Ripon Magazine: Winter 2016

MAGA ZINE Wi nter 2016

THE RIPON EXPERIENCE:

Learning Beyond the Classroom Downtown space benefits community, student managers

Residence Life strengthens classroom concepts

Physical challenge no match for standout swimmer S U M M E R 2015

|

1

Winter 2016 VOLUME 49, ISSUE No. 1

RIPON COLLEGE SOCIAL NETWORKS facebook.com/ripon.college flickr.com/photos/ripon_college instagram.com/riponcollege linkedin.com/company/ripon-college twitter.com/riponcollege vimeo.com/riponcollege youtube.com/riponcollegevideo

RIPON COLLEGE ONLINE: ripon.edu

Ripon Magazine (ISSN 1058-1855) is published twice annually by Ripon College, 300 W. Seward St.,

Ripon College prepares students

Ripon, WI 54971-0248. Postage paid at Ripon, Wisconsin. Copyright © 2016 Ripon College

of diverse interests for lives of

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ripon Magazine, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971-0248

productive, socially responsible

Editor: Jaye Alderson, email: AldersonJ@ripon.edu, phone: 920-748-8364 Editorial Assistants: Melissa Anderson, Ric Damm and Mike Westemeier

citizenship. Our liberal arts and sciences curriculum and residential campus create an

Student Assistants: Lauren Hince ’18, Mra Than ’17 and Megan Sohr ’18

intimate learning community in

Design: Ali Klunick

which students experience a

Photography: Ric Damm and Jim Koepnick

richly personalized education.

Office of Constituent Engagement and Career Services: 920-748-8126 2 | R I P ON College

INSIDE 4

314 Project Ripon College’s new multi-use venue in downtown Ripon provides management experience for students and gives momentum to town-gown relations with the city.

6

Learning at sea Kelli Walsh ’16 sailed the Atlantic Ocean to Cork, Ireland, and Ryan Plantz ’16 sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, up the eastern seaboard to Massachusetts. The life-changing journeys taught them about research, ocean issues and learning to function in a completely new environment.

8

Residence Life Taking leadership roles, treating people with respect, living comfortably with neighbors and just having fun — life on Ripon’s residential campus allows students to broaden concepts learned in the classroom into a Life Well Lived.®

10

Alumni learning A liberal arts and sciences education promotes lifelong learning in unique and varied settings. Read how four Ripon College alumni learned lessons beyond the classroom that have enhanced their professional careers.

14

What is the music that takes you back?

Ripon alumni of all eras share their memories of the performers and tunes that defined their years at Ripon College and continue to warm their hearts.

DEPARTMENTS: 20 22 24

Sports Gifts at Work Campus Notes

ON THE COVER: Taking a stroll past 314: Ripon College Project Space are Ben Senkerik ’15, left, Sydney Radandt ’17, Maddie VandenHouten ’17 and Abi Quackenboss ’15.

Come home for Alumni Weekend! Each year in June, more than 650 Ripon alumni and guests make their way back to campus to celebrate Alumni Weekend with friends old and new. Join us for a lot of fun and reminiscing at Alumni Weekend 2016, June 23-26.

Visit ripon.edu/alumni-weekend S U M M E R 2015

|

1

PRESIDENT

Internships that change lives It is 1987 and I am 19 years old, having just finished up my first year of college. Now, almost 30 years later, it is hard to remember that I had only one year of a liberal arts experience under my belt. But what did I want to do that first summer, and what did I want to do after college?

David L. Boren represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate, but he also had graduated from my high school in Bethesda, Maryland. We both had been editors on the school paper, and he had told me during an interview, “When you get into college, come back and intern for me.” Thankfully, I took him up on the offer.

The Iran-Contra hearings dominated the news during the summer of ’87, and Sen. Boren was on the special committee trying to determine whether laws had been broken when arms were traded for hostages and funds then were diverted to the Nicaraguan Contra rebels. And I had a front-row seat for all of it, filling up water glasses and running messages in those pre-cell phone days.

Zachary Matson ’17 and Cecelia Ward ’18 on their first day as interns

The lessons of the summer were internalized, I hope, about how to run an office, treat people respectfully (even angry constituents) and, of course, I found an important lifelong mentor and friend in Sen. Boren for whom I would later work at the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and then at the University of Oklahoma where he currently is the president.

Given the gift that Sen. Boren gave me, I take a pay-itforward attitude today when it comes to helping Ripon students find internships. It makes me proud to have played a small role in helping open the door for Cecelia Ward ’18 (Coldwater, Michigan; politics and government) and Zachary Matson ’17 (Minnetonka, Minnesota, politics and government, and history) who are currently serving as interns for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

They work on the seventh floor of the Hart Building, five floors up from where I worked in the 1990s.

While the work we do as faculty and staff on campus remains central to our mission, the efforts we make to help our students get internships, jobs or enter graduate school are no less important. I salute my colleagues on the faculty and staff and the many alumni who have opened up new career paths and experiences to Ripon 2

| RIPON

College

Zach Messitte, left, now president of Ripon College; New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent David Sanger; and University of Oklahoma President David Boren in 2010.

After his first year of college, Messitte served as an intern for thenU.S. Sen. Boren and later worked for him on Capitol Hill and at the University of Oklahoma.

students and graduates. From my own experience, internships can change lives and dramatically enrich the college experience.

Zach P. Messitte, President

R

Founders’ Day Award goes to members of distinguished Murray family The 2016 Ripon College Founders’ Day award was presented to Robert G. and Joan B. Murray of Wellesley, Massachusetts, in February.

In 2007, they funded a $50,000 endowed scholarship in memory of Robert’s parents. In 2014, they donated $1 million to establish the John Barlow Murray ’37 and Nellie Weiss Murray ’37 Professor in Economics as part of the Imagine Tomorrow comprehensive campaign. Soren B. Hauge is the first recipient of that professorship.

Robert G. Murray hails from a historic and philanthropic Ripon family. He grew up in Ripon with his brothers Bill and John ’66. A grandfather, George Weiss, was a member of the class of 1886. His great-grandfather, Joseph Barlow, donated the land for Barlow Park in Ripon. His grandmother, Elizabeth Barlow Murray 1908, donated the land for Murray Park.

His parents were John “Jack” Barlow Murray ’37 and Nellie Weiss Murray ’37. Jack was president of Speed Queen Corp. (now Alliance Laundry) and later vice president, consumer products, of the parent company, McGraw Edison in Elgin, Illinois. He served on the Ripon College Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1977 and was an honorary life trustee until his death in 2007.

In 1968, Jack and Nellie received distinguished alumni citations from the Ripon College Alumni Association.

Jack also received an honorary doctorate degree in 1980.

“I have warm memories of growing up in Ripon,” Robert Murray says.

Joan B. Murray and Robert G. Murray were honored Feb. 9.

“I haven’t been a part of Ripon for more than 50 years, but I feel as though my roots are there. I was wellaware of the positive impact Ripon College has on the Ripon community, and my parents instilled in all of us kids the importance of giving back.

I feel I am accepting this award on behalf of my parents and entire family.”

The Rev. Joan B. Murray has earned three master’s degrees, in education, business administration and divinity.

She did non-parish work with the poor and homeless, proctored services within the community and was a community chaplain with Chaplains on the Way, a ministry she founded, until her retirement.

Murray is an economics graduate of Swarthmore College and received an MBA from Harvard University.

He is CEO of Taxbridge Financial Group. From 1969 to 2005, he was president and CEO of Tax Man Inc., owning a chain of 24 tax preparation offices in Massachusetts.

Joan Murray says the entire family attended liberal arts colleges, and the newly endowed professorship reflects that. “This honors my commitment to a liberal arts education, and I am very happy about honoring my parents-in-law, who were wonderful people,” she says.

W I N T E R 2016

|

3

4

| RIPON

College

Ripon College launches project space in downtown Ripon Student managers gain real-world experience “I have been given so much responsibility as a managing director, and the experience I am taking away from this position will undoubtedly help me in my future career,” says Wilbur. “There is a lot of problemsolving involved – with event planning, things rarely actually go as planned.

JaneMarie Erickson ’16, left, Tara Schultz ’17 and Alexandria Wilber ’17 at the project space’s grand opening Sept. 4

314: Ripon College Project Space, a new multi-use venue in the downtown area of the City of Ripon, launched Sept.

4. The space is located at 314 Watson St. in a reclaimed building beautifully restored after a devastating December 2013 fire. The fire destroyed one building, severely damaged two others, and displaced many residents.

The Watson Street location was intentionally chosen to highlight the longstanding town-gown relationship between Ripon College and the City of Ripon.

“Ripon College wants a vibrant downtown, Ripon and downtown need a vibrant Ripon College. It’s a two-way street,” said Zach Messitte, president of Ripon College. “We believe strongly in our community and owe a debt of

gratitude to our first responders who helped save Watson Street.”

The space can be used for art exhibits, concerts, poetry readings, lectures, performances, speakers, classes, community events and more. 314: Ripon College Project Space was made possible with grant support from the Kemper Foundation. The goal behind the grant is to foster community relations.

The project also is fostering realworld experience for three Ripon College students. Alexandria Wilber ’17 of Bonduel, Wisconsin; JaneMarie Erickson ’16 of Redgranite, Wisconsin; and Tara Schultz ’17 of Ripon, Wisconsin, are managing the space and gaining valuable life skills in event planning and gallery coordinating.

“It has taught me to be over-prepared and further improved my ability to take initiative; getting things done myself without asking for help along the way. I feel confident that if I were to apply for a position working in a gallery or event venue, that I would be quite qualified for the job.”

Schultz agrees. “Working at 314 has been an amazing experience for me as a student,” she says. “I’ve learned so much about the logistics of managing an events venue, and it has been incredible to see the variety of groups interested in using the space. We received one of the Twenty for ’15 grants through the Office of the President, and we will be putting it to good use in the coming months.”

Coordinators for the project space are Ripon College Associate Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas; Assistant Professor of Art Travis Nygard; and Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities John C. Hughes. More information can be found on the website at ripon.edu/314.

W I N T E R 2016

|

5

Research carried from shore onto the sea

T

he Sea Education Association, headquartered in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, allows students of all disciplines to study the ocean, with academic work and research both onshore and from a traditional sailing vessel. Students live and study alongside professional researchers, scholars and mariners. At ports of call, they learn about and experience local cultures.

Kelli Walsh ’16, an environmental studies major from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, spent June 2015 sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to Cork, Ireland. “It was one of the best experiences I have had,” Walsh says.

All the students were expected to learn to run the ship in addition to conducting research on the ocean.

“We took the helm, acted as lookouts, deployed science equipment, collected data, cleaned the ship on field days, assisted our steward in the kitchen, learned the tasks of the ship’s engineer, navigated using the stars, and eventually learned how to give the orders,” she says.

Everyone came from different backgrounds across the United States, and every student had varying experience with sailing and science research. “But by the end of the voyage, we were all capable of sailing the 6

| RIPON

College

(top) Kelli Walsh ’16, left, was part of the crew. (bottom) Ryan Plantz ’16, right, on his vessel.

“

It was one of the best experiences I have had.”

KELLI WALSH ’16

134-foot tall ship and conducting oceanic research (including gathering pH and dissolved oxygen levels and towing nets to collect phytoplankton, jellyfish, marine plastic, etc.),” she says.

“Being aboard the ship gives you a sense of awe at the universe surrounding you. When it’s the middle of the night and you are out on watch alone with your thoughts, only hearing the sounds of the ocean (or the fog horn on foggy nights) and you look down into the water and see it light up with bioluminescence as dolphins jump in the waves that the boat creates, you gain this appreciation of the world around you.

It is truly a life-changing experience, and one that I could never forget.”

That sense of awe also struck Ryan Plantz ’16 of Berlin, Wisconsin. He was one of only 20 students selected for a summer 2015 voyage that started in Woods Hole, then sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, back up the coast to Massachusetts.

Plantz is interested in marine biodiversity and conservation, and he was part of a research group studying the larval stage of spiny or “rock” lobsters. “I didn’t realize what was truly happening until we set sail,” Plantz says. “Then I realized that I’m going to sail for the next 2½ months with these people on a small boat. It was a bit of a culture shock.”

The students assisted the crew in maintaining the ship and collected data for their research. They observed various amounts of sea life, from dolphin pods to seabirds. But they also saw large amounts of plastic and waste floating in the ocean. Plastic in the ocean can cause great harm to the animals living there, as occasionally they can get tangled in the debris.

The crew spent a week in Bermuda meeting with conservationists; and three weeks collecting data in New York City. Back in Woods Hole, students refined and presented their research to a board of experts in each respective area, then worked on a shore-based conservation project, designing ways to protect the waters of the Sargasso Sea, near Bermuda.

“Returning to shore was sad,” Plantz says. “We had all bonded and gotten along so well, and it was over. I wanted to go back.”

W I N T E R 2016

|

7

CAMPUSNotes

Living on campus strengthens conceptual learning A TYPICAL DAY Morning: Breakfast omelets made to order.

Budget extra time to walk to first class. Stop five or six times to talk with someone who lives on the same floor, is in the same club or wants to catch up.

Class discussion brings in various viewpoints. After class, talk with students on the same intramural bowling team about next week’s game.

One-hour break; pop back to residence hall, put in laundry and catch up on Netflix series.

Class in Todd Wehr Hall.

Lunch: 30 minutes in The Pub working on a group project, playing pool or relaxing.

30 minutes in Pickard Commons to eat, visit table to table, discuss upcoming biology test and set a study group meeting time.

Students from all the residence halls gathered in October 2016 for the annual Couch Potato Trivia competition. This is one of six largescale campus-wide programs held each year by Residence Life.

S

tudents on a residential campus like Ripon’s collaborate and take part in programming that brings theories and ideas introduced in the classroom into the residence halls, says Jessica Joanis, director of Residence Life.

“There is nothing accidental in how Ripon College conducts business every day,” she says. “We are intentionally sized and intentionally residential.”

This experience helps prepare Ripon College students to live responsibly in a Life Well Lived®. “Ripon College takes advantage of our residence halls as the tool they should be,” Joanis says. “We encourage students to exchange ideas with one another and challenge their perspectives.”

8

| RIPON

College

Afternoon: Class.

Short shift at on-campus job — perhaps in Student Activities Office helping student organizations set up publicity.

Start an essay due next week.

Evening: Run a mile at Storzer Athletic Center.

Students from same residence hall floor walk to Commons together for a family dinner.

Anderson Hall for biology study group. Afterward, discuss upcoming experiment with a student in the same psychology class.

Night: Scott Hall for free ice cream sundae and budgeting talk sponsored by Residence Life.

Five-minute walk back to Johnson Hall shared with Collaborative Learning Center mentor who just helped students with grammar for history paper.

Agree to walk together to Starbucks in the morning.

Raymond Allen ’15 tends to the campus honey bee hives on the Ceresco Prairie.

Connor Cummiskey ’16 and Savannah White ’19 perform in the stage play “Private Eyes” in September/October 2015.

Learning happens

Rally and Mariah Everts ’17 plant trees.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion launched Sept. 11, 2015.

Angela Pamperin ’17 and David Peterkes ’16 paint a mural in Hagley Gap, Jamaica.

Brendan McCoy ’17 (in grey shirt) gives a campus tour as a student ambassador.

Corrie Osborne ’17 in Scotland, fall 2015

Garrison Anderson ’16 gives blood in Great Hall at the fall 2015 blood drive.

Student-made vessels highlight annual “Empty Bowls” hunger-awareness events.

Kaitlyn Welzen ’15 helps implement hydroponic tower gardens to produce food for campus meals.

W I N T E R 2016

|

9

Alumni Beyond the Classroom

A service-learning trip to Jamaica ignited a passion in Haley Madson ’09.

Volunteer trip introduced Madson ’09 to service-learning “Going to Jamaica was, without a doubt, life-changing for me,” says Haley Madson ’09 of Ripon, Wisconsin.

Madson majored in psychology, and, in 2008, she took a peace studies class with Professor of Psychology Joe Hatcher. Hatcher was introducing and organizing the first of what would be many trips to Jamaica to assist the Blue Mountain Project with impoverished people there.

“This experience opened up a world of service-learning for me,” Madson says. The trip motivated her to get more involved with the community, and she organized fundraisers to raise awareness and collect supplies for Jamaica. Later that year, because of her dedication and commitment to the Blue Mountain Project, Hatcher nominated her to be on its board of directors, where she served as chair of the education committee.

More than 20 students wanted to partake in this experience, but only 15 could be chosen; among the 15 was Madson. Through this experience, she met a lot of influential people, fostered lifelong friendships and even impacted her future career.

She says she learned a great deal from this experience and was able to utilize nonprofit skills she’d learned in a business management class taught by Professor of Business Management Mary Avery.

The following year, Haley went back to Jamaica and led a class along with Avery.

10

| RIPON

College

During her senior year at Ripon College, Hatcher and Avery nominated Madson for the Wisconsin Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies Award. She was the first Ripon College student to receive this honor.

After working for the Blue Mountain Project for six years, Madson now works as the volunteer services coordinator for Fond du Lac County. The Blue Mountain Project and its community in Jamaica “still have a piece of my heart and always will,” she says. “It’s taught me about selfless service to others, both locally and internationally.”

Mra Than ’17

New York, New York

Student-teaching on reservation revealed a whole new world for Amanda Bolan ’10 When Amanda Bolan ’10 transferred to Ripon for her junior year, she knew two things: she wanted to teach and she wanted to teach nontraditional students. Thus she found herself student-teaching on a Navajo reservation in Pinon, Arizona.

Through the American Indian Reservation Program, Bolan studenttaught sixth- and 11th-grade U.S. history on the Pinon Reservation for a semester in 2011. She then was immediately offered a job. Bolan, who also had studied politics and government at Ripon, taught politics, economics and history to high school students as a full-time teacher.

Bolan ran into several challenges,

such as extreme poverty and rampant substance abuse. “I felt like you were not within the realm of the United States,” Bolan says. One problem was an abuse of hairspray. Alcohol is not allowed on the reservation, so some people mix the ethanol in hairspray with water to get drunk. Because of this, Bolan says, she “had to purchase hairspray from a separate counter where it was kept with tobacco.”

Challenges aside, Bolan loved her experience and the fact that it took her out of her comfort zone. “It completely alienates you from your own mainstream experiences,” she says. “For me, I was interacting with members of the Navajo community, and it was so incredible to learn to

adapt and live within this culture. It helped me better understand myself.”

After a year-and-a-half, she became homesick for Wisconsin. She now is in her fourth year of teaching at High Marq Environmental Charter School in Montello, a small school of 28 students that focuses on project-based learning.

She was able to transfer many skills from her reservation teaching over to her new school. “The reservation program trained me to be a better teacher,” she says.

Lauren Hince ’18

Blaine, Minnesota

A member of the Navajo community connects with Amanda Bolan ’10.

W I N T E R 2016

|

11

ALUMNI BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Dorrie Siqueiros ’07 applies skills learned at Ripon College to her job at Boston College.

Career in higher education started at Ripon Dorrie Siqueiros ’07 is an associate director in residence life at Boston College, and it all started at Ripon College. “I was interested in being more involved for my sophomore year and felt like the resident assistant (RA) role may be a good opportunity,” Siqueiros says.

“I also loved the idea of getting to work with first-year students as they transitioned to Ripon. I definitely had appreciated that support my first year.”

As a senior, she was a student assistant hall director (SAHD) and feels it was a capstone of her RA experience. “At that point, I knew I was interested in pursuing a role in higher education, and it was instrumental in my experiences 12

| RIPON

College

applying for graduate schools and graduate assistantships,” Siqueiros says.

As an RA in Tri-Dorms, she was responsible for programming, mentoring and policy enforcement.

As a SAHD, she worked with the RA staff and hall council. “Getting to functionally supervise the RAs on programming was a great opportunity and really prepared me for my graduate experiences at Boston College and eventual career in higher education,” she says. “Supervision plays a huge role in my day-to-day job, and I got an early start on figuring out my style.”

At Ripon, she says, she started learning how to work with individual personalities and developing

confidence and skills in decision-making, leadership and problem-solving.

“More specifically, through roommate conflicts, I gained skills with mediation, something that still can be applied to many aspects of my current job,” she says. “One of the biggest things I walked away with was learning to be adaptable.

So many situations come up when working with college students, and these roles at Ripon helped me to be ready for the unexpected.”

Study abroad transformed the life of David Wheeler ’74 Spending his junior year abroad in the United Kingdom transformed the life of David B. Wheeler ’74 of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

His love of international travel started early. His mother was an area representative for American Field Service, and he was a summer exchange student to India while in high school. While at Ripon College, he was accepted into a yearlong program at Richmond College, near London. While there, he looked up a friend whose father had been an exchange minister at his home church in Duluth, Minnesota. They visited her retired parents one weekend a month, and the conversations led Wheeler to

go to Yale Divinity School to become an ordained Methodist minister.

Wheeler also visited Ripon, Yorkshire, and did service work. He took the Orient Express train — a lessglamorous version than those in the movies — across Europe to visit his Turkish AFS brother near Istanbul, and visited friends in Germany.

“As a 20-year-old, I met people from all different cultures and backgrounds,” he says. “It was one of those lifechanging journeys.”

During his second semester, he got a job driving for the college and took people on weekend trips to visit historic sites. “These international exchange programs push you beyond

where you think you can be,” he says.

“Every well-educated person needs to have the opportunity to live in another country and culture. It helps you grow and see things from a very different perspective. When you go and live in another culture and country, you come to understand their values, what’s important to them and how complex and wonderful our world is.”

Now retired, Wheeler still does church work on the side; served in an elected position for the City of Minneapolis; was involved in helping to pass marriage equality in Minnesota; serves on several boards; and is a department manager for a men’s clothing store.

“I’m very active in civic life,” he says.

David B. Wheeler ’74 now, left, and visiting the United Kingdom many years ago

W I N T E R 2016

|

13

MEMORIES Writer Sarah Dessen says: “… A song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person.

No matter what else has changed in you or the world, that one song stays the same, just like that moment.”

We asked Ripon College alumni for the music that takes them back and defines their years at Ripon College.

We received quite a variety of answers, ones that will surely get your feet tapping along.

“The Riponaires, of course!”

David Meissner ’65 Alfred Station, New York

“From the fall of ’65 to the spring of ’69, there was not an evening at The Spot without several renditions of ‘Scotch and Soda,’ by the Kingston Trio.”

“One song that always makes me think of Ripon and my memories there is ‘Party in the U.S.A.,’ by Miley Cyrus.

My sophomore year at Ripon, I joined Alpha Chi Omega and each pledge class is given a song that they choreograph a dance to. To this day, anytime I hear that song I send snaps or texts to my pledge class and, of course, I will do the dance.

It is one song that can always lift up my spirits and remind me of the sisterhood I was a part of at Ripon!”

“Mary Alice and I always think of the song ‘Tenderly,’ by Rosemary Clooney, as being ‘our song’ when we were dating at Ripon back in 1953.”

Ron ’53 and Mary Alice Miller Balej ’55 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jenelle Simon ’15 Hubertus, Wisconsin “James Taylor!”

Kate Parish Miller ’73 Richland, Michigan

Frank Anders ’69 Chesterfield, Virginia

“ ‘Closing Time,’ by Semisonic! This song was played at the end of every fraternity and sorority formal.”

“There were The Kingsmen in the Commons, The Byrds in the old gymnasium and, of course, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the theatre! How’s that for variety? All three ‘concerts’ take me back to my days at Ripon!”

“If I hear ‘Light My Fire,’ by The Doors, I am at The Spot with friends, January-February 1967.”

Tsering Yangchen ’14 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mary Lynn LeFevre Chavez ’68 Charlevoix, Michigan

Dale Abrams ’71 Fairfax Station, Virginia

14

| RIPON

College

“I had a soft rock/folk/light jazz/light country/ballads show on WRPN for several years while attending Ripon. The show featured many artists and songs.

“Every morning the last semester of my senior year at Ripon, Ben Firgens ’14 and I would go to Starbucks before class. Ben would always come to my room so we could walk over together, and every time, without fail, I would be running late. So, I would go brush my teeth and when I got back he would always be playing ‘Rocket Man,’ by Billy Joel, and staring dramatically off into the distance. Whenever I hear ‘Rocket Man,’ it always takes me back to those moments my last few months at Ripon College. Ben and I are now both on the east coast, and I am so lucky to be able to see him a few times a year.”

Caroline Rothrock ’12 Alexandra, Virginia

“There were many other great DJs and we had good music directors: Rob “Tex” Meyer ’78 did a great show.

Pete Walters ’76 did a great jazz show.

Stephen P. Wing ’77 did a good show with a WRPN traffic helicopter.”

“The song I most remember from Ripon is the Alma Mater; I’m happy to see that it’s now posted.”

Mike Ottenberg ’77 Reston, Virginia

(See the historical articles about the Alma Mater on Page 27) George E. Despotes ’66 Cambridge, Massachusetts

“Shelley (Anderson ’73) and I still listen to these, and our children grew up on them. Still play vinyl!

Led Zeppelin, ‘Dazed and Confused!’ and their first four albums Chicago (Midwestern bands were huge for area colleges back then!)

(REO Speedwagon, Styx, etc.)

Blood Sweat & Tears, lots of brass and joy! All the albums!

“ ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love,’ by The Darkness, was always our go-to song (Brandi and Zac Mans of Anoka, Minnesota, would agree!). I always think of Ripon when I hear it.”

Elizabeth Weigler ’10 Denver, Colorado

The Moody Blues. Ahh, yes! Easy does it after hours of partying!

“I attended Ripon from 1969 through 1973. It would take me two pages to list all the music from that era, but I recall The Moody Blues and The Allman Brothers being particularly popular. My crew was really into the blues, especially Elmore James, B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Fleetwood Mac (founded as a blues band). We would go to Oshkosh or Fond du Lac to hear musicians up from Chicago: Luther Allison, Sam Lay, Muddy, etc. And the college Springfest often featured blues bands. There was a legendary show in ’73 on the patio of the Union facing the lawn. Some alumni will recall the Johnny Young and plates of chicken story from that day.”

The Mamas & The Papas, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, all sorts of folk stuff!

Ripon was huge into small enclaves of music variety all over the campus. WRPN radio was a hangout for me. You really brought back some wonderful emotions!”

“Our favorite hangout was The Spot, and when I think of it, I think of Eddie Fisher singing ‘Oh, My Papa’ while we hung out there. Also associated with The Spot were the polkas I used to dance to with Shayle Polanski, pushing it right up to the time I had to be back at the dorm. We had ‘hours’ in those days, meaning we would have to run all the way back to the Tri-Dorms to get there before the door was locked and I was in trouble.”

Dave Bunten ’73 Lake Zurich, Illinois

Jeff Drew ’73 Tomah, Wisconsin

Jane Sorenson Sleep ’56 Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, ‘Suite Judy Blue Eyes’! OMG – it still plays in my head!

Rolling Stones – ‘Paint It Black.’ Viet Nam War going on; ROTC was mandatory for men at Ripon.

Black Sabbath, anything that was a bit rebellious.

W I N T E R 2016

|

15

“Music that reminds me of my Ripon College days includes the romantic ballads of Johnny Mathis (‘Chances Are,’ ‘Misty’). Of course, at Ripon we had our own romantic singer, Al Jarreau ’62, about whom students would say, ‘He sounds more like Johnny Mathis than Johnny Mathis.’ When I hear Al singing, of course I think of Ripon. ‘Moon River,’ from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, as sung by Andy Williams, was very popular to snuggle up and dance to, especially for students who had their own ‘huckleberry friend.’

“Toward the end of my class’s senior year, the Beatles burst upon the scene and provided many upbeat danceable tunes like ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘She Loves You (yeah, yeah, yeah).’

“Listening to ‘Freebird’ (Lynyrd Skynyrd) with Donald in the student lounge, dancing with Gayle to ‘Now You’re Messin’ With A …’ at the Wayside II, playing John Prine on my radio show on Friday afternoons.

Mike Gibbs ’79 San Antonio, Texas

“The first thing that popped into my head was the old disco song ‘We are Family,’ by Sister Sledge and Jade, because this became our mantra for our days as a local sorority, Delta Psi Delta. At every formal, whenever it was played, we definitely danced in unison to ‘our song.’ ”

“The 2010-2011 hit ‘Dynamite,’ by Taio Cruz, always makes me think of Ripon. It was pretty ubiquitous and definitely an ear worm. It was common to hear ‘Dynamite’ at dances during the fall semester of my junior year, and was also frequently heard when walking through The Pub. On one particular occasion, I was walking up the spiral staircase from The Pub to the second floor of Harwood Memorial Union to meet with Lindsay Blumer in the Ethical Leadership Program lounge.

‘Dynamite’ slowly faded out as I reached the rotunda, but, much to my surprise, by the time I entered the ELP lounge, I could hear it again. There was Lindsay Blumer, director of the ELP, singing Taio Cruz because it had also gotten stuck in her head. It was a perfect moment of situational comedy.

Now every time I hear ‘Dynamite,’ although this is much less frequently than in 2010, I’m taken back to that afternoon in the ELP lounge and fond memories of my time at Ripon and in the ELP in particular.”

Erin Maguire ’08 Roanoke, Virginia

Lisa Hilleren ’12 Chicago, Illinois

And then there were Tom Lehrer’s satiric songs and parodies. They were delightful, so clever and humorous, truly unique.”

Sylvia Ashton ’64 Bayside, Wisconsin

16

| RIPON

College

“Before the breathin’ air is gone Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime Out where the rivers like to run I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’ ” — Three Dog Night’s “Out in The Country” “In my freshman year, I discovered that I could just stand by the road and stick out my thumb and nice people would take me places. (Mean people wouldn’t stop.)

So every summer, I’d be on some road, watching the sun go down, wondering if I’d get another ride that night or if I cared.

I was in Boy Scouts, ROTC. Camping out in random places was just fine.”

Bil Lewis ’74 Cambridge, Massachusetts

“Music was such a huge influence for us back in 1985-89. We constantly made mixed tapes, recorded selections from friends who were WRPN DJs, and pretty much had a soundtrack going for every event. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one song that brings me back to those days. However, one that does come to mind is CCR’s ‘Down on the Corner.’ I can remember that song influencing me from freshman to senior year, and usually a trip to Benders was involved :-). When I hear that song, I think of specific friends and specific memories from our Ripon days, and I get a smile on my face.”

Carolyn Agacinski Clark ’89 Renton, Washington

“The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ playing over and over as we sat at The Spot bar drinking $1.25 pitchers of beer.

Loved that place.”

Charlton Davis ’72 Edgewater, Florida “My recollection of most-played singles on the jukebox at The Spot: ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,’

by Nancy Sinatra ‘Louie Louie,’ by The Kingsmen ‘(You’re My) Soul and My Inspiration,’

by The Righteous Brothers ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand,’

by The Beatles ‘She Loves You,’ by The Beatles ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,’ by Roy Orbison

“When I hear ‘The Cisco Kid,’ by War, it reminds me of being at the downstairs of The Spot and desperately trying to escape the coming reality of post-graduation life. The other tune that takes me back more positively was ‘Hello It’s Me,’ by Todd Lundgren and the band Nazz. This time, the tune evokes the joy and wonder of freshman and sophomore life, uh, but sadly, once again at The Spot.”

Marty Morris ’73 Troy, Michigan

‘Glad All Over,’ by The Dave Clark Five

“Any alumni from any time period will say that the music they heard while at Ripon was the Golden Age of music, but when I was spinning records at WRPN, I felt and still feel that 1974-1978 was the greatest musical period. Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers and the Eagles were all great. And many more besides.

“Musical story: in the fall of 1975, a bunch of the brothers at Theta Chi and I headed down to Milwaukee to see a concert put on by three groups. Thin Lizzy and some guy named Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band were the warmup acts. The main feature was Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO).

The truth is that that night, Seeger blew the doors off BTO. The audience wanted him back after BTO took stage.”

Rod Haynes ’78 Renton, Washington

‘I Get Around,’ by The Beach Boys ‘Sugar Shack,’ by Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs” Jody Henry ’67 Huntsville, Texas

“Almost anything from Crosby, Stills and Nash, with or without Neil Young, makes me think of my college years at Ripon!”

Roberta Austring ’70 Kodiak, Alaska

Evann “Sugar” Maltby Balmes ’61 Mount Prospect, Illinois

“Early/mid ’60s would have to be The New Christy Minstrels, The Lamplighters, The Weavers, The Beach Boys, The Lettermen, etc.”

Barbara Bradford Sewall ’65 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

“There is no doubt the class of 1961 would agree that dancing to tunes by Johnny Mathis and our very own Ripon songster Al Jarreau ’62, whose early style was similar to Johnny’s, was the best!”

“Diana Ross — ‘I’m Coming Out, (I want the world to know).’ ”

For additional Alumni Music Memories, visit ripon.edu/MemoriesW16

George Quarshie ’83 Moseley, Virginia W I N T E R 2016

|

17

Admission staffer Toni Hollenback connects with students over four decades

Student workers Cordell Walker ’18 and Nickie Zeman ’17 chat with Toni Hollenback.

A

s one of the longest-working current employees of Ripon College, Toni Hollenback has been on campus for 43 years in a variety of capacities. On February 12, she retired from the College as secretary/ technician for the Office of Admission.

Hollenback’s employment began July 2, 1973, and for the first nine years she worked in duplicating, assembling documents like Commencement programs, writing scholarship letters and creating copies of important documents.

Since then, she has worked in admission, routing emails and helping 18

| RIPON

College

visitors. At the time of her retirement, she supervised six students who provide a variety of support for the Office of Admission.

Of all the changes she’s seen during her career, Hollenback says the change in technology was the most dramatic.

“I’ve been through three or four computer conversions,” she says.

When she began working at Ripon, the College used machines similar to typewriters to record everything.

She didn’t get a keyboard until a few years later. Now things like keyboards and computers are commonplace, and the College always is striving

“When you see them come in, they’re timid and shy, but they leave more well-rounded, confident and mature. It’s a really fun thing to see.”

TONI HOLLENBACK

Rohrbeck ’13. “Toni was the very first person I met during my campus visit, and she has been there for me in every way possible since then. In fact, I began working at the admission office as an ambassador because Toni was there, and I went there on days I was not scheduled just to talk with Toni.

to update technologically.

Hollenback said the best part of her job is the students. “When you see them come in, they’re timid and shy, but they leave more well-rounded, confident and mature,” she says. “It’s a really fun thing to see.”

“Toni has always gone above and beyond for her fellow coworkers and children (that is what she calls her Ripon students she works with) in countless ways from her delicious cooking to her warm, friendly personality that includes her contagious smile and laugh! Toni is truly one of a kind, and Ripon has been blessed to have someone as caring, hard-working, humble and kind as her.”

Hollenback keeps in touch with many of her former student workers. “They let us know when they’re getting married or have their first child,” she says. “I get about 20 Christmas cards every year. It’s nice.”

Andrew Carballo ’15 says, “Over the four years I spent working for her, Toni showed me respect, great kindness, a gentle manner in teaching me, and a positive attitude that made my day better no matter what was going on that day.

“Words cannot begin to describe how influential and monumental Toni was on my Ripon experience,” says Matt

“She is truly one of the most kind, generous and genuine people I know.

She’d give the shirt off her back if it

meant helping someone. She was an efficient leader.”

Steven and Betsy Kruse McCray ’92 and ’92, still exchange Christmas cards with Hollenback after 20 years.

Hollenback’s husband also was their wedding photographer.

Marcia Nachreiner ’88, her sister, Joyce Schneider ’90 and Joyce’s husband, Geno ’90, all worked for Hollenback during their time at Ripon.

The Schneiders’ son, Geno ’17, is a current worker for her.

Hollenback values the time she has spent with many people on campus.

“Their friendships mean a lot to me,” she says. “I have an interest in their personal lives — meaning I want to know how they are doing, what is new in their lives. I have had many humorous and serious talks with all of these people. I think of them often and miss them a lot. It is understood that when they come back to Ripon, they stop by the office or my house for a visit.”

Megan Sohr ’18

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

W I N T E R 2016

|

19

SPORTS

20

| RIPON

College

Swimmer born without a leg makes great strides in the pool

“B

orn with limits, living without them.”

Ripon College’s Sierra Landholm lives by that motto every time she dives into the pool. The junior was born missing her right leg but has not let that stop her from being a member of the Red Hawks swim team. She is in her third year competing at the college level, focusing on longer races.

“I know that I was born with this and obviously there’s stuff that I have to do differently than other people, but most of the time I don’t think about that,” Landholm says. “It’s just living my everyday life the way that I live it.”

Landholm’s start in swimming came in middle school as a result of a rejection in another sport. “I tried out for the basketball team and didn’t make it,” she says, adding that her coach told her it was because she was not as fast as the other kids. “I took about a year off of sports and my parents kind of said that I needed to do something to be active, so I took swim lessons for about a couple weeks and then they said I should try out for a club team.

I tried out for a club team and then started swimming with them regularly.”

Like many in her family, Landholm also played soccer for around five years before starting to swim, but was too short and too slow to make it as a goalkeeper.

Overcoming adversity is nothing new for Landholm. In addition to being born without a right leg, she was put up for adoption at birth. She found a permanent home with a family in

Nebraska. They moved to Tacoma, Washington, a few months later, where she lived until enrolling at Ripon College prior to the 2013-14 year.

Swimming had a big role in her decision to come to Ripon. “I sat down with my club coach at the time and we kind of discussed it and said if I want to swim in college, I would have to look at schools that would be able to fit that,” she says. “I looked at about 50 schools, and then from there I narrowed it down to which ones I was going to apply to.”

She notes that in terms of swimming, there is not much difference strokewise as a result of having only one leg, but did acknowledge it’s harder to compare her times to her competitors.

“It’s definitely more of an individual thing, where I set a goal for myself and I try to get that goal and if I don’t, I’m obviously a little disappointed in myself,” Landholm says.

Landholm swims primarily in longer events, which include the 500, 1,000 and mile. Her college coach, Ryan Goggans, says, “It’s difficult just doing the long swimming, let alone with some of the challenges she has to deal with, as well. It’s just tremendous that she continues to keep swimming and continues to improve her times.”

He adds that the fact that Landholm competes and doesn’t give up is inspirational to others.

“She has a tremendous work ethic, and the big thing I see with her is she just wants to be swimming with the other

teammates,” Goggans said. “She doesn’t want adjustments. ... She just wants to be treated like a normal swimmer. She swims the same sets, the same times and never complains once about it.”

Jonathan Bailey ’10

Ripon Commonwealth Press Photos and story courtesy of Ripon Commonwealth Press W I N T E R 2016

|

21

GIFTS AT WORK

Ripon readies for spring groundbreaking on $20 million upgrade to athletics, health and wellness facilities

Rendering of what the completed facility will look like

With significant lead gifts secured during the quiet phase of our Revitalize fund-raising campaign and a $14.3 million long-term low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development division, the renovation and expansion of the athletic, health and wellness center is moving ahead. The College will break ground this spring on the $20 million project with a target completion date of fall 2017.

Work will be done in three phases. The first phase, a 65,000-square-foot field house, will break ground in April 2016. This will include an NCAA-compliant 200-meter track with 42-inch running lanes and space for field events — pole vault, high jump, long jump and throwing events. It also includes four performance courts in the middle field for basketball, volleyball and tennis.

The new field house

Planned Giving You can support Ripon College and your loved ones through simple estate planning.

To learn how Mary Lou Spink Spindt ’40, Verne Churchill ’54, Kathryn Schultz ’89 and Dante Houston ’01 already have done so, visit: ripongiftplanning.org.

22

| RIPON

College

The second phase, a 23,250-square-foot north addition and atrium, will commence in July 2016. This will include classrooms, flexible seating, a health food café and concessions, expanded cardio and weight training spaces, reception area and offices.

The final phase will include interior renovations of the main and practice gymnasiums, locker rooms and offices, including an expanded second level with fitness studio and meditative arts spaces.

The facility will accommodate all students, faculty and staff for competitive or personal health and wellness, and also will be open to community memberships.

The project is being financed using a mix of public and private loans and philanthropy. The College is continuing to secure gifts toward the financing.

For more information and ways you can contribute, contact the Office of Advancement at 920-748-8351 or advancement@ripon.edu; or visit ripon.edu/revitalize.

GIFTS AT WORK

Shogrens pay it forward by establishing scholarship

Inspired by their experiences at Ripon, alumni David and Linda Shogren are paying the goodwill forward with the David E. 1984 and Linda Shogren Scholarship for the Arts.

Ripon was “rewarding, challenging and fun,” says David Shogren ’84 of Maplewood, Missouri. “It helped shape me into the person that I am now.” Shogren, who majored in English and minored in art, formerly was chief operating officer of U.S. International Foods LLC. He now has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the District Export Council for St. Louis.

Shogrens pay it forward by establishing scholarship

Linda Shogren, left, David Shogren ’84 and Noelle Korzeniewski ’17 Inspired by his experiences at Ripon, alumnus David Shogren and his wife, Linda, are paying the goodwill forward with the David E. 1984 and Linda Shogren Scholarship for the Arts.

He also serves on the Ripon College Board of Trustees. He chose to establish a scholarship in the arts because he feels they are important to a liberal arts and sciences experience.

education and the experience that comes along with it,” she says. “Thanks to these generous donations, we, as the student body, are able to work in and study our passions.”

Ripon was “rewarding, challenging and fun,” says David Shogren of Maplewood, Missouri. “It helped shape me into the person who I am now.” Shogren, who majored in English and minored in art, formerly was the chief operating officer of U.S. International Foods LLC. He now has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the District Export Council for St. Louis.

Funding already is helping Noelle Korzeniewski ’17, a double-major in theatre and religion. She aspires to combine her two studies in the future by incorporating theatre within a church where she will be the minister.

Shogren adds, “I think the Ripon education helps you no matter what subject you study. It helps train you to be a critical thinker, a problem-solver and a communicator. When you get a job, your boss will teach you the extra stuff you need to know, but those fundamentals separate a Ripon student from everyone else.”

“Without the scholarships by donations, I feel a lot of students on this campus would not be able to experience such a rich liberal arts

Megan Sohr ’18 Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Make a difference in a student’s life! A gift to Ripon College’s Annual Fund supports student scholarships, faculty support, academic programs, preservation of our historic campus and much more.

Visit ripon.edu/give to learn more.

W I N T E R 2016

|

23

CAMPUSNotes

Legacies of longtime professors will keep their memories alive Ripon College recently lost two, longtime and beloved members of its emeritus faculty.

For 33 years, WILLIAM EARL TYREE of Rushville, Illinois, taught at Ripon College and for 23 years was chairman of the Department of Philosophy.

He died Jan. 2, 2016.

Tyree retired in 1983 and received a doctorate of humane letters from Ripon College in 1989. In 1997, former students established the William E. Tyree Endowed Philosophy Scholarship.

In the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” actor Harrison Ford ’64 played a college professor who tells his class: “Archaeology is the search for facts, not truth. If it’s truth you’re looking for, Dr. Tyree’s philosophy class is right down the hall.”

Tyree received degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University, Garrett Evangelical Seminary, the University of Edinburgh and Union Theological Seminary. He also did post-graduate studies at Cambridge University. He served in the Navy during World War II, was a Methodist minister, was known for his singing, and loved baseball.

WILLIAM “BILL” SCHANG of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, professor of English emeritus, died Oct. 12, 2015.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He was with Ripon College for 41 years from 1969 to 2011, and served as dean of faculty toward the end of his career.

He was awarded the May Bumby Severy Award for Excellence in Teaching four times, in 1975, 1984, 1989 and 2000; Senior Class Award for Teaching four times, in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1998; and James Underkofler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1993.

At Ripon College, his support lives on through his association with the Schang Family Visiting Writers Fund and the William Schang Liberal Arts Scholarship which was established in his honor.

24

| RIPON

College

FACULTY AND STAFF RON ERNST, professor of exercise science, head coach of football, and assistant athletic director, earned the 160th win in his 25-year career Nov. 14, 2015, in a 27-7 victory over Lake Forest. All of Ernst’s wins have come during his tenure at Ripon. This is the highest number of victories of any coach in the 95-year history of the Midwest Conference. He also is the only coach in the 124-year history of the Ripon College football program to win more than 100 games, and currently has 66 more victories than the second-highest total. He ran the 12th annual Ripon College Football Coaches Clinic in March 2015 with about 200 coaches attending; and was a featured speaker at the Chicago Glazier Football Clinic in April 2015.

EMILY “MOLLY” MARGARETTEN, assistant professor of anthropology, had a book, Street Life under a Roof: Youth Homelessness in South Africa, published by the University of Illinois Press Sept. 8, 2015. She draws on 10 years of up-close fieldwork to explore the distinct cultural universe of the Point Place community near the city center of Durban, South Africa. The book is available on amazon.com Molly Margaretten, right, with her research assistant in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

REBECCA MATZKE, associate professor of history, was named co-director of the Center for Politics and the People in August. She published an article in the summer issue of Great Plains Quarterly investigating how local Nebraska newspaper coverage in 1958-1965 shaped public perception about the Cold War Atlas F Missile Project (http://goo.gl/DwvZtx). She was interviewed on Nebraska Public Radio in October about her research (http://goo.gl/HGzH2A). Matzke also presented the paper “The Foreign Secretary as Naval Strategist: Lord Palmerston in the Early Victorian Period” at the McMullen Naval History Symposium in September at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

MEMUNA KHAN, associate professor of biology, was named to a list of the top 100 most influential people in the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Khan, who lives in Oshkosh, is president of the Oshkosh Zoological Society. The list was compiled by journalism students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In July, she banded two osprey nestlings in a cooperative effort between Ripon College, the Green Lake Association and Alliant Energy.

TRAVIS NYGARD, assistant professor of art and chair of the department, published, with others, two book chapters in The Maya of the Cochuah Region: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on the Northern Lowlands, University of New Mexico Press, 2015; and a chapter in Memory Traces: Analyzing Sacred Space at Five Mesoamerican Sites, University Press of Colorado, 2015. “Andy Warhol’s Alexander the Great: An Ancient Portrait for Alexander Iolas in a Postmodern Frame” appeared in Classical Receptions Journal online in 2015.

business management, provided entrepreneurial mentorship to students from throughout Wisconsin at “The Commons,” an entrepreneurial boot camp program sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Committee. The Commons allows students to supplement their on-campus education with additional skills so they can launch their startup or move up the corporate ladder.

professor of mathematical sciences and chair of the department. He was on sabbatical leave during the fall 2015 semester. He presented a talk, “ShortTerm vs Long-Term Strategy in the Game of Monopoly,” at the Join Mathematics Meetings in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 7, 2015, describing a joint research project with ANDREA YOUNG, assistant professor of mathematical sciences, and MITCHELL EITHUN ’17.

HENRIK SCHATZINGER is now an associate professor of politics and government. He also had two recent publications: “Bridging vs. Bonding Social Capital: Explaining the Content of Anti-Patriot Act Resolutions,” Journal of Civic Literacy 1(1): 1-18. 2014, with Aaron Dusso; and “Core Curriculum / General Education: Track Summary,” PS: Political Science & Politics 47(03): 714-15. 2014, with Lilian Baria, Andreas Broscheid, Tyson King-Meadows, Melinda Mueller and Erin Richards.

ANNE-CHRISTINE BARTHEL, assistant professor of business and economics, presented a paper, “Comparing Optimal Responses in Games with Multi-Dimensional Action Spaces,” co-authored with Eric Hoffmann, at the Midwest Economic Theory Meetings at Penn State in October.

ZACH MESSITTE, president, was one of three writers who published an opinion piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper in November. “The GOP and Those Nattering Nabobs of Negativity” tells how 46 years ago, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew also took potshots at the press. (http://goo.gl/O7cepZ). He and co-authors Charles J. Holden of St. Mary’s College in Maryland and Jerald Podair of Lawrence University are writing a book, The People’s Party: Spiro Agnew and the Birth of the New GOP, with the University of Virginia Press. Messitte also published “Free Speech on Campus: It’s for Conservatives, Too” in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct. 17, 2015.

BARBARA SISSON, assistant professor of biology, gave a poster presentation, “A simple method to culture a micrometazoan for use in teaching and undergraduate research,” at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Association of College and Biological Educators (ACUBE), Oct. 23-25, 2015, in St. Joseph, Missouri. The work was done in collaboration with Professor of Biology BOB WALLACE and students RAYMOND ALLEN ’15 of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, and ELIZABETH THOMPSON ’16 of Nekoosa, Wisconsin.

MARY AVERY, professor of

JACQUELINE CLARK, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, had an opinion piece published in the Wisconsin State Journal, July 11, 2015. A blog about fat shaming was published on the website Sociological Images, Oct. 7, 2015.

LAMONT COLUCCI, associate professor and chair of politics, regularly contributes opinion pieces to U.S. News & World Report and other publications.

KURT DIETRICH, professor of music and Barbara Baldwin De Frees Chair in the Performing Arts, has signed a contract with the Wisconsin Historical Society Press to publish his book Wisconsin Riffs: Jazz Stories from the Heartland. Over the past six years, Dietrich has interviewed more than 125 jazz musicians from Wisconsin, as well as researching historical figures in Wisconsin jazz.

JOSH FILLER, assistant professor of philosophy, presented a paper, “Dispositions, Evolution and Human Nature,” at the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology conference in Montreal, Canada, in July 2015.

JOHN HUGHES, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, had two articles published in refereed journals: “Leonhard Lechner’s Passion (1593): Origins, Importance, and Dramatic Meaning,” Choral Journal 56, no. 1 (September 2015): 45-54; and “ ‘Art That Hides Art’: The Craft of Randall Thompson, Robert Frost, and Frostiana,” The Choral Scholar 5, No. 1, (October 2015): 3-29.

MCKENZIE LAMB is now an associate

KATHERINE “KATE” MOODY, assistant librarian-Access Services, had two book chapters accepted for Rowman & Littlefield’s upcoming anthology Library’s Role in Supporting Financial Literacy for Patrons. Her chapters are “MoneyFitness: One Academic Library’s Experience of Building a Financial Literacy Program at a Small Liberal Arts College”; and “Asking for Help: Finding Partners for Your Financial Classes.”

MOLLIE OBLINGER, associate professor of art, and RAFAEL FRANCISCO SALAS, associate professor of art, had work in a group exhibit June 25 through Sept. 5 at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Oblinger also had work in a group show at the Angela Meleca Gallery July 23 through Sept. 3 in Columbus, Ohio; and her work is featured on the cover and interior of a book of poetry by Marian University Professor C. Kubasta (http://goo.gl/VWMRjM).

JODY ROY, professor of communication, the Victor and Carrie Palmer Endowed Chair for Leadership Values, and Associate Dean for Faculty Development, shared her insight on hate as it relates to the June 2015 South Carolina shootings. The piece was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper in June.

RAFAEL FRANCISCO SALAS, associate professor of art, had two solo exhibits in Madison, Wisconsin: “Wasted Days & Wasted Nights” at the James Watrous Gallery from May 22 to July 5, and “World Without End” at Edgewood College from Oct. 9 through Nov. 6. Salas also published two reviews in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in July.

BRIAN SMITH, professor of religion, Charles and Joan Van Zoeren Chair in Religion, Ethics and Values, and chair of the department, was named co-director of the Center for Politics and the People.

He taught a five-week online series about world religions for Ripon College alumni May 25 through June 26; published an opinion piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper on June 29, 2015; and gave presentations at St. Mary Catholic Church, Omro, Wisconsin, Sept. 21, 2015; and at Prairie Lakes Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Ripon, Wisconsin, Sept. 20, 2015. Smith’s remarks were included in an article by Gannett News Services about the visit to the United States of Pope Francis (http://goo.gl/WaOXvO).

Smith received a collaborative ACM FACE 3 grant and made a joint presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 20-24, 2015.

HERVÉ SOMÉ, associate professor of educational studies, completed an MBA in business with a specialization in project management (online) last summer through Aspen University, Denver, Colorado. He published two book chapters in Education in West Africa: Education around the World, Bloomsbury: New York/London, UK. He also published two opinion pieces about a coup in Burkina Faso on Sept. 17 and Sept. 22, 2015, both in Lefaso.net, an online newspaper in Burkina Faso, and Netafrique.net, a West African online newspaper.

ROBERT L. WALLACE, professor of biology and the Patricia and Philip McCullough 1969 Professor in Biology, made five presentations at the XIV International rotifer symposium in late August/early September 2015; and published “Rotifera” an electronic publication in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences with others and “Phylum Rotifera” in Elsevier with others.

W I N T E R 2016

|

25

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ALUMNI & PARENTS Hosted by the Office of Constituent Engagement & Career Services alumni@ripon.edu • 920-748-8126 2/29/16

3/11-15/16

CAMPUSNotes AROUND CAMPUS • Student Support Services has been awarded a new five-year grant by the U.S. Department of Education, TRIO division. The total grant award projected over five years is $1,221,285.

Fox Valley Rally Hours (Green Bay)

• The five-year Imagine Tomorrow comprehensive campaign successfully concluded with more than $67.3 million committed toward building up the College’s endowment, scholarships and other pressing needs.

Chamber Singers Tour (Ripon, Wisconsin (11th); Dekalb, Illinois (12th); Iowa City, Iowa (13th); St. Louis, Missouri (14th), Brookfield, Wisconsin (15th)

3/13-18/16

Career Discovery Tour: Boston, Networking Reception (15th)

3/29/16

Twin Cities 5th Tuesday Rally Hours

3/29/16

Chicago 5th Tuesday Rally Hours

3/30/16

Milwaukee 5th Wednesday Rally Hours

3/31/16

Madison 5th Thursday Rally Hours

3/31/16

Cincinnati 5th Thursday Rally Hours

3/31/16

Washington, D.C., 5th Thursday Rally Hours

4/1/16

Spring Alumni Board of Directors Meeting (on campus)

5/15/16

Commencement (on campus)

5/30/16

Fox Valley Rally Hours (Appleton)

5/31/16

Twin Cities 5th Tuesday Rally Hours

5/31/16

Chicago 5th Tuesday Rally Hours

•

STEPHANIE ALVAREZ ’16, a psychology major from Chicago, Illinois, through assistance from the McNair Scholars Program, participated in the Summer Education Research Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Milwaukee 5th Wednesday Rally Hours

6/30/16

Madison 5th Thursday Rally Hours

6/30/16

Cincinnati 5th Thursday Rally Hours

6/30/16

Washington, D.C., 5th Thursday Rally Hours

For more events, visit ripon.edu/alumni

26

| RIPON

College

Ripon College received $3,187,515 from the estate of Patricia Parker Francis, a longtime friend and supporter of the College. The estate will fully endow the Patricia Parker Francis Distinguished Professorship in Economics currently held by Dr. Paul Schoofs.

It also will add to the William B. Murphy Endowed Guest Lectureship in Economics; and help renovate and expand the athletics, health and wellness facilities on campus.

Fall student achievements • Ripon College won its fourth straight regional championship at the Upper Midwest Regional Ethics Bowl in November and secured a spot in the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl in February 2016 in Washington, D.C. •

RICARDO JAIMES ’17 of Marinette, Wisconsin, through assistance from the McNair Scholars Program, studied water quality of area waterways for the Green Lake Association.

ZACHARY MEUNCH ’16, a chemistry-biology and religion major from Franklin, Wisconsin, was awarded $770 from the Beta Beta Beta Research Foundation for his senior seminar project.

• For the fourth year in a row, students from Ripon College won student paper awards from the Wisconsin Sociological Association. HOLLY KORTEMEIER ’15 of Whitewater, Wisconsin, won a first place; and KYLE NOVACK ’15 of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, a third place.

•

RAEANN BRIXIUS ’16 of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, president of the student senate, had an opinion piece in the Nov. 9 issue of USA Today (http://goo.gl/h8HLTg)

• For the eighth consecutive season, Ripon won the division 2 Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference championship. Senior BEN SENKERIK took a second and a third place to secure his third consecutive individual season omnium championship. He went on to take two silver medals at USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals. SOPHIA MARCHIANDO earned her second consecutive individual season omnium championship.

6/23-26/16 Alumni Weekend (on campus), Red Hawks Scramble (24th) 6/29/16

• Ripon College’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion officially launched Sept. 11, 2015. Students can meet with peers based on their cultural identity, and programming engages the broader campus to increase understanding.

CHRISTINE NGUYEN ’17 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, through assistance from the McNair Scholars Program, studied gastroenterology and hepatology this summer at Hahnemann University Hospital, an affiliate of the Drexel University College of Medicine.

• In football, BRADLEY KNOBLOCK tied a school and conference record with three interceptions in a game, accomplishing that feat two times this year.

• Sophomore soccer forward PAIGE BIRSCHBACH earned First Team All-Conference for the second consecutive season. In school history standings, she already is tied for sixth for career goals (27); fifth for both career assists (20) and points (74); and third with four career hat tricks.

Far Within Wisconsin’s Prairies, i Wreathed In Laurels Green, Stands Our Noble Alma Mater, Ripon’s Glorious Queen.

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater

Chorus Liftt The Chorus, Speed It Onward Shout From Sea To Sea, Hail To Thee, Our Alma Mater, The contemporary Ripon Chamber Singers perform a mixed-voice version of Ripon College’s Alma Mater.

Hail, All Hail, To Thee!!

It was the fall of 1897 and a hotshot new music professor, Frederick Lane, had just arrived on campus. He was a graduate of the very prestigious Boston Conservatory of Music and had taught for more than 25 years. Lane’s arrival created new energy in Ripon’s music school. Enrollment in Ripon’s Conservatory of Music surged from 33 students taking music courses only in 1897-1898 to 41 in 1899-1900. The cliché was true. Music was in the air.

following the zeitgeist. During her junior year, College Days advocated for creating “a good live glee club” and that new songs be written to improve the spirit of the College. “If need be, let some local poet invoke the muse. Other colleges are introducing new college songs. Why can’t we also be original?” [24. Jan. 1899]. College Days further argued “college sentiment is college capital.”

Ripon ever since and has developed into one of the most cherished traditions on campus.

Long She’s Stood ‘Mid Cloud And Sunshine, Firmly Braved The Storm,

Mitchell responded to the challenge and invoked the muse with original lyrics for Ripon’s Alma Mater. The lyrics were paired with the melody of “Annie Lisle,” by songwriter H.S. Thompson, and made popular by Cornell University, which had adapted the melody as part of their college spirit song. Alma Mater has been sung at

Mitchell went on to become a class agent for her Class of 1900, thus further working to improve College spirit and College capital. She attended Columbia School of Expression in Chicago and later headed the department of speech for the Carre Studios.

She was married to Dr. Samuel S. Morse, Class of 1899, and they were longtime residents of a farm near Racine, Wisconsin.

Loyal Hearts Now Give Thee Greeting, Sarah Clyde Mitchell, a city of Ripon native, arrived on campus the same fall as Professor Lane but was enrolled in college courses rather than the Conservatory of Music (or the preparatory academy for that matter.)

Nonetheless, Clyde, as she was most often called, developed an appreciation for music

Praises True And Warm.

Andrew Prellwitz Associate Librarian-User Services; adjunct instructor of German; chair of the library

W I N T E R 2016

Chorus

|

27

New curriculum addresses needs for today’s world CORE 110:

Writing

CORE 120:

CORE 210:

CORE 220:

Quantitative Reasoning

Intercultural Competence

Interdisciplinary Integration

Ed Wingenbach began as Ripon College’s new vice president and dean of faculty July 1. He dove full throttle into leading the curriculum planning and review which faculty had been working on for about a year.

Wingenbach says the educational curriculum had not been refreshed for about 15 years. “The opportunity is incredibly exciting and one of the reasons I came here,” he says. “It’s a dream job. This is a college and faculty open to and eager for innovation.”

In fact, Wingenbach says the commitment of the faculty has been “extraordinary.” This fall, faculty committed to starting the review over 28

| RIPON

College

from scratch and made time to meet every week as a full faculty. They had the opportunity to express their sense of what a college student should know, and “really worked together to build an entirely new educational curriculum,” Wingenbach says.

“We want to make sure every student who graduates develops, practices and masters the skills they need to be successful in life and careers, and that they have applied those skills in a meaningful way at Ripon College.”

The cornerstone of the new curriculum is a junior year experience in which every student works with a team of peers to propose solutions to

an important problem or question.

“The students will apply all the skills they’ve developed in the core curriculum to work together to solve a problem,” Wingenbach says. “No other liberal arts college has been able to do something like this. One of the justifications for a liberal arts education is to provide a broad range of skills, competencies and values to make the students more successful.”

Wingenbach says the new curriculum speaks more directly to current students and their parents and demonstrates the practical value of a liberal arts education. “We will persuade more students to choose Ripon over their other options,” he says.

i like the size

& the personal attention i receive from my professors.

SHANE STRABLEY ’19

When Shane Strabley was a junior at Waterford Union High School in Waterford, Wisconsin, his math teacher, Lance Bestland ’91, recommended he look into Ripon College That simple referral made a difference. Shane visited campus and liked what he saw.

“I was interested in the football team, and Coach Ron Ernst made me feel wanted,” said Shane.

Based on Lance’s recommendation, Shane received at $2,000 annual Alumni Award.

You, too, can give a future student the nudge they need by referring them to Ripon.

Refer a student to Ripon College: ripon.edu/refer-student Or contact Assistant Director of Admission Eliza Stephenson at 920-748-8369; or stephensone@ripon.edu.

S U M M E R 2015

|

W I N T E R 2016

29

|

29

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID 5,321 &2//(*( 300 West Seward Street Ripon, WI 54971 ripon.edu Change Service Requested

F l a s h B A C K 1 93 7 -4 1 Crowning of the Winterfest queen ca. 1937-41, from the private collection of Ann Ewing ’41.

The Winterfest queen is Ellen Pearson Eickhoff ’40, a former roommate of Mary Lou Spink Spindt ’40 of Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Ellen was married to Everett Eickhoff ’39, a longtime medical practitioner in the Land O’ Lakes and northwoods area of Wisconsin. Ellen died in 1988, and Everett died in 2003.