St. Joe ’s reaches out to alumni across the country.
St. Joe’s took a show on the road to Miami, Florida last month, hosting its first talk in a new series called SJULive.
SJULive features lectures by university community experts hosted in various cities around the country. Alumni are invited to attend in person, but the lectures are also live streamed with viewers able to post questions and comments in real-time on Facebook. Lectures are also available for later viewing on the SJU Alumni website.
The inaugural lecture took place Feb. 7 and featured Richard Gioioso, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and director of St. Joe’s Latin American Studies program, and John Caulfield ’73, former chief of mission for U.S. Interests Section in Cuba. The two spoke about “Cuba After the Castros,” discussing the future of Cuba’s political system after Raul Castro steps down next month.
“The point of [the series] is for St. Joe’s to feature faculty, in this case, and in some other cases, to feature notable alumni and to connect with alumni in the environment where they’re living,” Gioioso said. “So, we’re not asking them come here, but we’re going there.”
About 60 people attended the Cuba discussion in Miami. Many others, including current students, alumni and parents of students, tuned in online. The recorded lecture has now been viewed nearly 2,000 times.
George Kamanda ’16 commented on Facebook during the lecture: “This program is great for the global image of Saint Joseph’s University! As a global hawk, and a 2016 POL and IR graduate, I couldn’t be more happier. Kudos Saint Joseph’s University Alumni Association! I’m here to the end. This is exciting! #global Hawk #Magis.”
The most popular lecture so far this semester is “The Power of March Madness,” which took place March 7 in Washington, D.C. and featured Joe Lunardi ’82, director of marketing and broadcast services for the athletic department, John Lord, Ph.D. ’71, professor emeritus of sports marketing, and retiring St. Joe’s athletic director Don DiJulia ’67. The video of the event has been viewed 2,045 times so far.
Connor Dehel, assistant director of Alumni Relations, said that the series has been well-received by alumni so far, and many are looking forward to the upcoming events.
“We’ve never really done something like this, so it’s a good opportunity for us here at St. Joe’s to tell our story,” Dehel said. “We’ve been pretty successful. A lot of the feedback we’ve been getting is that it’s some of the best events that alumni have attended so far, which is always a great thing.”
The next lecture, “Living in Limbo: Healthcare & the Undocumented Immigrant” will take place April 3 in Moorestown, New Jersey. Peter A. Clark, Ph.D., S.J., ’75, and fellows from the St. Joe’s Institute of Clinical Bioethics, will talk about the impact of deportation and increasing healthcare costs on undocumented immigrants.
The last lecture of the semester will feature Tenaya Darlington, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Studies program, and her brother, Andre Darlington, with their topic being classic cinema. The Darlington siblings are co-authors of several books, including “TCM’s Movie Night Menus,” which discusses the role of cocktails in Hollywood films, and have appeared on the Turner Classic Movies channel to discuss films.
“It’s a way for the new president to connect to alumni, to bring professors and writers to alumni and to create an unforgettable experience for people who went to St. Joe’s who might want to connect with each other and maybe the institution,” Darlington said.
Emily Graham ’20 contributed to this story.
