Soccer forward Alicia Grenier was featured in a recent edition of South Coast Today, the daily newspaper serving the Somerset and Swansea, MA areas.

"I feel really good and accomplished about my first two seasons," the sophomore told the paper. "I've made amazing friends and, because of how close we've become off the soccer field, it shows on the field."

To read the entire full-length article, click here.

The leading scorer for Gators soccer again in 2009, the Swansea native has scored 20 or more points in both of her seasons in the Green and White.

On December 2nd, the College honored the 2009 senior interns and their site supervisors at a Reception in the Moncrief Room. Interns enthusiastically spoke of how meaningful and transforming their internships had been, and of the wonderful mentoring they had received. Site supervisors praised PMC interns for the knowledge, skills, and the positive work ethic they contributed to their organizations. Several of the site sponsors have hosted PMC interns for a number of years.

Senior Internships, which are required of all students, take place in the fall and include 16 hours a week at a site related to the student’s major, as well as an on-campus weekly seminar led by a faculty member. This year students developed and practiced their skills at an amazing array of organizations, including the Danforth Museum, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Codman Square Health Center, WHDH TV, Herman and Herman CPA, The Home for Little Wanderers, Mason Rice Elementary School, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Sweet Tomatoes Pizza, Converse, and EPOCH Hospice Care.

Dorothy Allison grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, the first child of a fifteen-year-old unwed mother who worked as a waitress. She describes herself as a feminist, a working-class storyteller, a Southern expatriate, a sometime poet, and a happily born-again Californian.

An award-winning editor for Quest, Conditions, and Outlook — early feminist and Lesbian & Gay journals — Allison published her first book of poetry, The Women Who Hate Me, in 1983. Her short-story collection, Trash, won two Lambda Literary Awards and the American Library Association Prize for Lesbian and Gay Writing. She received mainstream recognition with the publication of her novel Bastard Out of Carolina, a Finalist for the 1992 National Book Award, which was subsequently translated into more than a dozen languages and made into an eponymous film. Awarded the 2007 Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction, Allison is also the author of Cavedweller, a New York Time Notable Book of the Year; Two or Three Things I know for Sure; Skin—Talking about Sex, Class & Literature; and the forthcoming She Who.

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

Louise Meriwether was born in upstate New York and grew up in Harlem during the depression years. Her first novel, Daddy Was a Number Runner, is based on the Harlem community that she knew as a child. She is also the author of three historical children’s books: Don’t Ride the Bus on Monday, the story of Rosa Parks; Dr. Daniel Hale Williams: The Heart Man, chronicling the first doctor to successfully operate on the heart; and The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls, which records the heroics of a slave who hijacked a confederate gunboat. Her latest novel Shadow Dancing, is a contemporary story set in New York City. A committed activist, pacifist, and teacher, Meriwether has served on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Houston. She is the recipient of literary grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York Council for the Arts; the Rabinowitz Foundation; and the Mellon Foundation.

Cuban-American artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons provided a fascinating glimpse of her creative process in her lecture on Wednesday, November 18, in the President’s Dining Room. Campos-Pons related stories of her childhood growing up in Cuba as a rich and inspiring resource for the development of the concepts she explores in her artwork.

Campos-Pons’s art reflects her complex personal history as the great-granddaughter of a Nigerian slave, as an Afro Cuban, and as an immigrant to the United States. Drawing upon memories and experiences, she employs masterful design and a readiness for self-exploration to engage with issues ranging from identity and displacement, to history and politics, to the study of nature’s mysteries, in her powerful and absorbing work.

Campos-Pons often uses simple yet profound ritual and gesture in combination with graphic elements to convey her deep interior involvement with complex subjects that are at the core of human experience. Her unguarded openness invites the viewer into their own explorations, and to perhaps share in her willingness to challenge comfortable assumptions about identity, and what we desire.

Her artwork will be on display in the Hess Gallery through January 27, 2010.

Governor Deval Patrick attended a meeting of college presidents on November 16 at PMC, sponsored by AICUM (Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts). Gloria Nemerowicz, President of Pine Manor College, is on the AICUM Executive Committee.

Every year, Pine Manor College holds a major event for first year students to showcase their achievement in College Composition. The professors, advisors, students, and supporters gather together to marvel at the excellent work of the students. The young scholars from each CC110 course give presentations, and they also provide tables with information, essays, brochures and multimedia presentations.  This year, the focus of the colloquium is on the book Persepolis, examining it through the lens of each composition class theme.

All of the students at PMC gain confidence in their writing and all other areas of study, including their lives outside of college. By the end of these college composition courses, the students learn how to think critically, gain inclusive leadership skills, and learn how to solve problems.

President Gloria Nemerowicz was honored at this year’s Germaine Lawrence Women of Excellence breakfast at The Harvard Club on November 5. Over 350 people were in attendance, including MA First Lady Diane Patrick. President Nemerowicz made the College proud and raised our visibility in front of a very important audience. A young woman, who was helped by Germaine Lawrence, described numerous challenges she has face in her life. She is currently enrolled in a community college, but is hoping to transfer to a four-year school and study psychology. When President Nemerowicz spoke, she told this young woman how much Pine Manor would love a student like her. The student, with the woman who has served as her surrogate mother the past few years, came to PMC that afternoon, met with Admissions and Financial Aid, and is planning to transfer to PMC in January. Germaine Lawrence is New England’s leading provider of residential treatment for at-risk adolescent girls.

Pictured: Massachusetts First Lady Diane Patrick, Event Co-Chair Kris Montgomery, PMC President Gloria Nemerowicz

One local writer, a post-graduate student, said: "…I think Solstice MFA classes can fill an unmet need for Boston's writing community —to provide bursts of momentum to working writers who may not want the intensity of instruction found in either an MFA Program or a long-term advanced level workshop, but can benefit immensely from individual master classes."

Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. The registration fee is $35 per course ($25 for Solstice MFA alumni).

January 2010 MFA classes that are open to the public include:

• Cross genre courses
  • An Eye for an I: Lyrical Elements in Poetry — A Gift for the Prose Writer
  • Narrative Arrival: A Craft Class for All Genres
• A course on film adaptations of the novel
  • Is the Book Always Better?
• Two classes on creative nonfiction
  • Every Word Counts: Crafting Nonfiction That Sings
  • Maxine Hong Kingston: A Trans-Genre Memoirist
• Two fiction courses
  • Place in Fiction: Larry McMurtry and Thalia, Texas
  • Action that Shakes the Page
• An in-depth look at poetic structure
  • Structure & Artistic Memory
• A class on how writers can engage with their communities
  • Higher Ground: How to Enrich Your Community and Make a Difference Through Your Art

January 2010 Classes are now available for registration; the deadline for enrolling as an auditor for the Winter 2009 Residency is December 28, 2009. For course descriptions, our audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: www.pmc.edu/mfa

With this momentum in place, four poets from Professor Kathi Aguero's class read powerful poems of varying themes that they had either written or were the works of others. First-year students Tathiana Moise, Jasmin Johnson, Kate Holden, and Aponi Washington brought pieces of their own diversity to the community through their performances. Following their performances, the "Speak Out" statements on how individuals can help change the Pine Manor College community were read by a number of students and staff present. From recycling, to the cessation of smoking, Pine Manor College students expressed the ways they can help change the PMC community for the better.

With a rousing version of "We are the World" sang by all in attendance, the end of Community Day was filled with the hope for a day when all in the Pine Manor College community would truly come together as one. Perhaps Mother Nature will smile on us again in the Spring.

PMC students will be coordinating an event in which they will be presenting their findings about different topics that they learned in their writing classes. All professors, students, and school staff are invited to attend the event.

Students from each different course will be in charge of handing out pamphlets, talking about work on their posters, or giving a presentation to all who come. They will be presenting themes and issues learned from their classes while discussing a common text. This year’s text is Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis. The themes of this year’s classes are Pop Culture in America, Please Don’t Steal My Jordans: Wealth and its Discontents, To Be Reel: Framing Blackness, Tattooed, Tanned, and Techno: The Cultural Body, and The Write Space: How Place and Identity Write Our Lives.

This event will be taking place at Pine Manor College on Wednesday, November 11 from 7 pm to 9 pm in Ellsworth Theatre. For additional information about this event, please contact Professor Lisa Breger at bregerli@pmc.edu.

Pine Manor Athletics on Friday night inducted softball and soccer legend Sara Pray ‘02, of Norton, three-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference basketball honoree Jill Hennelly ‘99, of Whitman, and the late assistant women’s basketball coach Donald E. Brunelli, Jr., of Malden, into its Athletics Hall of Fame.

Over 150 people, including friends, family members, former teammates and coaches, fellow Athletics Hall of Famers and a strong contingent of today’s student-athletes, attended the induction ceremony, which was held on the floor named in Brunelli's honor inside the College’s gymnasium.

Former Gators head softball coach Amy Wilichoski presented Pray. Bill Boffi, Pine Manor Dean for Recruitment and Retention and former head basketball coach, and Sue Bavineau ‘91, a 2006 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and former assistant basketball coach, spoke of Hennelly’s accomplishments, and family friend Polina Haseottes spoke on Brunelli’s behalf.

Pray was a four-time All-GNAC Softball selection and a two-time all-conference soccer honoree. A catcher and feared slugger, Pray led NCAA Division III in RBI, with 66, and slugging percentage, at a robust 1.215 clip, in 2000. As captain of the 2001 GNAC Champion Gators, she led Pine Manor to its first NCAA Tournament birth. A three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-region selection, she was named NFCA First Team All-Region in 2000.

Twice a First Team All-GNAC soccer goalkeeper and a three-time PMC Athlete of the Year, Pray departed Chestnut Hill as the softball program’s all-time leader in home runs (35), RBI (165), runs (156), doubles (48) and slugging (.888).

Jill Hennelly is a three-time All-GNAC performer and one of the most prolific guards in Pine Manor history. The leading three-point shooter (285) in Gators history, Hennelly (right) is the only player to eclipse 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists. She ranks third in career assists (339), fifth in points (1,295) and seventh in points per game (14.1).

The 1996 recipient of the Peter G. Ellis Award for Outstanding First Year Student-Athletes, Hennelly also was a two-year letter winner on the Gators softball team.

A beloved and revered figured throughout campus, Brunelli passed away suddenly minutes before a game in February 1993. On February 12, 1994, Pine Manor renamed its basketball floor Donald E. Brunelli, Jr. Court “in loving memory of our coach and friend.” Long-revered as a supportive, loyal coach and friend, Brunelli coached Pine Manor from 1988 to 1993.

Pray, Hennelly, and Brunelli were inducted as a part of Reunion Weekend 2009. The Pine Manor Athletics Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding alumnae, coaches, and contributors to the sports tradition at Pine Manor.

Pine Manor College has a brand new dance studio located in our beautiful theater building, Ellsworth Hall. With our new location we are closer to the other arts departments at the College and close to the stage for performances. The studio is approximately 1500 square feet with brand new mirrors, barres and sound system. The dance studio is home to all dance classes and Pine Manor College Dance Ensemble hip hop group "Ribbon and Lace" and contemporary dance group, "Satin and Silk".

Pine Manor College bestowed an honorary doctorate in law on Massachusetts’ First Lady Diane Patrick at a special ceremony at the College, located in Chestnut Hill, on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.

Mrs. Patrick said that Pine Manor College is a force in higher education and is sending shockwaves across the state and the nation.  She also noted that the twin pillars of the College—inclusive leadership and social responsibility—could not be more important both to her personally and to society generally.

In presenting the degree, PMC President Gloria Nemerowicz said “We honor you today with admiration for your accomplishments as an attorney and a teacher and with gratitude for your extraordinary commitment to public service.  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is fortunate to have your leadership as First Lady, and we are proud to welcome you as an exceptional role model to our College community.  Your career has always been distinguished by intelligence, compassion and concern for others.  As a former public school teacher, you know first hand how essential education is for building communities, informing civic engagement and developing an effective workforce.  For all that you do to promote social justice and to encourage empowerment through education, we are proud to honor you today.”

Pine Manor College is pleased to announce a series of special projects undertaken by Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program faculty and students. These projects are designed to create opportunities for writers and students of diverse backgrounds, and in so doing further the college’s mission of community building and social outreach.

Following his fall 2008 semester as Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, MFA faculty member Laban Carrick Hill co-founded the Ghana Poetry Project —an international literary organization based in Ghana and the United States— with fellow professor Martin Egblewogbe. A charitable organization dedicated to helping Ghanaian writers explore and affirm their identity and culture, the Ghana Poetry Project advances the notion that a free exchange of ideas is essential to the health and prosperity of any community.
For more information, go to: www.ghanapoetryproject.com

MFA faculty member Kathleen Aguero is currently working with Changing Lives Through Literature, an alternative sentencing program for criminal offenders. Based on the belief that literature has the power to help marginalized people connect with characters and ideas, find their voices, and examine their own behavior, Changing Lives Through Literature brings facilitators, probation officers, offenders, and often judges together to participate in a democratic conversation centered around shared readings. These readings then serve as inspiration for new writing; instructors lead groups of parolees in writing workshops for between 6–12 weeks.
For more information, go to: www.cltl.umassd.edu

MFA Faculty member Grace Lin (a writer and illustrator of children’s books) will be auctioning off one original, unpublished illustration per month throughout 2009, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation of Children's Books. A small non-profit organization in Boston, the Foundation of Children’s Books makes a difference in the lives of young readers by bringing children's book authors and illustrators into under-served local schools for visits and residencies.
For more information, go to: www.thefcb.org

Inspired by a sign in her community proclaiming “Pine City Reads” —part of an advertisement for an annual Pine City, Minnesota book reading and discussion forum— MFA student Angela Foster decided to launch Pine City Writes. A free to no-cost continuing education option for writers who otherwise might not be able to attend classes, Pine City Reads is funded by a grant from the East Central Arts Council, and each participant will receive a copy of Lisa Dale Norton’s craft book Shimmering Images, A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir.
For more information, contact: Pine City Community Education, 320-629-7331

Daniel Gaines Edward Gronsky is an adjunct professor in the Communication program. Gronsky is Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, specializing in Film Studies. He received his B.A. in English from Case Western Reserve University in sunny Cleveland, Ohio, where he had hoped to go to medical school. Instead, his interests in the study of film were awakened, and he went on to receive his M.A. in Film Studies from the University of Miami, where he completed his thesis on film adaptations of literary works in post-occupation Japan. From there, he went on to receive his doctorate from the University of Connecticut, with a dissertation focusing on the recent popularity of comic book movies and their development over the years. Daniel has received several citations for his studies, and has published an article on Shakespeare and film in Film International magazine. He is currently in the process of getting his dissertation published as a book.

Theresa Harmon joins our adjunct faculty this semester teaching the Microbiology Laboratory section in the Biology Department. She has a Liberal Arts education from Pine Manor College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in December of 2004, with a major in Biology - Allied Health concentration, and a minor in Psychology, as well as an Associate of Science in Biology in May of 2003. Upon earning each of these degrees, Harmon achieved the highest GPA of all graduating students. During her last year at Pine Manor, she worked in the microbiology laboratory at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and performed her internship at Massachusetts General Hospital's Cardiovascular Research Center, investigating the effects of Omega-3 fatty acids. After graduation she worked in pharmaceutical sales at InVentiv Health, with a Bristol-Myers Squibb contract focusing on antibiotics, and, later, a Mission Pharmacal contract focusing on women's health products. Harmon has recently earned her certificate in teaching (Biology, grades 8-12) from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This summer Theresa taught a course in genetics and forensics called "DNA Detectives" at Minuteman Technical High School. She has also taught SAT preparation, English as a Second Language, and Scripture, and has worked at various health care practices.

Christina Jones is one of the newest members of the admissions team. She comes to Pine Manor after three years in admission at The Steppingstone Academy. Chris has also spent time in the Boston Public Schools as a reading and writing tutor. She is a long-time resident of Boston with southern roots, who is excited to undertake the task of recruiting future leaders for Pine Manor College.

David Kuppenheimer joins our adjunct faculty in the Sociology department. He received is Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his Master's of Science from Brandeis University.

Tua Nefer is a writer and an adjunct professor in the College Composition program who has taught at Roxbury Community College. She obtained her M.F.A. from Columbia University where she majored in Film with a concentration in Screenwriting; and her B.A. from Oberlin College where she majored in African-American Studies with a concentration in Theater and Creative Writing. Tua has been awarded a National Book Foundation Residency; and Spoleto, Italy Writing Residency; the Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels Writing Scholarship; a research fellowship to study Popular Culture int he Work of Manual Puig at the University of Notre Dame; and participated in the Writers Guild East Trainee Program where she studied with writers Richard Wesley, Eddie Pomerantz, and Jamal Joseph. A former researcher and fact-checker for NOW with Bill Moyers, at present she is completing a book, It Seemed Normal at the Time.

Ann Robbart joins our adjunct faculty in the Political Science department. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College and her Master's and Ph.D from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Jennifer Roberts joins the Financial Services team in our Enrollment and Financial Services department as the Senior Associate Director of Student Financial Services. She obtained her Bachelor's degree from Suffolk University.

Jason Tocci is an Assistant Professor in the Communication program. He studies and teachers the use, design, and cultures of digital and visual media. Originally a resident of Newton Upper Falls, he lived for five years in Philadelphia while earning his Ph.D. in Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Jason spent this past year teaching digital design to Communication & Journalism students at Suffolk University, and now joins Pine Manor  following the defense of his dissertation, Geek Cultures: Media and Identity in the Digital Age, a multi-site ethnography.

Charles Tweedly is an Assistant Professor in the Management and Organizational Change program. He received his Bachelor's degree from Bryant College. He then went on to obtain his M.Ed. from Boston University and Ed.D. from George Washington University.

Elyse Vasquez is one of the new Admissions Counselors on the Enrollment Team and is excited to help recruit amazing young women to the Pine Manor campus. Elyse came from The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center where she was a college counselor for grades 9-12 in the Justice building. Elyse has an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Boston University and B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.

Soterios Zoulas is an adjunct professor in the Communication program. He has earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Politics from Boston University and an M.A. in Modern European History from Assumption College. He also attended the mid-career program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He focused on the nexus of press, politics, and policy at the Shorenstein Institute. Professor Zoulas pursued a doctorate in Education and Communications at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Mr. Zoulas has taught communications, government, and history at Quincy College for ten years. He chaired the Communications department there for three years and was chair of the faculty senate for two years. He has also taught communications at Assumption College, Framingham State College, and Newbury College. in 2001, he developed and taught a new course on school reform and the media and Brown University. He also was chair and Associate Professor of the Communication Arts department for the past seven years at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy.
Professor Zoulas is a veteran communications practitioner who has more than 25 years experience in public relations, journalism, radio and television, including positions as director of public affairs for the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education and director of media relations for the Massachusetts Board of Education and director of Communications at the Annenberg Institute, Brown University.
Professor Zoulas was a daily news reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and also worked for the New York Times. He produced, directed and hosted a nationally award winning documentary on disabled children. He also produced and hosted awarding winner radio and television talk and interview programs for Boston area radio and television stations.
Professor Zoulas is also president of Zoulas Communications, a public relations consulting firm that is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.  His firm’s web address is www.zoulascommunications.com. Clients have included public and private colleges and universities, college loan companies, large and small businesses and professional organizations, government agencies, trade associations and nonprofit corporations.

The keeper for the Gators soccer team and a catcher-infielder on the softball diamond, Nielsen (Saco, ME/Thornton Academy) was named to the 2009 GNAC Softball All-Sportsmanship Team, as well as the Third Team All-Conference as a utility player. A selfless teammate who played wherever her team needed her, Nielsen (far left) was also instrumental in the Pine Manor community.

Nielsen helped conduct a workshop for a group of 20 girls from Boston’s Sportsmen’s Tennis Club, speaking to children about education, athletics and staying on course to success, with the workshop stressing the importance of teamwork. An outstanding representative of Pine Manor, she also spoke at the College’s Board of Visitors meeting regarding the student-athlete experience last fall.

As a result of her commitment and success on the field and in the community, Kayla was the recipient of the Peter G. Ellis Award. The Ellis Award is reserved for the first-year Pine Manor student-athlete who portrays outstanding “dedication, spirit and ability.”

From here, Nielsen, who led the GNAC and finished 19th in the NCAA with 11.86 saves per game for the Gators soccer team, will be nominated on behalf of the league for NCAA Sportswoman of the Year. The award, which rewards “respect for self, others and the sport,” will be released next month.

Pine Manor College alumna Melissa Lucken (formerly Melissa Ford Gehrig) talks about why she chose to return to PMC as a graduate student in the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program*.

"By the time I reached ninth grade I had already attended six schools, so I knew all about drifting along, slipping through the cracks. Throughout most of high school I floated along — one of 1400 students.  Senior year I realized it was my responsibility to provide the challenges I needed to grow. As a result, I only considered small colleges, places where I wouldn’t be able to fade into the background. When I discovered Pine Manor College, and learned that not only was it small but exclusively for women (*Solstice is a co-ed program), I knew it would be a great place for me. I was right. The intimate atmosphere helped me focus on my academics and gave me the support I needed to begin believing in myself.

After a year and a half, missing my family and then boyfriend — now husband of 21 years — I transferred to the University of Michigan. UofM was closer to home but a much, much larger school. I missed the intimacy of PMC but appreciated the challenge of finding my way among thousands. The solid academic foundation and self confidence I gained while at Pine Manor enabled me to be successful in such a highly competitive environment — instead of getting lost in the crowd. I completed my BS at UofM and then moved on to Eastern Michigan University to earn a Master’s in Education. I started my career as a teacher and then a bit later started my life as a mother. While at home with my two boys, I started writing fiction.

Since then, I’ve published eight romance novels and twelve novellas. While commercial success is great, I recently decided I needed a deeper understanding of how fiction works. Also, I longed to be part of a diverse community of writers. When I found out about the Solstice MFA program, I was thrilled. Some research confirmed what I expected; the individualized curriculum and amazing faculty were exactly what I was looking for. It’s not a place to get lost in the crowd. The PMC MFA program is a place for students who aim to uncover their unique qualities as a writer while also learning from those around them. I wanted both of those things. I’m only in my first semester, but already I’ve made many writer friends and learned incredible things."

—Melissa Ford Lucken

To see the complete rankings and methodology, click here.

Washington Monthly's 2009 Liberal Arts College Rankings for Social Mobility

Pine Manor College is proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, it has been ranked Number One for campus ethnic diversity among BA liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2010. The ranking is based on the statistical likelihood of any student interacting with other students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

For the 2008-2009 academic year, upon which this ranking is based, PMC students identified themselves according to the following racial/ethnic classifications:

47%	Black/Non-Hispanic
18%	White/Caucasian
14%	Hispanic/Latina
6%	International
5%	Asian or Pacific Islander
1%	American Indian
9%	Other or Unreported

 

2010 U.S. News & World Report Rankings for Campus Ethnic Diversity

LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Best-selling author Walter Mosley served as commencement speaker, bringing his wisdom and humor to a brief address that encouraged graduates to maintain the community established during the MFA program and urging them to keep at the challenging work of being a writer. He likened the role of modern-day writer to that of the blacksmith of the past: just as the blacksmith created everything that influenced and made the world go round in past centuries—from nails to horse shoes to bullets—the work created by today’s writers carries similar significance and weight. It is a craft to be treated with seriousness, honesty, and hard work, he said.

Class speaker Erika Sanders offered some words regarding her experience in the program as well as her hopes for her fellow graduates going forward; President Gloria Nemerowicz toasted the achievements of the program and its students. A reception followed in the Meditation Room, where over 50 guests mingled in honor of the graduates.

Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that on July 1st the Annenberg Library became a member of the Minuteman Library Network, a forty-two member library consortium that provides users with access to over 6 million items.

This new partnership offers many new opportunities for the Pine Manor College community. Member libraries work collectively to provide services which will include expanded services such as:

• Request and renewal of materials online 24/7
• Pick up of materials at Pine Manor College or any Minuteman Library
• DVDs and Audiobooks

College Going Green To Save Green 

Students Leading Way In Energy Savings

Click here to read the story on WCVB TV, Boston.

Pine Manor College congratulates Renita Nora Attardi ’98, Priscilla Dewey Houghton '44, and Andria DeLucia Lewis ’86.

Renita N. Attardi ’98, Human Resources and Operations Manager at Cryptography Research, Inc., was recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for exhibiting dedication, leadership and excellence in all aspects of business management. Prior to joining Cryptography Research, Renita managed operations for public figures, including Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, who participated in President Barack Obama’s education policy group, and Senator John F. Kerry. She was offered a staff position in Senator Kerry’s office as a result of her senior internship in his office. To read more about Renita’s career, please click here.

On May 12, more than 450 people gathered for the Bostonians for Youth event which honored Priscilla Dewey Houghton '44 and her husband, Amory, along with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Citizens Bank for their longstanding commitment to youth in the city of Boston. The evening focused on violence prevention and building brighter futures for Boston's youth. Priscilla Dewey Houghton has spent her life advocating for arts programs for children. She was founder of the Charles River Creative Arts Program, designated by the National Endowment for the Arts as a "model arts program for young people." Priscilla served on the Board of Arena Stage in Washington D.C., where she was Chairman of the Living Stage Committee, the model for Urban Improv's program on conflict resolution. She received the Peace Links Award for stopping youth violence through the Living Stage and Urban Improv in 2000, in Washington D.C. As a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist of 8 published musicals, she has touched hundreds of children's lives. She is the Honorary President of Urban Improv, having dedicated her life to making a difference in children's lives.

Andria DeLucia Lewis ’86, co-owner of the Golden Hotel, an Ascend Collection hotel in Golden, CO since 2004 and the Quality Inn & Suites Hotel in Boulder, CO, received “Woman of the Year” award from the Women’s Business Alliance at the 55th annual convention of Choice Hotel International, Inc. Andria, who worked for Estee Lauder and Tiffany & CO prior to entering the hospitality industry in 1999, has achieved notable success in her 10 years in the lodging industry. Her two properties were 2009 Inn of the Year finalists. Andria was honored for her professional achievement, personal leadership and commitment in the lodging industry. To read more about Andria’s hotels and accomplishments, please click here.

The end of PMC’s fiscal year is quickly approaching, but there is still time for you to support the College and our students. If you have not yet made your gift (or would consider increasing your support), please consider making your donation online by clicking here, calling 617-731-7130 or by mailing a check to Pine Manor College, Annual Fund Office, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.

Your support directly impacts current students by enabling the College to maintain our tradition of small classes and personalized education. Your annual fund gifts of any size, whether it’s $35 or $350 or $35,000, are used to provide:

• financial aid to over 90% of our students;
• support for our dedicated faculty;
• books, periodicals and subscriptions to online resources for our library; and
• enhancements for our programs such as athletics, theater, and the arts

Solstice Summer Writers’ Conference Announces a Special Boston by Foot Literary Tour

Pine Manor College conferred 57 Bachelor Degrees and three Master’s Degrees at its 97th commencement ceremonies on its Chestnut Hill campus on Sunday, May 10, 2009.  Honorary doctorate degrees were conferred on Lori Arviso Alvord, MD, Associate Dean of Student and Multicultural Affairs at Dartmouth College Medical School and first woman Navaho surgeon in the United States, and Deborah E. Wiley ’66, Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications at John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Publishers.

In her remarks to the graduating seniors, Pine Manor College President Gloria Nemerowicz described the occasion as a day to exuberantly celebrate “the accomplishments of your Class of 2009.   Now it is time to go and apply the skills and the values that your have learned here as part of the Pine Manor community over the past four years.”   She then went on to say:  “More than ever before the world needs what you have learned and what you know.   You are willing to honestly engage what is going on in your communities and your world.   You value diversity, inclusivity, and intellectual development.   You are caring, compassionate, and social responsible and you need to work to claim your place as the leaders of tomorrow.”

Senior Class Speaker Patricia Pabon ’09 told her classmates that over the past four years the lesson of self discovery was the most important that they had learned and that as they set out on their life’s journey, they needed to be filled with resolve and passion.  “The world is waiting for you to decide who you are going to be.”

Dr. Alvord, who had spent some time on campus in March visiting with the senior class, said “Pine Manor College has been working hard to instill in you, its students and graduates, an imperative to work for social justice and equality, not only for women, but for all, through its educational process.”

Dr. Alvord reminded  the parents in her audience of the lyrics of the song “Teach Your Children Well,” concluding by reciting an old Navaho prayer for the graduates.

Deborah Wiley recalled her own commencement at PMC forty-three years ago, saying that the most important point of her education was the development of her critical thinking ability.   She mentioned that as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors she knew that the College was continuing this vital task.

“In this economy,” Ms. Wiley said, “you graduates might not be able to immediately get the job that you want, the job that absorbs all of your passion, but, don’t worry, take what you can and then continue to look for what you want, and if necessary, create the circumstances for what you want yourself.”

The graduates received the following degrees: three Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing; eight Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Biology; four in Business Administration; five in Communication; one in Economic and Financial Systems and Psychology; three in Economic and Financial Systems; two in English; two in History; four in Liberal Studies; four in Management and Organizational Change; ten in Psychology; nine in Social and Political Systems; and five in Visual Arts.