Letter From the Dean

We published the first issue of Suffolk Arts + Sciences last year with the word “Encore!” splashed across the cover, in reference to the lead story on Suffolk’s C. Walsh Theatre. We did not quite expect the applause that followed: words of appreciation from across the Suffolk community-”Bravo!” “Knockout!” “Congratulations on an outstanding publication!”-plus five national awards. What means most to us, however, are the kudos and suggestions from our alumni, who responded with enthusiasm.

This fall we bring you the second issue of Suffolk Arts + Sciences. The “Journey” of the cover story refers literally to the Alternative Winter Break trip to El Salvador undertaken by a dozen Suffolk students and staff members, under the leadership of history professor Chris Rodriguez. In addition to completing the construction of an outdoor arena for community gatherings in the small town of El Sitio, the Suffolk delegation commemorated the work of the late Massachusetts congressman and Suffolk University alumnus Joe Moakley JD’56, whose efforts helped to facilitate an end to the civil war that wracked the Salvadoran nation from 1980-1992.

As Maxine Hong Kingston, the renowned author, repeat visitor to the College, and 2008 recipient of an honorary doctorate from Suffolk University, has remarked, “success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world-that I am able to change it in positive ways.” This is precisely what the volunteers on the trip to El Salvador did: they harnessed their classroom learning to their passion for social change and, continuing the legacy of Joe Moakley, shared the “success” of their Suffolk education.

This issue of Suffolk Arts + Sciences pulses with the “journeys,” the success stories, of our alumni, faculty, and students: Gregory Hazelwood BA’98 teaches African American history at Brockton High School, where his mentorship truly matters; Coach Jim Nelson models self-respect and decorum as surely as he demonstrates a sweeping hook shot; and recent theatre graduates Rachel Kelsey and Purnima Baldwin make a bold and important statement about homelessness in Boston with their play, Infinity. The “Standout Talent” section this year features seven students who have taken the injunction to “learn beyond the classroom”-a value literally embedded in our new curriculum through the Expanded Classroom requirement-seriously as they spread across campus and into their communities, applying what they have learned in our classrooms to the world as they find it.

As you will see in these pages, and as I have witnessed throughout my 30-year career at Suffolk University, some of the most precious rewards of a Suffolk Arts and Sciences education take form in civic engagement, in serving others and making a positive change in the world. Let us bring you down a few of the paths, passages, and byways explored by members of our community over the years as they have journeyed toward “effectiveness in the world,” as they have taken their education and built “success.”

And let us know how your Suffolk education has shaped your years since graduation. How have you brought the ideas and values that took form during your time on campus out into the world?

I hope that your journey allows you to stop by campus this year to experience the College in full swing. Believe me, you will leave invigorated.

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

In the Community

A SPRING DAY WITH SENIORS
Early rising students spent their morning preparing spring baskets with flower seeds, plant pots and fun trinkets for the elderly residents of the Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD), a neighborhood center that provides housing for low-income seniors. Another group of students delivered the baskets and hand-made cards to ABCD at the “Villa Michelangelo” in Boston’s North End, staying to chat and share stories with the residents.

FIGHTING HUNGER WITH “Best Buddies”
Suffolk students grabbed their Best Buddies and visited the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) in South Boston. The Best Buddies program provides one-to-one friendship opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Students and their buddies spent their day in the GBFB warehouse taking in shipments and preparing food to be sent throughout New England.

DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
New England School of Art & Design students in Professor Karen Clarke’s Sustainable Design for Interiors course hosted “Design for the Environment,” a green/sustainable design trade show in the atrium of 10 St. James Avenue. The trade show educated visitors about green design—maximizing the efficiency of energy and water systems, using recycled materials in construction, and minimizing the environmental impact of construction and operation. (see story pg. 10)

SPRING CLEANING ON THE ESPLANADE
Down by the banks of the River Charles, Suffolk University students got their hands dirty in an effort to clean up the Esplanade in time for spring. Their time was spent raking leaves, cleaning up trash, and beautifying one of Boston’s most famous locations.

More images available on these pages of the digital edition.