BLOOMSBURG UN IVERSITY OF PENNSYLVAN IA
VISION PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2016
Welcome “The greatest asset and testament to an institution of higher learning is the personal and professional success of its students and alumni.” When I embarked upon this journey as president nine years ago, I talked about the importance of incorporating diverse experiences into Bloomsburg University, where 40 percent of those enrolled are first-generation college students. I highlighted my goals of expanding academic and co-curricular opportunities and updating facilities while building on a history of excellence in education, science and mathematics, allied health and other fields. From the earliest days, I believed it was important to identify programs that meet the educational needs of the commonwealth’s residents and to increase private donations to help Bloomsburg remain affordable and accessible while raising the level of scholarship. Today, I am proud to state Bloomsburg University is more connected to its alumni and community than ever before. We are more closely aligned with local and national industries and the needs of our region through programs and initiatives such as the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Magnet Program, McDowell Institute for Teacher Excellence in Positive Behavior Support, Center for Visual and Performing Arts, Educational Pathways initiative, Institute for Concussion Research and Services, and Nicholas J. Giuffre Center for Supply Chain Management. We have introduced an innovative general education program, MyCore; launched the university’s second doctoral program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice; and expanded the number of educational partnerships with Geisinger Health System. We are transforming our focus on student success with development of a strategic enrollment plan that, in conjunction with proactive advising, will improve retention and graduation rates. Through the Professional U initiative, we are laying the framework to ensure all students have a practical, career-related experience every year to help them learn how their interests intersect with their skill sets and to enable them to prepare for successful careers with top organizations. As we conclude It’s Personal: The Campaign for Bloomsburg University in 2017, I see a university anchored by the strongest philanthropic support in our history. This is exemplified by a gift recognized late in 2016 that established the Terry and JoAnn Zeigler College of Business, helping to position the college as one of the top public schools of business in Pennsylvania. Students and alumni are our greatest asset and a testament to the quality education Bloomsburg University provides. This issue of Vision highlights the stories of alumni who built upon their Bloomsburg University education to create successful and satisfying lives. I am grateful to the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends who have joined with me over the past nine years to take Bloomsburg University to new heights. I am confident their leadership will help Bloomsburg continue to be a leading institution in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. It has been my privilege and honor to serve as president of this wonderful university.
David L. Soltz, Ph.D. President, Bloomsburg University
®
Office of the President Carver Hall Bloomsburg University 400 E. Second St. Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301
Email: president@bloomu.edu Blog: bupresident.blogspot.com Web: www.bloomu.edu/president
Inside Beyond Business as Usual.......................................................................................Pg. 2 Weaving Success.....................................................................................................Pg. 4 The Turnaround King...............................................................................................Pg. 6 Sports Authority......................................................................................................Pg. 8 Changing Society One Woman at a Time................................................................Pg. 10 The Power of Experience.......................................................................................Pg. 12 The Perfect Cup of Coffee......................................................................................Pg. 16
Photo: Gordon Wenzel
Beyond Business as Usual A groundbreaking gift from alums Terry and JoAnn Zeigler won’t just rename the business college—it will also elevate the reputation and quality of business education at Bloomsburg far into the future. Are business schools still relevant? That’s an often asked question these days, posed by think tanks, research centers and advocacy groups alike. Prospective students are adding their voices to the chorus, wondering if their tuition dollars and years of study will give them an edge in an ever-changing, ever-morecompetitive marketplace.
This much is clear: For business schools to retain — some might say regain — their luster, they must tailor the education they offer to meet the new and evolving demands of the 21st-century workplace. In short, they must move beyond business as usual. That’s the vision of Terry ’76 and JoAnn Zeigler ’77, a vision that recently inspired the couple to make a transformative gift to Bloomsburg University as part of the It’s Personal campaign. The Zeiglers have high hopes, and high expectations, for business education at Bloomsburg — and for the university’s newly named Terry and JoAnn Zeigler College of Business. “Our entire message is about relevancy,” says Terry Zeigler, president and CEO of Datacap Systems Inc., based in Chalfont, Pa. “How do we keep Bloomsburg relevant in a rapidly changing world? How does a business education at Bloomsburg adjust to the reality
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Change is the name of the game, whether it’s the music industry, the publishing industry, the health care industry, you name it. to continuing to create a more integrated curriculum.” This broad knowledge of how companies operate, he insists, will help Bloomsburg graduates drive teamwork, bring out the best in others, and engender the collaborations needed for success.
that 65 percent of kids entering grade school today will as adults take jobs that don’t exist today?” There are no easy answers, but Zeigler has some strong and persuasive opinions, born out of nearly four decades of in-the-trenches experience as a small-business founder. Naming the business school at Bloomsburg was not high on the list of motivations that inspired the Zeiglers to make the largest gift in the history of the university. “This part was difficult for us,” admits JoAnn. “I really believe in doing good things, in doing the right thing, and we’ve been blessed to be able to be generous. But both of us have a hard time with the notoriety, the fanfare.” The Zeiglers ultimately were convinced that adding their name to the business school would go a long way towards carving out a distinctive brand for Bloomsburg. Both Terry and JoAnn come from humble beginnings that mirror the background of many of today’s Bloomsburg students: middle-income, blue-collar families, a strong work ethic, and better than average performance in the classroom. Terry’s father never earned a high school diploma; he worked first as a plumber, then as a production scheduler in a factory. JoAnn’s dad also dropped out of high school, earned his high school equivalency certificate after World War II, took a few college courses, and eventually started his own business. They hope that the Zeigler name and the personal road they took to success — marked by relentless passion, discipline and determination — will influence future generations. Here’s a glimpse of what the Zeiglers and Dean Krug imagine for the college a decade from now and beyond: MORE INTEGRATED. Business students typically dive into a singular discipline – such as accounting, marketing, management or finance — a solitary approach that leads to narrow areas of expertise. “In today’s world, it’s critical to see how each business area is interconnected,” Terry notes. “The college is aware of these trends and is committed
HANDS-ON, ACTION-BASED. The Zeigler College of Business will provide students with increased opportunities for real-world learning. Terry and JoAnn’s gift will be used in part to support and expand much of what is at the heart of a Bloomsburg business education: internships, interactions with successful alumni, greater participation in start-up competitions, development of business plans, and other activities that impart practical skills and prepare students for leadership. NIMBLE AND ADAPTIVE. The pace of corporate change today is unyielding. Terry sees this daily in his own business, which develops and markets integrated point-of-sale payment systems — a complex process that plays out in a matter of seconds at virtually anywhere a consumer uses a credit card or makes an e-transaction. New threats are constant; think PayPal, Apple Pay, or Square. “If Visa or MasterCard sneezes tomorrow,” he says, “it can turn our world upside down.” “Change,” he adds, “is the name of the game, whether it’s the music industry, the publishing industry, the health care industry, you name it. Students who graduate from college today must stay enduringly relevant. They must be prepared to adapt, to be nimble and entrepreneurial, or they will not make it in the business world. My hope is that a Bloomsburg business education will increasingly train students to think like entrepreneurs and find solutions to tough problems.” One way to do this is by exposing students to the best practices of small businesses, a skill that will serve them in later years whether they work for a Fortune 500 company or a familyrun enterprise. “When you learn about small businesses — and let’s be clear, many of these students will work in small and family-run businesses, especially if they stay within a 50-
mile radius of campus — you learn everything there is to know about how a company is run,” he adds. “These are skills that will make Bloomsburg graduates instantly valuable to a company of any size. A small business/family business focus can be a powerful differentiator for BU.” LINKS THEORY TO PRACTICE. A portion of the Zeiglers’ gift will be allocated to support faculty and their professional development to ensure that Bloomsburg recruits and retains teachers who are always — here’s that word again—relevant. “Our hope,” according to Terry, “is that this investment will work to enhance faculty skills so that business education at Bloomsburg continually keeps up with the evolving needs of industry.”
A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY
In recent years, the Zeiglers have funded an endowed scholarship program at the university and announced a $1.67 million gift to establish the Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD). Hugely popular, ZIPD provides a comprehensive educational experience designed to build both personal and professional capacities, help students make informed career choices, and set them on a path toward success in the business world. Their latest gift is a continuation of their commitment to shape a new generation of business leaders. “Bloomsburg University is forever indebted to Terry and JoAnn Zeigler,” says President David L. Soltz. “Their vision for the Zeigler College of Business, their passion for providing opportunities for students from every walk of life to have access to an outstanding business education, and their tremendous generosity will have a lasting influence. I am thrilled that the first named college on our campus will carry the Zeigler name.” _____________________________________
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This story first appeared in the Winter 2017 issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine. Read more at: magazine.bloomu.edu
Photo: Eric Foster
Weaving Success SABRINA HUNSINGER ’93 WAS THE CONTROLLER FOR ONLY A YEAR AND A HALF AT MILCO INDUSTRIES, A FAMILYOWNED, BLOOMSBURG-BASED textile manufacturer, when retiring company president Lenny Comerchero asked if she wanted to take the reins. Beyond surprised, Hunsinger never imagined herself in the pivotal role, but she has grown expertly into the position since 2014. Now she finds herself bargaining with unions on wages and benefits and closing deals for six-digit equipment purchases. Hunsinger travels often to sun-soaked El Salvador where Milco has a plant where workers sew activewear — running pants, shorts and tops — for a variety of labels and major brands. Hailing from the Allentown area, Hunsinger earned her undergraduate degree in accounting and her master’s
degree in business administration at Bloomsburg in December 1997. This math whiz never imagined she would be jetting off from central Pennsylvania to Central America to a nation of coffee fields, orchids, sea turtles and abundant beaches. It’s quite an arc for a woman whose father was a truck driver and mother was a customer service representative, both of whom had never gone to college. A high school accounting class changed Sabrina’s career goal from teaching. She selected Bloomsburg largely because she knew it was “a very good school for business.’’ She liked the smaller class sizes and that her professors were always approachable and could relay real-life work experiences. A summer internship after her junior year at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom allowed her to work in the accounting office, preparing reports, doing bank
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — Page 4
reconciliations, and, as an added fringe benefit, riding the rides on lunch breaks. After earning her undergraduate degree, she worked for Bloomsburg Carpet Industries as a cost accountant from 1993 to 1997. She joined a certified public accounting company, earning her both her CPA in April 2000 and the trust of her clients. For her clients, Hunsinger was a trusted adviser who learned their business and found ways to grow the bottom line. From finding ways to save to increasing sales, Hunsinger concentrated on finding best practices that could help her clients. It was a perfect primer for one day stepping into a executive role herself.
Opposite page: Milco CEO Sabrina Hunsinger in the firm’s Bloomsburg textile plant. Above, workers assemble garments at Milco’s El Salvador plant.
“As an accountant, I was able to draw from the experiences of the businesses we worked with and see if there were lessons that could be passed on to help a number of clients,’’ she said. “I really enjoyed learning all the different facets of a variety of businesses and gaining the trust of my clients and having them look to me for advice.’’ Hunsinger joined Milco in March 2012, after responding to a blind ad in the newspaper for a controller for a local business. She didn’t know much else about them, other than they were a family-owned business. When Hunsinger applied to be the company’s new controller, her educational and professional background made her stand out most to Comerchero. It was clear from the start that she had a good grasp of business and was both driven and personable. Deciding to offer her the leadership role wasn’t hard either, he said. “I was looking for somebody who understood our business and was a quick study,” said Comerchero, adding that he felt he had a new leader in Hunsinger within her first 90 days. “She demonstrated a very quick grasp of our goals and what we were trying to accomplish and she won the trust of all the key people, and that was very important.’’ Among Husinger’s strengths is her ambition — which is a big positive — and the ability to assess situations. “Sabrina has the ability to look at a problem and understand what she doesn’t know and
As an accountant, I was able to draw from the experiences of businesses we worked with. learn and then execute a plan,’’ Comerchero said. “She is analytical and bright and she draws the proper conclusions.’’ Today, the company is just shy of $40 million in annual sales, with two divisions: Bloomsburg with 130 employees and El Salvador with 650 employees. In Bloomsburg, the company manufactures textiles. Some of their product line has medical uses, such as fabric for blood pressure cuffs and netting for hospital curtains, along with sunshade material for automobiles. They also supply the U.S. military with waterproof warmup clothing. Hunsinger works closely with the vice presidents of the textile and apparel divisions, and travels to El Salvador three or four times a year. “My goal is to exceed the highest government standards and to treat my employees with the utmost in fairness, to pay them the highest competitive wages and furnish them with the best health care coverage possible.”
Coming in to the scene as a controller focused on budget and employee costs, she now endeavors to transcend the money matters to build relationships with employees and be accessible. Hunsinger is the only woman in a high executive position at Milco, but she downplays the importance of that gender breakthrough. “I just feel that everyone respects me for what I can do. I don’t feel that it matters to them whether I’m a female or male; they respect what I do.’’ Hunsinger is also the first president to be from outside the family, though one owner’s son works in sales and marketing. As the mother of son, Austin, 18, and daughter, Sydney, 13, Hunsinger remembers fondly when she met her husband of 21 years, Tate, at a college party. “I’m happy with my education and Bloomsburg.” It is an education that catapulted her from central Pennsylvania to Central America, and is woven into the fabric of her international success.
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The Turnaround King EVEN WHEN JOHN M. SCOTT ’86 WAS A TEEN, HE DREAMED OF BEING FEATURED IN INC. MAGAZINE’S 5,000 FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES. HE HAS BEEN. TWICE. Scott, a nationally recognized corporate turnaround artist, is a true survivor. A Bucks County native who now lives in Chester Springs, he has taken companies from the brink of insolvency and taken himself from heart failure to healing.
Scott’s most recent turnaround, Graboyes Commercial Window Co. in Philadelphia, has been recognized as one of the region’s fastest growing businesses, and he was named “CFO of the Year” in 2009 by Philadelphia Business Journal in the “Turnaround” category. He successfully repositioned that flagging company by focusing on selling not just windows, but energy-savings. The proof of his success is reflected in the thousands of windows his company has installed at prominent buildings all across Center City Philadelphia. The company is now running a project with more windows than the Empire State Building — nearly 7,000 — proving indeed that Scott is the consummate “fixer.” Scott joined the struggling Graboyes Commercial Window Co. in 2006 as chief financial officer and became the owner in 2010. While the company had a strong
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entrepreneurial spirit, it was doing a poor job of managing the true cost of the jobs it was bidding on. Too many times a lack of control over job costs put projects in the red. “It was about breaking everything down and taking the costs to the individual project level and making sure we were profitable on each job,’’ Scott said. “With construction, every project is like a mini-business from start to finish.’’ Hailing from a family of engineers, Scott always showed an entrepreneurial spirit. As a child, he sold baseball cards, baked goods, candy and more to earn money, investing $5 to make $10. “I knew I wanted to study business in college, and a campus tour of Bloomsburg hooked me. The school’s distance from home and its affordability sealed the deal. Bloomsburg just seemed to be the right fit for me,” he said. “The professors knew my name ... that was valuable for me.” At Bloomsburg, Scott met his wife Tricia Metzger-Scott ’87 at a barn party. “Throughout my career, Tricia has been my teammate and rock.” Scott was a leader in the fraternity Sigma Iota Omega and many other campus organizations — posts that gave him the confidence to become “the beancounter” who ended up running the show in multiple companies. Immediately after earning his CPA in the early 1990s, Scott became controller at a fastgrowing distributor of premium pet products, but the company was already starting to be squeezed by mega stores like Petco and Petsmart. Feeling the increasing pressure in the changing marketplace, the owner asked Scott to become CFO and then president when he was only
a young twentysomething and to “take the steering wheel and help turn it around.’’ To cut sky-high overhead costs, he had to lay off people, cut pay, move to lower-cost facilities, and shut down product lines. But taking charge of a flailing company had its advantages. “If everything was going great, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity to lead.’’ In another year the advent of the internet could have allowed them to sell direct. But when the distribution channel changed, the company was forced to shut down, selling back the distribution routes to a division of ColgatePalmolive. “While not the happy ending I had hoped for, I realized that turnarounds were not as daunting as I thought. He reached Network Dynamics in 2000, another fast-growing, privately owned company that put phone and computer cabling into offices and buildings. With a mountain of debt and a tax burden from a buyout deal, by 2004 that venture was also crumbling. Scott left Network Dynamics, at age 40, to join with a veteran salesman in Ohio to launch Network 9. “Network 9 was really the first time I had to take money out of my pocket to invest as an owner, while earning no paycheck until profitability was achieved,” Scott said. “It was a huge leap to have skin in the game.” Scott sold his stake in the company and in 2006 began what is his latest and greatest turnaround: Graboyes. “This was a company that had been around 30 years, with a good reputation and customer base.” With Scott’s vision and experience, the company worked its way out of debt and established a profitable and highly specialized niche in the Philadelphia construction market. In February, the turnaround complete, Scott sold Graboyes to a private investment group.
Among the projects undertaken by Graboyes was Philadelphia’s Touraine building windows.
An unexpected health challenge put that theme to the test. In 1998, a biopsy done for chest pains discovered pulmonary sarcoidosis, a disease which attacks the body’s organs. Steroids appeared to help — he even completed a marathon in 2001 — but after collapsing in 2008 while playing basketball, Scott was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis, indicating that the disease had spread to his heart and damaged its muscle. He had a pacemaker implanted. “Part of the perseverance in my business life is that I have this going on as well. It makes you appreciate life a little more at times,’’ Scott said. “There have been a lot of hospital stays and my kids (three daughters and a son) had to visit and it’s tough. To me, it’s important that I’m around for their future.’’
“The theme of my life is perseverance.”
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Talk about leaving on a high note. When Kris Jenkins hit a spectacular buzzer-beater to clinch the NCAA
men’s basketball championship in 2016
for Villanova, the historic university on Philadelphia’s tony Main Line became the little school that could. The team’s near-flawless performance and grit
helped it edge out perennial powerhouse University of North Carolina and was
sweet validation for Coach Jay Wright, and the Bloomsburg graduate credited with hiring him.
Vince Nicastro graduated from
Bloomsburg in 1987, and served as
Villanova’s director of athletics from 2000 to 2015. He built a successful
Sports Authority career as the school’s director of athletics before being
focus is not always on the bottom line. It’s about the
for the Study of Sports Law at Villanova’s School of
that becomes a very fulfilling environment and paved
named associate director of the Jeffrey Moorad Center Law in June 2015. As an adjunct professor teaching sports law, he imparted lessons on everything from
concussion protocols and coaching salaries to handling sexual abuse allegations, transfer rights and antitrust actions.
“I like that the environment is different in higher education than in professional sports, in that the
education and development of young people and to me my way to a long career in college athletics.’’
Nicastro’s career trajectory took another leap when
he was appointed to the newly created post of deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the Big East Conference in New York City, beginning in
June 2016. He now oversees conference operations, including finances, marketing and sales under Big
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — Page 8
Intercollegiate athletics are more sophisticated now than ever. Those skills I learned at Bloomsburg and my MBA program are very relevant today. East Commissioner Val Ackerman, and alongside
But of course it was not only about the victories on
men’s basketball) and Tracy Ellis-Ward (associate
emphasized academics as well.
Stu Jackson (senior associate commissioner for commissioner for women’s basketball).
It is another professional slam dunk for the Bucks
County native who majored in business administration and accounting at BU. Athletics and accounting may seem like an unlikely match, but in the complicated
world of intercollegiate sports, business savvy is a must.
the field or court. Nicastro and the Villanova culture “The hardest part of the job were the people issues,
not the business issues. I often held college coaches’ and student-athletes’ futures in my hands. Or I had
to deliver bad news, dealing with players’ eligibility, a
coach’s job, or an athlete’s personal crisis that I had to help manage.”
In the days when few colleges had sports administration
Then came the opportunity to teach in the law school
were usually retired football coaches, but he opted to
life.
programs, Nicastro knew college sports administrators follow a path less taken.
“My original goal was to work in baseball. I landed an
internship working in Williamsport for a minor-league team, The Bills, in 1989. The internship became a full-
time job until the franchise was sold. I was hired by St. Joe’s in the fall of 1990 to handle ticketing, sales and
marketing and spent four years there earning my MBA as an added bonus.”
“Intercollegiate athletics are more sophisticated now
than ever. Those skills I learned at Bloomsburg and my MBA program are very relevant today.”
Nicastro started at Villanova in 1994 as director of
ticket operations and quickly earned a promotion to
director of athletics. His two key goals were to find the best and brightest coaches and to develop the finest training facilities for the teams.
He led the department through an impressive period at Villanova. The men’s basketball program appeared in
10 NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four in 2009. The Wildcats also won several national championships in football and women’s cross country. And then of course, there was that remarkable 2016 basketball victory over UNC.
at Villanova and find a measure of predictability in his “It was really refreshing to be able to do something
different but stay at Villanova and stay engaged in the world of college athletics but out of the day-to-day grind.”
Now, Nicastro organizes conference championships,
handles the business functions of the conference, and manages relations with Fox Sports, their exclusive
broadcast partner. He notes the rapidly changing sports and media landscapes.
“I am a big believer in sports enriching the scholastic
experience and leading student-athletes on the road to
self-discovery, if you can set aside the thorny litigation and consolidation issues that have complicated the game.”
“I have never had a grand plan,” Nicastro said. “I was just afforded these amazing opportunities at
these terrific places, terrific universities and terrific
organizations. I’ve been really blessed. It’s probably
exceeded my expectations with regard to where I am today.”
Nicastro and his wife, Liz, have twin boys, Jake and Casey, who will turn 16 in June. And yes, they play sports: football, track and field and basketball.
VISION: PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2016 — Page 9
Changing Society One Woman at a Time Lindsey Reynolds Willard ’09 thought she wanted to be an attorney when she came to Bloomsburg as a transfer from a too-big, too-overwhelming Penn State. Now she is seeing the law from an entirely different angle, as a mental health specialist behind the weighty locked doors and barbed wire fencing at the State Correctional Institution at Muncy. In working with female inmates with severe mental health issues, she is applying her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work to change society, one woman, one decision at a time. Initially, Willard was pursuing a degree in political science, but that changed after taking a course on social work taught by Dr. Ronnie J. Evans. “Just the opportunity to help people,” was a powerful lure. “I’ve always been a very accepting person, and I liked the idea that no matter what people have been through, there is always someone to help them. I wanted to be that someone.” Willard was so motivated that she loaded up on credits to finish college in three-and-ahalf years.
“I would never have thought I would work in corrections.” When she thought she botched her job interview at the all-women prison, she consoled herself by saying, “I never wanted to work in a jail anyway.” But then the job became hers, and the prison unlocked her heart.
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — Page 10
Photo: Eric Foster
She and fellow Bloomsburg grad, Morgan Karnes, were among the first social workers hired at Muncy.
I’ve always been a very accepting person, and I liked the idea that no matter what people have been through, there is always someone to help them. I wanted to be that someone. “Initially, I was terrified and for a few weeks I was terrified. But now I don’t think I’ll ever leave corrections.” Before the prison, she worked at Northumberland County Children and Youth Services, from 2010 to 2014. Willard started at Muncy in April 2014, about six months after her first child was born. She began in the reentry department, helping inmates preparing to be released and setting them up with the services they would need in the community, from drug and alcohol services and mental health counseling to medical assistance health insurance and prescription drug coverage. “In my current job as a psychology service specialist, I help inmates with the most severe mental illnesses with daily therapy and monthly treatment plans.” Frequently, the women suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder and have endured sexual abuse and other horrific trauma as children. Many witnessed criminality and dysfunctional relationships in their youth. For others, life-altering environmental factors are coupled with genetic ones. Willard works
with women with severe schizophrenia and deep-rooted, biologically-driven personality disorders. She talks with them one-on-one and works on such skills as hygiene, coping, communication and relationship-building. Willard teaches the women decision-making skills and urges them to make wise decisions, often tapping into a system of rewards and benefit-deprivation. “My job is never monotonous and I see inmates as being just like you and me. I think, ‘What led to that happening?’ and ‘Look how far they have come to this point,’ and ‘How can I help?” From a broad-based policy perspective, she embraces the new emphasis on mental health treatment in corrections, with the goal of getting inmates out of prison and transforming them into non-threatening, productive members of society. “I treat inmates with dignity and respect,” said Willard, who has gotten that treatment in return. Willard credits Bloomsburg’s social worker program with showing her all the opportunities that are available in the field and leading her to the path she is now on.
“I really like the student-to-professor ratio at Bloomsburg. You get to know your professors one-on-one. You’re not just a number. And there’s such a great sense of community.” That feeling is enduring in her work, and that of her fellow social workers, who are improving the prison community, the community at large, and the world community in countless ways. In working in the world of crime and punishment, she is helping many Pennsylvanians find healing, stability and redemption, and making the Commonwealth as safe, secure and welcoming as her beloved Bloomsburg campus and role models. ______________________________________ Bloomsburg now offers a Rehabilitation Justice Certificate program in which liberal arts faculty in humanities and social sciences will deliver courses to 30 incarcerated students at Muncy and Mahanoy State Correctional Institutions. Funded by the Second Chance Pell initiative, the program enables students to earn up to 24 credits.
The State Correctional Institution at Muncy as viewed from the sky.
VISION: PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2016 — Page 11
Brandon Shoop, ’17 music technology, working in a recording studio.
The Power of Experience From making sure the latest Eagles game
aptitude and assessment tests to help ensure
document their skills and achievements to
website to working in a New York recording
successful, lifelong career.
when competing for jobs against grads from
highlights are available on the team’s
studio with some of today’s biggest artists,
Bloomsburg students soak up valuable career experience long before graduation.
“Recent studies show that 93 percent of employers say they are looking for
demonstrable skills and competencies as
much as they are looking for college degrees,’’ said Lynda Michaels, assistant vice president for Alumni and Professional Engagement. “We make sure that students are getting
a great education at Bloomsburg and also developing the competencies and skills employers want to see.’’
From Day One, freshmen take career
students are in a major that will lead them to a
potential employers as well as an advantage
That’s followed by individual appointments
other schools.
students to begin planning out a range of
think and behave around their career and
with career counselors who work with
“We want to change the way students
experiences that include job shadowing, road
professional development — want them to
trips to employers in their field, intensive weekend-long career boot camps with
knowledgeable alumni, and internships.
Additionally, undergraduates have a unique opportunity to apply for school-funded
grants to do original research and projects — the kind of experience that is typically reserved for graduate-level students.
These experiences are noted on student
transcripts, giving Huskies a concrete way to
own it,’’ Michaels said. “We are different from other state schools in being really focused
on the best opportunities for our students
and leveraging our alumni network to make that happen. I don’t know of too many state schools that have a similar approach.’’ Here’s a look at how two Bloomsburg
students and two recent graduates landed
their dream internships and the impact the
experiences promise to have on their careers.
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — Page 12
Frankie Stokes ’15 Mass Communications
Frankie Stokes: Flying with the Eagles If you’ve ever pulled up the Philadelphia Eagles website to take another look at an amazing play, chances are it was posted by Frankie Stokes. Like many career breaks, the 2015 mass communications graduate’s break started with a mix of drive, determination and luck. After transferring to Bloomsburg as a sophomore, Stokes knew she had to start getting experience and began doing sports coverage for BUNow, the university’s student online news portal, where she rose to managing editor. While waitressing at home the summer before her senior year she met Jack Kapp, the uncle of Ari Bluestine, founder of The Sports Fan Base Network (SFBN), which covers Philly-area high school sports through online live streaming. They talked about her work at BUNow, where she interviewed coaches and athletes and helped put together a weekly radio show. At the end of their conversation, Kapp gave her Bluestine’s number and suggested she call him. “Fast forward to May, I graduated and didn’t have a job lined up so I called him and said ‘you have no idea who I am but I met your uncle a year ago and he asked me to call you.’ He brought me in for an interview and hired me as an intern for the year.’’
Stokes, who also interned with the university’s Sports Information Department, began reporting from the sideline for high school sporting events as well as on Varsity Voice, a high school sports talk show on Comcast Sports Net. Through SFBN, she covers West Chester University basketball. Still waitressing and looking for a full-time job, Stokes sent resumes to teams across the country and then a friend introduced her to the head of the Eagles digital content manager. When she showed up for her interview, she couldn’t believe that Eagles player Brian Dawkins, was in the office: “The day of my interview my favorite athlete of all times is standing there. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be ‘starstruck’ but I thought it was the icing on the cake, I walk into my dream job and my favorite person is standing off to the side.’’ Stokes worked with the Eagles until the end of the season and still covers games for SFBN. She recently joined the 610 AM Sports ESPN Radio family as the update anchor on the Rob Maaddi Show. “It can be a grueling schedule, but worth it. This has been a sacrifice year, especially financially, but that’s OK. I think it’s make it or break it and I just hope that I make it.’’
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Troy Cannon: Protect and Serve Troy Cannon was 12 years old when his father died of an asthma attack but the Bloomsburg senior never forgets the advice his dad repeated: “If you’re going to do something, go as far as you can and find something you are passionate about and would even do for free.’’ The Philadelphia-native was lost after his father passed and got into some minor trouble, which led to him to being enrolled in the Philadelphia Police Department Explorer Cadet Program. The program gave him an interest in law enforcement and started him thinking about the big picture: “Instead of protecting the city or state, why can’t I protect the nation and its president?’’
Troy Cannon ’17 Russian Language and Eastern European Studies/ International Relations
For Cannon, the war on terrorism and human/sex trafficking also shaped his career plan. He set his sights on one department where he believes he can help make a difference: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “I liked that they keep a low profile, and are humble and
Cailley Breckinridge: Telling the news on MTV As people turn to online sources for entertainment and news, MTV has followed and Bloomsburg grad Cailley Breckinridge is happily on the front lines.
covering Kylie Jenner’s 18th birthday and within a day we had over a million hits on our Facebook — it was crazy to me that it had that sort of reach.’’
Graduating in August with a BA in mass communications, Breckinridge embraced online news early-on and at Bloomsburg was managing editor of the school’s student online news portal, BUNow and president of Bloomsburg chapter of the National Broadcasting Society, where she helped produce stories with other students in schools across the country.
A month after her graduation in August, the break Breckinridge hoped for materialized – she was offered a contract to continue working as a production assistant for MTV News, working 40 hours a week.
Four months shy of earning her diploma and looking for a job or another internship that would hopefully lead to something more, Breckinridge applied online to Viacom Careers. She was offered a production internship at MTV News. For Breckinridge, who wanted to work in New York, it was hitting the jackpot. “I got to dabble in everything from preproduction, researching popular news stories, daily production shoots and studio shoots. Eventually I was creating my own scripts, video slide shows and 30-second clips of a news story that is trending right now,’’ she said. Usually, the segments were still shots put together in video format. “One of my best videos was
“What I learned at Bloomsburg helped me, especially classes in the analytics of social media, which I use at MTV News to find out what’s trending and deserving of more coverage.” On any given day Breckinridge is writing scripts, making one or two short videos, posting to MTV News’ social media sites and getting out the latest eye-catching headlines. Breckinridge, who lives with her fiancé in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, said her goal is to become a producer and one day have her own show. “In this industry, you have to know how to do everything,’’ she said. “The classes I took at Bloomsburg helped me stand out during my internship and they’re one of the reasons I was able to get hired right out of college.’’
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Callie Breckinridge ’16 Mass Communications
that while they may have some failures, they always come back stronger.” “In my own life, when I fail or have a setback, I don’t dwell on it but think about the future and how I can improve and be proactive instead of reactive.” To prepare himself, Cannon is majoring in Russian with a concentration on international relations. “I like that Russian is one of the hardest languages to learn and one that’s important to the government right now.’’ He also landed an internship last summer with U.S. Rep. Robert Brady, whose district covers Philadelphia. It gave him the chance to meet many agents from the Department of Homeland Security, including the uniform sections of the Secret Service, which protects
the White House complex. He also had the opportunity to briefly meet and have a picture taken with Speaker Paul Ryan, who also lost his father at a young age: “He had the same issue I had growing up and he still went after his goal.’’
smooth out the situation. Another time I had an opportunity to talk to Russians who were testifying at a hearing on their country’s move to stop Americans from adopting Russian children.”
As a Congressional intern, Cannon made it a point to attend as many briefings and hearings as he could. “I don’t have to know everything, but I try to know something about everything.’’ He’s especially proud of the certificate he received after attending a briefing series on China, which Congress hosts in partnership with the U.S.-Asia Institute.
Cannon is proceeding through the lengthy process to join one of Homeland Security’s agencies, which he hopes to complete at or near his December graduation. One thing for certain, Cannon will make the most of what opportunities come his way.
“My Russian skills came in handy. Once, a family couldn’t understand why they were not allowed to take pictures in a certain area of the White House and I was able to explain and
“Going to Bloomsburg or having the internship, it’s all up to the individual, you get out of it what you make of it. I’m going to pursue my goals, stay humble and pray and always put my foot out there to meet people, make connections and keep working.’’
Brandon Shoop ’17 Music Technology
Brandon Shoop: Making the beat go on Brandon Shoop points to John Mayer’s 2001 album Room for Squares as the inspiration for his career. The Bloomsburg senior had written songs and played violin in his elementary school orchestra, but the album made him see music differently. “I wanted to know how they get the sounds they did and why that album rang for me so much. That brought me to engineering as a whole — I love working a sound or a song and giving it that energy and magic that when people hear the song, it changes their lives.’’ Shoop created a sound studio in the basement of his Etters, Pennsylvania, home, starting when he was only in seventh grade. Over time he added monitors, a drum set and keyboards, learning on his own with the help of YouTube videos. Soon he transitioned from helping Harrisburg area musicians and bands for free to
being paid for his sound mixing services. “At Bloomsburg, I helped with the sound during school productions and then started sending out my resume to studios across the country. I couldn’t believe it when I heard back from New York-based Quad Recording Studios, which has worked with artists such as Sam Smith, Hillary Duff and Jay-Z.” Shoop interned at the studio for four months last summer, assisting in more than 40 recording sessions. “I’d done it many times as far as my own clients and smaller sessions, but never anything where a lot of money is on the line and speed is more important than ever.” One of Quad’s managers, Jeff Ramirez, especially helped and inspired him. “I loved it. It was very challenging at first and I made
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mistakes, but it made me a better engineer than I was eight hours before the session started.’’ Among the artists he worked with were rappers 2 Chainz and Jadakiss and singer Faith Evans. In addition to helping with the soundboard, Shoop made sure all the equipment was in place and the mood was right – down to the right candles on occasion. “Artists can’t always work under conditions they are not used to, so everything needs to be right.’’ Today, Shoop goes to Quad on weekends and finds himself in more demand with local musicians. His goal is to move to New York and work out of a commercial studio. “I want to make good music. You can write a song and make a fantastic song, but if your mix is bad, nine times out of 10, the listeners will have a bad perception of the song.’’
The perfect cup of coffee For former investment manager Mary Metallo Tellie, the first step on her new career path began with a simple goal: Getting a good cup of coffee in Scranton. But the founder of the Electric City Roasting Company didn’t always recognize her passion for a good cup of joe. Early in her career, the 1987 Bloomsburg grad with a bachelors in business administration and concentration in finance had her sights set on banking. She succeeded, working for a succession of banks and then in 2001 landing a job with a San Francisco money management firm, handling the investments for high net-worth clients up and down the East Coast. “I was a classic banker; I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and consuming significant amounts of coffee, but I knew nothing about the taste or anything that went into it.’’ But on a visit to the San Francisco office she had “an amazing cup of coffee’’ at a store and that planted a seed. Shortly after, in 2001, she retired from the money management firm to be able to spend more time with her husband at their home outside Scranton, and immediately started getting bored. Unhappy with the coffee available in Scranton, Tellie had been getting friends in San Francisco to send her beans. One day the self-described “tinkerer’’ went online to see how coffee was made and, after seeing green beans were shipped in and roasted here, she decided to try it. “I saw I could get a heat gun, a little more powerful than a hair dryer, and create a metal funnel and put the green coffee beans into it and roast it with this hot air gun. It could only make a little over an ounce at a time.” Experimenting in her basement, she soon began giving moms coffee at her 7-year-old stepson’s basketball games, but the idea for a business didn’t strike until the time she didn’t have coffee to bring and people asked her about it. Mary made a batch and left it on her porch for people to pick up and when she returned home the coffee was gone and someone had left $15. “Getting that $15 was one of the proudest days of my life, my whole life changed. I carried that $15 around and said ‘baby this is it, maybe I’ll start a business.’’ In 2004, Mary bought a small candy store near her home. She also ditched the heat gun and bought a roaster able to crank out about 20 pounds of coffee daily. She put the coffee roaster in the front to show it off, but soon found out it was too loud and dirty. A year later she had the opportunity to go to Panama and meet a coffee grower her husband’s friend knew — and who had just been voted as having the world’s best coffee. Mary went to a coffee tasting (similar to a wine tasting) and came away with a deal to buy a “bag’’ of green, raw coffee — 150 pounds. Soon she was visiting coffee farms every year and was certified as a coffee taster.
“The important thing is finding great coffee beans and tinkering with the mix and the roasting to get the perfect blend. She sold the café and became a certified coffee expert. Today, Electric City Roasting Company features tasting labs and courses on coffee making — and an important message about ensuring the coffee farmers around the world are fairly paid, which she calls “sustainability.’’ Electric City Roasting annually roasts about 90,000 pounds of coffee and in addition to having a growing online sales trade its products are for sale in Wegmans and Weis Markets, and sells directly to a number of restaurants, coffee shops and restaurant distributors. Mary admits that she was lucky and had the financial resources. “If I had planned it out on one of my spreadsheets, I’m not sure I would have moved forward.” And that, she says, would have been a mistake. “Find out what you are most passionate about and if your passion is economically viable and you really love it and believe in it, then you should go for it. Knowing what I know now, all of that would have been missed if I just listened to the spreadsheets.” __________________________________________________________ This story first appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine. Read more at: magazine.bloomu.edu
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Board of Governors State System of Higher Education Cynthia D. Shapira, Chair David M. Maser, Vice Chair Aaron A. Walton, Vice Chair Ryan P. Aument Matthew E. Baker Audrey F. Bronson Sarah Galbally Michael K. Hanna Donald Houser Jonathan B. Mack Barbara McIlvaine Smith Daniel P. Meuser
Thomas Muller Guido M. Pichini Pedro A. Rivera Judy Schwank Harold C. Shields Tom Wolf Chancellor, State System of Higher Education Frank T. Brogan
Council of Trustees, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Patrick Wilson ’91, Chair Judge Mary Jane Bowes, Vice Chair Nancy Vasta ’97/’98M, Secretary Ramona H. Alley Robert Dampman ’65 Ed G. Edwards ’73 Joseph J. Mowad ’08H, M.D.
TEXT: JACK SHERZER/MESSAGE PROSE DESIGN: ERIC FOSTER
Katherine D. Mullen, Student Brian O’Donnell ’87M Charles E. Schlegel Jr. ’60 Secretary of Corrections John E. Wetzel ’98 Frank T. Brogan, Chancellor, Ex Officio
Bloomsburg University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies.
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