westfieldalumni.org 1 Greetings from our 20th President

westfieldalumni.org
Official Newsletter from the Office of Alumni Relations Winter 2016
Greetings from our
20th President
Dear Alumni,
Warm Winter Greetings!
The holiday season always
makes me nostalgic for people
I care about. From my family
and friends to former students
and my own alma maters,
maintaining connections feels
especially important at this
time of year. It is in this spirit
that I am extremely honored
to serve as Westfield State’s 20th President and to begin
a relationship with my new Westfield State “family.”
In the New Year, alumni events, activities and programs
will be taking place throughout the state and country
during which I hope to meet and connect with many of
you. If you are in the area, I invite you to return to the
campus to visit and reconnect with your faculty and
staff, learn about the engaged scholarship of our students
and see first-hand the new facilities and upgrades to this
beautiful campus.
My sincere wish is that Westfield State remains a
meaningful part of your lives now and in the future.
We will continue to share regular updates about our
progress throughout the year. In turn, I ask that you
share with us your accomplishments and the ways in
which the legacy of the university remains manifest in
your life.
Looking forward to an exciting 2016!
Sincerely,
Dr. Ramon S. Torrecilha
1
STAY CONNECTED! LOG ON TO OUR ALUMNI WEBSITE AT
westfieldalumni.org
Greetings from the Director
On behalf of the Division of Advancement, Alumni and Government
Relations, we wish you a very happy new year! 2016 will bring much
excitement to our campus with the arrival of our 20th President, Dr. Ramon
Torrecilha on January 25, A Celebration of Retired Teachers on March 30, the
first ever Criminal Justice Hall of Fame Luncheon on April 9, the 3rd annual
Gala (Celebrate Pathways to Excellence) on May 7th, the 40th Anniversary of
the Musical Theatre Guild on June 24–26, the opening of the new Science and
Innovation Center in the fall and, of course, Homecoming on October 1.
Our campus remains an exciting and vibrant place where student success,
alumni engagement, parent involvement, academic excellence and strong
community relations remain key to our mission. If you are in the Westfield area,
please stop by the alumni office at 2 Broad Street (in the Tavern Restaurant
building) meet your alumni team (including Tom Convery ’78, Tori Landry ’15
and Dave LaRocque), or visit the campus to see all of the amazing changes!
Sincerely,
Kathi Bradford
Director, Alumni Relations
Do you live in Florida? Are you
visiting for Spring Break? We are
bringing the new President down to
meet you on March 10–14. For details
and to update your information, please
go to: westfieldalumni.org/Florida
Join us for the Alumni Owl Classic!
on Saturday February 13th. Women’s
and Men’s Basketball vs. Salem State
at the Woodward Center. Women
play at 1 p.m. and the Men follow
at 3 p.m. There will be a reception
for all in between games. Light
refreshments will be served. ALL
ARE WELCOME!
Our inaugural CJ Hall of Fame
Luncheon is scheduled for
Saturday, April 9 p.m. Please go
to the website to see who is being
honored in this year’s class!
Westfieldalumni.org/CJHOF
This Spring, join us for
Owl Club Texas Hold ‘em on
Friday April 1st at Tekoa Country
Club. All proceeds to benefit WSU
Athletics. For more details, go to
westfieldalumni.org/Texas
What is up in DC? The Washington
DC Area Alumni Group is alive
and thriving and wants you to
join them. Whether you have lived
there for a while, are just arriving
or planning a visit, please go to
westfieldalumni.org/update to give
us your contact information and find
out about upcoming events. One of
our coordinators, Brittany Moniz
(bcmoniz12@gmail.com), Mohammed
Ibrahim (mibrahim31@gmail.com)
or Aaron Astley (aaronastley@
rocketmail.com) will be in touch.
Calling all Golden Owls from the Class of 1966!
It is your time to shine at Commencement 2016 on
May 21 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA.
Watch your mail for an invitation and details.
2
Search:
Westfield State Alumni
SAVE THE DATE!
Celebrate
Pathways
to Excellence
SATURDAY EVENING · MAY 7, 2016
The Westfield State Foundation’s 3rd annual premiere
fundraiser in support of student achievement,
our exceptional faculty, and innovative programs.
Join us at the Annual Albert and
Amelia Ferst Interfaith Center
Breakfast, on Wednesday, April 6,
2016 at 7:30 a.m.
For reservations and more information
westfieldalumni.org/gala
ALUMNI
TRAVEL
One of the best ways to continue your
life-long learning process is through travel.
Many of you were involved in our
very first successful #GiveAHoot
day last June. Please mark your
calendars for version 2016 on
April 7 and April 8!
Our goal this year is to double last
years number of donors and gifts to
the university. With 35,000 alums,
we know we can do it.
For more information:
westfieldalumni.org/giveahoot
SPRING
BRITAIN SAMPLER
FALL
LONDON
westfieldalumni.org/travel
Remember back to those years on the
Dever Stage with the longest running
student led group on campus, the
Musical Theatre Guild? Please plan to
join us for a weekend of fun, festivities
and lots of MTG magic on June
24–26 for MTG’s 40th Anniversary
Celebration. To join the planning
committee, contact Peg Drisko at
p.drisko.johnson@gmail.com. For
details and registration, check the
website at westfieldalumni.org/MTG
Westfield State University
Scanlon Banquet Hall.
To register for the event, please go
to westfieldalumni.org/interfaith.
We hope to see you there.
Calling all retired Westfield State
teachers! Mark your calendars
for the first ever “Celebration of
Teachers” on Wednesday, March 30
in the Loughman (Scanlon) Living
Room. Watch for your invitation
in the mail. For more information:
westfieldalumni.org/teachers
Do you know an exceptional alum?
Or someone who has accomplished
great things this year?
If so, please nominate them for
our annual alumni awards, including
The Distinguished Alumnus Award.
For more details, please go to
westfieldalumni.org/awards
Do you have a family member at Westfield State? Please tell them about this scholarship!
The Westfield State Alumni Scholarship annually looks for students who are related to an alum to give away
scholarship money based on campus/community involvement, GPA and written essay. If you know someone who
this applies to, please mark March 1 on your calendar to remind you to watch for our eblast about scholarships! If
you do not regularly receive our e-blast, please forward your name, class year and email address to Dave LaRocque
at dlarocque@westfield.ma.edu, or go to the website to update your information.
3
Alumni Relations
P.O. Box 1630
Westfield, MA 01086
Official Newsletter from the Office of Alumni Relations Winter 2016
SAVE THE DATE
Homecoming 2016
October 1st
For more details visit,
westfieldalumni.org