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CMU Today New branding earns international recognition.
CMU TODAY
New drone lab takes flight at CMU
Partnership creates real-world opportunities for students in various university programs Senior Justin Lyle from Dowagiac, Michigan, is among the first of many students benefiting from Michigan’s only multidisciplinary Drone Lab, a new addition to Central Michigan University. Lyle, who sees creative videography in his future, said a CMU course this summer placed him at the controls of a remote-operated aircraft for the first time. He now plans to pursue FAA drone pilot certification. “I definitely fell in love,” he said. “Being able to say I’m a licensed pilot will open a lot of doors.” Drones represent huge and growing career opportunities. According to Fortune Business Insights, the worldwide commercial market for drones is growing by 25% a year, from $1.6 billion in 2019 to an expected $8.5 billion by 2027. Drones are used in agriculture, surveying, construction, warehousing, logistics, the arts and more. The CMU lab currently consists of two one-credit courses offered through the School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts. Students in the initial Drone Lab courses this past summer plan careers in fields including broadcasting, filmmaking, meteorology and business. The lab is a program, not a place — because the hands-on learning involved in flying them can take place almost anywhere, indoors and out. “The ‘facility’ is the drones and wherever we bring the drones,” said BCA Chair Heather Polinsky. She planned the lab along with CMU alum Zach Huffman, founder of Atlanta-based drone service provider Hyvion, as part of a grant proposal for the CMU President’s and Provost’s Fund for Program Innovation and Excellence. The grant purchased a fleet of 35 drones for the lab, ranging from beginner models to a $10,000 craft that Huffman said exceeds industry standards. CMU and Hyvion are partners in the project. Huffman taught the first courses, and students who complete the program will have the opportunity to join Hyvion as interns or as part of the company’s nationwide network of 200-300 drone pilots. •
Michael Mamp awarded for dynamic and inspirational teaching Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty member Michael Mamp has been named a recipient of the Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. The award honors MAC-member institution faculty members for their exceptional support and dedication to student success inside and outside of the classroom. After a 14-year career in the fashion industry, Mamp found his passion as an instructor, sharing his knowledge of the business with students. For more than seven years, Mamp has been engaging CMU students in innovative courses such as History of Western Dress, Queer Fashion and Fashion Fundamentals. In addition, Mamp is the founding faculty member and director of CMU’s topranked online fashion merchandising and design program. In the classroom, he empowers students to gain hands-on experience in well-equipped labs featuring technology, such as the Makerbot 3-D printing lab. He also leads study tours in fashion centers including Chicago, New York and Paris. Mamp, ’96, says many things have changed since he received his degree from CMU. What hasn’t changed are the remarkable efforts of university faculty members to connect with students and maintain those relationships. He says crafting those connections is the most rewarding part of the job. “I think we have a responsibility to provide the best experience we can for those students, and I think we take that very seriously,” he said. •
CMU TODAY
A new path to a nursing degree
CMU, Mid Michigan College partner on career pipeline A strategic partnership signed this summer in Mount Pleasant opens doors at CMU for future nurses. The university is teaming up with Mid Michigan College to create a unique start-to-finish pathway to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. CMU also offers an accelerated RN-to-BSN program. “We want students who want to be nurses to come to CMU,” said Kechi Iheduru-Anderson, director of nursing in CMU’s Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. “Now they can.” The partnership also promises to create a new source of skilled nurses ready to meet needs in mid-Michigan. “There is such a nursing shortage and the projection is that it will continue,” said Barbara Wieszciecinski, dean of health sciences and director of nursing at Mid Michigan College. “This partnership will allow our CMU graduates to come to Mid, get their associate degree in nursing, pass their state licensure exam and start working right away to help with the nursing shortage.” The program has three phases: • Two semesters attending CMU. • Four semesters attending Mid Michigan College’s
Harrison Campus, about 30 miles north of
Mount Pleasant, or Mount Pleasant Campus, at
Summerton Road and Broadway. During this time, students may take summer courses at CMU. • Ten to 18 months of CMU courses online. All academic credits will transfer between the institutions.
Representatives from CMU and Mid Michigan College sign a partnership to create a new source of skilled nurses in Mid Michigan.
Phases one and two are in-person to allow for lab work and clinical experiences. Students who successfully complete phase two will earn their associate degree in nursing from Mid and can work as a registered nurse while completing phase three. Students can complete their RN and BSN degree in four and a half to five years — possibly sooner if they begin the program with transfer credits. “This program is a great opportunity for students to get two nursing degrees in as little as four years, making them more competitive in the marketplace,” said CHP Dean Tom Masterson. At a time when nurses are in short supply nationally and locally, Masterson calls it a great example of CMU fulfilling its medical mission: “We are training quality health care providers for underserved populations in Michigan.” •
President Davies named to serve on NCAA governance body
Central Michigan President Bob Davies has been selected to serve as the Mid-American Conference representative on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum. “I am honored to represent our conference and to play a greater role in supporting our student-athletes and athletic programs. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues as we navigate the important issues and opportunities facing the NCAA at this time,” Davies said. The forum implements the NCAA’s core value to involve presidential leadership in the governance of intercollegiate athletics at the campus, conference and national level. It’s composed of one president or chancellor from each of the 32 Division I conferences. Davies’ term began Aug. 4 and concludes Aug. 31, 2024. •
University joins in the White House #COVIDCollegeChallenge
Nationwide effort aims to increase vaccination rates among college students Even in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Central Michigan University remained open for face-to-face learning opportunities for students in the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Students, faculty, staff and community partners made this possible by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, participating in surveillance testing and adhering to university health and safety guidelines designed to protect themselves and others. To empower CMU to resume a wider array of on-campus activities safely, university leaders are encouraging everyone to be vaccinated. CMU President Bob Davies announced that CMU has joined the White House’s COVID College Vaccination Challenge. Through the challenge, CMU aims to increase the rate of vaccinated individuals throughout campus. And while everyone can participate, the challenge is particularly focused on students. Even as many more Americans are being vaccinated, the younger people lag. According to Michigan.gov as of early August, only about 42% of Michiganders ages 16-29 received their first dose, and even fewer, about 37%, received their second dose to complete the vaccination process — well below the state’s goals. The goal of the #COVIDCollegeChallenge is to encourage those younger people to receive their shots, too. “Vaccines are our best chance to get back to all of the engaging, hands-on, in-person activities that make education at CMU unique,” Davies said. “The science is clear: Vaccines are a safe, effective defense against COVID-19. We are committed to making them accessible to every member of our community who wishes to receive them.” Members of the CMU community can join the challenge by registering for a vaccine appointment through the Central Michigan District Health Department website. •
CMU Study Abroad program garners national recognition for growth
Only 19 U.S. institutions receive IIE Seal of Excellence Central Michigan University has received the 2020 Institute of International Education’s Seal of Excellence for its commitment to increasing and diversifying the number of students in the university’s Study Abroad program. From 2014-19, CMU increased its overall study abroad participation numbers by 40% as well as its minority student participation by 40%. CMU is one of only 19 U.S. institutions to be recognized by the IIE for achieving its pledged goals over the five-year period. “The Office of Global Engagement looks forward to building on this growth and continuing to make study abroad accessible to more students, once student travel may resume post-pandemic,” said Dianne De Salvo, CMU’s director of study abroad. De Salvo said in the past year, CMU students have had the opportunity to participate in virtual international internships in countries around the world. CMU offers over 150 study abroad programs in more than 50 countries for nearly every major and minor. About 750 students expand their horizons and enhance their college experience through the program each year. Through study abroad, students advance their awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity, develop intercultural competency, gain new perspectives that enrich their education and help them grow personally, and prepare for professional success in an interdependent world. •
matters CMU women are leading in diverse spaces and places Representation
BY TERRI FINCH HAMILTON, ’83
Sometimes, leading means innovation — developing a better car axle, or even a flying car. Technical minds at work. But leadership also is a judge firmly steering wayward teens toward a brighter future. Or a TV journalist sharing life-saving news, even when it means sharing her own heartbreak. CMU alumni lead with their heads and their hearts. More women than ever hold leadership roles at CMU, from the Board of Trustees to the president’s cabinet. These powerful women, part of the university’s history of trailblazers, talk of the importance of mentors — both finding one and being one. Inspired by all this? You’ll also find tips for making your own impact as a leader. Lead on.
Donna Terrell, ’83, was a teen mom when she enrolled at CMU, her toddler daughter, Queah, at her side in her broadcasting classes scribbling notes like Mom, but with crayons. “That was not my plan,” Terrell said. “But my mom always said, ‘Just because you made your bed doesn’t mean you have to lie in it. You’re going to college.’ “So, I ran through the door and never looked back.” Terrell, news anchor at Fox 16 in Little Rock, is one of the most recognizable faces in Arkansas media, a multiple-award-winning broadcast journalist. “I didn’t go to CMU to fail, I went to succeed,” she said. “I learned a lot there that stuck with me. It taught me perseverance. I told myself, ‘Don’t give up. Just keep trying.’ I knew there was reward at the end.” And along the way, heartache. Terrell’s daughter, Queah, battled colon cancer in her 20s and died of the disease.
“When Queah died, I was the walking wounded,” Terrell said. “I thought, ‘You raised this child through all that adversity. You made it, and she made it. And now God comes and takes her away?’ ” Grief counseling helped, she said, “so I could get on with the rest of my life.” Part of getting on was continuing to tell Queah’s story. Terrell founded Donna Terrell’s Yoga Warriors Fighting Colon Cancer, a nonprofit that raises money for yoga classes for cancer survivors, patients and caregivers, as well as other cancerrelated needs. Yoga helped Queah through her cancer battle, Terrell said. “It was so unusual for a very young black woman to get this disease,” Terrell said. “Now more younger people are getting it. She wanted to warn people. She said, ‘Mom, you have to do a TV story about me.’ ” Terrell won an Associated Press award for her stories about Queah’s battle with colon cancer. It’s just one example of the power of the news, Terrell said. “I hear people say, ‘I don’t watch the news — it’s too depressing,’ ” she said. “Yes, it can be depressing, but it’s rewarding too. We can help people. We can expose something that shouldn’t be happening. We can shed light on something that causes people to volunteer or help monetarily. “If you want to make your community better, you need knowledge.” When Terrell “ran through the door” to CMU years ago, it was the start to her successful future. Now, it’s her philosophy. “Anytime there’s something that will be good for you, run through the door toward it,” Terrell said. “No matter what happens, latch onto what’s good.”
When she started her engineering career in the male-dominated auto industry, Heather Pishalski, ’92, was often the only woman in the room. “We think differently,” she said. “There’s definitely a different energy when you have a woman in the room who actively and confidently contributes ideas.” Pishalski is executive director of product engineering, systems and services at American Axle & Manufacturing in Detroit, leading a team of more than 200 engineers at seven global centers around the world. The company engineers and manufactures driveline and metal forming systems that deliver power to a vehicle’s wheels. It’s a highly technical field. But Pishalski’s people skills were evident early on, too. After one of her earliest promotions, she managed employees with more years of experience than she had. One seemed reluctant about reporting to her. Pishalski thrives on open communication, so she asked him to share his concerns, ready to field all sorts of worries. “He said, ‘I’m afraid you won’t let me leave early at 2 o’clock on Fridays in the summer to play golf,’ ” she said. “I said, ‘That’s all? We can make that happen.’” If only all her challenges were that easy. Actually, if they were, she’d hate it. Pishalski’s days are filled with setting the big-picture strategy she loves, from how to streamline operations for increased efficiency to what kind of skills new hires should have as the company expands into new markets, including electric axles. She loves a challenge. “I’ve always been very open-minded about defining what’s next,” she said. “Years ago, I didn’t say, ‘I want to be an executive someday.’ I said, ‘I always want to challenge myself.’ “Many times, I took a job that others weren’t interested in. Those jobs were where I learned the most.” She loves when technicians pull her aside on the manufacturing floor to show her a new development or ask a question. “I’m a people person who loves the engineering side of the business,” she said. Her confidence blossomed at CMU. “Central helped me build a really strong foundation,” Pishalski said. “That’s where I grew up. It’s where I realized I was in control of my destiny.” She was originally bound for the University of Michigan after high school but was deferred until January. So, she started at CMU with plans to transfer. “I never went,” she said. “I loved Central so much, I made it my home.” >
Kandra Robbins, ’90, always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. “But I didn’t know judge was even a possibility,” she said. She admits it’s probably her worst quality — underestimating her skills and potential. “I think it’s common for women of my generation,” said Robbins, an administrative law judge for the state of Michigan. Luckily, a supervisor along the way saw her potential. As a staff attorney, Robbins was interviewing candidates to be the next chief judge for the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribal Court. Her supervisor stunned her by suggesting she apply. “I was so young,” said Robbins, who was 30 at the time. “I didn’t think I knew enough.” What she didn’t know, she learned fast. Robbins, a member of the tribe, presided over all kinds of cases. She sent people to jail and had to evict them from their homes. She ruled in cases of child abuse and neglect. “Some cases still haunt me,” she said. But there was also hope and light. Robbins was instrumental in creating the tribe’s drug court and the Juvenile Healing Court that nurtured struggling preteens in trouble with shoplifting or truancy with weekly family counseling, community service and tutoring to steer them back to the right path. “They didn’t get sympathy from the bench because it was important to hold them accountable for healing,” she said. She was firm. No excuses. “As a judge, you see people for a moment, then they’re gone and you don’t know what the rest of their story is.” Sometimes, their story pops up unexpectedly. Delightfully. Robbins and her son were in a restaurant drive-through lane back in Sault Ste. Marie while visiting after being away for a few years. The young woman at the window asked her, “Are you Judge Robbins?” “She said, ‘I want to thank you. You were tough on me. I finished school. I’m a mom now. I have a job.’ “Every once in a while, you get a moment that makes you feel pretty good,” Robbins said. Robbins grew up in the small northern Michigan town of Bliss, graduating in a class of 53. Everybody knew everybody. “Central was a place where the world was suddenly accessible,” she said. “There were no built-in expectations. It was a place for me to discover who I was.” As the new president of the CMU alumni board, Robbins is passionate about “letting the whole world know how fabulous Central is,” she said. “That sense of curiosity and wonder I experienced there is something I still draw on today.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, community banks were like hometown heroes, helping small, family run businesses apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans to keep them afloat. Kelly Gerstenberger, ’10, loved that part of her role as president and CEO of Exchange State Bank in Carsonville, in Michigan’s Thumb region. “We were able to help small businesses and farmers access those funds when they really needed them,” she said. “We were willing to help, no matter how small the customer.” Gerstenberger followed a pretty straight career path from CMU — accounting major, CPA, auditor, controller, chief financial officer, bank president and CEO. “I followed a path I envisioned, but I didn’t imagine it would happen this fast,” she said. She’s a bank president and CEO at age 33. Ask the secret to her success, and it shouldn’t be surprising the accounting major offers up a formula. “Hard work and dedication certainly play a large role,” she said, “as well as being open to opportunities as you’re presented with them.” In the movies, bank presidents are always well-dressed and serious, with an air of importance, but you never quite see exactly what they do.
“When you’re president of a community bank, you wear quite a few hats,” Gerstenberger said. (Fun fact: 10% of Michigan’s community banks are run by CMU alumni.) It’s a numbers job, of course, about finances and auditors and bank examiners. But it’s a people job too, hashing out challenges along with bank staff and the board of directors. Her time at CMU prepared her to wear all those hats. “The business degree at Central is so well rounded,” she said. “I didn’t just learn accounting, but I learned marketing and human resources and how to give presentations. In this role I need to know all those things.” Gerstenberger loves the connections that come with working at a community bank. “There’s a more personal touch,” she said. That personal touch was part of the celebratory hoopla in June when the bank celebrated its 120th anniversary. They gave gift cards to customers, who could then choose a local nonprofit to receive the same amount as a donation from the bank. Gerstenberger holds her own community of Sandusky, Michigan, close. She’s often out and about at school and sports events with her husband and three young sons. She went to school there, too. “Being active in the community is very important to me,” she said. “Exchange State Bank opened in 1901, and being community minded has always been a core value of ours. Being a part of that legacy and continuing it means so much.”
If you’re in a coolest job contest with Natasha Tolentino, M.S.A. ’14, chances are, she wins. She helps develop flying cars, although in the U.S. Air Force, they call these vehicles electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) systems. Or organic resupply buses — ORBs for short. They’re electric-powered vehicles with names like Hexa that rise from the ground with helicopter-type rotors and speed through the air at more than 100 mph. Call them cool. Tolentino is lead program manager for Agility Prime, the U.S. Air Force’s commercial development program for these flying vehicles. She uses the resources of the Department of Defense to speed up their research and development for commercial use. “The military application is well and good, but this isn’t about painting them military gray and strapping bombs to them,” she said. “Think about big cities like Los Angeles, New York and D.C., where you spend an hour on the road to go 10 miles. >
< Natasha Tolentino (center).
“Think about natural disasters and how hard it is to navigate. These vehicles could get to individuals in critical need so much faster.” Her list of their uses goes on: medical evacuation, firefighting, humanitarian relief operations. “It seems like science fiction, but I need to be able to break it down in layman’s terms,” she said. Her days are filled with flight test planning, meeting with congressional staff about funding, pitching to venture capitalists. On a really fun day, she gets to take potential investors to see an ORB in flight, “so they can see it and touch it,” she says, “and say ‘this is so cool.’ ” Then she sends them to AFWERX.com/ agilityprime to learn more. Tolentino has worked for the Air Force since high school, starting in human resources and working her way up. She earned her CMU master’s degree from the Global Campus, taking classes from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. “That was critical,” she said. “I took classes at night and on weekends while still doing my job.” She uses the skills she gained there every day. “My capstone project taught me how to defend a topic,” she said. “The best writing lab resource ever taught me how to frame things in different ways.” Tolentino is the only minority woman on her team. She mentors high school students and speaks at career tech centers, hoping to boost representation. “Be it ’till you see it,” she said. Meanwhile, she loves her fascinating career. “I’m allowed to think out of the box and dip my toe into multiple streams of technology,” she said. “I’m constantly challenged, and challenge allows for growth.” •
Know your value
Tori Stevens’ journey to career coach and consultant started when she was a resident assistant in Cobb Hall. “That RA experience taught me so much,” said Stevens, ’08, M.A. ’12. “It was real-world experience. Everyone communicates differently and expresses emotions differently. I learned you can’t make a judgement about how other people are supposed to behave. I learned to listen. I learned to ask questions.” She’s still asking questions, as a career coach, teacher and speaker at universities and businesses around the country through her Charlotte, N.C., business EvolYOUtion. (www.evolyoution.net). “The world of work has always focused on professional development — giving you more skills for the role you’re in right now,” Stevens said. She loves focusing on personal development. After all, we bring our whole selves to work, right? We put too much trust in our boss’ performance reviews and not enough in ourselves, she said. “I teach people to understand and trust their character and skills, own their worth and value and trust themselves in their careers.”
Stevens shares a few tips:
1. What story are you telling yourself about you? Are you sure it’s true?
Maybe you assume you’re not good at public speaking. What makes you think that? Just because you tried it once and it didn’t go well?
2. Eliminate the words “only” and “just.”
“You’re immediately diminishing yourself and your skill set when you use those words, and assuming somebody else is better,” she said.
EXAMPLE: “I’ve only had this job three years” or “I just started this career four years ago.”
Two little words make a big difference.
3. Take your own advice.
“We love handing out advice,”
Stevens said. “But, when it’s time to take our own, the head trash or doubt starts creeping in that ‘it’s not good enough.’ Ask yourself,
‘Why do you give advice to others but not to yourself?’ ”
4. Confidence is an inside job.
“I hear all the time that people want to be more confident in their abilities,” she said. “Being confident doesn’t come from the thoughts, values or opinions that others have about you. It comes from yourself. Confidence is recognizing that all those intangible or transferable skills gained throughout conversations, experiences and lessons enhance your knowledge.”
5. Stop saying “now” and start saying “yet.”
You don’t have to have everything figured out now, Stevens said.
There’s magic in the word “yet.”
“We’re constantly learning and growing when it comes to leading and developing,” she said.
Give yourself time. •
