News and Events

Rosemont, PA - Rosemont College has received a financial grant of $100,000 from The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the Walmart Foundation. The Walmart College Success Award will assist Rosemont with funding for the institution’s Bridge to Success, a pre-orientation program designed to enhance retention of first-generation students. Rosemont was one of only 30 colleges nationwide to receive the funding.

Through the Walmart College Success Award program, 30 CIC member colleges and universities, selected through a competitive application process, will receive substantial grants to help strengthen exemplary programs that support the education of first-generation students. The newly selected 30 institutions and the 20 initial College Success Award recipients will work together as a network to assist first-generation college students, learn from one another, and serve as models for other colleges and universities.

Located in suburban Philadelphia, Rosemont College offers students an exceptional and comprehensive, coeducational learning experience. The College’s Bridge to Success is offered each August for incoming students and offers them academic support which emphasizes writing and reading, college readiness, and study skills. A group of select students will also receive individual mentoring to assist with team building. All participating students are monitored throughout the academic year by the Program’s coordinator and the Student Academic Support Center.

“Rosemont College has made a commitment to offer a comprehensive learning experience to all interested and qualified students,” said Marilyn Moller, Bridge to Success Coordinator and Director of Education at Rosemont College. “This award is a wonderful way to advance Rosemont’s Mission, its dedication to the Program, and most importantly its dedication to educate our students. We are very grateful to the CIC and the Walmart Foundation for establishing this award.”

In 2009, the CIC received a second grant of $3 million from the Walmart Foundation to support the second cohort of award recipients. Twenty CIC member institutions with programs that show the greatest promise of increasing retention of the largest number of first-generation students were selected to receive grants of $100,000. Ten institutions that have established worthy projects with a smaller scope of impact or are more experimental in nature will receive $50,000 awards. All award winners have an undergraduate enrollment that includes at least 30 percent first-generation students among the most recent classes of first-year students.

“The 20 colleges and universities selected for the initial awards in 2008 have done a great job in rising to the challenges of retaining and graduating first-generation students,” said Walmart Foundation president Margaret McKenna. “The Walmart Foundation is proud to provide the opportunity for an additional 30 institutions to participate in the program and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on how best to support these students.”

In announcing the award winners, CIC President Richard Ekman said, “We are delighted by the recognition that this second grant from the Walmart Foundation gives to the role played by private colleges in educating first-generation students. Much attention has been focused recently on higher education as a key to making the United States workforce stronger and the country more competitive in the 21st century world economy. As the federal government and philanthropic leaders call for increased degree completion in higher education, small and mid-sized private institutions are an underutilized resource in this effort. Private colleges also enroll comparable or higher percentages of lower-income and first-generation students to public institutions and they require far less subsidy by state governments to succeed in meeting these national goals. Most importantly, small and mid-sized private institutions have moved beyond a focus on access to a record of unequalled success in retaining and graduating low-income and first-generation students.”

Citing data from the American Association of Community Colleges, Ekman noted that more than six million students a year enroll for credit at the nation’s community colleges. However, only 26 percent actually transfer to a four-year college. In addition, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the six-year graduation rate of first-generation students at public four-year institutions is only 44 percent compared with 61 percent at private colleges and universities. “In short, if we are to achieve the ambitious national goal of increased numbers of college graduates, the lessons learned from the experiences of private colleges will need to be heeded by national policymakers and others,” Ekman stressed.

The Walmart College Success Awards program will include a conference in 2011, online networking opportunities, and a final publication on best practices from both cohorts to be disseminated at the end of the grant period in 2013.

The 20 $100,000 award winners are:

Alma College, MI; Alverno College, WI; Berea College, KY; Catawba College, NC; Clark Atlanta University, GA; College of Notre Dame of Maryland; DePaul University, IL; Elizabethtown College, PA; Franklin College, IN; Guilford College, NC; Lynchburg College, VA; Mars Hill College, NC; Mercyhurst College, PA; Mills College, CA; Notre Dame de Namur University, CA; Rosemont College, PA; Stetson University, FL; Stevenson University, MD; Thomas College, ME; and University of St. Francis, IL.

The ten $50,000 award winners are:

Cardinal Stritch University, WI; Chaminade University of Honolulu, HI; Defiance College, OH; Emmanuel College, MA; Eureka College, IL; Heritage University, WA; McKendree University, IL; Saint Augustine’s College, NC; Wabash College, IN; and Woodbury University, CA

The programs offered at these 30 institutions represent the wide range of approaches to working with first-generation students. Some institutions focus on the unique needs of a particular subset of first-generation students, such as Hispanic students, commuter students, transfer students from community colleges, or students pursuing a teaching career. A number of the award recipients offer transitional summer programs for incoming students that help prepare them for college-level work and life away from home. Others provide services such as mentoring, tutoring, career development, and providing scholarships and stipends to help ensure success for first-generation students.

For more information about the Walmart College Success Awards and the programs of the 30 winners, visit the CIC website at www.cic.edu/projects_services/walmart_college_success.asp.

Commencement 2010 Remarks to the Graduates
By Joseph M. Torsella

Student Reflection
By Lynn Watson '10, SGPS

Invocation
By Nidha Azam '10

Student Reflection
By Disha Shah '10

Student Reflection
By Loretta McKaig '99 & '10, SGPS

Rosemont, PA - Rosemont College’s School of Graduate Studies will host “A Stroll Through the Arts” on Thursday, May 6, 2010, from 6:30-10:00 p.m. at Main Building. The evening will feature literary readings, digital and graphic design presentations, as well as video productions. This event is free and open to the public.

Three awards will be presented including the Charles James O’Donnell Award in Digital Design, the Graduate School Award in Literature, and the Graduate School Award in Fine Arts.

For more information contact Alexis Kropp, Director of Public Relations, 610.527.0200 ext. 2967.

For this week's prayer we join with Pax Christi Port-au-Prince and the Commission Episcopale Nationale Justice et Paix (the Haitian Catholic bishops' Justice and Peace Commission) as they have invited everyone to hold a day of prayer for Haiti on Friday, February 12, one month after the devastating earthquake struck that country and so we pray.

God our hope, we entrust to you the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Dismayed by the incomprehensible suffering of the innocent, we ask you to inspire the hearts of those who are trying to provide the aid which is so indispensable. We know how deep the faith of the Haitian people is.

Strengthen the downhearted; console those who are weeping; send your Spirit of compassion on this people which has been so sorely tried. Amen. (prayer courtesy of Taize Community Prayer Service)

Campus Ministry News

Confirmation Information Session

If you are interested in being confirmed, please come to an information session to sign up this Sunday February 14th at 8 pm or contact Elizabeth Small at esmall@rosemont.edu before Sunday.

Lenten Announcements

This Lent we invite you to journey with Campus Ministry as we enter into the next 40 days of prayer and fasting. This time is a time to slow down, to pay attention, and to re-evaluate. We invite you to join us during this time.

Come by the Campus Ministry Office anytime before Ash Wednesday to participate in Operation Rice Bowl, Rice Bowl will also be available at Ash Wednesday Mass. They will be collected during Holy Week.(This fundraiser benefits many countries in severe need through Catholic Relief Services)

Mardi Gras Party
Join the Campus Ministry Staff in celebrating Mardi Gras with donuts and coffee at 3pm on Tuesday February 16th

Our Lenten Season will begin with Ash Wednesday Mass at 12:30 pm in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Please join us for Mass.

“The community is very fortunate to have historic and beautiful Rosemont College as a neighbor and friend. I am so glad that I can participate in Reflect | Renew | Rejoice: The Campaign for Rosemont College through the 2010 Cresset Dinner. I hope friends and associates join me in this most worthwhile journey.”

“Bill is one of Philadelphia’s most civically minded citizens and genuinely cares about the community in which he lives,” said Rosemont President Sharon Latchaw Hirsh, Ph.D. ’70. “He has contributed a great deal of time and energy to many worthy organizations in our area and Rosemont is so delighted to be among them. We are pleased to honor Bill Giles with this year’s Cresset Award.”

Bill Giles is the recipient of the 2010 Cresset Award. The Cresset Award is given annually by Rosemont College to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting values and to supporting education for all people. Giles, chairman of the Philadelphia Phillies, will be honored at the 22nd Cresset Award Dinner on April 22, at the Please Touch Museum, in Philadelphia, PA. This year’s dinner will be chaired by Dan Polett, president/owner of Wilkie automotive dealerships, and his wife, Margo Barry Polett ’61, of Gladwyne, PA.


Giles is very well known for his prolific front office baseball career which began in 1959 when he was named GM of the Nashville Vols, a Cincinnati Red’s minor league team. From there he moved throughout the industry arriving in Philadelphia with the opening of Veterans Stadium, at the request of the Carpenter family, to assist with the business end of the operation in 1969.

In 1981, while serving as the executive director of the Philadelphia Phillies, Giles organized a group of investors to purchase the Phillies when the Carpenter family put the team up for sale. The acquisition was a success and Giles would go on to serve as President of the club until June 1997, when he accepted the position of Chairman. Four years later, Giles was nominated to serve as honorary president of the National League (NL), a role in which he represents the NL at the All-Star Game and postseason play.

During Giles’ tenure, the Phillies have obtained five National League championships, two World Series titles, and a new home in Citizens Bank Park, a project which Giles played a key role in the design concept and securing the financing from the Commonwealth and the city of Philadelphia.

While it seems as though baseball has been Giles’ life he has found time to serve many of the Philadelphia’s regions most prestigious and prolific organization. For 18 years, Giles served as the Chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor Bureau and was instrumental in bringing the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Marriott Hotel to fruition. Today he holds the title of chairman emeritus with the organization.

Other volunteer titles that he has held include member of the executive committee of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Philadelphia Sports Congress; past president of the Boy Scouts of America and the Corporate Alliance for Drug Education. Currently, Giles is on the board of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and the Police Athletic League. He is a member of the Union League, the Rotary Club, and the visitors boards of the Temple University Medical School and Temple’s Journalism School. Additionally, Giles has been honored many, many times for his contributions to Philadelphia region.

Giles and his wife, Nancy, reside in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and are the proud parents of three grown sons, Michael, Joseph, and Christopher and eight grandchildren.

Previous Recipients:
2009 - Deb Takes ’98
2008 - Fred & Kathy Mullan Rotondaro '65

2007 - Pat Ciarrocchi '74

2006 - Robert Ryan & Barbara Spiro Ryan

2005 - Helen Meeks Horstmann, MD '67

2004 - Thoman J. Healey & Margaret Sachs Healey, Ph.D. '67

2003 - John Thomas Paul & Judith Savaiano Paul '70

TAKE A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF
Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service celebrated by Rosemont College community

Rosemont, PA - A group of Rosemont students, alumni, faculty, and staff accompanied by Director of Worship and Spirituality, Elizabeth Small and Coordinator of Service and Events, Michael McDonald will join together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering on their day-off and making it a day-on.

Rosemont College is officially closed on Monday, January 18, but many will spend their day living the College’s mission and serving the local community. One group of volunteers will organize, in partnership with Saint Ignatius School, to assist with a facility clean up project in West Philadelphia, while a second group of volunteers will spend the day with Philabundance working first hand with issues of hunger in Philadelphia. A third group will support a campus wide cleanup project at Rosemont’s suburban campus.

“Dr. King reminded us of our responsibility to make a difference in the communities in which we live,” said Small. “Rosemont is proud to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and to answer his call.”

This event is just one of the many programs held at Rosemont throughout the year which celebrate Rosemont’s mission of trust and reverence for the dignity of each person; diversity in human culture and experience; and persistence and courage in promoting justice with compassion.

Yes its time to gear up for RecycleMania.

As some of you know Rosemont entered the competition in 2008. During our first year we placed # 9 in the Waste Minimization Category very impressive for our first year. In 2009 we came in at #8 in the nation & # 1 in PA for Waste Minimization Category.

Now the pressure is on, how do keep this momentum up? The answer is you, keep spreading the word, put peer pressure to work as you challenge your fellow students & staff to recycle more than ever. We are also looking for volunteers to help the facilities department with the recycling program. Attached is a flyer for what can & can not be recycled.

RecycleMania 2010 Dates:
Sunday, January 17 through Saturday, March 27, 2010

Total Campuses Enrolled to Date: 443.

2009 Figures – Campuses Enrolled: 513.

To volunteer send me an email or stop by the facilities office in Cardinal Hall to find out what you can do to make this year better than ever.

Thank you for your support.

Thomas Szatkowski
Director of Facilities
Rosemont College
P 610-527-0200 X 2152
F 610-526-2954

Epiphany Party Gift Drive
for students of the Providence Center

Donate Now through January 6th

The Alumni Office is currently collecting donations of new and unwrapped toys and gifts for students of the Providence Center. Gifts will be presented to students at the annual Epiphany Party held on January 9th.

To donate a gift or make a monetary donation please click here.

A collection bin is located in the lobby of Main Building. Donations can also be brought to the Alumni Office during normal business hours.

For more information about donating, or the Epiphany Party, please contact:
Jenny James, Alumni Relations Associate at 610.527.0200 x2808 or jjames@rosemont.edu.

Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow Announced at Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA - Author and former public affairs director of the American Petroleum Institute, Mary Tabor, will be the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow at Rosemont College from November 9 - 13, 2009.  Ms. Tabor will offer a free, public lecture on Thursday, November 12, at 7:00 p.m., in McShain Performing Arts Center. Ticket requests may be made by calling 610.527.0200, ext. 3102.

Tabor began her professional career as a high school English teacher. As she advanced through her career, she developed adult education courses and taught fiction writing and English literature. In 1980, Tabor left the classroom and joined corporate America where she began working for the American Petroleum Institute as the manager, writer, and editor-in-chief of public affairs. Sixteen years later, Tabor left the institute and returned to the classroom this time to obtain her MFA in Creative Writing from Ohio State University. Upon her departure, Tabor was the Director of the Public Affairs Writing Department.

At the age of sixty, Tabor published her first book, The Woman Who Never Cooked. The book is a collection of stories about love, adultery, marriage, passion, death, and family, and won the 2004 Mid-List First Series Award for Short Fiction. In 2008, she was nominated and appointed a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow.

Presently, Tabor teaches fiction writing at George Washington University in addition to serving as a lecturer through the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program. She continues to write and is the author of numerous stories and essays. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Tabor earned her B.A. in English from University of Maryland, her M.A.T. from Oberlin College, and her M.F.A. from Ohio State University. She currently resides in Washington, D.C

About the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow program:

The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program was established in 1973 to encourage the flow of ideas between the academic and non-academic worlds and to help students see the relationship between their education and their future lives. During week-long visits to small liberal arts colleges, Fellows participate in a dialogue with students and faculty in formal and informal venues: from classrooms to coffee shops to career counseling sessions, student dorms and dining halls; with time for answering questions, forming friendships, and exploring ideas in depth.

By their own example, Fellows demonstrate that successful leaders in business, government, non-profit - wherever - command a good understanding of people in our own and in other cultures, ethics, history – an understanding based on the rich knowledge that is the core of the liberal arts education.

Fellows are successful executives, journalists, diplomats, writers, government officials, lawyers, judges, entrepreneurs, ethicists, environmentalists, futurists, political analysts, scientists, and other professionals. Fellows are selected on the basis of personal enthusiasm for the goals of the program, interest in young people, a willingness to share their lives and expertise, and the ability to listen as well as to talk. Fellows do not come to campuses as teachers: rather, as one Fellow put it, they provide "a reality footnote" to the academic experience.

Rosemont, PA, July 2009 – Parkhurst Dining Services is proud to begin dining services and catering this fall for Rosemont College of Rosemont, PA, where students, faculty and staff will experience fresh, delicious, and prepared-from-scratch foods by our world-class chefs.

Parkhurst was selected because of its commitment to using high quality ingredients in the preparation of meals and their support of sustainable activities. “Our students liked the ‘fresh, made from scratch’ concept and look forward to new food offerings this fall,” says Mary Beth Tsikalas, Vice President, Finance and Administration, Rosemont College.

The preparation of farm-fresh foods is a Parkhurst hallmark. Foods are procured through Parkhurst-developed FarmSource, a sustainable sourcing program that initiates partnerships with some of the finest farmers in the communities we service to obtain high quality, farm-fresh foods for our customers, while we support the continued growth for local agriculture by more than 20%.

In addition to FarmSource, Parkhurst also supports its clients’ sustainable efforts with several other initiatives including on-site vegetable gardens and composting, recycling of spent-fryer oil used to help produce bio-diesel fuel, a switch to biodegradable corn-based plastic cup and lid products, and replacing Styrofoam service ware with reusable dishware and china.

As their new partner, Parkhurst is proud to assist in the planning and design of the new Community Centre, a transformational “public square” featuring the dining hall, café, bookstore, student lounge and multi-purpose community spaces. Guests here may choose from a variety of options including Bravisimo, cooked-to-order fajitas, stir-fries, pasta, grains, and rice dishes from around the world; the Parkside Diner, home-style and ethnic-style foods prepared with traditional ingredients; Pepperazzi, made-from-scratch fresh-dough pizzas, calzones, and strombolis; and the Milk Shake Bar, serving real old fashioned milk shakes made from real ice cream and dairy fresh milk.

An all you care to eat restaurant-style buffet will be served every Sunday in the Cardinal Hall Dining Room where students will enjoy chef carved roasted meats, sumptuous entrees and side dishes, omelets-made-to order, a waffle bar with favorite toppings, an array of composed salads and fresh fruits accompanied by imported and domestic cheeses, and an extensive selection of homemade breads and desserts. Guests at The Rosemont Grill Café will also enjoy the rich creamy taste and quality of a classic ice cream parlor shake along with a selection of frozen cappuccinos and real fruit smoothies.

Since nutrition and wellness continues to be a top priority for college and university administrators, Parkhurst food choices become a major piece to their healthier lifestyle. In the process, Parkhurst offers Whole Body Cuisine, a line of exceptional meals that balance fat, calories and sodium, but still create naturally nourishing and fabulous tasting meals. In response to the demand for more vegan and vegetarian offerings, Crunch, vegan and vegetarian cuisine, will provide nutritionally sound offerings utilizing seasonal local fruits and vegetables.

Other program highlights include Hemisflavors, a concept that features over 1,000 fresh global cuisine recipes, prepared authentically with raw ingredients indigenous of Brazil, Greece, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand and Vietnam.

About Parkhurst Dining Services
Parkhurst Dining Services provides exceptional culinary experiences and dining services to guests at the finest educational institutions, corporations and cultural destinations in its marketing region. While we continue to expand our role as a sustainable organization, our foundation is built on personal relationships and exceeding the expectations of our guests and associates every day. www.parkhurstdining.com

About Rosemont College

Founded in 1921 by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Rosemont College is an independent, coeducational liberal arts institution in the Catholic tradition located on the Main Line, 11 miles west of Philadelphia, on the border of Montgomery and Delaware Counties. The nationally-acclaimed, traditional Undergraduate College confers B.A., B.S., and B.F.A. degrees in twenty-one majors. Rosemont College also includes the Schools of Graduate and Professional Studies, which are open to both women and men. Visit us at www.rosemont.edu