About Saint Michael's
Saint Michael's in the News - 2004 Archives
Seeking success
By Todd Hart
December 29, 2004
Chris White, of Salem, New Hampshire chose Saint Michael's College for its basketball and academics.
“It was a good fit and looked like a place where I could succeed both academically and athletically,” said White. “I liked the Burlington area and it’s an ideal distance from home.”
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Let’s talk about S E X … but how?
By Susan Green
December 22, 2004
"The goal of St. Mike's Professor Lamb's online research project is to determine whether straight, gay and lesbian adults had similar nascent sexual experiences as children. This question emerged from a 1993 study she began at St. Michael's and eventually expanded to include a cross-section of 125 adult women in 26 states. They were asked to reflect on their sexual play and games as kids."
----------------------------------------------------------------Christmas isn't what it used to be
By Sally Pollack, Free Press Correspondent
December 19, 2004
Jeffrey Trumbower, professor of religion is quoted in an article on the changing traditions of the Christmas season.
"'It has become an occasion for reflection on God becoming human,' Trumbower said."
---------------------------------------------------------------- A time to help - M.O.V.E Highlights
By Emily Guziak, Free Press correspondent
December 10, 2004
The following clip appeared Friday, Dec. 10:
"The Saxon Hill School families became involved in the fund-raising efforts after Saxon Hill parent Meg Beliveau heard a talk in November by Atem Deng, 23, a Sudanese refugee who lives in Johnson, and St. Michael's College professor Robert Lair. The pair spoke to a Jericho church about the lack of food and education for refugee camp children, and of their fund-raising project through MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) International to build schools in the refugee camp."
The following clip appeared Tuesday, Nov. 15:
"Deng, one of 40 Sudanese refugees who came to Burlington from Kakuma in northern Kenya, has teamed up with a St. Michael's College group called MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) International to raise money to build schools in a refugee camp in Uganda.
Deng and Robert Lair, a professor of religious studies at St. Michael's College, have a goal of raising $10,000 for the schools and will join members of St. Michael's faculty and students traveling to Africa in May to carry out the plans."
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Dark Tales
By Rosemary Ford
December 16, 2004
Dr. Judith Hillman, education professor, is quoted in the following article about Lemony Snicket that appeared in the Pulitzer-Prize winning daily paper of North Andover, Mass., The Eagle-Tribune.
"I think many people, well-meaning people, think children's literature should only present positive things, because it is an important socializing agent in our society, but good literature, like Shakespeare and Dickens, should be much more worthy than that."
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Saint Michael's student receives highest Girl Scout Honor
December 6, 2004
By Tom Killin Dalglish
"For the first time in its history, the Tiverton-Little Compton [R.I.] Girl Scouts will confer the highest award possible in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award, on one of its most accomplished members, Courtney Wakem. Only 3 percent of Girl Scouts nationally earn the award."
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Fear Factor
December, 2004
Chair and associate professor of political science, Kristin Novotny's essay, “Fear Factor,” about the presidential election, appears along with her photo in the December 2004 issue of Vermont Woman.
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Counting off the centuries at Saint Michael’s
December 3, 2004
By Dan Wolfe
President Marc vanderHeyden is praised for bringing the arts to the community in a rave review article on the Humanities Program Concert held on campus Nov. 19. The review concludes with the following paragraph:
“President Marc vanderHeyden is certainly a mover and shaker in the arts world locally, since he and his wife Dana have raised the arts flag over Saint Michael’s ever since they have been there. Much thanks is due them for the influence they have in the local arts scene.”
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College Tries
December 1, 2004
By Margot Harrison, Seven Days writer
A Seven Days story about college literary magazines includes a very laudatory description of Saint Michael’s own Onion River Review.
"The poems in the Onion River Review are generally excellent, with contributions from faculty and alumni appearing alongside those from current students. Contemplative and descriptive, they evoke old houses, empty fields and desolate landscapes such as those in “At-Bashi, Kyrgyzstan” — by alumnus Eric Boyer, who worked in the Kyrgyz Republic with the Peace Corps."
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World AIDS Day
December 1, 2004
Activities organized by political science associate professor Patricia Siplon and her students were covered by Vermont Public Radio with two photos on page 2B of the Burlington Free Press, and by WCAX-TV, Channel 3, which showed footage of the symbolic graves planted on campus, and interviewed Siplon and Jamila Headley '07. 
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Saint Michael's own Aficionados
December 2004
Security Officers Steve Cushing and Stephen Chase's photo appears on page 254 of Cigar Aficionado.
The caption reads:
“With cigars in tow, Steve Cushing and Stephen Chase are well prepared for the St. Michael’s College Golf Tourney in West Bolton, Vermont."
----------------------------------------------------------------Saint Michael's Sports Highlights
By Jeff Pinkham and Ted Ryan, Free Press Staff Writers
November 22, 2004
The Free Press sports pages ran a story every day this week on the upcoming season of one of the Saint Michael’s winter sports teams, hockey and men's and women's basketball.
----------------------------------------------------------------'Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise': interview with Donna Freitas
By Neal Charnoff
November 19, 2004
An interview with religious studies assistant professor, Dr. Donna Freitas:
"What does contemporary culture have to offer today's young women? Vermont author Donna Freitas examines this question in her new book, Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise: Spirituality for the Bridget Jones in All of Us.
Freitas examines the world of Bridget Jones, Carrie Bradshaw and the new genre known as Chick Lit, and filters her observations through the compass of spirituality. With the book, Freitas hopes to give women a new perspective on their spiritual journeys."
----------------------------------------------------------------Saint Michael's College Receives Business of the Year Award
Free Press Staff Report
November 9, 2004
Saint Michael’s was honored with the top annual award from the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce for the Vermont business with over 300 employees. It was praised for the fact that over 200 of the college’s 500 employees have been at Saint Michael’s over ten years. Emcee Richard Tarrant (SMC ’65) said, “Saint Michael’s gives back again and again to our community.”
In accepting the award, President Marc vanderHeyden, said to the 650 people assembled in the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, “At the core, Saint Michael’s is dedicated to inquiry, inquiry, inquiry. We will continue to teach students that discovery of their universe and of themselves is our mission.”
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Putzel & Letovsky on Montreal radio
November 3, 2004
Business Professors Roger Putzel and Robert Letovsky were interviewed Nov. 3 on 89.5 FM in Montreal with Paul Arcand. The interview is in French and Saint Michael’s is mentioned frequently. The professors discussed the U.S. election from the perspective of a Republican (Letovsky) and Democrat (Putzel).
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Trustee Michael McGrath Receives PDMA's First Lifetime Achievement Award
November 1, 2004
The award cites PRTM Co-Founder, McGrath for his ''Superior and Unique Contributions'' to New Product Management.
"Michael McGrath, co-founder of management consulting firm Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM), received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) Oct. 25 at this year's 2004 PDMA International Conference in Chicago."
----------------------------------------------------------------Election Endings
November 1, 2004
Dr. Traci Griffith, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, gave commentary about making a choice and the much-welcome end of the long election season broadcasts.
----------------------------------------------------------------Finding your Inner Bridget
By Tim Johnson, Free Press Staff Writer
October 27, 2004
An article about Dr. Donna Freitas, assistant professor of religious studies, and her new book appears on page 1C of the Burlington Free Press along with two beautiful photographs.
----------------------------------------------------------------Tech sector reawakening in Vermont
By Shawn Turner, Free Press Staff Writer
October, 23, 2004
An article highlighting former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, who spoke at Saint Michael's Oct. 28th:
"Vermont's technology will likely see a job boom during the next 10 years, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said Friday.
Reich said he was 'very optimistic and very bullish,' when it comes to Vermont's economic future, and much of that hopefulness stems from what he sees as technology's potential in the state."
----------------------------------------------------------------St. Michael's at a century: Colchester college looks forward to continuing 100 years' work of education in the liberal arts
By Matt Sutkoski, Free Press Staff Writer
October 23-24th
The Free Press ran a page-one color photo about the Centennial Convocation and two more color photos on the front of section B, the Vermont section.
Four news scripts were combined with video images to make the WCAX-TV news coverage of the Saint Michael’s Centennial Convocation and the college’s hosting of the Gubernatorial debate on campus. http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=452989
----------------------------------------------------------------Grads say Saint Michael's is a place to find one's niche
By Jill Fahy, Free Press Staff Writer
October 22, 2004
Extensive profiles of three Saint Michael's alumni and the role that the college had on their lives is a top story in the Free Press.
"Ask Terry Francis about his days at St. Michael's College and he'll tell a story about a young man without a lot of direction who joined the campus' volunteer ambulance service and found his calling. Ernie Pomerleau will describe his alma mater as a place where free thought ran wild and lasting friendships were forged. Sen. Patrick Leahy recalls that St. Michael's provided the backdrop for a lifelong romance and a future of public service to his home state.
These men graduated years apart and their experiences are unique, but each remembers St. Michael's College as a welcoming place where students were encouraged to find their niche in life and excel at it."
In addition to this article, a shining editorial states:
"As St. Michael's College celebrates its centennial year, perhaps the greatest tribute to the Catholic liberal arts school is the enduring loyalty it inspires in its alumni."
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Progressives look to add seats
By Ross Sneyd, Associated Press
October 21, 2004
An AP article quotes Saint Michael’s political science professor Bill Grover:
"'I think it's not unrealistic to think the Progressives might get a net gain of three seats,' said Bill Grover, a St. Michael's College political scientist."
----------------------------------------------------------------Saint Michael's College celebrates centennial anniversary
October 19, 2004
Mitch Wertlieb talks with Saint Michael's President Marc vanderHeyden about the school's history.
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Political whipping post
By Darren Allen
Oct 17, 2004
Economics professor Herb Kessel was quoted in an article on Gov. James Douglas and his Democratic challenger, Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle and their plans for the state's economy.
"'Can a legislature or a governor make a difference in the economy?' said Herb Kessel, an economics professor at St. Michael's College who studied what happened to the hundreds of people laid off by General Electric in Burlington in the last decade. 'The answer is yes, but only at the margins. In large measure, the state of our economy is fundamentally tied to New England and, increasingly, to the world.'"
----------------------------------------------------------------Analysis: Two-man contest shifts focus of governor's race
By Ross Sneyd
October 13, 2004
Political Science Professor Bill Grover is quoted in the following AP story that ran in the Burlington Free Press and statewide in daily papers that subscribe to the Associated Press.
"'A two-way race is cleaner,' St. Michael's College political scientist Bill Grover said. 'You don't have the possibility of playing one guy off the other.'"
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Clavelle stresses government, Douglas the marketplace
September 24, 2004
Political Science Professor Bill Grover was quoted in a statewide Associated Press story. He appeared as follows:
“Bill Grover, a political scientist at St. Michael’s College, said Clavelle and Douglas so far have presented a more distinct choice for voters, a contrast with the presidential campaign that’s gotten hung up on Vietnam War and National Guard Service……’At the presidential level, fundamental differences have almost ceased to exist,’ Grover said. ‘What’s happening at the gubernatorial level could break down into the same kind of pointless debate that’s happened at the national level. If this debate boils down to a semantic thing, then I think we have lost something important, which is a philosophical debate.’"
Earlier, Professor Grover was quoted in a nationwide Knight Ridder story titled “GOP convention arrests eclipse previous records” that appeared in the Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat among other papers, on Sept. 2. Professor Grover was quoted:
“'Police are much more likely to put people into pens and react aggressively with physical force than they were before Seattle. It has gotten worse since 9/11,' said William Grover, a political science professor at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt."
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Presidential Debates Raise a Crowd
By John Briggs, Free Press Staff Writer
October 1, 2004The Burlington Free Press had front-page coverage of the masses that gathered at Saint Michael's to watch the premiere presidential debate. There was also a news report on WCAX-TV, Channel 3, that ran at 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. This coverage of Saint Michael’s students and faculty watching the Presidential debate was one of many media accounts. Also covering the occasion were WPTZ Channel 5, Vermont Public Radio, 96.7 FM The Zone, and a number of other radio stations.
"Vermonters, along with much of the rest of the country, settled in at 9 p.m. in front of TV screens in bars, college lounges and at home for the 90-minute event, broadcast live from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.
An attentive student crowd of about 200 gathered at the McCarthy Arts Center at St. Michael's College to watch President George Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, on a big screen."
----------------------------------------------------------------Tarrant gives $1 million to Saint Michael's College for scholarships
September 28, 2004
The following script went with news stories that ran on WCAX-TV, channel 3 on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 a.m. Footage included the Tarrant Recreation Center in use by students, shooting hoops and running on the track. The gift was also announced on Vermont Public Radio and in the Burlington Free Press on Sept. 29.
"IDX founder Richard Tarrant is making another big donation to his college alma mater. Tarrant plans to give a one million dollar gift to fund student scholarships at St. Michael's College.
Tarrant is a 1963 graduate of St. Mike's, where he was a basketball star. He went on to found IDX Systems -- a software company based in South Burlington. The company employs 21-hundred people and reported profits of nearly 400-million dollars last year. Tarrant has given millions from his personal fortune to St. Michael's over the years--including funding for a student recreation center on campus."
----------------------------------------------------------------Saint Michael's women make IT their business
September 18, 2004
Greta Pangborn, assistant professor of computer science, is quoted in a story discussing why women are a minority in the IT Industry. The story included a large photo of a Saint Michael’s computer science classroom, picturing students Eileen O’Sullivan and Hillary Dienst. Hillary, a computer science major, is quoted in the story:
"'I like solving problems,' she said. 'When you write a program and something's not working right, and then you figure it out, it makes you feel good about it.'"
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Saint Michael's in the Congressional Records
September 13, 2004
Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put Saint Michael's College in the limelight during a speech in front of the House of Representatives:
"The founders knew they were sowing the seeds for building character and giving a base for achievement in the secular world, but even they could not have foreseen that graduates of St. Michael's would serve in the United States Senate, and head some of America's largest and most important corporations, or win the Pulitzer Prize. Many graduates serve their fellow men and women, here and abroad, with great dedication, though that they could have foreseen, for commitment to the welfare of the underprivileged and dispossessed has always been central to the Edmundite mission."
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Celebrating a Century
By Tom Slayton
Fall 2004
The article on Saint Michael's highlights the college and its history and growth as a liberal arts institution in the light of Catholic faith.
----------------------------------------------------------------Passion for Numbers: St. Michael’s professor teaches accounting and investigates discrepancies
September 13, 2004
An article about the research of Dr. Mark Nigrini, new assistant professor of business and accounting, highlights the investigative values of patterns.
“Dr. Mark Nigrini, shown in his office recently, is an assistant professor of business and accounting at St. Michael’s College. Nigrini looks for patterns in numbers that might tell him something is amiss. He also consults for some of the top corporations in the world as well as the IRS in tracking down earnings manipulations, tax evasion, electricity theft and more.”
----------------------------------------------------------------Saint Michael's College centennial shows balance of heritage, growth
September 12, 2004
The following Associated Press excerpt is from a news story on Saint Michael’s Centennial that appeared in the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.
"For one, students have more ground to cover. In 1904 Saint Michael's was a single building; the campus has since grown to 440 acres, numerous dorms, classrooms and athletic facilities. The size and makeup of the student body have also changed: In its first year only 34 students were enrolled, mostly from the surrounding area and ranging in age from 10 to 22. Today some 1,900 undergraduates from around the United States and 20 countries call Saint Michael's home."
Weighing the past and future has proven a delicate balancing act, said Saint Michael's President Marc vanderHeyden.
'The college has tried to maintain a very strong acceptance of the original mission of the founding fathers, to keep this college in the Catholic domain,' said the Belgian-born vanderHeyden, 66. 'Even though that is becoming more of a question to our onlookers, who find it difficult to distinguish between us and another liberal arts college.'"
----------------------------------------------------------------Semester opening
August 25, 2004
The WCAX-TV, Channel 3, story on Saint Michael’s ran at 6:30 p.m. showed glowing footage of the campus, Centennial banners and Cashman Hall. Some of Vice President Mike Samara’s interview was also aired:
"The fall semester is about to begin at St. Michael's college. This weekend, almost 2000 students will arrive at the college for the start of the 2004-2005 school year. The college has been through a major transformation over the past few years. Two new residential halls have been added, allowing the school to house almost all of its students, and the college has updated some of its other facilities. ((a busy summer, a lot of demolition and construction, new energy coming tomorrow with students, good times)) This academic year marks the 100th anniversary at the college. Many events are scheduled for both the college and the community."
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The changing feminine
August, 2004
Psychology Professor Sharon Lamb was quoted in Cosmopolitan, a magazine with a documented circulation of 2,860,024 readers. The article's subtitle: “It’s one thing to be a tad nasty sometimes, but recently a new variety of mean girl has emerged. We explore the evil uprising and offer advice on handling a she-devil.”
Professor Lamb is quoted as saying: “It’s always been a dog-eat-dog world, but now it’s become cat-eat-cat as women battle one another—spurred on by men—for jobs,” says Sharon Lamb, professor of psychology at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, and author of The Secret Lives of Girls.”
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Master's champions again
August, 2004
U.S. News & World Report's “America’s Best Colleges: 2005 Annual Guide,” listed Saint Michael’s for the 15th consecutive year in the top 15 Northern universities with master’s programs category.
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Media and political entertainment
By Charles Passy
August 10, 2004
Associate Professor of Journalism David T.Z. Mindich, a former CNN assignment editor, is quoted on the increasing role that politically based entertainment — with all its splash and sizzle — is having. "'In a democracy, we need passion," he concludes. "But we also need facts.'"
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Healing through forgiveness
By Garret Condon
July 25, 2004
In an article on the healing power of forgiveness, Sharon Lamb, professor of psychology, says one result of the recent emphasis on forgiveness in psychotherapy is that people feel pressured to forgive and feel as if they're bad people if they can't or won't. "I don't think we need to put more pressure on people to create their own happiness than they already have," she said.
----------------------------------------------------------------International studies connect the world locally
July 21, 2004
Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put Saint Michael's College in the limelight during a speech in front of the House of Representatives.
"It is important that we recognize those who do the essential and heroic work of building the bridges that unite the international community. Today I want to recognize the fine work of the School for International Studies at St. Michael's College, a private liberal-arts college in Colchester, VT, as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary. During the past five decades, over 15,000 international students have studied English at the St. Michael's campus in Colchester."
----------------------------------------------------------------International studies anniversary
July 19, 2004
The text reprinted below comes from a story that ran on WCAX-TV, Channel 3, showing the McCarthy Arts Center recital hall filled in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the School for International Studies.
"Saint Michael's College is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its School for International Studies. Since 1954 more than fifteen-thousand foreign students have earned their degrees at Saint Michael's. (Marc vanderHeyden) Saint Michael's College President: 'In this part of Vermont you would not expect this kind of international flavor in an institution of higher learning. And we have been very fortunate because each one of these students makes an imprint.'"
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Wired in the Dorms
By Jill Fahy
July 19, 2004
Saint Michael's is highlighted in an article exploring technology on Vermont campuses:
"Saint Michael's College, a residential school now capable of housing 100 percent of its students, outfits its dorm rooms with high-speed Internet access and cable television. The school's first wireless Internet connections are being installed in one of the academic buildings this summer.
'We expect for the education experience to last nights and weekends, not just while you're in the classroom,' Buff Lindau said. 'We don't want students going home every weekend.'"
----------------------------------------------------------------World Aids Conference
July 14, 2004
Researcher and activist Patricia Siplon, Saint Michael's College political science professor, discusses the World AIDS Conference in Thailand.
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I did it God's way
By Kevin Kernan
July 11, 2004
Alumni Father John Pierce, 72, is featured in an article on his accomplishments and feat of going to the Olympics:
"He has served God, his country and his fellow man. A high-school and college football star, he went in the Army for two years in the mid-'50s. Then he went to Vietnam as a chaplain. Forty two years later, he has volunteered his services to go to war again, this time to Iraq to be a chaplain. Now, he's off to Greece, for his lifelong dream of the Olympics - where he'll serve as a volunteer chaplain."
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Democratic National Convention
July 7, 2004
Saint Michael’s junior David O’Connor is profiled on the Web site of the Boston hosts of the Democratic National Convention.
----------------------------------------------------------------News and entertainment's changing roles
July 7, 2004
Journalism Assistant Professor Traci Griffith recently went to see the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and the film prompted some thoughts on the role of America's news organizations.
(Griffith) "Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's much anticipated, albeit controversial, documentary film was released to the public on June 25, 2004. As the only film in Cannes Film Festival history to warrant a press conference after being awarded its top prize, this small film now carries the torch held earlier this year by Mel Gibson's The Passion."