Student Support Services (SSS), a TRiO program at Brescia University, recently learned they received a $281,994 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. According to Congressman Brett Guthrie’s office, “It is anticipated that the grant will be for a total of five years.” This would mean an estimated $1,409,970 total in grant money.

Each year, the SSS program at Brescia, which is 100% funded by this federal grant, serves 160 students who are the first in their families to attend college, are financially disadvantaged, or who have disabilities. Since the program’s inception in 1977, SSS has serviced 2,627 students and graduated 1,107. Brescia is the only higher education institution in Owensboro and one of only two private schools in the state that has an SSS program.

The director of Brescia’s program, Dr. Dolores Kiesler, is very excited to receive the grant this year and continue aiding students who need this service. “Student Support Services has been a vital asset to Brescia University since 1977. We have aided over a thousand students in achieving their dream of a college degree through our one-on-one contact and our tutoring program.”

Brescia’s SSS program relies on this federal grant to fund the entire program, which allows students to have access to academic tutoring, career assistance, cultural opportunities, technology loan program, study skills workshops, and tuition assistance.

Brescia was chosen by U.S.News & World Report for a top 35 ranking in its 2011 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” in the Regional Colleges in the South category.

The top 75 percent of schools in each category are ranked. Schools in this particular category focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts and in field such as business, nursing and education.

"We are pleased to be again in the top 35 of best colleges in the southeast," said Fr. Larry Hostetter, Brescia president. "This recognition is another affirmation of the impact of the Brescia Difference, especially in our unique and high quality educational experience."

Chris Houk, Vice President for Enrollment at Brescia said, “We are always very proud to be named as one of America’s Best Colleges in the South. It shows how sought after a Brescia University degree truly is and how we are able to make a difference in the lives of our students."

The U.S. News college rankings group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The 2011 Best Colleges package provides information from more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools and compares them on a set of up to 16 indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.

For the fourth year in a row, Brescia University was named as one of the best colleges and universities in the Southeast according to The Princeton Review. The New York City-based education services company selected the school as one of 133 institutions it recommends in its "Best in the Southeast" section on its website feature "2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region."

The Princeton Review selects colleges and universities based on institutional data, visits to the campuses, opinions of high school college advisors, and information received from a survey given to current Brescia students.

The United States has 2,500 four-year colleges. Only 623 of them were named “regional best(s)." The Princeton Review (http://www.princetonreview.com/) is a New York-based company known for its test preparation courses, books, and college admission and other education services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

Brescia University recently learned they are the recipient of a ten thousand dollar grant from Owensboro Medical Health System to fund the purchase of seven Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AEDs) and to train staff members on how to use the equipment.

Residence Life Director, Jeffrey Rudnik, has been named Program Director in charge of the equipment and training. The goal is to have an AED placed in each campus residence hall, the gym, fitness center and Kamuf Park Outdoor Sports Complex.

"The hope is, of course, that is equipment will never be used,” said Dr. James Fitzpatrick, Vice President and Dean of Student Development. “However, should a situation arise, our ability to respond immediately to a student, staff, faculty or guest in a distress situation would be possible. Preparedness for the possibility is our utmost concern.”

Brescia is currently working with OMHS to coordinate the purchase of and training on the AEDs prior to having them placed on campus. The University plans to have them available for use by the start of the fall semester.

Brescia University will be one of 20 private colleges and universities across Kentucky to welcome prospective students and their families to campus during the seventh-annual Kentucky Private College Week, June 14-18.

Kentucky Private College Week is a coordinated effort by the members of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU). The event is designed to simplify the college visit process for students and families and expose prospective students to Kentucky’s diverse nonprofit, private four-year colleges and universities.

A single point of registration at www.kentuckyprivatecolleges.org and common visit times at all 20 campuses – 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (local time) daily – make it easy for prospective students to plan these summer campus visits. Each visit consists of a campus tour and information session covering admissions, financial aid, and other topics.

“Summer is a great time to hit the road and visit college campuses,” said Mason Dyer of AIKCU. “This is a really fun, easy way to get a jump on the college admissions process and learn what a great educational value Kentucky’s private colleges and universities offer.”

Upon visiting Brescia, families will learn about the various sources of financial aid available to private college students that help make a small college education affordable. Almost all students attending Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities receive some financial aid.Kentucky Private College Week can also help students save money. Each visitor to Brescia University receives an application fee waiver (a $25 value) during this week.

For more information or to register, visit the Kentucky Private College Week blog at www.kentuckyprivatecolleges.org. There you can also view videos featuring current students, learn more about participating campuses, get directions, and see the latest news about Kentucky’s private colleges. Or call the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities at (502) 695-5007.

Kentucky Private College Week is an initiative of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (www.aikcu.org). Campuses participating in Kentucky Private College Week include: Alice Lloyd College, Asbury University, Bellarmine University, Berea College, Brescia University, Campbellsville University, Centre College, Georgetown College, Kentucky Christian University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lindsey Wilson College, Mid-Continent University, Midway College, Pikeville College, St. Catharine College, Spalding University, Thomas More College, Transylvania University, Union College and University of the Cumberlands.

Brescia University will host the Western Kentucky Speech, Language and Hearing Association two-day summer workshop on June 30 and July 1, 2010. The topic is See the Sound/Visual Phonics.

The workshop will be presented by Pamela Hendricks, M.S., CCC-SLP and Judy Bradley, M.S. SLP. Both women are public school speech pathologists at Muhlenberg County School with more than 50 years of combined experience. The workshop will take place each day from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Maples Room, located on the third floor of the Lechner Graduate Center.

The workshop is intended to introduce visual phonics which is a mechanism to make the phonemic aspects of spoken language visible to students who are DHH. There are 45 hand cues and symbols. The workshop will demonstrate these to attendees. Parents, teachers, instructional assistants, and speech/language pathologists can use visual phonics for literacy and speech production and perception. The workshop will introduce this concept, demonstrate the hand cues and symbols, and lead games to implement visual phonics.

Registration is limited to the first 25 paid participants. Cost is $50 for WKSLHA members and $60 for non-members. Those interested should RSVP to Nadine Trogden at 926-3585 by June 15.

Brescia University is excited to announce $3,085 was raised this year during the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at Settle Memorial on April 29.

The Social Work Program at Brescia University honored Rachel Pate Whitford '06 the "Outstanding Field Practicum Supervisor" award. Rachel is a social worker with the Daviess County Department of Public Advocacy. Rachel received her Bachelor of Social Work from Bresica in 2006, and went on to the University of Louisville's Kent School of Social Work where she received her master's degree.

Brescia University is offering two summer family workshops from the Art Department.

The first is Workshops in Clay: Clay Critters. This project will be completed and painted in a four-hour Saturday session. Participants will learn how to make a “critter” out of clay. Cost is $15 per person.

Saturday Class Schedule from 1-5 pm:
June 5, 12, 19 or 26
July 10, 17, 24, or 31

The second workshop is Beginning Wheel Throwing. It is a five day, ten total hours beginner’s course as an introduction to wheel throwing. Participants will learn the fundamental wheel throwing skills necessary to throw their own bowls, cups, or mugs. Cost is $100 per person.

Class Schedule from 5-7 pm:

Monday and Wednesday Class:
June 14, 16, 21, 23, and 28
June 30, July 5, 7, 12, and 14

Tuesday and Thursday Class:
May 11, 13, 18, 20, and 25
May 27, June 1, 3, 8, and 10
June 15, 17, 22, 24 and 29
July 1, 6, 8, 13, and 15

These workshops are open to all ages, though anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please register for them one week prior to the schedule workshop. Studio fees included in the cost of the workshop cover the clay, glaze, all necessary tools, instruction time and firing of the kiln. Both workshops will take place in the Brescia University Clay Lab, located behind Lechner Graduate Center on W. 7th Street.

For more information please email kevin.fritz@brescia.edu or call 270-686-9526. You can mail your payment to Brescia University, Attn: Summer Workshops in Clay at 717 Frederica St., Owensboro, KY 42301. If writing a check, please place Summer Art/Clay Program in the memo line.

Brescia University will have a lunch and learn on Thursday, April 29 at 11:30 until 12:15 pm on sexual assault awareness. This is in conjunction with April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It will be facilitated by Ronda Howard, community educator at New Beginnings. Howard will discuss preventing sexual assault in our community, bystander intervention, the alcohol connection, and resources for help. There will be question and answer time following.

Bring your lunch and join the discussion in the Campus Center Dining Hall Annex. This is hosted by Brescia University’s Counseling Center.

For more information, please contact Eva Atkinson at 270-686-4282 or eva.atkinson@brescia.edu.

Brescia University is offering two occasions this week for you to enjoy music by students, faculty and staff. Both events are free and open to the public.

On Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 pm, the Brescia Choir and Brescia Band will perform a Spring Concert in the campus chapel.

The second opportunity is Friday, April 30 at noon in the Administration Building foyer. The Brescia Handbell Choir will have a Program of Spirituals for you to enjoy. Feel free to bring your lunch and listen to the Handbell Choir perform.

Brescia University is honored this year to have Bishop William Medley as our 2010 Commencement speaker.

Bishop Medley was named the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro on February 10, 2010. He received a bachelor of arts in philosophy and psychology from Bellarmine University and a master of divinity from Saint Meinrad School of Theology. Before his ordination in 1982, Medley served as a social worker for the Kentucky Department of Human Resources from 1974 to 1978.
Bishop Medley has served as an associate pastor, pastor, chaplain, administrator, and director of the Office of Clergy Personnel in the Louisville Archdiocese. He also served on the College of Consultors, the Priests’ Council, the Planning Commission of the Archdiocese, the Priests’ Health Panel, and Priests’ Personnel Board. He has served as president of the Bardstown/Nelson County Ministerial Association and on the Nelson County Human Rights Commission.

Brescia welcomes Bishop Medley and looks forward to his thoughts and reflections as he addresses the graduating class of 2010.

Brescia University’s Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 8th, 10:00 a.m. at the RiverPark Center and will be open to the public. Seating is based on first come, first served.

Empty Bowls 2010 will take place at the Settle Memorial ROC, across from Settle Memorial Church, located on 4th Street. This year the supper will be on Thursday, April 29 starting at 6 PM.

This annual event happens across the country as a way to raise funds for those in need of food. Brescia University’s Art Department teamed up to host an Empty Bowls work day in the clay studio. Several local potters, including Thomas Porter, Michele Hartung, Jason Hayden, Nita Claise, Rosemary Chamberlain, Dave Stratton and Kevin Fritz made more than 250 bowls for the fundraiser. The clay and glaze was contributed by Brescia University.

Local potters make and donate the bowls, which the soup is then served in. The ticket price purchases a bowl and the dinner. Once the meal is over, the bowl goes home with the participant.

To purchase a bowl and enjoy supper at Settle Memorial, the cost is $15 per person. All money raised goes to fund soup kitchens at Third Baptist Church and Woodlawn United Methodist Church.

For tickets, stop by any of the following locations: First Presbyterian Church, Faith Lutheran Church, First Christian Church, Century Christian Church, Zion United Methodist Church, Zion Baptist Church, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, or Brescia University’s Campus Center. Or you may contact Kevin Fritz at 812-630-6295 or Marian Bennett at 270-684-3955.

Brescia University extends the opportunity for the public to worship with us during Holy Week by offering the following service dates and times:

Palm Sunday, March 28 – Masses at 10 am and 8 pm
Holy Thursday, April 1 – Mass of the Last Supper at 7 pm
Good Friday, April 2 – Celebration of the Passion of Our Lord at 3 pm
Easter Sunday, April 4 – Mass at 10 am

All services will take place in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, located on the campus of Brescia University.

Brescia University was recognized in the Kentucky Senate for "60 years of leadership in higher education." The resolution was introduced on March 10 in the Senate and adopted on March 12. To view the resolution, click here.

Brescia University, Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro Public Schools and Owensboro Catholic Schools have collaborated to bring nationally-known author and speaker, Rick Lavoie, to Owensboro. Lavoie is an icon in the field of special education.

Lavoie will be speaking to the public on April 13 at 7 pm in the Taylor Lecture Hall (Science Building). This speaking engagement will be extremely beneficial for educators and parents of children with special needs. Lavoie will meet earlier in the day with the Brescia School of Education students, faculty and staff. He will have a separate address to the educators from the participating school systems.

Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs since 1972. He holds three degrees in special education and has served as an adjunct professor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Harvard, Syracuse, University of Alabama, and Georgetown. His numerous national television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News, and Disney Channel Presents. He has given more than 2500 keynote addresses and workshops to schools, institutions and agencies in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

Lavoie serves as a consultant on learning disabilities to the Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disabilities Association. He received the 2009 Learning Disabilities Association of America’s Sam Kirk Award.

Lavoie is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. City Workshop", which Brescia University uses in teaching its special education program, and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of Learning Disabilities".

For more information on Lavoie’s visit to Owensboro, please contact Dr. Tom Payne, School of Education Chair, at 270-686-4267 or tom.payne@brescia.edu.

This event is made possible through funding of the Brescia University Young Lecture Series, Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro Public Schools and Owensboro Catholic Schools.

On Monday March 29, the Brescia University Spanish Program will be organizing a town hall gathering to view the Latino Education Advocacy Day (LEAD) Summit, which is organized by and takes place at California State University San Bernardino. The LEAD Summit at Brescia will be shown live in Room 111 in the Administration Building from 10 am to 6 pm. There will be time for local networking after the viewing of the Summit has ended.

The objective of the LEAD summit is to promote a broad-based awareness of the crisis in Latino Education and to enhance the intellectual, cultural and personal development of our community's educators, administrators, leaders and students. In the meeting, which is open to the public, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the featured presentations and discuss future educational collaborations for Latinos in Kentucky. A schedule modified to the town hall meeting at Brescia is indicated below.

For more information on the viewing of the Summit at Brescia, please contact Professor Carlos Martin Vélez at cmartinvelez@brescia.edu, or at 270-686-4313.

You can find out more about LEAD by visiting http://lead.csusb.edu/index.htm.

10:00 AM: Introduction to Lead Event: Professor C. Martin Vélez
10:30 AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks LEAD Summit (Live event starts in California)
11:00 AM: Inaugural Address: “My Legacy: Mendez v. Westminster (1946)”
11:30 AM: Forum: “History, Schooling and Outcomes”
12:30 AM: Break / “Un Cafecito”
12:45 AM: Forum: “Theory and Research into Action”
2:00 PM: Lunch (at your own expense)
3:00 PM: Feature Presentation - "White House Initiative" (WHI)
4:00 PM: Forum: “The Policies and Politics of Educational Access and Opportunity”
5:15 PM: Break / “Otro Cafecito”
5:30 PM: Forum: “Youth Development and Future LEADers” (Last live event at Brescia)
6:00-7:00 PM: Local networking: Communities' representatives/leaders in western Kentucky

Brescia University’s Contemporary Woman Program is excited to bring national and international speaker, Sister Ilia Delio, a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, to campus on Thursday, March 25 at 7 pm in Taylor Lecture Hall (Science Bldg.). The public is welcome to attend her presentation, CHRIST in EVOLUTION.

Sr. Ilia holds a doctorate in Pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and a doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University. She is the author of three well-known theology books: The Humility of God, Care for Creation and Christ in Evolution.

Sr. Ilia is a professor and chair of the department of spirituality studies at Washington Theological Union. She lectures around the world and is the winner of the 2000 Templeton Course Award in Science and Religion.

Tickets are $10 per person or $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. For more information on this presentation or to purchase a ticket, please contact Sr. Rose Marita O’Bryan, director of Contemporary Woman Program, at 270-686-4275 or rosemarita.obryan@brescia.edu.

Brescia University is hosting the 30th annual Juried High School Art Exhibition, February 22-March 26, 2010. High schools from a 150 mile radius were invited to participate. Brescia received 350 entries, and has 73 works of art exhibited. Kentucky high schools represented are: Apollo, Barren County, Daviess County, Grayson County, Muhlenberg County West, Ohio County, Owensboro, Trinity, and Union County. Indiana high schools represented are: Evansville North, Forest Park (Ferdinand) and Mt. Vernon.

There will be an awards reception on March 26 from 5-6 pm in the Anna Eaton Stout Art Gallery, which is located on the second floor of the Campus Center.

To view the artwork, gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 to 4:30 pm. The gallery will be closed February 25-26 for a Brescia Board of Trustees meeting.

For more information, please contact David Stratton, professor of art, at 270-686-4270 or david.stratton@brescia.edu.

Brescia University is excited to be a part of National Catholic Colleges Week - February 21-27, 2010. The week is founded and supported by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. This week highlights the accomplishments of Catholic colleges and celebrates the role of Catholic colleges in society.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDA) is February 21-27 and Brescia University will host a discussion about body image, disordered eating, healthy habits, and resources for help on Tuesday, February 23 from 11:30 – 12:15 pm. This will take place in the Dining Hall Annex, located in the Campus Center (717 Frederica). Anyone who is interested in learning or sharing about these topics of body image, eating disorders and health is invited to attend.

Marilyn Clark, with Aubrey’s Song Foundation, and Brescia’s Counseling Center Director, Eva Atkinson, will facilitate the discussion. There will be time for questions and answers.

If you need further information, please contact Eva Atkinson at (270) 686-4282 or email eva.atkinson@brescia.edu.


Aubrey's Song Foundation (http://www.aubreyssong.org) is a not-for-profit foundation established to honor the memory of Aubrey Michelle Clark of Owensboro, Kentucky, who died from anorexia in September 2005 at the age of 22. Marilyn Clark is the mother of Aubrey.

The Lenten Season begins on Wednesday, February 17 and Brescia University will be offering several Ash Wednesday opportunities to attend services on campus.

Ash Wednesday Mass times in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel are 7 a.m., 12 noon, and 4:45 p.m.

Brescia welcomes an opportunity to experience the Lenten Season with you.

Visual Intent

Brescia University senior graphic design major, Wayne Stohs, will have an opening reception for his senior show on Thursday, February 4, at 7 pm in the Anna Eaton Stout Gallery.

Stohs’ show will feature 2D work, some stained glass, drawings, and screen prints. The graphic design work includes logos, posters and postcards. Stohs designed the Daviess County commemorative 911 Post Office stamp for National Telecommunications Week in April 2009.

Stohs’ says his intention is to “generate creative interactions between shape, color, and type that will communicate a message which engages the audience visually.”

Stohs’ show will run February 4-18. The public is invited view Stohs’ work from 8:00 – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, in the art gallery which is located on the second floor of the Campus Center.