Dear Neighbors and Friends,March means basketball for Villanovans and we are thrilled to be cheering for our men's and women's teams in the NCAA Tournament.
The warmer weather also brings more opportunities to enjoy outdoor events, dine at The Refectory or take in a performance of Sondheim's Curtains, directed by Villanova's President, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, at The Mullen Center.
We are also excited to share an update on the anticipated restart of the Friends of Villanova Program (see below for more details).
There is much to look forward to in the coming weeks and we hope you will join us!
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Villanova University Receives $20 Million Gift from Victor J. Maggitti, Jr. ’56 Towards Transformation of Falvey Library
From the Villanova Media Room: Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, announced a $20 million gift from alumnus Victor J. Maggitti, Jr. ’56 VSB, in support of the University’s Falvey Library. This gift will play an instrumental role in advancing Villanova’s vision for transforming the Library to further its scholarly goals and support the evolving needs of students and faculty.
“We are extremely grateful to Vic for his remarkable generosity,” said Father Donohue. “There are few campus spaces that touch as many Villanova lives, or so powerfully set the tone for the University as Falvey Library. Vic’s gift will allow the University to advance learning and discovery, creating a place where students, faculty, staff and the global community of scholars can access, create and share knowledge.”
This project is still in the early stages of planning and additional details, such as the timeline, will be forthcoming. As with other large-scale projects, information will be shared in advance via email as well as in-person meetings to outline the scope and length of the project.
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Friends of Villanova
While the Friends of Villanova program remains suspended, we anticipate the program's return this summer. We look forward to welcoming our neighbors back to campus soon!
Updates on the program's reopening and membership will be forthcoming via email, on our website and our on Facebook Page.
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Brunch at the RefectoryJoin the Refectory on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:30AM to 3:00PM for brunch! For menus, reservations and more, visit refectorynova.com.
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Villanova Women Make First NCAA Tournament Since 2018
From The Philadelphia Inquirer: Nerves were coursing through the players on the Villanova women’s basketball team as they awaited to hear their fate on Selection Sunday. That anxiety turned into relief around 8:30 p.m., when the Wildcats finally heard their name called as the No. 11 seed in the Wichita Region. Villanova (23-8, 15-4 Big East) will play No. 6 seed Brigham Young on Thursday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Going into the selection show, Villanova was firmly on the bubble, and the Wildcats were made to wait until the final few selections.
So when it was announced that Dayton and DePaul would be facing each other in the second play-in game, the Wildcats let out a breath of excitement. Later, when Florida Gulf Coast received the No. 12 seed in the Spokane bracket, there was disappointment. When it was finally confirmed that the Wildcats would be continuing their season in the NCAA Tournament, Finneran Pavilion erupted in cheers.
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Villanova Men to Play Delaware in NCAA Tournament’s First Round
From The Philadelphia Inquirer: One high achievement this weekend under their belts, the Villanova Wildcats turned their attention to the NCAA Tournament and found out Sunday they are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA South Regional, going to Pittsburgh this week to face the closest possible opponent, the Delaware Blue Hens (2:45 p.m. tip).
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Rare 15th Century Irish Chalice on Exhibit at Villanova University Art Gallery
A rare 15th century silver gilt chalice that was snapped up by a mystery Irish entrepreneur last year has been loaned to a Philadelphia university. It made its debut in an exhibition there last week, before it most likely eventually finds a home in the National Museum of Ireland.
ating back to around 1480, the Irish Independent reported last July that the very rare piece is now housed in a specially-commissioned display stand designed to make it look like it is floating in mid air. It sold last year for about €58,000, after attracting global interest and being expected to sell for up to €12,000.
It may have been hidden or buried following its removal from Ireland, after Henry VIII ordered a reform of religious institutions and the dissolution of monasteries.
“Its provenance is an amazing story and mystery. It was likely taken by Cromwellian soldiers after burning or looting a monastery near Cork,” said Joseph Lennon, Director of Irish Studies at Villanova University.
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What will make gas prices come down? Villanova professor has eyes on 2 things
FROM 6ABC.com: Since oil is globally traded, what happens across the world hits us in the wallet.
A Villanova University professor explained to Action News two things he has his eye on right now to determine what happens to prices at the pump: the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the war in Ukraine.
"If OPEC decided to ramp up production that will moderate prices. And certainly, the volatility in the market will subside if there is a resolution in Ukraine. No question whatsoever," said Scott Jackson, visiting professor at Villanova University's College of Engineering.
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"Thirst for the Divine"
March 9th - April 20th, 2022
From the Villanova Media Room: Made of silver gilt in the late 15th century, it was discovered in a cardboard box in a garden outbuilding in England—centuries after it was likely looted from an Irish church or monastery. Villanova University is the very first to exhibit a rare and historical Irish chalice in “Thirst for the Divine,” an exhibition at the Villanova Art Gallery that runs March 9 to April 20, 2022. The exhibit opens March 9 at 6 p.m. with talks by Villanova faculty who specialize in medieval art and history. The event is free and open to the public.
“Thirst for the Divine” also encompasses “Birds of Longing: Exile and Memory,” an exhibit of the work of contemporary fiber and cloth artist Laurie Wohl. Her pieces interweave Christian, Jewish and Muslim spiritual writings from the Convivencia in Spain (8th to 15th centuries) with contemporary Middle Eastern poetry. The exhibit brings the medieval into conversation with spiritually inspired art from the present.
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State Courts and the Political Process, with Justice Kevin P. Brobson
Monday, March 21st, 4:30PM
Arthur M. Goldberg ’66 Classroom (Room 202)
The Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy welcomes Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice P. Kevin Brobson. Justice Brobson will discuss the role of state courts in congressional redistricting and other aspects of the political process following on his article, “Of Free and Equal Elections and Fair Districts How the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Slayed (or Hobbled?) the Partisan Gerrymander” published in the Widener Commonwealth Law Review (Vol. 30, Issue 1).
This lecture is approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for 1 Substantive In-Person CLE credit.
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Oscar Romero Lecture Series Presents: Roz Pichardo
Monday, March 21, 7:00PM
Roz Pichardo is the founder of Operation Save Our City in Philadelphia. As the Lead Educator in the Department of Community Engagement & Volunteer Services at Prevention Point, Roz conducts trainings around the city and suburbs of Philadelphia. She comforts families of murder victims; she has saved the lives of over 600 men and women in active opioid addiction, and she is training hundreds to do the same.
The progaram will begin with the short film, Hello Sunshine, a documentary about Pichardo's life and work. Lecture to follow.
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The Fitzpatrick College of Nursing 2022 Research Symposium and Keynote Address
"Meeting Challenges with Innovation, Inclusion, & Impact", with Dr. Shannon Zenk, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, Director, National Institute of Nursing Research
Tuesday, March 22nd, 4:45PM
Neighbors and friends are invited to join the The Fitzpatrick College of Nursing's 2022 Annual Research Symposium and Keynote Address, delivered by Dr. Shannon Zenk.
Dr. Zenk’s research has focused on social inequities and health with a goal of identifying effective, multilevel approaches to improve health and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities. Her research portfolio has included NIH-supported work into urban food environments, community health solutions and veterans’ health. Through pioneering research on the built environment and food deserts, Dr. Zenk and her colleagues increased national attention to the problem of inadequate access to healthful foods in low-income and Black neighborhoods.
The symposium and keynote address are open to the public.
Registration information and more can be found here.
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2022 Literary Festival Presents: Camille Dungy
Tuesday, March 29th, 7:00PM
The 2022 Literary Festival continues with an evening with author and poet, Camille T. Dungy. Camille T. Dungy’s debut collection of personal essays is Guidebook to Relative Strangers (W. W. Norton, 2017), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is also the author of four collections of poetry, most recently Trophic Cascade (Wesleyan UP, 2017), winner of the Colorado Book Award. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019. She is a professor in the English department at Colorado State University. This event is co-sponsored by the English Department, the Creative Writing Program, Global Interdisciplinary Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, the Center for Irish Studies, and Falvey Memorial Library, is free and open to the public.
Coming to campus? Falvey Memorial Library is Building #18 on our campus map. Prefer to attend from home? The event will be livestreamed as well on March 29th.
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Russia in the Headlines: A Conversation with former NPR Moscow Bureau Chief Lucian Kim
Tuesday, March 29th, 7:00PM
From 2016 – 2021, Lucian Kim served as the Moscow Bureau Chief for National Public Radio and is currently a fellow at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He began his career in 1996 as the Berlin correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, covering stories in Germany, eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2003, he moved to Moscow to serve as business editor and columnist for The Moscow Times. Over the course of his career, Kim has contributed to outlets including Bloomberg News, Newsweek, Buzzfeed, Slate, and Reuters. This event is free and open to the public.
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Modern Belarus: From first Democratic Election (1994) to Last Dictatorship in Europe
Monday, April 11th, 6:00PM
Yuliya Brel-Fournier, PhD, will give a virtual talk on "Modern Belarus: From first Democratic Election (1994) to Last Dictatorship in Europe." Brel-Fournier is an assistant policy scientist at The Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research (CADSR), Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, University of Delaware. A native of Belarus, she earned her doctorate in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, researching the political ramifications of the fall of the Soviet Union on the nations of Poland, Romania and Belarus. This event is free and open to the public.
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Villanova's 2022 Cultural Film & Lecture Series
Villanova's Cultural Film and Lecture Series continues this spring with more movies meant to make you smile. Films are screened in the Cinema of the Connelly Center on Villanova’s campus on Sundays at 3:30PM and 7:00PM and Monday evenings at 7:00PM. The speakers, who introduce the film and lead a discussion after the screening, are only present for the Monday evening screenings. Screenings are free and open to the public.
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THEIR FINEST
Sunday, March 20th, 3:30PM & 7:00PM
Monday, March 21st, 7:00PM
Join the Cultural Film and Lecture Series for a screening and panel discussion (Monday only) of THEIR FINEST, a 2016 British war comedy-drama directed by Lone Scherfig and written by Gaby Chiappe, based on the 2009 novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. The film tells the story of a British Ministry of Information film team making a morale-boosting film about the Dunkirk evacuation during the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz.
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2022 Season at The Mullen Center for the Performing Arts
Villanova’s Center for the Performing Arts is a hub for performances, creativity, engagement, and exploration for the University’s performing arts community - enriching Villanova’s campus and enhancing educational opportunities across the University and beyond. Find tickets, events and more at the Mullen Center's website.
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Curtains: A Musical WhodunnitMusic by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, ’75 CLAS
March 31st - April 10th
From the songwriting wizards behind Cabaret and Chicago comes Curtains, a hit comedy whodunnit dead set on entertainment. It's 1959, and the mysterious death of a theater's leading lady makes everyone a potential suspect. Enter fast-talking detective Frank Cioffi, a stagestruck gumshoe who sniffs out clues while donning tap shoes. With its tuneful score and clever plot, Curtains blends Agatha Christie-like mystery with the spectacular song and dance of golden-age musicals. Celebrate with University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, ’75 CLAS and the Theatre Department on opening night, Friday, April 1, at 8 p.m. or any time before the curtain falls on Sunday, April 10.
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Campus Events Through March 2022
This printable schedule is a comprehensive list of noteworthy events from March through May 2022.
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Final NotesCommunity Conversations
We are excited to announce the return of Community Conversations, our monthly television program, on MLTV21. Community Conversations introduces you to the people from our shared community who are making news and positively impacting the neighborhoods and world around them. This month, we will welcome campus leaders directing the historic expansion of the Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER).
Find more information on how to watch at MLTV-21's website.
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Additional Information
Coming to campus? Know where to go using our Campus Map. Villanova recommends that visitors to campus wear a mask while indoors.
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