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Community Invited to Join Walk for Suicide Prevention

Mar 22, 2023 | News

The Mitchell College Mental Health Club is hosting its second annual Out of the Darkness Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on Saturday, April 1, 2023, and invites the community to participate.

Sponsored by the AFSP, the Mitchell College Out of the Darkness Campus Walk 2023 will begin at the Mitchell College Green. Registration starts at 11:30am; the walk begins at 1pm.

Register ahead of time online or on the day of the walk and join an existing team, create your own team or register as an individual. Participation is free, but it is a fundraiser, and the day’s overall goal is $5,000. If you create your own team, you can set your own unique fundraising goal. The funds raised help to support the AFSP.

All are welcome to join us on our campus as we remember loved ones lost to suicide and support suicide prevention. Together we can change the conversation and end the stigma behind suicide and mental health.

“In our Community, Campus and Overnight Walks, those affected by suicide – and those who support them – raise awareness and much-needed funds, strongly sending the message that suicide can be preventable, and that no one is alone.” (afsp.org)

For questions, please contact:
Kayla Vargas-Estevez, Walk Coordinator
Kayla.vargasestevez@my.mitchell.edu

Antaya Lee, Director of Student Engagement and Orientation
Lee_A@mitchell.edu

For more information and to register online, click here.

Building Local Partnerships to Benefit Students, Employers

Mar 14, 2023 | News

Mitchell College recently hosted a Community Partner Breakfast that included representatives from 28 organizations in Southeastern Connecticut who joined Mitchell staff and faculty to explore partnerships to provide student learning opportunities and meet employer needs. The organizations represented both current and potential partners in behavioral health, culture and tourism, disability services, education, healthcare, immigration support services, mental health services, and suicide prevention and awareness.

In addition to looking at the value of long- and short-term partnerships as pathways for students to be service learners, interns and potential employees, participants discussed how Mitchell College could provide other resources to help their organizations advance their own missions and also assist in solving local community challenges.

Mitchell College strives to continue to form and strengthen a symbiotic relationship with community partners that can offer students work experience, industry insights, skills development, mentorships and professional contacts, while giving community organizations access to a talent pipeline. Benefiting the local and regional community, these relationships can also lead to higher rates of civic engagement, increased awareness of relevant issues, a healthier community, enhanced reputation and culture and problem solving.

Participating organizations (alpha order):

  • Brian’s Healing Hearts Center for Hope and Healing
  • Caramia Wellness
  • Child & Family Agency
  • Fellowship House
  • Girls on the Run
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • High Hope Therapeutic Riding
  • Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern CT
  • Homeless Hospitality Center
  • Immigration Advocacy Support Center
  • Lawrence & Memorial Hospital
  • Mystic Seaport
  • New England Science & Sailing Foundation
  • New London County Historical Society
  • New London Public Schools
  • Project LEARN
  • Reliance Health
  • Riverfront Children’s Center
  • Safe Futures
  • SARAH, Inc.
  • Salvation Army
  • Sound Community Services
  • The Arc Eastern Connecticut
  • The Light House
  • United Community & Family Services
  • United Way of Southeastern CT
  • Waterford Country School
  • Waterford Public Schools
Mitchell Community Partner Brunch
Mitchell Community Partner Brunch President Espy at podium
Mitchell Community Partner Brunch

Mitchell College Undergoes Evaluation for Re-Accreditation

Mar 1, 2023 | News

Mitchell College is currently engaged in a re-accreditation process with the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), with whom the College has been accredited since 1956. The College was last reviewed in 2013.

NECHE is one of seven accrediting commissions in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, NECHE accredits approximately 220 institutions in the six-state New England region as well as several American-style institutions overseas.

Mitchell College recently completed an 18-month self-study, “Building Forward for a Kaleidoscope of Learners,” focused on NECHE’s Standards for Accreditation. Faculty and staff from across the College comprised nine Standard Work Groups (SWGs) that were formed across functional areas to emphasize collaboration, maximize access to campus knowledge and optimize effectiveness.

“Mitchell College’s self-study process has been an opportunity for institutional self-reflection with community engagement, communication and transparency,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Elizabeth A. Beaulieu, Ph.D.

The SWGs compiled materials and led institution-wide engagement around Mitchell College’s accomplishments and goals aligning with NECHE’s Standards:
• Mission and Purposes
• Planning and Evaluation
• Organization and Governance
• The Academic Program
• Students
• Teaching, Learning and Scholarship
• Institutional Resources
• Educational Effectiveness
• Integrity, Transparency and Public Disclosure

As part of the re-accreditation process, an evaluation team will visit Mitchell College April 16-19, 2023 to confirm the accuracy of the self-study. Following their visit, the team will make a recommendation for continuing NECHE accreditation status for the College.

Also part of the process, the public is invited to submit comments to NECHE about the College, addressing substantive matters related to its quality. Submit comments to:

Public Comment on Mitchell College
New England Commission of Higher Education
301 Edgewater Place, Suite 210
Wakefield, MA 01880
E-mail: info@neche.org

Comments must be received by April 15, 2023.

Academic Honors Recipients Announced for Fall 2022

Feb 28, 2023 | News

Congratulations to the following Mitchell College students named to the Fall 2022 Dean’s List (3.50+ GPA) or Commendable Scholar List (3.0-3.49 GPA).

 

Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible:

1. Must be a matriculated student.
2. Part-time students are eligible for commendable scholar status for every 12 calculable credits completed.
3. Must have a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49 for the given semester (Commendable Scholar) or 3.50 and 4.00 for the given semester (Dean’s List).
4. May not have any Incomplete, Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Withdrawal or Failing grades for the given semester.

Dean’s List

Jocelynn Allen | Clinton, CT

Josefina Alvarez | New London, CT

Nicholas Anderson | Madison, CT

David Arbuckle | Gales Ferry, CT

Isabella Avalos | Chino, CA

Sarah Aviles | Griswold, CT

Catherine Ayer | Weston, MA

Cristian Barrales | Bridgeport, CT

Samuel Bellos | Waterford, CT

Jenna Bennett | Shelton, CT

Claire Binfield | Las Vegas, NV

Jenna Blankenship | Virden, IL

Sabrina Bloise | New London, CT

Allison Blum | Garden Grove, CA

Ahmani Browne | Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

Edwin Burnam | New York, NY

Catherine Burnett | Fort Lee, NJ

Erika Byrnes | Wilmington, MA

Aaron Calouro | Westerly, RI

Ryan Camp | Cheshire, CT

Alexander Caramagno | Westfield, NJ

Victoria Carolan | Bernardsville, NJ

Shey Carrion | New London, CT

Andrew Champagne | Pawcatuck, CT

Nolan Clack | Hanson, MA

Jessica Cochran | Waterford, CT

Mya Colon | West Hartford, CT

Kevin Connelly | Scarsdale, NY

Ryan Cooper | Stratford, CT

Tyler Daly | Clinton, CT

Anna Damsky | Lexington, MA

Olivia DeCicco | Haverhill, MA

Robert DelaCruz | Uncasville, CT

Elias Deleon | Cromwell, CT

Olivia DeLoach | Spring Hill, FL

Joseph DeLoria | Ringoes, NJ

Katherine Donahue | Portland, CT

William Dreier | Barrington, RI

Noah Ellis | Londonderry, NH

Sa’Mya Epps | Poughkeepsie, NY

Jacob Faigel | Natick, MA

Matthew Fingal | Port Saint Lucie, FL

Gabriel Fish | Needham Heights, MA

Morgan Frost | Brunswick, ME

Tatyana Gales | Upper Marlboro, MD

Archie Gardner | North Charleston, SC

Jeremy Gibbs | Quaker Hill, CT

Jack Green | Niantic, CT

Sarah Grim | Reisterstown, MD

Nicholas Gyra | Wenham, MA

Abdullah Hadhood | New London, CT

Xavier Haney | Oakdale, CT

John Hayes | New Milford, CT

Robyn Higley | New London, CT

Hailey Hill | Jewett City, CT

Melanie Hintz | Bristol, CT

Daniella Holland | Pearl River, NY

Alyssa Hovey | Tolland, CT

Samuel Jackson | Port Saint Lucie, FL

Noah James | New London, CT

Sevda Kalican | Quaker Hill, CT

Ryan King | Norwich, CT

Sean Kresge | Waterford, CT

Jessica Krupnikoff | Unionville, CT

Grace Kyle | Chevy Chase, MD

Benjamin La Sala | Barrington, RI

Matthew Ladd | Griswold, CT

Angel Ladford | Baltic, CT

Anna Lambert | Lititz, PA

Gemma Landry | Lewiston, ME

Sarah Latch | Hampstead, NH

Justin-Corey Le | Norwich, CT

Julia Lent | Miller Place, NY

Thea Lewis | Hamden, CT

Alessio Liberti | Glen Rock, NJ

Katelyn Lipsky | Plantsville, CT

Allison Loverin | Groton, MA

Kyrsten Lucas | Manchester, MD

Alexis Mangual | Waterford, CT

Michael Marchetti | Waterbury, CT

Anthony Marini | Port Chester, NY

Bridget McHale | Natick, MA

Samantha McKenna | Millbrook, NY

Kayla McKinney | Groton, CT

Ivania Morales | Uncasville, CT

Sarah Morales | Ledyard, CT

Abigail Morris | Groton, CT

Alexander Moubayed | Swansea, MA

Kira Nowell | El Paso, TX

Hannah O’Brien | Riverside, RI

Timothy O’Hayre | Hull, MA

Kilian Okech | Derby, CT

Aliannys Ortiz | Groton, CT

Diamara Pagan | Norwich, CT

Sarah Parker | North Stonington, CT

Jonathan Parra-Tobey | New London, CT

Constantine Pavlou | Closter, NJ

Jennifer Peck | Glastonbury, CT

Hannah Penn | New Fairfield, CT

Robert Perry | Carver, MA

Austin Polak | Ambler, PA

Carly Potts | New London, CT

Thomas Progano | East Hampton, CT

Elisabeth Reid | Bedford, NY

Emily Reynolds | Somers, CT

Collin Rider | Norwich, CT

Cassandra Roman | New London, CT

Breana Rudolph | Glendale, AZ

Aicha Santos | New London, CT

Yasmine Santos | Pawtucket, RI

Tessa Seesock | Jacksonville, FL

Ashley Septelka | Niantic, CT

Thai-ler Sestokas | Danbury, CT

Arrianna Stark | Schenectady, NY

Anazya Taylor | East Lyme, CT

Micheal Thompson | Rio Rancho, NM

Brittney Tougas | Cranston, RI

Mariah Travisano | Putnam, CT

Joshua Tucker | Warwick, RI

Nathanael Votta | Avon, CT

Alexander Walker | New Canaan, CT

Kaylin White | Silver Spring, MD

Rylee Grace Wood | Lloydminster, Canada

Lola Worsdale | Stonington, CT

Jacob Yale | Cheshire, CT

Jacob Yoensky | Groton, CT

Commendable Scholars

Frank Aguanno | Syosset, NY

Julia Alves | Portsmouth, RI

Jakobe Anderson | Franklin Park, NJ

Kyle Anderson | Cromwell, CT

Noslin Antunez | Westbrook, CT

Avery Appiah | Old Saybrook, CT

Amanda Arnold | Groton, CT

Sophie Arseneau | Kankakee, IL

Amal Bahili-Elidrissi | Meriden, CT

Joshua Bar-Nadav | Narberth, PA

Anthony Bautista | Coram, NY

Isaiah Benson | New London, CT

Rajiah Betts-Smith | Windsor, CT

Taylor Bialowas | Jewett City, CT

Joseph Bielinski | Doylestown, PA

Nicholas Bracale | East Haven, CT

Christopher Bradley | Babylon, NY

Paige Broadbent | Binghamton, NY

Philip Burns | West Dennis, MA

Joseph Bynum | Groton, CT

Jade Cain | Danbury, CT

Robert Campbell | Glastonbury, CT

Jadon Canelli | Northford, CT

Marisa D’Agostino | Niantic, CT

Lyliana Daly | Teaneck, NJ

Giuseppe Del Prete | Bronxville, NY

Byron Dunn | Westerly, RI

Nathan Elder | Littleton, CO

Louis Fazio | White Plains, NY

Alicia Fitzgerald | Farmington, CT

Isabel Foley | Framingham, MA

Aidan Fontaine | Mystic, CT

Nicholas Forst | Ellington, CT

Grant Frieser | New London, CT

Angel Galindez | Hamden, CT

Anne Gallagher | Henrico, VA

Crystal Gangi | New Fairfield, CT

Camelia Garcia-Torres | New London, CT

Kenyada Gedeon | Irvington, NJ

Nia Gethers | Norwich, CT

Nicholas Ghirardi | Salem, CT

Aizhane Glenn | New Haven, CT

Keeano Gonzalez | New London, CT

Michael Grey | East Islip, NY

Alexys Hanes | Old Lyme, CT

Elizabeth Hennessy | Norwood, NJ

Valois Hernandez | Norwich, CT

Aidan Jacobson | Branford, CT

Mamadou Kaba | New London, CT

Edward Kaftan | Old Lyme, CT

Liam Kane | Waterford, CT

Anna Kochansky | Bronxville, NY

Emma LaBreck | Rollinsford, NH

Jason Landis | Summit, NJ

Brandon Lee | Stockton, CA

Benjamin Logel | Pawcatuck, CT

Armando Lopez | Maplewood, NJ

Edward Lugo | New London, CT

Logan Maneri | Canterbury, CT

Chelsea Marcano | Bronx, NY

Mckenzie Marshall | Wallingford, CT

Ana Matos Diaz | New London, CT

Antonio Mattucci | Huntington, NY

Daniel Melchreit | Old Lyme, CT

Tevin Merrill | New London, CT

Sara Milkowski | Manasquan, NJ

Keyara Miller | Panama City, FL

Isabel Montenegro | Alexandria, VA

Chloe Morrissey | Hingham, MA

Owen Murphy | Milton, MA

Alexander Nardone | Wellesley Hills, MA

James Nascimento | West Hartford, CT

William O’Toole | East Greenwich, RI

Dontae Pollard | Fort Walton Beach, FL

Maxwell Pomponi | Norwalk, CT

Emily Pratts | New London, CT

Duncan Quinn | Middletown, RI

Julianna Repaci | New Britain, CT

Rachel Ricciuti | East Northport, NY

Liam Robb | Westfield, NJ

Owen Robbins | Salem, CT

Charlotte Rowley | Bedford, NY

Emily Sargent | Westerly, RI

Andee Schaffran | Olympia, WA

Dominique Seignious | Norwich, CT

Kenny Sheehan-Heon | Uncasville, CT

Thomas Simmons | Holtsville, NY

Marcel Smith | New Britain, CT

Chadler Solomon | Los Angeles, CA

Izabela Souza | Medford, MA

Deasia Stevenson | Hartford, CT

Nicholas Strojny | Woonsocket, RI

Luke Sullivan | Shelton, CT

Bishop Taylor | Crestview, FL

Brooke Taylor | Uncasville, CT

Casey Tichy | Easton, CT

Jack Varley | Colonia, NJ

Camren Varney | Manchester, NH

Christian Villacci | Nesconset, NY

Joseph Volkerts | New London, CT

Alexia Watson | Stamford, CT

Brooke Whitmarsh | Portsmouth, RI

Tyelisa Wilson | Ledyard, CT

Bo Yaworski | Brooklyn, CT

Grace Yeung | Belle Mead, NJ

Encouraging Students to Discover Their Purpose

Feb 3, 2023 | Stories

Whether Kevin L. Booker Jr. is teaching first-year seminar, public speaking or yoga, he sees his role in the classroom as one to encourage and help his students see their full potential.

“My love of teaching translates across multiple disciplines,” he says, “and I use a variety of methods and strategies to help my students understand their purpose, vision and where they are going in life. These lessons are critical for students to tap into their greatness, build up their confidence and realize that they can take on anything they wish to accomplish. Along the way, students also learn how to support one another and build each other up, which is a critical skill that benefits our students in any sector or life path they pursue.”

Currently a visiting instructor, Booker is working on his doctorate in educational leadership with a focus on higher education. He says what he loves about Mitchell is the wide range of students who attend the college.

“As President Espy says, ‘We serve a kaleidoscope of learners.’ Our students come to the college with a wide variety of backgrounds. Mitchell’s faculty and staff are caring, compassionate and supportive in meeting each of our student’s needs to ensure they are successful. As a professor, I learn from my students because they bring different skills and expertise into the classroom. The small size of the college allows faculty to interact and build a stronger connection with our students.”

He credits the connections that he formed with his own teachers for inspiring him to teach.

“Throughout my entire educational career, from elementary through my doctorate program, I have had many teachers, professors and peers who have encouraged me to do my best. They have invested in me, were committed to seeing me develop and led by example. The teachers I looked up to the most had incredibly high standards, were deeply compassionate for their students and went above and beyond the classroom. Seeing strong educators that looked like me allowed me to envision myself as an educator and be a leader in the classroom and community as they were.”

Booker’s community leadership includes serving on the board of directors of both the Anti-Defamation League in Connecticut and the ISAAC (Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication) Charter School in New London. He also serves on the Hartford Job Corps Academy outreach board and the School and State Finance Advisory Council. He is a former city councilor for the City of New London and currently serves as commissioner of the New London Parking Authority.

“I will always be a teacher because I truly love to teach,” he says. “You can change a person’s life with education. I know this because it changed mine.”