Rocky Now - April 2010

Vol. 5 Issue 4

Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu

April 2010

All About Our Students

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC

Thanks to a National Science Grant, Annie Ayre will join other college students to study dinosaur eggs in China this spring.

China Bound As a young girl, with rocks in her pocket, Annie Ayre dreamed of becoming an attorney. Still there were those rocks she carried home from her grade school playground.

“Maybe that was the first indication that I was interested in geology,” she said. “But my real interest didn’t hit until I came to Rocky.”

That interest developed so intensely that this May will find Anne on a trip to China to study dinosaur eggs. The trip was made possible by connections Dr. Tom Kalakay, RMC associate professor of geology, has with Montana State University – Bozeman.

Two friends there agreed to include Anne with their student research trip, funded by a National Science Foundation grant.

“Anne is one of our up and coming geology stars,” Dr. Kalakay said. “I’m working with MSU professors to design a research agreement with RMC so that this kind of collaboration will expose our students to high caliber research.”

(Please see China Bound inside)

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC

Graduates stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at last year’s Rocky Mountain College Commencement. This year 197 graduates will received diplomas.

128th Commencement RMC graduates another large class Rocky Mountain College graduates will hear from an ardent conservationist at the 128th RMC Commencement, Saturday, May 8, 2010, in the Fortin Education Center, at 1 p.m.

Lowell E. Baier, the president of Boone and Crockett Club and the 2008 Wildlife Conservationist of the Year, will deliver the commencement address, “The Geography of Hope: What Will Be Your Place in History?”

Degrees will be conferred on 197 graduates, including master of accountancy, master of physician assistant studies, master of educational leadership, bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees.

Commencement is free and open to the public.

In addition to delivering the commencement address, Mr. Baier will be awarded an honorary doctorate of law and letters. Mr. Baier devoted more than 40 years to wildlife conservation over the course of his successful and multi-faceted career. He played the lead role among 100 national conservation organizations in preserving the 23,550 acre Elkhorn Ranch in Medora, North Dakota, which expanded the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Anheuser-Busch named Mr. Baier America’s 2008 Conservationist of the Year.

Mr. Obert Undem, RMC director of major gifts, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Mr. Undem is being honored for his long service to the College, as well as his public service to numerous organizations, including the Institute for Peace Studies and the Billings Community Foundation. He was the 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Professional Fundraisers Award from the (Please see Commencement Inside)

Insider

by Michael R. Mace, President

Focused Strategy Yields Enrollment Dividends Not long ago we celebrated the annual RMC Student Academic Awards night. The evening marked the beginning of our graduation events, culminating with Commencement on May 8th.

This year we will graduate 197 undergraduates, and confer 25 physician assistants, five master of accountancy degrees, and 15 master of educational leadership degrees.

This graduating class includes the students I first met when I came to Rocky Mountain College as president. So many in the class have become great acquaintances and, over the years, I’m confident we will stay in touch.

This year marks another year of enrollment growth. As enrollment has grown so will future, graduating classes grow.

Much of the growth is due to a great faculty who actively engage with the admissions staff during the year.

By playing offense, we took several focused, proactive steps, leaving us a much stronger college.

We invested in the markets and geographies that offer us

the best opportunities for student growth.

We intensified our focus on student-enhanced relationships, reaffirming our dedication to customer intimacy -bringing resources closer to the students, where possible.

While bold in our recruitment incentives and goals, we believe this will pay off in the long run.

We know there will be continued challenges this year, particularly in the area of student scholarship, and that we must remain diligent and focused to overcome them.

I am confident we can do so through finely-honed donor support. Our faithful friends have not only seen us through the Great Recession, they have laid the groundwork for succeeding years.

As crocuses and daffodils signal a new beginning this spring, so our graduates show the success of what was sown before.

Thank you for your ongoing support. You have helped us send new leaders into a world desperately needing them.

China Bound: Rocky Sophomore Will Study Dino Eggs in China (Continued from front)

Kalakay that actually became rather fortuitous. It is probKalakay said he is also inably due to Dr. Kalakay that volved with a second project, I ever truly considered geolfunded by the U.S. Geological ogy and it was definitely his Survey, that will involve a simiguidance that both informed lar collaboration with RMC and me of and assisted my entry MSU students. into the applicant pool for the Anne, a sophomore honor China endeavor. He is one of student, will reap the immethose professors that truly diate benefit from this initial cares about the future of his collaboration. For more than students.” a month in China, she will join When Anne isn’t immersed eight other students from in geology studies, she also Montana universities under enjoys participation in speech the supervision of internationand debate. ally recognized researchers, “Actually my participating Frankie Jackson and David with debate probably helped Varricchio, both MSU paleonwhen I did an interview (on tologists. the China trip) with KULR-8.

While in China, they will I would have been a lot more focus attention on a huge colnervous if I didn’t have that Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC lection of fossil eggs. They’ll background,” she said. spend part of their time in the Anne Ayre and Dr. Tom Kalakay examine a rock from a research outing to the For Dr. Kalakay, Anne is Yellowstone River. laboratory and part of their proof positive of what he time in the field. hopes the RMC geology deThe students will also join geology students from Zhejipartment offers any student. Classes average 10 students or ang University during field exercises. less which allows geology majors to really get to know and Scientists have already collected more than 1,000 eggs in interact with their professors as well as one another. Rocky’s the province of Zhejiang. A carnivorous dinosaur may have unique location in Montana, where there are “bare naked rocks” laid the eggs but, according to Jackson, it remains unclear to examine, where field trips and student-based research is conwhy they are so porous. Figuring that out will be part of venient, and where there is a variety of formations, lends itself the challenge for the college students. to great possibilities.

It’s a long way from Geology 101, Anne said. That first Dr. Kalakay’s research – into thermal evolution and physicourse at Rocky, as part of her general education requirecal construction of continental crust – emphasizes “the role ments, whet her appetite for more geology study. Dr. Kalof magmatism during structural growth and eventual collapse akay recognized her interest and approached her about a of mountain belts.” His students develop skills in “igneous and special topic he was going to be teaching – geology of the metamorphic petrology, thermo chronology, and reflection seisYellowstone and Grand Teton ecosystems. mology.”

“It was an incredible experience,” she said. “By my secThat may be Greek to many of us, but not to Anne Ayre, a ond semester, I was a devoted geology major. When I bestudent who has found her passion in rocks and dino eggs. gan school I was accidentally assigned as an advisee to Dr.

Focus on Faculty & Staff

MEL Deemed ‘Model for State’ The Rocky Mountain College Master of Educational Leadership Program received high marks after a review of the program by the Montana Office of Public Instruction this month. At the conclusion of the review, the review team described the RMC Master of Educational Leadership Program as a “model for the state and region.”

The program also received several commendations.

Dr. Stevie Schmitz, Rocky Mountain College director of educational leadership and distance learning elementary education; Dr. Jo Swain, assistant professor of elementary education; and Christine Unquera, assistant director of educational leadership and distance learning education, are primarily responsible for the Master of Educational Leadership Program receiving provisional accreditation in 2008 from the Board of Public Education and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

As is always the case, this preliminary approval is followed with a focused visit from the Office of Public Instruction to review the program and provide feedback from the accreditation team. The visit included conversations with RMC’s administrative team, graduates of the program, members of the advisory committee, supervisors and mentors.

The visit was held on campus April 5 – 7, 2010. The committee included admin-

istrators from around the state as well as a liaison from the Office of Public Instruction.

“We are very proud of what Stevie and Jo have accomplished,” said Anthony Piltz, RMC academic vice president. “This is an exceptional program.”

Commendations included praise for the research and evidence-based foundation for the development of the program, its leadership, academic excellence, cohort structure, and the two levels of impact that the program is providing -- the development of new leaders and the re-invigoration of veterans who work with the program.

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC “This team effort is rewarded by this praise, but more so by Teri DeRudder and Jennifer Collins were two members of the first class to graduate from the Master of Educational the success of our graduates,” Leadership program last year. said Dr. Schmitz.

All of the criteria for accreditation search, developed by Dr. Larry Lezotte, were met and several commendations as well as the state and national stanwere given as well. An official written redards for school administration. The port is expected in 30 days. program covers theory to practice.

The RMC Master of Educational LeadBesides courses offered at a distance, ership is designed to help fill the increasprogram participants will have mening vacancies in school administration tors at their school location. The proacross the state and nationwide. This is gram covers K-12 administration so another degree not offered anywhere that successful graduates will be qualielse in eastern Montana except at RMC. fied to fill a wide range of positions in The new RMC master’s degree provides elementary and high school. After profor an accelerated 11-month program of gram completion, students will be able study, with online, face-to-face, and interto apply for licensure as a principal or active television instruction. The program superintendent. is modeled on the Effective Schools Re-

Focus on Alumni & Friends

The Gift That Still Gives Jim Anderson’s life with Rocky Mountain College began in 1963 when he came from Columbia Falls to attend the “college of the open door.” By the time he graduated, in 1967, he had met his future wife, Linda Lou Lageno, and developed an abiding affection for his alma mater.

A successful investment career resulted in his first retirement in 1999, but it was short lived. Jim, who gave RMC $100,000 to use as real money for a student investment class, agreed to teach the class. The RMC studentmanaged endowment class became one of the more popular ones offered in business management and was frequently audited by non-students.

“When I returned to teach the Principles of Investing class, it was an honor and privilege,” he said. “The students and campus life were a pure delight.”

In truth, the delight was for Rocky Mountain College students, present and future.

Guided by Anderson, the student-managed endowment outperformed Wall Street every year that Anderson taught the investing course. To the students in the class, Anderson taught a simple and straightforward process.

“We use a value approach to buying individual stocks . . . low price/earnings ratio; low price/book ratio; and a combination of low debt ratios and dividend yields that add to the total return,” he Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC explained. “Most noteworthy is we are trying to find stocks Jim and Linda Anderson, both RMC’67, have been loyal alumni. that may be out of favor on up 45 percent this past year and culmiWall Street and depressed in price by a nated the year with a market value of factor of at least 50 percent decline from $206,534.00. recent highs.”

For future students, this has meant The success in nine out of 10 of those additional scholarships because nearly years was doing better than the benchmark Standard and Poor’s 500 stock (Please see The Gift That Still Gives indexes. The student-managed fund was on back page)

Neighbor to Neighbor Nurturing Educational Legacy

By Barb Skelton, Chairman of the Board of Rocky Mountain College George Selover has been one of Rocky Mountain College’s most devoted supporters. Recently I read an article where George discussed the importance of education in relation to his urging support for local high school levies.

“These levy requests are not about the school board. They are not about the administration and staff. They are not about the teachers,” he admonished. “They are about our kids, their future and the future of Billings.” George further urged a “return to the educational legacy that Billings provided for many years in the past . . .” Supporting education is important “in the future as well so that we can and will provide the best possible education for our kids.”

I smiled when I read George’s words because that is how he has viewed the educational mission at Rocky Mountain College, as well as with primary and secondary education.

What we do today is so important for what will happen to-

morrow. What George addresses is what I advocate with neighbors helping neighbors. Our neighbors are our young people. When we help them, we help ourselves, as well.

The better the educated leaders we send into the world, the better for all our lives. So many of you demonstrate that lesson with your generous support for Rocky that we can never thank you enough. How that help works is demonstrated by how many of our students reach back and lend a hand to the next generation.

Our students show they are learning that lesson all the time, from helping with Habitat for Humanity to the Canstruction project that helped the Billings Food Bank.

They do it by tutoring other students, by pitching in with campus clean ups, recycling, performing in public concerts, and sharing their writing, artistic and theatrical talents. They do it – as one did recently – by volunteering her time with children in the geology lab in order to fulfill a child’s birthday wish.

In small and large ways, your support for Rocky Mountain College is “compounding interest” for the future.

Commencement

lithograph valued at $8,000. Proceeds from the dinner benefit scholarship relief.

Mr. Chatham is one of America’s foreMontana Association of Fundraising most contemporary American landscape Professionals. artists. If there is a Western landscape RMC’s Baccalaureate will be celartist whose work could truly be called ebrated Friday, May 7, 7:30 p.m., iconic, Mr. Chatham’s work would be it. at First Presbyterian Church, 2420 It is why his collectors include a who’s 13th Street West. Guest speaker will who of celebrities such as authors Jim be the Rev. Randall Hyvonen, ConHarrison, Thomas McGuane, the late ference Minister, United Church of James Crumley, Richard Ford, Rick Bass, Christ, Billings, Montana.

Tom Robbins, and Carl Hiaasen; editors The annual RMC President’s and publishers, Jann Wenner, the late Reception and Dinner, hosted by Seymour Lawrence, and Terry McDonell; President Michael Mace and his wife, New York restaurateur Elaine Kaufman; Karen, with Guest of Honor Russell former baseball commissioner Fay VinChatham, will be held Saturday, May cent; art critic Robert Hughes; media 8, in the Great Hall of Prescott Comcorrespondents Tom Brokaw, Morley mons, beginning with the reception Boulder Valley Fall, a Chatham lithograph, will be raffled Safer, and the late Charles Kuralt; enat 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. off at the RMC President’s Dinner. trepreneurs Yvon Chouinard, Thomas Tickets for this event are available Siebel, Paul Allen, and William Randolph through the RMC Development OfHearst, III; chef Mario Batali; entertainment personalities Jessica fice by calling Vicki Davison, director of alumni relations and Lange, Jeff Bridges, Sean Connery, Jimmy Buffet, Jack Nicholson, annual fund, 406-657-1005.

Robert Redford, and Harrison Ford.

Tickets are $75 per person and attendees will be entered into a raffle for a framed, numbered and signed Chatham

(Continued from front page)

Photo: Stone Photography, Inc.

Lowell E. Baier will deliver the 2010 commencement address and receive an honorary doctor of law and letters degree.

Photo: Chatham Fine Art

Russell Chatham, who will be honored at the Annual RMC President’s Dinner, is shown working at his studio in Livingston

Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC

Obert Undem, RMC’s director of planned giving, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Study Abroad Costa Rica Provides Opportunity for Student Research

By Kayhan Ostovar, RMC assistant professor of environmental science

gists studying the Palo Verde wetland dynamics to examine possible projects for carbon sequestration, as well as invasive Photos from RMC students species problems. A morning out in the wetlands was very educational and they Costa Rica is a well known tourist deshad good views of huge flocks of black tination with beautiful air conditioned bellied whistling ducks, jacanas, wood beach hotels that offer lots of recreationstorks, spoonbills, ibis, the large and rare al opportunities like white water rafting, jabiru stork, and a couple of laughing falzip lines, canopy walks and, of course, cons. A couple missteps led to muddied tropical drinks on the beach. Recently data sheets and a few lucky student saw a group of Rocky Mountain College stucrocs in the wetlands, albeit small threedents took a spring break trip to Costa footers. The afternoon was spent nursRica. Their experience was anything but ing ant bites and conducting structured typical and included none of the abovetransects where the students recorded mentioned amenities or activities. wildlife species and measured abiotic inKayhan Ostovar examines Heliconia flower structures.

Study abroad field research trips at dicators of habitat quality. Sleep was not Rocky, organized by the Environmental on the agenda and evenings were filled Science Department, allow Rocky stuwith lectures from on site researchers and dents rare experiences and contacts for night surveys for nocturnal species in the possible internships in remote parts of forest. the world. The experience often sparks a One of the best biological indicators the lasting passion in students for field base students developed was a new tool called research and conservation. Next year, the Hilary Index. This was conducted by a RMC Professor Jennifer Lyman plans to student named Hilary who was especially take students back to the Galapagos Isprone to mosquito bites. She became the lands and Ecuador and I am considering indicator for bug nastiness at each of the a May/June term trip to Tanzania. next three protected areas we visited.

I previously conducted research in Palo Verde ranked highest on the Hilary Costa Rica and designed this latest trip Index. that took a group of seven students The next stop was in the cloud forest of to four different national parks and reMonteverde where the students bundled serves. Since the students had already up and donned rain jackets for walks in spent half the semester learning about the forest. Here they learned about the the different ecosystems in Costa Rica, Global Amphibian Decline Syndrome and the incredible biodiversity in the tropihow even a protected area like Montecal forests, and the amazing degree of verde can lose 40% of its frog species. co-evolutionary relationships amongst Questions formed in student journals disorganisms, they were able to step right in cussed the concern for this rapid decline and start with scientific explorations and in one taxonomic group and the ethical design their own experiments. dilemma faced by conservationists to triThat being said, the humidity and temage the remaining species and decide perature were a bit of a shock for them, which will be targeted for captive breedas were the capuchin monkeys, howler ing projects for potential future reintromonkeys and giant ctenosaur lizards Students on the Costa Rica trip gather in the roaming the research station. Once primary intact forest in Cocovado National Park. ductions.

From Monteverde they crossed over lunch was finished, the students hit the to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to a lab where they research station created their own called La Selva. data sheets and It was here that designed some the students studies to comhad their most pare each proproductive night tected area that hikes with rare they would visit. species like kinTheir first ofkajous, Mexican ficial survey took hairy porcupines, place that aftersloths and pecnoon on the Rio caries, plus nuTempisque, where merous frogs they saw crocoand very large diles, water birds, insects. Toucans an anteater, and and parrots were howler monkeys seen all around and iguanas eatas were the ing flowers in world famous A splendid day greeted students as they hiked to Cocovado. trees. The next basilisk lizards morning they (also known as spent time in the field with biolo-

(Please see Costa Rica on back page)

Costa Rica (Continued from Inside)

Jesus Christ Lizards) for their ability to walk on water, as they flee on their hind legs.

The last leg of the trip was to be the hardest. After a short drive back to San Jose, we boarded two small Cessna airplanes to fly deep into Corcovado, the largest intact forest in Central America. This is reportedly the best place to see rare species like scarlet macaws, giant tapirs, the smallest primate - the squirrel monkey, and rare spider monkeys. It required hiking in 12 miles through coastal rainforest and picturesque tropical beaches, otherwise known as death marches, in soft sand with humidity that was almost unbearable. Small streams along the way provided cool relief during the hike and allowed the group to refill water bottles.

They quickly spotted scarlet macaws, which are called rainbow crows by locals because they are so common along the beach, as well as hordes of Halloween crabs and troops of spider monkeys.

The group was carefully guided into the Sirena Research Station which requires timing the crossing of rivers with the tides since at high tide it is difficult to spot crocs when you cross the river. Their guide was an iconic, chain smoking, Irish expatriate herpetologist who met them at the airstrip wearing a t-shirt that said “Bugs, Babes and Beer.” And no, he is not a herpes researcher -- a herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians. This guy apparently picked up every snake he saw as well as giant marine toads with parotid glands that can squirt out toxins.

The students survived the hike and saw many rare species, including the giant tapir and Brocket deer, plus several more anteaters and many incredible tropical birds. The Hilary Index was not bad at Corcovado, though others in the group were plagued with tics and fire ant bites. Their data and

project report is almost complete and should show a difference in species diversity in each park that they visited using another Index called the Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index.

(To see a gallery of photos from the trip, go to photos@ rocky.edu, and type in Costa Rica in the search box.)

Some of the wonderful wildlife students saw in Costa Rica included a toucan, a kinkajou, a roseate spoonbill, a ctensaur, a capuchin monkey, a crocodile, and a strawberry poison dart frog.

The Gift That Still Gives (Continued from Inside)

all the gains went for RMC student scholarships.

“Over the decade, more than $70,000 was paid out of the fund for needy projects around the campus, with the majority for scholarships,” Anderson said.

It has been a decade of excellence, but also a decade that made Anderson enjoy “more youthfulness and the idea that just perhaps I may have done some good here.”

There is no doubt about that, according to RMC President Mike Mace.

“Jim did a wonderful thing when he donated the money for the investment class and that became a marvelous accomplishment when he taught the class and grew the in-

vestment,” he said. “This is an example of truly giving back.”

Jim said he is beginning his “second retirement,” enjoying time in Arizona and Montana. Both he and Linda are active playing golf and tennis, reading, seeing movies, and enjoying the company of family and friends.

“Live your dreams to the fullest because when you get to be my age, your life is more comfortable with good memories of family and friends and those decisions that directed your passage through time,” Jim wrote in his letter bidding adieu to his students.

One other important adage he said to keep in mind: “A part of all you earn is yours to keep.”