Posted on 05/13/2013

Effective communication, building relationships and managing workplace conflict will be among the topics explored at the third annual Next Generation Leadership Summit for Police Professionals being held June 2 through 7 at Fitchburg State University. Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, June 6.

The summit, presented by Fitchburg State in collaboration with the Fitchburg and Harvard police departments, will introduce police professionals to new skills and tools that will lead to new perspectives on leadership in their profession.

Seminars will be presented by university faculty and professionals on the following topics: effective communication in the work setting; managing workplace conflict; collaboration and relationship building; how leaders inspire, influence and achieve results; risk management and preparedness; and bridging the cultural gap. Commissioner Davis will give his talk at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6.

Attendees will spend a day in Boston, where they will meet with U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and U.S. Marshal John Gibbons. Registration also includes a trip to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox.

The Next Generation Leadership Summit was launched in 2011, and this year’s edition builds on that strong foundation. Its planning committee includes the Fitchburg and Harvard police chiefs, Fitchburg State faculty members and staff, as well as students.

“The public safety summit has been a huge success, stemming from a great partnership between Fitchburg State and public safety professionals from beyond our campus,” said Fitchburg State President Robert V. Antonucci. “This summit fills an important need for the communities we serve.”

Participants, who will live on campus during the week-long summit, will take part in six breakout sessions, covering topics selected by public safety professionals and designed to help build leadership competencies.

Registration is $695 for attendees who wish to stay on campus during the program or $495 for commuters. The final deadline for registration is May 15.

For more information, contact the Center for Professional Studies at 978-665-3636, or by email at cps@fitchburgstate.edu. Visit www.fitchburgstate.edu/leadershipsummit for additional details.

Posted on 05/01/2013

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Antonelli learned to challenge authority during his undergraduate studies at Fitchburg State.

As a student journalist, he made national headlines in a precedent-setting free speech lawsuit that pitted students against administration. And he has used the same sense of exploration and inquiry in his filmmaking career, tackling provocative subjects and asking tough questions. The university will present him an honorary degree at its 117th Commencement Exercises, undergraduate spring ceremony on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. on the main quadrangle.

The commencement address on May 18 will be given by Michael J. Deitemeyer, a member of the university’s class of 1986 and president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. Deitemeyer will also receive an honorary degree.

Antonelli, a producer-director-writer, has overseen celebrated projects including his 2010 documentary “Sam Cooke: Crossing Over,” which was broadcast on PBS’ “American Masters” series and nominated for a primetime Emmy Award for outstanding non-fiction series.

His recently completed documentary “Unfair Game: The Politics of Poaching,” will soon make the film festival circuit. In the past year his documentary work has taken him to Egypt, Serbia, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, West Timor, Iraq and Hawaii.

Antonelli has also written, produced and directed an ongoing series of 30-minute films about “The New Environmentalists,” narrated by Robert Redford. The environmental series has screened at film festivals around the world and netted regional Emmy Awards for outstanding public service programming.

His groundbreaking 1986 docudrama “Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the documentary competition. It was broadcast on PBS, A&E and The Learning Channel as well as numerous major international markets and was just re-released by Kultur Films International.

Antonelli did not finish his degree at Fitchburg State but has recently renewed ties with the university. He reunited with several of his fellow plaintiffs from the 1969 free speech case for a panel talk in 2011 and was on campus last year for a screening and discussion of his film about Kerouac.

For his willingness to share his talents and experience with the campus community, he is being awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Antonelli—who has a grown daughter, Mia, and is in a relationship with local food systems advocate Andrea Dean—lives in Sausalito, Calif.

In 1969, Antonelli was editor of the student newspaper The Cycle. When the young journalists sought to publish an explicit excerpt from Black Panthers’ founder Eldridge Cleaver’s novella The Black Moochie, the administration balked. Then-President James J. Hammond Jr. refused to pay for the printing and installed a faculty advisory board whose members would review all Cycle content in advance of publication. The student journalists pushed back and the case landed in U.S. District Court. In a landmark ruling still cited among student free speech cases, the judge found the students’ rights had been violated.

Despite the success in court, Antonelli soon withdrew from Fitchburg State. He renewed his ties with the institution two years ago, however, when he joined several classmates from those turbulent times to reflect on the case and its echoes. He returned to campus again in 2012 to screen “Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats” and meet with film students.

“John Antonelli is an accomplished artist whose passion for justice was demonstrated at Fitchburg State and continues to this day,” Fitchburg State President Robert V. Antonucci said. “We are honored to welcome him back to campus and present him with this distinction.”

Posted on 04/25/2013

The centennial of Woody Guthrie’s birth, an exploration of civil and women’s rights and a storyteller’s take on how women contributed to the war effort in the 1940s will be among the offerings at Fitchburg State University’s Adult Learners in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) spring programs.

The ALFA programs, free and open to the public, are being offered through the Shirley Pick Spring 2013 lecture series.

The lecture series begins Wednesday, May 8, with “This Land is Your Land.” In honor of the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth, his granddaughter, Anna Canoni, will present this program highlighting the remarkable life and musical legacy of an American original. The talk will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St.

The series continues Wednesday, May 15, with “A Century of Change,” a talk by Fitchburg State philosophy professor David Svolba, who will examine the pivotal issues of civil rights, women’s rights and species rights in an exploration of the philosophical and moral dilemmas of the past 100 years. The talk will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St.

The spring series concludes on Wednesday, May 22, with a presentation by acclaimed storyteller Judith Black, who will bring history alive through her presentation of “The Home Front,” a tale that celebrates the women who contributed to the war effort in preparation for D-Day and features songs of the era. The talk will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Percival Auditorium in Percival Hall, 254 Highland Ave.

Originally begun as a program for local seniors, ALFA has since expanded to include participants from over 15 surrounding communities. It is a lifelong learning program that offers non-credit daytime courses and special activities – designed and implemented by the members of ALFA in coordination with the professional staff at Fitchburg State University.

The ALFA program provides an opportunity for lifelong learners with similar interests to meet in an informal setting and pursue learning for enrichment and personal growth. ALFA is sponsored by the Center for Professional Studies and the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education at Fitchburg State University, in collaboration with volunteer representatives of the community.

For more information, visit http://www.fitchburgstate.edu/offices/community-outreach/alfa/ or email alfa@fitchburgstate.edu.

Posted on 04/24/2013

The Center for Conflict Studies at Fitchburg State University will finish its semester-long exploration of violence with a talk May 1 by a doctor at the Harvard School of Public Health on reducing gun violence, followed by a scholar’s talk May 2 about living in Palestine.

On Wednesday, May 1, from 7 to 9 pm., Dr. David Hemenway from the Harvard School of Public Health will discuss reducing gun violence. The talk, free and open to the public, will be held at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St.

“Dr. Hemenway is one of the nation's leading experts on gun violence,” said Fitchburg State Professor Eric Budd, one of the founders of the university’s Center for Conflict Studies. “Over the semester we have explored whether anything will change after the shootings in Connecticut, and whether violence in the media causes mass shootings, so Dr. Hemenway’s talk will explore ways to reduce gun violence.”

On Thursday, May 2, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., the center will welcome Pamela Olson, who will discuss her experiences living in Palestine and read from her book “Fast Times in Palestine.” Admission is free.

Richard Falk, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, praised Olson’s work, writing “no other book has conveyed such an authentic, penetrating, and enchanting sense of the Palestinian people and their long struggle for rights and security.”

Posted on 04/22/2013

Michael J. Deitemeyer, president of Omni Hotels and Resorts and a 1986 graduate of Fitchburg State University, will deliver the address at his alma mater’s 117th Commencement Exercises undergraduate ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 on the main quadrangle.

Deitemeyer, who studied business and accounting at Fitchburg State, has said it was an internship during his college years that set him on a successful career path.

“Mike Deitemeyer has an amazing story to tell, and he embodies the values of hard work and determination that have served generations of our students so well,” President Robert V. Antonucci said. “We are honored he will be sharing his insights and wisdom with our graduating students and their families.”

Omni Hotels & Resorts offers luxury accommodations at 50 hotels and resorts in leading business gateways and leisure destinations across North America. Since his appointment in July 2004, Deitemeyer has established the company as a leading hotel brand known for delivering superior quality, award-winning service and exceptional guest experiences. He is responsible for establishing the vision for the company and ensuring that all areas are effectively driving together towards those goals.

Under his leadership, Omni Hotels & Resorts has been ranked “Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains” in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study(SM) five times in the last twelve years, including last year’s study.  The brand has also been noted as a top luxury brand by Consumer Reports and Entrepreneur magazine during his tenure, as well as being named Harris Interactive’s EquiTrends 2011 Luxury Brand of the Year.

He also serves on the board of directors for the Global Hotel Alliance and the Global Hotel Network Advisory Board.

Prior to becoming president, Deitemeyer served as chief operating officer, a position he held from 1999 to 2004. Previously, he was the senior vice president of finance. Prior to joining Omni Hotels, Deitemeyer served as controller for TRT Development Company (Omni’s parent company) and its hotel management company, Shoreline Operating Company.  He joined TRT Development Company and Shoreline Operating Company in 1992. Deitemeyer began his career in the hospitality industry with Interstate Hotels Corporation in 1985. While there, he was involved in the opening and acquisition of several hotel properties.

Deitemeyer lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and children.

Posted on 04/19/2013

Fitchburg State University’s Communications Media Department Graphic Design Lecture Series concludes Tuesday, April 30, with a talk by Grammy-winning artist Fritz Klaetke.

Klaetke, creative director and designer of Visual Dialogue in Boston, will present “10 Rules to Design and/or Live By” at 3:30 p.m. April 30 at the Condike Science Lecture Hall, 333 North St.

Klaetke recently won Grammy Award in February for best boxed or limited edition package design for Woody at 100, a celebration of the music of Woody Guthrie produced for the Smithsonian Institution. His work bested designs for Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones, among others. A 10-page feature on Klaetke is featured in the current issue of Communication Arts magazine.

He will show work that involves conceptual solutions for graphic design and interactive design, with photography, illustration and collage art. The lecture will be of great interest to designers, of course, and photographers, illustrators, artists and design history students and the entire campus community.

The lecture series is coordinated by Professor Stephen Goldstein with generous support from the university’s Ruth Butler Grant.

Posted on 04/18/2013

Visions, the annual juried honors showcase of the year’s best original student work from Fitchburg State University’s Communications Media department, opens Wednesday, April 24.

The entire campus and local community look forward to this event, which consists of presentation forums, an exhibition featuring photography, graphic design and interactive media, and concludes with film/video screening.

Visions 2013 opens with a panel discussion featuring communications media alumni at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St. The panelists will discuss the state of their respective fields and offer insights into the value of the internship experience. This year’s alumni panel will feature Brittany Durgin, editor of Worcester Magazine; Jean Levasseur, project manager and developer at Spartan Systems; David Shilale, general manager and executive producer at Viewpoint Creative; and Erik Weikert, graphic and web designer for Pilot and EGW.

The alumni panel will be followed by a theater forum, also at Ellis White Lecture Hall, at 4:30 p.m. This is the first year of the university’s theater program operating as part of the communications media department.

There will be a gallery opening and reception, featuring student photography and graphic design works, at 5:30 p.m. in the gallery at the Sanders Administration Building, 300 Highland Ave. The night will conclude with a film and video screening at 7 p.m. at Weston Auditorium, 353 North St.

Admission to all the Visions events is free and open to the public.

The gallery exhibition will remain in the Sanders Administration Building through July.

Posted on 04/11/2013

Fitchburg State University will cancel day classes on Tuesday, April 23 for a daylong celebration of academic accomplishment.

The morning will feature the university’s third Undergraduate Conference on Research and Creative Practice, featuring presentations by Fitchburg State students from all departments promoting creativity and scholarship. The conference is sponsored by the university’s Center for Teaching and Learning and the Student Government Association.

Student works will be presented in poster sessions, oral presentations, media showings and performances.  The conference, running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be held at Hammond Hall. A complete schedule is available online.

The spotlight on academic excellence will continue with the 36th annual Honors Convocation at 2 p.m. in Weston Auditorium. This year’s convocation will include the announcement of major faculty awards: the Vincent J. Mara Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship.

Posted on 04/10/2013

The Fitchburg State University Exercise and Sports Science Club will hold the third annual Falcon 5K Fun Run and Walk on Saturday, April 21, starting at 9 a.m. at the university’s Athletics and Recreation Center, 130 North St.

Proceeds from the Falcon 5K will benefit the city of Fitchburg’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Advance registration is $15 for the 5K or $10 for the one-mile fun run and walk. The first 100 entrants will get commemorative T-shirts. Registration the day of the race is $20 for the 5K and $15 for the fun run and walk.

While prizes will be awarded for age division and overall winners, this event is designed as a fun, family activity, with an emphasis on completing, not competing.

On the Fitchburg State campus, the race has been preceded by an eight-week “couch to 5K” training program that was available to all students, faculty and staff. More than 60 members of the campus community have taken part in the training program, which has grown to encompass eight weekly training sessions and six coaches.

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

Visit https://g2racereg/webconnexcom/falcon5k2013 to register.

Posted on 04/09/2013

Fitchburg State University will once again host the Special Olympics on Friday, April 26, at the Elliot Field athletic complex.

The 6th annual Special Olympics North Central School Day Games will be a celebration of the accomplishments of more than 450 talented special athletes.

The event brings together special athletes, local schools, community members, Fitchburg State students, faculty, staff, and alumni. More than 450 athletes and 160 volunteers are expected to attend the event.

The local games are organized by the university’s international honor society, Kappa Delta Pi, along with members from the Education and Exercise and Sports Science departments.

The opening ceremony on April 26 will begin at 9 a.m. and the games are scheduled to conclude at 2 p.m. For additional information, contact specialolympics@fitchburgstate.edu.