Relay for Life raises more than $76,000

From left, Quinnipiac University students Caitlin Ziegler, Christine Porzio, Katie Winkle, Becky Kleiman and Keith Yatauro, were all co-chairs of this year’s Relay for Life at Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac University raised more than $76,000 during its Relay for Life, an organized community fundraising walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society, on April 19-20 at the TD Bank Sports Center.

The top three fundraising teams from Quinnipiac each raised more than $1,000 each; the first place team, Kate’s Krew, raised $3,233. More than 120 teams and 936 participants attended the event. Kate’s Krew was formed in support of Orange resident and Quinnipiac student Katie Winkle, a leukemia survivor. Winkle, a sophomore in the School of Nursing, was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and was treated with six rounds of chemotherapy. Now in remission, Winkle served as event co-chair and has participated in multiple relay events.

Please click here to read more.

Coach’s efforts to remember Sandy Hook victims featured in N.Y. Times blog

The New York Times highlighted Quinnipiac University‘s head women’s soccer coach’s efforts to remember and honor the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School in a recent blog post.

Dave Clarke is working to keep the victims’ memories alive by auctioning 113 soccer jerseys autographed by the top players and teams from around the world. The money collected will be used to seed a scholarship fund.

“I had no idea how big that was going to be,” Clarke told the Times. “It’s been nonstop, but in a good way. I’m like a kid on Christmas going to the post office every morning, but it’s important to temper that excitement because the reason for the auction is not a happy one. Sandy Hook was something that tugged at the heartstrings of the world. We want to keep the victims’ names alive.”

Please click here to read the full story.

Connecticut Magazine hails Quinnipiac as one of the state’s biggest success stories

Connecticut Magazine recognized Quinnipiac’s “meteoric rise” in its January 2013 edition. The publication cited several of the school’s milestones since its 1966 purchase of the Mount Carmel Campus in the shadow of Sleeping Giant State Park, pictured above. The university has since added two campuses.

Connecticut Magazine has named Quinnipiac University as one of the greatest success stories in Connecticut.

“When Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum opened in Hamden last October, it was hailed as the crown jewel of John L. Lahey‘s 25-year tenure as Quinnipiac University’s president,” the magazine states of the university’s “meteoric rise” in its January 2013 edition. “And yet, for the university itself, the museum was just another milestone along the road running from 1966, when the one-time New Haven-based “college of commerce” purchased 100 acres near Sleeping Giant State Park, an area that now contains its main (or Mount Carmel) campus. Yes, main campus. Two more campuses have opened since then.“

The cover story states “Quinnipiac is now one of only three universities in the state with both law and medical schools (joining UConn and Yale.) One could go on and on listing the highlights of Lahey’s tenure: establishing the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, acquiring a commercial radio station (WQUN 1220 AM,) adding the School of Law, upgrading the athletic programs to Division I and transforming the school from a college to a university.”

The magazine quotes Lahey throughout the article.

“Today, we are in our best-ever shape,” Lahey said.

In addition to citing substantial growth in the university’s endowment, from $25 million when he arrived to $283 million today, Lahey, who continues to teach a philosophy course, discussed the transformation of the student body.

In 1987, Quinnipiac had 1,902 students — 80 percent from Connecticut and 60 percent who commuted to class. Today, the university has 6,200 full-time undergraduates and 2,300 graduate students, and offers 23 graduate degrees. Nearly all of the underclassmen and 80 percent of the entire undergraduate student body lives in residence halls. Seventy-eight percent of the study body now lives outside of Connecticut.

President John L. Lahey announces Cabinet reorganization

Members of our student organizations interviewed Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Mark Thompson on Nov. 26 about his changing responsibilities. Here, Sunny Nariyani ’13, general manager of Q30-Television, speaks with Thompson.

By President John L. Lahey

I am pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2013, Dr. Mark Thompson will be promoted to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President/Provost.

In this position he will serve as the university’s chief operating officer with broad authority and responsibility for internal operations, including academic affairs, student affairs, athletics, public safety, facilities and information technology.

I am announcing this change now to allow Mark sufficient time to search for his successor for the position of Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, with the hope of filling that position also effective July 1, 2013.

I congratulate Mark on this promotion which was approved and authorized by the Board of Trustees’ Personnel Committee in June.

It reflects both the board’s and my appreciation for his many previous accomplishments as Dean of the School of Business and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, and our confidence in his leadership abilities and what we expect will be even greater contributions to Quinnipiac University in the years ahead.

Rich Ferguson, our current Senior Vice President for Administration, indicated to me over two years ago that he plans to retire at the conclusion of this academic year. Rich has been a critical member of the senior management team and Cabinet for the past 14 years.

He served as Vice President/Chief Information and Technology Officer from 1998 to 2009 and developed our information technology area into an enormous Quinnipiac strength both for academics and administration.

In his role as Senior Vice President for Administration he led equally transformative changes for human resources, public safety and facilities. We will sorely miss Rich’s outstanding leadership, collegiality, and friendship, as well as his analytical, thoughtful and collaborative leadership and management style that has greatly advanced Quinnipiac University both strategically and operationally.

In conjunction with Rich’s retirement, we will be eliminating the position of Senior Vice President for Administration.

Ron Mason, Vice President for Human Resources, will report directly to me effective July 1, 2013, and he will continue to serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Rich’s other direct reports and their areas of responsibility will report to the Executive Vice President/Provost effect July 1, 2013.

Students to travel to Dominican Republic on service trip

Students Virginia Hally ’13, Andrea Siclari ’14 and Megan Hoffay ’14 held a bake sale to help fund a service trip to the Dominican Republic, planned for December 2012. (Photo courtesy of Callie Barkley.)

Twenty-three Quinnipiac students will travel to the Dominican Republic in December to help build a home for people living in a sugar cane village known as Batey 50.

The students are enrolled in the QU 301 seminar course on the global community, which focuses on students’ responsibilities, impact and investment in the global community. Students have been preparing for the trip during the fall semester through class discussions on human rights and poverty.

During the Dec. 28-Jan. 5 trip, students will help construct a home for one family in the Batey 50 community. Most families in the village live in huts made from banana leaves and tin, which have no foundations.

Students will also visit an orphanage, a hospital, a Haitian church and other Batey villages. On the final day of the trip, students will go door to door to distribute food to all families in the village.

Students will stay in the city of La Romana and travel daily to the Batey 50 village, about an hour and half each way. The trip is being led by John Powers, who is teaching the QU 301 course.

To learn more about the trip, follow the students’ blog: http://qudr2012.wordpress.com.