February-March 2009

Welcome to the February-March 2009 issue of the Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA) e-newsletter, the Extension Chord. In this issue, you will find a profile of Gregory Michaud, ALM ’97, an announcement about our HEAA Facebook and LinkedIn groups, news from 51 Brattle Street, a call for volunteers, an overview of upcoming HEAA events, and selected alumni news items.

As always, we welcome your ideas and suggestions for the Chord and the HEAA. Questions and comments may be sent to Grace Scheibner, HEAA president, at grace_scheibner@harvard.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Grace Scheibner, ALB ’90
HEAA President

Karen Droisen
Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs and Development
Harvard Extension School

In This Issue

• Profile: Gregory Michaud, ALM ’97
• Announcement: Join Us on Facebook and LinkedIn!
• News from 51 Brattle
• From the Board: A Call for Volunteers
• HEAA Events
• Alumni News

Profile: Gregory Michaud, ALM ’97

HEAA president Grace Scheibner and Gregory Michaud, ALM ’97. Photo by Alison Cherwin, Fat Kitty Studios.

As I got to know Gregory Michaud, ALM ’97, during this interview, I decided to bring out the elements of his story that I thought would inspire students and alumni at Harvard Extension School. Greg’s time here included a five-hour round-trip commute from Maine to attend classes, a demanding full-time job, and four young children. Greg did this for about five years, but he says that the outstanding professors that he had at Extension made the long days (and nights) worthwhile. I think you will enjoy his story.
– Grace Scheibner, ALB ’90, HEAA president

What do you do professionally?

I’m the executive vice president for human resources for Watts Water Technologies in North Andover, Mass. We are a global company dealing with such things as water safety and purity, and water and gas conveyance. We also play in the heating ventilation and air conditioning space, as well as green technologies like solar and radiant heating. I’ve been there for about three years. Before that I was with Ingersoll Rand. I actually have worked in a number of industries including healthcare, shipbuilding, and building products.

What did you study at Extension?

I received my Master of Liberal Arts degree through Harvard Extension in 1997. My concentration was psychology. At that point, I wanted to be a clinical psychologist, but I also had a lot of experience with industrial psychology because I had been doing that for some time. At one point in my career, I worked for psychiatric hospitals in Maine as director of training and education. In that role, I worked with a lot of psychologists and psychiatrists.

What had you been doing before you came to the Extension School?

I had just graduated from Indiana University in public and environmental affairs, but started there originally as a music performance major. I played French horn and my goal was to play in the Chicago symphony. Chicago was known for its great brass section, going back to Fritz Reiner in the 1950s. I sought out a great teacher who happened to be first chair under Fritz Reiner, Phillip Farkas, and I was accepted to study there.

What brought you to Harvard Extension?

From a performance major I shifted to public policy because although I knew as a horn player I could probably make a living, I had gotten into human resources and became interested in psychology. I knew I had to establish some track record in the social sciences. Plus, I had to keep working because I was married and had a family to support. Luckily, I read about Harvard Extension and came here. I was absolutely blown away and really enjoyed it. I remember coming up here in the late 1990s and discovering it was like a different world. I was amazed at the great education I received and the quality of the professors at Extension.

Were there any particular courses or professors you remember while at Extension?

There were a few professors I remember especially well. One was Vernon Howard. He was from the School of Education and taught a course at the Extension School about a theoretical view of education. He was incredible. I liked his approach. He wrote a book called Work, Education, and Leadership. A lot of the leadership books at that time were not worth their salt, but he really did some great work, and his was one of the best courses I took. That’s how I got interested in that aspect of education and leadership. Another course was given by a professor from the Divinity School, Arthur Dyck. He wrote a book called Rights and Responsibilities and taught a course on ethics. He was one of the best lecturers I ever had. I would say those two professors stand out in my mind as being among the best I had at Extension. Another was a research methods course I took which, because of the way it was taught, really made sense to me.

Did you form any relationships while you studied here or become active in student activities?

Not really. I had to come from Wiscasset, Maine, to attend classes. My employer would let me leave work at about 1 pm. I would drive down and take the red line to Harvard Square. It took me about two and a half hours just to get to class and another two and a half hours to get home. I wouldn’t get back until very late, so there was really wasn’t time to form friendships or become involved in student activities. Then I would have to get up at 5 am to get to work. I did this for about five years, but I never disliked it. I’m glad I did what I did because the professors I had were outstanding. It never felt like work and I enjoyed it.

Many of my peers were pursuing master of business administration degrees (MBA), but I had no interest in that. I enjoyed the study of psychology. I also felt that from a marketing point, I was studying something more valuable to my career because there were MBAs all over the place. I was lucky in that my employer helped pay for my education here, and I was able to convince them that psychology plays an important role in management and leadership. I also wanted to come to Harvard Extension because I wanted an American Psychological Association-approved degree program in psychology.

Tell me about your family.

My wife’s name is Kelly. She and I grew up in Massachusetts, although she had moved to New York and then to the University of Michigan to complete her undergraduate work. We reconnected and got married after she graduated from Michigan. I have four great kids, Adrienne, Cameron, Madeline, and Lucas and we are enjoying living in North Andover, Mass.

Announcement: Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Reconnect with other Harvard Extension alumni and learn about upcoming events through the HEAA Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

Membership in the Facebook group requires a Facebook account and is limited to Harvard Extension alumni only. Search for “Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA)” and click the “Request to Join” link. New to Facebook? Visit the Facebook website to create an account.

Membership in the LinkedIn group requires a LinkedIn account and is limited to Harvard Extension alumni and current students. Search for “Harvard Extension School—Current Students & Alumni” and click the “Join this group” link. New to LinkedIn? Visit the LinkedIn website to create an account.

News from 51 Brattle

Enrollments jump at Harvard Extension School
Student enrollment at Harvard Extension School is up more than 10 percent over spring 2008. With its low tuition, convenient class times, and top-notch faculty, Extension serves the needs of adult learners coping with the economic crisis. Information about 2009–10 courses will be available in early June.

Take a class at Harvard this summer!
The Harvard Summer School offers nearly 300 courses and most are open admission. Registration is currently open. To learn more, visit the Summer School website.

From the Board: A Call for Volunteers

Alumni in Environmental Fields of Work
The Harvard Extension Environmental Club is looking for alumni to be guest speakers. If you have experience in a related field and would be interested in volunteering, please contact Anna Keegan, Harvard Extension Alumni Affairs and Development staff assistant, at anna_keegan@harvard.edu.

Project Reconnect
We invite alumni to join Project Reconnect, a program to reach out to graduates to build our connection with them, to survey their interests, and reconnect them to our vibrant community. Engage with people from your graduating class. Learn about your classmates’ experiences and where they are going next. Ask former students about their jobs, further education, and ways they would like to become more involved with the HEAA. Help us build a conversation among alumni association members. The time commitment is small—about one hour per month from your home—but the rewards are great. To participate, please contact Mike Fishbein, ALM ’04, HEAA chair of communications, at mike.fishbein@post.harvard.edu.

Invite a Student to Dinner Program
Would you like to reconnect with the student community at Harvard Extension School? The Invite a Student to Dinner program provides opportunities for Extension School students to connect with alumni in collegial and relaxed settings. The cost of the dinner (whether it is pizza, filet mignon, or something in between) is considered a gift-in-kind to Harvard Extension School and is completely tax deductible.

If you have questions or comments about the program, please contact Theresa Dilando, CSS ’83, HEAA vice president, at tdilando@yahoo.com; or Michele Blanc, CM ’07, HEAA chair of alumni relations, at michele_blanc@harvard.edu. We look forward to your feedback.

HEAA Events

Whether you are interested in cultural, educational, or athletic events, or simply in socializing with your fellow alumni, the HEAA event calendar includes an outing for you. If you’ve never attended any of our events, I urge you to make this the year you try one or two. If you’re a long-time participant, eager to enjoy your favorite events, welcome back! Either way, I look forward to sharing our exciting events with you.
– HEAA Events Chair Steve Gallagan, CSS ’00

Recent HEAA Events

Harvard Men’s Basketball vs. Yale

Photo by Steve Gallagan

Friday, February 6, 2009
Lavietes Pavilion

Thirty-five Extension School alumni, family, and friends got together on Friday evening, February 6, to cheer the Harvard Crimson (9–10, 1–4 Ivy) basketball squad as they took on the Bulldogs from Yale (9–11, 3–2 Ivy).

Coach Tommy Ameker’s team battled hard, but was unable to overcome Yale’s 40–22 points in the paint advantage and 55.2 percent shooting, succumbing 87–66 at Lavietes Pavilion. Despite the loss, the near-capacity crowd was treated to an exciting game, with Harvard coming out to a quick start before hitting the wall in the form of Yale’s significant height advantage.

Our HEAA group thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s distraction from the winter weather, with many looking forward to the HEAA hockey event on February 28, where the Crimson men take on the Tigers from Princeton.

Upcoming HEAA Events

We have many exciting events planned for spring 2009. Please join us! You will receive postcard and broadcast e-mail invitations to each event about two weeks before its scheduled date.

For more information on the following events, please visit the HEAA Events page.

Alumni News

We love to hear from you! To send us a class note, log in at Post.Harvard, select Alumni Notes in the upper left column, and Add a Note at the top of the page. You can also send your news directly to alumni@dcemail.harvard.edu.

Nadia M. Gueorguieva, ALM ’08, married Marc A. Ullman on June 14, 2008, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Judith Broggi, ALM ’07, has been working at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Mass., part time in the education and public programs department for a year now, and working part time at the national park since May. Both jobs have had her doing research, and doing interpretive programs about colonial New England farming. Specifically, the park has asked her to be part of a team to develop new programs for the Whittemore site and the area she concentrated on in the Museum Studies Program at the Extension School, the Samuel Brooks site.

Erika Frey-Haseyawa, CM ’07, has returned to Cambridge to work at Harvard University after a year spent writing and teaching in California and Switzerland. She looks forward to reconnecting with classmates and friends from the community.

Lindsay Reardon, DPM ’07, has just started her second semester at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has already skied 15 days this season. She loves every minute of becoming a physician, and wants to thank everyone at the Health Careers Program for helping her get there.

Adam Rozan, ALM ’07, is working as the marketing manager of the Oakland Museum of California and will be chairing a session of the American Association of Museums’ annual conference in Philadelphia, Penn., in May of this year. His session, “Beyond the Party: Continuing Engagement with YoCos,” focuses on working with young cosmopolitan audiences in museums and how institutions can become culturally and socially relevant. The session also features Julie Crites, director of program planning at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; Sarah Stifler, acting director of communications for the UCLA Hammer Museum; and Stephanie Downey, managing director of Randi Korn & Associates.

Paul Bourke, ALM ’04, is working as an adjunct professor at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass., teaching US history and an orientation course for incoming students.

Sheila D. Jackson, CPC ’04, has self-published two novels, Six Sides of Fear and Give Me That Old Time Religion. 

Doris Haas Finley, ALB ’03, obtained her master’s degree in art history from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and is now in the process of starting a small “tour for friends” business. Her idea is to conduct individually designed tours with an art-historical aspect in Scotland and Germany. She has already led two enchanting tours in Scotland.

Roseann Benson, CSS ’02, has written a book titled 101 Puppy Buying Tips, which was published in October 2008.  It is available for purchase online, including through the publisher’s website (www.lifetips.com).

David Palmieri, ALM ’02, received his doctorate from the University of Montreal in 2007 and is now teaching French at Auburn University in Alabama. He has written a chapter on Emily Dickinson in France and Quebec that will be published in 2009 in Emily Dickinson’s International Perception by Longman. 

Michael J. Hervey II, ALM ’01, has co-written a book titled Daddy Loves You: Whispers of Wisdom from a Father’s Heart, published by Trafford Publishing. The project was born after a discussion amongst a group of friends and colleagues about the pearls of wisdom “whispered” into the heart of their children.

Deborah S. Kirschtel-Taylor, CMS ’00, is working as curator of collections at the Frost Art Museum in Florida, which just opened its inaugural exhibitions in its new facility at Florida International University.

Adam Craig Pinto, ALB ’98, graduated from New York Law School in 2002, and is now studying for the California bar exam.

Christopher Lubicz-Nawrocki, ALM ’96, graduated from Simmons College in 2002 with a master’s degree in library and information science and currently works in the open collections program in the Harvard University Library.

Susan Donahue, CSS ’95, invites all Harvard alumni and friends to a free concert by Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC), “In the Neighborhood”: A Choral Festival for Young Choirs, Saturday, March 21, 2009, at 2 pm, Roxbury Community College, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Boston. This concert gives BCC’s four training choirs an opportunity to take the stage on their own and show the world that they have a voice. In addition to the concert, there are free workshops for anyone interested in working with the young voice. For more information, contact Jan Woiler Meuse at Boston Children’s Chorus at (617) 778-2242 x226.

Barbara Sheff, CPH ’92, is an innkeeper at the Candleshop Inn, York Beach, Maine, which will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary creating a holistic retreat for its guests.

Susan Cook Thanas, ALM ’87, ALB ’74, AA ’71, led a group of six teachers to Fuzhou, China, in the summer of 2008 for the Sino-American Bridge for Education and Health. They taught secondary teachers of English about American methods of teaching and taught students of English about American culture. Three years earlier, she also participated in a similar program.

Ruth Oppenheim, AA ’72, had an essay published in the Providence Journal on November 10, 2008, titled “Fleeing after Kristallnacht.” She retired as Brown University administrator emeriti.

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