Rollins Retirement
Excerpts follow from a speech by recently retired Dr. Wayne Rollins, professor emeritus of Theology. If you wish to have the full text, please call the Assumption College Magazine editor at (508) 767-7331, or e-mail her for an attachment at acmag@assumption.edu.
"I have taught at a number of institutions, ranging from
Princeton and Wellesley, to the Greater Hartford Community College.
At Assumption I have found a greater sense of collegiality than
at any other institution, a fact I frequently mention to friends.
We have a way of pulling together, of 'looking out for the other
guy,' and I'd like to think the word 'family' might be revived
as an accurate way of thinking about ourselves at Assumption.
"I want to thank my students. I have seldom walked into
the classroom or read a student paper without realizing our privileged
position as educators, educating and being educated.
"I would like to thank the Assumptionist fathers and brothers,
whose forebears brought this College into being, and the R.A.s,
the Religious of the Assumption, a community historically related
to the Assumptionists, who are with us on campus, happily in increasing
numbers. It has long been my conviction that the Assumptionist
spirit is the defining element in this College. And part of that
vision is ecumenism.
"The Assumptionist motto consists of three Latin words:
Adveniat Regnum Tuum- 'Your Kingdom Come.' I think all of us,
irrespective of our academic specialties or religious affiliations,
join in the work of that motto here at Assumption."
Honors Program
Assumption College wants its students to take honors courses.
As the first step toward that goal, an honors program was initiated
in the fall of 1998.
In a memo to the faculty, Dean Dorothy Laton and Dr. John McClymer
state: "In a perfect world, all of our students would take
at least some honors courses. In the not-quite-perfect world we
actually inhabit, our goal is that, within three or four years,
most students will routinely consider taking honors courses."
The exciting part of the honors program is that there are no
academic requirements. In their memo, Dean Laton and Dr. McClymer
stress: "We do not want a college honors program for a small
elite, taking specially created courses, taught by a handful of
faculty, cordoned off from the rest of the campus. We do want
departmental honors programs that reflect the range of interests
and abilities of our students and ourselves."
The spring honors courses are:
Introduction to the Study of Art
Concepts in Biology Lab
Organic Chemistry Lab
English Composition
History of Western Civilization II
France, 15601789-France Under
the Absolute Monarchy
Immigration and American History,
1815 to the Present
Elementary Calculus II
Introduction to Philosophy
Selected Topics in Sociology
Introduction to Literature-
Spanish Language
The Bible
Research on Alternative Energy for Transportation
by Dr. Brian Niece
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
As the energy needs of our society continue to expand, and
concerns over fossil fuel depletion and greenhouse gas production
grow, chemical systems are becoming increasingly interesting as
possible alternative energy sources. Electric vehicles, in particular,
offer the possibility of improved energy efficiency and lower
pollution than is possible with the internal combustion engine.
Widespread acceptance of electric vehicles will require energy
sources with higher capacity and power output than are currently
available. Storage batteries and fuel cells are two possible sources
of such electrical energy.
This research involves the study of new battery and fuel cell
electrode materials with high capacity for electrical storage
and efficiency for energy release. The long-range goal of the
work is to identify promising materials and to study the mechanism
of their activity, so that the knowledge can be extended to other
systems. Initial experiments will focus on embedding clusters
of tungsten and oxygen in electrically conducting polymers. These
clusters, known as polyoxometalates, are relatively inexpensive,
and have promising electrical character-istics. In particular,
they conduct electricity and can absorb large amounts of charge.
Honors Dinner
At the end of the fall semester, all the disciplines that offered
honors courses came together to plan an honors dinner. The faculty
wanted the activity to be both social and cerebral, so they decided
to construct a murder mystery, the solution of which would require
knowledge (or analytical and interpretive skills) learned in all
six disciplines. The construction of the murder plot was a completely
cooperative effort; at the same time, each discipline made specific
contributions to the development of the plot.
At the dinner, each table had a team of twelve students comprised
of two representatives from each discipline. The students solved
the murder mystery, using the creative abilities and skills they
had learned in their honors courses.
If the fall semester and the honors dinner are any indication,
the honors program is destined for great success!
· Assumption's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Zeta, recently had its first initiation in three years-only the second in the school's history. Twenty-two members were inducted, including six officers. Original works were read by students Abbey Dick '99 and Kimberly Baron '00, and Dr. David Thoreen, assistant professor of English, read an original nonfiction essay.
· The Foreign Languages Department has received a state DOE grant through their Goals 2000 program for Professional Development in World Languages. Assumption is collaborating with the foreign language teachers of the Worcester County League, for whom we will be offering "Three Institutes in World Languages: Creating Content-Rich Spanish Classrooms, Creating Content-Rich French Classrooms, and (Re)Develop-ment of the World Language Curriculum to Align with the new World Language Frameworks."
· "Computers in Society," a group at the Living/Learning Center, recently held an informational session on Y2K-what Y2K is, how it started, why it was not fixed, and what effects it might have. Some areas of potential impact include airline travel, banking, government organizations, and utilities, such as electric companies. The group distinguished facts from myths and outlined steps to prepare for potential disaster.
· Seventeen Continuing Education students were inducted into the Delta Theta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for adult students. Dr. Louise Carroll Keely, assistant professor of Philosophy, was the speaker. Congratulations to the CE students!
· Assumption's "Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music!" The Chorale recently participated in a Collegiate Choral Festival, at Regis College, with about 200 other singers from six other regional colleges, including Providence College, Tufts University, Regis College, Smith College, Bridgewater State College, and Brandeis University. The entire ensemble was conducted by Dr. Graveline. Dr. Frank Corbin served as an accompanist at the festival.
New 50% Tuition Discount for College Alumni and Spouses
The Center for Continuing and Professional Education is pleased
to announce a 50% standby discount for Assumption alumni (holders
of bachelor and graduate degrees) and their spouses. This offer
is for Continuing Education credit-bearing courses on a space-available
basis. This new offer begins in the summer of 1999. Take a course
or two, or work towards a certificate program through the Center.
Call for the 1999-2000 catalog to review our wide variety of courses.
Eligible alumni and their spouses should fill out the mail-in registration form in the Continuing Education catalog or call to register by phone at (508) 767-7364. Names will be placed on a waiting list for the course(s) and if seats are available at the end of the registration period, individuals will be contacted for payment at the discounted rate.
Log On and Learn
We are people of the world-the World Wide Web! Assumption's
Dr. John McClymer, professor of History, and select teachers from
regional schools, are leading the way in Web curriculum design
as a result of "The Women's History Workshop." The workshop
has been a collaborative effort of select Massachusetts teachers
(middle school through college), Assumption College, the American
Antiquarian Society (AAS), The Alliance for Education, and the
Worcester Women's History Project (WWHP). Initial funding came
from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The workshop's
goal is to make available primary sources in pedagogically imaginative
formats for teachers who wish to use such materials in their own
classrooms.
As a result of this extensive workshop, a Web site titled the
"U.S. Women's History Project" (http://www.assumption.edu/whw/)
provides a curriculum that can be used by any teacher, nationwide.
The topic is "Integrating Issues of Gender: A Suggestion
with Illustrations." Materials have been pulled together
in curricular units with suggestions for the classroom teacher.
Some of the lessons can be completed in a single class; others
are appropriate for term projects. Some can be used in the middle
grades; others will challenge advanced placement students. All
the lessons are document-based.
The idea is to enable teachers to custom design their own lessons
and assignments. All of the materials on this site deal with ways
in which Americans in the mid-1800s attempted to understand gender.
The question of gender arose most explicitly in the period's
women's rights movement, and the responses it evoked also influenced,
and helped shape the entire culture. Its imprint is in the jokes,
the songs, the primers used by small children learning to read,
the sermons, the political harangues, the fiction, and the poetry
of the period. The students and teachers now can have direct access
to (one-of-a-kind) materials, once only available by visiting
the American Antiquarian Society.
This project reflects a confluence of interests among its cooperating
institutions. The WWHP, a grass-roots organization created to
highlight the importance of the first national women's rights
convention held in Worcester in 1850, seeks to share information
about the convention with the widest audience, particularly with
teachers at all grade levels. The American Antiquarian Society
wants to continue its policy of making its unique resources available
to scholars, teachers, and students while protecting the physical
integrity of the materials. AAS is very interested in exploring
the placement of portions of its collections online. Assumption
College's goal is both to encourage women's studies and to strengthen
its own programs. The College also seeks to explore the educational
implications of using hypermedia, such as the World Wide Web,
in the classroom. The Alliance for Education shares this interest,
seeking ways the Internet and other new technologies will affect
teaching. In addition, it has for several years sought to broaden
its programs concerned with teaching humanities in primary, middle,
and high schools.
Dr. McClymer put these materials online. In this task Sabrina
Zadrozny '01, a History and English major, provided invaluable
help. She not only undertook most of the scanning of materials
and transcription of participants' notes, she helped design the
overall site. With the assistance of a grant from the College's
Student Government Assoc-iation, she spent the summer of 1998
doing research at the Anti-quarian Society, some of the fruits
of which are available at the Electronic Classrooms unit on Advice
Literature. With the support of NEH funds, she resumed her work
over the semester break.
Check out these Exciting New Assumption
Web sites!
· Renaissance 2000
http://www.assumption.edu/about/renaissance.html
· The Worcester Women's History Project
http://www.assumption.edu/acad/ii/Academic/history/WWHP/front.html
· Faculty Achievements
http://www.assumption.edu/acad/FacActivity.html
· People, Places, and Opportunities
http://www.assumption.edu/about/ppo/default.html
· The Living/Learning Center
http://www.assumption.edu/about/ppo/llchome.html
· Interdisciplinary Environmental Conference
http://www.assumption.edu/HTML/Faculty/Kantar/iea/IICEcall.html
· Camps for Kids
http://www.assumption.edu/HTML/Plourde/camp.htm
· The Natural Sciences Department
http://www.assumption.edu/HTML/Academic/NatSci/natsci.html
What Is the Meaning of Life?
What is meaningful in our lives? Love? Values? Respect and compassion
for others? Using our mind, body, and spirit to serve others?
Learning through doing? What activities enable Assumption students
to Learn. Achieve. Contribute. as well as benefit the Greater
Worcester community? The answers to these questions are not as
complex as you might think. You
can see them naturally reflected in the enhanced awareness of
Reach Out Center volunteers' lives while they are here AND after
they graduate. Each volunteer experience empowers our students
to pause and reflect on their own lives and what kind of person
they want to be, no matter what career path they choose as a result
of their academic experience. This program offers students opportunities
to gain valuable insight on their values, to build important leadership
skills, to make a difference in others' lives, and to become aware
of their responsibility to serve the broader community.
The Reach Out Center began as the result of a grant eight years
ago, with the expectation of building up to 150 students' involvement
a year. The center currently involves more than 500 students a
year in more than 60 schools and human service agencies in the
area.
Wendy O'Leary has been the coordinator of the volunteer program
from the beginning. The first day on the job, she had only a table,
chair, and telephone. Imagine her shock when, that very day, students
came to her office "in hoards" to sign up! That says
something about the nature of the studentswe attract. Today, students
manage the office and the projects. Volunteers donate an average
of about two hours a week volunteering for one-on-one support
projects, and team and group projects. New long-term model projects
that support carefully researched needs of children are de-signed,
led, and evaluated by students.
Wendy is leaving Assumption at the end of the academic year to
pursue new community service opportunities, and spend more time
with her two children. "This is just the beginning. The program's
goal was to get the students involved," Wendy says, "and
clearly, that has happened, but the by-product that has emerged
is that we have really helped develop each volunteer's character
and a sense of responsibility well beyond their peers' normal
experience. We do not attract just the students who are preparing
for careers in the helping professions, either. The opportunities
we provide empower everyone who takes that first step, asking
to help. The student staff finds where each person or group can
best serve, and as it turns out, the students are actually the
primary recipients. Their investment of time and talent, of love
and constancy somehow balances out their lives, and teaches them
that connecting with all kinds of people with all kinds of needs
is going to be important throughout their lives. They realize
that 'This is the kind of person I want to be.' "
Wendy, thank you for your biggest contribution: being a role
model of that "person we all want to be"-for being an
example of a true leader who measures her accomplishments in empowering
others.
"I originally volunteered as a way of getting involved
at school, but it quickly became much more. Through my work at
the Reach Out Center I was empowered. I learned a lot about myself
and what I was capable of accomplishing. I saw the importance
of being an active part of the commun-ity. It became a way of
life. Even now, when I don't volunteer, I feel something is missing
in my life."
Jennifer (Fitzpatrick) Mitchell '93 G'96
"Volunteering at the Reach Out Center enriched my college
experience. In helping the Worcester community, I shaped my values
and characteristics, which has helped me succeed in my career
and life after Assumption. Working with Wendy and the Reach Out
Center was a pleasure, and I will always be grateful for the experience."
Megan Nickerson '96
"My experience with the Reach Out Center has provided me with the courage, self-confidence, and strength to
conquer any difficult task and strive to achieve life-long
goals.
"The Reach Out Center is an environment full of love and
compassion for the citizens of our community. Wendy O'Leary has
built the program out of unconditional love for the community
and the students at Assumption College.
"The Reach Out Center provides Assumption students with the knowledge and understanding of what really does happen outside the nurturing gates of the College. It educates students about different cultures, different lifestyles, and perceptions of the world."
Joshua Mendel '98, Resident Director
United Way Honors Students
The following students were recently honored this spring as Community Heroes by the United Way of Central Massachusetts:
Lauren Staffieri '00-Lauren is a volunteer and coordinator at Mill Swan School working in the Special Friends Program. Last year, she also volunteered at the ALL School and assisted in the Worcester Public Schools Special Arts Program and the College Cleanup. Lauren is currently a service director at the Reach Out Center, overseeing five additional service projects.
Ray Kane '99-Ray has been involved in a variety of service projects, including Little Buddies, College Cleanup, and Kids Fair. Most notable is his involvement in the Friendly House Shelter Project, where he volunteers and coordinates activities for children living in the shelter. Ray also is a service director at the Reach Out Center and oversees six additional projects working with children in the city.
Joy Sampson '01-Joy's involvement has ranged from volunteer work at several local shelters to a stuffed animal drive for local shelters and hospitals and the College Cleanup. Joy is currently involved in a mentor program with middle school children identified by the courts as needing positive role models. She also coordinates and volunteers at a teen parent program and serves as a Reach Out Center service director.
Kristin Rillovick '01-Kristin has volunteered for several school
projects, including Sullivan Middle School theater, Granite Street
School "Wacky Wild World of Won-der," and child care
at the Tatnuck Parents' Association meetings. Kristin coordinates
and volunteers for a mentor program at St. Peter's Church, where
she meets weekly with a child at the church.