On Nov. 15 Town Hall with Dr. Petillo took place in the Martire Theater. Town Hall with Dr. Petillo is an event by Sacred Heart University’s Student Government (SG) that gives students opportunities to ask questions to Dr. John J. Petillo, the president of Sacred Heart.
Moderated by sophomore Isabella Neves, director of Student Relations and sophomore Julia McKeown, a senator on the Student Relations Board, Dr. Petillo was asked pre-submitted questions collected through table times on Nov. 1. Petillo also opened up a live Q&A at the end of the event.
Source: Erin Clark, News Editor
Most of the audience members consisted of SG and some administrators.
“We would like to have had more outside students present, but that is a growing goal for the future,” said Neves.
This event was first held in 2022 and Neves, who organized the event this year, hopes to continue the tradition.
Town Hall helps demonstrate transparency through administration, faculty, and students as well as informing the public about new happenings.
Junior Maeve Cahill, SG Vice President attended the event in 2022 and 2023.
“The Town Hall is one of the few times per year that students can voice their concerns and comments directly to upper administration. Not only is this an excellent opportunity to highlight key issues on campus, but it helps build the relationship between students and administration,” said Cahill.
In addition to this, this event allowed Petillo and his team to open up about future projects and current successes.
Questions ranged from parking issues on campus, buildings, the future of Sacred Heart, and questions about Petillo himself, like his favorite bow tie.
During the event, Petillo spoke to the students about calculated risk. During live Q&A, Cahill asked a question directly to Petillo relating to his statements on calculated risk.
“He explained that growth happens when we take risks and that they are necessary to reach our full potential. However, he said that just because you are taking a risk, doesn’t mean that you don’t have a backup plan and extensive research done beforehand. He advised students to not be afraid going forward and encouraged them to take calculated risks themselves,” said Cahill.
Petillo emphasized the importance of a tight-knit community and highlighted the fact that Sacred Heart is fortunate enough to have one. For the previous university he worked at, he could not say the same thing.
“He also offered valuable personal and professional advice for students. Something that I appreciate the most about SHU is the connection that Dr. P fosters between himself and SHU students,” said senior Emma Grady.
Likewise, “The SHU community is brought together by shared values, and we are fortunate to be able to be a part of it,” said Cahill.
With hopes of development, Petillo spoke about the Performing Arts wing that is currently under construction. The Performing Arts Program ranks 20th in the nation. Other hopeful developments include the top floor of the Pitt Center, permanent seating in the courts, more exercise space for athletic teams, and how the university has space for a pool if a donor should come through for it.
“Hearing about the future plans of the university and specifically the development of the campus and community was awesome,” said Grady.
Petillo has been at Sacred Heart for 12 years and the growth he has seen within these years was unimaginable to him when he first started.
“With any event there is room for improvement, but I am pleased on how it went and there was a positive outcome with both Dr. P and the audience so I thought it went really well,” said Neves.
