Monday Morning Update

March 14, 2011

Survivor's Story: Slovakian schoolboy Tomi Reichental was nine when the Gestapo shipped him to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Unlike many members of his family, he survived the Holocaust and eventually settled in Ireland. Breaking nearly six decades of silence, Tomi has embarked on a mission of remembrance, speaking to Irish school children and civic groups about respecting difference and rejecting discrimination. His story is captured in Till the Tenth Generation, a new documentary produced by Emmy-award winning Irish director Gerry Gregg. Both Reichental and Gregg will be in Martin Institute on Monday, March 28 at 7 p.m. to screen the documentary and to discuss the importance of remembrance. For more on this free, public presentation, visit here.

Encore Careers: There were 1,000 ideas in the contest, 25 finalists and five winners, including Janine (Bourassa) Vandenburg '75. The Denver consultant won with a proposal to create a program for training retired corporate sales executives on how to become nonprofit fundraisers. She is now creating a three-day program to bridge the gap between the boomer retirees and nonprofits that need fundraisers. Over 30,000 people voted in the Launch Pad contest with alumni votes pushing her to the top. For more on Vandenburg and her ideas for improving her community, visit here.

Irish Note: With St. Patrick's Day on the horizon, we turned to Irish Studies scholar Richard Finnegan '64 for cultural insight on the country, which he says "is a northern European country with a Mediterranean sensibility. Conversation, exaggeration, stories, music, sociability, sparkling wit and charm abound while the reserve associated with Northern Europeans is absent. That characteristic and because the Irish speak English are reasons why tourists love Ireland." The first Stonehill professor to hold a Fulbright Distinguished Chair, Finnegan is discharging his Fulbright responsibilities at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic this semester.

H.O.P.E. Spring Break: This week a total of 204 students and College staff are spending their spring break at various sites throughout the globe as part of Campus Ministry's alternative spring break program. This year's sites include Coachella Valley, California; La Romana, Dominican Republic; Guaiacum, Honduras; New Orleans; Chacraseca, Nicaragua; Bronx, New York; Peru; Tennessee; Lantz Farm in West Virginia; Wheeling, West Virginia; and Camden, New Jersey.

National Spotlight: Over the weekend, All-American Corey Thomas '13 captured the first national championship in program history for the indoor track & field team with a victory in the high jump at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. In addition, the men's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II East Regional on Saturday with a victory over Adelphi in the first round of the tournament. The Skyhawks ended their run last evening with a loss to Bloomfield. The senior class leaves as the winningest in school history with a record of 85-36. For recaps from the weekend, visit www.stonehillskyhawks.com.

Contact

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