WINTER 2021 News and features about and for the Dominican community Dominican at 130 The Road to 2020–2021 page 12 DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Mary
Marcy, DPhil Lead Editor Jessica Jordan Art ProductionDirection/ Margaret Wylie Editors Marly A. Norris Sarah Gardner Sierra Alvis Robinson Writers Dave TriciaJennJessicaMarkVictoriaSarahSophiaAudreyAlbeeBarthDeQuattroGardnerGrajedaJaimeJordanKrengelLacy Photographers Dave DiaMartinJoeJenniferAlbeeBellinghamGaylorKlimekRao Published By Dominican University of California 50 Acacia Ave. San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) dominican.edu485-3239 In This Issue Winter 2021 1 News 11 Athletics Team Practices Signal New COVID Protocol Phase 12 Dominican at 130: The Road to 2020-2021 10 Dominican Wins Higher Ed’s Top Innovation Award Class Notes23 In Sympathy27 DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Alumni Profiles167 Opportunity, Growth, Support
The Torch
The Torch is a publication presenting the news, people and progress of Dominican University of California. The symbol of the flaming torch, representing truth, is rooted in the history of St. Dominic. The University’s motto is “Truth, a flaming torch.” The torch is carried by one of the “hounds of the Lord,” or, in Latin, “Domini canes.”
President B.
Following State of California guidelines, many students are taking courses online. Students involved with state-defined “essential workforce” training — such as nursing, occupational therapy, global public health, physician assistant, education, and counseling psychology — are on campus for instruction. Faculty in other programs have added small group, hybrid sessions for students seeking in-person learning opportunities. There are students living in the residence halls, which have been reduced to single-occupancy rooms. Although fall competitions are on hiatus, our student-athletes are training in pods, running through drills and conditioning outdoors. In the Dominican spirit, we have come up with creative solutions to ensure that every student continues to receive the high-quality, relationship-driven, individual ized education for which we are known. Faculty and staff have invested countless hours in redesigning and delivering courses. We created eight outdoor classrooms to allow students and faculty to meet in person while ensuring appropriate social distancing. Our network of integrative coaches and peer mentors are holding virtual drop-in hours via Zoom. We are seeing higher turnout for our virtual activities in Rec Sports, with students gathering virtually for yoga and fitness courses.
Dear Friends, It has been a busy and unusual fall semester at Dominican University of California.
And, thanks to a gift from a generous donor, we can regularly provide pooled screening tests for COVID-19 on campus. Our conscientious attention to good health protocols has resulted in a low positivity rate.
Years from now, as we look back on 2020, we will be proud of all that the Dominican community has done to overcome the challenges of this extraordinary time.
PresidentMarySincerely,B.Marcy
As you’ll read in this issue of The Torch, we are continuing to fulfill our mission while caring for the safety of our campus community. When we were developing the Dominican at 130 Strategic Plan, none of us anticipated the many challenges that 2020 has brought. But, we have used every tool at our disposal, leveraged every advantage of a small school and intimate educational experience, and met the challenges head-on. The pillars of a Dominican education — study, reflection, community and service — are more relevant this year than ever before. This good work will continue under the leadership of our president-elect. Nicola Pitchford is an intelligent, compassionate, strong leader. Her appointment ensures that Dominican will continue to deliver an exceptional education for our students, even as we meet the ongoing challenges facing all of higher education. She and I are working closely together this academic year to provide a seamless transition.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Pitchford has served in both academic and administrative roles in higher education for more than 25 years. She joined Dominican in 2011, serving first as dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (now the School of Liberal Arts and Education) and, since 2014, as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. In 2018 she stepped in as Dominican’s interim president while President Mary B. Marcy completed a research sabbatical.
Pitchford’s immediate focus will be the continuation of work that began under President Marcy’s leadership to fully develop a dis tinctive model of academic programming and student support, which today is nationally recognized as the Dominican Experience. She served on the original design team to establish this signature student learning experience, developed over the past decade, focusing on maximizing Dominican’s strengths and fostering equity. In 2014, Pitchford co-chaired the Dominican Experience Task Force, composed of nearly 30 faculty and staff. Its charge was to align and expand Dominican’s academic and co-curricular strengths within engaged learning principles.
r. Nicola Pitchford, a professor of English whose research and teaching interests include contemporary British literature, feminist theory, race and national identity, and landscape writing, has been named President of Dominican University of California. Her term begins on July 1, 2021.
“Dr. Pitchford’s record is outstanding in all arenas — academic, administrative, and creative,” said Dr. Carolyn Klebanoff, chair of Dominican’s board of trustees. “Through the evaluation process, it became clear that she enjoys the enormous, and critical, respect of her campus colleagues.”
In recent years, Pitchford has joined President Marcy in raising the profile of the Dominican Experience by presenting successful outcomes at national conferences and addressing prospective students, alumni and local organizations. Today, the Dominican Experience places the University among a small group of institu tions transformed around a clear vision of hands-on learning, personalized mentoring and community engagement.
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“I will continue the outstanding work that has been accomplished under President Marcy’s tenure to focus on what I believe is the core task of higher education in a changing world: the education of the whole person,” Pitchford said, “nurturing habits of critical thinking and flexible intelligence that equip our students to engage ethically and carefully with others and to adapt their skills to both existing and emerging community challenges and careerPitchfordopportunities.”hasalsohelped shape the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and developed campus-wide priorities as a member of the faculty-staff-student Diversity Action Group (DAG). Recently, she participated in a year-long listening and planning project with DAG and the Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) to support the student experience in three primary ways: programming, education and advocacy. This work led to the drafting by DAG of a campus-wide Strategic Diversity Plan and the appointment of a student-facing director of diversity, equity and inclusion to lead the campus community in implementing the plan.
10th President D
Dr. Nicola Pitchford Named Dominican University of California’s
Pitchford, 55, was born in the United Kingdom and moved to the United States in her early teens. She lives in San Rafael.
After graduating cum laude from Pomona College with a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing, Pitchford initially planned a career in social work. However, she ended up working as a professional baker and then in political and community organiz ing. She went on to earn both a master’s degree and PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in English, with an emphasis on modern and contemporary U.S. and British literature.
Before joining Dominican, she served as associate vice president for academic affairs, and associate chief academic officer at Fordham University from 2009-2011. She joined the faculty at Fordham in 1995 as an assistant professor of English and received tenure in 2001.
Dominican’s 10th president has a background as diverse and compelling as the University she has helped shape for the past decade. She has worked as a pastry chef, played bass and flute in an experimental rock band, and her varied research interests include the history of the Booker Prize.
NEWS Dr. Pitchford’s record is outstanding in all arenas — academic, administrative, and creative... — Dr. Carolyn Klebanoff, chair of Dominican’s board of trustees 2THE TORCH | WINTER 2021
Dominican Scholar, the University’s online repository that showcases the scholarly and creative work of the students, faculty, and staff of Dominican University of California.
Under Lee’s leadership, the Barowsky School of Business will continue to expand its graduate-level offerings with a new Master of Science in Accounting program launching in fall 2021. “There always has been a steady demand for qualified accountants in accounting firms and all kinds of organiza tions,” Lee said. “This one-year analytics-focused accounting program will give our graduates the skill sets to thrive in the changing accounting industry.”
“Many other schools have assumptions about what kind of student will succeed in a business analytics program and have stringent prerequisites they are looking for,” Lee said. “In our program, as long as students have critical thinking and communication skills, we can teach them, and we will prepare them to learn new skills on their own.”
Dominican Scholar: Expanding Our Global Reach
Graduate alumni: Don’t see your thesis online? Contact Michael Pujals at michael.pujals@dominican edu about adding a copy to Dominican Scholar.
Dominican Scholar boasts 896,961 total down loads in 225 countries and territories (at time of printing).
A third of the first cohort is comprised of working professionals from a variety of industries, all with an interest in understanding data and how to use that knowledge to grow their organizations.
Dominican student and faculty work in this repository has been downloaded by people from the Library of Congress, the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the National Institutes for Health, the Cape Provincial Administration in South Africa, the South East Sydney Local Health District in Australia, the London School of Economics and Political Science in England, and the County of Marin.
Barowsky School of Business Launches New MSBA L aunching a new academic program during a pandemic wasn’t exactly what Yung-Jae Lee, dean of the Barowsky School of Business, initially envisioned. But Dominican University of California’s new Masters of Science in business analytics (MSBA) has exceeded his high expectations.
“Having our work online is important to make it accessible to the public,” said Pujals. “This was especially evident during the pandemic lockdown. The Library was closed to the public, and most of the students were living away from campus. If anyone wanted to read our undergraduate senior theses or graduate master's theses, the only way they could do that was by finding the ones that we have online in Dominican Scholar. Our theses in print see very little use, but the ones online are read around the world.”
Designed for recent college graduates and business professionals looking to change careers or expand their career potential, the MSBA is a one-year program that teaches students to use data analysis and visualization to communicate complex information effectively and make actionable business decisions.
Although still virtual for now, the degree’s cohort model, which allows each incoming class to take courses together, will enhance collaboration and interaction in all their classes.
Michael Pujals, scholarly communications librarian, launched Dominican Scholar in 2014. “My initial goal was to make our faculty’s work more accessible to a larger audience,” said Pujals. Twenty-five percent of our downloads go to developing nations, so there’s a social justice aspect of creating access to knowledge.”
“While a data scientist allocates a lot of time to collecting and cleaning the data, a business analyst focuses on finding insight that will be useful to an organization,” said Lee. “There is a huge talent gap in this field and a lot of demand. Employers are looking for people with this skill set. I wanted Dominican to be the first player in our region.”
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What’s cyan and gold and read all over the world?
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“Our enrollment target was 12 students,” Lee said. “We ended up with 21. Four of them are very recent Dominican graduates, and another eight are recent graduates from other universities. With an MBA, it’s helpful to have work experience. With the MSBA, you can jump right in.”
The repository, which can be accessed at scholar.dominican.edu, hosts a variety of materials, including student and faculty
Courses in machine learning, cloud computing and data visual ization aim to equip students with skills they can use right away.
research, publications and reports, art, and special projects. Access is free and open to the public. Users can search for information by topic or author, and everything is indexed in Google. Another feature allows authors to receive readership reports when their work is downloaded. Altogether, the pieces paint a broad picture of what’s happening on campus and expand Dominican’s reach globally.
Davidson joined Dominican in 2018 as director of career development. She also served as the University’s lead integrative coach — helping students with resume revisions, graduate school essay development, and career exploration — and led Domincan’s Mas tering College and Life Skills courses.
— Stacy Davidson
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During the interview process, she asked the search committee — consisting of faculty, staff and students — to recommend priorities for the position's first 90 days. With the committee’s help, she honed in on the following key actions:
As director, Davidson will join DAG to lead the campus community in implementing the Strategic Diversity Plan, ensuring it is aligned with Dominican’s mission and the broader institutional strategic priorities.
“The development of this position was part of the year-long listening and planning project that has also led to the drafting by the DAG of a campus-wide Strategic Diversity Plan, to be shared and refined with the campus community as the new academic year begins,” said Dr. Nicola Pitchford, vice president for academic affairs. “We know that every area of campus life and work needs to be intentionally infused with an active commitment to more fully support Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and LGBTQIA — whether as students, employees, or other members of our commu nity — and no one person can or should be responsible for holding our equity-building work.”
NEWS Stacy Davidson Named Director of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion
I believe that Dominican is primed to create meaningful and substantive change because of the DAG’s mission and its diverse representation of faculty, staff and students motivated and committed to doing diversity work.
Before her time at the University, Davidson was the director for academic support at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where she created and managed a student learning center, re-designed curriculum for a summer transition program for first-gener ation, Pell-eligible students, and facilitated academic success workshops.Davidsonearned her Master of Arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Virginia.
The student-facing position was created in association with the University’s Diversity Action Group (DAG) and the Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) to support the student experience in programming, education and advocacy.
Create a Bias Incident Reporting process to handle discrimination issues on campus. It is important that all members of the community know the procedure for addressing concerns and receiving redress as appropriate.
Develop and facilitate ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion training for faculty and staff. This initiative has already received an institutional commitment from University leadership.
“I believe that Dominican is primed to create meaningful and substantive change because of the DAG’s mission and its diverse representation of faculty, staff and students motivated and com mitted to doing diversity work," Davidson said. “Further, students are eager to engage with this newly designed role to create the campus experience they desire and deserve. With institutional commitment, DAG, students, and I will create and implement the vision that we all have for a campus community that embraces and celebrates our diversity.”
Connect with students in meaningful and intentional ways on cultural and educational programming opportuni ties that impact campus climate and the overall student experience. Being a resource and advocate for students is a crucial component of this role.
“I look forward to leading Dominican’s work balancing student engagement and programming with fundamental campus-wide curricular and systemic changes needed to build an inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community,” Davidson said.
Stacy Davidson has been named director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University. Davidson brings to the role more than 30 years of student affairs work in which she has served as a mentor and advocate for young people.
According to Dr. Andrea Boyle, chair of the nursing department, the quick pivot was a testament to the University’s strong community ties. “Forming long-term and trusting partnerships with community organizations is something that Dominican does very well,” Boyle said. “When we suggested the telenursing program, we received an immediate yes.”
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Last semester, thanks to fast action by Christiansen and colleagues in the Department of Nursing, the in-person program transformed into a telenursing option designed to provide direct patient care experience for Dominican’s senior nursing students. It was a win-win move — one that ensured dozens of senior nursing students would gain the clinical hours necessary for spring graduation.
In March, Dominican received approval from the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) for the telenursing clinical placement option. This came as obstacles to completing clinical education hours risked delaying graduation for thousands of nursing students in California. Many hospitals and other healthcare facilities where students complete their clinical rotations suspended their student programs as the facilities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the Bay Area was placed under a shelter-in-place order in March, Dominican nursing students were much-appreciated voices on the other end of the telephone for seniors in West Marin.
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Ordinarily, they would have met in person. For the past six years, Dr. Ellen Christiansen and her community health nursing students have performed in-person home visits in collaboration with Laura Sherman and Susan Deixler, care managers at West Marin Senior Services (WMSS).
6 students are working with the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging to do a needs assessment and provide telehealth to 20 older adults.
Senior nursing student Nora Fey is currently “seeing” two WMSS clients — one male, one female — for weekly telehealth visits. Fey speaks to each client for about an hour. "I look forward to my calls,” she said. “We speak at the same time on the same day each week. It’s a date!" She first checks in with clients about their week and sets goals to work toward over the week to follow. Fey and her clients go over medications and safety concerns, but just as important is the social connection she provides. “Social connections are so import ant to maintaining optimal health for everyone, but especially older adults,” she said. “Social isolation can hinder their health.” Fey says she genuinely feels that her telenursing experience has been meaningful. “Telenursing has helped me enhance my skills and be able to care for and communicate with anyone,” she said. “I am truly learning a lot from these individuals. They are making me a betterChristiansenperson.”predicts that even after the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth will continue to be an important tool utilized by Dominican nursing students and community health organizations. “Telehealth is a wonderful service to offer to older adults who are trying to age in place,” she said. “Many of these people were already iso lated, and the pandemic has only exacerbated that. Our students are making a difference.”
WMSS’s Sherman said the telenursing program provided a critical new service to semi-rural and rural seniors sheltering in place and experiencing increased isolation and heightened concern.
“The telenursing program quelled many seniors' fears and conveyed peace of mind,” she said. Once it was announced, the demand was strong. “I received client phone messages saying, ‘When is the student nurse calling me? I'm ready!’”
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Dominican students are working with Vivalon (formerly known as Whistlestop) to provide telehealth to 20 clients.
Based on last spring’s telehealth program’s success, Christiansen has expanded Dominican’s partnership with area organizations and placed 65 first-semester senior nursing students in community settings this fall. Dominican has now established telehealth arrangements with four agencies (see visual representation).
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 6 NEWS
Last spring, the program paired 30 senior nursing students with about 50 elderly WMSS clients under the supervision of WMSS staff and Dominican faculty clinical instructors. The Dominican students interacted with elderly and at-risk clients through a series of telephone or online sessions addressing nursing, health, and social well-being issues. Throughout the course, students took a full medical history, compiled a complete medication list, and com pleted both a thorough functional assessment and a home safety checklist. Students also researched medical topics on behalf of their clients to provide evidence-based information for the client to discuss with a primary care provider. The course instructors held video conferences with their clinical groups to present and discuss their cases, and the clinical group was invited to contribute ideas for the ongoing care plan.
students are providing telehealth services through the Marin Health and Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services.
11 students are working with West Marin Senior Services to conduct phone and Zoom contacts.22 Together, Dominican students are helping 90 older adults this semester through the various agencies.
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Allison recently talked with Domincan’s Communications and Media Relations office about her Dominican Experience, which included interning with Sen. Kamala Harris, working with the Marin County Board of Supervisors, studying abroad in London, and serving as president of the Dominican Political Science Association. And how, along the way, she has been supported and inspired by her faculty mentors.
Politics has been central to your experience at Dominican. What are some of your more memorable moments both as an intern and as a student?
When did you first develop an interest in politics, and why? I grew up in Sacramento and have been surrounded by state government all my life, and I’ve always strived to stay abreast of the news. I think I knew I wanted to study political science my senior year of high school, while participating in a mock state legislature and court program called Youth and Government through the YMCA.
OPPORTUNITY GROWTH SUPPORT
When people ask if I like going to such a small school, I say yes, because the com munity is tight-knit. My professors know me by my first name, even if I’ve only had one class with them — professors at Dominican care about me as an individual.
I learned what sorts of issues Californians care about, as well as the intricacies of the legislative process and federal casework in Harris’ office. At the Marin County Board of Supervisors, I loved how hands-on my work was, and I felt like I was really making an impact in my local community. When we were still going into the office at the beginning of my internship, my supervisor and I met with a community member and traffic planner about a dangerous blind curve. By the end of my time there, safety measures had been put in place to protect pedestrians.
Nearly 4,000 high school students from across the state participate in the program every year. I had the opportunity to write a bill, lobby, perform legislative analyst work and speak on the California State Senate floor. Through that program, I learned about the deliberateness of the legislative process, and I was hooked. I find politics engaging, but what really interests me is public service. I see poli tics as the arena in which we sort out who is most qualified to represent others and serve their communities through govern ment. So, while many people find politics exhausting and frustrating, I see it as an opportunity to create lasting change for the problems we face. Tell us about your faculty mentors? How have they supported you?
A llison Kustic ’21, a political science major in the School of Liberal Arts and Education, was nominated by Dominican University of California and selected as a participant in the 2020 Panetta Institute Congressional Internship Program. In a normal year, she would have attended the institute’s two-week orientation in Monterey and spent three months interning in a U.S. House of Representa tives office in Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, the D.C. portion of the internship was canceled due to COVID-19. However, Allison learned from public servants, academics and policy experts in several fields during the two-week remote orientation program. Following this abbre viated program, Allison wrote a 20-page policy paper on a topic of her choosing.
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I joined the debate team my first year be cause it was the first opportunity I was pre sented to get involved on campus. I have learned so much about public speaking, thinking on my feet, being a teammate, and crafting creative arguments. I’ve met some incredible people and been on fun adventures in the process. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in London, which created memories I will hold onto for a lifetime. I learned about new cultures, adjusted to a new way of life and learning, and explored the world. I also will always cherish the small moments at Dominican: sitting with friends in the Gazebo, fellowship after Sunday night masses, sharing my love for DU as a student ambassador, and too many game nights in Edgehill Mansion with friends to count. I bombed an interview for an internship in the Governor’s office after my first year, but I learned from the experience and landed an internship in the Sacramento district office of Sen. Kamala Harris the summer after my second year. In the spring of my junior year, I interned with the Marin County Board of Supervisors, where my main focus was organizing grassroots social media messaging for the 2020 Census with more than 150 commu nity partners. I enjoyed both internships and learned different things in each.
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Find at least one way to get involved on campus. I recommend debate to everyone, regardless of your major. You do not need any previous experience and you will learn so much. But truly, find something that will give you community and keep you on campus more weekends than you go home. At the same time, don’t overdo it and know when to say no thanks. It is good to have some free time to spontaneously walk to Double Rainbow or hike the Gold Hill Grade fire trail behind campus. What do you have planned for life after Dominican? That’s a big question. I am graduating a semester earlier than expected because of the changes with Panetta, so I don’t have everything sorted out yet. I will apply for the Capital Fellows program and would like to work with the California State Leg islature. Law school has been at the back of my mind for a while, but my experiences at the Panetta Institute are making me consider it more seriously. Further down the road, I would like to pursue a job focused on environmental policy, and plan to one day run for office. Dominican in three words? Opportunity, growth, support.
I have loved every year at Dominican, and my first year was no exception. My number 1 tip for new students is to never stop saying hello. I met new friends throughout my first year and am still meeting new people!
Three professors stand out in particular as incredible mentors: Amy Young, Christian Dean and Alison Howard. I had only one general education course with Professor Young, but her class was one of my favorites. She expanded her Bay Area Rocks class to encompass local geography and taught us how to be global citizens who connect science to business, government action, volunteer work, etc. She pushed us to think about how academic disci plines intersect and took us on field trips to learn firsthand. Christian pushed me to read more in a constitutional law course than I have for any other class, asked me to ponder moral reasoning in an ethics class, and look at the other side of every issue I encounter through debate. He saw my passion for expanding my horizons and further mentored me as a TA and encour aged me to apply for the Panetta internship. I often refer to Alison as my Dominican mom — that’s how much of a family Dominican is. Alison reaches out to each and every one of her students with more opportunities to intern, attend lectures, tune in to webinars and read articles to augment their formal learning. She knows me personally, not just as a student in her classroom. Alison directs me toward opportunities during summer in my hometown, makes sure I have housing figured out each year, and asks about my family. Alison encouraged me to become involved in the Dominican Political Science Association during my first year, and I was elected as president for two years. That club has become one of my closest circles at DU. Our first-year students begin their studies this coming week. What do you recall about your first year at Dominican, and what would be your advice to them?
You are not limited to the people in your orientation group or the first two students you talk to. Some of my best friends at Dominican are not in my year, and a bonus to making friends in classes above you is that they are often incredible mentors and friends.
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During my first year, I had some health issues and had to be absent from class for a while. When I emailed my professors to let them know, not one focused on the academic aspect and instead wished me a speedy recovery and told me we would sort things out when I was well.
The team developed a guiding document that classifies lab activities into low, mod erate and high risks, with corresponding mitigation strategies. According to the classification, students are provided with PPE — including procedural masks, face shields, disposable gloves, and disposable gowns — as appropriate. Table-top stand ing shields are used as another layer of protection, and students are kept in a "pod" of consistent partners to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
To ensure that students returned to the Meadowlands Hall labs in a safe and orga nized manner, a team of dedicated faculty and staff worked tirelessly throughout the summer to ensure that safety and flexibility would be woven into all in-person inter actions.Licredits the team of Associate Professor and Chair Julia Wilbarger, Instructional Re sources Coordinator Claire Murphy, Program Administrator Diane Griffeath, and Director of Clinical Simulation Services Barbara McCamish for planning detailed risk mitigation strategies to bring students safely back to their labs and classrooms.
OT Graduate Students With PPE In-Person Lab Work
Mastering the hands-on skills vital to their profession while wearing layers of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been tough er than expected. An October heatwave, during which temperatures soared throughout Northern California, did not help.
“They took the precautions very seriously but didn't let it get in the way of their learning,” Jones said. “Even on some of the hottest days, they did not complain about the heat or that they had to be in class, but were supportive of each other and spent time focusing on their learning. I have immunocompromised members in my family, and I was comfortable teaching because I experienced how conscientious the students were during in-person learning.”
Doing
When Dominican’s fall semester began in August, the University offered various de livery modes, including online, hybrid and in-person instruction. State of California guidelines permitted some essential workforce and experiential learning courses, including occupational therapy classes, to be delivered in-person on campus.
Kristin Jones, assistant professor of OT, has been impressed by the students’ atti tudes and flexibility.
Student Quyntz Ellenwood sums it up nicely: “If you look at our situation, it is just so ‘OT’ of us to adapt to our environment. We face uncertainty and choose to make friends with it. We ask it, ‘What can we do to better embrace your presence?’".
— Rena Ribeiro
Graduate students in the Depart ment of Occupational Therapy (OT) have adapted to both the expected and unexpected challenges brought by COVID-19.
“Fun fact: PPE retains more heat than I previously thought imaginable,” said graduate student Brianna Baisch. “Sweat dripping down your back in the lab has become a regular occurrence. However, our cohort’s perseverance and excite ment to learn is contagious. We continue to stay hydrated, focused, and just happy to see each other’s faces — even through a mask and face shield.”
Wearing PPE in the classroom prepares OT students on how to use these materials and become comfortable when working with patients in the future. Whether it's navigating PPE and focusing on coursework or wearing PPE and guiding patients toward recovery, adaptability is key.
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“As we transitioned back to in-person labs, the OT department has been dedicated and on top of making sure we take the proper precautions through COVID testing, daily health screenings, providing students with full PPE, and most importantly, by respecting our autonomy,” Cezar said. “It has been a joy to be reunited with professors and cohort members. I can't emphasize enough how, even in a time of uncertainty, in-person labs continue to feel natural and so fulfilling — even with all the PPE.”
“As an essential professional program, the OT department continues to selectively choose essential in-person experiential learning that cannot be substituted with online learning, and brings students back to campus,” said Dr. Kitsum Li, program director and associate professor of OT in the School of Health and Natural Sciences.
Student Sabrina Anne Cezar praises the Dominican faculty for continually sup porting students during these times of uncertainty and unrest.
The crux of the institution’s transformation is the Dominican Experience, a signature program that provides undergraduates with access to personalized coaching and the opportunity to engage with the com munity through service- learning, internships and fieldwork. Students work closely with faculty mentors to develop original research or creative projects in their junior and senior years — often to present at regional or national conferences. Stu dents graduate with digital portfolios that showcase personal growth, academic accomplishments and professional skills.
Audrey Barth ’21
A Student’s Perspective
For me, like many others, the first news of COVID-19 fell on deaf ears. It seemed so distant, and I never imagined that it would affect us to this extent. That’s just part of being a young college student — the “it could never happen to me” mindset. Even when shelter-in-place began in March, I only expected it to last a month or two. But as time went on and cases began to rise, the reality started to set in. When I first heard the news from Domin ican about switching to online classes, it seemed like more of a gift than a burden. I could go to class in bed, I could sleep in, and teachers had to simplify assignments to fit the online platform. Granted, I felt bad for the seniors who had to graduate on Zoom. But I was certain that things would be back to “normal” by my graduation in the spring of 2021. I often used to say, “when things are back to normal,” or “when this is all over.” But I’ve realized that the idea of everything changing at the drop of a hat is unrealistic. There are so many variables and unpredictable situations, and I’ve gained the clarity that recovery — on every level — will be a long process.
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“As the workplace becomes more com plex, the unique opportunities provided by small colleges like Dominican have never been more essential,” President Marcy said. “This award honors our dedi cated faculty and staff for their commit ment to our students and to our society.”
Dominican has been named the na tion’s most transformative fouryear university by the American Council on Education (ACE) in recogni tion of a deep commitment to student opportunity and success.
Dominican Wins Higher Ed’s Top Innovation Award
After summer, when online classes resumed, I was itching to get back in the classroom. Luckily, my teachers have been flexible with online assignments. However, we have to alter or skip many useful as signments that are not compatible with our online platform. For example, in my Broadcasting Field Study class, we have to learn camera shots, video editing, lighting and more without ever stepping foot in a studio or using professional equipment. We learn by using what we have at home. For example, we use the lamps in our homes to mimic professional studio light ing, and instead of professional cameras, we use our phone cameras to film. The hardest part of the pandemic is dealing with school while juggling mental health and staying safe from the virus. My dad has COPD, so I have to be much more cautious than many of my peers. I see many people my age continuing on with their lives as normal — traveling and going out every day. This is hard to watch be cause I feel that I am one of the few people that understands the magnitude of this pandemic, and how it could alter my life forever if I am not careful. I wish I could still say “when things are back to normal,” but I know it will not be that simple. I do know that the Dominican community will continue to learn and adapt to a very challenging situation.
The national award recognizes Domini can’s focus on providing every student with an education that embraces the increasing importance of technology and the powerful impact of a mentor.
As a result of its innovations, Dominican has seen graduation rates improve by more than 70 percent since 2011, along with an increase of 30 percent in the ethnic diversity of the undergraduate degreeseeking student body from 2011 to 2018. In fall 2019, first-to-second year retention for those who started as first-year students was 87.5 percent, the highest in nearly a decade.
As the 2020 recipient of the ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation, Dominican has been recognized for responding to higher education chal lenges in innovative and creative ways — and helping students succeed in college during a period of unprecedented volatility and“Aschange.thistremendous
recognition from the American Council on Education con firms, Dominican University of California is at the forefront of responding to individual student needs while never wavering from a commitment to hands-on learning and critical thinking,” said President Mary B. Marcy.
The ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation is divided into two categories. Dominican received the award for institutions with student populations of up to 5,000. Amarillo College, a community college in Texas, is the recipient for institutions with student populations of 5,001 and more.
Dominican has been following NCAA guidelines by conducting baseline and sur veillance COVID testing for all studentathletes on campus and in the local area.
Athletics Team Practices Signal New COVID Protocol Phase
THE TORCH | WINTER 202111 NEWSATHLETICS
If all goes well, the Penguins will move toward competing in games and matches with other colleges and universities for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis shut down athletics in mid-March.
“They were starting out at 50 percent of what they typically would do because stu dents had been off for so long,” Henkelman explained. “These student-athletes are used to structure. Getting back into routines is always a positive thing, but I understand there is some hesitation and nervousness around the pandemic. We will not require any student-athlete to participate. They do have the option of opting out.”
The players simply shot around in socially distanced pods of four players practicing in
“I am so appreciative and thankful to all of our coaches, administrators, and ath letic trainers who have been phenomenal in helping with this process,” Henkelman said. “The University has been so support ive with testing thanks to (Vice President for Advancement & Public Affairs; Campus COVID-19 Response Lead) Marly Norris, nursing faculty members Noreen Kimelman and Barbara McCamish, and the nursing students. That was huge.”
Henkelman is keenly aware of the chal lenges athletics faces with the pandemic. She is one of 29 members of the NCAA Division II Management Council, which reports and makes recommendations to the NCAA Division II Presidents Council.
The Penguins’ athletics training staff also staged drive-by physicals outside Conlan Center, and the team physician, Dr. David Goltz, volunteered his time to assist.
— Amy Henkelman, Director of Athletics
The team’s first practice began with a borrowed portable basketball hoop in an empty parking lot next to Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex.
“I haven’t coached in six months,” said Penguins women’s basketball coach Tim LaKose, cracking a smile beneath his pro tective mask. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it.”
Earlier in September, Penguins studentathletes voluntarily met on campus in outdoor facilities from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For each informal meeting, they were required to check in with an attendant at the main gate leading to the Allen Athletics Complex, submit to a temperature check, and record their names and entrance times in the event that contact tracing wasThoseneeded.requirements remain in place as athletics moves into the subsequent phases. Additional procedures have been added, such as coaches submitting prac tice plans to meet COVID policies and acclimate to sport requirements. Each student-athlete submits an attestation form before each practice. In addition, coaches administer pre-practice tem perature checks and organize sanitation stations. A field monitor walks around the athletics complex to ensure that the new rules are being followed.
And then there was the $1 million gift from an anonymous donor in June. “Without that,” Henkelman said, “we wouldn’t be able to do the extensive testing we are doing, or have been able to add the addi tional training room or the outdoor weight room space.”
After months of waiting and wondering during the pandemic, Dominican's NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams emerged from isolation in late September and were permitted to resume practices on campus.
This is super exciting, it’s like, ‘Finally!’ We are trying to find a good balance, and taking all the precautions that we need.
Practiceintervals.arrangements have since adjusted for the better. In late October, the women’s and men’s basketball teams and volleyball teams were allowed to move their outdoor practices indoors, back into the Conlan Center, where the weight room was reopened. By November, the hope was that all teams could safely and gradually upgrade into limited team scrimmages.
This year, as Dominican commemorates its 130th anniversary and as President Marcy enters her final year at the University, we celebrate the gains made within each interconnected initiative of Dominican at 130: Program Innovation, the Dominican Experience, and Curricular Alignment.
Dominican has launched collaborations and programs that advance experiential learning on a large scale, including a partnership with Make School, a coding academy located in San Francisco. The partnership enabled Dominican to offer a minor in computer science and oversee an accelerated bachelor's degree in applied computer science delivered by Make School. Other new academic programs include a social justice degree, a post-baccalaureate premedical program, a Master of Science in business analytics, and a minor in coding and software design.
“I was drawn to Dominican because of the strong service-learning program and community outreach focus. I felt like only at Dominican could I continue a high level of community involvement while also being a full-time student.”
P resident Mary B. Marcy arrived at Dominican University of California in 2011 with a vision to develop an educational model that would prepare students to succeed in an increasingly complex world. This new model would give all students equitable access to the type of skills that had staying power: the ability to think clearly, to analyze thoroughly, to reason, to assess, and to communicate across differences.
After engaging the campus in a comprehensive planning process, followed by gradual and inclusive capacity-building efforts, a template for institutional transformation was born: Dominican at 130: The Road to 2020-2021. At the crux of the plan is a student experience that elevates and systematizes the things Dominican has always held dear: lasting values, long-standing community partnerships, a faculty committed to cultivating students’ original research, and a strong institutional culture of mentorship and professional coaching.
Building on the success of Reimagining Citizenship, Dominican launched the California Civic Action Fellowship in fall 2020 in partnership with California’s chief service officer and AmeriCorps. Dominican led a coalition of eight colleges and universities to develop a pilot program that provides substantial scholarships in return for public service. Fellows enroll in a new course series, California for All, to prepare for and deepen their learning in the community, while engaging in a service internship with a community partner. The courses and internship are built into Fellows’ degree plans, so they stay on track to graduate while contribut ing to meaningful work in the community, developing skills for fulfilling careers, and growing their local networks.
Dominican at 130: The Road to 2020-2021
Isa Ferris ’24, a first-year student from San Anselmo, came to Dominican to major in international studies and run on the Penguins’ cross country team, but the biggest attraction was becoming a Civic Action Fellow with an opportunity to make a difference in the community.
In 2018, Dominican launched a partnership with the neighboring city of Novato to create Reimagining Citizenship. Through this program, an annual student cohort receives a paid summer internship with the city before enrolling at Dominican. Students then intern with the city again between their first and second years. The University provides a substantial scholarship, offers targeted mentorship, and grants the students credit toward a minor in community action and social change.
On October 14, Isa was one of 14 Dominican students sworn-in as Civic Action Fellows during a virtual Civic Action Fellowship Ceremony. The event, hosted by the California Volunteers Office of the Governor, celebrates the new statewide higher education AmeriCorps program that helps students pay for school while promoting civic action.
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 12 FEATURE
Program Innovation
The Dominican Experience T
Research demonstrates these high-impact practices increase student success, and the Dominican Experience proves it: The implementation of this program has led to a dramatic increase in graduation rates and retention, and a boost in undergraduate enrollment.
“My favorite thing about Dominican is that my professors let me do what I thought was best for myself. They let me choose my own path. No one ever told me I was too young to apply or that I was taking too many units. They always encouraged me. I love that. I have great professors and great relationships with them.”
Signature Work: During their final semester(s), students create original research, writing, business plans, art, or performance. They present their work at the annual Scholarly and Creative Works Conference to peers, professors and family, and publish it on Dominican Scholar, an online repository where people from across the globe can read and download their work. To date, Dominican Scholar has seen close to 1 million downloads of original work by our faculty, staff and students.
Casey knew at a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. He also had a dream of playing college soccer. In 2017, he signed a letter of intent to play for the NCAA Division II Penguins, but suffered a major right knee/leg injury in his final game for Jesuit High School in Carmichael. Casey kept his commitment to attend Dominican and delved into science research, majoring in biological sciences in the School of Health and Natural Sciences and adding minors in chemistry and business. During his time at Dominican, he interned with a local dentist, participated in a dental mission to Guatemala, and worked with Dr. Ian Barr, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics to study how mutations affect the electronic transport chain in bacteria.
Digital Portfolio: Students craft a personal website that captures their journey and assists them in transitioning to a career or graduate school. These digital portfolios allow them to electronically collect their work over time, reflect on their personal and academic growth, and share selected items with professors, advisors and potential employers. Portfolios are flexible, customizable, transferable and portable.
he Dominican Experience is our signature student experience developed within a framework of evidence-based practices that deepen learning and increase persistence for all students, particularly those from historically underserved groups. Embodying a commitment to the personal and academic success of every student, these practices embrace the changing demographics of higher education, the increasing importance of technology, and the value of hands-on learning.
Community Engagement: Students engage with the community through service-learning, internships, fieldwork, community-based research, and global learning. Classroom, campus and community are connected through reciprocal partnerships with community organizations, schools and businesses.
Thanks to his Dominican Experience, Casey Bravo ’20 was admitted into his first-choice dental school, University of the Pacific’s Dugoni School of Dentistry, only three years after entering Dominican to pursue his dream of a career in medicine.
THE TORCH | WINTER 202113 FEATURE
The Dominican Experience comprises four distinctive components: Integrative Coaching: Throughout their undergraduate careers, students work with an integrative coach and a network of mentors. Coaches support students in achieving personal and academic success and help them get connected with peer and career mentors.
National Recognition: Most Four-YearTransformativeUniversity Dominican is the 2020 recipient of the American Council on ACE/FidelityEducation’sInvestments
Award for Institutional Transformation, in recognition of a dynamic strategic plan that has inspired innovation across the campus.
RateGraduationFour-Year RateGraduationSix-Year 2020/2021 U.S. News and World Report ranked Dominican as a Top Performer for Social Mobility in Regional Universities in the West list. of diverseasidentifyingstudentsethnically
The result? Students can double major, take on a minor or two, or take courses that interest them outside of their area of study.
First-Generation 23% Pell Eligible 32% Undergraduate Students 14THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 FEATURE
Throughout a highly collaborative process, faculty and staff defined a common set of learning outcomes approved by the faculty forum and staff assembly in spring 2016. In fall 2017, faculty voted by a majority of 85 percent to restructure Dominican’s general education program — shifting away from a pathway focused on specific academic disciplines to a core curriculum defined by skills and com petencies that align with the Dominican Experience. In spring 2018, the faculty then turned its attention to curriculum change in the majors and minors. In just four months, the faculty revised 23 majors, 16 minors, and seven graduate programs. Each proposal received a nearly unanimous vote of support from the Dominican faculty, approval from the President’s Cabinet, and unanimous approval and a commendation from the Board of Trustees.
68%
2011 2020 2011 2020 72% 34% 49% 74% In
Curricular Alignment
“My experience says a lot about small schools. A lot of times when people look at the big picture and bigger schools they think they are going to get more opportunities and greater internships, but it is small schools like Dominican that have so much to offer. It’s so much more personal.”
Monica Barry ’20 came to Dominican as an English major, but with some help from her advisors and the new core curriculum requirements, she was able to take on history as a double major. Combining her passions served her well.
Monica took on leadership roles in Dominican’s History Club, was selected to attend Oxford University in 2019 as a recipient of the Thomas and Joanne Peterson Endowed Scholarship for Dominican Scholars at Oxford, and presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research twice — at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2018 and Kennesaw State University in Georgia in 2019. Today, she is attending the University of Chicago to earn a Master of Arts in the social sciences and plans to pursue a PhD in history.
This fall, student retention between first-to-second year is at 94% . For rateretentionfirst-generationfirst-year,students,isatitshighestinrecentyears.
Student success as defined by graduation rates has improved dramatically since 2011 and is well above the national average — and in the same time frame, students who identify as ethnically diverse, have also risen. Dominican students have won the PacWest Academic Achievement Award nine of the last 11 years. 9 out of 11 Research led by Stanford University reveals that Dominican is 11th in the nation out of 578 selective private colleges for student social mobility for moving students from the bottom of the socio-economic ladder to the top quartile.
In fall 2019, Dominican implemented a dramatically transformed curriculum, one developed by faculty and unanimously supported by the Board of Trustees. Through this transformation, Dominican focused on streamlining programs to enable students to complete a full course of study and still graduate in four years. The Board and University leadership invited and inspired the creativity of its faculty to lead curriculum change, and the faculty responded with alacrity.
15 THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 Dear Fellow Alumni,
The Dominican Alumni Association is here to help you stay connected to friends you made on campus and to the faculty that taught and guided us. It can also help us forge new connections, whether that means building a professional network with fellow Penguins who work in your field or meeting someone at a (virtual, for now!) event.
ALUMNI NEWS 2020-2021 Alumni Board of Directors Sr. Patricia Dougherty O.P, ’67 Stewart McRae ’77 Lorraine Barry ’86 Jennifer Kelly ’98 Christian Lorentz ’02, MBA ’12 Natisa Dill ’02 Danny Ballesteros ’03 Anne Torok ’04 Charles Torok ’04 Brian Moore (President-Elect) ’05 Claudia Fromm, MS ’05 Gigi Gillard ’06, MBA ’07 Felicia Bell ’06 Sherri Bridgeforth ’06 Cady (President)Marsh’07, MBA ’09 Marcia Barahona (Past President) ’10, MBA ’15 Lorel Geidt (Secretary) ’10, MS ’14 Chris O'Mara ’10, MS ’18 Matt Gaulding, MBA ’12 Cynthia Roldan-Frias, MBA ’14 Kim Harris ’15, MS ’16 Salvador Chavez ’16, MSOT ’17 Alexis Rauschkolb ’18
It is imperative that the Dominican alumni community remain a strong resource for connection and support in times like these. Here are some ways to stay connected to your alma mater and your fellow alumni, until we can meet again in person:
.
For me, the past year has reinforced the importance of relationships and staying connected to one another.
• Visit dominican.edu/alumni to: Update your contact information to make sure you get the monthly Penguin Postcard and other communications. View the virtual event calendar. Submit a class note to be published online and in future issues of The Torch.
• Interact with us on social media: Search “Dominican Alumni” on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and Dominican University of California on LinkedIn.
• Enrich the experience of current and future students by making a gift: dominican.edu/makeagift
I am equal parts excited and anxious to see how the coming months will unfold. However, I know that Dominican alumni will support one another with care and compassion. On behalf of the Alumni Board, our commitment to you is to fulfill our goal of connectivity and engagement during these extraordinary times. As always, I invite your feedback and ideas. Please reach out to me at alumni@dominican.edu Thank you, and Go Penguins!
CadySincerely,Marsh ’07, MBA ’09
As I greet you for the first time as your Alumni Association President, it’s safe to say that, no matter where you are reading this today, your world has changed dramatically over the last 10 months.
RiveraArmandobyphotoSAAM;ofcourtesyImage
In the words of her faculty mentor, Dr. Frost, “Keara is the epitome of what a double major is all about. Combining her interest in creativity through fine art with her scientific skills has led to an amazing career in art conservation.”
In 2010, she was Dominican's top runner in five of six meets. In 2010/11 and 2011/12, she was named to the PacWest Academic All-Conference team and was twice selected as the team’s “most outstanding” runner.
Disciplines as Smithsonian Conservator
To be competitive for graduate school, she added minors in chemistry and art history.
The Chemistry of Art: Alumna Combines
Working in the Lunder Conservation Center, where floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow the public to view all aspects of conservation treatment, is a dream job.
“Keara was among the most dedicated students in my quantitative chemical analysis class,” Frost said. “She was doggedly tenacious and absolutely would worry a problem to death until she figured it out.”
Keara initially enrolled as an undeclared major, unable to choose between majoring in science or art. By her second semester, she knew settling for one was not an option.
In the summer of 2009, she was intro duced to the concept of art conservation while researching the topic as part of an assignment. She found the field so fasci nating that she independently began scheduling informational interviews and studio tours with local conservators after completing the project. She realized this was the career she had been searching for.
Despite a busy schedule, including internships in both disciplines, Keara found time for another interest. A long-time cross country runner, she was a member of the University’s inaugural cross-country team.
After graduation, Keara focused on gaining more of the hands-on skills required for graduate school. She interned at the Hirsh horn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., Villanova University, and the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. As Keara advanced through her internships, the Dominican community continued to support her from afar. Her chemistry professor, Dr. Kenneth Frost, was happy to continue writing letters of recommendation for his former student.
16THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 ALUMNI NEWS
“I was enrolled in an art class, which I loved, but I missed science. I missed the lectures and the hands-on aspect of lab work,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about my future career; I just knew that double majoring in science and art was what I wanted to do.”
In 2016, Keara was accepted into the three-year University of Delaware Master of Science in Art Conservation program, which includes hands-on work at the Winterthur Museum. At the beginning of her third year in the program, Keara was select ed as a graduate student intern at SAAM. Today, working as SAAM’s 2020/21 Lunder Conservation Fellow, Keara draws on her science background daily, including when measuring compounds for custom cleaning solutions, collecting wax-resin samples to recreate historical recipes, and using multispectral photography or sophisticated spectroscopy instruments for technical research and analysis.
“I first visited SAAM in 2013 while interning at the Hirshhorn Museum, and while I already knew that I wanted to go into conservation, I was just in awe when I saw the work taking place in the Lunder Conservation Center,” she recalled. “Being able to actually see what the conservators were doing was amazing, and now I am working in that lab.”
“As I was doing my research for the speech assignment, everything suddenly just clicked into place,” she said. “I realized that art conservation was perfect for me. I knew that this is what my career path would be, this blend of art and science.”
A s an undergraduate, Keara Teeter ’12 spent hours meticulously classifying and sorting microscopic invertebrates in Dominican’s marine ecology lab. The work, as it would turn out, prepared her for a career preserving valuable works of art. Today, instead of using stereomicroscopes to identify marine invertebrates in Dr. Vânia Coelho’s lab, Keara uses microscopes or headband magnifiers while protecting paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C. “There’s a lot of hand-eye coordination and mental toughness needed to get used to working under the microscope. Working in Dr. Coelho’s lab certainly helped prepare me for what I was going to do both in and after graduate school,” said Keara, who graduated magna cum laude with double majors in biology and art as well as double minors in chemistry and art history. Keara was born in California but later moved to Oregon, where she attended La Salle High School in Milwaukie. Interested in returning to Northern California for college, she toured Dominican during a campus visit day. She knew almost immediately this was the place for her — the campus and the miles of surrounding hik ing trails were beautiful, the faculty were engaging, and she was intrigued by the opportunities available in the soon-to-open Science Center.
“Be open and explorative in your professional endeavors,” she said. “Dominican is the perfect place for experimentation. Get settled into college, choose which direction you want to go, but then branch out and take advantage of other opportunities. Never be afraid to push the envelope.”
After graduating from Dominican University of California with a Bachelor of Arts in international business, Jenny began to build on her fashion and business knowledge. She graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in 2002 and then worked with companies such as Kate Spade, Armani, W Magazine, Victoria’s Secret, Catherine Malandrino and Calypso St.Barth. It was her time at Calypso St. Barth that allowed Jenny to take additional business courses at night and realize her dream of starting Loyale, an ethical fashion and home goods company. She shipped the first Loyale collection from her New York apartment and was off and running. Before long, Jenny's work was featured in the New York Times’ Sunday Styles section, she received an Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant, and stars such as Jessica Alba, Blake Lively and Julia Roberts were wear ing her designs. In 2010 when the recession took a toll on Loyale’s wholesale business, she put the company on hold and used her marketing experience to work with nonprofits and festivals. However, Jenny never lost sight of her goal to bring stylish, made in America goods to market, so she relaunched the company in 2015 after discovering an employee-owned cooperative factory that could help produce her new designs ethically.
Jenny Hwa ‘01 knew at a very young age that she wanted to run her own business. When she visited Dominican College (as it was then known) for the first time, she could tell right away that the personalized attention from faculty, small class sizes, and proximity to San Francisco would open up infinite possibilities in the world of entrepreneurship. “My Dominican professors expected a lot of me, and I was grateful for their encouragement and expertise,” Hwa said. “They put me in the creative, entrepreneurial headspace I needed to forge my path in life. Now, as the president of my own company, I hold high expectations for myself and the quality of work I produce.”
ALUMNI NEWS
When Jenny returned home to the Bay Area in 2017, she felt exceed ingly motivated by the entrepreneurial community that aligned with her passions. “It helps being surrounded by ethical and con scientious businesses,” she said. “There is so much excitement about being ‘green’ and such a collaborative mindset.” Recently, Jenny launched a new holiday collection and implemented Linens for Good, a monthly give-back program designed to support unsung heroes during the pandemic. Her advice for the Dominican students following in her footsteps?
Alumni Profile: Jenny Hwa ’01 THE TORCH | WINTER 202117
After becoming fully initiated in the Dominican way of life, Sr. Patty set out on a spiritual journey of study, reflection, community and service. In 1979 she received a Master of Arts degree from Georgetown University, followed by a doc torate in 1984. She then returned to Dominican to teach and lived on the third floor of the Motherhouse once again (it was eventually destroyed by fire in 1990). Now, in residence at the St. Margaret Convent, she feels fortunate to live near the beautiful Dominican campus and witness students’ growth from their first to final year. She has traveled with students in the honors and study abroad programs to India, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, France, Italy, Greece, Scotland, England, and Egypt, helping expand students’ knowledge of the world and opening their minds to the complexities of other cultures. For more than 20 years, she was also on the team for Fanjeaux Seminar, a 17-day study abroad program for faculty, staff, and students from Dominican institutions of higher education throughout the United States.
I have always tried my best to be a good teacher, have rules, and be loving. Sr. Patricia Dougherty O.P.
S r. Patricia Dougherty O.P. ’67 is a woman of many accomplishments. She has traveled all over the world, landed a Fulbright Fellowship for her dissertation on modern European history, and achieved a Resident Scholar position at the Collegeville Institute For Ecumenical and Cultural Research. But she maintains that her proudest achievement is receiving the Teacher of the Year award at Dominican University of California in 1994. “I’ve always been proud of that,” said Sr. Patty. “I have always tried my best to be a good teacher, have rules, and be loving. I still have the Teacher of the Year award hanging in my office today.”
During her first two years of college at Santa Clara University, Sr. Patty was called by God to take a life-altering journey. In 1964, she entered the convent at Santa Sabina with 27 other women to become a Dominican Sister of San Rafael. She spent one and a half years in initial formation and training before moving to the Dominican Motherhouse to complete her bachelor’s degree in history. “The four-floor, redwood Victorian building served as the center of our Dominican congregation,” Sr. Patty said. “Its red towers could be seen from far away. I have happy memories of my time in that building, even though the water on the third floor was often a trickle and the high ceilings made the rooms difficult to heat.”
Today, Sr. Patty is a valued member of the Dominican Alumni Board of Directors, professor emerita of history, and a devoted advocate for women’s rights — committed to educating others about the power, agency and resiliency of women. She loves her life and community and fondly reflects on the many opportunities she’s had to travel, study, grow and contribute to the world.
Sr. Patricia Dougherty O.P. ’67
Alumni Profile:
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 18
ALUMNI NEWS
Dominican immediately felt like home — an island oasis due to its close-knit community. Danny played tennis, founded the Hawaiian Club, and found his ohana again on campus.
Throughout his teaching career, Danny has used themes to find common ground with his students by calling on broadly familiar cultural references.
“This year’s theme is ‘Jurassic Park,’ which plays well virtually,” he said. “As COVID plays havoc on our everyday life, like a newly escaped T-Rex in the movie, we can't help but seek solace in our everyday Zoom meetings together.”
Despite successfully adapting his teaching style to suit distance learning, Danny is looking forward to seeing his colleagues and students in person when the school site reopens. Among the things he hopes to do again in the future is share his love of food with his students. Danny often uses food as a cultural bridge, inviting students to share favorite foods that reflect their heritage. Someday, when the time is right, Danny will once again enjoy Spam musubi with his students — offering them a taste of his home. Danny Ballestreros
Alumni Profile:
F ifth-grade teacher Danny Ballesteros ’02 has always considered himself to be someone who thrives outside his comfort zone. Like many, when the shelter-in-place order took effect last spring, he assumed he would be back in the classroom in a few weeks. When the order was extended through the spring and into the fall, he looked for ways to offer consistency while bringing his fifth-grade classroom at Our Lady of the Visitacion School in San Francisco into a virtual world. He has immersed himself in learning new methods of presenting content to his students, including Flipgrid, Google Jamboard, Google Classroom, and Stile App Science — platforms that were foreign to him when he started as a teacher.
As a liberal studies and teacher education major at Dominican University of California, Danny knew he was on the right path.
After graduating, he seized an opportunity to teach English in Thailand for two years. Danny immersed himself in the culture, later returning to the Bay Area, where he has taught for the last 16 years. He loves welcoming new people into his circle with every class that he teaches.
’03 LAUNCHING AUGUST 2021: Master of Science in Accounting • Earn your MS in Accounting in just one year • Prepare for the CPA exam with an emphasis in accounting analytics • Convenient hybrid format designed for working professionals For more graduate@dominican.edugrad.dominican.edu/msainformation:or (415) 485-3280
THE TORCH | WINTER 202119 ALUMNI NEWS
Danny, who began his first term on the Dominican Alumni Board of Directors in July, was drawn to teaching because of the impact and influence of his own teachers. As a child growing up in Kona, Hawaii, traditional classroom learning was never easy for Danny, so today he feels a call to provide a less-stressful path for other young people. This is a challenge at any time, but never more so than in 2020.
“This year, the pandemic and our need to teach remotely made us aware that access to technology is proving to be an obstacle to student success,” said Dr. Mojgan Behmand, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of The Dominican Experience. “The need is so nuanced that we needed a multidepartmental team to figure out the best response.”
Penguins Stand Strong With Week of Caring
Next spring, All In for Dominican returns March 22-26 for a week-long celebration to recognize what has been made possible through philanthropy.
Distance learning devices made available to students thanks to 50+ gifts to the Angel Fund.
300+
uring Dominican’s Week of Caring May 11-16, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends stood together — 100 percent virtually — and showed how much they cared.
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 100+ gifts to the Close the Gap Scholarship resulted in over $135K more aid for students who otherwise would not be able to graduate.
The Dominican community performed more than 300 acts of caring by participating in online activities, such as submitting congratulatory messages to the Class of 2020 and entering the Penguin Spirit Day video challenge. Donors gave more than $288,500 throughout the week, with most gifts directed to priority funds like the Close the Gap Scholarship and the Angel Fund.
“The Week of Caring honored the true intent of a giving day, which is to celebrate connection and generosity,” said Vice President of Advancement and Public Affairs Marly Norris.
Acts Caringof
And thanks to those gifts to the Angel Fund, Dominican can help students access technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The University purchased 15 PC laptops, five MacBook Air computers and five Verizon JetPacks to assist students.
When All In for Dominican, the University’s annual day of giving, was canceled due to the shelter-in-place order, the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement team acted quickly to reimagine the effort to best meet the urgent needs of students, while allowing people to connect virtually.
D
“Connection has never been more important than in 2020 –we raised much-needed funds for Dominican students and came together to support each other.”
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ALUMNI NEWS
Crystal Martinez 1’2 I wear my mask to protect my family and the families I come into contact with.
THE TORCH | WINTER 202121 We asked alumni to share their reasons for wearing face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are just a few of our graduates showing off their #PenguinPride .
Ndine Anderson, MS 4 I wear my mask to keep us all safe.
I wear it because it is the right thing to do, and I want to keep myself and others safe.
ALUMNI NEWS
Nicole Johnson 1’6
Alumni Mask Challenge
I wear my mask to protect those I know and those I don't.
aryBurrit t Shaw 6’ I wear a mask to keep myself and others from spreading COVID-19.
Two generations of Dominican Alumni wearing our masks to keep each other and the public safe.
Alex Herrera ’16 I wear my mask to protect the health and well-being of anyone that I’m around.
I wear a mask so I can get married with all my friends and family there.
OnaCasta da’63 & BeatrizC taneda’93
Ca ron Parker ’08, MB 1’0
SisterC ndie CammackOPMS’06
atrick Cayabyab 1’ I wear my mask to protect my older family members and to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Dominican
MoD Nieva-Marsh ’07, M A’19
I wear a mask for others and as an example for my students. I wore a mask at the end of the last school year so I could give my students their belongings and say goodbye from a distance, and I will wear a mask so I can give this year’s students their resources and supplies.
Liz Thurman ’06 We wear our masks because we care about each other, our community, and our collective future. Also, we believe in science.
I wear a mask to help keep everyone around me safe, as well as myself and my unborn baby. As a DUOC alum, I support any gesture that positively impacts our society.
Wearing a mask is one of them.
Marie Reyes ’02 I have to wear a face shield and surgical mask because I work with the smallest and most fragile neonates. These babies don’t have an immune system yet, and I have to do my very best to stay healthy and social distance so I can come to work and provide neonatal therapy to our precious babies. Please stay safe!
I wear my mask because I believe in protecting everyone’s health and my own. I think it’s important if we all want to stay safe and healthy. Plus, I’m an essential worker.
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 22 ALUMNI NEWS
nthony Mendoza 1’
A liGrace Killian, M 18
fanyBess Padilla ’ I wear a mask to protect my patients, my community, and the ones I love. Mask up!
I wear my mask to set an example for my children and the community that we should do everything in our power to try to prevent the spread of the virus. I see it as an act of kindness to others.
Jewel Kennedy 0’9
I wear it because if we all do our part, we can save lives and keep each other healthy.
Sara Cockerham 0’
I wear a mask to protect friends and family. As a member of our County of Marin COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center communications response team, it’s especially important to prevent community spread of this virus. Your mask protects me, and my mask protects you. zzySaddler, MS 1’
.
THE TORCH | WINTER 202123 CLASS NOTES
Jeanne Remy ’80
Gail Landtbom Lisoni ’71 Cassandra Ferrannini ’89
The book was published in 2019 and is a New York Times Best Seller. It is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 1980s Jeanne Remy ’80 is a proud grand mother of Benjamin, 7, and Enzo, 2. Cassandra Ferrannini ’89, an attorney at Downey Brand, a promi nent law firm based in Sacramento, was named a 2020 Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine for her work in employment and labor law. Lawyers are nominated and voted on by attorneys throughout the region, based on proficiency in one or more of over 50 legal disciplines. Those with the most votes in each discipline received a Top Lawyer honor and are featured in the August issue of Sacramento Magazine.
1960s Rosalind “Roz” McGrath ’69 completed her memoir while in pandemic isolation. Roz has kept journals throughout her life and even took a writing class in Oregon for several summers. She decided this was the perfect time to write the story of her life, spanning more than 70 years. Her book, Memoir of a Feminist , is now available on Amazon. She says this writing journey took her back to fond memories, including her days at Dominican during the turbulent times of the 1960s. The book focuses on what was happening with the women's movement, which Roz embraced while attending San Francisco State University for her master’s degree. Included is a historical compilation of women's milestones and her own historical events through time. It includes many of her private photos, which she kept in 70 different albums. She hopes alumnae will enjoy her feminist take on life.
Kristi (Martin) Denham ’71
1950s Anne Scott ’59 retired in 1992, after teaching for 32 years. She traveled extensively for 20 years in her RV, and spent several years as a camp host in the Arizona mountains. In 2018, Anne met the love of her life, and married her on Feb. 16, 2019. She describes her spouse, Sara, as an amazing woman, and says she feels blessed to share her life with her. Now, the couple plans to spend their summers in Washington state and winters in Arizona.
Gail Landtbom Lisoni ’71 has been an attorney for 41 years. With her husband, Joe Lisoni, Gail prosecuted a public information campaign against deadly Firestone Steeltex tires from 2000-2007. They were successful in getting hundreds of thousands of tires recalled and bringing about the tire line’s discontinuation. Gail and Joe have written a book about their experience, Where the Rubber Meets the Road: The Bridgestone/Firestone
1970s Kristi (Martin) Denham ’71 retired as pastor of the Congregational Church of Belmont in the Peninsula last year. She continues to support the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition in building bridges of understanding through education and shared service, and serves as a chaplain at juvenile hall. Kristi is preparing to move back to Marin County to be closer to her eldest son, Jesse (a former Dominican student), and her grandchildren. She believes her life has come full circle since she was ordained in the First Congregational Church of San Rafael, which she will now attend once more.
The book tells the story of the largest privately financed defective tire recall campaign in U.S. history — involving 11 million defective Steeltex tires — and how Bridgestone/Firestone was forced to stop manufacturing the entire tire line. It further documents that Bridgestone/Firestone bears responsibility for the killing of more than 300,000 Liberian citizens.
Conspiracy of Death & Destruction
Samantha Downing ’91
CLASS NOTES
Maureen “Mo” De Nieva-Marsh ’07; ’19 MBAJeannette (Ritchie) Martin ’96
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 24
Amy Rahne ’97 was recently selected to become the new principal at Coyote Creek Elementary in Highlands Ranch, Colo. This is somewhat of a homecom ing for her, as she began her teaching career there 20 years ago. She is excited about this next step in her educational career.
Andrew Otterness ’94 lost his father, LeRoy Otterness, to cancer after a six-year battle. Andrew has since relocated to Idaho after nearly 25 years to be closer to family. He currently works with Alaska Airlines in Boise and enjoys the great outdoors with his husband, Italo Leveratto. Jeannette (Ritchie) Martin ’96 married the love of her life in 2005 and welcomed her first child, Thomas, in 2012. As part of her thesis for interna tional studies in Latin America major, and writing her eco-tourism resort business plan for her master's degree in business, she fulfilled her life's goal of launching an eco-tourism resort, Cindiri Beach Belize, on a private island in south central Belize in May of 2019. She is currently working with Bay Area community colleges to provide study abroad programs for students to study off-grid design and the Belize Barrier Reef when travel resumes.
2000s Maureen “Mo” De Nieva-Marsh ’07; ’19 MBA received a managerial promotion to the County of Marin’s County Administrator’s Office as a strategic projects manager. She will continue working on strengthening COVID-19 emergency communica tions response and community empowerment strategies with an equity lens. Mo previously worked in public health and coordinated RxSafe Marin, a data-driven community coalition dedicated to reducing prescription drug abuse harm. This award-winning program serves as a model that is being replicated across California to address the ongoing opioid epidemic. Mo has supervised and mentored Dominican students throughout her career while also guest lecturing in Dominican business and public health classes on storytelling data to enhance community engagement. This school year, She will co-supervise a Dominican Community Action Fellow who will work on both disaster communications
1990s My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing ’91 was a USA Today/ Sunday Times bestseller, and the book was nominated for Edgar, ITW, Macavity, and CWA awards. Amazon Studios and Nicole Kidman's Blossom Films have partnered to make the book into a feature film. Her second novel, He Started It , was released on July 21 and became an instant international bestseller. Joy Phoenix ’93 is still enjoying her work with the Fenwick Foundation, as well as Forever. The Fenwick Foundation supports projects that focus on children’s and families’ needs in education, human services and the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Forever is a leader in photo storage, digital photo albums and more. In October 2019, Joy was one of eight nominees for Exponent Philanthropy’s Outsized Impact Award. She has spent much of the mandated shelter-in-place organizing boxes of photos and documents, has started a genealogy project, and is currently working on digital photo albums. She volunteers for Dominican University of California’s Women, Leadership & Philanthropy Council, Side by Side, and the Marin Cultural Association, among others. In January, she won the Western Fairs Association Give it Your Best Shot Photo Competition for an image taken at the 2019 Marin County Fair. In February, Joy and her husband, Jim, enjoyed a trip to Bradenton, Fla., to visit their high school granddaughter Kylie at IMG Academy and then on to Antigua and Barbados. In March, they arrived back at home three hours before shelter-in place orders started. Like everyone, she is looking forward to being able to visit with friends and family in person.
Brandi (Breshears) Sinner ’13 and husband Steven just welcomed their first baby boy in June 2020.
Kristi (Tracy) Shepherd ’12
Valerie Jane Chua ’08 has accepted an offer at Facebook as security program manager, leading security learning and awareness initiatives. This follows her brief stint as security events manager for Facebook events and outreach, her role within brand marketing at Williams Sonoma focusing on community programs and events, and nearly 10 years of working in nonprofit education and resource development for underserved communities.
Kat Skiles ’07 Crystal Martinez ’12Amanda (Hawkins) Prieto ’10
Crystal Martinez ’12 , a graduate from the Business Pathways program, was re-appointed to the Marin Women's Commission by the board of supervisors. She is the at-large commissioner representing all of Marin and will serve as chair for the commission. The mission of the Marin Women’s Commission is to represent women and girls of diverse back grounds and circumstances and advocate for equality through policy, education and collaboration. Since graduating, Crystal has remained dedicated to service in Marin through mentoring Dominican students, membership in the Women Leader ship and Philanthropy Council, and serving as secretary on the board of Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Kristi (Tracy) Shepherd ’12 and her husband adopted their first foster child in August 2020. He is almost 4 years old and an absolute ray of sunshine. He came from difficult circumstances, but now thrives in all areas of development. Kristi and her family will continue to foster children as long as they can and plan to add more children to the family. She encourages everyone to consider fostering and adopting if they are able, because it is an amazing way to build a family and help those in need.
THE TORCH | WINTER 202125 CLASS NOTES support with the Marin County Emergency Operations Center and equity work with the County of Marin.
Kat Skiles ’07 was recently named in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 in Government and Politics. Kat has coordinated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s selfies and run messaging for the Democratic National Committee, where she managed the social, video and studio teams, and was behind the digital strategy for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign.
2010s Amanda (Hawkins) Prieto ’10 and husband Luis welcomed their son, Daniel Vicente Prieto, into the world on April 7, 2020.
Irene Wilson ’16 received three scholarship offers from Ross Universi ty School of Medicine. She will start medical school remotely in August, then move to Barbados for three semesters. She will complete her remaining semesters in the United States. Irene is extremely proud to represent Dominican in her medical school endeavors.
Barbara McVeigh ’17 launched her film, “The Man Behind the White Guitar,” about Jose Neto, the guitarist who worked for 30 years with the kingpin social justice activist Harry Belefonte. Funds from her film’s success went toward supporting 10,000 Degrees, an organization that helps underserved students get to and through college.
THE TORCH | WINTER 2021 26 CLASS NOTES
An Occupational Therapy course in one of Dominican’s eight outdoor classrooms.
Radhika Roach ’19 Ana Do Rosario Sousa ’19Brandi (Breshears) Sinner ’13 Valerie (Holt) Ensign ’17 and Michael Ensign ’17 Valerie (Holt) Ensign ’17 and Michael Ensign ’17 celebrated their first wedding anniversary on Septem ber 29. They met and fell in love at Dominican in the Brown House while taking an art class together in 2014.
Radhika Roach ’19 is attending California State University Fresno and pursuing a degree as a doctor in physical therapy. 2020s Abbey Baltzer ’20 graduated in May 2020 with her bachelor of science in nursing, passed the National Council Licensure Examination, and accepted a job offer at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where she will be working on the inpatient surgical/trauma floor.
Ana Do Rosario Sousa ’19 was elected to serve on the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Marin Board of Directors in September 2020. While completing her master’s degree in counseling psychology at Dominican, Ana fulfilled her internship hours at NAMI Marin with the execu tive director, Kelli Finley.
Eileen Machado Stearman '68, Kathryn Machado '70, and Margaret Machado Gallagher '73 on the passing of their aunts, Rosemarie Machado Moulton ’44 and Lillian Machado Dickson ’54
Margaret McGuire '59, Mary Lu McGuire '64, and Sr. Katherine Hamilton, O.P. ‘56 on the passing of their daughter, niece and cousin, Tricia Nieberding Davis
Mary McCarthy O'Reilly '62 on the passing of her husband, Robert O'Reilly, Jr.
Susan Olson Corsetti '60 on the passing of her husband, Michael Corsetti
Helen Maney Barber '66 on the passing of her husband, Michael Barber
Merri Susan Demattos Winckler '65 and Angela Winckler Moser '02 on the passing of their sister and aunt, Carol Demattos Carney ‘68
Pat O'Connor Ghilarducci Orey '50 on the passing of her husband, Walter Orey
The Dooling, Taddeucci, Bannan, and Nally families on the passing of Margaret Malley Taddeucci '61 and Mary K. Malley Dooling '64
Stephanie Ackley Marcotte '81 on the passing of her mother, Barbara McGrath Ackley ’49
27 THE TORCH | WINTER 2021
Teresa Schwaegler Bourke '59 on the passing of her husband, William Bourke
In ALUMNISympathy Catherine Irwin Campbell ’43 Rosemarie Machado Moulton ’44 Phyllis Moad Finney ’45 Josephine Bessac Landon ’47 Madeleine Rose ’47 Tillie McCullough ’47 Carla Lepori Coniglio ’48 Gedney Gallagher ’49 Barbara McGrath Ackley ’49 Therese McAuliffe Eldredge ’50 Alice Irvine Godfrey ’50 Mary Phelan Brierly ’51 Rosaleen Doyle O'Neill ’52 Lillian Machado Dickson ’54 Nancy Nichols MacPhee ’58 Irene Da San Martino Miller ’58 Sarah Duque ’61 Margaret "Margi" Malley Taddeucci ’61 Mary K. Malley Dooling ’64 Carol Demattos Carney ’68 Mary Mercer Castellini ’74 Sue Fleckles ’75 Frances Rouda ’76 Barbara Schechner ’78 Phyllis Trieber ’84 Cherie Bijok DuBois ’86 David Phillips ’92 Rebecca Kuga ’02 Grant Pritchard ’04 Margaret Levine ’08 Mary Ann Terrado Dominguez ’20 Elektra Fourakis ’21 Patrick Aaron ’22 SYMPATHY TO Brenda Doyle Jeffers ’46 and Sheila Doyle Kiernan '48 on the passing of their sister, Rosaleen Doyle O'Neill ’52
or marly.norris@dominican.edu There are many ways to support Dominican: (415) dominican.edu/makeagiftReturn257-1396theenvelope Your Gift ChangesDominicantoLives
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The Peer Mentor Scholarship shows that Dominican truly values the work of peer mentors. I had an amazing experience as a mentor. I really got to know wonderful, smart, authentic students and saw how much potential each one of them had — potential they may not have seen in themselves. I learned so much and am thankful to have been able to be there for those students. Pathoumthong Class of 2022, Political Science History A. Norris at 257-1396
The Peer Mentor Scholarship was created in 2016 by alumni donors. Annual gifts to this scholarship provide support for students who are serving as peer mentors. One of the four elements of the Dominican Experience, peer mentoring, fosters student development and cultivates leadership through peer-to-peer support.
— Christina
Include Dominican in your estate plan. Get started today: contact Marly
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