Left to right, top row:
Mary Griffin, Frank Rotsaert,
John Wittersheim, Mark Schersten, Chris Reising
Middle Row: Sharon Weber,
Susan Matych-Hager, Trudy
McSorley, Saleem Peeradina,
Dee Crane
Bottom Row: Tim Husband,
Lana Taylor, Anthony Scioly,
Pat Schnapp, Mark DiPietro.
Missing: Carl Kaster (on
cover) and Bill Blackerby.
He works with students who may be struggling, helping them see that “with extra
effort they can do the work. My greatest
reward is grading a good set of final case
studies or a good set of essay finals. That’s
where you see just how far a student has progressed.”
Mary Griffin
Delinda “Dee” Crane
For Mary, part of the magic of teaching is
being “an advocate for children and their
families.” In that role, she works with children, with SHU students (both traditional
and nontraditional age) with teaching professionals, social workers, psychologists, parents and principals.
(Teacher Education)
Imagine doing one thing for 25 years and
never wanting a change. “It may sound
wacky, but those 25 years, I have never
wished that I had done anything else,” Dee
Crane says proudly. She aims to pass the
same commitment on to her students.
“Seeing students come into the teacher education program, then later supervising their
student teaching and watching them put it all
together with kids—it’s rewarding. You realize that in the time they’ve been here, they’ve
become effective teachers and they’re going
to go out and touch the lives of hundreds of
children. I guess I like to believe that a little
piece of me goes with them.”
Dee started out as a first-grade teacher but
decided she could be “more of an advocate
for children” by shaping future teachers.
She tries to inspire those future teachers
“to be about the business of making magical moments—moments when everything
comes together and everybody learns. There
is an artistic component to teaching and
when it’s done right, it’s really beautiful.”
Mark DiPietro ‘83
Bill Blackerby
(Management)
Bill Blackerby started his career in the banking and auto industries, but now he can’t
imagine himself outside academia. “When
I was a graduate student I couldn’t decide
between finance or management. Now, 25
years later, I still can’t decide so I teach
both,” he says. In addition to coordinating the
management program on the main campus,
Bill has taught at most of Siena’s off-campus centers.
He learned from his own college teachers
that “you have to set high expectations.” Bill
expects students to “bring something above
and beyond” to their work if they want an
A in his classes. But, he said, “students welcome the challenge.”
13
(Theatre/Speech Communication)
Mark DiPietro spent eight years in Boston
working as a professional actor before
“coming home” to teach theatre and speech
at Siena Heights. “Seeing students graduate
and become successful members of society,
following our mission,” is a great source of
satisfaction, he says.
“Siena’s always been a part of my life,” he
adds. “I enjoy being here and working with
students. I have high expectations but students know I am approachable. They can
sense they are a welcomed, cherished part of
my life.” And, he points out, “at any opening
of a show or performance, I’ve never been
disappointed in our students.”
Mark’s job affords him a near perfect mix
of work, family and acting and directing. He
and his wife, Camila ‘87, have three young
children, so Ma ɬ