Hilltopics Winter 2017 by Bradley University

Bradley University Winter 2017

bradley.edu/hilltopics

President’s Welcome

A year of exciting changes adopted a new University mark, logo, and comprehensive branding strategy centered around the famous “B Shield.” We substantially stepped up our presence on and strategic use of social media. And we capped the year off with a series of wonderful events to celebrate the 200th birthday of the University’s remarkable founder, Lydia Moss Bradley. Last summer we completely renovated the first two floors of the Cullom-Davis Library, including a substantial upgrade of the wireless internet access, which has greatly increased library usage and been universally extolled by the students. We built the Hardin Circle of Pride on the west-side lawn across from the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center. This is a beautiful ring of flag poles, landscaping, and benches that has added a wonderful dimension to the appearance of the campus and will be utilized heavily for various events. And we undertook a substantial upgrade for internet connectivity in all student housing, which greatly pleased the students who depend so heavily on the internet.

THERE IS A PALPABLE SENSE OF EXCITEMENT at Bradley as enrollment numbers have returned to historic norms and we move toward construction in May of a spectacular new home for the Foster College of Business and the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology. There were many positive developments in 2016: We enrolled a new fall freshman class of 1,093 academically talented students, a 17% increase over the previous year and at the high end of our target range. Included in the new class were 27% students from underrepresented (minority) groups, an increase from 19% of the much smaller class the year before. We hired a superb new Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, 1978 Bradley graduate Walter Zakahi, who has done a spectacular job in his first semester tackling a range of critical projects from beginning to develop a new five-year strategic plan, to adopting initiatives to enhance student success, to laying the groundwork for a five-year faculty salary initiative that will make the compensation pool for our outstanding faculty more competitive. Bradley went live in December with a jazzy new web site having all the bells and whistles that young people today love and expect. This new web site now automatically formats itself on all varieties of electronic devices, and is fully compliant with all disabilities laws. Last spring we

In November we hired an exciting new director for the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Professor William McDowell. The College of Engineering entered into contracts with NASA and Caterpillar to lead a competition for the development of construction methods using raw materials found on Mars. My wife Donna organized a committee from the Art Department that has installed artwork created by Bradley students, faculty, and alumni all over campus. Bradley was ranked in the top decile of all four-year institutions in the nation by different ranking organizations for various things, including as a “best value” school, for giving students the best return on investment, and just in general. Most notably the Wall Street Journal ranked Bradley tied for #6 in the country (and first among non-religiously-affiliated schools) for the critical characteristic of student engagement in their educational experience. I could go on and on listing everything that happened last year, but I am exhausted and out of space. Suffice it to say, Bradley continues to be a fantastic place for young people to develop the knowledge and skill that will make them successful and productive leaders of tomorrow. Every one of us should be enormously proud to be part of the Bradley family.

Winter 2017 10

Student ingenuity Interactive Media team helps K–12 students take flight, thanks to a NASA grant.

Brain pain We’ve come a long way in understanding and treating concussions.

10 16

A digital world For a growing number of students, online learning offers challenging work, engaged faculty — and freedom.

Getting out the vote Noah Praetz ’99 makes sure elections in suburban Cook County run like clockwork.

Change agent Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89 and the Caterpillar Foundation are key players in battling global poverty.

Departments Bradley Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bradley Avenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Bookplate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Research Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

10: Eric Eisele ’18; 16: Bill Ferenc; 22: Bryan Docter; 25: Austin Humphreys / PJStar.

Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Alumni Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Alumni View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

On the cover Artist Bill Ferenc imagines the possibilities of online learning.

Staff

S.L. Guthrie executive editor

Sarah Dukes art director

Bob Grimson ’81 assistant director

Duane Zehr university photographer

Mary Brolley assistant director

Matt Hawkins, Nancy Ridgeway contributing writers

Administration Gary R. Roberts ’70 president

Janet Lange M.A. ’93 interim associate vice president for marketing and publications

© Bradley University 2017 Bradley Hilltopics is published three times a year by Bradley University for alumni, faculty, staff, parents of students and other friends of the university. Send address changes to Bradley Hilltopics, Bradley University, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625. phone: (309) 677-2249 / website: bradley.edu/ hilltopics email: hilltopics@bradley.edu / fax: (309) 677-4055 / campus information: (309) 676-7611. Bradley University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunities for all persons regardless of age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status. The university is also committed to compliance with all applicable laws regarding non-discrimination, harassment and affirmative action.

Bradley Bits

112

mugs

were donated to the Cullom-Davis Library’s Midnight Munchies program, which provided hot drinks and tasty treats for finals-stressed students in December.

“GIVING BLOOD IS EASY, AND KNOWING THAT MY DONATION COULD SAVE THREE LIVES GIVES A TANGIBLE EXAMPLE OF HOW I’M MAKING A DIFFERENCE.” KIRSTEN KLIMA ’19 at the American Red Cross “Challenge on 74” blood drive in January

During their January Interim stay in Los Angeles, students in the COM 494 Expedition course had a courtside seat, courtesy of famed Los Angeles Clippers broadcaster RALPH LAWLER ’61, for the pre and postgame press conferences by Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

(From front to back:) Scamp, Sophie, Teddy and Izzy were paws-itively thrilled to participate in #GivingTuesday, helping raise $1.6 million from more than 2,100 donors. The fur-children belong to President GARY ROBERTS ’70 and his wife, Donna Carr Roberts.

COMPILED BY S.L. Guthrie, Bob Grimson ’81, Mary Brolley, Sarah Dukes and Duane Zehr. PHOTO CREDITS // Mug: Duane Zehr; #GivingTuesday: Donna Carr Roberts; Lawler: courtesy Slane College; Zen Vision: Peoria Riverfront Museum; Seeberger: Renee Charles.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Art professor Fisher Stolz’s sculpture, “Zen Vision,” anchors the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Sun Plaza. The 13-foot, stainlesssteel piece honors the museum’s creation and evolution.

CECIL BALDWIN ’01 narrates the popular podcast, while SYMPHONY SANDERS ’13 voices one of the characters.

“ Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will have plenty of time to regret your hubris as you drift for infinity through the void.”

“ ANYONE CAN BE THE BYSTANDER WHO INTERVENES.” When a fellow student collapsed on campus, BRIANNA SEEBERGER ’17 performed CPR until campus police officer Sean Savage arrived, followed by Advanced Medical Transport staff. The student is expected to make a full recovery, and Advanced Medical Transport honored Seeberger and Savage for their quick actions.

— “Welcome to Night Vale,“ Facebook, Jan. 9, 2017.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Bradley Avenue

Three public relations students won the fall semester 2016 Ebeling PR-ize for their “Lights on ‘Till Dawn” campaign to combat crime in a Peoria neighborhood. Madeline KoenigSchappe ’17, Katrina Hauser ’17 and Emily Yuill ’17 united with a community group and Ameren Illinois to encourage residents to keep their porch and exterior lights on every night to deter criminals. The students also handed out LED light bulbs and educational materials to neighborhood residents and hosted a Halloween-themed block party in the area.

Because of increasing demand for technology workers with strong computing skills, many governmental, commercial and not-for-profit groups have sponsored initiatives to encourage K–12 students to consider computing careers. But how effective is this outreach? The National Science Foundation awarded a grant last fall to researchers at Bradley and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to assess the effects of precollege computer education. Monica McGill, associate

professor of game design, will work with Adrienne Decker, assistant professor of interactive games and media at RIT, on the five-year, $1.19 million grant. They hope to shed light on the efficacy of educational efforts to encourage students to enter the fields. In an earlier study, they collected pilot data through an online survey of students at six colleges, including Bradley. Students reported their memories of participation in any of these outreach activities — and whether the activities affected their career choice.

With this new grant, McGill and Decker will increase the breadth and depth of this inquiry into the many ways computer science is introduced to students before college. The goal of the research is to identify best practices for engaging K–12 students and to track these recruitment efforts over the long term. To understand how best to recruit underrepresented groups, data analysis will also include learners’ demographic information.

The Ebeling PR-ize, started in 2004 by retired public relations executive Chuck Ebeling ’66 and Ron Koperski, associate professor of communication emeritus, is a competitive program for students in the capstone course. They form teams which serve as ad agencies, planning and implementing public relations campaigns for a business or community service group. — B.G. Three interactive media majors published their own board game, “Dark is the Night,” with publisher APE Games. ZACHARY ABBOTT ’18, ARWEN BOYER ’18 and JOSHUA ESTILL ’18 created the two-person, tabletop contest as part of a game-design class during their sophomore year. They submitted it at a convention where it caught the attention of the founder/president of APE. — B.G.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

— M.B.

“Dark is the Night”: courtesy APE Games.

EBELING PR-IZE WINNERS LIGHT THE WAY

NSF grant explores best practices in computer education

Turner School names new director

McDowell: Darby Campbell.

The Robert and Carolyn Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation named William McDowell as executive/ academic director, beginning in the Fall 2017 semester. He also becomes the Turner Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship. McDowell currently serves as professor and Wright Travel Chair of Entrepreneurship at Middle Tennessee State University. He also taught at East Carolina University after earning his doctorate at the University of North Texas. He has published numerous research articles and served as a small business expert for the U.S. House Committee on Small Business. — B.G.

New web presence for Bradley The university completed the first phase in a redesign of its website in December. In development for more than a year, the site targets prospective students but also offers information for alumni, faculty, staff, current students and friends of the school. It has a responsive design, which automatically reformats to fit different-sized screens for computers, tablets and mobile phones for easier use. “The responsive design lets the university reach people on any device they prefer to use,” said Jim Crone ’02, director of web marketing/ communications. He

added the redesign was part of Bradley’s overall prospective student recruiting effort. Spearheaded by Crone and associate director Ome Cano Lopez ’08, more enhancements will be made to the site during the first half of this year. The site meets globally accepted standards ensuring accessibility for all users. “The design and content is aligned with current industry trends and research about what prospective students are looking for in university websites,” Crone said. — B.G.

All YouTube videos on the new Bradley website are captioned so they can be enjoyed by a wider audience.

ONLINE Check out Bradley’s new web presence at bradley.edu.

Bradley Avenue 1

The best four years Students get involved

With the excitement and nerves of those first weeks of university life behind them, our Bradley students turned their attentions outside the classroom. Adam Ernst ’20 joined a fraternity, and Melissa Fuentes ’20 put her energies into the speech team.

WHY I WENT GREEK At first, I was very cautious about jumping into Greek life at Bradley. Fraternity stereotypes and the amount of time it would take to be an active member made it easy to avoid my first semester. When I learned it could be about a group of guys who display virtue, diligence and brotherly love, that’s when the idea became attractive. I knew that Sigma Phi Epsilon (“Sig Ep”) was the right choice for me because of the great work we do for our philanthropy, Camp Big Sky. It was a bit overwhelming at first trying to balance everything, but I guess that’s what college is all about: learning to juggle multiple priorities.

Watching my brothers take on these challenges made me realize that nothing happens without effort. If you want something to change or create something new, you have to do it yourself. That’s something I’ll definitely carry with me throughout my college career.

Melissa Fuentes ’20

A MAGICAL SPEECH TOURNAMENT One of the biggest reasons I came to Bradley was to compete on the speech team. I had attended the team’s Summer Forensics Institute for two summers in high school, and I had the opportunity to

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Adam Ernst ’20

work with some of the most hardworking, passionate and fun people I have ever met. I got a taste of what this team values and the work it produces. In November, we hosted the 69th annual Norton Tournament (named in honor of past Director of Forensics L.E. Norton), which we called “L.E. Norton and the Chocolate Factory.” This tournament is one of the largest, most competitive tournaments on the circuit, so in the last few years we’ve added a theme to make it more fun. It also helps take a lot of the stress away. Preparing for the Norton was a huge project, and it required a lot of effort and attention to detail to produce something that, to many competitors, really is magical. We put in the hard work, we committed to making this tournament an unforgettable experience, and we do the same thing with every single piece we perform. Joining this team was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Fuentes: courtesy Melissa Fuentes ’20; Ernst: Duane Zehr.

As a health science major, I took the role of Sig Ep’s sound body chair. Each week, I present our chapter with a challenge for them to try and accomplish. In the past, the brothers didn’t take those challenges seriously, so I added a motivational prize to give them an incentive.

Steiner Symposium showcases skills and experience

War stories mingled with WAR (baseball’s Wins Against Replacement statistic) stories during a panel discussion with famed baseball broadcasters CHARLEY STEINER ’71 HON ’10, John Rooney, Len Kasper and Jon Miller at the Charley Steiner Symposium on campus in November.

Steiner Symposium: Duane Zehr.

The second annual event at The Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication also featured panels on women in sports media, sports communication in academia, the evolution of ESPN’s iconic SportsCenter, and sports and disability. “You may take some zigs and zags, but most of the experiences you get in this business, you’re going to look back and say they were helpful,” Kasper told the standing-room-only crowd at the broadcasters’ panel. He noted

Andy Masur ’89 helped him get his current job with the Chicago Cubs, where he broadcast the team’s historic world championship season. Steiner compared broadcasting to jazz musicians’ free-form improvising, adding “we’re on the air, give or take, 650 hours a summer doing 162 games.” He also moderated the panel on women in sports media, noting when he came to Bradley in the late 1960s there were no women sportswriters or broadcasters.

“When journalism is at its best, it tells stories that illustrate people and show how our society works,” said panelist Lori Shontz, who teaches at the University of Oregon after more than two decades at various publications. “The business model is what has changed; the tools have changed.” Even today, less than 15 percent of sports journalists in the U.S. are women. Diane Shah, the first woman to have a sports column in a daily U.S. newspaper, said it was crucial to

Award-winning baseball announcer Jon Miller makes a point during a panel discussion at the Charley Steiner Symposium on campus. Miller, in his 17th season as play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants, also worked for the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics and ESPN. Joining him on the panel are, from left, St. Louis Cardinals announcer John Rooney, Len Kasper of the Cubs, Steiner, who broadcasts for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and moderator DAVE SNELL ’76.

develop problemsolving and listening skills. She added there was an intrinsic benefit as well. “The editor doesn’t need your problems. I found that if I could handle these myself, it gives you a great feeling.” “They (the Steiner School faculty) are introducing students to what they’re going

to be facing,” said Rooney, who has broadcast the last 11 years for the St. Louis Cardinals. He added the symposium brings together people from various backgrounds, experiences and parts of the country. “That’s just invaluable.” — B.G.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Bradley Avenue

Let the celebration begin! More than 330 students became members of the Bradley alumni family during December commencement at the Renaissance Coliseum. President GARY ROBERTS ’70 told graduates their Bradley background empowers them for successful lives and leadership. He also noted the university’s high rankings in national publications reflect the school’s value and engagement. A total of 215 undergraduate and 123 graduate students earned degrees at the event.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Bookplate Recent books by Bradley faculty

NOTES FOR FLUTISTS: A GUIDE TO THE REPERTOIRE Oxford University Press To help students understand the works they will most often play, Caterpillar Professor of Music Kyle Dzapo explores 35 flute solos, delving into each piece’s history, context and theoretical background. The book is a resource for students of all levels, saving hours of research and informing their performances.

THE MUSIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY: A TEXTBOOK FOR MUSIC BUSINESS STUDENTS Lulu.com

Graduation: Duane Zehr.

The music products industry — which includes manufacturers of instruments, accessories and gear, as well as publishers of trade magazines and educational materials, and more — is a fast-growing segment of the music business. In this textbook, music instructor Carl Anderson ’83 provides an excellent overview for students considering such a career. Anderson spent nearly three decades in the often-overlooked, but varied and profitable industry.

COUNTERSTORYTELLING NARRATIVES OF LATINO TEENAGE BOYS: FROM VERGÜENZA TO ÉCHALE GANAS Peter Lang How do young people in challenging situations develop resiliency? This book by Juan Rios Vega, assistant professor of teacher education, uses counterstories — narratives that present alternative or opposing views — to explore how layers of oppression influence the lives of nine Latino boys attending high school in North Carolina.

ADVANCES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS TO SPECIAL EDUCATION, VOLUMES 30A AND 30B Emerald Group Publishing Limited Co-written by Jeffrey Bakken, associate provost for research and dean of The Graduate School, these volumes explore contemporary aspects of special education. Volume 30A is a comprehensive examination of ways to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. Volume 30B identifies related professionals who may provide useful information for a student’s individualized education program (IEP). — M.B.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Research Scene

Student ingenuity In the fall of 2015, Diane Jeffers, coordinator of external relations in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Aeronautical Engineering, contacted faculty in Bradley’s Department of Interactive Media. Would IM students have any interest in developing proposals on several NASA Education Grants with teams from U. of I. and Northwestern University?

BY MARY BROLLEY Illustration by Eric Eisele ’18

THE ANSWER WAS YES. “We approached a few students,” recalled Monica McGill, associate professor of game design. “We considered who would be around (during the projects’ timeline), and what skills were needed.” Eventually, the professors chose a number of IM students to work on three Space Grant proposals, each created in conjunction with other satellite projects underway at U. of I. and Northwestern. Founded in 1989 to encourage undergraduate student research, NASA’s Office of Education Space Grant Program is a national network of colleges and universities committed to supporting science education and intercollege cooperation. The U. of I. team is building CubeSats, miniaturized satellites used for educational and research purposes. Northwestern’s Space Grant project involves a materials science technique called freezecasting, which uses ice crystals to mold materials into fuel cells, tools and even snacks. The Bradley teams were thrilled to learn last summer that NASA awarded all three of their grants. To fulfill the grant’s educational mission, the game design team proposed developing

bradley.edu/hilltopics

a video game to teach kids aged 7–14 about both CubeSat technology and freezecasting. Supervised by McGill, the team leaders are Quentin Young ’17, Arwen Boyer ’18 and Zach Abbott ’18. As producer, Young manages the team and is the main contact for counterparts at U. of I. and Northwestern. Boyer is the lead artist, responsible for creating an aesthetic — establishing a distinctive and consistent look — for the game. As creative director, Abbott manages design concerns and ensures that, to the degree possible, the science is accurate. “We were asked to translate the joy of discovery into a game,” said Boyer. “Players get as far as they can (in the CubeSat’s journey), using their knowledge of the satellites and of the freezecasting technique that allows them to replace parts and have stronger materials. We made a game that tied the two (projects) together.” Coordinating with the U. of I. and Northwestern teams has been interesting, Boyer said. “There’s not a deep level of understanding of each others’ expertise. There’s a disconnect between us. We’re game designers, and they’re scientists.”

According to Abbott, the discussions often boiled down to what particulars of the CubeSat construction and freezecasting technique the Bradley team could employ. “For example, can we use the particulars of Mars dust for our (digital) building materials? Does that match the actual project?” he said. Recently, the team grappled with questions about including test scenarios before launch — as the U. of I. engineers do — as well as rewarding players for success. The students, who learned of the project more than a year ago, initially volunteered to prepare a proposal. This semester, each has an internship and receives a stipend to work on the project. The team now includes three artists (with Boyer), but is still recruiting programmers. “We’re eager to start production,” Young said. The game is scheduled for release in early 2018. “We’ll publish and host (the desktop game), and expect to be asked to present it at Illinois and other places,” Abbott said. In another Space Grant project led by Scott Cavanah ’04, assistant professor of animation, and affiliate faculty member Peter Magsig, Bradley students will develop a mobile application engineers can use to control the satellites from their smartphones. The project will serve as the launch of Bradley’s user experience design major. User experience design considers the needs of the user from start to finish. The student developers will work with NASA clients throughout the process to design the application.

Cavanah also supervises the third NASA project, which involves students learning to use Microsoft’s new HoloLens, an augmented-reality headset. Augmented reality involves layering computer generated information on top of the real world. HoloLens may allow aerospace engineers to work on CubeSats in a 3-D environment.

“ These grants are amazing. They’re specified for student-only research. And NASA loves multidisciplinary work.” — Scott Cavanah ’04, assistant professor of animation

“The HoloLens can generate a host of visual information, but the technology is so new that no one knows exactly what it can do,” Cavanah said. “NASA has given us a large grant to figure out if this technology is usable.” “Innovation happens fast,” he added. “But not as fast as people want it to.” He’s grateful Bradley students have the chance to work with students from other universities on projects greenlighted by NASA. “These grants are amazing,” said Cavanah. “They’re specified for student-only research. And NASA loves multidisciplinary work.”

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Spirit

Brain pain BY BOB GRIMSON ’81

Concussions have been a part of sport since the beginning. Simply defined as a brain injury resulting from a blow to the head or body affecting cognitive and neurological functions, they can have many symptoms and don’t always require a loss of consciousness. Diagnosing and treating these common injuries has evolved over the years.

Mike Kepple ’71 M.A. ’74 suffered several concussions during his years playing football on the Hilltop. One, which took place during practice and not in a game, stands out. “It was pretty severe, I was hospitalized for three days,” the standout defensive back said, recalling vomiting in the shower and later the headaches, confusion and memory loss. “When people at Bradley found out, they took me to the emergency room. I slept for a day, and when I woke up, I didn’t recognize my parents.” After his hospitalization, he went to his hometown, Farmington, Ill., for a day, then returned to school and practice. “Back then, it was not a big deal. We referred to it as ‘getting your bell rung.’”

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Things have changed. Current Bradley studentathletes learn the school’s concussion protocol, which mirrors the NCAA guidelines. It includes recognizing what a concussion is and diagnosing it with a multi-faceted assessment covering balance, neuro-cognitive function and symptoms. Education involves coaches, administrators and trainers, while student-athletes must sign the university’s agreement to disclose any brain injuries. When student-athletes show signs of a concussion, the athletic training staff removes them from practice or competition immediately, followed by an evaluation of their cognitive function and balance by a certified athletic trainer or team physician. A positive diagnosis results in no

sports activity for the rest of that day and further medical testing. Monitoring a student’s recovery continues with progressive phases, and an athlete cannot return to practice or competition until all three parts of the assessment — balance, neuro-cognitive function and symptoms — are back to baseline. Joe Whitson, associate athletic director for Athletic Training Services, said a “return to learn” component is another feature of the guidelines. Curtailing class attendance and reading, as well as removing cell phones, video and electronic devices give the brain time to heal, he said. Professors have been understanding of the guidelines, he added. “I think professors are very well-educated in what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to take care of student-athletes.” “Following a concussion, the brain needs to rest,” said Steve Tippett, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Health Science. “We now know that not only is physical activity detrimental to healing time, but stressing the brain from a cognitive standpoint can also slow down healing.” In Kepple’s day, there was no concrete plan for a student-athlete’s return to action or class. “When you felt good enough, you went back,” the former football co-captain said. “Back then, (the diagnostic assessment) was ‘How do you feel?’ That was it.” Incoming freshmen student-athletes take balance tests, cognitive function questionnaires and other exams to establish a baseline, according to Whitson and Tippett. If there are future injuries, such tests can help establish if the injury is a concussion. “Sometimes a headache is just a headache, but you don’t want to downplay that,” Whitson said. “Probably the greatest evolution in our protocol is using ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test) testing (during) preseason and following student-athletes with ImPACT testing after concussion to assure they return to baseline performance,” said Tippett, who consults with the Athletics Department. He also serves as chair of the university’s Intercollegiate Athletics Committee and as Bradley’s NCAA faculty representative.

“You’d like to see a 7- to 10-day progression (recovery time). That’s pretty typical,” Whitson said. “It’s really (about) treating the individual instead of the injury. Everyone is so different when it comes to concussion and how they recover.” While Bradley had at least one doctor at home football games, sometimes more, there were no athletic trainers. Kepple said the medical personnel weren’t at practices and the standard diagnostic tools accepted at that time were primitive compared to today. “They would ask you some basic questions: your name, who we were playing, what’s the score,” Kepple said. “A lot of times, guys in the huddle would be the ones to recognize it. You could look into someone’s eyes and see what was going on. They would just be looking out into space.” Tippett said this method of diagnosing concussions probably led to under-reporting of the injury but better screening tools and research into the possible prolonged effects of concussion have increased awareness. Kepple, a longtime Peoria business owner, has his own concerns about the effects of concussion. To help ease his fears for the future, a few years ago he visited a doctor in Springfield, Ill., who specializes in brain injuries and diseases and took a battery of grueling mental tests. “If, later in life, I do experience some issues, I can retake the tests and they can see what happened. I did that knowing the background of playing football and having concussions.” Whitson estimated there are 5–10 concussions annually among Bradley’s student-athletes (there were two during the 2016 fall sports season up to Thanksgiving break). He also worked at Interstate-74 rival Illinois State University, and said the lack of a football program may limit the number of Bradley concussions. “We don’t see as many but the severity of what we do see is different; the recovery process is longer. “In the past, playing through a concussion was a badge of courage. Now, athletes are willing to come forward and tell us about their injuries so we can provide treatment for them.”

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Spirit

Assistant volleyball coach Jon Wong won a 2016 Diversity Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) aimed at advancing the careers of ethnic minority coaches. One of 10 national winners, the first-year Bradley coach attended networking, education and mentoring functions at the AVCA convention. A graduate of Lindenwood University in Missouri, Wong earned a master’s degree at Florida International and worked at the University of Tennessee. SOCCER ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN Clark Emerson ’18 is the fifth player in soccer program history named an Academic AllAmerican by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). A finance major with a 4.0-grade-point average, he was a third-team selection. He also was a repeat selection as firstteam Missouri Valley Conference ScholarAthlete and the CoSIDA academic all-district squad. Emerson’s honor gives Bradley Athletics at least one CoSIDA Academic All-American for the third consecutive year and the school’s 25th such selection since 1999. — B.G.

Bradley wins MVC academic honor Bradley earned the Missouri Valley Conference’s AllAcademic Award for the first time in the honor’s 14-year history. The annual MVC award goes to the school with the best grade-point average among its student-athletes. The university’s 222 studentathletes compiled an athletics department record 3.36 GPA in

2015–16. The Braves had eight of 66 MVC President’s Council Academic Excellence Award winners, requiring a 3.8 cumulative GPA, two years of athletics participation and being within 18 hours of graduation. Of 172 Bradley athletes named to the MVC Honor Roll for having a minimum 3.2 GPA during the school year, 70 won

the Commissioners Academic Excellence Award with GPAs of 3.5 and over. Other 2015–16 academic honors for the Braves included 20 first-team MVC ScholarAthletes, six academic alldistrict selections by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. — B.G.

New members join Hall of Fame Four outstanding athletes from different sports whose careers overlapped on the Hilltop and the university’s last Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball championship team have joined the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Induction events were split because two honorees — Lindsay Stalzer ’06, the MVC’s 2005 volleyball player of the year, and Marcellus Sommerville ’06, who led the Braves to the 2006 NCAA men’s basketball Sweet 16 and was a threetime All-MVC selection — are playing professionally overseas. Bradley honored them at the Stalzer Braves Club pregame party before the men’s basketball game Dec. 29 against Southern Illinois Sommerville University.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

The university also inducted Chris Dunsheath ’06 (soccer), Meaghan LeBlanc ’06 (women’s golf) and the 1995–96 men’s basketball team at halftime of the Feb. 4 men’s basketball game against Drake. Dunsheath was the MVC defensive player of the year in 2005 and a member of the league’s All-Centennial team. LeBlance earned all-conference honors her four years and was two-time MVC individual champion.

Dunsheath

— B.G. LeBlanc

1995–96 men’s basketball team

Photography by Duane Zehr.

ASSISTANT COACH HONORED WITH DIVERSITY AWARD

Nobody wants their gift to pay for a new furnace.

12: gettingaroundpeoria.com/cameras.html; 16: Emanuel M. Ologeanu; 24: Envios / Flickr; 27: Duane Zehr.

But when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to learn, a little warmth is everything.

Gifts to the Bradley Fund pay for the things students need to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers. Even heat. And best of all, they fit any size budget. Consider making your gift to the Bradley Fund today.

give2.bradley.edu

bradley.edu/hilltopics

A digital world Bradley’s online programs match the academic rigor and successful outcomes of the classroom environment. BY S.L. GUTHRIE Illustration by Bill Ferenc

For an online graduate course in Advanced Health Assessment, Vyacheslav Osipchuk ’17 had to perform an interrupted suture technique on a patient. It was his first time, and Osipchuk wanted to be sure he did the procedure correctly, especially since he had to video himself and submit it to his professor, Rachel Borton ’02. He took the scalpel, made an incision and inserted the needle on one side of the cut, then through the other side. After making a square knot with the two ends, Osipchuk attempted to make little cross-stitches in the folds about 1/16 inch apart. After about eight or nine tries, he felt comfortable enough to start recording, but it was still another three or four times before Osipchuk thought he executed the stitches correctly.

What makes the situation unique is that his patient wasn’t a person, it was a chicken thigh, and the setting wasn’t in a hospital, Osipchuk put the meat on a cutting board and worked at his kitchen table. Afterward, he disposed of the lesson materials. Skill exercises like this are common in Bradley’s online graduate nursing programs, launched in 2015. There are four degrees, including two master’s and two doctorates, and a certificate in areas such as nursing administration, family nurse practitioner and leadership. Degree programs are either 32 or 80 semester hours, and classes take place throughout the year over three semesters.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Interest has grown rapidly. As of fall 2016, the online nursing programs had a combined total of more than 380 students, most looking to further their career. Cluskey said all online graduate students have the same admission requirements as those based in the classroom. In January 2016, the university also launched two online graduate counseling programs, one in clinical mental health and another in professional school counseling. There were more than 50 students in the program as of spring 2016 — and the numbers keep climbing — but unlike nursing, these students pursue the degree to make counseling their vocation, rather than for potential promotion. Both the nursing and counseling programs have earned professional accreditation and permission to offer programs in almost all 50 states. But making that happen wasn’t easy. Along with numerous policies and procedures, the university had to establish agreements with multiple sites where students would perform their clinical or practicum components.

Future plans include the possible addition of a nursing educator track to help combat the nationwide shortage; Bradley already offers it at the master’s level on campus. “Once we realized that we would be able to match the high quality of our classroom-based instruction, we were very excited about making these programs available online to students across the country,” said Joan Sattler, dean and professor in the College of Education and Health Sciences (EHS), who served as interim provost during implementation. “It helped that we already had many of the tools we needed in place.” “We needed to meet (the students) where they (were), and it needed to be on their time,” added Molly Drew Cluskey ’77, associate dean for distance learning and associate professor of nursing, about the decision. “Some of our graduate, residential numbers had been declining, and this was a way to enhance our enrollment (and) add new programs.”

bradley.edu/hilltopics

“We check that the persons providing supervision where students reside are indeed qualified to do so,” said Carlos Del Rio, who directs and teaches in the online master’s counseling program. “We verify their credentials because it bears on the student’s eligibility for licensure down the road. We also want to ensure our students’ clinical competence for the welfare of their future clients.” Developing complete programs, especially ones with a clinical component, was an intensive process. In 2011, then-Provost David Glassman tasked Information Resources Technology (IRT) and the Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning (CTEL) with looking at new ways of infusing technology into the classroom. Due to the high demand for nurses and counselors — job growth in both fields will be significant in the next decade — it wasn’t long before they saw a way to match the need. The next step was making it work. “When we heard about online programs coming to Bradley, the first thing I thought was we’ve got to have a ‘virtual Bradley’ for these students,” said Sandy Bury M.A. ’00, interim associate provost

for IRT. “We wanted them to have a space with all the resources and information they would need.” As part of the implementation team, Bury and her staff launched the online portal myonline. bradley.edu. Along with standard information, e.g., a calendar function, they tailored the portal to meet the needs of students within the new graduate programs by providing personalized content. Bury said they also built in customization for the future. The portal contains virtual campus tours and other videos to give students who may never come to Peoria a sense of campus life. Social media feeds, like Twitter and Facebook, allow students to share experiences and build a sense of community, and add an effective method to communicate important information, such as technical outages, with students quickly.

But what happens when it’s late at night and a student needs help? ... They have access to a support coach 24/7 by phone and online.

Caterpillar Professor of Psychology Allen Huffcutt, who started teaching online 15 years ago and has developed several of his own online courses, gave high marks to the workshop, calling it “the best thing I ever did.” He said he now has new ways to enhance and organize an online course. For example, Sakai, Bradley’s online-learning system, allows Huffcutt to set up lessons in loops so that a student can’t jump ahead before completing a section. It will also allow him to embed videos.

But what happens when it’s late at night and a student needs help? Barbara Kerns ’91, who directs instructional design and learning technologies for CTEL, said students have access to a support coach 24/7 by phone and online. The coaches help with program fundamentals or technical questions, not specific coursework items. “If you’re in Fairbanks, Alaska, and in a program at Bradley University, having that extra resource you can just call or email and say ‘I really don’t know where I’m supposed to find this,’ (the coach) can connect you and answer questions,” she said. Kerns and her staff developed a three-tiered workshop for all Bradley faculty to develop their teaching of distance education courses online. The three-day teaching excellence series provides hands-on sessions for those who are new to technology, those who have some experience who want to improve and those with advanced skills. The ultimate goal is for faculty to develop their own online classes with the help of Bradley’s instructional designers. “We walk them through how to create lessons that are interactive and how to incorporate video capabilities,” she said. “Maybe it’s a virtual meeting or (how to create) an introductory video.”

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Borton, who teaches and directs the family nurse practitioner online program, admitted she had some initial doubts about the efficacy of an online Advanced Health Assessment class, remembering the one-on-one instruction she received as a student. Though they looked incredibly lifelike, Borton decided to see if a digital avatar that can answer up to 800 questions could compete with a real person. “The case study was a woman admitted to the hospital with a diabetic foot ulcer,” said Borton. “I typed in, ‘How’s your chest pain?’ thinking I’m just going to perplex her, and she immediately verbalized back to me, ‘Well, I’m not here for chest pain, but my father had a heart attack last month,’ I was blown away.” “It’s hard to show a lot of those in class,” said Huffcutt. “If I start showing YouTube videos, I’m not going to have enough time to get to the core concepts.” It seems unlikely that a student who grew up with technology would have any difficulties, but Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Juan Rios Vega said he needed to give his students time to get comfortable. In the first two sessions of one class, he asked them to respond to questions he posed to the entire group. In addition to forming their own answers, students had to read and respond to those of two other students. “That process of responding to their peers was a challenge for a lot of students,” said Rios. “One student erased almost everything. The good thing was it was after I had read it, so I could keep track.”

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Chase Holtman ’17, a student in the post-master’s family nurse practitioner certificate program, said convenience was a big part of his decision to pursue online education. So were the limited choices in central Illinois near his home in Petersburg, about 30 minutes from his job in Springfield. He said it took a while to get acclimated to a full-time, e-learning environment, particularly in adjusting his schedule to make time to complete assignments. “(Previously) I had a structured class time and clinicals where I would study on my own time,” he said. “This put the ball in my own court where I’m in charge of how much time I spend and what I focus on.” Depending on the course, there are videos and other visual elements to aid learning. Weekly units let students know the objectives and what they’ll

need in materials. A scenario in a nursing class, for instance, might show a nurse telling the student there are two patients waiting who both present with lacerations. The first patient appears and says he’s had an accident. After explaining how the gash occurred, the student will have a set of multiple-choice questions and receive feedback on the answers. E-learning at Bradley isn’t new. The university has offered online classes for more than 20 years, beginning in the early 1990s when Associate Professor of Nursing Emeritus Joan Kulpa taught nurse anesthetist students.

As technology has improved, so has acceptance of the online learning environment. While there are still skeptics, Bradley students can rest easy. “Unfortunately, there’s too much bad online learning out there,” said Kerns. “(For example,) classes that are built to cut costs and reduce workload, but it doesn’t exist here. We are making every effort to make sure that online education at (the university) is a high-quality learning experience.” “This has been a team effort,” added Cluskey. “This could not have been done had it not been for everybody coming together to make it happen.”

However, the idea for web-based education at Bradley had begun to emerge three years earlier. Carla Montez, marketing director for Continuing Education and Professional Development, said back then she and Executive Director Janet Lange M.A. ’93 looked into the idea of using Summer and Interim Sessions as a way to develop a cadre of teachers interested in teaching online. “Since it was becoming so (prevalent) in the world, we felt it was something we could explore to see if it had legs at Bradley,” said Montez. Summer and Interim Sessions budgets continue to offer grants to faculty to develop their online teaching abilities. At present, the university offers 216 unique online courses besides those found in the nursing and counseling programs. Transfer student Shelby Harrison ’17 took her first online classes last summer. As with the online graduate programs, she said having a flexible schedule is a positive, as is not having to commute 30 minutes from her home in Chillicothe, Ill. The classes have also helped her catch up, but they were more work. “In comparison to the regular classroom, (online classes) are harder for me,” she said. “You don’t get to ask those little clarifying questions all the time. But, it’s been a good experience overall.” EHS isn’t the only college at Bradley to add the potential of online graduate programs. The Foster College of Business added an online component to its executive MBA program last August. Sattler said the remaining colleges were also brainstorming ideas for future programs.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

GETTING OUT THE VOTE BY MARY BROLLEY

Photography by Bryan Docter / D and D Photo

Nov. 8, 2016, was the sixth presidential election in which Noah Praetz ’99 could vote. And from his second election in 2000, he’s had a unique vantage point. In the summer of 2000, in one of his first jobs after graduation, he was a temp working in the Cook County Clerk’s office, updating voter registration information for the election department in the busy run-up to the presidential contest.

lists and ballot counting systems weren’t quite good enough to withstand the meddling,” Praetz said. “Since then, I’ve committed my professional life to helping tighten up these three incredibly complex endeavors.”

The contested election affected Praetz — now director of elections for suburban Cook County — profoundly.

“It was fascinating to see how perilous elections really are,” he added. “They’re rife for political decision-making. “There are all these humans involved. And that’s part of the beauty of it.”

“At the start of my career, I watched as the Supreme Court of the United States decided a presidential election because, by and large, the nation’s administrative elections policies, voter

In his 16 years with the election office, he has worked his way from a temp to legal clerk, to project manager, to staff attorney, to deputy director and now director.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Today, Praetz is responsible for one of the largest election authorities in the United States. “We have 1.5 million registered voters, 1,600 precincts, 9,000 election judges,” he said. He relishes the preparation that surrounds elections, working hard to make their results beyond question. An attorney, Praetz helps monitor the office’s compliance with federal, state and local laws. He oversaw the $25 million transition from punch cards to a blended system of optical scan and touchscreen voting, devised new ways to prepare and pretest election equipment, and managed the auditing of results afterward. In 2013, through passage of SB 172, Illinois embarked on an effort to modernize its voter registration system. Elected officials, voting rights groups and foundations crafted the bill, whose key elements are Election Day registration,

“ It was fascinating to see how perilous elections really are … There are all these humans involved. And that’s part of the beauty of it.” — NOAH PRAETZ ’99, on how he fell in love with the election process while working as a temp election worker in Cook County in the disputed presidential contest of 2000

participation in a multistate voter registration database and coordination with the U.S. Postal Service’s national change-of-address data. If Praetz had his way, voter registration would be automatic. “In other words, we (the government) Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

“ Ideally, in democratic theory, elections are the main way the electorate gets to hold the government accountable to their wishes. We expect the government to be responsive to the will of the people. And if (the politicians) aren’t responsive, we can throw the bums out.” — Craig Curtis, associate professor of political science

Citizens who want to get involved in safeguarding elections can become election judges. “Most county election officials need them. We’re recruiting nonstop — there’s a 30 percent falloff between elections,” Praetz said. “Professional election administrators have great ideas, but without people to execute on Election Day, it isn’t possible. “Election judges manage Election Day problems. They do heroic work.”

will register you unless you tell us not to. For one thing, people think once they are registered, they remain registered — that when they move, their registration follows them. It doesn’t. But we’re working toward that. Let’s give (voters) what they think they have. “Beyond good social policy, automatic registration is good fiscal policy. Election managers have access to all sorts of data that tell us where our voters live, yet we waste millions of dollars a year systemwide by manually rebuilding voter lists from scratch. Voters don’t like it. Taxpayers shouldn’t like it. And politicians shouldn’t like it either. In Illinois any citizen can register to vote on Election Day, so this change would have little political impact. Automatic registration is an administrative advantage, and I hope we’ll get there soon.” Praetz is quick to acknowledge that he learned from a master — his boss, Cook County Clerk David Orr, whom he calls “a modern legend of voting rights preservation and expansion.” Although Cook County and its suburbs are heavily Democratic, Praetz works hard to keep the workings of the office evenhanded and nonpartisan. He works closely with Republican Party officials, ensuring they feel included in the process. “I enforce a pretty strict nonpolitical atmosphere. We’re pretty rigid about it. Our burden to be transparent and open is high, but one we try to meet.”

Praetz, who attended high school in Martinez, Calif., came to Bradley on a National Merit Scholarship. He had liked Peoria since attending his older brother’s wedding at the Madison Theater downtown a few years earlier. He met his wife, Megan O’Connell ’99, on his second day at Bradley. They live in Indian Head Park, Ill., with their three children, and O’Connell teaches French in the Chicago suburbs. Craig Curtis, associate professor of political science, remembered writing a recommendation letter for Praetz for law school at DePaul University. He had taught Praetz in two classes and coached his mock trial team. “Noah worked hard, he was naturally intelligent, he did internships. He was goal-oriented,” Curtis said. Curtis is proud of his former student’s commitment to safeguarding elections and encouraging more people to vote. “Ideally, in democratic theory, elections are the main way the electorate gets to hold the government accountable to their wishes. We expect the government to be responsive to the will of the people. And if (the politicians) aren’t responsive, we can throw the bums out.” Curtis noted that Praetz’s commitment to equitable treatment of the minority party in Cook County helps improve the system. “Most counties tend (politically) one way or the other, but officials of the other party are treated with respect. At the local level, these politicians do cooperate. “Elections are supposed to matter. At the local level, they really do. What Noah is doing is super important for making the system work.”

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Photo by Austin Humphreys / PJStar.

Change Agent Winning the fight against extreme global poverty will take more than simple philanthropy. BY S.L. GUTHRIE

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

When Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89 traveled to Uganda a few years ago, she met a man named Thomas who had started a school under a tree. He wanted the children of his village to have the chance of a better life through education.

By the time of Sullivan’s visit, the school had grown from a few students to a few hundred, housed in a new building, courtesy of a small business loan Thomas received from Opportunity International and made possible through its partnership with the Caterpillar Foundation. “He brings all these kids together from this village, and if you notice, almost all of them are barefoot,” said Sullivan, pointing to a photo from her visit. “And you know what? They have the exact same aspirations as the kids down the street. Every one of them … I mean, you don’t forget things like that.” As president of the Caterpillar Foundation and director of corporate social innovation, Sullivan has traveled the world meeting people like Thomas. Since she took over the helm of her self-professed dream job five years ago, Sullivan and her team have transformed the philanthropic arm of the Peoria-based heavy equipment manufacturer into a thought leader at the forefront of the fight against global poverty. “(Early on) it became very apparent to me that we were fairly transactional,” she said of her start at the foundation. “Here’s how much money, here’s where we’re spending it, get it out the door. Maybe we’re doing water here, education on this continent. And we don’t have unlimited money, so we have to be very smart about how we spend it.” To accomplish this, Sullivan resolved to change the foundation’s focus from simple philanthropy to address the reasons behind issues like poverty, and to develop relationships with organizations like The ONE Campaign, Feeding America and the Global Poverty Project. Their goal? To place 50 million people on the path to prosperity by 2020. “It’s great that we give money to the food banks, and absolutely, there are people that need that money today,” said Sullivan. “But if that is the only thing we do for food, then we have failed. We need to get to the root cause of why so many people don’t have what they need.”

bradley.edu/hilltopics

A key component of the Caterpillar Foundation’s Together.Stronger platform, launched in 2014, is a spotlight on girls and women. She said 63 million girls overseas don’t attend school because many of them are spending eight to 10 hours a day fetching water. By bringing clean water to their villages, it’s one less obstacle to them not getting an education. TM

But Sullivan isn’t content just to be strategic about the projects the foundation funds. Where she and her team may exert the greatest influence is through U.S. policy work. The foundation worked with its partners to secure the passage of the Girls Count Act in 2015, which helps ensure that girls around the world are registered at birth. “In Africa, many countries have it (that) when girls are born, they’re not documented, so they don’t get educated, they’re not in the health care system, they don’t exist on paper … By getting that policy changed, at least now they’re going to have a chance at education and health care and all the things we all take for granted.” Sullivan added the Caterpillar name and brand carry a lot of influence, and they’re using it to effect change. “When we walk into a room (others think) ‘Well, if Caterpillar cares about giving girls water so that they can go to school, we should care about it.’” The company has put significant resources into alleviating poverty on a global scale, but she said it also aids those efforts close to home. Since 2014, the Caterpillar Foundation has donated $2.5 million to Feeding America, with more to come. “People would be shocked to know how many people in the U.S. go hungry,” said Sullivan. “… On the south side of Peoria, a few miles from here, the 61605 ZIP Code is in the top 100 poorest ZIP Codes in America. Caterpillar cares about that, and we’re really hitting that area with investments, but at the root cause level. And while Caterpillar Inc. is working on societal infrastructure — the roads, the bridges and all the things we need — the foundation is working on the human infrastructure. You really need both for a successful, sustainable community.”

Sullivan grew up in East Peoria and became a second-generation Caterpillar lifer. Her father was a company man while her mother, Bonnie, worked at Bradley with Ken Goldin ’64 M.A. ’72, the university’s longtime business manager. Rounding out the family is her sister, DeAnn Sullivan-Reed ’02, and her brother, Brett. Sullivan credits her family for helping her thrive in a world that’s not always kind to people who are different. “When you’re a little person born in some countries — I certainly wouldn’t have been given an education or the opportunities that I have,” she said. “When I was younger, I never thought I couldn’t do something. I never knew I was different until I went to kindergarten, and the kids told me. I went home and thought, ‘Am I different? Why am I different?’” During her childhood, Sullivan went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for multiple orthopedic surgeries to help with hip function. Seeing people with worse struggles taught her the importance of helping others and to appreciate the support she receives in return. “I have a big village around me that helps me do what I do,” said Sullivan. “I don’t do this by myself, because I need help in different areas, (such as) when I travel. I can’t do the work of the foundation by myself. My staff makes it happen, and then the organizations execute it. So, for (our team), it’s all about who your village is. I’ve always had a village around me, and I hope I’m part of other people’s villages.”

Photo courtesy Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89.

At Bradley, she majored in management and started her Caterpillar career just before earning her MBA. Sullivan worked her way from marketing to operations and earned a 6 Sigma master black belt, the highest quality improvement certification in manufacturing. When the government released new emission standards, Caterpillar had to redesign all 300 models; Sullivan assisted in the product support for that effort. After nearly 25 years with the company, in 2011 she became the fourth person to head the foundation since its inception in 1952 and the first woman. Sullivan believes her previous experience prepared her well for her role and considers herself a collaborative and transparent leader. Those two elements were critical in making the change from social responsibility to social innovation. “I’ve learned (it’s important) to bring people along with me on the journey — whatever you are trying

“ It’s great that we give money to the food banks, and absolutely, there are people that need that money today. But if that is the only thing we do for food, then we have failed. We need to get to the root cause of why so many people don’t have what they need.” — Michele Sullivan ’87 MBA ’89

to accomplish, you need help,” she told a reporter in 2014. “You need people to understand your vision and to help you get there.” Earlier this year, Inside Philanthropy named her one of the 50 most powerful women in U.S. philanthropy. Yet, despite her success, Sullivan acknowledged the nonprofit sector can have its challenges, e.g., how long it takes to do things. She’s had to learn to have patience in the face of extreme need. In addition, the market downturn has reduced the foundation’s available funds, since monetary support comes from a projection of Caterpillar’s sales and revenue. Still, Sullivan doesn’t believe it has had an effect on what they’ve been able to accomplish. “I would argue that we are more influential than we’ve ever been because of the way we’ve (gone beyond) the root cause to the policy work,” she said. “We are investing so much smarter, so while the decline is in our funding, the influence is going through the roof.” Efforts to shape policy will continue. The foundation plans to host a round table with some thought leaders to see how they can take their policy forward, as well as shore up any gaps. Sullivan is proud of the global impact the Caterpillar Foundation has made and is excited about the future. In her 29th year at the company, she’s having the time of her life. “I’ve never had a stronger, better team, ever,” said Sullivan. “We have support all the way up to the CEO and we have the employees; they’re priceless. Everybody at every level is involved. It’s our village. We all have a village.” Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Legacy Family

Bradley keeps them together A Phi Gamma Delta fraternity dance before the start of spring semester 1985 brought together John ’87 and Jennifer Davis Mathis ’88, and helped cement a Bradley legacy that connects three generations. They started dating a few months after that winter dance and have been married 27 years. John’s family moved to Peoria in the 1970s when his father, Bill, joined the Bradley biology department, eventually serving as chair and retiring with emeritus status. His mother, Mary Jo Johnson M.A. ’80, earned a graduate degree in elementary education and brother-in-law Steve Gubser ’86, met John’s sister, Ann, when she was taking summer classes on the Hilltop while home from the University of Tulsa. Now, John and Jennifer’s daughter, Taylor ’18, lives near campus just a few houses from her mother’s old Pi Beta Phi house. Growing up, John was a big Bradley basketball fan. “As a youngster, I would spend hours watching them practice at the Field House,” he said. “I was in love with the idea of going to school there.” Jennifer was from Champaign, Ill., home to the sprawling University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Following her father’s example, she serves on the executive board for Bradley’s Parents Association. Jennifer performs special

education testing and diagnosis for a Dallas-area school district. “I looked at a couple smaller schools but I wanted to be away from home,” she said. “Bradley fit that mold for me.” Taylor recalled a Visit Day program for out-ofstate students and the outstanding impression it left on her. The early childhood education major hopes to pursue her mother’s profession and noted Bradley’s size allows her close contact with her professors. She added it’s a bonus knowing people from class, Greek life or other activities whenever she walks across campus. “I couldn’t see myself having the experiences I’ve had anywhere else,” she said. “It’s like home.” “(Taylor’s) getting the same experience we did,” said Jennifer. “It hasn’t changed. Campus has changed but it’s still that family feeling.” John, a television producer, said many Bradley friends now have children on the Hilltop, allowing the parents to stay in contact. “The connection Bradley provides, the level of familiarity it provides, is passing down to our kids.” The couple is active with the Dallas alumni chapter, adding the group was instrumental in introducing them to the community when they moved there nearly 25 years ago. “We wouldn’t be together if it weren’t for Bradley,” Jennifer said. “Bradley is what put us together. Bradley will always be a special place.” — B.G.

Three generations of the Mathis family have Bradley connections. Members from two of those generations are, from left: STEVE GUBSER ’86, Ann Mathis, TAYLOR MATHIS ’18, Chandler Mathis, JENNIFER DAVIS MATHIS ’88 and JOHN MATHIS ’87.

Class Notes 1950s Credwyn Mahannah Greene ’51 retired as a teacher and music merchant and lives in Germantown Hills, Ill. Active with community groups and her church, she has five children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her association with Bradley includes several family members attending over four generations. Duane Imig ’53 is retired and lives with his wife, Carol, in Leander, Texas. He earned a master’s of divinity degree at Concordia Seminary. Lowell Beck ’56 wrote “I Found My Niche,” a memoir about his career as an executive with the American Bar Association, Common Cause and the National Association of Independent Insurers, and as a lobbyist. A graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law, Lowell also taught about interest groups and lobbying, served on company boards and hosted a weekly television show. He and his wife, Myrna, have two sons, a daughter and six grandsons.

1960s

Wallace: Lauren Santow; Taraska: Bob Ahrens.

Howard Fields ’61 wrote “Tommy’s Wars” about the World War II experiences of Takuji Sarashina, also known as Tommy Tang. After a career in journalism, Fields retired to Hawaii and is a freelance writer on health care issues. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. has listed Richard A. Jones ’61 on its Wall of Fame in honor of his commitment to aviation and space exploration. A retired program manager at Boeing Co., Richard lives with his wife in Clearwater, Fla. The New England Basketball Hall of Fame has inducted Joe Mantegna ’63. A retired educator and coach, he earned a master’s degree at Springfield College. Joe and his wife, Verla Sandrock Mantegna ’65, have two sons and three grandchildren and live in Naples, Fla.

Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity has named Wayne Klasing ’64 board vice chairman. He is the retired president/CEO of Klasing Industries.

1970s Gail Johnson Goldstein ’72 published “My Pain Alert Scale,” a picture book for children and those with limited communication abilities to better describe physical pain. A certified speech language pathologist for more than 40 years, Gail earned a master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The village of Lynbrook, N.Y., has honored Jeffrey Greenfield ’74 and his company, NGL Group LLC, for achieving 50 years in business in the community. He is a managing partner in the firm started by his father. Jeffrey also is active with the Nassau County Planning Commission, serving as chairman for the past six years. He served as president of three professional insurance organizations and as vice president of the local chamber of commerce. Phil Pritzker ’75 was re-elected president of the Illinois Association of School Boards, representing more than 6,000 members and almost 850 districts. He has also served as the group’s vice president. Phil is an eight-term member of Community Consolidated School District 21 in the Chicago area — the longest-serving board member in district history. Janet Porter Bro ’76 is senior vice president of USA Radio Networks based in Phoenix. She recently earned a master’s degree in history and writing from Western New Mexico University. She lives in Vail, Colo., and Arizona. Pravin Vora ’76 received the Fire Prevention Perpetual Award of Excellence from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An 11-year veteran of the department, he has more than 30 years of experience in fire protection engineering. Active in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Pravin and his wife, Mary, have one son and live in Orange, Calif.

Saint Mary’s College in California named Susan Prevost Hedrich Wallace ’79 its vice president for finance and administration. She served as CFO for several nonprofits and as a vice president/CFO for organizations including the Erikson Institute, Illinois Institute of Technology and DePaul University, where she earned her MBA.

1980s Marie Malamisura Taraska ’80 published a novelmemoir, “More Than Heaven Allows,” about her life and family. She taught high school foreign language and lives in East Peoria, Ill. The Nevada State Dietetic Association honored Lisa Sherman ’81 as Outstanding Dietitian of the Year, recognizing leadership and service in the profession. Lisa is a registered dietitian nutritionist and a licensed dietitian. She works for the state of Nevada. Brenda Schierl Walkenhorst ’82 participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions summer global field course in Costa Rica. She is director of education projects at Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans and is pursuing her master’s degree at Miami. Pamela Saunders Appino ’83 has joined Aqua-Aerobics Systems Inc. in Loves Park, Ill., as director of human resources. She is a certified human resource professional and has more than 25 years of experience. Hearst Television has promoted Barbara Maushard ’89 to senior vice president, news. She joined the company in 1997 and has served in management at four of its television stations. She is also on the board of the NBC News Channel. Timothy Martin ’89 joined Wilmington Trust as senior relationship manager. Previously, he was a vice president with Wells Fargo and worked at JP Morgan. He is a certified trust specialist.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Class Notes Daniel Muno ’90 is president of George H. Rump Construction Co. and his wife, Stephanie Rump Muno ’91, serves as secretary-treasurer of the fifth-generation general contractor/construction business founded by her family in Peoria in 1877. Stephanie also is president of the House Corporation for Bradley’s Pi Beta Phi chapter. They have two children and live in Dunlap, Ill. IDEAL Industries Inc. named Douglas Sanford ’91 group president and general manager for IDEAL United States. Previously, he was president/CEO of HA International and worked for several divisions of Hendrickson International. Denise Miarecki Stillman ’92 married Thomas Mietzel on Nov. 26. She leads Go the Distance Baseball LLC, a real estate development group in Dyersville, Iowa. She earned an MBA at Northwestern University. Deb Hamilton ’94 M.A. ’98 is the legislative contact for the Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities (IPADD) and helped write the first disabilityspecific scorecard for legislation in the state. The Illinois Community Living Report analyzed the effect of 10 bills from the 2016 spring session of the Illinois General Assembly on citizens with developmental disabilities. IPADD, founded in 2006, has more than 1,500 members. Paul Cronin ’95 has attained the rank of colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He served as staff judge advocate for the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. He earned a juris doctorate at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Paul and his wife, Stephanie Cook Cronin ’95, have four children and live in Xenia, Ohio. She earned an MBA at the University of Oklahoma and is a financial aid counselor at Cedarville University. Renee Hofen Schenk ’95 is president of the St. Louis Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. A graduate of Washington University School of Law, she is an assistant general counsel for Monsanto Company. She and her husband, Joe, have three sons and live in Labadie, Mo.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Kyle Epley ’96 is a corporate controller at Caterpillar Inc. Previously, he served as chief financial officer for customer and dealer support. A CPA, he joined Caterpillar in 1996. Caterpillar Inc. has named Zach Kauk MBA ’96 vice president of its excavation division. A 27-year veteran, he most recently served as worldwide product manager for the company’s medium excavators. Cindy Schmitt Loos ’97 of Hanson Professional Services Inc. received the Civil Engineer of the Year honor from the Central Illinois section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Active with ASCE and other professional and civic groups, she is a member of the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology’s Executive Advisory Council. George Washington University selected Scott Nass ’97 ’98 for a yearlong Leader in Health Equity Fellowship. A board-certified family physician in Palm Springs, Calif., Scott is associate program director for the Family Medicine Residency at Eisenhower Medical Center and director of the center’s Family Medicine Inpatient Service. He is active in professional organizations and holds academic appointments at three medical schools. Scott earned joint medical degrees from UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Allyson Kurtz Stockton ’99 and her husband, Courtney, announce the birth of their second child, Haren Moss, Oct. 20. Allyson earned a master’s degree at California State-Northridge and is a special education teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The family lives in Agoura Hills, Calif.

2000s Benjamin Ahring ’00 joined Eriksson Engineering Associates, Ltd., as a senior project manager in its Chicago office. Katie Cahill Kappes ’02 MSA ’02 is vice president of human resources at RLI Corp. A CPA and chartered property casualty underwriter, she had served as assistant vice president of human resources at the company and worked for State Farm Insurance.

Reggie Bustinza ’03 MBA ’12 is the new executive director of the Northern Illinois University Alumni Association. Previously, he worked in alumni relations at Lewis University and at Bradley. He and his wife, Kelly Kolton ’05, live in Lockport, Ill.

Adam Weller ’04 and Annie Ferro ’07 married June 4. She is a marketing manager for Pearson Education, and he serves as supervisor of investigations for the city of Chicago where the couple now lives.

Chrissy Wojdyla ’05 and Brian Moran married Sept. 16. Chrissy earned a master’s degree in education at Benedictine University and is an editor with Imagination Publishing. The couple lives in Wheaton, Ill. Jeremy ’06 and Lisa Esposito Heaton ’06 welcomed their second child, Grace Olivia, May 5. Lisa earned a master’s degree at the University of Houston and is a senior scientist and sports dietitian at Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Jeremy is a lead service engineer at Allstate Insurance. The family lives in Palatine, Ill. Christopher Kaintz ’06 is a project manager at Tarlton Corp. in St. Louis. He is a LEED accredited professional and has nine years of experience in construction. Previously, he worked for Turner Construction Co.

Opposite: photos courtesy Jason Ancona ’94.

1990s

Art imitates life for filmmaker When Jason Ancona ’94 moved to Austin, Texas, he found himself in the midst of a very young social scene. He had just turned 40, and the college town wasn’t the easiest place to date or make friends. But a chance encounter with a Bradley buddy he hadn’t seen in 17 years — and the adventures that followed — became the inspiration for Ancona’s film, “Dr. Cheapskate.”

Ancona

Scott Dean, who attended the university from 1993–95, was the blast from Ancona’s past. The two quickly became best friends, and Ancona wrote the script based, in part, on their experiences trying to find love. He directed and co-produced the movie with Dean and cast him in a supporting role. “When I got divorced, I moved out to Los Angeles and (spent time) overcoming not feeling positive or wanting to socialize,” said the marketing major. “So having that friend or buddy cheer you up or (provide) humor and get you through a tough time was something I wanted to put in ‘Dr. Cheapskate’ … I also wanted to capture some of the fun parts of Austin.” A rom-com from a male perspective, the movie centers on anesthesiologist Dana Kelly, who takes penny-pinching to the extreme after his divorce. Kelly’s friend, Beau, pushes him back into the dating scene with some odd pick-up tips and an open wallet. Their mutual friend and ladies’ man, Hunter, challenges Kelly to a bet he thinks the doctor has no chance of winning. Shooting took place over a year on nights and weekends, followed by another year of postproduction before the film’s release in 2016. Ancona, who works as a healthcare recruiter,

Actor Ray Rosales in the title role.

spent $13,000 of his savings to finance the project. Already, the film has garnered the best feature award from the Toronto International Film & Video Awards (budget category), along with a couple of best feature nominations and another for best director. Dean, co-founder of an industrial furniture maker, had no prior acting experience and offered praise for the directorial debut. “(Ancona) wrote every line of my character using my voice in his head, so it was amazingly simple to think like the character and know exactly how he’d respond/behave in any scene of the movie,” said Dean. “That is such a cool thing to see happen: he gets into the character, writes the character and ties it to the voice/mannerisms/ behavior of the actor.” While managing everything was a challenge, Ancona said he loved the social aspect of film production and has already begun shooting his next movie. “The writing part is very solitary, so to get out and hear people read your lines is so much fun. It’s like a family, really. You spend so much time together; you really get to know these people. They’re playing around and you’re creating something. It was a wonderful experience.”

Ancona (l) and Dean (r) at Ancona’s 2015 wedding. Dean served as best man.

Does Dr. Cheapskate find love? You’ll have to watch the film to find out, but its creator did when Ancona remarried in 2015 after meeting his wife, Karina, on a blind date. “Dr. Cheapskate” is available on Amazon Prime. — S.L.G. Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

The encourager RACHEL LAHOOD HULTEEN ’15 wasn’t sure what she wanted to be after she graduated from Bradley. Luckily, all her life she’d been honing skills that helped her launch a career she loves.

But there was no doubt what her passion was.

Hulteen became one of nine finalists in the competition and spent eight weeks living with the other contestants in Los Angeles last spring. As part of the competition, she created two 20-minute workout videos — one targeted to brides-to-be wanting to look and feel better for their weddings. It was an effort close to her heart because of her nuptials to MATTHEW HULTEEN ’14 last September.

“I wanted to inspire others to live happy and confident lives,” she said. “I’d been advised that to build my résumé I should use social media. I was scared to put my life and tips and tricks on social media because I didn’t know if people would want to hear what I had to say.

Though she didn’t win the competition, her Instagram gained thousands of followers — Hulteen now has nearly 30,000 — and she attracted dozens of clients. She counsels them on menu choices and workout options and encourages adherence to wellness goals.

“But I took a chance, because it could be something great.”

And she sets a good example. Recovering from her third ACL reconstruction, Hulteen is determined to follow medical advice so she’ll heal completely. But she’s eating well and exercising safely during her recuperation.

While a soccer star at Peoria Notre Dame High School, she had surgery to correct curvature of the spine. During her recuperation, Hulteen began to consider attending Bradley to become a physical trainer. She earned a degree in nutrition and wellness, yet wasn’t exactly sure how she would make a living.

Her Instagram, Lively Girl Fitness, is an endearing mix of fitness and diet challenges, shots of family, friends, clients and pets, and cheerful encouragement to her “lively folk.” Hulteen looks for any opportunity to move — a short video on the feed shows her doing pushups against her car while she fills up with gas on a trip from Peoria to her home in Madison, Wis. The account got the attention of the producers of a web and television reality show called “The 20s” sponsored by Beachbody, an international company providing fitness,

nutrition and weight-loss programs.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

The fifth of six children, Hulteen jokes that her accomplished brothers and sisters work for her. Her brother, attorney THOMAS LAHOOD ’12, counsels her on legal issues. Sister Jennah LaHood, M.D., a family practice physician in Grayslake, Ill., is her medical consultant. “She took over my Instagram while I was filming,” Hulteen said. “I call her my intern.” — M.B.

Nicholas Koch ’06 and Eleftheria Loughlin ’09 married Sept. 17. She is inside sales manager at Clayton Metals and he is regional sales manager for the Midwest and western Canada at Huskie Tools. They live in Wauconda, Ill. Lindsay Mayer ’06 participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course, studying wildlife and related issues in Belize. She serves as aquarium and petting zone coordinator at Brevard Zoo (Fla.). Dennis Carr ’07 MSCE ’12 celebrated 10 years with Hanson Professional Services Inc.

Myles Badour ’08 joined Ruby+Associates as a structural engineer. Previously, he worked as a senior structural engineer with a Chicago engineering company. John MBA ’09 and Tara Metzinger Veltman ’09 announce the birth of Payton Rosemary, Oct. 13, 2015. Tara is a warranty analyst and John is a parts deployment lead, both at Caterpillar Inc. The family lives in Morton, Ill.

2010s Melissa Wahl ’10 married Joseph Hammer Oct. 11, 2015. She is a freelance writer. They live in Lexington, Ky.

Kolditz: Mary Nicole Fielder; Opposite: photo courtesy Rachel LaHood Hulteen ’15.

Melissa Hoffman Schoenbein ’10 joined Shay Phillips Ltd. She previously worked for Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C. and clerked for federal judge Michael Mihm. Melissa earned her juris doctor degree at Southern Illinois University. The firm, founded by Jonathan Phillips ’07 and William Shay ’74, recently relocated to an historic building in downtown Peoria.

Brett Kolditz ’07 and Gabrielle Balzell ’11 married Sept. 17. Gabrielle is a senior administrator and quality control coordinator at Heinold Banwart Ltd. Brett, who earned a juris doctorate at Northern Illinois University, is an associate attorney at James Kelly Law Firm. They live in Peoria.

and Daniel is public affairs manager for Aon. The family lives in Barrington, Ill.

The Central Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers has named Alicia Kamischke MSCE ’11 Young Civil Engineer of the Year. She is a structural engineer with Hanson Professional Services Inc. Daniel ’11 and Chloe Samuels Serota ’12 announce the birth of Dean Henry, Aug. 19. Chloe earned a master’s degree in literacy education at Northeastern Illinois University

Nicholas Swiatkowski ’12 (right) and Bryan Welch married July 4. Nicholas earned a promotion to lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy and serves as president of Swiatkowski Welch Properties. The couple lives in Clarksville, Tenn. Indiana University Kokomo has named Alex Birge ’13 interim head coach for the men’s basketball team. He was in his third year as an assistant coach at the school and last year completed his master’s degree there. Christine Johnson ’14 and David Michalik ’14 married Aug. 8, 2015. Christine teaches special education at a middle school and David is finishing his degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. They live in Oak Forest, Ill. Rebecca Schwartz ’16 is a special education teacher for East Maine School District 63 in Glenview, Ill. She lives in Buffalo Grove. Errata: In the fall 2016 issue, we incorrectly spelled Brian Scheffler ’09’s name. We sincerely regret the error.

We’re all ears A great magazine needs great stories. So, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish Bradley Hilltopics would write about … ,” here’s your chance to make that happen! Send your ideas to hilltopics@ bradley.edu.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Class Notes

Aerial honor When his father’s friend took him for an airplane ride at age 13, Norman Understein ’66 let his dreams soar. Although he didn’t realize his goal of piloting a plane before driving a car, he did join the Bradley Flying Club within a week of arriving on campus and received his pilot’s license in May 1963. “I called home and told my parents I was flying home to Maryland for winter break,” he said. “They were shocked to find out I received my license and would be flying home in a rented airplane.” Having logged more than 2,800 hours of flight time, the founder and executive chairman of eDeposit Corporation currently owns a five-passenger Beech A36 Bonanza airplane.

He is also FAA-rated to fly single-engine planes either with visual flight rules or on instruments. Last September, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) recognized his 50 years of “professionalism, skill and aviation expertise” with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. It is the most prestigious FAA honor for private pilots certified under Part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. “It’s a great feeling to receive the award as an achievement in aviation — which has been a significant part of my life,” Understein said. “Flying gave me a lot of confidence; knowing I could do something that only a few had accomplished.” — B.G.

Saving puppies “I love flying and rescuing puppies because it gives meaning to my flights,” he said. “Two years ago, I never would’ve guessed that I’d be here with my pilot’s license and my own plane doing charitable flights to benefit animals.” Henry’s aeronautical adventure began on a whim in 2014 when he tried a promotional flight with a flying school while working at a San Antonio hospital. That experience rekindled memories of his childhood flying model aircraft in Chillicothe, Ill., and led Henry to earn a pilot’s license in 2016. To create a first-class experience for canine passengers, Henry

outfitted the aircraft with a cage, food, treats and a few other items. He’ll eventually note each rescued animal with paw prints on the plane. “Animal rescue is great for me because I can have a dog for a few hours as I transport it to a home where it will be welcomed,” he said. “It’s rewarding to see new owners gratefully pick up their new animals. I know I not only saved a dog’s life, but I possibly saved someone else’s life by giving them a family member to love.” — Matt Hawkins

Understein: courtesy Norman Understein ’66; Henry: courtesy Ben Henry ’11.

Ben Henry ’11 is putting his skills as a travel nurse for Boston Medical Center to good use delivering rescue animals to shelters for Pilots N Paws. The nonprofit organization uses licensed pilots to transport furry four-legged cargo to new families.

Nominate an outstanding Bradley graduate for one of the following awards: Centurion Distinguished Alumnus Lydia Moss Bradley Service Outstanding Young Graduate Deadline for submission is April 1, 2017. Visit bradley.edu/alumni/awards

In Memory 1940s Virginia Hobin Hausam ’40, Sept. 21, Peoria Margaret Thomson Schaetzel ’40, Aug. 5, Denver Evelyn Kilgus Nolte ’41, Oct. 28, Peoria Barbara Price VanAntwerp ’45, Oct. 22, Homewood, Ill. Robert Van Deusen ’45, Dec. 25, Portland, Ore. Doris Trimpe Riddell ’46, Aug. 28, Los Altos, Calif. Richard K. Schwab ’47, Aug. 11, Long Beach, Calif. James M. Cole ’48, Sept. 26, Plainfield, Ind. Jeanne Haberle Kammerer ’48, Oct. 16, 2015, Dixon, Calif. Edna Mangold Kruger ’48, Dec. 17, Peoria Leroy Upham ’48, Nov. 16, Olney, Texas Clifford Hanson ’49, Nov. 2, Peoria Nathan Hoagland ’49, Dec. 7, Peoria Henry Seckinger ’49, Aug. 14, Peoria William J. Seitz ’49 M.A. ’52, Sept. 28, Peoria Donald Smith ’49, Nov. 29, Pelham, Ala.

1950s Bernard Behrends ’50, Nov. 3, Lincoln, Ill. Robert Cooper ’50, Feb. 27, Astoria, Ill. Jack David “John” Dixon ’50, Nov. 6, Peoria Richard Gebhardt ’50, Nov. 5, Edelstein, Ill. Eugene Willis ’50, Nov. 28, Stuart, Fla. Robert Bushell ’51 MBA ’57, Dec. 1, Peoria Don Doty ’51 M.A. ’54, Nov. 16, Starkville, Miss. Joe Edd Hammond ’51, Sept. 3, Liverpool, N.Y. John Lawrence ’51, Sept. 15, Sterling, Ill. Don McCann ’51, Sept. 13, Lincoln, Ill. Eugene Schneider ’51, Aug. 30, Pekin, Ill. Gerald “Buck” Stamp ’51 M.A. ’69, Sept. 28, Camanche, Iowa O. William Wenger ’51, Oct. 29, Peoria Wayne Brammeier ’52, Aug. 31, Glen Carbon, Ill. Erwin Brauer M.S. ’52, Aug. 15, Orland Park, Ill. Paul Doetz Sr. ’52, Aug. 28, Harwood Heights, Ill.

In Tribute William Bonifield ’58 William Bonifield ’58, a 1996 Centurion and veteran educator, died Dec. 3 in Indianapolis. At Bradley, he majored in business administration and was a member of Theta Xi fraternity. Bonifield earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota and went on to serve as a professor and chair of the economics department at Wabash College. He later became dean of the College of Business Administration at Butler University and served as vice president for education of the Lilly Endowment. After retiring from the endowment, Bonifield was director of DePauw University’s McDermond Center for Management and Entrepreneurship. In 1992, then-Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh named him a Sagamore of the Wabash, and the Freedoms Foundation awarded him the First Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education. Bradley named Bonifield its 1996 Distinguished Alumnus. He enjoyed travel and golf and was active in civic and professional groups as well as his church. Surviving are his wife, Donna Wilcoxen Bonifield ’56, four children, nine grandchildren and a sister.

In Tribute Willis “Bill” Tribler ’55 Willis “Bill” Tribler ’55 of Mundelein, Ill., the 2001 Distinguished Alumnus and a Centurion, died Dec. 3. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and an expert in professional liability and insurance, he was a founding member and senior partner of Tribler Orpett and Meyer. Tribler served on both the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) Oversight Committee and the ARDC Inquiry Board. Tribler was active with several professional organizations, serving as board chairman of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He was the first editor of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel’s (IDC) publication and wrote a column for many years. He later served as IDC president and received the group’s highest honors for service. The 1996 Distinguished Graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, he was active with the state bar association and also won its top awards. Surviving is his wife, Kathryn. — B.G.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Class Notes In Memory Howard Fry ’52, Dec. 14, Longmont, Colo. Joseph M. Graham ’52, Oct. 8, Peoria Mary “Boots” Barthell Markoski ’52 M.A. ’64, Sept. 1, Palm Desert, Calif. Robert Pitra ’52, Dec. 13, Elmhurst, Ill. Donald Serup ’52 M.S. ’62, Sept. 25, Princeville, Ill. Joseph Waibel ’52, Dec. 1, Peoria Wilma Bolliger Boyle ’54 M.A. ’67, Nov. 12, Hopedale, Ill. Russell Ellis ’54, Sept. 29, Davis, Ill. Jacqueline Zinser Fulton ’54, Nov. 18, Peoria Eugene Holmes ’54 M.A. ’56, Oct. 17, Peoria Gerald Peacock ’54, Dec. 10, Peoria John Taylor ’54, July 21, Bryan, Ohio Robert Hahn ’55, Sept. 3, Gray, Tenn. Donald Koppelman ’55, Dec. 18, Pekin, Ill. Jack LaMothe ’55, Dec. 26, Lincoln, Ill. Gayle Flesher Davis ’56, Sept. 7, Lawrenceville, N.J. Melvin E. Olson ’56, Dec. 20, Peoria Dorothy Dodds Peer ’56, Dec. 25, Peoria Jerry Freel ’57, Oct. 13, Fort Myers, Fla. Richard Hanna ’57, Sept. 2, Homosassa, Fla. Ernest Patrick ’57, Oct. 12, Crawfordsville, Ind. Gary Thorpe ’57, Nov. 11, Peoria Robert C. Young ’57, Aug. 31, Peoria Frank Bethel ’58 M.A. ’60, Sept. 19, Peoria Louis Deardorff ’58, Oct. 5, Wheaton, Ill. Gene Clayton M.A. ’59, Dec. 12, Peoria Eugene Johnson ’59, Dec. 6, Fort Atkinson, Wis. Jack Tull ’59, Aug. 28, Tremont, Ill.

1960s Marilyn Wright Bechtel ’60, Dec. 17, Roanoke, Ill. Ruth Handwerker Clelland ’60, Aug. 28, Peoria Welcome Davis ’60, Dec. 29, Tremont, Ill. Norman Hasty ’60, Dec. 28, Newnan, Ga. Russell L. Smith ’60, Dec. 31, Pekin, Ill. Richard Brooke ’61, Dec. 13, Peoria Eugene Farris ’61 MME ’66, Nov. 30, Morton, Ill. Robert Ketay ’61, Nov. 15, Bloomingdale, Ill. David Tauer ’61, Sept. 4, Coto de Caza, Calif. Donald Wasilewski ’61, Jan. 2, Lakeland, Fla. Troy Watson ’61, Aug. 28, Knoxville, Tenn. Paul Dorethy ’62, Dec. 5, Chenoa, Ill. James “Gus” Gustafson M.A. ’62, Nov. 17, Morton, Ill. Larry Johnson ’62, Nov. 29, Mesa, Ariz. David Kaiser ’62, Oct. 16, Freeport, Ill. Mitchell White ’62, Aug. 30, Bettendorf, Iowa Rex Carter ’63, Nov. 7, Vandalia, Mo. Robert Hanlon ’63 M.A. ’64, June 29, Elgin, Ill. Harold Benoit ’64, Dec. 16, Freeport, Ill. David B. Curtis ’64, Dec. 29, Romeoville, Ill. Michael Evans ’64, Oct. 15, Peoria Kristin Eckman Kline ’64, Oct. 9, Brimfield, Ill.

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Duncan Reid M.A. ’64, Nov. 13, Rock Island, Ill. Bert Barnett ’65, Dec. 6, Peoria William Davidson ’65, Sept. 7, Davenport, Iowa Nicholas Pappas ’65, Dec. 29, Tenafly, N.J. Jan Schwabacher Herschel ’66, Nov. 11, Peoria Richard Ivins ’66, Nov. 2, Metamora, Ill. Kenneth Majors ’66, Oct. 9, Waukegan, Ill. David VanDyke ’66, Oct. 31, Canton, Ill. Richard Vonderheydt ’66, Sept. 9, Peoria Mary Conger Wissel M.A. ’66, Dec. 18, Washington, Ill. Mary Willkie Wodarczyk ’66, Oct. 21, Belleville, Ill. John A. Carrigan ’67, Oct. 21, Colorado Springs, Colo. Mary Ann Cochran Falkman ’68, Oct. 30, Winfield, Ill. Dennis R. Koch ’68 MSCE ’73, Sept. 3, Washington, Ill. Kenneth Rude ’68, Dec. 14, East Peoria, Ill. Carol Teagle-Dexter ’68 M.A. ’73, Oct. 7, East Peoria, Ill. James Goldsmith MBA ’69, Aug. 9, Galloway, N.J.

1970s Nina Balanik ’70, Oct. 7, Rochester, N.Y. L. Joseph Buysse ’70, Nov. 29, Prophetstown, Ill. Roger Cederholm ’70, Aug. 25, North Fort Myers, Fla. LeRoy “Pete” Love ’70, Dec. 3, Tannersville, Pa. Donald Repke ’70, July 30, Lake St. Louis, Mo. John Gale M.S. ’71, Aug. 29, Peoria Anita Norris Hiser ’71, Sept. 5, Pekin, Ill. Claudia Campbell Krause ’72, Sept. 8, Joliet, Ill. Robert Ulbricht ’72, Sept. 21, Dahinda, Ill. Donald Lund ’73, Dec. 30, Aiken, S.C. Joann Wasem Dunn ’75, Sept. 7, Marietta, Ga. Donald Sier ’75, Sept. 23, Mapleton, Ill. Erma Schrodt Walters M.A. ’75, Sept. 28, Peoria George Egger II ’76, Oct. 10, Washington, Ill. Lenore Kelly ’76, June 9, Long Grove, Ill. Marcus Poulliard ’76, Sept. 28, New Orleans Kathleen Webster Shoop ’76, Oct. 8, Elmwood, Ill. Bruce Meckler ’77, Nov. 3, Chicago Winnie Theus ’77, Aug. 31, Little Rock, Ark.

1980s Gary Underwood M.S. ’80, Nov. 9, Peoria Candy Wilson Bullock ’85, Dec. 22, Glendale, Ariz. Sheila Mulvaney ’85, Jan. 2, Peoria Therese “Tracy” Anderson Wayson ’85, Sept. 30, Milwaukee

1990s Michael Horner ’92, Aug. 22, Chicago

2000s Donald Ballew ’05, Dec. 9, Yates City, Ill.

Address Changes:

Email alumnirecords@bradley.edu, or write to Alumni Records, Bradley University, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625.

Faculty

In Memory Guidelines:

Elda “Ellie” Peart Buchanan, associate professor of teacher education emeritus, died Nov. 9 in Peoria. She taught at Bradley from 1972 until retiring in 1998 and was active with the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children. A member of Delta Beta Phi, she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University. She was active in her church, enjoyed travel and served as an election judge. Survivors include a sister, two sons and two grandchildren.

Submit an obituary by mailing a newspaper clipping or memory card from the funeral home to Bradley Hilltopics, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625.

Class Notes Information: Send Us Your News! Complete the form below and mail to Bradley Hilltopics, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625. You may also fax it to (309) 677-4055, or use our online form at bradley.edu/go/ht-Classnotes. Name________________________________ Maiden__________________ Class Year____________ Degree___________________________________ Advanced Degree(s)____________________________________________ Institution(s)____________________________________________________ Home Address_________________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State______ ZIP________ Email__________________________________________________________

Rybak earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at Southern Illinois University. An animal lover, he enjoyed travel and learning about other cultures and was active in his church and with the Seven Circles Heritage Center in Edwards, Ill. He was known worldwide for integrating a holistic approach to counseling, using mental health practices from Western and Eastern medicine and indigenous people. Surviving are his wife, Nancy Phillips; four brothers, and a sister. — B.G.

Phone_________________________________________________________ Current Job Title(s)______________________________________________ Employer______________________________________________________ Name___________________________ Maiden__________________ Bradley Alum?______________ Class Year______________________

SPOUSE

Chris Rybak, professor in the Department of Leadership in Education, Nonprofits and Counseling since 1993, died Nov. 5 in Peoria. He served as chair of the department from 2004–15 and was a three-time Fulbright Award winner, studying in India and Nepal. He also taught in the counseling graduate program, co-authored a textbook and hosted guest speakers and other university visitors.

Degree___________________________________________________ Advanced Degree(s)________________________________________ Institution_________________________________________________ Current Job Title(s)_________________________________________ Employer_________________________________________________

Number of Children_____________________________________________ My News (Please provide month/day/year for weddings and births.) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE NOTE: Class Notes are published in the order they are received. Please send wedding and birth announcements within one year of the event. PHOTO SUBMISSIONS: Digital photos should measure at least 1,200 pixels on the short side. Include photographer’s written permission to reproduce copyrighted photos. Bradley Hilltopics reserves the right to make the final selection of all photography based upon available space, subject matter and photo quality. QUESTIONS: Call (309) 677-2249, or email hilltopics@bradley.edu.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Alumni Connections Alumni Events Mar. 19 // Mesa, Ariz. Chicago Cubs spring training game vs. Kansas City Royals Mar. 25 // Peoria Sigma Kappa reunion Mar. 31–Apr. 3 // Peoria Bradley Forensics Alumni Network (BFAN) reunion Apr. 7 // Peoria Central Illinois Bradley Alumni Chapter (CIBAC) wine tasting Apr. 8 // Peoria Chi Omega reunion Apr. 22 // Peoria FIJI pig dinner reunion Apr. 29–30 // Peoria Theta XI reunion May 12 // Peoria Graduation reception May 13 // Peoria 2017 Spring Commencement Jun. 3 // Chicago Bradley University Black Alumni Alliance (BUBAA) bowling fundraiser Jun. 10 // Peoria Family fun at Peoria Playhouse

Director’s Corner Tory McCord Jennetten ’96 In late November, we ushered in the holiday season with our second annual #Giving Tuesday, a global movement to employ social media and grassroots efforts to encourage philanthropy and acts of service. This year, our students launched their own effort, called Student Giving Week, a few weeks prior to #GivingTuesday by donating more than $600 to fund scholarships for fellow students. Alumni #GivingTuesday contributions blew us away this year. Your generosity and faith in your alma mater is impressive and inspiring. And we loved your response to our social media campaign for #Giving Tuesday — Facebook comments, tweets and amused reactions to our sometimessilly but always heartfelt memes, posts and videos.

In all, the event included more than 2,100 donors who contributed in excess of $1.6 million for a variety of programs across the university. In closing, I can’t resist another plug for the events Bradley will host around the country in 2017. Please check bradley. edu/alumni for up-to-the-minute additions. If you live near Peoria, make plans to attend the CIBAC wine tasting on April 7. We pledge to keep working hard to sponsor fun and meaningful events. The Alumni Relations staff and I are excited about this year and what it will bring. Thanks for everything you do for Bradley. Hail, Red and White,

Tory McCord Jennetten ’96 Executive Director, Alumni Relations

Jun. 26 // Chicago Chicagoland Golf Outing Aug. 27 // St. Louis Alumni Day at Busch Stadium, Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Rays Sep. 25–30 // Peoria Homecoming Sep. 29 // Peoria Alumni Association board meeting Visit bradley.edu/alumni for details and registration, or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (309) 677-3565 or (800) 952-8258.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS at flickr.com/ BradleyAlumni 38

bradley.edu/hilltopics

1 1 Peoria The Bradley University Sudanese Alumni Network held a networking and career development reception for 30 alumni in November in Westlake Hall.

3: Duane Zehr.

2 Atlanta Alumni gathered in January to cheer on the Braves against Wichita State. Shown are (from left) Tom Sargeant ’87, Jim Parmenter ’68, Mary Jo Weberski Cox ’85, David Cox ’84, Laura Nash Pilcher Adcox ’80, Tim Adcox, Mike Kotler ’66 and Chris Barnes ’89. 3 Peoria The Theresa S. Falcon EMBA program, Foster College of Business and Institute for Principled Leadership held a panel discussion in November with Wall Street Journal political reporter Reid Epstein and health care business leaders on the 2016 election’s impact on health care. 4 Estero, Fla. Alumni and friends of Bradley gathered to cheer on the men’s basketball team at the Gulf Coast Showcase in November. 5 Fort Worth, Texas Alumni welcomed the men’s basketball team and President Gary Roberts ’70 in December for a party prior to the game against Texas Christian University. 6 Los Angeles The Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts held its annual Hollywood Gala Reception in January for more than 150 students, alumni and faculty, including (from left) Duncan Blickenstaff ’06, Katie Self, Ryan Self ’05, Jonathan Buss ’94, and David Miller ’07.

Bradley Hilltopics Winter 2017

Alumni View

Teaching in the Great Land Liann Walgenbach ’14 wanted to experience a different part of the country from her home in Batavia, Ill., but she never expected it would lead her to a remote village of 400, about 400 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. During her three years at the Lower Kuskokwim School District, Walgenbach has taught every subject and worked with students ranging from sixth to ninth grades. While living in the villages of Napaskiak and Tuntutuliak, almost all her students and neighbors were Alaska Natives who speak Yup’ik and practice the Russian Orthodox or Moravian faiths. “I decided that if I was going to live in Alaska, I might as well go all out and live in a rural village,” she said. “It was a whole other world out here, and I was not fully prepared. I (have) had great experiences, but (at first) it was a culture shock.”

Walgenbach learned about the Yup’ik culture of dance and celebration and the differences between their holidays and rituals and her own. Villagers may go to the store to buy Doritos and soda, but will also hunt moose. She said education comes in second to their semi-subsistence lifestyle. “I started learning a whole new language I didn’t know existed,” said Walgenbach. “Many of my students have never seen a cow or rows of corn, or other experiences that we don’t even think of as (unique) experiences.” Recognizing that her students have very limited resources compared to their Lower 48 counterparts has helped shape Walgenbach into a stronger teacher. In addition to her teaching duties, she has taken on several extracurricular activities, including speech club and Mixed 6 volleyball. Recently, Walgenbach made the move into Bethel, a community of nearly 6,500 residents. Though it has more to offer than the villages, there are no stoplights and only one paved road. A movie theater provides entertainment. Her Alaska experience has had its surprises, but Walgenbach said her Bradley education and student teaching background prepared her well. She even displays a Bradley pennant outside her classroom. “This is the best decision I have made,” she said of her choice to teach in Alaska. “It has really shaped me professionally and personally.” — Nancy Ridgeway, Photography courtesy Liann Walgenbach ’14

bradley.edu/hilltopics

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 688

Bradley Hilltopics 1501 West Bradley Avenue Peoria, IL 61625 Change Service Requested

Come home to the Hilltop and reconnect with the people and traditions that were the best four years of your life. SAVE THE DATE:

September 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30

Photo by Duane Zehr.