The second recruit officer class of Fitchburg State University’s groundbreaking police program recently completed their certification to work as police officers in municipal departments across Massachusetts. The graduation ceremony was held Friday, Sept. 13 at Weston Auditorium on the Fitchburg State campus. Fitchburg State’s program, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, prepares students with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice as well as certification to work in municipal police departments across the state. The nine graduates on Friday are now beginning their year of master’s studies. “This is an extraordinary accomplishment,” Fitchburg State President Richard S. Lapidus told the graduates and guests at the ceremony, acknowledging years of diligence in academic and physical training. “I know it will serve them well as they serve the communities that employ them.” Municipal Police Training Committee Interim Executive Director Robert Ferullo Jr. saluted the graduates as well as the university for the vision to create the program. “You are about to embark on a profession that is second to none,” he told the graduates, adding that the university has created a “cutting edge” program. Academy Director Lisa Lane McCarty had warm words for the graduates as well as the training staff who supervised the 17 week academy the graduates completed this summer. “There is nothing you all cannot achieve,” she said. Class Leader Adam Hyde spoke for his classmates. “Starting off on day one, we were all shaking in our boots,” he recalled. “We pushed each other to do better every day.” The experience brought them closer and showed them the importance of relying on one another. “We have created a bond between us like no other,” Hyde said. “We may be small in numbers but this is a family that will all have each other’s backs.” Of the nine graduates, four have already secured full-time work as police officers in Massachusetts. The graduates are Matthew Beal of Townsend; Tyler Brabham of Blackstone; Jessica Ferreira of Attleboro; Andrew Gower of Acton; Adam Hyde of Shirley; Ryan Manganelli of Waltham; Madison Medina of Pelham, N.H.; Alaina Socrat of Douglas; and Jayson Urato of Leominster. Back to News

Few journalists in America have had the impact on history and their craft as legendary investigative reporter Carl Bernstein. From uncovering the Watergate scandal to writing about national and international affairs for more than 40 years, Bernstein’s books, reporting and commentary have revealed the inner-workings of government and politics, and told the hidden stories of Washington and its leaders. Drawing parallels between the past and the events of today, Bernstein consistently speaks truth to power, sharing rich historical context and captivating stories from his legendary career. On Sunday, Oct. 6, Bernstein will address the topic of fake news in the current media landscape in his remarks and interview with WGBH Senior Political Reporter Adam Reilly at The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley. The event is part of the ongoing Bull Run Speaker Series. Doors open for Sunday brunch and seating at 10 a.m. The speaking program will begin at noon. For tickets and information, click here. Bernstein’s talk is sponsored by Fitchburg State University, which is observing its 125^th anniversary in the 2019-20 academic year. The university, including its Communications Media and English Studies departments, is committed to helping students discern what is true, misleading or false in all forms of published or broadcast communications. Its multi-disciplinary curriculum brings together students from diverse majors to learn about the importance of ethics in public relations, reporting and media production. New courses such as News Reporting and Writing and Social Media Campaigns focus on ways to identify fake news and to produce quality content that adheres to only the highest standards of journalism and marketing. Faculty serve as coaches and mentors, helping students to understand the influence and power of communications online and in print and to protect these resources as a public trust. The event is part of Fitchburg State University’s 125^th anniversary celebration. Throughout the 2019-20 academic year, the university will be holding programs celebrating the breadth and diversity of the institution and the vitality of its campus community. Learn more about fitchburgstate.edu/125. Doors open for Sunday brunch and seating at 10 a.m. The speaking program will begin at noon. The program will take place in the Sawtelle Room at The Bull Run Restaurant, located at 215 Great Road in Shirley. About Carl Bernstein A political analyst for CNN and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, Carl Bernstein is currently at work on several multi-media projects, including a memoir about his earliest days in journalism during the Kennedy era and a dramatic TV series about the U.S. Congress for HBO. He began his career at age 16 as a copyboy for The Washington Evening Star. In the early 1970s, Bernstein and his partner, Bob Woodward, captured international attention when they broke the Watergate story for The Washington Post. Woodward and Bernstein’s investigative reporting led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, set new standards for journalism and won the Pulitzer Prize. The two went on to write two classic best-sellers: All the President’s Men (also a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) about their coverage of Watergate and The Final Days, chronicling the end of the Nixon presidency. Bernstein’s other best-selling books include Loyalties: a Son’s Memoir, about his family’s experiences in the McCarthy era, and His Holiness: Pope John Paul II and The History of Our Time, a biography of Pope John Paul II, co-authored with Marco Politi. His most recent book is the national best-seller A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham, acclaimed as the definitive biography of the subject. His articles have appeared in Time, USA Today, Rolling Stone and The New Republic. From 1999-2001, Bernstein served as editor and executive vice president of Voter.com, a pioneering website that Forbes named the best political site on the internet. He has also worked as Washington bureau chief and correspondent for ABC News. Adam Reilly is Senior Political Reporter for WGBH Boston. Prior to coming to WGBH, he covered media and politics for The Boston Phoenix. He is a graduate of Carleton College and The Harvard Divinity School. Kyle Moody, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Communications Media and Wafa Unus, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, English Studies will represent Fitchburg State University. WGBH Boston is the media sponsor. For tickets and information, please visit https://tickets.bullrunrestaurant.com/carlbernstein. Back to News

The Forge Theater Lab at Fitchburg State University is kicking off its second season with a production of “On Our Terms,” a new play written by Fitchburg State alumna Mary Darling. The play runs September 6-14 in the Wallace Theater for the Performing Arts in the McKay Building at 67 Rindge Road. In this absurd, provocative comedy, two people negotiate a one-year relationship contract before their first date, to ensure that all of their expectations are met. As they make their way through the transaction, they share stories of previous failed relationships, in hopes that maybe this one will last.Playwright Mary Darling, who grew up in Worcester and now lives in Southbridge, says she is “interested in how we perceive and talk about our versions of past relationships.” Instead of writing a realistic play about modern dating, she sees a play as a chance to use humor and satire to imagine life would be like if romance started with formal negotiations: “What if we could review their resume, call their references, hear their side of what went wrong in the past?” This production is directed by Noah Dawson of Fitchburg, another FSU graduate who is also a drama teacher at the Sizer School. “On Our Terms” is the first event in the second season of The Forge Theater Lab, a group in residence at Fitchburg State that is devoted to developing new plays. More information about The Forge is available on their website, www.theforge.ink. This play is not recommended for children under 14 because of profanity and frank sex talk. It will perform on September 6, 7, 13, and 14 at 8:00 PM; September 8 at 2:00 PM; and September 12 at 6:30 PM. Tickets cost $15 with a $5 rate for students; September 12 is a “pay what you can” show. The cast includes Kevin Boudreau of Leominster; James Estes of Fitchburg; Rebecca Joseph of Stoughton; Rachael Miles of Acton; and Natalie Scott of Groveland. Back to News

This summer, 22 Fitchburg State students worked under the auspices of faculty from a variety of disciplines on practical research projects concerning the public health of the Fitchburg community and the environmental health of the Nashua River watershed. Their nine weeks of effort culminated in public presentations in the Falcon Hub. The project was funded in part by the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, Avantor Sciences Foundation, and Fitchburg State University. The students were paid for their work and supervised by faculty members from the departments of Biology & Chemistry, Business Administration, Communications Media, Earth and Geographic Sciences, Exercise and Sports Science, and Nursing. This was the third year of the summer research collaborative, and arrived as Fitchburg State prepared to launch its new major in environmental public health with the fall semester. It is the first public institution in New England to offer the major. Oliver Titus ’20, with a double major in mathematics and economics, looked at contaminants in the Nashua River watershed. “It was a great opportunity,” he said after his presentation. “I learned what it was like to do real research, and this will help me as I’m applying to graduate schools in the fall.” Maeve Ahern ’20, majoring in environmental science with a minor in biology, said the experience has made her consider continuing her education beyond her bachelor’s degree. “This is something I never would have had the experience to try,” she said, describing her project on microplastics in the Nashua River. “This has flung the door wide open.” Teigan Weissman ’21, majoring in environmental and earth science with a minor in biology, looked at the hydrogeomorphology of microplastics in the Nashua. “The summer research project was a perfect opportunity to get hands-on experience and apply some of the knowledge I took from my classes,” Weissman said. The summer research students employed a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to document the health of the local community, assessing levels of physical activity among different ethnic groups, for example, as well as exploring workplace wellness programs offered by local employers. Students conducted interviews as well as had subjects wear devices to record their movements over time, allowing the researchers to see the difference between self-reported activity levels and reality. Other student teams looked at pollution in the Nashua River watershed and the effects of urbanization and microplastics on the health of the river and its tributaries, as well as conducted mathematical and computerized flood simulations of the area. While students cautioned that small sample sizes made it difficult to draw sweeping conclusions about the topics under review, they nonetheless valued the experience of designing and implementing practical research projects, supported by reviews of scientific literature. The students also articulated how their research could be scaled up for future iterations of the project. Several alumni from past years of the summer research collaborative returned to see this year’s presentations, and described how their personal and academic journeys were influenced by their own experiences in the program. Samuel Gallagher ’19, who studied geographic information systems at Fitchburg State, now works for the Department of Agriculture in Northboro as a GIS technician. “This project paved the way for me to go forward and work on research,” he said. “I ended up getting my job over someone with a master’s degree because I had this hands-on experience.” Samantha Richard ’19 is now working for the Blue Hills Weather Observatory in Milton. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experience of last summer,” she told the students. “It really pushed me to be more confident in myself. Once I got hands-on experience with the research I did with my fellow students, I started to grasp the importance of the topic and pushed myself further.” The Health of Fitchburg Communities project was supervised by faculty members Deborah Benes (Nursing), Carolyn Gustason (Nursing), Viera Lorencova (Communications Media), Monica Maldari (Exercise and Sports Science), Renee Scapparone (Business Administration), J.J. Sylvia (Communications Media) and Danielle Wigmore (Exercise and Sports Science). The Health of the Nashua River Watershed project was supervised by faculty members Elyse Clark (Earth and Geographic Sciences), Emma Downs (Biology & Chemistry), Elizabeth Gordon (Earth and Geographic Sciences), Jane Huang (Earth and Geographic Sciences), Benjamin Levy (Mathematics), John Ludlam (Biology & Chemistry) and Daniel Welsh (Biology & Chemistry). Back to News

Art Spiegelman’s groundbreaking graphic novel Maus is the subject of Fitchburg State University’s Community Read for 2019-20. This year’s exploration of the text launches with a panel talk at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St. Admission is free and open to the public. Maus tells the story of the author interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It is part memoir, biography and history. On Sept. 26, a panel of English Studies faculty will discuss the work from the Jewish literary, graphic novel, and pedagogic uses perspectives. Professor Lisa Gim will moderate the panel that will include Professors Michael Hoberman, Heather Urbanski and Katharine Covino. Other upcoming events include: A panel discussion entitled “Nazi Symbolism and Propaganda: From Medieval Times to the Present,” will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall. In this program, Professors Katherine Jewell, Ben Lieberman and Kisha Tracy will discuss the medieval origins of Nazi symbolism and propaganda, and its historical and contemporary uses from Nazi Germany to modern day Nazi Culture in the United States. A hands-on workshop entitled “(Mis)appropriation of the Middle Ages: Confronting Misuses of History in the Age of the Meme” will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the library instruction lab of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library. In this program, attendees will analyze pre-selected artifacts that represent the misuse of history by the KKK, Nazis, and other groups to articulate their messages. Visitors will learn research techniques to fact check these memes. There will be a Community Read book discussion at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12 in Room 210B of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library led by students from Fitchburg State’s English Honors Society The Community Read, now in its seventh year, is a community-wide collaboration to celebrate not only the act of reading but to also to explore themes in the book through a series of panel discussions, lectures, film screenings and exhibitions. The Community Read program is a collaborative effort between Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, Leominster, and Lunenburg Public Libraries, Fitchburg High School and the Lunenburg Council on Aging. Maus is available to borrow at the Fitchburg, Lunenburg, and Leominster public libraries, as well as the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library at Fitchburg State University. To learn more, visit fitchburgcommunityread.com. The Community Read is also part of Fitchburg State’s 125^th anniversary celebration. Throughout the 2019-20 academic year, Fitchburg State will host a series of events and exhibits commemorating its evolution since its founding in 1894 as a teacher-training school and based around the theme of “125 Years of Changing Lives.” Learn about Fitchburg State’s history and keep up with anniversary year events at fitchburgstate.edu/125. Back to News

One of the largest endowed gifts ever received by Fitchburg State University will create the Global Ambassadors Scholarship Program, opening doors for students to travel abroad for experiential learning opportunities. Through the leadership of Anna M. Clementi and the Clementi Family Charitable Trust, $1 million has been raised to support the new scholarship program. The gift was announced by University President Richard S. Lapidus, who said the new scholarship program will help turn the world into a classroom for Fitchburg State students. When fully implemented, the fund is designed to boost the number of students in the university’s faculty-led international programs by 30 percent over its first six years. “Studying abroad creates better understanding of the global forces that shape our region and our world,” Lapidus said. “Fitchburg State has committed to building on these international opportunities, and the transformative gifts we celebrate today will create countless opportunities for students. On behalf of the entire university community, I thank all of our donors, and in particular the Clementi Family Charitable Trust for their generosity and commitment to the success of our students. As our university embarks on its 125^th anniversary year, this program exemplifies our commitment to preparing students to thrive as global citizens.” Anna M. Clementi, representing the Clementi Family Charitable Trust, has served on Fitchburg State’s Board of Trustees for eight years and has been a stalwart advocate for the value of study abroad programs. As one of the founders of the university’s Center for Italian Culture, Clementi had previously offered her personal support for international scholarships. “I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of travel for our university students,” Clementi said. “These young people return with a greater sense of purpose, direction and confidence. It is my hope that all Fitchburg State students take advantage of all the experiential travel opportunities, and that high school students looking at colleges carefully consider this great travel experience as a unique advantage.” When fully implemented, the Global Ambassadors Scholarship Program will cover 50 percent of the costs for students to attend Fitchburg State’s faculty-led international trips. Students will apply for the scholarship with the endorsement of faculty, and will be limited to sophomore, junior and senior class students and will target recruiting first-generation students and students with no previous international travel experience. Students from all majors and programs will be eligible. Back to News

Even 50 years later, John Antonelli can recall knowing he was going to strike a nerve when he sought to publish an excerpt of Black Panthers’ founder Eldridge Cleaver’s novella “The Black Moochie” in Fitchburg State’s school paper. The Cycle, as the paper was then known, had already run afoul of school administration by trying to publish a profanity in earlier edition. The printer had whited it out and reported on the offending language to the president of the college. Antonelli and his fellow newspaper staff members, eager to engage their peers in the political upheaval of the day, knew Cleaver’s piece would get a reaction. “Those were intense and radical days back then,” recalled Antonelli, now an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in California. “It was easy for me to step out of bounds.” When The Cycle submitted their next issue, the printer refused to publish it, and then-President James J. Hammond Jr. told the students they would have to have future content screened by a committee before publication. The administration’s action itself drew media attention, and the student journalists were advised that they had grounds to sue over their First Amendment rights being impinged. So the students, led by Antonelli, took President Hammond to federal court. The case, known as Antonelli v. Hammond, was decided in the students’ favor on Feb. 5, 1970. “Because of the potentially great social value of a free student voice in an age of student awareness and unrest, it would be inconsistent with basic assumptions of First Amendment freedoms to permit a campus newspaper to be simply a vehicle for ideas the state or the college administration deems appropriate,” U.S. District Judge W. Arthur Garrity wrote in his ruling. Members of the newspaper staff will discuss their experiences, and their lives since those events, at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the main lounge at Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St. Admission is free and open to the public. The program will be a window into how a turbulent time in American life was experienced on the Fitchburg State campus. The event marks Fitchburg State’s observance of Constitution Day and also helps launch the university’s 125^th anniversary celebration. Throughout the 2019-20 academic year, Fitchburg State will host a series of events and exhibits commemorating its evolution since its founding in 1894 as a teacher-training school and based around the theme of “125 Years of Changing Lives.” Learn about Fitchburg State’s history and keep up with anniversary year events at fitchburgstate.edu/125. Back to News

Fitchburg State University welcomes the professional Ensemble Origo for “Le Nozze in Baviera,” a concert of 16^th century music commissioned for a royal wedding. The free concert will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 at Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building, 367 North St. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:30 p.m. The ensemble will perform Orlando di Lasso’s music for the 1568 wedding of Wilhelm V of Bavaria and Renate of Lorraine. The performance is sponsored by Fitchburg State’s Humanities Department, the Center for Italian Culture and CenterStage. “Ensemble Origo’s work is a fascinating blend of music and anthropology, recreating performances of music from centuries ago, using instruments and techniques from the time,” said Professor Jonathan Harvey of Fitchburg State’s Humanities Department. “This concert is a recreation of music from a royal wedding from 1568, and the performance will explore ritual, race, caricature, and sexuality in sixteenth century Europe.” For more information about the performers, visit ensembleorigo.org. Back to News

Fitchburg State University launches new undergraduate and graduate programs and kicks off a yearlong celebration of its 125^th anniversary with the start of the fall semester in September. The majority of new resident students will move in Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day) between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Move-in will start with registration at the Wallace Civic Center on John Fitch Highway, with vehicles then directed up North Street to the main campus. North Street between Pearl and Ross streets will be closed to traffic during the move-in (approximately 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) on Monday, and portions of Highland Avenue and Cedar Street may be closed at times as well. Some temporary road closures may be instituted during early student move-in on Sunday, Sept. 1. Returning resident students move in Wednesday, Sept. 4, during which there may also be some road closures near campus. Fall semester classes begin Thursday, Sept. 5. Academically, Fitchburg State is reorganizing its departmental divisions. The University’s 15 departments will now be housed in the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business and Technology, the School of Education, and the School of Health and Natural Sciences. The University also launches its new undergraduate majors in environmental public health and educational studies this fall, each the first of their kind at any public institution in Massachusetts.The environmental public health degree is an interdisciplinary program spanning community health, geospatial data analysis, social justice, and community service. The major will be available for students who are interested in health sciences but seek an alternative career choice than those offered in traditional STEM or health professions majors. It focuses on the relationships between people and their environment, promotes human health and well-being, and fosters healthy and safe communities. The educational studies program will provide an opportunity for students to examine broad educational topics from a number of diverse perspectives, bridging educational concepts and principles in political, historical, theoretical, and social contexts. Graduates of the educational studies non-licensure program will have a broad view of education necessary for career paths that require a background in formal and informal educational settings. The university also launches its latest online MBA program, focusing on healthcare management. Designed to be affordable and student-centered, the program will help students develop a broad range of skills useful in identifying and implementing effective solutions for challenges across the evolving healthcare landscape. Students will study a spectrum of healthcare marketing, finance, and legal topics and engage in participatory learning through online class discussions and collaborative learning groups. Also recently launched is the university’s new master’s concentration in social media. Part of the University’s Master of Science in Applied Communication, the accelerated, 100 percent online program is designed to meet rigorous academic and career training goals and to prepare students for a variety of occupations in communication fields within business, industry, government, nonprofit, and health services. Fitchburg State also celebrates a milestone with the 125^th anniversary of its founding. Throughout this celebration of 125 years of changing lives, the university will offer programs and exhibits that honor a legacy of innovation in disciplines including education, healthcare, communications media, public safety, and more. Visit the 125th anniversary page to learn more and keep up to date with the planned celebrations. Back to News