Campus Currents

Framingham State will officially unveil the new Ram Sculpture located in Crocker Grove during a ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m.

The beautiful bronze sculpture weighs more than 400 pounds and was created by artist Chris Williams. It is the brainchild of alumna Nancy '69 and Janina '67 Swiacki, who are longtime supporters of the University and of public art. All money for the project was donated to the University, led by the Swiacki sisters and Trustee Robert Richards, Jr. '82. Other supporters include Robert and Natalie Culgin and The Pro Group.

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and in response to the senseless violence that occurred throughout the country and the world during the summer, Framingham State University is holding a special Week of Peace from September 10th through September 17th. Events include:

-Participation in the Worcester Pride Parade on Saturday, Sept. 10th. Sponsored by Pride Alliance.

-All of the names of the victims on 9/11 will be read in Memorial Grove on Sept. 11.

-A silent march will take place on campus on Sept. 14, with signs in the ground that display facts on recent tragic events.

-A discussion in the Center for Inclusive Excellence will be followed by a trip to Ashland to visit a Hindu Temple on Sept. 15.

For more information on the Week of Peace, contact the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement.

Framingham State University is pleased to announce its 2016-17 Arts & Ideas Program, which kicks off later this month.

Highlights this year include a standup performance by popular actor and comedian Jimmy Tingle and a lecture by journalist Jeanne Maria Laskas, who wrote the GQ article that served as the inspiration for the movie Concussion.

Both are part of this year’s “Change the Conversation, Change the World” series, which examines different ways that groups and individuals can inaugurate change. Other speakers include award-winning poet and former prisoner Reginald Dwayne Betts, who will give a lecture entitled “The Circumference of a Prison: Youth, Race, and the Failures of the American Justice System.”

The series will kick-off on September 28th with a lecture from Dr. Tressie McMillian Cottom, professor of Sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the author of Lower Ed: How For-Profit Colleges Deepen Inequality in America.
 
This year’s President’s Distinguished Lecture Series features four events around the theme of “Communities and Change.” Speakers include award-winning author N.D.B. Connolly, who will give a lecture entitled “The Caribbean History of an American City: Greater Miami and the History of the Rest of Us.” Author Frances Moore Lappe will also give a lecture entitled “Food, Demoncracy and Justice – Why What We Eat Matters,” which will detail the vast waste and injustice in our food system.  

Other series in the program include the Midday Performance Series; Mazmanian Gallery exhibits; the Lifelong Learning Series; the Authors and Artists Series and the lineup of CELTSS Events. 

Nearly every event in the Arts & Ideas program is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.framingham.edu/artsandideas.

The Framingham State University Board of Trustees invites you to attend the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for West Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 4:30 p.m.

The University's newest residence hall has 316 beds and features several energy efficiency measures, including vacancy sensors that turn off lights automatically and bedroom windows with interlocks that turn off the heat to the room when the window is opened. Residential floors are divided into two neighborhoods linked to a lounge on each floor.  The top floors of the building offer beautiful views of campus. A media lounge with a projector is located on the sixth floor and is perfect for large groups to watch movies and sporting events.

RSVP to Katie Restuccia at 508-626-4575 or krestuccia@framingham.edu.

As we get ready to begin a new year, we have some exciting updates to share with you from the Office of International Education!

1. Our annual Study Abroad Fair is Thursday, Sept. 8 from 11-2PM in the Forum.  Please share this information with your students and encourage them to stop in during the fair.  It is especially important to let our 1^st year students know about the fair, so your help is most appreciated.

2. The office has a new home to start the year!  Dwight 302 (where the Education Office was located) is where you’ll find us.  Stop in and say “Hi”!

3. I’m  excited to introduce the new Assistant Director in the office, Jennifer Hyde!  Jennifer is a FSU alum who has worked in the office for 2 years as a contractor.  She studied abroad in Prague, and taught English for a year in Thailand.  She is a passionate advocate of study abroad and is excited to begin working with faculty to encourage more students to consider an international study experience.  You may contact her directly at jhyde@framingham.edu if you would like to get in touch.

Please stop by and check out our new offices and meet Jen:  we’ll be in Dwight starting Monday, August 29!

Come enjoy free food, fun and giveaways at FSU Health Day: Wednesday, September 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Crocker Grove and the McCarthy Center Forum. Rain location is the New Gym and McCarthy Center Forum. Questions? Contact the Counseling Center at 508-626-4640 or SGA at 508-626-4607.

Kim Cochrane and Anne Lutz were honored with Course of Distinction Awards (COD) for their online and blended learning courses at the Massachusetts Colleges Online annual conference on June 2nd.

Cochrane was recognized for her course Adult Learning and Development and Lutz was honored for a course called Solution-Focused Fundamentals and Practice.

Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) created the Courses of Distinction Awards to recognize faculty whose course designs best exemplifies online education’s potential to enhance teaching and learning. In addition to honoring faculty for their efforts, the COD Awards and the faculty showcases of the COD courses have become an important focus of the MCO annual Sharing Best Practices in e-Learning Conference.

For more information on the awards, visit CODAward Showcase site and/or the MCO Conference site.

-Bartholomew Brinkman delivered lectures on the poet Marianne Moore for a Modern American Poetry MOOC.   They can be accessed here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/modern-american-poetry/.  
 
-Dr. Alexander Hartwiger’s Ultimate Frisbee team has earned a gold medal in international competition! Team USA Men’s Masters captured the gold medal at the World Ultimate and Guts 2016 World Championship in London on June 24.  They beat Canada in the finals 15 – 11.

-Dr. Beth Bennett of the English Department has been elected Vice President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Fulbright Association.

-Dr. Erastus Ndinguri had his manuscript (Exploring How Women Entrepreneurs Use Technology for Idea Generation) published in the International Journal of E-Entrepreneurship and Innovation.