Ursinus Magazine - Summer 2015

URSINUS SUMMER 2015

MAGAZINE

Brock Blomberg: A New Leader for a New Era

Representing Ryan Costello ’99 is the First Ursinus Graduate to Serve in the U.S. Congress

Walking the Walk Bonner Leaders See Social Problems in a Global Context

The Teacher’s Pet Rescue Dogs Teach Valuable Lessons to Theater Professor

in this issue URSINUS MAGAZINE / SUMMER 2015

Head of the Class “One hundred years ago, a group of Ursinus students sat where you are sitting right now. This banner from the class of 1915 represents the legacy we will join today. Like the class of 1915, we came to Ursinus curious and ambitious and today, we graduate having developed our knowledge base, skills and capacity for judgment... ” - Alvin Varghese ’15, Class President, at Commencement.

For more commencement photos, see page 14

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Campus News An unprecedented spring at Ursinus included a major food safety conference with the Institute on Science for Global Policy and Sigma Xi; a

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Brock Blomberg Ready To Lead The new Ursinus President is a widely published political economist, the Dean of the Robert Day School of

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Ryan Costello A new Congressman learns the ins and outs of Washington, D.C. – the halls

prestigious National Science Foundation grant

Economics and Finance at Claremont

of Congress, how to get

to support academically talented science

McKenna College, former economist

along on little sleep, energy

students; two Watson Fellows, a Fulbright and

with the President’s Council of

snacks, and how to best

a major business plan competition that

Economic Advisers, and an advocate

serve constituents in

financially supports the winning teams so

of the liberal arts. The campus

the Sixth District in

they can continue their creative plans.

community asks questions,

Pennsylvania.

and Brock answers.

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CLASS NOTES

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IN MEMORIAM

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FIELD NOTES What is the economic impact of casinos, and impact on local communities? Professor of Business and Economics Andrew Economopoulos offers insights from his research.

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Thank you, Terry.

By Rebecca Kohn, Associate Dean and Professor of Biology

Dear Reader, Sometimes when we need support we find it in unexpected places: a shoulder to bear our burden, some inner strength we never knew we had.

Fortunately for us, we never doubted that Terry Winegar could lead us through this past year. His quiet resolve and steady confidence combined to serve as a guiding light during a year in which doubt and uncertainty lurked in the shadows.

What is remarkable about Terry’s tenure as interim president is his approach to the job. In many instances, an interim president’s purpose is continuity. And while Terry did, indeed, provide continuity, he also wrestled with and made important and difficult decisions and embraced – in his unique way – our sense of purpose.

How best to describe someone who proved to be our ace in the hole during countless alumni visits and campaign events from California to Florida to New England?

Here’s a man so focused on the job at hand that he failed to visit Ghirardelli while working in San Francisco. Who does that?

Terry helped us chart a new strategy for student assessment and recruitment. He’s been our strongest and most vocal advocate among peer institutions and associations like the Annapolis Group. And he’s a regular at our students’ performances and games.

For his first two years at Ursinus, I was proud to call Terry a friend. Now I’m humbled to count him as my mentor. Thrust into a new role, Terry found time to support so many of us like myself as we navigated new roles and responsibilities. He also provided me independence to develop new ideas as the college’s associate dean.

He did all this in his own way – much like he does when he finds time for personal pursuits. He finds creative license when he’s playing his bass guitar, or when he’s putting his culinary talents to the test at home. Terry’s wife, Renée, says Terry’s a good and creative cook who has no need to rely on recipes. His dishes are invariably tasty, particularly because he never duplicates an entree. She claims that if you enjoy what he has cooked, you’d best savor it, because it will taste different the next time he makes it!

It’s that ability to be flexible while keeping your eye on the destination – and delivering on your promise – that counts. In that style, Terry – our friend, mentor and colleague – has been a remarkable and remarkably driven and effective leader.

As we look forward with anticipation to the arrival of Brock Blomberg as our 17th president, let’s also honor Terry’s contributions as interim president. Thank you, Terry.

Rebecca Kohn Associate Dean, Ursinus College

With the untimely death of President Bobby Fong Sept. 8, 2014, Dean Lucien “Terry” Winegar was appointed Interim President last October. As Executive Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Winegar had stepped up to lead the college until that appointment and, as interim, will have officially served as the college’s 16th president until June 30, 2015.

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URSINUS MAGAZINE

URSINUSMAGAZINE Volume CXVII NO. 3 SUMMER 2015

Third class postage paid at Lansdale, Pa. Ursinus Magazine is published seasonally three times a year.

Copyright 2015 by Ursinus College.

Editorial correspondence and submissions: Ursinus Magazine, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000.

610.409.3300 or e-mail: ucmag@ursinus.edu

Chief Communications Officer Thomas Yencho tyencho@ursinus.edu Editor Kathryn Campbell Director of Communications Wendy Greenberg wgreenberg@ursinus.edu Senior Writer Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995 elabrecque@ursinus.edu Contributing to this Issue Joan Fairman Kanes, Steve Falk, Jim Roese, Brian Garfinkel, Carolyn Weigel, Jennifer Meininger Wolfe Design Jeffrey Morgan / JDM Creative Advertising www.jdmcreative.com Chair, Board of Trustees Alan P. Novak 1971 Interim President Dr. Lucien “Terry” Winegar Interim Dean Peter Small Senior Vice President for Advancement Jill A. Leauber Marsteller 1978 Vice President for Finance and Administration Jonathan C. Ivec Vice President for Student Affairs Deborah Nolan Chief Information Officer Gene Spencer The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible, and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully, and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world.

gateway the

U R S I N U S

C A M P U S

The Lantern Tree Campus USA Making Waves & History Commencement 2015 Recycling for a Good Cause Berman Museum

N E W S

STEM Grant Emphasizes Recruitment A National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) literacy will help Ursinus support academically talented students in the STEM pipeline. Ursinus will help support the success of low-income, high-achieving students in the sciences. The NSF grant addresses a national need for trained individuals to enter a growing number of STEM careers. Emphasizing the recruitment and retention of academically talented students demonstrating financial need, Ursinus will help with both scholarships and programming, to assist them in completing majors and pursuing graduate programs and careers in biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience.

Professor of Biology and Associate Dean Rebecca Kohn leads the five-year S-STEM grant of $593,357 titled, “Supporting Inclusive Excellence in Biology, Biochemistry, and Neuroscience.” The co-

principle investigators for the grant are Kathryn Goddard, Associate Professor of Biology, Carlita Favero, Assistant Professor of Biology, and Jennifer Round, Assistant Professor of Biology. S-STEM stands for Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Charlene Wysocki is Director of Research and Sponsored Programs.

“We’ve talked about some exciting ways to increase the numbers and the success of STEM students, and we also want to increase the number of STEM graduates who are from underserved groups,” says Kohn. The new grant will help develop the Supporting Inclusive Excellence (SIE) project to support 30 academically talented students over the five-year grant period who demonstrate financial need as they complete majors in biology, biochemistry, or neuroscience, and look toward entering the workforce or STEM graduate school programs.

Lighting the Way for the Lantern

The 2014-2015 publication of The Lantern, Ursinus’ literary magazine, marks Jon Volkmer’s fiftieth issue as faculty advisor. Volkmer is an English professor and the Director of Creative Writing at Ursinus. “I am fanatically proud of The Lantern, all its editors and contributors. It’s been one of the best parts... of teaching at Ursinus,” says Volkmer.

Volkmer began working on The Lantern when he arrived on campus in 1987. The publication was already well-established – The Lantern’s first issue was published in May 1933, archived as Ursinus College’s first literary magazine. Volkmer remembers working on the 1987 issue with student editor Maria D’Arcangelo who, he says, “was one of four senior women who were close friends and Lantern leaders. They helped me learn the ropes.”

Over the years, The Lantern has remained a showcase for high-quality student writing, as well as a learning opportunity. “Students learn what it takes to make a magazine, everything from calling for contributions to celebrating the launch, and all the many steps in between,” says Volkmer. He has seen many positive changes over the past fifty issues, including introducing a more professional format in 1998 and switching from two issues per year to one in 2009. These changes have increased the overall quality of the magazine, and also allowed Volkmer to devote more time to teaching the staff of student editors about the production process.

This year’s issue was launched on April 15 in Bomberger Auditorium, where many student writers read samples from work featured in the magazine. Copies of the latest Lantern have been distributed all over Ursinus, helping to achieve one of The Lantern’s goals according to Volkmer: “maintaining community across the campus and continuity across the years.” To stay connected to its past, all issues of The Lantern from 1933 on are archived in the Ursinusiana Room located on the second floor of Myrin Library. Additionally, Ursinus alumni who love The Lantern are encouraged to contact Volkmer about serving as judges for the magazine’s prizes in poetry and prose.

The Lantern has always been a celebration of creative writers at Ursinus, a community that continues to thrive. After overseeing the production of fifty issues, Volkmer says, “the high quality of the writing continues to hold me in awe.”

By Quinn Gilman-Forlini ’15 who graduated this May with a degree in English and Creative Writing.

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How Safe Is the American Food Supply?

Ursinus students joined experts and policymakers on campus this April to explore policy on the challenges posed by food safety issues. They discussed the ways in which the government can protect against foodborne outbreaks, adulteration, industrial-scale animal production, and food that is unhealthy. They also explored how credible science can help shape public policy on the safety of the food supply.

The conference, Safeguarding the American Food Supply, was coordinated by The Ursinus College Center for Science and the Common Good, the Institute on Science for Global Policy (ISGP) and

Sigma Xi, the international scientific honor society.

Ursinus is the first undergraduate college to hold a conference with ISGP on this topic. Exploring some of the most important issues facing society, Ursinus students are full partners in science-policy discussions that include internationally-recognized scientists and policymakers from government, the private sector, and the community. Conference presenters were well-known experts in the biology, agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine and government fields. They addressed risk perception in food safety policies; the moral and ethical dilemmas of technological safeguards (such as the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture), and policies that will proactively address the threat of food fraud. Conference speakers were Robert Buchanan Director and Professor, Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, Karen Everstine Research Associate with the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence based at the University of Minnesota and H. Morgan Scott professor, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. The moderator was George Atkinson, Executive Director, ISGP, and former Science and Technology Adviser to Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.

Tree Love Ursinus was recognized by the national program Tree Campus USA for its care and protection of trees on campus. The Campus Tree Care Committee, a subcommittee of the Ursinus Sustainability Committee, applied for Tree Campus USA status for Ursinus College in the fall of 2014.

The status was awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF). Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the ADF, and sponsored

by Toyota, to honor colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and for engaging staff and students in conservation on campus. Ursinus was awarded the title for meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards: maintaining a tree advisory committee, having a campus tree-care plan and dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, and holding an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project.

The Ursinus campus is home to hundreds of tree species. Environmental Studies faculty and students have undertaken tree protection and education initiatives, including tree plantings and a campus-wide tree inventory. They have also partnered with the Borough of Collegeville on tree and rain garden plantings in neighboring Hunsberger Woods. Campus Sustainability Planner Shannon Spencer gathered students by a Burr Oak tree near The Kaleidoscope to thank them for their protection of campus trees.

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Lost & Found The Ursinus Flag – to the Ends of the Earth and Back The Ursinus flag was a gift of William G. Wiest ’63 who flew it beneath an American flag at a government base in Antarctica in 1964. Wiest, then 24 years old, was stationed at the South Pole installation as one of nine civilians traveling with the U.S. Navy, and one of two men representing the National Bureau of Standards as an ionospheric physicist. He studied electronic density of the upper atmosphere.

In 1997, the flag then traveled to the North Pole.

Dr. H. Craig Heller ’65 made the trek north by Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker, leading a group of Stanford alumni on a travel/study program.

He unraveled and returned the well-traveled flag to Ursinus at a November 8, 1997 Science Symposium.

Heller, a Lorry I. Lokey/Business Wire Professor in Stanford University’s Biology Department, apparently had big plans for the flag’s future.

On presenting the flag again to the Ursinus community, he asked, “Who will be the first Ursinus graduate to take this flag to Mars?”

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Students Urged to Be Entrepreneurial And Roar at Bear Innovation Competition Four students came clean about their laundry woes and walked away with a $7,500 prize and the chance to work with mentors to bring their laundry app to the marketplace.

Roland Mellies ’17, Xioxiao Cheng ’17, Youssef Boussen ’16 and Kerry Kynett ’17 presented Easy Laundry, a smartphone application that tracks usage and availability of campus washers and dryers, at

place and a $5,000 prize for Printing a New Future. “The goal of our business,” they said, “is to inspire a sense of awe and wonder in children and encourage them to participate actively in their community library by implementing 3-D printing technology.” The team said they would partner with a company that has created an educational software package, and consult with schools and libraries to make it accessible to all students regardless of socioeconomic or technological background.

Joseph B. Walsh III ’16 and Dysean Alexander ’16 won $3,000 for Bookshare.com, a website where a person looking to buy a book can be put in direct contact with someone selling that book. The goal is to allow students to choose the price they want to pay for a book. This will allow some to sell their books for a higher price than another source might pay for them.

Chris Hoops ’16 won $500 for “best presentation” of The Greenline, a commuter rail line in western Montgomery County using an out-of-service freight railroad.

Student looks at the #uimagine social media grid that ran all during the event and captured comments.

Keynote speaker Katie Iorio Martin ’88 is President of the Dale the BEAR Innovation entrepreneurial competition sponsored by the Carnegie franchise in Pennsylvania, Delaware and portions of New U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies, and Jersey, one of the 20 largest Dale Carnegie franchises in the world. supported by Trustee Will Abele ’61.

The Dale Carnegie prize winners were Adelaide Hurlbert ’15, MarTwenty teams presented their ideas before a panel of judges cella (Ella) McGill ’17 and Sean Clark ’17. which included Nonya Collier of TD Bank; Rob Gilfillan ’91 of Cenero; The U-Imagine Center’s benefits are not limited to business plan Katie Iorio Martin ’88 of Dale Carnegie franchise; Laurie Parise competitions. The Center has hosted an intellectual property workP’17 of Youth Represent; Mark Schneider of Creative Intelligence shop, alumni environmental entrepreneur panel, an ethics writing Group; and Michelle Tanco ’14 of Terdata. The teams were guided by prize and more. Its impact across disciplines with seminars, mentors mentors who were alumni and community members. The competiand workshops is why it was recognized as an exemplary program tion was run by the center’s faculty directors, April Kontostathis, Math among emerging entrepreneurship program at a leading national and Computer Science; Carol Cirka, Business and Economics; and conference, The United States Association for Small Business and EnRebecca Jaroff ’81, English, who credit the Center with shifting the trepreneurship last January. campus culture toward knowing how to think and challenging conventional thinking.

Laundry can be a daunting task for college students, said Boussen. “Leaving your laundry in a machine too long or forgetting it for a couple of hours can cause others to simply take it out and place it on the ground or on top of the machine,” he said in front of a slide showing piles of laundry in the laundry room. Easy Laundry is a smartphone application in sync with an energy measurement device that tracks the usage and availability of washing machines, and lets college students or individuals using public laundry machines know the machines’ availability. They can also monitor when their laundry is U-Imagine supporter Trustee Will Abele ’61 finished. discusses the competition and the Center.

Benjamin Allwein ’18 and Michael Esposito ’18 won second

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Awards & Fellowships Two Ursinus seniors were awarded a year of personal discovery and creative research as recipients of Watson Fellowships. They are among 50 Fellows in the nation, from 40 selective liberal arts schools.

For Rosie Davis-Aubrey ‘15 of Philadelphia, Pa., dance was more than an extracurricular activity, it was a lifeline. During the next year, she will travel the world to explore how dance creates a safe haven for at-risk youth. Jamie Faselt ‘15 of Stillwater, N.J., developed her personal connection to nature among trees, animals and trails. During her global journey she will discover how other cultures experience nature. Both Ursinus seniors, who graduated this May, were awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a grant that allows them to embark on a year of travel, personal insight and creative research. The colleges were chosen for academic rigor and the scope of their liberal arts programs. “It is a rare honor to have two Watson Fellows selected,” said Melissa Hardin, assistant dean for international students, who is the Watson campus adviser. “This has happened to Ursinus only once before (in 2007) since we were first invited to join the Watson list in 2001.”

Chris Goss ’15 credits his study abroad in Istanbul as one of many important experiences that led to a Fulbright grant allowing him to return to Turkey. Goss, of Glenolden, Pa., spent a week in New York City with the Model United Nations program and returned to campus to help the next day with the National History Day program at Ursinus. A history and international relations double-major, Goss is a member of both the politics and history honor societies on campus and serves as president of the history honor society Phi Alpha Theta.

He studied abroad in Istanbul in 2013. “My study abroad experience really got me interested in international education,” he says. Goss completed honors research that dealt with U.S. public diplomacy in the Middle East, in which the Fulbright program played a role. The project began in a history capstone seminar, studying U.S. propaganda in the Middle East during the Cold War. The Fulbright is the flagship international educational exchange program. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides travel grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English teaching assistant programs.

While all the professors in history and international relations contributed to his success, Richard King, campus Fulbright program adviser, particularly impacted Goss's Ursinus education, and is the adviser for his honors research.

Three seasons ago, the Ursinus women’s swimming team had their collective hearts broken. The 2013 Centennial Conference Championship title came down to the final relay, which the Bears lost by sixth-hundredths of a second. “After this devastating loss, the women on the team came to my office and asked me how to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” says Mark Feinberg, who is heading into his 11th season as head coach. “From here, these women set a culture in motion that they want to race, they want to win, and they want to make history.”

The women’s team is now doing just that. They have won the Conference title the last two seasons in a row, with both titles once again coming down to the final relay. They edged out Gettysburg in 2014, and beat out Franklin & Marshall for the title this past season.

Feinberg was named the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth straight time, after leading his team to not only their second straight title, but also to back-to-back undefeated dual meet seasons.

Additionally, nine women swimmers were named to the All-Centennial Conference team. Junior Corinne Capodanno of Claymont, Delaware, was named first team in three events including the 200, 400 and 800 free relay and the 200 free. Capodanno also earned Honorable Mention All-American status at the NCAA Swimming Championship in the 200 free. It was the first time since 1993, and she was only the second Ursinus swimmer ever, to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

The College Swimming Coaches Association of America recognized both the men and the women’s squad as Scholar All-America teams. The team must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester to earn this award (The women’s team had a 3.31 GPA, the men’s team had a 3.21). “We want to provide the total college experience for the team,” says Feinberg. “First and foremost they have to do their job in the classroom. But I find the ones that are doing the job in the classroom, are also doing the job in the pool.”

Making Waves, Making History

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Padraic Callahan sees the forest for the trees, and sees the trees for the health of the forest.

When Padraic Callahan graduated from Ursinus, he took a job as a data analyst with a pharmaceutical company. He worked there for three years, but deep down, he knew he had to make a change. “The job was crushing my spirit,” Callahan recalls. “I knew I had to be in a place where I could work outside.”

Callahan soon applied and was accepted to graduate school at the University of Idaho to earn a master’s of science in forest resources.

After graduating in 2006, he started working for the Department of Natural Resources in the state of Washington, where he is now a unit forester.

He manages 70,000 acres of state land, which is used mainly for timber production.

“My move out West is something I’m very proud of,” says Callahan, who now lives in Castle Rock, the heart of Washington timber country where he spends his days trekking in the forest. “I don’t regret my move for a second.”

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages more than 3,000,000 acres of land for the state, with responsibility for environmental restoration, conservation and providing scientific information about natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides.

Now in his eighth year working for the DNR, Callahan still loves the opportunities his job provides.

Q

What do you do as a unit forester?

We manage our forest actively. I manage timber sales from the harvest through to the replanting, to the development of the young stands [a group of trees of the same origin] as they develop.

Q

What are you doing when you are in the forest?

A lot of times I am reviewing a tract of land. I am evaluating the strength of growth to determine what sort of usage we are getting, looking for cultural resources or diseases in the stand, or trying to determine things we might need to address moving forward to make sure we maintain a healthy forest.

Q

What is your favorite time during the day?

I love going out to a new stand and getting that first look. I’ll get to see land that hasn’t been seen in 50 or 60 years.

Q What is your number one tool that you could not work without?

A GPS (Global Positioning System) Unit. If there is a diseased pocket in the stand, or if there is certain section that I need to revisit, it is pretty handy that I have a GPS point. I can walk right back to the spot I need to be.

Q

Is there a skill that you have now, that you didn’t have when you started working for the Department of Natural Resources?

Measuring the forest, essentially.You can only learn so much from the book until you have to go out and actually do it on the ground.

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Q

What is the most important part of your job?

Communication is the most important part of my job, and the hardest part as well. I interact with a lot people who have stake in this land.

I have to make sure all these people stay in the loop that covers my management plan. If one person feels they are left out or they missed a key part of communication along the way, then it can cause huge hurdles in my project.

Q

Who are the different interest groups?

There is a rainbow of people that I interact with on a daily basis, all with different concerns and goals. I interact with archeologists, loggers, local tribes and local county commissioners. We are also on the radar of a lot of groups like The Audubon Society and the American Forest Council. Many of these groups are on different sides of the conservation debate.

Q Do you plan to continue working at the DNR in the near future?

I really enjoy working here. I enjoy managing multiple objectives as opposed to just focusing on the economics of forest management. I don’t see myself ever going to work in private industry. If I did go somewhere else, it would be to work more on the research or educational side of forestry.

Q

How did your education at Ursinus influence your career path?

My biology background gave me a flavor of all aspects of forestry. I was exposed to a lot of the different aspects of the natural environment. Forestry majors just don’t quite grasp the interconnectedness of the ecology side of things the way I do. I don’t just see the trees because of my Ursinus education; I see the whole forest.

Padraic Callahan ’99 Majored in: Biology

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Taking Time

Walk

to

An annual alternative spring break to Jamaica to help communities in need there has become a time of spiritual renewal for Christian Rice ‘98 and ignites new awareness of poverty in the students who accompany him.

Photo by Benjamin Allwein '18 a biochemistry/physics double major. "I learned so much about the widespread and abject poverty abounding within almost all Jamaican communities," says Allwein. "I truly believe I've become a much more conscious human being, both on an individual and grand scale, after discovering so much about a culture about which I'd previously known so little."

n impeccably dressed woman in her fifties approached me after the church service. She asked if I remembered her, and I sheepishly said I did not. “Four years ago, your students built my house!” She embraced me as if we were old friends. Once she reminded me of our connection, I did indeed remember her. I recalled that her house had burned down and that her family had been living in a chicken shack ever since. They had been hoping to rebuild, but the cost of materials was too high. We were able to supply the concrete for her house to finally be rebuilt. I also remember the skill of the builders, who, in just a few days, were able to erect this small new house. And I vividly recall the warm hearts of the community members, offering us refreshing coconut milk from the tree in the backyard of the house.

I just returned from the sixth consecutive spring break service trip that my students, the Bonner Leaders, have taken to Jamaica. I have been fortunate to be on five of these trips. The Bonner spring break service trip to Jamaica was created in 2009 through my collaboration with the Right Reverend C. Hopeton Clennon, a lifelong friend

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and mentor of mine. Now a naturalized American citizen, Hopeton was born, raised, and educated in Jamaica, leaving the island as a young man for a pastoral call in the States in the mid-eighties. Elected bishop at the age of 35, Hopeton was the youngest elected bishop in the modern-day history of the Moravian Church. He was Ursinus’s baccalaureate speaker this spring.

The 34 students in the Bonner Leader Program perform a minimum of 300 hours of community service each year, serving weekly at a variety of local non-profits and entities, including several afterschool programs, two geriatric centers, two food distribution centers, a therapeutic riding center, and a local correctional facility, among many others.

Students are in Bonner for three or four years, and one of their primary responsibilities is to recruit their fellow students to also volunteer with them. Their dedication to service has been the backbone of the student civic engagement culture at Ursinus. Last year, Bonner students alone performed over 9,000 hours of service. The Bonners also spend a lot of time reflecting on their service and thinking about

social change. Over time, many of them come to realize that their weekly service commitments often fail to address the root causes of the social problems they have encountered in the community.

While Bonners spend most of their weeks working with community partners in the neighboring communities of Norristown and Phoenixville, they also are challenged to think about social injustice in a global context.

The Bonner spring break service trip is designed as a trip for all first-year Bonners and it seeks to highlight global social injustice.

This year, 13 first-year Bonners went on the trip. Over the years, the students have performed community service in and around the small rural village of Beeston Spring. We have helped build homes, some from the ground up, have tiled the floors of local homes, schools, churches and orphanages, and have painted more walls in a bright yellow color—indicative of the Jamaican sun’s warmth—than I can count. Working with a local pastor and community leader, we identify these projects two months in advance of our visit and coordinate the purchase of building supplies to be on hand when we arrive.

The poverty in rural Jamaica is substantial. Most of my students have not encountered such poverty before our trip. In many of the

homes we have worked on, there is no running water. If there is electricity, it has been probably illegally obtained by splitting wires, making its use quite dangerous. Only a very small percentage of rural Jamaicans have cars, which means that many of them walk miles transporting their food and water to their homes on foot.

Most Americans cannot simply imagine living in rural poverty in the Jamaican countryside. Of course, this poverty is coupled with limited social mobility. Every year, the competition is fierce among 11-year-olds for the relatively small number of spots available for students to pursue college preparation. Sadly, most Jamaicans do not have the opportunity to attend college, and many find themselves trapped in the cycle of poverty that afflicts many nations in the Caribbean region. I have often thought about the irony of feeling trapped in such a beautiful place.

It is hard for me to put into words the impact this trip has had on my students. They are confronted with both the perception and likely reality of having enormous privilege, simply by virtue of being American. This can be unsettling. One little girl told my student that she wants to leave Jamaica and find her way to America, because “in America, you can dream big.” My students’ encounter with their privilege can be painful and has even led to some students rethinking the virtue of their trip. I have been asked several times over the years by students whether we are, in fact, doing more harm than good. If we can’t solve their deep structural problems in one week, isn’t our trip mostly self-serving and simply another extension of our own privilege? Certainly, the average Jamaican could not afford to broaden their perspective and come to the U.S. for a week. These are tough questions to answer. Yet, I have come to conclusion that this trip is of great value precisely because it elicits such questions from my students. They can decide for themselves the answer to these questions.

I don’t want to answer these questions for them.

But I can say from my experience that we have touched many, and they have touched us. Many of us have formed genuine and longlasting relationships and, for me, the trip is without question the most spiritual week of my year. I am overcome by the depth of gratitude and hospitality that the Jamaicans express to us every year. I am also reminded that happiness and contentment do not correlate directly to material abundance. Every year, I ask my students if they think that Americans are happier than Jamaicans. Every year, my students reply to my question with a resounding “NO!” Jamaicans seem to invest in each other’s well-being, seem to have a deep appreciation for the beauty and bounty of the earth, and seem much less stressed than we do. And, yes, they genuinely seem happier than Americans.

This year, I helped paint the small house of a 93-year-old woman, Miss May Belle. One afternoon, I was rushing around, trying to finish painting the exterior before we quit for the day.

Hurrying, I was stumbling repeatedly on the rocky terrain surrounding the beautiful little yellow house. Miss May Belle called me aside.

She told me that I needed to take time to walk. Every year, Jamaica has taught me this same lesson. If you rush through life, you will be missing out on its beauty. You need to take time to walk.

Rice was a Politics and German double major at Ursinus. After graduation, he attended Harvard Divinity School, receiving a Master of Divinity in 2001 and a Doctorate of Theology in 2008. Rice returned to Ursinus in 2008 when he was hired to direct the college’s civic engagement initiatives.

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A Sustainable Move-Out Ursinus is conscientious about making sure the unwanted-but-usable stuff in residence halls and houses gets moved out in the best way.

A tent on Paisley Beach housed all the unwanted items for folks to peruse. Leftovers were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sustainable Move-Out takes place during the last week of the spring semester. Low quality items or items in disrepair that can’t be salvaged are recycled.

Hours Worked 380 (30 volunteers, 4 student workers.)

Clothing & Household Items 800 lbs of clothing and various household items like vacuums, lamps and more.

Mini-fridges

Televisions

These came and went so quickly. Best guess is 15-20 were either reclaimed by others or recycled.

8 were reclaimed or recycled. Thankfully, this number is dropping every year as most have gotten rid of their old tube TVs at this point.

fun facts

A/C Units 2 units were reclaimed.

Sofas, Loveseats & Chairs Between 4 and 6 were donated to Liberty Thrift.

Another 4-6 were reclaimed.

on residence hall recycling Figures provided by the Office of Sustainability

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Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art Urban Landscape Photos and Sensory ‘Wayfarers’ at Berman Museum of Art

Locust Antiques, Locust, N.J., 2010, © George

Beech tree, Middletown, N.J., 1985 © George Tice

Two new exhibitions have opened in The Berman Museum of Art: one, of iconic photographs of urban landscapes; and the other asking whether the visual act of looking at paintings can be a multi-sensory experience. A summer reception is scheduled for July 9 from 4 to 7 p.m.

The distinctive black and white urban landscape photographs of George Tice, regarded by many as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, will be shown through Sept. 6.

Tice’s work over 60 years chronicles iconic scenes, many in his native New Jersey – a telephone booth, a White Castle hamburger joint, a gas station – all a testament to the extraordinary beauty in ordinary places. He will speak at the Berman Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.

The Berman exhibition, George Tice: Seldom Seen and Big Platinums, features more than 40 photographs that reveal the depth and breadth of a master photographer. These include large platinum photographs of many of Tice’s iconic images and a selection of lesserknown works recently published in a book titled, George Tice: Seldom Seen. (Brilliant Press 2013) Tice, 77, writes in the preface to the book Urban Landscapes, “This is the New Jersey I grew up in, much of it bygone. There are no shopping malls here, just main streets and downtowns. In my lifelong quest, looking for beauty, I managed to find it in places that some would think the most unlikely. In fact, I found it almost everywhere I looked.”

Telephone Booth, 3 a.m., Rahway, N.J., 1974 © George Tice

“His work is among the best examples of the dwindling craft of darkroom photography,” says Museum Director Charles Stainback, curator of the exhibit. “Tice is accessible, and highly respected, a photographer’s photographer.”

Tice has published 18 photography books, and his original photographs are in The Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.; The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles; The Art Institute of Chicago and the Newark Museum.

Wayfarers, also on view until Sept. 6, is an exhibition that asks whether the primarily visual act of looking at paintings can also become a multi-sensory experience. Playing off the idea of synesthesia, or a union of the senses, the exhibition is a selection of contemporary paintings that together might evoke a breezy, sun-soaked world – the smells, sounds and strains of summer such as a wave around the toes, the smell of sun lotion and the taste and texture of salt water taffy.

Covering a broad spectrum of styles and forms from the narrative and figurative to the wildly abstract and experimental, the painting in Wayfarers are by a multi-generational group of artists, both established and rising.

The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, 601 E. Main St., Collegeville, is open during the summer from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission to the Berman Museum is always free. It is accessible to visitors with disabilities.

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3.

Commencement 2015

Commencement speaker Suzanne Fong told the Class of 2015 that no matter how their plans may have changed over the past four years, they have learned to be resilient and flexible. The 142nd commencement ceremony honored Mrs. Fong and her husband, the late President Bobby Fong, with honorary baccalaureate degrees symbolizing that they are honorary members of the Class of 2015. Bobby Fong became president July 1, 2011, and the Class of 2015 entered in August 2011. Christian Rice, visiting assistant professor and assistant dean for civic engagement presented baccalaureate speaker Bishop C. Hopeton Clennon an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Interim President Lucien “Terry” Winegar presented Suzanne Fong with an honorary bachelor’s degree, and presented an honorary baccalaureate degree posthumously to Bobby Fong, which was accepted by their son, Colin.

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1. Interim President Lucien “Terry” Winegar confers with college chaplain Rev. Charles Rice after the Baccalaureate service. 2. The Class of 2015 had 353 graduating seniors. 3. Happy seniors receive diplomas. 4. Colin Fong and Suzanne Fong (front) applaud the Class of 2015. 5. Anna White celebrates her graduation with her family and friends: (L-R) William Ursinus Helfferich III ’75, father Edward G White '75, mother Wendy Helfferich White ’81, Anna White ’15, Graham C Mackenzie ’74, Brad Brewster, ’74), Marie Kassab Helfferich ’75), and Ann Helfferich Mackenzie ’77. A fifth generation legacy student, her great, great grandfather is William Ursinus Helfferich, 1893, great grandmother is Anna Helfferich ’20 and grandfather is William U. Hellferich ’51

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4.

5.

F R I D A Y,

OCTOBER

16,

2015

SAVE the DATE

The Inauguration of

Brock Blomberg THE SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT OF URSINUS COLLEGE

10:0 0 AM

• THE

FLOY

LEWIS

BAKES

CENTER

Mark your calendar for a full week of Inauguration activities and events to coincide with our 2015 Homecoming celebration.

For details, visit Ursinus.edu/inauguration

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New Leader for a New Era:

ollowing a sweeping national search that began in October, the college announced April 30 that S. Brock Blomberg, former Dean of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont McKenna College, will be the new president. Blomberg, a widely published political economist, will be the 17th president of Ursinus.

“I am so excited about getting to know all of you and learn from all of you,” says Blomberg, a self-described caffeinated personality.

“I think my biggest challenge will be to exercise patience. Everything I’ve learned reinforces my excitement to being part of this community.”

Blomberg, 48, is the father of four children, three of whom will be in college this year. Before becoming a dean at Claremont McKenna, he held positions outside of academia including the Federal Reserve and the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Blomberg, energetic and gregarious, is a proponent of global education and an advocate for the liberal arts.

“People have been predicting the demise of liberal education for decades and yet some of the strongest educational institutions on the planet remain liberal arts colleges,” says Blomberg, who was on the faculty at Wellesley College and was a visiting scholar at Harvard

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University before arriving at Claremont McKenna in 2003. “This suggests that the model of liberal education is alive, well and thriving.

At the same time, there have been a number of institutions that have fallen on hard times and are looking for direction. Over the next 10 years, my guess is that this environment will become increasingly competitive.”

Blomberg’s scholarship, innovations as dean, leadership capabilities and his connection to the values of Ursinus, were what set him apart, says the head of the presidential search committee, Trustee Michael Marcon ’86. “Our objective was to discover someone who could embrace the Ursinus DNA, our values and what we are about, who is passionate about the liberal arts, and comes with highly regarded leadership experience. From the first meeting I could sense Brock’s energy and enthusiasm.”

The competitive arena exists not just for small liberal arts colleges today, but is a challenge faced by all educational institutions. “This challenge also provides an opportunity,” says Blomberg. “If a college is able to be authentic, with a distinctive mission that is championed by the public, it can gain strength and ascend. This is exactly where I see Ursinus.We provide democratic education for a larger bandwidth of society – and we do it exceedingly well.”

Blomberg was given a football jersey with the number 17, to connote that he will be the college’s 17th president.

Alan Novak ’71, chair of the board of trustees, says Blomberg’s charisma and his success in forging his own path are attributes that will help him relate to students and the Ursinus community as whole.

“The liberal arts changed his life, even as a young associate professor, and created in him the desire to instill that passion in others,” Novak says. “His leadership style is collaborative but decisive and, in both academia and in policy circles, he’s been successful in getting people to rally behind a vision and work together in creative and effective ways.”

The role of alumni is critical to the future success of the college, says Blomberg. “What we need is to leverage our alumni, parents and friends to increase our exposure to the larger community,” he says. “It also means we need to improve our culture of philanthropy. In order to continue all the good work, it is necessary to have resources. These resources are not merely restricted to money, though it is helpful, but also means we need to leverage our community strength in time and expertise. If we can do this, then what is challenging most institutions will be an opportunity for us and I’m excited about those prospects.”

Blomberg will lead a 146-year-old college with a long-standing emphasis on the liberal arts. The historic legacy of Ursinus ensures that liberal education is provided through an academic program that

empowers the intellect, awakens moral sensitivity, and challenges students to improve society. Blomberg, who says this mission is what first appealed to him about Ursinus, will join a community that has raised its national profile while remaining true to its focus on the undergraduate experience and research.

Ursinus’s commitment to first-generation families, and as a college that changes lives, is something that resonates with Blomberg.

“I didn’t go to a premier Ivy League college,” he told the campus on April 30. “My foster parents, later my adopted parents, weren’t trained in the intricacies of college counseling. And yet, my undergraduate experience changed my life forever. This story is told here at Ursinus every day, only better. I look forward to working with the Ursinus community to take the college from being a place of opportunity to the place of opportunity.”

He succeeds the college’s 15th president, Bobby Fong, who died unexpectedly Sept. 8, 2014, and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Lucien “Terry” Winegar, considered the 16th President, who has been serving as Interim President. President-elect Blomberg will take office July 1.

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The Ursinus community has showed resiliency during a season of change, loss and now optimism. As the new leader, President Brock Blomberg will take the reins of a cohesive and dynamic institution that continues to build on the strategic plan developed by 15th president Bobby Fong. In these pages, faculty, alumni, staff and students, ready for a new chapter, talk with President Blomberg about his vision for the college, his views on online courses, career development, his favorite book and inspiring a new generation of learners.

Q

In explaining the worth of a liberal education we often refer to such considerations as the acquisition of skills or the opportunity for frequent contact with faculty members. But these seem to be means to some other, greater aim. We sometimes even speak of this aim in terms of a transformation. What is your conception of this transformation? What is the change in our students’ intellects and characters that should be our ultimate aim? - Paul Stern, Professor of Politics The transformation is something I’ve seen in my students at Wellesley, Claremont McKenna College, and with my own children during their experiences at liberal arts colleges. I personally experienced this A selfie with Carla Rinde, director of Career and Professional Development

through my undergraduate education. I think it’s something related to skill acquisition and is indeed best executed in a residential setting. But it is something much more. Ursinus’s motto is ‘on a firm foundation’ and I believe it is this foundation that begins a journey to a well-examined life. This is the transformation that may begin at Ursinus, but hopefully doesn’t end here. It is not defined by discipline, nor is it restricted to a set of courses, but instead it is a set of values imbued that equip the community for an ever-changing and dynamic world.

Q

At the end of your first five years, what do you hope to list as your top three accomplishments as Ursinus’s 17th president?

- Rebecca Jaroff ’81, Associate Professor of English I love the fact that you began the question with ‘your first five years!’

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One of my priorities is raising public awareness about the wonderful accomplishments of the Ursinus community. There are so many great stories here to be told and so many compelling narratives. I would like to try to remove any roadblocks that may impede the faculty and students from reaching their aspirations. Finally, I would like to continue to encourage the culture of philanthropy here at Ursinus so that there is a greater footprint of time, treasure and talents. We should make grand plans and work to achieve and surpass them whenever possible. Imagine what we could accomplish if we had more resources to leverage.

Q

How will your training as an economist impact your leadership style and decision-making approach at Ursinus and your contributions to the larger conversation on liberal arts education? - Heather O’Neill, Professor of Economics I doubt that there is any empirical evidence that economists make better liberal arts college presidents than non-economists. Still, I do believe there are a few things in economics that are beneficial in thought leadership. Economics defines itself, as the curriculum begins, with something called “principles of economics.” This means that there are a generally approved set of values that can guide us in the decision making. Not all disciplines share such a common set of values, but economics does. Beginning with a general set of principles is a wonderful baseline when faced with a myriad of questions, challenges and uncertainty. And isn’t this true for a liberal arts education? Joining together as a community, finding areas of agreement and developing “the principles of liberal education” will help us grow. This doesn’t mean we have to agree on the finer points, but we should work together as a community to defend everyone’s right to a broad-based approach to life-long learning.

Q

Many of us believe that a liberal education at a college like Ursinus is the best bet for students from families even at the lower end and middle of the economic spectrum – the best bet not only in terms of personal intellectual and moral development, but also in terms of their economic future. How can we better make that case? - Kelly Sorensen, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Assistant Dean The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that, now more than ever before, the ticket to the middle class is a college degree, which provides a 40 percent wage premium over a person’s lifetime. Statistics show that if we break this down by discipline that liberal arts majors fare pretty well relative to others. Studies show that liberal arts majors earn more during their peak earnings than others. It has also been reported that as many as one third of executives at Fortune 500 firms had undergraduate majors in the liberal arts. To be clear of course, education is not merely instrumental. It expands your horizon and opens up the world and can provide a window to the soul. And heck, sometimes it’s even fun. But you may be right that we need to also champion its ability to transport us to middle class and beyond.

Q

During my more than 25 years at Ursinus, first as a student, and now as a faculty member, our concept of "learning spaces" has expanded from standard libraries, classrooms and labs to include student lounges, city streets, and now cyberspace.

Where do you see the next "space" landing? - Lynne Edwards ’88, Professor of Media and Communication Studies. She is a Distinguished Research Fellow with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Physicist Niels Bohr said “prediction is very difficult especially if it’s

about the future.” I think the next ‘space’ will employ many of the spaces you’ve described above, but will not chain us to geography.

Humans continue to advance the capacity to integrate technology into their lives. It’s portable and omnipresent, sometimes appearing like another appendage. So how does higher education adapt in such a world? One thing I’ve learned is that even with all of this change, people still crave real and authentic interaction. We are social animals. This means colleges and universities still need to find ways to relate to individuals who have access to libraries on their person. I think this is an advantage for institutions like Ursinus. People want close relationships with their faculty and peers. Student life will need to partner more effectively with academic affairs – again an advantage for Ursinus. Small classrooms, intimate dinners, walks around campus become the “learning spaces.” Maybe these are the launching pads necessary to motivate us to learn.

Q

At Ursinus, we pride ourselves on the difficult conversations we have with our students about race, class and gender issues.

Do you have any views about how we can improve on our approach? About the next step after the conversation ends?

- Lynne Edwards ’88 This is one of the most important conversations occurring on campuses today. I need to spend more time with the Ursinus community to get a better sense of how we are educating ourselves right now.

Most importantly, I hope that the conversation never ends. My hope is whatever education we are able to provide on campus continues with our alumni for the rest of their lives. I would like alumni to come back to our campus and continue engaging in these conversations. We need to have a respectful environment that allows for dissent and challenges our comfort zones. I am sure that Ursinus has a history of providing for such a learning space. Continuing to provide both intentional programming with outside speakers and supporting our students in the sharing dialogue about important issues is a powerful combination to learning.

Q

As an economist, what is your response to the argument that small liberal arts colleges have a challenging economic case to make for students and their families with the emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)? - Akshaye Dhawan, Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. He was this year’s recipient of the H. Lloyd Jones, Jr. Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising I think the narrative that MOOCs will emerge as the next model for higher education has been greatly exaggerated. I don’t think there is a business model for MOOCs that has proved to be successful as yet. In March, it was announced that a well-known virtual university saw its applications drop in half from its peak five years ago. What we’ve learned from the experiment of the emergence of MOOCs is that technology needs to be part of the learning process. I know that Ursinus has embraced this notion. Faculty seek opportunities to flip the classroom and engage students in virtual learning. I believe this is how the emergence of MOOCs has influenced liberal education and some of this can be positive.

Q

How important do you feel the Collegeville community is to the college, and do you have any plans for outreach into the community and for town/gown partnerships with Ursinus?

- Catherine Kernen, President, Collegeville Economic Development Corp. (CEDC) I love the fact that our borough is called Collegeville. It demonstrates the value, the history and the relationship between Ursinus and this important 119-year-old community that continues to grow and thrive.

We value our neighborhood. Liberal education is at its best when it is done in an intimate residential community. This means that there needs to be intentional partnering and I know this was an important value shared by Suzanne and Bobby Fong. I have every interest in continuing these types of partnerships and looking for ways that we can share spaces and opportunities.

“I look forward to working with the Ursinus community to take the college from being a place of opportunity to the place of opportunity.”

- Brock Blomberg, 17th President of Ursinus

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Brock greets students on campus April 30th during announcement event.

Q The conversation about return on investment (ROI) and

value of higher education has never been more prominent.

What role does the Career and Professional Development (CPD) office play in this discussion? - Carla Rinde P’12, Director of Career and Professional Development Students enter college not far removed from sleeping in their childhood beds and thinking like a high school senior. They leave as grown men and women ready to take on the world. This transformation is one of the most striking that humans make and we recognize this with a curriculum that builds as the student ages, and student activities that provide support during these transitions. Too often, colleges and universities do not recognize that students need to grow personally as well as professionally. This means that as students educate themselves through the Common Intellectual Experience, and then major graduation requirements, they should also educate themselves about the environment outside our gates. I think we do a good job of providing that in the curriculum with the Independent Learning Experience, but I would advise students to consult with their academic advisors early and visit the Career and Professional Development office often so that they can continuously educate themselves throughout the four-year college lifecycle process.

Q

Do you think there is a connection between liberal arts education and social justice? If so, what is it and how do you see Ursinus fitting into that?

- Axel Gonzalez ’16 My gut suspicion is that there is indeed a link. After all, isn’t it interesting to note that as the world tends toward specialization and relying

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on experts, presidents, prime ministers and other heads of state often seem to make choices that appear to be at odds with fair and just decisions? It seems to me that there are more decisions made that result in engaging in what appears to be avoidable conflict, rather than decisions that result in conflict resolution. I do wonder if the advisors to leaders, and the leaders themselves, were better equipped with liberal arts values – thinking critically, communicating effectively, working collaboratively, making just decisions – if we would find ourselves in a different place. It would be an interesting experiment, don’t you think?

Q

Have you read anything recently that you couldn’t put down?

Or seen a film that inspired you? - Ursinus Magazine The book that changed my life was the Booker Prize-winning book by Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending. I downloaded it to my iPhone and couldn’t put it down even as I squinted page by page. I don’t think it would have the same impact on others, but for me, when I was going through a difficult time, it really spoke to me. I think the arts and humanities can give us that – relief and understanding and relating to what is universal, particularly in dark waters.

Q

What is the personal or professional achievement that makes you the most proud? - Ursinus Magazine I am so proud of my children and their accomplishments. I don’t think this is something that I can take credit for but I am moved when I hear that all of my children are on the path to graduating from college.

It really has stronger meaning to me when I know that they attend colleges that champion the liberal arts. It gives me pleasure to see them succeed.

Q In a world dominated by corporate wealth and money in poli-

tics how do you cultivate a social conscience in Ursinus students?

- Jack Gould ’66, Issues chair, Common Cause Nebraska, retired cattle rancher, 2015 Alumni Award winner.

At Ursinus, developing our social conscience is one of our central values. It is fundamental in liberal education that we make just and ethical decisions and this begins by understanding the world around us and the challenges that we all face. One may take a pessimistic view of our ability to extend these values, given what polls say about our trust in Congress and corporate America. I would like to believe we can find hope, with leadership, and we as a community can demonstrate our commitment to philanthropy and the common good. Business titans of the past have helped advance notions of a social conscience: corporate wealth and money politics do not necessary have to limit our concepts of social justice. I would like to believe that we at Ursinus can begin educating leaders to see the value of giving back to their community. It begins with important classes that demonstrate a commitment and understanding to this ideal – courses like the Common Intellectual Experience. It is reinforced in student life and within the many co-curricular opportunities offered to our students. It can be amplified by developing a culture of philanthropy, which should begin with students and be reinforced to young alumni. Then, when the next generations of Rockefeller, Carnegie and Gates emerge, they will do a remarkable job of changing the world for the better.

“People want close relationships with their faculty and peers.

Student life will need to partner more effectively with academic affairs – again an advantage for Ursinus.”

Scholarship and a Legacy of Success President Blomberg has authored or co-authored more than 40 articles. His research on the economics of terrorism involves the study of consequences, the life-cycle of terrorist organizations and their roots, and the relationship between violence and international investment.

“The fact that terrorism is a low probability but high impact event is precisely why it is so effective and why it invades our psyche,” says Blomberg. “However, the direct cost associated with terrorist acts is relatively small in the United States.

Estimates on the macroeconomic cost of 9/11 are around $50$75 billion, which is less than one half of one percent of GDP. Cost and likelihood are obviously not the only factors taken into account when considering the consequences of terrorism.

Terrorism is about fear.”

Blomberg is currently the senior research fellow for CREATE (Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events) at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, which has become known for its research on the impact of 9/11. He is widely quoted among business, financial and national publications for his expertise.

“Terrorism can influence policy, which can in turn influence the pattern of terrorism,” according to Blomberg. “The Department of Homeland Security emerged after 9/11 and the reduction of attacks within our borders has been unprecedented. Believe it or not, during parts of the 1970s and 80s, the United States was the world’s capital for transnational terrorism. Since 2001, the number of transnational terrorist attacks in the U.S. has all but disappeared. (There are obviously terrorist attacks in the U.S., but since 9/11 most have been orchestrated by eco-terrorist movements.) However, reducing these types of terrorist attacks within the United States did not reduce attacks across the globe. In fact, many scholars believe America’s policies have pushed terrorism targets away from our borders primarily into the Middle East and parts of Asia and Africa.”

As a senior economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Blomberg was the U.S. Representative to the Economic Committee for Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation. He also served with such organizations as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Blomberg leaves a legacy at Claremont McKenna. He implemented the first master’s degree offered at his college; developed the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance BA/MA program which allows advanced students to complete a B.A. and M.A. in finance in four years; and developed the Global Economic and Leadership Program in Asia. He also created an economic and entrepreneurial leadership program in Silicon Valley to enhance student outcomes.

“He led the development of our signature Robert Day scholars program, served as an outstanding scholar-teacher in our exemplary PPE major (philosophy, politics, and economics) and cultivated a strong advisory board for the school,” said Hiram E. Chodosh, president of Claremont McKenna. “On behalf of the CMC community, I want to thank him for his many important contributions to the college, and we all wish him the very best as he takes this exciting new post at Ursinus College.”

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PHOTO: AndrĂŠ Chung

Ryan Costello ‘99, is the first Ursinus graduate to serve in the U.S. Congress. He was elected in November 2014 and represents the 6th District of Pennsylvania, which includes parts of Chester, Berks, Montgomery, and Lebanon counties, including Ursinus.

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Rep. Costello dashes into his office as rain descends on Washington.

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Rep. Costello looks over the foyer of the Cannon Building where the media typically do stand-up interviews or 'hits'.

hat’s a typical day like for the freshman Congressman? Anything but typical.

Congressman Ryan Costello is working on two hours of sleep.

“I usually get more sleep in my office than I do at home because of my little guy,” he says, referring to his 16-month old son, Ryan Jr. “But they had their jackhammers going all night with all this construction.”

The construction the Congressman is referring to is the top-tobottom renewal project of the Cannon House Office Building, home of his Washington D.C., office. The Cannon Building, built in 1908, is the oldest office building on the Capitol campus, and is in desperate need of renovation.

Costello’s personal office, 427, with its black leather furniture, a large mahogany desk, regal blue curtains, and pictures of his wife, Christine, and his “little guy,” Ryan Jr., displayed throughout, reveals

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After a meeting in his office, Rep. Costello poses with Ursinus alumni, Sarah Rogers, right, and Maria Wolvin, left, both lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

none of the historical cracks, but plenty of the building’s historical glory. On one of the walls hang two photographs of the office’s former occupants — a young Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was in this office from 1937-38 as a representative from Texas, and Dick Cheney, who was there from 1979-80 as representative from Wyoming.

“I actually got a bad lottery number when it came to freshmen congressmen picking their new offices,” says Costello. “My office doesn’t really have a view (its windows face inside of the building), and it is smaller than some of the others. But, I love the history that comes along with it.”

Costello often sleeps in 427 when he’s in D.C., which is usually just shy of two weeks every month. (He has two offices in his home district — one in West Chester and the other in Wyomissing).

He sleeps there partly because of the expense of staying in a hotel or renting an apartment, and partly because it helps him do his job successfully.

“Being around all the time helps build relationships with people,” he says. “I have to make sure I’m sponsoring the right bills or moving what matters to me and my district.”

When he’s in the District of Columbia, he’s up by five every morning, works out in the members-only Congressional gym (where anywhere from 50 to 70 other Congressmen and women are working out on a given morning), and is showered, dressed, and usually in meetings by 7 a.m. On a sleep-deprived April morning, the Congressman’s workout included throwing a baseball around with a fellow Representative. Costello, who played basketball for two years at Ursinus, was getting ready for the Congressional Baseball Game for charity held on June 8 at the Washington National’s Stadium between the Democrats and Republicans. “We’ve lost the last six years in a row,” admits the Republican.

Costello, who is 6’2” with a lean athletic build, could forego his daily work out with all the walking he does during the day. His communications director, Johanna Persing, who often walks with him, estimates he cover up to five miles a day, traveling between meetings that are usually scheduled in 15-minute increments between

What’s a typical day like for the freshman Congressman?

Anything but typical.

His communications director estimates he covers up to five miles a day, traveling between meetings that are usually scheduled in 15-minute increments between the three House of Representatives office buildings, the three Senate Office buildings and the Capitol.

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Outside the Capitol. The dome, covered in scaffolding, is under repair, and Costello's Congressional "class" is the only one to have a photo with the dome under construction.

Most days while in D.C., Costello rarely has time to eat and mainly fuels himself on watered-down lemonade and Godiva or Mars Chocolate. (both made in Pennsylvania).

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Making his signature lemonade drink as staff assistant Bill Hibbs looks on from his desk. At right, the congressman's next appointment is already waiting in his office.

the three House of Representatives office buildings, the three Senate The Congressman compares working on the Capitol to college office buildings and the Capitol. life: He’s constantly researching new policies and proposals, doesn’t Costello thrives on this packed schedule, partly because of his get a lot of sleep, eats his meals in a cafeteria, and is meeting new natural energy and partly because he has grown accustomed to it: people everyday, albeit a tad more famous people than his CollegAfter graduating from Villanova University School of Law in 2002, the eville days. Recently he ran into Donald Trump in an elevator when 37-year-old served as Chairman of the East Vincent Township Board the real estate tycoon was in town finalizing plans to turn Washingof Supervisors in Chester County ton’s old post office into a hotel.

(2002–2006), became the County “I’m not even going to menRecorder of Deeds (2007–2010), tion the hair,” says Costello. and then was appointed a ComAdditionally, Costello says missioner of Chester County, he’s been the most surprised by working as a Commissioner how well politicians get along with throughout his Congressional each other in Washington. race.

“I think a lot of the fighting “I went into politics to make between sides is drummed up by a difference in people’s lives,” he the media,” he says. says. “And, I want to be a repreCostello still has good friends sentative who reflects the pulse of from Ursinus (on both sides of the the district. So if I’m not home with political lines) who work nearby my family, I’m not sitting behind a and with whom he occasiondesk either. I am somewhere tryally gets together, even if it’s ing to get things done.” just for a five-minute chat. Maria When Ursinus Magazine vis(Lougharn) Wolvin 2000 is reguited, Costello spoke at a Veteran’s latory Counsel for the Association “I went into politics to make a difference in Affairs Subcommittee Hearing (He of Credit and Collection Profespeople’s lives,” he says. “And, I want to be a serves on the Veteran’s Affairs sionals and Sarah (Beaty) Rogers Committee and the Transportation 2000 is Director, Federal Governrepresentative who reflects the pulse of the and Infrastructure Committee), ment Relations for Walmart. The district. So if I’m not home with my family, met with representatives from the three grads were in Dr. Gerald American Optometry Association, Fitzpatrick’s political parties and I’m not sitting behind a desk either. I am and with representatives from elections class as well as took somewhere trying to get things done.”

Darden Restaurants, spoke at a most of the same three-hundred press conference on the Delaware level American politics classes.

River Basin Conservation Act, met with other House Members, spoke Costello also frequently talks with Alan Novak ’71. Novak is Chair to Villanova law students, and then raced back to the House floor to of the Ursinus Board of Trustees and was the longest-serving Chair cast a vote on new legislation (getting briefly lost in the underground of Pennsylvania’s Republican Party (1996-2005). The two met when maze and having to backtrack in the process.)

Novak, who also graduated from Villanova Law School, was the “This was actually a slow morning,” reveals Persing, who helps G.O.P Chairman in Chester County and Costello was becoming coordinate the Congressman’s daily schedule. involved in the county Republican activities. Novak thinks Costello’s On cold or rainy days, Costello either walks swiftly through the background in local, county, and now federal government, gave him underground tunnels below the buildings or rides on the U.S. Capitol the foundation to understand the different roles government plays Subway. Dubbed by the media as the shortest and most exclusive in people’s lives. railway in the world, the automatic driverless system has under“Ryan handles a lot of issues and works with a lot of people,” ground lines between the Capitol and the House and Senate Buildsays Novak. “A lot of politicians understand the importance of conings. (You don’t have to be a member of Congress to ride the subnecting with the business community. But Ryan also understands the way, but you do need special clearance). importance of making the connection to the not-for-profit communiBetween meetings, Costello also fields visits from constituents ties. These connections help Ryan connect the human stories to the who drop by his office throughout the day. Everyone has an imporhuman government services. This type of thinking is very astute on tant reason behind their visit, and the Congressman usually opens his part.” the unscheduled conversations by asking “What brings you down to “It’s very exciting we have one of our own as a Congressman,” Washington today?” A short time later, a “thank you so much for your adds Rogers. time,” subtly signals that he has another appointment.

“But, it’s definitely not surprising it is Ryan,” adds Wolvin.

Most days while in D.C., Costello rarely has time to eat and “Ryan’s been working toward this his whole life. We just can’t wait mainly fuels himself on watered-down lemonade and Godiva or to see what he’ll do next.”

Mars Chocolate (both Pennsylvania made). In-state companies are

By Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque ‘95 allowed to send free shipments to their Congressmen, but rules stipulate the Representative can never ask for the freebies themselves.

Read Costello’s story leading up to his days in Congress: “There is a lot of bartering that goes down with people from https://www.ursinus.edu/live/news/ other states,” Costello says jokingly. “I’m a big orange juice fan so 551-costello-first-uc-grad-elected-to-congress we do a lot of deals with the Florida people.”

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“I’ve always loved what K’Nex is trying to achieve,” says Schnebel.

“They heavily incorporate STEM concepts (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education) throughout their toys."

Making K'nextions Erica Schnebel '13, assistant brand manager at the toy company K’Nex Brands, is challenging traditional gender roles with her new line of construction toys aimed at girls.

ith its brightly colored rods, connectors and 17-feet of tube tracks, the K’Nex Thunderbolt Strike Roller Coaster is a thrill for any future engineer to build. But this set, and others like it, are mostly marketed to boys.

Erica Schnebel saw the margin as an opportunity. As soon as she began working full time at the toy construction set company in January 2014, she started encouraging her boss to think about the other half of the population.

“I told her I think we need a building line for girls,” says Schnebel, who graduated with a degree in business and economics at Ursinus. “I knew girls were a market we weren’t targeting.”

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Schnebel and her team quickly realized that girls wanted to tell stories and engage with each other as they play, as opposed to boys who tend to be driven by the process of building something for its appearance.

In February, Schnebel’s idea came to fruition when Mighty Makers, K’Nex’s new line of construction toys aimed at girls, made its debut at the New York Toy Fair. They are set to reach toy stores this summer.

“Erica is a very passionate assistant brand manager and this line is definitely her baby,” says Kristen Krikorian, director of marketing at K’Nex. “She and the lead designer talked through the design of the

figures, the names of the figures, and which scientific concepts made sense for each set. Erica believes one hundred percent in the goal of the products, which is to empower young girls and show them how cool science and engineering can be.”

K’Nex’s current boxes feature mostly boys, and in addition to the creations skewing more toward boy interests – rollercoasters, helicopters, planes, and dinosaurs – the colors tend toward gray, dark green and navy blue.

Yet, when Schnebel and the rest of the all-female marketing and design team began thinking about Mighty Makers, they knew right away they didn’t want to pander to girls by simply “pinking and shrinking” the construction sets they already sold.

“During extensive focus groups, we asked little girls if they play with K’Nex already,” says Schnebel, who grew up in Pittsburgh and loved building Legos and playing with Barbie Dolls as a kid. “Nine out of 10 of these girls answered that they did play with K’Nex, but the sets were really owned by their brother. They never thought of K’Nex as their own.”

The K’Nex research did reaffirm what toy companies have long known – that girls are drawn to toys that are pink and purple and aqua blue. (Pink baseball mitt anyone?) But they also noticed when they watched the girls play with the sets, they were interacting and engaging in a totally different way than boys.

The end result: Mighty Makers are made in bright, feminine colors , but they also include story-based instructions with action figures

so that girls can pretend as they build an airplane, an eco-friendly garden, or a deep-sea-diving set.

“We know dolls have been such a strong toy for girls across generations,” says Schnebel. “We thought it was important to include figures that allow the little girls to project their own emotions on as they create.”

Schnebel was drawn to K’Nex, based in Hatfield, Pa., from the day she graduated.

“I’ve always loved what K’Nex is trying to achieve,” she explains.

“They heavily incorporate STEM concepts (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education) throughout their toys. I love the idea that kids grow up and say ‘I’m an engineer, and one of the reasons is because I played with K’Nex.’” Schnebel, an Academic All-American gymnast who graduated with honors, turned down multiple other job offers to work as an intern there in the summer of 2013. She was hired full-time eight months later. Dr. Jennifer VanGilder, who was Schnebel’s internship advisor at Ursinus, isn’t a bit surprised by her success.

“Erica really understood that school and education weren’t just about studying,” says VanGilder. “Instead, she knew it was about thinking more deeply and understanding how her classes could apply to the real world. She wasn’t afraid at Ursinus to take risks and be wrong. And, she is seemingly doing the exact same thing now.”

By Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque ‘95

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gone

fishing

(with just the right lure)

Tucker Noel ’16 applied his passion for fishing to a biology research project. He tested, and determined, the best fishing lures to use when trying to snare a largemouth bass. icropterus salmoides, better known as the largemouth bass, is a darling among freshwater anglers. A deep-olive green, the striped predator can reach up to 25 pounds. It’s abundant, found across most of North America, and for those who love to catch fish, it makes a lively, quick-to-bite quarry.

Growing up, Tucker Noel spent many hours fishing with his father and uncle. They explored the waters in Currituck and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The experience inspired a love of the outdoors and an appreciation for the behavior of all things wild.

Assigned a research project in Professor Kate Goddard’s freshwater biology course, Noel chose to apply his knowledge of fishing techniques to the unusual hunting behaviors of this sport fish. Bass are cunning.

They hide in grassy waters waiting to ambush their prey, which can be anything from crawfish to minnows.

“Some students study water quality in the streams where they caught frogs and salamanders as kids,” says Professor Goddard.“It’s great to have them come back and tell the class about seeing the stream so differently, this time through the eyes of a scientist. Tucker tested the effectiveness of shiny versus dull fishing lures in shady versus sunny conditions. He took the opportunity to apply his knowledge of fishing to a valid research question.”

The idea for putting lures to the test started out as a bet with a friend, says Noel, who also plays lacrosse at Ursinus. He and a fellow student were scrutinizing colorful lures at a local sporting goods store. The conversation, he says, turned to a challenge about which one worked better.

“He thought certain colors worked better and I thought others did,” says Noel. “I was outside pretty much doing

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this all the time for fun. I thought it would be a good idea for a research project to prove which one really did work better,” says Noel.

For his experiment, Noel needed to study how light conditions and lure colors combine to influence the hunting preferences of the largemouth bass.

“Jigging is a common practice for catching fish of all types including largemouth bass,” he says. “We fished using this method of quick flicking and reeling with three different types of lures.” He used different colored lures (pumpkin, green with red flakes and blue with green flakes) to replicate different color minnows. Collecting the data at three different locations during sunny and cloudy light conditions helped prove his hypothesis. Using a method called chi squared analysis, Noel showed that largemouth bass prefer different color baits in low lights than in higher light conditions.

In addition to improving his catch rate, the experience was rewarding in other ways. Combining a love of fishing with science helped him look more closely at the water systems. In late spring, he returned to Black Rock Sanctuary near Collegeville, Pa., where he had done some of his research. “The water temperature is now at a point where fishing is starting to really take off again for the spring,” he says. “The spawning season is normally when you catch the larger fish and I think it has finally begun. I could see a lot of fish and signs of nesting. Lure wise, I used a jig head, which is a pretty standard fishing technique.”

For his next project, Noel wants to try to find the most effective way of fishing. “For example, I am thinking of testing if frog lures catch more than jigs or what catches more between jigs, worms, or top water lures.” The answer may prove elusive, but Noel says the real fun is trying to figure it out.

By Kathryn Campbell

Tucker Noel '16 fishing at Black Rock Sanctuary near Collegeville, Pa. Some of his research for the freshwater biology class took place here.

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PHOTO: Joan Fairman Kanes

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dogs my

are my greatest teachers

By Domenick Scudera, M.F.A., Professor of Theater

met a young man this spring, not much older than my Ursinus students. He had lost his leg in a horrific accident. We were at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital (BMRH), where I volunteer with my dogs in a pet therapy program. My dog is also an amputee. The patient, who had been struggling with the loss of his limb, got down on the floor and wrapped his arms around the dog. The two shared a long, meaningful hug. The young man, wordlessly bonding with the dog, was comforted on a profound level.

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Moments like these have become an essential part of my life. As a theater professor, my days are spent on the stage or in the classroom. But during my free time, I have the great privilege of working with dogs and hospital patients.

It all started about ten years ago when I chanced upon a puppy photo on a website for handicapped pets. His name was Festus, a pit bull/Rottweiler mix found on the streets of Newark, N.J. Trapped under some debris, he had chewed off his right front paw to free himself. Once rescued, the remaining part of his leg was amputated. GazSUMMER 2015

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“It takes a special person to adopt animals with special needs and Domenick is that person,” says Yvonne Navarro-Brewer, Manager, Volunteer Services at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. “He opens his heart and home to these unique animals and provides a wonderful and loving life for them. Domenick shares his kindness through his volunteer work and I feel blessed that he has selected Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital to be a part of his journey.”

ing into his sad eyes, I heard an inner voice tell me to adopt him and train him to be a therapy dog. I had never met a therapy dog and had no idea how to train him, but I somehow knew we would find a way.

After adopting Festus, I discovered that he had no consciousness of being different or of missing anything. When a dog has a leg amputated, he figures out a way to move, because he must. There are no psychological difficulties attached to it. It was inspiring.

I researched and found training classes at a local kennel. After some hard work, Festus and I were certified as a pet therapy team.

On one of our first trial visits (to a nursing home near Ursinus), we met an elderly, blind woman. She reached out a shaky hand, stroked his back, and a huge grin lit up her face. Staff members were in tears.

The woman had not smiled or engaged with others for months, they told me.

Festus and I began making weekly visits to two hospitals: the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and BMRH. Carving a few hours into my week to volunteer became a priority. At CHOP, Festus brought joy to kids, making the hospital more bearable. He quickly

became a celebrity at BMRH’s amputee clinic. Every visit was met with phrases like, “He’s like me!” and “If he can do it, I can do it!”

I took a backseat to Festus when visiting. These moments were about him, not me. It was humbling. And very gratifying.

My professional work shifted as a result of our pet therapy work.

Based on my experiences, I created a solo performance piece titled Festus the 3-Legged Wonder Dog. I received a grant to develop an Ursinus course about theater with a civic engagement component, a form of service work. I became the faculty mentor for Ursinus’s Hobson House, whose student residents are devoted to service. I wrote about my pet therapy work and was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Huffington Post, and in a series of books about pets with disabilities. Festus and I appeared on news programs, I was interviewed online and in print, and I was invited to speak at events focused on health and service.

Pet therapy refreshed my life in unexpected ways, so I sought out another dog to train. Cyrus, a terrier-mix born with only two legs, was a unique, happy California dog. I flew out to pick him up, outfitted him with a wheeled cart, and taught him to walk. Within no time, he was a certified Scudera, Cyrus and Lucky leaving therapy dog and he joined my hospital Bryn Mawr Rehab after a morning rotation. of volunteering. The hospital has a pet therapy program with approximately 30 dog/handler teams volunteering each week.

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Living and working with two- and three-legged dogs taught me valuable lessons: Slow down. Let nothing stop you. Do not feel sorry for yourself.

Celebrate your differences. Live in the moment.

Festus passed away last year after a bout with a rare form of cancer. People have said, "It's nice that you rescued him," but the truth is, he rescued me. He taught me to be less self-involved and self-conscious. He opened new worlds to me and forced me out of my bubble.

After grieving Festus’ loss, another dog entered my life and will continue Festus’ legacy. Lucky was hit by a car outside of Cairo, Egypt, and left for dead. He eventually was rescued, his back legs were amputated, and he was sent to America for a better life. Lucky is adjusting to life here. He has wheels and is training now. With a little luck, Lucky will be visiting hospitals as a certified therapy dog later this year. I look forward to Lucky and Cyrus adding more chapters to the exciting, healing story that Festus helped me to start writing years ago.

Scudera, Cyrus and Lucky in the therapy gym where patients do physical rehabilitation exercises with the therapists and nurses. Scudera says the patients find comfort in petting the dogs when they take breaks from their exercises.

Cyrus has been visiting BMRH weekly for over two years and has become a favorite among patients and staff.

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Alumni Weekend

April 23-25, 2015

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1. The Alumni Awards ceremony honored four alumni and two graduating seniors for their accomplishments during and after their time at Ursinus. L to R: John Gould ‘66, John Bauman ‘60, James Barrett ‘64, P‘90, Riley Acton ‘15, Sanil Patel ‘15 and Brian McEvily ‘06. 2. A visit to the Ursinus organic garden courtesy of a sustainability tour of campus was offered to alumni. 3. Memories come flooding back from a table of Ursinus mementos. 4. Reunion dinners are a highlight of Alumni Weekend, allowing former classmates to reconnect and reminisce.

5. Riding in style, golf cart style that is, throughout the Ursinus campus is just one of the perks of being an alumni. 6. Alumni danced the night away to the smooth sounds of the Ursinus Jazz Band. 7. Alumni and students savor the chance to connect at Alumni Weekend.

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in memoriam Betty Umstad Musser 1945

Betty Kathryn Umstad Musser ’45, an Emerita Trustee, died Feb. 3 (as our previous issue went to press). Formerly of Villanova, she was known as a community volunteer and philanthropist. We at Ursinus knew her as an exceptional friend, supporter and alumna.

Betty was an advocate for the arts at Ursinus, and her generosity influenced a renewed emphasis on the arts on campus. She made the leadership gift to The Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center, which was named in honor of her late son, who collected kaleidoscopes.

She also promoted international education among students, and Musser Hall, a residence hall for international programming, was named in her honor. She served as chair of the successful reunion program, The War Years Commemoration, for the classes of 19421949, which received a special citation from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. As part of this program she helped commission the bas-relief Promise/Anthem by sculptor George Anthonisen, which is on view in Wismer lobby.

She was also an advocate for The Berman Museum of Art, and supported the building of Wismer Center, the Floy Lewis Bakes field house and Pfahler Hall of Science, which houses Musser Auditorium. She supported student research, and was a major supporter of Focus the Nation, a high-profile environmental education initiative held at Ursinus in 2008.

“Betty epitomized the best of Ursinus,” said Senior Vice President for Advancement Jill Marsteller. “She was incredibly smart, insightful, inquisitive and an excellent listener. She was a doer and a giver, lover of nature and life. Her captivating personality and unforgettable smile made her one of the most approachable people I have ever known. “ I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Betty since the War Years reunion in the 1980s,” she added. “Her life and example of grace under pressure inspired me and will stay with me always, and her generosity toward Ursinus will touch students for generations to come. We all benefitted from the presence of Betty Musser in our Ursinus family.”

Elected as a college trustee in 1982, Betty served until 2002, and then was elected an emerita trustee. In the greater community she was a member of the board of directors of The People’s Light and Theater Company in Malvern, and supported programs in the public schools. She was docent at the Philadelphia Music of Art and supported arts and environmental organizations in the region. Betty earned a degree in Biology from Ursinus, and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1998.

Dr. Henry P. Laughlin ’38 Henry (Hank) Laughlin M.D., ’38, a Life Trustee of Ursinus College, died at age 98 Jan. 29. M. Page Laughlin, his wife of 73 years,

died the next day. Hank was an active member of the Ursinus College Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1977.

After graduating from Temple University Medical School, Hank became a doctor aboard the USS Strong in the Pacific Theater during WW II. After the war ended, he and Page moved to Montgomery County, Md., where Hank practiced psychiatry and they raised five children. He was president of the Montgomery County and Frederick County medical societies and served as chair of the editorial board of the Physician’s Practice Digest. He was also the executive director of the National Institute of Emerging Technology, and on the faculty of George Washington University Medical School for 35 years.

He was a founding member of several honorary medical organizations and authored medical textbooks and numerous journal articles. He was an excellent marksman, competing in the Lander, Wyo. one-shot antelope hunt for more than 20 years. His stamp collection numbered more than 700 volumes. Hank was president of the Maryland chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and was an active member of the Rotary Club of Frederick and the morning Frederick Coffee Club.

Through his generosity, the Dr. Henry P. Laughlin Special Award Fund was established, which honors outstanding contributions made

by Ursinus students, faculty , staff and alumni, including the Laughlin Professional Achievement Award, the Laughlin Distinguished Teaching Award, the Laughlin Student Award, the Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Educator Award and the Laughlin Distinguished Administrator Award.

Ursinus honored him with the Distinguished Alumni Award, in 1966 and an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1976. The Laughlins are survived by five children, three of whom attended Ursinus, 18 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. A memorial event will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. July 25, in the chapel on the grounds of the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Md.

William Gray Warden III William Gray Warden III of Newtown Square, Pa. William died on March 18, 2015. He was a longtime Ursinus Trustee, and a Trustee Emeritus. He graduated from Williams College in 1954 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. His last commission was as a Captain. Following his service he joined Superior Tube Company which his father and grandfather had founded in 1934, and became chairman of Superior Group, Inc., which was the successor entity to Superior Tube. In addition to serving as a trustee of Ursinus College, he served as a trustee of The Haverford School, The Baldwin School, Independence Seaport Museum, Historical Society of Pennsylvania and The Academy of Vocal Arts. Additionally, he loved sailing and was Commodore of the Cruising Club of America's Chesapeake Station and of The Corinthian Yacht Club, and was a member of the New Bedford Yacht Club and the Hopetown Yacht Club.

Nancy Jeanne Talcott Everest 1947 Nancy Jeanne Talcott Everest, a Trustee of Ursinus College from 1986 to 1991, died Jan. 28. A Yardley resident, she was a teacher, and an active volunteer for Meals on Wheels and The League of Women Voters.

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Folk Tales Lisa Minardi ’04 was involved in curating three major Pennsylvania German folk art exhibitions all on view now. isa Minardi ’04 discovered Pennsylvania German folk art as a child, and through college and beyond, her interest only grew stronger. Now, with a growing reputation as a scholar, she was involved in curating three recent exhibitions at three major Delaware Valley cultural institutions which celebrated Pennsylvania German fraktur, the boldly-colored manuscript tradition known for whimsy of design, bold colors and creativity.

Winterthur’s A Colorful Folk: Pennsylvania Germans & the Art of Everyday Life, runs through Jan. 3, 2016. Minardi is the curator of the exhibition and the author of the accompanying catalogue.

She is guest curator of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s exhibition Quill & Brush: Pennsylvania German Fraktur and Material Culture, on view until July 18.

She was also a consulting curator for the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition Drawn with Spirit: Pennsylvania German Fraktur from the Joan and Victor Johnson Collection, and author of the accompanying catalogue published by Yale University Press.

“It’s a rather extraordinary moment,” she said of the simultaneous shows this past spring, a time when she also co-organized and participated in a major academic conference, “Fraktur and the Everyday Lives of Germans in Pennsylvania and the Atlantic World, 1683–1850,” which included an international roster of participants.

And she is also completing her Ph.D. The timing of the three exhibitions was serendipitous: In 20072009, Minardi helped re-catalogue the Free Library of Philadelphia’s fraktur collection, which, with more than 1,300 examples, is one of the largest in the country. This resulted in an online database and two exhibitions devoted to fraktur. Quill & Brush, curated by Minardi, is on display in the William B. Dietrich Gallery located within the Rare Book Department.

Minardi, an assistant curator at Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Del., is internationally recognized for her expertise in Pennsylvania German art and culture. Because of her reputation as a meticulous scholar, Philadelphia collectors Joan and Victor Johnson approached her three years ago about writing a catalogue of their fraktur collection, which includes nearly 250 examples. Minardi also served as consulting curator for the associated exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, organized to celebrate the Johnsons’ promised gift of their fraktur collection to the museum.

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In early 2014, Winterthur acquired a large collection from the estate of the late Pastor Frederick S. Weiser, a legendary scholar and collector of Pennsylvania German folk art. When a gap in the museum’s exhibition schedule developed, Minardi was asked to organize an exhibition featuring the Weiser collection. The resulting show includes textiles, pottery, metalwork, and furniture in addition to fraktur.

Montgomery County, Pa. is well represented in the exhibition, including a pair of wrought-iron weathervanes, made in 1743 and decorated with tulips, loaned by Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe, Pa. Minardi’s interest in fraktur dates back to her childhood when she attended a summer day camp at the local Peter Wentz Farmstead and fell in love with Pennsylvania German art. At Ursinus, she was a history major and the first Museum Studies major, an independent major, and was a student curatorial assistant at the Berman Museum, where she cataloged and translated the fraktur in the museum’s collection.

“The Berman was formative in my decision to pursue a museum career,” she said. Minardi returned to the Berman as a guest curator in 2011 for the exhibition, Pastors and Patriots: The Muhlenberg Family of Pennsylvania, and wrote a book to accompany the exhibit.

She earned a master’s degree in Early American Culture from the University of Delaware in a joint program with Winterthur Museum. Hired by Winterthur in 2006, Minardi helped organized the museum’s 2011 exhibition Paint, Pattern & People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725–1850 and co-authored the accompanying book of the same name. Currently she is a Ph.D. candidate in the History of American Civilization program at the University of Delaware.

As a student, she joined The Speaker’s House organization, then served as president and is now executive director of the non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the Trappe, Pa. home of Frederick Muhlenberg, first Speaker of the U.S. House. She oversees the restoration of the 1763 house, which served as an Ursinus dormitory known as Highland Hall from 1924 to 1944.

Frederick Muhlenberg is also a major focus of her dissertation, a study of German Lutherans in colonial Philadelphia.

Dish for Susanna Steltz, attributed to George Hubener, Montgomery County Pa., 1789, Winterthur Museum,1965.2301; photo, Gavin Ashworth.

weddings 1.

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3.

URSINUS WEDDING PHOTOS 1. Vinny Di Meglio ’09 and Nicole Douglass were married on Oct. 11, 2014.

2. Katherine Perkins ’07 and Michael McMullen were married on Sept. 20, 2014.

3. Allison Doutt ’07 and Bret Jenkins ’06 were married on July 3, 2014.

Ursinus Magazine publishes wedding photos in the magazine as well as online. Please send your favorite wedding memories. Digital photos can be e-mailed to ucmag@ursinus.edu.

Ursinus College reserves the right to reject publication of photos which are not of publishable quality. We regret that we are not able to return print photographs.

Questions can be addressed to the Office of Alumni Relations, 610.409.3585, SUMMER 2015 or by e-mailing ucmag@ursinus.edu

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Our students are champions... be a champion for them

Last fall, the field hockey team captured its 10th Centennial Conference Championship in the past 11 years.

Join our winning team today by making a gift to the Annual Fund!

The Ursinus Annual Fund supports athletics, student clubs and organizations, research, scholarships and more.

MAIL Ursinus College • Office of Advancement 601 East Main Street • Collegeville, PA 19426 PHONE 877-GIVE-2-UC ONLINE www.ursinus.edu/makegift

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field notes

Measuring Economic Impact

Pennsylvania Casinos of

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Professor of Business and Economics Andrew Economopoulos

“All it took was one generation of people exposed to lotteries for the public to accept casinos as a part of the marketplace,” says Andrew Economopoulos, professor of business and economics. In his classroom, he works to integrate real-world decision making with economic concepts. He has supervised over 25 honors students and has published several articles with students. His current research focuses on gambling policy in the United States, and he has supervised numerous student independent research projects on technical indicators.

Q

Your research looks at the economic impact of casinos.

What’s the biggest misconception from the public about casinos and their influence on the neighborhoods and regions that surround them?

I don’t think that there are misconceptions. It’s more about the extreme opinions that the public has as to the economic benefits and costs of casinos. Whenever there’s a proposal to open a casino, the debate centers on the economic benefits to the community. Proponents extol how the casino will revitalize the community, while the opponents harp on the loss of business from the competition. The data shows that they are both right and wrong. My research shows that there are positive economic benefits where the casino is built.

It would be no different than a Cabela’s opening a new store. But the economic spillover does not go very far into neighboring counties. In some cases, when the casino is located in a rural area, there are some negative economic impacts.

Q You talked about being on vacation with your family in

another state and noticing slot machines in laundry mats.

What surprised you about that and how common is that practice today across the country in one form or another – the idea of gambling in areas outside of “typical” casinos?

Our family would take camping trips out west and we were in Montana doing a weekly chore at the laundry mat. When we walked in they had a room attached that had quarter slot machines. I guess it was a nice way to spend your spare quarters. It did not surprise me in the least that if the law allowed slots anywhere, you’d find them in a location that would have a customer who will be ready to play. Research shows that the demographic who is most likely to play a slot machine would also go to a laundry mat. (What surprised me most was the number of pawn shops that were in the town. I wondered about the correlation between the two.) The practice of having slots in nontraditional locations is still rare. Only seven states allow them in nontraditional locations such as bars, restaurants, and laundry mats.

Q

What started you in the direction of measuring the economic pros and cons of casinos?

I had an opportunity to start a new research area through a Mellon grant, and I wanted to better understand the intersection of economics, moral conscience, and gambling. It was also the time when Pennsylvania was enacting casino legislation. During my sabbatical, a local church asked me to speak on their behalf in opposition to building a casino in the Sanatoga/Pottstown area. The Pennsylvania casino legislation limited the number of casinos in the state, and if they were issued a license, I argued that there were far better locations in the

state. Since the state’s interest is to maximize their tax revenue, the ideal location would be where they could easily attract people from outside the state.

Q

What has most surprised you about your research?

Historically, the opposition to state sanctioned gambling was strong and for the most part kept it out of public life for over 100 years. The socially liberal were at the core of the opposition. They had a concern that gambling would be exploiting the poor. Once New Hampshire offered a lottery it became a crack in the dam, the floodgates opened up with other states flowing suit. Using gambling tax revenues to help social causes such as education and the aged became the new focus.

All it took was one generation of people exposed to lotteries for the public to accept casinos as a part of the marketplace.

Q What were the factors that led Pennsylvania to allow

casinos to open in 2006 and, since that happened, what are some of the ways that the state has benefitted?

There were three key factors. The biggest factor was the change in governors, from one who opposed it to one who endorsed it. Second, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware were prospering from having casinos, and Pennsylvania wanted to get in on the action since many Pennsylvanians were going to these states to play. Finally, the public was getting tired of property tax hikes, and the promise of casino revenues reducing property taxes resonated with the voting public. History shows that the promise of tax relief from casino revenues does not stop taxes from going up.

Q

How has the state lottery been impacted by the opening of casinos?

A preliminary study I did with my former student William Stolle ‘09 indicated that there was a small cannibalization of lottery revenues at the early stages of the development of casinos in the state. As the industry grew, so did the cannibalization of lottery revenues. For every $100 of casino tax revenues raised, lottery revenues dropped by $19.

Q

In what ways do you hope to apply what you have learned about casinos and their impact on the state’s economy?

The analysis is far from over. So far I have looked at the economic impacts, both positive and negative. Researchers recognize that there are negative social costs to society from gambling, and to get a complete picture of the true impact these costs need to be estimated. Previous estimates have used surveys of population groups to estimate the costs. I hope to examine the costs from a different approach.

SUMMER 2015

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Homecoming

JUST GOT BIGGER! Presidential Inauguration & Homecoming Weekend

October 16-17, 2015

In addition to traditional milestone and organization reunions, Ursinus will induct its 17th president, S. Brock Blomberg, with special inauguration programming and events.

If you cannot make it back to Collegeville, look for more information in the coming months on regional homecoming gatherings!

For more information, visit www.ursinus.edu/homecoming