Even in Summertime, the Nest Never Rests

From weddings and conferences to flag football with an international mission, Endicott’s campus has experienced a summer of excitement and nonstop activity, proving that the Nest never rests—and it’s all by design.

It’s only July and it’s already been one of the busiest summers in recent memory at Endicott—and school isn’t even in session.

At least not in the traditional sense.

But since Commencement, the campus has experienced a summer of excitement and nonstop activity, proving that the Nest never rests—and it’s all by design.

Endicott has always been busy throughout the summer—each June kicks off an active wedding season at Misselwood Estate and Wylie Center & Tupper Manor—but utilizing the College’s main campus more and more as a hub for meetings, workshops, public lectures and events, and symposiums is a key facet of President Steven R. DiSalvo’s Strategic Plan.

Power of Place, one of the plan’s four core themes, outlines a mandate to leverage Endicott as a prime location for hosting premier regional and national events and conferences on topics of growing interest and urgency, while creating a hub that encourages internal and external scholarship to attract industry experts and guests who engage in interdisciplinary study and groundbreaking research.

In early June, Exploring the College Presidency—a professional symposium for aspiring higher education leaders, and the brainchild of President DiSalvo—drew leaders from around the country to the Nest for a three-day deep-dive into the necessary knowledge and skills needed to become a college or university president.

Then, at the end of June, a record-breaking number of young writers took to campus to hone their craft with the likes of Charlotte Gordon and Sara Johnson Allen as part of Endicott’s annual Young Writers Workshop. Open to novice and experienced high school-aged writers, the program often converts a few participants into future Gulls.

“It’s definitely giving me a little preview of what college is like,” said Lily Scotti, a rising sophomore at Beverly High School. “Even just driving in and looking for the buildings and stuff. It’s fun.”

Athletics are also a big part of campus life over the summer. From sports clinics with young people of all ages to Beantown, a weeklong ballroom dance extravaganza held annually on campus, Endicott’s fields and, yes, dance floors, have seen a lot of action.

From July 7 to July 9, the International Women’s Flag Football Association (IWFFA) returned to Hempstead Stadium to play its Stars and Stripes Classic ’23, thanks to help from former Endicott Resident Director Alexandria Eberhardt.

“I can’t think of a better space for people to come all across the country to get to know a college campus,” said Eberhardt, current President and CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and a leader of the IWFFA’s local chapter. “There’s nothing more beautiful than Endicott.”

But the organization offers more than just love of the game—money raised by the IWFFA has helped evacuate and relocate more than 30 Afghani women whose freedoms were eclipsed when the Taliban seized power after the withdrawal of U.S. forces, explained Eberhardt, who was also one of the attendees at Exploring the College Presidency.

Meanwhile, Endicott’s own international mission is advancing through summer activities like the Madrid Teacher Education Program.

This month, 17 secondary history teachers who teach in English immersion programs in their public schools arrived on campus for the program, which is run by the Van Loan Division of Professional Studies.

According to Traci Freeman, Dean of the Endicott Center for Teaching and Learning, teachers in the program will explore interactive, student-centered pedagogical methods designed to engage historical thinking and promote collaborative sense-making. The program also provides an overview of topics in American history up to the present with an emphasis on New England and trans-Atlantic connections between the U.S. and Spain.

“Getting to know the participants has been a highlight of this experience. I love learning about the Spanish culture and education in Madrid,” said Endicott Assistant Professor of Education Jennifer Flewelling.

“I was really excited about the program because Massachusetts has an incredibly rich African American history, though it is often overshadowed by other areas of U.S. history,” said Mari Crabtree, Associate Professor of African American Studies at the College of Charleston. “That history, combined with the central role that the colony/state of Massachusetts played in the colonial period and early republic of the U.S., made this site a particularly good place for a course on teaching history through interactive pedagogies.”

Freeman said the program ties back to Strength of Story, another core theme of President DiSalvo’s Strategic Plan, and specifically the need for expanded student recruitment opportunities and the reinforcement of academic connections to relevant industries, which will enhance Endicott’s commitment to experiential learning and career outcomes.

Speaking of career outcomes, the Cooperative Education & Internship Association will host its CEIA Academy on the Road: Sail to New Heights conference at Endicott from August 9 through August 11. The program is directed toward professionals of all levels who work with post-secondary education students in cooperative education, internships, experiential learning, and education.

But of course, it’s never all work and no play here at the Nest.

Concerts at Misselwood are ongoing, while New Student Orientation and ONBOARD continue to welcome throngs of incoming students throughout the summer, with many current Gulls leading the programs while living on campus.

Rising Student Government Association President and Orientation Assistant Kelly McKaig ’24 said the summer, while not over, has already been life-changing.

“To be here during the summer, enjoying the nature and the beauty of the campus and taking some time to relax at the beach has been wonderful,” McKaig said. “And getting to know the incoming class, learning their personalities, bonding with them, giving them advice, has been great. It’s been awesome to see them bond with each other and get excited to be here in the fall. It’s so wholesome to see their excitement through my eyes.”