Bloomsburg WINTER 2019 T H E U N I V E R S I T Y Tech Pioneer Barbara Romano ’83 has made a career of computer networks. At BU, she helps build networks of people. See Page 16. ALSO INSIDE Real Research. Real Results. BU students have a hand in research with impacts beyond campus. Page 10. Mapping the Road to Family A bequest from John Enman creates opportunities for students. Page 14. M A G A Z I N E Bloomsburg: The University Magazine From the President Dear BU Family, I hope that 2019 is off to a great start for you – may the new year be a healthy and happy one for you and your families! The past 18 months have gone by quickly; it does not seem long ago that I was just beginning my tenure at BU. It has been a pleasure getting to know so many Huskies and I look forward to meeting with many more of you in the future – whether at athletic contests or Homecoming events here on campus, or at alumni receptions around the country. There is a lot of excitement “on the hill” these days for several reasons. First, we have begun construction on a new Arts and Administration Building, which will be located next to Centennial Hall on the quad. This building will provide a new, modern home for faculty and staff from our Waller Administration Building, Old Science Hall, and Simon Hall. As part of our focus on student success and enhancing the overall experiences for our current and prospective students, President Bashar Hanna this building will also house our offices for admissions, the registrar, and financial aid. We are confident that this facility (scheduled to open August 2020) will become yet another gem on our beautiful campus. In the coming months, we will begin to roll out our new brand. We have received a tremendous amount of valuable feedback from faculty, staff, students, and – with great thanks to so many of you – our alumni. The high level of interest strongly indicates that you, our alumni and friends, wish to see BU build on its many successes and continue to serve as a leader within our State System, across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and beyond. We are excited to see what the results of the research show us. As I indicated previously, our maroon and gold colors (and the Husky) will not be changing. Further, our steadfast commitment to our students – and to their success during and after their years here at Bloomsburg – will never waver. I hope you enjoy this issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine. From our cover story featuring Ms. Barbara Romano ’83, president of the BU Alumni Association, to the many great stories showcasing the great work of our faculty and students, we celebrate the accomplishments of all in the BU Family. As always, THANK YOU for your support and GO HUSKIES! Bashar W. Hanna President FEATURES Research. Real Results. 10 Real Research conducted by BU has impacts beyond PHOTO: DOUGLAS BENEDICT campus as students and faculty mentors undertake studies related to our health, environment and community. p. 10 14 Mapping the Road to Family 16 Tech Pioneer 20 A Mission in Tea Geography professor John Enman found a home at Bloomsburg and, long after his retirement, he stayed connected to colleagues and his department. Now his bequest is opening doors for a new generation of students. Barbara Romano ’83 began her career in computers in an era of floppy disks and mainframes. Now she is responsible for the business systems of a $1.4 billion energy services holding company. In her role as president of the BU Alumni Association, she helps create opportunities for students and alumni to connect. Steve ’94 and Jennifer Lorch ’97 found their lives transformed by a cup of tea in Kenya. Today they have a tea plantation in South Carolina. A student researcher observes the water quality of a Pennsylvania stream. DEPARTMENTS 02 Unleash Your Inner Husky Winter 2019 04 Around the Quad 09 Focus on Faculty 20 Husky Notes 26 On the Hill 28 Then and Now 30 Calendar of Events Table of Contents BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS A MEMBER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors Chancellor, State System of Higher Education Daniel Greenstein Cynthia D. Shapira, Chair David M. Maser, Vice Chair Samuel H. Smith, Vice Chair Senator Ryan P. Aument Audrey F. Bronson Joar Dahn Donald E. Houser, Jr. Rodney Kaplan, Jr. Barbara McIlvaine Smith Marian D. Moskowitz Thomas S. Muller Secretary Pedro A. Rivera Representative Brad Roae Senator Judith L. Schwank Meg Snead Brian H. Swatt Neil R. Weaver Governor Tom Wolf Janet L. Yeomans Bloomsburg University Council of Trustees Judge Mary Jane Bowes, Chair Nancy Vasta ’97/’98M, Vice Chair Brian D. O’Donnell O.D.’87M, Secretary Ramona H. Alley Amy Brayford ’91 Edward G. Edwards ’73 Barbara Benner Hudock ’75 Charles E. Schlegel Jr. ’60 John Thomas Secretary John E. Wetzel ’98 Patrick Wilson ’91 ON THE WEB President, Bloomsburg University Bashar W. Hanna Executive Editor Jennifer Umberger Co-Editors Eric Foster Tom McGuire Designer Kerry Lord Sports Information Director Dave Leisering Marketing/Communications Coordinator Irene Johnson Communications Assistants Jenna Fuller ’18 Dallas Kriebel ’19 Contributing Writers Thomas Schaeffer ’02 Andrea O'Neill ’06 www.BLOOMU.EDU COVER PHOTO: Eric Foster Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is published three times a year for alumni, students’ families and friends of the university. Back issues may be found at issuu.com/buhuskies. Address comments and questions to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 Email address: magazine@bloomu.edu Visit Bloomsburg University on the Web at bloomu.edu. HUSKY NOTES SPORTS UPDATES ALUMNI INFO, MORE Bloomsburg University is an AA/EEO institution and is accessible to disabled persons. Bloomsburg University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies. © Bloomsburg University 2019 TM PHOTO: DOUGLAS BENEDICT unleash your inner husky Lessening the Gridiron’s Toll By Jenna Fuller ’18, Communications Assistant MARQUEZ NORFORD KNOWS the toll football takes on the body. A defensive lineman during his undergrad years at BU, his final season was spent wearing a cast on his dominant hand due to dislocated fingers. “Coach Paul Darraugh referred to me and some of the other seniors as the ‘duct tape boys’ because it was as if we were held together each week by duct tape,” says Norford. “I still have a very close relationship with our athletic trainer, George Salvaterra, because of the various injuries I accumulated over my career.” 2 BLOOMSBURG BLOOMSBURGUNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFPENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA A second-year exercise science graduate student, Norford is conducting a study on football players, measuring the changes their bodies experience throughout the season. Pre-season, he conducted performance tests such as a vertical jump, broad jump, a pro-agility test and a body fat analysis of each player. Then, throughout the season, he monitored their workouts and compared them with similar pre- season tests to determine whether a change occurred. “It’s not just about speed and strength — body composition changes. This is a pilot to expand the program,” says Norford, who is working on the project with Kyle Beyer, assistant professor of exercise science. “There is no data anywhere on this topic, so we could create norms for the NFL from this research.” “There are some other research “It’s not just about speed and strength — body composition changes.” studies that have tracked college athlete performance during a competitive season, but they can be fairly rare,” says Beyer. “While most people would think that a relationship between an exercise science department and athletics department would be natural, it is not always the case.” In November, Norford took his study to the 41st annual Scientific Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine to present his data. “I presented in front of 50 people,” he says. “One of the people who asked me questions after my presentations, Dr. Paul Devita from East Carolina University, was an expert in biomechanics and was very interested in the findings of my study.” He does not want to stop with football either. Norford hopes this study will create a bond between athletics and the exercise science department to apply the concept to other BU sports. “While we weren’t looking at injuries in this study, working with other teams, we do a lot of exercises to strengthen the knees, ankles and shoulders because those joints tend to take the most beatings in most sports.” From the defensive line on the field of Redman Stadium to the countless hours of research, Norford is ready to take his study to the next level. “The sky’s the limit.” Exercise science graduate student Marquez Norford ’17 works with defensive back Josh Salak ’17/’18M, a red-shirt senior who earned his MBA at BU in December. WINTER 2019 3 around THE quad New Arts and Administration Building Takes Shape A groundbreaking ceremony for BU’s new Arts and Administration Building was held Dec. 4. Shown from left: Amy Brayford, Council of Trustees; John Thomas, Council of Trustees; Judge Mary Jane Bowes, chairperson, Council of Trustees; BU President Bashar Hanna; Nancy Vasta, vice chairperson, Council of Trustees; Edward Edwards, Council of Trustees. 4 BLOOMSBURG BLOOMSBURGUNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFPENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ARTS AND ADMINISTRATION BUILDING at BU is underway. The new 131,876-square-foot building will be located next to Centennial Hall near the intersection with Second and Chestnut streets. A highlight of the four-floor building will be an open atrium with a skylight for more natural lighting. On the lower level, the art department will have its metal and wood shops, photo labs, student studio, plaster room and a theatre lab. The first floor will house admissions, financial aid, registrar’s office, the language lab, and six classrooms. The second floor will include offices and studios for the departments of art and art history, languages and cultures, and history. The top floor will house the offices of marketing and communications, human resources, administration and finance, and procurement. Lobar Inc. is the general contractor for the project, which will cost an estimated $33.17 million. Completion is expected by August 2020. Three Named to Council of Trustees Amy Brayford ’91 Barbara Hudock ’75 Nancy Vasta ’97/’99M THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE SENATE unanimously confirmed the nominations of three individuals to the Bloomsburg University’s Council of Trustees. Newly named to the council for a six-year term are Amy Brayford ’91 and Barbara Hudock ’75, while Nancy Vasta ’97/’99M was reappointed to a second six-year term. Amy Brayford ’91 has served in various leadership roles at Geisinger Health System since 1997, and now serves as executive vice president, chief human resources officer, and chief of staff to the CEO. Brayford is responsible for human resource operations for the 30,000-employee organization, and leads its human resources strategy. She is also the senior leader working with internal audits, compliance, development, and board relations. Barbara Hudock ’75 is the chief executive officer and founding partner of Hudock Capital Group, LLC. She is a former Bloomsburg University Foundation board member and is actively involved in the community, serving on the boards of the Susquehanna Health Foundation, Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts, the Community Arts Center, and WVIA Public Media. Nancy Vasta ’97/’99M, vice chairperson of the Council of Trustees, is vice president at Cigna, a global health services company that operates in 30 countries, and is responsible for customer health engagement. She has presented at the World Health Congress, the Institute for HealthCare Consumerism and the Healthcare Analyst Conference. At BU, she is actively involved in fundraising for the Bloomsburg University Foundation and was instrumental in reviving the Henry Carver Fund, the annual fund for BU, which now raises more than $1.5 million annually. DANIEL GREENSTEIN, the new Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education chancellor, visited the BU on Oct. 18 as part of a tour of all 14 PASSHE campuses in the fall. During an open forum, he touched on the challenges facing all of the universities, including declining enrollment, diminished funding and a shrinking population of high school students. Greenstein, who previously worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is convening a task force to look at new strategies for student recruitment and ways to make college more affordable. Greenstein spoke of redesigning the State System so that “we can continue to serve all Pennsylvanians with the afford- PHOTO: JAIME NORTH Chancellor Greenstein Visits Campus able, high-quality postsecondary education that they need to sustain themselves and their families, participate effectively in the 21st century economy, and contribute to our communities.” WINTER 2019 5 Gifts Provide Experiential Learning Opportunities THE BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION received two major gifts totaling $775,000 last fall building momentum behind the university’s initiative to provide students with experiential learning opportunities. Kerby Confer, owner of Forever Broadcasting, pledged $375,000 to extend his support of the Confer Radio Talent Institute held at BU as well as an annual scholarship awarded to students majoring in mass communications and a faculty fellowship at BU. Confer also agreed to Kerby Confer, owner of Forever Broadcasting Stephen Jones ’83, president and CEO of Covanta fund 50 percent of the cost to upgrade BU’s campus radio station, WBUQ-FM, which will provide aspiring broadcasters with a professional environment as they prepare for careers in the radio industry. Stephen Jones ’83, president and CEO of Covanta, made a $400,000 pledge to establish four Professional U Faculty Fellowships. The fellows will receive funding to collaborate with faculty and deans to create a menu of professional experiences, both existing and new, for each department within each college. “We are deeply inspired and grateful for Steve and Kerby’s gifts,” said BU President Bashar W. Hanna. “These gifts both offer extraordinary support to expand our university’s strategic goals, and they directly reflect the personal significance that each of these remarkable donors places on the profound impact of experiential learning opportunities as part of the Husky experience.” Each gift will fund a variety of professional experiences, such as internships, study abroad opportunities, and collaborative research with faculty. The gifts align with the university’s Professional U focus, which aims to provide one professional experience per year per student. Mass Comm student named a Mack Truck Top Dog By Jenna Fuller ’18 MASS COMMUNICATIONS move forward. Fox’s winning films SENIOR Andrew Fox put his video are “Pedestrian Forklift Safety,” skills to work last summer for an “HERCA” (Human Error Root internship with Mack Trucks, Inc. Cause Analysis), and “Multi Fill in Macungie. His work resulted in Process.” Fox earning the truck behemoth’s “The award is given to employees Top Dog Award for Continuous who have the best “Kaizen” form, Improvement. Japanese for ‘moving forward,’” For his internship, Fox, of says Fox. “This Kaizen form helps Skippack, wrote scripts, made improve the company in some way shot lists, filmed, edited, produced by saving money, preventing injury, Mack Inc. Plant Manager Rickard Lundberg and directed small films for the and making things more efficient.” presenting the Top Dog Award to BU student company’s training department. He Andrew Fox. After his May graduation, Fox created six, four- to six-minute films aspires to work for a television to train employees in standard procedures. Three films advertising company. “I really want to create or write garnered him the Top Dog Award, an award Mack gives commercials,” Fox said. “To be able to see my work on TV to employees who have helped the company grow and would be pretty cool as well.” 6 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PHOTO: ERIC FOSTER Jahri Evans speaks at the dedication of the Jahri Evans scoreboard at the opening football game in September. SPECTATORS AT HUSKY HOME FOOTBALL games this past fall were treated to a new state-of-the-art LED video scoreboard as a result of a gift from former BU and NFL great Jahri Evans ’07. The Jahri Evans Scoreboard, manufactured by Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, stands more than 23 feet tall and 31 feet wide and provides an enhanced fan experience when watching games at Redman Stadium. The LED videoboard has video, graphical, and instant replay capabilities, previously unseen at the stadium. It also comes with a new sound system to further enhance the game day environment. Evans committed $500,000 for the new Danny Hale Field scoreboard at Redman Stadium after previously contributing $500,000 to the First & Goal Campaign to endow a football scholarship. Evans’ name was added to BU’s Wall of Distinction in August. Located near the fountain on BU’s Academic Quadrangle, the Bloomsburg University Wall of Distinction recognizes donors who have contributed $1 million or more to the university. On the field, Evans was one of the most decorated offensive linemen to put on a BU football jersey. He went on to have a prolific career in the National Football League, primarily playing for the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints, Evans earned a Super Bowl championship ring for the 2009 season. Evans graduated from BU in 2007 with a degree in exercise science. In 2009, he established a full scholarship for out-of-state minority PHOTO: JAIME NORTH Jahri Evans Football Scoreboard Unveiled students enrolled in Bloomsburg’s Master of Science in clinical athletic training program. He established the Jahri Evans Football Endowed Scholarship in 2014. Evans and his wife, Takia, welcomed their first child, Atlas, on March 16, 2018. BU Signs Transfer Agreement with Lackawanna College BU AND LACKAWANNA COLLEGE have signed a transfer agreement that will provide a seamless program-toprogram pathway for Lackawanna students to complete their Bachelor of Applied Science degree in technical leadership. Under this new partnership, students in good academic standing who complete their associate degree at Lackawanna can transfer to Bloomsburg with junior (third-year) status. The bachelor’s degree in technical leadership aims to build on the expertise students have gained through their associate degree program to build working professionals ready to take charge of technical work groups, project teams, and service departments. WINTER 2019 7 AUDIO BOOKS: Is it ‘Cheating?’ By Patsy Van Dyke ’18 AS A POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW, Beth Rogowsky, associate professor of teaching and learning, spent hours commuting by train as she studied for her advanced training in neuroscience. To make the hour-long trip more productive she listened to audiobooks. But as an educator focused on reading, Rogowsky felt she was “cheating.” But was it? The result of those train rides and her “guilt” fascinated her enough to explore whether reading text or listening to audiobooks created more comprehension. So in 2016, Rogowsky conducted a study of 100 adults, aged 25 – 40, each of whom had a bachelor’s degree. Results of her study were recently featured in the Sept. 6, 2018, issue of Time magazine. (time.com/5388681/audiobooks-reading-books) Participants in her study read on an e-reader, listened to, or read and listened simultaneously to sections of Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. They took a comprehension test immediately afterward, and then took another test two weeks later. Her findings: no significant difference in comprehension between reading, listening, or both. Rogowsky does note that participants did not have the option to rewind or reread and that they learned to read on paper rather than growing up as digital natives. “That is the key to where this research is headed,” says Rogowsky. “Does a digital platform make a difference in comprehension?” “Real learning requires a lot of effort,” says Rogowsky. “If you are passively listening or reading without taking notes and refreshing your memory through discussion or quizzing, you aren’t at the level that understanding and retention requires. But when you just want to enjoy the next best seller for an intelligent conversation in book club, listening to an e-book is not cheating.” Global Business Association Takes Third in International Competition From left: Lam D. Nguyen, director, Global Business Institute; BU students Jared Ortega, Ekaterina Khrunova (exchange program), Jordann Marie Seasock, and Sierra Danforth. 8 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY’S GLOBAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (GBA) team placed third at the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education (CUIBE) Case Competition held in October in San Diego. It’s the first time that BU has placed in the top three of the competition. The CUIBE case competition enables students to showcase their knowledge in international business through a competitive environment. Each team had 24 hours to review a case before the competition began, and the winners of each bracket moved on to the final round. Teams were judged on their analysis, recommendations and overall presentation. BU’s team of Ekaterina Khrunova, Jared Ortega, Jordann Marie Seasock, and Sierra Danforth ’18 presented on the case “Paris Baguette: Quintessentially French with love from Korea.” “What made this award so special is that the event was extremely competitive,” says Lam Nguyen, professor of management and international business and GBA’s adviser. “Bloomsburg University’s team was placed above great schools such as The George Washington University, Loyola University Chicago, James Madison, and San Diego State.” PHOTOS: ERIC FOSTER Focus ON Faculty Shavonne Shorter: Communication Matters G By Tom McGuire and Eric Foster rowing up outside of Annapolis, Maryland, Shavonne Shorter dreamed of being the next Oprah Winfrey. In college, a wise adviser suggested she have a backup plan in case the “being famous” thing didn’t work out. He suggested becoming a professor. After earning her Ph.D. at Purdue University, she interviewed on campus at only one place, Bloomsburg University, and instantly fell in love with the school and the area. Now in her fifth year, in addition to being assistant professor of communication studies, Shorter is head coach of the Frederick Douglass Debate Society, a Frederick Douglass Institute Collaborative initiative in which underrepresented students from participating Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education campuses debate controversial current issues. BU’s team won first place in the 2018 debate tournament about Confederate monuments. Her latest research project is the Inclusive Future Faculty Initiative, which pairs underrepresented students with underrepresented faculty and allows students to interview faculty about their careers. The goal is to encourage more of these students to pursue careers in higher education. She shares some tips for communicating in a diverse and wired world. HOW CAN WE COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH SOMEONE WHO WE DISAGREE WITH STRONGLY? As a society, we need to listen to one another. We want to talk and get our viewpoint across, but we don’t often leave space for people to state their opinions and to tell us why they hold them. If you want to be a better listener, you need to be cognizant of your biases and try to be more open-minded. Find points of commonality with others where you can open up the discussion. People often have very strong opinions yet don’t take the time to have a conversation with someone with an opposing viewpoint. You learn and grow from hearing different opinions. I find myself inundated with messages on social media from both sides of the political spectrum. After an election, a man who went to school with me and held a differing political view hopped on my Facebook timeline and came after one of my friends for having a similar view as I did. I said to him “I know you as a decent, respectful human being. And this isn’t decent or respectful.” Immediately, he came back and said “You’re right. I apologize. Let’s have a real conversation.” Sometimes, you have to remind people of who they are. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON USING EMAIL? Never write an email while you’re mad. You can’t undo it. When students write an email to me in anger, I bring them into my office afterward and have them read it. When they see it, they say “oh, I’m so sorry.” I forgive them. I’d rather they make this mistake with me now than as a professional where it could impact their career. WHAT ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO FEAR PUBLIC SPEAKING? The best way to overcome the fear of public speaking is to get experience doing it. Push your boundaries as you are able so you can start to feel comfortable speaking in different settings. Sometimes it might be starting as small as answering a question in class or taking on speaking roles in meetings. Just doing something like that can increase your comfort level. Great oral communication skills are among the top five skills employers want. In every class I teach, there is a public speaking component. I feature public speaking prominently because my students are going to have to do that with regularity in the future. WINTER 2019 9 PHOTO: DOUGLAS BENEDICT Toni Trumbo-Bell, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and student Alison Martin work in the lab in Hartline Science Center. A Real Research Real Results s day fades to night, the hustle and bustle of a typical day in a college academic building is complete. Offices are dark and a pin dropping can be heard from one end of the hallway to the other. But, there is one place where the buzz of the lights and the voices of faculty and students can still be heard late into the evening – the research labs. Increasingly, the research of BU students and their faculty mentors has impacts far beyond the campus as they take on projects related to our health, environment and community. Sadie Hauck, director of research and sponsored programs at BU, notes the university receives more than $480,000 a year for research from federal, state 10 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA and private sources. That money provides equipment and pays for travel and stipends for dozens of student research assistants. Support for student research is layered into the BU experience. Each year, hundreds of students present research posters on campus to their professors and peers at research day events. To further boost these research efforts, the university provides additional funding for students to work on summer projects through the Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity program. Donor-funded Professional Experience Grants (PEGs) have funded an additional 42 research and 30 conference experiences for students since 2015. ADDICTION STUDY RIVER HEALTH Kevin Ball ’01, professor of psychology, Jennifer Soohy ’19M, a second-year Kozloff Fellow and a behavioral graduate student in biology, is among the dozens of summer BU neuroscience expert, has spent his student researchers. Working with career unraveling the ways that Steven Rier, professor of biological addiction changes the brain and and allied health sciences, on a searching for ways to help addicts project to restore the ecological overcome those changes. A focus health of the Susquehanna River, of Ball’s research has been how Soohy is tapping into a lifelong chronic stress contributes to reinterest. “I grew lapse and explorup right at the ing ways to break confluence of the the link between two branches of stress and relapse. the Susquehanna. “Students When I was are essential in younger, we keeping the lab always talked running on a dayabout how polto-day basis,” says luted the river Ball, who has been – Alison Martin ’18 was. We talked as awarded $333,319 if it was too late from the National for the river. I never imagined that Institute of Health (NIH) for his there were scores of people who research over the past nine years. didn’t even grow up in the area who That funding supported 28 student had an interest in cleaning up and researchers and resulted in seven taking care of the river,” she says. peer-reviewed articles in journals, including Addiction “I would not have even considered Biology, one of the top journals on doing this project if students were substance abuse. not involved,” says Rier. “Through “I’ve always enjoyed the how and research students get a better sense why of science. The brain is such an of what science is about. It’s not just interesting organ – my personal pasabout memorizing facts. It’s adding sion has always been with neuronew facts, and new information.” science,” says Hannah Bodnar ’18, a Rier is part of a consortium of psychology major who worked with researchers working on the threeBall on a project looking at the year Precision Conservation project, relapse rate of addiction in rats. which aims to restore the ecological Bodnar, who graduated in Decemhealth of the Susquehanna River. ber, notes that it’s not uncommon Project partners include Chesapeake to spend 14 to 18 hours a day in Conservancy, Susquehanna University, the lab. “That’s what I expected and the National Fish and Wildlife from experimental research. But it’s Foundation, which supported exciting for me and I really enjoy Soohy’s graduate being in the lab. I plan on applying assistantship. The to a post-baccalaureate program National Fish and before medical school to pursue Wildlife Foundation my passion in neurology. Dr. Ball has provided BU has been immensely helpful in with $115,311 for helping me discover a career path the project while I have true passion for.” the Sunbury-based “The innovation is the part I love the most. You have to think on your feet and come to new findings based on the data.” Degenstein Foundation provides $25,000 in additional funding each year to support additional BU students’ work on this and other river-related projects. The BU researchers analyze water chemistry and ecosystem functions in tributaries to the Susquehanna River. A particular focus is on nutrients such as nitrates and phosphorus, which can affect plant and animal life in the streams. For Soohy, this means long hours planning field trips, collecting water samples, testing the samples back in the lab, plugging the results into a computer, and then helping analyze the data. Beyond the science, Soohy gets to see how public outreach, marketing, and even the search for funding all combine to turn the wheels of a major environmental research project. “I get to know a huge number of people from different backgrounds. And I work with them as a peer,” she says. “On the agendas for project meetings, I’m listed as a participant, not ‘the grad student.’” The benefits don’t end there, of course. “You’re expanding your knowledge, but you also get to know one topic in depth as you hone in on specific areas,” Soohy says. “That’s exciting. I’m learning what questions to ask.” W W II N N TT EE RR 22 00 11 99 11 in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. The benefits for BU’s concussion research hits particularly close to home. “Our student-athletes have the leading protocol in the world for concussion treatment applied to them. It’s like having the latest and greatest medical techniques available to them,” says Hazzard. “And our students involved in athletic training are graduating with real knowledge on how access and monitor mild traumatic brain injury. Many athletic training students don’t have that opportunity.” To share concussion expertise more broadly, BU is now offering an online certificate for professionals interested in assessment and management of concussions and mild traumatic brain injury. Concussion is also on the research agenda for Toni Trumbo-Bell, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Trumbo-Bell is working to develop a saliva test for concussions that will be more reliable than the current methods of CT scans and self-reporting. “The innovation is the part I love the most,” says biochemistry major Alison Martin ’18, who has worked with Trumbo-Bell on the project. “You have to think on your feet and come to new findings based on the data. You have to think outside the box.” Martin plans to attend law school and draw upon her chemistry education by specializing in intellectual property and patent law. “It’s something professors love to do. We see it as our responsibility to give students these opportunities,” Jennifer Soohy collects water samples from a rural stream for analysis. 12 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PHOTO: DOUGLAS BENEDICT CONCUSSION RESEARCH Over three years, Joseph Hazzard, associate professor of exercise science, has had 23 graduate and undergraduate students serve as research assistants in BU’s Concussion Institute. Through the Care Consortium 2.0, funded by the Department of Defense and NCAA, BU will receive more than $535,000 to study concussions by the project’s completion in 2020. “The consortium is collecting data about concussions across 30 institutions, including Division I, II and III universities, and four military academies,” says Hazzard. Work at BU’s Institute for Concussion Research and Services resulted in a paper, “Prevalence of Head Injury and Utilization of Services in a College Age Population,” published PHOTO: DOUGLAS BENEDICT more closely mirror the human experience.” For students preparing for their careers after BU, it’s the experience that matters. “Experience” is a word that Eric Stone ’16, uses when reminiscing about his days as an undergraduate researcher. Now a full-time neuroscience researcher, Stone is eyeing graduate school, and credits the years spent in Ball’s lab for helping set him on his path. “It was one of my favorite experiences,” says Stone, who worked with Ball on the same addiction study as Hannah Bodnar, even staying after graduation to focus on the project as a part-time paid researcher. “It opened the door to research and my career.” Stone’s interest in neuroscience research has its origins in a traumatic childhood incident: When he was 7 years old, Stone suffered a stroke due to complications from surgery Joseph Hazzard, right, associate professor of exercise science, conducts a neurocognitive assessment of a student subject using an electroencephalogram (EEG). to remove his adenoids. The stroke left him blind in one eye and with says Trumbo-Bell, who has worked says. “They go on to Cornell, Penn a slight weakness on his left side. with student researchers all 17 State, the University of Montana — Today, as a researcher at the Kessler years she has been at Bloomsburg. they’re highly sought after.” Foundation in West Orange, New “Students get to make discoveries “I’ve heard from directors of Jersey, Stone is involved with projthat no one has ever made before. graduate programs that my students’ ects that aim to improve function They become independent thinkers research experience was a critical and quality of life for people with and researchers.” factor in their decision to extend an spinal cord and traumatic brain inFor Trumbo-Bell one of those offer,” says Ball, who’s own career jury, stroke, and other neurological opportunities she offers her student was shaped by a mentor at BU. “I and orthopedic conditions. researchers every year is a trip to the became interested in neuroscience What advice does he have for American Chemical Society gathering. while taking Dr. Alex Poplawsky’s students who want to emulate his There, students can talk about their behavioral neuroscience class.” success? research and be immersed in a fertile An undergraduate researcher “Seize any opportunity,” Stone learning environment with 20,000 when he attended BU, Ball counsels says. “Once you graduate, it’s hard chemists, including Nobel Prize students that “things don’t always to get your foot in the door because winners. Just as importantly, they’re work out the way you would like everyone wants experience. able to connect with grad school — such as negative findings — but Bloomsburg was where I gained recruiters. that’s OK. What we’ve learned is experience. It was a huge bonus and that for all of the research inI’m thankful for the opportunity.” AFTER BLOOMSBURG vestigating the neurobiology of “Medical and graduate schools are addiction, there are relatively few By Willie Colón, a freelance writer looking for research experience. effective treatments. Many inbased in Philadelphia, Eric Foster, We send many of our students to vestigators, including myself, are and Tom McGuire graduate school,” Trumbo-Bell starting to use new models that WINTER 2019 13 Mapping the Road to Family By Thomas Schaeffer J ohn Enman always valued his colleagues and students in Department of Geography as his family. That sentiment was still strong as he neared the end of his life in 2016. A New England native, Enman earned his B.A. in geography and geology at the University of Maine. He was called up for active duty in the Army Air Corps in 1943, after previously enlisting in the Reserve Army Corps. His skills were especially valuable when he served as a cartographer in India, helping to accurately map areas that were essential for the planning of air strikes, troop landings and other military operations. Enman used his time in the John Enman doing cartographical work in the Army Air Corps during World War II. 14 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA military to explore the countries where he was stationed — not just of the land, but also of the culture and the people who lived there. “I got to go to Calcutta frequently, by train, and I usually bought third-class tickets. Not because they were cheaper, but to get to ride with the Indian peasantry,” Enman wrote in his WWII memoirs, “We Put India on the Map,” which were published in the book Second World War in the First Person. When he returned home, Enman earned his master’s degree from Harvard and went on to teach at Washington and Jefferson University in Washington, Pa. In 1959, he joined the faculty at BU as a professor of geography and earth science, where he also served as the department’s cartographer. Enman’s passion for geography stretched far beyond his ability to read or create maps. For him, geography was more about relating to the environment and the people who inhabit it. He did just that when he arrived in Bloomsburg and was happy to find a place that he would call home. Enman immersed himself in the Bloomsburg community and connected with his surroundings. He was a mainstay in the BU geography department until he retired in 1984. His relationship with the department didn’t end. He returned to campus weekly for a department breakfast where he met with faculty members and other retirees to discuss Geography professor John Enman in 1978. curriculum and to do what he could to support his geography family. “Our department has always felt like a family,” says Sandra KehoeForutan, professor in what is now the Department of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences (EGGS). “From the day I arrived here in 1992, John mentored me and treated me as an equal. It was important to him to build that sense of community to make all the faculty, staff and students feel like they belonged here.” He maintained his relationships and connections with his EGGS family for as long as he could until his health began to fail in 2014. That was when he turned to the colleagues he loved to help him with basic needs. “Because of the relationships he had built with us, he was comfortable turning to us for help with everyday things like getting groceries or John Enman in his office in 1979. transportation to appointments,” says retired EGGS faculty member, Brian Johnson. “And we were happy to pull together to help him, because that’s what he would have done for us.” The department family all helped, including Kehoe-Forutan, department chair Michael Shepard, Johnson, department secretary Cheryl Smith, Jenn Haney ’04 and her husband, Paul, and two students, Melissa Matthews ’15 and Kevin Rooker ’16. “It was very uplifting to see the community come together to help out one of their own – from shoveling snow to delivering medicine,” From left: Michael Shepard, professor and chair, Sandra Kehoe-Forutan, professor, Brian says Shepard. “Faculty, staff and students all Johnson, professor emeritus, and Cheryl Smith, secretary, Department of Environmental, rose to the occasion when Dr. Enman needed Geographical and Geological Sciences. them, and that’s because of that close-knit environment that he helped to create here.” “This money will allow us to give our students more Moved by the outpouring of support he received, opportunities for the kinds of experiences that make as one of his final gestures to his departmental family, the difference between a good and a great education,” Enman made a $700,000 gift from his estate to carry on says Shepard. “John truly loved this department and his legacy of supporting the EGGS department. With the considered it his home in many ways. This gift is an gift, the EGGS department is already bolstering student expression of that love.” support through equipment upgrades, and providing funding to sponsor field trips and experiential learning Thomas Schaeffer is communications manager for the opportunities for students. Bloomsburg University Foundation. WINTER 2019 15 Tech Pioneer PHOTO: ERIC FOSTER Barbara Romano ’83 has made a career of computer networks. At BU, she helps build networks of people. 16 BLOOMSBURG BLOOMSBURGUNIVERSITY UNIVERSITYOF OFPENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA C ollege was not in the plans for Barbara Bogart Romano loved the challenge. “The major was about Romano as she wrapped up her senior year at solving problems. It was about how to instruct the Warrior Run High School in rural Turbotville. machine to get something done.” And she discovered the “My parents were blue collar. I was a waitress and I satisfaction and value of helping others. “I was a tutor. was going to continue down that path,” says Romano ’83, That taught me a lot about how other people do things who now serves as president of the Bloomsburg and it made me more adept at doing my own work.” University Alumni Association. Her high school teacher, BU alumna FROM CODER TO LEADER Barbara Dodson ’72, asked what she Romano’s career, in many ways, maps was going to do after high school. the evolution of computers in our “When I told her she said, ‘No, you’re lives. When she graduated from BU in going to Bloomsburg.’” 1983 to begin her career working on Dodson recalls the conversation. government contracts in Maryland, “I said ‘Barbara, you better rethink a typical IBM PC had a processor that.’ She was such a good student approximately 500 times slower that as a teacher, you did the extra than today’s typical cell phone and – Former alumni association board things to help.” 1,000 times slower than a modern president Joe Hilgar ’75 Like 35 percent of today’s BU entry-level computer. Storage took students, Romano was the first in the form of floppy disks 5.25 inches her family to attend college. But once she decided to go, square that could hold only enough data to handle a there was no turning back. few seconds of today’s mp3 music files, though mp3s “When I decide I’m going to do something, I’m wouldn’t be created for another six years. going to do it,” says Romano. “For me, it was never not Romano moved back to Pennsylvania in 1988 to work going to work.” with farm equipment manufacturer Case New Holland, Her transition to college was helped by having a where she managed systems that connected 10,000 mentor in her high school teacher’s husband, BU clients. “It was a big enough company that I had a variety computer science professor Doyle Dodson ’57. of experiences. I did database administration, moved into Dodson hired Romano to work in the university’s a manager position and was a recruiter, coming back to computer lab and she soon became so entranced campus to find interns and new employees.” with programming that she switched majors from In 2001, she went to QVC as an application accounting to computer science. development manager. While Case New Holland The computers, installed in the basement of the Ben computer technology was centered on a mainframe Franklin Building, were closet-size boxes connected to computer, QVC’s technology was reliant on networked terminals. Punch cards were still used to load programs servers. “That was a move into the modern age from and data was stored on magnetic tape. a technology perspective,” Romano recalls. At QVC, She is someone who has a passion for the university and remembers her roots. Whatever is asked of her, she’s glad to be involved. Left: Barbara Romano with mentee Leigha Coates ’18. Right: Romano with alumni association vice president Marc Steckel ’93 at the homecoming parade in October. WINTER 2019 17 PHOTO: ERIC FOSTER Barbara Romano shares her experience with students at the Zeigler College of Business Conference in November. she led a team that developed a custom workforce management self-service application for more than 4,000 call center employees. After seven years at QVC, Romano moved into consulting. As she transitioned to management, Romano actively sought mentors. “You always need somebody to bounce an idea off of. Someone with a different background, different life skills and a different perspective. It’s important to have someone you can trust and have confidence in to ask the dumb questions.” Today, Romano is a director of information technology for South Jersey Industries (SJI), a $1.4 billion energy services holding company with more than 1,200 employees and 680,000 residential customers. Romano no longer writes code in COBOL and Fortran as she did at BU, but still draws upon her university experiences and her hands-on knowledge. While she no longer gets the evening calls to fix bugs, Romano jokes, “I still get calls at night when a VP needs help with an iPad.” You always need somebody to bounce an idea off of. Someone with a different background, different life skills and a different perspective. It’s important to have someone you can trust and have confidence in to ask the dumb questions. – Barbara Romano 18 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA “As a leader, I’m never going to ask someone else to do what I’m not willing to do myself,” says Romano, who oversees a team of 15 project managers and more than 100 vendor consultants who build and integrate the computer applications of SJI’s various divisions. “When you get into management, the problems change. The critical thinking and problem solving become even more important. The things I do on a daily basis have to do with people and organizations rather than code.” At SJI, recent challenges include mapping data from 286,000 customer records of two new utilities to work within SJI’s integrated systems. BUILDING PERSONAL NETWORKS Appropriately enough for a tech-savvy executive, Romano became involved in BU’s Alumni Association through email. “I kept getting emails from the Alumni Association to apply for the board of directors,” says Romano. “Those calls for volunteers came at the right time. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity. My children are in their mid-20s. I have time to give back.” “She kept raising her hand. She was very good about giving time and talent,” says former Alumni Association board president Joe Hilgar ’75. “She was someone who had a passion for the university and remembered her roots. Whatever is asked of her, she’s glad to be involved.” While her career involves electronic networks tying computers and programs together, on campus Romano is focused on making connections among people and giving students a strong personal and professional network they can connect to. “I put myself out there. I encourage students to connect with me on LinkedIn.” Romano visits campus more than a dozen times a year for meetings of the Alumni Association board, commencement ceremonies, homecoming and for events like the annual Zeigler College of Business Conference and College of Science and Technology Career Pathways events and the Alumni Association’s Day of Dialog with students from underrepresented groups. She’s also working with university administrators to create an alumni mentoring program specifically for freshmen to help them succeed in their first year. Beyond offering her time and experience, Romano has established a virtual endowment scholarship to help women pursue careers in the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math. “I feel I’m helping my younger self. Like Mrs. Dodson did for me. I feel like it’s my opportunity to give back and help someone see something in themselves that they don’t see in their mirror.” A member of on BU’s advisory board for computer science, Romano encourages students to see their disciplines in a larger context so they adapt to change. “We’re not coding on cards and in COBOL anymore, but the underlying fundamentals are the same. As I moved into management, somebody said to me ‘you have to stay on top of technology, but you can’t be involved in all the nitty-gritty details.’ It’s like a bridge. On one side it’s super technical. On the other, you see the technology from a perspective of the types of problems you can solve and how you can help drive businesses forward.” While the computer science field is defined by constant change, Romano has a knack for keeping connections, both old and new, strong. She stays in touch with Barbara and Doyle Dodson, who still live in Bloomsburg, and she keeps in contact with students she’s mentored over the years. “As a student, I saw Barbara once or twice a month whenever she was on campus. We would meet for coffee or lunch. She was able to connect the dots for me in college, make my transition to a graduate a lot easier,” says a former Husky Ambassador Leigha Coates ’18. An assistant recreational leader for the City of Philadelphia, Coates took Romano’s guidance to heart to found a nonprofit, Just Keep Swimming Philly, which teaches inner-city youth how to swim. “I still see Barbara after graduation. She taught me to accomplish my own goals and help others to accomplish their goals.” OPPORTUNITIES TO Connect Whether you are a new graduate or a seasoned professional, volunteering for BU can take as little as 10 minutes, and you don’t even have to come to campus. BU’s Professional U initiative relies heavily on alumni to help fellow Huskies begin their careers. Just connecting with a student in the BU Alumni Group on LinkedIn or posting a job opportunity on Handshake is helpful. Sit on a panel, present a topic, review a resume, or conduct a mock interview – either virtually or in-person. OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE: Present at industry-specific Career Connections Expos Host students on a Husky Career Road Trip Provide an internship opportunity or allow a student to shadow you in the workplace. Have a unique story or career insight to share? Volunteer to be interviewed for a 10-minute podcast. Participate in career events such as the Zeigler College of Business Conference, College of Science and Technology Career Day or College of Liberal Arts Symposium. Present at Husky Boot Camp. Alumni who don’t have time to participate in an event but still want to help can support a student financially by sponsoring them at the next Career Intensive Boot Camp or provide a Professional Experience Grant that will enable students to attend a conference or study abroad. Learn more about volunteer opportunities by emailing Nathan Conroy at nconroy@bloomu.edu. For more information about alumni socials, volunteering opportunities, or giving options, visit bloomu.edu/alumni or giving.bloomu.edu. WINTER 2019 19 husky notes A MISSION IN Tea By Eric Foster STEVE ’94 AND JENNIFER (YEOMANS) LORCH ’97 spent nearly a decade traveling the world and transforming lives in remote areas of developing nations by installing wells and water systems. In 2006, their own lives would be transformed by a simple cup of tea in Kenya. For Steve, it was the first “real” cup of tea he’d ever had. “This tea had been picked fresh that morning,” he says. “Before then, the only tea I had was powdered Lipton.” The couple was inspired to start growing tea plants at their South Carolina home and launched Table Rock Tea Company in 2014. Today, the Lorches have a 17-acre farm with thousands of tea plants in the western foothills of their state. “We’re right on the scenic Cherokee Foothills Highway that brings 400,000 visitors a year to Table Rock Mountain,” says Steve Lorch. “Our tea heritage is Kenyan, but our slogan is ‘Uniquely American Tea.’ Tea is like wine. It derives its flavor from terroir (the land and soil) and microclimate. For example, our oolong has a natural note of chocolate. We also produce a very refreshing WinterLeaf cold harvest green tea not made anywhere else in the world.” Where traditional Chinese lapsang souchong is smoked over pine, the Lorches use applewood and cherry to give their smoked tea a distinctly American flavor. Jennifer Lorch has a favorite fact that she presents on tours: “Green, black, and oolong teas all come from the same plant. The differences are in the way the leaves are processed.” After being picked by hand, tea leaves gradually turn black (like a banana peel), a process growers call “oxidation” that takes anywhere from five to eight hours. The longer the oxidation, the blacker the tea. Firing in an oven or over a fire stops the process. Their Christian faith has always played an integral role in the Lorches 20 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Top photo: Steve Lorch at the Table Rock Tea Company in South Carolina. Center photo: Jennifer Lorch in Kenya. Bottom photo: Steve and Jennifer Lorch with one of their tea plants. ’60s Robert Hall ’63 was inducted into the East Lycoming School District Athletic Hall of Fame. Hall played football and wrestled in high school and went on to become the first BU wrestler to place in NCAA competition and was the first BU athlete to earn All-American status. Hall is a member of BU Athletic Hall of Fame and the District 4 Wrestling Hall of Fame. Larry Greenly ’65 was elected to the Military Writers Society of America board of directors. Steve and Jennifer Lorch at a well they installed in rural India. careers and business ventures. Steve graduated from BU with a degree in nursing and still works part-time as a surgical nurse. Jennifer chose BU because it offered one of the few bachelor’s degrees in American Sign Language in the nation. A former early interventionist, Jennifer Lorch serves as the business manager for the tea company as well as office administrator for an engineering firm. A nonprofit the Lorches founded, Hydromissions International, is now self-sustaining and still brings clean water to remote communities around the world. While they no longer dig wells in remote locales, the Lorches strive to make a difference with a new initiative, OpportuniTea, which provides microloans to small-scale tea farmers overseas. Steve Lorch sees expansion in the company’s future. “Our area is economically depressed but beautiful. We’d like to create something truly unique that provides good jobs here. Our goal is to have Table Rock known as “Tea Country” in 30 years like Napa Valley is known for its wine.” James Derr ’66 gave the commencement address at his alma mater, Antietam High School, Reading. He is a retired administrator of the Wyomissing Area schools and an adjunct professor at Wilkes University and the University of Pennsylvania. Robert Boose ’68, executive director of the Massachusetts Dental Society, was named an honorary fellow of the International College of Dentists. The honor was conferred at the 2018 ICD USA Section Annual Meeting in Honolulu in recognition of his contributions to the dental profession and in appreciation of outstanding services rendered to the cause of oral science. Richard Robbins ’85, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bucknell University, was named an Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) fellow by NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising and the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Robbins is serving as the EAA Fellow to Wheaton College of Massachusetts for 2018–2020. Sandra J. Breznitsky Sackrison ’85 is vice president of the Health Medical Group Eastern Region with Atrium Health, Charlotte, N.C. She worked as the radiology system service line administrator at Vidant Health, Greenville, N.C. Patricia Gettel Crotty ’86 is advertising director at The Post-Star newspaper, Glen Falls, N.Y. Crotty has been with the paper for seven years as a multimedia sales manager. Previously, she was the general manager of Bon-Ton department stores in Wilton, N.Y. for 18 years. ’70s Michael Feeley ’87 is executive editor of The News Journal and Delaware Online. Feeley was the senior director of content for PennLive and The Patriot-News in Harrisburg and was a member of the team that won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal at Penn State University. Kathryn Sophy ’79 is the director of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) Office of Special Assistants (OSA). Sophy served as a deputy chief counsel for the PUC’s Law Bureau, and deputy director – legal for OSA. Her experience in public utility law spans 30 years. Todd Norbe ’89 is president and chief executive officer of Biolase, Inc., Irvine, Ca. Norbe is also a member of the company’s board of directors. Norbe was the president, North America, of KaVo Kerr, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation. Carl Kishbaugh ’73 and his wife Caroline served as missionaries for 37 years in Haiti and France. ’80s Laurel Perry Shaffer-Spagnolo ’84 is director of major giving web-only for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Spagnolo’s prior duties with Presbyterian Senior Living in Dillsburg included conducting capital campaigns, cultivating and retaining donors, managing planned giving, coordinating special events, and working with volunteers. Paul Swinko ’89 is corporate chief financial officer for Bassett Healthcare Network and vice president of finance for Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, N.Y. Swinko was chief financial officer at Hershey Medical Center and vice president of Penn State Health. ’90s Helen Fausnaught ’90 is a sales associate with The Lisa Mathena Group and Patterson Schwartz Real Estate in Dover, Del. Fausnaught, a real estate professional for 28 years, is a top lister/seller and multi-mil- WINTER 2019 21 lion dollar producer. She is also the owner/operator of The Swell Tiki Bar and Grill in Rehoboth Beach. Kristen Humphreys Devlin ’95M is administrator of the Meadowbrook Christian School in Milton. Devlin joined the school five years ago as director of curriculum and instruction. She started her teaching career at the Pocono Mountain School District and later the Columbia County Christian School. Todd Nichols ’97 is assistant principal of Federalsburg Elementary School, Federalsburg, Md. He began his teaching career at Federalsburg Elementary School and then was assistant principal at Greensboro Elementary. ’00s Susan Bennett Fetterman ’00 retired from Geisinger Clinic as the chief administrative officer after 37 years of service. Fetterman had various roles within nursing, ophthalmology, and the division of medicine. Heather Hays ’15 and James Warrell ’15 celebrated their wedding Aug. 25, 2018. Shown in the front row are, from left: James Warrell (groom), Heather Hays (bride), Nicole Reibold ’15, Alexandra Badanjek ’16, and Elizabeth Burgess ’16. Second row: Kevin Zumbrum ’10, Emily Soubik ’15/’17M, Mary Warrell Zumbrum ’12, Colleen Young ’15, Megan Clauser ’15, Caroline Toomey ’15, Rachel Heinbaugh ’15, and Sarah Hay ’14. Back row: Catherine King ’15, Kayla Hanover ’16, Tim Discepola, Scott Jackson ’16, Nate Conrad ’15, Chris Flenard ’14, Shannon Turner ’15, Pat Barnett, Adam Raman ’15 and Max Pettit ’15. Amy Glahn Hnasko ’01 is a professor in the College of Education at Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre. Christopher Thompson ’02 is director of football operations for the Atlanta Legends, a newly formed professional American football team based in Atlanta. Thompson was formerly with the Albany Empire, an Arena Football League team in Albany, N.Y., and the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks of the National Arena League, as head coach and assistant general manager. Elizabeth Weremedic Wittig ’03M is a certified registered nurse practitioner at Lehigh Valley Physician Group-Schuylkill. Wittig spent time as a nurse practitioner at Bloomsburg University and a registered nurse at Geisinger Medical Center and Miners Memorial Medical Center. Michelle Lockard Lockwood ’04/’05M is director of product at Global Platforms for Global Knowledge in Cary, N.C. Joseph Goldfeder ’06 is vice president at Valley National Financial Advisors, Bethlehem. He is a certified financial planner professional, investment adviser representative, a registered representative and a licensed insurance agent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 22 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Stephanie O’Leary ’13 and Anthony Searles ’12 celebrated their wedding Aug. 4, 2018. Shown from left are, front row: Tara Whalen, Katie Bower, Anthony Searles (groom), Stephanie Searles (bride), Lizbet Zavala ’14, Kelsey Wetherhold ’13, and Mandie Fox ’13. Back row: Tyler Pace ’13, Corey Bower ’13, Michael Bucha ’12, Tierney Peake ’14, David McFadden ’14 (behind), Keely Wetherhold ’16, Emily Cabel and Jason Brandolino ’13. Six BU alumni are among the former Mount Carmel High School students who have organized a dance marathon to raise funds for families whose children are fighting pediatric cancer at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. The sixth-annual 12-hour dance marathon was held in November at Mount Carmel Area Jr./ Sr. High School and attracted more than 400 student participants and 150 volunteers. This year the marathon raised $50,021 and over six years, a total of $184,575 has been raised. Shown from left are dance marathon committee members, back row: Bryson Purcell ’17/’19M, Megan Scicchitano, Ana Ditchey ’04/’08M, Rachel Niglio. Front row: Cassandra Mace ’15, Samantha Spieller ’14, Cassandra Niglio ’16, Kimberly Andruscavage ’16, and Victoria Chapman. ’10s Maxwell Tolan ’10 is a family medicine physician with the Commonwealth Health Physician Network in Sugarloaf. Tolan served as an emergency medical technical with the Army Medical Education and Training Campus, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. David Seresky ’11 retired as a federal corrections officer. Ryan King ’13 is a police officer with South Whitehall Township. King graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy in May 2015 and was a police officer in the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Briana Davis ’14/’15M is the lead instructional designer for Graduate School USA in Washington, D.C. Abigail Willcox ’16 is an English teacher at Pottsgrove High School. Jacqueline Hauck ’17 is an associate with Boyer & Ritter, Camp Hill. Sage Stevenson-Panchisin ’17 signed a contract with Marine Commissioning Programs and went to training in January with expected completion in March. Jacob Rios ’17 signed a contract with Marine Enlisted Programs and headed to enlisted training in November 2018. John Carlos Tavares ’17 is an associate with Boyer & Ritter, Camp Hill. Husky Generations A CHANCE MEETING at the Bloomsburg Fair in September led freshman Audrey Edgell to enjoy the 2018 Homecoming celebration in style. At the fair, Edgell and her mom saw Timothy Hoffman ’68 struggling to get back to his car. “I overdid it with my walking and by the time I walked around the fair, everything hurt” says Hoffman, who was recovering from back surgery. “I was looking for a place to sit and I hear this ‘Sir… are you alright, sir?’” At first, Hoffman refused help, but eventually relented at their insistence. “We chatted about my background and how I wanted to go to my reunion and I joked that I wasn’t sure if I could make it without some backup,” says Hoffman. Hoffman’s wife, also a Bloomsburg alumnus, had passed away earlier in the year. He was nervous not only about his physical condition, but also the idea of returning to campus with the loss of his wife still very heavy on his heart. Edgell formally offered to accompany Hoffman to Homecoming. At Homecoming, Edgell rode with Hoffman on the campus tour, watched the parade from the Greenly Center, and shadowed Hoffman during the tent party where she met alums of all ages. At Redman Stadium, she met president Bashar Hanna and finished her day at the 50th reunion dinner at Monty’s where the class of 1968 shared stories of sit-ins, dress codes, “the Nook,” and the turbulent Vietnam War era. “It was cool to hear their college experiences and nice how they wished me luck and told me to make the most of my time here,” says Edgell. “She took an enormous amount of pressure off my shoulders and allowed me to enjoy the wonderful day,” says Hoffman. By Andrea O’Neill ’06, Communications Coordinator, Alumni and Professional Engagement Nicholas Giuffre Retires, Named The Wholesaler’s 2018 Person of the Year NICHOLAS GIUFFRE ’78 retired from Bradford White Corp., Ambler. Giuffre spent 40 years with the water heater company, most recently serving as president/CEO. Giuffre was also named the 2018 Person of the Year by The Wholesaler, a publication focused on the plumbing, heating and cooling industry. A member of the Bloomsburg University Foundation Board, Giuffre made a $2.5 million gift to BU in 2016 to establish the Nicholas J. Giuffre Center for Supply Chain Management. He was actively involved with the American Supply Association (ASA), serving on several committees, including the Executive Committee and the Education Foundation. He served as chairman of the ASA Vendor Member Division. He went on to become a board member of ASA and the ASA Education Foundation. He chaired the ASAEF Investment Committee. ASA honored Giuffre in 2011 as the recipient of the Fred V. Keenan Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his contributions and achievements in the plumbing, heating and cooling industry. Giuffre was also involved with the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Institute (AHRI) and received the AHRI Richard C. Schulze Award for his many contributions to the organization. WINTER 2019 23 husky notes the line up MARRIAGES Christopher Peck ’00 & Alicia Youngblut, Nov. 20, 2017 Michelle Lockard ’04/’05M & Daniel Lockwood, July 14, 2017 Megan Jones ’12 & Michael Senausky, March 17, 2018 Evelyn Scott ’12 & Mark Abshire ’13, June 30, 2018 Alicia Wolfinger ’09 & John Megan Kishbaugh ’13 & David Bogart, May 12, 2018 Pernini ’08, Nov. 17, 2018 Ashli Truchon ’10 & Steve Novak, Sept. 8, 2018 Brianna DePierro ’11 & Aaron Littzi, July 21, 2018 Shannon Zelinka ’11 & Michael Rinehimer, August 25, 2018 Rebecca Hurlbut ’12 & Joseph Stefani ’13, Nov. 10, 2018 Stephanie O’Leary ’13 & Anthony Searles ’12, Aug. 4, 2018 Kelly Murray ’13 & Adam Poorman, Oct. 20, 2018 Allison Coe ’16 & Troy Leonard ’16, Sept. 2, 2018 John Fritz ’16 & Jill Tatios, Aug. 25, 2018 Coleen Schlager ’17 & Hakeem Thomas ’17, Sept. 29, 2018 BIRTHS Stephanie Lapinski Steeber ’03/’05M and husband, Sean ’04, a daughter, Addison Grace, Sept. 13, 2018 Shannon Killeen Ferguson ’05 and husband, Kenneth ’04, a daughter, Charlotte Kathleen, March 6, 2018 Jennifer Mehle Curry ’05 and husband, Glenn ’05, a son, Landon Glenn, Aug. 28, 2018 Jolene Bedics Hahn ’05 and husband, Garry, a daughter, Braelyn Marie, April 19, 2018 Kathryn Guenther Vagell ’06 and husband, Craig, a son, Tyler William, June 27, 2018 Christopher Ashcroft ’07 and wife, Valerie, a daughter, Blaire Aubrey, Sept. 12, 2018 OBITUARIES Sara Marie Dockey Edwards ’44 Dorothy Kocher Pugh ’46 Henry Talarsky ’50 J. Richard Wagner ’50 Joseph D. Kissinger ’54 George Richard Dietz ’55 Donald Smith ’55 C. Diann Jones Bauersfeld ’56 Regina Doraski Dowidchuk ’57 Arlene Rando Liddy ’57 Walter Smerconish ’57 Larry Schell ’59 Walter Bednar ’59 Norman Watts ’59 Byron Krapf ’60 Theresa Yost Hartman ’62 Sarah Creasy Anthony ’63 John Jenkins ’63 Robert Eddinger ’64 Sandra Smith Stoddert ’64 Josephine Urban Crossley ’66 Francis Mulhern ’66 Thomas Switzer ’66 Frederick Dute ’67 Myra Schlesinger Griffith ’68 Stella Johnson Hill ’68 Richard Holly ’68 Eve Hunter ’68 Harold Latchford ’68 Ruth Gordner Kahler McHenry ’68 Dominick Netti ’68 Donald Schnaars ’68 Van Booth ’69 Ivan Dinges ’69 Nancy Vachout Golly ’69 Nathan McKenzie ’69 Russell Palkendo ’69 Janice Fenton Patey ’69 James Gavitt ’70 Blair Monie ’70 A. William Kelly ’71 Thomas Banyas ’73 Linda Lee Martz Crisman ’73 Roger Savage ’73 Karen Crahall Gehrett ’74 Debrann Maurer LeVan ’76 Michael Williams ’76 Donald Beaver ’78 Jane Helman ’78 Kathleen McCormick ’80 Robert Novelli ’81 Gertrude Cravatta DiNardo ’83 Sherry Severnak-Locascio ’83 Rita Tocyloski ’83 James Huffman ’84 Tammy Drumm ’85 Susan Morrall Gavel ’85 Nancy Laidacker ’86 Karen York-Levine ’87 Jari Chandler Farr ’88 Alicia Brown Phillips ’88 Mike Waraksa ’92 Heather Morrell Morrell Belott ’94 Natalie Cibort ’95 Bernard Tostanowski ’00 Brian Billig ’07 Joshua O'Brien ’08 Kyle Brophy ’10 Devon Seier ’14 Holly Humanik Albano ’08 and husband, Joseph, a son, Luke Joseph, April 9, 2018 Jennifer Sicinski Rasich ’09 and husband, Christopher ’08, a daughter, Nora Grace, July 14, 2018 Danielle Clark Horton ’10 and husband, Geoffrey, a daughter, Emery Gwen, May 31, 2018 Jennifer Diehl Linder ’11 and husband, Eric ’10, a daughter, Madison Louise, June 25, 2018 24 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Send information to: magazine@bloomu.edu Bloomsburg: The University Magazine • Waller Administration Building • 400 East Second Street • Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 IN MEMORIAM A. William “Bill” Kelly Jr. ’71, age 71, of Drums, a former chairperson of the Bloomsburg University Council of Trustees and adjunct BU faculty member, passed away Nov. 18. Kelly enjoyed a long relationship with Bloomsburg University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. As an adjunct faculty member, he taught courses in speech and mass communications from 1981 to 1990, was selected as the Young Alumnus of the Year in 1988 and delivered the university’s winter commencement address in 1994. Appointed to the Bloomsburg University Council of Trustees in 1995, Kelly served as the vicechairperson from 1997–2002 and chairperson from 2002–2006. Kelly had a 40-year career in public PHOTO: WVIA Bill Kelly, Longtime Trustee broadcasting with WVIA, beginning as community relations director in 1974 and becoming the station’s president and CEO in 1991. Over his career, he received numerous awards, including the Pennsylvania Medical Society Walter F. Donaldson award for outstanding medical journalism and the Northeastern Chapter March of Dimes Outstanding Volunteer Leadership award. Kelly served on many community boards, including the Community Medical Center in Scranton, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Hospice of the Sacred Heart and Children’s Service Center, Marian Sutherland Kirby Library, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Volunteers in Medicine and the Sordoni Foundation. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Executive Management Institute. Kelly is survived by his wife, Susan Prusack; son, Sean Kelly; daughters, Kristin Doran, Megan Mitchell, Jodi D’Alessio; stepchildren, Matthew Green, Steven and Luke Matyi. Scholarship Established in Honor of ‘Biggie’ Smith SUBMITTED PHOTO A scholarship for Bloomsburg University wrestling has been established in honor of Michael “Biggie” Smith ’69, who passed away on Jan. 17, 2018, and was a passionate supporter of BU wrestling. A pioneer in the amateur wrestling world in central Pennsylvania, Smith was a former high school, collegiate and international official and was named Wrestling USA Magazine’s Pennsylvania Wrestling “Person of the Year” in 2013. Shown from left at a recent 1960s era wrestlers picnic are, seated front: Steve Peters ’68. Front: Mike Smith ’69, Ron Russo ’70, Tom Vargo ’67, Joe Gerst ’68, Keith Taylor ’71, and John Stutzman ’70. Second row: Frank Yartz ’69, Rob Bartoletti ’70, and Wayne Heim ’69. Back row: Bill Paule ’65, Jim Rolley ’67, Doug Grady ’72, Wayne Smythe ’71, Mike Cunningham ’69, John Weiss ’71, Ed Ladamus ’66, Rich Lepley ’70, Joe Bordell ’72, Jim Owen ’70, Carl Poff ’79, Russ Hughes, assistant coach, Marcus Gordan, head coach. TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP VISIT: giving.bloomu.edu/biggie-smith WINTER 2019 25 sports Tracking for a Career in Medicine By Danielle Shapiro ’18 “WE ALL HAVE DREAMS,” said four-time Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. “But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Women’s cross country and track and field standout Morgan Ilgenfritz knows firsthand that success requires effort. As a redshirt senior on the cross country team, Morgan earned all-PSAC honors with a fifth-place finish at the conference championships and all-region honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Atlantic Regionals. Her finish at regionals earned her a trip to the NCAA Division II championships where she finished 92nd in the country. Not bad for someone who was a lightly-regarded runner as a freshman. But her drive in the classroom is what led her to land a Professional Experience Grant (PEG) that will aid with her career goal of becoming a doctor. “I took a course in neuroscience and was doing a project on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE, a brain condition associated with repeated blows to the head), which inspired me to change my career track from physical therapy to pre-med,” says Ilgenfritz, who puts in some long days. When Ilgenfritz is not training or competing, she can be found in the lab of Hartline Science Center. Last fall she was awarded a PEG to fund a research project with her faculty mentor William Coleman, associate professor of biological and allied health sciences. PEG grants provide funding for student experiences outside of the classroom, such as internships, conferences or research projects. “There are days where I leave my apartment at 6:30 in the morning and don’t get back until 11 at night. However, I love it,” she says. “Yes, there are a lot of sacrifices to make, especially with my social life. But I know in the end it will be worth it.” Ilgenfrtiz’s work focuses on how neurons communicate from the nerve cell to the muscle cell. She and Coleman 26 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA are using a laser scanning microscope to investigate the role of the neurotransmitter GABA (gammaaminobutyric acid) on synaptic vesicles. “The GABA neurotransmitter is responsible for sending and regulating chemical messages through the brain and the nervous system,” says Ilgenfritz. “This research can benefit others in the future because of how little we know about GABA signaling in the central and peripheral nervous systems,” says Ilgenfritz. “The GABA neurotransmitter controls muscle tone inhibiting muscle contractions. Understanding of GABA signaling can lead to a better understanding of certain conditions within the nervous system such as Spastic diplegia, a type of cerebral palsy caused by problems with GABA signaling in the spinal cord and lower body.” Ilgenfritz’s goal is to become a family physician with a specialty in sports medicine for the U.S. Navy. She first plans on completing a one-year graduate certificate program in biomedical science at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, then enlist in the Navy. It’s all a challenge she’s definitely up to facing because she knows achieving a dream requires effort. PHOTO: TOM MCGUIRE ON THE HILL PHOTO: DAVE LEISERING THE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM had a season to remember, finishing 2018 with a record of 17-3-3 while capturing both the PSAC Championship for the first time since 2002 and winning its first NCAA Atlantic Regional title. BU was also ranked fifth in the final United Soccer Coaches Association poll. The Huskies set a school record with 15 shutouts during the campaign – sixth among all Division II teams in shutout percentage. Senior Allie Barber was named a 2018 United Soccer Coaches first team scholar All-American as well as second team All-American status from United Soccer Coaches. She also earned first team All-Region honors from both the United Soccer Coaches and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. She garnered a spot on the All-PSAC first team for the second consecutive season. Academically, Barber was a 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team. She finished second on the team in scoring with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Head coach Matt Haney, graduate assistant coach Allison Mack and volunteer assistant coach Rebecca Grubb were named the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Regional Staff of the Year. PHOTO: DAVE LEISERING Women’s Soccer Closes Historic Season 2018 Hall of Fame Class Inducted THE 37TH ANNUAL ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME dinner and induction ceremony was held in October. Inductees from left: Jennifer Lefever ’96 (softball), Adam Clay ’05 (men’s soccer), Jahri Evans ’07 (football), Tom Vargo ’66 (wrestling), Joe Bressi (women's basketball coach), Susan (Brophy) O’Donnell ’81 (women’s swimming), Megan LaBuda ’02 (women’s basketball), and President Bashar Hanna. Bressi is the all-time winningest coach in the women’s basketball program’s history. The induction of seven individuals brings the number of members in the Bloomsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame to 182. WINTER 2019 27 Women’s Volleyball Finishes First Season THE FIRST-YEAR WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM had an inaugural campaign posting a 6-22 record for head coach Dan Kreiger. The roster featured 23 freshmen, two transfers, and three former members of the BU club team. The Huskies picked up the program’s first win on Aug. 31 in just their second match when BU downed Virginia Union, 3-1. The Huskies earned the first PSAC win in program history on Oct. 5 with a straight-sets home victory over Kutztown and then earned its first inter-divisional win, first road win, and first five-set win at Lock Haven on Oct. 30. Redshirt senior Sarah Gomish played her final collegiate year at BU after playing three seasons at Lock Haven. She finished her collegiate career with 1,195 career kills and 1,046 digs and will stay on to serve as the program’s first graduate assistant coach in the fall of 2019. She was one of 14 recipients across the country to be awarded with the 2018 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches 4 Coaches Scholarship which provides the opportunity for up-and-coming coaches to attend their first AVCA Convention. SENIORS MORGAN ILGENFRITZ AND NICK MCGUIRE both capped their careers by qualifying to compete at the 2018 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships in Pittsburgh on Dec. 1. Ilgenfritz was an automatic qualifier by finishing fourth at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships. It was her second trip to the national championships after participating in 2016 as a member of the Huskies’ national qualifying team. McGuire earned a trip to nationals as wild card after finishing sixth at the regional meet. His sixth-place finish at regionals was the Huskies’ best finish by a male runner since 2006 when Justin Shepherd placed fourth. McGuire was also the first male to compete at nationals since Shepherd in 2006 and just the fourth individual men’s runner to earn a trip to nationals in the program’s history (BU qualified as a team twice). The last time BU had both a female and a male runner qualify for the NCAAs in the same year was in 2005, when Shepherd was 19th for men and Amber Hackenberg placed 48th in the women’s race. 28 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PHOTOS: SLIPPERY ROCK SPORTS INFORMATION Two Qualify for NCAA National Championships in Cross Country Ilgenfritz, who was fifth at the PSAC Championships, finished 92nd at nationals while McGuire, who was third at the PSACs, placed 108th in very tough conditions at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh. then AND now Y EARS of Hartline Science Center By Robert Dunkelberger Daniel Hartline in his office in Science Hall, surrounded by the mounted animals he used for instruction, c.1910. Left: Haldan Keffer Hartline being awarded the Nobel Prize, December 10, 1967. Globally, 1969 was a big year for science. Most spectacularly, after a decade of advancements and progress beginning with the first Soviet and U.S. space orbits in 1961, Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20. Outside of space exploration, the 1960s saw the invention of the BASIC computer language (1964), pocket calculators (1967), and the artificial heart (1969). Against this backdrop of technological advancement, the 1960s saw rapid growth in enrollment and academic offerings at BU. Growing student population spurred the formation of formal, individual departments campus-wide in 1959, and over the decade that followed, enrollment more than doubled to 3,300. As enrollments grew and the sciences became increasingly specialized, the Department of Mathematics and Science separated into different departments. Mathematics and geography became individual departments in 1962 and biology became a department in 1965. Finally, in 1969 physical sciences split into chemistry and physics. This organizational evolution culminated with the opening of Hartline Science Center 50 years ago this spring. Science courses were taught from BU’s earliest days, but without special facilities. Things changed in 1907 with the opening of Science Hall, then one of the most modern facilities for science instruction in the state. Following World War II, newer and larger facilities for science instruction were needed. The solution was to begin construction in 1958 on the first classroom building to be used solely for college instruction since Science Hall. Completed in 1960 and named Sutliff Hall after the first provost at Bloomsburg, William Sutliff, the new building featured science labs and classrooms on the first floor, while the second floor was used for business education. The growth of Bloomsburg State College throughout the 1960s soon meant that another building was needed WINTER 2019 29 Top: Hartline Science Center after a new wing was added in 2005. Second row: Board of Trustees President William Lank, at left, and Bloomsburg State College President Harvey Andruss, placing a time capsule in Hartline, October 1968; The new science center under construction, Feb. 21, 1968; A zoology lab in the new Hartline Science Center in 1971. for science instruction. Funding was approved by the state and in 1967, land along East Second and Spruce streets was cleared. Construction began late that year and continued through 1968, with the building opening at the start of the spring semester on January 28, 1969. University officials decided to name the new building for the first family of science in the history of Bloomsburg — Hartline. The father, Daniel, was born in Reading in 1866 and came to the Normal School in 1890 to organize the new manual training program. After earning a degree from Lafayette College, he returned to Bloomsburg in 1897 to teach the sciences, and was joined for several years by his wife, Harriet, who was an instructor. The third member of the family to show distinction in the sciences was their son, Haldan Keffer. Born in 1903, Keffer spent his entire academic career as a youngster at the Bloomsburg State Normal School, first at the model school and then in the regular curriculum at the age of 13. Graduating in 1920, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Keffer spent more than 40 years in intensive research, studying vision and the optics of the eye, first with higher animals and finally with one of the simplest, the horseshoe crab. This research on vision resulted in him receiving a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1967. 30 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Daniel Hartline continued to teach the sciences at BU until his retirement in 1935. His replacement, Kimber Kuster, a 1913 Normal School graduate, was regarded as highly as his predecessor. When Kuster retired in 1962, he was no longer the lone instructor, but the first chairperson of the Department of Mathematics and Science. The last step in the completion of the building was the dedication on April 26, 1969. Keffer Hartline returned to BU for the ceremony honoring his family and the building named for them. The new science center included 17 laboratories, 30 classrooms and lecture rooms, and offices for 58 faculty members. Daniel Hartline’s successor was also recognized, as the large lecture hall was named for Kimber Kuster. Hartline Science Center has remained an active and growing facility. Growth in student enrollment majoring in the sciences — reaching more than 2,600 students last fall — spurred subsequent remodeling projects and the construction of a new wing in 2005. Today, BU’s College of Science and Technology is composed of nine departments, with communication sciences and disorders, exercise science, instructional technology and nursing joining the initial five departments established in the 1960s. calendar SPRING 2019 Spring Break Begins Monday, March 11 Classes Resume Monday, March 18 Midterm Tuesday, March 19 Classes End Friday, May 3 Finals Week Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10 Graduate Commencement Friday, May 10 Undergraduate Commencement Saturday, May 11 ALUMNI & SPECIAL EVENTS Visit bloomualumni.com for details on these and additional events or to register. For information, contact Alumni Affairs at 800-526-0254 or alum@bloomu.edu. Husky Dog Pound Thursday, March 28 Alumni Awards Dinner Kehr Union Ballroom Saturday, May 4 Activities and Events CONCERTS Listed events are open to the public and free of charge. For information and additional events, see bloomu.edu/music-events or call 570-389-4284. All programs, dates, times and locations are subject to change. ART EXHIBITS Exhibitions in the Haas Gallery of Art and The Gallery at Greenly Center, 50 E. Main St. Bloomsburg, are open to the public free of charge. For more information, gallery hours and reception times, visit departments.bloomu.edu/art. Cathleen Faubert Thursday, Feb. 21, through Thursday, April 18 Haas Center for the Arts Sarah Foster, Rowan Schaffer, Hanna Sheppard: Student Exhibition Series Thursday, Feb. 28, through Tuesday, April 16 The Gallery at Greenly Center Senior Exit Show Tuesday, April 23, through Friday, May 10 The Gallery at Greenly Center High School Awards Show Student Honors Recital Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Guest Recital Payton MacDonald, voice and marimba Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. University-Community Orchestra “Concerto Competition Winners” Sunday, March 3, 2:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Faculty Recital Wednesday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Voice Studio Recital Wednesday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Student Recital Friday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Husky Student Leadership Summit Wednesday, May 1, through Thursday, May 23 Haas Center for the Arts Career Intensive Boot Camp Vince Hron Solo Show Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3 Monday, May 20, through Tuesday, Sept. 24 The Gallery at Greenly Center Student Recital CATCH Conference and Career Expo Education Selected Students Summer Show Husky Singers Saturday, Feb. 23 Friday, March 15 Friday, May 31, through Wednesday, Sept. 25 Haas Center for the Arts Guest Recital Thursday, April 4, 7 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 p.m. Location TBA Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall For the latest information on upcoming events, check the Bloomsburg University website bloomu.edu/events . WINTER 2019 31 BU Concert Choir/Northeast Pennsylvania Choral Society Saturday, April 13, 7 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Percussion Ensemble Tuesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Jazz Concert Thursday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall University Concert Band Spring Concert Wednesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall University-Community Orchestra and Women’s Choral Ensemble Concert Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Knoebel’s Grove “Pops” Concert Sunday, April 28 Jazz Band at 2 p.m. and Concert Band at 5 p.m. Guitar Ensemble Tuesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Piano Studio Recital Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Young Artists’ Recital Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium 32 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA A Winning Photo from 1969 Recreated Noted professional photographer Axel Brahnsen took this striking photograph of Theta Gamma sorority for the Obiter yearbook in 1969. Brahnsen (1907–1978), of Yellow Springs, Ohio, took the photograph because he knew BU yearbook adviser Robert Haller. Known as a “pictorialist,” the dominant photographic art style of the 1930s and 1940s, the Photographic Society of America ranked Brahnsen among the world’s top 50 photographers after 1930. The sorority became Sigma Sigma Sigma in 1971 and in October 2013 sorority alumnae gathered to recreate the striking photograph. Three members in the original photograph returned for the recreation: Teresa Valente Montanaro ’70, with her leg on the planter; Gayle Thorpe Baar ’71, on the third step with chin in hand; and Lovey Kompinski Tominosky-Scully ’70, standing just to the left of the girl with the umbrella. Show your Husky pride. Whatever the weather. Shown from left: Katie Behie ’19, Lesley Reyes Cerda ’19, Keenan Huss ’19, and Carlos Mendoza ’20. Photo by Jaime North. NOW IN STOCK: Heavyweight hoodies, sweaters and jackets. THE UNIVERSITY STORE 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 General Information: 570-389-4175 Customer Service: 570-389-4180 bustore@bloomu.edu OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. SEE BLOOMUSTORE.COM FOR HOURS AND TO SHOP ONLINE. BLOOMUSTORE.COM WINTER 2019 33 1011050113 Office of Marketing and Communications 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 FOOTBALL PLAYER AND VETERAN FINDURA FEATURED ON ESPN Football defensive lineman Alexander Findura, a sophomore business management major, was featured on ESPN’s College GameDay during its Veterans’ Day coverage last fall. Before coming to BU, Findura served in the U.S. Marines for four years and, during his service, was primarily a member of an elite team known as the Body Bearers with a motto “The Last to Let You Down.” The section’s primary mission is to bear the caskets at funerals for Marines, former Marines, and Marine family members at Arlington National Cemetery and the surrounding cemeteries in the National Capitol Region. Findura’s story can be found on ESPN’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/ESPN. A NOTE TO PARENTS If this issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is addressed to a daughter or son who has established a separate residence, please notify us of that new address by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu 34 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA WANT TO UNSUBSCRIBE? If you no longer wish to receive the print edition of the magazine, please notify us by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu RECEIVING DUPLICATE COPIES? If you are receiving more than one copy of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine, please forward the mailing label panel from each issue you receive to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 Bloomsburg SPRING 2019 T H E U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E ALSO INSIDE BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA A CALLING TO CARE BU’s nursing program is among the nation’s best, attracting 1,900 applications for 120 openings. Page 10. STEPPING UP EARLY Recent graduates make helping the next generation of Huskies a priority by establishing scholarships. Page 14. BLOOMU.EDU RETIRED IN NAME ONLY Drew Hostetter ’76, incoming chair of the BU Foundation Board, has helped grow the foundation’s endowment to impact more students than ever. Page 16. Bloomsburg: The University Magazine FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear BU Family, As I write this note shortly after our May Commencement, I congratulate our newest pack of proud Husky graduates, each of whom has earned a Bloomsburg University degree like their 70,000 fellow alumni have before: with grit and determination. How wonderful it was to see so many families and friends celebrating the achievements of loved ones during commencement weekend, and we could not have asked for better weather at our undergraduate ceremonies in Redman Stadium. Further, our graduates were fortunate to hear inspiring words from the chancellor of our State System, Dr. Daniel Greenstein, and from three alumni: Barbara Romano ’83, Michael Boguski ’85 and Stephan Pettit ’89. My sincere thanks to Dr. Greenstein, Barbara, Mike and Steph for their support of our university – and special congratulations to Dr. Steph Pettit on receiving his honorary degree! As we approach the summer months, our focus remains on our students, and in particular, preparing them for success during and after their years at Bloomsburg. We continue to strengthen our relationships with regional and international businesses such as SEKISUI SPI, which recently made a significant donation to create a Professional Experience Lab at our Greenly Center in downtown Bloomsburg. With our Alumni and Professional Engagement team moving its operations to the Greenly Center, this new professional experience lab will further enhance our students’ opportunities to connect with alumni and community leaders. Our Anchor Program continues to grow its mission of serving young adults who are aging out of the foster care system. A recent gift of $2.2 million will go a long way to sustain this important program for years to come. In this issue of Bloomsburg: The Magazine, we recognize our outstanding nursing program, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary of training and preparing our graduates to excel in the health care industry. We also highlight Drew Hostetter ’76, a selfless alumnus who has given back to BU in so many ways, and Coach Marty Coyne ’83, who is retiring after 26 years as head coach of our tennis program. Lastly, we welcome a new member of the BU family this summer: Dr. Diana Rogers-Adkinson, our new provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs. Dr. Rogers-Adkinson succeeds Dr. James Krause ’83, who has served as our interim provost for two years. I am eternally grateful for the countless hours Dr. Krause has dedicated to this position before he now begins his well-deserved retirement. Thank you, Jim! As always, thanks for your support, enjoy your summer and GO HUSKIES! Sincerely, Bashar W. Hanna President BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS A MEMBER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA’S STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION CONTENTS Spring 2019 Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Board of Governors Cynthia D. Shapira, Chair David M. Maser, Vice Chair Samuel H. Smith, Vice Chair Rep. Tim Briggs Audrey F. Bronson Joar Dahn Donald E. Houser, Jr. Rodney Kaplan, Jr. Barbara McIlvaine Smith Marian D. Moskowitz Thomas S. Muller Noe Ortega Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera Rep. Brad Roae Sen. Judith L. Schwank Meg Snead Neil R. Weaver Gov. Tom Wolf Janet L. Yeomans p. 6 Chancellor, State System of Higher Education Daniel Greenstein Bloomsburg University Council of Trustees Judge Mary Jane Bowes, Chair Nancy Vasta ’97/’98M, Vice Chair Brian D. O’Donnell O.D. ’87M, Secretary Ramona H. Alley Amy Brayford ’91 Edward G. Edwards ’73 Barbara Benner Hudock ’75 Charles E. Schlegel Jr. ’60 John Thomas Secretary of Corrections John E. Wetzel ’98 Patrick Wilson ’91 President, Bloomsburg University Bashar W. Hanna Executive Editor Jennifer Umberger Co-Editors Eric Foster Tom McGuire Designer Stacey Newell Sports Information Director Dave Leisering Marketing/Communications Coordinator Irene Johnson Communications Assistant Dallas Kriebel ’19 Cover Jaime North (top photo) Gordon Wenzel (bottom photo) Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is published three times a year for alumni, students’ families and friends of the university. Back issues may be found at issuu.com/buhuskies. Address comments and questions to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 Email address: magazine@bloomu.edu Visit Bloomsburg University on the web at bloomu.edu. Bloomsburg University is an AA/EEO institution and is accessible to disabled persons. Bloomsburg University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies. Spring Commencement Coverage, Page 6 FEATURES 10 A Calling to Care Nursing is as much a calling as a career choice say, BU alumni. The quality and rigor of BU’s nursing programs help them provide the best care in a wide variety of settings. 14 Stepping Up Early A growing group of alumni under the age of 40 are making gifts to endow scholarships and give a helping hand to the next generation of Huskies. 16 Retired in Name Only Drew Hostetter ’76 has retired from his day job, but has a second career as a leader in the community and at BU. The incoming chair and long-serving member of the Bloomsburg University Foundation Board has helped grow the foundation’s endowment to impact more students than ever. DEPARTMENTS 2 Unleash Your Inner Husky 20 Husky Notes 30 Then & Now 4 Around the Quad 26 On the Hill 32 Calendar ON THE WEB BLOOMU.EDU HUSKY NOTES, SPORTS UPDATES ALUMNI INFO, MORE TM © Bloomsburg University 2019 unleash your inner husky PITCHING TO WIN Third Annual Husky Dog Pound is Biggest Yet H igh school students from all corners of the state descended upon BU’s campus in late March to compete for $20,000 in prize money in the third annual Zeigler College of Business’ Husky Dog Pound competition. The premier entrepreneurship contest in the state, the Shark Tank-inspired event drew a record participation of more than 650 students making up 175 teams from 82 school districts in addition to teams of BU students. Photo: Jaime North Award winners: Jordan Rivera, David Barber, Todd Shawver, interim dean of the Zeigler College of Business, Michaela Poulard, Tristan Peace, President Bashar Hanna, Mina Fayez, Christina Force, associate professor of innovation, technology and supply chain management, Terry Zeigler ’76, Bawe Salehi, Fady Smouni, and James Brown. The event, organized by Christina Force, associate professor of innovation, technology and supply chain management, attracted competitors from as far away as Philadelphia in the southeast, Kane in northwestern Pennsylvania, and Parkville near the Maryland border. As students converged on campus, three television news crews covered the event. Competitors, including middle school, high school and BU students had just three minutes to pitch their business ideas and five minutes to answer questions from the judges, who included more than a dozen alumni. The winner of the BU student competition brought an international element to the Dog Pound. Junior Bawe Salehi, of Gothenburg, Sweden, won the the $3,500 prize for his pitch of a safety/security app. Salehi came to the United States to earn a degree from a strong business school and to play soccer at the collegiate level. 2 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Husky Dog Pound winner Bawe Salehi with Terry Zeigler ’76. Photo: Eric Foster Diana Rogers-Adkinson Named Provost Dr. Diana Rogers-Adkinson has been named BU’s provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs following a nationwide search. Rogers-Adkinson, Ph.D, was formerly the dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Studies at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, serving in that position for one year. At Southeast, she oversaw seven departments and 14 auxiliary units. The college serves 3,100 undergraduate and graduate students. Photo: Eric Foster “ It’s an app for entertainment venues and festivals that deals with safety and security issues,” says Salehi. “I have had this idea for almost a year now and it was something completely different. But after talking with a couple of people who have their own successful businesses and my mentor, Dr. Ed Keller, we decided the app would be the best option for the moment.” Salehi says the prize money will not be used for launching the app just yet. “I will invest to get more money so my business partner and I can start this business as soon as possible.” “ Dr. Rogers-Adkinson’s focus on academic excellence, student success and retention, along with faculty growth and development aligns perfectly with our strategic direction,” says president Bashar Hanna. At BU, Rogers-Adkinson will oversee the university’s Division of Academic Affairs, including the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Technology, and the Zeigler College of Business, as well as technology and library services. The provost will also oversee, in conjunction with the chief of staff, the development of the university’s next strategic plan. Rogers-Adkinson’s key initiatives have centered on inclusivity, implementation of high impact practices to support student retention, and enhancing supports to underserved and diverse student populations. Her previous academic appointments were at the University of WisconsinWhitewater and Wichita State University. She is a graduate of Kent State University with doctorates in special education and counseling and human development services. She also has a master’s degree in community counseling from Kent State and holds a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University in special education. James Krause, professor of exceptionality programs, served as interim provost for two years. SPRING 2019 3 around THE quad Julie Vandivere, professor of English and Honors College director, teaches a seminar class. Photo: Eric Foster BU Establishes Honors College Bloomsburg University will establish an Honors College effective July 1 that will significantly enrich the educational and collegiate experiences for high-potential and high-achieving students. The Honors College will offer its students the opportunity to expand cultural and personal boundaries while reaching intellectual and career goals. The Honors College will offer small, discussion-based classes and experiential learning activities. BU’s dedicated faculty mentors will facilitate research, internship, service, travel, and study-abroad opportunities. Students in the college will also enjoy Honors Learning Community housing and priority move-in. “Our honors experience has been essential to making Bloomsburg University a destination for the most promising students in our region and beyond,” says president Bashar Hanna. “With its emphasis on research, scholarship, civic engagement and leadership development, the new Honors College is a testament to our commitment to developing today’s best and brightest students into tomorrow’s leaders.” The current Honors Program has a 90 percent graduation rate with nearly 100 percent of the graduates enrolled in graduate school or employed within 12 months of 4 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA graduation according to a post-graduate survey. Julie Vandivere, professor of English and director of the Honors Program, will lead the Honors College. “ The new Honors College provides students with the chance to experience the tight community and broad horizons associated with liberal arts colleges while taking advantage of the top-flight programs,” says Vandivere. The Honors College will move into a newly renovated space in Lycoming Hall, in the heart of the campus community. It will have dedicated study areas, a library and easy access to campus dining options. Students already enrolled in BU’s Honors Program automatically become part of the new Honors College. For more information on the Honors College visit bloomu.edu/honorscollege. 12 Endowed Professorships and Fellowships Announced BU has announced its endowed professorships and faculty fellowships for 2019. Honored are 12 faculty members who are working with BU students through mentoring and research projects. “ BU faculty pride themselves on engaging students in the classroom and in professional experiences that complement and enrich the academic experience for students and sets those students up for successful careers in their chosen field,” says president Bashar Hanna. “Having endowed faculty means students learn from talented teacher-scholars, work in research labs and pursue off-campus scholarship.” Former BU president Jessica Kozloff and her husband Steve funded faculty fellow positions because they both experienced the power of having a quality faculty mentor. “Steve and I chose to support two faculty fellowships for Professorships and Faculty Fellows • Breiner Family Endowed Professorship for Nursing: Kimberly Olszewski, College of Science and Technology (COST) • Joan and Fred Miller Distinguished Professor of Good Work: Mary Katherine Waibel-Duncan, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts (COLA) • Michael and Bree Gillespie Faculty Fellow: Christina Force, Department of Innovation, Technology, and Supply Chain Management, Zeigler College of Business (ZCOB) • Vicki and John Mihalik Faculty Fellow: Robin Drogan, Special Education Graduate Coordinator, College of Education (COE) Standing from left are: BU president Bashar Hanna, Robin Drogan, Kevin Ball, Christina Francis, Ed Keller, David Magolis, Kimberly Olszewski, interim provost James Krause, and Mary Katherine Waibel-Duncan. Seated: Abby Hare-Harris, Jessica Bentley-Sassaman, Christina Force, and Kate Beishline. a number of reasons,” says Kozloff, BU’s president from 1994 to 2008. “Steve and I had experiences during our educational journeys when faculty members made an impact on each of us, often significantly changing our academic aspirations. We also did this for our Kozloff Undergraduate Research Scholarship students, who receive a financial award for four years at BU while working with a faculty mentor.” Ed and Julie Breiner, who fund the Breiner Family Endowed Professorship for Nursing, recognize the need for quality faculty for the BU program to grow. “We chose to fund a nursing professorship at BU because we would like to see an excellent program taken to the next level,” says Ed Breiner. “Health care is front and center in our national dialogue, and BU offers one of the top nursing programs in the country — at a very competitive value.” • Jack and Helen Evans Endowed Faculty Fellow: Jerry Wemple, Department of English, COLA • Kerby Confer Faculty Fellowship for Communications: David Magolis, Department of Mass Communications, COLA • Jessica S. and Stephen R. Kozloff Faculty Fellows: Kevin Ball, Department of Psychology, COLA; Kate Beishline, Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, COST • Stephen J. Jones Professional U Fellows: Christina Francis, Department of English, COLA; Abby Hare Harris, Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, COST; Jessica Bentley-Sassaman, Department of ASL English Interpreting, COE; Edward Keller, Technology, and Supply Chain Management, ZCOB Endowed professorships and fellowships are supported through the generosity of alumni and friends of the university. For information on how to support an endowed professorship or faculty fellowship contact the BU Foundation at 570-389-4128. SPRING 2019 5 SPRING COMMENCEMENT 2019 Bright sunshine and blue skies greeted more than 1,550 BU graduates and their families for the 150th undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, at Redman Stadium. The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education ceremony was held in the morning followed by the College of Science and Technology and the Zeigler College of Business in the afternoon. Daniel Greenstein, D.Phil., chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education addressed the graduates in the morning ceremony, while Michael Boguski ’85, CPCU, a director and president of Eastern Alliance and its operating subsidiaries spoke to the graduates in the afternoon. Steph Pettit ’89 was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters during the morning ceremony. The graduate commencement ceremony for more than 130 students was held at the Haas Center for the Arts on Friday, May 10. Photos: Jaime North and Eric Foster 6 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Michael Boguski Helps Celebrate Commencement Steph Pettit Awarded Honorary Doctorate Steph Pettit ’89 was presented an honorary doctor of humane letters at the morning spring commencement ceremony for the College of Education and College of Liberal Arts. A mass communications major and four-year member of the Huskies football team, Pettit was part of the 1985 Huskies football team that won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and was the first team in school history to win 12 games. After graduation, he was a sales manager for E & J Gallo Winery before taking ownership of Clean Earth Systems, Inc. in 1993. Begun as a small corrugated box company, Clean Earth Systems has since grown into a nationwide distributor of hazardous waste containers with 15 warehouses and sales teams in each. Pettit served on the It’s Personal campaign cabinet as the lead advocate and ambassador supporting all of athletics. He also co-chaired the First & Goal Football Scholarship Campaign as well as establishing the SP-59 annual football scholarship, the Under Armour Football sponsorship, and the Steph Pettit Legacy Scholarship. He supported athletics with a $1 million contribution for stadium improvements to the former Sports Stadium and additional athletic scholarships. Steph Pettit Stadium serves as the home to Huskies’ field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams. He also supported the banner project at Redman Stadium. Michael Boguski ’85 was the featured speaker at the afternoon commencement for the Zeigler College of Business and College of Science and Technology. A member of the Bloomsburg University Foundation and the director and president of Eastern Alliance Insurance Group, Boguski spoke of the importance of relationships in life and business. Under his leadership Eastern has grown from a 1997 startup in Lancaster, to a 21-state platform with 10 offices across the country with yearend 2018 revenues of $287 million and 275 employees. Eastern went public in 2006 on the NASDAQ exchange, then in 2014 merged with ProAssurance Corporation. At Bloomsburg, Boguski has committed $1 million to support BU’s Professional Experience Grants for students and other programs. “This university has transformed our lives, and we are so incredibly grateful. I believe the Class of 2019 being honored today will be transformative and will represent this university in a manner that we can all beam with pride and joy,” said Boguski. Speaking of his friendships formed at BU, he added “relationships matter in all aspects of your life. Stay in touch and value these relationships for a lifetime. We want you back on campus to build relationships.” Boguski also had a commencement of his own to celebrate. In May he became president of ProAssurance’s Specialty P&C division, which consists of four operating businesses in professional and product liability space. Pettit also supports the Department of Mass Communications with experiential learning opportunities through a production company for students that produces documentaries and long-form projects. Pettit was the 18th person to be recognized with an honorary doctorate. SPRING 2019 7 ANCHORING the Future By Tom Schaeffer ’02 Jerod Waller Photo by: Tom Schaeffer According to the National Foster Youth Institute, the rate of homelessness among individuals who have aged out of the foster care program is 25 percent by age 21, while just 3% have achieved a college degree at the same age. To help combat those eye-opening statistics, BU launched the Anchor Program in summer 2017 to enable youth in Pennsylvania’s foster care system to explore their academic interests and to get a taste of what college life is like. Over the last two years, nearly 80 teens ages 15 to 18 from more than 10 counties have immersed themselves in the college experience at BU through the Anchor Program. “We were uniquely positioned to help these young people view college as a possibility and to show them this is a place where they belong, and we’ve been thrilled with its early success,” says Rona Anderson, assistant to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Students in the program spend a week living in one of BU’s residence halls and work with mentors and faculty to learn about college. With no cost to the student, there are opportunities to choose from a variety of mini-courses and extracurricular activities and to experience many of the same things they would as a BU student. Operational costs for the Anchor Program have ranged from $30,000 to $40,000 each year, according to James Brown, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “Some of the participants are placed with family members, some with strangers. When they come, we don’t assume they’re bringing anything. We provide everything,” says Brown. 8 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA In March, an unexpected $2.2 million gift came to the Bloomsburg University Foundation from Easton native Mitzi Marie Bryfogle, who designated a portion of her estate to help a public university. The endowment will provide a solid base for the Anchor Program and make future expansion feasible with the continued contributions of donors. The endowment will also create scholarship opportunities for BU students with experience in foster care. Bryfogle’s son, Eric, executor of her estate, connected with Mike Glovas ’86, a financial planner who helped research the gift that would meet Mitzi’s wishes. When Glovas told Bryfogle about the Anchor Program and the experiences it provided, he knew it was the perfect fit. “ Life can be challenging for children who grow up at a disadvantage, and programs like this can make such a difference. I know my mother would be proud to support it,” says Eric Bryfogle. “Thanks to this gift we can extend our outreach to more youth,” says Brown. “Our goal is to grow Anchor beyond just a summer program. If we want to have an impact on these kids and our community, we should reach out to offer them these opportunities at a younger age. We can also move into a phase where we maintain contact with participants throughout the school year to help keep them on track for college.” Steadying the Course Jerod Waller of Berwick did not always see himself going to college. Now the sophomore art major, pursuing a career as an art teacher, credits a lot of his aspirations to his experience in BU’s Anchor Program. “ After I separated from my mom, I was in a group home for a while and didn’t care much about school. I was just trying more to figure out where I belonged,” says Waller. “I was lucky, I was placed with a great foster family. They pushed me in the right direction and supported me. I started getting good grades and they really helped me out in getting my life together.” Waller learned about the Anchor Program during one of his monthly in-home visits with his caseworker. “I was curious about it at first, but I wasn’t sure,” says Waller. “When I learned about all the things I was going to be able to do there like the Quest program, and cooking classes and the different group activities, I was excited to try it.” Initially unsure of how he would fit in socially in a college, Waller’s experience in the Anchor Program went a long way toward easing his apprehension. Alumni and Professional Engagement Moving to Greenly Center in September BU’s Office of Alumni and Professional Engagement will move to the third floor of the Greenly Center on Main Street in Bloomsburg in September to coincide with the opening of the new SEKISUI Professional Experience Lab (PEL). The SEKISUI Corporation, a plastics manufacturer with two facilities in the Bloomsburg area, donated $500,000 for the creation of the PEL to provide students, the community and local businesses with resources to help them train in several areas including job interviewing, virtual presentations, sales, and conflict resolution. The Greenly Center, named in honor of Duane Greenly ’72 and Sue Basar Greenly ’72, is already home to a first-floor art gallery as well as BU’s Office of Corporate and Continuing Education staff, classrooms, a 40-seat computer lab and a demonstration kitchen. The move to the Greenly Center is part of the evolution of the Office of Alumni and Professional Engagement. “In partnership with SEKISUI we can offer our students a hub of professional development opportunities and leverage our alumni network in the process,” says Nate Conroy, director of alumni engagement. “We can also better meet the needs of our 72,000 alumni and students by bringing the entire Alumni and Professional Engagement team together and by offering new venues with more than double the space available in the Fenstemaker Alumni House.” Alumni events will continue to be held on campus, in the community, regionally and around the country. The Fenstemaker Alumni House will remain a fixture of lower campus and the location of the university’s annual Homecoming Tent Party as well as other alumni and university events. “When they had downtime during the program I shared my story with other students,” he says. “It was a great learning experience that really helped build my confidence and helped me to be sure I was making the right decision to pursue college.” Tom Schaeffer ’02 is communications manager for the Bloomsburg University Foundation. SPRING 2019 9 CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF NURSING BU student nurses Carly Swisher, left, and Morgan Rimmer work in pediatrics at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Photo: Eric Foster W hen she was 16, Maeghan Plunkett’s career goals came into razor-sharp focus. “I saw a woman hit by a car,” says Plunkett ’14, an Army nurse now based in Alaska. Like many of her peers, she found nursing to be as much a calling as it was a career choice. “Before I wanted to be a nurse, I wanted to be a chef. I was fully set on going to culinary school, but changed my mind,” says Plunkett, who was also affected by seeing her aunt, a doctor, stabilize her grandfather when he suffered a heart attack and stroke at home until paramedics arrived. “After that, I immersed myself in getting familiar with hospital life. I volunteered at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia. I had never considered being a doctor. I liked that nurses were hands-on and able to build relationships with people.” “I chose nursing because I shadowed nurses in high school,” says Caroline Toomey ’15, a pediatric nurse at Bryn Mawr Hospital. The nurses she observed left an indelible impression. “I shadowed the nurses I work with today. I saw them being at the bedside, making personal connections and helping people reach their goals. That experience helped me decide this was the field for me.” Christopher Heiss ’19, who completed his nurse anesthetist master’s degree at BU in May, began his career in health care 10 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA By Eric Foster at age 16 in rural Millville as an emergency medical technician. “I joined the fire company, went to the Geisinger EMT boot camp in the summer before my senior year of high school and became an EMT. Then I went to paramedic school, a two-year program, and started working as a paramedic when I just turned 20.” Two years later, Heiss was a flight paramedic on a helicopter. “When I was a flight paramedic, I was working alongside experienced nurses in critical care units,” says Heiss. The contact with nurses inspired him to earn his registered nurse certification at a community college and an online bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN). “ What I did in the field as a paramedic was very focused. Stabilize and get them to the hospital. Nursing was different; you have to work around the clock to keep these people alive.” says Heiss. Meeting a Need Sheila Hartung, professor and chair of the nursing department, understands the calling. “I come from a family of nurses; I’ve never wanted anything else,” says Hartung, who was a home health and public health nurse and managed a home health agency before coming to BU. While Hartung and her colleagues — 26 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty and 30 adjunct faculty — all worked in the field before joining higher education, at BU their mission is to help people on a statewide scale. “We will continue to be in a nursing shortage for the foreseeable future,” says Hartung. “The shortage is not just about people, but also about the level of preparation and the credentials. For example, in underserved areas, particularly rural areas, nurse practitioners carry a lot of the primary caregiver load. We hope to grow our program so we can impact these rural areas by providing a greater number of nurse practitioners.” She notes that BU offers three levels of programs: bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. “And we’re expanding across all three levels.” BU’s nursing programs are acknowledged as among the best, with 1,900 applications for 120 openings in the freshmen BSN class, a number that will grow to 160 students this fall. For the nurse anesthetist program, there are typically 150 applications for 12 spots, with students applying from as far away as Massachusetts, Florida and Colorado. “And we have high numbers of clinical hours, above and beyond what most other schools do,” she says. “That ensures our graduating students have the skills and knowledge base, and they often have jobs lined up by their senior year.” “ The secret to BU’s program success is simple: No shortcuts. The quality of our students is phenomenal and our faculty ensure we do what is right to prepare students for the health care of today and tomorrow,” says Hartung. Clinical experiences for BSN students start in the second year, and by their third year, they are clinically practicing two days a week for eight-hour shifts. Student-to-faculty ratios in clinical training are determined by the institution and accrediting bodies. At the undergraduate level, there’s one faculty member for every eight students. For nurse practitioner students, there’s a faculty member for every six students in clinical courses. Student nurses Bryanna Moncrieffe, seated, and Samantha MacNeill at Geisinger Medical Center. From Bachelor’s to Doctorate BU’S NURSING PROGRAMS Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) RN-BSN (100% online) RN-BSN-MSN Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) • Community Health/Public Health Specialization • Community Health/Public Health/ School Health Specialization • Nurse Anesthesia • Nurse Practitioner Adult-Gerontology Primary Care • Nurse Practitioner Family Nurse • Nursing Administration with dual degree of MBA Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) SPRING 2019 11 While many of BU students’ clinical experiences are facilitated on-site through the Geisinger Health System — one of the most innovative systems in the nation — BU has more than 200 clinical partners across the state. “The partnerships include health systems, corrections facilities, clinics, schools, home health agencies, industries, and numerous psychological facilities,” says Hartung. “The clinical teaching that goes on for those students is a commitment to those students to ensure they’re prepared when they graduate.” “I knew the reputation,” says Toomey, “Being able to do clinicals at Geisinger was a big selling point. I visited several schools. BU had a small community feel about it, and I enjoyed the small class size.” Toomey was able to incorporate health care into her honors experience. “With the Honors Program, I went to Jamaica over spring break and volunteered in health care clinics.” “Because of the Geisinger connection, we get a clinical experience that even schools like the University of Pittsburgh or University of Pennsylvania can’t offer,” says Heiss of BU’s nurse anesthetist program. “Any day of the week I can take my pick of the kind of experience I want to have. Our program is unique, a cut above the best when you come out of it. I graduated with 2,700 hours of clinical experience. We go 700 hours beyond the average.” Caroline Toomey ’15 “ We’re here to amplify our students’ character,” says Hartung. As an Army nurse, the breadth of the experiences Plunkett had at BU have been particularly important. “In the military, we move around so much. I’ve worked on five different units. They don’t keep you in one spot,” says Plunkett. “You see a lot of different things. You’re not one type of nurse on a medical floor.” “Because of the experiences I had at BU, I’ve never felt incompetent coming on a floor,” she says. “I’ve been functioning as an emergency room nurse for the last year and a half. When there’s a need, the Army expects you to fill the role.” “BU’s nursing program was tough, but they gave me every building block to be a great nurse,” says Plunkett. “And they instill in you, if you’re not familiar with something, to take the initiative and ask questions.” Maeghan Plunkett ’14 12 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA What are the most important qualities of a nurse? “Critical thinking, advocacy for patients,” says Hartung. “And most importantly, compassion.” Christopher Heiss ’19 practices at BU’s nurse anesthesia lab at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Photo: Eric Foster Personal Connections As an EMT and paramedic, Heiss learned to work under pressure with adrenaline. “But as a nurse I saw the human compassion side of it — taking care of people on their worst day. That feels good,” he says. “As a nurse, you treat sick or injured people for days, even weeks or months. During these times, you often become part of their family. This gives you satisfaction like nothing else.” “One thing I love about pediatrics is that kids are resilient, I’m there to help them reach their goals. I help kids get back to living their lives at home.” “ For Plunkett, the network of ties between patients and caregivers can stretch halfway round the globe. Before taking assignment in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2017, she was stationed at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland. “When I got to Walter Reed in I had a soldier call me into his room. He had Working evenings in a 2014, we were seeing patients become paralyzed from the chest down. He said pediatric unit, Toomey has from the front lines. I’d get ‘Look, I can wiggle my toe.’ I’d been working with honed her skills to make messages from a friend in him for weeks,” says Plunkett. “But that’s the her young patients feel at Afghanistan. ‘I’ve got a guy on gratifying part. Seeing people who needed you and home. “I always find out a helicopter and he’ll be there helping them get better, so they won’t need you.” their favorite TV show and in 24 hours. Can you check on the names of their stuffed him for me?’” says Plunkett. animals,” says Toomey. “The blood pressure cuff has a frog “I really love the population of people I get to work on it. So I tell the children, ‘the froggy is going to give with. Soldiers and their families have a different view of you a hug,’ Bloomsburg taught me how to provide care getting better,” she says. “There’s a kind of determination. for different ages.” Soldiers work really hard at getting better.” SPRING 2019 13 From left: Josh Sonntag ’14, Ayana Bennett ’10, Kimberly Abney ’09, Elizabeth Miller ’17, Lamar Oglesby ’07 and his wife Dominika. Photo: Eric Foster STEPPING UP EARLY District of Philadelphia, was among the first young alumni to endow a scholarship and activate it early. In 2016, at age 28, Abney created a $1,000 current-use scholarship for students, who like her, attended BU’s Act 101/Educational Opportunity Program. By Tom Schaeffer ’02 J ust two years after her graduation, Elizabeth Miller ’17 is funding a scholarship to help the next generation of BU students. Miller, of Port Jervis, New York, established the gift in memory of her father Douglas Miller, a New York firefighter who died in 2001 rescuing victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in Manhattan. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to learn more about the events that led to my father’s death,” says Miller, who works at Pace University in New York in the education abroad program. “That’s part of the reason I chose to pursue a dual major in history and Arabic studies with a minor in Middle East studies.” “There were so many professors and mentors who helped guide me, 14 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA they really were like my family,” she says. “What I ended up discovering was a beautiful culture that is often misunderstood and that just because there was a tragedy, doesn’t mean we can’t move forward.” The history department family made such an impact on her that Miller decided to establish a scholarship to help the students who followed her at BU. “This was something that was very important to me and a way for me to honor my dad while also remaining a part of the university,” says Miller, 24. “It’s a small sacrifice for me to forgo a $5 cup of coffee every day.” Miller is one of a growing group of alumni under the age of 40 making a gift to BU in their wills to endow a scholarship and pledging to give at least $1,000 each year to activate the scholarship early. Kimberly T. Abney ’09, a certified school counselor in the School “ I’ve had the opportunity now to support two recipients,” says Abney. “It’s been a pleasure to meet and mentor them, and now I’m more motivated by their success.” Abney also recently founded TGIF – Thank Goodness I’m Female – an alumnae-based mentoring program to help BU students overcome adjusting to life at college. She credits the alumni mentors who helped build TGIF and the female student participants who trusted them and helped them succeed. “I stick to a strict budget, and a part of that budget is my commitment to giving back because it’s important to me. The scholarship has changed my life to make me more focused on my dreams,” says Abney, who conducted research based on her work with TGIF and will graduate in January 2020 with a doctoral degree in Education Leadership. Abney’s gift inspired Lamar Oglesby ’07 and his wife, Dominika, to establish a scholarship as well. “It wasn’t until we saw the article about Kimberly Abney that we discovered we could give back in a way that was so meaningful to us personally,” says Oglesby, associate director of grant and contract accounting at Rutgers University. The young Philadelphia couple, who met at BU and celebrated the birth of their fourth child in February, have made giving back a priority. “I was very underprepared academically, but the ACT 101 program really helped to prepare me for the rigors of college,” adds Oglesby, who worked full-time while she was a full-time student. “When we saw that we could help young students of color who came from where we came from and faced similar challenges, we knew we were making the right decision.” Philadelphia native Ayana J. Bennett ’10 never dreamed of going to college because no one in her family ever had. “Luckily, I had a guidance counselor in high school who saw potential in me and pushed me,” says Bennett. “Thanks to her, and the scholarships I received, I graduated from BU debtfree.” At BU, Bennett attended summer classes through the ACT 101 program where she made lasting friends who she still reaches out to in her career as a health and wellness coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. When she learned that her friend Abney had made a gift, Bennett decided to create her own annual scholarship to support two students each year. “When I think about whether or not I can afford to make these gifts I just remind myself that if I wasn’t using the money for this, I’d be spending it somewhere else,” Bennett says. “So to me, it’s a decision to dedicate that money to something much more meaningful.” The mentors that Josh Sonntag ’14 found in BU’s Department of Environmental, Geography and Geosciences were critical to him discovering his career path as the first geospatial engineer at the Enterprise Business Intelligence “ Bloomsburg took a chance on me,” says Sonntag. “And it was very important to me that I could give back and provide that same opportunity for a student like myself.” organization within Comcast headquarters in Philadelphia. “I was a pretty poor student,” Sonntag recalls. “I would rather have been spending time playing video games and sports than studying.” But as a summer freshman, Sonntag developed an interest in geography and the environment and geographical information systems (GIS), a discipline that Sonntag found to be the perfect blend of computer and geographical sciences. Department faculty had the connections that helped Sonntag secure an internship with Columbia County GIS, which laid the foundation for his career. In 2018, Sonntag made a planned gift to Bloomsburg University to endow a scholarship and an annual gift to activate the scholarship and support a student. SPRING 2019 15 By Tom McGuire 16 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA D rew Hostetter ’76 is retired, but in name only. The former bank corporation CFO and BU Hall of Fame tennis player doesn’t spend his days sitting poolside or on a beach in some faraway tropical resort — he and his wife, Sue, are very active in their Lancaster County community of Mount Gretna, sharing their time, talents and treasure. And after serving on the BU Foundation board for more than 15 years, on July 1, Hostetter will become its chairman. “I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career that things worked out they way they did for me,” he says. “I’ve worked for very good CEOs and some great individuals. That success has allowed me to be a volunteer for several organizations. Giving back is just in my nature.” Hostetter serves as treasurer for the boards of Mount Gretna School of Art, Gretna Music, Graystone Manor Therapeutic Riding and Camp Conquest (a church-affiliated camp) as well as serving as the head of finance for his church. His wife, Sue, is also very active in the community giving back her time to nonprofits. “ When I went to BU, tuition and room and board was about $1,400. In today’s world, a student can’t work a summer job and pay for college. I enjoy seeing first-generation students receiving a helping hand and then going out and being productive.” But if not for some important mentors in his life, things might have worked very differently for Hostetter, who grew up in Lancaster County. The only child of the local postmaster and a bank teller, he developed into a better-than-fair tennis player. So good, in fact, that he lost just three matches in high school and was ranked fourth in the Middle States Region. In 1972, he won the top Senior Athlete Award at Donegal High School. “I hated to lose. Still do,” says Hostetter, who sported long, flowing hair like many standout players of the 1970s. Knowing from a young age that he wanted to be in business, Hostetter looked for a college that could accommodate both his interests. “I wanted to go to a good school for accounting and also play tennis,” he says Hostetter. “I applied to Bloomsburg (then Bloomsburg State College), Shippensburg, Bucknell and Penn State, and was accepted at all four. Burt Reese (former head coach) was the reason I picked Bloomsburg.” At Bloomsburg, Hostetter became a “curve killer” in the classroom and a standout on the tennis courts. He compiled an 81-18 record, playing at No. 1 singles each of his four years, the all-time highest winning percentage (82%) in tennis at Bloomsburg. He was named the winner of the Robert B. Redman Award as the top senior athlete in 1976, and graduated summa cum laude. In 2000, he was named to BU’s Athletic Hall of Fame. “We played all year round, almost every day,” recalls Hostetter. “Between studying and practice, I didn’t have a lot of spare time.” Photo: Gordon Wenzel “I played against NC State’s John Sadri. It was the worst defeat I ever had. As I walked off the court, I told Coach Reese, ‘I need to take this accounting stuff seriously.’ Sadri went on to a pro career and lost in the finals of the Australian Open.” SPRING 2019 17 Mentors “Drew has a quiet confidence about him,” says Reese. “He was cocky, but not arrogant on the court. He never backed down from the challenge of playing the top player from the other team. I was not surprised to see him go on to become such a huge success.” In the classroom, professors James Creasy, John Dennen and Robert Yori became his mentors. “Those three men along with Burt — we had to call him Coach back then — all took an interest in my development as a person,” says Hostetter. “Burt taught me leadership skills. The others, some good life lessons.” “As I was applying for jobs and wasn’t getting second interviews, Dennen called me aside and said ‘cut the hair.’ I did as he told me and got second interviews after my next four interviews before taking an offer from Price Waterhouse.” As a new accountant working for the international firm in 1976, Hostetter was nervous. “I am sitting around a table at staff (training) school and I am with graduates of Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Columbia among others. When the instructor learned where I had gone to school, the response coming back to me was, ‘Where’s Bloomsburg?’ It was pretty intimidating.” “But I didn’t feel any shortcomings having a Bloom degree. I was confident in my skills,” says Hostetter. His work ethic made Price Waterhouse management take notice, and Bloomsburg soon became a regular stop on the firm’s recruiting trips. For Hostetter, a modest man, it was the start of an illustrious career in accounting and banking, something he never dreamed of while a student. “The professors I had all impressed upon me the need to be well-rounded,” says Hostetter. “It was only through their pushing me that that I took a few public speaking classes. They knew to get ahead in business you would eventually have to be able to communicate with others.” 18 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Those public speaking classes came in handy. After working at PW for nine years, he moved on to Equitable Bank Corporation, a regional bank in Maryland, before making the jump to Susquehanna Bancshares in 1995, where he was promoted several times before retiring in 2013 as the executive vice president and chief financial officer. He and other members of the executive team guided the company as it grew from $3 billion to $18 billion in assets. Scholarships Hostetter has been giving back to BU since his early days in the workforce. Several years ago he was asked by Jack Mulka, former dean of students and later a member of the University Advancement team, to help raise money for a scholarship in Burt Reese’s name. “I am delighted to have played a small part in Drew’s life by asking him to initiate a scholarship in honor of his tennis coach,” says Mulka. “Subsequently, he reached out to his teammates and friends in enhancing the scholarship and in helping to create the Burt Reese Tennis Complex on the upper campus. His leadership on the university’s Foundation Board is exemplary. When Drew speaks, we board members tune in and listen.” “That was a no-brainer for me, fundraising to name courts in Burt’s honor,” Hostetter says. “It was easy to get people to donate. Former players all loved Burt. In fact, we’re still good friends. We call each other all the time.” So why does someone who achieved so much in life want to give back in so many ways? “The most important thing for me is raising scholarship money for those who can’t afford school,” he says. “When I went to BU, tuition, room and board was about $1,400. In today’s world, a student can’t work a summer job and pay for college. I enjoy seeing first-generation students receiving a helping hand and then going out and being productive.” “Drew is one of the best leaders I have ever worked with in my time on the BU Foundation,” says Jerome Dvorak, executive director. “His achievements are a testament to his character and leadership style, respectful and determined. He is an example of how to be a true champion. He has been a loyal donor since 1982, logged over 250 volunteer hours, and attended many events in support of BU. He has always remained focused on how he and we help our students and faculty achieve their goals.” Hostetter has been part of the BU Foundation board for more than 15 years, and as he prepares to assume the chairmanship, he reflects on the growth in the group and its mission during that time, much of it spent as a member of the finance committee. “We’ve grown from $10 million in assets to more than $75 million,” he says. “That’s through a lot of hard work, generosity and dedication of many people.” From left: Jim Hollister ‘78, Steve Augustine ‘87, Marty Coyne ‘83, Craig Diehl ‘82, Roly Lamy ‘91, Drew Hostetter ‘76, Marion Reese, Burt Reese Working for the Next Generation Over the years, Drew has seen improvements in how students get ready for life after college. “The preparation is vastly different today than when I was in school,” says Hostetter. “Students today do more internships and have a better understanding of life outside of the classroom. Years ago that was not the case. One thing is the same, no matter the generation — the students who want to be successful have the grit and determination needed to succeed.” Just like Drew Hostetter. SPRING 2019 19 husky notes By Eric Foster J aison Williams ’93 is, in many ways, a professional mentor. As global head of talent for Fitbit, the mass communications graduate helps to identify people for leadership positions and helps people in the organization reach their fullest potential and find fulfillment through their careers. Williams’ own experience at BU might have been cut short without mentors from the ACT 101 program. The first-generation college student shared his story and life lessons with BU students at the Husky Leadership Conference in February. Williams told the student leaders how he came to BU in the summer through the ACT 101 program. 20 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA “I took two courses that summer, and I didn’t do well in my second class,” recalled Williams. “There was a pivotal point where I may not come back in the fall. My parents, hearing this news, immediately jumped in the car, drove up to BU, and talked to Dr. Jesse Bryan, who ran the ACT 101 program, to find out what I needed to do to be successful. After that meeting, I had a very stern talking to.” “I started listening to students who were ahead of me and had successfully begun their career at BU, and hanging around and figuring out what specifically they were doing that was different from me,” said Williams. “Later, my parents called, and they said ‘we don’t think you’re doing enough listening in class, so we’re going to send you a tape recorder, and we want you to record your classes, and then go back and listen to them later to pick up what you may have missed.’ I learned how to listen better and parse out information.” Energized, Williams dove into all the mass communications department had to offer. “I wrote for The Voice. I was on Bloom News. I was involved. I started the first rap radio show on WBUQ and I had the first music video show. I taught myself the work.” After graduation, Williams earned master’s and doctoral degrees at Penn State and held positions at Cendant, American Express, Pfizer and GSK. “I needed guidance beyond myself. So I created a board of directors who are committed to helping me be successful. Sometimes you might hear them called accountability partners. Every year, we meet — virtually, because we’re not all in the same place — and we talk about our goals for the year. What are we trying to accomplish, personally and professionally? Some of those are long-term goals; some of those are short-term goals. Every quarter, we get together and debrief on what progress we’ve made. We coach one another and try to help one another improve.” “As you’re starting out, think about who to network with and who to build that level of committed relationship with,” Williams told the students at the leadership conference. “Listen, learn, and lead.” You don’t have to do it in that order. You might not do everything on a given day, but this mantra of these three L’s have been key as I look back over my life in terms of what helped me move from being a first-time college student here at BU to being Fitbit’s first head of talent.” Jaison Williams’ three Ls - LISTEN LEARN LEAD Jaison Williams with his mentor Irvin Wright, professor emeritus and retired associate dean of academic achievement. Before his retirement in 2015, Wright was at BU for 38 years, having served as assistant director and director of the Act 101/EOP program. Wright also served as assistant to the provost for diversity initiatives and chair of the Department of Developmental Instruction. ’70s » Gerry Little ’71 is serving his 6th term on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, N.J. Little taught and coached in Pennsylvania for many years before entering politics in New Jersey as a councilman in Surf City and commissioner in Long Beach Township. » John Driscoll ’75 sold his business, Burkey & Driscoll Funeral Home, Inc., Hamburg, after serving the community for 38 years. Driscoll will remain in a supervisory capacity for the next three years. ’80s » David Williams ’81 is CEO of Genesys Works, Houston, a national youth career-readiness organization. Williams has over 30 years of experience leading large nonprofit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity International, The Houston Food Bank, and most recently, serving as president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish America. » Sharon Norton ’84 retired after teaching for 35 years. Norton was a business and technology instructor at Absegami and Ocean City high schools. She was the South Jersey Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year in 2005, and the Ocean City High School Teacher of the Year in 2010. » Henry Haitz ’86 is the market leader of HUB Carolinas Insurance Brokerage, Charleston, S.C. Haitz owns Homewatch Caregivers of Lakewood Ranch, and formerly was president and group publisher of Hearst Connecticut Media Group and president and publisher of The State, Columbia’s daily newspaper. Currently, he owns Homewatch Caregivers of Lakewood Ranch. » Richard Shellenberger ’87 is chief operating officer of The Wright Center for Community Health, Scranton. Shellenberger previously served as the chief executive officer of Integrated Medical Group in Pottsville. A retired Army major, he was an officer in the Army Reserves from 1985 through 2006, and as a logistics/maintenance officer in Iraq in 2003. He received the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal. SPRING 2019 21 » Donna Criqui Ogozalek ’88 published a book, Heaven Help Me; Awakening to the Wisdom of God, The Language of Energy and the Power of Self. Ogozalek is an education manager, platform artist (stage education and artist) and hairdresser. » Jody Ocker ’89 is the city administrator of Sunbury. Ocker is a retired Air Force colonel and most recently worked for Air Combat Command in Virginia, providing policy and guidance for 11 hospitals as the command nurse and chief of medical operations. ’90s » Brenda Turner Leigey ’92 is superintendent of the State College District of the United Methodist Susquehanna Conference. The Rev. Leigey became a certified candidate for ministry in 1989, a licensed local pastor in 1990, a probationary member in 1994, and ordained in 1997 in the Central Pennsylvania Conference. » Douglas Aunkst ’93 is vice president of national operational services for States Title, Inc., San Francisco, Calif. Aunkst managed centralized national production and facilities support for the company’s North American Title Co. division. » Michael Shay ’94 is casework manager/grant specialist for U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser. Shay served as casework manager for former U.S. Rep. Congressman Lou Barletta. » Mary Walsh Laudenslager ’95 has published six books, including You Deserve Better, Fine Spirits Served Here, Stable of Studs, Life Lessons for My Kids, Catch a Break, and Dragon Slayer. » The Rev. Debbie Johnson ‘96 is the designated pastor for two years at First Presbyterian Church in Bellefonte and Milesburg Presbyterian Church. » Jeffrey Matzner ’96 earned his doctorate of education in School System Leadership from Widener University. He is in his eighth year as principal of Central Dauphin Middle School in Harrisburg. » John Wetzel ’98 was nominated to continue as state corrections secretary by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Wetzel is a former Franklin County Jail warden, 22 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA first appointed to the statewide role in 2011. Wolf retained Wetzel in 2015 and announced that he wants Wetzel to continue in his role. The nomination is pending Pennsylvania Senate approval. » Sara Fiscus Parrish ’99 is assistant principal at Solanco High School, Quarryville. Parrish served as learning support and eighth-grade teacher at Smith Middle School since 2004. She was inducted into Solanco’s Distinguished Teacher program in recognition of her instructional excellence, extraordinary success working with students and professional leadership. Parrish served as therapeutic staff support and mobile therapist for Kidspeace in Danville. ’00s » Susan Bennett Fetterman ’00/’04M is a member of the board of directors at Evangelical Community Hospital. Fetterman is an adjunct professor at BU, a critical care nurse, and former Geisinger Health executive. » Matthew Resnick ’01 is assistant treasurer of The Wenger Group, Rheems. Resnick was treasury manager for Dentsply Sirona. » Eleanor Vaida Gerhards ’02 was named a 2019 “Legal Eagle” by Franchise Times magazine. The list highlights attorneys who have made significant strides in franchise law and were selected from nominations by their clients and peers. This is the fourth time Gerhards has been recognized. » Melanie Hotovcin Lambie ’03 is a human resources generalist with Skelly and Loy, Harrisburg. Lambie has more than eight years of human resources experience and is responsible for a variety of administrative and technical duties. » Casey Leyden Bosler ’04, a guidance counselor at Lenape High School, was named as the 2019-20 educational services professional of the year. Bosler guides students through their high school experience and serves as a liaison between staff, students and parents. » Lisa Shearer Ferry ’04 is dean of students at MMI Preparatory School, Freeland. Ferry will have responsibility for student discipline, dress code, and general student comportment. She served the MMI community as a member of the faculty for more than 11 years and has acted as an interim dean since 2017. » Patrick Burke ’06M has been appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to Upper and Middle Susquehanna Regional Water Resources Committee of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s State Water Plan. Burke is the director of operations for Aqua Pennsylvania in Bryn Mawr. Burke is a registered professional civil engineer in Pennsylvania, a Class A licensed water operator, and a certified backflow prevention administrator. » Jahri Evans ’07 is part of the management group which owns a new Arena Football League team playing in Atlantic City, N.J. ’10s » Heaven Reinard ’11M was named the 2018-19 teacher of the year at Milton School District. » Kelli McGeehan ’14 is assistant vice president in the e-Banking and Customer Support department of First Columbia Bank, Bloomsburg. McGeehan has experience with payroll, purchasing and customer service management. » Brittney Waylen ’14 is the government affairs director for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Waylen was a legislative aide for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. » Santino Stancato ’16 manages the brand of Georgia Tech football, primarily through social media platforms. He worked at Temple University as a digital content coordinator, assistant director of operations and creative coordinator for TU football. He was integral in Temple winning Uniform Authority’s award for best uniforms in all of college football in 2018. Before Temple, Stancato was the marketing manager for the Brooklyn Cyclones and a marketing assistant at Marshall University. » Eric Usbeck II ’17 is head coach for Millersville University women’s swimming team. Usbeck was an assistant coach at Misericordia University. At BU, Usbeck was a five-time PSAC Champion and three-time NCAA Division II AllAmerican as a collegiate swimmer. He was an All-PSAC performer 19 times and a five-time PSAC Champion. Innkeeper to campus will be missed For many administrators and faculty at BU, their first in-person connection to the university was Nancy E. Vought, 74, who passed away June 8, 2018. Vought put a face to the friendly college on the hill. And the College Hill Bed and Breakfast she founded with her husband Ray in 2005 — just 50 paces from Carver Hall — was a front door to the university for newcomers and alumni alike. Before opening the College Hill Bed and Breakfast, Vought worked at BU for 23 years before retiring in 2003 and being granted non-instructional emerita status. As co-owner and innkeeper, Nancy managed the daily operations of the business. For candidates coming for interviews on campus, Nancy was an invaluable information resource of people and places at BU. Vought began her career at BU as a Green Thumb worker and advanced to executive assistant for former university president Dr. Jessica Kozloff. For several years, she worked under the direction of Jack Mulka administering the Celebrity Artist Series and developing the Provost’s Lecture Series. “Nancy had amazing energy, creative ideas and worked tirelessly for the betterment and advancement of the university,” says Mulka. A graduate of Berwick High School, Vought completed numerous courses at BU and was very artistic; creating oil and water paintings, crochets, decorative pillows, and even wedding and prom gowns. Vought served as chair for the Bloomsburg Historic Architectural Review Board and as a member for several years. In addition to her husband, Nancy is survived by four daughters, three grandchildren, two sisters, and four brothers. Alumni Honored From left are: Alumni Association President, Barbara Romano ’83, Juli Miller ’92, Kerri Donald Sears ’92, Leeann M. Koch ’10/’17 AU.D., and BU president Bashar Hanna. Mollie ’10 and Nicholas Hulyo ’10 celebrated their wedding in September 2018. Shown from left are, back row: Jarrid Dekovitch ’12, Conor McCauley ’12, Evan Graf ’12, Mitchell Hulyo ’14, Ken Higgins ’10, Kyle Higgins ’12, Michael Hall ’10, and Denise Hall ’11. Front row: Emily McCauley ’12, Christine Kuhl ’09, Nicholas Kuhl ’12, Mollie Hulyo (bride) ’10, Karly Sarvis ’11, Megan Douglas ’10, Nicholas Hulyo (groom) ’10, and Julia Robinson ’10. The Bloomsburg University Alumni Association honored three alumni at its annual awards dinner in May: Juli Miller ’92, William Derricott ’66 Volunteer of the Year; Kerri Donald Sears ’92, Distinguished Service Award; and Leann M. Koch ’10/’17Au.D., Maroon and Gold Excellence Award. The guests of honor spoke passionately about the life-changing impact of their experience at BU, the joy of giving back, and the personal and professional growth that has come with their volunteer experiences. The Alumni Association also acknowledged recipients of the Legacy Scholarship and those given Grimes Loyalty Recognition for 2018. Sarah Surzyn ’14 and Andrew Konunchuk ’14 celebrated their wedding in December in Austin, Tex. The wedding party included, from left: Alexa Brodak, Jessica Dugan ’14, Sarah Klonower, Kaitlyn Chatt ’14, Sarah Surzyn, Andrew Konunchuk, Adam Borella ’10, Matthew Boop ’10, Jason Surzyn, and Kevin Surzyn. SPRING 2019 23 husky notes THE LINE UP BIRTHS John Monahan ’00 and wife, Megan, twin sons, Fisher Thomas and Finnegan Brian, Sept. 10, 2018 Betsey Urban Skitsko ’00 and husband, Brian, a son, Carson John, Dec. 12, 2018 Christopher David Smith ’02 and wife, Lindsay, a daughter, Madilyn Margaret, June 22, 2018 Rachelle Simon Rohner ’04 and husband, Bradley ’01, a daughter, Alyssa Lynn, Oct. 17, 2018 Jillian Lipinski Zarnas ’04 and husband, Michael, a daughter, Scarlett Elise, Jan. 25, 2019 Adrienne Lerch Black ’07 and husband, Adam ’07, twin daughters, Harlow Ryan and Rowan Eva, Dec. 12, 2018 Mary Bacher Horvath ’07 and husband, Kyle, a daughter, Ava Pamela, Sept. 22, 2018 Melissa Landis Beer ’08 and husband, Jonathan ’06, twin sons, Jaxon Gregory and Ashton Lee, Feb. 4, 2019 Rachael Bennington Hutchinson ’08 and husband, Gabriel ’05, a son, Dylan George, Jan. 17, 2019 Amy Dunkelberger Bauder 08’ and husband, Jeremy, a daughter, Emerly Monroe, June 12, 2018 Joanna Schmolk Egan ’10 and husband, William ’10M, a daughter, Cameran Marie, Dec. 4, 2018 Caitlin Tevis Persico ’11 and husband, Christoper, a son, Christopher Roman, May 6, 2019 Karyn Gigl Vercoe ’12/’15M and husband, Bryan ’10, a daughter, Aubrey Rose, Dec. 20, 2018. Grandparents are Scott Vercoe ’78, and wife Laurie Dockeray Vercoe ’80. Send information to: magazine@bloomu.edu MARRIAGES Lori Kane ’95 and Frank Petroski, July 20, 2018 Alicia Wolfinger ’09 and John Pernini ’08, Nov. 17, 2018 Megan Cashour ’10 and Kevin Dixon, Jan. 19, 2019 Mollie Warren ’10 and Nicholas Hulyo ’10, Sept. 22, 2018 Sarah Surzyn ’14 and Andrew Konunchuk ’14, Dec. 2018 Alana O’Rourke ’17 and Cody Wolfe ’16, Sept. 30, 2018 Coleen Schlager ’17 and Hakeem Thomas ’17, Sept. 29, 2018 Brandi Kennedy ’18 and Nicholas Heberling ’17/’18, Sept. 8, 2018 OBITUARIES Margaret Cohoon Caughlan ’42 Frederick Dent ’44 June Novak Bones ’48 Norman Kline ’51 Francis McNamee ’51 Shirley Coleman Aumiller ’52 David Heckman ’52 Richard Knause ’53 Alexander Kubik ’53 Russell Verhousky ’53 Margaret Shultz Bittner ’54 Charles Ruffing ’54 Joyce Lundy Stowe-Longchamp ’55 Reber Glen Fenstermacher ’56 Carl Meyer ’56 William Kautz ’57 Dreher Richards ’57 Joseph Andrysick ’59 Oscar Snyder ’59 Frank Troxell ’59 Kenneth Wood ’59 John Murray ’60 Lawrence Troutman ’60 Rollin Cunningham ’61 Janice Reed ’61 Barbara Furman Roush ’61 Philip Werntz ’61 John Vincent ’62 Richard Mauery ’63 Karl Najaka ’64 Virginia Roberts Rice ’64 Joseph Youshock ’66 Carol Rhodes Rhinard ’67 Sally Miles Sherratt ’67 Catherine Kosoloski ’68 William Reh ’69 Clifton Walls ’69 Barbara Bistransin ’70 Richard Cardoni ’70 Roy Underhill ’70 Dianne Crane Acker ’71 Craig Shotwell ’71 Chester Milbrand ’73 Connie Hankee ’74 Janice Keil ’74 Larry Toy ’74 Richard Allen Bowman ’75 Kurt Matlock ’75 Jeanne Beck-Gardier ’76 William Dennis ’77 Thomas Kern ’77 Thomas Chirkot ’78 Robert Zarkoski ’80 David Heimbach ’82 Susan Andreas Posey ’82 Karen Smith Coates ’85 Donna Pasqualone Ruggiero ’86 Scott Kinzinger ’89 Kathleen Bach ’91 Michael Smith ’91 Cynthia Keller Wolff ’91 Katherine Sasso Yurchak ’95 Katherine Weber ’00 Amylou Ruiz ’01 John Sorensen ’01 Renee DiAugustine Bower ’13 Bloomsburg: The University Magazine | Waller Administration Building | 400 E. Second Street | Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 24 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Supply Chain Program Named Tops by Study.com BU’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program was recognized by Study.com as one of the top schools in the country for the major. The SCM program offers a bachelor’s degree and a minor in the field. Among the unique features of the BU program noted by Study.com were BU’s job fairs and fall alumni conference, student access to software used by corporations with well-established, supply chains and the school paying for SCM students’ certification fees. Also part of the program is the Nicholas J. Giuffre Center for Supply Chain Management, which provides new resources, relationships, and opportunities for students in the Zeigler College of Business who are interested in supply chain management and information technology. College of Education Programs Nationally Recognized Several College of Education academic programs have been Nationally Recognized or Nationally Recognized with Conditions by each program’s specialized professional association. The reviews are rigorous evaluations based on each program’s alignment to the specific standards of their association and six to eight assessments demonstrating this alignment. Receiving National Recognition: • Reading and Reading Specialist (graduate) by the International Reading Association • Secondary Education Citizenship (7-12) (undergraduate) by the National Council for the Social Studies • Special Education (undergraduate) by the Council for Exceptional Children • Secondary Mathematics Education (7-12) (undergraduate) by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Receiving National Recognition with Conditions: • Middle-Level Education (4-8) (undergraduate) by the Association for Middle-Level Education • Secondary English Education (7-12) (undergraduate) National Council of Teachers of English ASL/English Interpreting Programs Nationally Recognized BU’s American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreting program has received national accreditation through the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education (CCIE). BU is one of just 16 schools nationally to have an accredited bachelor’s degree program. “CCIE accreditation shows prospective and current students that the ASL/English Interpreting program has a vested interest in providing a top-notch educational experience for our students. Students know that our program follows rigorous standards and expectations so that upon graduation they are ready to work in the field of interpreting,” says Jessica BentleySassaman, Steven J. Jones Professional U Fellow and program coordinator. BU Admitted to University Sales Center Alliance BU was admitted as an associate member to the University Sales Center Alliance (USCA). The USCA is a consortium of sales centers connecting university faculty members with many different backgrounds and areas of expertise. These educators advocate for the continuing advancement of the sales profession through teaching, research and outreach. BU is the 51st university to earn membership and only the second university member in Pennsylvania. In order to qualify as a member, a sales program must meet specific criteria including a specified curriculum, a sales lab, a director, an active sales advisory board, and participation in sales competitions. SPRING 2019 25 ON THE HILL sports A COMMUNITY BUILT ON By Dave Leisering A s both a player and a coach, Marty Coyne ’83 has a lot of wins under his signature wide-brim straw hat. But as he retires this spring after 26 years as tennis coach, Coyne has tracked success on another scorecard entirely. “ Wins and losses take care of themselves,” says Coyne. “But, it’s the relationships I’ve developed over my career that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.” Coyne’s relationship to BU extends far beyond his stint as coach. He was also a top player as a BU student. A Hazleton native, Coyne joined the Army directly after high school. But he continued to play tennis and was a member of the All-Army Team in Europe. His tour of duty ended, he returned home and applied to two different institutions — Penn State and Bloomsburg. “Coach Burt Reese and the Penn State coach had a conversation one day, and Reese said that I probably couldn’t play at Penn State,” explains Coyne. “So, I ended up coming to Bloomsburg. Reese’s assessment of me 26 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA couldn’t have been more correct. It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t play there — it was the fact that I would’ve gotten lost at a program like Penn State.” As a player, Coyne was an eight-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion, posting a career singles record of 112-29, ranking third on the school’s all-time list in career wins and second in winning percentage (.794). Coyne garnered All-American accolades in both singles and doubles in 1983 and joined doubles partner Dave Superdock as the program’s first All-Americans that season. In 1998, Coyne was inducted into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame and then, in 2013, became a member of the United States Tennis Association Middle States Hall of Fame. Following his brilliant playing career, Coyne taught at a club for three years and later at a YMCA. “In 1993 when Burt Reese was stepping down as head coach I knew I wanted to come back and coach,” says Coyne. “I took a pay cut to come back, but it was the right move. My family has received so many benefits for being a part of the university — my children attended school here, and my wife (Lisa ’82M) got her master’s degree here. Plus, it was wonderful to have an opportunity to coach where I played, and to follow Coach Reese.” Coyne coached only the men’s team his first year, then took over the women’s program a year later and continued the success that Reese had started. He retires with nearly 600 career victories, 27 NCAA Division II appearances, 16 PSAC Championships, 15 PSAC Coach of the Year awards, and four East Region Coach of the Year honors. Over the years, Coyne has seen changes both on campus and in the community. When Coyne started as a student, the tennis teams played on the lower campus on what is now a parking lot across from the Student Recreation Center. “The improvement in our athletic facilities have been tremendous. It’s evident when we travel to other schools. We have it pretty good here,” he says. In the community, Coyne has been an agent of change – he founded a children’s tennis camp at Bloomsburg Town Park in 2001. “I’ve had the privilege of running Town Park Tennis for the entire time. It’s grown from 75 kids the first couple years, to now where we see right around 500 kids each summer. Ages in the program range from 4-18 in the kid’s program, and one night a week there are adult lessons. The town park program will continue long after I’ve left this planet. A generous donation by attorney Hervey Smith will ensure kids in the area will have the chance to learn tennis.” Building connections is something that Coyne has worked to impart in BU’s athletes. “We made it a priority in the program to talk about the bigger picture – 10% of life is what happens, and 90% is how we deal with what happens. We’ve used that mentality since I arrived to play. We train hard and work hard to compete, but we have built a family-type culture in our program that has made the difference. I’m going to miss that.” A First in 54 Years The baseball team made history this spring claiming its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title in 54 years. The Huskies were declared champions after posting a 3-0 mark in the tournament and were the only undefeated team remaining when rain forced the cancellation of the remainder of the event. The PSAC title was the first for the Huskies since 1965 and the fourth overall in school history. The title earned BU an automatic bid to the NCAA championships. Ben Newbert earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .364 with two home runs and a tournament-high 10 runs batted in. In the NCAA regionals, the Huskies picked up their first NCAA tournament win since 1995, before having their season come to an end. Bloomsburg finished the year with a mark of 35-16. SPRING 2019 27 three individual events in the same year. All of her results at the national championships were personal bests, which included school records in the 1000- and 500-free. The latter mark was a 33-year-old school record (previously held by Joan Wojtowicz in 1986). At the PSAC championships she placed in five events to earn AllPSAC honors. Cubbler Becomes Three-Time All-American The 2018-19 season was a memorable one for junior swimmer Becca Cubbler. She became a three-time All-American after placing 12th overall in the 500-free (4:53.65), 13th in the 1000-free (10:09.18), and 16th in the 1650-free (17:03.48) at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving National Championships. Cubbler, a special education social studies major, is the first female swimmer since head coach Stu Marvin took over the program in 2008 to earn All-American status in 2 Cubbler also landed a spot on the PSAC Winter Top 10 Team that recognizes 10 student-athletes (five female and five male) each season who excel both academically and athletically. Cubbler, the first BU women’s swimmer to earn a PSAC Top 10 award, holds a 3.87 cumulative GPA majoring in early childhood education and special education. She is the third student-athlete from BU to earn a Top 10 honor this season, joining senior Nick McGuire from men’s cross country and senior Allie Barber from women’s soccer during the fall season. Earn PSAC Winter Coach of the Year Honors Alison Tagliaferri and Stu Marvin ’78 earned PSAC Coach of the Year accolades for their success during the winter season. Tagliaferri guided the women’s basketball team to a share of the PSAC East crown for the first time since the 2014-15 season as the team finished 20-10 overall and 14-6 in the division. In just three seasons at the helm, Tagliaferri has transformed BU into one of the top defensive teams in the PSAC as they ranked near the top in the league in several defensive categories including scoring defense – allowing only 61.0 points per game. Tagliaferri is believed to be the first coach in PSAC history to win a Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year award and an Athlete of the Year award (2006, Mansfield). Marvin, coach of both the men’s and women’s swim teams, won his fifth Coach of the Year honor on the men’s side after previously earning the accolade in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. Marvin led the Huskies to a 5-2 dual record and then guided the team to a second-place result at the PSAC Championships for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time in the last seven years. The Huskies had four conference champions as redshirt junior Kyle Dix won both the 100-breast and the 100-fly while the 200-free relay and 400-free relay teams also brought home titles. Since taking over the program in 2008, Marvin is 51-33 (.607) in dual meets. His winning percentage is tops in program history while his 51 career victories is second only to Eli McLaughlin’s 142 wins over a 23-year coaching career. 28 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Athlete – Alumni Networking Program Launches The Bloomsburg Athlete-Alumni Network was launched this year to give student-athletes a chance to engage with alumni and for alumni to provide support. The network was formed by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Office of Alumni and Professional Engagement. Any former Husky student-athlete can volunteer as an adviser or correspondent. Elements of these connections can include, but are not limited to: sharing post-graduation experiences, how being a student-athlete assisted in the application and interview process, how to tailor resumes or cover letters to emphasize strengths gained from being a college student-athlete, or how to list volunteer/ leadership experience on a resume or cover letter. Wrestling Joins Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) will be the new home for the BU wrestling team for the 2019-20 season. Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason, and Cleveland State, all former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) members, will be affiliate members of the MAC. The addition of the former EWL members increases MAC wrestling membership to 15 and makes it the second largest NCAA Division I wrestling conference. Current members are Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, and Ohio, along with affiliate members Missouri, Old Dominion, and SIUEdwardsville. On the heels of the move, BU, along with Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven, will no longer participate in the PSAC annual wrestling championship. The PSAC Championship will solely be a Division II Championship. Girard Qualifies for NCAA Championships Junior Willy Girard has become the answer to a trivia question: Who was the last BU wrestler to win an Eastern Wrestling League title? Girard, a geosciences major, earned that spot in history when he posted a win over Lock Haven’s Luke Warner in the 125-pound EWL finals, since the league dissolved after the 2018-2019 season. The win qualified him for the 2019 NCAA Division I wrestling championships in Pittsburgh. Prior to Girard’s victory, the last Huskies’ grappler to win an EWL title was Rich Perry when he won the championship in 2014 at 197 pounds. Perry, along with Chad Bailey, were inducted into the EWL Hall of Fame during the final EWL Championships. At the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Girard suffered a pair of losses on the opening day of the tournament, to end his season with a 23-13 record. SPRING 2019 29 F then & now orty years ago, on May 20, 1979, the first class of 45 students from the Department of Nursing graduated. It was a beginning for a department that has grown in student enrollment more than tenfold and is proudly home to one of BU’s most competitive and rigorous academic programs. That first graduating class was also a milestone in the nearly 120 years of teaching medicine at Bloomsburg. In 1901 Daniel Hartline, recognizing that not all prospective students for medical school could afford to attend college, developed a Medical Preparatory Course. The course was a means to obtain a good, basic education in medicine before beginning formal medical training. The course covered human and comparative By Robert Dunkelberger anatomy, physiology, bacteriology, and zoology. Several graduates served in the Medical Corps in World War I. Bloomsburg Two of them, Harry Andres and Reese Davis, died while State Normal in military service. NURSING AT BLOOMSBURG BORN WITH A MISSION Bloomsburg students became nurses as well as doctors. After two years of study, Meryl Phillips went on to Williamsport Hospital in 1911, graduated from its nursing school, and came back to Bloomsburg to become assistant superintendent at the Bloomsburg Hospital. With a dream to assist the war effort overseas as a Red Cross nurse, Phillips went to New Jersey in 1918, ready to head to Europe. Before she was able to do so, Phillips contracted pneumonia and became a victim of the worldwide pandemic. She, along with Andres, Davis, and 13 others, are remembered in the World War I Memorial Pinery on campus, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in May. 30 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA A zoology class from 1911 directed by Daniel Hartline, seated at center, was part of the Medical Preparatory Course. School student and nurse Meryl Phillips (1889-1918), one of 16 honored in the World War I Memorial Pinery on campus. Student nurses in their official uniforms looking at an EKG printout, February 1977. Gertrude Flynn in 1979, who served as the first chair of the Nursing Department from 1974 to 1981 and retired in 1983. Students marching into the May 20, 1979, commencement ceremony at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Student nurses going over the Kardex File containing patient information, February 1977. At right is Karen Owens, a member of the first graduating class. Students at a nursing station in the Bloomsburg Hospital, October 1976. The Medical Preparatory Course ended in 1918 and it would take until World War II for medical studies to return to what had become Bloomsburg State Teachers College. During the war, nurses who were students at the Bloomsburg Hospital Training School of Nursing came to campus for more specialized classes as part of the college’s support of the general war effort. Beginning in 1943, nurses took four months of special courses in the physical and biological sciences under Hartline’s successor, Kimber Kuster. More than 60 attended until the last group finished in January 1946. A precursor to the Department of Nursing was a program for public school nurses developed in 1951 to award a Bachelor of Science in Education to registered nurses. The program prepared them for employment in public schools and was offered for 24 years before gradually being phased out. The need for more highly trained nurses was identified in 1965 by the American Nursing Association, which predicted that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) would become the norm for entry into the profession. Bloomsburg responded by establishing a Health Care Program Task Force in the early 1970s. With members from several BU departments and health professionals from the community, the task force identified a real need for additional nurse training in the area. From this came the establishment of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. The first faculty member and chair of the department, Gertrude Flynn, was hired in 1974, specialized in psychiatric nursing, and came to BU from the University of Massachusetts. The first students, selected from more than 300 applicants, started classes in the fall of 1975. That original class became immersed in the new curriculum, with clinical experience at local medical facilities up to 100 miles away. The nursing program quickly grew, and in five years, the department that began with three faculty and 60 students, now numbered 17 faculty and more than 350 full- and parttime students. It also expanded physically to space in the Bloomsburg Hospital Annex. Since that first class, nearly 3,000 alumni have earned nursing degrees at BU. Today, Bloomsburg University’s Department of Nursing has more than 480 undergraduate and 120 graduate and doctoral students and clinical relationships with more than 200 facilities across the state. More of the early history of the Department of Nursing is in an article that appeared in the Spring 1999 issue, “A Silver Celebration of Caring:” » http://bit.ly/2GE3BAl SPRING 2019 31 calendar SUMMER 2019 Session 3 July 1 to 26 (four weeks online) Classes begin, Monday, July 1 Independence Day, No classes, Thursday, July 4 Session ends, Friday, July 26 Session 3 July 1 to Aug. 9 Classes begin, Monday, July 1 Independence Day, No classes, Thursday, July 4 Session ends, Friday, Aug. 9 ART EXHIBITS FALL 2019 Classes begin, Monday, Aug. 26 Labor Day, No classes, Monday, Sept. 2 Mid-Term, Tuesday, Oct. 15 Reading Day, Tuesday, Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Recess, Wednesday, Nov. 27 Classes resume, Monday, Dec. 2 Classes end, Friday, Dec. 6 Finals begin, Monday, Dec. 9 Finals end, Friday, Dec. 13 Graduate Commencement, Friday, Dec. 13 Undergraduate Commencement, Saturday, Dec. 14 THEATRE Exhibits in the Haas Gallery of Art and The Gallery at Greenly Center, 50 E. Main St., Bloomsburg, are open to the public free of charge. For more information, gallery hours and reception times, visit departments.bloomu.edu/art. Remembered Oct. 17 to Oct. 20 Vincent Hron Solo Show May 20 to Sept. 24 Be More Chill Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 Rosemont Cemetery, Bloomsburg The Gallery at Greenly Center Alvina Krause Theatre, Bloomsburg Selected Students Summer Show May 31 to Sept. 25 Everybody Feb. 26 to March 1, 2020 Haas Gallery of Art CONCERTS Octuba Fest Sunday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Room 166. BU Choirs Fall Choral Festival Sunday, Oct. 13, 2:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Gross Auditorium. Featuring Women’s Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and the Concert Choir. Alvina Krause Theatre, Bloomsburg 10th Annual Dance Minor Concert April 26 to April 27 Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Performing Arts SPECIAL EVENTS Parents and Family Weekend Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 Homecoming Weekend Oct. 25 to Oct. 27 For the latest information on upcoming events, check the Bloomsburg University website bloomu.edu/events. For alumni events, visit bloomualumni.com, call 800-526-0254 or email alum@bloomu.edu. for details. 32 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA From left: Mirlie Larose, Michaela Poulard, Ronald Rhoads, Tyler Hafner. Photo by Jaime North. NOW IN STOCK: Athletic gray T-shirt by Under Armour $24.99, women’s notch T-shirt by Campus Crew $26.99, women’s white flowing tank by Legacy $24.99, packable black windbreaker by Ouray $48.99. THE UNIVERSITY STORE 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 General Information: 570-389-4175 Customer Service: 570-389-4180 bustore@bloomu.edu BLOOMUSTORE.COM OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. SEE BLOOMUSTORE.COM FOR HOURS AND TO SHOP ONLINE. SPRING 2019 33 1011050113 ® Office of Marketing and Communications 400 E. Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 SAVE THE DATE HOMECOMING 2019 Oct. 25 to Oct. 27 Celebrate the only Halloweentown in Pennsylvania A NOTE TO PARENTS WANT TO UNSUBSCRIBE? RECEIVING DUPLICATE COPIES? If this issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is addressed to a daughter or son who has established a separate residence, please notify us of that new address by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu If you no longer wish to receive the print edition of the magazine, please notify us by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu If you are receiving more than one copy of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine, please forward the mailing label panel from each issue you receive to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 E. Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 34 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Bloomsburg FALL 2019 T HE UNIVER S I T Y M AG A ZI N E ALSO INSIDE Our Onward is Upward BU has a bold new brand to better reflect our Husky Spirit. Page 10 Unleashing Opportunity Together The Bloomsburg University Foundation raised more than $10MM last year. Page 7 Raising Expectations Provost Diana Rogers-Adkinson has defied expectations and wants to assist others to do the same. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Page 13 bloomu.edu Ready for His Second Half Jahri Evans ’07, a standout in the NFL, is making new plays as a businessman and entrepreneur. Page 16 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear BU Family, As I write this note, our students have recently returned to campus, classes have begun, and the fall semester is well underway. The beginning of a new academic year is always a glorious time of year. With the summer months now behind us, this is a time of rejuvenation not only for our students, but for our faculty and staff as well. In addition to welcoming back our returning students, we welcomed the Class of 2023 – always an exciting time for our newest pack of Huskies. Also very recently, I am thrilled that BU was recognized again as one of the nation’s best colleges and universities by Forbes, Money.com, U.S. News & World Report, and College Consensus. What a great testament to our faculty and staff’s dedication on behalf of our students. In this issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine, you will read about the launch of our new branding campaign after numerous conversations with many constituents. My thanks to all of you who have been part of this conversation; your voices have been instrumental in this truly comprehensive campaign. You will also learn about two members of the BU Family who embody the “Husky Spirit” and tackle life’s challenges with grit and determination. Our new Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Diana Rogers-Adkinson shares an inspiring story of overcoming long odds – hers is a story that will surely resonate with our students and alumni. Also, Jahri Evans ’07 made it to the National Football League and won a Super Bowl over the course of a dozen successful years in the NFL, and he continues that success in his second career as an entrepreneur. Last but certainly not least, you will read about the great accomplishments of our faculty and students, the results of which are making a profound impact on our local community and the world. With the positive recognition our University is receiving on a national level and the noteworthy initiatives on our campus, there is much for us to be excited about at BU. As always, our students’ success remains the heart of our mission. The dedication of the new SEKISUI Professional Experience Lab will help towards that goal. We are determined to prepare our students for personal and professional success during and after their years at Bloomsburg, and I am honored to be leading this charge. I look forward to making this another outstanding year for Bloomsburg University, and thank you for your continued support. I hope you will join us in the coming months, whether for Homecoming in October, or to cheer on our student-athletes this fall season. GO HUSKIES! Sincerely, Bashar W. Hanna President Fall 2019 BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY IS A MEMBER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA’S STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Board of Governors Cynthia D. Shapira, Chair David M. Maser, Vice Chair Samuel H. Smith, Vice Chair Rep. Tim Briggs Audrey F. Bronson Donald E. Houser, Jr. Sen. Scott Martin Marian D. Moskowitz Thomas S. Muller Noe Ortega Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera Rep. Brad Roae Sen. Judith L. Schwank Meg Snead Neil R. Weaver Gov. Tom Wolf Janet L. Yeomans Chancellor, State System of Higher Education Daniel Greenstein Bloomsburg University Council of Trustees Judge Mary Jane Bowes, Chair Nancy Vasta ’97/’98M, Vice Chair Brian D. O’Donnell O.D. ’87M, Secretary Ramona H. Alley Amy Brayford ’91 Edward G. Edwards ’73 Barbara Benner Hudock ’75 Charles E. Schlegel Jr. ’60 John Thomas Secretary of Corrections John E. Wetzel ’98 Patrick Wilson ’91 7 10 Unleashing Opportunity Together Our Onward is Upward The Unveiling of the SEKISUI Professional Experience Lab in Greenly Center was the capstone in a year that saw Huskies contribute more than $10 million to provide new opportunities for students. BU is rolling out a new brand this fall, but it’s about more than looks. It’s about telling the BU story of providing opportunities to students who have talent, drive and a strong work ethic. President, Bloomsburg University Bashar W. Hanna Executive Editor Jennifer Umberger Co-Editors Eric Foster Tom McGuire Designer Stacey Newell Sports Information Director Dave Leisering Marketing/Communications Coordinator Irene Johnson Cover Photo Douglas Benedict Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is published three times a year for alumni, students’ families and friends of the university. Back issues may be found at issuu.com/buhuskies. Address comments and questions to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 Email address: magazine@bloomu.edu Visit Bloomsburg University on the web at bloomu.edu. Bloomsburg University is an AA/EEO institution and is accessible to disabled persons. Bloomsburg University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies. © Bloomsburg University 2019 13 16 Raising Expectations Ready for His Second Half A first-generation college student herself, Provost Diana RogersAdkinson knows what it means to defy expectations. She’s made her career helping students do the same. After making an impact for 12 years as a guard in the NFL, Jahri Evans ’07 is ready for his second half as a businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Contents 2 4 20 22 26 30 32 Unleash Your Inner Husky Common Ground Student Focus Husky Notes View From The Top Then & Now Calendar Connect with us bloomu.edu UNLEASH YOUR INNER HUSKY from classroom to field Small birds LEAD TO BIG RESEARCH By Tom McGuire Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Students can only learn so much sitting in a classroom. It’s the reason Lauri Green, a faculty member in biological and allied health sciences, and graduate student Victoria Roper spent months in the wetlands of Columbia County doing research that may one day save a species of bird that has been in decline in North America. 2 The project is studying the tree swallow, a bird that feeds on flying insects, and examining nesting, reproductive success, chick growth, and foraging behaviors while comparing populations in natural and artificial wetlands. Green and Roper started their research in the cold of February 2019 by installing more than 140 bird boxes on three locations near wetlands in Columbia County. In April and May the swallows showed up to start nesting. Then they observed how many birds nested in the boxes, the number of chicks, and their behavior. As Green and Roper returned to check on the birds in the heat of June they were pleasantly surprised to see to hundreds of tree swallow chicks. “We had six or seven chicks per box and overall occupancy rate of 70 percent, which are very good numbers,” says Roper. “After the chicks were born we had a lot of work to do. I was checking the weight of the chicks, drawing blood to compare with insects we captured in the area and measuring the chicks’ growth every three days up until they were 12 days old.” “The tree swallow project hibernates for the winter as the birds fly south,” says Green. “But we are actively processing data and Victoria is preparing her thesis and master’s defense. We’ll be sharing our results with everyone when we’re done.” The work of the professor and student attracted quite a bit of media attention. The WNEP-TV program “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life” featured the project twice. The story also appeared in Bloomsburg’s Press-Enteprise, the Scranton Times-Tribune, Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice, Hazleton Standard-Speaker, and the Shamokin News-Item. UNLEASH YOUR INNER HUSKY Photos: Eric Foster » Lauri Green, assistant professor of biological and allied health sciences, is interviewed by Don Jacobs from WNEP’s Pennsylvania Outdoor Life. » A group of tree swallow chicks waits to be weighed and measured. » Graduate student Victoria Roper takes chicks from a bird box for measurements, left, and measures the growth of a tree swallow chick, below. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » “ We had six or seven chicks per box and overall occupancy rate of 70 percent, which are very good numbers,” says Roper. “After the chicks were born we had a lot of work to do. I was checking the weight of the chicks, drawing blood to compare with insects we captured in the area and measuring the chicks’ growth every three days up until they were 12 days old.” 3 news on campus COMMON GROUND » BU has a brand-new entrance to go along with an improved intersection on Lightstreet Road between the lower and upper campuses. As part of the gateway project, iron gates that were a gift from the Class of 1960 were installed near the new entrance to campus. The gates were formerly part of Old Waller Hall and were put in storage when that building was taken down. A new welcome to campus Middle States Reaffirms The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has reaffirmed accreditation for Bloomsburg University with no monitoring report. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-27. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Middle States institution-wide accreditation is required by the U.S. Department of Education for Bloomsburg University and its students to be eligible for any form of financial assistance from the federal government, including grants, scholarships, and federally guaranteed student loans. 4 “The reaffirmation is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff and the great work they do each day on behalf of our students,” said President Bashar Hanna. “ The reaffirmation is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff and the great work they do each day on behalf of our students.” – President Bashar Hanna The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, nongovernmental, membership association dedicated to quality assurance and improvement through accreditation via peer evaluation. Middle States accreditation instills public confidence in institutional mission, goals, performance, and resources through its rigorous accreditation standards and their enforcement. Accreditation As part of the process, a steering work group designed an institutional self-study and coordinated the reaccreditation process. Eight working groups were established to thoroughly address the seven standards and compliance components that are the focus of the self-study and review process. Approximately 90 faculty, staff, and students participated in this process. The self-study highlighted the university’s distinctive mission, the student learning experience, noteworthy accomplishments since last accredited, and areas for improvement. The self-study was submitted in January and the process culminated with a team of peer evaluators who used the report as the basis for their on-site evaluation in March. COMMON GROUND » Students with Kerby Confer are, from left: Nassir Bryant, Molly Nesselrodt, and Catherine Rose. Campus Radio Station GETS A NEW NAME Shawver Named Zeigler College of Business Dean BU’s student radio station, 91.1 FM, has a new name — WHSK-FM, Home of the Huskies. Todd Shawver has been named the dean of the Zeigler College of Business. Shawver had served as interim dean of the college since August of 2018. Previously, he served as chairperson and associate professor of accounting. “We completed the installation of a complete digital equipment upgrade to the station’s studios and it seems appropriate to rebrand the station to highlight the students’ connection to the university as Huskies. WHSK, “HUSKY 91.1,” said Confer. “Working at the station will be a bonding experience they will take with them for a lifetime.“ Last fall Confer pledged $375,000 to extend his support of the Confer Radio Talent Institute, hosted by BU each July; as well as an annual scholarship awarded to students majoring in mass communications and a faculty fellowship. “My thanks to Kerby Confer for his generous support of our radio station, for his expertise and vision, and his passionate belief in our students and their success,” said President Bashar Hanna. “The quality of the broadcasters assembled to teach in this 10-day radio immersion is amazing,” said Confer. “In fact, at this moment we are hiring two past Confer Radio Talent Institute graduates.” As dean, Shawver is responsible, in collaboration with the faculty, for enhancing existing programs, supporting student success, leading accreditation efforts with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and working to identify emerging areas of growth. Before joining the BU accounting faculty in 2012, Shawver served as a learning and development manager for the Institute of Management Accountants, instructor of accounting at Lafayette College, assistant professor of accounting and finance at Lock Haven University, visiting professor of finance at Bloomsburg University, and adjunct professor of accounting at both Wilkes University and King’s College. Shawver is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University where he earned his Doctor of Business Administration with a finance concentration. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Plymouth State University and a bachelor’s degree from New England College. He holds the Certified Management Accountant designation and is a registered tax return preparer as affirmed by the Internal Revenue Service. He also serves as treasurer and vice president of communications for the Pennsylvania Northeast Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Since going on air in 1985, the 600-watt radio station had used the call letters WBUQ. “Mr. Confer, who has owned and operated over 200 radio stations, and is an inductee into the Pennsylvania Radio Hall of Fame, made a big investment in the station and has helped spearhead the call letter change to align the station’s brand with that of the university,” said David Magolis, radio station adviser and Kerby Confer Faculty Fellow for Communications. 5 COMMON GROUND Interoperative Neuromonitoring Program Accredited BU’s post-BA intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) certificate program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), making it one of just three such accredited programs in the country. BU’s IONM program is aimed to bridge the gaps between the increasing demand of qualified technologists and lack of formal educational programs by providing a one-year training program for students interested in pursuing a career as IONM technologists. IONM is directly aimed at reducing the risk of neurological deficits after operations that involve the nervous system. IONM makes use of recordings of electrical potentials from the nervous system during surgical operations. Monitoring the state of the nervous system in “real-time” during surgery allows for corrective actions to be implemented if necessary. The CAAHEP is a programmatic postsecondary accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. CAAHEP currently accredits more than 2,200 entry-level education programs in 33 health science professions. Nursing Department Ranked BU’s Department of Nursing is ranked fourth in the state of Pennsylvania by RNCareers.org, which also ranke the program 51st in the nation. Bloomsburg’s overall score is 97.29 percent. Programs were ranked by their accumulated NCLEX-RN passing rates for the last three years as reported by their state board of nursing. Programs such as BU’s that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education were also given a higher ranking. Bloomsburg was the highest ranked school from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in the RNCareers.org ranking. Photo: Eric Foster Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Zeigler College of Business Partners with Barron’s 6 BU’s Zeigler College of Business is offering its students free access to Barron’s financial magazine by partnering with the Barron’s in Education program. The partnership, facilitated by the generosity of Barbara Hudock ’75, founder and CEO of Hudock Capital Group, will provide students, faculty and staff with in-depth analysis and commentary on the markets, updated every business day online. “The partnership between Barron’s in Education and the university is another great opportunity to invest in the professional growth of BU students,” says Hudock, who has a history of strategic giving at BU. “This is one of the leading resources available to help students learn about best practices in the finance industry.” Benefits include: • Barron’s digital licenses for business students and faculty • Distribution of Barron’s “Weekly Review” for business faculty • Guest speakers and webinars available from Dow Jones • Exclusive opportunities to connect with Barron’s corporate recruitment teams for intern and job opportunities UNLEASHING OPPORTUNITY R E H T TOGE By Tom Schaeffer ’02 Signs for the SEKISUI Professional Experience Lab are unveiled by Judge Mary Jane Bowes, chair of the Council of Trustees; Ronn Cort, president and COO, SEKISUI SPI; President Bashar Hanna; and Ian Moran, president of SEKISUI America Corporation. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » Hard work gets results, but sometimes, it takes more. And Huskies know that. This past year, the Bloomsburg University community together raised more than $10 million to create opportunities for student success. 7 Two years after the record-breaking $62 million It’s Personal Campaign, one might expect philanthropic support to slow down. That would be typical in higher education. Huskies aren’t typical. During the 2018-19 academic year, nearly 5,000 alumni and friends of BU chose to help the university reach $10 million in support, funding 971 scholarships (19 of them new), and 181 professional experiences for students. Support for BU also came from the business community, with an understanding that creating professional training opportunities for BU students elevates the entire region. On September 5, SEKISUI SPI and BU unveiled the result of a $500,000 gift and partnership that will propel both the university and region forward. Ronn Cort, SEKISUI president and COO, recently joined the BU Foundation Board because he recognized the shared vision of preparing students for success in the classroom and in the workforce. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 “For us, it was an easy decision,” says Cort. “We already partner with the university to make sure we can participate in campus events, panels, and professional development opportunities for students who could eventually join our workforce. When I met with Duane Greenly (namesake of the building) we discussed a collaborative space to benefit BU, SEKISUI, and the town. We were considering building something ourselves, but when we heard about 8 PARTNERS IN SUCCESS BU’s plans for a Professional Experience Lab (PEL) at the Greenly Center, we thought it would make perfect sense to help them build it. This lab allows us to enhance our partnership with BU while also helping them to better serve students, the community and local businesses.” “When I arrived in 2005, I saw hardworking people who would do anything to get a job done,” says Cort. “As I met faculty members at BU, I soon found students with that same spirit. But the students were leaving the area after graduating. We needed to retain those talented people.” “If you consider BU a thread, SEKISUI a thread and the town a thread, when you wind them together, the thread is stronger together than separately,” says Cort. “We want to see our workers graduate from BU and strengthen all of us.” The SEKISUI PEL will be open year-round as a training center to students majoring in professional selling and marketing and to provide resources to students in all majors in areas like job interviewing, virtual presentations, and competitions to prepare them for professional success. The Greenly Center also houses BU’s Alumni & Professional Engagement team (comprising Career Development, Internships & Alumni Engagement operations) providing an innovative collision space for career and professional development for BU students. Ronn Cort, BU Foundation Board member and president and chief operations officer at SEKISUI SPI, saw an opportunity to support BU students while also partnering with the University. SEKISUI made a $500,000 gift to create a professional experience lab in downtown Bloomsburg to help prepare students to enter the workforce. “This gift is a perfect example of just how much impact the support from donors means to our students,” says Erik Evans, BU vice president for advancement. “Thousands of students will benefit from these facilities each year.” Notable philanthropic highlights from the year also include a $400,000 gift to establish Professional U Faculty Fellows and a $2 million bequest that endowed BU’s Anchor Program, which serves teens aging out of the foster care system. Alumni and friends together supported the university’s first Giving Tuesday initiative last November to raise more than $20,000 in immediate use funds in just one day. “This year, more than ever before, our community has shown that we realize just how much every gift, no matter the size, impacts student success,” says Evans. “One of the most exciting parts of this achievement is the momentum we are building.” The momentum has become contagious. This May, more than a third of graduating seniors made a gift to support BU before receiving their diplomas. Watch a video celebration of the Dedication of the SEKISUI PEL bit.ly/2kT88qF Giving by the Numbers $1.9MM $2.2MM in total philanthropic support raised to create opportunities for BU student success in immediate-use funding raised to address student-need INTEGRATING OPPORTUNITIES committed through estate intentions 4,757 donors made gifts to support the BU community BU Foundation Board member Steve Jones ’83 pledged a gift of $400,000 to establish four Professional U Faculty Fellowships. The fellows receive funding to support collaboration with faculty and deans to create a menu of professional experiences — some existing, some new — for students in all of BU’s colleges. Jones made his gift in alignment with BU’s vision to integrate students’ academic experiences with high-impact practices. PAYING IT FORWARD More than one third of the graduating class of 2019 made their first gifts to show thanks for those who supported their BU journey and to support future Huskies. The students’ gifts totaled $10,000, which prompted BU President Bashar W. Hanna to provide a $5,000 matching gift to support the class of 2019 Scholarship. Shown with President Hanna are the class officers wearing their student philanthropy cords. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 $10MM 9 Bloomsburg builds a new brand Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 In the hands of prospective students, on the highway, in ads, on campus and in this magazine, you’ll find that Bloomsburg University has a brand new look … bolder, more vibrant, and running strong with the university colors of maroon and gold. 10 Launched this fall semester, the new brand is more than skin deep. It’s rooted in research — based on a year of study and talking with (and surveying) thousands of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and employees. The goal was to uncover, articulate and differentiate the BU story to support recruitment and elevate the university’s reputation. Partnering with higher-ed branding and marketing firm Ologie, the University collected nearly 4,000 surveys, had more than 400 people attend feedback sessions and student intercepts, and conducted 65 in-depth interviews about their experiences at BU and what makes the University special. An overarching theme emerged. “BU provides raw ability and untapped potential with an opportunity to thrive so that our students become higherachievers and contributors to their community and industry,” says Jennifer Umberger, associate vice president of marketing and communications. “We offer high-quality academics, a high return on investment for this collegiate experience, and a distinct culture and attitude — what we call our Husky Spirit. We’re also an economic driver for the region and beyond.” The research resulted in a brand positioning statement to guide both the content and the style of how BU tells its story. We believe that opportunity is created— fought for by individuals with a clear vision and fierce determination to achieve. This is why we show up every day, on a mission to transform the lives of our students so that they can succeed while lifting others up. This is the attitude found within every Husky. At Bloomsburg University, creating opportunity for our region, and beyond, has been our vision since the very beginning. Alumni and friends played a key role in filling out the Bloomsburg story as they engaged with the surveys, modeling brand personality traits such as “practical, genuine and loyal. (Husky spirit runs strong here.)” OTHERS TOUT THEIR ALUMNI NETWORKS. OURS IS ALL OVER THE MAP. The opportunity for students to make connections with alumni is a major part of BU’s new admissions messaging, which highlights the success of BU’s 76,000 alumni with a map of showing where alumni live in the U.S. (Hint: All 50 states are covered.) Through the journey of discovery, the BU family learned a great deal about itself. “ Watch the Video: Your Onward and Upward Await. bit.ly/2mlKV0w ALUMN I BY R EGION 2,000 0 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » At Bloomsburg University, we believe opportunity belongs to those who are ready to work for it and unafraid to do something great with it,” says President Bashar Hanna. “Here, our onward is upward. Come along with us.” 11 Some see an uphill climb as a sign of struggle. At Bloomsburg University we see it as a sign of strength. Because people who can see past the easy path know how to get the job done. They answer “you can’t” with “watch me.” They work harder. Make more with what they have. And take every challenge as a new way forward. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Bloomsburg sees this quality, and unleashes it. We see hustle as business sense. Persistence as rigor. Grit as mental toughness. Heart as emotional intelligence. Work ethic as a prerequisite for success. 12 From whiteboard to boardroom to bedside. Employers spot it right away. They put a high value on a Bloom degree, and the person who earned it. And if you’ve got a forward focus and the spirit to back it up, BU is your place. Your onward and upward await at Bloomsburg University. HENRY CARVER The iconic founder of BU The BU personality of today — the motivated go-getter who overcomes obstacles to succeed is rooted strongly in the personality of its first president, Henry Carver. A native of the New York Catskills, Carver headed academies in Binghamton and Cortlandville, N.Y., before moving west in 1865 to teach at the Oakland College School in Oakland, Calif. While there he lost his left hand in a hunting accident and returned east to recuperate. A trip through Bloomsburg in 1866 changed the town forever. Carver was impressed with the beauty of the area and thought it would be a good place for his wife Elizabeth Ann and children to live. The town also needed an institution to provide a better education than was available. That April, Carver, 44 years old, reopened the Bloomsburg Literary Institute (originally chartered in 1856) in the old academy building that had been built downtown in 1839. While institute trustees raised money for a new building, Carver designed, then constructed the new facility, laying some of the bricks himself. Institute Hall was dedicated in April of 1867 and 60 years later was renamed Carver Hall in his honor. In addition to serving as principal, Carver was a professor of mental and moral science and taught the theory and practice of teaching. Carver left Bloomsburg shortly after an illness forced him to miss most of the winter term in 1871. But in five short years he laid the foundation for what would one day become a state university. After Bloomsburg, he served as an educator in Colorado, New York, New Jersey and back to Pennsylvania before his death from illness in Colorado in 1889. EXPECTATIONS By Eric Foster “My mother has a high school sophomore education. Her mother, an eighth grade education. My graduation from high school was an accomplishment,” says RogersAdkinson, who joined BU in June. College was not a family tradition. “My grandpa Rogers was offered a full football scholarship at Indiana University and turned it down because we weren’t those kinds of people … meaning going to college. We didn’t need college, so my dad went to work in his dad’s wreath factory when he graduated at 18,” she says. “My mom had me, rather than finishing high school. Dad had summer parenting duty. By the time I was 12, I was making wreaths every summer, threading branches into a ring and blistering my fingers through the gloves.” “There are quite a few people who would not have predicted I’d be where I am now.” So Diana Rogers-Adkinson has firsthand experience in defying expectations. And helping others defy expectations is a big part of the reason she chose to come to Bloomsburg. Being an educator was her dream. “In kindergarten, I wanted to be a teacher. I played school as a kid. It was always there,” says Rogers-Adkinson, who became passionate about students with special needs in high school. “I had an aunt who incurred mental retardation through contracting meningitis. I had an interest in special education and volunteered in the special education room in high school. I chose Ball State over studying in Massachusetts, where my mom lived, because of their special education program.” Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 BU’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs, Diana RogersAdkinson, knows what it’s like to be counted out. 13 “Higher education unlocked a lot of doors for me,” says Rogers-Adkinson. “My experience at Ball State was a pretty eye-opening one. I probably didn’t think I was that smart.” “Bloomsburg has a reputation for unlocking doors as well,” she adds. “Having done my doctoral work in Ohio and knowing the Pennsylvania system, it always was on my list of top regional comprehensive universities. There were certain characteristics I looked for in institutions when I was applying. A small-town campus that’s not too far from cities. Programs such as learning communities, and a strong commitment to community engagement.” “You’ve got the students coming from Philadelphia, you have students coming from farms, and you’ve got everybody in between. I like that opportunity to have students who come with a variety of voices,” she says. “We need — as a nation, as a community — to be able to carry on conversations across a variety of voices. Higher education is a place where that’s supposed to happen. Regional comprehensives like Bloomsburg have a better ability to do that because we’re serving the typical population of our communities and our states.” In her new position, Rogers-Adkinson oversees the University’s Office of Academic Affairs, which includes the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Technology, and the Zeigler College of Business, as well as technology and library services, undergraduate education, graduate studies and sponsored research, and institutional effectiveness. “I see the role of the provost as being a pivot point between advancing the agenda of the president and advocating for the faculty,” she says. “Sometimes a provost’s job is to slow down the president, and sometimes it will be to speed up the faculty.” In the next year she will also oversee the development of BU’s new 10-year strategic plan. “The strategic plan should align our role in creating learned citizens for Pennsylvania,” says Roger-Adkinson. “It’s there to remind us of our true north of what we’re supposed to accomplish and how we spend funds from students’ tuition and the taxpayers in a very thoughtful way.” “I’ve been working with President (Bashar) Hanna consulting with institutions that have excellent strategic Provost Diana Rogers-Adkinson has started informal morning coffee meetings with students and faculty. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » 14 plans. We’re debating whether to have an internal facilitation process rather than hiring a company. We’re lucky we had our Middle States accreditation visit last year, so there are a lot of things we’ve already done that can be transferred to the strategic plan. Over the next academic year, we will define work groups to assess areas of campus need. There will be many ways that we will include the campus community fall and spring.” “ Our students graduating today may live to the year 2100. What kind of experiences will they need to be prepared for the year 2100? Preparing them with those experiences, that’s the big challenge.” Rogers-Adkinson is an unapologetic data geek, especially when talking about institutional effectiveness. “Decisions have to be data-driven. It allows us to know what we’re doing and share that information with a donor or a member of the legislature. That’s why I love this stuff.” Diana Rogers-Adkinson Career Rogers-Adkinson was formerly a nationally-ranked master sprinter and remains a fan of Indy Car racing. Outside the office, she and her husband, Greg, are downto-earth fans of Indy car racing. She is so passionate about the sport that she served on driver Sarah Fisher’s team as an educational consultant in preparing materials to engage girls in science and engineering. Their two sons — Alex, who is starting an MFA program in sculpture in Florida, and Zach, who has come to Pennsylvania with them — and two cats and a pair of Australian shepherds. And their family extends to two other young people who they helped raise: Aron and Liz. “Aron was in my freshman learning community when he went to college at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with circumstances that caused him to need another parent or two. So we never gave Aron up. And we also added Liz to our family. She was in my learning community and grew up in foster care. Tragically, her foster mother died her freshman year of college.” “They’re fun kids to have brought along. They call me and Greg about the things kids call their parents about,” says RogersAdkinson. “Aron and Liz taught me about what’s happening for students outside of the classroom. It helped me see the whole student.” As provost, Rogers-Adkinson will be a key leader in ensuring Bloomsburg continues to open doors for another generation of students as she and her husband opened their doors for Aron and Liz. “We have a student-centered campus,” she says. “But we need to expand the definition of student-centered. We need to prepare students to be thinkers in addition to providing them with the facts to do a job. Because the jobs they will have in their lives may not exist today.” “Our students graduating today may live to the year 2100. What kind of experiences will they need to be prepared for the year 2100? Preparing them with those experiences, that’s the big challenge.” Supervised University Autism Center, Lift for Life Charter School, Reading Recovery Program and Regional Professional Development Center. Co-founded the Core Academy: Investing in Innovation group, which brought technology into rural schools and received $300,000 in grants. University of Wisconsin–Whitewater 1999–2012 Professor and chair, Department of Special Education Inaugural director of the University Learning Communities Wichita State University, Wichita, Kan. 1994–1999 Assistant professor Special education teacher 1983–1989 Education Kent State University, Kent, Ohio Doctorate in Special Education, emphasis on research Doctorate in Counseling and Human Development Services, emphasis on marriage and family therapy Doctoral teaching fellow Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. Bachelor’s degree in Special Education Additional Education American Council on Education Leadership, Advancing to the Chief Academic Officer, October 2017 American Academic Leadership Institute — Becoming a Provost Academy, 2015-2016 Cohort American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Leadership Academy, June 2013 Harvard Graduate School of Education, Higher Education Leadership Management Development Program, June 2007 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 2012–2019 Dean, College of Education, Health, and Human Studies, leading seven departments serving 3,100 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. (Previously dean of the College of Education) 15 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 By Tom McGuire 16 If the life of a professional athlete is looked at like the length of a game, Jahri Evans ’07 is starting his second half. After spending 12 years as a standout guard in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, preventing future Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Aaron Rogers from getting pounded into the turf, Evans now wrangles with business plans, employee hires, and multiple business interests. Evans came to Bloomsburg University on an academic scholarship. As a Frankford High School player in Philadelphia, he had been recruited by many of the “big time” universities before a broken leg dried up most athletic scholarship offers. But his Frankford head coach Tom Mullineaux made sure any college coach who came to recruit one of his other players also spoke with Evans. Paul Darragh, then a Huskies assistant coach and now head coach, says Evans passed the “eye-test” and on his recommendation, former BU head coach Danny Hale was sold. Evans earned a Board of Governor’s scholarship and turned down several Division I offers after coming to visit Bloomsburg and falling in love with the campus. At BU, he soon established himself as a player who had the skills needed to play in the NFL. He was named twice to the Associated Press Little All-America first team and became a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, which recognizes the top lineman in Division II each season. Chosen by the Saints in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Evans just wanted to make the roster that first year. But an injury to the player in front of him put him in the starting lineup, and he stayed there for 11 years, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2009. “ Playing football came naturally to me, but being a businessman is tough. I’m learning as I go. But I’m enjoying the ride.” – Jahri Evans Photo: Douglas Benedict Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Now 36 and a graybeard in the world of football, Evans is seizing the second half of his life with the same power and passion he deployed to prepare for a big game. 17 One statistic he has heard many times is that more than 80 percent of NFL players go bankrupt within five years of their careers ending. He has bucked that trend in a big way, and it wasn’t luck. After hitting the weight room, Evans was hitting the books. “The first program I did was the franchising boot camp at the business school at the University of Michigan,” says Evans, who has a degree in exercise science from BU. “Then I earned my MBA from the University of Miami. It was a two-year program during the off-season. There were very long days, averaging about 12 hours a day, with about 20 professional athletes and entertainers from WWE [wrestling], tennis and more. After classes were over, we would then meet with our tutors for additional help. It wasn’t easy.” Evans started investing in Bloomsburg and New Orleans real estate back in 2007, and now owns residential and commercial properties in three states. He co-owns a 24-hour fitness center in Bucks County with his long-time personal trainer and BU alum Julius King ’03/’05M. He’s also part owner of several restaurants in the Philly area, has an interest in a Napa Valley winery called OneHope, and is part owner in a vacation club company called G2G (Getaway2Give) Collection. Both G2G and the winery, where every bottle of wine sold benefits a charity, recently passed $10 million in charitable donations. He also has an interest in a venture capital company with investments around the globe. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 And football is still very much a part of his life. Evans is a minority owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League (AFL), which led him to purchase an interest in the league. “We originally reduced the number of teams in the AFL, but are coming off a year where we added teams in Columbus, Ohio and Atlantic City with more expansion next year,” he notes. 18 “Marques Colston (former Saints teammate) got me started with the Arena League,” Evans continues. “We’re the second oldest football league in the country behind the NFL. It’s also great getting to work with fellow BU alum Nick Giuffre ’78, who is also part owner of the Soul. He is a great guy with lots of experience.” Giuffre, who didn’t know Evans before he was brought into the Soul’s ownership group, has been very impressed by his business acumen. “Jahri wasn’t hands-on at first, but he is a smart guy who now asks a lot of questions,” says Giuffre. “Plus, because of his NFL » Standing on the rooftop deck of his condo near Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, he is just steps from Independence Hall with a million-dollar skyline view of the City of Brotherly Love. Behind him is the Ben Franklin Bridge and a view of New Jersey. With his wife, Takia, and young son, Atlas, by his side, Evans has beaten the odds every step of the way in his journey. Evans working out at All Fitness 24 with fellow alumnus and gym co-owner Julius King (right) ‘03/’05M. connection, he has street cred with the players. He’s really a great guy.” But Evans finds that running a business has headaches of an entirely different sort than the clash of linemen. The toughest challenge? That’s an easy one. “Employees,” Evans deadpans. “I’ve never had to deal with employees before. Finding good managers is tough. There is a lot of turnover in the restaurant business. Good people are out there, you just have to keep looking for them, all the time. Playing football came naturally to me, but being a businessman is tough. I’m learning as I go. But I’m enjoying the ride.” While business has become his focus, the Jahri Evans Foundation and its work in Philadelphia schools has been a big part of his life for many years. The foundation was created in 2008 to help student-athletes learn that academic excellence paves the way to athletic excellence with encouragement, determination and hard work. Evans and his foundation have made more than $1.5 million in charitable donations to date, including donations to the Philadelphia School District, building and rebuilding of homes with Habitat for Humanity, the Wounded Warrior Project, United Way, and Operation Home in New Orleans for residents and military veterans, as well as donations to many other youth organizations and community groups. The foundation hosted a free youth football and cheerleading camp for 11 years with more than 300 youth participating annually that featured several NFL players from Philadelphia. “It is important for me to give back to the Philadelphia School District that I grew up in and to help the students in the city,” Evans says. “The goal is to drive home the importance of education and encourage continuous higher learning and establish healthy habits. We also help with school supplies and food drives, clothing and bike drives and assisting the educators in the system. My sister, Carmella Green is a teacher. She works in the school district and runs the foundation.” » The Jahri Evans Foundation hosted more than 300 youth annually at his football camp Evans at SOMO SoPhi with Philadelphia Councilman At-Large Isaiah Thomas. » Evans also has been an active supporter of both academic and athletic scholarships at Bloomsburg, contributing more than $1 million, including $500,000 for a new video scoreboard for Redman Stadium last year. He is also very giving of his expertise in what it takes to get a business started. “I get many proposals given to me for the next ‘can’t miss’ deal,” says Evans. “Fortunately, I know what to look for when I receive pitches. One of my employees — a chef at our restaurant — has a company and a brand that she’s trying to build. And she was asking me about a business plan. And typically a business starts with ideas. You take those ideas and then you develop a plan and put it down and step by step you add to it or take some things away from it. She’s going to be going places for sure.” “ It is important for me to give back to the Philadelphia School District that I grew up in and to help the students in the city.” – Jahri Evans Takia and Jahri Evans holding son, Atlas. Photo: Jaime North “An offer would have to be extremely generous and would have to be with a future Hall of Fame quarterback that can win now,” Evans says with a smile, joking that “I’d also need to have written into the deal no training camp, no weigh-ins the day before games, no bed checks and no curfews. Those could be deal-breakers.” “I’d certainly think about a career in coaching, especially if Atlas decides to take up ‘Dad’s game,’” he says. “But more importantly, I just want to stay around the game in some way, educating the next generation.” But he doesn’t see himself sitting with a drink on the beach as he paints watercolor sunsets. Rather, he’ll be most happy continuing as a handson business owner and passing on the grit and determination needed to succeed to the next generation. A real American dream. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » While he is all but officially retired from football, if … by chance … the right chance came along, would he strap on the helmet one more time? 19 creating opportunities STUDENT FOCUS Lifting up migrant children By Tom McGuire At both sites, BU is partnering with the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit Migrant Education Program to facilitate a summer school/camp experience for English learners over a four-week period. Established nationally more than 50 years ago, the MEP provides educational support to a highly mobile student population. » Students in BU’s College of Education are playing an important role in the Migrant Education Program (MEP) in both Hazleton and Harrisburg, giving children of migratory agriculture workers a better chance at academic success. Reina Alberto works with two of the students in the program Caryn Terwilliger, associate professor of teaching and learning, spearheads the program for BU students. “ “Our education majors participating in the MEP summer school/camp earn college credit while gaining valuable teaching experience that provides language and academic support to assist English learners,” Terwilliger says. “Having BU education majors working with learners in their certification area and being mentored by MEP teachers creates opportunities for these future teachers to understand how to plan and implement learning activities that are meaningful and relevant to the varied needs of their learners.” In class, when you can’t understand what’s being said, it’s like waking up from a coma. You can’t comprehend anything. You have to learn how to do everything all over again. Even how to dress and eat, all while trying to learn a new culture.” – Jenny Lipps One BU graduate involved with the program, Jenny Lipps ’16, knows firsthand how the students feel because she arrived in the United States from Equador in 1992 not knowing English. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 20 “In class, when you can’t understand what’s being said, it’s like waking up from a coma,” says Lipps. “You can’t comprehend anything. You have to learn how to do everything all over again. Even how to dress and eat, all while trying to learn a new culture.” Children can be in the program for up to three years and in those three years can have quite a progression in their skills. Reina Alberto ’18, a native of the Dominican Republic, is in her third year with MEP. “There was a student in the class my first year when I was doing a practicum,” says Alberto. “I’ve had him in class for each of the three years I have been here and I can really see the progression in language and confidence.” “The benefits of the MEP summer school/camp always » “It was important for me to be part of this program because I wanted to share what I know, and work to become a teacher,” says Lipps. “I know exactly what these students feel when they walk into the classroom and don’t understand anything.” BU graduates and students, from left: Jenny Lipps ’16, Rebecca Bove ’19, Reina Alberto ’18, Molly McCafferty ’18, Michael Fox ’17, Alissa Hetherington ’20 exceeds what our education majors expect,” Terwilliger says. “Not only does this experience develop their ideas about teaching and learning, but it also enhances their cultural awareness.” Clayton Newton’s local summer marketing internship with SEKISUI SPI was more than just a valuable professional experience. In some ways it was life-changing. “I felt like SEKISUI actually wanted me to work there and that I wasn’t a frivolous intern,” says Newton, a dual international business and marketing major at BU. “Their culture was positive, inviting, capable, and efficient.” This approach was loud and clear to Newton. “They wowed me each week with their productivity and ability to get things done,” Newton says. “Every department practiced Kaizen (Japanese for continuous improvement). Each fellow intern told me about some large new project that was going on in their department that would bring them to new efficiencies.” “I was taken back when I learned about the workloads each department took on and championed. In addition to learning about the company, SEKISUI added a need for positive culture and progressive thinking to my standards for my next job search. Because of them, I’ll be investigating more than just salary for my first full-time position.” Newton’s many job duties over the summer provided him a diverse list of business and marketing skills he’ll now take into his job search. Among them are supporting a sales team, shipping procedures, designing trade show exhibits and corporate communications. “ Our aspirations will become more in line with what we need. We can now collaborate on our own campus with an $11 billion titan that constantly redefines what’s possible in plastics. What better example to follow than that?” – Clayton Newton “I learned that work is a place where relationships develop,” Newton says. “I made friends there of all ages, and I didn’t expect to make any. I guess that’s my inexperience talking, but each week I learned more about the people around me and by the end I felt lucky to be able to call my colleagues friends.” Newton sees BU’s relationship with SEKISUI only growing stronger and more beneficial for students. Being able to interact and observe the company’s forward-thinking approach, corporate efficiency and access to its internal career opportunities is a distinct advantage, he says. “Our aspirations will become more in line with what we need,” Newton says. “We can now collaborate on our own campus with an $11 billion titan that constantly redefines what’s possible in plastics. What better example to follow than that?” Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 By Jaime North 21 alumni achievement HUSKY NOTES to Purpose By Susan Field If you’ve spent much time online, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered the work of Philadelphia’s Think Company without knowing it. Think Company works within companies to make software and websites simple and easy to use with more than 100 clients globally, including Comcast, Transamerica, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Merck. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 “Companies realize that one of the most important differentiators, maybe the most important, is a great customer experience,” says CEO Russ Starke, ’97M instructional technology. “One that is intuitive, consistently accessible, and useful across devices.” 22 Think’s leadership team includes three other BU alumni; Dave Kitchenman, senior vice president of client engagement, ’88 marketing, Doug Gnutti, vice president of client engagement, ’98M instructional technology, and Greg Greiner, director of technical delivery, ’91 computer science. “The core principles of this company are strongly influenced by what I learned in BU’s MSIT program,” says Starke. “Without Bloomsburg University, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Think Company might exist without my involvement, but it wouldn’t look like it does now. We put intentionality and rigor “ The core principles of this company are strongly influenced by what I learned in BU’s MSIT program. Without Bloomsburg University, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Think Company might exist without my involvement, but it wouldn’t look like it does now. ” – Russ Starke “ The people who are hardest on you are the ones that teach you the most about yourself and real life.” – Dave Kitchenman around design, and that came from the MSIT program. All of us who went to BU knew that others coming out of its programs would be rock solid.” In 12 years, the company has grown from one location and a handful of staff to three sites and a team of 112. Think Company has been named a “Small Giant” by Forbes, ranked a top workplace by Philly.com and the Philadelphia Business Journal, and repeatedly listed on the Inc. 5000 list. Think grew from lunch break conversations with Starke and cofounders Brian McIntire and Carl White at their old jobs. “We said, ‘it would be fantastic to have windows we could open and big open collaborative spaces … we should just get a brownstone somewhere,’” says Starke. “We decided, we have something special here, let’s make a run at starting this company.” In 2007 they launched Think Brownstone, later rebranded as Think Company. Kitchenman has fond memories of BU as a marketing major. “In my senior year, professor Alan Carey was extremely tough on our class, but I learned the most from him. The people who are hardest on you are the ones that teach you the most about yourself and real life,” says Kitchenman, who was also a defensive back on the Huskies football team that went to the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history during his sophomore year in 1985. Greiner recalls his computer science program as supportive and providing a solid technical foundation that helped him land software development and technical project management jobs out of college. Professor Paul Hartung, in particular, continued to serve as a mentor after graduation. “When I think of all the people I went through school with, they’re all over the country now. It’s a very wide network that I continue to draw from,” says Greiner, who now works from Atlanta. Starke and Gnutti were referred to the “ You had to have the ability to articulate ideas both credibly and creatively, and to have grace under pressure. Flexible thinking was probably the most important thing I learned.” – Doug Gnutti MSIT program by professors at their undergraduate universities. “Usually you learn in a box, but with the MSIT program, you got out of the classroom very quickly and that applicability was key,” says Gnutti. The MSIT program includes a Corporate Advisory Council practicum that Gnutti and Starke found invaluable. “ The practicum starts with a request for proposals from a real company. Students work in teams to come up with solutions and pitch their ideas to a professional audience. “In each class, we were talking about how to solve challenges. Over the course of the semester, you learned how to work with a team and deliver a pitch. You had to have the ability to articulate ideas both credibly and creatively, and to have grace under pressure,” Gnutti says. “Flexible thinking was probably the most important thing I learned.” Starke and Gnutti remember the influence of professors Mary Nicholson, Timothy Phillips, and Karl Kapp. “Nicholson showed us that you don’t have to be cutthroat to be credible,” says Starke. “She was generous, supportive, and gave us a lot of freedom, but also knew how to give tough feedback and rein us in if we were going off track.” Gnutti cites Kapp as a mentor, and regularly consults him to help with client projects. While Starke and his team all earned their degrees before the rise of the internet and cell phones (Starke and Gnutti’s first email addresses began with bloomu), the technical and interpersonal skills they found at BU remain a foundation of their success. “The best designers and technicians are successful because of their ability to operate according to a set of principles that transcend any tool, language or technology,” says Starke. When I think of all the people I went through school with, they’re all over the country now. It’s a very wide network that I continue to draw from.” – Greg Greiner HUSKY NOTES J.C. Lee film ‘Luce’ in theatres J.C. Lee ’05 is cowriter of the film “Luce” with director Julius Onah. Adapted from Lee’s play of the same name, the film focuses on a married couple and their son, adopted from Eritrea, whose status as an all-star student is threatened by an alarming discovery by a devoted teacher. Stars include Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer and Tim Roth. The film has earned a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 star rating on IMDB.com. It’s been reviewed by Variety, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. “Luce” will be screened on campus Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 15, at 4:30 p.m. Alumni named CPA leaders Three BU alumni have been recently elected to leadership positions for the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs (PICPA). Timothy J. Gooch ’83, CPA, was elected vice president; John J. Kaschak ’98, CPA, was elected to council; and Melissa M. Wolf ’01, CPA, was named to the nominations committee. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Gooch is a partner with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP in Wellsboro, specializing in small business consulting services, tax planning, and compliance. He serves on PICPA’s Natural Resources Committee. Gooch also serves as treasurer and a past president of the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce, as well as a finance committee member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church. 24 Kaschak is the executive deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. He serves on PICPA’s Local Government Accounting and Auditing Committee. Kaschak is on the boards of Grace United Methodist Church and Grace Christian Child Care. Wolf is a senior manager with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP in Wilkes-Barre, specializing in employee benefit plan audits and Form 5500. She serves on PICPA’s Committee on Professional Ethics, Employee Benefits Plan Committee, and Employee Benefits Plan Conference Planning Subcommittee. Wolf is also secretary/treasurer of the board of directors for Leadership Wilkes-Barre. Timothy J. Gooch ’83, Tomcavage named chief nursing executive Janet Tomcavage ’80, has been named chief nursing executive at Geisinger Health. John J. Kaschak ’98 Melissa M. Wolf ’01 Tomcavage, former chief population office, has been with Geisinger since 2014, and most recently helped launch Geisinger at Home, a home-based care model for medically complex patients. She has held various senior leadership roles, including serving as chief administrative officer at Geisinger Health Plan, which serves nearly 600,000 members. Tomcavage is the first Geisinger nurse to receive the Pennsylvania Nightingale Award for clinical excellence. She also is an active member in several professional societies and has served in various leadership roles in the American Nurses Association and the Alliance of Community Health Plans. » Dennis Siegmann ’68 was inducted into the Connecticut chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame after earning a Lifetime Service award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. » Patricia Budd, Ph.D., ’69 received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Marquis Who’s Who. » Dennis Crim ’69 was honored in Harrisburg in August for 50 years of officiating with the PIAA in football, wrestling, and lacrosse. Crim has officiated football at both the high school level as well as NCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3. For several years he was a TV communicator for the NFL at the Eagles’ home games and is now the instant replay coordinator for the Northeast Conference. ’70s » Rev. Donald H. Geyer ’73 was ordained in The Wesleyan Church in 2005 while serving as part-time assistant pastor and full-time comptroller at Ark Safety. He retired from Ark Safety after 38 years in 2013 to take a full-time pastorate at Agape Fellowship in Christ Church, Harrisburg. He earned a Master of Divinity degree in 2014. ’80s » Michael Wentz ’80 retired from The Industry Data Exchange Association, Arlington, Va. Wentz was executive vice president of sales and marketing since 2010. He started his electrical industry career 38 years ago with a distribution software company. » David Fenstermacher ’84 is vice president of Precision Medicine and Data Sciences, Mountain View, Calif. Fenstermacher is responsible for overseeing the company’s data management solutions for precision health and drug discovery applications at leading cancer centers, academic institutions, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies. » Wayne Frick ’85 is inventor, founder, and chief product evangelist at Chirpsounds, a Bluetooth microphone system that allows backyard birders to hear birds with their windows closed. » Gene Kinney ’89 is chief executive officer, director, and president of Prothena Corporation in Ireland. Kinney was senior vice president, of Pharmacological Sciences at Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Kinney also held positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb and was an assistant professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. ’90s » Joseph Bergstein ’93 is senior vice president and chief financial officer of PPL Corporation, Allentown. Bergstein has been with PPL for 20 years, most recently as vice president-investor relations and corporate development and planning. » Sara Parrish ’99/’04M was recently promoted to assistant principal of Solanco High School in Lancaster County. ’00s » Jessica Zimmerman Llaneza ’00 received the 2019 Staff Person of the Year for the Denville Township School District in Denville, N.J. Llaneza, recognized for her dedication and passion for teaching, has been teaching grades 1 through 3 at Riverview Elementary School since 2001. » Susan M. Moyer ’01 received a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science from Villanova University, where she was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar. Moyer is a registered nurse, certified nurse educator, a member of Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society, and an assistant professor of nursing in the College of Science and Technology at Millersville University. She was employed as an assistant professor in the associate degree nursing program at Reading Area Community College. » Christopher Thompson ’02 is manager of football operations of the New York XFL team. He was the director of football operations for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football. Previously, Thompson was the offensive coordinator and director of football operations for the Albany Empire of the Arena Football League and head coach and assistant general manager of the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks. He was named the National Arena League coach of the year in 2017. Since 2012 Thompson coaches a team in the annual college football all-star game for the FCS National Bowl. » Laura McCourt ’09 graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. ’10s » Kimberlee Courtney ’10 is director of marketing at CCI Consulting, Blue Bell. Courtney is the firm’s first dedicated marketing manager. » Emily Barge ’13 is communications and marketing manager at the Center for Dairy Excellence, Harrisburg. Barge will lead the branding and communications strategies for the center and its foundation expanding the center’s reach to dairy stakeholders through social media, press releases, web content, email marketing, earned media and other digital marketing efforts. » Jacob Miller ’15 is director of athletics media relations at Coker College in Hartsville, S.C. Miller recently served as the first assistant sports information director and new media manager at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. » Lauren Oliveri ’16 has joined Klebon Insurance Group, Elysburg. Oliveri started her insurance career in 2017 and is licensed in property, casualty and life insurance. » Samantha Gross ’17 received a Video of the Year Award for “Sports Betting Gambling Concern,” first place in the category TV/Online Spot News “Little Falls Flash Flooding” and first place in the category Sports Feature “Ready, Set, Curl” from The Garden State Journalist Association. Gross is an associate producer at The Video Call Center, Palisades, N.Y. » Matthew Bamonte ’17M is a learning experience designer with Amazon Robotics, Reading, Mass. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 ’60s 25 HUSKY NOTES THE LINE UP Marriages Births Alice Wesner ’91 and Thornton Bobbert, May 11, 2019 Sarah Burkhardt Snyder ’10 and husband, Dan, a daughter, Charlotte James, Dec. 12, 2018 Susan Goetz Honomichl ’99 and William Mansfield, Dec. 1, 2018 Kristen Brockman (Barrett) ’07 and husband, Tim, ’06, a son, Andrew Barrett, July 3, 2019 Jennifer Fitzgeorge ’05 and Nick D’Arcy, May 31, 2019 Adrienne Mael ’08 and Maximilan Angle Kaitlyn Schiccatano ’10 and BrianSchroyer, July 13, 2019 Obituaries Cassandra Carns ’11 and Joseph Anczarski ’11, Sept. 15, 2018 Shannon Ettl ’12 and Kyle Lichtner ’12, Feb. 9, 2019 Jennifer Bree ’13 and Timothy Gill ’12, June 10, 2017 Julia DeVincent ’13 and Nick Donofry ’14, July 13, 2019 Sarabeth Clever ’14 and John George ’13, July 20, 2019 Chloe Stine ’16 and Matthew Harris ’16, June 22, 2019 Morgan Miller ’17 and Mark Grove ’17, Aug. 1, 2018 Rebecca Yannes ’17 and Hunter Samec ’18, Aug. 3, 2018 Avery Roberts ’18 and Victoria Herbenner Joseph Anczarski ’11 and wife, Cassandra ’11, a daughter, Scarlett Wade, Aug. 8, 2019 Donald Rabb ’43 William Selden ’43 James Stimmel ’47 Francis Hantz ’49 Arlene Pope Bohner ’50 Luther Roth ’50 Stephen Sakalski ’50 Muriel Wagner Brush ’51 Richard Kressler ’51 Shirley Ashner Rabuck ’51 Leon Coval ’52 Samuel Yeager ’53 Phyllis McLaren Barkley ’54 Virginia Roth Price ’55 George Chaump ’58 Robert Smith ’58 George Fetterman ’61 Dean Morgan ’61 Mildred Linetty ’62 Janice Gerber Rudy ’62 William Steinhart ’62 Thomas J. Davis ’63 Kathryn Deibler Garinger ’63 Mary Palevich Lemma ’63 Dennis Reiter ’63 Anthony Conser ’65 Roberta Kistler Sitler ’65 Cecelia Gross Smith ’66 Harry Balliet ’67 Carol Rhinard ’67 Gale Kovalich Kleha ’68 Betty L. Dietz ’69 Francis Hawke ’69 Linda Mackavage Pender ’69 Thomas Smeltzer ’69 Barbara Tommor Balkunas ’71 Gayle Elizabeth Thorpe Baar ’71 Vida Richendrfer Horn Creveling ’71 Norma Link ’72 Casandra Marasco Grutza ’73 Gary Violanti ’74 Karen Beasley Hiller ’77 Frank Kile ’77 Virginia “Ginny” Cummings ’82 Scott Righter ’84 Donald Traugh ’80 Ronald Gayton ’88 Kenneth Paisley ’88 Lori Lewis Esposito ’89 David John ’89 James Lilley ’90 Paul Dietz ’91 Denise Guinn-Bailey ’94 Jared Hontz ’98 Patricia Hines ’98 Christopher Pawlowski ’16 *Correction: Charles Ryan ’82 and Gail Reiss Heimbach ’82 were inadvertently listed in the obituaries in the Spring 2019 issue. We regret the error. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Send information to: magazine@bloomu.edu Bloomsburg: The University Magazine | Waller Administration Building | 400 E. Second Street | Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 26 IN MEMORIUM - BU Foundation Board Treasurer James Slamon ’74, BU Foundation Board treasurer, died in an airplane crash in Labrador, Canada, on July 15. At Bloomsburg, he earned a degree in accounting and later earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Slamon, age 67, had retired as the chief financial officer of United States Cold Storage in 2015 after working for the firm for more than 30 years. Slamon was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed traveling to hunt and fish. Since retirement he has been active in the Tunkhannock Presbyterian Church and the local food pantry. Born in Wilkes-Barre April 16, 1952 he was the son of Dorothy Slamon and the late James Slamon. In addition to his mother, he is survived by, sister, Janie Slamon and brother-in-law, Bruce Luff, of Emmaus; nephews, Samuel and Thomas Luff; niece, Beth Luff. He was predeceased by his sister, Nancy. HUSKY NOTES » Julia DeVincent ’13 and Nick Donofry ’14 were married on July 13 in Philadelphia. DeVincent was a BU swimmer and Donofry played baseball. Their wedding was attended by many alumni and alumni athletes. » BU alumni from the greater Harrisburg area gathered for an alumni social at Crostwater Distillery in Lewisberry in August. Alumni enjoyed some refreshments while learning more about Crostwater during a guided tour of the distillery and welcoming remarks from co-owner Duane Greenly ’72. The Huskies are well represented at Crostwater by two members of the ownership group, Duane Greenly ’72 and Terry Zeigler ’76. Attendees included: Stephen Andrejack ’74, Stephanie Andrejack, James Blockus ’77, Kathleen Blockus, Nathan Conroy ’06, Erik Evans ’95M, James Fisher ’72, Jane Fisher ’71, Duane Greenly ’72, Jered Hock ’63, Elaine Hock, Edward Horvath. Richard Howenstine ’76, Karen Howenstine ’76, Karen Kirkpatrick ’02, Kyle Kirkpatrick ’00, Patricia Klinger ’18M, Eleanor Lewis ’98M, Mary Mahoney ’76, David Maxwell ’93, Marie Maxwell ’95, Lynda Michaels ’87/’88M, Angela Pontius ’05, Christine Ritro-Pugh ’79, Richard Pugh ’82, Jeffrey Smith ‘83, Melva Smith, Elizabeth Swivel ’84, Rick Swivel, Andy Swivel, Kayla Rafferty, and Terry Zeigler ’76. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 » Kyle Lichtner ’12 and Shannon Ettl ’12 celebrated their wedding on Feb. 9, 2019. From left are Evan Makuvek ’12, Jamie Severini ’12, Alex Alvarez ’13, Mitchell Davis ’12, Erik Jones ’12, Blake Harris ’12, Amanda Smith ’12, Kyle Lichtner ’12 (groom), Carsten Kuha ’12, Shannon Ettl ’12 (bride), Christine Kuha ’13, Brittany Jones, Marybeth Kish ’13, Jeff Stefankiewicz ’11. 27 sports VIEW FROM THE TOP E M A F F O L L HA CLASS ANNOUNCED 28 Tennis Coach Named Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Seven individuals will be inducted as the 38th Athletic Hall of Fame class, bringing the total number of honorees to 189. Being inducted to the Hall of Fame Class of 2019 are Alea (Balthaser) Floren ’02 (women’s soccer), Megan Hunsinger ’99 (softball), Trisha (Leitzel) Hoffman ’03 (field hockey), former women’s basketball coach/administrator Joanne McComb, former equipment manager Ron Morgan, Richard Scorese ’64 (wrestling), and Justin Shepherd ’07 (men’s cross country/ track and field). The induction dinner and ceremony will be Friday, Oct. 11, starting at 6 p.m. at the Kehr Union. For tickets to the dinner or to learn more about this year’s inductees, visit buhuskies.com. Rebecca Helt has been named head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams. Helt replaces Marty Coyne who retired following the 2018-19 season after guiding both teams for more than 25 years. Helt comes to BU after a 22-year stint as the head coach of the women’s tennis team at Bucknell University. Helt leaves Bucknell as the all-time winningest coach in program history, compiling an overall record of 241-220. While at Bucknell, Helt served as the coordinator of tennis since 2013. She also coached the men’s program from 2002-13 and guided a doubles team to the NCAA Championships for the first time in both Bucknell and Patriot League history. Over the past 16 seasons, Helt’s women’s teams finished in the top three in the Patriot League standings on nine occasions and made six consecutive appearances in the championship match from 2005-10. During her impressive career at Bucknell, Helt coached two Patriot League Players of the Year and five Patriot League Rookies of the Year. She also guided 46 All-League selections (34 women, 12 men) and had seven Academic AllLeague honorees. A 1990 graduate of Lock Haven University, Helt earned a degree in journalism while competing for the Lock Haven tennis team. In 1991, Helt earned a teaching certification from the United States Professional Tennis Registry and worked as a teaching pro at West Branch Racquet Club in Williamsport and the Doylestown Racquet Club in Doylestown. Top Student-Athletes for 2018-19 The athletic department announced its major award winners for the 2018-19 season. Swimmer Becca Cubbler earned the Joanne McComb Underclass Female Athlete of the Year after collecting the first three All-American accolades of her collegiate career. She finished 12th BECCA CUBBLER KYLE DIX Soccer standout Allie Barber earned both the Eleanor Wray Senior Female Athlete of the Year as well as the Outstanding Senior Female ScholarAthlete of the Year. She led the Huskies to the program’s first PSAC Championship since 2002, the Atlantic Regional Championship, and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2018. She was named ALLIE BARBER in the 500 free (4:53.65), 13th in the 1000 free (10:09.18), and 16th in the 1650 free (17:03.48) to become the first female swimmer since 2008 to earn All-American status in three individual events in the same year. a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and a First Team Scholar All-American which highlighted a number of postseason accolades. In the classroom, Barber graduated with a 3.89 GPA in audiology and speech pathology. Swimmer Kyle Dix collected the Danny Litwhiler Underclass Male Athlete of the Year honor. He won three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles and finished second in four other events at the conference meet to earn AllPSAC accolades in all seven races he participated in. He went on to compete at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. Ashton Raines from the baseball team was the Robert Redman Senior Male Athlete of the Year. The righthander went 8-2 with a 1.94 earned run average, leading all conference starters in that category. He struck out 54 batters to give him 197 for his career – a new BU record. He led the Huskies to their first PSAC title since 1965 and a spot in the Atlantic Regional tournament for the Nick McGuire from the men’s cross country and track and field teams was named the Outstanding Senior Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In the fall, McGuire became the first BU male runner to qualify for the cross country national championships since 2006 after placing sixth overall at the regional meet. He also placed third at the conference meet – the best finish by a Huskies’ male runner since 2005. During the track and field season, he added three podium finishes – one at the PSAC Indoor NICK McGUIRE ASHTON RAINES Championships and two at the PSAC Outdoor Championships. He graduated with a degree in political science and had a GPA of 3.86. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 HUSKIES HONOR second consecutive season. He shined in the postseason, going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and allowing only five hits – and no walks – in 16 innings. He earned AllRegion and All-PSAC honors following the season. 29 celebrating our Husky history THEN & NOW THE REDMAN By Robert Dunkelburger When Redman left Bloomsburg in 1952, it was for the East Orange (New Jersey) High School, where he was a teacher, coach, and principal. For his players, Redman’s impact was felt long after those five seasons were over. More than 20 of his former players became coaches themselves — most at high schools in central and eastern Pennsylvania, with a number in New Jersey. Inspired by Redman, those alumni have, in turn, impacted thousands of students as coaches. » Robert Redman was one of the most renowned coaches in BU history. He was head of the football program for five of the best seasons in school history, winning 38 of 42 games from 1947 to 1951 with two undefeated seasons and the first official Pennsylvania Conference Football Championship. The man who started it all, Robert Redman, in 1947. 30 Angelo Albano (1924-2014), a native of Shenandoah and 1949 Bloomsburg State Teachers College graduate, began working at the Burlington City (New Jersey) High School in 1952 and remained there for nearly three decades. Albano was respected and made a positive impact on the students he encountered while teaching math and science, coaching football and track, and serving as athletic » Husky players on the old practice field, with the corner of Navy Hall in the background, September 1948. Within five years all four were coaching. Holding the ball is Tom Schukis, who went to Clayton, New Jersey; behind him at quarterback is Angelo Albano; at back on the left is Bill Dugan, who coached at Montgomery; and to the right of him Dan Parrell, who returned to his hometown of Hazleton. » Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 For several, the commitment to coaching became their life’s work as decades later, they were still involved in high school athletics as a coach, athletic director, or both. Angelo Albano, a quarterback for the Huskies, 1947. director. Former students called him “a neat guy” and “very well-liked, always fair.” Albano, like Redman before him, expected effort and good behavior from his students and helped them as they pursued college or careers. His first team had talent but was on a run of 12 losing seasons in 14 years before he arrived. Babb’s “back-tobasics” approach, sense of humor, and especially enthusiasm, got immediate results. One of his former players at Bloomsburg High School, Todd Remley, was glad to once again have him for a coach. Babb loved the game and stressed to his players that the point of baseball was to have fun while playing it, which would lead to success. » Redman alumnus Paul Slobozien (1928-2015) served as a high school teacher, coach, and administrator. A native of Johnstown, he graduated from the college in 1950. After three years in McConnellsburg, Slobozien returned to Johnstown and worked there until his retirement in 1987. At the high school, he taught physics; coached not just football, but basketball, track, baseball, golf, and girls’ volleyball; and served as athletic director. John Babb, Bloomsburg University baseball coach from 1985 to 1990. These three men, along with many others, exemplified what they learned from Robert Redman — to be a gentleman, have a sense of humor, and as a coach insist on basics, discipline, and execution. The Husky legacy continues among more recent Husky coaches. Babb was involved for decades with local baseball at all levels, including Little League, Teener, and American Legion ball, in addition to serving for many years as a high school official in basketball and football. In 1984, Babb became Bloomsburg University’s head baseball coach. He worked six years to build the program. » A third former player, John Babb, not only coached at the high school level, but also served in that capacity at BU. A town native who graduated in 1951 and first taught in Hughesville, Babb came back to Bloomsburg to teach English at the high school and coach baseball. In 29 years as head coach he never had a losing record, winning 431 games. John Babb in 1986 while coaching at third base, with an enthusiasm that was infectious and made his teams winners. Danny Hale inspired Chet Hinicle ‘95 to coach at the high school and collegiate level. Jan Hutchinson, one of the all-time coaching greats nationally, has inspired her own coaching tree. Among that long list are the current field hockey coach, Nikki Hartranft ’04, and both the head and assistant BU softball coaches, Susan Kocher ’88 and Dee Wolfe ’06. Men’s and women’s swimming coach Stu Marvin ’78 has also developed a coaching tree with more than two dozen former swimmers now coaching at various levels of competition, including current assistant coach Bridget Hilferty ’13. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Slobozien’s decades of dedication to secondary education and athletics mirrored what Redman did both before and after his time at Bloomsburg. Prior to arriving at the teachers college, he taught and coached at Sayre High School and North High School in Binghamton, New York. Babb had a winning record in five of his six seasons, four with 20 wins, and an overall record of 116-95 — the most wins in school history at the time. He decided before his final season to step down as coach and it was his best. The 1990 team won 23 games, made the school’s first-ever PSAC playoff appearance, and Babb was named Coach of the Year. 31 CALENDAR ACADEMIC CALENDAR Mid-Term, Tuesday, Oct. 15 Reading Day, Tuesday, Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Recess, Wednesday, Nov. 27 Classes resume, Monday, Dec. 2 Classes end, Friday, Dec. 6 Finals begin, Monday, Dec. 9 Finals end, Friday, Dec. 13 Graduate Commencement, Friday, Dec. 13 Undergraduate Commencement, Saturday, Dec. 14 Winter Session Classes Begin, Monday, Dec. 16 Winter Session Classes End, Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 Spring Semester Class Begins, Thursday, Jan. 21 bloomu.edu/academic-calendar SPECIAL EVENTS Parents and Family Weekend Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6. Homecoming Friday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 26. bloomu.edu/homecoming ART EXHIBITS Haas Gallery of Art Frank DePietro Through Oct. 24. Reception: Thursday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gallery Talk: 1:15 p.m. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Fall 2019 Fall Senior Exit Show Nov. 21 through Dec. 13. Reception: Thursday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Balcony Talks 32 The Gallery at Greenly Center Student Theme Show: Presence Oct. 3 through Dec. 3. Reception: Friday, Nov. 1, 6 to 8 p.m. (Coinciding with LGBTQ Symposium — Living Proud: Your Presence Matters) Melanie Johnson & Loraine Lynn Dec. 12 through Feb. 12. Reception: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artist talks, 1 to 2 p.m. THEATRE Be More Chill Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, Alvina Krause Theatre, Bloomsburg Performances at 7:30 p.m., except Sunday at 3 p.m. Free for BU Students/CGA Activities Card Holders, $12 for adults, $8 dollars for students/seniors CONCERTS BU Choirs Fall Choral Festival Sunday, Oct. 13, 2:30 p.m. Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium Featuring Women’s Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and the Concert Choir Percussion Ensemble Concert Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Wind Ensemble Concert Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Concerto Competition Sunday, Nov. 17, 2:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Bloomsburg University Community Orchestra Concert Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Jazz Ensemble Concert Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Guitar Ensemble Concert Wednesday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall Carols by Candlelight Concert Thursday, Dec. 5, and Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg Featuring the Concert Choir, Husky Singers, and Women’s Choral Ensemble. No admission fee but tickets are required from the Mitrani box office 570-389-4409 Tuba Christmas Saturday, Dec. 7, 4:30 p.m. (Concert at 7 p.m.) Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. For the latest information on upcoming events, check the Bloomsburg University website bloomu.edu/events. For alumni events, visit bloomualumni.com, call 800-526-0254 or email alum@bloomu.edu. for details. Photo: Jaime North NOW IN STOCK: Gildan Long Sleeve T-Shirt, Legacy Classic Baseball Cap, Boxercraft Frosty Grey Blanket, Independent Trading Company Women’s White Crop Hood, League Women’s Maroon Jogger and Spirit Scrunchie, Know Wear Maroon Fleece Blanket. 400 E. Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 General Information: 570-389-4175 Customer Service: 570-389-4180 bustore@bloomu.edu open seven days a week • see website for hours and to shop online bloomustore.com 1011050113 ® Office of Marketing and Communications 400 E. Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 2019-2020 Season SEVEN - Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. • The Queen’s Cartoonists - Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. Slavic Soul Party! - Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, 7:30 p.m. • Trinity Irish Dance - Sunday, March 29, 2020, 7:30 p.m. FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: bloomu.edu/arts-in-bloom or 570-389-4409 A NOTE TO PARENTS If this issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine is addressed to a daughter or son who has established a separate residence, please notify us of that new address by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu WANT TO UNSUBSCRIBE? If you no longer wish to receive the print edition of the magazine, please notify us by sending an email to: magazine@bloomu.edu RECEIVING DUPLICATE COPIES? If you are receiving more than one copy of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine, please forward the mailing label panel from each issue you receive to: Bloomsburg: The University Magazine Waller Administration Building 400 E. Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301