Lanterns Magazine Oct. 2014

UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE • FALL 2013

Heritage Center:

Witness Past, Beacon Future to the

for the

DIAMOND INITIATIVE | SALEEM GUBHRIL (S’91): BRIDGE BUILDER OPENING NIGHT AT HERITAGE CENTER | PARAGUAY: FISHING FOR GOLD IN A FOREIGN LAND

Lanterns UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE • FALL 2013 EDITOR Kristi Lynch PRESIDENT Jeffrey F. Bullock

ON THE COVER A view from the Steinway piano bench on Preiss Stage, John and Alice Butler Hall, in UD’s Heritage Center.

UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE • FALL 2013

VICE PRESIDENT FOR PHILANTHROPY David Dendy VICE PRESIDENTS FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AND UNIVERSITY RELATIONS Peter and Susan Smith

Heritage Center:

Witness Past, Beacon Future to the

GUEST CONTRIBUTORS: DESIGN WDG Communications Inc.

for the

DIAMOND INITIATIVE | SALEEM GUBHRIL (S’91): BRIDGE BUILDER OPENING NIGHT AT HERITAGE CENTER | PARAGUAY: FISHING FOR GOLD IN A FOREIGN LAND

WRITING Duane Sweep Beverly VanDerZyl PHOTOGRAPHY Ken Smith Joey Wallis Steve Woit

Lanterns is published by the University Relations Office for family and friends of the University of Dubuque.

Submissions and signed letters to the editor are welcomed and may be sent to the Editor, Lanterns Magazine, University of Dubuque, 2000 University Avenue, Dubuque, Iowa 52001-5099; lanterns@dbq. edu. For change of address and class note submissions (including photos and notice of births or deaths) submissions may be sent to the Alumni Office at the address above; udalumni@dbq.edu.

Nonprofit organization periodicals postage paid at Davenport, Iowa 52806, and additional mailing offices.

© Copyright 2013 by the University of Dubuque

POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Lanterns 2000 University Avenue Dubuque, IA 52001-5099 FAX: 563.589.3617 NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY The University of Dubuque does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

Persons having inquiries may contact the Director of Human Resources, University of Dubuque, 2000 University Avenue, Dubuque, Iowa 52001-5099.

DEPARTMENTS 2

2000 University Avenue

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Around the Quad

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Revelations

68

Good Sports

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Alumni Connections

23 Heritage Center Your virtual tour of the University’s new Performing Arts, Worship, and Campus Center.

34 The Diamond Initiative: Achieving Excellence at the University of Dubuque The Diamond Initiative spells out UD’s understanding of 21st century higher education realities and clarifies how we are on our way to becoming “one of the best” by responding effectively to them. The initiative is a way to focus UD efforts to make a difference in the lives of every student who comes to us.

30 Opening Night at Heritage Center – a Photo Essay Heritage Center celebrated its Opening Night on Saturday, May 11, 2013. The evening featured a joint symphony scholarship benefit concert, preceded by an invitationonly fundraising dinner.

45 Saleem Ghubril: Bridge Builder

Founder of The Pittsburgh Project, Saleem Ghubril (S’ 91) works to build bridges of trust, respect, and hope, that lead people through the impasses in their lives.

58 Fishing for Gold in a Foreign Land Every other spring, UD students have the opportunity to participate in a Paraguay-focused Field Studies course with Professor Gerald Zuercher. The course culminates in a month-long experience in Paraguay that includes participation in ongoing research projects.

72 Presbyterian Philanthropists: Louis H. Severance and C.O. Daniel The University of Dubuque has benefited from many donors since its founding in 1852. Two philanthropists – Severance and Daniel – from two different eras, made significant gifts in two different ways.

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

2000 University Avenue FROM THE EDITOR…

F

Lanterns welcomes the opinions and comments of its readers. Letters to the editor may be used for publication unless the author states the letter is not to be published.

Letters may be edited for style, length, and clarity.

To submit letters for possible publication, contact us at: Lanterns University of Dubuque 2000 University Avenue Dubuque, IA 52001 Email: lanterns@dbq.edu

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all Greetings!

It has taken me some time to begin – and ultimately conclude – writing this letter for inclusion in this issue of Lanterns. Because, as I worked through the process, it comes to you not in tandem – not from two – but from one… a single voice. This issue of Lanterns is the first I have worked on without my publishing partner and mentor, Susan Smith.

Susan served with her husband, Peter, as Vice President for Enrollment Management and University Relations since 1998. I was professionally fortunate enough to join their team in January of 2000.

Susan Magil Smith Yet, it has not been only of professional fortune, but of personal, as well. Since that time, I, along with my colleagues, have had the privilege to learn an immeasurable amount from the Smiths. In my particular case, the creation of Lanterns was the collaborative result of Susan’s and my work together.

Late last year, we learned that Susan had been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer; and this January we mourned the end of her time here with us, and celebrated what we know to be only the beginning of her life everlasting.

Susan was a lantern for so many. Her guidance helped to shape UD into what it is today – a very different University from when she and Peter joined during the transformation years. It is hard for me to find the words to express how much I have been personally influenced by Susan’s leadership,

and so I share the eloquent words of President Bullock upon Susan’s diagnosis: I cannot begin to describe the impact Susan has had on the University. Her attention to detail, demand for thorough excellence, and ear for a well-crafted phrase has elevated all of our publications—from brochures to alumni magazines—to a level of content and professional beauty that we’ve never before experienced. But this is just one quiet indication of Susan’s giftedness. There is another side to Susan that not many people have a chance to see, but that those of us who have been privileged to know her have certainly benefited from. That is, Susan is an engaging and wise listener. She hears what is said, and importantly, what is not said, and she has an amazing way to stay calm— and to keep others calm—even in the most difficult of storms. Together, Susan and Peter have contributed immeasurable amounts of accumulated wisdom learned in the tough “business” of the academy, insightful and courageous counsel during some very challenging times, all while, together, they were leading the creation of one of the most successful recruiting and marketing units in our higher education peer group.

While Susan is no longer physically with us, may her lantern – her signal fire of encouragement, affirmation, and purpose – guide us for years to come.

This issue is published in tribute to Susan Magill Smith.

Sincerely,

Kristi Lynch, editor

Lanterns

UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

LETTERS RECEIVED FOLLOWING OPENING NIGHT AT HERITAGE CENTER...

Working Together Can Be So Beautiful Congratulations on the outstanding Heritage Center. Due to your generosity, I, along with two of my Franciscan sisters, had the opportunity to experience the opening night concert. It was a magnificent performance and unique with two symphony orchestras from two different cities performing together. It is an example of how working together can be so beautiful. Thank you for this opportunity and for the support the University has given Opening Doors.

Sister Helen Huewe, OSF

Thrill of My Lifetime

UD on Right Path

Last weekend seems like a dream! The festivities and celebrations surrounding the opening concert of the fabulous new Heritage Center were superbly planned and executed. It was a thrill of my lifetime, and I was deeply honored to be a part of this memorable and historic event in the University’s history. I know my grandparents and parents would be so gratified to see the school’s renewal and re-visioning of its mission.

Thank you for all you are doing to grow the mission and security of our alma mater and thank you to you and all your diligent staff and Board for giving us an event that will be a glowing memory for a lifetime. It was wonderful!

I just had to write and thank you for such a wonderful evening Saturday night. Everything was perfect – the community is so lucky to have such a fantastic building to appreciate the arts. I was so impressed that you started the program with God. UD is on the right path. Thanks again for such a delightful evening.

Gratefully, Marian Hoffman (C’55) and Warren Hoffman, too.

Sincerely, Kerin Moldenhauer

Bravo!

Congratulations on a fabulous facility.

Bravo! The acoustics in Heritage Center are fantastic. You have constructed a first-class facility, and its impact on Dubuque arts will be phenomenal. Thank you for all you have done for the University and the City of Dubuque Tori Richter

UNIVER

DUBUQ SITY OF

LANTERNS

LL 2013 UE • FA

Signal Fires of Encouragement, Affirmation, and Purpose

Each of us has been influenced, guided, and shaped by mentors s who have helped to make Witnesas P t, Beacourne the way clear, who have Fut illuminated our path, who have seen something in us, and who have believed in us so much that we eventually began to believe in ourselves. These people in whose paths we have been placed are the lanterns of our lives.

Heritage Center:

to the

for the

GE BUILDER IGN LAND (S’91): BRID IN A FORE GUBHRIL FOR GOLD E | SALEEM Y: FISHING INITIATIV PARAGUA DIAMOND CENTER | HERITAGE NIGHT AT OPENING

University lanterns – people who change lives – have been an essential part of this place throughout our history.

Across the generations the light has been passed and something wonderful has happened. Graduates have shared the light that they have received with others. One by one they have left this University to bring their many gifts and yet one Spirit, sharing the light in their own service to their communities, families, the church, and the world.

Through the pages of Lanterns magazine we share the light of our UD community. We hope that it will inform, inspire, and invite you to pass the light to others.

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Around the Quad

UD Aviation Fully Implements Higher Level Training Device for Jet Aircraft tudents going through the University of Dubuque Aviation Program are now experiencing full implementation of advanced jet transition training using the new, state-of-the-art, Aerosim Crew Resource Management (CRM) Flight Training Device (FTD). Aircraft and flight requirements have become more advanced, boosting the need for jet transition courses and technology to better prepare students in dynamic training environments with real-time scenarios in simulated and automated aircraft systems. To help bridge this jet training requirement, through a generous grand from the department of education, the University of Dubuque acquired the Aerosim CRJ200 Level 5 compliant Flight Training Device.

Flight benefits include showing students many critical operations and procedures such as: traffic collision avoidance

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systems with resolution advisories, enhanced ground proximity warning systems, wind shear alerts, on-board radar, thunderstorm avoidance, icing systems, engine failures at rotation, single engine procedures, fire protection panel, turbine engine starts, systems failures, autopilot operation, and deicing operations.

“The CRJ 200 simulator has been an instrumental tool for transitioning our students into the types of aircraft they will encounter in the airline industry,” commented William Rigdon, instructor of aviation, assistant chief flight instructor, and CRJ project manager. “Our goal for this project is to make our students’ training event a mirror image of what will they will encounter as they enter as a new hire into various airlines’ ground schools.”

Around the Quad

UD Mediation Team Ranked Fourth Nationally During the fall 2012 semester, the University of Dubuque mediation team traveled to Brenau University, Gainesville, Georgia, for the 13th Annual National Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament. The event attracted schools from throughout the United States: the University of San Diego, Boston University, University of Sioux Falls, and University of Texas-Dallas were among those competing. Considered to be the deepest, most talented field yet – 40 teams comprising approximately 150 individuals competed in the event. Even with stiff competition, the University of Dubuque finished fourth in the nation —

a tremendous accomplishment for any school, but especially for one in only its second year of competition! (Incidentally, in 2011, UD’s Team received the Outstanding New School Award and placed 9th in the Mediation Category. UD is the first school ever to place in the top ten in their first year of competition.)

Each November, the International Academy of Dispute Resolution sponsors an undergraduate competitive contest, the National Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament. The intent of the tournament is to give students a real-life experience as mediator, an attorney, and client. Three students make up a team, and each must participate as mediator in one of three preliminary rounds. Students participating have the opportunity to receive All-American recognition. Led by Professor Ben Bartels, Mediation Team Advisor, 2012 members were Ryan Stodden (Sr., Galena, IL), Courtney Neenan (Sr., Peosta, IA) and Anna Stoeffler (Jr., Prairie du Chien, WI).

“The weekend was an unbelievable opportunity for our students,” stated Professor Bartels. “For example, active members of the Georgia Supreme Court judged the finals competition. The tournament provides excellent resources and real-life opportunities. We can be very proud of these students’ accomplishments.”

2011 MEDIATION TEAM HONORS In 2011, the mediation team’s inaugural year, three students garnered All-American Honors – earning $6,000 renewable law school scholarships. One student, Ryan Warner, was awarded a three-year, $36,000 law school scholarship. Ryan was awarded honors in the Client/Advocate Category and the Mediation Category; Konner Higgins was awarded honors in the Client/ Advocate Category; and Jessica Seitz was awarded 4th place in the Mediation Category. Outstanding – especially in the first year of competition!

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Students travel the globe UD short-term international study/travel programs

China

Tian'anmen Square January 2012

Sri Lanka

Nuwara Eliya Waterfall January 2012

DNAS Profs. Lalith Mudalige, David Koch, and Rasika Mudalige Jayawickrama with UD students near Nuwara Eliya Waterfall in Sri Lanka. The students collected trash in the park…

Professor Alan Garfield is fond of saying that travel takes students out of their comfort zone, which is where learning happens.

This past academic year saw lots of learning, as more than 130 students participated in short-term international study/travel programs led by UD faculty. Students volunteered in classrooms in Belize and the Bahamas, treated patients at a clinic in Mexico, collected litter at a national park in Sri Lanka, went on safari in Botswana, hiked the mountains near Munich, climbed the Acropolis in Athens, walked the Great Wall in China, and photographed the Donegal coast. They tried outrigger canoes in Sri Lanka, dugout river transport in Botswana, and ocean ferries in Ireland. They explored Mayan ruins in Belize, ancient castles in Ireland, the excavated city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka, and the Forbidden City in Beijing. They learned that a smile is welcome in any language and, most of the time, a sincere interest in learning and trying new things will make you new friends everywhere. They returned home to Dubuque with new skills, new confidence, and many, many memories.

Profs. Nathan Faries and Eric Munshower and students pause in front of the Forbidden City, north end of Tian’anmen Square. UD Board Member Dick Franzen and his wife Pat joined the J-Term class. Prof. Faries said “They were great traveling companions!

Counselors, parents, colleagues…they did it all.”

…and were rewarded with a cool dip!

Distance

University of Dubuque

Belize 1733 miles 1500 miles

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Mexico 2343 miles

Around the Quad

Participants 130+

Mexico

Belize

Oaxaca January 2012

Punta Gorda January 2012 A smiling UD crowd takes a break from their busy schedule.

UD students assist UD Professor, Dr. William Karkow in minor surgery at the clinic in San Juan Zautula.

“Home sweet home� for our UD students in Belize.

UD student Kristie Besler and friend at Baranco Grade School.

Sri Lanka 8963 miles

China 6503 miles 3000 miles

4500 miles

6000 miles

7500 miles

9000 miles

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Around the Quad Students pose after the 2-mile walk up the mountain for a bird’s eve view of Glenveagh Castle, National Park, Co. Donegal, Ireland.

This 1880 castle, built

by John George Adair, is a relatively “new” castle in the older Scottish Baron style.

Old fishing boat at Gweedore Harbor, Co. Donegal, Ireland.

Because of the tidal waters, this beached boat is a favorite for photographers throughout Ireland in rain or sun, summer or winter.

UD students Elizabeth Bainbridge and Chelsea Cruise in the Okavanga Delta, Botswana

Profs. Gerry Zuercher and David Koch introduce UD students to a local landmark at Planet Baobab, Botswana.

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Distance

University of Dubuque 1500 miles

On the Acropolis in Athens was the holiest building, a shrine for Athena known as the Parthenon from 432 BCE. Now it’s a shrine for photo hungry travelers.

Ireland

County Donegal Summer 2012

Greece

Athens Spring 2012

UD students experiment with the famed acoustics at Epidaurus. An actor whispering in the center can be heard all the way to the top row!

Botswana

Kalee Roth and Lindsay Jackson photographing themselves and the 800 foot sheer drop of the Corinth Canal, Greece.

Professor Garfield said absolutely no bungee jumping!

Okavango Delta May 2012

Planet Baobab (Botswana), with Tori Ballweg and Christine Grannis providing a friendly welcome.

Ireland 3748 miles 3000 miles

Greece 5536 miles 4500 miles

Botswana 8347 miles 6000 miles

7500 miles

9000 miles

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Around the Quad

Good Reads Book Clubs are everywhere, including at the University of Dubuque. The Charles C. Myers Library sponsors two, the UD Book Club and the Young Adult Book Club. While each reads different literature, both promote reading and community on campus.

And, the motto of both book clubs is, “The more the merrier.” If you like talking about books, we would love to have you!

The UD Book Club

By Mary Anne Knefel, University Librarian, and Sue Reiter, Cataloging and Interlibrary Loan Assistant

What do College and Seminary professors, staff from all over campus, and librarians have in common? Well, lots of things, but one thing they share is a love of reading and a desire to get together to talk about books.

The Charles C. Myers Library sponsors the UD Book Club, now in its tenth year. Once a month, book lovers of all stripes come together in the Nagel Room in the Library to have lunch and discuss a common reading.

We are a genial group (no Book Club drama you hear about!) and, yes, we actually do talk about the book. How do we decide on what to read? Did we mention we are relaxed? We generally stop the discussion a few minutes before the hour, look at some books someone brings from the library, and say, “OK, let’s do that one.”

We have read the usual book club picks, such as Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Help by Kathryn Stockett, but we are also a little more far-ranging. Sometimes, since we are loaded with academics, we have people who may be very knowledgeable about the subjects of the books. For example, Bangkok 8, by John Burdett, is a mystery set in Thailand whose main character is a Buddhist policeman. Chaminda

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Prelis, assistant professor of aviation, is a Buddhist, and was able to give the rest of us a much richer understanding of the novel by sharing his perspective.

When it gets a bit frantic during the semester, we some-times opt for lighter reading, especially mysteries. When we choose a mystery author, we almost always read the first in a series so that people who want to continue can keep going on their own. Some we’ve read include Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs, Anne Perry’s The Cater Street Hangman, and Death of An Expert Witness by P. D. James.

UD has been fortunate to bring a number of great writers to campus and the Book Club makes it a point to read their work before they show up.

Before Christopher Merrill, director of University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, gave a reading, we read his book Things of the Hidden God: Journeys to the Holy Mountain.

We also read the hilarious and touching book Truck: A Love Story

by Wisconsin native Michael Perry.

A number of us are big on the classics so we decided to read Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility at the same time it was being read in the English Senior Seminar class.

Dr. Nathan Faires, associate professor of English and Book Club enthusiast, thought it would be interesting for the Seminar class to discuss the book with the Book Club. Although the students were initially a little wary of the informal, even boisterous, ways of the Book Club, they soon jumped in and we had a great time.

In sum, the UD Book Club has been great fun and we plan to keep going.

The Book Club is open to all UD folks, so if you would like to give it a try, look on the library’s web page (www.dbq. edu/library) for the next book and date.

If you would just like to see what we read, there is a list of past and present titles there, too.

The Young Adult Book Club

By Diana Newman, Library Office Manager and Becky Canovan, Reference and Instruction Librarian

Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but Young Adult (YA) books aren’t just for teenagers. It’ll be our little secret.

Actually, it’s a big secret that millions of readers are in on, especially at the University of Dubuque and Charles C. Myers Library.

We read them, and you can too.

In fact, the YA Book Club is attracting more readers to the genre and its many sub-genres. In its third year, the book club, led by Becky Canovan and Diana Newman, continues to grow and introduce people to YA books. And this book club comes with bonus features.

Sure we have meetings where we just discuss the book, but we are bringing in new ways to interact with the material, and sometimes, with the author. After reading Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

by Lish McBride, Becky corresponded via Twitter and email with the author.

The group also had a chance to talk with Siobhan Vivian, author of The List, via Skype. Book club members had the opportunity to ask McBride and Vivian questions.

“We had fun chatting with them ,” Becky said. “But it was really great for the book club to be able to ask those questions we inevitably ask each other during our

discussion of the book.”

Like non-young adult fiction, the YA genre has dystopian, realistic fiction, fantasy, historical, and graphic novels.

We promise it is more than just vampires and fairies and wizards! Throughout the course of the school year, we try and read a book from the various genres.

Last year’s reading of the dystopic novel, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, was our most popular selection with 39 people requesting a copy of the book.

Besides students, we have many faculty and staff members in the club. Last year, of the 50 people who showed up, 16 were faculty/staff and 34 were students.

And we’re growing! Each month last year, about 23 people wanted a copy of the book we were reading, up from 6 people each month the year before.

We try to read a book every month during the school year, but understand the end of the semester gets busy for everyone so we try to minimize what we do. In April we have read graphic novels which tend to be quick reads but still have great story lines. December tends to be the busiest month, with finals, holiday shopping, holiday parties, and a lot of travel so last year we did things a little different.

Rather than everyone read a book, members were asked to bring one of their favorite books and tell the group about it. Over cups of cider, hot chocolate, and plates of cookies, we talked about our books and why they were great.

During the meeting, members also participated in the first annual UD YA Book Speed Dating party. Everyone filled out a “book personal ads” and then other members could tell them what books matched what they were looking for. This was a great success as everyone left with a list of books to read over the break.

We’re always looking for more people to join us for our discussions.

Or if you want to check out what books we’ve read in the past and are reading this year, you can visit our webpage at libguides.dbq.edu/UDYoungAdult or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ UDYoungAdult.

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Chaplain’s Corner

By Rev. Jim Gunn, Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplain

ach and every year during Holy Week, we recall the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One of those events, the scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, is an image that actually comes to my mind at a different time of year. Each and every Fall, as new students make their way to the UD campus, this passage takes hold of me as I ponder the season of their lives that they are now entering, the formative years that college represents, and the grace and hope from God that is new every morning.

Jesus invited a select few of those who knew Him the most to come away with Him deep into the evening, to remain in a spot where they could keep watch, keep awake, and pray.

Jesus went a short distance from them, and He is depicted before our reading eyes as being distressed and agitated, wanting to avoid the suffering that He knew was about to occur. And then He uttered those words to God the Father in heaven, “Not my will, but yours.” It is a captivating scene for me because of an experience I had, deep into the evening one night, when another dramatic event unfolded before me and which has now come to represent a significant aspect of college ministry.

I had taken a group of junior-high youth to a summer conference held on

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a college campus, and on the last night, an invitation had been placed before the students to respond to God. After the opportunity had been expressed to consider everything that Christ offers us as our Savior, and to consider the choice to trust Him as our Lord, the junior high students were instructed to walk out onto campus in the solitude of darkness, to wrestle with God oneon-one. As a pastor, I was sent to walk among the scattered students and to pray for them. I hadn’t walked very far when I saw her—a junior-high girl that I did not know—on bended knees, her arms outstretched and her face against the concrete pathway. She had not made it very far from the place where we had been worshiping, as if she had collapsed, unable to walk further, desperate for the encounter she both feared and wanted.

There she was, a crumpled mass on the ground, shaking with great sobs.

Pulled by what I considered to be God’s leading, I decided to remain there. So a short distance away from her, I watched and prayed.

No sooner had I begun to take in what was happening when this passage of Jesus in the garden came to my mind.

Unknown struggles were unfolding before my eyes in a decisive moment for this young woman, when the girl would be choosing… deciding, “Do I trust God with my life? Can grace really break into my world and reach me?” But as soon

as that passage came to mind, I tried to push it aside, for I would be placing the girl at the very center of the story where the character of Jesus should be!

And then I understood. Remembering the words of the Apostle Paul—“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”— the struggle before me was the very struggle of whether Christ would live inside this young woman, and whether to receive true life she would “die” to herself. Christ would be there at the center of that scene, if she could only mutter through her trembling lips, “Not my will, but yours… at all costs, whatever the price.”

I don’t know what was causing her to sob and to shake so visibly. Perhaps it was her regret over rebellious actions, feeling guilty about what she knew disappointed God. Maybe she had been mad at the world and was now tired of being angry. Maybe she was just ready to stop wandering and began to wonder, “Could it be? Does Jesus still love me… after all I’ve done… after all that has happened in my life?” We don’t need to know the specifics of her life because I think we just know… we know the feeling of someone sobbing like that.

And if you can picture her sobbing, face down on the concrete, shaking, and if you can imagine yourself there in my place—a ways away, praying— you might have a similar reaction even now to what was my own desire then.

I wanted to scream out, “There is hope!

There is hope! Believe it, for it is true.”

There is a struggle that goes on in the lives of students, just as there was for that girl nine years ago, as there was for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and as there is for you and me. With new found freedom and responsibility in college, there are underlying questions confronting students, whether they are conscious of them or not: “How should I live? Do I believe in God?” Not all students are spiritually on bended knee, so visibly ready to consider and to hope that there is more to life than what they have yet known. But all students desire acceptance and fear rejection, even if they find different ways to hide that fear and to find that acceptance. So through it all, understanding this campus of UD as a dramatic garden scene, our impulse should still be the same, to want to shout out to all of campus and to the entire world, “There is hope!”

I have always been passionate about the significance of college ministry, for gathered together on one campus are the future leaders of society at a very crucial time of their lives. Is there a better way to minister to the larger society than by reaching out to college students now? What is more, at UD I have seen how providing higher-education can be itself a caring act, improving the lives of

many with a better future than what they have known.

The monument here on campus in the Alumni Courtyard reminds us of the broken world into which we are sent and into which we proclaim our hope. We can sympathize and have compassion because it is not just a junior-high girl or a college student that we can imagine in the middle of the garden, but we understand our own times of being there, wrestling, not sure if we could trust God or whether we would rather try to be lord of our own lives. “Not my will, but yours” are words that are sometimes difficult to say, so we also need reminding of

the hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. We witness in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the person of Jesus, the God who created the first garden now making all things new again. In small ways, student-by-student, we take part in that act of re-creation here at UD. So, won’t you join us, even from afar? Keep watch and pray, and find your own ways to proclaim, “There is hope!”

And when you find yourself wrestling in the garden, know this: the God who makes all things new, no matter what you may see to the contrary, is gathering all things to Himself. Including you.

Believe it. It is true.

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Around the Quad

PODIUM & PRINT Marta Abele (Education and Bridge Program) and Anne Marie Gruber (Library) presented a session at the Iowa Private Academic Libraries spring conference at Wartburg College in April 2012. “From Cover to Cover: Library-Campus Collaboration to Support At-Risk Students” described how the library staff assisted in the planning stages of the Bridge Program, and provides an engaging orientation experience, as well as in-class information literacy sessions geared toward students who may be under-prepared for college-level research assignments. In October 2012, Marta and Lindsey Konken (Student Activities) presented a session at the 2012 Assessment Institute in Indianapolis. Their presentation on “Summer Bridge Success! (And Why We’re Getting Rid of It)” described the collaborative effort between Academic Affairs and Student Life to offer firstgeneration or under-served students an opportunity to develop academic and social skills through a comprehensive Bridge Program. Findings from assessment data have shown the program to be successful and are being used to develop new programming for all first-year students. The Assessment Institute is an international conference hosted by Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Chuck Barland (Fine and Performing Arts) led the UD Concert Choir on a tour to Hawaii in May 2013.

The choir performed six concerts on two islands, Oahu and the Big Island.

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In addition to their performances, the students also were able to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Pearl Harbor, and the Iolani Palace. They also attended the Memorial Day ceremony at Punchbowl Cemetery. Also in attendance were the mayor of Honolulu, governor of Hawaii, and U.S. Senator from Hawaii.

During the 2012-2013 academic year, Chuck performed organ recitals in the following locations: St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Armagh, Northern Ireland, U.K.); Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles, CA); First Congregational United Church of Christ (Dubuque, IA); Church of the Holy Rude (Stirling, Scotland, U.K.), Cathedral of St. Raphael (Dubuque, IA); First United Methodist Church (Appleton, WI); King’s Chapel (Boston, MA), and Queen of the Holy Rosary Chapel (Sinsinawa, WI).

Sean Benson (English) published his second book: Shakespeare, Othello, and Domestic Tragedy (London and New York: Continuum (Continuum Shakespeare Studies), 2012.). His article “Augustinian evil and moral good in Lolita” was published in the literary journal Renascence (64.4 (Summer 2012): 35367); and “‘Like monsters of the deep’: Transworld depravity and King Lear” is forthcoming in the journal Philosophy and Literature. A book review Wonder in Shakespeare by Adam Max Cohen (London: Palgrave, 2012) appeared in Shakespeare Quarterly 63.3 (Fall 2012): 458-61. Sean serves as president of the South-Central Renaissance Conference.

The University of Dubuque Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Charles Barland, in performance at Lili’uokalani Protestant Church, Hale’iwa, Hawaii.

Around the Quad

Kevin Bradford (right), flight instructor, and Chaminda Prelis (left), assistant professor of aviation, help student, Hannah Zieser, learn the details of flight planning.

Kevin Bradford (Aviation) was one of three flight instructors to be named as Outstanding Flight Instructors by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) at the AOPA Aviation Summit in Palm Springs, CA on October 10, 2012. AOPA created the Flight Training Excellence Awards to recognize flight schools and flight instructors who contribute to an optimal training experience and encourage best practices. The association received more than 2,400 nominations for the best flight schools and flight instructors in America. A committee reviewed each nomination and scored it against criteria laid out in AOPA’s research into the optimal flight training experience. Only five flight schools and three flight instructors were deemed worthy of recognition.

Elesha Coffman (Seminary) published The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline (Oxford University Press, 2013). She presented the paper “‘You Can’t Enlist the Laymen’: The Christian Century and

the Logic of Mainline Churchliness” at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, in November 2012.

She was a part of a panel presentation on “Beyond the Protestant Establishment?

Past and Future in the Study of Mainline/Liberal Protestantism” at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Church History in January 2013, and presented “Billy Graham and Media,” at “The Worlds of Billy Graham” Conference, Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, Wheaton College, September 2013.

Richard E. Cowart (Biology) co-authored an article with Rasika Mudalige-Jayawickrama (Biology) which was published in the journal, PLoS. The article was titled “A putative P-type ATPase required for virulence and resistance to haem toxicity in Listeria monocytogenes.” In June 2012, he attended the Iowa Biochemistry

Workshop on Macromolecular Crystallography and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) at the University of Iowa School of Medicine.

Amy Gaffney (Student Financial Planning) was awarded the John Heisner Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award by the Iowa Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (IASFAA).

The recipient of this award exemplifies the ideals of service to the profession, support of colleagues, and advocacy for students. The award is the highest honor IASFAA bestows upon an individual member and requires significant contributions over an extended period of time. One of Gaffney’s nominators said of her, “when I think about someone that has dedicated a “lifetime” to the ideals of service to the financial aid profession, support of colleagues and advocacy for students, I immediately think of (Amy Gaffney), who has served on and chaired every IASFAA committee and has held a number of elected executive council positions including president. This individual never does the bare minimum on any task put before them and constantly tries to find ways to engage the association and make sure that the important work of the association is not summed up as “just a conference”.”

Alan Garfield (Computer Graphics and Interactive Media) was appointed Interim President of a small art and technology college in Philadelphia, PA during the summer of 2012. Members of the College’s Board knew Alan’s work and needed someone to establish new directions, new revenue

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Around the Quad streams, and ‘keep the peace’. In his short presidential stint, Alan helped raise over $3M in grant funding, revised the college’s curriculum, and worked with faculty and staff. From his office overlooking the Liberty Bell in Center City, Philadelphia, he welcomed colleagues from NY and Philadelphia, and even good friend and colleague, Charles Barland (Fine and Performing Arts). With just a small taste of what President Bullock goes through on a regular basis, Alan was glad to make his final report and board the plane for his return flight to Dubuque. “As I was thinking about what UD’s President has to go through, I was reminded that true professionals always make it look easy.

Hmmm. Was I ever glad to be back in the classroom!”

Jim Gunn (Student Life) has been busy working on his Doctor of Ministry degree through UDTS. He has completed his second- and thirdyear research papers titled The Wisdom and Faith of Abraham, Isaac, and the Servant (December 2011), and The Servant Community Walking Worthily as a Light to the Nations: “the πa” and “παιδεία” in the παραίνεσις of Ephesians (December 2012). [The three words in Greek in the subtitle can be translated “servant,” “discipline/instruction,” in the “exhortation section” of Ephesians.] He is currently working on his dissertation – Community Being Made in God’s Image: The Mark of the Disciplined-life Together.

Jim’s book review of A Sense of Being Called, by Richard Stoll Armstrong, was published in Witness: Journal of the Academy for Evangelism In Theological Education, volume 26 (2012).

Adam R. Hoffman (Environmental Chemistry), along with David Koch (Environmental Science), and

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The Canoes and Conditioning Class in a celebratory mood following six days of paddling and portaging in the Sylvania Wilderness Area.

Vic Popp (Athletics), led 18 students on a canoes and conditioning travel class during the summer of 2012.

The group spent five days fishing, exploring, and wilderness surviving in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Upon their return, Hoffman was inspired to resurrect a long-lost UD course on Environmental Literature, which he co-taught with Jessica Schreyer (English); students enrolled in the course read and experienced the wilderness ethic through the written word. Hoffman also participated in an international writing group focused on teaching ethics. In fall 2012, the team – with members from Canada, the UK, and the USA – met at an international conference and workshop; their manuscript has been accepted for publication in Teaching and Learning Inquiry. During summer 2013, Adam and Vic led canoes and conditioning travel class for a second time – taking 8 students to the Sylvania Wilderness

in Ottawa National Forest. Hoffman is directing the Chlapaty Science Fellowship Program which began in summer 2012. He worked with eight students as they prepared themselves for graduate school – a flurry of research projects, practice GRE tests, and trips to nearby graduate programs. The Program continued in summer 2013 with 14 students selected to participate.

Hoffman also teaches in the UD for KIDS summer program, offering CSI:DBQ for Kids in 2012 and Science Scholars in 2013!

Philip (Seminary) and Janet (Business) Jamieson published Finance: Handling God’s Money in the Church for the United Methodist Church as a part of the series Guidelines for Leading your Congregation 2013

Around the Quad -2016 (Abingdon Press) in November 2012. Last February they were invited by the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church as keynote speakers at an event in Nassau. In March 2013 they presented at the Liberating Generosity: Because Generosity is Liberating conference for the Northeast Ecumenical Stewardship Council in Boston. This summer they served on the faculty of the Omaha Presbyterian School for Pastors.

Bonnie Sue Lewis (Seminary) had her article “Not Your Father’s Mission Field” published in the June/July 2012 issue of Presbyterians Today (pp. 34-38).

Les Longden (Seminary) presented “Prayer and Leadership in a Culture of Complaint,” at a two-day retreat and workshop for the clergy of the Lansing District of the Western Michigan Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, January 24-25, 2012.

He led a workshop on “Community Listening: A Workshop for Missional Congregations”, at the UDTS Annual Mission Conference, March 13, 2012. On June 9, 2012 he delivered the Keynote Address titled “Global Health: Body, Mind, and Spirit,” to the Annual Conference of the Western Michigan Conference of the UMC. Les delivered two presentations to UDTS faculty: “Signs of Stress, Signs of Health: The State of the Church and the Mission of the Seminary” (August 27, 2012), and “A Position Paper on Seminary Housing Policy for Married, Same-Sex Couples” (February 1, 2013). He served as guest preacher at Center Grove United Methodist Church on February 24, 2013 and at Epworth United Methodist Church on March 3, 2013, as well as delivering the sermon at the Seminary’s Baccalaureate Service on May 17, 2013.

Michele McKinlay (English) was featured in the role of Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” for Trainwreck Productions.

The play was performed in the English Garden at the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in July 2012.

In August 2012 she directed an award winning one-act play titled “Raising Zombie Awareness” for the Dubuque Fine Arts Players.

“Busy bees at work,” Professor Mudalige Jayawickrama teaches student Tiffany Cress how to hand pollinate orchid flowers for seed culture and propagation.

Rasika G. MudaligeJayawickrama (Biology) is continuing her lab work with orchids. Two major topics of study are: 1) Finding how habitat loss is affecting the native Iowa orchids. Rasika and her students are tracking down and assessing the genetic diversity of the 13-16 different native orchid species in Iowa. When found, the species are being pollinated in order to reestablish more plants in the wild.

2) Finding different genes responsible for color, size, and shape of the orchid flower. Last summer, Rasika isolated the gene responsible for purple coloring; an important step in understanding “why most commercial orchid are purplepink in color.” The research plan is to understand the genetic basis of flower color, and genetically manipulate the

color pathway to get rare colors such as pale blues, deep reds, and bright oranges in commercial orchids.

Rasika and students Heather Barkhurst (Peosta, IA) and Teresita D. Amore, collaborative senior researcher at the University of Hawaii, presented a poster at the annual meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB 2012 Texas, Austin); Title: “Predominance of purple flower color in Dendrobium orchid is due to enzyme competition between F3’H and DFR.” Teresa Nickeson (Computer Information Systems) presented “Using Technology to Manage Internships” to the July 2012 Iowa Career Services summer conference, and again for the Intern Bridge Online Conference in August 2012.

Alice Oleson (Sociology and Criminal Justice) finished her book, Leaving the Field: Notes on [un] becoming an anthropologist. The title is a mixed genre work of poetry, non-fiction prose, and fieldnote excerpts, critiquing whiteness through the lens of cultural anthropology. She is currently looking for a publisher for the manuscript.

Philip Polstra (Computer Information Systems) completed his PhD in business administration and computer & information security from Northcentral University in 2012. In July 2012, he led six UD students to the DEFCON 20 security conference in Las Vegas, where he presented to a crowd of 3,000. Phil spoke at the second annual 44CON security conference in London, UK in September 2012, and in April 2013 he led a group of 14 students to the GrrCON security conference in Grand Rapids, MI (where he also spoke). Also during the fall semester,

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Around the Quad Phil began working on the new Digital Forensics major which is scheduled to be available starting Fall 2013. In March, Phil returned to Amsterdam, NL to speak at the Blackhat EU security conference for the second straight year. In mid-April, Phil led a group of students to the ForenSecure conference in Chicago (where he spoke for the third time); later in the month he was one of nine people presenting at THOTCON in Chicago.

Bob Reid (Communication) had his sixth book, The Six deadly Sins of Preaching: Becoming Responsible for the Faith We Proclaim published by Abingdon Press. He co-authored the book with Professor Lucy Lind Hogan of Wesley Theological Seminary. The Sins book identifies six ways preachers can too easily become irresponsible in their preaching. It calls for preachers to adopt six virtues that counter tendencies toward immoral pulpit practices.

The authors have fun by proposing a list of “venal” rather than deadly sins for the missing seventh sin in their chapter titled, “Wait!

Wait! There’s More…”

Bob also published an e-novel titled The First Stone (a Barnes and Noble e-book). It is intended to serve as a compliment to the ethics of preaching book, by exploring the ethics of ministerial pastoral care in a mystery.

During the summer of 2012 and 2013, Bob attended the Christian Scholar’s Conference held in Nashville, serving as a respondent on a number of different panels.

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Megan Ruiz (Academic Success Center) attended the International Dyslexia Association’s annual conference in Chicago, IL. Since attending, she has been able to implement some of the concepts she learned about how to help students with learning disabilities, auditory processing disorders, and dyslexia. During the Fall Semester 2012, with funding from UD and the TRiO-Student Support Services federally funded grant program, Megan purchased six Live Scribe Smart Pens, which aid students with disabilities in becoming more independent learners, as they eliminate the need for a supplemental note-taker and allow the student access to the lecture notes via discrete recording, and instantaneous playback of any point in the lecture with the touch of a pen to the point on the paper where the student had been recording.

From Fall 2012 – Spring 2014, Megan is serving on a team of local area professionals to help the Dubuque Community School District (DCSD) with a grant they received from the Department of Education and the Iowa Coalition for Integrated Employment, titled the Employment Systems Change Grant. The DCSD is one of six pilot sites selected in Iowa, based on the community’s commitment to improving outcomes for youth with disabilities and collaborative partnerships with local agencies and businesses. The purpose of the project is to increase the percentage of Dubuque-area high school graduates with disabilities who will be gainfully employed after high school and/or will attend college so that they may be more competitively employed.

Matthew Schlimm (Seminary) was named the Joseph and Linda Chlapaty Research Chair in Church

Renewal for 2012-2013. He co-founded a new consultation on “The Bible and Emotion” at the Society of Biblical Literature. He published “Learning from a Distance.” in The Christian Century, March 20, 2013, page 6; and “At Sin’s Entryway (Gen 4,7): A Reply to C. L. Crouch” in Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 124, no. 3 (2012): 409-415. He served as co-editor of The CEB Study Bible; published an article titled “Wrestling with Marduk: Old Testament Parallels and Prevenient Grace,” in the Wesleyan Theological Journal (in press); and completed a draft of his forthcoming book with Baker Academic tentatively titled, This Strange and Sacred Scripture: The Old Testament as Friend in Faith. Matthew presented two papers at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Chicago, Ill. The first, “From Anxiety to Curiosity: Reflections on Teaching Hebrew Online” was given to the National Association of Professors of Hebrew. The second, “The Central Role of Emotions in Biblical Theology, Biblical Ethics, and Conceptions of the Bible Itself” was presented to the Bible and Emotion Consultation. He delivered a presentation on “The Old Testament as a Friend in Faith” at Highland United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC on January 9 and March 3, 2013; and “The Strange and Sacred Scripture” at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio, TX on April 2, 2013. In addition, he presented his paper “Emotions in the Bible, God, and Humanity” at the UD Celebration of Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Creativity.

Jim Sherry (Fine and Performing Arts) served as judge for the International Trumpet Guild 2012

Around the Quad Youth Solo Competition in Columbus, Georgia. Also in 2012, Dr. Sherry presented a concert with the Winter Rose Trio on the Arts Alive Series at Divine Word College, Epworth, IA, along with pianist Bang Lang Do and violinist Wesley Luke; he performed with UD student Jazz musicians at the National Jazz Museum in the French Quarter and the historic Candlelight Social Club in the Treme, New Orleans; at the Iowa Bandmasters Convention in Des Moines, Dr. Sherry was appointed the Historian/Archivist for Jazz Educators of Iowa; and was a guest artist/brass instructor at the University

available for book signings at Books-AMillion, the Mississippi River Museum, and River Lights Bookstore, among others.

Mark Sinton (Chemistry) refereed soccer games at the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) National Games in Knoxville, TN, from July 2 – 8, 2012. The National Games, which are held every two years, is the premier soccer tournament for AYSO, and features AYSO teams from around the country. The 2012 Games featured 220 teams, 3,300 players, 300 referees, and about 1000 local volunteers.

While at the National Games, Mark attended an advanced referee class to

of Wisconsin, Platteville, Pioneer Band Summer Camp.

Rafic Sinno’s (Business) new book Scenic Treasures of the Midwest: Panoramas & Reflections was launched in October 2012 by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Rafic and his father, Dr. Abdul K. Sinno (professor and chair of communication at Clarke University), are the main authors of the panoramic book which covers the Tri-State area, featuring scenes from La Crosse to Davenport with Dubuque and the surrounding vicinity receiving extensive coverage. As a part of the launch, Rafic and his father were

upgrade his referee certification from his intermediate level. AYSO referee certifications run from U-6/U-8, Regional, Intermediate, Advanced, and National.

Dick Smith (Mathematics) published an article with Eric Errthum titled “Delving Deeper: Finding Skewed Lattice Rectangles: The Geometry of a^2+b^2=c^2+d^2” in the September 2012, Volume 106, Issue 2 of Mathematics Teacher. The part of the manuscript that is getting the most attention is the last algorithm of the publication which develops a method

to solve a^2+b^2+c^2=d^2+e^2+f^2, where a,b,c,d,e and f are whole numbers.

This is believed by mathematics professors across the nation as something that has never been done before. From a geometric perspective, the algorithm allows the finding of noncongruent right rectangular prisms that have congruent oblique diagonals.

Annalee R. Ward (Wendt Center for Character Education) has recently published “Themed Destinations, Museums, and Evangelicals.”

Evangelicals and Popular Culture: Pop Goes the Gospel. Vol. 3. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Press, 2013. 244-260; and “Gran Torino and Moral Order.”

Christian Scholars Review. XL:4 (Summer 2011): 375-392. She received the Charles J. Miller Christian Scholar Review’s Best Essay Award for 2011, Volume 40 for “Gran Torino and Moral Order.” A write up on the award appeared in Volume XLI, Number 2 (Winter 2012): 115-116. She has also presented at or participated in the following: Colloquium on the Role of Ethics Centers. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. Participant.

San Antonio. February 28-March 2, 2013; “I’ve met Jesus: Performative Authenticity and the Holy Land Experience.” Celebration of Faculty Scholarship. University of Dubuque.

February 8, 2013; “Disney and Media Criticism.” Guest speaker at Calvin College class (via Skype). Sept. 18, 2012.

(Grand Rapids, MI); “Communication and Higher Education.” Colorado State University, Communication Studies Department 50th Anniversary Alumni Panel. September 7, 2012, in Ft. Collins, CO.

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TWO DOWN, MANY MORE TO GO By: Adam R. Hoffman, PhD, Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Natural and Applied Sciences

One of my greatest professional joys is working with a outstanding group of motivated and talented undergraduates as director of the Chlapaty Fellowship Program. The fellowship program, which focuses on three areas: independent scientific research, graduate school entrance examinations, and professional relationships beyond the University of Dubuque, aims to prepare students for advanced degree programs.

Up to sixteen students may be awarded the Fellowship each year, receiving a $5,000 stipend, and an additional $500 for research supplies or travel costs associated with their research project.

Each recipient is expected to commit

40 hours each week for 10 weeks to the Fellowship Program.

The first two summers for the program were a happy mix of food, folks, and fun. We took practice GRE tests - I still barely passed - and held entrance exam practice sessions with professors and GRE specialists. We visited R1 graduate schools, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa. At Madison we sampled Babcock ice cream (food), met with graduate school professors and graduate students (folks), and were taught how to Bucky (fun). Iowa was more of the same: grub (Bob’s Your Uncle), gabbing (tour of the chemistry

labs with Dr. Betsy Stone), and good times (scavenger hunt at the natural history museum).

For ten weeks the students developed, implemented, and summarized research along with faculty advisors at the University of Dubuque.

The research projects were as varied as the individuals conducting them.

And do you want to know the very best part? Rhetorical question alert - the best part is that I get to do it all over again each summer with even more of our outstanding students. And to me that simply means more food, more folks, and more fun!

b Tyson Carter (junior, biology, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada) and Dr. Rasika Mudalige-Jayawickrama, assistant professor of plant biology; Defining the Orchid Floral microRNA Profile and Their Role in Floral Development b Nate Ellison (junior, environmental science, Bozier City, LA) and

Dr. David Koch, assistant professor of environmental science; Spatial Distribution and Movement Patterns of Turtles in Mississippi River b Joey Kilsdonk (junior, criminal justice/business, Appleton,WI) and Dr. Michael Hepner, assistant professor of criminal justice; How the Zone of Transition in Dubuque

2013 SCHOLARS b Alex Beck (junior, business/ marketing, Maquoketa, IA) and Rafic Sinno, assistant professor of business and Dr. Adam Hoffman, associate professor of environmental chemistry; Investigating Household Discard Behavior Changes from Landfilling to Recycling/Composting – Waste not, want not?

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Around the Quad

Resembles the Social Disorganization of the City of Chicago b Stephany Miller (sophomore, biology, Dubuque, IA) and Dr. Gerald Zuercher, associate professor, department of natural and applied sciences; Kinship Patterns for Southern Flying Squirrels Isolation: Connectivity b Maria Mondragon (junior, biology, Elgin, IL) and Dr. Zuercher; Genetic Effects of Population Fragmentation on Southern Flying Squirrels b Eric Nie (junior, environmental science, Jesup, IA) and Dr. Hoffman; Monitoring the Impact of the Dubuque Sanitary Landfill on the Surface Water Quality of Catfish Creek

b Vincent Obah (junior, criminal justice, Chicago, IL) and Dr. Hepner and Paul Jensen, teaching specialist faculty, philosophy and religion; Rating the Effectiveness of Police Interview and Interrogation Techniques Pre and Post CTK Training b Rachel Perkowitz (junior, criminal justice, Round Lake, IL) and Dr. Hepner; Exploring the Possible Effects of Social Strain on Chicago Natives in Dubuque b Tyler Porter (senior, environmental science, Dubuque, IA) and Dr. Koch; Impact and Movement Patterns of Smallmouth Bass in Eastern Iowa Coldwater Streams b Lauren Smith (sophomore, biology, Spring Grove, IL) and

Dr. Mudalige-Jayawickrama; The Role of TCP Genes in Regulating Plant Architecture and Flower Development of Orchids b Andy Smothers (middler, Master of Divinity, Monticello, IA) and Bradley Longfield, professor of church history and dean of the seminary; Historical Use of NonGeographic Presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church (USA) b Paige Triervieler (senior, biology, Dubuque, IA) and Dr. MudaligeJayawickrama; Examining the Expression Pattern of the SMAC/ DIABLO Gene in Healthy and Cancerous Human Tissue b Jessica Wetherell (junior, biology/ psychology, Hudson, IA) and Dr. Zuercher; Assessing Site Fidelity

by Bats in Eastern Iowa

b Melissa Englert (junior, Chana, IL) and Dr. Mark Sinton, teaching specialist, chemistry; An Analysis of The Thermophilic Activity of Tyrosinase b Megan Johnson (junior, Viroqua, WI) and Dr. Zuercher; Spatial and Temporal Variation of Vesper Bats in Eastern Iowa b Lea Kieffer (junior, Dubuque, IA) and Dr. Richard Cowart, professor of biology; Horizontal Gene Transfer in Human Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

b Shelby Marr (junior, Baldwin, IA) and Dr. Hoffman; Zebra Mussel Colonization and Distribution Among Native Freshwater Mussels in Pool 12 of the Mississippi River b Lastly, Kyle Redmond (junior, Long Grove, IA) and Dr. Zuercher; The Impact of Habitat Variation on Small Mammal Distribution

2012 SCHOLARS b Elizabeth Bainbridge (senior, Teeds Grove, IA) and Dr. Zuercher; Gender Differences in Home-Range and Activity Budgets of Southern Flying Squirrels in Eastern Iowa b Heather Barkhurst (senior, Peosta, IA) and Dr. MudaligeJayawickrama; Discovering How Orchid Genes Paint Their Flowers b Chelsie Cruise (sophomore, Dubuque, IA) and Dr. Zuercher; Population Ecology and Habitat Relationships for Southern Flying Squirrels in Eastern Iowa

Photo upper left: 2013 Scholars pictured with Joe (upper right) and Linda (lower right) Chlapaty.

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Around the Quad

$13.5

Million Gift Funds New Housing and an Indoor Intramural/Practice Facility

October 2012 marked another truly generous gift from Trustee Joe and Linda Chlapaty. This most recent gift of $13.5 million is being used to fund Phase I of new campus student housing and an indoor practice/intramural facility.

“On behalf of our entire University community – students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni – I want to again express our appreciation to Joe and Linda Chlapaty for their love and commitment to the University of Dubuque,” said President Jeffrey F. Bullock. “Every college that has been able to make the solid progress in every way as UD has over the last decade, has had a donor or donors whose passion for the school knew no bounds. Our work in this era has been richly blessed – we give voice to this in the litany we use for groundbreakings and building dedications that focuses our community on our knowledge that, `unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.’ We have been doubly blessed with Joe and Linda Chlapaty’s zeal for this place.”

STUDENT HOUSING As the University’s undergraduate enrollment has grown to over 1600 students over the past decade, the need for additional student housing has become acute. Currently, only approximately 40% of our students live in on-campus housing, the majority of whom are first-year students with decreasing numbers of sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Three additional residence halls will be built on the west side of the South Campus at a site proximate to University Park Village. Together these suite-style, geothermally heated and cooled residences will house 494 students, and could be constructed simultaneously or as single buildings.

Phase I of this significant project involves site preparation and the development of the infrastructure for the entire project and the construction of one residence that will house 158 students. All of these units are multipurpose and can be divided into pods to meet future housing needs as they develop. Construction began in May 2013 and should be ready for student occupancy in fall 2014.

“We believe that a great deal of important learning happens outside the classroom,” commented Linda Chlapaty. “This seems to us to be particularly true of the potential for formational education that occurs in the living-

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learning environment of residence halls. As with all of the residential facilities that have been built during the last decade, Joe and I believe that these new student homes will be a place that our students will want to live as well as places where the values that the University holds dear can be lived and taught.

We feel honored that we have been blessed with the resources to take the first step in this project that we believe is so important to UD.”

INTRAMURAL/PRACTICE FACILITY Since its dedication in 2009, the Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center (CRWC), along with the Charles C. Myers Library, has become the most widely used facility on campus.

The building operates from 5:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. on most days during the academic year, and is open year-round on condensed hours during the entire calendar year. Currently, the 1,200 UD students who participate in intramurals and the 700 students cleared to participate in intercollegiate athletics share this facility with students from NICC, UD ROTC, faculty and staff, as well as select agencies and community groups.

With recreation and practice space at a premium, a new, cost-effective, facility will provide the space to accommodate this level of participation. The facility will provide an effective solution (artificial turf) to minimize the wear and tear on the CRWC indoor surface from activities that the surface was not designed to support.

Potterveld student residential apartments built in the 1960s have been razed and the intramural/practice facility is being constructed on the site.

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1 The southeast entrance to Heritage Center, the primary student portal that links North and South Campuses by the interior link, “Main Street”.

HERITAGE CENTER RECEIVES DESIGN AWARDS JUST MONTHS OLD, HERITAGE CENTER HAS RECEIVED THREE AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING DESIGN. Two People’s Choice Awards in the Commercial category were awarded to Heritage Center, Structures Steel Fabrication, and Design Build Structures. Selected from 47 entries worldwide, the awards were based on aesthetics of the project, complexity, and steel tonnage. Other entries included the Florida Marlins baseball stadium and the San Diego Library dome. A third award, given

by American School and University for Outstanding Design for Specialized Facilities, was awarded to Heritage Center and Straka Johnson Architects. This national award is the ultimate tribute to education design excellence.

Keith Wipperfurth, UD’s construction management assistant, stated, “This building is not your average square box design and its variety of angles made it an architectural challenge with its convex and concave roof slopes, and radius walls. Internally this creates some visually unique spaces for theatre seating, gathering spaces, offices, and practice and staging areas.”

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2 “Through the looking glass” into the A.Y. McDonald Lobby, the public performance entrance to Heritage Center and John and Alice Butler Hall.

3 A flying staircase in the A. Y. McDonald Lobby brings patrons to the Mark and Cheryl Falb Balcony and entrances to the balcony of John and Alice Butler Hall.

4 The color palette for Heritage Center features warm, inviting earth tones. The entrance doors to John and Alice Butler Hall give guests a hint of the musical allusions replete in the building.

5 Entrance to the Cybercafé from the second floor. With seating for 124, the Cybercafé is a beautiful, light-filled, and colorful space for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy a meal or a snack.

6 The Grace Street entrance to Heritage Center that links to “Main Street” from the North Campus.

7 A cross section of seating on the balcony of John and Alice Butler Hall featuring the gorgeous woodwork that is presented throughout the hall.

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8 A view from the A.Y. McDonald Lobby into the Bisignano Gallery which also is along the primary student traffic artery, “Main Street,” established in 2001, linking North Campus with South Campus. Students have the opportunity to experience the building’s Art by Osmosis.

9 A view from the catwalks into Babka Theatre. The black box theatre provides spaces for a variety of theatre formats, has a “sprung floor” especially designed for dance, and can be configured for small lectures and dinners.

10 The Aitchison-Welch Choral Rehearsal Room is the primary rehearsal space for University vocal ensembles. As with many of the spaces within the building, it is multi-purpose and can also serve as a classroom/meeting space.

11 The Straatmeyer University History Display is located in the A.Y. McDonald Lobby, just outside of the Straatmeyer Instrumental Rehearsal Room. With more than 120 photographs and 85 artifacts, the display offers an enthralling glance at our rich history, from the time of our founding in 1852 to the present day.

12 One of the most popular spots on campus is Mike and Betty’s, Heritage Center’s ice cream shoppe, where a signature item is The Bullock, the UD equivalent of a DQ Blizzard.

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13 President Jeffrey Bullock on the Preiss Stage in John and Alice Butler Hall. While the hall seats 1,000 guests, the space is very intimate, with the last row in the balcony only 90 feet from the lip of the stage.

14 A west-to-east view looking across the A.Y. McDonald Lobby toward the Straatmeyer Instrumental Rehearsal Room and the Cybercafé.

15 The Flexsteel and Bracht conference rooms along “Main Street” provide meeting and classroom space for the campus community. Upholstered furniture ensembles are tucked into nooks throughout the building.

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he University of Dubuque’s new fine, performing arts, worship, and campus center – celebrated its Opening Night on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

The evening was the premier UD arts scholarship benefit concert with a special invitation-only fundraising dinner preceding the concert.

The concert, a pioneering joint performance by musicians from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (Ohio) and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, featured internationally renowned violinist, Gil Shaham. Marian Hoffman, Twin Cities vocal artist and University aluma, Class of 1955, opened the program with Irving Berlin’s classic, God Bless America.

The program included Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony conducted by DSO Music Director William Intriligator followed by the Brahms Violin Concerto conducted

by CSO resident Associate Conductor Peter Stafford Wilson. Violinist Gil Shaham delivered an outstanding performance; an American master, he is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with leading orchestras.

1 University benefactors Dr. Alvin (C’54,S’57) and Marcine Straatmeyer on Opening Night at dinner in the Straatmeyer Instrumental Rehearsal Room.

2 Dubuque Symphony Orchestra Maestro William Intriligator conducts the combined Columbus and Dubuque Symphonies during the Opening Night festival concert.

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Architect Marty Johnson of the Dubuque

architectural firm, Straka Johnson, with his family on Opening Night. Left to right Nicole, Christina, and his spouse, Denise.

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University Trustee John Butler.

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President Jeffrey F. Bullock welcomes the audience to John and Alice Butler Hall on Opening Night.

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Trustee Tom Woodward (MBA’94), UD Trustee Scott and Stacy Knapp.

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Christine and Tim Conlon celebrate the opening of Heritage Center. Conlon Construction has been the general contractor and partner with the University on every major construction project for the past fifteen years.

Guests gather prior to the Opening Night festivities in the A. Y. McDonald Lobby.

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University benefactors Alice and Trustee John Butler greet Opening Night guest artist, violinist Gil Shaham following the concert.

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Patricia and Richard Friedman together with Lorrie and Steve Conlon, one of the principals of Conlon Construction.

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor Peter Stafford Wilson conducts the combined Columbus and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras.

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Trustee Douglas (C’75) and Karen (C’76) Horstmann.

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University alumna, vocalist, and music educator Marian Hoffman (C’55) entranced the audience at Opening Night with a moving, lush, and beautifully textured rendition of Irving Berlin’s God Bless America accompanied by the Columbus and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras at the start of the evening’s concert.

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Linda and University Trustee Board Chair Joe Chlapaty (C’68), principal donors to the Heritage Center project.

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Trustee Susan Farber and Dr. Bernie Saks.

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Trustee Judge James (C’67) and Debra Martin

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Life Trustee Ed (Hon’98) and Shirley Babka, lead donors to the Heritage Center project.

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Ruppel with granddaughter, Taylor Ryan.

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The Diamond Initiative:

Achieving Excellence at the University of Dubuque By: John Stewart, PhD, Special Assistant to the President

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very successful or have a chance at success if we did something in stages where it doesn’t seem so overwhelming in terms of the numbers.”

“I understand your concerns,” the President responds.

“How about eliminating that most difficult word, ‘best’?

How many are in favor of changing this part of the Vision to read, ‘Acknowledged as a pretty good small, private Christian university’?”

Nobody wants to follow that path. As one Trustee puts it, “I have no desire to be a part of just one more small, mediocre University. I say that we continue forging ahead.”

Five years later, UD had achieved all the goals set by the original document, except for the Performing Arts Center. So we knew it was possible to meet even outrageously high expectations.

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It’s October 2003, and UD Trustees are gathered in the new Romona Myers Teaching Center to hear President Bullock describe “the first serious fork in the road to renewal” since the 1998 Mission-Vision-Action Plan was adopted. UD has progressed far enough into the transformation process to know that the standards laid out in the plan are very high.

One of the hardest nuts to crack is the Vision section’s leadoff affirmation that “The University of Dubuque will be acknowledged as one of the best small, private Christian colleges and universities.”

The President announces that it will take $32 million a year for the next 5 years to achieve this goal. Trustees believe in the Mission, but many wonder if it can really be done. One comments, “It seems to me we could be

WHAT DOES “BEST” MEAN? But our considerable success didn’t answer the central question: What exactly do we mean by “best”? Traditional higher education standards define “best” in terms of US News and World Report ranking, ACT and SAT test scores, and grade point averages. According to this model, the “best” schools are the ones ranked highest by high school counselors and college deans, and those with the most academically gifted students, most famous faculty, and largest endowments. These schools tend to be populated by upper middle-class, predominantly Caucasian students from mostly nuclear families. If you read the alumni magazines from many small, private schools, you’ll discover that a large percentage continue to define “best” this way.

But the US News and other traditional rankings have been strongly criticized for being biased, prestige-based, and for ignoring such key factors as community service and social mobility1. Even more importantly, as early as 2000, UD was well aware that US higher education was changing in ways that challenge many traditional beliefs.

The vast majority of 21st century students and their families are very different from 20th century populations. For example, the widely-documented increase in ethnic diversity in the U.S. means that more and more students of color want a college degree. And this is true not just on the coasts; Hispanics make up the fastest-growing population in Iowa.

Academic preparation is also changing. Several years ago, the ACT organization began reporting that up to 80 percent of the high school seniors who take its test nationally are underprepared in some ways for the college experience, regardless of their scores. Eighty percent! And this continues to be true.

The social mobility picture of 21st century students and their families is changing, too. Increasing numbers of students eligible for Pell-grants are applying for college, which means that private and public student loans are increasingly important, and as federal and state governments continue to cut back support for education, the debt load of many graduates is growing alarmingly. Schools are challenged to make higher education affordable for increasing numbers of students who have the most to gain socioeconomically.

In addition, first-generation students are applying in everlarger numbers, bringing more challenges for both academic affairs and student life. These students often work 35 to 40 1 2

hours a week, a reality that affects both their study time and how they interact with student life programming. Firstgeneration students also tend to have leadership positions in their families, which often means that, when there’s trouble at home, they have to leave school to help.

As if this weren’t enough, the exploding popularity of smart phones, texting, and social media means that new students from all socioeconomic and cultural groups are displaying the effects of media multitasking2. These include reduced critical thinking skills and increasingly underdeveloped motivation and ability to read, which by any measure has traditionally been the key academic skill.

These fundamental demographic changes mean that the traditional model of higher education no longer applies, and this requires re-thinking what “best” means. In the 21st century, there will continue to be a small population of highlyprepared students who succeed in traditional schools that focus exclusively on traditional academics in traditional ways. But, if 80 percent of the students are in some way underprepared, then the best universities will be those that both reward traditional excellence and best help this population overcome

For example, www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/opinion/nocera-the-silly-list-everyone-cares-about.html/, and www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/ www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502084444.htm

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their challenges. If increasing numbers of students are the first in their family to attend college, then the best schools will be those that most effectively welcome and support this population. If most students are digitally-engaged but weak readers, the best institutions will be those that effectively

develop critical thinking, media literacy, and excellent written and oral communication skills with this population.

Universities can no longer be “best” by continuing to do only what higher education has done since the 18th century.

Community & Character: Job-one—Across the Campus

By Mick Miyamoto, PhD, Vice President and Dean of Students

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include TRIO program advisors as well as Career Services professionals. This integration will help provide a seamless environment for our students from matriculation to graduation. l New Student Orientation– Led by Student Activities staff, a revamped New Student Orientation was designed in 2011 and delivered in fall 2012. Faculty teaching in the World View Seminar series played an integral role as the Orientation activities and sessions became a required portion of the course. Assessment results indicate that this initiative was a major success. And as the literature points out, Orientation programs, especially those that help students establish a meaningful connection with an “adult” figure on campus (faculty or staff), powerfully improve retention and promote student success. l Faculty and staff embrace our responsibility to be a community that is “caringly intrusive.” Our Campus Mom, Mental Health Counselors, and Residence Life staff consistently receive messages from academic colleagues, food service, custodial staff, and administrators when they are concerned about any one of our students.

This over-arching sense of compassion and trust has led to responses or interventions that have positive effects on the lives of our students.

I’m proud to be a staff member at the University of Dubuque and proud of the fact that we have a culture on campus that is cooperative, collaborative, and creative. The task of creating environments that contribute to the formation of students will forever be a challenge, but with the spirit of our entire staff here it makes the work a joy.

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In his article titled “Student Learning Outside the Classroom: Transcending Artificial Boundaries,” University of Indiana student learning researcher George Kuh, recommends that two crucial ways institutions can best enhance student learning are by: “(a) break[ing] down barriers between various units (e.g., academic departments, administrative services, student affairs) and (b) creat[ing] situations in which students examine the connections between their studies and life outside the classroom and to apply what they are learning.”

UD’s administration, faculty, and staff understand that in order to deliver on our pledge to educate the whole person, it is imperative for us to build partnerships among all of our personnel. The principle from which we operate is that Student learning is the focus; not instruction. With students generally taking 15 to 17 credit hours of course work per week during an academic term, the question that begs to be asked is, “What sort of environments and interventions are created to enhance learning during the other 153 – 155 hours of their week?”

Here are just a few examples of collaborative efforts on campus to meet our challenge of delivering a holistic education: l Advising– Academic Affairs and Student Life established a task force to identify issues and improve the quality of academic advising. Recommendations were made and implemented leading to the creation of the Associate Dean of Academic Advising position. This individual addresses the needs of all incoming students who have not yet chosen an academic major. We plan to extend this partnership to

The Diamond Initiative spells out UD’s understanding of these 21st century higher education realities and clarifies how we are on our way to becoming “one of the best” by responding effectively to them.

THE DIAMOND INITIATIVE AND THE WENDT INITIATIVE Like the Wendt Initiative, the Diamond Initiative is an effort to shape aspects of everything all of us do at UD— students, faculty, and staff. Both initiatives are ways to focus UD efforts to make a difference in the lives of everybody here, and both are ways to develop distinctive features of UD’s culture—our “brand.”

The Wendt Initiative promotes “intellectual understanding of and personal commitment to leading lives of purpose and excellent moral character.” Wendt programming is designed to help students, faculty, staff, and trustees pursue this goal.

As UD’s excellence initiative, the Diamond Initiative clarifies that UD intends to be “best” at responding to the demographic realities just summarized: l A high percentage of students, despite their test scores and high school GPA, are underprepared in some ways to succeed in college; l Increasing numbers of students of color are applying, and many have been under-served by their K-12 institutions; l Critical social mobility challenges include: – Growing numbers of applicants financially qualified for Pell grants – Ever-increasing tuition – Serious reductions in federal and state scholarship and loan funds – Dramatically increased student debt-load; l A growing percentage of first-generation students bring special needs; l Many students work 35-40 hours/week; l Media multitaskers often dislike reading and come with weak critical thinking skills.

FIVE FEATURES OF THE DIAMOND INITIATIVE Importantly, these six bullets do not label Mission commitments or policy decisions; these are demographic facts that confront all higher education institutions. UD’s commitment is to be one of the best in acknowledging and responding to these realities by developing, delivering, and assessing programming that has five primary features:

Reformed Christian– Our theological commitments as a Christian university in the Presbyterian tradition frame all these features. We affirm that: – God is the creator of all things, and “reflecting the image of God” means that humans are intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical beings (holism and individualization); – Brokenness exists in every area of creation, and by God’s grace, we are empowered to choose the good (holism and character-focus); – Through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, human beings, societies, and the natural world are being liberated from brokenness and restored to wholeness (hope-filled engagement with the world); – It is our task to respond to God’s redemptive work with lives of grateful service (commitments to leadership and service). l Holistic Consistent– Especially with the first two elements of Reformed Christianity, we strive to educate the whole person. Academics are, of course, a key element of Diamond programming. We also intentionally develop learning in Stewardship, Community and Character, and Vocation (see diagram on page 34). A completelydeveloped Diamond University has mature programming in all four of these areas. l Formational– We are committed not only to educating but also to helping form persons, specifically by developing in all stakeholders: – Personal empowerment – Intercultural competence – Servant leadership – Learning vs. instructional pedagogies. l Caringly intrusive– We care about students, faculty, and staff too much to leave them alone. Our programming is, wherever appropriate, intentionally intrusive. l Assessed– We measure outcomes in all areas and use what we learn to continuously improve the quality of our programming.

The picture of a Diamond University that emerges from these five commitments looks like this: The diamond shape indicates quality. The broad scope of the Diamond Initiative enhances the experience of every UD stakeholder—students, faculty, staff, administration, trustees. At the center are the five core features that promote excellence and that shape learning opportunities throughout l

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the university. Student learning opportunities are central, of course. But the job descriptions for faculty, security personnel, residence hall staff, and support staff also identify learning outcomes related to academics, stewardship, vocation, community, and character. As a result, the Diamond Initiative includes faculty and staff professional development opportunities to strengthen each area. To cite just one example, in late 2012, Education faculty members completed Intercultural Competence Leadership training offered by the City of Dubuque.

A WORK IN PROGRESS The Diamond Initiative pulls together commitments that have grown out of many different university experiences.

Caring Intrusiveness– In 1998, Vice Presidents of Enrollment Management Peter and Susan Smith and Dean of Admission Jesse James determined that most first-generation and under-served student applicants and their families lacked detailed knowledge of university admission procedures, financial aid options, registration procedures, housing possibilities, and academic calendars. As a result, these student populations needed to be carefully shepherded through the admission process with multiple telephone calls, mailings, 3

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and personal contacts. The “caringly intrusive” procedures that UD admission counselors developed had to be adjusted early in next decade as email replaced snail-mail, and then changed again around 2008 when applicants began ignoring email in favor of texting. So it’s a moving target, but today we know that caring intrusiveness is a key part of success, not only with new students but also with every member of the UD community who experiences difficulty.

Other higher education leaders also recognize the importance of caring intrusiveness. The Lumina Foundation, which is the nation’s largest foundation dedicated exclusively to increasing student access to, and success in, postsecondary education, identifies this feature—they call it “providing an intrusive and intensive college experience”—as critical to success with most 21st century students.3 Today, the “UD Cares Team” applies the principle of caringly intrusive to undergraduate students. Since abundant research shows the correlation between class attendance and retention, faculty teaching first- and second-year courses take roll, and when students are consistently absent, notify the UD Cares Team, who contact the student in order to work the problems that are keeping him or her from class.

Caring intrusiveness is also a hallmark of the Bridge program, a feature of the athletic program’s approach to coaching, and a key element of the programming offered through the Academic Success Center.

Blowing on Sparks: UD’s Holistic Honors Program– In the late 1990s, Dean James also learned to spot talented and capable students who were under-motivated and often under-served in high school, but who were ready for extra college-level academic and leadership challenges and eager to be engaged on campus. In collaboration with the Admission Office, Professors Paul Jensen and Henry Grubb helped a group of college faculty and administration to develop a 21st century honors program that emphasizes not only academic excellence but also critical thinking, communication competence, and leadership effectiveness. Today, in the capable hands of Criminal Justice Professor Ben Bartels, UD’s ScholarLeader Program (SLP) is rewarding highly-motivated students with special coursework, enriched off-campus learning opportunities, expanded one-on-one time with faculty, and certification as a Scholar-Leader. The SLP is an important part of Diamond Initiative programming.

(See Giegerich, S. (2012) “CUNY’s Newest College is Forming ASAP,” Lumina Foundation Focus, Summer 2012, p. 4.)

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UD is also developing additional ways to keep highperforming students engaged. For example, in 2011, the Chlapaty Science Research Fellowship Program provided support for selected students to do advanced work in the sciences by providing compensation for summer research to offset what students would have earned from a summer job.

In the first-year of this program Chlapaty Science Fellows met or exceeded the research goals established for their fellowships, gave 16 research presentations at scientific conferences, improved their readiness to take the Graduate Record Exam by an average of 36 percent, increased their network of

professional contacts outside UD by more than 300 percent, and shared their research at the offices of Senators Grassley and Harkin and Representative Braley. Chlapaty Science Fellow Melissa Englert was chosen as the only undergraduate student in the nation to take part in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Capitol Hill Day, where she contributed to a presentation about science funding to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services. In 2013, the program doubled in size and was open to students across the college and the seminary.

Vocation: Forming Leaders Willing—and Able—to Shape the Future

By Ben Bartels, JD, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Director of the Scholar Leader Program

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think both critically and creatively. I believe students respond best when their opinions are valued, and when they have control in the learning process.”

Vincent Obah, a senior criminal justice major from Chicago, finds the approach effective: “For me, the Scholar Leader Program has been the best organization that I have been a part of on campus. In particular, the Social Justice course has been vital in my progression as a student. The course has challenged me to become a better writer, speaker, and critical thinker. It is preparing me for the next phase of my education.” The Social Justice course culminates with students participating in a formal debate on gun control before a community-wide audience at the end of the semester.

The SLP’s vision is to create individuals who are not only ready, but willing to shape the future. “I believe one of the unique features of the SLP is our emphasis on developing leaders. To our administration’s credit, they recognized that many individuals lack necessary leadership skills. They made it clear that they wanted a program that addressed this need,” Bartels notes. To this end, the SLP requires participants both to take a leadership course and to hold a leadership position within their community before they graduate. As one SLP participant remarked in a survey, “I enjoy [The SLP] because I love to be challenged. I’ve been surprised to find out how much I’m truly capable of and how I can make a difference.”

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UD’s Scholar Leader Program (SLP) is an innovative approach to honors programming in higher education. Honors programs typically restrict membership to students with the highest test scores and grade point averages, a practice which favors those from only some high schools, socioeconomic groups, and cultures. The SLP’s mission is to develop not only the intellectual and academic, but also the leadership and communication skills of high-achieving students. Each SLP course is specifically designed to hone students’ critical thinking and communication abilities. As SLP Program Director Professor Ben Bartels explains, “The SLP is about creating dynamic classroom experiences for our students. The program invites students to examine issues from a fresh perspective. I really want to push our students to

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Watering Saplings (First-Year Focus)– The demographic realities already reviewed show that a high percentage of new students don’t know their way around the college experience.

If they’re first-generation students or they belong to a traditionally under-served population, many haven’t been involved in family conversations about semester hours, majors, residence life, or academic calendars. If they’re Pell granteligible, economic realities may have kept them from planning to continue school. If they’re under-achievers, they may have decided to attend college only recently. Many can be confused, disappointed, surprised, and intimidated by the first months of university life. A high percentage drop out.

This is why programming at UD that is designed to increase retention and persistence focuses on first-year students. South Carolina’s National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition has developed best practices for first-year retention programming4.

Syracuse University distinguished professor of education Vincent Tinto also links retention and first-year programming in his essay, “Taking Student Retention Seriously: Rethinking the First-Year of College.” Tinto explains that the best programming sets high expectations, provides comprehensive support, offers consistent feedback, encourages involvement, and develops relevant learning5.

UD applies insights from these national efforts in many Diamond Initiative-supported first-year programs, including New Student Orientation, First-Year Academic Advising, Linked Course Registration, Bridge, UD Cares, and Personal Empowerment Training. All are early-intervention programs to help first-year students stay in school so they can complete their degrees.

Personal Empowerment– This term labels an academic and experiential curriculum to develop both personal competence—self-awareness, self-regulation, and selfmotivation—and social competence—empathy and relationship management. It was originally developed by Twin Cities RISE!, a highly-successful poverty reduction program in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Founder Steve Rothschild discusses TC RISE! generally and personal empowerment specifically in his 2012 book, The Non Nonprofit: For-Profit Thinking for Nonprofit Success. He explains that personal empowerment is what distinguishes TC RISE! from similar programs, and

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attributes a great deal of the organization’s success to this kind of skill development6.

This training empowers participants, for example, to understand the links among feelings, thoughts, and actions; present themselves with confidence; manage impulsive feelings; build trust through authenticity and reliability; meet commitments; consider fresh perspectives; commit to a larger purpose; persist in seeking goals; be attentive to others’ emotional cues; mentor effectively; and accurately read key power relationships. Research has shown personal empowerment skills to be critical to professional success, interpersonal effectiveness, and physical and psychological well-being.

Personal Empowerment senior trainer Cy Yusten reports that, when TC RISE! presented this training to high-level corporate executives from SuperValu, US Bank, Wells Fargo, General Mills, and St. Paul Companies, the responses of the executives were consistently along the line of “Wow! Why didn’t I get this when I was in school or in the early days of my career? What a difference it would have made for me.”

UD faculty and staff responded in similarly positive ways to on-campus workshops in 2007, 2012, and 2013.

Currently, four certified UD trainers, led by Personal Empowerment Coordinator, Danielle Kuboushek, are delivering personal empowerment content to World View Seminar I students. Plans are underway to offer this content in a stand-alone course and to expand the population of students who benefit from this training.

Intercultural Competence– The demographic reality of ever-increasing cultural diversity means that all 21st century learners will need to be able to work effectively with people who are different from themselves. Many campus programs already help teach intercultural competence, including coursework in intercultural communication, Student Life programming led by the directors of international studies and of multicultural student engagement, student organizations such as the Black Student Union (BSU), diversity training offered to Education majors, and the Faculty Multicultural Advisory Committee.

An intercultural competence approach to inclusion and diversity is anchored in a developmental, educational model rather than a traditional affirmative action or civil rights

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Stewardship: Everything is Held in Trust

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approach. For six years, the City of Dubuque has offered this kind of training and has begun to gain national recognition for its successes. Today, a committee of UD faculty and staff is collaborating with the City’s Office of Human Rights to enrich this part of the city’s programming and expand UD students’ learning opportunities. Led by professors Angela Brandel (Education), and Chaminda Prelis (Aviation), Henry

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Professor Crista Weber’s assignment was designed to focus the class helping patients and clients preserve and enhance their own well-being. Laura commented, “You know, that was fun.

Getting involved and interactive with a video project makes it more worthwhile.

As nurses we are in the perfect position to raise awareness about being and staying healthy with our patients.”

The assignment these students completed is part of our Nursing program’s engagement with UD’s Mission commitment to the “stewardship of God’s human and natural resources.” Historically, nurse educators have focused on teaching students how to manage illness. This is still important, but increasingly, our emphasis is on helping students teach their clients to remain healthy. In addition to training nurses to take vital signs, dress, wounds, and administer medication, the UD Nursing program empowers students to “optimize patient, family, and population health and self-care”; in other words, to enhance patients’ stewardship of health.

Second semester UD nursing students take a obstetrics and pediatrics class that also focuses on health stewardship. A major learning activity in this course is based on the Healthy

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In their first semester as UD nursing students, Brittany Stombaugh and Laura Menta were part of classroom groups that created YouTube videos.

Brittany’s group produced, “Are You At Risk for Type II Diabetes?” Other student productions included “The ABCDs of Skin Cancer,” “Self-Breast Exam,” and “Testicular Self-Exam,” which was produced by two male nursing students.

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People 2020 initiative, a government project which provides 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans (www.HealthyPeople.gov).

Students write a paper in which they identify some health disparities among the child-bearing, child-rearing, and pediatric populations and examine evidence-based recommendations to meet the over-arching health outcome goals of Healthy People 2020. In these ways, students learn to see their role as a steward of health in a broader sense, one that goes beyond individuals to encompass families and entire populations.

Students who feel called to serve others by caring for them, and in so doing help them to optimize their own health by learning how to care for themselves, exemplify stewardship of God’s creation.

Grubb (Psychology), Alice Oleson (Sociology and Criminal Justice), and student life staff member, Mishereen Ellis, this group is developing service learning, internship, mediation, and community resource opportunities for UD students. In the future, Intercultural Competence Leadership training will also be offered to increasing numbers of UD faculty and staff.

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Servant Leadership. As noted above, Reformed Christian theology calls everyone in the UD community to leadership and to programming that strengthens leadership abilities.

The approach most consistent with UD’s Mission is called servant leadership, as developed by the research, training, and practices of Robert K. Greenleaf and his associates

(www.greenleaf.org). Greenleaf explains that a servant leader is someone who is servant first, who feels responsible to contribute to the well-being of people and community.

A servant leader looks first to the needs of the people and asks how to help them to solve problems and promote personal development? Consistent with guidelines for leaders in Isaiah

Academics: Centered on Student Success

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rate of this high-risk cohort of students from 24 percent to 40 percent.

Bridge student comments identify several reasons for this kind of success: “I am very glad that so many people are very supportive and helpful on campus. Nobody knows how much it means to feel so comfortable around campus and in the classroom.”

“The Reading and Study Skills class helped me find ways to study better and remember what I studied the next day.”

“I found the friendly atmosphere beneficial when being introduced to college life. It made the transition easier.”

“The mentors are very friendly and helpful. Having people close to my age made me feel more comfortable being a part of the school.”

“I never thought I would be in college.

My family is so proud of me. I want to do this for all of them.”

“I found out who will be there to help me when I need it. I saw that I can succeed.”

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When Jose Hernandez entered UD in the fall of 2008, his ACT score and high school gpa qualified him for the Bridge Program. Four years later, Jose graduated with a degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice and is now in graduate school in Illinois. How could a student with these initial scores have this much success? It’s partly about determination and character.

As he put it, “…I know [that] it’s not going to be easy. If it was, then everybody would be doing it. I’m willing to do anything that’s going to benefit me in my future. I want to be somebody in life, and not have to struggle.”

UD’s Bridge program was built on research-based best practices for student retention. These include an emphasis on building faculty and peer relationships, filling any gaps in basic skills, participation in campus activities, and inspiring academic confidence. As Bridge Program Director Dr. Marta Abele explains, “We believe that a particular number may not necessarily reflect who you are or what you can accomplish in life if given some extra support. The Bridge Program offers a selected cohort of first-year students an opportunity to prove that they have what it takes to earn a college degree.

Those who have taken advantage of all the supportive resources on campus are indeed flourishing, showing that their strengths and abilities are, in fact, beyond what any number or test score implies. The program is working!”

The numbers support Dr. Abele’s evaluation. Fall semester, 2012, 76 percent of the Bridge students had a 2.0 or higher gpa for their first college semester, and 16 percent of the cohort earned Dean’s List recognition with a 3.5 or higher gpa. This pattern has been typical over the past several academic years. Over the four years for which we have data, the Bridge program has improved the 5-year graduation

es

By Marta Abele, PhD, Associate Professor of Education; Director of the Bridge Program

42: 1-4, Mark 9: 34-37, and Philippians 2: 4-16, this leader places the main focus on people, because only content and motivated people are able to reach their targets and to fulfill the set expectations.

Faculty-staff reading groups met in Fall 2011 to discuss servant leadership principles as they are explained in Sipe & Frick’s The Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership, and plans are underway to expand these opportunities. Servant Leadership is also an important element of UD’s Scholar-Leader Program.

Bridge Program– In 2007, a Retention Task Force made up of representatives from administration, faculty, student life, athletics, and academic support recommended the adoption of 22 programs focused on Academic Excellence, Vocation and Career, Community, and Stewardship. Launched under Education Professor Marta Abele’s leadership, the Bridge Program was a key feature of these recommendations, and it was shaped to follow research-based best practices for retention of underprepared students. The program enables students to bridge the gaps that may exist between their preparation for college and the expectations of their professors. It includes programming to build faculty and peer relationships, improve basic skills, promote engagement with campus activities, and build academic confidence.

The first Bridge cohort entered the University in fall 2008.

The program expanded to include a Summer Bridge experience from 2009-2011. Program assessment and student feedback, especially from the summer program, clearly indicated which specific elements were most successful in supporting new students. As a result of this data analysis, New Student Orientation for all incoming first-year students now includes several elements that proved successful with Bridge students.

Each semester, some Bridge students have earned a remarkable 4.0 gpa, and every Bridge cohort since 2008 has averaged well above the college’s minimum 2.0 gpa requirement. Bridge students highly praise the program, and, although data is limited, the 4.5 year graduation rate for Bridge students is twice as high as the graduation rate for this same demographic before the Bridge program was offered.

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE The call to “be acknowledged as one of the best small, private Christian colleges and universities” is a daunting challenge to every University of Dubuque stakeholder who takes our Mission seriously. Fortunately, UD has been among the first

institutions to successfully confront the demographic changes that make this challenge pressing and difficult.

In 1852, Adrian Van Vliet created our school to provide access to quality higher education for an under-served population—German immigrants. Since then, our Reformed Christian heritage has kept us focused on the task of forming whole persons of moral character called and equipped to lead and serve. It turns out that these missional tasks are precisely what a significant portion of contemporary higher education needs today.

The Diamond Initiative positions the University of Dubuque at the forefront of small, private colleges and universities who are: l Mobilizing the power of our Reformed Christian heritage l Intentionally responding to demographic realities l Educating whole persons l Forming personally empowered, interculturally competent citizens of character l Engaging all stakeholders in the educational process l Operating with caring intrusiveness l Thoroughly assessing all that we do.

Other small, private colleges and universities do some of these things. The Diamond Initiative clarifies that the University of Dubuque’s goal is to be one of the best at doing them all.

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SaleemGhubril:

Bridge Builder

By Beverly VanDerZyl

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Alumni CONNECTIONS Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is sometimes called “The City of Bridges” because there are 74 bridge structures within the city limits. Those bridges are made of steel and concrete. They lead travelers over obstacles to their destinations.

Saleem Ghubril (S’91), founder of The Pittsburgh Project (TPP), lives in Pittsburgh and offers another kind of bridge. Ghubril builds bridges made of trust, respect, and hope, to lead people through impasses in their lives. People who encounter Ghubril can experience personal growth and soon realize they have a way to a better future.

HIS JOURNEY For a journey that began in Beirut, Lebanon, and ended up in Pittsburgh, Ghubril needed his own bridges. He told the 2011 Opening Convocation crowd at the University of Dubuque, “From my experience, life is not a straight-path journey.”

When Ghubril was 16, the civil war in Lebanon put his family in great danger. Five of his relatives were killed, and his brother was kidnapped. With the help of the US Embassy, where his father was employed, the family made it to the United States. They reunited with his

older sister, who was married and living in Iowa City. The family settled there.

The transition for Ghubril was not easy. He had a new world to explore.

But, Ghubril finished high school and enrolled at The University of Iowa to study accounting — that is, until he participated in a college service trip to urban St. Louis.

A passion was birthed within Ghubril during the service trip experience. “I knew then that I wanted to make a difference for urban youth and the elderly—a real difference.” His accounting major did not take him in that direction, so Ghubril switched to religion and philosophy.

Other developments prepared Ghubril to follow his passion. He was asked to help with the fast-growing youth group at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Iowa City. Ghubril joined the youth ministry team under the direction of Phil Butin. “Saleem played the guitar a little, so I asked him to help me lead worship for the junior high youth,” Butin shares. “His gift of leadership blossomed. He had a knack for leading the Bible studies. I was able to turn more of the ministry responsibilities over to him.”

Another significant circumstance occurred at St. Andrews; Saleem met Patti, also a college student worshipping there. They were married in 1981.

Patti graduated in 1982 with an art degree, and the young couple took off for Philadelphia.

The purpose for the Philadelphia trip was to consult with Tony Campolo about a direction for their life journey.

After one hour of conversation and prayer, the young couple acknowledged and affirmed the passion birthed in urban St. Louis. The decision was made.

They charted a course to serve God and people, especially youth and the elderly.

For two years, the couple worked in a church in New Jersey: Saleem in youth ministry and Patti in Christian education. During what Ghubril calls, “a very shaping” time, Saleem completed his undergraduate degree and continued to learn from Dr. Campolo.

The young couple prayed for a new assignment in an urban environment.

Ghubril laughs as he remembers, “God sure does have a sense of humor.

We were called to Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, and I became the youth pastor in a white, affluent, suburban neighborhood of Pittsburgh.”

DR. ANTHONY CAMPOLO Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He previously served for ten years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Eastern College and earned a PhD from Temple University.

Founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), Dr. Campolo has worked to create, nurture, and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across

North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries.

Dr. Campolo is a media commentator on religious, social, and political matters; an author of 39 books; and speaker, who delivers 350 addresses around the world each year. He is one of the founders of the Red Letter Christian movement and blogs regularly at its website, www.RedLetterChristians.org.

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THE PITTSBURGH PROJECT BEGINS One of the youth director’s responsibilities was offering a mission trip experience. The first two summers Ghubril took his group out of town to do mission. Then, in 1985, plans began for the summer mission experience to happen right in the City of Pittsburgh.

Back in Iowa City at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Randy Hausler needed advice. Early in 1986, he contacted Ghubril for leads on summer work camps for his entire youth group.

“I needed a place that would take more than four or five students,” Hausler explains. “I knew Saleem’s heart from working with him as a volunteer in youth ministry, so I knew he would have a good idea. Boy, did he!”

For three weeks in the summer of 1986, a total of 60 youth from Iowa City and Allison Park helped urban

homeowners in Pittsburgh improve their properties. The groups stayed in a school’s basement, worked in integrated crews, and worshipped together. The Pittsburgh Project (TPP) was underway; the pillars were formed to build a bridge connecting energetic youth with vulnerable, elderly homeowners.

After the second summer of organizing youth work groups and ministering to homeowners in urban Pittsburgh, the importance of “the bridge” and the passion in Ghubril was growing. Butin, who continued as Ghubril’s “mentor in ministry,” urged Saleem to earn a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree and become (officially) a pastor to the youth and the elderly in urban Pittsburgh. Ghubril decided to resign from his full-time youth ministry position.

HIS JOURNEY CONTINUES By the spring of 1989, Ghubril was enrolled in the MDiv degree program at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), the same seminary from which his uncle, Wanis Semaan, graduated in 1961. Both men have received the Manning Award for Specialized Ministry, a top alumni honor for seminary graduates.

The Ghubril family of four—Saleem, Patti, Christina, and Nathan—moved to Dubuque. Ghubril studied for his seminary classes, served as youth director at Third Presbyterian Church in Dubuque (now known as GracePoint), and remained in active leadership of the new urban ministry in Pittsburgh.

Seminary professor, Dr. Howard Wallace, who taught Wanis Semaan and Ghubril, describes Saleem as “inevitably cheerful, upbeat, and always caring.” Dr. Lyle Vander Broek remembers, “Saleem

THE REV. DR. WANIS SEMAAN AND DR. INGRID SEMAAN Wanis Semaan grew up in a Christian village called Mieh-Mieh near the city of Sidon, Lebanon. In 1958, he earned an undergraduate degree in Education, Psychology, and Religion from the American University of Beirut (A.U.B.) in Lebanon.

To further his education, Semaan followed the lead of Mieh-Mieh resident, Nadim Saikaly, and came to Dubuque to study at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Like so many others, he met his future wife on the campus. Ingrid Leyer, a student of Modern Languages, lived in Dubuque. They were married on October 22, 1960. She taught school for a year in Beloit, WI, while he finished his degree.

Semaan and his bride of German descent went to Beirut. Wanis taught at the seminary level, and Ingrid earned a master’s degree in

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American literature from A.U.B. She was an English instructor there from 1969-1971.

In the early 70’s, Wanis and Ingrid returned to Iowa. Wanis earned a doctorate at theology at the Aquinas Institute in Dubuque in 1973. Ingrid was a research assistant at the University of Iowa and earned a PhD in English Literature. The Rev. Dr. Semaan served three years as pastor of Stanwood Presbyterian Church near Tipton, IA. Once again, the Semaans returned to Beirut. Wanis served as dean of Near East School of Theology (NEST) and was elected President of the school in 1985. The seminary, which has theological connections to four churches—Presbyterian, Congregational, Lutheran, and Anglican—is in close proximity to A.U.B., which was founded by Presbyterian and Congregational influence. The two schools exchange faculty.

Dr. Wanis Semaan was an ordained minister with the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon and represented the Synod on many committees and boards. He helped establish the World Council of ChristianMuslim Dialogue. His ties to A.U.B. and the Synod, led Semaan to know and advocate for David Jacobsen, Tom Sutherland, and The Rev. Benjamin Weir, all men who, at different times, were hostages of the Islamic Jihad.

Ingrid joined the faculty of Haigazian University in Beirut and became head of the English department. Her last teaching position was as associate professor of English at the A.U.B. Dr. Ingrid Leyer Semaan died August 27, 2008, in Hungary. Dr. Wanis Semaan died October 5, 2010, in Arizona.

was a bright student. He was off campus a lot because he was very busy in ministry. He stood out as a person gifted with cross-cultural sensitivity. Maybe because of his own journey, he had a keen understanding of differences in cultures and economic classes. He knew how to bring people together.”

Ghubril’s character traits made an impression on his peers, too. Anthony Doheny (S’92), pastor of Emerald Community Fellowship in Eugene, OR, remembers, “When I arrived at UDTS in 1989, I crossed paths with a young man who caught my attention. I mean, I wanted to hang around this guy, and I didn’t care that he was from Beirut, Lebanon!”

“Well, my life changed. I came to seminary with some serious baggage, and Saleem was one who helped me unpack and discard some of the things that were burdensome to me. What I found in him was a friend and a brother—one I could trust and one who could trust me. He taught me about grace, forgiveness, and how to love students unconditionally.” Doheny did youth ministry while studying at UDTS.

TPP GROWS The time Ghubril spent in Dubuque also benefited the ministry in Pittsburgh.

Summer camps at TPP grew with the addition of youth from Dubuque.

Some of the summer work camp participants caught the same passion to work with youth as Ghubril had.

Two examples are Isaac Terwilleger and Zachary Christians, both summer campers, who are now youth pastors:

Youth of First Presbyterian Church, Moline, Il.

Terwilleger at First Presbyterian Church in Moline, IL., and Christians at Grace Baptist in Davenport, IA. Terwilleger shares, “I went (reluctantly) to TPP for a week when I was a sophomore in high school. I was hooked and returned the next two summers! Now I make sure youth group students, for whom I am responsible, have the same opportunity. It is a life transforming experience, not just for the students, but also for our church. The teens who participate are changed, and it shows.

“By putting a name with the face of poverty, through week-long relationships with those struggling to get by, our teens are able to show dignity and love to the overlooked and outcast in our community. The majority of our teens say their time at TPP had the greatest impact in their faith development.”

One of the Iowa City youth campers became part of the TPP staff

on his way to becoming a pastor.

Shawn Coons, co-pastor of Fairview Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, IN, relates, “Saleem was never just about fixing houses, making people happy, having fun, or finishing a task. His underlying concern always seemed to be to help people experience the peace and wholeness that God desires for everyone.”

At TPP, homes are reclaimed and lives are changed. Youth and adults find new and renewed focus for their future.

Soon-to-be condemned properties are improved at no cost to the homeowners. Relationships are made and strengthened among the youth, volunteers, staff, and homeowners.

Everyone is respected at TPP, now at its permanent campus on North Charles Street. On Wednesday nights, homeowners are guests for a celebration of food and worship. Each guest is introduced by the team working with him or her. Even after the summer

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youth workers are gone, homeowners who are unable to get around are cared for and visited regularly.

Differences of age, ethnic background, and economic status are bridged by faith and hard work at TPP. The ministry’s mantra is an adapted version of Zechariah 8:4-5: “That Pittsburgh will be called a City of Truth, where once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets each with cane in hand because of age, and where the city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

For the City of Pittsburgh, the good news is TPP has grown from a summer work camp ministry to a year-round influential presence in the North Side.

For the neighborhood children, who attend the after-school programs, and the teens in the leadership development

ministry, TPP provides a bridge to a better future.

Many results of The Project are intangible, but numbers help show the impact. During the first 23 years, the ministry: • Engaged 25,000 young people in the community; • Repaired more than 1,400 properties; • Mentored more than 1,500 children and youth; • Prepared more than 100 urban youth for further education; • Invested more than 500,000 volunteer hours in community service; • Raised $35 million to: - Develop programs; - Purchase and renovate properties; - Revitalize neighborhood park and pool; - Address issues of urban decay.

In addition to the Zechariah-based mission statement, other scripture applies to Ghubril and TPP. The message of Romans 1:16 is obvious: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (New English Translation). Neither Ghubril nor the staff force their beliefs on anyone.

They make showing and sharing the love of God as important as repairing homes and preparing youth for higher education.

PILLAR OF POSITIVITY Saleem with Isacc Tenvilleger, youth pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Moline, IL.

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One way Ghubril authenticated his interest in the inner-city youth was

by his regular lunchtime visits to the neighborhood high school. He ate with the students who were part of TPP’s Leaders-In-Training program. Youth in the North Side saw how positive relationships work.

Another sign of acceptance and respect continues today. For Ghubril, the North Side neighborhood wasn’t “a project,” it was home and still is. Saleem and Patti live in the same neighborhood, three blocks from TPP headquarters, and their children are graduates of the local Perry High School. The Ghubril family is invested—lock, stock, and bridge-building materials—in the neighborhood.

Every interaction with Ghubril is an investment. His always positive approach to each individual he meets is evidenced by his attention. When Ghubril is in conversation, his peripheral vision vanishes. He demonstrates the teaching of the Apostle Paul. “You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4: 29).

THE PITTSBURGH PROMISE BEGINS Is it any wonder that Ghubril was the unanimous selection to be the first executive director of the Pittsburgh Promise? Now, Ghubril is raising funds to match the $100 million grant from the city’s largest employer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). The funds are used

to fulfill a promise of higher education to Pittsburgh’s qualified high school graduates.

The promise to youth who live in the City of Pittsburgh and attend the Pittsburgh Public Schools has three parts: • To provide up to $40,000 as scholarship to pursue higher education; • To improve the urban public schools so students are prepared for higher education; • To improve urban neighborhoods so that living and going to school there is conducive to learning.

While not the only Promise program in the United States, the Pittsburgh Promise is the largest, based on the amount of money pledged to fund it.

Success statistics are encouraging.

Ghubril reports during an interview by Carmen Lee, communication officer with the Heinz Endowments, “After four years, 3,800 students have qualified for scholarships; 600 have graduated. In addition, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh analyzed how our kids are doing in college, and they concluded that Pittsburgh Promise scholars are out-lasting and outperforming the entire national cohort as measured by ACT. At institutions where they aren’t outperforming, Promise scholars are matching performance.”

SALEEM GHUBRIL: BRIDGE BUILDER Ghubril’s new work is a natural extension of what he started in the North Side and a growth point for his passion.

The span for using his gifts is wider.

Still, he hasn’t changed.

THE REV. DR. PHILIP BUTIN

Everything people say about Ghubril continues to be true. Summer work camp youth have called him “crazy.”

During his 2011 convocation speech, Ghubril made his point to the students with “raw lyrics and street language,” as reported by Mary Nevans-Pederson in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Recently, Ghubril was described as “candid, compassionate, quietly charismatic, and a powerful communicator.”

Saleem Ghubril is a rare conglomerate of clergy, community advocate, and CEO. In addition to his role as executive director of the Pittsburgh Promise, he is the volunteer Co-Pastor of the Mosaic Community Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. He serves as Vice Chair of The Buhl Foundation and as a member of the boards of Vibrant Pittsburgh and The Pittsburgh Project.

A positive outlook undergirds everything Ghubril is as he encourages, supports, teaches, and enriches lives.

No one doubts Ghubril’s stand regarding his faith and the inclusiveness of God’s grace. He lives it.

Saleem Ghubril builds bridges for others to experience faith and grace on their journey to new destinations. He makes a real difference.

Dr. Butin, former director of youth ministries at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, holds a PhD in Theology and Church History from Duke University and received his MDiv from Fuller Seminary and BA from Wheaton College.

Butin has served congregations in Iowa, North Carolina, California, and New Mexico. While at the Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, he was instrumental in the formation of the Ecumenical Institute for Ministry, a statewide theological institute.

Currently, he is co-pastor with his wife Jan at First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, AR. From 2002 to January 2010, Butin served as president and professor of theology at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Currently, he is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and teaches the online Theology and Church History courses.

Butin is a member of the Calvin Studies Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Karl Barth Society of North America. He has written several books, as well as scholarly articles and reviews on Calvin, Reformed Theology, the Trinity, and Christian Worship.

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

LET’S GET MISSIONAL At Dubuque Seminary, a degree in Missional Christianity attracts students who don’t feel called to be pastors but want to be part of what God is doing in the world.

By Duane Sweep

C

alled to ministry with youth: Dubuque Seminary student Mary McQuilkin sees the seminary’s new Missional Christianity program as a “bridge between church and community.”

You couldn’t convince Mary McQuilkin that she was being called to enroll in seminary. “No. Absolutely not,” she would say whenever anyone broached the subject. “I kept telling them, ‘No, I don’t want to do that at all.’ ” McQuilkin was working as a signlanguage interpreter in Magnolia, IL. While volunteering in the youth program of her congregation, she felt called to youth ministry. But she was not interested in pursuing the traditional Master of Divinity degree leading to pastoral ministry.

Her pastor, Carol Stufflebeam, a recent graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, persuaded her to take a look at another option being offered by the seminary.

That look convinced McQuilkin to enroll in the seminary’s new Master of Arts program in Missional Christianity.

Peggy Sell, Dubuque’s former director of seminary admission, described the Master of Arts in Missional Christianity as “perfect for

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anyone who is considering their life and vocation through the lens of Christian faith in a God who is still active in this world and inviting us to participate in God’s work.”

Leaders of the program say missional is more than just a term that’s become popular in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): It’s a way of life—a life focused on living as a disciple of Christ in the world, but not necessarily within the structures of church.

“I think missional Christianity is an attitude; it’s a demeanor,” said Amanda Benckhuysen, coordinator of the Dubuque program and assistant professor of Old Testament at the seminary. “It’s a spirit in which you say, ‘My faith is integrated into all of my life, and all my life can give glory to God.’ ” “We realize that not everyone who is called to minister is called to be a pastor,” said Sell. “They have a genuine call, a passion, but not to become a pastor.”

Brad Longfield, dean of the seminary, put it this way: “The effort here is to encourage those who may or may not feel called to ordained ministry to understand their vocation in missional ways—to reach out to others using the gifts they

have, in the places they are, in ways that are theologically informed.”

GAINING NEW TOOLS Cathy Spielman sensed God’s call while working as volunteer Christian education director at First Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where she and her husband live. The call was so strong that she decided to become certified as a Christian educator.

The effort here is to encourage those who may or may not feel called to ordained ministry to understand their vocation in missional ways—to reach out to others using the gifts they have, in the places they are, in ways that are theologically informed.

“You think you’ve got your life on schedule and you’re going in a specific direction,” she says, “and then God just spins you around in a one-eighty and says, ‘No, this is where you’re going.’ ” While pursuing certification, Spielman learned that the new Dubuque Seminary program could shorten the time needed to complete the certification process. Moving to Dubuque wasn’t an option for her, but the seminary program would allow her to take most of her classes online. Now

enrolled in the program, she spends two weeks on campus before each fall and spring semester in what the seminary refers to as “intensives.”

“I can see I’m on the right track here,” Spielman says of her focus on Christian education. “I can make this my whole life’s work, but I need to have some different tools.”

She is able to apply what she is learning at seminary to her work at the Idaho Falls church. “The program gives me answers to questions that would otherwise go unanswered,” she says.

Sell described the Missional Christianity program as a “rigorous graduate program with a solid theological foundation as well as vast flexibility to study a particular emphasis in great depth.”

Students take courses in three major divisions—Bible, history and theology, and ministry—alongside students in the MDiv program, but are not required to take courses in Greek and Hebrew. They study one area of interest in depth and complete a project in that particular area.

McQuilkin sees the program as a “bridge between church and community.” She says it shows people in the community “that this is what it’s like to be a Christian.”

BEYOND CHURCH WALLS New approaches for new times: Brad Longfield, dean of the seminary, says the program is part of Dubuque’s effort to “use our gifts to serve the church in these new times.”

Following her own graduation from seminary, Benckhuysen worked in campus ministry at the University of Michigan before earning a doctorate and joining the faculty at Dubuque.

She describes Dubuque’s program as “theological education for those who want to be involved in ministries that reach beyond the church walls.”

“There are just all kinds of ways that we can be involved in ministry and mission in North America and in our larger global context,” she says. “I think it’s very suitable for a seminary rooted in the Reformed tradition to be looking at ways to equip the body of believers to be informed and to integrate their faith into their vocation.”

Using a term introduced by community planners, Benckhuysen talks about the importance of establishing “third places” in ministry—places where people can congregate outside of home and work. The church used to be that third place, she says, but involvement in traditional churches is dwindling.

“People aren’t going to come to your church programs, because that’s far too threatening—the church building itself or the idea of church itself is a barrier,” Benckhuysen says.

“So how do you set up a safe environment where people will come and hang and build relationships and establish communities and feel comfortable and

safe, where there might be opportunities for the gospel to be shared?”

Longfield sees a connection between Dubuque’s Missional Christianity program and the PC(USA) movement to develop 1,001 new worshiping communities. The denomination is trying “to loosen up some of the tight structures we have in place” and to be open to new models of what constitutes a congregation, he says. The Dubuque program is encouraging a similar flexibility in nurturing church leadership.

Longfield says the program is part of Dubuque Seminary’s effort to “use our gifts to serve the church in these new times. If there are ways that we can proclaim the gospel in new ways that the church has not yet embraced structurally, then let’s go ahead and do that.

“And let’s find ways to empower people to do that,” he continues, “to proclaim the gospel wherever they live and work.”

Duane Sweep is associate for communications for the Synod of Lakes and Prairies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Article reprinted with permission from Presbyterians Today.

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

SEMINARY ONLINE A distance degree program at Dubuque Seminary allows students to take classes from home.

By Duane Sweep

A

dream come true: Laura Viau, who lives in Orlando, FL. , received a Master of Divinity degree in 2012.

Laura Viau first felt called to ministry at age 17. She said, “No thanks, God, I have other things to do.” She taught high school English. She got married. She had a son.

Years later Viau was reminded of her call when she attended a presbytery meeting in which candidates for ministry were being questioned. “I heard someone say, ‘That’s you up there.’ I asked, ‘Who’s yanking my chain?’ It was God.”

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So Viau began looking at seminaries.

But none of the seminaries in Florida were Presbyterian. Then she discovered that the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary was beginning a distance education program in which she could earn a Master of Divinity degree mostly online. “I said, ‘OK, God, I’m in.’ ” As part of the first wave of students to enroll in the program, Viau graduated in the spring of 2012. In the meantime, she did not have to sell her house or uproot her family and could continue doing many of those “other things”

she considered important in life. She describes herself this way on Twitter: “Mostly sane seminarian, mom, wife, employee, intern, musician, friend, and wearer of eleventeen [sic] other hats.”

BUILDING COMMUNITY Staying connected: Students both on and off campus share prayer concerns.

Dubuque is the only seminary of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to offer a Master of Divinity distance education program, enabling students preparing for the ministry to take the majority of their classes from home.

The seminary currently has 70 distance

students and 47 residential students in the masters’ programs.

Fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, the distance program takes advantage of the latest technology.

Seminary leaders say that the online program maintains the connectional aspects of seminary education and of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). In some ways, the connections are even stronger.

For Viau, it was Dubuque’s emphasis on a “cohort” of distance learners all starting on the same path at the same time that got her into the program. “I was thinking I cannot do [seminary] alone,” she says. But knowing that “there would be people along the way with me” enabled her to answer God’s call.

The students spend two weeks on campus when they first enter the program and at the beginning of each semester. The residential sessions feature intensive coursework, but they also include social activities, service projects, and daily chapel services.

“It has to do with forming those bonds face-to-face,” says Viau. “When we’re apart, we are building on that trust that we established when we were together.”

Curriculum and faculty for the online program are the same as in the seminary’s residential program.

Interaction among students and faculty takes place through email and discussion boards.

The success of the program has been a “great and wonderful surprise for me,” says Beth McCaw, the seminary’s pastor to students. When the distance students are on campus, she adds, they become

one community with the residential students. “I need to emphasize that this is one student body.”

CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS Preparing for ministry: Andrew Phillips and other residential students at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary interact regularly with students in the online program.

While the requirements for completing Dubuque’s distance program are the same as for residential students, the distance program sometimes takes longer to complete. A typical residential seminary program requires three years to complete, but online classes are scheduled over a four-year period for students in Dubuque’s distance MDiv program.

Residential students face three primary challenges: uprooting families, selling homes, and leaving jobs. “For our distance students, it’s variations on the same themes,” McCaw says. Though they are not moving families, “they’re still away at times and they’re juggling their lives within the 48 weeks they’re at home.”

Students’ families must realize that a spouse or parent is committed to a graduate degree program, says McCaw. “They’ve left jobs and they’ve dropped hobbies” due to the rigorous course requirements.

For Viau, however, balancing service commitments and studies has been a positive experience. She completed an internship with Central Florida Presbytery in order “to learn about the connectionalism of the Presbyterian Church.” Working with the presbytery council, meeting with pastors and

elders, and visiting congregations, she said, taught her about “the diversity that is the Presbyterian Church.”

Dean Bradley Longfield points out that in the 18th century “pastors trained under pastors.” Now, because most of the distance students are able to remain active in their congregations and presbyteries, he adds, “they’re able to take what they learn in their classes and then see it in their congregations.”

Longfield says Dubuque Seminary has always emphasized preparing pastors who can nurture strong congregations.

The distance MDiv program just adds another dimension by “breaking the bounds of geography.”

Lee Hinson-Hasty, coordinator of theological education and seminary relations for the PC(USA)’s General Assembly Mission Council, welcomes efforts by Dubuque and other Presbyterian seminaries to make theological education more accessible to the whole church.

“In a complex world, worshiping God with all our heart, all our strength, and all our mind is not getting easier,” he says. “Well formed people of faith, able to think theologically and lead after careful discernment, are making a difference. Scholars-in-residence, books that matter, free digitized resources, classes and seminars in more locations and even online, give me hope that God is doing a new thing in our time.”

Duane Sweep is associate for communications for the Synod of Lakes and Prairies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Article reprinted with permission from Presbyterians Today.

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

SEMINARY FACULTY PUBLICATIONS The faculty of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary have published numerous books this spring addressing the church’s scripture, tradition, and practices. These works exemplify the commitment of the seminary faculty to scholarship that forms God’s people for servant leadership in ministry and mission. Below are brief introductions to these works and excerpts that illustrate the nature of the books.

The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline (Oxford University Press, 2013)

By Elesha J. Coffman, Assistant Professor of Church History The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline offers the first full-length, critical study of The Christian Century, widely regarded as the most influential religious magazine in America for most of the twentieth century and hailed by Time as “Protestantism’s most vigorous voice.”

Excerpt: In any survey of twentieth-century American religion, the big story of the 1920s is the Fundamentalist-modernist split, which reached a public crescendo with the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. The Century certainly took notice of the controversy. At times the magazine attacked Fundamentalists—once, for example, calling them “a weak imitation of the Ku Klux Klan.” At

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other times it counseled its liberal readers to exercise good Christian charity, even though Fundamentalists clearly did not deserve it. The Century was especially pained to see William Jennings Bryan, champion of peace, workers’ rights, and so many other causes that it fervently upheld, ally with the forces of “obscurantism and reaction.”

Having already fought this theological battle within the Disciples of Christ, however, and believing that the best treatment for Fundamentalism was to ignore it until Progress inevitably swept it away, the Century directed the bulk of its energies elsewhere.

The most pressing issue for [editor Charles Clayton] Morrison and the other men who joined his staff during the decade was, once again, attracting enough subscribers to stay afloat. This effort entailed identifying likely subscribers on the basis of their institutional affiliations, taste, and reading habits, so it provides a window on the social embodiment of the mainline argument. The effort also required the Century to articulate its distinctiveness, to declare what it stood for and where it stood in relation to allies and competitors. Because the mainline centered itself on the American religious landscape not by camping out in the heart of the majority but by claiming high ground and then calling others to range themselves round, these declarations performed a vital function for the tradition. Mainline authority flowed from the top down, so someone, somewhere had to give marching orders. The Century, firmly under Morrison’s direction but expanding its staff to include other vibrant voices in the emerging tradition, gladly took on this role.

[Reprinted from The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline by Elesha J. Coffman with permission from Oxford University Press USA. Copyright © 2013 by Elesha J. Coffman]

Moral Education for Women in the Pastoral and Pythagorean Letters: Philosophers of the Household (Brill Academic Press, 2013)

By Annette Bourland Huizenga, Assistant Professor of New Testament “My interest in the teachings for women in the Pastoral Letters was sparked by the contemporary debates about the gender. Along the way, I pondered such questions as: How are men and women different? How do individual persons understand themselves as masculine and/or feminine? How are gender differences perceived in society, and especially, in the churches? What are the roots in philosophy, history, and the Christian texts that have influenced our concepts of gender? As a teacher and pastor, I also have been interested in education for many years, so it made sense to look at the teachings of the Pastoral letters, reflecting on how someone could actually teach by means of writing letters.”

Excerpt: The New Testament Pastoral Letters have much in common in vocabulary, literary character, and subject matter with ancient philosophical texts on ethics. While these pseudonymous letters are, of course, infused with Christian theology, they also give advice about the purpose of life, seeking virtues and avoiding vices, the proper approach to the passions and to possessions, and how to manage social relationships including how to behave suitably as a member of a Roman household. Taking up

the philosophical topos of household ethics, the author of the Pastorals confirms the overlay of household onto the community of faith: he has written his letter “in order that you might know how one should live in the household of God, which is the assembly of the living God.” More expressly for the present project, the Pastoral Letters participate in the ongoing philosophical discussion of women’s moral formation but from an early Christian perspective. Throughout this small letter collection, the author offers sex-specific teachings (1 Tim 2:8–3:1a; 3:1b– 13; 5:1–2; 5:3–16; 2 Tim 2:1; 3:6–7; Titus 1:5–9; 2:1–8) because he believes in some essential differences between male and female. For instance, he determines that women are “naturally” more likely to be seduced into immorality (1 Tim 2:14; cf. 5:11–13; 2 Tim 3:6–7). As part of the solution, he prescribes not simply wifely submission to a husband (Titus 2:5), but the total fulfillment of the three socially-approved female domestic roles of wife, mother, and mistress of the household (1 Tim 2:15; 5:9, 14; 2 Tim 1:5; Titus 2:4–5). Any believing woman who adopted this approach to developing her virtue would become the Pastorals’ version of a “philosopher of the household.”

This dissertation draws upon [other] scholarly examinations, primarily those from the field of historicalcriticism. While I ask some similar research questions about these letters, these are then applied to the specific statements about female virtue and conduct. How does the composition of pseudepigraphic letters impinge on the women in their intended audience? Who is appointed to teach the believing female learners? How do moral examples function for women? How are epistolary paraenetic elements employed for women? How are the opponents characterized with respect to women? What moral virtue is exhorted for women? How does the author utilize his theological beliefs to provide justification for his instructions about women in his communities?

By pursuing such questions, I elaborate a cohesive and expansive interpretation of the Pastorals’ instructional ideals for women.

[Reprinted from Moral Education for Women in the Pastoral and Pythagorean Letters: Philosophers of the Household

by Annette Bourland Huizenga with permission from Brill Academic Press. Copyright © 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV]

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

Presbyterians and American Culture: A History (Westminster John Knox Press, 2013)

By Bradley J. Longfield, Dean of the Seminary and Professor of Church History.

This survey explores theological and cultural influences in the development of American Presbyterianism by investigating the lives of key Presbyterian laity and clergy in relation to such concerns as politics, revivalism, education, war, race, and science.

Excerpt: Presbyterians, as educated and articulate members of the dominant cultural tradition in the United States, have played a major role in the history of the nation. At the turn of the twenty-first century, however, members of this religious tradition find themselves grappling with a crisis of identity, created, at least in part, because of the ways they have chosen to relate to broader trends in American culture. This work seeks to tell the story of that relationship from the early eighteenth century to the late twentieth century. It focuses especially on the mainline Presbyterian tradition, manifest currently in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and generally addresses other Presbyterian and Reformed communions insofar as they divided from or united with that larger stream.

Since their arrival on the shores of North America, Presbyterians have been actively engaged in the broader

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culture. Heirs to John Calvin’s concern to build a holy commonwealth, Presbyterians have sought, in the words of H. Richard Niebuhr, to “transform culture.” At the same time, Presbyterians have also been profoundly shaped by movements and trends in the culture. This is not to say that there is always strong conflict between Christian and non-Christian principles or ideals. Values derived from Christian convictions and those rooted in non-Christian assumptions may certainly overlap. But they may also be starkly opposed.

As of late, many observers of the mainline churches in general and the Presbyterian Church in particular have argued that the church in late-twentieth-century America significantly accommodated itself to the prevailing culture and thereby had increasing difficulty articulating a clear identity. Sociologist Dean Hoge claimed, for example, that “tensions in Protestantism are a more or less direct outgrowth of the broader tensions in the culture. The life of the American Protestant Church today is more formed by the culture than vice versa”; and sociologist James Davison Hunter has recently argued that “in contemporary America, Christians have faith in God and, by and large, they believe and hold fast to the central truths of the Christian tradition. But while they have faith, they have also been formed by the larger post-Christian culture, a culture whose habits of life less and less resemble anything like the vision of human flourishing provided by the life of Christ and witness of scripture.” In 1993, theologian John Burgess looked at the “financial and ecclesiological crisis” of the Presbyterian Church and concluded, “The deeper struggle is over the church’s very identity. . . .

Unclear identity has led to a struggle to define identity, and the denomination is now experiencing its own version of the culture wars.” In seeking to address this crisis he concluded, “Because of its [the church’s] identity in Jesus Christ, it cannot simply accommodate itself to the culture.

It must seek the Christ who acts in the world.”

Inasmuch as we can always confuse the Christian faith with the values of the era in which we live, the study of history can offer a helpful perspective from which to examine the struggles of our own time. Presbyterians, particularly because they have been so influential in shaping the religious and cultural landscape of this nation, provide an illuminating case study of the way Christians

have influenced and been influenced by the culture in the last three hundred years. The story here is told with a particularly Reformed and Presbyterian dialect. But the themes, trends, and movements described reflect a broader story of the ways that Protestantism and American culture have, for better or worse, interacted in this nation.

[Reprinted from Presbyterians and American Culture: A History with permission from Westminster John Knox Press. Copyright © 2013 by Bradley J. Longfield]

Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship – When Heaven Stands Open and Greater Attention (Cascade Books, 2013)

By Timothy Matthew Slemmons, Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Worship When Heaven Stands Open and Greater Attention are the second and fourth volumes (respectively) in a new fourvolume series of Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship, and the first such series to support the implementation of Dr. Slemmons’ proposed expansion of the Revised Common Lectionary, as articulated in Year D: A Quadrennial Supplement (2012). In the Series Foreword, Slemmons reminds the reader

of the prominent role the corporate Prayer of Confession has played in the Reformed tradition, and asserts its importance for not only the individual and the church, but indeed the whole world. While the prayers and worship elements in the first three volumes are comparatively brief, those in the fourth volume are lengthier in keeping with its aim, which is to remind the church of many long-overlooked texts and to allow these texts to function anew in public worship.

Excerpts: PRAYER OF CONFESSION (for Proper 24 or the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time) Merciful God, with tears and cries you offered yourself for our release, yet our pettiness perpetuates grief and suffering. Forgive us, O Christ, for failing to recognize you in those we hurt or tear apart. Forgive us for holding ourselves and each other hostage in judgment, anger, contempt, and criticism. May your Spirit flow through us once again.

— When Heaven Stands Open: Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship, Year B OPENING PRAYER (for Ascension Thursday) Hear us, O God, our heavenly Father, for you are altogether righteous! Surely everyone who does what is right has been born of your will and your Spirit, and those who do your will shall live forever. Come, Lord Jesus, for you are the Christ, the Son of David and the Son of the Living God, and we would abide in you, so that when you are revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame at your coming. Come, Holy Spirit! For your anointing abides in us, and with you as our teacher, we need no other. For since you teach us all things needful, and your teaching is true and is not a lie, we ask you to descend upon us and remain with us, instructing, inspiring, and sanctifying us, that we may in turn remain in you, abiding in our holy and righteous Triune God. — Greater Attention: Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship, Year D [Reprinted from When Heaven Stands Open and Greater Attention with permission from Cascade Books. Copyright © 2013 by Timothy Matthew Slemmons]

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By: Gerald L. Zuercher, PhD, Professor of Vertebrate Ecology and Chair, Department of Natural & Applied Sciences

J

une 13, 2011-

It is still dark – before the sunrise – as I board the flight from Asunción, Paraguay, to the United States. Usually, the flight from Asunción leaves in the early afternoon. This one leaves in the early morning; yet it is no different than the previous 16. I am overcome with exhaustion. But it is a good exhaustion – stemming from an ambitious trip that took me all over Paraguay and

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included shepherding students in a foreign country, doing rigorous field research, and trying to make sense of a new batch of data. I was in Paraguay for one month with colleague Dr. David Koch and seven University of Dubuque students. It was an outstanding experience.

As the plane climbs to cruising altitude, I begin the ritual of reflecting

on my journey. This latest trip was amazing. During our month-long adventure, we chartered a boat for fishing on the Paraguay River; we explored the unique Chaco ecosystem on horseback; and, we gathered data at the Mbaracayú Reserve in eastern Paraguay.

Every time I introduce a new group of students to Paraguay I am humbled by how much I learn. On this

trip, the seven UD students (Elizabeth Bainbridge, Christine Grannis, Megan Johnson, Mackenzie Kissell, Arthur Magee, Aaron Matthews, and Jake O’Rourke) taught me the strength of community and showed me the power of commitment. Every group of students who has joined me in Paraguay, and this is the fourth, has its own personality.

This group of students bonded like no other. They became inseparable.

There is strength in numbers, and this group of students was strong. They used their strength to accomplish some amazing feats.

To add an element of service to our research trip, the students spent an afternoon filling potholes on a dirt road between the main highway and the research station where we stayed. Their own goal was to fill more holes than asked. And then, they asked to come back another day and do some more.

Those are the moments that make me proudest of my students. Those are the moments when their true character reveals itself.

We were all rewarded for the students’ determined commitment to fill holes in that long, dusty road. As we toiled in the heat of the day, a black jaguarundi emerged onto the road about 50 yards away. The jaguarundi is a small cat rarely seen, especially in the open during the daytime. They exist throughout Latin America but are never considered common. The jaguarundi stopped on the road and watched our group; then, it slowly turned and walked away. What an amazing moment!

As the plane reaches cruising altitude and the flight attendants began the beverage service, my reflection quickly focuses on one sunny day in the cerrado region on the eastern edge of the Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve. June 2, 2011 – eleven days ago – it feels both distant and recent at the same time.

Many of my Paraguay experiences are like that – seemingly distant memories because so much happens so quickly

in a developing nation – and yet vivid, years later, as if it was only yesterday.

Every day in the cerrado seems warm, even during the southern hemisphere’s winter season. On the second of June, the sun was full and the cerrado vegetation does little to block it. A cerrado can be described as a grassland area interspersed with palms. Where we were working there were no palms and no opportunity for shade relief.

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and identified more than 100 species.

Yet, during that time, one characteristic was ubiquitous…silver. Most fish we sampled previously were silver, especially the tetras. Many had additional coloration; yellow, red, and black were the most common secondary colors.

But, until that day in the cerrado, none of the fish we had sampled were gold.

First Steps into the Water Dr. Gerald Zuercher holding a Great Antshrike in the Chaco Region of Eastern Paraguay.

Our goal for the day was to hike to a small stream north of the main reserve road and sample for fish. To get there, we needed to drive until we could go no farther and then hike for an hour through what can best be described as a bog – saturated grassland. There is not a lot of water in this region but where it does occur, the ground becomes spongy and every step laborious. Once through the bog, we found solid ground, regained our footing, and advanced more quickly. Though our feet were water-logged in our soaked boots and socks, our spirits were high as we approached the pool – our destination.

The pool, actually a series of pools, was less than six feet wide and, as we discovered, never more than three feet deep. Surrounded by tall grass and scattered shrubs, the pool shimmered in the sunlight; it was so clear we could see through to the bottom. Staring into the pool we could see little flashes. Fish! The real reason for our journey was to see if this pool had fish, and if so, what kind.

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The answer to the first question was an emphatic “Yes!” The answer to the second question was “We’ll see!”

The only way to identify the type of fish swimming in that pool was for us to join them in the water. Equipped with a seine and several hand nets, our team entered the water strategically. The seine was stretched across the downstream end of the pool at a point where the pool narrowed before becoming a stream again. It was a natural funnel and the perfect location to set up a capture point. Three of us, equipped with longhandled nets, entered the pool at the upstream end. Systematically, sweeping the nets side-to-side and pushing them under any over-hanging vegetation, we worked our way toward the seine. With a quick scoop, the seine was pulled out of the water. Gold! The fish were tetras, and the fish were gold!

Our previous five years of research had not yielded this species. We had sampled and collected thousands of fish from throughout the Mbaracayú Reserve

Five years earlier, my first aquatic sampling experience was with Lee Jackson of the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. I invited Lee to join me on a trip to Paraguay in the summer of 2006. We found ourselves staying at the Biological Station on the western border of the Mbaracayú Reserve. My purpose was to collect and analyze samples for my research on mammalian carnivores. When Lee agreed to join me, I extended the trip to spend some time on the Paraguay and Paraná Rivers looking for big fishes. What I did not anticipate was Lee’s interest in the streams flowing through the Mbaracayú Reserve.

As we talked over lunch on the second day at the reserve, Lee asked if sampling the local stream was allowed.

The stream, known as the Arroyo Jejui’mi, is located down a short path from the Biological Station. I had walked near it, and crossed it, numerous times in my search for carnivore signs but had, frankly, never thought much

Fishing for Gold in a Foreign Land about it. We checked with the reserve’s biologist, Myriam Velazquez, and she excitedly told us we could. Myriam is a passionate biologist whose primary interest is birds. She desperately needs help and wants more people to come and study the Mbaracayú Reserve. With nets in hand, we trudged down to the stream. The plan was for Lee to get in and sample the fish with some hand nets while I sat on the side until he finished.

I can only sit, watching, for so long. I decided to kick off my shoes, roll up my field pants, grab some hand nets, and wade in. The water was cold!

In Paraguay it was winter; seasons are reversed on the south side of the equator. The air temperature was balmy, but this water was cold and crystal clear.

Lee’s advice was to focus our sampling in areas associated with overhanging vegetation. I found my way to a patch, stuck the nets into the water under some sagging grasses, and shuffled them upward. I looked inside the nets and froze! I was mesmerized by what I saw.

The three distinct kinds of fish I saw, I knew! Red-eyed tetras (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae), bloodfin tetras (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and a cory catfish (Corydoras ellisae) flopped inside the two nets. These were the same kinds of fish as those swimming inside my daughter Maddie’s aquarium back in Iowa. Epiphany! I had never really thought about the origins of aquarium fish, but now I was keenly aware they (at least some of them) come from Paraguay. Suddenly my interest in freshwater fish intensified!

UD Students Getting Involved For me, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the fish research project Lee and I started is the widespread involvement of helpers, many of whom are University of Dubuque students.

This started in 2007. Lee and I realized in 2006 this research needed to happen immediately. Through joint support from the University of Dubuque and the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, as well as a few small grants, we managed to support our work and involve some amazing students.

UD students have the opportunity to do a Paraguay-focused Field Studies course spring semester of odd numbered years. The course culminates in a month-long experience in Paraguay that includes participation in ongoing research projects. The fish project at the Mbaracayú Reserve has become one of those projects. Students who enroll in

the next Field Studies course will join many before them who have waded into the streams of eastern Paraguay to search for fish! They will work beside dedicated biologists at the reserve who have assisted on this project since the very beginning. Fredy Ramirez and Sixto Fernandez are the glue between each sampling experience.

In addition to Paraguay class students, several other UD Environmental Science students, eager to pursue research in a far off land, have committed their summers to chase fish. The first such student was Jeff Miller (Class of ’07). In 2007, Jeff established the baseline for all future years. He was on his own; the instructions Lee and I left for him were open-ended: sample inside and outside of the reserve at as many places and as many times as you can. Jeff worked with Fredy and Sixto to determine the locations where sampling was possible and got to work. After three months in

Jeff Miller (C’07) and Paraguayan biologist Fredy Ramirez electroshocking for fish in Eastern Paraguay.

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Andrew Satterlee (C’09) holding a aeglid crab at Mbaracayú Reserve.

Paraguay, Jeff collected fish from 16 different locations; some locations were sampled as many as four times. His samples came from streams within the reserve and also from streams on private properties surrounding the reserve. He collected often and from seemingly everywhere!

Before Jeff started, there were 48 fish species documented for the Mbaracayú Reserve. His efforts added 24 species to that list. Lee and I figured there were more fish to be found so we immediately began planning future sampling efforts. In 2008, more UD students made the trip to Paraguay: Alan Butler (C’09) and Phylicia Schwartz (C’08). Alan took charge of fish collecting, and Phylicia assisted on the project as well as on many other projects led by the reserve biologists. The charge for 2008 was to re-sample all of the 2007 locations, several times if possible, and to add some locations if time allowed.

Alan and Phylicia managed to add seven sites and, more importantly, another 18 species to our list!

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The next year was different. During the two-week period while the Paraguayclass students were at the Mbaracayú Reserve, we were joined by Dr. David Edds of Emporia State University in Kansas. His presence made possible a more intense sampling strategy. After a whirlwind of sampling, which included most of our previous sites as well as several new sites, we tallied 15 more new species for the reserve.

One of the students on the 2009 trip was Andrew Satterlee (C’09). Andrew was the spark for an entirely new line of research at the reserve. During our collections, we encountered several different aquatic invertebrates. One was a type of crab called an aeglid. Andrew was truly enamored by these crabs; he spent a significant amount of his time taking measurements, drawing diagrams, and making some detailed field notes.

Upon Andrew’s return from Paraguay, he began a master’s degree program at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Andrew turned his newfound passion for the aeglid crabs into a thesis research project, which included a significant amount of time spent at the Mbaracayú Reserve searching for aeglids. And, as it turns out, when someone is searching for Aeglid crabs, they also are in a good position to search for fish!

So, in 2010, Andrew Satterlee spent his summer months conducting his own research at the Mbaracayú Reserve, and we (Lee Jackson and I) were able to sponsor Chris Kuhle (C’10) as an assistant for Andrew, and thus, ensured that our fish sampling continued. By the

time they had finished their fieldwork, 10 more species were added to our list.

Andrew has since completed his master’s degree and moved on to a PhD program at the University of Florida. His studies on aeglid crabs are ground-breaking and have revealed previously unknown distribution patterns. I look forward to Andrew becoming a long-term contributor to ecological studies in Paraguay.

You Never Know What You'll Find Between 2006 and 2011, we documented more than 100 species of fish for the Mbaracayú Reserve. Most of these fish were not previously known in the reserve. In March of 2011, just a few months before that warm June day in the cerrado, Lee and I sampled two new species…new for us and new for the reserve.

Each new species brings new questions. The first question is “What is it?” Sometimes Lee recognized the species immediately. For me, working with Lee is ideal. My academic background is mammal community ecology, meaning my research was focused on understanding how groups of mammal species function together.

The fish project tested me in interesting and exciting ways. I applied my training in community ecology to an entirely new group of animals. However, much of community ecology depends on recognizing species identifications. That is where Lee came in. He is an expert at recognizing fish from all over the world. Time and time again while we sampled streams in eastern Paraguay,

Fishing for Gold in a Foreign Land Lee collected a net of fish and then listed off the species. At first I could only smile and write them all down.

Through time, patience, and paying attention to Lee, I began to recognize many of the fish. Recognition of 100+ species is crucial when sampling a new site; it is important to know when something is new!

By the time 2011 came around, Lee and I felt it might be time to wrap up the project at the Mbaracayú Reserve and begin looking into expansion to more areas throughout Paraguay.

We traveled to Paraguay in March to scour our previous samples, verify our identifications, and determine which specimens might be new; new for Paraguay and possibly new for science.

During our few days at the reserve, Lee and I managed to find time to

wade into the water and catch some fish.

Even though we really did not expect to find anything new on this quick trip, we could not help trying! For field biologists, the lure of working in nature is difficult to overcome. When the opportunity to re-examine the familiar presents itself, the temptation can be overwhelming! For us, this little stretch of stream near the reserve headquarters is that place; the familiar, the evertempting site of our first discovery. So, on this day, on this trip, while wading – with no expectations – into our familiar and favorite sampling site, of course we found two new species of fish that we had not sampled before: a type of discus tetra (Brachychalcinus retrospina) and a banded leporinus (Leporinus elongatus).

Though these two species were not new for the country, they were, once again, new for the Mbaracayú Reserve.

With every new collection of fish we learn a little more about their ecology.

Each collection results in a new picture of community structure. By comparing the

A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl that was netted by UD students at Mbaracayú Reserve during a bird survey.

diversity estimates from a single site over different times, we can see how the community changes through time.

For any given location we expect the community to remain stable unless the site has experienced an alteration. The typical alteration in eastern Paraguay is a conversion of the surrounding habitat. By comparing between sites within a sampling year, we can see how communities differ across the landscape. This is important because not all streams are located within similar habitats. This is the essence of the research project: trying to understand the impact of habitat differences on fish communities. The underlying premise is the habitat was all the same historically.

Therefore, the fish communities we collect within the heart of the Mbaracayú Reserve likely represent the historical fish community for all, or at least most, of eastern Paraguay.

Finding My Calling in the Forests of Paraguay Eastern Paraguay is dominated by the Atlantic Forest ecosystem. Two major rivers form significant borders for the region and drain all of the streams.

The Paraguay River originates within the Pantanal of Brazil and runs south, ultimately splitting Paraguay in half: the Chaco region to the west and the Oriental region to the east. The Paraná River originates in central eastern Brazil and flows south and then west; it forms the eastern and southern border of Paraguay. These two great rivers merge

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Fishing for Gold in a Foreign Land at the southern tip of Paraguay and continue flowing toward the Bay at Buenos Aires, Argentina. All of the rivers in eastern Paraguay flow into one of these two large rivers; most flow to the Paraguay River.

The river that flows through the Mbaracayú Reserve, east to west, is the Jejui’mi. In the Guarani language, one of two official languages in Paraguay (the other is Spanish), the addition of “mi” to a word implies that the object is small. The addition of “guasu” implies that the object is big. The Jejui’mi River flows into the Jejui’guasu River. The Jejui’guasu flows within the Biosphere Reserve but never flows within the Mbaracayú Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve protects the largest remaining tract of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay.

The Jejui’mi and other smaller streams

within the reserve represent the last place to determine what the historical fish communities of eastern Paraguay likely were. Sampling streams outside the reserve, where the surrounding habitats are altered, provides an opportunity to determine how landscape changes impact the historical fish community.

The Mbaracayú Reserve is the central protected area within an internationally recognized Biosphere Reserve. The Mbaracayú Forest Biosphere Reserve, the core protected area, consists of all the area associated with the headwaters for the Upper Jejui River: the Jejui’mi and Jejui’guasu.

Within the Mbaracayú Forest Biosphere Reserve are several large-scale agricultural properties (represented by croplands and cattle ranches), towns

of various sizes, and several indigenous communities. The goal of a Biosphere Reserve is to promote the protection of designated areas, typically determined by the presence of a habitat that is otherwise disappearing rapidly, while also encouraging the development of local human communities and economies.

The Atlantic Forest is disappearing rapidly. Research articles published during the 2000s report documentation between 1982 and 1999 showing the Atlantic Forest ecosystem in Paraguay had the highest rate of deforestation in the world. For all the talk about deforestation in the Amazon, or in central Africa, or in Asia, it turns out the forests of Paraguay were disappearing the fastest. Indeed, by 2000, less than 25% of the original Atlantic Forest in Paraguay remained. What makes this situation worse is the remaining forest cover is dispersed in small patches throughout the country. The Mbaracayú Forest Biosphere Reserve protects the largest remaining continuous forest patch, an area of approximately 58,000 hectares; this equates to ~580 square kilometers or ~223 square miles. No other Atlantic Forest patch in Paraguay comes close to the size of the roughly 14 by 14-mile Mbaracayú forest.

The causes of this rapid change are rooted in change. Between 1982 and 1999, Paraguay was experiencing political turmoil and cultural change.

Alfredo Stroessner, a military-backed dictator, was the President of Paraguay

Christine Grannis (C’12) holding a fish caught during a bottle fishing survey on the Paraguay River.

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between 1954 and 1989. During the latter years of his presidency, Stroessner offered land to high-ranking officials as part of an ongoing appeasement to the elite. These land owners, in turn, converted the native forest habitat into agriculture. After Stroessner was deposed in 1989, the fledgling democracy in Paraguay also offered land, only this time it was part of a redistribution of assets from the privileged elite to the highest bidders.

The result was a “land grab” by foreigners as well as local Paraguayans.

And, like before, the result was massive conversion of forests into agriculture.

Approximately 80% of the land conversion is attributed to private land owners, often absentee, noncitizen landlords, while 20% of the land conversion is attributed to local and indigenous Paraguayan settlers. In short order, the private land owners converted large amounts of native forest into huge cattle ranches, and the small-scale settlers slowly changed their small forest fragments into gardens, orchards, and small fields for cotton, corn, and soybeans.

Large-scale land conversion has ecological consequences. Areas once populated by diverse animal and plant communities become too small to sustain their original inhabitants.

One result of Paraguay’s long dictatorship was an ignorance of Paraguay by outsiders. Few people appreciated the diversity that was Paraguay, and fewer realized the urgency of ecological research. As Paraguay became a more open participant in the global society, some of us began to investigate. I, for one, was staggered

ATLANTIC FOREST DISTRIBUTION IN PARAGUAY

A map of Eastern Paraguay displaying the extent of deforestation in the region.

PARAGUAY

by how little was known about the unique ecosystems that were rapidly disappearing. This became the inspiration for my PhD research. Little did I know I would return annually to pursue answers to more questions. In truth, I found myself when I traveled to the remote forests of Paraguay. I found my calling in a place most people don’t know exists.

My research goal for Paraguay was to document the inter-relationships between mammalian carnivores that coexisted in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Paraguay. The bush dog, a rare and poorly studied canine, was my focal

species; how the bush dog fit within the larger carnivore community was unclear. To get at my answers, I spent months hiking through the forest at the Mbaracayú Reserve with one of the park rangers, Osvaldo Carrillo. Our goal was to locate as many fecal samples from mammalian carnivores as we could find.

It is possible to determine an animal’s diet by analyzing the food remains found in their feces. Yes, that’s right…

I traveled more than 6,000 miles so that I could look for and analyze animal scat!

Osvaldo is an amazing tracker. His observation skills still astound me. On multiple occasions we stood together,

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staring at a spot on the ground with him telling me we were looking at an ocelot track; or maybe a maned wolf, or a crabeating raccoon, or a puma. Honestly, I did not always distinguish the tracks he saw, but we followed them nonetheless.

Without fail, when you follow animal tracks, you will eventually come across animal droppings! During our forest treks, we gathered hundreds of samples; at each site we documented the habitat, measured the vegetation, and took a GPS reading. Osvaldo told me which carnivore deposited the sample.

I checked his identifications by analyzing the DNA found on each sample. In the end, Osvaldo was always correct! I learned much about the carnivores at the MbaracayĂş Reserve.

We confirmed the presence of 16 species, compared their diets, and evaluated their habitat associations. I can say without reservation my success was the result of my good fortune to work with Osvaldo.

Finding Patterns The relationships I built and maintain in Paraguay with an amazing array of committed biologists and park rangers are, likely, part of the reason the University of Dubuque asked me to fill their Vertebrate Ecologist position. The

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continued relationships make possible the travel courses I lead to Paraguay and the research opportunities for UD students, which seem to grow with each new trip. For me, it is a privilege to blend these two worlds – the students from my teaching world and the local Paraguayans from my research world.

And, while I certainly did not anticipate my involvement with research on fish, it is good for students to see an example of how being open to new ideas can result in amazing new opportunities.

The rapid conversion of forest to agriculture not only presents challenges to terrestrial animals, but also to aquatic animals.

Several patterns have emerged from my research on fish communities in eastern Paraguay. Some are not surprising, some are unexpected, and some are disturbing. What is not surprising is that fish communities are impacted by large-scale changes to the landscape in similar ways as terrestrial animals. We find higher diversity at sites imbedded within protected, natural habitats, and much lower diversity at sites surrounded by an altered landscape. Unexpected is the still regular appearance of new species and the locations where some specimens

are captured. I always marvel when we capture a fish from a trickle of water dribbling through the forest that is no more than a few inches wide and no more than a few inches deep. Even in these small streams we find fish!

The disturbing patterns take more time to uncover. Fish community diversity is high within the MbaracayĂş Reserve, much higher than in surrounding areas. However, the diversity measures for sites within the reserve have steadily declined every year.

What this means is simple: the impacts from large-scale landscape change are slowly seeping into even the most protected areas. How these impacts are working are yet undetermined, but there are many possibilities.

When sub-tropical forests are replaced by agriculture, there are multiple impacts on freshwater streams.

First is the removal of cover. The forest canopy shades the streams and buffers the impacts of sun and wind. Second is erosion along the streams. Without the trees to hold the soil in place, every rain event washes soil into the stream beds.

The deposited sediment overlays the stream bottom and covers important habitats used by fish for feeding and breeding. Third is the impact of chemicals. Because the soil in a

Fishing for Gold in a Foreign Land sub-tropical forest are usually nutrient poor, agriculture needs chemical help to be successful. Chemicals are often liberally applied to provide nutrients for crops to grow. Even more chemicals are applied to prevent non-crop plants and crop-eating insects from living in the agricultural area. Much of this chemical application finds it way into the local waterways, either through ground seepage or through evaporation and subsequent condensation deposition.

Many of the applied chemicals become vapors carried away by the wind and, when it rains, fall back to earth into the streams.

What Will the Future Hold So, I come back to the gold fish. They looked like several members of the Genus Astyanax, a group of tetras for which we had documented at least four, and possibly six, species already. Those species all shared silver as their primary color, and they all were collected from streams within the forest. This new, gold fish was different in color and was collected from a stream in the cerrado.

The color made sense. In the cerrado, with no real shade from the sun, the water shimmered gold at the surface.

Indeed, the water itself appeared gold as the sunlight easily penetrated to the bottom. The gold color of these fish was an adaptation to the lack of shade.

A silver fish would stick out and be easier for a predator to see and catch.

This, in fact, may become an important challenge for the silver Astyanax species

as they adapt to an aquatic world no longer surrounded by lush forest that protects the water from the intense sun. Instead, they are now becoming isolated in streams that flow through the last protected fragments of the Atlantic Forest. Without the Mbaracayú Reserve there would be few, if any, natural streams in eastern Paraguay. And, without the diligent work by many UD students, little would be known of the inhabitants of these streams.

We arrived back in Dubuque on June 14, 2011, and I settled in to life at home with my wife Michele and daughter Maddie: the usual posttrip activity, summer plans, and preparations for Maddie’s high school career. Still, there were those gold fish.

They shimmered in the recesses of my memories. What were they?

Lee and I met; we examined the trip photographs and remembered our few precious specimens waiting for us at the Biological Station at the Mbaracayú Reserve. A short time later, after digging through scientific papers on fishes of South America, Lee called me with a conclusion.

Our gold fish is indeed an Astyanax.

Astyanax scabripinnis. Another new species for the Mbaracayú Reserve!

We are now at a research crossroads.

UD students will continue to sample the streams of Mbaracayú every two years during our class trips. I believe we have to. Perhaps we will document new species during these efforts. At the very least, we will report any changes to these fish communities as they adapt to their increasing shadeless world.

Yet, as new species are being found at the reserve, it feels like the time is right to move in a new direction. We want to start sampling throughout the country, in different watersheds of both eastern and western Paraguay.

Some headwaters are very close, and yet they flow into different rivers. Not far from the streams we have sampled in Mbaracayú are an entirely different set of streams, which ultimately flow into the Paraná River, not the Paraguay River. There are fish still undiscovered.

We have so many questions, so many goals, so much to do.

The opportunities before us can only happen with financial support and the continued involvement of UD students. Conducting research in Paraguay is a challenge to support financially. While most people know about Brazil and Argentina, fewer people are aware of Paraguay.

My hope, in exposing handfuls of students to the beauties of Paraguay and to her people with their culture and environmental challenges, is to build a greater consciousness for global issues in general and for Paraguay in particular.

The students are the solution. Their passion and energy have driven us far; only with their help can we go farther.

Who are they? They may be students in one of my classes right now, or they may be students who have not yet enrolled at UD. Regardless, they are our future. They are the future scientists who will start their careers by studying the fish of Paraguay.

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

ZWEIFEL – SIMPLY THE BEST “The most prolific receiver in the history of the NCAA all-divisions,” is one way to describe this student-athlete.

Michael Zweifel (C’11) (Whitewater, WI) joined the Spartan football program after his father, Stan, accepted the head coaching position at the University of Dubuque.

Michael has won just about every award one could win in NCAA Division III college football. In 2013 he added another – the most prestigious honor the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hands out – The Duane Schroeder IIAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2011-2012 academic year. The award is voted on by a committee among the Iowa Conference schools, and awarded to a student-athlete who has graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given.

The recipient must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement, and leadership.

“Exceptional student-athletes make the Iowa Conference exceptional,” said Iowa Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. “Once again, we had an incredible list of candidates for our conference’s most prestigious honor. Dubuque’s Michael Zweifel earned the vote of our Faculty Athletics Representatives after a career which saw him shine not just within the league and regionally, but nationally as well.”

Zweifel graduated summa cum laude in December 2011 with a 3.90 grade point average as a health, wellness, and recreation major after transferring from the University of

Wisconsin-River Falls following the 2008-2009 academic year.

He was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete as one of 16 finalists (and the only one from Division III) for the William V. Campbell Trophy. The Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the “Academic Heisman Award,” is awarded to the player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.

Zweifel finished as a two-time D3football.com All-America selection (second team-2009, first team-2011), a two-time AP Little All-American (third team-2009, second team-2011) and 2011 AFCA Division III All-American who rewrote the IIAC and UD record books for wide receivers in just two-plus seasons as a Spartan. He was awarded the Gagliardi Trophy in 2011, presented to the most outstanding football player in Division III. This after a career that saw him set an NCAA alldivisions record with 463 career receptions and a Division III single-season mark with 140 catches in 2011. Zweifel also ranks second in career receiving yards across all divisions with 5,979.

Zweifel was also a finalist for the AFCA Good Works Team, a member of the NFF Hampshire Society, and was the 2011 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for Division III football. During the 2012 football season, Zweifel served as an offensive assistant at the University of Dubuque, coaching wide receivers. In February, he left for Austria to play internationally with Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna of the Austrian Football League before turning his attention to graduate school where he will pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology.

“Despite all of these awards and accolades, Michael has remained a very quiet, unassuming, non-presumptuous, and humbly gracious young man,” University of Dubuque Adjunct Professor of History and Michael answers questions from media as one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

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GoodSports

Political Science Dennis Yergler said. “Michael has devoted his entire life to the pursuit of excellence, both on and off the field. Yet Michael’s greatest excellence has been his recognition that one must share one’s talents and abilities – and one’s self – with others.”

“Although Michael’s athletic accomplishments can best be described as phenomenal, and his scholarly achievements as exemplary, his best quality may be his character – as evidenced by the leadership he consistently displayed off the field and outside the classroom,” added University of Dubuque Vice President and Dean of Students, Michael Miyamoto.

Twice voted a team captain, Zweifel served as president of UD’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and represented UD and the Iowa Conference at an NCAA student leadership conference. He also volunteered his time visiting local elementary schools to speak to at-risk youth about the importance of staying in school, helped organize the University of Dubuque Athletic Department park clean-a-thon at Flora Park, assisted in the organization of Special Olympics events on the UD campus, was lead facilitator of a Kids Athletic Day for children in the greater Dubuque community, chaired the UD Senior Gift Day committee, and held an autograph session with the Gagliardi Award as a fundraiser for the Dubuque community.

In his hometown of Whitewater, WI, Zweifel served as a lead coach at a Whitewater Youth Football League Camp for grades 4-8, addressed the Whitewater Youth Football League about the importance of academic as well as athletic success, and served as an instructor for basketball camps in the local elementary schools.

“Through his unparalleled perseverance and an eminent work ethic, Michael became the catalyst for his team winning its first conference championship in 31 years,” said Stan Zweifel, University of Dubuque Head Football Coach and Michael’s father. “As he led by example, Michael demanded excellence out of his teammates off the field. His model behaviors in the classroom, around campus, and in the weight room were beyond compare. In his free time and by his own convictions he worked track meets, supported all other sports on campus, and was actively involved in community service.”

Coach Zweifel added, “If I step into the parent role, as a parent of four children who have all excelled academically, we have always demanded they be students first and athletes second. It’s not always easy playing for a parent – he never once complained or showed up late to practice or a team meeting. I have coached many athletes deserving of many honors, but am so proud to know one of my own kids displays all the characteristics you try to instill in your team as a head coach. He has led quietly by example.”

The 2011 Iowa Conference Offensive MVP, he graduated holding Iowa Conference records for receptions in a single game (20 vs. Simpson in 2009; subsequently broken), receiving yards in a single game (330 vs. Simpson in 2009), receptions in a season (105 in 2011) and receiving yards in a season (1,444 in 2011). b

Michael catching one of his record-setting receptions for the Spartans. He holds the NCAA record with 463 receptions. f all 2013

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

BARWICK – TODAY’S BUSY STUDENT-ATHLETE If you came to college to be active, your mentor should be University of Dubuque’s three-sport student-athlete standout Ashley Barwick (C’13) (Appleton, WI). The recent grad kept herself busy by being a key varsity teammate for the Spartans the past four years, all while maintaining an unblemished 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a double major in accounting and business administration.

Barwick was a 2012 Division III First Team Capital One Academic All-America, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is the first Women’s Soccer player in UD history to earn the honor.

During the 2012 season Barwick scored one goal while defending the opposition’s biggest offensive threat on the defensive side of the field.

The Spartans soccer defense set a school record by going 524 minutes without allowing a goal. Barwick was the lead defender for the past three seasons and was a four-year starter for the Spartans. She ranks ninth all-time at UD with 67 games started, she scored five goals and assisted on two others. In her

A three-sport studentathlete, Ashley graduated with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.

four years at UD, the defense produced 27 shutouts over their opponents. Behind the strong defense, UD broke the school record for consecutive wins with six.

She earned First Team AllIowa Conference defender for the second straight season in women’s soccer. Dubuque qualified for the Iowa Conference Tournament in each of the last four seasons, winning the conference tournament title in 2009 and qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Spartans earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award the past four years for head coach Jason Berna.

Barwick joined the Spartan basketball team once the soccer season was completed and provided a strong defensive and rebounding effort for head coach Mark Noll. She played in 73 games in her career and ended this past season averaging 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. This past season she helped the Spartans battle their way to the Iowa Conference Tournament Championship game for the first time in school history. She also helped stop the offensive firepower from the #6-ranked Simpson College when the Spartans captured the interleague tilt in Indianola on February 13, 2012 by a score of 72-56. The Spartans finished the 2012-13 basketball season with a school record 340 steals, and a record for wins in a season with a 20-8 record.

As a member of the Spartan track and field team (middistance) she was a member of the women’s 4x800m relay team, which broke the previous school record by 10.5 seconds after finishing in 10:11.50. She earned Academic All-America Second Team honors in track and field in 2013.

BARWICK WOMEN’S SOCCER

Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America Ashley Barwick – 1st Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Ashley Barwick – 1st Team NSCAA Academic All-Region Ashley Barwick – Honorable Mention

BARWICK WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America Ashley Barwick – 2nd Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Ashley Barwick - 1st Team

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A 2011 and 2012 First Team Academic All-District performer, Barwick was named Academic All-Iowa Conference in 2010, 2011, and 2012 for women’s soccer in addition to women’s basketball in 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13, and in track and field in 2013 Barwick was named to the Dean’s List all eight semesters at UD while also being the editor of the school newspaper, vicepresident for Students in Free Enterprise, a campus tutor, and a Wendt Scholar. She was named “Student of the Year” in 2012, and was honored with the 2013 Spartans Female Academic Athlete Excellence Award as voted on by the coaching staff.

WHITING LEADS UD TO RECORD YEAR IN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL University of Dubuque Women’s Basketball student-athlete Mollie Whiting (C’13) (Woodstock, IL) quietly led the UD Spartans to a incredible season. She earned First Team D3hoops.com All-West Region. In addition, Whiting was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com. Whiting led Division III with 262 field goals made and 667 points scored. The senior is second in DIII at 23.8 points per game, which ranked sixth in the NCAA (All Divisions). UD finished the 2012-13 season with a school record 20 wins.

The Iowa Conference scoring champion (27.0 ppg in IIAC action) and two-time First Team All-IIAC selection led the Spartans in points (667), points per game (23.8), assists (65), field goals attempted (530), field goals made (262), free throws attempted (139), free throws made (108), and minutes played per game (30.3). Whiting was also the only Spartan to start all 28 games played. She finished the season by scoring 20 or more points in 18 straight games, scored 15 or more points in 22 straight games and 25 of 28 games this season.

Whiting scored a career high 41 points versus Luther in the First Round of the Iowa Conference Tournament, an IIAC Tournament Record and the fifth highest single game point total in NCAA DIII this season. Whiting finished the tournament with 99 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in three games played.

She set UD single season records for points scored (667) and games played (28). She is the current UD career leader in points (1,737) and field goals made (669). Whiting also set school records for free throws made (16) and free throws

attempted (18) in the Spartans 72-56 road victory over then #6 ranked Simpson College. In the rematch vs. Simpson in the IIAC Tournament Championship Game she finished with 37 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

In Whiting’s four seasons at UD, the Spartans made the IIAC Tournament all four years with a conference record of 34-28. Overall the Spartans set a school record for wins in a four-year period with 61 victories.

The last Spartan women’s basketball player to earn All-Region was Greta Pemsl in 2001-02 when she earned Third Team.

The 2012-13 Spartans upset #6-ranked Simpson on the road and set school records for wins (20), points in a season (1950), field goals attempted (1770), steals (340), consecutive wins (9), best start to a season (10-1), three-pointers in a game (15 vs. Wartburg on 2/22/13), and games played (28).

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WHITING’S ALL-TIME RANKINGS AT UD Rank Career Totals: 1. Points-1,737 1.

Field Goals Made-669 2.

Field Goals Attempted-1,474 2.

Points per Game-16.9 3.

Games Played-103 4.

3-Point %-34.1 5.

Free Throw %-78.6 6. Assists-228 6. Steals-145 6.

Free Throws Made-298 6.

Free Throws Attempted-379 7.

3-Pointers Made-101

2012-13 Season: Rank 1.

Points- 667 1.

Games Played-28 1.

Games Started-28 2.

Points per Game-23.8 2.

Field Goals Made-262 2.

Field Goals Attempted- 530

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

Presbyterian Philanthropists: Louis H. Severance and C.O. Daniel

By Joel L. Samuels

The University of Dubuque has benefited from many donors—known and unknown—since its beginning in 1852. The history of the University could be told through the story of its donors. This is the story of two men: Louis H. Severance (1837-1913), wealthy industrialist from Cleveland, Ohio, and C. O. Daniel (1900-1986), banker from Elizabeth, Illinois, a quiet man of modest means—apparently!

LOUIS H. SEVERANCE (1837-1913) Louis Henry Severance began his career at the Commercial National Bank in Cleveland, and after serving in the Civil War, returned to the bank in 1863, only to leave in 1864. He initially pursued the oil business in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and was treasurer of the Standard Oil Company (1876-1894). Severance also invested in salt, sulfur, and steel in the 1890s, and retired in 1894.

He was active in the Presbyterian Church and, in Cleveland, was a church elder and Sunday School Superintendent. He was a generous benefactor to church-related higher education, and had a keen interest in foreign missions, establishing a hospital and medical college in Seoul, Korea.

Cornelius Steffens, financial secretary in 1902, wished to cultivate him as a donor for the “German school” in Dubuque.

“Westward Ho! Moving to the Hills of Western Dubuque in 1907” in

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Lanterns (Winter 2007), pages 28-30, tells the story of Steffens visiting wealthy Presbyterians in the eastern states. It appears that Steffens did contact Severance, who informed him that Dubuque was not within his philanthropic plans, and even discouraged him from further visits.

Nonetheless, there is a letter in the archives from Severance dated February 10, 1906, pledging $1,000.

Later, Steffens remembered this modest gift, and approached Severance for a

major gift. Severance agreed to give $15,000 for the next building and $10,000 for endowment, to which Steffens expressed disappointment!

Within ten days, architectural drawings were mailed to Severance, and a telegram informed Steffens that there would be $25,000 for the next building and $10,000 for endowment. Further conversation and a few days of reflection

by Severance resulted in his decision to provide $75,000 for a men’s dormitory, dedicated on December 3, 1912, as

From the Archives

Severance Hall, a substantial three-story brick building with more than 80 rooms for male students as well as other features including a lounge on the first floor. Born on August 1, 1838, Louis H. Severance died on June 21, 1913, six months after the dedication of Severance Hall.

Originally a men’s dormitory, the building was converted into a women’s dormitory, possibly as early at 1938/1939 and probably continued through 1981/1982. There was an interesting exception: When the Navy V-12 Program began in 1943, there was an urgent need for 52 rooms for men in addition to available rooms in Steffens Hall, and a decision was made to make alterations to Severance Hall so that the participants in the V-12 Program could be housed in the women’s dormitory.

Lt. Commander Adams expressed his “consternation” at this decision, but a diplomatic letter from President Welch seemed to calm the troubled waters.

C. O. DANIEL (1900-1986) C. O. Daniel, was born as Charles Oral Daniel, in Elizabeth, Illinois on February 1, 1900. He graduated from high school, and began working in the Elizabeth State Bank. He was diligent—we know that he was an assistant cashier in 1934, and eventually became president of the bank. Mr. Daniel was a reserved man who went about his business quietly. He retired as president of the bank in 1965, and conducted an insurance business from an office on the second floor of the bank until his final illness in 1986. He was frugal with money, continued using outdated typewriters, and wore the same coat for many years.

Insensitive people might describe him as slightly eccentric, but…!

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel were faithful members of the Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, and when that church closed in 1975, they became faithful members

of the Presbyterian Church in Schapville. His earliest gifts to the University were very modest, but he informed the University in 1971 that there would be a gift of $100,000 in his estate designated for the seminary. He wished—as were his gifts to charity—to remain as an anonymous donor.

Both the churches in Elizabeth and Schapville were small congregations, and were usually served by student pastors from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Having an appreciation for seminary students, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels decided to assist a student, and sent a check for $3,000 annually as early as 1975, continued after her death in 1983, and until 1985.

The letter stated that he did not need to know the name of the student nor did he wish the student to know the source of the gift, for he wrote: “He might know that an elderly couple feels that the best way to serve God is to help prepare a young man for a successful ministry.”

— Letter of August 10, 1977, and similar words were used in other letters.

He suffered a series of illnesses from late 1984 through 1986, but continued working in his insurance business, and continued as a faithful Presbyterian.

The Last Will and Testament is a remarkable document, and states on page 1:

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UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

described as “a shocking report on the pervasive use of torture by Brazilian military governments 1964-1979, secretly prepared by the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo.” The third guest was Lawrence Weschler who brought the story of these two courageous defenders of human rights to the American people in a two-part article, “A Miracle, A Universe,” in the New Yorker magazine.

Honorary degrees were conferred on Cardinal Arns and the Rev. James Wright during a public tribute held at Five Flags Theater on September 7, 1988.

“God has been especially generous and kind in the distribution of material things and, having no children, I feel that the material things He has placed in my hands should be returned to the work of His Kingdom.”

After designating $2,000 each to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, there were eighteen benefactors each for $10,000, with an emphasis upon local churches, missions, and needy children.

There were also $20,000 each to seven other benefactors, including Billy Graham and groups assisting needy persons. After designating a trust fund for his sister-in-law, the Last Will and Testament (page 3) stated—to the surprise of the University of Dubuque: “I give, devise and bequeath

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to the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary located in Dubuque, Iowa, all of my shares in the Elizabeth State Bank of Elizabeth, Illinois.”

The decision was made to use funds derived from the sale of stock to consolidate the various functions of the seminary into Severance Hall, including faculty offices on the second floor and dormitory rooms on the third floor. In recognition of Mr. Daniel’s surprising gift of more than $1,000,000, the seminary was named the C. O. Daniel Theological Center, and was dedicated on September 6 and 7, 1988, with three guests participating in the dedication activities: Cardinal Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns, leader of the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and the Rev. James N. Wright, serving the Presbyterian Church in the areas of ecumenical relations and human rights. Both men collaborated on the book, Torture in Brazil (1986),

CONCLUDING POSTSCRIPT Two philanthropists to the University of Dubuque, in two different eras of the University, made significant gifts in two different ways—Severance by direct gift as a result of the persisting efforts of President Steffens, and Daniel quietly through estate plans in appreciation for the work of student pastors who served small churches he attended.

Severance was from “eastern wealth,” living in cities. Daniel lived in a small town all his life, apparently with modest means for philanthropy—but both were dedicated Christians, faithful in their Presbyterian church, zealous for missions, and sensitive to people in need.

Occasioned by the 100th anniversary of the dedication of Severance Hall on December 3, 2012, a plaque honoring these two gentlemen was recently installed in the lobby of the west entrance of Severance Hall. b

From the Archives

UD Treasures in your attic or basement?

M Homecoming Buttons: These homecoming buttons from 1974 and 1980 made the perfect accessory for a UD sweater.

Go Spartans!

emorabilia is a part of the Archives collection which helps us tell the UD story.

Current memorabilia items in our archives include: b fraternity and sorority paddles b UD calendars b medallions b homecoming and fraternity pins b UD banners and pennants b signed basketballs and footballs b plaques and trophies b UD Christmas ornaments b UD t-shirts, sports jerseys, and other apparel b UD blanket b UD paperweights

Dishes: This dish and a cup, used in Peters Commons dining hall, was “donated” by a not to-be-named graduate of the class of 1971, with the understanding that he would be given a “grant of immunity!”

Immunity granted . . . , and will be granted to others!

Other dishes in the archives include a UD fork, dining plates, and commemorative plates.

b UD special athletic event programs b former school seals and printing blocks The archives staff uses these items in exhibits, including the UD History Exhibit in Heritage Center. Also, this past spring, students in World Civilization II used these items to create exhibits concerning UD and Dubuque history.

If you would like to donate memorabilia to the archives and share stories that are connected to the memorabilia, please e-mail us at archives@dbq.edu or call us at 563-589-3778.

Beanies: Freshmen, or “freshies” as they were called, were required to wear the legendary green caps, or beanies. The color changed to blue and white in later years. The length of time the beanies had to be worn depended on the outcome of tug of war with the sophomores. If they won, the beanies could be removed. If they lost, they were required to be worn until Homecoming or even Thanksgiving.

Class Rings: The school seal marks the front of these class rings - a seven-branched candelabra encircled by the words “Dubuque German College & Seminary A.D. 1852”.

According to Child of the Church, the…”candelabra reflects the heritage of the Old Testament, and is also a symbol of learning. The flames issuing from the candelabra recall the burning bush as God called Moses to a life of obedience and service. Behind the candelabra is a sketch of a globe, probably signifying the school as ‘a light of the world’”. This seal was used as early as 1911. See Child of the Church for more details.

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Alumni CONNECTIONS HOMECOMING 2013: COME HOME TO THE ARTS Homecoming brings back so many memories for University of Dubuque alumni! The weekend is filled with opportunities to connect, engage and experience everything UD has to offer.

From participating in classes, to singing with the choir, or reminiscing with friends, Homecoming is a special celebration for many! The special reunions this year were the Class of 1963 and the 13ers – we hope you had a great time celebrating! A special thank you to the Class of 1963 for your contributions toward the new Residence Hall.

Thank you to everyone who made Homecoming 2013: Come Home to the Arts such a wonderful event. A highlight for many alumni was participating in and listening to the alumni choir singing with the current concert choir at the Festival Worship Service and Dedication of Heritage Center!

Keeping with the arts theme at Homecoming, many enjoyed the artistic talents – photography, drawing, painting and

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more – of so many alums. Of course new this year was the Live at Heritage Center performance of The Piano Men by Jim Witter. We hope to see you back on campus for future Live at Heritage Center events.

One of the largest celebratory moments during Homecoming is the Alumni Awards Banquet.

Congratulations to all of our 2013 award winners: Herbert E. Manning, Jr. Distinctive Service Award – Reverend Emerson E. Eggerichs (MDiv’76); Alumna of Distinction – Judge Bobbi M. Alpers (C’73); Alumni Professional Achievement Award – Francis “Jim” Perkins (C’43, in memoriam); Alumni Service to Community Award – Donna Sue (Denton) Peck (C’63); Athletic Hall of Distinction – Jerry Petitgoue (C’63); Athletic Hall of Fame – Greg Ortberg (C’00); Athletic Hall of Fame – 1959 Cross Country Team including Peter Boyd (C’62), Blair Bowling (C’61, in memoriam), Bill MacFarlane (1959, in memoriam), John Hudson (C’60), Tom TeBockhorst (1959), Ron Mensach (1959), Bob “Tex” Johnston (C’62) and Coach George French (C’56/MDiv’63). Congratulations to all of our award winners!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN FOR HOMECOMING 2014!

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MILESTONES THE 1950s Claude Klaver (C’51/MDV’53) was honored for his many years of community ministry by The Fairbanks Chaplaincy Association. For more than a quartercentury, the retired Presbyterian preacher has been serving as a chaplain, visiting residents or patients, ministering to their spiritual needs, or just adding a positive note to their day by his presence at the Denali Center — a long term care facility. After Claude finished his time in military service, he entered UD, earning a bachelor’s degree in Bible and history, followed by a master of divinity degree. Claude lives in Fairbanks, AK.

THE 1960s Robert Noth (C’65) was awarded with the George S. Wham Leadership Medal from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the nation’s voluntary standardization system. A retired manager of corporate engineering standards at Deere & Company, Bob was among 17 awarded distinguished leaders of the U.S. and global voluntary standardssetting and conformity assessment community in a ceremony at the Newseum Knight Conference Center in Washington, DC. Held annually, the leadership and service awards program recognizes creativity, “ANSI is proud to recognize the tremendous contributions Bob has made to the Institute, the standardization community, and the nation for decades,” said ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia. Bob and his wife, Susan (Hancock) (C’65) live in Bettendorf, IA.

business management. His expertise focuses on managing new business opportunities, driving new companies with leading edge technologies in new markets, and executing highly effective “go to market” strategies.

David lives in Benicia, CA. Ronald C. Grygo (C’71) retired after serving almost four decades in the South River, NJ School District as the Superintendent of Schools. Ronald said he’ll miss the district and all those who have worked diligently for students. He is looking forward to completing his doctoral degree and hopes to continue in the profession, possibly teaching in a college setting. He also is planning on spending more time with his wife Elaine, his son Christopher and his wife Carolyn, and his daughter Jennifer and her husband Jason.

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David “Buffalo Bill” Nelson (C’71) the first Cowboy Poet Laureate of Tennessee, made the rounds in the wide-open spaces of his hometown of Dubuque in October, 2012.

A retired physical therapist, David performs storytelling and cowboy comedy shows nationwide. Cowboy poetry is a sub-sect of story telling, it’s a form of poetry that really is from the Victorian era when cowboys would come in after working cattle. One guy would tell a yarn and the other would try to outdo him. While he has opened for singers like Tammy Wynette, Billy Ray Cyrus and Diamond Rio, this ain’t just for the cowboy hat-wearin’ crowd. “You don’t have to have a horse; you don’t even have to like country music to get the humor and appreciation of the words that come out on paper.” David and his wife Jean live in Walland, TN.

David E. Maples (C’70), executive vice president of sales and marketing at Allinea Software, has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in

Tony Danza (C’72) co-stars with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt in “Don Jon.” Tony, who worked with Gordon-Levitt in the 1994 film “Angels in the Outfield” and plays his

Tony Danza (C’72) actor Joseph Gordon-Levit in “Don Jon.” father in “Don Jon,” said the film would spark conversation. “It’s an uncomfortable subject, which lights everyone’s fire,” he said. “It exposes human nature.” Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore also star, but it’s Don Jon’s family, with Tony Danza as Gordon-Levitt’s dad, and Brie Larson as his sister, who critics say steal the show. Tony lives in New York City.

Ardyth Diercks (C’76) has been named vice president and general manager of WPTY ABC24, station in Memphis, TN. She oversees operations at the Memphis stations and at WKJT-TV (FOX) in Jackson, TN. She has more than 30 years of industry experience, including 20 years with Gannett Broadcasting and most recently as president of NBC Universal in Miami. She has served on the board of directors for the National Association of Broadcasters.

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WITH GRATITUDE Laura Kramer (C’11) I am honored to be called a University of Dubuque alumna. This relatively small school has left a great impression on me, both academically and in personal growth. The gravity of my words will be better understood if I elaborate on my personal story and the journey which brought me to UD. I was born in Communist Romania in 1985. Had you asked my family where I would be in 25 years, I doubt any of them could have even imagined I would end up as the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper and the Student of the Year at a university in America.

My family and I moved several more times before we eventually settled down in Dubuque, IA. I wish I would have chosen UD after graduating from high school. Instead I went to a large, state university and soon realized it was not the school for me. I hated feeling like a number, and I absolutely couldn’t stand being in classrooms with 500 students.

For me, learning had always been about more than just finding the right answer.

I wanted to be intellectually stimulated outside of the classroom, and make a name for myself; however, after all my efforts, my professors still didn’t know my name by the end of a semester, and the experience became depleting.

At the advice of my mom, I moved back to Dubuque and enrolled in classes at UD. A May 2011 graduate, I pursued a communication degree with a business minor, but it was my involvement on campus that was life changing. I had professors who not only knew my name, but whom I consider life mentors.

Through my involvement with the UD student newspaper, The Belltower,

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Laura Kramer (C’11)

I found my true calling: journalism. A year after graduation I applied to one of the top journalism masters programs in the world. In this case, the relationships I developed with my professors helped me even after graduation. They wrote recommendation letters and gave me advice, and because of their commitment, I was one of the few who were offered the opportunity to study international journalism in London, England.

Since moving to London, I’ve worked for an online news site, attended tennis matches at the Wimbledon Championships, traveled throughout

Europe, and produced a full-length radio documentary. The contacts I’ve made have opened doors and I have the privilege of staying in England to continue my career as an international journalist.

I’m fortunate to have had numerous fulfilling life experiences. After everything I’ve been through, attending UD has been one of the best things that ever happened to me. I have now completed my MA, and I know it’s because I was taught the skills it takes to be successful at the University of Dubuque.

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Bruce Kay (C’76) a former UD athlete and coach is among the newest members of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Kay announced his retirement in 2011 after a wildly successful 22-year run at Cary-Grove. Kay led the Trojans to the 2009 IHSA Class 6A state championship during a 14-0 season. Bruce lives in Cary, IL. Rebecca Odegard-Siegele (C’76) was appointed director of special services and federal programs for the Cañon City School District. She lived in Iowa for more than 30 years, before taking the position in Pueblo, Colorado’s District 70.

Janet (Krogstad) Philipp (C’76) was appointed chair of the health professions division at the College of St. Mary (Omaha, NE), where she will oversee curriculum and faculty for all nursing and occupational therapy degrees. Before accepting her current position, she served as president at Dana College (Blair, NE) from July, 2005 until its closure in the summer of 2010. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UD, as well as a master’s degree in family and community health nursing from Creighton University in Omaha. She has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.

Michael Opheim (C’78) was chosen as vice president of business aviation sales for Satcom Direct, provider of satellite voice, fax, datalink, and Internet communications solutions. He is responsible for all marketing items, including printed material, tradeshows, and management of website content and media, along with customer interface development in all areas of the organization. Mike lives in Florida with his wife, Jean.

THE 1980s Don Vrotsos (C’83) was re-elected as Dubuque County Sheriff in November, 2012.

Don was originally appointed as the Dubuque County sheriff by the County Board of Supervisors when Sheriff Ken Runde left the post in 2010. He graduated from UD with a

double major in psychology and sociology, with a concentration in criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Chuck Haas (C’85), defensive coordinator and head wrestling coach for Dubuque’s Hempstead High School, was inducted into the Northwest Illinois Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He was inducted to UD’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

THE 1990s Roger Waialae (C’90) was the first Ohio Valley college coach to receive the 23rd annual award for active or retired coaches.

Roger took the West Liberty University Hilltoppers from worst to first in only five seasons. He guided WLU to their top winning season (11-2) in school history and the first NCAA Division II playoff. The Hilltoppers also won their first West Virginia Conference title since 2000 and claimed the school’s first outright crown since 1971 with a perfect 8-0 league record. Roger and his wife, Karen, live in West Liberty, WV. Barbara (Lucke Grass) Schubert (C’91) of Shullsburg, WI, and formerly of Dubuque, joined Platinum Supplemental Insurance of Dubuque in May, 2012 as the company’s public relations and marketing specialist.

Prior to joining Platinum she served for 12 years as the advertising and promotions manager at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Galena, IL. Sandra (Hergenreter) Cooper (C’93) a nurse and health care educator for more than 30 years, has been named district director of health care education at the Maricopa Community Colleges (AZ). Sandra’s previous appointment was as Dean of Nursing at Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, IA). After graduating from UD, she continued on to the University of Iowa for her master’s degree, and Iowa State University for her doctorate. Sandra lives in Sun City West, AZ. Robert Vohl (C’94) has rejoined Wallis, Kunnert, Price & Smith Inc. as commercial insurance specialist in Dubuque. He is responsible for commercial insurance growth

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and agency expansion operations. Vohl has more than 16 years of insurance experience.

Mark Beinborn (C’98) was named head women’s basketball coach at Augustana College (Moline, IL) beginning with the 2012-2013 season. He served as an assistant for the Vikings since 2008, slid over one spot on the bench as he replaced Bobbi Endress (C’00), who resigned after six seasons at the helm. Mark and his wife, Jill (VanDerZyl) (C’96), live in Davenport, IA.

THE 2000s Nathan Courtney (C’00) was named head men’s basketball coach at Highland Community College (Freeport, IL). While at UD, he was a starter for the men’s basketball team and served on the student-athlete advisory committee. After graduation from UD, Nathan went on to earn his master of arts in physical education with a teaching emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa.

Chad Fenwick (C’00) has been hired as tennis coach at Ashford University, Clinton, IA. The sport returned to Ashford in 201011 after an eight-year hiatus. He joins Ashford after a four-year head coaching stint at Upper Iowa University (Fayette, IA), where he led the Peacocks to their first NCAA Championship berth. Chad was the Northern Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 2008, leading Upper Iowa to its first league title in school history. His head coaching experience also includes stints at UD, Dubuque Senior High School, Hempstead High School (Dubuque), and Dixon High School (Dixon, IL). Chad and wife, Kristy (Bahl) (C’01), live in Dubuque.

Nicole Kruser (C’04/MBA’04) has joined Heartland Financial USA Inc. as a Securities and Exchange Commision reporting specialist in Finance. She primarily coordinates and prepares all external financial reporting, quarterly and annual reports, and other SEC filings. Before her appointment at Heartland Financial, she served UD in the student accounts and business offices. Nicole and her husband, Rod, live in East Dubuque, IL.

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Kathy (Camp) Sportsman (C’04) was appointed Kingsland Middle School’s (Wykoff, MN) fourth through sixth grade special education teacher. She graduated from UD in 2004 and 2007 with a bachelor of science in computer graphics and elementary education. She spent the past four years teaching at Santa Maria Middle School in Phoenix, AZ and chose to relocate to southeastern Minnesota to be closer to family.

David Moore (C’05) accepted a position in the Development Office at the Mercy Hospital Foundation (Dubuque). David earned his bachelor’s degrees in communication and English at UD, where he was most recently the director for annual giving and alumni relations.

TYING THE KNOT THE 1950s Pastor Ted Hegg (MDV‘50) and his wife Edith, of Federal Way, WA, celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on September 13, 2010. They were married in Seattle in 1942.

They raised five sons and also cared for five foster children. God’s love entered their lives and made their marriage grow deep and meaningful throughout the years.

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The Reverend Eugene Blake (MDV’77) and his wife Mary (Apking) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2010. The couple were married on January 27, 1960, at Presby House on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where they graduated from in 1961. Eugene and Mary live in Winfield, KS.

Navy Lt. j. g. Ian R. Book (C’09) earned his coveted “Wings of Gold” while serving with Training Squadron 22, Naval Air Station, Kingsville, TX. Tyler Daugherty (C’08/MBA’10) has been named Bellevue (IA) High School boys basketball coach. He and his wife Tory moved back to Iowa from Indiana where Tyler was Indiana University East’s head men’s and women’s track and field coach, and assistant coach for the men’s basketball team. Tyler and Tory live in Dubuque.

Shawn R. Quillen (C’10), an Army ROTC Cadet, was awarded the Iowa Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Governor’s Cup Award for outstanding achievement.

He was one of eight cadets from the State of Iowa to receive the award, which was

presented at the State Capitol in Des Moines in May, 2010. Shawn lives in Magnolia, DE.

FRIENDS/FACULTY/STAFF Jeffrey F. Bullock, UD president, has accepted the appointment as an ex-officio member of The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board (Des Moines, IA).

The Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (IAICU) appoint a representative from one of the state’s private institutions to serve on the IEDA board.

Jenifer Hirschfeld (Business Office) received her MBA from UD in May 2012.

THE 2000s Travis Lambright (C’04) and Lauren Sue Boyer were united in marriage on October 2, 2010, on Burkes Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Travis is an account development representative at Blackbaud, Inc. Lauren graduated from Nyack College (New York) with a bachelor of arts in communication. She is an account executive for Employer Solutions by Benefitfocus. The couple reside in South Carolina.

Rick Fleming (C’05) and Mindy Klock were united in marriage on November 26, 2010 at Blades Chapel on UD’s campus, a reception followed at the Hotel Julien. Rick teaches at St. Maria Goretti Catholic School in Madison, WI and Mindy is an emergency dispatch operator in Madison.

1 Tom Rauen (C’05) and Amanda Maahs were married on October 20, 2012 at St. Joseph’s Church in Farley, IA. Tom owns and operates Envision Sports Design. Amanda, a 2005 Loras College graduate, manages Black Jack Storage. The couple reside in Dubuque.

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TJ Wagner (C’06) married Melissa Ann Waukon on May 5, 2012 at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque. TJ is an account executive at Eagle Point Software. Melissa is a graduate of Loras College and is an educational consultant at McGraw Hill Publishers. The couple reside in Dubuque.

College and is the student services specialist at Wartburg Theological Seminary. The couple reside in Dubuque.

Rachel (Kleckner) (C’08) and Bryan McPeek were married on August 21, 2010 in a ceremony at the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Rachel is employed by Auto Logic in Stockton, IL. Bryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2008 from the University of WisconsinPlatteville and is employed by the State Police. The couple reside in Stockton, IL. Jessica (Tressel) (C’08) and Matthew Boleyn were married on May 21, 2011 at the Cathedral of St. Raphael, Dubuque. The couple reside in Dubuque.

Jeremy Laskowski (C’09) and Kate Obert were married on July 23, 2011. Jeremy works for Sedgewick in Dubuque. Kate graduated from Clarke University, Dubuque, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education with an emphasis in reading/language arts. She is a third grade teacher in the Galena School District. Jeremy and Kate live in Galena, IL.

2 2 Benjamin Joseph Weber (C’06) and Molly Catherine Schroeder were married on August 18, 2012 at St. John the Baptist Church in Peosta. Benjamin is a relationship manager at Prudential Financial. Molly graduated from Clarke

Brittany (Olmstead) (C’09) and Duane Enos, of Dubuque, were married April 13, 2013. Brittany works as a registered nurse for Mercy Home Care in Dubuque. Duane earned his bachelors degree from Wartburg College and his masters degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He works as a manufacturing engineer at John Deere Dubuque Works.

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Jessica (Boelter) (C’10) and Arthur Bradford were married on September 18, 2010. Jessica is employed by McGraw-Hill Companies in Dubuque. Arthur graduated from Loras College, Dubuque, and is employed as a test engineer with John Deere Dubuque Works.

Heidi (Diffenderfer) (C’10) and Ryan Werhane, of Lena, IL, were married in March, 2012. Heidi works as a registered nurse at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, IL. Ryan is a 2010 graduate of Highland Community College, and is employed at Edler Power services in Lena, IL. Martha (Serrahn) (C’10) and Jose Reinoso (C’08) were married on July 25, 2011 in Dubuque. Jose serves as an intramural assistant and head women’s golf coach at UD. Martha is a special education teacher for West Delaware Public Schools. The couple reside in Dubuque.

Kiesharlia (Tuck) (C’11) and Anderson Sainci (C’10/MAC’12) were married in June 2011. Kiesharlia is employed by Prudential Investment Management Services as a financial advisor and Anderson works for the City of Dubuque as a sustainable community coordinator. The couple reside in Dubuque.

Elyse (Dawn) (C’10) and Ryan Salisbury were married on May 26, 2012. The couple reside in Elgin, IL.

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OH BABY! THE 1990s Paula (Starling) Isgrig (C’96/S’99) and her husband Anthony adopted a beautiful baby girl, Eva Marie, in January, 2012. The Isgrig family resides in Blue Springs, MO.

THE 2000s Curtis (C’00) and Nicole (Zierath) Blakeman (C’00), of South Beloit, IL, celebrated four birthdays with their son, Nathaniel James, who was born on April 15, 2009.

Theresa (Gassmann) (C’00) and Brandon Durrett (C’02) welcomed their third child, Brandon William, in 2010. The Durretts live in Texas.

3 Ben Weber (C’06) and his wife, Molly, welcomed a baby boy, Cael Patrick, on March 1, 2013. The Weber family lives in Dubuque.

Adam (C’03) and Cathy (DeRone) (C’05) Dinnes had a baby girl, Zoey Quinn, on February 4, 2011. The Dinnes family lives in Janesville, WI.

Katherine (Kempisty) Parris (C’07) and her husband, Keith (C’00), of Aurora, IL, welcomed a baby girl in June, 2009. Kalia, now four, joins siblings Isaac, Ivy, and Kaelyn.

Garth Gibson (C’04) and his wife Nicole announced the birth of their son Samuel, born in February 2011. The Gibson family lives in Downers Grove, IL. Christopher (C’04) and Suzanne (Uhlenkamp) (C’06) Peterson celebrated the birth of their son, Christopher Dale Peterson, Jr., on March 24, 2010. Suzanne is a UD flight safety manager and stage check instructor and Christopher serves the University as an admissions counselor.

The Petersons live in Dubuque.

Samantha Webb (C’04) announces the birth of her son Liam, born in February, 2012. Samantha and Liam live in Randall, IA. David (C’05) and Kate (Ellison) Moore (C’05) and their daughter, Lucy, welcomed the newest member of their family, Daniel Thomas, in January 2012. The Moore family lives in Dubuque.

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Tyler Domske (MDV’08) and his wife, Adrien, welcomed a son, Elliott Xavier, on September 18, 2009. The Domske family lives in Mooresville, NC, where Tyler is the associate pastor for youth at First Presbyterian Church.

Tad (C’08) and Emily (Frye) Schoeny (C’09) had a baby girl, Stella, in May 2013.

She joins big sister Nora Jean (December 2010). The Schoenys reside in Dubuque.

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Erin and Mike Barsema (C’08) celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Paige Constance, born in January, 2012. Erin serves UD as assistant to the medical coordinator and Mike is a flight instructor in the Aviation Department. The Barsemas live in Dubuque.

4 Shane Besler (C’94/MAC’00) and his wife Andrea, have welcomed two baby girls to the family. Ambrielle Lee was born January 28, 2011; Alyse Leann was born June 23, 2013. The girls join brother Keaton at home. Shane serves the University as an associate director of admissions. The Besler family lives in Dubuque.

Jason Berna, head men’s and women’s soccer coach, along with his wife Nicole, had a baby boy on March 29, 2010. Jack Benjamin joined siblings Sophia Nicole (March 13, 2009), Isabelle Joan (July 17, 2007) and James David (July 8, 2005). The Berna family lives in Dubuque.

5 Dustin Bierman (C’04), assistant basketball coach, and his wife Jackie, welcomed Max Christopher on February 27, 2013. Max joins his big sister, Josie at home.

The Bierman family resides in Dubuque.

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Rosemary Eager (C’07) and her husband Robert, of Peosta, IA, proudly announce the arrival of identical twin granddaughters. Laurel Megan Eager and Olivia Elizabeth Eager were born on May 8, 2011. They reside in Eagan, MN with dad, Christopher and mom, Amanda. Rosemary is UD’s director of scheduling and event planning.

7 Ann Marie and Nathan Gruber welcomed daughter Amelia Jo in July, 2012.

Ann Marie is a reference and instruction librarian and Nathan is library acquisitions assistant at UD’s Charles C. Myers Library.

The Grubers live in Dubuque.

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8 Kristi (Brachman) Lynch (MAC’01) and husband, Peter, celebrated the birth of their son Gabriel on August 24, 2012. Kristi serves as UD’s director of public information.

The Lynch family resides in Dubuque.

Angie Ryan, UD payroll coordinator, and her husband Nicholas are the proud parents of a baby girl, born in February, 2013. Molly joins big brother Patrick at home. The Ryan family resides in Dubuque.

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9 Jessica Schreyer, associate professor of English and writing, and her husband Jonathan welcomed baby Fiona Hope on August 30, 2012. The Schreyers live in Dubuque.

10 Mike Willis, UD multimedia specialist, and his wife LeAnn welcomed their daughter Elizabeth Sloane on October 2, 2012.

Elizabeth joins sisters Maddie and Katie making the Willis family complete. The Willis family lives in Dubuque.

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PASSAGES THE 1930s Ruth (Schap) Kessler (C’32) passed away on September 5, 2011. She was 101 years old and resided at the Perkins Pavilion Good Samaritan Society Village, Hastings, NE. Following graduation from UD, Ruth spent one year teaching public school before marrying Silas Kessler (C’32) on July 3, 1935 in Stockton, IL. Ruth was active in every aspect of the life and work of the Church her husband served, assisting him in all his pastorates. She was especially active in promoting the sale of Sales Exchange for Refugee Rehabilitation and Vocation (SERRV) articles, and also assisting in the church library. Ruth was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Woman’s Association, Circle Sewing Group, George Elliott Club, Finches Club, and PEO. The Reverend Silas Kessler (C’32; MDV’34; DDV‘41), former senior General Assembly moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), died November 15, 2011 at the age of 100 in Hastings, NE. Following his graduation from seminary in 1934, Silas served pastorates in Farmington, IA and Fullerton, NE. In 1940 he was called to be pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, where he served until his

retirement in 1976. Following his retirement, Rev. Kessler went on to serve 15 interim pastorates. During his tenure in Hastings, he also served as president of the Nebraska Council of Churches, as a member of the board of trustees at Hastings College, as a member of the Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation Board, and as the first elected moderator of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. In his community, Silas was a member of Kiwanis for more than 35 years and served on the boards of the local Salvation Army and the Hastings Literacy Program. Internationally, he preached and taught in Chile, Egypt, and Lebanon, among others. In 1998 he was given the President’s Award by Hastings College, where he continued to serve as an honorary trustee until his death. In 2007, he was named the University of Dubuque’s Alumnus of Distinction.

Alma “Dolly” (Bardill) Newburgh (C’38) died on April 17, 2011 in Fargo, ND. Dolly moved to Dubuque when she was a young child, and, after attending UD, she worked as a secretary before marrying Albert C. Newburgh (C’33) on August 3, 1940.

They remained in Dubuque to raise their son, Paul, and in the early 60s moved to northwestern Wisconsin near Webster.

They loved the quiet lifestyle and having nature at their doorstep. Albert preceded her in death in 2003.

Elizabeth “Betty” (Wilson) Zirkelbach (C’38) of Maquoketa, Iowa, died on December 14, 2011. Betty married Randall Zirkelbach on May 6, 1939; he preceded her in death in February 1979. A longtime teacher in the Maquoketa area, Betty taught kindergarten at the Maquoketa Community Schools and fifth grade at Sacred Heart School. Through the years she also operated her own pre-school, worked as a private tutor, and did substitute teaching.

William “Bill” Watters (C’39) died on May 11, 2012 in Davenport, IA. After receiving his bachelor of science from UD, Bill went on to earn his masters degree from the University of Iowa in 1949. He served four years in the Air Corps in World War II. Bill spent 38 years as an educator, teaching in high school, junior high school and elementary school. He spent an additional 31 years in education administration as a principle at Bryant, Lincoln, and Irving schools in Dubuque. He was an active member of the community serving on numerous boards and commissions, including the alumni board at the University of Dubuque. He married Wilma Marie Jeanne on May 24, 1946; she preceded him in death on November 5, 1995.

The Reverend Eugene Siekmann (C’35/MDV’51) passed away on December 3, 2011 at his home in Sun City, AZ. Gene was born in Okajandja, SW Africa in 1912 to missionary parents. His family emigrated from Germany to America via Ellis Island in 1924. Reverend Siekmann devoted his life to service for the church and his alma mater. Following graduation, he was ordained a minister by the Presbytery of Waterloo. In 1961, Gene was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from UDTS. He served his alma mater faithfully as an admissions counselor, public relations and alumni director, assistant to the president, and vice president for finance and development. In 1960 he was elected to the Board of Trustees and elected to Life Membership in 1986. In his ministry, he served churches in Minnesota, Iowa, and Arizona, and Germany. Gene was a tireless advocate of the University for more than 70 years. Countless alumni/ae mention him as having the greatest impact on their decision to enroll at UD. He has also influenced many individuals to make gifts for scholarships to help future generations of students realize their educational dreams. He is survived by his wife, Sally (Sessler) (C’43).

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THE 1940s Aaron “Sonny” Liepe (C’41) passed away on September 7, 2012 at home in Fullerton, CA. A native of Dubuque, he was married to Norma Bernstein for 68 happy years. He joined the Army Air Corps after college, graduating from flight school at Kelly Field just before Pearl Harbor as a fighter pilot.

One of his first assignments was protecting Washington DC from air attack, with his P-40 based at nearby Bolling Field. He joined the Flying Tigers in 1942 as part of the new China Air Task Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for more than 50 combat missions, including various phases of attack and defense in fighter aircraft.

Ethelda (Norberg) Sassenrath (C’42) died on November 22, 2011. After graduating from UD, Ethelda went on to earn her Ph.D. from Iowa State University. She settled in Davis, CA in 1964 and raised a family while simultaneously making significant research and teaching contributions in her career at the UC Davis School of Medicine. She was one of the founding board members of Explorit Science Center in Davis and a strong supporter of the arts. Most recently, she lived near her two sons and was a friend and leader in the Casa de Santa Fe senior living community. She is survived by her sons, Paul and Joe, their wives, six grandchildren, and four great-granddaughters.

Mary (French) Von Loewe (C’42) died on December 15, 2011. Mary lived in Chicago, IL, where she was a retired Elmwood Park music teacher, choir director of Mayfair Presbyterian Church, and organist at both New Hope Methodist Church and Mayfair United Methodist Church.

Wilma (Grossheim) Phillipi (C’43) of Quincy, IL, died on June 13, 2012. After graduating from UD, Wilma earned a master of arts in religious education from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1945 and later earned her elementary education accreditation from Quincy College in 1966.

After completing graduate work, she became the director of Christian education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dubuque. In 1948 she volunteered to

serve in a post-World War II work camp administered by the World Council of Churches in Frankfurt, Germany, and later as Christian missionary to Guatemala. She was the director of the Westminster Foundation of the University of Iowa (1949-1952) and director of religious education at the Seventh Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, OH (19521953). She was a Quincy Public Schools substitute elementary teacher in 1964 and taught second and third grades at Berrian and Irving schools from 1966 to 1986.

Marjorie (Downing) Kern (C’44), of Northfield, OH, passed away June 15, 2012.

She is survived by her husband and her three children.

Ruth H. (Mackert) Rettenmaier (C’44) died on August 12, 2012 in Davenport, IA. After graduating with honors from UD, Ruth served as a high school math teacher at Postville High School, Postville, IA. She married Eugene Rettenmaier on June 19, 1948 in Dubuque.

Helen (Huntoon) Henderson (C’45) of Dubuque, formerly of Webster Groves, MO, died December 8, 2012 at Bethany Home, Dubuque. Helen attended UD for one year before entering the US Navy. She married Beecher Henderson on December 16, 1945 in UD’s Blades Chapel; Beecher preceded Helen in death in 2000.

The Reverend Henry George Schoon (MDV’45) died on July 22, 2012 at Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls, SD. He attended Northwestern College in Orange City, IA and Central College in Pella, IA before receiving his training in ministry at UDTS. He married Ruth Tieszen (C’45) on August 30, 1945, in Marion, SD. Henry pastored churches at Aplington and Boyden, IA, and Lennox, Mitchell, and Sioux Falls, SD. Lorraine (Uhlrich) Whittington (C’46) a longtime resident of Chula Vista, CA, died on November 24, 2012. Originally from Dubuque, Lorraine married Frank Whittington in 1946. Frank preceded her in death in 2003. Ruth was a homemaker, mother of five children, and a math teacher

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at Bettendorf Middle School (Iowa). She was an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Bettendorf, serving on many church boards and committees.

Clayton Arthur Droullard (C’47) of Whitewater, WI passed away at Fairhaven in Whitewater, on July 26, 2012. After graduating from UD, Clayton went on to receive his master of science degree from UW Madison in 1949, and his doctorate degree in education from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1954. He served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII with the 1st Infantry Division, receiving a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat. On August 11, 1945, Clayton married Mary Eustice in Cuba City, WI. He taught math and was Head Football Coach at Morningside College. He also taught math at UW Whitewater, where he served as the Dean of Students. Clayton was a former commander and member of the Fort Atkinson Disabled American Veterans, a member of the American Legion and the Whitewater Kiwanis Club. He served both the Wisconsin State and National Mental Health Associations.

De Ette Gwen (Jones) Hawkins (C’47) of Flint, MI, died on January 20, 2012. Born in Seattle, WA, she attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN before transferring to UD to finish her degree.

Donald Head (C’47) died peacefully at Spokane Veterans Home (WA) on November 27, 2011. A native of Dubuque, Donald enlisted in the Army in 1942. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was captured and held as a prisoner of war from December of 1944 to March of 1945. In 1946 he married Patricia Higgins; she preceded him in death in 2006. After graduating from UD, Don earned his M.A. in physical education from the University of Iowa in 1949. In 1951 he entered the FBI as a Special Agent. After retirement from the FBI, he continued to work in security and as a private investigator. Don was a dedicated volunteer and was awarded the Legion of Honor and the George F. Hixson award by the Kiwanis Club. During his time

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in the FBI, he was awarded two letters of commendation and a cash award by then director, J. Edgar Hoover.

Vern Janssen (C’48) of Chaska, MN died peacefully at home, April 24, 2012, surrounded by his family, after a brave battle with cancer. Vern served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was active with the Gideons and Jr. Chamber of Commerce. At the time of his passing, Vern was a chaplain at the Carver County Jail. He was chosen as one of the “Eleven Who Care” in 2010

by Channel 11 for his work at the jail and was referred to as “one of those angels that walks the earth.”

Edward J. Casper (C’49) of Moline, IL, passed away with his family at his side, on March 10, 2010.

Marjorie B. Sinning (C’49) passed away on October 7, 2011. She resided in Cedar Falls, IA.

THE 1950s Robert Boehlke (C’50/MDV‘53) of Bloomington, MN, passed away on November 11, 2011 while traveling. As a pastor and professor of Christian education, he enjoyed a life which later encompassed years in Indonesia, travels with his wife Mary (Greer) (C’51) and children through Kenya, a doctoral dissertation at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an ill-advised standoff with a Komodo dragon. Yet for all of the adventure, it was his spiritual side that most people came to know, said his daughter, Heidi Boehlke, of Minneapolis.

“When new people came to church, he would greet them,” she said. “My dad was very generous and always had a smile and just loved to know what people were like and what they had to say.”

Donald R. Dremmel (C’50) of Dubuque, died on February 21, 2013. Donald served in the Army from 1945 to 1946 as an installer repairman stationed in Alaska. In 1949, he married Corrine Kern; she preceded him in death in 2011. Donald was a junior high school teacher in the Dubuque community schools for 38 years, until his retirement in 1989. His students remember his way

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of teaching with wit and humor, and his love of language and literature. After his retirement, Donald mentored English language learners and received a governor’s award for his volunteer work. He especially enjoyed trout fishing with his wife, Corrine; travel, including trips to Germany and the United Kingdom; and spending time with his grandchildren. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dubuque.

Dr. Dale Heaton (C’50) of Titusville, FL passed away on September 11, 2012.

Married 63 years, he is survived by his wife, Jane. Dale served God as a Presbyterian pastor for 58 years, retiring from First Presbyterian Church of Titusville in 1994, after a 23-year pastorate.

Wayne Otto Kieckhaefer (C’50) died on May 21, 2012 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Wayne was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in the Pacific Theater during WWII and the Korean Conflict. He met Jewel Morse (C’53) while attending UD, and they were married on July 1, 1950. Once discharged from the Army, Wayne worked for Collins Radio. He then went on to work for Abbott Laboratories, retiring in 1983.

Wayne was a member of the American Legion Post #298 of Marion for 66 years.

He was an avid golfer, belonging to both Elmcrest and Fawn Creek Country Clubs.

Wayne enjoyed spoiling his wife, traveling, and crossword puzzles.

Robert C. Schroeder (C’50) died on November 5, 2011, at Hospice for Northeastern Illinois, Woodstock, IL, after a long battle with cancer. After high school, he joined the Naval Reserves, and served in the South Pacific in World War II, primarily stationed at Okinawa. He married Shirley Green on August 16, 1947. After graduating from UD, he taught 6th & 7th grade history, geography, and language arts. He earned a master of science in education in 1966 and received a second masters degree in 1971.

He retired from teaching in 1982 and served as a substitute teacher from 1985-1989.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church for over 30 years and served as an Elder and secretary of the Session.

Mary (Greer) Beohlke (C’51), of Bloomington, MN, passed away on July 25, 2011. Mary was a elementary school teacher and sculpter. She married Robert Boehlke (C’50/MDV’53) after graduation in 1951. She and Robert spent twenty years in Indonesia, raising four children.

Dr. Robert M. Connell (C’51) passed away peacefully on January 11, 2012, after a short illness. A native of Dubuque, Bob continued on to the University of Iowa, College of Medicine following his graduation from UD. After an internship at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, WA, he went on to do his residencies at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, and at OHSU in Portland before moving to Pendleton, OR where he was a founding partner of Interpath Laboratory, Inc. Bob continued to practice medicine until his retirement in 1992; the same year, he relocated from Pendleton to Newberg, OR with his wife, Anita, and daughter, Angela.

Roger “Bud” Hillstrom (C’51) passed away on October 18, 2010. Originally from Albert Lea, MN, Bud moved to the Brainerd-Nisswa area in 1964. He was a member of the Albert Lea and Nisswa American Legion, Nisswa Lions, and was a past president and founding member of Ski Gull Ski Hill. He served the U.S. Army in the Korean War from 1951-1953. He went to work for Minnesota State Auto Association (AAA) and retired in 1984.

He enjoyed his retirement summering in Lake Shore and wintering in Mesa, AZ. Jack Lawrence (C’51), a longtime resident of Columbia, MD, whose career as a cryptographer spanned nearly four decades, died on December 19, 2011 of pulmonary fibrosis. Born and raised in Chicago, he served in Army intelligence from 1945 to 1946. While earning his degree in mathematics from UD, he met and later married Marcheta (Hoke) (C’50). He worked for the National Security Agency as a security analyst and later became a cryptographer, retiring in 1990. A singer, he performed with barbershop quartets and choruses for more than six decades. He

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also collected stamps and coins and was a crossword puzzle enthusiast. Jack is survived by his wife and two sons.

Wayne Allen Stamm (C’51), of Waunakee, WI, passed away in September 25, 2011, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Originally from McConnell, WI, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, where he earned his Gunner’s Wings as a ball turret gunner on a B-24. History records in early May 1945, PFC Wayne Stamm was one of three American soldiers to first break down outer gates of the concentration camp at Dachau and allow American forces to enter and render aid. In 2009, Wayne received a letter from a man who was a boy in Dachau on the day of its liberation and could never forget the three Americans who first entered. The ex-prisoner had searched historical military records and found Wayne’s name, and wrote him a letter thanking him – and America – for saving his life. Having witnessed first-hand the tragedy of World War II and the horror of the Holocaust, Wayne dedicated the rest of his life to the service of others in education. In 1947, he married Darlyne Schumacher and together they raised four sons.

Robert E. Williams (C’51) died on January 14, 2012 after a long battle with emphysema. Bob served his country for 30 years in the Coast Guard Reserve, and most of his working life as membership chairman at various YMCAs before retiring in 1996.

He was a member of the ACCA Shriners playing snare drum in the Highlander’s band.

Bob and his wife Janet have wintered the past 13 years in Fort Myers Beach, FL. He died peacefully at Health Park Hospital, Ft. Myers Beach, with wife Janet, daughter Jean, granddaughter Courtney and her husband Jonathan by his side.

Marie (Abdisho) Ekvall (C’52) of Evanston, IL, passed away on May 18, 2012.

Marie worked for Quaker Oats and The Chicago American newspaper and spent most of her career as a consumer affairs officer for the Food & Drug Administration.

Takashi ‘Tak’ Kubota (C’52) passed away peacefully at home on May 29, 2012 after a brief and unexpected illness.

A 41-year resident of Vallejo, CA, he and his wife Miyoko spent the last 5 years in Elk Grove, CA to be closer to their daughter.

Takashi was born in San Francisco, CA to first generation Japanese immigrant parents. While attending high school, his education was interrupted by the onset of WWII. He and his family were relocated to an internment camp in Topaz, UT until the end of the war. While in camp, he completed his high school education. He later graduated from UD with a degree in business administration. He served in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence during the Korean War, attaining the rank of Corporal.

Takashi was the first American of Japanese descent to work as a Purser for the American President Lines/Merchant Marines. His career at APL spanned 36 years, taking him around the world many times over. It was on his maiden voyage that he met his life-long love, Miyoko.

Gordon Miller (C’52) passed away at home, surrounded by his family, on April 28, 2012.

While attending UD, Gordon met his wife, Beth (Jones) (C’51), in the college choir.

They joyfully sang their way through life in both church and secular choirs in West Des Moines, IA. They would have been married 60 years in June, 2012. In addition to his passion for music, Gordon was devoted to his faith and family. He served as the director of christian education at his church in Illinois, and volunteered for the Principal Golf Classic for 11 years.

He enjoyed playing golf, gardening, and spending winters in Weslaco, TX. George Coppage (C’53) of Savannah, GA passed away at home on January 14, 2012. After receiving his bachelor of science in chemistry from UD, he went on to serve in the Army, based at Fort Lewis in Washington State and married his college sweetheart Eunice (Dorst) (C’53) in 1955.

Eunice passed away March 2, 2009. George earned his master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University in 1957. His working life was spent with US Industrial Chemicals later known as Quantum

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Chemical. He retired in 1992 as president of the Signature Polymers Group. George had a lifelong passion for golf, and cherished the life he shared with Eunice on Skidaway Island in Savannah for the last 19 years.

David Charles Darsee (C’53) of Clive, IA, died June 9, 2010 in the peaceful presence of his family and pastor. Dave was well known for his integrity, strong sense of responsibility and fairness, but also his warm humor. He attended UD on a fullride sports scholarship for basketball and football and graduated in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in history. In his senior year he met future wife, Vionne Nequa Jennings (C’56), and the couple married that July. Dave served in the Army from 1953-1955 during the Korean conflict and was stationed in Japan. He began teaching and coaching while studying nights, weekends, and summers to obtain a master’s degree at the University of Iowa, School in Education Administration.

Lorraine (Baal) Dobernecker (C’53) died on January 7, 2012, at Parkview Manor Nursing Home in Ellsworth, MN. She graduated from UD with her bachelor of science in Christian education. On June 12, 1955, she married Donald Dobernecker in Red Oak, IA. The couple moved to her family’s farm south of Adrian and ran the dairy farm Starview Holsteins for more than 30 years. In 1988 they moved to Ellsworth.

The Reverend John Oliver McCandless (MDV’53) passed away on July 27, 2012 at his home in Livermore, CA after a fivemonth battle with brain cancer. He married Elaine Shannon on August 17, 1951. John was ordained as a Presbyterian clergyman on June 11, 1953 in the Unionville Presbyterian Church, and received his first call to the McIntosh, Wautaga, Morristown Parrish in South Dakota. He served many churches in several states in what was a full and rewarding life.

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Joan (Jenkins) Schermerhorn (C’53) passed away on January 8, 2012 in Niles, IL. She is survived by her husband, Robert Sr.; sons Rob, Steve, and Paul; and grandchildren Colin, Sean, Ryan, and Olivia.

Royal Becker Steiner (MAR’53) of Menahga, MN passed away on January 4, 2013. Following high school, Royal enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served as a Staff Sergeant in WWII. Upon his return from Egypt, he enrolled in Ft. Wayne Bible College where he met and married Nelva Merle Reinders on August 30, 1946. He graduated from Taylor University with his BA in Fine Arts in 1950. Following his graduation from UDTS, he entered the ministry in the Methodist denomination and together he and Nelva raised 3 children (David, Susan (Nash), and Kathryn (Munson)) while serving in 12 churches in Iowa and Minnesota over four decades.

Elizabeth “Betty” (Stoltz) Willman (C’53) of Maquoketa, IA, died on January 24, 2011.

Betty was as a teacher who first taught music in Eldon, IA, and then first grade in Maquoketa until marrying D. Gaylord Willman on February 14, 1959. In later years, she served as a substitute teacher and tutor. Betty was a member of the United Church of Christ in Maquoketa. She was well-known in the area for her outstanding Harp performances, and provided much enjoyment to many community members through her music. She was preceded in death by her husband on December 8, 1993.

William A. Wright Jr. (C’54) of Barrington, IL, formerly of Dubuque, died on April 13, 2012. Bill began his college education at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC in 1941.

In December 1943, he voluntarily enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; The USAAC Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters; and the European-African-Middle Easter Campaign medal with three bronze stars. After his service in the military, Bill and his wife Geneva, who preceded him in death in July 2010, packed up their two small children and moved to Dubuque. He graduated from UD with a degree in economics and began

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working for Eska Co. of Dubuque, where he designed a wooden toy. Eventually, he became an equal partner at Eska, redesigned the flow of manufacturing, designed the first rotary lawn mower plastic engine housing, and designed the first economical electric starter for snow blowers, among others. Bill and his partners sold the Eska Co. in 1970 and he began active retirement. He was trained as a tennis instructor and taught tennis and down hill skiing to many Dubuquers.

Wilbert “Skip” Berthold (C’55) passed away on September 1, 2012 after a brief battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving new bride, Patricia RiggsBerthold (C’55), children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends.

Skip served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1958. He worked many years in the furniture business and retired in 1998 as general manager of Simmons Company in Atlanta, GA. He is survived by his wife, Pat; six children; 11 grandchildren; and five greatgrandchildren. The Bertholds lived in Jackson, Michigan.

Paul E. Conaway (C’55) passed away on October 22, 2012 at his home in Creston, IA. He married Ellen Diebel on June 6, 1954. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was a field worker for Southern California Gas Company for 30 years. He spent many hours volunteering at the San Diego Star of India, 18 years with Boy Scouts of America Troup One in California and was a member of the SW Iowa Shutterbug Camera Club of Creston.

Paul enjoyed photography and traveling the United States and Canada.

Margaret Ann (Smith) McGregor (C’57) passed away on April 17, 2012. She was preceded in death by her son Keli, and is survived by her husband, E. Brian McGregor (C’59); children Terri, Tammi, Cindi; and grandchildren Talya, Riley, Jesse, Hunter, Kyler, Kynlee, Jordan, Taylor, Landri, and Logan.

Nadim Saikaly (C’57/MDV’60/DDV’78) died on January 11, 2013 in Everett, WA. Nadim was born in 1924 in Mieh-Mieh, Lebanon.

He immigrated to Canada in 1950 where he met and married Diana Rahal. The family relocated to Dubuque when Nadim enrolled at UD. He became an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church and served churches in Hartford, Villisca, and Cedar Rapids. He was dedicated to serving the poor and began mission centers to help those in need. He worked to bring the Protestant “Walk to Emmaus” movement to Eastern Iowa and was deeply involved in Israel/Palestine peacemaking efforts and fostered the development of an interfaith fellowship program for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian individuals.

Janice Kay (Edmonds) Janky (C’58) passed away peacefully on December 18, 2011.

She received her registered nursing degree from Coe College in 1956, and came home to Dubuque to study at UD and worked as a campus nurse where she met her husband Harry Janky (C’58), who passed away in 2007. They both graduated from UD in 1958 and were married in 1960. Kay loved to learn and share, especially her love for nature. She worked to help found the River Bend Nature Center in Faribault, MN. She moved to Holiday Island, AR on Table Rock Lake in the Ozark Mountains in 1998 and continued to be active. She is survived by her two children.

Norm Rathje (C’58) died on December 9, 2011 in Lincolnshire, IL, after a valiant battle with cancer. In addition to being a teacher for more than 40 years, he was a football and wrestling coach, and he was in charge of the off-campus work program at Buffalo Grove High School. He is survived by his wife Beverly.

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THE 1960s The Reverend Telford Dindinger (BDV‘61), of Muscatine, IA, died on December 19, 2011. He was ordained as a minister in the United Presbyterian Church (predecessor of the current Presbyterian Church USA) on September 25, 1960 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination in 2010. During his faithful service to Christ, he served churches in eastern Iowa, including Cascade, Miles, Bettendorf, Muscatine, Wilton, and rural Ainsworth.

Dr. Wanis Semaan (MDV’61), UD’s Herbert E. Manning Jr. Award recipient, passed away on October 5, 2010 while with family in Mesa, AZ. He was very enthusiastic about promoting the ecumenical movement both locally and internationally, and will be remembered as a servant of the church and of theological education. Wanis retired in 2001 after 10 years of service with the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church - Bavaria, Germany. The last four of which were in Tanzania as a missionary Professor of Theology and Religion. His wife, Dr. Ingrid (Leyer) Semaan (C’60), was teaching in Lebanon at the same time. Ingrid passed away August 27, 2006.

Dr. William John Maurits III (C’62) of Bel Air, MD, passed away March 15, 2012.

After graduating from UD, he earned a masters degree from the University of Missouri, and a doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Alabama.

He worked for 20 years in the Product Assurance Laboratory at the Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (the Army’s oldest active testing center). He spent eight years at the Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board in Alexandria, VA. After retiring from government service, he served for two years as the Chief of the Chemical Weapons Section of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission in New York City. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Annette, son William John IV, daughter-in-law Melissa, and grandson Noah.

Ann Marie Wenck (C’63) passed away on January 25, 2012. After graduating from UD with a degree in elementary education, she earned her master’s degree in library science from the University of Iowa. Ann worked as the elementary education librarian in the Boone, IA school system for many years. She was married to Ronald Wenck on August 9, 1986 at the Presbyterian Church in Boone.

The couple farmed northwest of Lidderdale, IA all their married life. Ann was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lidderdale.

The Rev. Kenneth Gene Honius (MDV‘64) of Worthington, MN died on September 23, 2011. Following high school, Ken entered the United States Air Force and served his country until 1952. After graduating from the University of Eau Claire, Ken taught high school English in Park Falls, WI before entering the seminary at UDTS. Robert Wesley Rogers, Jr. (C’64), of Clearwater, FL passed away on June 8, 2012.

While attending UD, Bob was a member of Mu Sigma Beta Fraternity, and earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He continued on to earn his master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. He married his wife of over 18 years, Dee (Lock) Rogers, on November 6, 1993. Bob retired from U.S. Filter/Siemens in 2007 and remained a consultant until 2011. He was a former deacon at North Sewickley Presbyterian Church in Ellwood City, PA. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

The Reverend John Chai Seng Ling (MDV’66) of Cedar Falls, IA, and formerly of Waverly, died October 19, 2012, following complications of cancer. Originally from Malaysia, John came to the U.S. on a private scholarship to study at Elon University in North Carolina. He became a U.S. Citizen after a long residence in the United States.

He enjoyed preaching and had a passion for the congregations he served. John believed deeply in Christian mission and outreach as mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, 28:16-20.

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Dennis Dammerman (C’67/DHL’03), of Saratoga Springs, NY, passed away on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Dennis built a 38-year career with General Electric Company, first joining GE’s Financial Management Program and ultimately reaching the posts of Chief Financial Officer of GE, Chairman of GE Capital, and Vice Chairman of GE. He also served on various boards throughout his career, including BlackRock Inc., Adirondack Trust Company, Skidmore College, New York Racing Association, Saratoga Automobile Museum, Fairfield University, Swiss Re, Genworth Financial, Capmark Financial Group and Discover Financial Services; and he was a founding member of Wellington Equestrian Partners. While retired, he was recruited by the U.S. Treasury Department to join the American International Group Board of Directors during the financial crisis, where he was instrumental in rescuing AIG. Dennis’ family and friends will remember him for his intelligence and generous spirit, for sharing vibrant meals and a busy kitchen, for the enjoyment he found in horse racing and show jumping, and for sharing his love of both classic and contemporary automobiles.

He is survived by his wife, Marsha Finn Dammerman, of Wellington, Florida, two children, and three grandchildren, Larry E. Csajaghy (C’68) of Arlington Heights, IL, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2011 after a ten-year battle with ALS. He was the retired principal of Washington Elementary in Park Ridge, IL. The Reverend George Hunt (MDV’68), of Varna, IL, passed away on October 28, 2011.

He married Loretta Anderson on June 20, 1964. George was ordained into the ministry in 1968 and served as pastor of the Minonk Presbyterian Church for 35 years.

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LaVerne H. Merfeld (C’68), of Maquoketa, IA, died on October 22, 2012. After earning her bachelor’s degree from UD, she received a master’s degree at Clarke College, Dubuque. LaVerne taught in a one-room school house from 1950-55, then taught at the Andrew, IA school district until 1993.

– 1976; and Church of Christ United in Bennett, IA from 1977 - 1985. He retired from Installed Ministry on August 1, 1985, and continued to serve thru the Interim Ministry Program. He retired completely in June 2000. He enjoyed gardening, music, reading, and board games.

Rita (Coakley) Molony (C’69) of Cincinnati, OH, formerly of Dubuque, died on November 26, 2012. After receiving her bachelor of arts degree from UD, she took computer courses at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and graduate courses in reading at Clarke College, Dubuque. She married John F. Molony on August 18, 1949; he preceded her in death on December 22, 2001. She was a teacher for the Dubuque Community Schools for 20 years, retiring in 1986.

The Reverend James Edwards (MST’70) passed away on September 20, 2008.

Jim resided in Winfield, IA.

Virginia “Ginny” (Gallentine) Perez (C’69) passed away December 10, 2012.

An excellent teacher, Ginny taught for 32 years in Illinois and California – twice being named Teacher of the Year. She met Tony, her husband of 28-years, while teaching middle school in the Santa Ana school.

After retiring, she remained active in the community through the Elks Club (named Elk of the Month in 2007 and Citizen of the Year in 2012). She volunteered at Mary’s Kitchen, an organization that feeds homeless individuals in the Orange and Santa Ana communities. Ginny lived in Orange, CA.

THE 1970s Elmer Baker (MST’70) of Blue Springs, MO, passed away April 13, 2012. Elmer married Winifred Timmons on September 12, 1943. He graduated from Alma College (MI), magna cum laude, in June 1942 with an AB degree. He received his bachelor of divinity degree in June, 1947 from Chicago Theological Seminary which changed to master of divinity. He was ordained June 8, 1947, at First Congregational Church of Highland, IL. Elmer received his master of sacred theology degree from UDTS, summa cum laude on May 15, 1970. He pastored the First Congregational Church of Elkhart, IN from 1953 - 1964; First Congregational Church of Christ in Dubuque from 1964

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Karolyn “Dee” (Gull) Harmon (C’70) of Waterloo, IA died March 17, 2012. She met Jay Harmon (C’67) while at UD, and they were married on August 26, 1967 at the Methodist Church in Greeley, IA. Dee worked at Schoitz Memorial Hospital for ten years before retiring to raise their four children.

Cheryl (Mayer) Hawley (C’70) of Edina, MN died on December 28, 2011 during treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.

A social worker with the St. Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA), she provided support services for thousands of elderly and handicapped residents of the city’s public hi-rise apartments during a 32-year career with the agency. A recent accomplishment was the establishment of Metro State University’s student nurse clinics in agency hi-rises that prompted Metro State to give its 2012 “Community Partner of the Year” award to PHA. Cheryl also ran her own floral design business, Silk ‘n’ Vine Originals, specializing in custom-made arrangements that were sold in various venues, including the gift shop at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Her artificial orchid arrangements, sold during the arboretum’s annual orchid show, were so realistic that some customers asked how often they needed to be watered.

Anthony Cannizzo (C’72) passed away on March 19, 2012. He lived in Orange, FL, where he served as an English-as-a-secondlanguage teacher at Lincoln Avenue School for the past 10 years. Previously, he was a patrolman for the Clifton Police Department and an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York City.

Carlene (Noonan) McDonnell (C’72) of Dubuque, and formerly of Bernard, Iowa, died July 2, 2012. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from UD, Carlene continued on to Clarke College for her master’s degree. She taught at Resurrection Elementary in Dubuque and later at Western Dubuque Bernard Elementary. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Parish in Bernard, and its Altar and Rosary Society. Carlene is survived by her husband, Raymond, to whom she was married for almost 64 years.

The Reverend Patricia Anne (Turner Benetatos) Moore (C’73) of Addison, NY, passed away January 25, 2012. She spent the last days of her battle with cancer at her home, surrounded by family. In addition to her degree from UD, she earned a BS with honors in English from Iowa State University, and later earned a master of social work from Syracuse University. She is survived by her mother and two sons.

Anita (Braughton) Davison (C’74) died June 19, 2011 surrounded by her family.

Anita earned her associate of arts degree from UD in 1959, where she met, fell in love, and married Jon Davison (C’61) in 1961. She and Jon settled in Dubuque where Jon began his coaching career at UD. Anita returned to UD to earn her elementary education degree in 1974. She went on to teach elementary school in Dubuque. After returning to school to attain her master’s degree, she was employed with Dubuque Community Schools as a media specialist before retiring in 2007. She influenced many children and took great pleasure in seeing them grow into adulthood. She cherished her golfing buddies at Thunder Hills and every moment she could have on the golf

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course, boasting three holes-in-one in her career. She is survived by her husband and three children.

The Rev. Dr. James Westpfahl (DMN’75), of Loveland, OH, passed away February 2, 2012. Reverend Westpfahl was the former pastor of The Old Stone Church in Rockton, IL for 20 years. He also pastored in Rockfield, WI; Milwaukee, WI; and Ft. Wayne, IN. He graduated from Mission House Seminary in Plymouth, WI before receiving his doctor of ministry from UDTS. The Rev. Charles Fisch (MDV’76) of Wichita, KS died on August 27, 2011 in his home after a prolonged illness. He is survived by two daughters.

FRIENDS/FACULTY/STAFF Donald Bloesch, UDTS Professor of Theology, emeritus, passed away on August 24, 2010. Bloesch served as Professor of Theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary from 1957 until his retirement in 1992, when he was named professor emeritus. Born in Bremen,

IN, Bloesch earned a bachelor of arts degree at Elmhurst College, a bachelor of divinity degree at Chicago Theological Seminary, and a doctor of philosophy degree at the University of Chicago. He did postdoctoral study at the universities of Oxford, Tubingen, and Basel. While at Basel, he studied with noted Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth. “Without question, Donald Bloesch was one of the most highly respected systematic theologians of the 20th Century whose writing, lecturing, and mentorship strengthened the voice and thought of evangelical Christians around the world,” stated University of Dubuque President, Jeffrey F. Bullock. “The corpus of Bloesch’s work will not be matched anytime soon, and was made possible with the research and editorial assistance from his beloved wife, Brenda. Dr. Bloesch was a kind and gentle man. His piety informed his thinking and his rigorous engagement with both Christ and culture. Clearly, his reputation was the result of his work and not his own self-promotion. He was a quiet and humble servant of Jesus Christ, and I believe that is how he would want

William “Bill” Braucht (C’52) of Madison, WI, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2011 at Agrace HospiceCare, Inc. surrounded by his loving family. While attending UD, Bill was a three-sport athlete and proud Spartan. He continued his allegiance to his University by serving on the Board of Trustees until his death.

Elected to the Board in 1990, Bill went on to serve as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, as Chair of the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee (a sub-committee of the AAC), as a member of the Investment Committee, as the first Chair of the Student Life Committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 1953, Bill was united in marriage to Miriam Keilman, and then moved to Jacksonville, FL where he served in the United States Navy for four years. Bill and family moved to Madison in 1957 where he began his career in finance. Over the course of 43 years he built a

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to be remembered.” An ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, Bloesch served as a pastor before joining the UDTS faculty. He taught hundreds of students at the seminary and thousands more through dozens of published works. Bloesch authored over 50 books. A past president of the American Theological Society, Bloesch was widely regarded as one of the leading evangelical theologians in North America with a reputation for outstanding scholarship and creative thinking.

William “Bill” Kruse (DHL’98) died on May 8, 2012. Kruse, former CEO of First National Bank of Dubuque (now US Bank), gained acclaim for his contributions to many local causes and organizations. Over the course of his career and into retirement, Kruse participated in multiple civic activities.

He served UD’s Board of Trustees for 44 years, becoming a Life Member in 2005; as vice chairman of the Finley Hospital Board of Directors; as a member of the Junior Achievement of Tri-States Inc. Board of Directors; and as a member of the development committees at Clarke and

successful business through sustained personal relationships. Bill was always willing to go the extra mile and was a man of great integrity.

He retired from RBC Dain Rauscher after many years as a trusted financial advisor. While Bill’s professional career was important, it was his faith and his family that he valued most. In 1976 after the death of his wife Miriam, he married Judith Rekers. Bill and Judy continued to value the importance of faith and family for the next 35 years. Bill had a servant heart and was a model of love and grace. He was active in the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison, the Madison Jaycees, and the American Red Cross. Through his own life experiences, Bill found a calling as a cancer crusader volunteering for the American Cancer Society for 13 years. Bill loved Madison and all it has to offer. He was proud to be a lifetime member of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

He was an avid golfer, fisherman, and dedicated Badger fan. Bill had a spirit of adventure and loved to travel.

He is survived by his wife Judith, five children, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

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Richard “Dick” Wendt, the founder of the Klamath Falls-based window and door manufacturer JELD-WEN, died on August 14, 2010. Dick was born in Dubuque and graduated from Iowa State University. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he went to work for Cardaco window manufacturer. He was sent to Klamath Falls in 1957 to help turn around one of its fledgling factories.

When the company decided to sell the facility, Wendt and four other coworkers bought the assets at auction and founded their own company.

That company, JELD-WEN, is now in its 50th year and has 20,000 employees with operations in 20 countries. Over the years, Dick and his wife Nancy have given millions of dollars to charity, including over $30 million dollars to the University of Dubuque to create the Lester G. Wendt and Michael Lester Wendt Character Initiative, named for Dick Wendt’s father and the couple’s late son. Wendt is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons, Rod and Mark.

Loras colleges. J. Bruce Meriwether, who succeeded Kruse as CEO at First National Bank, said his 30-year work relationship with Kruse was eclipsed by a 50-year friendship. He called Kruse the “epitome” of someone who would give back to the community and praised his strong character.

Meriwether said Kruse encouraged his staff to get involved with the community and look for ways to serve.

Richard “Dick” Loetscher, friend of the University of Dubuque, passed away July 10, 2012. Dick graduated from Iowa State University in 1950 with a BS degree.

The day after graduation he started to work at the “mill” that was Farley and Loetscher Manufacturing Company, which was started by his grandfather, Christian Loetscher, in 1875. During his youth he learned to operate every piece of machinery in the plant. As an employee, he was involved with many facets of the mill, including being a designer of raw products. When the mill closed in 1961, Dick started Dick Loetscher, Inc. and went into land development and construction.

Among many projects during his working years were major renovations on both the Stampfer and Roshek Buildings in

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downtown Dubuque. In all his works, Dick was known as a perfectionist and master builder. Dick enjoyed sharing his Dubuqueland knowledge, especially of the millwork arena, the history of Dubuque buildings and houses, and stories of the innumerable unique persons who were the real Dubuque treasures.

Luther “Jay” Miller passed away on April 1, 2012. He was a decorated World War II and Vietnam veteran and was truly from the Greatest Generation. A retired Air Force “full-bird” colonel, Jay’s passion was flying. His military career reads like the pages from our country’s rich history - flight training with the Royal Air Force; piloting the first air transport plane into Paris after the liberation in 1945; piloting air transport missions into Berlin during the Berlin Airlift in 1948; flying Gen. Dwight Eisenhower; ferrying Eleanor Roosevelt’s personal plane; working with the Kennedy Administration at the Pentagon for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, drafting defense legislation, instrumental in adding mini-guns to the C-47 aircraft to create the AC-47 Spooky; and working on the design team for one of the largest aircraft in the sky, the C-5. During his military career he was honored with multiple medals, including the

Legion of Merit, the Daedalian Trophy, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal from the Vietnamese, and many more. Retirement from the military only meant a new start for Jay. He joined Southern Airways (later Republic) as the Director of Training from 1973-1982. He left the airlines in 1982 for a new career in higher education, and became a tenured professor of aviation management and assistant chief flight instructor at the University of Dubuque from 1982-1996.

After leaving UD, Jay continued his love of teaching and flying, instructing students at the Eglin Aero Club. Jay is survived by his wife, Helen, their four children, and five grandchildren.

Vernon “Bob” Schaffer, friend of the University of Dubuque, died on December 16, 2011 in Naples, FL. Originally from Comfrey, MN, Bob studied business and finance in college, and began his career in banking in 1939. In 1940 he married Jean Timm. Bob served in the Navy for two years, at Kearney Naval Air Station in San Diego.

He then returned home to Balaton, MN where he continued his successful 50-year banking career, and remained very active until late in life.

TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS, WE MUST NOT ONLY ACT, BUT ALSO DREAM; NOT ONLY PLAN, BUT ALSO BELIEVE. — ANATOLE FRANCE

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A Thousand Words

UD’s charter “swing choir,” the Collegiate Singers, bound for “Expo 74” in Spokane, WA. The group began in 1970 under the direction of Dennis Williams. Their repertoire was comprised largely of pop songs including Dionne Warwick’s Walk on By and Do you Know the Way to San Jose; a medley of George Cohen songs – Yankee Doodle Dandy, Harrigan, etc.; 5th Dimension’s Up, Up and Away, and many, many more.

Pictured left to right are: Michael Gannon (C’75), Julie (Gold) Siems (C’73), Craig Thompson (C’75), Tom LeClere (C’73), Debbie (Hayes) Brady (C’76), Bruce Beacom (C’74), Michelle Butler-Miles (C’74), Ardyth (Weinbender) Diercks (C’74), Carlton “Skip” Bowerman (C’74), Genevieve Gourley (C’75), Kent Hatteberg (C’77), Rebekah Wozniak-Gelzer (1973), Rich Aborn (C’74), Grace (Borgstahl) Sims (C’75), Karen (Otting) Roundy (C’74), Janis Bowden (C’74), Lester Johnson (C’74), and Judi (Rice) Beining (C’74). *Thanks to Janis Bowden for sending this photo to the University Archives.

E D U C AT I O N F O R A CHANGING WORLD

www.dbq.edu