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Mitchell Welcomes New Trustees

Sep 14, 2022 | News

The Mitchell College Board of Trustees is proud to announce six new members who have been welcomed over the last year. New trustees include Andrew Koha, assistant vice president of government relations at Principle LTC; Cornell Yarbrough, DJ and founder of Whutever it takes DJ Academy, and Mitchell College alumnus; Kerin Da Cruz, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for L+M Healthcare/Yale New Haven Health; Norman Solomon, J.D., entrepreneur; Jason Guyot, president and CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mitchell College alumnus; and Michael J. O’Connor, site vice president of Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station.

Board of Trustees Chair Richard D’Avino said, “Together with my fellow trustees, I am thrilled to welcome these six new colleagues to the Mitchell College Board of Trustees. They perfectly represent the breadth and diversity of the vibrant Mitchell College community, including senior executives of three of Connecticut’s largest and most successful employers, a Mitchell College parent, experts in healthcare and distinguished Mitchell alumni. I know that the entire community joins me in thanking each of them for their dedication and service to Mitchell College.

The new trustees join the board at a time of growth and transformation at Mitchell College, as the college embarks on its new strategic plan, strengthens outreach in the community, builds new partnerships, and develops new programming aligned with workforce, community and student needs.”

Initiatives currently in development or underway include the Digital Innovation Hub for Educational Excellence, which will drive industry-demand curricular offerings in STEM and behavioral health; a partnership with University of Saint Joseph to offer its Master of Social Work program on the Mitchell campus; and a dual-enrollment partnership with New London Public Schools, providing opportunities for New London High School students to gain both college credit and experience through on-campus Mitchell College coursework.

The addition of the expertise and talent of these six newest trustees to an already extraordinary Board of Trustees comes at an exciting time for Mitchell College.

Mitchell Joins Great Northeast Athletic Conference

Sep 13, 2022 | News

Starting in the 2023-2024 academic year, Mitchell College will be a core member — one of 16 schools — of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The move comes after Mitchell’s current conference, the New England Collegiate Conference, will cease to be an NCAA Division III Athletic Conference, as of Fall 2023.

The larger conference provides Mitchell’s 12 varsity sports – baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and women’s volleyball – the opportunity for all programs to compete in the NCAA tournament should they win the conference tournament.

Dr. Tracy Y. Espy, Mitchell College president, said, “Mitchell College is honored to have been invited to join the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Being part of the GNAC is a huge win for our coaches, students and the institution as a whole. We look forward to being in great company with the other GNAC institutions of excellence.”

New England College is also joining the GNAC next fall. Other member institutions include Albertus Magnus College, Anna Maria College, Colby-Sawyer College, Dean College, Elms College, Emmanuel College, Johnson & Wales University, Lasell University, Norwich University, Regis College, Rivier University, University of Saint Joseph, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Simmons University.

“The addition of Mitchell and New England College will provide continued stability to our current 22 championship offerings, and possibly allow for more GNAC championship opportunities in the future,” said Joe Walsh, commissioner of the GNAC. “The geographical location of the two schools also allows our administrators to discuss further divisional play options, while it also helps reduce student-athlete missed class time academically.”

Matt Finlayson, Mitchell College director of athletics, said, “The GNAC is a wonderful fit for us that will have a positive impact for all of our student-athletes and programs. Becoming a member of the GNAC provides us with an opportunity to continue to grow and enhance athletics. It’s regionally located and is comprised of members that we can compete with while sharing similar institutional values. We are excited and looking forward to the future in the GNAC.”

Play ball! Radio internship hits home run

Aug 30, 2022 | Stories

Dean Pavlou dreamed of being a Major League Baseball player when he was young. If that didn’t work out, he had a backup plan.

“I used to put the TV on mute and announce the game,” he said. “Announcing has always been fun for me, and I have always had a knack for announcing and following the game. I love listening to and learning from what the announcers would say about a play. Gary Cohen from the New York Mets and Mike Breen from ESPN are announcers I try to emulate.”

Already the game announcer for Mitchell College baseball and basketball and the president of Radio Mitchell, the senior communication major honed his skills at his summer internship with WABC Radio in New York City. Paul Dunn, Mitchell’s integrative career development coordinator, helped Dean imagine what the internship would entail.

“I interned as a radio journalist, writing sports articles and live-tweeting baseball games,” Dean said.

As part of the internship, Dean attended meetings with three to four other people from the sports department to talk about what content would be released through various channels.

“The stories that I wrote went on the Intern’s Corner of the WABC website. Some were also posted on the regular sports page. I like writing sports articles a lot and have really improved my writing. Working in the sports department with other people who are interested in the same things I’m interested in was great, too. I had a lot of fun with it.”

In addition to writing, Dean practiced his broadcasting skills.

“My favorite part of the internship was doing the demos and recording myself speaking. I liked putting them together and writing the headlines. I follow a lot of sports teams, so I stayed up to date with what’s going on. It was easy for me to find information on the internet and say, ‘OK, there it is,’ and then say it in the demo.”

Dean also followed the games and social media of Major League Baseball teams.

“I tweeted baseball games, which means if there was a really good play that a player made, I tweeted it out. I also tweeted out what the teams’ social media teams put out. I went on the Mets page or the Red Sox page, found content and put it on the WABC page. I looked for whatever captured the eye.”

Dean said that communication in the job was key, and he also thought critically about his work.

“You had to figure out if something was appropriate to write about. I learned a lot about that and picked it up really quickly.”

While Dean has the information and knowledge for sports writing, he said sometimes he was challenged to find the right word or correct style when writing an article or doing other work.

“It’s the little things that got me,” he said, “like when I made a demo, I said ‘ah’ too many times.”

But he is right where he wants to be.

“My internship went well. I’ve overcome a lot, thanks to support from Mitchell and the Bentsen Learning Center. I have a learning disability and am grateful to be where I am, having worked at WABC, about to graduate college. My dream hasn’t changed at all, and I’m excited for my next chapter.”

Mitchell Welcomes Director of Advancement

Aug 23, 2022 | News

Mitchell College recently welcomed Kim Hodges ‘03 as director of advancement. In her role, she will work to grow the Annual Fund, nurture and build community relationships, create and work with the Parent and Family Leadership Advisory Council, cultivate and grow Mitchell’s donor base, and coordinate and attend events related to development goals.

She returns to Mitchell, having worked at the institution from 1995–2012 in various positions, including director of parent programs, director of admissions and in alumni relations.

Hodges most recently served as director of admissions, communications and marketing for Saint Bernard School in Uncasville. Prior to that, she directed admissions research and planning at Johnson and Wales University.

Nancy Cowser, chief advancement and alumni affairs officer, said, “I am so thrilled to be welcoming Kim back to Mitchell College. She brings with her a wealth of experience and contacts and is an absolute joy to work with. She is truly going to help us continue the forward momentum that Mitchell is experiencing.”

Hodges said, “Mitchell is my alma mater, and I feel an affinity to the school for helping me accomplish my educational goals. I also know that everyone here plays a role in helping students learn, grow and discover their bright futures and their best selves. I know so many stories about the profound impact that Mitchell has had on students, and I look forward to continuing to build support to serve students in the best ways possible.”

A taste of hospitality work

Aug 18, 2022 | Stories

Senior Annie Gallagher said the three things that stand out to her about Mitchell College are its access to learning opportunities, its dedicated leadership and its strong student supports, such as the Bentsen Learning Center and the tutoring center.

Taken together, they helped her successfully pursue a summer internship at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Penn.

“Mitchell does a great job of leading their students to where they want to go in the future,” Annie said.

After submitting her application and participating in a video interview, Annie was accepted as a recreation intern at the resort hotel. The hospitality and tourism major put lessons learned in Resort Management and Introduction to Hospitality to work, as she gained real-world experience in the “chocolate capital of the world.”

“When I started my internship, I heard about how we had to deal with guest complaints. That got me really nervous because I didn’t think I would be able to handle all of that pressure. But as the days went on, it got easier,” Annie said.

She learned that there are ways to handle complaints, such as issuing discounts to appease unhappy guests. In her work with guests and fellow employees, she honed her skills in problem solving, communication and social interaction every day.

A typical day for Annie consisted of making rounds to check on and help with different activity sites on the campus of the historic hotel, including the Cocoa Clubhouse for kids, outdoor pool and sports complex.

“My favorite part of my internship was being able to interact with the guests and kids. Whenever I saw a kid having a good time, it made me so happy. I realized that I love being surrounded by kids, so, when thinking about what I want to do in the hospitality industry after graduation, recreation is definitely an option for me.”

In addition to immersing herself in this five-day-a-week learning opportunity, another benefit of working at The Hershey Hotel were the fun perks, including discounts at Hershey stores and restaurants and free admission to Hersheypark – all in all, a sweet way to spend the summer in “The Sweetest Place on Earth.”