To say no one knows the wild flora of Greene County better than Sister Mary Joy Haywood, RSM, PhD is’t
an exaggeration. A botanist, and former chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics who taught at Carlow for 26 years, Haywood spent countless weekends trekking through Greene County since she was
a child.

Sister Mary Joy Haywood

Haywood gives credit to her father, a taxidermist for the Carnegie Museum, for the passion that turned into her life’s work. She is living proof of what her father said about people that love flowers, You put more miles on your car going backward than forward.  

In her recent article “Botanizing in Greene County, Pennsylvania” published in On the Fringe, the newsletter for the Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio, Haywood, former president of the Western Pennsylvania Botany Society, reports on a botany trip she led in Greene County, in which she notes the history of damage done by CONSOL Energy, along with a list of the wildflowers growing in the area—there are 378 varieties of flora at Enlow.

She was surprised to find a new deep coal shaft—CONSOL Energy’s Enlow Fork Mine—and miles of a coal conveyor mechanism. CONSOL slurry had spilled into Enlow tributary and the Department of Energy is investigating and cleaning up the area. Haywood also discovered damage to rare wildflower due to a deep cut caused by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and paid for by Ducks Unlimited, to develop a wetland. Haywood received assurances from that topsoil would be added.

“Both industry and, environmentalists contribute to disturbing soil, and uprooting plants. You can’t separate the plant from the soil in which it grows. When you disturb the soil, you can’t have good plants,” Haywood says, co-author of Wildflowers of Pennsylvania.  

“Plants are key to our existence and for our pleasure; they give us oxygen, food and beauty. These are the reasons why it’s important not to take them for granted, but to appreciate them, enjoy them, and where they grow,” she says.

To purchase Wildflowers of Pennsylvania, please visit the Carlow Bookstore.

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“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
                                            —Andy Warhol, Pittsburgh native and artist.

A few Carlow University students and graduates have found that a 30-second television commercial, billboards, and radio, print and Web ads are giving them more than their 15 minutes of fame.

The integrated marketing campaign conceived and developed by University Communications and Community Relations is working to share the message of a Carlow education in both the local and regional marketplace.

Louise Sciannameo, vice president for University Communications and Community Relations says, “We developed the ‘I Matter’ campaign in response to research about what drives students of all ages to arrive and thrive at Carlow University. The words of our students not only validate their successes but inspire others as they choose their educational paths.”

“The calls never stop, which is kind of fun,” says Cyndie Carioli, a 2009 graduate, who appears in one of two television commercials that have aired on television and on the billboards.

(top to bottom) Tony Tran, Cyndie Cariolo, Gina Chesterfield, Nithya Sittaramane, and Celeste Robinson

Tony Tran, an MBA student with an intended graduation of Summer 2011, and who appears in the same commercial as Carioli, can relate.

“I took a little ribbing about [being in the commercial and on the billboards], from my classmates,” says Tran. “Actually, though, they were happy that a commercial that featured someone in the MBA program was out there.”

Two television and radio commercials—one featuring traditional college students and one featuring adult undergraduate and graduate students—were created around a theme that speaks to the reasons why students choose to get their degree from Carlow. Let Carioli say it:

“My usual response [to those who call her] is: ‘At Carlow University, I Matter.’”

Whether an adult or traditional age student, that theme reverberates in their answers to why they chose Carlow.

“I definitely got a sense that I mattered at Carlow when I came onto campus,” says John Boy, a senior biology major, who is featured in the traditional student commercial. “Everyone made me feel at ease, and I got a feeling that I would be getting more of a personalized education.”

He’s not alone in feeling this way.

“Being part of the campaign has given me the opportunity to express to others how much I enjoy being at Carlow,” says Gina Chesterfield, a junior nursing major, who says she’s gotten a lot of positive feedback from fellow students, friends, relatives, and just from people recognize who her face from the commercials. “I chose Carlow for the great nursing program, but I also chose Carlow because it allows me to continue to play volleyball—a sport that I love—and get an excellent education at the same time. I know I matter at Carlow University because the professors and coaches are very flexible and work together to help me achieve my goals.  I also know that their doors are always open and I can seek their help whenever I need guidance.”

That personal touch is something that appeals to graduate students, too.

“One of the most significant factors that led to me choosing Carlow was the personal touch of the MBA advisors and faculty,” says Tran. “All of the professors know my name. I immediately felt a connection with the Carlow faculty and know I can come to them with personal and career advice.”

Sometimes it’s not advice so much as encouragement that’s offered.

“My first thought as an adult student returning to college was that I couldn’t do this,” says Celeste Robinson, who graduated in 2009, but has returned for a certificate in education. “But every time I says, ‘I can’t do this,’ there was an instructor there to reach out to me and help me.  Every time I wanted to give up, someone pulled me along telling me that ‘I can do this.’ They even made study cards for me that says, ‘I can do this.’”

Robinson, who appears on billboards and in the adult student TV commercial, mentioned that experience in the commercial.

“I tell people who ask that what I say in the commercial is true. It really happened,” says Robinson, who adds that she has gotten a lot of positive feedback from being in the commercial and on the billboard. “I have had people come up to me in the grocery store who tell me that they saw my commercial. My friends and family loved it. It’s so funny to me because people think I am famous.”

Fame is nice, of course, but the staff in the Admissions Department has noticed something more tangible with the increased visibility for Carlow.

“I think some students are sometimes reluctant to admit that they applied to a school because they saw a billboard or a TV commercial,” says Susan Winstel, director of Traditional Day Admissions. “But we are seeing advertising cited as a factor more and more often.”

“I have talked with students who have mentioned that they have seen the billboards and commercials,” says Dawna Horton, an admissions counselor. “They are getting noticed.”

But for the students who appear in the commercials and on the billboards, it was neither a desire to get noticed nor eagerness to get their 15 minutes of fame that led them to participate in the advertising campaign. It was something more transformational.

“I chose Carlow because when I came here for a visit it felt like home to me,” says Dawnese Booker, a corporate communication major who graduated in May 2010, who knew that would be an important factor for a place that she would live for four years. “Before I went to Carlow, I didn’t have confidence in myself.  I knew I was an intelligent person, but I wasn’t sure I could succeed. My time at Carlow prepared me and gave me the confidence that I needed to succeed.”

It doesn’t matter the age of the student either.

“People ask me if I was paid to appear in the commercial, and I tell them it was a labor of love,” says Carioli, who is the director of a senior center on the South Side hilltop area of Pittsburgh. “If it wasn’t for Carlow, I wouldn’t have my degree or the job I have now."

To watch 'At Carlow, I Matter' commercials, please visit Carlow's YouTube channel.

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In December, Mary Burke, PhD, the director of Carlow’s doctoral program in counseling psychology, will have show the film Amexica—of which she was a co-executive producer—and speak to the United Nations about human trafficking.

Mary C. Burke, PhD

“This is a tremendous opportunity to address an audience with global influence about the human rights abuse of human trafficking,” says Burke.  “The film, Amexica, has provided an opening to discuss the subject before people who can make a difference in their countries.”

Amexica, a short film about the phenomenon of trafficking in persons, is directed by Ron Krauss, and features actors Joseph Ferranta and Annalynne McCord as a couple of scam artists, who purchase a poor boy for their own financial benefit.  In this film the young boy represents all the unknown people, including women and young children who are exploited from all parts of the world for labor and/or sex.    

The film premiered in the Hollywood Film Festival in October 2009, and has since won numerous awards from festivals worldwide, including the Mexico International Film Festival, the Honolulu International Film Festival, the Malibu Film Festival, and the Beijing International Film Festival. Amexica has also been selected for 20 film festivals and made an Oscar-qualifying run from September 24 through 26, 2010 at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in Los Angeles.  It is expected that this powerful short film will eventually have a viewership of more than 4 million people.

Burke is one of the founders of the Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT). PEHT was established in 2004 as a non-profit organization as part of the anti-slavery movement. The mission of PEHT is to work towards
the elimination of trafficking in persons, especially women and children trafficked for the purpose of
sexual exploitation.  

Watch Amexica trailer.

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Michele Fabrizi (’75), president and CEO of MARC USA spoke, in her capacity as the donor of an endowed scholarship and member of the Callaghan Society, at this year’s Legacy Dinner, an annual event hosted by Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University.

(l-r) Carlow University senior Emily Kolek, the recipient of the Michele S. Fabrizi Woman of Spirit® Endowed Scholarship with Michele Fabrizi (’75), president and CEO of MARC USA.

Held on November 4, 2010, at 6 p.m. in the A.J. Palumbo Hall of Science and Technology Atrium, the event, which had been traditionally a luncheon, was moved to the evening to accommodate donors, alums, and students who previously couldn’t attend due to scheduling constraints.

“We were pleased with the increased turnout of students, endowment donors and prospective donors, Callaghan Society members and prospective members, faculty and staff,” says Anita Dacal, executive director of Advancement. “We were also very pleased to see parents and grandparents who attended.”

A 2000 Woman of Spirit,^®  Fabrizi and MARC USA established the Michele S. Fabrizi Woman of Spirit^® Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship, which offers a paid internship at MARC USA, in addition to scholarship support, has become a model for other endowed scholarships. Fabrizi developed this model for this  "value-added scholarship." Additionally, Fabrizi is a member of the Callaghan Society having included Carlow University in her estate plan.

Her remarks were followed by the recipient of the Michele S. Fabrizi Woman of Spirit^® Endowed Scholarship, Carlow University senior Emily Kolek, who is a corporate communication major. Mary Louise Lehamnn Gailliot (’64), of the Galliot Family chair for the Principal of The Campus School of Carlow University, spoke on behalf of The Campus School endowment.

Dacal estimates the attendance topped more than 125. Among those in attendance was alumna Anne McGowan ('60), the donor of the Anne DeNardo McGowan, JD ’60 Endowed Doctor of Nursing Practice Award. This new award will be presented to a DNP student at Carlow’s winter commencement on
December 17th.

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Carlow University's Professional Writing Program has developed a grant writing certificate. Classes begin in spring 2011. Students can earn the certificate when they take a three-course sequence and maintain a 2.5 or higher GPA in the courses.

"A grant writing certificate would be helpful for a student seeking a grant writing or non-profit job," says Irene Lietz, assistant professor of English. "The idea actually came from the students who have taken these courses and realized how valuable a grant writing certificate would be in the job market."

The sequence of classes that leads to the grant writing certificate include: EN 244 Corporate Writing, EN 347 Foundation Proposals, and EN 349 Government Grants. Students are encouraged to take the classes in that order because EN 244 prepares students for EN 347 and EN 347 is a prerequisite for EN 349.

For more information about the Grant Writing certificate please contact Irene Lietz at ialietz@carlow.edu or 412.578.8839.

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Diana R. Paladino, BSN, MSN, an associate professor at Carlow University in the School of Nursing, was awarded a 2010 Cameos of Caring^® Award in the nurse educator category at the 12th Annual Cameos of Caring Awards Gala at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, downtown, on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

Diana R. Paladino

“As a child, I dreamed of being a teacher and a nurse,” says Paladino.  “My dream has come true at Carlow University, where I have been given the opportunity to be a nurse who teaches.”

Paladino, a Belle Vernon native who resides in Jefferson Hills, graduated from Shadyside School of Nursing where she received her RN. She received a BSN from LaRoche College and a MSN from Duquesne University.

Paladino finds the most satisfying part of her career is helping patients and their families in their time of need, all while she was helping her apprehensive students to become confident and knowledgeable nurses.

“Nursing is a challenging profession. It requires dedication and a current knowledge base. I enjoy participating in conferences and online programs so I can be up to date on the ever changing environment of patient care,” says Paladino. “There is always more that a nurse can do to help people.”

Paladino is the faculty advisor and a member of for Sigma Theta Tau International Society, Eta Epsilon Chapter, and she was honored as Carlow University’s Advisor of the Year in 2007.

Including Paladino, four of the nine awards in the nurse educator category went to nurses with Carlow ties.  John O’Donnell, who earned his BSN from Carlow in 1983, received the nurse educator award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.  Donna Dexter, CRNP, who received her nurse practitioner certification from Carlow in 1998, was recognized with the nurse educator award from West Penn Allegheny Health System’s Citizens School of Nursing. Rosanna Henry, who earned her BSN from Carlow in 1979, received the nurse educator award from Duquesne University. 

In addition, Miranda Kilpatrick, who received her BSN in 2006 from Carlow, was the Cameos of Caring^® awardee from West Penn Allegheny Health System’s Forbes Regional Hospital, and Christine Ann Vitale, who received her BSN from Carlow in 1980, was one of the Advanced Practice Award winners from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. 

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Each place has its own peculiarities, which must be yielded to when possible. —Catherine McAuley

How does a congregation that emphasizes local governance, yet has dwindling membership, continue to be a good sponsor to its thriving institutions?

Sister Sheila Carney, RSM, provides an answer to that question in “The Conference for Mercy Higher Education: One Congregation’s Choice for Preserving Its Charism,” to be published in the winter issue of the Journal of Catholic Higher Education, apeer-reviewed journal for the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities.

According to Carney, special assistant to the president for Mercy Heritage and Service, “The journey the Sisters of Mercy took to find new ways to be faithful stewards of our institutions was a wonderful collaboration, but not without pain. Longstanding relationships had to change as we had to learn how to be together in
new ways.”

For the Sisters of Mercy, respect for locality and individuality has always been central in the creation of Mercy institutions. This approach allowed for the development of distinctive cultures informed by a particular people and place. For the sixteen Mercy institutions of higher education this meant that each enjoyed sponsorship by their respective local congregations.

Caption

However, after two major shifts in the structure of the congregation, this local model of sponsorship was no longer feasible for the Sisters. The first transition was the formation of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in 1991, which combined 17 separate congregations into one. The second major transition occurred in 2006, with the reorganization of the institute into six communities.

These changes paved the way for the creation of the Conference for Mercy Higher Education (CMHE) organizing all Mercy colleges and universities under a sponsorship umbrella.

Carney, the first chair of the Canonical Sponsors Council, which is the group of Sisters of Mercy who exercise canonical authority within CMHE and who served in that capacity for four years, describes the ups and downs of that journey from the death of the first executive director in the midst of the formation of CMHE to how the congregation collaborated and negotiated with institutions in finding the balance between their respective cultures and centralized
Mercy sponsorship.

“The Sisters of Mercy honor our history in higher education and have sense of responsibility of stewardship for those institution, and work hard to ensure viability and mercy roots,” says Carney.

In her article, she notes that the congregation’s goal was to “… preserve and strengthen its charism in its ministry of higher education, as well as on individual campuses.” Toward that end and in that spirit, Carney shows how the sisters invited their sponsored institutions to abide with them on this journey.

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Carlow University Theatre (CUT) performed Thornton Wilder's immortal American classic Our Town, November 11 through November 13, and November 18 through November 20 at 8 p.m. in Carlow's Rosemary Heyl Theatre located in Antonian Hall.

Directed by Steve Fatla, CUT’s founder and producer, Our Town is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, as it presents the daily lives of the inhabitants of a New Hampshire village. Through birth, love, work, marriage, death, and the slow, inexorable passage of time, Wilder reminds of the eternals of the human condition.

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YWCA Award for Racial Justice

Allyson Lowe, PhD, assistant professor of
political science (left), and Emma Lucas-Darby, PhD, professor of social work (right), flank Sister Sheila Carney, RSM, who accepted the YWCA Award for Racial Justice on behalf of the
Sisters of Mercy.

Global Awareness Day

The flags of 19 nations were on display in
the A.J. Palumbo Hall of Science and Technology on Global Awareness Day on Wednesday, November 17, 2010.  Eight flags represent the nations where our Carlow students have studied abroad while 11 flags represent
the nations of international students who are currently enrolled at Carlow.

Employee Recognition

Even on Employee Recognition Day, a day
set aside to honor members of the Carlow community for their service to the University, Carlow faculty and staff showed they always think of others less fortunate by providing Thanksgiving baskets that made the holiday just a bit more festive for local families.

Sounds of the Symphony

Through a special partnership with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, members of the Carlow community
may purchased tickets to the December 3, 4, and 5 performances of the Verdi Requiem. The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass Requiem for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi.

To order tickets by phone, please call 412.392.3324.

To order online, please visit culturaldistrict.org.