A Community of Excellence and Support

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who planned and orchestrated our two wonderful events to welcome graduate students to the Villanova community. For those who were able to attend, I hope you enjoyed the Graduate Belonging and Inclusion Picnic and the Graduate Student Community Kick-Off Picnic. I thoroughly did!

These events are not possible without the support of the many University partners who help contribute to your success. These events are examples of our unique community – one committed to academic excellence and committed to supporting you on your journey.

In each issue of Grad CLAS Notes, you will find resources and activities that are available to you as graduate students, both on campus and online. Whether it is research supported by the CLAS Office of Graduate Studies, retreats and other opportunities for reflection from the Office of Mission and Ministry, support from the Career Management team or taking in artistic performances from Villanova Theatre, you will find many ways to enrich your Villanova experience.

From all of us in CLAS Graduate Studies, I hope your semester is off to a great start. Please reach out if you have any questions or just want to stop by our office in Vasey Hall, Suite 109, to say hello. We are here for you!

During the Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.E.), Memphis was the epicenter of Egyptian civilization. Four-and-a-half millennia later, sifting through the silent sands near Mit Rahina, Villanova History Associate Teaching Professor Kelly-Anne Diamond, PhD, is working to recover the last traces of this once-thriving metropolis. In collaboration with a team of academics, graduate students and Egyptian artisans, she hopes to shed new light on what life was like in the "lost city" of Memphis—and to explore its long-buried connections to the present day. READ MORE

Matthew O’Reilly, PhD, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The five-year, $462,481 grant will support Dr. O’Reilly’s project, “Development of Chemical Tools for the Preparation of Strained Cyclic Peptides.” The NSF’s CAREER Award supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Through the NSF funding, Dr. O’Reilly and his team will work to create general tools to produce strained cyclic peptides, unlocking them for broader use in the areas of therapeutics, materials science and catalysis. READ MORE

Villanova Theatre alumna Kimberly Fairbanks ’11 MA is a versatile performer whose work spans television, film, theatre and voiceover. This week, Fairbanks will headline Villanova University’s Solo Nova performance festival in I Will Speak for Myself at the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. Written by Villanova Theatre Chair, Valerie Joyce, PhD, '95 MA, I Will Speak for Myself makes seldom-told stories spring to life in this riveting performance embodying eleven African-American women who lived in the United States before Emancipation. READ MORE

Villanova Theatre Presents Solo Performance Festival Solo Nova

September 18 - 29 – Mullen Center for the Performing Arts

Villanova Theatre proudly kicks off the 2024-2025 season with an exuberant and eclectic solo performance festival featuring current Villanova students, alumni and guest artists – the first time Villanova Theatre is producing a festival instead of a standard mainstage production as the season opener. This festival is a collaborative endeavor bringing together past and present Villanova Theatre artists inspiring innovation and creativity in the future of theatre and performance. 

The headliner of Solo Nova is the original piece I Will Speak for Myself written by Villanova Theatre Chair, Valerie Joyce, PhD, '95 MA, and performed by Barrymore-nominated actor Kimberly S. Fairbanks '11 MA. In I Will Speak for Myself, seldom-told stories spring to life in this riveting performance embodying eleven African-American women who lived in the United States before Emancipation. The performance on Wednesday, September 18 is free for the Villanova University community. Learn more about Solo Nova and get tickets.

Graduate Student Senate Happy Hour – September 20

The Grad Center and the Graduate Student Senate are hosting a happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 20 at the Gullifty's outside bar area. Stop by for free appetizers and drink specials as you build community and socialize with your fellow graduate students.

Peer Mentorship Virtual Information Session – September 24

Are you curious about mentoring experiences in graduate school? Whether you're interested in having a mentor or becoming one yourself, join the Grad Center on Tuesday, September 24, at 12 p.m. for a virtual information session to learn more about the Graduate Student Peer Mentorship Program. This session will offer valuable insights for both potential mentors and mentees. During this event you will: learn about the benefits of participating in the program; discover what it means to be a mentor or mentee; and have the opportunity to ask questions. Learn more and register.

Busy Persons Retreat – September 27 - October 21

This retreat is meant for students, faculty and staff who are longing for space in their lives to slow down, reflect and connect with God, but who might have a hard time fitting a weekend-long retreat into their schedule. This retreat will help the participants learn to make going on retreat a part of their everyday lives by intentionally making space and time for God throughout their busy day. The theme of this fall's Busy Wildcat Retreat explores the Christian concept of caritas, an unconditional self-giving form of love associated with God's love for each of us, one of the Augustinian values prized at Villanova. Lunch is provided at the opening and closing sessions. Learn more and register.

Fall 2024 Grad CLAS Research Symposium – Submissions Due September 30

On Friday, November 15, the CLAS Office of Graduate Studies will be hosting its annual Fall Research Symposium, which highlights the research and scholarship of graduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students present either a 3MT-style oral presentation or a poster presentation of their research. This year, we are accepting submissions from any CLAS graduate student, in addition to the Summer Research Fellowship recipients. (Summer Research Fellowship participants do not have to submit this additional application.) If you would like to be considered for the 2024 symposium, please use this application form to upload a three-minute video explaining your research. Submissions must be received by September 30.

Career Management Drop-In Hours – October 3, November 5 and December 5

Did you know Villanova graduate students have a dedicated career coach? Villanova University Career Management recognizes and supports the unique career needs of graduate students as they pursue new academic and career goals. Stop by during drop-ins to have your resume/CV reviewed, learn about the Nova Network or ask any professional question you have! September 3, October 3, November 5 and December 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Vasey Hall Room G14D (Grad Center/Office of Graduate Studies).

International Merleau-Ponty Circle Conference – October 24-26

Villanova University is hosting this year’s International Merleau-Ponty Circle Conference, October 24-26 at the Inn at Villanova. The annual conference brings together scholars in philosophy, history, literature, the social sciences and psychology, as well as healthcare practitioners and artists, among others, to present papers on Merleau-Ponty’s thought. This year’s conference theme is “Art, Politics and Imagination.” In addition to traditional scholarly sessions, the conference includes a Thursday evening performance by artists Nicole Bindler and David Dove in the Topper Theater in the Mullen Center (all Villanovans are invited to this free event) and a visit to the Villanova art gallery Friday evening. Learn more and register.

Graduate Student Support Group

This confidential group creates a safe space for graduate-level students to experience stronger emotional connections with others while also working through personal issues that may be unique to being a part of a graduate program at Villanova. The group will be led by Drs. Natalie Sheridan and Julia Stein and will meet in Vasey Hall, Room G12 Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the Counseling Center at 610-519-4050.