Campus Notes

Manhattan College Cited

As Good Neighbor

Manhattan College in Riverdale, the Bronx, was awarded a Good Neighbor Award from the Methodist Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation at a gala held Oct. 20 at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

The college was recognized for enriching the lives of the Methodist Home’s residents by helping to develop programs that coincide with academic courses. One such program is the senior design course for mechanical engineering students. Instead of a traditional final exam, students create a product that will assist seniors at the home who have limited mobility. Last year’s projects included an exercise band, a pump that enables residents to fill a glass of water from their bedside pitcher, an indoor gardening table and more.

In accepting the award, William Clyde, executive vice president and provost at the college, said, “This is a classic symbiotic relationship, giving our students wide-ranging opportunities to learn from experience and service, while helping the Methodist Home make a wonderful difference in our community.”

FDNY Commissioner

Shares 9/11 Reflections

Former FDNY fire commissioner Thomas Von Essen, a 1972 graduate of St. Francis College, shared his reflections on 9/11 at his alma mater Nov. 3.

The lecture was hosted by the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at the Brooklyn Heights school. Von Essen discussed his thoughts about the response from the Fire Department and other city agencies. He served for more than 30 years with the FDNY, first in the South Bronx Ladder Co. 42, then as union president from 1993 to 1996, and ultimately commissioner from 1996-2001.

Reflection on Newman

At Seton Hall University

The Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University is holding the next in its series of reflections titled “Reading Newman: On Friendship,” on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m.

The topic, “Faith and Obedience,” is based on Blessed John Henry Newman’s writings. Readings will be done by James P. McGlone, professor emeritus of the department of communication and art, with a response led by Msgr. Richard Liddy, director of the university’s Center for Catholic Studies. The series, which focuses on Newman’s profound meditations on the nature of friendship and its relationship to God, is sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies and the Celtic Theatre Company.

Blessed John Henry Newman, a 19th-century convert to Catholicism who later became a cardinal, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

The reflections will be offered in the Bishop Dougherty Student Center, Theatre-in-the-Round, 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange, N.J.