On May 12th the Annual Business Meeting and Awards and scholarships program was held on the CSI campus in the Green Dolphin Lounge. Brief Committee and President's Reports were given. We inducted several new members who couldn't be with us on April 12th and Installed our new President, Marianne Youssef. We thank those on the Program Committee and our VP Marion Hudson for another great event! As always our Fundraising Committee did a great job - the monies raised help to provide funding for our Awards, Scholarships, and Grants. We appreciate all who participated in the fundraising and congratulate our prize winners!!

Of course our full attention, appreciation, and congratulations to our member awardees: 

Excellence in Education : Denise Natalini-Olsen, RN, MSN, CCRN, CPAN

Excellence in Practice: Margaret "Peggy" Terjesen, DNP, FNP-BC

Excellence in Research: Danna L. Curcio, PhD, RNC, FNP, CNE

Linda Reese Excellence in Leadership: Catherine Paradiso, DNP, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC

Outstanding Baccalaureate Student: Alexandra Doyle, AAS, RN

Outstanding Graduate Student: Wendy Zhao, MSN, RN, CPAFH, CPHG, CNE, GERO-BC, MEDSURG-BC

We were also delighted to award three scholarships to students pursuing nursing degrees:

Thu Pham, AAS, RN - Baccalaureate

Dianna Volpe, BS, RN - Masters

Christopher Smart, MS, RN, FNP

Congratulations to all our awardees and many thanks to those who nominated and provided supporting letters so we could recognize these outstanding members!

A Spring 2026 Election Ballot has been emailed May 26 that requires your vote. Please complete the vote by June 9th. As you will recall, the following positions offer an opportunity to serve actively with Mu Upsilon Chapter:

Vice President

Treasurer

Faculty Counselor (must be full-time faculty member)

Leadership Succession Committee (2)

On May 12th we installed our New President, Marianne Youssef who will take over following the Mu Upsilon Chapter Board's Transition Meeting in June. Best wishes to Marianne and to those who will be elected to the Board!

Mu Upsilon Chapter has several March Events:

March 1 - Region 14 Conference - Dr. Wescott, SIGMA President keynote speaker.

March 5th (afternoon event) Ethics presentation - flyer sent

March 24th at 6:30P - virtual event Research Committee - Journal Club - register with Dr. Yeh, Chair of Research Committee (An-yun.Yeh@csi.cuny.edu). 

March 28th - @5th Anniversary Celebration of the TCNS- Northeast Chapter. Program (free) and Luncheon (payment required) to take place on the CSI campus 1C - Green Dolphin Lounge and Park Cafe respectively. Dr. Rich Zoucha is keynote speaker. Registration is required.

Spring 2026 Activities:

See some of our co-sponsored events in the Chapter news section

The Research Committee will be offering a journal club session 3/24 at 6:30PM to discuss

Choi et al. (2026). Fall prevention internventions for cognitively impaired older adults: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 48(1), 90-101.  

These sessions are a great way to learn and discuss nursing research and evidence-based activities and stay abreast with the most current nursing knowledge.

April brings opportunities to make award nominations (submissions due - 4/10), submit scholarship applications (BS, Masters, and Doctoral) (submissions due - 4/23) , and submit grant applications/proposals for nursing research and clinical practice projects (submissions due- 4/10). Awardees will be announced at our Annual Business Meeting and Awards and Scholarships Program to be held at CSI campus on 5/12. 

On April 12th the 2026 Induction Ceremony and Celebration will be held at LiGreci's Staaten on Staten Island. Dr. Annemarie Dowling Castronovo will be our guest speaker. The brunch is always tasty and filling, the camaraderie is always outstanding, and the celebration of our new members is always joyous!! The invitations to all active Mu Upsilon Members will go out on or about the first week in March. Plan to attend this wonderful event!!

Fall 2025 activitiesincluded:

October 8, 2025 Clay & Kiln Event - contact Dr. O'Donnell for information. Flyer was sent out

October 28, 2025 Research Committee Journal Club Session - flyer attached to Discussion Board item - for more information or registration contact Dr. An Yun Yeh, Chair Research committee

November 19, 2025 Fall Meeting & Program in 5S-215 at 6:30PM - Light refreshments will be served - Program features a presentation of a research project by Dr. Karen Arca-Contreras

December 2, 2025 - Vino Divino event for more information contact Dr. O'Donnell. Flyer is in Discussion Board 

Information about these events are in the upcoming postal mailed Fall Newsletter.

Mu Upsilon is happy to share information about a TCNS NE Chapter event that will occur on September 29th. It is a free event that requires registration - which is limited to TCNS NE Chapter and Mu Upsilon Chapter Members and CSI and York College students & Faculty. Early registration is recommended. A flyer will be placed as an attachment in the Discussion Board and sent out via email. The second event is the Clay & Kiln event on October 8th. Space for this event is limited so early registration is recommended. Hope you will 

The Spring Meeting  - Annual Business Meeting was held on May 12th. We installed two new officers. The President-elect position is filled now by Ms. Marianne Youssef. She will serve as President-Elect for one year - May 2025-May 2026 and then be installed as the New Chapter President at the Annual Business Meeting - Spring Meeting at the end of Spring 2026. Congratulations to Marianne and thank you for your continuing service and Chapter leadership!!

The other person installed was Dr. Catherine Paradiso as Faculty Counselor - she will serve a two-year term and work with Professor Danielle Hunton, the continuing Faculty Counselor  - Thank you for your service to the Chapter and your continuing committment to recognizing students and nurse leaders through potential SIGMA membership!!

The Awards & Scholarships Program was also presented that evening - Congratulations to all our awardees. 

Excellence in Education - Dr. Bridget Maley & Dr. Natalie Fischetti

Excellence in Practice - Marianne Youssef & Jennifer Macchariola

Linda Reese Excellence in Leadership Award - Dr.Annemarie Dowling-Castronovo

Mary Bauer Memorial Caring Award - Peggy Salzano

June L. Olsen Mentorship Award - Dr. Karen Arca Contreras

Outstanding Student Performance - Doctoral - Diane Gracia

We conferred two scholarships - Jacob Ladin (BS), and Danielle Hunton (Doctoral)

We also awarded one research grant - to Dr. An Yun Yeh for her proposal entitled, " The association between gut microbiome and sleep parameters in healthy young adults: A pilot study" 

Finally, we honored Virginia Allen, LPN, DHL as Friend of Nursing Honor for Leading in Care for her consistent efforts in the care of people, health care delivery, and her legacy as one of the living Black Angels (see M. Smilios's book about the Black Angels)

It was a wonderful event to celebrate Nurses Week, our Members, our officers and committee chairs, and look forward to our future events!!