Campus Spotlight

First regional and then national recognition. In May The Gatepost campus newspaper, the voice of students for 76 years, was named one of two national finalists for editorial writing in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ 2007) national “Mark of Excellence” competition.

The names of the national winners and finalists are posted on the SPJ Web site. They will be honored at the SJP’s annual conference in Atlanta in September.

The national award followed The Gatepost’s selection as the winner of a first-place SPJ “Mark of Excellence” award for editorial writing in Region I (the New England and mid-Atlantic states), presented in April at the University of Southern Maine.

Above, 2008 graduating Gatepost editors, from left to right: Assistant Living Arts Editor Stephanie McNulty, Associate Editor Alex Smith, Editor-in-Chief Brad Petrishen, and Staff Writer Heather Maconochie. Not present, Sports Editor Chris Calzolaio.

The editorials were written by Petrishen with the assistance and support of the editorial staff.

“We are the only state college in the country to be recognized by the SPJ this year in any of its national award categories for college newspapers, magazines, and radio, television, and on-line reporting,” says Dr. Desmond McCarthy, ’81, professor of English and advisor to The Gatepost.

“To receive first place in our region is an honor, and to be recognized nationally is an even greater achievement,” says Smith. “It is great to know that our hard work has paid off and that we do stand among the best.”

Petrishen is proud to bring the award home “not to the journalism building at an Ivy League university but to College Center 410, Framingham State College.”

“Revel in your accomplishments and enjoy this beautiful day,” said the Honorable Barbara Gardner, ’82, chair of the board of trustees, addressing master’s graduates at FSC’s first-ever graduate commencement Sunday, May 25.

“All of you sitting here today hold in your hands the ticket to your future,” the speaker at the graduate commencement, Chancellor Patricia Plummer,’69, told the graduate students. Plummer is a former FSC faculty member and associate academic vice president.

Three undergraduate history majors, Saigayan Kugabalasooriar, Katherine Jillette, and Sean Holt here reflect the happiness of students at both ceremonies. Click for a slideshow of the day’s events.

At the undergraduate commencement the speaker, Mr. Robert Maresca, president of the Bose Corporation, told the graduating class their “people education” was just beginning. What is now important, he said, “is the ability to get on with people and have them respect your input.”

Dr. Marguerite Mahler of the Modern Languages Department was named the Distinguished Faculty Member for 2008. “She is an excellent representative of a faculty who care about their students,” said Academic Vice President Robert Martin in presenting her.

Maresca was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree and Dr. Philip Dooher, former vice president for enrollment management, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

The 2008 valedictorian was Emma Abby, a geography major with a concentration in environmental studies who was the 2007-08 president of the Green Team. Next year she will study in the master’s program at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Lund University in Sweden.

The part-time student with the highest academic achievement was June B. Hudnall, a fashion design and retailing major.

Six hundred and eighteen bachelor’s degrees were awarded and four hundred and sixty one master’s degrees.

The spring semester and academic year are quickly drawing to a close but the fiscal year does not end until June 30, 2008. There is still time for faculty and staff to make a donation to the college. It’s not the amount you give but the act of giving that matters.

The hard work you do every day directly contributes to the success of the college. Please also support our educational mission by making a gift to the Framingham State College Foundation Legacy Fund.

A united commitment from within the college community shows outside constituents—alumni, corporations, and foundations—that Framingham State is a good investment. Our support leads to more support from others.

You can designate your gift to benefit scholarships in general or a particular scholarship fund. You may also give in memory of or in honor of a special individual. Click for information about giving.

Please join us in making a gift to Framingham State College before June 30, 2008, and thank you in advance for your generosity.

Energetic walkers and runners competed in the final Art Doyle Road Race Saturday, May 10. Alice Doyle of ITS, who has organized the event for the past six years in honor of her late husband, former Academic Vice President Arthur Doyle, is leaving the college.

Doyle is seen above at the race, back row left, with her son Jay, daughter-in-law Heather, granddaughter Alevia, age 7, and grandson Glennie, age 4.

“I loved being a part of an event that brought our college community of so many wonderful and caring friends together to remember and honor Art’s memory,” said Lois Oak, the administrative assistant for several Hemenway Hall academic departments.

Oak took first place among the walkers with a time of 40:25 minutes. The male winner was Daniel Canella, son of Associate Dean of Admissions Liz Canella, in 40:38 minutes.

In the runners’ race, the men’s winner, Christopher Williams, completed the course in 20:05 minutes and Jessica Henderson, the women’s winner, in 22:50 minutes.

Registration fees, scholarship donations, and a raffle for beautiful theme baskets traditionally donated by departments on campus raised $6,383 for the Art Doyle Scholarship.

Communication Arts
Dr. Derrick TePaske has an exhibition of his archival photographs of the Walter E. Fernald State School featured at the opening of the gallery in a newly renovated mill on the Mumford River in the Blackstone Valley. The organization located in the mill, “Alternatives, Unlimited,” provides an array of services to mentally handicapped adults.

Education Department
Dr. Diane Lowe attended the Massachusetts Reading Association conference in Sturbridge April 10 and 11. The theme of the conference was “Literacy is the Connection!” The MRA Exemplary Reading Program Award was presented to the Hemenway School in Framingham. Sheila Harper, literacy specialist at the Hemenway School, completed the Literacy and Language program at FSC in 1998. Amy Ball and Maggie Dabrush, current Literacy and Language students about to receive their FSC M.Ed. degrees, served as student ambassadors.

English Department
Bernard Horn was scholar-in-residence on May 4 and 5 at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel at Tifereth Israel Congregation in New Bedford. The subject of his lectures was the poetry of Yehuda Amichai. Horn’s translations of Amichai’s poetry have appeared in The New Yorker, Moment Magazine, and the Manhattan Review.

Office of Institutional Research
John Macuga served on a panel at the 14th Annual Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Conference held in Amherst May 3. He discussed public speaking and presentation skills with the undergraduate attendees, sharing lessons learned from his experience as an administrator and as an officer in the Army National Guard. While an undergraduate at UMass-Amherst in 1999, Macuga presented his honors thesis at the 5th Annual Undergraduate Conference.