Fitchburg State University will launch a new Master of Science in Construction Management program next year, building the state’s capacity in a critical professional field. The fully online program will be offered through the university’s Engineering Technology Department and the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the new program this fall. This new graduate program will expand opportunities and streamline pathways in a critical workforce area for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, according to Fitchburg State President Richard S. Lapidus. “Our program will provide professionals with the comprehensive academic and  technical skills necessary for them to meet the needs of regional, national, and global industries,” President Lapidus continued. “This innovative program builds upon the strong foundation of our Engineering Technology Department, which has evolved for more than a century to respond to changing workforce needs.” The online program will prepare students to manage complex construction  projects and enhance their decision-making processes; provide pathways to students to advance into  the field of construction management from related disciplines and/or prior construction experience; provide employers with a well-educated and skilled workforce, capable of performing valuable  construction management services and ready to serve in managerial and leadership positions; and contribute to scholarly activity in the discipline. Students, who may complete the program in as few as three semesters, will graduate ready to meet  the workforce needs of the construction industry. Dr. Nirajan Mani, the Engineering Technology Department Chair and the founding program chair for the M.S. in Construction Management program, noted that Fitchburg State is the first state university in Massachusetts to offer such a graduate degree.  “We are uniquely prepared to provide this program in national and international markets,” Mani said. “We are also planning to offer an accelerated 4+1 pathway from B.S. to M.S. in the Construction Management program. In addition, the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) through portfolio option allows students the opportunity to have their industry experience evaluated as educational experiences and credited toward a graduate degree.”  The Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, Inc. (AGC MA), a statewide trade association representing almost 200 construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors and affiliated service providers, endorsed Fitchburg State’s proposal to the Board of Higher Education. AGC MA Chief Executive Officer John Ferrante described his organization’s long history of collaboration with Fitchburg State and said the program will support students as well as the state’s commercial construction industry. “There are fewer than 10 universities in New England offering construction management programs for an industry that puts in place over $10 billion of work annually,” wrote Ferrante. “Currently, there is a disparity between the demand for project management professionals in our industry and the availability of talent. We consistently hear that some of the most successful construction management firms are turning down opportunities to bid because they do not have the management capacity to take on additional work.” Ferrante said AGC-MA’s member companies have a backlog of work through 2025 which, coupled with the anticipated retirement of many industry professionals, will only exacerbate this issue. “Many of our member firms hire individuals without any construction experience or education because of the need for management professionals,” he continued.  The construction management master’s program developed by Fitchburg State will provide the only such public credential in the state, helping rising professionals advance in their careers. Learn more about the program at https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/academics/programs/construction-management-engineering-technology-ms.

Relive a classic holiday tale like never before when Fitchburg State University’s Communications Media Department presents “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” this December. Written by Joe Landry and directed by Fitchburg State Professor Kelly Morgan and student Allison Thompson, the classic movie is retold as a charming 1940s-themed radio show, including a live foley operator for sound effects. Experience the impressive vocal range of the actors as they play multiple characters "over the air." "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" will be performed at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 9, with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10 in the Wallace Theater for the Performing Arts at the McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road. Visitors are asked to use Entrance B to access the space. Admission is free and open to the public. "Audiences will observe the actors performing multiple voices of the characters in the story and watching the sound technician create all the unique sound effects, so the radio audience can imagine the reality of the story," said Morgan. The holiday show is a great way to get out, have some fun, and meet people in the community. The production crew is in full swing, doing their best to make the performance come to life. "The cast captures the magic of both live theater and radio so well and the opening is such a fun time," said stage manager Colby Hairston. Part of the appeal of the production, he continued, is the off-mic work performed by the cast on stage. “In a show where the actors play actors playing voices, there's a lot that goes on in the studio while we listen to the show, and the cast has done a great job playing with that meta kind of acting." Holiday positivity is clearly a big aspect of the set itself, even backstage.  "I'd like the readers to know that this is my favorite cast I have ever had the pleasure of working with," said cast member Chris Brennan. "My favorite part about the production is definitely working with this amazing cast and crew,” added cast member Marco Grogan. “Everyone is super talented and supportive of each other, and it's been a blast to work on this." News release written by Andrew Govoni '24.

The Fitchburg State University choirs will be joined by voices from local high school groups when the campus presents its “Choral Kaleidoscope” concert in December. The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 in Weston Auditorium, 353 North St. Admission is free and open to the public.  "The Choral Kaleidoscope is a beautiful annual event where we invite area high school choirs to collaborate here on the Fitchburg State campus,” said Associate Professor Jonathan Harvey of the university’s Humanities Department, who conducts the Fitchburg State choral program.  For this concert, the university choirs will be joined by the choirs of Fitchburg High School, Leominster High School, and Murdock High School, performing a variety of music from different global traditions. Learn more about Fitchburg State’s musical offerings at fitchburgstate.edu/music. The university choirs will also perform as part of A Symphonic Christmas Carol at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9 in Weston Auditorium. That concert will feature the North Worcester County Symphony Orchestra, the Fitchburg State Choirs and Concert Band, Greater Gardner Community Choir, Nashoba Valley Chorale, Westford Chorus, and Perfect Alibi.  Tickets may be ordered online at nwcsorchestra.org.

The Center for Italian Culture (CIC) at Fitchburg State University will present a free screening of Academy Award winner Spike Lee’s classic film “Do the Right Thing” in November as part of its year-long exploration of the Italian immigrant experience.  The series, “Nuovo Mondo: A Century of Migrations from and to Italy,” will present “Do the Right Thing” (1989) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall. Lee’s acclaimed comedy-drama explores the simmering racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood between African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of a local pizzeria, culminating in violence and tragedy on a hot summer day. Admission to the screening is free and open to the public. In addition, the Fitchburg State University Archives and Special Collections, the CIC, and the Fitchburg Historical Society have collaborated to present a digital exhibit on Fitchburg's Italian-American neighborhood, the Patch. All materials were sourced from the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, the Center for Italian Culture Archives, and the Fitchburg Historical Society.  This digital exhibit was created by Ross Caputi, archival assistant at the Center for Italian Culture Archives, and Asher Jackson, archivist at Fitchburg State University, in collaboration with the Fitchburg Historical Society. It can be viewed online. Additional information on the CIC’s series can be found online at fitchburgstate.edu/nuovo-mondo.

Welcome the holiday season with "A Symphonic Christmas Carol," featuring the North Worcester County Symphony Orchestra, the Fitchburg State University Choirs and Concert Band, Greater Gardner Community Choir, Nashoba Valley Chorale, Westford Chorus, and Perfect Alibi. "A Symphonic Christmas Carol: The Music of Christmas Past, Present and Future" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at Weston Auditorium, 353 North St. Tickets may be ordered online. Tickets are free for Fitchburg State staff and students, and may be requested online by contacting info@nwcsorchestra.org. If you’re looking to buy tickets for non-university guests, tickets are $15 to $30 and may be ordered online. To reserve your complimentary university ticket alongside paying guests, please contact info@nwcsorchestra.org and indicate the number and pricing tier you wish to purchase: VIP Seating: $30 Senior Seating: $20 Student (non-Fitchburg State) Seating: $15 Adult Seating: $25

The question of whether a constitutional right to privacy includes use of contraception will be among the legal issues analyzed when Fitchburg State University hosts the American Moot Court Association’s Eastern Regional Tournament on Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18. Competing students are judged on their oral and written arguments on opposing sides of legal principles, with this year’s tournament case posing questions about access to contraception and the intersection of law and religious belief. During the competition, the students will present arguments and answer questions from a panel of judges, as in an appellate court proceeding. The teams with the highest scores at the regional tournament will move onto the national finals in January. Fifty teams of students representing 17 colleges and universities will gather for the regional tournament this month, including five students from Fitchburg State. “My kids have worked hard,” said Professor Paul Weizer of Fitchburg State’s Economics, History and Political Science Department, who founded and coaches the university’s moot court program. “I’m proud to have them represent Fitchburg State and am confident that they will be ready.” Lydia Palmer, a senior from Ashby, competed in last year’s tournament and hopes to advance to the nationals this year. “This class has taught me invaluable research skills, an understanding of the law that no other class could give, as well as a chance to develop my leadership skills as team captain this year,” said Palmer, who is studying pre-law with a minor in political science. “As with representing any institution in competition, it is an honor.”  Adam Quinlan, a sophomore from Westford, said he joined moot court to prepare himself for law school after completing his bachelor’s degree, and that the experience has already improved his confidence in public speaking, among other valuable skills. He added that he was grateful for Dr. Weizer’s support in encouraging him to give it a try. “Honestly when I began moot court the idea of representing Fitchburg State in such a large competition was very intimidating,” Quinlan said. “I felt like I was just a kid who likes arguing, staring at this mile-tall wall that is the rest of the nation’s competitors. As I have progressed in moot court I have begun to understand that I do deserve a seat at the table in a national competition, and I have felt overwhelmingly proud to represent Fitchburg State in such a large scale tournament.” Fitchburg State’s Moot Court program launched in 2000 and has advanced teams to the national competition in almost every year of its existence. Earlier this year, the American Moot Court Association ranked Fitchburg State in its top 25 programs nationwide in appellate brief writing.

Isaiah Manuel, right, with fellow student Adam Fournier at the Student Media Summit this fall. Fitchburg State University student filmmaker Isaiah Manuel took first place in the recent Student Media Summit, where he competed against students from 14 institutions of higher education. In addition to networking opportunities, the summit included a “pitch contest” where student filmmakers had two minutes to articulate their vision for a narrative or documentary film project.  Manuel, a junior from Leominster, submitted a proposal for his documentary “Thrown Away,” about where Massachusetts’ trash goes once it is shipped out of state. It was one of 77 submissions to the contest, from which 14 were selected for oral pitches at the summit. From that pool, he won the $1,000 cash prize, with additional funds for equipment rental to produce the film. “I was surprised, especially because most of the other projects were narrative films,” Manuel said. “It was a great experience.” The annual contest is organized by the Massachusetts Production Coalition’s Education Consortium. In addition to Fitchburg State, participating colleges included Bentley University, Boston University, Bridgewater State University, Emerson College, Endicott College, Lasell University, Lesley University, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Middlesex Community College, Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Tufts University, and Wheaton College. Manuel’s project spawned from his curiosity about the trains full of trash he saw being shipped on the tracks from Leominster. With long-held interests in photography and trains, the documentary film project started to take shape in his mind. “I took (Associate Professor) Kevin McCarthy’s documentary development class last spring, and I spent the whole semester learning about something I really wanted to know more about,” Manuel said. His research included finding out that vast quantities of waste produced in Massachusetts is shipped to a landfill in Uniontown, Ala., where more than half the population lives below the property line, and that raised additional questions in his mind about societal habits toward waste and recycling, and how those attitudes have an impact extending far beyond the trash cans in our driveways.  Manuel said he hopes to pursue a career in film or television. This fall, he has enjoyed McCarthy’s multi-camera television production class that is taught in collaboration with Fitchburg Access Television (FATV). The class includes work in the FATV studios downtown, and additional hours as a member of the production crew in community settings, including scholastic sports and election coverage.  “It’s been really interesting,” Manuel said. “It’s what I look forward to doing for my career.”

Fitchburg State University’s Concert Band and Community Orchestra will perform their fall concert, “We Are One Sound,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 in Weston Auditorium, 353 North St. Admission is free and open to the public. The Concert Band will be featuring music by LGBTQ composers. This is the culminating semester concert for the Fitchburg State Concert Band and Community Orchestra ensembles.  “We are excited to present a concert of music by LGBTQ composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Aaron Copland, Randall Standridge, Omar Thomas, Julie Giroux and Rossano Gallante,” said Assistant Professor Amy McGlothlin, a member of the university’s Humanities Department faculty and the conductor of the Concert Band.  While admission is free, the university will be collecting donations of non-perishable microwavable meals to stock the Falcon Bazaar, the campus food and necessities pantry. The Concert Band at Fitchburg State is open to all people with experience playing a band instrument. It includes students, alumni, faculty and members of the surrounding community. The Community Orchestra, led by Professor Hildy Schilling, The Fitchburg State Community Orchestra is also composed of students, faculty members, and other musicians who live in the Greater Fitchburg community. The orchestra performs at numerous campus and community events. Learn more about Fitchburg State’s musical offerings at fitchburgstate.edu/music.

When Elizabeth Coveney assumed the role of chief executive officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster and Gardner Clubhouses, it marked a turning point in her career. It was her first executive role in the non-profit arena, following successful leadership posts for major corporations including the Coca-Cola Company and time running her own business. “Coming into the not-for-profit world was a bit of a transformation for me, personally,” Coveney said. “You may have fewer resources, but that doesn’t relinquish the responsibility to be creative, and continue to develop and promote a culture.” To do that, Coveney reached out to Fitchburg State University Professor Michael Greenwood, chair of its Business Administration Department and himself a veteran of the corporate world. “We have very similar backgrounds and we speak the same language, so there was a natural connection,” she said. “For me, it would only benefit the kids and the club and our whole organization if we came together as a leadership team. Getting everyone on the same page and building this synergistic relationship was important.” Greenwood led club leadership through his training program “Leading with One Voice,” a custom program of three, half-day meetings designed to establish and reinforce strategic high-performance leadership and team-building objectives. Participants learn a common vocabulary of terms, tools and techniques for cross-functional core team effectiveness, and develop a single, shared vision, among other benefits. “It was a special pleasure working with Elizabeth and her leadership team in support of the important community mission of the Boys & Girls Club,” Greenwood said. “We are fortunate to have her on board to lead and inspire in these times where the need is so great. I urge everyone to learn about the work that the Boys & Girls Club accomplishes each day as they change lives for the better. I am inspired by this team and you will feel the same after you meet them.” Coveney said it was a powerful experience that will support her team as they continue their work at the club, which serves hundreds of youth every day. “I have a very strong bias for action, now I want to go ‘do,’” she said. “We have a big responsibility taking care of kids, so I want my team to be great.” To learn more about business training and consulting opportunities available through Fitchburg State’s Business Administration Department, contact Professor Greenwood at mgreenw5@fitchburgstate.edu.