elmsnews

october 2024

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the fall semester. Another month filled with campus-wide events and activities has flown right past us like the leaves falling from the trees!

Meanwhile, as I said to the Board of Trustees a couple of weeks ago, faculty and staff have been pursuing the teaching, learning, and student support that happen in and out of our physical and virtual classrooms with a renewed sense of vigor. Despite all challenges in the environment, you are advancing the mission of the Elms thanks to your commitment and focus.

I want to thank everyone who was able to attend the Oct. 10th Town Hall. For those who were unable to attend, a link to the recording is included further down in this newsletter. The Town Hall provided important updates to the campus community, most specifically the subcommittee co-chairs for the PRISM: Blazing Brighter Together strategic plan providing highlights of the plan’s key priorities.

As previously shared, I am happy to report that the new strategic plan was approved at the October 18th meeting of the Board of Trustees. Once again, I want to thank Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Joyce Hampton, for her leadership of the strategic planning process. Thank you as well to all the co-chairs and subcommittee members for their hard work, collaboration, and participation in producing an inclusive and robust plan that will carry the College through and beyond the next few years. I look forward to the united, cross-campus participation as we move into the implementation phase of the plan

Among additional actions taken by the Board of Trustees, was the approval of the FY26 operating and capital budgets. It was a priority for the Administration to include a salary increase in that budget, despite all the fiscal constraints that we all know. I am pleased that the Board-approved budget includes a 2% salary increase. That, along with the College's ability to provide a one-time 2% bonus for fiscal year 2024, demonstrates my commitment, and that of the leadership team, to doing all that we can to respond to your feedback about compensation at the College. I know that we still have room for improvement. That work will continue.

I cannot repeat often enough that the fiscal discipline that the College has demonstrated over the years is a collective endeavor. I am grateful for the diligence of every budget manager and all employees of the College in ensuring that we remain financially healthy for generations of Blazers to come.

Speaking of prospective Blazers, the Enrollment Management team, Academic Affairs, Athletics, and other campus units have been planning for this coming Saturday's Fall Open House and Athletics Prospect Day. I know that many members of the Elms community will participate in welcoming this group of prospective students and their families to our campus, with our traditional Elms hospitality and warmth. Thank you very much in advance. As I’ve said before, the world needs more Elms College graduates!

And these feelings seem and feel even more magnified as we head into the season of thanks and gratitude. In a few weeks we will be heading home for Thanksgiving break and returning to campus for the annual Marketplace and Christmas Tree lighting, finals week, and the Staff and Faculty Christmas Party and Service Awards. It is a time of the year when it may be a little easier for everyone to express their gratitude, lend a helping hand, and be hopeful for the future. I am grateful to work alongside a community filled with individuals who have this mindset throughout the entire year.

I hope to see and connect with many of you at the various upcoming social and holiday events. Thank you all once again for your continued service and dedication to our students and your support to one another!

With gratitude,

Harry E. Dumay, Ph.D., MBA

President

FUTURE ELMSNEWS

Submission pieces can be shared with the following department contacts:

Academic Affairs - Deb Methe

Admissions - Michelle Proulx

Athletics - Sean Milbier

Finance - Brett Carroll

HR - Cheryl Smith

Marketing - Patrick Johnson

Student Affairs - Anna Stabile

Institutional Advancement - Lynn Korza

The deadline for submissions is the third Friday of each month.

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

November 1 Coffee Q & A-Hosted by Staff Council
November 2 Fall Open House
November 3 Polish Film Festival
November 4 Elms Essentials
November 6 Career Fair
November 7 Poetry Reading
November 12 D'Amour Center Lecture
November 15 Coffee Q & A-Hosted by the Nursing Department
Nov. 27-Dec. 1 Thanksgiving Break

Check the Master Calendar for exact locations of each event.

Please advance to 17 minutes and 45 seconds for the start of the Town Hall.

DAY OF RESPECT: November 18th...More to Come soon...

ATHLETICS

You can find all athletic team schedules at ecblazers.com and stay informed by following our athletic department Instagram @elmsblazers

COUNSELING CENTER

pThank you so much to those who participated in Fresh Check Day 2024!!!! We had a very successful event this year with a total of 147 students. This event would not have been possible without the help of our booth sponsors, donors, and our dedicated volunteers.

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

The annual Memorial Mass for deceased alums and members of the college community will take place on Wednesday, October 30 at 12:15 in St. Joseph Chapel.

CAMPUS MINISTRY

The offices of Campus Ministry and Student Engagement and Leadership collaborated in bringing the Tibetan Monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery to the college for a week-long residency in creating the Compassion Sand Mandala in the Library Well. With an opening and closing ceremony, as well as a community mandala, the Library Well saw a steady stream of Elms students, faculty, and staff, as well as many people beyond the campus community, taking time to visit the college, view the mandala in process, and help to contribute to the community mandala designed by Sav Switzer, ’26. We are grateful for the calming presence the monks brought to Elms College. Check out the gifts they gave to the college that are on display in the Library Well!

On October 15, Campus Ministry assisted in the Student Development Day in speaking about mission trips, community service, and volunteer opportunities for the student body.

Also on October 15, Campus Ministry helped to coordinate the celebration of Founders’ Day, commemorating the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph in LePuy, France in 1650. Several SSJs and Elms community members were present at the special Founders’ Day Mass, concelebrated by Fr. Mark Stelzer, Fr. Warren Savage, and Fr. Jerome Day, OSB. Following Mass, people gathered in the dining center for lunch

The culmination of the Founders’ Day celebration was the launch of Fr. Mark Stelzer’s book, An Uncommon Love: the Life, Legacy, and Lessons of Sisters Mary and Eleanor Dooley. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate these two remarkable women and their contributions to Elms College and the world community. If anyone would like to purchase a book, they are available through Campus Ministry at a cost of $24.95. All proceeds from the sale of the book will assist our students traveling on mission trips in March 2025.

Sponsored by Campus Ministry, Commuter Coffee was held on Thursday, October 17 on the walkway outside the dining center. Students are always grateful for a hot chocolate, cup of coffee, and a donut as they make their way to morning classes!

A retreat was held for students at Prindle Pond in Charlton, MA. Facilitated by Joy Harris, ’24, and Peer Educators, along with assistance from the Offices of Diversity and Inclusion and Campus Ministry, the retreat offered students a chance to take a break from studies, engage in deep conversation about faith and life, and enjoy the beautiful lands of Prindle Pond!

CAMPUS MINISTRY & THE COUNSELING CENTER

The Counseling Center and the Office of Campus Ministry are excited to announce a new event for students: The Merry Markdown Market.

The goal of the Merry Markdown Market is to help relieve some of the financial stress students feel during the holiday season. Buying gifts for loved ones is often a challenge for college students, but collectively, we can help make holiday shopping more accessible.

Our ask? If you have new, unused items at home or in your office with tags still attached, perhaps items you forgot to return or gifts you didn't end up using (including gift cards), consider donating them for merchandise at the Merry Markdown Market. Donations will be used to create a marketplace for students, where all items will cost between $1-5. All proceeds raised will support the Gray House, a Springfield non-profit founded by our very own Sisters of St. Joseph.

Donations will be accepted now through Friday, November 22nd. Please bring all donations to either the Counseling Center or the Office of Campus Ministry. The Merry Markdown Market will take place in the Dining Hall Annex on Wednesday, December 4th from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. This event is for current Elms College students only.

Questions or concerns? Please contact Nicole Fregeau at fregeaun@elms.edu or Nicole Sacco at saccon@elms.edu, or stop by our offices. We appreciate your consideration and support!

St. Augustine CERC Presents the Distinguished Lecture in Ethics

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Ryan Darr, Assistant Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Environment at Yale Divinity School

"Christian Ethics and the Rights of Nature"

Monday, December 9, 2024

4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

Elms College Alumnae Library Theater

Recent decades have witnessed a sharp rise in the idea that more-than-human entities, including animals, rivers, mountains and the planet itself, have moral rights. Some courts and legislatures have granted such entities legal rights. What should Christians make of the idea of more-than-human rights? This talk develops a view of justice inspired by that of Thomas Aquinas to argue that animals do have moral rights and that nonliving ecological entities can, under certain conditions, have them as well. The talk concludes by considering the more complex question of legal rights, arguing that justice requires significant care in developing rights of nature legislation.

Dr. Ryan Darr is Assistant Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Environment at Yale Divinity School. His research interests include environmental ethics, multispecies justice, structural injustice, ethical theory, and the history of religious and philosophical ethics. He is currently writing a book that defends an account of environmental and multispecies justice as a framework for thinking ethically about the crisis of biodiversity loss and mass extinction. He is also developing an ongoing research project exploring the relationship between individual agency and responsibility and structural justice and injustice with a particular focus on environmental and climate issues.

His first book, The Best Effect: Theology and the Origins of Consequentialism, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2023. The book offers a new, robustly theological story of the origin of consequentialism, one of the most influential views in modern moral theory. It uses the new historical account to intervene in contemporary ethical debates about consequentialism and about how ethicists conceive of goods, ends, agency, and causality.

Prior to joining the YDS faculty, Ryan held postdoctoral fellowships at the Princeton University Center for Human Values (2019-22) and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (2022-24).

HUMAN RESOURCES

Elms College Employment Opportunities as of October 22, 2024

Applications are now being accepted for the positions listed below. Anyone interested in making a formal application should go to the Employment page on the Elms College website for a detailed job description and how to apply: www.elms.edu/employment

Open Positions

Accounts Payable Coordinator

Assistant Athletic Trainer

Asst. Clinical Professor – School of Nursing (2)

Director of Public Safety

Public Safety Officers- part-time

Collections Specialist- part-time

Graduate Program Assistant (Educating Character Initiative Grant)

Program Coordinator Center for Equity in Urban Education

Controller

Director of Graduate and Continuing Education

Administrative Coordinator in CEUE

Welcome to new employees:

Brett Carroll – VP Finance and Administration

Katelyn Connors – Communications and Public Relations Mgr.

DeAngela Fobbs – Interim Head Swim Coach

Kyla Miller – Graphic Designer

Bailey Tougas – Coordinator of Enrollment Communications

Amy Alaimo – Program Assistant to the School of Nursing

Renea Fraser – Cheer Coach

Kiley Arsenault – Dance Coach

Best wishes to departing employees:

Lucas Wieland – IT Relationship Mgr., Customer Support Specialist

Among the procedures which may be used to select personnel to fill vacant positions are a review of work experiences, qualifications, degrees/licensures/certifications, and employment interviews. This listing pertains to all current staff and faculty job vacancies at the College.

Elms College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment. It is the policy of Elms College to comply with applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity.

ELMS IN THE NEWS:

September 23, 2024: The Reminder published a story highlighting the partnership between Elms and Square One and signing of the MOU on September 17. The mutually beneficial agreement is effective immediately and will last for three years.

September 30, 2024: wwlp.com aired a story on workforce development in Chicopee and J. Marshall, Director of Career Services, is quoted in the segment.

October 4, 2024: Chicopee Register published a front page story about the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce hosting a workforce development session. J. Marshall, Director of Career Services, is quoted in the article.

October 4, 2024: Chicopee Register published a feature article on the Convocation speaker, Rev. Mariama White-Hammond. Story is on page 2.

October 4, 2024: Chicopee Register published a story on the sand mandala created by the Tibestan Monks. Story is on page 12.

October 5, 2024: wwlp.com aired a story that Elms will be providing an update on the "Building Bridges" comprehensive campaign that evening.

October 10, 2024: masslive.com published the details related to the book launch of "An Uncommon Love: The Life, Legacy, and Lessons of Sisters Mary and Eleanor Dooley" on October 15. The book was edited by Fr. Mark Stelzer.

October 11, 2024: BusinessWest Daily News blog published the press release announcing Brett Carroll as the college's new VP of Finance and Administration.

October 11, 2024: Chicopee Register published an article that the college's comprehensive campaign has exceeded its goal. Story is on page 2.

October 12, 2024: iObserve.org published an article that announces Elms has surpassed its capital campaign goal.

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