This is the second quarterly update from the Office of the Executive Vice President to promote increased communication and transparency in the important work that is occurring across the college. The updates come out in February, May, August, and November, providing valuable information from all major areas of the college, as well as strategic planning implementation and the work of select committees and task forces.

Vision 2015, Looking Within – Reaching Beyond

We are completing the first year of implementing the strategic plan.  The tactical teams have developed strategic objective worksheets for their tactical plans, and have begun to put many operational plans in process. The dashboard and “report card” on various objectives of the plan will come out in June with more updates in the fall.  You can see a new video on the strategic plan at http://www.anselm.edu/strategicplan. Here is an update of progress in specific areas:

Creating Educational Distinction

Objective 1 - A proposal for a new core curriculum for the college, which meets the stated objectives, was brought forth by the Curriculum Review and Revision Committee this past January and its content was debated by the Faculty Senate in several meetings this past semester.  Approval of the proposal was suspended until more detail can be furnished about the first year and capstone programs, and a resolution can be reached about the language requirement.  Both of these matters are being addressed this summer, and formal deliberation on the proposal by the Faculty Senate will resume in September.
Objective 2 – Five new majors (Education Studies; American Studies; Peace and Justice Studies; Environmental Politics and Sustainability; and Physics) and 20 new minors were approved in FY11.
Objective 3 – The college was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, in recognition of our commitment to service and civic engagement. Objective 5 – The Center for Teaching Excellence helped organize four workshops, two book groups, three Faculty Learning Communities and three campus speakers, and co-sponsored a Teaching, Learning and Technology conference with Instructional Technology.

Developing Ethical Leaders for a Global Society

Objective 9 – Student enrollment in traditionally underrepresented groups (international and students of color) increased to 9.3% in FY11, up from 7.1% in FY10.
Objective 12 - This spring, 29 students participated in study abroad.  This is the largest number of students in nine years.

Partnering for the Future

Objective 13 - The college exceeded two of its goals related to alumni engagement: It provided 17 job opportunities for graduating seniors via alumni connections; and hosted three alumni mentor lunches and 25 alumni speakers in the classroom.

Objective 16 - In the Dana Center, the number of elementary, middle and secondary educational partners increased by seven for a total of 48 in FY11.  Community attendance at Dana Center programs rose by more than 1,200 over FY10 levels.

Advancing Reputation and Reach

Objective 17 – Applications for admission to the college in fall 2012 topped 4,000.

Objective 19 - The Integrated Marketing Committee completed an Integrated Marketing Plan which is being finalized.  An RFP for the development of an Integrated Brand Communication Platform was sent to six marketing firms.  Firm selection will be completed shortly and the project will commence immediately thereafter.

Strengthening and Extending Resources

Objective 21 – A feasibility study for a Capital Campaign began this month.

Objective 22 – Construction is underway on a turf field to enable varsity sports teams to practice outside much earlier in the spring, freeing up the Carr Center for intramurals and club sports.

Objective 23 -  A pilot recycling program in the student apartments resulted in over 70,000 pounds of recycled material.  Approximately 90% of the student residents participated in the program.

As noted before, a communications plan for the roll-out of Vision 2015 is well underway with alumni gatherings held in Florida and Washington D.C., and others scheduled for the future.  You can learn more by visiting the strategic plan page on the college website and signing up to receive periodic blog posts on progress being made.

Academic Affairs

Saint Anselm conferred degrees upon 440 students during commencement exercises May 21, 2011. In all, 23 summa cum laude students received the President’s Award at the Honors Convocation.

Twenty new department minors were approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate in March and April. They also approved new majors in Classical Archaeology and Forensic Science.  These new majors will be forwarded to the Academic Affairs committee for review at the June meeting of the Board of Trustees.

The Common Learning Experience Committee, established in March, has created a tentative structure for the new Freshman Seminar, a year-long course divided into six units of seminars, writing workshops and other elements. The course is intended to accommodate a desire for both a learning experience common to the entire freshman class and flexibility for faculty.

The Nursing Department is working to raise awareness of the new RN to BSN program within the nursing community. Three students have been accepted into the program, which will start in Fall 2011 with an expected enrollment of at least six or seven students. Four faculty members are preparing courses after taking an Office of Information Technology workshop to prepare to teach in the hybrid program, which includes online and classroom instruction.

Student Affairs

Three new student clubs/organizations have been recognized in the past year, the Chamber Music Ensemble, and women’s club lacrosse and club field hockey. About 70 students are involved in the three programs. This spring, adventurous students climbed New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks with the student-created, student-led NH4K program.

The Multicultural Center coordinated the Shape of Diversity Community Mural Project, which was a central feature of the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Program. Led by visiting artist and lecturer Richard Haynes, the project engaged 150 participants in online and face to face dialogues about diversity that provided a foundation for the visual images that are displayed on the collaborative painting in the Dana Center.

The college raised a record $47,000 with the Sr. Pauline Lucier Relay for Life at Saint Anselm College. More than 500 student, faculty, staff and administrators participated, with two students walking in excess of 32 miles throughout the night event.

Sue Weintraub, Director of Student Life and Education, and Yemi Mahoney, Director of the Multicultural Center, spearheaded the college involvement in “Enough  is Enough,” the national awareness week for violence prevention.

Zack Irish, area coordinator for residential life, was elected President of the Residential Life Association for the Granite State.

Athletics

Men’s ice hockey captured its second straight Northeast-10 championship. In men’s basketball, senior Thomas Baudinet was honored with the Northeast-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award and earned a spot on the NE-10 Academic All-Conference Team. He also was named an All-American by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Daktronics.

Four members of the men’s ice hockey team (Brendan Carroll, Kevin Fairweather, Paul Snell and Mike Richard) and four members of the women’s ice hockey team (Kristen Byrne, Marissa Serafino, Sami Tatu and Aly Zappen) were named to the ECAC East All-Academic Team

Baseball’s Robert Kelly has been named the East Region Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the American Baseball Coaches Association and Daktronics. He is assured of a spot on at least the ABCA All-America Team

Marketing and Enrollment Management

Admission

The Office of Admission is pleased to report that there are currently 568 first-year students enrolled in the Class of 2015, surpassing the goal of 550 first-year students. The admission staff is working to maintain this number.  The strongest class to enroll at Saint Anselm College, it currently includes 150 Presidential Scholars in the Class of 2015. The students come from 26 states and three countries.  Transfer student application numbers are strong and deposits are running ahead of Fall 2010.  The admission staff is working to enroll 25 transfer students for Fall 2011, and has 12 transfer deposits.

Financial Aid

As of May, 24, 2011, the financial aid team has reviewed and packaged 1,840 financial aid applications of the 2,950 admitted students for Fall 2011. The team continues to complete the financial aid process for transfer students, and is focused on the 1,100 returning students in need of financial aid packages, various compliance projects, and with maintaining compliance and assisting our families with questions regarding financing the balance of their 2011-2012 costs. We are in the final stages of testing a net price calculator, as required by the federal government for 2011, to enable prospective students to learn more about their cost to attend Saint Anselm.

Communications and Marketing

Barbara LeBlanc, director of news and information, is serving in as Interim AVP for college communication and marketing while a national search is being conducted this summer.  With the conclusion of a flurry of activity to prepare for Commencement, the CCM Department is turning its focus to completing a refresh and reprint of the admission viewbook and companion pieces; production of the summer edition of Portraits magazine; and preparations to make the most of the media attention we will receive for the upcoming CNN Presidential Primary Debates on campus. CCM will also work to cover the debate excitement on campus for the college website and for future promotional materials.

On the digital side, the alumni website is being rebuilt this summer, including a “reskin,” which will make the site look like the rest of the college website, and integration with Facebook, and improved functionality for events, donations and other types of engagement.  The college is looking to improve on its already impressive (relative to peer colleges) social media rankings by convening a Social Media Group (SMG) of those on campus who lead social media efforts for their departments.

As part of the Strategic Plan objective, Extending Reputation and Reach, the college will work with a branding firm over the summer and fall to establish a strategic communication platform that presents Saint Anselm in a distinctive and compelling way for student recruitment, advancement, and all constituencies.

Finance

Endowment – Through April 30, 2011, with consideration of gifts received, it now stands at approximately $95 million.

Turf Field -With the help of Gale Associates, our design/engineering firm for the project, the college selected RAD Sports to install the turf field and lights at Grappone Stadium. RAD is scheduled to have the project substantially completed by August 22, 2011.

Gadbois Hall- Many of the planned renovations of Gadbois were completed over winter semester break.  These improvements included the creation of a new critical care lab/classroom, and a 48 x 20-foot classroom that could hold up to 90 students, and enlarging the existing pediatric lab.  New furnishings and equipment were installed in each of these new areas.  Construction of a new elevator on the south side of Gadbois Hall will commence May 31, 2011.

LEAN Training - Bill Furlong and Jacques Plante underwent training with AXA Financial in preparation for the next Kaizen event, which will cover print management and paper usage.  The plan is to assemble a new LEAN team to look at the current processes and develop new policies and procedures for the upcoming semester. A Kaizen event is a facilitated workshop focused on eliminating waste in operational and administrative processes, not people.

JOA Parking Lot and Grotto – Instead of repaving the Joan of Arc parking lot, at a cost of more than $400,000, the college administration decided to turn this space into green area with a grotto funded by a donor gift.  A replacement parking lot will be developed on the Clark’s Farm property closest to Sullivan Arena.  Plans for both of these areas are still conceptual.

College Advancement

Thanks to the generosity of Trustee Richard L. Bready ’65, the Office of College Advancement launched another Bready Challenge aimed at increasing scholarship support through named annual scholarships and President’s Society membership. Gift officers are making follow-up phone calls and visits to key donors regarding end-of-year giving and this special challenge.  As of May 23, 2011, the office has raised roughly $1.86 million, with an additional $461,000 in pledges, toward our $2.4 million goal.  In addition to the Bready Challenge, targeted solicitations are going out to recent graduates urging them to participate in the Senior Class Gift program, appeals to targeted classes through class agents, and a final fiscal year appeal to those alumni, parents and friends who have not yet donated this fiscal year.

The Office of Alumni Relations and Advancement Programming is planning Reunion Weekend, scheduled for June 10 to 12, as well as several strategic planning events for FY12, including events in Boston, New York City and Hartford, Conn.  The college recently held strategic planning events in Palm Beach, Naples and Washington, D.C., with over 40 guests at each.  The purpose of these events is to give alumni, parents and friends the opportunity to engage in a conversation about the future of Saint Anselm College.

The Alumni Council met on May 21, 2011, to discuss new projects and challenges for FY12, including how they can assist with increasing alumni participation and improving the college’s outreach and engagement of young alumni.

An Artificial Turf Fundraising committee, composed of Jim Flanagan, Athletic Director Jo-Ann Nester, John Gennetti, Joe Horton, Bill Furlong and Patrick Murphy, is working on raising funds for the artificial turf field project. Approximately $450,000 has been raised in gifts and pledges.  Targeted appeals to parents and alumni of lacrosse, football, field hockey and soccer will be mailed before the end of June. A reception to honor high-level donors, coupled with a blessing of the field, is tentatively scheduled for Homecoming Weekend in October.

The CEO Breakfast in April featured Howard Brodsky, chairman and CEO of CCA Global Partners, and was one of  the best attended breakfasts. The next breakfast is scheduled for Fall 2011.  The Corporate Partners Program, which provides scholarship aid for students in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, has raised more than $2 million since it began in 2001.  This year the program is on target to exceed $220,000 in donations.

New Hampshire Institute of Politics

The NHIOP has hosted two 2012 presidential candidates in recent months, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and U.S. Congressman Ron Paul. His son U.S. Senator Rand Paul also appeared at the Institute, as well as 14 scholars, civic leaders, authors and others who offered public lectures. The Politics & Eggs Series has hosted another 2012 candidate, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, among others, garnering local and international news coverage.

In addition to preparing for the June 13 Presidential Primary Debate that will be held on campus with CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader, the NHIOP has partnered with WMUR-TV to provide the Saint Anselm community opportunities to participate in the channel’s “Conversation with the Candidate” series.  The Institute also has entered a new partnership with Harvard University for a series of “Saint Anselm/Harvard Presidential Polls.”

Student Ambassadors have obtained summer internships with FOX News, and the offices of Senators Ayotte, Shaheen, Brown and Collins.  The Institute also is in the final stages of planning the new High School Civic Leadership Academy program, which we hope will involve as many as 200 students from across the state starting in the fall.

Fundraising efforts are underway with a new Primary Sources magazine, new advisory board members, direct mail appeals, and a September fundraising dinner featuring Senators McCain, Kerry, Shaheen, and Ayotte, as well as Washington Post journalist Dan Balz.

Information and Instructional Technology

The office worked with the Meelia Center for Community Service to provide an online system to better manage organizational information, volunteer opportunities and student assignments. It provides the center, 40 local organizations, faculty and students access to real time information.

The office has collaborated with multiple academic and administrative departments to support and promote the use of technology in teaching and learning.  In February, the office sponsored a “Making Spatial Data Work for You: The Power and Utility of GIS” presentation with Biology, Computer Science, and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Also, the office co-hosted the second annual Teaching, Learning, Technology Conference with the Center for Teaching Excellence.  Also, seven faculty members attended the office’s fourth annual Faculty Summer Technology Institute.

Human Resources

Several departments that are based in Alumni Hall will be moving to cooler climes for the summer.  Human Resources will relocate to the third floor of Joseph Hall, College Advancement will move to the NHIOP,  and College Communications and Marketing, with the exception of Melinda Lott and Loretta Martineau, will be moving to the Lower Level of Alumni Hall.  Moves are taking place this week, with the exception of Alumni and Annual Programming which will relocate after the reunion is over.  Individual phone extensions will remain the same during this period of temporary relocation.

Office of Institutional Research

The office’s web page is now more user-friendly and better serves as a repository for institutional data. Located under Faculty and Staff, Leadership and Initiatives, it provides the most commonly requested information about students, such as the retention and graduation rates, and the official Fall 2010 enrollment figures. The Common Data Set, updated annually, is a set of standards and definitions of data frequently requested by the U.S. Department of Education and various surveys, such as U.S. News and World Report.

Committees and Task Force Updates

President’s Steering Committee on Inclusiveness

The President’s Steering Committee on Inclusiveness has completed a document, “Anselmians of Faiths Other Than Catholic,” which will be discussed during the next academic year. This summer the committee will create a brochure for the Office of Admission to provide to prospective students detailing the inclusiveness mission of our college.

Sexual Orientation and Inclusiveness Task Force

Early in Fall 2011, the task force will provide Ally Training for faculty and staff, and offer educational programs for various groups on campus.  The group’s work for the semester also will include recommendations for a Bias Incident Report Team, developing an infrastructure to sustain ongoing efforts on inclusivity and sexual orientation, and establishing funding for this work and the work of the Core Advisory Council for Gay and Lesbian Students.

Core Advisory Council for Gay and Lesbian Students

The Core Council, established to serve as a resource to the Vice President for Student Affairs in identifying the ongoing needs of GLBQ students and to assist the implementation of campus educational programming regarding these matters, had a robust and active first semester of its existence.  Beginning its work in earnest in January 2011, the council designed and conducted a student survey and created a program on the effects of language (“35 Dumb Things People Say”).

Environmental Stewardship Committee

A pilot recycling program in the apartments drew almost 90% student participation and collected more than 70,000 pounds of recycled material. Recycling will extend to Joan of Arc, Baroody and Dominic in the coming academic year, and planning will begin to extend recycling to the academic buildings and dining halls.

For energy conservation, we upgraded several lighting fixtures to LED fixtures (entrance sign light, exterior dorm and academic building lights, roadway lights), turned off refrigeration on some water fountains for the winter and reduced outside lighting. Each project is small, but saves 30% to 60% on energy consumption with a typical payback time of one and a half to six years.

Residence Life sponsored a conservation contest before spring break that saved an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 over one month. Electrical updates will continue as money permits; the Carr center lights are currently being upgraded.

The strategic plan is well underway with formulation of tactical teams and the Implementation Steering Committee, comprised of Pat Shuster, chair; Dr. Alicia Finn, vice-chair; Dr. Hui-Ling Chen, Dr. Peter Cordella, Bill Furlong, Nancy Davis Griffin, and Tricia Guanci Therrien. A sample of progress to date includes:

Creating Educational Distinction

• Objective 1 – A proposal for a new core curriculum was submitted to the President, Dean and Faculty Senate by the Curriculum Review and Revision Committee and has been distributed to the faculty at large for their input.

• Objective 2 – A new major in Physics was approved by the Curriculum Committee and will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate. Two other majors were recently fully approved: Peace and Justice Studies and Environmental Politics and Sustainability. A proposed major in Social Work is currently under review.

• Objective 3 – Seventeen (17) new internship sites for our students have been created.

Developing Ethical Leaders for a Global Society

• Objective 11 – A fundraising plan for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics was developed and implementation has begun.

Partnering for the Future

• Objective 14 – The College is nearing the completion of an articulation agreement with the Concord Community College (NHTI) for criminal justice students, and plans to develop similar agreements for other programs and with the other community colleges in New Hampshire. An articulation agreement between two institutions of higher education establishes which courses one school will accept for credit when it admits transfer students from the other institution.

• Objective 15 – The College submitted 16 grants for a total of $2,483,119, year to date. In all, $2,067,361 in grants have been awarded year to date and seven applications are still pending.

Advancing Reputation and Reach

• Objective 19 – New publications for student recruitment, such as a viewbook and travel brochure, were developed during summer of 2010 to reflect a greater emphasis on academic majors, experiential learning, and outcomes.

• Objective 20 – A College Advancement and Alumni Communication Plan was established in November 2010, including an alumni e-newsletter, Annual Fund flyer, Letter from the President template, a redesigned Portraits magazine, and a plan to communicate Vision 2015.

Stewarding and Extending Resources

• Objective 22 – Depreciation will be fully funded beginning fiscal year 2012, which starts July 1.

A more complete progress report will come out shortly. In addition, a communications plan for the roll-out of Vision 2015 is well underway under the leadership of the Office of College Communications and Marketing. You can also learn more by visiting the strategic plan page on the College website.

The study abroad office of the Center for Experiential Learning is on its way to meeting our strategic objective #12 of expanding opportunities for study abroad for the Saint Anselm College students. 

 The first initiative that we are researching is the creation of strategic partnerships to form signature Saint Anselm College programs overseas.  The first program we are reviewing is the Institute for Central American Development Studies (ICADS) based in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Our investigation has demonstrated that ICADS will offer our students the chance not only to improve their Spanish language skills and learn about Latin American culture but also provides students with experiential learning opportunities through internships and field studies which also supports strategic objective #3. 

We are excited by the prospect of this program and will be meeting with the program directors in Costa Rica in February.

In this video, Brian Penney, Ph.D., a marine ecologist and professor of biology, discusses the importance of a liberal arts education to the sciences, specifically the foundation it provides for critical thinking and understanding the natural world around us.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video produced by College Communications and Marketing

Visit the Creating Educational Distinction section of the strategic planning Web site for more information about this Vision 2015 priority.

As the fall semester draws to a close, I offer this brief update on the process of the Curriculum Review and Revision Committee. Using the principles and outcomes that we sent to the campus community in September, and the substantive responses to these principles and outcomes provided us by department chairs, we have worked at fashioning possible models for a new core curriculum for Saint Anselm College.

While proceeding forward with this work, we have also engaged in formal conversations about current and proposed curricular content with a variety of individuals and groups on campus. During the past several weeks in particular, we have dedicated ourselves to listening to various constituents and express our gratitude to the Inclusiveness Committee, the Student Government Association, the Council on Being Catholic and Benedictine, and the Dean of Students Office.

In order to complete our proposal, we have agreed to gather for a second two-day working retreat on January 10 and 11. We are hopeful and determined that early next semester we will have crafted a proposal for a new core curriculum and accompanying rationale that we can present to the President, the Dean, and the Faculty Senate. We look forward to then taking part in broader community forums and discussions concerning our proposal.

I wish you to know that you have all been extremely well served in this process by the members of this committee, who are not only sacrificing significant amounts of time, but are bringing to this process the careful thought, determined effort and generosity of spirit that it requires and deserves.

We are now ready to roll out the new purchasing procurement process which will affect all departments across the campus. This training will occur in December with the new process being completely implemented by the start of second semester.

The following details the training dates, times, and expectations:

Training for department purchase originators will take place on the following dates/times in the Geisel Library classroom, 2nd floor:

• Wednesday, December 8, 2010: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Friday, December 10: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Tuesday, December 14: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, December 16: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Attendance at a training session will be mandatory to use the CIS purchasing system; going forward in January, the new system will be required for making purchases. There will be limited flexibility in make-up training for those who are legitimately excused from attending training.

Department heads with budget approval authority will receive e-mail instructions on the steps required for approving a purchase order; the e-mail will also contain an attachment consisting of a “quick guide” on approval steps.

Purchase order originators will receive a follow-up communication from the co-chairs of the LEAN Pioneer Team, Bill Furlong and Jacques Plante, on how to sign-up for the training using an online registration form on the Intranet.

I would like to acknowledge the entire LEAN Pioneer team who have led this purchasing process improvement for the college. In addition to Bill Furlong and Jacques Plante, the team is comprised of: Kathy Beausoliel (Nursing), Bob Baron (Finance), Doris Dionne (Physical Plant), Tricia Halliday (Marketing and Enrollment Management), Elizabeth Holmes (Library), Deb MacDonald (Campus Mail Center), Kathleen Parnell (Human Resources), Margaret Pfalzgraf (Athletics), Carol Richards (IT), Margaret Roach (Biology), and Leila Wilder (College Advancement). They have been dedicated and vigilant in ensuring that the process we will be instituting is one that meets with the LEAN processes and fits with the college. I am grateful for their commitment to pioneering this process at the college.

In the future, there will be other processes that we will be looking at once the purchasing procurement process is finalized.  As always, I appreciate the entire college’s support and openness to this effort as we implement this first LEAN process.

We are also in process of developing a comprehensive communication plan that will roll out the strategic plan to alumni, donors, friends. One component will be to have an ongoing feature in the Portraits magazine every edition and feature stories about the successes of the strategic plan.

With the leadership of Doug Minor, we are in the final stages of completing the Web site for the strategic plan, which will be ready for launch shortly around Thanksgiving. One feature we are planning to do is to have a strategic plan blog which will bring to the attention of the community what is happening in real time.  What I would like to do in getting this off the ground is to solicit any of your ideas/thoughts about what exactly is happening in your tactical teams that you are working on related to the plan. Please forward your thoughts directly to me.

Again, thanks for your leadership and participation in the implementation of the plan that is guiding Saint Anselm for the next five years. We are off to a great start!

Study abroad is one of the kinds of practical learning emphasized in Saint Anselm’s new five-year strategic plan, “Looking Within – Reaching Beyond.” Students have studied at universities and colleges in countries as diverse as Russia,

South Africa and Egypt, and the college has offered faculty-led courses in China, France and Italy. In January, students will study in Vietnam with Matthew Masur, associate professor of history. Nationally, the number of students studying abroad has quadrupled in the past two decades—to about 15 out of every 100 students in a bachelor’s degree program.

As a result, by the time they apply for their first jobs after college, many students have international experience that prepares them for roles in globally connected businesses, political settings, and other fields. Increasing study abroad opportunities for Saint Anselm students reflects two of the main directives in the college’s strategic plan, “Looking Within – Reaching Beyond:” Creating educational distinction and developing ethical leaders for a global society. Students on the Peru trip spent time in the ancient city of Cuzco and in Machu Picchu. Students who  studied tropical biology in Belize learned about two incredibly diverse ecosystems—the tropical rainforest and coral reefs of Belize.

Related Links

• Peru Study Tour Photos on Flickr
• Tropical Biology in Belize Photos on Flickr
• Saint Anselm College Videos

Saint Anselm students studied in Belize last summer. The neotropical rainforests and coral reefs of the Central American country are two of the most species-rich ecosystems on earth. It was the third year that professors Lori LaPlante and Eric Berry offered Field Studies in Tropical Biology, introducing students to the biological complexity of the tropics. (Last year’s class also learned a bit about geology, when a 7.3 earthquake struck just off the shore of Honduras.) Using canoes and snorkel gear, students learned to measure coral diversity, survey tropical species, and observe fish behavior.

First-hand experiences stay with them for a long time. I am amazed how often I’ll meet students who had taken the course in the past and still seem to remember every detail…
—Eric Berry, associate professor

The enthusiasm I see in our students reminds me of why I was attracted to field biology in the first place.
—Lori LaPlante, associate professor

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last summer, two Saint Anselm faculty members joined forces in the land of the Incas to offer courses in theology and sociology. Sara Smits taught “Culture and Change in a Globalized World” and Ahida Pilarski taught “The Biblical Concept of Peace” for two weeks in Peru.

The most rewarding learning was perhaps the realization that we all have a common responsibility, as local and global citizens, to construct a better future for humanity.
—Ahida Pilarski, assistant professor

It was a gradual process of changing their ideas of how the world works. You saw it every day, when a student said the words “I can’t believe…” They were able to make the connection and see how they have a lot to offer as global citizens who can help their communities and do something for humanity.
—Sara Smits, assistant professor

Smits focused on the concepts of culture, stratification, and globalization from a sociological perspective. Pilarski, a native of Peru, introduced students to the historical and cultural contexts out of which discourses of peace emerged in the past and continue to be constructed today. Discussions of human rights violations, poverty, religion, and political movements fall into both academic disciplines. Both courses featured presentations by local Peruvians and visits to sites such as Machu Picchu.

Click here to view the embedded video.