FAIRFIELD, CT – Sacred Heart University will name its new student commons in honor of Board of Trustees member Linda E. McMahon. McMahon, who provided a $5 million gift to the university for capital projects such as the student commons, has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2004. The Linda E. McMahon commons will be dedicated at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 13.

“We are incredibly lucky to have the friendship of someone like Linda McMahon. Her gift shows her commitment to both our students and to our vision to make a strong, thriving University even stronger. She is extremely generous to us with her time and resources,” said Dr. John J. Petillo, president of Sacred Heart. “She is a leader in every sense of the word, and we are very grateful for her expertise and generosity.”

Linking the University’s academic, spiritual and extracurricular cores, as well as its upper and lower campuses, the distinctive V-shaped Linda E. McMahon Commons will serve as a physical and social crossroads, while providing a variety of services to meet the evolving needs of the University’s students. The new building will offer a bookstore, a 250-seat student dining hall, a private dining room with a hearth and seating for 50, informal lounge spaces, outside seating, a presentation room, the career counseling center and much more. The building is 46,000 gross square feet and was designed by Sasaki Associates, Inc. The total cost of construction was $22 million.

“I am extremely honored to have my name on this beautiful building. I support Sacred Heart University because of my commitment to the students, to education and, most importantly, because I believe in the University’s commitment to excellence and its mission to shape graduates who know themselves, are rooted in faith and are committed to social responsibility as they go out into the world. If I can set any kind of example for them, I have more than done my job,” McMahon said. “My reward has always been to see successful SHU alumni making their mark, but it means a lot that the University has chosen to honor me in this way.”

McMahon is widely recognized as one of the country’s top business executives, helping WWE, headquartered in Stamford, CT, grow from a modest, 13-person company to a global enterprise with more than 600 employees. In 2007, she was named a Multichannel News “Wonder Woman,” recognizing her accomplishments as a leader in the U.S. cable television industry for her work as chief executive officer of WWE. In addition to her success in the boardroom, Linda has been instrumental in nurturing a wide variety of community and charitable programs. She spearheaded the creation of Get R.E.A.L education and literacy programs, including WWE’s nationwide Reading Challenge in partnership with the youth division of the American Library Association. In 2004, the Make-A-Wish Foundation Awarded WWE its highest honor, and in 2005, McMahon was appointed to the organization’s National Advisory Council. Under her leadership, WWE received the first-ever Legacy of Hope Award, given in honor of Bob Hope, for its extensive support of our troops from the USO of metropolitan Washington, D.C. In 2007, the company received the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award for its support of deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. McMahon also serves on the board of the Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to educate and inspire young people to participate in our democracy. In 2009, she was appointed by Governor M. Jodi Rell to serve on the Connecticut Board of Education.

Since stepping down as chief executive officer of WWE in 2009, McMahon has been active with her family foundation to support various Connecticut organizations and programs that promote entrepreneurship and education. Born in New Bern, NC, she graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in French. She lives in Greenwich with her husband of 45 years, Vince. They have two adult children, Shane and Stephanie, and six grandchildren.

Article source: http://www.norwalkplus.com/nwk/information/nwsnwk/publish/education/SHU-to-dedicate-new-student-commons-in-honor-of-Linda-McMahon_np_16163.shtml

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Article source: http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/usatoday/article/38814553?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

You might say Louis Mendoza tells a higher-education story of birth, survival and hope.

What he’s describing is the establishment 40 years ago of the Chicano Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, its efforts to hold steady against cold economic winds and its hope for the future.

Now more than ever, argues Mendoza, associate vice provost in the university’s Office for Equity and Diversity, Latino people need to be represented in the classrooms as well as academic fields of study at universities and colleges around the country, as they are here in Minnesota.

The story is in keeping with an event March 22 marking those four decades with a reception and round-table discussion among academics from California and the University of Minnesota.

Their focus is on “Envisioning the Future of Chicano Studies” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the fourth floor of the Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota. (It’s free and open to the public.)   

Besides the social justice aspects of America educating all its people and closing the academic achievement gaps between whites and students of color, consider the demographics, urges Mendoza, also Chicano Studies department chair.

Hispanics — which the U.S. Census uses as a broad category that includes Mexican-Americans — comprise the nation’s largest and fastest growing ethnic or race minority group in the country, more than 48.4 million people. Nationwide, that figures at about 16 percent of the U.S. population. In Minnesota it’s about 5 percent of the population. About 2 percent of University undergraduates are Latino.

“We continue to be a force to be reckoned with,’’ Mendoza says, maintaining that Latinos are a major market factor in terms of work force, entrepreneurship, buying power and votes.

Despite recent reports that 33 percent of Minnesota’s Hispanic children are poor,  Mendoza says he saw in a bicycle trip around the country in 2007 Latinos’ drive to succeed and their high level of social mobility. His first of two books on that trek, “Conversations Across Our America: Talking About Immigration and Latinoization,” comes out in May.

He says Latino children, who as a group lack educational success, need to be better-educated to be good citizens and good workers.

“You cannot just have one sector of the workforce educated and another not,’’ and the effort has to reach beyond K-12 education into post-secondary schools, says Mendoza.

Umbrella major

The university here, as with others around the nation, has faced economic pressures to close the department or combine the courses with those of other ethnic groups for an umbrella ethnic studies major. Those against such a move argue that each group is distinctly different.

Is there talk of such a move now? “It’s always there, especially with the economic crisis,” Mendoza says.

Still, the department appears to have a supporter in James A. Parente, Jr., dean of the College of Liberal Arts, who praises the department that was established following the 1960s Chicano Civil Rights Movement, with prodding from local Latino activists.

Says Parente: “This is an exciting moment in the field of Chicano and Latino studies, and our Chicano Studies department is playing a significant role in shaping this discipline for the future. This department has a history of path breaking interdisciplinary initiatives, and we are proud of the accomplishments of its faculty and staff.”

Become a sustaining member today

The small department, with courses taught by two fulltime faculty members, graduate students and adjunct professors, offers classes that focus on the history, art, culture, literature and social studies of persons of Mexican descent. In the last 40 years the department has graduated 130 majors and 110 minors.

Adds the head of CLA: “In addition to the critical role Chicano studies plays in the intellectual life of the College of Liberal Arts, we are particularly proud of the department’s long-time commitment to Minnesota’s Latino community, through service-learning, collaboration with community organizations, and academic support for students”

The department, Mendoza says, “…improves the climate of the university and creates a safe space” for Latino students.

Cynthia Boyd

Cynthia Boyd writes Community Sketchbook for MinnPost.

Article source: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/03/22/university-minnesotas-chicano-studies-department-turns-40

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Dr. Jenna Carpenter, associate dean for administration and strategic initiatives and the Wayne and Juanita Spinks Professor of Mathematics at Louisiana Tech University, will be a panelist for the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s second annual Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium, Sunday and Monday in Shreveport.

The event is being hosted by Sen. Mary L. Landrieu and the city of Shreveport, and will focus on the vital importance of intellectual property protection in the success of innovative businesses. The symposium will also provide a unique opportunity for attendees to learn specifically about the value of patents and trademarks in their businesses.

Other panelists will include Landrieu, who serves as chairwoman of the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Teresa Stanek Rea, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO; Margaret “Peggy” Focarino, Commissioner for Patents for the USPTO; Lesia Farmer, Independent Inventor; Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter and Renee Quinn, The Social Media Diva – a social media and online marketing consultant.

Carpenter is a member of the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America and serves as the governor of the Louisiana-Mississippi Section. She has served on the board of birectors of the American Society for Engineering Education and has a seat on the board of the Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network. At Louisiana Tech, Carpenter is the director of the Office for Women in Science and Engineering, directs the College of Engineering and Science’s Faculty Mentoring Program, and is the advisor for the College’s Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.

Cedric Glover, mayor of Shreveport, will welcome the Symposium’s participants and guests, followed by Elizabeth Dougherty, acting deputy director of the of the USPTO’s Office of Patent Legal Administration.

Article source: http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20120322/NEWS01/120322023/Tech-professor-participate-women-s-entrepreneurship-symposium?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Event Name: Sixth Annual Penn Microfinance Conference “Microfinance 2.0: An Agenda for Revival”

Event Date: March 24, 2012

Event Location: Jon M Huntsman Hall, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

Cost: Free

Summary of Event: This year’s conference will explore: the increasing criticism of microfinance, innovations in microfinance and reestablishing the mission of microfinance while allaying controversy. There will be five hour-long panels covering the following topics as they relate to microfinance: public policy, technology, individual investment, financial risk management, and entrepreneurship and social innovation. The conference will also feature the final round of a Wharton School social business plan competition.

Background on Organizer: Penn Microfinance is a University of Pennsylvania undergraduate social impact group that connects students with field work. Students have worked with microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia and several countries in Latin America. Penn Microfinance also researches the microfinance movement seeking to improve the existing infrastructure in the industry and raise awareness.

About the Presenters: The keynote speakers of the conference will be Alex Counts, President and CEO, Grameen Foundation and William Abrams, President, Trickle Up.

Event Website: http://pennmicrofinance.org

For additional information, you may contact Penn Microfinance via email at contact[at]pennmicrofinance.org or via phone at +1 267 777 8242.

Submit Your Event: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

By Courtney Snelling, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

Pennmicrofinance.org, “Sixth Annual Penn Microfinance Conference: Microfinance 2.0: An Agenda for Revival”, http://pennmicrofinance.org

MicroCapital.org Article, April 5, 2011, “MICROFINANCE EVENT: 5th Annual University of Pennsylvania Microfinance Conference, Philadelphia, USA, April 9, 2011”, http://www.microcapital.org/microfinance-event-5th-annual-university-of-…

Browse the MicroCapital Universe and add your entry to the wiki at: http://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/

Article source: http://www.microcapital.org/microfinance-event-sixth-annual-university-of-pennsylvania-microfinance-conference-microfinance-2-0-an-agenda-for-revival-march-24-2012-philadelphia-usa/

Johnson City, TN, March 22, 2012 –(PR.com)– The Spine Health Foundation, Inc. (SHF) a non-profit organization providing assistance to individuals with spinal disorders and injuries will be presenting a social enterprise pitch at the 2012 Global Health Innovation Conference that will be held at Yale University, April 21-22.

“Eliminating Disparity in Healthcare for the Disadvantaged” will be presented by lead author, Dr. Morgan Lorio, Orthopedic Surgeon and Official Spokesperson for the SHF; Co-authored by Founder and Executive Director, Carol Conduff.

The 2012 Global Health Innovation Conference will be held on the campus of Yale University, April 21-22. The Global Health Innovation Conference is the world’s leading health and social entrepreneurship meeting. More than 2,200 professionals and students from the U.S. and 55 countries come together for this annual “meeting of the minds.”

This conference will provide an opportunity to network with other innovative thinkers in healthcare as well as other segments of business, to share ideas on how to expand and improve existing concepts.

“From my perspective as founder of this organization, I am very excited about this opportunity to share my story and vision that is a great passion of mine. It is an honor to be selected to present information about the SHF, an organization still in its infancy, yet gaining so much awareness due to its innovative concept,” said Carol Conduff.

Presenter, Dr. Morgan Lorio will provide critical information regarding pre and post intervention, improved quality of life and how this data correlates to appropriate spine care for the people we serve.

About The Spine Health Foundation, Inc.(SHF)
The SHF was founded in August 2010 by Carol Conduff, and is governed by a Board of Directors and Advisors. The SHF is now in its 2nd year of helping disadvantaged people who suffer with spinal disorders. The SHF has provided assistance to 7 people since February 25, 2011, five of which were spine surgeries. Additionally, the SHF provides other vital resources such as access to mental health and education to help the whole person. The SHF is a visionary endeavor providing access to specialized medical care to indigent, uninsured individuals. The SHF is the only organization focusing on spine health and providing direct access to specialized medical care that impacts people’s lives directly.

For more information, please contact the Spine Health Foundation at 423.467.2087, or visit our site at spinehealthfoundation.org

Article source: http://www.pr.com/press-release/399707