College Happenings

Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences

‘Gemini’ Performances

The visual and performing arts department’s final theatrical production of the 2008–2009 season is “Gemini,” a comedy by Albert Innaurato. Stephen Hollis, theater and director, theater arts (Flor), is directing the play.

“Gemini” ran on Broadway for more than four years and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New American Play in 1977. It is set in the backyard of two adjoining houses in South Philadelphia — one occupied by Fran Geminiani, a blue collar laborer and his college student son, Francis, and the other by a boisterous, earthy neighbor and her asthmatic teenage son. The unexpected arrival of Francis’ friends who come to celebrate his birthday creates a series of lively, hysterical and touching moments when passions, desires and secret longings are unleashed.

Remaining performances are Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 3, at 2:30 p.m. in Dreyfuss Theater, Dreyfuss Building, College at Florham. A special matinee for high school students will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 1. Up to 30 tickets per high school are available.

Ticket prices are $5 for students and the FDU community and $10 for all others. Tickets can be booked in advance by calling 973-443-8644 (ext. 4) or purchased at the door. For further information contact Hollis at 973-443-8467 or hollis@fdu.edu.

WAMFEST Concludes with Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash will appear at the College at Florham’s Lenfell Hall, Hennessy Hall, to present “Fact Versus Fiction, Memoir and Song: A Conversation and Performance” on Wednesday, May 6, from 4–6 p.m. Wesley Stace (stage name John Wesley Harding), songwriter, performer, novelist and WAMFEST artist-in-residence (Flor), will moderate.

Cash, a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and author, will read from her memoir, which she in the process of writing. Her 14 albums, released over the last 25 years, have charted 11 number-one singles and earned her numerous accolades for both songwriting and performance. Cash also is the author of “Bodies of Water” a collection of nine short stories.

Cash recorded her first U.S. album, “Right Or Wrong,” in 1979. In the following 10 years, Cash released “Seven Year Ache,” which yielded both country and crossover hits, “Rhythm and Romance,” a widely acclaimed fusion of country and pop and “King’s Record Shop,” which generated four number-one singles. She was named Billboard’s Top Singles Artist in 1988. Her most recent album, “Black Cadillac,” released in January 2006, was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.

John Wesley Harding has released 15 albums, ranging from traditional folk to full on pop music. His 2004 release, “Adam’s Apple,” was dubbed, “the finest album of his career” by the All Music Guide. His first novel, Misfortune, was released in 2004 and was listed as one of Amazon.com’s Top 10 Novels of the Year.

Tickets to the event are extremely limited and anyone interested should e-mail wamfest@comcast.net for more information.

New York Piano Society Summer Gala Concert

A free summer gala concert of classical piano music, presented by Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences and the New York Piano Society, Inc. will be performed on Sunday, June 7, at 2 p.m. in Lenfell Hall, Hennessy Hall, College at Florham.

The performers are members of the New York Piano Society — outstanding amateur performers who have established careers in fields other than music. According to pianist Elena Leonova, founder and artistic director of the society, the objective of the New York Piano Society is to “establish a venue to enable amateurs to perform publicly.” The society brings together people of varying vocations for a shared experience founded on their love of the piano and classical music.

The doors will open at 1:30 p.m. For more information call 973-443-8661; 1-800-862-4630, ext. 48; or 609-937-9239.

Other Visual and Performing Arts Happenings

Silberman College of Business

Postgraduate Sustainability Program Offered

A new postgraduate program is being jointly offered by FDU’s Institute for Sustainable Enterprise and Instituto Centroamericano Administracíon de Empresas (INCAE) in Costa Rica, one of the world’s top international schools and a leader in sustainability research and teaching. This intensive, five-month certificate program offers a highly interactive design and leverages participant experience and faculty expertise. The program creates a powerful and practical hands-on educational experience as well as a cohort-driven, sustainability-focused, executive network. Tailored for executives from corporations, consulting firms and small businesses, the program will enable graduates to incorporate sustainability into their organizational and departmental strategies and operations for exceptional sustainability-aligned outcomes.

The program addresses state-of-the-art sustainability practices relevant to critical business areas. Topics include global issues of sustainability and competitiveness, international business and financial markets, the economy and the environment, responses to emerging markets and social-commercial alliances — plus the expanding role of nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations and communities in business. Additional emphasis includes leadership skills, environmental science and policy, natural-resource conservation, eco-efficiency and renewable energy, operations and supply-chain issues, sustainability branding and marketing, sustainability metrics, trade agreements, management across boundaries and project negotiation.

Conducted at the College at Florham, classes will be held on five weekends from September through January, with an eight-day, study-abroad experience from November 1–8, 2009, at INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. Participants will attend class in INCAE’s sustainability program for management, which focuses on solving real-life case studies of company integration with sustainable development challenges. In addition, each participant will develop and execute a strategic, organizational sustainability project working in partnership with a professional executive leadership coach who will provide an opportunity to practice new leadership and team-development competencies.



According to Joel Harmon, management and interim executive director, ISE (Flor), “After completing this powerful program, participants will be able to incorporate sustainability into their overall organizational strategies as well as the plans and operations of every department in their organizations.”

Jeana Wirtenberg, director of external relations/services, ISE (Flor), added, “This program offers a wonderful opportunity for personal development and career growth.” Participants will receive a certificate conferring the equivalent of a second major.

To learn more and to apply, see Postgraduate Program in Managing Sustainability at the ISE Web page (http://www.fdu.edu/ise) or contact Daniel Twomey, management and director, international partnerships, ISE (Flor), at dtwomey@fdu.edu or 973-443-8802 or Wirtenberg at jwirtenb@fdu.edu or 973-335-6299.

High School Students Honored for Innovative Business Ideas

The Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies hosted the New Jersey Business Idea Competition on March 27 at the College at Florham. The competition, which was open to all New Jersey high school students, provided a unique opportunity to think creatively and to develop business ideas.

Students’ ideas were evaluated on the following criteria: the overall feasibility and persuasiveness of the idea, potential for growth or overall societal benefit, clarity and development of the idea and the feasibility of building and sustaining a competitive advantage.

The Northern Region winners are Max Chang and Jeff Wilson, from Whippany Park High School, with Disney’s Xenolog: Language Learning Software, which is designed to educate children in foreign languages using the help of Disney-themed characters, and John Flannery, from Passaic Valley High School, with ECOsyst: Solar Chimney, an idea based on the concept of “solar updraft towers.”

The Central Region winner is Michael Sheehan, from Cranford High School, with NannyStat, a state-of-the-art thermostat with a touch screen, which gives accurate readings of both indoor and outdoor temperature and weather conditions. The Southern Region winner is Shravan Savant from Freehold High School, with the GoGreen Filter: Cutting Down Co2 One Car at a Time, a cost-effective, solar-powered filter that can be fitted to the exhaust pipe of a vehicle.

For more details go to http://inside.fdu.edu/prpt/regionalinnovative.html .

Breakfast Seminars Scheduled

The Institute for Sustainable Enterprise (ISE)/Center for Human Resource Management Studies (CHRMS) is offering three breakfast seminars, from 7:30–9:30 a.m., in Hartman Lounge, Hennessy Hall (Mansion), College at Florham.

On Friday, May 15, Veronica Croucher, project director, sustainable development (USA), and Peter Lalli, senior director, business planning/sustainability, both from Sanofi-Aventis, Bridgewater, N.J., will discuss “Beyond Green: Operationalizing Sustainability in a Changing Environment.”

The next two breakfast seminars — on Friday, June 19, and Thursday, July 16 — will feature John Conover IV, president, Americas, Trane Commercial Systems, Piscataway, N.J., and Julius Walls, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Greyston Bakery, Inc. Yonkers, N.Y., respectively.

The $40 attendance fee ($25 for nonprofit organizations) does not apply to FDU faculty, administration, matriculated students and current employees of ISE/CHRMS partners. To register or for more information visit ISE/CHRMS at http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=5033 or call 973-443-8577.

Financial Center Visit

Preparing to board the van on their way to the New York Stock Exchange are, from left, MBA students Upasna Madan and Srividhya Karanam, both from Alliance Business Academy, FDU’s partner school in India; global MBA students Sven Birlenberg (in van) and Suelen Carvalho de Morais; and Karin Hamilton, administrative director, graduate/global programs, Silberman College (Flor). The event was sponsored by the MBA Office.

Students Receive NJSCPA Scholarships

Three Silberman College of Business students, Megan Cicchetti, Melinda Pinto and Melissa Setzer have been selected to receive scholarships from the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA). This year, the NJSCPA Scholarship Fund, which is the largest professional scholarship program in the state, will award more than $400,000 to more than 80 New Jersey high school and college students.

As part of their scholarship, each of the recipients is given the opportunity to attend The Scholars Institute in June. Co-sponsored by the NJSCPA; Deloitte, Ernst & Young; KPMG; and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the institute is a two-day, all-expense-paid residency program held at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J. It is designed to provide students with practical training, assist them with making the transition from college to career and give them networking opportunities with CPA professionals.

William Moore, dean, Silberman College (Metro/Flor), said, “The faculty and staff applaud these students for their accomplishments and recognition.”

Hotline of Small-business Experts

Small Business Expert Hotline, a series of free, hour-long conference calls, was held in April. The new initiative was co-sponsored by the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies, Silberman College of Business, NJBiz, The Green Group and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The conference calls, which were offered once a week, covered topics such as managing cash flow to survive turbulent times, successfully cutting costs without hurting business, how to increase sales when no one is buying and leveraging existing resources such as the Internet to boost business. The institute utilized its network of regional experts, including Silberman College faculty, to answer every question that was submitted.

James Barrood, executive director, Rothman Institute (Flor), and moderator of the conference calls, said, “Instead of hosting a series of meetings, we thought we could respond to the needs of struggling small business owners with open conference calls. It was free and very convenient. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the institute, it was a way to lend a helping hand to entrepreneurs and to respond to their questions in an efficient way.”

Quarterly Consumer Survey

According to the quarterly consumer survey released April 19 — sponsored by Silberman College of Business and conducted by PublicMind™, the University’s polling institute — 14 percent of New Jerseyans are very worried that they might lose their jobs in the next 12 months, an increase of 4 percentage points from the January survey. In addition, 14 percent of New Jerseyans report that paying their credit-card balances is “very difficult,” the highest percentage since the survey begun in 2003 and a sharp increase from the 8 percent reported in January.

“Consumers are right to be worried,” said Sorin Tuluca, finance (Flor), and a specialist in financial crises. “The efforts of the Fed, Treasury, Congress and the Obama administration will have little immediate effect on most companies. Consumers can expect more job losses as the economy continues to contract.”

For more information on the survey go to http://publicmind.fdu.edu/njcc09apr/ .

Female Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Lectures

The Female Entrepreneurs’ Alliance of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies will hold four events in May and June. All presentations will be held at the Rothman Institute Forum, College at Florham, and men and women alike are welcome.

“Mitigating Fraud in Closely Held Business,” a free presentation by Darryl Neier, principal, Sobel & Co, will be held on Friday, May 8, 9 a.m.–noon.

“Food-Preneur™ Bootcamp,” a seminar by Domenick Celentano, entrepreneurial studies and president of Celentano & Co., and Esther Luongo Psarakis, managing partner of Demeter’s Pantry and founder of the Taste of Crete will be held on Saturday, May 9, and Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. The cost is $150. For more information, visit http://inside.fdu.edu/prpt/foodpreneurbootcamp.html .

“How to Improve Brand Recognition and Customer Loyalty Using Twitter,” a presentation by Jonathan Goodman, president, Market Merchants Consulting, will take place on Tuesday, May 19, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The cost is $59.

“Reentering the Workforce: Your Future, Your Career,” a presentation by Theresa Smith, president, Bright Moment Coaching and Consulting Services, will be held on Thursday, June 4, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. The cost is $59. To register for the event or for more information please contact either Theresa Smith at 201-568-0019, tsmith@brightmoment.com, or Joan Lefford at 201-343-5278, joanle@att.net.

For more information about FDU’s Female Entrepreneurs’ Alliance or any of the upcoming events, please call Kim Dennison, administrator, Rothman Institute (Flor), at 973-443-8880.

Anthony J. Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies

Alumni Event Honors O’Malley and Kapon

The International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (ISHTM) honored alumnus Kevin O’Malley, BS’89 (Ruth), MA’07 (Metro), an award-winning ice-carving specialist, and Ronald Kapon, hotel/restaurant/tourism management (Metro), for their outstanding contributions to ISHTM during the school’s annual alumni cocktail event on April 7 at the historic James Beard House in New York City. Alumni, faculty, University representatives and current students attended. Richard Wisch, hotel/restaurant/tourism management; associate dean/director, ISHTM (Metro/Flor), welcomed the attendees and highlighted the achievements of the honorees.

Joining honorees Kevin O’Malley, front row, fourth from left, BS’89 (Ruth), MA’07 (Metro), an award-winning ice-carving specialist, and Ronald Kapon, hotel/restaurant/tourism management (Metro), front row, right, are, front row, from left, Kenneth Vehrkens, dean, Petrocelli College (Metro/Flor); Richard Wisch, hotel/restaurant/tourism management; associate dean/director, ISHTM (Metro/Flor); Siroun Meguerditchian, associate professor, Hudson County Community College (HCCC); and back row, from left, Joseph Tormey, hospitality management (Metro); and Paul Dillon, noted television chef and executive director, Culinary Arts Institute, HCCC.

O’Malley has, for many years, donated his time, effort and expertise in creating numerous outstanding ice sculptures for fund-raising events benefitting the school and University. He also served as an ISHTM faculty member and an active member of the school’s Board of Industry Advisers. He is a founding faculty member of the Culinary Arts Institute at Hudson County Community College, Jersey City, N.J., where he is a chef instructor. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, O’Malley is a highly regarded garde manager and ice carver for New York and New Jersey’s finest restaurant facilities. O’Malley prepared an array of culinary items for the reception and was assisted by Chef Paul Dillon, the noted television food chef and executive director of Culinary Arts Institute at Hudson County Community College; and students and faculty members from the Culinary Arts Institute.

Kapon, an adjunct faculty member at FDU since 1996, has taught at both the Metropolitan Campus and the school’s Hudson County Community College location. He is ISHTM’S most published faculty member, “whose knowledge and love of wines has made him one of America’s premier wine educators and writers,” said Wisch. Kapon’s family owns the oldest wine shop in the United States, and he recently donated his extensive collection of wine-related publications and books to ISHTM. The school has created the Ron Kapon Wine Library, which is housed in ISHTM’s facilities in Dickinson Hall at the Metropolitan Campus. In accepting his plaque, he stressed his happiness in presenting his extensive collection of wine literature to FDU, and has been told it is the largest library of its type in the United States.

Faculty members attending who are also alumni of ISHTM were Elizabeth Lehmann, BA’06 (Metro), MS’08 (Metro); Michelle Zuppe, MS’07 (Metro); Chris Droussiotis, BS’85 (Ruth), MBA’87 (Ruth); Donald Hoover, MS’09 (Metro); Frank Benowitz, MS’07 (Metro); and Joseph Tormey, MS’04 (Metro).

Law-enforcement Distance-education Program Grant

The Omnibus spending bill signed by President Barack Obama on March 10 includes $300,000 for the Anthony J. Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies to create distance-learning courses for first responders. The Department of Justice will provide the $300,000 to FDU to fund the State and Local Law Enforcement Distance-Education program. FDU’s main sponsor was Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.

President J. Michael Adams and Richard Bronson, senior executive assistant to the president and director, government/community affairs (Metro), met with Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen to discuss the need to develop the law-enforcement distance-education program. Frelinghuysen then supported the grant through the Department of Justice.

The grant will provide online courses for undergraduate and graduate degree-completion programs in Petrocelli College. Online courses will be developed in the area of security and terrorism studies for an undergraduate certificate. For the online graduate certificate, courses in law and public-safety administration will be developed. The courses will be offered in an asynchronous mode that enables students to take classes from any place and at any time. The online classes will provide flexibility for the law enforcement community to balance employment and family commitments while at the same time advancing their professional credentials and leadership skills. The law-enforcement community will have a resource in New Jersey, the Northeast and ultimately nationally through online programs developed through the grant.

For 40 years, FDU has been preparing first responders to meet national emergencies. Since 1969, the University has participated in the Law Enforcement Educational Program (LEEP), which provided tuition assistance and support for municipal, county and state police to attend institutions of higher education.

In 2001, when the Port Authority Police needed a new location to quickly train officers following the destruction of the World Trade Center, FDU provided space and support facilities at its Metropolitan Campus. This relationship continued for two years until the Port Authority could return to its permanent site in Hudson County.

The University’s involvement with law-enforcement personnel continues today. More than 25 percent of all troopers in the New Jersey State Police have taken or are taking courses or workshops at an FDU site. Last year, more than 600 law-enforcement personnel at the state, county and municipal levels were enrolled in at least one FDU-sanctioned course or workshop. As the needs of the first responders expand, the University remains on the cutting-edge as both a resource and a solution.

Treats for YCS

For a special Valentine’s Day treat, students in the Hotel Society and Student Programming Board, along with Kirsten Tripodi, hospitality management (Metro), spent February 13 with the children from the Youth Consultation Services (YCS) in Hackensack, N.J. YCS is a private, nonprofit, behavioral-health agency providing care to both children (ages 5 and older) and families throughout New Jersey. It offers shelter and care for children in need, along with their families, while also providing them with necessary education opportunities.

Working together, students from both FDU organizations donated Valentine’s Day treats for the YCS kids. Children had the opportunity to participate in a variety of fun Valentine’s Day activities — playing games, listening to music, eating and dancing — with FDU students. “It was not only a treat for the YCS kids, but a fun opportunity for the students from both FDU organizations. The organizations hope to plan another fun-filled day with the YCS kids,” Tripodi said.

Office of Online Programs

The Office of Online Programs has grown rapidly since its creation in 2004. From the two classes offered as a pilot in the summer of 2004, FDU’s online offerings have grown to 60 classes in the 2008–2009 academic year. Since the office’s inception, the programs have experienced an average enrollment growth rate of 71 percent per year. David Epstein, executive director of online programs; JoAnna Steiner, associate director, Adult Learner Center; Karen Martinez, data coordinator, international/graduate admissions; and Deborah Koppinger, administrative assistant, Petrocelli College (all Metro), now work with more than 400 adult learners from age 25 to 70 (almost all part-time) who accounted for 1,265 course enrollments in 2008–2009 and are expected to account for more than 1,400 from 2009–2010. The office team works with each student individually, from initial inquiry through graduation, providing a one-stop shop for online adult learners.

In addition to Booz Allen Hamilton, its anchor client, the office has secured educational partnerships with other major corporations such as Verizon Wireless and Becton Dickinson. It has negotiated Featured Provider status at the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning, which manages tuition reimbursement for numerous Fortune-500 companies.

Fully online AA and BA degrees are available to students with high-speed Internet access in any location around the world. Students are currently participating from as far away as Korea and from states including California, Washington, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Colorado. The program boasted its first graduates in September 2005. So far, 150 students have earned their undergraduate degrees from FDU completely online. Another 25 students are expected to graduate this May.

In addition to its corporate connections and word-of-mouth referrals, the office has reached out to former FDU students who were unable to complete their degrees when they were traditional students on campus. A number of these former students from as far back as 1957, now scattered throughout the country, have taken advantage of this opportunity to rejoin the FDU community by completing their degrees online. As of May 2008, 55 percent of the online graduates were former FDU students, 38 percent were located out of state and 23 percent planned to continue their studies at FDU. The result has been to enlarge the number of loyal FDU alumni and to boost FDU’s graduation rate, one of the most closely watched statistics in American education.

West Point Leadership

The Office of Student Life and the Anthony J. Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies recently conducted a field trip to West Point U.S. Military Academy for a leadership program. Craig Mourton, assistant dean of students for campus community development (Metro); Kenneth Vehrkens, dean, Petrocelli College (Metro/Flor); Ronald Calissi, executive associate dean for off-campus credit programs, Petrocelli College, and director, administrative science (Metro); and Joseph Devine, administrative science (Metro), coordinated this special event for the second time in two years. Sixty-six students, faculty, staff, friends and members of the FDU Alumni Association Board of Governors participated in the tours, lectures and dialogue with cadets and officers for a full day of exciting experiences. Guest speakers included Vincent Bove, school security and safety expert; West Point Major Casey Moses; and Terry Calendra, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran.

Left photo: Craig Mourton, left, assistant dean of students for campus community development (Metro), and Terry Calendra, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, meet during the event.

Right photo: Other members of the Metropolitan Campus community who joined the leadership program at West Point are, from left, Wendy Hager, assistant to the director, student life (Metro); Jacqueline Ruzich, budget/operations coordinator, student life (Metro); Michelle McCroy Heins, dean of students (Metro); and Lindsey Greene, Silberman College (Flor).

Paralegal Studies Program News

David Nachman, Petrocelli College (Flor), participated in the FDU Job Fair in the Rothman Center at the Metropolitan Campus on April 1, where he discussed how to “Hire and Retain Foreign National Students and Skilled Workers” with U.S. employers. He also taught Immigration and Nationality Law for Paralegals from April 7 through April 17 at the College at Florham.

The Paralegal Studies Program hosted a free workshop, “Employment Verification Overview and Update with the Government,” on April 24, on the Metropolitan Campus. The event, sponsored by Nachman & Associates, P.C., and Compensation Solutions, included “Overview of Employment Verification Procedures”; “History of the Immigration Reform and Control Act”; “Hired! Work Authorized? – Completing the I-9 Form”; “Recent Updates and Changes to the I-9 Form and M-274”; “Mistakes That Can Really Cost Employers”; “I-9 Audits and Government Investigations”; “Social Security Mismatch Issues”; “USCIS’ E-Verify Program”; “ICE’s IMAGE Program”; and “Anti-Discrimination Provisions.” Speakers included a representative from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Special Counsel; Victoria Donoghue, Nachman & Associates, P.C.; Corrado Gigante, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; David Nachman, Nachman & Associates, P.C.; a representative from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and Alan Janda, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Camp Discovery

Camp Discovery, an enrichment day camp for children in 1st through 7th grades, will be running from June 29 to August 7 at the Metropolitan Campus and the College at Florham. Field trips include a trip to see “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway, visits to the New York Aquarium, Dorney Park and more. There are a limited number of spaces available at the College at Florham. The Metropolitan Campus has a waitlist. Faculty and staff receive a 15 percent discount. Visit http://www.fdu.edu/campdiscovery or call 201-692-6500 for more information.

University College: Arts • Sciences • Professional Studies

The works of graduating art students have been on exhibit since mid-April at the University College Art Gallery, Room 11, University Hall, Metropolitan Campus. The last exhibit will run from Monday, May 4, through Friday, May 8. Graduating student Jose Gonzalez had an exhibit of his artwork during the week of April 27.

Admission is free. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For information call 201-692-2801.

Wroxton College

This semester, students at Wroxton College went on trips to historical sites in England, Scotland and France, participated in college events, attended theater performances and listened to lectures from several visiting speakers.

Students visited Edinburgh, Scotland, and Cardiff, Wales; as well as taking trips to Tintern Abbey, Stonehenge, Parliament, Sulgrave Manor, Blenheim Palace and to Birmingham to watch a soccer match. Students also visited First World War cemeteries and other sites in France at the beginning of April. The college also organized several activities on its grounds — from a St. Patrick’s theme dinner and party and a medieval banquet to a Buttery quiz.

Students also saw productions of “The Winter’s Tale” at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; “West Side Story” at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre; “Twelfth Night” at the Wyndhams Theatre in London; “The Convicts’ Opera” at the New Theatre in Oxford; “As You Like It” and “Light in the Piazza” at the Curve Theatre in Leicester; and “Blood Brothers” at the Phoenix Theatre; and “Billy Elliott” at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Visiting speakers at Wroxton College this semester included Lord Morgan, historian and member of the House of Lords; Lord Clark of Windermere, former member of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s cabinet; Lord Norton of Louth, chair of the Constitution Committee, House of Lords; Peter Riddell, political commentator and assistant editor, The Times; Mark Oaten, member of Parliament; Dilwar Hussain of the Islamic Foundation; and Paul Edwards, architectural and horticultural historian.

The Annual Lord North lecture — the 19th in the series — held to commemorate Lord North, prime minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, who previously lived in Wroxton Abbey, was held at the college on April 16. The lecture, “Transatlantic Relations After the Crash,” was given by Peter Riddell, one of Britain’s leading political commentators. He has worked for The Times since 1991 and currently is its assisant editor and chief political commentator. He writes mainly, but not exclusively, about British politics, Parliament and political parties.