PresRelease

Husky Headliners kicked off at the Jorgensen on October 23 with “Dancing with the UConn Stars.”  Our UConn Ballroom Dance Club and Team teamed up with the Club’s advisor George Gibson (who professors Physics when he’s not dancing) and his wife Zoe Strickler:

The Photon Bolero
and also with Pharmacy Dean Robert McCarthy, Professor Arlene Albert (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology), Jorgensen CoStars Joanne Sousa and George Jones, and celebrity guest dancers Sara Schilling and Evgueni Chalouski.  MC’s were Mick Malek and UConn Ballroom VP Lauren DellaFera.  Husky Headliners is a new series designed to offer student talent an opportunity to show off in a professional venue.

For my part, I danced in the opening Lady Gaga medley – good thing I was up on my Lada Gaga moves.  I had good help, from Club President Kailee Donovan:

Kailee and me, backstage
Here’s the Dean and Kailee, performing a Swing to “Waterloo” by ABBA:

The Exelon Swing
I tried out a little Swing myself: here’s a photo that pretty well captures what I can do:

Dean McCarthy brought his own cheering section, exhorting him to finish the number:
How many Bob McCarthys can you count in this photo?

The next performance in the Husky Headliners series is on December 4: “Jingle Jam – A Capella Holiday Show” featuring Five O’Clock Shadow (cosponsored by SUBOG and the Jorgensen).  Put it on your calendar!

Yesterday I sent this message by email to UConn faculty and staff, and I’d like to share it here as well.

As many of you are aware, Scott Brohinsky has decided to retire from the University of Connecticut after many years of dedicated service. Over his long term of service to UConn, Scott has worn many hats, always with success and as a loyal advocate for the University. Most recently, he has served as Director of University Communications, overseeing Communications, Marketing, Government Relations, the Lodewick Visitor’s Center, and University Events, and acting as the administrative liaison for the Institutional Advancement Committee and the Alumni Association. I’m personally grateful to Scott for the tremendous assistance he has provided me since I joined UConn. Although I know we will miss his expertise and good advice, I hope you will join me in wishing him the best.

While this news of Scott’s impending retirement is sad for many of us, I am pleased to inform you that I have appointed Jim Walter as the university’s Associate Vice President, Communications. In this capacity, Jim will continue to oversee the Health Center’s Office of Communications and, effective July 1, will assume responsibility for University Communications on the Storrs campus.

UConn’s two communications groups have a long and successful history of close collaboration. In bringing these groups under single leadership I have charged Jim with identifying opportunities that further enhance our messaging and strengthen our overall reputation.

As part of this reorganization, Government Relations and the Alumni Association will now report to me. The other components of the University Communications portfolio will remain under Jim’s oversight. Maureen McGuire, the Health Center’s Communications Director, will assume additional responsibilities there and will continue to report to Jim.

For the past 13 years Jim has led the Health Center’s integrated communications initiatives, including public relations, marketing, media relations, web communications, publications, and internal communications. He holds a faculty appointment in the School of Medicine as an Instructor in the Department of Community Medicine and Health Care. Prior to joining the Health Center in 1996 he held positions of increasing responsibility in marketing and communications with Osteotech, Inc., MED Communications, and Johnson & Johnson. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Management from Ithaca College.

I ask that you join me in congratulating Jim and supporting him in his new role.

This coming Monday, April 20 at 4:00 pm, the University Senate and Undergraduate Student Government are hosting my Spring 2009 ‘state of the university’ address.  I will be speaking in the Student Union Theatre, and there will be a reception immediately following in SU 104, just down the hall.  The address will be video-streamed live to most of our branch campuses, and the text will be posted on my web pages afterwards.  I plan to discuss the current challenges facing the University and our strategies to meet them as a community.

University presidents often deliver ‘state of the university’ addresses – it’s a good way for me to communicate directly with the UConn family about what’s happening and where we’re going.

On Wednesday the Daily Campus’s “InstantDaily” contained this post:  “They have those ‘Save the Lakes’ T-shirts with Hogan on them, but what they really need is ‘Save Arjona’ shirts. But not Monteith. Nobody likes Monteith.”
Henry Ruthven “Monty” Monteith, the “Grand Old Man of Connecticut,” was hired by President George Washington Flint in 1900 to teach English, history, civics, and algebra (B Stave, Red Brick in the Land of Steady Habits 8 (2006)). He was a campus mainstay until he retired in 1919.  He also taught Latin and French. See Mark Roy’s online article about him and his portrait.

Since he was UConn’s first Professor of History Emeritus, I must admit to feeling some kinship with Monty, who of course can’t be held responsible for the conditions in the building named after him.

Perhaps we need a T-shirt for him as well. I’d like to suggest this design:

Monty lives!  And don’t forget to Save Our Lakes!

I wanted to stop in at Dining Services’ annual culinary completion last Thursday at Putnam, but I had to be in Hartford. I wish I’d been at Putnam.  In the Boiling Point competition, the twelve teams were each surprised with ‘mystery ingredients’ and given 90 minutes to come up with three tapas presentations for the judges to sample.  This year’s surprise ingredients included shrimp, chicken, edamame and blueberries.  You can read about the competitions and check the results at the Dining Services’ web page.

Gary Marshall and Charlie Tucker inform Dan Kain on Channel 3

I’ll list just the first-place winners here, but congratulations to all of our competitors.  The judges were very impressed:

Recipe Contest:

Appetizer Category

1st Place

Derek Carlsen-Petite Lamb Chop with Whiskey Foam

Entrée Category

1st Place

Lisa Charbonneau-Lamb Tagine with Almond Couscous

Dessert Category

1st Place

Jim Buell-Apricot Cannoli Cake

Cake Decorating Competition

1st Place

Donna Kay

Donna’s winning cake

Boiling Point Competition

1st Place-

South Campus: Lisa Charbonneau, Scott Chapman, Charlie String

Mini Cajun Shrimp Cake with Honey Remoulade and Microgreens

Chicken Stuffed Shrimp with Edamame Puree, Mushroom Brandy Sauce

Mixed Fruit Empanadilla with Honey Glaze