Macricostas School of Arts & Sciences

October 2020 Newsletter

October 2020, Vol 2, Issue 1

MacricostA&S
News

Western Connecticut State University

Welcome back to Westconn

Fall semester begins

The fall semester of 2020 is off and running at WCSU and the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences.

Though this semester looks a little different than usual, we are excited to be back and learning, both online and in-person.

Meteorology Alum Accepts Job with National Weather Service

Congratulations to James Tomasini

WCSU Meteorology alum, James Tomasini, has accepted a job with the National Weather Service Upton office on Long Island. James begins this October.

Congratulations, James!

WCSU Economics Students and Professor's Research in the News

WCSU students explore economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic

Associate Professor of Economics, Dr. Rotua Lumbantobing, along with students Robert Carey, Colin Gillap, and Eduarda Pages, appeared in Danbury's HamletHub News. The article focused on the students' independent study work with Dr. Lumbantobing in which they collected and analyzed economic data, and made recommendations for future public policy to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.

Lots of news from the writing department

Abundant things to report from writing

Emily Carney, Writing Department/MFA Writing alum and current adjunct assistant professor, spent the summer on Gustavas Island, Alaska working on construction and organization of the Arete Project, a new experimental college.

Gina Atanasoff, an alumna of the MFA in Creative and Professional Writing (with Public Relations specialization), started her new position as Press Secretary and Social Media Manager for Connecticut Secretary of State, Denise Merrill.

Sarah Darer Littman, Special Appointment Assistant Professor of Writing, has published book #18, a YA novel Deepfake, from Scholastic. Links for Goodreads. Barnes & Noble. Amazon.

Anthony D'Aries, MFA in Creative and Professional Writing Coordinator, will have two pieces appear this fall--"No Man's Land," an essay in Sport Literate Magazine, and "An Honest Pain," flash fiction in Flash Fiction Magazine.

Amanda Badillo, a senior Writing Major, signed with the Harvey Klinger Literary Agency, which will represent Amanda and her first book, a Young Adult novel titled Vampires Are The Worst.

George Robinson PhD, WCSU Adjunct Professor of Writing, has written a three-volume book, The Central Park Statues Speak, examining the history behind the statues in Central Park. Volume one is now available on Amazon.

Dr. Michael Lewis, Coordinator of Freshman Writing, had a paper appear in the ADE Bulletin (Issue 158), a publication of the Modern Language Association (MLA).

Dr. Kevin Gutzman of History in Documentary

Safeguard: An Electoral College Story

Professor of History at WestConn, Dr. Kevin Gutzman, appears in a new documentary now available on Amazon Prime Video. The film, Safeguard: An Electoral College Story, sets out to examine and explain the electoral college.

A Letter from the Editor

By Morgan Rondinelli

Hello! My name is Morgan Rondinelli, and I am the new webmaster and newsletter editor for MSAS. I am in my first semester of the MFA program in Creative and Professional Writing. My main genre is creative nonfiction; I am still deciding on my secondary genre. I am loving the program so far, especially the one-on-one mentorship and flexibility to write in multiple genres.

Outside of school, I love performing in community theater and teaching myself to play the ukulele. I am also the Co-Founder of a mental health nonprofit, Not Alone Notes. We mail free, handwritten letters to others living with OCD to remind them they aren't alone, encourage hope, and share resources.

I look forward to keeping everyone updated on all things MSAS news.

Send submissions for the newsletter to msasdean@wcsu.edu

October 2020, Vol 2, Issue 1

Morgan Rondinelli, Editor & Publisher