Tara’s farewell cake created by The Queen’s Cup, a Worcester Bakery owned by alumna Renee King Diaz ’12.

The messages appeared by the hundreds across Facebook, online and in handwritten notes. Messages of gratitude. Well wishes and good luck. And so many memories of the ways Tara Hancock MS ‘06, during her 18 years in Alumni Relations at Worcester State, has made a difference to students, alumni, and her colleagues.

“Wouldn’t have been able to accomplish a lot of things without you in my corner.”
“YOU have been our connection to ӣ����Ƶ.”
“You were truly one of the best mentors.”

At the end of June, Hancock stepped down from her role as executive director of Alumni Relations and Engagement to spend time with her family. A beloved member of the Worcester State community and alumna, since she began working at Worcester State in 2005 while she was a graduate student. Over the years, Hancock transformed Alumni Relations to bring greater focus to the experience of students while they are at Worcester State, helping to connect them with scholarships, internships, and networking opportunities – all while launching innovative programs for the university’s more than 40,000 graduates across the U.S. and internationally. Her emphasis on student engagement was paired with a focus on supporting recent graduates or “young alumni,” who are just starting their careers or continuing to graduate school after graduation.

“Tara has done a tremendous job over the past two decades of uniting and building Worcester State’s alumni community,” said Vice President of University Advancement Tom McNamara. “I’m grateful for her energy, enthusiasm and dedication to the university and I have no doubt that as a proud alumna, she will continue to be involved.”

Derek Canton ‘15 connected with Hancock during his junior year after he won the university’s entrepreneurship competition, The Next Big Idea. That win led to a mentorship between Canton and the late Robert K. O’Brien, an alumnus and successful businessman who founded the competition. O’Brien invested in Canton’s startup as he was getting started as a tech entrepreneur. Today, Canton is the CEO of Paerpay and was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 2023 30 Under 30.

“Students connecting with alumni, alumni connecting with students to help them prepare for the world – Tara was a huge part of that,” Canton said. “That was a good thing for me transitioning out of college. She helped amplify my profile and she also just checked in and has been an amazing friend. I feel so connected to the university and Tara is a huge part of that.”

In June, University Advancement held a send-off party for Hancock with alumni and her Worcester State colleagues crowding into the rotunda on the first floor of the Administration Building. People were, literally, waiting in line to hug her.

“Through the time I’ve known her, she was so good about reaching out and making sure people were informed and keeping us connected,” said Board of Trustees member Amy Peterson, the chief of staff in the Worcester City Manager’s Office. “She really made the effort – it wasn’t just calling me to attend an event, it was out of the blue just to grab coffee and catch up. So often you get a phone call and you know there’s an ask coming. With Tara, it is genuine. She wants to hear what you’re doing and what’s going on in life. It carries through from her personal life to professional life. She is one of a kind.”

Hancock has always worked quietly hard behind the scenes to support people, said Maryanne Hammond ’69, M.ED ’72, M.ED ’77, who worked closely with Tara for almost 20 years on the Alumni Board and Board of Trustees. Hammond can remember bumping into her at Worcester State’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic, and asking if she needed a shot. But Tara wasn’t the one who needed the vaccine.

“There was an older alum who needed a shot so Tara drove her to get her shot,” Hammond said. “Tara would be in the office stuffing envelopes. Sometimes when you get to a different level of your job you think things are beneath you. Nothing is beneath her. She went to every meeting of the alumni advisory board and made sure everything went well, from what we were going to eat to how long it would take.”

Worcester State was Hancock’s third job out of college. An English major, she briefly worked in publishing and grant writing, but quickly realized she wanted a job working with people. She landed at Worcester State and was mentored by the former University Advancement Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Camilla Caffrey.

“I know it sounds corny, but for me, it really is the people,” Hancock said reflecting on nearly two decades. “There is something about the students and how we meet as freshmen and we get to see them grow up. Our neat role is now you are alumni and we are still connected to you. We get to be part of the journey at Worcester State and beyond. The students have always been my why – even when they become alumni.”

More than a few people mentioned that they hope at some point, Hancock might return to Worcester State. For now, though, everyone is focused on continuing to strengthen the foundation of connection, caring and support that Hancock built.

“Even though she is stepping down from that role, I still feel that same level of connection to her and the university and that’s because of her,” Canton said.”It’s that authenticity and connection – she’s family. Even though she is technically stepping down nothing changes.”

The post Alumna Tara Hancock’s years of connecting, supporting and building Worcester State’s alumni community appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

Cousy played for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963. During that time, he supported his African American teammates when they faced harassment and discrimination and formed the first professional sports union, the National Basketball Players Association. He has committed his life to programs supporting underprivileged youths and has made a significant impact to Worcester, including founding the Worcester chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 1963.

Watch the video below to hear more about Cousy and to hear his remarks.

The post University Honors Worcester Basketball Legend Bob Cousy appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

Marie A. Arduini
Friend of the university
November 19, 2022

Ronald C. Arsenault ’80
January 7, 2023

Cynthia A. Barry ’99
February 26, 2023

William L. Beando ’67, MEd ’74
November 5, 2022

John E. Belton ’88
December 24, 2022

Margaret M. (Toomey) Bennett ’63, MEd ’89
February 21, 2023

Philip D. Berthiaume ’87
February 8, 2023

Mary C. (Whalen) Brigham ’54
December 24, 2022

Margaret A. Brown, RSM, MEd ’61
December 15, 2022

Jo-Anne (Hayes) Carr ’67
December 29, 2022

Andrew H. Creen Jr. ’73
January 14, 2023

John P. Daly Jr. ’61, MEd ’65
November 12, 2022

Robert M. Dawson, III
Friend of the university
November 3, 2022

Margaret E. Donabedian ’97
January 13, 2023

Kathy L. Duffy ’83, MEd ’92
December 12, 2022

Joseph P. Duhamel ’72
November 28, 2022

Phillip E. Dumas
Friend of the university
January 3, 2023

Dorothy A. Edgington, MEd ’72
November 11, 2022

Maryann F. (O’Leary) Firlings ’59
December 5, 2022

Paul F. Ford ’78
November 11, 2022

Howard L. Furhman ’81
January 6, 2023

Charles B. Gareau, MEd ’72
November 21, 2022

Donna L. Gillogly ’91
March 29, 2023

John T. Grady ’60, MEd ’65
November 15, 2022

Leo A. Hamelin Jr. ’66
March 30, 2023

Francis X. Hanam ’62, MEd ’66
November 20, 2022

Charles T. Hannah ’76
November 3, 2022

Theresa M. (Foley) Ingemi ’55
March 7, 2023

Jennifer L. Johnson ’01
December 28, 2022

Helen E. Kangas ’89
February 25, 2023

John J. Kelleher ’78
November 1, 2022

Frances M. (Ciccarelli) Koliss ’63
February 9, 2023

Elinor C. (Pearsall) Lamberton ’64, MEd ’68
January 14, 2023

Mark J. Lepkowski ’80
December 27, 2022

James P. Lewandowski ’82
January 1, 2023

Craig R. Lindberg ’88
December 17, 2022

Lucy L. (Manning) Linden ’60
December 1, 2022

Eleanor F. (Donahue) Looney ’55
November 23, 2022

Kathleen E. Sullivan Lynch ’91, MEd ’99
December 21, 2022

David J. Martin ’72
January 4, 2023

James Anthony McDermott ’98
December 26, 2022

Peter J. McDonald, MEd ’79
March 16, 2023

John R. McGinn ’66, MEd ’71
February 7, 2023

Troy Allen Miner ’03
November 19, 2022

Joseph J. Monfredo ’61, MEd ’64
February 12, 2023

Margaret M. (O’Connell) Moynihan ’60, MEd ’64
January 15, 2023

France H. (Koenig) Murphy ’01
February 25, 2023

Frances T. (Noonan) Murphy ’57, MEd ’60
December 25, 2022

Martha A. (Kane) North ’68, MEd ’72

November 15, 2022

Herbert J. O’Connor ’73
March 31, 2023

Dorothy R. Perkins ’69
January 20, 2023

Robert C. Phoenix Jr. ’79, MS ’91
January 7, 2023

Joan L. Piccolo, MEd ’73
February 23, 2023

Kathleen M. Quinlivan ’83
February 24, 2023

Robert J. Quinlivan ’59, MEd ’62
March 14, 2023

Michael T. Renihan ’86
February 3, 2023

Diana Awtry Rogers ’73
December 20, 2022

Christopher J. Rose ’82
January 11, 2023

Charles F. Rososky Jr. ’62
February 17, 2023

Allen W. Russell ’68
November 17, 2022

Thomas F. Scanlon, MEd ’67
March 23, 2023

Robert J. Stairs, MEd ’72
January 8, 2023

Kathleen A. Stasaitis ’93
February 11, 2023

Mark C. Stone ’86
January 15, 2023

Gregory Ulinski ’99
January 28, 2023

James R. Wood, MEd ’03
January 11, 2023

Stanley R. Zytkiewicz, MEd ’66
March 14, 2023

Listing of deceased alumni and friends included in this issue reflects the dates between November 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, only.

The post In Memoriam appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

Gordon S. Matheson passed away suddenly at his home in Rutland, Mass., March 7, 2023. He was born in Springfield, Mass., November 11, 1942, to the late Malcolm and Mabel Matheson. He graduated from Olivet College in Michigan and earned a master’s degree and CAGS from Assumption and a doctorate from UMass Amherst. He taught middle school for five years and then had a 38-year career as a professor of psychology at ӣ����Ƶ, where he was a popular and inspirational teacher and was active in college government and union activities.

Dr. Matheson and his wife, Joline, were inseparable companions, and after retirement they traveled the world, visiting more than 100 countries. He particularly loved New Zealand, the European capitals, and the American Southwest. He never lost his love of learning and recently took great interest in local history. He also was a Boston Bruins fan. He will be remembered as a marvelous storyteller with a brilliant mind and great sense of humor.

Mary P. (Walsh) Moran ’57, MEd ’82

Mary P. (Walsh) Moran, 88, passed away Thursday, February 9, 2023, in her home, surrounded by her loving family. Mary was the first baby born in 1935 in Memorial Hospital in Worcester. She was the daughter of James and Elizabeth (McGovern) Walsh of Ireland. Her loving husband of 50 years, Donald “Mickey” Moran, predeceased her in 2009.

Mary loved teaching and inspired thousands of students throughout her career. She was named Teacher of the Year in Worcester in 1992 and awarded the Key to the City. She was president of the Jesse Burkett League in Worcester and co-directed hundreds of high school kids in musical shows at Christ the King Church. She suffered a stroke in 2020, resulting in loss of speech and mobility. Her daughters Maura and Erin were with her every week to enable her to stay in independent living at Southgate in Shrewsbury. Her family are grateful to the Southgate team and all the caregivers helping Mary over these last few years.

Patrick John O’Connor, EdD

Patrick John (“PJ”) O’Connor, 84, a dynamic high school English teacher and retired professor of education at ӣ����Ƶ, died on January 20, 2023, after a brief illness. He was born to Eleanor and Patrick O’Connor and was raised in Worcester. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Assumption College and a master’s degree from Niagara University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Parris Island, SC, and acquired an EdD in educational psychology from UMass Amherst in 1977 and completed a post-doctoral study at Harvard University.

He taught high school English for 40 years in the Worcester Public Schools, mostly at South High School, and then became an assistant professor of education at Worcester State, where he taught until he retired. He was a powerful and impassioned teacher who left his mark on generations of students. He was awarded Educator of the Year in 1995 by Phi Delta Kappa. His interests were many: traveling, Irish culture, the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics.

The post We Remember appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

The university’s first major benefactor, Robert K. O’Brien ’58 launched the Next Big Idea, an entrepreneurship competition meant to foster the next generation of business leaders, in 2013. That year, at the very last minute, a sophomore named Derek Canton entered the competition, skeptical that he even had a shot.

Canton went on to win the Next Big Idea, much to his own surprise. An even bigger surprise came when he got a call afterward from O’Brien himself, a business leader and founder of a global company, Health Reinsurance Management Partnership, which along with some 10 other associated companies that O’Brien created, employed more than 300 people. O’Brien had a passion for entrepreneurship, and an even greater passion for supporting talented young people at Worcester State. When he saw potential in someone, he would reach out personally, and over decades he forged many mentoring friendships with Worcester State students.

“Bob personally called to congratulate me and tell me he wanted to invest in the business and take me under his wing,” said Canton ’15, who today is the founder and CEO of Paerpay and one of Forbes’ 2023 30 Under 30 superstars. “I remember literally jumping up and down. Bob was one of the very first people to believe in me. The amount of time and effort he invested in me was priceless. He single-handedly, fundamentally changed my life. That’s where my passion for entrepreneurship blossomed.”

A beloved ӣ����Ƶ alumnus and benefactor who touched the lives of many, O’Brien passed away on June 2, 2023, at the age of 88. He and his wife, the late Barbara (Hickey) O’Brien ’57, were among the university’s first major donors, giving nearly $1 million over Bob’s lifetime, even as he committed countless hours of service to the university on various boards. 

“Bob has had an immeasurable impact on ӣ����Ƶ,” said President Barry M. Maloney. “He was a cornerstone member of our alumni association, helping us build a culture of philanthropy. More than 100 students have benefitted from his and his late wife Barbara’s scholarships, and several students have started new, successful companies after receiving financial backing via the Robert K. O’Brien Next Big Idea contest. We are truly grateful to have had his engagement and support, and he will be missed.”

O’Brien was born during the Great Depression and grew up in a “cold-water apartment” in Worcester—so named because it offered no hot water. His parents worked hard to provide necessities for the family and passed on their industriousness to their children. In college, he worked two jobs while also taking a full course load. He cooked breakfast at a local diner five mornings a week and drove a taxi every other night, often doing his homework under the dome light of his cab.

Retired Worcester State professor Maureen Stefanini ’58, MEd ’61, EdD went to college with O’Brien. “He worked hard. In the daytime he was delivering for Cushman Bakery. At night he worked for a taxi cab company. He had two jobs and still did well in school. He still managed to get his work done.”

After graduating from Worcester State and establishing himself as an entrepreneur, Bob and Barbara wanted to help hardworking students at their alma mater. In 1997, they established four scholarships in honor of their parents. It was the start of a lifetime of support.

“He was family oriented,” said Stefanini. “They were a good team. They did so much for the college.”

Robert and Barbara O’Brien

Over the years, they established several other scholarships. After Barbara passed away in 2015, Bob created a new endowment for the Worcester State’s Department of Education, honoring her 34 years as a special education teacher in Worcester Public Schools. 

Vice President of University Advancement Thomas McNamara ’94 knew O’Brien for 26 years and considered him a mentor. “He had a great sense of humor,” McNamara said. “He often said he’s failed many, many times—too many to count. But he kept going.” 

When McNamara’s father passed away, O’Brien made a gift to honor him in support of a scholarship McNamara created in his parents’ name. “All my memories come back to him caring about family—my family, too—and doing something for someone else,” McNamara said.

The generosity of the O’Briens reverberated for years. They were the first to establish class year scholarships, which planted the seed for other alumni to do the same. Some of the recipients of one of the O’Briens’ scholarships have, in turn, established their own scholarships.

One such person is Nick Monfreda ’00, who received one of O’Brien’s scholarships in 1997. “It was a true honor and a blessing to have had the opportunity to become acquainted with Bob as both a friend and a mentor over the course of the past 25 years,” Monfreda said. “I was among the first students at Worcester State to receive invaluable financial support from two of the university’s most charitable and compassionate alumni. It is a profoundly selfless act to pay forward one’s own good fortune in order to assist those in need, and Bob’s unwavering dedication to this principle has inspired me to carry on his legacy by endowing a scholarship with the same objective that he and Barbara initiated a quarter-century ago. The aim of this scholarship is to provide aid to students who require some assistance while they work towards completing their studies. Bob will be greatly missed by the Worcester State community, and his legacy will continue to live on.”

In a 2022 interview with the university, O’Brien said it was the students that inspired him to give and support initiatives like the Next Big Idea.

“Worcester State turns out very smart people,” O’Brien said in the interview. “They have as much natural intelligence as any student that goes to Yale Harvard or Brown…. There is a lot of brilliance in the student population—they need to know they have it, and they don’t always know. We need to encourage them to understand that they have all the essentials, and it’s okay to ask for help.”

O’Brien’s generous leadership style also had an impact on those who knew him. “Bob was really good at encouraging but also correcting and giving feedback in a constructive way,” Canton said. “That inspired me in the way that I deal with my employees.”

Robert O’Brien (center, red tie) with President Barry Maloney and winners of The Next Big Idea.

The two kept in touch over the past ten years. O’Brien made a point of calling Canton after the Forbes announcement to tell him how proud he was. “Whenever I think of Bob it brings so much joy to my heart,” Canton said. “He does these incredible things, but he’s not boastful about it. If I live half the life he lived, that would be incredible.”

Another individual whose life was touched by O’Brien’s generosity was Tim Blood ’18, MS ’19, who received an O’Brien scholarship while he was a business major. 

“The scholarship was about industriousness,” Blood remembers. “I had multiple jobs and worked within my community, and it really spoke to me. I got to read the stories of Bob and his family and even got to meet them in person at an alumni donor event. It was an absolute honor to meet Bob and his two sons and give a presentation in front of all the alumni donors about the scholarship and its impact.”

The two kept in touch as Blood went on to work in accounting at TJX headquarters. In March of 2023, O’Brien established the Timothy and Rachel Blood Scholarship for Tim and his wife, who graduated from Worcester State in 2018. With O’Brien’s passing, Blood and his wife are hoping to rename the scholarship in his honor.

“Bob illustrated the importance of good works in donation and putting your time and effort into other people,” Blood said. “He showed me the humility and generosity that a person can have, and he demonstrated that. He put his money where his mouth was, and that is really special.”

O’Brien was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Hickey O’Brien; son Kevin R. O’Brien; and parents Arlene M. Lanois O’Brien Knight and Robert Ivor O’Brien. He is survived by his son, Brendan R. O’Brien, daughter-in-law Julie Grasso, and grandchildren Samuel and Gianna; his lady friend, Donna M. Cohen; sister Janet A. Martin and her four children; and trusted friend and colleague Laurie Weil.

Worcester State will hold a celebration of O’Brien later this year.

The post University Pays Tribute to Robert K. O’Brien ’58 appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

Story and photos by Nancy Sheehan

John J. Lynch took a gamble on an idea close to his heart—and hit the creative jackpot.

Lynch, a 1998 graduate of Worcester State and adjunct faculty member in the English Department, wrote a screenplay loosely based on his life experiences when he was younger. The resulting short film, called The Gambler, is winning accolades, honors, and acceptance into film festivals across the country.

An April showing at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival in Worcester, which was its first festival screening, was a sellout. Submissions for upcoming screenings at festivals in New York City, Philadelphia, and elsewhere have already netted Lynch several awards. The film is the first solo screenwriting credit for Lynch, who started in TV as an assistant writer on That ’70s Show and also wrote jokes for Tim Allen and other comedians.

John J. Lynch with actor Mark Rolston, one of the stars of the short film The Gambler.

Lynch, who grew up in Worcester and now lives in Burbank, Calif., no longer gambles, but based The Gambler screenplay on the exploits of his younger self. The main character, Joe Sullivan, finds himself in a dangerous gambler’s bind—laying a bet with one bookie to pay off another. The 17-minute film involves Joe sitting in a movie theater as he waits for the results of the NBA game that he has placed his do-or-die bet on, another nod to Lynch’s younger years.

“When I was growing up, we had something like six movie theaters in Worcester, and my friends and I practically lived in them,” he said. His film fixation led Lynch to make movies with friends in his backyard and to guess all the Academy Award winners in a school contest when he was 13. A teacher at Worcester Central Catholic High School called the local daily newspaper about the young phenom, and Lynch found himself on the cover of the entertainment section.

“They did a story about how I make movies with neighborhood kids and took a picture of me striking a pose in front of The Empire Strikes Back marquee at the old Showcase Cinemas downtown (now the Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts). The headline was something like ‘Whiz kid picks the Oscars at 13,’” he said. But he’s not one to take much credit for the feat, even now. “The big movies were Coming Home and The Deer Hunter, so it was a pretty easy year,” he said.

After high school, Lynch’s youthful movie-making dreams were put on hold as he set out to find a way to make a living. He eventually got a job at a company that made packaging from recycled cardboard. It paid well—no small prize for a working-class Worcester kid. “I was a night foreman on a corrugator machine, which sounds pretty far away from screenwriting,” he said. “But they liked me and wanted to keep me on.”

Still, though the money was good, he found the work unfulfilling. He quit his job and enrolled at Worcester State. He was the first in his immediate family to go to college, so it was a big step, but he quickly sensed he had done the right thing.

“I took a class with Ken Gibbs, a longtime English teacher there, and he was talking about a Thomas Pynchon novel, Mason & Dixon, and he was so excited about the ideas behind it, the philosophy of life behind it, and what the writer had to go through to create it, and I was like, ‘Yes, I want more of this. This is where I belong,’” he said.

After Lynch expressed his newfound enthusiasm for literature to another of his professors, Ruth Haber, he was urged to sign up for a school-sponsored trip to Worcester, England, to study Shakespeare. “And so, I went to Worcester, England, with Worcester State, and this was my introduction to college—taking all these really cool classes and being flown to England to study Shakespeare.”

His Worcester State experiences led the former night foreman to think outside the box. His Worcester State English professors became role models, and Lynch decided he would follow in their learned footsteps.  

But Hollywood and his love of writing led him to follow a different career path, although teaching has remained a part of his life. He teaches an online screenwriting class at Worcester State as well as online courses at Southern New Hampshire University and at Santa Monica College. “I think I’ll always be involved with teaching one way or another, which is great because I just love it,” he said.

Lynch moved from Worcester to California after he enrolled in a master’s degree program at Emerson College. He majored in writing, literature, and publishing the first year and then … he took a screenwriting class. The professor, a successful screenwriter himself, encouraged Lynch to go Los Angeles. “And I said, ‘L.A., like Hollywood?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, you can finish your degree out there.’”

So, Lynch switched to a creative writing program and set off for a new adventure. “I just packed up my car with another graduate student I knew from Emerson, and we drove across the country,” he said. An early success came when he defended his master’s thesis before an Emerson professor who also worked in the entertainment industry. “My thesis was a screenplay, and he optioned it,” Lynch said. “That’s where people give you money to not show it to anybody else.” It was the first of several movie script options that would keep Lynch financially afloat even though, as is the case with most optioned scripts, the movies never actually got made.

His first job after graduating was as a gofer with the production company for the hit TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun. The company also produced That ’70s Show. A secretary from 3rd Rock intervened to cut short Lynch’s gofer stint. “She said ‘You have an MFA from Emerson? What are you doing being a gofer?’” She made a call and found That ’70s Show needed an assistant writer, and he got the job.

Lynch said he learned a lot in that show’s writer’s room, including that TV wasn’t his calling. “I learned that it’s the same formula every single week. They just put them in different situations,” he said. “It’s the same set-up: two jokes by page three, four jokes by page eight, complete resolution by page 20. Everybody’s happy at the end. It’s almost a mathematical process.”

Instead, Lynch was inexorably drawn to movie scriptwriting, perhaps a reflection of those endless hours spent in theaters growing up. To support himself, he does a variety of writing jobs but always comes back to the movies. “I knew that I really had to be true to my talents as far as what I could produce,” he said. “So, I’ve written three movies and all of them sold, but none of them got made.”

Until The Gambler, that is. “That’s my first sole screenwriting credit—after all this time—with just my name and no one else,” he said.

Lynch got an honorable mention at the, so he will go to New York this summer to show his latest project around—a full-length script of The Gambler. “This summer in New York I’ll be seeing a lot of people and saying, ‘Well, this is what I have. If you liked the short, here’s the feature,’” he said. “I think it has a great shot.”

The post A Screenwriter’s Life appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

By Associate Professor Aimee X. Delaney
Routledge, September 2022

When Aimée X. Delaney was in high school, she knew she wanted to go into law enforcement because she wanted to help people. When she started her first job, though, she found the reality was quite different from what she had imagined. “I realized I’m not actually helping people,” she said. “I’m just enforcing the law.”

A couple of job changes later, Delaney was an investigator for the state of New Hampshire, looking at cases of everything from conflicts of interest among state employees to the victimization of children. Two of the cases Delaney worked on during this time resulted in the saving of two children’s lives.

As rewarding as that was, when she decided to start a family, she stepped away from her role as an investigator and went back to graduate school. There, she tried to pursue a line of inquiry that didn’t involve violence, but her PhD advisor at the University of New Hampshire, Dr. Murray Strauss, asked her, “Why would you throw all that knowledge away?” He encouraged her to expand upon her practical expertise by looking at research into violence.

Now an associate professor in criminal justice and secretary of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, she has put her expertise to good use in her 2022 book, from Routledge.

Delaney spent more than six years analyzing data from 17,000 participants across more than 30 countries collected during the years 2001-06. From this data, she developed her theory of norms of violence. “Violence is more than just hitting people,” she said. “Violence can be witnessing it, telling people to engage in violence, raising children where violence is presented as an appropriate form of conflict resolution. It’s more than what we might call the cycle of violence, because it’s not necessarily people repeating it; it’s at the societal level, where we normalize violence in the socialization of children and actually encourage it.”

The socialization of people to violence is one of the key points of Delaney’s argument. “Just because people engage in illicit behavior doesn’t make them bad. Being an investigator, you learn that,” she said. “Sometimes people who engage in violent acts, it’s not that they’re violent criminals or violent deviants.” Rather, those individuals have absorbed the message that violence is acceptable. That message may have been delivered explicitly, by, for instance, being told by a parent to punch a bully, or implicitly, by, for example, simply living in a country that has the death penalty.

Delaney says she defines violence a bit more broadly than some of her colleagues, and not all the acts that she defines as violent—sexual coercion, for example, or spanking children—are considered crimes. She, therefore, spends some time in her book defining violence and theories of crime.

A good deal of the book is spent looking closely at the data Delaney used to construct her argument and delineating differences in actions and outcomes across nations. Of particular note are the many factors that contribute to the normalization of violence over time.

Delaney acknowledges the challenges in analyzing the data. She used multiple areas that could be measured with validity across nations, but sometimes, she said, there was no explanation she could find for a country’s level of violence. “People can come up with anecdotal explanations,” she said, “but there are no statistical explanations. Colleagues will say things like, ‘What about war?’ Well, how do you define war? How do you measure war? Is it a war or is it a conflict? Is it a terrorist act or is it a war? It’s challenging.”

The book received the 2023 Outstanding Book Award (international section) from the , an international association of criminal justice experts that fosters professional and scholarly activities in the field. 

Delaney has not forgotten her goal of helping people. She hopes that her work can help alter societal perceptions on what violence is, with the ultimate goal of reducing violence. She included a chapter on policy regarding child rearing in Norms of Violence, considering how families and communities can be supported in raising children who won’t engage in violent behaviors in a way that keeps in mind cultural traditions and potentially limited resources.

–By Rebecca Cross

The post What We’re Reading: Norms of Violence appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

By Nancy Sheehan

You’re searching online for a pain relief remedy. A friendly little chatbot pops up with a smile and announces: “Hi there, I’m Emma. I’ll be happy to help you find the perfect hemorrhoid cream for your needs.”

You pause. This is just a little too weird. At some level you know Emma isn’t real, but you don’t want to chat with “Emma” about your embarrassing health issue.

Bye, Emma. 

Businesses and medical websites increasingly use AI-powered chatbots to help customers find information and products, but there can be unintended consequences when the search involves subjects that people might find embarrassing.

Dr. Lagnajita Chatterjee

Research by Lagnajita Chatterjee, assistant professor in the Department of Business Administration and Economics, and her collaborators at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she earned her PhD in 2020, has found that, when conducting an online search, consumers are less likely to use a chatbot when they anticipate feeling embarrassed about the search than when they do not. This effect is driven by a sense of “social presence” while interacting with the technology, the researchers found.

Chatbots create social presence, or the feeling of a human interaction, in the way that they interact with users, respond to their questions, and address their concerns, and also through their design features. Their visual appearance, speech synthesis, discourse structure, and reasoning increasingly make these chatbots seem humanlike, which leads users to anthropomorphize them.

Turns out, that’s not always a good thing.

“It was always assumed that integrating chatbots and AI into any business is a positive, forward-moving thing,” Dr. Chatterjee said. “But the question that we were grappling with is, ‘Is it always good? Are there situations where we don’t want to really engage with the chatbot?’”

To answer those questions, the researchers gave people hypothetical scenarios and asked them to respond as if they were in those situations. Some examples might be people seeking information on personal care products like hemorrhoid cream, information about contraceptives including buying condoms or about sexually transmitted diseases, or financially sensitive information. Study participants were then asked whether they would prefer using an AI chatbot or a more standard search engine for those types of queries.

“And what we find is that people prefer to use the question-based search engine, or, if the only option is to use AI, they don’t want to use it,” Dr. Chatterjee said. “They don’t want to engage with it because of a fear of being judged because they somehow almost feel like the AI has a social presence, like it’s a human.”

Rationally, the research participants know that a chatbot is not a real person, she said, but such personal interactions with technology are still new to most people.

“There’s a lot of research out there that shows that, as humans, we haven’t evolved to where our behavior has a script for how we engage with computers, so when we are engaging with chatbots and AI, our tendency is to use our judgment about humans and apply that to chatbots and AI,” she said.

Dr. Chatterjee and her collaborators at the University of Illinois Chicago plan further research to understand why that sense of social presence while interacting with chatbots drives the tendency to avoid them when experiencing embarrassment. They also hope to identify design elements that will encourage the use of chatbots among users during embarrassing situations. Their ongoing research is funded in part by a grant from the Worcester State Foundation.

The researchers were surprised by their initial findings, Dr. Chatterjee said. “We had thought that people would probably be like, ‘Chatbots, fine. We are not talking to a human, so we are safe.’ But we have run nine studies at this point, and consistently we got results where people did not want to use human-like chatbots to look for information related to embarrassing things.”

Since just about every business is trying to build a chatbot and other AI capabilities these days, the researchers recommend that they be careful about how they implement this new technology. If the business involves more sensitive products or medical information, they might consider a more mechanical chatbot that doesn’t use a name or express emotions, she said. 

“That’s not to say that you absolutely cannot have a chatbot or AI if you have a certain kind of business,” she said. “It’s more to say, ‘Think about how humanlike your chatbot capability needs to be because there’s a wide range, and depending on what kind of business someone has, it’s important to figure out how you want to implement that AI and whether it should be implemented at all.’”

The post When AI Chatbots Are a Little too Personal appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

Allison Coppinger

Worcester State women’s ice hockey player Clare Conway celebrated her 23rd birthday on January 18 like no other—in front of 3,000 people, competing on Team USA in the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University game against Canada.

The games are among the world’s largest collegiate winter multi-sports competitions, and they were held in Lake Placid, NY, over 10 days at the start of 2023. The women’s ice hockey team competed against Canada, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Japan.

“One of the coolest moments was wearing a Team USA jersey. I loved having the Team USA jersey with my last name on it,” said Conway.

During the game against Canada, Conway experienced a special moment with a young fan. “A little girl was banging on the glass as my back was facing towards her. I turned around, and she asked for my puck. That was crazy for me to experience that. I used to be her. It was one of the best birthdays,” said Conway. 

Conway, who grew up in Billerica, Mass., has been playing hockey for as long as she can remember, since she was about three years old. When her brother decided to play hockey, she wanted to follow in his footsteps. She also plays lacrosse, a sport she picked up around age eight.

Her Division III hockey playing began at Becker College where she tallied 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in 63 ice hockey games with the Hawks. When Becker closed, it was tough for Conway to process since Becker is where she found her first home in Worcester. Worcester State’s Athletic Director Michael Mudd offered a new home for Becker women’s ice hockey players by starting a program at Worcester State with former Becker coach Eliza Kelley. Conway also played a role in getting her Becker teammates excited to come to Worcester State, Kelley said. 

Worcester State’s women’s ice hockey program has had two seasons so far and has won the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Alliance (ECHA) championship both seasons. “Not too many second-year programs have 18 wins,” said Kelley. 

Clare has been a team captain for the past four seasons, and 2022-23 was her last season of play at Worcester State. She is known for having “a love for the game and being one of the loudest to celebrate her teammates. She is super tough and enjoys the pressure of playing at a high level. She carries herself with a ton of confidence, the type of player that you notice when she walks into a locker room or steps on the ice,” said Kelley.

Conway finished her Worcester State bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2022 and is earning a master’s in nonprofit organization management. She has experience volunteering and helping at nonprofits and coaching youth ice hockey and events for the Special Olympics.

“Clare has helped set the program up in her two years here at Worcester State. She’s leaving the program having made such a big impact and really has created a legacy for those that will follow behind her,” said Kelley.

Allison Coppinger is a 2023 Worcester State graduate and writing intern in the Worcester State Office of Communications.

The post Passion on the Ice appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.

By Deborah Alvarez O’Neil
Photos by Matt Wright ’10

In the make-believe world of YouTube show Excellent Entities, the endearing little characters undertake some outrageous hijinks and more than a bit of troublemaking as they vie for 1 BAJILLION DOLLARS! There’s the time Moonstone confuses hydrofluoric acid for milk. Oops. And Broomer and TOL break into their friend Chalky’s house to unapologetically drink all his soda. Once during a paintball match, Feather rigs a scary contraption to hurl fellow competitors into space.

One thing that is not allowed: homophobia. In episode 7 of season 2 (dubbed Extraordinarily Excellent Entities), Chocolate Bar learns this the hard way when he makes a shocking declaration to the competitors: “You are all eliminated because you are gay!”

The characters appear crestfallen. Latte’s mouth falls open. Clay winces in pain. Chalky scratches his head, puzzled.

Then Chocolate Bar’s phone rings. The caller announces that Chocolate Bar is under arrest for discrimination and suspended from the show. Gummy Bear will be taking his place. And that’s that.

This lovable and spirited animated show with positive LGBTQ+ messages woven throughout boasts some 365,000 viewers and is the creation of Worcester State 2023 graduating senior Griffin Weber. An accomplished and self-taught digital animator and communications major, Weber is the first recipient of Worcester State’s new Negrón Cruz-Audet LGBTQ+ Academic Excellence Award, honoring an LGBTQ+ student with an outstanding academic record. Weber accepted the award in April and graduated summa cum laude in May.

“It means so much to me to be representing my community and to be awarded academically for a lot of hard work. I’ve put a lot of work into college at Worcester State,” Weber said. “I’ve been out and in the community since I was 11. Everyone who watches my show knows I will always stand up for my community. This award really ties into that. It celebrates the community.”

The award was established by ӣ����Ƶ Assistant Vice President of Assessment and Planning Sarah Strout and is named for two longtime LGBTQ+ rights advocates, Worcester State alumnus Leopoldo Negrón Cruz, MEd ’16, and Gloria Audet, a one-time Worcester State student.

Negrón Cruz moved to Worcester from Puerto Rico after graduating from college in 1983 and has been working at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center since 1986, now serving as the clinical supervisor of the center’s community health workers. As a pillar of Worcester’s public health community, Negrón Cruz has worked at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and the Latine LGBTQ+ community. He has developed, implemented, and advocated for HIV health education and prevention, testing, and support for more than 30 years. In 1989, he created Worcester’s Gay and Lesbian Latino Organization (GALLO), which helped bring people together.

“You are dealing with homophobia in one community and racism and discrimination in another,” Negrón Cruz said. “People were so isolated. We were very successful in our efforts. There were a good number of LGBTQ individuals we were able to bring together in community.”

Among his many other community and activist roles, Negrón Cruz also serves on the board of Worcester State’s Latino Education Institute (LEI). Still, he was surprised when he learned that his graduate school alma mater wanted to name an LGBTQ+ academic award for him.

“It’s a huge honor to lend my name for that award at a public institution,” he said. “When I went to college for my undergrad, this would not even have been a thought. Not only because I went to school in Puerto Rico, but even here in the US, it would not have been a consideration to have an award for an LGBTQ student. LGBTQ wouldn’t have even been mentioned at all. Regardless of who it is named after, it is worth celebrating an LGBTQ award. It’s amazing.”

The award grew out of Strout’s longtime work on the university’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. She took a leading role in ushering in policies that allow student records to reflect their pronouns and chosen names.

In 2021, Strout was heartened to see that the university’s efforts to make the campus a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ students were paying off. Worcester State earned high marks as one of the best colleges in the nation for support of LGBTQ+ students in . One category the index looks for are academic awards and scholarships for LGBTQ+ students. Worcester State didn’t have any. So, Strout decided to create the award with a donation of $2,500. Her hope is the award will pave the way for the establishment of an endowed academic scholarship, which requires a donation of $25,000.

“The award is for an LGBTQ+ student who has an excellent academic record,” she said. “It’s not just they are active on campus. We’re recognizing that it’s difficult for LGBTQ+ students to do really well in school while managing the unique challenges related to their identity.”

For Weber, LGBTQ advocacy has come through his creative work. In the early days of his show, he said, YouTube wasn’t a particularly welcoming space. With time, he says, that has shifted. Now, he has a huge fan base of people who love to follow his characters on their adventures. By design, all of the characters on Extraordinarily Excellent Entities are LGBTQ.

“I’m making a statement,” Weber said. “There are no straight people. Chalky and Broomer are two guys in a relationship, and they hold hands. I celebrate that these two characters love each other. It’s always been important to me to push boundaries. I’m not going to tolerate intolerance.”

The post Extraordinarily Excellent Academic Achievement appeared first on Worcester State Magazine.