Centralight Fall 2019, Central Michigan University

Centralight CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY | ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Spread the love Alumni are some of our best recruiters for a new generation of CMU Chippewas

FALL 2019

Centralight Fall 2019

+ FEATURES On the cover

Do you get a warm feeling inside when you see our beautiful campus? We do too. Homecoming is the perfect opportunity to return for a visit to reconnect with those feelings.

PHOTO BY STEVE

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Enrollment in colleges and universities across the country is down. But there are ways CMU alumni can help recruit the next generation of Chippewas.

Gaia Herrick was worried there wouldn’t be a place for her in marching band because she uses a wheelchair.

Two CMU alumni proved her wrong.

CMU needs you

Marching for inclusion

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A whole new look for CMU football The new scoreboard and facilities at Kelly/Shorts Stadium are just part of the big changes for Central’s football team. New head coach Jim McElwain begins his first season leading the program, bringing expertise from his time at Florida and Alabama.

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Executive Editor and Executive Director of Alumni Relations Marcie Otteman, ’87 Editor

Betsy Miner-Swartz, ’86 Managing Editor

Robin Miner-Swartz Graphic Designer Erin Rivard, ’07, MBA ’16 Photographer

Steve Jessmore, ’81

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Alumni in the performing arts spotlight

Writers

Cynthia Drake, M.A. ’08 Terri Finch Hamilton, ‘83 Erick Fredendall, ‘18 Andy Sneddon Research Associate Bryan Whitledge Editorial Assistants Vicki Begres, ’89; Lori Conroy Interim Vice President for Advancement Michael Alford Interim Associate Vice President of University Communications Heather Smith, ’02, M.S.A. ‘11 For advertising information Call Cindy Jacobs, ’93 (800) 358-6903

Stay connected Send change of address information to: Alumni Relations Carlin Alumni House Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

We introduce you to six CMU alumni who turned the talent they honed at Central into big-time careers, from stage to screen to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Phone: (800) 358-6903 Fax: (989) 774-7159 Email: alumni@cmich.edu Web: cmich.edu/alumni/Centralight

+ DEPARTMENTS 3 Calendar of events There are many opportunities to connect with fellow CMU Chippewas.

20 Big Picture There’s nothing more beautiful than our campus in the fall.

4 CMU Today CMU softball coach Margo Jonker and women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara retire after stellar careers.

23 Homecoming Schedule Feeling nostalgic? Come back to campus for the ultimate homecoming celebration!

12 Jobs before graduation That first job out of college is important.

For these students, they had offers secured before they had diplomas.

36 Alumni News Three proud CMU Chippewas join the Board of Trustees.

38 In Memory 40 Do You Remember

Body contains 30% post-consumer waste

Centralight is published three times each year by the Central Michigan University Office of Alumni Relations. It is printed by Quad/Graphics, Midland, and entered at the Midland Post Office under nonprofit mailing. CMU, an AA/ EO institution, provides equal opportunity to all persons, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities (see cmich.edu/ocrie). Copies of Centralight are distributed to alumni and friends of the university who are paid Gold Members or donors to CMU. A virtual edition of the magazine is available free online at alumni.cmich.edu/centralight. UComm 10057–24,000+ (8/19)

Centralight Fall Fall’19 ’19 Centralight

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Your

DENty GOLOpportuni MEMORIES and FRIENDS

The

you share with your alma mater didn’t end with graduation.

Continue to make new ones!

Become a

Gold Member of the CMU Alumni Association today! cmich.edu/alumni

Keep the old, and bring the

GOLD!

CMU is an AA/EO institution, providing equal opportunity to all persons, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities (see cmich.edu/ocrie). UComm 9794 - 2017

RECRUITING IS UP TO EVERYONE You can help grow our network of Chippewas

I’d like you to meet my friends Henry (left) and Leo, CMU class of 2036.

They’re best buds and the sons of four CMU alumni.

Their moms met here at Central, joined Alpha Chi Omega together, lived together and were in each other’s weddings.

They’re raising Henry and Leo to be Chippewas.

I often meet families with similar stories: Their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins plan to attend CMU or were recruited by family or friends to consider Central.

Marcie Otteman, ’87, Executive Director of Alumni Relations

Knowing this happens with regularity, Centralight’s editorial team wondered, “What does that say about our alumni and the work they do as ambassadors for CMU?” We decided to answer that question in this issue of Centralight.

I sat down with President Robert O. Davies and Lee Furbeck, executive director of admissions, to ask on your behalf, “What do you want our alumni to know about enrollment, and what message do you want them to share?”

You’ll see their answers on Pages 8-11, where you’ll learn why recruitment is a challenge, and why we need your help.

You’ll also read about some alumni with impressive and successful performing arts jobs in places such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Interlochen Arts Academy, and even on Broadway.

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CMU Alumni and Friends Miami Tailgate, Miami Gardens, Florida

OCTOBER

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Homecoming festivities and 50-year reunion: Class of 1969, Mount Pleasant campus

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CMU alumni weekend, Mackinac Island

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CM Life centennial celebration, Mount Pleasant campus

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CMU at Ford Field for the Detroit Lions vs.

Dallas Cowboys, Detroit

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And we’re excited to share an inspiring story about a member of the Marching Chips who is thriving at CMU because her high school band director – a proud Chippewa – knew how to include someone with muscular dystrophy in the school’s marching line up.

Fired Up Forever,

SEPTEMBER

NOVEMBER

And then there’s homecoming.

We’ll introduce you to two outstanding women who will serve as our grand marshals, along with CMU’s new head football coach.

It’s fall. The students and faculty are here again; the air is crisp; and we’re headed into another year of learning, friendship, community and celebration. Come back for a visit and fall in love with your campus all over again.

+ CALENDAR

CMU at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Detroit

DECEMBER DO YOU HAVE A STORY? We are seeking information regarding personal experiences from the CMU Lab School (1960-72) or College Elementary School (1933-1959) or Normal Training School (1903-1933) which served the CMU campus and Mount Pleasant area. If you attended the school as a student, student teacher, faculty or staff member, please contact us at alumni.cmich.edu

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Fourth annual CMU alumni at Great Wolf Lodge, Traverse City This is a small sampling of the many alumni events. Please visit alumni.cmich.edu for a comprehensive list.

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CMU TODAY Legendary Central Michigan coaches retire after a pair of outstanding careers Guevara was winningest in CMU women’s basketball history

Softball’s Jonker: ‘It has been an amazing 40 seasons’

Sue Guevara led the CMU women’s basketball program to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2018. She was named Kay Yow National Coach of the Year in 2018. She was MAC Coach of the Year three times.

After an incredible 40-season run, Central Michigan softball coach Margo Jonker quietly retired in June.

And, after 12 years as head coach, Guevara said, “It’s time.”

“I have been leaning this way since the end of the season but wanted to separate myself from it a little bit to see if I felt the same way, and I do,” she said in July. “I love Central Michigan so much – everything about it. … Hopefully, I did CMU proud because I gave it everything I had over the past 12 years and loved every second of it.”

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In her dozen years at CMU, Guevara posted a 231-156 record and is the winningest head coach in program history.

That’s fifth all-time in the Mid-American Conference.

Sue Guevara cut down the nets after the 2017-18 women’s basketball team’s historic 17-1 conference season at McGuirk Arena.

Guevara’s coaching career spanned 39 seasons including seven as the head coach at the University of Michigan. Heather Oesterle was named the new CMU women’s basketball coach. She’s been on Guevara’s staff for nine years.

With 1,268 wins, Jonker is ninth on the Division I list in career wins. Her 1982 team set a Mid-American Conference record with 51 wins and finished fourth at the AIAW national championships. In 1987, Central Michigan finished fifth at the Women’s College World Series.

CMU named its softball complex in honor of Jonker during the 2008 season.

“It has been an amazing 40 seasons, and I will really miss working with these fantastic student-athletes, but it is time for me to step aside,” Jonker said in a statement.

CMU softball coach Margo Jonker high fives players in the dugout.

“It is never easy to leave something you love, but I am so thankful to have so many amazing memories.”

Jonker, M.A. ’82, said everything accomplished during her time at CMU was because of the young women who came through the program.

Jonker was the MAC coach of the year 10 times and a regional coach of the year three times. She is a member of five halls of fame, including the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Jonker also was an assistant coach for the 2000 gold medal-winning team at the Sydney Olympics and the 1998 gold medal-winning team at the World Championships in Japan. •

CMU, Covenant HealthCare forge long-term partnership for medical education, research A new 25-year affiliation agreement between the Central Michigan University College of Medicine and Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw will strengthen their collective support of medical student education and research.

Through the agreement, CMU medical students will continue to complete clinical rotations at Covenant under the supervision of physicians who serve as CMU faculty members. It also increases opportunities for clinical research on public and community health issues prominent in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

“Covenant is a regional leader for health care and an important partner to Central Michigan University for medical education and training,” said Dr. George Kikano, vice president of health affairs and dean of the CMU College of Medicine.

“By cementing our long-term relationship with Covenant, communities and residents across our region and beyond will benefit from improved access to health care as we fill the critical need for medical professionals.” • 4

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CMU launches online nursing degree

Challenging childhood trauma

RN-to-BSN program helps registered nurses achieve a degree in one year

Future educators are positioned to help students cope, head off health crisis

Central Michigan University’s new online nursing degree program launched this fall, allowing registered nurses to complete their bachelor’s degree in one year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the demand for nurses will grow 15% by 2026, making it one of the nation’s fastestgrowing career fields.

Kechi Iheduru-Anderson, CMU’s director of nursing, said a nationwide nursing shortage is creating high demand for well-trained, highly skilled nurses in Michigan and beyond. And for nurses hoping to secure great jobs with hospitals or health care systems, a bachelor’s degree is often required.

“Several studies have shown that nurses with greater levels of education experience lower patient mortality rates and better patient outcomes,” she said.

The online-only program is for students who have an active RN license. Students can complete their degree in 12 months or less, Iheduru-Anderson said. •

Provost has a coach’s eye for winning strategies Mary Schutten is CMU’s new executive vice president and provost. She is responsible for all undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as for supporting faculty and student research and creative endeavors.

“My role is to serve as a partner for faculty and students as we work to achieve the university’s goals,” she said.

Schutten began her career teaching math, German and physical education. She’s been a coach for collegiate-level sports including volleyball, softball, swimming and diving, and she was an official with Special Olympics in several cities.

It’s simple: Stress is bad for kids.

Alison Arnold, a College of Medicine staff member and director of CMU’s Interdisciplinary Center for Community Health and Wellness, said that, with common wisdom and 20-plus years of science, we know experiences in the formative years shape bodies and brains for a lifetime.

What to do about it? That’s complicated.

Teachers educated at CMU will be part of the solution.

Were you abused as a child? Did your parents separate? Did someone in your household go to jail?

Those are examples of ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences. The more ACEs a person has before age 18, the more likely he or she will struggle in school and have lifelong health effects.

To make a difference, schools and teachers are taking a “trauma-informed” approach to address how ACEs drive classroom behaviors.

“It’s really the shift from ‘What’s wrong with this student?’ to ‘What is happening with this student?’” Arnold said.

Teacher education isn’t the only field of study at CMU focusing on childhood trauma and its health effects.

ACEs also play key roles in medicine and psychology.

“Over the past year, four faculty physicians in pediatrics and psychiatry specialty areas also have become Michigan ACEs master trainers,” Arnold said. “These teaching faculty are incorporating trauma-informed approaches in their own practice and are working with medical students and residents.” •

Schutten’s coaching role gave her many leadership tools.

“In sports there are always rules, and you have to use those rules to create your strategy. In higher education there are budgets, and they are always tight. But there are myriad strategies possible within those constraints,” she said.

“That is where I am an ‘artist,’ always creating solutions.”

About eight years ago, she participated in a site review of CMU’s physical education program. She was impressed by the breadth of leadership programming CMU offers and the ways students use those skills to serve the community.

“We truly have the power to transform Michigan,” she said. •

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hine s l a r t n e C an helpBY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83 c i n m u l a ; ntense i s i g n i t i u cr College re

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Do you know the best things about CMU? If you’re like a lot of alumni, you probably need to brush up.

“As a community, we’re modest,” said Kevin Williams, senior associate director of admissions. “We don’t like to brag. We expect people to know how great we are.

We can’t do that anymore.”

Competition to recruit students is intense today, so it’s time to let the world know what CMU is like, what you experienced here and about the programs that make Central a leader.

It’s time to start bragging.

In CMU’s marketing department, Abby Dean said alumni (that’s you) are a golden recruitment tool – but it’s crucial to know what’s happening at CMU today.

“As incredible as we thought CMU was when we attended, we’ve continued to lead in so many areas,” said Dean, ’01, director of integrated marketing. “There’s a lot to be proud of about our alma mater.”

10 IMPRESSIVE THINGS you should brag about on behalf of your alma mater: 1. A SENSE OF BELONGING

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“If you attended Central in the 1970s, you saw a lot of open fields,” Williams said. “Mission Street ended a couple blocks beyond the university. Now, when you roll into town, it’s the quintessential college town. The entire community welcomes our students.”

2. JOBS

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Thousands of employers recruit students through CMU Career Services each year. CMU students are sought for their work ethic and ability to create and maintain healthy and productive team environments. On the day of graduation, 92% of students have employment and/or have been accepted into graduate school. For example, the job placement rate for CMU physical therapy graduates is 100%.

3. RESEARCH

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CMU students can conduct research as early as their freshman year on topics such as inexpensive ways to test drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (See Page 4), cancer treatments and using viruses to aid in stroke recovery.

4. REAL-DEAL INSTRUCTORS We don’t believe in graduate students teaching classes, as so many other schools do.

More than 95% of our classes are taught by faculty, and more than three-quarters of those have a Ph.D. Many of our faculty have direct connections to alumni and leaders in the field; they’re actively involved in helping students secure internships and jobs.

7. CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION CMU is among only 5% of U.S. universities in the highest two Carnegie research classifications. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the country.

The Department of Education and U.S. News and World Report, among others, rely on Carnegie classifications for rankings and grant eligibility.

8. BUILD A BUSINESS

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CMU’s summer accelerator helps student entrepreneurs take their business from concept to startup by pairing them with experts in business development including finance, legal and technical support.

9. POINTS OF PRIDE They span nearly every career path. Here’s just a sample: • The Michigan Association of Broadcasters has named CMU’s TV station College Television Station of the Year for an unprecedented 17 consecutive years.

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CMU is the leader in Great Lakes research, providing unique academic opportunities and increased sustainability for the world’s largest supply of fresh water. CMU manages a $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for Great Lakes research.

• CMU is the first public university in the Midwest with a MakerBot Innovation Center, a large-scale LEARN MORE LEARN MORE 3D printing facility that focuses on arts, fashion 5. LEARN TO LEAD design and human services.

All CMU students have access to the nation’s most robust leadership programming through our Sarah R. Opperman • Students and faculty in the College of Liberal Leadership Institute.

Arts and Social Sciences regularly partner with organizations around the globe to provide Freshmen can move in a week early and join 2,000 new expertise and hands-on volunteer help to address friends at Leadership Safari, one of the top programs issues such as sustainability, social justice, and of its kind in the nation. historical and cultural preservation.

6. ONE IN FIVE CMU STUDENTS IS MULTICULTURAL

As of Fall 2018, the CMU student body represents 82 of 83 counties in Michigan, 45 of the 50 states in the country and 29 nations globally.

10. IT FEELS LIKE HOME “Students come because it feels like home,” Williams said.

“Then they end up finding their passion here.” > Centralight Fall ’19

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CMU President Robert O. Davies sat down with Marcie Otteman, executive director of alumni relations, to talk about enrollment challenges facing colleges and universities across the country and how you can help.

Marcie Otteman: Enrollment has been part of the conversation since the moment you stepped onto campus. Last fall, you sent an email to the campus community about how it’s everybody’s job to help grow enrollment.

Robert Davies: That conversation started even before I was on campus. Nearly every public and many private colleges and universities are talking about enrollment. Our business model is driven by our ability to recruit, retain and graduate students.

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We are in a very competitive market for a pool of students that has decreased over the past 10 to 15 years, especially in key states like Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

So, as population is shrinking, you’ve got increased competition for the best students. Higher education also is inverse to economic fluctuations. As the economy declines, enrollment in higher ed increases; as the economy increases, more people are working and enrollment decreases.

MO: A lot of our alumni remember freshman classes of 3,800 students or more. Last year’s class was about 2,700. What are some of the ways CMU is working to build that up?

RD: We’re recruiting more aggressively in the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas. We need to get a lot more aggressive in the contiguous states surrounding Michigan, penetrate some of those key markets.

This fall’s freshman class will be slightly smaller than last year’s, but the good news is – at least our early results are showing – we’ve gained market share in Wayne and Macomb counties, and we’ve made great strides in Grand Rapids.

We’re doing a great job of recapturing some of the marketplace in our home territory – Isabella County, Midland County, Gratiot County. I feel good about that, but there’s a long way to go.

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MO: In many of those markets you’ve highlighted, we have a significant alumni base. A lot of recent grads, especially, have moved to those areas. What do you want our alumni to know so they can promote CMU to prospective students?

RD: The message I’d give our alumni is Central Michigan University is growing and maintaining its academic rigor, relevance and excellence. Our alumni need to understand that, depending on when they graduated, we might be a little bit different of a university, but we still fundamentally care about student success. We care about the personal attention our faculty and staff give to our students. We are a national leading research university, and many times when that moniker hits a university, they lose track of students, especially at the undergraduate level.

At CMU, our students are doing research with faculty, and they’re publishing their materials with them. They’re presenting at international conferences.

We have a 19-year-old young woman from a small town in Pennsylvania doing cancer research. That’s just absolutely phenomenal, and it’s just one example.

MO: And when students graduate, they’re already on the path to success.

RD: On the day of graduation, 92% of our students either have employment and/or have been accepted into graduate school. That is a phenomenal number. [See examples of some of those recent alumni on Pages 12-13.]

the affordability, to understand the options, that the last resort is to take on student debt. Over 90% of our students receive financial aid – scholarships, grants, federal, state, institutional funds. We’ve provided some amazing opportunities for our students to afford the higher education experience.

MO: Another area parents are interested in is safety on campus.

RD: We’re a safe campus. We’re 21,000 students, 3,000-plus faculty and staff. We’re a city. Things happen on our campus. I’ll be the first to admit that. But we have a police staff that’s committed to serving students, to making sure that our faculty, staff, students and visitors are safe.

But they also focus on making sure the students are able to make good decisions. When mistakes are made, they’re there to help them, support them, have them learn, hold them accountable, but in a manner that’s not going to derail their efforts, while still maintaining a safe campus environment.

MO: So, what is your message to our alumni?

RD: We check all the important boxes families are looking for. We need our alumni to think about how they can assist in our recruiting efforts. Recommend students to us – that’s more valuable than any ad we can run.

Students have a lot of options, and the competition is intense. The CMU way is about putting students first and foremost. We provide them the resources to be successful, and that’s one of the most important things our alumni can talk to potential students about.

If they want to host a gathering of potential students in their community to talk about how CMU helped them, we can support that. Our alumni ambassador program is a key component of our recruiting, and they can help right where they are. It’s a great network of alumni we have across the country. Our goal is to have an alumni ambassador in every state.

MO: The Chippewa network is such an important feature. As an alum, I feel it’s part of my obligation to give back, to help those coming up behind me. That especially helps with recruitment in the workplace.

RD: Why limit Fire Up Fridays to campus? Imagine if all our graduates, wherever they are, wore maroon and gold on Fridays, had a CMU flag or lapel pin, and talked about CMU to their co-workers?

When students and parents ask, “When I go to this university, will I be able to get a job?” The answer is absolutely yes.

We should be fired up about where we went to school and want to share it with others. That feeds our recruitment efforts. We’ve got a lot of success to build upon, a great foundation of an excellent university.

When they ask, “Will I be able to afford it?” Our average debt per student when they graduate is well below the national average. Most of our students do not graduate with significant debt. We want students to understand

Sure, there are things we can do better, and we’re working on those, but I think that’s also an indication of the level of commitment that’s wonderful about this university. It’s always learning, changing and evolving. >

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Lee Furbeck, CMU’s executive director of admissions, talked with Marcie Otteman about Central’s recruiting efforts in a challenging market.

Marcie Otteman: So many of our alumni are far removed from their college experience. Can you share some of the things going on in higher education right now?

Lee Furbeck: In the world of admissions and enrollment, what we’re seeing most is increased competition. When you have fewer students in the market for whatever reason, the pool is already smaller.

There are fewer students graduating from high school, particularly in the Midwest.

Enrollment at community colleges has plummeted, so there are fewer transfer students coming in.

For potential groups, such as returning adults or graduate students, they can find jobs right now, so they’re not enrolling in universities.

MO: It’s so different than what we saw back in the ‘80s and ‘90s when there was a swell of people going to college.

LF: And that’s particularly pronounced in the Midwest. Because there are fewer students, everybody has ramped up their recruiting game. Looking at the state of Michigan specifically, some institutions are sending eight or 10 expensive print pieces to a student who hasn’t ever expressed interest in that school.

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My daughter just went through the college search process, so I saw a lot of that mail at my house. I would pick up some of those pieces, and I would guess that one cost about $5 to produce and mail, and she’d never even heard of the school.

And when you look at efforts in larger metro areas like Chicago, there are more than 100 regional recruiters for schools based there just trying to attract students from Illinois.

MO: What can our alumni do to promote CMU in their communities and networks?

LF: Students looking at college today have a different perspective than a few years ago. They may be looking at the cost of higher education and wondering if a college degree is even worth it.

It’s OK to tell prospective students you had fun in school, but you don’t want the message to be that kids are going to go off and have a good time for four years and not get anything out of it. It’s all about the outcomes. Talk about the things that mattered to you on campus. Those relationships in the classroom, the faculty who helped you. The extracurricular opportunities that helped you gain experience and skills you now use in your career.

MO: What does your office do throughout the year that our alumni should know about?

LF: We recently joined the Common Application. It’s a way for prospective students to apply to more than 800 colleges and universities around the world with one online application. High school counselors can upload one transcript and send it to multiple schools. This is a good option, and first-year students applying to CMU began using it Aug. 1. It was a great kickoff for the whole recruiting cycle.

MO: Your admissions work runs on the school-year cycle, so what else do you and your team do?

LF: In July, we host College Days, targeting rising incoming high school seniors. It gives prospective students the chance to meet faculty and current students. Then, when the school year begins, our team hits the road.

They travel their recruiting territory for weeks at a time, meeting with high school seniors, encouraging them to apply, walking them through the application process. In some cases, the student can apply, and the recruiter can admit them on-site if we’re hosting a special event.

MO: In the midst of all that, you’re hosting your annual CMU & You Day on campus.

LF: That’s a great opportunity for prospective students and their families to get a good overview of our campus.

This year, it’s planned for Oct. 5, which is a home football Saturday.

There are campus tours; a community and student service fair; tickets to the game against Eastern Michigan; and presentations on the admissions process and life on campus, financial aid or how to transfer from another institution.

MO: You mentioned financial aid.

Beyond finding a school that’s the right fit academically, what kind of opportunities are available to help students pay for school?

What do families need to know about financial aid options?

LF: I always recommend – whether or not a student thinks they’ll be eligible for grants or student loans – that they fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. From the FAFSA, the government will calculate the family’s EFC or expected family contribution to the student’s education.

The amount the student qualifies for is based on many factors including income, the size of the family, the student’s year in school and whether there are multiple family members attending college.

MO: It sounds as though navigating the financial process has gotten a bit more complex.

LF: When a family gets their financial award information telling them how much of the cost they’re responsible for, that’s the best time to sit down with someone from the school to explain everything.

Every school does that information a little differently, and it can be confusing. Our admissions counselors can help with that.

Also, you never need to pay for a scholarship search service. There are plenty of free ones out there; Fastweb.com is my

MO: So, the message is: Start early, spend your time with it, don’t wait until the end and seek out those free services. And you can always talk to our admissions office.

LF: Yes. College is an investment in you, in your future, in your earning power.

It’s an important choice. I know we have an incredibly caring community here. Our students and staff look out for one another. Our faculty care about students’ well-being.

I’ve had students say to me, “This is a very different experience than what my friend is experiencing at their school.” That’s important. A student shared with me that they’d missed class a couple of times and done poorly on a test, and five different people – staff, student assistants – called just to check up on them and make sure they were doing OK. MO: As a parent, I want that for my child.

LF: Absolutely.

MO: How important is it for prospective students to talk with current students to learn about their experiences?

LF: It’s certainly important, but they like to hear from recent alumni too.

It’s hard for them to picture themselves as an alum who’s the CEO of a large company – although it’s great to hear from those folks too.

But when I really see prospective students light up is when they’re hearing from someone who’s early-career and experiencing some success, looking back at their time at CMU, talking about classes and student activities they did. That’s powerful for a student who’s getting ready to be a freshman. They can see themselves as that person.

MO: So, circling back, yes, enrollment is down, but that’s happening everywhere. And we’re working hard to attract new students.

LF: We are far from the only institution experiencing this. But with the help of our alumni network – and our alumni ambassadors helping with recruiting – we can make sure there’s always a new generation of CMU Chippewas. •

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LF: The beginning of the school year is prime travel season. They could be visiting four or five high schools and then hosting a table at a college fair that night. It takes a very special person to be able to keep up with that schedule.

By the time Thanksgiving hits, most of that has wound down.

favorite. Some students look at those and they think, “I don’t want to write an essay for $500.” Look at it this way: How long does it take you to write that essay?

An hour? Would you like to get paid $500 an hour? I would!

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MO: It sounds like your team has a busy schedule.

Ready to share your

CENTRAL PRIDE?

The Admissions Alumni Ambassador program is supported by CMU graduates who volunteer their time to help the CMU Admissions Office with recruitment efforts outside of Michigan.

Admissions Alumni Ambassadors commit to two to four events a year in the area where they live. Representing CMU at national and local college fairs and writing postcards to newly admitted students are some of the ways alumni help recruit new Chippewas.

CMU has Alumni Ambassadors in Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin and Maryland. The admissions team is looking to expand alumni representation in the following areas: • • • • • • • •

Milwaukee/Racine, Wisconsin Chicago, Illinois Indianapolis, Indiana Northwest Indiana Fort Wayne, Indiana Columbus, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Toledo, Ohio

The application is available at cmich.ly/alumniambassadors.

An online training is required.

Questions? Contact Amy Hauenstein, associate director of out-of-state recruitment and alumni engagement, at (224) 227-0356 or hauen1ak@cmich.edu.

Centralight Fall ’19 11 Centralight Fall ’19 11

STRAIGHT to work Two recent CMU alumni had job offers before they had their diplomas

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

Remember that nerve-wracking, sweaty-palmed wait for a job offer after graduation?

Carlee Williamson doesn’t. Neither does Anna Harrington.

Both secured job months before they graduated because national companies sought them out and asked them to apply.

They made themselves marketable, they said, by the choices they made at Central.

CARLEE Williamson

Williamson, ’19, is a professional recruiter at the Grand Rapids office of Insight Global, a national staffing agency based in Atlanta.

The public relations major and sales minor interviews people all over the country to help them get jobs.

“Every day is really fulfilling,” Williamson said.

“They trust me with their stories. Maybe they were laid off, or they came here from another country to get their master’s degree. It actually makes me emotional. It’s awesome.”

Harrington, ’19, is an area manager at online shopping giant Amazon, supervising associates at the Amazon fulfillment center in Romulus, near Detroit.

She combined a human resources major and legal studies minor for a business administration degree she said prepares her for all sorts of careers – including this prime first job.

‘I’m prepared’ A recruiter at Insight Global contacted Williamson through her LinkedIn page in November of her senior year.

That led to a phone interview, an in-person interview, then a lunch with the company sales manager.

ANNA Harrington

By January, she had an offer.

“It was nice to know I had a job waiting,” she said.

Her campus experiences impressed the

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interviewers, she said. She was on the public relations team at CM Life; a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America; served on the executive board of her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha; was a Leadership Safari guide; an orientation mentor; and she worked a part-time job.

“I got involved early in as many things as I could,” she said. “I wanted my time at Central to mean something.”

Her classes were packed with real-life strategies and skills she uses every day.

“Faculty get to know you on a personal level, and they’re always bringing people to your classes who want to hire CMU grads,” she said.

“That doesn’t happen everywhere.”

The 21-year-old is now lunching with high-level executives and engineers.

“I feel comfortable,”’ Williamson said.

“I’m prepared.”

So is Harrington, who loves her job at Amazon, where she’s always on the move, communicating with associates and building skills to move up, while supervising as many as 70 employees.

‘I felt like I mattered’ “It’s cool that I’ll be able to find my leadership style this early in my career,” Harrington said.

Classes had barely started when an Amazon recruiter sent her a link to the job posting. She applied. Two days later she had an interview and was offered the job.

“It was nice knowing my whole senior year that I had a job,” she said. “I think my parents were even happier than I was.”

Harrington’s involvement on the executive boards of Business Professionals of America and sorority Alpha Sigma Tau bolstered her marketable skills, she said.

“In my human resources classes, my professors always talked about their experiences and how they developed their leadership style,” Harrington said. “I wasn’t just a number in their classrooms. They wanted to get to know me.

I felt like I mattered.” •

FROM

SNOWBOARDING BUDDIES

TO BUSINESS PARTNERS

Erik Lefler (from left), Brett Allen and Kyle Holderness

‘CMU taught us the importance of hard work’

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

A decade ago, three guys from CMU went snowboarding to escape homework and blow off some steam.

Today, they run a successful sales and marketing company in Seattle, collaborating with the skills and confidence they gained at Central.

They went from “Hey, what’s up?” in the hallways of Thorpe Hall to landing their first international client.

The “idea man” and CEO, Erik Lefler, ’11, graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship, setting the stage. Kyle Holderness, ’10, studied accounting and finance. Brett Allen, ’10, rounds out the group with his focus in business administration.

They founded Extension Sales & Marketing, each using the skills they honed in the College of Business Administration.

“This would never have happened if we all didn’t meet at Central,” Holderness said. “The people you meet there cannot only become lifelong friends – they can be partners you start a company with and build a career.”

The hatching The business hatched four years ago when Lefler had the idea to provide the kind of

sales service that many companies have in-house.

No more hiring or training hassles, no HR worries managing a sales team or providing health insurance.

These three guys will do it for you.

“We offer the sales skills and tactics, but at a lower cost,” Holderness said.

They were each working full-time corporate jobs as they started their business on the side.

Last year they left their jobs to work at their new company full time and generated $250,000 in revenue. They signed their first international client, in Norway, joining clients in Washington, Massachusetts and Virginia.

They’ve drawn on skills and knowledge they gained at Central, where “real-world experience” was king, Holderness said.

“There’s a mentality that we picked up on, not just in the business school, but at CMU in general,” he said. “CMU taught us the importance of hard work and diligence. We never felt we were entitled to anything.”

Real-world learning Lefler learned about sales and marketing from faculty who were real pros, he said.

“I was taught by people who had been sales directors out in the world and came back to

CMU to share what they learned,” he said.

“I would go to class and have real discussions about what actually happens in the workplace and what it takes to be successful in sales.”

Each of them had to build a comprehensive business plan in their studies at CMU. So, when they had to tackle one for their new business four years ago, no biggie.

Allen remembers lots of group projects at CMU. They could be frustrating.

“You’d think, ‘How am I going to work with these three people, we’re all so different,’” he said.

Now, all that practice makes sense.

“It’s just like when you start a business,” he said. “We all have different personalities.

Everybody has to contribute something for the end goal to be a success. We challenge each other’s ideas.”

And they have a solid bond.

“CMU really stresses the idea of your CMU family,” Holderness said. “I don’t see that with schools out here on the west coast.”

The three connected with that CMU family, attending a recent Seattle alumni event where they forged some great relationships.

“You never know what will happen at Central,” Holderness said. “That guy who lives next to you in the dorm could end up being your business partner.” • Centralight Fall ’19

13

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behind you never far away but it’s

Order your CMU

license plate

today! cmich.edu/alumni 14

CMU is an AA/EO institution, providing equal opportunity to all persons, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities (see cmich.edu/ocrie). UComm 9789 - 2017

Centralight Winter ’18

MARCHING FOR

inclusion CMU alumni help clarinet player with muscular dystrophy make her mark in marching band

BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83

Gaia Herrick showed up for her first day at Climax-Scotts High School with her clarinet, hoping to play in the school’s marching band.

She knew it wasn’t a sure thing: Herrick has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.

Ryan Cupp, ’09, was the new band teacher at the district just southwest of Battle Creek.

“He said, ‘Well, of course you’ll be in the band,’ ” Herrick recalled. “ ‘We’ll figure it out.’ ” The school’s lumpy grass field was too uneven for her wheels, so Cupp picked a stationary spot two steps off the 50-yard line where Herrick and her wheelchair would perch. The rest of the band moved in formation around her.

“It was amazing,” Herrick said. “I got to be a real part of the band. I literally cried the first time I put my band uniform on. It meant so much to me.”

Cupp shrugs it off.

“Just because you can’t move around on the field doesn’t mean you’re not part of the band,” he said.

“I never wanted Gaia to feel left out. Band is a family.”

She brings a lot to the group, he said.

“From the moment Gaia got there, she brought a level of professionalism and musicianship,” Cupp said.

“She really kicked the band up to a higher level. She never let anything stop her.

“Always, always give somebody a shot,” Cupp said.

“You never know who you’ll inspire, and in turn, who they’ll be able to inspire.” > TOP PHOTO: Gaia Herrick and Ryan Cupp at her Climax-Scotts High School graduation.

BOTTOM PHOTO: Ryan Cupp on the job.

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JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO BY STEVE

The Marching Chips As graduation approached, Herrick visited CMU. She fell in love with the campus, the people and the Marching Chips.

“It felt like home,” she said.

Cupp encouraged Herrick to talk with Jim Batcheller, director of the Marching Chips.

Field for a Monday Night Football Detroit Lions game.

Batcheller is thrilled to have her.

“It was so surreal,” Herrick recalled. “I cried.”

“The most important thing we do is make music,” he said. “Why would I turn away a fine musician just because she can’t walk?

It would make no sense.”

“Gaia enriches us,” Batcheller said. “She approaches each day as an opportunity for success. It’s who she is.”

She hesitated.

Herrick’s part is bigger than the music she plays, he said.

Herrick loves telling about an Indiana high school student who reached out to her on Facebook.

“A university marching band wants to be a pristine, shining example,” Herrick said.

“They probably think having someone in a wheelchair would mess with that.”

“If an organization doesn’t – in some way, on some scale – make the world a better place, it’s not worth spending time or effort on it,” Batcheller said.

He didn’t think he could be a music teacher, he told her, because it requires marching band in college. Like Herrick, he has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.

She half expected Batcheller to say no: “I didn’t want my heart to be broken.”

“Any kid who sees Gaia perform with us sees an opportunity for themselves,” he said. “ ‘OK, I’m in a wheelchair.’ Or, ‘I only have one arm.’ Or, ‘I’m really shy. Look at that kid. She’s doing it in a wheelchair.

Maybe I can do it, too.’ ”

“He said, ‘Now I see that I can do it.’

Instead, he said, “Of course – let’s talk.”

Unlike her high school’s lumpy grass field, CMU’s field is smooth artificial turf.

For the first time, Herrick would be a moving, integrated part of the show, with help from other band members who take turns pushing her wheelchair in formation as she plays.

16

“It was amazing,” she said. “It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

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Inspiring others Last September, the Marching Chips performed in front of a national audience and sold-out crowd of 61,000 fans at Ford

“It’s not just my dream,” she said. “So many people with disabilities love music. I love being their voice.

“I want to show people you can do whatever you want to do.” •

CONDUCTING A

new generation Dozens of Marching Chippewas have advanced to jobs and careers as school band teachers and directors.

They form an impressive network of alumni who encourage and support future musical Chips*: • HILARY BARNARD, ’11, band assistant, Holt, Michigan • ROBERT BOSMA, ’00, director of bands, Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange, Florida • AMANDA (GETZMEYER) BURDETTE, ’09, middle school and high school band teacher, Marshall Public Schools, Marshall, Michigan • JOHN CHRISTIAN, ’08, director of university bands, University of Charleston, West Virginia • NATHAN COURTRIGHT, ’05, director of bands and orchestra, Florin High School, Sacramento, California • RYAN CUPP, ’09, director of bands, Climax-Scotts Community Schools, Climax, Michigan • CHRISTOPHER DEMING, ’08, director of bands, Saginaw Swan Valley School District, Saginaw, Michigan • JAMIE DENSLOW, ’09, director of instrumental ensembles, White Cloud, Michigan

• KAITLIN DEREES, ’14, assistant director of bands, Meridian Public Schools, Sanford, Michigan • STEVE DEREES, ’84, band director, H.H. Dow High School, Midland, Michigan • SCOTT GEORGIA, ’03, M.A. ’11, elementary music, Mount Pleasant Public Schools, Mount Pleasant, Michigan • JONATHAN GRANTHAM, ’99, director of bands, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California • MATT HARRIS, ’10, band director, West Middle School, Rochester, Michigan • AARON HOTELLING, ’02, director of bands, Gaylord High School, Gaylord, Michigan • JAKE HUYSENTRUYT, ’03, band director, Sandusky Community Schools, Sandusky, Michigan • LUCAS KEUR, ’17, band director, Zeeland Public Schools, Zeeland, Michigan • TRACY (FOSS) MACKENZIE, ’11, band director, Mustang Public Schools, Mustang, Oklahoma

• JEFF PETHOUD, ‘11, middle school and high school band director, Madison District Public Schools, Madison Heights, Michigan • MATTHEW REED, ’00, band teacher, Central Montcalm Public Schools, Stanton, Michigan • KASEY ROGERS-ANDERSON, ’15, band director, South Newton School Corporation, Kentland, Indiana • KELLY (HAY) ROSSELIT, ’08, M.A. ’10, Berrien Springs High School, Berrien Springs, Michigan • MATTHEW SHEPHARD, ’01, director of bands, Meridian Public Schools, Sanford, Michigan • KATY STEKLAC, ’13, director of bands, Beach Middle School, Chelsea, Michigan • MELISSA STOUFFER, ’06, BME ’10, started middle school band and choir program, Brighton, Michigan • MATTHEW TATON, ’90, director of bands, Mount Pleasant, Michigan • JESSICA (TURGEON) TIPPETT, ’05, director of bands, Mancelona, Michigan

• KEVIN MEINKA, ’02, band director, Bendle Middle and High School, Burton, Michigan

• RICCI TURNER, ’16, director of bands, Algonac Community Schools, Algonac, Michigan

• DREW MILLER, ’10, instrumental music teacher, Caro, Michigan

• AMANDA VALDEZ, ’10, secondary instrumental music and instructional coach, Star International Academy, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

• JESSICA MILLS-RAIS, ’12, director of bands and choir, Romulus High School, Romulus, Michigan • EMILY MORGAN-BOOTH, ’09, band director, Bothwell Middle School, Marquette, Michigan

• MICAH VOLZ, ’00, director of bands, St. Clair High School, St. Clair, Michigan • *This is just a partial list of CMU Chippewa band teachers and directors.

PHOTO BY STEVE

JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

“Any kid who sees Gaia perform with us sees an opportunity for themselves. ‘OK, I’m in a wheelchair.’ Or, ‘I only have one arm.’ Or, ‘I’m really shy. Look at that kid. She’s doing it in a wheelchair. Maybe I can do it, too.’ “ - Jim Batcheller, director of the Marching Chips

Centralight Fall ’19

17

CMU Bookstore Fall Hours Monday -Thursday 8-6 Friday 8-5 and Saturday 10-3 Extended hours on football game day.

Visit us at our stadium locations.

Photos by

Jerrod Bro

wnson

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CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see http://www.cmich.edu/ocrie). Ucomm 10054

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Centralight Fall ’19

Big Picture

Fall glory Nothing gets us more fired up than the gorgeous maroon and gold colors that transform Central’s campus each fall.

Everywhere you look, you’ll find something Instagrammable. You might even be inspired to take a picture with good old-fashioned film!

PHOTO BY STEVE

JESSMORE/STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

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Two alumni leaders honored as 2019 HOMECOMING GRAND MARSHALS

BY ERICK FREDENDALL

This year’s homecoming won’t be the first time Gay Ebers-Franckowiak and JoAnn Hinds make an impact on Central Michigan University.

GAY EBERS-FRANCKOWIAK

The two alumni, selected as 2019’s homecoming grand marshals, have each supported significant CMU projects and facilities for years.

“We’re proud to celebrate two dedicated CMU alumni at this year’s homecoming celebration,” said Marcie Otteman, executive director of alumni relations and development strategies. “JoAnn Hinds’ support for CMU’s scientific mission empowers future generations of researchers, and Gay Ebers-Franckowiak is helping pave the way for the future of CMU athletics.

“Both are highly deserving of the grand marshal honor.”

CMU selects grand marshals to recognize service and support to the university and community.

The grand marshals are honorary leaders of homecoming, presiding over the parade, participating in halftime ceremonies and serving as ambassadors throughout the weekend.

Ebers-Franckowiak retired in 2008 as a managing director at Morgan Stanley, one of America’s largest multinational banks. She was one of the highest-ranking women in the brokerage and was its first female managing director.

She and her husband, Michael Franckowiak, have generously supported several university projects including the Grawn Hall Renovation Fund, Chippewa Champions Alumni Center, Football Championship Fund, John G. Kulhavi Events Center, Athletic Facility Program and CMU Biological Station on Beaver Island.

Ebers-Franckowiak earned a bachelor’s in social science and an elementary teaching certificate from CMU in 1975. CMU awarded her an honorary degree in commercial science in 2017.

JOANN HINDS

PHOTO BY STEVE

JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

Hinds is president, CEO and owner of Diamond Die and Mold in Clinton Township. She purchased the business from her father. Before that, she taught middle school science.

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Centralight Fall ’19

She is a leading supporter of CMU’s Biological Station on Beaver Island. In 2007, CMU recognized her involvement by offering to place her name on the biological station’s academic center. She deflected the honor, instead asking that it be named after CMU professor emeritus Jim Gillingham, former director of the station.

Hinds earned a bachelor’s in biology from CMU in 1972, plus a master’s in biology in 1977. CMU awarded her an honorary degree in commercial science in 2009.

FIRED UP to

reminisce?

Our 2019 homecoming schedule will keep the memories flowing all weekend long.

11 FRIDAY

OCTOBER

7 P.M.: ROCK RALLY

Go to Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium for the pep rally, mock rock contest for the Maroon Cup, introduction of the football team and the announcement of the 2019 Homecoming Gold Ambassadors.

SATURDAY

12 OCTOBER

9 A.M.: 50-YEAR REUNION BRUNCH

NOON-3 P.M.: ALUMNI VILLAGE

Celebrating the classes of 1960–1969, featuring the Class of 1969. Begin your homecoming celebrations with brunch in Powers Hall. You also can watch the parade right from this location. Registration required online at cmich.ly/69reunion.

Join the free campuswide celebration near Rose Ponds for a great get-together with alumni, family and friends. Enjoy game day Chippewa spirit as you visit with a favorite professor, grab some food and soak up the CMU homecoming atmosphere.

9 A.M.: ALUMNI COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS

1 P.M.: CARDBOARD BOAT RACE

Start your day off right with complimentary coffee and doughnuts inside Powers Hall. Stay right here to watch the parade.

11 A.M.: HOMECOMING PARADE The annual parade begins in Parking Lot 22 and travels through campus before heading north on Main Street to downtown Mount Pleasant.

11 A.M.: TAILGATE LOTS OPEN

The parking lots at the south end of campus open 4 hours prior to kickoff.

Held in the afternoon of homecoming, this event draws quite a crowd to Rose Ponds (near the CMU Events Center). For two weeks, engineering students build cardboard boats and sail them across the ponds. The first team to the other side wins.

3 P.M.: FOOTBALL GAME

Cheer on the Chippewas as CMU takes on New Mexico State at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Order tickets at 1-888-FIREUP-2 or online at www.cmuchippewas.com.

11 A.M.-2:30 P.M.: TAILGATE VILLAGE This free concert by Jedi Mind Trip features a beer garden and is open to the public.

LEARN MORE

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A WHOLE NEW LOOK FOR CMU FOOTBALL New coach, new infrastructure highlight the start of a new era

BY ANDY SNEDDON

Prior to his stint at Florida, McElwain led Colorado State to a 10-3 finish in 2014, earning the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Award.

At the north end of Kelly/Shorts Stadium, the one-story, flat-roof building that housed locker and equipment rooms is gone. So is the scoreboard that towered over the field.

McElwain, who played quarterback at Eastern Washington in the early 1980s and got his coaching start there, has built a reputation for strong, explosive offenses.

At the south end, a sparkling new, state-ofthe-art scoreboard stands and, on the north end, the foundation has been laid – and the steel skeleton is being erected – for the new Chippewa Champions Center.

He was the offensive coordinator/ quarterback coach under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2008-11, during which time Michigan native Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy and the Crimson Tide claimed two national championships.

It’s an impressive visual reminder of where Central Michigan football is in 2019: A fresh start.

And that includes on the field, where Jim McElwain is set to embark on his first season in charge of the program. He was named to the position in December by Michael Alford, Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/ Director of Athletics.

“He’s a proven winner,” Alford said. “He’s won championships at the highest level, competed at the highest level. He’s a strong leader who understands it’s a privilege to be an athlete at CMU, and there are responsibilities and accountabilities that come with that privilege.”

Part of what convinced Alford to tap McElwain for the job was McElwain’s vision, including his experience and commitment to athletics, academics, social responsibility and community.

His track record was pretty good, too.

In his first two seasons at Florida, McElwain led the Gators to 19 wins and back-to-back Southeastern Conference East Division titles as he became the first coach in league history to lead his team to the conference title game in 24

Centralight Fall ’19

each of his first two seasons. He was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2015.

“I do believe that there are some parts here we can put together to be successful,” McElwain said. “Only time will tell.”

The question on the minds of most is who will trigger the offense. CMU entered fall practice with seven quarterbacks on the roster, including senior Tommy Lazzro, who appeared in six games in 2018, throwing for 711 yards and five touchdowns.

Among the others in the hunt are senior Quinten Dormady, a graduate transfer with a big-time pedigree having played at both Houston and Tennessee, and junior David Moore, a transfer from Garden City (Kansas) Community College. Moore previously played at Memphis.

“All of the guys have had their moments,” McElwain said.

“Seeing how they move the team is really where it’s at right now. The really satisfying thing – and it’s more than satisfying, it’s exciting – is we’ve got some guys who can play.” •

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Centralight Fall ’19

Central alums find careers in the

spotlight

BY CYNTHIA J. DRAKE, M.A. ’08

PERFORMING ARTS ALUMNI TURN CMU PASSION INTO PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS Central Michigan University has launched the careers of stars on stage and screen – not to mention countless screenwriters, directors, producers and behind-the-scenes staffers who entertain and inspire audiences around the globe. Six performing arts alumni in various phases of their careers share their greatest successes and their wisdom. >

Clyde Sheets, ’87, and Interlochen students prepare for the premiere of their first show, “Resolve,” in New York City in February 2019.

PHOTO CREDIT: INTERLOCHEN

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

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Claire-Frances Sullivan, ’17, performs on stage as part of Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre in Denali, Alaska.

PHOTO CREDIT:

CLAIRE-FRANCES SULLIVAN, ’17 » CMU TRAINING: College of the Arts and Media, Music Theatre » JOB: Actress and playwright » LOCATION: Denali, Alaska Watching the first play she wrote as it was performed on stage at Central was an emotional experience for Claire-Frances Sullivan. It also was the moment she realized what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

“I was behind the piano during that show; it was insane,” she remembered of her production, “Bruised,” one of the first things she wrote at CMU as a sophomore. “It’s more scary to watch people watch my music and my words than it is to go up and perform for 28

Centralight Fall ’19

them using somebody else’s work. Those are my thoughts and my feelings and my view of the world, and what I think the world should be like, and here it is for you to see.

“I felt so vulnerable, I felt terrified. But it was also the most addicting feeling.”

Since then, Sullivan has written and performed in plays in Michigan, New York and Alaska. She won a 2018 Kennedy Center National Musical Theatre Award for “Fostered Love,” a musical she wrote as a student at CMU. “The things that happened to me because of that award were life-changing,” she said by phone from Denali, where she is on a six-month contract as part of the cast of the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre.

Though she doesn’t know where her career will take her next, her heart has found its place in the performing arts.

JONAH MARTIN

“I do theater for a couple reasons. I do it because I love the people who do it, and I love the things that we give to people when we make that kind of art,” she said. “And the process – just creating this thing with these people, and every time it’s fun and the best thing ever.”

And she has some advice for CMU students.

“People think it’s hard to make a living in the performing arts, and I don’t know that that’s true – I think it’s hard to make a living anywhere,” she said. “Make it happen for yourself and always say yes when your friends need help. And if you really want it to happen, you can really make it happen. It definitely takes talent and hard work, but don’t be afraid of trying. You have to try.” >

CLYDE SHEETS, ’87 » CMU TRAINING: College of the Arts and Media, Theatre and Interpretation » JOB: Director of comparative arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts » LOCATION: Interlochen, Michigan Clyde Sheets recalls his time at CMU as a kind of interdisciplinary playground where he was given the freedom to craft his own path, whether it was doing sculpture, installation art, photography or producing his own show.

“It’s an addiction in so many ways, being involved in live performance,” he said, recalling the first play he directed at CMU with a troupe of actors who were also friends (including future wife April Watkins, ’87). “It’s a high-wire act – you can’t duplicate that kind of emotional rush. There’s just nothing like it.”

Now a teacher and administrator at Interlochen Center for the Arts – perhaps the best known of a small number of arts boarding schools in the U.S. – Sheets said he’s come full circle in his ability to connect young artists with the array of avenues available to them in the fine arts.

In February, Sheets worked with Interlochen students to bring the school’s first student show to New York. “Resolve,” which he described as “one part art installation, one part music concert,” with the addition of poetry and monologues, was assembled into a movement theater piece at an experimental space in Brooklyn called National Sawdust.

“There were a lot of comments about how the whole experience just changed their lives,” Sheets said about the students’ experience. “It gave them a sense of what’s possible. They’re at the very beginning of their careers, and I’m getting them at the ages of 15 to 18, so it’s really incredible to see that excitement, but it’s also really great to be a mentor to them.”

He said his experience at Central helped shape the mentor he is today.

PHOTO BY STEVE

JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

“As I look back on the work that we made, I realize that there was a collaborative spirit taught both in the theater department and the art department that has become invaluable to me as someone who now teaches collaboration,” he said.

“It’s really at the core of what I’m doing every day as an educator: teaching young artists how to work together, how to bridge differences, how to cooperatively make personal work, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that had I not started at Central.” >

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JENNIE THOMAS, M.A. ’09 » CMU TRAINING: Humanities » JOB: Director of archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame » LOCATION: Cleveland, Ohio Performing arts careers sometimes take alumni behind the scenes – and even into the stacks, where Jennie Thomas works archiving the priceless collections belonging to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Thomas oversees a staff of archivists, writes grants and curates exhibits for the Rock Hall, which chronicles the history of this distinctly American music.

Thomas said she doesn’t get to meet as many famous musicians as people might think. Since the library and archives are housed two miles from the museum, she doesn’t interact with every touring musician and celebrity who comes to the Rock Hall.

But she’s met a few, including the late rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. “It’s definitely one of the coolest places you could work,” she said.

The cohort in her Master of Arts in humanities program included educators, and she said she valued hearing different perspectives. “It helped me prepare for working in the performing arts by immersing me in artsrelated content and providing a more creative outlet for that study through the cohort.”

Thomas’ degree at CMU was her second master’s – she was focused on finding a career in the performing arts and knew that the humanities degree would help to market herself.

It worked.

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PHOTO BY STEVE

“It was amazing to be a part of all that excitement and then to see people actually using the collections, to watch as people started to research and write what will become the history of popular music,” she said. “You can’t beat that.” >

JESSMORE/ STEVE JESSMORE PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the highlights of her decade at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was starting the archives from scratch in 2012, fresh from her final semester in the program.

Tom Kauffman, ’06, M.A. ’08, celebrates his outstanding animated program win for the series “Rick and Morty” at the 2018 Emmy Awards.

PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY

OF TOM KAUFFMAN

TOM KAUFFMAN, ’06 M.A. ’08 » CMU TRAINING: Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, Media Studies » JOB: Writer and producer » LOCATION: Los Angeles Tom Kauffman had a sore biceps the day after the 2018 Emmy Awards. He was part of the team of staff writers who unexpectedly won for outstanding animated program for the series “Rick and Morty.”

“I held onto that statue the entire night, and for real, the next morning my biceps really hurt because it’s kind of heavy. Then there’s this after party, so everyone is just holding their statues. ... You don’t want to set it down anywhere because you’re afraid someone’s going to steal it.

“It’s the shiniest thing I own.”

Though Kauffman was stunned by the win and the hefty trophy, his impressive resume of achievements continues to launch him to interesting projects, including an unnamed Marvel project for Disney Plus and a 31 Battletoads reboot for Xbox.

“Since I’ve left CMU, I’ve lived a few different lives,” Kauffman said by phone from a Disney lot in Los Angeles.

Kauffman’s experience at CMU gave him the space and resources to experiment and make what he considers bad work by necessity.

“When I first left, I was a production assistant on the reality show ‘Dirty Jobs,’ just scraping by, living with roommates, barely making rent.”

“Ultimately, it was the place where I made my very best friends and learned how to tell stories for the first time,” he said.

While in “survival mode,” Kauffman was fortunate to start making connections with other industry writers and eventually started writing webisodes for NBC’s “Community,” which gave him the chance to try narrative comedy, followed by “Rick and Morty.”

“I had a sketch comedy show called ‘AOK’ on MHTV that I produced with my friend Dave Seger that is probably very cringe-worthy and potentially problematic if I went back and watched it now,” he said. “We were younger and dumber. But we’re still collaborating to this day.”

He’s now an upper-level writer, guiding teams of writers to create stories that resonate with viewers.

“I’m frequently guiding the discussion. It’s people very politely arguing over the best way to make something up, the best way to tell a story,” he said.

Kauffman said a successful day is one where an entire group of writers is feeling something magical happening.

“Like, we all get the same sort of tingles, because we’re talking about something we’ve never seen before. Or we’re talking about something that feels so resonant, we just know everyone’s going to love it.”

His advice to other budding writers comes out of that experimental space.

“Do the thing you want to do as quickly as you can do it,” he said. “That means do it badly, because you need to do something badly for however long it needs to be bad before you turn that corner and it starts being good.

“So, you might as well start now, because that bad period is always going to be looming. Embrace your own impending awfulness and realize that it’s freeing to be bad.” >

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Teri Hansen, ’87, performs as Madame Baurel in the Tony Award-winning musical “An American in Paris” in 2018.

PHOTO: COURTESY

TERI HANSEN, ’87 » CMU TRAINING: College of the Arts and Media, Music » JOB: Singer and actress » LOCATION: New York City Teri Hansen has performed on Broadway and throughout Europe, sung at Lincoln Center, and acted in shows such as “Orange is the New Black” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

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“I sort of lacked a supportive family environment, and it was really special to me because both my instructors at the school of music and in the theater department were like family to me,” she said by phone from New York, as she was preparing for a first reading of “CHERÍ,” a Broadway musical she wrote based on the novel by Colette, featuring Vanessa Williams.

But one of the places that is still most dear to her is CMU.

Her career has taken her around the globe, from leading roles with the Glimmerglass Opera, “Show Boat” at the Prince Edward Theatre in London, the Houston Grand Opera, Boston Pops and several national Broadway tours.

After earning a scholarship at Central, Hansen said she found a second family among the students and faculty she met there.

“We live in a time where many people are so intent on having more. They live in a place of deficit instead of abundance. And I’ve never

Centralight Fall ’19

OF TERI HANSEN

felt that way. I don’t know if that has to do with being from Michigan, I don’t know if it has to do with being humbled by incredible teachers. But I’ve always been aware of how incredibly fortunate I am. Always,” she said.

It’s inspired her to work as hard as she possibly can and to do detailed and exceptional work as an artist, Hansen said. And it’s inspired her to take every opportunity to give back and say thank you and to always remember those who supported her.

“There’s absolutely no way that I could be where I am today without them,” she said.

“And that is life – we have to lift each other up. Central lifted me up and continues to do so.” >

JULIA GLANDER, ’79 » CMU TRAINING: College of the Arts and Media, Theatre and Interpretation » JOB: Actress, director and adjunct professor, Eastern Michigan University » LOCATION: Ann Arbor Whether she’s filming commercials or teaching university acting courses, Julia Glander has found that the key to her success in performing arts has been adaptability.

She was afraid to jump in during her first year at CMU, but a graduate assistant encouraged her to try out for her first show. In the end, Glander said she found her home onstage, performing in a commedia dell’arte at the end of freshman year.

Following graduate school, Glander moved to New York for 10 years, working as an actor in offBroadway productions and regional theater, usually with a “survival job” on the side, such as waiting tables or working at a preschool.

She and her husband, actor Alex Leydenfrost (whom she met during a production of “Tartuffe” in New York), then moved to Los Angeles, where she worked on commercials and voice overs – she was featured in commercials for Denny’s restaurants, T. Rowe Price, Pizza Hut, IBM, Alka Seltzer and more.

“That sustained me for a long time,” she said.

After welcoming a daughter, the family moved back to Michigan. Now Glander and her husband both act and teach and enjoy the experience of being rooted in a smaller community.

“Actually, I’m more creative here,” she said. “I feel like my creative juices flow more – they have to. I loved living in New York in my younger years, I loved the whole vibe, the buzz, everything going on. I loved not having a full refrigerator and just walking home and picking something up. I thrived on all that, but not now. I think of it all in different stages. Each time it’s a new adventure.”

She loves directing shows at the Tipping Point Theatre in Northville as well as acting – “I’m happiest when I have a combination of both, and teaching is great because you’re learning as you’re teaching,” she said.

Throughout her life, Glander is proud of her flexibility.

Julie Glander, ’79, and husband Alex Leydenfrost perform in “The Impossibility of Now” at the Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, Michigan, in 2018.

PHOTO CREDIT: CITRINE

“They say you get a job in this business as soon as you make other plans. And it really is true,” she said. “Every single person’s path is different. This business in particular is the hardest business to pursue. There is no linear path. The main thing is that you’ve gotta be brave and you have to be open and kind, bold and present. You just really have to be a participant in your life. You cannot wait for it to happen, because you will just wait forever. You have to jump in.” •

LACROIX Centralight Fall ’19

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CMU will always

feel like home » To you » To them » To us

Share that feeling with the next generation by bringing them to an admissions presentation and campus tour Friday, Oct. 11. Then join the traditions and excitement of homecoming Oct. 12.

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ALUMNI NEWS YOUNG ALUMNI BOARD President Scott Hillman, ’10 Chicago, IL Vice president Brittany Mouzourakis, ’11 Royal Oak Directors Brooke Adams, ’11 Royal Oak Cyril Agley, ’09 Traverse City Michael Decker, ’07 Birmingham Nicole DeFour, ’12, M.A. ’15, Grosse Pointe Spencer Haworth, ’12 Grand Rapids

Erica Lagos, ’13 Carmel, IN Anthony Lazzaro, ’15 Grand Rapids Gregory Marx, ’08 Troy Benjamin Moxon, ’17 St. Clair Shores Kelly Pageau, ’08 Chicago, IL John Reineke, ’09 Oxford, OH Joshua Richards, ’08 Rochester Caroline (Powers) Rizzo, ’15 West Hartford, CT Michelle (Curtis) Rush, ’07 St. Joseph

Kimberly Sampson, ’17 Midland Steven Santostasi, ’17 Dearborn Christine Simon, ’13 Lansing Mary Witherspoon, ’14 Royal Oak

ALUMNI BOARD President Nathan Tallman, ’07, M.A. ’09, Macomb Vice president Kandra (Kerridge) Robbins, ’90, Portland Past president Thomas Olver, ’98 Weidman

Directors Rebeca Reyes Barrios, ’00, MBA ’02, Canton, OH Carrie Baumgardner, ’99, M.A. ’02, Durand Lisa (Laitinen) Bottomley, ’97 Kentwood Megan Doyle, ’03 Chicago, IL Jonathan Eadie, ’93 Grosse Pointe Park Norma Eppinger, ’91 Lansing Chris Gautz, ’04 Adrian Jacalyn (Beckers) Goforth, ’82 Beverly Hills

Laura Gonzales, ’79, M.A. ’89, Mount Pleasant Scott Haraburda, ’83 Spencer, IN Sean Hickey, ’88, M.A. ’90 Chelsea Bret Hyble, ’82, M.A. ’86 Mount Pleasant Linda (Scharich) Leahy, ’82 Midland J.J. Lewis, ’06 Simi Valley, California Scott Nadeau, ’89 Dexter Darryl Shelton, ’85 Grand Rapids

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ALUMNI NEWS Board of Trustees welcomes three CMU Chippewas to its ranks

Recent grad spent her summer in Hollywood for elite internship

The three newest appointees to the CMU Board of Trustees have personal connections to the university – they’re all proud alumni.

Leah Robinson, ’19, was selected to participate in the Television Academy Foundation’s 2019 Internship Program in Hollywood.

She was one of just 50 students chosen from across the country.

Todd Anson, ’77, was appointed to the board by Gov. Rick Snyder in October 2018 for an eight-year term. He is a lawyer, an entrepreneur and a managing member of One Pacific Sports. He also is a director of Grand Rapids-based UV Angel.

Ed Plawecki, ’75, also was appointed by Gov. Snyder in October 2018 for an eight-year term. For UHY Advisors Inc., he is general counsel of the Michigan practice and director of government relations. Prior to his private sector work, he was a judge and a Wayne County Commissioner.

Isaiah Oliver, ’07, was appointed in April by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for a five-year term.

He is the president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, a $257 million public charity.

His background includes extensive community leadership and executive oversight experience, including five years on the Flint Community Schools Board of Education – two as president – and four years on the Hurley Medical Center Board of Managers. •

Robinson, who majored in broadcast and cinematic arts, spent the summer interning in the unscripted television department at Lighthearted Entertainment.

The Television Academy Foundation’s annual internship program provides 50 paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies to college students nationwide.

The program gives both undergraduate and graduate students in-depth and hands-on professional experience in a variety of television careers during the eight-week internship. •

CMU journalism alum retires from Gannett Co. with high honors On the heels of his retirement announcement, Randy Lovely, ’86, received a special Chairman’s Award for Lifetime Achievement from Gannett Co. for his 30-year career at the company.

As Gannett’s vice president of community news since 2016, Lovely unified the company’s 109 local newsrooms and USA Today to create a nationwide network. He served in roles of increasing responsibility in Gannett newsrooms across the country including Fort Myers, Florida; Shreveport, Louisiana; Palm Springs, California; and Phoenix, Arizona.

Maribel Wadsworth, president of the USA Today Network, described Lovely as an unflinching champion for Gannett’s local newsrooms.

He was acknowledged for his lifelong commitment to empowering diverse voices in local news and his dedication to quality – last year, the USA Today Network received three Pulitzer Prizes, all in local markets Lovely oversaw.

While at CMU, Lovely held a series of roles at CM Life, capping his time as managing editor for the award-winning student newspaper. His first job out of college was as a reporter in Sturgis, Michigan, a Gannett paper at the time.

“He has been a quiet force behind the scenes, ensuring that great local ideas are recognized and amplified by our flagship USA Today,” Wadsworth said. “He has been a champion of revelatory journalism that has changed lives and shaped our nation.”

Lovely, an inductee into the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame, retired in June. • 36

Centralight Fall ’19

CMU alum earns Educator of the Year award from the Michigan Lottery

which comes with an award of $10,000.

Stewart Kieliszewski teaches earth science, biology, mechatronics and media at Ubly High School in Michigan’s Thumb. He also dedicates much of his time to the Ubly robotics, track and cross-country programs.

Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, $1,500 cash and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district.

This year, he added a new line to his resume: Educator of the Year.

“I think it’s very important that kids get a full range of immersion into everything educationwise,” Kieliszewski told the Huron Daily Tribune.

“When I was in high school, I really didn’t know

Kieliszewski, ’92, was selected by the Michigan Lottery to receive the annual honor,

CMU Chippewa honors Kasee Stratton-Gadke, an assistant professor at Mississippi State and an internationally recognized children’s disabilities scholar, is the new director of the university’s T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. Stratton-Gadke, ’06, is founder and director of the Bulldog CHARGE Syndrome Research Laboratory at Mississippi State, one of only two international sites focused on educational, behavioral, and quality-of-life research for individuals with the disorder and their caregivers. She also is co-founder and co-director of the university’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic.

Beaverton Rural Schools Superintendent Susan Wooden, ’88, retired after six years to spend time with her family. The school board credits Wooden with helping lead the district, including her efforts to get a $6.2 million bond to upgrade facilities; enhancing efforts to improve efficiency and excellence; adding programs to help meet students’ academic, emotional and behavioral needs; adding student success coaches in both schools; and programs that aid teachers.

Crain’s Detroit Business has promoted reporter Chad Livengood, ’05, to the position of senior editor.

Crain’s said his promotion recognizes the increasing leadership role Livengood, who covers statewide politics and policy as well as Detroit’s resurgence, has taken at the business news publication. In his new role, Livengood will continue to report, analyze and write on the issues that matter most to Michigan businesses and its economy.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public school educators.

what I wanted to be. Giving these kids the best experience we can give them helps them make decisions in regard to their future.” •

Each year, one of the weekly winners is selected as the Educator of the Year.

Lauren Bever, ’13, has been named an associate in the Chicago office of Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers. She focuses her practice on employment discrimination, specifically matters involving the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act. Brenda L. Walker, ’75, was named interim associate dean for the College of Education at the University of South Florida–St. Petersburg.

As the top administrative officer in the college, Walker oversees faculty and works closely with them and university leadership to support, grow and develop distinct community programs and strategies that enhance student and faculty success and research in the fields of education.

Robert Smith, M.S. ’95, professor of biology at the University of Scranton, was awarded a faculty development grant to research “Using Autonomous Recording Units to Survey Lackawanna State Park for Northern Saw-whet Owls and Spring Migrating Landbirds.” The faculty grants are intended to promote scholarship and curriculum development efforts.

Ryan Bauman, ’07, is the new parks and recreation director for Emmet County in northern Michigan, which includes Petoskey. Bauman said future goals for the department include new programming and events in the community, as well as bringing in more money for the county.

Stewart Kieliszewski (right) receives his Educator of the Year award from Jeff Holyfield of the Michigan Lottery.

The city of Southfield appointed Elvin Barren, ’08, as its new police chief. He previously was a deputy chief with the Detroit Police Department, where he commanded eight major units, a yearly budget of $137 million and over 1,100 police officers. During his 21 years with DPD, Barren had more than 12 years of command experience with over six years at the rank of commander or above.

Elizabeth Weber, ’18, was one of the initial 11 contestants in a Fiji villa for “Love Island,” an American version of the popular U.K. dating show that aired this summer on CBS. The network describes the show this way: “The matchmaking begins as a group of single ‘Islanders’ come together in a stunning villa on a beautiful tropical island, ready to embark on a summer of dating, romance and, ultimately, relationships. Every few days the Islanders pair up, and those who are not coupled are at risk of being dumped from the island.”

Trudy Ender, ’91, is the new executive director of the Grand Rapids-based Susan G. Komen Michigan office. Working in the nonprofit and government sector for more than two decades, Ender most recently was the head of the Humane Society of West Michigan.

Janet Johnson, ’85, has been named publisher of the Globe-Gazette in Mason City, Iowa; the Summit-Tribune in Forest City, and Britt, Iowa; and the Mitchell County Courier in Osage, Iowa. •

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+ IN MEMORY June A. (Woodstock) Hall, ’39, Kalkaska, Mich., died July 14, 2018, age 101.

Esther I. (Schweitzer) Knight, ’34, Battle Creek, Mich., died April 2, 2019, age 104.

Marion F. (Tangalakis) Curtis, ’42, Ann Arbor, Mich., died June 1, 2019, age 99.

Jean F. (French) Holmes, ’42, Ann Arbor, Mich., died April 15, 2019, age 98.

Emily A. (Kaufmann) Dore, ’43, Battle Creek, Mich., died April 11, 2019, age 97.

Irwin Pallack, ’47, Yuma, Ariz., died May 20, 2019, age 94.

Ada M. (Mainzinger) Jurva, ’48, Monroe, Mich., died June 1, 2019, age 92.

Joan (Souci) Ryan, ’49, Vienna, Va., died April 13, 2019.

Dorothy J. (Philp) Starks, M.A. ’49, Midland, Mich., died April 8, 2019, age 89.

Geraldine L. (Corning) Bell, ’50, Interlochen, Mich., died April 2, 2019, age 92.

Bernard E. Manker, ’50, Crawfordsville, Ind., died May 30, 2019, age 90.

Ralph W. Schultz, ’50, West Liberty, Ohio, died April 7, 2019, age 92.

Frank Thalison, ’50, Lansing, Mich., died April 18, 2019, age 98.

Jean (Dickerson) Zapytowski, ’50, Bridgeport, Conn., died May 7, 2019, age 91.

Mary J. (Abbott) Franklin, ’52, Grand Rapids, Mich., died June 6, 2019, age 89.

Florence M. (Siegle) Garrison, ’54, Clare, Mich., died June 6, 2019, age 87.

Gene A. Hepinstall, ’54, Gladwin, Mich., died April 28, 2019, age 89.

William F. Sowle Jr., ’55, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died May 13, 2019, age 86.

Marilyn F. (Thompson) Brown, ’56, Saginaw, Mich., died April 20, 2019, age 85.

Ronald C. Dubay, ’56, M.A. ’62, Saginaw, Mich., died April 22, 2019, age 85.

Darold D. Briggs, ’57, Holt, Mich., died June 18, 2019, age 89.

Janice L. (Ballard) Bennett, ’58, Bangor, Maine, died May 15, 2019, age 82.

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Centralight Fall ’19

Shirley A. (Treend) Gentges, ’58, Lansing, Mich., died May 15, 2019, age 83.

William E. Seidenstucker, ’59, Leesburg, Fla., died June 4, 2019, age 82.

Barbara L. (Dowell) Walker, ’59, Battle Creek, Mich., died May 2, 2019, age 82.

Stephen A. Bakita, ’60, M.A. ’62, Gaylord, Mich., died May 16, 2019, age 81.

Frank E. Letherby, ’60, Ada, Mich., died April 29, 2019, age 81.

Margaret M. (Ortwein) Rettke, ’60, M.A. ’68, Richmond, Mich., died May 2, 2019, age 81.

Nancy E. (Twitchell) Rohde, ’60, Fairfax, Va., died May 10, 2019, age 73.

Marion C. Vallance, ’60, Riverdale, Mich., died June 14, 2019, age 85.

Eugene A. Jenkins, ’61, Battle Creek, Mich., died April 18, 2019, age 84.

Russel E. Ringle, ’61, Owosso, Mich., died April 1, 2019, age 95.

D’Ann E. (Mulligan) Runk, ’61, The Villages, Fla., died June 15, 2019, age 79.

Emma E. (Schaefer) Badder, ’62, M.A. ’68, Midland, Mich., died May 31, 2019.

James D. Lynn, ’63, M.A. ’66, Galesburg, Mich., died May 7, 2019, age 80.

Veroneze L. (Kellogg) Strader, ’63, Battle Creek, Mich., died May 5, 2019, age 79.

Clara J. (Goddard) Walworth, ’63, Flint, Mich., died June 4, 2019, age 77.

Jon F. Caswell, ’64, Grand Rapids, Mich., died April 18, 2019, age 78.

Judith A. Dowdal, ’64, Frankfort, Mich., died April 10, 2019, age 77.

Margo A. (Helber) Link, ’64, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died July 6, 2019, age 78.

John F. Luebkert, ’64, MBA ’67, Saginaw, Mich., died May 9, 2019, age 76.

James L. Vachow, ’64, M.A. ’70, Austin, Texas, died June 3, 2019, age 80.

Sharon L. (Fetterley) Adams, ’65, White Cloud, Mich., died April 8, 2019, age 77.

Leon L. Campbell, ’65, Edmore, Mich., died April 21, 2019, age 84.

Harold D. Cronk, ’65, M.A. ’76, Ludington, Mich., died July 4, 2019, age 81.

Lucille M. (Fedewa) Kramer, ’65, Pewamo, Mich., died April 26, 2019, age 92.

Duane E. Chapman, ’66, Mount Pleasant, Mich., died May 26, 2019, age 86.

Richard W. Watson, ’66, South Lyon, Mich., died April 29, 2019, age 75.

Frank J. Eisenhauer, ’67, MBA ’72, Muskegon, Mich., died May 10, 2019, age 73.

Alan C. Howard, ’67, Escanaba, Mich., died May 6, 2019, age 74.

Herman C. Hudson, ’67, M.S. ’72, Naperville, Ill., died May 12, 2019, age 74.

Jacqueline K. (Hulbert) Post, ’67, M.A. ’75, Gladwin, Mich., died April 25, 2019, age 74.

Paul F. Henne, ’68, North Branch, Mich., died April 29, 2019, age 74.

Linda L. (Chaffee) Mason, ’68, Charlevoix, Mich., died June 5, 2019, age 72.

Robert J. McIntire, M.A. ’68, Norwalk, Iowa, died May 30, 2019, age 83.

Janet M. (Johnson) Patrick, ’68, Lansing, Mich., died May 1, 2019, age 72.

James G. Stander, ’68, Voorheesville, N.Y. died April 23, 2019, age 75.

Mary Coulson, ’69, Ludington, Mich., died April 13, 2019, age 97.

Richard B. Hayman, M.A. ’69, Tawas City, Mich., died May 6, 2019, age 84.

Juanita M. (Basso) Pez, ’69, Sterling Heights, Mich., died June 3, 2019, age 71.

Ronald R. Rose, ’69, Pleasant Lake, Ind., died June 2, 2019, age 74.

Cheryl R. (Shippy) Sahin, ’69, Crofton, Md., died June 19, 2019, age 71.

Lyle A. Boyle, ’70, North Branch, Mich., died April 10, 2019, age 77.

Karen A. (Havrilla) Gruber, ’70, Midland, Mich., died May 3, 2019, age 71.

James M. Hamilton, ’70, Ann Arbor, Mich., died June 25, 2019, age 70.

Kenneth J. McCarter, ’70, Auburn Hills, Mich., died May 5, 2019, age 71.

Gwendolyn E. (Moreen) Sullivan, ’70, Petoskey, Mich., died May 22, 2019, age 98.

Ray Troyer, ’70, Randolph, Ohio, died May 21, 2019, age 88.

James F. Prisk, ’71, M.A. ’78, Lake, Mich., died May 3, 2019, age 71.

Lenore E. (Sporman) Sovereign, ’71, Bay City, Mich., died April 2, 2019, age 71.

Timothy A. Demko, ’72, Saginaw, Mich., died April 25, 2019, age 70.

Sue A. Fitzgerald, ’72, M.S. ’74, Lansing, Mich., died April 22, 2019, age 69.

Joanne M. (McColgan) Hanlon, ’72, M.A. ’74, Saginaw, Mich., died April 28, 2019, age 90.

Tim H. Kaul, ’72, Midland, Mich., died May 3, 2019, age 68.

Diane A. (Houseknecht) Kingsley, ’72, Hillsdale, Mich., died May 17, 2019, age 68.

Constance J. (Cohoon) Phillips, ’72, M.A. ’75, Ed.S. ’80, Farwell, Mich., died May 16, 2019, age 73.

Dee A. (Geneit) Rothenberger, ’72, M.A. ’77, Charlevoix, Mich., died July 3, 2019, age 79.

Sean S. Skinner, MBA ’72, Sarasota, Fla., died May 3, 2019, age 75.

Thomas A. Sprowls, ’72, M.A. ’83, Sheridan, Mich., died June 8, 2019, age 69.

Laura E. (Beebe) Walker, ’72, M.A. ’81, Ludington, Mich., died June 4, 2019, age 96.

Arlene M. (Steere) Wood, ’72, St. Johns, Mich., died April 28, 2019, age 84.

Lois L. (Anger) Allen, ’73, Kalamazoo, Mich., died May 3, 2019, age 74.

John J. Gagnon, ’73, Bellaire, Mich., died April 7, 2019, age 83.

James L. Bearss, ’74, North Street, Mich., died June 28, 2019, age 67.

Philip A. MacHarg, ’74, Brooksville, Fla., died May 27, 2019, age 71.

Mary A. (Solak) Monte, ’74, Tucson, Ariz., died June 9, 2019, age 68.

Judy A. (Grannis) Slattengren, ’74, Rochelle, Ill., died Jan. 5, 2019, age 66.

Richard C. Bassler, ’75, Niles, Mich., died June 8, 2019, age 67.

Sharon E. (Smith) Brock, ’75, Columbus, Ohio, died June 4, 2019, age 65.

Michael J. Healy, M.A. ’75, Keuka Park, N.Y., died May 27, 2019, age 82.

Daniel H. Pellow, ’75, Negaunee, Mich., died April 26, 2019, age 66.

John S. Walters, ’75, M.A. ’83, Logan, Utah, died May 10, 2019, age 67.

Harlyn W. VanSloten, M.A. ’75, Cary, N.C., died May 4, 2019, age 85.

Sheila B. (Baldwin) Murphy, ’76, Saginaw, Mich., died June 1, 2019, age 69.

Mary P. (Grannis) Smith, ’76, Big Rapids, Mich., died June 11, 2019, age 68.

Ronald C. Allen, ’77, Red Wing, Minn., died April 19, 2019, age 63.

Bessie (Chandler) Beasley, M.A. ’77, Kansas City, Kan., died April 1, 2019, age 89.

David P. Caster, M.A. ’77, Aurora, Colo., died April 9, 2019, age 86.

Sally A. Lambert, ’77, Traverse City, Mich., died May 18, 2019, age 64.

Lois J. (Kidder) Springsteen, ’77, Sheridan, Mich., died April 1, 2019, age 90.

Robert E. Barnett, M.A. ’78, Siloam Springs, Ark., died June 26, 2019, age 71.

Kenneth H. Kingsmore, M.A. ’78, Spartanburg, S.C., died May 5, 2019, age 77.

Pamela M. (Brownlee) Nicastro, ’78, Sanford, Mich., died April 22, 2019, age 63.

Cecil C. Umberger, M.A. ’78, Allen Park, Mich., died June 7, 2010, age 94.

Thomas A. Botz, ’79, Northport, Mich., died May 5, 2019, age 64.

Connie B. Cunigan, M.A. ’79, Dayton, Ohio, died June 1, 2019, age 69.

Bernice I. (Ling) LuQui, M.A. ’79, Hollywood, Fla., died June 2, 2019, age 89.

Peg L. McComb-Elowski, ’79, Grand Ledge, Mich., died June 8, 2019, age 73.

Sherman F. Venz, M.A. ’79, Helena, Ala., died June 2, 2019, age 86.

John C. Moody, M.A. ’80, Old Hickory, Tenn., died May 28, 2019, age 82.

Mary K. (Hamilton) Otto, ’80, Pigeon, Mich., died May 18, 2019, age 60.

Thomas L. Sheridan, M.A. ’80, East Jordan, Mich., died April 17, 2019, age 81.

Cornelius R. Will, M.A. ’80, Beaver, Ohio, died April 23, 2019, age 76.

Donald D. Clark, M.A. ’81, Orange Park, Fla., died April 24, 2019, age 83.

Kenneth W. Gaines, M.A. ’81, Washington, D.C., died Jan. 9, 2019, age 87.

Cristine A. (Donley) Gardner, M.A. ’81, Summerfield, Fla., died July 3, 2019, age 66.

Karen C. (Tysell) Hryciuk, ’81, Grosse Pointe, Mich., died April 1, 2019, age 60.

John R. Pitner III, M.A. ’81, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., died May 18, 2019, age 78.

Paul C. Rau, ’81, Midland, Mich., died March 30, 2019, age 66.

Barbara E. Stewart, M.A. ’81, died July 8, 2019, age 79.

Donald W. Vossburg, M.A. ’81, Noblesville, Ind., died April 15, 2019, age 70.

Robert J. Skebo, M.A. ’82, Kettering, Ohio, died April 15, 2019, age 66.

James B. Thompson, M.P.A. ’82, Okemos, Mich., died June 4, 2019, age 70.

Ronald T. Frederickson, M.A.’83, Troy, Ohio, died May 29, 2019, age 72.

Steven W. French, ’83, Howell, Mich., died April 13, 2019, age 58.

Everett Glenn Holmwall, M.A. ’83, Battle Creek, Mich., died April 9, 2019, age 74.

Bret J. Moeller, MBA ’83, Sun City Center, Fla., died May 23, 2019, age 59.

Michael L. Potter, M.A. ’83, San Diego, Calif., died Jan. 30, 2019, age 68.

Terrence E. Grioux, M.A. ’85, San Angelo, Texas, died June 5, 2019, age 70.

John B. Page, M.S. ’85, Waxhaw, N.C., died April 28, 2019, age 82.

William L. Scott Jr., ’85, Saginaw, Mich., died March 26, 2019, age 78.

Susan P. (McDonald) Tomaszewski, ’85, Clarkston, Mich., died May 12, 2019, age 57.

Mark A. Vliem, ’85, Holland, Mich., died April 30, 2019, age 57.

Jean A. Hughes, ’86, Traverse City, Mich., died April 15, 2019, age 57.

Dana A. (Nieuwenhuis) Allen, ’88, Traverse City, Mich., died May 25, 2019, age 54.

Gregory J. Meyer, M.S.A. ’88, Waterford, Mich., died March 23, 2019, age 64.

Glenn R. Brickey, M.A. ’89, West Alexandria, Ohio, died April 18, 2019, age 60.

Donald A. Thomas, ’89, Burton, Mich., died May 11, 2019, age 54.

Ronald V. Weinmann, M.S.A. ’89, Devils Lake, Md., died May 14, 2019, age 74.

Nancy L. (Sarna) Mansfield, ’90, Oxford, Mich., died May 26, 2019, age 52.

Frederick G. Briscoe, M.A. ’91, Grand Rapids, Mich., died May 15, 2019, age 82.

Larry C. Emerson, M.S.A. ’91, Lincoln, Neb., died June 29, 2019, age 66.

Thomas A. Powers, Ed.S. ’91, Muskegon, Mich., died May 2, 2019, age 76.

Judith C. (Wieck) Kenny, M.S.A. ’93, Saginaw, Mich., died June 1, 2019, age 77.

Margaret J. (Prewitt) Phillips, M.S.A. ’95, Dayton, Ohio, died April 22, 2019, age 68.

Gregory G. Roberts, ’96, Detroit, Mich., died June 25, 2018, age 67.

Kenneth L. Hoard, M.A. ’97, Millington, Mich., died April 6, 2019, age 69.

Jeffrey A. Duncan, M.A. ’98, Scottsdale, Ariz., died April 2, 2019, age 56.

Sarah J. Milton, ’98, Marlette, Mich., died April 23, 2019, age 43.

Margaret Von (Ballantyne) Steeg, M.A.H. ’98, died April 18, 2018, age 79.

Timothy N. Bisbee, M.S.A. ’99, Sheridan, Wy., died May 7, 2019, age 55.

Michael K. Fahling, M.S.A. ’99, Farmington, Mich., died May 31, 2019, age 56.

Christine J. (Cosgrove) McClellan, ’99, Clawson, Mich., died June 1, 2019, age 73.

Christopher J. Brogan, ’00, Adrian, Mich., died May 26, 2019, age 71.

Diana L. McShane, M.A. ’00, Port Huron, Mich., died April 22, 2019, age 55.

David S. Eck, M.S.A. ’03, Solvang, Calif., died July 10, 2019, age 65.

Michael R. Lanier, M.S.A. ’03, Jacksonville, Fla., died May 28, 2019, age 64.

Sara A. (Pschigoda) Christensen, ’09, St. Paul, Minn., died July 24, 2019, age 36.

Elaine M. Grech, ’11, Canton, Mich., died May 31, 2019, age 31.

Capri M. Stanley-Smith, M.S.A. ’11, Chesterfield, Va., died April 25, 2019, age 42.

Retired faculty Terry L. Arndt, Carmel, Ind., died April 14, 2019, age 76.

Frederick G. Briscoe, M.A. ’91, Grand Rapids, Mich., died May 15, 2019, age 82.

CMU national alumni board director Amy Rousseau Uebbing ’86, died Aug. 5 after a 2½-year battle with colon cancer. She was 56. She taught for more than two decades in the Troy School District and spent eight years as vice president of advancement for Bishop Foley Catholic High School.

We will all miss Amy, her joy for life and her pride in being an alum of CMU.

Centralight Fall ’19

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Coming home, year after year

1999 40

Centralight Fall ’19

No matter what era you fondly recall when you look back on your time at CMU, there was one constant: Homecoming. The football players’ and cheerleaders’ uniforms have evolved; the hair got bigger, then smaller, then bigger again; and the crowns sat atop different heads, but the feeling was always them same: Pride. Happy homecoming, Chippewas!

PHOTO CREDIT: CLARKE

HISTORICAL LIBRARY

great teachers

A bright future begins with

Alums aid future educators Robert Janson, ’62, and Catherine Palo Janson, ’63, proud graduates of Central Michigan University’s education program, are providing for future public school educators through their estate plan.

Both experienced firsthand the care and quality of teacher education at CMU before dedicating more than 30 years to public schools as teachers and, for Robert, as a school superintendent. They experienced great joy in helping to shape the lives of their students.

“We believe our nation’s future is reliant on strong public schools. It’s important to support those who choose education as a career.”

Catherine Palo Janson and Robert Janson

The couple established the Robert and Catherine Janson Family Endowed Scholarship in Teacher Education to support the educators of the future.

Investing in the future Robert and Catherine are supporting the teachers of tomorrow. To learn more about helping Central Michigan University and giving back to students, contact: Ted Tolcher Senior Philanthropic Advisor, National Director of Planned Giving, Advancement Central Michigan University, Carlin Alumni House, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 989-774-1441 · ted.tolcher@cmich.edu

mycmulegacy.org CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related Centralight Fall ’19 medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see http://www.cmich.edu/ocrie). UComm 10055 04/29

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIDLAND MI PERMIT NO. 260

Centralight

Carlin Alumni House Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859