Foreword to Interview in Addendum
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ADDENDUM TO HISTORY OF SACRED HEART UNI V E R S I T Y FOREWORD TO INTERVIEW IN ADDENDUM The creation of a new institution of higher education is a momentous event with far reaching effects, educationally and socially, upon the area and people it serves. A carefully prepared chronological report of the history of Sacred Heart University from the idea stage through its actual inception as a going institution, and its history up to the present time has been prepared as the main historical document. The experiences and activities of those who participated in making the idea of Sacred Heart University a viable institution of higher education constitute the stories behind the story. Their super human efforts and dedication, their willingness tc -i"C unselfishly of themselves and go to the added mile"J give credence to the fact that . people make institutions. Their devotion to making an idea a reality constitutes the warm and human side of the history of Sacred Heart University, In order to record this human side of the history, interviews were held with the original administrators, apart from President Conley, original members of the faculty who were available and one of the first students and class officers. The following key to the abbreviations used will serve to identify those who were interviewed and contributed the information which follows: I - Interviewer - Dr. Herbert C. Clish 0'S - Dr. Maurice J. O'Sullivan First Vice-President and Dean C - Dean John Croffy Ma - Richard Matzek, University Librarian Mo - Professor Marcella Malloy P - Professor Anthony Pinciaro D - William Dean, President - First Graduating Class TABLE OF CONTENTS Dr. Maurice O'Sullivan - Vice President -Pages. 1-36. ,, . , . ,**, . ~.. » i£ - •* • \ Dean John Croffy Pages 37-61 Richard Matzek - University Library Pages 62-73 Dr. .Anthony Pinciaro Pages 74-80 Professor Marcella Malloy Pages 81-86 William Dean - First Class President Pages 87-99 , , . .f<*\ . ' - T *^~ ». *.- -l*,» T. J.---- *• L „ , .,-.S\. •* ,— .-.*>(-•% , — » .-•. - .«** Dr. Maurice J. O'Sullivan - Vice President nr Dr. O'Sullivan, I am reminded as we start our chat together of Dr. Rycenga and his study of Sacred Heart University, "Project Innovation". Certainly nobody has been closer to the warp and woof of this institution than you. I am sure that you have in that fine head of yours, a great deal of information that has never been recorded. On this occasion, it would be something worthwhile to record for posterity. Will you tell me some thing about getting the institution started and of the publicity utilized? 0'S The primary publicity came in a series of news releases from the Chancery. The first one was an announcement by Bishop Curtis from Rome, in the form of a news release from the Chancery. It announced the appoint ment of a committee or Board of Incorporators which included in addition to the Bishop himself, Monsignor John F. McGough, Diocesan Superintendent of Schools ;'~Morisignof "* James Pf Devine;5 James R.^Kerr', "Prcsident'bf "Avco Ci>??cxA'" r * ation; and Donald H, McGannon, President of Westinghouse Broadcasting Cor poration. The committee was to consider the feasibility of a Diocesan College. Specific instructions were given the committee including the basic need for the proposed college, the possibility of utilizing the Notre Dame High School campus, the kind of school it should be, boarding or residential, vis a vis commuting, and the possibility of a lay faculty. The sequence of dates starts with the beginning of Vatican II. The committee worked very industriously and diligently, arid within a few weeks, came up with a report indicating determinations along the lines that had been requested that: (1) There was a need for a Catholic College in the area to satisfy the needs of the high schools. (2) That it be co-educational and commuter because at that time there were great concerns about the closing doors of colleges which you remember, I happened to come across a prediction chart which is very interesting. The experts indicated that in 1962, there would be an overall figure of 4.2 million youth wanting college ad mission. By 1973, our current period, that would have risen to 8.3 million and thus there seemed to be a special need. The other elements that are built into that, have to do with the tradition of Connecticut and New England of not really supplying Catholic education even on the elementary level. They had developed the public school system in which many of the staff and admin istrators were Catholic. As a result they saw no need from the point of view of their Yankee economy of building a new school system with the apologetic character that dominated the parochial schools. They had the best of two worlds. The public schools were largely Catholic in phil osophy and leadership. Hence, there wan't any great problem. - 1 - Prior to the arrival of Archbishop Shehan in Connecticut, who founded the Diocese of Bridgeport, there had not been a parish high school or a Catholic Secondary school other than the private academies, Fairfield Prep, Laurelton Hall, Sacred Heart Academy in Stamford and Sacred Heart in Greenwich. With the enormous success of those high schools, matters now reached a point where it was felt that a college education should be provided. This was the next logical step. There was a need for college facilities for both male and female. The commuter idea then became the means by which the middle class population would be able to send their children to college and have them stay at home to avoid the costly bills of room and board. The lay faculty was largely then agreed upon because of the stretching that was being done, even at that time, of the available re- F ,> — « _ soutces'among'the "religious'orders^- -While- It;-;vas--xonceivia-sr^i "rsir'.y •*•-*-*— •• reasonably assumed that the Diocese would be able to get priests or brothers or nuns as they needed them at that time, it would minimize the resources of another Catholic college somewhere else. The advisors thought that bringing lay people in, would provide a very good supply of faculty which would thus augment the faculties of higher education without having religious leaving any of the existing institutions or putting them under pressure. It is interesting to note that at that time, there were 24 Holy Cross Fathers involved with Notre Dame High School and an equivalent complement of nuns taking care of the girls, whereas now the Holy Cross Fathers are down to five or six. It is very interesting to speculate if that course of using the religious orders had been utilized what prbblems would have erupted. The decisions were made quickly and the committee was now in structed to seek a president. The committee, you know, was Monsignor McGough, Monsignor Devine, Jim Kerr from Avco and Donald McGannon. They acted as the committee in establishing the desirability of the institution and were now about to select a president. They looked among the top educational personnel in the country and they had a wide range of candidates. They screened the candidates and reduced the list to approximately a half dozen. Following interview, that number was further reduced to three, and their final decision was Dr. Conley. I You came into the picture at about this same time? 0'S Well, a little before that time. The Bishop had talked to me the preceding year about his intentions. He wanted to open a Diocesan College - 2 - on the style of Seton Hall. He wanted me to think about it and talk to him and give him some advice on the subject. At that moment with the im pending problems of higher education, financial, population and all the rest I did not sincerely believe that a diocese opening a college was in the best interest of the diocese. It seemed to me that there were other possibilities, but rather than come to him with a negative argument I decided to play it cool and wait. I didn't press the point that it seemed to us in Jersey that Bridgeport , Connecticut was a long distance away. When Dr. Conley came to Bridgeport for an interview, he came to New York and stayed in New York. As was his practice when he came to New York, he ususally, called me and we got together for dinner and a little social hour later in the evening and talked things over. This has been the case ever since he had been at Seton Hall for ten years or more. We would visit and take walks. We became good friends while we were at Seton *•>.» Hall-daritig^hl'^term-of -officer there.*" He called-^&-3-ay^Hg^tffaTr htT V^rT.r* "-' his way up to be interviewed for the Bridgeport Diocesan Presidency .and asked what I knew about the Bishop and the Diocese. I said I knew the Bishop very well and I had the utmost faith in him as a man of character. "Well,"he said, "I need to talk to you after the interview". So, he came and was interviewed. This was the beginning of December. I wrote to the Bishop in December at the end of the Vatican Council, and said now that he had made a decision to open the college, I would be glad to offer advice that might be, helpful to him and his associates in get ting started. The arrangements were made by mail. He wrote back to me and suggested several dates. I selected a date during the Christmas holidays 4 when I could come up and have lunch and talk to him at that time.