Posted on 05/14/2012

Fitchburg State University this week celebrates its 116^th
commencement exercises. The Graduate Commencement ceremony, to be held
Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. in Weston Auditorium, will include awards to Dr.
Elaine Francis, professor emerita, for outstanding contributions to
the graduate program, and Beverly S. Farias ’52, who will be presented the
Trustee Award for Service.

The Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 19
at 10 a.m. on the main quad will feature the commencement address by Ethan F.
Becker ’93 and the presentation of Distinguished Alumnae Awards to Juliette C.
Youngblood ’84 and Simone M. Youngblood ’84.

Dr. Elaine Francis

Dr. Elaine Francis, professor emerita, is a dedicated educator who has devoted more than three decades of her professional life to the Fitchburg State community.

A graduate of Fitchburg State’s Special Education Department, and a faculty member since 1978, Francis became the university’s first dean of education in 2003. Throughout her career she insisted on high standards for the university’s programs to ensure that graduates were highly qualified to become educators. Before working at the university she spent years as a teacher of children and adult students with moderate to severe special needs. She built on this work to co-author a textbook, Understanding and Implementing Inclusion: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers, published in 2003 and still in use today.

Her accomplishments at Fitchburg State include developing the curriculum for numerous programs. During her tenure as chairperson of the Special Education Department and chairperson of its moderate and severe disabilities graduate programs, Francis led a team of faculty in the development and implementation of two innovative clinical master’s degree programs. These cohort model programs, implemented in 1992, integrated curriculum strands in assessment, content, instruction, and collaboration. This model was implemented in Fitchburg, Chelmsford, Wellesley, and Worcester and continues to influence Fitchburg State’s graduate programs. She was also instrumental in the development of the university’s Reading Specialist Graduate Program. 

She played a leading role in bringing the university’s programs recognition from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and worked with such third parties as extended campuses, school districts, the National Institute of School Leadership and Franklin Pierce University to develop articulation agreements and ensure program quality and integrity were extended to other university sites.

Francis took on additional responsibilities in 2010, becoming chairperson of the university’s Curriculum and Teaching graduate program. She continues to be an active member of the Education Department Curriculum Committee and, despite her retirement, will return to the classroom this summer to teach a hybrid course in collaboration for graduate students in a variety of special education master’s programs.   

Beverly S. Farias

Beverly (Sherwin) Farias ‘52 recently completed 10 years of service to the university’s Board of Trustees, where she was an impassioned and effective voice for Fitchburg State alumni. Her commitment to the university far exceeds that term of office, however, as Farias can point to more than six decades of engagement with the campus community.

A native of Townsend, Farias arrived at Fitchburg State in 1948 and in addition to her studies worked in the alumni office under Florence Conlon from 1948 to 1952. It was on campus that she met her future husband Joseph Farias ‘53, who would go on to become a member of the college’s industrial arts faculty for many years.

After her graduation, Farias taught at the Spaulding Memorial School in Townsend before embarking on a 28-year career in educational sales, selling textbooks and encyclopedias. She continues to work part-time at Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits, where she hosts wine tastings.

Her commitment to her alma mater has been unswerving. She calls the Fitchburg State community a second family, and has been a highly visible champion of the institution and its goals.  

A proud alumna, Farias has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors since its creation, when it replaced the alumni council as the association’s governing authority. She has been the association’s historian for more than a decade. Her service includes more than 30 years on the group's scholarship committee - many as its chair - and also on its alumni engagement and executive committees. Farias was president of the Alumni Association from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, she was a recipient of the President’s Medal.

She was also a member of the university’s presidential search committee that led to the appointment of Robert V. Antonucci in 2003.

A stalwart champion of Fitchburg State since her arrival, Farias remains a fixture at campus celebrations, eager to tell the university’s story and pay tribute to the accomplishments of its students, faculty and staff.

Juliette C. Youngblood

Juliette Youngblood’s career has encompassed an impressive cross-section of Hollywood’s award-winning production companies, networks, and studios. Youngblood is president of Youngblood Group PC. Her longtime clients include Viacom, Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Survivor Entertainment Group.

Youngblood started her legal career at O’Melveny & Myers and then joined the Entertainment Department of Irell & Manella. She was elected partner and appointed head of the firm’s Entertainment Group, a position she held until her departure to launch Youngblood Group in 2009. Youngblood has worked on numerous widely-acclaimed films, including the Mission: Impossible franchise and dozens of television shows, including Survivor.

Nationally recognized as a resourceful and innovative negotiator, Youngblood has been involved in numerous high-profile, headline-making deals, including Viacom’s acquisition of DreamWorks and Nickelodeon's acquisition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. In addition to her law practice, she teamed with producer Mark Burnett to produce theatrical motion pictures. Youngblood was named 2010 Entertainment Lawyer of the Year by the Century City Bar Association.

A member of the Planning Committee for the University of Southern California Law School – Beverly Hills Bar Association Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, Youngblood sat on the board of the Los Angeles Copyright Society, is a long-time member of Women in Film and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a member of The Paley Center Media Council, which is composed of the entertainment industry’s top representatives.

Youngblood received a law degree from Loyola Law School in 1990 and in 2006 was awarded its Distinguished Alumna Award.  She received a master’s from the University of Virginia in 1985, and graduated with high honors and two bachelor's degrees from Fitchburg State in 1984.

Youngblood, her husband and three children reside in Los Angeles.

Simone M. Youngblood

Among the foremost experts on military and “war game” simulation assessment, Simone Youngblood has served the United States Department of Defense with distinction for the past 16 years, leading collaborative international efforts to ensure credible use of models and simulations.

Youngblood's service as the VV&A point person for the Department of Defense includes 11 years on-site at the Department of Defense Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office.   

Youngblood was editor of the Department of Defense Instruction Guide on VV&A and led the group that produced the department’s Recommended Practices Guide. Additionally, Youngblood was chairwoman of numerous groups that have developed standards related to model and simulation VV&A for use by organizations including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Department of Defense. Youngblood has also served as chairwoman for several North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) technical working groups that produced NATO guidance on model and simulation VV&A.

In addition, Youngblood has supported numerous VV&A applications for sponsors that include the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and the Department of the Navy. 

Youngblood earned two bachelor’s degrees from Fitchburg State in 1984, in mathematics and computer science, and a master’s degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University.

Youngblood resides in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Posted on 05/11/2012

Graduating senior Courtney B. Gustafson was recognized by Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday, May 10 at the Statehouse as one of the 29 Who Shine, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's tribute to outstanding public college and university graduates.

Gustafson was accompanied to the event by President Antonucci as well as a contingent of well-wishers from the campus, including Professor Ian Williams (English), whom Gustafson cited as a key mentor in achieving her academic success.

The celebration at the Statehouse featured an honoree from each community college, state university and University of Massachusetts campus. Students were required to be residents of Massachusetts who had a strong academic record and a history of civic engagement.

“These exceptional students have earned the respect and admiration of the whole Commonwealth,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. "I look forward to seeing all the ways they will contribute to a better Massachusetts.”

Gustafson, approaching graduation next week with a 3.99 GPA, continues her studies this fall. She has been accepted into an MA/PhD program in English rhetoric and composition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she has also been offered a teaching assistantship and a fellowship to cover her fees. She plans to continue teaching writing after earning her advanced degree.

Posted on 05/08/2012

The Asian Culture Society at Fitchburg State University will celebrate the diverse talents of its students during its first Asian Culture Show on Wednesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. in Weston Auditorium. Live music, martial arts demonstrations and traditional dancing will be among the featured performances.

The show will feature students from the Fitchburg State orchestra as well as ballroom dancing club and the martial arts club. There will be traditional Asian music as well as modern and classical instrumental pieces from world famous Asian composers including  Joe Hisashi, Yiruma, and Nobuo Uematsu, and modern musical renditions of Pokemon.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students, alumni and faculty with a Fitchburg State OneCard. All of the proceeds will go to the Asia Foundation and charity based in California.

Posted on 05/04/2012

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education recently kicked off the 2012 college commencement season by announcing the student winners of the 29 Who Shine awards. These awards honor 29 outstanding public college and university graduates, one from each community college, state university and UMass campus in the state, for their academic achievement and community service.

Courtney B. Gustafson will represent Fitchburg State at the 29 Who Shine event on May 10.

Among this year’s honorees are five veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the first female African American firefighter in the city of Holyoke’s history, and an aspiring physician who designed and opened a free medical clinic for African immigrants in Worcester. The 29 Who Shine also include students who have co-founded environmental organizations; created community art and prison writing projects; and conducted research to inform the treatment of both hearing loss and childhood obesity. The students will be honored Thursday, May 10, at a State House ceremony attended by Gov. Patrick, state education officials, campus presidents, faculty and students.

“These exceptional students have earned the respect and admiration of the whole Commonwealth,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. "I look forward to seeing all the ways they will contribute to a better Massachusetts.”

“The collective brainpower of students like the 29 Who Shine is the Commonwealth’s biggest asset in the global competition for industry and jobs,” said Richard M. Freeland, Commissioner of Higher Education. “I am thrilled to see this level of achievement by our public college and university graduates.”

Each of Massachusetts’ 29 public college and university campuses selected its own honoree for the 29 Who Shine awards based on criteria established by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Students were required to be residents of Massachusetts who had a strong academic record and a history of civic engagement.

Fitchburg State University will be represented by Courtney B. Gustafson.

Gustafson has been a standout scholar since her arrival at Fitchburg State University in 2008. Her cumulative GPA heading toward graduation this May is an astounding 3.99.

For Gustafson, a commuting student who was raised in Fitchburg, the journey to Fitchburg State began as one of access; this was a college education she could afford. But it became much more as she realized the opportunities and experiences that were available to a motivated student.

Gustafson balanced a demanding class schedule with work in Fitchburg State’s Office of Student Development, where she quickly rose to a managerial position. She also held down a second off-campus job. She has been a member of the English honor society, wrote for the student newspaper and was selected for leadership development programs offered by the university. This spring, Gustafson has added an internship at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette to her already full workload.

She has also endeavored to make a difference on campus. With fully half of the undergraduate population commuting to the university, Gustafson decided the group needed a voice. She founded the Commuter Club in her second year and oversaw the development of programs catering to this population. The club continues to thrive.

Gustafson’s advocacy and curiosity transcend the campus, however. She is in her second semester volunteering at the Shirley State Prison, where she teaches a writing course to inmates. With another student, under the direction of Professor Ian Williams, Gustafson designed a syllabus and curriculum for the course and put together lesson plans and assignments for 17 men in the prison.

Gustafson has been accepted into an MA/PhD program in English rhetoric and composition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she has also been offered a teaching assistantship and a fellowship to cover her fees. She plans to continue teaching writing after earning her advanced degree.

Posted on 05/01/2012

A free lecture series featuring award-winning designers who have helped shape and articulate how graphic design defines our culture concludes this week when the Communications Media Department at Fitchburg State University welcomes artist Jerry Beck, who will discuss “The Graphic Nature of Public Art.”

The talk will be held Thursday, May 3 at 3:30 p.m. in the Condike Science Lecture Hall. The Condike Science Building is at 333 North St.

Jerry Beck and The Revolving Museum's "ARTventures," a public art project transforming abandoned and or under-utilized public spaces in downtown Lowell in 2008. The background smokestack projection was created by Beck in collaboration with a team of local filmmakers. The foreground "Water Dragon" is acollaborative public artwork by Jay Hungate and Brush gallery Artists and hundreds of community members.

Beck is a nationally recognized artist, educator, and cultural leader who is currently the director of marketing and community engagement at the Fitchburg Art Museum.

For the past 30 years, Jerry Beck’s art has transformed such unconventional abandoned or under-utilized places as 12 railroad cars, a Civil War fort on an island, baseball field, empty lots, waterways, transportation vehicles, textile mills and smokestacks. Working within a multiple of disciplines including public art, architecture, graphic design, photography, and video, Beck's projects involve the active participation of the public in the creative process. This talk will lead the public on a journey into Beck’s belief that art should play a key role in people’s everyday lives.

The lecture series is supported by the Ruth Butler Grant at Fitchburg State University.

The series opened in March with a talk by Clifford Stoltze, the principal and creative director of Stoltze Design in Boston. His presentation included a survey of over 40 years of high notes in design for music featuring favorites from Stoltze’s own LP, CD and poster collections as well as some of Stoltze Design’s own projects for the music industry. In April, the series presented Richard Doubleday, author of Jan Tschichold, Designer: The Penguin Years and co-author of Jan Tschichold – Master Typographer, who discussed cultural identity in graphic design.

Posted on 04/24/2012

Fitchburg State University’s Exercise and Sport Science Club will host the second annual Falcon 5K, Fun-Run and Walk on Sunday, April 29 at 9 a.m. Proceeds will benefit the city of Fitchburg’s parks and recreation department.

The Falcon 5K celebrates the American College of Sports Medicine’s global initiative to promote regular physical activity for improved health and well-being.

Registration in advance is $15 for the 5K and $10 for the 1-mile fun run, and $20 for the 5K and $15 for the fun run on the day of the race. Visit www.falcon5k.org/registration.html to enter. The event starts and ends at the Fitchburg State University Recreation Center, 130 North St.

For more information, contact falcon5K@falcon.fitchburgstate.edu or visit http://falcon5k.org.

Posted on 04/19/2012

Fitchburg State University’s Fitchburg Activities Board welcomes fast-rising rapper Mac Miller to campus on Thursday, May 3, at the Recreation Center, 130 North St.

Tickets for Mac Miller are $25 for the public and Fitchburg State faculty, and alumni, and $15 for Fitchburg State students. Doors open at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3. Tickets are available at the Hammond Campus Center information desk and are not available over the phone. Bags will not be allowed inside the venue for the show.

Mac Miller was signed to a record deal soon after graduating from high school in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he developed a following for his freestyle hip-hop skills. His debut album with Rostrum Records, “K.I.D.S.,” took the Internet and music industry by storm.  His EP “On and On and Beyond” sold over 60,000 digital copies in 2011, and he sold a million singles with little to no radio airplay. His debut full-length record, “Blue Slide Park,” was #3 on iTunes albums chart from pre-orders alone.

The Cool Kids will take the stage before Mac Miller on May 3.

The Student Nurses Association at Fitchburg State University will host a health screening and promotion clinic on Wednesday, May 2, outside the Hammond Campus Center. The event, running from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will include more than 20 nursing students offering information about healthier lifestyles. The event is open to the public.

“The health screening and promotion clinic is a way for nursing students to really put their knowledge and skills to practice,” said Michael Mielniczek, vice president of the Student Nurses Association. “We nursing students love to learn, but we love to help even more.”

There will be tables set up for screenings, information, healthy food options and items for attendees to take home and help them live healthier lives.

“Nursing students have a duty to promote and teach healthier lifestyles to the population around us,” Mielniczek said. College students deal with sleep, stress, and other health problems, and the association is looking to promote safe and healthy choices for students and faculty.

Posted on 04/13/2012

Frank O'Donnell of Swampscott was sworn in this week as a member of the Fitchburg State University Board of Trustees. The 1993 graduate of Fitchburg State will serve as the alumni representative to the board.

He replaces Beverly Farias, who recently completed a 10-year term on the board of trustees.

O’Donnell is a highly accomplished National Security executive who currently serves as vice president for mission support at CSMI, a defense contractor based in Lawrence. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State in 1993 and later completed his law degree from Suffolk University Law School and master’s in public administration from the Sawyer School of Management at Suffolk University simultaneously.

Prior to working at CSMI, O’Donnell was a principal for another small defense contractor, SM Consulting, which he helped grow to a $100 million per year organization. In 2008, SM Consulting was sold to SAIC – a Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s largest defense contractors. O’Donnell became a vice president in SAIC’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Division. In 2011, he left to join CSMI.

O’Donnell was selected by the Alumni Association to represent their ranks on the board of trustees. The alumni representative is one of two spots on the board reserved for elected members, the other being the student trustee.

Previously, O’Donnell served as a member of Fitchburg State’s Alumni Board of Directors from 1999 to 2012.

Posted on 04/12/2012

Musicians, teachers and composers are invited to hone their skills when Fitchburg State University’s Center for Professional Studies holds the Teaching and Learning Music Institute July 9 through 13.

This intensive, one-week residential graduate institute - now in its third year – centers on skill development through quality music literature study, discussion, and presentation. Singing, performing, composing, analyzing, conducting, and relating music to history and other arts are explored.

Classes, workshops, projects and seminars focus on choral, chamber, instrumental, jazz, and band works. Technology, special workshops on singing, Alexander technique, and percussion complete the week-long experience. Three graduate credits are awarded for successful completion of the institute requirements.

“I highly recommend this program to all students and teachers of music,” said Steven Bergman, from the Littleton Public Schools, a past attendee.

“This was a rare course for teachers that was truly intellectually stimulating,” added Alix Pollack, Belmont Public Schools, another past attendee. “Because the material contributed to my knowledge and excitement as a musician, it will contribute to my teaching.”

Seating is limited and registrations are due by June 22. Earn three graduate credits (or 67.5 PDPs) in one week. The cost is $1,450, includes tuition, fees, room and board. A commuter discount is also available. Visit www.fitchburgstate.edu/music to learn more and to register.