The American Moot Court Association has released its annual rankings of college and universities and again Fitchburg State University is among the top 20 in the U.S. The moot court competition pits teams of students against one another on opposing sides of a legal case, as in an appellate court proceeding. Students must argue both sides of the case in the course of the competition, making timed arguments as well as fielding questions from a panel of legal experts, as well as submitting written briefs. Fitchburg State, whose program was founded in 2000 by Professor Paul Weizer of the Economics, History and Political Science Department, has competed with distinction every year. Professor Weizer noted Fitchburg State is the smallest public institution to crack the top 25 in the nation. “This is a great testament to the hard work of our students and the support of the institution,” he said. “More than 500 teams competed in the last season, and our students were able to excel in all aspects of the activity. We had two teams qualify for the national tournament in oral advocacy and also had one team earn national recognition in brief writing. While the level of competition continues to rise, our students continue to show great results.” The American Moot Court Association’s Top Program Scores recognize schools based on their performance in both the AMCA National Tournament Oral Advocacy competition and the AMCA National Tournament Written Brief competition.  The scores are weighted at 67 percent for the oral advocacy competition and 33 percent for the written brief competition. More than 200 Fitchburg State students have competed in the tournament since the local program was founded. Many graduates of the program return to campus each year for the regional tournament on the Fitchburg State campus. Their ranks include police officers, lawyers and court clerks, though Weizer said the skills developed through moot court are applicable far beyond the legal profession.

Crystal Aneke of Quincy, who graduated from Fitchburg State University in December, will represent her alma mater this week when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognizes “29 Who Shine,” honoring a graduate from each of its public institutions of higher education. The Department of Higher Education’s virtual 29 Who Shine celebration will premiere at 2 p.m. Thursday. A link to the virtual ceremony will be posted this week to www.mass.edu/system/29whoshine.asp. Aneke graduated from Fitchburg State in December with a major in political science and minors in economics and criminal justice. She was a distinguished student at Fitchburg State. As the elected student representative to the university’s Board of Trustees, Aneke worked to amplify student voices in university affairs. In her role with the Black Student Union, Aneke moderated a powerful panel discussion on Black Lives and Blue Lives that included students, staff, and police officers. This was followed by the launch of a series of “Courageous Conversations” on themes related to diversity, equity and inclusion that brought members of the campus community together in virtual space. Aneke also lent her voice to the Unity Rally that occurred on campus in September 2020, which was another powerful opportunity for members of the campus to engage with and learn from one another. Beyond that work in student leadership, Aneke stood out as a member of Fitchburg State’s successful Moot Court team, earning national honors competing against elite peers from across the country. She will continue practicing those skills in her next venture, with plans to attend law school this fall and ambitions to practice public interest law as a career. Aneke identified Professor Paul I. Weizer from the Economics, History and Political Science Department as her faculty mentor. Professor Weizer will also be recognized during the virtual celebration this week. “At times all one needs is a person to believe in them,” Aneke said. “A figure who despite the odds, still provides encouragement and support unconditionally. For me, this person is Dr. Paul Weizer. When I couldn’t see the light, he made sure to steer me away from darkness.”

A new initiative at Fitchburg State University is designed to address the nation’s changing demographics by recruiting and training future educators from traditionally underrepresented populations.  The Future Educator Academy is designed to address ongoing demographic shifts, according to Lourdes Ramirez, coordinator of field placements, partnerships and recruitment for Fitchburg State’s School of Education. About 40% of the state’s public school students are of color, but only 8% of their teachers come from minority groups. Research has shown that students of color are less likely to drop out if they have at least one teacher of color, Ramirez said. “We know that students who attend urban schools, regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic background, bring important knowledge and experiences from living in a diverse environment,” she added. The academy’s programs will focus on culturally relevant education that values students’ cultural, linguistic and ethnic contributions as future teachers.   “We are excited about engaging high school students with our community at Fitchburg State,” Ramirez said. “This is a great opportunity for students who are considering becoming an educator in the future, or those who want to further explore education. This initiative will impact the diversity gap in the teaching population and ultimately benefit all students.” The first cohort of students, hailing from Fitchburg High School and Leominster High School, recently gathered on Fitchburg State’s campus for CPR/AED training. The course, taught by Fitchburg State University Police Officer Timothy Grant, resulted in certification for all the participants. The academy is still accepting students from Fitchburg High and Leominster High. Academy students will earn a leadership certificate from Fitchburg State, as well as university credits that can be applied to their first year of college. They will also earn badges to build their resumes and gain knowledge and experience working with groups. Some of the badges include learning how to facilitate group activities; how to support students with mental health issues; working with underserved, traditionally marginalized, and disenfranchised students; and career planning. The future educators will be participating in internships and community engagement. To learn more, contact Ramirez at 978.665.3685 or by email at lramire1@fitchburgstate.edu.

A newly reauthorized pact between Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM) will deepen the collaboration between two of the city’s most important and enduring institutions, enriching opportunities for programming and professional development for both organizations that are designed to enhance the quality of life for all city residents. The agreement, signed Thursday, April 29 by Fitchburg State President Richard S. Lapidus and FAM Director Nicholas Capasso, calls for both institutions “to engage in activities that are mutually beneficial, as well as activities that help support the economy, livability, and quality of life in the city of Fitchburg and North Central Massachusetts.” “Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Art Museum have enjoyed a long and significant history of mutually beneficial collaboration, and this new agreement further formalizes opportunities for us to work together on projects that will have meaningful impacts on students, faculty, and the broader community,” President Lapidus said. “I am grateful for the partnership and excited about the potential for growth the updated agreement will help facilitate.” “Our strengthened agreement will help to more firmly embed the Fitchburg Art Museum within the Fitchburg State community,” Capasso said. “We want to make FAM part of the overall campus experience for students, faculty, and staff alike. This enhanced partnership also recommits both institutions to community and economic development work for our city and region. The possibilities are endless! I extend my thanks to President Lapidus and the university administrators and faculty who have worked to support our collaboration.” Among other facets, the pact will make FAM the de facto art museum for Fitchburg State, with free admission for all university students, faculty and staff, along with FAM’s participation in class and curriculum planning for a variety of university disciplines from art, art history and communications media to business administration, education, history, and the humanities. FAM will also provide university students with additional high-quality internship opportunities in fields including management, curation, conservation, and exhibition planning. Fitchburg State will also work with FAM on developing new undergraduate and graduate programs using the museum as the applied learning context, such as degrees in arts management or museum studies, or a graduate certificate in digital curation.

The Massachusetts State University system is joining a growing number of colleges and universities across the country and Commonwealth requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they attend in-person classes next fall. The Presidents of the nine universities in the system unanimously decided to require undergraduate and graduate students who are attending in-person classes, conducting research on campus, living in residence halls, or participating in campus life activities to become fully inoculated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of the 2021 academic year. The presidents expect that all employees will also be fully vaccinated prior to the start of the fall semester. “Prior to the beginning of the fall semester and following state, federal and legal guidance, the Massachusetts State Universities will require all students to be fully immunized before returning to campus for the start of the fall semester,” said Dr. James F. Birge, president of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and chair of the Massachusetts State University Council of Presidents. “Student safety and the safety of our communities remains at the forefront of our planning as we prepare to return to in-person learning and campus life in the fall.” The Massachusetts State Universities have been leaders in the Stop the Spread Campaign and throughout the year have made COVID-19 testing and contact tracing a priority on our campuses. Since returning to campus last year, the nine state universities have operationalized a robust on-campus COVID testing and tracing system for students, staff and faculty, which successfully resulted in helping to identify and contain the COVID virus in our campus communities. The State Universities are committed to ending this pandemic with vigilance towards vaccinating our campus communities. “We are sharing this information now to give students, their families and our employees ample time to make plans to be vaccinated prior to the start of the fall term,” continued President Birge. All state universities will offer a traditional schedule of in-person classes in addition to online and hybrid options for both residential and commuter student populations. The nine campuses in the system are Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Salem, Westfield and Worcester State Universities, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Fitchburg State University’s Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library will host a virtual panel talk at 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 26 on segregation and education, along with other topics raised in the acclaimed documentary film Teach Us All. Sixty years after the Little Rock Nine faced mobs of racially charged hatred and became cornerstones of the civil rights movement, Teach Us All (2017) examines how the present day United States education system fails to live up to that promise of desegregation as it slides back into a re-segregation of its modern schools. The film is organized in three collaborative themes: the teacher’s role in influencing young people’s lives, the need for community engagement for school success, and the power of the students who will be charged with the fight for their right to education equity.  Panelists for the event will include: Fitchburg High School Principal Jeremy Roche; Fitchburg State instructor Lynn D’Agostino; Fitchburg State Professor Katharine Covino; and Fitchburg State graduate student Dana Meyer. The talk will be moderated by Dr. Nancy Murray, Dean of Fitchburg State’s School of Education. The talk is free and open to the public. To join the discussion, go to https://meet.google.com/ncc-whpx-rjz, or view a livestream at stream.meet.google.com/stream/8387babc-63da-4777-babb-dd1cdc9787b9 or join by phone at (‪US) ‪+1 803-999-5523 PIN: ‪680 428 615#. The film Teach Us All can be viewed by members of the Fitchburg State community at https://fitchburgstate.kanopy.com/video/teach-us-all, and is also available through local libraries. This program is presented by the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library and the Fitchburg State University Deans’ Anti-Racism Grant.

Excellent scholarly and creative work from Fitchburg State University students will be celebrated at the virtual Undergraduate Conference for Research and Creative Practice on Thursday, April 22. For more than a decade, the undergraduate conference has been a showcase for academic and creative expression. Last year’s planned event was canceled because of the pandemic, but is returning in 2021 in a virtual format with a diverse and engaging collection of asynchronous presentations available in an online program. The event is open to the public. In addition to academic talks, poster presentations, and creative writing pieces, the site also features recorded performances from the Chamber Choir and the Fitchbyrds (Fitchburg State’s jazz band) will be viewable. ARTeries, the juried exhibition of student artwork, will also be presented in an online gallery format. A new component of this year’s conference is the Scholarly Gallery, which features student work that was completed in the past year including the Disability Heritage exhibit assembled by English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy’s students and “Our Reckoning,” a showcase of student performances directed by Communications Media Department Professor Mary Vreeland, among other exemplary projects. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

A new project spearheaded by a Fitchburg State University Honors class is designed to help make the community aware of the transformative changes now taking shape in downtown Fitchburg. The resulting “Positivity Tour” is now up and running. With major private and public developments poised to transform the heart of the city, Professor Christa Marr from the university’s Economics, History and Political Science Department and students in her current events and service learning wanted to get the community involved. “I always like this class to be something that’s community facing,” said Marr, a member of the Fitchburg State faculty since 2015. In a previous iteration of the course, for example, students organized and ran a pop-up petting zoo and family fun fair at the redeveloped Mill Street corridor. “We knew an event was out of the question this year, but we wanted to get people downtown,” Marr continued. “We decided, why not a positivity tour?” Students in the class met with officials from the local and state agencies working on downtown redevelopment, and also contacted local businesses and institutions. From the installation of a small free library at the Activate Mill Street corridor to a kindness rock garden at the Fitchburg Public Library, the tour also includes a positive pen pal mailbox (equipped with stamped envelopes) at the Senior Center and artwork created by students at the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster. “Working on this project has made me feel more hopeful for downtown Fitchburg,” said Anna Perham of Weymouth, a junior majoring in elementary education at Fitchburg State. “I think for younger students, and students looking at Fitchburg State, there is a lot to look forward to. I have always been really hopeful, and encouraged by Fitchburg, and its community. Most of all my hope is that this project will spread positivity, and make others want to do a random act of kindness. “If our project was able to make anyone who passes by and views an art installation smile, that would be awesome,” Perham continued. “I also hope that visitors will be inspired to take part in our project, and make a card to drop off at the Fitchburg Senior Center, or paint a kindness rock to leave outside Fitchburg Public Library.”  “Working on this project has allowed me to view Fitchburg in a new light and appreciate its potential to become a revered part of the New England university community,” said David Gambone of Ashburnham, a sophomore studying professional communications. “Understanding Fitchburg's history allowed me to appreciate its strengths and better understand its weaknesses. Seeing the new projects and plans are very exciting for me and I've been a neighbor to Fitchburg almost my entire life. We hope visitors engaging with the Positivity Tour will be able to see the vision of what Fitchburg will become in the near future as well as experience some of the already existing businesses downtown.” Visitors can follow the tour on a customized Google map that describes attractions including notable buildings and institutions, public art installations, restaurants and shops, along with developments now in progress like the redeveloped City Hall, the arts community at the former B.F. Brown School and the university’s own Theater Block. The class also designed weekly scavenger hunts running through early May, highlighting existing art and architecture along Main Street as well as the new installations created by the class. Follow the Positivity Tour online:Instagram: @FSUPositivityTour Facebook: FSUPositivityTour Twitter: @FSUPositiveTour

Interested in applying to graduate school but don’t know where to start? Fitchburg State University’s School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education is here to help. The school will host a free, virtual information session at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 1 that will cover all the bases. The graduate application workshop will let attendees learn about:How to submit your application and supporting materials Important deadlines and dates for summer and fall 2021 enrollment Financial aid and payment information Why earning a graduate degree now can help you reach your personal and professional goals Attendees will have their $50 application fees waived. Fitchburg State’s School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education (SGOCE) offers graduate and undergraduate degree and certificate programs, non-credit courses for professional development, and life-long learning. Its high-quality, affordable graduate programs are available in part-time, full-time, online, evening, or accelerated formats so students can always get the learning they need. To learn more and to register, please visit https://admissions.fitchburgstate.edu/register/GradAppWorkshopMay2021.