EKU Magazine Fall 2019

FALL 2019

THE CAMPAIGN FOR EKU FALL 2019

Contributors EKU Magazine is a collaborative effort between EKU Alumni Engagement and EKU Communications and Brand Management.

EKU President Michael T. Benson

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Give the Gift of Membership

Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement Betina Gardner Senior Vice President of Operations and Strategic Initiatives David McFaddin, ’99 ’15 Assistant Vice President, Communications and Brand Management Doug Cornett Staff Photographer Amanda Cain Photography Allison McCann, ’10 ’16 Chris Radcliffe, ’04 EKU Special Collections & Archives Staff Writers Madison Caplinger, ’19 Joshua Kegley, ’07 Contributing Writers Lanny Brannock, ’99 Kevin Britton, ’00 ’11 Steven Fohl, ’07 ’12 Jerry Wallace Margaret Muncy Willingham ’80 Editorial Director, Brand Management; Managing Editor Brandon Moore, ’14 Design and Layout Art Director/ Senior Graphic Designer Mickey Thomas Graphic Designer Ashley Reaves, ’19 Design Management Jessica Holly

Eastern Kentucky University

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Alumni Engagement Staff Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement Dan McBride, ’89 Senior Director for Engagement and Communications Steve Greenwell, ’06 Assistant Director of Engagement and Communications Alex Hanavan, ’15 ’17 Coordinator of Alumni Programming and Student Philanthropy Ashley Turner, ’19 Administrative Assistant II, Alumni Engagement Jessica Duerson International Alumni Association Board President Amy Jo Smith Gabel, ’05 ’08 Vice President Ray Arnold, ’09 ’13 Secretary; Chair, Development Allison Allgier ’92 Board Members: Deborah Alexander, ’77, Allison Allgier, ’92, Rodney Bussell, ’95, Tichaedza Chikuni, ’05 ’11, Tonita Cornett, ’80, Mikayla Courtney, ’19 (Student Alumni Ambassador President), Christopher Eden, ’09, David Fifer, ’07, Dana Daughetee Fohl, ’07, Kelvin Ford, ’94, Roger Hardin, ’75, Kristine Herrera, ’18, Barbara Phillips, ’73, Chris Radcliffe, ’04 ’12, Lucy Riffle, ’77, Laura Rudolph, ’08, Bob Sullivan, ’72 (ROTC Representative), Lori Tatum, ’01, Lelani Turrentine, ’71, Andrea Tyra, ’19, Ray Walker, ’79, Randy White, ’90

Visit us online:

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Eastern Kentucky University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and educational institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age (40 and over), race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, ethnicity, disability, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information in the admission to, or participation in, any educational program or activity (e.g., athletics, academics and housing) which it conducts, or in any employment policy or practice. Any complaint arising by reason of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Eastern Kentucky University, Jones Building 416, Richmond, Kentucky 40475, (859) 622-8020, or the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. 20202, 1-800-421-3481 (V), 1-800-877-8339 (TTY).

FALL 2019 2 A Letter from President Benson

4 EKU Stories

38 Athletics Highlights

40 Social Media Highlights

42 Alumni News

47 In Memoriam

24 COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN ENTERS PUBLIC PHASE The second comprehensive campaign in EKU’s history seeks to raise $50 million by June 2021.

Learn about giving opportunities and read how EKU’s alumni and friends have changed the lives of present and future Colonels.

18

LEAVING THE SIDELINES Three EKU alumni share their experiences as athletic trainers in a diverse set of industries.

10

BREAKING BARRIERS Aaron Thompson, ’78, came to EKU as a firstgeneration high school graduate. Now, he creates opportunity for Kentucky students as president of the Council on Postsecondary Education. Thompson reflects on his journey from poverty to success.

14

30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Last year, EKU Honors celebrated its 30th anniversary. Its administrators, as well as current and former students, reflect on the nationally acclaimed program’s meaningful legacy.

34

SUPPORTING EKU’S INNOVATORS

The EKU Innovation Fund was established to reward faculty and staff projects that change lives and make EKU a better place.

Read an overview of two of the winning projects.

EKU President Michael T. Benson at Turner Gate, September 2018.

A LET T ER from P RESIDENT BENSON

TURNING THE

PAGE ­­­­­

Writing the Sequel to the EKU Story

As a steward of an institution with such a broad footprint, it can be easy to miss the proverbial trees for the forest. And, as a historian, I can certainly empathize with the human tendency to classify the world around us through big, defining milestones — such as the establishment of EKU’s precursor, Central University, in 1874; Eastern’s achievement of university status in 1966; or the current campuswide revitalization that has changed EKU’s landscape forever — at the expense of quiet character moments.

However, the truth is that EKU’s story does not read like a novel, meeting agenda or history textbook — it is a collection of short stories. If one were to ask our 140,000 living alumni to tell EKU’s story, one would hear 140,000 different, deeply personal tales. Each narrative would touch on near universal topics, such as growing up, attaining education, finding purpose, gaining independence, making friends and falling in love. The overarching theme would be transformation, and we, the readers, would catch glimpses of ourselves as we followed the characters’ journeys.

As we enter into the public phase of our second-ever comprehensive campaign, I take comfort in that analogy. Writing the sequel to the EKU story doesn’t require a massive donation that can solve high-level budgeting issues in a fell swoop. Donors don’t have to put their name on a building to make a difference.

Writing the sequel to the EKU story simply requires an engaged alum to give whatever they can spare, be it time, money, or simply spreading the good word about EKU to potential students.

I was reminded of just how personal the Eastern Experience is in April, when we held our first-ever EKU Day of Giving. We weren’t sure what type of response to hope for, so we didn’t set a monetary goal, opting instead to try to engage a set number of friends and alumni, as well as solicit gifts from every U.S. state and territory.

We also made it easy for participants to select which areas of the University they wanted to support and kept a scoreboard of the leading affinity groups and colleges.

What happened next was nothing short of inspiring — a wellspring of excitement, discussion and EKU-focused social media activity the likes of which I’d never seen before. When 24 hours had elapsed, we had nearly doubled our goal of 424 donors, who graciously gave more than $125,000. We’d even managed to fill the entire U.S. map — a gift from a resident of Puerto Rico, the last territory to make it on the board, came in with less than an hour to spare. However, what I found most humbling was not the amount of money given, but the stories shared.

Many donors chose to share the significance of their gift on social media. For those who didn’t, their story was reflected in how they chose to give. Alums who had been brought out of their shells in a student organization supported EKU student life. Colonels who had found glory and camaraderie on the field or court chose to give to athletics. Those who have achieved a distinguished career in their field of study gave to their academic program. These Colonels directly funded transformations that would mirror their own, providing their cherished experiences to the next generation.

That struck me as something special. EKU’s story is perpetual, and it’s individual. It exists on scales large and unwieldy, and small and manageable. As we enter the public phase of the Campaign for EKU, we do so with a wealth of momentum and goodwill behind us. If each participant continues that goodwill by giving whatever they can to the pillars that matter to them, they will do something most storytellers can only dream of — create a worthwhile sequel that’s just as good as the original.

Michael T. Benson President, Eastern Kentucky University

EKU MAGAZINE 3

EKU STORIES

– EKU STORIES – EKU REACHES STUDENT SUCCESS MILESTONES

In this

issue EKU Reaches Success Milestones

EKU surpassed a number of student success milestones in 2018-2019, breaking a few records at the same time. The four-year graduation rate at Eastern Kentucky University continued its steady rise and has now more than doubled in less than 10 years. The number of degrees awarded in May 2019 is higher than ever before and freshman retention continues to hover near its all-time high as well.

Betina Garner Named VP of Development and Alumni Engagement

DEGREES

Record Number of Colonels Win Study-Abroad Scholarships Koenig Earns Competitive Research Scholarship Accomplished Alum Sworn in as Regent EKU Band Plays at Churchill Downs Lofton Defies Odds, Attains Dream Job Kent Named Military Affairs Director EKU Accepts Stewardship of White Hall

EKU awarded 3,201 undergraduate degrees compared to 2,388 degrees in 2010-2011. The University awarded 4,154 total degrees, including associate and graduate degrees, compared to 3,100 degrees in 2010-2011.

GRAD RATES

EKU more than doubled its four-year graduation rate in less than 10 years. Nearly 37 percent of the 2015 freshman cohort graduated in four years, compared to 16 percent of the 2006 cohort.

The five-year graduation rate is also at an all-time high, with more than 50 percent of the 2014 cohort graduating in five years. The five-year graduation rate for the 2004 cohort was 33 percent.

FRESHMAN RETENTION

Just under 74 percent of freshmen returned for their sophomore year in 2019. The 73.7 percent retention rate narrowly missed the all-time high of 74.03 percent in 2014 and 2015. However, retention has shown a marked increase since 2006, in which 63 percent of students retained from the year prior.

These metrics are the result of a number of factors, including a revamped merit scholarship model attracting more academically prepared students, as well as increased student success resources intended to remove barriers to retention, progression and graduation.

Read more about these stories and access additional content.

stories.eku.edu

4 FALL 2019

I look forward to the challenge and the responsibility of leading our fundraising and alumni engagement efforts ... my goal in this role is to ensure future success for an institution I believe in, and to continue to make improvements at EKU for the students, faculty and staff.

BETINA GARDNER NAMED VP OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT Betina Gardner, Eastern Kentucky University dean of libraries and chief information officer, has been named vice president for development and alumni engagement. She began her new post July 1.

with the Friends of EKU Libraries. Gardner has been previously lauded for her vision of making the John Grant Crabbe Library a major destination for Eastern students, and a recruiting tool for students and alumni donors.

“I look forward to the challenge and the responsibility of leading our fundraising and alumni engagement efforts,” Gardner said.

“I’ve spent much of my professional life serving EKU, and my goal in this role is to ensure future success for an institution I believe in, and to continue to make improvements at EKU for the students, faculty and staff.”

“Dean Gardner is a master at relationships and cultivating donors and friends to support our mission,” said EKU President Michael T. Benson. “She has done a remarkable job with the library that will translate, I believe, into increased support for EKU as we move into the public phase of our largest fundraising campaign in history.”

Gardner joined EKU in 1995, working in various roles at EKU Libraries before becoming dean in 2012. Through her front-line work with students and faculty, Gardner witnessed the powerful impact Eastern has on the lives of students and committed her professional life to strengthening the institution she calls home.

A proven leader, she was tapped to take on the additional role of chief information officer in 2016.

Benson cited Gardner’s fundraising and relationship building work on the Noel Studio for Academic Creativity, Noel Reading Porch and the Carloftis Garden projects as specific examples of Gardner’s ability to lead on projects that require philanthropic support, relationship building, vision for the future and fiscal management.

She is a lifelong Kentuckian who believes everyone in the Commonwealth should have access to the education and experience Eastern has to offer. Fortifying EKU by building a culture of philanthropy has long been a goal for Gardner. She built a strong support network of donors through her work

“I believe in the power of a team working together for a purpose that is bigger than what one person can manage,” Gardner said. “Any success I have had here is because of people willing to join me in building a stronger Eastern. ” Gardner earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Berea College, and a master’s of library and information science from the University of Kentucky.

EKU MAGAZINE 5

EKU STORIES

RECORD NUMBER OF COLONELS WIN STUDY-ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS Six EKU students from Kentucky were awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a highly competitive studyabroad grant that receives thousands of applicants per year, in Spring and Summer 2019. It was the highest number of winners at EKU in any two-semester period.

Named for former U.S. Representative Benjamin Gilman, the congressionally funded program is administered by the U.S. Department of State. Around 1,000 scholarships were awarded this summer out of 5,000 students who applied throughout the country.

EKU’s Gilman winners were awarded $2,000 to $3,500 each.

Winners included: • Psychology student Brookelynn Brindley from Augusta, who traveled to Kenya.

• Biomedical science student Peyton Brock from London, who traveled to Thailand.

• Biomedical science/globalization and international affairs student Jared Christian from Versailles, who traveled to South Africa.

• Exercise and sports science student Hannah Eagle from Springfield, who traveled to Mexico.

• Spanish teaching student Andrea Patino from Frankfort, who traveled to Mexico.

• Criminal justice major Savannah Sublette from Fulton, who traveled to England.

This year’s record number of awards at EKU was the result of a collaboration between the Office of National and International Scholarships and Fellowships and the Office of Education Abroad.

Campus Coordinator for Nationally Competitive Awards and Fellowships Dr. Randi Polk said she was thrilled to see deserving EKU students compete for spots as Gilman Scholars.

“The great success this year comes from a combination of fantastic students, skilled mentors and the incredibly helpful team in EKU’s Education Abroad Office. Director Jennifer White and Specialist Katie Samuel go above and beyond to identify eligible students and help them identify personal stories that will help them stand out in their applications,” Polk said.

“These amazing students are ready to embrace change and experience new perspectives, and that will serve them well in their future endeavors.”

Peyton Brock, second from left, posed with other study-abroad students in Thailand

6 FALL 2019

EKU STORIES

ACCOMPLISHED ALUM SWORN IN AS REGENT The newest member of the EKU Board of Regents, Lynn Taylor Tye, ’77, was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Laurance VanMeter in February. The owner of Blue Moon Insurance Agency in Danville, Tye earned her bachelor’s in accounting at the University she now represents as a board member.

She has enjoyed a varied and challenging career in accounting before purchasing the insurance agency in January 2014. She began her career at the Council of State Governments in Lexington and then focused on manufacturing accounting at General Cable in Lawrenceburg. Tye then moved back to Danville to take a position at American Greetings Corporation to help decentralize the accounting functions from corporate headquarters to the local level. After leaving American Greetings, she worked part time at accounting firm Robinson, Hughes & Christopher and at The Presbyterian Church of Danville in various accounting positions.

KOENIG EARNS COMPETITIVE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP A biological science student is the fourth-ever EKU Colonel selected for the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Junior Nick Koenig of Louisville has maintained a 4.0 GPA while earning a degree in biological science with a focus on botany, as well as a minor in chemistry and a certificate in geographic information systems. He is also a member of EKU’s nationally recognized Honors Program, the Quick Recall Team, Green Crew and Student Senate.

Additionally, he has already participated in four research activities, which is the key component of being named a Goldwater Scholar. The competitive national award is specifically for students who intend to become the next generation of research leaders in engineering, mathematics and the natural sciences.

Koenig became interested in botany early in life while growing a garden with his father. He was amazed that a few tiny seeds — with a little water, luck and weeding — could become a bountiful harvest year after year.

Once he discovered what he was passionate about, scientific curiosity came naturally.

She continues to enjoy the many community service opportunities Danville offers. Currently, Tye serves on the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a member of the Steering Committee for Leadership Boyle County. She was a founding board member for The Wilderness Trace Child Development Center and has served on the board of directors for Pioneer Vocational Services, The Heart of Kentucky United Way, where she was awarded the local and state Volunteer of the Year award, The McDowell Foundation and The City of Danville Cemetery Committee.

Lynn and her husband Tom, who received his master’s from EKU in 1978, live on Blue Moon Farm in Danville.

Lynn Taylor Tye following the swearing-in ceremony.

“If I had any advice, it would be to find a passion that you love talking about. I could literally talk about plants for hours (which I have before),” he said.

EKU MAGAZINE 7

EKU sousaphone players take to the infield at Churchill Downs.

EKU BAND PLAYS AT CHURCHILL DOWNS Two days before the Kentucky Derby, a tradition known as Thurby brings tens of thousands of Louisville locals (and a few others) to Churchill Downs for a fun day of racing. This year, the EKU Marching Colonels were selected as the featured musical act.

It was the first time in EKU history the Marching Colonels performed during Kentucky Derby festivities. The Marching Colonels played “My Old Kentucky Home” at the start of the races and performed between the races as well. Their set list

included “Uptown Funk,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Havana” and the fan-favorite “Heartbreaker.”

“This is such a great opportunity for our students to get to play in front of tens of thousands of people and to promote EKU,” said Dr. Timothy Wiggins, assistant professor of music education. “We love the idea that Thurby is Kentucky’s day at the Downs, and EKU is Kentucky’s University. We see a lot of symmetry in that.”

LOFTON DEFIES ODDS, ATTAINS DREAM JOB After becoming a mother at age 17, Jasmine Lofton worked long hours waiting tables just to keep the bills paid. This summer, six years after graduating high school, she graduated from Eastern Kentucky University and attained her dream job teaching Spanish at Model Laboratory School.

The support and opportunities available for student parents at EKU made it the obvious choice for Lofton. Upon enrollment, she earned the Colonel Plus merit scholarship and the Summer Scholarship for her final summer term, minimizing her student loan debt. Beyond financial aid, Lofton has found a supportive community on campus. The Center for Student Parents provided advising services, on-campus employment and parenting help.

Despite the odds, Lofton found success at EKU. As she begins her job, she has also enrolled her son, Jasen, now 7 years old, at Model. She is also enrolled in the master of arts in teaching program at EKU, which she will begin in the fall.

8 FALL 2019

EKU STORIES

KENT NAMED MILITARY AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Barbara Kent was recently named director of military and veteran affairs at Eastern Kentucky University, working her way up from a temporary, part-time administrative assistant and attaining two degrees in the process.

As director, she oversees efforts to enroll, retain and support veterans, service members and dependents at EKU. Her goal to expand outreach efforts about the office’s services is informed by her own time in the U.S. Army.

During a 10-year military career, Kent worked her way up to the rank of sergeant in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. After leaving the Army, she held upper-level administrative support positions at other universities, including West Point Military Academy.

She was hired as an administrative assistant in EKU’s Office of University Counsel in 2010. When her position became a full-time, permanent position in February 2011, she decided to pursue the one goal she had yet to accomplish: a college degree. She now holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s of public administration from EKU. “I am truly grateful to EKU for providing this opportunity, and my message to others is to never give up on your education and to never stop learning,” Kent said. “It is life-changing no matter what age you are.”

EKU ACCEPTS STEWARDSHIP OF WHITE HALL The Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents accepted the transfer of the historic White Hall property in northern Madison County from the Commonwealth of Kentucky at its February meeting.

The historic home once belonged to 19th-century emancipationist Cassius Marcellus Clay. The University will use it as a real-world teaching tool for the Department of Recreation and Park

Administration. Students will get hands-on experience curating a historic property.

“What we fully intend to do upon the execution of the transfer is to engage stakeholders in a conversation about usage of the facility. We want to utilize this asset to the best of our abilities and make sure it’s preserved moving forward,” said Board Chair Lewis Diaz.

The White Hall property consists of a 14-acre lot with a 10,000square-foot mansion that has been restored and updated with modern conveniences such as central heat/air and indoor plumbing. The acquisition of the White Hall property will provide the University with a beautiful outdoor event venue, creating opportunities for community engagement.

The state will pay the University $50,000 per year for two years to ensure there is no cost to the University as it takes ownership of White Hall, creates programs, creates revenue-generating opportunities and employs other plans for the venue to sustain its costs. Under the transfer proposal, the home will remain a tourist destination and be open to the public.

EKU MAGAZINE 9

BARRIERS

Breaking barriers has been a consistent theme in Aaron Thompson’s life. He stepped onto EKU’s campus for the first time in the 1970s, not only a first-generation college student but a first-generation high school graduate. In April, he officially left with professor emeritus status and 27 years of leadership experience to serve as president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

Given Thompson’s confident, intellectual demeanor and authoritative baritone, some may be surprised at his impoverished background. But the hardships of his childhood were instrumental to the leader and scholar he became. He spent his early years on a sharecropper’s farm in southeast Kentucky, where his father came home from his coal mining job to work in the fields. Neither his father or his stay-at-home mother had so much as a high school diploma.

“That taught me what opportunity really was,” Thompson said.

“When something comes to you, you need to capitalize on it, or you need to make an opportunity.”

Thompson became a master of making opportunity, because it didn’t come his way often. Society had already given him three strikes: he was poor, Appalachian and black. He encountered racism early while transitioning from an all-black kindergarten to an integrated elementary school. Peers taunted him and some teachers underestimated him, but Thompson valued his education in a way his more affluent classmates couldn’t. In fact, he spent his summers in school, not because he had fallen behind, but to get ahead.

The effort it took for Thompson to grasp opportunities handed to other children is a driving force behind his work at the Council on Postsecondary Education, where he strives to create a level playing field for Kentucky students. “That’s why I dedicated my life to trying to cut down on bias and promote equality,” he said.

“Everybody should have the opportunity to advance.”

The key to advancement, Thompson knew, was a bachelor’s degree. Though he considered several nearby universities, EKU proved to be a perfect fit. “In my mind, Eastern seemed to connect me with the bigger world, while still holding some connection with my small world.”

Still embracing his early work ethic, he became both a full-time student and a full-time employee; he spent his days in class, and his nights stocking shelves at the local grocery store. Financial aid paid for his education, while his paychecks funded his living expenses and helped provide for his family back home.

Aaron Thompson in downtown Frankfort, August 2019.

EKU MAGAZINE 11

Three-and-a-half years later, Thompson’s hard work paid off. He graduated in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science, and a minor in corrections. To this day, he still calls his EKU degree his proudest achievement: “It changed my whole way of thinking about what my future would look like.”

In fact, his future got a little brighter the day of his graduation, when the grocery store where he was working, Winn-Dixie, hired him into their management training program. He spent the next several years in retail management.

Though Thompson felt satisfied with his career, his mindset was beginning to shift. Upon entering EKU, his singular objective had been to create a better life for himself.

“All I knew was that I did not want to be poor,” he recalled. But his success had begged a new question: “What do I truly want to do?”

That same year, he began working for the Council on Postsecondary Education. As president, Thompson advocates for higher education and equal opportunity for all at the highest level. His goals include getting more Kentucky students and If I can do it coming from a family adults to attend college or technical school: “Everybody with little to nothing, they can, too. should get a postsecondary My job is to help them believe they can, credential that matters.”

and show them how to do it.

Thompson’s passion for education eventually made the answer obvious. In the late 80s, he began graduate work in sociology at the University of Kentucky so that he could become a professor.

In 1992, he graduated with a doctoral degree in sociology.

Shortly before graduating, fate brought Eastern back into Thompson’s path. He ran into Reid Luhman, a former professor of his, who offered him a part-time faculty position at EKU. “At that time, I had tons of opportunities to go to tons of places,” he said. “But EKU was home.”

12 FALL 2019

Thompson’s drive and credentials propelled him from part-time faculty to full-time faculty and to the upper levels of administration, both at EKU and other institutions. His scholarly career yielded 30 research presentations and publications and 17 books authored and co-authored, including “The Sociological Outlook” with Reid Luhman in 2013.

Data corroborates that view.

Postsecondary education has been shown to lead to higher earnings, increased job security, better health, improved civic engagement, greater social mobility for children and more. “We won’t have great economic development in our state without having a great higher education system,” Thompson said.

Perhaps Thompson’s most powerful contribution to Kentucky students is his example. He is a testament to the barriers broken by education, and now, thanks to him, students know they can break those barriers as well.

“If I can do it coming from a family with little to nothing, they can, too,” he said. “My job is to help them believe they can, and show them how to do it.” n

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3O YEARS OF

EXCELLENCE In the mid-1980s, EKU was the only four-year, public university in Kentucky without an honors program. The University president put together a committee led by Dr. Bonnie Gray, professor emerita of philosophy, and charged the group with developing one.

Gray’s team succeeded — not only in founding a program but laying the groundwork for what would become an institutionwide point of pride that has graduated thousands of successful Colonels.

In 2018-2019, EKU Honors celebrated its 30th anniversary.

The achievements of the Honors Program have put EKU in the national spotlight in the higher education community time and again. Since 1990, more than 1,000 EKU Honors students have made presentations at the annual meeting of the National

That community, now a hallmark of student success, began in the 1980s as the committee began piecing together the fledgling program. Gray was tapped to become the first program director. As she watched her honors students graduate and become successful, she knew her team had created something truly special.

“I did not do all of this myself,” said Gray. “I empowered the faculty to do what needed to be done. So any success is a shared success with my faculty colleagues.”

A testament to the impact of the program is its first graduate, Dr. Lisa Kay, ’91. After completing the curriculum in three years and graduating with a double major in mathematics and statistics, she earned a doctorate in statistics and returned to EKU as a professor of mathematics.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the beginning of such a special program. It made me a better person, not only because of the wonderful people who surrounded me but because of the experiences I had — incredible opportunities for a girl who had seldom left Kentucky prior to college.”

Other graduates have been similarly successful. Alumna Jessica Newman, ’01, serves as Corporate Counsel for Hilliard Lyons in Louisville, a comprehensive wealth-management firm.

Collegiate Honors Council, more than any other program in the nation. Additionally, more than 75 percent of EKU students who begin in the honors curriculum follow it through to completion — nearly 30 percent higher than the national average.

“To me, our extremely high honors completion rates are a direct result of the strength of the honors community and identity among our students,” said Dr. David Coleman, current EKU Honors director.

14 FALL 2019

“My participation in the program truly honed my worldview,” she said. “I was exposed to new people and ideas, my preconceived notions were challenged in a constructive way, and the emphasis on interdisciplinary thought has continued to serve me very well, especially in my legal career.”

The program made one of its biggest changes in 2012. The rise of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-credit courses in high schools presented a challenge to the original Honors Program curriculum. While those courses replaced traditional general education courses, they did not fulfill honors requirements. The program faced low enrollment as some students chose earlier graduation over an honors track.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM THIS PHOTO:

Amanda Thilo, ca.

December 1991. Case Hall.

Honors Program students and faculty, ca. September 1992. David Coleman, Honors Program director since 2013, at the University Building in August 2019.

Honors Banquet, ca. April 1997. Sullivan Hall.

OPPOSITE: Honors Program Graduates with Dr. Bonnie Gray, ca. April 1991.

EKU HONORS ADMINISTRATORS AND STUDENTS REFLECT ON THE PROGRAM’S LASTING LEGACY

That is until then-director Dr. Linda Frost and Dr. Charlotte Rich, professor of English and honors instructor, spearheaded efforts to redesign the curriculum to fulfill the needs of incoming students.

“The original program was great — offering team-taught courses in the humanities and history,” recalled Frost. “But too many of our students had brought in credit in courses in literature and history for me to feel good about what we were offering them.

We needed to evolve and we did.”

The challenge created an opportunity, leading directly to a one-of-a-kind curriculum that Coleman calls “powerfully creative.” Students’ first course, Honors Rhetoric, now includes a communications element. They then take nine credit hours’ worth of interdisciplinary seminars designed to fill whatever general education requirements they may need. The new curriculum has gained national praise.

“Most honors programs and colleges have one or two interdisciplinary courses required in the curriculum; at EKU Honors, interdisciplinarity and team-teaching are true hallmarks, and the program is well respected nationally,” hailed an independent report in 2015. “This mode of honors education may not be unique to EKU, but if it is not, other examples are unknown to us.”

Today, Coleman steers the honors program with Katie Patton, a 2010 EKU Honors graduate who serves as assistant director. The opportunity to work in the honors office is particularly meaningful for Patton, who fondly recalls her days as an honors student.

“I love sharing similar experiences and stories that my students can relate to,” she said. “It’s very rewarding to see the program continue to succeed and to see it mean as much to current students as it did to me.”

The program has more to offer students today than ever, owing much of its success to a sizeable endowment by Charles Boyer and the late Jane Boyer, who served on the EKU Board of Regents and Foundation Board in the mid-2000s. Because of the Boyers’ generosity, the program is able to pay for students’ conference travel including transportation, hotel and conference fees. Taking place in a different U.S. city every year, the National Collegiate Honors Council’s annual conference allows students to present research projects and participate in fun, educational activities.

Traveling is an important component of EKU Honors beyond attending conferences. In 2014, EKU supporter and pharmaceutical executive Chunbo Li gave his first gift to the University, to be used for scholarships and travel grants. His gifts have funded the Trailblazer Grant, which allows EKU Honors students to study away. Nearly two-thirds of Trailblazer Grant recipients choose to study overseas, experiencing a truly global education. One such student, Olivia Jennings, used the Trailblazer Grant to spend five months in Columbia as part of her Spanish/ communication studies dual major.

16 FALL 2019

“It was so eye-opening,” said Jennings, who plans to pursue an interpreting career. “You can learn about another culture from a textbook all day, you can watch movies about it, but it’s not the same. Experiencing it was the most important thing I’ve ever done in my life … There aren’t enough textbooks in the world that I could have read to get the experience I did by living in Columbia.”

Students in the Honors Program also have the opportunity to take part in Sidewalk U: a study-away course offered every spring semester. The past two years, students have traveled to Nogales, a city split between Arizona and Mexico, for the course “Sidewalk U: Arizona-Sonora Borderlands.”

Service-learning has also become a crucial component in the EKU Honors Program since Coleman took over in 2013. Love Richburg, ’19, past president of the Honors Student Advisory Council, has felt the benefits of a culture of service more than most students.

I was exposed to new people and ideas, my preconceived notions were challenged in a constructive way, and the emphasis on interdisciplinary thought has continued to serve me very well, especially in my legal career.

– Jessica Newman, ’01

“Active participants in the Honors Program have the opportunity to learn that there are many more benefits to service than simply using it as a way to make yourself look better on paper,” she reflected. “Performing service gives you the opportunity to see things from another perspective, to learn the joy of doing something to help someone else, and to benefit the community.”

At the backbone of the Honors Program’s appeal is the supportive community it nurtures. The Honors Living Learning Community, housed partially in historic Burnam Hall and partially in the new Martin Hall, allows honors students to connect outside of class.

In its first three decades, EKU Honors has created an enduring, multigenerational legacy. It reaps its own benefits in the form of alumni who return to serve it with their careers, like Kay and Patton. Its offerings inspire creativity, critical thinking, widening worldviews and inspiring acts of service.

But maybe most crucially, it inspires confidence and shows students that aiming high is something to be proud of. Richburg summed it up best: “My time in EKU Honors has helped me become more confident in being myself and given me more perspective on being considerate of others. We are all very different, but maybe that’s what makes us so similar.” n

OPPOSITE, FROM TOP: Ivan Olivas traveled to Argentina on a

Gilman Scholarship in 2017. Former honors director Linda Frost, 2011. Molly King in Paris, 2017. THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Olivia Jennings spent the Spring 2019 semester in Colombia, assisted by an EKU Honors Trailblazer Grant. Annual meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Washington, D.C., 2010.

EKU MAGAZINE 17

Nikki Strickland on the plant floor of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc., July 2019.

18 FALL 2019

ATHLETIC TRAINERS ARE BECOMING INTEGRAL TEAM MEMBERS IN MULTIPLE FIELDS “Athletic trainer” is a deceptively simple job title. Immediately, it conjures the image of a khaki- and polo-clad medical professional kneeling next to an injured player on a softball field or basketball court. These stalwart specialists have long been the first line of defense against career-ending injuries, monitoring early morning practices and late-night games to keep athletes performing their best.

The Industrial Athlete

However, despite the name, the athletic training field now encompasses a wide range of industries.

Athletic trainers are employed in manufacturing, performing arts, the military and even NASA. Three EKU Exercise and Sports Science alumni went on to practice in some of these diverse areas: Nikki Strickland, ’15, at the Toyota Manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky; Kelly Jo Rodrigo, ’07, for the Cincinnati Ballet; and Brian Ebel, ’88, for the Baltimore Orioles as head athletic trainer.

Industrial manufacturing workers face many of the same physical strains as professional athletes — heavy lifting, being on their feet all day and repetitive motion, to name a few. As a result, they face many of the same injuries. This realization has given rise to the idea of the “industrial athlete.” Coined by OSHA, the term refers to any worker who makes a living performing physical jobs that require skill, strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance.

Nikki Strickland has been treating industrial athletes for direct health care provider Premise Health since she finished her master’s degree in 2017. Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, Kentucky, contracts with Premise Health to staff athletic trainers to protect manufacturing employees.

The plant operates at all hours and Strickland works second shift; she goes to work at 3 p.m., as most people’s workdays draw to a close, and clocks out around midnight.

The job of an athletic trainer in a manufacturing plant can look very different from that in a sports setting. Industrial athletes are more likely to suffer from overuse injuries than a sprained ankle or broken arm, which requires a different type of treatment plan. Soreness and discomfort are also

common complaints, which were long considered to be part and parcel of the job. However, manufacturers like Toyota and athletic trainers like Strickland are blazing new paths in employee health and safety.

“The most important thing for industrial athletes is realizing that just because you’re feeling sore doesn’t mean that’s just what you should expect from the job,” she said.

The bulk of Strickland’s job is coaching patients on techniques to combat those issues. Simple changes in posture, motion and routine can prevent overuse injuries before they happen. The result is cost savings to both the worker and the company — employees avoid expensive medical treatment and spend less time off work, while businesses save on health insurance and workers’ compensation costs.

For Strickland, her patients are more than just a number.

She gets to know each employee and takes a vested interest in their well-being. Seeing them feel better makes her long days worthwhile.

“You create these lifelong relationships with people,” she said.

“It’s nice to see that we’re successful in keeping them well.”

EKU MAGAZINE 19

The Performer

Athletes and performers suffer from many of the same injuries, which is why more and more dance companies, circuses, pop stars and more travel with an athletic trainer as part of their crew. Kelly Jo Rodrigo is one such trainer, treating dancers with the Cincinnati Ballet since 2011.

Rodrigo wasn’t a sports fan when she started helping her high school’s athletic trainer in Maysville, Kentucky — she was simply trying to find a place to fit in. However, she quickly learned that she enjoyed helping people.

“I really liked the idea of taking somebody from the darkest moment in their life, trying to get back from an injury, back to do something they love. But I didn’t like being on the football field or watching basketball practice,” she said. “I danced in school. I never played a sport. So when I found out that there were athletic trainers in the performing arts, it was like a light bulb went off — that’s where I belong.”

Rodrigo sought out EKU for its exceptional Exercise and Sports Science program. After graduating, she earned a graduate degree in performing arts medicine and traveled

20 FALL 2019

internationally with major touring acts such as Broadway shows and Lord of the Dance. Now, as the Cincinnati Ballet’s athletic trainer, she sees the dancers through six hours of rehearsal a day and performances six months of the year.

Like industrial athletes, dancers frequently sustain chronic overuse injuries, but can be at risk for sprains, breaks and other serious injuries as well. The intense, repetitive motions of dance lead to lots of stress fractures, ligament tears and tendonitis. Though dance is among the most demanding of physical activities, society doesn’t always encourage dancers to be aware of their physical needs — greater emphasis is often placed on poise and appearance.

That’s why Rodrigo and the Cincinnati Ballet advocate for dance medicine not just for performers, but young dancers throughout the greater Cincinnati area. Rodrigo visits Cincinnati’s dance studios, offering physicals, treatment and advice to young dancers.

“We try to make the dancers recognize that they are athletes, so they need the care that an athlete gets,” she said.

Kelly Jo Rodrigo provides training and instruction to a ballerina at Cincinnati Ballet, July 2019.

EKU MAGAZINE 21

22 FALL 2019

The Traditional Athlete

Brian Ebel has spent his career treating baseball players — he is an athletic trainer in the traditional sense. His passion for sports medicine has been nearly lifelong. After receiving quality care from an athletic trainer for a sprained ankle in the eighth grade, Ebel saw the same lightbulb as Rodrigo — this is what I want to do.

That interest led him to EKU. His career began the summer after his freshman year as an athletic training intern with a Baltimore Orioles-owned minor league team. He spent 12 seasons in the minor leagues as an athletic trainer and rehabilitation/medical coordinator before moving to the big leagues. Now in his 23rd season in the major leagues, Ebel is in his second season as Head Athletic Trainer for the Orioles.

On any given day, Ebel has to hustle just as hard as his athletes. His days begin early with phone calls and end late in the locker rooms. Balancing athlete treatment with high-level administrative duties is no easy feat. Besides working with players, he oversees all treatment and rehabilitation plans for the Orioles and its associated minor leagues; supervises all team medical and athletic training staff; and communicates with coaches, managers and team administration. But season after hectic season, Ebel is sustained by a love for the profession present since that eighth-grade injury.

“You’ve got to love and believe in what you do,” said Ebel, “because there are no shortcuts.”

Like Strickland and Rodrigo, Ebel works not only to treat injuries but to prevent them. Athletic trainers are increasingly focusing on workload management, the practice of optimizing the amount of training an athlete takes on to help them recover. The goal is to push the player hard enough to improve, but not so hard that they become fatigued and susceptible to injury. Over the course of his career, Ebel has also seen the rise of a holistic approach to player wellness: sleep, nutrition and recovery time all factor into an athlete’s training regimen.

Despite his many years of experience, Ebel never stops learning. Rapid progress in science and technology keeps him in a state of continuing education. But Ebel not only welcomes it; he thrives on it. The latest scientific, evidence-based practices, he has found, are the key to successful athletes.

“It is a really exciting time for my profession,” he said.

Strickland and Rodrigo concur. From the field to the stage, and from the factory to outer space, new and exciting career paths are opening for athletic trainers every day. n

Brian Ebel in the dugout as the Baltimore Orioles take on the Toronto Blue Jays on June 12, 2019, and working with an athlete in a training pool at the Baltimore Orioles training facility (OPPOSITE), July 2019.

EKU MAGAZINE 23

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS

COMPREHENSIVE

CAMPAIGN ENTERS PUBLIC PHASE

Make No Little Plans. It was the mantra that ushered in an unprecedented era of rapid, student-centered change at EKU, and now it’s the rallying cry behind a comprehensive campaign that seeks to strengthen the University for generations to come and ensure its role as a transformative influence in students’ lives.

Alumni and friends of the University from across the globe have the opportunity to support scholarships that increase access and maintain affordability, furnish modern learning spaces with state-of-the-art technology, and provide faculty support and learning programs that create richer educational experiences for current and future students.

Accordingly, the comprehensive campaign, only the second in institutional history, will rise on the three pillars of student success, academic excellence and campus revitalization, emphasizing the University as mission-centered and focused on meeting the needs of its students as well as the service region and Commonwealth. Seeking to raise $50 million by June 2021, the campaign will focus on three types of giving: major gifts of $25,000 or more that are often multi-year pledges to endowments, facilities or special projects; annual gifts, supporting the greatest needs; and planned gifts, which can be bequests, gift annuities, trusts and more.

Throughout its long and storied history, Eastern has been blessed by generous contributions of time, talent and treasure by men and women who want to see an institution that means so much to them and others persevere. These heroes have enhanced EKU’s hard-earned reputation for excellence in its faculty and staff, academic programs, outreach services and facilities, and transformed the lives of students and families by supporting the University’s resolute commitment to student success.

Following are just three examples of how gifts to Eastern are impacting student success, academic excellence and ongoing campus revitalization.

THE CAMPAIGN for EKU 24 FALL 2019

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Dr. Abbey Poffenberger with student Oscar García.

Yadira Crisantos on campus, August 2019. Omar Salinas Chacón ‘18. Dr. John Wade.

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS

STUDENT SUCCESS

Recruiting & Rewarding the Marginalized When Dr. John Wade’s father visited neighbors, he often brought them produce from the family garden. It was only one example of his parents’ generous spirit and their efforts to build a sense of community.

More than half a century later, Dr. Wade is following his parents’ example, helping a growing population of Latino students flourish at EKU by endowing a scholarship fund.

“My parents taught me as I grew up to help others, and I feel that passion today and am very thankful to be in a position to reach out and help,” said the former dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, now a member of the EKU Foundation Board. “Faculty are on the front lines, so they can see what our students are going through. All our students are hard workers, and some of the most deserving that I can imagine.”

Senior accounting and Spanish major Yadira Crisantos, a Mexico native who emigrated to the U.S. with her parents at age 6, said her scholarship “means a lot because it’s allowing me to continue my education without having to worry about how I’m going to pay for my classes. It has helped me succeed as a student.”

Crisantos, who resides in the Scholar House on the Eastern campus with her 3-year-old daughter, hopes someday to work with the FBI as a forensic accountant.

Dr. Abbey Poffenberger, chair of EKU’s Department of Languages, Cultures and Humanities, noted that approximately 450 Latino students attend EKU and, as a group, boast one of the highest retention rates on campus. Approximately 44,000 Latino students attend K-12 schools in Kentucky, up from approximately 10,000 just 15 years ago.

“I was and am still impressed with Abbey’s passion and ability to find opportunities to provide outreach to the Latino community,” Wade said. “This is very important, as some seek to marginalize this group.

She and her colleagues have, through their efforts, increased Latino enrollment and sense of community on EKU’s campus.”

THE CAMPAIGN for EKU EKU MAGAZINE 27

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Preparing Students in Need for Successful Careers

Though they went on to distinguish themselves in vastly different careers, Charley Gillispie, ’75, and wife Dr. Delphina Hopkins-Gillispie, ’75, both learned the value of hard work and selfless sacrifice as children on their respective family farms, where they were nurtured by parents who also stressed the value of education.

Then, often finding themselves as the only minority students in their EKU classes in the 1970s, they learned firsthand the challenges that underrepresented populations face on college campuses but also experienced the life-changing benefits of scholarship aid, thoughtful mentoring and opportunities to prove their mettle.

And that is why the Gillispies teamed to endow a scholarship fund at Eastern. The Charley and Dr. Delphina Hopkins-Gillispie Endowment will support programs within the School of Business that promote and encourage first-generation and minority students to pursue business careers; assist students to learn, grow and flourish; and integrate them into the business world and society.

“When I began my career in public accounting and throughout much of my work experience, I was one of the few African Americans in my work environment,” recalled Mr. Gillispie, the first African American partner at Deloitte Haskins & Sells. Later, he became the senior vice president for administration and finance and special assistant to the president of Valparaiso University, where he received the Lumen Christi Medal, the highest award the school bestows. “Also, I noted that many minorities and firstgeneration college students did not have family members or mentors who could speak with them about things they would encounter in their work career or help them to navigate the work environment.

“We are hopeful that our gift will allow the School of Business to bring in speakers and develop programs that not only prepare students academically, but for the world in which they will live and work.”

Dr. Hopkins-Gillispie, who earned a master’s degree in biological sciences/microbiology at Eastern, went on to teach biology and education at Valparaiso. As a result of her work on social justice issues, she was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award in 2011.

“College can be stressful,” she said. “My family always encouraged me to give to those who do not have as much as you, and I truly believe in helping others. The opportunity to help underrepresented groups and first-generation college students is important to the Gillispie family. Just think: if everyone paid it forward, what a better world it would be to live in.”

THE CAMPAIGN for EKU 28 FALL 2019

CLOCKWISE FROM THIS PHOTO: Dr. George M.

White celebrates during Fall Commencement, December 2018. Tek Dhakal in the Wallace Building, July 2018.

Dr. Delphina Hopkins-Gillispie and Charley Gillispie.

Kennedy Williams studies in the Business & Technology Center, August 2019.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Student Success Center (SSC) staff Dr. Lara Vance and Lucais Wallen. Lexas Priddy in the SSC, August 2019. Jonathon Ryan in the SSC, November 2017. Dr. Paul Chellgren in Lexington, August 2019.

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS

CAMPUS

REVITALIZATION Building a Life-Changing Success Center

As a low-income and high-risk student, Lexas Priddy began her Eastern Experience in a summer “bridge” program designed to prepare incoming freshmen for college life and academics. Now the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education major from Louisville is a campus leader nearing graduation as an Honors Scholar.

For that transformation, Priddy can thank in large measure Paul and Deborah Chellgren, and their generous financial support of the Student Success Center (SSC) and the center’s Success Series that bears their name.

“The Chellgren Success Series completely changed my education and career trajectory,” Priddy said.

“When I first arrived on campus, I was nervous, worried and insecure. (The center) was a start to leave the past in the past and let the future be the future. I began to step out of my comfort zone, challenge myself academically and put myself first. I applied to be in the Honors Program, applied to be a residence hall adviser and joined a student organization.”

Priddy, a frequent visitor at the center, especially in her freshman year, is hardly alone. Since it opened in 2016, this one-stop shop for tutoring and mentoring, seminars, symposiums, group training and many more services has received more than 27,000 visits. It’s also a referral agency, connecting students to resources to meet their academic, personal and professional goals. As an added bonus, the center embodies ongoing campus revitalization efforts, because it’s housed in a once-lackluster space on the lower level of the John Grant Crabbe Main Library.

Intrigued by the center’s potential to enrich the lives of a broad swath of Eastern students, the Chellgrens donated $500,000 to endow the Chellgren Success Series and continue to help with operating expenses.

“I grew up in Kentucky, and I always thought Eastern and the other regional schools play an important role as places of opportunity that understand their mission and constituency,” said Paul Chellgren, the former chair and CEO of Ashland Inc. who earned an honorary doctoral degree from Eastern in 2005 and serves today on the University’s Foundation Board. “I’m a great believer in higher education as the key to success and changing people’s lives personally and professionally.”

The Chellgrens support colleges and universities throughout Kentucky, either financially or through service by Paul Chellgren on various boards. As state support for public universities continues to diminish, private giving “must move forward to fill the gap,” he said. He considers the SSC “an example of excellence and a model that others can learn from.” n

THE CAMPAIGN for EKU EKU MAGAZINE 31

MAKE NO

LITTLE PLANS Eastern Kentucky University’s development has reached a pivotal moment. Strong leadership, dedicated faculty, and alumni and friends who love the institution position us to make ambitious plans for our future. With the might of Colonel Nation behind us, there is no challenge we can’t overcome.

SUPPORT A COLONEL

There is no better way to directly support EKU Colonels like DaNeysha than by funding scholarships. Any donation of any amount to the General Endowed Scholarship Fund provides life-changing opportunities.

INSPIRE SUCCESS Visit go.eku.edu/gift or enclose your gift in the included envelope.

ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

Establishing a Foundation Scholarship does more than help a Colonel — it ensures students who share your passions, interests and values are rewarded. You set the criteria — your scholarship can recognize academic achievement, lessen financial inequality, encourage diversity, celebrate involvement in extracurriculars, help students with disabilities, recognize graduates from your hometown and much more.

PASS ON YOUR VALUES Contact (859) 622-5035 for help with Foundation Scholarships.

“ Because of these

scholarships, I’m not going to have a lot of debt coming out of my senior year.

That’s a blessing …

I would say ‘thank you’ to everyone who came together to donate to these scholarships to help college students.”

——————————————————————— DaNeysha Christopher is a senior from Georgetown. She will graduate in December with a major in finance and minor in fashion — a combination that mixes practicality with her life’s passion. Her work ethic and high GPA have earned her several scholarships, including the Dr. William and Mrs. Marion Berge Scholarship, the Dr. Rodney Gross Scholarship and the Joanne K. Glasser Scholarship. She hopes to work in finance or accounting after graduation.

EKU MAGAZINE 33

Eastern Kentucky University is a school where teachers teach — however, that doesn’t mean they aren’t performing life-changing research, as well as looking for ways to reduce costs while increasing service. In fact, in many instances, the passion projects of professors and staff contribute greatly to the learning environments of students, giving them hands-on experience tackling real-world problems.

The EKU Innovation Fund was established by the EKU Board of Regents in 2018 to reward these kinds of projects. To qualify for funding, projects have to be both innovative and entrepreneurial, solving problems on a campus, local, state, national or international scale, while demonstrating a high likelihood of generating a return on investment for EKU. The winners of this year’s awards included projects relating to health care, cancer treatment, solar energy and safe drinking water. Read on for an overview of two of the winning projects from EKU innovators.

•

SUPPORTING EKU’S INNOVATORS

•

DR. JASON MARION WATER SAFETY TESTING IN DEVELOPING AREAS Unsafe drinking water affects communities all over the world, from Kentucky to Kenya. Dr. Jason Marion, associate professor in the environmental health science department at Eastern Kentucky University, hopes to make it easier, faster and more cost-effective to test water supplies and reduce water-borne illnesses in poor communities, war zones and developing countries.

Like some of the world’s greatest innovations, Marion’s Innovation Fund project came about under time and resource constraints.

While studying water supplies in western Kenya, Marion said, several community leaders asked him the same question: “Can you help us test our water?” Current water testing methods for E. coli require bulky, expensive equipment, making them impractical for areas most in need. Additionally, most tests require samples be sent to a lab — testing can take weeks. Frustrations with that system prompted him to search for a simpler solution.

“We can’t fix the problem on our own,” said Marion. “No single university can. But what can we do to help? We’re empowering people with the ability to collect data.”

Marion’s proposed approach, similar to other test methods, uses a unique bacterial growth medium that is mixed into a water sample.

Any E. coli bacteria present in the sample should cause the sample to glow within six hours, one-fourth of the time required for the other methods. All needed materials can become an inexpensive, portable kit.

Marion’s Appalachian roots first introduced him to clean water issues. He recalled hearing stories as a child about the challenges his father’s family faced growing up in southeast Kentucky. Unsafe

34 FALL 2019

drinking water was one of those challenges; many families in that area still don’t have affordable access to public water treatment.

“Those things were always in my mind,” said Marion. He went on to study sickness related to inland swimming beaches in southern Ohio while earning his doctoral degree in environmental health science at Ohio State University. The techniques he learned from those studies helped him study drinking water later in his career.

It was Marion’s international students, however, who helped him expand his research efforts abroad. During his first year as an EKU faculty member, two graduate students from Kenya proposed a study of drinking water in their home country. Together, they designed the project and earned the EKU Division of Sponsored Programs’ Major Project Award to conduct it. The time Marion has spent with students and their families in their home community has given him a unique research perspective.

“I’ve learned from them, they’ve learned from me,” said Marion.

“Other American professors and researchers may not have had the opportunity to experience these problems and come up with these types of solutions. So many people are ignorant of the things that need done until you’ve been in those shoes.”

The project represents a beginning rather than an ending for Marion’s work. He plans to pilot a version of this method to test surface water with the Kentucky Watershed Watch program.

Marion is also working toward trademarking and securing funds for further research.

Dr. Jason Marion in an EKU lab, March 2019.

EKU MAGAZINE 35

•

SUPPORTING EKU’S INNOVATORS

•

DR. JUDY JENKINS BRINGING SOLAR POWER TO EKU Eastern Kentucky University is set to become a statewide leader in solar energy within the next few years. This is thanks in part to Judy Jenkins, assistant professor in the chemistry department. Jenkins’ project, for which she earned an EKU Innovation Fund Award, will enhance the University’s infrastructure to incorporate solar energy and provide educational research platforms for students.

“If we could capture all of the sunlight that makes it to Earth’s surface in one hour, and if we could convert all of that energy to electricity with 100% efficiency, we could power the whole planet for an entire year. Harnessing sunlight to meet our energy needs makes sense on so many levels,” said Jenkins. “I’m encouraged and excited by the ways we are putting the energy in sunlight to work here on campus.”

As part of a novel partnership, the University will lease around 1,000 solar panels from a local business owned by EKU alum Gary Booth. However, campus facilities are in need of upgrades to get power from the panels to existing infrastructure.

“We have to connect the panels to our grid. You could think of this infrastructure like a really long extension cord,” Jenkins explained.

“The labor and hardware required to make and install that fancy extension cord are expensive.”

The Innovation Fund award will contribute to those efforts.

Ultimately, the project will allow the University to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, saving money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While this project is campus-focused, there’s a reason Jenkins was chosen to lead it — she is continually researching potential advances in solar energy that could benefit the world at large.

“I’m a chemist by training and so I’m more comfortable working with atoms and molecules than with full, grid-scale power.

However, I hope my research will ultimately contribute to new solar

technologies, and I’m happy to help us implement panels that are grid-ready today,” she said.

Currently, she’s working on a project that would convert sunlight into a clean fuel, such as hydrogen gas, so that energy from sunlight can be stored and then used after the sun has gone down. She is also working with students to make and use semiconducting polymers for organic solar cells, which would be cheaper and energetically easier to manufacture than traditional solar panels.

Engaging students in research is the most exciting part of Jenkins’ job, she said, and the campus project funded by her Innovation Fund has the potential to teach students real-world skills. Once the new solar grid is up and running, “we could have students involved in monitoring how much power is generated, tracking what we’re doing with that power, and communicating how much greenhouse gas emission has been offset by the array.”

Already, students are getting hands-on with solar panels on a smaller scale. The Science Building houses 125 solar panels on its roof and 25 near its adjacent greenhouse, most of which were also donated by Booth. Students have responded positively to their presence and have used them as an educational tool. “Gary’s leadership has been a great example for all of us,” Jenkins said.

“We’re so grateful for these arrays and the scholarships they fund.”

The experiential aspect of an EKU education, Jenkins said, is one of the most valuable experiences for students.

“Getting students in our research labs is one of the best opportunities we have to offer, because it gives them the chance to try out what they could do after graduating from EKU,” said Jenkins.

“Research connects the dots between what students learn in the classroom and how they can use that knowledge to positively impact the world.” n

Visit go.eku.edu/innovation to read about all the projects.

36 FALL 2019

Dr. Judy Jenkins with solar panels on EKU’s campus, March 2019 EKU MAGAZINE 37

– ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS – NEWLY NAMED HEAD COACH SAMANTHA WILLIAMS ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL Samantha Williams, who helped lead the University of Louisville to eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, was chosen as EKU’s new women’s basketball head coach in March.

Over the past eight seasons, Williams assisted the Cardinals in reaching the Final Four twice, including an appearance in the 2013 national championship game, making an Elite 8 appearance and advancing to the Sweet 16 three times. With Williams on the staff, Louisville compiled a 234-53 record and six top-10 finishes in the national polls.

LEXINGTON NATIVE OCHSENBEIN DRAFTED BY DODGERS Eastern Kentucky University pitcher and Lexington native Aaron Ochsenbein was drafted in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.

The right-hander is the fifth draft pick for the Colonels in the last four years and the 38th draft selection in the history of the program. He is the highest-drafted Colonel since Christian Friedrich was picked in the first round, and 25th overall, by the Colorado Rockies in 2008.

Ochsenbein earned All-America honors and first team All-Ohio Valley Conference recognition this past season. He was also one of six finalists for the 15th Annual NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.

As a senior he had a 5-2 record with a program best 0.83 ERA and 10 saves. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Ochsenbein struck out 90 batters in 54 and one-third innings, allowing just five runs on only 24 hits and 16 walks.

Ochsenbein is one of only 11 players in OVC history with a sub-1.00 ERA with at least 50 innings pitched in a season.

He ranked second in the OVC in appearances, sixth in strikeouts and second in saves. He ranked 46th in the nation in appearances, 44th in saves and 125th in strikeouts.

38 FALL 2019

Williams coached four WNBA Draft picks at Louisville.

She helped locate and sign the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class in 2015, the No. 6 ranked class in 2016 and the No. 4 ranked class in 2017.

From 2007 to 2011, Williams was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Duke. She has also coached at DePaul, Auburn, Butler and Columbus State.

The Louisville, Kentucky, native earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn in 1996. She was a first-team Parade and Street and Smith All-American while playing high school basketball at DuPont Manual.

Williams and her new staff have been working hard on the recruiting trail. She has added nine new players to the roster for the upcoming season.

RECORD-BREAKING GPAS FOR STUDENT ATHLETES Spring 2019 was a record-breaking semester in the classroom for Eastern Kentucky University student-athletes with three teams posting their highest grade-point-average (GPA) of all time and one team tying its all-time highest GPA. All EKU student-athletes combined for a 3.131 grade-point-average, the 15th straight semester that student-athletes have registered a 3.0 or higher combined GPA.

“I want to congratulate all of our student-athletes who worked very hard and experienced a high level of success in the classroom,” Director of Athletics Stephen Lochmueller said. “I want to especially shine a light on the outstanding work by our women’s soccer, women’s golf and women’s basketball teams. The student-athletes on those teams took their collective academic performance a step higher than any who came before them.”

The women’s soccer team (3.758), the women’s golf team (3.744) and the women’s basketball team (3.40) posted the highest GPAs ever for those respective sports. The men’s cross country team (3.39) tied its previous highest GPA.

The other teams compiling a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA included baseball (3.12), men’s indoor track (3.14), men’s outdoor track (3.14), women’s indoor track (3.44), women’s outdoor track (3.42), women’s cross country (3.37), men’s golf (3.17), softball (3.13), volleyball (3.43) and beach volleyball (3.59).

RIOS REALIZES LIFELONG DREAM OF PLAYING FOR NATIONAL TEAM Eastern Kentucky University senior soccer player Monica Rios had a chance to live out her childhood dream this summer.

In June, Rios was called up to represent the senior Puerto Rican National Team in a pair of international friendlies versus Bolivia.

Rios was called in on June 7 for a full-team camp at the Olympic Village in Salinas, Puerto Rico. On June 10, the team flew from Puerto Rico to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, for the friendlies.

Rios was born in Puerto Rico and lived in San Juan for four years before her family moved to Lexington.

“Playing for the Puerto Rican National Team is honestly surreal to me,” Rios said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I’ve worked hard all my life for this. EKU has helped me immensely to attain the skills needed to compete at this high level. Hopefully, going forward, I can continue to represent not only my island, but EKU as well!”

Rios — a graduate of Lexington Catholic High School — has been a major contributor for the Colonels over the last four years. The midfielder was voted second team All-OVC as a redshirt junior in 2018.

Read about Track and Field Coach Rick Erdmann’s induction into OVC Hall of Fame, former EKU basketball star Nick Mayo’s professional signing and more at EKUSports.com

EKU MAGAZINE 39

Congratulations, Graduation is a special time at Eastern Kentucky University. All across campus, the atmosphere is a mix of excitement and apprehension.

Colonels experience optimism for the future and sentimentality for days gone by. Even though more than 4,000 Eastern Experiences came to an end in 2018-2019, EKU’s newest alums will forever be part of the Colonel Community, a network of thinkers, helpers and achievers that know no boundaries. Thanks and congratulations to all 2018-2019 graduates — may your journey to success continue ever onward!

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01. #EKUGrad and @EKU_CHS banner bearer Kenna Smith waits backstage before the ceremony begins. 02. @EKUOnline graduates celebrate on graduation day.

03. @EKUPrez celebrates with College of Justice and Safety graduates. 04. @EKUSports recognized student athletes who missed #EKUGrad ceremonies due to competition in a special ceremony at #CCA2019. 05. @EKUSSC captures a moment during the College of Science commencement speech. 06. Congratulations class of 2019! #ForeverColonels @schumacherm 07. @EKUPrez with College of Business and Technology graduates. 08. @EKUPolice graduate Lt. Collins. 9-21. @EKU captured moments from each college ceremony, chronicling celebrations before and after students walked across the stage. Congrats, #EKUGrad!

EKU MAGAZINE 41

– ALUMNI NEWS – In this

issue Class Notes Alumni Profiles Chief Art Ealum, ’08 Brian Arnold, ’04 Angie Beavin, ’07 Tom Logsdon ’59

Tony York, ’94 Brian Sallee, ’04 Shon Agard, ’10 ’12 Nicole Heitz, ’04

In Memoriam

For a comprehensive list of Class Notes or to share your good news with fellow alums, visit

alumni.eku.edu/ Class-Notes.

We want to hear from you!

42 FALL 2019

Dear Fellow Alumni, In October 2005, two months shy of graduation, I was asked to give a speech. I had given speeches before, but none like this one. This one was different. This one was special. This was a speech of celebration and gratitude. In a room full of hundreds of Eastern’s biggest supporters, donors and friends, I represented current students as we kicked off the public phase of the first comprehensive capital campaign in the school’s history. It was a good day to be a Colonel.

I remember the event was the Friday night of homecoming weekend. I remember being nervous. I remember my dress ripped. And while I don’t remember exactly what I said, I do remember saying “thank you” and promising that when I became an alumna of Eastern Kentucky University in only two short months that I would do my part and give back.

I am proud to say I am fulfilling my promise, just as Eastern continues to fulfill hers.

Scholarships are still granted here, programs of distinction are still offered here, day-makers and world-changers are still created, shaped and nurtured here.

Now, 14 years later, Eastern is embarking on another comprehensive campaign. This campaign will shape the next generation of students who will walk our campus by supporting student success, academic excellence and ongoing campus revitalization. I hope you will join me in learning more about the campaign and how you can support all the amazing things that are happening at Eastern. I hope you will come home soon and see the growth and success in person. I know you’ll be proud. Yesterday, today and always — it is a good day to be a Colonel.

Amy Jo Gabel, Classes of ’05 and ’08

Amy Jo (Smith) Gabel, ’05 ’08, as a Homecoming Queen candidate during her busy Homecoming week in 2005.

Class Notes Dr. Hayward “Skip” Daugherty, ’69 ’70, was recently named the new vice president of student affairs and campus life at EKU. Jack Moreland, ’70, has been selected for the Mentoring Plus Seeds of Hope 2019 award. Mentoring Plus is a Newport-based nonprofit that provides mentors to at-risk teens in the area. Moreland currently serves as the president of both Southbank Partners, which work to develop the communities in Northern Kentucky.

James K. Libbey, ’71, recently published “Foundations of Russian Military Flight, 1885-1925.” Libbey earned a master’s in history at EKU and served as an associate dean for the College of Arts and Humanities. He is now a professor emeritus at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Mike Coyle, ’74, was reelected as the current Madison County Sheriff. Coyle first began in law enforcement in 1971 with the Richmond Police Department as a patrolman during his time at EKU. David Blanford, ’76, has retired after two decades as the athletic director at Owensboro Catholic High School. Blanford previously served as the dean of students, a social studies and driver’s education teacher, and a coach at the school.

Dr. Aaron Thompson, ’78, has been named the new president of Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. Dr. Thompson is the first African American and native Kentuckian to hold this position.

Cliff Taylor, ’79, received the Kentucky Community and Technical College System All-Academic Team Award at the age of 83 years old.

Colonel (Ret.) Don Bartholomew, ’80, was inducted into the Adjutant General (AG) Hall of Fame as a distinguished member of the regiment for 2019. Bartholomew served on active duty for 27 years, two of which were as the commandant of the AG school.

He now serves as general manager for the Armed Forces Services Corporation and lives in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with his wife Sheri (Mefford), ’81.

Daniel E. Tobergte, ’81, has been chosen to lead the Graydon Law’s new economic development services team. The former CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED will coordinate the efforts of a team of eight Graydon attorneys that offer extensive economic development services from site selection and organizational planning to financing and incentives, all designed to enhance negotiation leverage, minimize business costs and offer compliance management for incentives.

Debra Hembree Lambert, ’83, was elected in November 2018 to serve as a Kentucky Supreme Court justice, representing the 3rd Supreme Court District.

She is the first woman in the 3rd district elected to serve on the Court of Appeals and the first woman from the 3rd District to be elected to the Supreme Court.

Jose Hernandez, ’84, was appointed as the chief operating officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County. This appointment comes after 32 years of experience in the educational sector.

CHIEF ART EALUM, ’08

ALUM IS FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF KACP Art Ealum, ’08, Owensboro Chief of Police, has been elected the first African American president of the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police.

“It is an honor to serve as the KACP president and exceptionally humbling to serve as the first African American KACP president,” Chief Ealum told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “It truly is something worthy of celebration.”

Ealum began his position in July at the KACP annual conference, where last year he was named Chief of the Year. He will serve a one-year term. His priorities include representing the interests of law enforcement officers in Frankfort. He also hopes to aid in the recruitment and retention of qualified candidates to law enforcement positions.

Ealum has been serving the Owensboro police department since 1991, earning the position of Chief in 2012. Though he is proud of his accomplishments, he hopes to keep forward momentum.

“This is truly a crowning moment in my career; however, this is not a career-defining moment,” Ealum told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “My personal philosophy is that you are only as good as what you did yesterday; therefore, you should continue to push forward, always striving to do bigger and better things.” n

EKU MAGAZINE 43

BRIAN ARNOLD, ’04

EKU ALUM NAMED PRESIDENT OF PHOENIX SEMINARY Brian Arnold, ’04, has been appointed president of Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. The board of trustees unanimously elected Arnold on July 29. He assumed office on August 5.

Arnold has enjoyed a varied career. After graduating from EKU with a degree in emergency medical services, he served briefly as an emergency services technician. He went on to complete graduate studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, and served as pastor of Smithland First Baptist Church in Smithland, Kentucky.

In 2015, Arnold relocated to Phoenix, where he lives with his wife and two children. He served as an assistant professor of theology and academic dean at Phoenix Seminary before his election as president. He has authored two books and several articles for Christian theological publications. n

STAY CONNECTED AS AN #eternalCOLONEL Join the Alumni Association at no cost!

MAKE A PROFILE ALUMNI.EKU.EDU FOLLOW EKU ALUMNI @EKUALUMS

44 FALL 2019

PHOTO BY MEGAN GROSS

Janet (Johnson) Wells, ’85 ’90, retired in June 2018 after a 33-year teaching career at Rockcastle County High School in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. She taught English and social studies for 10 years, and served as the library media specialist for 23 years. Her husband John Wells, Jr., ’83 ’88, retired from teaching mathematics at Rockcastle County High School and Somerset Community College.

Patrick Armstrong, ’87, Kentucky Derby Museum president and CEO, will be honored as a Significant Sig. The award is meant to honor Sigma Chi fraternity members who have achieved professional success.

This honor has previously been bestowed upon David Letterman, Luke Bryan and Warren Beatty.

Dr. Tom Kiffmeyer, ’88, was recognized as an EKU distinguished alumnus by the EKU Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Dr. Kiffmeyer has published work about the history of Appalachia and eastern Kentucky, and was the first to publish the local history of the war on poverty.

John DeRossett, ’88, has been named the new linebacker coach for the University of Pikeville football team. DeRossett comes to UPIKE after 22 years as the Prestonsburg High School head coach.

Tim Sendelbach, ’90 ’94, was named the new fire chief in Kingsburg, California.

Sendelbach graduated from EKU with an associate’s degree in emergency medical care and a bachelor’s degree in fire administration. He earned the Innovator of the Year Award in 2002 from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and the George Hughes Award from the Texas Association of Fire Educators in 2001.

Stacey (Moore) Sanning, ’91, was sworn in as Pendleton County Attorney in January 2019. She is the first woman to hold the position.

Ken Bicknell, ’92 ’98 ’05, was named assistant superintendent of student learning for Scott County Schools.

He serves as the current superintendent of Paris Independent Schools, a position he has held since 2016.

Bicknell previously worked as an education recovery leader at the Kentucky Department of Education and as principal at B. Michael Caudill Middle School in Madison County.

Eric B. Smith, ’92, was named special-agent-in-charge of the Cleveland FBI Field Office

by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Markus Thomas, ’93, a former EKU All-American running back, is a candidate for the 2020 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. During his collegiate career, Thomas led EKU to two conference titles in 1990 and 1991. He is still the all-time leading career rusher in EKU and OVC history, and was inducted into the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

Neil Patil, ’94 ’97, was named the first-ever Clinician of the Year by the Saint Joseph London Foundation. The award is given to those who have spent their lives dedicated to serving others.

Audra (Stevenson) Drake, ’95, recently opened Hillside Farm Pediatric Therapy with partner Amy Vollmer.

Hillside utilizes the therapeutic effect of animals in order to help children with special needs, and to make therapy more fun and inviting for children.

Lynne (Breen) Harting, ’95 ’97, was recently appointed associate director of human resources for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

ANGIE BEAVIN, ’07

AWARD-winning teacher Helps kids make the grade Angie Beavin, ‘07, has been awarded the Milken Educator Award by the Milken Family Foundation. Called the “Oscars of teaching” by Teacher magazine, the award includes a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize. Beavin is one of 33 honorees nationally, and this year’s only winner from Kentucky.

Beavin currently teaches fifth grade at Peaks Mill Elementary School in Frankfort, where she was presented with the award at a surprise assembly in February. Since she began teaching at Peaks Mill, the school has gone from the lowest-performing elementary school in the county to the highest, with her students showing some of the highest growth in math and reading. Beavin’s colleagues now look to her for guidance. She is known as an instructional practice guru, often leading professional development efforts.

Her success may be due to her student-focused practices.

Beavin is quick to admit the students teach her as much as she teaches them. One of her biggest goals is to instill in them a love of reading. She takes note of her students’ hobbies and recommends books that may interest them.

She is also passionate about turning students into problem-solvers, teaching them how to think rather than what to think. n

EKU MAGAZINE 45

Linda Kuhlmann, ’95, displayed original paintings in a collection titled “Leaves, Petals and Limbs: Linda Kuhlmann and John D. Harmon Exhibit” at the Berea Arts Council. After 15 years as a vocal rehabilitation counselor, Kuhlmann came to EKU to pursue an art degree and has been painting ever since.

Charles K. Mullins, ’95 ’08 ’15, has been appointed division head of humanities and social science at Alice Lloyd College. Mullins serves as the program coordinator of the school’s liberal arts major and speech communication and theatre arts minor.

Jon Oliver, ’95, was recently named the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year. Oliver is the music teacher at Hunter Hills Elementary in Laurel County and founder of the Southeast Kentucky Music Association All-Festival Honors Chorus. He has also received the Hunter Hills Elementary Teacher of the Year award twice, the London-Laurel County Chamber of Commerce’s Elementary Teacher of the Year award and the Campbellsville University Excellence in Teaching Award.

PHOTO BY DAVID SMITHSON

Donna (Reed) Lovell, ’96, is set to retire after 28 years in education. She most recently served as the Berea Community middle and high school principal.

TOM LOGSDON, ’59

Sean Howard, ’97, has been named EKU’s new chief flight instructor. He has over two decades of professional pilot experience.

Tom Logsdon, a 1959 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, was recently named one of 28 inventors of the GPS by the U.S. Air Force.

Susan (Bierer) Fawbush, ’98, was awarded the inaugural Fresh Face Award at the Kentucky Public Library Association spring conference. This award is given to those who have worked to further their library in just five short years. Fawbush serves as the Laurel County Public Library’s Community relations coordinator, as the board liaison for the Friends of the Laurel County Public Library and as head of the Special Adult program.

As an engineer for Rockwell International, Logsdon determined the number of satellites required and the best altitude, inclination and spacing for the GPS satellite constellation. He spent much of the rest of his career defending its ability to survive enemy attacks before the military.

Kenton Buckner, ’99 ’08, was recently named the new chief of the Syracuse Police Department. Buckner graduated with a bachelor’s in police administration and then returned to EKU to get a master’s in safety, security and emergency management. Buckner previously worked for the Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Police Department and served as the police chief in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Springfield, Kentucky, native began his time at EKU as an art major. Logsdon initially dreamed of being a cartoonist. However, by the end of his freshman year, he felt the pull toward math and physics.

Sandy Smock, ’99, was awarded the Dr. Johnnie Grissom Award by the Kentucky Board of Education. This award recognizes her work as the first agriculture teacher at the Kentucky School for the Deaf as well as her leadership, commitment and service to her students.

She is the eighth recipient since the award’s inception in 2009.

EKU ALUM NAMED AN INVENTOR OF THE GPS

That proved to be the perfect choice. The launch of Sputnik less than two years before had created massive demand for scientists and mathematicians to help America win the space race. Logsdon graduated with 11 job offers.

Today, Logsdon serves as an author, speaker, lecturer, short course instructor and expert witness. He lives in Seal Beach, California, and has authored 34 books, and traveled to 31 different countries and all seven continents.

For his vast body of work, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from EKU in 2007. n

46 FALL 2019

Ben Wilcox, ’99, has been named the Kentucky school safety marshal. It will be Wilcox’s responsibility to put safety systems, drills and procedures in place to minimize any security threats and ensure preparedness.

Andrew Lafavers, ’01, was recently appointed director of information technology for Service One Credit Union in Bowling Green. Lafavers comes to SOCU with 17 years of industry experience.

Chad Scott, ’02 ’05, was named the director of football speed, strength and conditioning at Coastal Carolina University. As an EKU student, Scott played fullback and long snapper, then spent five years post-graduation as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He served as the assistant athletic director for student-athlete development and the head strength and conditioning coach at Charleston Southern prior to receiving this new position.

ROY ANDREW ALLISON, ’55 Former Harlan, Kentucky, mayor Roy Andrew

FRANK ROBERT NASSIDA, ’55 ’71

Allison passed away on March 29 at the

Former police chief, coach, teacher,

age of 87.

restaurateur and EKU Hall-of-Famer

Allison attended EKU on a full basketball scholarship, playing for Coach Paul S.

Frank R. Nassida died on May 5 at age 88.

McBrayer. While a student, he met and

Nassida played as a tackle and

married his wife of 65 years, Nancy Earl Harris. He graduated

linebacker for the Eastern Kentucky Maroons from

in 1955 with a bachelor ’s degree in arts and science.

1953 to 1954. He graduated in 1955 with a bachelor’s

Following graduation, he held many community-oriented positions after spending three years with the U.S. Marines. He was appointed mayor of Harlan in 1979 and elected the next year. n

degree in health/physical education teaching with a minor in history. In 1971, he acquired a master’s from EKU in education.

Throughout his career, he coached football, basketball and track in several states. In the early 1960s, Frank and

DR. JANICE BURDETTE BLYTHE, ’72 Former dietetics professor Dr. Janice Burdette Blythe passed away after a long and storied career teaching others about health and

his wife, Jo Ann, owned and operated Speck’s Restaurant.

He served on the Richmond City Council in 1968 before being appointed as Richmond City Chief of Police from 1968-70. He later held a variety of teaching and leadership roles at Madison County schools. n

nutrition. She was 68.

After completing her undergraduate and master’s degree in administrative dietetics, she worked for several years at area hospitals before beginning a 10-year stint teaching human nutrition, dietetics and community nutrition at EKU and Berea College.

Dr. George E. Campbell

Lois Marionneaux

Between 1980 and 1987 she also completed a Ph.D. in animal science

Cecil “Dude” Cochran

Odell Phillips

with an emphasis in nutrition at the University of Kentucky.

Arline D. Florence

Rochelle S. Seals

Blythe was a dedicated servant who remained actively involved in

Dr. Jim Haynes

Dr. Peggy Stanaland

her church and served on both the Richmond-Madison County NAACP

June Jones

Lana B. Vaughn, ’78 ’80 ’88

Colonel (Ret.) Ralph E. Newman of Grayson,

Gary Paul Anderson, ’76

Paula (Craig) Head, ’77

Kentucky, died April 25. He was 78 years old.

Edna Love (Truesdell) Bartlett, ’48

Brian Christopher Heath, ’97

Newman began a distinguished military career

Lila Raye Davis Bellando, ’76

Patsy (Wilson) Holdsworth, ’66

in the Kentucky National Guard in 1956. In 1962,

Don Bronn, ’76

Gary A. Maynard, ’64

Victor Gilbert Delaney II, ’73

William “Bill” Nelson, ’75

Frank DeMarcus, ’70

Clyde S. Smith, ’60

Rozellen Griggs, ’43

Ray Vencill, ’59 ’61

Edward A. Hatch, ’60

Danny Witherspoon, ’64

and the Berea Human Rights Commission. n

RALPH E. NEWMAN, ’62

he was commissioned as an infantry officer through the Army ROTC program at EKU. He retired from the U.S. Army in June 1992, having served in multiple tours in Vietnam and many engagements in the Middle East.

In 2000, Newman was named a distinguished alumnus by EKU ’s Office of Military Science and Leadership. n

EKU MAGAZINE 47

Jamie Harrison, ’05, was recently promoted to market president of Community Trust Bank’s Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Harrison has worked for Community Trust Bank since 2016.

James Mutuse, ’05, has been named head coach of Madison Central High School’s track program. At EKU, he ran on the track team while earning his degree in sports and exercise science.

Mutuse credits his success to running and hopes to create these same opportunities for kids at Madison Central.

Angie Beavin, ’06, received the 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award. The prestigious award is given to educators in the early to middle stages of their careers to reward their impact on those around them. Beavin will gain membership to the National Milken Educator Network and received a $25,000 cash prize. Among 33 nominees nationally, she was the only one from Kentucky.

Ethan Whitlock, ’11, has been named the Kentucky State Police Post 4 Trooper of the Year.

Nick Wade, ’12 ’15, has been named executive director of the nonprofit Renaissance Covington. Renaissance Covington works to promote and revitalize downtown Covington, Kentucky, through design, promotion and economic revitalization. He earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and master’s degree in student personnel services in higher education from EKU. Detective Matthew White, ’12, was recently promoted to sergeant in the Metro Nashville Police Department, where he has served for six years.

Bret McIntosh, ’13, was recently named Middle School Teacher of the Year. While at EKU, he served as the drum major for EKU’s marching band. He now works as the band director at North Laurel Middle School.

Philomena (Swiderski) Anastasi, ’07, announced the publication of her eighth novel, “Exile of the Sky God,” under the pseudonym P. Anastasia. Praised by Kirkus Reviews, this mythological fiction takes readers on a journey through the fascinating origins of the ancient Egyptian god Horus. The title is available for order at all major book retailers.

Joshua Holt, ’07, was awarded a doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine by University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine on May 4. Dr. Holt will begin an internal medicine residency this summer at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, Kentucky.

Luke Sulfridge, ’13, was recently named executive director of the Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council. He is the founding Ohio program director of Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit that works to make solar energy accessible. Sulfridge has a master’s in emergency management from EKU. Jennifer Cole, ’15, was recently named the Pulaski County Cooperative Extension Service’s new agent for 4-H Youth Development.

PUT YOUR TALENT TO WORK The EKU Center for Career & Co-op connects employers with qualified Colonels.

Whether you are a student or alumni looking for a job, or a hiring manager looking for the perfect candidate, the Center offers resources that can lead to the perfect match.

#EKUTALENT RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYERS Through the Handshake career network, there is no shortage

of ways to get in front of EKU students and alumni. Create a free profile to post jobs, search through student’s public

profiles and register for networking events. Participate in

EKU’s popular job fairs and contact us to schedule on-campus interviews and info sessions.

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI Many career services are available at no cost to EKU students and graduates. Get advice and critiques on resumes, cover

letters, cold calling, networking and more. Career counselors are also available to help students and alumni clarify their options and find a direction.

LEARN MORE CAREER-COOP.EKU.EDU 48 FALL 2019

Mary Dusing, ’15, and Jeremy Gibson, ’15, were married on May 11, 2019. Mary graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology and Jeremy graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting. Mary works as a talent search adviser for a local nonprofit and Jeremy works as a treasury analyst, both in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jared Harper, ’15, and Megan Serrer, ’15, were married on October 6, 2018. Jared graduated from University of Kentucky’s physician assistant program in 2018 and is a medical provider in Versailles, Kentucky. Megan is a chemist at Jim Beam in Frankfort.

Katie (Scott) Siahkoohi, ’16, and Damir Siahkoohi, ’15, were married September 22, 2018, in Berea, Kentucky. They met at EKU in Fall 2012 and were both very involved. Damir was a member of the Honors Program, Student Government Association, Student Alumni Ambassadors and EKU GURUs. Katie was a member of the Honors Program, Kappa Alpha Theta and Student Body President of the Student Government Association. The wedding was officiated by fellow EKU alumni Matthew Bonny, ’15.

Dr. Marsha Woodall, ’16, was recognized for outstanding achievement in her field following the publication of her article “Colorectal cancer: A collaborative approach to improving education and screening in a rural population.” Woodall is a nursing professor and program coordinator/ chair at Madisonville Community College, president of the Kentucky Council of Associate Degree in Nursing, co-chair of Kentucky Deans and Directors, and a member of the Kentucky Nurses Association and Kentucky Nurses Action Coalition.

Barbara Kent, ’17, was named the new director of military and veteran affairs at EKU. Kent served in the upper ranks of the United States Army for 10 years, then as an administrative assistant in the Office of University Counsel. She graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in political science. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at EKU and will be the first in her family to earn one.

Charlotte Imer, ’18, won the female division of the Bluegrass 10,000, an annual road race held in Lexington. Originally from Australia, Imer came to EKU and became a star track and cross country runner for the University.

Ciara Perez, ’18, was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship. Perez is the first student from EKU to receive this scholarship in three years.

William Carpenter, ’19, was hired as the new band director for North Laurel High School. As a student, he played the tuba in EKU’s marching band, clarinet in the concert band and euphonium in the ensemble.

Madison Harris, ’19, and Josh Caplinger, ’19 were married on June 8, 2019. Madison graduated with a bachelor’s in music marketing and works in the EKU Department of Communications and Brand Management. Josh graduated with a master’s in business administration.

Tony York, ’94; Brian Sallee, ’04; Shon AGARD, ’10 ’12; and Nicole Heitz, ’15

ALUMNI REPRESENT SECURITY COMPANY AT IAHSS Four EKU alumni — Tony York, ’94; Brian Sallee, ’04; Shon Agard, ’10 ’12; and Nicole Heitz, ’15 — represented security company HSS at the 2019 International Association for Healthcare Safety and Security Annual Conference and Exhibition.

The conference was held in May in Orlando, Florida, and featured networking events, exhibitions and awards.

York, Sallee, Agard and Heitz all graduated from EKU’s prestigious College of Justice and Safety. York earned a master’s degree in loss prevention and safety; Sallee earned a bachelor’s degree in assets protection; Agard earned a bachelor’s degree in assets protection and security, and a master’s degree in safety, security and emergency management; and Heitz earned a bachelor’s degree in homeland security.

Based in Denver, Colorado, HSS provides risk consulting and training, systems integration and medical equipment management to customers across the country. They serve diverse industries such as aviation, health care and government. n

more alumni stories online Read about Brian Joyce, ’03, who heads Greek Life at Dartmouth: go.eku.edu/Joyce

EKU MAGAZINE 49

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