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Set in Salzburg, Austria, just before World War II, The Sound of Music follows a spirited young Austrian postulant named Maria who is sent to serve as governess for Captain Von Trapp, a widower with seven children. Maria’s unorthodox methods quickly win over the children and ultimately their father.

Performances begin at 8 p.m., Thursday – Saturday, January 29 – 31, with a matinee performance Sunday, February 1 at 2 p.m. Friday’s performance will be preceded by a free pre-show lecture at 7 p.m. about The Sound of Music.

General admission price for each of the four performances is $25 for the general public; $20 for senior citizens; and $15 for CSE students, faculty and staff. Audiences will be able to purchase a second ticket at half price for Thursday’s performance only. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact CSE Communication Professor and MTC Artistic Director Terence G. Koyce at (973) 290-4368 or at tkoyce@cse.edu.

According to Mr. Koyce, the new theater troupe blends the talents of CSE students, staff and faculty with that of theater performers from communities surrounding the campus and from as far away as southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Sharing the stage together for the first time is father and son duo Frank and Michael Vezzuto of Rockaway, N.J. Art imitates real life as Frank will be playing the role of Captain Georg von Trapp while his son Michael is cast opposite him as Kurt – one of the Captain’s seven children in the musical.

Father and son Frank and Michael Vezzuto star in this year’s musical, The Sound of Music. (Photo by Brittany Murphy, ‘11, of The Station newspaper)

While this year’s production at CSE is the first musical that both men will have starred in together, it is not the first show that each has performed in their acting careers.

Both father and son have appeared in numerous musicals including West Side Story, L’iL Abner, Little Shop of Horrors, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Velveteen Rabbit, Ebenezer, an adaptation on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Story, and God’s Greatest Gift, a version of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

Related stories:

CSE Brings Local Community Together with New Theater Company

Open Auditions for “The Sound of Music” Held Sept. 18 - 19, 2008 at CSE

Ms. Stanek's revealing sculpts of face and figure. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

More than 140 art enthusiasts came to campus, Thursday evening, January 22, 2009, for the Gallery’s opening reception of, “Texture: Art as Metaphor.”

CSE Curator and Director of CSE Art Gallery, Dr. Virginia Fabbri Butera, welcomes artists Katherine Stanek, Barry Zawacki, Pasquale Cuppari, and Setsuko Sale to the opening reception. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

Curated by CSE Director of the Art Gallery, Dr. Virginia Fabbri Butera, the exhibit, which features four artists: Setsuko Sale, installation artist; Barry Zawacki, ceramicist; Katherine Stanek, sculptor; and Pasquale Cuppari, painter, will be on view through March 6, 2009 and may be seen at all CSE events or by appointment. For more information, contact 973-290-4188 or artgallery@cse.edu.

CSE undergraduate Psychology and Art major Laura Munoz, '10, attends the evening's exhibition. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

Art enthusiast Ingrid Hirsch of Summit takes a moment to appreciate Mr. Zawacki's ceramic sculptures. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

(l – r) Dr. Margaret Roman, ’72, recently recognized by the State for her work with EOF students at CSE, celebrates with her daughter, Evelyn Roman-Snellgrove, a graduate student at CSE. (Photo by Elite Photography)

“EOF students do not have less ability…simply less financial support,” said Dr. Roman. “I actively encourage our EOF students to enroll in the Honors program, and work with them to push ahead and maximize their potential.” She explains that honors students must maintain a 3.5 grade point average, become active on campus in leadership and volunteer roles, and produce independent research projects in their senior year. 

“Right now, our honors students are volunteering at Saint Ann’s Church in Parsippany, N.J., tutoring migrant workers in English as a second language. In 2000, four honors students went to stay with families in Juarez, Mexico, to learn what it was like to live near the border.  Since that time, the Honors Program students have been involved in the English as a Second Language outreach to Mexicans who have migrated to New Jersey.”

“The College of Saint Elizabeth has a strong commitment to improving the world,” said Dr. Roman. “This program aligns with that philosophy; both the students and society benefit.”

Currently there are about 90 students in the CSE honors program.

The EOF Award is not the first time Dr. Roman has been recognized for her dedication and hard work. Just this fall, she also received the Pelican Award, given by the College’s alumni association for notable achievement in the field of dramatic, performing, fine arts and/or the communications/media fields. The Award is given annually in honor of Sister Mary Vincent Hillman, a member of the College faculty in the early 1900s who founded the first college literary magazine and newspaper, called The Pelican. Sister Hillman wrote and directed an original three-act play called, “Will Shakespeare,” which was performed in New York in 1916.

Dr. Roman graduated from CSE in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She holds a Masters in English from Montclair State University and an M.Phil and Ph.D. in English from Drew University.

Her daughter, Evelyn Roman-Snellgrove, also graduated from CSE in 2006.  This semester she returns to CSE to begin pursuing her masters in Business with an emphasis on human relations.

The Texture:  Surface as Metaphor exhibition will be open from Thursday - Friday, January 22 – March 6, 2009. Gallery hours are Monday, Friday, and Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, 1 – 7 p.m., or by appointment.  For more information, contact 973-290-4188 or artgallery@cse.edu.

According to Dr. Virginia Fabbri Butera, director of the Maloney Art Gallery at CSE and curator of the exhibition, the works in this exhibition focus on traditional materials used in innovative ways and unusual materials that harmonize with the meaning of the artists’ work. 

“While outsized plastic objects, animals in formaldehyde, or superficial riffs on political subjects seem to rule in today’s art world, more introspective artists are plumbing the depths of creative activity, merging tactile materials with observations on nature, the universe and the human condition,” she said.

The exhibition will showcase Mr. Cuppari’s glittered painting surfaces; Ms. Sale’s delicately twined tree branches gathered in an overhead installation; Ms. Stanek’s probing sculptural meditations on human/artistic creation; and Mr. Zawacki’s cracked and pigment-infused surfaces reminiscent of earth, lava and dreams.  Ms. Butera points out that with these works the artists reveal a contemporary concern for fusing materiality with the act of making art.

The night was filled with festive music and holiday cheer as CSE alumna Judge Shirley Tolentino, ’65, of Jersey City, N.J., was honored with this year’s Mother Xavier Award.

The Mother Xavier Award is the most prestigious award that the College of Saint Elizabeth presents to its alumnae/i.  Awardees are selected for living out the vision, courage and faith of the founders of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan (1825 – 1915) founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1859. For more information about this year’s and past recipients, please visit www.cse.edu/foundersday.

“I attended many Founders Day programs and witnessed the bestowing of the Mother Xavier award on many of our outstanding alumnae when I was a student here at the College,” reflects Judge Tolentino. “However, I never imagined that I too would one day be a recipient of the most prestigious award, and so I am both honored and humbled to receive it, and I extend a most appreciative ‘thank you’ to the College.”

Judge Tolentino has been a leader and groundbreaker in her own right. On January 11, 1984, Judge Tolentino became the first African American woman appointed to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey. She had previously been appointed as the first African American woman to the Jersey City Municipal Court in 1976 and in 1981 and became the Presiding Judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court.

Born in Jersey City, Judge Tolentino graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin with honors. After graduating, she taught Latin and English and attended Seton Hall University School of Law as an evening student. She was the only African American female in her class when she received her J.D. degree in 1971.

In addition to the presentation of the 2008 Mother Xavier Award, the evening’s celebration included a Christmas Concert by CSE Elizabeth Singers with an ensuing reception (co-directed by CSE Special Assistant to the President for Mission and Values Carol Jaworski and CSE Campus Minister Roger Pisani) and an exhibition of international crèches in CSE Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery.

(l – r) West Orange, N.J. residents Nathan and Aida Litwack stand behind a display in CSE Mahoney Library which showcases of some of the more rare items within the Litwack’s 7,000 volume personal collection, that was recently donated to the College’s library. (Photo courtesy of Mahoney Library)

Approximately 7,000 volumes arrived at Mahoney Library at the end of spring term, ranging from literature to travel to illustration books. The library staff has been working diligently to process the collection and make these wonderful resources available to the campus community.

“I am simply thrilled to have this donation of one person’s lifelong reading collection at the College,” gushes Amira V. Unver, CSE director of Mahoney Library. “Many of these books in the collection are first editions and some are quite rare and are not owned by other academic libraries within the state.”

Mr. Litwack, who was born in Detroit, MI in 1918, attributes his lifelong love of books and libraries to his parents.  His father, a pushcart peddler and later small business owner, was a self-educated man who instilled in his family a love of books and learning. Mr. Litwack’s library reflects the diversity of his interests and, according to Ms. Unver, has enriched the library’s holdings in the areas of Jewish literature and studies, sociology and social history, labor relations, political science, and the arts.

According to Ms. Unver, these books are now available to researchers and readers across the country through inter-library loan.

In addition to CSE Mahoney Library, the library at SUNY Purchase (the alma mater of one of Mr. and Mrs. Litwack grandsons), has also received a substantial donation from their personal library, including a large collection of popular sheet music from the 20th century.

Sr. Romana Uzodimma, ’08, center, recipient of a fellowship in health care management, is honored by CSE President Sr. Francis Raftery, left, and Dr. Linda Hunter, director of the CSE Health Care Management Program, during a recent alumni luncheon. (Photo by Janice Hedden)

“We are just delighted to celebrate our 10th anniversary with this kind of news,” said Dr. Linda Hunter, Director of the Health Care Management Program at CSE. “To get national recognition for our program and enable one of our students to obtain this type of job experience is fantastic. Currently, there are more than 100 students in the health care management program at the CSE main campus and off-site cohort locations, and the program continues to grow.”

“Sister Romana is the first ACHE fellow for our hospital,” said Edward Condit, vice president for Professional Services at Saint Mary’s. “We have high expectations for her tenure with us. Already, Sister Romana has taken ownership of some important initiatives and has shown to be a valuable resource. We both stand to benefit tremendously.”

The new president of Saint Mary’s, Colene Daniel, has a long-standing commitment to the fellowship program. “My experience in various health care settings over the years has shown the enormous contributions fellows can make to the health care industry.” She added, “We are aiming to have one fellow here per year and fully expect that it will become even more competitive award.”

“The fellowship is coming along and I thank God for this opportunity,” said Sister Romana. “I am getting used to the environment and the people. The people here at St. Mary’s Hospital are welcoming.   I am getting experience in many areas of hospital administration and it is definitely helping to enhance my administrative and leadership skills.”

Sr. Romana, a native of Nigeria, began her journey to the College of Saint Elizabeth in 2002. She obtained her undergraduate degree here in 2005 with a B.S. in Business Management. She plunged right into the graduate program in health care management – an area of interest to her. “I have enjoyed my experience at the College and am delighted to apply that knowledge in this fellowship program.”

CSE new Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Eric A. Becher 

As Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Mr. Becher will oversee the College’s policy guidelines for development, marketing and communications and college relations initiatives.  He succeeds Jeanine Hirsch who successfully directed the College of Saint Elizabeth’s $17 million Capital Campaign to fund the construction of the Annunciation Center; the College’s new arts and education center.

“I am confident that Mr. Becher’s experience in higher education both as an educator and an administrator make him an ideal member of our community of learning,” Sister Raftery said.  “I look forward to his wise counsel and partnership as we seek to develop and implement new opportunities to facilitate and sustain the growth of the College and fulfill its mission.”

Mr. Becher comes to the College of Saint Elizabeth with a solid background as a strategic planner for educational institutions.  Most recently, he provided consulting services to Albion Public Schools, Albion, MI and Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI.   Prior to that, he was Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Albion College, Albion, MI where he created a comprehensive advancement model approach to fundraising resulting in a dramatic increase in major gift giving donations.

In 2003, Mr. Becher began his professional affiliation with Concordia University System as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Concordia College - New York (CCNY).  From 2004-2007, Mr. Becher served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Marketing, and Institutional Research at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI, spearheading successful fundraising and marketing initiatives.  His responsibilities included strategic planning, assisting in the development of new and enhanced academic programs as well as identifying viable resources to fund these programs.  During his tenure, he expanded the University’s visibility in the community by creating and launching the cua²rts (Concordia University Ann Arbor Arts) program: a cultural arts program on campus that included visual arts, music, theatre and literary and liberal arts forums and lectures. 

As Assistant Vice President of the University of Connecticut Foundation which directly supports the University of Connecticut, Mr. Becher assisted in all aspects of implementing the $470 million Capital Campaign. He was also Development Officer for the University of Connecticut Foundation/School of Fine Arts serving on several committees including the School of Fine Arts Vision Committee, Benton Art Museum Board, Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry Board and the Jorgensen Auditorium Art Deco Renovation Committee.

“I am deeply honored to be appointed the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and look forward to assisting Sister Raftery in establishing guidelines that will ensure the future success and continued growth of the College of Saint Elizabeth,” said Mr. Becher.    

Mr. Becher began his career in higher education as a music professor and band director in 1980 at the University of Michigan – School of Music where he became the youngest director of a major college marching band.  His career as a music professor, band director and conductor spanned more than 20 years, during which he taught and directed marching and concert bands at the University of Arizona and the University of Minnesota. 

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, he earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Michigan.   He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education administration at the University of Louisville.

(1-r) Dr. Catherine Coyle Lee, associate professor, director of the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) Applied Science program, and 2010 CSE Biochemistry students, Chynna Broxton and Jeannette Marine, simulate how sunlight can be converted to electricity.  The solar demonstration by Ms. Marine was part of the “Alternative Energies” CSE student poster session held on campus November 19, 2008. Ms. Broxton’s poster highlighted the benefits of biofuels. Other featured alternative energy displays by students included: wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear. The event was sponsored by the College’s Physical Chemistry class and the CSE Environmental Sustainability Task Force. Other recent events designed by the Task Force to promote the reduction of the carbon imprint on the world included “Green Printing,” demonstrating how to save paper and money by using green printing tips, held on November 10. (Photo by Donna Lindemeyer)

Honorable Shirley A. Tolentino, ‘65.

On Wednesday, December 3, 2008, the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) will proudly present its coveted Mother Xavier Award to alumna and Jersey City resident Judge Shirley A. Tolentino, ’65, during its Founders Day Celebration and Christmas Concert.

The festive event is by invitation and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the new CSE Annunciation Center on campus. Music will be provided by the CSE Elizabeth Singers.

The Mother Xavier Award is the most prestigious award that the College of Saint Elizabeth presents to its alumnae/i.  The awardees are selected for living out the vision, courage and faith of the foundress of the College of Saint Elizabeth, Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan (1825-1915), who also founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1859. 

Judge Tolentino has been a leader and groundbreaker in her own right. Appointed to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey on January 11, 1984, Judge Tolentino became the first African American woman appointed to that position. She had previously been appointed as the first African American woman to the Jersey City Municipal Court in 1976. She was elevated in 1981 and became the first African American Presiding Judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court.

She regards as one of her major accomplishments as a Judge the fact that she was appointed to the Original Coleman Commission, which later became the New Jersey Supreme Court TASK force on Minorities appointed by Chief Justice Wilentz. Judge Tolentino served on that Commission for about 10 years and was Chair of its Sub-Committee on Juvenile Justice. She was also Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice and the Minority Defendants. Judge Tolentino is extremely proud of the monumental changes that have benefited not only minorities but also everyone who participates in the Justice System as a result of the major efforts of that TASK force. She has also served on the Supreme Court Committee on Criminal Practice.

She has been a community activist since her early days as a lawyer and has served on many boards including the Jersey City Hudson County Urban League, St. Peter’s College, St. Aloysius Academy, Hudson County C.Y.O., the Hudson County Girl Scouts Board, and the Visiting Homemakers Board of Hudson County. Her article “The Runaway Train,” was published in the National Bar Association magazine, pgs. 20-22, Vol. 12 Nov. 5, November/December 1998.

In 1980, she joined the National Association of Women’s Judges and became its President in 1996-1997. She is a member of the Hudson County Bar, the Garden State Bar, and the American Bar Associations. Judge Tolentino currently serves on the Board of Trustees for CSE and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 1980.

Judge Tolentino is named in Johnson’s Publications “1,000 Successful Blacks.” She is a member of the North Jersey Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and The Girlfriends – New Jersey Chapter. She has served as the National Parlimentarian from 1998-2002. She served another term as Parliamentarian from 2004-2006. Judge Tolentino was elected as their National President in May of 2008. She is also a member of the Links, Inc. another National Organization whose purposes are friendship and service. She is also the Immediate Past President of the North Jersey Chapter of Links, Inc.

She is also a Jersey Journal Woman of Achievement and received the Witney M. Young Award from the Hudson City Urban League and has received many other awards from organizations, schools, and colleges too numerous to mention. She has also served as the Grand Marshall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.

As a woman who has the values of Catholic faith and has come to live the Gospel in remarkable ways, Judge Tolentino is a living testament of the Mother Xavier Award legacy.

Founders Day is celebrated annually on or near December 3, the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Mother Xavier. Saint Francis Xavier, who was among the first Jesuits, is considered one of the greatest missionaries of the Church.  Mother Xavier possessed the same energy and zeal for the mission as did Saint Francis Xavier, and in her lifetime established numerous schools, hospitals, and other institutions that significantly extended the ministries of the Sisters of Charity. 

In his keynote address, Dr. Sulmasy, a Franciscan Friar who holds the Sisters of Charity Chair in Ethics at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Manhattan and serves as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Bioethics Institute of New York Medical College, reminded the audience that “no amount of economic transformation can alter the fundamental meaning and value of healthcare, nor can it ever eradicate the interpersonal nature of the healing relationship that begins when one person feels ill and another asks, ‘How can I help you?’” He challenged participants to see that “the spirituality of medical practice at the dawn of the 21st century in the United States demands great virtue – courage, hope, perseverance, and creative fidelity.”

(l-r) Drs. Taylor and Sulmasy share a conversation with the crowd on the importance of understanding healthcare as a spiritual practice. (Photo by Matt Kovacs) 

Also part of the day was a choice of 11 workshop presentations, including one led by Carol Taylor, Ph.D., founding member and now director of the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University. Dr. Taylor’s workshop, entitled “Healing Presence: Creating a Culture that Promotes Spiritual Health,” invited participants to ponder the “why” and “how” of spiritual care and to reflect on their commitment to and success in meeting their own spiritual needs and those of others.

“What a privilege it was to host Drs. Sulmasy and Taylor, and our workshop presenters who invited us to explore how healthcare ministries can serve the most intimate experiences of what it means to be a human person,” said Linda Baratte, Director of the Center. “It was wonderful to see doctors, nurses, administrators, chaplains, pastoral ministers, and other healthcare professionals gathered to learn more about our common work to add to the well-being of our communities as we each practice ‘soul medicine.’”

The conference concluded with a plenary session of “sacred eavesdropping” as Drs. Sulmasy and Taylor shared wisdom and challenges from their practice of the healing arts as a moral and virtue-filled enterprise. They invited questions and comments from the audience which led to the sharing of many touching experiences by healthcare professionals and the values at the heart of their work.

The Center is known nationwide for the annual Spirituality Convocation and Summer Institute programs that draw theologians from around the country and thousands of people of all faiths to the campus in a celebration of spirituality and cultural diversity.  For more information about the Center and upcoming events, call (973) 290-4300, or visit their Web site www.cse.edu/center.

(l-r) Donors Norman and Majorie Feinstein; Rwanda survivor Jacqueline Murekatete; Dr. Harriet Sepinwall, CSE professor of Education and co-director of the CSE Holocaust Education Resource Center; Holocaust survivor David Gewirtzman and his wife Lillian. (Photo by Courtney Smolen) 

David Gewirtzman and Jacqueline Murekatete are two people from very different backgrounds: Mr. Gewirtzman is an older, white Jewish man from Poland and Ms. Murekatete is a young, black Christian woman from Rwanda. Both individuals are polar opposites with one commonality: each has been through genocide and have lived to tell the tale.

On Monday night, November 10 at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) both comrades – different in sex, age, race, and religion – came together, along with the CSE campus and surrounding communities, Holocaust survivors and their children.  At the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht during the College’s 19th Annual Week of Holocaust Remembrance which runs until November 14, Mr. Gewirtzman and Ms. Murekatete told their stories in the hope of preventing future horrors of genocide in the Dolan Performance Hall of CSE Arts and Education building, Annunciation Center.

Survivors of the Holocaust, children of Holocaust survivors and campus community members join together in solidarity during the candle lighting ceremony Monday, November 10. (Photo by Courtney Smolen) 

“Our connection is not based on race or religion, but through humanity,” Mr. Gewirtzman explained. “Both of us know what genocide means, and we both came together to enlighten people on what that hatred can do.”

Attendees filled the Dolan Performance Hall in CSE Arts and Education building, Annunciation Center to witness the Week’s opening event which included a candle lighting ceremony, musical performance by internationally-known pianist and CSE faculty member Dr. Teresa Walters and survivor testimony, in addition to an art installation and two exhibitions.

Internationally-known pianist and CSE faculty member Dr. Teresa Walters performs Monday, November 10. (Photo by Courtney Smolen) 

In her opening remarks, CSE President Sr. Francis Raftery commented on the overwhelming amount of information that is out there on the Internet about Kristallnacht – more than 23,000 entries on Google, she stated. “It is these types of events that happen here and around the world that make a difference in how we treat one another,” she said.

Silence fell upon the crowd as both Mr.Gewirtzman and Ms. Murekatete made their way onto the stage. Mr. Gewirtzman, 80, recaptured what life was like living in Poland during World War II. He was one of just 16 out of 8,000 Jews to survive the Holocaust from the small polish town of Losice. Throughout Europe, six million Jews were killed.

(l-r) Rwanda survivor Jacqueline Murekatete and Holocaust survivor David Gewirtzman speak to audience members about their stories of genocide, Monday, November 10. (Photo by Courtney Smolen) 

Ms. Murekatete, 24, survived the Rwandan genocide of the mid-’90s. Ms. Murekatete, a nine-year-old Tutsi, was away from her family staying with her grandmother when the killing began. Along with thousands of other children, she was placed in an orphanage for safety. When the killing came to an end, she was told by an uncle that her family had been taken from their homes and slaughtered among the 800,000 killed. “Hearing this didn’t make sense to me,” she said. “The whole thing really felt like a huge nightmare.”

Yet through it all, both friends remain hopeful of the future. “It is my hope,” Ms. Murekatete said, “that tonight each of us recommit ourselves that these events will be heard about in history and not in the present.”

In addition to Monday evening’s commemorative event, the Week also featured a variety of day and evening programs including an all-day teachers workshop on November 10; an interfaith dialog discussion with Reverend Charles Parr, Ph.D., an Ecumenical Officer of the Paterson Diocese on Wednesday night, November 12; Holocaust art exhibit and installations by such artists as Michael Wolf and John Pascal, and the exhibition, “The Art of Healing,” in the  Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery; in addition to workshops by CSE faculty members on a variety of topics central to contemporary discussion about the Holocaust.

(l-r) Social Studies teacher Marisa Dodge and Science teacher and CSE alum Brianna Cubby, ‘07, of Mendham’s Mountain View Middle School stand next to artist Michael Wolf’s installation, “Sanctuary.” (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

Mendham’s Mountain View High School Social Studies teacher Marisa Dodge attended Monday’s teachers workshop. “As a Social Studies teacher, especially at the fifth grade level, having as much personal knowledge of world events is paramount, and to hear first-person accounts, to see the expressions on their faces, to read their body language, to see their eyes as they tell of families being wiped out or reunited, that is what motivated me to share with my students.”

This was the first year Ms. Dodge attended the College’s week of Holocaust programs. To her it was both powerful and moving. “As Dr. Sepinwall called the survivors up to the stage, I felt blessed to be in the company of so many brave people of inspiration,” she said. “With their children, I felt like a member of a very special family.”

The teacher workshop entitled, “Teaching the Holocaust and Genocide:  Fighting Racism and Prejudice in a Multicultural Society,” attracted more than 100 teachers from public, Catholic, and Jewish schools who came together to learn from Mr. Gewirtzman and Rwandan genocide survivor, Eugenie Mukeshiman. There also were breakout sessions conducted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Sr. Joseph Spring, SCC, John Pascal of Seton Hall Prep High School, and Tina Wyatt of the Rwandan Youth Village sponsored by the American Joint Distribution Committee. 
 
The workshop day was supported by the Linda and Murray Laulicht Teacher Training Fund of the College of Saint Elizabeth and the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education.

Nanette D. Spedden, Director, Center for Volunteerism and Service Learning (Photo by Courtney Smolen) 

One of several international crèches that will be on display this season at the College. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

As a special feature to this coming month’s advent season, the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) will feature a number of special international crèches in its display entitled, “The World Celebrates Christmas,” from December 1 – 20, at the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery in CSE Annunciation Center on campus.

Donated by Eileen Canty, Ph.D. of Jenkintown, Pa., in honor of her friend and CSE alumna, Colette Conroy, ’55, of Palm Beach Garden, Fl., the overall collection of more than 200 crèches reflects the diversity of the more than 2,000 CSE full- and part-time student body found in its Women’s College, and School of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

Free and open to the public, exhibit hours are Monday through Friday from 1 - 7 p.m.; and Saturday from 1 - 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment, contact the Maloney Art Gallery at (973) 290-4315 or at artgallery@cse.edu.

Alana E. Edelmann, of Spring Lake, N.J., received a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in English from the College of Saint Elizabeth in 1970 and continued her education at Montclair State College where she received a M.A. in English Literature.  In 1980, she received a M.B.A. in Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University and in 2003 completed a Master of Arts in Teaching at Monmouth University.  She was President of the College of Saint Elizabeth’s Alumnae/i Association from 2001-2005 and served as its Secretary from 1999-2001.  In 2006, she received the College’s Distinguished Alumna Award.   She was a member of the College’s Annual Fund Leadership Team.  Currently she is an English Teacher at St. Rose High School in Belmar, New Jersey.  She is the former Director of Clinical Research Administration for Merck & Co. Inc., where for over 20 years she held various positions including Director, Clinical Research Administration, Manager, Clinical Planning and Senior/Medical Program Coordinator – Clinical Pharmacology and Director, Clinical and Regulatory Development Administration.  She continued her career at Astra Merck, Inc. where she held several Director positions.  After leaving Astra Merck, she taught economically disadvantaged girls at the Mercy Center – The Sister’s Academy in Asbury Park, NJ.  She serves as a member of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School Board, is a member of its Advancement/Marketing Committee, and chairs its 2008 Strategic Planning Committee.

Donna B. McNamara, Ph.D., of Morristown, N.J., received her B.A. in English (cum laude) from the College of Saint Catherine, a M.A. in Counseling from St. Thomas University and a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resources from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.   She is President of Donna McNamara Associates and former Vice President of Global Education and Training for Colgate-Palmolive Company.   Prior to Colgate, she was an executive with AT&T in human resources, education, and strategic planning.   As a past national President of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), she also served on both the Board of Directors and Board of Governors.  She is the recipient of ASTD’s highest honor, the Gordon M. Bliss Award in addition to the Torch Award.  She is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.  Currently, she serves on the National Nuclear Training Accreditation Board for INPO (Institute of Nuclear Power Operations) and as Chairperson for ASTD’s Editorial Board.  She is an Advisory Board Member and Co-Academic Director for the Chief Learning Officer graduate program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  She has served as a Board of Alumni Member for Peabody College and is a past Board Member and President of the Kellogg Club, a volunteer social and historic preservation organization in Morristown, New Jersey.

Margaret M. Pego of Berkeley Heights, N.J., received her B.A. in business administration from William Paterson College and went on to earn her Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in management and labor relations from Seton Hall University.   She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and earned a certificate in Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) studies from Cornell University.  She has also completed the Human Resources Executive Program at the University of Michigan.  Having joined PSEG in 1974, she has held various human resource executive positions including her current position as Senior Vice President - Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer.   She is active in several local and national organizations including the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Chief HR Executives Policy Committee; the American Gas Association HR Policy Committee; The Conference Board Advisory Council of HR Management – Council of HR Executives; Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) Executive Counsel Chair and the Society for Human Resources Management. She is a former member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Attorney Ethics Committee. Her numerous awards include the 1997 Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) Honoree, 2002 Leadership New Jersey Graduate; 2006 Executive Woman of New Jersey Honoree and a 2008 NJ Best 50 Women in Business Honoree.  She serves as a trustee board member of the American Conference on Diversity, Leadership New Jersey and the Boys and Girls Club Concert for Kids Committee.  She also active with the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey.
 

William S. Ford, Jr. of Chatham, N.J., was the 2006 recipient of the College of Saint Elizabeth President’s Award.  He had previously served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 1988 - 2007.     He graduated from Villanova University in 1955 and served as a captain in the U.S. Marines between 1955 and 1961.  He joined New Jersey Bell in 1961 where after 25 years of service, he was appointed Vice President of Sales and then became Vice President External Affairs in April 1987.   In January 1988 he assumed the responsibilities of Chief Financial Officer, a position he held until his retirement in 1992.    He served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Independent College Fund of New Jersey and former President of the Tri-County Scholarship fund.  He has served on a variety of civic and charitable boards including the United Way of Morris County, United Way of North Essex, the Morris Country Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Utilities Association, the Visiting Nurses Service of Essex County and several Rotary Clubs.

Alan S. Painter of Morristown, N.J., retired from Honeywell in 2000 as Director of Corporate Affairs and Vice President and Executive Director of the Honeywell International Foundation. He previously served on the College of Saint Elizabeth Board of Trustees from 1988 - 2007.  He is a graduate of Middlebury College and attended Stanford University Executive Program.  For more than 40 years, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel.  He has served on a variety of national and local non-profit boards including as past Trustee and former Secretary of The Tri-County Scholarship Fund, past Chairman of the Morris County Firefighters and Police Academy Advisory Board and past Chair of the Morris Educational Foundation.  He is past President of the Kellogg Club and past President of the Morristown Club.  Currently he is a Trustee of St. John Baptist School, Vice President of the Community of St. John Baptist Foundation and serves as a member of the Morristown Memorial Hospital Advisory Board.  

Deborah Gerrish, poet and teacher, who coordinated the event with CSE, welcomed the audience and said that ethnicity is connected to the family and passed on from generation to generation.  She asked the audience to listen to ethnic images in the poems at this celebration of a multi-cultural literary journey. She said, “American history of immigration has a common bond with many similarities across the cultures; there is a common thread.”

The four poets, Ms. Gerrish, Sondra Gash, Maria Gillan and Joan Handler, presented a master class for CSE students in the afternoon where they discussed the craft of poetry writing.  They talked about ethnic poems with the focal point of ethnic identity in individual styles displaying the voice and persona of the writer.

While the poets read about the lives of their respective families, including Jewish, Armenian, Irish and Italian, the same topics surfaced in all poems: families and family values, homes with their gathering places like dining rooms and round kitchen tables, foods and smells, marriages, language, poverty, work, children, education.

Many of their poems were about immigrants sharing the same struggles and joys.  Most of the poems revolved around family life with Ms. Gash in “Bold Heart” reading about her father, an immigrant from Poland, who worked for the rights of workers in America, his new country.  Ms. Gerrish, whose family is Armenian and came from Turkey, read her poem, “Paisley,” about when she was a young child at a family’s visit to her grandparents’ home where they enjoyed tea and apricots and Turkish figs.

In reading about her grandparents’ marriage, Ms. Handler told about her Irish Catholic grandmother marrying her Jewish grandfather. She spoke about the Depression and poverty.  Her grandfather went to medical school in Europe, and her grandmother remained in this country to support the family.

Ms. Gillan read about her family members who came to America from Italy.  She remembers them sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, telling stories and giving support and comfort to each other.

This reading took place just days before CSE’s Week of Holocaust Remembrance, November 10-14.  This annual event on campus addresses issues concerning ethnicity such as diversity, prejudice and tolerance.

Story written by Valerie Martin for The Station newspaper.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carol (Jaworski) Pisani, CSE special assistant to the President for Mission and Values at cjpisani@cse.edu or at (973) 290-4491.

Held on campus at 7 p.m. in the Dolan Performance Hall in CSE Arts and Education building, Annunciation Center, the evening’s program will describe the causes of anger as well as the healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with anger. Special attention will be paid to the unique role of forgiveness.

“The inability to deal effectively with anger seems to be endemic to almost every culture,” remarks Brother Sofield. “Interestingly, church literature and the mental health field identify forgiveness as the treatment of choice for anger.”

“We welcome Brother Sofield back onto campus for this open-hearted, in-depth discussion as we continue our efforts to renew our lives together,” Ms. Pisani said.

Brother Sofield is a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. He has been a Brother for 50 years. Brother Sofield has worked in all 50 states, in more than 200 dioceses, and in five different continents. He is the co-author of several books, including Collaboration: Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry; Design for Wholeness: Dealing with Anger, Learning to Forgive, Building Self-Esteem; and Building Community: Christian, Caring, Vital (all from Ave Maria Press).

The event is sponsored the College’s Center for Theological and Spiritual Development.

NJ Symphony Orchestra and internationally renowned pianist Dr. Walters perform for a full house in the Dolan Performance Hall in Annunciation Center at CSE. (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo) 

Internationally renowned pianist Dr. Walters (in red) performs with NJ Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Leon Hyman in the Dolan Performance Hall in Annunciation Center at CSE. (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo) 

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) with guest conductor Leon Hyman and internationally acclaimed CSE artist-in-residence and faculty member, Dr. Teresa Walters, performed for an audience of nearly 600 NJSO, CSE, and state-wide community members, as well as CSE staff, faculty, and students who gathered for the gala event.

NJSO guest conductor Leon Hyman puts his personal touch on each classical music piece during the afternoon’s program. (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo)

The program included Hungarian Fantasy, by Franz Liszt; From the New World, Symphony No. 9, by Anton Dvorak; Peer Gynt, Suite 1, by Edvard Grieg, and more.

Internationally renowned pianist Dr. Walters, guest conductor Leon Hyman, and members of NJSO bow to a standing ovation. (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo) 

Dr. Virginia Fabbri Butera, chair of the CSE Art and Music departments, stated, “The College of Saint Elizabeth is committed to partnering with local and statewide arts organizations to showcase the quality of talent present both on our campus and in our state. We are thrilled to have Dr. Walters playing with the NJSO in our own state-of-the-art Dolan Performance Hall as a manifestation of the importance that the arts have here on campus.”

Besides featuring the 556-seat Dolan Performance Hall, the Annunciation Center, dedicated in September 2007, also houses the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery and is home to the theology, philosophy, music and art departments. 

What a performance! (l - r): Dr. Anita Falla, ‘43, NJSO Board member; Ruth Lipper, NJSO co-chair; Dr. Walters, pianist; Leon Hyman, NJSO guest conductor; and Sr. Francis Raftery, CSE president. (Photo by Kathy Cacicedo)

“With the opening of the Annunciation Center, the frequency and variety of concerts, art exhibitions, literary readings, dance performances, films and plays has accelerated, providing our campus community and the community at large with the opportunity to experience superb contemporary artistic talent in these fields,” said Dr. Butera, who is also director of the CSE Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery and associate professor of art history. “These events reinforce faculty teaching and have so inspired students studying and practicing in these areas that we have seen a jump in the quality of student production and understanding.”

(l – r) Sr. Kathleen Flanagan, director of the Graduate program in Theology at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), and a member of the Advisory Committee of the College’s Center for Catholic Women’s History, welcomes Dr. Margaret McGuinness, chair and professor of Religion at LaSalle University and keynote, to CSE along with Sr. Mary Ellen Gleason, CSE director of Archives and member of the Center’s Advisory Committee; Alan Delozier, executive director of New Jersey Catholic Historical Records Commission at Seton Hall University; and Patricia DEsmond of Assumption School in Morristown. (Photo by Su Mon, ’09) 

Dr. McGuinness spoke to audience members about “A Testimony of Service: Women Religious and the History of the United States,” on October 29, 2008 in Dolan Performance Hall located on campus in Annuncation Center, the College’s Arts and Education building. The evening’s lecture was sponsored by the Center for Catholic Women’s History at CSE.

The Center’s mission is to collect Catholic women’s stories of their experience of being Catholic and the ways they are handing on the faith, and to make those stories available to researchers as a source of studying Catholicism in the United States.

According to Sr. Mary Ellen Gleason, director of the Archives at CSE, this year’s topic was a perfect fit with the work of the Center. “We will have the opportunity to re-imagine the story of women religious and their involvement in education, health care, and social services in the early years of the United States,” she explains.

Dr. McGuinness holds a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a Master of Theological Studies from Boston University, and a M. Phil and Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary.

Her professional experiences include being co-editor of American Catholic Studies; book review editor of Records of the American Catholic Historical Society, and serving as a member of a team documenting the history of American Catholicism and the Holy Land.

She has published extensively including “Urban Settlement Houses and Rural Parishes: The Ministry of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, 1910 – 1986,” that appeared in U.S. Catholic Historian, in addition to “Let Us Go to the Altar: American Catholics and the Eucharist, 1926-1976,” a chapter in Habits of Devotion, edited by Dr. James M. O’Toole.

Established in 2001, the Center for Catholic Women’s History celebrated its seventh anniversary this past spring.