Menlo College Magazine: Summer 2023

Being Authentic

In

era of AI and Social Media

About this Issue

Making heads or tails about AI

Whenplanning for this issue of Menlo College Magazine, we set out to (virtually) stop the speeding arrow of artificial intelligence and look at the many ways that AI is ripping through many aspects of our lives. We were especially interested in how it has and will affect our students and our faculty.

We sent an online survey to students and invited faculty to weigh in on the ways they have used ChatGPT and other language-generating programs—for results, please see editor Tricia Soto’s summary of student opinions. We also asked faculty and administrators to look at AI in the classroom. Chief Academic Officer Dr. Mouwafac Sidaoui discusses the many ways students can use AI as a powerful tool to master the Information Age. While seeing the vast potential of AI, faculty members consider darker issues, such as whether assignments created by ChatGPT are a form of plagiarism and how to teach critical thinking in an age of AI.

Besides examining AI, in this issue we have also taken a second look at the mature technology of social media and posed the question: How can AI and social media rob our students of their authentic selves, their own voices? The answer is complicated. Please see the thoughtful article by our senior editor Jeffrey Erickson, Ph.D., on the ways that social media can keep us connected, and the cautions from adjunct professors Michael Habeeb and Giselle Martinez when curating an online presence.

Our small magazine team is proud of this issue. As we go to press, we see all the perspectives gathered here. Students and professors respectfully and eloquently agree and disagree. They hash out what this new paradigm brings to our world. This is academia at its best. Read and enjoy.

Pamela Gullard, Editor in Chief

Dystopia Robotics “RoboDogs” strike a pose with Boba, a mame shiba belonging to Chieri Abe ’25.

Photo by George Retelas

I’m not a robot.

Every day, journalists and scholars try to catch this moment of transition into a world of artificial intelligence and social media. Will it usher in a renaissance? A tragedy? In this issue, consider the thoughtful opinions of our students, professors, and staff.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Pamela Gullard

SENIOR EDITOR

Jeffrey Erickson, Ph.D.

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Tricia Soto

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

George Retelas

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jocylen Ashton

Erik Bakke

Drew Barton

Jeffrey Erickson

Michael Habeeb

Dinkar Jain

Raymond Juballa ’23

Giselle Martinez ’20

Samuele Mian ’23

Jonathan Reichental

George Retelas

Mary Antonette Reyes ’25

Neal Rubin

Sarahann Shapiro

Mouwafac Sidaoui

Nichole Smith ’23

Tricia Soto

Steven Weiner

Henry Zatarain

DESIGN

Marsha Gilbert

PHOTOGRAPHY

Brian Byllesby/OaksSports.com

Crystal Cebedo ’20

Benjamin Fish ’24

Melisa Ibrahimovic ’25

Paolo Nogoy ’21

SeungHyun Park ’25

George Retelas

Henry Zatarain

PRESIDENT OF MENLO COLLEGE

Steven Weiner

On the cover, top left to bottom right: Benjamin Fish ’24, Kawai’Apo Acopan ’26 Ellen Helmertz ’26, Paul Niederle ’23 Bella Topalian ’27, Stan Chang ’26 Thomas Depontes ’24, Ryan Padron ’26

CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Micah Ka - ne ’91

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Thomas (Tom) Byers

Alma Clayton-Pedersen

Andrea (Andy) Cunningham

Howard (Howie) Dallmar ’74

James (Jim) Davlin

Chris Garrett ’94

J. Michael (Mike) Gullard

Joe Hurd

David Irmer, Sr. ’58

Kathryn (Kathy) Jackson

Helene Kim

Jordan Long ’09

Larry Lopez ’84

Roxane Marenberg

Zoanne Nelson

Colin O‘Malley

Aaron Santillan ’03

Fran Schulz ’85

Roger Smith

Shireen Üdenka

Benjamin (Ben) Wagner

EMERITI TRUSTEES

John Henry Felix ’49

Julie Filizetti

Charles (Chop) Keenan III ’66

T. Geir Ramleth ’87

From the President

For three years now, professors have adjusted their teaching, and adjusted it again, to adapt to a global pandemic, remote instruction, and a student population whose actions and expectations have changed. What fresh new hell was this?

Beckie Supiano writing about ChatGPT in The Chronicle of Higher Education on April 5, 2023

ChatGPThas already made history as the fastest-growing app in the world, recording 100 million users just two months after its launch in November 2022. As of the end of March 2023, the ChatGPT website had been visited nearly 2 billion times. At Menlo College, some professors fear that ChatGPT will rob their students of chances to think for themselves. Others enthusiastically embrace ways to incorporate generative artificial intelligence (AI) into academic life. To death and taxes, though, we can now add another certainty in our world: chatbots will impact teaching and learning. We all need to figure out how to respond. This issue of Menlo College Magazine shows that our faculty and staff—and our students—are already finding ways to harness the power of AI. They are also showing us how to think about the greatest disruption to learning in our lifetimes.

The irony is that colleges and universities are commonly referred to as intellectual ivory towers—places where people are happily cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps that was true in the 19th century, but as the history of Menlo College attests, from our founding in 1927 just prior to the Great Depression, through the Covid-19 era, and now in the ChatGPT era, there is no separating the rest of the world from our classrooms, or more generally, from life on our campus. As should be true for educational institutions everywhere, we absorb, and as appropriate, reflect back the global society of our time.

Even as we grapple with the many changes taking place in our lives, we’re moving Menlo College forward. We opened Arrillaga Hall this past fall. Our academic deans, and our full-time and part-time faculty alike have brought forward proposals for curriculum redesign. New courses have been added to expose our students to topics that are at the forefront of the fields of business and psychology, such as digital sales, CRM technology, research methods in psychology, business analytics, and appropriate to this issue of the magazine, an introduction to ChatGPT. We’ve expanded the number of our majors to ten and created six minor degree options. We’re about to launch two new graduate programs. And our athletic programs continue to enjoy terrific success in so many ways—including most recently two 4th-place national team titles, two national individual titles, and fourteen individual All American titles. All of those accomplishments were realized despite the environmental effects we endured this semester that caused flooding, power outages, and other disruptions on campus (seeing our teams practice by flashlight in a dark gym was a first!).

I speak from ten years of experience as an Oak when I say that when you get to know some of the bright young people who are creating their futures here, your heart grows. You’ll find plenty of evidence of that in this issue of our magazine.

Steven Weiner Menlo College President

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Another fine publication. Ken Flower ’50 Woodside, CA

Commenting on the Menlo College fight song, written and recorded by Freddy Martin in 1951 (see page 51 of our last issue), William Brandt ’70 writes:

I read about this in my alumni magazine. I guess little Menlo College has a song written by a big band leader of which few other colleges and universities can claim.

William Brandt ’70 Sacramento, CA

Your incredible work in producing a magazine of this sophistication and excitement is worthy of any university campus.

David Irmer ’58, Menlo College Trustee

Tiburon, CA

Another outstanding publication making us all proud of you and your team, as well as being part of a great college!

Roxane Marenberg, Chief Human Resources & Culture Officer, Menlo College

Atherton, CA

Re Sarahann Shapiro’s article “Shared Knowledge” on the importance of networking in real estate law and other professions (Winter 2023 issue, page 11), Jay Davis ’68 comments:

I graduated from Menlo College School of Business in 1968 and University of San Diego School of Law in 1971. I am retired now, but during my career I served as a prosecutor, the general counsel of a regional bank, and was a partner in several law firms in Los Angeles. Most of my practice involved financial transactions, and I represented lenders and borrowers. I participated in a number of trade associations over the years, and it amazed me how many attorneys would congregate with other attorneys rather than mixing with the various potential clients. I tried to position myself to meet prospects and also gain information about trends in the market. As a partner in law firms I tried to teach my associates how to attend business events.

I found that the education I received at Menlo helped me with many of the hurdles in law school, especially my tax courses. Menlo’s director introduced me to the Dean of the University of San Diego Law school and it was the only law school to which I applied.

One of the attributes of Menlo that I cherished was the practical experience that its professors brought to the classroom.  I am glad to see that this continues.

Jay Davis ’68 Pasadena, CA

Keeping Our Eyes Wide Open

ChatGPT Won’t Make Humans Obsolete… For Now

By Jonathan Reichental, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Management, Founder of Human Future

ChatGPT is demonstrating the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to perform tasks that were once considered the exclusive realm of human creativity. In seconds it appears to create original content, software code, PowerPoint presentations, legal contracts, and more. Have we reached the point where AI begins the rapid elimination of millions of human jobs?

It may seem that the recent introduction of ChatGPT is the result of sudden and surprising breakthroughs in AI. In reality, the remarkable capabilities of ChatGPT and all the applications being built on top of it are the cumulative product of decades of work. AI first emerged in the 1950s, and today AI is an essential enabler of search engines, fraud detection, social media, chatbots, and smart assistants.

That said, it’s clear that ChatGPT is a notable shift in the possibilities of AI. Surely human obsolescence can’t be far behind.

Automation has been a characteristic of the world since the first industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. Logically, 300 years later there should be few jobs left for humans. In fact, the opposite is true. Today, despite the huge increase in population, unemployment is at record lows in most countries. In the US in early 2023, there were almost 10 million openings—two available positions for every person looking for a job. Despite years of rapid automation, the position we find ourselves in today is unintuitive: we don’t seem to have enough people.

It would be easy to believe that AI is a zero-sum game: if AI does the job, a human loses a job. This may be an overly simplistic view of what will happen. Certainly, AI will have long-term impacts that are difficult to anticipate now, but in the medium term, AI is likely to augment human work, making it more meaningful and even creating new opportunities. We are already seeing demand for skills that help integrate and leverage AI in existing industries, from data scientists to prompt engineers.

What each of us must do is to understand what AI means in the context of our work and then evolve accordingly. Education will be more important than ever to avoid a new digital divide where some of us thrive in a world of AI while others struggle.

In the medium term, I’m more optimistic than most on the potential for a better future alongside AI. However, in the long term, the disruptive impacts of AI will require us all to have our eyes wide open.

Don’t skip the FINE PRINT Protecting Your Online Reputation

By Michael E. Habeeb, J.D., Adjunct Professor, Mass Communications

Here’s a key piece of career advice: become media literate. In today’s job market, it is not only important to create a professional image on social media but to protect it as well.

Media literacy means knowing not only how and where to post your information, but how social media sites—and potential employers—can use that information.

Have you ever posted a potentially embarrassing photo to Facebook? Or a thoughtless and harmful rant to Twitter? Or a video featuring a wild exploit to TikTok?

You have a fundamental right to keep your private information private, whether it’s detrimental to your image or not, but having the right to do so and being able to do so are very different things. If you don’t want others to know about something, you probably shouldn’t post it to social media. Other than not using the platforms or exercising extreme caution when posting any form of information, there is no foolproof way for you to protect your information or developing professional image.

Media literacy, however, can help. You can learn, for instance, how to delete a photo or tweet on your laptop or mobile device or to make your personal information accessible only to friends and not to the public (all platforms or a simple Internet search can show you how to do this).

Whether you are using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat or any online platform, you can at least make an attempt to safeguard your data and reputation by following these media literacy suggestions:

—Become well-versed in just what and how much privacy settings protect.

Read a platform’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (a big ask, a big task, but worth it). You will usually find that by using a “free” platform, you are agreeing to allow the platform to view and use your information to sell ads to companies. Do platforms permit you to disallow this and still use the platform? The general answer is no.

Talk to your friends, other users, and Internet experts about what they know about internet privacy protection. Watch documentaries on privacy and read articles and books, such as Mark Poepsel’s Media, Society, Culture and You.

If you know recruiters or other acquaintances in the Human Resources, People, or Talent department at a company, ask them how much information on prospective employees they actually obtain and use in making hiring determinations.

If you want to dig deep into privacy knowledge, you can study the right-to-privacy amendment in the U.S. Constitution, along with researching Internet privacy to find out whether a platform can legally use information about you. This all sounds like a lot—and it is— but it takes considerable work to be fully informed.

Ultimately, it’s well worth it to protect against getting hit by a car you never saw.

Taking Care of You

Protecting your reputation is important, but so is protecting yourself emotionally amidst the turmoil of social media. Giselle Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, offers some tips to help you keep your peace of mind:

— Be mindful of the content you share: Ask yourself, “why am I sharing this?” Is it to show off or get some quick validation? Or are you genuinely excited to share a piece of your life with your followers?

Don’t compare yourself to the online persona of another, especially if they seem to have it all together. Constantly comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

Take care of your mental health: pay attention to how social media makes you feel. If it’s bringing you down or causing major stress, it may be time to take a break or talk to a professional about it.

Dinkar Jain: Know Your Artificial Intelligence

Visiting Professor Dinkar Jain, AI pioneer and former Head of Ads Artificial Intelligence & Ads Delivery for Facebook, teaches a course in data science and how to think like a data scientist, Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. He recently sat down with Editor-in-Chief Pamela Gullard to discuss the future of AI and its impact on business and culture.

What do you find exciting about Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is, essentially, our ability to program a machine with large data sets, as opposed to programming it with explicit instructions such as “If this then that” and “for i equals one-to-ten, do this.” The Internet took the cost of information dissemination basically to zero, lifting entire populations in the world out of poverty because they can compete in a marketplace with fast information flows. AI builds on that by enabling us—at zero marginal cost—to deliver certain types of services that rely on human judgments. High-quality healthcare, for instance, is expensive and difficult for most people to procure these days; no UCSF-quality doctor

is likely to visit your remote village to read your x-ray. But what if you could get a similarly qualified machine to read your x-ray? We would be able to deliver high-quality healthcare at zero marginal cost. Artificial intelligence as a force can lift the standards of living globally, overnight. To me that is very exciting.

What should we all know about AI?

It’s very important for every student, every human, to understand your relationship with these AI algorithms that make decisions and micro-decisions to mediate information flows to you. If you assume that AI works magically, you won’t question that program’s objective, thus letting it play a role in your life in which you are not in control. Just that awareness goes a long way in building a little bit of a boundary between you and an AI system that’s not you.

You don’t need to know the details of logistic regressions or loss functions, but you do need to know how that algorithm is making its decisions. If the company behind the algorithm is an e-commerce website, they want to maximize sales, while you may not want to spend all your pocket money on buying their recommended items.

Also understand that these systems are programmed with data sets, and data sets have all kinds of fallacies, biases, and errors lurking in them. People rave about chatbots, but we have no proof that chatbots actually know anything; they’ve probably done nothing much more than read the internet a few times over, enabling them to ace a particular exam or whatever. They don’t understand satire, so they might end up recommending, as Alexa once did, that a child stick their finger and a penny into an electrical socket. Appreciating the possibilities and limitations of the technology is vital to being in control of it and vital to being a masterful user of it, which college students require to differentiate themselves in the job market and in the world.

I’d love every educational institution to figure out its AI literacy curriculum. I’d like AI to be the first question in a presidential debate next year. That would demonstrate our willingness as a society to take this head on.

Dinkar Jain, former Head of Ads Artificial Intelligence & Ads Delivery for Facebook

Photos by George Retelas :

Business leaders, similarly, need to know is that almost every function of management is being transformed with artificial intelligence, but how do you make machines and humans play nice with each other? Branding is about building a relationship with your customer, but today people are building relationships with algorithms. If Netflix recommends a bad movie to you, you’re going to curse it out for wasting your evening. The oldschool business frameworks on topics such as accounting and channel strategy, all need a fundamental relook as we look at this world that is increasingly being operated with datasets and AI systems.

What are the most important legal and ethical issues regarding AI?

A very important part of figuring out how to use technologies for social good is to create a compact between civic society and private actors, technologists, futurists: these are the ground rules we all understand and accept in order to advance the conduct of this technology. Good conditions for that are broad understanding, good communication between all actors, very competent regulators that are deeply educated in the field.

When it comes to AI, we don’t have any of these conditions today.

We can’t wait for an institutional framework forever, as we still have to practice and introduce the technology. That’s happening, but as it does we need to identify, at least nominally, the ethical and legal problems that are cropping up.

Auditability and transparency is a very big problem. What data is being used by which algorithm to do what? There’s no Sarbanes Oxley-style disclosures required for algorithms to declare to the

public that, “This is how we’re making these decisions.” AI bots on social media, for example, are probably violating copyrights by retrieving and manipulating copyrighted materials.

We also need to consider issues of bias and fairness. AI systems are coded by datasets, and datasets are nothing but museums of the past. When Amazon was deciding where to offer sameday delivery, their AI essentially recreated the discriminatory real estate redlining maps of the 1950s. Amazon probably never set out to build those maps in that way, but that’s what the AI system did. We know that every past of every country is littered with social abuses, biases, inequality, and trampling of minority rights. We must understand what datasets are being used to program what AI systems, and if they are biased in the recommendations they’re generating.

Data cooperation is also critical. Back in the 40s and 50s, flying was not particularly safe. Even then, aircraft carried the black boxes that help to determine the causes of plane crashes, but only after the FAA started requiring the airlines to share black box data did the number of crashes decrease dramatically. Companies still try to hoard their data, which is often not in the best social interest, but we lack the legal constructs and the social frameworks for changing that behavior. The “six month pause” that some advocate won’t help, as we can’t let the US fall behind in geopolitical war over this technology.

That’s where education is so important. I’d love every educational institution to figure out its AI literacy curriculum. I’d like AI to be the first question in a presidential debate next year. That would demonstrate our willingness as a society to take this head on. We are very far from it, but I think education and voter interest are all important ground conditions for both growth and control of AI.

IT’S SOCIAL MEDIA! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

By Jeffrey Erickson, Ph.D., Senior Editor

After earning a doctorate in English from Stanford, Jeffrey Erickson escaped academia for the software industry, where he edited Integrated System Design magazine and wrote documentation for Oracle, IBM, eBay, and Genesys. He also acts and sings opera at the Dickens Fair and other venues. He joined Menlo College Magazine in fall 2022, demonstrating that you can, in fact, go home again.

You may have heard or read about the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory on social media and the mental health of the young. If you did, you’d be excused for thinking that the advisory contained nothing but dire news, because the national media thoroughly ignored the section of that report entitled “The Potential Benefits of Social Media Use Among Children and Adolescents” (I’m lookin’ at you, NBC News).

The advisory notes that social media can provide “positive community and connection with others who share identities, abilities, and interests…access to important information…and social support from peers,” especially for marginalized youth. Among adolescents, most feel that social media helps them feel more accepted, two-thirds like having a group to support them through tough times, and 80% feel more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives.

Similar benefits accrue for adults. 67% of Americans say they met their current partner on a dating app. After my divorce in the 90s, I eased myself back into dating through Love@AOL; my wife and I met on match.com (she said “you had me at Weltschmerz”). More recently, I’ve deepened friendships among people I’ve worked or performed with but would otherwise have lost touch. I hear perspectives and learn about subcultures I would never have been aware of. Many of us do a significant amount of socializing through our jobs; for me, retirement was a blow softened in part by social media, especially because I retired near the beginning of the pandemic. Oh yeah, the pandemic. Social media was, for millions, a lifeline to the outside world—in some cases a literal one. Suicide rates, predictably, rose, but we may never know how many lives were saved by some small act of online kindness, some intervention.

But…but…bullying! Political and economic manipulation! A platform for white supremacists! Fraud! All those evils exist, and social media certainly plays a role in their reproduction. But social media created none of them. Every major historical advancement in the distribution of information has increased both the pace and sophistication of manipulation by those devoted to exploitation, from Yellow Journalism, to the Red Scare, to Make America Great Again, from Drink More Ovaltine to Let’s Get Mikey to an AI genie that magically knows your every desire and offers you a Buy button to fulfill it.

Each AI and social media article in this issue of Menlo College Magazine agrees on one (and maybe only one) idea: the most important thing we can do, our society’s main hope in controlling the uses and abuses of technology, is educate our young. Before we can insist on governance and transparency, we have to understand precisely what it is we have to govern and how we can make it transparent. Ignorance is the real problem we have to solve.

Great to see you at the reunion. Here’s what I’m up to now!

Paul Niederle ’23 sporting a vintage Nintendo PowerGlove. Photo by George Retelas

Which Part Art? s

By Erik Bakke, Executive Director of International Student Services

Helen Molesworth, in discussion of the 2005 exhibition she organized, “Part Object Part Sculpture,” addresses the conceptual art piece and readymade of 1917 by Marcel Duchamp (a urinal flipped on its back and displayed as a work of art), “I remain fascinated by the tricky nature of Duchamp’s readymades—objects transformed into art, but not quite. They always retain their original identity or function. This is why many people refer to Fountain in a casual way as ‘the urinal.’ For me this is an acknowledgment that the work is part art, part not—part object, part sculpture.”

This discussion is helpful in addressing whether AI-generated images are art or not.

We can start with an image generated by Microsoft Bing (“powered by DALL-E”) using the following prompt:

“Create a conceptual work of art for the year 2027 and place it on the campus of Menlo College, showing the Bowman Library in the background.”

With Bing, not only does Menlo get a new library (thank you, 2027 centennial campaign donors), but there is something (some floating books over a fountain with some other sculptural looking objects) that could be built and that people could say, “Oh, that is art in front of the library.” But, of course, it is just a proposition of an AI following a prompt. In the end, it is Part AI Part Art.

Another consideration is whether the prompt itself and Bing’s response are less art than other conceptual instructional art and their manifestations.

Yoko Ono in her book Grapefruit gives instructions to be completed as works of art. One page of instruction starts with the capitalized text “PAINTING TO BE STEPPED ON.” More text follows, “Leave a piece of canvas or finished painting on the floor or in the street.” The date is the last bit of text on the page, “1960 winter.”

Ono’s piece can be complete without the instructions being followed. In a similar way, the art in generating AI images is perhaps in creating the prompt. If you can read the prompt, the work does not need to be enacted in order for it to be art. Then again, an artist’s, or a reader’s, or an AI’s realization of the prompt is its own thing—it is a reification of what was abstract. When Bing’s AI makes a concrete image of an idea that an artist suggests, the product is Part AI Part Art. No need for a polemic, but you yourself can compare Bing’s version to Ono’s realization of her own instructions—and then you can make your own instructions.

When not providing Menlo College’s large population of international students with vital services, Erik Bakke creates art in Mountain View and King City, California.

Yoko Ono. Painting to Be Stepped On. 1960/1961. Installation view, Paintings & Drawings by Yoko Ono, AG Gallery, New York, July 17–30, 1961. Photo: George Maciunas The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift, 2008. © 2015 George Maciunas

Yoko Ono, 1960

Bing, 2023

The choice is key...

Using Chatbot To Do Homework? What Menlo Students Say.

By Tricia Soto

After9yearsasInformationServicesLibrarianatBowmanLibrary,TriciaSotonowservesasAssistantEditorforMenloCollege MagazinewhileshepursuesaTechnicalCertificateattheSanFranciscoSchoolofNeedleworkandDesign.

It should be no surprise that tech-savvy Menlo students, known for embracing innovation, are already familiar with Artificial Intelligence generative tools such as ChatGPT and Bard. Responding to an informal anonymous campus survey, students revealed that not only are they familiar with these tools but over 65% of the respondents have used them to aid in completing assignments or exams. Students appreciate the knowledge-enhancing capabilities of ChatGPT, enabling them to work faster and gain deeper insights. One respondent wrote that it will: “improve [our] communication skills. It can be used to draft emails, create presentations, or even help with content creation. ChatGPT can provide quick answers and insights on various topics, which can help save time and boost productivity. It can also perform tasks like data analysis, which can be valuable for my major.”

Students feel they are getting quick and accurate answers to complex problems, making their lives considerably more manageable. “ChatGPT can be a great study aid for students. It can assist in researching and summarizing complex topics, making it easier to understand and learn new material. I used to use JSTOR for research, and couldn’t always find the research paper I needed. ChatGPT can help me find the exact research paper I need and give me links to it.”

The tool particularly helps international students to understand unfamiliar terms and formulate sentences correctly, facilitating their integration into academic environments. “I am an international student so sometimes it’s useful to explain terms from class that I may not understand or to help me formulate a sentence the right way.”

Students see ChatGPT’s benefits extending beyond the academic realm. “A lot of lawyers are using ChatGPT for assistance on cases and even making their own AI civil law robots.” Another student noted that the tool can “build, summarize, and analyze financial statements in seconds.”

One student moved beyond content creation, lauding the potential benefits to collaboration, professional development, networking, and even time management. “ChatGPT can help me prioritize tasks, set reminders, and manage my calendar effectively.”

While embracing the benefits of AI-powered tools, students also recognize the potential downsides of relying on ChatGPT too heavily. Concerns about misinformation, privacy, and ethical issues arose, and some highlighted the need for responsible usage and safeguarding of sensitive information.

“One who uses ChatGPT won’t necessarily have to ponder the content it creates. Creative works might lose their unique value grounded in the creator’s individual thought process. We might become more reliant on AI to conduct tasks rather than using our own cognitive and unique abilities—we stop thinking.”

“People abuse it and lose their critical thinking skills.”

“Seductive for students to not do any work anymore, rely too much on AI, and believe everything.”

“ChatGPT can provide incorrect or outdated information, leading users to make decisions based on inaccurate data or faulty understanding. It also lacks emotional intelligence and may not be able to provide empathetic or contextually appropriate responses in some situations, which could negatively impact human relationships.”

Overall, students view ChatGPT as a valuable tool. It empowers them with knowledge, accelerates their work processes, and encourages creativity. However, they also believe it essential to strike a balance, addressing concerns surrounding privacy, ethics, and maintaining a student’s individuality. They also see the need for responsible usage and ethical guidelines, as ChatGPT and other AI tools are quickly transforming the educational landscape.

Here to Help, Not to Author

Professors

Look at ChatGPT in the Classroom

This spring Deans Melissa Michelson and Mouwafac Sidaoui asked faculty to post their thoughts about such questions as whether students should be forbidden to use ChatGPT or if they should instead be taught to think critically about it. Is the use of ChatGPT in violation of academic integrity? How are faculty revamping the way they teach?

Here are excerpts from two of the anonymous answers on the faculty discussion board.

It is impossible to ban using ChatGPT. The students are going to use it, and we have to accept that! We need to teach students that ChatGPT is potentially inaccurate. ChatGPT is pulling from the entire internet, whether it is accurate or not. So it is not a reliable source.

If students are simply copying and pasting ChatGPT, that is technically plagiarism (and it is easy to check through GPTZero). I encourage my students to use ChatGPT as a starting off point to

I’m wary of assuming that it is easy to check whether a student has used ChatGPT. Both anecdotally and in news reports, I’ve heard tales of false positives. See, for example, the article by Victor Tangermann, “There’s a Problem with that App that Detects GPT-Written Text: It’s Not Very Accurate” (in Futurism 9, January 2023).

Here’s the highlight:

“The numbers speak for themselves. GPTZero correctly identified the ChatGPT text in seven out of eight attempts and the human writing six out of eight times. Don’t get us wrong: those results are impressive. But they also indicate that if a teacher or professor tried using the tool to bust students doing coursework with ChatGPT, they would end up falsely accusing nearly 20 percent of them of academic misconduct.”

This is not to say that AI detectors aren’t useful tools. I’m glad GPTZero will be available through Canvas, but I do think we should tread carefully. The English department at the University of Jamestown, for example, has instituted a policy to run a suspected text through 3 detectors.

I would approach any flagged text as I would when I suspect a student of plagiarism, asking the student about their process, why they chose their topic, and how they constructed their argument, questions to demonstrate that they developed the writing themselves.

generate ideas, brainstorm, and outline. But they need to make the content their own. It is obvious when the writing is not original.

As faculty, we need to be more creative and thoughtful about what a bot can answer vs. only our students can answer. We faculty need to do the work of updating our quizzes, exams, essay prompts, and discussion questions that will make it impossible for a bot to answer (either by making it a personal reflection, a creative personal project, or tailored in some other way).

And on that note, I think the ChatGPT issue is actually just a symptom of a bigger pedagogical question about how we approach evaluating student writing. A big part of why we assign writing is not about the final product—the essay or text they turn in. It’s about the process.

We want students to get the learning experience of the process—doing the research, learning about the field, evaluating sources and determining which positions are persuasive and well-supported—the critical thinking work that goes along with preparing to write. And the analytical work that is involved in constructing an argument, and organizing and synthesizing information. The thinking-through and clarity of understanding that is a necessary precursor to clarity of expression.

Students often don’t value that process. They don’t see what is lost by taking the shortcut.

But can we really expect them to value the process, if we teach them not to? When we only look at, evaluate, respond to, and give credit for the finished product, it seems like we don’t value the process, so why would they?

The more we scaffold assignments, have students share the stages of their process along the way, and respond to how they write and not just what : first, the more work it becomes for them to try to fake this process, and second, the more opportunities we have to help them see why the process has payoff for them, and build intrinsic motivation to avoid academic dishonesty.

big part of why we assign writing is not about the final product— the essay or text they turn in. It’s about the process.

Learning to write with a new tool

Helping our Students Master the Information Age

By Mouwafac Sidaoui, Ph.D., Vice President for

Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Business

To prepare students for success in the information age, we need more than traditional rote learning. The abundance of accessible information necessitates a shift in educational practices towards equipping students with the skills for effectively utilizing the knowledge they acquire. ChatGPT can help them do so.

As with any technology, the use of ChatGPT in higher education raises critical ethical considerations. Forbes magazine reports that 43% of college students have had experience using AI tools like ChatGPT, 51% believe that using ChatGPT to complete assignments is cheating, and about 20% of college students have used AI tools to complete assignments.

Educators play a crucial role in guiding students to use ChatGPT responsibly and to supplement it with other learning methods to ensure a well-rounded education. We need to educate our students about the limitations and biases of ChatGPT, as well as the potential pitfalls of relying solely on AI-driven tools for learning. We owe it to our students to help them develop digital literacy skills to evaluate information critically, identify credible sources, and understand the ethical implications of using AI tools.

As educators, we need to keep in mind that ChatGPT has already had an impact in the job market. Menlo College is already ahead of the game, offering courses such as The Art of Thinking Like a Data Scientist, Digital Transformation, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, and Technoethics and Responsibility. We are deeply committed to keeping ahead of technology, enabling our students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a digital world.

ChatGPT is a Pantry without a Cook

By Pamela Gullard, Senior Adjunct Professor of Literature

For a month I told myself I wouldn’t write an article in defense of human-generated writing. When I started to think about what I would say, I’d stop myself. No, you don’t have time for this. No one wants your opinion. You’re not an expert in this field. Then late one night, I started to write. This is the way humans work—in a mess, with thoughts at cross-purposes, contradictions galore. The way AI works? Cleanly, creating a draft on command (no second, third, or thirty-first draft). AI-written products are grammatical, logical (mostly), and easy to digest. But AI cannot create the line, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” expressing the anguish of a teenager facing the unholy social restrictions on her enormous, pure love. She stands in the ancient dilemma between the political and the individual, crying out in favor of happiness. As we sit in the audience, we drink in her defense of joy with both our minds and our hearts.

AI creates pretty good writing. We’re burying ourselves in pretty good writing. I want brilliance, or at least something with a spark that’s worth reading. I’ve heard students, business managers, and even people who make a living as writers explain that AI is good for generating ideas. The problem is that those ideas come to our screens with no point of view. AI is neutral. One “idea” is as good as the next, as long as each idea can be strung together with another that seems to be in the same ballpark. The messy part of creating a worthwhile piece is pulled out from under our feet before we even get started.

My point of view is the most precious thing I have—it’s built from all the mornings I’ve walked out in my bare feet to greet the cat, my 3-year struggle with a thesis on ritualized behavior, the afternoon I couldn’t comfort my broken-hearted son. If Shakespeare used ChatGPT, he could have found other works of art about falling in love and used those works to write a pretty good play of his own. I don’t want that play. I don’t want another TV sitcom written solely by committee. I want Dan Levy’s Schitt’s Creek, the cutting edge of All in the Family, and also the deep smolder of Invisible Man or, more recently, of A Visit from the Goon Squad, works where I can feel the thump of one person’s hard-won, human point of view.

PROCESS LEARNING

CONCEPT RESEARCH

Move Over R2-D2...

This spring, Menlo College Magazine asked Jonathan Armer ’24 about his work as an inventor and entrepreneur.

There’s a New Robot in Town!

How did you come to Menlo?

After 2 years of studying mechanical engineering in New York, and 4 years of robotics and manufacturing development at Tesla, I decided to finish my bachelor’s degree. Menlo offers a great entrepreneurship program so I quit Tesla to go back to school full time and so far I’m loving my experience here. I’ve even considered switching to an accounting major to better equip myself with a skillset that will help me manage my own businesses.

Tell us about your company.

Fueled by our passion for robotics and AI, my friend and I founded Dystopia Robotics in September of 2021. We initially aimed to create an autonomous robot dog with an arm that could be used for virtually anything, but particularly for use as a mobile security and surveillance robot that could also take packages inside the home. We soon realized that the market was not ready for such a creation, but then we discovered another thing the robot could do. The land adjacent to airport runways was in need of surveillance to monitor for wildlife such as bird nests (to avoid potential bird strikes upon aircraft takeoff) and to monitor the secured perimeter of airports.

How did you sell your first robots?

After this discovery of a market ready for a robotic product that we could offer, we reached out to several airports, who could save money and effort by using a few of our robots rather than employing a whole team to watch screens and ride expensive golf carts. Our robots were far more accurate, efficient, and safer to use near runways than people. We partnered with another company that develops AI for autonomous vehicles and began redeveloping our own robots to endure the harsh conditions of the outdoors. An airport in Ohio purchased six to use for security surveillance and monitoring of their perimeter.

What activities have you participated in here at Menlo?

I am an active member of the Oaks Innovation Club where we have recently set up a makerspace with various tools and machines such as 3D printers and laser cutters. I also provide sound systems, lighting equipment, and DJ various events from OAKtoberFest to student-hosted festivals.

Dystopia Robotics Cofounder, Jonathan Armer ’24 with a few of his robots. Photos by George Retelas

A New Voice On Campus

Announcing the Center for Public Speaking at Menlo College

By Neal Rubin, Professor in Residence

College students today receive fewer opportunities to speak in public than their predecessors: online communication has limited the ways we interact in person. The pandemic further deprived students of personal engagement, and our phones have encouraged us to communicate in just about every way imaginable—except directly. Yet employers regularly list excellent communication skills as a critical asset that all employees must possess.

Thanks to a generous five-year, $2.5 million grant from The John Pritzker Family Fund and its founder, Menlo alum John Pritzker ’76, help is on the way. Menlo’s new Center for Public Speaking will ensure that every Menlo student graduates with training in verbal communication.

The timing of Menlo’s focus on effective oral communication coincides with a proliferation of artificial intelligence programs capable of composing college essays in a matter of seconds. Because public speaking remains a skill that cannot be outsourced, it deserves greater emphasis in today’s curriculum. The Center for Public Speaking at Menlo, opening fall 2023, will enable us to expand that curriculum, provide more robust instruction, help overcome an understandable fear, and turn effective public speaking into a skill possessed by all Menlo graduates. The Pritzker Fund grant will enable the Center to hire additional faculty and tutors, build a small recording studio and offer electives such as mock trials and speech and debate teams. TEDxMenloCollege will become an annual event on campus, where students will collaborate with guest lecturers and leaders from Silicon Valley to organize conferences on topics of interest in the fields of technology, education, politics, the sciences and more.

I am thrilled that Menlo is making this investment because I know from firsthand experience that acquiring the skill of public speaking is not only important, it’s transformative. As an Assistant United States Attorney at the Department of Justice, I received in-depth training in oral advocacy from some of the country’s finest lawyers. Their instruction improved my performance and led directly to better outcomes for my clients. I routinely tell my students what I learned: the best speakers all possess a “giving mentality,” knowing that their job is to share some experience or expertise in a way that teaches and benefits the audience. Before I speak to groups of people, I typically say—out loud to myself—“you’re here to give.” This reflex relaxes me, knowing I’ve been asked to help others, which feels like a gift.

Young people entering the workforce typically get limited chances to make a good first impression. Armed with these new resources, and with the opportunity to hone and practice their skills, Menlo students will not only make a good impression, they will become leaders who shape the 21st-century workforce and their local communities.

The College Tradition of Strong Oral Communication

The new Center for Public Speaking will continue Menlo’s longtime emphasis on developing students’ oral communication skills. For the past several years, the Writing and Oral Communication Center (WOCC) has shown students and faculty powerful tools for conveying their ideas in public.

Last year’s valedictorian Rufus Pappy ’22 attests to this support: “I was nervous at first, but the Writing and Oral Communication Center helped me prepare for the (Commencement) speech in many ways. Lisa Villarreal and Erik Bakke gave me feedback, helped me practice my delivery, and offered tips on how to connect with my audience. I was able to confidently deliver a speech that was engaging on a personal level.”

“HavingaCenterforPublic Speakingisverybeneficialfor peoplewhostrugglewithkeeping theircomposureinlargecrowds. Ifeellikemygenerationhave plentyofexperiencewithonline communication,soI’mreallylooking forwardtoexpandingmypublic speakingskills.Thelargestgroup I’veeverspokeninfrontof is30people,soIlookforwardto thechallengeofspeakingin frontof300,maybeoneday even3,000.”

—Mehkia Applewhite ’26 (pictured)

Photo by George Retelas

of 2023

Reflections on Commencement Day

By Steven Weiner, President

As the joyous notes of the Prince Charles Pipe Band lead the commencement procession and the speakers spread their wise words of persistence and hope, our students betray increasing impatience for that moment when the air will be filled with confetti and mortarboards. I get it.

Their impatience stands in marked contrast to my abiding desire to prolong the moment. As each student walks across the stage, I remember our conversations about their grandparents’ struggles, or their desire to make the world a better place, or the way they encourage their younger siblings to reach for the stars. I feel such pride in how they arrived at the grand achievement of receiving a college degree.

I also start to imagine all the promise that their future might hold. As Social Justice Award Winner Diana Guardado ’23 walks across the stage, I think about the ways her political ambitions might be realized; as 6’6” Chase Direito ’23 comes forward, I think about his future as a member of the professional volleyball Champions League; I hand Motsumi Banjoko ’23 her diploma while imaging the moment that awaits her three years hence when she’s due to receive her law degree from Northwestern University; and I imagine the professional success that awaits Basil Merk ’23, given his next role as an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

As president, I speak on behalf of all faculty and staff as I wish our graduates every success in life, while I also express our gratitude that our newly-minted graduates chose Menlo College on their life journey. My life has been enriched by their presence.

Pictured L-R: Kate Alngog ’23, Miguel Arguello ’23, and Melissa Herrera ’23. Photo by Crystal Cebedo ’20

Class of 2023

Photo:

Photos by Crystal Cebedo ’20

Class of 2023

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Victor Nunnemaker

As the first in his family to attend college and one who received life-changing scholarship support from Rotary, Victor Nunnemaker spoke directly to first-generation graduates (about a third of the 2023 class) and those receiving financial aid, almost all Menlo College students.

Nunnemaker reminded the cheering audience that their education is an invaluable tool for embracing adversity. His family challenges included violence and neglect, but he used his studies as a “superpower” for inspiration, resilience and drive. He urged the graduates to take “bold, calculated risks” in their young careers as they face the exponential change of rapid technological advances, climate crises, and the pandemic. While living boldly, Nunnemaker advised, graduates should choose their company wisely and find mentors, advisors to share moments of hope and point the way to new opportunities. Once graduates have found stability and success in their careers, they should pay it forward by becoming mentors to others who struggle. To that end, he created a foundation in his mother’s name to encourage everyone to become financially literate.

In closing, Nunnemaker asked graduates to ponder a sage piece of advice from Winston Churchill:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Photo by Crystal Cebedo ’20

Aerial photography by George Retelas

Class of 2023

Student Leaders Practice the Innovation they Preach

ValedictorianSamueleMian,salutatorianNicholeSmith,andStudentBodyPresidentRaymondJuballahave inspiredtheclassof2023throughouttheiryearsatMenloCollege.Beforecommencement,theeditorsof MenloCollegeMagazineaskedthemabouttheirexperiencesandplans.

Valedictorian Samuele Mian

Valedictorian Samuele Mian ’22 comes from Palmanova, Italy, a small town near Croatia, and was Menlo’s first FinTech (Financial Technologies) major. He cofounded the Business Analytics Club, was an FEI Rising Stars Advisory Board member, and served on the leadership board of the Finance & Investments Club.

What can you tell us about your academic journey?

I was the first in my family to receive a high school degree and wanted to experience life in another culture—almost no one in my family has lived outside Italy. I considered a job offer in Germany, but my relative who relocated to California encouraged me to come here to expand my thinking and learn a new language. I’m proud to be earning my degree from Menlo, and I’m looking forward to balancing tradition and progress by giving back to my family, who have supported me with frequent calls and videos and, most important, the handwritten letters that always make me smile.

What’s important about being the kind of global citizen you exemplify?

Being a global citizen is an opportunity to embrace and foster a sense of community and belonging across different cultures. I believe in mutual respect and I try to achieve some understanding between cultures. We grow up, of course, with different traditions in different languages but we also realize that diversity is what makes us equal. That perspective definitely makes us stronger.

Congratulations on coauthoring the article with Dean Mouwafac Sidaoui and fellow Menlo student Zach Arslankhuyag ’23. You are the first two Menlo students ever to publish a peer-reviewed article. Tell us about that.

The process was an exciting eight months, from data collection and analysis to publication. The article, “Fintech and Islamic banking growth: new evidence,” compares Islamic and US banking systems, showing how Islamic banks are using financial technologies to drive growth during an economic downturn.

Salutatorian Nichole Smith

Salutatorian Nichole Smith is an Accounting major, president of the Accounting Club, and was an intern at Ernst and Young.

Besides being a star student, you enjoy being a gamer. Tell us about that. I love classics such as Minecraft and Pokémon, and recently I’ve gotten into the horror genre, especially Amnesia: the Dark Descent, which has inspired a research project I’m doing with Professor Jodie Austin. I’m looking at the historical transformation of thought from religion to science and the corresponding growth of Gothic horror fiction, especially the stories of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe. I want to discover what exactly makes horror games so scary, especially because these things aren’t happening to us in real life. I’m interested in how artistic horror elements such as sound and light and dark play into the horror experience.

What do you think about Mary Shelley?

Authors like Shelley and Poe were ahead of their times not only in developing Gothic horror as a genre but also in subtly implementing psychological horror, as in “The Cask of Amontillado,” which explores the idea of being locked away and having your individuality or your decisions taken away from you. That’s profound, as is how Mary Shelley took a known entity—a human being—and made him into something unknown, a creature.

How do you maintain your renaissance-ness?

I try to maintain my child-like sense of wonder in everything around me, allowing my mind to gravitate to whatever I think is interesting. That’s definitely reflected in the classes I’ve taken at Menlo. Though I am a business major I still really have a deep appreciation for the arts, theater, and philosophy. I never want to set those things aside just because I’m focusing on a professional business track. Allowing myself that freedom to explore things that interest me will not only bring me balance as a person but also enable me to give attention to every part of my life, both professional and non-professional.

Photos by George Retelas

Student Government Association President Raymond Juballa

Student Body President Raymond Juballa was a transfer student who revived the Oaks Innovation Club after the pandemic, became the first PR1 rower at Menlo, was inducted into the University Innovation Fellows, served as a campus orientation leader, and was awarded the Golden Oaks Service Award.

What is it like being a maker?

I have always been a tinkerer. Today, I focus on the idea of swiveling, or, pivoting, in terms of how to respond when making, or how to respond when life throws you a roadblock. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to find a new path toward the goal.

You clearly offer a talent for hope.

I tie hope into the idea of innovation, where it’s not hope so much as problem-solving. I have always been a fixer, a problem-solver. I see something I used to do handily and set my sights on figuring out how I might do it differently with the abilities I have today. I see no value in complaining when I can start innovating.

How have your leadership qualities grown over time?

Before student government, I was a club officer and teen leader in a very well-structured youth development program. From that, I brought a passion for community involvement, a vision for sustainable structure, and a strong work ethic. As student body president I developed delegation skills and the patience and tolerance to let people learn by doing, while still moving forward toward establishing a strong student government foundation. I consistently based our activities on the constitution, rules of order, and record-keeping to provide a strong engaged community experience on our campus.

What’s next for you?

First up, I am excited to return to driving this summer. After four years, a fully customized van is on its way and will bring me increased independence and the ability to drive myself to work. Then, I will be free to pursue part-time work and a master’s degree. I am watching for the Menlo Executive Information Systems program to come to life. I see myself staying connected to Menlo. I fully expect to find ways to acknowledge the value of my Menlo experience and lead other fellow Oaks to do the same.

Photo by George Retelas

GSC

Menlo College Students G BIG in Scaling Challenge

A team of Menlo College students—Mary Antonette Reyes ’25, Bryan Zaremba ’23, Paul Breuer ’25, and Anthea Weiland ’25 —emerged as the Gold Medal winner of the prestigious Global Scaling Challenge 2023 hosted by the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management. Out of 35 teams from 25 universities across the world, against graduates and fellow undergraduates, Menlo College outperformed the competition by offering expert consultancy to three space-tech startups, providing recommendations on scaling their businesses.

Mentored by Dr. Fabian Eggers, Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, the team conducted extensive research on the AI and space industry to analyze the growth potential of RS21, a data science company that uses artificial intelligence to improve data-based decision-making; Proof Labs, offering cyber-security; and IDEAS Engineering & Technology, providing digital design and embedded systems engineering services to the defense and space industries. The team identified the most effective strategies for each of these companies to help them expand.

Mary Reyes explains, “Our team prioritized even the smallest details to tell a compelling story of how each startup could experience immense growth through our scaling plan.”

Menlo College shared first place with the University of Denver and enjoyed the excitement of learning from each other’s best work. Mary Reyes says, “This competition has truly showcased the brightest future of the industry, and we are honored to be a part of it.”

Photo by Melisa Ibrahimovic ’25

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in April, Menlo College’s Pacific Islander Club hosted its annual lū’au, no longer interrupted by Covid. Hundreds of participants came to the quad to eat traditional pūpūs and watch students enacting the intricate story dances of the islands. Those who learned the beautiful moves during childhood performed alongside students who have picked up the skills since joining the club. Thank you to the Pacific Islander Club for spreading aloha across the campus quad!

“The lū’au this year was a hit! There was amazing food, music and performances that immersed us in the culture of Hawaii.”

Jon Armer ’25

Photos by Benjamin Fish ’24

Associate Professor Sergey Anokhin had a paper entitled “CEO Duality and Tenure, and the Adoption of Goal Ambidexterity in Corporate Venture Capital” accepted by the Journal of Business Venturing Insights. Based on a study of corporate venture capital investments, the paper explores the factors leading to goal ambidexterity.

Professor Emerita of Marketing Stephanie Dellande co-wrote an editorial entitled “Fulfilling Jerome’s Legacy” on Jerome Williams’ legacy in the field of consumer research. She also collaborated on “Moving beyond Perceptions: Examining Service Disparities among Consumers” as a part of her co-edited special issue on Racism and Discrimination in the Marketplace for the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

Associate Professor Ruixue Du’s article titled “CFO Education on the Choice of Earnings Management” was accepted for publication by the Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance.

Adjunct Professor Zaki Hasan was honored at the San Francisco Press Club’s 45th Annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards. Two of his articles that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle won awards in the “Newspapers-Daily: Editorial” and “Newspapers-Daily: Entertainment Review” categories.

Associate Professor Lan Jiang’s recent work entitled “Effects of the anthropomorphic image of intelligent customer service avatars on consumers’ willingness to interact after service failure” was published in the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing in March. As AI language technology is making rapid breakthroughs, its application in marketing, e.g. in a customer service chatbot is also evolving into a new phase. Jiang’s research examines how the design of the AI avatar can facilitate consumer experience.

Assistant Professor Jakob Kotas worked with Priscilla Perey Ratonel ’25 on a research project beginning in January of 2023. They attended the Alpha Chi Convention 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico this spring. Priscilla presented the talk “Covid Campus Simulation: Predicting and Modeling SIR Populations as Preventative Policies are Implemented Over Time” and won the Joseph E. and Bessie Mae Pryor Prize for Best Presentation in Mathematics.

Professor Dima Leshchinskii was featured in a WalletHub piece about business credit cards with rewards. He also invited venture capitalist Ajay Chopra to present in his Entrepreneurial Finance course this spring.

Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor Melissa Michelson was featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed in articles about youth voter turnout and her work with the Student Vote Research Network. She was interviewed about elections and political issues by KTVU-FOX 2, KGO-ABC 7, and Noticias Telemundo, and various newspapers including The Washington Post, The Sacramento Bee, and The Los Angeles Times. She also served as the live election night political analyst for KTVU on November 8, 2022.

In December 2022, Michelson co-wrote an article in The Washington Post about President Joe Biden’s marijuana policy. In February 2023, Michelson was named to the American Board of Academic Deans.

Associate Professor Lisa Mendelman became the new faculty advisor for the Alpha Chi Honor Society. She also gave an invited talk “Green Skinned Goddesses: Chlorosis and the Shapeshifting Modern Girl in Science and Literature” at the Science Studies Colloquium at the University of California, San Diego this June.

Visiting Professor Pablo Paredes Romero was invited to speak at the third annual City of Ceres Bridging the Gap resource business event, where he led a workshop on starting a business.

Lecturer Lakiba Pittman (left) held a Mindful Self-Compassion talk for the Stanford Hospital Department of Pediatrics’ Endocrinology retreat and presented for the newest student cohort of Stanford’s School of Design. She also led a four-week Compassion Cultivation Training for Stanford’s Health Living Program this spring and another training for the Compassion Institute. Pittman appeared at The Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco to read her poems from the book “Black Fire This Time” in a Black History Month celebration alongside other poets in February.

Assistant Professor Melissa Eriko Poulsen attended the annual conference of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA). She presented her co-written article “‘I Was Unlike All Other Girls’: Water & Reimagined Femininity in Lisa Ko’s The Leavers.” The article examines the novel’s use of water metaphors to represent the perils and the possibilities faced by an undocumented Chinese mother in the United States. At the next PAMLA conference, Dr. Poulsen will serve as the presiding officer for all Asian American Literary and Cultural Studies panels.

Associate Professor Sean Pradhan took on the role of Faculty Assessment Coordinator in the School of Business for the Spring 2023 semester. He also had two research projects published and four others that were accepted for presentation.

“Using experiments in sport consumer behavior research: A review and directions for future research” was published in Sport Marketing Quarterly. Co-written with colleagues from the NASA Ames Research Center, “Sex differences in perceptions of sleep inertia following nighttime awakenings” can be found in SLEEP Advances.

Director of Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Kristina Powers published the third edition of Organization & Administration in Higher Education. This edition features a chapter by Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer, and Dean of the School of Business Dr. Mouwafac Sidaoui. The book is available on amazon.com.

Adjunct Professor Jonathan Reichental ran smart city workshops in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2022, to help the national electricity company understand the role of smart cities in the future of their business. In December 2022, he released Data Governance for Dummies, which became the top new release on Amazon, and in the same month, he hosted the 10-year ASAN celebration in Baku, Azerbaijan.

At the beginning of 2023, Reichental delivered workshops in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also released Cryptocurrency QuickStart Guide, which became the top new release on Amazon. Additionally, Reichental worked with a national telecommunications company to create a strategy around the use of the Internet-of-Things and spoke at the World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE in February. That same month, he gave a talk at New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Architecture and Design. Recently, he became an advisor to the government of Singapore.

FACULTY NEWS

VP for Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer, and Dean of the School of Business Dr. Mouwafac Sidaoui appeared on Sky News Arabia during the Academic Global Immersion trip in January. He spoke about how local students can study abroad and earn scholarships.

Vice President of Athletics and Enrollment Management Keith Spataro and Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Joey Martinez ’03 were featured in FloWrestling on the prowess of Menlo Athletics’ wrestling teams.

Associate Professor Manish Tewari (left) and Assistant Professor Faten Ben Bouheni (right) cowrote two papers. The paper entitled “Over-Optimism, Credit Expansion, and Banks’ Risk and Return” can be found in The Banking and Finance Review. The paper examines the relationship between periods of rapid credit expansion and predictors of the future substandard performance of banks.

Providing strong evidence of the fight-to-safety phenomenon from the real estate market, with REITs as the proxy to the bond market during elevated real estate market volatility, their paper “Common Risk Factors and Risk-Return Trade-off for REITs and Treasuries” was accepted for publication in The Journal of Asset Management.

Associate Professor Tewari, Assistant Professor Ben Bouheni, and Dean Sidaoui co-wrote a paper titled “An Econometric Understanding of Fintech and Operating Performance” for The Review of Accounting and Finance.

Adjunct Professor Don Uy-Barreta made a presentation on the U.S. debt limit to the Menlo Park Rotary Club in February.

Executive Director for Academic Success Dr. Lisa Villarreal presented her research on a panel entitled Incorporating Medical Humanities in Teaching and Research at the annual meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association. Her paper was entitled “Gothic Aesthetics of Race and Class in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Medicine: A Case Study in the Anxious Medical Gaze.”

Former Adjunct Professor Bill Widmer was named Atherton’s town mayor. The Almanac published an article that reviewed his top priorities for his term.

Photos by Melisa Ibrahimovic ’25

Professors Tewari and Ben Bouheni shown with Margaux Théol ’23 and Bryan Zaremba ’22.

Winning Journalism

San Francisco Press Awards Conferred on Zaki Hasan

Zaki Hasan, Lecturer in Communications, won not one, but two, San Francisco Press Journalism Awards in December 2022. A longtime television and movie critic, Hasan examined the revivals of two beloved series, “Law and Order” and “The Wonder Years.” His award-winning reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle explain the cultural significance of these very different shows, revealing the enduring qualities that make them worthy of being remade for a new generation.

Why California History Matters

Dr. Melissa Michelson, Dean of Arts and Sciences, is the new lead author of the acclaimed textbook GoverningCaliforniaintheTwenty-FirstCentury (with co-authors Nadine Koch and Jolly Emrey).

Published by W. W. Norton, this comprehensive text introduces students to the major institutions and processes of California state politics and teaches them to think critically about how these processes affect their lives. Using contemporary examples and updated data on hot topics―such as the 2022 midterm election results, the impact of the recall vote for Governor Gavin Newsom, and the continuing challenges posed by the pandemic and wildfires―GoverningCalifornia shows students why we all need to know the past.

Photo by George Retelas

A Pillar of the College

Dr. Mark Hager, Professor of Psychology, brought his gentle wisdom to Menlo College students for eighteen years. To celebrate his service, President Weiner appointed him as Professor Emeritus.

Asked about his work, Dr. Hager said, “The best thing about teaching at Menlo is the chance to get to know students. I like to help them see their lives beyond Menlo—to see that this is part of the journey. Being a mentor to psychology students at Menlo and beyond has been deeply important to me. Thank you to my dear students, as well as colleagues, for having me as a part of the Menlo community.”

Dr. Michelson emphasized that Mark Hager has served steadily as a friend, advisor, and advocate for a generation of psychology students, transfer students, students of color, and LGBTQIA+ students. He has been responsible for supervising over 300 senior theses during his time at Menlo.

“Mark Hager touched the lives of so many Menlo College students,” Dean Michelson said. “Let us all give our thanks and wish him the very best for the future.”

Social Justice

In recognition of her distinguished service to Menlo College over the course of an 18-year career as a full-time faculty member, Dr. Marianne Marar Yacobian was granted a Professor Emerita of Global Studies title as of January 1, 2023. Professor Marar’s social justice-themed research interests led her to develop highly-subscribed classes with such titles as Human Rights in a Global Perspective, Human Rights, Diversity in the Workplace, and Sex & Culture. She was also a central figure in the development of Menlo’s interdisciplinary minor program in Equity and Justice Studies. Her teaching effectiveness was recognized by her fellow faculty members when she received the Faculty Service Award, the Charles B. Emerick Teaching Award, and by students when they named her the Faculty Member of the Year—twice over.

Professor Marar’s commitment to promote a more equitable, humane, and just world was a hallmark of her time at Menlo College. Her service will be remembered.

Marianne Marar Yacobian, right with Lilliana Chisler ’22 Photos by Crystal Cebedo ’20

Menlo’s First Graduate Program: Master of Arts in Sport and Performance Psychology

By Zack Bryant, Ph.D., MASPP Director and Assistant Professor of Psychology

I am thrilled to announce Menlo College’s first graduate program: the Master of Arts in Sport and Performance Psychology (MASPP).

The demand for professionals in the field is growing fast—the most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts double-digit growth in the industry, reflecting the fact that performance psychology has moved from an exclusive focus on athletics and the arts to incorporate the business sector as well. The consulting industry is alert to the demand: Deloitte has hundreds of openings for professionals with a master’s degree in performance psychology.

Menlo is uniquely positioned to prepare students for a career in the industry. The abundance of tech companies and professional and top-tier collegiate sports teams in the Bay Area offers incredible opportunities for Menlo students to build their professional network, grow their skills, and obtain job experience. Having coached and consulted with athletes at the high school and collegiate levels, I have a wide range of athletic coaching contacts that our students can leverage to find the field placements that will enable them to increase their skills and apply their knowledge.

Our two-year MASPP curriculum will encompass all eight content areas recommended by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. With that solid underpinning, graduates will be eligible to take the Certified Mental Performance Consultant exam, which is the gold-standard of the field and the only mental performance certification recognized by the NCAA (where Menlo Oaks will soon establish their home as they finalize the move from NAIA to NCAA in fall 2024).

In addition to the curriculum, we will offer informational sessions featuring industry professionals so that students can learn more about jobs available in the performance psychology field. Students will also develop ePortfolios to capture the full range of their performance enhancement activities and accomplishments, positioning them to be competitive in the job market.

Whether students are interested in coaching, teaching, working with professional athletes, service members, business executives, or performing artists, they will be prepared both academically and experientially to get the job of their dreams. I can’t wait to launch this program and teach and mentor the next generation of performance psychology consultants that will leave a lasting mark on the field. While we still need to secure approval from our accreditor before we launch, we are confident that we will be enrolling our first cohort of MASPP students this coming fall.

Photo by George Retelas

Career Connect Day 2023

Navigating the Job Market in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

By Jocylen Ashton, Executive Director of Internships & Career Services

Career Connect Day is a great opportunity for Menlo students to connect with future employers and get a foot in the door with all these big companies. I got to take great quality headshots for free and set up my professional LinkedIn profile. I can’t recommend CCD enough!

—Ella Sonnelid ’23

Use your network.

Know your audience.

These were just two of many valuable pieces of advice shared during Career Connect Day (CCD) 2023, which introduced Menlo students to alumni, industry leaders, and graduate schools. Members of the outside community enthusiastically shared their time and expertise, while students showed up ready to engage and learn, asking insightful questions. The exchanges with alumni, speakers, recruiters, and graduate programs alike, throughout the day, displayed how important building connections are to students’ career preparations. It was awesome to watch them learn and know they are building upon the Menlo competitive edge.

This year’s CCD focused on Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, so students could see how advances in technology will remain important influences for their future career paths. Jeremy Schifeling, LinkedIn’s former Education leader and one of the founders of The LinkedIn Guys, a personal branding and networking tool, spoke on “Get Insider Hiring Secrets – Including ChatGPT – from a Silicon Valley Pro!” Jeremy’s insights included taking ownership of your story and leveraging LinkedIn as a partner to position your “why me” to recruiters and hiring managers. He helped students build confidence in positioning themselves and getting out there to make connections.

The lunch keynote speaker was Michael Watson, a talent acquisition expert and artificial intelligence enthusiast who is dedicated to using cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize the world of work. His presentation “Career AI: Navigating the Job Market in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” helped students map their majors to future career paths and showcase skills that translated from the classroom to industry.

Other CCD programming included insider tips on work trends for top employing industries, workshops to aid student competency and skill development, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.

This year’s CCD provided insider knowledge about the latest technology trends impacting the workplace today and helped our students develop the self-knowledge necessary to take ownership of their career paths or their pursuit of graduate education. They also connected with these and other notable alumni: Golden State Warriors Partnership Coordinator Stewart Haller ’19; Denzell Jordan-Perry ’19, now the Head of Human Resources for the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula and a board member of the Compton Unified School District; Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Red Cross Hanna Malak ’12; Moran Technology Consulting Senior Consultant Giselle Martinez ’20; and San Jose Earthquakes Manager Brooke Menesini ’18.

Being referred for a job makes it 20 times more likely that you’ll be hired.

Recruiters spend an average of six seconds on each resume they receive.

Michael Watson, Keynote Speaker

LinkedIn headshot of Ella Sonnelid by Paolo Nogoy ’21

All other photography of Career Connect Day by Crystal Cebedo ’20.

Becoming Global Citizens

InJanuary2023,athirdcohortofstudentsledbyVicePresidentforStudentAffairs,ChiefAcademicOfficer,andDean oftheSchoolofBusinessMouwafacSidaouitravelledtoAbuDhabiandDubai,UnitedArabEmirates,tomeetwith businessandgovernmentleaders,includingHisExcellencySheikhNahyanBinMubarakAlNahyan,UAEMinisterof Tolerance.TheyspokewithexecutivesfromtheDarAlShariaFinanceCompany,theBuhlerGroup,theDubaiPort Worldandmanyothercorporations,learningaboutinternationalbusinesspracticesandmakingconnectionsacrossthe globe.TheyalsocametounderstandtheworldinnewwaysthroughtripstotheDubaiMuseumoftheFutureandtothe SheikhZayedGrandMosqueandotherculturalexperiences.Threeofthestudentsspoketousabouttheirlife-altering immersioninanotherculture.

Ian Brusewitz ’25

The Academic Global Immersion Program offers an exceptional opportunity for professional development and personal growth. From networking with prominent companies in various sectors to discovering the beauty of Middle Eastern culture, I was exposed to a world beyond the classroom and acquired invaluable knowledge that undoubtedly will benefit my future career—not to mention the incredible Menlo peers I got to know along the way. Seeing the world through the lens of a global citizen, I am more equipped than ever thanks to the enriching experience of joy, knowledge, and development that the AGI Program provides.

Photos by George Retelas

Margaux Théol ’23

I initially decided to take the Academic Global Immersion class in Dubai to have an experience to talk about in job interviews, but I didn’t expect it to impact me as much as it did. As a European, my four years at Menlo have enabled me to discover America, but this trip broadened my perspective of the world by introducing me to the Middle East. From the professional visits to the business connections we made, this trip prepared me to take on my career confidently while also adding Dubai into the places I would consider working. I also met incredible people from Menlo College that weren’t in my circle of friends and made lifetime relationships.

Benjamin Fish ’24

Ever since I was a little kid living in Wisconsin, the middle of the United States, I hoped to travel the world. Coming to Menlo to study and then finding myself embarking to Dubai for one of my classes has been a dream come true. It changed my point of view not only from an academic standpoint, but emotionally as well. Now I know the value that global knowledge provides, through the knowledge from professors, businesses, and top executives, but also from the journey itself. Through working with an outstanding student cohort as well as our amazing Dean Sidaoui, the AGI Program has been and will be one of the highlights of my college career.

Bottom photo: by Benjamin Fish ’24 using self-timer. Students jump at the chance to go to the Dubai Desert.

Pictured L-R: Thomas Depontes ’24, Jo Krumsvik ’24, Margaux Théol ’23, Kenji Vivas ’24, Benjamin Fish ’24, and Ian Brusewitz ’26.

My ExpEriEncE of Silicon VallEy iMMErSion

By Mary Antonette Reyes ’23

As a college student, I’ve learned that education extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. Last fall, after my participation in the Academic Global Immersion program in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, Dean Mouwafac Sidaoui recommended me for the Silicon Valley Immersion class, which took my learning to a whole new level.

SVI was a unique experience as it was taught in the heart of Silicon Valley, and the Friday class sessions were structured in three ways: student research presentations, invited speakers, and company visits. We started our classes with presentations on given topics to research, and in one of our assignments, I thoroughly enjoyed presenting a consultation for a real startup company in front of a consultant. One speaker that stood out to me was Colin O’Malley, the founder of Lucid Privacy Group, who shared his experience of finding creative ways to kick off his career. He helped secure his seat at the table by dropping off cookies along with his resumé, becoming known in the Valley as “the guy who brought the cookies.” His advice was invaluable for me as a student about to enter the job market. Some of the speakers even became my mentors who are currently helping me achieve my goal of landing a consulting internship. The learning experience did not end in the classroom, as we also traveled to various companies from different industries such as Fintech, Real Estate, AI, and Tech. I had the chance to visit Colliers, a commercial real estate company, and big conglomerates such as Zoom and Google. During the visits, I met company employees and executives, learned about their products and services, their work culture, and how they landed their jobs. I gained valuable advice and connections, and this experience taught me not only about the ecosystem in Silicon Valley but also about myself.

What makes this course truly special is the confidence it gives to Menlo students like me. I am a first-generation immigrant who grew up on Oahu and never thought she would be sitting in a conference room filled with Google employees who look just like her, teaching her the real ins and outs of working in the tech industry. The connections and knowledge I gained through this course informed all my other endeavors as a Campus Resident Assistant, Women In Leadership Development, and student worker on the Menlo campus. The course teaches Menlo students to start seeing themselves as future innovators and industry leaders by mingling with real life entrepreneurs.

Mary Reyes is Vice President of the Women in Leadership Development club, Student Representative to the Menlo College Strategic Planning Committee, Chief Marketing Officer for the Business Analytics club, and a resident assistant.

Pictured L-R: Mary Antonette Reyes ’25, Bryan Zaremba ’22, Samuele Mian ’23, Mouwafac Sidaoui, Maggie Aguilar Diaz ’23, Margaux Théol ’23, and Adélie Plumasseau ’22 at Google Headquarters.

Photos by Mary Antonette Reyes ’25

The Biggest Forces Challenging California Real Estate Today

By Sarahann Shapiro, JD, Professor in Residence of Real Estate and Director of the Real Estate Center

In March 2023, The Real Estate Center at Menlo College (TREC) held a conference featuring industry professionals, including Menlo alumni, discussing the topic of “The Greatest Challenge Facing California Real Estate Today and How We Should Meet It.”

Keynote speaker Lance Gidel of Gidel & Kocal Construction, which also sponsored the symposium, discussed the challenges of construction, both for new buildings and tenant improvements. He reviewed the drawback of an insufficient labor supply, a longstanding problem that continues to get worse as more construction workers in all specialties retire and are not replaced. California is woefully short, Gidel informed us, of brick layers, sheet rockers, pipe layers, carpenters and sheet metal workers. Nationwide, during 2022, the construction industry averaged 390,000 job openings per month, the highest level on record, and it is estimated that building trades in the country will be short by 650,000 workers in 2023.

Gidel suggested that immigration reforms would allow skilled tradesmen to obtain guest worker status and immigration work visas, similar to those already granted to high tech workers to fill empty slots.

Gidel also discussed the incredible supply chain delays and scarcities that are driving up the costs of construction. This is due to both rising prices in absolutely necessary items and added costs created by the long lead times on getting fixtures and appliances. The attendees gasped at some of the delays, such as waiting four months for doors, six to nine months for HVAC components and as much as a year for dishwashers. Particular problems also arise for those seeking to increase their electrical services to their buildings, with PG&E taking eight to eighteen months to approve and install expanded service, vital for the installation of additional car charging stations and ever-increasing numbers of electrical appliances as the use of natural gas continues to be restricted. The attendees appreciated hearing about strategies to position their construction projects for minimum delay and the greatest cost savings.

Other speakers looked at the challenges in retail real estate, office workspace changes, and business analytics applied to real estate. To read more, please go to Menlo.edu/real-estate-center.

Next year’s symposium for the Real Estate Center at Menlo College will be on Wednesday, March 14, 2024. We hope you save the date and join us.

Photo by Melisa Ibrahimovic ’25

The Night the Lights Went Out at Menlo

By Lea Schack ’26

I can tell you the exact moment I knew that Menlo was the right place for me. In January I left Rosenheim, Germany to begin my freshman year as a student-athlete on the women’s basketball team. On the night of February 23, I was sitting on the home bench as we hosted our first GSAC tournament game. Outside, a major storm raged, but inside the Haynes-Prim Pavilion the Menlo community had taken the slogan #PackThePrim to heart (alas, my slogan #HoopsHypesTheHaynes didn’t quite catch on), cheering us on to a ten-point lead against heavily favored Arizona Christian with five minutes left in regulation.

That’s when the pavilion went completely dark.

A halt in momentum is exactly what a trailing team needs to reset and stage a comeback. Our student section immediately rose to the occasion, switching on their phone flashlights and leading the crowd in the classic Steam chant, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” Watching from across the gym gave me goosebumps. I felt my school spirit and it made me proud to be an Oak. Here I was only a month as a student and it already felt like a community.

The lights were out for around 10-15 minutes but the audience kept cheering, singing, and creating a spirited atmosphere to keep the energy going. It was a moment I will always remember. The power returned, just long enough for us to win our first tournament game.

Later that night, after the power went out again, I was heading back to my dorm when I saw an impromptu mariachi band performing in the middle of the hallway. A crowd surrounded them, filming, singing, and holding party lights and just having a good time. Apparently some of the students pooled resources to hire some unplugged entertainment. I was so surprised by how my classmates reacted to a power outage. Back home, people would be complaining, but here at Menlo it was the complete opposite. People happily made the best out of the situation. That night was when I knew that coming to Menlo was the right choice for me.

Lea Schack ’26 talks with family back home in Germany about her time at Menlo. Photo by George Retelas

A still frame of the live stream captures the student section in the dark.

Alberte Frisch ’26 scores a thrilling 3-pointer in Round 2 of the tournament.

Photo by Brian Byllesby

Soccer, Stories, and Sun Señor Carlos López Soccer Alumni Day

By Henry Zatarain, Director of Sports Information and Game Operations

On a beautiful spring Saturday in Atherton, the Menlo soccer community came together to take part in the annual Señor Carlos López Soccer Alumni Day. Current and past Oaks took to the field to take part in 7-on-7 games, followed by lunch and conversation.

Carlos López took the reins of the men’s soccer team in 1961, and remained the program’s head coach until 1988, also serving as college president from 2004 to 2007. One of the winningest coaches in Menlo history, he accumulated 215 victories and 12 conference championships while coaching six All-Americans.

Larry Lopez, Carlos’s son, greeted the record number of attendees by saying that his father “would be absolutely pleased to see so many older players” on the field. One such alum was All-American Karl Buder ’66, who joined the team in Carlos López’s first year. “We played major schools like Stanford, Cal, San Francisco State, and USF. We lost every game, but we never gave up. That built [the program] into what it is today.”

This year’s event was the first for new women’s soccer head coach Freddy Delgado, who guided the Oaks to an overall record of 8-5-3 and a GSAC Tournament appearance in the fall.

“Of all the things about today’s soccer program, the thing my father would probably be the proudest of is the women’s soccer team and the success it’s having.”

-Larry Lopez ’84

Top: Karl Buder ’66 sharing stories with students prior to refereeing the game. Above: Chris Whitten ’68 wearing his letterman jacket. Whitten received it from Señor López during the 1967-68 varsity men’s soccer team for being an excellent team manager.

“Hearing stories from our alumni about how our program started and how it’s evolved is really cool. I feel honored to be a part of that legacy.”

-Kori-Ann Koverman ’23

Photos by George Retelas

ATHLETICS

OAKS RULE! Six Teams Qualified for Nationals

By Andrew Barton, Sports Information Director & Operations Coordinator

Spring 2023 delivered the kind of sports success most colleges can only hope for, cementing Menlo’s position among the country’s top small college sports programs.

After winning the GSAC Women’s Championship and finishing second at the NAIA Women’s Championship, Catherine Batang ’23 capped a stellar Menlo career by being named the top-ranked female golfer in the NAIA.

Wrestler Gulomjon Abdullaev ’27 claimed a national title and was named National Wrestler of the Year. Teammate Rysan Leong ’24 also won a national title and the men’s wrestling team finished fourth at nationals, with Joey Martinez nabbing Coach of the Year honors. Women’s wrestling had similar success, finishing fourth, propelled by the second-place finish of Alana Vivas ’23.

Photo by Henry Zatarain

Catherine Batang ’23

ATHLETICS

Women’s tennis coach Ben Cabell also won Coach of the Year. All told, six Menlo teams qualified for nationals, with three—men’s and women’s wrestling and men’s volleyball—earning topten finishes.

The newly restored Menlo cheerleading squad won the California state championship. Heralding the continued success of Menlo Athletics, international freshmen made significant contributions as well. Jamaican track phenomenon Neil-Matthew Sutherland ’26 revitalized Menlo’s hurdles and sprints teams. In his five appearances, he

Gulomjon Abdullaev ’27

Neil-Matthew Sutherland ’25

qualified for the national meet and won the GSAC title for the 110-meter hurdles. Guatemalan Emmanuel De Leon ’26, GSAC Freshman of the Year, has become the future of Menlo distance running.

Menlo’s team sports also found plenty of success on the biggest stage. Men’s volleyball kicked off their season with a ten-game winning streak, which propelled them to a top-six national ranking. Their impressive regular season culminated in the program’s first-ever national tournament appearance, where they won their first match. Lucas Larson ’23 and Konrad Stoklosinksi ’23 both earned All-American designations.

Giulia Desiderio ’26

Barbara Greenberg ’23

Konrad Stoklosinski ’23

Photos by Brian Byllesby

ATHLETICS

Emma Medina ’26, Alexandra Attard ’23, Grace Christian ’23, Sofia Quintero ’25

Led by All-American forward Kiara Brown ’24, women’s basketball advanced to the NAIA equivalent of “March Madness” following a stellar regular season that included a nine-game winning streak.

The numbers speak for themselves. Our 18 varsity teams this year won 149 of their matches, setting a new school record. 19 student-athletes achieved All-American status, while 31 athletes earned All-Conference recognition and 60 were named All-Conference Scholar-Athletes.

President Steven Weiner is beyond pleased with the year’s achievements.

“We expected a good year, but we got a great one.”

Photos by Brian Byllesby

Bernardo Berardinelli Silva ’23

Kiara Brown ’23

In Memoriam

Perry Walker Cole ’58: 1939-2022

Perry Walker Cole was a man of many passions, from sailing and swimming to science and the great outdoors. He was born in San Francisco in 1939 and led a life full of adventure and curiosity.

Cole graduated from Drake High School in 1957, where he was a competitive swimmer. He first attended Menlo College and then moved to Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University with a degree in Zoology. Cole’s scientific curiosity led him to pursue further education: He obtained a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Immunology from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, LA. After completing post-doctoral work in immunology at the University of Arizona, Perry worked at San Francisco General Hospital until his retirement in 2001.

Cole’s love for nature was contagious. He was an avid sailor - learning from his uncle in his early years - and sailed in the British Virgin Islands. He spent time hunting and fishing with his brother and son, and enjoyed backpacking, camping, hiking, and skiing with his wife and daughters.

Cole and his wife enjoyed having backpacking adventures together. They went to numerous places across the country, including a number of national parks and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also volunteered with the Sierra Club and Tamalpais Conservation Club.

Cole was a creative, fun-loving, and selfless person who deeply loved his family. He spoke his mind and lived with no regrets. Cole passed away on November 23, 2022, at his home in San Rafael, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his beloved wife Rosel Mulkey, his dear children Stephan, Jessica, and Jamie, his sister Cathy Kirk, his nieces and nephews, and his former wife and mother of Stephan Cole, Sallie Weaver.

John Howard ’59: 1937-2023

John Palmer Howard, born in 1937, was a lifelong resident of the Bay Area. He passed away peacefully at his home in Watsonville on January 29, 2023. Howard was a beloved father, friend, and community member. He is survived by his daughter Anne, her fiancé Erik Simpson, his beloved cat Fiona, and cousins in the Chicago area.

Howard graduated from Bellarmine in 1955 and pursued higher education at Menlo College and Stanford University. Throughout his life he had a passion for sports and competition. Howard was actively involved in the 8-man crew and even competed in the 1960 Olympic Rowing Trials under the guidance of coach Duvall “Dewey” Hecht. He was also an auto racing enthusiast who competed in his Lotus and Spitfire II at various tracks throughout the United States. Howard continued as a track steward and later on developed a love for golf; he particularly enjoyed playing at his favorite course, Poppy Hills.

After years of being a salesman for Johnson & Johnson, Howard founded International Motoring, a foreign car parts store in San Carlos. It was a local institution for many years. Later in life, Howard’s love for travel motivated him to become a tour guide. He served as the president of the San Francisco Tour Guild. Howard led city and wine country tours, and organized several international tours to his beloved Ireland.

Howard’s life was occupied by different kinds of adventures and challenges; one was a deadly form of melanoma that he survived more than 20 years ago. Despite the treatment effects that limited his athleticism, Howard held a positive attitude and never lost his ability to find joy and the little pleasures in life. He enjoyed spending time with his friends and listening to live music in front of the Walnut Creek Peet’s.

Howard will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His kindness, generosity, and adventurous spirit will be remembered and cherished by his family, friends, and the communities of which he was a part.

We also remember...

Carl Wittenberg Jr. ’49: 1930-2023

Jack Luceti ’57: 1938-2023

Michael Gordon McKeon ’59: 1939-2022

Peter Mansfield ’64: 1944-2022

David Johnson ’65: 1945-2017

Nick Onslow Bosustow ’63: 1940-2022

Nick Onslow Bosustow ’63, a gifted film producer, grew up in a family of artists, including his father Stephen Bosustow, a film producer, and brother Tee Bosustow, a documentary film maker who cofounded United Productions of America, an animation studio. Nick Bosustow, in the family tradition, produced 43 films and received five Oscar awards, 11 Oscar nominations, an Emmy award, and numerous international animation awards.

Despite his success in the animation industry, Bosustow felt the desire to embark on a new adventure later in life. In 1999, at the age of 59, he and his wife, Julie, volunteered to join the Peace Corps in Guatemala. After spending two and a half years in Guatemala, Bosustow then served as the Deputy Country Director for Peace Corps Suriname. He described this experience as “a totally, completely different life.” Following his onsite service with the Peace Corps, Bosustow worked as a senior recruiter in the Peace Corps San Francisco office until his retirement in 2009.

Throughout his life, Bosustow maintained an unwaveringly optimistic and gentle spirit. He was a warm and humorous person who was deeply grateful for life. His family held a special place in his heart, followed closely by his friends. Bosustow is survived by his wife Julie, daughters Nicole and Jenny, niece Sylvie, grandchildren, and a loving community of friends.

Jack Nathan Pitluk III ’75: 1952-2022

Chris Whiting ’83: 1962-2023

Michael Martin Holly ’01: 1978-2022

Compiled by Leshi Chen ’25

Photo Courtesy of IU Libraries Moving Image Archive, Indiana University

Raymond “Ray” Solari, Beloved Coach (1928-2023)

By Keith Spataro, Vice President for Enrollment and Athletics

Ray Solari, a legendary football coach, died this spring at age 95. As we mourn, we also celebrate the man who lives in the hearts of generations of athletes. Coach Ray embodied the passion and discipline that he instilled in his players.

He was a two-time letter winner at the University of California at Berkeley, where he played in three Rose Bowls. Drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he later played for the San Francisco 49ers. He became Head Coach of Menlo College’s Football program in 1972, mentoring student-athletes for 22 years.

It was an honor to have known Coach Ray. From the first time we met in the early 2000s, I realized what a cornerstone he was to the foundation of our athletics program. To that end, and through a generous donation by Robert Mack ’74, we named our athletics conference room in Coach Solari’s honor.

Coach Ray’s knowledge of football, his sense of humor, and his creative ways of keeping athletes motivated earned him respect from hundreds in his time at Menlo. He was a trailblazer for Menlo Athletics, with his leadership particularly valuable at the critical juncture when Menlo made the transition to a four-year program and membership in the NCAA Division III. He led the Oaks to a record 110 wins, becoming one of our most winning coaches in Menlo Athletics history. In 1985, after an undefeated season, he led the Oaks to a Coast Conference Championship and was named Northern California Coach of the Year. About his time playing for Ray, former player Tony Borba ’85 said, “Coach Solari was a father figure to those of us who played for him. As a coach and teacher, he had a significant sphere of influence, and a profound impact on his players’ lives. Not only was he a great coach, but he was also humble, had a great sense of humor, and was an excellent storyteller. He would make everyone on the team feel relaxed and respected. He had a collection of roadmaps for success in life, and many of us can remember them even after all these years. One that comes to mind is ‘Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.’ He lived an amazing life.”

Another one of Coach Ray’s slogans was “Dare to struggle, dare to win.” I carry that motto with me. Coach Ray made an enormous impact on all of us who crossed his path. He will be missed dearly on the Menlo campus.

A Home for All Students Arrillaga Hall Opens

May 2023 saw the dedication of the first new building on campus in 43 years, the John Arrillaga Residence Hall. That last building, Haynes-Prim Pavilion, took six years from permit to opening. The new building took half that time. The reason, according to President Steven Weiner? John Arrillaga.

In their dedication speeches, both President Weiner and emeritus board member Charles “Chop” Keenan ’58 noted the high cost of housing in Silicon Valley. “If we didn’t have the housing available to students on campus, we were in effect denying access to education for a lot of people we still had the opportunity to serve,” said Weiner.

Keenan concurred. “I think we had 530 beds and roughly 900 students. But with Silicon Valley going crazy, our students couldn’t afford to go out and rent in the marketplace. And the thing about college is, you get half the knowledge in the classroom, and the other half you get from your fellow students. The Menlo residential experience is unique and it’s safe and it’s small. It’s part of our secret sauce.”

So Arrillaga and Keenan went to work, and the result is a residence hall to be proud of—thanks to many, but principally to the two of them and trustee David Irmer ’58. Student Government President Raymond Juballa ’23 added his praise and thanks on behalf of the students. “When I look at this building, I see opportunity. I see a future. I see a community. This building has done so much more than just house students. It has brought together so much of the campus, serving as a central location for all people to come together, celebrate diversity, all their abilities and all their interests. Thank you all.”

President Weiner expressed his regret that John Arrillaga didn’t live to see the building open. “In the months after John passed away, many of our students would ask me, ‘Where’s the guy in the golf cart?’ It was a sad thing for me to relive because I miss him. He was tough, but he was a pretty wonderful person. And what he brought to Menlo College was pretty wonderful.”

Gioia Arrillaga with President Weiner

Photo by George Retelas

Photo by Crystal Cebedo ’20