Mitchell College Announces Eighth President
Mitchell begins work on new outdoor athletic complex
Construction is underway on a new Mitchell College outdoor athletic complex, weeks earlier than expected due to the cancellation of the spring sports season and students leaving campus.
It’s a welcomed piece of good news for the college.
“It’s a glimmer of hope in a dark time,” baseball coach Travis Beausoleil said.
There’s been a buzz throughout the Mitchell community for months about the complex.
The state-of-the-art complex will replace the existing grass fields with artificial turf multi-sport, baseball and softball fields, each complete with a scoreboard, bleachers and elevated press box as well as dugouts for the latter two. The project cost is approximately $3.5 million.
About 37 percent of the student body participates in the school’s 12 NCAA Division III programs. The complex also will be utilized by intramural, club and recreational programs.
“We’re very, very excited about this ‘Game Changer,’ as we’ve identified it,” assistant athletic director Todd Peretz said. “It’s an exciting time. Something we’ve talked about for a long time and to get on par with some of the other institutions that we compete against. First and foremost, it will give our student-athletes the best experience.”
The plan to renovate the athletic fields has been years in the makings.
Beausoleil remembers discussions about it when he was hired as baseball coach roughly 10 years ago.
“At first, it wasn’t supposed to be turf,” Beausoleil said. “We were going to redo the field, move the softball field. Over 10 years here, we’ve had a ton of different plans. It was really (athletic director) Dana (Fulmer Garfield) when she was here pushing the envelope and Janet Steinmayer, the president, she was really gung-ho about it.
“It’s exciting that Janet was able to get it through. Mary-Jane (McLaughlin) and Catherine (Wright), the interim presidents, stayed on course with it. And it’s happening.”
The impact of the new athletic complex will be far-reaching.
It will aid in everything from recruiting to helping better weather the typical unpredictable New England spring season. It will also erase some competitive disadvantages that come with practicing on a grass field and then playing road games against opponents with turf.
Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s soccer are the sports that will benefit the most.
“We could be in a very select company with teams that have a full turf baseball, full turf softball at the NCAA DIvision III level here in New England,” Peretz said. “It also will be a huge boost for soccer and lacrosse. They’ve played on grass fields here for a number of years. Now just about everybody else has turf, so sometimes they’re at somewhat of a disadvantage when they go on the road. It’s going to put them on par with everyone else.
“And from a recruiting standpoint, kids can make a really, really good educated decision, choose Mitchell College because it’s the right fit for them academically and athletically and socially, and not have to say that they don’t want to go to this school because they don’t have this facility. We’re on par with everyone else and now we’ll just let our individualized approach and our coaches be the ones that shine through and attract potential student athletes.”
The complex will especially benefit spring coaches because the turf fields will eliminate days practice needs to be moved indoors or to a parking lot because of unplayable conditions.
It also will mean having fewer games postponed. Mitchell baseball and softball teams usually have to scramble to complete all the games before the regular season ends.
“Spring time is always very, very difficult,” Peretz said. “It’s demanding on the coaches and student-athletes. It’s a big demand on the campus in general because our student-athletes comprise a large number percentage of our student population, So it impacts us across the board. Students would miss classes and stuff like that.
“We want to hold true to our Division III philosophy of the student-athlete. If we can alleviate crazy schedules which allows us to keep students in classes and engage in the college community a little bit more, then we’re definitely going to take advantage of that.”
Erin Miller, a first-year softball coach, grew up playing on grass fields in Waterford and at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s looking forward to all the benefits of a turf field.
“We’re going to have a lot of people that are going to want to play us,” Miller said. “A lot of people have dirt and I’ve always played on dirt. Just coaching in New England and knowing how many games we lose because the field is under water or rain or whatever it is, and knowing that we’ll be able to have a field where we can still go out and practice is going to be so great.
“We’ll definitely be able to get outside more. Even if it is a little cold, we at least know our field won’t be frozen. We’ll be able to take ground balls and fly balls or just throw. It’s going to be really nice.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of September, in time for at least some of the fall season.
“It’s going to be a game changer for us,” Beausoleil said. “I really think it’s going to be huge for us.”
Learn more at mitchell.edu/game-changer-athletics-initiative
Accepted Students Presidents Reception Going Virtual!
Mariners on Deck for Deposited Mitchell and Thames Students!
We’re so excited you’re going to be a Mariner! Mariners On Deck is YOUR online pre-orientation, and we can’t wait to see you there to start getting you enrolled for Fall 2020!
Mitchell Mariners On Deck: For students who have made your deposit to Mitchell College:
Friday May 15 from 11-12:35pm | (eastern standard time) Register Now!
Thames Mariners On Deck: For students who have made your deposit to Thames at Mitchell College:
Friday May 15 from 1-2:35pm | (eastern standard time) Register Now!
Senior Spotlight: Jake April
Jake April’s hard work and determination has paid off. The soon to be Mitchell College graduate from Long Island, NY, will begin graduate studies in broadcast journalism at Hofstra University this fall. An aspiring sportscaster, Jake also hopes to be a public speaker one day, motivating others to find their passion and live their best life. When asked about what has encouraged him most during his time at Thames and Mitchell, Jake points to the people…
“The faculty and staff inspired me because, when I was feeling stressed, their words and confidence would remind me that with a little hard work and determination, I could do anything I put my mind to.”
⚓️ Read Jake’s story at mitchell.edu/stories-jake-april.
#congrats #mitchellcollege #marinerpride
Mitchell Lacrosse Player Presented with Courage Award
March 10, 2020
Sophomore Mitchell lacrosse player Jacob Anderson was awarded the Hartford HealthCare Courage Award on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the Weller Center at Mitchell College. The special award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated courage in the face of adversity.
Known as the “Ironman” on the lacrosse team, someone who, according to Rich Petillo, head coach of Mitchell men’s lacrosse, “works harder and harder and harder,” Jacob suffered a stroke at just 18 years old during the fall of his freshman year. He bounced back and finished the lacrosse season with 14 goals and 7 assists in just 12 games. In the first game of his sophomore season, he tore both his ACL and MCL and underwent surgery. He plans to come back stronger in 2021.
Hartford HealthCare Ambassador and former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo, who presented the award to Jacob, described Jacob’s setbacks as just a “blip in his career” and said he has “the perfect character to overcome” adversity.
Jacob recalled the day he suffered the stroke as “like any other day.” He had worked out in the weight room and had gone to class. His teammates noticed changes in his speech and went with him to the emergency room, where he was suspected of having a stroke, was airlifted to Yale New Haven Hospital and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.
He said that after his stroke he “gained strength from his immediate family and his lacrosse family” and went on to say that “without my lacrosse brothers I might not be here.”
He reminded the audience at the event to “keep moving forward. Adversity in life is what helps build character.”
Archived News & Events
Softball Coach Erin Miller Featured in The Day
Fond memories of her first victory as a college head coach are still fresh in Erin Miller’s mind.
Almost a month ago, Miller stepped on the field with her Mitchell College softball team for the season opener against Cabrini University in Clermont, Fla.
A former standout at Waterford High School and Eastern Connecticut State University, Miller experienced a variety of emotions that day before, during and after the game.
“I was excited because I knew my team was excited about me being there, too, which made it even better,” Miller said. “I definitely think I had a little bit of nerves. But I trusted the work that we put in in the preseason. Not that I didn’t know what to expect, but it was the first time I had ever seen any of them play against someone other than us.
“Then they made me a little more nervous as the game went on and we were battling back.”
The Mariners took Miller on a thrill ride, rallying from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to post a dramatic 6-5 victory. She loved her team’s fighting spirit.
“They were funny afterward,” Miller said. “They were like, ‘I swear we won’t give you a heart attack every game.’ “
Miller would gladly coach a few more heart thumping games. After returning to New London from the spring trip, Mitchell’s season was put on the shelf after eight games due to the coronavirus pandemic. She’s staying connected with her team from afar.
Quite a time to be running your own program for the first time.
“When we came back from Florida, I was so ready to go, ready to start working on the things that we need to work on,” Miller said. “I was just so focused on what we had to do right in this moment to get ourselves better for the season. Then when we got the news they were sending everyone home, I was like, ‘Okay, now what?’
“I know that I’m supposed to be with my team. It just feels so weird to be home and not with them when I know that this is the heart of my season.”
For a large chunk of her life, the 26-year-old Miller has spent her spring on the softball diamond.
At Waterford High School, Miller helped the Lancers win two Class L titles. She was the 2014 Little East Conference pitcher of the year at Eastern and part of four conference regular season championship and two league tournament title teams.
After graduating from Eastern, Miller wasn’t ready to give up softball. She took a position as pitching coach on Donna Koczjawoski’s staff at Coast Guard.
“Just going to that first practice and being with a team again, I was like, ‘Wow. I don’t want to ever give this up.’ Probably my favorite part of coaching is the relationships I get to have with the team. I know how great those relationships are. I just want to give every team I’m with that same experience.”
Miller spent two seasons at Coast Guard before heading to Smith where she earned a Master’s degree in exercise and sports studies and served as a graduate assistant and pitching coach.
After leaving Smith, Miller applied for softball jobs as an assistant and pitching coach. She turned down a few offers because she wanted to stay in the area. Then the Mitchell job opened up last fall and she was hired in November.
Miller called it a perfect situation.
She’s thoroughly enjoying her new job. She’s attempting to build a successful program at Mitchell, which has been competitive in the New England Collegiate Conference but had four straight losing seasons overall.
She is tapping into her vast experience from previous stops as a coach and player. She’s using some things that she learned from her high school coach, Liz Sutman.
“She was huge on keeping us together as a team and doing fun activities that would break up practices a little bit…,” Miller said. “The little things that she did really made an impact on us. So I try to carry that with me. Every Friday we do a game or competition just to keep them engaged.”
Miller makes it a point to always show up at practice with a positive, upbeat attitude. She gives her players room to make mistakes and grow.
“Coming into practice, I love to show how excited I am to be there,” Miller said. “Because if they don’t see that from me, then they’re not going to be excited to be there. When I got into this job, they just wanted me to be passionate…
That’s exactly what I am.”
Diversity & Inclusion Day
Poetry Slam! A Night of Spoken Word, 9-10pm, the Red Barn
Poetry Slam! A Night of Spoken Word
The Mitchell College Department of Education Presents the
19th Annual Cat in the Hat Ball
Saturday, February 29 | 10am-2pm at the Clarke and Weller Centers
Join us for the Cat in the Hat Ball – a family celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, on Saturday, February 29, 2020! This event is open to the public and free with a donation of one new children’s book or $5 per family. All books from the event will be donated to local schools and early childcare centers. You and your family will enjoy children’s games, crafts, music, and story times. Music will be provided by Radio Mitchell, and the Community Dance Ensemble performs at 11am and 12:30pm. Local authors join in the fun, sharing their books with young readers. A special highlight of the day will be a reading and book signing with local author Tish Rabe, the best-selling author of “The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library,” a series of rhyming science books for early readers.
For more information, please contact the Mitchell College Education Department at catinthehatball@mitchell.edu.
Open Intramural Nights
Spring Involvement Fair
Boston Celtics Game
January MiniMester Courses & Internships
- Citizen Scientist
- Intro to Astronomy
- Film Genre: Comedy
- Sp Topic: Theatrical Production – Orwell’s Animal Farm
Dance & Cheer Winter Showcase
Spring Musical Auditions Announced!
Make We Joy
Blood Drive
Faculty, staff, students, and the public are invited to stop by Weller Center and donate blood.
Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. In fact, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
RSVP: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time
Veterans Day Ceremony
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the public are invited to join us as we observe Veterans Day, beginning with a flag raising, pledge of allegiance and national anthem at 9:30am and culminating at 12:30pm in a presentation on Women in the Military and in Combat by Kirsten Holmstedt, Thames instructor, journalist, writer, and advocate for female service members.
View the entire schedule of events and learn more about the speaker and her work at https://mitchell.edu/veterans-day.
Mitchell Volleyball Advances to Round 2
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Fourth-seeded Mitchell College came away with a 3-0 victory (25-13, 25-18, 25-19) over fifth-seeded Becker College in the first round of the 2019 New England Collegiate Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mitchell (14-11 overall) advances to the semifinals and will play at top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College on Friday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. Becker ends the season with an overall record of 10-16. Read more.
Speakers Series
Joining us at Mitchell College on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 from 7-8:30pm, Hallie Hovey-Murray will speak on the need to foster inclusion for Americans of all-abilities, why employment for individuals with different-abilities remains so low, why we need comprehensive education reform for students with different-abilities and what individuals can do to create a more inclusive culture on their campus and in their workplace. She will share her personal story and the work she has done as an advocate for all-ability inclusion.
This event is free and open to the public. The Red Barn at Mitchell College is located at 629-A Montauk Avenue, New London, CT 06320.
Learn more at mitchell.edu/speakers-series
Flock Theatre Production
Tickets online at flocktheatre.org
Tickets – $20
Students, Seniors, and Active Military – $15
Charles Traeger’s The Night the Cardiff Giant Sang Rossini on the Lawn will be presenting its world premiere at the Mitchell College Red Barn, opening February 7.
Set in 2006, The Night the Cardiff Giant Sang Rossini on the Lawn is an exploration of the concept of a hoax. The real Cardiff Giant was one of the most famous hoaxes in American history, a ten foot tall stone man conceptualized and commissioned by George Hull, a tobacconist from Binghamton, New York. Hull had the Giant buried and later hired men to dig a well and “discover” the giant, at which point Hull ran it as a sideshow and charged people to see a real, preserved giant as described in the Old Testament. Come and decide for yourself if a hoax can be real if you believe in it strongly enough.
Career/Recruitment Event
American Red Cross Blood Drive
There is a critical need for all blood types with a less than 3 day supply of types O- and O+. All donors who donate at this blood drive will be automatically entered to win a trip for 2 to the Super Bowl (American Red Cross Super Bowl Experience; learn more here).
To sign up to donate blood on January 17, contact Diane Miller at miller_d@mitchell.edu.
Gamechanger Athletics Initiative
Baseball Complex with new artificial turf baseball field/elevated press box/scoreboard/dugouts/fence & windscreens/bleachers/batting cage/bullpens
Multi-Sport Turf Field Complex supporting Soccer (M,W), Lacrosse (M,W) and Rugby (club) with new artificial turf multi-sport field/elevated press box/scoreboard/team shelter/bleachers
Softball Complex with new artificial turf softball field/elevated press box/scoreboard/dugouts/bleachers/batting cage/bullpen
Animal Farm presented by Mitchell College and Flock Theatre
January 17, 18, 19 | 7pm
January 24, 25, 26 | 7pm
All performances Fridays-Sundays at the Red Barn at Mitchell College (629-A Montauk Ave., New London, CT)
Tickets online at flocktheatre.org/animal-farm-2020
General: $15
Students, Seniors, and Active Military: $5
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Adapted by Nelson Bond
Co-Produced by Mitchell College and Flock Theatre
Directed by Noah Todd and Victor Chiburis
Performed by Mitchell College students and Flock Theatre actors
Masks by Heather Asch
Orwell’s famous allegorical novel transposed into script reflects the events that created the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, set against the backdrop of the Manor Farm, an aesthetic perfectly imagined within Mitchell College’s Red Barn venue.
Late Night Breakfast
Winter Ball
Spring Select Chorus Auditions Announced!
Erin Miller Named Softball Head Coach
posted November 11, 2019
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College has named Erin Miller as head coach of its softball program.
Miller, a native of Waterford, Conn., will make her head coaching debut with the Mariners. She previously spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant and pitching coach at Smith College, and prior to that she was a pitching coach for two seasons at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Read the full story here.
45 Seconds From Broadway
Fall Concert
Mitchell College Announces Eighth President
Accepted Students Presidents Reception Going Virtual!
Mitchell begins work on new outdoor athletic complex
Construction is underway on a new Mitchell College outdoor athletic complex, weeks earlier than expected due to the cancellation of the spring sports season and students leaving campus.
It’s a welcomed piece of good news for the college.
“It’s a glimmer of hope in a dark time,” baseball coach Travis Beausoleil said.
There’s been a buzz throughout the Mitchell community for months about the complex.
The state-of-the-art complex will replace the existing grass fields with artificial turf multi-sport, baseball and softball fields, each complete with a scoreboard, bleachers and elevated press box as well as dugouts for the latter two. The project cost is approximately $3.5 million.
About 37 percent of the student body participates in the school’s 12 NCAA Division III programs. The complex also will be utilized by intramural, club and recreational programs.
“We’re very, very excited about this ‘Game Changer,’ as we’ve identified it,” assistant athletic director Todd Peretz said. “It’s an exciting time. Something we’ve talked about for a long time and to get on par with some of the other institutions that we compete against. First and foremost, it will give our student-athletes the best experience.”
The plan to renovate the athletic fields has been years in the makings.
Beausoleil remembers discussions about it when he was hired as baseball coach roughly 10 years ago.
“At first, it wasn’t supposed to be turf,” Beausoleil said. “We were going to redo the field, move the softball field. Over 10 years here, we’ve had a ton of different plans. It was really (athletic director) Dana (Fulmer Garfield) when she was here pushing the envelope and Janet Steinmayer, the president, she was really gung-ho about it.
“It’s exciting that Janet was able to get it through. Mary-Jane (McLaughlin) and Catherine (Wright), the interim presidents, stayed on course with it. And it’s happening.”
The impact of the new athletic complex will be far-reaching.
It will aid in everything from recruiting to helping better weather the typical unpredictable New England spring season. It will also erase some competitive disadvantages that come with practicing on a grass field and then playing road games against opponents with turf.
Baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s soccer are the sports that will benefit the most.
“We could be in a very select company with teams that have a full turf baseball, full turf softball at the NCAA DIvision III level here in New England,” Peretz said. “It also will be a huge boost for soccer and lacrosse. They’ve played on grass fields here for a number of years. Now just about everybody else has turf, so sometimes they’re at somewhat of a disadvantage when they go on the road. It’s going to put them on par with everyone else.
“And from a recruiting standpoint, kids can make a really, really good educated decision, choose Mitchell College because it’s the right fit for them academically and athletically and socially, and not have to say that they don’t want to go to this school because they don’t have this facility. We’re on par with everyone else and now we’ll just let our individualized approach and our coaches be the ones that shine through and attract potential student athletes.”
The complex will especially benefit spring coaches because the turf fields will eliminate days practice needs to be moved indoors or to a parking lot because of unplayable conditions.
It also will mean having fewer games postponed. Mitchell baseball and softball teams usually have to scramble to complete all the games before the regular season ends.
“Spring time is always very, very difficult,” Peretz said. “It’s demanding on the coaches and student-athletes. It’s a big demand on the campus in general because our student-athletes comprise a large number percentage of our student population, So it impacts us across the board. Students would miss classes and stuff like that.
“We want to hold true to our Division III philosophy of the student-athlete. If we can alleviate crazy schedules which allows us to keep students in classes and engage in the college community a little bit more, then we’re definitely going to take advantage of that.”
Erin Miller, a first-year softball coach, grew up playing on grass fields in Waterford and at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s looking forward to all the benefits of a turf field.
“We’re going to have a lot of people that are going to want to play us,” Miller said. “A lot of people have dirt and I’ve always played on dirt. Just coaching in New England and knowing how many games we lose because the field is under water or rain or whatever it is, and knowing that we’ll be able to have a field where we can still go out and practice is going to be so great.
“We’ll definitely be able to get outside more. Even if it is a little cold, we at least know our field won’t be frozen. We’ll be able to take ground balls and fly balls or just throw. It’s going to be really nice.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of September, in time for at least some of the fall season.
“It’s going to be a game changer for us,” Beausoleil said. “I really think it’s going to be huge for us.”
Learn more at mitchell.edu/game-changer-athletics-initiative
Senior Spotlight: Jake April
Jake April’s hard work and determination has paid off. The soon to be Mitchell College graduate from Long Island, NY, will begin graduate studies in broadcast journalism at Hofstra University this fall. An aspiring sportscaster, Jake also hopes to be a public speaker one day, motivating others to find their passion and live their best life. When asked about what has encouraged him most during his time at Thames and Mitchell, Jake points to the people…
“The faculty and staff inspired me because, when I was feeling stressed, their words and confidence would remind me that with a little hard work and determination, I could do anything I put my mind to.”
⚓️ Read Jake’s story at mitchell.edu/stories-jake-april.
#congrats #mitchellcollege #marinerpride
Accepted Students Presidents Reception Going Virtual!
Softball Coach Erin Miller Featured in The Day
Fond memories of her first victory as a college head coach are still fresh in Erin Miller’s mind.
Almost a month ago, Miller stepped on the field with her Mitchell College softball team for the season opener against Cabrini University in Clermont, Fla.
A former standout at Waterford High School and Eastern Connecticut State University, Miller experienced a variety of emotions that day before, during and after the game.
“I was excited because I knew my team was excited about me being there, too, which made it even better,” Miller said. “I definitely think I had a little bit of nerves. But I trusted the work that we put in in the preseason. Not that I didn’t know what to expect, but it was the first time I had ever seen any of them play against someone other than us.
“Then they made me a little more nervous as the game went on and we were battling back.”
The Mariners took Miller on a thrill ride, rallying from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to post a dramatic 6-5 victory. She loved her team’s fighting spirit.
“They were funny afterward,” Miller said. “They were like, ‘I swear we won’t give you a heart attack every game.’ “
Miller would gladly coach a few more heart thumping games. After returning to New London from the spring trip, Mitchell’s season was put on the shelf after eight games due to the coronavirus pandemic. She’s staying connected with her team from afar.
Quite a time to be running your own program for the first time.
“When we came back from Florida, I was so ready to go, ready to start working on the things that we need to work on,” Miller said. “I was just so focused on what we had to do right in this moment to get ourselves better for the season. Then when we got the news they were sending everyone home, I was like, ‘Okay, now what?’
“I know that I’m supposed to be with my team. It just feels so weird to be home and not with them when I know that this is the heart of my season.”
For a large chunk of her life, the 26-year-old Miller has spent her spring on the softball diamond.
At Waterford High School, Miller helped the Lancers win two Class L titles. She was the 2014 Little East Conference pitcher of the year at Eastern and part of four conference regular season championship and two league tournament title teams.
After graduating from Eastern, Miller wasn’t ready to give up softball. She took a position as pitching coach on Donna Koczjawoski’s staff at Coast Guard.
“Just going to that first practice and being with a team again, I was like, ‘Wow. I don’t want to ever give this up.’ Probably my favorite part of coaching is the relationships I get to have with the team. I know how great those relationships are. I just want to give every team I’m with that same experience.”
Miller spent two seasons at Coast Guard before heading to Smith where she earned a Master’s degree in exercise and sports studies and served as a graduate assistant and pitching coach.
After leaving Smith, Miller applied for softball jobs as an assistant and pitching coach. She turned down a few offers because she wanted to stay in the area. Then the Mitchell job opened up last fall and she was hired in November.
Miller called it a perfect situation.
She’s thoroughly enjoying her new job. She’s attempting to build a successful program at Mitchell, which has been competitive in the New England Collegiate Conference but had four straight losing seasons overall.
She is tapping into her vast experience from previous stops as a coach and player. She’s using some things that she learned from her high school coach, Liz Sutman.
“She was huge on keeping us together as a team and doing fun activities that would break up practices a little bit…,” Miller said. “The little things that she did really made an impact on us. So I try to carry that with me. Every Friday we do a game or competition just to keep them engaged.”
Miller makes it a point to always show up at practice with a positive, upbeat attitude. She gives her players room to make mistakes and grow.
“Coming into practice, I love to show how excited I am to be there,” Miller said. “Because if they don’t see that from me, then they’re not going to be excited to be there. When I got into this job, they just wanted me to be passionate…
That’s exactly what I am.”
Mitchell Lacrosse Player Presented with Courage Award
March 10, 2020
Sophomore Mitchell lacrosse player Jacob Anderson was awarded the Hartford HealthCare Courage Award on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at the Weller Center at Mitchell College. The special award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated courage in the face of adversity.
Known as the “Ironman” on the lacrosse team, someone who, according to Rich Petillo, head coach of Mitchell men’s lacrosse, “works harder and harder and harder,” Jacob suffered a stroke at just 18 years old during the fall of his freshman year. He bounced back and finished the lacrosse season with 14 goals and 7 assists in just 12 games. In the first game of his sophomore season, he tore both his ACL and MCL and underwent surgery. He plans to come back stronger in 2021.
Hartford HealthCare Ambassador and former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo, who presented the award to Jacob, described Jacob’s setbacks as just a “blip in his career” and said he has “the perfect character to overcome” adversity.
Jacob recalled the day he suffered the stroke as “like any other day.” He had worked out in the weight room and had gone to class. His teammates noticed changes in his speech and went with him to the emergency room, where he was suspected of having a stroke, was airlifted to Yale New Haven Hospital and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.
He said that after his stroke he “gained strength from his immediate family and his lacrosse family” and went on to say that “without my lacrosse brothers I might not be here.”
He reminded the audience at the event to “keep moving forward. Adversity in life is what helps build character.”
Gamechanger Athletics Initiative
Baseball Complex with new artificial turf baseball field/elevated press box/scoreboard/dugouts/fence & windscreens/bleachers/batting cage/bullpens
Multi-Sport Turf Field Complex supporting Soccer (M,W), Lacrosse (M,W) and Rugby (club) with new artificial turf multi-sport field/elevated press box/scoreboard/team shelter/bleachers
Softball Complex with new artificial turf softball field/elevated press box/scoreboard/dugouts/bleachers/batting cage/bullpen
Mariner Merch
Archived News & Events
Speakers Series
Mitchell College is pleased to welcome bestselling and award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick to campus for a presentation and book signing as part of our Speakers Series on Tuesday, March 31 at 7pm in the Red Barn at Mitchell College.
Distinguished Works:
In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book was the basis of the 2015 movie of the same title directed by Ron Howard. Other distinguished works include Sea of Glory, Mayflower, The Last Stand, Bunker Hill, Valiant Ambition, and In the Hurricane’s Eye.
Bank Square Books will be at this event with a selection of Nathaniel Philbrick books available for purchase and signing.
This event is free and open to the public. The Red Barn at Mitchell College is located at 629-A Montauk Avenue, New London, CT 06320. Learn more at mitchell.edu/speakers-series
Co-sponsored by:
Spring Open House
Prospective Mitchell College and Thames at Mitchell College students and families are invited to join us on our beautiful waterfront campus where you will customize your day and have the option to explore:
- majors and our honors program
- how we integrate career into academics across all 4 years
- the innovative Mitchell Ability Model through which students learn the skills and abilities they need to be flexible, capable and adaptable…in college, career and life.
- Division III Athletics & intramurals and club sports
- Performing arts
- Campus life
- Living & Learning support programs: Thames, Mystic and the Bentsen Learning Center
You’ll also meet faculty, staff and current students, take a campus tour, and be able to ask all of your questions about applying to Mitchell or Thames!
Register here.
Poetry Slam! A Night of Spoken Word
Speakers Series
Joining us at Mitchell College on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 from 7-8pm, Hallie Hovey-Murray will speak on the need to foster inclusion for Americans of all-abilities, why employment for individuals with different-abilities remains so low, why we need comprehensive education reform for students with different-abilities and what individuals can do to create a more inclusive culture on their campus and in their workplace. She will share her personal story and the work she has done as an advocate for all-ability inclusion.
This event is free and open to the public. The Red Barn at Mitchell College is located at 629-A Montauk Avenue, New London, CT 06320.
Learn more at mitchell.edu/speakers-series
Diversity & Inclusion Day
The Mitchell College Department of Education Presents the
19th Annual Cat in the Hat Ball
Saturday, February 29 | 10am-2pm at the Clarke and Weller Centers
Join us for the Cat in the Hat Ball – a family celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, on Saturday, February 29, 2020! This event is open to the public and free with a donation of one new children’s book or $5 per family. All books from the event will be donated to local schools and early childcare centers. You and your family will enjoy children’s games, crafts, music, and story times. Music will be provided by Radio Mitchell, and the Community Dance Ensemble performs at 11am and 12:30pm. Local authors join in the fun, sharing their books with young readers. A special highlight of the day will be a reading and book signing with local author Tish Rabe, the best-selling author of “The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library,” a series of rhyming science books for early readers.
For more information, please contact the Mitchell College Education Department at catinthehatball@mitchell.edu. Mitchell College is located at 437 Pequot Avenue in New London, Connecticut.
Flock Theatre Production
Tickets online at flocktheatre.org
Tickets – $20
Students, Seniors, and Active Military – $15
Charles Traeger’s The Night the Cardiff Giant Sang Rossini on the Lawn will be presenting its world premiere at the Mitchell College Red Barn, opening February 7.
Set in 2006, The Night the Cardiff Giant Sang Rossini on the Lawn is an exploration of the concept of a hoax. The real Cardiff Giant was one of the most famous hoaxes in American history, a ten foot tall stone man conceptualized and commissioned by George Hull, a tobacconist from Binghamton, New York. Hull had the Giant buried and later hired men to dig a well and “discover” the giant, at which point Hull ran it as a sideshow and charged people to see a real, preserved giant as described in the Old Testament. Come and decide for yourself if a hoax can be real if you believe in it strongly enough.
Open Intramural Nights
Career/Recruitment Event
Spring Involvement Fair
Animal Farm presented by Mitchell College and Flock Theatre
January 17, 18, 19 | 7pm
January 24, 25, 26 | 7pm
All performances Fridays-Sundays at the Red Barn at Mitchell College (629-A Montauk Ave., New London, CT)
Tickets online at flocktheatre.org/animal-farm-2020
General: $15
Students, Seniors, and Active Military: $5
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Adapted by Nelson Bond
Co-Produced by Mitchell College and Flock Theatre
Directed by Noah Todd and Victor Chiburis
Performed by Mitchell College students and Flock Theatre actors
Masks by Heather Asch
Orwell’s famous allegorical novel transposed into script reflects the events that created the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, set against the backdrop of the Manor Farm, an aesthetic perfectly imagined within Mitchell College’s Red Barn venue.
American Red Cross Blood Drive
There is a critical need for all blood types with a less than 3 day supply of types O- and O+. All donors who donate at this blood drive will be automatically entered to win a trip for 2 to the Super Bowl (American Red Cross Super Bowl Experience; learn more here).
To sign up to donate blood on January 17, contact Diane Miller at miller_d@mitchell.edu.
Boston Celtics Game
Spring Select Chorus Auditions Announced!
Dance & Cheer Winter Showcase
Winter Ball
January MiniMester Courses & Internships
- Citizen Scientist
- Intro to Astronomy
- Film Genre: Comedy
- Sp Topic: Theatrical Production – Orwell’s Animal Farm
Late Night Breakfast
Mariner Merch
Make We Joy
Erin Miller Named Softball Head Coach
posted November 11, 2019
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College has named Erin Miller as head coach of its softball program.
Miller, a native of Waterford, Conn., will make her head coaching debut with the Mariners. She previously spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant and pitching coach at Smith College, and prior to that she was a pitching coach for two seasons at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Read the full story here.
Blood Drive
Faculty, staff, students, and the public are invited to stop by Weller Center and donate blood.
Veterans Day Ceremony
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the public are invited to join us as we observe Veterans Day, beginning with a flag raising, pledge of allegiance and national anthem at 9:30am and culminating at 12:30pm in a presentation on Women in the Military and in Combat by Kirsten Holmstedt, Thames instructor, journalist, writer, and advocate for female service members.
View the entire schedule of events and learn more about the speaker and her work at https://mitchell.edu/veterans-day.
Mitchell Volleyball Advances to Round 2
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Fourth-seeded Mitchell College came away with a 3-0 victory (25-13, 25-18, 25-19) over fifth-seeded Becker College in the first round of the 2019 New England Collegiate Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mitchell (14-11 overall) advances to the semifinals and will play at top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College on Friday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. Becker ends the season with an overall record of 10-16. Read more.
Mariner Merch