Left: Professor Brian Walker, SAU 84 Director of Student Services Kelly Noland, SAU 84 Director of Teaching and Learning Kristen Moreland, Professor Beth Fornauf. Front Row: Elena Register ’22, Brooke DeCarolis ’22, Mollie Kirwin ’22, Jennifer Malagrida, Alaina Larrabee ’22, Amanda O’Leary ’22

Plymouth State University and the Littleton, NH, school district (NH SAU 84) have created an innovative fellowship program for students pursuing their master’s degrees in special education. Part of PSU’s one-year intensive master’s degree program, the new Graduate Residency Program will immerse students in the district’s K–12 schools for the 2022–2023 school year, where they will work and learn under the guidance of a licensed special education mentor and general education teacher.

Accepted students are receiving full tuition, a living stipend of $1,000 per month for 10 months, and local housing for the duration of the program. Thanks to the district’s partnership with a local developer, students will be housed in new studio apartments situated within walking distance to all Littleton schools.

The Plymouth State University Stevens-Bristow Professorship was established in 2007 by Wallace R. ’62 and Meredith Bristow Stevens ’62 to honor an exceptional faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching, advising, or mentoring; engages in scholarly activity that is recognized nationally or internationally; and who makes outstanding contributions to the profession, University, or state.

Patricia Lindberg is a professor and coordinator of the master of education in integrated arts program. Lindberg created the program and a certificate of advanced graduate studies in arts leadership and learning and worked for many years in PSU’s elementary education program. She founded and artistically directed the Kearsarge Arts Theatre, an award-winning children’s theatre for 30 years and is currently the artistic director of the Educational Theatre Collaborative (ETC) and the TIGER professional theatre company, both based at PSU. In addition to teaching, producing, and directing, Lindberg is also a published author and playwright.

“We’re really pleased that the Co-op approached us with this idea,” says Vice President for Finance and Administration Tracy Claybaugh. “The environmental benefits together with the potential for significant cost savings really make this a ‘win-win’ for everyone.”

Students must do a great deal of extra work to prepare for the auditions and in return receive valuable feedback from competition adjudicators, who are all voice teachers and very knowledgeable about their craft.

“It is a really big deal, and we are all so proud of their hard work and of their vocal instructor, Brendan Buckley,” says Program Coordinator for Music Education Harmony Markey.

President Donald Birx: Please join me in thanking the Black Student Union and its allies for great work in organizing the Black History Blast.

The blast includes it all, including Black Hollywood, Black History Bingo, a Black History Brainstorm trivia session, a Black History Month celebration, and even Black History Adaptations on Sherlock Holmes! There’s been a lot to learn this week and all through February, but the truth is that Black history is integral to our entire year—not just one month. There is no American history without Black history, and just as importantly, there will be no bright future for our nation that does not feature the contributions of our Black citizens.

Back in the late 1970s, Professor Michael Fischler had a student in his cultural diversity class who experienced racial bias on campus and was frustrated by the lack of awareness on the part of students. Together, Dr. Fischler and John Moody ’77 started the Black Student Union with a mission to support Black and minority students and educate the community.

Dedicated to reducing human suffering and providing resources to diverse populations, Professor Fischler served as the advisor to the union for 40 years, stepping down when he retired in 2017. Today, the University continues to listen, act, and advocate for students of color, and the Black Student Union still stands strong as a voice for justice.

Amanda Grazioso and Chuck Crawford oversee Residential Life for 2,300 students living in campus dorms and apartments, and they say their work is about much more than “heads in beds.”

“Students spend two thirds of their time outside the traditional classroom, and it’s our responsibility to pick it up from there,” says Grazioso, director of residential life and dining services. “Our staff are educators. Their classroom is the residence halls.”

Crawford, associate director of residence education, adds, “We help create an educational environment where students learn and grow as individuals. We support our academic mission through strategic community development.”

Just as academic courses are guided by curriculum, so, too, is Residential Life. About five years ago, Plymouth State University began reshaping its Res Life program, creating a 56-page document that outlines a comprehensive community development model. At the core—aside from safety—is a program for all residential students aimed at helping them feel welcome, regardless of their race or sexual identity.

Also key in the plan is the recruitment, selection, and training of 60 community advisors, or CAs. Along with PSU staff, these student leaders are trained in problem-solving, recognizing other perspectives, and matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion. They help create inclusive residential experiences.

Ramos has extensive experience developing and delivering programs focused on improving inclusion and retention for students from a diverse variety of backgrounds. He has led affinity groups for Black, indigenous, and people of color students and employees; created paid diversity-related student leadership positions; and delivered an award-winning antiracism series for faculty and staff. He also created a racial justice and social transformation certificate program.

The Minnesota native is bilingual in English and Spanish. He earned a master’s in teaching English as a second language with a teaching English as a foreign language emphasis and a bachelor’s in travel and tourism and communications studies. He also has a professional certificate in leading for inclusion and racial justice.

Hailey Botelho ’22 photo.

Mutesi has come a long way, both literally and figuratively, since immigrating to New Hampshire as a 13-year-old with limited English proficiency. At Manchester Central High School, she took part in UNH Upward Bound, a competitive college prep program. The federally funded “TRIO” initiative has a PSU counterpart through which Mutesi is currently serving as a peer mentor and study skills tutor.

TRIO is a component of Plymouth Academic Support Services (PASS). “Program Coordinator Domenica Medaglia-Brown is an awesome advisor and a great person in general,” says Mutesi. “The PASS staff are always helping me with anything I need and I am forever grateful to be a part of the program.”

He says his hard-working parents passed on those professional ethics, and he intends to keep putting them to work as he carves out his own journey as a teacher with a passion for supporting students in rural communities.

As a member of Plymouth State’s President’s Council, Oglesby volunteers his entrepreneurial awareness regarding development and fundraising. As a judge in the Panther Pitch competition, the University’s version of the popular Shark Tank television series, he emphasizes the value of networking to advance students’ business concepts.

“You bear moral obligation in this fight for equity and social justice”

Gennet shared some lighter moments of her previous New Hampshire sojourn—slipping on the ice and being caught unaware of daylight savings time—along with profound discoveries. Most of all, she was surprised by Plymouth State’s predominately female student body. “Where I came from, the number of girls in schools were only handfuls, so it’s very important,” she says. “You have to have women’s education as a very important issue and it’s not for charity, and not just a question of rights, but of a country’s prosperity.

1950s

1960s

Middle row: Katherine Berna ‘10, Alyssa (McCarron) Slater ‘10, Eric (Benn) Gianni ‘10, Kristine DelGenio ‘10

Back row: Aly (Dethlefs) Ryan ‘10, Bryan Funk ‘11

Chris ’07G and Laura Warren ’07, ’09G welcomed their second child, daughter Riley, on March 11, 2022.

Amanda Rodriguez ’10 and Jeff DiBenedetto ’10 welcomed their child, Carter Paul DiBenedetto, on November 21, 2021.

Kai Fowler ’13 and Alex Fowler welcomed their first child, Johnny, into the world in November 2021.

Tyler Quint ’13 and Nicole Pelchat ’13 were married in a ceremony in 2018 in Eaton, NH. They welcomed daughter Paige Riley Quint on March 23, 2021.

Paige Riley Quint