May 2006

ALUMNI NEWS >

Come Back for Reunion Weekend 2006
The National Alumni Association invites you to renew your connection with your classmates and the Mount by attending Reunion Weekend, June 2-4, 2006. Whether it is your 50th reunion or your first, please join us at the Mount to rekindle old friendships, and return to the place that you once called home.

Click here for more information.

Save The Date!
READING CHAPTER - Alumni Night at the Reading Phillies, June 23
Join the Reading Chapter for a night of baseball and fun! Picnic begins at 6 p.m. Game time 7:05 p.m.  Ticket price includes game ticket and picnic dinner. Children 4 and under are free! For more information, contact Scott Hoover, Reading Chapter President at 610-777-5232 or shoover@americanportfolios.com

Click here to download a registration form.

ANNUAL BULLPEN PARTY - Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals, June 25. Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland. Picnic begins at Noon. Game time 1:30 p.m. The battle of the Beltway! A great Father's Day gift.  Ticket price includes game ticket and picnic lunch. For more information contact the alumni office at 301-447-5362 or alumni@msmary.edu.

Click here to download a registration form.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS >

John T. Butler Appointed Vice President
for Advancement
Mount St. Mary's University has appointed John T. Butler as Vice President for Advancement, effective July 1, 2006. Mr. Butler is currently President of Archbishop Carroll High School in northeast Washington, D.C., a position he has held since 1995.

Click here for more information.

David B. Rehm Named Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
Mount St. Mary's University has appointed David B. Rehm, Ph.D, as interim vice president for academic affairs. He replaces Christopher R.L. Blake, Ph.D., recently named president of Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Dr. Rehm came to the Mount as a professor of philosophy in 1995, and has also served as director of the Mount's acclaimed Freshman Seminar program, academic dean, and associate provost.

Click here for more information.

Cracking the Code
The upcoming release of the movie version of Dan Brown's wildly popular novel, The Da Vinci Code, is attracting wide notice, and religious leaders and scholars have a variety of views. The movie's release, coming on the heels of April's publication of "The Gospel of Judas," have people once again looking at the dawn of Christianity. Sister Mary Kate Birge, assistant professor of theology at the Mount and an expert on the Bible and early Christianity, was part of a recent Frederick News Post article discussing how the movie and book are tearing at the fabric of Christianity.

Click here to read the article and view a video of Sr. Birge's interview.

Speaking for the Administration
Some pundits are calling the selection of Tony Snow, George W. Bush's new White House Press Secretary, as smart public relations. Michael J. Towle, chairman of the Mount's political science department, joined a May 8 roundtable discussion, broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio, to discuss the difficult job of representing the president.

Click here to listen to a rebroadcast of the interview.

SEMINARY NEWS >

Seminary Celebrates End of Year Ceremonies
Seminarians, faculty and staff gathered May 5 for the celebration of Solemn Vespers and the conferral of degrees on those completing their seminary formation. Twenty-three deacons received Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degrees, with several also receiving Master's of Arts degrees. Earlier, the Seminary welcomed 30 men into the ministry of Lector, and 29 men into the ministry of Acolyte.

Click here for more information.

ATHLETICS >

Mount Earns NCAA Certification
Mount St. Mary's University was one of several NCAA Division I member institutions to be certified (with conditions) by the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, the NCAA announced on May 1. The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993.

Click here for more information.

Nina Victorin Named Outstanding Performer at NEC Track Championships 
Mount St. Mary's junior Nina Victorin was named the 2006 Most Outstanding Field Performer at the Northeast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted at the Morgan Track on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University. Victorin won both the shot put and the discus to lead the Mount.

Click here for more information.

Coach James Deegan Retires After 50 Years at the Mount
In the summer of 1956, James Deegan was hired at the Mount to coach cross country, soccer and track and field. The rest, as they say is history. Coach Deegan retired this spring after 50 years at the helm and was feted at a May 6 campus celebration. He was also featured in a May 5 Baltimore Sun feature story.

Click here to view the Baltimore Sun article.

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DEVELOPMENT >

Doing Our Part for the Mount!
The generosity of alumni, parents and friends is crucial in assisting with the immediate needs of the Mount. Your annual fund gift makes a real difference to all who learn and teach here. Dollars raised through the Annual Fund give the Mount the flexibility to respond to challenges and meet its greatest needs. One student educated in the Mount tradition can positively affect the lives of thousands.

Here's what a few graduating seniors have to say about their Mount education.

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GROTTO NEWS >

Refresh your spirit with a Grotto retreat
The Mount's National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes will be offering the following retreats and spiritual conferences this summer:

June 3 - (6 p.m.)
Mass and Spiritual Conference - Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, "The Cause of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen"

June 23-25
Laity Retreat at Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Silent Retreat - "On Loving Detachment: God Heals our Minds and Memories," directed by Fr. Jack Lombardi, Grotto Chaplain

July 7 - (7 p.m.)
Mass and Spiritual Conference - Fr. Benedict Groeschel
"Living Spiritually in the Modern World"

For information and to register, please call the grotto office at 301-447-5318 or email grotto@msmary.edu.

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Around the Mount is the monthly electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of Mount St. Mary's University. We need your feedback! Let us know what you think of this newsletter and/or suggestions for improving it. Please send your comments and suggestions to the office of communications via email at communications@msmary.edu or by telephone at 301-447-5366.