Around the Clocktower

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Megan Gannon

Rafael Francisco Salas Nicholas Eastman Steven Martin 3

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1. New micro grants support diversity and inclusion

The Office of the President launched a new annual grant initiative. Awards of up to $2,000 support projects designed to enhance the quality of life at Ripon College with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

The first awarded projects included a “Bringing Drag to Campus” event by the Queer Straght Alliance; a Men of Color Initiative; and a project to assist international students upon their arrival to Ripon College.

A mural celebrating the message of diversity was painted on campus. Painting II students of Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas submitted proposals for the design, which then were sent to diversity groups on campus for feedback. The winning design is by Bailey Zanck ’22 of New Berlin, Wisconsin.

It features the words Diverse Not Different enhanced with traditional ethnic textile patterns from a variety of cultures. The mural was painted on the south exterior of Johnson Hall.

(Bailey Zanck ’22 helps paint the mural she designed.)

2. Faculty members honored for 2020-21 academic year

Four faculty members were honored for the 2020-21 academic year at the spring awards ceremony.

• Faculty/Staff Mentor Award: Associate Professor of English

Megan Gannon.

• James Underkofler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching: Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas.

• May Bumby Severy 1908 Award: Assistant Professor of

Educational Studies Nicholas Eastman. • Senior Class Award: Professor of Communication

Steven Martin.

3. Lamont Colucci book explores international relations in Bible

The International Relations of the Bible, a new book by Professor of Politics and Government Lamont Colucci, explores the world, politics and people of the Old and New Testaments.

Its description states: “International relations is an increasingly important topic for the average American. It determines job prospects, economic growth and decline, war, peace and whether or not a foreign entity uses a weapon of mass destruction.”

4. Ripon, Marian University exploring possible partnership

Ripon College and Marian University in Fond du Lac have created a joint working group to examine the possibility of a more collaborative arrangement. Administrators, faculty, staff, trustees and students from both institutions, with the support of consultants from the Registry Advisory Services, explored potential benefits of establishing a closer partnership around administrative, academic and co-curricular activities. The joint working group presented their findings to the boards of trustees at both institutions, and further summer exploration is ongoing.

“We’re two different schools with two distinct histories and cultures, but we’re not looking to merge — rather, find some ways to cooperate,” said Zach Messitte, president of Ripon College. “We each care deeply for our students, and we each want to provide them with a comprehensive and quality education that is affordable and enriching. I’m hopeful that we will find areas where, by working together, we might be able to enhance our respective institutions.” 5. Robert L. Wallace receives four-year NSF research grant

Robert L. Wallace, professor emeritus of biology and the former Patricia and Philip McCullough 1969 Professor in Biology, has received a four-year research grant from the National Science Foundation of more than $100,000 to study aspects of the ecology and evolution of rotifers.

This research is a collaborative effort with colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Texas El Paso. Those institutions have received their own support for the project. The research will focus on the life cycles and reproduction processes of phylum Rotifera, typically called rotifers.

6. Henrik Schatzinger now a U.S. citizen

Associate Professor of Politics and Government Henrik Schatzinger became a U.S. citizen in March. A profile about his 20-year journey to American citizenship ran March 10 in the Ripon Commonwealth Press. The profile can be read at ripon.edu/citizenship.

He joined the Ripon College faculty in 2009 and also serves as co-director of Ripon College’s Center for Politics and the People. Schatzinger now has U.S., German and Finnish citizenships, but he says he’s “all about America right now.”

Schatzinger also was cited in an article in March published in the Belgian newspaper La Libre. Because of his book Game Changers, written with Professor of Communication Steve Martin, Schatzinger was asked to comment on former President Trump’s possible plans for spending the millions in dollars he has raised after the 2020 election.

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7. Trent Jones ’20 selected in second round of TBL draft

One year after playing his final game in a Ripon College uniform, Trent Jones ’20 was drafted in the second round (39th overall) by the Tampa Bay Titans of The Basketball League (TBL).

The TBL consists of 35 teams, and each team drafted two players. After a two-week training camp, the regular season of 34 games began in April. Jones has since been traded to the Shreveport Mavericks, where as of April 23 he was averaging 15 points, two rebounds, and two assists per game, while shooting 50 percent (7-14) from 3-point range.

Jones was a business management major from Dodgeville, Wisconsin. He finished his Ripon career with 1,293 career points, 12th in program history and tied for ninth in career steals (110).

8. Micaela Rivera ’21 third author on widely shared paper

Micaela Rivera ’21 of River Falls, Wisconsin, is the third author on groundbreaking research published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B in March. The findings gained national attention in outlets including National Public Radio, The Atlantic, Science Daily, Smithsonian Magazine and Live Science.

Cognitive behavior in cuttlefish was researched at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Rivera helped train cuttlefish for the experiment and collected data.

She majored in psychobiology at Ripon and hopes to pursue a Ph.D., most likely in animal behavior. 9. Ripon alumni contribute to success of online play

A Zoom production of Margaret Cavendish’s comedy “The Sociable Companions,” directed by Associate Professor of English Ann Pleiss Morris, was presented in March by Sweet Tea Shakespeare of Fayetteville, North Carolina. It can be viewed at ripon.edu/tea.

Participating Ripon alumni included: Jessie Lillis ’13 of Staunton, Virginia; Charlotte Lee Wahle ’13 of Marshall, Minnesota; Amanda Finn Haggerty ’14 of Chicago, Illinois; Brennan Kane ’17 of Anoka, Minnesota; Allison Rose Macknick ’17 of Chicago, Illinois; Sophie Widman ’18 of

Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jimmy Ballesteri ’19 of Plymouth, Wisconsin; Sam Ginkel ’19 of Mequon, Wisconsin; Bailey Jerrick ’20 of Stoughton, Wisconsin; Ryan Krogsgaard ’20

of Lewisville, Texas; DeShawn Thomas ’20 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Ben Morris of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Philly D. Slim, provided music. He is the son of Director Emeritus of Theatre Bob Amsden and Professor Emerita of Education Jeanne Williams.

Dan Miles ’14 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the host.

10. Team co-led by Zachary Morris ’02 earns $12.5 million research grant

Zachary Morris ’02 of Madison, Wisconsin, vice chair in the Department of Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, co-leads a team of researchers who have earned a five-year, $12.5 million National Institutes of Health Research Program (P01) Grant, plus $2 million in institutional matching funds. The funding is supporting the study of the combined use of immunotherapy and targeted radionuclide therapy to treat metastatic cancer.

11. Megan Gannon has poems published in journals

Megan Gannon, associate professor of English, has a poem, “Dispatch from the Hotel Pool,” published in the fall/winter 2020 issue of Atlanta Review. She has two poems in the Winter 2021 issue of Willow Springs: “Dispatch from Simultaneous Swim Lessons” and “Dispatch Four Days After the Funeral.”

12. Emma Bronson ’17 accepted into global leadership program

Emma Bronson ’17 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is learning about international affairs with like-minded individuals from around the country. She was accepted into the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Next Generation Program after being nominated by President Zach Messitte. It is being held virtually.

“I have always had a servant heart and been drawn to something bigger than myself,” Bronson says. The program focuses on bipartisanism and teaching the next generation about diplomacy, advocacy and international relations.

13. Bren Davis ’22 honored in short story contest

Bren Davis ’22 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, won honorable mention in the 2021 ACM Nick Adams Short Story Contest, open to students at Associated Colleges of the Midwest schools. Davis is majoring in English.

Winning and honorable mention stories were named by final judge Sandra Cisneros, an award-winning novelist of The House on Mango Street.