The Millersville Review, Fall 2012 issue

MILLERSVILLE

UNIVERSITY

M A G A Z I N E ■ 2012 FA L L

President McNairy

approaches retirement Review Fall 2012 1

Library progress The corner of Frederick and George streets continues to be a hub of campus activity. The installation of windows in the library renovation project provides a dramatic glimpse into how the new facility will feature a more open and brighter space. The project is more than half complete and is on schedule to reopen in fall 2013.

2  Review Fall 2012

table of

contents

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

Fall 2012

Vol. 126

No. 1

The Review is published by Millersville University of Pennsylvania of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and mailed free to Millersville alumni, faculty, staff and other friends of the University.

President Dr. Francine G. McNairy

The McNairy Years Retiring in January 2013, Dr. Francine G. McNairy looks back over her years as Millersville University’s 13th president.

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Millersville Review Staff

Amy H. Dmitzak, Executive Editor Patricia Coulson, Editor Janet Kacskos, Campus News Ethan Hulsey, Sports News Steven A. DiGuiseppe ’82, Alumni News Kelly Davis ’95, Class Notes

Contributors Mary Beth Schweigert Laura Knowles Kelly Smedley ’93 Frost Imaging Linda Forte Creative

Honoring the

Milton Hershey School legacy Many Millersville alumni are part of the legacy of the Milton Hershey School, which has been changing the lives of young people for more than 100 years.

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Printed by Pemcor, Inc. Alumni Association Jerri Anne Johnson ’76, ’87M, president Lori Dierolf ’91, president-elect Stephen Focht ’70, treasurer Kristin Waters ’05, secretary Jennifer Bertolet ’92, Sandra Brown ’76, Nathan Claycomb ’01, Jenna Craig ’10, William Dewan ’93, Catherine Glass ’53, John Held ’02, Claire Eleanor Heller ’71, Michael Henry ’83, Cassandra Pettis Karamanos ’94, Patrick Leahy ’97, Greg Ortlieb ’09, Daniel Sidelnick ’75, Carroll Staub ’72, ’90M, Patrick Witmer ’81

PASSHE Board of Governors Guido M. Pichini (chairman), Marie Conley Lammando (vice chair), Aaron A. Walton (vice chair), Leonard B. Altieri III, Rep. Matthew E. Baker, Jennifer Branstetter, Governor Tom Corbett, Sarah C. Darling, Rep. Michael K. Hanna, Ronald G. Henry, Senator Vincent J. Hughes, Kenneth M. Jarin, Bonnie L. Keener, Jonathan B. Mack, Joseph F. McGinn, C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola, Harold C. Shields, Robert S. Taylor, Ronald J. Tomalis, Christine J. Toretti

Millersville University Council of Trustees Michael G. Warfel ’84 (chairman), Caroline M. Hoffer ’77 (secretary), James P. Argires, Gibson E. Armstrong, Julianne Dickson, Robert A. Frick ’66, ’69M, Kevin F. Harley ’86, Shane P. McGrady (student), William B. McIlwaine, Brian A. Rider ’87, Gerald S. Robinson, John C. Cavanaugh, ex officio.

Millersville University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.

Class of 2016

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Alumni welcome freshmen to campus.

Scholars Program A Millersville program is succeeding in transforming students at risk into scholars.

Review online Experience the digital edition of the Review at: www.millersvillereview.com

16 18 20 21 22 26 28 34

Campus News Campaign Update Faculty Spotlight Sports Alumni Interest Class Notes Why We Give

Table of Contents Review FallFall 2012 2012 3 3

The

McNairy Years

By Mary Beth Schweigert

M

illersville University President Francine G. McNairy’s office is filled with favorite photos, yellowed newspaper clippings and other mementos from a career spanning four decades.

One of her most prized possessions is a congratulatory poster students made for her right after she was named president.

“Dr. McNairy, remember you were chosen,” they wrote in big, bold letters, adding their signatures and handprints.

As her January 2013 retirement

4 McNairy Years Fall 2012

draws closer, the poster and McNairy’s other keepsakes will go into boxes.

But the handprints she’s left all over campus won’t fade once she closes her office door for the last time.

McNairy’s retirement comes at a crucial moment for higher education, and for Millersville as it embarks on “transformation,” an ambitious effort to redefine itself for the next generation of students.

That effort will require a motivated, energetic leader with innovative ideas for connecting students and learning, McNairy says.

“I embrace the concept but know I’m not the leader for that agenda,” she says. “I hope I am building a foundation for that individual to move forward.”

The University expects to name the new president prior to the end of 2012.

In McNairy’s nearly 10 years at the helm, Millersville marked its 150th anniversary, reached record enrollment—including that of minority students—and introduced new academic, distance learning and international programs.

Millersville’s

13th president Major construction and renovation projects completed during the McNairy presidency:

Millersville presidents “Numbers 13, 12 and 11” (left to right, with their years served as president): Dr. Francine G. McNairy (2003-January 2013), Dr. Joseph A. Caputo (1981-2003) and Dr. William H. Duncan ’40 (1968-1981).

Ongoing construction projects (see sidebar at the right) have transformed campus. And the University cemented its ties to the surrounding community with its high-profile purchase of a performance space in downtown Lancaster.

But McNairy values individual student successes more than buildings and statistics. And instead of technology, she focuses on connecting with people. She is known for being upbeat and fair, unfailingly gracious in stressful situations with a passion for shopping and a love of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Students really relate to her,” says Mackenzie Wrobel ’10. “There’s no way not to… she has the best smile—and the best jewelry.”

The down-to-earth McNairy, who came to Millersville as provost in 1994, walks around campus, eats in the dining halls and screams herself hoarse at sporting events.

“She’s very genuine,” says Dr. Aminta Breaux, vice president for student affairs. “No matter where you see her, in whatever forum, she is who she is. You don’t see different faces of Dr. McNairy.”

She is the first African-American woman to lead a Pennsylvania state university that was not a historical African-American educational institution. Breaking such a barrier probably didn’t surprise her mother, who was the first black woman president of the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education.

McNairy advocates tirelessly for students, faculty and the University. She won’t back down from a tough fight, and that’s probably because advocacy is in her DNA. But before McNairy can start on her “bucket list,” which includes singing in a church choir, working in a boutique and learning to swim, she has a capital campaign to wrap up, one final commencement speech to give in December and many more connections to make.

“Her retirement is going to leave a huge crater,” Millersville trustee Dr. Robert A. Frick ’66, ’69M says. “It’s not the kind of leadership you find every day. “…They won’t find another Dr. McNairy.”

-Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center -Student Memorial Center -Stayer Hall -Osburn Hall -McComsey Hall -Gordinier Hall -Argires Science Complex -The Ware Center, Millersville University Lancaster (acquisition) -Ganser Library (scheduled for completion in fall 2013)

“

I am honored to be part of an institution like Millersville University, which stands tall with pride in maintaining the core values of access, quality and service to the greater good.

”

Dr. McNairy

McNairy Years Fall 2012 5

H er aim in life To make a gift in honor of Dr. McNairy’s retirement, please consider a contribution to the Francine G. McNairy and Gladys B. McNairy Scholarship for Civic and Community Engagement.

The scholarship was established in 2004 by Dr. McNairy in memory of her mother. It is awarded to two underrepresented secondyear students who participate in the University’s unpaid internship program focusing on civic engagement and/or community engagement or civic engagement workshops under the auspices of Millersville’s Civic and Community Engagement Research Project (CCERP), have demonstrated financial need, and have an academic average of at least 2.5 or its equivalent.

To make a gift to the Stephen and Veronica Kepchar Presidential Endowment in Honor of Francine G. McNairy, see page 35.

Checks should be made payable to Millersville University Foundation, with the memo section noting the name of the scholarship or endowment. To give securely online, go to www.millersville.edu/give.

In the Special Instructions box, specify the fund choice.

At her inauguration in 2004, McNairy with her friend and mentor, Dr. Jack Daniel.

McNairy grew up in Pittsburgh, alongside nine foster siblings. Her father, Francis, was a steelworker with an eighth-grade education. Her mother, Gladys, was a department-store maid.

The McNairys recognized the value of education. That young Francine would go to college wasn’t up for debate. Although her parents passed away a number of years ago, her mother lived long enough to know her daughter had been named president of a university. It must have made the early memories of the struggle all the sweeter.

It began when a first-grade teacher called Francine an “average” student; Gladys bristled.

She immediately quit her job and focused on her daughter’s education full-time.

Gladys rose from the PTA to the school board, where she battled over school budgets and building projects. An education activist, she ultimately served as a trustee of the University of PittsGladys B. McNairy, burgh—after it was her daughter’s alma mater.

Dr. McNairy’s mother “She had no fear. She was up for it,” McNairy says of her fiery mother, who stood all of 5 foot 2 inches. “I know I inherit that passion from her.”

The musically minded young McNairy sang in her church choir and played violin in an all-city orchestra.

In the mid-1960s, she enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was one of just 50 African-Americans in a student body of 17,000. As an undergraduate, she had no black professors.

In a psychology lecture class, “no one would sit next to me,” she recalls. “I would raise my hand to answer a question and be ignored by the instructor.”

When McNairy stumbled on a group of African-American students in the commuter cafeteria, she was so excited, she started running toward them.

As McNairy approached, a young man yelled, “Hey! What’s your aim in life?”

Startled by the sudden, blunt question, McNairy mumbled an unintelligible answer.

The young man, Jack Daniel, eventually became a dean and provost at Pitt—and McNairy’s doctoral advisor, mentor and friend of nearly 50 years.

Daniel, now a distinguished service professor of communication at Pitt, recalls McNairy—or “Mac,” as he calls her—as a bubbly kid who was determined to succeed.

Back then, he points out, there were no special programs for economically disadvantaged students.

“If there was an African-American student at the University of Pittsburgh in those days, it was a highly talented student who had gotten in for strictly meritorious reasons,” he says.

As a doctoral candidate, McNairy endured Daniel’s four-hour interrogation of her dissertation’s first draft. Like her late parents, he taught her to reach beyond mediocrity—and the impact a nurturing mentor can have on a young student’s future.

McNairy rose above her humble roots with the right combination of intelligence, people skills and hard work, Daniel says.

“The struggles in life are worthwhile,” he says. “Francine is just evidence of those possibilities.”

Dr. McNairy with some of the University’s magna cum laude graduates in May 2010.

T aking a stand T he road to Millersville

McNairy left Pitt with a master’s degree in social work and a Ph.D. in speech rhetoric/communication, but still no clear idea of her ultimate goal.

She worked briefly for a social-service agency, but funding dried up and she lost her job.

Later, despite her misgivings, the self-described “urban kid” committed to trying a two-year job at Clarion University, a university she’d never heard of in a tiny town in rural western Pennsylvania.

Shortly into her time there as a counselor and professor, McNairy knew she’d found her calling. She stayed 13 years beyond her original commitment.

From Clarion, she moved on to urban West Chester University, where she served as associate provost for six years.

One of McNairy’s more unpleasant duties was to dismiss WCU students who weren’t cutting it academically. But she quickly focused on intervening before students reached that point, says her friend Dr. Mildred “Mit” Joyner, retired chair of WCU’s social work department.

McNairy was tough but fair, Joyner says, employing creative solutions to keep students in school. She was flexible but let no one off the hook easily.

“Our campus needed somebody who could make some difficult decisions…but heard what you had to say,” Joyner says. “Sometimes there was nothing she could do, but you could always go there and plead a case.”

McNairy’s energy and passion invigorated the campus, says Joyner, who bonded with her over shopping, traveling and reading. McNairy was known for logging long hours, but to Joyner, working alongside her didn’t seem like a job.

In fact, she says, when McNairy left, the university hired three people to do her job.

When McNairy visited Millersville in 1994 to interview for the provost position, she was struck by the beauty of the campus, the quality of the academics and the abundance of cultural opportunities. Lancaster County, she thought, was the right balance between small town and big city.

“This was the perfect place for me,” she says. “I could breathe here.”

McNairy found herself wanting to work at Millersville. Luckily the University community was equally enamored with her.

In 2003, McNairy replaced longtime president Dr. Joseph A. Caputo. Today, she oversees a $167 million annual operating budget, 1,097 employees and 8,368 students.

“Everything I’ve accomplished is because of the work of the faculty, staff and students together,” she says. “The quality of what this faculty offers is second to none…the students are just first-class.”

No other challenges the Millersville community faced came close to slashed state funding, which included more than $17.1 million in budget cuts since 2007-08.

McNairy was forced to make painful decisions including layoffs and course eliminations.

The cuts were difficult to handle, but the faculty appreciated McNairy’s honesty and transparency, says Dr. Ana Borger-Greco, associate professor of Spanish and longtime president of the Faculty Senate.

While colleagues at other state universities feared they would lose their jobs, Millersville’s faculty knew McNairy would do everything possible to avoid layoffs, Borger-Greco says.

And as classes elsewhere swelled from 40 to 155 students, McNairy fought outside pressure to increase class sizes. “[McNairy] has fought very hard for us and what we believe about teaching,” she says.

“That’s really been a continuous fight to keep what we think of as core values.”

Mackenzie Wrobel, a former Student Senate president, had a front-row seat for one of those battles.

Wrobel recalls a Board of Governors meeting where the atmosphere was tense, and tough decisions were unavoidable.

McNairy was the only president who spoke up in support of the state-owned university system’s students, she says.

“Sometimes you need to have courage,” says Wrobel, now a law student. “That’s one life lesson [McNairy] has no idea she taught me.”

McNairy Years Fall 2012 7

B uilding for the future

Outside-the-box fundraising—so vital in a tight economy—is a hallmark of McNairy’s tenure.

Earlier in her presidency, McNairy completed a $40 million capital campaign. Her second, Soar to Greatness, has already exceeded its $85 million goal.

“To me it’s a statement from the community and alumni that they want to invest in this university,” she says.

A 20-year academic facilities plan is nearly complete, with only work on the library remaining. The recent campus building boom includes the $35 million Student Memorial Center project and a $26 million renovation to the Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center.

Off campus, McNairy, with her friendly but determined demeanor, helped strengthen Millersville University’s ties to the community, says Tom Baldrige, president of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

“She has been the quintessential ambassador for Millersville, not just locally but statewide and nationally as well,” he says. “She’s very direct and forthright and pointed with what she wants, but she does it in a manner that’s not off-putting. I can’t say I’ve ever seen her be less than gracious.”

When the University purchased the Ware Center, it made headlines, but the significance was more about the deep bond with the community when Millersville followed through with presenting outstanding educational and cultural programming at this downtown location.

One of the many things that brings her joy is that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching selected Millersville University to receive the distinguished designation as a Civic/Community Engagement University. In 2010, 4,600 Millersville students contributed almost 200,000 hours of community service.

“If this world has any hope, it’s going to be this generation,” McNairy says. “If the adults get out of the way.”

McNairy also has worked to adapt academic programs for today’s students. The University now offers master’s degrees in emergency management—which is fully online—and social work, jointly with Shippensburg University. Millersville has expanded online and other offerings to attract nontraditional students including partnerships with 18 international colleges and universities.

In addition to the civic engagement designation, McNairy is proud of Millersville for consistently ranking nationally in such noteworthy publications as U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger’s, Forbes and, most recently, Washington Monthly. Millersville’s teaching program has been recognized nationally, and several student science and technology groups have captured awards in national competitions against universities with top-ranked engineering and science programs. All of these factors, including the ability to attract and retain top-notch faculty, have contributed to the progress Millersville has made in becoming a nationally recognized university. This is especially crucial today.

Given the challenges facing higher education, Millersville can no longer do business as usual, McNairy says.

“We have to be creative and inventive, find new ways of operating to allow students to succeed,” she says. “We’re preparing students for careers we don’t even know the names of yet.”

8 McNairy Years Fall 2012

Above: Two students present Dr. McNairy with flowers at a University event.

Below: McNairy congratulates a student at the annual Honors and Awards Convocation.

“

If this world has any hope, it’s going to be this generation,” McNairy says. “If the adults get out of the way.

T

” he bucket list

Once January 25 arrives, McNairy and her longtime companion, Herbert Nelson, will head for the beach.

“The first thing I want to do is take a month to relax somewhere in the Caribbean,” McNairy says. “Let the sun soak all the stress out of my body.”

Herbert, she says, is a renaissance man who’s passionate about technology, music and golf. He has supported McNairy throughout her presidency but is looking forward to the freedom that will come with her retirement.

Putting students first Social work graduate student Rakim Herman ’12 admired McNairy even before he came to Millersville.

When he saw an African-American woman as president, he knew he could fit in here.

Herman met McNairy when he was chosen to escort her to a campus function. Their bond grew over regular meetings while he led the Black Student Union.

Now, Herman says, “I aspire to be the president of a college or university. It’s because of her that I want to be that.”

Stories like Herman’s are precisely why McNairy stays visible on campus. She wants to show female and minority students that being a university president is within their reach.

McNairy measures success on the smallest scale possible: by individual students. Sometimes she finds it hard to control her enthusiasm.

She often sits front and center at sporting events, cheering wildly and waving pom-poms.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to sit there and be quiet,” she says.

It’s the students McNairy will miss the most, like the young man who gave her a flower on Valentine’s Day or those who stop her on the street to tell her they aced an exam.

Zach Love ’12, currently a technology education graduate student, says McNairy always makes a point to greet students, whether it’s during her 7 a.m. power walks around campus—in head-to-toe Millersville apparel, naturally—or at evening events at the Ware Center.

“She always has energy and always has a smile,” Love says. “It doesn’t matter what time of day.... When she’s in the room, you know she’s in the room.

“More importantly, she knows that you’re in the room too.”

Wherever the couple decides to settle, they’ll be busy.

McNairy will be active in the community, maybe serving on a few boards. She wants to travel all over America, Europe, Africa—especially South Africa and Kenya—South America and Brazil (“This is not all in one year,” she clarifies).

Work part-time in a boutique. Learn tai-chi, take art lessons, maybe a few cooking classes. Play golf, learn to swim, join a church choir….

But, she says, her face lighting up, “What I really want

Above: Presentation of the Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence in April 2012 to Millersville student David Walton ’12, a chemistry major who graduated in May. L to R: Dr. McNairy, David Walton, Syed Ali-Zaidi, a founding member of the PASSHE Board of Governors, Millersville student Sarah Darling and David Walton’s mother.

Zach Love ’12 with McNairy.

Dr. McNairy and Herbert Nelson cheer for the Marau­ders at a basketball game.

to do with my life is volunteer in an elementary school.”

McNairy recalls the wonderful librarian who read stories to her own first-grade class. The stories felt so alive that McNairy wanted to run to the library and check out every book she could find.

She would love to have that kind of impact on young children today.

Forty years in education might be just the beginning.

McNairy Years Fall 2012 9

honoring the

Milton Hershey School legacy

BY LAURA KNOWLES

T

Danny Warner, director of admission at Milton Hershey, knows that better than anyone. He graduated from Millersville in 1978 with a degree in education, then went on to earn his master’s degree in education from Penn State Harrisburg and his elementary principal certificate from Temple University.

“I originally came to Milton Hershey School as a fifth-grade teacher. Millersville University provided a comprehensive elementary education program including student teaching experiences, that prepared me for the classroom experience,” says Warner.

With the help of his new friends and peers at Milton Hershey School, he felt able and prepared to address the needs of the students in his classroom. Millersville had provided the foundation and dedication to his mission of being an educator.

Like so many people over the years, Warner was impressed with the unique mission of Milton Hershey School. Located on more than 2,600 beautiful, rolling acres in Hershey, MHS serves boys and girls who are in social and financial need, from preschoolers as young as four years old through 12th-graders, many who go on to college.

Some children do not have living parents, while others may come from single-parent families or families with special challenges. At Milton Hershey School, the children receive the security of a top-notch education, recreation, food, housing, clothing, and medical and dental care provided by people who really care about them and nurture them in

he connection between Millersville University and Milton Hershey School (MHS) is integral, with many Millersville graduates going on to be teachers, psychologists, admissions officers, social workers, recreation directors and administrators at Milton Hershey School.

Above: Roger C. Smith ’89 is a graduate of both Milllersville University and Milton Hershey School.

Right: Outside of his position as director of admission, Danny Warner ’78 spends his personal time giving Milton Hershey School students driving experience, a task often completed by parents. Warner is shown in this photo with MHS senior Brittany Temple, a prospective Millersville University student.

10 Review Fall 2012

Chris Cook ’92M with her kindergarten class.

their development. And that can make a huge difference in their lives.

“When Queen Latifah visited Milton Hershey School, she was so impressed, she began hitting the talk show circuit to sing the praises of the school,” says Warner.

Others who have supported the work of MHS include Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Alma Powell, chairman of America’s Promise, vice chair of the Kennedy Center and wife of former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Milton Hershey School has become one of the most meaningful legacies of its founder, chocolatier Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company. Hershey may be best known for his chocolate bars, but chances are he would be even more proud of all the young people who have benefitted from his school.

Milton Hershey School was founded in 1909 by Hershey and his wife Catherine, known as Kitty. The couple never had children of their own and wanted to help orphaned boys in need. It wasn’t until 1977 that their legacy of education and caring extended to girls as well. Today, 53 percent of the students are girls.

“Before my initial job interview, I had no idea of how unique and wonderful the Milton Hershey School was, with a rich history and tradition of helping children in need,” recalls Warner, adding that Milton Hershey School has become a significant employer of Millersville alumni in many areas, such as teaching, education, social work, residential services, recreation services, and mental health and psychological services.

“Because of the philanthropy of Milton Hershey, through the school’s trust, Milton Hershey School is free to those children who qualify and are accepted to enroll,” says Warner, adding that there are many opportunities for professionals to refer children to Milton Hershey School. He shared that students are enrolled from 30 states, with enrollment preference given first to children born in Lancaster, Leba-

non and Dauphin counties, second to other counties in Pennsylvania and then the rest of the United States.

Elizabeth McInnis Benito, coordinator of postsecondary partnerships at MHS, explains that the interrelation between Millersville and Milton Hershey extends to Hershey graduates going on to pursue college educations at Millersville. Through the Alliance School Programs, MHS works with 65 postsecondary schools. At Millersville, MHS graduates benefit from transition services and a scholarship to help them achieve success in their post-secondary education.

“For many of them, they will be the first in their families to attend college,” says Benito, adding that the houseparents and teachers at Milton Hershey really do take on the role of parents, helping their “kids” with applications, applying for financial aid and striving for a degree.

For Millersville alumni who have found fulfillment at Milton Hershey School, their roles at MHS lend credence to their mission as educators. Chris Cook has been teaching at MHS since 1986. She majored in education and earned her master’s degree from Millersville in 1992. In those years, she has taught kindergarten, coached junior high field hockey, varsity softball, elementary field hockey and taught driver’s training.

She cherishes her young kindergarten students, who are just getting started on their educational paths. She knows better than most how important that can be.

“I graduated from Milton Hershey School in 1981 and had bonds and ties to MHS like no other,” says Cook, who is originally from Philadelphia. “It’s hard to put into words what MHS means to me and the children. It’s a home and a school where we are helping children who might not ever catch a break in life if it weren’t for Mr. Hershey starting this amazing school.”

Roger C. Smith, senior division student programs team Review Fall 2012 11

Dr. Gerald P. H. Ballough ’81, a professor of biology at LaSalle University, is an alumnus of Milton Hershey School, Millersville University and the Pennsylvania State University.

Milton Hershey School Campus

“Milton Hershey [School] is a godsend. We are changing

leader at MHS, graduated from Millersville in lives every day. Whether you are a coach or a houseparent, 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts education. Like Cook, he has come full circle, you are helping to impact young people’s lives,” Roger back to his alma mater of MHS. Smith says. “Every day is different. The students “Milton Hershey School prepared me for appreciate you. The staff is made up of incredible people Millersville. I graduated from Milton Hershey School in 1985. Millersville enhanced what and personalities. Milton Hershey School’s mission saves MHS had already started,” says Smith. “For me, and changes lives. It changed mine.” it’s home.”

Smith has been an educator at MHS since August 1997 and is responsible for supervising, facilitating and creating programs for the high school level that take place after school and on the weekends, unique talents and interests that help boost their selfconfidence,” says Warner. “It is a 100-year-old mission that with a focus on fun, leadership and community service. changes lives.”

At Millersville, his fondest memories are with his seniorThe caring structure and guidance that helps children learn year football season and the guys on the team. He has stayed responsibility is integral to the success of MHS in meeting close to many of his Millersville classmates via Facebook and the goals of Milton and Catherine Hershey. Moving toward joined together with them when they attended the funeral of expanding those goals, MHS hopes to enroll at least 2,000 Coach Carpenter. students by 2013 and is actively seeking new students who Smith is a proud alumnus of both Milton Hershey School qualify. and Millersville University. In fact, he met his wife, Crystal Most MHS students live with a married houseparent Banks Smith ’93 at Millersville. couple in homes with about 10 to 14 students their age. More Originally born in Trinidad in the West Indies, Smith moved to New York City at the age of four, living in Brookthan just caretakers, houseparents take an active, nurturing lyn, N.Y., until he was 14. He enrolled in the Milton Hershey interest in students’ development and well-being—acting as School in ninth grade, and that marked an important life surrogate parents. change for the young teenager.

In preparation for their futures as adults, seniors in MHS’s Then there is Millersville, which is responsible for the Transitional Living Program live in apartments and are greatest parts of his life: his family and his career as an educa- responsible for managing their time, finances, study habits, tor. And sports. meals, chores and caring for their apartments. The program “I would love to be in the Millersville Athletics Hall of is designed to help students learn the skills they need to sucFame,” says Smith, who is also involved in sports and athletcessfully transition into life after graduation. ics at MHS. “All students are required to participate in a careerIn fact, Milton Hershey School places a strong emphasis on technical program, in addition to taking college preparatory classes,” says Warner, adding that this real-world work expethe well-rounded student. MHS offers a diverse range of corience through part-time work and the school’s internship curricular activities including athletic programs, visual and performing art programs, social and cultural activities, and and cooperative work experience programs helps students character-building and leadership activities. discover their strengths and future career paths.

Each graduating student also can earn a continuing “Students who get involved with activities often discover 12 Review Fall 2012

Milton & Catherine Hershey Candymaker Milton Hershey loved innovation; it was one of the elements that made his business successful.

When the state-ofthe-art steamliner, the Titanic, was ready, Hershey booked a first-class stateroom.

In December 1911, Hershey wrote a $300 check to the White Star Photo: Pennsylvania State Archives Line as a deposit for passage. He and his wife had spent the winter in France and planned to sail home on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

In a fortunate twist of fate, business intervened and an employee requested that Hershey return early. He abandoned his original plans and left Europe three days earlier on the German liner Amerika.

education scholarship to pursue college or career training at universities and colleges such as Millersville University. And that can make all the difference in the lives of students bound for promising futures.

Gerald P. H. Ballough ’81 is proof of what that can mean.

The LaSalle University professor of biology graduated from Milton Hershey School in 1976 and from Millersville University in 1981 with a degree in biology. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in physiology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1986 and 1990. He was named as 2008 MHS Alumnus of the Year, and his accomplishments have proven the power of being given the right opportunities in life.

In addition to being a LaSalle professor, Ballough is also a research scientist with the neurotoxicology branch of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.

He is the primary author of the “Neuroprotection” chapter appearing in the most recent Textbooks of Military Medicine.

In addition, he has authored more than 25 publications and delivered more than 35 presentations around the world.

He served as one of 13 expert panelists for the National Institutes of Health in identifying the most viable neuroprotectants against seizure-related brain damage resulting from nerve agent exposure, aimed at protecting soldiers and civilians from military and terrorist threats.

Ballough credits Milton Hershey School with giving him the encouragement he needed as a teen. After his father’s

death, his mother moved the family of five children from Florida to Harrisburg. He was 15 when he and his two brothers were enrolled at MHS. “The single most important academic event in my life at MHS happened when Mr. William Fisher ’50, then principal of Senior Hall, did something that had never been done before,” recalls Ballough, explaining that Fisher allowed him to switch to a college prep program. “I was absolutely determined to go to college. And, believing in me, Mr. Fisher gave me a chance.”

Ballough’s activities in swimming and glee club supplemented his academic achievements, including membership in the National Honor Society.

“Dr. Ballough is a shining example of what Milton Hershey School can mean to a student in need,” notes Warner.

Surely, Milton Hershey would be proud of all the children like Ballough, Smith and Cook who have blossomed under the nurturing care of MHS. Three years after his wife Kitty died, Hershey gave his entire personal fortune to the school the couple had started. He was involved in the school’s operations until his death in 1945.

Hershey has been quoted as saying, “The school was Kitty’s idea. If we had helped a hundred children, it would have all been worthwhile.”

Surely that number is far higher than that, as the Hershey legacy lives on for many thousands of alumni who have shared the vision of Milton Hershey School.

Review Fall 2012 13

Your first days at Millersville.

Alumni welcome freshmen

Millersville University alumni from various class years going back to 1953 and as recent as 2010 came to campus on August 24 for the freshman convocation.

Linda Depro ’66, whose class will celebrate its 50th reunion in 2016 when the freshmen will graduate, shared her top 10 reasons why she chose to attend Millersville in 1962. She confused the students right from the get-go with the mention of something called a “typewriter.”

TOP 10 REASONS

to attend Millersville in 1962

By Linda Depro, Class of 1966

10. New clothes and a new typewriter!

9. Eating the foods of my choice including junk food 8. A roommate 7. No more high school “study halls” 6. College activities, especially field hockey 5. Dorm life 4. Meeting new friends 3. Upperclassmen, and I mean “men” 2. Freedom from my parents (that’s not to say I didn’t love them) 1. An excellent education to prepare me for my adult life

Thanks to the alumni who helped at convocation: Valdijah Brown ’96 Jenna Craig ’10 Kelly Davis ’95 Lori Dierolf ’91 Steven DiGuiseppe ’82 Dominick DiNunzio ’53 Stephen Focht ’70 Richard Frerichs ’64 Kitty Glass ’53 Susan Glass ’84 Joseph Glass ’53 John Held ’02 Michael Henry ’83 David Hernandez ’71 Jerri Anne Johnson ’76 Cassandra Karamano ’94 Mary Lehr ’58 Robert Lehr ’57 Mark Phillips ’72 Richard Rissmiller ’63 Carroll Staub ’72 Linda Thompson ’84 Denise Vega ’06

The Millersville pin symbolizes the unique community the students have joined and will be a part of forever.

Alumni helped with the pinning ceremony during freshman convocation.

Old Main

Excited freshmen gathered for convocation in the Student Memorial Center.

“As a representative alumnus, I thoroughly enjoyed the opening convocation and pinning ceremony for the incoming Class of 2016 and commend the organizers. Was I really that young? The singing of the alma mater at the Lake brought back memories of pep rallies at Brooks Field as well as in front of Old Main. During the singing, the college bell rang from the bell tower five stories overhead, an unforgettable memory. I’m sure the evening kindled what will be many happy memories for the newest Marauders. GO Millersville!”

Richard A. Rissmiller ’63 Below: Freshmen and alumni participated in the candle lighting ceremony at the pond.

More than 20 alumni eagerly took part in pinning all of the newest Marauders and then joined hundreds of students as they walked to the pond (or lake, depending on when you attended Millersville) with luminaries glowing along the path for the traditional candle lighting ceremony.

About the incoming

Class of 2016

• Number of students 1,315 • 35% in top 30% of class • Women 56%; Men 44% • Minority 22% • Top 3 majors: biology, business & elementary education • Pa. residents 93% • Out of state 7%

Review Fall 2012 15

Millersville Scholars Program—A Success Story

T

hinking, acting and behaving like scholars is working to transform motivated students into scholars.

That’s what the early indications show about the innovative Millersville Scholars Program. In 2010, the program replaced the Act 101/Aim for Success program, a state-funded program providing services to academically and financially disadvantaged students to assist them in completing postsecondary study. The “scholar” students have academic profiles identical to those from Act 101 and yet their performance has been dramatically better despite a more rigorous course and credit load. The students in the Millersville Scholars Program are thriving and the percentage of students continuing their education for the first two groups has surpassed that of the general University population. What seems to be the basis of its success?

The Millersville Scholars Program provides a supportive community for students coming from economically and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Millersville also recruits highly motivated students who show the potential to succeed in college, with additional support to achieve their academic goals.

Dr. W. Douglas Zander, associate provost for enrollment 16 Review Fall 2012

by Janet Kacskos

Millersville Scholars Program students gather for an intense orientation institute in the summer.

management, and his then-colleague, Dr. Jose Aviles, Millersville’s former admissions director, developed the program, which focuses on values and outcomes.

“Dr. Aviles was a product of the Rowan program and was instrumental in designing the program here,” said Zander.

“We poured our own scholarly-based theory and research into Rowan’s structure to come up with a program unique to Millersville University. One of the main add-ons at Millersville is a three-week summer institute. This is a very structured, intensive program that not only focuses on academic work, but also has interpersonal and residential components.”

“The key difference in the approach of this program is a focus on something called values clarification—the theory that values drive actions, and actions create outcomes. So students who want their outcome to be a graduate of Millersville need to have the values equivalent of a scholar. And their actions need to reflect those values. We help students be introspective, examining their behaviors and understanding the connections between values, actions and outcomes. It becomes a litmus test for making choices about actions,” said Zander.

For example if students have low grades, the program will look at their actions. Have they been late for class? Have they turned in assignments late? The outcome of those activities is

Joshua Williams

Yanitza Francisco

low grades, and those activities demonstrate that the student places a higher value on something other than his or her education. If they are going to be successful in a demanding academic environment, they need to keep their eyes on the prize—and that means making education a primary value.

The Millersville Scholars Program first identifies underprepared students. When this is based on life circumstances, such as bright students who didn’t receive an education equivalent to typical students—or students who may have moved around a lot, attended a high school classified as underperforming by the state, or who didn’t have access to educational experiences and content critical for their success in college.

Then the students come for the Pre-Scholars Summer Institute. In 2010, 62 out of 64 completed the program and began classes at Millersville. In 2011, 102 out of 110 students began classes, and in 2012 it was 100 out of 101.

“Our goal is to accomplish success rates, persistence and graduation rates that mirror the University’s graduation rates,” said Zander.

“We hope to create an exceptional experience for students that allows them to emerge from this experience as leaders. It’s really a transformative program.”

“The Millersville Scholars Program means so much to me because it takes a special group of people who do not know you to invest time, money and energy on you when on paper you have shown to have failed, over and over again,” said Yanitza Francisco, a junior majoring in international studies.

“The program is very structured,” said Francisco. “I never once thought about quitting, because I knew this was my only chance to get into a four-year college. I also refused to go back home emptyhanded to my mother and my sister, who dropped me off at Millersville University with so much hope and pride. I did this for myself, but without a doubt, I did it for my family as well.”

During the school year, the scholars are part of a learning community and take courses together. They are housed together in three wings in Harbold Hall, have study time, curfew, expectations and outreach counselors assigned to them.

“The success rate of programs that focus on remediation is notoriously poor. The academic focus in the Pre-Scholars Summer Institute is on behaviors and connections that support learning.

Slouching, sleeping, cell phones, distracting behavior of any kind is prohibited,” said Zander.

“Growing up was a tough time for me. My mom died when I was in 10th grade,” said Joshua Williams, now a junior in the respiratory therapy program at Millersville and a member of the 2010 Pre-Scholars Program. “This program gave me a chance because I didn’t have high SAT scores, and even though I had a 3.2 GPA in high school, I lacked basic skills. I always knew I was going to college, one way or another.” His mother’s only wish was for his sister and him to get college degrees and pursue their desired careers.

Holding students accountable reduces some of the risk associated with the poor decision-making often exhibited by freshmen. During the academic year, progress in classes is monitored and regular meetings take place with faculty.

“The administrators of the program bluntly tell me what they expect from me the following semester. It has really helped me keep up with my grades because I do not want to let them down,” said Francisco. “I have made the dean’s list both semesters I have been here at Millersville University, and a great part of that is because I feel like I owe it to Dr. Aviles, Dr. Zander and Ms. Mack [director, precollegiate programs] for giving me the opportunity to come to a four-year college and for joining me day to day in the most difficult part of my journey, the summer program. They really ignited that ‘fire’ within me, and have allowed me to believe that I can do anything I set my mind to.”

Francisco added, “I believe that as someone on this campus, I need to make a change, not just be another student. I wasn’t involved in anything besides track in high school, and now I am involved with Millersville Concerned Women, Civic Leadership Fellows, S.O.L.A. and I have an interest in the Multicultural Outreach Team as well. I also desire to be much more involved in my community because I hope that inspires younger kids and students to lead by example.”

Review Fall 2012 17

Campus News

News Bite U.S. News & World Report, in its annual college rankings issued for 2013, announced that Millersville University ranked 86 in the category of Best Regional Universities in the North region.

Commitment to solar power Report of Gifts Thank you for the support you gave to Millersville students over the past year. The 2011-2012 Report of Gifts is now available online at http://mville.us/thankyou.

Opportunities for postgraduate health careers Millersville University students looking to pursue a doctorate degree in the fields of osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy will now be eligible for early acceptance thanks to a new agreement with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). While students will still be required to take specific courses at Millersville and meet set qualifications, LECOM will hold up to five seats in each of these three programs for each graduating class at Millersville.

Postgraduate careers in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry are three of the most highly competitive health profession programs. Projections in these job fields are expected to grow 20-25 percent within the decade.

Students would be assured a seat in LECOM’s program as early as their sophomore year at Millersville, as long as the academic expectations are met.

“Students will now know at a very early point what they will be doing after graduation. They should have additional motivation to maintain high grades and to keep their postgraduate studies targeted,” said Dr. Robert T. Smith, dean of science and mathematics.

For more information, contact Dr. Tim Ladd, director of allied health, at Timothy.Ladd@millersville.edu or 717-872-3792.

18 Campus News Fall 2012

Millersville University has committed to purchasing solar power from Community Energy Inc.’s (CEI) Keystone Solar Project, a six-megawatt, groundmounted solar project that will produce approximately 8,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually—the equivalent of powering 950 homes and avoiding 5,516 tons of carbon dioxide each year. This project is being constructed in Lancaster, Pa. “We are pleased to participate in the Keystone Solar Project with Community Energy,” said Roger Bruszewski, vice president for finance and administration.

“We are particularly excited about the educational enrichment opportunity for our students that Community Energy has developed.”

As part of the sponsorship commitment, Millersville University will have access to an online course, “Building Keystone Solar,” designed to invite students and professors behind the scenes of the real-world solar project development process with in-depth videos, documents, designs and plans not otherwise available in the classroom. This course is being developed to help expand experiential learning and create pathways to careers in renewable energy for students.

“This will give Millersville graduates a competitive edge in the emerging clean sector,” said Brent Alderfer, president of CEI. “Millersville University has been a renewable energy leader for many years. Voluntary purchases of renewable energy, like the one Millersville made, will help grow the demand for new clean energy. We hope that more universities join with Millersville to accelerate the development of solar power.”

This initiative is the most recent among the University’s continuous efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Millersville has taken many steps toward this goal such as the formation of its sustainability committee and successful “zero waste” commencement ceremony held for the first time this past May. Millersville was also included in the Princeton Review’s 2012 Guide to Green Colleges.

For more information about the Keystone Solar Project, visit www.communityenergyinc.com/keystone.

New minor in entrepreneurship Millersville University’s new interdisciplinary minor in entrepreneurship has been approved by the Council of Trustees and will be the only minor of its kind in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, established in 2009, laid the groundwork for the creation of this new minor, which will allow students in any major to bring an entrepreneurial perspective to their specific area of study.

Students will learn to identify resources and tools to translate opportunities into sustainable solutions, formulate business plans and develop ethical orientations to build informed decisions, strategies and relationships.

The entrepreneurship minor will require students to complete a minimum of 18 credits, which includes an introductory seminar on entrepreneurial thinking, two core courses, a practicum and a capstone course on business skills for entrepreneurs.

“Students enrolled in the minor will be receiving a one-of-a-kind education, as the minor does not duplicate course offerings at any other university within 50 miles of Millersville University,” explained Dr. Diane Umble, interim dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

While the minor will be housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the participating departments that will offer courses include art and design, business administration, chemistry, communication and theatre, computer science, economics, English, music and women’s studies.

The entrepreneurship minor will help drive the University’s commitment to “create, innovate and engage,” to connect education to life beyond campus and to meet the economic needs of the region, the Commonwealth and the nation.

For more information, contact the Office of the Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, at 717-872-3553.

Small gifts add up!

Gifts of $100 or less to the Impact Fund in 2011-2012 totaled more than $93,000!

The Impact Fund is the primary way that alumni, parents and friends support Millersville University.

For more information, visit www.mville.us/impact.

Last year 99% of unrestricted contributions were used for student scholarships: • Academic scholarships within the Honors College • Men’s and women’s student-athlete scholarships • Search for Excellence Academic Scholarships 1% went to campus heritage - supporting beautification surrounding the newly renovated Student Memorial Center our peer where Among institutions within we PASSHE with the top stand six donation totals.

UNRESTRICTED ANNUAL FUND DOLLARS RAISED LAST YEAR Shippensburg $1.2 million Kutztown

$641,000

Indiana (Pa.)

$505,000

Bloomsburg

$478,000

Millersville

$253,000

West Chester $182,000

Campus News Fall 2012 19

Campaign Update

Award established in honor of William S. Trout The late William S. Trout ’47 was a gifted teacher valued by colleagues and loved by students at both the public school and college level.

He taught in public schools in Lancaster County before joining Millersville’s English department (1958-1967). Former students and colleagues have established the William S. Trout Memorial Award in his honor. The annual award will be given to a Millersville senior majoring in English education who has a good academic record, documented community service, and a proven commitment to creative writing (poetry, fiction and/ or essay).

On July 27, 2012, Millersville University’s Ware Center hosted the world premiere of Baltimore composer Michael Rickelton’s Time and Memory: Suite for Voice and Piano based

on poems of William S. Trout, performed by John Elson Williams, tenor, and Hsiao-Ying Lin, piano, both of whom received master’s degrees in performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

In addition to Rickelton’s composition based on seven of Trout’s poems, the program included works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann, and John D. Carter.

More than 70 people attended the recital, among them former pupils, friends and former colleagues, and Millersville alumni, more than a dozen of whom had taken classes with Trout.

Betty Curtis ’61, a former pupil of Trout, attended the recital. Commenting on the content of the poems set to music, she observed, “Mr. Trout’s knowledge of nature in and of itself is remarkable.”

The event marked the beginning of a campaign to raise funds to support the William S. Trout Memorial Award. Those wishing to make contributions or deferred gifts to the Trout Fund should contact the Office of Development (717-872-3820) at Millersville University. A copy of Time & Memory: Poems By William S. Trout will be sent to those making a contribution of $100 or more.

Total Goal: $85 million; $83.9 million raised (as of 9/28/12)

By campaign priority—Dollars raised to date are expressed in millions, except for Health & Wellness.

Visual and Performing Arts

Library

Scholarships

Student-Faculty Research

Equipment

Community & Civic Engagement

Global Partnerships

Health & Wellness

Unrestricted gifts of $1.4 million are included in the total, but not represented in the eight priorities below.

$20.9 M

$20.8 M

$20.3 M

$8.4 M

$4.7 M

$4.4 M

$2.2 M

$867,000

20 Review Fall 2012

CampusCampus News Summer News Fall 2012 2012 20 20

FacultySpotlight An ever-changing perspective on an ever-changing world

F

or Dr. Robert J. Bookmiller, director of the International Studies Program at Millersville University, the complexities of the world are ever-evolving.

“From day to day, minute to minute, the world is changing,” said Bookmiller.

That’s why Bookmiller believes so strongly in the International Studies Program, in which 16 departments across all three schools combine for an interdisciplinary major that provides the basis for better understanding the world. The program integrates many areas including geography, political science, economics, business, world history and anthropology.

In a new course offered this fall, faculty members from different disciplines are team-teaching a course that explores geographical influences. Dr. Angela Cuthbert from the geography department is leading the unit on Sub-Saharan Africa, while Bookmiller is teaching the Middle East and North Africa unit.

“We are especially excited that the unit on Europe is being taught by a visiting scholar from the UK,” said Bookmiller, adding that Professor Pam Barnes from the University of Lincoln, Millersville’s partner institution in England, is covering the unit on European Union and environmental policy, of which she is a recognized expert.

Since 2006, the International Studies Program has offered a special topics course taught by a visiting international scholar each spring.

Scholars have come from Australia and South Africa, teaching political science; Brazil, teaching anthropology; Germany, teaching economics; and Spain, teaching business.

“In these courses, students have an opportunity to interact with a professor from a different part of the world and enroll in a course not usually offered at Millersville,” said Bookmiller, adding that topics have included globalization and international trade, southern Africa and HIV/AIDS, and a cultural look at Brazil and Australia.

In June 2013, international studies majors will have the opportunity to complete their senior seminar requirement with a short-term foreign study experience in South Africa. The program will be taught by Dr. Tracey Weis, Millersville history professor, in Cape Town, Johannesburg. The course titled “Strike a Woman, Strike a Rock”: Women’s Activism and Black Liberation in Comparative Perspective” will compare the resistance movements that challenged white supremacy in the U.S. South and in South Africa. Bookmiller will be teaching a course on South Africa, “Twenty Years After Apartheid.”

“During that first year, the program had three majors,” said Bookmiller.

“Today there are 93 majors and 33 minors.”

Dr. Robert J. Bookmiller Associate professor of government and political affairs and director of the International Studies Program

“I first became interested in the Middle East when I was a student at Indiana University in 1982,” said Bookmiller. “At the time, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was occurring, with hundreds of Palestinian refugees killed in camps by Lebanese forces allied with the Israelis. It was a human tragedy that caught my attention.”

From then on, Bookmiller focused his attention on the Middle East, with historic and religious factors contributing to the strife, along with the high unemployment and poverty among young people.

Bookmiller’s wife Kirsten is also a professor of government at Millersville. She previously headed the International Studies Program and the two have taught interdisciplinary courses together.

“We met in a Cold War seminar,” recalled Bookmiller, adding that they met as graduate students at the University of Virginia 25 years ago. “In the midst of discussions on atomic throw weights and nuclear winter, we met and started dating.”

The Bookmillers have a 10-year-old son Sebastian. He and his son collect political memorabilia, and recently added Mitt Romney and Barack Obama bobbleheads dressed in baseball uniforms.

Millersville’s International Studies Program has steadily attracted interest through the years. And like the world, the International Studies Program is constantly changing. As Bookmiller notes, graduates of the program have gone on to widely varied careers in intelligence, politics, research, the space program, lobbying, negotiations, international security, the United Nations, government and diplomacy.

Faculty Spotlight Fall 2012 21

UPDATE

sports

Wharton starts quickly Freshman women’s golfer Jaimie Wharton produced an outstanding start to her collegiate career. In her first tournament, she tied for first with teammate Amber Rohrer and followed that by tying for second in a field of 47 golfers at the Alvernia Invitational on Sept. 17. Through five fall events, Wharton broke into the top 10 three times.

Coyne, Marauders charge to Mercyhurst invitational title Casey’s debut one to remember Connor Casey, the first Millersville true freshman to start a game since 2002, completed 30-of-43 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate debut against undefeated and nationally ranked Bloomsburg on Oct. 6. He totaled the most pass completions and the most yards by a Marauder true freshman on record.

It was also the first time since 2010 that a Millersville QB completed 30 passes and threw for 300 yards. He had 187 yards in the first half, which was more passing yards than in any of the previous 16 games.

With junior Robert Coyne leading the way, the Millersville men’s golf team rallied to take first place at the Mercyhurst Fall Invitational on Oct. 13-14. Millersville topped eight teams, including five PSAC programs, by overcoming a four-shot, first-round deficit to California (Pa.) with a final round score of 294, which was the best team round of the tournament. Coyne, who finished in the top 10 in three of four fall tournaments, ran away with the individual title by shooting 4-underpar. The win was the first of Coyne’s career, and his score was the lowest by a Marauder since 2009.

Field hockey breaks through Millersville field hockey emerged as a PSAC contender by ending a 23-year skid against perennial national championship challenger Bloomsburg on Oct. 9. Champayne Hess scored the only goal of the game, giving Millersville a 1-0 overtime win and the program’s first win over Bloomsburg since 1989. Not a single member of the roster had been born the last time Millersville beat Bloomsburg. The win also clinched Millersville’s first winning season since 1998. With a 1-0 win over LIU Post on Oct. 16, Millersville clinched its first PSAC Tournament berth since 1993.

Make a Hall of Fame nomination Millersville University’s Athletics Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for its 2013 class of inductees. Submissions can be made via online form, by mail or by fax.

Access the easy-to-use form at www.millersvilleathletics.com and click on the Hall of Fame link in the upper right-hand corner. On the site is a complete list of inductees with bios as well as an up-to-date 22 Sports Fall 2012

list of current nominees. To submit a nomination, either fill out the online form or print the PDF version and mail it to the Millersville sports information office.

Nominations close on March 31, 2013. For more information on the nomination process, contact Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications, at ehulsey@millersville.edu.

Kevin Bohl

Playing offensive line and singing in Millersville Glee Club?

Casual fans of the game of football normally tab offensive linemen as “big uglies” because they are normally big guys, who the fans understand to be in the trenches getting dirty and throwing their weight around.

Playing the position, however, takes more than what fans see and know about it. It takes skill and grace, knowledge, toughness and versatility.

Marauder offensive lineman Kevin Bohl is not your typical, snarling type of lineman. Bohl is a member of the Glee Club at Millersville, displaying his lighter side.

Glee Club is a men’s choir on campus. Normally, that would be nowhere near the bounds of an offensive lineman on a football team. But Bohl has been singing for so long that it has just become second nature to him, and he’s proud of what he does.

“I’ve been singing since about fourth or fifth grade,” Bohl said.

“I’ve got friends on campus who are part of it, and they talked to me about it, so I just picked it up, and I thought it was really cool.”

An even bigger supporter of Bohl’s involvement in Glee Club is his offensive line position coach, Jim Shiffer. “As a person, Coach Shiffer is a really supportive guy,” said Bohl. “He wants to see his players do well not only on the field, but also off the field, in the classroom and in life. If you have concerns or

questions, you know you can always go to him, and he’s got a great open-door policy. He’s there for his players and is a ‘player’s coach.’”

Shiffer, too, is proud of one of his best young pupils, saying: “One of the things that I want is guys who are well-rounded. I believe very strongly in guys who can turn it on in between the lines and then turn it off and be a strong member and presence in our campus community. I smile because of his involvement in it, and I am looking forward to going and seeing him perform. I like to do that with my players.

Bohl is able to find acceptance on the team for his membership in this club. While the team hasn’t yet made it to one of his performances due to tough scheduling around practices and distant locations, the 6-3 guard says teammates are always asking about his activity and when they can attend his next show.

If they’re doing something outside of football, I like to be able to see them in a different light. I think it also helps them see me in a different light.”

It too helps that the redshirt sophomore is having his best year yet since stepping on campus. After an injury wrecked what would have been his freshman season in 2010, Bohl was “thrown into the fire” last year as a redshirt freshman and asked to start. He

was important enough as a cog in the offensive line to start every single game of the 2011 season.

Since he got the opportunity last fall, the Phoenixville native has stepped up in a big way, so much so that Shiffer dubbed him as one of the hardest workers in the off-season, and the results have shown on the field. Bohl has anchored an offensive line that has paved the way for the Marauder rushing attack to flourish.

But Bohl knows there is still work to be done, and Shiffer knows his guard is still a work in progress as well.

“We want to win every game, but it’s the week-at-a-time approach,” Bohl said of the team’s outlook for the rest of the year. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves because it’s all about the process. Personally, I want to be on my assignments and be workmanlike.”

“One of the things we are working on with him is his consistency play-to-play and series-to-series,” said Shiffer. “He’s a very cerebral player and has made some very good strides for us.

He’s certainly a guy who we are going to put in a position to help us out as best as we can.”

Well-rounded? Cerebral and a noted singer in his spare time? Bohl has proven to be the total package. So what if he’s not your typical “big ugly”?

Sports Fall 2012 23

Austin Hoke

combining art and soccer.

Creative. Beautiful. Imaginative. Skillful. Inventive. Stylish. For some these words describe art; for others these words may describe sport. For Millersville men’s soccer player Austin Hoke, the words describe both.

Hoke, a Lititz, Pa., native, is a sophomore starter on defense. He is also an art major at Millersville, and needless to say he uses the right side of his brain. The right side of the brain controls imagination and creativity, both characteristics highly involved in art and soccer. Hoke has a deep passion for both of these hobbies and finds that the two are quite similar.

“I love art because you can do whatever you want, it’s just like soccer. There are no set plays, you just create,” said Hoke. “When you love something, you usually like other related things. I think that is why I was drawn to art so much, from my interest in soccer.”

His love for soccer and art began around the same time as a young child. He started playing soccer at the age of six, and when he was in elementary school he began drawing and using coloring books, the beginning of his love of art and soccer. He drew with his uncle, who helped build his abilities as an artist. His uncle taught him to pay attention to the details and focus on the little nuances that many people miss. Hoke utilized that principle, not only in his artwork, but in his soccer abilities as well.

Hoke’s innate ability to play focused and be attentive to the details helped him become successful as a soccer player. This was apparent as he eventually became a three-year starter at Warwick High School, and is now a starting defender for the Marauders.

The one characteristic about soccer and art that entices Hoke is the freedom that exists. On the soccer pitch, players create on the fly and improvise when necessary. For Hoke, it’s the same with art.

There are no guidelines, no rules, and no manuals.

“Art is just like anything else, when I first started I really had to pay attention to the details. I kept 24 Sports Fall 2012

Clockwise, top left, Hoke’s illustrations of soccer stars Adrian Robben, Thomas Muller, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi Hernandez. practicing over and over, and eventually I got better,” Hoke said.

“Practicing art made me a better artist, just like practicing at soccer made me a better soccer player.”

Hoke is a fan of professional soccer and faithfully follows his favorite players. However, since he cannot meet them in person, he decided to create them on paper.

“I knew I was not going to meet my favorite professional players in person, so I decided to draw them,”said Hoke. “I took their photos and just created them. I try and relate most of my school projects to soccer,” stated Hoke.

Hoke has related soccer to art and art to soccer. He has completely integrated two of his life passions, and he puts new meaning to the phrase “The Art of Soccer.”

Women’s basketball preview:

Aurielle Mosley & Mashira Newman finishing careers together Rarely does any college basketball coach come across an opportunity to have two players graduating at the same time who have made such a big impact on a program. But that is the situation Millersville women’s basketball head coach Mary Fleig faces this season with center Aurielle Mosley and point guard Mashira Newman entering their final season in Black & Gold.

Mosley and Newman are the rare inside-out duo that every coach craves.

With a solid guard and an impact player down low, there is no telling what a team’s capabilities are. The Mosley-Newman tandem has helped Fleig to compile 63 wins against just 24 losses over the last three years and run her success of reaching the PSAC Tournament to 16 straight seasons.

While Fleig doesn’t like the word “expect” and isn’t big on predictions when discussing the upcoming season, she knows what Mosley and Newman bring to the court each and every game: leadership.

“Both are leaders in their own special way,” Fleig said. “Mashira is the leader of our team on the court. She makes our team go. But Aurielle is the emotional leader for us.”

Fleig also knows and appreciates that she has that rare combination of a great point guard and center, two of the most important positions on the court, and knows that it will be tough to fill each player’s sneakers after Mosley and Newman graduate.

“On one hand, it has been awesome having the two most important positions on the court being filled by two players who came in together and will graduate in the same year,” said Fleig.

“On the other hand,” Fleig continued, “it was very important in recruiting that we filled those spots this year. It’s important for the new players to have a year to develop. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what Aurielle and Mashira

did during their first year.”

By taking the time and learning under players before them, Mosley and Newman have given Fleig three solid years of production.

“They could practice every day but

open.” But don’t mistake Fleig’s comments as a way of saying that Mosley and Newman are one-dimensional players; she says they are even better on the other end of the floor, with Newman creating pressure on the ball out

(Above) Center Aurielle Mosley and (right) point guard Mashira Newman enter their final season for the Black & Gold. not compete,” Fleig explained. “They learned so much during their first year here. By the time they both played during their redshirt freshman seasons, they knew our philosophy, which enabled them to gain many of the records they are going to break.”

With just their longevity in the program, both are sure to break records in the coming season. Newman (14th) and Mosley (20th) both already rank in the top 20 in points scored in program history. Newman is only 462 points away from breaking the record of 1543 points, and Mosley is only 100 points behind Newman. Between the two of them, they have a total of four All-PSAC East nods (two each).

“They’re an ideal tandem offensively,” Fleig said. “It’s hard to double-team either one. Someone is always wide

front, and Mosley as a valuable last line of defense.

Newman is an expert at picking opponents’ pockets, totaling 292 career steals. She needs 128 more to break the school record. A whiz rebounder, Mosley is key to Millersville’s transition game and led Division II in rebounding in 2010-11. In addition to grabbing rebounds at a career 8.8 per game clip, she is also capable of blocking shots at the rim. Mosley needs just 22 blocks to break the school record of 200.

Important too in Fleig’s eyes is keeping the duo’s individual successes in perspective, and she says they’ve done that better than nearly anyone. “To be successful, we need exceptional individual talent,” said Fleig. “But our tradition of Millersville women’s basketball will always be our team success.”

Sports Fall 2012 25

Alumni Interest

UPCOMING EVENTS November

Announcing a New Name:

Office of Alumni Engagement The Office of Alumni Services was renamed to the Office of Alumni Engagement, effective September 4, 2012. The Office of Alumni Engagement strengthens lifelong connections between Millersville University and its alumni, students and friends in the communities where stakeholders live.

The Millersville University alumni community is now more than 60,000 strong and growing each year. Our alumni span generations, who reside in all 50 states, 45 countries, from all walks of life, where they share in a special relationship with Millersville University.

The new office name reflects greater emphasis on connecting alumni to students, faculty and programs happening at the University today.

The Office of Alumni Engagement sponsors more than 80 events and activities each year throughout the world, including prospective students and admission outreach, lectures, educational and cultural enrichment, experiential learning through short-and long-term travel programs, social and networking opportunities, special events and volunteer service.

Alumni assistant director named Kelly Davis ’95 has been appointed to fill the position of assistant director of alumni engagement at Millersville University. Since 2007, she has been the assistant to the Millersville alumni director and office manager. Davis earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration/ management. Some of her duties include technology/social media, oversight of the alumni website, e-communications and social media venues, alumni event planning and hosting, and working with alumni association committees and the alumni board of directors.

ALUMNI EVENT REGISTRATION For event information:

Call Millersville University’s Office of Alumni Engagement at 800-681-1855 or 717-872-3352, or email mualumni@millersville.edu

To register for an event online: www.villealumni.com Click on Event Calendar; locate the event and click Register.

26 Alumni Interest Fall 2012

14

17

MU After Work: The Fireside, Strasburg Duke’s Bar and Grill, Wormleysburg Sigma Tau Gamma’s 40th Anniversary

Reunion, Millersville campus 28 Dr. McNairy’s Farewell Tour/Alumni

Reception, Newark (Del.) Country Club

December 8 Alumni Reception and Show: Glorious Sounds of the Season, Winter Center 15 New York City: Do As You Please

Motorcoach Trip 15 Longwood Garden Holiday Tour, Kennett

Square (tickets only or including bus)

January 2013

8 American Meteorological Society/ Alumni Reception, Austin, Texas 9 MU After Work, The Brickyard, Lancaster 21 PASSHE Alumni Cruise to Bali/Bangkok

February 2

Alumni and Friends Family High Tea, Sugarplums & Tea, Lancaster 13 MU After Work, The Works, Reading More alumni events are being added throughout the year. Please visit the alumni website: www.villealumni.com and click on EVENTS for more details and how to register, or call weekdays: 800-681-1855 or 717-872-3352 (8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.).

Nominations Sought Nominations are now being accepted by the Alumni Association for: • Board of Directors • Distinguished Alumni Award • Honorary Alumni Award (for non-alumni who have devoted service to the University) • Outstanding Volunteer Service Award For descriptions, criteria and nomination forms, visit www.villealumni.com and click the awards/scholarship tab. Or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 800-681-1855 or email mualumni@millersville.edu.

The deadline for all nominations is Friday, February 15, 2013.

Presidential Farewell Several alumni events were planned in various cities to wish soon-to-retire President Francine G. McNairy well. Pictured here are alumni and friends at Lancaster’s Meadia Heights Golf Club in June. Events were also held in Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

Above: Dr. McNairy with Will McGrorty ’82, who hosted the event at Meadia Heights Golf Club.

Left: Tom Bell ’83, ’85M and his wife Jill with Will McGrorty ’82.

Right: Kristen ’05 and Matthew Pike ’07, and Sharyn Allen ’71.

Right: Ernie Schreiber ’76 (center) chats with his wife Jo-Anne Greene (far left) and Joe Glass ’53 (far right).

Right: Alumni board member Lori Dierolf ’91 and Lynette Trout, both of Oak Leaf Manor.

MU After Work Marauders gathered for a MU After Work program at Bube’s Brewery in Mount Joy in September.

Below: Jaime Linn Brown ’08 and Joanne Ciscon ’01.

Right (clockwise, around the table): Tim McTaggart ’80, Mary Lehr ’58, Bob Lehr ’57, Susan FultonGlass ’84, Joe Glass ’53 and Dan Sidelnick ’75.

Review Fall 2012 27

class notes • 1950s

• Irene (McCulloch) Castagna ’59, Chester Springs, celebrated her 52nd wedding anniversary with husband Don in September.

They recently celebrated with a family tour of Italy.

• 1960s • Joyce (Weaver) Nolt ’62, ’85M, Lancaster, celebrated 50 years of marriage with husband Sam in May. They commemorated the occasion with a dinner at the Lancaster Country Club and a cruise to Bermuda.

• 1970s • James A. Richards ’71, Villas, N.J., was elected vice president to the board of directors of the

East Lynne Theatre Company of Cape May and New York. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club of Cape May. He serves as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of the City of Cape May. • Judith Anttonen ’73, ’76M, Millersville, celebrated 50 years of marriage with husband Ralph in June. The couple traveled through New England and New York, revisiting places they enjoyed in their younger days.

• Virginia (Pleiss) Young ’73, Lititz, retired from Manheim Township School District after 29 years as a third and fourth grade teacher and reading specialist.

• Kathy Horne ’74, Lancaster, became a human resources generalist for Interface Solutions, Inc., in Lancaster. She was also elected the recertification core

Picnic for ’50s Alumni

leadership area director for the Pennsylvania State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

• Marlin S. Kerchner ’75, Reading, retired in June from the Hamburg Area School District, where he taught elementary general music for 35 years.

• Deborah (Turnbach) Van Horn ’75, Winfield, retired after 36 years of teaching in the Lewisburg Area School District.

She taught first grade for 10 years, second grade for 15 years and was an elementary librarian for 11 years.

• Brian Worrell ’76, Wernersville, qualified as a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable for 2012 based on his performance and service as a financial professional with Prudential.

• Richard Wisener ’79, Kunkletown, was ordained as a nondenominational Christian

Held for the 13th year, the reunion was on September 15 at the home of Robert and Mary Lehr, and 26 alumni with spouses and friends enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in Lancaster.

First row, left to right: Nelda Shoemaker ’57, Dona C. Smith ’57, Mickey S. Nissley ’59, Mary G. Lehr ’58, Dorothy Lykens ’57, Jerry Barger ’52, Eleanor R. Holzhauer ’58, Bob Holzhauer ’59, Donna G. North ’57.

Second row: Arthur Shoemaker ’57, Dick Mull ’57, John Long ’59, Dominick DiNunzio ’53, Don Zook ’58, Janice E. Weitzel ’58, Gerald Dunkle ’58, Elsie N. Weinhold ’57, Ted Weitzel ’60, Patty Eyster ’57, Ronald Mable ’58, Perry Love ’58, Bill Wolgamuth ’58, Bill Romans ’57 and Bob Lehr ’57. Not pictured: Cathy H. Love ’60 and Jack Ernst ’54.

28 Class Notes Fall 2012

minister in 2005. He specializes in officiating weddings on location and has officiated 355 since becoming ordained.

• 1980s • Sandy (Coombs) Emerich ’80, East Petersburg, was hired as director of human resources for State College Area School District. She is also director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and a member of the PASBO human resources committee, serving as a speaker and educator for conferences and workshops.

• Peter Baurer ’82, Marlton, N.J., achieved project management professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. He is a system engineer principal leader at CSC in Egg Harbor Township.

• Susan (Weicksel) Mull ’82, Quarryville, received a scholarship to the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y. In addition, her poem, “My Favorite Statue Ever,” about Joan of Arc was published by the Syracuse Cultural Workers.

She was selected for a second time to take part in a National Consortium of Asian Studies program for teachers at the University of Pa. She also attended the International Conference on AIDS in Washington, D.C., as an advocate for all women around the world living with HIV/AIDS. • Kent Sweigart ’84, Ephrata, earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Immaculata University.

• Anna (Kraemer) Devine ’85, Lebanon, was promoted to director of home and community based services at Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging.

Millersville University. She joined the University in 2007 as office manager in the same department.

• Ruth I. (Hunt) James ’96, Ambler, accepted a position as a prospect researcher for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in February. She was previously development coordinator for the Diocese of Trenton.

Phillies “Phans” These two sisters—Susan (Buehler) Howard ’99 (left) and Karen Buehler-Probst ’95—are both Millersville graduates and phanatical Phillies “phans.” While attending a Phillies game on 6/24/12, they thought it was appropriate to have a picture taken in front of the Harry Kalas statue at Citizens Bank Park, considering an MU alumni sculpted it (Lawrence Nowlan ’87) and another alumni (Todd Palmer ’89) helped bring the idea to fruition.

• 1990s • J. Michael Lausch ’91, ’94M, Mount Joy, received a doctorate in educational leadership and management from Drexel University in May.

Educator of the Year

• Kelly (Rothrock) Davis ’95, Millersville, was promoted to assistant director for alumni engagement at

Carl Zoolkoski ’95, Auburn Hills, Mich., was named Michigan Association of Middle School Educators, Educator of the Year for 2012. He serves as a science and health teacher for seventh graders at Oakview Middle School in Lake Orion School District. He is pictured with his mother Betsy and sister Julie, who travelled to Michigan for the award ceremony.

• 2000s • Rachel (Goodman) Lucidi ’03, Glenolden, graduated from her employer’s (DaVita) leadership program in September 2011.

She serves as a patient relations liaison with DaVita.

• Angela Daddario ’04, Lancaster, graduated in May with a master’s degree in education from Universidad Del Turabo, specializing in teaching English as a second language.

• Kristen (Krum) Pike ’05, Downingtown, earned her

master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University Great Valley campus in May. She is a client relationship administrator with Vanguard.

• Christina Quinn ’05, Norristown, received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in plant science and biotechnology. She has accepted a position as plant research scientist with Novaflora LLC in West Grove.

• Andrew Schenk ’05, ’07M, Lancaster, is vice president of purchasing and marketing at Cooper-Booth Wholesale Co. in Mountville.

• Matthew Benner ’06, Cockeysville, Md., accepted the position of instrumental band director at Dulaney High School in Baltimore County Public Schools in June.

• John A. Gemmer ’06, Millersburg, received his Ph.D. in

Night at the Phillies

More than 150 Millersville alumni and guests were in Citizens Bank Park the evening of August 23, when the Phillies beat the Reds in 11 innings.

Fans included Donna Viera ’10, who works in Millersville’s Office of Special Events, and her son Bradley ’09.

Class Notes Fall 2012 29

class notes applied math at the University of Arizona in May. He is doing his postdoctorate work at the University of Arizona in the optics department.

• Daniel Talarico ’07, Reading, launched Biostream Social, LLC, a social network with the sole purpose of providing a lifelong learning tool for opportunities to interact with photographers, educators, scientists, students and nature enthusiasts from different regions of the U.S., and view trending topics related to natural phenomena and significant weather events.

• Lindsey Jo Wegrzyniak ’07, New Cumber­ land, was awarded the degree of doctor of osteo-

SUBMISSIONS

In order to ensure that your news will appear in a given issue, please submit it according to the schedule below:

Spring 2013 issue: February 1, 2013 Summer 2013 issue: April 15, 2013 Please send news to: Alumni Services Office P.O. Box 1002 Millersville, PA 17551-0302 Phone: 800-681-1855 Fax: 717-871-5050 Email: mualumni@millersville.edu Alumni website: www.villealumni.com

30 Class Notes Fall 2012

pathic medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in June. She is continuing her medical training in obstetrics and gynecology at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

• Phelan G. Piehota ’08, North­umberland, earned the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in June. He is training in ophthalmology at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Justin Veisz ’05 married Katie White ’07 at Talamore Country Club in Ambler, Pa., on 7/7/12. A number of Millersville graduates were in the wedding party including best men Ken Cislak ’07 and Ted Abt ’07, and maid of honor Crystal Wood ’07.

Justin is a graphic designer, and Katie is a special education teacher in the Central Bucks School District working towards her master’s degree in education and certification as a reading specialist. The couple resides in Doylestown, Pa.

• 2010s • Alex Rojas ’10, ’12M, Pottstown, received a master’s degree in emergency management from Millersville University in May 2012.

• Wesley Schmidt ’10, Doylestown, joined Godfrey Advertising in Lancaster as a public relations coordinator.

• Kathleen Monti ’11, Mount Joy, earned her master of library and information science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in August.

Marriages • Richard Wise ’73 and Steven Mazoki, 7/7/12.

• Melissa S. Roth ’81 and David Manfredi, 2/14/12. In keeping with a family tradition, they eloped on Valentine’s Day and then celebrated with a church wedding on 5/19/12.

A surprise wedding!

Amanda (Harriman) Dorenkamp ’99 and Stephen Brent Dorenkamp were married on 6/9/12, at their home in Wake Forest, N.C. They had a surprise wedding in their backyard, and it was a blast. The couple told everyone they were going to Italy to get married and were having a send-off party. After all guests had arrived and were mingling, Amanda and Brent announced they were getting married right then and there in front of their closest friends and family. Amanda’s best friends from Millersville were there to celebrate. Left to right: Jessica (Hackman) Park ’99, Jessica (Abel) Letscher ’99, Amanda (Harriman) Dorenkamp ’99, Tanya (Groner) Morris ’00 and Shanna Dawson.

• Rachel K. Goodman ’03 and David Lucidi, 5/10/08.

• Katherine “Katie” Phillips ’07 and Wayne R. Newman II, 2/11/12.

Births

Paul Torchia ’04 and Sara Behney ’11 were married on 8/10/12, in Lancaster. Many Millersville alumni were in attendance. The wedding party included (left to right) sister of the bride and maid of honor Allison Behney ’11, bridesmaids Hilary Louth (class of ’13) and Sarah Thompson ’11. The groom’s three brothers—Matt, Chris and Andrew— were his “best men.” The couple resides in Red Lion, Pa.

Julie Plessinger ’09 and Greg Ortlieb ’09 were married 8/13/11. Greg was elected to the board of directors of the alumni association in April. The couple did a photo shoot at Millersville for their engagement and wedding since they met in their freshman year in Harbold Hall. Other alumni in the wedding party were Lauren Cunninghman ’09, Rebecca Barker ’09, Kelly Kemper ’09 and Heather Johnson ’09.

• Michele (Driscoll/Dick) Comisiak ’92 and husband Jonathan, a son, Jackson William, on 6/8/12.

• Cathleen Busha ’93 and partner Anna Deligio, a son, Oliver Bernard, on 8/5/12.

• Jennifer Rossi ’98 and David Sieminski, a son, Benjamin, on 2/9/12.

• Jamie (Cook) Dearolf ’99 and husband Jeremy ’99, a son, Jacen Alexander, on 4/9/12.

• Sean Lichty ’99 and wife Kelly (Coburn) ’01, a son, Camden, on 11/28/11.

• LaToia (Glover) Williams ’01 and husband Trevor, a son, Marqueis Zephaniah, on 8/3/12.

• Ashlea Rineer-Hershey ’03 and husband Shawn ’03, a daughter, Gemma Lynn, on 5/29/12, and a son, Finn Christopher, on 2/28/11.

• Rachel (Goodman) Lucidi ’03 and husband David, a daughter, Annaliesa Rose, on 2/15/12.

• Alicia (Colasanto) Reiner ’03 and husband Nicholas ’03, a son, Brendan Thomas, on 7/22/12.

• Deborah (Klein) Ward ’03 and husband Matt, a son, Henry David, on 5/27/12.

• Jessica (Mellott) Crowl ’04 and husband Daniel ’05, a son, Zachary Andrew, on 9/21/11.

• Kristen (Krum) Pike ’05 and husband Matthew ’07, a son, Jameson Douglas, on 5/9/12.

Class Notes Fall 2012 31

class notes Survivor internship

Jen with Survivor host Jeff Probst. (below) The Survivor Dream Team in Nicaragua.

Deaths • Marion W. Bloomfield ’27, Lady Lake, Fla., died on 8/20/12, at the age of 103. She was a teacher in Pennsylvania for 19 years and Maryland for 18 years.

• H. Rebekah (Thorp) Fleischmann ’31, Fairfax, Va., died on 7/16/12, at the age of 100. She was a teacher in Pennsylvania, Alaska, the American Southwest and Micronesia. She worked in

32 Class Notes Fall 2012

For nearly four months, Jen Vataha ’12 crawled through mud, smashed through walls, was bound and blindfolded, all while enduring temperatures that hovered around 100 degrees.

Ironically, she signed up for this torment.

Vataha willingly became a member of the Dream Team for the hit TV show Survivor during last summer’s filming of its 20th season in Nicaragua. The Dream Team consists of 20 people who serve as “guinea pigs” and test challenges before the contestants do. They also help with set building, carry equipment and serve as stand-ins when the film crew is setting up scenes.

Vataha, who along with her father John are huge Survivor fans, was tapped to become part of the Dream Team for Survivor Nicaragua after her father won an online auction to tour behind the scenes of Survivor Samoa in 2010.

“The producer said I should apply to be part of the Dream Team,” explained Vatah. “I had switched my major to communications and broadcasting, so I thought I would apply and see what happens.”

Vataha had to create an audition video, which she was no stranger to since her father had sent in his own yearly audition tapes for nearly all the Survivor shows.

“They never picked him, so he jokingly told me that if I got on the Dream Team, it better not hurt his chances,” said Vataha, who was selected and left home for Nicaragua on Memorial Day 2011. The crew filmed back-to-back seasons throughout the summer and finished in late September.

Vataha, who admitted she is not incredibly athletic, did wonder if she was up to the challenge.

“My [Survivor] roommate was a national championship runner. I was in the marching band,” said Vataha. “I asked myself, ’Can I really do this?’”

What Vataha discovered was that, much like the show, it is more about overcoming the mental strain than the physical trials. “It was really hot and humid, and the conditions were pretty rough.”

Some of the challenges Vataha experienced included hanging from a cage over water until she dropped, building a four-story slide with rain gutters and being tied to a windmill-like contraption that submerged her in water as it spun around.

“No one really got physically hurt,” she noted. “Our injuries were more due to heat exhaustion. We stayed pretty safe.”

Since she was a communications major, Vataha was able to earn six internship credits while she was sweating it out in the jungle. Although she is unsure of what the future holds, she said the memories of her time with Survivor will last a lifetime.

“I may want to get back into entertainment,” Vataha said. “Right now I’m just chilling.”

A much-deserved chill after those steamy months on the set of Survivor.

Hawaii and Japan as a member of the federal civil service and in the U.S. Department of State in Lebanon and Afghanistan.

• Esther (Musser) Hammond ’34, Lancaster, died on 7/15/12, at the age of 99. She retired in 1950, after teaching in East Hempfield Township for 16 years.

• Alice E. (Ankrum) Snyder ’47, Willow Street, died on 8/6/12, at the age of 86. She was an avid reader and member of the

Tanglewood Golf Club ladies 9-hole group.

• Francis E. Wetzler ’58, Annville, died on 6/22/12, at the age of 80. Until his retirement, he was self-employed for 50 years working in transportation.

He served in the Army during the Korean War. • Roger D. Krall ’59, Hershey, died on 7/8/12, at the age of 75.

He taught for 37 years at South Hanover Elementary in the

Lower Dauphin School District.

He was also co-proprietor of Erwin Jewelers with his late wife.

After retirement, he worked at Hertz at the Harrisburg International Airport.

• Elmer Z. Longenecker ’61M, Chambersburg, died on 6/18/12, at the age of 95. He retired in 1982, as an industrial arts teacher at the Chambersburg Middle School.

• Alice (Seitz) Haldeman ’62,

Remembrances • Dr. Samuel J. Ha, Lancaster, died on 8/7/12, at the age of 77.

He joined Millersville University in 1971 and retired in 1998 as professor of biology emeritus. During his tenure, he developed the marine biology and the environmental studies (ecology) options and the Biology Field Camp course. He also was a driving force in the development of the Marine Science Consortium, where he taught and served on the board of directors for many years.

He was especially proud of his role in helping students go on to graduate school. He led numerous student trips to Everglades National Park, the Florida Keys, the western U.S. and other locations, moving education outside the confines of the classroom.

• Marilyn Louise Schick, Leesburg, Fla., died on 8/5/12, at the age of 86. She was a former secretary to the Dean of Men at Millersville University and a former member of the Junior League of Lancaster.

• Beverly M. Wenzel, Willow Street, died on 7/25/12, at the age of 62. She was retired from the housekeeping department at Millersville University.

’72M, Manheim, died on 5/1/12, at the age of 89. She worked as a registered nurse for Lancaster General Hospital, Moravian Manor and Manheim Central School District, where she also served as a counselor.

• Earl L. Potts ’62, ’72M, Lancaster, died on 7/31/12, at the age of 76. He retired in 1998, after 34 years as a teacher, most of them in the LampeterStrasburg School District, where he taught social studies and geography.

• Stanley M. Nelson ’67, Lancaster, died on 6/7/12, at the age of 79. He retired as coordinator of behavioral health services at Conestoga View Nursing Home.

• Irene (Neam) Barndt ’68M, Dillsburg, died on 8/3/12, at the age of 86. She was a retired teacher, serving at Governor Mifflin and Northern high schools. She was yearbook advisor and English department chair at Northern.

• Ruth (Berrier) Campbell ’69, Myrtle Beach, S.C., died on 8/8/12, at the age of 76. She

worked at Lancaster General Hospital, Associates Real Estate and, most recently, Belk Department Store.

• Joseph F. Kabrhel Jr. ’69, Lancaster, died on 7/9/12, at the age of 67. He was an industrial arts teacher for the East Stroudsburg School District, retiring in 2001. As an Eagle Scout, he was active with his sons in the Boy Scouts of America.

• James G. Boyles ’71, Lancaster, died on 6/26/12, at the age of 75. He worked as a medical sales consultant and was also employed for many years at Williams Apothecary.

• Ralma C. Fry ’71, Shippensburg, died on 6/29/12, at the age of 62. She retired after 37 years of teaching chemistry at Carlisle High School. She then worked for the family business, Andoco, Inc., which included Towne Cleaners and Cumberland Valley Rental in Shippensburg.

• Nancy (Mackey) Loux ’72M, Lewes, Del., died on 5/25/12, at the age of 80. She was a school psychologist in Pennsylvania and

Delaware for 18 years. She previously worked for DuPont and served as a state officer for the League of Women Voters in Del. • Michael A. Fontes ’76, Littleton, Colo., died on 6/16/12, at the age of 60. He was a software developer for Comcast. He discovered his passion for longdistance running at age 55, and completed the Boston, Chicago, New York, Tucson and Eugene marathons.

• Cathy E. (Craley) Rodruan ’77, Lititz, died on 6/7/12, at the age of 57. She retired in 2005 as a teacher at Rheems Elementary in Elizabethtown School District.

• Danny A. Brazill ’79, Lancaster, died on 6/1/12, at the age of 63. He retired from the Lancaster County Prison as its senior counselor after more than 30 years of service, starting as a guard and working his way through the ranks. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. • John G. Kell ’79, Carlisle, died on 8/24/11, at the age of 63. He worked for more than 25 years with Carlisle Tire and Wheel, where he was in charge of safety emergency planning.

• Donna M. (Crispel) Myer ’79, Lancaster, died on 6/18/12, at the age of 57. She worked in various positions in the educational field for more than 25 years, most recently as a paraprofessional with Manheim Township School District.

• Leslaw “Les” J. Kornecki ’81, Willow Grove, died on 7/31/12, at the age of 51. He was formerly a system analyst for St. Mary’s Medical Center in Langhorne.

• Judy (Mengle) Rickards ’83, Mechanicsburg, died on 3/20/12, at the age of 51. She was an

avid horsewoman, who rode at Hollyhurst Farm, Carlisle. She served on the Board of Trustees of First United Methodist Church.

• William M. Shenk ’83, Downingtown, died on 7/29/12, at the age of 51. He worked most of his life in accounting and most recently was a production assistant in the entertainment industry.

• Richard J. Johnson II ’92M, Port Richey, Fla., died on 3/4/12, at the age of 68. He formerly worked as a fine arts instructor at Delaware Valley College.

• David L. Johnston ’94, Fort Collins, Colo., died on 7/13/12, at the age of 41. He was a strength and conditioning coach at Stonybrook, Campbell and La Verne universities before joining the athletic department staff at Colorado State University last fall.

• Julie Ann (Wrench) Crowther ’97M, Ephrata, died on 7/7/12, at the age of 51. She was a second grade teacher at Highland Elementary School for 25 years in the Ephrata School District and was also a religious education teacher at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church of Ephrata.

• Maurice S. Reilly ’99, Lancaster, died on 7/28/12, at the age of 79. He retired in 1998 from a 40-year career in the marine industry, working for Trojan Boats, Chris Craft and others as a national and international sale representative. His college years were interrupted in the 1950s when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After retiring, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Millersville. He volunteered with area organizations including serving on the board of the Lancaster Foundation.

Class Notes Fall 2012 33

Stephen ’70 & Veronica Kepchar

give

Why we

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Francine G. McNairy

F

or Stephen Kepchar, 1970 graduate of Millersville University and senior vice president with Morgan Stanley, giving back to his alma mater has been second nature.

For Kepchar and his wife Ronnie—short for Veronica— Millersville University has been a part of their lives since they were teens. Kepchar chose Millersville, then known as Millersville State College, to be close to his high school sweetheart.

Ronnie was still in high school at Manheim Township High School and Kepchar had just graduated from Penn Manor High School. The young couple had met through Junior Achievement (JA) of Lancaster County. Kepchar was president and Ronnie was secretary of the JA company they formed along with other high school students.

Back then, tuition at Millersville was $125 a semester.

“My education at Millersville was the best investment I ever made,” said Kepchar. “And it kept me close to Ronnie.”

After graduating from Millersville with a degree in economics, Kepchar first worked in the insurance field. In 1973 he joined Morgan Stanley and earned his executive MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. Oh yes, and he married Ronnie.

Through the years, the Kepchars have given Millersville

34 Why We Give Fall 2012

a cherished place in their hearts—for Kepchar’s success in his career and for fostering their early relationship. Kepchar has served as chairman of the Soar to Greatness Capital Campaign Committee for Millersville, and has been an active volunteer and advocate for Millersville for many years.

He believes in the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said that “The best investment one can make is education.”

Giving back is what matters most to the Kepchars. Helping students realize their dreams of a top-notch university education, lifelong friendships and success in their chosen fields is what the Kepchars want to give back to Millersville.

And when Kepchar and Ronnie sat down to decide how they wanted to give, it didn’t take long to know “why.” Or rather “who.”

“We wanted to set up a presidential endowment to honor Dr. Francine G. McNairy as she retires,” said Kepchar.

In recent years, as Kepchar worked in his role as chair of the capital campaign with the goal of raising $85 million by 2013, he was impressed by McNairy’s energy, dedication and involvement.

Kepchar noted that McNairy attends many campus events, from baseball games to theater productions to academic seminars. She shows her support for the students and their activities in a way that stimulates and draws

people into the culture that is Millersville University on so many levels.

“As president, Dr. McNairy has been five-star across the board, with students, educators, administrators, alumni and the community,” said Kepchar. “We could think of no better way to honor Dr. McNairy than with this presidential endowment.”

The presidential endowment set up by the Kepchars will be used at the discretion of future presidents. It might go toward academics, athletics or cultural activities. It might go toward facilities or to scholarships for students.

“We wanted the endowment to be set up so that it benefits whatever the future president sees fit to benefit,” said Kepchar. “And that may vary from year to year, depending on the needs.”

Upon McNairy’s retirement, Kepchar has an even more challenging task in his role as a benefactor to Millersville University. He serves on the search committee to find a new president for the University.

“Dr. McNairy will be a tough act to follow,” admits Kepchar. “But I feel confident that we will find a president who can bring his or her own unique energy to Millersville.”

As the Soar to Greatness capital campaign reaches the home stretch, Kepchar thanked all the donors who have made it possible to “Soar to Greatness.”

“It’s a campaign that reflects our aspirations,” said Kepchar, adding that its success demonstrates Millersville University’s leadership.

Back at the campaign kickoff, Kepchar expressed his appreciation to everyone when he said, “On behalf of the campaign cabinet, thank you for your current and future gifts to the University, for your vision of a strong and successful Millersville that offers our students educational opportunities second to none.”

Beyond that commitment, Kepchar also works on the finance committee and is on the board of directors of Student Lodging, Inc. He was honored in 2005 as an honorary member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, a national

economics honor society, by Millersville’s Department of Economics.

At Morgan Stanley, many Millersville students have gained valuable workplace experience as interns in the world of finance and economics. That gives Kepchar yet another role as an advisor or mentor to young people pursuing careers. One recent graduate, David Botte ’11, interned with Kepchar at Morgan Stanley and also served as a student representative on the MU Foundation Board and the investment committee.

Through it all, Ronnie has always supported the dedication of her husband toward Millersville University.

The Kepchars believe in giving back to their community.

Ronnie’s volunteer priorities include the Lancaster County Library System, Lancaster Regional Hospital and Manheim Township School District.

“I got involved with the library and school district when our children were young,” said Ronnie. Their children are now adults with families of their own.

Ronnie serves on the Board of Trustees for Lancaster Regional Medical Center and the Council of Friends of Lancaster County Public Libraries. She helps to organize annual visiting author events, as well as fundraising projects for the library system. With the Manheim Township School District, she has served on advisory committees with the superintendent.

“I am just as excited about the presidential endowment for Millersville as Steve is. We want to do something that will make a difference. That’s why we give,” said Ronnie.

To make a gift to the Stephen and Veronica Kepchar Presidential Endowment in Honor of Dr. Francine G. McNairy: Checks should be made payable to Millersville University Foundation, with the memo section noting the Kepchar Presidential Endowment.

To give securely online, go to www.millersville.edu/give. In the Special Instructions box, specify the fund choice.

Why We Give Fall 2012 35

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US POSTAGE PAID Office of Alumni Engagement Millersville University P.O. Box 1002 Millersville, PA 17551-0302

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More than 100 Millersville Honors College students participated in the Lancaster County United Way’s Day of Caring in September 2012.

36  Review Fall 2012