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september 2024
september 2024
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues,
I returned from Haiti late last night, having attended the graduation ceremony of the fourth cohort of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Program! For those unfamiliar, the program, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a collaboration between the Schools of Nursing at Elms College and the Episcopal University of Haiti that provides continuing education online courses for Haitian nursing faculty. While I was there in person, Dean Julie Beck, Associate Dean Deana Nunes, Professor Anne-Marie Albano, and Professor Anne Mistivar delivered remarks and presented awards to students remotely. I want to thank Dr. Julie Beck, Dr. Deana Nunes, Dr. Anne-Marie Albano, Dr. Anne Mistivar, Maryann Matrow, and the entire School of Nursing for their dedication and tenacity in ensuring this program continues to be a success. This is Elms College at our best, reaching out to the dear neighbor and building bridges to countless other lives.
The 2024-2025 academic year is at full speed ahead! The quiet of the summer months seems like eons ago as the campus is vibrant, filled with students, faculty, staff, and a bustling of activities. Thank you once again to Student Affairs and Academic Affairs in leading and executing all these events to welcome students back, ensuring that, both new and returning students, feel that warm Blazer welcome!
I know that the campus is probably tired of hearing from me as you have received several communications from me over the past couple of weeks. I will therefore keep the remainder of my message brief!
I do want to take this opportunity to welcome Brett Carroll to the Elms College family as he begins today as the new Vice President of Finance and Administration. As previously shared, there will be a few weeks of overlap between Brett Carroll and Dr. Bryant Morgan as Bryant concludes his interim position to allow for a smooth handoff of responsibilities. This overlaps is also helpful, given the vacancy in the Controller's position: Bryant will lead the activities in the Business Office for the next few weeks. I am confident that Brett’s experience and expertise will be a great addition to the College. Please join me in thanking Bryant for his service to the College over the last several months. I also want to thank the campus community for your patience as the Business Office wades through some critical personnel transitions. Change is always challenging, but with a unified and empathetic approach, we will persevere to the other side of these obstacles.
In closing, I look forward to our Town Hall taking place on October 10 when Cabinet members will share significant updates including the progress of the Building Bridges Campaign as well as the new PRISM Strategic Plan. I would like to recognize Vice President Bernadette Nowakowski and the Advancement team for their tremendous work on the campaign. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Joyce Hampton and the strategic planning subcommittees for their tireless work in finalizing the plan and setting key priorities for the next three years.
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 - Nicki Goncalves
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
September 30-October 4 Sand Mandala Painting
September 30 Innovation Challenge
October 4 Coffee Q & A
October 5 President's Evening of Appreciation
October 7 Latino Ministry
October 9 Mary Dooley Lecture
October 10 Staff Town Hall
October 14 Latino Ministry
October 15 Founders Day
October 16 Fresh Check Day
October 18 Board of Trustees Meeting
October 21 Latino Ministry
October 23 Innovation Challenge
October 25 Business Club Cornhole
Check the Master Calendar for exact locations of each event.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Elms College and Square One Expand Education Partnership
On September 17, Square One President and CEO Dawn DiStefano and President Harry Dumay signed a Memo of Understanding in which Elms early education students will gain valuable fieldwork experience, while Square One employees will have access to courses and professional development offerings at the Elms.
Janet Williams, Professor of Biology, to be Honored as One of BusinessWest's 2024 Healthcare Heroes
“During her tenure at Elms College, Janet has embodied the health-sciences program at Elms,” said Julie Beck, dean of the School of Nursing. “She teaches biology, which extends itself to other health-related fields, such as pre-med, physician assistant, pre-PT/OT, and pre-chiropractic studies. Janet is innovative, always reaching out to our local healthcare industries to see how Elms can better serve the community.”
As a professor with impact — three decades worth — Williams certainly merits being chosen as this year’s Healthcare Hero in the category of Education. Read the full article on BusinessWest.
Elms Welcome 2024-2025, Fulbright Édith de Faoite
Modern Irish scholar Édith de Faoite has received a prestigious Fulbright Award for 2024-2025 to study and work in the U.S. In September 2024, Édith joined the College, to teach Irish, research, study, and collaborate with experts.
First Year Seminar Fall Happenings!
Book Launch of An Uncommon Love - The Life, Legacy, and Lessons of Sisters Mary and Eleanor Dooley
Please save the date of Tuesday, October 15 for the celebration of Founders' Day, and the book launch of An Uncommon Love--The Life, Legacy, and Lessons of Sisters Mary and Eleanor Dooley.
Each year on October 15, Founders' Day celebrates the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1650 in LePuy, France. On this date, we honor the first six sisters and Fr. Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ, who founded a community in LePuy, France, giving way to the formation of congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph around the world.
Fr. Mark Stelzer has edited a book honoring the legacy of Sr. Mary Dooley and Sr. Eleanor Dooley. Contributors to the book include Dr. Peter DePergola, Dr. Michael McGravey, Tony Fonseca, Debbie Gomes, Fr. Mark Stelzer, and others well-known in the Elms community.
Sister Mary Dooley, the sixth president of Elms College, and Sister Eleanor Dooley, a longtime professor at Elms, served the college for many years and left an imprint on countless alums, Elms College faculty and staff, and friends all over the world.
Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Compassionate Hearts Fund, which subsidizes college service learning trips during the semester break.
ATHLETICS
Fall sports are off to a great start:
Rob Southall has been named the department's next Athletic Director.
Women's Soccer is 4-3 overall and 4-1 in conference, the Blazers currently on a four game winning streak. Junior nursing major Jamie McDonough (Dedham, MA) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference player of the week.
Men's Soccer is currently 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play and won their last two games.
Field Hockey is enjoying its biggest roster in the last seven years and looks to keep building.
Men's and Women's Cross Country has competed in two events including the Blazer Invitational.
Women's Volleyball named Brandon Hapgood as its new head coach.
Men's Golf has competed in two tournaments, the Blazers finished second at their Trial-Match with Albertus Magnus and Purchase.
Women's Lacrosse named Patricia Pehnke as its new head coach.
Nick Critz has been named as head athletic trainer.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
please join us as we celebrate Elms College 2024 Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month (Sep 15-Oct 15). Looking forward to seeing students, new and old, as well as faculty and staff!
LACTATION ROOMS & PROCEDURES
Dear Elms Community,
Elms College has designated lactation room(s) on the Chicopee campus for students, faculty, and staff.
A space is available in the Wellness Center, located at 15 Gaylord Street (brick building behind the Mary Dooley College Center). The Wellness Center is open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm but is available after hours and during the holiday breaks and summer months, please contact for operating hours. You may call the Health Center at 413-265-2288 to arrange use of the space in advance. If the times needed are after hours, the Health Center Director will notify Public Safety, who will arrange to unlock the office at the time needed and ensure the office is locked after use of the room.
We are also pleased to share an additional new space that is now available. A designated lactation room is located in the lower level of the Alumni Library on the Chicopee campus (pictured below). The key is accessible at the circulation desk. Library hours can be found here: https://www.elms.edu/library/ . The room is located in the lower level, off the library well, to the right of the entrance to the library theater. The space contains a small refrigerator for storage.
Thank you to the Alumni Library, Tony Fonseca and Deb Gomes and Jeff Dupaul and his team for partnering with us to get the room completed!
Elms College is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals enjoy freedom from discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sex, as mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Sex discrimination, which can include discrimination based on pregnancy and lactation, is prohibited and illegal in admissions, educational programs and activities, hiring, leave policies, and health insurance coverage. Additional information can be found here: Elms College Title IX Policy.
If you have questions about the spaces or have a specific need please contact the Title IX Coordinator, Cheryl Smith at smithc911@elms.edu or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for students, Dean of Students, Teresa Winters, winterst@elms.edu, 413-265-2210.
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
From August 26-30, twenty-one Elms College students and leaders participated in the FYE-First Year Encounter Program. With a theme of "Community and Solidarity in the spirit of Dorothy Day," twenty-two first year students and leaders spent the week meeting the "dear neighbor" in the local community, and creating spaces of welcome and hospitality in partner agencies. We were blessed to partner with Homework House, Gray House, Chicopee Cupboard, Friends of the Homeless, Nordica St. Community Garden and Harmony House.
The students spent time organizing donations, serving food, gardening, light landscaping, visiting guests at the sites, and preparing classrooms. Students also participated in evening activities, including bowling at Shaker Bowl, a campus scavenger hunt, and a boat ride on the Connecticut River. At the conclusion of each day, the student group participated in nightly reflection. Campus Ministry and the local service sites are very grateful and proud of the hard work our FYE students did in our community, and the opportunity to help them acclimate to a new academic year at Elms!
On Sunday, September 1, Campus Ministry hosted a Welcome Blessing Prayer Service for new students and their families. Student leaders led the blessing prayer service which included the gift of prayer beads, a core values candle, and a special welcome to the students and family members in attendance from President Dr. Dumay.
The annual Blessing of the Athletes and Distribution of Blazer Medals on September 4 saw over 200 student athletes in attendance on the soccer field to receive a special Blazer medal, along with prayers for a safe and healthy year with their respective athletic teams.
As part of Elms Essentials on Tuesday, September 3, Campus Ministry distributed St. Joseph medals to each First Year Student as a reminder to be “reflective, creative, and principled learners.”
Elms Night also took place on September 3, and was followed by an ice cream social on the quad, sponsored by Campus Ministry.
As part of Commuter Appreciation Week, Campus Ministry blessed the cars in the Commuter Lot on Monday, September 16, and distributed medals and a prayer card to our student commuters for safe travels throughout the year.
On Friday, September 20, we celebrated International Day of Peace with a tabling event for the campus community that included Peace Pops, peace doves, stickers, and the opportunity to sign the Peace Pledge with a commitment to seeking peace in all that we do.
CAMPUS MINISTRY & THE COUNSELING CENTER
It's Christmas in August!
We know, we know. It's a bit early to start thinking about the holidays. Hear us out! 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
Monday, December 9, 2024
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 September 20, 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
Coordinator of Enrollment Communications
Administrative Coordinator in CEUE
Assistant Athletic Trainer (2)
Program Assistant Nursing Graduate Program
ESL/ELL Adjunct Coordinator
Asst. Clinical Professor – School of Nursing (2)
FNP – 6.0 hr. – School of Nursing
Welcome to new employees:
Wendy McAnanama - HR Generalist
Casondra May – Student Accounts Representative
Patricia Pehnke – Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach
Nicholas Critz – Director of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer
Thomas Osborne – Director of SASS (Student Accommodations & Support Services)
Chelsea Blair – Annual Fund Specialist-Advancement Division
Ryan Erickson – Instructional Designer
Best wishes to departing employees:
Nicole Orluk-Goncalves – Controller
Katherine Forgue – Admissions Administrative Assistant
Emily Cabrera – School of Nursing
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:
August 19, 2024: BusinessWest published a news brief that Elms received two grants totaling over $567K in their digital and print editions.
September 1, 2024: wwlp.com aired a story regarding students moving in. Dr. Dumay and a nursing student are quoted in the piece.
September 6, 2024: The Chicopee Register published a front page story regarding students moving in. Dr. Dumay and three students are quoted throughout the article.
September 11, 2024: Spectrum News One, the news channel for Spectrum Cable with a bureau in Chicopee, aired a story on fire safety on college campuses and Elms is mentioned throughout the segment.
September 12, 2024: BusinessWest published a blog post on their website featuring a profile of Prof. Janet Williams, who was named a Healthcare Hero by the business journal.
September 13, 2024: BusinessWest Daily News Blog published the press release announcing that Elms appointed two new members to the Board of Trustees.
September 16, 2024: BusinessWest published an article in their digital and print editions that featured a profile of Prof. Janet Williams, who was named a Healthcare Hero by the business journal.
September 17, 2024: wwlp.com aired a story highlighting the partnership between Elms and Square One. The mutually beneficial agreement is effective immediately and will last for three years.
September 20, 2024: Chicopee Register published a front page story featuring the partnership between Elms and Square One. The mutually beneficial agreement is effective immediately and will last for three years.
Fall 2024: The Catholic Mirror, the quarterly magazine of the Diocese of Springfield, published a story on page 6 announcing Joyce Hampton as the new Vice President of Academic Affairs.
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