Spring 2016 Franklin College Magazine by Franklin College

#FC16thPresident

TABLE OF CONTENTS “THE DOORS OF WISDOM ARE NEVER SHUT.” —BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Winter Term internships help prepare students for careers Catch up with five students who reflect on their recent internships and share their plans for the future.

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Franklin College inaugurates 16th president Enjoy photos and speech excerpts from inaugural activities commemorating the inauguration of Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D.

Fall athletics season provides plenty to roar about See which Grizzlies amassed MVP, HCAC and association honors throughout the season.

Indianapolis Business Journal names two alumni to annual “Forty Under 40” class

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Learn who these rising stars are, and read about their accomplishments at work and in the community.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE MAGAZINE

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FRANKLIN COLLEGE magazine

DEPARTMENTS

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Spring 2016, Vol. LXXXVVI, No. 1. Published in spring, summer and autumn by Franklin College, 101 Branigin Boulevard, Franklin, Indiana 46131-2623. Printed in the USA.

Around Campus

Send address changes to: Franklin College

Faculty/Staff Notes

Athletics

Science Spotlight

Alumni News

Office of Development and Alumni Engagement 101 Branigin Boulevard Franklin, Indiana 46131-2623.

Staff Editor: Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96

ON THE COVER: Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., delivers remarks during the Celebration of Philanthropy, a donor-recognition dinner. Turn to Page 14 for more highlights.

Sports Information Director: Dale Long Director of Communications: Deidra Baumgardner Franklin College maintains a voluntary affiliation with the American Baptist Churches USA and the American Baptist Churches of Indiana/Kentucky and Greater Indianapolis.

COVER PHOTO BY RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Contact Information (317) 738-8000 or (800) 852-0232 www.FranklinCollege.edu

Franklin College is committed to a policy of

nondiscrimination on the basis of color, disability, race, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation or national origin in any of its programs, offerings or employment practices

SOUNDING OFF ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION

in compliance with Title IX of the Federal

On Feb. 18, WFYI’s No Limits radio program on 90.1 FM invited Franklin College

Order 11246 and Revised Order No. 4 of the

President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., (left), Indiana Commissioner for Higher

Educational Amendments of 1972, of Executive Civil Rights Acts of 1964 as amended in 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Education Teresa Lubbers and Purdue University President and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to discuss the challenges facing higher education in Indiana. Program host and Pulliam School of Journalism Director John Krull ’81 (standing) moderated. If you missed the initial broadcast, you can still listen. Go to www.wfyi.org, and type “No Limits/Indiana Higher Education” in the search window at the top right corner.

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Spring 2016

FRANKLIN COLLEGE MAGAZINE

MEREDITH CLARK-WILTZ

TOUR GUIDE

DYLAN PASLEY ’16

MOLLY PRESTON ’16

DALE REBHORN

RD ’17

4 ADAM SHEP HE

AROUND CAMPUS

6 7

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Oh, the places they’ve gone! MOLLY PRESTON ’16

During Winter Term, 56 students studied away from Franklin College through courses that combined international travel and engaged learning. In the days prior to packing their suitcases, students spent time in class learning about the culture and history of their respective destinations. With faculty and staff chaperones, the students then traveled to England, Germany and Japan for immersive cultural experiences of three or more weeks. Many students learned to use the local public transportation systems and traveled across borders to visit multiple countries while abroad. In England, students focused on learning the culture of the country, while exploring the effects of its musical history. The students centered their efforts on studying The Beatles and the effects of Beatlemania from social and economic perspectives. Students also traveled to various sites important to the history of The Beatles and explored areas of Scotland to understand the impact of the 1960s rebel-youth culture. Students in Germany studied various aspects of The Holocaust, visiting former concentration camps and memorial sites. They also visited museums showcasing literary and artistic creations to enhance their understanding in the course. Students had the opportunity to speak with a Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz while in Germany, and, prior to their departure, students were invited to a dinner in the fall semester with Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, who was part of the Franklin College Convocation Lecture Series. Students studying in Japan learned about efforts to balance technology and tradition. They also attended a sumo match and a private lecture by a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, among other activities. Students used what they learned to compare and contrast Japanese culture with the culture of America. All the students returned to campus with unforgettable memories, broadened horizons and incredible pictures like these . . . 1.

2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

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A mascot greets students at the entrance of Nagoya Castle in Japan. Students toured the castle and learned that the site was reconstructed after bombings during World War II destroyed the original architecture. Gathered are Dylan Pasley ’16, Corey Mills ’16, Brittany Harcourt ’16, Marisa Sorrentino ’17, Patrick Clark ’17, Wanda Gaines ’16, Sarah Hendricks ’16, Marla Scott ’17, Clemencia Tello ’16, Rebecca Bridges’17 and Alex Devliegher ’16. Hannah Alling ’17 admires the beautiful scenery along the Cliff Path Loop trail in Howth, Ireland. Matt Haggard ’16, Kelly Ricks ’16, Marci Black ’16, Leeann Davis ’16 and Nate Bryan ’16 gather in front of Neuschwanstein Castle located on a rugged hillside in Bavaria, Germany. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. From atop St. Paul’s Cathedral, London’s skyline provides a feast for the eyes, with glimpses of city icons, historic landmarks and modern buildings. While exploring Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway, Deron Molen ’16 imitates a sculpture by Gustav Vigeland. Kiyomizu-dera, literally "Pure Water Temple,” is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto. While in Berlin, Germany, students visited the Brandenburg Gate. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by architect Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788–91. During the visit, the group met up with Kevin Dooley ’17, who is studying away for the year. In the front row are Madyson Elmore ’17, Addyson Hardman ’17, Hope Steel ’16, Presleigh Hobbs ’16, Marci Black ’16, Leeann Davis ’16, Dooley and Candace Wright ’16. In the middle row are Emily Erlenbaugh ’16, Jessica Seabolt ’16, Matthew Haggard ’16, Abigail Morris ’18, Kiersten Sedler ’16 and Kelly Ricks ’16. In the back row are Dena Dunn ’16, Nicholas Uhl ’17, Kyle Sauley ’17, Raphaela Mueller ’16, Victoria Thompson ’16, professor of philosophy and religion David Chandler, Ph.D., and Nate Bryan ’16.

Spring 2016

Internships support engaged learning By Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 Editor

This past January more than 150 students engaged in Winter Term internships with corporations, nonprofit organizations, medical facilities, schools and government entities across the nation. Internships enable students to earn college credit while connecting their academic preparation with hands-on learning in professional settings. Many of the recent internship opportunities were made possible through the college’s community partnerships, professors’ external contacts and the alumni network. “Our internship partners are invaluable,” said Director of Career Services Kirk Bixler. “In working side by side with students, our partners make a direct impact on their professional development and help build their capacity as future leaders.” To assist students in finding and applying for internships, the Office of Career Services offers workshops on creating resumes, writing cover letters and preparing for interviews. Students also have access to a career services library with free use of literature and office equipment. Additional services are available through the college’s Professional Development Program, which focuses on helping students polish their professional etiquette and personal conduct. Career and internship fairs are hosted on campus, and the Office of Career Services and the Professional Development Program work in partnership with the college’s Office of Alumni Engagement to involve students in skills-building and networking activities with alumni. “Activities that connect students and alumni can be mutually beneficial,” said Dean of Alumni and Student Engagement Brooke (Wagoner) Worland ’99. “For alumni, networking events and career fairs open a pipeline to a diversely talented hiring pool that can bring fresh ideas and new approaches to the workplace. For students, these activities are an opportunity to get advice and constructive feedback from professionals with relevant experience in specific career fields.” Bixler added that regardless of major, all Franklin students are required to complete an internship or significant research experience prior to graduation. We recently caught up with five students who interned over the Winter Term. Keep reading for a glimpse of what they learned and how they may benefit in the future.

Kiara Patton ’17 is a resident assistant and member of the Student Foundation, Black Student Union and Student Association for the Support of Multiculturalism. She majors in broadcast journalism and spent the Winter Term interning with WFYI Indianapolis, where she explored career opportunities in radio. Patton credits John Krull ’81, Pulliam School of Journalism director and host of the “No Limits” radio program, for helping her

The Office of Alumni Engagement collaborates with the Career Services

land the internship. “He told me that I have

and Professional Development programs to plan various alumni and

a voice made for radio,” said Patton. The

student-networking events throughout the academic year. Learn more

internship gave her the chance to explore

about upcoming activities via social media, including Twitter, Facebook

ways to pair her love of entertaining with

and Instagram. To volunteer for mock-interviews and career panels or

her gift for storytelling.

inquire about hosting interns, contact Brooke (Wagoner) Worland ’99 at bworland@FranklinCollege.edu or (317) 738-8167.

Daily duties: “My duties were different most every day, which I liked. I wrote promos for

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Kiara Patton ’17 RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

upcoming radio shows and shadowed

Epiphany: “I did not realize the importance of

(TheStatehouseFile.com is powered by

employees in key positions so I could learn

being well-rounded in different types of

Franklin College student journalists and

about the details it takes to produce and

media, but news is evolving, and journalists

provides nonpartisan political stories to

deliver a radio show. I sat in on the daily run-

are expected to know how to operate a

media outlets across Indiana.)

down of what everyone was going to cover

variety of equipment and be able to deliver a

each day. I also managed an independent

story across multiple platforms — web, radio

What’s next: “My career path is not clear, yet.

project, which involved producing a feature

and TV. Now I know some of the areas I have

I change my mind all the time, and I have

package about a yarn artist who relocated

to improve.”

accepted that is OK. I want to do more intern-

from Milan to Indianapolis. I helped promote his exhibit.” Proudest accomplishment: “Seeing how

ships and continue my work-study position Best preparation: “Multimedia Interviewing

with the college’s office of diversity and

and Reporting class pushed me out of my

inclusion. I am also a student representative

comfort zone. The interviewing exercises

on the Diversity Task Force. Since diversity is an issue I have considered making part of my

much I continued improving the quality of

taught us to be fearless, fast and targeted

my work every week was rewarding. The

with our questions. The fundamentals have

career these are college experiences that I

first week I wrote a 25-second promo that

carried over to a lot of other environments.

can learn from and apply in the real world.”

had to be reworked completely, but by the

I also had a prior internship with The

second week my promos didn’t need much

Statehouse File, which gave me experience

intervention.”

writing and reporting on politics.”

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Spring 2016

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Corie Walton ’16 Biology major Corie Walton ’16 is a Student

setting up trail cameras to try and collect

research and revising the findings along the

Ambassador and member of the golf team,

footage of bobcats, swamp rabbits and feral

way were good preparation for the processes

Scrubs Club (for pre-professionals in health

hogs to mapping GPS coordinates and post-

I followed during my internship.”

care) and Tri Delta sorority. She values the

ing boundaries to prevent people from

variety of opportunities for involvement in

encroaching in the refuge.”

Proudest accomplishment: “Having the chance to independently conduct waterfowl

campus life, including professional development such as career fairs. That is where she

Best preparation: “Ecology and Field Biology

surveys in 19 areas of the refuge was a huge

learned that Muscatatuck National Wildlife

classes. In Ecology, we covered soil types and

undertaking. Basically, I was tracking 10,000

Refuge in Seymour, Ind., wanted an intern.

did lab work to identify the matter comprising

cranes. When I started the internship my

Around the same timeframe, associate

them. We talked about soil in terms of know-

supervisor and I would divide and conquer

biology professor Ben O’Neal, Ph.D., shared

ing what vegetation it would grow and which

the surveys, but his trust in my abilities

that he was looking for students to help

animals would benefit. We also looked at

grew.”

conduct research on whitetail deer. Walton

soil in terms of construction feasibility and

lobbied for both opportunities and worked out

conservation. That class gave me the back-

Epiphany: “My internship made me fall in

an agreement, giving her the chance to part-

ground and confidence to join in some

love with field research and realize it is

ner with Mo Alrosan ’16 and Zach Turner ’18

discussions that came up during my intern-

another possible way I could reach my goal

on the deer studies and intern full time with

ship; it felt really good to participate and

of working closely with animals. It is an

the refuge. The complementary commit-

know that the professionals recognized I

alternative to a clinical setting.”

ments provided her a well-rounded field

knew what I was talking about. In Field

research experience.

Biology class, I was part of a spring break

What’s next: “I have applied to the Peace

trip to the Gulf Coast, where we studied

Corps and am hoping to serve with a focus on

Daily duties: “My internship supervisor was

environmental factors affecting the area.

ecology. Eventually, I would like to go to grad

a wildlife refuge specialist who involved me

I did independent research on commercial

school to study animal behavior.”

in everything from clearing fallen trees and

fisheries. Going into the field, conducting

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Levi Remley ’16

Levi Remley ’16 pursues a triple major in business finance, marketing and management plus serves on Student Congress and Student Foundation. He also is a member of the Business Club and Delta Mu Delta, the international honor society in business. For as long as he can recall, he has envisioned becoming a financial planner and following in the footsteps of his successful uncle. Enrolling at Franklin College was a first step toward his goal. Landing an internship was another. Thanks to a networking opportunity with Franklin College Senior Director of Development and Planned Giving Tom Armor, Remley secured an interview that garnered an offer. He spent the Winter Term interning with the wealth management firm Raymond James & Associates®, 701 E County Line Rd., Suite 302, Greenwood, Ind. Daily duties: “The bulk of my time involved researching client investment statistics and preparing reports for the financial advisers to use in their annual review meetings with clients. Occasionally, I also put together reports on client prospects. My Winter Term situation was different than most. I began interning last April, stayed on through the summer and in January started my ninth month. I feel very lucky to have an extended internship experience at the same location because it has allowed me to take on more work independently and grow in my position.” Best preparation: “The two classes most helpful during my internship were Business Finance and Principles of Risk and Insurance because they helped me look at my projects from the perspective of both the business and the client. Honestly, I would not have been able to do any of my internship projects if it were not for all my previous business classes; they gave me exposure to the concepts and skill sets that I have been able to build upon by being in a business environment.” Proudest accomplishment: “Anytime I helped an adviser help a client save money it made me feel great. I also found ways to make some of the advisers’ processes more efficient, which they really appreciated. And I did some significant strategy research that one adviser is using as a resource for a forthcoming retirement planning book.” Epiphany: “When I started college I thought my passion was financial planning, but over the course of my college career and through my internship experience I think

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RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member NYSE.

I’ve fallen in love with the idea of entrepreneurship.” What’s next: “My life goal is to start and run a business. It may sound cliché, but I know hard work pays off. I have made a lot of sacrifices over the last four years and dedicated a lot of time and effort to my classes to graduate with honors and to build a career with integrity.”

Spring 2016

Sam Hall ’18

Sam Hall ’18 is an ambassador for the office of admissions, a member of the Grizzlies’ swimming and diving team and a lab assistant to the chemistry department. Over the Winter Term, he added a new experience to his curriculum vitae, an internship with Johnson Memorial Hospital in Franklin. Hall had the chance to shadow physicians with expertise in several areas, including radiology/pathology, neurology, anesthesia/surgery and internal medicine. Hall majors in chemistry and minors in biology. He is considering a future career in scientific research or health care. His internship will help him make an informed choice in the future about graduate school. Daily duties: “My duties were purely observational, but several of the physicians found ways to involve me and test my knowledge. The radiologists would ask me to take a look at the scans and talk with them about anything unusual I saw. Then, they would go over their evaluation with me. In a similar way, the neurologists would allow me to sit through a patient visit and then discuss the appointment afterward. Through those discussions, I learned that physicians rely on more than medical tests to understand their patients; they also look for mannerisms and other subtle cues. Everything that has to be taken into consideration is kind of baffling.” Best preparation: “All of my previous biology classes were helpful because they gave me some familiarity with the medical terminology. Even in situations that were over my head, I knew enough from class to begin piecing together how a medication or procedure would potentially impact the patient’s body and the cells.” Proudest accomplishment: “I am proud of myself for making it through two graphic surgeries without passing out! The surgeries also opened my eyes to how collaborative health care is. Seeing how the doctors and nurses kept level heads and truly took a team approach to patient care was amazing.” Epiphany: “I always saw medical careers as a way of helping people, but now I also see all the problem-solving that is involved. The human body is always changing, and the medical field is always evolving for the better to meet those human needs; that constant change and the need to improve and be at the forefront are appealing to me.”

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

What’s next: “I had been thinking about pharmacy school, but this internship has definitely pointed me toward medical school as another possibility. I am also really interested in water-quality research and looking into possible undergraduate research projects with Dr. Chikwana to gain experience to build on in the future.” (Edward Chikwana is a professor of chemistry.)

10 F R A N K L I N C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E

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Kelsey Baker ’18 RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Kelsey Baker ’18 majors in music and

Daily duties: “My first week in Dr. DeVito’s

Proudest accomplishment: “One day I helped

psychology. She is a member of Tri Delta

music class was observational. It gave me

a girl put her poetry into lyrics, and it really

sorority and a resident assistant. Her campus

the chance to learn about the students’

opened my eyes to how she felt. Realizing

involvement also includes participation in the

personalities and to watch Dr. Devito’s

how much she benefited from that process

annual Riley Dance Marathon, a fundraiser

inventive teaching techniques. By the second

and being part of it was amazing.”

benefiting Riley Hospital for Children. The

week, I began working one-on-one with

latter represents two of Baker’s greatest

students, including a 13-year-old girl who

Epiphany: “I’m good at analyzing kids and

passions, helping kids and using music to

suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder

figuring out their medical conditions based

inspire change. Over the Winter Term, Baker

and depression. She played drums really

on their behavior. If for some reason I don’t

had the chance to experience the type of

well, but I helped teach her something new,

go into music therapy, an alternative career

career she dreams of pursuing as a music

how to play the D and G keys on piano. She

would be child psychology. I’d like to be part

therapist. Her mentor, Casey Hayes, Ph.D.,

picked it up quickly and ended up creating a

of a team that develops individualized educa-

A.J. Thurston Chair of Music and music

different rhythm of her own. She even closed

tion programs to help kids. It’s reassuring to

department chair at Franklin, facilitated an

her eyes and could still hit the right keys.

know I have multiple options in the future.”

internship with Donald DeVito, Ph.D., music

You could tell it gave her such a sense of

instructor for the Sidney Lanier Center in

accomplishment. I remember thinking I had

What’s next: “I recently volunteered during

Gainesville, Fla. The center serves students

witnessed something amazing.”

a 5K event at Cornerstone Autism Center in Greenwood (Ind.), and the marketing coordi-

with disabilities, ages 3 to 22, and DeVito’s classes are linked with universities and music

Best preparation: “I’d always played music

nator Morgan McClellan ’14 invited me to

programs internationally through research,

by ear until I took Music Theory class, which

apply for an internship, which I accepted

cooperative music making and professional

taught me how to read sheet music. It was

for this coming summer. I’ll be involved in

music education organizations.

the perfect preparation for my internship

one-on-one therapy with the kids.”

setting because it helped give me a way to teach the kids one-on-one.”

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Spring 2016

AROUND CAMPUS

Examining homelessness firsthand By Abby Armbruster

clothing and toiletries, participated in client-care interviews, prepared and served meals and worked with clients on computer skills, particularly to develop resumes and cover letters. The focal point of their service learning was a four-day stay at one of the Wheeler Missions Ministries shelters. “By talking to the people staying in the shelters, students can see how little it takes for someone to end up without a home,” said College Director of Service Learning and Civic Engagement Doug Grant. “Students meet people who have college degrees or relatives to support them but still end up living on the street.” Whenever students stay at the homeless shelter, program director Lisa Hoffman expects them to spend the majority of their time talking to the residents, who are there due to drug addiction, job loss or safety concerns. Although the students are given tasks during their stay, if they are having meaningful conversations with the residents, they are getting a better

Daily Journal (Reprinted with permission) and

Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 Editor

For four days, a group of 20 Franklin College students didn’t have their own home. They gave up their cellphones and laptops, followed strict rules with set mealtimes and bedtimes and lived in a homeless shelter as part of the Inner-City Missions Winter Term course. The goal of the course, offered since 1996, is to help students learn about the history, root causes, major issues, trends and potential solutions to homelessness. After a full and active week of classroom discussion and exercises, students are given the opportunity to work with and learn from agencies addressing homelessness in Indianapolis. This year’s class was divided into five groups and transported daily to shelters and day centers, where they organized holiday donations of toys,

understanding of the homeless culture, Hoffman said. During the course, Natalie Strunk ’19 and three other students stayed at the Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children in Indianapolis. “I think we were all in agreement by the end of it: We realized that every situation could potentially be us,” said Strunk. Residents talked about a lack of support from relatives, explained Ariel Halstead ’19. “I realized in that sense that my worst fear is being alone and abandoned,” said Halstead. Some of the residents were married but were no longer with their husbands due to circumstances such as drug use, Strunk said. “It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around it. Your loved ones don’t love you,” said Strunk. Adapting to the shelter’s rules, such as eating meals and turning off lights at designated times or not leaving the building if you were a woman, was

MLK Day provides students a chance to give back By Abby Armbruster Daily Journal (Reprinted with permission) and

Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 Editor

PAMY (KEAN) VERSTEEG ’96

12 F R A N K L I N C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E

Checking the expiration date and then sorting hundreds of cans of food would have taken a food pantry volunteer three days. With assistance from Franklin College students, faculty and staff, the job was done in about two hours at the Interchurch Food Pantry of Johnson County.

More than 180 Franklin College representatives participated in the 2016 MLK Day of Service, a national movement honoring King’s life and teachings through demonstrations of community empowerment. Greenwood Park Mall sponsored the college’s MLK Day efforts. Groups from the college assisted at 20 nonprofit organizations throughout Johnson County on Jan. 19. College employees began contacting local organizations in November to see if they needed

Matt Allee ’18 and Tayler Shoemake ’19 show the signs they carried during the MLK Day commemorative march across the Franklin College campus. The march, a worship service and a public lecture followed the college’s MLK Day of Service activities in Johnson County.

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Two decades of influence Since its creation 20 years ago, the Inner-City Missions course has profoundly impacted hundreds of students. College Director of Service Learning and Civic Engagement Doug Grant recently reached out to previous class participants and asked for reflections and feedback to help guide future class structure and opportunities. Grant said, “The results of the survey and assessment clearly demonstrated that the learning is transformative and in some cases life changing.” Selected excerpts from students and alumni who have taken the class over the last two decades follow: “I learned empathy I didn’t know I lacked. I learned humility and fear. I learned to adapt, organize and plan. I learned to rely on myself and focus on doing.” “I believe this class was one of several key experiences in my life to push me toward a life of service to those around me.” “I have not been a student at Franklin for 10 years, and this class is one I reflect on quite often. Thank you, Franklin College, for such an awesome life experience.” “Taking that course was truly life-changing for me; not to mention the reason why I changed my major. The course helped me identify my passion for serving people, especially the ones in our communities who are so often ignored or pushed aside.”

difficult, the students said. However, they soon realized their sacrifices were only a temporary inconvenience compared to the life journeys of the residents. “They have to stay there all the time,” said Strunk.

At the conclusion of Winter Term, the college hosted a dinner for the homelessness agency employees and other partners who helped provide a well-rounded service-learning opportunity for Franklin students. At the dinner, guests were invited to stand

volunteers to assist with projects. After the service activities, the college hosted additional events to commemorate King, including a commemorative march across campus and a guest lecture by a diversity educator. The fourth annual college-organized MLK Day of Service was a welcome opportunity, said Kayle Comer ’17. He indicated that volunteering on a weekday is ordinarily challenging. “I think it’s just great to get out into the community and give back. I play basketball, so along with practice and classes, I’m pretty busy. So it’s kind of nice to get a day off from class to come out and volunteer.” Elijah Parmer ’19 used to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County when he was a student at Edinburgh (Ind.) Community High

School, so he knows the organization relies heavily on volunteers’ help to support its mission, he said. “I enjoy it, and I think we should do more of it,” Parmer said. “It’s always good to pay it forward.” More than 10 college volunteers assisted Franklin Heritage members with deep cleaning the Historic Artcraft Theatre, finishing projects that the organization was never able to do before, said assistant volunteer coordinator Mary Foreman. At the theatre, the volunteers had more than 60 cleaning or organizing tasks to accomplish that day, but the majority of the work was done in less than three hours. “The nice thing is even though some of the jobs, they’re not exactly people’s favorites because they’re kind of menial — like wiping off and

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and share their thoughts about the overall experience. Strunk’s comments included the following, “I want to say thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Wheeler Missions Ministries, who kindly took us into their home. Academically, we students learned a lot over the course of the month but especially about how to be part of a family. At Wheeler, the residents had such a strong and loving bond that we were privileged to witness and, ultimately, join. “Those residents taught me how to see, not with my eyes for that sight is superficial, but with my heart and soul on a much deeper level. When I look at homeless individuals now, I see my mother, father, brothers, sisters, grandparents and cousins. My eyes no longer see strangers. I see family. I do not see their past or their present. I see their promising future, free from the struggles that bind them. I no longer see what they are but who they are.” ■

dusting every individual marquee letter — but that’s something that we’ve never actually done since Franklin Heritage has owned the Artcraft,” Foreman said. “That’s a really awesome feeling to be able to see that. That was probably the job I noticed the college kids taking the most ownership of, which was really interesting.” Arthur Terhune ’19 grew up in Franklin and recalled seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time at the theatre. Volunteering brought the experience full circle. “I’m really happy that I could help restore something that was part of my childhood,” Terhune said. ■

Spring 2016

Franklin College celebrated the inauguration of 16th President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., with four days of events dedicated to the theme “Thinking Forward . . . Embracing New Dimensions.” The celebration began Thursday, April 7, with a dinner hosted in recognition of individuals who are members of the college’s President’s Circle giving society. The next day students participated in service projects at three nonprofits in Franklin, with each location visited by Minar and his spouse, Frank S. Becker, M.D. After the service-learning

activities, the college hosted a symposium on the enduring value of the liberal

arts. Speakers included esteemed professionals working in journalism, education and policy reform as well as two of the college’s student leaders. That evening the college hosted Franklin Fest, a music and food-truck festival for students. On Saturday, April 9, the college conducted Minar’s investiture ceremony, and he gave an inaugural address that shared his vision for the future of Franklin College. The inaugural activities concluded with a community worship service in Richardson Chapel on Sunday, April 10. View photo galleries of all events online at www.FranklinCollege.edu.

Franklin College Board of Trustees Chair Christi Fields ’74, Nancy (White) Auld ’53 and Beth Auld. Behind them are Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., and his spouse, Frank S. Becker, M.D. 2. Elaine (Harrison) Marston ’52, Jan (Johnson) Spencer ’61, President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., Sue (Van Antwerp) Spencer ’56 and Ann (Martinez) Mahan ’56 3. Franklin College Trustee Katie Kruse and Student Foundation member Kiara Patton ’17 4. Sue Ann Brown, Terry Bissonnette and spouse Len ’62, M.D. 5. Frank S. Becker, M.D., and his spouse, President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. 6. Student Foundation member Brittany Harcourt ’16, David Wilkinson ’52 and spouse Doris (Townsend) ’51 7. Student Foundation members Katie Bugelholl ’16, Mary Foreman ’17 and Sarah Bugelholl ’16 8. Tamara LeClerc and spouse Dan ’79, President’s Circle dinner emcee 9. Retired Franklin College Trustee Phil Powell ’73 and spouse Nancy 10. Susan (Staab) DeVoss ’69, Rob Schafstall ’65 and Bob DeVoss ’69, inauguration committee chair 11. Krisztina Inskeep and spouse Ken ’79, dinner program participant who introduced the president PHOTOS BY RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06 AND LINDA STRIGGO

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Thinking Forward â&#x20AC;¦ Embracing New Dimensions 1

A Celebration of the Liberal Arts THE INAUGURATION OF THOMAS J. MINAR, PH.D. 6

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Spring 2016

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11 1. 2.

Music major Jesse Hamilton ’16 performs with the band Branigin Boulevard during Franklin Fest. Symposium speaker Mark Shields, political analyst, PBS “NewsHour” and syndicated columnist, shares political analysis and his insights on the enduring value of the liberal arts in his career. Symposium speakers Ian Mullen ’16, broadcast journalism major, and Khadijetou (Atama) Abdourahmane ’16, political science and Spanish major, field a question from the audience. After a morning of service-learning work, students attended a luncheon with distinguished guests. Jeffontae McClain ’18 and Tayler Shoemake ’19 converse with symposium moderator Southern Vermont College President David R. Evans, Ph.D., and Franklin trustee John Dickerson ’75. The FC Singers, FC Women’s Chorus and FC Men’s Chorus performed “In the Midst of New Dimensions,” a song that inspired the theme of the inaugural events. Charles Middleton, Ph.D., board of trustees chair for City College of Chicago and president emeritus of Roosevelt University, gives keynote remarks during the inaugural ceremony.

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President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., greets Franklin Fest guests after an introduction from the emcees, Lauren Casey ’13, traffic reporter for “Good Morning Indiana” on RTV6 and a multimedia journalist, and Rafael Sánchez ’93, RTV6 investigative reporter/ anchor and a college trustee. Board chair Christi Fields '74 conducts the investiture from the lectern as trustees Dan King Thomasson and Susan Johnson DeVoss '65 (H.D. '14) present the ceremonial hood and medallion to 16th President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. (center). Thomasson is the son of Franklin College alumni, and his great-great-great grandfather founded the town of Franklin. Johnson DeVoss is a third-generation trustee, and her grandfather, great-uncle and parents were all Franklin alumni. Faculty Marshal Randy Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of political science and chair of the political science department leads the procession of faculty, staff and guest delegates while carrying the college mace, a replica of the Old Main bell tower. The mace, designed by Gordon Strain, associate professor of theatre, was crafted in collaboration with David Piland, a physical plant staff member who has specialized in woodworking for more than 50 years. The mace is a new tradition and a legacy of 16th president Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D.

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13 10. The Franklin College Jubal Corps includes Logan Thompson ’19, Chase Loyd ’19, Troy Bridges ’19, Christian Bowling ’19 and Casey Hayes, Ph.D., A.J. Thurston Chair of Music, music department chair and director of choral activities. 11. On behalf of the Alumni Association, Alumni Council President Bob Heuchan ’76 (black robe) delivers well wishes to President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. 12. Music major Paige Lundy ’17 leads the inaugural platform party and guests in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 13. Frank S. Becker, M.D., and his spouse, President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., plant a bur oak tree on Dame Mall. They gifted the tree to commemorate the president’s inauguration. Symbolically, the tree reflects the college’s nurturing environment, maturation of students and commitment to future generations. 14. Franklin faculty members David Carlson, Ph.D., philosophy and religion; Steve Browder, Ph.D., biology; and emeriti Kathy Carlson, English; John Stevens, Ph.D., economics; Bill Bridges ’56, journalism; Dick Park, (HD ’02), Ph.D., mathematics; and Doreen St. Clair, PE, listen to the inaugural speech.

PHOTOS BY RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06 AND LINDA STRIGGO

www.FranklinCollege.edu

Spring 2016

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

A BOY’S DREAM The following are excerpts from the inauguration speech given by Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., on April 9, 2016. The entire speech can be accessed at www.FranklinCollege.edu. From the homepage, choose the About FC tab, then go to Office of the President for links to the speech and inaugural photo galleries.

“

If my speech were titled, it would be ‘A Boy’s Dream.’ That’s because, quite simply, you have fulfilled a boy’s dream. But let me share with you why this is a dream. You now know my family background, largely, or entirely, academic. Our friends and culture were from higher education; our conversations were about issues of the mind, generally, and of education. And it was all rooted in some very simple beliefs, and beliefs that in many ways were characteristically American but rooted in ancient Greek teaching and philosophy: That people who sought education would find their way, that they would improve themselves, that they would find opportunity and ultimately they would be strong citizens and leaders, improving the world for others. “In many ways, I would not have known what to do if I hadn’t had an interest in a career in education and as a social scientist studying American institutions. . . . I simply hadn’t known anything else, and pursuing leadership roles that would help advance or improve education and institutions was therefore a natural path.

“

” “

Franklin College has from its founding valued liberal arts education and what was then called ‘manual labor.’ The connection between learning — liberal learning and professional productivity is indeed in our DNA.

“Today our faculty honor that legacy of liberal arts and sciences, of training students as thinkers who understand others, who understand method, who understand science, who understand communication. Who can read a theory

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“

and test it. Who can ask a critical question, pose it meaningfully, find answers and then communicate those answers. We graduate the critically educated, who will apply their intellectual skill, who will work, who will make a difference, who will do great things.

“Those who leave Franklin work hard and are good at their jobs. Time and again I hear from school superintendents, ‘Send us your trained teachers and athletic trainers; we will hire them.’ Countless employers hire their former Franklin interns. And our graduates are creative: They leave their marks on journalism, on Hollywood, on music and art. And impactful: The law, public policy, the academy. And building paths to health and advancement of science: Lab scientists, inventors, physicians, PAs. That’s not enough, though.

Aren’t the educated more interesting fellow people, workers, colleagues, partners, spouses? Aren’t the educated better citizens because of the capacity they bring to the voting booth, to the board room, to the classroom, to the legislature, to the military? We have to fight for a society that again honors education and indeed honors the educated, those who quest to improve themselves and build their opportunities through education. And if we don’t, no one will.

” “

”

I’m concerned that too many around us are worried that the job they get, the career they start here, is the reason for college. They believe they might come here for a job; well, that’s true, but it’s not the end. Statistics show that today’s college graduates might have five, six or seven different jobs or careers. Some of them will in 20 years do jobs that don’t even exist today. “As thinkers — liberal artists — our alumni are ready for that. They are capable, remember, of those critical questions, thinking, finding answers, communicating, challenging — they are capable of not just doing a task, of a job, but of reinventing themselves all the time, constantly, to be what they need to be to create success.

”

I have asked our community to think forward — to think about our future and not only how externalities affect us, but how we affect others and the world around us. But also to challenge ourselves as a college community in doing so, to think out of the box, as we say, as a community. But that in turn will demand that each of us gets a little uncomfortable, gets out of our proverbial comfort zones — to work hard, to think hard — in order to determine the strongest future and the strongest path for Franklin College. “ . . . That is the only thing that will enable us to embrace new dimensions. Everyone in this community must achieve some level of discomfort in what we’re doing, what we’re pursuing, or the direction we might go. That will lead us to understand our role as liberal artists, as thinkers and ultimately as innovators defending this form of education and in fact this human condition. “And to ask then how we can best provide liberal arts and sciences education that will enable students to get jobs, have careers, build professions, but also www.FranklinCollege.edu

to be smart, to be prepared and eager for the future, to be excellent leaders and good fellow humans because they are educated.

“

”

“

You know I’m a dreamer — remember, ‘A Boy’s Dream.’ I’m trying to think outside of our box, to think at the extremes. This is my vision of a liberal arts and sciences college for 2025, maybe, or for 2035, but it radiates from you. “I see students walking up and down the mall, admiring their favorite facilities — the science hall that they love so much, updated residence halls where they enjoy living, where they host study groups, where weekend social and learning activity abound. They look between buildings and see Faught Stadium, looking forward to the weekend of athletic activity ahead. I see students painting a rock, not painting Ben, but painting an iconic campus rock. “I imagine a campus where our students are immersed in academic activity, led by an excellent faculty, where their classroom experience, each and every time, is linked to an outside learning experience. Where an intense creative writing seminar includes soapbox performance in Nashville. Where biology includes lab experience on campus or in a commercial setting or in Hougham Woods. Where communication students spend time downtown at The Statehouse File. Where an urban sociology class meets regularly in Indianapolis to be engaged with a changing city, but also includes a visit to, say, St. Louis, to consider the differences in urban ecology between those two cities. Where students, teachers, counselors, across the United States understand that Franklin College offers them the distinction to study in an intense, immersive way that engages them in material and gives them experiences that will change their lives and leads to jobs, careers and professions. “That’s all in my dream.

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. . . I promised you that today I would share the five major goals of the draft strategic plan, and there you have them. They are the pillars of my dream, and of yours. They reflect the historical grounding of our institution and the current beliefs of the college community, and they will push us to work at the edges, and to grow into the future. These are the pillars of the future of our work . . . : 1.

“Deliver a nationally-recognized, innovative curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences through immersive, engaged learning 2. “Prepare a diverse Franklin College community to contribute actively to a global society 3. “Develop leaders through a culture of service and civic and professional engagement 4. “Ensure the connection and the relevance of the college to our local, regional, national and global communities 5. “Enhance institutional capacity for innovation and sustainability

“And I see Franklin College, where students come from all backgrounds, where students are of many colors, of many belief systems, from different economic situations and educational experiences. I see a college of radical welcome, where differences are celebrated. Where smart, capable people of all ilks come together to change themselves and to develop leadership capacity to contribute to a lively and diverse global society. Where faculty, staff, trustees share the diversity of the student body and model behaviors for all. “That’s all in my dream. “And I see Franklin College, where all in the community are engaged in civic and professional service, committed to changing and improving society and to being leaders who empower others.

”

I see a college where alumni and friends commit their resources because of the intense experiences they have had here, and because of the distinctive differences that the college makes on young lives. “That’s all in my dream. “And I see Franklin College, steward of all with which it has been blessed. A steward of our financial plans and successes, a steward of philanthropy. A steward of our own image and reputation and a steward of how we express our community to others. A steward of God’s green earth and of our own campus and our local community. A steward of Franklin, Indiana, Johnson County and the global business center we know this to be. A steward of the talent that commits careers to this college. “That’s all in my dream.

“That’s all in my dream. “And I see Franklin College, looked to by the Indianapolis metropolitan area and the state of Indiana as a leader in education and thought. As a place where they can reach for partners, researchers, teachers, interns. A place where nationally and globally we are looked to for intensely and well-trained students, and where our tentacles and outreach to corporate, public affairs, journalistic, educational and other communities are evident and beneficial.

“But I know it’s in your dreams, too, and I am humbled to be here to work with you to understand and facilitate our dreams. I hope you now understand that this is where ‘A Boy’s Dream’ meets ‘An Institution’s Journey.’ I am here to meet Franklin College’s quest to improve the lives of hundreds, nay, thousands, of students and alumni, and the people, communities and societies around us.

”

Spring 2016

F A C U LT Y / S T A F F N O T E S

Franklin’s dedicated, caring faculty and staff members are devoted to teaching and mentoring students, and they provide leadership and service in their disciplines, communities and the world. As scholars, researchers, writers, consultants and artists, their professional contributions reflect tremendous breadth and depth. The Faculty/Staff Notes provide a glimpse of their recent activities and accomplishments. Callista Buchen, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, had her poetry chapter book, The Bloody Planet, published. She also had poems accepted for publication in Cimarron Review, Salt Hill, Handsome and TAB: The Journal of Poetry and Poetics. She recently presented “Conversations and Creativity: Approaches to Poetic Collaboration” at the Indiana Writers’ Consortium Conference in Merrillville, where she also presented “Prairie Fire: A Reading and Discussion of Midwestern Feminism(s),” a roundtable and reading. Jenna Day, coordinator of new student programs, was appointed to the health and wellness committee for the Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Offices and serves as the physical wellness subcommittee chair. She also serves as the graduate student outreach chair for the Indiana Student Affairs Association Conference. Amanda (McIntosh) Eaton ’10, assistant director of admissions, and Brett Reardon, senior admissions counselor, copresented “Connecting from Within: Utilizing Current Students to Enhance Recruitment” at the Indiana Association for College Admissions Counseling and Congress in Indianapolis at the Westin Hotel Conference Center. Justin Gash, Ph.D., mathematics and computing department chair and associate professor of mathematics, was named one of nine inaugural Legends of Castle High School. The Newburgh, Ind., school started the program to recognize graduates of distinction. In early spring, Gash returned to his high school to give career advice and talk to

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Justin Gash (center) assists Timothy “T.J.” Terry ’19 and Spencer Fox ’19

several classes of students. Friends nominated Gash, and David Brailow, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, wrote a recommendation letter. An excerpt from his letter follows: “Since he came to Franklin in 2008, Dr. Gash has been a professor sought out eagerly by his students. There is almost always a line of students outside his office wanting to see him, which demonstrates not only his availability to them but also the value they see in working with him one-on-one. The student evaluations in all his courses have been exceptionally good year after year.” Casey Hayes, Ph.D., A.J. Thurston Chair of Music, music department chair and director of choral activities, recently contributed a chapter on “Creating an Inclusive Music Room for the LGBTQQ Student” published in the book Democracy in Music Education. He also has been selected to present at the International Society for Music Education in Glasgow, Scotland, this July. He will present a lecture and workshop on “Inclusive Pedagogy for the LGBTQQ Student.”

Hisaya Kitaoka, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, was appointed economic adviser of Motoya Sangyo Co. Ltd. The company is involved in Japan’s hotel industry. He also serves as economic adviser of the Business Land Co. Ltd. and Horikawa Sangyo Co. Ltd. John Krull ’81 recently was promoted from associate professor to full professor of journalism. Krull became director of the Pulliam School of Journalism in 2004. He also is the host of the “No Limits” radio program on WFYI 90.1, Indianapolis, and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news bureau powered by Franklin College students. He holds a master of arts degree in American Studies from Saint Louis University. Prior to joining the Franklin faculty, Krull served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. His position with the ACLU followed a long career as a newspaper reporter, columnist, feature writer and editorial writer. Kristen McCain, admissions counselor and designated school official, was selected the Indiana grant recipient for Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Advocacy

Day, held in March, is an annual event coordinated by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. It includes two days of international education advocacy training, preparation and implementation. On the program’s second day, participants go to Capitol Hill and speak with members of Congress and other elected officials. McCain used the opportunity to speak about the impact international education has on the state of Indiana and the Franklin College campus and the need for more globallyengaged scholars and citizens in college communities. Ben O’Neal, Ph.D., recently was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of biology. He also was approved for tenure at the Franklin College Board of Trustees meeting in February. O’Neal has received a research grant from the Muscatatuck Wildlife Society to continue a fifth year of research on the abundance and demographics of white-tailed deer at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. O’Neal has involved several students in the project over the years, providing them opportunities for undergraduate research experience. Hank Nuwer, journalism professor, began researching hazing as an international human rights abuse issue and pushing prevention in high schools and on college campuses in 1978 with an article in Human Behavior. Since then he has spoken on the topic of hazing on approximately 150 TV and radio shows. In 2012, the Virginia Tech Victims Family Outreach Foundation asked Nuwer to be their lead hazing consultant on a new initiative to help college campuses assess and improve their school safety

www.FranklinCollege.edu

Robin Roberts recently was promoted from associate professor to full professor of theatre. He holds a master’s degree in playwriting from Southern Illinois University. He has worked professionally as an actor, director, stage manager and director of publicity for theatres in North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Illinois. He also is an awardwinning playwright whose plays have been produced in South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Wisconsin and New York. His play, Dilemmas with Dinner, was published by Playscripts Inc. Terri L. Roberts-Leonard, director of diversity and inclusion, presented “Shouldering Racial Responsibility: NPHC Organizations Response to Social Justice Issues” at the Association for Fraternal Leadership and Values conference in February. Judy Yarnell recently transitioned from the gift processing and records specialist position in the development office to administrative assistant for the office of career services and the student activities center. ■

www.FranklinCollege.edu

In November, the department of mathematics and computing hosted the 52nd Annual Math Day. It is one of the longest-running college-based math events for high school students in the country. This year, more than 100 students and their teachers and chaperones from 10 different schools participated. “The total number of students was the largest in over a decade,” said Justin Gash, Ph.D., mathematics and computing department chair and associate professor of mathematics. Strong attendance is significant because Math Day provides a first glimpse of Franklin College for many high school students from across Indiana. A positive first impression and good experience at Math Day may influence prospective students to choose Franklin in the future. For this reason and more, Math Day is an important college tradition requiring collaboration across campus. This year, John Boardman, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, presented “Rolling the Dice,” during which he engaged the high school teachers and chaperones in some online statistics applications for the classroom. Dan Callon ’77, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, organized a volunteer workforce of 50 Franklin College students to assist with registration, exam grading and proctoring. Paul Fonstad, assistant professor of mathematics, organized mathematics puzzles for the students to work on during the registration process. In addition, Fonstad presented “Gamifying Your Math Class,” which focused on best practices for engaging students, especially in teambased work. Lastly, Fonstad organized the third annual Math Day game show, “So You Think You Know Math,” as a capstone to the day’s activities. Gash typeset the Polya Exam, the central component of Math Day. The exam required students to work as a team and focused on creativity and problem-solving, opposed to the standard algebra skills-based high school math competition instrument often employed, according to Gash. He added that every member of the mathematics and computing faculty contributed in some substantive way to the design of the exam, and the problems were an invention of the department. Gash designed the rubric for grading. Stacy Hoehn, assistant professor of mathematics, mentored Jake Smith ’17, a pure mathematics and applied mathematics major, in preparation of his Math Day presentation, “The Party Problem: An Introduction to Ramsey Theory.” Kerry Smith ’90, Ph.D., professor of computing, served as the website administrator, facilitating team registration and allowing delivery of the abstracts and preliminary program to the participants in advance of Math Day. Smith also led a team of graders through the team exams at the conclusion of the day. Angie (Hughes) Walls ’88, director of the mathematics study center and mathematics lecturer, moderated the roundtable discussion, “Can I Count This for Professional Development?” “This represented the first step in a new and exciting initiative to award professional development credit to the teachers who bring students to Math Day. We hope this will encourage even The Fishers High School greater attendance in the future,” said Gash. team won the Lastly, Gash acknowledged Kristine Wood, business, mathematics and computing division Polya Exam executive secretary, for several of the ways she concontest. tributed to Math Day. Wood handled corresponding with schools prior to the event, booking the facilities, coordinating the catering, ordering T-shirts and organizing prizes. “She deserves a lot of credit for the successful outcomes,” said Gash. For the seventh consecutive year, Cooper Tire was the corporate sponsor of Math Day and supplied T-shirts to all the participants. The company operates a tire distribution center in Franklin and supports Math Day in recognition of the key role Franklin graduates can play in its future workforce of engineering, manufacturing, business and sales professionals. ■ OTO

George Micajah Phillips, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, delivered the keynote address, “Making Modernist Worlds,” at the University of Kentucky’s Graduate Literature Symposium in March.

Collaboration adds up to successful Math Day

SUBMITTED PH

measures. Today, he leads the 32 National Campus Safety Initiative Advisory Council’s Twitter account (32 NCSI). On behalf of 32 NCSI, Nuwer gave an online presentation in April for members of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Nuwer’s presentation was on “Containing Hazing in Organizations and Team Sports.”

Spring 2016

F A C U LT Y / S T A F F N O T E S

Professor, students on The Good Catholic set Associate professor and theatre department chair Gordon Strain slipped into a new role this winter. He took a temporary hiatus from teaching to serve as the production designer for a feature-length romantic comedy filmed in Bloomington, Ind. The Good Catholic features veteran actors Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple) and John C. McGinley (Scrubs, Platoon) as well as Zachary “Zach” Spicer, a Greencastle, Ind., native. The film is being produced by Pigasus Pictures, co-owned and operated by Spicer and friend John Armstrong. Their friend, Paul Shoulberg, wrote the film, based on the true events of his parents’ love story. Shoulberg’s father was a priest when he met and fell in love with his future wife. Strain met Shoulberg, Spicer and Armstrong while attending Indiana University. “Paul and I are old friends from graduate school. John and Zach were also at IU at the same time with us. We all played poker together every week,” said Strain. Another tie the film has to Indiana is David Anspaugh, director of the iconic films Rudy (University of Notre Dame football) and Hoosiers (Indiana basketball). Anspaugh is The Good

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Catholic’s executive producer. Strain’s responsibilities as production designer for the film were numerous, including building set pieces, “dressing” film locations and checking for scene continuity between takes. He even prepared the food used during a dinner scene. “I worked closely with the director and the director of photography to make sure things looked good through the lens,” explained Strain. Strain’s days were long and varied. He relocated to Bloomington so he could be easily accessible during the filming, which began Jan. 18 and wrapped up on Feb. 13. He also used the filmmaking opportunity as a way to engage students in learning. He invited broadcast journalism major Ian Mullen ’16 to be his production design assistant, and he secured a non-speaking acting role for sociology/criminology and theatre major Kiera Shackelford ’17. Strain also enlisted the help of Franklin College General Trades Technician David Piland during the set design and received assistance from Director of Athletics Kerry Prather. All of them will be mentioned in the movie credits. Strain said he was grateful for the college community’s participation and support. Strain noted that Franklin

Kiera Shackelford ’17

colleague Nick Crisafulli, assistant professor of theatre, graciously absorbed his classes for a couple of weeks, and Robin Roberts, associate professor of theatre, also offered assistance during his absence. Strain stepped back into the classroom at the start of the spring semester, ready to share filmmaking pointers with Franklin students. “Film is so different than theatre. I’m excited to talk to my students about the different ways to approach working on film. Designing is different. Acting is different. Even the way we schedule our days is different. I remember as a kid thinking that being a movie star would be so cool and easy. It’s not. Nobody on set has it easy, especially when you have a smallish budget.” The movie will be released sometime next year, with the first showing on site in Bloomington. ■ www.FranklinCollege.edu

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Theatre department chair Gordon Strain and Ian Mullen ’16 work on a set design.

ATHLETICS

Seymour Tribune and

Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 Editor

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) recently offered Karen Dringenburg ’19 and Ethan Caldwell ’17 an opportunity they couldn’t refuse — a chance to travel to Costa Rica, play tennis and share their love of the sport. Dringenburg and Caldwell were selected by HCAC coaches to participate in Beyond Sport, a program facilitated by Benchmark Sport International. The program uses sports to help address social issues and trigger positive social change around the world. It focuses on impacting disadvantaged and excluded populations by providing access to inspirational projects and people. Dringenburg and Caldwell were the only Hoosiers in their Beyond Sport volunteer group. They traveled to Costa Rica in January over the Winter Term and competed with tennis players in their own range and instructed children ages 5 to 10. “We were there to share our own background and why we love the sport as a way to connect with them and be role models. The program wants kids to stay excited about their sport so they stay focused and out of trouble,” explained Dringenburg. The volunteers’ interaction with the children focused on tennis instruction, but their interaction with their peers was a time for competition. They shared advice and helped each other improve in the game. “The Costa Ricans were very competitive,” said Dringenburg. “A lot of them had been playing since age 5.” One of her opponents was 23 years old and had been playing for 18 years. That player also had coached a national champion, Dringenburg said. Overall, the international competition helped improve her ground strokes, www.FranklinCollege.edu

which were a struggle during the Grizzlies’ tennis season, she said. In addition to improving her tennis skills, Dringenburg had a chance to rekindle her Spanish skills. “I hadn’t been in a Spanish class since my junior year of high school so being in Costa Rica and figuring out how to communicate with the kids who didn’t speak any English was a good warmup for the Spanish class I’mtaking this semester,” said Dringenburg. Caldwell had previous international travel experience, having studied away in France. His French language skills were not very useful in Costa Rica, but he said overcoming the language barrier was fairly simple. “When you’re with other people who love the same sport, you speak the same language, in a sense. We communicated with hand gestures and demonstrations,” said Caldwell. Most of the program took place in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, but Dringenburg and Caldwell also had a chance to see sights beyond the city. “We traveled up into the mountains and also went out to the agricultural areas. It gave us a chance to see the difference in incomes between different social classes and to have a better understanding of how people in different regions make a living,” said Dringenburg. Caldwell added, “Everywhere we went the local people were friendly. After tennis one afternoon, some other Americans and I went to the local park to see if we could get in on a pickup game of soccer. We were welcomed, and afterward everyone wanted to hang out and practice their English and just talk about our backgrounds.” Dringenburg is grateful for the memories she brought back from Costa Rica and hopeful that the impact the volunteers made during their stay will continue to have ripple effects. “I had met a tennis clinic coach in

Karen Dringenburg ’19 KATIE TOMLIN ’15

By Jordan Morey

PAIGE CLARK ’16

Addressing social issues through athletics

Ethan Caldwell ’17

high school who really inspired me and made a difference in my life. It would make me feel amazing to know I did the same for someone else. It’s one of the reasons I think I’d like to be part of this program again in a few years, when I have more perspective to offer,” said Dringenburg. Dringenburg played a key role this fall on the college women’s tennis team, helping the Grizzlies achieve a 14–2 record and finish second in the HCAC with a 7–1 record. She was named HCAC’s Freshman of the Year. Caldwell made a strong impact on the Grizzlies’ men’s team, winning 13 total matches, including six doubles matches with partner Luke Snyder ’15. Caldwell was named to the HCAC’s 2015 Honorable Mention Team. ■

Spring 2016

PHIL SMITH

ATHLETICS

Members of the football team join the Griz mascot in celebrating the Victory Bell Classic triumph over Hanover. In the front row are Taylor Christensen ’17 (#14), Nate Bryan ’16 (#51), Lucas Windell ’16 (#40), Tyrone Thomas III ’19 (laying down), Austin Cartlon ’16 (#74), Brian Isch ’16 (#87), Kendal Butler ’16 (above Griz), Zach Turner ’18 (#32) and Jimmy Phillips ’18 (#9). In the second row are Ty’Ronte Files ’17 (above #14), Adrian Mills ’18 (between #14 and #51), Blaine Kowalkowski ’16 (holding Bell on left side), Mason Deal ’18 (underneath Bell), Trevon Sevion ’17 (yellow headband underneath Bell), Cody Beeks ’16 (holding Bell on right side), Brian Bonomini ’19 (#84), Garrett Tuley ’18 (#17), Caleb Pfeifer ’19 (#25), Caleb Reedy ’19 (#82) Alex Smith ’18 (#89) and Logan Hale ’18 (#39). In the background are Samm Hayes ’18, Darrell Crenshaw ’18 (red hat) and Logan Battle ’18 (above right shoulder of #84).

Fall athletic season recap By Dale Long Sports Information Director

A record-making 100 coaching victories, MVP honors from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) and the college’s first-ever student-athlete named to the Academic All-America first team are a few highlights that made the fall athletic season memorable. Keep reading to learn which studentathletes earned individual honors and which teams achieved new program records.

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Football The football team extended its streak of HCAC championships to six with another successful fall campaign on the gridiron. The Grizzlies also advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. Head coach Mike Leonard recorded his 100th career coaching victory — becoming the second football coach in college history to accomplish the feat — during Franklin’s 53–13 win over Hanover College in the Victory Bell Classic.

Quarterback Chase Burton ’18 earned HCAC Offensive MVP honors after ranking among the national leaders in eight statistical categories. The award marked the third consecutive year a Franklin quarterback has garnered the conference’s offensive top award. The Grizzlies concluded the 2015 campaign with an 8–3 record and an undefeated 8–0 league record. The team hosted Ohio Northern University in a first-round playoff contest. Franklin seized control of the HCAC title race with its 42–35 win at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in late October. The matchup www.FranklinCollege.edu

Austin Day ’17 (#33) and Solomon Knight ’17 (#69) celebrate a defensive stop to seal the football team’s 42–35 victory over Rose-Hulman. PHIL SMITH

LINDA STRIGGO

featured two undefeated league teams late in the HCAC schedule. The Grizzlies rallied from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit to pick up the victory. Running back Ty’Ronte Files ’17 rushed for a career-high 190 yards, while Burton threw three touchdown passes to Lee Wroblewski ’18. The Grizzlies scored 31 secondquarter points during a 52–13 victory over Mount St. Joseph University during the college’s annual Homecoming game. Fifteen football players were named to the league’s postseason all-conference team. Offensive lineman Austin www.FranklinCollege.edu

Carlton ’16 earned first-team Academic All-America accolades from the College Sports Information Directors of America. He became the first Franklin College student-athlete in history to receive first-team honors from the organization. Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team had another record-setting season this fall. The team earned a program record 16 wins, earned its first HCAC regularseason title and advanced to the HCAC tournament championship match for the second straight fall campaign.

Members of the women’s soccer team join in a pregame huddle.

Maddie Fleet ’19 was named the HCAC’s Offensive Player of the Year. Fleet scored 24 goals during her collegiate debut season, including four goals in Franklin’s 7–0 victory over Earlham College in the regularseason finale. The forward ranked second on the team with seven assists and scored in 17 of the Grizzlies’ 19 matches. Fleet and teammate Clare Lenart ’18 earned Great Lakes All-Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for their strong 2015 performances. Lenart and Audra Lane ’17 earned first-team All-HCAC accolades. Spring 2016

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

PAIGE CLARK ’16

ATHLETICS

Chelsea Howell ’16 became the first tennis player at any collegiate level to win a match at all six singles and three doubles courts during a career. Right: Amanda Lelivelt ’18 blocks the ball during the volleyball team’s sweep of Wilmington.

Defender Hannah McIntosh ’18 earned honorable mention honors. And Marci Black ’16 was named to the HCAC’s All-Sportsmanship team. Women’s Tennis The women’s tennis team finished second in the HCAC regular season. The Grizzlies advanced to the conference championship match and ended the season with 14 wins. Melissa Sanders ’16 earned HCAC Most Valuable Player accolades for the second time in her collegiate career. Sanders posted a 13–1 record on the No. 1 singles court. She set Franklin’s all-time wins record by adding 28 victories in singles and doubles matches this fall. Sanders teamed up with Karen Dringenburg ’19 to go undefeated at No. 1 doubles during the regular season. Dringenburg was named the HCAC’s Freshman Player of the Year after winning all 15 singles matches during her collegiate debut season, including a 7–0 record in HCAC competition. Chelsea Howell ’16 was a first-team All-HCAC selection after recording 26 total victories in singles and doubles action. This fall, she became the first tennis player at any collegiate level to

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win a match at all six singles and three doubles positions during a career. Emily Roberts ’16 and Rachel Rose ’19 received HCAC honorable mention honors. Tapanga Gauck ’19 was selected to the HCAC’s AllSportsmanship team. Volleyball The volleyball team advanced to the HCAC tournament for the second straight season. The Grizzlies finished the season with 17 wins and finished tied for third-place in the HCAC standings. The team ranked nationally in the top 30 in four categories: First in team digs (2,596), seventh in digs per set (20.28), 25th in team total blocks (256) and 28th in team total attacks (4,700). The volleyball team reached the semifinals of the HCAC tournament after picking up a 3–2 victory over Transylvania University during the first round in Lexington, Ky. The Grizzlies won nine consecutive matches during the middle of the season. The team rallied from a 2–0 deficit to defeat Rose-Hulman in five sets during the program’s Dig Pink Night. Mackenzie Wieneke ’16, Kourtney Settle ’16 and Amanda Lelivelt ’18

received HCAC honors. Anastasia Gentry ’17 earned HCAC AllSportsmanship team. Wieneke ranked second nationally among NCAA Division III players with 772 digs. She also led the HCAC with six digs per set during the fall season. Settle ranked 35th nationally and led the HCAC with 116 total blocks during the 2015 season. Men’s Soccer College records were set during the men’s soccer team’s 2015 fall campaign. Austin Fundenberger ’16 became the program’s career record holder for goals, assists and points. The forward took the top spot in the record book for assists in Franklin’s 2–1 win over Trine University during the Daniel Schuetz Community Classic. He later became the all-time leader for goals scored in a career by providing the game-winning tally against Manchester University in the home finale in late October. He concluded his collegiate career with 23 goals, 17 assists and 63 points. Fundenberger was named the HCAC’s MVP in 2014 and was the Freshman of the Year in 2012. www.FranklinCollege.edu

JENNIFER MANGRUM ’18

Hannah Alling ’17, Addie Kautz ’19, Ally Marlow (#586) ’17, Ashley Myers ’16, Madison Parker ’16, Meghan Yencer ’19, Brianna Spaniolo ’19 and Rachel Bowden ’18 (back row) line up for the start of the 2015 HCAC Championships hosted by Franklin College at the Blue River Memorial Park.

Women’s Cross-Country After a fifth-place individual finish by Ashley Myers ’16, the women’s cross-country team placed fourth overall at the HCAC Championships hosted by Franklin at the Blue River Memorial Park in Shelbyville, Ind. Madison Parker ’16 earned honorable mention all-conference honors after finishing 20th during the conference meet. The women’s cross-country team recorded four top-five finishes during the 2015 season. The team had a runner-up performance during the Cowbell Classic at Principia College. The team also had third-place finishes www.FranklinCollege.edu

at the Sodexo Grizzly Invitational and Indiana Wesleyan Invitational. Myers had a runner-up finish to lead the team at Principia. She earned the HCAC’s weekly award on two occasions last fall. Men’s Cross-Country Matt Millard ’16 and Eric Thompson ’16 each earned All-HCAC honors to lead the men’s cross-country team at the conference championship meet. Franklin placed fifth in the 10-team standings. Millard finished in 12th place individually over the 8K course. Meanwhile, Thompson was named to the league’s honorable mention team with a 14th-place finish during the HCAC Championships. The Grizzlies recorded a season-best team finish of fourth place during the Cowbell Classic at Principia. The team also had top-10 performances at the Sodexo Grizzly Invitational and Indiana Wesleyan Invitational. ■

LINDA STRIGGO

The Grizzlies posted a 4–4–1 HCAC conference record and picked up league triumphs over Mount St. Joseph, Defiance, Anderson and Manchester. Four members received postseason recognition from the conference with Austin Storm ’18 and Fundenberger named to the HCAC’s second team. Mason Krupa ’18 earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2015. Zach Shoufler ’16 was named to the HCAC’s AllSportsmanship team to round out the honorees.

Austin Fundenberger ’16 set career college records for goals, assists and points during the 2015 men’s soccer season.

Spring 2016

SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT

Progress through collaboration: broadening science education in liberal arts colleges By Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. Franklin College President (Article reprinted with permission from Indiana Health Industry Forum and Indianapolis Business Journal. Originally printed in the 2016 BioFutures magazine.)

In the article “Why Higher Ed and Business Need to Work Together,” published in the July 2015 Harvard Business Review, Michael D. King wrote that as business has changed dramatically in the last decade, workforce skills and requirements have also changed. King, vice president for IBM’s global education industry, cited today’s jobs that didn’t exist a decade ago and the jobs that in five years will have “new roles with new requirements that don’t exist now.” Higher education, he shared, has trailed as innovation and industry demands have outpaced educational institutions’ ability to adapt. Traditional lectures and exams have left students underprepared to enter

today’s workforce. “How can we expect students to be effective and successful employees,” King asked, “when we’re using outdated models to prepare them?” In the past decade, Franklin College anticipated these challenges and prepared proactively for this new reality. Along with dramatically revising our traditional science undergraduate curriculum, the college responded to market demand to launch its first master’s degree program (athletic training) and, with the support of the Lilly Endowment, plans to offer a Master of Physician Assistant Studies in 2019. As BioCrossroads was launched in 2004, Franklin College saw an increasing number of incoming students interested in studying science. Just last year, nearly 40 percent of freshmen planned to major in a science. In a school traditionally known for excellent education, business and journal-

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Franklin College delivers an immersive science education to students like chemistry major Dhruv Patel ’16. Undergraduate research opportunities often begin in the freshman year, and internships are encouraged starting in the sophomore year.

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ism programs, science is now the largest field of study. Sixty percent of Franklin’s science majors are women. Growing interest makes space tight in our teaching and research building. Along with teaching and research implications, this continued interest in science careers is a critical workforce development opportunity given not only our Johnson County location, but our proximity to Greater Indianapolis. To address our science facility challenges, we visited science and health care leaders in Greater Indianapolis and statewide, asking how we could better prepare the human capital on which they relied. These talks yielded insight mirroring recommendations from the National Science Foundation’s groundbreaking “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action,” prompting faculty to rethink how we were training the next generation’s scientists. In six months, faculty reimagined, approved and implemented a new curricular plan to emphasize learning science by doing science, engaging students in undergraduate research and internships in their freshman or sophomore year. Our focus has become immersive learning. This new science learning model, augmented by a strong liberal arts education, has created strong demand for our graduates. Nearly half of recent science graduates started jobs in the life sciences within six months of earning degrees, with 55 percent entering graduate school. (Our acceptance rates are: Medical school 78 percent; physician assistant programs 83 percent; optometry school 83 percent and pharmacy school 100 percent.) A great success story emerging from our new curriculum is the increased number of internships, mentoring opportunities and heightened focus on collaboration with Indiana’s science www.FranklinCollege.edu

PHOTOS BY RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Joshua Fisher ’11, D.P.M., majored in biology at Franklin and is a graduate of the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. Recently, he was one of only three individuals selected from across the nation for a competitive surgical residency in forefoot, rearfoot and ankle reconstructive surgery at Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland.

enterprises. Particularly notable is an innovative partnership that will accelerate when B2S Life Sciences, with its divisions B2S Labs and B2S Analytics, opens its headquarters in Franklin. B2S Life Sciences started in 2014 as an offshoot of a biotherapeutic development consulting company, B2S Consulting, founded by Eli Lilly and Co. veteran Ronald R. Bowsher, Ph.D. Bowsher has more than 35 years of experience in pharmaceutical/biotech and contract research organization industries, focused on bioanalytical methods development. He has consulted on our scientific course work, guestlectured and conducted research in our science building. B2S Life Sciences will bring up to 40 science, finance and other businessrelated jobs to Franklin. Our students will intern in the biotechnology firm — a short walk from campus — to augment their hands-on science education. These scientific, immersive learning experiences are rare at a small, private liberal arts college. Our B2S Life Sciences partnership, the product of a collaboration between the college, the City of Franklin and Johnson County Development Corp., www.FranklinCollege.edu

has enabled the firm to locate in downtown Franklin. B2S Life Sciences CEO Aleks Davis said he believes that a relationship with the college will bring new ideas and an innovative perspective on the science they conduct. As a contributor to the economic development of Greater Indianapolis and Indiana, the college has benefited by engaging in the programs and discussions of BioCrossroads, the Indiana Health Industry Forum, the Indiana Medical Device Council, IU Kelley School’s Life Sciences Conferences and, most recently, the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice. We welcome further discussion about the role small liberal arts colleges and universities can play to address challenges outlined in the report “Indy’s Talent Dynamics Driving Innovation and Implications for Regional Competitiveness.” Traditionally, “Research I” institutions have driven discovery, innovation and funding in Indiana. We believe, however, that liberal arts colleges are uniquely positioned to increase the number of graduates who have the much-needed skills — critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and

Elyse Hoy ’18 became a lab assistant in her freshman year and interned with Johnson Memorial Hospital her sophomore year. She is pursuing the premed track in biology and aspiring to be involved in wound and emergency care for race car drivers.

communication — sought by Hoosier science and health care employers. In New Republic, former Virginia Tech president Charles Steger wrote that problem-solving and effective applications of solutions require that multiple dimensions of the human intellect be employed. “How are these additional capacities for reasoning developed?” asked Steger. “Through experience.” Immersive, hands-on experiences, not lectures, he stated, strengthen the capacity to recognize complex patterns with many variables of high uncertainty, informing the intuition. Failure to include studies in the liberal arts and humanities, along with STEM education, Steger shared, “will deprive the next generation of students the critical-thinking skills and context necessary to address the challenges they will face in the future.” Franklin College and our Independent Colleges of Indiana peers look forward to engaging in discussions and opportunities that will provide this experience, enhancing and strengthening innovation and development of human capital for our regional growth. ■ Spring 2016

SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT

Society journal to publish student’s work RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

A research project Spencer Wesche ’16 began last fall has grown into a professional development opportunity. This summer the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society Journal will publish Wesche’s research and recommendations on managing an invasive plant species, the Amur corktree. Under the supervision of biology professor Alice Heikens, Ph.D., Wesche researched the plant and developed management recommendations during Conservation Biology class. When the project concluded, Wesche posted her work online via the Midwest Invasive Plant Species Network, a cooperative resource for educators, scientists and other concerned groups. With encouragement from Heikens, Wesche also revisited the project and developed a summary for submission to Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society Journal. Content editor Patricia Cornwell praised Wesche’s submission as “excellent, well-organized and clear.” Wesche’s work also is timely, which may be helpful to scientists and others concerned about Indiana’s native habitat. The Amur corktree doesn’t belong in Indiana. It is native to

Spencer Wesche ’16

Eastern Asia and was introduced in the U.S. around the mid-1800s. It began flourishing in the northeastern part of the U.S. but over time has spread to the Midwest. “It just recently spread to Indiana, and is concentrated in the northwest part of the state,” Wesche said. Without proper management it’s

only a matter of time before the tree disperses across the state. There are several reasons the Hoosier state should intervene, she explained. “The Amur corktree grows horizontally with wide branches that spread quickly in a forest canopy, which blocks sunlight from seedlings and shrubs. It overtakes all the other

Greening efforts get noticed For the third consecutive year, the Arbor Day Foundation has awarded Franklin College designation as a Tree Campus USA®. The designation is a result of the college’s commitment to effective urban forest management. Tree Campus USA® is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Franklin College achieved the recognition by meeting the program’s five core standards for sustainable campus forestry: Maintaining a

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tree advisory committee, sustaining a campus tree-care plan, dedicating annual expenditures for its campus tree program, observing Arbor Day and supporting a student service-learning project. “This is quite an honor and shows the community that we are truly dedicated to maintaining our green space on campus,” said Alice Heikens, Ph.D., professor of biology, who initiated urban forest efforts in 2013. “We are one of only 10 college campuses in Indiana with this designation, demonstrating our strong commitment to green initiatives and

our efficient use of resources. Our campus trees provide many benefits, aesthetically and ecologically. The trees provide shade, reduce greenhouse gases and support abundant squirrel and other native animal populations.” Recent inauguration activities for Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., included a tree planting ceremony, furthering the college’s

www.FranklinCollege.edu

commitment to green initiatives. The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA® colleges and universities invested more than $29 million in campus forest management last year. “Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA® sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.” ■

www.FranklinCollege.edu

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

plants. It also produces berries that are primarily sugar so the birds who eat them don’t get proper nutrients. And, because of the sugar, the birds continue craving them, eating more and spreading the seed through their feces,” said Wesche. The Amur corktree can disrupt entire ecological systems, over time posing risk to plants, animals and people. The key, Wesche said, is to intervene and eradicate the plants when they are young and can be removed manually. Mature plants may require herbicide treatment or mechanical removal, which are potentially costly and destructive. Wesche is thrilled the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society Journal saw value in and plans to publish her research. “I really wasn’t expecting this research to go further than class, but I’m grateful it did. I’m looking at going to grad school so any opportunity to have work published is a way to help broaden my qualifications and make myself a stronger candidate.” ■

Scholar-in-residence discusses health science by the numbers The department of mathematics and computing with joint sponsorship from the natural science division recently launched a scholar-in-residence program. The inaugural scholar Kellie (Lovenshimer) Archer ’91, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of biostatistics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She also is the director of VCU’s Massey Cancer Center Biostatistics Shared Resource and a fellow with the VCU Center for the Study of Biological Complexity. Kellie (Lovenshimer) During her three-day visit to Franklin College in March, Archer ’91 she gave a free public lecture on “The Role of Biostatistics in Public Health and Clinical Medicine” and visited multiple classrooms for Q&A sessions with students seeking career advice. Biostatisticians, like Archer, are involved in the collection, summarization and analysis of data from scientific experiments; they interpret and make inferences from the results. The data can help impact the health and well-being of entire populations. She, for example, helped roll out a glaucoma treatment that did not have the same negative side-effects as existing treatments. “Eighteen months after the FDA approved it, my father-in-law was treated with the drug and benefited tremendously,” said Archer. Archer currently is involved in helping research cancer treatment outcomes. “We’re looking at how existing drugs can be used with other treatments to elicit better outcomes for people diagnosed with cancer, and we’re doing work that can be translated into human trials,” said Archer. “I love being at the forefront of scientific advances; I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Since joining VCU’s department of biostatistics in 2002, her primary research has been in the development of statistical methods and software for analyzing high-dimensional data. “I help develop methods to tackle problems for which there are no current methods available,” said Archer. “We then make the methods available in a software package so that other statisticians all over the world can use them as a resource. The software also can benefit students who need end-user support.” Archer earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and applied mathematics from Franklin College, with a minor in computing. In 2001, she received a doctoral degree with a major emphasis in biostatistics and minor emphasis in epidemiology from The Ohio State University’s School of Public Health. “Kellie’s career demonstrates the true value of a liberal arts education and shows the types of opportunities available in mathematics, computing and the sciences to young women and men who are willing to ask questions, work hard and be open to exploring new ideas,” said Dan Callon ’77, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and her former academic adviser. Archer reiterated the value of entering the workforce with a liberal arts background. “I think in any work environment you have to have strong oral and written skills. In my career, for example, I have to write grants to seek funding that will support my work. It’s immensely helpful to know how to frame my request to justify the needs and to know how to look at existing information critically. It also helps when reviewing others’ work as one needs to get in the heads of people writing for cutting-edge science journals. “I think a liberal arts background has helped me be versatile and adapt in a lot of different scenarios,” Archer said. ■ Spring 2016

ALUMNI NEWS

Sister-cities program supports global education

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These colorful flags are part of an annual festival in Kuji. “It involves giving blessings to the fishermen for a fruitful year ahead. The boats do a ‘parade’ around the port area and display the flags,” said Krista Coy ’11.

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By Mia Taskey ’16 Pulliam Fellow

For Krista Coy ’11 and Renee Estridge ’11, life took an exciting turn after graduation when they relocated to Kuji, Japan. The alumnae applied for jobs through Franklin College’s Kuji Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) Program. Graduates selected for the program make a two-year commitment to teach English to elementary and junior high school students and serve as cultural ambassadors for the Kuji Mayor’s Office. Since 1960 Kuji and Franklin have been sister-cities, a gesture of intercultural goodwill established by the respective mayors and facilitated by Thomasine Allen 1911 (H.D. ’59). Allen traveled to Japan in 1915 as a Baptist missionary and spent most of her life involved in helping the local people recover from natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Over her lifetime, she helped the city of Kuji establish a junior college, kindergarten facility, hospital and church. Prior to her death in 1976, the Kuji City Council named Allen an honorary citizen. Excerpts from interviews with Allen and some of her personal correspondence are featured in a new book, Build up, Build up, Prepare the Road!, by Yasuko Meguro, a former president of Allen’s namesake junior college. The book provides a glimpse of Allen’s leadership and humanitarian work, which serve as the model for today’s Kuji ALT Program. The program and its participants continue to strengthen the relationship between the sister-cities. For Coy, the program has been life-altering. After she fulfilled her initial two-year commitment, she opted to extend her participation. She currently is completing her fourth year and anticipating a visit home in June after her contract ends. Coy indicated her stay in the United States will be temporary as she is hopeful to find other career opportunities abroad. Franklin College has selected Taylor Carlton ’16, a history major www.FranklinCollege.edu

www.FranklinCollege.edu

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involved in College Mentors for Kids and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, to assume Coy’s Kuji ALT Program duties. With only a few months remaining in her contract, Coy is taking time to reflect on the last four years. “I thought this opportunity would be an adventure, but I had no idea what type of amazing life-changing challenge I was facing. This Kuji experience has more than altered my career path; it has altered the way that I think about the world, and, to me, nothing is more valuable than expanding and building upon an ever-changing outlook on the world,” she said. Coy’s initial transition to Japan was relatively smooth. She previously had experienced being without certain amenities and conveniences the United States offers. She had spent a semester studying abroad in Greece her junior year, later worked for one year on a remote ranch in Colorado and after that spent a month hiking the Appalachian Trail alone. She felt all the experiences were solid preparation for her move to Japan. “I hiked the Appalachian trail for 36 days and carried everything I needed in one small backpack so adjusting to a new culture seemed exciting and somewhat menial in comparison to trying to sustain myself in the woods,” said Coy. Coy managed to elude culture shock by focusing on what she could glean from the challenges each day brought. “From the moment I arrived in Japan, everything was new for me. Simple daily tasks became much more complicated with the language barrier and with my lack of understanding about the cultural customs,” recalled Coy. Today, she confidently navigates those early challenges. Coy said, “Like everywhere in the world, some days can be mundane, but I’ve never stopped learning.” Like Coy, Estridge also has found living and working in Kuji fulfilling. Estridge’s previous travel experience included a semester in Greece. With

Kristin Baxter, Renee Estridge ’11, Krista Coy ’11 and Ai Miyazawa help represent the mayor’s office during Kuji’s two-day fall festival. Their purple jackets distinguish them as city employees.

encouragement from her Pulliam School of Journalism professors, she pursued the Kuji opportunity but was concerned about the cultural divide. To better prepare, she found a mentor, Franklin College professor of economics Hisaya Kitaoka, Ph.D. He volunteered to teach Estridge critical phrases in Japanese and gave her tips about honoring the culture. Even with the extra preparation, Estridge faced some obstacles. “My first week looked like this: I arrived in Tokyo on a Saturday and was in Kuji the next day. On Monday, I met my coworkers at city hall, and on Tuesday, I was in the classroom. I had no idea what I was doing, and the school leaders don’t tend to give performance reviews or advice. I was overwhelmed,” said Estridge. Over time, Estridge grew more confident, and the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills she developed in college became assets. Both Estridge and Coy were journalism majors and members of the college newspaper staff in addition to holding leadership roles with various campus organizations. Those experiences helped them figure out ways to find common ground with people in Kuji.

Estridge said, “I’ve been able to try a lot of new things here, including calligraphy and Japanese dance. I’m not good at all the things I’ve tried, especially the dancing, but it’s been fun to try and to get to know the people teaching the classes.” Estridge recently committed to a fifth year in the Kuji program. Coy is still mapping out the next phase of her life’s journey and reflecting on her capacity to make a difference in the world. Coy said, “This has become more than an experience it has become my life. Everything I do from here on out will be impacted by my time in Kuji. Although I’ll be back stateside for a short time this summer, I hope to return to Japan or continue working abroad after my visit home.” Estridge will miss having Coy in Kuji but looks forward to welcoming Carlton. “Krista and I are neighbors in Kuji, and we share a car, so we see each other quite a lot. We also studied together in Greece, where we were also neighbors. Who knows, maybe we’ll be neighbors somewhere else later on!” said Estridge. ■

Spring 2016

ALUMNI NEWS

Graduate adapts to teaching and learning in France By Mia Taskey ’16

Recent graduate Sarah “Ra” Lawson ’15 relocated to France for a teaching position helping high school students learn English, but she also is learning plenty from the experience. Lawson said, “My job is to facilitate conversation through activities using videos, analyzing pictures, listening to recordings, starting debates or playing games.” Her liberal arts background has been essential to giving her the confidence to think outside of the box and find meaningful ways to engage with her students. Lawson, a French and English

double major with a creative writing minor, is employed with the Teaching Assistantship Program in France (TAPIF). She found the organization through online research and decided to pursue the program with encouragement from her faculty mentors. The application process was long and suspenseful. Lawson applied for the program in January of 2015 but was not accepted until April. To apply, Lawson had to take a French language proficiency exam administered by the college’s foreign language faculty. She also had to collect letters of recommendation from Franklin faculty to strengthen her application. Lawson cited tremendous gratitude for support and guidance from assistant

He was tall, not much wider than a piece of string and, like most boys in middle adolescence, all angles, edges and awkwardness. That, though, was about the only way he was typical. Before he came for that college visit, he’d written four novels and freelanced for racing publications. On his visit, Braun spent an evening at the fledgling Franklin College Statehouse Bureau, the precursor to TheStatehouseFile.com. Other prospective students had done that, but Braun was the first to ask to be put to work. He filed a story for us that night. That was just the start. When Braun enrolled at Franklin, he was 16, with a few of those adolescent angles and edges smoothed over. His hunger to excel burned. When he was a student in my reporting, writing and editing class, Braun decided to track Ron Paul’s campaign for the presidency to fulfill an assignment. He hunted down Paul’s schedule and dogged the candidate as if he were prey. My colleagues at the college tell me Braun brought a

similar fervor to all his classes. He racked up honors in a hurry. Three years in a row he was a finalist in Indiana’s premier collegiate feature writing challenge, the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation’s Keating Competition — the youngest to do so in that program’s history. The first two years he finished second to the same guy, who then graduated and was ineligible for the competition. When the third year rolled around, Braun joked — sort of — that it would be nice if the competition’s organizers would waive the rule and bring the guy back so he could have another crack at him. At the same time, Braun was rolling up internships with The Indianapolis Star, USA Today and “ABC World News Tonight.” His supervisors there noted the same things his professors did — that this bright, respectful, unfailingly polite young man could teach a lion a thing or two about ferocity when it came to getting the job done. Braun graduated from Franklin College within three years and walked

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Pulliam Fellow

Sarah “Ra” Lawson ’15

A nice guy who finished first By John Krull ’81 Pulliam School of Journalism Director, host of “No Limits” WFYI 90.1 FM Indianapolis and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com

When I first met Travis Braun ’10, he was just a stripling, a skinny kid. This was well before he won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition, the $1 million prize and the job with one of Hollywood’s hottest directors that comes with winning. It was before he was a finalist in the same competition last year — even before he’d built a career as a writer in Hollywood. Braun was just 15 when he came to Franklin College, where I teach, for a visit. A Texas-bred wunderkind, he was planning to start college the next year, and he was looking at schools. He sprinkled his conversation with “yes, sir” and “no, ma’ams.”

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www.FranklinCollege.edu

prepares you for the language barriers, all the paperwork involved in the immigration process or the general grievances of getting lost or having nowhere to do laundry. However, Franklin College helped teach me to persevere and gave me the confidence to share my passion of languages with others. You overcome the challenges as time passes, and you find ways to adapt to what you have around you.” Prior to accepting her current position, Lawson had been to France twice through Franklin College Winter Term courses. The previous immersion experiences helped her learn to use the public transport systems and gain a sense of the culture. Lawson also served as the French representative in the Modern Language House on campus, which helped strengthen her language skills. Lawson is undecided about the next step in her career journey but

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professor of modern languages Kristin Wasielewski, Ph.D., professor of English Richard Erable, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of English Susan Crisafulli Ph.D. and Office of Global Education Director Jenny (Piland) Cataldi ’06, among others. As the saying goes, “it takes a village,” which, coincidentally, alludes to the area where Lawson resides. “Langres is a very rural mountainous town encircled by a Roman wall. Imagine a bazillion sheep and cows, like a picture from a butter ad,” she said. However, the peaceful countryside has not shielded Lawson from the challenges of living in a foreign country alone. While her background as a French major has helped her speak and translate the language, she has had to adjust to learning the colloquialisms of native speakers. Lawson said, “No amount of school

Travis Braun ’10 (left) wrote and produced the TV commercial “Doritos Dogs,” directed by Jacob Chase (right). The commercial was selected the winner by popular vote during the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. The commercial aired during Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7. Go to the Franklin Alumni Association Facebook timeline to view Braun’s Feb. 11 video thanking the college community for voting.

across the stage to collect his diploma before he’d turned 20. He headed to California, where he’s worked on a series of TV shows, among other projects. And now he’s won a national www.FranklinCollege.edu

competition that’s likely to add still more fuel to his rocket ride. We talk a lot about education in this state and country. Across the board, we say we want to focus on

realizes the significance of her current opportunity. “It will have shown that I can step out of my comfort zone and work in different spaces with different cultures. I hope it will be an asset to my resume and also that I will make friends and memories to call upon in my career, to use as examples of challenging as well as rewarding experiences,” she said. She also noted some ways in which the program has enriched her life. “I am more likely to ‘go-with-theflow’ now and have learned that sometimes it is OK to be spontaneous, as you have to be when you go to another country. I am also more appreciative of what I left behind at home, people being the obvious, but also utilities (reliable internet) and conveniences (accessible laundry facilities), and, yes, even American cheeseburgers.” ■

students, but the reality is that, when we discuss education, we spend a lot of time talking about teachers, schools and politics. Braun is far from the only former student of mine who has done great things. The ones who have succeeded are as different from each other as oranges are from iron bars. The one thing they have in common is that, to a person, they all worked hard to learn as much and do as much as they could. Hard as my colleagues worked to help them, all our effort wouldn’t have made a difference if Braun and the other students who have succeeded hadn’t worked just as hard or harder. There’s a truth in there that matters. Here’s the most inspiring thing about Braun — or frightening, if you’re competing with him. For most people, winning a big competition like this would be a career-capper. But Braun is barely 25. He’s just getting started. ■

Spring 2016

ALUMNI NEWS

His life is a series of new developments By Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 Editor

As a property developer, Bob Harris ’93 looks for sound investments and takes calculated risks that can help grow his business and benefit the community. He and his wife, Tammy (Stroefer) ’95, are raising their family in Zionsville, Ind., where three generations of his family have owned land for more than 50 years. Their jointventure, the Harris Family Limited Partnership, owns 12 commercial buildings and three additional properties, all of which he manages. A second venture, Kite Harris Development, partners with municipalities to oversee projects that help grow towns and build tax base. His is a high-stakes, high-rewards career made manageable, in large part, because of his Franklin College experience. “I couldn’t have accomplished so many great things for Zionsville if Franklin hadn’t taken a chance on me,” said Harris. Harris, a legacy student who followed in the footsteps of his mother,

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Barbara (Cragen) Harris ’61, and sister, Kim (Harris) Orr ’89, faced an unexpected development his sophomore year. His poor grades in the classes required for his business major were grounds for expulsion. “If I’d been at a larger college I probably would have received a dismissal letter and been sent home with no further discussion, but Babs invited me to her office and let me plead my case for what seemed like an hour. Then, she gave me the chance to redeem myself. We made a deal that if I earned a B or better over Winter Term, taking one of three classes she chose, I could return for the spring semester. She also helped me choose different classes to figure out what other major would interest me and give me a better chance of success in the spring,” said Harris. “Babs,” aka Barbara Howald Winicur ’81, was the college registrar at that time. The compassion she showed was pivotal in Harris’ college career. “Even though my first choice of major didn’t work for me, I knew I loved being at Franklin,” recalled

Harris. “I wanted to stay and try harder.” Harris excelled that Winter Term and enrolled in an Introduction to Advertising class in the spring. “That’s when I fell in love with advertising, and everything finally began to click,” he recalled. One of Harris’ proudest college accomplishments was collaborating with then Pulliam School of Journalism Director John Ellerbach, Ph.D., to found Franklin One, a student-powered advertising agency. “We sold ads for the campus newspaper, magazine and TV program,” said Harris. “We hired two students to focus on ad designs and two to handle sales. Our early goal was to raise enough revenue to publish three or four campus newspapers in color per semester, but we actually did well enough to publish all of them in color.” The real payoff, however, wasn’t the money. “The genius of that experience was that it provided an introduction to business ownership and management as well as marketing and advertising. www.FranklinCollege.edu

PHOTOS BY JJ KAPLAN, COL OR MY WORLD STUDIO

It brought all the classroom theories together,” said Harris. Harris also credits participation in Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity for providing significant real-world preparation. The Franklin chapter earned the national Top TKE award while Harris was vice president and again when he became president. “Fraternity life was a learning ground,” said Harris. “A big part of it was trying to make decisions and compromises to keep 70 members happy and meet all the national requirements for academics, philanthropy and the other things it took to be a top chapter. “Many of the skills I learned from those situations continue to help me now, as I navigate political waters. In my line of work it’s critical to figure out ways to work well with town council members, mayors and government leaders. Those relationships can make or break projects so you have to find common ground or alternative solutions.” Beyond the financial investing Harris does in his community, he www.FranklinCollege.edu

invests personally through volunteerism. He serves with the Boone County Sheriff’s Merit Board that oversees the pension funds for sheriff’s deputies and is involved with personnel issues. He was recently appointed as the vice-chair for the Boone County Republican Party and is also a sponsor and advocate for the BubToberfest, a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Zionsville. He credits his liberal arts background for giving him the wherewithal to be involved in such a variety of endeavors with people from diverse backgrounds. “My first job out of college was selling Yellow Page ads for Sprint. Sometimes I had to go from an auto shop, to a doctor’s office, to a restaurant all in the same day so I had to change mental gears along the way. Without the liberal arts background, I may have had a more difficult time figuring out how to relate to my clients and speak halfway intelligently about

Bob Harris ’93 and his wife, Tammy (Stroefer) ’95, are growing businesses and raising a family in Zionsville, Ind.

things that mattered to them,” said Harris. The skills he took away from Franklin College and that carried over to his first job are equally important to his career today and the work he does on behalf of the community of Zionsville. While developing the area in ways that honor its history yet better serve the needs of current residents and business owners is challenging, progress is not impossible. The keys to success are still collaboration and good communication, said Harris. “I am involved at every stage of our developments because I want to make sure that the end product is a benefit to our tenants and to our community as a whole. We’re going to do it right, or we’re not going to do it at all,” said Harris. ■

Spring 2016

ALUMNI NEWS

In February, the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) announced its annual list of 40 influential men and women under age 40. Franklin College Dean of Alumni and Student Engagement Brooke (Wagoner) Worland ’99 and Cancer Support Community Central Indiana President Eric Richards ’99 were among this year’s rising stars. A committee of three IBJ staff members and two prior Forty Under 40 honorees chose Worland and Richards from more than 300 nominations made by readers and IBJ staff. Criteria for selection included the level of success nominees have achieved in their chosen field, their accomplishments in the community and the likelihood they will stay in Indianapolis and build on those achievements.

ere is a peek at Worland’s career journey since graduating with a mathematics and secondary education degree from Franklin College. As dean of alumni and student engagement, Worland creates collaborations that integrate critical thought and applied learning. She developed and manages the inaugural Professional Partners alumni and friends mentoring program, designed a four-year professional curriculum for the Physician Assistant Studies Program and co-wrote and comanaged a $998,000 grant from Lilly Endowment to pay for it. She also leads a 33-member Alumni Council and facilitates the Engaged Learning Team. She’s also doing doctoral work in educational leadership at Indiana University. Fire starter: “I used to say I spent a lot of time putting out fires,” Worland said. “Now, with engaged learning, I find myself sometimes starting fires—trying to twist things and look at things differently.” As registrar—her entry position at Franklin—she spent a lot of time working with faculty “learning to understand that culture. What and how they work. What they value. Those years helped to build trust. Now, people will sometimes go along with me because they know I haven’t totally lost my mind.” Intern . . . turn . . . turn: In the last

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few years, Franklin has ramped up undergraduate research and better connected internship experiences with academic experiences. “We’ve aligned them so that you can really look at theory-to-practice,” Worland said, noting that the effort is supported by faculty who are encouraged to work with not-for-profits and community partners. “They bring those experiences back to the classroom,” she said, affording another opportunity to “focus on that relevancy piece for our students.” Proudest career moment: Three years after graduating, an alumna said she finally understood why Worland challenged her and persisted with questions and action items that were not easy or comfortable. “At the time,” Worland said, “she did not appreciate me forcing her to make her own decisions but now feels she is a better, more centered person. That is why I do what I do.” Prioritizing positions: Even though her two small children put her in “the prioritization phase of my life,” she still finds time to serve on the boards of the Johnson County Community Foundation and Franklin College Alumni Council and as a member of the Franklin chapter of Tri Delta sorority. She is also a member of the Talent Committee for ASPIRE Johnson County and the I-65 Franklin Corridor Steering Committee. www.FranklinCollege.edu

The liberal arts and sciences advantage: “As a first-generation college student, I don’t think I understood initially the value of a liberal arts and sciences education; however, as a citizen, parent and professional, I realize daily the effects on the ways I relate to others, think and act. The liberal arts and sciences have helped me critically consider diverse perspectives and complicated current events and have helped me thoughtfully argue a point or take necessary action. I have a better appreciation for an engaged, democratic citizenry that takes responsibility for its decisions, learns from past mistakes and successes and looks for better ways to solve national and global problems. The liberal arts and sciences help you see beyond the edges of your own space and your own experiences to better understand someone else’s story, how this story has value and how it might impact you or the greater good. The liberal arts and sciences are about interconnectedness, critical thought and action.”

ince Richards arrived at Cancer Support Community Central Indiana, the group has served 300 percent more patients and raised 50 percent more revenue from 2014 to 2015. Private support is up 150 percent, and new partnerships with hospitals increased. Richards can also be heard playing guitar in coffee shops in Indianapolis and Carmel.

Serving the underserved: Cancer Support Community helps any person with cancer regardless of income. “We’ve doubled down on the underserved population,” Richards said. Name game: One of the first challenges Richards faced when he arrived at CSC was name recognition—or lack thereof—in the community. “When you compare it to other cancer-related organizations in the community, this one is not the first that comes to mind.” Yet, he said, it’s been around for 20 years. His predecessor, he said, did a great job of upping the ante. “I’m just building on what she started.” www.FranklinCollege.edu

Club creation: Richards served for two years as president of Indianapolis Metropolitan Rotary Club, an organization he co-founded. He also serves on the Indiana Artisan board (including governing the Indiana Artisan Marketplace, which attracted 5,000 patrons in both 2014 and 2015) and the alumni board of the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Opening door: Richards points to Little Red Door Cancer Agency Director Fred Duncan as a role model. “He’s an unbelievable motivator and communicator and taught me that entrepreneurs also exist in the non-profit world and that taking chances and investing in the mission of your organization shouldn’t just be discussed but lived daily.” Just beginning: Richards’ success has been palpable. “By no means are we stopping now, though. There are approximately 20,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Central Indiana and all of us know someone impacted.” The liberal arts and sciences advantage: “I think the combination of having the opportunity to continue participating in athletics after high school, the introduction of my fraternal experience with Lambda Chi Alpha and the in-class learning that opened my eyes to the rest of the world all played important parts in preparing me for the real world. While I cherish my psychology and political science classes, having the chance to learn about religions of the world, public speaking, philanthropy, physics and other subjects outside my major provided a more well-rounded experience. It’s an education that mirrors the real world more closely, I think.” ■

Spring 2016

CLASS NOTES

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Greg Seamon ’77 has joined the Cleveland Browns coaching staff, offensive tight ends. He has more than 40 years of experience in coaching and scouting football. Most recently, he served as a scout for the Cincinnati Bengals for 12 seasons (2004–15). Prior to joining the Bengals scouting department, Seamon served as an associate to the Bengals coaching staff as an advance scout. In 2002, Seamon served as the Dallas Cowboys tight ends/offensive quality control coach. Prior to joining the NFL, Seamon coached collegiately for 18 seasons in various roles, including 12 years as an offensive coordinator at Miami, Ohio (1999–00), Cincinnati (1995–98), Akron (1991–94) and Pacific (1985–86). He played football and baseball at Franklin College.

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The ’70s

Colleen (Sexton) Lahr ’81

Frank, Tim ’91, Ryan and Kevin O'Shea ’88

The ’80s Greg Cataldi ’80 received recognition for 35 years of employment excellence with Franklin College at the annual holiday luncheon in December. He serves as an electrician.

Indiana Teacher of the Year, K-8 category. Lahr was selected based on her dedication and passion for teaching Spanish, her motivation to engage students with community service and her involvement with students’ success and progress.

Colleen (Sexton) Lahr ’81, a Spanish teacher at Sycamore Middle School in Indianapolis, was selected by the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese as 2015

Brad Jones ’88 received recognition for 10 years of employment excellence with Franklin College at the annual holiday luncheon in December. He serves as the business office manager.

Kevin O’Shea ’88 coached the Lafayette Central Catholic Knights to an Indiana football state championship win last November. His staff included three generations of his family, father Frank O’Shea, brother Tim O’Shea ’91 and son Ryan O’Shea. It was the fifth state football championship win for O’Shea and the Knights in eight years. Kevin reached his 200th victory and is one of eight Indiana coaches to win at least five state football championships. Tim has been

Fraternity charter suspended The national General Council of Phi Delta Theta fraternity voted to suspend the charter of its Indiana Delta chapter at Franklin College. As a result of the chapter’s suspension, the house was closed effective April 6, 2016. The council cited the chapter’s risk management violations and failing chapter operations as reasons for its action. All members residing in the house were required to move out as soon as possible and find alternate housing. The college assisted these students by offering on-campus housing. The college cooperated fully with Phi Delta Theta’s General Council as it worked to thoroughly assess the situation. Only fraternity national or international offices have the power to grant or suspend charters to chapters, set membership standards, regulate insignia and rituals and publish journals or magazines on behalf of member chapters. The college has previously taken action concerning certain students’ misconduct and is continuing to investigate allegations of student misconduct. “While the college community is saddened by this news, it recognizes the national fraternity’s responsibility to uphold its standards and values,” said Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. “Franklin College is committed to Greek organizations that live out the college’s mission and values.” ■

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www.FranklinCollege.edu

STEVE POLSTON ’87

THE HERALD BULLETIN

Nancy (Smock) Anderson ’89 named Indiana Defensive Coordinator of the Year for the second time in seven years by Indiana Football Digest and Regional Radio Sports Network. Nancy (Smock) Anderson ’89 was named a co-winner of the Anderson Community Person of the Year Award, selected by the editorial board of The Herald Bulletin. She was recognized for her outstanding record of volunteerism. She serves as director of the St. Vincent Anderson Regional Foundation and over the years has volunteered on behalf of the Paramount Theatre, Anderson Young Ballet Theatre, Edgewood Tree Board, Leadership Academy of Madison County, Tasting the Arts and the Madison County Community Foundation. Most recently, she was chair of the city’s sesquicentennial, for which she planned events, raised funds and managed committees. Randy Meyer ’89 was named to the Ripley County (Ind.) Basketball Hall of Fame in January. He is a former MVP of the Ripley County Basketball Tournament and was a member of the all-sectional team. He led the team his senior year in rebounding and free-throw percentage. Meyer played baseball for the Grizzlies.

www.FranklinCollege.edu

The ’90s Christina Lucas ’90 received recognition for 20 years of employment excellence with Franklin College at the annual holiday luncheon in December. She serves as associate director of financial aid. Laurren Darr ’92, author of Lipstick on a Pug, recently won the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers Association of America for Children’s Book of the Year 2015. She is the author of multiple children’s books based on pugs. Tracy (Lovins) Martin ’92 was an award recipient of the End Student Hunger Challenge, sponsored by the National Education Association. She is the co-sponsor of the Panther Pantry, a school food pantry at Jennings County (Ind.) High School where she teaches English 12 and Spanish II. Sara (Croucher) Fisk ’96, a marketing communications manager with Endress+Hauser Inc., recently was named to the Leadership Johnson County (LJC) Board of Directors. She is a 2015 LJC program graduate and will serve on the public relations committee. Mark Hensley ’96 is teaching in the business department and coaching softball at Shelbyville (Ind.) High School.

Architecture, through his lens Master photographer Steve Polston ’87 exhibited his fine art color photography series titled “Monuments of the City” in March at the Bona Thompson Center in Indianapolis. The series focuses on historic architecture and embraces flatness, juxtaposition, reflection and rearrangement of spatial relationships. Polston said, “My family would tell you it’s only natural that I take Steve Polston ’87 photographs of old buildings. When I was a little boy, too young for tools and not good with a paint brush, I would stand in front of old buildings in my hometown trying to discern the important details of bricks, glass, copper door plates and rotting sills. My dad and older brothers were inside. My mother was there, too, as a design consultant. They remodeled and renovated old buildings. “Because I walked the city with my grandmother as she sold Avon or did her errands, I often found myself staring at these old buildings to make sense of what was plainly standing before me. I needed glasses. But as a very shy kid, I didn’t really know that my low-vision experience wasn’t normal. And my family, I guess, just thought that I liked to stare at things. “We introverts pull in detail, memorize it and begin to appreciate it for the story it presents. The meditative nature of mediumformat photography with chunky mechanical cameras is just right for staring and appreciating details that others pass by. I have glasses now, but a camera helps me see. “‘Monuments of the City’ shows structures we don’t usually consider ‘monuments’ still have visual importance. I see the significance of these buildings on my daily commute and invite viewers to explore their own response to these ubiquitous sights and see them anew through my photographs.” Polston is a former senior editor of Outdoor Indiana magazine and earned his master of fine arts degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He majored in journalism at Franklin College. ■ Spring 2016

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Get social with Franklin College.

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CLASS NOTES

Watch us. Link with us. Look for us.

Join in the conversation: #FranklinCollege (news and events)

#GrizAlumni (alumni engagement)

#GetGrizzly (athletics)

#GrizProud (achievements)

#FCThinkingForward (strategic planning)

Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D., and his assistant, Janet Schantz ’03 Adam Treibic ’96, a vice president with First Merchants Bank, recently was named to the Leadership Johnson County (LJC) Board of Directors. He is a 2009 LJC program graduate and will serve on the development committee. Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96 received recognition for 10 years of employment excellence with Franklin College at the annual holiday luncheon in December. She serves as publications editor, producing the Franklin College magazine and GrizzlEmail. Emily (Habel) Wood ’96 is serving as Franklin College social media coordinator in addition to assistant director of alumni engagement. She is involved in executing, monitoring and managing social media strategy in collaboration with the directors of marketing and communications.

The ’00s Jeff Pipkin ’01, the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership director of business development, has been selected to serve as interim executive director. He is a Leadership

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Hendricks County board member and is treasurer of the Central Indiana Workforce Investment Board. Amanda (Bishop) Ream ’01 and her husband, Chad, are the parents of a son, Owen Michael, born July 3, 2015. Amanda is editor of the Nassau County Record. The family resides in Callahan, Fla. Janet Schantz ’03 received recognition for 40 years of employment excellence with Franklin College at the annual holiday luncheon in December. She serves as assistant to the president. Tim Fish ’07 and his wife, Kylie, are the parents of a daughter, Lyra Anne, born Oct. 10, 2015. They reside in Frankin, Ind. Kiley Kellermeyer ’07 has published a fairy-tale and mythology-based young adult novel, Damselle in Distress. She said the novel turns the typical “damsel in distress” story on its head, weaving in elements of folk tales, fairy tales and mythology along the way. “At its heart, it is a story that shatters stereotypes. It

Kiley Kellermeyer ’07

is about embracing the things that make you different—even if, for a time, you hate them—and understanding that they are part of what makes you, you.” Order her book online. Megan Knoll ’07 is serving as coordinator for the Indiana chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. She owns Word Nerd Editorial LLC, an editing, writing and proofreading business based in Fishers, Ind. Laura (Abbott) Smith ’08 and her husband, Jared, are the parents of a son, Owen James, born Nov. 7, 2014. Wayne Stanley ’08, American Land Title Association’s director of public affairs, was named a 2016 Top Association and Nonprofit Innovator by Trending 40, which is an editorial and events program that recognizes and celebrates the top talent in Washington, D.C., in technology, legal, association and corporate industries. Stanley was selected based on his success in membership building and homeowner outreach as well as his media relations, social media and conference work. He joined ALTA

www.FranklinCollege.edu

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Got a future Grizzly? Share your baby’s birth announcement or adoption details and receive a special gift from the alumni engagement office! There are two ways to submit your information: Go to alumni.FranklinCollege.edu and use the Class Notes submission form. With this method, you’ll have the chance to post your own photo. Or, email photos and information, including baby’s date of birth, your spouse’s name, names of your other children, your professions and your hometown, to aversteeg@ FranklinCollege.edu. Photos will be published in the Franklin College magazine, as space permits. Call (317) 738-8188 for assistance.

SAVE THE DATES Oct. 6 – 9 for Homecoming 2016! Right: Cody Nees ’11 and wife Chelsy (Gott) ’11 in 2012 and previously served as press secretary for U.S. Sen. Richard G. Lugar. Chelsy Gott ’11 and Cody Nees ’11 married on Oct. 3, 2015, at the Brown County State Park Abe Martin Lodge in Nashville, Ind. The wedding party included Kayli Schafer-Krevda ’11, Ashley (Gomez) Stark ’10, Morgan (Bright) Benigni ’11, Nathan Bryant ’11 and Matt Cochran ’12. Chelsy, a registered nurse, works for St. Vincent Hospital, and Cody is a lab manager at Innovative Casting Technologies. They reside in Indianapolis.

Future Grizzly Ellie Reese Kinnett was born Sept. 16, 2015. Her parents are Terry Kinnett ’05 and his wife, Danielle (Gibbs) ’06. Ellie has a brother, Austin. They reside in Franklin, Ind. ■ SUBMITTED PH OTO

Nate Blair ’12, wife Kati (Graber) ’12 and son Leighton Wayne

Paul Mitchell ’12 has joined Tilson as a payroll associate. He holds a master’s degree in theology from Wheaton College and a bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from Franklin College. ■

www.FranklinCollege.edu

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Nate Blair ’12 and his wife, Kati (Graber) ’12, are the parents of a son, Leighton Wayne, born Dec. 13. Nate works for Methodist Sports Medicine as an athletic trainer and outreach coordinator. Kati works for the Asher Agency as an account executive. They reside in Franklin, Ind.

Spring 2016

CLASS NOTES

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A note from Norway Herman Borgstrøm ’16, an exchange student from Norway who attended Franklin College last spring, recently wrote a letter to the Office of Global Education and provided an update on his accomplishments. He has relocated to his country’s capital city, Oslo, started playing handball for a professional team and is pursuing a journalism degree. Herman Borgstrøm ’16 The following are excerpts from his letter “Everything is just really, really great, and one of the reasons for my perfect life now is Franklin College! I really miss FC, but I feel grateful for my time there. In addition to getting new friends and a great experience, it has affected my life in many matters. I have started doing track, have finished my marketing degree and have started a new one in journalism. “As I said, I really miss FC. Everything was so great over there. My professors were so much better than the ones I have over here. I think the main reasons are the energy and enthusiastic lessons. I really felt the FC professors cared about the classes and the students. “I got myself quite a lot of good friends in the U.S. Some of them were seniors and are now spread across the U.S.” Borgstrøm returned to Franklin to visit college friends this March. ■

Student newspaper archives available online We can't turn back the hands of time, but we can help you fill in the blanks the next time someone asks, “Remember when?” Read all about it in The Franklin student newspaper digital archives! B. F. Hamilton Library is happy to launch this new public resource, covering issues from October 1908 to March 2015. Access the archives, and start digging into the past today: http://FranklinCollege.libguides.com/franklinarchive

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The ’40s Mary Jane (Lilly) Flaningam ’42 died Dec. 26, 2015. She attended Franklin, where she participated in hall government and the FC Singers, and Butler University. She later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ball State University. A secondary education teacher, she taught at Windfall, Sharpsville in Tipton County, and Rossville High School, retiring in 1981. Prior to her teaching career, she was deputy clerk of Tipton County Circuit Court. She was a member of the Franklin College Horizon Society gift club. She was preceded in death by her husband, DeVon. Survivors include a stepdaughter and cousins. She was a resident of Crawfordsville, Ind. Rev. John W. Townsend ’42, Ph.D., died Jan. 30, 2016. He majored in sociology at Franklin and was a member of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. He served as pastor at the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, for 39 years and St. Luke’s United Church of Christ in Old Brooklyn for 15 years. He was preceded in death by first and second wives Rose Jane and Donna. Survivors include two children and a grandchild. He was a resident of Chagrin Falls. Paul F. Hasel ’43 served in the pastoral ministry for 65 years. He earned a master of divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in 1946. As a student pastor, he served California Baptist churches and Iowa Methodist churches, participated in Billy Graham crusades and was involved in healing and ecumenical ministries in Iowa, Arizona and New Mexico. He and his wife, Haven, began their fulltime ministry in 1945 as missionaries to Burma. Active in 1960s social concerns, he was a participant in the 1963 March on Washington. After the 9/11 attacks, he worshipped regularly with Muslim and Jewish commu-

nities. He was preceded in death by his first wife and a granddaughter. Survivors include three children, nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and second wife, Patricia. He was a resident of Ventura, Iowa. Martha (Smith) Miller ’48 died July 7, 2015. She majored in sociology at Franklin and was a member of Delta Zeta sorority. She was 18 when she met the love of her life, Hugh F. Miller ’41. They married in 1943. Martha put her husband through divinity school and then went on herself to graduate cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. The Millers served churches in New York, Minnesota, California and Colorado while raising a family. She became an elected officer with the Ministers’ Wives’ Fellowship in 1951 and was elected president of the National Association of Ecumenical Staff in 1983. Hugh preceded her in death. Their three children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren survive. She was a resident of Brattleboro, Vt.

The ’50s James G. Denny ’50 died Jan. 28, 2016. He served as a gunnery instructor in the Army Air Corps prior to completing studies at Colgate Rochester Divinity School and becoming an American Baptist missionary. He spent time working at a Christian center in Weirton, W.Va., and Hammond, Ind., prior to moving West with his family to begin a ministry in Oklahoma at the Anadarko Christian Center. He, his wife and their two children, worked with the youth of the community, helping to build a gymnasium and leading other missionaries and lay people, giving leadership to nine Native American Baptist churches. He continued pastoral work in McCook, Neb., at the First Baptist Church in 1989, retiring in 1995. Survivors include

www.FranklinCollege.edu

OBITUARIES

his wife, Norma (Raker) ’49, two children, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was a resident of McCook, Neb. Charles E. Farkas Jr. ’50 died Feb. 8, 2016. He majored in business at Franklin and was a member of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and The Korean Conflict. Prior to retirement, he worked as an ombudsman for the Office of The Aging in the state of Indiana. Survivors include his wife of 67 years, LuAnn (Quigley) ’49, a son and three grandchildren. He was a resident of Atlanta, Ga., and formerly Zionsville, Ind. Ruth A. (Doub) Callon ’52 (H.D. ’11) died Dec. 17, 2015. She was a teacher, coach and mentor to hundreds (potentially even thousands) of people in her lifetime. She embodied her Christian values in every aspect of her life, loving and in turn being loved by those she encountered. She earned her master’s degree in education from Butler University and taught at Whiteland High School from 1953–55, and after a hiatus devoted to the birth and nurture of her two children, she taught mathematics and PE and coached softball and basketball at Franklin College from 1962–91. She was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from Franklin College in 2011. She was a pioneer in girls’ and women’s sports in Indiana and beyond. She helped write the rules for intercollegiate women’s competition in Indiana and was part of the IHSAA committee that started postseason competition for high school girls. She was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named by the Indiana Fever as one of 15 Inspiring Women in 2009. She was preceded in death by her husband, George ’52, who had been her college sweetheart. Survivors include their children, Dan ’77 and Cathy (Callon)

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Pieratt ’80, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was a resident of Whiteland, Ind. Fred J. Lewis ’53 died Sept. 25, 2015. He served in WWII in the Army in the North Africa and Italy campaigns. He then graduated from Franklin College while working, raising two children and playing quarterback for the Grizzlies’ football team and catcher for the baseball team. He was offered a pro baseball contract but decided to stay home with his family and began a career with Beneficial Finance in Meadville. He was the last surviving member of Meadville’s state championship softball team. He rose through the ranks of finance relocating to the Philadelphia Area. After 10 years he started a new career as an educator in the Bristol Township School District, retiring after 25 years teaching elementary and high school Health and PE. His passion was coaching boys’ and girls’ athletics, especially gymnastics, swimming and softball. He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Betty. He is survived by second wife of 24 years, Doris, two children, five stepsons, two grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. He was a resident of Honesdale, Pa.

years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rebekah. Survivors include his three children, eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren. He was a resident of Indianapolis. Patricia "Patty Lou" (Lego) Whitcomb ’62 died April 18, 2015. She earned her teaching degree from Franklin College. She enjoyed singing in the church choir and had a positive attitude and optimistic outlook in the face of battling multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry ’59. Survivors include her five daughters and six grandchildren. She was a resident of Springfield, Pa.

The ’60s

Kathryn Cecile (Murray) Kennedy ’63 died March 5, 2015. She attended Butler University and Franklin College, where she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority. She spent many years coaching boys’ and girls’ sports team prior to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise physiology and motor skills. She eventually became an adjunct instructor of sports-related subjects and coached the women’s softball and volleyball teams at Florida Institute of Technology. She finished her working years as a supervisor in the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services working with abused and neglected children. She accomplished all of these things while dealing with bouts of lupus since being diagnosed in the ’70s. Survivors include her husband of 52 years, John, four children and three grandchildren. She was a resident of Satellite Beach, Fla.

Donald R. Tuttle ’60 died Feb. 16, 2016 . He majored in mathematics at Franklin and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He later earned his master’s degree in education from Indiana University and taught for the Indianapolis Public Schools system more than 35

Judith Elaine (Fowler) Robbins ’65 died Jan. 27, 2016. She majored in business at Franklin and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. She retired in 1999 as network supervisor for the Pulliam School of Journalism at Franklin College. She was a

Betty M. (Reid) Grubb ’57 died Feb. 4, 2016. She majored in PE at Franklin and was a member of Tri Delta sorority. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Richard ’55. Survivors include a son. She was a resident of Carmel, Ind.

tutor at First Baptist Church of Indianapolis for the children from the Karen people of Burma. She also was a Sunday school teacher at Second Mount Pleasant Church of Franklin and a 4-H leader in Johnson County. She enjoyed playing the autoharp, genealogy, writing and photography. Survivors include her husband, Michael, and two daughters, Juliana (Liggett) Crist ’91 and Jennifer (Liggett) Stultz ’93, and four grandchildren. She was a resident of Indianapolis.

The ’70s Kathleen “Katy” (Lynch) Pendleton ’72 died Sept 11, 2015. She was a member of Delta Zeta sorority at Franklin and participated on the yearbook staff. She had a journalism career and held positions with the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Dental Association and the National Association of Realtors. She and her husband started their own neckwear business, M. Pendleton Co., in 1984, where Katy served as president until her retirement in 2009. She loved travel, art, cooking and congregation. Survivors include her husband, Mark, and three children. She was a resident of Fort Myers, Fla.

The ’80s Eleanor (Davie) Galbraith ’85 died Jan. 4, 2016. She attended Franklin College and participated in the FC Singers. She spent her professional career in medical practice management. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in 2009, she continued to work as a court-appointed special advocate and to raise funds for fellow patients at St. Vincent's Hospital. Survivors include her husband, John; and three children. She was a resident of Carmel, Ind.

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OBITUARIES Teddy A. Knoy ’87 died Jan. 12, 2016. He was a professor, writer and advocate. He was a prolific writer about global social injustices and was verbal in support of the elderly, orphans and refugees. He pursued theological studies at the Christian Theological Seminary in Enid, Okla., and obtained his master's degree in public administration at American International College in Springfield, Mass. He completed doctoral studies in Taiwan. He was a world traveler and gifted learner who taught himself formal Chinese and various other Asian dialects. Since 1989, he had taught technical writing for graduate school programs in Hsinchu, Taiwan. In 2015, he concurrently became the writing center director at Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University in Vietnam. An online technical writing class was created by Ted and his wife of

20 years, Lisa. The couple also operated an online editing business, The Chinese Owl. Lisa survives. Teddy was a resident of Vietnam.

The ’90s Lisa K (Gotwals) Lewis ’91, known to many as Lisa Morrison, died Jan. 24, 2016, after suffering injuries from an auto accident. She attended Franklin College and in recent years had facilitated several learning opportunities for the campus community to engage with Tashi Kyil monks. Early in her career she was a publicist for bands, including the Y Store and The Swinging Steaks. She was the original host of Over Easy on 92.3 WTTS Radio and a host for Roots Diner, WGCL Radio. She later started her own company, serving as president and publicist at Morrison Marketing and Media. She also was an event planner

and president of I Do Events. She volunteered for such organizations as the Middle Way House, Hoosier Hills Food Bank and The Indianapolis Festival of Faiths. Also notable was her work for the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Since 2003, Lisa donated thousands of hours

of her time managing all media, organizing events and planning fundraising endeavors for Buddhist Centers, causes related to the Dalai Lama and his visits to the Midwest. Survivors include her husband, Jeff, a son and two stepchildren. She was a resident of Bloomington, Ind.

Friends of Franklin College James M. Dunn (H.D. ’04) died July 4, 2015. He was one of Baptists’ most well-known advocates for religious liberty and separation of church and state. He was awarded an honorary Franklin College degree in 2004 for his career accomplishments. He spent nearly two decades as executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and for 12 years prior to that as executive director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, Dunn’s colorful rhetoric and takeno-prisoners approach in defense of liberty earned him the reverence and fury of Baptists across the theological spectrum. During retirement his commitments remained undiminished while teaching in the Wake Forest University School of Divinity and in innumerable speaking engagements around the country. Dunn is survived by his wife. He was a resident of Winston-Salem, N.C. ■

A couple have established the Jennifer L. Martin ’96 Endowed Scholarship in Accounting, Business and Economics in their daughter’s memory. Martin graduated from Clarksville High School in southern Indiana as the salutatorian of her class and earned a full-tuition scholarship to Franklin College, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She began her CPA career with DeWitt and Shrader in Indianapolis and later established her own accounting firm in the Circle City, JLM Consulting. Martin died Nov. 9. 2012, after a more than two-year battle with bile duct cancer. “Jennifer’s memorial scholarship is our way of paying it forward,” said her mother, Julia. “Bob (her father) and I think she would be pleased and honored to know that this scholarship will help someone, particularly a Franklin College student, achieve their goals.” Julia recalled that Franklin’s small class sizes, liberal arts curriculum and global education opportunities were especially appealing to Jennifer, who Jennifer L. Martin ’96 spent a semester away at Harlaxton College in England and took a Winter Term travel-study course to Peru, South America. “Those experiences ignited her love of travel,” said Julia, noting that Jennifer later traveled to Greece, Ireland, Italy, France and Mexico. “Her participation in Tri Delta and Student Foundation also were influential, involving her in philanthropy and leadership roles that carried over later to involvement with Rotary International, environmental and animal advocacy groups.” “Our hope is that the scholarship recipient, like Jennifer, takes advantage of all Franklin’s academic and exploratory opportunities and graduates as a well-rounded, caring individual, who, in turn, will consider how to help another student someday.” The scholarship will be awarded annually by the Franklin College Office of Financial Aid, with first preference given to a Clarksville High School senior. The recipient must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA and pursue an accounting, business, or economics major. For more information about making memorial gifts, please call the office of development and alumni engagement at (317) 738-8040. ■

46 F R A N K L I N C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E

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Memorial scholarship created

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RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Gift commemorates family legacies By Mia Taskey ’16 Pulliam Fellow

The Napolitan Alumni House, located in Franklin at the corner of Jefferson and Henry streets, is steeped in college history. The house once served as a girls’ dormitory and twice as the home of college presidents, Harold Richardson, 1949–64, and Wesley Haines, 1965–75. After that, it changed hands again from college to private ownership for 28 years. In 2003, Sandra (Mock) Napolitan ’60, Ph.D, and husband James T. (H.D. ’12), Ph.D., a college trustee and associate alumnus, purchased the home and gifted it to the college. Additional contributions from generous donors made renovation and restoration of the house possible. Since its dedication in 2005, the house has welcomed alumni gatherings, faculty-in-residence, visiting dignitaries and archival materials. Recently, the couple made an addition to the archives with a composite photo that illustrates the Mock and Napolitan family histories at Franklin College. The legacy began in the 19th century with Sandra’s grandfather, James Frank Mock 1895. During the next 100 years, 15 additional family members followed in his footsteps. Also, two alumni served on the Franklin College Board of Trustees, as well as one spouse of a graduate and one additional family member who was an Indiana attorney. Sandra spearheaded the research into her family’s history for more than three years, documenting archival records and compiling photos as her busy schedule permitted. She worked closely with Franklin College Archivist Ruth Dorrel on the project. “My motivation was that I thought it was unusual that one family had so many people go to Franklin College. I thought it would be interesting to research that, get pictures and put it together,” said Sandra. “I had a lot of fun learning more about my family’s

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The Mock and Napolitan family composite includes James Frank Mock 1892–95, Harry E. Mock Sr. 1900–02, trustee 1931–55, Margaret Vetha (Honecker) Mock 1900–01, Eugene W. Mock 1922–24, John T. Mock 1923–24, Harry E. Mock Jr. 1929–33 (H.D. ’86), Ph.D., trustee 1952–62, Alice (Mock) Hunt 1929–33, Sandra (Mock) Napolitan 1956–60, J. Dennis Mock II 1958–62, Jo Ann (Watt) Mock 1959–62, M. Byng Hunt 1959–60, Mary Lou (Mock) Montgomery 1959–60, Roger F. Mock 1963–67, Mary Elizabeth (Montgomery) Moser 1986–90, Ronald J. Moser Jr. 1989–91, Blake J. Mock 1986–88, Raymond Clark, trustee 1937–61, and James T. Napolitan (H.D. ’12), Ph.D., trustee 1988–present.

history and the memories they created at Franklin.” The composite shows every Mock family member to attend Franklin, and it includes the Napolitans, with information about Jim’s appointment as a trustee. The composite hangs in the Napolitan Alumni House parlor. Other projects the Napolitans have generously supported over the years include the Napolitan Student Center and rooms for conferences and

theatre preparations in the Johnson Center for Fine Arts.. The Napolitans also made gifts toward the Von Boll Welcome Center construction and telecommunications center, Richardson Chapel renovation and Branigin Field development. Sandra said, “People don't always realize how much joy there is in contributing to the institutions you believe in; it gives you a feeling of strong, continued connectedness.” ■

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Ryan Baker ’16 built a formidable curriculum vitae with his major in political science and double minor in mathematics and quantitative methods, and he completed his bachelor’s degree in only three years. His record of academic excellence and engaged-learning experiences helped him earn admission into some of the nation’s top law schools, including Duke, Cornell, Northwestern and New York universities. He chose Columbia. His undergraduate research on political participation and political economy previously earned him invitations to present at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting and the honorary society Pi Sigma Alpha National Undergraduate Conference. “Having the chance to discuss ideas and receive feedback from policy advocates and doctoral candidates is incredible,” Baker said. He credits Franklin professors for his preparedness. “The way I write completely transformed during college in large part because the political science faculty members championed the importance of effective communication. They helped me learn to refine my thoughts, edit my work and enhance the way I communicate,” said Baker, who, during one internship, helped legislative aids write a speech delivered on the Senate floor. He landed subsequent internships in Washington, D.C., one with Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly’s office and the other with the Lugar Center, where he was involved in collaborative research on global food issues. Baker, a former member of the college’s Mock Trial Team, also focused on taking classes that provided training in the statistical software valued by today’s employers. “I feel very lucky for my holistic college experience. I know Franklin has prepared me well for the next level of my education,” said Baker. Baker is a four-time recipient of the Franklin College Discovery Scholarship and two-time recipient of the Richard Vandivier Endowed Scholarship in Public Service. Your gifts to the Franklin Fund assist students like Baker who will go on to make a difference in the world. Give online at www.FranklinCollege.edu/giving or call (317) 738-8040.

RENEE (KEAN) KNIGHT ’06

Franklin Fund impacts students