount offers graduate programs leading to the degrees Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Science in Education (MSE).

All of the Mount’s graduate programs are registered by the New York State Education Department. They enjoy a stellar reputation, and Mount graduates are sought by area hospitals, schools, and businesses.

_{Alumni Sam Firempong ’02 of FremStar, LLC. (formerly of Credit Suisse) discusses his career with Mount Saint Mary College senior students.} 

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – September 2016 – Mount Saint Mary College’s Career Center kicked off the Real World Connection series with “Real World Connections in Corporate New York City” on September 22, creating a wealth of networking opportunities for students.

Real World Connections unites graduating seniors with professionals in a variety of fields, including successful alumni and high profile recruiters. Each event will focus on a specific career field. Upcoming Real World Connections programs will include professionals in the fields of nursing, sports, public relations, marketing, and more.

New York City professionals who mentored the Mount students were:

• Mark Bruschi, Account Manager, Thomson Reuters Inc.
• Noelle DeLuca ‘09, Senior Associate, KPMG, LLP.
• Manny Dizon, VP Fixed Income, National Bank of Canada
• Sam Firempong ’02 of FremStar, LLC.; formerly Market & Risk, Credit Suisse
• Lindsay Firempong ‘02, HR Business Partner, Third Bridge, Inc.
• Steve Fogarty, Managing Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Thomas Kennedy ‘91, Partner, PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP.
• Alana Moran ‘12, Associate, New York Life Insurance Company
• Gina Walsh ‘02, Vice President - Operations, Morgan Stanley

The Mount’s Career Center prepares students for varied career opportunities in the Hudson Valley, New York City, the Capital Region, and beyond.

_{Mount Saint Mary College seniors talk careers and business with alumna Lindsay Firempong ‘02, HR Business Partner at Third Bridge, Inc.} 

_{Julie Burkey discusses “A Christian Theology of Work” at a recent Mount Saint Mary College talk.} 

Julie Burkey, a theology professor at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., presented “A Christian Theology of Work” on Thursday, September 29 at Mount Saint Mary College.

“A Biblical understanding of work should energize our desire to create value from the resources available to us. This realization is a timeless truth,” she said. “Though our work, we bring order out of chaos, create new entities, and interweave our human community. Any kind of work – whether spicing a gene, brain surgery, collecting rubbish, painting a picture, being a cashier –further develops, maintains, and repairs the fabric of our world. In this way, we connect our work to God’s.”

However, admits Burkey, not every task – at home or in the office – will bring us joy.

“Just as we struggle against sin, we struggle against the negative components of work,” she noted. “This dual character of work as both toil and struggle, as well as blessing, is at the very heart of theology as work. That is, to help individuals recognize, and seek to restore work to its original sacred nature,” when God created all things.

Burkey has served as the director of workplace spirituality and evangelization initiatives at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University for the past 12 years. She teaches several courses she created, including Theology of Work, Catholic Evangelization, and New Evangelization and Catechesis. She also conducts retreats for parishes and organizations on topics ranging from spirituality of work, leadership and virtue/virtue ethics, and living out the new evangelization.

She currently is co-authoring a book on the life of St. Edith Stein as a model for an authentic spirituality of work.

Burkey received her masters’ degree in pastoral ministry from Seton Hall and joined the Seminary School of Theology to complete a doctor of ministry degree from The Catholic University of America.

The lecture was sponsored by the Catholic Dominican Institute (CDI) and the Mount’s School of Business.

CDI promotes the Mount’s heritage of St. Dominic; advances the Dominican charism of study and service; provides a forum for discussion of contemporary ethical issues; and enhances Catholic and Jewish dialogue. The Institute welcomes persons of varied faiths and acknowledges different religious traditions as essential to the college’s intellectual and spiritual life.

_{Maria Höhn, professor and chair of the Department of History at Vassar College, discussed the hardships faced by refugees on October 3 at the Mount.} 

Maria Höhn, professor and chair of the Department of History at Vassar College, discussed the current plight of refugees and The Mid-Hudson Valley Refugee Project on October 3 at Mount Saint Mary College.

Höhn is the coordinator of the Vassar College Refugee Solidarity Initiative and author of “GIs and Fräuleins: The German-American Encounter in the 1950s West Germany” (2002), “Over There: Living with the U.S. Military Empire from World War II to Present” (2010), and “Breath of Freedom: The Civil Rights Struggle, African-American GIs, and Germany” (2010).

A refugee is generally considered someone who has been forced to leave their country and cannot safely return. According to Höhn, the number of refugees worldwide is growing dramatically. There have been “refugee crises” before, she noted, but they have not involved many millions of refugees since World War II.

However, “It’s important to see refugees as humans and not just focus on the numbers,” she said.

According to Höhn, Germany is taking on a large number of refugees. While visiting and working with refugees through a non-governmental organization in Germany, Höhn learned of a woman who had made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea with her husband and small children. She was pregnant at the time as well. They arrived in Germany at the end of a long and difficult journey with nothing, but they have been working to rebuild their life.

Currently, Höhn is working with other colleges to form a consortium to integrate the plight of the refugees into the curriculum and find ways to address the educational needs of refugees. The consortium now includes several local colleges and continues to grow.

New additions to the Mount Saint Mary College community – including students, professors, and staff – have long enjoyed getting acquainted with the college’s rich history through the Heritage Tour, hosted by Sr. Peggy Murphy, OP, religious studies professor.

In honor of the college’s annual Founders Day celebration on October 6, a video version of Sr. Murphy’s beloved tour is now available for viewing online.

From the arrival of the Dominican Sisters in America and their founding of Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. in 1959 to the recent transformation of the Dominican Center into a living and learning hub, Sr. Murphy recounts not only the history of the college, but the important contributions of the Dominican founders to their faith and local community.

“We are grateful for the sacrifices of past generations at the Mount,” notes Sr. Murphy in the video, “and also now for the privilege that we have of fostering hope in future generations of students. As we continue our Dominican tradition, we pray that our students, faculty, and staff will continue to be compassionate and considerate citizens who go out with joy to serve in our communities.”

Through the annual Founders Day, Mount Saint Mary College celebrates the legacy of St. Dominic de Guzman and the Dominican Sisters who established the college using as a guideline the four pillars of Dominican life: study, prayer, service, and community.

“We remember with gratefulness the founding of the college by the Dominican Sisters of Hope, formerly known as the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh,” said Fr. Francis Amodio, O.Carm, campus chaplain and director of Campus Ministry.

The college’s Guzman Hall, a freshman residence, is named after St. Dominic de Guzman. Before it was sold to the college in the late 1980s, Guzman Hall was a convent for the Sisters as they studied before they were sent to various missions to serve the Church.

In 2016, the Dominican Order throughout the world is celebrating their 800th Jubilee Year of the Order of Preachers. St. Dominic established the first community of the Order of Preachers in the 13th century.

“We are proud of the deep spiritual and intellectual roots from which Mount Saint Mary College has sprung and is continually nourished,” said Charles Zola, philosophy and religion chair and director of the college’s Catholic and Dominican Institute. “We all are indebted to the great sacrifices and example of [the sisters] who founded the college.”

The Founders Day celebration is sponsored by the Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute. Directed by Zola, the institute promotes the college’s heritage of St. Dominic; advances the Dominican charism of study and service; provides a forum for discussion of contemporary ethical issues; and enhances Catholic and Jewish dialogue. Guided by the Mount’s vision and mission statement, the institute welcomes persons of varied faiths and acknowledges different religious traditions as essential to the college’s intellectual and spiritual life.

_{Jessica Gerson}

Jessica Gerson, a retired professor of English from Dutchess Community College, posed this question to her Mount Saint Mary College audience on October 3: “Why is a Short Story Short?”

Her talk, this semester’s Steinthal Lecture, delved into the purpose and general structure of the short story format, culminating in a reading and dissection of the classic vignette “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield.

A short story “has a lot of the same things as a novel,” Gerson noted, including a protagonist and a plot climax. But thanks to its brief format, a short story might be lacking fleshed out characters or a meaningful conclusion.

“Then, why bother with it? Why read short stories?” Gerson asked. “Because it can take an event – something small – and bring life to it. Small moments in our lives can be very meaningful, but would not necessarily constitute the material necessary for a novel.”

Mansfield’s “Miss Brill,” for example, is the story of one woman’s Sunday trip to the park. However, in only a few pages, the main character accepts a jarring fact about herself that affects her profoundly.

The Steinthal Lecture, established in memory of former Mount professor and noted physician Dr. Eric Steinthal, was funded by his son, Nicholas. The senior Steinthal taught religion, philosophy, literature, and art at the college for 27 years.

Gerson earned a doctorate degree in American literature from New York University in 1977, while she was a professor of English at Dutchess Community College. Since her retirement in 1996, she has taught courses on the short story at the Center for Lifetime Studies in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In addition, she leads ongoing book discussions at the Newburgh Free Library.

_{Mount students made lasting corporate connections at Indeed, Inc. in New York City recently.}

More than 20 students from Mount Saint Mary College’s School of Business visited the corporate headquarters of two international organizations situated in New York City on September 30: Bloomberg and Indeed, Inc.

During the trip, which was sponsored by the Mount’s Career Center, both organizations provided a tour and an overview of job opportunities that recent graduates might wish to pursue.

“Feedback from the students indicated they were not aware of the many types of openings they were eligible to apply for,” said Ellen Bourhis Nolan, director of career development at the Mount’s Career Center. “They also enjoyed seeing the inner workings of an actual organization, which gave them a much better picture of what life in the corporate world is about.”

At Bloomberg, “we were truly able to recognize skills that make a successful organization,” said business student Jake Kosack, a junior. “They thrive on the concept of transparency, and connect with their employees throughout the company and the building.”

_{More than 20 Mount Saint Mary College students visited the Bloomberg building on September 30.}

Kosack added that he was impressed with Indeed’s “reliance on employee satisfaction as a tool,” noting that the company publically recognized the good work of their employees on a regular basis.

The trip marked the second time in nearly a week that Mount students connected with professionals in New York City. On September 2, the Career Center brought the professionals to the students with “Real World Connections in Corporate New York City,” creating a wealth of networking opportunities.

The Mount’s Career Center prepares students for varied career opportunities in the Hudson Valley, New York City, the Capital Region, and beyond.

_{Sr. Cecilia Murray, OP, Mount Saint Mary College religious studies professor, discussed Dominican Monasteries at her recent iROC talk.}

Sr. Cecilia Murray, OP, Mount Saint Mary College religious studies professor, presented “Dominican Monasteries: American Style” at the college on October 6.

Sr. Murray, who was clad in black and white – the colors of the Dominican Sisters – explained how Dominican monasteries of women were first created though the tireless work of St. Dominic de Guzman during the 13th century.

Dominican monasteries appeared in America in the late 19th century and peaked in the 1960s, explained Sr. Murray, weathering the call for renewal following Vatican Council II and surviving into current times.

This year, the Dominican Order throughout the world is celebrating their 800th Jubilee Year of the Order of Preachers.

Sr. Murray’s research was undertaken as an assignment for the US Dominican History Project OPUS beginning in the fall of 1998. In its present form, it will be a chapter in Volume II of “U.S. Dominican History,” which has a planned publication date of 2017.

She earned a bachelor of music from Manhattanville College, a master’s in music from Catholic University, a master’s in religious studies from Manhattanville and Princeton Theological, and a PhD in American religious studies from Drew University. Sr. Murray entered the Dominican Order of Preachers at Newburgh, N.Y. in 1962 and taught elementary, then secondary music and religion, before beginning research work in Dominican history in 1980. Sr. Murray came to Mount Saint Mary College in 1998.

The talk was part of the college’s Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) series. The goal of the series is to provide a forum for Mount faculty, staff, and students to present research proposals, preliminary data, and completed projects, explained Evan Merkhofer, assistant biology professor at the Mount and coordinator of the program. The iROCs feature various academic fields.

Mount Saint Mary College is ranked a Top-Tier University by U.S. News & World Report, and offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for careers in healthcare, business, education, social services, communications, media, and the liberal arts.

Covering topics ranging from family and friends to nature and the circle of life, James Finn Cotter, the longest serving professor at Mount Saint Mary College, revealed “Why I Write Poetry” on Thursday, October 6.

In addition to reading passages from his book, “A New Life: Learning the Way of Omega,” Cotter recited a selection of poems from his vast body of work.

Cotter noted that his experience as a writer has enhanced his personal and professional life. Writing poetry naturally enhances awareness of the senses, of other people, and of ourselves, says the English professor and author.

Another reason he writes poetry is to record his history, including hiking with his sons, his fascination with nature, and even his own birth.

In addition to “A New Life,” Cotter is the author of “Inscape: The Christology and Poetry of Gerald Manley Hopkins,” and “Beginnings: The First Twenty-Five Years of Mount Saint Mary College.” He has penned articles on Hopkins, Dante, Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Philip Sidney, and J.D. Salinger. As poet and literary critic, he’s been published in America, Commonweal, The Hudson Review, The Nation, The New York Times, Sparrow, Spirit, Thought, Times Herald-Record, and other periodicals.

A celebrated translator of Dante’s “Commedia,” Cotter is a seasoned theater and arts reviewer, a recipient of a Fulbright-Hays lecture grant to teach English in Algeria, a recipient of a National Endowment of the Humanities grant, and was president of the International Hopkins Association for 30 years.

The talk was sponsored by college’s division of Arts and Letters.