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ON THE COVER YSU senior and criminal justice major Brionna Benson takes a break in the historic Mahoning County Courthouse where she is interning this summer with the Mahoning County Prosecutor's office. Our cover story (Pages 10-17) discusses the growing importance of internships for students entering the job market and features 14 YSU student interns at work across the region and around the country.
YSU President
Cynthia E. Anderson, ’73
YSU Board of Trustees Chair Sudershan K. Garg Vice Chair John R. Jakubek, ’79 Millicent Counts, ’63 Delores Crawford, ’68 David C. Deibel, ’75 Harry Meshel, ’49 Leonard Schiavone Scott R. Schulick, ’94, ’96 Carole S. Weimer, ’89 Secretary Franklin S. Bennett Jr. Student Trustee Ryan Meditz
Magazine Editor
Cynthia Vinarsky
Director of University Communications
Ron Cole
Executive Director of Marketing & Communications
Mark W. Van Tilburg
Renée Cannon, ’90
Layout Design Artist
Photographers Bruce Palmer Carl Leet
Graduate Assistant
Andrea Armeni, ’10
Interim Director, Office Jacquelyn LeViseur, ’08 of Alumni and Events Management Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
Jean Engle, ’86
Sports Contributor
Trevor Parks
Chief Development Officer
Paul McFadden, ’84
Youngstown State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. Youngstown State University – A Magazine for Alumni and Friends (ISSN 2152-3746), Issue 9, Summer 2011, is published quarterly by the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Periodicals Postage Paid at Youngstown, Ohio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Youngstown State University, Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Direct letters to the editor, comments or questions to the address above, call 330-941-3519 or email universitymagazine@ysu.edu. Youngstown State University is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or identity as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, in respect to students and/or to applicants for employment, and to organizations providing contractual services to YSU. 8-001
your
Letters. YSU MAGAZINE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Send your letters to: universitymagazine@ysu. edu or YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555.
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Around Campus – Find out what’s happening on and around the YSU campus.
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Faculty Photo Feature – Introducing Mary Beth Earnheardt, assistant professor of journalism and national executive director of the Society for Collegiate Journalists.
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Student Success Stories – A regular feature highlighting the achievements of YSU students.
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COVER STORY: Internships – Practicing Theory in the Real World. We showcase students serving as interns across the region and around the country and discuss why internships are so vital for new graduates entering an increasingly competitive work environment. Delectable Dishes – Ready to try something new in the kitchen? YSU’s dining services provider, Sodexo Campus Services, shares family-sized recipes for three tempting menu items.
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A Look at the WATTS – It’s big. Really, really big. Get a glimpse of the Watson and Tressel Training Site, YSU’s new indoor practice facility. Alumni Spotlight – We profile three exceptional YSU alumni: Angel Rivera, ’03; Catherine Mosher, ’02; and Sean McCafferty, ’90.
DEPARTMENTS 2 6 20 21 22 24 30
President’s Message Letters to the Editor University Development YSU Foundation Penguin Sports News Alumni News Class Notes
Scan the QR Code with your smart phone to visit YSU Magazine’s online edition at
www.ysumagazine.org
The WATTS: Ready for Practice Senior members of the YSU Penguin football team line up for photos inside the recently completed Watson and Tressel Training Site, known on campus as the WATTS. The $12 million indoor practice facility was funded mostly through a combination of private donations and university bond financing. It will be used for intercollegiate athletic team practices, intramural sports, campus-wide activities and special events. See Page 23 for more photos.
S U M M E R
President’s Message
A daunting budget; a promising future
Cynthia E. Anderson President
Do a Google search for “university budgets,” and the news is not good. From Washington to Florida, California to North Carolina, universities and colleges across the nation are facing budget challenges on a level not seen in decades. Youngstown State University is no different. This year, YSU’s state funding was reduced by 15 percent, or about $7 million. Since 2005, our state appropriations have declined 8.5 percent, while inflation has increased nearly 16 percent. A decade ago, nearly 50 percent of our general fund revenue came from the state. This year, the funding level is only 25 percent. This dramatic shift comes at a time when evidence continues to mount concerning the importance of higher education. A recent report from the Brookings Institute, in fact, says that college graduates earn, on average, $570,000 more over their lifetime than high school graduates. College graduates are healthier, live longer and have higher job satisfaction. The report concludes that there is no better investment today than higher education. So, in a time when state funding is spiraling downward and the importance of getting a college degree is spiraling upward, what is a university to do? To some extent, at YSU, we continue to do what we have for more than 100 years – provide quality instruction and service from nationally renowned faculty and dedicated staff so our students can earn degrees that allow them to reach their personal and professional goals and provide themselves and their families a quality of life that they otherwise might not achieve. In these difficult economic times, that means we must ensure that resources are targeted in such a way that our students can flourish and find success, both inside and outside the classroom. It means re-committing ourselves to making YSU affordable and accessible (our tuition remains the lowest among Ohio’s major public universities). And it means embracing and expanding our vital role as a regional hub of research, economic development and culture that contributes to the state of Ohio’s collective strength. It also means not losing sight of the remarkable progress we continue to make. Enrollment is at levels not seen in 20 years. Donor support is at an all-time high. Faculty research funding continues to skyrocket. And our campus has never looked better. If you need further proof, read about the amazing students featured in this edition of YSU Magazine, particularly those who are making an impact this summer by working at internships nationwide. Read their stories. Listen to their successes. And you will see that, even in the face of daunting budget challenges, the future – theirs and ours – is full of promise. Sincerely,
Cynthia E. Anderson President 2
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Third Frontier Awards $1.6 M for Plastics-to-Fuel Conversion
YSU, in partnership with an Akron startup company, has been awarded a $1.6 million grant by Ohio’s Third Frontier program to refine and expand a process that turns plastic and rubber waste into fuel. The award will allow the company, Polyflow LLC, to construct a 2.5-ton-per-hour demonstration processor for its patented process that converts plastic and polymer waste into raw materials to create transportation fuels and new plastics. The process can be used to recycle a wide range of plastic and rubber discards, from mobile phones to peanut butter jars, from carpet to tires. YSU, led by Associate Professor of Chemistry Josef Simeonsson, will provide technical research support, including approximately $600,000 in Third Frontier-funded instrumentation and lab equipment for the university to establish a fuel-analysis and testing laboratory. Martin Abraham, dean of YSU’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, said the opportunity to build an enhanced fuels analysis laboratory will give students valuable, hands-on experience in an area of growing national need. Polyflow, which currently has a pilot processor in Akron for smallscale demonstrations, uses polymer waste, much of which is traditionally considered unrecyclable and dumped into landfills. The material is dried and fed into a processing machine, which uses heat to break up polymers and re-forms them into new molecules, producing petroleum that is lighter than crude oil. Through a process similar to distillation, the company systematically extracts byproducts, including petrochemicals used to make solvents and new polymers, high-octane gasoline and diesel fuel. This is YSU’s third Ohio Third Frontier Advanced Energy Award in 12 months. Earlier this year, the state program announced a $1 million research award for a YSU collaboration with Delphi Automotive, and in the fall, YSU and M-7 Technologies of Youngstown were awarded $1.66 million in Third Frontier Research funds to develop technologies to precision measure, inspect and machine parts simultaneously. Visit www.ysumagazine.org for video on YSU’s partnership with Polyflow.
New Venue Unveiled for Jazz Fest Harrison Common, a new park and event venue in the historic Smoky Hollow neighborhood bordering the YSU campus, was the setting for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the Youngstown Jazz Festival on July 9, both held in conjunction with the 13th annual YSU Summer Festival of the Arts. In the top photo, workers put the final touches on the decorative pergola at Harrison Common, which also includes a brick paved plaza and a historic plat map of Smoky Hollow. A cornerstone of the Wick District-Smoky Hollow Redevelopment Plan led by Wick Neighbors Inc., the Common is located on Walnut Street near Cassese’s MVR restaurant. At right, a musician performs as part of the free Jazz Festival, which featured musical groups from across Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania. Billed as the biggest weekend of the summer, the agenda for July 9 and 10 also included the Smoky Hollow 5K Run and Family Fun Walk and the Tour of the Valley bike race. The Summer Festival of the Arts showcased the work of more than 70 local, regional and national artists.
Networking Day Attracts Alumni from 10 Cities YSU alumni in 10 cities – from Washington, D.C., to Phoenix – participated in the first YSU Alumni National Networking Day on July 21. Sponsored by the Office of Alumni and Events Management, the event aimed to help YSU grads to reconnect or meet fellow alumni and was part of a larger and continuing effort to organize university alumni groups in cities across the nation. “We are so excited to have 10 cities participating in the inaugural event,” said Mollie Hartup, assistant director of Alumni Relations and coordinator of Networking Day. “We are always looking for new opportunities to engage YSU alumni at home and away.” The evening began with a webcast, presented in all 10 cities, to update participants on the latMollie Hartup est developments on campus. Events were scheduled in the following metropolitan areas: Akron/ Canton, Washington, D.C./Arlington, Va., Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Summerville, S.C., Tampa Bay, Fla. and Youngstown.
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Around Campus
Campus Hosts Third Annual Sustainable Energy Forum The YSU campus was the destination for top government, industry and academic experts from around the country who came to share their expertise at YSU’s third annual Sustainable Energy Forum June 5-7.
Guest presenters included: • Eric Spiegel, the keynote speaker, president and chief executive of Siemens Corp., and a native of Youngstown. • U. S. Congressman Tim Ryan. • Henry Kelly, acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U. S. Department of Energy. • Cynthia Powell, director of the Office of Research and Development at the National Energy Technology Laboratory. • Chad Smith, director of the Ohio Energy Resources Division of the Ohio Department of Development. • Christopher Johnson, physical scientist/project manager at the National Energy Technology Laboratory. • Jeffrey Dick, chair of the YSU Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
Sustainable Energy Forum
The three-day forum was sponsored by YSU, V&M Star, Dominion Foundation, Johnson Controls, NorTech, the Regional Chamber, Roth Brothers, the Youngstown Business Incubator and Applied Systems and Technology Transfer.
Coach Roselli Named to Basketball Hall of Fame YSU’s legendary men’s basketball coach Dom Rosselli was among 19 men and women inducted in May to the 2011 class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. YSU head coach Jerry Slocum said the honor is a source of great pride, not only for the basketball program but for the university as a whole. “Coach Rosselli was a legend in the game of basketball, and a person that stood for the highest integrity in the game and life in general,” Slocum said, calling the induction a well-deserved honor. Rosselli, a charter member of the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985, was a fixture on the basketball bench from 1940-41 to 1981-82. He compiled a career record of 589388 for a .604 winning percentage. He led his teams to eight 20-win seasons, including a 24-3 mark with an .889 winning percentage in 1963-64. Both are still school records for most wins and highest winning percentage in a season. When he retired following the 1982 season, he was ranked 10th in NCAA history in lifetime collegiate victories. He recorded the second-most wins in NCAA Division II history. Rosselli died in October 2008, at the age of 93.
International Business Topic of China Tour Nineteen YSU students spent the first two weeks of July on an international business study tour in China, part of the Williamson College of Business Administration’s mission to promote an international dimension in business education. The students, joined by three faculty members and a high school instructor, traveled to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The tour is partially sponsored by the WCBA Center of Excellence for International Business and the U. S. Department of Education Emerging Markets Initiative. Students attended a series of pre-trip sessions that included lessons on how to speak basic Chinese and use chopsticks, as well as tips on international travel. The China trip is one of several regular study-abroad tours organized by the Williamson College of Business Administration. Others include study trips to London/Dublin, Brazil and India. 4
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Tree Planting Memorializes Beloved Prof A tree planting ceremony on campus honored the memory of John White, a highly respected YSU anthropology professor and department chair, and celebrated YSU’s reappointment as a Tree Campus USA. Students who planted the weeping higan cherry tree on campus are, from left, Molly Toth, Jennifer Klingman, Derek Klingman, Tegan Anclade, Kimberlee Delco, Jaime Fratilla and Jason Howell. White, who died in 2009, taught at YSU for 34 years.
Around Campus
YSU at Arlington President Cynthia E. Anderson and Carl Nunziato, a YSU alumnus, Vietnam War veteran and a member of the YSU Veterans Advisory Council, present a YSU wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D.C., on May 23. Also representing the university were, at far left, Dave Olekshuk (Air Force), a network services technician at YSU and a member of the YSU Veterans Advisory Council, and Paul Hageman (Army), a member of the YSU Armed Forces Student Association. The wreath presentation culminated a series of events in observance of Armed Forces Week at YSU. About 30 YSU alumni living in the Arlington/ Washington, D.C. area responded to an invitation to witness the ceremony and attended a luncheon afterward.
YSU, SMARTS Named to President’s Honor Roll For the second consecutive year, YSU has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. This year, YSU was recognized for the Students Motivated by the Arts program (SMARTS) and its impact on the local community. YSU is among only four public universities in Ohio to be named to the Honor Roll. SMARTS, created in 1997, is an arts education project of the YSU College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Beeghly College of Education and the many vital arts organizations in the region. The program gives students in kindergarten through grade 12 free classes in visual arts, music, dance, theater, and creative writing and provides early learning opportunities in a living/learning laboratory for YSU students. “SMARTS connects YSU to the community and offers quality arts education programs to K-12 students from throughout the community,” said Becky Keck, SMARTS director. “This connection gives unlimited opportunities to YSU students, faculty and staff for teaching and learning. The result of this win-win model makes SMARTS one of YSU’s premier points for community engagement.” SMARTS after-school, Saturday, and summer programming reaches thousands of students and community members each year. The President’s Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service.
Garg Elected Board Chair; Deibel Appointed Trustee Sudershan Garg of Canfield, a hematologist/oncologist at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren and St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, is the new chair of the YSU Board of Trustees. Garg, who joined the trustees six years ago, was unanimously elected by the board at its June meeting. John Jakubek of Canfield, an anesthesiologist and a member of the board since June 2009, was elected vice chair. Garg replaces Scott Schulick, who served as chair for three years. Schulick will continue on the board Sudershan Garg until his term expires in 2013. Meanwhile, Gov. John Kasich appointed David Deibel of North Lima as a new member of the board. He replaces Larry DeJane, whose term expired. A native of Warren, Ohio, Deibel earned his engineering degree from YSU. He is owner and president of Boardman Steel, a business founded by his father. His term expires in 2020. David Deibel
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Around Campus
Patriotic Cords Honor Graduating Veterans For the first time at YSU’s spring commencement in May, graduating student veterans were honored with patriotic red, white and blue cords in recognition of their dedicated service to the nation. Twelve graduates who are either veterans or are currently serving in the military wore the cords and were recognized by YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson during the commencement ceremonies at Beeghly Center. “This is yet another way that YSU, as a veteran-friendly university, can honor and thank those who are serving our country,” President Anderson said. For two consecutive years, YSU has been named a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine, a publication designed for military members transitioning back to civilian life. The honor ranks YSU in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide for its efforts in welcoming and accommodating post-military students. Two years ago, YSU launched the Office of Veterans Affairs to help military veterans adjust to college life by assisting with admissions, financial aid, registration and advising; offering classes exclusive to veterans; and generally building an environment that’s familiar and recognizable for those adapting to civilian life, said Jim Olive, program manager.
your Letters. Dear Editor: I read with interest the feature article in the Spring 2011 YSU Magazine for Alumni and Friends entitled “Non-Traditional Students at YSU.” I applaud YSU for this opportunity and I also applaud those students who avail themselves of it. However, this has been one of the traditional strengths of YSU. (See photo.) My wife, Velma, and I were both graduated from Youngstown University past the age of 25 and had many non-traditional classmates. These included people like us who were working full or part time and raising families. They also included persons who had raised their families and had gone back to begin or complete their higher education. And, there were those who wanted to better themselves by earning a degree. We both give frequent thanks to YSU for the opportunities it provided us in the days before student unions, parking decks, auditoriums, stadiums and the other fine physical facilities that our university now has to offer. Keep up the good work. W. Dallas Woodall, ’64 BSE Warren, Ohio 6
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Spring 2011
Andrew Whitmer, a YSU student and a veteran of the National Guard, shows the red, white and blue cords that veterans wore at YSU’s commencement.
Visit www.ysumagazine.org for video on spring commencement.
Send your letters to: universitymagazine@ysu.edu or YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555.
W. Dallas Woodall and his wife, Velma Woodall, were non-traditional students graduating from Youngstown University when The Youngstown Vindicator featured them in a story and in this photo, published on May 28, 1964. In the foreground are the couple’s three children, from left, John, who was then 5, Christine, 7 months, and Laura, 4. (Photo courtesy of The Vindicator.)
Mary Beth Earnheardt Assistant Professor, Journalism Executive Director, Society for Collegiate Journalists Mary Beth Earnheardt has a news flash – journalism is not dead! Changing? Yes. Dead? Absolutely not. “It’s actually a very dynamic time to be involved in the study of journalism,” said the YSU assistant professor of journalism. “There’s a paradigm shift for the entire industry and the entire academic discipline. The students we are working with today will be the ones to redefine journalism and shape the way we think about what journalism is and can be. That, to me, is exciting.” Earnheardt was recently elected national executive director of the Society for Collegiate Journalists. SCJ, with 800 members in 80 active chapters across the country, is the nation’s oldest organization designed solely to serve college journalists. With Earnheardt’s appointment, SCJ’s national headquarters is now located on the YSU campus. “It’s really an opportunity for people in journalism programs from all around the country to see the YSU name and to learn about what we are doing here to preserve and enhance the role of the student journalist,” she said. Earnhardt should know all about that role. As a student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, she was a member of the staff and later the faculty adviser of the The Clarion Call student newspaper. At YSU, she is the faculty adviser to The Jambar student newspaper, as well as thejambar.com, the newspaper’s website, and Yo* Magazine. Student journalists today must be more prepared than ever to meet the diversified demands of the media market, she said. That means having strong writing, editing and interviewing skills. But it also means being adept in multi-media, from photo and video to web and social media. Earnhardt earned undergraduate degrees in communication and political science, and a master’s degree in communication from Clarion and a Ph.D. in communication studies from Kent State University. She was an instructor at Clarion for six years before joining the YSU faculty in 2006. Her husband, Adam, whom she met while at Clarion, is an assistant professor of communication at YSU. They have three daughters, ages 5, 4 and 1. The best part of her job? “Interacting with students,” she said. “I can’t get enough of it. They’re smart. They’re hungry to be good at what they do and to learn. It’s so exhilarating. It just feeds your soul.” Profile by Ron Cole
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s s e c c Su STUDENT
Highlighting the achievements of exceptional YSU students
S T O R I E S
Accounting Team Takes First in Competition Three YSU accounting students placed first in the Best Practices competition at the Beta Alpha Psi Midwest Regional Meeting held in Indianapolis this spring. From left, Evan Weaks of Liberty Center, Matthew Pollock of Lowellville and Karen Cooper of Canfield presented “A Path to the Financial Information Profession” as their Best Practices topic. It was the third time in four years that YSU’s Beta Alpha Psi students placed first in the regional competition. “Placing first or second for four years in a row in the largest region in the country shows that our students can not only compete with students from any other school, but excel in relation to them,” said Ray Shaffer, a chapter faculty adviser who accompanied five YSU students at the meeting, along with Wayne Counts, another adviser. More than 315 students from 38 different colleges were represented at the regional meeting; 12 colleges presented in the Best Practices division, with nine competing in the Helping Others Understand the Financial Information Profession category. Other schools competing in the Best Practices category included Kent State, Ohio State and the University of Minnesota.
Student Accepted at the “Harvard of Fashion” Victoria Volpe, a fashion merchandising major at YSU, won’t settle for one degree when she graduates – she’s working toward two, simultaneously, from two different institutions. The sophomore from Baden, Pa., was recently accepted to New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology for the Visiting Student Program in Fashion Merchandising Management. She will be taking courses there starting this fall to complement her studies at YSU, and at graduation she will receive both a bachelor’s from YSU and an associate degree from FIT in applied sciences. FIT, which is considered the “Harvard of Fashion,” provides students with opportunities to take advantage of field trips to corporate offices, meetings with industry executives, internships and credible networking circles through its Visiting Student program. Recent visitors to FIT include Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Martha Stewart, Betsey Johnson, Nina Garcia and more. Volpe went up against nearly 4,000 applicants for the fashion merchandising management major – the largest and oldest degree program of its kind in the country – with only 400 spots available. She will live on FIT’s campus during the 2011-12 academic year, studying topics such as fundamentals of textiles, product development, fashion business practices and contemporary retail management. She’ll then return to YSU for her senior year to complete her remaining requirements. http://web.ysu.edu/studentsuccessstories 8
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Fellowship Recipient Continues Cardiac Research YSU junior Zane Kalik of Youngstown has been awarded a fellowship from the University of Pittsburgh Research and Investigation Summer Research Experience (PRISE) and is working full-time this summer in the research laboratory of Guy Salama, professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at UP’s School of Medicine. The highly competitive fellowship was awarded to only six students. Kalik, a double major in biology and chemistry, spent the last two years researching and mastering the techniques of cardiac myocyte isolation and patch-clamp recording. His goal has been to continue advancing the cardiac research project, even after the death of his research adviser, Carl Sims, who was an assistant professor of anatomy and physiology at YSU. Based on this research, Kalik wrote and presented an abstract and poster at the 55th Annual Biophysics Society Meeting in Baltimore last fall, and he is working now on a manuscript that he plans to submit to a major peer-reviewed scientific journal. Kalik expects to graduate in 2012 and plans to enter a Ph.D. or a joint M.D./Ph.D. program where he can continue his cardiac research.
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New Grad Earns Prestigious Ph.D. Fellowship Margaret Jones, who graduated in May with dual bachelor’s degrees from YSU, heads for California this fall to begin work on her Ph.D. in musicology. Jones, a graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School in Pittsburgh and a University Scholar at YSU, has been awarded a prestigious Ph.D. fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley. “It’s a very big honor,” she said of the award, which provides full tuition and fees and a stipend. “I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet.” Jones graduated from YSU with two bachelor’s degrees
– one in music in guitar performance, and a second in music history. A member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Clarence P. Gould Society and the Dana School of Music’s Guitar Quartet and Early Music Ensemble, she has also performed with the YSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble. A paper Jones authored on 16th century music has been published in Nota Bene Undergraduate Musicology Journal. After earning her Ph.D., Jones hopes to teach on the university level.
AMA Chapter Earns Conference Honors
Members of YSU's award-winning American Marketing Association student team are, from left: back row, Megan Vendemia of Youngstown; Alana Kane of Greensburg, Pa.; Richard Trimbur of Girard; and Joe Soretrick of Chicago. Front row, Laura Hanley of Oregon, Ohio; Abby Coppock of Columbiana; and Ryan Meditz of Canfield.
YSU’s chapter of the American Marketing Association was recognized for Outstanding Overall Performance at the AMA’s Annual Collegiate Conference in New Orleans. The award is presented to chapters that exemplify overall excellence in membership, community service, fundraising and professional development activities. The YSU AMA chapter, housed in the Department of Marketing in YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration, also received an award for Outstanding Professional Development and the AMA Saves Lives award for its efforts to get students to sign up as organ donors.
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Chris Fenstermaker
Cortland, Ohio Senior, Mechanical Engineering and Math Internship: Engineering intern at Ajax Tocco Magnethermic, Warren, Ohio What has surprised you in your internship so far? I was not expecting the range of tasks and experiences that I have. I think it is very useful to learn about processes and builds from design to construction to operation. What have you learned? I have learned a lot about induction furnaces, which is one of Ajax’s specialties. I had never heard of them before this internship, and it is fascinating what they do. Induction furnaces heat metal with magnetic fields by using electricity flowing through a coil that surrounds the metal. They can be used to melt metal for casting and they can even be used to rapidly heat treat metal.
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What is the best part of your internship? The range of tasks I get to do. I am always busy, and I always have something to do. The people I work with are also very patient and take the time to thoroughly explain things so that I have a better understanding. YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
nternships: Hands-On Learning
Practicing Theory in the Real World
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By Cynthia Vinarsky
ummertime. For some college students, it’s the season to stay up late and sleep until noon. Time to catch up with friends, work on a tan and rest up for fall semester. But at YSU, more and more students are choosing to spend their summers working at professional internships. Instead of taking a break, they’re beefing up their resumes with work experience and putting their book knowledge to practical use. Some majors require an internship, but students are generally encouraged to take advantage of opportunities that offer career-pertinent, hands-on job experience, whether or not it is mandated in their program. Internships can be found year-round, many students complete more than one during their college career, and more prefer to do it in the summer. New college graduates are facing a highly competitive job market, and gaining job experience is a top reason for students to seek an internship. “Most employers won’t even consider a job applicant unless he or she has experience above and beyond a degree,” said Christina Hardy, career planning coordinator for YSU’s Career and Counseling Services. “Internships are absolutely the critical key to getting a job.” She said a large number of internships turn into full-time permanent positions. Employers often use an internship to check out a prospective employee – if the short-term experience goes well, a job offer may be forthcoming. Likewise, she said, students can use the internship to check out the employer and the work environment to decide whether they want to stay on, if asked. And if the internship doesn’t turn into a full-time position? “Well, it certainly gives the student something to talk about in an interview, and it gives them more confidence,” Hardy said.
Clarifying Career Goals For students who are searching or feel uncertain about their career choice, an internship can help, said Gwenn Clark, coordinator of the Professional Practice Program for YSU’s
Dru Perren
Clinton, Ohio Graduate student, Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a certification in Autism Spectrum Disorder Internship: Camp Sunshine in Aurora, Ohio. (Dru is also currently completing an inter nship at Homes for Kids, Child and Family Solutions.) What do you hope to gain? I hope to … work with families that have a child with autism or a related disorder. Oftentimes if a family has a child with special needs, that child gets the majority of the family’s time, money, energy and resources, and the family dynamics can suffer because of it. I would like to work with families to discuss these dynamics, and improve the functioning of not only the child with special needs, but of all the individuals in the family unit. What is the best part? The students. Each student is unique and interesting. I love engaging in different activities such as swimming. Small things mean such a great deal to these kids, and their smiles are contagious! Biggest challenge? Consistency. It is extremely important to be consistent for some students because the slightest change in schedule or activity can cause a meltdown. There are many components of working with children with autism and related disorders that are challenging; however, the more experience I get, the less challenging these components become.
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Williamson College of Business Administration. “Students are sometimes afraid to dream. I tell them to decide what experience they want, then try to find it,” she said. “An internship is a time to explore.” Clark knew an accounting major who landed an excellent internship with a regional accounting firm, then found out she didn’t like the work. “She said, ‘I can’t do this for the rest of my life,’ changed her major to human resources, and did an internship in that field. Now she’s an HR manager at a top CPA firm, and she’s very happy,” Clark related. “An internship helps a student find out early if this is the kind of work he or she wants to do.” When possible, she advises students to do internships in their sophomore or junior years, although some programs require that students wait until senior year. It’s so much easier to change a major early in the program, she said, than after years of study, or worse, to realize the mistake after graduation. Statistics indicate that 55 to 60 percent of new college grads who find employment will change jobs within a year, Clark said. That figure is much lower for graduates who served one or more internships during college. The reason, she said, is that internships make students better prepared for the work world and give them more realistic expectations about employment. Ideally, she recommends that a student complete more than one internship, preferably with more than one employer. Sometimes, besides making the student more marketable, a work record that includes multiple internship experiences will allow the new employee to start at a higher rate of pay.
What About Unpaid Internships? Compensation for internships varies widely. Some, such as accounting and engineering jobs, can pay as much as $18 or $19 an hour, but the rate in other fields can be as low as minimum wage. Some pay stipends ranging from a few hundred dollars to $1,000 for the entire internship period, and some are unpaid. Hardy said YSU career counselors worry when they see students foregoing internships for financial reasons, especially first-generation college students. “They get so myopically focused on getting a degree. They’re so busy working at a fast food place or a convenience store and taking classes that they never get involved on campus, and they say they can’t afford to do an internship,” she said. Hardy acknowledged that it can be difficult for a student who is working to pay their college costs and living expenses to accept an unpaid internship. “I know many of our students struggle financially, but an internship experience in the junior or senior year is so important. It’s worth the sacrifice, even if it has to be a volunteer experience,” she said. “An employer doesn’t care whether you got paid or not. What matters is what kind of experience you got.” Internships also provide opportunities to network with others in the field and to make business contacts in related fields, Clark added, and those contacts can lead to other job or internship opportunities. “If the people you work for like you, they can be agents for you,” she said. “Networking is so important. A great majority of jobs and internships are never advertised in the paper or online.”
Jeremy Cummins
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(Continued on page 14)
Walton Hills, Ohio Senior, Computer Science with a minor in Math Internship: Software development engineer at Microsoft Corp. in Redmond Washington. (Last school year, Jeremy was an intern at Notify Technology in Canfield; in summer 2010, he was an intern for the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Texas at El Paso.) What has surprised you the most? I would say I was surprised that I’m not treated like an intern. I feel respected just as any other full-time employee on my team. What do you hope to gain? Overall, I hope to learn more about the software development life cycle at a major company. It is also my hope that, once I graduate, I will get a full-time offer to come back and work at Microsoft.
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What is the best part of your internship, so far? I would say, working with so many smart and supportive people. Whenever I have a question or run into a problem, there is always someone I can ask for help. The biggest challenge? I would say my biggest challenge comes from the best part of my internship. With so many smart people at Microsoft, I have found it difficult at times to feel that my ideas matter. However, this is more of a personal challenge than a challenge of working for Microsoft. I have found that everyone here is very supportive of my ideas, and when they disagree, it is only to make my idea better.
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Omar Aziz Alhadi
Masury, Ohio Senior, Human Resource Management Internship: Associate research analyst at Revere Data LLC in Youngstown. What kind of work are you doing in your internship? I participate in projects to research the economic relationships between companies based outside the United States and investigate the global competitive landscape within the various sectors of the economy. What have you learned? Researching international markets has given me better understanding of the interconnectedness of the global market. What is the best part? The great experience I have been able to gain, and the great people I get to work. Revere Data is in the Youngstown Business Incubator, and the YBI experience has allowed me to meet and network with some of the best minds Youngstown has to offer. The biggest challenge? I do not view things as a challenge, but rather as an opportunity. One opportunity I have been able to adjust to is the fast delivery of objectives. Deadlines are plenty, and are very important.
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Melissa McGowan
Girard, Ohio Graduate Student, Applied History and Museum Studies Internship: Trumbull County Historical Society, John Stark Edwards House in Warren. What kind of work are you doing in your internship? Inputting collection data from note cards to the computer, taking photos of items in the collection, and setting up new exhibits. What do you hope to gain? I hope to gain more exhibit layout and theme ideas and experience for my future use.
Maria Sansone
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What is the best part? Putting together a temporary exhibit containing women’s accessories from the late 1800s to early 1900s, such as hats, gloves and purses, and dressing mannequins with clothing from the collection.
New Castle, Pa. Senior, Fashion Merchandising Internship: Bismarck and Phillips Communication and Media in Beverly Hills, Calif. What kind of work are you doing in your internship? My internship is with a fashion public relations company. Our clients are clothing and shoe companies such as Lanvin, Brian Atwood and Preen, to name a few. We have a showroom of all of their new collections where celebrity stylists can pull clothing for their clients for upcoming press events, award shows and editorial shoots. My job is to help the stylists pull clothing, assist in checking out the clothing through our Fashion GPS system and checking it back into the system when returned. What has surprised you most? That most of the clothing that celebrities wear, they do not buy and they do not get to keep. The company also does a lot of gifting to celebrities. This means that when we receive new clothing items from the companies, we gift them to celebrities to see if they wear them. What is the best part? It’s in California. I love seeing how businesses run in different areas of the country and how the people work day to day. It is very interesting and different from how businesses operate on the East Coast.
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An Employer’s Perspective
Haley Pastircak
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Carole Bopp sees internships from an employer’s perspective. As executive director of Hope House Visitation Center, an independent, nonprofit agency in Youngstown, she employs volunteer YSU student interns year-round. The center provides a safe haven for families embroiled in custody battles, domestic violence, stalking and other issues. “When students start here, I see their jaws drop. This is real life. You take what you learn in class and apply it to real life, and it’s a whole different ball game,” said Bopp, describing the learning process new interns experience. “It’s on-the-job training, and we see our students grow.” Bopp said Hope House interns learn how to document and prepare reports for the courts, how to work with police officers, how to deal with highly irate or emotional people and how to de-escalate volatile situations. Some interns have landed full-time jobs before their internships were over. “Employers are looking for this kind of well-rounded experience,” she said. Hope House interns are all unpaid and Bopp doesn’t advertise, but she never has trouble filling the positions each semester. Students tell their friends. “We train and develop and mold them. We go to great lengths to help them, and that’s why they keep coming,” Bopp said. “It’s a beautiful place. And it’s a place where interns can work with us to help dysfunctional families change and get better.” From a very practical perspective, student intern volunteers help Hope House to survive and serve the community.
Kensington, Ohio Senior, Geography, minor in History Internship: Eastgate Regional Council of Governments in Youngstown. Describe your internship: I have been creating a series of safety maps that highlight different types of accidents within Mahoning and Trumbull counties. I also have been organizing and mapping traffic counts in the two counties. What has surprised you the most? The biggest surprise was the artistic level a cartographer can apply to create a map that is visually appealing and unique. What have you learned? The advancement of my Geographic Information System knowledge and learning to expect the unexpected. For example, in class the problems and solutions are always neat and tidy; however, in the real world there are variables that blindside us and we have to reevaluate our methodology.
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“We do so much with so little, and the interns are one of the most important parts of that,” she said. A $40,000 grant from the Raymond John Wean Foundation is also making it possible for 12 YSU students representing 10 different majors to serve internships at other nonprofit organizations across the region this summer. Competition for the program was tough – about 70 students and more than 30 agencies applied. Implemented by the WCBA’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership, the grant program is providing work experience for the interns, while the agencies gain assistance in fields such as accounting, event planning and volunteer management, Web development, marketing and human resources. “It’s exciting for me to see the amount of responsibility our students have been given in these nonprofit internships,” said Janice Elias, chair of the Department of Human Ecology, which has two students in the program. “These students are not just stuffing envelopes and shuffling paper. They have been given some serious, challenging assignments.”
How to Find an Internship All majors in human ecology require an internship, coop, or other field-based experience, and Elias said the department typically has 100 students or more a year working in the field. Many programs require more than one such experience, she said. Dietetics students, for example, complete 1,200 (Continued on page 16)
Intern Insight
Cleveland Internship Offers Tech Experience, Fun Perks
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David Bertleff
Cortland, Ohio Graduated in May, Mathematics with minor in Actuarial Science Internship: Pricing Analyst, Nationwide Insurance, Columbus, Ohio. What kind of work are you doing? I have been analyzing and updating different numerical methods and figures for the commercial insurance division at Nationwide. The pricing department uses these tools to determine what rate changes need to be made to achieve and maintain their profit goals. What have you learned? Many things. I have not only learned job-specific skills and tasks related to insurance in general, but I have gained more experience at several programs utilized for the job. I have also learned how to manage doing multiple projects at one time and the balance between meeting project deadlines while also doing efficient and elaborate work. What is the best part? Everything. The city is new and exciting, the building is huge with so much to do, the work is intriguing and challenging, and my coworkers are helpful and friendly. It has simply been a great experience and I am very glad I had the opportunity.
I started my summer internship at Fathom Online Marketing as one of the last two people standing during a team-building activity. On my back was the name of one of Fathom’s 70+ employees to identify. In my head were the names of the only three co-workers I knew. Game over. I sat down, accepting defeat and leaving the last guy standing to fend for himself. He had my name. After that unofficial initiation, my experience at Fathom only got better. Fathom is a search engine marketing firm in Cleveland, Ohio. It helps clients—ranging from the Cleveland Clinic to American Greetings—improve their websites, Andrea Armeni email campaigns and more to score higher rankings in search engines. As part of Fathom’s writing team, I work with technical clients to create website content and promotional materials. I recommend website edits, suggest blog topics, and write video scripts, site pages, articles and press releases, all while learning optimization principles and marketing strategies. What I love most about the job is that I’m always doing something new. And having fun doing it. We have a “Love Box” that lets an employee send a note of appreciation to a helpful coworker (I found out what this was after I got the first slightly unsettling email telling me, “You’ve been loved!”). There’s a ping-pong table and a workout room. We have monthly company lunches, quarterly girls’ outings, Cleveland Corporate Challenge sporting events, and in the kitchen – a lovely little latte machine. As a commuter, I’ve also been grateful for the opportunity to work only a few days a week. I even set my own hourly schedule. This comes in handy on those days where I’m standing in the rain on the shoulder of the turnpike frantically yelling at my dad on the phone that I’ve hit a pothole and am sure something in my car is about to explode. Those days. Car troubles aside, it’s been a great summer at Fathom and an awesome chance for me to learn about a new industry and do what I most love: write! (And I’ve made sure to learn a few more of my co-workers’ names along the way, too.)
By Andrea Armeni
[Armeni is a YSU graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in English. A resident of Liberty Township, she earned her BA in professional writing and editing from YSU in 2010. She is also working this fall as a graduate assistant in the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications.]
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Eric Grischow
Boardman, Ohio Junior, Accounting and Finance Internship: Accounting intern, BJ Alan Co./Phantom Fireworks in Youngstown, verifying deposits, posting journal entries and auditing paperwork for showrooms across the nation. What have you learned? It is one thing to hear lectures on accounting, but by experiencing it in the real world, I have a new perspective. I have learned how things fit together and how everything relates to what I have learned in the classroom. What is the best part? The people who are available to help with any questions that I have. What has been your biggest challenge? Adapting to the system that the company uses. Knowing where to look for things in the s2k system. Once I got the hang of it, everything got easier.
hours of clinical experience. In most cases at YSU, students are expected to find their own internships. “We ask them to treat it like a job search. We help with the resume, we coach them on how to search, we point them in the right direction,” said Elias. “But we make the students do the contacting. They have to do the work.” Clark, the Professional Practice coordinator, agreed that students should learn to practice job-hunting skills to find an internship because they’ll need to use those same skills to find work after graduation. She estimates that about 45 percent of YSU business students complete internships. The Career and Counseling Center and academic departments on campus work together to offer assistance for students in search of internships. The business college, for instance, sponsors networking events with potential employers and business professionals and schedules biannual interview days where students can meet with regional and national employers. Departments often maintain relationships with employers who regularly offer internship opportunities, and the best students can compete for those jobs. Clark also recommends that students who are already employed consider talking to their supervisors or HR departments about turning their jobs into internships. A bank teller, for instance, might ask about spending time in the accounting department. Some large, national employers, such as Home Depot, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, offer management internships. YSU Career Services also has an online job posting program, Penguin Link, that lists internship and job openings and is available exclusively to YSU students and alumni who register. “When I hear a student say that he or she can’t find an internship, I think it’s because they’re trying to do it all on their own,” said Hardy, the Career Services counselor. “They don’t realize that we have a whole system in place to help.”
Youngstown, Ohio Senior, Criminal Justice with minor in Social Work Internship: Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office in Youngstown. What kind of work are you doing in your internship? Assisting attorneys with their day-to-day duties in the office and courthouse. What is the best part of your internship, so far? The best part is being able to actually apply some of what I have learned in class. I've also been surprised by how nice and welcoming the people are here. What have you learned? That the prosecutor’s office requires a team effort from many organizations and people. What do you hope to gain? I just hope to gain enough experience to help me be successful in the future. I also hope to gain some mentors and people I can network with.
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Brionna Benson
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Lucy Caruso
Hubbard, Ohio Senior, Psychology and Gerontology with a minor in Social Work Internship: Orthopedic Trauma Research Intern at St Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown. (Lucy also served as an intern this spring at Austintown Senior Care.) What have you learned? I have learned a lot about femoral neck fractures of the hip. Being in gerontology, I see how hip fractures can change the quality of life for an older adult. I have learned a lot about the mechanisms of the injury, which are usually falls, as well as different ways to effectively treat this type of fracture. What do you hope to gain? I am hoping to go on for my Ph.D., and this research experience will be invaluable in helping me through a doctoral program. The biggest challenge? Oh, the medical terminology! Reading and writing about orthopedic trauma cases, I have encountered a lot of medical jargon that I have had to quickly pick up on. It’s not so bad, though, considering once you know it, you know it. And it certainly has broadened my vocabulary.
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Rebecca Campbell
Boardman, Ohio Graduate student, Clinical Counseling Internship: Substance abuse counselor at Meridian Women’s Center in Youngstown. What has surprised you the most? That substance abuse does not discriminate. It affects all cultures, socioeconomic statuses, religions, races, and all ages.
What have you learned? Addiction is complex. In working with the clients, I have learned that you not only need to look at addiction issues but the client as a whole. Their environment, their trauma history, mental health, spirituality, and motivation to change all play a crucial role in their success in recovery. What is the best part? During my first two weeks of my internship, I found out that my husband and I were expecting our first child. Being pregnant and becoming a mother while helping other women and children was a great experience for me. I get the greatest satisfaction in seeing our clients with their children return to our facility living a clean and sober life.
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Hannah Patten
Cairo, Egypt Senior, Media Communications major, minor in Advertising Internship: Marketing and Communications Dept. of the Nestlé Corp. in Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt. (Hannah interned last summer with the Hilton Corp. in London.) What kind of work are you doing? I shadowed my boss for the first week, and now I am doing research projects on social media. Describe one thing that you’ve learned so far? Communication is the key to all business. Whether it’s on a small scale or a large corporate level, communicating with your co-workers as well as with consumers is the most important aspect of success. What has been your biggest challenge so far? Probably getting used to the working hours and managing my time. Summer usually consists of me sleeping until 1 p.m., so waking up at 8:45 started off as a challenge!
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Campus Food Service Has New Top Chef Ed Krol has a lot on his plate as YSU’s new campus executive chef. Krol was promoted to the top chef position this summer by Sodexo Campus Services, YSU’s Dining Services provider. Formerly executive chef/director of resident dining at YSU, Krol now oversees all food service on campus, including catering for special events, athletic concessions, campus eateries that serve students, faculty and staff, as well as residence hall dining. Krol said he and his staff spend the summer months studying and testing new recipes and ideas, then working to integrate the best of them in time for the busy back-to-school months. “We’re constantly growing the program, developing new concepts and revamping our menus,” he said. “This year, especially, we’re working hard on a lot of changes.” In the fall semester, he said, the dining services staff will launch a new Asian food eatery called Jump Asian at the food court in Kilcawley Center. Another new coffee and sandwich shop, the Schwebel Café, will open in the Williamson College of Business Administration. A Lake Milton resident, Krol joined Sodexo in 2006 and came to YSU in 2008. He has an associate degree in specialized science / culinary arts from Westmoreland Community College in Pennsylvania, a second associate degree in hotel / restaurant management from Allegheny Community College, and a certificate in ice sculpting from the National Ice Carving Association. Krol has more than 25 years of culinary and restaurant management experience.
Delectable Dishes from YSU Dining Services
We asked YSU Dining Services chefs to share three of their best recipes for our readers to try at home. Zia’s Nutty Chicken Breasts is new on the catering menu this fall, the Signature Granny Apple Salad is a perennial campus favorite, and the Chocolate Truffles – well, we think they’re a chocolate-lover’s dream.
Our Signature
Granny Apple Salad
Yields 4-8 Side Salad Portions
Dressing Ingredients ½ cup sugar ¼ cup cider vinegar ½ cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1½ teaspoon minced fresh onion ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce ¼ teaspoon paprika
Salad Ingredients 1-2 heads leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces 1-2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut in thin strips 4 oz. dry bleu cheese crumbles ½ bag sea salt bagel chips candied pecans (recipe below)
Dressing Preparation: Combine all dressing ingredients in mixing bowl (or blender). Mix well on medium or high speed for 3-5 minutes until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Set aside. Salad Preparation: Combine all salad ingredients (except pecans) in large mixing bowl. Add dressing (as desired) and toss well. Garnish with candied pecans and bagel chips. Note: For variation increase portion size, add roasted chicken breast or crumbled bacon and serve salad as an entrée. Candied Pecan Preparation: 6 oz. shelled whole pecans (or walnuts) ¼ cup to ½ cup sugar 1 cup peanut or corn oil Place pecans in a saucepan and add 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the pecans; while still hot, return to pan and add the sugar. Mix well until sugar melts and evenly coats all the pecans. Transfer to a piece of waxed paper and spread out to dry for about 10 minutes. Heat a wok or deep frying pan over moderate heat and add the oil. Fry the pecans for about 4-5 minutes, or until the sugar has caramelized around each pecan. Stir constantly so that the pecans are evenly fried. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pecans to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Spread them apart in a single layer to cool, away from moisture and humidity. After cooling, store in a sealed container.
Recipes provided by Sodexo Campus Services
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YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Serves 8
en Zia 's Nutty Chick Breast
rumbs and Combine Panko breadc tainer and set con llow sha a in s pistachio n from marinade aside. Remove chicke any excess. container and shake off ce at a time, pie Working with only one breadcrumb into cken breasthalves place chicken breasts mixture into 8 boneless, skinless chi (regular or white) ture, gently pressing the Place the r mix ega vin ic sam bal es. ½ cup sid h bot t coa to the chicken ¾ teaspoon salt baking sheet, cover per, ground chicken on a foil-lined igerate at least one 1½ teaspoon black pep refr with plastic wrap and ½ cup Dijon mustard hour before cooking. bread crumbs ) nko (Pa se ane Jap 15 oz. elled) (sh s nut hio tac pis over medium-high 8½ oz. ground In a 12-inch sauté pan butter ter and all of the oil; but ed list t firs ½ cup butter + ¼ cup add heat, oil to foam. Add the e ins oliv n beg poo ter les but 1 tab heat until les & app ous lici crispy and slightly De il unt Red k h 10 oz. eac chicken and coo & diced) d ele (pe les app es. ith n is sid Granny Sm browned on both et in oven until chicke pes baking sheet. Place she ed -lin foil the 1 pint red seedless gra to rn ves re). from the pan and retu ½ cup raspberry preser 5° internal temperatu Remove the chicken tely 15-20 minutes (16 ima ar rox sug d app h, ate nul oug gra thr ½ cup cooked m heat. Add apples and h sauté pan over mediu inc 12a in ter tely 2-3 minutes. but ed g, heat second list with butter, approxima of plastic wrap While chicken is cookin mixture is well coated Preparation: ers il il the sugar melts lay unt unt two stir ntly en to sta e we con tinu g bet sin halves quickly sauté, tos spoon pepper and con chicken is and il tea ½ Place chicken breast unt pes gra llet and ue cooking t, ma ntin sal at Co on me nt. a spo side of ar, ¼ tea ing to soften at this poi inn beg t and pound with the flat roughly rectangular. jus raspberry preserves, sug d and simmer Ad let firm and heat down to low and apples should still be an even ¼-inch thick and coats the fruit. The brown in color. Turn the den gol n tur to ins sugar beg pepper and the mixture until the spoon salt, 1 teaspoon Combine vinegar, ½ tea e enough to hold the chicken. s. ute min re mo 2-3 larg mustard in a container evenly to coat. Refrigerate overnight, fruit mixture. toss ess n, serve over sautéed Add the chicken and ove chicken from ove . Drain and discard exc ate Rem rin ma to rs hou six or at least n to 350°F. marinade. Preheat ove
Chocolate Truffles
Yield: 3 Dozen
14 oz. heavy cream 4 tablespoons honey 16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into small bits (¼ inch) 3½ oz. unsalted butter, room temperature 2 tablespoons rum 5 tablespoons unsweetened coc oa Special Equipment: Cookie dough scoop or melon baller (one inch diameter) 1 cookie sheet lined with parc hment paper or aluminum foil 1½ quart heavy covered sauc epan 36 fluted paper candy cups (opt ional) Preparation: Put the cream and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil . Remove from heat and add the choppe d chocolate. Cover and let the mixture stand for five minutes. Then add the butter and whisk until smo Transfer the mixture to a sma oth. ll bowl and add the rum. Allow to cool for 30 minutes , then refrigerate for 1½ hours.
Using the scoop or melon ball er, scoop out one-inch balls and place on the cookie shee t. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Put the cocoa in a shallow dish . Roll the chocolate balls, one by one, until completely covered with cocoa. Pinch tops of each for a decorative look and arrange on serving platter sprinkled with cocoa, or in fluted candy papers if desi red. Truffles may be refrigerated six to seven days before serving. for
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University Development
Annual Fund Giving Reaches New High YSU’s Annual Fund campaign has reached another all-time high. The campaign, which raises money for a variety of college and departmental programs and initiatives as well as student scholarships, brought in $1.68 million from more than 4,000 donors in fiscal year 2011, according to the Office of University Development. That’s an all-time record for the university and represents a 16-percent increase over the previous year. In the last eight years alone, the fund has nearly quadrupled. “People throughout the campus and the community believe in the mission of YSU, and they want YSU to succeed,” said Jacci Daniel-Johnson, coordinator of annual giving. “When it comes to donations, people want to give to successful and positive ventures. Success follows success.” YSU’s Annual Fund has surpassed $1 million for four consecutive years, a mark that Daniel-Johnson said seemed unattainable only a few years ago. “Now, and going forward, we see $1 million as our base – something we can build on,” she said. The Annual Fund solicits contributions from alumni and supporters throughout the state, region and nation. “Our donors are encouraged to direct their philanthropy to the programs of their choice, and they take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Catherine Cala, director of University Development. “More than 95 percent of YSU’s annual gifts are donor-designated.” Money is used to fund scholarships and dozens of campus programs and initiatives, from the English Festival, the Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies and ROTC to the Steel Bridge/Concrete Canoe teams, Center for Nonprofit Leadership and the SMARTS program. The fund also benefits various athletic teams, including track and field, golf and tennis, as well as academic departments. YSU faculty and staff contributed $131,472, totaling nearly 10 percent of the total giving in fiscal year 2011 and nearly double the amount donated by faculty and staff just three years ago. Daniel-Johnson said one reason for the increase in faculty/staff giving was the establishment of a scholarship by new YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson in memory of her parents. In all, the Annual Fund raised $52,165 for the scholarship. Daniel-Johnson said increasing Annual Fund giving – and hitting the $1 million level – was a major goal of the Centennial Capital Campaign that started in 2005. That, she said, made the Annual Fund a priority and has led to the impressive increases. “Our message is clear and consistent,” she said. “We don’t over-solicit, so we don’t experience donor fatigue. We have a good fundraising philosophy. We have a great team in place, and, most importantly, we have loyal, generous alumni and friends.”
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YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Up and away…
Annual Fund donations have nearly quadrupled in eight years:
2011...................$1.68 million 2010........................$1.4 million
$
2009.......................$1.1 million 2008.......................$1.1 million 2007........................$884,438 2006.......................$729,186 2005.......................$609,254 2004.......................$535,104 2003.......................$484,327
Employee giving Annual Fund donations by faculty and staff have nearly doubled in three years:
2011...................$131,472 2010........................$117,106 2009.......................$66,428
In memoriam …
Helen Stambaugh
The President’s Loge at YSU home football games just won’t be the same. Helen Stambaugh, 92, a YSU alumna, longtime donor and the only person with a “reserved” seat in the loge, died June 13. Born in Campbell and a graduate of Lowellville High School, Mrs. Stambaugh earned an associate degree in business from Youngstown College in 1944. Stambaugh Stadium is named after her husband, Arnold, founder of Stambaugh Hardware Lumber Co., and the Stambaugh Room in Kilcawley Center is named after Mrs. Stambaugh. Mrs. Stambaugh was a member of the President’s Council and the College of Fine and Performing Arts Visiting Committee. She received YSU’s Friend of the University award in 2004, was named Penguin of the Year in 2005 and was inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. She endowed a football scholarship, provided a lead gift in the campaign to construct the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center and, in 2007, donated $150,000 to purchase new uniforms for the Marching Pride. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Lutheran Church, 1429 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown, OH 44509 or the donor’s choice.
YSU Foundation
Father Honors Son’s Memory with Scholarship Endowment
William T. Bancroft says he’ll never get over losing other scholarships she’s earned during her college career. his only son in a traffic accident 21 years ago, but creatAlexander has maintained a 3.31 GPA and hopes to graduate ing a scholarship endowment in his memory has helped. “I cum laude in the spring of 2012. wanted to do something to honor my son and to help others, Bancroft said he knows the value of scholarships through and I feel like the scholarship is serving both purposes,” said personal experience. He grew up in a blue-collar family in Bancroft, a YSU alumnus who Mineral Ridge, Ohio, and received lives in Blue Springs, Mo. a four-year scholarship from his faHis son, Dr. William T. ther’s employer. “I would never have Bancroft II, was 36, a chirobeen able to afford to go to college practic physician, business otherwise,” he said. owner, married and the father He pursued a bachelor’s degree of two young children, when in engineering at what was then he died in 1990. The memoYoungstown College and graduated rial scholarship his father in 1957, the first in his family to earn established in his son’s name a college degree. He spent most of through the YSU Foundation is his 30-year career as an engineer and awarded annually to a full-time engineering manager for Western junior or senior engineering Electric, a subsidiary of AT&T, first major at YSU. in Western Pennsylvania and later in One recent recipient of Kansas City, retiring in 1989. the Dr. William T. Bancroft II Bancroft and his wife, Betty, Memorial Engineering Scholmaintain a close relationship with arship is Amani Alexander, their son’s two children, a granda senior majoring in civil daughter and grandson, who are 25 Amani Alexander, a senior majoring in civil and construction and construction engineering and 23, respectively. engineering technology, was a recent Bancroft Memorial technology. Born and raised For more information about the Scholarship recipient. on Youngstown’s East Side, Bancroft Memorial Scholarship or Alexander said college would have been out of reach for her about creating a scholarship endowment, contact the YSU financially without the help of the Bancroft award and several Foundation, 330-941-3502 or ysufoundatio@aol.com.
YSU Foundation Seeks Applicants for Top Administrator
Penguins Aplenty YSU friends and supporters John A. McNally III and his wife, Jeanne, donned Pete the Penguin T-shirts to pose for this photo March 1 on South Georgia Island, home of the world’s largest King penguin colony. McNally said the throngs of penguins visible in the background are among more than 200,000 pairs of penguins nesting on the island. The visit was part of a 20-day National Geographic Expedition that the couple joined in March and which included travel to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. The McNallys live in Liberty Township, and he has been an attorney with a private practice in Youngstown for 40 years.
C. Reid Schmutz, president of the YSU Foundation, has announced plans to retire effective Dec. 31, and the Foundation’s Board of Directors is seeking candidates for his position. The YSU Foundation is an independent nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization with assets of $175 million. The foundation president is the top administrator and reports to the board of directors. Minimum requirements for the position include a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of relevant experience. Salary will be determined commensurate with experience. Candidates may apply by mailing a resumé to: YSU Foundation, Attention: C. Reid Schmutz, 606 Wick Ave., Youngstown, OH 44502, or sending an email to: Foundation@YSU Foundation.org. For more details on the position, visit www.ysu.edu/ ysufoundation/.
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PENGUIN
sports news
Texas Rangers Draft YSU Pitcher
YSU senior right-handed pitcher Phil Klein was chosen by the Texas Rangers in the 30th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Klein, a First-Team AllHorizon League Selection in 2009 and a second-team pick in 2011, is a native of Gahanna, Ohio, near Columbus, Phil Klein and is the third Penguin pitcher to be selected in the draft in the last two years.
Beede Field Gets New Turf
Sports Construction Group L.L.C. of Brecksville, Ohio, resurfaced Beede Field in YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium this spring with a new synthetic turf system that combines the appearance of natural grass with the engineered performance of modern synthetic turf. It is specially designed to enhance player speed and performance while providing for maximum player safety. The Penguins are one of four Division I football programs to play on the surface. Stadiums at Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State and UC Davis are using the same turf system.
Klysner to Coach Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Cook Named to Payton Award Watch List YSU junior tailback Jamaine Cook of Cleveland is one of 20 Football Championship Subdivision standouts named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award, sponsored by fathead.com. The award honors the top Offensive Player in the FCS. In 2010 Cook was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection. He rushed for 1,276 yards on 241 carries, scored 11 touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 219 yards and returned 21 kickoffs for 393 yards. Penguin football opens Sept. 2 at Michigan State, a game to be televised on the Big Ten Network and carried on 570 WKBN-AM. For tickets, contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office, 330-941-1978.
Student-Athletes Set Records in Classroom
YSU’s student-athletes finished the spring semester by setting all-time highs for combined cumulative grade-point average and for the number of athletes with a cumulative GPA above 3.0. Individually, 33 student-athletes had semester GPAs of 4.0, and a record 59 percent achieved semester GPAs above 3.0 in the spring. The women’s cross-country program had the highest GPA of all programs, as its six members combined for a 3.77 mark. Soccer ranked second at 3.43, while softball was third at 3.40 and swimming and diving was fourth at 3.34. The tennis team led the men’s side with a 3.20 cumulative mark.
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YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Mark Klysner, who served as YSU’s men’s tennis head coach last year, will also take over the women's program this fall. YSU Athletic Director Ron Strollo said the work Klysner did in his first year as the men's tennis coach made him the perfect choice to take over both positions. In his first campaign with the Mark Klysner Penguins, Klysner led the men’s team to six dual victories, a berth in the Horizon League Tournament and two league match wins. One player, junior Tariq Ismail, was named first-team all-conference. Previously, Klysner was an assistant for the women’s team at Fairleigh Dickinson in 2009-10 and spent the 2008-09 campaign as a men’s and women’s assistant at Austin Peay.
Alumni Named to YSU Athletics Hall of Fame
The YSU Penguin Club and the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee have elected seven former Penguin standouts into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The class of 2011 includes: Pat Crummey (football, 1998-2001), Craig Haese (men’s basketball, 1997-2001), Brad Hennessey (baseball, 1999-2001), Brianne Kenneally (women’s basketball, 1997-2001), Melissa Lyczkowski (volleyball, 19982001), Kristen Meech (volleyball, 1998-2001) and Jeff Ryan (football, 1998-2001). The honorees will be inducted at the 27th Annual Hall of Fame induction luncheon, set for Oct. 29 in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center, and will be introduced during halftime of the YSU-Western Illinois football game later that day.
Penguin Sports News
WATTS: Ready for Action
YSU’s new, $12 million indoor athletics training facility, the Watson and Tressel Training Site, better known as the WATTS, was completed this summer. Above, a panoramic view of the interior, which includes a football field with synthetic turf, a 300-meter track, batting cages, high-jump and long-jump pits, offices and locker rooms. Other photos, counterclockwise from top left, show the hanging of YSU’s athletic “Y” logo; workers installing the indoor track; a view of the WATTS exterior photographed from the west side of Stambaugh Stadium; and senior members of the YSU Penguin football team with head coach Eric Wolford during a photo day in the WATTS.
www.ysusports.com
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Alumni News Alumni Society Board Welcomes New President
YSU alumna Shelly LaBerto, ’90, marketing director and general manager for Chick-fil-A of Boardman, this fall will assume the duties of president for the YSU Alumni Society Board. LaBerto joined the Alumni Society in 2005 to reconnect with the university and meet fellow alumni. “My experiences at YSU truly helped shape me as the person that I am today,” she said. “I believe it is important that I give back to the university.” The president-elect has been active on campus as a volunteer, helping with YSU’s Centennial All-Alumni Reunion, and with the installation for the current YSU president. As
Y S U AL U MN I :
Pennsy lvania 7,200
The state of Pennsylvania is home to 7,200 YSU alumni, with a greater percentage living in the western portion of the state. Pittsburgh has 1,800 Penguin residents, and 3,975 live in the Greater New Castle area.
incoming board president, her goal is to plan and execute events that will keep active alumni connected while attracting new members. (For more information, visit www.ysu.edu/ alumni and click on “Membership.”) The board’s current president, Dr. Richard Crepage (’71, ’78, ’99), will continue to serve as immediate past president. He is employed as administrative director for the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.
Shelly LaBerto
Alumni Volunteers Join Streetscape
YSU was well represented at Streetscape, a downtown beautification project sponsored by Youngstown Cityscape in early June. More than 40 members of YSU’s Alumni Society, their friends and family participated in the annual event. The volunteers cleared weeds and brush from the hillside below Choffin Career and Technical Center and planted flowers along the West Federal Street median.
Art and Appetizers in Pittsburgh Pittsburgh-area YSU alumni gathered for a reception at the Space Gallery July 15 and watched artists working on their creations in conjunction with the Gallery Crawl, a quarterly showcase of art and entertainment in the city’s Cultural District. In the top photo, alumni participating are, from left: Candice Vilaj, attended YSU; David Iozzi, ’74; Francine Jablonski, ’74; Jackie LeViseur, ’08; Dan Fix, ’73; Mollie Hartup ’02,’04; Shelly LaBerto, ’90; Noreen Moderalli, ’75; and Shannon Tirone, ’95. In the photo at left, celebrating the evening in Penguin red are, from left, Gianni DiNello, ’07; Elissa Biondi, Annie Muir, and Tom Meikle, ’08, all of Pittsburgh.
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YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Alumni News
Take Pete Al o ng ... on Your Summer Vacation!
We asked YSU alumni to include Pete the Penguin in their summer travels this year, and we received several photos of our YSU mascot posing with alumni and their families. We’ve been posting the vacation photos with Pete on the YSU Alumni and Events Facebook page. Here’s a sampling:
▲
Pete came along with Kris and Samantha (Leskovec) Doran of Girard and their 15-month-old daughter, Gabriella, on a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. in July. In the photos above, Kris, ’05 and Samantha, ’06, ’08, posed for a family photo with Pete outside Ripley’s Aquarium and took another lakeside shot of Gabriella, looking especially cute in her YSU T-shirt. ▲
M A R K YO U R CA L E N DA R Terrace Dinners Enjoy a hot meal and indoor tailgating before all six home football games this season.
United Way Day of Caring – YSU Alumni Volunteer Group Friday, Sept. 9 – YSU Alumni will participate in a day of community-wide volunteering, beginning with breakfast at 8 a.m. Call to volunteer.
YSU Alumni Night at OH WOW! Sunday, Oct. 16, 5-7 p.m. – Alumni, family and friends are invited to a private evening at OH WOW! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology in downtown Youngstown. Reservations limited to the first 200 guests.
Homecoming 2011 Be part of YSU’s 2011 Homecoming celebration, Oct. 23-30. Events include: Saturday, Oct. 29 – game-day parade starts at 11 a.m., immediately followed by 25-Year Reunion Dinner / Terrace Dinner, and game kickoff at 1 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 30 – HalfCentury Club Reunion dinner. (For more information about any of these events, visit www.ysu.edu/alumni or call the Office of Alumni and Events Management, 330-941-3497.)
Posing with Pete outside the Seattle Aquarium in the photo at left are, from left, YSU alums Jim, ’77, and Sue, ‘79 DeToro, and the Naughtons – Sara, Emma, Keith, Eric and Donna. Keith and Donna took classes at YSU in the 1980s and have strong ties to Youngstown. The DeToros travelled to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and the Monterey Peninsula.
Beeghly College Honors Educators
The Beeghly College of Education honored six YSU graduates during its annual Outstanding Alumni Awards Dinner in the spring. Alumni honorees were: • • • • • •
Mary Rose Walker, ’90, outstanding administrator. Patrice Loree, ’92, ’97, outstanding counselor. Robert Walls, ’89, ’95, ’05, outstanding educator. Richard Denamen, ’72, ’77, lifetime educational service. Benjamin McGee, ’79, ’06, diversity award. Jean Berger, ’79, excellence award.
Help YSU Stay in Touch with You! YSU Alumni and Events wants to update its alumni database with your preferred email address – more important than ever now that some invitations and newsletters are sent exclusively online. Visit www.ysu.edu/alumni and click on Update Your Information, or use your smart phone to scan the QR code, at right.
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Couture bridal designer Angel Rivera shows some of his latest dress designs at a recent trunk show at Jacqueline’s Bridal in Poland, Ohio.
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YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Alumni S T potligh
CELEBRATING ACCOMPLISHED GRADUATES
Designing Dream Dresses Angel Rivera, ’03 Angel Rivera was relaxing on the Jersey Shore, breathing in the sea air and watching the waves roll in. Suddenly, he had a brainstorm. He grabbed a notepad and sketched a bridal gown with cascades of ruffles encircling the skirt, just like the waves. Rivera will debut that ocean-inspired dress this fall as part of his 2012 couture bridal collection. At age 30, the YSU alumnus is the owner and president of Angel Rivera Bridal, a design house just outside New York that he launched in 2009. Angel Rivera gowns are priced between $1,800 and $5,500, about average in the world of couture bridal fashions. These are not mass-produced polyester dresses. Each gown is made-to-order of pure silk, with Swarovski crystal beading all stitched by hand. Rivera’s designs are available at 10 stores in the United States, including Kleinfeld’s in Manhattan, the largest bridal store in the world, and he’ll add five to 10 more stores this year, including one in Ontario, Canada, and one in Hong Kong. In Ohio, his gowns are sold at Jacqueline’s Bridal in Poland and at White of Dublin in Columbus. It’s a dream come true for Rivera, who was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Boardman with his family at the age of two. He was just five years old when he started drawing bridal gowns, and he’s never stopped. “Even when I was very young, I loved the idea of designing a dress for such a special moment in a woman’s life,” Rivera said. “I like to think that I’m giving a woman that red carpet moment, that moment she’ll always remember because she felt so special and so beautiful.” As a student at YSU, Rivera changed his major three times before he finally found his niche in fashion merchandising. He worked on campus part time throughout his college career, was active in the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, and worked weekends as a wedding planner. He graduated with a BA in 2003 with a major in fashion merchandising and a minor in communications. Just days after graduation, Rivera headed for New York’s garment district on Madison Avenue, and in less than a week had landed a job with Amsale Bridal, a major design house. He did it by walking from business to business, handing out his resume to anyone who would take it. “Some people looked at me like I was crazy,” he remembered with a laugh. He advanced quickly, from customer service rep to operations manager, running Amsale’s Madison Avenue boutique and working with the firm’s wholesale business. YSU’s
fashion merchandising program had prepared him well for the business side of the industry, said Rivera, and that background has been an asset throughout his career. However, he needed more training in the practical aspects of creating a gown, so he quit work to enroll at the renowned Parson’s School of Design to study fabric draping and pattern making. From there, Rivera signed on as executive assistant to the store buyer and trunk show coordinator at Kleinfeld Bridal, home of the cable TV program “Say Yes to the Dress.” The position put him in daily contact with top bridal designers and helped him to forge business relationships that would be invaluable later on. He worked 9 to 5 at Kleinfeld but continued to sketch his own designs. When a friend asked him to create a oneof-a-kind wedding gown for her, Rivera designed and sewed it himself. His reputation continued to spread through word of mouth, and soon he was spending nights and weekends sketching, cutting and sewing to keep up with a growing demand for his made-to-order wedding gowns. In 2009 he decided it was time to launch his own label. He rented a tiny office and hired two seamstresses but continued to do most of the work himself at first. Since then, the business has grown steadily, adding employees and moving to larger quarters in New Jersey. Angel Rivera Bridal has been featured in some of the top wedding publications in print and online, including Bride Magazine, New England Bride, the Ritz Carlton Wedding Magazine, WeddingDresses.com and TheKnot.com. Rivera is investing in advertising in those and other key publications, as well. Looking ahead, he’ll introduce a line of fine jewelry this fall – tiaras, earrings and necklaces to coordinate with his bridal gown designs. In the spring, he plans to launch bridesmaid and evening wear under his label. “The name is becoming better known, and I’m very, very happy, but I want to be careful,” he said. “We want to grow, but not too fast.” Rivera has two homes in New Jersey – a beach house and another just minutes from the city. He visits the Mahoning Valley often because his sisters live here, and they work with him in the business as well. In his spare time, he loves visiting museums, reading on the beach and sketching. “I’ve almost always got my sketchbook with me, but I’ll draw on a napkin, a menu, anything,” he said. “It’s my work, but I love what I do.” Profile by Cynthia Vinarsky
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Alumni Spotlight
Improving the Lives of Cancer Patients Catherine E. Mosher ’02 We’ve all been affected by cancer, or we know someone who has. One exceptional YSU alumna is dedicating her career and her research savvy to helping cancer patients and their families cope with the psychological aspects of the disease. Catherine E. Mosher, an assistant professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and a YSU psychology grad, said she decided to pursue cancer-related studies after she saw how the disease affected members of her own family. “My ultimate goal,” she said, “is to improve the lives of cancer patients.” Nationally known for her research and cited as a source in major publications such as The New York Times, Reuters and USA Today, Mosher discussed her work as a guest lecturer on campus earlier this year. The audience included her father, Allan Mosher, a professor in the Dana School of Music. Mosher reported the findings of two studies she completed at the renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. In the first study, her group applied Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) intervention – counseling intended to challenge negative thoughts and attitudes – to cancer patients who had received hematopoietic stem-cell transplants. Patients may experience post-traumatic stress disorder following a stem-cell transplant, she said, explaining that the process is used to help restore a patient’s immune system following chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Mosher’s group at Sloan-Kettering employed CBT in the form of weekly telephone calls offering support and guidance to confront distressing reminders of the illness and the stem cell transplant procedure. “The intervention group experienced fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms,” she said, “and those in the intervention group were also far less likely to experience symptoms
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of general distress and depression.” Her second study addressed the support needs of family members providing care to lung cancer patients. “Caregivers often pay little attention to their own health as they help family members with lung cancer,” said Mosher. In that study, her research group surveyed caregivers and found a high rate of distress and low rate of mental health service use. Education is needed, Mosher said, to overcome stigma and other barriers to using services. Mosher graduated fromYSU summa cum laude in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and won several awards as an undergraduate, including the Charles Dobson Award for outstanding student research. She went on to earn a master’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in clinical psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, and then completed a three-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering. There, she received the Cornelia Perry Memorial Award for outstanding scholarship. Mosher joined the faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in 2010, where she teaches theories of personality and psychopathology. She has published 34 articles in more than 20 scholarly journals and frequently presents at conferences across the United States and Canada, advocating the biopsychosocial approach, which integrates biological, psychological and sociological perspectives to understand health. Mosher credits the YSU faculty for providing mentorship that helped her to get into graduate school and to succeed in her career, including her mentor, Psychology Professor Margaret Gittis. “Dr. Gittis met with me every week for two years to discuss my research,” she said. “It was remarkable. I don’t know how she found the time.” Mosher advises undergraduate students to get to know their professors, to seek their mentorship, and to set lofty goals. “It’s important to get involved in something that’s larger than yourself, something that’s incredibly meaningful to you personally,” she said. “That’s what is ultimately going to keep you going. It’s important to have that larger vision, thinking beyond yourself.” Profile by Andrew Donofrio, a graduate student in YSU’s Professional Writing & Editing program.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY Hollie Kelleher
Alumni Spotlight
Engineering Solutions for the Eye Dr. Sean J. McCafferty ’90
When Sean McCafferty left YSU 21 years ago with his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he landed what he considered “an unbelievable job” in the field – working in the research department for a large engineering firm. The new grad won three patents for the company in his first year and helped to spin off a brand new product line, but something was missing. McCafferty longed for more one-onone contact with people. He switched careers, earned a medical doctorate from Ohio State University and then completed a post-doctoral residency in ophthalmology at the University of Arizona. Now the Brookfield, Ohio, native has the best of both worlds. He enjoys using his problem-solving skills with patients at the thriving ophthalmology practice he founded in Tucson, Ariz. Meanwhile, he’s combining his engineering and medical training in cross-disciplinary research on lens design and laser surgery techniques. “My whole goal was to take engineering and bring it into medicine,” he said. “I wanted to make engineering applicable to people, one-on-one, and I feel like I’m doing that.” Uncommonly industrious, even as an undergraduate, McCafferty spent six years earning his bachelor’s degree at YSU, all the while working 50 hours a week on the midnight shift at Packard Electric Corp., a division of General Motors. That same work ethic has followed him into his career. He recalls opening his medical practice, Arizona Eye Consultants, in a small office “with old carpet and a single light bulb hanging from a nasty old ceiling.” He believes the high standards of customer service that he and his staff maintain
have been just as essential to the success of the practice as the quality medical care they provide. “We really care about our patients. We really work hard,” he said. “We started with 2,000 patients a year. Now we have three additional doctors on staff, two locations and 25,000 patients a year. That’s more than a very busy hospital emergency room.” A board-certified ophthalmologist and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, McCafferty finds time to teach as a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Arizona, where he is also pursuing a Ph.D. in optics at the College of Optical Science. Additionally, he volunteers at mobile eye clinics for underserved populations in rural areas in and around Arizona. Determined to concentrate more on his research, McCafferty is scheduling himself to work fewer hours at his medical practice to allow added time in the lab. His status as a Ph.D. candidate is an advantage because it gives him access to the university’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. Lately, he’s been looking into redesigning the multi-focus lenses that are used to correct the vision of cataract patients, and he’s researching a way to prevent a potentially harmful thermal response in the eye that can occur during laser eye surgery. Research is his favorite activity when he’s on his own, McCafferty said, but he and his wife, Jenny, have fun sharing outdoor activities with their four children, all under the age of nine. “We like hiking, skiing, swimming, fishing, just teaching them,” he said. “I really try to make that a priority.” Profile by Cynthia Vinarsky
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class 50s Audrey Coleman of Sarasota, Fla., ’56 BM in music education, was appointed to a fiveyear term on the New College of Florida Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors. She spent most of her 34-year career as a school administrator in the Boston Public Schools, retiring as director of comprehensive school planning. Coleman earned a master’s degree in education from Boston State College. In 1985, President Reagan recognized her as one of the 10 Most Influential Negro Women in America.
60s Diane Vukovich of Akron, ’64 BS, was honored in April by the University of Akron as one of its 2011 Distinguished Education Alumni. She is the retired emeritus director of UA’s De- Diane Vukovich partment of Development Programs and has more than 40 years of teaching and administrative experience in public schools and on the university level. Vukovich earned her Ph.D. at UA in 1975 after completing her undergraduate work at YSU. She authored a textbook, Math is NOT a Spectator Sport, and was a co-author of another book, titled Allied Health Chemistry: A Companion.
Kelly Benson of Naples, Fla., ’75 AAS, ’79 BSAS, was named vice president of operations for the Naples Daily News. Previously, she was vice president for operations at The Orlando Kelly Benson Sentinel, and she also worked for The Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Benson has an MBA from the University of Miami.
Dr. James Chengelis of Boston, ‘78 BS in chemistry and physics, ’79 AB in sociology and anthropology, was formally recognized for his financial contributions to the new addition and library at Stadium Drive Elementary School in Boardman. At his request, the library was named in honor of his parents, Evelyn H. and Theodore P. Chengelis. Dr. Chengelis earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Toledo and a medical degree at Medical College of Ohio there. He is associate medical director of Boston University Psychiatric Emergency Services and an assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine.
70s Pamela BrogdonWynne of Sherman Oaks, Calif., ‘70 BS in education, ‘80 MEd in guidance and counseling, was inducted into the 2011 Warren High Schools Distinguished Pamela Brogdon-Wynne Alumni Hall of Fame. She is a professor of counseling at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., where she also directs three work opportunity programs for at-risk students. She earned her doctorate in higher educational leadership from NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. James P. Baxter of Cary, N.C., ’71 BA in liberal arts, is the materials and supply chain manager for Skyware Global Inc. in Smithfield, N.C. Previously, he was the senior global commodity manager for Flextronixs.
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notes
Gerrianne Costantini
Gerrianne Costantini of Girard, ’78 associate in nursing, ’07 BS in nursing, was named nurse manager of the telemetry unit at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren. Prior to her appointment, Costantini was patient flow coordinator at St. Joseph’s.
Sister Mary McCormick of Canfield, ’78 BS in education, has been named a professor by St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in the Diocese of Cleveland. An Ursuline Sister of Youngstown who teaches systematic theology, she has been a member Sister Mary McCormick of the St. Mary Seminary faculty since 1997. She holds a master’s degree in theology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University in New Orleans and a doctorate in systematic theology from Fordham University in New York.
80s Joseph A. Castrodale of Cleveland, ’80 AB, is a partner in Ulmer & Berne LLP, a regional law firm with more than 180 attorneys in Illinois and Ohio, and was recognized as a national leader in client service by BTI Consulting. Castrodale, who earned his law degree from Harvard University Law School after completing his undergraduate work at YSU, was named to BTI’s 2011 Client Service All-Star list based on recommendations by large corporate clients he represents. Robert E. Sillitoe Jr. of Warren, ’81 AAS in respiratory therapy, was named manager of physician practices for Humility of Mary Health Robert Sillitoe Jr. Partners. Previously, Sillitoe was employed as the practice administrator for the Toledo Hospital Family Medicine Residency in Toledo, Ohio. In addition to his associate degree from YSU, he holds an MBA from the University of Findlay and a BSBA from Lourdes College in Sylvania, Ohio. Susan M. Savastuk of Bloomington, Ind., ’82 BS in nursing, is neuroscience nurse project manager for Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital. She presented at the February 2011 Nursing Symposium of the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. Her topic was “Innovative Community Stroke Education.” Martha Bushey of Youngstown, ’86 BS in nursing, was the 2011 recipient of the Athena Award, presented annually to a woman in the Mahoning Valley region who demonstrates career excellence, Martha Bushey community leadership and mentoring of other professional women. After earning her nursing degree at YSU, Bushey worked as an intensive care supervisor in a hospital, and then earned a law degree from the University of Akron. She is a partner in the Youngstown law firm of Manchester, Bennett, Powers & Ulman and president of its subsidiary, Commerce Title Agency of Youngstown.
Class Notes
David Brager of Chantilly, Va., ’88 BE in electrical engineering, is senior vice president for technology at Mission Essential Personnel, a global professional services company that supports government and corporate clients. Brager has nearly 25 years of technology and intelligence community experience, including stints with the Central Intelligence Agency and the USAF National Air and Space Intelligence Center. Most recently, he was vice president and chief technology officer for Ericsson Federal Inc. He earned his Ph.D. and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton.
Karen DeSalvo
Karen DeSalvo of Winston Salem, N.C., ’88 BSBA, was named chief marketing officer at Truliant Federal Credit Union in Winston Salem, N.C. Formerly senior vice president of marketing at Seven Seventeen Credit Union in Warren, she has more than 20 years of marketing, advertising, and business development experience. DeSalvo is one of fewer than 250 individuals nationally to hold the Certified Financial Marketing Professional certification, and she is a graduate of the ABA School of Marketing and Management.
90s Phillip Butto IV of Stow, Ohio, ’96 BSBA, is the new treasurer of the Ravenna School District in Portage County. Previously, he served five years as treasurer and chief financial officer of the Keystone Local Schools in Lorain County, and he also held positions in the Warren City Schools, the Hubbard Exempted Village Schools and with the Ohio State Auditor’s office. Butto is a certified public accountant. John Paul Allsopp of Poland, ’97 BSAS in criminal justice and ’01 MS in law enforcement administration, is a police sergeant with the Boardman Township Police Department. He was recently re-certified as a Certified Law Enforcement Executive by the Law Enforcement Foundation and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. A Marine veteran, Allsopp is a 2005 graduate of the Police Executive Leadership College program. Jeremy Mercer of Pittsburgh, ’97 AB, has joined the energy and environmental practices of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP as a partner in the global law firm’s new office in western Pennsylvania. Mercer earned his law degree from Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law and is a commercial litigator focusing on the oil and gas industries.
John Paul Allsopp
Brad Cunningham of Austintown, ‘98 BS in nursing, was named nurse manager of the intermediate units at St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center. Previously, he was employed by Sharon Regional Health System, most recently as a clinical manager at Sharon Cardiology. Wesley Shipley of Glenshaw, Pa., ’98 MSEd in educational Brad Cunningham leadership, was recently awarded a four-year contract as superintendent of the Shaler Area School District, where he has been assistant superintendent since December 2009. His career has included experience as a school program director, principal, assistant principal and teacher. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his doctorate in educational leadership at Duquesne University.
00s
Steve Halloran
Steve Halloran of Youngstown, ’00 MBA, is director of human resources for Miller Transfer, a specialized heavy haul trucking company with 18 locations nationwide. Halloran is also the franchise owner of House of Speed Youngstown, which offers speed and sports performance training for athletes 8 to 18, as well as college, adult recreational and professional athletes. The Youngstown franchise opened in August 2009.
Alumni Author Eric W. Schaffert of Poland, ’76 BSBA, writes about how he overcame a catastrophic childhood injury that left him partially blind to become an awardwinning pharmaceutical sales executive in his new book, Blind Faith, Blind Ambition: A Vision for Success. The author combines practical, detailed descriptions of his proven sales techniques with an account of the vital role that faith has played in his life. Published by Toll House Press, the book is available on Amazon.com. Schaffert, now a senior professional health-care Eric W. Schaffert consultant for Pfizer, was recognized for his sales achievements in 2004 when he was inducted into Pfizer’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held at Donald Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Fla., he said, and remains the high point of his career.
Designs for Expectant Doctors Dr. Maria Tranto of Weirton, W.Va., ‘96 BA in combined science, felt privileged to wear a professional lab coat when she completed her medical degree at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. She was working as a resident physician when she learned she was expecting a child, and that created a problem: maternity lab coats were not available.
Maria Tranto
Tranto found her own solution. She designed a lab coat that expands to accommodate a woman’s changing figure during and after pregnancy and founded a business called PROcreations to make the lab coats available to medical professionals worldwide. Each garment is handmade in Ohio. The company’s website is www.maternitylabcoats.com. Tranto is a physician practicing internal medicine and occupational medicine and has been voted best primary care physician six times in an annual poll sponsored by the Weirton Daily Times newspaper. Her husband, Dr. George Dimitriou, is also a YSU graduate (’94 BS) and a 1998 graduate of Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
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Class Notes
Fitness Is His Specialty Four years after starting Advanced Fitness & Wellness, a sports training and personal training business in Louisville, Ky., Adam Masternick,’98 BSAS in exercise science, is launching an exercise program he designed, The BandIt Body Workout System, using elastic resistance bands. Masternick earned a second bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Adam Masternick Cleveland State University in 2001 and started his company in 2007, providing services in schools, hospitals, homes, work places and for professional sports teams. The business offers sports training, personal training, injury prevention, weight loss and consulting services. Masternick has used resistance bands in his work for 20 years, and in January he released a workout DVD showcasing the BandIt Body Workout System he created. He said the system, available at www. banditbody.com, combines cardio and muscle building for a highly energetic metabolic workout that trims and tones while minimizing workout time.
Practicing Medicine in Columbus Dr. Ron Dorbish and Dr. Stephanie Sekula of Powell, Ohio, both ’98 BS in biology, are married and practicing medicine in the Columbus, Ohio area. Dorbish and Sekula earned their medical degrees at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Dorbish completed his neurosurgical residency at Grant Medical Center in Columbus in 2008 and is a staff neurosurgeon with Neurological Associates and Riverside Methodist Hospital, both in Columbus. Dr. Sekula completed her residency in internal medicine at Doctors Hospital in 2005 and is a hospitalist with Central Ohio Primary Care in Columbus.
Drs. Ron Dorbish and Stephanie Sekula
Dr. David A. Bitonte of Louisville, Ohio, ’03 MBA, has accepted a position with One Health Ohio, based in Youngstown, as a clinic physician for the Good Samaritan Health Center in Alliance, a federally qualified health-care center serving Medicaid and Medicare recipients and patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Former Gov. Ted Strickland appointed Bitonte chair of the Public Health Council at the Ohio Department of Health, a position he assumed in June. Bitonte is a member of the YSU President’s Council and a son of Dr. Dominic and Helen Bitonte, in whose honor the YSU College of Health and Human Services is named.
Joshua B. Kollat of State College, Pa.,’03 BE, was presented the award for best dissertation in the Natural Science and Engineering Category in the 2011 Universities Council on Water Resources Ph.D. Dissertation Award competition. Kollat completed his Ph.D. in water resources engineering in 2010 at Pennsylvania State University, and he is currently a research associate at Penn State. His wife, Sarah Holowach Kollat,‘03 BA in psychology, earned a Ph.D. after completing her undergraduate degree at YSU and is a senior instructor in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. Craig Smith of Columbus, Ohio, ’03 BS and ’05 MS, both in chemistry, has joined the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP as a technical advisor in the intellectual property group. Working from Calfee’s Columbus office, Smith assists clients with domestic and foreign patent research and applications and works extensively with universities. He also holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Robert G. Gudyk Jr. of New Castle, Pa., ’05 BS in nursing, was named nurse manager of the intermediate medical/surgical unit at St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center. Prior to his appointment, Gudyk was nurse coordinator for the intermediate coronary care unit at St. Elizabeth’s in Youngstown. He is certified in progressive care nursing.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Robert Gudyk Jr.
Samantha Basile of Poland, Ohio, ’09 BA in political science, ’11 MA in applied history, is the new assistant curator and archivist for the Sutliff Museum, a historical museum in the WarrenTrumbull County Public Library. Basile completed a graduate assistantship in YSU’s History Department, and she did internships at the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry and the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. Samantha Basile
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David Bitonte
Show
our Penguin Pride
season tickets now on sale
Penguin Football Schedule, 2011 Sept. 2 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 26
at Michigan State vs. Valparaiso vs. Illinois State* at Indiana State* vs. South Dakota State* at Southern Illinois* vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) vs. Western Illinois* (Homecoming) at UNI* at North Dakota State* vs. Missouri State* FCS Playoffs
7:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 2:05 p.m. 4 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 1 p.m. 5 p.m. 4 p.m. 1 p.m.
(*Indicates Missouri Valley Conference; home games in bold.)
To purchase season tickets and Penguin Club memberships, contact the YSU Athletics Ticket Office at 330-941-1978 or visit the ticket office, located on the north end of Stambaugh Stadium. To view seating chart, visit YSUsports.com, tickets and marketing section. Season Ticket Prices – Chairbacks: Penguin Club Members only; Reserved: $84; General Admission: $60. Faculty and Staff may purchase regular season game tickets at half price with a valid Youngstown State University Faculty/Staff ID card. Tickets must be purchased prior to gameday. YSU students are free with a valid ID. Individual game tickets now available.
ysusports.com
S TAT E
UNIVERSITY
Office of University Development One University Plaza Youngstown, Ohio 44555-0001
Cheering on the Penguins, 1960
YO U R L ET
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FROM
RS!
WE WANT TO
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Ready to root on the Youngstown University Penguins in this 1960 photo are, from left, cheerleaders Jane Beckman, Annette Cioffi, Nellie Jo Moses, Nancy Veauthier, Marda Sebastian, Nancy Humphreys, Mary Pellizzeri, and Marion Minghetti. Youngstown College saw its first cheerleaders in 1932, an all-male squad, and women cheerleaders were added five years later. The late Howard Rempes was one of the first cheerleaders on campus. Rempes, a 1938 Youngstown College graduate, is credited with expanding the size of the squad and creating an important role for cheerleaders in building school spirit on campus.
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