Dear Bellarmine Families,
Welcome back to Bellarmine and to On Campus, the parent newsletter designed especially for you. As your students move further into the university experience, they will begin to make decisions about the direction their lives will take. At Bellarmine, we provide many experiences to help them explore their potential — in the classroom, in professional internships and in study-abroad and service-learning settings, to name a few.
As parents, you will see your students becoming more confident and independent. But you still have an important role to play, by encouraging them to take full advantage of all the opportunities available to them.
This newsletter will keep you up to date on the many events and activities on our campus during the coming academic year. Please let us hear from you, too. We want to continue the conversation as your students continue to grow, both as scholars and as excellent people.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph J. McGowan,
President
Bellarmine Welcomes Class of 2013!
We are proud to say that Bellarmine continues to grow as we welcome the class of 2013. This year's incoming freshmen class topped out at just over 600 students, a record-breaking number for Bellarmine. Click here for more information about the class of 2013.
To see pictures of Crossroads, Move-In Day, and other events, check out the Parent Association facebook page. In addition, check the Bellarmine photos page for the latest available pictures and videos of campus events.
Bellarmine Gets Bigger
Growth and excellence at Bellarmine extends not only to the student body but to the campus as well. All over campus, residence halls, classroom areas, food service facilities, and faculty departments are being constructed, expanded and updated. Click here to read construction updates.
"Let's Give'em Something to Talk About": Bellarmine in the News
Recently, Bellarmine was reviewed in the 2010 edition of the Princeton review guidebook, which reviews only 371 of the nation's 2,500 colleges and universities, and described Bellarmine as "demanding in academic excellence," and a "premier college." To find the full evaluation of Bellarmine by the Princeton review, as well as other exciting information about Bellarmine, click here.
(Shirley Eikhard)
Canvee Music (SOCAN)/Lynn Jacobs Publishing & Associates--BMI.
What Do You Mean You Can't Tell Me His Grades?
A Primer for Parents: Understanding FERPA
Many parents have heard the term "FERPA" used but may have never been told exactly what it means. To learn about FERPA and how it affects you and your student, click here.
H1N1 Virus Awareness: Keeping Your Student Healthy
As you have no doubt learned from the news media, the H1N1 virus has caused illness throughout the United States during the normally flu-free summer months, and public health officials are preparing for the possibility of an epidemic this fall. To find out how Bellarmine is preparing for this situation, click here.
Sophomore Slump: How Your Student Can Make a Comeback
Sophomores are the most ignored students on campus. Most universities shower attention on first year students in order to help them get adjusted; juniors and seniors receive a good deal of attention from the faculty in the departments of their majors. Sophomores, on the other hand, fall into that twilight zone where they often feel cast in a shadow. In addition, sophomores often suffer from the feeling that college isn't new anymore, that the excitement they felt as freshmen has dissipated. At the same time, their classes are more challenging; sophomore level courses often involve a significant step up over those classes that students took as freshmen. To read more about sophomore slump from Dr. Catherine Sutton, Dean of Academic Advising, click here.
The Importance of Being Interdisciplinary
Often, students talk about their "IDCs" or "IDC classes," forgetting that parents never received a lexicon for Bellarmine acronyms and leaving parents confused and bewildered. What is this class? Why is my student required to take one each year? What is my child learning? Interdisciplinary courses, or IDCs, focus on issues of Catholic social justice while fostering your students' critical thinking, analytical, and reading and writing skills. Each semester a tremendous variety of fascinating classes are offered for each class level, but the skills required and honed are addressed sequentially with each year and culminate in a Senior Seminar, which is the "capstone experience of the general education of a Bellarmine student." This year's newsletters will highlight some outstanding IDC courses.
Click here to read about Dr. Olga-Maria Cruz' "Women's Ways of Knowing"
Click here to read about Prof. Dean Bucalos' "West African Tradition and Culture"
Click here to read about Prof. Bob Pfaadt's Senior Seminar
What to Do: How to Help Students Make Intentional Choices About Co-curricular Involvement
Whether students have just survived their first year, or only have roughly 9 months until graduation, the association between academics and involvement opportunities is a relevant and timely topic. Often, as students proceed through their sophomore, junior, and senior years, they are forced by time constraints to limit and prioritize their involvement choices. For some, this is difficult. As a parent, you can play a valuable role in helping your student navigate the exciting tango of prioritizing involvement opportunities by establishing connections between academics and involvement. Click here to read three helpful guidelines on this topic from Patrick Englert, Director of Student Engagement.
Career Center
Each year of students' college experience requires different elements of career preparation. Ann Zeman, Director of Career Development, has prepared some advice for parents of sophomores curious about which direction to move in next, and juniors and seniors anticipating graduate school.
Click here to read Ann Zeman's advice about sophomores
Is your student considering graduate or professional school?
Although graduation seems far away during the junior year, the time will fly. For those considering going straight into a graduate program after graduation, the Career Development Office suggests a specific timeline. These guidelines will assist you in asking about your student's progress during the junior and senior years. Assistance is also available in the Career Development Office, Academic Resource Center (ARC) and academic departments.
Click here to read advice about juniors planning for graduate school
Click here to read advice about seniors planning for graduate school
Campus Ministry
The Center for Campus Ministry, Vocation, and Service has launched a new initiative within Division of Student Affairs. As part of the Student Development Center, we will be working with the EDGE program, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Career Development Office on programs to encourage students to think more intentionally about what God is calling them to do with their lives. For more about this initiative and campus ministry from Melanie Prejean-Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 7:
Labor Day, NO CLASSES
September 11:
BAC Welcome Back Dance
October 10-13:
Fall Break, NO CLASSES
October 23-25:
Family Weekend
November 5 (11am):
Career Development Event (Hilary's)
Do you or your student have a question about?
Living in the residence halls?
Leslie Maxie-Ashford, Director, Residence Life; 502-473-3000, lmaxie-ashford@bellarmine.edu
Trouble with a class or an assignment, or making a change in class schedules?
Dr. Catherine Sutton, Dean of Advising and Director of Academic Resource Center; 502-452-8071, csutton@bellarmine.edu
How to find something fun to do on campus?
Sarah Fromm, Assistant Director of Student Activities; 452-8433, sfromm@bellarmine.edu
Financial Aid?
Alie Spahiu, Fianancial Aid Assistant 502-432-8124, aspahiu@bellarmine.edu
Workstudy?
Jennifer Likes, Financial Aid Counselor, 502-452-8134, jlikes@bellarmine.edu
Getting a terrific summer job or internship?
Ann Zeman, Director of Career Development and Counseling, 502-452-8151, azeman@bellarmine.edu
Todd Reale, Assistant Dean, Career Services and Experiental Learning; 502- 452-8242, treale@bellarmine.edu
Joining an intramural sports team?
Chuck Vogt, Director of Intramural sports; 502-452-8348, cvogt@bellarmine.edu
What to do when sick or injured?
Alice Kimble, Director, Campus Recreation and Health Services; 502-452-8493, makimble@bellarmine.edu
Who to talk to about personal problems?
Dr. Gary Petiprin, Director of Counseling Center; 502-452-8480, gpetiprin@bellarmine.edu
Studying abroad?
Hannah Holler Egea, Study Abroad Advisor; 502-452-8423, hholler@bellarmine.edu
Spiritual programs, service, or faith-based networks?
Dr. Melanie -Prejean Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry and Service; 502-452-8051, mpsullivan@bellarmine.edu
Disability Accommodations?
Ronda Purdy, Coordinator of Disability Services; 502-452-8480, rpurdy@bellarmine.edu
A more general question about life on campus?
Helen Grace Ryan, Dean of Students; 502-452-8426, hryan@bellarmine.edu