Monday Morning Update

September 08, 2008

World-Class Author: On Friday at 4 p.m., Greg Mortenson, bestselling author of Three Cups of Tea, will tell a packed Sports Complex how he built schools in remote Pakistan and Afghanistan. Writing about the event, the New Bedford Standard Times noted that Stonehill "continues its winning streak of bringing a world-class author to campus for a deep discussion about culture and world politics." For more on the event & Mortenson's book, which first-years read this summer, visit here.

Science Center Gift: The College has received $150,000 from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to name the William Randolph Hearst Research Laboratory and Classroom in the new Science Center. Since 1999, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation has awarded 18 scholarships to Stonehill students. The Foundation's appreciation for how the Science Center will impact our students prompted it to support the new building with this generous gift. For more, visit here.

Educational Collaboration: Starting this fall, a Stonehill-Simmons partnership is offering graduate degree opportunities to our students, employees and local residents. Specifically, there is facilitated admission for qualified Stonehill seniors and 2008 alumni into several of Simmons' graduate programs. In addition, two masters programs will be taught by Simmons faculty at Stonehill during the evening and on weekends. For more on these options, visit here.

Drinking Age: In a recent media interview, President Mark Cregan, C.S.C. '78 said that Stonehill has declined to join with 100 other college leaders who have launched a nationwide campaign, the Amethyst Initiative, to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. Fr. Cregan called for a full discussion of drinking issues, but argued that the broader challenges of binge drinking will not be solved by lowering the drinking age. For more, visit here.

Faculty Scholarship: Reporter Lauren Daley '05 recently talked to History Professor Rev. Kevin Spicer, C.S.C. '87 about the research that went into his new book on Catholic priests who supported Adolf Hitler. To read Daley's full interview, visit here.

Student Research: As a SURE student, Sara Vicenzi '10 spent the summer collaborating with Political Science Professor Richard Finnegan '64 on research into Ireland's changing relationship with the European Union. After Irish voters threw Europe into disarray in June by rejecting the Lisbon Treaty for closer integration, the International Studies major from Maine turned her expertise on European politics into an insightful op ed article for the Boston Irish Reporter. To read Vicenzi's article, Ireland's Options after the Lisbon Vote, visit here.