News & Events

Michael DeCesare, professor and chair of sociology, delivered the keynote address April 27, 2017,at the State University of New York Voices Conference on Shared Governance in Suffern, New York. The conference examined the challenges facing governance leaders and members, and explore alternative solutions. DeCesare was also the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Kentucky AAUP (American Association of University Professors) Conference on April 8 at the University of Louisville, where he delivered a talk titled “Threats to Traditional Academic Governance.” DeCesare was invited to speak at both conferences due to his work as the chair of AAUP’s National Committee on College University Governance.

Alison Russell, assistant professor of political science and international studies, was interviewed for the Center for International Maritime Security’s Sept. 6, 2017, “Sea Control” podcast, “Cyber Threats to Navies.” Russell saidthe rise of cyber capabilities, such as precision targeting and long-range attacks on systems, means that navies will be simultaneously more connected and more vulnerable at sea than ever before. “The modern Navy has so many capabilities that rely on cyberspace that it must not take access to cyberspace for granted,” she said. “As our ships grow smarter and we invest more and more in the high-end capabilities that allow this unprecedented array of actions, let us not forget to simultaneously ensure that the cyber-connected systems are protected so that our new technology can be used effectively when it’s called upon.”

The new Merrimack College fight song, titled “Down in the Valley of Victory,” was written by Alumna Paige Sorensen ’19, arranged by Director of Bands Paul Geresy, and recorded and mixed by Assistant Director of Bands Andrew Cote. It was performed remotely by members of this year’s Merrimack College Marching Band at an alumni event in November 2020.

The Business of Emotions in Modern History is a peer-reviewed book that features a range of essays that explore the intersection of business and emotions throughout history, which includes an original work authored by Dr. Debra Michals, assistant professor and director of women’s and gender studies.

Harry Wessel,associate professor and chair of political science, was quoted in a June 15, 2017, Eagle-Tribune story about the shooting rampage at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia,thatinjured five, including one critically. Wessel said the shootingputs a damper on the annual baseball game between Democratic and Republican representatives, one of the lastbipartisan traditions that survives in the nation’s capital. “Baseball games are a way to facilitate bipartisanship, but of course, that is now the exception to the rule,” he said. “Everybody is now in their silos. You have 3 million plus viewers of Fox News basically getting news that reinforces their own pre-existing views, and it’s the same with MSNBC on the other side.”

Michael DeCesare,professor and chair of sociology, was quoted in a Feb. 7, 2018, Boston Globe story about the ongoing search for the next president of Harvard University. DeCesare, who chairs a committee on university governance at the American Association of University Professors, said the school ought to pick an academic, to send a message to faculty that their work is important. “For Harvard to kind of reaffirm the importance of an academically oriented president would go a long way,” he said.

Dr. Kevin McGravey, associate professor in the Department of political science and public policy, has published an article in the Ethics, Policy & Environment journal titled Between Neutrality and Action: State Speech and Climate Change.

Lauri Kurdziel, assistant professor of psychology, was recently quoted in the Boston Globe on the topic of naps and bedtime sleep for preschoolers. Kurdziel conducted research with two others entitled “Sleep-dependent enhancement of emotional memory in early childhood” which was published in Scientific Reports.

Philosophy professor William Wians has published a second volume of essays titled “Logoi and Muthoi,” exploring interdisciplinary connections between ancient Greek philosophy and literature. The chapters examine philosophical problems of knowledge and ethics in ancient writers, including Homer, Hesiod, Sophocles, Euripides, the pre-Socratics, the Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, and Lucretius. It is available on Amazon.com

Father Raymond Dlugos,O.S.A., vice president for mission and student affairs, delivered a lecture, “Feeding the Beast Who Is Feeding on You,” April 5, 2017, at St. Augustine Church in Andover, Massachusetts. Father Dlugos urged the young people in the audience to resist “the beast,” which he defined as the culture of instant gratification that pervades society today. “The beast wants us to spend money,” he said. “If you’re sad, buy something.” (Photo by Tim Jean/The Andover Townsman)