Winter 2014 | Volume 7 | Issue 3

formFunctionAlexAndrA Billert MSot ’16 MAkeS clotheS thAt Work

From the PresidentOne of the comforts of college life is the familiarity of its rhythms—how the summer lull gives way to the fun of early fall; how the excitement of making new friends and connecting with old ones inevitably turns into the work of writing essays and cramming for exams. Indeed, as you no doubt remember, late autumn is a challenging stretch for college students, which makes the spirit of giving that permeates our campus this time of year all the more remarkable.

In the last few weeks, AIC students, faculty, and staff have participated in and/or raised funds for several local charitable endeavors: the Carl Walker-Hoover Anti-Bullying Walk, the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, the Second Annual Action in the Community Day, and the Sixth Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Of these latter two, I am especially proud. They started right here, in the hearts and minds of students who made time—despite myriad other responsibilities—to serve others.

AIC has long been home to students whose ambitions equal their capacity for compassion. And while I am proud of all our graduates, I remain extraordinarily grateful for those who leave here to become healthcare professionals, counselors, teachers, and law enforcement specialists. We quite literally fill this city and region with the people who serve, teach, heal, and protect the rest of us. In fact, the students and alumni profiled in this issue of Lucent are perfect examples of the generosity of spirit AIC has always nurtured.

Of course, AIC students would not get where they want to go without a little guidance along the way. I am lucky to be surrounded by talented, compassionate colleagues who keep AIC and our students thriving. I would specifically like to single out Professor Susan Swanker, PhD, the new dean of the School of Business, Arts, and Sciences, and Matt Johnson, our new athletic director. Thank you for taking on new responsibilities and for excelling at them already.

And thank you, AIC alumni, for all you have done and all you continue to do.

Vince Maniaci, President

EDITORIAL BOARDJoel AndersonHeather CahillMaureen FitzgeraldTimothy GraderHeather Caisse

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSCandy LashSeth DussaultMary Ellen LowneyScott Whitney

EDITORJoel Anderson

ART DIRECTORBill Cunningham

ON THE COVER: Alexandra Billert shows off an early prototype of “Neoclosure,” pants with magnetic seams.

lucentlucent

departments

2 Campus UpdateThe latest AIC news,

on campus and off

6 Faculty ProfileProfessor Robin Varnum’s new book

22 Class NotesCheck on your fellow alumni

and see what they’re up to

24 In Memoriam

25 A Message to AlumniMaureen Fitzgerald MBA ’83 Says

“Hello”

inside thIs IssUeWinter 2014 | Volume 7 | Issue 3

What have you been up to?Join AIC’s Alumni Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and follow us on Twitter. Feel free to email us at alumni@aic.edu. Please send any comments or suggestions about this publication to editor@aic.edu. We’d love to hear from you!

features

the Veteran VolunteerEarl Bonett ’73 and a life of service

Form & FunctionAlexandra Billert MSOT ’16 makes clothes that work

Operation Yellow JacketAfter life on the thin blue line, Dave Standen ’04 returns to his alma mater

homecoming 2014Another year of AIC family, friends, and fun

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New Lecture Series LaunchesFaces of AIC Brings Alums and Students Together

The Faces of AIC lecture series began with an enthusiastic group of students, faculty, and staff on September 16 with presenter Jeremy Casey ’11, vice president of small business banking at First Niagara Bank. After graduating from AIC with an MBA, Casey has quickly built an impressive resume and has a passion for professional success, civic leadership, and community engagement. He currently serves as president of the Young Professionals Society of Greater Springfield, is a board member for the Rotary Club of Springfield, and is a member of the Young Professional Ad-hoc Committee for the Springfield City Council.

Casey’s mission in life, he told students, is “to go to a place and leave it better than when I found it.” He

encouraged students to find their passion in life and align that passion with their talents to find success and fulfillment in their career choices. He also recommended that students network. The adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is true in today’s competitive job market, Casey explained.

The Faces of AIC lecture series is designed to expose the AIC community to diverse opinions, original insights, and lively discussion of a broad scope of issues. The College’s dynamic and influential alumni and distinguished friends will promote student development by sharing their stories and becoming role models for current students. n

troy morrow ’18 takes a trip down the slip and slide in the middle of the AIC quad.

2 | Lucent

Winter 2014 | 3

JOBtoberfest a SuccessFirst Annual Outdoor Job Fair Introduces Students and Employers

The Saremi Center for Career Development at American International College celebrated the fall season with a fun twist on the traditional career fair. The first annual JOBtoberfest welcomed national and local businesses to meet and greet students on October 2, 2014. In keeping with an Oktoberfest theme, the event was held outdoors in the center of campus along with music and food.

Participating companies included MGM Resorts International, Peace Corps, Sears, Valet Parking of

America, Silverleaf Resorts, Worcester County Sheriff ’s Department, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Hillcrest Educational Centers, New England Business Associates, Key Program, Performance Project, and Multicultural Career Services.

The event was open to all AIC students in the undergraduate, graduate and extended campus programs, and alumni. n

| campus update |

A recruiter from silverleaf Resorts connects with an AIC student.

| campus update |

Jenna masionis ’15 is having a breakthrough season and smashing records.

4 | Lucent

Records Fall as Field Hockey RisesJenna Masionis ’15 Leads Yellow Jackets to Playoffs

| campus update |

Jenna Masionis has, with little fanfare, rewritten AIC’s field hockey record books while leading the team to their first Northeast-10 playoff appearance in three years.

Masionis, a senior forward from Ashland, Massachusetts broke two big records this year: career goals and points. With forty-three goals and one hundred total points to her name, she is the first hundred-point scorer in school history, and she might very well break the single-season goals record, currently held by Amanda McLean ’12 with nineteen in 2010.

A gifted goal scorer with supreme vision and a willingness to throw herself into any situation to make a play, Masionis believes that she was fortunate to be able to play with players like McLean and Lisa Duckles ’13 in her first years, and that that time was a big part of what has made her so successful.

“It is hard adjusting from high school to college play and I was lucky to have had teammates who were supportive of that throughout my first season,” she said. “Being able to learn from them and having a successful season that year definitely helped mold me into the player I am today,” she added.

While Masionis had a strong freshman campaign, tallying eight goals and a then-record six assists for twenty-two points, she spent her sophomore year learning again—this time, a different position, midfield, as a large graduating class after her first year left more holes in the team then there were players to fill them. However, that experience forced her to round out her game.

“Playing midfield definitely helped me open up my vision and play both a defensive and offensive side of the game,” she said.

Back up front each of these last two years, she has erupted offensively, leading the team in scoring last season with fifteen goals and thirty-one points as the squad improved by five wins over the previous season, and now again she leads a team that has already won ten times.

She set the points record in the most dramatic fashion possible, striking an overtime winner against Franklin Pierce as part of a five-point performance. The goal gave her eighty-four points, one more than McLean. In the team’s next game against Southern New Hampshire, she scored two goals in sixty seconds, goals thirty-seven and thirty-eight of her career, breaking that record as well.

“Those days I will never forget and can honestly say it took a lot of hard work and determination all four years to be able to accomplish those goals,” Masionis said.

She then earned point number 100 in similar fashion, scoring both goals at then-fourth-ranked Stonehill to propel AIC to a 2-1 win, the win that ultimately locked up a playoff spot for the team. Despite her pride in her own accomplishment, she said, “Most importantly, I am excited to make it into post season for my senior year. I couldn’t be more proud of the heart and effort of the entire team and we wouldn’t be where we are today without each and every one of us.” n

“Those days I will never forget and can honestly say it took a lot of hard work and determination all four years to be able to

accomplish those goals.”

Fall 2014 | 5

The roots of English Professor Robin Varnum’s new book, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: American Trailblazer, go back two decades, when she first read about the explorer whom many consider a man ahead of his time.

Cabeza de Vaca survived the harrowing Spanish Narváez expedition to the Gulf Coast of Texas in 1528, lived for six years among Texas Indians, and then hiked with the three other survivors the 2,500 miles to Mexico City.

Varnum, who is chair of the English Department, was leading library discussions in the early 1990s on books whose themes were first-contact accounts. It was during this time that she came across the story of the brave explorer.

“I found him fascinating,” said Varnum, whose book is the first single-volume, cradle-to-grave account of Cabeza de Vaca’s life. The 368-page book was published by the University of Oklahoma, and will be available soon in the AIC bookstore.

“I really got into the story. I very much identified with Cabeza de Vaca. The more I learned about him, the more I felt we had a lot in common,” she said. “He was a great hiker, he did that amazing hike into Mexico. Hiking is what I love to do. My native state is Arizona, and this is very much a southwestern United States story.”

Varnum also identified with Cabeza de Vaca’s spirituality, and with his penchant for standing up to authority, sometimes at his own peril, in defense of the treatment of American Indians.

Cabeza de Vaca’s eight-year hike led him through vast stretches of the American southwest, a journey that he documented in his own account. His book La Relación was first published in 1542 and is still considered one of the great travel stories of all time and the beginning of New World literature. It is the same book that inspired Varnum to do her own research, and

ultimately, write her newest book.

Varnum’s book goes beyond the voyage to the story of the man who, on arrival to Mexico City, was horrified to see that Indians were being enslaved. He later served as governor of Río de la Plata and used this platform to protect the people of his province. Eventually, his compatriots mutinied against him and sent him back to Spain in chains to stand trial before the Royal Council of the Indies.

In Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: American Trailblazer, Varnum writes of Cabeza de Vaca’s entire life, from childhood to his death in about 1558 at the approximate age of sixty-eight.

While Varnum found her inspiration twenty years ago, she didn’t begin researching in earnest until 2003, and the writing came slowly—one and a half chapters or so each summer—until she went on sabbatical during the 2010–11 academic year and focused on it. She said she is pleased with the result, and hopes her readers are as well.

Varnum has a bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College in Missouri, a master’s degree in English from the University of Washington, and a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. From 1971-73, she served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in rural Afghanistan, teaching English as a second language at a girls school.

She is the author of Fencing with Words (1996) and the editor, with Christina T. Gibbons, of The Language of Comics: Word and Image (2001).

To get in shape for writing about a man who walked more than 2,500 miles, she hiked the Appalachian Trail across her home state of Massachusetts. She has also hiked sections of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. n

Documenting the Life of a 16th century hiker anD hum an rights activistprofessor robin varnum’s new bookmary ellen lowney

6 | Lucent

| campus update |

The initial mission of the AIC Veterans Alumni Committee was to finance and build a monument to those who served their country. The mission is now complete, with the engraved granite monument located on the main campus. The walkway to the monument is paved with engraved granite in honor of those who served. (Bricks can be purchased by calling 413.205.3520 or emailing alumni@aic.edu.)

Our future mission is to continue to honor, support, and recognize AIC students who have returned from deployment or been on active military duty. Our committee understands their unique struggles, and we seek members, both veterans and non-veterans alike, who want to help. Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs for our next meeting. Time commitment is minimal, and we would welcome your help.

We have been hard at work over the last couple of years. For AIC Homecoming, the committee plans the military color guard for the presentation of the colors during the national anthem before the game, and this year, an announcement was made for all veterans to stand and be recognized for their service to our country as the marines from Westover Air Base

presented the colors during the national anthem. The AIC Veteran’s Day program in November is

traditionally held outside adjacent to the Veterans Monument on the main campus. Our keynote speakers have included past AIC veteran alumni, relatives of deceased AIC veteran alumni, and men and women from various branches of the military. In addition to our speaker, the winner of AIC’s student essay contest on “What Veteran’s Day To Me,” reads their essay. Committee members follow with laying a wreath at the monument honoring AIC veterans.

In May, the committee organizes the Admiral Hines Ribbon Pinning Ceremony, which honors and recognizes those AIC student veterans who graduate. Each graduate’s military and scholastic accomplishments are read in front of parents, spouses, children, and college representatives. Each graduate receives a ribbon named after former AIC president Admiral John Hines.

We hope you’ll consider joining us in our efforts.Ken Geromini ’68, ’73, chairman

A MESSAGE FROM THE AIC VETERANS ALUMNI COMMITTEE

Fall 2014 | 7

| campus update |

8 | Lucent

Earl Bonett (left) at his swearing-in ceremony in Washington, DC in August.

The Veteran Volunteer Earl Bonett ’73

and a Life of Service

Fall 2014 | 9

L et’s say you are a truck driver. Let’s say you are also a proud member of the US Army Reserve. Simple enough so far, right?

Then let’s say your unit gets called up to active duty, requiring you to leave your job with the trucking company. When your deployment ends six months later and you return home, you discover that the trucking company has been sold and that you are, suddenly and unceremoniously, unemployed.

You know you have rights protected by law, but what are they? Do they even apply in cases where companies get sold and cease to exist? What on earth should you do?

A Meaningful MissionIf you happen to have Earl Bonett’s phone number,

consider yourself lucky. Bonett is the Massachusetts Chair of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). It’s a volunteer position with the Department of Defense. The ESGR is, according to their official mission, the “office that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the Reserve Components through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities.”

And what a high-priority mission this is in a country that increasingly relies on its part-time soldiers

to ensure national security. After all, it makes sense that the women and men who willingly give of their time and risk their safety should be allowed seamless, retaliation-free transitions between their duties serving their country and their employers. Of course, for the most part, employers do appreciate the sacrifices their Guard and Reserve employees are asked to make, but getting them to really understand what life is like for these soldiers requires compassionate education.

That’s where Bonett comes in. For over twenty years now, Bonett has played a key role in educating the public about the challenges and peculiarities of reservist life. The instruction happens primarily through events and programs sponsored by the ESGR that help familiarize employers with the day-in, day-out rigors of serving in the Guard and Reserve. Bonett has organized and participated in “boss lifts” and employer appreciation days all over the country, and he’s served as a mediator between reservists and employers to help overcome misunderstandings and solve conflicts.

While there are a comprehensive set of laws—the

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)—that define and protect the rights of guards and reservists, Bonett also believes that a little empathy goes a long way. In fact, it was a boss lift years ago that hooked him on the ESGR’s mission.

What’s a boss lift? Think of it as an extreme take-your-child-to-work day—but with military airplanes.

“We’ll take employers to Westover, for example,” says Bonett of a typical boss lift. “And we’ll spend a day there and we’ll take them up in a big C-5 or KC-135 from the Pease Air National Guard base in New Hampshire and do a refueling mission. Or we’ll do an employer appreciation day where we take employers to a

base for a day and they spend a whole day there learning what Guard and Reserves do.”

The idea is that immersive experiences like this allow civilians the chance at a comprehensive understanding for the life reservists live and an appreciation for the difficulty of mastering simultaneous civilian and military careers. How do civilians respond? “Most people say, ‘Wow. I had no idea reservists did all this,’” explains Bonett.

Mission accomplished.

Living With ItBonett believes f iercely in his calling. His

volunteerism goes back to over twenty years ago when he was the postmaster for the United States Postal Service in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Bonett, who is himself a veteran of the US Navy, noticed what he perceived as a lack of appreciation for veterans and the sacrifices they had made.

“I didn’t like the way they were being treated,” he says. “So I got involved.”

“Most people say, ‘Wow. I had no idea reservists did all this.’”

10 | Lucent

That’s an understatement. Bonett has been so involved, in fact, that in 2011 he was named the Military Outreach Volunteer of the Year. His new role, however, is probably the most comprehensive to date. Bonett not only manages the sixty-plus volunteers in Massachusetts who work for the ESGR, he also helps train over four thousand volunteers nationwide. In addition to these broad duties, Bonett helps find solutions when disputes arise between reservists and their employers.

In instances like this, Bonett says he functions more like a marriage counselor helping the two parties approach a workable solution. “We act as an informal mediator,” he says. “We talk to the employer, and we talk to the service member, and we try to help them come to a resolution. They don’t have to be happy with it—they just have to be able to live with it. Sometimes it’s just as simple as saying to an employer, ‘Well, let’s look at this part of the law.’ And then they might say, ‘Huh. I didn’t know that. Well, of course we’ll do the right thing.’”

AIC Origins Bonett has always thrived when he’s at his busiest. It’s a

pattern that goes way back. After his nearly four years with the Navy, he got married and headed off to AIC. He was a few years older than almost all his freshmen classmates, but he didn’t let that hinder his involvement in the Yellow

Jacket way of life. He played soccer for two years, edited the sports section of the Yellow Jacket, and kept stats for the athletic department. He also worked part time as a truck driver, and at a gas station, and in a warehouse. He also had a couple kids by the time he graduated.

Why was AIC a good fit for this period in Bonett’s life? “Well,” he says, “I had applied to several colleges, and it was AIC that gave me the opportunity. Also that was a big [anti-war] demonstration era at colleges. Some of the time it was tough and some of the time it was very supportive. One of the most supportive persons I knew was Wally Barlow, who was the hockey coach and athletic trainer. During World War II he was a Canadian commando…and because I was a little older and also a veteran, we hit it off.”

It’s not surprising at all that a man who cares so much about building understanding between people recalls relationships that supported him through a transitional phase of his life. And in true Bonett fashion, the veteran volunteer still finds time for his alma mater as a participant in AIC’s Alumni Veterans Committee.

Bonett’s hands-on, dive-in approach to life seems to come naturally to him. But what about people who want to get involved and make a difference, but feel too busy or under qualified?

“Well, many of us are!” Bonett says. “But all you have to do is volunteer. There are no minimum requirements. You just have to want to be involved.” n

Bonett at the 439th Airlift Wing boss lift at Dobbins

Air Reserve Base in Georgia in June 2012.

Fall 2014 | 11

12 | Lucent

AlexAndrA Billert MSot ’16 MAkeS clotheS thAt Work

One summer nearly seventeen years ago,

Dr. Steven Hirsch, a professor in the classics

department at Tufts University, was on an

archaeological dig in France during which he

contracted a viral infection that eventually

caused Guillain Barré syndrome, an autoimmune

disorder that wreaks havoc on the body’s nerve

network. Hirsch initially lost all feeling in his

extremities before gaining some of it back as his

nerves regenerated. Today, however, he remains

paralyzed in both legs from the knee down, and

his fine motor skills—specifically his abilities to

pinch and grasp—never fully recovered.

The challenges that attend paralysis are not

insignificant, yet Hirsch leads a full and fulfilling

life. He continues to teach, he loves his work

and his students, and he even plays and coaches

competitive “power” soccer (just like the regular

game but in wheelchairs). Despite his relative

happiness and energetic outlook, one nagging

complaint has stuck with him all these years: he

can’t wear a regular pair of pants.

Hirsch’s paralysis and suboptimal fine motor

skills make pants, with their hard-to-grip zippers

and buttons, more than a hassle. So for years

he’s resorted to basketball-style tear-away

pants—baggy, athletic trousers that snap along

the outseam. These pants do the job in the sense

that Hirsch can put them on and remove them

without too much fuss, but for a professor who

used to wear slacks while lecturing in front of his

students, the informal attire leaves something

to be desired.

Fall 2014 | 13

the teAcher

the StudentAlexandra Billert, now a second-year student in AIC’s

occupational therapy program, had no clue that Hirsch and his pants problem were in her near future when she applied last spring for acceptance into the Open Style Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of her AIC professors had urged her to apply to the groundbreaking ten-week summer program that teams designers, engineers, and occupational therapists together and then challenges them to “create clothing solutions for people with disabilities.” But she wasn’t sure she’d be a good fit.

After successfully navigating a rigorous acceptance process (Billert submitted an application and then had to impress the program’s directors in two Skype interviews), the New Hampshire native still wasn’t sure she belonged in a program that drew its applicants from some of the most prestigious colleges in the country.

“I was the only western Mass kid,” Billert says of her early trepidation. “And it was scary at first. I was going to Boston by myself. And then all of a sudden I was working with the smartest people I’ve ever met—students from MIT and Harvard and the Rhode Island School of Design. They’re geniuses. And I’m just my little New Hampshire self. But everybody there was so welcoming, and that really helped the transition. After that I trusted my instincts, and I just relied on what I knew.”

Billert (right) and her client, Steven Hirsch

14 | Lucent

Left: Billert wears an “empathy suit” at MIT’s Aging Lab in order to feel the effects of aging on the body’s muscles, joints, and eyes.

Winter 2014 | 15

the ASSignMentAfter settling in, Billert and her teammates got to work

combining their shared knowledge. Billert was paired with Hannah Oh, an industrial design student from RISD, and Leah Gaffney, a bioengineering student at Harvard. There were eight teams total operating out of the Lab, and each was assigned a client who had a disability requiring a unique clothing solution. Billert was thrilled when she learned that she would be working with Hirsch. Why? Because she immediately saw a challenge that gets straight to the heart of what occupational therapy is all about.

“OTs help people get back to doing what’s meaningful to them” explains Billert. “We assist clients with everyday activities in hopes they can enhance their performance and participate in their community just like they used to. Giving dress pants to Steve—something he hadn’t worn in almost twenty years—was part of helping him become his old self again.”

Billert raves about the collaborative nature and intelligence of her teammates, but it’s clear her expertise was crucial to their mission’s long view. After all, it was her job to make sure that the design and construction of the new pants actually met Hirsch’s needs.

And did they ever. In order to avoid the difficulty of zipping and buttoning regular slacks, Billert’s team decided to embed powerful neodymimum magnets along the outseams. The magnets are completely hidden, so the pants look like actual dress pants, but they open easily along the length of the leg. Another huge plus is that the seam closes completely, unlike Hirsch’s old basketball pants that only cinched shut at the snaps.

FinAl grAdeSHirsch’s pants were a hit—with him and the staff of

the Lab, but with others, too. Over their ten weeks at the Lab, Billert’s team gained exposure to movers and shakers in the disability-fashion industry. They met

Maura Horton, the inventor of MagnaReady magnetic buttons, and they also got the attention of Scott Peters, the engineer who invented Under Armour’s new magnetic zipper, Magzip.

For all their good work and fortuitous networking, the team earned a place in Harvard’s prestigious Innovation Lab (i-lab), an incubator of sorts that helps students from all disciplines shepherd their good ideas into the world. Their goal now is to bring Neoclosure, a term Billert coined, to the marketplace.

It goes without saying that it’s been a busy, meaningful few months for Billert. And she’s just getting started. She has two years left at AIC before earning her master’s, which means she’ll get even more real-world experience as she navigates through her fieldwork assignments in coming semesters. Does she have any regrets about all this busyness while also staying on track academically?

“I only wish I knew earlier I wanted to do OT,” Billert says. She studied exercise science and minored in psychology as an undergraduate, but “I always wanted to do something in the health field. And I really wanted to help people. With OT, you can work in schools. You can work in hospitals—inpatient or outpatient. There’s a huge need for it.”

Billert’s glad she’s preparing for this important work at AIC. “I applied to a bunch of OT schools, but the program at AIC is phenomenal. The professors are amazing, and the classes are small.” She’s also quick to credit all her professors, especially Dr. Patrica Meyers and Dr. Cathy Dow-Royer, with getting her interested in the Open Style Lab and supporting her through the summer. For now though, she’s back on campus, studying for exams and readying herself for whatever unique challenges come next. And she’s mindful now more than ever that small ideas are just as important as big ones.

After all, Billert says, “Steve just wanted a pair of pants.” n

OperatiOnYellOw Jacket

after life On the thin Blue line, Dave StanDen ’04 returnS tO hiS alma mater

Winter 2014 | 17

OperatiOnYellOw Jacket

after life On the thin Blue line, Dave StanDen ’04 returnS tO hiS alma mater

You would be excused for thinking that a

career in law enforcement might weather a

man’s soul a bit—might make him cynical about,

well, everything. After all, three decades is a

long time to spend immersed in the frequently

unpleasant world of crime and punishment.

But whatever darkness comes with the job

hasn’t cast a shadow over Dave Standen ’04.

In fact, the man who spent nearly his entire

professional life with the Springfield Police

Department has an easy smile and bright eyes

that telegraph a deep fondness for his vocation.

A fondness strong enough, even, to pull him

out of retirement when the right opportunity

presented itself.

“I wasn’t really looking,” he says of his

unplanned return to the workforce. “But then

I came across an ad on the Internet saying a

local college was looking for a leader in law

enforcement. Then I found out it was AIC, and

that was the trap.”

Standen, who retired last January after

twenty-six years with the SPD, now oversees

the day-to-day operations of AIC’s police and

security forces, a comprehensive mandate that

covers everything from scheduling shifts to

advising on strategy to providing training.

Though he spends his days (and sometimes

nights and weekends) on the AIC campus,

Standen is officially employed by a company

called G4S, one of the largest security-solutions

companies in the world. Working with the

College’s senior administration and Chief David

Kuzmeski, G4S helped AIC implement wide-

ranging upgrades to its security apparatus.

Recent improvements included adding more

staff (like Standen, who’s official title is

“captain of operations”) and new campus

security vehicles, and peppering the campus

with cameras that help ensure the integrity of

AIC’s residence halls and academic buildings.

While the recent upgrades are exponential

leaps forward for AIC, Standen is quick to point

out the improvements are part of a continuum

going back to his days as a student. “AIC has

always done a good job with security. Since

Major Norman back in the seventies all the way

up to Chief Kuzmeski—AIC always looked for the

opportunity to keep bringing the department

forward,” Standen says.

the Siren’S call

18 | Lucent

frOm cOllege tO career

Standen finished most of his degree work in criminal justice in the early 1980s, but he didn’t officially pick up his diploma until 2004. “It’s what happens when you’re working for a living and trying to finish a degree at the same time,” he says of the delay.

“The professors I had back then were spectacular,” he adds. “They brought so much real-world experience to the classroom. A lot of them were police officers at the time. A lot of them were in corrections. Some of them were lawyers. We had a real cross-section of professors that taught us real-world applications. Because of the education I got, it drove me even harder into law enforcement.”

Standen’s f irst big opportunity came in 1982 when he was hired by the University of Massachusetts Police to help patrol the f lagship campus in Amherst. For six years, he embraced the challenges and the opportunities of working at a huge public college.

“It was crazy. I was there in the heyday of UMass, when it was definitely ZooMass,” he says, referencing the school’s reputation as a hard-partying place. “But,” he adds, “it was a great place to cut my teeth, to learn how to be a cop, and to learn about college life.”

cOp / SchOlar / entrepreneur

Standen thrived at UMass, but he’d always wanted to work in a city. In 1988, he got the chance he’d been waiting for when the SPD took him on. “Springfield was my dream job,” he says. “And over my career there, I got to do just about everything I ever wanted to do in law enforcement.”

He’s not exaggerating. Among other highlights, he singles out his foot patrols and mountain bike details in downtown. He’s also proud of having worked with a Drug Enforcement Agency task force for five years. Relatively early in his career, he also discovered another passion: he loved teaching.

“A lot of my career I spent training new officers,” he says. For many years, Standen was the senior staff instructor for local police academies. He was also the primary defensive tactics instructor the entire time he was with

the city of Springfield. Eventually, he became the instructor who trained all the defensive tactics instructors in the state. He even wrote a state program articulating guidelines for

defensive tactics and the proper use of force.This passion for teaching eventually gave

rise to a whole new side career. While he worked for the SPD, Standen started his own business, Cop Tactics, through which he provides training to police departments all over the country. And he’s kept up his scholarly work, too; he’s published several articles and written dozens of training manuals.

a DaD firSt

So what’s Standen’s official, scholarly, expert opinion of AIC’s new and improved security operation?

“Well,” he says. “Anywhere you put two or three thousand people in close proximity, there are going to be issues. But that’s everywhere! Every single college in the country! Our campus is very safe. You can’t walk across campus without seeing one of

“we haD a real crOSS-SectiOn Of prOfeSSOrS

that taught uS real-wOrlD applicatiOnS.”

our officers on patrol, and that was one of my primary objectives in the beginning: Just show a presence! Staff, faculty, and students love that they see us out and about. We hear it all the time. They love seeing our new equipment, our new cruisers, and especially the Sentinel.”

The Sentinel is “the Xtreme Green Sentinel police mobility vehicle,” a sort of Segway on steroids. Standen and his officers use it to patrol events and parking lots, but it’s almost more effective as a symbol of how current AIC has become with its policing measures, a trajectory Standen’s proud to be part of.

“I love this campus,” he says. “I loved it when I went to school here. I have a ton of

friends from here that I’m still in contact with. I was in a fraternity here, and I’m still close with a lot of those guys. Coming back here, seeing the campus, how it’s grown, it’s just great.”

But it turns out it’s not just his expertise and love for AIC that Standen brings to work every day. Another unique perspective is perhaps the most crucial. It turns out that he has a daughter who goes to college in New York City.

“I’m looking out for AIC kids the same way I hope somebody’s looking out for my kid. In fact, I know three or four Springfield cops whose kids go here, and that’s how I look at it, I’m taking care of their kids.” n

Fall 2014 | 19

hOmecOming 2014another year, another jubilant homecoming. among other activities, this year saw alumni baseball, football, soccer, and lacrosse games, a terrific tailgate, a 50th reunion dinner for the class of ’64, the cocurricular hall of fame induction ceremony, a criminal justice networking event, and the dedication of the baseball field to recently retired rich Bedard, aic’s longtime athletic director. thanks to everyone who came out! if you couldn’t make it, please come next year. we miss you!

20 | Lucent

richarD f. BeDarD mBa ’86 BaSeBall fielD DeDicatiOn

Fall 2014 | 21

criminal JuStice SpeeD netwOrking

recent criminal Justice alumni returned to discuss the many types of cJ-related jobs there are available for our current students. alumni shared career pathways and experiences in a fun and interactive format.

cOcurricular hall Of fame inDuctiOn 2014

five alumni leaders were inducted into the cocurricular hall of fame on October 17.

claSS Of 1964 50th reuniOn

On Saturday evening members of the class of 1964 met on campus and enjoyed dinner, friendship and memories. they also presented president maniaci with a check for over $25,000.

22 | Lucent

| cLASS nOTES |

1930sGeorge fisher ’37 celebrated his 100th birthday on November 8, with over 40 relatives and friends at a party given in his honor. George was ordained and served churches in Alaska, Washington, New Zealand, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. After serving the Congregational Church in Naugatuck, CT for 12 years, he was named Minister Emeritus. In 1992, AIC awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. Upon retiring, he spent brief periods at The Art Students League in New York City and The Fine Arts Studio at Bennington College, Vermont. Winning “Honorable Mention” at two Watertown Art League shows, Fisher’s paintings are now owned by persons in 21 states, Ontario, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Brazil. He continues to paint in the studio at Riverwoods in Exeter, New Hampshire, where he has resided for over 12 years, near his son.

1940sWilliam Licht ’45 presented “From Norfolk to Tokyo: Film Footage of the Pacific War Service of Dr. William Licht 1944-46” at AIC for the College’s celebration of veterans.

1950sBob avis ’56 takes readers to new worlds conjured from his thoughts in his new book, “Short Stories” (published by Xlibris), delving into the genres of general fiction and science fiction. With his book, Avis blends the

mundane and the marvelous, fact and fiction and the ordinary and the outrageous. The book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Connie Haskell ’58, moved back to Springfield, MA from Suffield, CT.

Henry Benjamin ’59, ’62 med, professor emeritus of biology, is celebrating 50 years of teaching at AIC.

1960s

Linda Josephs Gustafson ’68, Jann Lynch minzy ’68, Bonnie french milberg ’68, fran Kressley ’68, Linda Kaplan mahoney ’68, and mary anne Broshek ’68 reunited in Rangeley, Maine this summer. Missing from the picture is Janice Walczak ’68 who is caring for her mother and Jane Buckbinder ’68 who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in February of this year.

Jean delisle Lynch ’69 returned to western MA after spending many years in Florida.

1970sthomas Hill ’70 retired this June from GLOBAL Reinsurance Corporation of America in New York. He served with GLOBAL as senior vice president and member of the board of directors. He had been with the firm for a little over 36 years. Tom continues to work with Open America, Inc., a writing and business

management/leadership program he began in 1990 for recent emigrants and their children.

The artwork of John Buonani ’72 of Meriden, CT was displayed in AIC’s West Wing Gallery during Homecoming 2014.

mike Zuber ’72, rollie depew ’72, peter simon ’72, Joe Chianciola ’72 had a small reunion hosted by Mike Zuber, at his deli, Zuber’s Deli and Ice Cream in Westfield, MA in July. Mike has invited AIC alumni to stop by and say hi whenever they are in the area.

ronni Bloomfield-Charyn ’74 celebrated the birth of her first grandchild Micalah Zahava Sherman-Charyn, born September 8 in Nashville, TN.

Bill Condon ’77, fran Lavigueur ’76, Bob mcsparren ’78, John miley ’78, pat palmer ’77, tom peno ’77, and andy Zajak ’77 recently visited Jim mazzer ’77 who is awaiting a heart transplant. The group met at his house in Matunick Beach, RI.

Jim tympanik ’76, ’80 mBa retired in February 2014 from the United Parcel Service after 26 years in technology management support. He also just celebrated 30 years of marriage with a trip to the Greek Islands and Italy.

terrance (terry) n. treschuk ’78 is an “Excellence in Government” award honoree.

1980spaul G. noel ’80 retired from the Coventry Public Schools.

martha (Lanzillotta) ringhauser ’81 was named the Red Oak Independent School

Mike Zuber ’72, Rollie Depew ’72, Peter Simon ’72, Joe Chianciola ’72 (L-R)

William Licht ’45

Bi l l Condon ’77, Fran Lavigueur ’76, Jim Mazzer ’77, Bob McSparren ’78, John Miley ’78, Pat Palmer ’77, Tom Peno ’77, Andy Zajak ’77

Winter 2014 | 23

| cLASS nOTES |

District Elementary Teacher of the Year on June 6, 2014 in Red Oak, TX.

John mateyko ’81 was named the men’s head basketball coach at Dowling College in Long Island, New York.

derrick L. tallman ’81 is the new associate director and director of finance and human resources for University Health Services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Tallman most recently served as administrator of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield. For the past seven years, Tallman has served as a member of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s governing body for the state’s four public health hospitals.

In June of 2014, mark mastroianni ’86, Hampden County District Attorney, was sworn in as a federal district judge during a brief ceremony in US District Court on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Lorna s. simmons ’86 has been named the new chief probation officer at Hampden Superior Court in Springfield, MA. Simmons will manage the probation operations for a 634 square mile area that includes 26 cities and towns. Simmons began her probation career as a probation officer in Westfield District Court in 1993. In 1997, she became a Hampden Superior Court probation officer. Three years later, in 2000, she was appointed assistant chief probation officer at the court.

1990sLisa andoscia ’90 msOd began working for the town of North Providence in 2007 as a grant

writer. She has secured over $5,000,000 for parks, roads, and numerous local organizations, including St. Mary’s Home for Children, Tri-Town Community Action, and the Salvatore Mancini Resource and Activity Center. She was “delighted” to secure $100,000 to buy a new van for the senior center.

todd dolin ’94 has moved to Florida where he is a law enforcement professional.

ravella Gericke Lambert ’97 was recognized on campus for her induction into the Northeast-10 Hall of Fame. Athletic Director Matt Johnson opened the ceremony and Jacob VanRyn (from the NE-10 office) presented the award. Ravella then spoke, thanked her coaches and teammates, and talked about her fond memories of AIC. The ceremony was attended by the following AIC Alumni: Kim Curtin ’88, maureen mcswiggin ’97, shana perry ’98, renee trevains ’98, Jaime Caron ’99, stacy simpson ’00, nikki santos ’00, Carolyn mcGowan pane ’00, meredith Cahoon-swanson ’01, Kristen patterson Hutchison ’02, amber radomski ’03, michelle franey ’10, sarah Calgreen ’12, michelle niejadlik ’12, Katie merrill ’14.

2000sKyle G. Lewis ’09 received his master of arts in international relations (global governance and social theory) through the cooperative master’s program with University Bremen and Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. While studying in Germany, Kyle worked as a professional player/coach for the Bremen Dockers baseball

club which competes in the 2nd Bundesliga. After completing his master’s, Kyle began working in the international marketing department of Deutsches Milchkontor (DMK) Bremen.

Laisa Cuevas ’09 has recently started a new career at Baystate Medical Center as a women’s health nurse practitioner.

Joel flecha ’09 and Laisa Cuevas ’09 were married on October 11, 2014. The happy couple met at the Shea Library while studying at AIC!

2010sJennifer Holbrook ’10 med was recently accepted into the PhD in special education program at University of Central Florida. She received a full fellowship and was given the prestigious title of Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute Scholar, a title given to only two PhD scholars per year (one in special education and one in counselor education).

indera daniels ’10 and nathan dill ’10 wed in April 2014 at Shiloh Community Church of God in Christ on Jasper Street in Springfield. Indera and Nathan met at AIC in Mr. O’Mally’s psychology class in spring of 2008.

Jeremy Casey ’11 mBa has been named vice president of small business banking at First Niagara Bank. He previously served as vice president of commercial services at Westfield Bank.

rhonwen peters ’11 has been named a part-time assistant coach for the 2014 season at William Smith College in Geneva, NY. She joins the Herons following

Joel Flecha ’09 and Laisa Cuevas ’09

24 | Lucent

1930sMr. John Lombardi ’34

Mr. Russell L. Hoekstra ’38

1940s Mr. Stephen P. Johnson ’40

Mrs. Margaret (McCrea) Spencer ’40

Mr. Peter G. Ellis Esq. ’41

Mr. Clifford G. Floyd ’43

Mrs. Alma (Harrison) Hart ’48

Mr. Herbert C. Ball ’49

Mr. Carl O. Baumann ’49

Mr. Jerome H. Norton ’49

1950sMr. John F. Bills ’50

Mr. Leo A. Casagrande ’50

Mr. Mark Feinberg ’50

Mr. Holden C. Harlow Jr. ’50

Mr. Walter D. Miller ’50

Dr. Howard E. Paine ’50

Mr. Gerald E. Finn ’51

Mr. Charles D. Hagan Jr. ’52

Mr. Joseph F. Connors ’53

Mr. Paul E. Gerhardt ’54

Professor Thomas J. O’Neil Jr. ’54

Mr. Robert O. Robson ’54

Mr. Ralph L. Shindler ’55

Mr. Herbert Kandel ’59

1960sMr. William C. Ashley ’60

Mr. Donald E. Norton ’60

Lewis E. Randall PhD ’60

Mr. Joseph C. Knapik ’62

Mr. Anthony E. Galica ’64, ’70

Ms. Patricia A. McDonald ’65

Mrs. Rose (Russo) O’Neill ’65

Mrs. Ellen J. (Berger) Occhiuti ’65

Mrs. Jean (Healy) Hickey ’66

Mrs. Betty Lou (Allen) Titcomb ’66

Mr. Mitchell R. Wilson ’66

Mr. Bernard Lavoie ’68

Mr. Joseph H. O’Neil ’68

Mr. David J. Bigda ’69

1970sMs. Irene B. Mozden ’72

Mr. Jeffrey Bellemare ’76

Ms. Tobey A. Katz ’76

Mr. Edward G. Miller ’79

1980sMs. Marilyn E. Bartz ’80

Mrs. Connie P. (Pina) Vestal ’82

Mr. Joseph A. O’Shaughnessy ’82

Mrs. Maureen L. (Myers) Wilczak ’87

1990sMs. Naomi White-Inniss ’93

2010sMr. Stephen Koenig ’13

| In MEMOrIAM |

| cLASS nOTES |

three seasons as an assistant field hockey coach at Muhlenberg College. Peters was a four-year starter on the Yellow Jackets’ field hockey team. Serving as a team captain in 2010, Peters and the Yellow Jackets compiled a 14-8 overall mark, a program record for wins in a season, advanced to the championship game of the Northeast-10 Tournament, and made the program’s first ever NCAA Division II Championship appearance.

Luis Gomez ’13 has begun working as AIC’s assistant wrestling coach.

sean mahoney ’14, theater director at Commonwealth Academy, produced the first

ever production at the school. A Christmas Carol, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, was performed November 14, 15, and 16. Ninety percent of the cast were first-time actors. Commonwealth Academy is a mastery college preparatory boarding school that gives a great education opportunity for low-income students. This is the first time the school has had a theater program.

starr nathan ’14 starred in the BET Hip Hop Awards 2014 promo, along with the legendary Snoop Dogg, that aired nationally and internationally on television. The Boston native was representing the city of Chicago talking about her love for hip-hop.

Jonathan provost ’14 has begun working as a full-time physical therapist with SelectPhysical Therapy’s Outpatient Division in Norwich, CT.

Janek schmidkunz ’14, an international business major, basketball player, writing center tutor, and co-valedictorian of the American International College Class of 2014, is currently playing professional basketball in Heidelberg, Germany.

Starr Nathan ’14

Dear Fellow AIC Alumni,

My name is Maureen Fitzgerald MBA ’83.

This past January, I joined AIC as vice president for

institutional advancement. I am honored to be back at

my alma mater, a place for which I have deep admiration

and profound affection. Even before I was a student

here, I valued the College’s mission. AIC has always done

important work in the lives of its students, in the city of

Springfield, and in the region at large. I’m thrilled to lead a

team whose goal is to inform you about—and involve you

in—the great things going on here.

In fact, we hope you have noticed a recent increase in

the number of emails, invitations, and news items you’ve

received from us. We’re proud of the work being done at

AIC, and we want you to be involved in it. So visit campus

and see for yourself, or give us your feedback on Lucent, or

call to ask about a former professor, coach, or classmate.

Whatever the reason, don’t hesitate to be in touch. We

would love to see and hear from you. Give us a call at

413.205.3520, email us at alumni@aic.edu, or like us on

Facebook at www.facebook.com/alumniaic.

Happy new year to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Maureen Fitzgerald

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

www.facebook.com/alumniaic

www.twitter.com/aicalumni

413.205.3520

Fall 2014 | 25

Thank you!

American International College is

fortunate to have an extended family of

alumni, friends, and corporate supporters

who share their resources with our

students.

Please visit our Honor Roll of Donors at

www.aic.edu/thankyou to see our public

acknowledgement and thank you for your

contribution during the last fiscal year.

26 | Lucent

american international college1000 State StreetSpringfield, Massachusetts 01109www.aic.edu

who has time for

grad school?

you do.

april Kearseeducation (edd), ’14

the graduate programs at american international

college are designed for your busy life. to learn more contact the office of admissions at 413.205.3201