One on One With . . . Trudy McSorley

Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of what we hope will be a regular Reflections series. “One on One With…” starts appropriately with longtime Siena Heights fixture Trudy McSorley, who retired last summer after more than 50 years on campus. She reflects on her time at Siena Heights, as a student, faculty member and administrator.

1. First impressions of Siena Heights?

This can be a very involved question as I first came to Siena in 1961 when I entered the Adrian Dominican congregation. Then it was simply going to class. We were not involved in college life, as our focus was becoming Adrian Dominican Sisters. When I returned in 1973 as a faculty member, I was young (30) and a bit overwhelmed being a part of college and academic life, as I had not known it before. At the time I was privileged to work with my teacher and mentor, Sister Therese Craig. We also lived together in an apartment at Village Green where many other Sisters who were on the faculty and staff were living. There were at least 30 Adrian Dominican Sisters on campus at the time. Looking back it was an amazing time on campus in many ways. We had our first layman (Hugh Thompson) president; men were now a significant part of our student body, and there was a great effort to outreach into the community of Adrian.

2. How did you get involved in teaching, specifically drama and theater?

As I said I was an Adrian Dominican and that was the primary ministry of the Sisters at the time. I think that is one of the reasons I was attracted to the congregation; the Adrian Dominican had been my teachers since I was 6 years old in first grade. One of my teachers in high school (Rosary high school in Detroit, an all girls Adrian Dominican school) was Sister Rose Terrence (Sister Therese Craig after Vatican II). She was an incredible teacher, director and passionate educator. She led the speech and drama department where I found myself at home. When I entered the congregation I was asked what my major was going to be by Sister Bertha Homzina (the registrar at the time). I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to say something like “speech and drama” (considered a bit too frivolous). She never bat-ted an eye (at least I didn’t see it!), and I happily went on my way as a speech and drama major. Sister Therese was my teacher for many of my classes and was more than tough on me, which was great ammunition for me later in life as we became very dear friends. In 1973 I received a phone call from the Siena theater department to interview and work with Sister Therese in the child drama/children’s theater program, as it had grown more than anticipated. They offered, I accepted, and the rest is history.

Scenes from Homecoming 2013

“Best Homecoming ever!” We heard those words a lot this year. Lively reunions, big crowds, enthusiastic visitors to the new McLaughlin University Center, good food, energetic athletics, great theater and music and art: It was all here for Homecoming 2013!

Of course, we’re already working to make next year’s even better. So contact your “classmates fond and true.” Start planning now to revisit your “sweet golden days of dreams:”

Mark your calendar now for next fall’s Homecoming Weekend—September 26-28, 2014 and start planning your visit to the Heights!

Below are just a few of the exciting scenes from SHU’s 2013 Homecoming. To see over 450 more photos from Homecoming, please visit our online Homecoming photo gallery.

Homecoming fun in the Octoberfest photo-booth! Allan Rodewald ‘80, Dan Tarrant ‘80, Joe Orange ‘82, Crystal Tennant, Susan Dougherty Nixon ‘78, Sherry Schudlich Forster (77-78), and Vicky DeSanto Clark ’79.

Alumni Profile: Matt Larson ’07

Mission Accomplished: McNair Graduate Matt Larson ’07 Completes PhD, a First for SHU-Based Program

Matt Larson ’07 was the first, and hopefully, not the last. The graduate of the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program was the first Siena Heights University student to receive his doctorate since the program was instituted on the SHU campus.

Larson, who finished his dissertation and earned a PhD in criminology and criminal justice from Arizona State University last spring, is currently an assistant professor in the College of Public Health and Social Justice at St. Louis University.

“When I started at Siena I had no clue that I would go on to graduate school,” said Larson, a first-generation college student. “I was just thrilled to be pursuing my bachelor’s degree.”

In fact, Larson was perfectly content running on the track team and taking criminal justice courses until he discovered McNair, a federally funded program designed to encourage eligible students to pursue graduate studies leading to the completion of a doctoral degree.

“I found out about the McNair program at about the same time I started to fall out of love with running and in love with academics,” Larson said. “I knew at that point that graduate school was one of my options, so applying was a no-brainer.”