Dear Neighbors and Friends:

Welcome to the October 2011 issue of Villanova University's Neighbors Update. This newsletter is meant to inform you about Villanova events, campus initiatives and ways to be involved in the life of the University. Please let us know if you have any comments or ideas for future issues.

Villanova University and the Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland, proudly announce their new artistic and intellectual exchange program. Through lectures, workshops and other activities, the exchange program will advance dialogue between audiences, students, playwrights, scholars and theater practitioners. Irish Director Patrick Mason will deliver the program’s inaugural lecture on the state of Irish Theater on Monday, October 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the West Lounge of Dougherty Hall.


“Visions Four” Exhibit at Art Gallery Reception, October 21
"Visions Four," an exhibit showcasing the diverse works of artists Elsa Johnson, Kristine Marx, Diane Pepe and Karen Saler, opens in the Villanova University Art Gallery on Friday, October 21 from 5-7 p.m. with a free public reception to meet the artists. The exhibition, which runs through December 5, features the four artists' visual arts repertoire, encompassing painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, photography and collage. Informed by the art traditions of several cultures, their frequently honored work has been widely exhibited in the United States and around the world.


Catholic Relief Services Middle East Region Director Visits Campus
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Villanova University have been working collaboratively since 2005 to advance global solidarity through education, research, advocacy and service. On Tuesday, October 25, Mark Schnellbaecher, CRS regional director in Europe and the Middle East, will be on campus for a series of events including serving as the featured speaker at a symposium entitled, “The Arab Spring: Transitions in the Middle East and North Africa.” Schnellbaecher will share his experience and perspective on the complex, changing reality in the Middle East and North Africa and CRS’ thinking on an appropriate response for a US Catholic NGO operating in the region. The public is invited to this event which will take place from 2:30-3:45 p.m. in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center. Visit this website for more information.


Virtues of Parenting Lecture, October 26
Parents who want to do right by their children struggle to figure out what that “right” is. “Virtues of Parenting,” a lecture by Julie Hanlon Rubio, PhD, will address what it means to parent well,  drawing on the practical wisdom of the Christian tradition. The talk, scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, 4:30-6 p.m. in Driscoll Hall Auditorium, kicks off the annual Intersection of Virtue and Ethics series, which is dedicated to reflection on the many facets of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Dr. Rubio, an associate professor of Christian ethics at Saint Louis University and author of Family Ethics: Practices for Christians, is especially interested in moral questions pertaining to families and the social order.


Neighbors & Friends Day at Villanova Football
Neighbors and friends of the University have a special opportunity to see the Wildcats take on the Maine Black Bears at Villanova Stadium on Saturday, October 29. Gates open at 2 p.m. and kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Use the code VUNEIGHBORS to get a flat price of $5 for every ticket and free access to the Kid Zone for families. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (610) 519-4100, or in person at the Villanova Ticket Office in Jake Nevin Field House. When ordering online or over the phone, tickets must be purchased no later than Friday, October 21. Remember to use the code VUNEIGHBORS to receive the discounted ticket price and be sure to note how many children (age 12 and under) in your party to ensure access to the Kid Zone.


Villanova Hosts Annual Special Olympics Fall Festival November 4-6
For the 23rd consecutive year, Villanova University will welcome athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters from across the commonwealth for the annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival November 4-6. Villanova students work tirelessly year round to organize every aspect of the Festival, from staging ceremonies to managing budgets and coordinating thousands of volunteers. It is the largest student-run Special Olympics competition in the world. Opportunities exist for neighbors and friends to participate as volunteers. Visit the event website for more information.


Woman and Scarecrow Comes to Villanova Theatre
A woman on her deathbed faces the regrets of a life half-lived in Woman and Scarecrow, a fierce and funny play by Ireland’s leading female playwright which will be staged at Villanova this fall. At once theatrical and richly poetic, the play, directed by the Rev. David Cregan, OSA, PhD, stages an epic confrontation between a mother of eight and the specters of her haunted past. Don’t miss the Philadelphia-area premiere of Woman and Scarecrow, November 8-20 in Vasey Theatre. For tickets, visit the Villanova Theatre website or call the Box Office at (610) 519-7474.


Refer to this map of campus (in PDF format) to find the locations for these events!

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Noteworthy Dates and Campus Events -
October, November & December 2011

Attached for your reference is a list of noteworthy dates and campus events scheduled to take place through December 2011. The list includes on-campus home games for football and men's and women's basketball. The full schedules for these and other varsity teams can be found at www.villanova.com.

Additional Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

• Fall Semester Break: October 8-16
• Homecoming Weekend: October 21-23
• Special Olympics PA Fall Festival: November 4-6
• Fall Semester Final Day of Classes: December 12
• Fall Semester Final Day of Exams: December 20
• Spring Semester First Day of Classes: January 17

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Recent News from Campus

Campus Transformation Update
Progress continues on Phase I of the “Transformation of the Campus Landscape” initiative with work on this initial phase expected to be completed by Thanksgiving. Visit the project website for more information.


Sierra Club Ranks Villanova Among “Greenest” Universities
Villanova was ranked #32 nationally by the Sierra Club in its fifth-annual “Cool Schools” ranking of the greenest colleges in the United States. This annual ranking judges universities for their performance in 10 categories: energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments and other initiatives. Environmental sustainability and awareness are integral to the academic life of the University. Numerous programs provide an emphasis on sustainability, including a master’s degree program in sustainable engineering, first-year “Nature and the World” learning community and bachelor’s degree programs in environmental science, environmental studies, and environmental biology/ecology.


College of Engineering Opens Learning Center at the Navy Yard
In August, the College of Engineering opened a learning center in the Philadelphia Technology Park (PTP) at the Navy Yard. The high-tech facility will offer graduate programs, distance-learning courses, executive and professional engineering training programs, and space for corporate training with remote capabilities. It will give students the chance to learn in a world-class R&D and industrial setting. The facility also will be used to provide Villanova Continuing Studies courses and will accommodate other University strategic goals, including graduate recruitment events and K-12 education outreach programs.


Engineering Students Win Humanitarian Technology Challenge
Doctors in developing countries now have a vital new tool to aid them during medical emergencies including when delivering babies—thanks to Villanova Engineering students Amanda DelCore '12, Emily Battinelli '12 and Gerry Mayer '12. They won first place in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Humanitarian Technology Challenge in Reliable Electrical Power for Developing Countries. The team presented their design for a hands-free, solar-powered headlamp inspired by a stand-alone hybrid power system known as the Solar Suitcase at the competition in Niagara Falls, Canada in June 2011.


College of Nursing Establishes New Obesity Education Center
In response to rising obesity rates in the US, the College of Nursing has launched the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (COPE), which will support and foster the growing need for development of healthy lifestyles and behaviors among Americans. Established in 2011 through the generous support of The MacDonald Family Foundation and The Take Shape for Life Foundation, the Center serves as a locus for interdisciplinary collaboration in the prevention of obesity through education and research. Through the united expertise of physicians, nurses, dietitians and other health professionals, the MacDonald COPE will also develop strategic initiatives to address the obesity epidemic nationally and globally.


MBA Program Recognized by the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute’s 2011–12 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and international ranking, places the Villanova School of Business (VSB) MBA program among the top 100 programs worldwide that integrate issues concerning social and environmental stewardship into the curriculum. Embedded within the core of the Villanova MBA experience are classes that challenge students to gain a deeper perspective of how they can make an impact on the greater community.


Engineering Students Collaborate With Please Touch Museum
On October 6, Villanova sophomore engineering students will work alongside professionals from the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia during an on-campus workshop focused on product design, child education and entrepreneurship. The group will look at existing toys and games, and discuss the pros and cons from the aspect of child development with the goal of developing a new game, toy or service for young children. It’s part of a “Creativity and Innovation” course within Villanova’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Minor, a unique collaboration between the College of Engineering and the Villanova School of Business that exposes students to engineering concepts in a business context.

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Villanova in the Media

Villanova Students, Staff and Faculty Take Part in Habitat's "Blitz Build"
Philadelphia Inquirer - September 29, 2011

Villanova Students Hold a Day of Service
Radnor Patch - September 27, 2011

Elevator Pitch: Keep it Warm
MSNBC - September 25, 2011

Special Olympics and Villanova University to Celebrate EKS Day
Main Line Suburban Life - September 23, 2011

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Useful Links for Neighbors & Friends

Villanova University Neighbors & Friends website

Villanova University Walking Trail

Villanova.com, the official site of Villanova Athletics

Follow Villanova on facebook!

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Neighbors Update is an initiative of the Office of the President. Questions and feedback are welcomed and can be submitted by emailing neighbors@villanova.edu or by calling Chris Kovolski at (610) 519-7450.

Thank you for your continued interest in Villanova University!