Northern Magazine Spring 2006

alumni awards

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new student union

northern kentucky university

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spring 2006

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summer fun

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volume 6, no. 1

staying home with TV anchors Tricia Macke and Sheree Paolello page 4

going out A l u m n i comedians page 28

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NKU students Galadriel Stineman, Tony Gulla and Jenetta Thomas enjoy a spring day on a bridge near the newly redeveloped lake area.

northern kentucky university

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spring 2006

volume 6, no. 1

features

4

going far but staying home

News anchors Macke and Paolello achieve their dreams without leaving home

10

20

28

NKU alumni want you to laugh

Building will transform campus

Love starts at NKU and grows with time and distance

New Student Union breaks ground

love rings true

“Handsome” men

14

alumni awards This year’s winners

regulars

Calendar

22 northern news 24

alumni journal 29

northern athletics 32

class notes 34

publisher

CONTRIBUTORS

CORRESPONDENCE

Joe Ruh

Northern Kentucky University Office of Alumni Programs Mark R. Herrmann Center Nunn Drive Highland Heights, Kentucky 41099 phone: (859) 572–5486 web: alumni.nku.edu

photographer

e-mail:

Deidra S. Fajack

Gracie Bonds Staples

editor

Director of Alumni Programs

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dionne Laycock ’90

Gerard A. St. Amand

Tim Downer

Vice President for University Advancement

Photography

Rob Pasquinucci

designer

alumni@nku.edu

NORTHERN is published four times a year by the Office of Alumni Programs at Northern Kentucky University for its graduates, donors and friends. Copyright 2005, Northern Kentucky University.

Going far but staying home News anchors Macke and Paolello achieve their dreams without leaving home

By Rob Pasquinucci

“Five….four…three, two…”

As you hear the countdown in your ear, you tuck your jacket underneath you and shift in the anchor chair.

You look into the camera and as the red light pops on you wish the city good evening. Then, with your entire hometown watching, you deliver the day’s top stories.

This is just part of a typical evening for two Northern Kentucky University alumnae, Tricia Macke, ’92 and Sheree Paolello,’96. The two are television news anchors – Macke anchors the 10 O’Clock News on WXIX, Channel 19 and Paolello the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. news shows on WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati. Macke has been a fixture on the 10 O’Clock News since 1999 while Paolello was named anchor earlier this year. She joined co-

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anchor Sandra Ali to make Cincinnati TV history as the first all-woman anchor team.

Macke and Paolello share more than the same alma mater and made-for-TV smiles. Both women are examples of the drive and determination common among NKU students. Both will tell you it wasn’t long ago that they were juggling classes, internships, restaurant work and extracurricular activities as NKU students. Both graduated with a singular determination to succeed as an on-air TV news personality. Both are working moms. And both have stayed in their hometowns to remain close to family despite opportunities in larger markets. Here’s a closer look at two familiar faces from Cincinnati television.

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The Mackes: Katlynn Paige, Dashiell Trey, husband Chris, Piper Susan and Spencer Christian. Laura Laine Photography Tricia Macke is surrounded by photos of her children at her work area at Channel 19.

making time with Tricia Macke’s work day starts in the evening, arriving at the WXIX studios around 5:30 to do “promos” – teasers for the news that will run during the station’s programming that night (she alternates these duties with co-anchor Jack Atherton). She’ll occasionally leave the studio to attend a charity event or make a quick run home to enjoy dinner with her children, who are a big part of her life. Photos of the kids are close at hand in her cubicle, which is a wadded-paper throw from the news set. The self-proclaimed “news hound” takes a look at the evening’s top stories, but often will spend a big part of the beginning of her day reading and responding to emails from viewers.

“I try to respond to everyone,” Macke says. “I think it’s your obligation. It comes with the territory.”

Macke’s been open about her private life, sharing with viewers her struggle with miscarriage and the pain of losing her sister to cancer. She also has joined the fight against breast cancer, encouraging women to get mammograms and even doing a story about her own mammogram experience.

“So many viewers come up to me or e-mail me to say they’ve dealt with the same thing.

They are encouraged to know they aren’t alone,” Macke says, adding that the community has given her support through difficult times.

Long before she was a household name in town, Macke shared the undergraduate experiences of so many NKU alumni. She’d drive to campus, grind through classes and then go off to work. She says juggling classes and work in restaurants as a server prepared her for the dedication required in her career, and the struggle of being a full-time mom on top of that career. Macke does, however, regret not being able to play college basketball for the Norse.

“I wanted to be the first female Harlem

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Globetrotter,” she says with a laugh. Anyone who has met her in person can see that the stately Macke might have some good moves under the hoop.

Macke’s fascination with the news business began with the 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, which was near where she grew up.

“I was obsessed with finding out information and details from that tragedy,” she says.

She never lost her passion for news. “In high school, I’d tell friends I’d anchor the news some day. They didn’t believe me.” When she came to NKU communications and radio/TV classes, professors told Macke she would probably have to leave Cincinnati to put her time in at stations in smaller markets, but she says she was “way too stubborn” for that.

After graduation, Macke combined radio news work and an internship at WXIX to cut her teeth in the business. Even though she was able to get an opportunity in Cincinnati, she needed to “pay her dues.” There were times her daily wage didn’t cover parking and lunch, she says. So, she did some modeling work on the side for local department store advertisements, something she had done since high school.The work helped make her comfortable in front of a camera. But the days were long, as she went from the radio studio to WXIX and then off to a modeling shoot.

“To be honest, there were times it was depressing,” Macke says. “My husband, Chris (a Chase graduate), was working in Lexington at the time, so I didn’t see him that much. But I believed. You can do it. You just have to be better than anybody else. And you can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Her “big break” came when WXIX executives expressed concern about her modeling, saying they didn’t want on-air talent associated with local merchants. But without a full-time contract from the station, Macke

told them she couldn’t give up the income from modeling. The station management made its move.

“I had a contract offer,” Macke says. She started reporting and anchoring the weekend 10 O’Clock News, moving on to the Fox19 Morning News before getting the opportunity to anchor the weeknight 10 O’Clock News in 1999. She reached her dream, and didn’t have to leave town to do it.

With Macke’s talent and the nature of the TV news business, it may seem surprising that she’s never explored opportunities in larger markets.

And with Katie Couric’s recent announcement that she will anchor CBS Evening News, it’s clear that there are no limits for women in the industry. But, family and a sense of community

are important to Macke.

“My real job is ‘mommy,’” Macke writes in her station autobiography. Spencer Christian was born in 2000, followed by Piper Susan in 2001 and the most recent arrival, Dashiell Trey (or “Dash”) was born in January of 2005.

But the joy of that new arrival was followed by sadness when Macke’s sister was diagnosed with cancer and died within seven months.

The television smile fades only slightly as Macke discusses her sister’s brave struggle. She couldn’t imagine living elsewhere and being unable to help support her family – and feel their support. Macke’s sister turned to her to raise her teenage daughter after she was gone.

So now, Newport Central Catholic freshman Katlynn Paige is Macke’s “bonus child.”

“It’s the greatest blessing I could have ever wanted,” she says.

Her knowledge and roots in the community have also helped her succeed as an anchor.

“Cincinnati loves people who stay,” Macke says.

And Macke realizes the viewers have plenty of other places to turn to get their news. “If you don’t like me, you’re not going to watch.”

With no “big moves” on the horizon, what’s next for Macke? While content with a full, busy home life and her anchor duties at channel 19, she always likes new challenges. She recently began a series of segments called “Taking Time With Tricia,” in which she takes a look at ways busy people can slow down and focus on what’s important in life, a topic Macke knows very well.

making TV history Down the TV dial at Channel 5, Sheree Paolello’s career as an anchor is just beginning, but she’s been around the Cincinnati market for some time and even crossed paths with Macke during an internship at Channel 19.

Much like her colleague, Paolello is juggling the demands of career and family, with 2-year old Connor at home.

Paolello’s day starts in the afternoon, coming to WLWT’s studios at the top of Mt. Auburn having read the paper and watched earlier newscasts to know what might lead her broadcast. With years of field reporting behind her, she wants her station to be the first to report the news.

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Even while working on a story, Paolello’s family is nearby. Connor’s photo is in the frame on her desk.

The Paolellos: Kyle, Sheree and Connor.

“If I think we’re missing the scoop on something, I’ll really get frustrated” Paolello says. “I’ll start calling my sources and pitch in to get the story.”

In the afternoon, producers, the anchors and reporters meet and discuss what’s news.

The business is like no other in that each day starts with a blank slate. “What’s news today isn’t news tomorrow,” Paolello says.

Paolello’s path to the anchor chair took her out of Cincinnati to stations in South Bend, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; and Charlotte, N.C. before returning to the Tri-State in 2002. She’s thrilled to be back.

“It’s jut the neatest thing to be back,” she says. “It’s like a dream come true, and I know that sounds so cheesy. But, that’s what it feels like to be the hometown girl working in my hometown as one of the main anchors.

When my boss told me I would anchor, I said ‘are you sure?’ ” The news that WLWT would have female co-anchors was notable since it’s a first in Cincinnati and one of the few in the country. Station management said the move allowed them to put the most talented team on the air, and noted the 5 p.m. viewership is mostly women. But, the industry clearly has changed since the 70s, when a well-coiffed, blazer-wearing man would deliver the news.

“I think that it says a lot. Our station tried (putting us on together) at 5, we work well together so the station put us on at 11,” Paolello says. “I believe I can run rings around certain men that I’ve worked with. I feel very fortunate that I got this opportunity, but obviously it says a lot for other women out there.”

She credits her success to hard work and determination.

“I don’t think I’m any smarter than anybody,” Paolello says “I just think I work harder. I’m so driven in this field. I always

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loved winning.”

She picked up some of that drive at NKU, where she was on the first cheerleading squad to win a national competition.

“I think NKU often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves,” Paolello says. “The fact that two NKU grads are local anchors goes to show NKU has great programs. It has so much to offer.”

She adds that intimate class sizes and professors who had real world experience made NKU a place where she felt comfortable and could thrive.

“The professors knew me by name,” Paolello says.

One of those professors has kept in touch. Paolello is often a guest speaker in Dr. Russ Procter’s interviewing class, and he remembers her as a bright undergraduate.

“My memory of Sheree is that she sat in the front row and always ‘came to play’ -- that is, she was attentive, responsive, and eager to participate,” Procter says. “I can’t say enough good things about Sheree. She is a wonderful ambassador of our program and university.”

Procter adds that she will speak to his class even during “sweeps” (when every station has “all hands on deck” because ratings are being conducted) and provides great examples of how to do a journalistic interview.

“She knows how to ask tough questions and be persistent when necessary, but overall her style is highly personal and ‘humane,’ Procter says. “This is good for our students to hear, because many believe that broadcast journalists are heartlessly out for dirt and blood at any cost.”

Like Macke, Paolello had to work her way through college. For her, that meant spending time behind the bar at TGIFriday’s, where she picked up people skills she’s used as a reporter.

“As a bartender you’re almost a psychologist. Regulars come in and talk to you and tell you their life story,” Paolello says, adding that she’s always been interested in people’s stories. “I had a third-grade teacher once ask me if my nose hurt. When I asked why, she said ‘because you’re being nosy!’ ” While the role of anchor is tough, is it tougher than being a mom?

“I think being a mom, for sure. I give kudos to the women who chose to be mothers. My son can be exhausting!” she says, but the rewards outweigh the work.

“He’s this whole light of love for my family.”

Paolello says, noting that her son’s visits have buoyed a sick relative.

With young Connor at home, and family around to support her, Paolello shares Macke’s desire to stay local. “This is my home. I hope to retire here someday,” she says. “I know some people use this as a springboard, but that’s not my goal anymore. This would be a good ending point for me.”

At the end of each broadcast when the TV lights go dark and the city flips to a Seinfeld re-run, Paolello and Macke walk out of their respective studios and go home, a place that, in some ways, they never plan to leave.

hooray!

NKU cheerleaders are champions In Orlando this past winter, the NKU cheerleading squad won the Universal Cheerleading Association’s national title in the small unit coed category of NCAA Division II competition.

“This team has a lot of Norse pride!” says Head Coach Mark McTague. He reports that Nikki White, a four-year member of the squad, “blew out” her ACL one week before the competition but competed despite the pain. Another cheerleader, Jamie DeLong, transferred to NKU after winning a cheer championship at UK and helped lead the squad to its championship.

In the group photo above-

At Right: The cheerleaders compete at the UCA.

Front Row L to R: Shelli Garvey, Tiffany Clark, Alyssa Meyer, Stephanie Walterman, Jamie DeLong, Christy O’Brien.

Back Row L to R: Assistant Coach Daren Harris, Shayla Myles-Aaron, Alyssa Eaton, Josh Roberts, Chris Elliott, Jordan Caudill, Brittany Vandergriff, Adena Gormley, Head Coach Mark McTague.

Middle Row L to R: Marti Hesch, Maggie Hagedorn, Amber Salter, Sarah Whitaker, Mandy Bennett, Nikki White, Stephanie Ammerman.

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New Student Union breaks ground

Building will transform campus

By Rob Pasquinucci

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This is exactly what NKU has needed for a long time, and we want to be a part of it If you are one of the many students who commuted to NKU each day, you remember it well. You drive to Highland Heights and park. There’s the morning class, then the afternoon class. On days that didn’t require you to be hunkered down behind a stack of books at Steely Library, the question became (and still is) what should I do?

For most commuters, the answer was to head to the University Center and hang out in the concrete building until the next class. This meant playing pool in the lounge area; or, in more recent years, logging on to check e-mail on the computers scattered around the building. While the almost 30year-old center offers a decent location for in-between-class congregating, it’s become very crowded and cannot fill the needs of NKU’s growing campus. It’s understandable that most students have dreamed of a stateof-the-art student union with the room, comfort and modern amenities required by today’s university student.

A place to eat and meet

For NKU, opening the University Center was a major milestone in the growth of the campus. In archived issues of The Northerner newspaper, student reporters documented every stage of the building process leading up to its fall 1977 opening. In his book on the first 25 years of NKU’s history, Frank Stallings, Jr., NKU professor emeritus, wrote that when

the University Center opened, it was the first time students had “a place to eat, a place to meet, a place to lounge in some comfort, a place for student activities and organizations to have their offices. It was almost as if the university had at last become a campus in the traditional sense.”

But, after 15 years of continued enrollment growth and the physical growth of the campus, it became obvious the University Center was no longer meeting the needs of NKU students.

By 2003, the Kentucky General Assembly authorized NKU to design a $37 million student union. In 2005, the General Assembly further authorized NKU to construct the center.

The dreams, plans and dedication of generations of NKU students culminated with a groundbreaking for the new student union on an unseasonably warm day last February.

Cermonial shovels of dirt were turned near a place where, in a short time, the new facility will take shape.

During the groundbreaking, NKU President James Votruba called the facility “yet another step in the development of Northern Kentucky University.” He went on to credit previous generations of students for helping make the center happen.

“The future is not something we enter, the future is something we create.” Votruba says, quoting theologian Leonard Sweet.

Beginning in 1993 NKU students helped create the future of the campus by paying an additional fee and phased tuition increases to

fund improvements to the existing University Center (or a completely new building).

“With the new Student Union, every NKU student can experience NKU to its fullest,” Angela Davidson, a sophomore photography student, tells The Northerner.

“The student union, perhaps more than any other facility on campus, will be the place that fosters a sense of community that is the essence of any memorable college campus,” says Mark Shanley, NKU vice president for student affairs. “The building will be the main street and family room of the university. It will also be the front door to the campus–a destination for students of every major, background, age and ethnicity to come together to live and learn.”

Alumni haven’t forgotten the need for this facility, and have been quick to support it.

“This is exactly what NKU has needed for a long time, and we want to be a part of it,” says Chad Bilz, ’94, president of the NKU Alumni Council. “We’re stepping forward with financial contributions because we want generations of students to be able to benefit from this facility.”

Alumni Council members invite other alumni to join them in supporting the new student union. Those who contribute $1000 or more will be recognized in the building on an honor-roll board, Bilz says. There are also opportunities to have offices and meeting rooms named in honor or memory of someone.

During February’s groundbreaking

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During February’s groundbreaking ceremony, students got a chance to sample some of the food offerings planned for the new student union, allowing them to literally taste what time between classes will be like in the future. But for NKU as an institution, the new building will be more than improved lunches, more comfortable couches and a place to check email in peace.

“This facility will change student life on campus as much as any project in our university’s history,” says Votruba. “It will transform life on campus.”

Contemporary and warm

What can the NKU students of tomorrow expect when they look at the brand-new student union when it opens?

“The exterior architecture will be a departure from many of the older buildings on campus,” Shanley says. “There will be more glass, burnished steel and open spaces giving it a contemporary, yet warm feel.”

Once inside,students will find three large floors of lounges, office space, recreation and open spaces. Here’s a sample:

• Food court and dining areas that will include wood-fired pizza and pasta; carvery and comfort foods; a grill; Mexican food; a deli, soup and salad bar; a bakery and smoothies station; an emporium with a convenient store and take-out food; and the Norse Café with extended hours and a coffee shop-style ambience.

• A grand ballroom (900-seat theater and 600-seat banquet capability with full presentation technology) for large student, university and community events.

• “Smart” meeting rooms equipped with Internet and presentation technology.

• A game room with billiards, table tennis and computer games.

The future is not something we enter.

The future is something we create.

— Leonard Sweet, theologian and futurist 12

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• A student involvement center to house the Student Government Association, Activities Programming Board, Northern Kentucky Leadership Institute, student organizations, Greek councils, multicultural groups and more.

• Student Affairs, Student Life, Dean of Students and other staff offices designed to energize interaction and collaboration among the primary student organizations and student affairs support offices.

Join other alumni and friends in supporting the student union. Those who make a gift greater than $1,000 will be recognized in the building on an “honor roll” of donors. Thanks to the following supporters who have already stepped up to support the project: Carol Beirne J. David Bender Chad Bilz Olivia A. Birkenhauer Christopher Boggs David A. Cain Remal Castleman Kara Clark Susan Cook H. Michelle Deeley

Daniel Dressman Matt Eilers Deidra Fajack Duane Froelicher Andy Hixson Linda Nesbitt Stephen Olding Chris Saunders Susan Huff and Scott Schilling Diane Sticklen Jordan

Please fill out this form and fax it to Andy Wilson at the NKU development office at (859) 572-6005. You can e-mail Andy for more information: wilsonandy@nku.edu or call (859) 572-6180.

Yes, I would like to join NKU alumni and friends in support the new student union.

Please send me more information.

Name:_________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________ Email:___________________________

Class year:__________________________

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2005

alumni awards Nurses, educators, writers, a judge, even the United States Ambassador to Singapore were among this year’s alumni award winners.

The event was held January 27 during Homecoming weekend at the Marriott RiverCenter in Covington.

This year, the list of honorees was expanded to include an outstanding alumnus from each of NKU’s colleges. Strongest influence awards for faculty/staff members, an outstanding young alumna award, a professional achievement award and distinguished service awards were also announced that evening.

Macel Wheeler

Strongest Influence Award

(in memoriam)

Beloved NKU geography and history professor Dr. Macel Wheeler passed away in 2004. Students and faculty nominated her for the dedication and passion that helped inspire many of her students.

Wheeler called learning a “creative art” and challenged students to broaden their range of experiences beyond the classroom and campus.

She also practiced what she taught by spending summers on the road, exploring every nook of the nation. She was an early adopter of the GIS system, always trying to keep her students one step ahead of the curve. She pushed students to expand their horizons by going new places or looking at familiar places with the eyes of a geographer.

She was loved not only by NKU students, but also by staff members she would chat with upon her customary early arrival on campus in the morning. Fellow faculty members looked forward to bizarre postcards she was known to send from curious places she found in her travels. Faculty colleagues also felt her sense of caring when she’d send gifts or flowers during times of crisis.

“Macel’s demise leaves a permanent, painful sense of loss that time will only partially heal,” said Jeffrey Williams, department chair, after Macel’s death. “As we mourn her death, it is some consolation to know that she will live on in the memories we have of happier times we have shared with her and in the benefits of the scholarship fund named in her honor.”

Doris Wheeler

mother of Macel Wheeler

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Strongest Influence Award

Dr. Michael Washington Dr. Michael Washington, who is described as a “second dad” by one of his students, was honored for his influence on students in the history and geography departments. His NKU career started in 1979, and he was named full professor in 1995. His education includes a master’s and Ph.D. in education from the University of Cincinnati and a post-doctoral fellowship at American University at Cairo in Cairo, Egypt. He specializes in Urban Educational History in the United States with special emphasis on the black educational experience during the 20th century and educational development and learning theory with special emphasis in the design, development and evaluation of academic enrichment programs.

From press releases to polished prose, Ron Ellis has excelled in public relations and literature. He recently published his first book, Of Woods and Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader. Prior to his work as an author, Ellis worked in various public relations and communications roles at NKU, including work as the assistant VP for advancement, director of university relations and director of public relations. Ellis also served in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer stationed in West Berlin and received a Commendation Medal in 1971.

He’s received several awards, including the Al Smith Professional Assistance Award in Creative Nonfiction by the Kentucky Arts Council (2004) and was one of 14 writers selected to study with acclaimed author Rick Bass at the University of Montana’s Environmental Writing Institute.

He is a member of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Kentucky Educational Television (KET), League of Kentucky Sportsmen, The Mercantile Library (Cincinnati), Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers, Northern Kentucky University’s Friends of Steely Library (board member), Ruffed Grouse Society, Trout Unlimited, Woodcock Limited, and public radio station WNKU (89.7 FM).

Washington’s international experience includes speaking engagements and research in southern Africa and Japan. He has received both the Malone and Fulbright Fellowships. As a Malone Fellow he studied Arab history, culture, politics and religion at the American University at Cairo in 1991. While there, he also traveled to Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

As a Fulbright Fellow, he was invited to teach at two universities in Japan (Kyoritsu Women’s University and Tokyo Christian Women’s University) during the fall of 2001.

Scores of students wrote in to support Washington’s receiving the Strongest Influence Award. “I’ve admired him for walking and talking with pride; upholding the Afro-American dignity and heritage with determination and principle,” wrote one.Another student said Washington was like a second dad to him, always providing support, encouragement and hope, and yet another described him as a teacher with “passion for his subject matter and dedication to his students.”

Ron Ellis ’74 college of informatics Outstanding

Alumni Award

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15 15

Outstanding

From beside the blackboard to in front of the school board, Thomas “Tim” Hanner has distinguished himself in the field of education. He was recently appointed superintendent for Kenton County Schools and has held several posts in the district.

Young

Alumna Award

Hanner also served in Frankfort as the associate commissioner in the Office of Leadership and School Improvement. He has been an instructor at Russell Middle School in Russell, Ky., and Woodland Middle School in Taylor Mill, Ky. He is a member of many professional and community associations, including founding the Education Leadership Development Collaborative; and serving on the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of the Northern Kentucky executive leadership program and a member of the task force on high achieving high schools.

Jill

Isaacs

In addition to an MA in education from NKU, Hanner holds a BS in Education from Eastern Kentucky University and a Rank I certificate in administration from the University of Cincinnati.

’01

When something fishy is happening in Newport, Jill Isaacs makes sure the world knows about it. Isaacs’ work at the Newport Aquarium, which led to national media coverage, has helped her earn the 2005 Outstanding Young Alumna Award.

Isaacs is no stranger to success. She earned a 3.8 undergraduate GPA at NKU and was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, LaLink (language and literature club) and the Alpha Chi honor society. After graduation she coordinated media relations at Cincinnati Bell. She went on to work in corporate communications at Western & Southern Financial Group.

Professional

Achievement

Award

At the Newport Aquarium, Isaacs serves as public relations manager and spokeswoman. In 2005 alone she helped secure national coverage of the aquarium on the Today Show, MSNBC and Good Morning, America.

Her leadership skills were recognized recently when she was asked to chair the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce PR Committee. Jill has been a presenter to the Kentucky Business Society, a guest speaker for a class at the University of Cincinnati and Aquarium representative at countless tri-state events. She has used her writing skills to contribute articles to local magazines and she is an active member of the Newport Optimist Club, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).

Dedicated to conservation and environmental protection, she has been a supporter of and participant in Orsanco’s RiverSweep for the last three years. She has also worked with Aquarium biologists on animal conservation efforts.

Tim Hanner ’92 16

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Jeannine Kreinbrink

’90

Distinguished

Service Award

When disaster strikes, David McClure is ready to help. He is a cardiology nurse manager at St. Luke Hospital and also is part of the National Disaster Medical System, which means he can be deployed around the country in times of crisis. He’s been to New York City after the Sept.

11 terrorist attacks; New Orleans in the wake of Katrina; the Florida hurricane outbreak of 2004 and several other disasters. He is a team leader of a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) based in Kentucky. He trains team members on how to handle and treat patients in poor conditions such as floods, storms or during terrorist attacks.

In his “day job,” McClure manages more than 100 people who treat critically ill patients at St. Luke Hospital’s two sites in Northern Kentucky. He is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and is on the St. Luke Hospital Medical Quality Review committee. In addition to his nursing degree from NKU, he has a diploma in nursing from Jewish Hospital and has completed post-graduate continuing education work at Xavier University.

Never one to avoid getting her hands dirty, Jeannine Kreinbrink has been dedicated to preserving the region’s history through archaeology.

During her career, she has managed more than 450 archaeological and historic projects. She is president of the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum in Ft. Wright, which preserve a six-foot earthen wall on a hilltop off Highland Pike. The wall, called Battery Hooper, was built by Union forces to defend against Confederate attacks during the war.

David McClure ’90

Kreinbrink was also instrumental in managing the preservation of the Anderson slave pen, which is the centerpiece exhibit in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. Kreinbrink is an adjunct professor of history and anthropology at NKU and has served as an archeologist with the Behringer Crawford Museum.

She serves on the advisory board of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, and has served as president of the Central Ohio Valley Archaeological Society. She designed and managed many public and educational programs, including the Northern Kentucky African-American Heritage Task Force, the Dinsmore House Foundation, the Cincinnati Museum Center and a number of area school districts.

Marian T. Cummins ’00, ’02

Outstanding

Alumni Award

school of nursing & health professions

Distinguished

Service Award

As both a nurse and teacher of nurses, Marian T. Cummins was honored for helping to improve health care in the region.

Cummins has been a staff nurse at St. Luke and Booth hospitals after receiving her BS (Magna Cum Laude) and MS in nursing from NKU. Cummins currently is an assistant professor of nursing at NKU and director of the accelerated BSN program. She continues to work part-time at St. Luke as a staff nurse in the post-anesthesia care unit.

Cummins has received grants for research from “Speaking of Women’s Health and the Scripps Howard Center for Public Engagement Partnership for her “Health from the Heart” initiative. She has authored or co-authored many research studies, received a professional development grant from NKU, and received the Health Foundations Planning Grant for the WRAP health initiative.

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Outstanding

chase college of law

Alumni Award

Chase College of Law is proud to honor an alumna who was recently nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate as the United States ambassador to Singapore.

Patricia L. Herbold’s legal and political career extends from Cincinnati to Seattle. She served as councilwoman and mayor of Montgomery, Ohio and chairwoman of the King County (Washington) Republican Party. She practiced law with Taft, Stettinius and Hollister in Cincinnati. Prior to that post, she served as president and general counsel for Bank One, Dayton, Ohio and is the former assistant prosecuting attorney for Clermont County, Ohio.

Patricia L. Herbold ’77

Herbold’s volunteered her time and talent to many worthy causes, including a capital campaign for the Bellevue,Washington Art Museum, serving on the President’s 21st Century Workforce Initiative and the board of trustees of the Seattle Art Museum. And she was serving her alma mater as a member of the Chase College of Law’s board of advisors when she received the president’s nomination.

Ellen McIntyre ’83, ’85

college of education & human services

Outstanding

Alumni Award

Ellen McIntyre’s excellence in the field of education has earned her the College of Education and Human Services Outstanding Alumna Award. She is a professor and university scholar at the University of Louisville after previously serving as an adjunct professor at NKU. Her teaching career began in first and sixth-grade classrooms in Newport, Ky. She went on to earn her MA in education from NKU and a doctorate in education from the University of Cincinnati.

McIntyre is a member of the board of directors of the National Reading Conference and a nominee for the University of Louisville Presidential Multicultural Teaching Award. She organized the Brown vs. Board of Education Reading and Writing Campaign, the Holocaust Education Workshop, the Family Literacy Board of Catholic Charities and served extra on a radio panel discussion on homework.

She is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Reading Conference.

She has published several articles and journals on the topics of education and literacy.

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B. Stephen Harper ’90 college of business Outstanding

Alumni Award

If it makes your car, motorcycle or lawnmower go, B. Stephen Harper’s Harper Oil Products sells it. The NKU College of Business is honoring Harper for excellence in his career in the petroleum marketing industry.

Harper has served as chairman, president and vice president of Harper Oil Products and has been president and chairman of HOP Shops in Florence, Ky. He is a leader in the Petroleum Marketers Association of America and the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association. He also is a member of the Kentucky Grocers Association, the Chevron and Texaco Petroleum Marketers Association and various Chevron advisory councils.

He is also active in his community, leading a Cub Scout den and serving on the board of the Kentucky Arts Council. He also served as co-chair of the Northern Kentucky Regional Arts Panel.

Anthony Frohlich ’76, ’80 (Chase) college of arts and sciences

Outstanding

Alumni Award

Boone-Gallatin Circuit Judge Anthony Frohlich was honored for an exemplary career in the field of law. He has held roles as the Boone County master commissioner, an attorney, and the city attorney for the city of Walton, Ky. As a Chase College of Law student, Frohlich graduated first in his class, received the Regents Scholarship and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award. This was after graduating Summa Cum Laude from NKU (and setting a school record in wrestling).

He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and its House of Delgates, the board of governors for Chase College of Law Alumni Association, the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court, the Boone County Comprehensive Recreation Development Committee, the Boy Scouts of America, various committees at St. Timothy Church, the St. Paul School Board, and on the board of directors of the Northern Kentucky Soccer Club.

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Love rings true despite time, distance

B Y GR A C IE B ON D S ST A P L ES This story was reprinted by permission from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

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or the past three years, Lt. Col. Robert Roth kept the newspaper clipping in his wallet hoping to do right by his wife.

They had been college students when they married, he and Cindy Caldon, and well, there wasn’t any time for preliminaries and even less money.

But that always bothered Bob and every now and then, he’d take the newspaper clipping from his wallet and imagine the moment when he could afford to give Cindy a proper engagement ring.

They’d met in high school more than 20 years ago at a fall house party. Bob spent the evening kissing with another girl, but it didn’t mean anything. Even then he wanted to be with Cindy, but he didn’t think he had a chance.

The next week, things changed. In the middle of a party at Cindy’s house, the two of them stepped outside to talk.

That very night, Cindy told Bob she wanted to date him, that one day, they’d be married. Bob didn’t know what to think. He liked Cindy a lot, and from that moment on, he wanted to be with her.

He loved her pretty face, and the way her lips curled when she smiled. The way he remembers it, Cindy was built like an athlete, but she had the heart of a dove. She was witty and smart.

He made her stomach tingle.

That was in the spring of 2002, 18 years after he and Cindy were first engaged. If he were ever able to buy a ring, at least he’d get her something she loved.

In June 2003, the Roths returned to Fort Stewart for a second tour of duty.

That same month, Bob assumed command of the 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. He could’ve stayed behind when the battalion shipped off to Iraq in December 2004, but he couldn’t abandon his soldiers.

“No leader would do that to his unit,” Bob said.

But not even war could make him forget his wish for the love of his life. Every couple of years, Bob had managed to do something special for Cindy. Now, what he wanted more than anything was to give her that engagement ring.

In October, he decided it was time. Bob contacted a jeweler back home in Hinesville. He wanted a ring matching the one in the ad. The jeweler e-mailed him a photo of one. It was perfect. Bob made the transaction using a credit card and arranged for his daughter, Kirstin, to make the pickup.

But that wasn’t enough.

He wanted the world to know he’d married an angel, that he was the luckiest man alive.

They grew closer and, over the next five years, fell in love. After graduating from high school in 1981, they headed off to Northern Kentucky University. Conversations about marriage, about a future together, grew serious. Then one October night during their junior year, passion got the best of them. Six weeks later, Cindy announced she was pregnant.

Right then and there, Bob asked her to marry him.

Telling their parents was the hardest thing they’d ever done, but they did it together. On Feb. 25, 1984, they were married in a double ring ceremony – hand-me-down gold bands from their grandparents.

Their firstborn arrived shortly thereafter on July 3.

Cindy dropped out of college to work full time. Bob, an ROTC man, remained. He graduated with a degree in international relations in May of the next year. A week later, he pinned on second lieutenant bars, becoming an officer in the U. S. Army.

The family moved around, from Virginia to Kansas to Fort Stewart, Ga., to Germany to Fort Stewart again. In between, Cindy returned to college, graduating in 1992 from Armstrong State University in Savannah with a degree in education.

Their family doubled in size from three to six. Everything they had went into providing for the four children, their education and extracurricular activities.

It still bothered Bob that he hadn’t given Cindy an engagement ring. From time to time, he’d go looking, but something more important always popped up.

“If it wasn’t one thing,” he said, “it was another.”

Cindy always reassured him the ring wasn’t important. The kids, she told him, were her diamonds.

An undercover project

How could he pull it off?

Bob wasn’t scheduled to leave Iraq until Jan. 11. He wouldn’t even arrive home until maybe Jan. 15. He didn’t want to wait until then.

Cindy had waited long enough.

He needed a plan.

As they have done for the past 10 years, Cindy Roth, her four children and her mother dressed up and had dinner at Maggiano’s.

They arrived at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta that night at 7:45 p.m., just in time for the 8 o’clock showing of “A Christmas Carol.” “It was wonderful,” Cindy said of the show. “One of the top two that we’ve seen.”

At the end of the curtain call, amid applause, Scrooge returned to the stage to take his bows. Instead of singing one final verse of “God Bless the Master” as they normally do, Scrooge (played by Chris Kayser) quieted the audience.

He thanked them and, after offering the short version of the Roths’ story, asked Cindy to join him center stage.

“Cindy, Bob told us that he was never able to give you a ring before you married.” Scrooge began.

Cindy, 43, stood crying into the white handkerchief Scrooge handed her. Now she knew what all the fuss had been about, why Kirstin had insisted she wear makeup, why she thought a dress for Cindy was more suited for the occasion.

Scrooge pulled a small box from his left pocket and opened it.

Congratulations, he said. On behalf of all of us at the Alliance, we wish you many more years when Bob returns home.

Somehow, Cindy managed a thank you and returned to her seat.

After nearly 25 years together and from thousands of miles away – Bob had managed to make her stomach tingle.

Bob, though, never forgot. He always felt bad especially when friends’ wives showed off their diamonds. But it wasn’t just the ring, it was what the ring represented – his love and commitment to his wife.

Once, while looking in the newspaper, Cindy spied a ring she loved – a one-carat emerald cut with two smaller stones on either side, mounted on 14-karat gold. When she put the paper down, Bob cut the ad out and put it in his wallet.

Coming up with a plan

Do you have a “love story” about meeting your spouse at NKU? Let us hear about it! E-mail stories to pasquinucr1@nku.edu for possible use in an upcoming issue of Northern.

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It ’s sum mertime, and the livin’ is easy, but things are still happening on ca mpus. Send the kids to a sports camp. Get out of the heat and swim at the pool in Albright Health Center. Learn motorcycle safety or just take an evening stroll to check out the progress of new buildings on campus.

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For more information about any event listed here, visit http://nkuconnections. nku.edu/ or call (859) 572-5220 and ask for the appropriate department.

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Talk about having several balls in the air at once, a girls volleyball camp and youth baseball camp are scheduled for this week. Call Steve Kruse for more information (859) 572-6314.

Have a budding detective at home?

Enroll him or her in Forensics Camp. Please visit the CINSAM Web site for registration information: http://www.cinsam.org.

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Want to teach your teen how to be wise in wealth? NKU’s Center for Economic Education wants teens to become financially fit and is offering a five-day Financial Fitness summer camp. The summer camp will help teens learn to evaluate career choices, use credit wisely and avoid identity theft. Fee is $10 (an $80 value), due by July 10. For more information, contact Nancy Lang at 859-572-5155, lang@nku.edu.

Summer Piano Institute SPI celebrates its 10th anniversary and Mozart’s 250th birthday with “Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Beyond.” The weeklong institute is for pianists ages 10 through adult. Printable registration form on SPI website at http://music. nku.edu/spi. Email Carolyn Hagner at hagner@nku.edu or call the Music Department at (859) -572-5640 for brochure.

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NKU Summer Dinner Theatre Last weekend for The Odd Couple. Buffet-style dinner service begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with performances following. Dinner begins at 5pm on Sunday with the performance following. Please contact the NKU Fine Arts Box Office by phone at 859-572-5464 or send an e-mail to boxoffice@nku.edu to receive the brochure/order form.

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Summer Strings, is a day camp for stringed instruments for those students who have had instruction for one to three years. For elementary-middle school children. Registration is $120 before July 1. Call the Music Preparatory Department at 859-572-7737.

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A girls basketball camp starts today.

Call Steve Kruse for more information (859) 572-6314.

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Elderhostel: Discover the delights of a dynamic downtown! Exploring Cincinnati is like uncovering a wonderful secret. Register at www. elderhostel.org or call Elderhostel toll free at (877)-426-8056.

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Basic Motorcycle RiderCourse (Covington Campus) Don’t do an “endo” on that new bike!

Ideal for the novice rider or as a refresher course. Classes continue through the weekend. (Held two other times during July. See http:// nkuconnections.nku.edu for more info. $150.00; 16 & 17 year-olds eligible for reimbursement of fee with verification of birth date. To register contact the NKU Connect Center at 859-572-5600.

NKU Summer Dinner Theatre The 1940’s Radio Hour will run Wednesday, July 12 through Sunday, July 30.

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Take a swim without the sun: NKU’s pool is open throughout the summer.

Visit www.nku.edu/~camprec for hours of operation and other details.

Go to the driving range to prepare for the J. David Bender Alumni Golf Outing, which is planned for Sept. 22 at Devou Park. Tee time is 11 a.m. Please call Carol Beirne at (859)-572-5876 more information.

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Check out NKU’s improved lake in the center of campus.

The serene focal point of NKU is a great place for an evening walk.

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NEWS

WNKU Now Available as Podcast

Dribblers for Diabetes

89.7 WNKU has just launched a new online service for listeners in Greater Cincinnati and around the world. Visitors to the station’s website, www.wnku.org, can now listen to select programs at their convenience with on-demand audio and podcasting. With on-demand audio, web users can simply click a link to hear a program straight from the website. With podcasting, users can subscribe to audio broadcasts via podcasting software such as iTunes, Juice, or iPodder. Those broadcasts – which are really just audio files – are downloaded to the subscriber’s computer automatically, and then, if they wish, sent to a portable audio player such as the iPod. All of it can be set up to download in the computer’s background, on a schedule manually.

With podcasting, WNKU fans can now listen to in-studio music performances, live segments of The World Café, local and NPR news, and new local talk shows such as Simply Money and BusinessWise at their leisure. “This is just one more way to get our unique programming out there for people to enjoy,” says WNKU Program Director Grady Kirkpatrick. “We’re excited about this new endeavor and look forward to hearing feedback from the listeners.”

The service is free and easy to use. Details on what programs are available, links to free podcasting software and helpful information on how podcasting works can be found on WNKU’s website, www.wnku.org.

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For the eighth straight year, members of the NKU men’s basketball team helped raise funds for diabetes by dribbling more than three miles on a chilly October morning. The money raised will be used to help find a cure for juvenile diabetes.

New dean of College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Kevin Corcoran has been appointed dean of the NKU College of Arts and Sciences, subject to approval by the NKU Board of Regents.

Dr. Corcoran, on leave from his position as head of the department of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, has been at NKU since last August as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.

“I am confident that Dr. Corcoran will bring extraordinary leadership to the college and the broader university community,” says Gail Wells, vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Dr. Corcoran said his experience at NKU helped with his decision.

“I was very impressed with the combination of talent and dedication at NKU – among faculty, staff and students,” Dr. Corcoran said. “There is a real sense of mission and purpose here that is quite striking. In the six months I have been here, I have found people’s enthusiasm for their work impressive.”

Over the river to help a forest The Center for Applied Ecology at NKU has been working with the Mill Creek Restoration Project and the City of Cincinnati to map, analyze and prioritize the restoration of one of the few remaining old-growth forest remnants left in Cincinnati and the region. This 22-acre forest, full of giant oak, maple and beech trees measuring up to 6 feet in diameter and ranging from 200300 years old, is located in the Caldwell Nature Preserve.

Not all forests are created the same. Many of the woodlands that now grow formed from land that was abandoned after being logged, farmed, and grazed some 50 years ago. These young forests often lack many of the tree and wildflower species native to the area and are infested with thickets of invasive plant species from Europe and Asia. The old-growth forest, on the other hand, is a complex community of large, widely spaced trees, native shrubs, delicate wildflowers, growing on undisturbed soils teeming with beneficial microbes.

While ancient forests once spanned most of the Eastern US, there are very few examples left today, making them ever more valuable as outdoor learning labs.

Some experts have speculated that fewer than two square miles of old-growth forest remain in the entire state of Ohio.

The Caldwell Preserve old-growth forest is nestled on a steep hillside along the Mill Creek, near the city of Carthage. The forest is surrounded by urban development, a golf course, auto salvage yard, industry, and a landfill. Here it has survived for centuries, but today, powerful yet inconspicuous forces threaten it.

Through an ecological analysis of the forest, funded by Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, center scientists and NKU student technicians found that populations of invasive plants surrounding the forest are gradually creeping in, using the disturbance caused by footpaths and tree falls to take root in this otherwise formidable ecosystem. The study also found that oak trees, which usually require forest fires to germinate seed, are lacking or are relatively non-existent in the forest understory. With such a trend, the large towering oak trees that now exist will eventually die out with no young oaks to take their place. Using this information, the Center recently completed a long-term restoration plan that will be used to help hold back the wave of invasive plant invaders and grow the next generation of native oaks.

TKE plunge Tiffany Mayse, ’99, ’05 and Kim Vance, ’94, ’05, warm up after joining members of Tau Kappa Epsilon in their annual Plunge benefit for Alzheimer’s research.

Members of TKE jumped in the newly improved (but still frigid) Lake Inferior in February. Their efforts raised more than $3,500 for the Ronald Reagan Research Foundation.

Northern Magazine honored

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The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Nku pr o g r has awarded Northern a s s is t s a m magazine two honors. a lu m N u s boe! pa rt Ne Northern received a rs xjui N ew v eN t u r e merit award in the printed publications category from CASE Kentucky; and a special merit award for magazine publishing improvement from CASE District III. Congratulations to Terri Schierberg, former editor; Dionne Laycock, designer; Joe Ruh, photographer; the Office Marketing and Communications; and the Office of Alumni Programs.

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NORTHERN

NEWS

Gerard St. Amand named new V.P. for University Advancement T h e S t. Ama n d f i l e Boston College (B.S. in math and economics) National Defense University (M.S. in National Security Studies Boston College School of Law (J.D.) United States Army Attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps Served in the U.S., Germany and Hungary Dean, Chase School of Law since 1999

Gerard A. St. Amand, dean of Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law, has been named NKU’s vice president for university advancement.

St. Amand, who has served in that capacity on an interim basis since August, will oversee NKU’s development, marketing and communications, alumni programs and special events offices as well as the NKU Foundation and 89.7 WNKU. He served as Chase’s dean since 1999.

“I am very enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve as vice president for university advancement,” St. Amand says. “The advancement division plays a major role in building strong relationships between the university and external constituencies.

NKU President James Votruba says the university conducted a national search. “We

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found ourselves using Gerry as a standard by which to measure our finalists,” he said.

“The relationships he built both on and off campus as Chase dean along with his knowledge and appreciation for this university and this region made it clear that he was the best person for the job. Our momentum is strong, and I believe Gerry will be able to not only sustain that momentum but take us to an entirely different level.”

St. Amand also reflects upon his tenure at Chase. “I am extremely proud to have served as dean of the Chase College of Law for nearly seven years,” he says. “The enormous success of our students and our graduates in every dimension of the legal profession and the business community is a testament to their talent and commitment, and also to the exceptional strength of our

faculty and staff who help build the strong educational foundation for that success.”

Prior to his arrival at Chase, St. Amand served nearly 25 years with the United States Army in Europe and the U.S., including serving as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. During that time he practiced criminal and labor law in the courtroom and served as a supervising legal advisor in the Pentagon at the headquarters for the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense.

He is a graduate of Boston College (bachelor of arts in math and economics), the National Defense University (master of science in national security studies) and earned his juris doctor from Boston College Law School.

Perry named founding dean of Informatics Dr. Douglas Perry has accepted the position of the Founding Dean of the College of Informatics, contingent upon approval of the Board of Regents. Dr. Perry was one of a team who founded the Indiana University School of Informatics, the first entirely new school in the country devoted to the emerging field of informatics. The school’s phenomenal success has resulted in national recognition for the university, extraordinary opportunities for the students and support for the economic vitality of the region. The highly innovative informatics programs have become signature programs for the university. Dr. Perry has been highly praised for his leadership during the creation of this new school.

NKU’s new College of Informatics is comprised of the departments of communication, computer science and information systems.

NKU’s student newspaper, The Northerner, brings home 14 KIPA a w a r d s

The Northerner, Northern Kentucky University’s independent student newspaper, brought home 14 awards in the annual journalism contest sponsored by the Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association. The weekly newspaper staff received the awards for material published during 2005 Northerner staffers won four first-place awards, three second-place awards, three thirdplace awards and four honorable mentions in its contest division. Gayle Brown advises The Northerner and is director of student media at NKU.

In memoriam

University founder

Biology prof

Robert Knauf

John W. Thieret

One of the university’s “founders,” Robert “Bob” Knauf, passed away this past winter at the age of 81. Knauf began at Northern Kentucky State College on its Covington campus as a member of the music faculty. He became chair of that department in 1974 and was named NKSC’s director of public relations in 1976. It was in that role that he helped the school make the critical transition to Northern Kentucky University under then-President A.D. Albright. Knauf was a key ingredient in NKU’s recordbreaking enrollment/construction boom of the 1980s and helped launch the school’s development initiatives in the mid-1980s.

He retired from NKU in July of 1989. A memorial service was held January 19 in Ft. Thomas. He is survived by his loving wife, Marguerite (Swing), and children William Glenn, Linda Ann (Teuschler), Margaret Louise and Nancy Elaine. Memorials can be made to the Robert Knauf Vocal Music Scholarship Fund, c/o of the NKU Foundation, or the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 644 Linn St., Suite 1026, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203.

On December 7, John W. Thieret, emeritus professor of biological sciences, passed away. He died suddenly, without awakening, from a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Dr. Thieret was one of the extraordinary founders of NKU who arrived in the institution’s infancy and created the core values and the strong foundation upon which our future successes have been built. Many of you will remember him through his role as University Editor and his participation in the creation and editing of the University Catalog.

Dr. Thieret came to NKU in 1973 to chair the Department of Biological Sciences and remained chair until 1980. Afterward he served the University as an outstanding faculty member and university citizen until his retirement in 1992. As an emeritus professor, he was dedicated to working with the department to make the herbarium that he had established upon his arrival at the university a world-class collection.

He was on campus almost daily working in the herbarium and continued to play a significant role in the life of the Department of Biological Sciences, inspiring students and faculty members alike. He has left a legacy of excellence that will long endure and he will be greatly missed.

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nota b le

norse

Handsome men

N KU alum n i w a n t y o u t o l a u g h

Starting with this issue, we’re doing quick profiles of NKU alumni who are notable in some way. For this issue, we sat down a couple of graduates trying to make “funny business” their life.

Erin Schauer ’02 (radio/TV) is a “handsome man.” So is Scott Spaulding ’98 (computer science). The two joined Richard Alcorn, Josh Flowers (who both also attended NKU) and Daniel Cooper to form a comedy troupe that Alcorn dubbed the Damn Handsome Men. Their shtick is inspired by “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” “Kids in the Hall” and the “Upright Citizen’s Brigade.” They’ve performed at various venues around Cincinnati and are looking to get into film and television work. We caught up with them as they rehearsed in a conference room at the Newport library.

What got you into comedy?

Schauer: I got voted funniest person in my class and a one of my best friends wanted me to do an open mic night at Go Bananas (a comedy club). I just tried it and did really well.

Spaulding: I always had a warped sense of humor. Growing up watching Saturday Night Live and being inspired by other standup comedy made me want to give this a try.

What does it take to be funny on stage?

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Spaulding: Have no fear of failure. Just get up there and don’t be afraid to make a big fool of yourself, because the bigger the fool you are the more they’ll laugh.

Schauer: Use real-life situations and put detail behind it that people can relate to, things everyone has done at some point in their lives.

What about hecklers?

Schauer: As a woman, I get heckled all the time.You’ll have a couple of drunk people in the audience that are just rowdy.You just try

to be friendly with them or make references to them. I had one buy me a beer by the end of the show.

So, what’s next for “the Men”?

Spaulding: We’ve already done some short film work and been in some festivals, and that’s really our next big focus. We’re also working on a television pilot. Our sketches can also be found on youtube.com. Check out our website for future gigs: www.damnhandsomeworld.com.

a l u mn i are you connected?

Have you registered with our online alumni community? The community is your place to network with fellow alumni, stay upto-date with news, find out about upcoming events, shop in our online store, view photos and much more!

Go to alumniconnect.nku.edu to check it out.

It was great to see everyone at Homecoming! In addition to reconnecting with the university, many of us got the chance to honor some truly outstanding alumni during our awards banquet. Read about these stellar alumni on page 14.

We also recently started a club for psychology majors. We held our first event, and it was a great success. If you want to get involved, visit the psychology alumni site at http://www.nku.edu/~~ ~ psych/ AlumniCenter.html.

The music and art departments are also trying to establish alumni clubs. If you majored in either of these departments, you should have recently received a survey. If you did not get the survey, please contact us at (859) 572-5486.

If you were interested in starting a club in your area or major, please give us a call at (859) 572-5486.

stay connected

Make sure you keep us up to date with your current address and news so we can stay connected. You can update your information at alumniconnect.nku.edu (note: no “www”) or give us a call: (859) 572-5486. We would like to hear about what’s new in your life.

Deidra S. Fajack Director, Alumni Programs

journal alumni in print Momisms - The Wit and Wisdom of My Mom

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Sweep in front of your own door first.”

Do those expressions sound familiar? Marianne Osburg Schwartz, ’77, has put together a volume with timeless expressions from her mom that probably echo “momisms” heard in working-class homes around the region. Schwartz says her mom, who grew up during the depression, had a saying for every situation in life.

“She always had a simplistic, hit-the-nail-on-the-head attitude toward life. She got to the heart of the matter,” Schwartz writes.

The book is published by American Literary Press in Baltimore, Maryland. More information is at www.americanliterarypress.com.

Of Woods & Waters More than 200 guests gathered at Northern Kentucky University’s Steely Library last fall to celebrate the publication of the sporting literature collection Of Woods & Waters, featuring the work of 56 Kentucky writers and three artists, edited by Ron Ellis, NKU alumnus and a retired assistant vice president for advancement at NKU. The book is a literary celebration of the sacred, ancient rites that affirm the connection between a land and its people: hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. Ellis is a distinguished alumnus winner and is profiled on page 15 in this issue.

The book is published by the Kentucky Press. More information is available at Kentuckypress.com.

Zero to 60 in 9 years Alumnus J. Paul Brophy, ’88, wrote a motivational, common sense guide to living life to its fullest. His inspiration came from his daughter Elana’s battle with terminal illness. The young girl’s inner strength and will to achieve, despite time and physical limitations, allowed her to overcome tremendous pain and fear while enjoying her childhood.

The book is written to inspire and motivate anyone who wants to define their “zero to 60” and live a life with purpose. A quick read, the book can be re-read to help people live life on their terms and not have it defined by events. The book is published by Orange Frazer, visit www.orangefrazer.com for more information. s p r i n g

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gatherings This year’s homecoming gave the NKU community a chance to honor outstanding alumni, watch a pair of great basketball games, sample some tasty chili, see the new “Norse” mascot in action, reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Here are some photos taken throughout the weekend.

(Top) Jill Isaacs celebrates her alumni award with friends and family.

Cheerleaders in the crowd at Regents Hall during the homecoming basketball games.

(Page 31, top) All hail the king!

Homecoming King Adam Billiter and Queen Anna Hogan along with last year’s king and queen, Adam Zeigler and Abby Bentley.

(Page 31 lower left) Deidra S. Fajack and the winners of the chili cookoff student division, Delta Gamma sorority.

(Page 31 lower middle) Lindsey Yager ’04 and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach David Marshall, ’ 97.

(Page 31 lower right) NKU cheerleaders enjoy chili with the new Norse mascot.

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northern

athletics B a s k e tba l l

Has the men’s team found the Wright stuff?

Northern Kentucky University has added several impact player for next season. They include: • Steven Wright, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Bowling Green State University who averaged 11.4 points per game last season for the Falcons. In his career at Bowling Green, Wright started 67 games and scored 737 points in three seasons.

• Former Virginia prep standout David Jefferson, a 6-6, 215-pound forward.

• University of Dayton transfer James Cripe, a 7-foot, 255-pound senior. Cripe averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 24 games last season for UD. • University of New Mexico transfer Anthony Teague, a 6-5, 190-pound guard/forward.

NKU posted a 17-11 record last season. The Norse finished second in the GLVC East with a 12-7 mark.

Women take GLVC crown, lose semifinal

A tornado warning temporarily halted play late in the first half of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament semifinal game between Northern Kentucky University and Grand Valley State on March 11.

Nothing, however, was going to stop torrid-shooting Grand Valley State. The Lakers already owned a 42-29 lead with 3:47 left in the first half when tournament officials decided to clear Weiser Gym for safety reasons after tornado sirens went off around the city.

“I didn’t think they could get much better when they resumed the game,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said of Grand Valley State.

The Lakers did get even better and rolled to a 91-70 win over NKU. Grand Valley State shot 73.3 percent from the field in the first half to take a 51-34 lead at the break, and the Lakers extended that advantage to as many as 31 points in the final 20 minutes.

“It seemed like their first 12 or 14 points were layups,” Winstel said. “It was tough to stop them when they were getting to the blocks.”

In other women’s basketball news, Karmen Graham was named to the Kodak/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-America Team as an honorable-mention selection.

Coaches of the year

B o b Sh e e ha n

Women’s Soccer Coach Bob Sheehan has been named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Sheehan guided NKU to a 19-3 record this fall and led the Norse to the Great Lakes Valley Conference regularseason championship. His team later captured the GLVC Tournament title and earned the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional.

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T o dd A s a l o n

Baseball Coach Todd Asalon also received Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors.

Asalon led NKU to a 38-17-1 record this spring and the GLVC regular-season championship with a 36-11-1 mark. Asalon also earned the GLVC Coach of the Year honor in 2002.

G olf

The NKU men’s golf team finished as runner-up at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Super Regional this fall with a threeround total of 885 (+21) at the par-72 Prairie Bluff Golf Club in Lockport, Ill.

NKU held a one-stroke lead over Saginaw Valley State entering the final 18 holes, but the Cardinals rallied by shooting 294 (+6) Wednesday and finished with a total of 883.

NKU has won the past two Great Lakes Region titles.

Soccer star awarded an NCAA scholarship Kristen Votapek, a senior forward for the NKU women’s soccer team, has been awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship of $7,500.

The NCAA awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 men and 29 women who participated in fall sports.

Votapek was one of 10 women’s soccer players this year to receive a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA. Votapek is the seventh NKU studentathlete in the past seven years to receive an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. NKU’s Michelle Cottrell, Shannon Smith, Kevin Listerman, Malissa Stevenson, Eva Broeg and Kristin Koralewski also received NCAA postgraduate scholarships during the past seven years.

Votapek, a graduate of Amelia High School, was named NCAA Division II Second Team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America last season.

She also earned Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year honors after leading the league in scoring with 16 goals and 18 assists.

Votapek led NKU to the GLVCTournament championship, and her performance enabled the Norse to earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament.

In two seasons at NKU, Votapek scored 27 goals and added 26 assists. She twice was named NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region.

In addition, Votapek was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV second team this season for her work in the classroom.

Baseball team takes GLVC title Another even-numbered year, another Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball championship for Northern Kentucky University.

The Norse captured the GLVC Tournament title May 14 with a 3-2 victory over Quincy at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. Kory Lonergan’s twoout single in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Josh Moulton with the winning run as NKU claimed its third GLVC Tournament championship in the last five years.

The Norse also captured GLVC championships in 2002 and ’04.

Lonergan, a graduate of Dixie Heights High School, lined a single to left field off Quincy starter Brad Shaeffer to plate Moulton from second base. Moulton began

the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Back.

After Shaeffer struck out Chris Nann, Lonergan stepped to the plate and delivered his clutch single.

“These guys expect to win, and we answered after Quincy rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth,” NKU head coach Todd Asalon said. “We’ve been in a lot of one-run games this season, so we know how to win these type of games. Kory came through with a big hit in a huge situation, and he has had a great year for us.”

The Norse were ranked No. 23 nationally in the Division II poll heading into tournament play. The 42 wins are the most since the 1989 season, when NKU finished 45-9.

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Class Notes 1977

1990

Colonel Tom Stott (political science) U.S. Army - Colonel Stott retired after serving as senior defense representative and Deputy Head of U.S. Government Delegation to the Weapons Treaty 2002. He has been married 32 years and has one son, Lieutenant J.G. Nicholas Stott.

Martin Weir, Ph.D. (music) is currently principal percussionist for Hamilton-Fairfield, Middletown and Clermont orchestras and performs regularly with Lebanon and the Richmond (Indiana) orchestras.

Raymond Nienaber (English) retired as director of the Lebanon Public Library after 20 years. He had previously worked in Kentucky libraries for 14 years.

In the ne x t iss u e : As this issue went to press, NKU was the talk of the region after President George W. Bush’s visit to campus. In the next issue, we’ll cover this historic day in the university’s history, including a recap of the president’s remarks and reaction from alumni who

1978 Charles T. “Skip” Miller (aviation) was recently elected secretary of the Kentuckians for Better Transportation (KBT) Miller serves as executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport. KBT works with opinion leaders on the local, regional and national levels to encourage the development and maintenance of a safe, interconnecting transportation system.

1979 Mev Wilson (communications) is a partner and creative director at TRIAD Communications, a marketing communications firm in Cincinnati Lee thatMcGinley she founded in 1993. She earned the master’s level nonprofit management certificate from NKU in 2004. She serves on the National Executive Board of the National T.T.T. Society, a nonprofit women’s organization that sends girls to summer camp.

were at the event.

1980 William Hesch (Chase) has been appointed

by Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher to serve on the Financial Institutions Board. The board advises the governor regarding regulatory requirements for financial institutions, credit unions and individuals and firms who sell or provide advice on securities to Kentucky residents.

1982 Jack Lee Porter, Jr. (public administration) is currently serving as the president of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Association.

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Daniel J. Venard (speech communications) tells us he is a chauffeur for Crown Car and Coach in Covington, Ky.

1996 Lee Craig (English/secondary education) is a trainer at General Revenue Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Sallie Mae. He and his wife, Megan, have a 7-year old daughter, Kayla, and the couple is expecting a second child in June.

1999 Tanya L. Wells (Journalism) is a stay-at-home mom in Wayne Township, Ohio. Her daughter, Kyra, is 4-years old and her husband, Chad is a firefighter/ paramedic in Middletown. She also volunteers at a homeless shelter in Middletown.

2001 Katie (Schneider) Ruschman is a stayat-home mom to Dylan Robert (born 1/10/05).

She is married to Thomas More College grad Brian Ruschman.

2004 Rebecca L. Campbell reports she is pursuing a master’s in African American history and working as a graduate assistant in Eastern Kentucky University’s history department.

Beverly Jacquez (construction management) joined BHDP Architecture in December of 2004 as a specifications writer. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree form NKU in December of 2004 after transferring from Cincinnati State University and Community College.

Send us your class notes Please fill out this form and mail the entire back cover to the return address listed on the back page. You can e-mail class notes, photos and announcements to fajackd@nku.edu. grad. year:___________________________________________________________ MAJOR(s):_____________________________________________________________ name:________________________________________________________________ address:_____________________________________________________________

A l u mni

o n

t h e

m o ve

______________________________________________________________________ check if this is a new address

richard a. boehne ’81

phone: (

)_ __________________________________________________

e-mail:_______________________________________________________________

Richard Boehne, executive vice president of the E.W. Scripps Co. since 1999, has been named chief operating officer.

In his new role, Boehne will have operating an rategic oversight responsibilities for all of the company’s divisions, including its national lifestyle networks, newspapers, broadcast television stations, interactive media businesses and licensing and syndication subsidiary.

The top managers of each of the operating divisions will report to Boehne.

Boehne, 50, has been a member of the company’s management team since 1988 when he was named manager of investor relations just prior to the company’s initial public stock offering. He was promoted to director of corporate communications and investor relations a year later. He became a vice president of the company in 1995.

Before joining the corporate staff, Boehne was a business reporter and editor at The Cincinnati Post, a Scripps newspaper, where he covered Wall Street, the national economy and developments in the media industry. He held various management positions at community newspapers in suburban Cincinnati before joining The Post.

Boehne received the NKU annual professional achievement award and in 2001 was named the university’s outstanding alumnus.

Boehne and his wife, Lisa Graybeal Boehne, also an NKU graduate recently were co-chairs of the alumni portion of NKU’s first major capital campaign.

occupation:__________________________________________________________ employer:_ __________________________________________________________ business address:__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ business phone: ( business fax: (

)_________________________________________ )____________________________________________

interests / hobbies:_________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ please list any schools you are attending or have attended since graduating from nku and your degree: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ accomplishments / awards:_________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

spouse’s name:______________________________________________________

Robert Verst Jr. ’89

Robert Verst Jr. named VP of Messer Construction Messer Construction Co. recently elected Robert Verst Jr., ’89, vice president of its Columbus office.

Verst began his career with the company as an engineer in 1987. His experience includes office buildings, recreational facilities, medical facilities, power plants, educational buildings, and commercial facilities. He has strong organizational and communication skills and is experienced in trade contractor coordination.

occupation:__________________________________________________________ employer:_ __________________________________________________________ business address:__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ business phone: (

)_________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________ check if spouse is an nku grad if so, grad year:_____________________________________________________ major(s):_____________________________________________________________

col. brian j. lukey ’80 Col. Brian J. Lukey, 1980, was named an Alumni Fellow from the University of Louisville. Lukey is a colonel in the U.S. Army and is an international authority in chemical warfare research, and directs research specializing in sustaining and enhancing the performance and long-term health of soldiers.

He was honored at the U of L alumni awards presentation last fall.

children’s names & birth dates:___________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

please give us a brief update on yourself or a classmate for class notes in the next issue of northern:_______________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

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“the first groundbreaking�

NORTHERN Office of Alumni Programs Mark R. Herrmann Center

Some alumni will remember this bulldozer, driven

by Gov. Nunn, which was part of the university groundbreaking in 1968. Since then, there have been many groundbreakings, including the new student union, which broke ground this winter.

R ead more about the building and how you can keep the bulldozers rolling on page 10.

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