Tower Talk - March/April 2019
Table of Contents
Annual Alumnae and Alumni Awards
Alumnae and Alumni Adventures
Upcoming Events
Class Notes
University News
Giving
In Memoriam
Volunteer Opportunities
SSND News
Stay Connected to NDMU
Call for Alumnae and Alumni Award Nominations
Due Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Notre Dame annually recognizes outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the Notre Dame and/or local and global community. We are seeking nominations for the following awards:
- The Elizabeth P. Hoisington '40 Distinguished Alumna Award
- Service to Society Award
- Regina Russo Hammel '41 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award
- Alumnae and Alumni Engagement Award
Nominating a peer is a wonderful way to honor the entire NDMU community.
Alumnae and Alumni Adventures
A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: June 12-23, 2019
Notre Dame of Maryland University is proud to share news of our first adventure! This brand-new opportunity provides a way to engage with NDMU, deepen our faith, and explore ancient history.
NDMU has partnered with Select International Tours and our chaplain, Fr. John McCloskey, to lead this unique pilgrimage. Together, we will explore the Holy Land and share time for reflection, learning, exploration, and fun. This trip is designed for Notre Dame of Maryland University alumnae, alumni, family members, and friends.
For more information, check out the website or view the brochure and itinerary, pricing, and sign up for the trip through Select International.
Upcoming Events
NDMU Drama Presents: The Moors: April 11-14, NDMU's Copeland Theatre
Join us for NDMU's spring drama production, The Moors! There is something for everyone: murder, seduction, power ballads, a philosophical dog, and a talking chicken! Tickets are on sale now.
Reading and Discussion with Azar Nafisi: Tuesday, April 16, 7:00 p.m., LeClerc Auditorium
NDMU welcomes author Azar Nafisi for the inaugural Eichner Women Writers series, hosted by the S. Maura Eichner Endowed Professorship of English.
Dr. Nafisi is known for her national bestseller, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, which electrifies its readers with a compassionate and often harrowing portrait of the Islamic revolution in Iran and how it affected one university professor and her students.
Nancy Kreiter Student Research Day: Friday, April 26, 2:00-5:30 p.m., Fourier Hall
Students perform, exhibit original art, and share poster and oral presentations on a broad variety of topics. The event begins with a guest speaker and concludes with a dessert reception and awards for presentations in each division.
Commencement: Sunday, May 19, 10:30 a.m., Royal Farms Arena
Doors to the arena will open at 9 a.m. with the student procession beginning promptly at 10:30. Commencement is free and no tickets are necessary. Commencement celebrates graduates from all schools and programs.
Reunion 2019: Friday-Sunday, September 6-8, NDMU Campus
Celebrating all classes, especially those in a year ending in 4 or 9, this Reunion will kick off NDMU's 125th Anniversary. You won't want to miss this one! Registration opens in early May.
Cheer on the Gators at upcoming Athletic Events!
Weekly Mass: Monday - Thursday at 12:05 p.m., Friday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m., Marikle Chapel
See the full calendar of NDMU events.
Class Notes
Have a life update to share? Want to announce a promotion or job change? Write a class note! Class notes are brief updates shared with the larger NDMU community. Email your note to ndmalum@ndm.edu. Notes received by Tuesday, April 23 will be included in this year's issue of Universitas. Photos are welcome and encouraged with your submission.
Lucille Abell Nunn '53 is a member of the Editorial Board of The Highlands Review, a local magazine, and is active in local volunteering.
Milda Motekaitis De Voe '90 reports that Pen Parentis, the nonprofit she founded to help writers stay on creative track after starting a family, is celebrating its 10th Anniversary of free public Literary Salons in Lower Manhattan. If you go to NYC, stop by and visit with her on the second Tuesday of any month, September through May. Sign up for a free or supporting membership at penparentis.org if you are a writer who also has kids or if you have written a novel and might want to do a public reading in NYC!
In March, Lin Romano '93 received the Doris Johnson Award at the Archdiocese of Baltimore Social Justice Convocation. This recognized her history of working with people who are materially poor and confronting the systems that create poverty and war.
University News
The Moors
From Shakespeare to historical fiction to flying through the theater as Peter Pan, NDMU's drama department does not shy away from a challenge. Their latest production, The Moors, stays true to that tradition. According to NDMU Assistant Professor and Drama Chair Kathleen Bossert, stage manager Alexandra Perry, and actress Makeima Freeland, there is something for everyone--murder, seduction, power ballads, a philosophical dog, and best of all…a talking chicken!
Q: Why The Moors?
Bossert: This a brand-new play (2017) by an emerging woman playwright, and we obviously love to feature women's voices at NDMU. Plus, this show also provided a great season complement to this Fall's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, interrogating related themes of love, loyalty, and power.
Q: What are your favorite scenes?
Freeland: I like the scene where I die! We do stage combat and I get beat on, choked, and kicked in my kidney. That is really exciting and I’d be ready to die when it comes to that scene.
Q: How dark of a comedy is it?
Perry: Incredibly dark; the characters haven't kept their sanity or morals well in the bleakness of their surroundings. The comedy often comes from this, the addition of the new governess Emilie highlighting just how off this whole manor is.
Q: Were there any hard parts in the acting process?
Freeland: Yes, because there’s a lot of thinking in the acting process. I have to get rid of all of my natural instincts and put myself into a completely different person’s shoes. Things that I would normally do, like how I stand or speak, I have to do it differently. I’m constantly asking myself, “What would my character do in this situation? How would my character say this? What face would my character be making right now?”.
Perry: There were some, mainly when it came to diving into why a character would say what they were saying and how to play with their reasoning on stage. With this, it was fun to see what choices the actors made for their own characters to flesh them out and make [them] individual past their lines in the script.
Q: What surprises can be expected?
Bossert: I’m hesitant to give away too many surprises! You’ll just have to go and see the play and find out for yourself.
Tickets are on sale now. Show times are set for April 11, 12, and 13 at 8 p.m. and April 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. in Notre Dame of Maryland's Copeland Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online. General admission is $15. Students are eligible for $9 tickets with code NDMUSTU.
Giving
Make a gift and support the place that for 124 years has been helping students discover their passions, grow their strengths, and transform the world around them. Take your place among countless other alumnae, alumni, parents, and friends who have made a financial contribution in support of great faculty, top-notch academic and professional programs, and an educational experience in the SSND tradition.
In Memoriam
Anastasia Furlong Burke '85
Margaret Delaney Holland '47
Mary Irving '60
Helen Hertzog Linhard '53
Noreen McNulty O'Connor '62
Ellen Esposito Redgate '69
Angeline Maccarone Suozzi '43
Lucille Wich Thornton '43
Joan Kelly '00
Volunteer Opportunities
The Alumnae and Alumni Council seeks additional members!
Per their bylaws, the Alumnae and Alumni Council consists of no less than 12 and no more than 20 members at a time. When positions are due to become open, the Council will review nominations and elect new members to three-year terms. Nominations remain open until April 15, 2019, as terms begin July 1.
Representatives are elected based on the following criteria:
- Potential for contributions to the Council's collective achievement
- Current and/or past NDMU volunteerism (quality and quantity)
- Strength of and/or potential for growing an NDMU network
- Ability to commit to attending in-person and/or virtual Council meetings and NDMU events
- Ability to serve in your local community as an NDMU ambassador
Any questions about the nomination process or open positions may be directed to Aliza Ross, Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations: aross@ndm.edu or 410-532-3184.
Reunion 2019 Planning Committee
Reunion 2019 will be held September 6-8, and we are looking for volunteers from all classes, especially those in years ending in 4 and 9, to help plan next year’s celebration. If you are interested in raising the bar for Reunion success, this committee welcomes you! The next meeting will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 9 a.m. in Noyes Alumnae House.
We are looking for volunteers to collaborate on program planning, fundraising, class participation and attendance outreach. Contact Aliza Ross, Director of Alumnae and Alumni Relations, for more information.
NDMU in the Community
Adelante Latina!
Adelante Latina! is the first after-school, college-bound program for Latina girls in Baltimore, and it needs volunteer tutors.
Where: Temporarily located at Notre Dame of Maryland University
When: Once a week. on Tuesdays or Thursdays, from 4:15-6:15 p.m.
Goal: To help improve the English composition, reading comprehension, and writing skills of high-performing, low-income Baltimore high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors and to help with SAT verbal test preparation. Adelante Latina! is a three-year, college-prep program. Tutoring sessions are one-on-one, with the hope that each student will work with the same tutor for all three years.
Tutor Qualifications: Excellent English language skills, tutoring skills, and the ability to get along with teenage girls. No knowledge of Spanish is required. Prior teaching experience is helpful, but not required.
Visit the website to learn more or contact Leonor Blum, Professor Emerita, at 410-591-0547 or blumele@aol.com.
SSND News
The SSNDs are celebrating their 185th anniversary this year! To mark the occasion, the SSNDs of the Atlantic-Midwest Province have initiated a 185th anniversary/185 stories effort. All NDMU alums are invited to contribute stories about their favorite professor or provide a reflection on their NDMU/SSND education. Stories, reflections, and questions may be directed to Sheila Welton via email or by phone at 410-377-7774.
How to Stay Connected to NDMU
Have you moved? Change your email address? Just want to check to see if NDMU has your accurate information? The alumnae and alumni office periodically sends email and/or print mailings and wants to make sure these items are arriving (correct name, address, email, etc.). The best way to do this is to have you verify your information. NDMU has updated to a new system and is no longer using MyNDM. To share an update, please contact the Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations via email or by calling 410-532-5201.
NDMU also has an active presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It's a way to share information instantly and connect with fellow alumnae and alumni. Like and follow the pages for the most immediate updates!
Tower Talk 2018-2019
This publication follows a bimonthly schedule. This issue covers news for January and February. The next issue will cover May and June and will be available close to the start of June 2019.
