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.”

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BLOOMSBURG
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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.
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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.

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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
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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
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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

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General Information: 570-389-4175
Customer Service: 570-389-4180
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2019-2020 Season
SEVEN - Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. • The Queen’s Cartoonists - Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.
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FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: bloomu.edu/arts-in-bloom or 570-389-4409

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