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The Online Magazine for Alumni and Friends of Siena Heights University
Saints to Add Scholarship Sport Starting in Fall 2018
Siena Heights University announced it is starting an eSports program that will begin play in fall 2018.
“We believe that adding eSports would be a good addition to our campus and com-
munity,” said SHU President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. “We must make sure we execute it in a manner to make students successful on the playing field, on campus and in the community. According to our research, we are at the beginning of a movement for small colleges and universities to add eSports to their campus.”
A feasibility study for eSports (also known as competitive gaming) was conducted in fall 2017 by a cross-disciplinary feasibility committee composed of leaders representing Student Life and Athletics, Academics, Academic Advising, Admissions and Information Technology. This committee gathered extensive information, including how eSports would impact the athletic, academic, financial and student life areas of SHU.
Siena Heights University was awarded a five-year grant totaling $641,751 from the National Science Foundation as part of the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. Only five S-STEM grants have been awarded to universities in Michigan with start dates in 2018. Siena Heights was the only Michigan private university to be awarded this prestigious grant.
The project is entitled Siena Heights: Applying Psychological Constructs and Student Supports to Improve the Education of Students in STEM (SHAPE STEM). This project will award tuition scholarships totaling $400,000 over 5 years to 20 academically talented students from low-income households who wish to major in biology, chemistry or environmental science at Siena Heights.
While thinking about what topic to discuss in this column, I took a quick survey of the last eight months and have to say, the overriding theme of my short time in Alumni Relations is Siena Blessings. These blessings come in the form of SHU alums who want to get involved, give back and stay connected.
Frequently, I also have the honor of visits and calls from current and former employees who want to assist with projects, share their insight and reflect back while moving Siena forward. How is your connection to Siena? If you are looking to strengthen your ties, there are several means of doing so:
One way to connect with SHU is our SaintsConnect online mentoring platform. My office collaborated with Siena Career Services to create an online platform connecting our current students with our alumni base. Students can seek out alumni who work in the field they aspire to join and ask questions, arrange for a career chat, or seek resume advice from alums who have volunteered to share this kind of support. As of today, 498 alumni have created a profile on our site to assist our students. If you would like to join, please do so here: https://sienaheights.wisr.io/signup.
