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Faculty and Staff Newsletter | August 2025

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

A Note from President Espy

Dear Colleagues,

The official change of season from summer to fall is still many weeks away, but here on campus we’re welcoming the fall semester with the start of classes on August 25!

We look forward to faculty and staff coming back together and hope that the summer break was rejuvenating for all. In this issue of the newsletter, you'll read some summer updates about activities that have happened since students left campus in May.

We are excited to welcome Jim Tweed, our new Dean of Enrollment Management, who brings over 25 years of experience in higher education leadership and is a wonderful addition to our team. Departments across campus will also welcome other new members to the community as well.

If you haven’t already, please mark your calendar for Convocation on Wednesday, September 3, at 4 p.m. on the Mitchell College Green. This memorable event is one of the bookends, along with Commencement, of our Mitchell student experience. Please join our campus community and give our newest students a warm hello!

It was a pleasure seeing so many of you at our last Community Conversation and hearing all of the shoutouts for the good work being done by all of you. I look forward to seeing you at our next Community Conversation on Wednesday, August 27, at 2:30 p.m. in the Weller Center.

Until then, thank you all for your continued support and dedication to Mitchell College.

Best,

TE

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Remember the Mitchell College Archives

Katie Nazarian, Director, Mitchell College Library



If you cleaned up and cleared out this summer but still aren't sure where to put things, please remember the Mitchell College Archives housed in the library. 

The archives preserve the story of Mitchell College through digital and physical artifacts. Reports, correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, event programs, and more are all collected. 

For more information, contact Katie Nazarian at nazarian_k@mitchell.edu. Thank you!

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Enrollment Management Updates

Raven Rose, Admissions Counselor

What a warm and busy summer it’s been! Down at Henry Hall, we’ve been putting in the work, with late-night phone call outreach, Mariners on Deck events, and assisting our incoming students in completing their onboarding paperwork. We have 851 FAFSA applications received, and together, our Admissions counselors have processed 1,271 applications, working steadily towards our goal.

Summer Events

Our Mariner on Deck events were a HUGE success! We had two dates for Mitchell students, June 24 and July 29, which resulted in us assisting 53 incoming freshman and transfer students and their families with their onboarding materials, like insurance waivers, housing applications, and more. Parents and students each got their own breakout sessions, beating the heat afterwards by sharing a couple scoops from Michael’s Dairy in the Cove.

Our Thames on Deck day also went well, with 8 incoming Thames students and their families getting walked through any outstanding onboarding items and acclimated to the campus. Ron Samul and Brian Murphy were a great team, handling separate parent and student sessions plus an ice cream social afterwards, no matter how hot the temperature was outside!

All deposited students who did not attend a Mariners on Deck event have been contacted by our Admissions counselors to arrange separate times to go over any onboarding questions they may have.

Mark Your Calendar

While we prepare for our fall travel season, please keep in mind the important dates below:

• Fall Open House, Saturday, October 18
• School Counselor Breakfast, Wednesday, November 19

FACILITIES

Campus Improvements

Candace Balfour, Facilities Coordinator

Facilities had an incredibly busy and productive summer! Here is a sample of the work that has been completed since May:

• New windows and doors were installed at the Children’s Learning Center.
• In the Clarke Center dining area, freezer walls and floors were repainted and a new floor installed in the dry storage area.
• The HVAC systems at Nathan Hale, Mitchell Hall, and the Clarke Center have had extensive repairs done.
• The gym floor in Yarnall was refinished and a new ice machine is being installed soon.
• New floors were installed in the laundry rooms of Simpson and Saunders.
• Rooms in Mariner, Simpson, Saunders, and Matteson were cleaned, floors refinished and ready for occupancy by various clients of the Auxiliary Business Department.
• Furniture was moved from the former rental properties and is being put to good use around campus.

And just like that, summer was gone! We are thrilled to welcome the returning and new Mariners to campus!

BUSINESS OFFICE

Busy Summer for Auxiliary Team

Keith Padin, Senior Manager, Auxiliary Business Operations



The Auxiliary Team had a busy summer with over 60 external interns living on campus (shout out to Facilities for daily help!), a full calendar of athletics fields rentals, and one of the busiest springs we’ve seen at Michael’s Dairy.

Joint Chamber Event

Thanks to everyone on campus for a very well received joint-chamber Business After Hours event at Michael’s Dairy/The Red Barn on June 18. Local business members from the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce joined us for ice cream, special bar with Michael’s Dairy mudslides, and a Red Barn filled with Mitchell groups connecting and networking with the local business community.

Big thanks to Thames, STAIRs, Nursing, Admissions, ICD, First Year, Advancement, and The Hub for being there to chat with everyone. Radio Mitchell provided the tunes, and Metz had a great corporate-themed food display.

The two Chamber presidents spoke about the importance of Mitchell and Michael’s to the community, and Dr. Espy gave warm welcome remarks to all in attendance. Lee and the Michael’s Dairy team did a wonderful job making the space look amazing and keeping everyone happy with ice cream goodies.

Summer Events at Michael's Dairy

Michael’s Dairy is excited to be hosting four summer community events. Come support the two remaining events in August and September!

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Promotional Videos for Nursing and Thames

Britt Barry, Communications Specialist

Marketing and Communications recently completed promotional videos for Mitchell College Nursing and Thames at Mitchell College. We thank the students and staff who participated in the productions and generously shared their time and thoughts to bring the videos to life. We are also grateful to Mystic Aquarium for allowing us to film the Thames class on site. 

ATHLETICS

Athletics Updates

Mike Brunetti, Sports Information Director

Fall Sports Begin This Month

The fall sports season is scheduled to get underway at the end of August, as men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s golf, and cross-country will begin competition.

Volleyball will get the ball rolling with a pair of matches against SUNY Maritime and Mass. Maritime on Saturday, August 30, while the men’s and women’s cross-country teams begin competition the same day at the Suffolk Short Course Classic.

Women’s soccer then plays their season and home opener against Yeshiva the following day, and men’s soccer is slated to host Eastern Connecticut on Monday, September 1. Men’s golf will be the final team to begin, as they host the Mitchell Invitational I on Wednesday, September 10, at Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, Conn.

Cheer on the Mariners! For a quick glance at dates for fall athletics events, go here: https://mitchellathletics.com/composite

Honors and Awards

Baseball

Two members of the 2025 Mitchell College baseball team earned All-Region honors from D3baseball.com when the popular website released their All-Region teams spanning 10 different regions, with more than 1,000 players nominated:

• Senior Eddie Kaftan (Old Lyme, Conn.), starting pitcher
• Sophomore Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.), catcher

Additionally, Kaftan was named to the 2025 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Region 1 All-Region Second Team, which consisted of players from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Basketball

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the recipients of the 2024-25 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court, representing outstanding achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and student-athletes.

For the fifth time in program history, the Mitchell College men's basketball team received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, while six Mariner student-athletes were also recognized:

• Seniors Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.) and Noah James (New London, Conn.) earned the honor for the second time in their collegiate careers
• Juniors Eddie Volkerts (New London, Conn.), Brandon Lee (Stockton, Cali.), Adam Gardner (North Charleston, S.C.), and Walker Baillargeon (Norwich, Conn.)

Zirlis and James become the seventh and eighth players in program history to earn the distinction twice, joining Dontae Pollard, Tyler Peretz, Domenico Santiago, Matt Finke, Ahmani Browne, and Samuel Jackson.

"To be recognized by the NABC for the academic achievement of our team and for the individuals who epitomize what it means to be a student athlete is truly an honor," said Head Men's Basketball Coach Todd Peretz. "Being able to balance the responsibilities within the classroom and on the court is a true testament to our players' work ethic and further supports the NCAA Division III philosophy."

Volleyball

The Mitchell College women's volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the third consecutive year, as announced by the organization.

The Mariners were one of more than 1,400 collegiate and high school volleyball programs honored with the award, which recognizes programs that display excellence in the classroom.

"I couldn't be prouder of our team for earning the 2024–2025 AVCA Team Academic Award," said Mitchell Head Volleyball Coach Tim Gaiser. "This recognition reflects the incredible dedication our student-athletes show both on the court and in the classroom. Their commitment to excellence in every aspect of their college experience continues to elevate our program and inspire our campus community."

Academic All-Conference/Academic Achievements

 A league record 1,663 student-athletes, including 63 from Mitchell College, were named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Academic All-Conference Team. In order to be eligible for Academic All-Conference, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA and have completed second-year academic status. Student-athletes must also have competed in at least one of the conference's 21 championship sports. Softball led the way for the Mariners, as 12 players earned Academic All-Conference honors, while baseball was right behind them with 11 selections.

A total of 120 student-athletes were among those who received academic recognition from Mitchell College for the 2025 spring semester. All honorees recorded a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the semester. Of that group, 81 student-athletes were named to the Dean's List (3.50+ GPA) while 39 were tabbed Commendable Scholars. Mitchell student-athletes also turned in an impressive semester as a group. The 12 teams and just over 160 student-athletes combined to post a 3.39 GPA.