West Chester University Magazine Summer 2017 by West Chester University

S U MMER 2017

West Chester University MAGAZINE

DESIGNED not to be Business as Usual

IN THIS ISSUE

SUM M E R 2 017

On the Cover: Business & Public Management Center

WCU’s College of Business and Public Management is now housed in the new 96,000-square-foot Business and Public Management Center.

Athletics Director Edward M. Matejkovic ’69

Long-time Athletics Director Edward M. Matejkovic retired from his position at West Chester University.

Alumnus Jeff Stein ’91

A criminal investigation specialist with a track record of freeing individuals incarcerated despite their innocence.

Alumni Association Award Winners

“ “Dr. Fiorentino brings to the presidency a deep love for West Chester University and a clear vision for its future,” said Chair of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Cynthia D. Shapira. President Christopher M. Fiorentino (second from left) is pictured (L to R) with West Chester University Council of Trustees Chair Thomas A. Fillippo ’69, Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Frank T. Brogan, and Chair of the Board of Governors Cynthia D. Shapira.

Distinguished Alumni and Alumni Service Award winners for 2017.

4 University News 10 WCU Profiles 12 Cover Story 16 Sports News

17 Cultural Events 22 Alumni Notes 28 Rams on the Road 29 Football Schedule

wcupa.edu/socialmedia Digital version of the WCU magazine is available at issuu.com/wcuofpa.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

xcitement always fills second semester with the anticipation of commencement. Indeed, I can think of no better example of our mission made real than when presiding over the ceremony that awards bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to students ready to make a lasting impression on the world. For me, commencement is a lot like New Year’s Day: It provides an official, fresh start. This past May, over 3,000 graduates celebrated their own new day as they walked across the stage to receive their well-earned degrees and prepared to embark on an adventure that will ultimately be made distinctive by individual passions, trials, tribulations, and successes. Like the Class of 2017, I, too, embraced a new and welcomed path. As many of you know, I was inaugurated as West Chester University’s 15th president on April 21. I share the same optimism and enthusiasm as any new graduate. I welcome the challenges ahead and look forward to collaborating with this University’s many great minds in order to benefit all of our students. As I said during the investiture ceremony, we must continue to stimulate our students’ thirst for knowledge in radical and rigorous ways, and ensure that a West Chester University education is a transformative experience for each of our 17,000 students today and for all of our students in years to come. Creating a dynamic and stimulating environment for success in and out of the classroom is, after all, what we do best at WCU. So I’m pleased that this issue of West Chester University Magazine is dedicated to just some of the many examples of success achieved over the past several months, from celebrating our newest graduates to the opening of our Business and Public Management Center and everything in between, including the national championship title won by our men’s baseball team, their second in six years. Ram proud; it’s a great way for summer to commence. Sincerely,

SUMMER 2017

Editor & Executive Director of Communications Nancy Santos Gainer Associate Editors Matt Born Loretta MacAlpine Design JoAnne Mottola Contributors James Zuhlke President Christopher M. Fiorentino Vice President for Advancement and Government Relations Mark Pavlovich Director of Alumni Relations Debbie Cornell Naughton The West Chester University Magazine is published three times a year for the alumni, families, students, and friends of West Chester University. We welcome letters concerning magazine content or issues pertaining to the University. Letters must be signed and kept to one typed page. Please include address and daytime phone number. We reserve the right to edit. Send correspondence to: Editor, The WCU Magazine, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383 West Chester University Magazine is published by the West Chester University Office of Communications

www.wcupa.edu

Christopher M. Fiorentino President

WCU is an AA/EEO institution

WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES Thomas A. Fillippo ’69 (chair) Barry C. Dozor ’71 Ryan M. Long (student) Christopher Franklin ’87 J. Adam Matlawski ’80 (vice chair) Jonathan Ireland ’95, M’03 Marian D. Moskowitz (secretary) Stephen Kinsey ’81 Eli Silberman Christopher A. Lewis Robert M. Tomlinson ’70 The West Chester University Foundation Board of Trustees Officers Keith Beale ’77 (president) Thomas E. Mills, IV ’81 (vice president) Christopher J. DiGiuseppe ’89 (treasurer) Sandra F. Mather ’64, M’68 (secretary) Richard T. Przywara (executive director) Trustees

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President Fiorentino is the first president in the University’s history to incorporate hunger relief as part of the inaugural celebration. Members of the greater Chester County community showed their support for the WCU Presidential Inauguration Campus Food Drive by donating food at ShopRite during a hunger-relief project led by WCU students and the Fiorentino family.

James P. Argires ’56 John H. Baker ’74 Frank Branca ’70 J. Alan Butcher ’88, M’92 Millie C. Cassidy

Deborah J. Chase ’76 Zebulon R. Davenport, ex officio Thomas A. Fillippo ’69 (Council of Trustees representative) Christopher M. Fiorentino, ex officio David A. Gansky ’88 John A. Gontarz Carl Gersbach ’70 Maury Hoberman, MD David P. Holveck ’68 Kathleen Leidheiser Donald Leisey ’59 Tahany Naggar John N. Nickolas ’90 Michael O’Rourke John R. Panichello ’83 Mark G. Pavlovich, ex officio Michael Peich Paula D. Shaffner ’80 James Shinehouse ’80 Roger B. Ware Jr. ’82 Christine Warren ’90, M’99

West Chester University Alumni Association President Matt Holliday ’09 Vice President Nick Polcini ’00, M’05 Treasurer Mark Drochek ’86 Secretary Lisa Wright Bryant ’87 Past President Dean Gentekos ’07 Directors Lauren Bolden ’12, M’14 Lisa Wright Bryant ’87 Clay Cauley ’96 Mark Drochek ’86 Robert Fanelli ’60, ’66 Brigid Gallagher ’12

Dean Gentekos ’07 Jamie W. Goncharoff ’82 Matt Holliday ’09 Jonathan Long ’03 Alison Maguire ’07 Amy Miller-Spavlik ’90, M’92 Stephen Nicolai ’08 Nick Polcini ’00, M’05 William Scottoline ’74 Denise Bowman Trigo ’98 Michael Willard ’03 Emeriti Carmen Evans Culp ’52, M’64 (deceased) Janice Weir Etshied ’50 (deceased) Karl Helicher ’72, M’82, M’87 Joseph F. Kienle ’72, ’74 Richard D. Merion M’59 John F. Murphy ’43 (deceased) Luther B. Sowers ’49

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY NEWS NEWS

WCU Named One of the Safest U.S. Colleges

W COLONEL TYREE C. BLOCKER M’86 Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police

2017 COMMENCEMENT

CU graduated the largest class ever during its 144th commencement ceremony. A total of 3,034 students — 2,590 undergraduate students and 444 graduate students — earned their degrees at one of three on-campus ceremonies. While severe weather forced Saturday’s outdoor ceremony to be moved to Sunday afternoon, all was well when degrees were finally in hand and tassels had been moved from the left side of the mortar boards to the right. Alumni speakers who are pioneers in their fields delivered reflective messages at each ceremony. Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police Colonel Tyree C. Blocker M’86 (criminal justice) told newly minted master’s and doctoral degree graduates, “No matter where your degree takes you, be proud of what you achieve and be unafraid to champion your path. … Whatever you do, serve as an example to the people around you.” Undergraduates from the colleges of Arts and Humanities, Education and Social Work, and the Sciences and Mathematics listened to Executive Director of the National Criminal Justice

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PATRICIA MEISER ’69 President of Meiser Sports Consulting

Association Christopher Asplen ’86 (history), an internationally respected legal expert on forensic DNA technology. He noted,“In the long arc of your very successful life…the business plan, the budget spreadsheet…will be less important than the respect you show the janitor emptying your trash can, starting his day as you finish yours.” The third life lesson was given by President of Meiser Sports Consulting Patricia Meiser ’69 (health and physical education), who dedicated her address to her father and uncle, “two men, two brothers, who, upon graduation in ’41 and ’42, marched off to serve this country in World War II.” She reminded the graduates from the College of Business and Public Management, College of Health Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Studies, “Life is about a lot of starts and stops, u-turns and detours. Your attitude and mindset on meeting those challenges will be what makes the difference in your life.”

est Chester University has been named one of the Safest Colleges in America for 2017 by The National Council for Home Safety and Security, a trade association of home security professionals from across the United States with headquarters in Washington, DC. Using the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Center for Education Statistics, the Council assessed 2,167 four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. with a student population of 15,000 and above. For 2017, West Chester University ranked 28 on the Council’s list of the Top 100 Safest Colleges in America. WCU was one of only two universities in Pennsylvania named to the list and received the highest ranking of the two schools cited. The website for the National Council for Home Safety and Security states, “When choosing a college, key factors across the board (for both students and parents) tend to include cost, financial aid candidacy, reputation, location, and campus life. … Another factor popped back into people’s minds this year – campus safety. … We’ve compiled a list of what we believe are 2017’s safest. … Top-ranked colleges boast low overall crime rates (off campus) and maintain safe campuses with little or no crime.” Read about the full methodology used by The National Council for Home Safety and Security: https://www.alarms.org/safest-colleges-2017/ “West Chester University’s Department of Public Safety sees itself as a partner with students, faculty, staff, and members of the community who live in the Borough of West Chester,” said WCU Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Mike Bicking. “WCU is a safe campus because we all work together to make it that way. When visitors come to campus, it is very clear that crime will not be tolerated; we take it personally. Everyone does their part.” WCU’s Department of Public Safety also collaborates often with the West Chester Police Department on initiatives designed to curtail crime. The University’s Department of Public Safety employs 25 full-time commissioned police officers who have received their primary training under the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Act (PA Act 120). This is the same required training that all municipal police officers throughout Pennsylvania receive. Police officers on campus participate in annual in-service update police training according to PA Act 180. The University has also consistently been rated a Kiplinger “best buy” in public higher education based on its outstanding education and economic value.

CHRISTOPHER ASPLEN ’86 Executive Director of the National Criminal Justice Association

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

“MeiMei” Liu (C) and her brother Benjamin met President Fiorentino at the awards ceremony.

WEST CHESTER GOLD RUSH

n Saturday, April 1, Hollinger Field House was transformed to the American frontier for the 34th Annual Presidential Scholarship Community Gala, West Chester Gold Rush. As Chester County’s premier black-tie event, more than 325 guests traveled back in time for a frontier experience that featured fine Gold Rush-inspired cuisine provided by New Street Catering, live music by The Vibe Tribe, and an extensive silent auction, bidding on everything from African safaris to original artwork to VIP tickets. West Chester University President Christopher Fiorentino and his wife, Susan, shared co-hosting duties with Gala CoChairs Stephanie and Ed Collison. A 1993 WCU alumnus, Ed

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is executive vice president and principal of Hobbs & Company, Inc., and Stephanie serves as a business analyst/manager and a shareholder with Ultimate Software. The Presidential Scholarship is a renewable, four-year award and is one of WCU’s largest and most prestigious scholarship awards funded entirely by private donations. This year’s incoming class of academic scholars includes Robert Langel, mathematics major from Newport, PA; Nikolas Novakovic, physics major from Ambler, PA; and Rachel Robb, nursing major from Blackwood, NJ. Since its inception in 1983, more than $1.3 million dollars has been raised and 130 Presidential Scholarships awarded to incoming students with outstanding academic achievements.

Kean Spencer, Iris N. Spencer Poetry Awards benefactor (L), and University President Christopher Fiorentino (R) congratulated Justice Award winner Ryan Wilson.

President Fiorentino congratulated Alejandro Lemus-Gomez (C), winner of the prize named for Rhina P. Espaillat (L).

Award Winners Honored at Poetry Conference

ive undergraduate poets were honored with the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Prizes at the West Chester University Poetry Conference in June. Kean W. Spencer created the awards in honor of his mother, a community servant and avid reader. Iris N. Spencer Poetry Awards went to Morgan Bilicki, first place (Young Harris College, GA) and Brittney McDonald (Utah State University), second place. First place in the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award went to Jacqueline Keshner (College of William & Mary). Rebecca “MeiMei”

Liu (Whittier College, CA) placed second. The award was created by Kyle R. Spencer and named for his mother-in-law. Alejandro Lemus-Gomez (Young Harris College, GA) received the Rhina P. Espaillat Award, named for the noted poet born in the Dominican Republic. The Donald Justice Poetry Award went to Ryan Wilson, whose winning manuscript, The Stranger World, will be published. Named for the distinguished American poet Donald Justice, this annual prize is made possible through the generosity of the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Awards.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Governor Tom Wolf Appoints New Council of Trustees Members

ennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf reappointed one Council of Trustees member and made two new appointments to WCU’s 11-member Council.

15 President is Inaugurated & 3,000 Pounds of Food Donated th

hristopher M. Fiorentino was formally installed as West Chester University’s 15th president during a formal investiture ceremony held in Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall on Friday, April 21. Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and Cynthia D. Shapira, chair of the Board of Governors of the State System, presided and administered the oath of office. Nearly 1,000 faculty, students, staff, trustees, alumni, and friends gathered to witness the inauguration. Among those who delivered greetings were Senator Andrew Dinniman, State Representative Carolyn Comitta ’74, Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline, and West Chester Borough Council President Diane C. LeBold. The ceremony was made particularly distinctive by the impressive procession of members of the Board of Governors and University Council of Trustees, faculty, and delegates from 39 colleges and universities in the greater Pennsylvania area. Fiorentino is the first president in the University’s history to incorporate hunger relief as part of an inaugural celebration. A three-week canned food drive was held in March as a preinaugural volunteer service effort to benefit the University’s new Resource Pantry for students in financial need and the Chester County Food Bank. Sixteen food bins were stationed across

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campus for daily drop offs and scheduled collections by student teams. State Representative Comitta even hosted an additional bin at the district office where local community members generously made food donations during weekdays. Members of the greater Chester County community also showed their support for the campus-wide food drive by donating more than 1,000 pounds of food at ShopRite during a hunger-relief project led by WCU students and the Fiorentino family. In the end, 3,000 pounds of food was collected by WCU students, members of the local community, faculty, and staff. The WCU Presidential Inauguration Campus Food Drive was co-chaired by Diana Fiorentino ’14, retail dietitian at ShopRite of Washington Township and daughter of President and Mrs. Fiorentino, and Margo McDonough, writer/researcher to the president. Committee members included Tori Nuccio, assistant director of financial aid; Claudia Rose-Muir, food sourcing manager, Chester County Food Bank; Jodi Roth-Saks, director, Service-Learning and Volunteer Programs; Anne Shuniak ’99, marketing and communications manager, Chester County Food Bank; and Melissa Rudolph, associate director of digital and social media.

Judge Barry C. Dozor ’71 has served the University as a member of the Council of Trustees for six terms, having been appointed to the Council in 1976 by Governor Milton J. Shapp and then again by four subsequent governors. Dozor, who serves as liaison judge for the Family and Juvenile Division, was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas by former Governor Tom Ridge and swore his oath of judicial office on December 13, 2001. He was elected for a full judicial term that began on January 5, 2004. On November 5, 2013, Dozor was retained for an additional judicial term of 10 years. Dozor has attended and was awarded a Certificate from the National Judicial College. He is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law (J.D.), West Chester University (B.A.), and Haverford High School. State Representative Stephen Kinsey ’81 (D-Philadelphia) is a lifelong resident of northwest Philadelphia and a proud

Judge Barry C. Dozor

graduate of the public school system. He has represented the 201st District of Pennsylvania since 2013. Kinsey serves as first vice chair of the 59th Democratic Ward, past president of the Duval Improvement Association, and past president of the Germantown High School Alumni Association. He is active in schools throughout northwest Philadelphia and is a member of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. Kinsey established a scholarship in memory of his mother, Pearl Kinsey, which has been awarded annually for more than 20 years to students at the Anna Lane Lingelbach School. Kinsey is a graduate of West Chester University (B.S.) and Eastern University (M.B.A.). Ryan M. Long is an economics and finance major at West Chester University with a 3.9 grade point average. He held the office of advancement senator as a member of the West Chester University Student Government Association, as well as student body representative on the University’s 2017 Presidential Search Committee. Having transferred to the University from Lehigh Carbon Community College, Long is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, and the Friars’ Society.

State Representative Stephen Kinsey

NEW HOMECOMING EVENT!

ring the family to the Homecoming parade on Saturday, October 28, and before the game, head around the corner to the University’s first-ever Church Street Fest! This free familyfriendly event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine) all along the two blocks from Sharpless Street to Rosedale Avenue. The entire West Chester-area community is welcome to join WCU friends and family. Get in the Halloween spirit with a kids’ costume contest and pumpkin painting, plus a haunted house! Enjoy the carnival atmosphere with music, food (including our famous food trucks), face painting, balloons, and more. Then watch the Golden Rams vs. East Stroudsburg in the Homecoming game.

Ryan M. Long

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FACULTY PROFILE

STUDENT PROFILE

An International First

S Michael Antonio

tudents who took Mary Brewster’s spring break criminal justice study trip became the first international visitors to the newest location of New Scotland Yard. They learned about the British justice system while dining with police officers, probation officers, and human rights attorneys; observed cases at Southwark Crown Court, Royal Courts of Justice, and the Supreme Court; heard a lecture by an internationally renowned researcher on facial recognition; and were guided through the Houses of Parliament. They even had a sunny day to ride the London Eye.

Paloma Perez

“Shark Tank,” WCU-Style

RESEARCH IN PERU: Soccer Changes Boys’ Behavior

oys in an impoverished community in Peru, South America, are mostly staying safe and out of trouble since joining a soccer team at Club Deportivo Dan (Spanish for Dan’s Sports Club, known as CDD). Criminal justice professor Michael Antonio has been evaluating the impact on boys of CDD, a community-based program begun in 2008 by American Dan Klopp. It offers at-risk youth in the poorest suburbs of Ventanilla, a town north of Lima, an alternative to joining gangs and safety from kidnappers looking for forced child labor for local mines. “The soccer team was found to have the most immediate means for engrossing preteen and adolescent males to learn more about educational opportunities, mental health services, medical examinations, teen pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases,” Antonio concluded in a study published in the Journal of Gang Research. A trip to Ventanilla is unabridged culture shock, as the 40 WCU students Antonio has taken on four study abroad or service trips can attest. In the Los Lomas district, many 10 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

houses are dirt-floored and have no electricity or running water. Children might attend school shoeless. With little for them to do beyond school, many turn to petty crime, join gangs, or become prostitutes. “It’s emotionally draining on our students” to see this poverty firsthand, he reports. Yet at least 10 students took second trips: to be summer interns, conduct their own research, or further serve the Ventanilla community. “This is not a land without hope,” Antonio asserts, and the surveys he conducted with current and former CDD members confirm that. CDD’s structure “encouraged pro-social lifestyle choices, including … attending to educational responsibilities and maintaining good work ethics that have measureable impacts for their families and the local community.” In the year after they left the club, “former participants were less likely to fall into… delinquent behaviors…that resulted in… a criminal record.…Other findings… show a willingness to think about and take steps to improve the wellbeing of oneself and one’s family. [It’s] further evidence that former CDD participants have learned critical

problem-solving skills and developed decision-making abilities that will lead to better choices for their future.” CDD is part of Klopp’s Voices for Peru (V4P) organization, which also opened an accredited private preschool four years ago. Donna Sanderson, WCU professor of early and middle grades education, joined the 2017 spring break group to provide and train its teachers to use a special education tool, adapted with characters in the Spanish alphabet. That trip’s participants also collected school supplies, books, clothes, and sneakers for both kids and adults. In 2016, V4P opened Equality House, which serves LGBT adolescents, whether or not they’re part of CDD, and those who endure domestic violence. It offers drug and alcohol counseling and education, administers medical screenings, and fosters self-support groups in the community. Klopp appreciates the work Antonio and his students are doing, saying, “The highest form of charity is quality time, and this is what I saw. In a place where children have no freedom, West Chester University students are providing love and hope.”

n just seven minutes each, hopeful entrepreneurs presented their concepts to a panel of judges for the University’s fifth annual Business Idea Competition finals in April. The competition was organized by WCU’s Edwin Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center. In the category for WCU undergraduate students, Chris Thompson’s Treasure Hunt, a fundraising platform for fundraisers and events planners in the form of a game, took first place. Runner-up was Justin Horrocks’ Major Scoreboard, a mobile app and subscription service for improving how scores are viewed at sporting events. Winner of the division for WCU graduate students and WCU alumni was Dr. Geoffrey Chan’s Virtual Individual Private Doc. Runner-up was EVA’s Tech from Raymond Bonnett and Joshua Rudley. Overall winner was Collegeville’s Lisa Guenst, who pitched ToothShower, LLC, Oral Home Care Suite for the shower.

Chris Thompson

Junior Is An Inaugural Voya Scholar

irst-generation college student Paloma Perez knows the value of opportunity, and Voya Financial has provided her with another by naming her one of the first Voya Financial Scholars. A junior accounting and finance major, Perez is one of only five students in the country to earn this distinction, which includes being paired directly with Voya employee mentors. In addition to the $10,000 scholarship, Voya Financial and its employees offer such opportunities as networking, resume help and interview prep, plus additional internship and hiring opportunities that may arise. Perez is proof of the efficacy of the support given students through Chester County Futures (CCF), which partners with Voya Financial. She participated in

CCF’s high school comprehensive program of academic support, mentoring, and scholarships. CCF connected her with Chester County’s Latino Luncheon group, which awarded a scholarship to her and encouraged her to establish relationships and network. Perez has been a Start intern with PricewaterhouseCoopers and an ESL assistant, teaching English to Spanish-speaking adults at the Oxford Public Library through La Comunidad Hispana. She is the new president of the WCU chapter of the accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi. She says her education and the Voya Scholars advantage will help her navigate a future where she could “give back one day to students, similar to how many individuals and organizations have helped me out.”

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COVER STORY

DESIGNED not to be Business as Usual

JEFFREY TUTORO PHOTOGRAPHY

t is far from business as usual at WCU’s College of Business and Public Management. The College is now housed in the new 96,000-square-foot Business and Public Management Center that fronts Sharpless and Church streets. The five-story center is testament to the University’s commitment to provide a state-of-the-art facility for preparing the next generations of business, government, and nonprofit leaders for success in this global economy. As of spring 2017, the $45 million building became home sweet home to seven departments: accounting, criminal justice, economics and finance, geography and planning, management, marketing, and public policy and administration. Reinforcing the link between theory and practice, the center also became the official residence of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Analysis Center, the Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, and the Center for Social and Economic Policy Research.

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Now the largest academic classroom building on campus, the Business and Public Management Center provides an innovative and much-needed educational space for an increasing number of students eager to learn how to become effective leaders in a variety of high demand fields. The 21st-century building has been crafted with one thing in mind – 21st-century students. “As the College enters its next chapter, the new building has literally provided us with the framework necessary to earn our place among the best colleges of business and public management,” said Jeff Osgood, senior vice provost and former interim dean of the College of Business and Public Management. Designed to complement the majestic exterior design of Philips Memorial Hall, the building’s interior is far from traditional. Visitors are greeted by an open lobby with sleek architectural lines, floor-to-ceiling windows with lots of natural light, cool-colored walls, mahogany accents, and a grand staircase. Hanging in the main lobby and resembling an artistic composition is a cluster of large pendulum-shaped lights with opaque panels embedded with shredded text-book paper. The building style represents an entirely new era and is a clear statement about the evolution of learning today. The wireless facility boasts a digital ticker-tape that previews market financials in real time, electronic display boards on every floor, 25 multimedia classrooms, five collaborative classrooms, 13 classrooms with tiered seating, a 189-seat lecture hall, five seminar/conference rooms, and 137 offices. In addition, the main corridors of the first three academic floors have been designed with alcoves so students can study comfortably or work in small groups. These “nooks and crannies,” which are accented by

brightly colored walls, have outlets to recharge laptops or phones, a whiteboard, as well as a variety of seating styles. “This building will provide a dynamic learning environment for the next generation of business, government, and nonprofit leaders,” said Jerry Sweeney, ’79, president and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust and co-chair of the Business and Public Management Center Campaign Committee. “As a WCU alumnus, it has been my pleasure to work on the project, which will support the University’s fast-growing business programs and ensure that students are well-prepared to succeed in our rapidly changing workplace.” Fundraising generated nearly $8 million for the building from some 300 donors. According to Mark Pavlovich, vice president for advancement and government relations, the effort to raise funds for the center stretched over two University capital campaigns. During the Campaign for Excellence, Sweeney, along with alumnus Pat Croce and Leader’s Edge/Leaders by Design CEO Molly Shepard and Leaders By Design President Peter Dean, co-chaired the effort. During the current Becoming More Campaign, Sweeney was joined by co-chairs May Van M’89, founder of Brelyn Coaching & Consulting, and Jim Hamlet ’82, partner at Isdaner & Company, LLC. Pavlovich noted that gifts have helped ensure that the center contained all the amenities that make it a state-of-the-art learning environment. “A number of the building’s elements, ranging from the stock ticker to collaborative spaces, would not have been possible without the support of our donors,” he said. In addition to providing much-needed academic space, the facility also includes a number of sustainable design features

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COVER STORY

New Dean of the College of Business and Public Management

ollowing a national search, Anthony Wheeler was named dean of the College of Business and Public Management. Wheeler brings to the University more than 10 years of experience in the development and launch of innovative graduate business programs that infuse an interdisciplinary approach into learning in order to prepare students to be successful in evolving for-profit and non-profit sectors. Known widely for his expertise regarding the influence of human resource management (HRM) effectiveness and employee retention, Wheeler has extensive experience working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, small manufacturing companies, and high tech companies. His position as dean is effective as of July 31. A respected scholar, researcher, and senior-level administrator, Wheeler was the associate dean in the College of Business at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. Prior to Bryant, Wheeler held the rank of full professor and the Spachman Professor of Human Resources Management in the College of Business Administration with a joint appointment in the Schmidt Labor Research Center at the University of Rhode Island (URI). While at URI, Wheeler directed its full-time MBA program, which focused on strategic innovation. Prior to the role, he held assistant professor positions in management at Bradley University and California State University, Sacramento. Wheeler is known widely for his research on employee turnover and retention, employee stress, burnout, engagement, and leadership. Since 2001, he has published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, edited 14 book chapters, and made nearly 50 conference presentations. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, College Park, and earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Oklahoma.

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including an exterior shading grove with 12 native deciduous trees, a storm water management system and an extensive green roof. The facility has even earned Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, which makes it the highest certified building on campus. “Not only is the center a beautiful space in which to work and learn, but it is also a place where students, faculty, staff, and visitors are learning about sustainability in real time,” said Lisa Calvano, assistant department chair and associate professor of management. “To echo the students in WCU’s Net Impact chapter who worked on a project that highlights the building’s LEED features, the possibilities for awareness and action are endless.” The facility also infuses the latest technology in all aspects of learning. Multimedia classrooms encourage active and reflective learning with the aid of interactive television screens and whiteboards, and students are encouraged to bring their own mobile devices to class since each room features charging stations. With the touch of an instructor’s remote in a collaborative classroom, recessed LCD flat screen computers rise from rows of multi-use computer tables, so students can engage in instruction with unobstructed views of their professor. The complexity of the classrooms is astounding: A faculty member can even instruct a class alongside another colleague who is teaching at an off-campus site at the same time. Student excitement about the building is palpable. “I had the privilege of taking classes in the building the second semester of my sophomore year,” said Elena Navarro, a dual major in international business and management. “I watched the progress of the construction for three semesters and couldn’t wait to attend business classes there.” Mimicking the world of work, the team-oriented building promotes collaboration on a number of levels. Professors and students are not confined to four walls. Rather, they are able to manipulate and create flexible learning spaces by simply dividing a room in half with a sliding glass wall. Students can break out to form small groups by using movable furniture on wheels, and large groups of students are able to gather for discussions in comfortable lounge spaces provided on each floor. In addition to the esprit de corps that is being fostered by the building’s purposeful design, multidisciplinary synergies are occurring as a natural result of seven departments being brought together under one roof. Prior to the new building, the departments were dispersed across campus due to their inability to be housed in one location. Thanks to their close proximity, faculty

Unveiling the “Donor Wall” at the donor tribute are (L-R) Gerard H. Sweeney ’79, co-chair, Business and Public Management Center Campaign Committee and president, CEO, and trustee of Brandywine Realty Trust; May Van M’89, co-chair, Business and Public Management Center Campaign Committee and founder of Brelyn Coaching and Consulting; R. Lorraine Bernotsky, executive vice president and provost; Jeffery L. Osgood, senior vice provost and former interim dean, College of Business and Public Management; and Susan Fiorentino, assistant professor of management and graduate associate director of the master of science in human resource management program. President Christopher M. Fiorentino, far right, looks on as the ceremonial drapes are pulled away, revealing the names of the Business and Public Management Center donors.

and students from these departments are now able to interact daily and collaborate on a variety of research projects. “With the unprecedented growth in the University’s enrollment, WCU must continue to offer relevant academic and professional programs in teaching spaces designed specifically to maximize students’ intellectual development and career success,” says Chris Fiorentino, president and former dean of the College of Business and Public Management, who played a significant role in the building’s development. “Through faculty-led instruction, applied research, public service, and business collaborations, students develop professional skills, a solid work ethic, and a blueprint for their future.” From integrated classrooms with flexible spaces to multimedia lecture halls with movable LCDs, times have changed dramatically for today’s learners. What has not seemed to change for students, however, is the desire to be taught by outstanding faculty in a cutting-edge environment that will prepare them fully for the complex world that awaits. At a time when the facility boasts enviable state-of-the-art advances, the Business and Public Management Center is more than living up to very high expectations.

PRESTIGIOUS REACCREDITATION EARNED West Chester University’s School of Business has earned reaccreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) — representing the highest standard of quality in business education, recognized around the world. West Chester is one of only 26 schools of business in Pennsylvania and among the five percent of business schools globally to earn AACSB accreditation. The AACSB accreditation process includes rigorous self-evaluation and peer-review elements. All AACSB-accredited institutions must enter the Continuous Improvement Review process every five years to ensure they continue to demonstrate engagement, innovation, and impact to meet the standards.

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SPORTS NEWS

CULTURAL EVENTS

CULTURAL EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

SEP 8

SEPTEMBER 6 Artist Reception: Arden Bendler Browning 8 Planetarium Series: Black Holes Don’t Suck

26 Holocaust & Genocide

Planetarium Series BLACK HOLES DON’T SUCK

Studies Lecture Series: Patricia Heberer-Rice

OCTOBER

1 Collegiate Marching Band Festival

6 Planetarium Series: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

7 President’s Speaker Series: Judy Woodruff

West Chester Baseball Captures National Title

est Chester swept its way through the national finals with four straight wins to capture its second NCAA Division II National Championship at AirHogs Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, on June 4. The Golden Rams defeated North Georgia 9-4 in the opener and then took down Lindenwood (MO) 2-1 in the second game. Next up was Colorado Mesa in the semifinals. West Chester dispatched them 1-0 to advance to the national championship game. There, West Chester topped UC San Diego 5-2 to claim the crown. The Golden Rams have now won eight straight games at the DII national championships, dating back to the team’s last visit to the finals. West Chester won the national title in 2012, going 4-0 in Cary, NC. Senior relief pitcher Josh McClain (Tunkhannock, PA) appeared in all four games, going 2-0 with one save in the four contests. Three players were named to the all-tournament team. Jared Melone (North Wales, PA) and Nick Ward (Unionville, PA) joined McClain on the all-tournament squad.

16 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

13 WCU Live!: Neil Berg’s Pianomen

27 WCU Live!: Backtrack

NOVEMBER Sixth-year head coach Jad Prachniak remained perfect in the national finals round of the tournament (8-0) in his college coaching career. He was 4-0 in 2012, leading West Chester to its first national title and was 4-0 again in winning the title once more. West Chester is still the only Division II team from the northeastern part of the United States to win the national title and is also the only school at any level from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to win the national title. West Chester reached the national championships by virtue of winning the Atlantic Regional in four straight games as well. Wins over Winston-Salem State, Shepherd, Mercyhurst, and finally WinstonSalem State again gave the Golden Rams their fourth regional title since 2006. Senior outfielder Nick Bateman (Aston, PA) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional. Melone went 5-for-5 with four RBI in the championship game against Winston-Salem State. Melone, McClain, and Ward were all named to the all-tournament team during regionals as well while Bateman joined those three on the alltournament squad.

4 WCU Live!: Peter Gros of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom

OCT 7

President’s Speaker Series: JUDY WOODRUFF

9-18 Theatre & Dance: Exit the King 17-18 Theatre & Dance: Moving Reflections, a dance concert

NOV 4 For a full schedule of events please visit Cultural & Community Affairs at wcupa.edu/oca & the College of Arts & Humanities at wcupa.edu/arts-humanities/ eventsCalendar.aspx.

WCU Live!

PETER GROS OF MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S WILD KINGDOM SUMMER 2 0 1 7

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ALUMNI

Edward M. Matejkovic ’69

Longest-Tenured Athletics Director Retires

Alumni Weekend Review! Friday, May 19, through Sunday, May 21, 2017

ong-time Athletics Director Edward M. Matejkovic ’69 retired from his position at West Chester University at the end of June. Matejkovic, the longest-tenured athletics director in West Chester University history, was in his 22nd year as the director of athletics at the NCAA Division II institution having built the Golden Rams’ program into one of the most successful in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), as well as the NCAA Atlantic Region. He was in his 47th year overall as an educator. West Chester University’s athletic program has won three Eugene F. Dixon Trophy titles, handed out to the top overall athletic program in the PSAC, while earning six national championships, 24 NCAA regional crowns, and an astounding 61 PSAC titles over Matejkovic’s 22year reign. Add to that 27 more PSAC Eastern Division crowns, five conference titles in women’s rugby’s 13year history, and a pair of Atlantic 10 Field Hockey regular-season titles as well as an ECAC Division II Men’s Lacrosse championship, and one can see why the trophy cases on South Campus are crowded with hardware. West Chester’s athletics program has taken home at least one conference title in each of Matejkovic’s 22 years, including back-to-back seasons with five PSAC crowns (2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns) that also contained a national championship (Women’s Lacrosse in 2008). The Golden Rams’ three Dixon Trophy titles have come over the last five years while four of the school’s six national titles occurred in the last six seasons. Matejkovic’s more than two decades as athletics director, however, will also be remembered for the student-athletes’ success in the classroom. West Chester University’s student-athletes continually posted a cumulative gradepoint average higher than that of WCU’s student body. Of the nearly 575 student-athletes at West Chester University, more than 350 made the AD Academic Honor Roll each semester dating back to 2010. In fact, this past fall, 400 of those 575 were AD honor roll recipients. Among the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institutions across the Commonwealth, West Chester has put the most student-athletes on the PSAC Academic Honor Roll in each of the past six years.

18 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

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ALUMNI PROFILE

ALUMNI

Jeff Stein ’91

A True Life “True Detective”

“I

get a letter or a phone call from an inmate looking for help at least once a week,” says Jeff Stein, a 1991 WCU graduate with a bachelor’s in criminal justice. “Word gets out.” Stein, founder and principal of ELPS Private Detective Agency, has no one to blame but himself for his spreading reputation as a kind of “last hope” for the wrongly incarcerated. His West Chester firm, a full-service agency of private investigators, investigative specialists, and licensed associates, provides a range of security and investigative services. But its chief has evolved into a criminal investigation specialist — with a track record of freeing individuals incarcerated despite their innocence. He has now been the driving force behind many “ripped from the headlines” stories, including two homicide cases in just the past six months. Stein cites these cases, in particular, as disturbing illustrations of the fundamental flaws inherent in the criminal justice process — especially in overburdened, under-funded urban districts like Philadelphia. The passion he feels is evident as he enumerates systemic obstacles to the Compulsory Process

20 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

Clause of the Sixth Amendment and references sloppy or unethical work. “Court-appointed attorneys are getting paid what they were in the late ’90s,” he says. “The system allows for what I can only describe as minimum wage for investigators. And both numbers are capped at ridiculously low fee totals.” It’s not possible for defendants to secure witnesses (and evidence) in their favor under such miserly circumstances, he stresses. “And then,” he says, his voice strained with exasperation, “there are too many cases where the agencies are just not doing their job. How am I able to provide the evidence that vindicates these individuals when major city detective units cannot?” In one case, prior to the trial, “The A.D.A. asked me, ‘Can I get a copy of all your notes, as I know you talked to more people than we did?’” he says in disbelief. “Don’t get me wrong: I have enormous regard for the D.A.’s office and for the police. But the system is flawed, and it can be further undercut by just a single individual not doing their job.” One current ELPS client — saved, for now, by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ’s 2015 moratorium on the death penalty

— has been waiting for the system to clear him for more than a decade. Stein, who has spent nearly four years on the case, says, “I hope and believe I’ll clear him eventually. I know he didn’t do it. In fact, I know who did. I just have to prove it to the courts.” His client, he explains, also knows, but adheres to the almost cinematic belief of not being a “rat.” He’s waiting for the egregious mistakes in his case to be sorted out; in other words, Stein says, “he’s been waiting for the system to right the wrong — since 2006.” Stein, who has served as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Licensed Investigators since 2012, remains active in the WCU community. He has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2008 and is currently the past president. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, as the president of the Alumni Association, he was a speaker at the University’s commencement ceremony. As a student, he was a founding father of the campus chapter of Kappa Delta Rho. West Chester provided “a great opportunity to spread your wings,” he says. “I earned a great education. I had fantastic professors,” he says, quickly recalling Jana Nestlerode and Anthony Zumpetta, in particular. “I was severely injured during the fall semester in 1989, working as a store detective at John Wanamaker’s, and the faculty really worked with me to keep me on schedule.” Stein, run down by an automobile driven by a suspect in a shoplifting incident, was medivaced to a hospital with an assortment of serious injuries and spent months in rehab. “It was my worst fear that’d I’d lose a semester. But the faculty really stepped up for me. West Chester goes out of its way to provide a great opportunity to succeed.”

SAVE THE DATE West Chester University Class of 1967

CELEBRATING OUR 50TH GOLDEN RAMPAGE WEEKEND

REU NI O

Join us for dinner during Homecoming Weekend.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 Sheraton Great Valley, 707 E. Lancaster Ave., Frazer, PA

Party with your classmates for an exciting evening of delicious food, great music and lots of fun. 6:30 p.m. Cocktail Hour 7:30 p.m. Dinner and Cash Bar Dance to the tunes of DJ Steve Kurtz Dress: Casual to Cocktail Cost: $67 includes two beverages Registration will be available online. Take the elevator home – Rooms and suites are available starting at only $139 per night including breakfast!

Call 1-800-325-3535 and ask for the WCU class reunion block. KEEP UP WITH OUR CLASS ON Facebook - WCURAMS1967

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ALUMNI

member of the WCU field hockey team that won the first-ever women’s field hockey championship contest. Stevens is the head coach at UConn and all-time wins leader in the sport with 32 Big East titles, 12 NCAA semifinals appearances, and two national championships.

1950s Rudine Sims Bishop ’59 is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. Bishop is winner of numerous awards and has served as a respected member of many book awards committees over the course of her long and distinguished career.

Sicoli ’66

Hunsicker ’70

Birney ’82

Samms ’84

1960s Frank Girardi ’61, former Lycoming College head football coach, was honored in the chambers of both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate in October 2016. Barbara Jean Vaka ’65 is the author of four published fictional novels including Hank’s Mountain, Pretty Maids, and Crimes of Passion. M.L. Corbin “Candi” Sicoli ’66 will present twice at the American Psychological Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., this August. Sicoli will present her research on the life span musical contributions of popular musicians who have been singer songwriters for 50 years — Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Dolly Parton, and Paul Simon. She will analyze how their career trajectories compare with those of classical composers, artists and other persons of eminence. She will also chair the inaugural symposium of the working group of Division 48 - Justice For Animals, a group that she founded this year.” Priscilla Yost Huff ’69 graduated from Harcum College, Bryn Mawr, PA, in 2015 in occupational therapy assisting and is currently working at two pediatric clinics in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown) area.

22 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

Savage ’88

Thames ’90

1970s H. Ray Hunsicker ’70 retired in June of 2017 after serving as director of music and organist at Calvary Lutheran Church in West Chester for 50 years. Hunsicker was responsible for overseeing a music ministry that involved four vocal choirs, two handbell choirs, a brass ensemble and two praise bands. He was the principal organist at the church. In addition to giving several organ and piano recitals, Hunsicker presented many choral works during his tenure and created the “Many Moods of Christmas Concerts,” which have become a community tradition. In addition, Hunsicker was the director of choral activities at West Chester East High School for 31 years. Tom Crawford ’73, a former Sunoco employee of 35 years and current owner and president of TS Crawford Consulting, LLC, was appointed chairman of the Sun East Board of Directors.

Gray ’04

Kauffman M’10

John DiPippa ’74 has been appointed interim dean at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. DiPippa currently serves as dean emeritus and distinguished professor of law and public policy. Cheryl Toboll McAuley ’75 completed a doctorate of management in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix using the post-911/GI Bill. McAuley is preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with Compassion International after visiting Beatrice, a child she has sponsored in Tanzania since 2008. She and her husband John are raising money for a water and sanitization/hygiene program for Tanzanian families. Tom Albrecht ’76, M’13 has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Information Science and Technology at Cabrini University beginning fall 2017. Nancy Stevens ’76 was inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2016 as a

1980s Rebecca Foulds ’80 was named assistant director of the Center Point Training Center of Development Enterprises Corporation (DEC). DEC is the Delaware Valley’s largest provider of personalized therapies, vocational training, and habilitation services for adults with intellectual challenges and other developmental disabilities. Claire Birney ’82 was hired as the director of development at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Birney will lead a three-person team working to attain the funding needed to restore the tidal Delaware River and Bay in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. John O’Donnell ’83 joined the Chester County Detectives. Gary Samms ’84 was selected for inclusion in 2017 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP. The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) honored Mark Savage ’88, Sportsplex tennis director, New Windsor, NY, for achieving master professional status, the highest professional rating within the tennis profession. Since 1927 fewer than one percent of the tennis teaching professionals have attained this honor.

1990s Joanne Ricevuto Thames ’90 successfully defended her dissertation

entitled “Adjunct Faculty Use of Formative Assessment and Their Perceived Impact on Student Engagement.” She has earned her doctorate in education from Widener University with a concentration in higher education leadership.

as a wealth advisor at USAA in Colorado Springs, CO helping members with the various aspects of retirement and investment planning as well as life insurance.

Joe Cannon ’92, M’01 has written eight books on health and wellness, including the first book on exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis. He teaches personal fitness trainers and owns Supplement-Geek.com, a website that provides the public with unbiased reviews of dietary supplements.

Paige Brookins ’02, M’04 graduated in 2016 with a Ph.D. in leadership from Alvernia University. Her dissertation was “Mentoring Adolescents in the Urban Community: Leadership and Spirituality of Adult Mentors.”

Kate (K.M.) Walton ’92 recently had her third contemporary, young adult novel published, Ultimatum, from Sourcebooks. Her first two novels, Cracked and Empty, were published by Simon & Schuster and focus on the effects of bullying. Howard Fidler ’93 has been appointed to the medical staff of maccabi USA for the 20th World Games in Israel this summer. Jon Kapell ’95 completed his educational doctorate at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Patrick D. Herron ’96 was awarded the Samuel M. Rosen Award for Outstanding Teaching by the students of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Herron is an assistant professor in the Department of Family & Social Medicine for Montefiore Health System. He serves as co-director of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine Program and is an a associate of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics. He also serves on the board of directors for the Academy for Professionalism. Jeffrey Ryan ’98 passed the Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®) board exam. Ryan currently serves

2000s

Chris (Vanacore) Reed ’02 has an MBA from Villanova and recently received the PMP certification. She is a project manager with First National Bank in Omaha. She raised more than $15,000 since 2010 for breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen three-day, 60-mile walk. Chris will be participating in her fifth event in 2017. Adam Danoff ’03 produced his third indie feature film, Bloodrunners, starring Law & Order: SVU’s Ice-T. His wife, Lynne Greenwald Danoff ’06, was a featured vocalist on the sound track, while Lynne’s father, Bruce Greenwald ’77, played clarinet on-screen. Several shoot locations were in the West Chester area. The film is available worldwide on multiple streaming platforms. Bryan Norris ’03, M’05 has been promoted to assistant athletic director for development at High Point University. He had been assistant director of development since October. Rasheeda Gray ’04, owner and chief designer of Gray Space Interior Design, was awarded a“Best of Customer Service” badge on Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design.

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ALUMNI

Ethan Abramowitz, Esq., ’05 has been selected to the 2017 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list at the Law Firm of Seltzer & Associates. This exclusive list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in Pennsylvania. Abramowitz represents disabled professionals and executives in individual and longterm disability insurance claims, ERISA, breach of contract, and insurance bad faith cases. Robert Wilson ’06, Philadelphia audit senior manager at KPMG, won the Chairman’s Award for High Performance. Wilson was recently given this award for his outstanding performance and dedication.

ALUMNI

D-League for four seasons, including the 2015 and 2016 D-League Playoffs and the 2016 D-League finals. He also worked the 2016 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game and the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game, both held in Toronto, Canada. From 2013-2016, Smith worked as a member of the WNBA officiating staff. At the college level, he worked for four seasons in the Big South Conference, including the conference championship game in 2016. Nia Andrews ’16 was crowned Miss Philadelphia in February 2017.

Liz Burkhart ’07 received the 2017 High School Teacher of the Year Award from the Eastern District of the Society of Health and Physical Educators. Margaret DeMaioribus ’09 has been appointed general manager of KNOM AM and KNOM FM at KNOM Radio Mission, Inc. She was formerly a KNOM volunteer, outreach coordinator and interim news director. Ben Martin ’09, M’10 joined the Chester County Detectives. Claudia Shank ’09 joined McNees Wallace & Nurick Real Estate practice group. Justin Kauffman M’10 joined Aqua America as director, Asset Management and Field Services. Kauffman brings more than 15 years of experience implementing asset management programs and business process enhancement strategies to his role. Aaron Smith ’10 entered his first full-time season as an NBA referee. Prior to being hired in the NBA, Smith officiated in the NBA

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SUBMIT your class notes to the Office of Alumni Relations to alumni@wcupa.edu.

A Message from the Director

in memoriam 1937 Herman Giersch 1941 Rhea Henry Taylor 1942 Henry Todd 1942 Elizabeth Woods Weisgerber 1947 Jean Okada Reisner 1948 Howard Blankman 1948 Harry Gilbert 1952 Carmen Evans Culp 1954 Minnie Painter Kemp 1954 Louise Breneman Wyly 1955 Maud Kelso Kiernan 1955 John Collins 1957 William Shearer 1959 Alfred Antonelli 1964 Georgene Radosinovich 1968 Joan Moyer 1971 Raymond Wolfe 1993 Francis McArdle 1996 Robert Fleeger 1997 Kristina Miller Wadia 2005 Jennifer Rosenthal Pinti 2013 Blair Gower DEATH NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE Contact the Alumni Relations Office with a copy of the decedent’s obituary from a newspaper or the internet, or a copy of a letter or email from a family member of the deceased. Please note: death notifications will not be accepted via telephone.

Photo Submission Guidelines • Photos should be no less than 300 DPI and in JPG format. • If you are scanning a printed photo, please set the scanning resolution to at least 300 dpi.

(1)

(2)

Debbie Cornell Naughton

(3)

Marriages (1) Mark McKernan ’08 to Carrie Rupp McKernan ’12 Paul Fleischer ’54 to Barbara Swanson McCleary

Future Alumni (2) Christopher Bannan ’06 and Christina Hartmann Bannan ’09 welcomed their second set of twins, Cassandra Mary and Savannah Anne, on November 2, 2016. (3) Nicholas Gazzale ’10 and Allison Slater Gazzale ’08, M’10 welcomed son Connor Nicholas Gazzale on December 28, 2016.

• Digital camera and/or cell phone shots should be taken on the highest resolution setting available. • Photos should be emailed as an attachment, not pasted into the email or document. We reserve the right to not publish a photo of low quality, and not all photos can be published. Please send your photos as email attachments to the attention of the WCU Alumni Relations Office at alumni@wcupa.edu.

“

Summer is here and sun and fun are on the menu. As a child, I remember I could not wait to get out of school, sleep late, not have homework, play in the sprinklers, catch lightning bugs, wait for the ice cream truck, have sleep-overs, enjoy barbecues with lots of burgers and hot dogs, participate in watermelon seed spitting contests, and go to “the pool” to do cannonballs. Our neighborhood was filled with kids and we had so much fun growing up. Now, as a grown-up, I have a different kind of fun. Going to outdoor concerts, having an adult beverage with an umbrella in it, playing volleyball on the beach, planting tomatoes and basil, grilling with friends, watching little league games, and having time to sit in the sun and read a book because the lawnmower is “broken.” Summer gives us a chance to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the school year and the many activities that fill our fall and spring. While we all need summer fun, we still are looking forward to the upcoming fall. The WCU Alumni Office is no different. We are planning numerous events that will include alumni of all majors, years, and constituencies. Please make it a point to visit our homepage to see our calendar of events. They are fun and informative. Hopefully, you did not miss the Longwood Gardens Preview, the Phillies Phireworks game, Dorney Park, or Rams in the Sand this summer. A sampling of events in the fall will include: Family Day at Linvilla Orchards; the Class of 1967 50th reunion and the Class of 1957 60th reunion during Homecoming Weekend on October 27 through 29; the Nutcracker Tea Party in November; and a visit with Santa in December. Please check out www.wcualumni.org and sign up for one or all of our events. Have a ball! Debbie Cornell Naughton Director, Alumni Relations dnaughton@wcupa.edu

CONNECT WITH US www.wcualumni.org 610-436-2813

Jenna Cardaciotto Birch ’06 Assistant Director of Alumni Relations jbirch@wcupa.edu 610-436-2813 alumni@wcupa.edu www.wcualumni.org SUMMER 2 017

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ALUMNI

2017

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

JOAN SNYDER ESPENSHADE ’72

MARK PENNYPACKER, SR. ’82

CAROL EGGERT ’87

DEIDRE GRAY ’92

fter graduating, Joan Snyder Espenshade became program director at the West Chester YMCA, using her elementary education degree to develop a preschool program. She then went to work for the PA Governor’s Office as a citizens advocate and was there during the crisis at Three Mile Island. She became housing coordinator for the Office of Aging in Lancaster after marrying her husband, John. She was on the board of the YMCA and helped create the first triathlon on the East Coast. She was also on the board of the Hands-on-House, The New School, and Crispus Attucks, chairing the homeless shelter committee. While volunteering for the Homeless Student Program, she learned that 97 percent of the students in an elementary school were eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program and for many, it was their primary source of nutrition. She founded Power Packs Project, a non-profit that provides families with weekend food, after learning that many of these students went hungry on weekends and returned to school on Monday hungry and unable to focus. The project provides low-income families with a recipe and the food to make it plus basic staples like cereal, produce, and milk. Their goal is to empower families with the knowledge to stretch their limited food dollars so their children are fed and ready to do well at school. Power Packs now serves almost 2,000 families and is the largest school pantry program in the country. It has been recognized as the Gold Standard for Back Pack Programs by “Feeding America.”

26 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

ark Pennypacker, Sr. received his degree in philosophy and sociology and is currently a teacher of earth science, biology, and honors biology at the James Woods High School in Winchester, VA. His achievements over the past 30 years have won him wide acclaim and many awards. As a volunteer he has received national, advanced national, and premier certificates in coaching soccer. He received the 2001 Eastern Regional Girls Youth Coach of the Year and was selected to coach U.S. All-Star teams in the Netherlands, Austria, and Brazil. His Austrian team earned a bronze medal in international competition. As a teacher leader of People to People International, Mark has traveled to 17 countries on four continents. He was selected to the ISAAC Advisory Council of People to People and received the Distinguished Leader Award for his efforts there. As a member of the American Red Cross, he received local and state recognition as a life guard and C.P.R. instructor trainer. As a member and chair of the Winchester Parks and Recreation Board, Pennypacker was instrumental in creating a master soccer and parks plan for the city. As a Boy Scout leader, he received the prestigious statuette and Shenandoah District Cub Scout Leader of the Year for the programs he instituted while a pack committee chair and cub master. He has promoted ideas of teamwork, loyalty, sportsmanship, and self-respect.

rigadier General (Ret.) Carol Eggert is senior vice president, Military and Veteran Affairs at Comcast NBCUniversal. She leads an eight-person team and provides strategic leadership to all aspects of Comcast NBCUniversal’s programs and outreach to the military and veteran community. Eggert completed her distinguished military career in 2014 as the assistant adjutant general for the Pennsylvania National Guard and the deputy commandant for the Army War College. She served in a variety of command and staff positions and completed numerous overseas deployments, including a 15-month combat tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as chief of the Women’s Initiatives Division and senior liaison to the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, and received numerous military awards and commendations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. Eggert serves on the Corporate Advisory Board for West Chester University, and the boards of directors for the Philly POPS and PsychArmor. Her leadership in the private sector has been recognized by HillVets, which placed her on their 2016 list of the 100 most influential veterans in America, and by the Philadelphia Business Journal, which named her one of their 2016 Veterans of Influence. Eggert holds master’s degrees in instructional design and strategic international studies and recently earned her doctoral degree in organizational leadership.

native Philadelphian, Deidre Gray holds a bachelor in criminal justice and is pursuing a master of science in organizational leadership and management at Peirce College. She is employed with the University of Pennsylvania Health System and is the owner of Higher Learning College Prep Services and Always A Positive Image, LLC Weddings/Events. At WCU, Gray was president of the Gospel Choir and a resident assistant, earning an R.A. of the Year Award. She became president of the WCU Black Alumni Chapter (BAC) in October 2015. Her vision was to see the chapter become more active in the WCU community, which has become a reality. Under her leadership, the BAC started a mentoring program in March 2016 that serves more than 40 students. That May, the BAC introduced its first legacy cords at the Kente ceremony. The cords honor graduates whose parents are WCU Black Alumni. In 2016, the BAC established its first annual BAC scholarship and book award (to be awarded in July 2017). The BAC also hosts social events and community service projects. Gray is committed to empowering and educating youth and young adults. She has adopted “each one, teach one” as her personal mission statement. She’s an active mentor to four students, served as a panelist at Life After DUB C and Meet the Mentors, conducted a professional development training for the Multicultural Center’s Peer Mentor Program, and served as the alumni keynote speaker at the fall 2015 and spring 2016 Kente Ceremony.

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Rams on the Road! FLORIDA

Clearwater Beach Reception

St. Petersburg Foodie Tour

Fort Myers Brewery Tour

Sarasota Foodie Tour

2017 Football Schedule AUGUST 31 vs Bentley 6 p.m. SEPTEMBER 9 at Slippery Rock 6 p.m.

16 vs Edinboro 12 p.m. Phillies Spring Training 28 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

Sarasota Polo Club Tailgate

23 at Lock Haven 2 p.m.

30 vs Kutztown

28 vs East Stroudsburg

12 p.m.

2 p.m.

OCTOBER 7 at Shippensburg TBA

NOVEMBER 4 at Millersville TBA

14 vs Bloomsburg

11 vs Clarion

12 p.m.

21 at Cheyney 1 p.m.

12 p.m. Learn more about the schedule of sports events at: www.wcupagoldenrams.com.

SUMMER 2 017

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West Chester University West Chester, PA 19383-7401

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The West Chester University Magazine is published three times a year for the alumni, friends and family of West Chester University of Pennsylvania by the Office of Communications, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383-7401.

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HOMECOMING OCTOBER 27-29, 2017